Internal Affairs Chapter 2

The offices of the intelligence division was busy as usual. Personnel in black tunic uniforms walked to and fro in silent efficiency, carrying out their duties in dimly-lit areas. The cold and gloomy offices were lit with floor lightstrips and the faint glow of their key consoles and numerous screens that displayed either computer user interfaces or the video feeds from cameras installed or 'dispersed' throughout the city, which was fascinating for Monitor 99252-19 "John" as he was one of the designers of the surveillance cameras that the Enclave Authority used.

It either comes in the form of a normal closed-circuit camera installed in some corner of the city or a random linepost obscured by many power lines, or a cybernetically altered animal with a camera device installed in its eyes. Sometimes, John and the Monitors could control the animals with a degree of freedom while the creature still possess some degree of autonomy.

The third form of their surveillance methods comes in the form of a sentient computer application capable of bypassing security programs inside other camera devices and spy through it. This made corporate espionage much easier, but the corporation were most likely aware of the intrusion, making retaliation possible in the future, same with the spied Gangpunkers. Which was why this third "method" was not authorized for other Monitors but to the most experienced, since they might unknowingly trigger some obscured security code.

Like John.

He was quietly staring at the computer screens of his console. The centermost monitor displayed the running program's interface. To the left was a quiet street with an eerie figure walking to an fro--ghosts, they say. He already had dispatched a Flatliner Patrol Team in that location two hours earlier but no one could physically see the lady despite the figure walking through one of the Flatliners back and forth.

And to the right was an alley where a youthpunk couple were making out like it was some cheap motel room.

Good work, good pay.

"John," one of his fellow Monitors called. He turned to see her, looking over a raised balcony. "I need you to come and see this."

Frowning, the Monitor stood up from his seat and walked across the aisle of occupied terminals, past the other Monitors who were busily accomplishing their tasks. He made a turn to the left and ascended a ramp that led to a raised floor that overlooked their workstations. He walked past more aisles of occupied terminals facing the wall and finally arrived beside his friend.

"What is it?" He inquired.

She pointed at the left screen where she saw what appeared to be a deal between two Gangpunks taking place in the middle of a crossroad. The Gangpunks were comprised of six punkers each, weapons visibly carried.

"I'm not sure if it was a trap to lure the Enclave out." She said.

"And--?"

"And, maybe you could tell me if I am supposed to call the Flatliners at them?"

He grinned.

"Call the Flatliners, they were trained for stuff like that, be it trap or not."

"Okay," she said before reaching for the console to type.

"Wait," John looked closely at the screen. "Can you capture a snap-pic of that thing?" He pointed at a large vial held by one of the Gangpunkers.

"Sure," she replied as she typed a few keystrokes. "Done."

"I don't think this is a deal between Gangpunks." John said. "Those were Drugpunkers."

"How'd you know?"

"Those were drugs," John said. "Send the snap-pic to me, and while you're at it, call in the Flatliners now."

"Yes," she said as he walked back to his own terminal.

As soon as he sat back down, a notification popped up, indicating the image file sent to him. He accepted it, typed a few commands in the console, invoking a text file he created before as a report to the division commander about a new cheap stimulant created by a Drugpunk.

He pasted the snap-pic onto the text file and saved it. He returned back to the programs he is running and continued his life like normal.

He will complete the report one day, hopefully his efforts would help in stopping the Drugpunks in whatever plan they are concocting. But the thought that another one would replace it discouraged him.

He let out a deep sigh.

(Internal Affairs Tale)