by Malcolm Rose
Her quip seemed to have an immediate effect on their boss. He did not attempt to retaliate. He simply waved them away. ‘Dismissed. And … ’
They waited.
Reluctantly, the temporary commander said, ‘I’m pleased the case has come to a satisfactory conclusion.’
SCENE 40
Saturday 19th April, Noon
‘Where are you taking me?’ asked Troy.
‘Home,’ Lexi told him.
‘Your home?’
‘Yes.’
Troy frowned. ‘What’s on your mind?’
‘Don’t you know? Not perceptive enough?’
He shook his head.
‘For saving every one of us,’ Lexi said, ‘you should be made an honorary outer.’
Troy laughed. ‘No chance. Gran would murder me. Anyway, Dominic did it in the end.’
‘It took his hand and yours.’ Lexi turned into her small, untidy garden and led Troy towards the door. ‘To celebrate, I want to share lunch with you. And my friends.’
‘Share? With your mates?’ Troy grimaced. ‘They’ll make mincemeat of me.’
‘Pardon?’
‘They’ll hate me.’
‘True. But when I tell them you’re the major who saved them all … we’ll see.’
‘Are you sure about this?’
They stepped into the porch. ‘They ought to know. They need to have their prejudices shaken up.’ She began to open the door.
‘I might throw up when I see your food.’
‘No you won’t. Trust me.’
‘Well … Grub, yes. But grubs, no.’
Lexi laughed. ‘I’ve got the ideal thing. Some nice bread. Don’t ask where the flour came from. And chocolate-mealworm spread.’
‘Chocolate and mealworm? Combined?’
‘For you and me, outer and major, it’s perfect, isn’t it?’ She ushered him into the house.
Troy swallowed. ‘Sounds … ’
‘Yummy?’
‘Weird.’ Troy took a deep breath and then smiled. ‘But I’ll give it a go.’
The real science behind the story
The crimes in all of The Outer Reaches books are inspired by genuine scientific issues and events. Here are a few details of the science that lies behind Lethal Outbreak.
Organisms from outer space
There is genuine concern about our ability to deal with alien bugs if they are ever found and brought back for study on Earth. They may be released by accident or design. If they turned out to be harmful, there would be serious consequences to the well-being of human civilizations. In the Earth’s mild atmosphere, we simply don’t know what it would take to kill bugs that might be hardened to the extreme extra-terrestrial conditions of a planet like Mars.
The outers’ diet
While I have imagined a second human race called outers, I have not made up their diet. All of their meals are genuine bug-based food from around the world, eaten by more than two billion people. Eating insects and arachnids (entomophagy) is much better for the Earth’s resources than eating meat. The global livestock trade emits more greenhouse gases than planes, trains and road vehicles combined. Replacing farm animals with protein-rich insects reduces the emissions enormously. Over 1,900 insect species are edible. There is even a conference called ‘Insects to Feed the World’ that promotes the use of insects as a human food.
About the Author
Malcolm Rose is an established, award-winning author, noted for his gripping crime/thriller stories – all with a solid scientific basis.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Malcolm was a university lecturer and researcher in chemistry.
He says that chemistry and writing are not so different. ‘In one life, I mix chemicals, stew them for a while and observe the reaction. In the other, I mix characters, stir in a bit of conflict and, again, observe the outcome.’
By the Same Author
From The Outer Reaches …
When the body of an outer is discovered in the woods, young detective Troy Goodhart and forensic specialist Lexi Iona Four are partnered on the case. Then two more bodies are discovered, and all three corpses are found to have body parts missing. Somebody is killing with a purpose. As major Troy and outer Lexi unpick the case, they enter a complex, dark world of deception, where one false move will mean death.
Copyright
Lethal Outbreak
by Malcolm Rose
Published by Ransom Publishing Ltd.
Unit 7, Brocklands Farm, West Meon, Hampshire GU32 1JN, UK
www.ransom.co.uk
ISBN 978 178127 670 9
First published in 2015
This ebook edition published 2015
Copyright © 2015 Ransom Publishing Ltd.
Text copyright © 2015 Malcolm Rose
Cover illustrations copyright © dvarg, Digital_Transcendent
A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
The right of Malcolm Rose to be identified as the author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.