Chapter 47: The First Sin (Part 3)
The walk to Construction Lot #91 didn't take very long, the site being a mere twenty minutes from Wallflower's home.
It was bustling when Alexander and his two E-type bodyguards arrived, and he took a moment to admire the gargantuan steel skeletons of the buildings that were currently under construction.
There were a hundred or so androids swarming over the site, welding, riveting, driving machines and more. It was a loud hive of activity and the human couldn't help but whistle, impressed.
"Dang, this is neat," Alexander praised. "Now, where would we have to look around to find somebody who knows Wallflower?"
"Oi! What the hell are you doing?!" An android shouted at him. He was a tall, square shouldered Resistance model with a large, bushy beard, which was a rarity among the artificial units.
His bodyguards tensed up when the android invaded the human's personal space, a scowl on his rugged face. He had on a harness full of tools, and was wearing a bright orange hardhat.
"Safety first!" the android foreman shouted at Alexander, shoving his own bright orange hardhat onto the human's head before putting a yellow safety vest onto him.
"Uh, thank you!" Alexander called back over the din, discreetly gesturing to 7E and 23E that they could stand down. Reluctantly, the duo eased their grip on their weapons.
"It's no problem, sir! What can Sylvan Construction Services do for you today?" the foreman shouted at him.
"Um, I'm here to investigate Wallflower!" Alexander shouted at him.
The foreman's scowl deepened. "Damn it, I knew this would happen!" he growled. "Fine, follow me! We'll talk somewhere quieter!"
He led them over to the edge of the lot, where a couple of trailers had been set up. Ushering them inside one of them, Alexander found himself in a messy little office, a coffee machine on a table with a mountain of dirty, unwashed mugs next to it.
"So, you want to know about Wallflower, huh?!" the android foreman inquired.
'Does he have any other volume other than loud?' Alexander couldn't help but wonder. Instead, he said, "Yes. We spoke with her earlier, and she claims that she didn't commit the theft, or the murder. We're trying to see if she really didn't commit the murder by checking the tool that was allegedly used in the act."
"The power tool that was recovered from the Machine's body was kept in storage," the foreman revealed, his voice still loud.
"Alright, then. Do you have any security camera footage to confirm Wallflower really was in the quarry during the time the murder was supposed to occur?" Alexander inquired.
"I believe we might," the foreman hummed loudly. "Gimme a second." He stood still, then sent a digital file to the E-types.
"And there we go… we have a single camera that watches the area to and from the quarry. While you watch it, I'm gonna go grab the power tool you wanted to see." The foreman left the trailer, leaving the three behind. Alexander took a second to appreciate the relative silence.
"Checking data… security feed is up and running and I detect no malware or attempts at altering it…" 23E said slowly. "Now, let's see what… ah, there we go… timestamps show the confrontation and argument between Wallflower and Adaline over the theft of the book occurring at the same time Wallflower claimed it did."
"That's good, that means she was truthful about her version of events so far," Alexander muttered.
"Next, I see Wallflower leaving the construction site when she claimed she did… and there she is, returning from the quarry at the same time she said she did," 23E reported. "Her clothing is dirty. Dust from the quarry, perhaps? I would need a sample to be sure."
"I miss POD 153," Alexander mumbled. The POD was still back at the Node, and he wished it was here. Then it could have projected the data as a hologram for him to view as well.
"Curious," 23E suddenly murmured.
"Oh? Let me see, let me see!" 7E requested, and 23E nodded. The E-type then beamed the data she'd received to her companion.
"Oh? Now, that's rather interesting," 7E said a moment later.
"What? What do you see?" Alexander asked.
"A truck drove towards the quarry at 4:11 pm and returned to the construction site at 5:34 pm. I am checking manifests and schedules, and it seems it was a routine pick-up of materials. It was also the only vehicle that was near the quarry at that time," 23E reported.
"That means if Wallflower wanted to do something, like chase after Adaline, she could have used the truck during that time," Alexander guessed.
"Maybe. The timestamps and delivery logs do not suggest that the truck took any detours," 23E mused. "What I found curious was that there is something in the truck's dust cloud when it drives to the quarry, but not when it drives back to the construction lot. And though it's hard to make out, it looks like another android, or Machine."
"That is odd," Alexander agreed. "Was somebody hiding in the dust cloud?"
"Yup! That's sure is what it seems like. I think we need to visit the quarry to check it out," 7E suggested. "And check on who the drivers of that truck were."
"Both good ideas. But what I want to know right now is why Adaline hung around where she did for so long," Alexander muttered. "She left the construction site around 1:10 pm in the afternoon, yet her body was found twenty minutes away from New Babylon on the road to Gear Town."
"You're forgetting that Adaline was a Stubby. Her legs were only good for very slow shuffle-walks, or crazy jumps, unlike other bipedal Machines," 23E pointed out. "Two hours walk for an android would have been at least four hours on foot for her."
"True, but that's still doesn't explain it," Alexander pointed out. "Pascal said Adaline was found 'twenty minutes' away from New Babylon. Twenty minutes for one of us. Not Adaline. And, if we assume she really was killed between 4:28 pm and 5:09 pm, which is when Wallflower's gap in her memory is, then even by her slow walking speed, she'd have been further away from New Babylon. So, why did she stop? Why did Adaline linger near the city when by all accounts she walked away from the confrontation with Wallflower in a huff?"
"That's… actually, a good point," 7E hummed. "Why would the Machine stick around for so long?"
"No idea, but it's something to find out," Alexander declared.
Further conversation was shelved as the door to the trailer was kicked open by the site's foreman.
"Here it is, the thing that Wallflower was using at work, and later used to destroy that Machine," the foreman said loudly, dropping the power tool's case at 7E's feet.
She opened it up, and picked it up in one hand despite how big and heavy it looked to Alexander.
The Geophane Concrete Cutter was an odd-looking power tool in Alexander's opinion. It resembled a jackhammer, but with a hacksaw-like attachment at the front. And it was held like a minigun, or perhaps more accurately a chainsaw.
How it worked was the hacksaw section generated a laser beam where the 'saw' portion normally would go. This beam of energy was then used as a tool to finely slice through solid mass, like steel beams or concrete blocks. The size of the laser could be adjusted as well. But even without the laser blade, it could still cause serious damage if it struck somebody, the metal being strong enough to crush an android's limb.
"Eesh, looks heavy," Alexander muttered. There was a thin layer of dust on some of the cutter, showing the power tool hadn't been cleaned since it'd been taken from the crime scene.
"Not for an android," 7E pointed out. "Even the standard Resistance model could hold one of these in one hand. Wouldn't be very stable, but they could do it."
"Telemetry readings confirm this power tool was in deed used by Wallflower on Wednesday, and no one else has used it since," 23E declared.
"And it was found lodged in Adaline's body, right?" Alexander asked.
"Correct. However, the security camera reveals that the power tool wasn't used by anyone else after Wallflower put it away in its carrying case, as per safety regulations for power tools when not in use," 23E stated.
"Then how did it get from the warehouse where the power tools were stored to the murder scene?" Alexander wondered aloud.
"There are no security cameras in the vicinity of the storage unit, but it does have digital logs, and it shows that the site was accessed several times throughout the day before and after Wallflower put the tool away. At any point after Wallflower left the weapon could have been removed," 23E said.
"This would be so much easier if Wallflower had redundant copies of her memories to view," 7E grumbled.
"An android's mind, and by extension their memories, are their safe space, inviolable and private," the burly android declared, crossing his arms. "You YoRHa types might be fine with uploading your memories and data to a server anyone can access, but not us. Our minds are the one thing we can call our own."
"Did Wallflower have any friends we can question?" Alexander asked, butting in before the two could argue over the matter any further.
"Friends? Well, besides the Machine, she had a couple of them," the foreman replied after thinking it over for a second. "Two of 'em even work here. A fellow power tool operator named Rust, and a crane operator that goes by Mantis. If you want, you can talk to them. Should be over at Quadrant D-2. But follow the rules and safety guidelines!"
"Gotcha, we will," Alexander assured him. "And thank you for your help."
"Just make sure you prove Wallflower is innocent!" the foreman requested.
Leaving the converted trailer-office, Alexander squinted into the distance, looking around at the construction site.
"Quadrant D-2 is this way, Sir Alexander," 23E said helpfully, pointing towards the area they needed to head to.
"Ah. Gotcha, thanks, 23E," Alexander replied, and he followed behind the YoRHa units as they made their way to the section the foreman had informed them about.
Quadrant D-2 was part of the site that was constructing a skyscraper. It would become an office building, or perhaps an apartment complex. Right now, it was just a metal skeleton made up of steel beams and girders.
Android workers swarmed over the surface, welding and riveting, while others directed heavy machinery such as cranes that lowered and arranged even more beams into place.
"Looks like they're pretty busy," Alexander noted.
"They're working hard for the glory of mankind!" 7E said cheerfully. Alexander gave her a glare, and bopped the shorter of the two gynoids on the head.
"None of that, now," he scolded.
"Awww!" she whined, but grinned back at him all the same. He rolled his eyes at her antics before stepping forward and cupping his hands around his mouth.
"We're looking for two androids! Rust and Mantis! Can anyone tell us where they are?" Alexander called out, drawing the attention of a few workers.
"Whatchu want?" one of them shouted back.
"I'm looking for Rust and Mantis!" Alexander repeated.
"Aight. I'll let 'em know," the android replied, then in an even louder voice, bellowed out. "Oi! Rust! Mantis! You've got some Yodelayheehoos that wanna talk to ya!"
"Yodel-what now?" Alex uttered, confused, as two androids stopped what they were doing and headed over to the trio.
"That's what the Resistance androids stationed in parts of the European theatre would call YoRHa units," 23E explained. "I am not aware of the origins of this particular nickname, but it is a common one used by those who were stationed in the northern and Alpine regions."
Alexander blinked in bemusement, somewhat intrigued by that bit of trivia, but schooled his expression into a neutral one as two androids approached.
"What do you frilly fillies want?" a large, muscular android demanded, arms folded across his chest. He was of a similar model to the foreman, but was completely hairless.
Cowering slightly behind the larger Resistance model was a petite, green-haired male model who looked quite androgynous.
"Rust and Mantis, I assume?" Alexander guessed, looking from the large android to the small one.
"Oh, Sir Alexander!" the green-haired android exclaimed. "Yes, I am Mantis. And this is Rust."
"Excellent! Now, you two are friends with Wallflower, correct?" Alexander asked.
"The three of us served in the same unit in Dream City," Mantis revealed. "We all knew each other from the war days and decided to come to New Babylon together when they began asking for volunteers to help build the city."
"Really? Interesting. You must have known each other for a while, then," Alexander assumed.
"That's right, we've known each other for centuries," Mantis said with a small grin.
"What were your jobs in the Resistance?" 7E inquired.
"Heavy weapons!" Rust smirked. "You wanted a Machine force mowed down with rockets or a minigun? You want me!"
"I worked as a sniper," Mantis claimed. "And Wallflower? You won't find a better combat engineer than her!"
"A combat engineer?" Alexander inquired, intrigued.
"Yup. If you needed a building blown up or some field repairs, Wallflower was your gal. Can't even begin to tell you how many times she's replaced these limbs of mine!" Rust guffawed.
"That's because you kept being reckless," Mantis chided, though it was a bit of friendly banter that spoke of long-time friendship. "She could also hack Machines, though that was mainly to trigger their self-destruct mechanisms."
"So, Wallflower had experience with Machines as well as programming skills," 7E mused aloud.
'That casts a lot of suspicion onto the validity of Wallflower's claims of having lost her memories. Did she hack herself and delete the data that would have incriminated her?' Alexander thought to himself. 'Damn, this case is becoming even more problematic!'
"Can any of you tell us about the situation with Wallflower? Can any of you confirm her alibi?" Alexander asked aloud, putting the issue with Wallflower's hacking skills to the back of his mind for the moment.
"Um, no, unfortunately not," Mantis replied sorrowfully. "We saw the argument she had with the Machine when it came to the camp, but we didn't see anything else. She did storm off, though after we tried to talk to her about it."
"What he said," Rust grumbled. "We had to finish up with our section and without Wallflower, we had to double-time it, so no time to relax."
"Hmm… and where were you two during the events in question?" Alexander asked. "Did either of you go to the quarry or follow after Wallflower?"
"I wanted to, but Rust said we should give her some space," Mantis said. "And I never went to the quarry on that day."
"She needed time to clear her head. She didn't need us hanging around making her feel uncomfortable," Rust retorted.
"I see," Alexander murmured.
"As for where we were? Here, the whole time. I got off at 4 pm on the days in question, same as Rust," Mantis revealed. "I went home afterwards, and I assume Rust did, too."
"And neither of you have ever gone to the Machine settlement?" 23E asked.
"No, never. Don't care much for them," Rust grunted, and Mantis bobbed his head in agreement.
"I see," Alexander hummed. "Then I take it you don't share her opinion regarding Machines?"
"Not sure what you mean by that," Rust scoffed. "Wallflower only tolerated one Machine, that goofy bookstore owner that got decommissioned."
"Then, do you think Wallflower is innocent?" Alexander pressed.
"Obviously. Wallflower only destroyed a worthless Machine, it's not like she deleted an android or human," Rust huffed.
"Destroying a Machine is not a crime," Mantis agreed. "They're not real people, no matter how much they pretend otherwise."
"You don't care that she's murdered someone?" Alexander demanded incredulously.
"It doesn't matter that she killed a Machine!" Rust protested. "Those damned scrap heaps aren't androids! They don't have rights as far as I'm concerned!"
"That is your opinion," Alexander said coolly. "However, it is not the way we do things around here. Adaline was killed, and there is no way to bring her back. That is 'murder' by the human definition. We have to investigate what happened so justice can be delivered."
"Justice? Where was the justice when the Machines destroyed my camp, and half of my friends? Where was the 'justice' when the war didn't end with a total annihilation of all Machines who fought against us?" Rust demanded. "You can claim the war is over all you want, but it won't be until the Machines are all scraped!"
Mantis nodded furiously beside the larger android, eye narrowed in disgust at the thought of allowing even a single Machine to run wild and free.
"Thank you for time, Mr. Rust, Mr. Mantis," Alexander said politely, even as he burned with indignation at the callous words of the Resistance units. "If we need anything more from you two, we'll find you."
"Aight. We better get back to work. The building won't build itself," Rust said, walking off without another care in the world. Mantis followed behind, but did cast a look over his shoulder as he walked off, eyes narrowed suspiciously at Alexander.
"Doesn't seem like they were all that happy with the questions," 7E commented.
"I noticed that too," Alexander said with a nod. "And they also aren't fans of Machines, either."
"I think you'll finds that most androids are the same," 23E said solemnly. "The Machines have been our enemies for thousands of years, Sir Alexander. We have fought them for so long, and lost friends to them so many times, that I do not believe there will ever really be any sort of peace between us. Not among the current units, at least. Perhaps once new androids are built who lack the memories of war that we do there can be a chance for peace. Not until then, though."
Alexander gave a shallow nod at the Executioners bleak words, before deciding to focus on the investigations.
"Let's check out the power tool storage shed," the human suggested, and they made their way towards the facility.
It was a plain looking warehouse. Unimpressive. Just a big, grey blocky building covered in dust from the construction yard as well as from the dirt road to the quarry nearby.
In fact, Alexander noticed that the path the vehicles would take to and from the quarry would pass by in front of the storage shed.
"Hey, now, I have a thought," Alexander spoke up. "Can one of you check the timestamps for the security cameras that show the truck from the other day? The one with the shadow in it?"
"Sure. Why?" 7E inquired.
"I'm wondering if perhaps the mysterious person in the dust cloud came from the storage shed, or somewhere near it. There's plenty of places to hide to wait to hitch a ride on the passing truck," Alexander said.
"According to the logged routes, the truck we saw on the cameras at 4:11 pm drove past this place, where the murder weapon was being stored," 7E confirmed with a frown. "I am checking the other cameras in the area, but there are none in the storage shed, or in the immediate surroundings. It could have been possible that the truck stopped in front of it at some point and picked up an extra rider."
"But the truck never slowed down," 23E pointed out. "I checked, and its internal clock confirms this."
"Doesn't mean somebody couldn't have left the storage area with the Geophane Cutter in hand and jumped onto the truck, or more likely, ran after the truck, using its dust cloud as cover," Alexander reminded her, which earned a nod.
"The power tool was covered in some gritty dust," 7E mumbled. "I thought it came from the site where the Machine was destroyed, but now, I think you might be right that it's from this area."
"I'll have some samples of the dirt sent in for analysis," 23E said.
"Well, here we are," Alexander said a moment later as they came to a stop in front of the storage warehouse. There was indeed a digital lock, which 23E opened using a YoRHa override code.
"There must be hundreds of storage cubicles and lockers!" Alexander exclaimed.
He wasn't exaggerating. Numerous rows of simple yet sturdy steel lockers filled the interior of the warehouse. Cheap lights overhead made the whole area seem bigger than it really was. Each locker had a barcode on the front to allow androids to know who owned it and what was stored within.
"Let's just find the one that belonged to Wallflower for now," 7E suggested. She glanced around, scanning the area with her visor. "Hmm, according to the logs, Wallflower's locker is over here, along the south wall. It's pretty far in."
Walking past the rows of storage units, they eventually came to Wallflower's, which was in front of them at the end of the aisle.
"So, this is hers?" Alexander mused as he looked it over. It was identical to all the others, no signs of personalization anywhere, not like on some of the others they'd seen.
"Yup. Just gonna… there we go, unlocked," 7E announced, the door opening as she hacked the lock. She then peered inside.
"See anything?" Alexander asked.
"It's empty," 7E said with a frown.
"We expected that," 23E said with a nod.
"Hmm. Still a bit disappointing, though," 7E sighed, before shutting the door. As she did, Alexander blinked a bit as something tickled the back of his mind.
Peering closer at the locker, he realized that it wasn't in line with the others in the row. Wallflower's locker stuck out an inch forward, making it unaligned with the rest.
"Hmm. 23E, can you move this locker a bit?"
"Of course," the Executioner agreed, and quickly picked it up. As she did, Alexander leaned down peered into the gap 23E had made.
"There's something down here, stuck behind the locker!" he informed his companions. "Lemme just… there we go!"
Alexander conjured a ball of light and directed it into the gap, banishing the shadows.
"This is it," Alexander uttered, staring into the gap between the wall and the locker. "The stolen book!"
It just had to be it! There, inside tucked away behind the locker where the Geophane Cutters were stored, was a book, and with a flex of telekinesis, Alexander pulled it out. It flew into his hands and he grinned eagerly.
"Writing for Dummies?" 7E uttered in bewilderment as she read the title of the book in the human's hands. "The hell? This is the super rare and important book that was being argued over?"
"It looks like it is an instruction manual on how to perform the act of writing. Sir Alexander, are you sure this is the book that was stolen?" 23E inquired as she put the locker back down, and he nodded.
"Yup." He showed them the cover, where a sticker of a ball-point pen had been placed. It was identical in design and style as the stickers Adaline had decorated the other books in her store with.
"If we checked, I'd bet a hundred scrap that the colored ink in the sticker is nowhere near as old as the colored ink in the book," Alexander claimed. "Plus, Wallflower and Pascal both said Adaline was way into literature, and that she wanted to write her own books. What could be more rare or precious than a literal guidebook on how to do so?"
"But then, what was it doing in here?" 23E couldn't help but wonder.
"Does this mean Wallflower really did steal the book and hid it here, then erased her own memory to avoid being implicated?" 7E asked. Alexander frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but it certainly seemed that way. Why else would it be here, behind her locker?
"More and more questions," Alexander muttered to himself, tucking the book away into a pocket.
"To the quarry?" 7E asked.
"To the quarry," Alexander confirmed. "Let's see if we can't find some clues in that area that help us puzzle this mystery out."
&&&&&
Author's Note:
Thanks to Andre and Boris for joining my supporters!
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