Improbable, Part 2
Angela’s apartment, Deuteron - 6:00 PM
Angela sat on the couch, watching INN while munching on sunflower seeds. She didn’t remember liking sunflower seeds before, but she somehow felt the need to eat them. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she was sure she got that from someone else. To ease her restless mind, she reached for something on her waist, hoping to listen to some relaxing music, but it wasn’t there. She looked down at saw her hand grasping at air. She didn’t know what she was supposed to get there. She sighed.
Demetrios walked over to the couch, setting down a large plate of skordalia on the coffee table.
“Hey,” he said.
Angela looked at the skordalia. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Eh, well, I felt like it,” Demetrios said, kissing her on the cheek.
“Uh, thanks,” Angela said, “Alex!”
Alexandra ran into the room and sat down with them.
“Demetrios made your favorite,” Angela said.
Alexandra smiled. “Uh, thanks. What’s the occasion?”
“First day back at work for your mom,” Demetrios said, “How was it?”
“Yeah, it was…it was pretty good,” Angela said.
They started eating from the skordalia.
“It’s great,” Angela said, “As always.”
“I could always use some improvement,” Demetrios said, “My father’s never impressed.”
“And mine is dead,” Angela said, “It’s literally impossible to impress him.”
Demetrios chuckled.
“How was school, Alex?” Angela asked.
“Fine,” Alexandra said, “Magnus asked me out to prom, actually.”
“Magnus?” Angela said. “Him?”
“Yeah, him,” Alexandra said.
“Seems like a nice guy, right?” Demetrios said.
“Good grades, good looks,” Angela said, “Seems too good to be true.”
She looked mischievously at Demetrios, who responded by kissing her on the lips.
“Whoa there!” Alexandra said.
Angela playfully pushed Demetrios away.
“You heard your daughter,” she said.
“There’s also the father-daughter dance happening on Friday,” Alexandra said, “Dad, you available for that?”
Demetrios took out his smartphone and checked his work calendar. He was on-call all week, but he was otherwise free.
“I think I can make time,” he said.
“By the way, what’s happening in northern Bavaria?” Angela said, pointing at the TV. “I heard it's a pretty bad outbreak in Erlangen.”
“There are 22 confirmed smallpox cases so far,” Demetrios said, shaking his head.
“Has the ZKP called yet?” Angela said.
“No, no one's assigned me yet,” Demetrios said, “What are you saying?”
“You’re a doctor,” Angela said, “One of the Empire’s best. I mean, you treated the Emperor himself a few years ago. The Red Cross and ZKP would love to have you on the ground in Erlangen treating patients. They’d pay handsomely. And you can be back in time for that dance this Friday.”
“Wait, why are we talking about this?” Demetrios said.
“You scratch my back, I scratch yours, right?” Angela said. “Only fair I help your career out.”
“But why are we talking about me now?” Demetrios said.
“I don’t know,” Angela said.
“Mom, are you okay?” Alexandra asked. “How was it like being back at work?”
“Well, at first, it was normal,” Angela said, “And then we're out in the field, and... I saw a face.”
“A face?” Alexandra said.
“Yeah,” Angela said.
“Was it someone you know?” Demetrios said.
“Sort of,” Angela said, “It was this woman in an expensive purple dress, like a princess, but she wasn't Princess Eva or any of the other princesses. I never saw her before, but somehow…I feel like I knew her. She reminded me of you, Alexandra.”
“Was she me?” Alexandra said.
“No, she looked nothing like you,” Angela said, “It was like I was hallucinating.”
“Did you tell Kurtz?” Demetrios said.
“No,” Angela said.
“Maybe you should take leave again,” Demetrios said.
“But I want to be there,” Angela said.
“I know, but you have to tell someone, a doctor, at least,” Demetrios said, “Like me.”
“I just did, Demetrios,” Angela said, “But I need my life back.”
“And I love your gung-ho attitude, but honey, you just got over a breakdown,” Demetrios said, “If you need help, that's fine.”
“Demetrios, it was my first day back,” Angela said, “I was nervous. I don't think that it's surprising there's a trace..."
“It’s fine,” Demetrios said, “I can take myself off call. Maybe it's not a good time to travel. The folks at Erlangen seem to have things under control.”
“No, that’s not what I want,” Angela said, “You don’t have to make time for me. I can take care of it myself. By the way, are those avocados? Where did you get them? How much?”
“Don't worry about that, Angela,” Demetrios said, “What if it happens again?"
“It won’t,” Angela said.
“But if it does, you'll tell Kurtz, right?” Demetrios said. “Because I love you. I care about you.”
“I'll tell him,” Angela said.
“Thank you,” Demetrios said.
“Can we eat?” Alexandra said. “Food’s getting cold.”
“Yeah, sure,” Demetrios said.
“Okay,” Angela said.
They continued eating.
“So, father-daughter dance, go or no-go?” Alexandra said.
“Of course it’s a go,” Demetrios said.
“And Magnus for prom?” Alexandra said.
“Bring him over for dinner sometime, and we’ll see,” Angela said.
X-Division
While she ate from a bowl of takeout schnitzel-ramen, Louise reviewed video footage from the crash that killed Juliana. Annie sat at her desk nearby, checking Juliana’s and Coleman’s digital records for any connection, while Olga searched through the databases on her desk computer.
“Alright, help me out here,” Louise said, “So the first bus driver was distracted by tree trimmers when he ran the red light. The second bus driver was looking at a fight over oranges. Isn't distraction the root of every accident?”
“Listen, I'm not finding any connections in these victims' bios either,” Annie said, “The first guy, Herr Arnold, worked at a hospital for the past fifteen years. The second victim, Frau Furstenburg, landed her position at Gretel Electric a little over a year ago.”
“Maybe they knew someone in common?” Louise said.
“Or maybe, despite what Di said, it's just... two freak accidents,” Olga said.
“You know, Angie thinks I'm right... about there being chain reactions that led up to the crashes,” Louise said.
“Okay,” Olga said, "Well, now that you two have, uh, rediscovered your Vulcanian Mind Meld... do you think she's doing okay?"
“Yeah,” Louise said, “Why, you don't think so?”
“I don't know,” Olga said, “I just, I just feel a little uncomfortable.”
“That's not a shocker,” Louise said, “You let a Doppelgänger hit you on the head you with a bottle because you didn't pick up on the fact that she wasn't your partner.”
“Hey, for the record, she said sorry,” Olga said.
“And you would have?” Annie said.
“I just know Angie a little better, that's all,” Louise said.
“She’s my cousin, you idiot,” Annie said.
“Whatever,” Louise said, “The point is, I would've known.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, okay?” Annie said. “When she was having her breakdown, she kept on and on about how they were trying to make her believe she was somebody else, that this wasn't her life. Okay, this is going to sound nuts. What if she's telling the truth? What if it's not the real her?”
“That is nuts,” Louise said.
“Eh, I’ve heard worse,” Olga said.
“Okay, Louise, you’re right,” Annie said, “But for the record, you cannot tell those two apart. And when have I ever been wrong with my theories in the last twenty years?”
Louise pointed at the screen.
“Hey, look at this,” she said, “Over there on the ground, the lower corner.”
They saw another pen.
“That's another ballpoint pen,” Olga said.
“Get Angie, tell her we got something,” Louise said, “Someone is going around causing these accidents on purpose."
“How is that even possible?” Annie said. “I mean, what would be the odds?”
They all turned to Diana, who sat at her own terminal. She closed her eyes and then opened them again.
“0.000,” she calculated, “Impossible.”
“Di, we see impossible every day,” Annie said.
"You see improbable,” Diana said, “You're asking me if it is possible for a person to use a ballpoint pen to set off a chain of events culminating in someone getting killed by a bus twice?”
“Exactly,” Louise said.
“There's no way,” Diana said.
“But given how few ballpoint pens are out there, finding one at both crime scenes,” Annie said, “I mean, that's an anomaly. You said that yourself.”
“What if someone calculated the variables?” Louise said.
“37 people in the intersection, 22 cars, 4 trucks, 2 buses, wind speeds of 8-16 kph, and that is just to start, without factoring in chaos theory,” Diana said, “In total, we are talking about at least 120 variables in a dynamic system of differential equations. I can't solve that kind of a problem, much less manipulate the outcome to my advantage.”
“Guess getting hit on the head doesn’t always give you answers,” Olga joked.
Annie punched her in the arm.
“So there's not even the slightest chance we're dealing with a murderer?” Louise said.
“Come on, seriously?” Annie said. “What part of 0.000 don't you get?”
Diana’s computer beeped.
“What is it?” Annie said.
“It happened again,” Diana said.
“What did?” Louise said.
“Bus accident, East 85th and Gebhard,” Diana said.
Ostend - 6:30 PM
The team arrived at the accident scene, where police officers had already gathered around a bus which had crashed into a car. However, the driver was still alive.
“Have you called the ambulance?” Angela asked.
“It's on the way,” Detective Kresge said.
Angela stared at Kresge, almost as if she recognized him. Deciding it was nothing, she turned away and looked at the injured driver.
“Sir, we’re going to get you to the hospital,” she said.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Where were you sitting on the bus?” Louise asked one of the passengers.
“Right in the front, first seat,” the woman responded.
“Did you happen to notice a pen?” Annie said.
“What?” the woman said.
“ A-a pen, a-a ballpoint pen,” Olga said, “You use it to... to write with.”
“To write?” the woman said. “What’s wrong with a tablet and stylus?”
Annie walked over to Angela.
“Looks like there was some sort of commotion,” Annie said, “Dog ran into the street, distracted a bus driver. There is no way this is another coincidence.”
“Except this time it didn't work,” Angela said, “He'll make it.”
The driver tried freeing himself from his car.
“Sir, you need to stay still,” Angela said.
His movements caused a pen to roll out from under the car. Angela cursed and turned to Annie.
“It’s not over yet,” she said.
Annie ran over to Louise and Olga.
“He’s still here!” she shouted.
They scanned the crowded sidewalks for their suspect, but the sirens of the approaching ambulances made it hard to focus. Angela surveyed the crowd and soon found her suspect standing on an overpass. A pedestrian with earphones on jaywalked directly into the path of an ambulance approaching underneath and was immediately run over. Angela immediately began running toward the overpass.
“He’s up there!” she shouted.
Milo threw a bike off the overpass as Angela got closer. He stood and waited as Angela ran over to him, her gun drawn. Pedestrians gave her some room as she took out handcuffs.
“Stop!” she ordered. “Don’t move! Take your hands out of your pockets. You heard me! Put your hands on your—”
Milo looked to the side and saw a large van slowing and swerving around the bike he had thrown onto the street, making its way directly under him. He jumped off and landed on top of it, relaxing smugly as the van drove away.
“Goddamnit,” Angela said.