Inky Bloaters

Posted on Wed 4th Jul, 2018 @ 9:05pm by Lieutenant JG Kellian Michaels
Edited on on Mon 26th Aug, 2019 @ 3:23pm

1,470 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Oblivion
Location: Casino Hotel Pool, deck 1553
Timeline: MD1 1030 Hours

Kellian Michaels was checking on current work being done in the forensics lab when his communicator beeped. "Excuse me," Kellian said to the lab technician and tapped his combadge. "Michaels here."

"Sir, this is Morgan. We have a dead body reported in the casino pool, deck 1553."

Kellian grimaced at the news and sighed. "Joyous. Very well. Call Dr. Addams. It will no doubt make her day. Good thing we haven't had lunch. I'll inform Perry and meet you there. Michaels out."

Kellian went to Isabella's office and knocked on her door.

"Come," the Security Chief said as she continued going through some files on numerous PADDS on her desk. She looked up from the work and found Kellian walking through the door of the office. As he entered, she noticed the grim look upon his face. "Well, that's not happiness to see me." She said as a smirk appeared on her face.

The grim look dissolved for a moment, as Kellian laughed. "I am always happy to see you! Unfortunately, it looks like, when they closed the casino, someone forgot to leave."

Isabella sat back in her char and stretched her arms above her head. "Please tell me the person didn't die with a piece of latinum in his mouth. That would be so cliched." She asked her friend.

"I'd say water is more likely than latinum," Kellian told her. "The body was found in the swimming pool by the casino's new owner."

"Ewwwww." Isabella stated as she scrunched up her nose at the thought of the body possibly bloating in the water. "Well, pick your team, and let's head down there and take a look at this poor unfortunate soul."

---

Eddie was sitting against the wall of the hotel, awaiting security for the body he had reported. He wasn't too shaken at finding it, but immediately he left the pool area and reported it. He knew crime scenes shouldn't be touched and wasn't silly enough to do anything to ruin any evidence. He noticed a quartet of people in Starfleet yellow walking towards him, which he only assumed was to do with the case so he stood up and smiled at the people approaching.

"Mr. Hunt? I'm Lt. Perry, the Starbase's Chief of Security." Isabella extended her hand to Eddie and continued talking before he could respond to her first statement. "With me are Lieutenant Michaels, Chief Warrant Officer Aiden Mejia, and Petty Officer Morgan." Isabella gestured to all three as she called their names in her introduction.

"Morgan, go ahead and start the crime scene setup. And don't forget to start a crime scene log. We need to know everyone that comes and goes from this area now that it is under our control," Perry said.

"It's good to meet you," Eddie said. "Well, maybe not in these circumstances I guess. Please, if you'll follow me, I will show you where the body is."

Eddie led them into the hotel lobby and through a corridor, before walking through the changing rooms and into the pool area. The discoloured water was still in the pool and the musty smell was still in the air. "Here we are."

Morgan made a face at the odor. "Yep, he's definitely dead. Smells like he's been there for a while, too. I'll get to work, if you'd prefer to wait in less, ah, fragrant surroundings."

Kellian nodded. "Once your team gets here."

"They're on their way," Morgan said.

"Am I needed for anything? Or am I okay to get on?" Eddie questioned.

"I'll need to take a statement from you, Mr. Hunt," Kellian said. As he spoke, he saw three other Security personnel enter, and Morgan waved them over. One of them took out a roll of yellow crime-scene tape and began placing it along the walls. "Dr. Addams should be along any moment to see to the body. Shall we leave these people to their work?"

"Lt. Michaels will be taking lead on this investigation, Mr. Hunt." Isabella stated as she turned from looking at the body to Mr. Hunt's eyes. "After he is done with you, please direct any questions that you may have directly to me. I would like the Lieutenant to fully focus on this case and not be distracted."

"Of course, Lieutenant Perry," Eddie replied.

Chlamydia Addams entered the pool area, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Ah," she said. "Corpse stew. How thoughtful of someone to leave it marinating for me!" She glanced around, recognizing the Arachnae Lieutenant in charge of the CSI team, and then the Human Lieutenant in charge of criminal investigations. "Lieutenant Michaels! This is the second delightful present I've received from you this year, and we haven't even reached my birthday, yet!"

"When is your birthday?" Kellian asked. "I'll have to see how much time I have to arrange something suitably, ah, fascinating."

"Oh, you tease!" Addams said with a laugh. But... was that just a hint of a blush? Perhaps... or perhaps it was just the light reflecting from the water in the pool.

Isabella gave a quick head nod to the Doctor. "Good to see you Doc. How fast can you give me something on our soggy friend here? I'm gonna have to brief the Captain really soon, and I would like to give her more than just a name."

"A Dock," Addams responded, "is a place where cargo is transshipped. I am a doctor. And I can tell you immediately that this was almost certainly not an accident."

Isabella gave a quick smile to the Doctor's retort.

Kellian gave Chlamydia an inquiring look and idly began the whistling bridge part to "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay." He stopped whistling as he noticed Addams peering intently at her tricorder. "Couldn't resist that," Kellian explained to Eddie. "She always has that same reaction whenever someone calls her 'Doc.' It cracks me up every time."

"That's why I do it every time," Isabella replied to Kellian with a cryptic grin on her face.

Aiden didn't need a doctor to tell him the death was anything other than a homicide. He didn't know why, and it really wasn't for him to figure out. He was more bodyguard than detective, but that didn't mean he was clueless; far from it. He had rather liked the doctor's gallows humor, but he found it easy, under the circumstances to not laugh.

Addams sighed as she realized no one was going to bite on her temptingly dangled fish-hook. She squatted beside the pool, placing her "murder bag" on the non-slip decking, and opening it up. "Mister Langston," she called, "Are you finished with initial imaging? May I disturb the scene?"

"Go ahead, Doctor," the Arachnae called back from the far side of the pool.

Addams absently responded, "Thank you!" She took an aquatic probe the size of her fist from the case and tossed it in the water, before taking a similar a-grav unit and tossing it into the air. She picked up her PADD and tapped across its surface, giving the two probes instructions. Air and water temperature and chemistry, currents, disturbances. The corpse had been in the water long enough that the hands and feet had separated and fallen to the bottom. Most of the bacteria present in the water seemed to be normal human biota, either skin or digestive strains. A quick surface scan confirmed that bloat and decay had rendered image recognition useless in identifying the individual, or even their gender with any accuracy.

The Doctor ran a surface-level genetic scan and paused, looking at the results. "Huh," she said aloud. "You don't see that every day!"

"What don't you see every day, Dr. Addams?" Isabella asked with an intense curiosity as she made her way closer to the Doctor.

"This individual is not Human," Chlamydia answered, initiating a deeper genetic scan. "Which, in and of itself, is not particularly surprising. What is surprising is that their entire genome is written in synthetic base pairs." She paused, looked at Perry. "How much do you know about genetics?"

Isabella walked to where Addams was standing and began looking at her scanner. "I know enough that you are going to have to explain this to me." She said with a pained smile on her face. "Just break it down as best you can for me." Isabella said.

Kellian glanced at Eddie. "Why don't you and I go off someplace where we can both sit down, and I can take your statement?" he suggested. "If we don't, I'll get too interested in what Dr. Addams is saying, and then we'll be here past shift change."

Eddie smiled at Kellian, "Sure, lead away." The two men walked away from the pool area.

 

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