Replica (Original Work)

Chapter 3 - Missing Facts and Data Traps

"Lucy, I hate to tell you this but it looks like your witness lied to you." Dunlap said, finally getting back to me from HQ. "None of the major players have anything in the area, but I did manage to find a wireless security system rigged up by a slumlord down the street. There were only two perpetrators, and they definitely aren't identical. The weird thing is, I can't ID them on the NSA database. These guys are ghosts. It looks like your witness was actually there too, so whoever these guys were they scared him more than you."

Cutter and I headed back toward the scene as I listened to Dunlap. I chuckled a little. "That's what I get for trusting people, I guess. Still, who could that guy possibly be so afraid of? He's virtually untraceable."

"What worries me more, Luce', is who could be more scary than you." Cutter interjected over the channel.

Dunlap agreed. "Yeah, if these guys are scarier than Lucy we might be onto something big here."

"How about we just stay focused on the facts." I said, pausing mid stride. "We've got three terminated prototypes in a place they aren't supposed to be, two perpetrators that apparently don't exist, and we may have to wait up to twenty four hours for forensics. Given that our primary objective is the recovery of the materials I think we may be screwed."

"Think it's worth trying to track down that squatter again?" Cutter asked.

I shrugged. "We'd never find the guy. Look around, this place is a maze. He could be anywhere."

"So what do we do?"

"I'd say the first thing to do is head back to HQ and figure out what the hell unpatented models were doing in Oldtown. If we can sort out what we're after, we may be able to ascertain who would want it."

We met up with Boones and Pierce back at the scene. Eva and Aaron had already finished collecting evidence and were long gone. Pierce looked exhausted, Boones looked exactly as he had before we split. So much for the old man having trouble keeping up.

"You guys turn up anything? We got squat," Pierce said.

"You should have listened in on the conversation I just had with Dunlap. What we've got is two unidentifiable subjects, a lying squatter, and company property where it shouldn't be," I said.

"So... squat."

"Yeah. Squat. We're going to head back to HQ, try and find out what these three genestock were doing in storage here, and pray for Eva to bring something back on forensics."

"Sounds like a plan, this is gonna be a long day."

"Isn't it always?"

Peirce nodded, and he and Boones got into their car and drove off, disappearing into the urban landscape.

"Cold truck should be here to pick up what's left of the bodies soon," Cutter said.

"I'd rather not be here for that." I started to head for my car.

"Hey Luce'," Cutter said, "Mind if I ride with you? I actually walked here from HQ."

I stopped walking and turned around. "What on earth possessed you to do that? Walking in Oldtown? You want more trouble than we already have?"

Cutter smiled. "I wanted to avoid traffic."

"Harlan, there are some things about you I'll never understand. Whatever, you can ride with me, but you aren't bringing that cigar in my car." Technically, any SID car was usable by any member of the team, but I still favored one in particular. I wasn't sure why. It was an unremarkable little black electric sedan, but it was mine.