The Incorruptible Detective
Wearing a loosely draped gown from the mercenary office, Angela slipped on her slippers and walked to the door. She didn't open it right away. Hacking into the camera, she scanned Yoo Seung-ah's appearance. No visible weapons. No obvious implants. She was the head of the main bureau's investigation division, but her look was almost too plain. That very plainness made her seem trustworthy. Sure, she was from ECPD headquarters, but investigation divisions were notoriously underpaid. No way could someone on that salary afford fancy implants or gear. Unless they took bribes like every other ECPD cop, this was the only look possible. Dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and chapped fingertips showed she worked harder and longer than her team—maybe just a bit.
"Hoo..." Angela moistened her throat with lukewarm water, smoothed her messy hair, and spoke. "Do investigators usually go this far for cooperation? And how did you even find out where the witness is?"
Even so, Angela didn't lower her guard. She couldn't figure out why they'd investigate a mere murder this hard. Knowing the motel room where she and Soo were staying was suspicious too. Sure, a headquarters detective could dig that up if they tried, but like she said—it was just a "mere" murder. ECPD didn't dig into residents' movements for petty cases like that.
"Whatever. You know you're being awfully rude right now, right?"
She didn't really want to, but Angela decided to push hard. She had plenty of justification. They could counter any legal threats with a laundry list of clauses. Law or force—it didn't matter.
[I'll tell you everything.]
A slightly trembling voice came from outside the door.
"Not wearing your ECPD uniform makes it seem like personal business. Were you planning to claim it was official if I looked a little sloppy?"
[That's not it.]
"Then why's someone saying 'that's not it' dropping ECPD's name and pounding on my door at dawn for cooperation?"
[I... I'll tell you everything.]
"I can't tell if I'm talking to a cyborg or a person anymore."
[I'm sorry...]
Through the camera, Yoo Seung-ah showed no anger, irritation, or contempt. She just stood stiffly as before, head bowed. It didn't look like acting. Her pulse wasn't even that of an angry person. If anything, she seemed inexperienced or stubbornly honest. Angela's wariness dropped a notch.
"What's in it for us?"
[I know you three work as mercenaries. A connector worthy of that—]
Her tone rose and sped up, half-expecting agreement. No need to hear more. Ignoring Yoo Seung-ah's rambling, Angela properly closed her gown. She flipped her hair forward to cover her cleavage as much as possible and leaned her upper body out the slightly open door crack.
"Yoo Seung-ah?"
"Huh."
Yoo Seung-ah's excited chatter cut off. Her trembling eyes darted to Angela's chest. Ignoring the gaze, Angela coolly dug into her info with sunken eyes. No criminal record. Spotless past—impeccably white. An ECPD detective who rose to team leader on passion and effort alone, no dirty money. No bribes, no kickbacks, no ties to local gangs. The ideal ECPD cop... Not a fabricated identity. Integrity check perfect, reliability high. No ICE implants that shady types get. Nothing more to probe.
As Yoo Seung-ah eyed Angela's chest, waist, and hips with cosmic terror, Angela shifted to her appearance. Up close, her lips were cracked too—probably from overworking and catching a slap from a superior. Rare type. Expression restrained, emotions bottled up. Crisp shirt folds, neatly ironed. Faint soap scent, no perfume or pricey shampoo, plus that coin laundry dryer smell. It all screamed Yoo Seung-ah: stubborn, rigid, foolish detective. Short-lived, in a word.
Or put differently: Soo would like her.
Angela smiled brightly. "I'm Angela Meyer. Should I call you Detective?"
"Y-yes. N-no, uh, just my name is f-fine."
"Got it, Seung-ah. Meet us at the fast food joint next door at 23:30."
"Understood."
"We're cooperating with the investigation, so you'll buy dinner for us three, right?"
"Three of you..."
Seung-ah's lips hesitated. She mentally tallied her wallet for a split second. "...Of course."
Hamburgers she could just manage. Calorie bars for the next two weeks would get her to payday. 23:30, so no sides, probably...? With that thought, Yoo Seung-ah bowed deeply and stepped back.
*****
Enoch chuckled dryly as he hit the accelerator. "That passionate detective from back then, huh."
"Yeah, exactly. Seems like it for real."
Yoo Seung-ah—a name that oddly evoked Neonic's Yoo clan. Not that it could be. That family would've ditched ECPD team leader gigs ages ago. Angela wouldn't miss that detail either.
"A team leader that squeaky clean... Might have to clean up her corpse soon enough."
Angela gave a wry smile at Enoch's sharp words but didn't argue. She thought the same.
"What does Soo think?"
"Mm."
Soo, munching cheese sticks in the back seat with Angela, nodded. Her silver-gray eyes sparkled with intrigue. Yoo Seung-ah, was it? First time hearing the name. ECPD investigations—worse rep than mercenaries in Eden. Yet living clean, no dirt? A miracle she'd survived to team leader. Needing another miracle to keep going? World wasn't that kind. No second miracles, and if there were, they wouldn't pass through her.
Soo reached the same conclusion as Enoch and Angela: short-lived.
But Soo's went a step further. "Name's Yoo Seung-ah, right? Sounds fun."
They didn't ask what was fun. They'd just get some Soo-only riddle. Enoch and Angela knew better.
"Wanna come meet her with me then, Soo?"
"Yeah. Enoch, drop Miki off alone."
Not excluding him. He'd deploy long-term to the frontlines soon—better not expose him needlessly. He knew that. So why the weird pang...?
"Y-you don't need to meet your friend separately?"
"Nah, we parted cool."
Soo shoveled a big spoonful of milkshake and grinned. Her tail softly coiled around Angela's hand, pleased.
"Next reunion spot's Eden."
Topher, Miko—no wasteland meetups. If they crossed paths again, it'd be Eden. Scavenger gold ship raids for cash, maybe, but not them.
"Right."
Enoch smirked and nodded. He couldn't always follow Soo's whims, but sometimes like this, he deeply got it.
"Anyway, safe trip, Enoch."
"Yeah, you too. I'll drop her at the city edge."
Grumpy tone. Soo smirked sourly and dangled a milkshake-dipped fry at his mouth. Petty Enoch clamped shut.
"They do brain surgery through the nose now."
Enoch opened obediently. Soo beamed, popping the fry in.
"...These fries are damn good."
"Dipped in milkshake's what makes 'em good."
Enoch had freaked at first sight of it. Even tried one and tsked. But after forced repeats, he kinda liked it now. Was he adapting to Soo... or getting rebuilt? Hard to tell.
"By the way, any reason this Yoo detective's hunting us? Salvador deal's still under wraps."
That secrecy? Thanks to Enoch's dispatch. No point name-dropping him before a war-altering heist. Nightfall mercs from the meet knew faces, not names. Even Angela's searches came up empty.
"Car thief might've talked."
Soo fed him another fry. "Narrowed suspects for Martin's meet."
"Even without narrowing, she'd probably track visitors one by one."
Angela's point still traced to the car thief.
"Makes sense..."
Entering the lot, Enoch pieced it. Yoo hit the theft division for the car thief, heard about investigating mercs. Track them? Find the stolen ride. Queried ECPD databases for his plate, straight to their motel. Knocking Angela's door first? Luck. Enoch's would've worked too—he'd postpone and consult anyway.
"The earring."
"Yeah, she was poking around the scene. Probably tied to that."
"Hand it over, might get a solid ally."
"Gotta know what it is first."
"Miki got used too—probably clueless."
"Yeah, so Angela's digging separate."
Dr-r-rk— Enoch parked, unbuckled. Angela wiped Soo's mouth, slipped her shoes back on. Then, unease hit— she eyed Soo.
"Soo?"
"Yeah."
"Wh-what're you... doing?"
"Something inside the earring."
"...And?"
"Can open it."
"Wait—!"
Enoch whipped around like seized. Snap— Something broke.
"Snapped it open by accident."
In Soo's hand: the earring, snapped in half, and a tiny note from inside.