Chapter Eleven.

She held the baby as they waited for backup. A social worker came for him before medical could respond. The small child felt so light in her arms. She reluctantly let the social worker take him, her hand lingering only briefly on his small bald head, before she watched him go.

Gabriela felt different as she wandered away from the scene, she couldn't explain what had changed in her. Officers congratulated her as she passed by them. Each smiling face a blur, each word of encouragement and felicitations came to her as an unobtrusive drone. She sat down on the curb outside of the apothecary, vacantly staring off as she waited for Geraldo.

A crowd had gathered on the other side of the street. Residents were eager to fill their idle time with the menagerie of the crime scene. And among the gawkers and onlookers, Gabriela saw her. The small figure peeking around the bystanders, the crude smiling face painted on her mask. Mura.

"It was a surrogate."

Geraldo's voice caused Gabriela to jump before she looked up at him and blinked. "What?"

"The chop doc," Geraldo answered as he fished out a cigarette. "It was an android, controlled remotely."

Gabriela’s shoulders slumped. "So, none of this mattered then?"

Geraldo shrugged as he lit his cigarette. "I wouldn't say that. When you destroyed the surrogate, you also managed to put a bullet right into this fucker’s solid drive. Killed their upload, leaving us with all the information they had collected. It's only a matter of time before we find them."

"Can I get one of those?" Gabriela pointed to the cigarette.

Geraldo tipped the pack of smokes and flicked the bottom of it. A cigarette popped out. Gabriela put it between her lips and waited for him to light it before she took a drag. She looked back into the crowd as she blew out a billowing cloud of smoke. Maru was nowhere to be seen.

"You okay, kid?" Geraldo asked as he took a seat next to her. His hands settled on his knees.

"Did you know I was pregnant once?" She asked him.

"No, no, I didn't."

"It's in the public records. I figured you would have looked it up." She admitted.

"Why would I do that?"

Gabriela gave a small cynical laugh. "Because we are competing for the same job."

Geraldo laughed and tapped his cigarette. "No, Gabriela. I didn't look up your public records. Not who I am."

Gabriela blushed a little. She had assumed that a deviant would have used any advantage they could to get ahead. "She died."

"I'm sorry."

"You see the scar on my face?" Gabriela pointed to a deep, white mark that ran down her face. "My mother gave it to me when she found out I was pregnant. She wore this ring, with a big stone set in a princess setting. She turned it around before she slapped me."

Gabriela took another drag and held it in before she exhaled. "I remember holding my bleeding face as she screamed at me. 'You have ruined this family's legacy.' Because you are ineligible for Bioloxys services if you have been pregnant."

"I know." He said somberly.

"She made me go to the public health service, with the rest of the 'trash.' My baby only lived a few moments. So, my mother had me shipped off to university in the States shortly after." Gabriela chuckled and stamped out her cigarette. "Shit, I don't even know why I am telling you this."

"Because you are human." Geraldo's big shoulders heaved as he shrugged. "Despite being genetically perfect. You are still human."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about it.

"And you know what?"

Gabriela wiped the tear from her face. "What?"

"That makes you even more perfect."

Gabriela laughed a little. "Are you done? I don't like this sentimental bull shit."

"Neither do I," Geraldo said as he flicked his cigarette into the street. "Come on. The suits inside have some questions for us. After we are done, I'll drive you back to the station."

"I think I'd rather just go home." She said, looking up at him.

"Then I will drive you home." He offered a hand up. His hands were rough and dwarfed her own. “Come on. They are inside.”

Gabriela followed him back inside the store. The bodies of the men she had killed were covered, but despite the plastic draped over them Gabriela knew that their wide eyes stared up into the dark of the sheets. She could almost feel their accusing gaze on her.

“Detective Fohren?” A tall man asked as he held out his hand.

Gabriela accepted it and shook it firmly. “You’re not Taurus?” She could tell by the man’s suit and tie. Too expensive to be a Taurus employee, and the dark shades he wore made him look like a walking cliché, straight out of a twenty’s sitcom.

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“No ma’am. Cy-Tech. Name’s Kristopher Andrews.”

“I thought I smelled vaseline.” Geraldo leaned over and whispered loudly.

“Funny.” Andrews flashed Geraldo a smile. His teeth were perfectly straight and white; the sort of smile that only money could buy.

“What are you doing here?” Gabriela added.

Andrews handed her a folded piece of paper. She took it, unfolded it slowly and read it.

“What’s it say?” Geraldo asked.

“It’s a warrant.” She mumbled as she continued to read.

“For what?” He scoffed. “This crime scene is Taurus jurisdiction.”

“It’s for your statements.” Andrews said as he took the paper back. “And no; this is not Taurus’s jurisdiction.”

Geraldo gave a deep and hearty laugh. “The fuck it isn’t. We bagged and tagged that surrogate, we busted this chop shop wide open.”

“So you did.” Andrews noted as he tipped his glasses down, his dark brown eyes studying them both.

“Congratulations on busting the chop shop.” Andrew responded tepidly. “But the surrogate puts this well out of your jurisdiction. If we find someone diddling a child, you will be the first person we call, Detective Montez.”

Geraldo took a step forward, his hands wrapping into fist. Gabriela put a hand on his chest, pushing him back. “Let it go, Geraldo.”

He looked down at her, he didn’t need to have organic eyes for her to see how mad he was, how much this man had gotten under his skin.

“Did you both have contact with the surrogate?” Andrews interrupted.

Both of them were silent for a long moment. Andrew dipped his dark shades and looked at both of them. “I can always have you brought in for questioning, if that would make you feel more comfortable.”

“No,” Gabriela answered, “just me.”

“Good.” Andrews pulled out a small notebook and a pen. “You can go Montez.”

“I think I’ll stay.” Geraldo crossed his arms and stared down at the man.

“I think you won’t.” Andrews replied without looking up. His words hung between them.

“I got this, Geraldo.”

“See?” Andrews shot Geraldo another perfect smile. “She’s got this. Why don’t you go warm up the car for her, huh?”

“Prick.” Geraldo mumbled as he reluctantly turned away and left.

“Did the surrogate say anything to you?” Andrews continued his interrogation.

“I’m sure there is security footage you can look at that can answer that.”

“No. There are no eyes in here.”

Gabriela pressed her lips together. Her mind mulling over and digesting the information Andrews had just presented her with. She doubted Andres was lying. Cy-Tech wouldn’t have gone through the effort to get a warrant if all the information they needed was on video.

“Isn’t that odd?” She asked.

Andrews stopped writing for a moment and looked up. “Is what odd?”

“That there are no cameras in here. Wouldn’t they want some sort of security other than three goons?”

“That wasn’t the question, Detective. Did the surrogate say anything to you?” Andrews asked once more.

“Yeah. It quoted the bible to me.”

“Do you remember the passage or verse?”

Gabriela rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, ma’am.”

“It said that,” Gabriela rested her hand on her hip, while putting the other to her forehead as she tried to remember the events. “Something about God making men in his own image, or some shit like that.”

“Genesis 1:27?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what it was. You a priest or something?”

Andrews gave her an easy smile, free of the contempt he had shown Geraldo. “Father was a pastor. Had to read my bible every day.”

“Did it say anything else?” Andrews quickly steered her back to the subject on hand.

“No.” Gabriela had no idea why she had lied, the words slipped past her lips before she had even given them a thought. “Not that I can remember. It all happened so fast.”

Andrews nodded as he continued jotting down her statement.

“Well, Detective. Would you give us a call if you happen to remember anymore?” He reached into his jacket and produced a business card and handed it to her.

It was a translucent vid card. It read, Cyber-Tech Machina, with Anderws’s name and phone number, along with a smug photo of the man.

“You can give me a call, even if you don’t remember anything new.” He gave her one last smile before he turned away.

Her skin crawled as he left. She wanted to toss the card to the ground, but she also needed an avenue to come clean if they ever learned that she had perjured herself.

“Well?” Geraldo asked as she got into the car.

“You were right.”

“About?”

“Andrews. He’s a prick. Jackass was hitting on me.”

“As if you hadn’t gotten fucked enough by Cy-Tech.” Geraldo shook his head as the car pulled away from the curb.

The car ride was spent in silence. Neither of them needed to speak. What needed to be said had already been said. But still, the question of how she felt still nagged at her. And after she had gotten back to her apartment, after she had bid Geraldo a farewell. And after she had stripped and stepped into the shower.

That was when it hit her. She didn't feel different. She felt the same. She felt the same emptiness she had felt when she went to sleep and when she woke. It was when she was holding that baby boy. That was when she had felt different; she had felt whole.

Gabriela turned the shower off and finished the beer in her hand as she walked over to the mirror. It sprang to life, reflecting her face back at her. Gabriela began to dry her hair when she saw it. Green words were displayed across the smart mirror. "Hello, Gabriela."

"What the hell?" She asked as she slowly looked around.

"I saw what you did today." The mirror answered. "I watched you as you let Nora's child live."

A chill ran down her spine as she read the words. Her thoughts jerked back to Andrews and Cy-Tech. Had they been watching her? She wondered.

"I watched you as you showed a junky justice, and I watched you risk your life to save a woman and her son."

"Who is this?” She asked aloud.

“I need something from you.” The mirror read.

Gabriela clenched the stainless-steel sink and leaned forward. "If it's money, I don't have any. And if you want influence from my mother, then you are wasting your time blackmailing me."

"I think you misunderstand, Gabriela." The mirror answered. "I am here to offer you something in return."

"And what's that?"

"I can help you get what you have always wanted."

"Really?" She sneered. "I doubt that."

"I can. I can make sure you are selected by Bioloxys for the next lotto. I can ensure that you have a perfect child. All I need in return is one favor."

Gabriela stared at the words for a long while. She swallowed before she asked. "What do you need me to do?"

The mirror answered. "My name is Soma, and I look forward to working with you, Gabriela."