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  Scifi – First Page Titled: Footprint

  Posted by Byron Lee on March 11, 2022 at 5:26 pm

  Just up the coast from New Miami, in the bustling post-sea rise city of Lutherton, a crime was being committed in the light of day. It wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last. It wasn’t a bank robbery or a murder or even an event that would make the evening news. At least not yet. But it was part of a rising tide of crime that had sparked the creation of a new task force: Footprint. In this case as in all the others, a single footprint outlined in carbon had been left behind as a clue or a taunt or maybe the egocentric signature of a wannabe criminal mastermind. Or something else that Detective Ben Harkness hadn’t quite figured out yet.

  Ben arrived at the scene at 1:42pm via autocab in not the best of moods. The recent heat wave had dipped to a comparatively comfortable 92 degrees and in a rare concession had given in to a game of tennis with his wife of 28 years. To his surprise, he had been winning. The phone at his wrist pulsed 3 times after he’d delivered a devastating backhand and he knew he’d have to end it early. Mary clucked like a chicken as if he had planned the whole thing to escape defeat, but he knew she was disappointed…again. He held onto a deep breath then slowly let it out.

  “Don’t worry,” she’d said. “You’ll make it up to me.” But the words sounded hollow even to him.

  A couple of uniforms met him at the building’s entrance. By their relaxed postures, Detective Harkness knew that the perpetrator was long gone.

  “What are we looking at?” Ben asked.

  The two officers looked at each other then shrugged. The taller of the two was Marla Jenkins. Thin, wiry, with a hooked nose that poked out from the shadow of her hat while dark hair wrapped in a bun stayed mostly hidden. Her eyes flashed green with an eagerness that could only be fresh out of the academy. Ben realized that they’d worked together before. The guy, mid forties paunch with arms like tree trunks leaned lazily against the squad car. He glanced towards Officer Jenkins, then smiled.

  Ben caught the hint. “Officer…Jenkins is it? Why don’t you fill me in.”

  She nodded then flipped open her notepad. “Not much to tell. The MO is the same as all the others. He or she broke in,although we haven’t seen signs of forced entry, siphoned off about a days worth of energy, then left a carbon footprint.” She glanced up nervously. “No pun intended. We’re still canvassing the area, but no witnesses so far.”

  Ben took in the eight story, well-maintained building with a glance. There were sets of open elevator platforms on either side. “This is one of those PEC buildings right?”

  “Sir?”

  “Potential energy converters. Occupants carry 5 lb bricks up the stairs. They get them to the roof and stack them on an elevator platform. When the platform is full, you release it to generate electricity. A connected platform is raised as the other one is lowered and the process starts all over again.”

  “Cool. Does that work?”

  Ben shrugged. “Beats me. Surveillance?”

  “We’re checking it now. It’s uploaded off site automatically, so we’re hopeful.”

  Ben smiled briefly. “Good job.” He motioned towards the door. “Let’s check it out. Maybe a fresh set of eyes will catch something.”

  Byron Lee replied 4 years, 4 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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