“You have an idea of who that was, don’t you?”

  A minute later, Bechdel and Caleb had left the tent and were walking towards the department tents around the center of camp. Alison had the feeling that something was stirring in her colleague’s mind, even past the usual schemes he had stirring to bury the up and coming researcher.

  But the professor only responded with silence.

  “Well, are you going to tell me?”

  Caleb scratched his beard.

  “Last night, I happened to run into one of your people at the Red Plymouth.”

  That was the name of one of the parked Republican airships. Bechdel was familiar.

  Part of the reason the heads hadn’t had their meeting in one of the ships was because as of late the actual ships had mostly been used as leisure hubs for the idling troopers. She knew that a few of the senior researchers had been going over to visit it after dark, herself not included, but she was mildly surprised that the group included one of her own.

  “This fellow said he had been on supply duty just an hour before when he got a visit from a certain someone when no one else was around. Said she came in to look through items for a personal project, but was ultimately turned away.”

  Bechdel’s eyes flared with recognition. She was quick to catch on.

  “Our little tour guide, was it?”

  “Yes. That was a good diversion, by the way. Regardless, she left after standing around for a few minutes, with a vigor expected from someone who had been leading around bureaucrats all day.”

  “So you think she’s responsible for the blackout?”

  Caleb shook his head.

  “Despite my gripes…even I think that’s a little far-fetched. But related to it? Very possibly.”

  “How could that be?”

  Caleb shrugged his shoulders as he passed into the IDS tent.

  “I don’t know, but I hope to find out.”

  As both of them entered, immediately the putrid stench of rot hit their noses. The scientists nearly gagged as they were suddenly overcome by the scene of a pile of liquidized flesh strewn around the interior.

  “What the hell is this?”

  Bechdel held her nose.

  “One of the soldiers said he found it like this, but I hadn’t expected…”

  The gore was everywhere, leaving a trail of thick sludge throughout the whole space.

  “She did this?”

  Caleb was silent. There were so many thoughts turning in his head at the moment that he absently wandered the tent.

  “Where is the suit from the footage then?”

  “They should be stored over here.”

  The Professor got out his keys and unlocked the panel lockers, sifting through the hanging rubber suits that gleamed inside. There was nothing amiss. He went to the next one.

  An even more pungent odor filled his nose as he swung the door open. There, in all its glory, laid a familiar looking hazard suit, only mottled with the greased innards of the only specimen in camp.

  “Holy–!”

  Caleb had to back up, the scene nearly making his eyes water.

  Now that they had the evidence, it was time to go to the specimen. If this really had been the work of his subordinate researcher as he expected, Caleb was about to be in for a treat.

  Finally, he would have an excuse to get rid of her.

  …

  Odette was stopped nearly as soon as she exited her tent. A pair of stern faces beneath the shade of military caps entering her vision before she could take a breath.

  “Odette Veron?”

  Her heart palpitated.

  “Yes?”

  “Please follow us.”

  The soldiers gave no explanation or time to understand, as Odette was shuffled over to another tent she hadn’t visited before. In her mind, she was considering the possibilities.

  Were they suspicious of her? She hadn’t gotten the chance to hide away her prototype yet so it was possible.

  But a part of Odette’s being didn’t want to enter into that reality yet. An unsettling event had just taken place, after all. Perhaps they were just giving her an escort to a meeting to be cautious?

  But those hopes were snuffed out immediately when Odette entered the tent and saw her machine placed on the center table. As numerous gazes were turned her way, she did her best to avert her eyes from it naturally. As if she had only paid it a passing curiosity.

  “Professor. Madam Chief. How can I assist?”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  There were more than just those two gathered at the table here. She recognized the Major from their flight over, but the majority she had yet to be introduced to. From the division pins on each of their lapels however, she could more or less speculate who they were.

  “Researcher Veron, please take a seat.”

  Odette nodded and joined the end of the table. Soon the room’s focus returned back to the television.

  Caleb began speaking as a recording played on the monitor. Odette’s eyes widened as she realized what it was.

  “As we’re all aware, approximately eighty-three minutes ago the site underwent a complete power outage, resulting in a disturbance across a multitude of systems that we’re still calculating the impact of. The cause is still unknown, but a few details have recently been revealed to us.”

  There was a sharpness to Caleb’s voice that had Odette on edge. But why would she be in attendance like this if she was suspected of something. Wouldn’t that just serve to humiliate her?

  “If you haven’t figured out how it happened yet then why are we here again? It’s been what–half an hour?”

  The room turned to the speaker.

  “I can assure you, Chief Engineer, you weren’t awoken without reason. Please everyone, direct your attention to this footage.”

  The screen began playing once again, and just like she thought, Odette came into view dressed in full hazard regalia. She could hardly watch with a lump in her throat as her figure in the recording moved through the tents to reveal the object in her hands.

  The same odd looking machine that many eyes suddenly glanced at from the other end of the table. Odette was no longer sure of where this was leading.

  “And that’s where it ends. The figure didn’t come out from the main tent until after the black out.”

  There was murmuring in the room. Apparently like Odette, not everyone had seen this footage before.

  “I hate to mention this–”

  That same man from before interjected. Odette turned. It was the man the Professor had called Chief Engineer again vocalizing his complaints.

  “--but doesn’t this footage expose a serious lapse in our camp’s security policies? I mean how was an unidentified armed individual allowed to wander around the site as we were all sleeping, without restriction? Is the battalion stationed here just for show?”

  The man was clearly searching for someone to blame, not merely voicing his frustration or worry. It was clear this came unprompted however, as the room’s murmurs started to grow.

  Caleb appeared unruffled however. His arm instead extended to the tent’s far end, where Odette’s heart suddenly picked up thumping.

  “But were we all asleep? Bill, why don’t I extend your question to Researcher Veron here? Odette, will you tell us how you were able to travel throughout the camp unhindered?”

  ‘Shit.’

  The room went silent.

  Unexpectedly, the first one to speak up was the engineer again, who voiced his doubt before Odette could even clear it up herself.

  “You’re saying she’s the one in the video? Why is she sitting here then?”

  A good question.

  “I–”

  “She’s here because we have definitive proof that the figure you see in the video is this woman here, and even further, she may be connected to the cause of the blackout!”

  Odette was interrupted before she could get a word in.

  “Professor–”

  “--More so! This machine you all see before you is in fact the same one from the video. A contraption that this ‘researcher’ designed in order to destroy and demotivate our current efforts. With this machine, she has single-handedly–”

  “Professor! That is not true!”

  Odette jumped up to interject finally as Caleb’s words began to pick up pace, but was swarmed by the two soldiers who had escorted her. A serious look from the Major caught her words in her throat. She now realized now why she had been brought into this meeting.

  This was a murder taking place. Her career and reputation were being disemboweled before these experts in their fields. Soon, there would be no way to recover.

  Odette balled her fists and thought of Lukas.

  “Thank you Privates. As I was saying, with this machine, Veron has single-handedly ruined our chances of furthering the development of research in this camp! As of now, the cellular structure of the specimen has entered into a state of decomposition after her visit to it.”

  “What?”

  “That’s outrageous!”

  None of those present had been aware of that fact until now, and were all sent into uproar immediately. Was it true? Was the very specimen they had left family and friends behind for now inert?

  “When did that report come in?”

  More than one official jumped up in outrage.

  “Less than ten minutes ago. You can see the cellular log yourself if you don’t believe me.”

  The official creased her brow, giving a scathing look to Odette before passing out of the tent’s exit. Her concerned colleagues followed suit.

  Odette turned back to Caleb.

  “Is there anything I can say in my defense?”

  The man watched the rest of the panicking officials leave before responding. His face kept its stern presentation steady, but somewhere within the creases of his eyes Odette thought she could see a spark of revelry.

  “I’m afraid not, Researcher Veron. Now it's no longer up to me what will happen to you, as the good Major Smirnov will be deciding where to hold you until the next return trip happens. I’m sure the Republic would want your trial to take place closer to its heart.”

  Odette felt her insides plummeting.

  The Major, who was still sitting down, spoke next as he cleaned his fingernails. He sighed.

  “Well actually Caleb, the thing is that your subordinate here hasn’t actually been formally charged with anything just yet.”

  Caleb stiffened.

  “Are you denying the evidence?”

  “Oh no, the evidence is compelling, but in such a high-profile site, the Republic prioritizes upholding policy. Especially over frontier justice. You’ll have to radio over to command before you can charge her with anything.”

  Caleb frowned, causing Odette to feel relieved. Maybe things could be changed in time? But the Professor was more determined than that.

  “Hmm. She’ll still need to be isolated.”

  ‘What?’

  Caleb looked to Bechdel, who had stayed behind for some reason, and shared a nod.

  “Field Chief Bechdel. This researcher has experienced unauthorized exposure to a highly volatile ongoing subject of study. I recommend that she receive at least twelve hours of mandated isolation in a sterile unit to maintain the health of camp membership. As the leading pathogen researcher on site, do you concur?”

  Bechdel paused for nearly an imperceptible moment before nodding back.

  “I concur.”

  The Professor then looked to the seated Major.

  “Has the Republic’s policy been upheld, Major?”

  The Major sat back in his chair and threw up his hands. Whatever happened now, happened. He could at least say he had done his part.

  He just didn’t want to get too involved in the execution of some researcher’s career.

  “I suppose so. Privates, escort her to the quarantine chamber aboard the airship.”