Number The Stars

Authors note:

Special thanks to Taliya for doing an amazing job Betaing. Without her it would have been horrible.

Written for Poirot Cafe's 6-8k Writing Competition #2. Shared second place with Boogum *proud* If you haven't read her stories, I suggest you check her out on FFN.net. Originally the story was 500 words too long and was cut out before published as an entry on the forum. Here is the full version.

All forensic science/data in the story is copied from a DVI file, however blotched up and incoherent so it cannot be used to trace back to anything. I was going to use data from the Romanov-cases, as they are public available but changed my mind because you cannot trace it back regardless with the incomplete data I've put up – and scrambled.

CODIS stands for 'Combined DNA Index System'and belong to the FBI, NDIS stands for 'National DNA Index System' and belong to the UK, NDNAD - 'National DNA Database' is a more general one covering most of the world.

I hope you enjoy reading my story!

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The corridor was dark and silent. The lights overhead flickered on reluctantly, flooding the area with brightness that reflected off the white walls. The only sound was the echo of her heels as she passed through.

Sato sighed in misery. It was four in the morning, and all she wanted was to go home and curl up in bed. But new evidence on a ten-year-old murder case had appeared and work had to be done. They all knew who the murderer was, now all they needed was evidence. The tissue samples recovered ten years prior had been corrupted. In order to figure out whether or not the samples fit, the data had to be re-examined by hand. As the computer data had been inconclusive. The chief of the forensics division, Harada Yataro, had cursed viciously at being tasked with this particular case several hours ago. Hopefully he was now done and they could all get a good night's sleep knowing the true culprit had finally been caught.

The corridor curved left twice before she reached her destination. The door was the typical white with a square window that allowed a peek into the laboratory. Several notifications were attached to the door: 'Authorized Personnel Only', 'Silence – Work in progress', 'No Cell Phones Allowed', and a 'Geniuses Only – Idiots Not Allowed'.

Sato scrunched her nose slightly up and pushed the door open, peering in. At first glance the cluttered room appeared empty. The adjacent wall was filled with a collection of computers and strange electronic devices. On her left stood a tall shelf filled with reports and documents ready to be picked up. A large blackboard took up space on her right – intricate equations covered most of it. Covering most of the floor was several benches filled with all kinds of scientific equipment. A large, rectangular window stretched across the innermost wall, showing a room bathed in blue light. It was too darky to see from her current locale, however she knew that the room was used to store organic materials and samples.

She was alone

Sato sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. A headache throbbed behind the spot. Where did that blasted man go? Coffee break? Perhaps if she waited a few minutes he might be back. She stepped into the room.

The beeping of machines and a low murmur filled the otherwise still silence. She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall, her eyes fluttering closed, mentally reviewing the case file as she waited. The soft utterance of seemingly incoherent strings of numbers and letters lulled her into a light doze.

"– BS116126C16294T16296T12304CBS2CRSBS3CRSBS416126C16294T16296T12304C –"

Her eyes popped open in surprise. That was definitely not the sound of machinery.