Saying that the two would sit around doing nothing was a slight exaggeration. Sure, the first three hours might have been filled with nothing but Cassandra having to keep up with an automation dead-set on annoying her till the end of days, yet the time after that was filled with unimaginable stress.
Civilians had started showing up after the first hour of them sitting around doing nothing. It seemed that the lack of any broken windows and littered streets couldn't keep people mentally fulfilled, making them all leave slowly but decisively. The two didn't even need to go out and warn anybody away, everything leaving of their own accord. If that wasn't a good sign, Cassandra wasn't sure what it could have been called.
And that lack of civilians made it that much easier to have the news-cars get onto the street, the barricades set up to keep the populace out without reason at that point. Not that the police had really needed to remove those barricades, the news vehicles having seemed ready to drive right over them instead of slowing down. This, of course, wasn't allowed at any point in the day, and the police were quick to criticize the news crews for their lack of safety while also allowing them into the shopping street.
“And you are sure that this is the street?” A tall blonde woman in a tight dress asked for what felt like the thirtieth time in that same hour. She was the head-reporter of some agency that Cassandra couldn't get herself to bother to remember the name of, the name just floating out of her ear the same time it was heard. Animals were hard to remember no matter how many times she heard it. “This isn't the first time you people have been incompetent enough to barricade the wrong street.”
The woman in question was kind enough to raise an eyebrow at the sheer audacity of that bitch instead of slapping her into the next decade. Cassandra was not the calmest of people, especially not when it came to talking with people that automatically thought themself raised over others, but even she knew the consequences of hitting a news reporter while being filmed by a high-tier film crew. While they might have tried to make it casual, it was very obvious that the already-set-up camera pointed their way was on. Her search into their machines had said as much.
“I can assure you that this is the correct street, ma’am,” Cassandra said, being sure to be respectful to the elderly, even if the elderly didn't realise just how many wrinkles they had and how little the makeup was hiding it. “I was one of the people who personally oversaw it being cleaned.”
“Of course you were. Everybody has a part in everything, nobody wants to be a part of this shitty place. Nobody’s surprised about your extra shift as the janitor of all things,” the woman muttered, clearly not understanding how close by a dark alley was. While Cassandra might not have had a knife on hand, she was sure the automation in the car could get her one within the hour.
As was clear to many, Jules had not been allowed to get out of the car, even if the construct had shown great desire towards it. Cassandra, Grunwald, and pretty much every sane being in the entire world could easily see the PR disaster it would be if that particular automation was to be shown to the country. Even if it would promote bringing back humans in the force, it would similarly cause every human currently on the force in that district to lose their jobs. No politician would take that slap lying down.
“I assure you that everybody here is both equipped for every task and have great hearing, even if certain microphones might not be able to pick it up,” Cassandra said with a smile, though she immediately regretted it. Her tongue had gotten the better of her, the off-hand glance from the reporter not saying anything positive. Only keeping up the smile at a bare minimum, the woman knew she had to retreat. “If you will excuse me, I believe there are other places that require my attention.”
Cassandra began to walk away, thinking about just what she could do to occupy her time. There were a few film crews that seemed to be in a rapid discussion, some shoving even occurring. While she would not normally trifle with such small scuffle, it wouldn't be too bad an idea to-
“Not so fast there, lady. The two of us are not done until I say so,” the news reporter who thought she was hot shit stated, clearly not understanding that her grabbing Cassandra’s uniform gave the office full permission to dropkick her without question. Not that the police officer in question had any intention of that, the ability to do that being saved for later. Although, Cassandra did note down the time-stamp if there was any need to ever show off the annoying side of the reporter. The woman was sure it wouldn't do good for the general population to see the current side.
“What would need to be done for you to say so?” Cassandra questioned with yet another prize-winning smile. Though, the price she would win for it might not have been anything positive, her shining teeth being less hospitable than the fangs of a rabid dog. “I recommend it to be quick due to my duties soon calling for me.”
“Your duties are what I need you to do,” the reporter said, clearly not seeing any reason. Some people just wanted to break felonies they had never heard of, Cassandra listing off more and more things she could arrest the woman for. Impersonation of a police sergeant was quite the offence if the database had anything to say about it. Up to fifteen years in prison, depending on the severity. Stopping an officer from tending to a case of physical violence among civilians in favour of unrelated and unimportant tasks? That was at least ten years behind bars, with a minimum of seven of them being served.
“And what do you need me to do?” Cassandra replied, wanting the conversation to continue so she could get out of being close to that bag of cheap filth. Plastic was the main ingredient of that reporter. If Jules had been close, it would have seen the reporter as one of its own. Even the skin had gotten replacements on the face to remove the freckles. Just how perfect did one need to look? It was closer to creepy than anything.
“This street,” the reporter said, waving her right hand around in a circle. Cassandra spent the next few seconds looking around the place, glad to have an excuse to look away and accidentally not pay attention to a word being said. It wasn't too hard to do, the one blabbing on being both extremely annoying and so much less interesting than the fact that the street was still keeping up its beauty, even if a few cars had screeched to a halt on it. Those robots had truly done their job well, leaving the place as spotless as any street could ever hope to be. “It is too clean.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Too clean?” Cassandra repeated in confusion, not sure what was being said. Had the views on sanitisation changed in the months she had been away from the big city? Was being filthy suddenly the new trend?
“Yes! This place is spotless. Where was that supposed road of glass shards? Where is the mountain of ice that could cause serious tears in the skin if fallen upon? The crews are all here to film it, and there’s nothing to film!” the news reporter pretty much screamed in Cassandra's face. Somehow, all the spittle never reached the woman, everything reaching the ground instead. Cassandra didn't feel that the ground deserved to be treated in such a fashion.
“Ma’am, we did our best to clean up this street. Leaving the glass shards out on the ground, able for everybody to fall on them, would be a serious risk for everybody involved. It is our duty as officers to-” Cassandra began, but the news reporter just loudly huffed at her in anger as if the woman had said some insult. Just… what?
“That isn't going to work!” the reporter shouted right back. “Bring out the shards right this instant or you will lose your job!”
What? Was… was Cassandra being threatened with the goal of her doing something that would endanger the population to an extreme degree. Did the reporter want somebody to be injured? What was wrong with people?
“I am afraid I can’t do that, lady,” Cassandra said, not wanting to use titles that would be in a similar vein to the elderly anymore. The elderly didn't deserve to be put in the same box as the reporter, after all. “All the glass shards on the street has been carted off and disposed of safely. Bringing in it back would prove to be an extreme waste of resources of time and-”
“I do not want you to bring back the old shards, you idiot,” the reporter screamed. Cassandra gave a glance around, finding that nobody was actually paying attention to what was happening. This was likely a rather common thing. “There’s still plenty of shards in the shop. Go inside and grab some of those and then scatter them on the street.”
She was serious. The lady in front of Cassandra was being utterly and truly serious. Cassandra checked through previous police interactions with the woman, nearly all officers before her leaving comments on similar behaviour. Just how many had bent under that attitude?
“That is not possible to do,” Cassandra said, speaking with a now more serious tone. It was suddenly becoming something much more serious. “Doing so would be a criminal offence.”
“Why? There were already glass shards there before!” the reporter said. Cassandra had a strong point to give, but she wasn't even allowed to speak, the reporter holding up a hand instantly. “Don’t even think about saying anything else. Call your leader, sergeant, or whatever you have out in these junkyards, and bring them over here. I need to speak with them within this minute or you will lose your job.”
That was an excuse to leave that god-awful conversation, and damn it was Cassandra going to use it. Her retreat might have been what a normal person would have called a light jog, but it wasn't like that mattered that much to the woman. She just wanted to get away from that damned attitude.
Though… she likewise didn't want to anger the reporter. In the end, that woman was the one who would speak on behalf of the crime. And while there would undoubtedly be smiles and giggles, that wouldn't stop her in the slightest in criticizing the place to heaven and beyond. A sympathetic story could easily be twisted into something that would put the police in a very bad light, and Cassandra was sure that such would be done if even the woman’s coffee was the slightest bit too cold.
‘Sir, there is a reporter that desires to speak with you. Is there an estimate on when you will be able to reach the site,’ Cassandra sent her boss, a bit annoyed at the man for still not having shown up. They were supposed to go live in ten minutes, yet something was clearly more important than letting them keep their future careers.
‘Of course, there would be somebody like that. I will be down there in a minute. I just had to finish up on last-minute paperwork,’ Grunwald sent back, likely not intending to have included the first bit. But, purely using mental messaging and having a distracted mind did not always grant entirely positive results, and some parts were always possible to let slip through no matter how little intention there was to have them in.
With that done, Cassandra had no real reason to pay much attention to what was happening. The light scuffle glanced at before had stopped as soon as she started moving towards it, both parties on it moving to each side. Not that such a thing had stopped the woman from getting each of their names, but it wasn't like Cassandra would use it for anything. Both clearly knew what they were doing and had likely done it before. Nobody got hurt enough for her to put it on anybody’s permanent record.
Sighing heavier than a lot of times before that day, the woman began to move towards her car. With all the crews with their cameras, there was no real desire to be out and about. If she stayed standing, somebody would come over and take panoramic shots. If she talked with anybody about what they were allowed to do, she would be photographed and titled an angry old lady. And if she looked angry, she could be devised in the media. Nothing would end positively for her, making it all smarter to just go someplace where the video wouldn't follow.
That was where the car came in, it being so great. With a few settings on, any part of it would be automatically blurred in the official video. No matter what face she made inside it, the news stations couldn't use it for a hit. Which was precisely why she said some very bad words, angrily shouting all at the same time, the very seconds that she closed the door. Some of the things said in those first moments would have made sailors whimper in fear. It was not a proud time for the woman.
“Do you want a vitamin or something?” Jules asked from the back. The construct had not wanted to even be within the eyesight of those outside, therefore manoeuvring itself to be lying on the seats. Cassandra had personally lied there in an almost identical fashion only a few hours before, though she had had more difficulty in lying there. Even if it was supposedly damaged, that construct was more flexible than the woman could ever hope to be.
“I need you to be quiet,” Cassandra said, rejecting the idea before anything else. Her mind was tired but her body was ready for the next thirty rounds of being shouted at. Her time in the force had made her accustomed to it, even if her time on the outskirts had put her slightly out of practice.
“Message received and ignored,” the automation answered, getting up on its side to face her more easily. “Hard day talking to idiots?”
“The idiots would be angry if you thought those bastards out there were related to them,” Cassandra said, frowning her brows at how much she had used that comparison as of late. Where was she getting that from?
“Well… I guess you can relish in them being done in a few minutes. There's, what, five minutes until they will start up the segment?”
Eight minutes but the woman didn't feel like correcting the automation. Looking outside the window, everything seemed ready to be shown off. The news reporter was still throwing some form of a hissy fit, but it was because of some angle on the camera more than anything. In other words, it was none of her problems.
Now, the woman could just sit back and relax. Grunwald was the one who was important next, the man doing everything slightly notable. Cassandra just had to sit back and enjoy the show, already having pulled up the live stream.