Goonhub
08-29-2024, 03:24 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-29-2024, 03:56 PM by jan.antilles. Edited 9 times in total.
Edit Reason: omg spacing
)
NANOTRASEN OFFICE FOR INTERNAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
___
INTERNAL REFERENCE NUMBER: [00023489457]
CASE NUMBER: [AP-04592]
___
FORM 603 - CASE REPORT
Fill out all details below with a pen.
By signing this form, you hereby swear that your statement is the truth and nothing but. Knowingly entering false or misleading information will be punished with the full force of NanoTrasen Space Law.
___
DETAILS
SHIFT TIME:
[82]
OVERSEEING OFFICER NAME:
[Andrew Pieter]
OVERSEEING OFFICER JOB TITLE:
[Security Officer]
___
REPORT IS TO BE WRITTEN BELOW:
At shift time 45 in the Medbay Lobby, Marina FAVERO, Roboticist, used a derringer to fire two shots at close range. The target was the Head of Security, Marisol LUA. LUA was injured, but able to be treated.
The writer arrested FAVERO and used the Port-A-Brig to transfer her to interrogation. The suspect attempted to run away, but did not otherwise resist arrest.
Notes from the interrogation are attached.
FAVERO removed her handcuffs and used an injection device to inject herself with 30 units of Atropine. Took physical control of the individual and maintained it in order to allow for the extraction of a possible explosive implant by Blue PIERCE-PIETER, as well as treatment for atropine poisoning. FAVERO was cooperative during this process.
FAVERO was placed in handcuffs after PIERCE-PIETER affirmed that her condition was stable for transport on the emergency shuttle.
__________
NANOTRASEN OFFICE FOR INTERNAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
___
INTERNAL REFERENCE NUMBER: [00023489457]
CASE NUMBER: [AP-04592]
___
FORM 604 - INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT
Fill out all details below with a pen.
By signing this form, you hereby swear that your statement is the truth and nothing but. Knowingly entering false or misleading information will be punished with the full force of NanoTrasen Space Law.
___
DETAILS
SHIFT TIME:
[65]
OVERSEEING OFFICER NAME:
[Marisol Lua]
OVERSEEING OFFICER JOB TITLE:
[Head of Security]
SUBJECT NAME:
[Marina Favero]
SUBJECT JOB TITLE:
[Roboticist]
ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS:
[Andrew Pieter, Security Officer]
___
Marisol LUA: You forgot the effective part of assassination attempts. Flashy is nothing without efficiency.
Marina FAVERO: Ain’t eva been accused a bein GOOD at this shit.
LUA: Who put you up to this?
FAVERO: Ya think I’m just gonna turn? Start yellin names?
LUA: Perhaps. With the incentive.
[LUA activates EXECUTE mode on the Lawbringer.]
LUA: I don’t mind returning the favor.
FAVERO: Wouldn’t blame ya.
LUA: Wouldn’t you? I blame you. Blame your actions, they were your own.
FAVERO: So ya gotta ask yaself. Whaddaya think I’m willin ta die for?
LUA: You have family with poor history. Perhaps it’s them.
FAVERO: That record is fuckin bullshit.
LUA: Is it?
FAVERO: YEAH, IT IS. I mean. It ain’t… NT ain’t mad about who they think they oughta be.
LUA: Who should they be mad about?
FAVERO: It’s my b-
[FAVERO stammers, some words unintelligible]
FAVERO: Vinny’s in trouble.
LUA: Vinny. That’s a name. That’s a start.
FAVERO: NT don’t give two shits about em. Barely give half a one about me.
LUA: How exactly are they in trouble?
FAVERO: Took a job with a freight company. Thought they was on the up an up. Turns out they ain’t. Turns out nobody doin freight across the Channel that ain’t NT, ain’t Syndicate. Or basically Syndicate. So Vinny’s ass is in the fire.
LUA: That makes things a bit more complicated. I see why the higher ups didn’t want to get their hands dirty.
FAVERO: He know’s I’m NT now yeah? And- Is that what you think this shit is? Too goddamn petty?
LUA: It’s not what I think. It’s what the company thinks. And when you need help, that’s what matters.
FAVERO: Oh, the company. This company? Ain’t SHIT compared ta family.
LUA: Vinny is your brother, correct?
FAVERO: Yeah.
LUA: Yes, I don’t think Nanotrasen would be willing to make new enemies. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean I am not.
FAVERO: Ya know, when I told Vinny I’d do it, I knew it might kill me. But I got a backup yeah? At Centcom. And Vinny don’t. I’m sick a people dyin. Now I can do somethin about it.
LUA: I’m not sure why your brother assumed an assassination attempt on this crew would help. But it certainly got attention. Possibly bad attention.
FAVERO: Yeah, well I’m sure his boss ain’t tellin him shit eitha.
LUA: Companies are all the same then, from the sounds of it.
FAVERO: None a us folks are gonna get told nothin, right? So ya gotta look afta yours.
LUA: You’re getting yourself into more trouble than it’s worth.
FAVERO: I been hearin that line my whole goddamn life. Ain’t talked me out a nothin yet.
LUA: Listen. Roboticist Favero… no, you probably no longer have that title after this.
FAVERO: [directed into radio headset] Sorry about all this, Blue. Ya be good, yeah?
LUA: I cannot offer you much. My position in this company isn’t any better than your brother’s in his. But I am willing to help you figure something else out. I do not like seeing families ruined. I don’t think you do either.
FAVERO: Ain’t like I wanna kill folks.
LUA: Violence isn’t necessary. Not right now.
FAVERO: [directed into radio headset] I wasn’t gonna fuckin hurt ya Blue! I neva fuckin would! Ya basically family!
LUA: What you could do, instead, is offer any information that could let us get your brother out of that situation. Anything. Anything you know about his higher ups.
FAVERO: I ain’t even sure. The company was called Aegis Logistics. I ain’t even sure if that’s a real name.
LUA: It’s a name. It’s a start.
FAVERO: [directed into radio headset] Blue. Ya gotta believe me about that much. [pause to listen] CAUSE YA FAMILY, GODDAMN IT. I AIN’T GONNA LET NOTHIN HAPPEN TO MY FUCKIN FAMILY.
LUA: Hm. Listen, Favero. Figuring this out may take some time. But you have to work with me as well. Hurting the crew will only draw more attention.
FAVERO: Look. I can just play it off. I tried killin ya. Fucked it up. I fuck up a whole lotta shit. Ain’t no surprise there. Maybe. Maybe if they think I died tryin.
LUA: No, your brother wouldn’t know the truth if that happened. He’d think you died for him. You don’t want that. The guilt from it… if nothing else, think about how it could hurt him.
FAVERO: But it could save em. And I wouldn’t just fuckin kill somebody again.
[FAVERO ejects the pen from her PDA unit and stabs it into her leg, then tries to run and collapses against the door of the interrogation room.]
LUA: Please check on her.
[Andrew PIETER attempts to make contact but is shoved away by FAVERO.]
FAVERO: NO. Stay back. STAY BACK. It ain’t good ta be near me.
LUA: Favero…
FAVERO: The Syndicate wanted insurance that if I fucked this up, nobody else would figure it out.
LUA: [into radio headset] Any Medical to Security, please.
FAVERO: THEY PUT A BOMB IN ME, OKAY? GET BACK. GET THE FUCK BACK. PLEASE. ANDY GET AWAY FROM ME.
[FAVERO leaves the interrogation room.]
Andrew pulled the sheets of paper off the printer just as the one-minute warning to shuttle departure sounded over the station PA. Good thing it was so close to Departures.
When he reached the secure transport area, Marisol was already there. And so was Rina, staring at the floor, her cuffed wrists drooping over her knees. She glanced up when he entered the room and closed the door behind himself, then quickly looked away.
Andrew avoided looking closely at her and handed the papers to Marisol. “Just needs your signoff, ma’am.”
He took a seat next to Rina, buckling for departure.
Marisol skimmed the report, her mouth pursed, as if she was pondering its contents. “Officer Pieter. You know that these are heavy charges. Attempted murder of the Head of Security. Attempted detonation of an explosive device on station. Conspiracy to commit corporate treason.”
He grimaced. “Yes ma’am.”
“Favero would be terminated, at minimum.”
Rina whimpered in the seat next to him. He refused to look at her.
Marisol looked up from the paper to Rina. “The details you’ve included don’t match what I remember, Pieter. Favero was forthcoming with information she obtained about a Syndicate cell, while she was being interrogated about… a burglary. She attempted to steal a candy bar from the lobby of the security department.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Ma’am?”
“Which is a ticketable offense, of course. You forgot to write a ticket.” Marisol folded up the papers and tucked them into her jacket. “I’ll correct the report and submit it to Centcom myself. Please ticket the attempted theft. The candy bar was recovered.”
Rina gawked at Marisol. “But… ya ain’t gotta… “
Marisol frowned. “You’ll still be held in protective custody once we get to Centcom. The information you provided indicates an imminent terroristic threat.” Her frown softened a little. “To you, and to your brother.”
Andrew sighed with relief and pulled out his PDA. “Apologies, ma’am. I’ll get that ticket before we dock.”
He didn’t risk a glance beside him at Rina, since he could already hear her breaking down into tears yet again.
He started to open the ticketing application, then thought better of it and opened the messaging system, then opened his message history with Tony Favero.
Get to Centcomm now. I can’t explain over a message, but I need your help.
They would be docking soon. He switched apps and started writing the ticket.
The holding cell at Centcom was a new replacement for whatever Rina had ever decided Hell must be like. The tiny room had a flat cot, a barely-private toilet, and a tiny leaky faucet. Three walls were flat featureless white, and the other was reinforced glass from floor to ceiling. A station-style security door was locked firmly, not that she had been allowed to keep anything but the plain white jumpsuit they’d dressed her in, after checking the surgery wound.
She had paced until she ran out of energy, then laid on the cot trying to sleep until she gave up, and now she was sitting on the floor.
It gave her an unobstructed view of the bench on the other side of the glass, where her cousin Sergeio was sitting, saying nothing.
She looked back at him, dreading what he would say.
But he remained completely still, and completely silent.
"Say somethin, goddamnit,” she finally growled, half-surprised at her own voice in the overwhelming silence. “Ya wanna yell at me? Call me a fuckin idiot? Tell me I shoulda known betta tryin to solve it and not askin a grown up fa help?"
He just stared.
"Vinny ain't like you a Tony a me. He ain't got a clone scan. If they kill em, he's fuckin dead."
He continued to watch her, only blinking once.
She jumped to her feet. "I ain't goin to anotha funeral! I ain't gonna sit there watchin my motha sob when I know I coulda done somethin!" She balled her hands into fists and glared at him. "Look at me. Tell me you woulda just sat there. Tell me you woulda let ya brother burn."
He sighed, then put a hand on his face and looked away.
She felt the anger drain from her."I know I fucked it up. I fucked it up with Vinny, an you, an Tony, an Blue, an Andy, an everybody. I don't know how to fix it. I thought I was doin what had ta be done. Takin it all myself so Vinny didn't hafta suffer. But I just fucked it all up."
He still wouldn’t look up at her.
She leaned against the window, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "Ya ain't gotta stay."
"I know." His voice was quiet. "This is.. not great, gonna be honest. But ya can get through it. And Vinny."
"I dunno what to do. I ain't losin my job, but what does that matta? They're still gonna burn Vinny ova it." She sighed. "Part a me wishes I just blew up."
"They aren't gonna get Vinny. Not if I got anything to say about it."
"I'm sorry." She spoke quietly. “I’ve been fuckin up a lot lately.”
"Ey, let's just focus on getting Vinny out for now. We can sort it out when nobody's in danger. Just- try not to get into more trouble, OK? Worried about ya."
"I've given ya plenty a reason to be. Least Blue got the bomb outta me, yeah?" She laughed a little, without humor.
He sighed. "Would stay a bit, but I gotta shuttle to catch. Talk later, yeah?"
“Yeah, ain’t like I’m goin anywhere fast.” She frowned. “... I’m sorry again, Serg. Fa everything.”
He stood a moment, then nodded and turned to head for the door.
She waited until he was gone before punching the glass as hard as she could. Again, just like it had the dozen times she’d done it already, it did nothing but thunk dispassionately.
Nothing changed.
The sun hadn’t even started to peek above the horizon before Tony sighed and badged into the security briefing room.
"Andrew, whateva dis is, it better be worth me wakin up at 4 in da mawning." He nodded to the purple-haired officer, then went straight for the coffee machine.
Andrew saluted at him. The full tactical gear he had strapped on was a stark contrast to Tony’s civilian clothes.
“Yeah,” he responded. “It’s Marina.”
“Oh, I knew she was gonna-” Tony groaned, covering his face with his free hand. The youngest of his cousins wasn’t the most headstrong, but it was close. “What did she do?”
“Really, it’s what her brother did.”
Tony paused. Did Vincent Favero even work for… no, he didn’t work for NT. It was just himself, Serg, Rina, and sometimes his mother.
“Alright, what did Vinny do?”
“It seems like he got recruited into a Syndicate shell company. They threatened him if he didn’t assassinate our head of security.” Andrew sighed. “So he got Marina to do it for him.”
“Fuckin hell.”
“She agreed, because she didn’t want him to get killed doing it. She failed, we caught her.”
Tony set down the styrofoam cup and rubbed his temples, his brow furrowed. God, they did not make coffee strong enough for this.
“Head gave her a chance, since she talked,”’ Andrew continued. “But we need to get Vinny now before his bosses figure out he’s compromised.”
“And dat’s what ya need me for?” It was a question, but he already knew the answer.
“Yes. I’ve got a team gearing up, but I’d rather do this quietly and peacefully. And he’s not gonna come quietly if I ask.” He scowled.
“Family is family, I’ll do it. Just gotta wake up a bit first.” He picked the coffee back up.
Andrew nodded. “Don’t bother changing out of your civvies. We’ll be waiting for you, we leave in ten.”
Tony sighed and nodded back. “I needa smoke.”
“Do it fast!” Andrew saluted and went to check on his team.
He stepped outside for the smoke, alternating it with sips of coffee, thinking through how this was going to go down.
There was no clock in her cell. The PDA embedded in her arm did nothing but flash a helpful “no cartridge loaded” screen. Had it been minutes since Sergeio left? Had it been hours?
She had found a single crayon in one of the compartments of her right arm and had doodled swirls all over a floor tile. Then put lines across the swirls to point to a single vanishing point. Then alternated crosses and hashes to show depth. Then the crayon broke because she pushed it too hard, and she got frustrated and threw it against the wall.
She proceeded to sit on the floor and sulk.
And then suddenly, there was a distant, angry shouting. She could hear the guard outside - James, nice guy, said ‘huh’ too much and wouldn’t look her in the eyes - and another voice, a very familiar one with a strong German accent.
Her chest tightened. She knew that voice, and rarely heard it yelling.
Eventually the shouting decreased in volume, and a door swung open and slammed shut, and footsteps came towards her.
Max ran up to the glass. His hair was a mess, pointing in every direction, as if he’d been woken up from a nap. The look on his face was one of extreme concern.
She swallowed. God, he was going to be furious. “Ey, Max,” she managed.
“Marina, are you all right?” He looked her over frantically.
She slowly stood up and walked closer to the glass, but stayed a few steps back. Her shoulders slumped. "Not really. I fucked up. Real bad."
“I had heard. Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “They... they patched me up enough. Ain't gonna scar, probly. Afta effects a atropine overdose a long gone." She winced a little as a movement caused the middle of her back to ache. "Might have a bruise a two from Andy, but that ain't nothin."
"Vhat happened?" he asked, tilting his head with utter confusion. "I know you shot ze head of zecurity, but vhy? Vhat...?"
"Cause I'm a fuckin dumbass." She clenched her jaw as if she could grind the words in her teeth and spit them out. "My brotha Vinny got a job with a company he thought was clean. It ain't. Syndicate had his ass in the fire. I took the job for em, cause I got a clone scan an he don't, an then... I fucked up evry single goddamn piece of it. Even dyin."
"Vell forgive me but I am razer glad you did not succeed at zat part."
She sighed. "Yeah. Andy had me pinned to the ground until they flushed the drugs, an then Blue cut out the bomb."
"Ze bomb!?" he demanded.
"Syndicate microbomb. Terms a the deal." She unzipped her jumpsuit and lifted the edge of her undershirt to show him a bandage near the bottom of her left ribcage. "Whetha a not I got the kill, if they caught me, I was sposed ta die. An there was sposed ta be nothin left."
Max stared at the bandages, his mouth shut firmly, as if he was forcing himself not to scream out loud.
She sighed and zipped the jumpsuit back up. “I'm.. I’m sorry. It messed Blue up bad. She hadta see all that happen."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "She vill be okay. Eventually."
“Good.” She stared back at the floor, at her stupid crayon art, then risked a glance up at him. “I… I’m sure ya mad at me.”
Max sighed and turned to sit down on the bench, and rubbed his eyes, absently pushing up his glasses. "You could have died. You know zis? Properly died. Vhat if zey had decided not to clone you? Vhat if zey had deleted your records?"
Rina started to respond, then slowly realized what he was saying. They would… do that? But… of course they could. It was a file. She was a file.
He lifted his head from his hands and looked at her. "I vant to know. Vhy? Vhy did you not come to me? Or to Andrew? Or somevone? Did you not trust us?"
She approached the glass and sat down, pulling up her knees and resting her chin on them. "They were gonna kill em. I had a chance a gettin cloned. Vinny ain't.” She shook her head. “I ain't goin to anotha funeral."
"Und you zink I vant to attend yours?" he demanded, appalled.
"I'm sorry." She could barely speak louder than a whisper, staring at his shoes. She couldn’t look him in the face.
Max moved off the bench and crouched down in front of her, then put his hand on the glass. "Look me in ze eyes."
She forced herself to look up. Part of her expected to see her mother’s face, demanding another explanation for another stupid thing she’d done, that had shamed the family and shamed her.
Max didn’t look angry. He just looked sad.
"Meine kleine fledermaus,” he said quietly, his voice gentle. “You are family. You must believe zat if you are in trouble, ve vill do anyzing in our power to help you. In fact, I believe mein brüder is out doing zo right now, even zo you almost got him killed today."
Rina tried to hold eye contact, but her eyes started to burn with tears yet again. He’d called her kleine fledermaus before: little bat. But never meine kleine fledermaus. My little bat. How could he call her that in the same breath as acknowledging that she almost killed his family?
“M-Max…” she started to say, stumbling toward another apology.
"Ja, meine kleine fledermaus?" His voice was still gentle.
Something within her snapped. She started to say something, but interrupted herself with a sob that gripped her whole chest and strangled the words right out of her throat. She leaned her forehead against the glass, sobbing into her knees as her arms sat uselessly on the floor.
Max stood up. She turned and watched, unable to do anything but stare as he pulled a screwdriver from his belt and popped open the access panel on the door. A quick pulse from his multitool, and the door opened with a soft hiss.
In a moment he had stepped across the room and knelt next to her on the floor, and pulled her into a hug while the door closed and locked again behind him.
“Zhere zhere, meine kleine fledermaus..."
Even if Rina had wanted to pull out of the hug, or stop crying, she couldn’t. She leaned against him, her entire chest pulling and aching at the bandage in her midsection, sobbing like a child.
"Shhh, you are okay." He reached up to pat the back of her head with a robotic hand, smoothing the disheveled hair.
"M'sorry- Max-" she choked out, wrapping one arm around him, but otherwise remaining limp on the floor like a defeated animal. "I- h-hurt- ev'body- "
"Nobody vas permanently injured. Blue is shaken, but okay. You are alive." He leaned back to hold her a little further away from him, then pulled an oil rag from his belt and found a clean corner to wipe her face. "You must promise me you vill not do anyzing reckless like zis again."
She just nodded, unable to speak.
He smiled, his eyes looking teary too, and pulled her back into the hug.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing ."Thank ya," she managed, her voice muffled in the shoulder of his labcoat."Y-ya family. I just wanted ta... s-save family."
"I feel ze same." He tightened the hug. "Do not make me lose you, meine kleine fledermaus. I could not bear it. Any more zan I could bear to lose Blue, or Red, or Eden."
She swallowed and forced herself to laugh a little. "Well you still ain't allowed ta die eitha. Specially not if ya puttin me up with ya kids, yeah?"
He chuckled. "I am not ze vone getting bombs put in me."
“Good, cause I ain’t gonna lie an say it was fun.” She winced "Andy was wearin a bomb suit while e had me pinned. So'd the docta who was flushin the atropine."
“Good.”
"I told Andy to get away. The head a security too. Neitha one of em did." She felt another sob coming on, but swallowed it down, hard. "I don't deserve you guys."
He squeezed her. "Hush."
And for once in her life, she did.
Vinny’s apartment was in a shitty part of town. Tony had driven his own car separately, just to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Both from Vinny himself, and from any Syndicate eyes. He didn’t need to look around to know that Andrew and the other backup officers would be nearby, waiting to make sure the situation didn’t go hot.
Please just make this easy, he thought to himself, before banging on the door. “Vincent. We gotta talk.”
The door opened slowly, revealing an unshaven man in sweatpants and an undershirt, about his height. The younger Favero peered around the edge of it, scanning Tony to see if he was in his old NYPD uniform.
Tony shook his head at the unasked question. “No, I’m not here to arrest ya. But we can’t stay here. Get in da car, we gotta go.”
“Look Tony, I wanna help ya, but I got enough goin on with this new job, yeah? Things ain’t so great.” Vinny scratched the side of his jaw nervously. “C’mon in an have a cawfee if we gotta talk, yeah? Waitin ta hear back about some… business.”
“Dat’s why I’m here.” Tony just stared at him, torn between exhaustion and disappointment.
“Oh. Oh fuckin-” Vinny put his hands on his head and turned around, then turned back to face him. “She ain’t dead, is she?”
“She’s alive. Detained, but alive. Now, what do ya think ya employers are gonna do when dey get their hands on ya?”
“Yeah. Okay.” He stammered, patting himself down. “Lemme ah, get my coat...”
Tony nodded. “Make it quick, yeah?”
The younger Favero disappeared for a few minutes, then re-emerged in jeans and a button-up shirt, both slightly wrinkled. He locked the door behind himself, then put away the keys, patting down his pockets and nervously fiddling with his sunglasses and hair.
Tony ignored the fidgeting, leading him to the car and nodding in what he assumed would be the direction of the backup team. The distant start of an engine told him he’d guessed right.
“Aright, look,” said Vinny as soon as the door shut. “It weren’t supposed ta go like this yeah? I thought it was gonna be fine. Didn’t look like a fuckin terrorist thing. Next thing I know, they’re tellin me I gotta infiltrate and they’re gonna have me kill the fuckin head a security, cause I’m a Favero and they’re tryin ta send a message a whateva. So I call up Rina an she says-”
“Save it fa Centcom,” interrupted Tony. “Please.”
___
INTERNAL REFERENCE NUMBER: [00023489457]
CASE NUMBER: [AP-04592]
___
FORM 603 - CASE REPORT
Fill out all details below with a pen.
By signing this form, you hereby swear that your statement is the truth and nothing but. Knowingly entering false or misleading information will be punished with the full force of NanoTrasen Space Law.
___
DETAILS
SHIFT TIME:
[82]
OVERSEEING OFFICER NAME:
[Andrew Pieter]
OVERSEEING OFFICER JOB TITLE:
[Security Officer]
___
REPORT IS TO BE WRITTEN BELOW:
At shift time 45 in the Medbay Lobby, Marina FAVERO, Roboticist, used a derringer to fire two shots at close range. The target was the Head of Security, Marisol LUA. LUA was injured, but able to be treated.
The writer arrested FAVERO and used the Port-A-Brig to transfer her to interrogation. The suspect attempted to run away, but did not otherwise resist arrest.
Notes from the interrogation are attached.
FAVERO removed her handcuffs and used an injection device to inject herself with 30 units of Atropine. Took physical control of the individual and maintained it in order to allow for the extraction of a possible explosive implant by Blue PIERCE-PIETER, as well as treatment for atropine poisoning. FAVERO was cooperative during this process.
FAVERO was placed in handcuffs after PIERCE-PIETER affirmed that her condition was stable for transport on the emergency shuttle.
__________
NANOTRASEN OFFICE FOR INTERNAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
___
INTERNAL REFERENCE NUMBER: [00023489457]
CASE NUMBER: [AP-04592]
___
FORM 604 - INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT
Fill out all details below with a pen.
By signing this form, you hereby swear that your statement is the truth and nothing but. Knowingly entering false or misleading information will be punished with the full force of NanoTrasen Space Law.
___
DETAILS
SHIFT TIME:
[65]
OVERSEEING OFFICER NAME:
[Marisol Lua]
OVERSEEING OFFICER JOB TITLE:
[Head of Security]
SUBJECT NAME:
[Marina Favero]
SUBJECT JOB TITLE:
[Roboticist]
ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS:
[Andrew Pieter, Security Officer]
___
Marisol LUA: You forgot the effective part of assassination attempts. Flashy is nothing without efficiency.
Marina FAVERO: Ain’t eva been accused a bein GOOD at this shit.
LUA: Who put you up to this?
FAVERO: Ya think I’m just gonna turn? Start yellin names?
LUA: Perhaps. With the incentive.
[LUA activates EXECUTE mode on the Lawbringer.]
LUA: I don’t mind returning the favor.
FAVERO: Wouldn’t blame ya.
LUA: Wouldn’t you? I blame you. Blame your actions, they were your own.
FAVERO: So ya gotta ask yaself. Whaddaya think I’m willin ta die for?
LUA: You have family with poor history. Perhaps it’s them.
FAVERO: That record is fuckin bullshit.
LUA: Is it?
FAVERO: YEAH, IT IS. I mean. It ain’t… NT ain’t mad about who they think they oughta be.
LUA: Who should they be mad about?
FAVERO: It’s my b-
[FAVERO stammers, some words unintelligible]
FAVERO: Vinny’s in trouble.
LUA: Vinny. That’s a name. That’s a start.
FAVERO: NT don’t give two shits about em. Barely give half a one about me.
LUA: How exactly are they in trouble?
FAVERO: Took a job with a freight company. Thought they was on the up an up. Turns out they ain’t. Turns out nobody doin freight across the Channel that ain’t NT, ain’t Syndicate. Or basically Syndicate. So Vinny’s ass is in the fire.
LUA: That makes things a bit more complicated. I see why the higher ups didn’t want to get their hands dirty.
FAVERO: He know’s I’m NT now yeah? And- Is that what you think this shit is? Too goddamn petty?
LUA: It’s not what I think. It’s what the company thinks. And when you need help, that’s what matters.
FAVERO: Oh, the company. This company? Ain’t SHIT compared ta family.
LUA: Vinny is your brother, correct?
FAVERO: Yeah.
LUA: Yes, I don’t think Nanotrasen would be willing to make new enemies. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean I am not.
FAVERO: Ya know, when I told Vinny I’d do it, I knew it might kill me. But I got a backup yeah? At Centcom. And Vinny don’t. I’m sick a people dyin. Now I can do somethin about it.
LUA: I’m not sure why your brother assumed an assassination attempt on this crew would help. But it certainly got attention. Possibly bad attention.
FAVERO: Yeah, well I’m sure his boss ain’t tellin him shit eitha.
LUA: Companies are all the same then, from the sounds of it.
FAVERO: None a us folks are gonna get told nothin, right? So ya gotta look afta yours.
LUA: You’re getting yourself into more trouble than it’s worth.
FAVERO: I been hearin that line my whole goddamn life. Ain’t talked me out a nothin yet.
LUA: Listen. Roboticist Favero… no, you probably no longer have that title after this.
FAVERO: [directed into radio headset] Sorry about all this, Blue. Ya be good, yeah?
LUA: I cannot offer you much. My position in this company isn’t any better than your brother’s in his. But I am willing to help you figure something else out. I do not like seeing families ruined. I don’t think you do either.
FAVERO: Ain’t like I wanna kill folks.
LUA: Violence isn’t necessary. Not right now.
FAVERO: [directed into radio headset] I wasn’t gonna fuckin hurt ya Blue! I neva fuckin would! Ya basically family!
LUA: What you could do, instead, is offer any information that could let us get your brother out of that situation. Anything. Anything you know about his higher ups.
FAVERO: I ain’t even sure. The company was called Aegis Logistics. I ain’t even sure if that’s a real name.
LUA: It’s a name. It’s a start.
FAVERO: [directed into radio headset] Blue. Ya gotta believe me about that much. [pause to listen] CAUSE YA FAMILY, GODDAMN IT. I AIN’T GONNA LET NOTHIN HAPPEN TO MY FUCKIN FAMILY.
LUA: Hm. Listen, Favero. Figuring this out may take some time. But you have to work with me as well. Hurting the crew will only draw more attention.
FAVERO: Look. I can just play it off. I tried killin ya. Fucked it up. I fuck up a whole lotta shit. Ain’t no surprise there. Maybe. Maybe if they think I died tryin.
LUA: No, your brother wouldn’t know the truth if that happened. He’d think you died for him. You don’t want that. The guilt from it… if nothing else, think about how it could hurt him.
FAVERO: But it could save em. And I wouldn’t just fuckin kill somebody again.
[FAVERO ejects the pen from her PDA unit and stabs it into her leg, then tries to run and collapses against the door of the interrogation room.]
LUA: Please check on her.
[Andrew PIETER attempts to make contact but is shoved away by FAVERO.]
FAVERO: NO. Stay back. STAY BACK. It ain’t good ta be near me.
LUA: Favero…
FAVERO: The Syndicate wanted insurance that if I fucked this up, nobody else would figure it out.
LUA: [into radio headset] Any Medical to Security, please.
FAVERO: THEY PUT A BOMB IN ME, OKAY? GET BACK. GET THE FUCK BACK. PLEASE. ANDY GET AWAY FROM ME.
[FAVERO leaves the interrogation room.]
Andrew pulled the sheets of paper off the printer just as the one-minute warning to shuttle departure sounded over the station PA. Good thing it was so close to Departures.
When he reached the secure transport area, Marisol was already there. And so was Rina, staring at the floor, her cuffed wrists drooping over her knees. She glanced up when he entered the room and closed the door behind himself, then quickly looked away.
Andrew avoided looking closely at her and handed the papers to Marisol. “Just needs your signoff, ma’am.”
He took a seat next to Rina, buckling for departure.
Marisol skimmed the report, her mouth pursed, as if she was pondering its contents. “Officer Pieter. You know that these are heavy charges. Attempted murder of the Head of Security. Attempted detonation of an explosive device on station. Conspiracy to commit corporate treason.”
He grimaced. “Yes ma’am.”
“Favero would be terminated, at minimum.”
Rina whimpered in the seat next to him. He refused to look at her.
Marisol looked up from the paper to Rina. “The details you’ve included don’t match what I remember, Pieter. Favero was forthcoming with information she obtained about a Syndicate cell, while she was being interrogated about… a burglary. She attempted to steal a candy bar from the lobby of the security department.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Ma’am?”
“Which is a ticketable offense, of course. You forgot to write a ticket.” Marisol folded up the papers and tucked them into her jacket. “I’ll correct the report and submit it to Centcom myself. Please ticket the attempted theft. The candy bar was recovered.”
Rina gawked at Marisol. “But… ya ain’t gotta… “
Marisol frowned. “You’ll still be held in protective custody once we get to Centcom. The information you provided indicates an imminent terroristic threat.” Her frown softened a little. “To you, and to your brother.”
Andrew sighed with relief and pulled out his PDA. “Apologies, ma’am. I’ll get that ticket before we dock.”
He didn’t risk a glance beside him at Rina, since he could already hear her breaking down into tears yet again.
He started to open the ticketing application, then thought better of it and opened the messaging system, then opened his message history with Tony Favero.
Get to Centcomm now. I can’t explain over a message, but I need your help.
They would be docking soon. He switched apps and started writing the ticket.
The holding cell at Centcom was a new replacement for whatever Rina had ever decided Hell must be like. The tiny room had a flat cot, a barely-private toilet, and a tiny leaky faucet. Three walls were flat featureless white, and the other was reinforced glass from floor to ceiling. A station-style security door was locked firmly, not that she had been allowed to keep anything but the plain white jumpsuit they’d dressed her in, after checking the surgery wound.
She had paced until she ran out of energy, then laid on the cot trying to sleep until she gave up, and now she was sitting on the floor.
It gave her an unobstructed view of the bench on the other side of the glass, where her cousin Sergeio was sitting, saying nothing.
She looked back at him, dreading what he would say.
But he remained completely still, and completely silent.
"Say somethin, goddamnit,” she finally growled, half-surprised at her own voice in the overwhelming silence. “Ya wanna yell at me? Call me a fuckin idiot? Tell me I shoulda known betta tryin to solve it and not askin a grown up fa help?"
He just stared.
"Vinny ain't like you a Tony a me. He ain't got a clone scan. If they kill em, he's fuckin dead."
He continued to watch her, only blinking once.
She jumped to her feet. "I ain't goin to anotha funeral! I ain't gonna sit there watchin my motha sob when I know I coulda done somethin!" She balled her hands into fists and glared at him. "Look at me. Tell me you woulda just sat there. Tell me you woulda let ya brother burn."
He sighed, then put a hand on his face and looked away.
She felt the anger drain from her."I know I fucked it up. I fucked it up with Vinny, an you, an Tony, an Blue, an Andy, an everybody. I don't know how to fix it. I thought I was doin what had ta be done. Takin it all myself so Vinny didn't hafta suffer. But I just fucked it all up."
He still wouldn’t look up at her.
She leaned against the window, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "Ya ain't gotta stay."
"I know." His voice was quiet. "This is.. not great, gonna be honest. But ya can get through it. And Vinny."
"I dunno what to do. I ain't losin my job, but what does that matta? They're still gonna burn Vinny ova it." She sighed. "Part a me wishes I just blew up."
"They aren't gonna get Vinny. Not if I got anything to say about it."
"I'm sorry." She spoke quietly. “I’ve been fuckin up a lot lately.”
"Ey, let's just focus on getting Vinny out for now. We can sort it out when nobody's in danger. Just- try not to get into more trouble, OK? Worried about ya."
"I've given ya plenty a reason to be. Least Blue got the bomb outta me, yeah?" She laughed a little, without humor.
He sighed. "Would stay a bit, but I gotta shuttle to catch. Talk later, yeah?"
“Yeah, ain’t like I’m goin anywhere fast.” She frowned. “... I’m sorry again, Serg. Fa everything.”
He stood a moment, then nodded and turned to head for the door.
She waited until he was gone before punching the glass as hard as she could. Again, just like it had the dozen times she’d done it already, it did nothing but thunk dispassionately.
Nothing changed.
The sun hadn’t even started to peek above the horizon before Tony sighed and badged into the security briefing room.
"Andrew, whateva dis is, it better be worth me wakin up at 4 in da mawning." He nodded to the purple-haired officer, then went straight for the coffee machine.
Andrew saluted at him. The full tactical gear he had strapped on was a stark contrast to Tony’s civilian clothes.
“Yeah,” he responded. “It’s Marina.”
“Oh, I knew she was gonna-” Tony groaned, covering his face with his free hand. The youngest of his cousins wasn’t the most headstrong, but it was close. “What did she do?”
“Really, it’s what her brother did.”
Tony paused. Did Vincent Favero even work for… no, he didn’t work for NT. It was just himself, Serg, Rina, and sometimes his mother.
“Alright, what did Vinny do?”
“It seems like he got recruited into a Syndicate shell company. They threatened him if he didn’t assassinate our head of security.” Andrew sighed. “So he got Marina to do it for him.”
“Fuckin hell.”
“She agreed, because she didn’t want him to get killed doing it. She failed, we caught her.”
Tony set down the styrofoam cup and rubbed his temples, his brow furrowed. God, they did not make coffee strong enough for this.
“Head gave her a chance, since she talked,”’ Andrew continued. “But we need to get Vinny now before his bosses figure out he’s compromised.”
“And dat’s what ya need me for?” It was a question, but he already knew the answer.
“Yes. I’ve got a team gearing up, but I’d rather do this quietly and peacefully. And he’s not gonna come quietly if I ask.” He scowled.
“Family is family, I’ll do it. Just gotta wake up a bit first.” He picked the coffee back up.
Andrew nodded. “Don’t bother changing out of your civvies. We’ll be waiting for you, we leave in ten.”
Tony sighed and nodded back. “I needa smoke.”
“Do it fast!” Andrew saluted and went to check on his team.
He stepped outside for the smoke, alternating it with sips of coffee, thinking through how this was going to go down.
There was no clock in her cell. The PDA embedded in her arm did nothing but flash a helpful “no cartridge loaded” screen. Had it been minutes since Sergeio left? Had it been hours?
She had found a single crayon in one of the compartments of her right arm and had doodled swirls all over a floor tile. Then put lines across the swirls to point to a single vanishing point. Then alternated crosses and hashes to show depth. Then the crayon broke because she pushed it too hard, and she got frustrated and threw it against the wall.
She proceeded to sit on the floor and sulk.
And then suddenly, there was a distant, angry shouting. She could hear the guard outside - James, nice guy, said ‘huh’ too much and wouldn’t look her in the eyes - and another voice, a very familiar one with a strong German accent.
Her chest tightened. She knew that voice, and rarely heard it yelling.
Eventually the shouting decreased in volume, and a door swung open and slammed shut, and footsteps came towards her.
Max ran up to the glass. His hair was a mess, pointing in every direction, as if he’d been woken up from a nap. The look on his face was one of extreme concern.
She swallowed. God, he was going to be furious. “Ey, Max,” she managed.
“Marina, are you all right?” He looked her over frantically.
She slowly stood up and walked closer to the glass, but stayed a few steps back. Her shoulders slumped. "Not really. I fucked up. Real bad."
“I had heard. Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “They... they patched me up enough. Ain't gonna scar, probly. Afta effects a atropine overdose a long gone." She winced a little as a movement caused the middle of her back to ache. "Might have a bruise a two from Andy, but that ain't nothin."
"Vhat happened?" he asked, tilting his head with utter confusion. "I know you shot ze head of zecurity, but vhy? Vhat...?"
"Cause I'm a fuckin dumbass." She clenched her jaw as if she could grind the words in her teeth and spit them out. "My brotha Vinny got a job with a company he thought was clean. It ain't. Syndicate had his ass in the fire. I took the job for em, cause I got a clone scan an he don't, an then... I fucked up evry single goddamn piece of it. Even dyin."
"Vell forgive me but I am razer glad you did not succeed at zat part."
She sighed. "Yeah. Andy had me pinned to the ground until they flushed the drugs, an then Blue cut out the bomb."
"Ze bomb!?" he demanded.
"Syndicate microbomb. Terms a the deal." She unzipped her jumpsuit and lifted the edge of her undershirt to show him a bandage near the bottom of her left ribcage. "Whetha a not I got the kill, if they caught me, I was sposed ta die. An there was sposed ta be nothin left."
Max stared at the bandages, his mouth shut firmly, as if he was forcing himself not to scream out loud.
She sighed and zipped the jumpsuit back up. “I'm.. I’m sorry. It messed Blue up bad. She hadta see all that happen."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "She vill be okay. Eventually."
“Good.” She stared back at the floor, at her stupid crayon art, then risked a glance up at him. “I… I’m sure ya mad at me.”
Max sighed and turned to sit down on the bench, and rubbed his eyes, absently pushing up his glasses. "You could have died. You know zis? Properly died. Vhat if zey had decided not to clone you? Vhat if zey had deleted your records?"
Rina started to respond, then slowly realized what he was saying. They would… do that? But… of course they could. It was a file. She was a file.
He lifted his head from his hands and looked at her. "I vant to know. Vhy? Vhy did you not come to me? Or to Andrew? Or somevone? Did you not trust us?"
She approached the glass and sat down, pulling up her knees and resting her chin on them. "They were gonna kill em. I had a chance a gettin cloned. Vinny ain't.” She shook her head. “I ain't goin to anotha funeral."
"Und you zink I vant to attend yours?" he demanded, appalled.
"I'm sorry." She could barely speak louder than a whisper, staring at his shoes. She couldn’t look him in the face.
Max moved off the bench and crouched down in front of her, then put his hand on the glass. "Look me in ze eyes."
She forced herself to look up. Part of her expected to see her mother’s face, demanding another explanation for another stupid thing she’d done, that had shamed the family and shamed her.
Max didn’t look angry. He just looked sad.
"Meine kleine fledermaus,” he said quietly, his voice gentle. “You are family. You must believe zat if you are in trouble, ve vill do anyzing in our power to help you. In fact, I believe mein brüder is out doing zo right now, even zo you almost got him killed today."
Rina tried to hold eye contact, but her eyes started to burn with tears yet again. He’d called her kleine fledermaus before: little bat. But never meine kleine fledermaus. My little bat. How could he call her that in the same breath as acknowledging that she almost killed his family?
“M-Max…” she started to say, stumbling toward another apology.
"Ja, meine kleine fledermaus?" His voice was still gentle.
Something within her snapped. She started to say something, but interrupted herself with a sob that gripped her whole chest and strangled the words right out of her throat. She leaned her forehead against the glass, sobbing into her knees as her arms sat uselessly on the floor.
Max stood up. She turned and watched, unable to do anything but stare as he pulled a screwdriver from his belt and popped open the access panel on the door. A quick pulse from his multitool, and the door opened with a soft hiss.
In a moment he had stepped across the room and knelt next to her on the floor, and pulled her into a hug while the door closed and locked again behind him.
“Zhere zhere, meine kleine fledermaus..."
Even if Rina had wanted to pull out of the hug, or stop crying, she couldn’t. She leaned against him, her entire chest pulling and aching at the bandage in her midsection, sobbing like a child.
"Shhh, you are okay." He reached up to pat the back of her head with a robotic hand, smoothing the disheveled hair.
"M'sorry- Max-" she choked out, wrapping one arm around him, but otherwise remaining limp on the floor like a defeated animal. "I- h-hurt- ev'body- "
"Nobody vas permanently injured. Blue is shaken, but okay. You are alive." He leaned back to hold her a little further away from him, then pulled an oil rag from his belt and found a clean corner to wipe her face. "You must promise me you vill not do anyzing reckless like zis again."
She just nodded, unable to speak.
He smiled, his eyes looking teary too, and pulled her back into the hug.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing ."Thank ya," she managed, her voice muffled in the shoulder of his labcoat."Y-ya family. I just wanted ta... s-save family."
"I feel ze same." He tightened the hug. "Do not make me lose you, meine kleine fledermaus. I could not bear it. Any more zan I could bear to lose Blue, or Red, or Eden."
She swallowed and forced herself to laugh a little. "Well you still ain't allowed ta die eitha. Specially not if ya puttin me up with ya kids, yeah?"
He chuckled. "I am not ze vone getting bombs put in me."
“Good, cause I ain’t gonna lie an say it was fun.” She winced "Andy was wearin a bomb suit while e had me pinned. So'd the docta who was flushin the atropine."
“Good.”
"I told Andy to get away. The head a security too. Neitha one of em did." She felt another sob coming on, but swallowed it down, hard. "I don't deserve you guys."
He squeezed her. "Hush."
And for once in her life, she did.
Vinny’s apartment was in a shitty part of town. Tony had driven his own car separately, just to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Both from Vinny himself, and from any Syndicate eyes. He didn’t need to look around to know that Andrew and the other backup officers would be nearby, waiting to make sure the situation didn’t go hot.
Please just make this easy, he thought to himself, before banging on the door. “Vincent. We gotta talk.”
The door opened slowly, revealing an unshaven man in sweatpants and an undershirt, about his height. The younger Favero peered around the edge of it, scanning Tony to see if he was in his old NYPD uniform.
Tony shook his head at the unasked question. “No, I’m not here to arrest ya. But we can’t stay here. Get in da car, we gotta go.”
“Look Tony, I wanna help ya, but I got enough goin on with this new job, yeah? Things ain’t so great.” Vinny scratched the side of his jaw nervously. “C’mon in an have a cawfee if we gotta talk, yeah? Waitin ta hear back about some… business.”
“Dat’s why I’m here.” Tony just stared at him, torn between exhaustion and disappointment.
“Oh. Oh fuckin-” Vinny put his hands on his head and turned around, then turned back to face him. “She ain’t dead, is she?”
“She’s alive. Detained, but alive. Now, what do ya think ya employers are gonna do when dey get their hands on ya?”
“Yeah. Okay.” He stammered, patting himself down. “Lemme ah, get my coat...”
Tony nodded. “Make it quick, yeah?”
The younger Favero disappeared for a few minutes, then re-emerged in jeans and a button-up shirt, both slightly wrinkled. He locked the door behind himself, then put away the keys, patting down his pockets and nervously fiddling with his sunglasses and hair.
Tony ignored the fidgeting, leading him to the car and nodding in what he assumed would be the direction of the backup team. The distant start of an engine told him he’d guessed right.
“Aright, look,” said Vinny as soon as the door shut. “It weren’t supposed ta go like this yeah? I thought it was gonna be fine. Didn’t look like a fuckin terrorist thing. Next thing I know, they’re tellin me I gotta infiltrate and they’re gonna have me kill the fuckin head a security, cause I’m a Favero and they’re tryin ta send a message a whateva. So I call up Rina an she says-”
“Save it fa Centcom,” interrupted Tony. “Please.”