9. Specialized Job for a Specialized Man

In the outskirts of Gottenfall stood a structure. A humble holding cell built like a fortress. As it lied out of jurisdiction from every other branch of the PD, it was used in specialized cases by Gottenfall's national security. Cases such as damage to historical monuments, such as the crime Lena was in for today by the command of Tome Dragnok, a member of Gottenfall National Security.

Hands in chains with cuffs of white stone and links of energy attached to her wrists and to a pipe that ran around the small white room at midlevel where she sat. Tiled in white with cheap grout holding them to the walls and ceiling, like the pinewood table and chairs which she was seated in. An empty chair on the end, however, she couldn't look at it. There was a pair of optical orbs located in the corners keeping track on her facial expressions, granted all that it saw was worry. Hell, she was sure that the PD was investigating their neuragear too.

Lena knew this place well, it was one location her internship would've been if she decided to accept a military contract. Though it lacked an official name, it was referred to as the demilitarized zone. Wrapped within a net of firepower enough to reshape the land, no weapon could be inside the compound. But the fact that she knew the spot was the worst part. No criminal was brought into the demilitarized zone for any old reason. The exception was made under the belief that they were dangerous and they had enough evidence for an immediate arrest, no trials. A smear on her record and a ten-year trip to Skylandria maximum prison, who wouldn't shiver at the possibility? Time was a sludge since the first officer visited her, stating that another would join her soon. Her lip quivered. Something creaked. Both eyes fastened on the door.

What could only be named a miniature mech rolled into the room with the door shutting behind. They sported the familiar colors of the PD with a sharp body in a paint job mimicking a suit. Eyes with a glow to match every thick limb and legs replaced with rubber tracks. It moved the other chair before his torso elevated to the suspect's eye level, "Good evening, Buakham Lena," that computerized tone sent chills, "I trust that my colleagues treated you well. How are you this evening?"

She gulped, nodding before words left her mouth, "Yeah they did, they were good I understand this whole mess," her nervous laugh earned deeper glares.

"Thank you for understanding and working with us in this case," the mech held a folder containing a thick stack of records, "It makes sense that you cooperated, not just from courtesy, but from your experience? I see that you were a model student from Mandaly U's Military program," they did their homework as expected. "Near-perfect grades across the board with some weakness in some academics, not to mention a record of behavioral misconducts."

The armored unit rose their head, "Yeah I had a few falling outs with some other students and teachers, I flopped a couple classes too so I focused on a military career until this firm offered a position in Giganto," Lena was familiar with the small talk strategy that the droid used now, though it mattered little in hindsight.

"Yes, I'm aware of what went on, E and D's branch filed for bankruptcy quite recently," the PD did their homework and a bit more, "You moved to Giganto before then-three weeks ago correct? Records show that you struggled with credit scores during your move?" Cards in the hand of the investigator played. A steel plate with no emotions made one hell of a poker face. Lena's foot couldn't help but tap to the beat. In this game, everything was stacked against her. A deep breath before the beat.

"Yeah, there were some issues and I needed help from my uncle back home," short and to the point. Lena held her head low, but eye contact was never broken. The mech peaked into the file for a moment, though he didn't need to.

"Interesting…" it scribbled mental notes with the confession, "So you were in desperate need for money during this time? Is that why this photograph exists?" out of the file and into the table was an image that haunted her. Nothing scary nor was it an embarrassing old image, rather a quite recent one. Gigante's residential district, where a building stood somber in construction. Upon the roof in the storm were a pair; a shorter robot waiting for battle, and a redhead who didn't know what she was getting into.

In the few seconds it took for Lena to focus on the picture, a tray now sat before the guard. The contents were a pair of skate augmentations, lenses that belonged to optical augmentations, and a silvery bracelet with orange beads, "You had high-end augmentations installed beforehand, correct? Skates are common for those who rather not use vehicles and opticals are also a necessity with neuragear and nanomachines, this bow also correlates with your target practice in Mandaly U," the mech covered for all of her possible contraband.

"However, these were also used in the decommissioning of three droids and your relay with the rogue unit who broke into the Destria laboratories, is this not true?"

A stone face kept the barrage, "I used these for my protection, that unit was there by coincidence," she tried her hardest not to sweat or gulp this time. Suspicions arose with the mildest of words. Words stolen from her mouth once the second image hit the table.

"Do you mean the same unit that accompanied you once arrested in the Destria laboratories? So the fact that you had no authorization to be in the area was to blame on them as well?" the mech's tone changed. Assault after assault exited his mouth, "You do know what happens to someone guilty of that, don't you?"

"Oi, wait a moment," parallel to the mech, Lena's voice rose and gaze sharpened, "That other unit, Dynamo, said he got access to the ruins for a job of his, ask him about the access I have no idea what's going on here-"

Lena's hands pounded on the desk, almost standing at this point. Not smart, knowing what was behind the door, "Your rouge accomplice cannot give answers at this moment," the mech didn't stop, "Now that you've admitted that you two know each other, refer to my previous-"

"I didn't admit shit you two-faced junkyard-built jackass!" the intensity in her voice set of alarms. Those attitude problems showed, with widened eyes, she couldn't take back what she said. Her file expanded with a new note added with ground her teeth. That damn unit was stuck on her mind. Selling him out? Sympathetic to the past? Dynamo was too much of an enigma for her to handle. The PD most likely knew she had murder on her mind, so why keep it hidden? Little veins in her head popped.

They popped similar to the treat that rested a few rooms away. In another standard interrogation room, however this time a television was mounted to the wall. On the white table was a bowl of popcorn. Two hands belonging to two people dug in while eyes were affixed to the interrogation of the poor girl, yet they continued to laugh. He who sat closest to the door was a dragon in the body of a man. Muscles that could barely fit the small frame, coated in scales. All the way to the short black sleeves that wrapped tightly against the shoulders, unlike the silver chains; accolades of service to the country and his badge. The man's claws had no issue with digging into the bowl and neither did his tongue wrapping between each finger. Every bob of the head shook his wild hair out of place, "This is too cruel, Dynamo," he wiped away a tear. The dragon sitting beside Dynamo was Tome of the security division.

An oil drop wiped from Dynamo's duct the same whilst they indulged in the interrogation, "I didn't tell her about this part just to see the outbursts. She doesn't disappoint!" the floor near him was already cracked. Fire escaped his gullet when concern entered his brain, "Oh yeah, she ain't in any real trouble either, right?"

Tome waved away all fears with his fingers reaching to the cigar in their shirt pocket, "Oh no, I just need someone to be on record if someone wants to investigate the case later. It'll get erased by the end of the week- don't worry I'm not stealing away your other friend," Tome denoted. The room went silent with the concerns addressed and the chip on the shoulder poked. Next to Tome's legs was a six-pack of beer. Two cracked open and one slid across the table. "Remind her not to mention anything about Scuta though- Kaizen won't forgive me if a poacher gets the better of the old boy."

"Ah come on, you're still heated over that," Dynamo took a break to pester the dragon between gulps, "The poor guy's sentence is gonna be done and over with and you'll still be talking about 'em," they didn't mind clanging their cans together with eyes on the show once more. The unit investigating Lena was almost at the halfway mark of their investigation; not half an hour had escalated through the scene.

That serpent, nobody needed to know it existed. Rote didn't want the people to know; all other gods also hid secrets. News of those things would only cause havoc among the public. It didn't help that there was someone with information on the serpent on the roam, but they'd have the measures to counterattack whatever came of it. Tome emptied the can and spoke up. "I wanted to talk to you not as part of the security team nor on the behalf of the Dragnoks, but as the manufacturing foreman of Dragnok Ironworks."

Smoke from the cigar mattered not to Dynamo with a deep breath from both before Tome slid a drive across the table, "Me, the head lady, and Draglion went through all of our trades going back a year. Machine shipments, material imports, and exports. Even covered partner reputation," Tome summarized with a hack, "Go through 'em if you want. I already sent a copy to Alexander," he was uneasy with his words. Dynamo laughed it off.

"All you youngins can't give me a break, huh?" he jested, "Needing to have an old man like me doing all the dirty work, what would your ancestors think?" he pocketed the wealth of information, routing his next step. A cough from his throat, "Three days for the most."

"Oh? At least be a better actor old man!.You'd be digging your heels in family business if it involved Rote or not!" the dragon man finished an entire cigar in a single puff. Dynamo's professionalism was something for him to admire, laughing while being completely serious. "If you want 'ta sit it out be my guest. Dragnok wouldn't be half as influential if it wasn't for what you did for us-let me show you what we can do."

Both sides shared in the laughs and cared not for the stakes at hand, "Ah come on, I didn't do much you know that," Dynamo's face shed that animation. His voice calmed, "I did what I needed to, I had no hand in what came of you. If you need to thank anyone let it be your ancestors, not me," he soured the tone with those words. Tome's face scrounged with eyes facing away.

"Sorry about that-"

Static sounded from his pocket. The sound of a man clearing his throat. Both clamped up with the device removed from Tome's shirt pocket. It was a simple phone, though specially designed for stealth; because of this many features such as holographic images, "Well, I see that you two are quite well and hardy at this time, Tome and Sir Dynamo," that thick voice was elegant with animosity masked. Alexander Dyson was just as imposing even as a disembodied voice. "It seems that you two have fallen quiet. I'll assume it's out of respect for me and not any other reason."

"Ah yeah...how's it going there, boss," Dynamo gulped. Quick to his words and returned to his silence. Anyone would act the same in the presence of such a man.

"Interesting I'd say," Alexander was blunt, "I reviewed the information on exported parts and noted a frequency of imports of varying components to companies. The standard worker units and hardware, however, what I've seen is that all of these groups go out of business soon and others pop up requesting parts that would complement the latter," he was a sharp man, not letting a thing move by. Since his birth Alexander was like this, the smartest Dyson in years by a mile. "These units always pass through the same warehouses in Giganto before moving to Mandaly, but something is strange there."

Dynamo's ears peaked with the spoonfed knowledge, "I see, and what's the oddity that you found, Alexander,"

He remained silent for a moment. Eyes laid on the circular phone, "I don't know," he exasperated, "The knights have begun digging their fingers into this case after the attack in S.C. and found the location before I did. Carmine refuses to elaborate," the more he explained the more compelled they became. A secondary message hidden in his words. "The red swarm would be conducting investigation there in three days when Rote reviews and grants permission, which he'll get word of in two days when I present the information to him."

Two days was his time limit. "Two days? I cover it by tomorrow."