Man and Machine (TWS)

Maybe it was supposed to happen later, on the hopper. It's entirely possible that the detonation could have damaged something on the hopper's route.

Hmm. Well, look at the scene; there's plenty of blood and gore, and a little shrapnel, but the explosion wasn't really powerful enough to do much damage to the surrounding area. Most of the witnesses weren't even injured. It wouldn't do much to a passenger hopper's tough ultiplast hull. You suppose it might have been intended as some sort of preposterous assassination device, but it's hard to say. You mention this to Evan.

"Possibly. I'll see if there was anyone important scheduled to be on board."

>I suggest checking out the luggage, then a quick talk with the witnesses just in case. After that, ask Marie Whittaker some questions.

Definitely check out the two sets of luggage, then find a display to review the security camera footage.

You let Evan know that you're going to take a look at the luggage before the uniforms take it to the station. You're just in time, as two of them were just about to load it into the trunk of a car for transport.

"Oh, hello detective!" One of them chirps as you stride over.

"Officer. I'd like to take a look at the luggage belonging to the vic and the young lady before you take it back to HQ."

"Oh! Yes sir, right away," he says with a smile. You notice the other officer roll her eyes.

"Here you go, sir! Anything else I can do for you?"

"No... thank you. Carry on." That was a little odd.

You pop open the first suitcase, not worried about any bombs or booby traps. The hopper port's security would have scanned it on the way in, and the uniforms would have scanned it again twice before even considering picking it up.

There's... not much of interest in the victim's luggage. Toothbrush, clothes, razor, toiletries, a... um. You're just going to call this a... personal effect. Very personal effect. Ahem. You're glad you're wearing gloves. Anyway, let's see... hmm, there's a NetCom in here. Odd. Most people carry these on their person. Maybe this one's a spare? You put it in an evidence bag and set it aside for now. That's pretty much it for the victim's luggage. You move on to Whitaker's.

It's mostly the same as the first. Mostly normal stuff you would expect someone to have in their luggage. In fact, it's entirely normal stuff you would expect someone to have in their luggage. You neatly pack everything back in and take it back out to the brown nosing uniform and his no-doubt long-suffering partner. You hold on to the vic's NetCom, though.

The uniforms will take the luggage back to headquarters and give it an even more thorough searching. If there's anything else of interest in either of those suitcases, they'll find it.


You next decide to look for a display to review the security footage on. Evan joins you as you go to the security office. According to him, the other passengers were mostly just vacationers. There were a couple of businessmen, and a family heading back home, but nobody that seemed like a target for an assassination attempt.

A quick talk with the security guard on duty gets you access to the security office's monitors.
You pull up the footage from the incident.

---

Dirk and Marie entered the lounge, holding hands, talking quietly to one another. They sat next to each other, scooched in close together. She whispered something in his ear, made him laugh. He leaned closer to her and muttered something back. She giggled, and maybe blushed.
Dirk rubbed at his throat. Almost unconsciously. A few seconds later, he did it again, this time saying something to Marie. She smiled, but shook her head. He shrugged.
He cleared his throat, rubbed at it again. Shook his head. She put a hand on his shoulder, said something. She was beginning to look concerned now.
He tilted his head back and pushed at his throat, as if trying to activate something... or deactivate it. He stood up, obviously having trouble breathing. Several people were watching now, wondering what to do. Did he need help? Was he on something? Was he crazy?
He fell to his knees, clawing at his throat. Marie was right beside him, alternately yelling for help and trying to find out what was wrong. People were on their NetComs now, calling for medical assistance. A few moved over to see if there was anything they could do (or perhaps just to get a better look at the action).
Dirk put his hand on her shoulder, almost as if to ask for help standing up... when...

---

Oh. The explosion was even messier than you expected it to be. And you saw the aftermath of it. The rest of the video shows the witnesses running out, except for Whitaker, who was knocked onto her back, clutching her face. You can't tell how much of the blood on her face is hers. You fast-forward to a few minutes later, when the paramedics arrive. One leaves almost immediately, a hand rushing up to clamp over his mouth as he stumbles out of the room. The others rush to help Whitaker.

"Hold on."

You jump. You had forgotten Evan was watching over your shoulder.

"Cycle back a bit. Back to the witnesses fleeing the scene."

You do so, and freeze the video.

"Cycle forward a few frames... There!" Evan points to someone, a nondescript sort of guy. Brown hair. Tan skin. Maybe a little gangly.

"He wasn't one of the witnesses! Or rather, he wasn't still here with the other witnesses when we got here."

You think back, but you don't recognize him either. And the paramedic said that the only one who had been taken to the hospital was Whitaker...

"See if you can match this guy to any of the passengers who had booked a flight on that hopper. I'm going to talk to our witnesses and see if any of them remember him, or know where he ran off to."

You interview each of the witnesses. You show them the man's image. Of all seventeen of them, only three remember seeing the man, and none of them know where he went after the incident.
Looks like you might have a new #1 suspect.

Evan couldn't find the man's information in the passenger information obtained from the hopper port. He sent a few stills to headquarters to see if they can dig up who he is.

Remote-controlled detonation seems like the more probable option. More probable than performing surgery in the middle of the lounge. What's the most recent surveillance we have of the victim? Any odd behavior before he got to the lounge?

Is there any method to cause an untampered voice box to overheat and detonate?

Evan also took the liberty of scanning surveillance footage of the victim from before he reached the lounge. The victim and his companion didn't seem to be acting unusual, but that man showed up several times. Every time he was looking anywhere but at the victim. Definitely suspicious.

"Is it possible that an un-tampered with power source could be detonated like that? Perhaps remotely?"

Evan shrugs. "A few hours ago, I would have said no. Keep in mind, though, I'm not an expert. I just read a lot. I recommend that we ask someone more knowledgeable about implants."

"Right. First, though, I want to talk to Miss Whitaker, see what she knows."


Our Lady isn't too far from the hopper port. It takes only a few minutes to get there, and fifteen minutes more to find a parking space. From the outside, the building doesn't really look like a place of healing. It's actually somewhat imposing. The hundred-story tall duracrete structure is dark grey, the windows small and dark. The only sign that this is a hospital/shopping complex is the large display, showing a tall woman in robes holding a large red cross. Various products that are on sale are pictured in insets surrounding her.

As you get out of your car, you are accosted by a small swarm of higs. They shout marketing slogans and urge you to act on these AMAZING OFFERS before TIME RUNS OUT. You swat at them with one hand while you walk towards the entrance. Evan seems not to even notice them.

"Don't those bother you?" You ask, once you are safely inside (where most higs are prohibited).

Evan smirks. "I just, ah, mute my audio sensors. Being an android has its perks."

"Oh, that must be nice. Hey, wait. You don't ever mute me, do you?"

Evan just smiles and walks on ahead.


You are escorted to Marie Whitaker's hospital room by a nurse. She tells you that Marie had to have a number of metal and bone shards (and most of a tooth) removed from her face and chest, and she suffered from some burns and bruising, mostly minor. She's on some decent pain killers, though, and her doctor says you can speak to her as long as you keep it brief. The nurse also tells you that there's a great sale on Tas-T-Bits down on floor ten, but you should hurry if you want any because they always sell very fast on sale. You thank her and she tells you she'll be right down the hall if you need her.


Marie Whitaker is laying in a hospital bed, her face covered with bandages. She's a rather small girl; shorter than you by quite a bit, and thin. The hair poking out from behind her head is bubblegum pink. She turns her head towards you as you walk in, but doesn't say anything. She seems pretty dazed; you're not sure how coherent she'll be. Still, you've got to try.

You pull over a chair to sit beside her bed. She watches impassively. Evan remains standing by the door.

"Miss Whitaker? I'm Detective Case. This is my partner Detective E5-715. We're here to talk to you about the incident at the hopper port."

She continues to stare at you.

"I just need you to answer a few questions. I'll try to keep it--"

"He's dead, isn't he?" You only barely hear her, she whispers it so quietly.

"...I'm sorry." There's not much else you can say.

She turns her face away from you. Though she doesn't make any noise, but her body shakes and her hands clutch at the thin, light blue hospital sheets.

You stay quiet, give her space.

It seems like a very long time, but her crying slows, and finally stops. She looks up at the ceiling.

"I know this is hard. But I need you to answer some questions, so we can find whoever's responsible for this."

She glances at you and nods imperceptibly.


What should you ask first?

SpoilerShow

Fun Fact: A hig is a small, hovering drone, usually spherical and less than four inches in diameter. There are actual a number of different models and manufacturers, but hig is the generic, all encompassing term. Their primary purpose is accosting pedestrians with advertisements. Some models are audio only, others are equipped with holographic projectors, or even "censers" filled with various scents (such as perfume samples or perhaps the good ol'-fashion scent of Big Buddy's Homestyle Deep Fried Ostrich). The hig is named for its original inventor, one David Higgleston. The term hig has also become synonymous with being annoying or irksome (as in, "That really higs me.").