Page 27 of Seamus: Unconventional
“Now that you know us and our weapons, who are you?”
The woman has a ready smile but the scar going down her hairline tells me it hasn’t always been a bowl of cherries for her. “Katie Fernando. Cody is my half-brother.They’re all working military.” She waves at the partners.
I nod looking closer at Katie Fernando. “You’re military?” She’s got the alert stance, serious and haunted look to her eyes but the smile is real. I’m not sure I’ve seen a more open smile on female military. They’re more guarded or something. They have reason, so it’s warranted.
“Army corps veterinary unit. I lasted long enough to get the degree with experience for a job.” She’s no longer smiling or happy. That haunted look is more noticeable making the military bearing show as clearly earned.This look, in her 5’7” height, reminds me of a young Maggie Gyllenhaal, maybe late twenties. The seriousness adding to her depth and stature, makes her dark haired average look feel bigger. That presence feels like she hides more than she shows.
“Where is your brother?”
She waves us in. “Squish into the living room. Cody is trying to get help from the FBI. He tried the military…”
Sarge leans against the woman. Her hand automatically goes to his head. “Thanks.” She pulls in a deep breath and settles herself before explaining. “Linda died right after he called them asking about her dog. I’ve been home for a month and knew as soon as I met him. I gave Cody the number that got her killed.” Her voice breaks but she doesn’t cry. Sarge leans on her leg harder.
I nod and sit in a chair when she sits on the couch. “Sorry, darling. The FBI didn’t have anything useful for me. Everyone is looking for information but there’s nothing coming back to me yet.”
She nods. “It’s the PD, everything important is buried. Cody said they got new officers but not detectives or real police officers. They work SWAT, opened a new Bomb unit but they don’t need bomb and have Hazmat and chemical being built, but they don’t need that either. This was a sleepy old mining town with a small force. In two years, the town is growing, crime is crazy and the new population is predominantly the new cops. Cody caught a cop selling high dollar trees to a landscaper over and over again. The builder filed a report about the theft after he put a camera on the subdivision entrance. The video, some pictures of two cops lifting the trees out of the ground and more delivering them to the original seller, who is in the new bomb squad, all went missing from evidence. Linda’s dog ID’d a lieutenant but he’s now the K-9 head or whatever the Police label that. The new plan is training K-9s for the PD but they only have two original dogs and one is Sam. Sam acts like he’s rabid around the new head guy meant to train him, so it’s a problem. They need to get rid of the dog then Cody. They aren’t letting Cody walk after this and the other cases they squashed on him. Plus, they got Sam labeled as excessively aggressive, unsuitable for adoption and unfit for service. I don’t know the details of Cody’s cases but he says if Sam is euthanized, he won’t have any other proof. They messed with it. What I know is what looks like a private company is running the PD and old officers are falling in line, leaving, or dying.”
I look at Shadow. ‘Get with Light, I want everyone looking from different angles. Pull Pratt’s cases and find what’s happening here.’ I send it through the chip.
Katie laughs when hologram boards pop up all over the living room.
I shrug. “I’m chipped to my partners. The others are chipped but it wasn’t to me. They just learned the new K-9 IT boards so they’re showing off.”
Her smile dies as quick as it showed. “The AI enhancements were proven failed.”
How the fuck would she know that? Army vet with a new degree doesn’t get classified clearance for experimental operations. I send it to Light. Sarge watches me so I nod to him. “Do you, Sarge. You’d know a lie and I'm just asking for her record.”
Her look changes to suspicious in a flash. “You got a whole department that’s corrupt and you’re checking me out?”
I put my hand up. “They were being checked out before we showed here. I asked for that faster. You’re a new name, shouldn’t be cleared for classified intel and they were getting bored. Where is Linda’s K-9 partner and how did Cody fit in Linda’s life?”
She relaxes and I can see why Light bounces between labels of a clown or firecracker on me. She erupts then is done. “Cody moved in with Linda at the end of last year. He planned to marry her. His biggest issue was her partner, Sam. She got Sam over a year ago and my brother is, was jealous. Now he won’t let Sam out of his sight, but before…he just tolerated him.”
I smile. “Sam fucked with him?” Something in her eyes says she respects Sam maybe a little more than her half-brother.
Her brighter smile tells me I’m right. “Yeah, he’d bring his leash to Linda when Cody had getting busy plans or jump in the bed with them.”
I laugh. “Shadow is one of my original partners, the bed jumping is normal and happened just this morning. I’d crate him if he tried it when I had company.”
Shadow growls at me. I smile at him.
Katie laughs at us both. “The chip really works for you?”
I nod. “It does, ours isn’t AI coded. How’d you get clearance for experimental operation intel?”
“I didn’t. A unit needed a vet tech for MP K-9s. I don’t know why, there was only six and the battalion had elite K-9s on base. They had vets, handlers and trainers right there. Anyway, my friend in the new unit told me all kinds of stories that I thought she made up. When they came for her one night, I knew it wasn’t stories. She had given me a bag in case something happened to her. I opened it that night then hid it because it was flash drives to mail. I found a phone off base and called the number she wrote down. Her dad said she died in a car wreck with her fiancé. She didn’t have a fiancé and never came back to base. I wasn’t going missing, so I held onto the drives until I was discharged.I sent those envelopes out from every stop I made getting home.The last two were special trips I made from New York then Vegas. I just didn’t want them to ever be linked to my new home.” She waves her hand. So, this is her place and she’s a smart girl.
“Good job. The chip we have didn’t come with the enhancements. Each group was adding elements, enhancements or coding to what the Sigma group started with.”
Her hand touches her scar. “You’re Sigma. You died. She spins fast.Oscura Sombra?” Shadow’s ears twitch forward and his eyes narrow as they take her in.
It’s the second time a woman has said his name when it shouldn’t be known.
“We’re not dead, obviously, but I don’t think they’ve given up just yet.” She’s looking at each of the partners so I answer what she didn’t ask. “Luz Blancais in Ops. Their names are Shadow and Light. SometimesSombraandLuzbut never the full name the lab used.”
Her eyes stop her hunt for Light and find mine. “I wasn’t told that. It was a story that I didn’t know was true. You all died in Pakistan is the way the story went. Did Theta all die?”
I nod. “They did. I thought they were the end but I have partners from other groups. Their lab time and experience is new to me and Badass.” I smile. “We never got mail from you.”
