Super Reporter System - Shadows in the Dark

Chapter Type: Character Development

Brian Matthews was being visited by his family; they were nowhere near his house when the military arrived.

"Okay, quick sweep, let's make sure they're not here." Sergeant White said.

"And then you want to wait for them?"

"Nope. It's not a fugitive issue yet, corporal. Given the choice, I'm sleeping at home. We search, we verify, we get the vehicle back to the motor pool, we remember to fuel it tomorrow."

And finding no trace of Brian, they did just that.

As they departed, neither of them noticed that they were being watched by a figure two rooftops away. To be fair, most people didn't spot her, and Stephanie (Femme Falcon) preferred things that way. Also concluding that the family was out, she set up a motion detector camera to watch their driveway and front lawn, and used her phone to set up a room at the Clarion Pointe, using her government issued card.

And then she left, to find somewhere to change into civilian clothes.

#

Claire Winter was putting in late hours at the Huntsville Express, typing up her story about the multiple decapitations. She carefully avoids the words 'serial killer', although this looks very much like that to her. In the morning, and ONLY in the morning, she would let her fresh brain try to figure out what the connection between the two is.

One male, one female; one white, one black; neither rich, only one poor…

No. Tomorrow.

With a sigh, she gets back to work.

Although she hopes there will be no third body, in her gut she already knows.

#

On his way to the hospital, Brian Matthews stopped to pick up milk, eggs, and both kinds of pop tarts. He knows that he won't be permitted to keep those in his hospital room, but he can always trust his wife with the keys.

Maybe he should have picked up some ice, to keep the milk and eggs cold?

[False. Use of the thermal shopping bag under the passenger seat will suffice.]

"What? We've been searching for that for weeks! What is it doing in MY car?"

[Inadequate evidence for theory at this time.]

When he looks, he finds just the very edge of the corner poking out from under the back of the seat. It has a muddy footprint on it that matches Casey's shoe. Brian doesn't stop to even consider that last week he'd have wondered which of his daughters had stepped on it.

The groceries secured, he walks up to the emergency entrance of UAB. He doesn't want to wait there, smelling the sweat and booze and despair, but the main door, he knows, is closed and locked. He stops outside the automatic sliding door, and takes a breath of almost-fresh air.

What brand of cigarettes is that?

[Unknown. Diagnostic scent of smell was not something you considered part of a good reporter, and therefore only routine upgrades were performed.]

He walks in, and starts filling out a form, already on a clipboard. The nurse gives him a cursory glance, and then goes back to her phone.

"No, that's someone else. She's in the second bed of room 117."

'Wait.' He thinks. 'System, tell me about routine upgrades.'

[Cancer cells to be removed. Borderline cells removed from skin and kidneys. No cancerous or pre-cancerous cells detected.]

[Circulatory system improvements; removal of plaque in capillaries and around heart area.]

[Blood system improvements; balance of organisms and cells within acceptable range. No changes.]

[Respiratory system improvements; minor damage to lungs from environment corrected.]

[Digestive system improvements; residual organic buildups converted to energy to fuel upgrade process.]

[Neural system improvements over-ridden by requested upgrade.]

'Okay, okay, I get the idea. You're saying basic organic maintenance?'

[True. Brian understands and comprehends routine upgrades.]

'How often is that done?'

[Once. Most Systems will lack power after the host-requested upgrade, and self-erase in a manner that does not endanger the host.]

'So why are you still here, System?'

[Brian's understanding of a good reporter includes an inner voice that helps them form theories, test theories, and suggests when there is still an unexplored angle to the story. Reserving energy to keep System operational was lower risk and more energy efficient than forming a split personality, Brian-2, to fill this role.]

'Yeah, about that, where do you get energy from?'

[As an n-th level energy construct, System uses a form of zero-point energy (ZPE) node extraction. The precise sciences involved would require many years to teach Brian. This is inefficient unless Brian is reporting more scientific news.]

'I hope not. Most of that stuff is honestly above my head.'

He filled out his form and turned it in. There were people with open wounds, and he knew it would be a long time before he was admitted. If he was admitted…

[False. The hospital wants your insurance money. You will be admitted. You should browse information on your phone. It will be twenty to twenty-seven minutes before your wife and daughters arrive, pending traffic and road conditions.]

'Samantha is waiting for me at home. I'll call her with the room number.'

[False. Based on patterns in your memory, she will have taken the girls to Pizza Hut.]

'Okay, that tracks. We often take the girls there as a treat.'

[She then put together a quick care package at Walmart.]

'You can't possibly know that.'

[Event is based on history and templates in your brain, but is over 75% likely to have occurred. She is already on the way, and will likely reach this emergency room before your bed has been assigned.]

And she did, looking much more relieved when she spotted him. He waved, and the children waved back.

[Warning: Something is wrong with Nancy, she does not have her iPad in her hand. Theory: she has already deduced something is potentially wrong with you, and did not wish to be distracted.]

'Or it's out in the car, with batteries too low for her to want to waste while talking to her father.'

[Possible. Shall System be quiet while you talk?]

'Please and thank you.'

"Hey, Sam. I don't have a room, yet."

"I can see that." She comes forward and gives him a hug, plastic bag in her hand resting against his back. This close, he can smell the pizza on her breath.

"Is daddy sick?" Casey asks.

"Are you, dad?" Nancy asks.

"Your dad is just fine, kids." Samantha says, "The doctors just want to observe him for a while so they know that."

"You know about the flowers from space, right?"

Both children nod.

"Well, daddy inhaled one of the spores."

Casey's eyes go wide, and she starts to inhale.

"No, no." Brian said. "I'm fine, and I didn't get super powers. Daddy isn't going to accidentally break anything or burst into flames, or anything like that."

"That would be cool." Nancy says.

Brian lets his hug around Samantha relax. "Maybe, but still not going to happen." He places his forehead in contact with hers. "It's all going to be okay."

"Okay." She says back to him.

After an awkward moment, she pulls away, offers the bag to him. Brian is amused to notice the plastic bag has the Publix logo, not Walmart's.

She mis-interprets his smile, clears her throat. "So yeah, a little care package. Toothbrush, comb, soap. That sort of stuff."

"Thank you, Samantha. I'll be fine. I'm sure the hospital doesn't want me walking around stinking with my hair sticking out at morning angles."

She squints and turns her head slightly. "There may be slim jims in there." She says.

"Daddy's not supposed to have those." Casey said.

"I think he'll be okay with just a few slim jims tonight. Don't worry, your snacks are still at home."

Nancy reaches out her hand to Casey, who takes it. "It's okay, Case. It's just one night."

"Besides," Samantha says, "with your dad out of the house for a night, we can curl up on the couch with a bag of popcorn and watch a girlie movie."

"Ooh, Croods, Croods!" says Casey.

"I thought you wanted to see Descendants." Nancy says.

"We've got time. We can watch both, can't we mom?"

"I don't think we'll have time, sweetie."

"Why not?"

Brian speaks up. "Tomorrow is still a school day. Pick one to watch tonight, and I'll watch the other with you when I'm back tomorrow night, deal?"

"Deal." Casey says, holding out the pinky of her free hand.

Brian takes it, hoping that nothing happens to make him work late.

#

Along the area just north of Madison road, it hunts.

It doesn't like getting far from its nest in the woods, but also doesn't hunt too close to where it sleeps, either.

It looks for food, such as an isolated human. It has learned that humans are easy to catch, and easy to kill.

If it could feel annoyance, it would be upset that the bodies of previous kills don't stay where it leaves them.

But it does not have these emotions; it hunts calmly, methodically.

It hunts, and finds prey again.