Man and Machine (TWS)

Hmm. Okay, two possible theories come to mind.

Scenario 1: When the implant was put in ten years ago, it was rigged to detonate on command. Somebody on the medical staff either switched out the implant or kept quiet about the modifications. This is a bit far-fetched and suggests a larger conspiracy, but it's a starting point. We can probably check records to find out who was involved in this operation and start looking into them.

It is a little far-fetched, but it's a possible starting point.

"Who installed his implant?"

Evan blinks. "It was installed at Our Lady, South Sector. The lead surgeon was... Doctor Anser A. Chase. Do you think that someone may have tampered with the implant before it was even installed?"

You shrug. "It's unlikely, but possible. Let's just keep it in mind, maybe swing by later to have a little talk with the doc."

"That will be quite a drive, all the way in South."

"It'll only be a few hours."

"Both ways..."

"Part of the job."

Evan makes the odd, modulated noise he uses for a sigh. "I suppose so."

Scenario 2: There's probably a black market for cybernetics. Maybe this guy wanted his implant replaced, but he didn't want there to be a record of it for some reason. So he goes to a black market doctor, gets his implant replaced or modified, and the doctor puts a bomb in there as a little surprise. If this is the case, it probably happened a lot more recently, and looking at the victim's activities over the last few days could put you on the right track.

There is a pretty big black market in cybernetics, especially the military grade that's banned for civilian use. It's not likely that someone who maintained and repaired implants and prosthetics for a living, and who probably knew other people who did so too, would go to the black market if he needed a replacement or a mod, but it's not impossible. And black market technicians might come up with any number of reasons to put a bomb in somebody's neck... Amusement probably rating pretty high on the list.

"Let's check on the possibility that he might have had some... less than legal work done on his implant."

Evan pulls up his sleeve and brings up his watch's display. "I'll request some help looking into his activities for the last couple of months."

Check for local registered owners on the type of gear that could cause that kind of explosive malfunction. See if the Whitaker girl is a match.

"Assuming this was a murder and not some freak accident, what kind of equipment would be needed to cause that feedback loop?"

"Besides the surgical tools required to open up his neck and stitch him back up without killing him?" Evan frowns. "Well, medical-grade implant and prosthesis repair tools and replacement parts would be ideal, but in a pinch it could be done using a soldering iron and a few other common tools and easily purchased substitutes. It wouldn't be pretty, but it would work."

"That doesn't really narrow down any suspect lists we might be making."

"No. However, our victim would almost certainly have at least one set of medical-grade tools, considering his profession. It's also worth noting that not only do witness reports seem to indicate that Whitaker knew him, but her seat on the hopper was right next to his."

"So she might be a friend, or maybe even something more intimate. And if that's true, she might have access to his tools, and to him..."

Evan grimaces. "Plausible on both counts. But as I mentioned earlier, the power source would detonate within a matter of minutes. And before that it would heat up significantly. His pain would be quite excruciating. So..."

"So it would have to be done on the premises, and it's pretty likely at least one of our witnesses would have noticed someone performing surgery in the middle of the lounge."

"And I tend to doubt that our victim would consent to having his voice box turned into an improvised explosive, regardless."

Ugh. The more you think about this the less sense it makes.

Oh, and see if your engineers can rig up a playback on the voicebox. Maybe the vic said something interesting before he went pop.

You're not sure that would be possible, even if there's enough left of the voice box to attempt such a thing. You'll make a note to ask about it at the lab when you get back to headquarters.

Speaking of notes. Now, let's see...

Possible leads to follow up on:

Review security footage obtained from the West Central Hopper Port waiting lounge (Saved to your NetCom).

Victim's luggage, obtained from the passenger hopper he was scheduled to board (being taken back to NASBELB Central Headquarters).

Marie Whitaker's luggage, obtained from the passenger hopper she was scheduled to board with the victim (being taken back to NASBELB Central Headquarters.

Review the victim's recent activities for any sign of unusual behavior or spending.

The lab techs at HQ will perform a more in-depth autopsy and scan of the body. Maybe they'll turn up some new material for you.

Check with the lab techs to see if any info can be extracted from the voice box.


Possible Witnesses/Suspects to interview:

Marie Whitaker (Suspect), currently in West Central franchise of Our Lady.

Doctor Chase (Suspect), Inquire about him at South Sector franchise of Our Lady.

Hopper Port Witnesses, doubtful they have any more useful information, though.

SpoilerShow

There was a typo in the last post, I accidentally said Whitaker was taken to East Central, but I meant West Central. It's been rectified, now.

Fun Fact: A couple of years ago (in-universe) a major entertainment corporation dug up some positively ancient movies, from before the North American Union even existed! Many of the old copies had deteriorated to the point of being unwatchable, but some of them were still mostly intact. This company realized that, aside from the cost of restoring and translating them, any money they made from these movies would be pure profit. So that's what they did! They were quite a hit, and sparked off a number of fads and memes, such as Retrospeak (The use of old figures of speech and slang. The slang, especially, remained untranslated. (And this is in no way a blank check for the author to cash if he slips up and forgets to use his made-up future slang occasionally)) and certain items of fashion. Evan decided to get his duster after seeing Blade Runner. Sixteen times. He managed to persuade Case to see it with him once, but the premise of the movie made Case somewhat uncomfortable at the time, a fact which Evan found highly amusing.