Editing Episode 618: Murder on the Equinox Express, Part Two
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Joshua stand and brings the interview to a close. He escorts Ashcroft out and takes Nika aside. We'll be right back, he says. He tells Nika everything he's learned so far and gives her his take on it. Rina eases back to listen in, but keeps her eyes on the passengers.<br><br> | Joshua stand and brings the interview to a close. He escorts Ashcroft out and takes Nika aside. We'll be right back, he says. He tells Nika everything he's learned so far and gives her his take on it. Rina eases back to listen in, but keeps her eyes on the passengers.<br><br> | ||
| − | '''Joshua:''' In my mind, Mercier's relatively innocent of whacking Grand on the head with a tire iron. Myers has her own secrets—I'll talk to you about Blue Sun pacification later—and Ashcroft … Ashcroft is a whacking cool customer. My first impression is that no, he didn't do it. As he put it, | + | '''Joshua:''' In my mind, Mercier's relatively innocent of whacking Grand on the head with a tire iron. Myers has her own secrets—I'll talk to you about Blue Sun pacification later—and Ashcroft … Ashcroft is a whacking cool customer. My first impression is that no, he didn't do it. As he put it, his first suspect is Sun-Li, who got taken out. And his second suspect was Grand, who got hit in the head. And he thought he recognized me, by the way. He's got a good memory.<br> |
'''Rina:''' (very quietly) It could have been a ploy to make you jump and let something slip, pretending to know stuff he didn't.<br> | '''Rina:''' (very quietly) It could have been a ploy to make you jump and let something slip, pretending to know stuff he didn't.<br> | ||
'''Nika:''' Wow. We've culled it essentially down to Ashcroft and Holden, really.<br> | '''Nika:''' Wow. We've culled it essentially down to Ashcroft and Holden, really.<br> | ||
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'''Nika:''' All right. There are two primary thoughts behind Fleming's death. Either the Independents figured out what she was doing, which seems likely given the idea that Holden is an Independent agent, and they decided that before she could give over what she's discovered, they would get rid of her which—again assuming Holden is who he says he is and he's doing what he said he's doing—really wouldn't make that much sense, because somebone else would just pick up the project. The other idea is that we have an Alliance team who has decided that Fleming has been compromised and want to take her out of the equation because they believe Holden has turned her.<br><br> | '''Nika:''' All right. There are two primary thoughts behind Fleming's death. Either the Independents figured out what she was doing, which seems likely given the idea that Holden is an Independent agent, and they decided that before she could give over what she's discovered, they would get rid of her which—again assuming Holden is who he says he is and he's doing what he said he's doing—really wouldn't make that much sense, because somebone else would just pick up the project. The other idea is that we have an Alliance team who has decided that Fleming has been compromised and want to take her out of the equation because they believe Holden has turned her.<br><br> | ||
| − | Like | + | Like that sort of thing never happens in war, right? Rina would beg to differ.<br><br> |
'''Joshua:''' We might as well lock them all up.<br> | '''Joshua:''' We might as well lock them all up.<br> | ||
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'''Nika:''' Then if it's not either one of those two and it's not Mercier because you've Read him, then … ? It leads to Bianca. | '''Nika:''' Then if it's not either one of those two and it's not Mercier because you've Read him, then … ? It leads to Bianca. | ||
'''Joshua:''' Sun-Li might still be alive if Kiera had—<br> | '''Joshua:''' Sun-Li might still be alive if Kiera had—<br> | ||
| − | '''Nika:''' Don’t go there. The thing is Sun-Li could have poisoned herself to make sure suspicion came off of her and accidentally mis-dosed. It's always a possibility. Leaving that aside, if she were to have done so and then accidentally overdosed herself so that we could not save her, | + | '''Nika:''' Don’t go there. The thing is Sun-Li could have poisoned herself to make sure suspicion came off of her and accidentally mis-dosed. It's always a possibility. Leaving that aside, if she were to have done so and then accidentally overdosed herself so that we could not save her, why would Grand be hit in the head? My thought would be that Grand knows who put poison in her glass, which means keeping Grand alive and getting him awake is our highest priority at this moment.<br> |
'''Joshua:''' Okay. I think you're right. It makes the most sense. If Grand was in the lounge when she was poisoned … Was there anyone who wasn't in the lounge when it happened? <br><br> | '''Joshua:''' Okay. I think you're right. It makes the most sense. If Grand was in the lounge when she was poisoned … Was there anyone who wasn't in the lounge when it happened? <br><br> | ||
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So there really could be someone aboard.<br><br> | So there really could be someone aboard.<br><br> | ||
| − | With that danger in mind, Nika decides we need to pick up the pace on the search. She gets Kiera to join in, sending her to the flight deck to check out | + | With that danger in mind, Nika decides we need to pick up the pace on the search. She gets Kiera to join in, sending her to the flight deck to check out Lagniappe. It can be a pretty nifty hiding place. Our dropship is empty. Stepping off her, Kiera spies something flashing in the corner of her eye and a sharp object hits her. She's immediately wounded and bleeding and stunned. Staggering up, she sees Emile Grand standing there.<br><br> |
Wait, how did he get out of med bay with Arden on duty? What's happened to Arden—? That's all the time Kiera has to think in her head before Grand attacks her with a scalpel. Kiera runs to the nearest wall com, hoping to page the rest of the crew. If nothing else, she can leave the channel open and the sounds of the clear and present fight will draw them to the flight deck. She'll have to stall him til they get there.<br><br> | Wait, how did he get out of med bay with Arden on duty? What's happened to Arden—? That's all the time Kiera has to think in her head before Grand attacks her with a scalpel. Kiera runs to the nearest wall com, hoping to page the rest of the crew. If nothing else, she can leave the channel open and the sounds of the clear and present fight will draw them to the flight deck. She'll have to stall him til they get there.<br><br> | ||
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Nika and Joshua get worried—they should have heard from Kiera on the flight deck by now. It's not that big a place to search. Fearing the worst, they run up two decks only to find the hangar bay empty. There's blood on the floor though…and since there's no sign of the redhead, Nika and Joshua fear it's hers.<br><br> | Nika and Joshua get worried—they should have heard from Kiera on the flight deck by now. It's not that big a place to search. Fearing the worst, they run up two decks only to find the hangar bay empty. There's blood on the floor though…and since there's no sign of the redhead, Nika and Joshua fear it's hers.<br><br> | ||
| − | + | '''Clang!'''<br><br> | |
Down below on the passenger deck, Rina's on the bottom of the stairs and she hears it. That can't be good. Her paranoia gets the best of her, however, and she's reluctant to have a possible murderer at her back as she goes upstairs to investigate the sound. She's unable to convince the passengers to precede her up the stairs and they're not going to be locked into their quarters to be sitting ducks thankyouverymuch, and they really don’t care if she's got a gun on them either. No way, lady.<br><br> | Down below on the passenger deck, Rina's on the bottom of the stairs and she hears it. That can't be good. Her paranoia gets the best of her, however, and she's reluctant to have a possible murderer at her back as she goes upstairs to investigate the sound. She's unable to convince the passengers to precede her up the stairs and they're not going to be locked into their quarters to be sitting ducks thankyouverymuch, and they really don’t care if she's got a gun on them either. No way, lady.<br><br> | ||
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Joshua takes the stairs down to the cargo deck. <br><br> | Joshua takes the stairs down to the cargo deck. <br><br> | ||
| − | Hiding in the closet on the crew deck, Nika hears the rush of air escaping. One of the airlocks is opening up. | + | Hiding in the closet on the crew deck, Nika hears the rush of air escaping. One of the airlocks is opening up. '''Shite!''' She gets out of the closet, the air already rushing past her as she runs for the bridge. She should be able to override the airlock doors from there. She runs right up the portside corridor, arrowing in on the rear door to her quarters, when she glimpses someone in a vac suit in the starboard cargo bay. It's Grand and the cargo bay doors are already cracked and jammed open with some sort of bar. <br><br> |
She draws, she shoots, she hits.<br><br> | She draws, she shoots, she hits.<br><br> | ||
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It's a crowbar. She wraps her hands around it, the sucking atmo grabbing her clothes, her hair, the air from her lungs, as she strains to pull it free. Her vision swims, her blood pounds in her ears, her eyeballs, her throat. It's getting harder and harder to breathe, to muster her strength, to put her back into it …. With one final mighty effort, she pulls and the bar flies out of the jamb, the doors slam shut and she lands on her ass. <br><br> | It's a crowbar. She wraps her hands around it, the sucking atmo grabbing her clothes, her hair, the air from her lungs, as she strains to pull it free. Her vision swims, her blood pounds in her ears, her eyeballs, her throat. It's getting harder and harder to breathe, to muster her strength, to put her back into it …. With one final mighty effort, she pulls and the bar flies out of the jamb, the doors slam shut and she lands on her ass. <br><br> | ||
| − | She scrambles up and hits the nearest wall comm on all-ship: "The airlock door is shut. Anybody with weapons, pull'em. | + | She scrambles up and hits the nearest wall comm on all-ship: "The airlock door is shut. Anybody with weapons, pull'em. Take this frakker out."<br><br> |
She doesn't linger for confirmation but runs for the conference room door, her gun up and out. She pauses at the door, looking cautiously around the jamb as it opens in case Grand is set up to shoot her head off the minute she steps across the threshold. No one shoots. The room is empty. Nika crosses to the bridge door on the other side. <br><br> | She doesn't linger for confirmation but runs for the conference room door, her gun up and out. She pauses at the door, looking cautiously around the jamb as it opens in case Grand is set up to shoot her head off the minute she steps across the threshold. No one shoots. The room is empty. Nika crosses to the bridge door on the other side. <br><br> | ||
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And what goes around, comes around. He attacks Nika and gets a haymaker on her—his heavy suit glove does more damage than a naked fist and it spins her around in her tracks. Nika pushes off the bridge console she lands on and attacks him. Again, that suit offers Grand protection and she is unable to render any more damage to him. He gets another pummeling attack on her for yet more damage … but that last blow takes the last of his strength and he goes down, measuring his length on the deck. Out like a light. <br><br> | And what goes around, comes around. He attacks Nika and gets a haymaker on her—his heavy suit glove does more damage than a naked fist and it spins her around in her tracks. Nika pushes off the bridge console she lands on and attacks him. Again, that suit offers Grand protection and she is unable to render any more damage to him. He gets another pummeling attack on her for yet more damage … but that last blow takes the last of his strength and he goes down, measuring his length on the deck. Out like a light. <br><br> | ||
| − | Nika staggers to her feet and as the rest of her crew scramble through the door, she kicks Grand viciously in the ribs. " | + | Nika staggers to her feet and as the rest of her crew scramble through the door, she kicks Grand viciously in the ribs. "Bugger!" <br><br> |
And with that, Nika Earhart takes her ship back from a murderer.<br><br> | And with that, Nika Earhart takes her ship back from a murderer.<br><br> | ||
