Lunarly: A Fire Sale Classic

Toni - Death by Coworker

Toni

"23% Chance Death by Coworker"

       There was a knock on the door.  Shit.  Who could be knocking?  Why would they knock?  They could have just walked in, but they are taking the extra step to knock.  Were they hit men?  Why would anyone want to kill some lab rat?  He just did what he was told, run this DNA, reimage that body, find cause of death.

       Had he said someone was murdered that the gang didn't want labeled as a murder?  Were they going to take him out because he found some evidence from a corpse that they didn't want found?

       The doorknob turned, and the door slowly swung open.  This was it.  Was he ready?  He had talked to his mother a week ago, and she would know what to do in case she didn't hear from him.  Although she would take a flight from Earth and that could take months.  His ashes would just sit in the coroners that whole time?

       "Toni!" shouted a voice that was familiar.  "Toni!  You in there?"

       "Yes," he whispered.  He peered over his desk and saw Jinx standing there.  Nobody was behind him.  "Are you here to kill me?"

       "Kill you?" said Jinx, smiling.  He had brown curly hair that hung over brown eyes, teeth stained in green and purple stripes.  "I'm not going to kill you.  Schizzer, Toni, if you weren't so damn good at your job, we would have to ship you off to Murin's, you know that?"

       What a relief.  Toni really did not want to die.  It was just Jinx, probably wanting someone reimaged.  That was his job, after all.  "W-what do you want?" stuttered Toni; even though Jinx wasn't there to kill him, he sure was intimidating.  He was a big, strong detective.

       Jinx pulled a photo out of his fake leather jacket.  "What do you see here?"

       It was fascinating.  Despite Toni's fear of personally dying, seeing another's fatal outcome was not horrifying at all.  "Male, an explosive was used.  Based on the complete separation of torso and legs, the bomb was probably implanted."

       Toni wondered if an implanted bomb might be a good way to die.  He was probably going to die soon anyway, even if Jinx was not going to kill him.  A bomb in the torso would be fast and painless, one second happily eating a Lunar Burger on a Sunday afternoon, the next, blown to pieces and off to Gods' Paradise.  If such a place even existed, Toni had his doubts.  Why would Gods want their paradise ruined by a bunch of humans running around?

       "Toni, focus."

       He had forgotten about Jinx.  "Yes?"

       "I asked if you thought he could be reimaged."

       Toni looked at the photo again.  "It looks like a bit of his brain managed to escape the blast, and if they didn't use radiation to contaminate what isn't all blown up and I have access to an image from before, then yeah, I think so."

       Jinx grinned green and purple.  "I want you to get down to the morgue, and get this baka reimaged.  Comprende?"

       "I comprehend," said Toni, looking at the photo even closer.  "There might be side effects, though."

       "I don't care about side effects as long as the ticalos can talk."

       "Okay, okay, yessir."

       Jinx patted down his fake leather jacket, and found a note in his left pocket.  "Here is the information you need.  And Toni-"

       Toni took the paper and looked at the detective expecting the worst.  Had it all been a ruse to throw him off guard?  Was Jinx going to kill him after all?  At least he had talked to his mother last week. . .