The Neo-Metropol Heist

35: Jaeger

"God I hate the military," Jaeger said, wrapping her arms around her chest and trying to ward off the freezing gusts that blew viciously across the rooftop she stood on with Stewart.
"I don't think they're technically the military, boss," Stewart replied helpfully, "they're private contractors."
"Same shit, different name," Jaeger retorted, "it's all theatrics and chest-thumping. Why couldn't we have met this guy somewhere warmer and closer to sea level?"
They were huddled together on the rooftop of a tall, derelict skyscraper used mainly for advertising. Stewart leaned over the hood of the jumpcar they had landed between two air conditioning units and checked his watch. He had a cut across his right temple from where the fire extinguisher had had hit him in the head, a couple of stitches and a healing membrane slapped over it.
His right arm was wrapped in a criss-cross patterned plastic cast. In the car, she could hear the device buzzing as it pumped ultrasound rays into the rookie's arm to accelerate the healing break - it would be healed within the week.
She'd gotten away with a couple of bio-membranes and a throb in her stomach from where Blackjack had bruised her muscles and flesh with his punch. She'd get him back for that.
"Oh-seven-hundred," Stewart said, "our captain is late."
Jaeger scoffed.
They had only received the coordinates that they were supposed to meet the illustrious Captain Ragnar Garistag at an hour earlier. They hadn't really slept, the adrenaline still pumping from the previous night. They'd hopped into a vacant patrol car and flown to the west dockyards to wait around for forty minutes.
"No excuse for bad timekeeping," Jaeger told Stewart, rubbing her eyes. This wasn't the first time she'd pulled an all-nighter, but as she aged she started to feel it more and more. She wasn't a rookie anymore.
"This could be our guy," Stewart said as the terminal he held buzzed, "it says 'look up'."
They exchanged raised eyebrows and then looked up at the milky morning sky. The clouds seemed to shimmer like the surface of a lake, and Jaeger soon realised that in fact, she couldn't even see the sky.
The shimmering intensified like static on an antique TV screen, and the clouds morphed, turning black and revealing the impressive sight of a hulking jumpship.
Wings the length of a bus stretched out across the sky from a wide, deep body. They adjusted erratically like the wings of a dragonfly as the VTOL thrusters on the underside redirected, and the beast began to drop towards them like a vulture.
"See?" Jaeger said to Stewart and stepping towards the landing ship, "theatrics and chest-pumping."
Stewart grinned and stood beside her as the ship came to a surprisingly gentle stop, resting on its wings, the hooked cockpit peering down at them like a bird of prey. A few moments later, a cargo ramp lowered from the belly of the ship, a row of heavily armed soldiers appearing in formation. They divided and made two short parallel lines from the ramp, opening the way for a tall man in similar garb with a red line running across his chest.
He had a swagger that no man could possibly have earned and walked with his spine straight, a vicious looking rifle of a kind Jaeger had never seen swung across his back.
Even before he removed his helmet, Jaeger knew she was looking at Captain Ragnar Garistag.
"Detective Jaeger?" The man asked, ruffling his dirty brown hair. He had five o'clock shadow that made his scarred face look even more mottled.
Jaeger wasn't sure if she was supposed to salute, but Stewart did it for the both of them.
"Captain Garistag," Jaeger nodded respectfully. She didn't like deferring to a common mercenary, no matter who he protected, but she bit her tongue.
Garistag didn't continue the conversation, instead looking at one of his men, who had been scanning the rooftop around them with a terminal. The man nodded at him.
"Area clear, captain," the man said, "no bugs."
The man saluted, a strange trait among mercenaries, even MetSec. Garistag had his men trained well, he would expect full deference and Jaeger didn't like it.
The captain nodded and removed a metal sphere from his pocket that for a moment Jaeger thought was a droid. He dropped it into the air and it stayed suspended, illuminated with a blue glow.
With a flicker, a tall blue figure appeared around it, made of projected light. It morphed into the shape of an older man that Jaeger quickly recognised as Sergei Castells, wearing an immaculate suit.
His skin had a pallid tinge to it, even more so than in real life due to the blue light the image was constructed from. He smiled, his eyes empty and his teeth too bright in the flickering light.
"Detective Jaeger," Castells said, Jaeger's back stiffened when she realised it was a live uplink and not just a recording, "it's good to see you again, I apologise for not meeting you in person but I have some sensitive business to attend to at one of my international headquarters, I hope you understand."
Jaeger nodded. She wondered what the man was up to but it was probably something she didn't need or want to know.
"I do, sir," she said.
"You've met Captain Garistag, then?" Castells asked, rubbing his hands together. Jaeger noticed he wore thick winter gloves and a scarf that didn't match his suit, a slight mist trickled from his mouth with every breath, "I must also apologise for the secrecy and smoke and mirrors, you understand that this is a highly sensitive operation? The captain is only being sensible."
Garistag crossed his arms and listened intently, not looking at Jaeger.
"Of course, Mr Castells," Jaeger said. She just had to bite her tongue for a few weeks longer and she would be fine.
"Captain Garistag, please give Detective Jaeger the operation files," Castells said as Garistag handed her a terminal, "we would have delivered this to your personal channel, but it is very sensitive and we cannot risk a leak. In it you will find an outline of the operation plan and more information about your role in the protection detail. We also have a copy for you, Detective Stewart."
Stewart took his copy and looked at the screen, blinking as the device took a retinal scan with a flash, registering him.
"Unfortunately you will not receive more detailed orders until the event, but I trust Garistag with my life and with my possessions, I have no doubt he will place you where you will be most useful."
Jaeger nodded. She still didn't like the man, and liked him less with every word, slick as they were with grease.
Jaeger opened the files and flicked through them, finding floor plans of the part of the Neo-Metropol that she would be patrolling. Then, the device showed her images of a face she vaguely recognised.
"Edward Helten?" Jaeger asked, remembering the name of the infamous thief. He had history with Castells, recently released.
"Yes," Castells said, his voice becoming lower with a sigh, "I'm sure you are aware of my history with Mr Helten?"
The bits you haven't written out of history, yes.
"Yes sir," Jaeger said.
"Since his release from prison Mr Helten has remained within the city," Castells said, Garistag watched the conversation calmly, rubbing his stubble, "I believe he still holds a grudge for whatever reason and may be planning some kind of revenge."
Jaeger flicked through the pictures, security camera images in grainy white of a tired old man in a battered trilby hat.
"Is he a security concern?" Jaeger asked, "with all due respect I can't see how he could be, sir."
Castells shrugged slightly.
"I believe he may be unpredictable, and despite our attempts at tracking him he has become very adept at disappearing from our scans," Castells explained, "we have also spotted him with two men we are unable to identify, despite our best attempts."
Jaeger flicked through to pictures of two men, one was tall and slim with blonde hair and an impressively chiselled jaw, the other was slightly stockier with black hair and a self-satisfied grin.
People you couldn't identify were usual trouble. Ghosts.
If you found a ghost in a case, it usually made things more difficult. What was Helten up to?
"We have these two on a blacklist to stop them getting anywhere near the Neo-Metropol, but that's no guarantee that they won't find their way inside," Garistag said.
"Men that can stay off the grid are men that can find their way off of a blacklist," Castells said, "but it is important to note."
"Yes sir," Jaeger and Stewart said in unison.
"You will be required to observe Helten to ensure that he does not attempt to interrupt the event in any way. Is this understood?" Castells said, his tone as practiced and friendly as ever, but his words taut. Was he actually scared of Edward Helten?
"I'll make it a priority," Jaeger said.
Castells smiled and turned to Garistag.
"Commander, detectives Jaeger and Stewart are part of the team now, treat them as you would your own men," he said. Garistag nodded and Castells turned back to them, "I see a bright future for you, detective. I hope to see you soon."
The hologram flickered and Castells disappeared. Garistag took the projection sphere and pocketed it.
"We will have any other directives delivered to you as and when you need them," the man said coldly, "we will be in touch."
With that, the commander turned back to the ship and his guard followed him. The gunship closed with a hiss and lifted away almost silently, blending into the clouds like its hull was so many mirrors and disappearing.
Jaeger turned to Stewart, who simply sighed and turned back to the car.
Jaeger looked at the display tablet in her hands again and flicked between the security cam images of the two ghosts and Edward Helten. The old man had limp white hair and a wooden cane.
The two men he stood with were his polar opposites, confident and vibrant, like he had been in old images Jaeger had seen of him.
Whoever they were, Jaeger would have to factor them in. She had a job to do, and she wouldn't let anybody get in the way of duty. That was who she was.
She slid the terminal into her pocket and walked to the car.