Blade Runner Mafia Day Two: Something to chew on

/ooc I was working on the serial kill for tomorrow when this wrote itself instead. I figured y'all might enjoy a little scene that hopefully ties up some unintentional plot issues and moves the story along a bit. No intentional clues in this scene, no deaths, just a little more story that might clarify some of the confusion I'm hearing. Though I've probably only succeeded in creating more mystery :X. Here's hoping this will give you something interesting to look at until the next death at the very least :X


Bepa was in an unusually cheerful mood today, although she hadn’t programmed for it. This is what it’s all about. Good old fashioned detective work. No V-K tests, no innocent until proven guilty bullshit to stand in my way of retiring androids. The cop was feeling quite pleased with herself, as though she had discovered new evidence instead of the forensics experts. She paced around the metal table where Vera’s body, partially covered, rested like a cold grey stone. Bepa had insisted upon a bone marrow analysis for every victim found at the apartment, but that would take a few days to be finished. Fortunately for her, the autopsies had turned up some interesting facts.

“So you see, Bepa, she was shot first, then strangled several minutes later. No defensive wounds at all, her hands are unmarked, see? We have concluded Vera was shot and left for dead, and another killer came by after the fact and strangled her helpless form.”

Bepa chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. Two killers. Separate motives or do they share the same intentions? And why would, not one, but two killers want Vera dead?

“Moving onto Rufus…now this is strange. He was killed by some sort of air born agent, possibly transmitted through the circulation system, but really we can’t be sure of that. We are still looking into what exactly invaded Rufus’s lungs and ate him from the inside out. To be honest, we’ve never seen anything quite like this. Could be biological or chemical, but one thing’s for sure…this agent is a more sophisticated weapon than even the military has at this time.”

Bepa nodded in acknowledgement and stared at the lifeless form of Rufus. She could see now that he was decaying at an alarming rate and realized that her initial assumption, that Rufus had been dead for hours, was quite possibly off the mark.

“Here’s the thing, Bepa. We’ve been running simulations all afternoon, trying to get a better idea of what exactly this agent is and what it does, and we’ve managed to isolate and recreate at least a fragmented mod. We’ve looked at a lot of data, and, well...this agent is an incredible weapon against humans. But it’s an even better weapon against androids. It appears to actively seek out the synthetic components that can be found in, among other things, an android’s bone marrow and systematically destroys them with astonishing speed. We believe this agent was specifically designed to kill replicants. And now they are using it against us.”

Bepa continued to nod her head as her thoughts spun and connected, finally focusing on one thought, one outstanding connection to all the deaths thus far. The Rosen Corporation. She thanked the forensic team for their time and started for the door, ready to jump into her hovercraft and head north to the android manufacturer’s main office.

~.~

Bepa did her best not to gape at the collection of animals in The Rosen Corporation’s main foyer. The smells of fresh hay and fur and sweat and life consumed her nostrils and it was all she could do to not stop in the middle of the hall just to breath it all in. Reluctantly, she followed a brisk-walking Rachael Rosen through the foyer and up the elaborate curving staircase to a windowed conference room.

“Thank you again for meeting with me on such short notice. I fear our situation is very time sensitive and I’m sure we both want to get to the bottom of things as soon as possible.”

“Of course, officer. You can expect our full cooperation.” Rachael took a seat at the table and gestured for Bepa to do the same.

“Ms. Rosen, can you tell me about the late Ms. Staton’s duties here at the Rosen Corporation?”

“She was our lead legal advisor. I am sure it is obvious why we would need top notch expertise in this area. There will always be someone who refuses to accept changing technology, and our product is under a great deal of scrutiny.”

“I see. Ms. Staton must have been privy to a great deal of inside information on your company. Tell me Ms. Rosen, do you know of any conflicts that may have come about as a result of Ms. Staton’s legal advice?”

A flicker of annoyance passed through Rachael’s features at this. “Vera did exactly what we paid her to do. Why would there be conflict over advice we solicited?”

Ah, touched a nerve there did I? “Of course. I’m just investigating all avenues, looking for possible enemies…”

“Vera was a well respected member of the Rosen Corporation team,” Rachael responded sharply.

“Very well. Can you tell me why Ms. Staton was at that particular apartment building the day she was murdered?”

“Her notes for that day say she was there for research purposes. I honestly couldn’t say for sure beyond that, I never kept that close of tabs on her.”

“You are aware that the apartment building in question is under investigation for a possible android infestation, correct?”

Rachael looked almost smug when she replied, though her tone of voice remained level and calm. “Yes, I am aware of your…investigation.”

There was an uncomfortable pause. Clearly Rachael had little intention of being fully cooperative, so Bepa decided to try a different approach.

“When can we expect the Nexus 6.5 to begin roll out? I haven’t yet had the opportunity to take a look at your new product.”

“We have the launch date set for one month from today. Perhaps you can return for a special demonstration in the near future. Our latest android is currently undergoing testing, but we should be able to offer a preview in the interests of reassuring law enforcement.”

Bepa smirked at Rachael’s smooth condescending tone. “I look forward to it. How exactly do you test an android’s functionality?”

“The exact nature of our tests is confidential, as are all elements of design and production.”

“It’s not exactly a secret that each android you create strives to be one step ahead of our tests to determine their true nature,” Bepa snapped.

“I beg to differ, officer. We don’t just strive. We succeed.”

Bepa could feel herself flushing with anger and struggled for a moment to keep her temper. “What did your legal experts have to say about your intentions to circumvent current law enforcement practices?”

“What do you have to say about your designs to violate this company’s property rights? Don’t tell me you actually believe that obviously contrived tale of escaped androids from Mars. The androids you are hunting are licensed employees of The Rosen Company and I have already taken action to end your unlawful investigation of my property.”

Bepa gaped in disbelief. She cringed at her own transparency and quickly composed herself. “Your property is responsible for the deaths of at least one person! It is perfectly within the law…”

“You have no evidence to support this absurd theory. Recent deaths are of course a terrible tragedy, but they are clearly the work of a maniac and not our androids. You are on a biased warpath that ends here.”

Gathering her thoughts, Bepa decided to take her boss’s advice and go by the book. “I’ll need to see your licensing paperwork and statements of employment for each android to confirm your statements, of course.”

Rachael smiled smugly. “I know my rights. I don’t have to give you a damn thing. We own the androids and we own the apartment building. Now if you need anything else, I will have to direct you to my top legal advisor…”

Bepa scowled bitterly at this. “I hate to remind you, but your top legal advisor is in a body bag at the moment.”

Rachael smiled smugly. “We made another.”

For some reason this simple statement gave Bepa chills. The power of The Rosen Corporation was greater than she had ever suspected.

“Out of curiosity…do your replicant employees know they are androids?”

“Some do. Others…well, for some things you need impartiality after all. Now, if there’s nothing else…”

Bepa sneered in disgust. “You should all be destroyed.”

Rachael’s expression did not waiver in the slightest. “Very well then. I will call up a guard to escort you out.” With that Rachael pressed a button on top of the conference table, apparently to alert said guard. Bepa stood up and prepared to leave.

“There was just one more thing. What do you do when you are done testing your newest androids? Surely not every version is a success story. How do you, how shall I put it, dispose of your less useful property?”

Now it was Rachael’s turn to gape. She appeared genuinely horrified by the question and stood up abruptly. “We never destroy our androids. If we decide not to release a particular version, we let it live out the natural course of its life in our care.”

Bepa did a nice impression of Rachael’s smugness as the guard entered the conference room. There was no doubt in her mind that The Rosen Corporation was responsible for the agent that had killed Rufus, but she was convinced Rachael’s reaction of shock was genuine. This company has any number of secrets to uncover, doesn’t it. I have quite a bit to think about now. She looked over her shoulder at Rachael and offered a parting shot.

“If you say so.”