Entry #538573, added on 10-13-07 @ 1:42 pm EDT
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| Chapter Twenty Four | Entry #538573 |
Officer Dillon was tired and frustrated. For days now he had gone over and over the evidence and statements to do with the death of James Bridgeman and he was at a loss. No new evidence had come to light for a while now and there were no leads left to follow up. Dillon had been suffering with insomnia and his temperament was beginning to show it. He had become an ill-tempered and stern man, his patience almost none existent. He was now one of the only officers left on the case as others had been reassigned to more recent incidents, but Dillon remained. He was determined to find something. His guilt had driven him to walk the common lands and deserted areas surrounding the crime scene each night after dark. He would search alone for hours, but never finding anything. He had checked and double checked all the evidence and he had nothing to show for it. One person remained whom he hadn’t spoken to, and that was Silas’ driver. At the time Dillon had passed up the chance to talk to him, not wanting to insult Silas, but if he was going to be able to leave the case, which was what he was being asked to do, then he felt he had to go back and have that conversation after all. Looking at his watch he saw that it was late and decided that once he had finished patrolling for the night he would head home and then go visit Silas again in the morning.
Chief inspector Stubbs sat at his desk looking at the photograph the professor had given him. The five figures stared back at him from their sepia poses.
Hesser, Hundt, Mason, Jefferson and …?
“Working late again John?” Superintendent Jennings called as he walked past Stubbs’ office and noticed him still there.
“Sir! Could I have a word?” Stubbs called back. Jennings back tracked and entered the room.
“What is it John?”
“Well Sir. What with Silas back in London safely, and the arrival of the Princess going smoothly, obviously except for the incident with Greening, I find myself a little short of work. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate all the help from the additional manpower sharing my cases, but I’m an Inspector not an officer. My time can be better spent investigating some of the more high profile cases instead of patrolling the streets, which to be honest is all that’s left at present. The riots and the general crime are being dealt with and I believe Dillon is making slow progress with the ongoing animal case, but nether-the-less its in good hands.”
“What is it you’re so cautiously trying to suggest John?”
“I know you’re very busy sir and have enough on your plate already, especially with your upcoming visit to Downing Street, and I just thought that maybe I could lighten your burden by taking over the Baron’s case again?”
Jennings frowned at the mention of the case. He had tried to put it out of his mind, the feeling of vulnerability and violation after the mugging still haunting him.
“Stubbs, I’m afraid there is nothing to go on anymore. You know full well that the ring was stolen and with it the one lead we had.”
“I know sir, but I’m just asking for a few days. If I don’t come up with anything then I’ll put it aside, but Sir Silas himself has shown a lot of personal interest and I feel it some what of a duty to at least put my own mind at rest that I have done everything I can to resolve the matter.” Jennings stared at Stubbs as he made his plea, and inside he secretly was happy to be rid of the case, even with its grandeur still in his mind.
“Ok John, it’s yours, but any progress and I want to be the first to know about it ok?”
“Absolutely sir.”
Jennings left the room and Stubbs’ attention returned to the photo in his hands. His eyes scanned the names again;
Hesser, Hundt, Mason, Jefferson and …?
Hundt was dead and the others whereabouts were unknown. However the professor had said that Jefferson was involved in the formation of Fair View asylum. With no other leads Stubbs decided that he should pay the place a visit. A course of action that he would have followed up weeks ago had Jennings not taken him off of the case. He also secretly would welcome the break from the station. He gathered all the available information on the asylum that was held in the Station archives and once Jennings had given his approval, Stubbs arranged a train to Derbyshire. As he would be gone for a few days he stopped at home first to pack his clothes and to bid farewell to his family. He felt slightly guilty about leaving Jane and Danny, but a few days away should help to clear his head. Jane’s mother had been planning to visit for a long time now, so this was also a good excuse for her to finally stay. Stubbs hoped to come back not only with a new lead but also in a better state of mind.
“I’m here to be amazed” Proclaimed Silas, “No more excuses. There is only so far my resources and my patience are willing to stretch.”
Mason tried to reply, “I do keep explaining…”
“Mason, we have an ever decreasing time frame, you are well aware of that, and I have been more than generous. I have provided you with everything you have requested and don’t think that it hasn’t pained me to overlook your little perversities. I don’t care what you do or to whom, but I expect results.”
“I am close.”
“I was hoping that the raised level of missing persons in this area was suggesting that.”
“I…er…”
“You are a sloppy killer Mason, but I have put people in place to cover your tracks.”
“Thank you. I needed fresh subjects.”
“And were their deaths productive?”
“Come and look for yourself.”
Mason led Silas across the laboratory. They approached a large metal door set into one of the walls. At its base was a small sliding panel. Mason casually picked up a severed hand from a bin he had been using during his dissections. He slid back the panel with his foot and dropped the hand to the floor. He then kicked the hand through the gap in the door. A sudden burst of growling and slavering erupted as something devoured the limb. This was followed by heavy panting and further growls. Something large pounded against the door.
“I thought the Hundt was dead?” Silas asked.
“It is. But much was learnt from its short life. What lies behind this door is the next stage of experiments. This time I believe its physical form is more stable.”
“Can I see?”
“Unfortunately some degree of control has not yet been established. The original characteristics of the creature remain with the subject. I removed this specimen from the pound; vicious bugger. His character has been enhanced. A good sign we are getting closer to our end goal, but it has provided us with a very nasty set of teeth. It does get rid of any evidence though. There’s no need to fire up the incinerator anymore.”
“Ok, so you have another pet. I’m still waiting to be amazed.” Silas’s interest was beginning to wane.
“Ok, ok, look at this.” Mason was becoming desperate now and led Silas to a collection of large glass canisters. He pointed at them and gestured for Silas to approach. “The fruit fly. It has a life cycle lasting only 24 hours. Using blood samples from the Hundt the cycle has been drastically reduced to a mere 2 hours, but their reproductivity has quadrupled as well as acquiring a lust for flesh.” Sure enough Silas could clearly see the fly’s devouring another undistinguishable human limb within the canister.
“And in this other canister are fruit fly exposed to a blood sample taken directly from the Baron.”
Silas looked at Mason, “How is the Baron?”
“Fine. He’s currently catching up with an old friend.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh nothing. I had an unexpected visitor, but it’s all taken care of.”
“Anything I should know about?”
“No, no, nothing to worry about. To be honest it’s presented me with an intriguing opportunity.”
“Just remember what the consequences will be if any more mistakes are made.”
“Have faith Silas.” Mason’s tone was almost belittling. He gestured back to the canister of fruit fly and continued, “As we know the Barons life has far exceeded the normal expectancy for the injuries caused to his body. However although the work done by Hesser has tragically deformed him, it has extended his life, by how much we don’t know.”
“But at what price?” Silas queried however Mason was on a roll and continued regardless of his reservations.
“It does all give us a basis from which to progress. The fruit fly’s exposed to the Barons blood have become hideously disfigured but they have also shown a longer life cycle.”
“How long?”
“The fly’s you see in there are now into their fifth day.” Announced Mason proudly.
“So if we can combine your attempts at stabilizing the physical form with the extended life cycle of the baron we may be onto something?”
“It’s promising stuff. The serum Hesser introduced to the Baron’s blood must have caused his molecular structure to become unstable thus causing the disfigurement. However the regenerative experiments I have been performing may provide the perfect solution to that problem. I needed many subjects to conclusively determine that the dead tissue can be reanimated. Not only reanimated but regenerated.”
“How far are we from conducting these new experiments?”
“Close, but I will need live subjects. Dead Tissue can be reanimated but I require the energy of living organisms to trigger it. Then the reanimated subject uses a substantially large amount of energy to survive, thus its shortened life span. Hesser was close but he hadn’t even started upon regeneration.”
“This Hesser sounds somewhat more qualified than yourself, maybe I should have employed him?”
“Hesser is no more than a stooge. His work was irrational and sloppy. If we possessed the same resources then our job would be much easier.”
“That is something I am working on.”
“You know that without the final components we can only go so far. Even if we succeed in merging the two experiments we will only have achieved a poor version of what Hesser and Jefferson are creating in Germany.”
Silas tapped his cane upon the desk in front of Mason.
“As I said Mason, I’m working on it.”
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© Copyright 2007 ReflectingeyE (UN: reflectingeye at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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