Loaded Secrets (ONC 2023)

Chapter Four: A Detective's First Case

Walking with Epson into the police station didn't ease Aria's apprehension about everything she had learned that day. Worse yet, she didn't feel the same jolt of excitement that had struck her when she entered her old precinct. This wasn't her home. This place was foreign to her. She didn't trust Epson's explanation about why she had been brought back to this world, but she couldn't come up with a better one either. The weight of not knowing the truth was having a crippling effect on Aria, and she worried that she might act rashly if she didn't get to the bottom of it soon.

The entranceway to the building didn't differ from the research facility in any notable way. Iridescent panels covered every wall, and the same metallic turnstiles greeted them at the entrance. Epson scanned his palm as he passed the gate and waved her through. Aria followed without a word and looked up to notice that the ceiling of the building was missing. Well, it was there, but so far away that it must have been hundreds of feet high. The building was designed in a courtyard fashion, and there were glass capsules carrying people to different floors. But unlike the elevators of her day, they weren't hoisted or tethered to anything. They sliced through the air in a vertical trajectory using what must have been a force of propulsion.

Epson and Aria stepped into one such capsule, and it moved too quickly for her. By the time the capsule stopped, she practically tumbled out onto the floor. Epson passed her in silence and only stopped briefly to look over his shoulder. His mood seemed to have soured the closer they got to their destination, as he refused to glance in her direction longer than it was absolutely necessary to ensure she was following him. Finally, they stepped through a door, and she was met with the familiar sight of a chaotic police station. People were sitting behind desks, looking at screens, and speaking to one another. Some were conducting interviews. It reminded her of her workplace, and she automatically began to look for her old desk, but quickly remembered herself. This wasn't her old station, and these weren't her old colleagues. Upon realizing this, she noticed that not everything was the same. The people here looked alien: oddly shaped, with vibrant skin colors, and strange textures. This wasn't as jarring to her anymore, but still, she felt uncomfortable with their appearance.

They entered yet another room, and Aria saw a huge man sprawled behind a desk. He appeared alien as well. His skin was mottled green. His head was slightly elongated, framed by short dark hair, but the overall facial features were decidedly human, save and except for a set of sharp, pointed fangs that protruded from his mouth. He reminded her of the Hulk, only he wasn't as wide, and he was wearing clothing from head to toe. He looked up from the screen and motioned for them to take a seat in the chairs across from his desk.

"Hello, Detective Aria," the man said in a booming voice that shook the room as he greeted her without getting up. "My name is Maxtor, the Chief Inspector of the Enforcement unit of Old New York." 

Aria tried to school her features into a neutral expression. She didn't want to offend the man by openly staring at him. After all, this would be her first conversation with an alien-like creature.

"Hello, Chief Inspector Maxtor," Aria finally managed to say softly after composing herself.

"I understand that you have just awakened and the information you have learned so far must still be a shock to your system," he said matter-of-factly, in the same robotic fashion as Epson. Aria wondered if he too had been modified to act as a database or some kind of computer. "But, as you may have learned, despite this age's technological advancements, there are still some things we aren't able to do when it comes to solving crimes."

Aria could only nod in response.

"Your first case will be with Inspector Epson. There is a murder that just occurred on the outskirts of the city. There are no witnesses, and the cause appears to be a dispute over illicit substances. However, the victim's consciousness doesn't provide us with much information. It appears he was either diverted by the assailant or incapacitated when the crime occurred. You and Epson will go to the scene of the crime and collect the evidence using the techniques of your time," Maxtor said, giving  Epson a long, meaningful look that the other man didn't seem to react to, but Aria perceived that there was some tension between the two men.