Chapter 1:

Date: Sep, 8, 2597

Emma scowled at the wall in front of her while eating what would have to pass for dinner that night. She had spent most of the day running around talking with R&D about what had happened to the couple’s original bodies when they died in their Synths.

R&D swore up and down that the cause was a bug in the connection system known as Sentient 7.5 and the only reason they passed away was from stress induced heart attack due to the feedback of pain caused when they died.

This was a well-known issue with conscience transfer technology called ghosting. If the substitute body experienced death the pain would normally be enough to cause a heart attack or brain aneurism in the original body. For this reason safety protocols were put in place to prevent the pain from being sent in case of death of the Synth body.

This was one of the biggest problems when the tech first came into its own, but it’s been years and Sentientech who maintains and builds all the synths and original capsules on-site is the top of the line when it comes to Synth and conscience technology. Normally the likelihood of ghosting is the same as getting in an air accident.

You would be more likely to win the World Lottery than die by ghosting. Yet here are two people who died at the same time and both ghosted.

Emma chewed on the leftover takeout and agreed in her mind with the chief that this did seem fishy. What was worse was when she finally got down to Autopsy later that day to talk with Kara even Kara had another puzzle piece that seemingly didn’t fit.

“I’m telling you there isn’t a wound on the body. The man is the only one with a wound!” Kara defended.

Mitzy, Emma’s partner exclaimed, “There’s no way she just keeled over and died on the spot! You had to have missed something. People don’t just fall over and die in a synth, especially when their lover or whatever he was is killed at nearly the same time. That’s just ludicrous!”

“Look, I know this may sound strange.”

Kara retorted, “But I scanned the whole body, I used spectral, x-ray, nanoscope, magnometer, everything. The only thing damaged on that synth is the power coupler. I’m not even sure why either. On the surface it looks like the power cells just went into meltdown as if the shielding didn’t exist. I have already made a call to the engineering department to send a technician over to tear both Synths apart and look at them. Until then I have nothing for you in regards to the female Synth.” Emma contemplated and Mitzy gave a frustrated sigh before Kara moved over to the male Synth body.

“As for the male Synth, it’s pretty cut and dry. Cause of death was a loss of power due to the power coupler and actuation control unit being sliced in two. Entry wound is on the front of the torso starting from just above the navel up to the collar bone. Exit wound starts from mid back at the spine up to the top of the shoulder just below the base of the neck. Whatever it was that was used, it cut clean through everything. Edges are cut clean and charred. The exposed Contronite in the power coupler shows striations indicative of a magnetic or plasma based weapon. Thing had to be huge though to cause this large a hole with such ease. The power coupler shielding is tough and not just anything can cut through.”

Kara motioned to the wound on the male’s chest satisfied that at least this mystery could be solved.

While thinking over what Kara had said Emma glanced over to the two corpses lined up next to the Synth bodies. If she didn’t know any better she would swear that there was a mirror separating the Synth and original human bodies. They were perfect copies in every way and Emma had never seen both Synth and Original so close together. Even when you got your Synth it was in an entirely different building than the control bed used by the Original.

It was eerie to say the least.

Mitzy seemingly realized something and spoke up, “Hey, why are the Synth and the Original exact copies? I thought most everyone who comes to Nirvana chooses a different look for their Synth since nobody knows anyone while here. I chose my body because I like the way I look, but almost everyone I know makes some changes.”

Kara answered, “Most of the time that’s the case, but both of these are investors for UEC and Sentientech respectively. I bet since they spend so much time here they want to be comfortable as a body different from your own is somewhat cumbersome. It’s like wearing a pair of shoes that don’t fit. You can manage for a short while, but long term it’s too difficult.” Both Emma and Mitzy nodded at the reasonable conclusion.

Emma read the autopsy report Kara handed her while Mitzy inquired about the Originals.

[Hmm. Katheryn Frieda Moses (48) and Jerrold Castillo (54). Both investors huh….. Well, anyways it doesn’t surprise me to find investors of both companies being so close since they basically built this entire place together. Considering how the United Economic Conglomerate and Sentientech built Nirvana on their own, it just goes to show how much power they have. This place is massive. I think if I went from one engine nacelle to the one on the opposite side, even at 60mph on my father’s Photorunner that would take over an hour in a straight line.]

Kara motioned to the male corpse to the right. “Once again the male is pretty straightforward. Death by heart chamber rupture due to acute stress accumulation from the ghosting feedback.”

She then pointed to the female. “Now she on the other hand, is a different story. Her cause of death is complete rupture of the neuron cells in her brain as well as massive hemorrhaging in the cranial cavity."

"This was not due to feedback though, as the amount of power required to so completely fry her brain would have melted the spinal implant and interface. It’s as if her entire brain fired all at the same time as if to purposefully self-destruct. I requested a bio guy to come down with the other technician from engineering so until they get here the female is entirely a mystery.” Finished, Kara crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders in defeat.

Both Emma and Mitzy knew they were on to something.

Whatever it was, these puzzle pieces were starting to smell more and more like a salmon on a hot day.