Chapter 37: Ray Dawn

Ray Dawn picked up the Sharon bobblehead. The resemblance was uncanny. She’d grown dreadlocks but he immediately recognized the former agent. He knew her too well, he knew her whole gang well.

‘So agents were behind all this, no wonder their escape was a success.’

One of the forensics people gave him a reproachful look and he set the figurine down. The office was crowded with the forensics people, efficiently going about their jobs and a handful mages getting in their way as far as they were concerned.

“How did they even know about those tunnels?” Rafinya asked to no one in particular. “They’ve been abandoned since the old empire.”

‘I gave them the plans.’

He was glad Grieselda wasn’t here she might’ve added things up and it wasn’t clear yet where her loyalties lay.

Would she believe him if he told her he hadn’t intended for this to happen.

‘Well I did give Broker the plans.’

But who would’ve thought they’d be used for a jailbreak and so soon after he traded them.

‘In any case there is an opportunity here.’

“Bloody agents are getting out of hand,” Ray Dawn growled.

“Damn right!” Shenko snorted quick to catch on. “It’s always them, always them disturbing the peace.”

“Don’t overreact,” Rafinya said.

“Overreact?” Ray Dawn mused. “They spread their No-chip propaganda online. We can’t do anything. They steal from the state. We can’t find them. They rebel, kill, refuse to be imprisoned and we can’t fucking contain them.”

“What next?” Ray Dawn flung up his arms. “Assassination, worse outright rebellion.”

“They’re laughing at us,” Shenko said. “Laughing I tell you!”

Rafinya’s expression was dark. Glared at their theatrics but was unable to dispute them.

“We need a change of approach,” Ray Dawn said. “How much long can we afford to be reactive?”

He slow marched up to Rafinya and whispered. “How long till the council makes a leadership change? How long till they bring in someone more capable to deal with the AoF? Not long I bet.”

Rafinya worked his mouth but couldn’t find his voice.

“I have some game changing suggestions,” Ray Dawn said, paused for effect and whispered. “If you’re willing to do whatever it takes to catch these bastards.”

He patted Rafinya’s shoulder and strode out the room. He’d let him marinate on those words a while.

Where would his morals fall when he thought his job was on the line?

Shenko and Nigen were quick to follow him into the corridor.

“What was that about?” Nigen asked.

He glanced back at the dull fellow but Shenko beat him to answer.

“We were just venting.”

Nigen pouted. “I could’ve helped.”

‘No you couldn’t have.’

Nigen was a good tool but he had limited usage. Unlike Shenko who was adaptable to almost any situation, quick to hop onto whatever wavelength he was on without need for a prompt or explanation.

Shenko cupped the blonde man by the shoulder and grinned knowingly. “Not everything we say or do has a purpose you know. Only scheming people think like that.”

“If you don’t want to say don’t,” Nigen snapped, his blonde unibrow furrowed. “Just don’t expect me to be an idiot.”

“Shen stop teasing and tell him. We should all be on the same page for what comes next.”

Their floatcar landed on the GCPD roof.

Ray Dawn and Shenko exited to the reception of Grieselda. She approached with a hand capping her face from the hostile glare of the morning sun.

“You guys look like shit.” Grieselda said, got closer and added. “Smell like shit too.”

Ray Dawn shrugged.

They had come straight from the tomb to the police department and barely got an hour of sleep on the ride back.

But Ray Dawn was used to operating on little to no-sleep. A skill he’s had ever since he was a kid really. From as far as his mind could recall, his Ma had often brought customers home, they’d keep him up at night and he’d go to school exhausted the next day.

“You look tired yourself?” Shenko said.

“Thanks to the captain’s request, spent hours at the archives,” Grieselda said. “I heard some imprisoned agents were behind the riot.”

“Yep,” Shenko said. “The riot was a front for a jailbreak.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Ray Dawn’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “Had they authorized giving me the droids quicker I might have stopped them.”

“The council really has trust issues, you know.”

“I know,” Ray Dawn said, exasperated.

The trio motioned to the elevator door mounted at the end of the roof.

“Aren’t you going to ask what I found out?” Grieselda asked.

“What did you find?” Ray Dawn asked, his expression betraying no emotion.

“A lead.”

“You found a lead!” Shenko perked up, his brown curly hair bouncing and stared at her wide eyed.

“Take the surprise out your voice,” Grieselda snapped.

“I’m sorry,” Shenko said. “It’s just unexpected is all.”

“Why unexpected? Was I not supposed to find anything?”

‘Tired Shenko = Sloppy Shenko.’

Ray Dawn flung himself into the conversation.

“The lead?” He prompted her as they stepped into the elevator.

Grieselda squinted and swept her gaze across them. She considered probing further but eventually decided against it and answered his question.

“The stolen relic isn’t an ordinary relic. It’s a powerful combat class relic known as a greater relic or an astra.”

“I see. An astra,” Ray Dawn feigned thoughtfulness.

“Not bad Selda,” Shenko grinned at her.

“It’s to be expected,” Ray Dawn said. “She’s one of us after all.”

There was an uncomfortable expression on her face at the reception of his words.

“Not bad Selda even Ray is impressed.”

She threw Shenko a middle finger.

“You’re just like captain, you know. You both can’t take jokes,” Shenko squinted at her. “Now that I think about it you both seem to have a lot in common lately not to mention you both always look so grumpy and so tired.”

Ray Dawn refrained from pointing out Shenko seemed just as overworked as they did.

Shenko leaned close to her and said suggestively. “I guess you both aren’t getting much sleep, aiy.”

Grieselda flicked a backhanded punch which Shenko had been expecting and dodged, all while giggling madly. She didn’t let up, forced him into the back of the elevator with a flurry of blows aimed at his guarded face.

“Hehe. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Shenko managed insincerely between giggles.

Ray Dawn sighed too exhausted to reprimand them.

They exited the elevator on the 70th floor, navigated through a maze of offices and cubicles littered with law enforcement.

The twins were waiting for them in their small open office space at the end of the floor. The space consisted of an office labelled Captain Ray Dawn Zappa and a handful of cubicles surrounding the office where Shenko and Grieselda worked.

“Can we talk?” Riberee said to Shenko without so much as a greeting.

“Sure,” Shenko said.

“In private,” Riberee said. His usual ferocity nowhere to be found.

‘This doesn’t look good.’

“You can use my office. We’ll give you some space,” Ray Dawn said, sensing the unusual atmosphere.

“No,” Shenko said. “I’ve nothing to hide from my colleagues.”

“I-I-In private please,” Gnabree said with puffed eyes.

“This won’t take long,” Riberee said almost pleading.

Shenko frowned. “What’s this about?”

“Will you at least to sit down,” Riberee gestured to a nearby cubicle.

“Who?” Shenko asked.

There was an awkward silence. That only built tension.

“Who??” Shenko demanded.

But deep down they all knew.

Shenko gasped for air, his breath escaping him, making it struggle to breath.

“Safaree?” Ray Dawn asked. There was no point dancing around it. These things needed to be said aloud. They needed to be heard to be truly processed.

“I-I-I’m sorry Shen,” Gnabree said, sniffling and staring at his shoes. “The chairperson has gone back to her ancestors.”

Ray Dawn clasped Shenko’s shoulder. This was the sort of thing that comforted normal people.

“I’m fine,” Shenko said. “I never did like her, you know. I won’t cry for her.”

‘Clearly.’

He had long noted the tears welling up in the corner of Shenko’s eyes.

“I never did like her,” Shenko said. “Always trying to force her crippled union on me. Trying to live her dreams through me. I hated it, you know. Hated it.”

‘I hate this,’ Ray Dawn thought as he rubbed Shenko’s shoulder.

But he had to provide some kind of comfort. Most people appreciated that sort of thing which made it essential for farming loyalty. And loyalty meant easier to use.

‘And the best tools are easy to use.’

Shenko tilted his head back trying to stop the tears from flowing but they streaked down his face all the same.

He’d be useless to Ray Dawn like this. He had to give him time to mourn.

‘But not too long.’

Only the minimum amount of time needed to grieve. Ray Dawn tried to quantify the exact time duration but it was too complex a problem so he had to estimate.

‘Half an hour?’

They didn’t have time for days of mourning, too many imminent problems to solve but he also didn’t want to come off as insensitive.

‘An hour then. Just to be safe.’

Any more would be time wasted. Time not spent on finding Carrasco. He still wasn’t sure of Grieselda’s motives and didn’t need his best tool taken from him.

He painfully listened to Shenko sob and whine about he how hated Safaree.

He didn’t.

Despite how much he wanted to hate the woman. He never had. Like trying to hate a parent who’d raised you well and stubbornly wanted what they thought was best for you despite your protests.

Their falling out was rooted in a clash of methodology as Shenko got older and began formulating his own ideas of what change looked like. However this was still the woman that raised him and taught him and loved him.

Shenko’s mouth twitched, worked to restrain the sobs that demanded to be heard. His noise clogged making his breaths sticky and strained.

Ray Dawn sighed at the whimpering man in his hands. Now more than ever he regretted not recruiting Shenko earlier.

‘Then he would’ve been more focused, unlike this sloppy mess.’

But then again Ma had always said he was born cold. So he couldn’t expect everyone to be as stable as he was.

“H-How?” Shenko asked stifling a sob.

Riberee collected himself. His eyes were burning red but he was still more composed than Shenko.

“They’re calling it an accidental overdose. She was drunk and took some medication but.”

Riberee’s trembling hand fumbled out an envelope from his shirt pocket.

Ray Dawn’s eyes widened. ‘No, she wouldn’t.’

“That fool,” Shenko muttered under his breath. The youth wanted to be angry but couldn’t muster up any rage. Instead he sobbed harder and his legs gave way.

Ray Dawn caught him in an embrace as he crumpled to the ground.

Ray Dawn flicked his eyes back to the envelope.

‘She wouldn’t right.’

A letter meant a suicide note. A suicide note meant a dying message. A dying message from a manipulative old bitch like Safaree would definitely be calculating and perhaps life changing.

“It’s my fault,” Shenko croaked.

“It’s not your fault.” Ray Dawn hugged him tighter.

‘You fucking idiot. Don’t fall for this shit.’

Shenko’s legs were jelly, his head embedded into Ray Dawn’s chest muffling his weeping.

The moment didn’t last too long, it was longer than Ray Dawn would’ve liked but not too long by regular people standards.

Shenko regained his senses, wiped his face a few times, pulled away and grimaced at all the snot he’d left on the Ray Dawn’s mech suit.

Ray Dawn considered his subordinate and tried to recall a time he’d looked this pitiful. Tried to recall a time he’d been so vulnerable in front of others.

And he couldn’t remember.

All he could recall was Pa’s similarly pitiful display when he’d been sentenced to death. Sobbing and pleading for his life.

“W-W-We should get you home,” Gnabree said.

Shenko didn’t reply and reached for the letter. Riberee handed it to him.

He tore the envelope open, retrieved the letter and unfolded it. His eyes scanned the letter and his expression hardened as he neared the end.

“Even in your death you would control me,” Shenko said not bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.

An awkward pause.

Shenko’s shoulders sagged and he looked to the heavens holding back a second wave of emotion. A hint of resignation flashed through his watery eyes.

“Then again, how would my ancestors accept me if I denied my mentor’s dying wish.”

Ray Dawn closed his eyes and sighed. A part of him appreciated the resolve and wickedness of the act. It conflicted with his plans for Shenko.

‘But on the bright side at least I’ll have someone in the union now.’