G-Pol Ch. 06

The now wakeful dolphins greeted them enthusiastically, especially when they recognized Vixi as a fellow resident and local employee. The humans and the killhound waded into the shallows as the sun began to peak above the horizon, painting the sky in gold and red with glorious swatches of purple around the cloud edges away from the sun. It was an impressive display and they were all glad to have had the chance to see it.

Once the show was over, the play was on. The dolphins, free of the inhibitions imposed by large numbers of people around them were energetic and fun-loving playmates. The fact this group was willing to swim out to deeper water to join them gave them much greater freedom too. They were still considerate of Natasha's weakness and were outraged at the attack against her by Mallory. They swore they would let Them know if any of them spotted him and where and when.

They got the visual references they needed from the minds of Natasha and Vixi as well as older ones from Karl. Any of them could be useful in spotting the man, especially if he was disguised in some way. Natasha also sent them her recollections of his voice and the dolphins took the same from Vixi's and Karl's minds. In this way they could also listen for him. Their hearing was actually superior to that of humans, especially underwater.

All of this would be shared with the other dolphins all over the planet. This would increase their chances of catching up with him somewhat, but only somewhat. The dolphins of course didn't have access to the inland areas which was where the man was more likely to be. Still, any little bit could make the difference between success and failure.

Bona herself gathered an interested audience. It was rare that these two quote manmade species ever met. Bona spent nearly half an hour answering questions from curious dolphins. Most of them about life among the Wolfpack troopers, both human and killhound. There were also a lot of questions about hers and Natasha's work and how they'd come to be G-Pol officers, rather than Bavarian Enclave Special Forces.

This pod was soon joined by another and the group now numbered more than fifty. Among the joiners was one with psionic healing capabilities. She, on hearing what had happened came to Natasha and offered her services.

Since Natasha's system was already working well beyond its normal capacity, the dolphin would have to use her own reserves to perform the healing. She was happy to do so though as she herself was part of the planetary security force. In her mind, cops should stick together when it counted. At times like this especially.

Natasha had experienced psionic healing before. The Bavarian Enclave or BE Wolfpack used it in their training academy to quickly treat and return trainees to the field. This though was different. It was at once more subtle and more penetrating. Also, this didn't drain her the way normal psychic healing did. In fact, she seemed to be gaining energy and her strength was returning quickly indeed.

When it was all finished, she still wasn't one hundred percent, but the rest she could recover easily. She was more than ready to get back to work, or at this moment, play. She dived on top of her cetacean benefactor and wrapped her arms around her in a hug of thanks.

The dolphin for her part squirmed away squealing in childish delight and began swimming rapid rings around her. Soon Natasha and her new friend were in the midst of a free for all of flashing splashing and leaping dolphins with the other two humans and the killhound thrown in for good measure. A good time was had by all until the land bound got too tired to continue and had to take a break.

With that, the pods left to go and collect their breakfasts farther out to sea before beginning their days work. It had been a magical time for the humans and hound and was something they would never forget. They stood on the shore and watched until the dolphins were out of sight before settling down to relax and recover their energy a bit before beginning their days work as well.

An hour later they all went back on board the Czarina and showered and got dressed. They had a quick snack then Natasha took Vixi back to her house to get ready for work. She'd had to call out yesterday because of what had happened and couldn't afford to lose her job. Natasha told her she would vouch for her activities as well. With her credentials there shouldn't be any trouble from that quarter. The two girls rode the hovercycle this time once again with Demeitri and Bona in the sidecar. It was fortunate for them they'd brought bona along.

As they arrived at the bungalow Bona, catching a scent on the air instantly activated the bike's force shield. It wasn't much protection, but it was enough to save their lives. The bungalow exploded in a roar of smoke and flame as the firebomb with its chemical "enhancements" was triggered remotely, sending shrapnel and burning wreckage in all directions.

The shield slowed most of what came at them enough to prevent serious injuries, but they were still stung by some of it. The other thing that saved them was where Natasha had parked. There had been a planter between them and the bungalow and the bomb had been planted against the building's base on its other side. It too served to protect them from flying shrapnel from the weapon itself. Otherwise, things might have come out quite differently.

Natasha didn't wait around for the authorities. Instead, she rocketed off toward the local police outpost following Vixi's breathless directions. Somehow Mallory had apparently learned of her aid and had targeted her as well. It was likely he knew Natasha and Bona were still alive now. Hopefully though he wasn't yet aware of Karl, but they couldn't be sure. Natasha called him to warn him as they went.

Karl wasn't surprised and was glad they were okay. He would have his guard up and be ready for trouble if it came. At the same time, he would be careful to maintain a low profile. Maybe they would get lucky and he'd catch Mallory unawares. The Czarina's point defense P-beams and missiles would make short work of him if it came to that. That statement made Natasha wonder what it was he knew they didn't. She would have to talk to him about it later, that was certain.

Next, she called ahead to the local planetary police department and identified herself and her mission in brief. She reported the explosion officially and informed them she would fill them in on the details in person as she was on her way in now. She was told they would have security waiting for them. That done, she set about settling Vixi's mind and helping her cope with the fact that someone had just tried to murder her.

By the time they arrived she'd mostly succeeded, and Vixi was determined to help catch the one responsible. She wasn't one for just lying down and letting the world walk all over her she said.

"She could stay with us I think." Bona sent privately to Natasha, giving her a chance to avoid the situation if she wished.

"That's a good idea Bona.: she sent back, then to Vixi, "Hey Vixi, Bona thought you'd like to stay with us, at least for a while? It would be safer that way and you could help us at the same time. We'll tell the locals its G-Pol Protective custody if it comes to it. What do you say?"

Vixi answered by hugging her tightly around the waste and laying her head on her shoulder from behind in thankful gratitude. "You really know how to reassure a girl. I'd love to stay with you. Will Karl be staying too? I think he could be a lot of help. He apparently knows Mallory pretty well too. The three of you working together could probably bring him down pretty quick."

"I hope he does." Bona sent to them both. "We need him I think." Natasha caught a hint in her mental voice that said this was meant in more than one way. She thought she agreed with that assessment. His presence just felt right!

When they arrived, they were met by a contingent of Aphrodite security and led to a secure parking area and from there into the building. Natasha and Bona met the investigator assigned to their case, one Tim Michaels, in an interview room in the classic police design with the mirrored section of wall concealing an observation area and recording equipment. Natasha recognizing what this was instantly demurred, insisting they move this talk to a more secure location. The young investigator agreed easily. She was technically his superior after all.

He led them to a secure conference room instead. Once there Natasha filled him in on all the details she had on the case so far. A quick check by the investigator showed Mallory wasn't here under his own name or papers which Natasha already knew. And so now the man whatever name he was going by here, had several new charges against him, these ones on the planetary level. The first and lightest was illegal immigration and falsification of identity papers for reason of illegal entry. Other charges included multiple counts of attempted murder, terrorism, arson, possession of illegal weaponry and several others. If he was captured here, the G-Pol court could convene here as well to try him on the other charges of which there was an ever growing list. If he were caught, his final destination would probably be Timian. Unfortunately, Aphrodite didn't have a death penalty.

The interview was quick, a simple exchange of facts. Once everything was finished and the paperwork completed, Natasha promised to keep Michaels up to date on any further transgressions made by Mallory while on their world, as well as any information that might help with the capture. G-Pol was always careful to work closely with the local authorities because it made things easier on everybody and maximized resources, reducing waste through redundant effort. Efficiency was in everyone's best interest.

Next Natasha requested and received all the sensory and security data for the area around Vixi's bungalow for the last few nights. They would start here to search out who had placed and detonated the bomb. Anything that came in later would also be forwarded to them. For now they would take what they had back to the Czarina and review it there.

When they got back to the ship, Karl met them on the garage deck. When Natasha told him what they had in mind he surprised them. "It's possible it was Mallory himself who set the bomb. You wouldn't know it was him though. He's a full conversion cyborg with a disguise system built right in. He can make himself look any way he wants, taller, heavier, or changing his skin and hair color and voice. I've seen him use it. We need to talk about this guy. There's stuff G-Pol doesn't know about him they absolutely need."

The story Karl told them had Vixi in tears and brought the details of the report she'd read home to Natasha. It also sent a chill of terror through her. The event that had cost him his best friend had scarred Karl for life, and Natasha felt even closer to him for sharing that pain with them. Even Bona hugged him sympathetically, as did Vixi and finally Natasha, who also gave him a soft kiss to show her support and in thanks.

Mallory would be hard to stop, much less capture. Most of her weaponry would be of little to no use at all against his armored bionic structure. They would need military grade stuff for this. The man was obviously clinically psychotic as well. No one else would willingly sacrifice the majority of his natural body just for physical power. He obviously didn't see himself as part of the human race. Rather, as a force apart and above it, to sit in judgment.

She Bona and Karl had what they needed for their own defense, but Vixi was another matter. They would have to find a suit of body armor for her, at least.

Karl suggested a laser pistol as well as she was an excellent shot.

"My parents were a pair of cops you know." Vixi said blushing slightly and pleased at his praise of her. She wished all guys were this nice. Maybe then she would like a few more of them. "Actually though, I'm just as good a shot with a rifle. Or a foam gun for that matter. I think the foam gun would be my best chance for surviving if I met him. At least that way I could stop him."

"She's right of course." Natasha said smiling at the smaller woman. "And those I have on hand. I think I'll start carrying mine too. We all should I think."

"Actually," Karl said smiling, "I have all three. I can lend her a rifle and pistol so all we'll have to do is get her a decent suit of armor. That I could find on the station pretty easily. But down here, it's a different story. Not much need for advanced combat equipment on a resort world. Something else that might prove useful would be a personal force shield. Executive grade I'd say. For times when the armor isn't an option. When you're up against a guy like that, it's best not to take any chances."

"After hearing your story Karl I don't doubt it." Vixi said seriously. "So how much is a suit of good armor anyway? I know they're not cheap. I only have a few thousand saved up and I don't think that's going to be enough for even a cheap one. And an executive level force shield? Not a chance!"

"No, it won't, not for what I have in mind." Karl said. "I'll help you with that and the force shield too. Don't worry about it either. The bounty on Mallory's head will more than pay for all that kind of stuff and probably leave us all rich to boot. We'll call it an investment in friendship."

Vixi laughed. Tasha, if you don't claim him soon, I may beat you to it! I'm really starting to like this guy. Don't worry though, I'll be perfectly willing to share him if you let me in on it too! Needless to say, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on you either." That had them all laughing.

Not having anything else to do at the moment and needing a lead of some kind, they went ahead and checked out the data they'd been given. It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for either. The thing that had caught Bona's attention had been the smell of the explosives used in the bomb and not Mallory's scent. With that they were able to determine the man they saw in the footage wasn't Mallory himself. He'd made a clumsy attempt to conceal his features and it had been enough to make it impossible to legally identify him. But they did get enough to create a tentative composite image using a standard piece of law enforcement software which they then used to narrow down the possibilities until they had a likely ID. This they cross referenced with the planetary records to find the suspect's last known address and other information. The local police had checked this as well and on going to question him, found his home emptied and the man himself gone.

Further investigation showed he'd been receiving moneys from an unknown source for quite some time. These payments had always been made electronically from a secure connection there was no way to trace. This wasn't a crime in and of itself since there was no income tax here, so income did not have to be declared, but it did look suspicious. Add to that, his disappearance right at this time and it looked pretty bad. Still... He could as easily have been a victim as an accomplice.

Mallory was notorious for setting up false trails for investigators to waste their time on. In some instances innocent individuals had been convicted of crimes over it, only to be exonerated later on after exhaustive investigations. There were several cases in which persons of questionable character were trying to prove they'd been set up to take a fall by Mallory. In most of these cases though, the victims of such activities truly were innocents with no criminal background at all. The monster seemed to take delight in torturing such people.

Natasha contacted G-Pol on the station and put out a capture order on the man if he showed up there attempting to leave the planet. There was no sense in taking any chances. The station security would be alerted and on the lookout for him. Unless he had help, the man wouldn't get away.

Next she forwarded a report to G-Pol headquarters marked top secret with the information she'd managed to gather thus far, including what she'd gotten from Karl. That information would be vitally important. It placed Mallory in a whole different class of criminal. The rewards would probably now be changed to be payable whether he was brought back dead or alive. They would also most likely be raised by a substantial amount. This was both good and bad. It was good in that there would be that many more hunting for him, but it was bad in that a lot more unprepared people would be trying to take him and getting themselves killed or worse. On the other hand, knowing he was a full conversion cyborg would make it easier to tell if they had the right man when he finally was caught. There weren't many such men, and as his capabilities became known, they would serve as a kind of fingerprint making it easier to tell if it were him or another false lead.

By the time they finished that day, it was well after midafternoon local. Natasha contacted Vixi's employer to let them know she would be keeping her away for a time. They of course knew what had happened to the bungalow she had been staying in and had no trouble with this at all. She was put on an extended leave of absence without pay but would have a job waiting for her if she wanted it when she returned. Natasha thanked them for their cooperation and Vixi did the same for their understanding. They wished her luck and expressed appreciation for her dedication to the safety and security of their guests and her fellow employees.

They also surprised Vixi by informing her the insurance she'd been given as an employee benefit would be paying for her lost possessions. Although this was an extreme example, it was exactly the kind of thing it had been intended for. The payment should be appearing in her account within a day at most. This was why they'd always kept after their employees to keep their property lists up to date. Vixi always had, and now she was glad of it. She was also glad she hadn't had her dog here yet. She wouldn't have been replaceable.

That finished, Natasha decided they should move so as not to present too easy a target for Mallory. If he didn't know where they were going to be from one moment to another, he couldn't strike at them effectively. So it was they moved to another seaside landing site. This one even more remote than the last and a quarter of the way around the planet from their last location.

This area too was a tropical paradise, but more volcanic in origin as denoted by the black sand beaches in some areas. This time too they didn't let anybody know where they'd gone. Natasha's mission and status as a G-Pol officer let her make this kind of decision as needed to protect the security of her investigation. As no one was using this site currently, there would be no problem. If anyone did show up, they could simply move elsewhere as needed and still keep their location secret.

As they were moving, Karl went onto the net to search for what they needed. He found it in short order and it was available on the station as he'd suspected. When he showed it to Vixi she was immediately impressed as was Natasha. This was CAF military officers grade armor and would offer excellent protection and great freedom of movement. Superior in fact to many other models with the same level of protection. It was also sleek and lightweight. It was actually better than Natasha's own G-Pol issue armor. Karl really made her smile when he told her he'd ordered her a suit as well. He'd made arrangements to pick it up in the morning if that was okay with them. Of course, it was. Vixi gave Natasha a significant look which Karl didn't miss, but he pretended not to have seen anyway. He knew Natasha was the one he wanted, no matter how pretty Vixi was too. Natasha was just the one for him. He had to admit though, vixi would make a nice sauce on the dish!