NOVEL SIMPLE We lease the Kraken: Prologue – “Case Closed.”
[Official News Report: Former B-rank Artificer ‘Machina Redux’ Convicted Posthumously on Multiple Charges]
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Prima City, Nexus - In a somber development that has sent shockwaves throughout the city, the former B-rank Artificer, Sarah Bridge, known as ‘Machina Redux’ and previously celebrated as the ‘Saintess of the Outskirts,’ has been posthumously convicted on a multitude of charges in connection with the devastating Glamourmax Corp. explosion that occurred three months ago.
On this Tuesday, August 24, 2253, at 18:00 CNT (Central Nexus Time), Ms. Bridge was found guilty on charges that include Theft, Destruction of property, Aggravated Assault, Second and Third-degree murder, as well as several other related offenses. During the extensive investigation and subsequent trials, additional charges of bribery, fraud, and tax evasion were brought to light.
Reports stemming from the investigation reveal that Ms. Bridge had been contracted by Glamourmax Corp. for a project that remained undisclosed to the public. As the project unfolded, tensions between Ms. Bridge and the corporation escalated, culminating in a heated confrontation with CEO Mr. Adam Nox regarding the project’s direction. Multiple survivors of the incident reported Ms. Bridge’s aggressive behavior and threats directed at Mr. Nox shortly before the tragic explosion.
During the trial, Mr. Nox took the stand and expressed his sentiments, saying, “This is a mournful day for Prima City and Nexus as a whole. The betrayal of our trust by someone once highly revered, who enjoyed the admiration and affection of the common people, leaves an indelible mark on our hearts. However, as the leading provider of magical and wyrd cosmetic or pharmaceutical products in Nexus, Glamourmax Corp. is committed to repairing the damage and ensuring justice is served for those affected by this calamity.”
The altercation between ‘Machina Redux’ and onsite security personnel ultimately resulted in the catastrophic explosion obliterating nearly three blocks of the Wyrd Industrial complex and claiming the lives of over two dozen individuals, with hundreds more sustaining injuries. Ongoing efforts are in place for containment and cleanup of the affected area.
Wyrdking Maximus The Magnificent has pledged support in stabilizing the impacted zone, although certain undisclosed challenges within the Wyrd community have hindered his intervention efforts.
As part of her sentence, ‘Machina Redux’ will be officially reclassified as a B-ranked Villain in the Nexus Archives, and all accolades, honors, and awards previously bestowed upon her will be posthumously revoked. Furthermore, all assets held by the former Artificer will be confiscated and auctioned to provide reparations to the victims of the tragedy.
Once hailed as the ‘Saintess of the Outskirts’ for her philanthropic endeavors in rejuvenating and uplifting the lives of Prima City’s outskirts inhabitants, ‘Machina Redux’ will now be eternally remembered in history for perpetrating one of the most atrocious attacks on the city in the last three decades.
A memorial service has been scheduled in honor of the victims of this tragedy, to be held tonight at 20:00 CNT in Prima City Square. The public is invited to attend, with a respectful request to maintain the solemnity of the occasion and to refrain from engaging with the grieving families.
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Jeremiah sat on the clean stone stairs leading to the luxurious, hand-built modernist house he’d called home for the last 15 years. It had started as a simple 3-bedroom family home but had expanded over the years as his sister’s need for space and new labs increased. These days, it was a sprawling complex capable of housing dozens of live-in lab assistants and caretakers.
Now? Now, it was a cold, empty building, stripped of nearly everything his sister had built. Jeremiah barely registered the city workers as they carried out the last of the equipment. His dull eyes had barely left the tear-stained newspaper for the hours they’d been there, methodically pulling apart his home. However, he’d not missed the cold, hard gazes they threw his way as they passed.
The crisp sound of hard-soled shoes on pressed stone cut through the fog clouding Jeremiah’s brain, and he looked up to see a familiar man approaching. Dressed in a clean-cut suit likely worth more than some of the equipment taken out of the house, Prosecutor James Ronin was one of the top legal consultants used by the city in high-profile cases involving the ‘Gifted.’ That they’d brought him into this case, despite his sister only being B-rank, was an anomaly in itself. That was even considering all of his sister’s bank accounts had been frozen the moment the charges were filed, meaning Jeremiah couldn’t even hire a decent attorney.
The sharp-looking middle-aged prosecutor had a face and smile that could (and, in fact, had) have been in any number of fashion magazines. However, as he stared down at Jeremiah, there was no sign of the warm smile that made him so popular. Instead, a cold frown that was almost a sneer crossed his lips as he stared down at the young man sitting on the steps.
Jeremiah, in contrast, was a disheveled mess. He wouldn’t have called himself a supermodel material, but Jeremiah had always been proud of his looks. Sarah used to say, ‘if he’d put a little more effort into working out and wore a Stetson, he could make all the girls at the local rodeo bar swoon.’ According to her, he’s gotten that sharp square jaw and broad shoulders from their father, but his bright, sky-blue eyes were all his mother’s.
Not that he remembered either of them, of course. They’d died when he was three. They barely even had any pictures of them, what with most of that being lost to a fire long ago. Instead, it had been Sarah who had raised him. Sarah, who had struggled and fought to keep them together. Sarah, who had given him more than he could ever pay back. Or ever would pay back.
Now she was gone, too.
Three months later, Jeremiah was a shell of who he’d been. His face was pale and sunken, and the deep bags under his eyes spoke of many sleepless nights. Sometimes because of entire nights desperately scouring Sarah’s contacts for someone, anyone, that would help. Sometimes because of the nightmares that ate at him, clawing at his psyche every time he tried to rest.
He crumpled the newspaper with shaking hands, ignoring the ink stains they left. Jeremiah glared up at the man, his baritone voice raw. “What? Come to take something else from me? Was my home and my sister’s good name not enough? What more? When will it be enough?!”
Prosecutor Ronin pulled a data pad from under his arm and held it out to Jeremiah. “Mr. Bridge. As the next of kin for the accused and the recipient of their will, your signature is required to complete the transfer to the city. Please sign the provided documents, and we can all put this diabolical behind us,” the suited man said flatly.
Something dark and burning ignited in Jeremiah’s chest, pushing its way through the fog, and he had the urge to slap the pad from the man’s hand. It must have shown on his face, too, as Prosecutor Ronin frowned down at him and followed up with, “Now, don’t make this any harder than it has to be, Mr. Bridge. The city has been quite lenient with you as is, given your… circumstances.”
Jeremiah stood, his hands visibly trembling and his pale face turning a red shade as blood-shot eyes drilled into the prosecutor before he could say anything, however, space pinched in on itself, and with a ‘bloop!’ figure appeared next to Prosecutor Ronin. The prosecutor frowned and turned to look at the new arrival. The humanoid figure stood at exactly 6 feet and was perfectly white and featureless, as if a blank mannequin had suddenly popped into existence. Ronin lowered the tablet and spoke. “Ah. I’m glad you could join us, Blank Slate. I assume that means you’ve finished your scans of the compound? I trust you found everything?”
The blank mannequin-like android, for that’s what it was, turned its featureless head and responded, its voice flat, with no distinguishing characteristics. “Yes. No anomalies were detected. All registered modules, labs, and equipment are accounted for. No illegal or unrecorded projects were found. Nor were any records found of anything not previously known. The compound is spotless and with no signs of tampering.”
Even Jeremiah was sharp enough to notice the emphasis placed on the last phrase.
Prosecutor Ronin frowned. “Not that says much when it comes to you Techies. Nonetheless, the city appreciates the assistance of one of the Five in this matter. It will save us some paperwork.”
“It was my pleasure,” the android, Blank Slate, said before turning to look at Jeremiah. “I assume everything is going well here as well?” he continued.
Prosecutor Ronin turned and smiled at Jeremiah, “Yes, quiet. Mr. Bridge here was just about to sign the rest of the paperwork so we can wrap all of this up.” He then extended the tablet again.
Jeremiah glared at the man, his nails biting slightly into his palms as his knuckles turned bone white. After a long moment, Jeremiah finally snatched the tablet from the man and signed the bottom of the document. He’d already gone over the details extensively in the last week, desperately trying to find some kind of loophole, to no avail.
Jeremiah practically threw the tablet back at the grinning attorney. The man pushed his wire-frame glasses up and turned away, but stopped as if remembering something. “Oh! Before I go. Please do me a favor and scan Mr. Bridge, would you? It would be a… shame to learn he’d stolen any of the city’s property. “
Jeremiah nearly boiled over at the comment, his teeth audibly grinding, but an icy fear quickly suppressed it as his mind jumped to the small amulet around his neck. It had been a birthday gift from his sister only a week before her…
Blank Slate froze, then slowly turned to face the prosecutor. “Surely that is unnecessary, Mr. Ronin. I hardly think—” the android was cut off as the prosecutor frowned.
“Mr. Andrews. I want to remind you I am currently operating on behalf of both the city council and the Senate of the Five. Please do as you’re asked,” the suited man said.
Blank Slate was silent for a moment before turning back to Jeremiah. A red dot appeared on the android’s featureless face, and a thin red beam swept Jeremiah and the luggage sitting next to him. After a few passes, the beam turned off, and the red dot turned green.
Blank Slate turned toward the attorney. “Nothing new to my sensors detected. The luggage has a minor spatial expansion manifold, but it is the common type available on the open market. It’s not something that goes against the court order in the slightest. Unless you’re going to order me to strip the clothes off the young man’s back, I believe there’s nothing more here for you to find, Mr. Ronin, “ the android said, adding a sharp twist to its words for the first time.
Prosecutor Ronin frowned but only turned away, saying, “Very well. I believe we’re finished here then. Good day to both of you.” The man walked away and got into the nearby black sedan sitting in the driveway. At the same time, the city movers finished with the last of their packing, and as a group, they all drove away.
Soon, all the only people left were Blank Slate and Jeremiah.
Blank Slate turned to Jeremiah and spoke. “Jerry… I—”
Jeremiah cut him off with a dark stare. “I have nothing to say to you, Ryan. Sarah… Sarah trusted you…”
Blank Slate said nothing. He only stared at the shaking young man for a long moment before whispering, “I’m sorry…”
Then, with another ‘bloop!’, he was gone.
Finally alone, Jeremiah collapsed back into the stares, his face in his palms, his shoulders silently shaking.