"Hello girls, hello guys..."
The lobby was full of people. Unionized Mercenaries walked out of the front doors in uniforms and full suits of armor and energy frames. Those who stayed behind were huddled together, discussing plans and possibilities. Because of a database crash, the dispatchers had to assign areas by drawing perimeters on a large map tacked to the wall.
Outside, the sky was sunny and clear. It was as if the windstorm from yesterday evening had never happened.
Two of those Mercenaries met around a coffee table.
"Hey Nolla."
"Hey Reez."
"So, how is Armi?"
"She... passed away during the night, at four. The doctor said the contamination had been fatal."
"...Shit."
Nolla gave Reez a nod. "It's hard. She was a good Mercenary... Fredaris told me she'll probably receive a posthumus promotion to Sergeant along with a medal of bravery. It's the least they could do, really."
Reez was staring at the floor. "I guess so."
"Have you seen Davion anywhere?"
"No."
Nolla glanced around the room. She let out a grunt.
"I kinda understood he couldn't be assed to help us out in the hunt, but if he doesn't at least deliver us some sympathies, I'm gonna have his fucking head on a stick."
Reez nodded. "Hmm-hmm. Whatever." He raised his head, looking at Nolla. "I can only hope Armi died painlessly. How did she look like?"
Nolla gave him a hard glance. "I'd be insulting her if I described her final appearance. She'll be cremated. That's the most I will say."
"But--"
"I saw her, and I wish I hadn't. I will forget whatever I saw at the hospital that night." She stood up. "I have to meet with Fred before I leave. Have a good day."
"You're not participating in the hunt?"
"No; I'm sick of it!"
Nolla entered the Section Lead's office. The room had already been cleaned of all personal belongings. The family portraits and frames had been replaced with generic abstract art with little to no personality.
Fredaris Baker sat in a new leather chair. His desk looked impressively large; the computer had been replaced by a laptop and the stacks of sheets and documents were gone. Only a handful of blank papers and some pens sat on the far side.
Fred himself was a strange-looking specimen. Short, stout and clean cut - he looked like a cross between a dwarf and a strongman from circus shows. His eyes, bright blue and squinting slightly, followed the curvy Nolla as she took her seat. He considered her for a few more seconds. He always looked like he was on the verge of scolding whoever was in front of him.
"Nolla, I'll be brief," he said, "it won't sound very warm to you but I'm short on time and I'm being harassed by every arm of the UM for information. Anyway, first of all, my sympathies."
"Thank you."
"Now for the professional things. I have orders that information about Armi should be kept silent until further notice. Don't talk about it to the other members, nor to nosy officials, not even your own mother. The news are waiting just for that and we're not ready to take 'em on just yet. Second: in reward for your crucial participation in the hunt prior to the events of yesterday evening, you've been awarded the Pin of Distinguished Service, and ordered to take a one week vacation with pay so that you may recover. I highly suggest you take and enjoy those days off. The pay you're getting is better than if you spent your week doing jobs. Anything about what happened, your involvement, what you saw, keep it under wraps for now. There's a possibility that the army rears its ugly head in here and declares that information classified. I know they took away one of the dead androids for study."
"Surprises me they didn't take all five."
"That's not up to me to know. I'm starting to realize being a Section Lead is a lot less thrilling than people make it. At least the pay's better than when I was CCO... Anyway." He reached into a drawer and took out a small bronze pin. "Stand up."
Nolla took a step aside to stand next to the desk. With an almost comical solemnity, Fred applied the pin to her uniform.
"As per the recommendation by the Interim Section Lead of New Colombus, the Capital Section Lead, and the Union Lead of the Democratic Union of Arimast, I hereby award you with the Pin of Distinguished Service. You've earned it well, member."
Nolla chuckled. "This is the closest to touching my boob you'll ever get."
"Hey, don't ruin the moment!"
Nolla took a look at her pin and smiled. "All right. Need me for anything else?"
"I'm all done. You enjoy your week off. And tell Reez to come in when you get outside."
The Reez in question was an average and fit young man. He had the potential to become a good soldier but had decided long ago that he preferred the more informal style of the UM. Despite his many attempts to shine and his above average record, he was still regarded as a rookie trying to look like a big boy: at age twenty-six, he looked like he was barely eighteen.
He was also part of the twenty-five percent of UM members to shun the uniform. Although it wasn't required per se, there had always been some debate over the question, some preferring clothes they found more comfortable or in better taste, and rare others doing it simply to rebel against the UM's too militarized fashion according to their standards. Not to say Reez wasn't proud to be a member: he wore a badge on the left sleeve of his long coat as per regulations, and another one on the breast of his orange camo shirt.
When he entered Fred's office, he sat down before even being told to.
"You don't look so hot..." the Section Lead commented. "But it ain't hard to know why. That's why I called you into my office."
Reed snarled. "What?!"
"No, no, I'm not gonna give you a speech! I worked with you on the hunt, I know you did a fine job and helped to the best of your ability. You have nothing to be afraid of. It's the opposite: the UM is offering you three days off, paid, so that you may take a break and recover. The pay is not as good as if you had been spending them doing jobs, but I highly suggest you take it, so you can cool down and digest everything that happened. Treat yourself to a nice dinner and don't watch too much TV."
Reez didn't answer right away. He leaned back on his chair and looked out the window... "How did Armi look like?"
"Nolla was the only one to see her. Her lips are sealed. She told Kod and I not to go to the hospital because it was so disturbing. She has a strong stomach, so we trusted her advice. I'll also tell you to keep all details about the hunt under wraps; the UM will take care of what exactly goes in the public statements."
"Oh... I'm just curious, that's all. I want to know what happened to Armi 'till the end. We were good friends... I'd have peace of mind if I knew the whole story. Right now, it's as if she just... disappeared out of existence as soon as she got to the hospital and turned up dead all by magic a few hours later. Did she die alone?"
"Nolla was there."
"I wasn't!"
Fred leaned across his desk. "Reez, I know this is hard for you. I don't know how much, I can't get into your head, but I at least know that the death of a friend is never something that you just brush off. Take those three days off, Reez. Your mind's in a jumble and you have an opportunity to clear it.
Reez forced a smile. "Thanks..." And, as he stood up: "See you in three days."
Fred turned the computer screen on and proceeded to write a NetMail to his superiors:
ATTN: Mr. Nathas Rosser, Capital Section Lead; Mr. Arimo Testani, Union Lead of the Democratic Union of Arimast.
As per suggested, Sergeant Nolla Lephon and Mercenary Reez Lokk have been given, respectively, the Pin of Distinguished Service and a week's leave, and a three-day leave, both with proportional compensations. They have also been ordered to refuse to comment on the case until further notice.
I would also like to know the dates and times of Kod and Armi's funeral services, as I am sure both of them will do their best to attend. I expect to give them paid time off due to the exceptional circumstances. The news will definitely be there, so it's best if we encourage as many members as possible to assist to the ceremony.
By the way, out of curiosity, got an idea on who the next Section Lead should be? I'm expecting Division Lead Maxis Conerst but I know the UM's habit of making surprise choices.
Sincerely yours,
Fredaris Baker
Interim Section Lead of New Colombus