James was eating an orange when Amir barged into Hisen's office—his office. The police chief looked out of breath but with no shortage of rage in his eyes. James had seen that look once before, when Amir had been Lead Inspector. He instinctively started to wince, but quickly reminded himself that he was Amir's superior now.
"Did we schedule a meeting?" he asked.
"Hank Brees is dead."
"Who?"
"The ref."
James frowned. "How?"
"Your implant."
James suddenly felt a stab of… not exactly guilt, but that feeling when you know something unfortunate happened.
"What are you hiding?" Amir demanded. "What didn't you want him to tell us?"
James had to admit, he was impressed by Amir's bluntness. He was admitting to investigating Marvin's death, something he knew Hosaka didn't allow. "We're not hiding anything. We're working off the same info you are."
"You killed an innocent man!"
"I'm sure we told him not to say anything," James said. To be fair, the ones who had planted Hank's killswitch were likely Hisen and a tighter-knit group of Inspectors. James hadn't known Marvin was dead till much later.
"Did you tell him he would die?"
"He should've known to take us seriously." It was harsh, but James told himself what he was saying was nothing but logical.
"And what was your reasoning behind this?" Amir spat. "Why do all this just to keep Marvin's death hidden?"
"Mecha Realm is the most important thing in the megacity. It's stayed clean for over fifty years. People need to believe it'll remain that way."
Amir narrowed his eyes. "You'd kill someone for this?"
"It was for the good of the megacity." James didn't quite like the words coming out of his mouth. It wasn't so much for the fact that the referee had died, but more for the hypocrisy. How could Hosaka say suppressing the death was for the good of the megacity but barely do anything to solve it?
"Are you gonna kill everyone spreading rumors, too?" Amir challenged. "Are you gonna kill me?"
He could. James could kill anyone he wanted, honestly, as long as they had some justifiable transgression against Hosaka. He was head of law enforcement.
But his respect for the former Lead Inspector was too great. This was the man who had saved his life during the Seven Seers' raids four years ago. He still owed him.
"Yes, it's gotten a bit out of hand," James said. "We've changed our strategy now. Hank was representative of us in a different era." An era I wasn't even a part of, he wanted to add.
"Oh? So you're going to actually solve the case?"
James tried not to wince. They were doing the opposite by handing it off to the Sector 33 police.
"Because you're going to tell me that I need to stop looking into this," Amir continued. "But if you haven't found Marvin's killer by now, you have no right to stop me."
I might not have the right, but I certainly have the ability, James thought, eyeing the pistol under the desk.
But this was Amir, not some random enraged citizen, and unfortunately, he was right. He'd always been right, up until he had decided to quit and remove his memories.
"You do need to stop," James said. "It's for the good of the megacity." There it was again. He liked saying that, didn't he? Did he even know what good for the megacity looked like?
"And you'll know if I don't?" Amir retorted.
James pursed his lips. Right again. He decided to shift his approach, hoping to appeal to Amir's former self; there had to be some of it left in there. "There is an honor code we all have to live by. Think about what the public would do if they found out Marvin was killed while his killers are still free. How many viewers Mecha Realm would lose. How many people would start witch hunts looking for more corruption where there's none. How many teams might feel inspired." James clasped his hands together and leaned across the desk. "I know you're trying to do the right thing, but the risk of collateral damage is too high."
Amir fixed him with a cold, accusatory gaze. "Help me, then. We can find his killer within the month."
"There is no you in this, sir."
"Fine. You catch the killer, or I tell the public about Hank."
I'd like to see you try, was James' first thought. But if anyone could establish themselves as Hosaka's first whistleblower, it was Amir.
"I'm going to catch the killer, period," James said. "I'm with you, alright? I agree we need this solved as soon as possible." He leaned forward. "But that's for me to say. You don't walk in here and start whining about Hosaka. Do you understand?"
Amir glared at him but didn't reply. James stood to send the chief on his way. Amir took a step back, signaling that he would leave himself.
Before he reached the door, he said, "Did you know about the ghostneedle?"
"Ghostneedle?" That was a syringe designed by Megacity 13 that could fold into a disc, mesh with the skin on your palm, and be seamlessly drawn. It had been banned after it was used to assassinate a Chair ten years ago. "What about it?"
"It was the murder weapon."
James blinked as Amir left the office.
-----
James found his father in Hosaka Tower's dueling arena. Only the wealthiest mech teams fought here, more for show than to gain points. The stands were built like a spherical movie theater, each seat able to lean back to observe a projected battle on the ceiling. The real battle took place beneath a glass pane in a simple, cylindrical pit. Two mechs were currently fighting: Ninth Gen, the number one highest ranked mech of all time, and a gray prototype with no distinct sigils or armor. The prototype was holding its own, driving Ninth Gen back.
James approached his father, who was standing in the center of the glass pane. The rest of the stands were empty.
"What's this?" James asked, pointing to the duel below them.
"Your associate is training," Hisen said, as if it wasn't obvious. Ninth Gen's pilot, Grayson Wright, had joined James' anti-corruption team a few months ago.
"Against who?" James asked.
"Just an AI."
James squinted. He knew better than to ask if this was Ainsel's AI, the one that Saeyung had built after harvesting data from fifty-one patients, consequently killing them.
Well, the AI's here whether we like it or not.Now it's a matter of how we use it. And using it to make Ninth Gen a stronger fighter was one of the better alternatives, James supposed.
"You knew what the murder weapon was," he said, shifting his feet. "To kill Marvin Yao."
Hisen didn't reply for a moment, eyes glinting every time Ninth Gen and the prototype clashed. "Yes."
"Do the Sector 33 police know?"
Another "Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me? I could've solved this by now."
"Probably." Hisen looked away from the duel, up at his son. "But you didn't, because that wasn't your job. What's gotten into you? Why the sudden interest?"
"This is a murder in Mecha Realm! Why have we been putting it off?"
"We haven't. I just didn't want you on it."
"Why?"
"It would have been a waste of talent. You're the best we've ever had in monitoring the gangs, but if you stepped away, even for a few days—"
"It would be for a more important cause," James argued.
"More important?" Hisen sighed. "If every gang banded together and stormed this tower, there is, I would say, a fifty percent chance they could take it. How is a killer running loose more important?"
"They could become a martyr. They could destabilize Mecha Realm."
"That is why we have people like Inspector Chideya. Like me. Let those with expertise stick to what they're good at."
James suddenly wanted to ask Hisen what he thought of his anti-corruption team with Grayson and Sienna. Did he think he was spreading himself too thin already? The truth was, he found more meaning in that than in controlling and suppressing the gangs. Part of it was because of the novelty, of course, but it was also because of his love for mech-fighting as a child. With Grayson and Sienna on his team, he felt like he was living a fantasy with his former idols.
"But," Hisen continued, scraping his heel on the glass as he turned to fully face his son. "After what you did, I'd say organized crime has never been weaker. If you need to take an hour or two out of your day, I'm sure the megacity will survive."
James blinked in surprise, almost failing to comprehend what his father meant. Then he smiled. Hisen made questionable choices, but he had a clear conscience. That much could not be denied.
"Just keep your priorities straight," Hisen said. "Can you manage that?"
James nodded.