Steel Rising

Chapter 30: The Price of Immortality

*BOOM!* A cruiser spaceship of the Marshal Service suddenly appeared a few hundred thousand kilometers away from the Terminus Station.

Onboard the vessel were Marshals Smith and Danes, who were currently investigating the deaths of Marshal Ryan and his wife, Yelena. Sitting side by side, the two marshals found themselves in a heated discussion regarding their case.

"I say they killed them!" Insisted Marshal Smith, arguing with logic as he steered their cruiser toward the space station in the distance.

Emphatically shaking her head Marshal Danes stated stubbornly. "And I say it wasn't them!"

"What if I'm right and you're wrong?" He questioned his female colleague as they rapidly approached the station using only the boosters.

Intrigued by what her partner might say, Danes asked back. "What about it?"

"Let's make a bet!..." Said the Smith as they crossed through the station's azure blue energy shields. "...If I am right, you're going on a date with me!"

"And what if I win? Will you pay for one of my escorts?" She mocked her overconfident partner.

"I was thinking that in that case, I would be going on a date with you..." Grumbled the dissatisfied officer before he agreed to her condition. "... Fine, but no fancy, non-synthetic restaurants or such things, and your escorts have to cost less than 50 credits an hour."

"Deal!" Happily smirked the female Dane, and they shook hands just as docking claws grabbed their ship and pulled it into place.

*Cla...clink!* The entire spaceship cruiser shook as they successfully docked at the Central Control Tower (CCT) near the station's commercial district.

"How well do we know this Mayor Raffen?..." Asked Smith Dane as they entered the neglected elevator that allowed passage between their ship and the heart of the station. "... What does his file say?"

*Whampa!* The elevator squealed right as it started moving, and the entire compartment turned counterclockwise to allow a smooth transition between the ship's and the station's gravity fields.

"It states that he might be involved in money laundering, illegal banking, and a bunch of other crimes, but so far, no conviction." The female officer with glowing blue eyes told her companion as she read the digital file in question.

Lightly chuckling, her male counterpart commented. "What a lovely mayor... Any idea if he's going to cooperate with our investigation into the cyborgs?"

"Hard to say..." Replied Danes with a shrug, just as her eyes stopped glowing and the elevator came to a stop. "... It depends, really!"

*Womp!* *Pff!* The elevator stopped, and its doors opened to allow the marshals to go through.

"On what?" Questioned Smith as they stepped out of the elevator and into a corridor that led to the Central Control Hall of the CCT.

"Whether or not Raffen himself has been paid off or not..." Danes with a deadpan expression that showed even less than no emotion as they crossed the corridor. Standing in front  of the sliding door to the hall, he explained. "... If he is, there's no way in hell that he'll cooperate with us, and in case he isn't, he might. Also, I am more concerned about his safety than our suspects."

*Swish!* The door to the Central Control Hall slid open to reveal the dimly lit hall.

"Yeah, I know. I've read the UCGI's report on them, too..." Nodding, Smith agreed just as he spearheaded through the sliding door and into the hall. "... To kill Adrian & Theodore Baldur, the son & brother to the CEO of Cerberus on the same day... That's crazy!"