In the conference room they all sat around the long table, each
reading their own copy of the analyst's set of latest reports. Beth
frowned intently, Jen looked a bit worried, Gwen was her typical cool
self, and Kate... she just looked grim.
"Are we sure these numbers accurate?" Kate finally asked,
setting the loose sheets down on the table. She was in one of her ragged
old T-shirts again, the logo having faded away to the point of being
utterly ureadable.
Gwen nodded, "Apparently so."
Beth was flipping through the sheets, her own T-shirt so short
as to reveal her belly button. She sighed as she read, "Android logic
breakdowns up over fifteen percent over last year, and increased
disappearances of androids."
"Disappearance," Jen said wryly, "usually meaning becoming
freewill." The young woman was her usual prestine self, though her tie
had bee loosened a bit.
Kate looked over at Gwen, "They're predicting an continued
increase of android activity over the next few years based on the
trends. You think they're right?"
Gwen nodded gravely, "There's no way to be certain, but yes, I
think so." The business suit clad woman flipped through the sheets,
finding the page she wanted, "What people forget is that more and more
androids are built every year. The old ones get passed on to other
owners, increasing the chance of a logic failure..."
Beth sighed again, putting her bare legs up on the table, "Guess
that means I'd better be ready for more field duty."
Jen quietly asked Gwen, "Are we going to be recruiting more
Chasers officers?"
"Not currently," Gwen answered, getting out of her chair and
stretching. "No budget, and the brass want to see if the situation
continues to worsen," she added tiredly.
"So we won't actually get any new patrol officers until we can
prove that we're in dire need of them, huh?" Kate said. She grimaced,
flopping back in her seat dramatically as she muttered under her breath,
"Typical brass logic. Baka!"
Gwen raised her eyebrow, "Was that directed at me, or the
brass?"
"The brass," Kate chuckled.
"Baka?" Jen asked Beth quietly.
"Japanese insult," Beth whispered back, "means fool or idiot."
"Cute," Jen smiled tiredly.
"Kawaii," Beth nodded with a smile. She looked over at Gwen and
said, "I'm afraid I've got another piece of bad news to report."
"What is it?" Gwen asked.
"You know that bulleten board system I hacked, the one that the
freewills use to pass messages?" Beth asked. At the general nods she
said softly, "It's gone."
Kate sat back up at that, "What do you mean, gone?"
"You want me to spell it for you?"Beth made a comic face. "I
mean, it's no longer where it was on the 'net, and I can't seem to find
where it went," she explained.
"Which means what, exactly?" Jen frowned.
Beth sighed, "Well, it could be that they figured out I hacked
it. Or worse, they could be planning something big, so big they've
switched how they communicate."
"Let's not assume a conspiracy just yet," Gwen raised her hand.
She looked over at Beth, "You yourself said that you weren't sure they
bought your cover story."
For just a moment, Kate was tempted to mention her friend
Silver, and suggest that she try to get some information out of her. But
she really didn't know what might happen if she tried it... She looked
over at Beth and said, "I think you might just want to keep a eye out.
If it turns up again, great, if not, we'll manage."
"I think she's right," Gwen nodded. She checked her watch, "I
need to meet with the brass soon, but first I want to speak to each of
you alone in my office." She turned to leave but stopped at the door,
"Jen, you're first."
Gwen sat behind the desk, pulling out the file for Jennifer
Grayson. It only took a few moments before there was a firm knock on the
door, and she called out, "Come in."
Jennifer came in quietly, standing at attention in front of the
desk. "Ma'am," she saluted. At Gwen's casual wave, she gracefully took a
seat.
Jennifer Grayson really was beautiful, Gwen noted, according to
her file something that had been both a blessing and a curse. The blue
eyed blonde had a worried smile on her face, and Gwen hastened to
reassure her, "I just wanted to let you know that I've given you high
marks on your preformance review."
"Thank you," Jen smiled in relief.
Gwen hesitated, but felt obligated to say, "You know, I've
gotten some inquiries from other police captains. It seems your
preformance in the Chasers has impressed them a great deal." A smile,
"If you wanted to transfer, you could get almost any position you
wanted..."
Jen shook her head firmly and said, "I'd like to stay here,
ma'am."
Gwen smiled, feeling a bit of relief. "I'm glad," she smiled,
then she said, "Could you send in Beth, next?"
The knock this time was a bit more tentative, and Gwen had to
work hard to keep herself from smiling. As she entered the green eyed
redhead gave her a nervous little smile, and Gwen didn't rush to
reassure Beth Harris.
"Why didn't you explain your modifications to the sensor grid?"
she asked Beth softly, her voice coming out as a dangerous purr.
"I'm sorry," Beth said softly, "I'm usually the only one using
the system, so it never really was an issue," she finished.
"You got lucky," Gwen gave her a withering look, "that the woman
didn't die because of her injuries before we could find her."
A visibly pale Beth nodded, "Yes, ma'am."
"Tomorrow you start briefing us all on your changes to the
system," Gwe said, a bit more gently adding, "you do good work, when you
aren't tinkering excessively."
"Thanks," Beth smiled weakly.
"Could you go tell Kate it's her turn?" Gwen dismissed her. 'She
really is good,' Gwen thought as she watched her leave, 'Hope I wasn't
too hard on her..."
There was a hard rap on the door, and then Kate Williams came
inside without asking. The sandy brown haired woman was still damn thin,
Gwen noted, but she looked quite a bit better than she had a few months
ago, after poor Lynn died.
"Beth was sniffling a bit, when I passed her," Kate said
quietly.
Gwen sighed, "Had to give her a bit of a lecture."
"Another reason I wouldn't want your job," Kate grinned.
Gwen looked over at Kate curiously, "What would you do if I
promoted you without asking your permission first?"
The little smile Kate gave her in return wasn't very pleasant
looking at all as she coldly said, "Resign, probably."
"That's about what I figured," Gwen agreed. She smiled, "Thank
you, by the way, for keeping such a good eye on Jennifer."
"She's good," Kate nodded, "do you know if she's staying on?"
"Yes," Gwen smiled, "she is."
"We're lucky to have her," Kate agreed. She tilted her head
sideways as she looked at Gwen curiously, "So how many complaints did
you get about me this time?"
"Not so many this time," Gwen chuckled. At Kate's raised eyebrow
she said, "Well, there was that police officer you punched out, and that
doctor you scared tried to file a complaint, but other than that, not
much."
"I must be mellowing," Kate grinned.
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