Chapter 9: The First Precinct
Part of the transcript of Officer Diana Jones’ Report with SIO Investigator Delilah Graves.
Jones: I’d taken the Snake Fang leader… Shaun’s rifle and used it on the MALignant. My aim was to target it anytime it took offensive action towards someone.
Graves: That lines up with the camera footage we’d retrieved… and who was that who threw the grenade you’d shot? He followed down the balcony after you.
Jones: I believe his name was Ripley. He was the Shard Op’ renting space down in their lower levels, I believe he had ties to the Snake Fangs because when I’d gone up with the Lieutenant he was there.
Graves: You also wrote down that he appeared interested in your bracelet? And that gave you suspicion that your cover had been broken?
Jones: Correct. He appeared sharp, although it does seem he didn’t work directly under the gang. But rather work was outsourced to him.
Graves: You can surmise all of this with just one meeting?
Jones: No, not exactly. But… he was clearly smart, he’d opened the box containing the MAL-Seed. I suspect that he’s dead now because of it. Once the two NeoCore operatives engaged with the MAL, there was so much damage that the club fell apart. I’d seen him trapped under the rubble… I don’t know what happened to him.
Graves: Moving on, the Lieutenant… what’s left of his body is mangled. He was a Silver-Grade in the Third Tier… how did you survive?
Jones: A question I ask myself, I’d tried escaping but rubble fell over the main entrance. Once Inquisitor Tusk engaged the MAL, I’d retreated to the hallways deeper in the building. It took me a while, but I found my way to the perimeter Investigator Gargan had controlled.
Graves: So you hadn’t witnessed the MAL’s death? I’m sure you know, but the MAL had drained energy through the electric grid to launch Inquisitor Tusk out of the building. If it wasn’t him or Archangel, who is in critical condition, then who killed the MAL?
Jones: I don’t know, I’m afraid.
6:27 PM June 4th
Diana
I had never once lied during my two-year long career in the Police District. I had lied more times than I could count in the last two days, interview after report after news investigator. They stormed after me, and I’d kept my web of lies as simple as possible.
I don’t know what happened.
No one could question it, not unless they brought in someone who could detect lies anyway — and those were rare and kept in Special Operations. I was lucky that NeoCore worked faster than the police did, by the time I’d been ushered into a van with a cup of hot chocolate there were already online forums discussing NeoCore’s report of their vanquishing of the MAL.
Everything was headlined by Inquisitor Tusk himself. Archangel also responded to online discourse; I watched her livestream as she thanked her supportive audience from a hospital bed. She encouraged them to also buy her upcoming book, then burned sponsored products down their throats like acid beautified by her online presence.
There was a reason I never kept in touch with any mainstream celebrity, but I couldn’t feel a pang of sympathy as she spoke of her injuries, she would be paralyzed from the waist-down for a month. The spear apparently had an infectious energy that would disrupt her natural Sustain capabilities.
I’d had two days of sleep far denser than any other day in my life. A blur, as my lenses repeated the same thing as it had during the entire time.
Analyzing S.I.M…
I’d done research, a new Neuroframe was a must. Most of them were built with the expectations of bonding to a B.U.G which would more or less take over their functionality, whereas I would need a less invasive connection to my nervous system. Lenses were fine as long as they didn’t delve into the optic nerve, but some research recommended specific models.
Almost everything was made by Imperium, the premiere company for Bioware. The organic antithesis of Shardware. I’d seen ads for it, why give yourself fake muscle when you could implant muscle grown with Mutagen capable of carrying a car?
The answer was simple. Money. Bioware was leagues more expensive than Shardware and my First Officer salary wasn’t going to cut it. Lowest pricing was hundreds of thousands for even the simplest of modifications.
Thankfully, I was waiting outside the doors to the office of my new Lieutenant, sworn in hours after Jacob Grazhe’s death.
This one was also a Lieutenant Grazhe, his daughter. Anabelle Grazhe. As far as I knew, the Grazhe family was notoriously linked to peace and order from the police, and for their common Mutation. Any on-market SIMs with even a hint of vocal manipulation were monopolized by them.
When my name was finally called by a robotic secretary, I wasn’t surprised to find out that she had her fair share of wrinkles behind that steel gray hair of hers. Jacob was ancient, more than seventy years old, and Anabelle was the proud heir to First Precinct, being the Staff Sergeant of the Intelligence Department until her father’s death.
She’d been instated into the position instantly from her former status, reeled in to affirm order as the entire Precinct reeled from the former Lieutenant’s death. The office was largely decorated with memorabilia from her father, strong oak desks made of actual wood and an air of dense earthy atmosphere nestled into my nose, while my eyes landed on a picture of Jacob Grazhe standing next to two daughters smiling with police uniforms. Anabelle and… I didn’t know who the second was. I didn’t even know he had another daughter.
I saluted Lieutenant Anabelle Grazhe, her slate gray eyes fixed over screens of light hovering around her. “Good afternoon, Lieutenant Grazhe… I’d like to extend my deepest apologies about your father. He… he protected me, from the MALignant. I want to honor him in any way you let me. I’m sure he would be proud to know the police let his position pass to you.”
“Start by sitting down.” Her voice was hushed, much like her father’s but definitely took a more naturally harsher tone. “And don’t bullshit me, I have his lens feed. The one thing he passed down to other than this clusterfuck of a district.”
“I- I am sorry. Genuinely.” I meant that, not knowing any other way to say my regrets but be honest about it. The former Lieutenant may not have been the most honorable person, but he was good at his job. His death was going to spiral Westcrook into chaos, that much was evident in the last few days.
“I’ll leave this short and succinct, Ulrich.” The Lieutenant added a bite to the last name I’d rejected for the last half-decade. “You’re being promoted to Third Investigator and transferred to the Intelligence department. New salary will be three Bronze Shards and 20 Iron, 16,000 Shardyne collected on the fourth of every month. And… you will be receiving an Implant.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
She reached under her desk, pulling out an arm-length container. Putting in some parameters on a pad at her side, a small section of it opened and out rolled a Silver bead of chitin-like material, a SIM.
A Silver one.
It was considered in the top 1% of the Implant Grades, but instead of excitement, I was pissed. “With all due respect… why am I receiving a Silver-Grade Implant? Normal procedure indicates that upon promotion to Third Investigator, you receive an Iron-Grade. Or a Bronze-Grade if the promoted officer has a high merit.”
She froze the screens in front of her, her voice more tired than angry at what was a clear sign of insubordination. “You know why you’re receiving this. But if you want to know what your father wants me to say: you’re an exemplary officer with a grand total of zero kills in three years, in all situations you use electrical weaponry to target Neuroframes under a non-lethal voltage. You’ve had a spotless track record of nothing but effectiveness and dedication — never once taken a bribe, we would know. And since we have a spare Silver, you are being offered it as a gesture that the First Precinct does indeed promote our honest workforce.”
Then with a snap of her fingers ringing out a clear whistling pitch, her voice slithered with the same mutated tone of her father’s. “Now take the damn S.I.M, Diana Ulrich!”
It suffocated me like a coffin, but this time, a light pierced through it… I stayed calm despite my trembling hands. I rushed out the bravery that golden radiance gave to me to break out of her hold. “Again, with all due respect, I only want what I deserve. And it isn’t Silver. I know for a fact you’re not happy with some rookie like me getting something worth several million Shardyne.” My voice was growing more tense with every word. “So do me a favor and take it for yourself!”
I- I did not mean to say the last part. I just got caught in the mood. Instead of anger, Anabelle snorted much like how her father did when something questionable occurred in front of him. “If I could, I would have taken it in a heartbeat and just left you a Bronze. But your father is a very powerful man. Said that if I don’t give this to you then I’ll be demoted and forced to work in the hellscape that some other lieutenant isn’t fitted for. Believe me when I say I know something about shitty fathers who are ultimately right. The former lieutenant was the one keeping this district together, and the only other person the leaders will listen to is his daughter.”
Fucking hell, of course my dad would play that card. As much as I hated him, I wasn’t sure if I was willing to let someone unqualified take the job of a Lieutenant.
“Take the damn thing or you’ll be happy with an Iron!”
I snatched the Silver orb, rolling between my fingers feeling… disappointed. A few days ago, the thought of a Silver seemed awe-inspiring, like Archangel. Now, the bead was muted to me, like a 3-d printed snack instead of a fresh gourmet meal.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. If you need anything from me, just… make sure I’m paid for it.” I joked, and it landed flatly to no reaction.
I was ready to walk out, when she tapped a bell that harmonized through my entire body. Her voice shivered through my skull, a familiar feeling but more intense. “One last thing. What happened to the Gold Implants from that MAL?”
I was squeezed in her fist of control, tighter than even when the former Lieutenant spoke, and I knew my body was reacting as my hand tingled like it was trying to break free from chains. Fuck! I should have taken the gene-limiters! My voice was about to betray me…
I have one of them.
But that inner light reached out, fighting the oppressive voice gyrating in my ears. I felt my Neuroframe buzz in my head… and my lens indicated a warning.
Error: Low power in Neuroframe, please provide emergency charging.
The light itched and burned to force some clarity into my throat, and I took that opportunity to speak. “I don’t know.” Then I closed the door behind me, rapidly making my way to the washroom as I scavenged my pockets for the gene-limiter pills I’d kept just in case.
I pushed through the door, reached for the tap and scarfed two of them down. I didn’t know what grade they were, but the effect was instant. A flowing glow of stray electrical sparks within my inside my irises froze, but I still felt tingly. Cautiously holding my pointer finger close to the metal tap, as soon as I was inch away a visible spark flashed to it.
So I could drain electricity… good to know that was a power I’d inherited from the MAL’s Mutations. Bad for being in public where everything ran on it — including my own Neuroframe. Until I could figure out specifically what powers I’d acquired, I was going to suffer with these horrendous-tasting pills if I didn’t want to risk the back of my neck exploding.
Implant Analyzed…
Oh, that was done quicker than I’d expected it to be. Hopefully I had a high compatibility, the horror stories of SIM Adapters with lower ones did not sound pleasant.
Implant Overview:-
Tier 0: Convergence [1%]
Compatibility: 99%
Integrity: NA
Energy: NA
Capacity: NA
Grade: Gold I
Tendency: ??
Mutagen:
* Tier 0: Electrical Conduction [1%]; Pacemaker [1%]; Unstable Biology [1%]; Electromagnetic Sense [1%]
Gene Overview:-
Tier 0:
* [Gold] Electrical Conduction [1%]: Allows your body to conduct electricity under the influence of Warp Energy.
* [Gold] Pacemaker [1%]: Electricity can be directed to specific parts of your body, stimulating them.
* [Gold] Unstable Biology [1%]: Increases the rate of Mutagenic alteration and adaptation, as well as the probability of Meta-Mutations.
* [Gold] Electromagnetic Sense [1%]: Increases your sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and radiation.
Taking all that to account, I was almost terrified as I pondered the facets of my powers and how it aligned with the monster, because it fit me very well. Electrical weaponry had always been my favored choice over ballistic, and now I'd have that option literally wreathing through my body. Empowering me. If I was right, I was what was called an Esper rather than a standard Mutant in terms of the terminology of SIM Adapters. Someone who could manipulate worldly phenomenon with their thoughts, some were the typical telekinetics and telepaths while others called upon elements and even fewer could manifest them. In both of the Lieutenants' cases -- their voice could manipulate the thoughts of others. Except my option was far less subtle.
And subtlety was what I needed more than ever.
Thankfully, one of my Mutations would never show its effects outwardly. Unstable Biology, a name which sent my skin prickling. What did that mean, hopefully I wouldn't be growing any extra limbs or having my body twisted out of proportionality. It seemed to be a Mutation that directly boosted my other Mutations in how they developed, something I'd never heard of in my research. As for the others, they were more explainable and all tethered around electricity.
I could conduct it into my body without harm, strengthen my body like an engine running on it, and sense the storm of electricity around me. Already, I could feel the tingle from my Frame like it was an annoying fly buzzing constantly behind my nape. Buzzing, that word certainly fit the sensation, a small thought from me gripped the electricity and drew it inwards. My neck tensing with brief pain as my lens' display began to glitch with more warnings of low power and suggesting a visit to an Operator. Thankfully, standard Frames like this came with external batteries I could plug in to charge it, but a Sharded Frame like those used by Shard -- or BUG -- Adapters generated electricity from their Warp Energy.
I still wasn't sure if that change in voltage for my Frame was healthy or not, last thing I needed was it dying on me in the middle of using it. Especially since most of my police work was stored on it. I could experiment more once I got home and away from prying eyes, I was never one for science but at the very least I should get a grip on how electricity worked if I was going to be wielding it from now on.
The basic research I’d done during my few hours of being awake was that a Gold SIM innately possessed four concurrent mutations occurring simultaneously, while lower grades had one for Iron, two for Bronze, and three for Silver. But I’d read nothing about the Meta-Mutations referred to in Unstable Biology? Clearly the Neuroframe’s standard database had information about it, so I could find the information I wanted somewhere. I just needed to pay for it — all the best data had a price tag attached, if being in the police taught me anything it was that.
And from what I understood of ‘1%’ next to all my Mutations, it was how far the Mutations had developed to completion. They’d grow in strength over time, until plateauing at 100% and when I finish Converging, my Mutations would begin combining to form fresh Tier I Mutations. The direct science behind it was complicated, and difficult to predict -- at most, I'd have control over what Mutagen I could take.
Speaking of percentages, I had to grip the sink tighter when I saw my compatibility. 99%?!