Chương 55: Ch. 45 - Make Yourself Untouchable

The room was stifling and the sweat running down my spine made it feel warmer. It was hard to distinguish what was the warmth of the room or the situation that I currently found myself in. All I could do was stare dumbly at the pages in front of me. It had everything and even I could tell they were thorough. In the middle of the stack, the first my eyes glued to was a rundown of my test scores from the Academy. Each a mark of improvement from the last. I didn't start as a top student, but I did work my way up.

Then there were the stats on my Frame, the Aegis. Stats that only Luna should have been privy to. Is this what I had been warned about? The feelings that swirled in the pit of my stomach were gnashing against the logic in my mind. If I lost my cool, I'd be in bigger problems. What would my mom think? It was somehow, in that moment, when I thought about her that I started spiraling. The walls seemed to close in on me and the lights brightened. Did she know I was here? Would she get in trouble?

Or even worse, would she have to talk to grandpa. I had to breathe through pursed lips to not show any outward tumult. I wasn't sure how successful I was, but at this point, it was about not barging through the door at a full sprint. It was the logic of it that kept me planted on the seat. Where would I go if I even ran? There weren't a lot of places I could hide that they wouldn't find me.

"So," said Detective Lamprey.

"What happened in there?" I didn't answer. My eyes darted back and forth between the sheets that littered the table. Detective Lamprey sighed and leaned back on the seat. The door opened and a fresh cup of coffee was brought in for him. He sipped it, just loud enough for me to hear him enjoy it. The smell permeated the room.

"Incredible, isn't it?" he said, putting the mug down.

"The things we can do with what we have. And yet, that isn't enough for people." The chair creaked as he shifted his weight.

"It is funny, to me anyway, that we have everything we need in our metal prison. I'm in here with you, kid. I get it. There is a reason it's called the Bastille, you know. We can't leave. We were supposed to be stuck in here until we found a planet. But, we made the most of it, right?" He sipped on his cup again.

"Ah. So we have all these things and sometimes it isn't enough for people. People like you, I mean. You had a taste of the good stuff when you were a kid and now you want it back? I have a theory as to why you tried to kill some good to honest pilots, but there are pieces I am missing from this story." I looked up and met his dark brown eyes. It was hard to see them through constricted pupils, but they were fixed on mine. He was reading me as much as I was reading the pages on the table.

"What pieces?" I asked. The words rang hollow from my lips, yet they came out anyway.

"Take for example, how. You are a skilled pilot, there is no question. But there were three of them against rookies. Best I can gather is someone is lying. Here are the facts though. Two from Jeromy's team have died. Two others filed a complaint against your team. Jeromy joins your team and as much as I want to question him, he's currently being bombarded from every sector taking precedence. So that leaves asking you. How did you survive against three pilots that had better equipment than you?"

I raised an eyebrow as a reflex. He clocked it, but didn't say anything. Instead waiting for me to speak. He waited a while, sipping his coffee in between the silence. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"We only beat one. After they threatened and attacked us."

"Interesting word you're using. Beat," he said, placing the cup back on the table.

"Did you not kill someone?"

"No. We beat him." My eyes fell to the table.

"We just didn't save him."

"Interesting admission. So he was put in that situation, directly from your actions."

"We defended ourselves," I said, removing all pretense of meekness.

"What were we supposed to do? Nothing?"

"You could have run away and then reported them. You could have not taken matters into your own hands? Did you also defend yourself against your first team? Jacob and Eric? Did they instigate a fight with you as well?"

"No! It was a hidden boss!"

"So you say." He pressed his elbow on the table, leaning in.

"Help me understand, Stefano. How are you killing these pilots? I promise it won't get you in trouble." The door slammed open, startling us both. It was the first time that Lamprey looked away from me.

"Don't answer that," said the gold suit that entered. Lamprey closed his eyes and balled a fist. He exhaled slowly as the goldsuit entered.

"Who are you?"

"Don't play stupid, Detective. It wastes both our time. My client is under no obligation to stay and thus, we are leaving." The gold suit was balding at the top with combed hair swept over. His eyes were baggy but focused and his cleft chin held the memories of his younger days. He put his suitcase on the table and unclicked the latches.

"Who sent you? No one knows he is supposed to be here," said Lamprey, his fist shaking as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Please," said the goldsuit.

"You know as well as I that that doesn't concern you. All you need to know is that Mr. Reyes is my client and I have it on good authority he is under no obligation to answer your questions. But please, let's continue. I can drown you in so many layers of paperwork you'll be tasting letters. You talk to me now. Understood." He took a seat and slid a page over to me, along with a pen.

"Sign it," said the goldsuit.

"No questions." As I began reading it, he slammed on the table.

"Hey. Look at me. No questions. Sign it and you get to leave." I looked back at Lamprey whose eyes were glued to the page I had underneath my hands. It was paper. It was an official document. And Lamprey didn't want me to sign it. It was enough. I grabbed the pen and scribbled a signature.

"Great," said the goldsuit.

"Now you really can't talk to my client. Are we done here?"

"Yes," said Lamprey after a long moment.

"It was his grandfather. Wasn't it?" The goldsuit smirked from underneath the suitcase, meeting the detective's gaze.

"We all have angels, Mr. Lamprey. Some don't like to be involved unless they have to be. Today, Mr. Reyes met his." Lamprey got to his feet, and opened the door, stepping to the side to allow us to pass.

"This isn't over," he said.

"Yes. It is," said the goldsuit. I followed the lawyer to just outside security headquarters. He didn't stop to see that I was still following. He walked at such a fast rate that I stumbled into a half job every so often to keep up. It was like he was always late to his next step. He led us to a public area, a small mental health park. It was meant to resemble a sun coming from the window, along with the radiant heat a real sun would emit. It was a small patch of grass and a bench that was called a park.

The real park was in Z-Block, the one with flowers and space. This was the kind that was available on every block.

"Who are you?" I asked, taking a seat next to him. He slipped something in his mouth as he chewed.

"Riley Trong, your lawyer. Your grandfather sent me. He saw you were in trouble and he was scared what it would do to his legacy or whatever."

"Oh," I said, slumping my head.

"You ever wonder what a cigarette tastes like? I would see these movies, right. Growing up, I would see these lawyers that would smoke when they were stressed or had a crazy hard case or something. See, they made being a lawyer so cool looking. Now I realize it was only the smoking I found cool. Can't have an open flame in here. Can't never smoke. So I chew gum. It tastes awful."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Nothing. I'm making conversation. Or maybe I'm making an analogy. Right now, we're in a position where everyone is looking at you with a telescope that's underneath a microscope. So you have to make yourself untouchable."

"How?" Riley Trong scratched his head, hesitant to say what he was thinking.

"You're going to have to get to the fourth floor."

"I was already going to do that."

"With Ania. The Overseer's daughter. She's joining your team."