Stellar Nurseries

The Santa Claus Virus

It was the day after the riots, and the air in the mall was still thick with the stench of gas and burnt plastic. The mix of chemicals was powerful enough that Inspector Corden's eyes watered from the fumes. She adjusted her AR goggles, tightening the band that held them against her face. It would have been easier for her to survey the scene from the comfort of her office, trusting to the sensors on a police drone to spot the evidence for her. However, Corden had taken the words of her ex-mentor - a policeman of the old school - to heart: Always go and see for yourself. Simulations and virtual reality are no substitute for actually being there.

The advice had served Corden well throughout her career.

"Tell me what happened," she said to the officer accompanying her.

The officer looked around the debris-strewn hall, orienting himself through the images his goggles displayed for him. "There," he said, and pointed towards a ruined storefront. The windows of the shop had been smashed in the chaos, reducing them to razor-sharp crystal shards. Ruined displays littered the space beyond, with only a few pieces of trampled merchandise remaining. "That was where the first of the autofacs blew its top. You should be able to access the files from the security cameras."

Corden glanced up towards the icon that had appeared in the corner of her field of vision. Automatically the file began to play, overlaying the video onto the scene in front of her. Ghostly figures appeared in front of her, going through the motions of the day before. Corden moved towards the back of the shop, where the autofacs had been, and watched as first one then another began to spew out boxes. The shop clerks panicked. Some of them crowded around the autofac control panel, pushing at buttons; others tried to hold back the crowds that grabbed at the goods and each other. Corden stopped the video. It wasn't going to tell her anything that she didn't already know.

"I want to hear it from you," Corden told the officer. "You were there."

The officer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It just spread from here," he replied. "Before we knew it, every other autofac in the mall had gone crazy. Even those in the food court. We tried to shut them down, to contain the damage, but - ." He hesitated.

"But?"

"We just couldn't." His voice trembled, then died away.

Inspector Corden said nothing. Instead she started the video playback again and scrolled through the timeline. People scurried back and forth - a tide of humanity ebbing and flowing. It was almost laughable, except that five people had died as the crowd surged through the mall. Corden followed them, from one malfunctioning autofac to the next. "This incident. The autofacs didn't go simultaneously?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. We were just reacting to the crowd."

"You lost control. Understandable. Now, let me outline the situation as I see it going down. Something hit the first autofac. Then whatever did it spread through the network, subverting the others as it went."

The officer thought for a minute. "I guess that's what happened."

"Well, we'll get that confirmed. My department will send a list of components for examination. Controllers, terminals, that sort of thing. Everything else can be scrubbed clean - and I mean clean. But not until it's cleared up the chain. Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am." The officer tapped something into his data slate. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Not for now," the inspector replied. "We'll let you know when we do." Corden had only the vaguest of ideas as to where the investigation would lead, but she would follow whatever leads she could find. It was important that whoever was responsible for this was found and that justice was done. "Thank you, officer."