Law and Order: Leanbox- LAW, Part 3

Law & Order: Leanbox
LAW, Part 3
by Derald Snyder

REMOTE JAILBREAK BAR
APRIL 4, 2:13 PM

As Peashy and the detectives entered the bar, the former now dressed in a white t-shirt under a yellow hoodie and black denim jeans, several catcalls rose from the mostly male crowd.
"Bombshell at 10 'o'clock!" exclaimed one of the men, causing the blonde soldier to sigh in mild exasperation. Her D-cup bust really was a curse sometimes...
"Sorry, fellas, she's spoken for!" Bennie proclaimed as he held up his detective's badge, to try and head off any potential altercations... 
Unfortunately, one large, burly NPC failed to get the hint as he stood and approached the three. "Ya don't speak for me!" he stated, shoving both Crisco and Green aside. "C'mon, pretty thing, let's ditch these two losers and go party somewhere private!"
Peach was unimpressed. "I can tell you're not gonna take no for an answer, so... let's party!" With that, she struck the brute in the solar plexus, stunning him, before quickly spinning him around and slamming him into the bar, twisting his arm painfully behind his back.
"AAAAAAAgggghh! Easy, easy!" the brute screamed in agony.
"Did I mention that I used to be a close-quarters-combat teacher in the Leanbox Army?" Peashy taunted. "See, those two weren't protecting me from you... they were protecting *you* from *me*!"
"Hey!" shouted the bartender as he walked up. "If you're gonna tussle, take it outside!"
"Yeah, you heard the man," said Peach as she forcefully shoved the brute toward the door. "Go outside and don't come back!" The large man didn't even bother to look back as he stumbled out the door, nursing his sore arm. That done, Peach dusted off her hands and took a seat. "Sorry about that, sir... but I *do* have a right to defend myself."
"Anyway, now that we've got your attention," Bennie spoke up, "maybe you can help us out with a few things."
The bartender glared at the older detective disapprovingly. "I ain't no rat."
"We're not asking you to rat out anybody," said Eddie. "We just wanna know if you know anything about what went down at Daredevil's Drop last night."
"Daredevil's Drop?" the bartender shrugged. "I only know what I saw on the news... some kinda shootout or somethin', right?"
"Something like that," Peach nodded.
"Yeah, see, we think the guy we're lookin' for might've stopped in here for a drink," Crisco explained. "You see any suspicious characters here the last day or so?"
"Look around, detective. Everyone here's suspicious," the bartender deadpanned. Peach said nothing, but simply pulled the sleeve of her hoodie back, exposing her well-toned forearm, before cracking her knuckles.
"...that being said," the man continued, "there was this one guy who came in recently, who I'd never seen before. Ordered the cheapest drink, keeps mostly to himself."
"So what's this guy look like?" Eddie pressed.
"Blonde, about six foot, with a mustache and beard," the bartender described. "Wears an old trench-coat..." He then looked around the detectives... "In fact... I think that's him goin' out the back door."
The three looked back, and sure enough, there was a figure in a trench-coat pushing through the door. "Hey, thanks!" Bennie nodded as they quickly left to pursue...

*Outside the bar...*

"Hey! Hey pal, wait up!" Bennie called as he and his companions jogged after the blonde ponytailed man, who turned to face them, an irritated look in his blue eyes.
"Ah, c'mon," he spread his arms, "I settled my tab with the bar, OK?!"
"We're homicide, genius," Eddie said as they caught up.
"Homicide? What, like murder?" the man's eyes went wide. "Now wait, I ain't no killer...!"
"Hey, easy there," said Bennie, "We just wanna ask you a few questions!"
"What's your name?" Eddie asked.
"Seamus. Seamus Lisand," the ponytailed man replied.
"Hi Seamus, I'm Bennie," the older detective shook hands with the blonde. "So tell us, Seamus, did you happen to be up around Daredevil's Drop last night?"
"Where's that?" Seamus muttered in confusion.
"You know, that small cliff further up the highway," Eddie clarified.
"Ah, I didn't see nothing," the man muttered.
"HEY!" cried Peach. "You just looked down and to the left, that means you're lying!" With that, she seized the man by the coat, lifting him high up in the air.
"Waaaaaah!" Seamus let loose with a uncharacteristic high-pitched scream. "Help! Help! Put me down!"
"Yeah, sorry, we can't stop her when she gets pissed," Bennie shrugged helplessly. "She's stronger than both of us put together..."
"Maybe you wanna try jogging that memory of yours a little harder!" Eddie suggested.
"Yeah, 'cause if you don't," Peach growled, "I'm gonna punch you so hard, you're gonna end up in that trash can way down yonder!"
"OK! OK!" Seamus wailed. "I did see somethin', I did! Put me down, ple-e-ease!"
Peashy slowly lowered him back down to the ground. "All right. Now talk."
"Agh, look," Seamus began, "I didn't wanna say 'cause I didn't think anybody'd believe me...!"
"Well, we'll give ya the benefit of the doubt, OK?" Bennie assured him. "C'mon Peach, let 'im go." The blonde simply unclenched her hands, allowing Seamus to stumble back a few steps.
"Yeah, OK, I was there last night," the man began, "Just scrounging around for food or maybe some beer or pop cans I could turn for some dough, y'know? Anyway, I suddenly start hearin' gunfire past the cliff. I wonder what's gon' on, then the gunfire stops. Then, this bright ball of energy suddenly comes off the cliff and heads right for me or so I think! So I throw myself to the ground, but it turned out to be some futuristic suit of armor!"
"So what'd the armor look like?" asked Eddie.
"Uh..." Seamus closed his eyes in thought for a moment. "Sleek, wide hips, kinda orange-ish, I think... and a green visor. Oh, and it had a big cannon on the one arm!"
"So what happened next? Did she see you?" Peashy asked.
"I don't think so," the man shook his head, "or if she did, she didn't care... 'cause I heard a hovercraft or somethin' flyin' overhead, and she just took off running, firing 'er arm cannon! I just kinda waited until I couldn't hear anythin' anymore, then I got the hell outta dodge!" He paused to take a breath. "That's all I know, I swear..."
"Alright, well," Bennie handed Seamus his card, "You remember anything else, you give us a call, OK? Even if you gotta borrow the bartender's phone to do it..."
"Yeah, OK..." The man sighed. "But I was plannin' on heading back to Lowee soon... Soon as I got the money scraped together, anyway..."
"Well, you might wanna hold off on that bus trip for a little bit," Green advised. "After all, we might want to call you as a witness when we catch the perp..."
"Yeah, I get it..." Seamus waved him off. "Good luck findin' the guy..." With that, he sauntered off...
Once Seamus was out of earshot, Bennie spoke up, "Hey Eddie, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"What, you think he's still holding out on us?" Eddie guessed.
"Why let him go, then?" Peashy demanded.
"Well, it's not like we've got anything to hold him on," the older man explained. "So let's head back to the precinct and run a background check on 'im."

*Back at the precinct...*

"Sorry, detectives," the NPC computer geek shrugged. "No record of a Seamus Lisand in Lowee's arrest record."
"What about military?" Eddie suggested.
"OK..." The NPC typed away at the keyboard for a few moments, before a 'FILE NOT FOUND' alert popped up. "Nothing there, either."
"How about just his last name, Lisand?" Bennie inquired.
The NPC initiated the search again, and this time a result popped up. "Well, I've got a Samantha Lisand..."
"Bring it up," Bennie instructed. A very familiar face popped up on the screen, albeit clean-shaven.
"That's her!" cried Peashy. "I mean, him! I mean... ugh, you know what I mean."
"Well, I'll be damned," muttered Bennie. "Seamus is a girl. Talk about your paper-thin disguises..." 
"Hey, check this out," Eddie pointed elsewhere on the screen. "Says right here that she's proficient with all types of firearms..."
"Like plasma cannons?" Peach ventured.
"Doesn't say specifically, but it does say she's decent with heavy artillery," the NPC stated.
"Well, if she can handle that, then she can handle a plasma cannon!" Peach asserted. "Isn't that what you guys call 'probable cause'?"
"Works for me," Bennie nodded. "Let's bring her in."

*A few minutes later...*

The two detectives walked down the road, looking for Seamus... eventually spotting him in line to get on a bus. "Looks like he didn't listen to us," Green observed.
"Seamus! Hey, Seamus!" Bennie called... no response.
"Samantha!" yelled Eddie. That got the man's attention, as he abruptly looked up, eyes going wide as recognition registered... before suddenly breaking and running off.
"Ah, damn," sighed Bennie, as the two detectives gave chase. As they ran, Seamus threw off his trench coat, revealing a baggy t-shirt and jeans underneath as he continued to run...
"Geez, she's fast!" Eddie gasped as he tried to keep up... he was doing a better job than his partner, though, who was eventually forced to slow down and stop as his age caught up with him... Seamus rounded a corner, briefly looking behind him, wondering if he'd lost his pursuers...
Only to get clocked in the head by an armored fist, sending him sprawling on the ground. As his vision cleared, the ponytailed man saw a full suit of white military armor standing over him, who then pressed a foot to his crotch. "How about that," a female voice spoke from under the helmet, "You've got no balls... literally." With that, she grabbed Seamus by the shirt and hauled him up. "And it looks like you're wearing a sarashi under your shirt..." She then grabbed the blonde's mustache and beard, ripping them off her face. "Samantha Lisand, I presume..."
The woman simply gritted her teeth in response, as Eddie finally arrived on the scene. "Nice work, Peach," he managed to gasp out, bracing his hands on his knees as he panted heavily.
The armored woman then removed her helmet, revealing Peashy's face. "You...!" Samantha gasped in recognintion as they locked eyes.
"...his name was Joseph Starr," Peach growled, "And he was my friend." She accentuated her point by socking Lisand hard in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain.
"Hey... she assaulted me...!" Samantha protested to the detective.
"Sorry," Eddie gasped as he stood up, "Busy catching my breath, didn't see anything..."
"Of course you didn't," Peach smirked knowingly, before shoving the other woman to him. "She's all yours, Detective."
Eddie Green nodded as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Samantha Lisand," he began, "You're under arrest for the murder of Lieutenant Joseph Starr." He cuffed her hands behind her back. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

*LAW- End*