* * *
“WHAT’S ON THE DISK?”
Flint looked like he swallowed the chip through translucent lips. Rev watched in fascination as the chip made its way to Flint’s inner circuitry. “It freaks me out that you can change your shape, ingest things, and float around like you do.”
“Do I upset you?” asked Flint. “I could try to look more humanoid if you’d like?”
“Will you be less transparent?”
“No, I’d just be less fluid and shaped sort of like you, but I confess, I’d still be just as clear.”
“Don’t bother then,” said Rev. “Continue what you were doing and I’ll stand guard. We don’t want others to get that chip, at least for the time being.”
Flint plugged the chip into his reader and accessed the data. “There are only two files on the chip and it appears that they were created just before we arrived this morning. The names don’t tell me much since they only have an index number to catalog them.”
“What does the first one say?”
“That’s odd.”
“What?” asked Rev.
“I don’t understand, but this is exactly what it says,” said Flint. “Follow the bodies.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s all. Just, follow the bodies.”
“What’s in the second file?” asked Rev.
“That one is a little more revealing. It has a location setting and a time stamp. Presumably we are to go to the location at the time specified.”
“Where and when?”
“It’s a location somewhere in Memorial Park at midnight,” answered Flint.
“Then we still have plenty of time to figure out what ‘follow the bodies’ means,” said Rev. “Any thoughts?”
“There are bodies everywhere,” said Flint. “Following everyone seems useless to me. My first thought would be the harvested bodies from the Reclamation Center.”
Rev agreed. He ducked his head back into Willa’s office and stroked his chin like some men do when they have a beard. Rev felt the stubble of beard against his fingertips. Then an idea came to him. “You said the Reclamation Center is housed in this building?”
“Yes,” said Flint. “It’s on the ground floor and subsequently many floors below that.”
“That’s exactly were I would think recycled bodies would go,” said Rev.
“You think Willa wanted us to track the euthanized citizens?”
“It’s the best guess we have so far,” answered Rev.
Just at that moment Ziller showed back up with a squad of guards. “Mr. Smalley, Regency Tuloff has sent guards to cordon off Willa’s office. I also have a message that you should report in as soon as you can.”
“We will,” said Rev. “Make sure that Dr. Sorse’s office is locked and guarded. I want no one to be allowed to enter until we have time to inspect its contents more thoroughly.”
Ziller nodded and motioned two of the guards to stand post while Rev and Flint followed him down the hall with the rest of the squad. Rev thought the doctor looked almost like he enjoyed the excitement of the day as he told the men to form up and stop slouching. The squad quickly lined up and marched away with Ziller leading.
“Well, that’ll keep him busy,” whispered Rev marching along in the rear. “Now for the real work at hand. I want you to destroy the chip. Wipe it clean and encrypt your memory of it so no one can retrieve it without me saying so.”
“Done,” said Flint, as he spit the chip onto the floor.
Rev ground the heel of his shoe on the little chip until it was pulverized. Then he flicked the tip of his shoe over the broken pieces to spread it around. By this time the guards had marched around a corner.
“Shouldn’t we report to Regency Tuloff?” asked Flint.
“Are you crazy!” exclaimed Rev. “It’s best to just keep our findings to ourselves until we know what the significance of the clues mean. I don’t want Tuloff deploying his thugs to get in our way just when we have a solid clue as to where Braz and Cassie might be. If . . . when we find them, we’ll report until the cows come home.”
Flint looked confused.
“An old Earth saying, meaning, we’ll tell him everything when I’m good and ready.”
“If you say so,” said Flint, questioningly. “Do we have enough time to go to the Reclamation Center and follow the bodies?”
“Yes. Lead the way, partner,” said Rev, smiling at how distressed Flint looked.
“I hope I don’t get reformatted for this,” mumbled Flint as he floated off. “No automaton has ever disobeyed authority like I’m doing. You don’t know how hard it is for me to contain my primary functions.”
“You worry too much,” said Rev. “Tuloff doesn’t want to hear speculation. He wants facts, and we don’t have enough hard facts to make sense out of this mess for him yet. Besides, I know you’re struggling with the concept that keeping secrets can actually be for the best, but you’ve got to trust me on this one. Keeping quiet will get us to the truth faster than spilling our guts prematurely.”
“All the same,” said Flint, “it makes me feel like we’re on the verge of disaster. How do we even know we’re doing the right thing? Why are there murders that look unrelated but aren’t? If we do find out who or what’s behind these crimes, how will we prevent another murder?”
“Now I know you’re an investigator.” The big man nodded in satisfaction.
“Really?”
“You can’t be a good investigator without a few secrets and a whole lot of fear and speculation. I don’t mean those little lies that we tell to make others feel better. I mean the world shattering type, where if you do the wrong thing, people will suffer. That fear is an internal meter indicating just how deep the mystery goes.”
“That really scares me,” said Flint. “Because, if I gauge my fear, then I have to assume the mystery goes all the way to the top.”
“Most likely it does,” agreed Rev. “We’re smack dab in the heart of some sinister plot, and if you aren’t scared, then I wouldn’t want you to be my partner.”
“There’s absolutely no chance of that happening,” said Flint with a shiver. “My circuits are tingling with fright like they’ve never done before.”
“That’s my partner,” said Rev, poking an index finger into the soft translucent flesh of the automaton. “Stay frightened. It might be the only thing that keeps you alive.”
* * *
THE RECLAMATION CENTER was easily located on the ground floor of the building and most of the pedestrian traffic looked as if it was traveling through its doors. When Rev and Flint reached the lobby, they couldn’t believe how many individuals were crammed into the place. There were people in line; people milling about in large clumps; people standing throughout the hallways; doors were plugged up with individuals impeding access to the inner offices.
A voice over the intercom instructed the patrons holding numbers between three and five hundred to follow the attendee with the red cap to the debriefing rooms. Everyone standing around looked at their stubs shaking their heads in disgust. The lucky ones pushed their way through the crowd towards the red-capped man waving.
“Is this normal?” asked Rev.
“No,” said Flint. “Usually only a few individuals a day ever ask to be terminated. This is highly irregular.”
“Where should we start?”
“Let me find a social worker and ask them where they took the murder victims,” said Flint, flying off above the crowd. He was gone for five minutes when a harried Nordic type pushed himself through the crowd. As he shoved and nudged his way, people clawed at his clothes, stopping him from reaching Rev. The sound of the crowd became deafening. Militia troops in riot gear entered from the side doorways.
Flint whizzed over the masses en route to Rev. “This is bad,” said Flint in Rev’s ear.
The Nordic male finally reached Rev and cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted. “Mr. Smalley. Your automaton has informed me you
need to locate the corpses brought in earlier today?”
“Yes,” said Rev barely hearing the man above the din of bullhorns the riot patrol were using. So he gave up and nodded.
The leader of the militia shouted through a bullhorn, saying that all individuals wanting to be terminated would need to line up peacefully along the outer walls and wait for processing. His speech continued about noncompliance resulting in the riot patrol resorting to force. The crowd started to chant ‘death with dignity’ and ‘end life and strife’ while the militia pressed the crowd back from the center of the lobby.
“Follow me,” shouted their escort as he turned and shoved more people from his path. Flint hovered overhead while Rev, who was at least fifteen centimeters taller than everyone else, muscled his way through the crowd of Tsunamians.
Somewhere near the entrance a scuffle broke out and an individual got clubbed by one of the officers. The crowd reacted with more pushing and shoving until someone snatched the officer’s club from his grasp and used it against him. His fellow riot cops came to assist and a mêlée ensued. Arms and legs thrashed about as the militia tried pushing the crowd back into order. The bullhorn announcer rallied his men and charged the crowd with their clubs.
This is no place to be, thought Rev as he pushed rioters from his path. Rev pressed his shoulder against the crowd of bodies like a bulldozer gouging a path to freedom. Finally he worked his way through with Flint and the Nordic male at his heels in the wake his big body created.
The militia crushed the mob with their shields, forcing the crowd of Tsunamians against the walls. Bloodied bodies lay scattered under the boots of the militia as they continued clubbing the heads of the rioters.
“What the hell is going on?” shouted Rev.
“I’m very sorry,” said the Nordic male. “I’ve never seen such a demand for termination before. They started showing up in hordes this morning after the news of the Beast attack.”
“Why would that make them want to end their lives?”
“Most are frightened out of their wits and feel it is best to depart in a dignified manner.”
“That’s insane,” said Rev.
“I see their point,” said Flint. “Nothing like this has ever happened here before. It could start a panic.”
“Panic is one thing but rioting to be put to sleep is just crazy,” said Rev.
“I agree,” said the Nordic male. “We can handle a few hundred a day but we aren’t staffed to accommodate the thousands who’ve arrived. Eventually the fear will subside and we’ll be back to normal.”
“Can you tell us where they took the two murder victims this morning?” asked Rev. “I left instructions that they were to be preserved until I authorized disposal.”
“Certainly, they are on the sixth sub-level in the temporary morgue. That would be room T1. Ask for directions from anyone when you reach the floor. If you don’t mind, I should get back and help as much as I can.”
Rev thanked him and found a transmat elevator and soon the doors opened onto an empty level. He appreciated the quiet compared to the lobby and wondered how long it would take before common sense prevailed. He shook his head realizing how different the Tsunamian philosophy was to his.
The rooms were clearly marked, they had little trouble in finding T1, just down about twenty-five meters from the elevator.
“Why are we here?” asked Flint. “Do we need to view the bodies again?”
“No, we just want to get the lay of the land here and snoop around a bit. Do you know how this place works?”
Flint shook his body. “I’m sorry I don’t.”
“Then we’ll need to locate someone and see what we can do. Let’s go in and find someone in charge.”
The room was empty and sterile except for a wall of freezers and a very lonely desk with a studious auburn-haired female busy with computer screens.
“Hello,” said Rev.
“Mr. Smalley I presume,” said the woman. “I’m Brie Knowles, a pathologist by trade.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said. “Is there a need for a pathologist on Tsunam?”
“No,” she stated, “but there are plenty of cases on the border regions with the various wars. Actually, this is the first real case of my career on Tsunam. Frankly, having two bodies at once overwhelms me.”
Rev must have made a face that she took to mean she was not qualified. “Of course I’m board certified on fourteen species by hundreds of simulations. I guess I’m a little rattled working on a fellow colleague. It’s so strange,” she stammered.
“It’s always hard to see someone you know on the table. I didn’t mean to question you,” said Rev. “It still strikes me as odd that these are the planet’s first murder cases in thousands of years. I’m used to a murder a minute back on Earth.”
“That must be an awful place to live,” she said. She then felt oddly embarrassed criticizing Earth.
“I guess it is, but I call it home.” Rev inspected the remains. “The autopsies showed that the victims died from blunt force trauma and blood loss.”
“That’s correct. How did you know?”
“I’ve seen enough death in my time to figure out how it was done,” he said coolly. “Is there anything else you can tell me that I don’t already know?”
“Not very much, I’m afraid, except this woman,” she said pointing to the headless body of Sybil, “was alive when she lost her head.”
“I guessed that too,” said Rev. “What happens to the bodies now?”
“I’ll release them to be cremated. There aren’t any parts worth harvesting that I can tell. If there were, the recipients of those reused parts might take offense at having them come from murder victims. We wouldn’t want to cause undue distress.”
“Of course not,” said Rev. “So if the bodies are healthy like the normally terminated individual, their body would be harvested for another?”
“Oh, yes,” she said with a beaming smile. “Most who end their lives here go to the Parts and Bio Reconstruction Department on sub-level twenty where we have a ninety-nine percent recycle rate.”
“That’s very impressive,” said Rev. “Can I see this Parts and Bio Reconstruction Department?”
“I’m afraid not,” she said sadly. “It’s off limits. Only a few individuals and of course, upper ranking officials have access. Besides, I’ve heard it can be a little unsettling to view. Body parts can be so messy when disassembled.”
“One last question,” said Rev. “Did Dr. Tee Sorse have access to the twentieth sub-level?”
“It’s strange you ask,” she said. “Yes, I believe she did.”
Flint shook with fear as another clue slid into place.
Chapter 10
“SOMEHOW WE NEED TO GET through the security for that twentieth sub-level,” said Rev thoroughly miffed. They had tried to breach the security only to find themselves apprehended and summarily dismissed from the building for their efforts. It took Flint contacting Regency Tuloff’s office just to get them released on assurance that they not try to gain access without proper authority.
“I believe we will never be granted clearance,” said Flint.
“Even if we did get a look-see,” said Rev, “we’d find nothing by the time the paperwork goes through. We’ll have to figure out another more creative way through the security, and quickly before someone can cover something up.”
“Breaking and entering you mean?”
“I like to think of it more like unauthorized visitation.”
“Same thing with another name,” retorted the little machine. “It’s still a crime.”
“So, you won’t do it?”
“I didn’t say that. I go where my partner leads,” said Flint defiantly.
“That’s the spirit,” said Rev with his thumb jabbing the air in an attaboy sign. “I’ll make a top-notch investigator out of you yet.”
“Or a prison inmate.”
“I’ll be there right alongside you then, little
buddy.”
“Sounds wonderful,” said Flint starting to brood.
“What about some dinner?”
“You’re hungry?”
“I could eat the ass-end out of a dead steer. My stomach thinks my throat’s been cut.”
“What kind of food would you prefer?” asked Flint.
“I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Are there steaks near by?” asked Rev, sniffing the air like someone at a barbecue. Flint hovered nervously. “What’s wrong with steak?”
“You want to consume animal flesh?” Flint wobbled and his glow fluctuated.
“Yes.”
“Restaurants on Tsunam only serve synthetic proteins,” apologized Flint. He hovered with a thoughtful look on his face. “I suppose they could prepare it so it looks like flesh.”
“No meat anywhere. Not even a cheeseburger?”
“None.”
“You guys suck,” said Rev. “All right, I’m hungry enough to eat almost anything. Just get me there and I’ll try not to gag on it.”
“We could try an off-world restaurant,” said Flint. “You’d have a better chance of getting food to your liking someplace that caters to various species.”
“How do we get there?”
“Just like anywhere else—through the transmat elevators,” said Flint. “Instead of being on the planet we’d be on one of the ambassadorial satellites that are positioned in orbit.”
“Sounds great. Let’s give it a shot.” Rev’s enthusiasm started to make his mouth water. “Anything has to be better than protein shaped like a steak.”
Flint took him to a transmat elevator and they walked off into a restaurant entrance overlooking the planet’s surface. Flint told Rev to wait outside until he returned. He said he wanted to first find out if the establishment would cater to human needs. In very short order Flint returned and said happily that the chef could prepare something very close to a beef steak with mushrooms and a baked potato. Of course they weren’t actually beef, mushrooms or a baked potato, but would be very close.
They were seated and even Flint sat down, shaping the bottom of his globbiness so he looked comfortable in the chair while Rev ordered. The P.I. asked for a glass of red wine to start off. Flint indicated he had no need to imbibe and watched Rev as he unfolded his napkin, placing it in his lap. The wine arrived and a quick sniff of the cork was all it took for Rev’s mouth to water again. The Tsunamian waiter poured a generous portion into his glass and left them alone while the meal was being prepared.
The Beast of Tsunam (Rev Smalley: Galactic P.I. Book 1) Page 8