What Have You Done?!

“Well, there goes my lead...” Dex muttered, staring down at the bloody wreckage.

Jason’s body was still lodged deep in the mangled car. Around the crash site, eight metal poles—each about four feet tall—stood in a wide circle, connected by glowing holographic barriers. KEEPER CRIME SCENE. DO NOT CROSS flickered in bold letters across them. A crowd had gathered just outside the perimeter, a mix of young and old, craning their necks to get a better look. The Keepers stationed around the area kept them back, ensuring no one got too close.

Dex had been waiting all day, and they had finally arrived. The response had taken hours for some reason, but until the scene was properly passed off to sector 4, he couldn’t leave.

“What am I gonna do now?” he muttered.

His partner, Sasha, stood beside him, arms crossed. “Whatever you do,” she said, “you’ll have to explain it to Captain Zero.”

Dex groaned. “Zero… That’s right. This is his sector.” He glanced at her. “Any chance you could run over and grab that breakfast stuff? If they even still have any.”

“Don’t worry, I got it. You want anything? We’ve been up all night, and now it’s already 4 p.m.”

“Coffee.”

“Black, no sugar?”

“The darker, the better.”

“Be back in a flash.”

“You’re the best!”

“Even though that is categorically untrue, I enjoy your sentiment,” she said before walking off.

Dex watched her go—or more accurately, watched her ass as she left. He couldn’t help himself. Sasha’s well-built frame, curvy body, unwavering dedication to the job, and her dry wit were perfect.

For a moment, he imagined marrying her.

She’d insist on wearing something conservative yet practical. She’d want their entire precinct to be in attendance. The colors would be white and purple, their favorites.

She’d demand that their parents sit on the same side of the aisle—no awkward division. Dex would make sure the ceremony ended on time so they could be back at work the next morning. Naturally, the bachelor party the previous day and wedding day would align with their days off. Their honeymoon? Scheduled for whenever the captain predicted their workload would be lightest.

Sasha would yell at the name tag guy and HR to have her documents updated immediately. Then, the happiest moment of his life, they’d submit a Workplace Romance Form to be signed and documented by the chief.

“Well, if it isn’t the dog man!”

The deep voice boomed from behind him, snapping Dex out of his thoughts. He nearly jumped. Turning, he saw a large, well-built Keeper jogging toward him, his blue hair tied into a bun. The man waved, and Dex noticed the burn marks and calluses covering his hands. This was Uno, Captain Zero’s son.

Walking beside him was a short woman with gray hair, dressed in a lab coat. Large, circular glasses sat on her nose, and freckles covered her face. This was Sector 4’s forensic head, Missy.

Uno grinned. “What’s a puppy like you doing off the porch? You’re a long way from Sector 6.”

“Actually, it’s not that far,” Dex said. “Besides, I was tracking a perp.”

“Oh yeah? Seems like you could’ve informed us. Or hell, even given the case to our sector.”

“It’s not that simple, Uno. I didn’t plan on seeing him when I was passing through.”

“Sure, you didn’t. Missy?”

“Huh? Oh! Y-yes!” Missy fumbled in her coat pocket, pulling out a black box. She flipped it open, and a swarm of mechanical bee-like drones flew out, instantly scanning the crime scene with rapid bursts of blue light.

Dex cleared his throat. “Well, what happened was—”

“Don’t tell me!” Uno cut him off. “I can tell just by looking.”

He strode around the wrecked car, pulling a pair of gloves from his pocket and stretching them over his large hands. He crouched down, poked Jason’s lifeless body a few times, then nodded.

“Yep, no doubt about it,” he said. “This guy is dead. Died when he hit the car. Probably on impact.”

Missy and Dex both stared at him like the idiot he is.

Missy, covered her face with her hands, and signed.

“Brilliant,” Dex sighed. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Uno smirked. “It’s a gift, passed down for generations. See? Sector 4 has its own expert detective.”

“Um, D-Dex?” Missy asked, “How did this happen?”

“Oh, I was getting something for our captain,” Dex replied. “Then I spotted this perp from a distance and told him to stop. He ran, so I chased him. He’s on the wanted list—Number 0912, multi-sector code A-Y45-3.”

“Classification?”

“Armed and dangerous. Level 5.”

“Force?”

“Lethal force was granted, but we wanted him alive.”

“Yes, the number 9…” Uno muttered. “This is all coming together…”

Dex and Missy ignored him.

“Did you get anything out of him?” Missy asked.

Dex hesitated. He shouldn’t lie, but he also didn’t want to tell her that he might have some strange connection to the perp. After all, Tamara wasn’t really his sister, but he doubted other Keepers would see it that way.

Especially considering that she, her son, and her brother had all gone missing after a terrorist attack. The last thing Dex needed was for his name to end up on a suspect list.

“He said something about their king already being born,” Dex said, “Whatever that means. Most of what he said was gibberish. Probably the result of slowly bleeding out for days while not eating. He tried to jump off the roof—I briefly stopped him, but then I almost fell too. My partner, Sasha, pulled me back.”

“And just where is your alibi Sasha?” Uno asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s completing a task for our captain.”

“Of course she is. I’ll see if your story matches up. Missy, I want the full forensic report as soon as possible. I’m making a call.”

Without waiting for a response, Uno walked away, tapping his earpiece.

“I have to get going,” said Dex, “but if you could send me the report too, Missy, that’d be great.”

“S-Sure!” she stammered, blushing. “You’d have to give me your contact info...”

“Sure, I’ll give you my office phone and work email.”

“YOU WILL?!” she said, her face going bright red. Her glasses fogged instantly.

Dex raised an eyebrow. He’d always found Missy to be an odd one. She was always nervous around him, but now she was turning red out of nowhere. Before he could ask, his earpiece buzzed.

He clicked it. Sasha’s voice came through, urgent.

“Dex, turn on the news! Any channel!”

Dex’s uniform came equipped with a built-in holographic display. He pressed a silver button on his sleeve, and a web browser flickered into the air before him. He searched for current events and landed on a live news feed.

“If you’re just joining us, the situation is still tense!” the anchor reported. “Donna, our beloved CEO, is being held at gunpoint by an unknown assailant!”

Dex’s stomach dropped. “What?! That’s insane! Who would be crazy enough to—”

His voice caught in his throat.

The camera zoomed in.

His body went cold.

His mouth went dry.

In the live video, Noa had a gun pressed to Donna’s head.

He was standing inside a museum, surrounded by Keepers, all with their weapons trained on him. His grip was tight around Donna’s neck, his face drenched in sweat.

“Don’t be stupid!” one of the Keepers shouted.

“Shut up!” Noa snapped. He pressed the barrel of his gun harder against Donna’s temple. “I’ll do it, I swear! Back off!”

Donna, eerily calm, sighed.

“Congratulations,” she said. “You just became the most famous person under the dome.”