Chapter 17 - Episode: Patience is a Virtue, as Required by Law

"You really don't give me a break do you, Eric." Cornelia sighed as she sat in Belle's office. Eric had explained things with the Regulator, and when the Haze sensors gave the all clear, he'd gone out to get everyone coffee. By the time he'd returned, Amanda had explained her half of the situation, and the plan that Eric had proposed. Julia and Eric had spoken outside Belle's office, and Julia had beamed like sunshine when Eric told her that he and Amanda had made amends and were also on a fresh start.

Eric held his coffee in his hands. It was dark, hot, and just the right amount of sugar. It wasn't quite the blend he enjoyed back home, but it served. He gave Cornelia a small shrug and she scoffed. "Yeah, I'm helping with this." She looked between him and the wives, who smiled bright and started to thank her. "It's my job. So, did he say when he wanted to meet?" Officer Woolrick asked.

"Not yet." Julia said and sipped at her creamy sweet coffee.

"Okay." The Officer nodded and crossed her leg in her chair. "Belle, do you need Eric for anything critical today?" She asked. Belle shook her head.

"No, but I'd intend for him and the Old Man to go down tomorrow, and keep up the good work they did the other day; bug squashing and slime salting." She turned to Eric and he nodded. That would mean he wouldn't be able to schedule his sit in on Professor Landry tomorrow. A proper dive would take most of the day.

"That's fine by me." Eric said, not wanting to be mute in the conversation.

"So he has a voice," Cornelia wondered, sarcastically, "That's fine. We can plan the trap for the weekend." She held up a finger, "But, first I must, absolutely, run this by my Chief. We're going to do this legally, and by the book." Eric nodded at the first part but rolled his eyes at the second. "No jury-rigging, Eric; Figuratively, and certainly not literally."

"Seems like Oswald's the one rigging juries." Amanda groused, and Eric nodded. If his father hadn't gotten the charges thrown out, he would have tied things up nicely in court. Double Jeopardy be damned, if they falsified papers with the Guilds, that was their reputation on the line. They'd roast him, no matter where he sat in the Senate.

"Right, well besides helping me convince the Chief of this plan,"

That could be fun. Eric's conscious crawled up from whatever hole it had hidden in.

"He's going to need to talk with CCS," SHIT. "Two encounters inside of three days?" She asked, rhetorically. 

"Depends on your definition of a day," Eric interjected, sarcastic. Cornelia waves him off. 

"They're going to want to talk to you right away, so you might as well be at the station."

"Saves me the phone call." He shrugged. "Do you think the Chief will go with it?"

"If this guy is pulling the shit you say he is," Cornelia began, and Eric leveled a gaze at her that made her stop, "Don't you give me that look. I'm an officer of the law, not some Dystopian 'Judge', I have to be impartial."

"Even as you're setting up a sting?" Belle asked with a smile. "Seems pretty 'partial', just sayin'." She held up a hand and Cornellia nodded.

"That's why it has to be done by the book, no cutting corners. No punching first." She looked back at Eric when she said that. He smiled.

"But not 'no punching second'?" He asked.

"Even if there's an established history, as long as you don't physically or verbally provoke him, you're clear." Damn it all. "What's wrong?" She read the frown spread wide on his face.

"I like verbal provoking, and with him it was always so damn easy." He sighed. "Fine, I'll play nice. Heck, if I do things right he won't even know its me." And it gives you practice for spying on Joanna's class; two birds, one feeder! He grinned a little at his modification of the ancient adage.

Belle leaned back in her chair, as Amanda and Julia bid farewell and left the office for their own morning routines. "Well, Eric I'll pick up your slack today, though there really isn't much." Okay this needs to be addressed.

"Really?" Eric asked, "Some days there isn't much, some days there's a lot," He considers the things Belle's told him and shes shrugs. "Which is it?'

"Both. I get work that falls in my lap, paperwork, legwork, down and dirty ticket work, busy work," She smiled, "And then, Eric, I pull this magic trick where I do the work." Okay we were asking for that one. She laughed. "Most managers I know in the apartment circuit like to leave stuff off, or worse, delegate." She shook her head. "I mean if its specialist work or you've got something more important on your table already," She digressed. 

Cornelia stood up stretched. "Well, we should get going. Drip okay for the day?" She asked. Eric nodded.

"I moved her habitat somewhere it should still get sun, and I made sure all my windows are still sealed." He added, he hadn't forgotten about the brazen threat the Regulator had made against his little slime. Cornelia was first out of the office, but Eric lingered and looked at Belle, who seemed to know what he was thinking, but let him lead. "Are you going to have a clear schedule this evening, Belle?" He asked.

"I might," Her smile made Eric's heart jump as she leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands. "What did you have in mind, Eric?"

"Dinner, my treat, and maybe a movie?" He suggested, and her eyes twinkled with barely hidden mischief. "After that, maybe some dessert?"

"Some?" she asked with a pout.

"We'll see what you have room for," His tone adding to the tension. "But, I should get going. I've got a jackass to ruin and an ex-wife to humiliate, with possible arrests and convictions for both." He flashed a grin that made Belle shiver with excitement. "So it'll be a busy day."  He nodded his head and left her office.

"So," Eric started as he and Cornelia walked to her car. "When we were there last, I didn't catch your Captain's name." He started.

"Captain Lilimraguel, Though, take my advice, she prefers Rachel" Thought so, "Captain of the 34th Precinct for the City's Eighth Founding District." Cornelia said as she got into her car.

"So she is a Divergent Lilim." Eric said before getting in. "Holy shit." He wondered after buckling up. "I mean I'd heard some were still around, but-" Cornelia held up a hand, the keys hung idle in the ignition. 

"The Captain likes the fact that she doesn't look like her sisters." Cornelia stated strongly. "She's gone through a lot of trouble to look... herself."

"Noted," Eric nodded, "She did look like she had a lot of well made kit put into her." He commented as Cornelia started the car.

"You must be a real hit with Bettie-Bots." Cornelia laughed, and Eric shrugged.

"I'm an Engineer, a Technician," He laughed. "I'm good with my hands, and my tools." He smiled and Cornelia grinned. "There we go. You've been grim since Belle called you in." He said what had been in the side of his mind for a while.

"I figured I'd be late for work today," Cornelia sighed, but her smile didn't fade. "I did not think it would be over something like this, though." She admitted. "You're a regular wrench in the gears, Mister Wyre." She observed, as she drove among the early morning traffic to her Precinct building.

"Officer Woolrick," The same Sergeant who had been on desk duty the last time Eric had walked in here was at the desk again. Eric noted now the man's uniform was crisp and he was the perfect face for the precinct and its membership. "And Mister Wyre, you're fast becoming a regular visitor, another pet problem?"

Eric smiled, "If I were to call her that, Sergeant," he thought vaguely of his ex-wife, "My Ex would probably sue me for slander." He said and the man laughed.

"Save the banter for later, Eric." Officer Woolrick looked to the Sergeant. "I'm late, so I'm guessing the Captain wants a word?" The Sargeant swooned dramatically and pressed his fingers to his temples like a comic book mind reader.

"It's like you can see the future," He whispered. "Better hope you can see your way out of a talking to." His hands still on his forehead.

"We might just have something." Cornelia hinted at, "This way, Eric." She walked past the desk in the same direction the Captain had appeared from before. As Eric turned, he saw the the Sergeant bring one of his hands down so his index and middle finger pointed at his eyes, then with a flick of the wrist they were pointing at Eric.

Eric nodded once to affirm the message was received, and smiled when he turned to follow Cornelia, his eyes only straying slightly below her belt.

"Sergeant Boiler and I have known each other since we both joined the Precinct." She explained once they were a polite distance away.

"Didn't feel like introducing me, though?" Eric asked.

"He's on desk duty, not the grape vine. You'll have a chance to chat later, probably." She said as they came up to a well made wood and fogged glass door. The seal of the Precinct laser engraved into the glass and the name Captain Rachel Lilimraguel was engraved below it. Eric wondered how long she'd been the Captain here that they made a door for her, instead of a plate that could be removed and replaced.

Cornelia knocked, once, and a stern voice resonated through the glass.

"Officer Woolrick," Cornelia straightened up. "Mister Wyre," Eric snapped his posture into line. "Enter." Captain Rachel's voice commands and Cornelia's hand turns the handle and pushes the door inward. Eric takes in the room as the window swings. There's seats to the immediate left, then a wall with many, many photographs in different sizes, hung in an arrangement that suggested waves. Eric narrowed his gaze as Cornelia's first foot fall started to lead her into the half opened door. Police officers, in uniform, every photograph was of an officer. A few looked old, retirement age. Some looked fresh faced, right out of training. Most were between the two extremes.

When Cornelia had opened the door fully, and Eric could see over her shoulder, he saw the Captain sitting at her desk, framed by a pair of tall bookshelves packed with hard and soft cover books. Captain Rachel was watching the two of them as Cornelia stepped aside to let Eric. He took two steps into the room, and nodded respectfully to the woman behind the desk.

"Captain Rachel." He said, and Eric could see the quirk of her lips, upward. It was subtle, a millimeter of motion, but it was there.

"I suppose the door gives it away," She gestures as Cornelia shuts said door. "I appreciate the courtesy, though." She says.

"Then I suppose I got some very good advice." He shoots a grin at Cornelia as she steps up beside him and she strains to keep her professional mask on. "I'd also like to apologize for delaying Officer Woolrick," He said, and the quirk of Captain Rachel's eyebrows was audible. "I had an encounter this morning, a recurrence of one she reported before." He danced around the topic, as the image of red eyes hung in his mind.

"The Regulator." Captain Rachel said as she tapped the tips of her digits against her desk. "Yes, she reported the incident where it baited you up to the roof during curfew and Haze activity to repair it." She leaned back against her chair, and steepled her fingers. "Tell me what happened." She gestured at the two chairs in front of her desk.

Eric took his time to explain what had happened, but after he did, the first thing Captain Rachel did was narrow her gaze and look to Officer Woolrick.

"While this is certainly cause for concern," she began. "I can't see why this made you so late, Cornelia." She said, empathetic to her subordinate, "Even taking his time, Mister Wyre's explanation would have taken ten minutes at most, and I can tell he can be quite economical with his words in the right situation. So," She smiled wide, her optics glowing brightly, "what else did you two discuss?"

Eric smiled and Cornelia took the lead. The whole explanation took another twenty minutes, with questions, and by the end of it, Eric wasn't sure which way the Captain would play.

"It's dangerously close to entrapment." She begins. "However, if the ladies believe the individuals in question are trying to involve them in criminal acts, they're within their rights to ask us to investigate. We can observe and listen in, or use a volunteer to fill that role." Captain Rachel looks at Eric, whose anticipation is visible, and frowns. "Officer Woolrick, your tardy arrival today is justified by the information you've brought me. You're dismissed to report to your desk, and from there contact City Construct Security." She turned to look at Cornelia, who listened intently. "You will inform Agent Tarquin that the Regulator issue is escalating, and that Mister Wyre is in the precinct and will be available for personal interview." She stated and Cornelia's eyebrow went up. "In the meantime, I will be correcting any misconceptions Mister Wyre may have on just how we operate here." She turned back to Eric, who now felt like he'd stepped into a firing range.

"Captain-" Officer Woolrick started, and without turning her head, Captain Rachel leveled a gaze on Cornelia that stifled any backtalk. "Ma'am." She stood and turned toward Eric. "You can ask Sergeant Boiler where my station is, Eric." She advised him, and he nodded back. 

"Thanks, Cornelia, I'll try not to take too much of the Captain's time." He assured her and Cornelia smiled as she left Captain Rachel's office. When the door clicked shut, Captain Rachel chuckled. "She seemed worried." He explained. "Should I be?" He asked. The robotic police captain shook her head.

"No, Eric. You don't." Rachel smiled, and her optics dimmed to a less intense glow. "But for starters, shall we agree that everything that is discussed, from this point on, is off the record?" She began and Eric nodded even before he spoke.

"Of course, Rachel." He decided that if it was off the record, first names would be fine. "For my sake, or your own?" He pressed and she nodded. He took his eyes off her for just a moment as the lights dimmed around them, and the window behind her tinted itself to block out the morning sun.

"I'll admit, that after hearing about your encounter with the Regulator, I had a personal interest in meeting you." If she were a human, or any other type of citizen construct, Eric might not have thought it further than that. But she's a Lilim. His thoughts prodded.

"A Regulator showing up in your district is a major event, and making sure a witness doesn't spread the news around casually..." He paused as he realized he'd done exactly that in the coffee shop, "...might be something he'd have to apologize for." He cringes.

"If people know there's a Regulator around, they'll get off the streets sooner," She shakes her head. "Don't play coy, Technician." She whispered the word huskily. "You served in OZ, correct?"

"Yes, Rachel, I did."

"What was your technical qualification rating?"

"I'm rated up to fifth tier," He explain, and saw her body slouch. So that IS it, "On paper, that is." He added, and she perked up.

"On paper?" She asked, and he nodded.

"As you know, anyone who works on Seventh or higher Tier tech has to have a certain level of clearance," He watched as she ran her hands up her arms, "That level of technology can't be handled by amateurs... the risk of damage, and worse consequences, is too high." He continued. She nodded. "During a mission, my CO, a Captain with Seventh Tier clearance and I were deployed to repair a," he sighs, "to repair a Titan." Her eyes widened. "She had taken severe damage and we had to operate on her. My CO had been grooming me to pass the Officer Certification Course, and we had in a controlled, off the record, environment worked on a simulation of Tier Six tech." He continued as he watched her posture shift, her weight moving from one thigh to the other as she stirred in her seat. "At that point, I had the theoretical capacity to work on Seventh Tier..." He smiled. "My CO was going to give me a 'Brevet' commission for the mission to make sure I had the clearance to watch and assist, but not directly operate." He shrugged. "It would have been dropped afterwards, of course." He said, and was quiet for a long moment. Tease out her interest; one, two, three...

"What happened?" Rachel asked, her voice sounded hot, but still clear.

"A Jabberwocky." He said, and Rachel's eyes went wide. "Half way to the Titan, the very thing that knocked her off her ruby reds ambushed us, the repair team that would have gotten her back in the fight." He sighed. "I was in the armor behind my CO," He smiled, quietly. "He ordered, on open comms, that I go prep the Titan for the operation. He'd take command of the combat units and direct fire on the Jabber."

He was quiet again. Pause for the dead. Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen.... The voice counted out.

"And then?" Rachel asked, quietly, respectfully.

"I got my Armor, and the repair vehicles, to the Titan. She was laid out, fucked in a bad way. The fight with the Jabber was close enough we could hear the explosions, and our radios picked up the in-between." He laced his fingers. "You can't fight a Jabber, even a wounded one, without something heavy. Our Column's Armor was meant to get in quick and fix what was shafted." He sighed. "So, I took command and led the repairs myself," he summed up.

"And what happened to your CO?"

"He's.... officially, he's stationed at OZ for the foreseeable future." He said. Paperwork as High as Ayers. Four, Five, Six.

"And unofficially?" Rachel asked further. 

"He's still dodging questions on how he was able to 'direct' an under-qualified Engineer while commanding an armor escort group, and stay below a 40% casualty rating while fighting a Jabberwocky." Eric smiled. "He's a damn good chess player, making up stories on the spot, less so." 

"So the Titan was repaired?" Rachel asked, and Eric nodded. "By You?" She pushed further, leaned forward, and Eric nodded again. "Eric," She breathed his name and He could see slight variations in her optics. Subtle twitches that were out of sync. "I have a very personal, very embarrassing, request." She started to shudder, and grit her teeth. Eric held up a hand.

"Before that, could I ask something of you?" He asked, and Rachel blinked up, and he could see the strain in her posture. "I've never met a Construct like you before, if I'm not being too bold, would you indulge my curiosity, and allow me to, um," He struggled for the phrase, but it came back to him, "Give you a tune up?"

The tension left her eyes, and he saw her posture steady, and her jaw relax.

"You're quite the bold one, aren't you?" Rachel said, relief in her voice. She sighed and unbuttoned her blouse. Eric stood up. "If it'll sate your curiosity," She acquiesced, and Eric walked around the desk. "I'll indulge, oh" She gasped as his hands ran over her synthetic skin and she felt the warmth as his hands worked over her dermal surface. Strong hands, that could crack concrete, worked muscles that could rip through steel as he carefully, gently, massaged her shoulders.

"Raise your right arm," Eric asked, as much as commanded, and Rachel obliged, turning her head to watch as Eric slid one hand through the neck of her blouse, and up the sleeve, his fingers pressing and stroking as he went. The military fabric stretching to allow him access. She gasped and his other arm reached around to steady her, and held her as he ran his fingers along channels, pushing out tension and accumulated build up to dump points in her superstructure. 

She sighed with each cluster of stress unwound and then Eric started on the other arm. She let him work in silence, until he was almost done with her left arm. Then, she leaned back to whisper in his ear.

"You knew about my security protocols." Her voice was quiet, hot, and with no small amount of amusement. Eric smiled back. "Thank you." She whispered as he popped the last node of stress in her arm. "That was wonderful."

"That?" Eric asked, and spun her chair around so that she was facing him. "I don't do half-jobs, Rachel." He smiled, as Lilim Construct blinked in her chair. Her dermal layer flushed red when Eric gave his next order. "Take off your pants."

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