Chapitre 20: The camera under your flat has a loop.

Sitting next to Kristina in her cluttered bedroom, I felt a deep sense of discomfort. Despite her changes, the air was still thick with the remnants of our past - a past that was Toby's, not Kristina's. It was hard to reconcile the two, and I found myself constantly on edge, unsure of how to interact with this new version of someone I once knew so well.

Kristina booted up her PC, and the screens lit up with a myriad of windows and data streams. She pulled up the footage of last night's situation near my door. "This is crap," she muttered, scrutinizing the video. "It won't tell us anything."

To my surprise, Kristina revealed that she had hacked into the megablock's infrastructure a long time ago. She began cycling through camera views from each floor, displaying an intimate knowledge of the building's surveillance system. Despite her transformation, some things clearly hadn't changed. Kristina's, or rather Toby's, drive to control and monitor everything was still deeply ingrained in her.

"Can you help me with this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I need more details," Kristina responded, turning to face me.

I described the party at Uncle Chen's food stall, mentioning how Castor led Tom back to his flat. Kristina quickly navigated to the camera recordings near my flat. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she analyzed the footage.

Suddenly, she paused. "Do you see it?" she asked, pointing at the screen.

"What?" I leaned in, trying to spot what she was seeing.

Kristina switched to a different camera before my flat in the corridor, showing Castor and Tom walking through. Then, she switched to the camera under my flat. "These two don't pass this one," she observed. She began flipping through other cameras, searching for where they could have gone.

Finally, a camera opposite apartment 148 caught both men entering. A few minutes later, only Castor walked out. "The camera under your flat has a loop," Kristina declared, her tone a mix of excitement.

She then began to backtrack, analyzing when the loop started based on the movements of different people in the corridor. It was meticulous work, requiring patience and a keen eye for detail.

As Kristina worked, I was struck by the duality of her character. The same person who had once used their skills recklessly to get more drugs was now using them to help her. It was a surreal experience.

Finally, Kristina leaned back in her chair, her eyes never leaving the screen. "There's definitely been tampering with the footage. It's sophisticated, not an amateur job." She looked at me, her eyes serious. "Marlene, someone went to great lengths to cover up whatever happened at your flat."

"Is there any chance of finding out who was behind this?" I asked, leaning closer to the screen. The thought that someone had gone to such lengths to hide their tracks was unnerving.

Kristina nodded, her expression serious. "I'll need time to work on it, to compare footages and see if I can find any inconsistencies or clues."

I sighed, knowing that this wouldn't be a quick process. Another question was nagging at me. "Can you rewind to the footage at the food hall where the party was?" I asked.

A flicker of jealousy crossed Kristina's face, but I quickly added, "That day, you were still Toby to me, not Kristina." Her expression eased at my words.

As the footage from the food hall came up, I described the detective I was looking for. Kristina's fingers danced over the keyboard, and in just a few seconds, she pinpointed a man in the crowd. He was sitting not far from where my friends and I had been, his gaze fixed on us.

"Who is this?" Kristina inquired, her curiosity evident.

"I need to know more about him. Detective Alden Pierce," I said. "Can you find anything on the net?"

Kristina opened a browser and typed in his full name. As she searched, I leaned back in the chair, my gaze inadvertently falling on the sex toys and augmentations scattered around the room. It felt surreal, being in this place.

A message from TriColor Corp popped up, Ethan asking again for my response. Just as I was about to reply, Kristina whistled sharply. "Got something here."

I moved closer to the screen, my heart pounding. The image of Detective Pierce was unmistakable. Kristina had found an old news article from 15 years ago, reporting a gruesome discovery of several bodies in a corporate plaza - women and children, brutally killed. The officer who had given the police response was none other than Alden Pierce.

Then came another piece of news, more recent. It detailed how Alden Pierce and a few other officers had lost their jobs due to cyberpsychosis issues. It happened two years ago amidst community backlash against police brutality.

"Did he threaten you?" Kristina asked, turning to look at me.

"No, but he was looking for Tom," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "The same Tom from the footage at flat 148."

"Kristina, can you check if Tom left his flat during the night?" I asked, leaning in closer to the monitor.

"Who is this Tom? He's got a nice ass," Kristina commented, half-jokingly, as she began to sift through the footage.

I playfully punched her in the arm, unable to suppress a small laugh. Despite the bizarre circumstances, I found myself gradually accepting Kristina for who she had become. It was a strange feeling, almost like building a new relationship from the ashes of the old one.

As Kristina worked on tracking Tom's movements, I asked, "Are you still taking drugs?"

Kristina paused, her expression turning serious. "No, I found peace during my rehab. I was treated alongside people with cyberpsychosis, and the church helped me a lot."

"How did you end up in the church?" I inquired, genuinely curious.

"The church found me, not the other way around," Kristina replied with a smile. "It's hard to believe, but they did."

"Does your sister accept who you are now?" I remembered the tumultuous relationship Toby had with his family.

"Yes, she does. We see each other, we even talk now," Kristina said, her smile widening.

I remembered a time when Toby had punched his sister, breaking her nose. It was hard to reconcile those memories with the person in front of me now. I sighed deeply, trying to push those thoughts away.

Kristina then found footage showing Tom leaving his flat shortly after Castor. He appeared drunk, knocking on my door when I wasn't there. Mrs. Petrovski emerged from her apartment, yelling at him. Moments later, two men escorted Tom down the corridor. It seemed like he knew them, going willingly.

"Can you find out where they went?" I asked, my concern for Tom growing.

Kristina nodded. "I'll need to head to the church soon, but I'll send you the info. You'll need to unblock my ID on your comlink."

"Okay, I'll do that," I said, standing up to leave. "Thank you, Kristina."

As I turned to walk out of the flat, something caught my eye on Kristina's browser – a bookmark for TriColor Corp. My heart skipped a beat.

I was almost out the door when Kristina called out, "Marlene, wait. Is there a chance you could check up on me later? I got these breast implants, but I'm not really happy with them. Also, I'm having trouble deciding on some other modifications."

Her request caught me off guard. The unease I felt was palpable, and I struggled to find the right words. The idea of discussing such personal modifications with Kristina, considering our past, was uncomfortable. After a brief pause, in which I tried to gather my thoughts, I just nodded, unable to articulate a proper response.

"Sure, I can... take a look," I said hesitantly, feeling a bit out of my depth. "I'll let you know when I can come by."

I quickly exited the apartment, the door closing behind me with a soft click. Stepping into the corridor, I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering awkwardness.