May 12, 2021. 15:21. Vancouver.
"Okay, okay, okay…" Erica paced in place, repeatedly tapping her foot against the sterile floor while VPD officers rushed past her toward different areas of the station.
The station had received so many calls that it was well beyond anything Erica considered normal.
Gang violence had increased across the streets, vandalism was escalating, drugs were being passed around between students, and kids were being recruited into gangs just to make ends meet. Others weren't even given that much of a choice, with forced recruitment becoming increasingly common.
Even Erica's own friends across different school districts had been affected, especially those attending schools along Vancouver's outer boundaries toward Coquitlam and Surrey. Vancouver and Burnaby were still relatively cleaner compared to what was happening farther east, but even then, things were becoming a mess.
Erica hated all of it, and she felt powerless to do anything besides "watching the big boys do their job", even when their hands seemed tied behind their backs.
Another exhausted dispatcher picked up a ringing phone to Erica's right, while to her left, a group of injured, tired, and borderline demoralized officers escorted several apprehended suspects deeper into the station for questioning.
The kicker?
Some of them went to Erica's high school.
Now they were apparently working for the Melders, making a quick buck moving drugs around the city and selling them to other students. Some were fed lies about improving their performance in sports, beauty, intelligence—you name it—while others were too exhausted or depressed to even care and just wanted a quick high.
The result was practically a walking-dead crowd of people with bloodshot eyes, ruined veins, and responsiveness that seemed to get worse by the day.
It was clear that a drug epidemic was tearing through the Lower Mainland, and among high school students, it had gotten to the point where it was practically impossible not to hear about it.
Worst of all, it wasn't just strangers anymore.
Mutuals, people on social media, friends she'd met outside of school—almost everyone Erica knew seemed to know someone who had fallen victim to the endless cycle of addiction.
Where is he? Dad should be done with work by now, right?
Her father should've been finished hours ago, yet he'd already delayed their plans twice. First came an emergency operation involving multiple officers responding to a street fight near the outskirts of Surrey and its Combat Zone. Then came a private meeting with corporate executives and city officials to discuss what the hell they were supposed to do about the deteriorating situation across Vancouver and the surrounding municipalities.
"You know, that's not going to help your dad finish any faster, right?" Jamie's voice derailed Erica's thoughts.
Her best friend sat calmly on one of the station benches, tapping her feet lightly against the floor. She wasn't exactly relaxed given everything that had happened, but compared to Erica, she was handling it considerably better.
Jamie's presence was enough to make Erica stop pacing, at least for a second.
A sigh escaped her before she even realized it, and she turned back toward Jamie with a small wince.
"Yeah…" Erica murmured. "But… it still sucks to see."
Jamie's expression softened. "I know."
Erica looked back across the station.
The familiarity of the halls, the people, and the sounds of boots stepping across the tiles as officers headed out for another operation or returned from one usually made the station strangely comfortable to Erica.
She'd been here more times than she could count. Not that she hated it, necessarily; waiting for her father was expected, considering how vital his role was, and she always found ways to kill time whenever Jamie wasn't available.
She finished assignments, sat in his office after school, or even got dragged along by some of the more casual staff whenever something ruined whatever plans she'd made for the evening. Plenty of the officers knew Erica well enough that walking through the station usually meant getting at least a few waves or greetings.
Today, however, was very different.
One officer Erica recognized hurried past without even noticing her, while another practically ran toward the elevators while talking into his radio. Somewhere behind the front desk, two phones started ringing almost simultaneously before either of the first calls had even finished.
Then the doors opened again, and two officers escorted another group inside, one of them sporting a bloody nose while another had his hands restrained behind his back.
Erica's stomach tightened.
Seriously? Another one?
Jamie followed her gaze. "Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You made the face."
"What face?"
"The 'I'm about to start worrying about literally everything' face."
"I do not have a face for that!"
Jamie simply stared at her, deadpan. "C'mon…"
Erica lasted about two seconds before looking away. "...Okay, geez."
At least this time, she didn't recognize anyone being brought inside.
Sadly, that was the new bar for improvement, and it wasn't really much of one.
Earlier that afternoon hadn't been nearly as lucky.
What started as an argument outside their school had escalated ridiculously fast. A few students were yelling at each other near the edge of the property, and those closer to the scene initially assumed it was just more teenage drama until Erica and Jamie noticed several older students showing up.
Then somebody mentioned the Melders, while someone else accused one of the students of dealing on territory that wasn't theirs.
Erica remembered seeing something small pass between two hands before one of the older boys shoved another hard enough to send him stumbling backwards. Within seconds, people started piling in from both sides, and what had been four people arguing became almost a dozen screaming at one another.
Then somebody pulled a handgun.
Erica could still remember the rush of adrenaline and how badly her hands were shaking when Jamie grabbed her arm and pulled her toward a parked car just before the first shot went off.
It was one thing to hear her father constantly warn her to stay away from gangs and let the police handle them before she got herself hurt. It was another thing entirely to be close enough to the violence that she could barely remember what happened afterward through the dizziness and nausea.
Aside from the gunfire itself, the clearest thing she remembered was the screaming. Students and people living along the street scattered in every direction, some sprinting back toward the school while others disappeared between houses and parked vehicles.
Erica had immediately called 911 while Jamie stayed beside her, both of them crouched low behind the car until sirens finally became audible in the distance.
Nobody had been confirmed dead, thankfully, or at least nobody Erica knew about. Several people had still been hurt, though, and some of the students involved had been arrested.
The moment the Chief of the VPD found out his daughter and her best friend had been standing less than a block away when somebody started shooting, there hadn't exactly been much room for negotiation.
"You're both coming to the station. I'm not leaving either of you wandering around Vancouver tonight."
That was all he needed to say before both girls were escorted directly to the precinct.
Jamie glanced toward the clock mounted above the reception desk. "He did say he'd be done soon."
"He said that forty minutes ago," Erica retorted.
"He's the police chief."
"He's also my dad."
"I don't think being your dad makes the crime rate go down faster."
Erica groaned and dropped onto the bench beside her. "I knowwww."
Another radio crackled somewhere nearby. "...possible Banshee activity near—"
The rest disappeared beneath the noise of another officer walking past.
"Dead Kings?"
"No confirmation yet."
Then came another conversation from somewhere behind them.
"What about the Melders?"
"Vice is already looking into it."
"Ughhhhh…" Erica leaned forward, resting her elbows against her knees before burying her face in her palms.
Another minute dragged by with absolutely no sign of her father.
Officers continued moving back and forth across the lobby while phones rang behind the front desk, radios crackled from every direction, and the occasional suspect was escorted through one set of doors only for somebody else to come through another. Erica peeked between her fingers at the clock again, watched the second hand slowly make its way around the face, then immediately buried herself back in her hands.
Jamie remained quiet for a moment before leaning back against the bench.
"Well..." She looked around the station before turning toward Erica again. "Guess we're gonna be here a while."
Erica's shoulders dropped. "Don't say thattttt."
"What?"
"You're gonna jinx it!" Erica mumbled, her face still buried between her hands. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head several times, fighting the urge to scream into the void before ultimately throwing her head back.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
It was loud enough to catch the attention of several nearby VPD staff members.
Erica immediately shrank back into her seat.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Oopsie…"
One of the officers passing by snorted while another behind the front desk shook her head with an amused smile. A few quiet laughs followed before everyone went right back to whatever they were doing, apparently familiar enough with Erica's antics not to think much of it.
Jamie's expression barely changed, but Erica caught the slightest twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"...Jamie," Erica warned. "Don't."
Jamie's brow shot up. "What?"
"No."
"I didn't even say anything."
"You're thinking something."
"I'm always thinking something."
"Jamieeee."
That tiny smile grew by barely another millimetre, which, by Jamie standards, might as well have been a gigantic goofy grin.
"That! I KNOW that face!" Erica pointed at her before dropping to a pleading whisper. "Whatever you're about to suggest, my dad will literally kill me."
A silence existed between the two girls for only a minute or two.
Not that the station itself was anywhere close to silent.
Footsteps constantly passed in front of them, sometimes walking and sometimes practically sprinting, while conversations blended into shouting, ringing phones, and radios crackling from every direction. Somewhere outside, the electric whine of a police drone rose into the air before disappearing beneath the sound of another patrol car speeding away from the station.
Erica tried occupying herself with her phone for a while, but there was only so much doomscrolling she could do when the same chaos kept pulling her attention away from the screen.
Eventually, even worrying became exhausting.
She slumped farther into the bench while Jamie simply sat beside her, casually watching an episode of her favourite anime.
Another minute passed, then another, before Erica checked the time.
"Ughhhhhhh…" Erica groaned.
Jamie glanced at her. "What?"
"Dad is taking sooo long," Erica complained.
Jamie looked back at her phone, tapping once to pause her video before checking the time herself. Then, without warning, she stood up and pocketed her device.
Erica looked up. "Wait, where are you going?"
"I'm hungry," Jamie said.
"You're what?" Erica asked.
"Hungry," Jamie repeated before starting down the hall of the station.
"Wait—" Erica immediately sat upright. "Jamie! My dad literally told us to stay here!"
"We're not leaving the building," Jamie replied without stopping.
"That's not what he meant!"
"Technically, that's exactly what he said."
Erica opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Her father's instructions had been simple enough, and Erica fully intended to follow them.
Jamie apparently had a different interpretation in mind.
Her friend turned and continued walking while Erica remained on the bench for another few seconds, watching her disappear farther down the hall.
"Jamie, JAMIE!" Erica hissed after her, practically whispering to avoid drawing attention to herself.
Unfortunately, there was no response.
Caught between waiting around bored without her friend or possibly getting into trouble, Erica repeatedly looked back and forth to make sure nobody was watching her.
In the end, she got up and followed Jamie.
Okay. Whatever. She's getting food.
Erica quickened her pace until she caught up.
We're still inside the police station. I'm not doing anything wrong.
She glanced toward Jamie.
I'm just making sure SHE doesn't do anything wrong.
Thankfully, their little adventure remained completely harmless at first. Erica knew the station well enough to navigate most of the public and staff areas without thinking, and getting something to eat wasn't exactly a criminal offence.
By the time Erica caught up, Jamie was already grabbing a drink and something from one of the vending machines.
"There. You got your food," Erica said, walking beside her with her arms crossed.
Jamie glanced at her but said nothing, instead opening the package.
"Can we go back now?" Erica pleaded.
Jamie didn't respond and simply took a bite.
"Jamie," Erica pressed.
Nothing again.
"Jamieeee!"
Still no response whatsoever as Jamie started walking again.
Erica's eyes widened. "Where are you going now?!"
"Looking around," Jamie answered.
"WHY?!" Erica exclaimed.
Jamie shrugged. "I'm bored too."
"We can be bored in the lobby!"
"I want to see what they actually do here."
"You've been here before!"
"Not back here."
Erica slowed down, uncertainty rising in her chest. "That's exactly why we should go back!"
"Yeah, no," Jamie replied, continuing to walk.
"Jamie!" Erica called after her before looking back toward the lobby and then toward her best friend.
I should go back.
Then Jamie disappeared around the corner for the second time.
But I can't just leave her alone either.
"Haaaaa…" Erica scratched her head, lightly tugging at her hair before chasing after Jamie. "Wait for me!"
She hurried after her.
The farther they wandered, the less familiar the station became. Erica still recognized enough to know roughly where they were, but these weren't the areas where she normally waited for her father. There were more offices, fewer civilians, and enough security doors to make the increasingly nervous feeling in her stomach completely justified.
"Jamie..." Erica whispered, catching her friend's sleeve. "Seriously, we should go back!"
Jamie stopped, and Erica almost sighed in relief before noticing where her friend's attention had gone.
Several metres ahead, a door sat partially open, with people constantly moving in and out of the surrounding rooms.
Judging from the half-finished coffee sitting on a nearby desk, whoever had been inside had probably stepped away in a hurry.
Erica followed Jamie's gaze toward the opening.
"No," Erica immediately warned.
"I didn't say anything," Jamie replied.
"You didn't have to."
"Whatever." Jamie walked closer.
"Jamie!" Erica hissed. "Please! Stop!" She hurried after her, keeping her voice down. "We are definitely not allowed in there."
"I'm not going in," Jamie replied.
"Then what are you doing?"
"Looking."
"That's not any better!"
Jamie stopped just short of the doorway and peered through the opening.
Erica nervously glanced behind them.
Nobody seemed to care about the two teenagers. Half the station was too busy dealing with everything else happening around them.
We should leave.
Jamie suddenly leaned forward slightly.
Erica grabbed her sleeve. "Okay, you've looked. Can we please—"
"Erica," Jamie interrupted.
"What?" Erica asked.
Jamie pointed through the opening.
Erica reluctantly followed her finger.
Several monitors lined the walls inside, accompanied by workstations, communication equipment, and displays filled with information Erica couldn't make sense of from where she was standing. Some of the screens showed maps and active police operations, while others displayed live camera feeds from interview rooms elsewhere in the building.
Erica's stomach dropped.
"Ohhhh, we are so not supposed to be here," Erica whispered.
Jamie didn't respond.
One of the feeds showed a bruised man sitting across from two detectives. Another displayed a teenage boy Erica didn't recognize, anxiously bouncing his leg beneath the table while an officer spoke to him. A third room contained two people in gang colours being questioned separately.
None of this is archived footage, it's… happening right now.
Jamie tilted her head. "Are those interrogations?"
"Interviews," Erica automatically corrected her.
Jamie slowly looked toward her.
Erica blinked. "...Dad talks about work sometimes."
"Uh-huh," Jamie replied.
"Shut up."
Jamie's attention returned to the screens.
Every second the girls remained there, the voice in Erica's head telling her to get back to the lobby grew considerably louder.
Then one of the feeds changed.
"Wait." Jamie's eyes narrowed.
Erica reluctantly looked back. "What?"
"I recognize that person," Jamie said.
Erica's expression immediately changed. "...Who?"
Jamie didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned slightly closer to the doorway, eyes fixed on one of the monitors.
"That guy," she said.
Erica followed her gaze.
Unlike the live interviews occupying most of the screens, this one had clearly been pulled from an older case file. Several recorded interviews were arranged alongside one another, each showing a different person sitting inside what Erica immediately recognized as one of the VPD's interview rooms.
Several people appeared across the different recordings.
The first immediately caught Erica's attention because of the motorcycle helmet covering his entire head. Even sitting inside a police station, apparently giving a formal statement, the guy had somehow refused to take the damn thing off. He was dressed professionally compared to everyone else, although that somehow made the helmet look even stranger.
Another recording showed a girl with long white hair, while the next featured a guy who honestly didn't look much older than Erica or Jamie by more than a handful of years. His hair was white too, although unlike the girl, practically everything about his appearance screamed that he'd rather be anywhere else.
Another man looked considerably more rugged, with visible aquatic tattoos running along his arms.
Then there was the woman in the final recording.
Erica stared for a second longer.
Wow, she's pretty.
Asian, dark-haired, dressed well enough that Erica would've assumed she was a model or celebrity under practically any other circumstances.
There was something about the way she carried herself, though. Even sitting in a police interview room, she somehow looked completely comfortable.
And… kinda intimidating.
Erica squinted at the screen. "Okay... who are these people?"
"The news," Jamie replied.
"What?"
"I've seen them before."
Erica looked toward her. "Where?"
Jamie pointed toward the helmeted man. "Weren't they on the news with the mayor?"
That made Erica look again.
The footage advanced several seconds before freezing on another frame, this time giving them a clearer view of the group.
"Wait..." Erica murmured.
She vaguely remembered something about that.
There had been enough news surrounding Mayor Gestalt lately that Erica barely paid attention to every public appearance he made, but seeing the group together did scratch at something in the back of her mind.
"Maybe?" she whispered. "I don't know."
Jamie reached toward the workstation.
Erica immediately caught her wrist. "NO."
"I was going back," Jamie replied.
"Jamie, we're not supposed to be watching this!"
"Weren't they on the news with the mayor?"
"I DON'T KNOW! We need to go!"
Jamie stared at her.
Erica stared back.
Neither moved.
Then both slowly looked toward the screen again.
Okay. Five more seconds.
Another window sat open beside the footage, filled with VPD notes that Erica could only partially read from the doorway. Most of it meant absolutely nothing to her, although a few words immediately stood out.
PERSONS OF INTEREST.
MELDERS.
SYNTHCOKE.
GESTALT ADMINISTRATION — JOINT INVESTIGATION.
Erica's curiosity finally won out over common sense. "Why would they be investigating those people?"
Jamie shrugged. "Maybe they're criminals."
"The mayor was with them! Maybe… they're like those pro mercenaries in Richmond? What are they called again, edgerunners?"
"Maybe the mayor knows criminals."
"Jamie!"
"What?"
"He's the mayor!"
"That doesn't answer what I said."
Erica frowned. Technically.
Before she could think about it any further, the display changed again as another case file appeared on an adjacent monitor.
This one Erica understood immediately.
SYNTHCOKE DISTRIBUTION / CYBERPSYCHOSIS CORRELATION — ONGOING
Her expression fell.
Several photographs had been attached to the report, showing confiscated packets, crime scenes, and people Erica didn't recognize being restrained by police. A map of the Lower Mainland had dozens of markers scattered across Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and the surrounding municipalities, with several areas clustered heavily enough that they practically overlapped.
"That's the stuff from school," Erica whispered.
Jamie looked toward her.
"The drugs," Erica clarified. "That's what some of those guys were selling."
Jamie's attention returned to the monitor.
Fragments of notes accompanied the map, mentioning suspected distribution networks connected to multiple gangs, increasing emergency calls involving violent behavioural episodes, and several cases where SynthCoke use had been reported shortly before apparent cyberpsychosis incidents.
Another section mentioned that Mayor Gestalt's office had requested expanded cooperation between the VPD, mercenary agencies, and corporate specialists as part of the ongoing investigation.
Erica swallowed. So Dad wasn't exaggerating.
Not that she ever thought he was.
It was just different seeing everything laid out in front of her.
Another screen changed.
A man sat inside one of the interview rooms, his face covered in bruises with one arm secured in some kind of medical brace. Unlike the other suspects they'd seen, he wasn't angry or trying to argue with the detectives.
He looked terrified.
"I'm telling you, man, I don't fucking know!"
Erica and Jamie both looked toward the feed.
The detective across from him said something too quietly for the microphone to pick up clearly.
"I already told you! Surrey! That's where we were!"
Another question.
The man's good hand tightened around the edge of the table.
"No fucking gang colours, no badge, nothing! Dude just fucking appeared!"
Jamie leaned closer.
Erica grabbed the back of her shirt. "No."
"I'm still here." Jamie looked back at her.
"You're doing the thing again."
"What thing?"
"The curious thing!"
On-screen, the man continued. "Guy was a blur! Red, black, implanted shit—I don't fucking know! Ask the other guys!"
The detective leaned forward. "And you're claiming one individual did this?"
The man stared at him without answering for several seconds before his voice finally dropped. "Yeah."
A photograph appeared beside the interview feed, apparently taken after whatever incident had landed him inside the station. Erica couldn't make out much beyond a dark, blurry figure caught between two buildings, without even enough detail to tell who she was looking at.
All that accompanied it was a simple label beneath the image.
UNIDENTIFIED VIGILANTE — SURREY. POSSIBLE SIGHTING OF V.
"Creepy," Erica muttered.
"Kinda cool," Jamie replied.
Erica slowly turned toward her. "He put that guy in the hospital."
"Still kinda cool."
"Jamie!"
Another monitor pulled Erica's attention away before she could lecture her.
This time, two men were being interviewed separately, both wearing enough visible gang colours that even Erica recognized what they were.
One of the detectives flipped through several photographs. "Melders hit the location first?"
The man across from him scoffed. "That's what I fucking said."
"And the Banshees?"
"Already there."
"What about the Blak Dragoons?"
The suspect hesitated. "Depends who you ask."
The detective sighed. "I'm asking you."
"Then I don't know."
Erica's eyebrows knitted together.
The interview quickly devolved into an argument about territory somewhere in Burnaby and a warehouse belonging to the Dead Kings that had apparently been attacked.
One name led to another, one gang became three, and before long, drugs turned into weapons, weapons turned into territory, and territory somehow circled back to corporations and people Erica had never even heard of.
Photographs accompanied the reports: blurry street-camera stills, vehicles, unknown faces, and locations scattered throughout the Lower Mainland.
The same helmeted man appeared in another image, followed by the white-haired girl, while another frame briefly showed the intimidating Asian woman walking beside someone outside the camera's focus.
Erica stared at all of it, becoming more confused the longer she watched.
Who ARE these people?
Well, that wasn't entirely true. The police clearly knew who they were. Their names and aliases appeared throughout the files, identifying them as edgerunners and independent contractors who had already been questioned by the VPD after the cyberpsychosis investigation.
What nobody seemed to understand was how everything connected.
The Melders and Banshees were moving drugs while fighting the Dead Kings, SynthCoke kept appearing around increasingly violent incidents, and some lunatic was beating criminals half to death in Surrey.
Then there was that group of edgerunners.
Mister. Shock. Remi. Lily. Tetra.
Erica quietly read through the names, matching each one to the faces she'd seen on the screens.
She had absolutely no idea who any of them were beyond what little information was sitting in front of her, but they were certainly an interesting bunch.
Especially the guy wearing a motorcycle helmet indoors.
Erica squinted at Mister's picture. What's HIS deal?
"Wait, go back." Jamie suddenly leaned forward.
Erica's head snapped toward her. "Jamie, we're not supposed to be watching any of this!"
"The helmet guy."
"What about him?"
"I definitely remember him."
"From where?"
Before Jamie could answer, footsteps echoed from somewhere down the corridor behind them.
Both girls froze.
Erica's eyes widened. Oh… that's—
The footsteps grew louder, and that was all either of them needed to hear.
Erica looked at Jamie, Jamie looked back at her, and a single second of mutual understanding passed between them before both girls bolted.
Erica didn't even think about where they were going.
She just instinctively ran, anywhere besides where she'd previously stood.
Her shoes squeaked against the polished floor as she followed Jamie around the nearest corner, both girls trying their absolute best to move quickly without looking like two teenagers very obviously fleeing somewhere they weren't supposed to be.
"This is YOUR fault," Erica whisper-yelled, pointing accusingly at Jamie's back.
"You followed me," Jamie shot back without slowing down.
"BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO STOP YOU!"
"You weren't doing a very good job."
"JAMIE!"
Erica glanced behind them, expecting an officer to appear around the corner at any second and demand an explanation for why the police chief's daughter had been snooping around an operations room.
Thankfully, nobody followed.
Okay. Okay. We're fine.
All they had to do was get back to the lobby before her dad finished his meeting. They'd sit down exactly where he'd left them, Jamie would go back to watching anime, Erica would pretend she'd spent the entire time being the most responsible daughter in Vancouver, and nobody would ever need to know about their tiny little adventure.
Easy.
Jamie rounded the next corner.
Erica followed immediately behind her. "Just hurry up! If we get back before Dad—"
Jamie abruptly stopped. "Ah—"
Erica nearly crashed straight into her, stumbling sideways before catching herself against the wall.
"Girl, what are you—"
Then she looked ahead.
Oh.
Several people were walking directly toward them from the opposite end of the corridor.
Oh no.
At the front was a man Erica recognized immediately.
Oh no no no no no.
Woods stopped walking, his eyes immediately locking onto Erica before shifting toward Jamie with immense disappointment.
"Erica, what are you doing?"
Every muscle in her body stiffened. "...Hi, Dad."
Jamie quietly took half a step away from her without saying a word.
Erica's eyes immediately snapped toward her.
Traitor.
Woods stared between the two girls for several seconds. He didn't look angry exactly, but Erica had known him long enough to recognize the expression of a father who already knew something had happened and was simply waiting to hear how ridiculous the explanation would be.
"I told you two to stay put."
"WE DID!" Erica immediately protested.
Woods raised an eyebrow.
Erica froze in place. "...Mostly."
Jamie remained completely silent beside her.
Erica looked toward her again. "Jamie!"
"What?"
"Help me!"
"You said we stayed put."
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO—"
"Erica."
Her head snapped back toward Woods. "Yes?"
She was met with nothing but a sigh.
Unfortunately, it was only then that Erica finally noticed her father wasn't alone.
Several VPD officials stood behind him alongside two people Erica vaguely recognized from the city government, all of whom had apparently been interrupted halfway through whatever conversation they'd been having.
And standing directly beside Woods was someone else. Someone considerably more important.
Erica's eyes widened.
Oh...
Mayor Viktor Gestalt.
Of course she recognized him. Everyone in Vancouver recognized him, and Erica had seen him on television more times than she could count.
Despite that, she'd never actually met him before.
Woods pinched the metallic bridge of his cybernetic nose for a moment before apparently remembering the same thing.
Woods pinched the metallic bridge of his cybernetic nose before glancing toward the man beside him.
"Ah, apologies. Viktor, this is my daughter, Erica. And the one beside her is Jamie, her best friend."
Gestalt's attention shifted toward the two girls.
But for some reason, his eyes stopped on Erica. It wasn't dramatic or even long enough for anyone else to notice, but Erica did.
His expression remained composed, yet something seemed to change behind his eyes for the briefest moment, almost like he'd noticed something he couldn't immediately place.
Erica shifted awkwardly beneath his gaze.
Uh...
Gestalt seemed to catch himself just as quickly and offered both girls a polite smile. "A pleasure to meet you both!"
Something twisted strangely inside Erica's stomach.
...Huh?
Erica blinked.
There was something about his voice. It wasn't fear, and she couldn't even really call it recognition.
She obviously knew what Viktor Gestalt sounded like. He was the mayor of Vancouver. She'd heard him giving speeches on television, answering reporters, appearing in advertisements, and talking about the city for years.
Except, for some reason, hearing him speak directly to her felt different.
Familiar.
Not television familiar, either. Something older that she couldn't quite place.
Erica stared at him for another second.
That's... weird.
Gestalt's own eyes remained on her for just a fraction longer than necessary before Woods cleared his throat, immediately reminding Erica of the considerably more urgent problem standing in front of her.
Oh, right.
Woods folded his arms. "We'll discuss why you weren't where I left you later."
"Dad, Jamie wanted to—" Erica started.
Jamie's head whipped toward her. "WHAT?!"
Erica stared at her in disbelief. "YOU DID!"
"I thought we mutually agreed!" Jamie shot back.
"WE DID NOT MUTUALLY AGREE TO ANYTHING!"
"You followed me."
"BECAUSE YOU KEPT WALKING AWAY!"
"That sounds like a personal decision."
I can't believe it.
Erica's mouth fell open. "YOU—"
"Erica." Woods's voice cut in.
She immediately looked back toward her father. "Yeah, Dad?"
Before Woods could continue, a quiet chuckle interrupted him.
Everyone looked toward Gestalt, who appeared genuinely amused by the exchange.
"Come now, Chief," Gestalt said. "They appear to have survived their expedition."
Woods slowly turned toward him, caught somewhere between laughing at the situation and being irritated by the fact that his daughter had disappeared in the first place.
"With complete respect, Viktor, you're not helping."
"I wasn't attempting to," Gestalt replied with a smile.
Erica couldn't help herself. A laugh was already forming, and she instinctively covered her mouth with one hand.
It slipped out anyway.
Woods immediately looked at her. "Don't encourage him."
"Sorry." Erica kept her hand over her mouth, still giggling.
"We'll discuss this later." Woods sighed before looking between the two girls. "Go back to the waiting area, and this time, stay there. Please."
"For the record, Jamie really did start—"
"Erica."
"...Later it is."
"Go."
"Okayyyy!" Erica grabbed Jamie by the wrist and started pulling her down the corridor.
"I can walk," Jamie said.
"You've lost walking privileges."
"That's not a thing."
"It is now!"
Erica made it several metres before glancing over her shoulder.
Her father and the others had already resumed walking, although she caught Gestalt looking back at her for a moment before returning to his conversation.
Why does he keep looking at me?
"Erica," Jamie called out.
"Hm?" Erica glanced back.
Jamie tugged against her hand. "You're walking into the wall."
Erica quickly corrected herself. "I knew that."
"No, you didn't."
"Shush."
Behind them, Woods's voice carried faintly through the corridor.
"...the executives are already waiting upstairs."
Gestalt responded, but Erica couldn't make out what he said.
"And the shipment has been confirmed," Woods continued. "The new weapons should arrive shortly."
Their voices faded as the group disappeared around the corner.
Jamie glanced sideways at her. "You're being weird."
"What?" Erica asked.
"You keep looking back."
"I do not."
"You've done it three times."
Erica opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. "It's nothing."
Jamie stared at her but thankfully didn't press.
For some reason, Gestalt's greeting replayed in Erica's head: "A pleasure to meet you both!"
She knew that voice. Obviously she did.
He's the mayor, dummy. You've heard him on TV like a billion times.
That had to be it.
Still… why did it sound so familiar?