(Excerpt
The pair
worked solidly away in a comfortable silence over the next several hours. As
Grigorri searched the InterPol database for 'wild animal attacks' or
sword-related deaths, Julia combed the Forensics reports for anymore OO
Positive and OO Negative blood samples taken from crime scenes. They each worked at separate computers with
cartons of half-eaten Chinese food and half-drunk caffeinated sodas around
their work areas. Yet, they worked in
unison with a common goal in mind.
At 10.59 PM she rubbed her stinging eyes before yawning
loudly. He could relate, the glare off
the touch-screen computers was hurting his eyes too. He sat back on his stool and did a big
stretch when he saw what she was doing.
She'd picked up her chopsticks to finish off her cold leftovers.
“Griggori," she began, in between mouthfuls.
“Da, Babushka?”
“Don’t call me that, not at work," she flashed him a
warning look which was negated by the smirk after it.
Griggori looked around the empty room before returning
her smile with a goofy grin.
"Look around Babushka, we're the only ones in the
lab," he pointed out. "No-one
is here to hear your nickname."
“Griggori," she returned to her original train of
thought.
“Da?”
“I've noticed something about the DNA samples of the OO
Positive and OO Negative subjects from the different crime scenes you found in
the InterPol database.”
“Da?”
“The samples, they differ slightly.”
“Do you mean they're by several different perpetrators
instead of the one?”
“Da and Nyet," she sighed tiredly. “Mostly, it’s by the same perpetrator but I
have found differences as well as similarities.”
“Tell me, Babushka," he said affectionately.
He pulled her seat closer so she could sit down beside
him which she did.
“I believe there are several different species of OO
Negative and OO Positive that we're dealing with. The various species appear to have different
physical characteristics, by the different bite marks, clawing and the saliva
taken. For example, some of the OO
Negative saliva samples contained an unusual, poisonous compound, like
venom. The saliva can either kill a
human or incapacitate them."
This made him sit up straighter as if she'd just thrown
cold water over him.
She continued as she ate, “What's certain is the OO
Negative species require fresh blood to replenish their necrotized bodies. This theory can be supported by the differing
puncture wounds primarily on a human victim’s major arteries, such as the
jugular. The OO Negative species appear
to paralyze or incapacitate their victims, to drink from them.”
"Then after they've drained the body by feeding off
them, they use laser rifles to burn the evidence." He concluded.
"Julia, forgetting about our OO Negative victims for a moment, what
if the rise in charred bodies found throughout Europe and the UK are human
victims, who were prey for the OO Negatives?"
"It would make sense, to burn the body and remove
any evidence of teeth marks or traces of the perpetrator's DNA including
saliva," she nodded along.
"Is there any evidence that the OO Positives are
killing humans?" he asked. "Maybe the OO Positives are helping humans
by killing the OO Negatives."
"But you're forgetting the OO Positive Jane Doe and
John Doe whose necks were ravaged by another OO Positive; the OO Positive who's
also the culprit of our latest OO Negative murders."
"So he killed his own kind, then?"
"Da," she verified. "And it had help, by the swordsman or
woman, who killed the older OO Positive male."
"Do you think that perhaps our OO Positive attacker
who's murdering our latest OO Negative victims, is fighting back in
self-defence?" He postured. "Do you think there could be a war on
between the two species?"
"Good question," she thought aloud. "If I were a OO Negative who was missing
red and white blood cells, proteins, antibodies and blood sugars, I'd target a
species that has an abundance of them, like our OO Positives."
"Now tell me why you think there are several
different species of OO Positives and OO Negatives," he requested.
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