From Europa with love

From Europa with love: Part II

TWO

"I assume you listened to my report," Kulcin said into his helmet mic. He had been crouching down among the three dead exoBiologists, when he noticed the pattern of small pieces of their visors and flesh peppered in the snow, indicating their face shields had been shattered from the inside out. He studied the mutilation of their frozen faces that were now beyond recognition. "We're going to need some DNA sampling to identify who's who here."

"Got it," came a voice through his helmet. "And yes... I listened to your report on the way here."

"God I hate this place." he commented.

"Kulcin?"

He turned to see Captain Belle Power hiking toward him with a forensics case in her hand. If ever there was an EMU biosuit that looked good on someone, it was Belle. Long limbed, the custom Dava EMU with a crisscross of red pressure seals, found every curving line as if it was designed specifically for her and her alone. On his own five-eleven frame, where his torso was proportionally longer than his legs, it looked almost comical, like something seen on retro sci-fi comic book covers. "Belle, do me a favor and stay within my footsteps, I don't want you to contaminate—"

There was silence in her helmet. "Kulcin, are you there? I can't hear you." When he did not respond, she stepped up her pace, watching him twist from side to side, his feet glued to the surface while he would look up, then snap his head down to the bodies around him.

"Kulcin!"

"I hear you Belle," he finally answered, his gaze continuing to focus on the area around his feet, then raising his gloved hand, he implored her to stop moving.

She held up to take in her surroundings, turning around, looking up, expecting that whatever caused this destruction was bearing down on her.

"Belle, don't move. Nothing is going to happen. At least, I think nothing is going to happen." he said, trying to calm her. She was frozen in place with her arms straight at her sides, bracing for the unseen. He could not see her face behind the tint of her visor, but sensed some panic from the sound of her breathing coming through his helmet. "Belle, it's okay. Honestly, just don't move."

"What is it then?" she urged. "What's not going to happen?"

"Belle, nothing is going to happen... I just noticed there are no footprints out here other than our own." He turned in the direction of PelCo-1 off in the distance. "This is not where I came through the ice."

"Otto?"

"Yes Kulcin."

"Are you recording all this?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Let me know what you make of it after we're done here." Kulcin said.

"I will need radiation and temperature readings from the debris. My onboard instrumentation is not operable at this time." replied Otto.

"Belle, do you have a PsD on you?"

"Yes." she replied, still locked in place.

"It's ok, Belle, you can relax and put down the case." Her shoulders dropped and she set the case into the snow and then straightened up, facing him. "Belle?"

"Yes, Kulcin?"

"The PsD, please?"

"Oh yeah," she answered and reached down to twist the handle, activating the case that unfolded and exposed the instruments within. She handed Kulcin the PsD.

"Go ahead and start the DNA sampling. I'll gather some readings for Otto." Kulcin powered up the PsD and scanned the bodies first, then walked over to take readings from the undercarriage of his shuttle.

"What happened here, Kulcin?" he heard through his helmet.

"I had dropped these guys off, no problem, the snowcat was already there, they gave me a thumbs so I left. While approaching the gateway back to Haven I received a distress signal from them, so I turned around and came back."

"What really happened?" she continued. "After you came back for them, I mean?"

Kulcin had been crouching down while taking readings from the undercarriage of his shuttle. He stood up, not facing her. "Like I said, you listened to my report."

"Yeah, but I think I know you, Kulcin. There's more to this. The idea that your guys got lost in a whiteout and you crash landed, doesn't add up."

Kulcin turned to face her. "I don't really know. Some of it is still a little confusing to me. I'm trying to piece it together with Otto." He held up the PsD and took more readings. "Honestly, I consider myself lucky to still have a job. I expected a transfer notice, telling me to be on the next teleport back to Mars or worse, Orlando. Shit, even this sad excuse for a moon is looking good compared to Orlando.

"Yeah, I'd take Europa over Orlando any day," Belle commented.

That brought a smile to Kulcin, who had worked with Belle now for about three months, ever since her on-boarding from the Academy. He had been watching her kneeling in the snow, fluting pieces of exposed frozen flesh with a gouge blade and then slipping the samples into the salt tubes strapped to her wrist. "Ok. I've got enough data. How are you doing on the samples?" he asked her.

"I'm done here," she replied.

They were about to pack it up when he noticed some bright discoloration in the snow. "Wait," he said. "Hand me a couple of tubes." Kulcin knelt in the snow, opening the first sample tube and filling it, then handed it back to Belle.

"One more thing, give me a hand turning this guy over," Kulcin said. They were both on their knees, and after several attempts, managed to roll the body onto its side.

"Here, I'll hold him up, get a sample from the suit, just above the waist."

"Here?" she asked.

"Just above that... See the color difference there?" he nodded for her to move a little above where her glove was. "Yeah, there, get some of that."

Belle secured the samples back into the case, then twisting the handle watched as it folded neatly and compactly. Having everything they needed, she radioed for her team that it was clear to retrieve the three bodies, data-packs, fuel rods, and essentials from his damaged shuttle.

Kulcin stood and helped Belle to her feet. "You fly and I'll tell you as much as I can remember." he offered, knowing she was not going to give up her inquiry that easily. She was as skilled as a talk-show host, and he was not very good at dodging questions.

Walking past his old dilapidated shuttle and toward the newer model Belle had been issued, Kulcin quipped, "That's one way to get corporate to spend a little money."