Instead: "You can go if you want."
Vaughn said that knowing what Aubrey's answer would be. No mind reading required.
"I… can't."
Aubrey wouldn't leave no matter the fact staying was a good bet to get killed. Vaughn had murdered police. Police don't take to their own getting slaughtered. They would come and come and keep coming until they could notch up a couple more freaks on their guns. And Vaughn had murdered metanormals. Regardless of what he'd told Aubrey, God knows what they would do.
But even if he fully understood the risks, Aubrey wouldn't take off on his own. He'd mumble something about staying out of loyalty. The truth: Aubrey was too frightened to be on his own. Frightened of the unknown, of having to make decisions for himself. If he could make decisions for himself. Frightened of dying in an alley alone. At least he'd been there for Michelle. At a distance. Hidden in a crowd when she…
Aubrey would stay. Loyalty was a cover. Fear held him in place. By offering to let Aubrey go, Vaughn had offered him nothing except to keep sitting where he was and wait for bullets to come their way.
Aubrey said: "I'm gonna stay, Vaughn."
Good. Then you can help me. Want to help me, Aubrey?
"Bad… bad things are gonna happen if we hurt more people."
Listening, listening for thoughts.
Aubrey said: "Michelle, Michelle wouldn'ta hurt no one back."
That's… what is that? Ironic?
A bitter lightness to Vaughn's thought.
"… Wha…?"
Ironic. The one of us who would've forgiven them is the one they killed.
Eddi Aoki said she was confident. She said it without saying a word. She said it in the way she sat, self-sure. Straight up, shoulders back, chin high. But not too high. There was plenty of confidence in the way she locked eyes with whomever she was speaking with. And questions always got answered with a" sir" or" ma'am" attached. It was a little bit of modesty. Just a little. It said: A good cop respects her superiors. A respectful cop gets the promotion.
Eddi Aoki was real confident of getting promoted to MTac. That she told to Yarborough, Soledad and Vin—in actual words, not just body language—as they interviewed her.
"And why is that?" Yar asked."Why you think you're ready for MTac?"
Eddi's answer was simple: "Because I'm the best."
When it came to officers being transferred among elements, the other cops had no say. They took what they got; whoever was available. But a new officer who was Top of List of available MTac candidates always had to go through an interview with the other members of the element they were going to be slotted into. No way MTacs were going after a superpowered whatever with a cop who didn't fit in, a cop nobody trusted their backs to.
"Please don't take that wrong," Eddi said, modifying herself and adding just a touch of humility to her hubris."I don't mean that offhandedly; I just feel as though I'm better than other candidates. My scores are outstanding both in text work and field tests."
"There's a difference," Soledad dismissed,"between being able to wing a few targets on a range and keeping your head when there's a flying freak swooping for you."
Yar had nothing to add at the moment. Technically, as SLO, it was his interview to lead. Technically. But two things: Conducting an interview was like doing verbal paperwork. Paperwork of any kind held zero interest for him. Thing two: Eddi was seriously cute. Her marks were good, that Yar knew. She'd been rabbied with strong recommends. She was good cop. Beyond that, Yarborough cared more about what was in front of him than what was in Eddi's jacket. He took another bite of the apple he was working on. He let Sole-dad do the talking.
Eddi rejoined Soledad with: "And there's a difference between target practice and actually having to exchange fire with an armed perp. You train as best you can, then one day it's time to take what you know to the streets. Whether patrolman or MTac, it's the same with any police officer."
Soledad noticed that Eddi always said" policeman" or" officer." Never" cop." Always respectful. Annoyingly respectful.
"No, ma'am," Eddi went on,"I've never actually engaged a metanormal. If I had, I wouldn't be going through this interview. However, I feel I'm more than ready for my first call."
One word got written on the paper Soledad was using to take notes: cocky.
Vin wanted to know: "Where you from originally?"
"Philadelphia, sir."
"How many MTacs in Philly?"
"One platoon, three elements, sir. Good ones."
"If they're so good," Soledad asked,"how come you didn't stay in Philly?"
"One platoon and not a lot of metanormals, ma'am. It's hard to get a slot." Eddi paused, smiled, took in all her inquisitors. Like she was hanging medals on their collective chests: "Besides, there are no MTacs as good as the LAPD's."
Vin returned the smile.
Yarborough ate at more of his apple. For the fourth or fifth time he gave Eddi the once-over.
Soledad started to ask: "How long have you be—"
Eddi cut her off with: "That's not unusual, is it, ma'am?"
"What's not unu—"
"To relocate for the opportunity to be on the LAPD's MTac."
"Did I say it wa—"
"You're from Milwaukee, aren't you, ma'am?"
"Stop calling me ma'am!"
"Should I call you Bullet?"
Soledad snapped the pencil she was holding.
Yarborough about choked on his apple.
Vin grinned harder. Fun was coming.
Soledad constructed an expression out of contempt and anger."No, you can't call me—"
"This may be inappropriate. I don't want you to think I'm trying to sway you…"
"Oh, we don't." Vin, grin big as ever.
Eddi went on."I'm very much an admirer of yours, Bullet."
Soledad's face looked freshly smacked. Her hands looked like they wanted to throw a smack back.
"Of course, I'm not the only one. You got to be the talk of the academy. A lot of time got spent trying to better your marks, Bull—"
As she said whenever she wanted the world to quit spinning: "Hey!"
Eddi stopped talking, listened.
"Officer O'Roark. You call me Officer O'Roark."
"Yes… Officer…"
Casually Yarborough asked: "You single, Aoki?"
"Yes, sir. There, uh, isn't a lot of time for outside socializing when you're in the academy. I imagine there'll be less when I make MTac."
When. When I make MTac. More of Eddi's confidence.
Soledad drove a fist through it."If you make MTac."
Vin nodded at Eddi's belt."That a knife?"
"Yes, sir." Eddi withdrew it, saying as she did: "It's a Hibben Bowie," giving it to Vin handle-first. Big. The blade was polished until it kicked light. It kicked it hard."Never know when a little extra stopping power might come in handy."
Soledad: "Not exactly reg."
"Can't always go by the regs," Eddi said back.
Vin returned the knife."Nice."
"My daddy always said all a man needs is a good watch and a sharp knife."
Daddy. Soledad picked up on that right off. It was the first time Eddi sounded like a kid and not a suck-up. It was the first chink in her armor. Like a street fighter, Soledad went for the opening.
Soledad, snide: "Daddy?"
"Yes. My daddy."
"And did Daddy give you the knife?"
"It's his."
"Daddy back home in Philly?"
"No. My daddy was in San Francisco when Bludlust turned it into ash. I carry this," her hand on the hilt,"because one day I'm going to take Daddy's knife, slam it into some freak's chest and twist it until I carve its fucking heart out."
The quiet that followed was filled by Soledad's self-conscious discomfort.
Finally Vin helped everyone out of the wreck."Thank you, Officer Aoki. We appreciate your time."
That said, Aoki stood, thanked Vin and Yarborough and even managed a pleasant good-bye to Soledad and left the ready room.