Murphy held Jordan for a brief moment before he stood and dashed toward the closest wall with her in his arms. “You can tell me what happened.”
Jordan was silent for the entire hasty walk along the wall where mech traffic was lowest.
Murphy glared at the passenger lines and at individual attendants when he passed by them. He wanted to yell at them all, with their designer labels on their clothes in an attempt to look inconspicuous as they dragged overstuffed suitcases with zippers about to burst. He was disgusted by their conspicuous guilt and the fact it was impossible to identify who among them might have been behind causing a girl to wander out into danger.
“We have a train full of people, who because of the results of tonight’s election, are about to be criminals next week,” Murphy said over his microphone. “All so inclined to stare at the ground to avoid suspicion, they’d allow a child to be harmed if it let them slip away into the night a little faster. Miserable, every one of them.”
“You got to her in time,” Cooper said. “Focus on that. Because you spotted her, she’s safe now.”
“Her parents’ phones aren’t showing up as active,” Emma said, her normally chipper voice giving way to caution. “They were last active on VIP Car 10, Room 33, when her father’s phone signal suddenly cut out ten minutes ago, then her mother’s less than a minute later.”
“Victoria, meet us at the VIP line,” Cooper ordered. “You’ll safeguard Jordan while Murphy and I go in to check the room.”
“I’d be happy to stay with Jordan,” Murphy said. “She trusts me.”
The girl tightened her hug as she was carried closer to the lines of people.
“Someone may be trying to assassinate her family,” Cooper said. “We need Victoria to protect her in case someone shows up for unfinished business.”
“Copy,” Victoria said with a hint of irritation in her stern voice. “See you there.”
“Someone froze them.” Jordan shook and sobbed for a long moment before she pressed her face into Murphy’s arm. “My parents.”
“Who froze your parents?” Murphy cradled the girl in a more protective embrace by shielding her head with one of his arms.
“So we get to deal with assassins,” Victoria said. “And here I thought this would amount to nothing but a basic stand and watch gig.”
“Victoria, try not to have your sinister smile on when you meet up with us,” Cooper ordered.
“The only food storage bins are on the dining car,” Emma said. “And those aren’t large enough to store two bodies plus all the meal supplies. And those wouldn’t cause phones to shut off abruptly.”
“Emma, check for an energy discharge,” Cooper said.
Jordan continued to sob as Murphy carried her through a platform covered in litter, and eventually toward the rows of nervous passengers.
Victoria pushed her way through a line of passengers and smirked as people behind her objected. She paced forth with powerful, calculated steps in her fine combat boots and stood tall in her green military trench coat. Her long, brown hair was wrapped into a professional bun and her bright green eyes stared out with a situational awareness that marked her as a former soldier.
“Jordan, I’m going to check on your parents,” Murphy said as he delivered a soft hug. “I’m going to leave you with my friend, Victoria. But I’ll be right back.”
Jordan peeked up and suddenly pressed her face against Murphy’s chest.
“That woman is scary,” Jordan said.
“You are right, I am a monster. I was a clone soldier.” Victoria extended her arms. “And I promise not to bite you. But anyone who tries to hurt you? I will rip them to pieces.” She chomped her jaw with a loud click of her teeth, exposing her sinister smile.
“Be nice, Vic. Try not to be so…you.” Murphy handed Jordan over to her new caretaker.
Cooper arrived seconds afterward with his calm and confident stride in his gray frock jacket complete with gray business pants and black shoes. His deep, brown eyes peered past his visor and locked onto Jordan’s concerned face. He tilted his head enough to give a slight swing to his frizzy, black ponytail.
“We’re going to find out what happened to your parents,” Cooper said as he stared into the girl’s eyes. He glanced at his cohorts. “Victoria, take her to the lobby. Murphy, with me. Emma, run checks on everyone we look at.”
Cooper led the way to the front of the VIP line.
A gray-skinned attendant with numerous cybernetic implants around his eyes, ears, and jaw line stood in the way of the VIP car’s rear door. He puffed his chest in his fancy red and gold uniform at the approach of two men.
“Executive tickets, please,” the attendant said in a shrill, metallic mockery of a human voice.
“We’re here to investigate Mayor Pro Tem Alicia Kurosawa and her family,” Murphy said.
Cooper stared at the cyborg and held up an open wallet to display a rectangular badge and an ID which featured the same charismatic look in the photo as he had in person.
“Homeland Defense,” Cooper said. He walked right up to the pale cyborg. “Let us through.”
“Wait,” the cyborg said. His brow furrowed and a lens assembly over his right eye whirred. “You’re only Scarecrows.”
“That’s one infraction for obstruction,” Cooper said. “And two counts of pejoratives toward government officials. Your citations are pending. Move aside before you rack up more debt.”
The cyborg stared at the ID in Cooper’s dark hand. He scowled and twitched.
“Very well,” the cyborg said without moving. “You may go through to carry out your investigation, but the Kurosawas are no longer passengers. Their family ticket was canceled.”
“We’ll determine why their status changed.” Cooper shoved the attendant out of the way and sped through the door.
Murphy followed and grinned at the cyborg.
“The attendant’s right, no ticket for anyone in the Kurosawa family,” Emma said through the radio. “But there is a recent cancelation on Room 33, made, hmm, about ten minutes ago. Reported as a no-show cancellation.”
“That’s right down the hall.” Cooper checked the door numbers and made his way past custodial carts.
“I’ve authorized your badges with investigation override,” Emma said.
“Perfect timing.” Cooper waved his badge in front of the computerized door lock and a green light flashed above the knob. He swung the door open and his eyes widened the second he looked into the room.
Murphy followed right behind and was unable to contain the slight gasp that left his lips.
“That can’t be,” Emma said. “There’s been no energy discharge. Neither of your cameras are picking up breath steam. That’s impossible.”
“Yet, here we are staring at them,” Cooper said.
A former Rudy was in mid-turn with all his weight placed on one leg and his face twisted in a horrified gaze. Before him, a concerned former Alicia had a mournful look and was trapped in a forward lean as if she rushed to the scene of a murder with her hand on her husband’s wrist. Nothing about their expressions or postures matched, but both were equally frozen into icy versions of their living selves.
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