[b][center][h2]Paige Kennedy[/h2][/center][/b]

“You gonna eat that?” CT asked. He was cuffed to the wheel of Xi’s unmarked Ford Taurus and sitting on the ground.

Xi reached into the paper bag and tossed a buy-one, get-one burger special from the diner into their former fugitive’s lap where he had already finished a sandwich. All three watched casually as excited revelers were dragged from Club Aether, some leaving more enthusiastically than others by SCPD. Xi patted his stomach in near submission to the thousand-plus calorie travesty he attempted to tame and rolled the foil wrapper back further marveling at CT’s ability to put the food away. Paige drank a cup of decent coffee and leaned against her car with some amusement. The steam from the cup rose up and the increasing coolness of the night helped the taste. 

“Jesus, where do you put it?” Xi said.

“Man’s gotta eat.” CT said proudly and started on the burger. They all watched as more units continued to fill up the parking lot until there were more patrol cars than civilian. “Mind if I ask a question?” He said glancing up at them between bites. “How much time you think I’m lookin’ at?”

“We don’t sentence you,” Paige said without looking down. “We just bring you in, judge takes care of the rest.” She’d answered the question a million times.

“Well what if I just gave all that money back? Like tonight. You think that would help?”

“You mean returning to people what’s rightfully theirs anyway?” Xi said. “Usually doesn’t work like that.”

“Yeah, I know…” CT relented. He pondered his next bite, but spoke up again instead: “Hey what if I taught you a few things on the computer, huh? Maybe put in a good word for me?” He grinned smartly back at Paige’s unimpressed glance downward. “I could teach you how to be caller seven, how ‘bout that?”

“That all you got?” Paige replied.

“No, I’m serious,” CT continued. “How do you think I got all that stuff you pulled from Bobby’s apartment?”

“How do you know I took anything?” Paige said with some interest.

“C’mon, I’m a pro.” CT replied with some apprehension. “You ever hear radio stations give out prizes to whoever is [i]caller number seven?[/i]” He asked pointedly; ready to boast of his technical prowess. “Well, I’m always caller number seven.” He grinned and took another big bite. “Then I go online and I cheat these ripoff auction sites.” He said with a mouthful. “I can show you that too, just give me a computer.”

“You think we’re really gonna give [i]you[/i] a computer?” Xi said. He relented on the burger and shot the balled-up wrapper into the paper bag.

The flashing blue lights of a SCPD van pulled into the parking lot and with a short burst of the horn, began to receive the Club’s take of delinquent visitors. Shouts and screams went up as some were transferred over and all turned their attention back to the spectacle across the street. The whole parking lot was a wash of people leaving and being corralled all at once. Officers moved forcefully waving people down and directing others to calm the situation. Paige’s glance narrowed slightly seeing the woman, Marinalia being deposited into the van, which seemed slightly strange as she very acceptingly stepped aboard, followed by the extremely tall person a few others including members of the club security detail and then the black haired, defiant, Victoria. 

“That’s the bitch that keyed my car.” Paige said nudging Xi. 

“The tall one?” Xi said slightly confused.

“No, the black-haired chick in that ridiculous outfit.” With a sly smirk, Paige aimed the camera on her phone and held the shutter button taking several good pictures of Victoria being put away. She sent one to Sio and said nothing. 

“What’d you steal her boyfriend or something?” CT said looking up with a ketchup smeared grin that faded when Paige glared back at him. “I mean, it’s a nice car and all…” He chewed quickly. “Yeah, I’d be pissed.”

An ambulance pulled up to the curb flashing its red lights unable to move any closer due to the crowding of the parking lot. As Paige watched the paramedics jump out and go to work with the stretcher she remembered an article in the local paper about cyber-crimes on the rise in Sol City and though it definitely was not her forte, something about it kept toying with her intuition and she was annoyed at how she’d had to leave much of the work to the CC officer earlier that day in order to track down CT a second time. He seemed more than willing to talk if she could just keep him feeling like he was the smartest person in the city. She wiggled her lips a bit a glanced back down at him. “Tell me what you know about this stuff and I’ll see what I can do for you,” She said looking him in the eyes with her well-known piercing gaze. “No promises, though.”