The Discovery

Monday

18h42

"Oi! Veebee!"

Two taps against my forehead brought me back from a world of sun-kissed beaches and quantum computers. Instead, my eyes opened to find P's dumb grin hovering over me. I didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed.

"Hmm." My body felt numb as I stretched. "Go away."

"Oh, c'mon. You're not going to let ol' P get a glance at that sexy bod?"

That made me smile. "Maybe... if you let me catch a few more winks..."

"But I hate waiting. Besides that, I don't think it's a good idea to nap in the pool."

Right. His point was proved when I raised my hands. I haven't seen one this wrinkled since Management tasked R to make a water-based stress impactor. "Mind handing me my towel?" I nodded toward the pool chairs.

"Yes, very much so!"

I rolled my eyes. "Then help me get out."

"Yes, ma'am!" He, quite eagerly, took hold of my outstretched hand, but a quick tug sent him splashing into the pool. Laughing, I seized the opportunity to jump out and wrap the towel around my body.

"You'll pay for that." I guessed possible punishment would be somewhat enjoyable, so I winked in reply. Water splashed onto the tiles as he climbed out of the pool. Being the awesome friend that I was, I leaned over to push him back in. His retaliatory attack not only stopped any assault but threatened to rob my towel of its primary use.

"Don't do it."

He cocked his head. "One pull, and I get to see that bikini."

"I don't have another towel."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

I tried to pull away, but his grip wouldn't be broken. "I don't think Management will like it if I drip over their carpets."

"Do you think I care?"

"P..."

"Fine." He let go of my hands with an exaggerated sigh. "At least I snuck a peek while you were sleeping."

"That's creepy." I shot him a last glance before making my way to the cubicle, making doubly sure the latch was in place. "No peeking."

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

"Both of us know that's a lie." I hung the towel over the edge once it was satisfactorily dry. "How's the resonator coming along?"

"Really? I have a naked woman standing five meters from me, separated by a centimeter of sandblasted glass, and that's what we're going to talk about?"

"Think of it as circumventing normality." I reached over my shoulder when the jumpsuit covered my earthly presence, frowning when I couldn't feel the tiny metal bit I was searching for. Now where is that damn zip?

"Normality is comfy and should be enjoyed whenever possible. But to answer your dreadfully dull question, work is going well. I got absorbed in the designs, so I didn't finish until half past six."

Wait, half past six. The Sleeve showed five minutes to seven when I tapped against it. "I slept over an hour?!"

"Probably backlash from the previous week," said P.

"Maybe." With all my possessions in hand, I unlocked the door and walked out. "There, check all you want." I held two pieces of swimwear out to him, to which he shook his head.

"Not worth it."

"How so?"

"Best part isn't in it anymore."

I shook my head. "Perv."

"Biology." He grinned. "So now that your swim-nap is over, what's next on the agenda?"

"Food." My stomach grumbled in confirmation. "I haven't eaten anything since lunch."

"Dang. You must have been really tired if you're willing to skip a meal."

"Not all of us live according to the whims of our stomach."

"Not my fault." P scoffed. "If they don't want us to eat, then they shouldn't supply the food."

"You're going to be the reason Management implements food rationing." I narrowed my eyes as I approached the door. "Did you leave the door open?"

"Don't the doors close by themselves?" P asked.

"Yeah, they should." I nodded at the open door separating the pool from the corridor. "And yet..."

"Hmm, maybe Hades forgot to close it?"

"I doubt he's capable of forgetting stuff. Still, I'll tell him about it later."

"Agreed," said P with a nod. "Food comes first."

"Feel like I could eat a... horse." I stopped upon noticing P wasn't walking next to me. I found him standing in front of the gym, looking through the open door with a confused expression.

"Hey, V. Come here for a second."

"What's going on?"

"Look there."

Confusion gave way to a cold sweat as the gym came into view. Covering the furthest wall were several large dark-red stains, each the width of a finger. "Is that... blood?"

"Sure looks like it." P swallowed nervously.

"Sh- should we look?"

P carefully stepped forward. My hands pressed the wet laundry to my chest as I followed him. Each step was agonizingly slow, and for the first time since I entered the facility, I missed the baseball bat I usually kept underneath my bed. "Do you see anything?" I peeked over P's shoulder as we walked. P shook his head.

"I can't see the squash courts from here, but the treadmills seem to be normal."

"That's... something at least."

"Are you also wishing for a bat or golf club or something right now?"

"Yep." I nodded slowly. "Let's check the bench presses."

"Yeah..." P stopped dead as he walked around the corner. "Shit."

"What..." My eyes widened when I glanced over P's shoulder. My stomach threatened to rise as well.

Lying on the bench was someone who could only be F. Only he had an ostrich tattoo on his left arm. A bloody towel obscured his face, from which red drops added to the puddle beneath the machine. I first thought he hurt himself, but the blood-stained hilt sticking upward from the towel suggested something much worse.

"No..."

"V."

"No... no..." My legs gave out. I barely felt the impact as my knees bumped against the floor.

"V, stay calm." P's eyes moved in front of mine as he grabbed hold of my shoulders. "Don't freak out, just stay calm."

"F..."

"He's dead." I winced when P said the words. Whatever self-control I had left succumbed to sobs. "V!" He gently shook my shoulders. "V, listen. We have a bigger problem."

"Huh?"

"F's still here, so we're the first to find him. That means Management doesn't know."

"Y... yes." A tear dripped from my cheek as I nodded. "W... we have..."

"Yeah, we have to tell them." He let go of my shoulders before reaching for his Sleeve. "Shit."

"Wh... what?"

"It doesn't work. Try yours." Sniffing loudly, I blinked past the tears to look at my Sleeve. Nothing happened when I tapped against it. "Shit." P looked past his shoulder before cursing under his breath. "Come." He stood up, motioning for me to do the same.

"But..."

"If Hades can't tell somebody, we'd better do so. The labs should have a wired link to the network."

"Right... right." I nodded, allowing P to help me to my feet. I caught a last glimpse of F's body as P guided us into the corridor. Neither of us said a word as we walked. P occasionally called for Hades, but the AI didn't respond.

"Hey." P slowed to a stop in front of a large door. Only when I looked up did I notice that we stood outside the Mess Hall. "You're pretty shaken up. Make yourself a cup of coffee or something while I spread the news."

I met P's eyes. I didn't want to be left alone right now, but he had a point. I wouldn't put much faith in my ability to walk right now. The world seemed to spin around me, which made my throbbing headache even worse. "Sure, I'll... stay here for a while."

"I'll be back soon." He hugged me briefly before disappearing into the living quarters' passage. Following more instinct than conscious thought, I pressed my Sleeve against the scanner. The door slid open with a soft beep. It was way past dinner time, so the Mess Hall was empty. I welcomed it.

F... I fell into a chair, grabbing hold of my head with both hands as I leaned onto the table. Just thinking his name threatened to open the floodgates. Who would do such a thing? And... why? I sniffed, rubbing an itchy tear from my cheek as another dripped onto the table. You never did anything bad to anybody. Who could bring themselves to force a... a scalpel right... I pinched my eyes shut.

"Researcher V, is something the matter?"

"Hmm?" A watery world came into focus when I opened my eyes. I fixed it by rubbing my eyes. Only then could I see the blue circle flickering on my Sleeve. "Hades?"

"You disappeared from my system and were crying upon re-entry."

I nodded slowly. "F is... dead."

If Hades had any inkling towards emotion, he didn't show it. "You are correct. His Sleeve seems to be non-functional, but the cameras in the gym have proven his state."

"P and I... found... him... what was left... of... of..." I couldn't stop the sob.

"Please think as clearly as possible. You are the first to have stumbled across F's body, therefore your recollection of events is important."

"P... P hasn't told the others yet?"

"I have not heard of any other similar statements. Please tell me what you have seen."

I nodded, sniffing as I tried to reorganize my thoughts. "I went to the pool after my shift. I swam a few laps before falling asleep in front of the water jets. P woke me up close to seven. We joked around for a while before leaving, but P saw... a large blood stain on the gym wall when we walked past. We were worried that somebody might have gotten hurt, but instead we found..." I clamped my mouth against the rising tears.

"Please go on, Researcher V."

"We found F... lying on one of the bench presses. It... was pretty obvious that he... he... wasn't among us... any more." I kept my eyes shut as I replayed the memories. "There... was a large pool of blood beneath him, and multiple stab wounds in his chest. A bloody rag covered his face... with a scalpel sticking out of it."

"Thank you. Your statement has been logged and passed to Management."

"Do... do you know who... did this?"

"Unfortunately not," said Hades. "All my feeds were blocked by an anomaly in the upper-right wing of the facility."

"An..." I rubbed my eyes some more. "Anomaly?"

"An electrical anomaly occurred at fourteen minutes past six. It deactivated all nearby electronics for one hour. All attempts to counteract the anomaly were unsuccessful. However, I assume the blackout covered the murder of Researcher F."

"But... who would do such a thing?" I asked. "Did F argue with somebody?"

"I'm not aware of any grievances toward Researcher F."

"Well, where was everybody when it happened?"

"Scanning... information incomplete. Researcher F was in the gym, and Researcher R was in the laboratories. Researcher T's Sleeve responded from the jacuzzi area. None of the other researchers wore their Sleeve at the time, thus pinpoint tracking is incomplete."

"Can you make a guess?"

"Analyzing information. I have visual confirmation of you sleeping in the pool. Researcher H's Sleeve responded from her living quarters, and I have visual confirmation of her entering her room. Researcher O's Sleeve responded from his living quarters, but I have visually confirmed him heading toward the Archives. Both Researchers M and N's Sleeves responded from the Arboretum."

"What about P?"

Hades paused for an extra second. "Incoming call from Management."

Management? The Sleeve's display turned back before forming a silhouette in front of a dark blue background.

"Afternoon, V." The distortion did nothing to lessen the impact of Management's voice. Nobody knew who Management was or where they came from. The leading theory suggested they weren't even human.

"M... Management." I sniffed for what I hoped was my last time. I spared a thought for my appearance. A meeting with your boss usually warrants some decorum. I was far from that.

"We have received your report from Hades. Your testimony represents a very... unusual problem. Regardless, we have guidelines for such circumstances. Firstly, your colleagues aren't to be informed about the true events that transpired over the last hour. We'll schedule a meeting at nine this evening, where we'll inform your colleagues that F's contract was terminated due to a breach in protocol."

"But... that isn't true." Probably the most idiotic thing I could have said.

"That is the truth that we'll present to your colleagues, and they'll accept it as such. Any attempt to notify your colleagues otherwise will result in termination. Is that understood?"

Termination. I swallowed nervously. "Y... yes, Management."

"Good. We will seal the physical recreation ward for clean-up and to investigate the interference anomaly. Lastly, we'll provide new regulations on personal etiquette during the meeting. Failure to adhere will result in severe pay deduction or termination, depending on the severity of the transgression. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Management"

"Good. You are to report any further information you may learn to Management. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Management." My headache throbbed as I nodded.

"Good. As you have experienced severe psychological trauma, you may excuse yourself from work tomorrow. Your project's deadline will be extended by one day."

"Thank you."

"Do you have any questions?"

"I..." I cleared my throat. "I'm trying to understand what would provoke somebody to murder F. Did he have any enemies during his stay at the complex?"

"At the time of his death, Researcher F had been in his complex for four years, five months, and twenty-seven days. During his tenure, he behaved cordially toward his fellow researchers. He was previously involved in two heated arguments. The nature of the arguments isn't your concern, but Management deemed them unworthy of investigation. He had taken two lovers during his tenure. Both relationships ended civilly, the first due to negated feelings and the second due to pregnancy. He was allowed to stay since DNA testing indicated he wasn't the father. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes." I said. "If I may, I have one other."

"Proceed."

"Do you have any idea who may have murdered him?"

"We'll review your statement and examine the crime scene for any evidence. We don’t have sufficient evidence to indicate any grudge or lingering anger. That points to an unknown motive. As nobody is allowed to leave the facility, we know where the culprit must still be here."

Not what I wanted to hear. I nodded clearly. "Thank you. I have no further questions."

"Good. Management out."

I lowered my arm when the Sleeve returned to its regular display, giving a loud sigh before leaning back in my chair and pressing both hands against my face. I should've asked Management for some form of protection.

A series of alarms broke what little I had regathered of my concentration. "Attention researchers." I winced when Hades' voice boomed from the ceiling. "A gas leak has been detected in the physical recreation areas. Entrance to this area will be restricted until further notice. Be advised, due to several protocol breaches, a meeting has been scheduled with Management in conference room A-01 at nine o'clock. All researchers are required to attend or face contract termination. That is all."