Chapter 48: The First Sin (Part 4)
The quarry was a standard looking industrial mining pit on the outskirts of the city. It was a jagged gash deep in ground where rocks and minerals were dug up and processed into concrete at a nearby factory, which would then be sent to the various construction sites across the city.
That wasn't all. Some sections of the quarry were completely empty and far enough from centers of activity or security cameras that androids had taken them over to use for their own purposes. Illicit ones, to be completely honest, such as e-drug deals.
Others used the barren sections of the quarry to vent their frustrations, as evidenced from the scorch marks, discarded shell casings, and scour marks from melee weapons.
"This is… really bland," Alexander commented as he looked around. "And a lot emptier than I expected."
"Not a lot of security cameras in the area. I'll check the security feeds but I don't think we'll be able to find as much evidence as we hoped," 7E pouted in disappointment.
"There's the truck from construction lot 91," 23E announced, pointing towards the delivery vehicle in question.
"Well, let's go and inspect it," Alexander suggested, and the trio approached.
An android with a trucker hat was just getting back into the driver's seat when they reached him, and 23E called out to him.
"Hello!" she said, projecting her voice. "Please wait a minute!"
"Um, hello?" the driver inquired, pausing and giving the group a curious look.
"I want to take a look at the truck," 23E requested. The driver frowned, looking down on the YoRHa android. His eyes flickered over to Alexander, who waved back politely.
"Fine!" the driver grunted, stepping out. "Go ahead! Don't know why you want to, but you can't take it out of the quarry!"
"Don't worry, I won't need to do that," 23E replied. She then got inside the truck's driving compartment, and fiddled around inside for a bit.
"Alright, now... Downloading the data within the truck. And... checking the GPS… odd, some of it has been deleted," she announced.
"When?" 7E inquired.
"The evening of the robbery," 23E informed the group.
"As expected," Alexander replied. He then turned to the driver. "Excuse me, but were you here last week? During Tuesday or Wednesday?"
"I was. Why?" the driver asked.
"I was hoping you might have seen anything weird or unusual during either of those days. And did you happen to see an android named Wallflower?" Alex inquired. 7E sent the driver a file containing the gynoid's picture, and the driver grunted as he looked it over.
"Yeah, I saw her. On Wednesday. She was walking towards Pit 6," the driver replied, pointing off into the distance.
"Anything else?" 7E pressed, but the android shook his head in the negative.
"Thank you for the help," Alexander said, nodding gratefully at him, before turning towards his other E-type bodyguard. "Hey, 23E, are you done?"
"I am," she replied, leaving the driving compartment. "There is some data I discovered I wish to share with you."
"Walk and talk, then," Alexander instructed as he headed towards the area Wallflower had last been spotted entering.
Pit 6 turned out to be a big, ugly, square-shaped hole in the ground where machinery had scooped out massive chunks of rock from the ground, leaving behind a bunch of uneven mounds of debris and dirt alongside the aforementioned empty pit.
Trash littered the interior, and a number of holes had been blasted into the sides. It had definitely been used as target practice before as far as Alexander could tell.
"So, what did you discover?" Alexander asked 23E as they descended into the pit to get a closer look.
"When I inspected the truck, there was clear evidence that some of the logs had been tampered with, mainly the GPS and dash-cam," the Executioner revealed. "While the deleted data was beyond my ability to recover, I did discover something interesting that was missed, and proves that the truck was used to do something on Tuesday."
"Really?" Alexander asked eagerly.
"Indeed. The odometer shows that at some point on Tuesday evening, it accumulated an extra twenty miles that do not appear on any other systems," 23E explained.
"Twenty miles? That's almost a round trip between the city and the Machine village," 7E noted curiously.
"I think we found the get-away vehicle from the theft," Alexander said. "Interesting. What else?"
"Unfortunately, that is all. However, I am starting to think there may be more than one android involved," 23E claimed.
"What? How do you figure?" Alexander inquired.
"Besides the unknown individual hiding in the truck's dust trail the security camera spotted? After reviewing the security feeds for the construction site and Wallflower's apartment complex, I noticed some… inconsistencies. Mainly related to a certain android we met earlier," 23E stated. "Here, let me share the data."
7E whistled as the information was sent to her. "Wow! Yeah, that's definitely suspicious. Nice catch, 23E!"
"What? What is it?" Alexander demanded, annoyed at not possessing a high-speed data-sharing system like the other androids.
'I miss POD 153,' he grumbled in his head. The POD would have been able to project a hologram so he could also see what was causing a commotion with the two.
"I'll show you later," 23E promised. "For now, let's explore Pit 6 and see if we can't find any proof of Wallflower's helper being in the area."
Descending into the Pit, Alexander looked around with a curious gaze. It was dingier up close, with more trash visible that had previously been hidden in the shadows of the hole.
"Wait!" 7E exclaimed, hold out an arm to stop my progression, and the human froze, trusting their instincts.
"What is it?" Alexander inquired nervously.
"Look, there! See that?" the short E-type said, pointing to a patch of dirt in the corner of the Pit that Alexander had been about to step onto.
"A footprint?" Alexander said aloud, peering at the indentation in the ground.
"Two of them, in fact," 23E stated, leaning in to get a better look. And indeed, there was a second footprint in the dirt, half filled with trash. However, it was of a different size to the first one, and was pointing in the opposite direction.
Interestingly, while there were two footprints, they weren't from the same source. One left foot and one right foot, but they were pointing towards each other, not side by side. As for the second footprint in the set, there was none. The ground was covered in a layer of trash that had cushioned the feet of whichever androids had stood there, leaving only a single footprint from each behind.
"Whoever the footprints belonged were facing each other. A conversation, perhaps?" Alexander mused.
"Possibly. And these indents were formed by an android jumping down from above," 7E said, staring at them. "No other way they'd be so deep."
"One of the footprints matches the same size and type of boots Wallflower wears," 23E announced, sizing it up by sight alone.
"We know she was down here, though, so that doesn't help much," Alexander reminded her.
"It's the second print I'm curious about," 23E declared. "It's too small for Wallflower. I think this confirms she had an accomplice."
"How can we be sure that that first footprint belonged to Wallflower? Or that the second footprint was made at the same time as the first one? Hasn't anyone else been in Pit 6 since then?" Alexander mused, playing devil's advocate. "I mean, probably, but there's no way to know for certain due to the lack of cameras."
"That is a good point. We should run some spectrum scans, maybe a couple of advanced radiometric dating. Or call in a geologist. But that'd take time, and a POD or two," 7E suggested with a grimace.
"All of that seems to end up the same way," he grumbled. "We need more data."
He then looked over at his two bodyguards. "Let's head back to the city and get in contact with a few other androids. I want to ask some of them more questions."
"Who, exactly?" 23E inquired.
"Wallflower again, Mantis, Rust, and a few others from the construction site," Alexander listed off. "Then I want to go over all the security feeds with you two. And I want you to point out to me what you noticed earlier."
"Of course, Sir Alexander," 23E assured him.
"Alright, then, let's get to it," Alexander declared. He then wrapped himself in a bubble of anti-gravity and floated up out of Pit 6. His two companions joined him a moment later, leaping out from it in a single bound.
"I'm so tired," Alexander sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead as the sun set. He'd spent the last few hours running around New Babylon talking to all of the various androids he could, and had collected a massive amount of data to look through for evidence.
Sadly, nothing had immediately stuck out to him as definitively pointing to who was the criminal responsible in the first place.
He has his suspicions, but he needed more concrete information to pin it on somebody.
"We won't get anywhere else at this point," Alexander grumbled to himself. "Let's close up for the moment and try again later."
"Shall we return to the Bunker, then?" 7E asked.
"Hmm… no, I think I want to stick around here in the city for a bit longer. Can one of you find an apartment that's furnished with a bed?" he requested, and they both nodded at his request.
Their digital search came up with a few results, and the trio decided to stop off at one of the apartment complexes that contained an advanced penthouse unit that matched his needs.
"Who did they build this place for?" Alexander wondered as he looked over the impressive space. The penthouse unit took up the entire top floor of the building, and had numerous rooms for a bunch of different purposes, from bathing to sleeping, to one dedicated entirely to clothing storage.
"Ah, this is your apartment, Sir Alexander," 23E informed him, and he spun around, boggling at her.
"Wuh?"
"This 'penthouse' was designed for you in the event you ever moved out of the manor in the woods. I believe the androids who designed it called it a 'bachelor pad?' Apparently, humans in the early adulthood years would move out of their homes to the 'big city,' and thus this place was made for your exclusive use in the event you followed in the same trends as your ancestors," the E-type helpfully explained.
"Huh… kinda wish I'd known about this place sooner," Alexander mused. "Not that mom would ever let me move out without her knowing, but still."
"A2 can't just keep you at your manor dwelling forever, though," 7E pointed out. "You'd eventually have to find a new place to live. It's human tradition!"
"Well, you know how mom can get when it comes to me and my safety," Alexander chuckled, and his bodyguards nodded nervously.
"Well, if this is gonna be my home away from home, I gotta break it in," Alexander declared with a grin. "First, I'll take a bath. Then I'll try out that state of the art kitchen, ending with me sleeping in that king-sized bed in the bedroom."
"As you wish, sir," the E-types stated, though 7E wore a playful grin that set the young human on edge.
Alexander did all that, just as he said he would, and he woke up the next morning feeling nice and refreshed. It wasn't every day he got to sleep in such a luxurious place, after all.
'Although I did have to keep 7E out of my bedroom last night,' he thought to himself, recalling how his bodyguard had kept trying to sneak in until 23E had caught on and kept her shorter companion away from his room.
"Morning, you two," he greeted the E-types as he wandered out from the bedroom, hair damp from a refreshing shower.
"Good morning, sir Alexander," 23E said while 7E cooked breakfast for him.
"What's on the menu today?" he asked the shorter of the pair.
"Pancakes! Lots of pancakes!" 7E said cheerfully.
"It's all she knows how to cook," 23E added dryly, earning a pout from the petite twin-tailed android.
"You also have a message from Commander White," 23E continued, which made the human sit up straight.
"I do?" Alexander inquired as he sat down at the dining room table.
"Yes, she wishes to get into contact with you."
"Then let her do so," Alexander said, and the Executioner bobbed her head. A moment later, a holographic screen flickered to life in front of him, revealing YoRHa's commander herself.
"Good morning. Thank you for responding so promptly," White said when she saw the human sitting in front of her.
"No problem, White. What's the matter?"
"Nothing is wrong, I am simply touching base with you. Your guards sent me an overview of what you have been doing as well as your evidence for the trial."
"I see. Then you've also seen my notes on who I believe to be responsible?"
"I have. How goes the investigation, Alexander?" White inquired, concern and curiosity clear in her expression.
"I think we've gotten enough evidence to solve the case," the human replied.
YoRHa's commander nodded, a pleased look on her face. "Wonderful. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
"Actually, there is something. I need you to begin setting up the trial," Alexander requested. "Find a neutral judge and a jury evenly split between androids and Machines. Have at least one YoRHa android included in the jury selection, but not one who's been assigned to me in the past. And make sure a Machine from Cleaver's faction is also on the jury. Ask Pascal for help if you need it for that last bit. Oh, and don't forget to find a prosecutor and a defense attorney."
"I can do all of that. I cannot say for sure when everything will be complete, but it shouldn't take longer than a week," White informed him. "Anything else?"
"A couple guards to make sure nobody interferes with the trial, and also to make sure all the suspects attend, whether they want to or not. And make sure the trial is held somewhere that a large number of audience members can attend."
"Should the trial really be left open to the public?" White asked, raising an eyebrow at the request.
"Justice needs to be impartial and transparent. If people want to watch the trial go down, then they should have the right to do so. We can have cameras stream it for those who can't make it physically, but I'm certain there will be plenty of people – Machine and android alike – who'll want to see this in person, if only for the novelty of it, or to support one side or the other," Alexander explained.
"That is… very well, if that is what you wish," White said, hesitant but still obedient to his orders. Alexander felt a bit guilty at how willing she was to simply do as he said, but he let his worries about that fade as he knew that his instructions were for the best.
"Thank you, White," Alexander said gratefully. "Let me know when everything is ready."
"I shall, Alexander."
"Oh! And, uh, before you go, can you tell me how 2B is doing?" Alexander asked in concern.
"Tests are still ongoing," White replied tersely. "But so far, there are no signs anything is wrong with her, or her child."
"Good. That's a relief," Alexander sighed in relief.
White merely nodded in agreement before disconnecting, the hologram turning off and leaving Alexander alone with his bodyguards.
7E looked at Alexander curiously once White was no longer staring at them. "Hey, you seem really confident you can figure this whole thing out before White sets up the whole trial thing. But how?"
"Because while I promised not to breech the privacy of the androids and Machines by looking at their personal data to solve the crime, that doesn't mean I'm out of tricks to play," Alexander replied smugly.
"Oh?" 23E uttered, curious. "Then you know who it is?"
"After looking at all the evidence, I think we can all agree we know who is responsible for the theft and murder," Alexander said with a nod. "But, just to be sure, I have one last trick up my sleeve. Observe!"
First, he picked up a mug, and then dropped it onto the floor. It broke apart into shards, and caused his guards to jerk in surprise at the loud noise.
Alexander then pointed a finger at the mug he had broken, and a bubble of blue-white maso appeared around it. As they watched, time seemed to flow in reverse within the bubble, and the mug was restored to its original, unbroken condition.
"Ever since I began Astral Projecting in my sleep, Uncle Emil has been helping me master it," Alexander said, a touch smugly as he observed the shocked looks the E-types wore on their faces after seeing him manipulate time. "And in the process, I've learned a few interesting new spells. Chronomancy is one of them."
"Oh, wow!" 7E exclaimed in excitement.
"Astral Projection combined with Chronomancy… you're going to try and literally see what happened at the crime scenes by going back in time!" 23E realized. "Or at the very least, you'll be creating a way to perform Post-Cognition, the ability to look into the past with near-perfect clarity!"
"Yup. I'm kinda glad this issue popped up now. Gives me an excuse to try out my newest batch of magic. And Uncle Emil will certainly appreciate the data from my experiments. Plus, POD 153 will probably want to copy my notes to make a maso program so the other PODs can use Chronomancy in the future," Alexander said with a grin. "Now, let's go solve a crime by peering through time itself!"
"After breakfast!" 7E reminded him. "It's the most important meal of the day!"
"Right, of course, after breakfast," Alexander nodded in agreement. Breakfast was serious business after all!
Author's Notes:
It's almost time for the truth to come out. Who did it?
Also, don't forget to check out my patty-ron (Akashicrecordstrue) for early chapters (such as who dun it!), or Kofi (Akashicrecords) for a one time donation. Every little bit helps!