Replica (Original Work)

Chapter 9 - Burials

There's an old expression, something along the lines of, "the worst thing a parent can go through is burying their child." Well, both of Aaron's parents were there to bury him. I remember, for a moment, a certain gratefulness. After all, I had nobody to leave behind. I tugged at my black dress as the casket was lowered into the ground, and immediately recoiled at my self centered thoughts.

I could feel it inside myself. The same egotistical self righteousness I so despised in others, in the politicians and their lies, in the police and their bureaucracy, and in the suits at corporate most of all. It was there, making me think about myself while I watched a coworker I hardly knew go into the ground in some browning patch of a godforsaken, decrepit cemetery. I bit my lip, hard, as though to inflict some mild punishment. It didn't make me feel any better.

Eva didn't speak, or cry, or move, during the ceremony. She was stone. I was sure part of her still hadn't even registered that Aaron had died. She didn't return to the office the next day, or the days following. I was amazed, but corporate gave her time for bereavement. I suspect old man Wade had something to do with it. After all, he was calculating, but not an evil man. At least, not evil by the standards I had come to know.

The rest of us returned to work as soon as we finished seeing Aaron off. The first thing I did was visit Dunlap. His office stretched a fair bit wider than mine, filled with all sorts of technical equipment I didn't understand used for the arcane arts of hacking. Real hacking, I mean, not the amateur stunts I could pull with an NI cord and a wireless connection. He sat fastened back in his chair, some kind of visor over his eyes, plugged up to a beast of a machine I couldn't begin to understand the necessity of.

I gently tapped his shoulder. He jerked, unplugged his NI cables and pulled off the visor.

"Lucy?"

"Dunlap."

For a moment I just stood over him. He'd realize what I had come for soon enough, I didn't need to say it.

"I know what you want, and I'm not doing it. Not unless you get the chief to okay it first." His voice was firm, but he lacked real resolve on the matter. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted answers as badly as I did.

"I want you to scour every network, every site, every bit of social media, every goddamn word on every dark, scum infested part of the net. You find me that suicidal bastard's partner. That's all. Leave the rest up to me."

He looked at me, and quickly gave. "It'll... take some time. You're asking me to put a lot of pull on Hexadyn's network. A lot more than I can get away with discreetly."

"Do it as quickly as you can then. When you find something, pass the information along to me. Then I'll handle it."

Dunlap nodded, and I took my leave of his office, heading for my second, far more confrontational, visit. Chief Wade's second floor office. He occupied the space most of the day, when he wasn't being called upstairs to meet with some or other board member. I knocked.

"Come in."

I entered the room, far oversized for the small man that occupied it, and leaned back against the wall. Away from Wade's desk, but right in front of him, I shut the door with my foot then propped it against the wall behind me. I crossed my arms and stared at him with what I was sure came across as grim determination.

"You know what I want to know."

Wade folded his hands on top of his desk.

"Lucy, remind me, how long have you been... with the company."

"Five years." I said.

"You're still a rookie, you know. I put my faith and my men in your hands because of your training and your genes, but you haven't seen the things I have."

"What are you trying to say?"

"When it comes to corporate, I have one rule. If you don't understand it, you try to know as little about it as possible."

"Is that what's kept you alive so long? Being a good dog, obeying your masters?"

Wade looked up at me and with all sincerity said "yes."

I didn't have time to debate the merits of modern slavery with a man so clearly committed to it. I strode to his desk, slammed my new prosthetic palm over top of it, and issued my demand.

"Why did you bury this case?"

"Because that's what I was told to do." Wade paused, and looked back at my hand.

"Lucy, if you want to continue to stick your nose where it doesn't belong I won't stop you. In my time around you, I've come to understand that once you commit yourself to something you, in point of fact, won't be stopped. But, my dear, I am not going to let you take this department down with you," He stared at my hand, flush against the desk, gaze not meeting mine.

"I'll take that as permission to continue as I have then."

"I didn't say anything at all."

With that, I turned to exit Wade's office. Just as I got to the door however, he called back to me. "There is one other thing you should know."

I turned and looked back at him. This time his eyes met with mine and I saw a dangerous look in them. "What?"

"We've got a new case load, as of tomorrow. We've been issued a termination order."

"Termination?" My eyes widened. Not again.

"One of our researchers is apparently defecting to a rival firm. The details will be along tomorrow, but arrangements are being made for us to intercept the man. Lethal force is both authorized and requested."

"So, I get to get my hands dirty again. Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Whatever."

I exited the room. That was wonderful news. I had to kill a man sometime in the next week too. By the time I got to my office I was mentally exhausted, mostly from the visit with Wade. I sat at my desk for the rest of my shift, and did nothing. There was nothing to be done, after all. Such was life in the machine. However, before I prepared to head to the sleeping quarters that had so thoughtfully been prepared for me while I looked for new housing (I'd learned I had been given the boot from my apartment just prior to Aaron's funeral) my phone rang.

"Lucy."

"Miss Lucy? This is Reggie, with the union PD?"

Reggie? Oh. The officer that had been handling my case. If I'd forgotten her it must have been a stressful day.

"Yes?"

"I've been trying to reach you for a week now but I was repeatedly informed you were indisposed."

"Is there some news I should know about?"

"Not on your particular case, listen, this is more of a personal affair. We shouldn't speak on the phone."

"What could you possibly need to say in person?" My brain couldn't take many more riddles at that moment. I was already angry, overloaded, and probably a danger to myself and others.

"Just meet me in your company garage in oh, say, twenty minutes okay?"

I stood silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. Then, more on gut feeling than on any rational type of thinking, I agreed.

"Twenty minutes. If you're any later I'm out."

"It's a date then." The line went dead. I eased back into my desk chair, and heaved a heavy sigh. What was I getting myself into anyway?