The Good Intentions of a Cyborg Werewolf

Inquisition - VI

Erin spun the ring on her finger, using the diamond as a fulcrum point. Her hand had fully healed following its relocation, as had the claw mark on her shoulder, but her back was still stiff and sore. It made sitting at her desk uncomfortable, but of course she couldn't tell her coworkers. She couldn't tell anyone anything, but that didn't mean she couldn't ask questions. She pulled up every article she could find, and even dug around in the archive room. There was plenty of material on Celestial Biotics, but she also looked into recent disappearances and animal attacks. She also looked up unsolved murders, shootings, anything that may be collateral. The man who'd been shot in her place was reported as a mugging. Erin had no idea if that was an assumption by police or a cover-up, and she didn't get any answers from her contacts on the force. One way or another things were being buried, and she had to start digging if she wanted any hint at the truth.

"Hey, Erin?" A voice came from the doorway to her office. Amanda, one of her close work friends, carried a small stack of papers.

"Hey," she replied. Erin quickly pulled the ring off and pocketed it. She knew if her friends saw it they'd ask, and she still wasn't sure what she'd say.

"I know you were looking at that company," Amanda held up the papers. "Celeste-something Biotics? I found a couple of source papers in case you wanted them."

"That's great, thanks!" Erin said, happily taking the stack from her. Just as Amanda was turning to leave, Erin tapped her arm to stay. "What have you heard about them? Celestial Biotics?"

"Well, there was that embezzlement scandal," Amanda crossed her arms as she pondered. "I know they lost investors, but I don't think they really took much of a hit. They still philander once in a while for a PR boost, but other than that they're pretty low-profile. Why the sudden interest?"

"Oh, just chasing trails," Erin tried to think of a decent lie. "Robert asked me to look into a laundering allegation and CB's name came up. Figured with the whole embezzlement thing there might be links..."

"Ah, gotcha," Amanda said. She waved goodbye and left, and Erin felt some guilt at lying to her friend, but she also knew nobody questioned her boss, Robert, and it would be a safe excuse while she dug. She also had her actual article to run, a fluff piece about tighter legislation on motorcycles or something she scarcely paid mind to. Digging into Celestial Biotics was her only priority, there had to be a crack in the facade, but she couldn't be too obvious. They had sent a monster to assassinate her and Luke practically in broad daylight, if she made herself too obvious she would just be making herself a target once more, and she couldn't take that risk.

"Missing persons?" Erin mused to herself. It certainly seemed a logical first step. Luke and Mercer made it clear Kyle was not the first victim. Not by a longshot. If there were more people attacked she may be able to discern some kind of pattern. Erin had already compiled a list of missing people most likely victims of these creatures. They all went missing at night, all abruptly and without a trace, at least that was what was reported. The monsters were savage, brutal. There had to be something. A human being isn't just ripped apart without even a speck of blood left behind. Even accepting the grotesque idea that they were completely consumed, what about the creatures themselves that Luke defeated? He tore that sniper to pieces, same with the monster that attacked Kyle. She saw what happened to its blood, but that wouldn't remove all evidence. Hair, nails, bits of bone. Things that wouldn't "dry up" as the rest had. The idea that they left nothing behind was statistically improbable.

Erin kept the papers on Celestial Biotics in the locked drawer of her desk, and buried the files on her computer. It wasn't exactly high security, she just didn't want anyone casually stumbling across them while she was out on lunch. She grabbed her purse and let Amanda know she'd be back in an hour, and headed out. If it was easy enough to find dirt on Celestial Biotics through public articles she wouldn't need to dig. Nothing painted them as anything but an entirely bland, typical publicly-owned corporation, though as Luke had implied even their corporate immorality was a front to avoid suspicion. Really, she only had his and Mercer's word that Celestial Biotics was even involved at all. They looked entirely normal, a few charitable donations and a few weak scandals, all before a company whose most equitable products were aspirin and antibacterial bandages. She had no reason to distrust them, but it seemed like such a random and unlikely culprit. She needed evidence, and there was only one place she knew for sure there could still be some left.