Chapter 353
A warrant, huh? I casually walked through the halls of the Blue Crusade Incorporated precinct and made my way up toward the top of the building. I’d already dropped CJ29 down by the basement to be retrofitted, and I was now on my way to the Commander’s office.
Two Knights flanked the door. Both were in regal sets of armor with perfectly matching postures. One hand rested around their sword’s pommel, and the other hung loose and ready in case action broke out. Passing between them felt like passing through some kind of portal, only on the other side gravity had increased by a dozen times. A subtle pressure weighed down on my shoulders.
A waiting room opened up with a man typing away on a terminal. His helmet was off, and his scar covered jaw was clenched tightly in anger. It faded slightly as soon as I stepped into the room. “Can I help you?”
”Is the Commander in?” I nodded to the door on the far side of the waiting room.
”No.” The man’s jaw clenched once more. “If you need something though, I can help you. The Commander is… indisposed.”
I eyed the man for a moment and then shifted tracks. I instead moved to the desk he sat behind. I’d seen the man before around the previous commander before, but—“I don’t think we’ve met.”
”Deputy Commander Viceroy.” The man stood up and offered a hand. “If there’s anything you need, come to me. You’re a squire, yes? What Knight are you under?”
”Inquisitor, actually.” I dropped my hand into his. “Hope.”
“Oh.” His hand flexed around mine and the pressure spiked for a mere moment before he released me. “Squire… Ichima?”
”How’d you know?” I backed away and rubbed my hand lightly.
”I know the other two. Process of elimination.” He waved a hand and sat back in his chair. His posture read ‘so you’re one of those troublemakers’. “So, what can I help you with?”
”I need a warrant for Phyxaflame Solutions.”
Deputy Commander Viceroy got to work typing away on his terminal. “It shouldn’t be much of a problem. I’ll send it to the judge.”
”Um… don’t you need my evidence and stuff for probable cause?” As I asked the question, I realized just how stupid it was. The only probable cause the Crusade cared about was the probability of being correct. If it was over one percent, that was good enough.
The man chuckled and shook his head. A bit of light returned to his eyes, and the festering rage faded slightly. “Judge Jersey will get it signed and back in an hour or so.”
“‘Course.” He was either being paid off, or someone in the Crusade had something over his head… Or, I guess, he could just be a pro Crusade judge who doesn’t care too much. That’s just as likely. The Crusade certainly had that frat-party vibe to it.
”Was there anything else?” The Deputy Commander’s hands paused on his keyboard and he looked up to me.
”Uh—I don’t think so.” I took a step back. “Thank you.”
”Don’t mention it.”
“Right.” I had an hour or so to kill, then. Might as well go down by the bar. Maybe I could find someone to scam—to play darts with? I could probably get some poor sap to bet several thousand rayn on a game if I was lucky. A smile here, an accidental win there—it was a truly a perfect idea.
— - —
Unlike last time I was here, I heard the bar long before I saw it. Deep basey-notes pulsed through the air. They were the kind I could feel in my chest long before I could hear them. I slowed my pace without meaning to as I neared the BC’s internal bar.
Neon flickered out of the door, and someone inside shouted over the music. Another shouted back, and laughter erupted into the air. A man in Knight armor staggered out of the door with a bottle of whiskey clasped tightly in his grasp. His squire, a boy who looked way too young to be hanging out in a bar, struggled to support him to the far wall.
My slowing pace paused entirely. Did I take the wrong turn? This place was quiet and somber last time I was here. It was the kinda place heavily traumatized people went to nurse their wounds, not a party central. And the music? Thus, Crack most definitely wasn’t a group that should be playing in a workplace.
I passed the staggering Knight and entered the bar. The sheer concussive force of the music slammed into me like an explosion. Glasses clinked around the place. At the bar, a group of Inquisitors threw their heads back in uproarious laughter as they took shots. Booths and tables all around were filled to the brim with alcoholic crusaders.
At the center of all of it, though, a mass of crusaders gathered around the far side of the room. Cheers and shouts erupted, and for the briefest of moments, I spotted a dart flying through the air.
I grabbed an aspirant acting as a waiter by the arm before the kid could finish his delivery. “What’s going on?”
”What?” The kid looked up at me confused.
”What’s going on?!” I shouted over the music.
The confusion in his eyes didn’t clear up, but he just jerked his thumb over to the crowd of people. “Daily dart tournament! Not too late to sign up!”
I let go of his arm, and he scampered away into the crowd. Seriously, what the hell? Daily dart tournament? Since when was that a thing? Did—
A hand grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me into the crowd. I resisted for a moment, but it was of no use. My strength couldn’t compare to even the weakest Knight or Inquisitor. Just as I was about to use some of my skills to get out—
“Zuku!” I was dragged into a sloppy hug by a familiar looking woman. It was Knight Autumn, the twin shortsword Knight who went through Sentinel’s supercarrier withe me a couple months ago.
Some of the tension faded out of my shoulders. The hug was still a little weird. We weren’t that close, but she was drunk, so… “Autumn! You look great!”
”Ah, thanks!” She pinched my cheek and pulled away. “Everyone! Zuku Ichima! The closest runner up to the all time champion!”
The clamor all around me faded slightly, and Knights pulled away to form a small circle around me. I got my first real look at the situation. The indisposed Commander Ligh stood in the center of the group, casually beating out yet another challenger. He tipped a glass black and his mask shifted in my direction. “Shquire!”
All time champ—daily dart tournament—no way? Surely he hadn’t taken my little dart challenge and turned it into an excuse to get out of the office, chek? “Sir.”
”C’mon, c’mon, shquire!” He tossed a handful of darts at me. I barely managed to catch them all before they hit the floor. “Finally, a real competitor approaches!”
”Ugh—“ The Inquisitor he’d just been in the middle of a match with grasped her heart like she’d just been shot in the chest. “At least its you.”
”What—?” I looked around the mass of crusaders. The body languages practically yelled excitement. “Closest runner up?”
”Don’t act coy, Zukes!” Autumn wrapped an arm around me and pulled me toward the dart line. “Your match against the Commander is legendary! Everyone in the Crusade knows about it!”
”My match?” Was she talking about when I tricked him into helping me find Mira? “I don’t know—“
”I’ll double your pay if you can beat me!” The Inquisitor cheerfully called without a care in the world. He stretched up an arm to limber up, and a glass full of whiskey just so happened to fly through the air at that exact moment. He caught it and took a sip.
My refusal abruptly stopped. No wonder so many people came to sign up for this daily dart tournament. If he was offering that as a prize, it was even more of a surprise that there was still standing room here. ”Fine.”
Cheers went up all around the room and I was pushed by the crowd to the dart line next to the Commander. The Commander, by the way, who was so sloshed he was having a hard time standing up straight. He tossed his darts carelessly, easily hitting the bullseye with every single one.
I took a breath and launched darts with just as much, if not more, effortless ease. All three easily hit the center of the dartboard. Stuff like this? Child’s play. There was no way I’d fail. Really, more than anything, I’d have to figure out a way to trick Ligh if I wanted to win. I had no doubt he could go dart to dart with me without fail.
Cheers erupted once more, and the crowd moved around us like they were sharks in a chum frenzy. From a distance, someone shouted, “Let the games begin!”
— POV: HOPE —
“Haah…” Hope sighed and leaned back in her chair. Her eyes felt terribly heavy behind her mask. It was like stones were tied to them, and she was pointlessly trying to keep them up. She wanted to pass out more than anything, but with the deadline over her head like a guillotine she didn’t dare.
With practiced ease, she unlocked one of her drawers and pulled out a mil-grade stim. The Inquisitor rolled up her sleeve and jabbed it into a used and abused vein. As the liquid energy flowed back through her, she settled back into her chair. Her eyes still felt unbearably heavy, but it was at least manageable now.
”Are you sure that’s smart?” Across her desk, Dev spoke up. The squire leaned against the desk with his chin on his fist while flipping through a file.
”It’ll be fine.” Hope tossed the injector back into her drawer and locked it away. “I’ve been managing doses for years—“
”Not that.” He shifted and his frown became much more prominent. “Though you should really get yourself looked over.”
”Eh.” Hope shrugged and rolled back toward her terminal. “Maybe once I get off work? Besides, its not like its a drug addiction or anything like that.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Dev shook his head and muttered under his breath. ”When’s the last time you took off, anyway?”
Hope didn’t answer. It did make her think, though. When was the last time she took off to go do something? Maybe coffee with Zuku way back when? “Does it matter?”
The man rubbed his eyes, which were equally as baggy. ”No, I guess it doesn’t.”
“How’s your apartment?” Hope switched topics and logged onto her terminal. ”Still jury-rigged to blow up half the city?”
“Har, har.” The squire’s voice was laced with an uncomfortable dose of venom. “You know as well as I do that Ligh made me disable the thermonuclear pressure plate.”
Because it’s incredibly stupid. What if you stepped on it by accident? Hope didn’t say that part aloud, though she was incredibly tempted to. “What were you asking about earlier?”
”Zuku. Sending her on her own like that.” He flopped an arm off toward the city. “Aren’t you convinced she’s a traitor?”
”She saved your life, idiot.” Hope’s hands paused on the keyboard. “And no, I never said she was a traitor. Just—just not who she said she was.”
Dev leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His hand, half-hidden underneath his arm, traced his repaired armor. “Same difference.”
”It really isn’t.” Hope shook her head. “Is it, Troy?”
”I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore?” The squire sighed, though the tips of his ears turned slightly red. “What was it back then? Depra?”
”God, I hated that name.” Hope shuddered violently and dropped the subject. “It’ll be fine. Besides, she’s proven herself nothing but trustworthy.”
”Really?” Dev levered a knowing look at her. “She’s got a connection with Nightshade, a thief. We’re hunting a thief.”
“Well, she’s mostly trustworthy.” There were a lot of little things, but nothing that’d endangered Crusade interests too much. Better than Joshua in that regard. “She dropped out of the suspect list almost instantly, anyway. Doesn’t fit Nightshade’s MO, and Zuku taking a jaeger with her practically clears her on its own.”
“Umhmm…” Dev went silent for a moment and then smirked. “You’re getting CJ29 retrofitted with more than just a chem analyzer, aren’t you?”
”Am I that transparent?” Hope shook her head and turned back to her terminal. “Zuku Ichima… what a stupid name.”
”Glad I wasn’t the only one thinking that.” Dev’s mouth wormed into a smile. It was awkward, like he wasn’t used to it. Just as quickly as it appeared, the smile melted away back into his usual resting bitch face.
“Better than Troy, though.” Hope snickered and closed a file. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “Who do you think she actually is?”
”Probably a serial killer.” Her squire shrugged. “A monster in human skin? A spider in human skin? Oh! Maybe she was killed and replaced by a mutant plant monster. No—I bet she’s a mutant spider monster!”
”You’ve got issues, dude.” Hope just sighed and shook her head. Dev’s mind—she felt bad for his counselor. It was a dark and scary place no one should have to sift through.
“It was a joke.” Dev’s face immedietly returned to neutrality. She legitimately couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. “Probably a thief.”
”Nah, I bet she’s a… nun. Yeah, a nun from Saint’s Cathedral.” Hope through up an equally outlandish idea to Dev’s monster theory. Silence settled across the duo as they got back to work.
About thirty minutes later, Hope quickly closed her pages and looked up at the man approaching her desk. “What can I do for you, Deputy Commander?”
”Have you seen your squire?” The man’s expression twitched and he waved a handful of documents. “I need her to sign this in front of me.”
“Um, no…” Hope pulled up a tracking program on her phone. The positions of every one of her squires were marked clearly on it. Hope rolled away from her desk and stood up. “I’ve got something to talk to her about too, though. She’s this way.”