Van Terra

Chapter Fifty-Two ~ I Bless The Rains Down In Si Hera

Twelfth place wasn't bad, considering the detour. Jasper was more concerned with keeping any more Blades from finding the team than how close she was to victory today.

But it would have been nice to rub first place in everyone else's faces.

She stopped outside the courthouse and leaned against her motorcycle, watching people stream out of the building. As Mechwell emerged, a free man once again, she pulled off her helmet. "Mechwell. I want to talk!"

Mechwell's eyes went wide. "Van Terra! Help!"

"I'm not going to hurt you." Jasper rolled her eyes. A few people looked her way as she approached him. She waved her sword in their direction. "Mind your own business!"

"What do you want with me?" Mechwell asked.

"Just a few questions," Jasper told him as she stopped in front of him. "Do you have any idea why you were framed?"

"What? No!"

"Think." Jasper gave the sword a few, casual swings. "Anything unusual happen recently?"

"Not that I—" Mechwell's eyes somehow managed to go even wider. "Well, there was the data drive."

"Data drive?"

"I don't know what it could possibly have to do with Prime's murder."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell me about it anyway?"

"Well, our secretary was out sick, so my boss asked me to take some files to Kronos's department. Just some organizational stuff related to the building. He also told me to pick up a data drive with utility information. When I showed up, a manager told me to leave the files on a desk." Mechwell's nervous gaze darted back to the courthouse. "There was a data drive waiting, so I took it. When I showed it to my boss, he said it was the wrong one, and that I should take it back before I left for the day."

"Did you?"

"No. I forgot and took the drive home."

"What was on it?"

Mechwell shrugged. "I never looked at it. I threw it on my desk somewhere and completely forgot about it."

"It's still there?" Jasper asked.

"No."

"For the love of—where is it?"

"It was on me when I was arrested. I was going to take it back to work and forgot about it again. It should still be at the police station, since I haven't collected my things from them yet."

"Great. Thanks." Jasper stepped around him and headed up the steps to meet the team as they exited the building.

"We have to make a stop," Jasper told them. "Police station. Mechwell had a data drive on him when he was arrested, and I think it's connected to Starr."

Holly groaned. "Do we all have to go?"

"I guess not. Are the police uniforms still in the car?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Angel, Thea, and I will go into the station while Holly and Jax keep the car running. We'll swing by the shack when we're done to pack up. And I have one last thing to take care of."

"And after that?" Thea asked.

"The next race location is on Sa Ren."

Jax frowned. "Why would Ringmaster go there?"

"Well, it's where Jaymes' school is, and it's about time we started paying attention to him anyway. He's the weakest link in all this, and our best shot at getting info we can use." Jasper adjusted her grip on her sword. "You guys bring the van round front. I'll throw in my motorcycle."