The Formula

by Don Viecelli

  Jack was surprised. Usually, the captain waited for Jack to give him the latest information on a case. He made a mental note to ask Captain Black about it when he saw him. “Thanks, Ted. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Jack decided to see Doctor Zheng in the forensic lab. He called and made sure she was there. She was. He took the elevator to the first floor. He walked through the open door to Xie’s office.

  “Hello, Jack,” Xie said when she saw him. “Did you read my report?”

  “Sorry, Xie.” Jack sat down in one of her chairs. “I’ve been pretty busy. I thought maybe you could bring me up to date. What did you find?”

  Xie looked exasperated—like why should she bother writing anything down? “Alright, Jack. Lucky for you I have a few spare moments, and this case is interesting, I must admit. We got the DNA results back. It confirmed the initial findings. The cell tissues from the muscles, bones, skin, organs, everything, have regenerated. We don’t know how or why, but we did get lucky.”

  “Lucky? What do you mean?”

  Xie looked pleased with herself. “We found something in the blood, a new substance. It produces a concentration of proteins in the cell tissues that are higher than normal. We tested the substance with living cells. When we add the substance, the cells begin to regenerate. We’re pretty amazed at the results. We’ve never seen anything like it before. Not only that, we found the same substance in the doctor’s daughter when we took her blood and DNA sample.” Xie sounded excited.

  “What does this all mean, Xie, in layman terms please?”

  “Somebody discovered a new anti-aging drug, Jack. This drug can reverse the aging process. We don’t know how it works yet, but it does. It actually regenerates all the cells in the body. We don’t know how long the change lasts or how much of the drug is needed. We have a lot of questions. This is revolutionary, Jack. The scientific community is going to go crazy when they learn of this. I put everything in my report. I sent it to you an hour ago.”

  Jack accepted what Xie told him. It matches what Ingrid said during questioning. The discovery was real. “I’ll read the report when I get back upstairs, Xie. Thanks for your help.” Jack got up to leave. “By the way. Did you tell the captain yet?”

  “Yes, Jack, I had to. He called asking for a copy of the report just a few minutes ago. I held it back as long as I could. I told you I would have to send him a copy by the end of the day anyway. Is there something wrong?”

  “No, Xie. That’s okay. I’m just running a little late. This case is getting complicated. I will talk to the captain. I’ll see you later.”

  Jack left the room. He went back upstairs to his office. It was getting late. He needed to talk to Captain Black. There was only one problem. He suspected the captain was involved in this case. He just wasn’t sure how involved. If Ivan Hellstrom was behind the murder and Captain Black was involved with Ivan Hellstrom, then Jack was in serious trouble and so was anybody working on this case.

  Jack was even more worried about Ingrid. There was a good possibility that whoever took her wouldn’t need her for long if she told them what she knew. He had to find her soon. He really had no choice. He had to tell Captain Black he needed to bring Wolfgang Strossberg in for questioning, and search Wolfgang’s place. Ingrid was being held somewhere and so were the stolen drugs and memcards. Wolfgang’s place would be as good a place to start as any.

  Jack called Captain Black and asked if he could see him. Captain Black told him to come to his office. Jack was there in five minutes. Captain Black was sitting behind his desk. He looked up when Jack entered the room.

  “Have a seat, Jack.” He motioned to a chair. “How’s Tom?”

  “He’s fine, Captain, just a little sore from the laser blast. He should feel better tomorrow.”

  “How’s the case coming?”

  “It’s coming along. I heard you requested the reports from Ted and Doctor Zheng.”

  “Yes, I have them on my desk,” Captain Black answered, picking up one of the files. “I hope you don’t mind me calling to get a copy before you returned. I wanted to see the reports.”

  “No problem, Captain,” Jack answered, trying to hide his annoyance. “What do you think of the findings?”

  “There’re pretty amazing. I mean, an anti-aging drug? This could get pretty messy, you know.” Captain Black dropped the file on his desk.

  “How so?”

  “It’ll be a public relations nightmare if we don’t solve the case quickly. The media will be all over us, not to mention city hall. We need to find the woman.”

  “I agree, sir.” Jack didn’t mention the fact that the captain made matters worse by releasing her. “I have a new lead, Captain. Sam ran the killer’s profile in the SLEA database. It identified a person on Ivan Hellstrom’s staff, a man named Wolfgang Strossberg. Do you know him?” The Captain Black frowned slightly. He looked surprised.

  “Yeah, I met him once or twice. He’s Ivan Hellstrom’s Chief of Security at SpaceMed. Are you implying that Ivan Hellstrom may be involved in the murders?”

  “I don’t have any proof of Hellstrom’s involvement yet. But Strossberg fits the killer’s profile we developed. I need an arrest warrant to bring him in for questioning. He may also be involved with Ingrid’s kidnapping. I would also like to search his place for evidence.”

  “All right, Jack. I hope you know what you’re doing. Be careful with this. Ivan Hellstrom is powerfully connected. He will tear us apart with his lawyers if you’re wrong.” Captain Black obviously didn’t like what he was hearing. He told Jack to get what he needed from the judge and to keep him informed.

  Jack got up from the chair and left the room.

  Chapter 14

  Jack obtained his warrants within the hour. He called SpaceMed to see if Wolfgang was on duty. He wasn’t. Jack recruited two police officers to accompany him to Wolfgang’s apartment near where he worked. It took twenty minutes to get there by train.

  Jack knocked on the door and yelled, “Police!” There was no answer. He inserted his key card and the door opened. Jack drew his gun and stepped inside the room. The two police officers followed with laser guns drawn. The lights turned on automatically. Jack called out again, “Police! Anyone here?” There was no answer. Jack and the two officers split up and searched each room. Wolfgang was not there.

  They searched the apartment for evidence. Jack didn’t find anything incriminating: no disguises, stolen ID’s, explosives, nothing. The man kept the place spotless. Nothing was out of place. There was no sign of Ingrid. Jack told the two officers to remove the computer memcards and collect all the papers, files or notes that looked interesting. Jack then told one of the officers to take the items back to headquarters for analysis. He told the other officer to stand guard and watch the place to see if Wolfgang returned. He told the young officer to be careful and not take any chances. Wolfgang was dangerous and probably armed.

  Jack left the apartment. He decided the next best place to find Wolfgang was at SpaceMed. He decided to give Ivan a surprise visit. Maybe Ivan would lead him to Wolfgang or Ingrid. Jack was convinced Ivan was involved in the murders. It was worth a try, but he needed some backup. As he left the building to walk over to the nearby SpaceMed building, Jack called Sam. “Hello, Sam. I need your help on something.”

  “Sure, Jack. Whatever you need,” Sam offered.

  Jack filled Sam in on what he was planning. “I need your help to track somebody. I’m on my way over to Ivan Hellstrom’s place in the SpaceMed building. I’m looking for Wolfgang Strossberg. I have a warrant for his arrest. We haven’t found him yet, so I’m hoping Hellstrom will lead me to him. I can follow Hellstrom on the ground, but I need your help if he leaves by shuttlecraft. I know SpaceMed has two shuttlecrafts and they park them in the shuttle port on the SpaceMed roof. I want you to use the satellite surveillance cameras to monitor if any of them leave. If they do, let me know where they go.”

  “No problem. Anything else I can help you with?
”

  “No, that’s all I need for now. I’ll call you as soon as I leave Hellstrom’s office.” Jack terminated the call. He was almost at the SpaceMed building.

  Jack walked directly to the elevators. He decided an unannounced visit would be best. He rode the elevator up to the tenth floor. Since Ivan’s apartment was on the eleventh floor, Jack had to take a second elevator to Ivan’s floor. Jack walked over to the apartment door and rang the doorbell. He looked into the camera lens stationed above the door. He was certain he was being recorded for security purposes.

  He heard Ivan’s voice on the speaker and the door opened. “Come in Detective Helms. What a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting your company.” Ivan was standing in front of the open door.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Mister Hellstrom, but I have some news I thought you should know about.” Jack walked inside and shook Ivan’s hand.

  “I was just making myself a drink. Can I offer you anything?”

  “No thanks,” Jack answered, taking a quick look around the room.

  “What’s this all about, Detective?” Ivan asked, leading Jack into his living room. “Please, have a seat.”

  Jack sat down in one of the chairs. Ivan walked to the bar and finished making his drink. He carried it over to where Jack was sitting and sat down on the sofa. Jack glanced outside the large picture window. It was completely dark outside, but you could hear the wind blowing hard against the windowpane. The darkness obscured the view of the mountains in the distance and valley below. Jack turned his attention back to Ivan. “Ingrid was kidnapped today. You probably heard about it on the news?”

  “I certainly did. I was shocked. Do you know who’s responsible?” He took a drink.

  “We have a good idea. We think it was Wolfgang Strossberg, your Chief of Security. I have a warrant out for his arrest.” Jack watched closely for a reaction.

  Ivan never blinked. “I don’t believe it. Wolfgang has worked for me for years. I have complete confidence in him. What proof do you have of this?”

  “We connected him to the murder of Doctor Johanson, and we think he was involved with Ingrid’s kidnapping.” Jack didn’t give him any details.

  “I find this hard to believe. Wolfgang has a perfect work record. He would never do such a thing.”

  “Do you know where I can find him, Mister Hellstrom?”

  “No, I don’t,” Ivan answered coldly. “He’s off duty now. Did you try his apartment?”

  “He wasn’t there. That’s why I came here. I thought you might know his routine, where he eats dinner or goes after work.”

  “No, I’m very sorry. Wolfgang sometimes visits me after work, but not today. I’m sure he will turn up soon.” Ivan set his drink down on the table and stood up. “Is that all, Detective Helms?” Ivan asked, indicating it was time to leave.

  Jack stood up. “Yes, that’s all for now. Thank you for your time, Mister Hellstrom. I’m sorry to have bothered you. If you hear from Mister Strossberg, please tell him we’re looking for him and he should turn himself in for questioning as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll certainly do that, Detective Helms. I hope you find Ingrid soon. She is very important to the company, as you well know. It would be a disaster if she were hurt in any way. I will do everything I can to help you find her.”

  Ivan led Jack to the door. They shook hands and said good-night. Jack took the elevators back downstairs to the lobby and walked across the walkway to a nearby cafe. He took a seat by the window and ordered some coffee. He put in his earplug and made sure the smartcom was on record. Before Ivan had finished making his drink, Jack had placed a small bugging device under the chair he was sitting in. The device could pick up the slightest sound within fifty feet. It was totally illegal, but Jack didn’t care. The only thing he could do now was to wait and see what happens next.

  Ivan sat down in his chair after Jack left, took a sip of his drink and pondered his next move. Detective Helms was getting too close to the truth. Something had to be done. Turning in Wolfgang was out of the question. It looked like it was time to limit his exposure, sooner than he had planned. He had to get Jack out of the way.

  Ivan picked up his smartcom and called Captain Black. The line buzzed and Captain Black answered, “Hello, Ivan.”

  “Detective Helms was just here. He knows about Wolfgang. It’s time to take care of him.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Ivan outlined his plan. Captain Black was clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

  “I want more of the drug for the risk I’m taking.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Alright, I’ll do what you ask, but that’s the last of it, Ivan,” Captain Black stated bluntly. “What do you plan to do with the woman?”

  “You take care of Detective Helms, Captain, and I’ll take care of Ingrid. Let me know when the job’s done.” Ivan ended the call. He had a trip to make.

  Ivan quickly packed his briefcase and made sure the stolen memcards and remaining drug vials were stored securely inside. He put on a coat and hat and walked through the kitchen and upstairs to the shuttlecraft hangar on the roof. Ivan approached the shuttlecraft, opened the door and stepped inside. He stowed the briefcase and took his seat. He started the engines. Ivan was an experienced pilot and knew how to fly this type of shuttle-craft. It was a six-passenger shuttlecraft, ideally suited for travel on Mars, and could be flown directly into space if necessary.

  The atmosphere on Mars was thin and the gravity was only one-third that of Earth’s. The shuttlecraft could fly long distances and it was relatively easy to control. Ivan used one whenever he wanted to fly to his valley retreat.

  Ivan checked the instrument panel. Everything looked normal. Ivan knew the wind conditions were getting bad outside. It was gusting over 50 miles per hour, but since the atmosphere on Mars was only one percent as dense as Earth’s, the wind wouldn’t bother Ivan too much. The shuttlecraft was lighter than similar aircraft on Earth, but it was designed for maneuverability and speed.

  Ivan opened the hangar door and backed the craft outside. He turned on the thrusters and hovered over the landing platform. Ivan turned the shuttlecraft northeast. His mountain retreat was 60 kilometers away, on the other side of the Valles Marineris canyon. Normally, the sight of the deep canyons outside the front window would be spectacular, but now it was pitch black and the dust storm was obscuring the view. Ivan would have to use the virtual screen instrument panel to fly the whole distance. He programmed the coordinates into the flight navigation system and increased his speed to 200 kilometers per hour as he sped away. He would reach the retreat in eighteen minutes.

  Jack was stunned. He replayed the recorded message for the third time and listened to every word Ivan had said. He couldn’t hear what the captain had said, but he could guess from Ivan’s response. They planned to plant drugs from the murder scene at his apartment to frame him and “take care” of him after they put him in jail. Jack knew full well what that meant. They want to kill me! He couldn’t believe what he had heard. He became angry. He would have to be very careful and watch his back. Jack didn’t know whom he could trust now. He was on his own, and he was no longer safe on Mars.

  What Ivan said about Ingrid equally concerned him. Ivan knew where Ingrid was, but where? Ivan wouldn’t be foolish enough to keep her at his apartment. He must have another place. He has not left the building, at least not by the front entrance. Jack hoped Ivan was planning to take one of the company shuttlecrafts. If so, Sam would be able to track him easily with the satellite surveillance cameras. He called Sam. “Hello, Sam. Do you have anything on the surveillance cameras yet?”

  “Yes, I was just getting ready to call you. We’re watching the SpaceMed building now. A shuttlecraft just took off. It’s heading northeast.”

  “What do you have on SpaceMed? Do they have any buildings in that direction?”

  “None that I can find in the database, Jack. I’m checking Mister Hellstrom’s person
al files now.” After a brief pause, Sam spoke again. “I found something. Mister Hellstrom has a vacation home across the canyon about 60 kilometers away. He bought it two years ago. The shuttle is headed right for it.”

  “Thanks, Sam. I need to get to a police shuttle. Keep on him. Send me the coordinates and let me know if he changes directions. I’m going to follow him. I think he’s holding the doctor’s daughter there.”

  “Be careful, Jack. Do you need any help?”

  “No, not yet. But you can do me a favor. Don’t tell anyone at police headquarters about this yet. I think some of our people are involved in the murder of Doctor Johanson. I need more time to figure it out.”

  Sam took a deep breath. “All right, Jack. Call if you need help. I can send some of my guys down there,” Sam offered.

  “Thanks, Sam. I’ll keep in touch. Bye.” Jack terminated the call. He ran out the door and headed for the nearest police station with a shuttle port. There was one within a few blocks.

  Jack was uncertain about what he should do. He could ask for backup, but he wasn’t sure whom he could trust. He decided to check things out for himself before he called for backup. He was taking a big risk, he knew, but thought he could handle it. If he got into trouble, he could count on Sam. Time was of the essence now. He had to get to Ivan’s place and find a way inside. He needed the right equipment.

  Jack raced to the police station. He showed the sergeant on duty his badge and requested a police shuttle fully equipped with weapons, helmets, outdoor thermal suits, night vision goggles and oxygen packs for two people. It was not an unusual request. The sergeant had him sign for the equipment. Then he pulled the requested items from inventory and handed them to Jack.

  “We have two shuttles fueled and ready to fly, Detective Helms,” the sergeant said, handing him a key. “Take number 4. Try to bring it back in one piece,” he quipped as Jack took the key and equipment. Jack was in too much of a hurry to retort. He found the elevator and rode it to the top floor.