Hunting Mink

by Niall Teasdale

Elaine looked around, baffled. ‘Wednesday? Oh! The… thing. Yes, that’s all fine. I got most of the organisation at my end done by Friday night.’

  ‘Right, well, I’ve just got to chase Facilities for the extra power and make sure someone’s taking care of the hotel rooms, so it looks like we’re good. I’ll put a call through to Hugh later today… Uh, if that was done on Friday, why do you look like you haven’t slept?’

  ‘Because I haven’t.’ Elaine frowned at her. ‘You don’t know? What’ve you been doing all weekend?’

  ‘Damian was off work. We–’

  ‘Right. Stop there. I don’t need details. Bianca, Snapshot was murdered last night.’

  ‘What?!’

  ‘His body was found in a container yard at Potrero Point about midnight. Some rent-a-cop doing the rounds discovered it, but that’s not the half of it. SFPD issued an arrest warrant this morning, nine sharp.’

  ‘That’s fast work.’

  ‘Officially it’s for questioning. They’re still gathering evidence. The warrant’s for Mink.’

  There was silence for a few seconds and then Bianca said, ‘Mink? They think Mink killed Snapshot?’ Elaine nodded, slowly. ‘On what grounds?’

  ‘Wounds consistent with a rope dart. Motive is entirely unclear.’

  ‘Mink didn’t do it.’

  ‘That’s pretty much what I said, but Lament’s on the warpath. Fuego is… being Fuego. Bony doesn’t believe it, but he’s going to bring her in if he sees her.’

  ‘Muse?’

  ‘As enigmatic as usual. She’ll follow Lament’s lead. I’ve been watching the evidence the cops are getting, going over what I can myself. Homicide is being a little tight about it. Currently, since the suspect in the case is an N-class, the UID are just watching. Mink needs to stay out of the way until this is sorted out.’

  ‘Let’s hope nothing comes up to draw her out then.’ Bianca paused, frowning. ‘I’m going to arrange extra security for your apartment.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Because someone took out probably the easiest of the Stars to hit. They may decide to go after more of you and if it were me doing it, I’d go for you next. All the others have powers that would need to be circumvented. You’re a natural human with a big brain.’

  ‘And Ultramech on standby.’

  ‘You’re right. I’ll start with arranging sweeps for explosives.’

  Elaine paled visibly. ‘You really think–’

  ‘Not taking any chances. If the others haven’t figured it out, I suggest you warn them.’

  8th October.

  There were two docks at Point Avisadero. Both of them, and a large portion of the surrounding area, were swarming with UID personnel. Brightstar hung in the air, several hundred feet up, surveying the area which had been posted as a temporary no-fly zone. No one was taking any chances, though by lunchtime everyone in the city, possibly the country, would know that something big was happening down at FTI’s Hunter’s Point HQ.

  The transport ship was docking at the southern side, beside the building they would be transferring its cargo to. Escort ships were already sliding into the northern dock. It was still dark, but that would change soon. The ship had been delayed a little and there was every possibility that they would be unable to make the transfer before dawn.

  ‘Annoying,’ Doctor Ultimate said, ‘but these things happen.’

  Bianca nodded. ‘Security’s tight. Besides Brightstar, we have radar and a load of UID agents with hair-trigger nerves. If a pigeon flies over here, it’ll probably be shot down.’ She paused. ‘You know… I’m still not sure I’ll believe you found a crashed UFO until I see it.’

  ‘I assure you that it’s real.’

  ‘And definitely alien?’

  ‘Given that we have the pilot’s body, I would have to give a positive answer. There are some peculiarities we plan to examine more closely. It’s possible, but unlikely, that it could be human. You’ll understand when you see it.’

  A large, mobile crane was settling into position beside the ship as they spoke. Now it began to swing its arm out over the ship to where a large, heavily reinforced container was resting on the forward deck.

  ‘Shouldn’t be long now,’ Bianca said.

  ‘My dear Miss Fullerton, it cannot be soon enough.’

  ~~~

  It took almost two hours to get the container with the alien ship in it into position in the large, open space which had been set up for the analysis. By that time, the smaller crate containing the cryogenic unit the body had been stored in was in one of the adjoining laboratories and it had been opened up to reveal its contents.

  ‘It’s… kind of human,’ Elaine commented.

  ‘I’d accept humanoid,’ Bianca replied. The being in the cryo-tube was humanoid. Tall and slim, two arms, two legs. It was dressed in some sort of form-fitting suit so the form of its genitalia was open to question. Its head was broader in the skull than a human’s, the jaw narrower. There was no obvious nose or lips, just a thin slit where a mouth should be. Its eyes were large and black across the entire surface, and there seemed to be a pair of secondary eyes mounted above and between the main ones, both far smaller.

  ‘And therein lies the conundrum,’ Ultimate said. ‘Theory suggests… genetic analysis… would be far more… physiological analysis, obviously… tending to the idea that… neurological study might be informative…’

  ‘Hugh,’ Alice said, breaking into his vocal stream, ‘you’re switching between thought streams.’

  Ultimate blinked at her. ‘I was? Apologies. I’ll serialise. It seems unlikely that an alien would appear so human. Evolution should produce divergence. We’ll need a full study of its DNA, physiology, and neurology to ensure that this is not, in fact, a highly mutated human.’

  ‘We have our best bioscience team ready to get started,’ Bianca said. ‘Actually, ready might not quite cover it. If we don’t let them at it soon, I think they might eat through the doors.’

  ‘I’m feeling pretty much the same about the ship,’ Elaine said. ‘Had to see this, but it’s the machine I’m really interested in. Still’ – she let out a sigh – ‘we’ll need to go over the outside and record everything before we can start on the interior.’

  ‘Then,’ Ultimate said, ‘let us get started.’

  ~~~

  The man was old, perhaps in his seventies if Zhu Lei was any judge, but he held himself upright as he walked into Zhu’s apartment. His hair was grey and there was little of it left; his face was angular and gaunt, and featured a thick, Roman nose. He was dressed in a three-piece suit which was clean and pressed, but had seen better days, though you got the impression that that was because the man did not care. How he had managed to arrange contact with the Nine Kings, Zhu was not sure, but he had come forward with a business proposition and would speak only to the head of the tong.

  ‘Let me be clear,’ Zhu said before any introductions could be made, ‘I am unhappy with this meeting. You will convince me that it is worth my while, or you will not leave this building alive.’

  The old man shrugged. ‘As you wish. Are you aware of a drug which was briefly available in New Millennium City named Excelsior?’ He had a German accent, Zhu noted.

  ‘I’ve heard of it. It kills Ultrahumans.’

  ‘In most cases, anyone with even a latent Ultrahuman gene dies on taking it, yes. It is also expensive to produce, difficult. The cartel who created it believe themselves the sole manufacturers. I have been able to refine both the drug and the method of manufacture. I can produce it more cheaply and in greater volume. The effects are slightly reduced but still highly addictive. Ultrahumans taking my drug suffer nothing worse than nausea and dizziness.’

  Zhu’s eyes narrowed. ‘And you are offering this to us?’

  ‘I am in need of working capital and local information. Your organisation can provide both. In addition, the results of my work here may be useful to your organisation, should we continue our… partnership
.’

  ‘You have bought yourself time to explain the details of your proposal.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘You may call me Jade Flame. Sit down and give me details.’

  The old man stepped forward, taking a seat opposite Zhu with a sigh. ‘Very well. My name is Kopf, Herman Kopf. Some people know me as Professor Blutadler.’

  9th October.

  ‘You’re sure this is safe?’ Bianca asked. She was standing in the control area which had been set up on one side of the analysis chamber. The ship was visible in front of them but almost obscured by the huge array of monitors which had been set up to display the feeds from multiple cameras and instruments.

  ‘I am quite sure that we have considered all the known threats,’ Doctor Ultimate replied.

  ‘That’s… not entirely reassuring.’

  ‘Hugh’s a scientist, Bianca,’ Alice said. ‘That’s the best you’ll get out of him, and it means they’ve got everything they could think of covered.’

  Bianca smiled at the red-haired woman with her quietly confident expression and down-to-earth demeanour. ‘Thanks for the translation.’

  ‘It’s one of my many duties.’

  ‘Without which,’ Ultimate said, ‘I am quite sure I would have provoked more international incidents. Elaine, all instruments are operational. Please proceed.’

  Over at the largest of the hull ruptures, Elaine took a deep breath and stepped forward. ‘Entering the breach now,’ she said into the microphone hung in front of her mouth. The suit she was wearing did not make life easier as she edged in. They had been lucky that the alien was a tall stick. Elaine once again regretted her genetics as she felt her hips and butt scraping the sides of the rent.

  However, close examination had revealed radiation emission from the ship. It was not at a dangerous level and seemed to be primarily alpha particles, but they were taking no chances that the level might be more intense in some parts of the interior. Hence the suit, which was the latest thing in radiation protection, and the drugs Elaine had gagged down prior to donning the suit, which were supposed to purge nucleotides from her system.

  ‘So far I’m showing no real increase in radiation level,’ Elaine said.

  ‘Confirmed,’ Ultimate replied. ‘It would appear that you are in an electronics bay.’

  ‘That’s certainly what it looks like. A trashed electronics bay. The technology doesn’t look like Earth engineering, but equally it’s not anything particularly amazing. There are circuit boards, but they just look a little weird. I think they use something different to package ICs.’

  ‘We can collect samples for materials analysis later. When they were extracting the body, they did not go beyond the cockpit area. I’d suggest going through to there. You should find a duct directly ahead of you which gives access. Once there, proceed to the rear.’

  Elaine located the duct Ultimate was talking about. It seemed like this bay was not really designed to be serviced in flight given that there had to be no way you could work comfortably on any of the equipment. ‘You know, my butt was not designed for this. We should’ve sent Bianca in. She’s got slimmer hips.’

  ‘I heard that,’ Bianca replied. ‘I wouldn’t know what I was looking at.’

  ‘You’d recognise scrap just like me. Okay, going in. If I get stuck… Just make sure the rescue team uses lubricant.’ Elaine heard both Bianca and Alice giggling.

  ‘Water or petroleum base?’ Ultimate asked.

  Elaine found herself blushing: she would never have thought the great Doctor Hugh Last was capable of bawdy humour. ‘Uh, either, but I’d like it strawberry flavoured.’

  ‘I’ll make a note. Radiation levels are remaining constant. I believe that we are seeing the result of a gamma ray emission event of some sort. This is residual secondary radiation.’

  ‘Not my main area of expertise, but it sounds reasonable. Think that’s what killed the pilot?’

  ‘A very large event could be responsible. Perhaps combined with impact damage from the crash. It would certainly explain the vessel crashing. Electromagnetic surges in the electronics and electrical systems could have easily disabled many of the flight systems.’

  Elaine crawled out of the duct. It took a bit of twisting since she emerged almost under the flight chair, which was not especially large, but it held the pilot in a semi-reclined position and so took up a lot of space. She got herself into a semi-seated position, still mostly under the chair with her head poking up, and looked around. The flight controls were dark and indecipherable: certainly nothing like any military aircraft she had seen. The chair seemed to have a few panels built in, but there were no obvious sticks or wheels to direct the craft.

  At the back of the room there was a door which looked a lot like a standard, metal, sliding door. Elaine crawled out from under the chair, got to her feet, and walked over to it. Unlike in Star Trek, it did not open at her approach, but there was a panel beside it, so she tried pressing it before resorting to force. The door slid open.

  ‘Definitely still a source of power in there,’ Ultimate commented.

  ‘I figured the cosmic energy signature indicated that,’ Elaine replied. She found herself looking at a corridor with a pair of similar doors to the sides and a significantly heavier-looking one at the end. ‘Bulkhead door up ahead, do you think?’

  ‘We’ll examine this section first. Is that an access panel to your right?’

  Elaine turned her head. The suit’s helmet cut her peripheral vision, but the cameras mounted on it gave the control room a very effective panoramic view. Sure enough, there was a panel there, about two feet by three, secured in place by six recessed bolts. ‘Uh, looks like it. I think I can open it, but maybe I should check the rooms first.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  Moving on, Elaine picked right, hit the panel, and found herself looking at chaos. The room looked like a cabin, a fairly large one with, judging from the interior doors, more than one room. Loose objects had been tossed around, and something like glass crunched beneath her boots as she walked through to check behind the doors. She found a bedroom with a fairly conventional bed in it, the mattress lying against one of the walls. There was also a bathroom, probably.

  ‘Okay, I’m definitely going for aliens,’ Elaine said. ‘I mean, it looks bathroom-like, but their idea of plumbing is not ours.’

  There was a shower-like cubicle in the room, but the fittings in it did not look like shower heads. They appeared more like those rotating gadgets you used to irrigate your lawn. The toilet facilities seemed to consist of a number of hoses with things attached. The term ‘waste management’ sprang to mind rather than ‘toilet.’

  ‘I do not want to know how you use those,’ Alice said.

  ‘Perhaps when the physiological analysis is complete, it will become more obvious,’ Ultimate suggested.

  ‘I refuse to read that report. It’ll give me nightmares.’

  Smirking inside her helmet, Elaine backtracked and tried the door across the corridor. The room behind it was split into two sections, and neither was readily obvious as to their functions. To the right was some sort of machine with a hatch and a computer console. To the left was another console, this time facing a slightly raised, flat, circular area which occupied much of the floor.

  ‘Transporter pad,’ Bianca said. ‘I’m guessing that’s a teleport device. No glowing lights on the floor and ceiling, but that could have been taken right out of the USS Enterprise.’

  ‘If it is,’ Ultimate said, ‘that could be most interesting. Point-to-point transport, with a transceiver at each end, has been possible for a while. If this is a teleport projector, requiring a single terminal… That is technology which has thus far eluded us.’

  Elaine turned back to the other side of the bay. ‘Okay, well if that’s a teleporter, maybe this is a replicator.’

  ‘Given our limited information at this time, it would resemble some form of manufacturing device, certainly. Computer control and a
n access hatch to retrieve the created object.’

  ‘Yeah, but add in that cosmic energy signature. If this thing has some sort of cosmic power source, maybe it could actually make matter out of energy.’

  ‘That would… not be impossible. Hopefully we can find out. Let’s check that access panel, shall we?’

  ‘I’m on it.’ Elaine found the small power-driver she had brought with her in a belt pouch, and then hunted through her selection of heads as she wandered out of the room and started back toward the cockpit. She had two heads the right shape and roughly the right size, and she checked them against the heads of the bolts, selecting the best fit. It was not perfect, but it would do. She locked the head to the driver, slotted it over the bolt, and pulled back on the button which would start the motor. The bolt gave…

  ‘Stop!’ Ultimate almost shouted. Elaine could hear alarms in the background. ‘Tighten it back up. Now!’

  ‘What happened?’ she asked as she pushed the switch forward and the motor reversed, driving the bolt home.

  ‘I’m registering a sudden, very large, increase in cosmic energy output. Is that bolt locked back in?’

  ‘Yes.’

  There was a pause, a fraction of a second which lasted half an hour. ‘Get out of there, Elaine, with all expediency.’

  ‘The power’s not dropping off?’

  ‘No. Get moving. I don’t like this.’

  Elaine pulled her driver free and just dropped it to the deck before starting for the cockpit door. ‘There’s something more than just the power?’

  ‘There’s a modulation in the signal. I don’t know what it is, it may not be dangerous, but I’m halting this operation until we can clarify the situation. I’m evacuating the facility. As soon as you’re out, we’ll back off and monitor remotely. Whatever that vessel is doing, I don’t like it.’

  New Millennium City, MD.

  ‘Standard patrol plan tonight?’ Andrea asked. She was in costume but not wearing her mask. Cygnus was sitting on a sofa pulling on her boots.

  ‘Yeah, I guess,’ Cygnus replied. ‘I’ll probably take a run over to Uptown before I swing back here. Things have been pretty quiet of late.’