The Lost Libraries Archive (The Erik Midgard Case Files Volume 2)

Chapter 2

II

Three hours later, we were all standing in Horus's office. The chief was now dry and fully dressed in a fresh uniform, but it hadn't improved his temper. On the screen of his deskcom, we could see several eyecam views from around HQ as the repairs — and the investigation — got underway.

            "That is not what I want to hear, Eleanor," said Horus, from behind his desk.

            "Then this isn't your lucky day, Commander, because it's the truth," said Caelestis. "So far, we have no clues whatsoever."

            "Of course this isn't our lucky day," said Horus. "It's a serious contender for worst day ever. But don't give me that, Deputy-Commander. Every crime leaves a footprint. You know that as well as I do. They will have left something."

            He was the only one of us sitting down as the rest of the chairs were currently stuck to the ceiling by the plant. Free of the energy shield, the plant's shoots had spread out of the vault, through the holes Caelestis and her men had cut through the walls, and were now weaving their way through the entire complex. On some of the eyecam views, I could see the techs using handheld lasers to burn the shoots off and slowly chase the plant back down to the vault, but Hephaestus had insisted that they had to prioritise to protect the environmental and central computer systems and — to Horus's fury — his office wasn't at the top of the list.

            "They did," said Caelestis. "They left seven hundred and eighteen actual footprints in the Ocean of Storms outside, a large amount of explosive and chemical residue, one off-the-shelf transport robot and three black market Unirifles that could have come from anywhere. They have not, however, left anything we can use to find or identify them."

            "Just keep looking!" said Horus. He tore off one of the shoots that was creeping onto his desk and threw it into the recycle bin. There was a small flash of light as the lasers broke it down to its constituent molecules. "Check everything again. And tell the intelligence department to get off their backsides and start earning their pay. This took planning. Months of planning. They will have left evidence somewhere."

            "I already have, sir, and forensics are double-checking," said Caelestis. She looked at the rest of us. "I don't suppose any of you got a good look at them?"

            "No," I said, shaking my head. "Identical spacesuits and helmets. We couldn't see any details at all."

            "There were two tall ones, one short one, one very short and two middling," said Deborah. "Other than that, zilch."

            "They were all combat trained," said Mirabi. She absently rubbed her ribs where one of the robo-raptors had landed on her. "Weapons and hand-to-hand. They were good."

            "Yes, my first thought was soldiers," said Jake. "Or at least ex-ones. Jupiter Imperia commandos, Solar Union marines maybe?"