Under the train tracks, there was no sign of life, only the sound of distant waves slamming the concrete breakwater below us.
On the other side of the sea, small sparkling dots marked the tip of another city, surrounded by bright billboards in the sky.
Sitting inside the car, the headlights were the only source of light on that side area. Being in complete darkness in Eoncity was something rare.
"I come here to think sometimes." She kept her gaze beyond the water, on the lights far away, then looked at me.
"Would you like some spaghetti before throwing me into the sea?"
"Why not?!"
With one tap on the panel, she turned on a white roof light, allowing me to get a better look at her.
That was definitely her night off. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a plain white tee, and a fierce crimson jacket, matching her red hair. I definitely wouldn't mind getting killed by her in that outfit.
Sticking a meatball with the fork, she raised it up to her mouth, staring at it intensely before taking a piece. As she began to chew, the flavors enveloped her palate, making her detain a smile while covering her mouth with one hand.
"Still wanna kill me?" I had to brag; her expressions were pure delight.
"Where do you find these things? First the coffee, now this?!" she said between fingers.
"I used to make deliveries for the restaurant."
"Now you're just a customer? This is the way to go." She finished chewing.
"Yup." I watched her casually take a napkin out of my lap, where I left my part of the spaghetti. "But you didn't bring me here just to eat spaghetti."
"No. I brought you here…" She cleaned off the sauce on her lips before meeting my gaze with a more serious expression. "Because I need your help."
Of all the scenarios I imagined, this did not cross my mind.
What was going on inside that woman's head? How could I possibly help her, and, most importantly, why would I?
I was not going to help those pigs infiltrate the slums or take down the Trinity. She got it all mixed up. Just because I took her in didn't mean I would rat out all my people.
"No!" I answered promptly, but she didn't seem surprised or change her expression at all.
"It's not what you think. I won't ask you to help the Force invade the lower tier." The woman had the power to stay emotionless to my firm refusal. She already knew I would react this way.
"I'm not helping the Force do anything. Period."
"You're gonna be helping innocent families get justice for their loved ones." Her monotonous tone became a little more passionate, but she still restrained herself.
"What do you mean?!"
Eye to eye, we faced each other, trying to see beyond our intentions. No matter how good she was at masking her emotions, she couldn't hold it for too long. The cracks on her facade were visible to me—the way her eyes wavered and her lips pressed against one another softly.
Officer Abrom was pretending to be a cop. She wasn't one of them; she cared too much about doing the right thing, no matter to whom.
That was stupid of her. The organization she worked for was corrupted, and she probably thought she could change it all by herself with honesty and small acts of justice.
"I want you to help me find out who's killing harmless farmers."
"Farmers?" That took me by surprise. "Why would you need me for that?" For once, her eyes escaped mine, gazing at the waves hidden in the darkness.
"Because the Force won't." Her words were a mumble, said behind the hand she had brought up to massage the gap between her eyebrows.
"Won't what?"
"Find the truth." The words were practically spat out. "They were all simple people, most of them seniors. Nobody paid attention to their deaths."
Officer Sun wasn't really talking to me—she seemed lost in her thoughts, making me question how I fit in that story.
There was nothing I could do to help her. I wasn't a detective or anything of the sort, and we barely knew each other.
Did she really forget I tried to get rid of her?
Our relationship started wrong. She had no reason to trust me—or even like me, for that matter—but still, here we were.
"I need someone to help me see what I missed." Her gaze came back to me along with a train that crossed the tracks above us, making the car shake.
"I'm not some… vigilante."
"I know you're a hacker."
"So what?" My spontaneous reaction was to smirk briefly. If it was supposed to be a threat, she didn't mean it.
"You can find online what I couldn't on those walls."
"I can't…" My head was spinning with questions, and the whole conversation seemed pointless. "I'm leaving."
Without hesitation, I picked up my backpack and left the car.