"A clone?" the chairwoman of the panel asks in complete disbelief, "Surely you cannot be serious Lieutenant Duma."

After leaving the coroner's office I had immediately called the Garden, requesting for an urgent appointment with the investigative panel. I was expecting the panel to be convened the next day, but the Garden got back to me not fifteen minutes later, telling me that the panel was willing to meet Highest Scorer and myself after office hours today for ten minutes. Just ten minutes. Hardly long enough to conduct any business of importance. But more than enough time for the panel to transfer the case to Holt and open a file on my alleged negligence. 

"Completely serious." I smile back politely, roaring with laughter at those old bitches in my heart, "We will need a full medical examination of the corpse to officially confirm it of course, but the coroner is certain. A clone of a citizen was killed. Not the citizen himself."

"I see." the chairwoman nods with a grim expression on her face, "Have you brought in Don Kuat for questioning yet?"

"No." I say, keeping my polite smile glued to my face. The panel glares at me with growing irritation but I keep my peace, forcing them to make the first move. 

"Why have you not followed standard procedure, Lieutenant?" the chairwoman asks pointedly, "And why isn't Specialist Holt here with you for this meeting?"

"I saw no reason to detain Kuat." I explain with increasing confidence, "I had inspected his deployment ring. It retains too much divine power to have been used in combat recently. In light of this fact, I am provisionally clearing Kuat of suspicion."

"Lieutenant," the chairwoman leans forward with a scowl on her face, "you are aware that Kuat could have simply recharged his ring after the fight, correct?"

"I had Holt check the system." I explain in an even tone despite the panel's growing exasperation, "She confirms that Kuat has not recharged his ring recently." Take that. Let's see if you're willing to throw Highest Scorer under the bus to get at me. 

"Is that so." the chairwoman frowns, "You still haven't explained why Holt isn't here."

"I asked Holt to work with the militia in tracking Jasvinder Krishnan." I say while assuming the at ease posture, "She is currently hitting the streets and sweeping the suspect's known haunts."

"You left Specialist Holt all by herself?" the chairwoman suddenly barks, "She has no experience or training in investigation. Why haven't you taken the trouble to guide and mentor her?"

Is it my job to train my replacement? Please. 

"Pardon me, chairwoman," I ask with mock innocence, "but what is Specialist Holt's area of expertise?" Not that I have forgotten of course. Law and political theory. Highest Scorer's skills would be in vetting personnel for political reliability. And the panel intended to sic Holt on me. 

"Never mind." the chairwoman makes an irritated gesture with her hand, "Why are you not pursing Don Kuat? You seem to be more interested in this Jasvinder Krishnan."

"If the victim was a clone," I muse, "it would mean that no crime was committed. As abominations, clones have no legal rights. There would be no point in detaining Kuat if I had nothing to charge him with. And that's excluding the fact that we have not been able to find any evidence that links Kuat to the killings."

"The Militia's findings were clear." the chairwoman stares hard, trying to force me into backing down, "Provisionally clearing Kuat was careless of you."

I nod sadly, "Holt and I had originally agreed with the Militia's report, but our subsequent findings has made us question the report's conclusions. We cannot link Kuat to any acts of violence at this point of time."

"And Holt will back this statement of yours up?" the chairwoman interrogates. 

"Yes." I nod confidently. I had done a thorough job of asserting my dominance over Highest Scorer for the past few days and the rookie's confidence had been shaken badly. She's still being difficult, but the fact remains that Holt doesn't have a way to dispute my findings. Highest Scorer will go along with my analysis for the simple reason there is nothing else available. 

"There's also a more important matter I need to report." I continue, preparing to deliver the finishing blow, "Our investigation has uncovered a possible threat to the consort of the Leader by Jasvinder Krishnan. As this matter involves the personal safety of the Leader and her family, I have forwarded all case information to the Cathedral Knights."

"YOU WHAT?" the chairwoman shrieks in alarm, "Why was this not cleared with us beforehand?"

"The safety of the Leader and her family is paramount." I say solemnly with my hands clasped in prayer, "There was no time to waste. Naturally, Holt and I will keep investigating Jasvinder Krishnan until the Cathedral Knights take over jurisdiction of the matter."

"Naturally." the chairwoman agrees with me in a flat voice. She knows its over. With Jasvinder as a possible treason case, I have every excuse not to focus on Kuat. And once the Cathedral Knights take the file from us, the matter will be completely out of the Garden's hands. Meaning the panel has no power to censure me with regards as to how I conducted the investigation. The senior officers will need to find some other case to boost Holt's career and I can go back to the transmission station and spend my days there in peace. 

Of course, the panel is pissed that the Cathedral Knights have gotten involved. Internal security is under the purview of the Yellow Roses, but thanks to Madam's testimony, I had good cause to get the Leader's bodyguards involved. The Roses have been trying to keep the influence of the Knights contained, and that means a conscious effort to monopolize all available security work in the Citadel. The almost guaranteed loss of this case to the Knight's jurisdiction must be causing no small amount of soreness on the part of the panel.

The Knights may be elites tasked with protecting the Leader, but they are badly outclassed both in terms of number of bodies and funding compared to the Roses. Thanks to all the inter-department feuding, the Knights have been reduced to little more than glorified muscle. They would be more than happy to swallow up a possible assassination case up to increase their value to the Leader.

"Then we will wait for the file to be transferred to the Cathedral Knights." the chairwoman announces, "Meeting closed."

I bow respectfully and begin making my way out of the room. However before I can leave, the chairwoman speaks again. 

"You play a dangerous game Duma." she says, "One day, your mistakes will catch up with you."

"My mistakes?" I ask, turning back with my good eye narrowed, "I never realized I had committed any."

But the chairwoman doesn't bother saying anything more as the panel files out of the room in silence. 

....

"Kuat here." I grunt into the phone, while securing the knife in its holster and wearing my jacket over it. Once that's done, I lock the door of the safe house and begin walking to my car, an unexceptional black saloon which screams out of date and has not been washed for far too long. 

"Its Lisa." the soft, weak voice mutters over the line. My ears perk up. Lisa's not bothering with the anime girl act, so that means she can speak freely at the moment. Whatever she wants to say, its most probably important. 

"Right. I'm on my way right now." I reply, "I should be at your school in half an hour. That gives us time to for you to hide and for me to prepare my ambush for Jasvinder."

Jasvinder had called up 'Reina' up, asking her to meet with him at her school today once class ended. Not a bad move on his part, since Jasvinder does have the look of a parent picking up his kid and all the clubs are in session today, causing the school to close late. Jasvinder could walk right through the front gate and meet up with Lisa in a quiet corner of the building. No one would be any wiser. But this situation plays into my favor as well. 

Jasvinder does not know Lisa has been speaking to me. He'll probably be on his guard, but has no idea when and where I'll strike. Lisa had given Jas a bogus meeting spot and instead of waiting for him, she'll make herself scarce by the time Jasvinder gets there. And since I know where Jasvinder will be and when he'll be making his appearance, I'll be able to set up a good spot to carry out my rescue of Sheryl. 

"Something's wrong." Lisa murmurs, "I'm sick, burning up. I'm too weak to even move."

"Just bear with it." I respond, "Get out of the school now before things get ugly."

"I can't!" Lisa blurts out in panic, "My body is not following my instructions. Every time I tried to leave the classroom, I just collapse and the fever gets worse."

Damn it. Why can't things go according to plan for once?

"Lisa, listen to me and calm down, OK?" I soothe my comrade as best as I can, "Where are you now? Still in the classroom?"

"No, the teacher took me to the nurse's office." Lisa moans, "They gave me some medicine but I don't think its doing any goooo - uurrgggh." There's an unhealthy noise coming from the other end of the line, as if Lisa is throwing up everything in her stomach. 

"Lisa? Lisa?" I shout over the phone, "You still doing OK there?"

"Can't talk. Just talking to you causes my head to spin." Lisa's voice is a whisper now, "It hurts like crazy. Need to sleep." 

There's a loud clattering noise, as if the phone's headset had been dropped on to the floor. I keep shouting at Lisa, asking her to respond, but there's nothing. Nothing but silence on her end. 

"Shit!" I snap angrily at no one in particular, slapping my hand against the steering wheel in frustration. My mission just got a lot more complicated. I slam down my foot on the accelerator and my car peels off towards the school at full speed. The Management told me that Lisa is vital to their plans. I can't afford to let anything happen to her.  But even if that wasn't the case, I would still do my utmost to protect her. 

I wasn't kidding while speaking with Thomas just now. I would do what was necessary to keep my friends safe. 

Even kill.