The Investigation

Vanmarek sat in the cafeteria, drinking a cup of coffee. He sipped from the cup as he turned it between his fingers. 'Lord Hades has been in my office again,' he said. 'I'm beginning to get a complex.'

Harris sat opposite with his arms folded across his chest. He had already finished his drink, and he was playing with his empty cup on the table.

'Don't take it too personally. He goes into my office too.'

'What do you think he's looking for?' Vanmarek said. 'I would have thought if he needed something he would just ask me.'

Harris shrugged. 'Lord Hades doesn't talk to commanders much. Sometimes I wonder if he even knows who we are. He could be looking for any number of things. My guess is that he's trying to find out if any of us helped Thompson with whatever she was doing. Maybe he thinks we're all traitors.'

Vanmarek spat his coffee down the front of his jacket. 'Traitors?'

Harris checked his own jacket for stains and shook his head. 'You have the table manners of a newborn baby.'

'What?'

'Never mind.'

'Does he really think we're all traitors?'

'Like I was saying before you sprayed me with coffee, don't take it personally. He's probably searching everyone's office.'

Vanmarek frowned, wiping stains from his jacket. 'I don't like the sound of that.' He pushed his cup to one side then waved towards the doorway.

Harris turned to see who he was waving at and saw Drefnig walking across the cafeteria towards them.

'Good to see you both doing what you do best,' Drefnig said as he approached.

'Don't ask him,' Harris said.

Vanmarek looked confused. 'What?'

'Getting fat on your backsides,' Drefnig said.

Vanmarek huffed. 'Ah, come on. This is the first coffee I've had all day. Most of it's on my jacket thanks to Harris. I've already had the guilds to deal with, and I've been chasing that diplomat Willow around this morning. The afternoon hasn't been much better.'

Drefnig raised one hand to forestall him. 'It's been a busy day for all of us. Someone just took a pot shot at General Markov.'

Vanmarek and Harris sat up straight in their chairs.

'Is he injured?' Vanmarek said.

Harris looked around the cafeteria as though he expected a gun battle at any moment. 'Where did it happen?'

'Level 140. He's okay. They missed.'

Vanmarek rubbed a hand through his short, copper blond hair. 'Well, that's something. Do we know who it was?'

Drefnig shook his head. He stood next to the table with his hands on his hips. 'There were no witnesses. Kendle is going to check the visual logs.'

Harris rubbed his greying beard. 'This place is getting worse every day,' he said. 'It's not safe anymore. I remember when I first started here...'

'Here we go,' Vanmarek said.

Harris grunted. 'Central Command has changed a lot since Thompson came. I'm not surprised Lord Hades is looking for traitors.'

'What makes you think he's looking for traitors?' Drefnig said, brushing his long hair back with one hand.

Harris shrugged. 'Vanmarek was just complaining that Lord Hades has searched his office again.'

'Has he?' Drefnig said.

Vanmarek nodded. 'He does it all the time. It's not like there's anything in there that's worth looking at. He must get extremely bored up there. I know I do. I stay out of my office as much as possible. There's more useful work to be done out here. I already spent enough time sitting on my backside behind that creaking desk.'

Drefnig folded his arms. 'Maybe he's looking for something else.'

Vanmarek lifted his cup and finished the dregs of his coffee. 'Like what?'

'I have a theory.'

Harris smiled. 'Don't you always?'

'Tell us,' Vanmarek said.

'I think Lord Hades has been searching the commanders' offices for a couple of reasons. The first is that he wants to gather evidence for the investigation into Gail Thompson.'

Vanmarek nodded. 'That makes sense. And what else?'

'I think he's also looking for information about Rachel.'

Harris looked troubled. 'Why would he be doing that?'

'Well, it's only a theory, but let's just say that I accidentally noticed the movement of documents across our systems.'

Vanmarek raised an eyebrow. 'Just how did you accidentally do that?'

'Call me clumsy,' Drefnig said.

Harris gave him an appraising look. 'Maybe Lord Hades will be searching your office next.'

Drefnig grimaced. 'I hope not. The place is a mess.'

'You didn't answer my question,' Harris said. 'What makes you think Lord Hades is interested in Rachel?'

'I know he is,' Drefnig said. 'He's accessed her profile at least ten times this week. He's also accessed her medical records and the report I made on everything that happened at the Mekinet News building when Rachel was injured. He's taken copies of a few of your reports too.'

'What reports?'

'Something about Rachel apprehending a Kamari messenger in the Old Quarter.'

'That old thing? It's hardly worth reading. What would he want with that?'

'I don't know. He seems to be gathering copies of any documents that mention her. Some of the documents have disappeared from our systems, after he's taken a copy, of course.'

'We should tell her,' Vanmarek said, looking troubled.

'Maybe Lord Hades won't like that,' Drefnig said. 'He might see it as tampering with his investigation.'

'You mean like hacking into systems and tracking document transfers?'

Drefnig straightened his jacket. 'Something like that.'

'I think Vanmarek is right on this one,' Harris said. 'Rachel deserves to know if someone is investigating her. I'd want to know if it was me.'

'We wouldn't tell you,' Drefnig said with a smile.

Harris sighed.

'I'll tell her,' Vanmarek said. 'If anyone is going to get blamed for this, it should be me.'

Harris looked amused. 'I think you've taken quite a shine to our latest commander.'

Vanmarek frowned. 'Leave it.'

Drefnig turned and looked over his shoulder. 'I'm going to get some food. Does anyone need anything while I'm up there?'

Vanmarek shook his head.

'There's so many options,' Harris said. 'I can never decided which paste tastes worse. I have to get back up to the Satellite Control Room anyway. I can't sit around gossiping all day.'

'So who's going to talk to Rachel?' Vanmarek said.

Harris got to his feet. 'I'll do it. I think this needs the delicate touch of a man in his mature years.'

Drefnig laughed. 'I'm going to get some food. See you guys later.'