This is Chapter One in my sci-fi series starring Kreke, a man of mystery and intrigue, solving crimes throughout the galaxy with his investigative reporting. Each installment will contain the link to prior chapters. I hope you enjoy Chapter One:
The mini ‘thopter settled on the landing pad with a gentle bump. Kreke gave the meter the required retinal scan and touched his wrist implant to settle the bill. The steady downpour only heightened his exhaustion as he contemplated the short walk between the landing pad and the bounce tube entrance. Just his luck to arrive home during the two-hour nightly hydration sequence. He hopped out of the ‘thopter and dashed to the tube entrance. The ‘thopter took off and headed for the cargo area to offload his luggage.
Kreke entered the tube and gave the HOME command. HAL, the building AI, read his biometrics and sent him directly to his facilities. It also activated the drying function in the tube after sensing the excess moisture on his clothing. In seconds Kreke was at the entrance to his living quarters. Once inside the complex itself, the security was maintained at maximum alert so his palm scan was sufficient to gain entry.
“Welcome home, Kreke,” came the disembodied voice of his household AI, Ona. Everything had been brought to readiness for his arrival upon notification by HAL that Kreke had entered the tube.
“It’s good to be home, Ona. Please activate our household droid, Omar, and have him tend to my luggage. Let me unwind with a hot shower and a drink, then I’ll be ready for my messages. I’m not taking any calls for now, with the exception of anything from Andrea.”
Andrea, his long-standing girlfriend, always had top priority when he arrived home from an assignment. The fact that she was a diplomat with the Global Embassy and he was an ace investigative reporter made it necessary that they not communicate while he was on assignment.
“Very good, Kreke. From my medical scan I see that your blood pressure is elevated, you are slightly dehydrated, and your muscles show fatigue and tightness. May I suggest a therapeutic massage after your shower?”
“Excellent idea! Instruct the meditation pod set up for massage mode. Omar can bring me a liter of Kwik-Hydro for now and I’ll decide on a light supper later.”
Kreke picked up his P-Link to contact Andrea. The vidscreen lit up showing her seated at her breakfast nook with an old-style coffee cup in hand and a three-sided link display hovering at shoulder height. One of the screens was scrolling through the latest market index numbers, one was showing a fantasy vid from Elijah, and the third featured the screaming headlines of the morning edition of the Chronicle.
“Kreke, when did you get home? I wasn’t expecting you back before Friday!”
“I got in late last night. Things got a little too hot in Karib. I had everything I needed so I was able to get out a few days early. Though I just wish I could have been there this morning to see the Colonel’s face when this headline broke.”
“I really worry about you doing all this investigative work. I suppose you’re the “trusted source” in this latest breaking news story?” she waved towards the screen showing the Chronicle's front page.
Kreke chuckled softly. “Trusted sources never divulge themselves. But enough about work, when can we get together? How about coming over for dinner tonight? I’ll send Omar out to the Municipal Open-Air today to pick up something fresh. I’m sick to death of auto-chef food after a month in Karib.”
A shadow crossed Andrea’s face and it didn’t escape Kreke’s attention. He narrowed his eyes as she stammered. “I really can’t tonight. I already have plans, you weren’t supposed to be back until Friday. I’m sorry.” In the background, Kreke heard Andrea’s droid informing her that her shuttle to work was waiting at the tube entrance.
“I’ve got to run, Kreke, I’m hosting a big holo meeting today and I can’t afford to be late. I’ll be tied up until late tonight, so give me a buzz in the morning, sweetheart, and we’ll set something up.” She blew him a kiss and the link signed off.
Kreke looked thoughtfully at the blank P-link he was holding. His highly honed bullshit detector was vibrating and he wasn’t accustomed to getting this warning vibe during a conversation with Andrea.
“Ona, playback that conversation and run a stress analysis on it. Give me both the visual and the audio.”
The video conversation was displayed once again on his P-link and he studied Andrea’s body language carefully as he listened again to their conversation. By the end of the replay, he didn’t need Ona’s diagnostic determination. He already knew what the stress indicator program was going to tell him.
