Page 4 of 3013: Dreamer
“Good idea.”
“Evo, show me the information you have on the blue hoodie guy. Display the data for Gia as well,” Charm added after her friend pointed to herself.
The information she had asked for immediately appeared on the lenses of her glasses. Since Evo was a computer system, there was no problem multitasking. It could speak to several people while working on dozens of other difficult assignments at the same time without any hitches. That was an advantage of theadaptive AI system, but sometimes it was easy to forget since Evo sounded like a human with a distinctive personality.
Charm began to read the information that had been provided on her display. “Arnold Meeks, you little bastard.”
Evo chimed in and started reciting some of the salient data.“He is currently a content creator who mostly focuses on playing games and doing reviews since he retired from his e-sports team. He makes a decent amount of credits doing so, but he also comes from a wealthy family. Notable mentions in his files from the Alliance Academy include several fights and two cheating inquiries. Those instances were dropped due to lack of evidence.”
“Fucking family connections got him out of shit,” Charm growled, irritated by the very notion. “So, he is used to cheating and getting away with it.”
“But I don’t think he is smart enough to make the device himself. He has to be working with someone else besides the Reema,” Gia spat out in disgust.
“There is another individual using the same device on the third level,”Evo announced.“Flight records show the man’s name is Daniel Tan, but there is no other information about him on file. Location on screen now.”
The individual’s location was highlighted on the detailed map displayed on one of the lenses of her glasses. A video was playing on the other lens, showing a male wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his face who was sitting at a high-value poker machine on the third level.
“Oh, this is going to be fun…” Charm murmured gleefully.
“I want to have fun, too,” Gia said. “So does Ruckus. He’s been itching for some action lately.”
Same, Charm thought wryly. “But I—”
“You are supposed to be heading to the lake for the Festival of Lights soon,” Gia reminded. “So, you don’t have time to takedown a group of criminals by yourself. Share the funsies, Alpha. We don’t get organized thieves in here every day. Besides, you need to learn how to delegate more.”
Charm chuckled at that. “True enough.” She was stubborn, not stupid. “Tell Ruckus to move in from the—”
“Already done,” Gia said smugly. “He’s on his way now.”
Of course, she already reached out to her mate through their telepathic bond. Gia was sly like that, anticipating what Charm might need before she asked. That’s why Charm loved and valued her so much.
“Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to try out the new cages.”
Her declaration made Charm glance up at the large birdcages hanging from the various balconies throughout the casino. The cages were made of indestructible black metal and were decorated with metal vines that wrapped around the bars. The design was similar to the balconies that could be found on the exterior of the castle. They might have seemed like decorative pieces that went with the whimsical theme of the sanctuary, but they had a legitimate purpose for being there.
The cages had been made by Jecca and Jaya Tesera, two Dragon Warriors who had recently visited Evo. After Charm had asked their advice on new forms of punishment to deal with people trying to cheat in the casino, the Dragon Warriors had gifted her the cages. Each enclosure was big enough to fit a large person inside of it, and once someone was locked in, the psychological torment would begin.
The magical prison would temporarily alter a person’s perception of time. An hour would seem like days, making it an interesting torture device without doing much actual harm. Then again, being locked in a cage and being put on display was pretty cruel. She hoped the public humiliation would serveas a preventative measure to stop others before they attempted something stupid.
Charm had been dying to try out the cages, but they hadn’t had any offenders over the last few weeks to warrant it.
She grinned. “I think you’re right.”
Glancing at the time stamp displayed on her glasses, she realized she might miss the fireworks if she didn’t leave soon. Still, she didn’t feel comfortable leaving while this situation was unfolding.
She stood up and prepared to head downstair when she noticed Ruckus stalking across the main floor with a few other security officers. As he headed toward the stairs leading up to the next level, the other officers crossed the main floor. Before they could reach their targets, Arnold Meeks and Daniel Tan suddenly got up and quickly walked away from the machines they’d been playing.
“Fuck, they must have a lookout,” Gia hissed.
Charm agreed as she caught sight of a human female hurrying toward the exit. “Evo, I need info on the blonde woman wearing the black cap, gray sweater, and black leggings heading toward the north exit.”
“The identity of the female cannot be confirmed using facial recognition. Tracing her back through the security feed footage now.”There was a long pause, then Evo said,“The female is Carla Wexler. She is currently wearing some sort of facial film to block ID scans, but she wasn’t wearing it when she arrived on a private shuttle with Arnold Meeks.”
“Wait, I know that name. Carla Wexler, as in Wexler Technology?” Charm asked sharply.
“That is correct, Alpha Barra.”
“Fucking hell. The Artanes hate them with the fucking heat to rival the sun.”