Loops

He gave them his number, and then realized, before he turned to leave, that he had left one important stone unturned.

"Sir, before I go, I’d just like to ask you a quick question. What, exactly, was the cause of death?"

"Well, Investigator, that’s the tricky part. We know the cause of death. His brain was removed. There are no wounds, no scars, nothing. He simply collapsed, dead. Some of the bits kept working for a while, but it was a plane with no engine. Still, no one knows how the brain left the body. If we did, we wouldn’t have called you."

Rieger turned and stared back at the corpse of the late executive. It would seem you have many secrets left to tell, my friend…Let’s just try and hope I can handle it better than you did. He glanced at the bloody papers underneath Wertzle’s head. The one he had been holding the moment of his death caught his eye. Rieger could read only "Advanced Wormhole Projects" across the top, but it appeared to be a budget. He could see columns of numbers, but also a phone and ‘hole number. When the vice-president-of-whatever turned his back, Rieger swiftly snatched the paper and pocketed it. You never know what might be the biggest clue that can make or break the case. Maybe this poor fellow was cutting funds to some vengeful scientist with some fancy nanotech. Or maybe I just need some sleep.

Rieger sat at his desk, staring at the bloodstained expense report. The budget showed he was indeed cutting funds to the Advanced Wormhole Projects. Maybe that was it. The eggheads had been known to get rowdy before, and get revenge in nasty ways. Poisonings, industrial "accidents"…maybe a remotely targeted ‘hole to join the list? He took a quick glance at the system code on the ‘hole number, then turned. A moment later, his head swiveled back to stare at the unfamiliar ‘573’ there. Not Sol’s ‘141’ or Centauri’s ‘343’, but a totally unfamiliar code. He asked his AI to identify the offending code, and stared in frustration as his AI seemed to be processing for a full five seconds. "Code Classified. Please stay at your desk, Mr. Rieger. Security forces have been alerted. Any attempt to leave this room or make a phone call will result in your immediate indefinite detainment without trial. This is your only warning." Rieger realized he had stumbled on something bigger than he could have imagined. He quickly turned to his personal transporter, the spare, unlicensed one he carried in his pocket. Any detective had to have some tricks the law didn’t know about. With his mind a total blank, he typed the only number that popped into his head. And he was on his way to the Advanced Wormhole Projects.

A small office, unbelievably cluttered, greeted the eye. Nothing stood out, nothing spectacular. Until the view greeted his eye, Rieger could have taken it for any office in the Two Systems. A gigantic blue sun drifted in space, with tendrils of gas and stellar matter drifting off to all directions.