THE TRIP OUT OF TERRAFORM IS A LOT MORE PLEASANT THAN COMING IN. AND IT'S NICE TO HAVE A CLIENT THAT LOOKS LIKE HE CAN PAY. SO, ALEXIS ALEXANDER, THE DAUGHTER OF THE WEALTHIEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE, IS MISSING. WHAT A RANSOM THIS DISH WOULD GARNER.
BUT IN THE INFORMATION HE TRANSMITTED TO ME, THERE WAS NOTHING TO PROVE THIS WAS A KIDNAPPING. THEN HE SAYS 'SOMETHING ELSE WAS STOLEN FROM ME' AND ACTS AS IF THIS WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS DAUGHTER. I TRY TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT 'IT' WAS AND HE CLAMS UP ON THE SUBJECT. I DON'T THINK HE'S GIVING ME THE WHOLE STORY, AND ONE THINGS FOR SURE, HE'S DESPERATE.
AT LEAST HE GAVE ME A FEW PLACES TO START...
AT LEAST I'VE GOT SOME TIME TO PUT MY THOUGHTS TOGETHER. I'VE FOLLOWED A STRING OF BODIES TO CENTRAL AMERICA. ALL I KNOW IS THAT MY CLIENT IS DEAD AND ALEXIS ALEXANDER IS PROBABLY SOMEWHERE ON MARS. RICK LOGAN STOLE SOMETHING CALLED THE ORACLE STONE FROM MARSHAL ALEXANDER AND WHEN I FOUND LOGAN, HE WAS DEAD AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THE ROCK. ALEXANDER WANTED THE STONE AS MUCH AS HE WANTED HIS DAUGHTER. WHY WAS THE WORLDS RICHEST MAN DESPERATELY TRYING TO RETRIEVE THIS ORACLE STONE?
THEY WEREN'T KIDDING ABOUT THE SECURITY PROTECTING DICK'S SAFE. I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH AN ELABORATE SYSTEM. SINCE I'VE GOT A MOMENT, I REVIEW SEVERAL ITEMS I'VE PICKED UP.
- LOWELL PERCIVAL'S GAMBLING NOTES. I BET HE'LL TELL SOMETHING IF I GIVE THESE TO HIM.
- THE MARTIAN MEMORANDUM READS: TO COLLIER STANTON. THE COLONISTS HAVE FOUND AN ANCIENT MARTIAN ARTIFACT. THEY CALL IT THE ORACLE STONE. EVIDENTLY IT HAS ALMOST 'MYSTICAL' POWERS. IT'S A FIND OF GREAT SCIENTIFIC IMPORTANCE AND I SUGGEST WE TRY TO PURCHASE IT FROM THEM. IF IT CAN'T BE PURCHASED, PERHAPS THEY WILL ALLOW US TO STUDY IT. SIGNED, THOMAS DANGERFIELD, ARCHAEOLOGIST.
I KNOW STANTON BECAME MARSHAL ALEXANDER, BUT WHO IS THOMAS DANGERFIELD?
WHAT THE HELL WAS DEACON HAWKE TALKING ABOUT? WHAT DID SHE MEAN 'MY COMING WAS FORETOLD'? AND THAT BUSINESS ABOUT 'THE LIGHT'? 'ONLY WHEN THE LIGHT RETURNS' WILL SHE GIVE ME INFORMATION. WHAT KIND OF LIGHT? ONE THINGS FOR SURE, SHE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND HERE.
LAST NIGHT WAS TOUGH. NEARLY GETTING ICED ALWAYS LEAVES ME DRAINED AND JUMPY. AS A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR, I'VE BEEN IN TOUGH SPOTS, BUT THAT WAS NEARLY THE END OF THE LINE. I ENDED UP SLEEPING IN MY CHAIR ALL DAY. NOW THE SUN IS SETTING AND I GROGGILY STUMBLE AROUND THE ROOM TRYING TO REGAIN MY BEARINGS. AS I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW I CAN SEE THE SAN FRANCISCO SKYLINE AND WHAT'S LEFT OF THE ATMOSPHERE. NOT SO LONG AGO, A GIGAWAD OF NUCLEAR MISSILES WERE LAUNCHED BY SOME FRENETIC THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. LUCKY FOR THE SHELTERS, MOST PEOPLE SURVIVED. THE ECO-SYSTEM MAY NOT. TONIGHT IT SEEMS THE SKY IS EXTRAORDINARILY RED. NOT THE NORMAL WASHED, RUDDY HUE, BUT A THICK, MALICIOUS, DEEP RED. SOMETHING ABOUT THE COLOR LEAVES ME EDGY AND TENSE. IT'S AS IF SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IS TARGETING ME. BUT THEN MAYBE I'M SUPERSTITIOUS. I'VE NEVER CARED MUCH FOR THE COLOR OF BLOOD...