Federation Base Station 11
The office was small and smelled of cigarettes even though smoking was frowned upon throughout the Federation. There was a walk-up window, but Rivka bypassed that and followed Red inside. He loomed over the grubby old woman behind a desk who was watching a pornographic video, probably blasting it because she was hard of hearing.
The Magistrate showed her creds and introduced herself. “I want everything you have regarding an individual who rented a room from you. Name was Spiriva.”
She gave Rivka the finger, which made the Magistrate wonder if she could see.
I already have the information from their files, Magistrate, Dennicron noted.
“What kind of racket are you running?” Rivka grabbed the woman’s upraised digit and twisted just enough to get her attention but not enough to cause pain to dominate her thoughts.
“Who are you?” she demanded. Rivka maintained her grip.
“I’m the Magistrate, and I’m investigating a crime that took place in your rooms.”
“Only crime out there is someone keeps popping the lights and cameras.”
Rivka closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “That’s the only crime we see, which is why it’s committed. What is going on in your rooms, mainly theft and kidnapping?”
“Ain’t no theft or kidnapping. At least, I’m not getting a cut. Pustule-sucking lowlife titwads.” The old woman tried to jerk her hand free. Rivka let her go after seeing in her mind that she was put out by not getting a cut of the activities in the rooms. She pulled a cigarette from the drawer, lit it, and blew the smoke at Rivka. Red leveled his railgun.
Rivka gave him the look of wonder that said, “I wonder what the hell you’re doing.”
“I can shoot it out of her mouth.”
The woman took an obscenely long drag, then pulled the cigarette out of her mouth and ran her tongue around her lips before blowing the smoke at Vered. His stomach heaved, and he gagged. He looked forlornly at the Magistrate. She sympathized with her bodyguard.
“I’m going to check the room he rented.” She turned to Dennicron.
“Room Four tac Forty-Seven tac One Fifteen Bravo.”
“I need access, so please key me to it.”
“Gotta pay before you get access.” The woman stood. She had Rivka by a solid fifty kilos, but none of it was muscle.
“Lady,” Red interrupted, “give the Magistrate access.”
She guided the cigarette toward her mouth. Red slapped it out of her hand before she could take a drag.
“Smoking is nasty. Now would be a good time to quit.”
She snarled. “I like it, and I paid good money for that. You owe me one doobie!”
“Dennicron, can you confirm our access?”
“Done,” she replied immediately. “All rooms.”
Rivka twirled her finger in the air. Time to go.
“Lady,” Red said after the others had filed out, “you need to rethink your life decisions.”
“My life is over. Smoking and eating junk is the fastest of the slow deaths. Maybe you could just shoot me now and take care of it? No one would miss old Bertha.”
“You’re probably right about that, but I’m not going to help you. Go find some other lackey. It wouldn’t take hardly anything to turn this into a decent establishment. Going out ugly is your choice. Going out as a decent person is your choice, too.” He left before she could reply.
Rivka slightly inclined her head. “I’m impressed, Vered. You’re telling people to change their lives and not looking to pound them first.”
“I didn’t want to get any nasty on me,” he replied. “Nothing more. None of you pukecicles should think I’ve grown soft because I haven’t. I’ll kick your ass upside down and backwards if you start spreading your vile rumors.”
“Red is turning into a nice guy and other vile rumors. Stay tuned for more,” Rivka quipped.
Sahved looked confused, tilting his head back and forth as he studied Red’s face. “I am the poorest investigator ever. I don’t know what’s going on. Who is doing what to whom and where? Is Red nice or not? Is this a change from before? I have so many questions.”
“There you have it, Sahved. You have concisely summed up our entire understanding of Red.”
“I don’t have any conclusions. Only questions.”
“Exactly. Red at his finest.”
“Finest what? Niceness?” Sahved remained confused as Rivka focused on the way ahead.
“Thanks, Dennicron. It’s nice having complete access to the station. You were masterful, working with the station manager.”
“Thank you!” The SI almost instantly beamed at the praise. The expression subroutines were running like they were supposed to. The SIs were getting better by the day, unlike toddlers, who take years. Within weeks, she expected the two would be indistinguishable from humans. Well, except for visual anomalies around joints and other moving parts where the construction material didn’t flex as well as skin, like the fingers, elbows, knees, and feet.
You should be able to access the rooms, but wait until we get there, Rivka passed to the rest of the team.
Rivka waved as she passed Supernova for the second time in five minutes. Sahved mirrored her motion before leaning close. “Why are we waving?” he whispered.
“Just to let them know we still love them,” Rivka replied.
“We do?”
“Absolutely,” Red said, holding his thumb up over his shoulder where Sahved could see it.
“I will study this later. I have much to learn.”
“That is true,” Rivka admitted.
“Does that mean something you told me earlier was untrue?”
“Everything I say is a lie,” she told him.
While he was twisting about with that, they met the others in the darkened hallway that held the rooms for rent. A sign over the entrance read, Rest your weary head, travelers, for you have come far . Someone had added in heavy black marker, Your boner deserves attention. Right here. Right now .
Red started to laugh and couldn’t stop. “This guy is a genius.”
Lindy shook her head.
Rivka stared down the hallway at the single light that worked at the far end. She strolled down, leaning close to read the plates above each access panel. When she reached the room that had been rented by Spiriva, she waved her hand over the panel, and the door slid open. Rivka stepped in to block the door and keep it open.
“Has anyone else rented this room since Spiriva?”
“Two rentals occurred for one hour each,” Dennicron answered.
“With a good fifty-five minutes going to waste. I think we’ll still find something. Scan it, you two. You have the systems to make short work of any crime scene investigation.”
She leaned on the doorframe and watched as the SCAMPs strolled around the room, checking the floor and the other surfaces while ignoring the well-used bed. The bathroom had been cleaned but not well.
Chaz and Dennicron consulted each other while staring at the carpet in the center of the room. Dennicron testing it by running a heel over the area. Chaz deferred.
“We believe that the private fell right here and was carried away by persons unknown.”
Rivka hurried into the room and leaned down, trying to see what the SIs had noted. “You got all of that from this?”
“Yes. Our full report will be added to your case file. The depth of carpet compression is visible because this carpet is old with a weakened support pad. There are a number of fibers that are upright to outline the main impact, and only five people have walked through this area since.”
“Amazing. Thank you for that. It’s like having my own lab with me at all times.”
Chaz and Dennicron nodded at each other.
“Anything on the temptress?”
“Yes. There are hairs, looking like cat hairs, embedded within the indent. I would guess that she was beneath him when he fell.” Chaz secured samples in a small baggie and shook it before the others as if it were a great prize.
Rivka frowned. “That might suggest he wasn’t the only victim. Both of them? Is this blood trade-related? I need to contact Grainger and get more on why he thinks this was blood trade.” She looked at Joseph and Petricia, who were hovering in the corridor. “I’m sorry. I hope I haven’t wasted your time.”
“There’s only so much golf one can play, young lady.” Joseph bowed with a sweep of his hand.
Rivka didn’t ask if that meant time invested investigating the case was wasted.
“Next stop, Maintenance,” Rivka declared. And in the meantime, Clevarious, get me Grainger. See if I can walk and talk at the same time.
They secured the room on their way out.
Rivka! It’s now morning. I’m sipping my steaming-hot java, watching comedy vids in my underwear, and wondering how my favorite Magistrate’s case is going.
That’s what you do in the morning?
No. I’m jacking you because you woke me up last night. I think it was last night. I can never remember. What did I say?
It’s what you didn’t say. We have an unidentified race where a cat vixen drew the warrior away from the bar. But we are in possession of information that suggests she may also have been a victim of the kidnapping. And yes, I am convinced it was a kidnapping. The private didn’t bail on the Bad Company, Rivka explained.
This is just for your ears, Rivka. Lance discovered a few of the wealthy ambassadors were starting to look younger when there was no reason for it. Through methods available to him, he was able to surreptitiously check a blood sample.
Rivka stopped walking, bringing the group to a grinding halt. They stood around trying to look inconspicuous while she stared with a blank expression, looking little more than a drug-addled zombie.
And if there was any note of that in official paperwork, it could bring down the Federation through an open rebellion because one shouldn’t be conducting covert testing on the trusted members of the council. I understand. What planets, so we can dig deep into the finances and find where the payments are going?
Delegor, Mastus, and Foromme Three. Rivka didn’t know anything about the planets except that they weren’t in this sector of space. They had a big Gate jump ahead of them.
We won’t leave a trace of this investigation unless we find them via a different route. We don’t punish users, but suppliers deserve our full ire. The ambassadors will not be involved, but all of a sudden, they may no longer be able to juice with the blood of victims.
As it should be. Find the architects and bring it down. Nothing public on this. It’s all done out of the limelight.
You know me, Grainger. I never upset the apple cart.
I don’t think you understand the definition of the word “never.” Go get ‘em, Magistrate. Grainger signed off.
Rivka blinked and found herself standing in the middle of an open area with her seven teammates standing around her, trying to look inconspicuous.
“New leads,” she told them. “I need to butter the Singularity’s muffin because I have a task for which they are uniquely suited in order to attack this thing from the buyer’s perspective.”
“The buyers…” Ice hung from Joseph’s words. His eyebrows furrowed in a look that allowed no ambiguity. Joseph held the buyers as culpable as their suppliers.
“Are you going to go werewolf on them and rip them limb from limb?”
“Vampire. Well, we used to be, but not anymore. No, good Magistrate, we shall not rend flesh except in our own defense, but I will use my unique talents to insert into a user’s mind an overwhelming fear of needles to the point of apoplexy. Even contemplating getting poked will cause them debilitating pain. I think it apropos. And no, I’m not a Magistrate. I don’t have the authority to punish the guilty, but I will do it because of what the blood trade does to its victims.”
Rivka nodded slightly while looking at the deck. “It’s not illegal to be an addict.”
“Punishment is coming for all involved,” Joseph replied in a low voice. He stared Rivka down.
She wouldn’t budge. “Let me address them first, please. If they are in my care, I’ll need you to leave them alone.”
“I can’t guarantee that, but I shall afford you the respect you deserve.”
Rivka wasn’t sure that meant she could trust Joseph and Petricia not to go rogue. He was one of Terry Henry’s closest friends, which earned him as much latitude as she could give. She could ask for no more. “Fair enough. I appreciate your insight thus far. We’ll find them, Joseph, Petricia. And we will take them down.”
“That’s a promise I can get behind and why we’re here. This trade cannot be allowed to continue. Every tendril. Every associate. Every medical professional. And most importantly, the kidnapping team. Everyone involved. Only then will we return to Keeg Station and resume our daily golf.”
“We have a golf simulator onboard Wyatt Earp ,” Red offered, using the opportunity to distract Joseph so they could get on with the investigation.
“Only then will we resume our daily golf,” Joseph reiterated.
“One can only play so much during retirement,” Rivka added, paraphrasing Joseph’s earlier words. “Let’s get back to the witnesses. Maintenance awaits.”