by James Bailey
Brainjack
by
James Bailey
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Brainjack
Copyright 2012 by James Bailey
[email protected]
*****
Jack entered the small room and noticed the body immediately, the vacant eyes staring at the ceiling, the pallid skin. A small porthole gave the room a dim red hue as sunlight reflected from the surface of Mars and through the window. A few clothes lay scattered on the floor and a bag sat in the corner, no sign of struggle.
Jack crinkled his nose as the smell of urine and fecal matter began to assault his nostrils, the underlying scent of decay creeping in as well. He walked around the body and inspected the trickle of blood that had leaked down the deceased man’s ear. The rest of the body was completely unmarked from what Jack could see.
"We sure this is a job for us?" Jack's lieutenant and second in command, Mike, asked as he entered behind Jack with barely a look at the body. Mike was busy looking up the deceased man’s personal details on his com-sleeve, his fingers almost a blur as he tapped away on the part fabric part vid-screen that all station personnel wore.
"Don't know yet Mike. His past med-scans all came back clean though. Once we are finished up here the doc will do an autopsy. Maybe he will find something the scans missed. Until then we investigate for any chance of foul play." Jack said as he looked over the rest of the man's body for any clues.
Mike whistled softly. "Could be our first murder boss. Going to bring the spotlight on the station for once. Never know we might even make it on to a netcast if we solve it!"
Jack glanced at Mike with a wry expression. "Not the best way to get famous Mike. Let's just hope the poor kid had something wrong with him. The last thing we need is a murderer round this place."
The vid-screen next to the module door flashed with a tone. Jack walked over and accepted the incoming feed. A man's face appeared on the screen.
"Medics here to pick up the body for the morgue," the face said. Jack vaguely recognised the man.
"Come on in." Jack said and activated the door.
Two burly men entered the room with a gurney and moved the body onto it before they placed a black sheet over the top.
"We are heading straight to the morgue, doc said he'd call in a couple of hours with his preliminary report," the medic said as he left the room.
Jack nodded and closed the door behind them.
"What do we know about our dead guy?" Jack asked.
"Male, 22 years of old. Hasn't been on the station long." Mike replied.
"Anything I can’t figure out for myself? Only reason people stay in the old habitation ring these days is if they are just passing through." Jack said dryly.
"Well, he was stopping off for a couple of days before he left on the weekly shuttle to Titan. No prior arrests. Grew up on Earth. This looks to be his first big trip too."
"Nothing suspicious then," Jack said. "Doesn't make a lot of sense."
"No sir, it doesn't. I'll do a full genetic sweep. Might pick up something with that." Mike said.
"Okay, I'll head down to the shuttle office. See if they know where he was heading after Titan. Get some deputies talking to neighbors, anyone he might have met. Call me if you find anything." Jack said then walked out of the module and headed towards the lift to the main deck.
As Jack walked his com-sleeve began to glow and a face appeared of a stern looking older man. Jack tapped on his sleeve and received the call, gritting his teeth at what was coming.
"What the hell is going on Jack? A body on the station? That is the last thing we need!" Charles, the station commander said, his voice almost echoing through Jack’s implanted ear piece.
"Sir, it is highly possible that the dead kid had some bug or something, these things happen. Doc is looking at him right now." Jack said in as calm a voice as he could muster.
"What are you lot doing then?" Charles asked.
"Just doing our job, I've got Mike checking the kids background and scanning the room. I’m on my way to figure out his final destination." Jack replied.
"Just keep your enquiries as quiet as you can Jack. We don't need some scandal driving away our business." Charles replied before disconnecting the call.
Jack shook his head and walked through the promenade to the shuttle office. Dozens of humans and aliens brushed past each other on their way around the station. As many aliens made use of the station as humans these days, interstellar trade skyrocketing since the new Jump-gate had been completed around Mars. In the past few months a new habitation ring and business ring had been added to the station.
Jack nodded at a few people, human and alien alike. A five minute walk stretched into half an hour as people stopped him as he walked with queries about a murder or a body on the station. Jack reassured them that nothing was known as yet but that all efforts were being made to uncover what had happened. Someone had leaked the news. Charles would not be happy.
Jack reached the shuttle office just as his com-sleeve began to glow again. Jack glanced at the face on his sleeve and was relieved to see it was the station doctor. Jack had called the man Doc for as long as he could remember knowing the man and couldn't even remember his real name anymore.
"Hey Doc, what you got?" Jack asked the middle aged, portly man on the screen.
"Hello Jack, interesting body you sent me. Good to give the morgue some use." Doc said.
"Yes. Wonderful for you. Is this a murder or was there something wrong with the kid?" Jack asked.
"Oh definitely something strange going on. From what I can gather something entered his cranium through the ear passage and unfortunately caused quite a bit of damage to the poor fellow's brain," Doc said.
"Something? Can you elaborate a bit for me?" Jack asked.
"I can't at this stage sorry. I am having trouble deciding whether it was a solid object or something else entirely. The damage is unlike anything I have ever seen or read about. Come to my office and I will show you what I have found. You might be able to offer some insight."
"I'll head over now Doc." Jack said before signing off.
Jack took a look at the shuttle office door and decided it could wait and headed to a nearby lift and rode it up to the expansion ring where the new residential area and science facilities were kept. Jack walked along the corridor towards the medical bay when he suddenly heard a strange noise nearby, the sound almost like a muffled scream.
Jack put his ear against the door the noise came from and heard a strange slurping noise. Fearing the worst Jack held his com-sleeve over the door scanner and overrode the access key. The door slid open and Jack was shocked to see a half naked woman lying on a bed, eyes staring at the ceiling as blood dripped from her ear. A Claxian stood over her staring down, oblivious to Jack's presence. His hairless body and lack of a visible nose or ears giving him away.
"Freeze!" Jack shouted, reaching to his side clumsily and raising his stun pistol.
The Claxian turned his head slowly towards him. Jack could see blood smeared around the creature's mouth.
The alien hissed at him then ran straight towards him. Jack fired a shot from his pistol but the creature didn’t even flinch and just pushed past him and ran out of the door into the hallway.
Jack glanced at the woman but realised there was little he could do for her, her dead eyes stared at the ceiling much like the young man's had in the other room. Jack darted out into the corridor and headed off in pursuit of the creature. Jack had never seen one a Claxian run before but he was impressed by its speed. The creature sped down the hallway and around a corner. Jack kept pursuing but once he turned the corner the creature was gone.
Jack swore under his breath then brought up his com-sleeve and made a b
lanket call to all of his security staff.
"We have a suspect for the murders. Be on the lookout for a Claxian on the run. Be careful boys, this guy can move and my stun-pistol didn't even slow him down." Jack then disconnected and called Charles, he was not looking forward to telling him that there was not only another body, but an alien was behind their deaths.
Again Jack stood in a room staring at a body. He had just spent the past fifteen minutes listening to the station commander rant and rave about the need to close this case as soon as possible.
Jack looked over the woman and saw the same trickle of blood running down her ear. As he was inspecting the body Mike walked in from the corridor.
"Hey boss, scan results just came back. Guess what it says?"
"I ain't in the mood for guessing games." Jack replied.
"Indeterminate biological residue. What the hell does that mean?"
Jack sighed. "Means we have no idea how the dead guy was killed. Doc doesn’t know either. Might be some new
