Sins of the Father

When I was kicked out of the army I was on the streets of Neonfall with no money, no family, and no plan. Just the clothes on my back and a chip on my shoulder. Until Thomas Ludd found me. He's the one that recommended I join the police. He mentored me. He stood up for me. Maybe it should have been obvious, but... How could I think that? He was as close to family as I had.

"From what I uncovered, Ludd didn't identify Azure as my creation, assuming that my assistant was Project Azure and that she was simply another AI given your reports. He put you under observation after the initial attack failed and eventually came to the realisation that he had made a mistake. At that point he put you on leave while he falsified evidence. He was careful not to implicate you, but I suppose he knew if you remained a detective, you would inevitably find the truth." Prometheus explains.

I was half right. I was betrayed, but not by Azure. I'm so stupid. I got scared and took any excuse to push her away. I remember the look in her eyes... All of her spirit being snuffed out in an instant.

"Her eyes." I interject, changing the subject. "I figured a few out, yellow for stressed, green for envy, orange for angry, grey for sad, and pink for... Amourous. Why do they happen? What do the others mean?"

Prometheus seems surprised that this is my question but answers anyway. "It's a reaction in her irises based on the mix of digital and chemical activity in her brain. Other than those, I recorded blue as neutral, pale blue for fear, black for hopelessness, and red for love." He answers.

Red was love. Of course it was. And I only saw them turn black when she felt like she'd lost me completely. My hands ball into fists. I'm realising the depth of my betrayal with each second that passes. "The precinct, how many of the cops are Purifiers?" I ask directly.

"At an estimate, I'd say around 80%." Prometheus replies. "Though, at this stage, only Purifiers are allowed in the building. They don't want any of the others gaining access to Azure. The whole place was reinforced when last I checked, I believe they're expecting some form of ****."

"Yeah." I confirm, standing and summoning my AV. "They're expecting me. I doubt they realise how much I know... But they know how I feel about her." I point out, grabbing my coat and heading out to the landing spot.

Prometheus struggles to keep up with his weak body. "Ms Baker, listen to me. You can't just walk in, it's suicide. You're completely unarmed. Even if you get Azure out, they'll come after you. Neonfall isn't their only chapter, more will keep coming." He tries to argue in vain.

"Shut the fuck up, you don't think I know that?" I growl at him, entering my AV. "I'm not going in unprepared, but there's a reason they've bunkered up so much." I point out.

"They're smart enough to be afraid when they've pissed me off."

*

"I'm sorry." I offer, kneeling on the ground in front of Lux. "You were right. Methus gave me everything. I'm a sad excuse for a detective, for a friend, and for a human being. But I need your help."

Lux sits victoriously in her apartment, legs crossed in her desk chair, a gleeful expression on her face. "I knew you'd come back, but I didn't think it would be so quick." She gloats. "Still, you really hurt my feelings. Why, oh why, should I help you?" She smirks.

"I will have sex with you one time." I offer. It's not something I take lightly, but **** times lead to **** measures.

Lux snorts at my offer. "Counteroffer: I help, and I get to bang both of you. Once a month, for a year." She demands. I can't actually consent on behalf of Azure, but that's future me's problem.

"Fine. Will you just tell me how I can get in there? I need equipment and support." I tell her. She pumps her arm in victory and turns to her screens. She swipes and selects various options, apparently looking for something in particular. At this point, I'll take whatever she can offer.

"You remember Nervitech?" She asks. I nod as I stand from my prostrating. They were the creators of the Snapper, but they were undercut by a rival company and went under. "So they had a bunch of advanced prototypes ready for use, stuff that makes those sidearms the cops have look like squirt guns. Defensive countermeasures too. When they fell apart, they stuck all of them in a vault under an unregistered building. I just happened to unearth the location of the vault." She informs me.

I look over incredulously, sounds like pirate treasure or something. "And you've got reason to believe they actually work?" I ask.

She chuckles at my lack of faith. "I've seen the specs, not only do these things work, they're so good they could never be cheaply mass-produced. Too many eggs in the basket, I guess. We're talking tech that shouldn't even be possible outside of the 1%." She gushes. "I'd have sold it off if I could find a single buyer with enough capital to afford them. You should feel flattered, that's how much I want you to eat my ass."

I roll my eyes, but this could be just what I need. "So, which building are we looking under?" I ask, trying to brush off the fact that I've signed my tongue up for some unspeakable acts.

Lux laughs again. "Come on, Tera, you think I live here for the scenic view?" She asks incredulously, pressing a button to reveal a secret lift behind what I assumed was a solid wall.

"Let's get you suited up."