A Few Months Later
Time flies too fast. I barely had time to get used to the world I found myself in when everything suddenly started to feel natural. Working at the police station turned out to be surprisingly calm aside from the occasional run-ins with gangs. The Tyger Claws had gone quiet, keeping to their turf, and crime in Heywood dropped sharply. Naturally, that drove prices way up. If it's not one problem, it's another.
I stayed on as a trainee for a few more weeks before being transferred to the criminal investigations unit as a detective's assistant. It was the right kind of job not too stressful, but definitely not easy. I had to brush off old skills and catch up with people way more experienced in this world. My tech skills helped a lot finding things hidden from the eye, recovering lost data, hacking and protecting information. I had to learn the basics of hacking can't survive here without it. The AI really came in handy during that part.
I never ended up removing it either. I'll admit it's way too useful. I even got used to having it. Back in 2023, they'd probably have locked me up for talking to someone in my head, but by 2070, it's just another Tuesday.
There were some private gigs too. I started working with a fixer named Ibarra. He sent me various jobs some I turned down, others I gladly took. In this world, your name means more than money. Reputation opens doors, and losing it slams them shut for good.
Over the months, I learned a lot about the radical wing of the Maelstrom gang. Some of them were true fanatics like, genuinely believed in the sanctity of what they were doing. Their bodies stuffed with chrome, their minds warped by drugs. They'd do anything for their so-called "enlightenment": the more pain, blood, and sacrifice the better. I've been collecting info on their leader, but he's good at covering his tracks. Still, I'll find the truth.
But more than anything, I wanted to feel alive again. Baker held up his end of the deal, and my body's already being manufactured but the brain? That's a whole different story. It was dead. And if I wanted to feel impulses from my limbs again, I'd need a new brain. That'll take six months. Not a long time, technically but right now, it feels like forever.
I finished recording my thoughts it helps me stay grounded. The longer I spend like this, the less human I feel. I put the digital notebook down on the table and glanced at the clock. Time for work.
Mode: Active
Getting up from the couch, I unplugged the power cable and took a moment to look around the room. I hadn't changed a thing in all this time. If my wife were still alive, the place would be full of stuff, the furniture constantly rearranged, never a day without something new. But now? I couldn't care less. The only thing I'd installed was a charging station for myself.
I stepped out and headed downstairs. Katherine was waiting on the landing, as always. It had become a little tradition of ours wishing each other a good day and walking a few steps together. Sometimes she'd open up about something, ask for advice. We never went further than that. I didn't see the point in romance anymore, and she never seemed ready to make a move.
I know there's more to human connection than just a biological urge. We have feelings. But sometimes I wonder if my emotions are just the result of pre-programmed algorithms. Maybe I'm just paranoid or maybe it's the bitter truth.
"Good morning, Matthew," she said with a smile.
Katherine had changed a lot over the past month. Her face no longer looked exhausted, her skin had smoothed out, and she seemed brighter somehow. Her hair, once a messy tangle, was now always neatly styled.
"Morning," I replied. "How's Eliza doing with her schoolwork?"
I'd been helping her daughter with homework here and there, though the past few days had been too busy to stop by.
"Much better," Katherine said with clear relief. "She was struggling compared to the other kids, but thanks to your help, she's catching up."
"Glad to hear it. You're getting your exam results today, right?"
Katherine had managed to push forward with her life. She'd completed her training course in record time to become a certified ripperdoc.
"Yeah, I'm hoping I passed," she said, clenching her fists nervously.
"You've got this," I assured her.
"I'll keep believing," she whispered.
We made it to the ground floor it was time to part ways.
"Eliza wants to see you again. Will you have time?"
"I'll try to stop by," I replied.
"See you," Katherine said with a soft smile, heading off in her direction.
The walk to the station was becoming more and more familiar each day. I barely even noticed the time passing anymore. After greeting a few familiar faces at the precinct, I made my way to my desk and activated the terminal. Paperwork was a thing of the past everything was in the cloud now. The desk itself felt more like a symbol of the old order than a necessity.
Case V12K16.11
Type: Robbery (non-lethal)
Crime Details: Theft of industrial equipment
Modus Operandi: Coordinated attack using a vehicle
Stolen: Two industrial-grade CNC machines
Total Value: 400,000 eddies (200,000 each)
Weight per unit: 3 tons
Notable Details: Each unit has a serial number, and similar machines are rare on the market.
Victim: International Electric Corporation a high-tech industrial equipment manufacturer.
Evidence: Security footage showing the equipment being transferred from a truck to a van. Suspects' builds are identifiable.
Based on the intel, fencing this kind of hardware on the open market would be nearly impossible. These machines are made-to-order. Selling for scrap wouldn't bring in much maybe a bit from the electronics, but nothing close to full value.
There's a strong possibility of an internal leak, considering how well-planned the heist was. Warehouse staff will need to be questioned to determine if there were any suspicious actions or data leaks leading up to the theft.
"Back at it already?" asked Detective Erik Holland.
Technically, I was his assistant but most of the actual work ended up on my plate. Holland was the kind of guy who preferred to go with the flow. Never in a hurry, always taking his time, and often pushing things off altogether. His track record for closing cases was underwhelming, to say the least many of them were left unresolved. Still, nobody fired him.
We had a deal: he didn't get in my way, and I got things done my own way. It worked for both of us. I operated solo for the most part, only consulting him when absolutely necessary.
"New case," I replied.
"You're doing it all wrong," Erik said, adjusting his gut. "Every day it's something new. You need to look after your health, man. There's only one of you. Just hang in there, Matthew six more months. Not much longer now."
"Still, it's our job," I said.
And a lot of people out there are grateful for the help. I know I'm not supposed to chase money, that I should focus on doing what's right but even after all these completed missions and closed cases, I've got nothing in the bank. I honestly don't know where it all goes. A few implant upgrades, and suddenly my pockets are empty again.
"Well, I'll stop bothering you. Get to it," he said as he walked off.
I turned back to the case and started transferring the data to my memory.
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