As Above So Below

Part 3

All the hospitals that reported having that particular kind of patients were sent clear instructions to carefully handle any scrolling cyberware, and the techs attempting to extract clusters of information from the patients' minds were instructed to do so under supervision, should they find any such remnants at all. It helped to pull some strings with the more cooperative parents to make sure that extra security was assigned to that purpose alone. It was amazing, how much the overwhelming guilt of seeing your child in catatonic state could do to improve one's generosity.

The first two victims had unfortunately sustained too much damage for the techs to be able to recover anything from their memories. Their investigative luck picked up when they received copies of the recovered fragments from a few other hospitals. The theme was similar, unfortunately. Death, murder, the final moments of victims pleading for their lives, forced to see other people meet their end. It was difficult to watch. Thankfully, the sensations felt in the braindance were set to minimum, and simple playback could mute anything that was remotely dangerous.

It didn't move the case forward at all, it just provided more disturbing material for the detectives to pour over. Processing the material took time, but it also gave them an opportunity to meet up with the coroner.

She was a short woman, but quick on her feet, bordering on neurotic in her behavior, but always diligent in her work. With her dark hair in a tight bun and glasses, she looked more like a librarian. In all fairness, both professions had a penchant for working in quiet environments.

The detectives greeted her, Ramos spoke first, offering the woman a brief smile, "Morning, Shay. What do you have for us?"

"Do you know how weird it is to work on dead limbs while you know the people -might- be alive?" the coroner sighed and motioned for them to follow her.

"Sounds like the night of the living... living," Ramos wrinkled her nose.

"I know I could have just told you everything on the holo... But I wanted to analyze some of the pictures together with you. Just x-rays, don't worry. I won't bother you with unnecessary gore," Shay explained.

"What do you want to show us?" Paulson raised his brows.

"Now, as a disclaimer I'm not trying to incriminate myself or my colleagues. Whoever or whatever caused the cauterizations to the joints either had a lot of time and space to work, or cyberware that is not available at your run of the mill ripperdoc," Shay explained.

They entered her office and she switched on a larger wall display, grabbing her laser pointer to guide them through her findings. She pulled up an enlarged x-ray picture, "Look at the hip joint here. The blow damaged the head of the ball joint, cutting it in half. The pelvis was not damaged at all, not even a nanometer, the ischium wasn't either," Shay pointed at the large bone structure, vaguely resembling a butterfly, then at the lower ends of its 'wings', "I've never seen anything like this. Never this accurate, this... precise. Again, you're going to think I'm weird, but this is impressive. Annual Gala of Surgeons level of impressive."

"It is really clean..." Paulson couldn't help but agree, "Industrial laser?"

"Perhaps...but it would have to be deliberately set to a thicker setting. There's enough tissue missing between the two parts of the ball joint to suggest something... half an inch thick?"

"So what can we conclude here... Was this done using a tool, and not a weapon?" Ramos wondered, frowning at the x-ray.

"That I can't say. Maybe? Whatever it was, it had a lot of processing power, a lot of heat, and a power supply to keep that going. So either they had people strapped to tables at a processing plant... Or someone's got some really illegal, really dangerous chrome," Shay looked at the two detectives.