"All six died," Sin explained. "Our backs were to a dead end.Theyhad the chance to break off and escape at any time. In the course of the firefight, I was shot multiple times. My armor prevented most of the damage, but I did take a graze across my hand and my spinal implant was shattered."
"So you protected your charge even after you lost the use of your legs?"
Sin nodded. "Except for the last man. I was using a steel dumpster to shield Riss—I mean my angel. The guy used it as cover to get close, then jumped on top of it. I never saw himcoming. I would've shot him, but the Ingénue was faster. She put a bullet in his armpit, likely right into his heart."
"And which one was the priest?" Benedict asked.
Sin just shook his head and sighed. "In truth, I have no idea. When the firefight was over, I called for backup?—"
"Not during?" Benedict asked.
"Until I lost my legs, I didn't need it," Sin assured him. "Afterwards, I couldn't get her out. Rissa—I mean my angel—went for help?—"
Benedict lifted a hand. "Rissa?"
"That's the name I gave her, since she didn't have one of her own," he explained. "It's also a long story. The point is she went to find help, changed clothes so she was no longer in the blue robe that stands out so badly, and got the store owner to help me get off the street. Trent took over her protection after that, allowing her to make the data dump, while Rob, Davis, and Julie took me to get repairs."
"Took you where?" Benedict wanted to know.
"Home," Sin admitted. "The young man who lives beside me, Zan? Yeah, he's as good with repairing my enhancements as any medical engineer. When Rissa finished delivering her solution, Trent brought her to my apartment." He paused to drag a hand over his mouth. "Which is when we realized this might be about more than random data."
"Can you prove any of this?" Benedict asked. "Because that section of street has no security cameras on it. The moment you headed down the alley, you evaded any chance of surveillance that could prove your side of things, so now it's your word against the prosecution—and they are already planning to make this quite the ordeal, Sinclair."
"Rissa has saved and stored her memories of the event," Sin told him. "Because her mind is mostly cybernetic, she may as well be a walking security camera. It's the only record we have,but she made sure to split off the required section last night, making sure the time stamp would work in our favor."
"Useful," Benedict agreed. "But having only one copy isn't safe. Do you think she'd allow you to store a copy elsewhere?"
Sin thought for a moment. "I think she'd let Zan. I can always take him with me for our next assignment, but I'll need the use of a car for that."
"Done," Benedict agreed. "Although I think this means you should tell me more about this girl. Especially why you hesitate when using her name."
Sin chuckled. "I should start off with her saying the point of life is to live it. There is no universal goal, because bacteria do not aspire to make great works of art and not all humans can produce children to carry on their legacy. The purpose of life is determined by circumstance, and each individual has different ones."
The old man smiled, looking almost relieved. "Good. Yes, that's very good, although it took you a while to bring that to me. Why?"
"Because I'm not sure I like the implications of you seeking an Ingénue's advice instead of God's," Sin admitted.
"My boy, God is here to guide us, but He cannot do everything for us. Sometimes, we're expected to use the tools we have available." He leaned forward to toss off the blanket and then pried himself out of the chair. Walking across the room, he continued, "You and your friends have all begun to pull away from the rest of the Legion. At first, I feared you were falling from grace. Now, I believe it might be something more divine. Would you like to enlighten me?"
"The church has been moving away from helping those in need," Sin told him.
"Mm, yes, it does seem that way."
"And recently," Sin went on, "there's been a split forming among the priests over what exactly the first precept means. The four of us are the only enhanced Legates, and we all felt the schism before the unenhanced."
Nodding, Benedict pressed buttons on a keypad until a beep sounded. Next came a click. Hearing that, the Praetor reached over to pull aside a painting, proving it was the door to a safe. From inside, he extracted a single dark object, then locked the whole thing back up.
"So what are the five of you doing?" Benedict asked as he shuffled back to his chair.
"Trying our best to save the church we know from becoming a haven for the corporate elite," Sin admitted. "And you should probably know Rissa has found a chemical molecule being smuggled in illegal data. She's convinced this is a cure for rejection. Not a treatment, but an actual cure. According to her, Pharmacon doesn't want to market it because they'd lose the profit from Stabiltrol. But if the church were to have access to it, it would make for some impressive miracles."
"Is she interested in helping the church?" Benedict asked.
"In truth," Sin admitted, "I think she's more interested in helping her friends. She's never had any, you see. The Ingénue aren't rich. They aren't pampered. They are genetically altered children who are enhanced young and modified as they grow. OutLinkownsher! The cost of her equipment is more than she could ever repay, and with the additional expense of her daily care? She's all but a slave. She never even had a name, just a serial number. Her thoughts are monitored. Her emotions are regulated. When she's inside the Enclave, she's expected to be a complete robot."
Benedict held up a small neural drive between them. "Do you believe this woman would be put in danger for answering my question? It's on here."
Sin paused for a moment, debating between asking what the question was and assuring him that no, Rissa was smarter than her owners. In the end, he simply shook his head. "No, sir. I think she's basically a walking miracle. You see, she's not like the other Ingénue. She's..."
