A White Afterimage

"Sniffer unit to TOC," the quadrupedal drone spoke with a flat synthetic voice, its sensor head darting side-to-side, ear-like scanners on the sides spinning around.
"Room scan complete.
"Detection: gunpowder particulate residue. Concentration: high.
"Detection: elevated hemoglobin.
"Vital scan: null.
"Respiratory pattern scan: null.
"Conclusion: no vitals behind the barrier. Likely cause: Gunshot wounds.
"Request: cancel flashbang breach procedure."

The squad of seven officers stacked up at the door, submachine guns at the ready, armor matte black mixing with cyan, helmets hiding any traces of humanity.

"TOC to entry team," a female voice replied over the uplink. "Cancel breach. Collect necro and evidence. Out."

The sergeant moved forward, his exoskeleton whirring as a blade extended from the armored gauntlet. He jammed it into the doorframe, shredding through the lock as the door swung open. The team flowed inside, weapons and scanners at the ready. The sniffer drone padded forward, its sensor head blinking as the teal beam swept the room.

"Entry team to TOC," the sergeant reported. "Necrotic scan complete. Three adults: two male, one female. One adolescent, male. No resuscitation possible. Out."

"TOC to entry team. Bag necrotics. Collect evidence and determine causes. Out."

The officers moved in sequence, their scanners humming as they tagged every body. It took two officers to bag one, with one holding the body up, and the other activating the nanofiber body bag.

One officer held the adolescent male up, helping his partner bag him. He spoke through his helmet, muting his mic from the uplink.
"Scanner on this one read fifteen."
His partner responded with a sigh.
"A kid. Barely older than mine."
The bag sealed, covering the boy's bloodied face.

"Sniffer report," the drone beeped.
"Weapons detected.
"B99 ballistic pistol. Registered to: null. Telemetry: null.
"L-54-F ballistic revolver. Registered to: null. Telemetry: null.
"Conclusion: criminal activity.

"Continuing report.
"Device tampering detected.
"Prototype mobile device. Vendor ID: MagiTech. Telemetry: null.
"Standard-issue citizen wrist-tags. Telemetry: null.
"Serial human interface device. Alternate name: game controller. Telemetry: null.
"Hypothesis: hardware piracy. Confidence: ninety-eight percent."

The sergeant responded with a nod, relaying to the uplink.
"Entry team to TOC. Summary: confirmed hardware pirate cell. Probable gang dispute, internal. Evidence and necro secure. Returning topside. Out."

The squad left the room as quickly as they'd come in. The drone's legs tapped against the concrete, its sensor giving the room one last scan.

The basement emptied. The error screen kept scrolling, dried streaks shimmering purple in the blue glow.

A report was filed, marking the incident off as a simple dispute amongst criminals. Every participant was identified as having hardware pirate allegiances, except for one. 

The fifteen year old boy, nicknamed "Dome" (as heard on camera recordings outside of MagiTech HQ), had no prior connections to hardware pirate groups. Interviews with his parents revealed an entirely clean record. Good grades, good friends, and church every Sunday. Investigators determined that the boy had likely been tricked into joining under the illusion of monetary reward.

After the assault of a device tester, MagiTech updated its safety policies, providing police patrols for employees carrying prototype devices and armed security around offices. Interns and contractors were to be monitored more thoroughly. Other local tech firms followed, throwing a wrench into hardware pirate operations.

A few days later

The implant in her skull sat quietly, vibrating on occasion to ease her dizziness. “Intercranial vestibular regulator,” the surgeon had said. “Keeps you steady, prevents seizures. You’ll barely notice it after a while.”

All device testers must check in and out with assigned police escort.
Prototype devices may not be transported unmonitored.
Remote work requires two weeks’ advance notice.

At the bottom, MagiTech’s logo glowed next to “Remember, MagiTech cares for your safety.”

Sara sighed, finishing the training up and setting her tablet aside. Her two year old tabby cat was purring on her lap, his head nudging her palm until she began to stroke him.

“Thanks for taking care of him while I was gone, Mom.” She whispered to herself.

The cat yawned, licking his paw and cleaning his face. Sara yawned too, leaning back and closing her eyes.