Marvin could not tell them what had happened until they got back to Renee's apartment, when they transferred his head to his cyborg, human-sized body. Even then, he only texted Ben and Renee, apologizing profusely for the lapse of focus and making them promise not to tell Caroline. She was stressed enough about Battlegrounds.
"I'm sorry," Ben said. "I should've forfeited. I almost got you killed."
Marvin didn't blame him at all. Had he forfeited, it would have raised suspicions since the fight had been going in his favor.
That night, Marvin watched videos of past Mecha Realms, hoping to rekindle his excitement for it. It got him thinking more, definitely, but excited? He wasn't sure what sensations to associate with that word anymore.
So he thought about Ella, and that managed to stir something within his chest. He'd been telling himself he would confess to her the next time they were alone together. Nothing would come of it, but he wanted her to know. If he could do it, it was proof that he was still human.
Do I even like her?
The sudden thought scared him. Of course he liked Ella. She was fierce yet kind, ambitious yet grounded. She was an asshole sometimes, but it was funny more often than not. Most importantly, she always challenged him to be better. That wasn't something quantifiable. That wasn't a word you could just apply to anyone.
Thinking of that, Marvin shut himself down and went to sleep.
-----
The next day, Team Sabersong received a text from Amir. He had found out a few things about the murder suspect, referee Hank Brees. Hank was thirty-seven years old and lived alone in a studio apartment after having gone through a divorce. He went to the supermarket every Sunday and took the Northline 41 home. That tram was where they would intercept him.
Amir, Caroline, Marvin, and Ishaan went, leaving Ben and Renee to cover mech-fighting business. They found Hank sitting in the corner of the tram, watching a video of a recent duel between Immortal Ignition and Salmonstacker. Salmonstacker had won.
Amir sat down across from Hank and leaned forward. Hank glanced up, then back at his tablet, then up again as Amir pulled out his police badge. Hank swallowed and folded his tablet behind his ear.
"My name is Amir. I'd like to ask you some questions, if you wouldn't mind."
Hank nodded quickly, then looked at Ishaan, Caroline, and Marvin, who were still standing behind Amir.
"They're relevant to my investigation," Amir said. "Don't mind them."
Hank nodded again.
"Last year, you presided over Saberstar versus Gammagrade, is that right?"
Hank's eyes grew wide. "This again?"
"I'm not saying you did—"
"I already got questioned by Hosaka; they cleared me, I have records!"
"I'm not accusing you of anything," Amir said. "I just want to jog your memory."
"You're chasing a dead end."
The tram stopped. Amir stood up and beckoned Hank to get out—this was his stop, after all. They went into a steam-filled alley dimly lit by the back windows of two rows of restaurants.
"What do you know of what happened that day?" Amir asked.
"Saberstar beat Gammagrade, but then Marvin Yao had a stroke and couldn't participate in Mecha Realm."
"Oh please," Amir scoffed. "You should've been the first in that room. You of all people should know Marvin was murdered."
Hank's eyes narrowed defensively. "I didn't kill him, okay? Hosaka cleared me. I can show you the records."
"I don't believe you killed anyone," Amir said, sounding slightly sympathetic. "I just want the story of what you did in the moments following the murder."
"Why do you care?"
Amir gestured to Marvin, Caroline, and Ishaan. "They were Marvin Yao's friends. They've been tormented by his disappearance. I want to help them."
Hank scanned the kids for a moment. Then his expression softened and he sighed. "Like I told the Inspectors. I heard the hologram shut off so I thought the meeting was over. I walked in, and it was quiet. I circled around the Bessmer chair and saw Marvin's body. I ran out and told security. That's it."
"When did Hosaka reach you?"
"They interrogated me immediately. They used a lie detector and I told them everything I knew. Then they let me go home."
Amir frowned, exchanging glances with the others. Marvin didn't understand how Hank's story could be so clean. Could his memories have been manipulated?
"You made sure everyone left the room before the pilots' debrief?" Ishaan asked.
"Yes. I was the last one out."
"And there was no trace of the killer when you went back in?"
"No."
"Zero."
"Zero," Hank said, exasperated. "Maybe I was in a panic, but there was no one else in that room."
"How come I saw them, then?" Ishaan snapped. "How come I saw some fucker with a needle sneak up behind Marvin and stab him?"
Marvin noticed it at once: a slight dilation of Hank's pupils, a tiny parting of his mouth. A reaction triggered by "needle."
Amir noticed it, too. "Did you see the murder weapon when you went in?"
The tiniest pause. "No."
"You know about the murder weapon."
"What?"
"What was it?"
"I don't know—"
"Why are you lying?" Amir stepped forward like he was about to grab the referee's collar. "I believe the rest, but why are you lying about this?"
Hank didn't respond, wide eyes darting around the alleyway. A dog barked in the distance. A street lamp flickered.
"Hosaka told me to keep quiet," he whispered.
Amir pursed his lips and leaned away. He tapped his finger against his leg.
"They were paranoid back then," he began carefully. "But it's safe to say they're not taking this investigation seriously. They care about the reputation of Mecha Realm, but a single murder… it happens among gangs all the time. It's up to people like us to make sure justice is served."
Hank shook his head. "They'll find out eventually. There's no point."
"They can't stop the rumors anymore. It was a risk then, but now? We'll be doing them a favor."
"What if they don't want the murder solved? What if they don't want you publicizing it?"
"Well the public deserves to know."
Marvin couldn't help smiling at that.
Hank didn't reply, and Amir put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Did you see the murder weapon?"
Hank took a shuddering breath. "Yes. The killer left it on the floor."
"What was it?"
The referee began looking around again as if hoping to find a place he could teleport to and escape this moment. But then his eyes landed on Marvin, Caroline, and Ishaan, and a wave of sympathy swept over them.
"It was an illegal, concealable syringe," he explained. "Hosaka called it the ghostneedle—"
There was suddenly a pop, seemingly from within Hank's head. His eyes glossed over. Blood trickled out of his left ear. He collapsed to the street, unblinking, unmoving.
Marvin had never been in such a state of shock. He could almost see Hank still standing there, explaining what the ghostneedle looked like.
Then the present caught up with him, and he registered that Hank was dead. A killswitch in his head, it seemed. It had recognized something he said and had activated.
Then the terror caught up to him. He had just watched a man die.
"Shit." Amir was pacing about, clutching his head. "Shit!"
He spun around to the others, eyes wide with some sort of realization. "Don't panic." His voice was shaking. "We're not in danger. It's a killswitch Hosaka planted."
It made sense why they would do it. Back then, when they had interrogated Hank, they would have no idea the rumors would become so widespread. Back then, they were taking every precaution.
Marvin swiveled his cameras to the other two. Caroline had a hand over her mouth while Ishaan stared at the ground. How could Hosaka do this? This was no better than the corruption they were trying to prevent.
Amir fumbled to unfold his tablet. He jammed the metal speaker in his ear and waited on a call for a second, then relayed their location and what had happened. When that was done, he clenched his teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm gonna have a talk with James," he muttered.
Marvin didn't know how that would help. What they needed to do was stop this investigation. He didn't care enough about catching another boy's murderer to be sacrificing more lives. No one should care that much.
The police arrived in less than a minute. Amir asked two of them to escort the others home while he went to Hosaka Tower to confront James Kobayashi. The officers led Marvin, Caroline, and Ishaan down the street, and they passed by a group of bystanders that had gathered around the scene. They could clearly see the corpse in the alley.
As Marvin passed by a pair of teenagers, he noticed one of them nudge the other. Point towards Ishaan with a snicker. "Think he killed another pilot?"
Ishaan's entire body twitched, and for a second, Marvin thought he would punch the kid. No one would've stopped him.
But Ishaan walked on. They all just walked on.