What Are You Made Of?

by Gary Starta

  After the men departed Dougherty’s house via air coach, the pair reasoned that this was the first time they were not comforted by Linda’s advice.

  “You know Steven, I almost feel that Linda was keeping something from us as well. I hate to become a slave to your conspiracy paranoia, but why didn’t Linda seem more shocked by Ciprelli’s behavior? This was a highly educated man would took a free fall from a building. There hasn’t been a record of a suicide on Earth for nearly a century. Look at us, we survived our space travel without killing ourselves or each other.”

  Steven acknowledged Jon’s point with humor as well. “If anyone could have driven me over the edge it was you, and yet, here I am. But seriously, whether the jump was intentional or not—why didn’t this man suffer catastrophic injuries?”

  The two men then rode in silence without the capability of providing sensible answers to their concerns.

  Mikola Petrovsky was back in his laboratory. He was doing his best to create the worst. So far he had made Aaron Starkman suffer bouts of paranoia; created an unsettling lesbian love affair between Joyce Starkman and Karen Hiroshi; caused Dr. Hiroshi and Anna Starkman to abandon their inhibitions; and inflicted a severe case of self doubt upon Peter Ciprelli.

  Ceres’ resident mad scientist knew he was capable of much more than just making his colleagues’ lives miserable. Petrovsky could now implant any evil hypnotic suggestion he wanted to effect their behavior. The disgruntled engineer was no longer satisfied to meddle in petty affairs of the heart. “The time has come for the colonists to harbor a deep seated hatred for the scientists. The seed of hate can best be nourished with an act of hate. So I will make one of my most moral colleagues succumb to her darkest callings. When she’s done, the colonists will surely hate her. The colonists will quickly agree with me that an intervention from Earth is warranted. That is—if there’s any colonists left to agree…”

  The android body who now took its instructions from the lowest form of humanity suddenly got an urge to chuckle at this demented logic. Mikola Petrovsky mastered in the logic of hate—and now his artificial body was a captive student.

  Chapter 5: Unofficially Speaking

  If all the world’s a stage, then all the world’s news agencies were busy scrambling on that stage. The pressure was on to reconstruct the space agency murder story now that the arrests of Jeff Turner and Renee Mercer had been made public 24 hours ago. It was now apparent that the murders were not committed because of Dana Jackson since Mercer had paid for the execution of the space techs. This revelation was most unfortunate for Dana who found herself being sued for almost all the money she had been paid for interviews and product endorsements. Her brand new red air coach was the first thing repossession officials confiscated as she helplessly watched from her bedroom window. Dana had been advised not to leave the area as federal officials were considering pressing charges for her possible part in the disappearance of her ex-husband, Phil. Dana spent a large chunk of the day using her line of Beautitude cream products in hopes that their botanical ingredients would calm her frayed nerves.

  Detective George Valentino was also feeling pressure. He had been elected by the Virginia PD to field questions from reporters at the groundbreaking press conference. His superior, Lieutenant Simms, was unavailable for this task. Simms was busy swatting flies and combating the heat of the April sun as the chase continued to find where Maxwell the dog had buried the crash scene mystery object. Valentino wished he could have traded the type of heat Simms was facing as the young detective felt like he was chicken frying on a grill in the face of the media inquisition. The reporters verbally attacked Valentino for misleading them concerning his initial comments about Dana Jackson. George had strongly alleged that Ms. Jackson was the sole motivation for the murders of Chuck Paterson and Bob Schmitt upon the discovery of their bodies. He now had to backpedal for his incorrect analysis in front of the world’s cameras which portrayed him as a stuttering, inexperienced investigator. Valentino could only wear a sheepish grin while he tried to appease the reporters with news about the CSI’s latest evidence collection.

  Jeff Turner, who had been charged with double homicide, was given an assurance that he would not face the death penalty for his cooperation with Virginia PD. That cooperation involved naming Mercer as his contractor. The space association security executive still had hope he could clear himself as he hired the world’s most expensive attorney, Rashad Abdul Sayed.

  CSI’s Sandra Morton and Samuel Benson had worked the last 18 hours straight to prevent Mercer from using his wealth and power to escape justice. Although Sandra would never admit it, her heart told her Renee was guilty as sin. Her partner Samuel was her exact opposite as he never missed an opportunity to vent anger or hold back judgment.

  So Sandra gloated silently while Benson called Mercer “a heartless bastard” among some other choice expletives not fit for a forensic journal.

  Morton and Benson had spent the day working inside the space association headquarters looking for clues to nail Mercer to the wall. Sandra had successfully obtained warrants to comb the entire premises of the 18-story building. Morton’s first order was investigate the allegation of Chuck Paterson that Phil Jackson may have been murdered for his attempt to sabotage the association’s robots. Sandra paused to reflect that if reporter Kay Jennings had followed this lead from Paterson she would have broke the biggest conspiracy story in centuries. The recording clearly indicated that Paterson did not have faith that Jennings would print his allegations. Paterson stated on the tape that he believed there was too much money invested in the agency’s robotics program for corporate-owned media companies to expose a scandal. However, Paterson’s faith in the police ranked even lower as he suspected they were possibly involved in the cover-up of Phil’s murder. What Chuck did not know was that the agency upheld the policy of “what happens here, stays here.” He also did not know that past scandals had been successfully stopped before they leaked outside the agency’s doors. However, Paterson did correctly conclude on his audio file that his life was in jeopardy.

  Morton and Benson began their search in the robotics laboratory of starship research and development. Here they encountered over 50 robots that Phil Jackson could have possibly sabotaged. After searching 30 of the robots, Benson was starting to lose his will. However, Sandra reminded him that one of the robots must have been tampered with if the agency had to dispose of Jackson. The lucky number for the investigators turned out to be number 49. The robot designated as “7237-A-J49” had undergone maintenance by someone who used a false DNA scan.

  “Sounds like this is where Mercer may have gotten his idea to plant genetically-altered evidence on the bodies, Sam,” Sandra hypothesized.

  The forensic team then surmised that a weapon may have been discharged in the laboratory to subdue Jackson. This analysis was proved to be correct as Morton and Benson tested the walls for traces of laser fire. The laser-powered weapons used by space association security personnel had left a discharge on the walls of the laboratory. Morton was able to date the discharge by the degradation of the electromagnetic radiation signature.

  “We have a match,” Sandra triumphantly announced as she proved there was weapon fire in the laboratory the same day the robot “7237A-J49” had been tampered with. “Now we just have to get this poor automaton a more attractive name.”

  Even after this discovery, the CSI’s were not satisfied to rest on their laurels. Their next stop would be to visit the genetics laboratory. Samuel reasoned the manufacture of altered skin cells could have taken place in this laboratory which frequently replaced weak or defective cells in astronauts and civilians. As soon as the CSI’s flashed their badges, the answer to the genetic puzzle became suddenly clear. Lab technician Sam Evans quickly took the investigators aside to ask if the conviction of Mercer was imminent. After receiving several assurances, Evans spilled the beans about how Mercer ordered him to process the fake skin and hair samples used at the murder scene. “
Please believe me when I tell you I could not come forward on this matter for fear of my life. I highly suspected Phil Jackson had been murdered when Mercer asked me to create the genetic material. These skin and hair samples actually did contain DNA of several space techs when I manufactured them. I was told the samples were being used to test the robots reading of genetic coding to ensure only authorized personnel would have access to their sub-processors and circuitry boards. I knew if Mercer was honestly using the samples for testing, the life of the DNA encoded onto them would be good for a 24-hour period. If there was foul play, any trace of DNA on the cells and hair would effectively be untraceable after that time period due to the chemical manufacturing process I had used. So in effect, Mercer wouldn’t have been aware that the samples would be unreadable after a day’s time.”

  “Didn’t you think to come forward after hearing about the murders of Schmitt and Paterson?” Benson angrily charged.

  “I told you I was in fear for my life. None of the news agencies described finding any such genetic material on the victims so I couldn’t really be sure Mercer was indeed the killer. After a few hours of watching news accounts, I had to admit I was becoming brainwashed that Dana Jackson was the desirable vixen everybody claimed she was. I soon became overwhelmed with such self doubt that I could not think straight.”

  “Well, I’ll excuse you for that,” Benson said. “We purposely turn off the news when were investigating so as not to become biased by their deluge of misinformation.”

  “Yes, that’s right. We maintain a safe distance from the news except when my self-effacing partner thinks he’ll hear his name on a broadcast,” Sandra teased sarcastically.

  “If you testify to exactly what you told us, we can work a deal to keep you from facing charges,” Benson continued as if he didn’t hear his partner’s comments. “I don’t believe you have committed any crime but your lab is only authorized to replace defective cells. Any use of DNA to provide a means of using false identity outside the confines of the agency could be interpreted as a federal crime.”

  “I will cooperate fully as long as I am protected, Mr. Benson. I would never condone a procedure I knew was illegal,” Evans stated in a defiant tone before hesitating. He then sighed deeply and explained that Phil Jackson had came to him first to get genetic samples on what looked like a phony requisition. The lab tech explained that a DNA sample of a coworker (and not Petrovsky’s) was then provided to Jackson. Sam pointed out that Phil was unaware that this employee did not work a shift the day of the sabotage. Evans reasoned security officials would catch on to this breach and apprehend Phil. “I don’t really know at that point if Jackson was worried about being arrested. He had a look in his eye that told me he would stop at nothing to get his revenge. He never had to utter a syllable to me. I’ve seen that look in many of my colleagues who were replaced by automatons. Fortunately, they never acted on their anger,” the lab technician stated. “Did you ever think about acting on your anger?” Benson asked the tech.

  “Of course not. I was the one who blew the whistle on Phil. I couldn’t have lived with myself if his sabotage was successful. The robots he targeted were in charge of critical engine design so any tampering probably would have resulted in fatalities. The next time I talked to Mercer he thanked me for alerting him of the problem. I asked if Jackson was all right and he just smiled at me strangely. At that moment, I knew the agency had made Jackson disappear. I didn’t want to be next.” The lab tech then polished his eye glasses with his smock, not so much to clean his spectacles, but to soothe his nerves.

  “We appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Evans,” Sandra said. “You must feel as if the weight of the world has just been lifted off your shoulders.” The investigators hoped that weight would now be shifted upon the back of Renee Mercer.

  Maxwell the dog pawed the ground furiously. He barked in short staccato bursts as he sniffed the patch of grass that had suddenly caught his interest. The golden lab then twirled around in excitement as Virginia PD officials started to dig a hole.

  Chapter 6: From Out of Left Field

  Akira Hiroshi’s train of thought was abruptly broken by the chime on his data net. Before the interruption, the doctor had been busy pondering why Jon and Steven had been suspicious of his opinions concerning Peter Carlisle’s fall. “Why do they believe Peter was trying to kill himself?” the doctor asked before constructing a thesis in his mind. Hiroshi deduced the colonists were not trained to use scientific reasoning; therefore, conspiracy was a natural conclusion for the men to make. They were probably susceptible to believing the dire predictions of horoscopes when things went wrong. The doctor believed the uneducated mind would likely seek an irrational explanation for anything that appeared abnormal. Peter’s fall off the building could have been affected by a wind force or some other anomaly which would explain why he suffered only minor scrapes. Hiroshi had seen stranger occurrences over the many years he practiced medicine. He believed the men only saw Peter’s fall off the building as a jump because they were used to jumping to conclusions. The doctor was actually immersing himself in this empirical thought process because he could not admit to himself that Peter may have been miserable. Granted, he had made love to Ciprelli’s wife in his bed (as well as on his examination table). But he highly doubted Peter was aware of this liaison. Yes, it had to be more likely that Ciprelli’s brush with death was purely accidental, the doctor told his conscious.

  Hiroshi allowed his data net to chime to sound a second time before he realized its noise might awaken his patient. He then hastily answered it with great annoyance as chores like this had usually been left to Karen. However, Karen was spending more and more time away from home. She claimed she was sleeping in the Gallant in order to conduct research. The doctor did not pry as to what type of research she meant as this gave him more time to propose a follow up examination of Anna Ciprelli.

  The message he found on his screen was an audio invitation from Nadia Petrovsky. “Now this was odd,” he thought. “The Petrovsky’s have always kept to themselves.”

  The invitation read as follows: “Citizens of Ceres please take the opportunity to come to the first annual Reliance Point festival this coming Saturday. This will be the first formal welcome of the new colonists so please put aside whatever projects you have and partake in food, drink and dance at the Municipal Building grounds. The celebration begins at high noon. See you there…”

  The doctor found himself aroused at the notion of seeing Anna again. Maybe he could order bed rest for Peter so he could be alone with his new love interest. The doctor could not recall ever feeling this way; even when his hormones raged in his teen years. However, the doctor was powerless to use his logic. He now was one of those people who believed pulling petals off a flower could foretell the success of a new romance.

  Without further hesitation, Akira prescribed rest for his patient who was actually well enough to return to his tasks. He concluded his conversation with Peter by noting that “his beautiful wife will be pleased to find out her husband is alive and well.”

  Although Peter could no longer recollect why he was so distressed, he found it odd that the doctor chose to describe Anna as beautiful. He then put his head back on his pillow and followed the doctor’s orders.

  All the scientists were in shock and awe at the Petrovsky’s attempt to interact socially. Aaron Starkman was mostly in shock as visions of the Petrovsky look-alike in his dream still haunted him. Joyce expended more effort to comfort her husband as she felt overwhelmed by the guilt of her affair with Karen Hiroshi. She did not want to face Karen or the Petrovsky’s at the festival. But she could not come up with a plausible excuse for declining the invitation. She then decided to bring along her loving pet, Ruby, to provide comfort and support. Perhaps, James could bring his violin and entertain. “I’m acting silly. This party can’t be half as bad as I’m imagining it to be.” Little did she know that the festival’s host planned to make the event worse than anybody could ha
ve ever imagined.

  It was 3 o’clock in the morning on the day of the festival when Mikola linked his maniacal thoughts with Joyce Starkman. A hypnotic suggestion regarding the colonists was implanted in her subconscious by Petrovsky. The suggestion was geared to evoke great alarm. Joyce Starkman now believed for some odd reason that the colonists were not who they appeared to be. Her mind began to ramble with irrational thoughts.“The colonists are really aliens in disguise. They will take the opportunity to make a stand at the festival where they will show their true colors. Maybe Ruby was sent by them as a messenger. I must not let them take our planet.”

  An hour before the party, Joyce found herself walking like a zombie towards the Gallant. When she arrived, Joyce methodically punched in the appropriate codes to access the ship’s weapon locker. Nobody noticed her leaving the ship with a phaser rifle tucked underneath her arm. “I will defend Ceres to the death,” declared a strange voice inside her head.

  James Starkman nearly turned his bedroom upside down looking for his violin case which had suddenly turned up missing.

  “Come on James, we’re going to be late for the festival. I will manufacture a holographic case for you in the meantime,” Aaron Starkman called out to his son from the living room a half hour before the gathering was to begin. Joyce had left her husband a note saying she would meet him at the municipal building’s grounds. She also requested him to bring Ruby the bug to the festival uncaged so he could roam around freely.