10 Minute Tales

Feb 3 (Untimed, Strong Language)

The vehicle came down to a stop with a gentle hiss. He got out as soon as the door opened, looking around. It was one of the residental districts, middle-class. Another crystalline tower arched over them, a hexagonal doorway sliding open to grant visitors and residents access... and, apparently, murderers. He stepped into the elevator. It closed by itself and quickly rose, sliding to a graceful stop in mere moments. He left again and followed the sounds of the investigation. Alyssa was already there, holding a display tablet in both hands.

"What have we got?" Queenson asked, making Alyssa flinch and turn to salute.

"S-sorry, sir, I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, yeah, skip the formalities."

"Sir." she lowered her hand again and showed him the tablet. "It's the fourth case of a fuzzy camera. We lose signal exactly two minutes before registered time of death, and regain it exactly three minutes afterwards."

"How are we so precise on this one if we didn't see anything?" Queenson asked, taking the display for himself. It split into two smaller displays, one still in Alyssa's hand. Both showed the same images.

"The victim had a G.A.T.E. chip installed, but no additional augmentations. Sentinel has provided us with what information he got, so the autopsy's already done." Alyssa replied. Queenson nodded.

"Show me."

"As you command." Sentinel's voice piped up, minimising the blur of static that was the camera footage. Instead, a generated image of the victim formed, featureless at first. A gently pulsing triangle waited for his touch; he poked it, starting the death simulation. "Subject appears to have been active before death, with heightened levels of various hormones associated with typical exercise."

"Who was this guy, anyway?"

"I.D. crew says he's Leoric Saivom. He worked nearby as a road-guide system mechanic and apparently took pride in not using mods."

"Then why the G.A.T.E.?"

"Helped him interface with some of the machinery."

"Right, right. Carry on, Sentinel."

"As you command. The subject was proceeding in a workout routine when he suddenly stopped. The time of this sudden stop coincides with the beginning of the camera loss. He left his room and looked around in the hall, before proceeding to this fuse box." A box on the wall behind Alyssa glowed slightly, pulsing a dull green before fading again. "He opened it but did not interact with the fuses. It is assumed that they were unaltered, as no evidence has surfaced showing the fuses were tampered with, nor the power supply of the building."

"Alright, so he heads back to his room, and..."

"Hormone profiles suggest he was alarmed by something within the room. He was still active from the previous workout and appears to have engaged this "something" within the room in combat."

"Let's say it's the murderer, alright? What happens next?"

"The fight goes very poorly for the victim." The image's arm suddenly turned a dull grey. Queenson's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"The whole thing at once?"

"Indeed, and it was not the last." The other arm followed the first in turning grey, followed by the legs from the knees down. After a pause of about ten seconds, the head turned grey.

"... what the fuck..." Queenson frowned, grinding his teeth together as he thought. "So you're telling me this guy, a prime specimen for a human, warmed up and ready to fight, was literally torn apart in a matter of seconds?"

"That is what the G.A.T.E. evidence suggests." Sentinel replied, its monotone voice now eerily cold in the light of what had happened.

"No way it wasn't done easily. Any signs of a weapon?" he looked to Alyssa.

"The wounds are very clean so it wasn't done by hand, but we haven't found any trace of the weapon the murderer used."

"Then the murderer still has it." he frowned. "I want answers. Why that pause?"

"Sir?"

"Before the victim's head was removed, there was a huge pause, right?"

"Replaying." Sentinel rewound the simulation to that point.

"... huh, you're right. If you're gonna dismember a guy, you'd want to do it fast, right?"

"Makes sure nobody hears it." Queenson frowned again. "This guy wanted to make sure someone heard him."