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CORELINE: A Tale Of Two Maris (Ch. 2)

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Since becoming the Commander of the Indianapolis branch of the Champions, Bulma Briefs had dealt with a number of delicate situations. Personally, she preferred it when she could just instruct her team to hit the bad guys very hard until they gave up; that was simple.

However, having to deal with complicated issues where a wrong move could lead to all kinds of fallout went with being in charge.

“So,” she addressed Turnot and Karin, who were standing on the other side of her desk, “you’re telling me two people were murdered this morning at a warehouse on the edge of the city?”

Karin, who had just laid out the basics of all this to her, looked mildly (and some would argue, forgivably) annoyed, but Turnot remained as patient as ever.

“That’s right,” he said.

“And there’s video of these murders, which show the perp to be none other than Captain America/Mari Illustrious Makinami?” Bulma continued. “The one who’s supposed to be getting a key to the city of Chicago in a big ceremony this Fourth of July?”

“That’s right,” Turnot confirmed. “We have a copy of the video.” He added, placing a stick drive on her desk.

Bulma picked it up and put it aside for later study. /Now for the 64 million zeni question./ She thought.

“So, is the FBI or somebody on their way to arrest her right now? And do the media know about this?” she asked, resisting the urge to massage her temples.

“No and no,” Karin answered.

Bulma blinked, feeling the oncoming headache abate. That meant there was still time to get out in front of this; even if clapping the girl in irons ASAP was the only possible course of action, at least she could contact the Avengers, explain, and try to prevent too many feathers from being ruffled. Relations between them and the Champions were strained enough as it was already.

“Really?” she asked. “And why not?”

“The whole thing just seemed a little *too* perfect,” Turnot answered, frowning.

“How so?” Bulma asked.

She had a pretty good idea where they were going with this—she was a genius, after all—but she wanted to see to what extent the two members of her team had reasoned things out.

“Well, on the surface, the whole thing appears completely straightforward,” Karin began. “I mean, she’s worried her enemies are gonna attack when she’s presented with that big, shiny key to the city, and she doesn’t trust our counterparts in Chicago to keep the event secure.”

“So, from her perspective, it might be a good idea to strike preemptively,” Turnot picked up. “Take care of as many of the bad guys as she can *before* the event takes place. Then, somebody mistakes the Bane who’s now laying in the city morgue as the one who’s a member of the Joker R Gang, which is understandable, given the resemblance. Captain Makinami hears about it and decides to pop over here, kill her, and zip back home before anybody notices she’s gone. Makes total sense, and it’s not hard to see somebody desperate to avoid a catastrophe from doing something like that.”

“But you don’t believe that’s how it went down,” Bulma surmised. “Even in spite of the evidence.”

Turnot nodded. “Like I said, it’s just too perfect,” he repeated. “Tensions are high between the Avengers and the Champions right now, and then the Avengers’ latest golden girl up and murders someone right in our backyard? It seems designed to make sure a group that wasn’t particularly fond of her would find out about it and tell everyone, discrediting her.”

“Or to start up a conflict between the Champions the Avengers when Captain Makinami gets arrested,” Karin added darkly. “Making the superheroes fight each other. Oldest trick in the book.” She added.

“Maybe we’d even be accused of framing her, if she’s locked up,” Turnot agreed.

“I must admit it does seem designed to sow conflict. However, not everything’s a conspiracy,” she said evenly. “Desperate people do desperate things, you know, and from what we’ve been hearing, Captain Makinami’s become very desperate indeed to do something about the situation she’s found herself in.”

Not for the first time, she allowed herself to feel no small amount of annoyance for Avengers leadership and Sylia Stingray for marooning the young woman in such a jam.

She hadn’t discussed her thoughts on the matter with Turnot and Karin, or any of the members of the team she commanded, for that matter, but she’d drawn pretty much the same conclusions. Sylia was likely playing some game of 4-D chess, either setting a trap for the Joker R Gang and the Golden Four or hoping to make the Avengers respond in a certain way.

As for Captain Rogers and the rest of the leadership of the Infinite Avengers? Who knew? She was aware of the fact that Sylia didn’t particularly want them at the ceremony, but if they did send a contingent, there wasn’t much the businesswoman could do, at least not without creating the type of PR problems she’d been trying to solve lately.

“That’s true,” Turnot conceded. “And I’d be open to possibility that this crime is exactly what it looks like, except for one thing. The dead security guard.”

Bulma arched an eyebrow.

“Captain Makinami could’ve snuck past the guy in her sleep,” Karin elaborated. “And even if he’d come running during the fight there was zero chance a random rent-a-cop could’ve stopped her.”

“There was no need to kill him,” Turnot agreed. “We think the real perp just did it in order to leave more evidence behind, and to make doubly sure people would be angry.”

“If the objective was one big frame job, then why come out to Indianapolis?” Bulma asked, playing Devil’s advocate. “Why not go to Chicago and kill actual members of the Joker R gang?”

“Difficulty finding the real ones, most likely,” Karin answered. “Also, the perp might’ve been afraid of running into the real Captain Makinami, if she did this in her stomping grounds.”

“Excellent deductions,” Bulma complimented the two with a smile. Yes, these two were coming along nicely. “So, where are we now in regards to the police acting and the media finding out?”

“We asked the local LEOs to keep it quiet for now, until a more thorough investigation can be concluded, and they’re keeping the identity of their number one suspect secret until they’re ready to act,” Turnot answered.

“*But*,” Karin spoke up before Bulma could reply, “if no evidence to exonerate Captain Makinami is found by the third, they’re going to alert the feds, who will no doubt immediately arrest her.”

“The local police chief doesn’t want to let the ceremony in Chicago proceed if Captain Makinami is strongly suspected of murder,” Turnot said.

“I believe his exact words were ‘I don’t give a shit about that steroid-infused super villain freak, but that guard was just an average guy trying to make ends meet. There’s no way I’m letting his killer get a God damned key to city in Chicago, especially if it puts people in danger.’” Karin said with a touch of dark humor.

That wasn’t exactly surprising, Bulma mused. She wouldn’t exactly be inclined to sit back and watch somebody she thought was a murderer get draped with accolades, either. Still, it meant that they didn’t have a whole lot of time.

“Okay,” she said, holding back a sigh. “From now until this is resolved, you two are to direct all your efforts to solving this case. Terra and Sai Saici will be taking over your patrols. Your one and only priority is to get to the bottom of this. If you need any kind of extra resources or assistance, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Understood,” Karin said, while Turnot nodded.

“We should probably get started, then,” he said.

Bulma nodded. “Dismissed.”

The two supers departed, leaving Bulma alone in her office. Plugging in the thumb drive Turnot and Karin had given her, she briefly reviewed the video of the killings, unable to keep from wincing at the particularly gruesome bits.

Done with that, she allowed herself a long sigh, slumping in her chair for a minute, suddenly feeling very tired.

There was one thing Karin and Turnot apparently hadn’t deduced when they’d reasoned out as much as they could about the crime. With the double murder being kept a secret, the perpetrator (assuming the perp was indeed someone other than Captain Makinami) hadn’t gotten the result she’d wanted. The real Captain Makinami wasn’t being thrown into some stinking jail to rot, and all out war between the Avengers and the Champions wasn’t happening.

Thus frustrated, she’d likely try again.

Bulma had considered telling her two team members that, but she hadn’t seen what that would accomplish, other than making them feel guilty. Running straight to the press and getting Captain Makinami branded a murderer would be playing right into their foe’s hands, and the last thing she wanted was for an innocent person to get arrested, but the clock was definitely ticking down to the next incident.

Finally composing herself, Bulma sat up straight in her chair again. “EVA,” she called.

“Yes, Commander?” responded the disembodied voice of the Electronic Video Assistant.

“Get me Captain America of Avengers Team 8096/422012,” she ordered. “Mark the transmission both high priority and private.”

“Complying,” EVA replied, and the large screen on the far wall of Bulma’s office lit up, an icon shaped like a phone appearing in the center. “Please wait.”

Bulma did so for several moments, hoping the super soldier she intended to reach was just getting himself to a spot where he could have a conversation in private, and wasn’t unwilling or unable to speak with her.

She almost heaved a sigh of relief when the picture of the phone was replaced by the chiseled face of Captain Steve Rogers.

“Commander Briefs,” he greeted her politely. She wondered if he actually knew of her or just got her name and title from caller ID. They’d never spoken before. “This is a surprise. What can I do for you?”

/Tell me why you’ve left your protégé to fend for herself, even though she and her team haven’t remotely gotten their bearings yet. Tell me why you’re not helping her. Sylia’s not sending enough people because she’s probably got some scheme in the works, and that’s not good. But I believed you, at least, weren’t the kind to do that./ She thought, and if she was half as quick tempered as she had once been, she wouldn’t have hesitated to say all that.

“I’m afraid a situation has cropped up,” she began. “One that directly involves the Captain America currently based in Chicago.”

She almost said the “the Captain America in charge of the new Avengers team in Chicago” but stopped herself, remembering she technically wasn’t supposed to know about that.

“Mari?” Steve asked, frowning. “What’s happened?”

As quickly and clearly as she could, Bulma laid out the situation for him, watching his frown deepen as she went on. His expression grew truly concerned when she showed him the surveillance footage from the murders.

“This is disturbing news, Commander,” he said when she’d finished. “However, I sincerely doubt it was actually that Captain America. She’s got her hands quite full in Chicago. I’m certain she’ll have an alibi.”

“Probably,” Bulma agreed. “However, said alibi will likely be a member of her own team, and in any case, given the plethora of skills I understand she’s picked up, I’d be very surprised if she couldn’t create a shadow clone, or something similar. An alibi alone won’t hold up.”

Captain America was silent for a moment, digesting this.

“For what it’s worth, we don’t believe it was really her, either,” Bulma informed him.

“I can have a few Avengers experienced in such investigations sent to help,” he offered.

/Like hell./ Bulma thought.

“Respectfully, Captain, I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” she said, blue eyes narrowing. “I understand Captain Makinami was overall quite popular with the membership of the Infinite Avengers. Any exculpatory evidence they uncover might be viewed as suspect.”

The good captain looked like he might try to press the issue for a moment, then relented. “All right, I’ll leave it in your hands,” he relented.

“I have two of my best people working on it and collaborating with the police,” Bulma added, hoping to reassure him. “I can send you their dossiers, if you’d like.”

“Please do,” he replied.

“EVA,” Bulma called. “Send him Turnot and Karin’s public dossiers. And throw in a copy of the crime scene footage while you’re at it.”

“Transmitting…” the AI reported. “Data sent.”

“Thank you,” Captain America said, but his expression remained dark. “Mari won’t be pleased to hear about this.” He mused aloud.

“You’re really going to tell her? Don’t you think she has enough to worry about?” Bulma blurted out before she could stop herself.

“She has a right to know,” Captain America said firmly.

Bulma almost argued that while that was true, there was no need for her to know *right now*. There was still a chance the matter could be resolved before the third.

The only thing that stopped her was the suspicion that she might be in for a very long speech/lecture about freedom and responsibility. This was her first time dealing with this particular alt of Steve Rogers, but she’d encountered a few before, and more than one had been fond of such verbose arguments.

“Thank you,” he said, before she could come up with an appropriate response. “For telling me about this. I doubt it’s something Ms. Stingray will be entirely happy about.”

Bulma waved this off. She had a healthy respect for Sylia’s capabilities, if not always her methods, but she didn’t fear the woman.

“Actually, there was an idea I wanted to float your way, especially since you intend to tell Captain Makinami about this anyway,” she said, explaining her worries about what the real killer would do when the young woman she was impersonating faced no consequences. “With that in mind, it might be best if Captain Makinami preemptively surrendered to the authorities. It would allow the killer to think she’d accomplished her mission.”

“I understand,” Captain America said. “However, I’m afraid I can’t oblige you. Mari’s already been unfairly punished by the law once. I won’t allow her to be imprisoned again for another act she never committed. Not while I have anything to say about it.”

“Captain, people lives could be at stake,” she said flatly.

“I understand, but some things are worth risking a life over,” he said. “Ideally, it’s always your own, but sometimes a leader has to put others in jeopardy. It’s one of the unpleasant realities of command, having to make hard decisions.”

“I’m aware of that,” she said, “but given the circumstances…”

“People have fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy, Commander Briefs, including freedom from unjust persecution,” Steve said.

Bulma resisted the urge to grimace; she had an unpleasant suspicion that he was *this* close to telling her all about storming the beaches of Normandy or something.

“Mari has fought to defend this country and its freedoms,” Steve continued. “I won’t have her surrender her own in the face of someone trying to frame her. Not when there’s a viable alternative. Throwing yourself on a land mine to save someone else is only noble if avoiding or disarming it isn’t an option. So I suggest you and your people track down the real killer as soon as possible.”

“I see,” she said, keeping her tone carefully neutral.

“Believe me, this isn’t a decision I make lightly,” Steve said, his demeanor softening. “The Extraordinary Avengers are at a critical moment right now. Having their leader carted off for murder could end the team, and all the good they could do in the future. Mari’s really got her hands full over there, as I recently discovered.”

/“Recently?”/ Bulma frowned. /You haven’t been keeping tabs on her until now? Did you just find out about this whole key ceremony problem yesterday or something?/

She had once watched one of her former team members depart to command a new branch of the Champions in another city, and while she understood that people newly arrived to positions of authority had to be allowed to ultimately rise or fall on their own merits, she certainly hadn’t ignored her former protégé’s first days on the job. Indeed, she’d made certain he knew she was always available to provide a sympathetic ear or word of advice, despite having plenty of her own problems to worry about at the time.

“Well, it’s your decision whether to inform Captain Makinami,” Bulma said.

He nodded. “Speaking of informing people, I presume you’ll be letting Ms. Stingray know about this, if you haven’t already?”

Bulma nodded. “I’ll be sending her my report as soon as we’re done here,” she said. “I informed you first as a courtesy, but I can’t leave her out of the loop any longer than I already have. I will be strongly recommending that she leaves the matter to me and my team for now, however.”

“I understand,” Captain America told her. “Again, thank you. Is there anything else?”

“Not at present, no,” Bulma said.

“In that case, over and out,” he said, and his image vanished from her screen.

Bulma allowed herself to slump in her chair again, rubbing her forehead. “What a mess,” she groaned.

*

“Well, we sure as hell have our work cut out for us,” Karin observed.

It had been an hour since their meeting with Bulma, and the two were seated in the base’s spacious common room, looking through copies of the case files that the local police had been kind enough to provide them with.

So far, there wasn’t a whole lot of useful information there. CSI had yet to discover much of anything the video hadn’t told them. Indeed, one of the new things was confirmation that the liquid in the broken canisters had been venom, as they’d suspected, which didn’t really help them much.

Another was the report from the lip reader the police had had study the video. Unfortunately, the perp’s dialogue only strengthened the notion that she was Captain Makinami, out to murder her foes before they could crash the ceremony scheduled for Independence Day.

On top of that, every fingerprint or bit of genetic material discovered at the crime scene had belonged to either the victims or one of the men who worked in the warehouse. The murderer might as well have been a ghost so far as that aspect of it was concerned.

/And of course, you’d only expect a super soldier with extensive espionage training to be that good./ Turnot mused darkly.

“Well, there’s always Plan D,” Karin said with a wan smile.

Turnot chuckled, but it was weak. “Somehow, I doubt the Commander will go for that,” he said.

“That what do you want to do?” Karin asked.

He put the folder he held with the case report down onto a nearby coffee table. “I think it’s obvious that this case isn’t going to be solved in a crime lab,” he said. “At least not before it’s too late. We’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”

“I’m game,” Karin said, clearly eager to get out and actually *do* something. “What did you have in mind?”

“We don’t have any suspects aside from the one we think is being framed,” Turnot said. “So we focus on the victim. The intended victim, not the poor guy who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why was Bane Sarai squatting in a warehouse? Who knew she was there? Who even knew she was in Indy? Hopefully, that information will help lead us to the killer.”

“If it was fairly common knowledge, then it might be a dead end,” Karin warned.

Turnot nodded. “I know, but I don’t have a better idea,” he replied. “So, we start shaking down the local rabble and see what they know about a Bane in town, and we question the employees of that warehouse. I can’t believe a super villain or anybody else could live there for any amount of time without getting at least a couple people who worked there to help her, either through bribes or intimidation.”

“We should split up,” Karin said. “Get it done more quickly that way.”

“Agreed,” Turnot said. “Which job do you want?”

Karin didn’t need to think about it very long. “I’ll twist the local scum’s arms,” she said, cracking her knuckles. “You question the warehouse guys. You’re better at being polite. Assuming people are innocent until proven guilty. All that crap.”

He smirked. “All right. We’ll meet up back here later,” he said. “And be careful.”

“Always am,” she replied with a grin.

The Saiyan looked like he wanted to debate that, then thought the better of it. Instead, he gave her a quick kiss, then headed out to begin his investigation, hoping they weren’t too late.

*

Normally, she hated TV.

Now…well, she still hated it, but she found herself glued to it, which was just another reason why this assignment was pissing her off.

That she was watching it in a seedy, smelly room at an extremely cheap motel didn’t help her mood much, either.

The story of Bane’s murder at the hands of a popular superhero should’ve been all over the 24 hour news channels, but she hadn’t heard nary a word about it. Oh, the murder itself was getting some play on local news, but nobody mentioned the obvious killer. The internet, that perpetually frothing cauldron of gossip and hearsay, was similarly mute on the subject.

“They covered it up,” she growled to herself. “It’s the only explanation.”

Damn, and her she was hoping it would be one and done. That she’d be finished with her task and could head home triumphant. Clearly, however, that wasn’t the case. If the story was going to break any time soon, it almost certainly would’ve broken already.

/Not good. If I don’t get results by the Fourth…/

She shook her head, not wanting to ponder the idea.

Obviously, further action was required.

Grabbing the large black case that sat on the hard bed, the only piece of luggage she was travelling with, she undid the clasps and the lock holding it closed and opened the lid.

She smiled as she looked at the high powered rifle revealed within. Yes, that would do.

Now all she needed was a target.

*

“Oh God, what a day!” Mari Illustrious Makinami exclaimed the moment the door to her room sealed behind her, allowing herself to finally display the signs of weariness and frustration she had studiously kept hidden for the past several hours.

It had easily been one of the longest evenings she’d endured in quite a while. Having the local Champions branch come over and offer to help with the construction of the Mansion was a godsend, in spite of the rather obnoxious test Commander Saotome had put her through beforehand, but that didn’t mean it was without cost.

Tensions between the two teams still ran high, and the super soldier had felt less like a leader than a weary kindergarten teacher for much of the day, trying to make sure everyone got along enough to get the work done and prevent an all out brawl.

/I don’t know who was more unhelpful today./ She thought as she allowed herself to collapse face first into her bed, still fully dressed. /Captain Marvel Asuka or the problem members on my team…/

Vaguely, she realized she was already starting to drift off and silently debated whether she should bother to at least kick off her boots before surrendering to the welcome release of sleep.

The footwear didn’t seem like that big of an issue.

She was *just* about to cross over into dream land when a familiar warbling sound jolted her into wakefulness.

With a groan, she reluctantly reached into her pocket and withdrew her Avengers ID card. She was sorely tempted to ignore it, especially when she realized it wasn’t a call to assemble. However, she knew better than to do that just because she was tired.

Sitting up and running a cursory hand across her hair to smooth it out, she pressed the button. “Hi, Uncle Steve,” she greeted the elder super soldier and her mentor, a genuine smile making its way through her weariness.

He did not return her grin, and for a moment she feared she’d managed to royally fuck things up, even though letting the Champions help with the Mansion seemed like the best option and completely in line with the advice he’d given her before.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news, Mari,” he said.

“I really have enough of that to deal with myself, Uncle Steve!” Mari protested. “Trying to get my people and the Champions to cooperate feels like trying to transport a ton of TNT and a ton of matches at once!”

“I know you’re in a tough spot,” he said sympathetically, “but I felt you had to know about this. It concerns you directly.”

“Okay, lay it on me, then,” she said.

“It appears that someone’s trying to frame you for murder,” he answered.

Mari’s eyes bulged. “WHAT?!”

The older super soldier quickly laid out the situation for her, then showing her the video of the killings. By the time it was done, Mari was in a complete state of disbelief.

“Wow, if I didn’t know better, *I* would say that would me,” she said softly. “How the hell does she know so many of my moves like that?”

Steve just shook his head. “I wish I could tell you, Mari,” he said. “For now, it’s a mystery.”

“But…nobody actually buys the idea that I might’ve done this, right?” she asked, feeling apprehension prick her stomach. “I mean, I was right here all day! My team can vouch for me! Besides, how am I supposed to get from Chicago to Indianapolis and back so quickly?”

“There are certainly methods of teleporting that distance,” Steve replied reasonably. “Even without an operational Infinity Door at your Mansion. As I recall, Ferengi merchants are currently in Chicago, trying to sell matter transporters, among other things. As for your alibis, well, a lawyer might manage to convince a jury they’re lying for you, and in any case, you can create shadow clones of yourself.”

Mari rubbed her forehead, part of her very much wishing she’d just ignored her ID card and gone to sleep. “So, what? Am I going to get the book thrown at me unfairly a *second* time?” she asked.

“Hopefully not, and if you are charged, I’ll do everything I can to see true justice is done,” Steve reassured her. “And for what it’s worth, the Indianapolis branch of the Champions doesn’t believe you’re the killer, either. The Commander of that team assures me she’s put some of her best people on the case.”

Mari felt her heart sink at the mention of the Champions. Given their lackluster plans to provide security for the stupid, upcoming ceremony on the Fourth, she didn’t have a whole lot of faith in them right now. She certainly would’ve felt better if an Avengers team was on the job instead.

Steve must’ve seen the skepticism in her eyes. “I wanted to send in some Avengers, too, but Indianapolis is that branch’s back yard. The Avengers don’t have much presence there,” he said. “Sometimes you have to refrain from stepping on people’s toes if you want the superhero community to function properly.” He added apologetically.

Mari wanted to ask why certain redheads felt no compunction about stepping on *her* toes, then, but resisted the urge.

“Did they tell you much about who’s trying to track down my evil doppelganger?” she asked instead.

“Yes, their commander sent me over some information,” Steve replied, forwarding the dossiers to her.

Mari’s eyes widened in disbelief as she skimmed over them. “What the…?! A Kryptonian and a Saiyan!” she exclaimed. “I *just* smacked down three of the strongest members of their Chicago branch by exploiting their Kryptonite Factors, and now they send two supers with ones just as bad to catch somebody who knows a bunch of my moves?! Are they nuts? The imposter me could beat this turnip guy just by grabbing his tail!”

“We don’t know every last thing about these two heroes, Mari,” Steve reminded her. “In any case, they don’t need to beat the murderer in combat to ruin her plans and exonerate you, just prove she is an imposter.”

“I guess, but that would be a lot easier if they could haul her to jail,” Mari retorted. “Ugh, what am I going to do about this?”

“I think it would be best if you focused on the problems closer to home,” Steve answered. “I just informed you about this because I felt you had a right to know.”

“Thanks, Uncle Steve,” she said. “I guess.”

He smiled wanly at her. “If worse comes to worst, I *will* send in Avengers investigators to clear your name,” he reassured her.

“Thanks,” she said gratefully.

He nodded. “Now, I realize this is easier said than done, but I think you should try to get some rest.”

Mari chuckled weakly. “Right. Thanks, Uncle Steve,” she couldn’t keep a hint of sarcasm from worming its way into her voice.

She could’ve lived with not knowing about this until morning.

“Good night, Mari,” Steve said, and with that, his image winked out.

Mari sighed, suddenly not feeling nearly as tired as she had before. Nevertheless, she undressed and returned to bed.

Unsurprisingly, however, sleep wouldn’t come, despite having been so close before. Mari couldn’t stop thinking about her imposter confronting and taking out the two supers sent to stop her.

/Ugh, what is with the Champions and sending in exactly the wrong people for the job?/ She wondered.

Finally, she decided she simply couldn’t rest unless she did *something* to ease her mind. Sitting up, she grabbed her Avengers ID card from her bedside table and thumbed the buttons on it.

“Tai, you awake?”

“For you, Mari, always,” the AI responded amicably. “What can I do for you?”

“There was a double murder in Indianapolis recently, at a warehouse on the edge of the city,” she said. “Is there any mention of it in the news?”

“I’m seeing a few mentions on the websites of the local news outlets,” Tai responded after a brief moment. “However, there are very few details available. The police aren’t releasing any extra information, citing the ongoing investigation.”

“Well, at least that much is going right,” she grumbled.

“Mari?”

“Open a case file on the incident, Tai,” she ordered the AI. “Keep an eye on the news in that area for any more mysterious murders that the local LEOs are being super tight lipped about, okay? Priority goes to any incidents the local branch of the Champions are involved in, okay? Inform me immediately of any strong match.”

“Yes, Mari,” Tai said. “But what is this all about?”

“If I’m very lucky? Someone else’s problem,” she replied.

*

“And you’re sure you knew nothing about the super villain who was hiding in a corner of the warehouse where you work every day?” Turnot asked, giving the worker in front of him his best probing stare.

To his satisfaction, the man squirmed uncomfortably, but he didn’t suddenly give up a wealth of information. “I’ll admit I had a clue that some of the other guys were making money off of something dirty, but I had no idea they were keeping a freaking super villain in there. Thought they were just storing contraband in a corner or something.”

“I see,” the Saiyan replied, unsurprised. “Well, thank you for your time, sir. If you should remember anything that you think might be of help to the investigation, please give Stingray Security Services a call and report it.” He added, handing the man a card with the relevant number.

The man took the card. “Sure, but I really doubt that’s gonna happen.”

Turnot shrugged, bidding the man goodbye, then took to the air. Only once he was out of earshot of anyone on the ground did he allow himself a sigh.

So far, questioning the warehouse staff had proven largely fruitless, and, since he had to track them down one by one in order to speak to them, it was proving far more time consuming than he’d hoped. He’d wanted to be done with the job yesterday, but that just hadn’t happened.

He’d already found most, if not all of Bane Sarai’s collaborators, and they hadn’t had much of anything useful to tell him. Apparently, the venom user had approached them late one night, offering money in exchange for a place to stay. Motivated both by greed and fear of the huge woman, they had agreed, and worked together to keep her from being discovered by anyone not in on it.

Unfortunately, none of them knew anything about Bane Sarai beyond that. They had no clue about where she’d come from, why she was looking for a place to hole up, or where she’d gotten the money she paid them off with.

Turnot might’ve thought they were lying to him, but he’d interrogated them all separately, and their stories had aligned too well for him to believe they were being deceptive. At least one of them would’ve slipped up if they weren’t telling him the truth.

He was becoming increasingly certain that nothing would come of his efforts on this front, but as he didn’t know what else to do, he got ready to track down the next warehouse worker on his list.

Before he could, however, his communicator beeped. Seeing it was Karin, he quickly picked it up, hoping she’d had more luck than he had. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she answered. She sounded too grim to be reporting success, he realized immediately.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“The Commander just contacted me,” she answered. “There’s been another killing, outside the city this time. The police think murderer was the same person who killed Bane Sarai.”
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Anicomicgeek's avatar
This is also pretty good.  Can't wait to read the toher chapters.:)