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WHO: NPC detective (Riko Satou), Heine Rammsteiner, Hei, and Jake Muller
WHERE: New Amsterdam's 12th Precinct Jail
WHEN: January 3rd
WHAT: Arrests and interrogations. No motive, still murder, etc.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Loss of autonomy, consent, references to nonconsensual surgery. Any additional warnings will be added.

[ It isn't difficult for the officers to bring in the three men, what with two of them doing exactly as they're hold with little argument. The weird part is that two of them just don't exist. It was clear as day to the officers when they first encountered them. It's even clearer now that they're sitting inside of the station waiting for processing. There are no fingerprints on record, and no damn clue as to who they are or where they came from. The third man – Heine – isn't unique in any way. There is no record on him. But the other two? It's strange. Impossible.

Murder is a hefty charge, but it's hard to charge someone who doesn't exist. It's especially hard to investigate a murder when someone doesn't have a life to look at. Motives. Anything like that.

Riko's assignment on this is a headache. To say the least.

It's time to question the men involved. See what happened. Figure it out.

So much weird ... everything has happened lately. This is just one big steaming crap to add to it all.

They give it a few hours before they start the interrogations. They make sure the two men don't exist. Scour records. Do facial recognition over and over. But nada. Nothing. Hell, they don't even come up on anything recently in the city. It's strange.

By then, the drugs would have worn off for Hei and Jake. ]

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Oh, my friend. You're barking up the wrong tree with that one. [ Riko brings her hands together, fingers twining before her as they settle on the desk. The bottles themselves are unique in make – despite being an IPA, there's a standard label amount of words shaped into the glasses for where to bring it back, get it filled up. How to handle all of that. The brewery's name is painted on the bottle itself. ]

So ... The implant is just one of the many things I'd like to know about you. Where'd you train? Who set you out there? What the hell made you and your buddy Tak turn into zombies the moment my friends showed up to take you in? Even the last 48 hours of your life would be swell. Hell, tell me why you took that guy down. There's a lot I don't get.

Hey, sometimes a guy just has to bark. I don't think this is the start of our quirky sitcom cop-prisoner romance but I have to admire a game well-played. You've got it together.

[ His eyes go low again, covering it by ducking down for another drink as she rattles off her questions. Pause. Swallow. Lean back. Commit what he's read to memory. ]

Wow, can I get that all written out? Maybe with priority numbers?

Let's see... I'm flattered that you think I'm professionally trained, first of all. Does the gym count? I like to stay fit. Went to a self-defense course that my dad forced me into when I was thirteen or fourteen, that's something. The next point I wanna' make? Tak isn't my buddy. He's a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and interrupted me. Never met him before in my life.

Oh, I love those stories. Personally, they're always a good laugh. [ Riko sounds sincere when she says this. There are loads of movies like that. Charming, well-built guy manages to win over a cop. They give him another chance. It's great. They're great. ]

You realize you and Tak have some things in common, don't you? Are you really gonna tell me that it's a coincidence?

You're telling me. Wish I could make this more like that for you but something tells me neither of us are gonna' be laughing all that much. I know some good jokes, sure, but I've got some explaining to do first, huh?

[ His expression turns reticent, finally showing a crack in that demeanor as he taps his foot against the floor and offers her a quiet sigh that releases tension from broad shoulders. ]

Don't really know what to tell you on that one. I'm not lying -- he showed up when I was in the middle of something else. Nasty shit... The guy just-- [ A moment, another breath. ] --dropped. Sure, I was trying to knock him out, but it was like the second he fell I knew something was off. Felt his pulse and sure enough... Fuck, never seen anything like it.

I'm not buying it. Come on. Guy like you? Literally a perfect specimen to go around and cause problems and then get brought in like this. Shit like that, well. Let's say I catch a lot of movies when I'm off work.

[ She picks up her beer, takes a sip, and then waves it at him vaguely. ]

Maybe it happened a long time ago, too. Don't know about that. But not here. So, tell me the real story. Or I'm gonna regret letting you in on my favorite thing in the entire world. [ Riko offers a smile. ] One of 'em, anyway.

Well shit... not really sure how to take that one. I look like a perfect specimen for...? What, exactly? Crime? Accidental murder? Nice to know there's guys like me in the movies, but if you think I wanted to "cause problems" and get myself landed in all this, when I've never been busted for so much as speeding, then you're way off.

[ Those light eyes go back down to his drink, then to her. ]

Listen, Riko... I'm having a pretty fucked up day. Maybe that sounds like a pretty shallow complaint since I'm alive and some other guy's not, but him being dead's an accident. That's as real as it gets.

[ For speeding. Well, his first name ... Truthfully, she couldn't spell it off the bat. ]

You know, I don't feel too bad for you. Sure, it's manslaughter. But here's the deal. Tak played the same game. Same story.

Is that right?

So because a guy I've never met and know nothing about had a similar experience, one of us should go down for first degree because you don't like coincidences?

Maybe you don't watch enough movies after all. I get it, you want me to be a really bad guy, but I'm just trying to make it in this city like everyone else and I fucked up. Unintentionally.

No, movies tell me that coincidences like this are bullshit. [ An edge creeps into her voice. Almost as quickly, she slouches back, looking up and breathing out a long, hot breath. ]

I need you to do two things. First, that nice long last name of yours? Spell it out. And second — I'd like to know a little about you. Where you came from. How you got, well.

[ She doesn't bother to motion. She does look at him again. ]

Here. Say you like to work out. Who inspired you to get so damn big?

Fair enough, bad example. Watch more crime shows; crazy coincidences happen all the time. Look, you think I'm not frustrated too? Whoever that guy is, I'm not thrilled that he's apparently fucking up my credibility.

[ He matches her near-sigh, lubricating the pause with some more beer. It helps him think. ]

Ponomarenko. P-o-n-o-m-a-r-e-n-k-o. My family traces back to Russia, so what do you think?

This line of questioning is giving me real whiplash, though. I can't just be a guy who likes to keep fit? We're just two in-shape people having a conversation. Too many of these beers and I might start worrying about my waistline, though.

I think you have a lot of convenient answers, Alexei. Including that name – but you're smart. You knew that, didn't you?

[ Riko's got to give him credit. He knows how to roll with it. Call it whiplash? Sure. But she's certain that he knows why she's doing that. Back and forth. Hard to follow. ]

Tell me a bit more about Russia. [ Who the fuck traces back to Russia these days? Or claims it, for that matter. ] Any specific part? [ Is he just crazy? She doesn't give away these thoughts, but that is what she's thinking. ]

Okay, we have a cute thing going on here but if even my name is overly convenient I'd say I'm fucked before I've even started. [ And yet the hint of that grin's back, mostly just in quiet awe of this entire situation. His luck's never been good, strictly speaking, but this? This is on a new level entirely. Wake up, dose up with some very inadvisable drugs, witness the death of his entire team (helped along by himself), fight a number of mutated freaks, get chased by one especially persistent one, get forced to jump out of a helicopter and have his parachute sliced by one its blades--

Then waking up here. On a bus. And now he's getting questioned in association with this? Well, he'll keep a tight hold on his self-pity. ]

"Any specific part"... Jesus. There's a lot of parts that I don't think a New Amsterdam detective would know much about, let's put it that way. You ever lived off the books? And I don't just mean missed by the system, I mean missed by everything.

Do you know how long a kid can go without food? Any names of places I give you are gonna' be unverifiable trivia to you because they're shitty undocumented hovels that shouldn't exist. I'm not here to bore you with my childhood, Riko, I'm here to talk about a crime you wanna' book me for. So let's talk about that instead.

It's unverifiable because no one lives in Russia anymore, my friend. Russia doesn't exist. [ These are words that Riko never thought she'd have to say to someone in her life. Sure, she is a movie buff. She loves that crap. Loves sitting down and enjoying a cold one, arm wrapped around her partner, having a good time. She loves good movies, bad ones. Everything in-between.

But as much as being a detective has some romantic notions that she sure as hell got into from a young age? She never thought her stinger would be Russia doesn't exist. It's mindblowing. ]

I can't book you until I know your name. Who you are. Where you really came from. Come on. We're friends. You and I both know that I find history boring, so let's stick to the facts.

[ Russia doesn't exist.

He's not too certain how to even feel about that, having only visited the country a few times himself -- surprise surprise, more lies on more lies -- but it does a good job of solidifying just how out of his element he is. It felt like a safe bet, pretending to be from at least some part of the massive country. ]

We're friends, huh...

I already said I wasn't expecting you to believe me, but did I really just hear you say you can't book me until you know my name?

That's right. Can't book a man who doesn't exist. And you don't. [ She waves a hand at him, and then puts it up, as if to signal that he shouldn't get ahead of himself. ] We've got enough justifiable cause to hold on to you, though. What happens from here? I can't say.

Well, I'm happy to repeat my name and story for you as many times as you want, but you don't think either one exists.

... scratch that, that's a lie. Talking about my past isn't high on my list of activities I enjoy, but I'm trying to work with you here 'cause you've done a few solids for me already. [ Another lean back, this time squinting at the ceiling. ]

Christ, this fuckin' day...

[ Think about her day, buddy. Riko wouldn't call this a nightmare, but she wishes it were something she could wake up from. Hell, shady shit goes down in New Amsterdam all the time. It never quite reaches ... this level. ]

It's verifiable that you don't exist. I'm not running on a hunch here. [ She reaches forward, nudging his beer closer. ] Now drink that down and tell me the real story of how today went down.

[ His chin tips forward again, staring down his nose at that scooted beer. Yeah. Tempting. ]

Depends, can I get about ten more of these?

Damn, I've been trying to tell you. Want all the fun surrounding details? 'Cause they aren't my proudest moments. I ran into the guy, figured I could use the money I'd get from snagging his jewelry, and when Tak or whatever the hell his name showed up I panicked and tried to knock him out.

Heavy-handedly. So.

How about you, how's your day going?

Well. Two guys turned up with identical stories full of bullshit, high off their asses. [ Riko raises a finger, asking for a moment. ] Not identical. Tak didn't bother to make up a point of origin. Anywhere he wants, he said. The rest of what he told me is a little more verifiable as true or false. I'm leaning toward false, though. That is a hunch.

So. [ She takes up her beer, making a whole big show of drinking it down. ]

Neither of you have a good story for why you got there, who you are, why you killed a guy. [ A cant of her head. ] No, actually, I almost buy that it was accidental. It just doesn't loop in with the rest. Anonymous people don't exist. They just don't.

Well, Tak's a real slacker then; I think that's what we've learned. "Anywhere he wants", that's original.

[ Razzing Hei is a nice break from the rest of this, along with sipping at his beer again. ]

Sounds to me like you have more of a bug up your ass with what's in my head than the fact that there's a dead body on a slab somewhere. Fair enough, because it was an accident. I'm not in the business of hurting people for fun, that's not me.

No, I have a bug up my ass because I'm worried there's gonna be a whole lot more bodies attached to people without registered implants. You can see the direct line there, can't you?

Sure can. But do me a favor and answer a question of mine.

You got video footage of me doing what I'm being accused of?

Thought that was obvious. Of course we do. This isn't an accusation.

Hey, gimme a second to circle around to my point, 'cause I've got one.

If you've got footage of that, then you've got footage of what happened after. Me robbing that guy.

If we were in on all this shit, or part of some non-registered gang of murder-happy weirdos, don't you think we'd be working together?

Things like that can be for show. [ Riko instantly regrets these words. It's a fancy to follow. A nonexistent truth. She knows better.

She shakes her head. ]

Which is going a little too far. [ She's humble enough to admit that. Times like these, they happen rarely. She doesn't get riled up, chasing blind leads to make sense of what she's seen and what she's seeing. ] I follow your logic, but that doesn't mean I follow that this is one big double murder coincidence.