Writing on the Wall (Working Title)

[araell]

Introduction

‘And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ (Genesis 1:26)

It is said that God created the Earth in seven days. On the first he gave us Light, for what is a world of only darkness? Come the second day God created the skies to give us a limit, and with the third came earth, life as we know it. With the fourth day God lit up the night sky with stars for us to aim for and on the fifth came life; God filled the skies and the oceans with animals, and gave the land its own life. Come the sixth and seventh day God created us, a race that ever longs for knowledge and power; Humans.

Science argues against the existence of God, saying we were created by fragments of rock and space dust. As we’ve evolved more and more people have come to accept it as fact, but what if everything we have learnt is a lie? What if this ‘God’ we once worshipped was in fact mortal and had a very real purpose to create us…

[Chinaren]

My theory is that, if there was a god, it would be a member of an alien species.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you come up with here Arl!

[araell]

Probably not the best idea to start a new story when i haven't finished my other one but oh well. Anyway, this story is inspired partly by a dream i had the other night and partly by a friend of mine. Here's what i have for now...i hope u enjoy this 

Chapter One – The Body

   It was a cold October morning. The people of London had grown accustomed to the sudden coldness of the months – each year, it would get colder. Scientists called it the end of world, soon it would freeze over and we would all cease to exist. Kairi preferred to think of it as nature’s way of telling us that the world was too hot. She had often considered theories that maybe the Earth was man-made and perhaps had a metal core. The drop in climate was its way of cooling itself down. Eventually, it would get warmer again – she was sure of it.

   The sound of children on the early morning school run met Kairi’s ears as she opened the front door of her London apartment block in the city centre. The cold air bit at her porcelain face as it whipped past her dainty figure. She was a demure woman of about twenty three, maybe twenty four. She wore a long black fabric coat that ended just below her knees leaving flesh coloured tights to cover her slender legs. Her feet were fitted into shiny black stilettos that clicked the pavement as she walked towards her car. It was a simple car that got her from home to work and from work to home, a red Skoda Octavia to be precise, nothing too fancy.

   Taking a key out of her pocket, she used it to unlock the car, a small LED light flashing as she pressed hard on the button. She opened the passenger side door and placed a briefcase and an I-phone on top – it was the newest model; the I-phone 4. She shut the door and, checking the road, she walked round to the driver’s side door, opening it and pulling herself in. She clicked her key into the lock and turned it, the car chugging into action. Just as she was about to drive off, her phone jingled, the screen changing to indicate a message. Looking over, she picked up the phone, dragging her finger across the screen to unlock it.

‘187 DB, Epping Forest, Lea Bridge Road,’ read the message. ‘Not easy to find, type these co-ordinates into your Satnav: +51°34’50.60”, +0°0’25.82”.’

   Frowning, she reached across to the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat and pulled out the Satnav which she hated using. Looking over the message again, she scowled as she waited for the thing to turn on. She wondered what the circumstances of this DB could be. She did love a new case. As the Satnav finished turning on, she punched the co-ordinates into the machine and stuck it easily onto the windscreen.

“Continue straight ahead,” said the Satnav in a woman’s voice.

   She knew Epping Forest well; she had often taken leisurely drives there when she couldn’t sleep. It was a peaceful place with a beautiful lake – she could not imagine it having a DB right in the middle of so much life. Sighing heavily she drove off, following the directions the Satnav echoed to her.

    Pulling up when she could go no further, a colleague met her by the trees. He nodded to her as she locked her car walking over to him. His name was Joe Banks, a field agent for LPD, an interesting looking man with a suave black suit tightly fitted to his muscular body. He smiled and Kairi remembered how she always thought he bared a strange resemblance to Eddie Cahill’s character on CSI New York. She definitely fancied him.

“What have we got?” she asked, rubbing her hands together and placing them in her pockets as her breath coloured the clear air in front of her.

“I think you’ll like this one!” his voice was deep and captivating, like Tom from Survivors. She could listen to him for hours on end. Kairi watched too much television for her own good.

“And what makes you think that?”

“Did you know that there is no police code for a dead alien body?” he asked as he led her through the police tape and off road down the banks of Hollow Pond.

“What are you talking about?” she asked as they came to a small mound covered in a white cloth. This was quite clearly the ‘not so normal’ DB.

“You’ll see.”

   He knelt down and pulled down the cloth that covered the DB. The sight that met her eyes made her turn away and gag. Joe got to his feet as Kairi dared to look back, taking in fully the sight before her eyes.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, thanking the fact that she’d missed breakfast this morning.

“Told you it wasn’t your average DB.” Retorted Joe as his face twisted into a grim look, tainted with sympathy.

   The body was a pallid white with a sort of liquid like effect. The stomach was bloated and it was nigh on impossible to tell the gender of the corpse. It was like looking at a life size version of Ken or Barbie, only not as well toned. The face was obscure, two bare sockets where the eyes should have been and a hole not too far down which seemed to sport a mouth. A nose was also apparent made by two smaller holes between the eye sockets and mouth. The hands and feet of the body were webbed like a fish with no amount of hair to be seen anywhere on it.

“Is that human?” she asked, gulping.

“Crime lab reckons that perhaps someone may have tortured whatever this is,” he replied. “The coroner was just here though saying he’s been unable to get any source of ID. I mean, there’s no hair, no fingerprints, no nothing.”

“What about DNA?”

“He didn’t have the equipment on him. Body transport will be here any minute and then he’ll do a blood test at the lab.”

“So what do we think…body dump maybe?”

“Crime lab reckons he got washed up. That would explain the bloated stomach.”

“What about cause of death?”

“Coroner said asphyxiation, drowning in other words. Liver temp puts its death between midnight and three last night.”

“So is this murder or…”

“I don’t know.”

“Sir?” The agents looked around to see a plump police officer coming towards them. “The coroner wants to know if he can take the body to the lab now,” he asked.

“Sure…we’re all done here,” answered Joe. The police man nodded and turned away as Kairi took a deep breath.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Boss wants us back at base for a lowdown. We’ll discuss what to do from there.”

“What’s he said about the case?”

“As far as he’s concerned we’re looking at a mad scientist who tried his luck at playing God and failed. Personally…I agree!”


So as this is my first Interactive Tale...im hoping i do this right. Anyway...fairly open ending here...what happens back at base and what will the coroner's report reveal??

[Chinaren]

I don't know how I missed this one before!  Good job you put your other thread up pointing to it!

Anyway, good start! 

As for the espee:  Well, of course it's not going ot get to the lab is it?  It will mysteriously disappear en-route.  Or, if it does get to the lab, it will vanish overnight for some strange reason. 

[araell]

Nice one China...i had never even anticipated that possiblilty u are a genius 

Depending on wot responses i get by the weekend i may put up a poll. If not, the next chapter will be along as soon as i find some time to take a break away from my college work 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Interesting start Araell.  I was actually thinking that this creature was some sort of demon from the underworld, not sure why.  However, Chinaren's suggestion makes sense if it's an alien.

Let's throw in another idea though.  The thing re-awakes in the morgue and does horrible things to the coroner.  Bloooood. Records from the initial scans show the blood isn't human.  In fact they don't know what it is. 

[araell]

Good suggestions guys...you're giving me some really good ideas as to what should happen next. I'll keep this open for a while and when ive got some spare time (stupid college work) i'll get the next chapter up 

[araell]

Okay so I'm going to try and get a chapter done today, if not will be uploaded tomorrow. Due to the inspiration you guys have given me, I've decided to combine the ideas 

Watch this space 

[araell]

As promised, the next little snippet. China and Perry...Dont worry about your suggestions for the first body...i have plans for those.

Chapter 2 - Back at the Office (Part 1)

        The door of the boss’ office opened with a tasteful click as Joe rapped on the glass panel of the door. He opened the door a little to see the boss wittering away on the phone in heated conversation, most likely with the Government…again. They wanted security heightened for the upcoming Olympics but the boss was confident that the number of forces he had set aside was enough. Spying the agents, he motioned them in with his spare hand as he tried desperately to end the conversation.

   Joe and Kairi quietly stepped into the office. It was only a tiny office with filing cabinets up against the far wall just behind a mahogany wood table that had a laptop on it with a bunch of paperwork scattered all around. A phone was there too, at was nearly dragged off the table as the boss turned to face the full length window that looked out onto the streets around Christchurch Gardens. Metropolitan Police Station always did have lovely views.

“Bye bye now,” exclaimed the boss. “Bye!”

   The boss placed the phone back on its hook and placed two hands on the desk, sighing heavily. His name was Shifler, Martin Shifler, a tall man, swerve and sophisticated, a bit like James Bond only not as cool. There was also a certain shiftiness about him, but Kairi couldn’t quite put her finger on why she didn’t trust him. 

“Thank god for that.” He took a seat behind the desk and motioned for the agents to take a seat on the other side. He leaned back and placed his hands together, interlinking his fingers and looking at the agents with a blank expression. “What have you got for me?”

   Joe took a small notepad out of his pocket and started to read from it, outlining the basic details of the crime scene.

“Unidentified, possible male body, up by Hollow Lake. Liver temperature indicates that his death was between midnight and three this morning. Evidence on the sight suggests he was washed up by the lake, but it could be a body dump seeing as Hollow Lake doesn’t really have a source of…speed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well it’s possible that he could have been washed up seeing as there are no tire marks or anything of the sort. But then, his body would have to have been in the water for some reason and then something would have to was it shore…but I can’t see how that would be possible given the consistency of its calm surface.”

“No…but stranger things have happened right?”

“Agreed!”

“You’re quiet today Burns? You okay?” Kairi looked up at the mention of her name, apparently distracted by a split end in her long naturally brown hair. A single strand had slipped away from her neatly tied bun – she threw it back over her head when she noticed Martin looking at her. “Everything alright?” he asked again.

“Yes,” she stuttered. “Still trying to get over the sight of that DB.”

   Joe glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye – she didn’t notice though. He never had like the way she referred to fatalities as ‘DB’, made them seem like objects as opposed to people. This distaste for her attitude towards came also with a sense of admiration, wishing that he could distance himself from cases, just as easily as she could. Then again, she had always been a divine being that struck him with awe whenever she looked at him – with Kairi, what you saw was not what you got.

“Yes, well that’s to be expected. What do you both intend to do next?”

   Joe opened his mouth to respond, but what came out was not his voice. Instead, it was his ring tone – Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi…classic. He twisted his lips into a look of slight embarrassment as Kairi tried to hide the fact that she desperately wanted to sing along. Martin inclined his head and Joe smiled slightly, getting to his feet and heading towards the door to answer it outside of the office. When the door was shut, Kairi’s eyes wondered out of the window as she watched the Black Labrador down in Christchurch Gardens play fetch with its owner.

“Are you sure you’re okay Kairi?” asked Martin as her eyes wondered back to him. “You seem very distracted.”

“I’m fine,” she replied calmly, watching as he ran his hands through his short blonde hair that seemed devoid of any gell…yet it still seemed to stay on end.

   The door clicked as Joe came back into the room, sighing as he shut it behind him. He stroked his slight stubble and sat back in his chair, his face white and pale. Something was wrong, and Kairi did not like the way his eyes were darting nervously around the room.

“What was that all about?” She asked as she leaned forward slightly, uncrossing her legs and placing her feet firmly on the floor.

“There’s been another body,” he began as Kairi’s expression turned to one of shock and Martin’s one of slight panic. “Apparently, it’s an obvious she. It was alive, muttering numbers calmly to itself…and then it dropped dead. Police are on the scene…they’re waiting for us.”

“Where is it?” asked Kairi, showing obvious concern.

“Just off Great Peter Street in the Peabody Estate.”

“Which block?”

“Block J, flat 36.”

“Then we better go check it out.”

   Kairi stood, smoothing out her skirt as she made for the door. Joe went to follow as Martin stood, watching nervously as they left his office. He watched them further as they grabbed a few belongings from their desks and left the office for the Peabody Estate. Crossing over to the door, he shut it, locking it tight. He sat back at his desk and Brought up the screen of his laptop – a Sony Vaio. Pressing the ‘enter’ key to wake it up, he double clicked on Skype and logged himself in, too quick for anyone to spy his username and password. He scrolled down the list of contacts and double clicked on one called Ian Onam. The video call started and he waited for a response, sitting back in his chair and trying desperately to seem relaxed.

   The call was answered almost immediately, the answer noise making Marin jump slightly. Sat on the other end of the camera was an older man of about the age of sixty. He wore a suit and tie, much like the one Martin was wearing himself. He sat at a desk of the same wood as he and waited for Martin to speak.

“We have a problem!” he stated, itching his suddenly sweaty forehead.

“I know,” said the voice on the other side, his smug expression not changing as a slight smile touched the ends of his lips. “And what do you intend to do about it?”

“I’m not sure…I was hoping you’d have some orders for me.”

 “Well isn’t it obvious what I’m going to tell you to do?” he paused for a while, to see if Martin was as clever as he thought. “You need to get them off the case…one way or another.”

“What do you mean?” Martin gulped.

“Do whatever it takes Martin. No-one can find out about our…establishment.”


So it seems a traiter is looming here then hah 

So...as for an espee...what happens at the Peabody Estate and how do our agents deal with it?

Also, just a little question to provoke thought - What do you think Martin and Ian are up to?

Suggest away 

[Chinaren]

I've been a bit swamped the last day or two, so will add this to my reading list! 

[Chinaren]

Well, I'd say that the most obvious and non-unusual route is the best at first.  Simply assign them to another case, assuming there is one.  Say another department is dealing with the dead bodies.  Or somesuch. 

Obviously these two know what the bodies are, and something has gone wrong, so they need 'special people' to deal with the situation.

[araell]

Okay China...we'll see wot happens 

Wot do u think happens at the sight of the next body though 

[Chinaren]

I'd say our hero becomes intruiged, and this is what makes her follow up when she's taken off the case.

[araell]

Kinda wot i had in mind anyway (China, i swear you're a mind reader  ) onle for Joe to want to continue with it because of his emotional involvement 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

A good addition Araell.  To be honest I'm running on empty for suggestions here, so I'm just going to agree with Chinaren!  If I think of something else I'll be back.

[araell]

I know this is quick for me...im surprise too  Anyway, this should bring the action up to speed

Chapter 2 - Back at the Office (Part 2)

        Joe pulled up outside the apartment block, his face still as pale as ever. Taking the key out of the lock he took a deep breath as Kairi placed a tentative hand upon his knee. He looked up at her and she smiled sweetly before getting out of the car and stepping into the vacant road. He sighed again and then stepped out of the car, locking it as they walked up the stairs to the apartment block. At the top of the stairs stood a police officer who stood tall when he saw the field agents approaching him.

“What’s the report?” asked Joe coming to stand beside the officer.

“Nothing new so far sir. Chief Inspector Redman is here though taking statements from the boys who found the body.”

“What ages are they?” asked Kairi, a touch of concern toning her voice.

“The eldest is twenty one, the younger eighteen. They were left home alone whilst their parents took a tour of the Alps it seems. Apparently they thought she was dead when they found her in the alley round back, but she woke up just as they took a picture to put on some sci-fi website. She’s died again since.”

“What was it about those numbers she was muttering?”

“Oh, it seems she responds with numbers. We asked her name and she replied with a bunch of numbers. Redman’s got all the notes in the flat upstairs.”

“Thanks!” exclaimed Joe as he led the way into the flat.

   Once inside, they followed a corridor up and to the right where another two officers were stood either side of an elevator door. Both of them nodded to the agents as the elevator doors sprang open and they walked in. Joe pushed a button, above it reading ‘Flats 30-40’. The elevator doors shut slyly and Kairi could feel the butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach as the elevator shifted into action.

   The elevator doors opened suddenly, making Kairi jump slightly. Joe sniggered as he led the way, again. Round the corner, they bumped into Redman, who was coming out of Flat 36. He was a very tall man, but stocky, with wispy greying hair planted on the top of his head. He held a notepad in his hand and was brushing something off the shoulder of his suit, stopping just before Kairi and Joe.

“Ah, I was just coming to find the both of you,” he explained, slightly high-pitched.

“What have you got for us?” asked Kairi, being sure not to get too close for fear of feeling too short. After all, he did tower head and shoulders over Joe.

“Well, Forensics are in there now trying to determine the cause of death and whether this can be considered a homicide. According to the boys’ statements, they found her in an alley at the back of the estate…dead. They bought her back here, wanting to take some photos to put on some extra-terrestrial website to get a bit of money. When the camera flashed she woke up and started saying a series of numbers over and over again.”

“Is there some sort of pattern?” asked Joe, looking up at Redman.

“Not sure, I’m going to head back to base and see if I can find one. They only definite thing we can determine is that her name is C3100.”

“C3100?” repeated Kairi.

“That’s what she said. When I was taking a statement from the boys, she just stopped breathing and dropped dead.”

“Does she share any similarities with the first body?”

“Um…yes. She too appeared bloated and moist, even though she was found in an alley. Her fingers and toes were webbed too and when she died, her eyes were no longer there. It was actually rather weird.”

“Can we get a look at the body?” asked Joe, half expecting the answer to be ‘no’.

“Um…sure…yeah. I’ll give the coroner a shout.”

   Redman shouted into the room as he waved the agents in with his hand. His phone began to ring, so he inclined his head as he left the agents in the room with Forensics. Looking around, the flat seemed small. They were in an open plan kitchen/diner and living room with three doors up against the far wall, obviously leading to bedrooms and a bathroom. On the floor by an old two-seated sofa was the body. It wasn’t much different from the first body; a brown blanket lay beneath her moist, bloated body. Joe could see why they believed her to be a woman as a pair of breast lay flat against her chest, but down below was as non-existent as the first body. Her fingers and hands were webbed and there wasn’t a single hair to be seen on her body.

“Any luck?” asked Kairi, being sure not to get too close to the body.

“Well,” began the coroner, a short man, but not the same one who had collected the first body. He had grey hair which rimmed the side of his hair and sparkling blue eyes twinkled behind his a pair of round spectacles.
“I’ve had no luck with identifying who she is but I have managed to collect a sample of blood. Take a look, tell me what you see.”

   The coroner handed Joe a small vile containing a red liquid substance, supposedly blood. Joe tipped it slightly, watching as the blood slugged slowly from side to side, like mud on a wet and rainy day. He held it still on its side, watching the tiny bodies that seemed to bubble on the surface, like lava at the bottom of a volcano about to erupt. It was almost as though the blood itself was alive.

“Are you sure this is blood?” asked Kairi sarcastically.

“That’s what I thought when I first extracted it.” The coroner rose to his feet and took it back from Joe, pocketing it in his coat. “I’m going to take it back to the lab, run a few tests. I’ll also escort the body back to the morgue. I’ll let you know what I discover. Let’s hope she doesn’t come alive again.”

   The coroner laughed slightly as he went to talk to some officers at the entrance to the flat. Joe admired his distance too; he had always been one to get too attached. He nodded to the boys and led him and Kairi over to them. They were just your average teenage boys, both rather tall and thin. They were brothers, both with short brown hair, both with brown eyes. They wore open shirts and plain t-shirts with jeans that were ripped at the knees. They could easily be twins.

“Do you think you could show us where you found the body boys?” Joe asked. “We’d like to take a look around this alley.”

   The boys nodded and two police officers followed them out behind Kairi and Joe. As they left the Peabody Estate, the boys led them out of the road and round the corner slightly where a dark, dingy alleyway expanded before them, stretching all behind the blocks of flats. The boys and police officer remained where they stood as Joe and Kairi explored the deserted alleyway.


Okay so here's another little snippet. The only real questions i have are as follows:

What are your thoughts on the 'female' body?

(SPOLILER?!?!?!)

What happens when the pair explore the sewer??

[Chinaren]

Nice to see something moving on here!   

I'd say the body is the same as the first, but maybe looks fresher. 

As for the the location, she finds some kind of strange ring which will no doubt come into play later on, when she's been taken off the case.  Uh hu.

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Nice.

How about another of the... things is in the sewer?  Maybe she corners it, and it says a few tantilising things before escaping somehow?

[araell]

Nice suggestions here guys, you've given me some great ideas. I'll see what i can rustle up in the next few days...after ive finished my hangover that is 

[araell]

Okay so a poll has been placed, please make your words be heard 

[Chinaren]

Voted and... tied it. 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Voted and... tied it. 

Ditto.

[araell]

Thanks for tying the voting all those that voted. You Tomians better appreciate the next chapter wen i get it uploaded in the next few days 

[araell]

So here's the next little snippet, and things are starting to get interesting. 

Chapter 3 - Answers

         The agents followed the alley down, until they reached the centre where a manhole cover had been lifted cleanly off and was only half covering the entrance to the sewer. There was a huge puddle of moss and murky water surrounding the entrance to the sewer; at least they hoped it was moss. Kairi stood back against the wall, being careful to stay out of reach of the water. Joe knelt down by the cover and inspected the position, taking a picture with his iPhone for evidence. He stood and sighed heavily turning to Kairi to explain his thoughts. He looked her up and down, his eyes falling upon her high black stilettoes. He smiled and shook his head mockingly.

“What?” she questioned, smiling slightly.

“Nothing,” stated Joe, looking away and observing the manhole cover once more. “What are your thoughts?”

“It looks like it’s been pushed off to be honest,” she pondered. “Is it possible that the water level could have risen so high that the pressure forced it cleanly off?”

“Might be. So if the manhole cover was pushed off because of what you just said then the body may have been carried out along with this puddle of water.” Kairi nodded in agreement. “Either way, one of us is going to have to go down there and check it out and, looking at the size of those heels; I can’t see it being you.” She raised her eyebrows, giving him a look that implied she thought he was calling her lazy. “Well I could, but it doesn’t end pretty seeing as you’d probably break your neck getting up and down the ladder.”

“You’ve got a point,” she agreed, folding her arms and rolling her eyes.

“Don’t I always?” he winked at her and she shook her head. “So I’ll go down into the sewer,” he gulped.
“You get onto forensics and get a team down here, se if you can find anything on the surface.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

   Joe looked over to wear the two police officers stood with the young boys. Harry from forensics was there too, being briefed by what they boys had said about the alleyway and the body. After the officer had finished explaining, Harry nodded and came over at a slight jog to join the agents. Harry was your average forensic agent, quite tall, glasses, greying hair and probably still lived with his mother. In his hand he held a toolbox with all his equipment and he inclined his head, implying that he wanted to know their plan.

“What have we got?” he asked, placing his toolbox on the ground and rubbing his hands together.

“Well,” began Joe as Harry knelt down and took a pair of plastic gloves out of the toolbox and stretched them over his hands. “I’m going to go down into the sewer and take a look round whilst you guys stay on the surface and look for anything that might give us a clue as to how the body ended up here.”

      Harry nodded, taking his camera out from around his neck and taking pictures of the surroundings, including the dislodged manhole cover. At the time, Kairi had wondered why Joe did not mention that he had already taken a photograph for evidence. Joe nodded to Kairi as Harry finished taking photographs and came over to help him move the manhole cover. Joe sighed before lowering himself into the sewer and disappearing into the darkness. A few moments later, a beam of light flashed through the darkness as Joe pulled out a small torch to help him see.   

“You know it really stinks down here?” he shouted up to them as Kairi shook her head.

“I’d expect nothing less,” replied Harry as he too smiled and went to take a look round the rest of the alley.

   Down in the sewer, Joe waved his torch around slowly, taking in his surroundings. He shined it up the arched brick walls and down into trench that the sewer water flowed down. The level of water was rather high and was flowing past the overflow mark on the opposite wall. So far, his theory was supported. He took a few steps forward, being careful not to slip on the overly damp ground. He shined the torch at the water as he went, seeing something suddenly that caught him off guard. It looked like a body, but sludgy and…disintegrated almost.

“We’ve got another body down here,” he shouted up as Harry joined him down in the sewer with his camera.

“That doesn’t look like any dead body I’ve ever seen. The skin wouldn’t look like this unless it was melting.”

         He took a thermometer out of a pocket on his strap-vest and placed it in the water, holding it there for a few seconds. Pulling it out again, he inspected the measurement, shaking it slightly of the water as he did so.

“Water temperature is as I’d expect it to be.”

“Well I’ll go on, you stay here,” asserted Joe, taking out his gun from inside his suit and holding it with his torch.

   Harry watched him, as he followed the torch and gun around the corner and out of sight. This part of the sewer was no different from the other, another disintegrated body lying in the river. He twisted his face, disgusted by the sight of it as he pointed the torch forward. It caught sight of a darkened figure leaning up against the wall, breathing heavily. It was staring at, this time, a human body lying in the water. It looked to be a man, dressed in a white coat and green trousers…maybe a scientist of some sort. He approached the figure slowly, realising that it was another one of those females. Lowering his gun slightly, he called quietly to the figure, not wanting Harry to hear him.

“Who are you?” he asked, stammering slightly and shining the torch on the thing’s face.

“C3100.” It replied, not moving or even glancing at Joe.
 
Joe reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a pen. He remembered buying it at a science fair years ago, simply because it had the ability to record at least five minutes of speech. He pressed the button on the top and held it up to the thing, hoping it would catch all that she said.
 
“Who is that in the water?”

“Phillips. 68279.”

“What does that mean?”

“68279.”

“What about the others, up ahead?”

“C390s. 548932.”

   Suddenly, shouting stunk the air as the voices of two men echoed all around. The creature froze suddenly and struggled to breathe as she muttered one final number sequence.

“7092134.”

   She looked to Joe and the toppled into the water, becoming a gooey mess, just as the others had. Joe pressed the button on his pen again, placing it back inside his pocket and pointing his gun and torch forward. Whoever the voice belonged to did not sound happy.

   Back up top, Kairi was looking when she recognised the simple tune of her ringtone. Pulling out her phone she answered to the voice of the coroner who had been on the scene of the first DB.

“Burns.” She answered.

“I’ve got some news about the body that was found at Hollow Pond,” spoke the voice of the coroner.
“There’s some things you should probably see.” 

“Okay, we’ll be down as soon as we can. Meanwhile, you could email me your notes so that I can look over them later.”

“Okay will do. See you soon.”

“Bye.” Dialling Joe’s number she put the phone to her ear again.

“Banks,” he answered quietly.

“Coroner wants to see us back at the lab. Get yourself back up here.”

“Okay, will do.”

   The line cut off and Kairi stared at her phone awhile, confused at how blunt he had been with her. As she returned the phone to a pocket in her jacket, she noticed something on the ground that did not look like moss. She called to Harry, who popped his head out of the manhole and inspected what she was looking at.

“Looks like the same fleshy substance that the bodies below are turning in to.”

   He stepped up the ladder a little further and pulled his toolbox towards him, taking out a small test-tube and putting it to the ground and gathering up some of the substance before placing a stopper on it and pocketing it. Disappearing again, Kairi bent down, taking a closer look at something that was sparkling within the residue. Whatever Harry was doing down in the sewer was obviously more important than this piece of evidence so she reached over to his toolbox and pulled a pair of tweezers. She tapped it on the surface of the residue, feeling something metallic underneath the surface. She scraped the surface clear to reveal some sort of badge. She took a napkin from the toolbox and used it to scrape the surface clean and inspect the pattern upon it.

   When it was clean, she inspected it, noticing the shield shaped crest with flays that stretched out and around it like a pair of wings. A helmet was engraved in the centre with what looked to be feathers stretching out of it. The markings on the shield were familiar to her; a block stretched down from left to the right of the shield and another block that cut the top section in two. She inclined her head, searching her mind for where she had seen the crest before. Hearing Harry come back up the ladder she pocketed the crest and placed the tweezers back in the toolbox, discarding the napkin in dustbin behind her.

   As Harry pulled himself up, he took off the gloves, tying them in a knot and putting them in the toolbox before closing it. He looked up at Kairi rubbing his hands together once more as she wondered where Joe had got to.

“Any sign of Joe down there?” she asked Harry.

“Nope,” Harry shook his head, picking up his toolbox and heading over to the police officers at the top of the alleyway.


So a couple of things here:

What the Hell is Joe doing in the sewer?

What do you think about the significance of the badge Kairi found and the numbers the creature kept muttering?

And lastly, what happens next?

[Chinaren]

Going to work in a moment, so I'll catch this later...

[Chinaren]

Gah!  So many questions!   

Well, I'd say that something has been... done to Joe.  Something sinister. 

The badge is maybe a pass that the dead thing stole to escape from somewhere.  As for next, they go to the coroner, just as they're pulled off the case.  Haha!

[araell]

Cool China and i kinda have something plammed along the lines of what you suggested...but we'll see what else happens 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Maybe Joe chased the thing, but it turned a corner and vanished. 

For the badge, I can't think of a better ideas that China's.

[araell]

Okay then...some good ideas, not far from what i was hoping you'd all say. I'll keave this open for another day or so and then get writing the next chapter 

[araell]

Okay, so here's the next chapter and shit's going down 

Chapter 4 - Hit and Miss

       Meanwhile, Joe was still down in the sewer, watching the body melted into a splotchy mess like the other, noticing how the water level rose ever so slightly. He gulped, loosening the tie around his neck and straightening up, pointing his gun and torch directly in front of him. The shouting began to get louder, to the point where he could tell that the conflict was between two men. One of them even sounded foreign, possibly a Peruvian accent, the other belonged to a very important sounding man, a voice which Joe couldn’t help but think he recognised.

   Edging ever closer to the upcoming corner, he raised his gun to the side of his face, dimming the torch slightly with a sliding switch that was on the side of it. He gulped again, waiting for the conversation to pick up again and listening intently as the two men argued.

“I refuse to be a part of a lost cause!” exclaimed the foreign man. “This world is dying and what we are doing here is not going to help it. What we are doing has no future.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Maxwell,” teased the other voice in an almost sarcastic tone. “You see the boss has a vision…he knows what is to come and for it to succeed we have to…how do I say it…make sacrifices. Yours of which will be remembered for a great many years.”

“But what is to happen Martin?”

“Martin?” Joe repeated under his breath in disbelief. Could it really be his own boss just around the corner?

“That is on a ‘need to know’ basis.” Martin continued. “Only the most important members of the organisation can know what will happen in the next few days.”

“But I am the one who created these beings, I am their master,” explained Maxwell, his voice getting more and more panicky.

“Yes; and your contribution will always be remembered, those creatures are easily adaptable and besides, your presence is required elsewhere.”

“I highly doubt that Martin, I refuse to die just so that you can get those agents out from under your nose.”

   Joe raised his eyebrows, unable to believe what he was hearing. If it really was his boss round the corner than that meant that he was behind the whole thing, and he was going to blame it all on this Maxwell guy. He had to be stopped. Something vibrated against his chest, making him jump as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Samsung Galaxy S phone. Kairi was ringing him again – she was worried and he knew he was cutting it close. He bit his lip, closing his eyes and breaking out into a run in the direction of the ladder. Ignoring the ever louder shouts back in the tunnels, he pocketed his gun and torch and climbed the ladder and back onto the surface to come face to face with a very angry looking Kairi.

“What took you so long?” she asked through gritted teeth – Joe could understand her anger but her concern, why was she so worried about him?

“I was deeper in than you thought,” he lied. “Forensics are going to need to get down there.”

“Yeah, Harry’s gone to get the team. They’ll take over; right now we’ve got to get to the morgue.”

   Joe nodded, wanting to keep the knowledge of what he just heard to himself. They turned away out of the alley and made their way back around to the Peabody Estate, passing Harry and a team of forensics as they passed. Redman was outside talking to a couple of police officers, nodding to them as they passed and got into Kairi’s car.

   Whipps Cross University Hospital was a massive complex, erupting with noise as the busy reception bustled with sickness and injury. They made their way through the crowd and waited by the side of the desk for the receptionist to take notice. The receptionist, a middle aged woman with blonde hair tied back and a pair of glasses perched on her nose, grabbed a clipboard and pen and handed it to Kairi, taking note of their badges as she went back to registering patients.

   After they’d signed in, they headed for the elevator and pressed the bottom heading down. As it started to move, Kairi felt the usual butterflies creep into her stomach as Joe sniggered to himself. She shook her head as the doors slid open again and she breathed a sigh of relief. As they turned the corner into the morgue, Joe stopped, something wasn’t right. He put a hand out in front of Kairi to stop her going any further and listened intently.

“What is it?” Kairi asked, trying her best to be quiet.

“Do you hear that?” he asked, his eyes darting around the white tiled floor and ceiling.

“Hear what?”

“That’s just it, I don’t hear anything…no machinery, no talking, no footsteps, no nothing. Something’s wrong!”

“What if that thing came alive, like the female one did back in the house?”

“Let’s hope not.”

   Taking out his gun, he stepped forward slowly, darting a look back at Kairi as her stilettoes clicked on the echoing floor. He made a face, and she bit her lip, using the wall to steady herself as she slipped off her shoes and left them off to the side. She took out her gun and followed Joe round the corner. The agents edged around the corner to find the whiteness tainted with bloody footprints on the floor and bloody handprints on the walls. Joe’s eyes widened and Kairi’s mouth fell open as they snuck a look in the nearest window into an examination room. What he saw was a sight that he welcomed with absolute shock. The room was covered in splatters of blood and the coroner who had met them at the crime scene at Hollow Pond lying dead behind the operation table. 

   Joe’s breathing quickened as he slowly pushed open the door and snuck into the room. Kairi stayed by the door as he crept further towards the body on the floor. He touched the neck; feeling for a pulse, then looked to Kairi and shook his head. She caught sight of him take the headset off the floor and pocketing it as she sighed heavily, hearing a strange noise echo further down the hallway. She took a step forward, being sure that her finger was ready on the trigger. Her heart was racing but she was not afraid as she edged closer to the next examination room and listened at the closed door. The strange noise resembled a sort of mumbling that sounded human enough. She pushed slightly on the door, holding her breathe as she edged into the room.

   What met her next wasn’t what she was expecting, especially when she was pushed out of the way by Joe and her ears were met by the sound of a gun being fired and the sounds of big boots hammering on the floor as heavy weight special agents rushed into the room and shot the gunman down. Kairi pushed herself up off the floor and onto her knees to see Joe lying next to her unconscious, a blood seeping out of a bullet wound on his right shoulder. Her eyes widened as she was grabbed from behind, by a man in bullet protective uniform, and dragged out of the operation room.   
 

So...some action!!

SP: What happens next?

Thoughts on Maxwell and the mysterious gunner?

What's with the secret services busting in and messing things up?

Thoughts please...