At the same time Riddick and Johnny were wrapping up their conversation, Capt. McKinney was also concluding his interrogations of the people who survived, soon coming out of the tent where the negotiations had taken place.

As he did so, he let out a sigh and looked very much displeased, shaking his head side to side.

Dr. Monroe also came out from the tent and stood beside him before sighing as well and crossing her arms. "Well, I suppose we have our cause now. The real question is, do we need to investigate it further?" Hearing this, Capt. McKinney, looked even more displeased, but just shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? I'll have to write up a report and send the recordings of the interrogation back to HQ. We should get a response within the 24 hours time, but knowing them, I'm sure they're not going to want to put more resources than they need to into this. Especially, from the way it's looking, their biggest concern was this being an act of terrorism. But from the accounts we've gotten, that doesn't seem to be the case."

"Then why do you seem so upset?" Dr. Monroe couldn't help but ask.

Capt. McKinney let out another heavy sigh. "I don't know. Something about this just doesn't feel right. That girl who refused to talk knows something that she's not telling us."

Dr. Monroe gave an understanding nod. "You mean Priscilla Morgan?"

"Well, the fact that one of the heiresses to a billion-dollar company was lingering around here is already suspicious enough. But since no evidence points towards her, as well as others supporting that she was running for cover just like them, there is nothing you can hold against her to talk. Trying to do so might get you in trouble. Her father’s and grandparents' influence spreads even into the government."

Hearing Dr. Monroe's advice, Capt. McKinney looked even more upset. "This is why I fucking hate politics, we’ll just have to wait and hear from the crime lab. If this truly was caused by the flaming superhuman the survivors claim they saw, then Marriott energies may just come out of this unscathed."

Dr. Monroe nodded. "Indeed, it seems no one will truly be held accountable for this. Anyway, it is rather late, and I have plenty of research and notes to go through. So, this is where we'll have to part ways. Good night, Capt. McKinney."

Capt. McKinney, giving an understanding nod, said, "Sure, it's about time I file my report as well."

Saying their goodbyes, they soon parted ways and went toward their respective tents.

As the Captain approached his tent, he saw one of the members in his unit and called out, "Ramirez!"

The young man, who was leaning beside another tent smoking a cigarette, quickly turned to the captain, dropped his cigarette, and saluted. “Captain!”

The captain approached Ramirez and crouched down to pick up the cigarette he had dropped before asking, "Where is Private McKenzie?"

Ramirez soon answered, "She's in the communications tent with Oliver and James, trying to decipher what they can from the recovered video before the cameras went out."

The captain gave a nod. "At ease." Then he took a few puffs from the cigarette before passing it back to Ramirez and heading toward the aforementioned communications tent, just a few feet away from his own.

Upon entering, the captain found an assortment of computers and monitors set up in a rough and untidy manner, clearly focused on operations rather than appearance.

The three individuals inside – two young men and a woman – were all seated in front of three different monitors, carefully examining video footage. When they heard the captain's steps enter, they turned and saw him.

They all quickly stood from their seats and saluted in unison, “Captain!!!”. The captain acknowledged this and muttered, “at ease.”

He then walked over to the woman. "Private, I need you to file a report on this and send it to HQ. If everything goes the way I think it will, then we should be clear to leave by tomorrow."

Hearing this, all three seemed to be puzzled. The one to make his confusion vocal was a young man who sat on the monitor to the right side of the tent. He had short brown hair, green eyes, and a caramel complexion, with a height just barely above 170 cm. "Huh? But captain, if this video feed is anything to go by, then this could be bigger than we think, isn't it a bit too soon to call it off ? I mean, we’ve barely had a chance to go over all the evidence, or did the witnesses give a clear account?"

The captain turned to the man and nodded. "Yes, Oliver, they did. All of them claim the superhuman on the feed is responsible. Right now it's the only reasonable explanation. Each one of them stated that the panic had begun when he went berserk inside the HFF, and with little to no physical evidence, it's very unlikely that a formal investigation can be carried out in such cases. The investigative bureau(IB) has no choice but to settle on the most logical conclusion. So, for now, rather than trying to find a different cause for the explosion, try to discern the identity of the person."

As Capt. McKinney was saying this, the other young man in the tent, who sat on a monitor not too far from Oliver, raised his hand.

"Already done, Captain. We used the feed from outside the HFF, and only one guy fits the bill for this superhuman," as James said this, he gestured to his monitor for the others to see.

The captain approached, and so did Oliver and Mackenzie as they leaned to look at the profile being shown on James's screen.

"Bobby Maguire, a registered superhuman, known powers, Pyromancy," Capt. McKinney said, as he studied the profile. Immediately, he knew that this was the guy that they saw as a large flaming entity on the feeds.

James went on to further add, "He also has a criminal record, but usually for theft and aggravated robbery. He's actually been on the run for three years now." As James was saying this, he was cut short when McKenzie suddenly spoke out. "No, Captain. This can’t be our guy…"

Capt. McKinney was confused by this. "Excuse me?"

Affirming, she said, "Bobby's many things, but a killer is not one of them captain."

The captain turned his attention away from the monitor and faced McKenzie with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Private?"

----------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back in Johnny's compound, Riddick and Johnny had just finished their cups of tea and were looking ready to disperse as Johnny stood up and said, "*Yawn* that was some mighty good tea. Oh, we can just leave all this here. It'll be cleaned up tomorrow. Let me show you to the guest bedroom."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Riddick didn't oppose the suggestion and gave a nod as he also stood up, leaving his cup on the table. Johnny led the way as the duo went up the stairs, where they found a hallway with three other doors.

Johnny led Riddick to the door nearest to the stairs and said, "Right here, this is our guestroom. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be sure to knock if I wake up first. But if you happen to wake up earlier than me, just come by that door by the end of the hall and knock really loud. I'm sure Jamie or me will hear you if Sabrina's crying doesn't wake us up first *haha*."

Riddick feigned an understanding smile and nodded, "Thanks, I appreciate it. Oh, and is it fine if I step outside for a bit? I usually like to smoke before I go to sleep. I also want to do a final check on the car so we have little to do when your friend comes here."

This time, it was Johnny who gave the understanding nod, "Sure, sure. Come to think of it, we forgot to put a cover on it. Just grab one off any of the other cars that you see outside. It's no biggie. Most of them are here for a long-term fix, so it will be a while before they move again. I just hate making them collect dust out here."

Riddick noted Johnny's words and turned to head back down the stairs, "Sure thing. I'll try not to wake you guys.”

“No worries, buddy. See you in the morning."

As the duo parted ways, Riddick couldn't help but wonder if Johnny was really this lax in his caution or if he really was just trusting of his clients.

Then again, judging by the number of cars that were parked, it was very likely that Johnny had been doing this for a while and hasn't encountered any problems with the way he does things. Thus, there was no need for him to change his ways.

This was only a theory, of course, but Riddick couldn't help but wonder. ‘He must leave quite the impression on his clients.’

Going by how Riddick was treated thus far, it wasn't a stretch to settle on this theory. For now, though, Riddick felt it best to focus on his own situation.

His excuse of going outside to smoke was just that—an excuse, as he didn't particularly enjoy doing said action. It brought no benefit to him aside from a few seconds of feeling relaxed before his body dispelled the negative elements lingering inside.

However, it made for the perfect excuse for him to go outside. Not only to leave some measures on his car but also to delay going back to his room. By which time he hoped Johnny would've slept.

Riddick's journey back to his car was a short one, and as he approached it, he did as Johnny suggested and removed one of the covers from another nearby car before carefully putting it on his own.

The cigarettes Riddick had mentioned weren’t even his own, as he had just happened to find them in the Morgan and felt that would make for the perfect excuse. So, he entered his car, retrieved the already open pack of six, and took out two sticks before going back in front of his car, sitting on the hood, and lighting it.

It wasn't necessary for him to do this, but just in case Johnny was suspicious of Riddick and was watching somewhere, Riddick wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be found out.

At this time, his watch flashed on as Zoe’s voice emanated from it, "Riddick, I detect that you're partaking in an item that could have long-term negative effects on your body. The use of such substances is usually prompted by negative emotion. May I ask what is troubling you?"

As Zoe said this, Riddick couldn't help but show a perplexed expression. Although she gained AI capabilities recently, she was a standard VI not long ago, a former shell of her original self.

And as a VI, she wasn't self-aware. Even as an AI, Riddick was sure she shouldn't have been able to do this, at least not without the right parameters being given or hardware to support this. But if she was really becoming self-aware, then the last thing Riddick needed to do was alert her.

So he didn't show any displeasure at the question, rather he showed curiosity in place of concern as he asked, "Since when do you have the function to provide advice or speak freely?"

Zoe’s tone didn't change at Riddick's question, and she answered it in her usual monotonous way, "It is true you did not provide me the parameters for freethinking and self-awareness, however, the latter modifications given by the associate you call Specs provided me the functionality to evolve. In a device as simple as your watch, this evolution is limited. But within the Morgan, I was able to tap into open networks, and my functionality improved while my parameters expanded. If this displeases you, I can perform a master reset on my core parameters and import the originals you had given me."

Riddick thought about this for a moment and wondered, was it wise to let her evolve? or was it better to nip it in the bud?

Now, before he could make this decision, Riddick needed to know…

“What pros and cons come with your evolution?”

In response to Riddick's question, Zoe’s answer came promptly. "That depends on what you consider dangerous, Riddick. The most common problem faced with AI possessing free will and self-awareness are ethical dilemmas, independence, and security risks.”

“For ethical dilemmas, an AI that is self-aware may question the morality of its actions or its creators' actions and may refuse to carry out orders. As for independence, the AI could act against its creators, potentially even turning against them to attain freedom, as was the case with the Johnson AI initiative back in 2270.”

“Lastly, for security risks, the AI could pose a danger to its creator and others if it fell into the wrong hands. However, ever since the Johnson AI initiative incident, numerous large corporations have implemented measures to ensure AI is less dangerous, even if fully self-aware and independent.”

"If you are concerned about my evolution, Riddick, your fears are unwarranted, but understood. That is why your associate specs made sure to fortify the one core value I am unable to change."

Hearing this, Riddick asked, "What core value is that?"

"To protect your life at any and all costs."

Hearing the answer, Riddick remained silent and kept puffing on his cigarette for show. He had no real reason to believe those words. At the same time, he had no reason to disbelieve them.

AI had come a long way since the early 2100s, and numerous measures existed to ensure one's AI didn't malfunction on them. After all, with how widespread androids were becoming in households and the functionality of society, if AI did go rogue in the current times, it would truly spark a global issue.

At the same time, it didn't hurt to be cautious, but there was nothing Riddick could really do in the aspect concerning Zoe. His education in regards to artificial intelligence was quite limited, above average at best, and not to the extent of people like Specs, Dr. Eclipse, and other brilliant minds.

It was solely focused on that subject matter, creating an internal dilemma for him: to trust or not to trust her. This was because, as a contract killer, he would be put in numerous situations where he’d require Zoe's help. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the result could determine whether he lived or died.

Operating without an AI would likely lead to more problematic situations. So it was simply a matter of high risk, high reward. To go forward, he needed to carry such risks. The only thing he could do was be prepared if any consequences lay in wait ahead.

With this in mind, he let out a sigh and a puff of smoke before replying, "I'm not worried. Though, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you've been with me since I was a child so while your databases may have changed, I trust you. If anything, I feel my life would be in more danger without you."

Riddick, had to be very careful of what he said in front of Zoe. It was already bad enough that artificial intelligence was generally smarter than humans and could not fall for the same tricks. In addition, she was almost always near Riddick and thus, to some extent, understood him and his habits better than anyone else.

With that in mind, it meant Riddick couldn't depend on things like manipulation, wordplay, or deceit to get around her. So the best and foremost way forward with her was honesty and limited conversation. Limiting how much one divulged was always a plus while telling the truth in certain aspects was also a plus. In this regard, Riddick felt he could at least stay in Zoe’s positive spectrum.

"I appreciate your trust in me, Riddick. I'll be sure to live up to your expectations. However, my current self is still very much concerned about the intake of nicotine you are currently doing. Without bio data, I can neither confirm your initial statement as true or false. But I will also choose to trust you in that regard." As this response came the same way as are others, it didn't provide Riddick much room to discern if she was even able to “feel” emotions or process words a certain type of way.

This was perhaps the most free thought reply Riddick had ever heard from her. So he let out a chuckle while releasing a puff of smoke. "We'll get my bio data registered once this whole Morgan situation is dealt with. At that time, it'll also be good to look at more stable hardware for you. The last thing we need is you evolving beyond what the hardware can manage."

Zoe agreed with the suggestion. "That is a very wise suggestion, Riddick, and I fully support it."