Chereads / Anomaly correction officers / Chapter 71 - Chapter 70: Fate

Chapter 71 - Chapter 70: Fate

Hours later, after Lance's death had been confirmed and his body recovered, a meeting to determine their next move took place.

"Based on the reports and information gathered at the scene, Lieutenant Lance Colling was shot and killed, during an alleged altercation between two officers and the mercenary group known as Kiba." A man dressed in a black suit stated. He was sitting behind a desk with several stacks of paper, with several screens surrounding him filled with various information.

"Leading up to the event of his death, Officer Kael Mcloughlin and Officer Marcus Fall were dispatched on a suspicious persons case, the target's name was Carlos Ortiz. Around ten minutes into their patrol, the officers found and chased Mr. Carlos, into the ongoing construction project of the city's expansion. There the officers trapped and cornered Mr. Carlos, however, there was a person on the scene now suspected to be part of that same Kiba group, but at the time was known as a lone construction worker. Carlos used this woman as a hostage and threatened to kill her if Marcus and Kael attempted to subdue him."

The man in the suit took a breather before continuing, "Officers Marcus and Kael obliged Carlos's wishes, Mr. Carlos then demanded for a third officer to reveal himself, which at this given moment we know was Lance. It is unknown how, or why Carlos knew of Lance's presence at the time, but there is an ongoing investigation."

"Carlos threatened to kill the hostage within ten seconds if Lance didn't reveal himself, and so Lance obliged and emerged from hiding. Lance attempted to take control of the situation, talking with Carlos as he slowly approached him. Mr. Carlos talked with the Lieutenant until he suddenly demanded he stop, right in a place that put him in the direct line of sight for a sniper that was posted in a nearby skyscraper that was under construction."

"Carlos then asked Lance the following question, does your chest hurt? Lance attempted to answer the question, but that is when he was shot and killed….."

The man in the black suit then went on to explain the events after Lance's death and described the details of anything else involved.

When he finished speaking, he looked out to the court, which held a member from the council, a few higher-ups from the training facility in Manchester, where Lance was previously stationed and where Marcus and Kael were trained, and lastly, Dr. Fletcher, who sat with a few higher-ups from the North American east coast division.

The member from the council, who was hidden with the only indicator of his presence was the black hologram of a person, nodded his head solemnly. "I see, Lance's death is indeed a tragic setback for the organization's goals, so what is the plan to rectify this situation, for the immediate fallout and future?" He asked, his voice deep and ominous.

The man in the black suit nodded his head as he began to speak. "She currently has several ACAs investigating the situation and all who were involved, I have faith that they will uncover any potential leads. We have also deployed more resources to investigate the Kiba mercenaries. However, for the immediate Fall out, that is still being debated, sir…"

The council member nodded, "then decide now, what is to happen to the two officers who survived the incident, and who is responsible for allowing such an incident to unfold.

Dr. Fletcher raised a hand, "I believe that Officer Marcus should be transferred under my command. Not only could I provide assistance to his development, but based on his actions during the incident, he could prove to be an important asset in the future."

"And the other officer?" The council member asked.

"I believe that he should bear the responsibility of Lieutenant Lance's death. His actions, or the lack thereof, contributed not only to the situation's escalation but possibly even the escape of a potential suspect."

Melvin, the administrator from the training complex, stood up in defiance. "That's utter nonsense!" He said angrily, "That boy is just a rookie, he is none more responsible than Marcus!"

The council member looked down at Melvin, "do you object to her reasoning" He asked.

"Absolutely!" Melvin said with determination.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I believe that not just Kael, but every officer that graduated from the last batch of cadets was unfit from service in the first place, I suggest calling them back and having them serve in a more controlled environment."

The council member nodded. "I see, Dr. Fletcher?" 

Dr. Fletcher remained as calm and confident as ever. "Mr. Melvin has a point that the officers who graduated from the latest batch of cadets are of a lesser quality than those from the previous batches. However, this particular incident could not only have been avoided if Kael had acted more decisively, but I will go as far as to suggest that if Mr. Melvin had listened to me from the very beginning this situation most likely wouldn't have happened."

"Explain." The council member said with a curious tone, his interest piqued.

"When the cadets had completed their training and their assignments were being chosen, I suggested to Mr. Melvin that Marcus should be deployed under my command and that Lance should remain in Manchester."

"However, instead of listening to my request, he pushed them aside, instead listening to Lieutenant Lance's request for Marcus to be deployed under his mentorship. He reasoned that Lance could provide the father figure Marcus required, along with assisting Kael in becoming more open with his thoughts. Now not only was this unnecessarily irrational, but by letting emotions override logic and reason, Lance is dead."

Melvin took a sharp breath as he narrowed his eyes, "I- ….." he attempted a rebuttal, but nothing came out.

"Is that true?" The council member asked.

"Yes sir," Melvin said as he averted his gaze.

"So then, what is your reasoning?"

Melvin frowned and sighed. "I…. Lance had brought up several points that sounded reasonable, it was clear that he cared for Marcus, less for being an asset and more as a human, as the kid that he was. Dr. Fletcher meanwhile, only talked as if the boy was a tool, so I made what I thought was an obvious choice at the time."

The council member grumbled as the tension in the room grew. "It sounds to me as if you forgot what this organization stands for." He said coldly, "When a cadet agrees to join the organization, they are no longer "kids" Mr. Melvin, they're protectors. It seems as if you have somehow forgotten that."

Melvin remained silent.

"I don't believe Kael is responsible for this incident, it's you Mr. Melvin." The council member said with a frustrated sigh, "I'll have commadet Evert pay you a visit."

Melvin looked to be utterly devastated, he slumped back into his seat, and his shoulders fell as he sighed deeply. There was nothing more he could do. "Understood sir." He said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

The council members then shifted their attention to Dr. Fletcher. "You're request for Officer Marcus is granted, however, do not waste his abilities same as Mr. Melvin, train him to his full potential."

Dr. Fletcher nodded as she sat down.

"As for Officer Kael, he will be partnered with a new team and will be watched closely for the time being, are there any objections?"

"None at all." Dr. Fletcher answered, her tone unwavering. 

The council member then nodded. "Very well, this meeting is adjourned." He said, his holographic form disappearing.

Then, one by one everyone else's holographic forms began disappearing as well, Dr. Fletcher included. 

As she closed her laptop, she leaned back in her seat. Her expression was unreadable. After a moment of silence, she glanced over at a strange device that was covered with strange engravings and pulsated with a gold light.

"Soon." She whispered to herself, "I changed this place for the better."

— — —

Marcus and Kael never left the basement of the Cyber-tech store. They all sat in a tense silence, with exhausted expressions. Marcus glanced over at Kael, who was pulling on his finger.

"You know what," Marcus said, finally breaking the silence. "You don't have to take this shit, you can run from it."

Kael sighed as he looked at Marcus with a faint smile. "I doubt I'd get far, and when I am caught, my punishment might become worse."

Luna, who was quietly sitting in Marcus Lap, looked up to him with a disappointed expression. "Running isn't a viable option and you should've known that, are you trying to get him killed?"

Marcus frowned, "I'm offering solutions here, you haven't suggested anything…."

Luna sighed, "Because there isn't anything he could do, his only hope, is that the blame gets placed elsewhere."

Kael shook his head as he sighed deeply. "It's wishful thinking, but I doubt I'd get so lucky." Kael explained, "Because if I was, I probably wouldn't have gotten in this situation in the first place."

Marcus leaned his head back on the wall, unable to meet Kael's saddened eyes.

He would survive at the expense of his partner. There was a presence of guilt swirling within him.

But what could he do? 

Marcus had no intention of throwing himself into the fire just so Kael wouldn't. What would be the reason for that? He had a future just as Kael did, he was as innocent in the situation as Kael was, so why, why would he sacrifice himself?

Kael got the short end of the stick, it was as simple as that.

"I'm sorry Kael," Marcus said softly. "You were a good guy…."

"It's fine," Kael said softly. "It's not your fault."

The room then returned to silence, and it stayed like that for another hour, until eventually, two officers began descending into the basement.

Marcus and Kael looked up at the officers with curious expressions, waiting for what they were coming to say.

One of the officers was a short woman with long ginger hair and brown eyes. Sighed deeply, "you two look terrible." She commented.

"What's going to happen to me?" Kael asked immediately, his voice filled with dread.

"Relax man." The other officer, presumably her partner, spoke up. She was a Hispanic woman with a blonde Mohawk. "We aren't here to arrest anyone." She joked.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "so….. what are you here for?" He asked.

"To replace you." The officer with the ginger hair answered, "You two are relieved of duty and will be redeployed elsewhere, Marcus you'll be under the direct command of Dr. Fletcher, and Kael will be sent where we were previously stationed."

Kael's eyes widened with disbelief and reserved relief. "What does this mean?" He asked, heastily standing up. "Am I good, a-are we not in trouble?"

"Woah, woah, woah." The woman with the Mohawk said, stretching out her hand and gesturing for Kael to calm down. "You're still on thin ice dude, so I wouldn't get too happy."

Kael nodded as he calmed himself down, breathing a sigh of relief. "Y-yeah." He stammered. "That's fine, I uhm, I can live with that."

Marcus looked back at Kael with a smirk. "Looks like your luck hasn't run out just yet." He teased.

Kael nodded. "Yeah." He replied. "I guess not." He said with a faint smile.

Marcus then turned his attention towards the officer with ginger hair. "So, when are we supposed to leave?" Marcus asked.

"Tomorrow." She answered, "Tonight you just clean yourself up and rest, and in the morning you'll fly down to Miami, while you," she said turning her attention to Kael, "will be redeployed to Philadelphia, placed under the supervision of Sargent Daniel."

Kael nodded. "Right, thank you." He said with a genuine smile.

"Don't thank the messenger buddy, whether it was good news or bad, I still would've delivered it." She said with a semi-serious expression.

Marcus and kael exchanged a look of determination. The once gloomy atmosphere now becoming cautiously optimistic.