"Then you would be considered a madman, stripped of your career, your loved ones, and ironically your sanity. That is, if you got lucky, and the Alliance doesn't get to you first." iterated Benjamin."I-uhh, huh""Mutually Assured Destruction, Bayubee. I mean, I'll be fine, but you get the point. I just trust your instinct to stay alive and thrive, that's all."Bradley looked over the machine a few more seconds before saying: "Then trust it. I have no reason and no means to do anything. What's with the pen? And the Alliance? What's the deal?""Is it really important that you know?"Bradley nodded.Benjamin sighed. "Fine. Where do I start? The Alliance. It's a secret organization, I suppose. Filled with rich people, and people like me.""By people like you, you mean--""Systems, yes." "I see. And how does one become?""I don't know actually. Huh. I was randomly given a system, I suppose. When I was still a son-in-law at my fiance's house?""Son-In-Law? Why would they give something lik
"I assume Mo' Money, Mo' power, like the rest of them?" "No" started Benjamin absent-mindedly. "Something much more powerful than that. Can you take a guess""I'd say revenge" shot Bradley quickly. Benjamin sat up. How did he know? he wondered."Wondering how I know, Mr. Benjamin? Come on, give me some credit. I am a detective, after all. You're young.Several years younger than me and the rest of us at the precinct. You said you used to be a Son-In-Law, right? Staying at your fiance's house? With the rest of her immediate family too, right? That can't have been easy" questioned Bradley.Benjamin waited for him to continue his reasoning."Now, you're a big shot somehow. It's not rocket science to figure out what's next on your mind" finished Bradley.Benjamin clapped softly. "Well done, Bradley. You look so ordinary sometimes that I just think that's all that equates to your thinking capacity""You're not going to hire someone to kill them or something, right?" asked Bradley, half-p
"Is that it?" asked Bradley, beckoning Benjamin to come over. Benjamin saw it and nodded. "Only one way to find out" "But are you seeing that? It's buried below the sand. Pretty deeply too!" "The waves must have washed off the sand from the shore to bury it" analyzed Benjamin, who had stooped down to untie his shoes. "Wait" started Bradley, shocked "You're not going down there to actually look??" "What exactly do you think we're doing here, Bradley?" "You're going to find some flimsy pen beneath all that sand? Are you kidding me? With all the water in the way too? It's literally worse than looking for a needle in a dry haystack? Unless, I can't believe I'm saying this, but with all I've seen, unless, you have some skill that allows you breathe in the water then?" Benjamin did not have such a skill. "Actually--" started PAYTON. "I don't want to hear it, PAYTON. It's not like I have the money anyway" He turned to Bradley. "No, but I got something else." He was referring to the
Skill? Do they think the System Destruction Ability is a skill?"Drop the card on the ground, Mr. Benjamin Black" instructed the man.Shit! He's being too cautious, panicked Benjamin."Benjamin" Brdley started agitated. "Why the fuck are we listening to anything this cocksucker has to say?""For a guy who has family back home, you sure do seem to be taking the high road a lot more recently. Whatever happened to safeguarding your life at all costs?""Oh? And you think he's going to let us off easily because he got a piece of plastic?" Bradley pointed, and Benjamin turned to look at the split and broken wooden pier strut."Does that look like somebody who's going to show even a morsel of restraint?" asked Bradley."Step back, Bradley" Benjamin instructed this time. Bradley looked at him with a side-eye but stepped back eventually."What's making him so earnest? The Avatar Mode? Benjamin wondered at his stubbornness. We can't win. I've already had [Practical Intelligence] run a scenario
"I thought you were questioning them?" he asked."I was. Until things got a little out of control." Bradley replied.Agent Jacobs stooped to check their pulses. "They're out cold. And with the bruises on this one's neck--" He turned to Bradley. "You were questioning them alone?""I'm the only one on this beach, aren't I?" shrugged Bradley, trying to focus on looking at them, and not on Benjamin's body that was still atop the wooden pier."What about your firearm? You could've used that?""I didn't bring it.""What?""I thought this was only a search, and sweep, and I had to get here quickly too." lied Bradley. He had handled both his pistols to Benjamin that morning when the boy had insisted it was crucial to an ongoing operation."Why do I listen so much to that kid" wondered Bradley. Agent Jacobs whistled. "You must be a pretty capable man, Captain Bradley.""What? It's not like they have tough personalities of their own. These are just the run-of-the-mill scumbags" scoffed Bradley.
[Notice: Godspeed Level 2]"And what's this thing about an X-RAY?""Quite self-explanatory, Master Benjamin. The host will be able to see images captured by Alpha, Beta, and Gamma rays."Yeah, that doesn't sound too important. Rather lame. I'm not Superman. thought Benjamin. "And the other one?""Healing Factor allows the host to heal certain injuries of his person, and others"Benjamin paused in his tracks. "What did you just say?" he asked PAYTON."Healing factor allows the host to heal injuries-""No, the second part" dismissed Benjamin."And also the injuries of others" completed PAYTON.The injuries of others?! "PAYTON! What kind of injuries?""Cuts, Abrasions, muscle damage, Bone Damage""Cut to the important stuff! Can it work on Brain damage? Nerve damage??""Quite astutely, Mr. Benjamin. At a certain level, of course."Benjamin put both hands on his head.Holy Shit. Ivy."Why am I just hearing about this now?!" Benjamin scolded PAYTON."You know why, Master Benjamin. Certain
"What do we have on these pricks?" asked Benjamin. Domique ruffled through some brown zip folders and handed over the one at "the bottom to Benjamin.Perusing the content, Benjamin found the picture of a barely post-pubescent youth, looking about 23 with a rough set of teeth, and an unsettling smile."This is the only one the facial recognition software could tag, he was the one that planted the timing charges," explained Dominique."I suppose you have an address" asked Benjamin. Bradley and Amber looked at him queerly."Err no, Mr. Benjamin. It was a bit...difficult, to access public records, from this terminal" hinted Dominique excessively at his unwillingness to bring his police clearance into the matter."But we do have a name, his full name from some eyewitness statements.""Eyewitness statements from where?""Well, considering his age, and disposition, it would make sense for someone like this to be attending a nearby university...""No way..." trailed off Benjamin coming to the
"Professor Marjorie, you're under arrest!"*Perfect. I haven't even started the University Op ye, and one naughty professor is already down!*, celebrated Benjamin."Wait--" But Bradley had already locked her sinewy hands together, and installed the cuffs."I've heard all I need to, Ma'am. We'll continue your questioning back at the station."The haunting image of being walked out by a police officer from her department finally seemed to sink in within Marjorie."Wait!" she pleaded, as Bradley lifted her to stand, not caring to listen. "I'll tell you everything. That boy. Elroy. He's the one that set it all up! I just had to cover him in class attendance once in a while""Uh-huh" muttered Bradley dryly. "Let's go""Please"Her eyes shot from Bradley to Benjamin."I'm telling the truth!""Or you're saying what you want us to hear. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times.""I swear. That's it!""So, he was skipping class?" interjected Benjamin. Bradley clicked his tongue bu