14:28, Beach Road, 05 Jan 2075
As she walked past a reflective wall, Hai Yue could see the hoodie-wearing individual still following her from a distance. Pretending not to have noticed, she turned a corner into an alleyway and waited for the stalker to show up.
It didn’t take long for that to happen. It also did not take much effort for Joel and Shawn to jump the stalker, with Joel slamming him against the wall and Shawn ripping off the hood to reveal a ghastly face of a recently-deceased corpse.
“No wonder you talked about the scent consisting of dark magic and death. Look what we’ve got here.”
“Hey, Shawn, it’s not going to eat my brains, right?” Joel asked nervously as he held the struggling zombie against a wall by its neck.
“Zombies don’t eat brains unlike what Hollywood thinks. Either way, necromancy is illegal in Singapore under the Occult Regulation Act. Who would risk performing such magic?”
“There’s a lot of unregistered magic practitioners in our country, you know?”
Zombies are not exactly intelligent, but this particular zombie seemed to have realized that it was not getting out of Joel’s grip no matter what, thus it stopped struggling and pulled an envelope out of its jacket from which a strange noise could be heard.
“What do you want me to do, take it?” Shawn asked, only to get a slurred groan as a reply, prompting him to shrug and take the envelope, opening it to find a phone inside.
“Unknown number.”
“Well, are you going to answer it?” Joel asked as the zombie made a phone gesture.
“Wait, what if it explodes when you answer it?” Hai Yue asked.
“Where did you get that idea from?”
“Movies…”
“You know what, I’m answering it,” Shawn said at last as he swiped right, activated speaker mode and goes, “Hello?”
“Ah, Detective Teo, you picked up. To be honest, I was half-expecting you to throw the bag aside.”
“Okay, first of all, it’s either Staff Sergeant or Officer Teo, we don’t fucking use American terminologies in this country, especially after the Dems fucked us over during the Third World War. Secondly, who are you, how do you know us and what’s with that corny accent?”
The voice on the other end of the phone is heard chuckling softly.
“Well, pardon me, I thought the new Dems had fixed that diplomatic shitstorm but it seems it’s still stirring in the air around the whole of Southeast Asia. But enough about politics, Staff Sergeant Teo. I believe I may have some information you require.”
“Oh, really, how so?”
“Six members of the Scorpions have been brutally mauled to death. No doubt you and your team have more or less figured out who or what the killer is.”
“Spying on us, are you?”
“Your cyber security is very strong, but not invulnerable. We have ways to scrap snippets of information off your servers. Not much, but enough for us to figure out what is going on when pieced together. Does that answer you ‘how’ question.”
“Pretty much, what about the who and what?”
“Spend too much time in London and your natural accent eventually starts mixing with the local ones. As for who I am, your Anti-Narcotics Bureau refer to me as ‘Garky’.”
“Shit, that’s Garky?” Joel asked.
“Who knows? Garky never shows himself, could be someone pretending to be him, or his subordinate using his name… Besides, why send a zombie? I thought Garky only hire humans?”
“If that had been one of my runners, you would have dragged him screaming and crying into that holding cell you have at the second basement. I could not risk that, but thankfully, I happen to have a couple of necromancers in my little circle of friends… Speaking of which, it’s about time my messenger goes back to rest.”
The zombie Joel was restraining suddenly went slack as its flesh crumbled into dust, followed by its bones, leaving only the clothes it had been wearing which Joel quickly dropped in disgust.
“Now, let me jut cut to the chase: Whoever is killing the Scorpions is also disrupting my business, so I want them gone one way or another. Jalan Mempurong is near one of my storage sites. The jogging trail where the sixth murder occurred is one of my runners’ trade routes. I think you can see how bad this makes me look when dealing with local clients when I stop by at Singapore,” replied the voice on the other end.
“I see… Trying to save face because all these murders are happening on your turf, eh?”
“Well, I suppose you can say that. It doesn’t help that the killer uses the claim that he works under me to lure his initial victims to the site. And now we are having problems with Mr Vance of the Scorpions’ Northern Branch.”
“A rebellious customer?”
“An unreliable, unstable liability, a mad dog that needs to be put down for good. I never really cared about the fact that Mr Vance has no respect for me or his adamant belief that I am some local thug from the back alleys of Chinatown or Geylang running a courier service for drugs. His overlords had been covering the payment he owes my crew but a few months ago, he decided that he will try to take over my business in the area. Now he thinks I’m the one having his comrades killed as retaliation and the slander he has been throwing my way have only gotten worse. Now, I have no choice but to take action against him, and this means helping you find the killer.”
“All right, what do you get out of it?”
“A restoration of my good name, and good riddance to trash. I will not request assistance for free, of course. In return, I will surrender the location of my hidden stash in Jalan Mempurong. Let your colleagues at the ANB believe they’ve achieved one of their biggest busts in years. It is but a negligible loss for me.”
“Sounds like you’re using the cops to do some dirty work for you, but given the simplicity of your terms, fine.”
“You are quick on the take, Staff Sergeant Teo. Much appreciated.”
“Don’t get too comfortable with me being so agreeable. I’m only accepting this deal you’re offering because it doesn’t involve getting one of your arrested runners a shortened jail term or their necks off the noose.”
“I only run that kind of complicated deals with relevant authorities… There is a young artist living in Block 145A Marsiling Rise, #07-329, by the name of Maxwell Singh. He’s been a shut-in since last year. Would you like to know why?”
“He’s a runner of yours or someone to be used against the Scorpions.”
“The latter. I believe you’ve considered the possibility of the murders being related to the Kaneki Siblings Murder Case, am I right?”
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“Supposed you’re right, what of it?”
“He witnessed the murders. He can identify the rapists and the killers involved, which I will blatantly tell you now are Vance and his nine lieutenants, six of whom have recently been turned into minced meat by the killer you are hunting. He also walks with a limp, his knee shattered during an attack by the Scorpions due to a case of mistaken identity, and is so afraid of the gang that he hasn’t left his house for the last two years. If you can get him to talk, you’ll have someone able to testify against the Scorpions Northern Branch.”
“And what about our killer?”
“If he’s tied to the case in some way, perhaps they’ll stop killing, or perhaps you can use Vance as bait for them and capture them once they bite down on the bait. Either way, the violence ends, you get a case closed, Vance will be dead either physically or psychologically, and I get to resume my business in peace. Now, I’m quite a busy man, and I’ve gone off my schedule quite a bit. We shall speak again, Staff Sergeant.”
“Wait, about the stash- Ah, shit, he hung up,” Shawn cursed as the line went dead.
“You got a number?” Joel asked.
“No, this phone’s modded. Look, it’s no longer usable.”
“You guys aren’t kidding about this Garky person being like an evil mastermind,” Hai Yue commented.
“Yeah, not a single breadcrumb to follow, and we ended up soiling our hands for him. Smartass bastard…”
“So, what do we do? Follow the lead he provided or check it out first?”
“I say we let Shankar know about this before proceeding with anything.”
20:30, Marsiling Drive, 06 Jan 2075
“What’s the plan, boss?” Shawn asked as he got out of the car with the rest of the Third Investigation Squad, Marshals Kegan and Hai Yue, and two officers from the Roving Unit arriving in their respective vehicles as well.
“Ellen, Marshal Kegan and I will go to Block 145A and find Maxwell Singh, see if Garky’s information is genuine or him just trying to dick around with us. Marshal Kegan, are you all right with it?”
“This is your side of the world and your jurisdiction, Lieutenant Shankar. Marshal Hai Yue and I will follow your instructions,” the Chief Marshal replied.
“Thank you, Kegan. Zai, take Sergeants Ang and De Souza, go to Block 144, locate the Kaneki Siblings’ flat and do a fresh search, see if Keat Hong’s team missed anything last year. Keat Hong from Major Crimes have provided us the original key to the flat so don’t lose it, and from what we know, the flat’s been unoccupied since the murders.”
“Got it, boss. You two, let’s go.”
“Shawn, Joel, you two make your way to the Scorpions’ local outpost on foot with Marshal Hai Yue. Those guys will think a raid is happening if we go by car so it’s best to approach them in a manner where they know there’s only three of you. While we know that Vance has lost a lot of credibility with the Scorpions’ leadership, they might not be willing to dump him, so do what you need to do if the negotiations fail.”
“So there’s a high chance of violence?”
“You saw what they did during the Suntec City Siege five years ago. Draw first blood if you have to.”
“Understood, boss. Let’s get moving, then.”
20:36, Block 144 Marsiling Rise, #03-100, 06 Jan 2075
“Shit, looks haunted as hell,” Ang commented as he, Zai and De Souza arrived at the abandoned flat.
"After all the cemetery raids you took part in, this freaks you out?" Zai asked as he handed the key to the officer.
“Of course. Cemeteries, I can tahan because there are many directions to flee. Inside a flat with the door blocked? Only place you can get out from is the window, and we’re on the third floor. A fractured leg is guaranteed.”
“Not a big fan of ghosts, I see.”
“Try getting possessed by Hood back at HQ, then try to tell me how much you love ghosts, De Souza,” Ang retorted as he inserted the key into the lock on the door grill when a look of confusion formed on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s not locked.”
“What the hell do you mean it’s not locked?” Zai commented as he pulled the door grill, which opened immediately to his surprise.
“That’s not good,” De Souza quipped.
Zai knocked on the door a few times, but got no response even after he identified himself. Shrugging, he carefully opened the door and entered with one hand over the holster of his sidearm while the two uniformed officers followed after him…
20:40, Block 145A Marsiling Rise, #07-329, 06 Jan 2075
Ellen stared disapprovingly at the graffiti outside the flat, all of which consists of intimidating messages such as a hanged man, a badly-written warning, and what looked like a pig being chopped up. As if they really want others to know that it was them, the Scorpions have also left their signature logo right on the floor in front of the front door.
“They really do not want this guy talking, huh?” Ellen commented to Shankar, who nodded grimly.
“Well, tonight’s the night he sings, whether the Scorpions want him to do so or not. I have a feeling that Shawn, Joel and our new friend would probably make sure of that.”
“Speaking of our new friend, what species of Othersider is Hai Yue?”
“That is a question you should be asking her, not me. Kegan’s been with us for three years and we still do not know what Othersider he is, only that he’s similar in some ways to vampires minus the blood-drinking based on what Hai Yue told us.”
“Hey, Kegan, since Hai Yue told us a bit about you, how about a bit of clue about her?” Ellen asked as she turned towards Kegan.
“Her kind has the highest social status in the whole of the Night-Sea, so we tread carefully around her at all times despite her willingness to heed the commands of her senior marshals,” the Chief Marshal replied nonchalantly.
“That’s not very enlightening.”
“That answer does not satisfy you? That is all I am willing to divulge. Be used to disappointment, it is an important part of life.”
“Stop pestering him, Ellen. You know he doesn’t like how you treated Ismail and Kobi,” Shankar whispered to Ellen once Kegan was out of earshot.
“I wasn’t nasty towards them. I never insulted them or accuse them of anything.”
“But you never tried to hide you fear and suspicion towards them, simply because one looks like a tiger and the other a crocodile, especially during casual conversations. A lot of other VOID officers have brought this up during meetings with the commander. Are you sure you want another black mark on your record?”
“No, sir.”
“Good, now we have an understanding. Go knock on the door.”
Forcing herself not to sulk at the accusation, Ellen knocked on the door a few times, but after three minutes, she was still not getting a response despite hearing movement within the apartment.
“I don’t think he’s going to open it,” she said at last, at which point Kegan walked over and peered through the eyehole of the door, declared, “Then I shall make him open it,” before turning and heading for the lift lobby, disappearing around the corner.
"Where’s he going? Door’s right here," Ellen asked Shankar, who shrugged in response only to jump at a muffled yell coming from inside the apartment, followed by sounds of a quick struggle and Kegan’s voice saying something barely audible, and then the door finally opened, with Kegan now mysteriously inside the apartment and holding a young Indian male in a headlock.
“Make yourselves at home,” Kegan said curtly as he handed Shankar a set of keys through the grills of the door gate, “I think this might be an interesting conversation.”
20:50, Unknown Abandoned School, Marsiling Rise, 06 Jan 2075
“Okay, we’re here, so what do we do? Sneak in or walk right up to them?” Joel asked as he, Shawn and Hai Yue stopped across the road from the abandoned school where the main body of the Scorpions had set up an outpost.
“We’re not doing a raid, so we’ll just approach and ask for an audience with whoever’s running the outpost,” Shawn replied.
“Provided they don’t try to kill us. They started out as a terrorist organization, after all.”
“Let’s just go and see if they’ll play nice tonight.”
The three crossed the road and approached the school, where three members of the Scorpions were loitering around the entrance, clearly the assigned guards given that one had a crowbar in his hands while the other two were wearing knuckledusters.
“Hey, who are you? Come to busybody, is it?” one of them asked as they noticed the three approaching.
“We’re from the Violent Othersider Incidents Division. You guys have anyone high-ranking inside we can talk to?”
“What is this, a pig raid? You think we stupid., is it?”
“He calls us pigs one more time, I’m breaking his neck,” Joel muttered.
“We’re the only cops here, minus her, and you know VOID only deals with Othersiders. We’re not after you, we just want answers regarding one of your own who may have been involved in a crime that has gotten unwanted attention from a very dangerous Othersider,” Shawn tried to persuade the guards.
“Piss off lah, piggies. You think we snitch on our brothers, is it? Only two of you and that chio bu in blue, and there’s forty over guys inside waiting to tear you all to pieces…” the gate guard with the crowbar snapped back, but then a lecherous look formed on his face as he eyed Hai Yue, saying, "Unless she has something good to show us, then perhaps we can work something out."
“Are you fucking serious? Look, we just need information and we’re gone-”
“Time’s not on our side, Shawn. He wants to see something from me, he can take a good lock at it.”
Shawn and Joel turned to see Hai Yue, who had been quiet until now, unzip her track jacket to reveal a white cropped tank-top and an athletic, pear-shaped figure that definitely got the attention of Shawn and the Scorpions gate guards for a few seconds, right before her blue eyes started glowing an eerie cyan as she uppercuts the crowbar-wielding guard.
Having gotten comfortable with Hai Yue's presence, Shawn had momentarily forgotten that the latter was an Othersider, hence his surprise at the crowbar-wielding guard being lifted off the ground and flying up the stairs from the superhuman force of Hai Yue's attack. By the time he crashed into the front doors of the school, partially knocking them both off their top hinges, Hai Yue had also taken down the other two guards with swift blows to their heads.
“Let’s go find this Scorpion leader,” Hai Yue said as she cracked her knuckles before walking up the stairs, ripping off what remains of the doors and entering the school building with an awe-struck Shawn and a nervous Joel following suit...