Chapter 35 #2
They’re led into a lobby in the employees-only section next to a bank of elevators. Wanda confers with a man who seems to be her team lead, and the inspectors disperse.
Once they’re alone, she turns to Res6. “We have an inspection scheduled this morning, along with a recall. It seemed like a way to round up reincarnates and put a stop to more being made. At least make the point to GROW that we’re serious about them isolating and solving their problem.
I’ve been operating under the assumption that the reincarnates are a mishap, but based on what you showed me, my doubts are growing.
I want to get a read on this Sable woman without having to bring her in.
We’ll wait here until they’ve gathered their staff. Meanwhile, we can go over the plan.”
Fifteen minutes later, they’re being led into a large room packed full of GROW employees in orderly lines.
“Quiet!” Inspector Wanda’s team lead barks.
The murmuring in the room grinds to a halt.
“It is each citizen’s duty to come forward if they become aware of NHOS violations.
As most of you are aware, GROW is being investigated for .
. .” He continues speaking for several minutes, but Res6 tunes him out, scanning the rows of employees.
His gaze snags on James—specifically on his broken nose that wasn’t obvious in the surveillance video Viper provided.
His eyes narrow as recognition passes between them.
An image of him sitting in a dingy bar in Z Quadrant with the other taller unidentified man from the video flashes through his mind.
Shit. He’s not a manupartner at all. The more likely explanation is he’s a reincarnate .
. . but if that’s true, why is he here posing as a GROW employee?
Oh shit.
Shit. James saw him with Electra, and now he’s eyeing him knowingly. He must realize Res6 is harboring a reincarnate too. Her column increases the likelihood of her getting caught, but the threat feels more abstract. The hair on the back of his neck stands on end.
He and Sable obviously have a connection and, logically, now he has information about Res6 to keep them out of trouble.
He can just picture Wanda stepping up and asking James to identify himself as planned and James jumping in front of the physician defensively, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
Then NHOS inspectors will show up to his unit and take Electra before he can get there to tell her he didn’t turn her in.
After their fight, that’s what she’ll assume.
That he thought she was too much trouble and wanted to get rid of her.
He shouldn’t have been so callous toward her.
Should have knocked on her door last night until she opened it, then knelt at her feet to apologize. His knees are wobbly.
Get it together, Res6. You have a role to play.
You have to protect her no matter the cost. The corner of his mouth twitches as he fights a frown.
Would James really turn Electra in, though, and jeopardize his identity company?
Assuming he’s not a plant, it would implicate him even further.
He’ll get through this, then contact the reincarnate James after.
He has no idea what he’ll say—and they’ll most likely be surveilling them. Shit. Shit. Shit. This is bad.
Beside him, Viper shifts, and he can practically feel the excitement radiating off him. “That’s the manupartner, isn’t it?” He nods toward James.
Res6 leans over. “Stick with the plan. Trust that Wanda knows how best to work her case.”
He wouldn’t put it past the impulsive man, who clearly is on a revenge plot, to veer off the script. His belligerent insistence that Wanda arrest them immediately did not please her. She threatened to remove him from the mission, which effectively shut him up.
Viper nods vigorously.
When he glances back at James, he’s scowling.
He tunes back into the inspector, who is finishing his monologue.
“. . . going down the rows of employees to identify the perpetrator, who may or may not be in this very room.” More murmurs break out, but louder, and the inspector shouts, “Quiet, please! Both identifying the guilty and clearing the innocent from suspicion hold equal importance. Once you’ve been cleared, we ask you to exit the room and not speak of today’s proceedings, as this is an ongoing investigation.
A notice from GROW detailing the status of your employment benefits during our investigation will follow. ”
Wanda steps up to his side. “Let’s begin with the first row.”
Viper follows as they make their way down the row, clearing GROW employees who file out of the room. Every few minutes he notices Wanda’s gaze subtly flick to the row further back in the room where James and Sable stand, shifting nervously.
They make it through the second row and are moving onto the third when shouting sounds from outside the door. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but this area is restricted to employees only.”
They keep moving down the rows, but the chaos outside the door is distracting him. The woman’s words sail through the door. “But I still own him. I can pay—I have the funds!” The agony in her voice makes his stomach clench.
Another few GROW employees are dismissed, and they move to the row James and Sable occupy. From outside the room, someone calls, “Seize her. We can’t let her go in there while an active investigation is underway.”
A woman from the line barks, “Is someone going to deal with that madwoman, or shall I?” He turns to see that it’s Sable who is glancing around like she’s surrounded by idiots. If Wanda wants to observe their reactions, the physician certainly seems primed to give them a show.
Wanda turns, addressing Sable directly. “I’m certain the situation is being handled by the appropriate GROW personnel.”
Res6 is certain she is provoking her intentionally. Sable breaks eye contact first.
Wanda moves to stand in front of a lab tech who seems to be their companion. “Identify yourself.”
“F-Avrel-MSP-00034489,” the tech says, ringing her hands like she has something to worry about.
Res6 shakes his head. “Not a match.”
Tension flows off Avrel as she rushes for the exit.
“I’ll wait for you guys outside,” she shouts to her companions before the door closes behind her.
He tracks her as she passes through the door, spotting a flash of auburn hair.
It’s the woman from the video, and she has a finger in the face of a burly security guard. This can’t be good.
Res6 turns back to James, who seems on the brink of panic. Viper’s scowl is now a deep frown as he eyes him. James meets his gaze.
Wanda says, “Identify yourself.”
“C-Nixon-MSP-00010672,” James says, repeating an identifier that definitely does not belong to him, adding a layer of complication to the case.
Could this be a part of his identity company’s scheme?
Good thing he and Electra bolted when they did.
He knew something was off. He doesn’t break eye contact with the man as the moment stretches on.
Do not say anything about my reincarnate, he mentally pleads.
He wishes he could snap the tension with a quick, not a match, but Wanda instructed him to draw the moment out, so that is what he’s doing.
Finally, Res6 says, “Not a match,” and both his and James’s shoulders deflate.
He moves on to Sable as James heads for the door.
“No need to wait for me,” Sable calls. “Take Avrel and go back to the decommissioning chamber. We have a mess to clean up. I’ll deal with that woman and follow shortly.”
She’s going to deal with the K8 woman who thinks someone—James—was recycled.
That has to be it. Does that mean she’s in some sort of relationship with her reincarnate?
The realization is making him dizzy. If that’s the case, it mirrors his situation with Electra so closely that it can’t help but affect him.
Wanda clears her throat. “If you’re quite finished, identify yourself.”
Sable’s voice is clear as she meets his eye and states, “C-Sable-MSP-00031475. A pleasure to meet you.”
Res6’s heart is racing as he and Viper step out into GROW’s lobby. Something about Sable’s tone felt decidedly ominous. Did she just threaten him, or is that her general demeanor?
“We’ll let you know if we require any additional assistance. Report back to the office and resume your normal activities,” he instructs Viper, who frowns. Did he think the inspector was going to let him tag along throughout the day?
Grumbling, Viper leaves. After giving him a head start—the last thing he wants is to suffer through another chat with the man—Res6 makes his way toward the SAT garage to wait on Inspector Wanda as instructed.
But as he’s walking, the woman from earlier catches his attention. She’s still arguing with that same security guard in front of the customer service counter. Behind the counter, the doors burst open. Out walks Sable, followed by two more guards.
“He’s dead?” the woman—K8—asks, rapidly blinking back tears.
He’s not dead. Both Res6 and Sable know this, but K8 doesn’t. Her distress is palpable, clouding the hallway with tension. Not his business. He quickly slips down a hallway, but not before catching Sable’s eye. She looks beyond him before turning back to K8, face a mask of indifference.
After a few wrong turns, he finds the lobby for the SAT garage.
A dozen chairs are arranged in neat rows, and the space is otherwise empty aside from the single particle pane displaying an obnoxious GROW advertisement.
Love has never been easier. What a joke.
He can attest from personal experience that—well, he can’t attest that, because love isn’t what he’s feeling.
Yes, it’s all-consuming. Yes, knowing that she’s mad at him has his stomach in knots.
Yes, the way she’s affecting him makes him want to move municipalities. Is that why 3Zeez ran from Jerme?
His chest squeezes. He thinks the command: Time Check. 11:06. Would Inspector Wanda hurry up already? He’s got a ton of work to do. And maybe he can swing by his unit and resolve things with Electra. The longer this goes on, the more unease he feels. He needs a distraction.
“Nervous?” a newly familiar voice asks.
He turns to see Sable leaning against the wall next to him. He got so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice her approach.
“No,” he answers, frowning. “What do you want?”
“That was my partner’s girlfriend back there who you upset. She thought he got recycled. If it weren’t for you, he would have been home before she ever knew what happened.” The thoughtful sparkle in her dark eyes is slightly scary. “You have a reincarnate problem, too, don’t you?”
He looks away, a guilty pang hitting him for the distress his actions caused the auburn-haired woman. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sable chuckles. “The one with the freckles. We know about her.” He must pale, because she takes whatever she sees as confirmation. “I’m not here to judge. I only want to see if we might find an opportunity in our common ground.”
She holds up her device, sending a request to share contacts. Reluctantly, he thinks the command to accept.
She grins. “I’ll be in touch.”