Delta Fringe Series Boxset: Books 1-3

by Heather Lee Dyer

  I feel warm tears roll down my cheeks, and the questions in my head seem to get louder and more insistent until I’m overwhelmed with the noise and confusion. I slam my fist down on the metal table, putting a slight dent in it.

  My head is blessedly silent, and I take in a shaky breath. This is another reason I love working in the morgue. The silence helps me think through problems, reorganize and acknowledge my thoughts and clues and emotions.

  I hear someone clear their voice, and I whip around as I instinctively reach for the scalpel drawer.

  “Woah, Brenna. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.” His gaze drifts over to the drawer I’m clutching with one hand. “Glad to know you have good instincts though.” He chuckles, and I relax somewhat.

  “Red, what are you doing here?” I release my grip on the drawer and wipe away tears still on my face.

  His eyes flick toward the freezer door behind us. “With all the commotion and the commander being on board and all, I haven’t had time to say a proper goodbye to my crew. I thought I’d do that before I start the research.”

  “Of course.” I walk around the autopsy table toward the freezer. “Do you know all the crewmembers in your mines?”

  Red follows slowly. “Yes. And their families. I get to know them not only so I can make sure I can trust them, but also so they know they can trust me. When you have crews working with expensive machinery, digging for materials worth more than they’ll ever make in their lifetimes, trust is important.”

  With one hand on the freezer door, I stop and turn to face Red. “So you would know if any of your crew is involved in this project?”

  He steps forward. “There’s not a single man or woman I can think of who would betray me or their fellow crew members.” His expression is hard as he locks his gaze with mine. “I know none of my crew did this. But I do have a good idea where to start looking.”

  With the cold freezer behind me filled with bodies that represent a devastating loss for many families, I keep quiet. Now is not the time to probe further, even though I have a ton of questions still simmering in my brain. I just nod at Red and open the door. In silence, I walk into the freezer, past empty shelves until I reach the far corner. Although Red’s freezer was almost as big as the ship itself, the Delta’s freezer is twice as large. Since we’re out on the edge of the Fringe, we’re the only actual morgue within five galactic quadrants. They prepared our station for the worst-case scenario – full blown galactic war. Thankfully, that never happened, so it’s rare that our freezer is full. The last time it was close to full was right after we found the Tempest crew, and then Delta was rammed by the rogue ship. We already had a crew in here that had died of some strange virus, so there were a lot of bodies to deal with. It took working around the clock with a full morgue crew weeks to deal with that crisis.

  Now I look at the bodies before me, and although the number isn’t great, I know the loss is great for my new friend, Red. I pat him on the shoulder and turn to leave. “I’ll be right outside. Take your time.”

  His jaw is clamped shut so all he can do is nod at me, his eyes shining moist in the yellow lighting.

  I busy myself with the paperwork the morgue ship gave us on all the miners. There are thirty-seven men and women. Thirty-three of them were down in the mine working when the explosion happened. I put those files aside. I spread the four remaining files out before me on the same autopsy table I punched a few minutes ago. I trace my finger along the dent and realize I don’t ever remember my mom getting angry. I frown. I know I got my stubbornness from her, but she never let her emotions get out of control. Even in tense situations below the mines, she was always calm and thoughtful and was able to do her job and keep everyone around her calm. “I wish I was more like her,” I say to the empty room.

  I shake my head and grin at myself. I often talk to the dead while I’m with them, but this time I feel like I’m talking to my mom. A cramping in the pit of my stomach interrupts my thoughts and makes me realize I still haven’t eaten.

  As if on cue, the morgue doors open, and my dad walks in carrying a tray of food for me. I grin up at him.

  “Thought you could use some food from Miss Ana’s.” His shoulders are tense as I watch him approach me. He places the tray on an empty spot beside the four folders. “I’m sorry I blew up earlier.”

  “I had my own moment a few minutes ago too. I think we have that in common.” I grin up at him as I swipe a burger off the tray. “And thanks for the food,” I say around bites.

  He pulls up a stool and sits next to me. After he swipes a few of my fries I inhale the rest of the food. He hands me a water bottle, and I down the whole thing as if I haven’t eaten or drank anything for days.

  “How long was I out again?” I ask as I place the tray and the empty bottle in the wall disposal.

  “You were out for two full days, B. That’s why I was so worried. I thought with all the exposure to the morgue cold you would’ve recuperated faster.” The lines between his eyes deepen as he talks.

  I wash my hands and return to the autopsy table. “Honestly, I thought so too.” I look up at him. “Thanks for being there for me.”

  He catches me up in a hug, and I let him until we hear Red close the freezer door. He kisses me on my forehead, and we turn back to the folders before us.

  “So tell me what you have here. Why did you choose these people?” Dad asks.

  I wait until Red comes on the other side of the table from us. His eyes are bloodshot, and his expression is not the practiced neutral expression he shows most people.

  Death, especially this much at one time, can change even people who think they’re used to seeing it. I thought so at one time too. I was practically raised in the Mars colony morgue and then worked here in Delta’s. But when I found the crew of the Tempest crammed into escape pod tubes, willing to die rather than be found by pirates, I did fall apart for a while. Every medical examiner has cases that affect them harder than others. For me it was the determination of the Tempest crew, their willingness to sacrifice themselves to keep a secret out of the hands of some dangerous people. They are the reason I need to figure out who is doing this. They deserve to not have died in vain.

  I look back down at the pictures of the four crewmembers. Three men and one woman. “These four didn’t die down in the shaft. They died in the corridor leading down into the area where the secret testing was going on. That corridor also led out to where we think the pirate ship was docked.”

  “You don’t think these crew members were working with those pirates, do you?” Red’s tone is defensive.

  “No, no I don’t, Red. I think they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I touch each file. “They were all security personnel. They were probably just doing their job and got in the way when the pirates were leaving before the explosion.”

  “What does that tell us?” Dad asks, his tone automatically switching into education mode.

  I give him a sideways glance. “That tells us,” I enunciate slowly knowing I’m irritating him, “these people were the last to see our bad guys.” I look up at Red. “Which means these four could have clues for us telling us who their attackers were. This might be the break we need to get ahead of these people.”

  17

  Old Evil

  Red’s eyes are wide, his expression confused. “You mean just by looking at their bodies you could tell us who attacked them? How?”

  I glance sideways at my dad. “Well, not exactly just look at their bodies. You know?”

  Red’s face blanches, making his freckles stand out. “Right.”

  “Just from the original medical responder’s paperwork I can tell these people weren’t killed by the explosion. I need to find out what did kill them then. It might give us a lead to what kind of weapons, or maybe if there is some DNA on them if they were in close quarter’s combat with the pirates.” I watch Red carefully to see if this is too much information for him.

  “Right,” he repe
ats. “I knew this was going to happen. I guess since it’s my friends, my crew, it for some reason it made me forget for a second where I was.”

  My dad is quiet next to me. He might have anger outbursts at times, but never in front of grieving family members. He’s always respectful of the dead and those who knew them. Even Red, apparently.

  “Dad, why don’t you show Red where he can start his research? I’ll start in here.” I stand up and gather the four folders.

  “Good idea.” He and Red start toward the door.

  “Red?”

  He turns to look at me, his expression more relaxed. “Yes, Brenna?”

  I see my dad flinch at the familiarity.

  “Please let me know as soon as you find Markov? He doesn’t deserve to be mixed up in any of this. He was just going along with me because he’s a good friend.”

  Red tilts his head. “I’ll find him, don’t you worry. I had someone following the ship he’s on since they left the mine.”

  My pulse races. “Really? Then do you know if he’s all right?”

  He points toward the door. “Not until I can get on a secure channel to call them.” He grins at me. “You do your job, and I’ll do mine. All right?”

  I resist the urge to run over to him and give him a big hug. “Thank you, Red.”

  He tips an imaginary hard hat at me and walks out.

  I busy myself for the next few hours with the four bodies. Dad comes back in during the third one and assists me. We’re thorough even as I feel a sense of urgency. I’m not sure if it’s because I feel like the pirates are getting away every minute we’re hiding here, or if I just don’t want Red to walk in during an autopsy on one of his friends.

  I send all the samples for processing and finish wrapping the last body. My adrenaline is running high because I think we might’ve found something that could help us narrow down who did the attack on this asteroid. I’m trying not to get too excited because all evidence seems to be pointing toward more than one faction of pirates, along with possible galactic troop involvement. But we need to start somewhere.

  I’ve just put the body back in the freezer when Red comes bursting through the morgue doors. Dad and I stop in our tracks.

  “I’ve found where they have Markov!” Red exclaims. “And I need to get him out right away.”

  I cross the room. “Why right away? What’s happening?”

  “He’s still on the galactic ship.”

  “What? I thought you said he was on one of the private couriers.”

  “They weren’t able to get to him.” Red frowns and looks to the side.

  “Then what do we do now?”

  Red looks back to me, hopeful. “I’ve created a situation where the galactic security ship he’s on will need to be diverted. The stall will only be temporary when they realize the ‘emergency’ is fake. But it should give us enough time to get your friend off that ship.”

  “How? How are we going to board a galactic ship without them knowing?”

  Red looks between my dad and I. “I’m going to give myself up.”

  “What? You can’t do that. We need you.” I glance sideways at my dad. He was leaning against the autopsy table but is now standing up straight with a surprised expression on his face.

  Red laughs and points toward my dad. “Now that is exactly why my plan is going to work. They won’t expect me to do it either.”

  “But again, no. We need you. I need you.” I step close to Red and place my hand on his forearm.

  “Ah little Brenna all grown up. Don’t you worry, that’s not the last of my plans. I’m tough and bounce back. I have a plan in place to get away from the galactic goons.” He winks and places a calloused hand over mine.

  I frown. “So how is giving yourself up going to help Markov?”

  “While they’re busy gloating over having me in custody, friends of mine will smuggle Markov onto my ship.”

  “Friends? What kind of friends? And why would the galactic security let your ship leave? Wouldn’t they just keep it and everyone on board?”

  Red grins widely and lets go of my hand. He walks over to the now empty and cleaned autopsy table and places his tablet on it. He pulls up images of the surrounding four galactic quadrants in 3D. “They can’t afford for this particular ship to be sidelined. I’ll be taking one of my biggest and best mining cargo ships, loaded with expensive iridium. They’ll have to let it go so it can meet the barge on time. If they want the galactic troops to get paid this year.” The image shows a large barge heading toward the asteroid we just left.

  “This year? Your ship contains that much iridium?” A shiver goes up my spine that has nothing to do with the cold.

  Red’s face lights up. “My iridium mine has done exceptionally well this year before it was attacked. I doubt the people who chose my mine for doing their little illegal research knew exactly what kind of mine it was. It contains both iridium and titanium.”

  I heard Dad make something like a choking sound beside me. I look over to him, and his face is ashen. “That combination of minerals on an asteroid is unbelievably rare. How did you happen to come across one, Anton?”

  My body stills as I realize Dad has used Red’s real name. Both men are as opposite as they could be from one another. One tall and dark with soft hands and the other squat, solid, pale except for the Mars red sheen on his skin and calloused hands. At one time, they must’ve been best of friends.

  “I’m good at what I do, Robert. I can almost sense what kinds of minerals are on an asteroid just by looking at the initial scans. This one has a twin, too.” He looks at me, grinning. “The galactic mining association doesn’t know it yet though. I registered it as a gold mine. To them it looks nearly worthless, but to me, that asteroid is my retirement plan.”

  I inhale the cold, bleached scent of the autopsy room. “See that’s what I don’t get about the secret project we discovered. Why is someone spending so much time, money, and miners’ lives developing something that is supposed to make mining safer, yet seems actually the opposite? When they could be using their time and money to go beyond the Fringe and find thousands of other asteroids and planets to mine? Populations of colonists are heading outward anyway. It seems that would be a better business decision.”

  Red nods, closing his computer. “I agree, Brenna. This whole project makes no sense. There must be something we’re not seeing, something we’re missing. There’s got to be some reason whoever is involved in this is still pursuing this project even after so many disastrous failures, public attacks, and unwanted attention.”

  A single chime sounds, and we all look over at the forensic machine.

  I go over and type in my password and a few commands. “I’m hoping we might find a clue to all those questions with the results from what we found in the autopsies.”

  “Do you know how they died, Brenna?” Red asks softly.

  I look over at Red. “They were all killed with laser weapons. Clean, quick — they didn’t suffer.”

  Red’s eyebrows fold in toward each other. “Those aren’t typical pirate weapons.”

  “No, they aren’t. Nor galactic troops. That’s why I’m hoping these results will give us more information.”

  I hook my tablet up to the computer to capture the data from all the test results. I watch as the results scroll across the screen. Dad and I were thorough so it could take a long time to get all the results finalized. I’m about ready to set my tablet down when something catches my eye.

  “Wait.” My heart skips a beat as I scroll back through the data trying to figure out what I saw.

  “What did you see?” Dad steps beside to look over my shoulder.

  “This.” I stop the data stream and pull up the results on the large monitor overhead so Red can see it too.

  “So, what exactly am I looking at?” asks Red.

  “Remember in the tunnel where we found the AI drilling machine? We figured it looked like they had to blow the AI up in order to stop i
t, and drag it out of the hole to get it back to their ship.”

  “So you think they used the attacks to cover up the unscheduled detonations,” Dad says. As I look at him, I realize I’d forgotten this whole time that he’d spent years with Mom in those mines as well. Maybe that connection is how he and Red were able to come to terms with whatever happened between them in the past.

  I nod. “Yes, that’s what Red, Markov, and I thought after seeing the secret site on Red’s asteroid. For some reason they can’t control the AI, so they keep tweaking it and then trying it again on another asteroid.”

  “So why not use some deserted asteroid where they wouldn’t be discovered?” asks Dad.

  I look to Red.

  He shrugs. “As near as I can figure, it looks like they’re tapping into our power, air, and computer lines. They must need it, but why they don’t set up their own systems, I’m not sure. I would think if they had their own asteroid and controlled environment they could just keep experimenting in peace.”

  “I might have an idea about that.” I scroll through my screen as both men stare at me. “One of the other tests came out positive for this.” I place the test result up on the main screen, along with the visual of what it’s from.

  “What in Titan’s moons?” exclaims Red, at the same time Dad takes a step backward.

  “Well that could be a problem.” Red’s voice is flat.

  I crane my neck to look at him. “That is the biggest understatement of the year.” I flip a few more images up on the screen. “This fiber I found on one of the crew is used only by this certain faction of pirates. The EPL, the Earth Purists League. They hold the patent on this concussive-proof clothing. Your crew had no chance. These pirates, as you know, can’t be touched.”

  Red wipes his hand down his face and groans. “We’ve been lucky with all these attacks, then. It isn’t their style to leave anyone behind alive. They could’ve, and normally would’ve, taken out the whole crew on the asteroid.”