Metal Fatigue (28 page)

"Time'?" DeKurzak stood, on the attack. The sheaf of X-rays punctuated important points as his hands moved. "Reassimilation is today. Not next week, or next year —
today
. You've had more than five weeks to produce results. Do you expect us to sit back and wait until the killer hands himself in?"

"We're doing our best — "

"Which is obviously not good enough. The moment has come to let someone who knows what he's doing take charge of the investigation."

"Like you, I suppose?"

"Martin and I have already agreed upon how we shall divide responsibilities," said DeKurzak stiffly. "And I will be assuming control of your investigation, yes."

"Great, just great." Wiggs looked at Roads for support. "Come on, Phil. I can't believe you're just sitting there taking this shit."

"I'm waiting." Roads folded his hands in his lap, trying to radiate an aura of patience he wasn't feeling. "There's more to come."

"Indeed there is," said DeKurzak without looking at him, returning to his seat. "Read the rest, Margaret."

Chappel unfolded the letter. "Mayor Packard also recommends that you, Phil, be placed under house arrest pending an inquiry into the nature of what he calls your 'surreptitious and not infrequent relationship with various criminal elements within the city'. He goes on to suggest that your allegiance may not be wholly with the city in this case, and that your judgement may therefore be compromised."

"That's bullshit. I'm as straight as they come."

DeKurzak turned on him. "Then how do you justify your secret dealings with Keith Morrow?"

"He supplies me with information — "

"Which you fail to include in your reports. Concealing information regarding a known and wanted criminal is alone tantamount to corruption."

"Depending on the circumstances."

"RSD regulations disagree with you."

"Everyone on the force has a grass. It's the way things work — "

"Granted, and we might be prepared to overlook it this once — but for these." DeKurzak waved the X-rays. Clearly visible on the transparent picture were Roads' various biomods.

"I can explain — "

"Can you? You illegally entered the city, forged your date of birth on RSD records, falsified a medical examination and lied to protect your secret on a number of other occasions. In this light, any explanation you have must be regarded with extreme suspicion." DeKurzak threw the X-rays to Wiggs, who had indicated that he would like to see. "I can't believe we entrusted a position of such responsibility to a man with ... with
machines
in his head." DeKurzak's face was red, made suddenly old by his anger. "And don't bother protesting that you're a good cop. It's no wonder you're so good given your unnatural advantage over the rest of us. How did it feel to rob the marksmanship title from someone more worthy, Roads? Did you feel superior? Was it guilt that made you retire from the competition, or had you set your sights on a higher goal — ?"

"Antoni," Chappel tried to interrupt, but DeKurzak rolled on over her.

"No, Margaret. These are questions we should all be asking. Let's see if he can answer them to anyone's satisfaction."

Roads' face flushed with barely-checked anger. "I never once used my abilities in any other capacity than as dictated by my profession. I am not a cheat, and I do not feel superior to anyone born in a time less-advantaged than mine — "

"But we have only your word for that, don't we? The word of someone who has already proved to be a liar."

"I believe him," put in O'Dell.

"And what would you know?"

"More than you, obviously — "

"That's enough," Chappel interrupted, scowling at them all across the expanse of her desk. "This is not a trial and I am not a judge but, by Christ, I'll throw the next person who speaks out of line into the can for a week. We're here to discuss the cases first, and Phil second. You've had your say, Antoni, so be quiet."

DeKurzak's lips drained of blood as he retreated into his seat and crossed his arms. Roads tried to read the tangled knot of emotions displayed before him. What, he wondered, was DeKurzak afraid of?

Only one answer made sense, and that was
failure
. The cases were still open; neither the Mole nor the killer had been caught. That would have an adverse effect on DeKurzak's record — unless, of course, he could pass as much of the blame onto Roads as possible.

Not just righteous indignation, then, Roads decided, but treachery as well.

"Roger?" asked Chappel. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

The red-head declined the opportunity to take sides. "I'm staying out of it, Margaret. Sorry, Phil."

"That's okay. I understand."

"And, as for the case," Wiggs added to DeKurzak, "I'll be glad to get back on day shift. The fucker's all yours, buddy."

Chappel intervened before the liaison officer could speak. "Martin?"

"I agree with Phil's theory that the Mole might be a Northerner — in which case I'm the obvious choice to head the case." He shrugged at Roads. "But I don't think we can blame Phil for being the way he is, or for trying to hide it. The knee-jerk reaction is even stronger here than back home." He cast a scathing glance sideways at DeKurzak. "What I'd like to do is to point out a fact in Phil's favour that the X-rays don't show."

Chappel nodded. "Go on."

"I am obviously too young to remember either the War or the Dissolution, but I have access to military records that document their history, at least in part. One episode concerns the final days of the Third Mobile Battalion. Briefly, the battalion was ordered to Philadelphia in 2047 to spearhead the suppression of a civilian rebellion. Orders were to kill on sight, not to detain, until such time as the leaders of the rebellion were neutralised. A bloodbath, basically, is what the military wanted, to teach the city a lesson."

Roads closed his eyes with a wince, but didn't speak. He remembered it more vividly than that. Being reminded of it by the RUSA files the previous day had been bad enough. In this context, it was horrific.

"The battalion's third in command," O'Dell continued, "a major on exchange from the Australian Armed Forces, led a mutiny against his commanding officers. He refused along with over a third of the battalion to comply with orders of that nature. Under other circumstances, he might have been commended for his actions. During the mutiny, however, while defences were down, the civilian rebellion attacked and the battalion was wiped out. Although the force behind the battalion tried, it was unable to gain control of the city without the Third Mobile. The major who led the mutiny — Philip Roads — disappeared, and was subsequently presumed dead."

"You can substantiate this?" DeKurzak broke in.

"It's all in the files. Files to which, I should point out, Phil had no access. They could not have been falsified."

"And your point?"

"That his actions displayed strength of character and moral conviction. He may have betrayed his command, but only to further a greater good." O'Dell smiled ironically, and added: "Philadelphia, as you must know, is now the capital of the Reunited States of America."

DeKurzak made a mocking noise, but Chappel waved him silent.

"Phil?"

Roads stirred himself from the memories O'Dell had awoken. "I have only one thing to say, and I'll keep it quick. I doubt there's anybody in this room who would deny that I'm one of Kennedy's most qualified officers — "

"So you've said," DeKurzak sneered. "But that only makes your inability to apprehend the Mole doubly suspicious."

"No. He's simply better than I am — and I'd like to wish Martin the best of luck. He's going to need it."

O'Dell looked uncomfortable, but said nothing.

"What I will say is this: I may not have caught the Mole, but I know who the killer is."

The reaction was instantaneous. Chappel and O'Dell looked startled; DeKurzak was caught speechless, open-mouthed.

"You
what
?" Wiggs gasped, turning a mottled shade of purple.

"The killer is a type of berserker," Roads said, "one we've never seen before. A later model, if you like, and twice as dangerous." Before he lost the upper hand, he explained everything known about Cati: the history of his development, the general nature of his extreme biomodification and the significance of the control code. "Cati was built to do only two things: to kill and to obey. With no morals, no opinions and no conscience to get in the way, he is the perfect assassin for anyone in a position to command him."

Wiggs' high colour gradually ebbed, but he remained flushed in the cheeks. "They really had such things?"

"Yes. You'll find an incomplete description in the States datapool. I suggest you dig it out and look for the control frequency. If we can trace the source of the transmissions, we might be able to find out who's controlling him: the person or persons who want to stop the Reassimilation."

"He can't be working on his own?"

"No. He's designed to follow orders, not to be independent. Cut the chain of command, and he'll be neutralised. Disarmed."

"Okay." Chappel turned to O'Dell. "Can you find that data for us, Martin?"

"Of course. It won't take long."

"I wouldn't bother, if I were you," said DeKurzak.

"What? Why not?" The young captain turned in puzzlement to the MSA liaison officer.

"Because there's no point." DeKurzak chuckled softly. "Nice try, Roads, but it won't work."

Roads felt his face turn red. "I'm sorry?"

"You can't make yourself look better by conjuring up some demon from the past."

"I'm telling you the truth. The file is there. You can check it yourself."

"Of course it is. Are we to assume that this is something else you chose to omit from your reports?"

"No, I only realised this morning — "

"How convenient. Something that has eluded homicide for six weeks just comes to you in a flash. Next you'll be telling us that this ...
freak
... was responsible for the deaths last night."

"No. As far as I know, he wasn't even there."

"So you admit it? You killed them in cold blood?"

"Me?" This time Roads was taken off guard. If that's what the rumours were saying, then he was in deeper trouble than he realised. "It was the Mole."

DeKurzak laughed openly, shaking his head as though in pity.

O'Dell had turned grey. "What makes you suspect the Mole?"

"I saw him, that's what." Roads look at Chappel. "You don't really think it was me, do you?"

"What we think doesn't come into it," interrupted DeKurzak. "A board of inquiry will be called to decide whether you used an excess of force."

"This is crazy."

"Is it? Any crazier than the theory you've proposed?" DeKurzak also turned to Chappel. "A mythical, mentally disadvantaged combat soldier who has hidden unnoticed in Kennedy for an unknown number of years suddenly discovers politics and begins killing again to make a point — "

"It's not
him
. It's whoever's
controlling
him — "

"Let me finish, Roads. We all agree that the killer has access to information not available to the general public, so it has to come from someone reasonably high up in the government. Why not you, Roads? You're biomodified; you'd know exactly who to kill; you have contacts in the underworld; and you're in a prime position to misdirect investigations away from you. All we have against this theory is your word plus a ridiculous attempt to shift the blame elsewhere."

Roads managed to break in. "Why would I possibly want to do this?"

"I can think of a number of reasons. There may be another government interested in Kennedy, apart from the Reunited States; you may be plotting with them to foil the Reassimilation. You might even be behind the Mole as well, stealing information for the benefit of your superiors. Or you could simply be looking after yourself; keeping the Reunited States away in order to ensure your own personal power. Perhaps you're just a born Judas; you did, after all, betray your own commanding officers before coming here — "

"That's it." Roads fought a sudden urge to grab the liaison officer by the throat. "I've had enough of this shit. Make your decision, Margaret, before I kill him."

"Are you threatening me?" DeKurzak stood, fists clenched.

"Sit
down
, Antoni." She glanced at her watch. "We're almost out of time. We'll have to continue this discussion after Reassimilation."

DeKurzak didn't back down. "If you're suggesting that we leave Roads in charge until then — "

"I'm not. I'm transferring the cases, as the Mayor advised. Assuming you and Martin can work together, it'll be your baby from now on."

"Good." DeKurzak looked partially satisfied; slowly, he moved away.

"And what about me?" Roads held his breath.

"Consider yourself relieved of all duties until we can look more closely at the situation. You can keep the ID, but the gun will have to stay here." Her regret was obvious, but the cold feeling rising in Roads' gut wouldn't let him sympathise with her. "It's the best I can do, Phil. I'm sorry."

DeKurzak wasn't pleased either. "I hardly feel enough has been done to — "

"Shut up, DeKurzak." Roads stood and faced the liaison officer. "You've got what you wanted."

"What I want is what's best for this city, which is to Reassimilate as smoothly as possible. If seeing you brought to justice will help that process, then that's what has to happen. And if you don't see it that way, then that's your problem."

Roads ignored him. O'Dell looked like he had something he wanted to say, but obviously thought better of it. Wiggs stared at his shoes, keeping carefully neutral. Only Margaret braved the moment with a slight shake of her head that told him there was nothing more she could do.

He understood instantly what she meant: not even the Director of RSD could block an inquiry once evidence of biomodification became widespread. Just delaying the response must have cost her plenty. If she fought too hard to defend him now, suspicion would be cast upon her as well. And any last chance RSD had of weathering the storm might vanish as a result.