The Bolt from the Blue (Working Title)

Chapter 28- Blocker

John went to Veronica's during lunch the next day. He wasn't meant to leave the precinct during his break, but he also wasn't meant to commision illegal blockers, so he was kind of hoping the two wrongs would cancel each other out.

Veronica let him into her flat once more and he found a row of a thirteen blockers- white plastic ovals with a flat base of varying sizes- laid out on the living room table.

"That's a lot of blockers," John said, simply.

"I have a lot of enemies," Veronica replied. She picked up a bag that was resting on a chair and pulled out another blocker, smaller than all the others. "This one's for you; I presume it's for someone you want to kill, so I set it at a frequency sure to induce migraines."

"No, no! It's for my nephew, switch it back!"

But Veronica just smiled. "Relax, that was a joke." She flopped down onto the sofa, "I do that sometimes."

"I can see why it's only sometimes." John responded. He sat down too, he wasn't sure why. He looked around, "Where's Lucy?"

"She's been asleep all day. I think her adventure outside tuckered her out." She sounded almost caring, "lazy child," She added, making sure that John didn't think she'd gone soft. She eyed the door, "Well, you got what you want." John decided not take the hint. She regarded him shrewdly, "This is normally when you would leave."

"I don't use people." John asserted.

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Yes, you do. Just sitting there like an expectant hen after I've already serviced you doesn't change that."

"Did you have to say 'serviced'?" John grimaced.

"Sorry, what verb would you prefer? 'Bootlegged'? 'Criminalised'?"

"How about 'helped'?"

"Look, John," Veronica said, crossing her legs underneath her, "You didn't like- hell, you wouldn't even treat me like a human being- until you needed something from me. What else can you call that other than 'using' someone?"

"That wasn't it." John replied. "I started to- My views started to change when I saw Lucy on the roof. I saw how concerned you were for her."

"Really? I remember you telling me to go fuck myself shortly thereafter."

"I was confused: I was feeling sympathy for Benji's murderer."

Veronica tried to hide her flinch at the name. "Yes, I'm sure that caused a conflict in your programming." She examined her nails, "It's harder to play cobs and robbers when the robbers can discuss ethics."

"Why did you have a gun?" John hadn't realised this question was in his mind until he had already spoken it. And now it was out in the world, hanging squarely between himself and Veronica, unretractable, ineluctable and destined to change everything, like a stray bullet.

Veronica shrugged and John thought he saw tears in her eyes, "It wasn't mine. It was Angelica's."

"Your accomplice?"

Veronica laughed, "God, they really have brainwashed you, haven't they? 'Accomplice'?" She snorted, "Fine. If you can call some random woman I met three times an accomplice."

"She gave you the gun?"

Veronica's mouth quivered, "Sort of. She found it. I...modified it."

"Why?" John had to know. This wouldn't wait. He could feel it.

"Protection. Intimidation." Her voice wavered, "Stupid, stupid ignorance." She broke down. She threw her head forward and howled. It was a cry of rage, sadness and, overwhelmingly, regret. "Fuck!" Veronica shouted down at the floor. John stayed where he was. He needed to hear the end of this.