“Well, you’re doing such a fine job so far,” he said sarcastically. She stepped even closer to him and continued to stare him down. She was an imposing woman when she wanted to be, and she was certainly bigger than him.
“Are. We. Understood?” she said.
Dolson did not look pleased, but knowing he didn’t have a choice he relented. “Your wish is my command.”
“Good,” Ford said, then looked at Salvi and motioned her outside.
Salvi stepped outside and Mitch followed, while Beggs, Bronte and Hernandez stayed in the room talking to Dolson.
“What is it?” Salvi asked.
“Forensics finished their analysis of the tech. Riverton’s researched the data and discovered the designers.”
“Yeah? Who is it?”
“It’s traced the tech design back to a company called Neuricle Corporation. Heard of it?”
Salvi’s mouth fell open. “Neuricle Corporation?” She looked at Mitch. “That’s–”
“Attis Solme’s company,” Mitch finished her sentence.
Ford nodded, her face unimpressed. “I’m waiting on Attis to call me back. If I hear nothing, I’m heading to the Solme Complex first thing tomorrow to talk to him.”
“Then I’m coming,” Salvi said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“No,” Salvi shook her head. “No way. I spoke at length with Solme about his neural tech last time. I want to be there for this.”
“Me too,” Mitch said.
“It doesn’t need three of us,” Ford said. “We got other bodies on the street to look into. You’re staying, Grenville. You too, Brentt.”
“Hey, look, they’ve been at me to speak to Subjugate-52. This is the perfect opportunity for me to do that. I’ll go with you and hit two birds with one stone.”
Ford sighed, eyeing her. “Alright. Meet me at the hub, 7am sharp.”
Salvi nodded and Ford walked off. She turned to Mitch.
“You think it’s a good idea to see Subjugate-52 in person?” he said. “I heard the psych said to do a video.”
She stared back at Mitch. “I think I’d rather see him in person. I want to read his face, his reactions to me. I want to know just how deep this supposed fixation goes.” She exhaled heavily. “If Attis Solme has anything to do with these missing girls… I’m going to kill him.”
11: COMPLEX REVISITATION
Salvi stared at the new gates of the Solme Complex before her. They’d needed to replace the old ones after Mitch had rammed his Raider through them in a bid to lend Salvi aid. The replacements looked stronger, reinforced, although they were still topped with the sharp silver spears of metal that glinted in the late autumn sun.
One of the two guards moved toward them from their booth. The window of Ford’s Raider was down, and she threw her elbow up the ledge of the door. Salvi saw the guard’s helmet visor scrolling with information as he neared Ford.
“We’re here to see Attis Solme,” Ford said, tapping her holo-badge. The guard read the details and nodded, while his partner began to scan the Raider for contraband. They waited in silence as Salvi watched the Complex’s security drone hover nearby, facing them. She recalled Mitch telling her the drone had fried his Raider’s electronics after he’d crashed through the gate. Like the rest of the Complex, the drone was high-tech. Nothing but the best for Attis Solme. She wondered just how high-tech the drone was, though? It could fry a car’s electronics, but did it also carry the basic on-board weaponry the SFPD’s drones did? If a Subjugate was trying to escape, could the drone shoot him?
The second guard completed his scan and nodded to the first.
“Follow the drone,” the first guard said. “Do not deviate.”
“We know the drill,” Salvi said underneath her breath. “I’ve been here before.”
Ford drove after the drone to their allocated parking spot. By the time they’d exited the Raider, Serene-41 was there to greet them. He looked as calm as ever in his beige-colored robes and brown sandals, his shaved head adorned with its silver halo, hands clasped together at his groin in prayer.
“Detective Brentt,” he said. “How nice to see you again.”
“Serene-41,” she nodded.
“I am glad you have recovered from your injuries.” He bowed, then turned to Ford. “You must be Detective Lieutenant Ford.”
“Yeah,” she said eyeing him carefully. “Take us to Mr. Solme, please.”
“Follow me,” he said turning and walking calmly, ever the Serene, toward the doors of the Solme Complex’s reception.
They stepped inside the hollowed-out room with its soft walls and green Bio-Lume lighting. Serene-41 moved to the door leading off the reception to the left – Solme’s office. He knocked gently, then swiped his pass to open it – being the Serene Supreme he was the only one granted such access at the Complex – before stepping inside and closing the door.
“Solme’s expecting us, isn’t he?” Salvi asked Ford.
“Yeah,” she said, not taking her eyes off the door. “But he doesn’t know why we’re here. I’m sure he thinks it’s about you and Subjugate-52.”
Serene-41 re-emerged and bowed to them. “This way, please.”
Salvi followed Ford into Solme’s office. As she stepped inside, her stomach turned, and she suddenly felt ill. She’d been so caught up in her current case she hadn’t really thought what it might feel like to revisit the room she’d nearly died in. Her eyes automatically searched for the silver crucifix on the wall that had aided her against the killer she’d been hunting. She’d broken the wooden cross in the fracas but there it was, on the wall behind Solme. He’d replaced the crucifix and cleaned the silver Jesus of blood and returned it to its rightful place. Salvi wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but then again, the action was very Solme – cleaning things up and pretending nothing bad happened. Her eyes then automatically fell to the stone statue of Mary on his desk. That too had been cleaned of blood and was sitting as though it had never witnessed the horrors it
