《Nirvana》 0-Prologue(1/2) Prologue: Looking over the morning¡¯s reports and skimming for information as he went along, the man¡¯s mind began to wander as his large steel-gray eyes lost focus. The artificial ticking of the clock behind him eroded his conscience away while relaying that it was 7:05am June 13th, 2593. Soon he dozes off. The smell of salt water fills his nose. A light breeze wafts through his fine light-gray hair. Midafternoon with only a few clouds to be found. Relaxing with a cool glass of lemonade in his hand under a large awning. Someone calls to him, just loud enough to lull him out of his stupor. He looks to his left to find the woman he so loves. She is enjoying the comforting rays in a beautiful red and gray dress. The wide straw hat she has on tries to hide her curly alabaster hair but to no avail. She is saying something to him. He can¡¯t quite make it out, but he is sure it is some witty joke like always. The smile on her face coupled with those blue eyes is a sight he wishes he could capture forever. He loves her more than anything in the world and he wishes this vacation could last for eternity. He suddenly remembers what he has in the bag next to his chair. Today is the day he will give it to her, a symbol to show his love is eternal. He sets the glass down and sits up reaching for the small case buried in the bag. Finally grasping the box he retrieves the item and turns to where she is sitting. When he looks back she is gone. Instead the straw hat, now split in half with its red ribbon flowing off to the side, sits on her chair surrounding a large kitchen knife about a foot long, dripping with blood, standing vertically with the tip stuck into the seat cushion. He stares at the chair for a few moments, confused at the scene in front of him. Without a word a tear rolls down his right cheek and falls to the golden sand beneath his feet. ------------------------------------------- ¡°Good morning Mr. Gates.¡± ¡°Good morning Diana, seems it will be a good day today.¡± ¡°And why is that Mr. Gates?¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s just say I had a huge breakthrough last night. I¡¯m so close to finishing I can taste it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news Mr. Gates! I¡¯m sure the project will be completed soon. Have you finally gotten past the last hurdle?¡± ¡°Indeed, now all that remains is to jog to the finish line. Oh, before I forget set up an appointment tomorrow with Mrs. Saunders so we can discuss the applications of the latest breakthrough. For her that is the final piece of the puzzle to a functioning prototype. Even though we have a ways to go she will be happy to know she can move forward with the production.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Will do, Mr. Gates. Also the latest test results came in this morning.¡± ¡°Ah, how did it go?¡± ¡°As expected sir, the established connection did not falter and the subjects were recorded after the termination. Their observation results should be ready later this afternoon or early tomorrow.¡± ¡°Did the originals experience any side effects out of range?¡± ¡°No sir, they were all within expectations.¡± ¡°Good, notify me when the observation results come in. I am very interested in the outcome. I think even Mrs. Saunders will be interested, that is if she doesn¡¯t storm out before we get to that point. I can¡¯t help teasing her.¡± ¡°Should I send a separate copy of the results to Mrs. Saunders, Mr. Gates?¡± ¡°Yes please. Well I guess I have a board meeting to go to. Get me my usual for the meeting please.¡± ¡°Coffee with 3 cream, 2 sugars and a dab of honey. Right away sir.¡± Octavio pivoted his chair to face the wide open windows of his office. He reveled in the empire he had created as he stared across the sprawling super-metropolis he had built. Leaning back in his chair he gazed to the edge of the city to watch the morning sunlight glisten off the seaside and beaches. Staring into space he reminisced in memories of his wife and thought how much he wished she could be here to see what he had accomplished. Mumbling under his breath, ¡°Soon, my dear.¡± He gazed at the retaining wall and the engine nacelle beyond. The nacelle a stark reminder of humanity against the natural background of puffy white nimbus clouds just peeking over the edge of the wall and extending into the distance. Few got the chance to see a sunrise over clouds and even fewer had such a great seat with which to view it. His slitted cream-coffee eyes squinted as the sun finally peaked over the cloud tops in the distance. A clock on the wall stated the day at July 12th, 2576 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well ladies and gentleman, this is my first story and it''s been a while since I have written anything so bear with me. For this one I am going for a modern cyber punk thriller. It won''t be a never-ending story and in fact I have no idea how long it may run. I do have the general layout planned though so no worries. Please let me know of any typo''s or feedback if you feel so generous. Thanks for the interest and have a wonderful day. 0-Prologue(2/2) Prologue: Part 2 As the girl walked into the office, she noticed the tabby lazily sauntering down the aisle between the desks. ¡°Why do you always have that stupid cat with you?¡± She said as she finally arrived at her desk. With a practiced motion she set her bag under the desk, swiped the corner with her thumb and pulled the holster and equipment out of the drawer to the side. ¡°Because now she is a part of the family. I can¡¯t just up and leave her. That would be too mean even for someone as calculating as you Emma!¡± her partner retorted from the desk next to her. Mitzy was always an animal person and had been since Emma joined on. Mitzy gave her a sidelong glance then went back to the report she was writing up. Emma finished donning everything and the desk finished booting up at the same time. Emma gingerly sat into her chair and leaned back, pausing a second to wait for the ocular link to establish and the system to log her in. Finally ready to start work she sat forward and opened up the ongoing case files in her browser. Pretty much all the same as any other day, she thought. ¡±Just one of these days I hope something eventful will happen.¡± she remarked as Mitzy finished the last of her report and submitted it. Mitzy exhaled heavily and turned to face Emma. ¡°Well I should¡¯ve finished that last night. I didn¡¯t expect to get so drunk.¡± ¡°I told you to finish it before we left, but no, you don¡¯t need to listen to ol¡¯ stick-in-the-mud Emma. I distinctly remember someone saying there was no way they were going to drink too much.¡± Emma smirked as she rarely got to mess with Mitzy this much. Mitzy could only pout and mumble that she didn¡¯t mean to. Knowing the battle was won Emma smiled and said ¡°Well enough about last night, let¡¯s get some coffee and see chief for the morning briefing.¡± Mitzy looked at her watch which stated the time to be 7:12am September 8, 2597 and replied, ¡°I wonder what cases they have for us today. Maybe we can get one of those accident cases I¡¯ve been hearing so much about.¡± The two partners got up and headed through the far door and left down the hall to the briefing room. The rest of the Retainers were already gathering in the room and soon there wouldn¡¯t be any coffee. Chief Bulloch stood patiently at the podium in the front waiting for everyone to file in to their seats. The briefing room was shaped similar to an amphitheater with the stage at the front and rows of tables and chair sitting radially from the center on a sloped floor to allow everyone ease of view. Soon the room was full and everyone on call was accounted for. Pots of coffee were already being passed down the rows and almost everyone had their own cup. The chief waited until everyone was settled and coffee distributed before clearing her throat to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Good morning everyone. I¡¯m glad to see no sick-leaves today. We have a full schedule today so don¡¯t get cozy.¡± As she began speaking she tapped her wrist and a semi-transparent array of case files appeared on the wall behind her. There was also a schedule of activities that required the escort of the retainers as well as and major points too important to leave hidden in the chaotic calendar sheet. ¡°First off, the new interface system is supposed to go online at 10pm tonight, so anyone who hasn¡¯t gotten the upgraded cerebral implant better get it today. We have a few doctors set aside for you so you don¡¯t need to go down to R&D section. Also, don¡¯t forget the annual system check is in a few days so if you don¡¯t want your unfinished reports and other such documents to disappear don¡¯t forget to save them.¡± Seeing a crowd of nodding heads and a few typing notes on unseen notepads she continued. ¡±Now, onto today¡¯s business. We have a few cases of law violations in districts 1,2,3,5, and 6. Nothing major except the case in district 5. Emma, I want you to take on that one. Everyone else pick one you want and hit the streets. Did you finish the report for yesterday¡¯s case Mitzy?¡± ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am, I finished it this morning and already filed it.¡± Mitzy quickly replied. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll read it after we¡¯re done here. Next, R&D has been having some trouble with a software update to the Synths. They said some of the originals are experiencing disconnection and motion sickness with the Synths during operation. Be on the lookout on your routs for anyone acting sluggish or nauseated. R&D wants to check anyone they find with the symptoms so they can isolate the bug and get a patch together before next week. Here are your assigned routs and events to cover for today.¡± As she finished she waved her hand and the files showing different events and routs through the districts moved to their respective assigned teams¡¯ browser HUD. Each team began planning out the day and discussing with each other the plan. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Finally reaching the end, the chief began talking again, ¡°Lastly, the security system will be down for a few hours today while they add in some upgrades to the system. It should be finished by around 2pm, so during that time you will have to contact us through the backup link so don¡¯t forget to bring your bracelet when on patrol.¡± Once done, everyone got up to leave to start the day. As everyone was shuffling out the back doors, Emma and Mitzy headed up to the front where chief Bulloch was talking with some of the other retainers. Once the groups in front of them were done talking Emma approached the chief. ¡°Hey chief, I have some questions about the case you gave us. Do you have a moment?¡± ¡°Of course, what do you want to know about?¡± she casually replied. ¡°I was just wondering why you felt this case was so special and why you gave it to us. I know there are more capable people in the department and I don¡¯t want to take on more than I can handle. I¡¯ve only been here for a little over four years now.¡± Emma inquired as she was the only one to get a special assignment and hadn¡¯t been on the routs for more than a year. She felt her experience was lacking so anything the chief deemed unusual she felt she wouldn¡¯t be able to solve to a satisfactory level. The chief knew where she was coming from, but Emma had been a very forward thinker from the moment she stepped in the door. Emma always worked hard and thought outside the box to solve problems others couldn¡¯t. She was very calculating in everything she did and was always wary of bad situations. Emma seemed to have a knack for sniffing out clues or traps. She could read people very well and even if she had only been on the street rout patrols for a year she had already racked up a considerable amount of solved cases and arrests. To reassure her, the chief reiterated ¡°It was my decision to put you on this case. You may have only been out for a year, but you are doing quite well. The only way you can keep getting better is to have actual experience. I¡¯m not sure why, but something feels off on this case to me. I have confidence that you can find out whether or not something is going on. I expect great things from you in the future so consider this an investment on my part.¡± Satisfied with that Emma continued, ¡°So, what is bugging you in this case chief? From the preliminary it seems like any other case. Couple gets into hotel room, gets murdered, have to buy a new Synth. Opened and closed like that.¡± The chief replied, ¡±Well it would seem that way on the surface, but we got the holo-data and it seems something unusual was in the room with them when they died. On top of that I got a call this morning from R&D saying their originals had died around the same time. Now, it¡¯s not unusual for a murder to happen in district 5 given that it¡¯s allowed there, but the fact that there weren¡¯t any signs of a struggle from either of the two and the fact that the holo-data couldn¡¯t identify who or what it was that killed them I have a feeling something is going on. The system does need a reboot, and R&D has had to deal with that bug they have been chasing for a while now, so maybe it¡¯s just a coincidence. I don¡¯t like coincidences though, and something just seems off. It just seems too¡­. convenient. For not only the holo-data, but also the security and the Sentient system to malfunction is too much. Maybe it¡¯s nothing¡­ or maybe it¡¯s not. I know how your mind works and if there is something up here I have faith that you will find it. Now get out there because you can¡¯t forget the system will be down for about half the day. Get what you can out of it and go talk with the boys in R&D and stop by Kara to get the report on the Synth and Original autopsies. I¡¯m sure the boys won¡¯t mind seeing a pretty face, and Kara should spend more time with things that aren¡¯t dead.¡± With that Emma and Mitzy headed back to their desk to get that holo-data out. The system would be down for a while but they could go talk with R&D and Autopsy in the meantime. While heading back, Emma had this feeling that today might be more interesting than she expected. 1-Puzzle Pieces Chapter 1: Date: Sep, 8, 2597 Emma scowled at the wall in front of her while eating what would have to pass for dinner that night. She had spent most of the day running around talking with R&D about what had happened to the couple¡¯s original bodies when they died in their Synths. R&D swore up and down that the cause was a bug in the connection system known as Sentient 7.5 and the only reason they passed away was from stress induced heart attack due to the feedback of pain caused when they died. This was a well-known issue with conscience transfer technology called ghosting. If the substitute body experienced death the pain would normally be enough to cause a heart attack or brain aneurism in the original body. For this reason safety protocols were put in place to prevent the pain from being sent in case of death of the Synth body. This was one of the biggest problems when the tech first came into its own, but it¡¯s been years and Sentientech who maintains and builds all the synths and original capsules on-site is the top of the line when it comes to Synth and conscience technology. Normally the likelihood of ghosting is the same as getting in an air accident. You would be more likely to win the World Lottery than die by ghosting. Yet here are two people who died at the same time and both ghosted. Emma chewed on the leftover takeout and agreed in her mind with the chief that this did seem fishy. What was worse was when she finally got down to Autopsy later that day to talk with Kara even Kara had another puzzle piece that seemingly didn¡¯t fit. ¡°I¡¯m telling you there isn¡¯t a wound on the body. The man is the only one with a wound!¡± Kara defended. Mitzy, Emma¡¯s partner exclaimed, ¡°There¡¯s no way she just keeled over and died on the spot! You had to have missed something. People don¡¯t just fall over and die in a synth, especially when their lover or whatever he was is killed at nearly the same time. That¡¯s just ludicrous!¡± ¡°Look, I know this may sound strange.¡± Kara retorted, ¡°But I scanned the whole body, I used spectral, x-ray, nanoscope, magnometer, everything. The only thing damaged on that synth is the power coupler. I¡¯m not even sure why either. On the surface it looks like the power cells just went into meltdown as if the shielding didn¡¯t exist. I have already made a call to the engineering department to send a technician over to tear both Synths apart and look at them. Until then I have nothing for you in regards to the female Synth.¡± Emma contemplated and Mitzy gave a frustrated sigh before Kara moved over to the male Synth body. ¡°As for the male Synth, it¡¯s pretty cut and dry. Cause of death was a loss of power due to the power coupler and actuation control unit being sliced in two. Entry wound is on the front of the torso starting from just above the navel up to the collar bone. Exit wound starts from mid back at the spine up to the top of the shoulder just below the base of the neck. Whatever it was that was used, it cut clean through everything. Edges are cut clean and charred. The exposed Contronite in the power coupler shows striations indicative of a magnetic or plasma based weapon. Thing had to be huge though to cause this large a hole with such ease. The power coupler shielding is tough and not just anything can cut through.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Kara motioned to the wound on the male¡¯s chest satisfied that at least this mystery could be solved. While thinking over what Kara had said Emma glanced over to the two corpses lined up next to the Synth bodies. If she didn¡¯t know any better she would swear that there was a mirror separating the Synth and original human bodies. They were perfect copies in every way and Emma had never seen both Synth and Original so close together. Even when you got your Synth it was in an entirely different building than the control bed used by the Original. It was eerie to say the least. Mitzy seemingly realized something and spoke up, ¡°Hey, why are the Synth and the Original exact copies? I thought most everyone who comes to Nirvana chooses a different look for their Synth since nobody knows anyone while here. I chose my body because I like the way I look, but almost everyone I know makes some changes.¡± Kara answered, ¡°Most of the time that¡¯s the case, but both of these are investors for UEC and Sentientech respectively. I bet since they spend so much time here they want to be comfortable as a body different from your own is somewhat cumbersome. It¡¯s like wearing a pair of shoes that don¡¯t fit. You can manage for a short while, but long term it¡¯s too difficult.¡± Both Emma and Mitzy nodded at the reasonable conclusion. Emma read the autopsy report Kara handed her while Mitzy inquired about the Originals. [Hmm. Katheryn Frieda Moses (48) and Jerrold Castillo (54). Both investors huh¡­.. Well, anyways it doesn¡¯t surprise me to find investors of both companies being so close since they basically built this entire place together. Considering how the United Economic Conglomerate and Sentientech built Nirvana on their own, it just goes to show how much power they have. This place is massive. I think if I went from one engine nacelle to the one on the opposite side, even at 60mph on my father¡¯s Photorunner that would take over an hour in a straight line.] Kara motioned to the male corpse to the right. ¡°Once again the male is pretty straightforward. Death by heart chamber rupture due to acute stress accumulation from the ghosting feedback.¡± She then pointed to the female. ¡°Now she on the other hand, is a different story. Her cause of death is complete rupture of the neuron cells in her brain as well as massive hemorrhaging in the cranial cavity." "This was not due to feedback though, as the amount of power required to so completely fry her brain would have melted the spinal implant and interface. It¡¯s as if her entire brain fired all at the same time as if to purposefully self-destruct. I requested a bio guy to come down with the other technician from engineering so until they get here the female is entirely a mystery.¡± Finished, Kara crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders in defeat. Both Emma and Mitzy knew they were on to something. Whatever it was, these puzzle pieces were starting to smell more and more like a salmon on a hot day. 2-Specters and Phantoms Hope you are starting to get into this as much as I am. I am still getting used to everything so bear with the few changes I make to the format until I like it. I haven''t decided on a release schedule yet as I will need to find a balance for RL but hopefully that wont take too much time. Anyways to get into the mood of the story I definitely suggest listening to some good synth like Pertubator, Future City Records, or Retro Synth Radio on soundcloud. as always please comment on any errors, questions, or concerns you may have. Now onto the story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2: Specters and Phantoms Date: Sep, 8, 2597 Somewhat satisfied with dinner, Emma set the dishes in the washer and returned to the living room. With a glass of water in one hand she sat on the couch facing a coffee table and a blank white wall. Once she settled down she motioned to the wall with her right hand and a menu popped up only visible to her. She then placed the holo-data card on the coffee table and a video thumbnail and loading bar popped up on the screen. Emma pressed play and the lights in the room dimmed. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s hope this has more answers than Kara.¡± She remarked as she choose a view of the couple¡¯s room. Soon a 3D hologram of the room was displayed on the coffee table with first person view from each Synth as well as the cameras showing the hallway and the elevator donning the blank wall behind. First she chose the 3D view hoping to get an overview of what all went down. The room was a standard for any hotel on Nirvana and had nothing remarkable. A large bed, a small table and chairs, a coffee table, and a tiny bathroom adorned the whole place. The scene started with the couple walking in through the door. It was obvious they had been drinking and were already flirty by the time they made it to the door. The two slowly made it to the bed, shedding clothes as they went. Emma felt a little awkward so she sped thru the whole session. Once finished the girl got up and took a shower while the guy ordered some room service. About 30 minutes later there was a knock at the door. The girl was done with her shower and was still drying off when the man answered the door. Seeing the dark figure that was obviously not room service he took a step back. The figure was tall and was wearing something like a black hooded robe which completely obscured the vision of the cameras. Before he could finish asking who they were the figure¡¯s left arm which was twirling something like a pole threw the baton at the man. What came next made Emma doubt her eyes. In the blink of an eye a large two foot long curved blade of plasma lunged through the poor man¡¯s chest. His eyes went wide and he took another step back, then he weakly grasped the pole attached to the blade in his chest. The figure walked into the room toward the man and reverse gripped the handle of the plasma scythe. Then with a quick movement he jerked the blade upward through the power coupler in the man¡¯s chest all the way to the collar bone. A sizzling sound accompanied with wisps of smoke indicated the power coupler''s failed attempt to remain functioning. The impaled man¡¯s hands went limp and his head fell back. The figure then reverse spun the blade to extract it from the now dead Synth and let the body slump to the floor still smoldering from the damage. Obviously hearing the door open then a few groans and a large thump, the curious woman opened the door to the bathroom. The scene before her was so alien she just stood there for half a minute, her brain trying to process what was going on. She finally noticed the cloaked figure standing motionless above her loved ones corpse. The woman fell to her knees and took a deep breath to scream. While not even looking her direction the figure pointed his right hand towards her. She froze, but not out of fear. Suddenly her eyes went wide and her body began to sweat profusely. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. She tried to scream but her body wouldn¡¯t move and no sound would come out. The figure finally turned toward her and it made a fist with its right hand as if grasping something. The woman frantically grabbed her head and finally screamed. This was not a scream of fear but a scream of pain, one of pure anguish. She screamed for only a moment, and then her arms fell to her side. The woman¡¯s eyes rolled back and she crumpled face first to the floor as a puppet with its strings cut. The figure simply turned the scythe off and the blade vanished into thin air. It then walked out the room as if nothing happened and closed the door. Emma then rewound a bit and paused just as the woman slumped over. She had never seen anything like what she had just witnessed. Firstly, every plasma scythe she had ever seen was different. They normally had unwieldy handles that tended to be much thicker than the one on display and the blades were only as large as a foot. They were a weapon that was always inferior to guns or knives. Even normal plasma swords were still easier to use and more effective. No plasma scythe she ever saw could so easily be thrown or cut so effortlessly. Then there was the case of the woman¡¯s death. There was no knife, no gun, not so much as a breeze that the figure used. The fidelity of the holo-data was perfect. Not even a grain of sand could get past its detection. Yet all it did was point and the woman died. On top of that she noticed something odd. ¡°Didn¡¯t she die by power coupler overload? Then why was she grasping her head and not her chest. When the coupler overheats it should transmit to the pain sensors in the chest not the head. She looked like she was listening to an unbearable sound.¡± Emma then restarted at just before the knock at the door and changed to the view of the hallway outside the couple¡¯s room. She wanted to track this figure to when and where it left the building. As the video started back up, she watched as guests and staff walked down the corridor to the elevator at the end. Emma waited for the right time, but what she saw made her scowl even more. A simply dressed maid pushing a meal cart stopped at their room and knocked. Emma thought maybe she had gone too far until the door opened and she heard the same confused voice that was obviously the man. Then she heard the impact of the blade as the maid walked into the room with the cart. A minute later she heard the woman¡¯s scream then watched as a maid with an empty cart waltzed out of the room and down the hall. Now Emma was completely confused. [Is the holo-data corrupted? Is it possible they grabbed the wrong camera feeds? Maybe it was a different day but the same room? Why did I hear the two same people though? The audio is right but the video is absolutely wrong!] Emma then went to the elevator feed and matched the time the phantom maid walked in and started both videos. She became even more confused when she witnessed the elevator stop at the floor, open, and then close with no one in it. The camera angle of the elevator was from the ceiling and was facing the door so she should see the maid. Yet when the door opened, the maid standing in front of the elevator on the hallway camera was nowhere to be seen on the elevator camera. The elevator opened and closed exactly at the same time and the time-stamps matched but the maid was a phantom. She was sure now. Emma immediately minimized the holo-data and started a video call to the Evidence department so she could yell at whichever greenhorn wasted her time. Some dumb idiot mixed up the holo-data and now she had wasted her evening. She was more frustrated because this meant she would have to go back to HQ and that was no walk to the corner store. She wasn¡¯t even sure the Transfer-pads worked this late. 3-Dominoes Once again any questions or comments are appreciated. Lets see how these dominoes are placed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2: Dominoes Date: Sep, 8, 2597 After arguing with the Tech. department head Rhonda over the possibility of someone screwing up the holo-data, Emma finally relented and agreed to come in the next day for a fresh copy made by Rhonda personally. She then called up Mitzy and discussed what was on the main view since that was the only thing they could believe was correct at that moment. Mitzy came by the apartment and they spent a few hours re-watching and discussing theories. ¡°Well, it¡¯s too difficult to tell if the figure is a man or woman. I can¡¯t believe the holo-data can¡¯t even give us a DNA profile. That¡¯s never happened before. We don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s a Synth or original. Anyways, I think our first move should be the angle on the investors. This guy seemed to know those two would be there and was prepared for it. We should check out the crime scene and see if we can find anything the scanners didn¡¯t pick up.¡± Emma agreed with the plan and Mitzy went home to get some rest. The next morning the alarm clock rang out announcing a new day. Emma got up groggy but awake. Once showered and dressed she took a look in the mirror. Emerald green eyes peered below silky straight golden hair put in a curled ribbon style. 5¡¯3¡± with white skin, prominent cheekbones, and a strong chin Emma was known as a calculating and wary person who was tough to know. Few got close, but those who did found a welcoming person who thought outside the box. Emma wore a form-fitting red button up shirt and black slacks and a black overcoat. Black shoes peeked out from the bottom of the overcoat, completing the look. After the final check Emma grabbed her bag from the hook next to the door and left her apartment. The weather was drizzly outside and the sun had yet to color the morning sky any more than a dark purple. It would take some time to get to work and she still needed to stop by the store downstairs for breakfast. An hour later, Emma met up with Mitzy on the way to headquarters. Mitzy was wearing an elegant sun yellow shirt and skirt. Brown flats matched her deep-set brown eyes and wavy brown hair that flowed from underneath a straw fedora with a thin yellow band on top. Mitzy was tall for most women her age and her dark brown skin proved her lineage from the Southern Plutocratic Syndicracy Coalition otherwise known as the SPSC. Her pointed chin and domed forehead gave her a certain charm. Emma could never understand why Mitzy always wore yellow even though the city meant most bright clothes were a pain to keep clean, especially in their line of work. ¡°So, what should we hit first? Do we go to the Chief, the crime scene, Autopsy, Tech, or Info on the whereabouts on other investors?¡± Mitzy managed to get out between bites of her handheld breakfast. ¡°Well Rhonda said it would take her a bit to redo the holo-data and verify it¡¯s correct. Kara won¡¯t have anything until the technicians finish tearing those bodies apart. I say we should meet up with the head of the info department then hit the scene. We can¡¯t go to the Chief until we have a better idea of what¡¯s going on and we don¡¯t even know the motive. Normally there¡¯s no issue since the scanners identify and track DNA of anyone in the room regardless of body type. That is the first time I have ever seen the scanner fail. This one is going to take some hard work to figure out.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Emma knew the system helped shorten the time to solve these things by quite a bit. Normally when investigating a crime that broke the district¡¯s laws, the scanners could identify everyone present, show a 3d representation of the room in great detail during the whole event, and track suspects anywhere in Nirvana. It could even bar them from accessing anything if requested by the Retainers. Yet this time there was someone that went unregistered. This was quite troubling. Emma hoped it had been a fluke, but she was once again reminded of the Chief¡¯s warning the day prior. ¡°It just seems too¡­. convenient¡± Emma agreed. There were too many lucky chances and happy accidents for something to not be going on, she could feel it. Once at HQ they grabbed their equipment and checked in with everyone. Rhonda was still putting the new set together, Kara was writing the report on the woman synth, and tech was trying to figure out why the scanners had malfunctioned. The pair stopped by the information department and found a man and two women working on their respective consoles built in their desks. The man was the head of the department and was known as Ted Everett. He was plump except for his hollow cheeks. He had thin eyebrows and large black eyes like obsidian. He wore unkempt business attire and his short ebony hair was put up in a complex style that clashed with the rest of him. He gave off an air of dishonesty and seemed shy to most people. Given his job it was not surprising though as he excelled in getting information out of anyone or anything. He knew his job and he did it well. When the two women walked up to his desk he stopped what he was doing and looked up. ¡°Well I¡¯ve got the report on the investors in question as well as their affiliates. It was tough considering that they fund this place.¡± Emma curtly replied, ¡°Good morning to you too. Anyways, we were wondering if we could also have you check on something. We think there is a possibility of this just being a crime of passion or they were targeting the investors. The culprit knew the couple had ordered food delivered and used it to gain entry. Can you look into the location and condition of the other investors from UEC and ST? If it¡¯s just a one-time thing, then the others will be fine.¡± Ted looked back to his monitor, and then dragged his finger from the desk to the open wall at the front of the room. ¡°I have got good news and bad. Which one first?¡± The partners glanced at each other. Mitzy replied, ¡°It¡¯s morning so let¡¯s start it off good.¡± ¡°Alright, good news is I already took the liberty to check on the other investors since it seemed you would want to talk with them eventually.¡± ¡°And the bad news is?¡± Emma pensively asked. ¡°Would you believe that 13 investors have died over the past half year?¡± 4-Nibble The next few chapters will have POV jumps so watch out. Also the italics is meant to be read is a sarcastic tone. Let me know of any errors or comments you have. Thanks again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4: Nibble Date: Sep, 8, 2597 Emma and Mitzy were taken aback. ¡°How in the world did we miss someone killing so many people?!¡± ¡°Yeah, there is no way the system didn¡¯t pick up that pattern!¡± ¡°Well for a start, these are the first to definitely be murdered. Everyone before either died by accidents or naturally.¡± Ted replied a little annoyed that the girls jumped to conclusions. ¡°Oh, still though, how has this not become an issue? Surely this should have raised a flag somewhere.¡± Emma was at a loss. How could something so obvious go unnoticed? ¡°Simple, since they were all deemed accidents the system handled everything and considering this is a city of almost 10 million, 13 people aren¡¯t even a blip on the radar. They may be more important, but most of the investors are old and no amount of medical services will save them forever. Given that fact though, it gets even more interesting.¡± Ted waited for a moment to build the suspense. ¡°Of all the investors that died, not a single one has died the same way. Neither have they died in the same location or time. There isn¡¯t a single pattern to be found amongst any of the investors other than their connection through the businesses.¡± Mitzy threw Ted a questioning glance. ¡°So you think there is something going on?¡± Ted shrugged, ¡°Maybe, it just seems weird though. It just seems too clean, too perfectly chaotic. Maybe I¡¯m just getting old.¡± Another coincidence. This was becoming a broken record regarding this case. Every twist, every rock overturned, everywhere there were coincidences. Emma was becoming sick of it. ¡°Okay, well our top candidates for motive were crime of passion or someone targeting the investors. I think we should talk to the remaining investors and get an idea of what¡¯s going on. Maybe someone took hostile takeover too literally.¡± Emma asked Mitzy to get her thoughts as she seemed deep in thought. After a few seconds Mitzy replied. ¡°I agree with that approach. Without any connections it will be difficult to get motive out of the deaths themselves. We should talk to the investors and let them know to be on the lookout. Maybe we can get lucky.¡± The partners downloaded the contact info for all the investors and their replacements and began the exhaustive task of calling each next of kin or friends to get an idea of each. Then they proceeded to talk to their coworkers and the investors who were left. All seemed genuinely surprised at the mention that someone was killing them off. A few seemed nervous but Emma couldn¡¯t tell exactly why they were nervous. She still needed more details and it was just too early to start jumping the gun. The next day they finally finished talking with all the necessary people and finally got back to Rhonda¡¯s office to get the holo-data. Emma was going to check it before she left to make sure it didn¡¯t happen again. When the two entered the Tech. department office they found a downtrodden looking woman sitting on top of her desk, her forehead in her right hand rubbing her temples. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Emma immediately recognized Rhonda and briskly walked over to her anxious that her attitude regarded the holo-data. ¡°Hey Rhonda, what has got you so down today?¡± Rhonda looked up and noticed who it was. She then stood up and walked around to her chair behind the desk. Her normally hooded gray eyes looked even more sunk in as it was obvious she had missed some sleep. The silky white hair she normally kept looking like a pennant in the wind showed signs of split ends and was generally out of order. The white skin she was so fond of seemed more ghostly today and her clothes were wrinkled and disorderly. ¡°Your little request kept me up all night talking with both my guys and the engineering department. After you demanded I make a replacement I took the liberty of reviewing the copy before handing it over to you. At first I thought someone messed up again and went back to pull the files myself. Then I thought maybe the raw data was mixed up so I called engineering. They say no problem. I say it¡¯s still wrong. They call me a liar. We then argue for 3 hours until they get fed up and go check it themselves.¡± ¡°Then they say maybe the cameras got out of time. Takes them another 3 hours to come back and say that¡¯s not it. They then say maybe it¡¯s a software bug. They call another department. They argue with that department. 3 hours later those guys go check it out. They come back and say that¡¯s not it. Now we are all out of ideas. I have no idea how but as far as we can tell there is absolutely nothing wrong with the holo-data.¡± Emma could hear the disdain and exhaustion in Rhonda¡¯s voice. She was defeated. ¡°Well as with everything in this case the more we look for answers, the more questions we come across.¡± Emma could only agree with Mitzy on this one. ¡°Thanks for looking into it. Sorry for making you lose a night, I¡¯ll buy you your favorite takeout tonight.¡± This was the least Emma could do since Rhonda essentially wasted her entire evening and had nothing to show for it. Mitzy looked back at Emma and shrugged. ¡°I guess we have some work to do. Think we have enough to make this mesh door of a case float?¡± Emma decided she was going to have to write her thoughts down. There were too many questions and thoughts to keep straight. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 12:00am Sep 12,2597 Late in the evening a lone man types away at a set of screens in an unlit room. The sharp glow of the monitors cast harsh shadows across the man and the room behind him. Banks of computers and equipment hummed in the background giving an almost natural sound to the mechanized brain that finished requests soundlessly. Suddenly he sat up as some information of great interest had surfaced. Someone had copied all the info regarding the investors. He was starting to worry if he was ever going to catch his proverbial fish. ¡°Now that they have a taste, let¡¯s chum the waters some more. Then we shall see what kind of fish we caught.¡± He began the next phase of his plan. 5- Medulla Over Easy Sorry guys, RL and a major plot snag caused me some trouble. I''m going to release a little fast to try to catch up. as always comment if you feel the need. The first part is suposed to be in a table, but I am an idiot so I can''t get it to work. when i get a chance I will edit it as such. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5: Medulla over easy Date: Sep, 12, 2597 Emma stared at her notes, lost in thought. [Killer: Hooded. - Scyth.- Reaper? Synth? No idea Maid? No connection Elevator??? Death: Synth and Original.- Investors.- Planned? Money? No. Sport? No. Grudge? Maybe. Religious? Maybe No connections Crime scene: No residue in bathroom. Emp? No. Hack? Too fast. Need more.. Next target: Investors, other employees] [ So, to summarize, we have no idea who is killing people, not much of an idea why, no idea how, and only a general idea who is next. I¡¯ve seen brain teasers that started you off with more.] Emma had watched the footage with Mitzy multiple times, and then they had gone to the crime scene itself. The scene showed no signs of how the killer dispatched the woman. Neither found any evidence of EMP, microscopic bullets, external devices, external shock, or anything else they could think up. All the cameras in the area were inspected and were shown to be working perfect. No signs of a local hack or tampering with any of the cameras could be found. It seemed that the unbelievable footage was real without any way to refute its validity. After going over the scene multiple times to no avail they got a call from Kara. The engineers had finished disassembling the murdered synths so Kara needed them both back for a second inspection. Both Emma and Mitzy were feeling tired from the amount of stress all these mismatching pieces were putting them under. They hoped the synths might have at least a breadcrumb of a trail. Kara welcomed them with a smile, ¡±Well, good to see you both still have some hair. Keke. I thought you might¡¯ve pulled it all out by now.¡± The fact she was in a good enough mood to joke made Emma feel a little at ease. ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to catch a break so please tell us you have something. I don¡¯t think we can take any more questions.¡± Mitzy was reaching the end of her rope, but was hopeful seeing Kara¡¯s demeanor. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Good news, I know how our misses over here kicked the bucket.¡± After a moment for suspense, ¡°Her brain fried itself!¡± Emma and Mitzy stared blankly at Kara for a moment before glancing at each other then back to Kara as if they had misheard. Emma slowly started, ¡°Hey Kara, I know I¡¯m tired so I don¡¯t think I heard you correctly. Could you repeat that, because it sounded like you said her brain fried itself?¡± ¡°Ke ke ke. That¡¯s exactly what I said. Crazy, right? First time I¡¯ve seen someone be forced to commit brain suicide.¡± Kara crossed her arms as if it was an accomplishment that she needed to boast about. Mitzy wasn¡¯t sure why Kara seemed so happy but decided to just roll with it. ¡°Well what does that mean for us?¡± ¡°For starters that means she wasn¡¯t shot, stabbed, or poisoned.¡± Kara was glad her diagnosis was correct. ¡°Secondly, this means you guys didn¡¯t miss anything either. We can narrow down the cause of death to either hacking or nano-bots attacking the subsystems of the synth. With the limited knowledge we have I will guess at hacking, but I have no idea how. ¡° Emma scratched her chin and pondered out loud, ¡°We may not have a clue as to how, but it¡¯s at least a start.¡± At this point a wrong answer was still an answer for the duo. It was a starting point from which they could build on. Mitzy thought for a moment, and then replied, ¡°OK, we should start checking out anyone who has a need to get rid of the couple and has hacking experience.¡± Emma headed back to get a list of possible suspects from Ted and let Chief know they might have something. Mitzy met with Rhonda to request in depth analysis of the room which would take a few days to complete. Normally this wasn¡¯t needed, but now that they had to check for signs of nano-bots they needed the analysis to catch something that small. The pair then met back at Emma¡¯s to put together a priority list of possible culprits and their various motives. This would let them check the most likely suspects first and could potentially save some time. The most likely suspects were other investors looking to muscle in some more of the stock holdings, or possibly someone who was fired recently. Mitzy finally left after some time and went home a little early so they could have an early start on tomorrow. She was feeling much better now that they had a trail, even if it was obscure and somewhat cold. 6-Cold Call Insert generic spiel here. -------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 6: Cold Call Date: Sep, 12, 2597 After Mitzy left Emma started on her meager dinner. Simple skillet grilled chicken with rice oregano pepper and a lemon wedge with some green beans and corn. It was cheap but decent in the nutrition department and at least a little flavorful if not light. Emma knew anything more might upset her stomach once she went to sleep so this would have to do. Just after placing the dishes on the drying rack a phone ring sounded from her coffee table. Emma immediately thought Mitzy might have forgotten something, or maybe she had another thought before going to bed. Emma signaled to answer while she focused on scrubbing the oily frying pan. ¡°What do you want Mitzy? Did you forget something?¡± Mitzy was one of Emma¡¯s few closest friends and someone who she could relax around so she enjoyed a little banter that she rarely had the chance to do. ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you two are so close. I was hoping to catch the both of you so you could get started immediately, though it doesn¡¯t make much of a difference.¡± The reply though sounded garbled and foreign. It did not match what Emma was expecting so it took her a second to realize something was off. ¡°Hey, where are you? It sounds like you are near a transfer gate with the amount of feedback coming through.¡± The pit of her stomach grew heavy and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something wasn¡¯t right and she knew even before she admitted it in her mind. ¡°Wait, who are you? This isn¡¯t Mitzy is it?¡± The voice answered, ¡°Well seeing as you are the first to catch on, I guess its only right to introduce myself as this is only polite. No, I am not Mitzy. You may call me Osiris. You saw my work the other day with the couple and you were the first to notice. As we are now two sides to the same coin, it is my duty to test if you truly are worthy of being my other half.¡± Emma knew she was in trouble. This was without a doubt the killer. [How did he find out? How did he find me? What is his plan? What should I do?] All these questions flew through her head for a moment before she took a deep breath and replied, ¡°What do you want?¡± The voice chuckled before answering, ¡°It¡¯s simple my dear, in order to prove your worth I shall give you a test. None can stand with Osiris until their soul is weighed against the feather of Maat. If you prove worthy I shall show you the evil of nirvana and grant you the power to destroy the injustice here.¡± Emma contemplated her options. He knew her, who she was, where she lived, her partner, and that she was chasing him. She was in check and he knew it. ¡°What do you mean two sides to the same coin?¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Simple, I mean you and I stand for justice. The only difference is how we go about it.¡± ¡°What happens if I fail?¡± The voice sighed as if a troublesome topic had come up. ¡°Well, you can guess from my previous work my dear. Also, I will know if you tell the chief about it, so this stays between you, Mitzy, and I.¡± Emma knew they meant business and didn¡¯t want to endanger anyone else. ¡°Okay, what is the plan then?¡± ¡°A nondescript package will be at your desk at headquarters tomorrow. It will contain a set of holo-data on a previous case some years ago. All the evidence collected by the retainers will be included. Your job is simple. Review the data with Mitzy. Then when you are ready contact me by selecting the scale icon included. We will then discuss the case and your thoughts on it. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡± This was good and bad. If the package could get into the HQ it wouldn¡¯t contain anything like a bomb or toxins. The bad thing was the open-endedness of this test. Emma would have no idea what he wanted to hear. If she tried to play him he would know. She grimaced as she thought about her options. [I could tell chief, but considering the holo-data from the crime he might be an amazing hacker. It¡¯s too dangerous. I could hole up. No, that won¡¯t work. He already knows my address and can probably get to me when I¡¯m defenseless. I don¡¯t know how much he knows about me. Considering, he might even use my brother or sister to get to me.] The thought alone made her shiver. [At the least, we can call in backup if he shows any dislike to our answer. With no leads, I don¡¯t have any leverage. I hate when I don¡¯t have any cards to play.] The voice then added in a flat chilling voice, ¡°Oh, by the way, if you don¡¯t accept the test little Miss Sheri and Mister Lance won¡¯t make it to nirvana on Tuesday.¡± Emma froze. There was no way out for her. Only Emma and Mitzy knew Emma¡¯s brother and sister were coming to nirvana on vacation and to visit her. It had been a spur of the moment idea and no one else should know. They just might have the connections to reach Sheri and Lance and that was not a risk she could take. They were all she had left. She couldn¡¯t risk losing them too. Distraught internally at this piece of information she finally spit out the words as if tasting maggots in her mouth, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it. Just don¡¯t hurt them. I¡¯ll do whatever you want, but please, ¡­.. just don¡¯t involve them.¡± With a satisfied laugh the voice finished, ¡°Until next time Emma. Let¡¯s see if you can obtain the name of Maat. Oh, by the way, you should treat yourself more. Chicken and rice isn¡¯t very extravagant. You deserve it.¡± The voice slowly laughed as it faded and the call ended.