Total number of words for novel = 18,792
“You can lie better than that.”
“Maybe you’re reading too much into exhaustion.”
“I have to catch this murderer. You said that like there is doubt that you would, that you could. Like you’re going to take this case seriously.”
“Now what’s that supposed to mean? He might not stop with racketeers. He might start wiping out whole towns and planets next.”
He looked at her, his violet eyes nearly black. “The only good racketeer is a dead one.”
“When have I ever said that?” Her voice was quiet, but built on a stone foundation. “Murder is wrong. No other mortal gets to pick when another mortal should die. Doesn’t matter who they are or what they have done. Do you understand me?”
“Your integrity has very few flaws running through it. Now what has you so worried about this case? You didn’t act this way over Ifeket’s murder.”
“I am now. He and Corbaine are connected to this murderer. Maybe representing his learning curve.”
“Learning curve?”
“Did you become a successful racketeer the first time you made a deal? Murder takes practice too, if you plan on doing it or need to do it over and over again. And don’t want to get caught.”
“You have more than enough confidence in your abilities for ten people. Why is this different?”
Zy finished off the drink. “Stop stressing me. A serial killer is hard enough to deal with.”
“And you’ve already dealt with one. Why is this different?”
“It is. Just deal with it.”
Xeryl gritted his teeth. “Why is it so hard to have a conversation with you?”
“Because I can make it that way.” She crossed her arms. “You won’t let go of some delusion you have about me, and I’m tired of having this conversation. He’s a murderer and he has to be stopped.”
“I repeat, you can lie better than that. Why are you so worried about this case?”
“I just don’t want any more people to die because of me, okay? Sounds valid to me.” Zy set the glass down before she threw it at his head. Besides, it was true. It was her job to protect everyone from a threat like this. It didn’t matter how innocent—or not with these victims—the victim was, they didn’t deserve horrible deaths.
“Who would blame you, you’re not doing the killing?”
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Monday, November 29, 2004
Zy's Post 14
Total words for whole Novel = 18,403
“That’s why we use cornorbots.” Zy leaned against him. She would fall down if she didn’t, at least, that’s what she kept telling herself. “They can process and we can talk, and talk, and talk. I have to get this murderer.”
“You need a break. At least an hour.”
“Can we get away from D’pa while we take a break?”
“A request for privacy is not what I expected from you.”
“If you let go of me, I fall down. That would be bad in front of D’pa.”
“Good point.” Xeryl shifted his hold a little. “Did you eat before starting this?”
“Knew I forgot something in my hurry. Don’t want to eat now.”
Xeryl made an exasperated sound. He leaned her against the stone block and held onto her shoulders. “You have to eat something.”
Zy pondered that “I can drink, something with gluclose. Can we get some hospitality or do we have to go to my saucer?”
He let go of her but waited a moment before going out the door. She was okay, she could walk. Besides, she needed another set of clothes. Her head spun, but she grabbed the door jamb. No slipping nor stumbling. Xeryl and D’pa spoke in undertones; she ignored them. “Mylte?”
Mylte straightened off the wall. “Yes, Mistress Zy?”
“Please go to the saucer and get me a clean jumpsuit like this one.” She gestured down, and saw the blood smeared on her knees. He looked doubtfully at the two whisperers. “It’s okay, the last thing they want is something to happen to me. Not when IGA knows I’m here.”
D’pa heard that and glared at her. Zy leaned against the door and started pulling off the gloves.
Mylte snapped his teeth together once. “Yes, Mistress Zy.” And moved down the corridor.
Xeryl took her arm. “There is a suite we can use. It’s this way.”
The shower had felt wonderful. Zy rubbed her scalp vigorously with the towel. She sat down before she tripped on the dusky purple bathrobe that was a smidge too long for her. “Can you fix me another drink?”
“Sugary concotions seem to bring out the best in you.” Xeryl’s voice moved across the room and glasses clinked.
“It’s only temporary, but I’d rather get the interviews done before eating.” She pulled the towel off her head and saw his bemused expression as he offered the glass. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just admiring you in my bathrobe. Remarkable the way you two match, like you were fated to be.”
“Take a pic, it’ll last longer.”
“I would, but we sent the vidrecorder to the lab with the rest of your samples. Don’t worry, D’pa promised their technician was quite thorough. Apparantly, he gets a lot of practice on Ecan 2.”
She sipped the drink, feeling more awake as it slid down her throat.
“I heard something in your voice back in the crime scene that I never thought I would.” Zy looked up. So much for skipping serious flirting. But he wasn’t looking directly at her and his expression was grim. “Desperation. What’s wrong?”
“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”
“You can lie better than that.”
“That’s why we use cornorbots.” Zy leaned against him. She would fall down if she didn’t, at least, that’s what she kept telling herself. “They can process and we can talk, and talk, and talk. I have to get this murderer.”
“You need a break. At least an hour.”
“Can we get away from D’pa while we take a break?”
“A request for privacy is not what I expected from you.”
“If you let go of me, I fall down. That would be bad in front of D’pa.”
“Good point.” Xeryl shifted his hold a little. “Did you eat before starting this?”
“Knew I forgot something in my hurry. Don’t want to eat now.”
Xeryl made an exasperated sound. He leaned her against the stone block and held onto her shoulders. “You have to eat something.”
Zy pondered that “I can drink, something with gluclose. Can we get some hospitality or do we have to go to my saucer?”
He let go of her but waited a moment before going out the door. She was okay, she could walk. Besides, she needed another set of clothes. Her head spun, but she grabbed the door jamb. No slipping nor stumbling. Xeryl and D’pa spoke in undertones; she ignored them. “Mylte?”
Mylte straightened off the wall. “Yes, Mistress Zy?”
“Please go to the saucer and get me a clean jumpsuit like this one.” She gestured down, and saw the blood smeared on her knees. He looked doubtfully at the two whisperers. “It’s okay, the last thing they want is something to happen to me. Not when IGA knows I’m here.”
D’pa heard that and glared at her. Zy leaned against the door and started pulling off the gloves.
Mylte snapped his teeth together once. “Yes, Mistress Zy.” And moved down the corridor.
Xeryl took her arm. “There is a suite we can use. It’s this way.”
The shower had felt wonderful. Zy rubbed her scalp vigorously with the towel. She sat down before she tripped on the dusky purple bathrobe that was a smidge too long for her. “Can you fix me another drink?”
“Sugary concotions seem to bring out the best in you.” Xeryl’s voice moved across the room and glasses clinked.
“It’s only temporary, but I’d rather get the interviews done before eating.” She pulled the towel off her head and saw his bemused expression as he offered the glass. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just admiring you in my bathrobe. Remarkable the way you two match, like you were fated to be.”
“Take a pic, it’ll last longer.”
“I would, but we sent the vidrecorder to the lab with the rest of your samples. Don’t worry, D’pa promised their technician was quite thorough. Apparantly, he gets a lot of practice on Ecan 2.”
She sipped the drink, feeling more awake as it slid down her throat.
“I heard something in your voice back in the crime scene that I never thought I would.” Zy looked up. So much for skipping serious flirting. But he wasn’t looking directly at her and his expression was grim. “Desperation. What’s wrong?”
“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”
“You can lie better than that.”
Zy's Novel Post 13
“Knew I forgot something in my hurry. Don’t want to eat now.”
Xeryl made an exasperated sound. He leaned her against the stone block and held onto her shoulders. “You have to eat something.”
Zy pondered that “I can drink, something with gluclose. Can we get some hospitality or do we have to go to my saucer?”
He let go of her but waited a moment before going out the door. She was okay, she could walk. Besides, she needed another set of clothes. Her head spun, but she grabbed the door jamb. No slipping nor stumbling. Xeryl and D’pa spoke in undertones; she ignored them. “Mylte?”
Mylte straightened off the wall. “Yes, Mistress Zy?”
“Please go to the saucer and get me a clean jumpsuit like this one.” She gestured down, and saw the blood smeared on her knees. He looked doubtfully at the two whisperers. “It’s okay, the last thing they want is something to happen to me. Not when IGA knows I’m here.”
D’pa heard that and glared at her. Zy leaned against the door and started pulling off the gloves.
Mylte snapped his teeth together once. “Yes, Mistress Zy.” And moved down the corridor.
Xeryl took her arm. “There is a suite we can use. It’s this way.”
Zy rubbed her scalp vigorously with the towel.
Xeryl made an exasperated sound. He leaned her against the stone block and held onto her shoulders. “You have to eat something.”
Zy pondered that “I can drink, something with gluclose. Can we get some hospitality or do we have to go to my saucer?”
He let go of her but waited a moment before going out the door. She was okay, she could walk. Besides, she needed another set of clothes. Her head spun, but she grabbed the door jamb. No slipping nor stumbling. Xeryl and D’pa spoke in undertones; she ignored them. “Mylte?”
Mylte straightened off the wall. “Yes, Mistress Zy?”
“Please go to the saucer and get me a clean jumpsuit like this one.” She gestured down, and saw the blood smeared on her knees. He looked doubtfully at the two whisperers. “It’s okay, the last thing they want is something to happen to me. Not when IGA knows I’m here.”
D’pa heard that and glared at her. Zy leaned against the door and started pulling off the gloves.
Mylte snapped his teeth together once. “Yes, Mistress Zy.” And moved down the corridor.
Xeryl took her arm. “There is a suite we can use. It’s this way.”
Zy rubbed her scalp vigorously with the towel.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Zy's Novel Post 12 - Day 21
Day 21 of NaNo. 7583 total words. Don't even want to think about where I should be right now.
A through working of the scene is what she concentrated on. She collected samples from the blood under the body, nearest where X had stood, on the far wall, other spots on the floor. The vidrecorder took pics of all of them, triangulating their positions as well. She looked for fingerprints on the wall, but none were there. Course, the murderer could be from a species that didn’t leave fingerprints. She had them get an evidence vacuum in the hope of hair or fiber left behind, but she didn’t see any with the naked eye. All the while explaining to her notes and to Xeryl, who watched silently after the body was removed. She concentrated on what she had to do, trying to ignore the fact that nobody deserved to be processed like this.
She stood up. “Okay, we need to get this stuff to a qualified lab. I need to start interviewing people, starting with D’pa.” Her body swayed, despite her silent instructions not to.
Xeryl grabbed her arm and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Steady. Perhaps you’d best take a break first. Freshen up? You’ve been at this for hours.”
“That’s why we use cornorbots.” Zy leaned against him. She would fall down if she didn’t, at least, that’s what she kept telling herself. “They can process and we can talk, and talk, and talk. Can we get away from D’pa while we take a break?”
“A request for privacy is not what I expected from you.”
“If you let go of me, I fall down. That would be bad in front of D’pa.”
“Good point.” Xeryl shifted his hold a little. “Did you eat before starting this?”
“Knew I forgot something in my hurry. Don’t want to eat now.”
A through working of the scene is what she concentrated on. She collected samples from the blood under the body, nearest where X had stood, on the far wall, other spots on the floor. The vidrecorder took pics of all of them, triangulating their positions as well. She looked for fingerprints on the wall, but none were there. Course, the murderer could be from a species that didn’t leave fingerprints. She had them get an evidence vacuum in the hope of hair or fiber left behind, but she didn’t see any with the naked eye. All the while explaining to her notes and to Xeryl, who watched silently after the body was removed. She concentrated on what she had to do, trying to ignore the fact that nobody deserved to be processed like this.
She stood up. “Okay, we need to get this stuff to a qualified lab. I need to start interviewing people, starting with D’pa.” Her body swayed, despite her silent instructions not to.
Xeryl grabbed her arm and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Steady. Perhaps you’d best take a break first. Freshen up? You’ve been at this for hours.”
“That’s why we use cornorbots.” Zy leaned against him. She would fall down if she didn’t, at least, that’s what she kept telling herself. “They can process and we can talk, and talk, and talk. Can we get away from D’pa while we take a break?”
“A request for privacy is not what I expected from you.”
“If you let go of me, I fall down. That would be bad in front of D’pa.”
“Good point.” Xeryl shifted his hold a little. “Did you eat before starting this?”
“Knew I forgot something in my hurry. Don’t want to eat now.”
Monday, November 15, 2004
Zy's Novel Post 11 - Day 15
Day 15 of NaNo. Total words = 7403
After vidrecorder had pulled back, Zy bent down. The long tunic he wore was the same style as the Ecanians in the bar had worn, but his had braided trim along the edges. Gold, silver, blue, and green cords wrapped in an intric pattern. She could see the colors best in the trim on the hem. The material around his shoulders and chest had soaked up blood. The leg tentacle was stiff to the touch, the muscles hardened. “Note: rigor mortis has already set in.” The side of the tenatacle on the floor had a dark purple, nearly black tint to the skin. “Note: postmortem lividity shows that the body has not moved from this position.”
“All this gibberish means something?” Xeryl’s voice was behind her. Turning, she saw he was standing where she had stood far enough back not to bump her, and had a handkerchief out.
“It means the body hasn’t been moved since postmortem lividity and rigor mortis started. See the stuff that looks like a huge bruise on his leg?” Xeryl stepped closer and leaned over her to see. His breath was hot against her ear. “That’s actually the blood collecting in the lowest parts of the body.”
“And what is rigor mortis?” He said into her cheek before stepping back.
Zy swallowed hard. “How the body gets stiff after death. I’d need a pathologist specializing in Ecanian biology to tell me how long it’s been on going.”
“So you’re going to want an autopsy?”
“That’s a given. Have to rule out poisons and explosives.” She eased her way up to the left arm tentacle. “Note: finger tentacles splayed out as if going to strike. No defense wounds. The rigidity of the arm is most probably indicitive of cadaveric spasm. The victim was in the midst of gesturing to someone when death occurred.”
“Gesturing at his killer?” Xeryl offered.
“Must have been unless D’pa is sitting on a witness he hasn’t told us about.” She stood up. “It is possible that this murder was triggered by some kind of remote mechanism, but that’s not what we saw at Possatact’s crime scene.” She stood as close to the front of Fudlack’s chair as she could without stepping on the body, and scanned the wall with the door. “There.”
“There what?” Xeryl turned round, but didn’t leave his spot on the floor.
Zy eased her way to a section of stone wall to the right of the door. “Command: close up of this section, starting two meters above the floor. Note: the blood splatters don’t match the rest of the wall in this area.” While the vidrecorder was still taking the pics, she poked her head out the doorway. “Chalk or marking tape?”
“What are you seeing?” Xeryl frowned as she took the chalk and started drawing on the wall. “Fire and ice,” he muttered, as the humanoid shape was outlined, the chalk marking where the blood had not been.
“Note: X stood here to watch, same as with Possatact. And then some how escaped without being seen. Command: pics of the chalk outline.”
“I have never seen such depravity.” Xeryl covered his mouth briefly with the handkerchief.
“I have.” Zy closed her eyes. She could see the golden-yellow living room splattered in red. She opened her eyes to the current crime scene.
“What kind of monster could do this?”
“A serial killer.”
“By your tone of voice, I take it that the term serial killer means more than just killing in a series.”
“They have a compulsion to kill. They take pleasure in the killing. And they don’t stop until they’re stopped.”
“You’ve dealt with one before.”
“My first case, what made me decide to become an Agent. Not that any of that has any bearing on this.” She took a deep breath. “Course it could be a racketeer rubout trying to lok like a serial killer.”
“Rubout?”
“Another racketeer killing the boss to take over the organization.”
Xeryl shook his head. “Within an organization, yes that can happen. But trying to capture two or more system-wide organizations? You’d be as big as IGA and employing that many beings, and where’s the profit in that?”
She sighed, “I know, I was hoping for something normal. This was Fudlack’s office? He didn’t believe in paperwork?”
“Fudlack did his interviews and discussions in here. Record keeping was somewhere else.”
“Tell D’pa they can remove the body and I need an autopsy done.”
“You don’t want to give the orders?” Xeryl’s eyebrows quirked.
“I need to collect the blood evidence, and you can explain it to him in a way he’ll accept..”
Xeryl smiled. “I’ll do my diplomatic best.”
A through working of the scene is what she concentrated on. She collected samples from the blood under the body, nearest where X had stood, on the far wall, other spots on the floor. The vidrecorder took pics of all of them, triangulating their positions as well. She looked for fingerprints on the wall, but none were there. Course, the murderer could be from a species that didn’t leave fingerprints. She had them get a evidence vacuum in the hope of hair or fiber left behind, but she didn’t see any with the naked eye. All the while explaining to her notes and to Xeryl, who watched silently after the body was removed.
After vidrecorder had pulled back, Zy bent down. The long tunic he wore was the same style as the Ecanians in the bar had worn, but his had braided trim along the edges. Gold, silver, blue, and green cords wrapped in an intric pattern. She could see the colors best in the trim on the hem. The material around his shoulders and chest had soaked up blood. The leg tentacle was stiff to the touch, the muscles hardened. “Note: rigor mortis has already set in.” The side of the tenatacle on the floor had a dark purple, nearly black tint to the skin. “Note: postmortem lividity shows that the body has not moved from this position.”
“All this gibberish means something?” Xeryl’s voice was behind her. Turning, she saw he was standing where she had stood far enough back not to bump her, and had a handkerchief out.
“It means the body hasn’t been moved since postmortem lividity and rigor mortis started. See the stuff that looks like a huge bruise on his leg?” Xeryl stepped closer and leaned over her to see. His breath was hot against her ear. “That’s actually the blood collecting in the lowest parts of the body.”
“And what is rigor mortis?” He said into her cheek before stepping back.
Zy swallowed hard. “How the body gets stiff after death. I’d need a pathologist specializing in Ecanian biology to tell me how long it’s been on going.”
“So you’re going to want an autopsy?”
“That’s a given. Have to rule out poisons and explosives.” She eased her way up to the left arm tentacle. “Note: finger tentacles splayed out as if going to strike. No defense wounds. The rigidity of the arm is most probably indicitive of cadaveric spasm. The victim was in the midst of gesturing to someone when death occurred.”
“Gesturing at his killer?” Xeryl offered.
“Must have been unless D’pa is sitting on a witness he hasn’t told us about.” She stood up. “It is possible that this murder was triggered by some kind of remote mechanism, but that’s not what we saw at Possatact’s crime scene.” She stood as close to the front of Fudlack’s chair as she could without stepping on the body, and scanned the wall with the door. “There.”
“There what?” Xeryl turned round, but didn’t leave his spot on the floor.
Zy eased her way to a section of stone wall to the right of the door. “Command: close up of this section, starting two meters above the floor. Note: the blood splatters don’t match the rest of the wall in this area.” While the vidrecorder was still taking the pics, she poked her head out the doorway. “Chalk or marking tape?”
“What are you seeing?” Xeryl frowned as she took the chalk and started drawing on the wall. “Fire and ice,” he muttered, as the humanoid shape was outlined, the chalk marking where the blood had not been.
“Note: X stood here to watch, same as with Possatact. And then some how escaped without being seen. Command: pics of the chalk outline.”
“I have never seen such depravity.” Xeryl covered his mouth briefly with the handkerchief.
“I have.” Zy closed her eyes. She could see the golden-yellow living room splattered in red. She opened her eyes to the current crime scene.
“What kind of monster could do this?”
“A serial killer.”
“By your tone of voice, I take it that the term serial killer means more than just killing in a series.”
“They have a compulsion to kill. They take pleasure in the killing. And they don’t stop until they’re stopped.”
“You’ve dealt with one before.”
“My first case, what made me decide to become an Agent. Not that any of that has any bearing on this.” She took a deep breath. “Course it could be a racketeer rubout trying to lok like a serial killer.”
“Rubout?”
“Another racketeer killing the boss to take over the organization.”
Xeryl shook his head. “Within an organization, yes that can happen. But trying to capture two or more system-wide organizations? You’d be as big as IGA and employing that many beings, and where’s the profit in that?”
She sighed, “I know, I was hoping for something normal. This was Fudlack’s office? He didn’t believe in paperwork?”
“Fudlack did his interviews and discussions in here. Record keeping was somewhere else.”
“Tell D’pa they can remove the body and I need an autopsy done.”
“You don’t want to give the orders?” Xeryl’s eyebrows quirked.
“I need to collect the blood evidence, and you can explain it to him in a way he’ll accept..”
Xeryl smiled. “I’ll do my diplomatic best.”
A through working of the scene is what she concentrated on. She collected samples from the blood under the body, nearest where X had stood, on the far wall, other spots on the floor. The vidrecorder took pics of all of them, triangulating their positions as well. She looked for fingerprints on the wall, but none were there. Course, the murderer could be from a species that didn’t leave fingerprints. She had them get a evidence vacuum in the hope of hair or fiber left behind, but she didn’t see any with the naked eye. All the while explaining to her notes and to Xeryl, who watched silently after the body was removed.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Zy's Novel Post 10 - Days 10 - 12
Days 10 - 12 of NaNo. 725 words.
His smile got bigger. “Thank you.”
“You are so full of yourself.”
D’pa stepped out of the shadows again. “Come this way. Fudlack was killed in his office.” He led them to a branching hallway. Sunlight filled it through the large windows. You could see the skull parade from them as well. Two Ecanians stood next to a door along with a wheeled cart loaded with vials and boxes.
No sense wasting anyone’s time. Zy fitted the breather to her nose, and found a box of rubber-esque gloves. She spied the voice controlled vidrecorder as she pulled on a pair of gloves. It could audio record as well, perfect.
Xeryl pulled a pair of gloves from the box. His violet eyes looked at her, beaming with innocence that she didn’t believe.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to go in with you.”
“I don’t need you to go in with me.”
“It’s better if two people go into a crime scene, and I’m not letting you go in there alone. Besides, I’m D’pa’s insurance that you will not desecrate Fudlack’s body.”
“She will not for if she does, we will execute her.”
“Is execution your answer to everything?” Zy looked at D’pa’s bland expression.
“It solves many issues.”
Zy took a deep breath, picked up the vidrecorder, and opened the door between the two guards. She was glad for the breather. Blood covered the room, darkened to a inky substance, in a fine spray in most spots to a congealed masses of something thicker on the stone walls, ceiling, and floor. Zy shut her eyes and swallowed hard. Show no weakness. She opened them again, turned on the audio, and sent the vidrecorder floating into the room. “Command: three hundred sixty degrees panoramic view of the room. Note: Fudlack crime scene First Standard Day of the Fifth Month year 1012. Command: take pics of the ceiling and floor. Note: people have walked through this crime scene, I don’t know how many yet.”
She followed the smeared and flattened trail through the blood on the floor into the room. It led from the door around the rectanglar stone block in the center of the room. The chair in front of the block was splattered on its back. Most of the seat was clean like the front of the block. Fudlack’s body was on the floor on the other side of the block between it and the second chair. This one was more ornate, clearly the boss’s chair, and also more blood soaked.
Fudlack was an Ecanian, and laid headless on the floor where he must have fallen once decapitated. “Command: pics of the body, all angles and close ups.” The vidrecorder flew down and focused the camera lense on Fudlack’s remains. “Note: the corpse as I found it.”
After vidrecorder had pulled back, Zy bent down. The long tunic he wore was the same style as the Ecanians in the bar had worn, but his had braided trim along the edges. Gold, silver, blue, and green cords wrapped in an intric pattern. She could see the colors best in the trim on the hem. The material around his shoulders and chest had soaked up blood. The leg tentacle was
DURING THE EXAMINING THE CRIME SCENE
“I have never seen such depravity.” Xeryl covered his mouth briefly.
“I have.” Zy closed her eyes. She could see the golden-yellow living room splattered in red. She opened her eyes to the current crime scene.
“What kind of monster could do this?”
“A serial killer.”
“By your tone of voice, I take it that the term serial killer means more than just killing in a series.”
“They have a compulsion to kill. They take pleasure in the killing. And they don’t stop until they’re stopped.”
“You’ve dealt with one before.”
“My first case, what made me decide to become an Agent. Not that any of that has any bearing on this.” She took a deep breath. “Course it could be a racketeer rubout trying to lok like a serial killer.”
“Rubout?”
“Another racketeer killing the boss to take over the organization.”
Xeryl shook his head. “Within an organization, yes that can happen. But trying to capture two or more system-wide organizations? You’d be as big as IGA and employing that many beings, and where’s the profit in that?”
His smile got bigger. “Thank you.”
“You are so full of yourself.”
D’pa stepped out of the shadows again. “Come this way. Fudlack was killed in his office.” He led them to a branching hallway. Sunlight filled it through the large windows. You could see the skull parade from them as well. Two Ecanians stood next to a door along with a wheeled cart loaded with vials and boxes.
No sense wasting anyone’s time. Zy fitted the breather to her nose, and found a box of rubber-esque gloves. She spied the voice controlled vidrecorder as she pulled on a pair of gloves. It could audio record as well, perfect.
Xeryl pulled a pair of gloves from the box. His violet eyes looked at her, beaming with innocence that she didn’t believe.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to go in with you.”
“I don’t need you to go in with me.”
“It’s better if two people go into a crime scene, and I’m not letting you go in there alone. Besides, I’m D’pa’s insurance that you will not desecrate Fudlack’s body.”
“She will not for if she does, we will execute her.”
“Is execution your answer to everything?” Zy looked at D’pa’s bland expression.
“It solves many issues.”
Zy took a deep breath, picked up the vidrecorder, and opened the door between the two guards. She was glad for the breather. Blood covered the room, darkened to a inky substance, in a fine spray in most spots to a congealed masses of something thicker on the stone walls, ceiling, and floor. Zy shut her eyes and swallowed hard. Show no weakness. She opened them again, turned on the audio, and sent the vidrecorder floating into the room. “Command: three hundred sixty degrees panoramic view of the room. Note: Fudlack crime scene First Standard Day of the Fifth Month year 1012. Command: take pics of the ceiling and floor. Note: people have walked through this crime scene, I don’t know how many yet.”
She followed the smeared and flattened trail through the blood on the floor into the room. It led from the door around the rectanglar stone block in the center of the room. The chair in front of the block was splattered on its back. Most of the seat was clean like the front of the block. Fudlack’s body was on the floor on the other side of the block between it and the second chair. This one was more ornate, clearly the boss’s chair, and also more blood soaked.
Fudlack was an Ecanian, and laid headless on the floor where he must have fallen once decapitated. “Command: pics of the body, all angles and close ups.” The vidrecorder flew down and focused the camera lense on Fudlack’s remains. “Note: the corpse as I found it.”
After vidrecorder had pulled back, Zy bent down. The long tunic he wore was the same style as the Ecanians in the bar had worn, but his had braided trim along the edges. Gold, silver, blue, and green cords wrapped in an intric pattern. She could see the colors best in the trim on the hem. The material around his shoulders and chest had soaked up blood. The leg tentacle was
DURING THE EXAMINING THE CRIME SCENE
“I have never seen such depravity.” Xeryl covered his mouth briefly.
“I have.” Zy closed her eyes. She could see the golden-yellow living room splattered in red. She opened her eyes to the current crime scene.
“What kind of monster could do this?”
“A serial killer.”
“By your tone of voice, I take it that the term serial killer means more than just killing in a series.”
“They have a compulsion to kill. They take pleasure in the killing. And they don’t stop until they’re stopped.”
“You’ve dealt with one before.”
“My first case, what made me decide to become an Agent. Not that any of that has any bearing on this.” She took a deep breath. “Course it could be a racketeer rubout trying to lok like a serial killer.”
“Rubout?”
“Another racketeer killing the boss to take over the organization.”
Xeryl shook his head. “Within an organization, yes that can happen. But trying to capture two or more system-wide organizations? You’d be as big as IGA and employing that many beings, and where’s the profit in that?”
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Nine - Day 9
Day 9 of NaNo. 285 words.
“What kind of tools do you require, Agent?” Zy hadn’t thought it possible to make her professional title sound so venomous. Another purple humanoid male like the ones from the bar stepped out of a doorway further down the foyer and strode toward them.
“D’pa, this is Zy. Zy, this is D’pa, Fudlack’s second-in-command.”
“Xeryl, I am not interested in becoming social with an IGA Agent. This is a matter we need no outsiders in.”
Zy bit back the retort she wanted to say. She was going to remember Murdock’s warning about her sarcasm and not give into it. “The outsiders need your help. Fudlack’s killer may have killed three other racketeers. If you handle it internally, those deaths will have no closure.”
D’pa frowned at her, but the impact was lessened since they were the same height. “What tools, Agent?”
She took a deep breath. So much for making friends. “Gloves for my hands, paper and plastic bags that can be sealed of different sizes, small vials made of glass with airtight lids, recording device, and Ecanians blood sample kit, evidence tags, and somebody ready to go get anything else that might be needed.”
“Wait here while I make the preparations.” D’pa turned on his heel and vanished into the shadows of the foyer.
Xeryl offered a small smile. “He really is a personable fellow.”
Zy peered down the hallway to make sure he was out of earshot. “After you get him drunk?”
“Please be civil.”
“This is me being civil.”
“I already gave him a list of what you may need to work with. It shouldn’t take that long.”
“How do you know what’s in a forensic collection kit?”
He smiled again. “Research. I’m not incompetent.”
“I have never said you were incompetent. Incorrigable, yes, but not incompetent.”
His smile got bigger. “Thank you.”
“What kind of tools do you require, Agent?” Zy hadn’t thought it possible to make her professional title sound so venomous. Another purple humanoid male like the ones from the bar stepped out of a doorway further down the foyer and strode toward them.
“D’pa, this is Zy. Zy, this is D’pa, Fudlack’s second-in-command.”
“Xeryl, I am not interested in becoming social with an IGA Agent. This is a matter we need no outsiders in.”
Zy bit back the retort she wanted to say. She was going to remember Murdock’s warning about her sarcasm and not give into it. “The outsiders need your help. Fudlack’s killer may have killed three other racketeers. If you handle it internally, those deaths will have no closure.”
D’pa frowned at her, but the impact was lessened since they were the same height. “What tools, Agent?”
She took a deep breath. So much for making friends. “Gloves for my hands, paper and plastic bags that can be sealed of different sizes, small vials made of glass with airtight lids, recording device, and Ecanians blood sample kit, evidence tags, and somebody ready to go get anything else that might be needed.”
“Wait here while I make the preparations.” D’pa turned on his heel and vanished into the shadows of the foyer.
Xeryl offered a small smile. “He really is a personable fellow.”
Zy peered down the hallway to make sure he was out of earshot. “After you get him drunk?”
“Please be civil.”
“This is me being civil.”
“I already gave him a list of what you may need to work with. It shouldn’t take that long.”
“How do you know what’s in a forensic collection kit?”
He smiled again. “Research. I’m not incompetent.”
“I have never said you were incompetent. Incorrigable, yes, but not incompetent.”
His smile got bigger. “Thank you.”
Monday, November 08, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Eight - Day 8
Day 8 of NaNoWriMo. 213 words.
Xeryl looked sympathetic. “As long as it doesn’t do anything to Fudlack’s body.” He glanced out the window. “We’re at the estate now.”
It was on the other side of Ursay from the saucer field. They entered through an imposing metal gate to a driveway outlined by poles each with a skull on top. “I see Fudlack and Dracula share the same decorator.” Zy turned from the window, clenching her stomach to stop its recoiling. The bruises didn’t appreciate that.
“Who is Dracula?”
“Someone from my home world.”
“You don’t talk much about your home world.” Xeryl straightened his suit jacket.
“Nothing left for me there. And neither do you.” The hover car stopped in front of the stone mansion. Zy took a deep breath as they went in the metal door. The foyer wasn’t as cavernous as Corbaine’s, but the ceiling was still lost in the darkness high above their heads. “Okay, I’m going to need some things to do a proper forensic examination of the body and the crime scene.” The ceiling carried her voice further than she intended.
Xeryl winced as heads turned to stare. “Have some respect for the dead.”
“I do respect the dead. That’s why I do this job.”
“What kind of tools do you require, Agent?” Zy hadn’t thought it possible to make her professional title sound so venomous.
Xeryl looked sympathetic. “As long as it doesn’t do anything to Fudlack’s body.” He glanced out the window. “We’re at the estate now.”
It was on the other side of Ursay from the saucer field. They entered through an imposing metal gate to a driveway outlined by poles each with a skull on top. “I see Fudlack and Dracula share the same decorator.” Zy turned from the window, clenching her stomach to stop its recoiling. The bruises didn’t appreciate that.
“Who is Dracula?”
“Someone from my home world.”
“You don’t talk much about your home world.” Xeryl straightened his suit jacket.
“Nothing left for me there. And neither do you.” The hover car stopped in front of the stone mansion. Zy took a deep breath as they went in the metal door. The foyer wasn’t as cavernous as Corbaine’s, but the ceiling was still lost in the darkness high above their heads. “Okay, I’m going to need some things to do a proper forensic examination of the body and the crime scene.” The ceiling carried her voice further than she intended.
Xeryl winced as heads turned to stare. “Have some respect for the dead.”
“I do respect the dead. That’s why I do this job.”
“What kind of tools do you require, Agent?” Zy hadn’t thought it possible to make her professional title sound so venomous.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Seven - Day 5
Day Five. 280 words. Today not done yet.
Zy glanced at Xeryl’s face. His lips twitched, so he found amusement in Mylte’s answer. But his violet eyes were still angry. “His status is still undecided,” she admitted.
“Transportation is this way. We can contact D’pa about this mess from the vehicle.” Xeryl gestured, and Zy let him lead to the vehicle.
They settled in the back of the hover car, Mylte sitting next to Zy. She stayed quiet while Xeryl contacted whoever he needed to and during that short conversation. It had to be said, no matter how much she didn’t want to say it. “I’m sorry. I let my feelings cloud my judgment and disregarded your advice.”
“Should I be flattered that I get under your skin so well?”
Zy crossed her arms and stared at the tinted window. “You know me so well, don’t you.”
“Facets of your personality are quite enigmatic, but your animosity for me is right on the surface.”
“Then let’s focus on business. When did Fudlack die?”
“Two standard days ago. Ecanians have an aversion to robots, so I talked them into leaving the crime scene intact for you.”
“Great, another dead body all by lonesome.”
“You’re not alone, you have me. Stop shooting me with your glares. If I don’t stay, you’re going to end up executed.”
“And you don’t want that on your conscious.”
“Actually, no I don’t.”
“They do realize I’m going to need at least the analyzer bot, right?”
Xeryl shook his head. “Sorry, you can’t use it.”
Zy tried to suppress the shudder, but didn’t succeed fully. “Can I at least have a breather?”
Xeryl looked sympathetic. “As long as it doesn’t do anything to Fudlack’s body.”
Zy glanced at Xeryl’s face. His lips twitched, so he found amusement in Mylte’s answer. But his violet eyes were still angry. “His status is still undecided,” she admitted.
“Transportation is this way. We can contact D’pa about this mess from the vehicle.” Xeryl gestured, and Zy let him lead to the vehicle.
They settled in the back of the hover car, Mylte sitting next to Zy. She stayed quiet while Xeryl contacted whoever he needed to and during that short conversation. It had to be said, no matter how much she didn’t want to say it. “I’m sorry. I let my feelings cloud my judgment and disregarded your advice.”
“Should I be flattered that I get under your skin so well?”
Zy crossed her arms and stared at the tinted window. “You know me so well, don’t you.”
“Facets of your personality are quite enigmatic, but your animosity for me is right on the surface.”
“Then let’s focus on business. When did Fudlack die?”
“Two standard days ago. Ecanians have an aversion to robots, so I talked them into leaving the crime scene intact for you.”
“Great, another dead body all by lonesome.”
“You’re not alone, you have me. Stop shooting me with your glares. If I don’t stay, you’re going to end up executed.”
“And you don’t want that on your conscious.”
“Actually, no I don’t.”
“They do realize I’m going to need at least the analyzer bot, right?”
Xeryl shook his head. “Sorry, you can’t use it.”
Zy tried to suppress the shudder, but didn’t succeed fully. “Can I at least have a breather?”
Xeryl looked sympathetic. “As long as it doesn’t do anything to Fudlack’s body.”
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Six Day 4
Day Four of NaNoWriMo. 1495 words.
Zy terminated the transmission, and let a strangled growl escape her throat. She pulled up the hyperspace calculations. Finish the downloads, bury Corbaine, and she could still make it to Ecan 2 by tomorrow. Good thing she could sleep in space.
She took a deep breath. Beat Xeryl to Ecan 2, nothing better than rubbing his smug face in it. That was the best plan. She pulled up what Sara was downloading. She couldn’t search it yet; she couldn’t read the language it was written in. She would have to wait until Sara had enough computing power to start searching. Sara needed to compare Corbaine’s employee list with the one she had for Ifeket. She would have to get a current list from Xeryl; Zy gritted her teeth. Looking for Ifeket and Possatact’s names would be the next step.
She got up and went to the door of the saucer. A stack of wood was already forming across the roadway to the doors of the bunker castle.
A rift in the thick purple clouds poured the orange setting sunlight onto the plateau. Zy pulled her leather jacket tighter around her. Where Mylte had found enough wood to make this pyre, she wasn’t going to ask. He had wrapped the corpse in a white sheet and set it on top, refusing any assistance from her. “My last service for Master” was his explanation.
He thrust the torch into the wood five times, waiting for the kindling to catch before moving it. He left it in the last time.
She cleared her throat when he stood next to her. “Would you like to say something for Corbaine?”
“I have no words, Mistress.”
Zy swallowed hard. Everybody should have something said at their funeral. “I haven’t had much use for God since I saw babies murdered. And I try not to think about the afterlife. I don’t know what kind of being you were before, and God will have to settle your afterlife. But I promise to catch whoever is responsible for your death. Rest in peace and don’t become a ghost or something. Amen.”
The fire crackled, wrapping around the sheet. They moved so they stood upwind of the thick, black smoke.
“How did that sound?”
“It sounded fine, Mistress.”
The Personal Journal of IGA Agent Zy
18.3.1012/July 20, 1998
Man, man, man, how did this happen! I don’t know what to do. Have to calm down while writing this down.
HE KISSED ME! Yeah, that’s calm. I’ve been working for the past week in Xeryl’s office. He’s not someone I would have pegged as a racketeer. He doesn’t feel sleazy like Ifeket does. What the hell I’m I listening to my feelings for? They’re just going to make the job more complicated.
Anyways, he had me drop him off at a meeting this afternoon. Someone else was picking him up. He’s good at drawing people out; we were chatting like old friends by the end of the ride. Then before he got out, he leaned over and kissed me. On the lips too, since I turned my head to see what the hell he was doing.
What am I going to do? Nobody covered what I should do if the shadow boss puts the moves on me!
Chapter Five
Word Box on Left
Ecan 2 is classified off-limits. The editors cannot stress this badly enough. Tourists have been hunted as sport, and their heads sent back to their nearest relations. IGA considers anyone going to this planet either suicidal or a criminal.
Galactic Travelers Savings Express
Sara freed up enough computing power to upload what IGA had written on Ecan 2. It matched the entry in Galatic Travelers Savings Express, but offered some more gruesome details like the pictures of the murdered tourists’ remains. Spaceport meant park on the outskirts of a town. Largest metropolis was Ursay, and Fudlack’s organization was headquartered there.
“Okay, Sara, I’m going to bed. Finish going through Corbaine’s records and land us outside of Ursay.”
“Acknowledge, Agent Zy.”
Sleep was hard. She kept waking up from stone hallways and funeral pyres. She had gotten enough hours to be functional, and was awake and dressed when the saucer landed.
She strapped her laser pistol gun belt around her waist. Mylte stood by the door out. “I want you to stay here, Mylte.”
“I cannot protect you if I remain here, Mistress.”
“I don’t need protection. They’re all out in the open, not hiding in dark hallways to pounce.” Mylte stared at her. “Just stay here. One less thing for me to worry about.” She locked the saucer, and headed into town.
Ursay was built out of low-slung, stone buildings. Nothing was taller than three stories. The streets were tarmac, and an assortment of wheeled and anti-grav vehicles parked and in use. Zy moved closer to the buildings, which seem to be the undesignated pedestrian crossing. The building at the end of the street seemed to be one of the local bars with brightly lit signs. When in need of information, a bar is usually the best place to pick it up.
She plunged into the darkened interior, not lingering in the doorway. Most of the bar patrons and the bartender were Ecanians. A few humanoids were mixed in.
Word box on Right
Ecanians have eight tentacles on a long trunk. The four lower are used as legs; the four lower have smaller tentacles for the grasping of smaller objects. The few that live outside the Ecan system do so in IGA prisons.
Ardley P’kins
Sentient Cultures of the Galaxy Third Edition
Zy sat at a table close to the bar, and ordered a drink from the tentacled waitress. Before she had a chance to survey the crowd, four humanoid men got up from their table and surrounded hers. “A pretty lady shouldn’t drink alone.” Zy didn’t recognize their species. “We should join you.” They seated themselves around the table.
“Make yourselves at home. Maybe you fellas can help me.”
“What’s your problem, pretty lady?” Their spokesman leaned in his chair, trying to do a sexy sprawl. His shirt hung open so you could see his pale purple chest.
“I need to see Fudlack. Can you point out any of his men to me?”
“Fudlack? What do you want with that boss when you got us?”
“That’s between me and Fudlack. Can you help me?”
Another one leaned forward, his red eyes glittering. “You have no business with Fudlack, if you think his underlings is the way into his organization.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zy frowned.
“You better come with us.” He reached out for her arm.
Zy jerked it back. “Oh no, you don’t. I need to see Fudlack.”
“Part of you will see Fudlack, pretty lady.” The one who had spoke first laughed. The two men on the left and right grabbed her arms and hauled her out of the chair.
“Let me go!” She kicked her right leg back, but he moved his leg out of the way.
“Take it outside!” The bartender yelled. “I don’t want to clean the bar again.”
She planted her feet on the floor but they jerked them loose. They dragged her into the street and forced her to her knees. Her gun was jerked out of the holster.
The one who told her she had no business with Fudlack reached under his jacket and pulled out a knife as long as his arm. “We will not be disturbed by….” A dark grey blue landed on his back. The grey arm grabbed the purple wrist and stabbed the knife into the purple chest. Mylte flipped off the falling body and landed on the street.
The other pale purple man swung at Mylte, but the lithe fighter ducked and kicked. The kick swept his legs out from under the man.
Zy kicked with her right leg. The man on her right was hit, but didn’t let go. He let go when Xeryl spun him around and punched him in the face. “Fire and ice, Zy! Why didn’t you call me!”
The last purple man standing tried to run. Zy jumped to her feet, grabbed his amr, and jerked him to a stop. Her right fist connected with his jaw and he crumpled. She kicked him in the torso just to make sure he stayed down.
Xeryl grabbed her arm, and yanked her to face him. “I told you how this organization is! This is my field of expertise. I have spent years learning how the racketeers operate, years of experience you’re not going to get if you keep reacting out of stubbornness!”
The grey talon latched on the Xeryl’s outstretched arm. Mylte snarled as the cloth constricted under the talon. Xeryl’s fingers opened up and released Zy.
“Mylte! Let him go. He wasn’t going to hurt me.” She frowned at Xeryl’s still grimacing face. “And I was not reacting out of stubbornness.”
“Oh please. You hate the potentiality of me being right about something, so dive into it to prove you don’t need me. And I thought you didn’t work with partners.” He glared at Mylte, who glared back.
“He’s not my partner, he’s my witness. And I told you to stay in the saucer.”
Mylte didn’t take his eyes from Xeryl. “I could not protect you from the saucer, Mistress.”
Zy terminated the transmission, and let a strangled growl escape her throat. She pulled up the hyperspace calculations. Finish the downloads, bury Corbaine, and she could still make it to Ecan 2 by tomorrow. Good thing she could sleep in space.
She took a deep breath. Beat Xeryl to Ecan 2, nothing better than rubbing his smug face in it. That was the best plan. She pulled up what Sara was downloading. She couldn’t search it yet; she couldn’t read the language it was written in. She would have to wait until Sara had enough computing power to start searching. Sara needed to compare Corbaine’s employee list with the one she had for Ifeket. She would have to get a current list from Xeryl; Zy gritted her teeth. Looking for Ifeket and Possatact’s names would be the next step.
She got up and went to the door of the saucer. A stack of wood was already forming across the roadway to the doors of the bunker castle.
A rift in the thick purple clouds poured the orange setting sunlight onto the plateau. Zy pulled her leather jacket tighter around her. Where Mylte had found enough wood to make this pyre, she wasn’t going to ask. He had wrapped the corpse in a white sheet and set it on top, refusing any assistance from her. “My last service for Master” was his explanation.
He thrust the torch into the wood five times, waiting for the kindling to catch before moving it. He left it in the last time.
She cleared her throat when he stood next to her. “Would you like to say something for Corbaine?”
“I have no words, Mistress.”
Zy swallowed hard. Everybody should have something said at their funeral. “I haven’t had much use for God since I saw babies murdered. And I try not to think about the afterlife. I don’t know what kind of being you were before, and God will have to settle your afterlife. But I promise to catch whoever is responsible for your death. Rest in peace and don’t become a ghost or something. Amen.”
The fire crackled, wrapping around the sheet. They moved so they stood upwind of the thick, black smoke.
“How did that sound?”
“It sounded fine, Mistress.”
The Personal Journal of IGA Agent Zy
18.3.1012/July 20, 1998
Man, man, man, how did this happen! I don’t know what to do. Have to calm down while writing this down.
HE KISSED ME! Yeah, that’s calm. I’ve been working for the past week in Xeryl’s office. He’s not someone I would have pegged as a racketeer. He doesn’t feel sleazy like Ifeket does. What the hell I’m I listening to my feelings for? They’re just going to make the job more complicated.
Anyways, he had me drop him off at a meeting this afternoon. Someone else was picking him up. He’s good at drawing people out; we were chatting like old friends by the end of the ride. Then before he got out, he leaned over and kissed me. On the lips too, since I turned my head to see what the hell he was doing.
What am I going to do? Nobody covered what I should do if the shadow boss puts the moves on me!
Chapter Five
Word Box on Left
Ecan 2 is classified off-limits. The editors cannot stress this badly enough. Tourists have been hunted as sport, and their heads sent back to their nearest relations. IGA considers anyone going to this planet either suicidal or a criminal.
Galactic Travelers Savings Express
Sara freed up enough computing power to upload what IGA had written on Ecan 2. It matched the entry in Galatic Travelers Savings Express, but offered some more gruesome details like the pictures of the murdered tourists’ remains. Spaceport meant park on the outskirts of a town. Largest metropolis was Ursay, and Fudlack’s organization was headquartered there.
“Okay, Sara, I’m going to bed. Finish going through Corbaine’s records and land us outside of Ursay.”
“Acknowledge, Agent Zy.”
Sleep was hard. She kept waking up from stone hallways and funeral pyres. She had gotten enough hours to be functional, and was awake and dressed when the saucer landed.
She strapped her laser pistol gun belt around her waist. Mylte stood by the door out. “I want you to stay here, Mylte.”
“I cannot protect you if I remain here, Mistress.”
“I don’t need protection. They’re all out in the open, not hiding in dark hallways to pounce.” Mylte stared at her. “Just stay here. One less thing for me to worry about.” She locked the saucer, and headed into town.
Ursay was built out of low-slung, stone buildings. Nothing was taller than three stories. The streets were tarmac, and an assortment of wheeled and anti-grav vehicles parked and in use. Zy moved closer to the buildings, which seem to be the undesignated pedestrian crossing. The building at the end of the street seemed to be one of the local bars with brightly lit signs. When in need of information, a bar is usually the best place to pick it up.
She plunged into the darkened interior, not lingering in the doorway. Most of the bar patrons and the bartender were Ecanians. A few humanoids were mixed in.
Word box on Right
Ecanians have eight tentacles on a long trunk. The four lower are used as legs; the four lower have smaller tentacles for the grasping of smaller objects. The few that live outside the Ecan system do so in IGA prisons.
Ardley P’kins
Sentient Cultures of the Galaxy Third Edition
Zy sat at a table close to the bar, and ordered a drink from the tentacled waitress. Before she had a chance to survey the crowd, four humanoid men got up from their table and surrounded hers. “A pretty lady shouldn’t drink alone.” Zy didn’t recognize their species. “We should join you.” They seated themselves around the table.
“Make yourselves at home. Maybe you fellas can help me.”
“What’s your problem, pretty lady?” Their spokesman leaned in his chair, trying to do a sexy sprawl. His shirt hung open so you could see his pale purple chest.
“I need to see Fudlack. Can you point out any of his men to me?”
“Fudlack? What do you want with that boss when you got us?”
“That’s between me and Fudlack. Can you help me?”
Another one leaned forward, his red eyes glittering. “You have no business with Fudlack, if you think his underlings is the way into his organization.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zy frowned.
“You better come with us.” He reached out for her arm.
Zy jerked it back. “Oh no, you don’t. I need to see Fudlack.”
“Part of you will see Fudlack, pretty lady.” The one who had spoke first laughed. The two men on the left and right grabbed her arms and hauled her out of the chair.
“Let me go!” She kicked her right leg back, but he moved his leg out of the way.
“Take it outside!” The bartender yelled. “I don’t want to clean the bar again.”
She planted her feet on the floor but they jerked them loose. They dragged her into the street and forced her to her knees. Her gun was jerked out of the holster.
The one who told her she had no business with Fudlack reached under his jacket and pulled out a knife as long as his arm. “We will not be disturbed by….” A dark grey blue landed on his back. The grey arm grabbed the purple wrist and stabbed the knife into the purple chest. Mylte flipped off the falling body and landed on the street.
The other pale purple man swung at Mylte, but the lithe fighter ducked and kicked. The kick swept his legs out from under the man.
Zy kicked with her right leg. The man on her right was hit, but didn’t let go. He let go when Xeryl spun him around and punched him in the face. “Fire and ice, Zy! Why didn’t you call me!”
The last purple man standing tried to run. Zy jumped to her feet, grabbed his amr, and jerked him to a stop. Her right fist connected with his jaw and he crumpled. She kicked him in the torso just to make sure he stayed down.
Xeryl grabbed her arm, and yanked her to face him. “I told you how this organization is! This is my field of expertise. I have spent years learning how the racketeers operate, years of experience you’re not going to get if you keep reacting out of stubbornness!”
The grey talon latched on the Xeryl’s outstretched arm. Mylte snarled as the cloth constricted under the talon. Xeryl’s fingers opened up and released Zy.
“Mylte! Let him go. He wasn’t going to hurt me.” She frowned at Xeryl’s still grimacing face. “And I was not reacting out of stubbornness.”
“Oh please. You hate the potentiality of me being right about something, so dive into it to prove you don’t need me. And I thought you didn’t work with partners.” He glared at Mylte, who glared back.
“He’s not my partner, he’s my witness. And I told you to stay in the saucer.”
Mylte didn’t take his eyes from Xeryl. “I could not protect you from the saucer, Mistress.”
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Five Day 3
Day Three of NaNoWriMo. 1049 words.
She would need an employee list. And maybe what the three victims met on is still in Corbaine’s records. If he had any left. “Mylte? Did they loot all the computer records too?”
“I do not know for certain, Mistress. They took computer equipment, but the information may still be there.”
“Okay, we’ll have to go see.” Zy unplugged the vidplayer and readied it for traveling. “Sara, what to use to make an interface between you and Corbaine’s computers?”
“The green cords in the storage room. You should find one with the correct port connections.”
Mylte trotted after Zy as they went a little ways down the curving hallway of the saucer to the storage room. She was getting used to that. And it made it easy for her to give the green cords to him, and grab the vidplayer when they left the saucer. She put on a breather before entering Corbaine’s former headquarters. It was a small device that held a filter and fitted over the end of her nose with inserts into the nostrils. Less cumbersome than a gas mask, but it didn’t offer any protection from a chemical attack. It just kept bad smells away.
“We’ll start in the communications room, or whatever the heck it was.” She stopped in the doorway and surveyed the electronic mess.
“It was used to contact other, Mistress.”
“Well, look for a port that matches at least one of those cords.” Zy gingerly moved across the room to start looking from the other end of the control panel. “Still has lights on, guess that means we have power.”
“I tried to turn things off in other areas, but I did not understand how with this equipment, Mistress.”
“Reading other languages is always a problem. I think I found it, let me see the cords.” She picked up a set of headphones blocking her view and tossed them over her shoulder. The vidplayer rested on the board without activating anything, and one of the cords fit between the two ports.
She looked at the screen. Contact established. Downloading all contents. Estimated time to completion: 3 standard hours.
“Sara found something.” Zy rubbed her face. “So now we have to make a decision.”
Mylte blinked his black eyes.
“We have to give Corbaine a funeral or something. I’m not living him here to rot. What do you think would be the best way to… well, dispose of the body?”
“Master told me once the tradition of his people is fire.”
“A funeral pyre?”
“Yes, shall I start preparations, Mistress?”
“Go ahead, I don’t need you for this.”
He pointed to the screen. “It is flashing.”
There is an incoming transmission. Cannot open at the remote location.
“Somebody wants to talk to me at the saucer. You get things started.” Zy ignored his affirmatives, and pulled the breather off as soon as she reached the outside. The only other vidplayer communicator was in her bunk. She sat down at the cubicle attached to the wall. The sender had encrypted it to hide his identity. She sighed, and activated the transmission, “Hello?”
“You look ravishing, Zy.” Xeryl grinned on the screen. “You and Corbaine getting along?”
“I’m burying him.” She propped her chin in her hands.
“I know you don’t approve of his profession, but I don’t think that will help your current investigation. Not to mention how your superiors frown on killing off suspects.” He leaned back in his chair.
“I found him dead. Self-inflected shot to the head in a room full of witnesses who he was begging to stop him. My witness thought he reached the body first and found the gun missing.”
Xeryl straightened. “Other than the witnesses, that’s exactly how we found Ifeket.”
“Based on forensics, he died before Ifeket. Maybe the killer learned something between the two.”
“And learned a new way of killing altogether for Possatact and Fudlack.” He fingered his braid.
Zy sat up. “Who’s Fudlack?”
“The newest murder victim, established in the Ecan system for 10 standard years. His headquarters is on Ecan 2, and that’s where he was killed.”
“And you know about this how?”
“I’m in the process of negotiating a trade deal with Fudlack. His death puts a hamper on that, but I thought we could gather some clues. Yes, that’s the phrase you used before.”
“What do you mean we?”
“You’re not going to be able to talk to any of Fudlack’s people without me. Their philosophy is to kill off law enforcement of any stature.”
“So I’m supposed to accept your protection? I don’t believe this! Who’s the Agent, me or you?”
“I have a vested interest in seeing Possatact’s murderer punished.”
“Because he messed with your plans, and it’s convient to have IGA do your dirty work. It’s not like your care because you liked Possatact or something.”
“Aren’t you the one who kicked him in the gut when he exposed you? If liking the victim makes you a good investigator, you’re the least qualified.”
“It’s my job! One you forced on me because you wouldn’t have any other Agent take Murdock’s place.”
“To see you again! And now you need my help.”
“Says you!”
“Calm down. I just want to help you get through Fudlack’s remaining organization. You’ll end up with your head on a pole if you try kicking them in the collective guts.”
“I don’t work with a partner.”
Xeryl leaned back again. “You are entirely too pessimistic. The situation isn’t that bad.”
“I do not work with a partner. Any partner!”
“Stop being unreasonable.”
“I’m not being unreasonable!”
“Screaming doesn’t help.”
Zy terminated the transmission, and let a strangled growl escape her throat. She pulled up the hyperspace calculations. Finish the downloads, bury Corbaine, and she could still make it to Ecan 2 by tomorrow. Good thing she could sleep in space.
A rift in the thick purple clouds poured the orange setting sunlight onto the plateau. Zy pulled her leather jacket tighter around her. Where Mylte had found enough wood to make this pyre, she wasn’t going to ask. He had wrapped the corpse in a white sheet and set it on top, refusing any assistance from her. “My last service for Master” was his explanation.
She would need an employee list. And maybe what the three victims met on is still in Corbaine’s records. If he had any left. “Mylte? Did they loot all the computer records too?”
“I do not know for certain, Mistress. They took computer equipment, but the information may still be there.”
“Okay, we’ll have to go see.” Zy unplugged the vidplayer and readied it for traveling. “Sara, what to use to make an interface between you and Corbaine’s computers?”
“The green cords in the storage room. You should find one with the correct port connections.”
Mylte trotted after Zy as they went a little ways down the curving hallway of the saucer to the storage room. She was getting used to that. And it made it easy for her to give the green cords to him, and grab the vidplayer when they left the saucer. She put on a breather before entering Corbaine’s former headquarters. It was a small device that held a filter and fitted over the end of her nose with inserts into the nostrils. Less cumbersome than a gas mask, but it didn’t offer any protection from a chemical attack. It just kept bad smells away.
“We’ll start in the communications room, or whatever the heck it was.” She stopped in the doorway and surveyed the electronic mess.
“It was used to contact other, Mistress.”
“Well, look for a port that matches at least one of those cords.” Zy gingerly moved across the room to start looking from the other end of the control panel. “Still has lights on, guess that means we have power.”
“I tried to turn things off in other areas, but I did not understand how with this equipment, Mistress.”
“Reading other languages is always a problem. I think I found it, let me see the cords.” She picked up a set of headphones blocking her view and tossed them over her shoulder. The vidplayer rested on the board without activating anything, and one of the cords fit between the two ports.
She looked at the screen. Contact established. Downloading all contents. Estimated time to completion: 3 standard hours.
“Sara found something.” Zy rubbed her face. “So now we have to make a decision.”
Mylte blinked his black eyes.
“We have to give Corbaine a funeral or something. I’m not living him here to rot. What do you think would be the best way to… well, dispose of the body?”
“Master told me once the tradition of his people is fire.”
“A funeral pyre?”
“Yes, shall I start preparations, Mistress?”
“Go ahead, I don’t need you for this.”
He pointed to the screen. “It is flashing.”
There is an incoming transmission. Cannot open at the remote location.
“Somebody wants to talk to me at the saucer. You get things started.” Zy ignored his affirmatives, and pulled the breather off as soon as she reached the outside. The only other vidplayer communicator was in her bunk. She sat down at the cubicle attached to the wall. The sender had encrypted it to hide his identity. She sighed, and activated the transmission, “Hello?”
“You look ravishing, Zy.” Xeryl grinned on the screen. “You and Corbaine getting along?”
“I’m burying him.” She propped her chin in her hands.
“I know you don’t approve of his profession, but I don’t think that will help your current investigation. Not to mention how your superiors frown on killing off suspects.” He leaned back in his chair.
“I found him dead. Self-inflected shot to the head in a room full of witnesses who he was begging to stop him. My witness thought he reached the body first and found the gun missing.”
Xeryl straightened. “Other than the witnesses, that’s exactly how we found Ifeket.”
“Based on forensics, he died before Ifeket. Maybe the killer learned something between the two.”
“And learned a new way of killing altogether for Possatact and Fudlack.” He fingered his braid.
Zy sat up. “Who’s Fudlack?”
“The newest murder victim, established in the Ecan system for 10 standard years. His headquarters is on Ecan 2, and that’s where he was killed.”
“And you know about this how?”
“I’m in the process of negotiating a trade deal with Fudlack. His death puts a hamper on that, but I thought we could gather some clues. Yes, that’s the phrase you used before.”
“What do you mean we?”
“You’re not going to be able to talk to any of Fudlack’s people without me. Their philosophy is to kill off law enforcement of any stature.”
“So I’m supposed to accept your protection? I don’t believe this! Who’s the Agent, me or you?”
“I have a vested interest in seeing Possatact’s murderer punished.”
“Because he messed with your plans, and it’s convient to have IGA do your dirty work. It’s not like your care because you liked Possatact or something.”
“Aren’t you the one who kicked him in the gut when he exposed you? If liking the victim makes you a good investigator, you’re the least qualified.”
“It’s my job! One you forced on me because you wouldn’t have any other Agent take Murdock’s place.”
“To see you again! And now you need my help.”
“Says you!”
“Calm down. I just want to help you get through Fudlack’s remaining organization. You’ll end up with your head on a pole if you try kicking them in the collective guts.”
“I don’t work with a partner.”
Xeryl leaned back again. “You are entirely too pessimistic. The situation isn’t that bad.”
“I do not work with a partner. Any partner!”
“Stop being unreasonable.”
“I’m not being unreasonable!”
“Screaming doesn’t help.”
Zy terminated the transmission, and let a strangled growl escape her throat. She pulled up the hyperspace calculations. Finish the downloads, bury Corbaine, and she could still make it to Ecan 2 by tomorrow. Good thing she could sleep in space.
A rift in the thick purple clouds poured the orange setting sunlight onto the plateau. Zy pulled her leather jacket tighter around her. Where Mylte had found enough wood to make this pyre, she wasn’t going to ask. He had wrapped the corpse in a white sheet and set it on top, refusing any assistance from her. “My last service for Master” was his explanation.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Four - Day 2
Day Two of NaNoWriMo. 718 words.
Zy stared at the ground. She didn’t want him around because she would be responsible, but if she didn’t let him serve she would be responsible for his death. Holmes and Watson didn’t have that kind of relationship, and she didn’t even want a partner. There has to be a way to get him back to his people. You can’t pick up companions like stray puppies. Best to treat him the same as any other witness. “So Mylte, what did you do for Cobaine?”
“I protected him. Master had great caution for his life, though lately it had gone extreme.”
“Paranoia?”
“Yes, though I suppose it was justifiable in hindsight.”
“When did the caution change to paranoia?”
“Almost five months ago.”
“Local months?”
“Yes. Why does that matter?”
“Possatact, Ifeket, and Corbaine were involved and now they’re all dead. Maybe we can figure out what made him jumpy, we have a possibility into why they were killed.” Zy pulled her knees close and rested her chin on them. “Course, it’s equally possible that these murders are unrelated, but I don’t think so. Ifeket’s and Cobaine’s were both self-inflicted laser pistol wounds and then the gun disappeared—implying that someone was there to take it. In Cobaine’s case, someone a whole room ful of people could not see. Possatact’s head explodes for no reason and someone was there to watch it, but left no clue as to who he, she, or it was.” She looked back at Mylte. “Does that make sense?”
“Complicated, but subtle. Most killers are not subtle in Master’s world. Cunning to keep from being caught, but not subtle.”
“I know. Makes me think X wanted to play with them, torture them.”
Mylte’s head tilted as he looked down at her. “X? Who is X?”
“X is how you refer to the killer until you know who it is.”
“Why not just the killer?”
“X is quicker to write down.”
Mylte didn’t say anything to that, just turned and looked at the sky between the mountains. The familiar whine of engines grew louder. The silver of the saucer flashed sunlight as it slowly hovered into view. It moved over the cregs of the mountains. Zy stood up, and moved closer to the building. It moved slowly, but still kicked up the dust as it settled on the landing struts. Zy shielded her eyes.
The ramp slid out perpendicular to the door of the building. Zy grinned as she went in. “Perfectly executed, Sara.”
“Thank you, Agent Zy.”
Zy caught Mylte trailing after her and looking for the source of the voice. “Sarabel is the model computer that runs the saucer. I call her Sara for short. We’ve got a passanger for a while. His name is Mylte.”
“Greetings, Mylte. Or do you prefer another form of address?”
“Mylte is fine.” He turned to Zy. “What would you have me do now, Mistress?”
“First, we get you a bunk set up. Then we’re going to investigate.”
Zy was loathe to admit it, but Mylte was coming in handy. He could deliver the analyzerbot without gagging or vomitting or otherwise ruining what evidence was left. Though he had done a far job of ruining it by setting up the neverending wake.
She needed to find some more of Cobaine’s ex-employees to corraborate Mylte’s story. How to do that when they could have ran to any planet’s seamy side, no answers were forthcoming. So she turned to seeing what the throne room had left to tell.
Laser blast residue on the wall behind the throne. Sara calculated that it fit the trajectory of the blast that went through Corbaine. And the angle of the shot through Corbaine’s temple was consistant with a self-inflected wound. And correlating what was known of this Rvana 8’s inscects and how long it took them to grow, Corbaine had been dead for about sixty Standard days. The arid climate and Mylte’s constant care kept the worse decomposure away.
She pulled up a calander. Ifeket was killed 3.4.1012. Corbaine was killed on or about 14.2.1012, before she infiltrated Ifeket’s organization. Corbaine was killed first. When did that meeting take place between all thress of them? It was the end of last year, and Xeryl hadn’t known anything about it.
Corbaine was killed two months ago and nobody found out? His ex-employees didn’t say anything? Zy wouldn’t normally credit them with being so closed-mouth. Maybe it had something to do with the demon rumor.
Zy stared at the ground. She didn’t want him around because she would be responsible, but if she didn’t let him serve she would be responsible for his death. Holmes and Watson didn’t have that kind of relationship, and she didn’t even want a partner. There has to be a way to get him back to his people. You can’t pick up companions like stray puppies. Best to treat him the same as any other witness. “So Mylte, what did you do for Cobaine?”
“I protected him. Master had great caution for his life, though lately it had gone extreme.”
“Paranoia?”
“Yes, though I suppose it was justifiable in hindsight.”
“When did the caution change to paranoia?”
“Almost five months ago.”
“Local months?”
“Yes. Why does that matter?”
“Possatact, Ifeket, and Corbaine were involved and now they’re all dead. Maybe we can figure out what made him jumpy, we have a possibility into why they were killed.” Zy pulled her knees close and rested her chin on them. “Course, it’s equally possible that these murders are unrelated, but I don’t think so. Ifeket’s and Cobaine’s were both self-inflicted laser pistol wounds and then the gun disappeared—implying that someone was there to take it. In Cobaine’s case, someone a whole room ful of people could not see. Possatact’s head explodes for no reason and someone was there to watch it, but left no clue as to who he, she, or it was.” She looked back at Mylte. “Does that make sense?”
“Complicated, but subtle. Most killers are not subtle in Master’s world. Cunning to keep from being caught, but not subtle.”
“I know. Makes me think X wanted to play with them, torture them.”
Mylte’s head tilted as he looked down at her. “X? Who is X?”
“X is how you refer to the killer until you know who it is.”
“Why not just the killer?”
“X is quicker to write down.”
Mylte didn’t say anything to that, just turned and looked at the sky between the mountains. The familiar whine of engines grew louder. The silver of the saucer flashed sunlight as it slowly hovered into view. It moved over the cregs of the mountains. Zy stood up, and moved closer to the building. It moved slowly, but still kicked up the dust as it settled on the landing struts. Zy shielded her eyes.
The ramp slid out perpendicular to the door of the building. Zy grinned as she went in. “Perfectly executed, Sara.”
“Thank you, Agent Zy.”
Zy caught Mylte trailing after her and looking for the source of the voice. “Sarabel is the model computer that runs the saucer. I call her Sara for short. We’ve got a passanger for a while. His name is Mylte.”
“Greetings, Mylte. Or do you prefer another form of address?”
“Mylte is fine.” He turned to Zy. “What would you have me do now, Mistress?”
“First, we get you a bunk set up. Then we’re going to investigate.”
Zy was loathe to admit it, but Mylte was coming in handy. He could deliver the analyzerbot without gagging or vomitting or otherwise ruining what evidence was left. Though he had done a far job of ruining it by setting up the neverending wake.
She needed to find some more of Cobaine’s ex-employees to corraborate Mylte’s story. How to do that when they could have ran to any planet’s seamy side, no answers were forthcoming. So she turned to seeing what the throne room had left to tell.
Laser blast residue on the wall behind the throne. Sara calculated that it fit the trajectory of the blast that went through Corbaine. And the angle of the shot through Corbaine’s temple was consistant with a self-inflected wound. And correlating what was known of this Rvana 8’s inscects and how long it took them to grow, Corbaine had been dead for about sixty Standard days. The arid climate and Mylte’s constant care kept the worse decomposure away.
She pulled up a calander. Ifeket was killed 3.4.1012. Corbaine was killed on or about 14.2.1012, before she infiltrated Ifeket’s organization. Corbaine was killed first. When did that meeting take place between all thress of them? It was the end of last year, and Xeryl hadn’t known anything about it.
Corbaine was killed two months ago and nobody found out? His ex-employees didn’t say anything? Zy wouldn’t normally credit them with being so closed-mouth. Maybe it had something to do with the demon rumor.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Zy's Novel Post Three - Day 1
Day One of NaNoWriMo. 441 words.
Zy jerked her hand back. “No, no, no, no. This won’t work. I can’t have a servant.”
“I must serve. You are the only one to serve, Mistress.” His tone sound just like Zy’s Algrebra teacher had sounded when the class just wasn’t getting it: slow, patient, and obviously think I’m dealing with a moron.
“My name is Zy.”
“Yes, Mistress Zy.”
She slumped against the wall. “I’m pretty sure IGA has regulations that we can’t have servants. They have to have regulations, we investigate slavers.” She took a deep breath. “Mylte is your name?”
“Yes, Mistress.” Mylte’s black eyes never left her face.
“And most agents have to worry about their witness disappearing on them.” She pushed off the wall. “Okay, the first thing that needs to be done is to examine the remains. Let’s get outside.”
The sunlight hurt her eyes, but she only brought her hand up to turn off the flashlight. The sun hovered in the crevice of the valley. “What anti-saucer defenses are active?”
“Nothing is active. The coculas took the guns when they ran, Mistress.”
“Don’t let the threat of a demon stop the looting.” Zy opened the communication channel with Sara again. “Update, Sara. Cobaine is dead. Apparently the headquarters is deactivated, but the landing strip is big enough. Bring the saucer up to the source of the signal on a cautious route.”
“Acknowledged, Agent Zy.”
Zy sat down on the doorstep. She looked back up at Mylte, who stared back impassively. “Can I have my gun back?”
It emerged from his robe. “My apologies, Mistress.”
“Don’t worry about it. What,” she paused and started over again. “I’m not trying to be rude, really, but what species are you?”
“We call ourselves the Ones Who Hide With Color. Master had a different name for his records.”
The Ones Who Hide With Color; sometimes the nanobots translators translated too well. But then he said things that were untranslatable. “Are you speaking two different languages?”
“I learned Master’s. His employees could not understand me.”
“That makes sense.” She pulled off the flashlight band and rubbed her forehead. Her desire to do anything sank through her butt to the stone. “So there’s no way to avoid this betah thing if you don’t serve?”
“I could end the Mylte cycle. I’m not prepared to do that.”
She stared up at the grey statue. “End the cycle? Kill yourself?”
“The act would restore the honor I have tarnished, but I would rather restore the honor by serving.”
Zy stared at the ground. She didn’t want him around because she would be responsible, but if she didn’t let him serve she would be responsible for his death.
Zy jerked her hand back. “No, no, no, no. This won’t work. I can’t have a servant.”
“I must serve. You are the only one to serve, Mistress.” His tone sound just like Zy’s Algrebra teacher had sounded when the class just wasn’t getting it: slow, patient, and obviously think I’m dealing with a moron.
“My name is Zy.”
“Yes, Mistress Zy.”
She slumped against the wall. “I’m pretty sure IGA has regulations that we can’t have servants. They have to have regulations, we investigate slavers.” She took a deep breath. “Mylte is your name?”
“Yes, Mistress.” Mylte’s black eyes never left her face.
“And most agents have to worry about their witness disappearing on them.” She pushed off the wall. “Okay, the first thing that needs to be done is to examine the remains. Let’s get outside.”
The sunlight hurt her eyes, but she only brought her hand up to turn off the flashlight. The sun hovered in the crevice of the valley. “What anti-saucer defenses are active?”
“Nothing is active. The coculas took the guns when they ran, Mistress.”
“Don’t let the threat of a demon stop the looting.” Zy opened the communication channel with Sara again. “Update, Sara. Cobaine is dead. Apparently the headquarters is deactivated, but the landing strip is big enough. Bring the saucer up to the source of the signal on a cautious route.”
“Acknowledged, Agent Zy.”
Zy sat down on the doorstep. She looked back up at Mylte, who stared back impassively. “Can I have my gun back?”
It emerged from his robe. “My apologies, Mistress.”
“Don’t worry about it. What,” she paused and started over again. “I’m not trying to be rude, really, but what species are you?”
“We call ourselves the Ones Who Hide With Color. Master had a different name for his records.”
The Ones Who Hide With Color; sometimes the nanobots translators translated too well. But then he said things that were untranslatable. “Are you speaking two different languages?”
“I learned Master’s. His employees could not understand me.”
“That makes sense.” She pulled off the flashlight band and rubbed her forehead. Her desire to do anything sank through her butt to the stone. “So there’s no way to avoid this betah thing if you don’t serve?”
“I could end the Mylte cycle. I’m not prepared to do that.”
She stared up at the grey statue. “End the cycle? Kill yourself?”
“The act would restore the honor I have tarnished, but I would rather restore the honor by serving.”
Zy stared at the ground. She didn’t want him around because she would be responsible, but if she didn’t let him serve she would be responsible for his death.
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