There was never a dull moment for the Section 0.
Umbrellaed under the Department of Cyber Terrorism, the government's response to the integrated techno-human evolution, Section 0 was perhaps the most secretive of its sections. Section 0 was small and comprised of law enforcement, military, and other personnel that were tapped directly by the director. Each individual was capable of functioning independently and the freedom to operate often came at odds with normal law enforcement. Their jurisdiction was indeed broad. Some operatives abused it while others held onto the idealistic idea of protecting humanity from a front for crime. Even with the many direct interventions that prevented greater chaos from ensuing, Section 0 was given no credit. No acknowledgement. They were ghosts that remained incognito. Only did they reveal themselves when a major operation needed to be carried out. They were ghosts.
Jamison walked past the crime scene holo-tape as she showed her badge to a nearby officer. He scanned it with his badge reader. His eyes widened ever so slightly before letting her pass. Walking to a nearby detective, she looked at the body. "Traloy McCallan." She crouched and looked at the body. It was real piece of work. Jamison would've concluded ordinance usage, but there were two pieces of evidence that rebutted that assertion. No witnesses reported any weapon discharge and the name 'Gravity Zero' on the billboard that overlooked the plaza. "Probably in his 40s. Business man from the looks of it. Iris?"
An AI appeared in her field of vision. She alone could see the AI while others couldn't. Several years ago, before joining Section 0, she had been a cop. Part of the Direct Action Tactical Teams, DATT for short. Someone in the sweep team didn't do their job, and she caught the back blow of an explosive device. She lost her eyes and her body was heavily scarred despite her protective equipment. Under the Federal Servant Care Act, the government covered what was lost in the line of duty, after reviewing that she had not intentionally done the damage herself but received it from the hazardous situation of the job.
She hated the augmentations at first. Years living with it, however, they became useful. She could see clearer than ever before. She could see heat, and monitor biometrics from a person. It was scary how much technology could put someone at an advantage. Only those with the proper clearance had access to these though. Unless you wanted to risk the black market, it was illegal except for high functioning operatives. Like Section 0. Plus, she got a friendly AI pal to help her with her day to day activities.
"I see the problem already. I'm pulling up his file," Iris said. Seconds later, a file downloaded into her cyber brain. "Married to a prominent business man. Nothing too incriminating background wise. I see several infractions for substance abuse and multiple complaints from certain persons. The complaints have been debunked however. The rest of the file is on the up and up. Shall I keep digging?"
Jamison pursed her lips. She pulled out a pair of gloves and manipulated the body. A gaping hole in McCallan's chest suggested something exploded his heart. The metal that innervated with his body turned to liquid. Hemorrhaging from various orifices. A biological virus could've explained the hemorrhaging but not the melted metal or the heart.
"Hey!"
Looking up from the body, the detective and several other officers had gathered around her. "You're ruining my crime scene. You know what we do-"
"I'm here as a courtesy to your police department," she said to the detective. The anger indicator in her field of vision started to spike. The man had a short temper. "Once I finish my inspection, I shall be on my way. In the meantime, stop talking."
"Why don't I arrest you for interfering with an investigation? Who even let you in? Show me your credentials."
The officers' fingers were all toying with their rifle triggers. She sighed. She showed them her badge. "Satisfied?"
The detective hmphed and walked away. The others slowly drifted off to. Good. She preferred it that way.
Looking back at the body, she contacted Zach, an analyst at Section 0's headquarters. "Jami here. I'm going to upload what I can from the victim's cyber plug. I doubt you'll find anything. It's a gory job."
"Well, why don't you send it, and we'll see?" Zach asked. She heard typing in the background. "Just got signal from the transmitter chip. Hold on. Shit. All the data's scrambled. This'll take a bit. So, Jami. Send pictures? Maybe of you would be nice."
She scoffed. "No."
"You're no fun."
"I'm standing next to a body."
"Oh. Still."
"How long will it take to salvage? Except for the billboard, there isn't much to go on. I can dive in myself, but we have tech nerds like you for a reason."
"Ouch," he said. "Either the poor sod ran into a hacker that really screwed up or a CK. I'm trying to find this Gravity Zero person. I bet its an avatar. Nothing. Only thing is leaving a mark. Kind of like the billboard you see. She's good."
"You found out the gender?"
"No. I just like assuming every suspect is a lady. You know? I've met some lady hackers, my god-"
"Focus."
"Yeah yeah. Give me a few hours. Hopefully I'll have something then."
Jamison killed the communication line. She took a few more pictures and took another look around. Nothing was left behind. The CK was a professional. Even cyber traces were limited, which worried Jamison a tad. Jotting a few notes down for later, she walked towards the detective who glowered at her. "You won't find anything physical here. Have your techs do some cyber work," she said. Jamison pointed back to the body. "He's all yours."
Taking off her gloves, she placed them in a nearby trash can. She had more work to do. This Gravity Zero was her next target.
Jamison stepped out of the industrial elevator that led to her warehouse apartment. Opening the door, she stepped in and breathed in a sigh of relief. It felt nice to come home after slogging it at the office. Checking her various physical and cyber wards, everything came back in the green. Security was something that came second only to her well-being. As an operative in a highly secretive branch of the government, everything ranging from her personal fire wall to the wards in her living quarters was taken seriously.
It wasn't fancy by any means, her apartment. Her couch was worn in while her TV hung off a wall. Her kitchen was old but still modern. Things were kept out on the counter while her blanket still laid unfolded on her couch. She often slept there instead of her bed. Too many late nights spent watching the TV or tipping back glasses of wine.
Settling on her couch, she positioned herself as comfortably as possible as she pulled up Augmented Wars. She usually didn't play video games, but this one was different. The player assumed the avatar directly and fought against others either for recreation or for money. She opted for the first reason. Money was covered though she did entertain the tournaments. Perhaps from her training, she was one of the top players. Her play style was aggressive but flexible. She adapted to what she saw from the enemy team and her teammates. Her team did frustrate her sometimes. No coherent movement or communication.
Logging on as her username 'Cypher', it took a few seconds for her to find a game. Her avatar materialized in the arena. Her armor was thick yet light enough to emphasize maneuverability. Her weapon of choice was a rifle that was meant for close to middle distance. The frame of her avatar, mainly from her armor, showed just enough curve to give her a feminine look; although, she tried to make her avatar as gender ambiguous as possible. The helmet she wore distorted her voice to make it sound robotic though some human inflection was kept.
Looking at her team roster, she looked at the names and recognized some. One stood out in particular. Sierra. She laughed. The game was going to be quick. Their team already had two top players including herself. The other three on her team she didn't recognize.
The counter read thirty more seconds before the arena doors opened. It was a simple elimination.
"Holy shit. Cypher and Sierra?" A tank avatar approached her then looked at Sierra's avatar. "Oh man. Oh man! I gotta snapshot this."
The other avatars made their way over and started to talk among themselves. Cypher (Jamison) laughed and looked over at Sierra. "You'd think they'd balance the teams. I suppose casual games don't really care for that. First time playing with you. Handicap or no handicap?"