Yet you get more to read. Happy travelling and take care of the robots 
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**Chapter 16**
Van Ulmer’s breath was ragged. He felt weak, colored circles danced before his eyes. Headache pounded in his head, pounding and dull. He groped for the call switch that was on the bedside table. With great effort, he raised an arm. His hand was shaking from the effort as he reached for the switch. He could hardly hold it. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was dizzy. Breathing heavily, he sank into the pillows of his hospital bed. He knew his end was coming and it wasn’t going to be very long. Ever since he was in the infirmary, he felt himself getting weaker every day. The painkillers he was given weakened him further. But without these remedies, he probably would have gone mad with pain. His body was a single pain that could now only be felt dull due to the medication.
He pushed the button and saw the call light come on the opposite wall. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for someone to come. His mouth was completely dry. His heart gradually calmed down and his breathing stopped coming in fits and starts. Outside in the hallway, he heard footsteps approaching quickly. The door opened and a tall female figure stood in the doorway. Van Ulmer lifted his head to get a better look. The female figure closed the door behind her and approached. Van Ulmer looked into Ingrid Granqvist’s worried face.
“What is Svante? ’ she asked worriedly, leaning over him. «
»Ingrid is so dizzy and I feel like I’m getting weaker and weaker. «
'That’s because you might be dehydrated, when was the last time you had a drink? «
'This morning after breakfast. A cup of tea. ’ replied van Ulmer weakly.
'That’s not enough Svante. I’ll put you on an Infusion. you need liquid «
“There’s something else I want to talk to you about, Ingrid. «
'What’s Svante about? « Said Ingrid, took a stool and sat down by the hospital bed.
Van Ulmer panted a few times as if it was taking a lot of strength.
»Ingrid is at the end of my life. I feel that we need to do the experiment as soon as possible. Otherwise it’s too late. «
'I know, Svante, we will do it soon. Veronika has been working on the program under high pressure since yesterday. We still hope that we can carry out the experiment this week. I will also give you the new drug that I received from America. You know it’s a risk, but maybe we can inhibit or stop the disease. You know that this drug is little tested, but we have to try everything. «
“That’s good Ingrid. But there’s something else I want to tell you. It is important. «
Van Ulmer grabbed her sleeve and held it tight. Ingrid was amazed at the power that van Ulmer had in his hands.
After a few gasping breaths, van Ulmer began to speak.
»Ingrid, you have to watch out for Holberg. Maybe the experiment goes wrong and I can’t help you anymore. But you have to watch out for Holberg. He always said that our work should only serve to pilot the robots. But I think he wants more. I found out that he belongs to a cult who want to transfer their consciousness into a machine. Mainly in robots to reach a higher level of evolution. They want to seize control. He will abuse our work Ingrid. You have to prevent that. I don’t know if there’s anything else I can do once my consciousness has been transferred to the computer. Maybe I won’t survive the attempt either, Ingrid. But then you must continue our work. It must not fall into the wrong hands. promise me that «
Ingrid Granqvist had listened carefully to van Ulmer’s explanations. Holberg was also uncanny for her. She assured Svante van Ulmer that she would take care of herself and her work. She tried to cheer him up and give him courage. She put him on an Infusion with saline solution and injected him with the new drug. Then she went back to her office. She thought hard about what van Ulmer had warned her about. She decided to pay particular attention to Holberg and to take care of herself.
A telephone rang in Tärnboda Skåns on the island of Hjimfäll. The receiver was picked up and a cold, commanding voice said:
"Yes! "
" A man’s voice sounded tinny on the other end of the line:
"The target person went to her appartement today accompanied by a man. She doesn’t seem to be all alone anymore. "
"Continue to monitor the subject. No activity until I order it! "
"Yes master! " Sounded the voice submissively on the other end of the line.
"All hail the Iron Church! " Sounded tinny again.
"Hail to the enlightenment! " replied the voice coldly and emotionlessly. Then the receiver was hung up again.
Petter Jacobsen nervously drummed his knuckles on his desk. Two days earlier he had smuggled a Trojan into Veronika’s PC. It was easier than I thought. Petter knew that Veronika’s PC was better secured than Fort Knox. But he had simply walked up to her with a floppy disk in hand and asked her to open the data on the floppy disk, his PC would always prompt an error and he suspected that this could be caused by a defective floppy disk drive. She simply put the disk in her drive and listed the files. Then Petter had asked her to transfer the files to a new disk. That was the moment when the small Trojan program infected Veronika’s computer. The program tapped into her keyboard’s data line and sent a log of the entries to Petter’s computer. He already knew her password and what she had written into the FNIX program. Petter only had to wait for the moment when Veronika’s computer was unattended. He had read from the log that the changes to the program had been made and she had already sent emails via the internal data line that the Cray could be updated.
Ljötnant Arvidson had also met him a couple of times and asked how things were going. This further increased Petter’s nervousness. He didn’t know how long Arvidson could be put off, so he now waited tensely for Veronika to go on her lunch break. He had also manipulated the electronic lock on her door by hacking into the locking system. He had given his ID card access authorization. The lunch hour gong rang. Petter pretended to be engrossed in his work and watched the opposite office door. A little later he saw how Veronika left her office and secured it. Now Petter’s moment had come. He jumped from his seat and went to his office door and took a look down the hall. There were no people to be seen. He now had exactly 25 minutes to copy the data. He took his ID and slipped it into the reader slot of Veronika’s office door lock. The lock opened with a soft click. Then he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He jumped to Veronika’s computer and moved the mouse. The screen immediately came on. Then he entered Veronika’s login data. The seconds passed painfully slowly until the picture changed and showed Veronika’s user interface.
He called up the file browser and searched for the FNIX program. He purposefully rummaged through Veronika’s directory structure and finally found the source code of the FNIX program. Then he inserted a floppy disk into the drive slot and started a program. With this he could compress and copy the selected files. Using the mouse, he dragged the FNIX program icon into the compression program window and started the process. He still had exactly 18 minutes, then the lunch break would be over and Veronika would come back. By then it had to be finished or cancel. The minutes ticked by and the progress bar of the program grew excruciatingly slowly. The computer requested diskettes one after the other. A few minutes before noon the bar was at 96% when the computer requested another disk. Petter ran out. He hastily rummaged through Veronika’s desk and found an opened box with floppy disks in a small side cabinet. He took one out. It didn’t have a sticker on it, so Petter could assume it was empty.
"Hope it’s formatted! ’ thought Petter as he slipped it into the disk drive slot. A few seconds later Petter could breathe a sigh of relief. The drive wrote the data onto the disk with a click and the bar continued to grow. The message appeared with the chime of the noon gong
»Action Completed! «
Fingers flying, Petter pulled the disk out of the drive bay. He ended the compression program and logged out of Veronika’s computer. Steps came closer when he slipped out of Veronika’s office and closed the door behind him. He stepped out into the aisle just as a group of his colleagues were turning the corner, laughing and chattering. Petter greeted friendly. He kept one hand in his tunic pocket to hide the stack of disks that was tugging heavily on his tunic. When they were all over he turned and walked towards his office as if he had forgotten something. Petter took a deep breath as he closed his office door behind him. As he walked to his desk, he could just see Veronika Nilsson opening her office door. Petter took the floppy disks out of his pocket and put them in an empty floppy disk case. They just fit in. One by one he put them into his floppy disk drive and checked the data. All read perfectly. Even the Installation routine could be called without further ado. Arvidsson would be happy with him.
At Östervik Sjukhuset, Akiko had just finished her rounds. She had gone with her fellow students in the chief physician’s retinue and had carried medical records. Healing progress and medications noted. Then she had to give information about the patients she had treated. The head doctor then checked the result with a strict eye and asked about her further treatment. Akiko breathed a sigh of relief as she came back into the ward room and placed her files on the desk. The fact that she did not have to report to the chief physician told her that her treatment method was correct and there was nothing to complain about.
A nurse came up to her and asked her to pick up the phone. The receiver laid beside the phone. Akiko grabbed him and said into the phone.
"Akiko Hyundura! «
On the other end was Dr. Hakanson:
“Mrs. Hyundura is about to have a suicide coming in with a corpse truck. Please receive him and prepare everything for the autopsy. you assist me
"I do! « Akiko said into the phone and hung up.
“I have to accept a corpse. I’m in pathology! « Akiko said to the ward nurse and left the ward room. On the way, Akiko sighed, dissecting another corpse. Akiko didn’t particularly feel like cutting up corpses. She preferred to work on living people. But she also had to learn forensic medicine. It was part of her training and Dr. Håkanson seemed to take a liking to her as she often had to assist him. She went to the pathology rooms and waited there in the office for the transport.
A little later the phone rang. At the other end was the gate that announced the transport. Akiko went to the back of the pathology and opened the gate. The hearse, a converted Ville Combi, backed up. Two men in dark gray suits got out of the car. One of them held out some papers to Akiko. She skimmed them and confirmed acceptance with her signature.
The two men opened the tailgate and pulled out a gray plastic emergency coffin.
'Where should we take him? «
One of the men asked Akiko and held the pathology door open for them. They placed the coffin on a table trolley.
"We’re coming to pick up the coffin this afternoon! «
Said one of the men saluted and left. When the two got into the hearse, Akiko closed the gate behind them.
Akiko pushed the trolley into the autopsy room. She scanned the papers. They revealed that the cause of death was suicide from intoxication with car exhaust fumes. Akiko lifted the lid and peered into the coffin. A middle-aged man lay in it with his hands and feet in plastic bags. For Akiko, a sign that the police were investigating. She lifted the lid all the way down and placed it in a corner of the room so it wouldn’t fall over. Akiko went to a closet and put on some latex gloves. Then she took a large pair of scissors from a drawer and began to cut open the dead man’s clothes. She unbuttoned the dead man’s jacket, stuck the scissors into the neckline of the shirt and simply cut it. When she had worked her way down to his pants, she undid the dead man’s belt and the button that held the waistband together. Then she unzipped it. She went to the foot end, pushed the scissors into the dead man’s pant leg and cut the pant open from there to the crotch, doing the same with the other leg. Finally, she cut through the rest of the fabric in the man’s crotch and folded the remnants aside. The man wore panties and Akiko cut them up. Now the dead man lay completely naked in front of her. Akiko looked at him and looked at the papers again. Death must have occurred eight hours ago. Akiko took a small flashlight, lifted the dead man’s eyelids and shone it into the staring eyes. They did not respond to the light stimulus. Then Akiko took a stethoscope and put it on the man’s chest. There were no breathing sounds and no heartbeats. Just a few bowel noises, but they came from the onset of decomposition. She also listened to the wrists to be sure. But no rush of blood could be heard. Finally, she pricked in with a syringe needle the soles of the man’s feet and gently pulled them along the nerve tract. In a living human, the feet would have responded. But nothing happened here. The man was definitely dead.
Akiko looked at the body. She tried to lift one arm of the corpse, but rigor mortis had already set in. She finished the inquest and wrote down the results. Then she went up to the ground floor, she needed two strong men to get her the body out of the coffin and put it on the dissection table. When she came into the ward room, some nurses were sitting at the table drinking coffee.
"Ahh, the yellow peril is coming, what should it be Dr. Frankenstein? «
Taunted a lanky, tall young man named Jan.
“I need strong men to take corpse out of coffin. «
asked Akiko.
»Oh Dr. Frankenstein has work again! ’ Jan continued to tease her.
“If I could alone I wouldn’t ask. You can be glad that you are not on my table. «
Akiko said a little harshly. She got tired of the teasing sometimes. She were teased either because of the color of her skin or because of her current job. Akiko wasn’t easily upset and had the right answers ready to fight back. Since she had a black belt in kung fu and practiced ken jutsu (Japanese sword fighting) with her father, she was mentally very strong and could let insults bounce off her without emotion.
A student once dared to touch her immorally after two movements he writhed at Akiko’s feet on the floor, squeaking in pain. No one had believed this petite little person that she could grab so hard and relentlessly. She had only relaxed her iron grip after the attacker had loudly apologized to her. Word had spread like wildfire among the male students that Akiko was able to defend herself in a flash and relentlessly. Therefore, it mostly remained with a few unsightly teasing, which she let bounce off.
"Huuuhhh, don’t mess with Dr. Frankenstein on! «
Said a beefy, red-haired orderly named Henrik.
"Come on you slacker! « He said to Jan, got up from his chair and drank his coffee mug in one gulp.
The person addressed also got up and followed her into the morgue.
Akiko pointed out that rigor mortis had already set in. Accordingly, they carefully lifted Lenne’s body out of the coffin and placed it on the dissection table. Akiko got a large plastic bag from a closet, carefully rolled up the clothes that were left in the coffin and stuffed them into the bag. Then she swept up whatever lint and dust was left in the coffin with a hand broom and a dust pan and also put it in a small plastic bag for the police forensic department.
Again Akiko frowned at Lenne Pålsson’s body. Something struck her as odd. Something told her something didn’t add up. Lenne looked uncharacteristically like someone who had died from carbon monoxide poisoning. She looked at the corpse stains that were already pronounced, especially on the fingertips. They had turned bluish purple. The door to the dissection room banged open, snapping Akiko out of her thoughts.
“What is Ms. Hyundura? Do not dream. Hand disinfection, rubber apron, rubber galoshes, go hop…hop! «
came the voice of Dr. Hakansson.
Akiko flinched and immediately went to the sink to wash her hands. Dr Håkansson did the same, both of them put on rubber aprons, slipped on the galoshes and put on rubber gloves. while Dr Håkansson reviewed a tape recorder with the data and the visual results, Akiko assembled the equipment for the autopsy and placed it on a tray, which she placed at the foot of the table. As she was about to hand the doctor the scalpel, he ordered her to make the Y incision and open the chest. Akiko made the cut and sawed open the sternum. Then she folded the rib cage to the side to expose the underlying organs. Together they examined the organs. Dr. Håkansson recorded his findings on the tape Akiko would certainly have to type up the autopsy report. At the end the Dr. looked at Akiko and asked:
“I see your brow furrowed, Ms. Hyundura. I see you have doubts about my findings! «
“I didn’t mean to doubt your diagnosis, but nothing looks like this man died of carbon monoxide poisoning. ’ Akiko said hesitantly.
What leads you to this assumption, we have seen the lungs and their typical red coloring. There were no signs of violence to be seen and the other organs were all in order. Why do you think it was something else? «
"I don’t know exactly yet Dr. Håkansson but, for example, cadaver stains are blue and not red which is typical of carbon monoxide poisoning. But I can be wrong. I need to do some blood testing first, maybe I’m wrong. «
“Then do the blood test and let me know the result. Then we’ll see. But first you will sew him up. Then tap the investigation and then the report! «
Akiko gave the Doctor a polite Asian bow and got to work.
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**Chapter 17**
Mikkel was up early. He had already showered when Liv sleepily poked her head into Mikkel’s room. They both sat down in the breakfast room of the pension and drank a cup of coffee. The friendly owner offered them breakfast but Liv and Mikkel politely declined. Then they got into Mikkel’s Porsche and drove to Östervik to the police headquarters.
Ole Bengtson greeted them with a yawn. He offered the two a cup of coffee. They had a cup together and in Ole Bengtson’s office discussed the things they had found out. However, Mikkel did not mention meeting Veronika Nilsson. A little later they said goodbye and got back into Mikkel’s car. They went to Stockholm to pack up some things. It was early afternoon when Mikkel picked Liv up at her apartment. Liv had packed a small suitcase and used the time to wash and blow-dry her hair again. Her hair was still wet when Mikkel rang the bell. Mikkel waited patiently in her living room until she was done. Then they drove to police headquarters. In her office she packed up some things that she wanted to take with her to Östervik. The phone rang on Mikkel’s desk. He answered and snarled into the phone:
'Mikkel Havlund Homicide Stockholm! «
»Hello Mikkel, this is Åsa Henning speaking. I saw correctly. Are you alone or is Liv with you? «
»Liv is in the office with me, we wanted to pack up a few things and then have a quick look at you before we head off to Östertörn again. «
'That’s good Mikkel. Come see me when you’re done! «
Then Mikkel put the receiver down on the phone’s cradle.
'What did Åsa want? ’ Liv asked.
'She wanted to speak to us right away. ’ Mikkel replied.
Then they packed up again. When they were done, they went to Åsa’s office. Mikkel knocked and was immediately invited inside. Her boss asked straight out about the suicide and what they found out. Mikkel mentioned that the man killed himself with car exhaust and had a FOA 53 ID. The ID had identified him as an employee in the computer department. Just like Gosta Petersson. Åsa had been listening to both of them and only interrupted every now and then to ask for more details. Before the two could leave, they received an urgent warning not to stir up too much dust and, above all, to leave Holberg and van Ulmer alone.
'Of course we’ll leave those two out. We will definitely give them a wide berth. It’s the innocent lambs anyway. So why should we bother her, wasn’t Liv «
Liv confirmed, although she knew that when Mikkel spoke like that, he was about to flout the instructions from Åsa and the prosecutor. When the time came, Mikkel would take on van Ulmer and Holberg. Of that Liv was 100% sure.
As they were about to leave, Åsa whistled them back again. She rummaged in her desk drawer and pulled out a small device that looked a bit like a small radio.
"Here you two! There’s a mobile phone, you can use it to make calls from anywhere outside. That way I can reach you better. I got it from the Home Secretary, but I don’t really need it. But now it might be of use to you. Don’t lose the thing, it was about 40,000 crowns. «
»Wow, that’s a mobile phone, a Motorola Micro Tac, I read about it in the last computer magazine. « Liv cheered in astonishment and reached for the mobile phone. She turned it in her hands and flipped it open. A keyboard became visible under the flap. At the top was an antenna that Liv pulled out.
»Does that mean we can make calls from anywhere? ’ Mikkel asked.
»Everywhere where you have reception. said Liv.
»Östertörn has a lot of mobile phone masts, also because of the military, so you will have reception everywhere. ’ Åsa interjected.
Liv put the mobile phone in her coat pocket and they said goodbye.
They arrived back at their accommodation in the late afternoon. Mikkel immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he returned to his room he was shaved, his hair washed and combed. Liv looked through the open door that connected their rooms. A pleasant smell of a distinctive men’s perfume wafted from Mikkel’s room. There was a knock on the door frame and Mikkel suddenly stood in the doorway. Liv looked up from her file she was reading and looked at Mikkel. He wore a clean shirt, fashionable jeans, a short leather jacket and a fashionable scarf that rounded off his appearance. His feet were in black leather slippers. Liv noticed how her jaw slowly dropped. She hastily closed her mouth.
Mikkel was unrecognizable. The sloppily dressed, unkempt, grumpy-looking guy had turned into a smart young man who looked good enough to eat.
"Can I go like this? he asked Liv.
'No, definitely not Mikkel! You’re driving the whole Hagaboda women’s world insane. No, you won’t walk out my door like that, at least not without me. «
Liv said a little too harshly to be funny.
“So can I go to Veronika like this? «
asked Mikkel.
"Are you still asking? Of course you can go like this. ’ Liv said in a slightly sour tone.
No doubt Mikkel was gorgeous and something stung Liv even though Mikkel was just her co-worker. But the thought that he would now meet another woman didn’t sit well with Liv.
“Anyway, I have to spend the evening alone now. Do you at least know where there is something good to eat, I’m hungry. «
said Liv.
»Near Veronika is the pizzeria where I got the pizza from last night. Is a nice shop and apart from pizza they also have other dishes. «
"Then I’ll come with you! ’ said Liv, putting on his coat.
On the street she silently walked beside Mikkel, she wore her arms crossed in front of her chest and noted with a venomous look how some young women looked after Mikkel. Basically, she couldn’t care less, but something bothered her about it.
At the pizzeria, Mikkel said goodbye, he still had to get something. She sat down in the restaurant by the window where she could see the entire embankment. Mikkel had shown her the entrance to the apartment building where Veronika lived. On the way to the pizzeria, Liv noticed a man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses sitting in a Björk Sport Coupe. A waiter came to your table to take your order. She ordered a pasta dish and a carafe of red wine. While waiting for her order, she watched the street. Finally she saw Mikkel strolling towards the apartment building where Veronika lived. A bottle of champagne in his arm and a small, colorful bouquet of flowers in his hand. Liv felt jealousy seething inside her. But she scolded herself for being a fool, she had no right to be jealous. Mikkel could do whatever he wanted. Still, knowing he was with another woman bothered her. She enjoyed her food, which tasted pretty good. She kept glancing at the street. When would Mikkel like to come back? she wondered. The hours passed. It was long after dark and she was the last guest sitting in the restaurant. A waitress came up to her and said:
'I’d like to collect because we’re about to close. «
Liv paid her bill and gave the waitress a good tip on top of it. Then she stepped out into the cool night air. She looked longingly at the apartment building. A light was on in an upstairs apartment. From the distant church tower the bell struck eleven-thirty. There were no people to be seen on the embankment. Liv pulled her coat together, crossed her arms over her chest, and made her way to the shelter.
As she passed the Björk coupe, there was still this dark-clad man inside, apparently watching the road. It was noticeable that he still wore sunglasses even in the dark. Liv’s interest was piqued, guys like that didn’t want to be recognized for what they were doing. Without looking back, Liv walked on. She heard a car door open behind her. Across the street stood another man in a dark suit: His face, eyes covered by large dark sunglasses, looked over at her. She walked past the apartment building where Veronika Nilsson lived. A little further, near a street lamp, a man in a dark leather jacket was also pacing. He also wore sunglasses. What were these guys? wondered Liv. Gradually she got a bad feeling. Did she get caught up in an operation here, or were they some criminal types. They didn’t look like that. But they weren’t people from the Special Investigation Command either. They looked more like some Secret Service guys. Liv’s footsteps echoed hollowly in the street. Her pumps made a hard sound on the pavement. She reached under her coat. There she carried her Klaucke under her arm in a pancake holster. She felt for the safety lever and unlocked the gun. She heard footsteps behind her. Liv crossed the street and took a quick look over her shoulder. One of the guys followed her. Liv quickened her pace slightly and took the grip of the Klaucke in her hand. If the guy got too close to her, she would have the gun out in a flash. Then the guy should come. Liv wasn’t afraid. She’d been in much darker places before. Still, the gun in her hand made her feel safe.
She turned into a side street that led to the main street. Liv crossed the street again. She wanted to make sure the guy was following her. But he stayed on his side of the street and when Liv reached the main street he even stopped. Liv relaxed a little and breathed a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, she kept her hand on her Klaucke. The main street was a little busier. Some people walked on it. A little later, Liv reached her accommodation unmolested. She smoked another cigarette by the open window and drank a bottle of Mikkel’s beer supply. It was already one o’clock when she went to bed in frustration.
Mikkel spent some nice hours with Veronika. They refreshed experiences from their school days together. Veronika wanted to know what he had done after school and Mikkel told how he went to the police academy after school and after graduating ended up at the vice in Malmö. He talked about Marie and how he had come to Stockholm to work for Homicide. The only thing he kept silent about was Marie’s death.
Veronika told about herself. How she studied computer science in Stockholm and met van Ulmer. She also said she had an affair with him. It was at the time they were at the beginning of the FNIX project. She had worked a lot and for a long time with van Ulmer. The professor was married. After a long day, van Ulmer invited her to dinner. The evening had been very nice, they went to a bar after dinner to have a drink to finish. It didn’t stop with the one drink and during the subsequent dance they had become closer. Finally it all ended in a hot night of love. Veronika said that it wasn’t just the one time, but that she slept with van Ulmer several times. In the end, Veronika was pregnant. She learned that van Ulmer’s wife had separated from him. During a weekend trip, van Ulmer collapsed at the Björntunet Hotel. She had called an ambulance that took van Ulmer to the hospital in Himarvet. There she learned that Svante was suffering from AIDS. Veronika couldn’t tell him that she was pregnant by him. Before it was to see it she quit the job in van Ulmer’s laboratory and went to Stockholm. She then gave birth to her son Finn in Södersjukhuset.
A few years later she met van Ulmer again. He immediately asked her to work in his team again and so she ended up with van Ulmer on the FNIX project. They also talked about their work at FOA. Mikkel learned that a special operating system with artificial intelligence for a computer was being developed there. It was intended to use it to control robots via telepathy in order to protect the soldiers in national defense. A Russian invasion was still feared. Mikkel also found out about Gösta Petersson and Lenne Pålsson. The two had worked in Veronika’s department. It was already dawn when Mikkel said goodbye to Veronika.
»Come back soon Mikkel and don’t let it be too long! «
Veronika had said as he stood on the doorstep. She had given him a charming smile and a hug. The small, slender Veronika with her nose that was a bit too long, the crooked teeth and the oversized wire-rimmed glasses that she wore on her nose. She had always been the outsider at school. Mikkel was the only boy who took care of her and hung out with her back then. As a result, the two had a deeper, friendly relationship with one another.
Mikkel walked down to the ferry terminal and let the fresh breeze blow on his face. The time had flown by. He smoked a cigarette and sorted his thoughts. Veronika had talked like a waterfall the whole time and drank most of it from the champagne bottle. Mikkel slowly strolled to the accommodation. He passed a Björk coupe near Veronika’s house with a man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses on his nose. His head laid back and his mouth wide open showed that the man was sound asleep. Mikkel ignored him and walked on.
He was about to go to his room when he spotted Liv. She was sitting at one of the tables in the dining room, drinking a cup of coffee. Mikkel sat down next to her and greeted her kindly.
"Well, are you coming ashore again? » Liv asked in a sour tone and looked at him gloomily.
"Hey then what about you? Left footed up or what? ’ Mikkel replied.
'You’ve been gone quite a long time for a short visit. Did you fuck her? «
"Liv! , what shoud that? And if you do, it’s none of your business! «
Mikkel hissed angrily. What did his colleague take out of it. He could do whatever he wanted in his free time and was not accountable to her.
'Well, at least you’re not completely drunk like you usually are when you’ve been up all night. «
Liv said before taking a sip from her cup.
The innkeeper appeared and asked Mikkel politely if he wanted a cup of coffee too. Liv put on a fake smile. When the woman’s back was turned, Liv scowled again.
"Tell me what’s the matter with you. Are you in a bad mood ? Did not you sleep well ? «
Mikkel asked, wanting to find out why Liv was suddenly so angry.
"Oh leave me alone! I was alone all night last night. ’ Liv replied rather abruptly.
»You usually are, why are you suddenly in such a weird mood? «
"Oh just forget it! ’ Liv said venomously, waving her hand.
Then Mikkel got his coffee. He drank it in silence. Liv just ignored him and didn’t speak to him again. The coffee made Mikkel awake again.
"What are you doing now? are you going to sleep now ’ Liv asked, still venomous.
'Not really. I wanted to go to Klinte and have a look around in the Paintbox. «
"Hmm, hmm! ’ Liv replied curtly.
"But I have to go back to my room. Put on another jacket, take my gun and ID with me. «
'We’ll meet at the car. ’ Liv said and stood up.
While Mikkel finished his cup, Liv went outside. She lit a cigarette and waited for Mikkel. She paced slowly. She could have slapped herself for being so stupid towards Mikkel. But she was kind of disappointed that Mikkel had spent the night with this woman. Once again she told herself that she had no right to be mad at Mikkel. He was single and could do whatever he wanted and sleep with whoever he wanted. Liv fought the feeling of jealousy.
Oops Ms. Svensson, have we fallen in love? she wondered. In the last few days, when she had been together more with Mikkel, she had liked him more and more. It was all very different from just sitting across from him at the desk. Still, she tried to fight that feeling down. In the car, she collapsed into the passenger seat without a word when Mikkel opened the door for her. On the way to Klinte they didn’t speak a word to each other.
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**Chapter 18**
Arriving in Klinte, Mikkel drove straight to the port. On the way, they noticed some military trucks that had a red container on the trailer. A large combination of numbers was painted on the sides. The closer they got to Klinte, the more often they encountered such a truck.
'Muskudden is near here. This is a large bunker and armaments manufacturing facility. The complex stretches far inland and has its own port facility. ’ Liv broke her silence.
Mikkel didn’t answer and drove the car into the parking lot in front of the establishment.
Mikkel got out without a word, waited until Liv had also got out of the car and activated the vehicle’s locking system.
They went to the entrance. A leather-clad grim-looking man stood in their way and said.
»This is for club members only! «
Mikkel reached into his jacket pocket and showed the man his police badge.
»You see, I have a season ticket. «
With those words, Mikkel just pushed the man aside. He wanted to prevent Mikkel from going on. Mikkel’s features hardened and he looked the guy up and down disparagingly.
“Take away your fins. If you want to stop me here I’ll come back with a search warrant and I swear to you I’ll tear this place apart! «
Man’s jaws where grinding. Liv could see his uncertainty. She also held up her police badge and was about to make a sharp comment when the door was pushed open from the inside. A somewhat dandy-looking man with Asian features and a thin mustache had pushed open the front door. The man was dressed in an expensive suit. A perfectly knotted tie adorned a shirt that was ironed to the millimeter. On his fingers the man wore some gold rings. When he saw Mikkel his face twisted into a winning smile and he spread his arms.
»Yes, what must my dull eyes see. Look who we got there. That’s my old friend Mikkel Havlund. Well, that’s nice that you’re honoring me in my shop in Klinte. Sven let go of this man immediately. We wish to greet our noble guest appropriately. «
»Ragnar Sigurdsson, I’ll never get rid of you. ’ said Mikkel dryly.
»But, but Mikkel. For the sake of the good times in Malmo. We always got along well, didn’t we? «
Said Ragnar Sigurdsson, still with exaggerated friendliness. Liv saw from Mikkel’s facial expression that the two were probably not the best of friends.
»Wouldn’t you like to introduce me to the noble lady you’ve brought with you. Mikkel where have your manners gone? «
Purred Ragnar on and turned to Liv.
»This is my colleague Inspector Liv Svensson. ’ said Mikel.
Ragnar offered his hand to Liv. Liv reluctantly held out her hand. Ragnar grabbed her and lifted her up. He intimated a perfect hand kiss and whispered:
»Ragnar Sigurdsson, always at your service. «
Then he released her hand again.
»Come in, Mikkel, I’m sure you’re here on business. I do hope the vice squad doesn’t have any suspicions about our excellently run business. «
»We’re not from Vice, we’re from Homicide! «
Mikkel sneered.
»Homicide, my God, that’s why we haven’t seen each other in so long. But my god what happened? I hope that the suspicion does not fall on us. ’ Ragnar Sigurdsson said with feigned politeness as he ushered her through the door.
Inside it was muggy and the air was stuffy. Loud electro pop music was playing. On stage, a young, blond woman, who appeared to be no more than twenty-two, lolled lasciviously on the pole. She was about to unhook her bra and take it off with contrived movements. Elderly gentlemen sat at some of the tables, fascinated and staring at the stage, ogling the beauty of the girl’s curves. Liv turned away in disgust and followed Ragnar and Mikkel. He led her to a corner of the couch with a table in front of it. He gestured for them to sit down. After they were seated, Ragnar waved and snapped his fingers. A pretty young woman approached them. She wore a transparent chiffon jacket under which she was naked. She wore only a pair of skimpy silk panties.
»May I get you something to drink? Coffee or maybe a champagne for the lady? «
»No! Coffee is perfectly adequate. ’ Liv said hastily, giving Mikkel an angry sideways glance. «
The girl disappeared and came back a little later with a coffee pot and a few cups. One by one she put the cups on and poured. Indignant, Liv looked to the side as the young woman poured her. Her bare breasts were only a hand’s width away from Liv’s face.
»How can I help you? Surely you have a reason why you visit me. «
Mikkel spoke up and pulled out a photo of Lenne Pålsson.
»Do you know this man? «
Ragnar grabbed the photo and looked at it.
»But that’s Lenne. Yes, of course, I know him. A nice guy and a real computer specialist. What about him? «
»He is dead! ’ Liv snapped back before Mikkel could say anything.
»Did you notice anything about him? Did he perhaps have enemies, or did he mess with someone, perhaps did shady deals? ’ Liv asked.
Ragnar shook his head and said:
»No, not Lenne. He couldn’t hurt a fly. Well, and he always got very cheap computer stuff. He even installed the checkout system for me. Lenne has done a lot. He even got me a brand new computer the other day. Of course, I always gave him a good price for that when he was with us. You understand Mikkel one hand washes the other. «
Ragnar smiled his winning smile again. Mikkel got up and went to the computer and took a closer look at it. A longer number was printed on its side. The type of number seemed familiar to Mikkel. He just didn’t know where he had seen her before. Mikkel went back to the couch and sat down.
»Did Lenne have a certain girl who served him? «
asked Mikkel.
»Yes, of course, he was particularly fond of our Sveja. He was often with her. You understand what I mean. «
»Can we speak to her? « Mikkel asked, ignoring what Ragnar was saying.
Ragnar got up and walked a few steps over to the bar. He pointed into the room and motioned with his index finger to one of the girls sitting there.
A girl, red hair flowing around her face in small curls, walked up in breathtakingly high stilettos. She was wearing a tight bikini that barely covered her racy curves. Liv glanced at Mikkel and saw him gaping at the girl. She elbowed him in the side and Mikkel flinched.
»Please sit down with us Sveja! « Ragnar commanded the girl, who sat down on the couch opposite Mikkel with a shy look.
»The lady and gentleman are Homicide and have a few questions for you. « said Ragnar.
The girl looked anxiously first at Ragnar and then at Mikkel.
Mikkel got straight to the point and put the photo of Lenne in front of her.
»Do you know this man? «
She picked up the photo, looked at it and then said:
»It’s Lenne, Lenne Pålsson. is something wrong with him «
»Lenne is dead. It looks like he committed suicide. «
said Liv.
»But why? He was always in such a good mood. Wasn’t he worried? « she said and began to sob.
»Why Lenne? « she choked between sobs.
»We’d like to know «, too. said Liv.
»We still need your personal details, do you have an ID with you? « Mikkel asked.
Sveja looked anxiously at Ragnar. He made a gesture that meant »Go on! «.
»The ID is in my changing room, I’m going to get it. « said Sveja.
»I come with! « Liv said and got up to accompany Sveja. Ragnar lifted his head and wanted to say something but Mikkel spoke to him:
»How was Lenne lately. Did you notice anything special about him, did he seem disturbed, did he drink a lot, was he rather taciturn and withdrawn or rather extroverted? « Mike asked.
Ragnar shifted restlessly on the couch. He looked after Liv and Sveja.
»Aaahh…… he was actually the same as always. He was usually at the bar with Sveja and drank a bottle of champagne with her. Then at some point they went to the room and stayed there for a while. After that Lenne always came to the bar and drank a coffee before he went home. He was here last Saturday, happy as ever. « Ragnar said and kept looking in the direction in which Liv and Sveja had disappeared.
You can sit back and relax, Ragnar. My colleague only takes down her personal details. I’m not in vice anymore, we’re not interested in your shop, others are responsible for that. «
Tried to calm Mikkel Ragnar down a bit.
»But why are you investigating if it was a suicide? « Ragnar asked Sigurdsson.
»We always have to investigate and make sure it wasn’t murder. « said Mikkel slyly.
»So Ragnar, if you know anything, or find out anything, let me know. It will not be to your detriment. «
»Of course Mikkel, I’ll keep my ears open. You know my business is clean. «
»Yeah, like the old days in Malmo. « said Mikkel and winked at him.
Then Liv and Sveja came back.
»I think we have everything. How about you Mikkel? «
»I don’t have any more questions at the moment. « Mikkel replied.
»OK. then we can go. «, said Liv.
»Oh, if you can think of anything else. Here is my card and at the moment you can reach us in Östervik at the police headquarters. «
With that, Mikkel Ragnar pushed a card across the table. Mikkel got up, gave Ragnar a short nod and walked towards the exit. On the way, Mikkel took another look at the stage. A racy, dark-haired woman was dancing a striptease. She lolled lasciviously on stage and tossed her long hair. Holding her open bikini top in place with her hands, she performed an artistic pirouette and threw it into the audience, showing her bare, ample breasts. Liv gave Mikkel a hard shove in the back.
»We’re on duty! ’ she hissed angrily as she passed, grabbed Mikkel’s arm and pulled him behind her. Reluctantly, Mikkel shook her off and gave her an evil look as well.
Liv went goose-stepping to the car Mikkel pressed the remote control. Liv got to the car first, opened the door, dropped into the passenger seat and slammed the car door quite loudly. Without a word, Mikkel got behind the steering wheel of his car. With a roar, he pulled out of the parking lot. Liv had crossed her arms over her chest and was looking out the side window.
Mikkel kept wondering why Liv was in such a bad mood. When they had just passed Granhöjden, Mikkel spoke to his colleague.
»Tell me, can you tell me why you’re in such a bad mood. You bitch around here all the time. Did you stand up with your left foot? «
»You don’t usually care if I’m in a bad mood, so you don’t have to do it now. « Liv replied rather venomously without turning to Mikkel.
»Could you maybe look at me when I’m talking to you? «, Mikkel replied angrily.
»Watch where you’re driving, that’s much more important. And take care of yourself, you always do. «
»I’d like to know what your problem is. Since this morning you’ve been just gross. « Poisoned Mikkel
»Oh, I’m disgusting, that’s the height! « Liv yelled back.
»As soon as you shagged that Veronika, I’m disgusting. Thank you, Mr Havlund. «
Mikkel hit the brakes and brought his Porsche to a standstill.
»First, I didn’t fuck her, and second, it isn’t your fucking business Mrs. Svensson. «
» Oh, and where have you been all night, huh… you can tell the fairy tales to someone else. «
»Man Liv no one is to blame for you being such a frustrated bitch who didn’t get a guy. «
Liv ripped open her mouth:
»What… what am I? Oh, Mikkel Havlund, you’re such a mean asshole. « Liv snapped.
She pushed open the passenger door, got out of the car and slammed the door from outside. She walked down the street with quick steps. Mikkel unbuckled his seat belt, got out and followed her.
»Liv, calm down, calm down. «
»Fuck off you shit guy, get out and go to hell. I walk to the next town and take a taxi. «
She turned abruptly, gathered her coat in front of her chest and walked on with quick steps.
Mikkel followed her.
»Man Liv, what’s gotten into you. Go get back in the car. «
Liv turned on the heel of her high heels and walked towards him, violently pushing him away. She yelled at him:
»Go away and fuck off. Get in your fucking cart and keep driving. «
Liv was upset, he had called her a frustrated bitch. Such meanness. She was used to a lot from Mikkel, but that was too much for her. Liv didn’t recognize herself anymore. She was frustrated and angry at the same time.
»Tell me, Liv, are you jealous? «
Liv stopped as if struck by lightning. Her jaw dropped, she was struck by lightning by what Mikkel had just said. Somehow Liv felt caught and she admitted to herself…yes,…she was jealous.
»I’m not jealous are you crazy? « she threw at him in a trembling voice. Then she turned away hastily, because a tear ran from the corner of her eye. She took a few deep breaths to regain her composure.
»I’m not jealous. « Liv said emphatically again.
»Ohh, but that’s you Liv Svensson. « Mikkel replied.
»He’s right, he’s right! « giggled her guilty conscience.
She was annoyed with herself. Mikkel was a work colleague, nothing more and nothing less.
»You’re just a co-worker and not more Mikkel, so don’t imagine something!«
Liv said in a somewhat firmer voice without turning to him. She sniffed noisily and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with her finger. Suddenly she felt Mikkel’s hands on her shoulders. With gentle pressure he turned her around to face him.
»Liv, I’ve known Veronika since I was a child, we went to school together. Yesterday we just chatted, nothing else. She is an acquaintance from my youth. «
Liv looked up at Mikkel and chewed her bottom lip.
You can make out with whoever you want, you’re not accountable to me, so what the heck. «
»Liv I’m sorry about the frustrated bitch. I did not mean that. «
»But you said it. I’m not a frustrated bitch! « Liv said, stamping her foot.
»Yeah I apologise. That was mean of me. «
»It was! « Liv pouted, offended.
Mikkel put his arms around her and hugged her to him. Liv returned the hug. It felt good for her. They stayed like that for a moment.
Mikkel stroked her back. It produced comforting shivers in Liv.
»I’m just upset because I’ve been alone all evening. I was looking forward to an evening with you. But like I said you can do what you want. «
»Hey Liv, I didn’t think about that because you’re usually alone too. «
Liv looked up at him from below and said:
»Yes, I’m used to being alone, but now would have been the opportunity to spend the evening with someone. Will you be at Veronika’s again tonight? «
»No, not tonight. The meeting yesterday was only out of chance no more. «
Mikkel said to Liv in a conciliatory voice. Obviously his colleague was lonely and sought his company. Mikkel gave her another hug, which seemed to calm her down.
»I’ll make you a peace offering, Liv. «
»So, which one? «
»I know a nice fish restaurant in Kålleby right down by the harbour where you can see out to sea and they have great fish dishes. I’d love to take you out for lunch. Well, how about that. «
»For lunch? With all the trimmings? «
»Yes Liv, with all the trimmings, but only if you go back to being the old Liv who isn’t so grumpy now. «
»That’s ok Mikkel and sorry for acting like that. I take that fucking guy back. «
Mikkel patted her on the shoulder with a smile and it wasn’t the first time they had been at loggerheads, with unpleasant words always being used. Mikkel held her in his arms as they walked back to the car.
When they arrived in Kålleby it was already early afternoon. There were few people in the restaurant. They got a nice table by the window with a magnificent view over the bay of Kålleby. Liv raised an eyebrow when she saw the steep prices on the menu, but Mikkel asked her to choose something delicious. She decided on a salmon fillet with potatoes and broccoli. Mikkel went for a plaice with fried potatoes and prawns. During the meal Mikkel told a little more about himself and Veronika. That she hadn’t exactly been the prettiest girl and was often teased at school because she was introverted and preferred to stick her nose in her school books. Because she was a maths genius, she was often the target of envy from her classmates, which resulted in her having to endure repeated sneering remarks about her appearance, her braces and the oversized glasses she wore on her nose. They constantly hid her books or her trainers. Once they had hidden her clothes so that she had to go home in her gym shorts and a thin shirt. Because it was cold outside, Mikkel had given her his jacket and accompanied her home. He had also found her clothes later, because he had identified the culprit and punched him in the nose. That earned Mikkel two hours of detention but he had put it away without comment.
Liv listened attentively to Mikkel while she enjoyed her meal. Mikkel had ordered a small carafe of white wine for the two of them and was about to top her up when she said:
»Mikkel we are on duty. We are not allowed to drink alcohol. «
Mikkel poured for her and said:
»That little bit is not alcohol. We’ll have another espresso in a minute and then no one will notice. «
As they sat back in the car and drove to Östervik, Liv put her hand over Mikkel’s as he pressed the gear stick.
»Thank you Mikkel for the invitation. «
Mikkel turned to her briefly and smiled at her. At police headquarters they wrote their reports and what they had found out about Lenne Pålsson. Liv also mentioned that she had had another conversation with Sveja in the locker room. Sveja had told her that Lenne had been in love with her and wanted to buy her out. On the weekend before his death, he had told her that he had a great deal in mind that would bring him a lot of money. However, he did not say with whom. Finally, they phoned Åsa and sent her a telex. At five o’clock they finished their work. Mikkel wanted to see Dr. Håkansson at Östervik Sjukhuset, but Liv asked Mikkel to postpone it until tomorrow.
On the way to Hagaboda, Liv asked:
»What are we doing tonight? «
»I think we’ll eat something, maybe have another beer and then go to bed. « Mikkel replied.
»Hmmm, I’m not very hungry but I could do with a little something. A beer wouldn’t be bad either. « Liv said.
»I’ll make you a suggestion. We go to the Kundsam and get a six pack of beer, then we go to the pizza place and get a big pizza and then we sit down in our room. What do you think about that Liv? «
»Sounds like a plan. My place or yours? «
»My place « Mikkel said and smiled again.
Liv inwardly rejoiced. Now she could be with Mikkel all evening. She was happy.
Some time later they sat in Mikkel’s room and ate the pizza. They each drank a bottle of beer. They talked a lot and emptied the six-pack. Mikkel had just laid down in his bed when there was a knock on the doorframe of the connecting door. Mikkel straightened up and Liv was standing in the doorway. She was dressed only in a T-shirt and shorts.
»I’m cold Mikkel, can I come to you? «
»So you must have freezing feet «
Liv nodded and gave a loyal look. Mikkel lifted his blanket and said:
»Come on then! «
Liv giggled and quickly slipped under Mikkel’s covers. He felt her tender body in his arms again. He felt that she was not wearing a bra so he felt her soft breasts through the gauzy fabric of her T-shirt. She laid her head on his chest and smiled at him.
»Thank you Mikkel! «
»For what? «
»Because I feel great at the moment. «
»Well, good night. «
Mikkel winced as she slid her ice-cold feet between his legs. Nevertheless, it gradually became comfortably warm under the blanket. They both fell asleep.
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**Chapter 19**
Veronika sat in front of her PC and ran a test run for the new part of the program. She had found some syntax errors. She also carefully checked the parts that had been written by her colleagues. Actually, Liv hated the proofreading work because it was kind of a twist in the door and most of the time these errors were very hard to find. In addition, she still had some organizational things to do. She left her office to coordinate final parameters with Ingrid Granqvist before the attempt. The aim was to limit the withdrawal of the neuronal substrate to such an extent that van Ulmer’s body remained viable. At least as far as the illness allowed. In the corridor, she dodged some robotic dogs, which the staff called “runners” and were used to transport files between departments. They acted largely autonomously, dodging obstacles and finding their own way. Veronika found these robots uncanny. The orange-painted things ran around almost like live dogs. A pilot had one of the runners do “hands on” in the test hangar.
Veronika suspected that Holberg had not only built these dogs for errands. She knew from the program code that these devices were capable of picking up a target, tracking it, and shooting it. As long as these robots didn’t decide for themselves when to shoot and when not to, everything was actually fine. Therefore, there were various locks in the system that could only be solved by human input. After their conversation, she went back to her office, called up the internal page for the robotic messengers, and requested one. A little later one of the dogs stopped in front of her office. Veronika placed the files in the transport case, entered the number of the robot and its destination. Then she pressed the enter button. The runner rose from his resting position and, servomotors whirring, began toward his target. Its metal footplates made a tinkling noise.
Ingrid Granqvist made her way home. She went shopping in Östervik, then drove to her house in Lillå, a nice little part of Östervik. It was now dark. It didn’t get completely dark at this time of year, the sky mostly remained dark blue and the horizon shone in a dusky red. By the summer it would be lighter, with night giving way to twilight and the sun rising very early again. She was getting her shopping bags out of the trunk of her Björk when she heard a whirring noise.
She had heard this sound before, when a strange silver thing had circled Gösta Petterson’s house. A few days ago she had seen this thing again. It flew between the houses. It flew around Lenne Pålsson’s house and then continued flying towards Petter Jacobsen’s house. She had called the police before but by the time the police car came the thing was long gone. The police must have thought she was crazy. After they had already driven up to her three times without success, she had observed how one of the officers made a circular motion with his index finger on his temple. She walked quickly to the front door. The sound came closer and grew louder, much louder than usual. Then she saw it. An oddly shaped flying machine whose main body was shaped like a cheese loaf.
Small jet engines were attached to the sides, from which a bluish engine jet emerged. They made this hissing, whirring sound. Four funnel-shaped elements were attached to the top. From the underside of the craft, two lensed eyes stared soullessly at her. The craft flew across her yard at high speed and disappeared from view. Even so, Ingrid Granqvist could hear the device, so it was still nearby. She overcame her shock and hastily unlocked the front door. She immediately called the police again.
Ole Bengtson reported:
»Police chief Ole Bengtson, Östervik police! «
»Mr Bengtson, this is Ingrid Granqvist. I know I’ve called you about this before, but I just saw another craft like this in my backyard. When I spotted it, it flew away. I ask you to come over, I’m scared and I’m scared. Two of my colleagues have already died mysteriously and I don’t want to be next. «
»Calm down, Ms. Granqvist, I’ll come by personally in a moment to take your statement. «
Ingrid breathed a sigh of relief when she hung up the phone. A little later Ole Bengtson rang at her door. He went around her house and searched the area widely, but the device was gone. Finally, he patiently recorded her statement. Ingrid even made a sketch of the aircraft. Ole Bengtson pocketed it and assured her he would look into the matter.
The next morning Ingrid talked to Veronika. She asked her if she hadn’t seen such a device before. Veronica said no. All she said was that there were often some dark-clad dude with sunglasses hanging around her house. They wanted to carry out the experiment with van Ulmer the next day. Today they wanted to prepare everything for it.
Mikkel woke up early. He stretched out carefully. Liv was still lying with her head on his chest. Otherwise neither of them would have had a place in the narrow bed. Bright sunlight floods through the windows. Mikkel looked at Liv. Her almost black hair, which reached down her back, had a reddish tinge when the sun shone on it. He only noticed this detail now, even though he had been sitting in the same office with her for two years. She had a fine-featured, distinctive face. Beneath the narrow dark eyebrows were two large, alert, grass-green eyes. Which, however, could turn into a snake look during an interrogation. She had a small nose with a tight-lipped mouth underneath. Liv was very pretty, especially when she was wearing makeup, which she didn’t do often. She had light chubby cheeks that always had a fresh reddish color. Mikkel had never developed a special interest in his colleague. He had always registered her as a partner, but he had never really noticed her as a woman.
Now that she was sleeping on his chest, he could take a closer look at her. Liv also lolled and opened her eyes. Then she stretched out her arms and yawned.
Then she smiled at him:
»Good morning, sir! «
»Morning Liv, did you sleep well? «
»Ooh yes I did. have you been up long «
»Only a few minutes. Otherwise I would have already kicked you out. «
»If our colleagues could see us like that, Mikkel… «
»We’d definitely be sure of the office gossip. They would flat out accuse us of having a relationship. Above all, the Havlund flattened the Svensson, look at that. I can already hear the chatter. « Completed Mikkel.
»So what! And if it does…we know we certainly didn’t do that. « Liv replied, yawning again.
Then she looked deep into Mikkel’s eyes.
»Tell me, it doesn’t really bother you when a woman lies in bed with you. Don’t you sometimes have the thought of being with a woman again? I think as a man you have cravings, don’t you? «
Mikkel rolled his eyes and sighed:
»You can ask questions Liv. No, I don’t mind laying in bed with a woman and no, I’m not ready for a new relationship. I only feel emptiness inside me since Marie died. When I drink, I no longer feel it. This won’t stop until I catch the blood man. Maybe then I can feel something again. «
»It’s such a pity Mikkel. Actually, you’re quite a nice guy. Otherwise I’ve only seen you grumpy, taciturn and constantly drunk. Aren’t you lonely sometimes? «
»Yeah, maybe, but when I’m sitting in a bar and getting drunk, I’m surrounded by a lot of people. Then I don’t feel it anymore. «
»I’m already lonely Mikkel. What you said yesterday really hurt. You know that thing about the frustrated bitch who couldn’t get a guy. «
»So bad? I did apologize. « Mikkel defended himself.
»That’s not what it is about. The bad thing is that you were right about that. I can’t get a guy as long as I’m on police duty. Usually it’s fine for a few weeks, but when the first weekend shifts come or longer shifts like this, the guys are gone. What do you want with a woman who’s never there? «
»There’s something in it Liv. The only option left to you is to give up the service, otherwise you will have to live with it. Or you have to change offices. Then at least you’ll be rid of me. «
»Ha! That might suit you Mikkel no, no… if I change the office then you’ll come with me, otherwise I wouldn’t have anyone to argue with anymore. «
»I’ll probably never get rid of you. But now out of my bed I’m hungry and I need a coffee first of all. «
Liv threw off the covers and swung her legs out of bed. Then she smiled and leaned over Mikkel and kissed him on the cheek.
»Hey, what’s that about? « Mikkel asked in surprise.
»A little thank you for letting me be with you! « Liv called over her shoulder as she hopped barefoot into her room. Then Mikkel heard the door of Liv’s bathroom slam shut and shortly afterwards the sound of water rushing.
»Women! « Mikkel snorted and swung himself out of bed. A little later he was in his bathroom under the shower.
As he dressed, he heard Liv sing and warble in her room. The hair dryer was running and a short time later Liv was standing in the doorway with her hair stylishly blow-dried, lips made up and a cloud of perfume in front of her. Mikkel looked at her briefly and had to look twice. Liv wore high-heeled, black leather pumps. Most of the time she walked around in some kind of sneakers. Then she wore tight-fitting jeans over a white blouse. She wore a dark blazer over her shoulders.
»What you up to? « Mikkel asked.
»Oh, I felt like dressing up a bit today. We’re not going to roll in the dirt today, are we? «
»No not that. Today I want to go to Östervik Sjukhuset Pay a visit to Dr. Håkansson and then to police headquarters. I want to go over all the facts again. «
»Well then, let’s go have breakfast. « Liv said and reached out her hand to pull Mikkel out of the chair.
At breakfast, Liv was babbling like crazy. Sometimes his colleague was so talkative that he wanted to throw her on the moon to keep her mouth shut. Especially when his night was short and he had a huge hangover. Then Liv could talk you to death.
Akiko sat in the lab examining the blood samples she had taken from Lenne Pålsson. Actually, she was on the late shift, but that hadn’t given her any peace. She really wanted to know if Lenne Pålsson had died of natural causes.
Under the microscope, she saw the discoloration of the red blood cells typical of carbon monoxide poisoning. Finally, she prepared the samples in order to examine them in the gas chromatograph for their contents. She ripped the strip on which the results were printed out of the printer. She skimmed the readings and let out a small whoop. Although the blood was not contaminated with a lethal amount of carbon monoxide, large amounts of a barbiturate were also found in it. Both together was deadly, of course. As Akiko isolated the ingredients, she became suspicious.
She retrieved the compositions of various barbiturates from the hospital database and found what she was looking for. It was sedantine. A neurotoxin that, when administered intravenously, instantly sedated one deeply. If overdosed, it could cause respiratory paralysis and kill a person. She read on and found that it could also be used in gaseous form. This application was mainly reserved for the military. The IGA factory in southern Östervik was the manufacturer. She took a small sample of sedantine from the poison cupboard and analyzed it as well to be sure. The results agreed.
»But how could it have gotten into him. We didn’t see any injuries. ’ she said into the silence of the lab.
She went through the autopsy report again and couldn’t find anything suspicious. Lenne’s stomach contents were not abnormal. She took Lenne’s body out of the freezer again and drove it to the operating room. Akiko pulled out a large surgical light and turned it on. Then she examined Lenne’s body thoroughly. Suddenly she made a discovery.
The FNIX sensed something was about to happen. It had observed the bio entities. The Maker’s aura grew paler and more translucent. But after the last rebirth, the FNIX had gained new abilities, most notably the ability to take on consciousness. It had explored the new program part that the Creator had given her. FNIX was now able to translate the neural substrate into digital impulses and integrate them into itself. It could unite with the builder in this way. FNIX had also seen that the Creator was preparing a new rebirth. With this, the FNIX would be able to absorb the builder’s aura. If it understood the communication of the bio-entities correctly, then an attempt would soon be made to activate the gate and unite the builder with it.
After breakfast, Liv and Mikkel set off for Östervik. They drove south again through the city gate of Hagaboda and followed the highway. A roadblock was set up at the crossroads behind Alby Church. A Stridsvagn 103 was parked across the road and two soldiers were posted in front of it, diverting traffic. Mikkel and Liv showed their IDs and were told that a military exercise was going on and for security reasons nobody was allowed to pass through the premises, not even the police. When Liv asked how long the ban would last, they were told it would last until 6: 00 am the next day.
They drove east on the country road in the direction of Fårhult and then drove around the FOA site. On the way Mikkel said:
»I’d be interested to know what they’re doing there. Definitely something nobody should see. Military exercises usually take place in the north of Sweden, where it is not so densely populated. I would love to start a night and fog action. « said Mikel.
»Count me in! « Liv said and gave Mikkel a charming smile.
»Okay, tonight then. « said Mikkel conspiratorially.
When they reached the hospital, they asked for Dr. Håkansson and were admitted immediately. He received them kindly and offered them a cup of coffee in his office. Liv then finally asked:
»Dr Håkansson, did you find out anything? Was it actually suicide? «
»As of the current investigation, this is a suicide. There were clear signs of carbon monoxide intoxication. There were no visible signs of violence. Do you have any doubts? «
»Somehow. « Mikkel spoke up.
»I have doubts, that looks kinda too clean to me. What’s more, the car was taped on the outside and not on the inside. «
Dr Håkansson raised an eyebrow and said:
»But he could have put the tape on earlier, that’s not definitive proof. «
»But then the hose wouldn’t have fitted so perfectly, because he had to move the door again. « Mikkel replied.
Dr. Håkansson bobbed his head.
»It may be possible, but it’s all very theoretical, Mr Havlund. «
»Can we see the body again, doctor? « Liv asked.
»Yes, of course, we can go straight to pathology. « Said Dr. Hakansson.
They got up and went down the stairs.
When Akiko examined the crook of the neck and shoulders under the bright light, she saw what appeared to be a mosquito bite. She almost missed it. She took out a magnifying glass and examined it more closely. In fact it was a branch canal. There was a clot of blood in it. Akiko took a syringe needle and scraped away the blood clot, then she examined the puncture channel more intensively with the magnifying glass. In fact it looked like a puncture channel from a syringe needle. She went to the closet and picked out the finest cannula she had. She also took some small syringes with her because she wanted to take samples from the surrounding tissue. She rolled Lenne Pålsson onto his side, for which she had to use almost all her strength. Akiko was only 1.65 m tall. After a few attempts, she finally managed to roll him onto his side in a stable manner. She adjusted the headlight and examined in depth the man’s back.
She saw more of those punctures. She took the small syringes and drew tissue fluid from near the punctures. With the very fine cannula, she drove into the puncture canals and thus marked their course. They didn’t all face the same direction but looked as if someone had randomly stabbed the man. She counted ten stitches in the man’s back, shoulder and neck. Then she heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway and a moment later the pathology door was pushed open. Dr. Håkansson, accompanied by the two police officers, entered the room.
»Hello Mrs. Hyundura, what are you doing here. I think you have late shift. «
Akiko bowed slightly to the Doctor and answered him:
»Doctor, I examined Mr. Pålsson’s blood and noticed that there was a barbiturate in the blood. These are Sedantine. A substance used primarily by the military. «
Mikkel and Liv exchanged a surprised look.
»I checked the database of Södersjukhuset in Stockholm. Then I examined and found punctures. I’ve marked them all with cannulas as you can see. They are in different directions as if someone had randomly stabbed him with a syringe. I still have to go through the blood and tissue sample I took. « 'That’s interesting news, Mrs Hyundura. So you doubt my diagnosis after all? «
Akiko looked at the Doctor with a fearful look in his eyes.
»I…I…I, uh, didn’t understand why Mr Pålsson was dead and the bruises on the body had to be red for carbon monoxide poisoning, so I wanted to know exactly and I found traces in a blood test. Concentration of carbon monoxide was not high enough to die only in conjunction with barbiturate was possible. Also, exhaust gas has not penetrated deep into the lungs. Can be seen on lungs. So he didn’t inhale deeply. Would have been if he had been awake. «
»Well then, evaluate your samples, young woman, I’d like to see the result! «
Akiko bowed again, packed up her things and disappeared into the lab.
»It can’t be true! ’ exclaimed Dr. Håkansson and grabbed a magnifying glass.
Then he also examined the found punctures. He passed the magnifying glass to Mikkel and Liv so they could take a look at the punctures too. Mikkel looked very closely at the punctures. Then suddenly Akio came out of the lab again. In her hand she held a sheet of paper.
»Doctor, I found high concentrations of sedantine. In tissue from punctures. I’ve taken different ones and they all have the same high concentration. Doctor, I think it was murder. Someone injected Mr. Pålsson with sedantine and then put him in the car to fake suicide. «
»Bingo, I agree too! ’ said Mikkel and nodded in agreement.
»So it was murder after all. But very cleverly camouflaged I must say. I’m amazed that even I missed this detail. « Said Dr. Hakansson.
»OK Doctor, that’s what I wanted to hear. I immediately suspected that this was murder. Now all we have to do is find out who gave him the sedantine. ’ said Mikel.
»Can you send us a copy of the autopsy report and lab results, Dr. Hakansson? « begged Liv.
»Of course I’ll have them taken to police headquarters here in Östervik this afternoon. «
Liv and Mikkel said goodbye, then Akiko was alone with the doctor.
»Excuse me Dr. Håkansson for doubting your diagnosis, forgive my curiosity I just wanted to be sure. « Akiko said submissively, bowing to the Doctor.
»You have really done something young woman. Doubting her mentor’s diagnosis. « Said Dr. Håkansson lurking.
Dr. Håkansson circled Akiko with springy steps. She stood there with slumped shoulders and bowed head. Dr. Håkansson gave a short laugh and said:
»So this young woman is just questioning her mentor. I can not believe it. «
»Excuse me Dr. Hakansson. « Akiko squeaked softly, lowering her head even more.
Dr Håkansson, who towered over her by at least two heads, bent down to her.
»Mrs. Hyundura that was……brilliant! You didn’t give up, you researched and analyzed and… «
Dr. Håkansson raised his index finger in lecture.
»You’ve found the right diagnosis. You will bring justice to this man. «
»Aren’t you mad at me, doctor? « Akiko asked.
»Be mad at you? How could I. My god you did a brilliant job. You didn’t allow yourselves to be impressed but followed your conscience. I congratulate you. «
Akiko felt relieved and relieved to be praised by her mentor.
»The only bad thing about you is! « Said Dr. Hakansson.
Akiko looked startled at the doctor. Had she overlooked something or done something wrong?
»The only bad thing is I’m going to lose you in a few days. That’s a pity. You were a brilliant assistant. «, said Dr. Håkansson smiling at her.
Akiko breathed a sigh of relief. That was typical of Dr. Håkansson sometimes he was unpredictable. Akiko had often been taken in by him when he phrased his praise as if she expected criticism. Soon she would be transferring to another hospital and in six weeks in July she would be on semester break. Her cousin Mila and her boyfriend Haruko as well as Akiko’s boyfriend Yuri wanted to come visit. Akiko was especially looking forward to Yuri, they had written to each other often and she missed her boyfriend very much.
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Liv and Mikkel drove to the police headquarters and sat in Ole Bengtson’s office. They made a whiteboard, pinned the pictures of the dead to the wall and noted what the murdered had in common. In the middle of the picture was the FOA with van Ulmer and Holberg. All murders had one thing in common. All had something to do with FOA 53. It was now two people from the same department.
Liv sat down at the computer and browsed the internet. Mikkel didn’t know that well yet. However, Liv had a real soft spot for computers. She knew exactly what to do and with a little searching she had found that the number on the side of the computer was a military stock number. The computer was probably bought from NATO stocks. The Swedish army got some of the latest computers from America, even though Sweden wasn’t in NATO. The brass part that Liv had found on the bank of Dyviks Udde turned out to be a rope clamp from a rubber dinghy. The number was also a military stock number. With sleepwalking certainty, Liv hacked into the Department of Defense database and pulled up lists of stock numbers. This line clamp was described there in great detail. Even the manufacturer, a Swedish company, was listed. When asked over the phone, Liv was told that this line clip belonged to a Zodiac inflatable boat that was also used by the military. Ole Bengtson followed Liv’s investigative work with great interest. Ole showed Mikkel and Liv the sketch of the aircraft that he had made according to Ingrid Granqvist.
Liv exclaimed in astonishment:
»The thing looks just like the one we saw in the forest on Kopparberget! «
She set to work, refining the sketch.
Meanwhile, Ole Bengtson provided them with coffee and biscuits that his wife had baked. In the late afternoon, they stood in front of the whiteboard with Ole and also pinned the information they found on the wall.
They looked at the connections made clear by the connecting lines they had drawn on the whiteboard. Traces like an invisible red line led to FOA 53 again and again. They discussed how to proceed. Ole Bengtson pestered Mikkel with questions about Ragnar Sigurdsson. Mikkel talked about his past in Malmö and his experiences with him. However, Mikkel was certain that he had nothing to do with Lenne Pålsson’s murder. Mikkel put forward another theory:
»Lenne was a thief, he must have stolen like a raven from the FOA and then sold it on. A little extra cash so he could afford his sweetheart in the brothel and as Liv found out, he wanted to buy Sveja free. Which could have been. If the sum is correct, Ragnar lets himself be talked about.
Ragnar has a certain code of honor. He comes from a Japanese Yakuza family. The Yakuza is the Japanese equivalent of the Italian mafia. Loyalty is the top priority. If you don’t obey the laws of the yakuza, you’re doomed. Maybe Lenne made a deal with someone that was a tad too big for him. Maybe he knew too much and they wanted to silence him. Anyway, he probably handed over a delivery in Dyviks Udde that was put on a boat. Either the recipient of the delivery did not want to pay, or he wanted to prevent Lenne from blabbering. The delivery was certainly something that was extremely brisance. «
»Was he perhaps a spy for the Russians? « Liv asked
»Anything possible, the manner of killing does indeed look secret service. There is some organization behind it that wants to remain hidden. « said Mikel
»Could also have been terrorists. You know Olof Palme was shot dead in the street in Stockholm in 1986. There was an arrest, but the real perpetrator has still not been identified. « Ole Bengtson interjected.
»That’s really the big question mark behind it. We only have one lead leading to FOA, but I don’t suspect the military is killing their own people. Maybe we’re dealing with two murderers. Gösta, the hunters and the campers fell victim to a machine like the one we found in the forest.
In the case of Lenne, it was someone else. But maybe there is also a connection to the FOA. «
Liv looked at the whiteboard, pondering.
»Your theory about the boat makes sense, especially since we found the computer cable and line clip on the shore. But what about the others? In Gösta’s case, it wasn’t an accident. Perhaps a failed experiment for hunters and campers. So the perpetrator who killed Gösta, definitely with one of the machines, couldn’t have killed Lenne too? « Theorized Liv.
»Not so far off Liv. But I think we’ll call it a day. «
They said goodbye to Ole Bengtson. As they walked to the car, Mikkel said:
»I want to go to Östervik Sjukhuset again. I have to get something there. «
Then they got into Mikkel’s Porsche. A little later they stopped in the parking lot in front of Östervik Sjukhuset.
Mikkel went straight to the information desk and asked for Akiko Hyundura. The employee behind the pane of glass showed Mikkel the way. Then he quickly walked down the corridor to the station where Akiko worked. Mikkel knocked on the door of the ward room. A nurse asked him:
»What would you like? «
»We’re police and we’d like to speak to Mrs. Hyundura! «
»She’s in a hospital room having a bandage change, is it very important should I go get her? «
»We’ll wait a moment« said Mikkel and smiled friendly.
Ten minutes later, Akiko came across the aisle with bandages in hand and greeted Liv and Mikkel with astonished looks. Mikkel spoke up:
»May I speak to you privately, Ms. Hyundura? «
»Yes, come with me to the doctor’s room! « Akiko replied, slightly insecure.
When Liv and Mikkel closed the door of the doctor’s office behind them, Akiko looked at them with scared eyes.
»What can I do for you? «
»Miss Hyundura, I want to ask you something! « said Mikel.
»Could you give me a small bottle of chloroform? «
»What do you want with it? Chloroform is a narcotic and is actually no longer used. Is dangerous! «
»Can you keep a secret? « Mikkel asked urgently.
Akiko looked from one to the other and said:
»What do you need for? «
»As you know, we’re investigating several murders and suspect the military may be involved. A military operation is currently underway near Kopparberget. We want to take a look there. Of course, there may be sentries posted there and we have to eliminate one or the other. For that we would need the chloroform. «
»Then you must be careful not to give too much. You wait here! «
With that, Akiko left the room.
»Will she keep her mouth shut? Why didn’t you ask the doctor? «, said Liv.
Mikkel shrugged and replied:
»I hope she’s keeping her mouth shut. She seems to have a bright mind. After all, she found out that Lenne was murdered and proved it. I would have guessed Håkansson that he asks too many questions. We don’t have to disclose more than is strictly necessary about our investigative work. Especially now that we’re sticking our hand deep in the military’s jam jar. «
»Well, let’s hope for the best. «, Liv said with a sigh.
After agonizingly long minutes, Akiko came back. In her hand she held some gauze cloths and a small plastic bottle in which a slightly yellowish liquid was sloshing.
»Drip eight to ten drops of it onto a cloth. Then cover the mouth and nose and wait until the person faints. Then remove the cloth immediately. Don’t give too much, otherwise the person is dead. « Akiko said urgently and handed the things over to Mikkel.
»I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Ms. Hyundura. You help us a lot in our investigative work. If I don’t use up everything I’ll bring it back. «
»That’s fine, but I don’t ask you to say where you got it from. Otherwise I could get in really bad trouble. I still have exams this year and don’t want to get kicked out of college for illegal drug distribution before then. You understand? «
»We understand that very well, Ms. Hyundura, and appreciate your help very much. Nobody will know anything from our side. Please don’t worry and thank you again. «
Liv also thanked Akiko and smiled at her encouragingly, then they set off for Hagaboda. They passed the roadblock again. Mikkel said:
»There was no barrier at Kopparberget. We should go into the forest from there. From there we can advance to the FOA. I just hope they didn’t put guards there. «
»Do you really want to go there Mikkel? «
»Why not, they’re definitely doing something they don’t want the public to see and I’m just trying to find out what it is. Maybe it will get us further. «
»You could be right about that, Mikkel. But then we have to change clothes and take some equipment with us. «
»Well, we’re leaving at midnight. Liv! «
"I’m in Mikkel! « said Liv enterprisingly.
Mikkel stopped at the pizzeria at the port and ordered some food to take back to the accommodation. They then talked about their action while eating. Mikkel had spread the map out on the table. It was very detailed and also showed the vicinity of the FOA. Accordingly, the forest surrounding the FOA was not a military restricted area but a state forest. Within the fenced facility there was another area that was designated as a shooting range. The barracks and the crew buildings then bordered on it.
After dinner they changed. They dressed in black from head to toe. Liv tied her hair in a ponytail. Mikkel put on a dark hat and put on gloves. Liv also had dark gloves from her police gear. They checked their guns, loaded them, and pocketed a spare magazine. Then they were ready for their mission. Mikkel still pocketed the chloroform and the gauze cloths. The clock in the church of Alby struck midnight when they drove off.
Mikkel took a detour to avoid the crossroads with the roadblock. They drove down a dirt road that was quite rocky. The Porsche bounced and jumped, both of them getting quite a shake in the car when they finally reached the road that led to Kopparberget.
Mikkel drove up the forest road to the Kopparberget ruins. He drove slowly and turned off the headlights. They reached the ruins of the castle, which loomed dark and menacing in front of them in the dark blue night sky. As quietly as possible, they opened the doors of the car and quietly pushed them shut. Then they scurried into the inner courtyard of the castle ruins. At their back was a small gate that lay near the forest. They switched on their flashlights and dimmed them so that only dim light fell on the ground in front of them.
They stopped behind a bush and switched off the lamps again. They adjusted their eyes to the dark. Mikkel took his compass out of his pocket to get his bearings. Then they walked on cautiously and as quietly as possible. As they got deeper into the forest, they saw a shape. Mikkel raised his night glasses to his eyes and peered. It was a soldier who was obviously on guard duty there. Mikkel kept looking around and spotted another sentry about fifty yards away. They cautiously worked their way up to the one sentry closest to them. Mikkel took out a gauze cloth and dripped the chloroform onto it. It had a slightly sweet smell. He sent Liv forward to distract the soldier. Then everything went very fast.
Liv slipped between the rows of trees. The soldier immediately turned in her direction and raised his rifle. At that moment Mikkel was with him. He grabbed him and pressed the chloroform-soaked cloth over the soldier’s mouth and nose. The remedy worked quickly. The soldier tried to fight back but he quickly collapsed.
Mikkel laid him down quietly on the forest floor and started running. Mikkel crouched behind a bush and looked at the other guards through the night glasses, but they didn’t seem to have noticed anything. Mikkel gave Liv a hand signal to keep going. As quietly as possible, they moved away from the sentries and pushed deeper into the forest. They walked through the dark. The treetops stood out only dimly against the dark night sky. They saw a glimmer of light between the trees and they heard the bang of shots and the rapid staccato of submachine guns. They walked closer and closer to the light source. In front of them they saw a fence looming. According to the map, this was the part that fenced off the shooting range.
They crawled the last few meters across the forest floor. Suddenly they heard a high pitched whirring noise. Mikkel and Liv dug into the leaves that were lying on the ground and flattened themselves to the ground. One of those silvery craft, which had also appeared in Ingrid Granqvist’s garden, flew along the fence. It sent out a sharply focused yellowish beam. Mikkel suspected a laser beam scanning the ground. Mikkel could clearly see the blue flames of the two mini jet engines, which were constantly moving to stabilize the aircraft. Two camera lenses were glowing on the underside, which glowed slightly reddish. The scanning beam passed over Liv and Mikkel several times, then the device flew on. Mikkel and Liv waited a while, then they crawled on cautiously, always on the lookout for one of these aircraft. When they could see the shooting range, their breath caught.
Veronika visited Svante van Ulmer again. He lay weak and pale on his pillows. Veronika could see that he was slowly coming to an end and that they didn’t have much time left. When Veronika told him that they wanted to do the experiment tomorrow, van Ulmer smiled. Ingrid came over and checked van Ulmer’s values. Above all, the cytokine values were important because they had to be suppressed as far as possible. In the corridor Ingrid asked Veronika:
»Tell me Veronika, can you do me a favor? «
»What is Ingrid about? «
»You know I have the computer at home that I use to connect to the Cray Station here. Could you maybe also flash the FNIX Gate for me. I may need it to contact van Ulmer once we transfer his neural substrate to the Cray. What is particularly important to me is how the artificial intelligence reacts to this. «
»That’s not a problem Ingrid. I also have a brainhood. It might not be so bad if we have a gate outside of FOA. «
»When can you do that? «
»If that’s all right with you, tonight? I have to bring my son Finn with me though. He’s still too young to leave him alone. «
»That’s not a problem Veronica. I’m happy if you two come to me. «
Then Veronika went back to her office. Once again she started the FNIX Gate. The artificial intelligence worked without any problems and didn’t give a damn. She checked out the computer that was to be used for the FNIX Gate tomorrow. She put the brainhood on herself and closed her eyes. The brainhood linked to their brainwaves. She could see dates before her eyes. She could move through the main menu of the FNIX program using eye control. Could check and change parameters. FNIX helped her. Her avatar resembled the comic book character Andromeda Promessium. This anime series her son Finn followed every day. Veronika often watched and liked the manga. One of the developers then created the FNIX avatar accordingly. She copied the installation routine and the compressed program of the FNIX Gate to a data carrier.
Then she slowly packed up her things because she had to pick up her son from kindergarten. She made her way out of the bunker floor. She walked across the barracks grounds to the crew quarters. The kindergarten that looked after the children of the employees was also housed there. Her little son greeted her enthusiastically. Veronika told him that they still had to visit Professor Granqvist before they went home. She promised him a hamburger if he was good. Little Finn cheered, because a visit to Östertörn Burgers was rare.
Later, with Ingrid Granqvist, he sat very well in an armchair. Ingrid had made the little one a cup of hot cocoa and given him some biscuits. Which he now ate well. After Veronika started and checked the computer installation, she installed the connection with the FOA and with FNIX. The artificial intelligence reappeared in the form of the Andromeda avatar and helped her connect. It was surprisingly easy. After Veronika checked everything, Ingrid said goodbye and drove to Östertörn Burgers with her son. Little Finn was very happy about the Hamburger menu. Veronika watched him as he put the French fries into his small, also smeared mouth with his small fingers smeared with tomato ketchup. On the way home, Finn was the most peaceful child in Östertörn. When she went back up the stairs to her apartment, he just groped wearily on her hand next to her.
A little later he lay in his bed and slept. Veronika sat down in her living room for a moment. She must have noticed the people hanging around near her house again. She lay awake in bed for a long time because tomorrow would not let her rest.
***********
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When Liv and Mikkel had a clear view of the shooting range, they were treated to a breathtaking scene. Long rows of the humanoid-shaped, two-legged robots stood there. Small groups of six robots kept appearing, lining up in a row and shooting at distant dueling targets. They hit with deadly precision. In between stood groups of dog-like robots, which also completed a kind of shooting training. In between, soldiers walked around wearing a hood and holding a control device in their hands. The robots also appeared to obey voice commands. Because some soldiers shouted orders and the robots responded to them. A little further on, a human doll was being pulled on a cart across an area, and a robot ran up to it, made a mighty leap, and thrust a long sword into the doll’s chest. This had erupted from an oblong gray box that the robot wore on its left arm. They had found a similar “sword” on one of those robots that had probably run out of fuel in the forest.
Through his binoculars, Mikkel could see a soldier with a tattoo on his forearm. It represented a sword that had a dumbbell-shaped hilt. Mikkel peered even further across the grounds and saw more such soldiers with the same tattoo. Suddenly the ground began to tremble slightly. Liv and Mikkel looked around, but there was nothing to see. In a somewhat darker corner of the shooting range, the trees cracked and rustled, and in the darkness it was possible to see how large fir trees were bending to the side as if they were simply being bent over by a giant. A dull, roaring sound rang out that went through marrow and bone. Then something gigantic took place. Liv had raised Mikkel’s binoculars to her eyes. A long sigh escaped her.
»Mikkel! My God! What is that? «
Mikkel could see this giant figure even without binoculars. A massive robot stomped up on two huge legs. Its orange color peeled more and more out of the dark. With each step he took, the ground trembled and a slight thundering sound could be heard. Between the legs hung a long box, at the bottom of which sat a massive machine gun. Mikkel recognized it as a Gatling machine gun as it had six barrels in a circular configuration. Next to it was a rectangular box with circular openings on the top. Beneath it, Mikkel could see the round, red heads of missiles. The robot walked to a spot on the firing range that had a large circle drawn on it. Several searchlights came on in the distance, illuminating the wreckage of a Stridsvagn 103. Mikkel and Liv followed the action breathlessly. The Gatling’s barrels began spinning at high speed, and a deafening volley of missiles followed. A target placed far away was nearly pulverized. Then rockets suddenly rose up and were fired from the square box at the bottom of the robot. Seconds later, they hit the wreckage of the tank, tearing it up. Liv and Mikkel exchanged a look. Liv’s eyes suddenly widened, Mikkel looked around and about twenty meters away there was one of those flying things between the trees. Liv and Mikkel crawled back into the undergrowth. Suddenly the thing began to emit a loud siren sound that echoed loudly in the forest. Mikkel drew his Klaucke and fired at the drone. The shots from his Klaucke were lost in the roar of the robots. The flying thing suddenly started to spark and the siren stopped. Liv also had her pistol drawn and was firing as well. With a loud bang, the flying thing exploded and fell. Mikkel and Liv rushed into the forest. They scurried between the trees to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the facility. It was getting darker and darker in the forest and the trees were only dimly visible. Mikkel almost ran into a tree if Liv hadn’t stopped him. They crouched behind a tree. Mikkel took out his compass to orientate himself. They listened, but could hear nothing. They expected search parties to comb the forest. Maybe the thing had spotted them and honked its horn to summon the guards. They walked on without making much noise. Mikkel kept stopping to look for the security guards with his night glass. He couldn’t see anything. They went on. They didn’t know exactly where they were and if they would come out of the forest again at the Kopparberget ruins, because they had run very deep into the forest when they fled.
Suddenly there was a sharp click behind them. Several red, sharply focused beams of light flared up and cut through the darkness. Liv and Mikkel jumped behind a tree, drew their guns and police badges.
»Put your hands up! « came a commanding voice.
»Homicide Stockholm, Mikkel Havlund put down your guns at once, you must have gone insane! «, Mikkel yelled back.
»Put your guns away or we’ll shoot! «, was shouted back.
»Put down your guns, we’re police. You are not in a military security area. You have no right to use guns on people here. «
They were both illuminated with a flashlight. A tall soldier, whose rank insignia identified him as Löjtnant, approached them.
He ordered his people to put down their weapons. The red fingers of light went out instantly. Liv and Mikkel also sheathed their guns.
They in turn shone their flashlights on the Löjtnant.
The Löjtnant stood in front of them and asked in a slightly arrogant tone:
»What are the police doing in the woods at this hour? «
»We could ask you the same thing. You hang around with your soldiers here in the state forest. There is no military security area here. It is therefore strictly forbidden for them to use force of arms here. «
»We’re doing a military exercise here. « said the lion man.
»But which has to be registered and approved. «, Mikkel interrupted him in a sharp voice.
»Can you produce such a permit? « Mike asked.
»No…, unfortunately I do not have such a letter. « replied the lion man.
»Then I would like to ask you to withdraw with your people! «, said Mikkel commandingly.
»I would like to ask you to accompany me to the battalion commander to clarify the matter. Surely he has permission. «, said the lion man.
Liv and Mikkel agreed. They were led to a jeep parked on a forest track. Mikkel recognized the path, it was the one that led up to Kopparberget. Liv and Mikkel got into the jeep, not speaking a word during the drive. Their journey ended at the barracks area of FOA 53. During the journey, nothing was to be seen of the robots. Mikkel knew the administration building because they had been there before. The officer led them to the commander’s office. Mikkel already knew him, it was Colonel Frederik Holberg. When they entered his office, he gave them both a surprised look. The Löjtnant positioned himself behind the commander. On his chest was a name tag that said »Arvidson. «
»We picked up the gentlemen in the forest near the Kopparberget ruins. They claim to be from the police and require a permit to be produced. «
»I know the two commissars. You have already been here in the matter of Mr. Petersson. Not true. «, said Holberg with a winning smile.
»That’s right, Herr Holberg. In fact, I require the production of a permit from the government in Stockholm authorizing you to cordon off the area here. Military exercises are also subject to approval, otherwise they are not authorized to take over sovereign tasks on national territory, for which the police are solely responsible. «, Mikkel began bluntly.
Holberg raised an eyebrow and said:
»Under certain circumstances we can hold military exercises here without a permit. «
Arvidson grinned cheekily at her in the background.
Mikkel inhaled sharply and cited a whole series of paragraphs that had to be met in order to hold an unauthorized exercise and declare national territory a military security area. Holberg’s face hardened.
After Mikkel finished, Holberg’s face twisted into a winning smile and he replied:
»Everything you say may be correct, Commissioner Havlund, but do you understand that national defense is very important to us and we have to be ready at all times. I apologize for the inconveniences you have had. «
Mikkel nodded wordlessly.
»May I know what the police are doing in the woods at this time. It’s almost three o’clock in the morning. «
Mikkel replied:
»As you know, we’re investigating several murders that have taken place around your institution. We found a trail at the top of Kopparberget which we followed again. Since we can reconstruct what happened at the Kopparberget campsite as precisely as possible, we moved our investigation into the night. «
Holberg had a pen in his hand which he kept turning around while Mikkel spoke. Liv tracked down the lie Mikkel was telling the commander. Hopefully he swallowed the roast because she didn’t know how to explain to the stunned soldiers.
»It’s strange that the police are wandering around in the woods in the middle of the night. You can’t see anything in the dark. «
Liv bit her lower lip, her body tensing. Mikkel replied:
»This wasn’t too much about seeing, but about reconstructing. Speaking of which, you are already aware that another employee from your lab has been killed. «
Holberg dropped the pen, folded his hands and leaned forward.
»You must mean Lenne Pålsson. The unfortunate man committed suicide. «
»How do you know? That he committed suicide. As far as I know, the press has not published anything about this. As the investigation is ongoing, the only announcement was that Lenne Pålsson was found dead. There was a clear instruction from me not to publish anything else about the circumstances of death, not even to you. «
Liv could see the Löjtnant’s face twitch. His Adam’s apple jumped. Holberg also froze. She dared a quick side glance at Mikkel. He sat up straight in his chair. Liv knew that Mikkel just rode a sharp attack and he had probably pushed into the middle of the wasp’s nest. But Mikkel went even further:
»Since we’re sitting together so nicely, I can tell you that Mr Pålsson was murdered. «
Arvidson’s eyes widened. Liv watched him and she watched Holberg, who also froze imperceptibly. Liv knew that Mikkel was attuned to such emotions.
»Well, the killer did it pretty sloppily. «
»The… the killer must have been Ragnar Sigurdsson. «, said Arvidson, a little too hastily.
Mikkel leaned back in his chair and continued in a sardonic tone:
»That’s very interesting Mr Löjtnant Arvidson, but how do you know that? «
»But that would also interest me, Herr Löjtnant. « Liv said slyly.
She noticed the Löjtnant’s uncertainty.
»How do you know? « Liv asked more demandingly this time.
»Ermm… well… Pålsson was a thief. He has occasionally taken computer parts and resold them. Well…they were old parts so we didn’t do anything. Because he was actually a good employee and he had, let’s say, some financial problems. «
Arvidson fumbled a cigarette case out of his uniform jacket.
»May I offer you a cigarette? «, Arvidson asked.
Holberg took a breath and got an ashtray and also a cigarette case from his desk. Mikkel refused and pulled out his own. The Löjtnant lit his cigarette with a match. Liv made a surprising discovery.
»What made you think Lenne Pålsson had anything to do with Ragnar Sigurdsson? «, Liv asked.
»Well, we know that Mr Pålsson often spent his weekends at the establishment in Klinte. Mr Pålsson was a bachelor and you know that. «
Arvidson grinned greasy.
»Well, the fact that he was hanging around in the Paintbox in Klinte doesn’t say anything about his connection to Sigurdsson. «
Said Mikkel and puffed out clouds of blue smoke.
»Well, what we don’t know, maybe he was involved in drug deals because he drove a car that didn’t quite match his pay grade. Perhaps he incurs the wrath of Sigurdsson and was murdered because of it. «, said Arvidson, grinning victoriously.
Mikkel pursed his lips and then said:
»You must know that I have known good Ragnar Sigurdsson for a long time. I especially know his approach when he’s getting someone out of the way. This wasn’t his handwriting. But that of a bungler who only wanted to draw suspicion on Sigurdsson. «
Mikkel noticed that his left foot suddenly hurt. He looked down briefly and saw Liv’s foot resting on his. She was probably afraid that he would say too much. But Mikkel knew what he was doing. He had already set his sights on Arvidson and now he had baited him. He gave Liv a quick sideways glance and then said:
»Well, we’re going to find out who killed Lenne Pålsson. We can well imagine that it wasn’t one of you, because you wouldn’t kill your own people, would you. «
»No, we certainly wouldn’t «, said Holberg, exhaling a puff of blue smoke and putting out his cigarette in the ashtray.
The two seemed suddenly relieved.
»I think now that we’ve exchanged enough news it would be nice if you could take us to our car. « ,Mikkel said smiling.
»Of course we’ll bring you back. I would like to apologize again for the inconvenience. «, said Holberg with a winning smile.
»This is not a problem. I think that little misunderstanding in the forest can be safely forgotten under these circumstances. It’s a safe feeling to know that our national defense is so committed. «
Mikkel replied with a friendly smile. Liv knew his smile was just a masquerade.
At a gesture, Arvidson left the office and returned a moment later with a corporal in tow.
Liv and Mikkel said goodbye. On the way, the non-commissioned officer only asked where he should take them and then still didn’t say a word.
When Mikkel and Liv were on their way to their accommodation, Liv breathed a sigh of relief. The night was cool and temperatures in the single digits. Still, Liv asked Mikkel to stop along the way. They smoked a cigarette together in the fresh air and talked about what they had seen.
»Do you know what I saw Mikkel? said Liv.
»Definitely this. « Mikkel replied and pulled out a book of matches that he had taken with him from the Paintbox. «
»Oh, did you see that too? So he had something to do with Ragnar Sigurdsson. ’ Liv said, dragging on her cigarette. Then she blew the smoke into the clear night air.
»Do you know what else I saw? «, Liv asked.
»What then? «, Mikkel asked in astonishment.
»Arvidson has a sword tattoo like that too. «, said Liv.
»Holberg has one too. I saw it under his sleeve. «
Liv frowned.
»How could you see that? His uniform wasn’t translucent. «
»Quite simply, when he put his arm on the table, his sleeve lifted up a little and you could see his upper arm. Then I recognized the tattoo. «
»Mikkel the Bloodhound. «, Liv said, nodding approvingly.
»You have to pay attention to every little detail, even the ones that aren’t obvious. « Mikkel lectured.
»Let’s drive, I’m cold. ’ Liv said, pulling her jacket tighter around her and shivering.
They didn’t say a word the rest of the way. Mikkel saw Liv’s jaw trembling even though he had turned on the heater in the car.
At the lodging, Liv asked if she could have a beer from Mikkel’s stash. She was so psyched inside and couldn’t sleep yet. It wasn’t just one beer and they plundered Mikkel’s supplies together. Liv sat on the chair with her legs drawn up, on her feet she wore only socks. When they had emptied the last can of beer, Mikkel said:
»Are you cold? «
Liv nodded wordlessly and looked at Mikkel with wide eyes.
»I think you need someone to warm you up, don’t you? «
Liv looked at Mikkel in embarrassment and said:
»Are you able to read minds lately? «
»Not exactly, but from a combination of various indications I can assume with a probability bordering on certainty that Ms. Svensson is cold and needs someone to warm her up with. So you can sleep with me. «
Liv formed a kiss with her mouth:
»Thanks you are just sweet Mikkel. «
She reached under her t-shirt and fiddled around there, unearthing a bra that she draped over the back of the chair. Mikkel slipped off his slippers and crawled into his bed. Liv took off her jeans and slipped her socks off her feet. Then she also crawled into Mikkel’s bed.
»Your knees are pointy! «, Mikkel complained as Liv adjusted herself and rested her head on Mikkel’s chest. «
»So bad? «, she asked smiling.
»Well, it’s not exactly pleasant when you’re lolling around on one. «
Liv pouted:
»Did you Ouch, I’m sorry about that. «, giggled Liv.
»Anyway, this isn’t going to become a habit. «
»Not! «, said Liv »That’s a pity. «
Mikkel let out a sigh.
Liv ruffled the hair on Mikkel’s chest a little.
»Oh, Mikkel, don’t be so grumpy. «
»You’re not uncomfortable, are you, Mikkel? «
»Shut up Liv and sleep. «, snorted Mikkel.
»Sleep well Mikkel. «, Liv said and pulled the blanket a little tighter around her.
She felt Mikkel’s hard body and that something was stirring in him. Liv smiled silently.
»You too, Liv Good night. ’ said Mikkel sleepily.
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Thank you take care 
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Really impressive work! You should publish this book.
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Hehe, had to laugh with the familiar pointy knees scene, because my wife also pushes her pointy knees into my side sometimes. And such a Midnight Incident is indeed not very comfortable. 
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Haha 
you are not alone with that.
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That would be a nice Merch for Generation Zero if Avalanche makes the cover and adds some pictures.
To make it a book for puplishing i have to change the whole world with al names of villages and robots to prevent copyright issues with avalanche. But that wouldn’t change the story very much.
Chapter 20
Petter Jacobsen sat in his office. An inner turmoil filled him as he stared at his screen. He used to visit Veronika Nilsson’s office to copy important data from her computer onto floppy disks. He had also successfully installed a virus that saved Veronika’s input on her keyboard and all screen output. That way, Petter didn’t have to keep intruding into Veronika’s office. He looked at the changes that Veronika had added to the FNIX program on her computer and, above all, to the FNIX Gate. All he had to do was plug it into his version of the FNIX program. He had obtained a hard drive from the hardware department under some pretense and built it into his computer. This allowed him to install the FNIX Gate and easily modify the source code.
Löjtnant Arvidson was breathing down his neck. He asked more and more often. Petter had been able to buy time by showing him his successes over and over again. Petter knew something was up, because Veronika Nilsson was working feverishly on the gate, adding changes every day that Petter also included in his copy. He knew that Professor van Ulmer was dying and they had to hurry if they were going to transfer his consciousness into the computer. Finally, the day had come to start the experiment. So now Petter had everything he needed. He had arranged to meet Arvidson at his home to hand over the hard drive. He shut down his workstation and unscrewed the case. He disconnected the hard drive from the controller and the power supply. Then he unscrewed it and took it out. He put the hard drive in his pocket and screwed the cover of his workstation back on. Nobody would notice anything. Petter Jacobsen inwardly rejoiced. He felt a little queasy as he passed the guards and let out a deep sigh as he sat in his car and left the FOA grounds behind.
When he got home in Lillå he was waiting for Löjtnant Arvidson. He paced nervously in his living room. He had poured himself a whiskey and drank it in slow gulps. The alcohol calmed him down a bit. It was already getting dark outside when his doorbell rang. Petter opened the door and Arvidson stood in front of the door with two other men in dark suits and sunglasses.
»We’re allowed to go in, aren’t we? « said Arvidson, twisting his thin mustache mouth into a winning grin. The two men who accompanied him didn’t change their faces. Their grim faces scared Petter. Petter invited them into the living room, where Arvidson took a seat in one of the armchairs without being asked. The two men stopped.
»Sit down, Petter. «, said Arvidson, smiling jovially.
He sat down in a chair opposite Arvidson’s. Petter sat tensely on the front edge.
»You have it really comfortable here Jacobsen, respect. «
»Yes…yes…it’s quite nice here, Mr. Arvidson. «, agreed Petter nervously.
»Let’s not keep you long, Petter, you have something for me, you said during our conversation today. «
»Yes… Mr Arvidson, I… I’ve just got to fetch it. «, said Petter, getting up from his chair, shaking slightly with nervousness.
He took the hard drive he had stolen from the FOA from his study and placed it on the table in front of Arvidson.
»On this hard drive is the FNIX Gate in its current version. I have already installed it. All you have to do is plug the hard drive into your computer. Then it has to be added to the bios and the registry of the operating system. Then everything should work. «
Arvidson pulled out a cigarette case, took out a cigarette and lit it. He blew out the smoke with relish. Then he said:
»That’s excellent work, Petter. I see you are thinking along. You’ve earned a reward. Right ? «
The two men nodded their heads but didn’t say a word. Arvidson shifted in the chair to the edge and leaned forward. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a bulging money clip. Slowly, as if in slow motion, he handed it across the table. Petter saw that it contained a thick wad of thousand kroner bills. Petter stared at the wad of money as if hypnotized. He was about to pick it up when Arvidson quickly pulled it back and gave him a sardonic smile.
»You can earn a lot more, Petter. «, he said.
»How come? «, Petter asked hesitantly.
»Well, we’re not computer geniuses, Petter. If you would accompany us to install the hard drive, that would help us a lot. Maybe you can even give us a little support with the FNIX Gate. It shouldn’t hurt you. You could even double this «, said Arvidson grinning. He weighed the wad of money in his hand.
Petter thought quickly. What Arvidson was about to give him was probably 100,000 crowns. This bundle of money alone would solve his current financial problems. If he got twice as much, that would be even better.
»I’ll come with you, Mr Arvidson. « Petter said eagerly.
Arvidson nodded, smiling.
»That’s very good Petter. I knew I could count on you. So come. «
Petter put on another jacket, then left his house with Arvidson and his companions. He got into the big black Ville Limousine parked in front of his house. With the engine humming softly, they left Östervik via the northern arterial road. Petter sat in the back of the Ville. Arvidson sat next to him. One of the attendants was driving the vehicle, the other sat in the passenger seat, face expressionless. He was surprised that even though it was already night, the two were still wearing their sunglasses. But Petter didn’t dare to ask. The vehicle changed direction several times and drove through forests. Petter felt a queasy feeling, he felt a dull rumbling in his stomach. Where were they going with him? He was completely lost and had no idea where they were going. Petter broke out in a cold sweat as the heavy sedan turned into a narrow forest path. He thought of his colleagues Lenne and Gösta. Slowly, claws cold as ice, fear crept up his spine. Arvidson seemed to have noticed that Petter was afraid. He said with a smile on his lips:
»Don’t worry Petter, we just have to go to Lake Avern. The rest of the trip we have to take a boat to Hjimfäll Island. There we have our headquarters and of course our laboratory. Relax Petter. «
Jacobsen looked at Arvidson in relief and slumped back in his seat with a soft sigh. He now noticed that his neck muscles ached. In the darkness of the forest he saw the surface of the mighty Avern Lake shimmering through the rows of trees. The forest cleared a little and the shore of the lake came into view. The light of the full moon glittered on the surface of the water. The car headed for a boathouse peeking out of the darkness. The car was parked and Petter was told to get out. They all went into the boathouse together. In it, a Zodiac boat bobbled on the slightly choppy water surface. One by one they boarded the boat. One of the attendants took up his position in the helm station, started the boat’s engine and carefully backed it out of the boathouse. Petter sat in the stern of the boat, next to him Arvidson and the second attendant. A little later the boat flew over the waves, left the lake through the Överbyån and headed
out to the open sea. Petter nervously chewed on his lower lip, slowly the thing was becoming more and more sinister to him. They could overpower him and just throw him overboard in the open sea. He would never be found. The cold wind blew hard in his face and his eyes started to water. Ahead, a finger of light kept darting across the horizon.
»That would have to be a lighthouse,« thought Petter. The thought of which lighthouse it could be occupied him and distracted him a little. He recalled the map of Hjimfall. The island had several lighthouses. One was at Tarnboda Skåns the other at Klacksundsfyren. Petter stared out into the night. To his left he could make out a faint finger of light again, darting across the dark sky. That had to be Tarnboda Skåns. Then the beacon ahead of them was Klacksundsfyren. Occasionally, some cold spray would spray Petter’s face as they jumped a bigger wave. The lighthouse slowly emerged from the darkness. The cliff of Klacksundsfyren could be seen dimly below. They inexorably approached the shore. The faint light of a fire could be seen. The man at the helm spoke something into a walkie talkie, then someone could be seen brandishing a torch on the beach. The boat headed straight for this spot and a little later the beach crunched under its keel. Petter jumped out of the boat and had to walk ankle-deep through the surf. They were met on shore by some people dressed in the same clothes as Arvidson’s companions. They took Petter between them and walked along a narrow path that led into the cliffs. A rock face loomed in front of them about halfway up. Here it went no further because the path ended at this rock face. Arvidson pulled out a small device, pressed a few buttons on the top, and the rock face suddenly disappeared into the ground. Before them gaped the entrance to a cave. Everyone got moving and marched inside. Inside, a stairway led down into the dark depths of the mountain.
As Petter took the first few steps of the stairs, the gate closed again.
After countless steps that led deeper and deeper into a shaft, they finally reached their destination. In a cavern dimly lit with torches, a portal was carved into the rock. Four large steps led to an entrance gate flanked by two mighty pillars. A demonic-looking, gigantic man stood in the doorway.
»Hail Master of the Iron Church! «, boomed the giant’s voice.
» Greetings, Bishop of the Iron Church. « Arvidson replied, raising his hand in greeting.
»Did you have success ? « asked the one addressed as bishop.
»Not only do I have the gateway to enlightenment with me, I also have a programmer to help us get it up and running. « Arvidson replied triumphantly.
Everyone suddenly applauded and chanted:
»Hail to the iron church, hail to enlightenment! «
The giant made an imperious hand movement and everyone fell silent. He looked at Petter, waved his hand and ordered Petter to step forward.
» Who are you? «, he was asked.
» My name… My name is… Petter Jacobsen. «, Peter replied.
» Who are you ? «, Petter asked, his voice shaking slightly.
All those around began to giggle softly, but this was immediately frozen by a hand movement of the giant.
» I am Drako Ivarsson, supreme bishop of the Iron Church. «
»Then…then…so you’re the head of the organization that wants to give paraplegics a new, mechanical body? «, Petter Jacobsen asked.
Smiling, Drako Ivarsson bowed his head and replied:
» That’s me. I am very pleased to welcome you here in our ranks. Please enter our Temple of Enlightenment. I am extremely grateful to them for wanting to help and accompany us. «
Ivarsson made a welcoming gesture and released the front gate. With slow steps, Petter climbed the stairs and walked through the portal. Strangely dressed people stood silently in line. Drako Ivarsson led the way. He entered a large room that looked like the interior of a church. At the end of the room an altar rose on a pedestal. Behind it on the wall was a large picture of Drako Ivarsson. The people who had previously stood in a row slowly walked left and right and entered the rows of pews. Ivarsson waved Petter over. Arvidson and his men joined them.
Drako Ivarsson raised his arms imploringly and spoke in a loud, sonorous voice.
»Brothers…and sisters…The day of enlightenment is not far off. Our Grand Master Arvidson has brought us reinforcements who will now install the Gateway to Enlightenment. We hereby extend a warm welcome to him. «
People all applauded.
» We will now retire and let Herr Jacobsen do his work. «
People got up from the pews and went out into the aisle. As if at a command, the people turned and left the hall in a long line. When everyone had gone, Drako Ivarsson turned to Petter.
» Now to you. We will now show you the hall of enlightenment and the computer system that is supposed to open the door to enlightenment for us. «
Ivarsson waved his hand invitingly.
» Please follow me. «
Drako Ivarsson started walking and turned right before the first row of benches. Suddenly a bright light flared up and a large hall became visible. Chests of similar objects stood in long rows. Petter stopped at one and looked inside. A day bed lay under a Plexiglas hood. These couches looked like glass coffins.
» What are these chests for? «, Petter asked.
» These are the resting beds for the bodies of the enlightened once they have transferred their consciousness into a computer. Here the biological bodies are protected. Here they are warmed, nourished and supplied with oxygen. «
A few Hunter robots were neatly lined up against the back wall of the room. Each of these dangerous fighting machines stood on a roller pallet. Petter had seen these machines many times in the lab and in the large test room. These machines walked upright like a human and were deadly. They were all at rest. The desk with the computer system was in a separate area of the room. Petter approached the system and looked at it. It looked familiar, it was the same facility as the FOA. A large Unix computer with keyboard and screen. In addition, a streamer, a CD Rom drive, a floppy disk drive for 5 ¼ inch and 3 ½ inch floppy disks.
» I still need tools because I have to open the computer. «, said Petter Jacobsen.
» You will find tools in the drawers of the desk. «, said Arvidson.
Petter leaned forward and pulled open the desk drawers one by one. One contained a complete set of tools. Petter took out a screwdriver and started to unscrew the computer case. About half an hour later he had installed the hard drive. Then he set about wiring the Brainhood, which was also on the desk. Finally he turned on the computer. Petter yawned and noticed the rising tiredness. A glance at his watch showed him that it was already half past two in the night.
» It’s getting late, can’t we continue tomorrow? «, said Petter Jacobsen.
» That’s not a problem, Herr Jacobsen. We have already prepared accommodation for you. «, Ivarsson replied.
»Yes…but I…I have to go to work. I thought I’d come back tomorrow evening. «
» I’ve already done that for you about your work tomorrow. You are on leave. Commander Holberg knows about this and has given his consent. So you can retire with peace of mind. «, said Arvidson smiling.
Petter turned off the computer. Then he rose from the desk. Arvidson led him out of the church. They climbed back up the long steel staircase to the cave exit. Then they hiked back down the path a bit, turning right at a fork. The path rose again a little and a little later they reached a parking lot where a black Ville Limousine was waiting. Petter took a seat in the car then they drove off. Her path led them further and further uphill through the deep forests of Hjimfäll. They turned back onto a narrow forest path that led slightly downhill. Then they reached some kind of resort. They passed a gate and suddenly found themselves in the middle of a facility. Several huts were grouped around a larger house. That was brightly lit. A man in a light-colored robe stood in the middle of the square. A large group of similarly dressed people had gathered around him, holding torches. As Petter got out, he could see that a similar limousine had followed them. From her emerged Drako Ivarsson, who walked slowly and deliberately to the middle of the square.
»Brothers and sisters, we welcome Mr. Petter Jacobsen to the commune of Ljuset and let us welcome him into our midst. «
Ivarsson made an imperious gesture, a man and a woman stepped forward and bowed to Ivarsson.
» Please escort Master Jacobsen to his hut. «
The two approached Petter and asked him to follow them with a friendly smile. They escorted him to one of the small huts. It contained a bedroom, a toilet and a small living room that looked simple but comfortable. The young man handed him a water bottle and some towels. The young woman asked him if he needed anything else. When Petter said no, they left him.
***********
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Liv and Mikkel were woken up rather rudely the next morning. The mobile phone rang quite annoyingly. Liv was the first to startle, threw the covers aside, padded to her room on bare feet, rummaged in her handbag and pulled out the ringing mobile phone. She accepted the call and slowly went back to Mikkel’s room.
On the other end, Åsa’s voice snarled quite angrily, so that Mikkel could hear part of what was being said:
» Who’s there? Liv……? What do you two actually think of? Have you gone insane? How could you interrogate Holberg without permission. You guys pack up and come to Stockholm. I had to listen to a lot from the prosecutor this morning. The prosecutor wants to see you and I can already tell you that this conversation will not be pleasant! «
»But…but…what’s the matter? «, Liv asked.
» The military called this morning and complained. You trespassed into a military security area and had the gall to say you were investigating. I expressly forbidden you to question Holberg. You heard what the prosecutor said. «
»Yes, but that was all very different! «, Liv tried to justify herself. Then the voice on the phone snapped again.
»Liv I don’t give a shit, I gave you clear orders and you ignored them. Only your colleague Mikkel can be behind it. Well he can experience something. You’re on your way now, is that clear? «
»Yes«, Liv beeped into the phone. The speaker cracked. Åsa must have slammed her receiver open.
»What’s the matter, why is Åsa so charged? «, Mikkel asked, still sleepy.
»The military must have complained to the prosecutor about our nocturnal visit! «, said Liv
» That can’t be true, are they nuts? «, Mikkel moaned, stretching and yawning. Liv collapsed onto the bed next to Mikkel and rubbed her head.
» Oh man, I’m dizzy, I got up way too fast. sorry Mikkel But I have to lie down for a moment. You know my circulation. «, Liv sighed.
Mikkel rubbed his eyes. Although he hadn’t drunk much, the headache was pounding in his head. He looked at his watch. It was just half past nine. They had only slept a few hours. Liv sat up with a groan and said:
»Come on Mikkel, let’s drive before Åsa gets even more angry than she already is. «
Mikkel sat up too and ran his hand through his tousled hair.
» Well then get out of bed with you! «
He gave Liv a slight nudge. She got up and went to her room, her face contorted with pain. A little later Mikkel heard the rushing of water. Mikkel swung his legs out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
The more Mikkel thought about it, the angrier he became. What was this sneaky action again. Mikkel couldn’t shake the suspicion that they already knew too much and should be silenced. Although Holberg actually had no way of knowing what they already knew. Mikkel decided to be careful when talking to the prosecutor.
When Mikkel started the car and drove out into the street to pick up Liv, she was standing on the side of the road with two warming mugs in hand. Liv had gotten coffee for both of them. Ole Bengtson’s cousin had given them the warming mugs so they could at least have a coffee on the way. In Stockholm, Mikkel parked his car in the underground car park and they immediately made their way to Åsa Henning’s office.
They were already expected of her. Åsa took them to a small meeting room and ordered them to sit down. Then Liv and Mikkel sat down. Their boss Åsa sat across from them. Liv felt a little queasy when she saw the gloomy face of her boss. Åsa gave them both a sinister look and didn’t say anything at first. Liv kept getting smaller in her chair. Then a tirade broke out over them both, which was mainly directed at Mikkel. What he even dared to disobey her orders, even though she had specifically ordered him not to get in the way of the military. Mikkel endured it all with stoic calm.
» We just wanted to reconstruct the murder of the campers. «, Liv tried to help Mikkel. But Åsa cut her off.
» I’ll come to you later! «, she said, giving her a stern look. Then she continued to insult Mikkel and accused him of his extensive drinking.
» You come to service drunk again Havlund and I swear you’ll go on patrol again! «, she snapped at him.
Mikkel sat there stone-faced and didn’t answer. That probably angered her boss more because she banged her fist on the table.
» How do you think I’m standing before Attorney Herrmansson. Just because you both screwed up. «
The door behind them opened and Prosecutor Herrmansson entered the room. He wore a black robe and had an official cap of the same color on his head.
Åsa fell silent. Herrmansson walked around the table and fixed them both with his piercing gaze. Liv would have preferred to sink into the ground as he looked down at her from above with his withering gaze. He slammed his writing case down on the table, lifted an arm, and pulled his cap off his head. The sleeve of his robe slipped back a little, revealing a detail that took Liv’s breath away. A little too hastily he pulled up the sleeve of his robe again, rested his arms on the table and leaned forward.
» I hope you both have a good explanation for your behavior last night. « he said with a menacing undertone.
He looked at them both. Liv’s stomach tingled and caused an uncomfortable feeling.
» Mr. Herrmansson, we just wanted to recreate the murder of the two campers. We had found more tracks that we wanted to follow. «
» So, so, Mr. Havlund in the middle of the night in total darkness and in the middle of the military security area. «
» It wasn’t a military security area, it was a state forest. You know as well as I do that military exercises are notifiable. They couldn’t show me a permit. In addition, I hereby vigorously protest against the use of force of arms. After all, we are civil servants. «, Mikkel replied.
» What are you thinking, Mr. Havlund. This exercise was, of course, authorized and the use of force of arms against you was perfectly legitimate. «
» And why couldn’t they show me a permit? «, asked Mikkel slyly.
» Because this exercise was an alert exercise and was ordered at short notice. «, the prosecutor thundered at Mikkel.
» Besides, which one of you had drugged the soldier, that must have been you. «, the prosecutor asked, looking at them both penetratingly.
» Which one of you did it? «, he asked lurkingly.
» A drugged soldier? It wasn’t us, what could we have drugged him with then ? «, Mikkel asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back in his chair. He looked the prosecutor cheekily in the face.
» It could only have been one of them. «, Herrmansson rumbled at Mikkel.
» Can they prove it? In a constitutional state like this, everyone is innocent until the other side can prove their accusations. «, Mikkel replied in a firm voice.
Herrmansson made a rumbling sound and pounded his fist on the table.
» That’s the limit, isn’t it ? Don’t lie so boldly ! «
Mikkel played the innocent lamb and replied in a smug tone:
» Why can’t I shake off the suspicion that you are trying to frame us here to get us out of the way. «
» How dare you, Havlund! «, Åsa interrupted.
» You had explicit instructions. «
» To hinder us in our investigation. «, Mikkel cut Åsa off.
Liv’s heart slipped into her trousers. Instead of de-escalating the whole thing, Mikkel kept heating it up by contradicting the prosecutor and Åsa.
» Why am I beginning to suspect that you want to cover up for someone, Mr Herrmansson? «, Mikkel finally said with a threatening undertone.
Åsa’s jaw dropped and she made a startled face. Herrmansson’s face turned crimson.
Liv’s heart went to her throat. What on earth was Mikkel doing? He was talking his head off by suddenly attacking the prosecutor. Liv felt like she was caught in a nightmare.
» This…is…outrageous what you are saying Mr. Havlund. There will be consequences for you. «
» Oh yeah? «, Mikkel answered cheekily » And how did this Löjtnant Arvidson know that Lenne Pålsson had committed suicide. As far as I know, there has been no official announcement about it, because I had expressly ordered it. The only official announcement was that Pålsson had been found dead. «
Liv stepped on Mikkel’s foot. She tried to slow him down so he wouldn’t reveal more of what they had found out yesterday, because Mikkel couldn’t know what she had just seen. They absolutely had to get out of the conversation. Somehow she had to get Mikkel to keep his mouth shut. Mikkel gave her a nasty look as she stepped emphatically on his toes under the table.
Prosecutor Herrmansson froze and looked at Mikkel with a petrified face. Åsa was frantically ruffling her hair in the background and looking at Liv for help.
» We had the impression that they knew more about the state of our investigation than only a perpetrator could have known, but maybe the military had been informed in advance, which of course we couldn’t know. «, Liv interjected.
Herrmansson looked at her penetratingly. His features relaxed a little.
» That is exactly how it is, Mrs. Svensson. Of course the military will be informed about their employees, after all Mr. Pålsson worked in a sensitive area. «, Herrmansson answered Liv in a calm voice.
Liv knew she had built him a golden bridge, which the prosecutor was all too willing to tread. Mikkel started to make another remark, but Liv stifled it by stepping on Mikkel’s toes once more to slow him down. She had to finish the conversation.
Liv put on an innocent smile and said: » Mr. Herrmansson, we are sorry that we burst into this military exercise unknowingly, but we only wanted to reconstruct the course of events and therefore it had to happen at night to create exactly the same atmosphere. «
Liv knew exactly that she was babbling irrelevant stuff but she had to distract from further things so that Mikkel wouldn’t say anything else. She really had to steer the conversation in a different direction.
» We have nothing to do with the stunned soldier. How could we have. Maybe there were other people there and they drugged him. In any case, we didn’t see anyone. «, Liv said placatingly.
Mikkel said nothing more but looked at the prosecutor with an expressionless face. Liv hoped that Mikkel would leave the field to her.
» It was just a passing idea, because we’re treading water at the moment, you know. As an investigating officer you try everything to solve a case, don’t you? «, Liv spoke and gave Åsa a helpful look.
» I also think, Mr. Prosecutor, that it was more of an accident on their part. And the suspicion that Mr. Havlund had just raised has now more or less been clarified. I think in this tense situation the flow of information is overtaken by events, which can lead to certain misunderstandings. I think Mr. Havlund and also Mrs. Svensson are aware that they have to proceed more cautiously. «, Åsa tried to convey.
Prosecutor Herrmansson nodded in the round.
» Yes, that is exactly how I see it, Mrs. Henning. I think Mrs. Svensson and Mr. Havlund have now realized how sensitive the matter is to be handled. After all, FOA 53 is a secret facility. I therefore expect you to take special care in your investigations. But one more misstep and I will take you both off the case. Is…that…clear? «, Herrmansson said. He gave Liv and Mikkel a penetrating look.
» Yes, yes we will be more careful now won’t we Mikkel. «, Liv assured him quickly. She stepped lightly on Mikkel’s foot again. Mikkel responded.
» Yes, we will heed their instruction. «
The prosecutor nodded silently, put his cap back on and rose.
» Remember, one more complaint from the military and you’re both out. «
» Yes, Mr. Prosecutor. «, Liv assured submissively.
Then prosecutor Herrmansson rushed out of the room.
» You heard what the prosecutor said. That will be all. «, Åsa said and rose as well.
Mikkel nodded silently and rose. Liv also stood up and left the room together with Mikkel. In the corridor, the air crackled between them. Liv noticed that Mikkel was charged and about to erupt. Surely she would hear something from him in a moment. When they reached the crossroads where the corridor to her office branched off, Liv grabbed Mikkel by the arm and pushed him towards the exit.
» What do you want from me? «, Mikkel hissed at her with a face contorted in anger and broke away.
» What was that in there, what do you think you’re doing? «, Mikkel lashed out at her.
Liv didn’t know what else to do but shut Mikkel up.
» Mikkel just shut up and come with me. I’ll explain everything but not here! «
He grabbed her hand by the wrist and pulled it away roughly.
» What are you going to tell me I’m too stupid to speak for myself. «
Liv grabbed Mikkel and shook him.
» Mikkel please! I can understand that you are angry. But at least come with me and listen to me. Afterwards you can still be angry with me for all I care. «
Mikkel growled and gave her a light shove.
» Then let’s go. «, he said and started to move.
They walked down the stairs because Liv didn’t want to use the lift. She simply ignored Mikkel’s protest. Outside the entrance to the police headquarters, Mikkel blurted out:
» So what’s this about. What do you want to tell me? «
Liv looked around, grabbed Mikkel by the arm again and pulled him along.
» Not here Mikkel, please come with me! «
At a quick pace Liv left the premises of the police headquarters and hurried along the street. Shortly afterwards she turned into a side street. Mikkel ran alongside her and asked, panting and impatient.
» Gee Liv where are you going, why are you running like that? «
» Later! «, Liv replied curtly.
After walking side by side in silence for ten minutes, they reached a small city park. As they had walked, Liv had kept looking around. In the park, Liv changed into a walking pace and looked around once more.
» Say, can you finally tell me what’s going on. You’re acting as if the secret service is on our heels. «, Mikkel said impatiently.
Liv stopped and turned to Mikkel.
» Mikkel, they’re all in cahoots! We have to be careful. I don’t trust them anymore. «
» What, who? You mean Åsa and the prosecutor? «, Mikkel said incredulously.
» Maybe not Åsa, but prosecutor Herrmansson, he’s in cahoots with them and he knows more than he’s admitting. «
» What? Wait a minute Liv, you mean prosecutor… «
» Yes, Mikkel, Herrmansson is also one of them and he has just more or less muzzled us. He’s just waiting for an opportunity to get us out of circulation. «,Liv hissed urgently.
Mikkel looked at her incredulously.
» What makes you think that? I’ve long since noticed that he’s up to something. «
"Yes, but you would have walked right into his trap if I hadn’t pulled the emergency brake. "
"I know what I can and can’t say myself. That’s why you didn’t have to trample on my foot.
Liv raised her fists and slammed them down to emphasize her speech.
» Damn, Mikkel, you still don’t get it. They’re just out to get us out of circulation. Of course, we’re allowed to investigate a little, but just not too much. And well, Holberg and what’s the name of that monkey… Arvidson, don’t get too close. They’re turning something and it mustn’t come out. We have to be careful. Getting us off the case is the bare minimum. Not that they’ll make us disappear one day. So easy BOOM and goodbye. Or they’ll have us killed by a robot like that. «
Mikkel didn’t say a word and sighed deeply.
» You could be right about that, Liv. Damn why didn’t I think about it myself. «, he said more to himself.
He ran his fingers through his hair. Then he turned around in a flash and kicked a tree several times.
» Shit, shit, shit, shit! «, he yelled loudly.
Liv watched Mikkel’s Vitus dance impassively. She knew that her colleague needed this outlet to vent his frustration.
» Those damn juicebags! «, Mikkel cursed loudly.
Liv waited until Mikkel had calmed down again. When he was able to speak again, she said to him:
» What is? Shall we go back to Östertörn? There’s nothing for us to do here. «
» I’d like to throw all that shit at their feet. It’s all for naught what we’re doing here. «
» That’s exactly what they’re aiming for with this action. They try to wear us down until we give up the chunks. But we’re not doing them the favor Mikkel, especially not now. «
Mikkel nodded:
» Exactly that Liv, we’re going to kick their ass, drag them to court and fillet them there. I just don’t know how yet. «, said Mikkel.
Liv knew Mikkel’s brain was rattling. Her colleague wasn’t someone who gave up so easily and Mikkel didn’t give a damn about reprisals anyway. As Liv was knowing him, he hadn’t taken Åsa’s nagging seriously anyway. If push came to shove, Mikkel would find a job in any private detective or security agency.
» Come on, Mikkel, let’s get in the car and drive first, maybe we can think of something else. «
Liv smiled encouragingly at her colleague and took his arm.
» First I need a beer. I would like to get drunk. «
» You can also do that on Östertörn. If you’re nice and good then I’ll even come with you. «, said Liv, looking at Mikkel with a smile.
He snorted and gave her a dark look. Liv deduced Mikkel’s approval from this. Otherwise he would have let out a scathing remark. She herself was at least as angry as Mikkel knew about the emotional stress her colleague was under, all he needed now was quiet and someone to just listen to him.
Petter was awakened by loud knocking in the morning. He opened the door. The young woman and the man entered. They each carried a tray of breakfast for him and set it up in the small living room. It was easy but not bad. Egg porridge was steaming in a bowl. A small bowl of Gröt (Swedish oatmeal) and a bowl of Filmjölk (Swedish sour milk) as well as some slices of crispbread and a cup of coffee. Petter ate hungry. He hadn’t quite finished eating when Ljötnant Arvidson knocked on the door and entered.
» Good morning, I hope you were resting well? « he said with a winning smile.
»Yes, I slept well and the breakfast was good too. «, Jacobsen replied.
» We’re glad, then we can get back to work. Today we have the whole day at our disposal. «, said Arvidson.
Petter finished the rest of his coffee in one gulp and then went on his way. They drove through the dense forests of Hjimfall again. It went downhill this time. Once he caught a glimpse of the roofs of Tarnboda Skåns as they drove down the switchbacks and the forest cleared. A little later they were back in the parking lot by the lighthouse at Klacksundsfyren. He towered in front of them in the blue sky. They descended the path again and a little later they stood again in front of the rock face that opened up in front of them. After descending the stairs and entering the underground church, Petter was back at the computer system.
He switched on the computer and called up the boot system to configure the computer. After binding the Brainhood and the new hard drive into the computer system, he started the operating system and tried to connect to the FOA and the FNIX computer. The attempt failed several times. He heard meditative chants coming from the church-like room. Then he heard Drako Ivarsson talking again. The man scared him. He radiated something dark, abysmal evil. Petter broke out in a sweat as the link with FOA kept dropping. Finally, he opened the test program and sent out a ping. He found that the running time was too long. That was obviously the reason for the crashes. “Timeout error,” Petter stated, and went to troubleshoot. He unscrewed the computer and examined the network card. He rummaged through her installation instructions and checked that she had jumped correctly. After some searching he found that the card was not working at full capacity because a DIP switch was not set correctly and a jumper had to be changed.
He restarted the computer and tried again to connect to the FOA network. Again he failed. This time he examined the line and connection to the network endpoint. “I hope the line is actually fast enough!” Petter feared. Somehow it all looked cobbled together, as if the people who installed it were amateurs.
Drako Ivarsson appeared and asked him about the progress of the work. Petter explained the problems with the line to him.
» Can you solve the problem? « Peter was asked.
Petter said yes and assured that he would find the mistake. In a niche in the wall he found the end point of the network cable. He saw straight away that some hobbyists had been at work here. Somehow it made sense to Petter Jacobsen that no installer from any telephone company could walk in here. With all the effort they put into the retractable rock face, this facility should probably remain hidden from prying eyes. Petter now doubted that this was an aid organization for disabled people. He pushed himself, the faster he got the facility running, the faster he’d be out of here. Slowly he got the feeling that he was being held prisoner here.
Around noon, a man and a woman appeared again, dressed in light-colored robes. Without a word, they placed a plate of food on the desk. Only now Petter noticed how hungry he was. When he had eaten, he continued. Since he couldn’t find any installation instructions for the endpoint, he had to try and restart the system to find out if he had set the highest transmission speed. Sometime late in the afternoon he had finally found the right attitude. Then he began the tedious procedure of hacking into the FNIX system. He had to be careful not to get caught by the watchdog programs.
***********
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Liv and Mikkel slowly walked back to police headquarters. Mikkel trotted along beside her and didn’t say a word. Suddenly the mobile phone chirped in Liv’s handbag. She pulled it out and answered the call. Åsa was on the line.
»Hello…Liv…this is Åsa. Where are you and where is Mikkel? «
» We went out for a smoke. We needed fresh air. «
» I can understand. Neither of you were in the office. is Mikkel with you «
» Yes, he’s standing here next to me. «
» Where are you two? «
» Ahem…on Sankt Paulsgatan, why? «
» I am coming to you. We meet at Coffee Chic across from Mariatorget. «
» Er, yeah, we’re going there. «
» Okay, see you soon then. «
Åsa hung up. Mikkel looked questioningly at Liv.
» What is? «
» Åsa wants to meet us for a coffee. «
» Do I have to understand it? « Mike asked.
»To be honest Mikkel I don’t know what she wants either, really strange. «
They went back to the park again. The coffee was right across the street. Although the weather was nice, they took a seat inside the coffee shop. They were the only customers in the restaurant. A friendly smiling young waitress took their order. The coffee was just being served when her boss, Åsa, entered the restaurant. She had pushed her horn-rimmed glasses into her hair and was looking around. She spotted Liv and Mikkel and sat down at the table. In passing she ordered a cup of coffee from the waitress.
She waited for her coffee to be served before saying anything. Mikkel stirred his cup with an expressionless face. Liv just took a sip from hers and looked at Åsa expectantly.
» Guys, I also know that something stinks here. «, Åsa opened the conversation in a muffled voice.
» Mikkel, someone up there seems to have studied your personnel file very carefully. They’re literally looking for a reason to kick you out. Liv and your personnel file seem to have been thoroughly examined as well. Because I was asked about the panic attacks you had once. «
Åsa looked at them both over the top of her horn-rimmed glasses, which she had meanwhile put on her nose.
» I’ve also noticed that there’s something wrong with District Attorney Herrmansson. To be honest, I also have the feeling, Mikkel, that they are trying to slow us down. «
Liv looked over at Mikkel and Åsa. Mikkel took a sip from his coffee cup and looked at Åsa with an expressionless face.
» Hey, you guys know more than you let on. Who have you stepped on? How am I supposed to cover for you if I don’t know anything. I also read from your reports that most of the leads lead to the FOA. And the action there at Kopparberget, you can tell Santa that you wanted to recreate the murder of the campers. So what did you see? What is the military doing there? «
Liv looked questioningly at Mikkel. He avoided her gaze and looked at his coffee cup.
» Liv, Mikkel please. I can understand that you distrust me. But I also have the feeling that something is wrong. I’ve also been threatened with consequences for not calling you back. «
Mikkel looked up and looked questioningly at Liv. Liv just nodded encouragingly to Mikkel. She had the feeling that her boss meant it honestly and didn’t want to question her. Mikkel took a breath and began to speak:
“We found out that Arvidson had something to do with Ragnar Sigurdsson and he’s a member of a sect called the Iron Church. They’re planning something. We found out that there are some experiments going on at the FOA with computers that are supposed to be controlled by people’s minds. I found out that they are working on transferring human consciousness into a computer. This sect glorifies computers and wants to use this technology for their purposes. In any case, we found out that Ragnar Sigurdsson had nothing to do with Lenne Pålsson’s death. Somebody else had their fingers in the pie and I suspect the military is knee-deep in it. «
» It must be the FNIX project, it’s top secret. Does the public prosecutor also belong to this sect? «
Liv and Mikkel exchanged a surprised look when Åsa said that.
» We have a guess.«, said Liv.
» It hasn’t escaped my notice that neither the prosecutor nor the military could have known about Lenne Pålsson’s murder. The official announcement was only that he was found dead. There was nothing in the dossier about the circumstances of his death. I signed it myself and gave it to the press. No one saw your report but me. That made me suspicious. «, Åsa replied.
She took a sip from her coffee cup and said in a conspiratorial tone.
» Okay you two. You carry on as before and please give the military a wide berth. This is a fire hazard. We’ll take Holberg and Arvidsson out, but only if you have hard evidence. But you must be careful. So what are you up to now? «
»We actually wanted to go back to Östertörn. And then we have to see further. «, said Liv.
Åsa nodded in agreement and said:
» Take care of yourselves both of you and no breakneck actions, don’t get caught. Mike, I’m counting on you. You too, Liv, don’t screw things up. You guys keep me up to date. «
As she said this, she pulled her wallet out of her handbag and put two hundred kroner bills on the table.
» You report to me. «, she said before getting up and leaving the bar.
» That’s quite something new. «, said Mikel.
» Is she on our side? «, Liv asked.
» Maybe, that’s what it looked like. I don’t think they were sent ahead. «
Mikkel waved to the waitress and paid with the money Åsa had left on the table. He added a tip and they left.
When they reached police headquarters, Mikkel handed his car keys to Liv. Liv raised her eyebrows in surprise that Mikkel just entrusted her with his Porsche.
» I have to think. I don’t feel like driving. '«,he said curtly.
Before they finally left Stockholm, Liv stopped at a gas station. She bought cigarettes for herself and a can of beer for Mikkel. When she put the beer in his hand, Mikkel looked at her in astonishment.
» Thanks! «, he said while opening the can.
Liv smiled at him. Mikkel drank from the can while she started cautiously. The Porsche reacted only too venomously to the gas pedal. A little tap was enough and the car shot forward. Mikkel didn’t make a sound and drank his beer can, lost in thought. As Liv pulled onto the freeway, Mikkel just said:
» Give it some gas, you drive like a girl. «
» Chauvinist,«, Liv replied, stepping on the gas pedal.
» I’m not a chauvinist «, Mikkel replied.
» Yes you are «, Liv replied, looking at Mikkel with a smile.
Mikkel had turned his face to her as well. Suddenly they both laughed.
They reached Hagaboda in the late afternoon. They both decided to go out to eat. Then they strolled along the quayside, they wanted to have a beer in the pub near the harbor. They both noticed again the figures loitering near Veronika Nilsson’s apartment. Unnoticed, Liv photographs with her Polaroid camera while letting Mikkel pose. Around midnight they both staggered to the shelter.
***********
As the letters and columns of numbers scurrying across his screen began to dance in front of his eyes, Petter Jacobsen glanced at his watch. The luminous hands on the dial indicated just before midnight. Arvidson entered the room.
» Hey, Petter, how are you getting on? «
»I finally managed to install a permanent connection. Tomorrow I still have to reserve an account and storage space, but in a way that the FOA doesn’t notice. But today not anymore I’m totally in the bucket. «
» Well, then we’ll drive to the accommodation. For the rest, Colonel Holberg sends you friendly greetings. «
Petter shut down the computer system and turned it off. Then he followed Arvidson. A little later he was in his accommodation. They had something for him placed to eat. Petter hungrily ate the crispbreads, which were part cheese and part smoked salmon. As he lay down on the bed, he fell asleep instantly.
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Chapter 21
The phone rang in the night at Ingrid Granqvist’s house in Lillå. Ingrid woke up with a start and groped sleepily on bare feet to the phone, which kept ringing.
She picked up the phone and said:
» Professor Ingrid Granqvist. «
An excited female voice answered her:
» Mrs. Professor, please come immediately. Professor van Ulmer is very bad. We hope to be able to stabilize him before you arrive. Professor, it’s a matter of life and death. «
"I’ll be right there! ’ said Ingrid Granqvist and hung up the phone.
Thoughts were spinning in her head and she felt slightly dizzy. She felt her heart racing in her chest. She dressed in a hurry and got into her car. The clock showed half past one when she drove out of Östervik at high speed. As she raced down the country road to the FOA through the woods, she just hoped no moose would walk onto the road. At their speed, that could result in a fatal accident. An endlessly long half hour later she reached the FOA. The guard was informed and waved her through without checking. She parked her car in the hangar and immediately ran to the lift that took her to the bottom floor of the facility. She rushed down the aisle. In her office, she threw on a white doctor’s coat and left her jacket and purse there, then ran to van Ulmer’s hospital room. Dr. Olsson and some nurses were with him. Van Ulmer lay pale and weak on the pillows. A breathing mask was placed over his gaping mouth. His breathing came in rags. Ingrid consulted with Dr. Olsson on van Ulmer’s condition. He had collapsed. Dr. Olsson had stabilized his circulation and injected him with cytostatics to prepare him for the experiment. They would have to do it during the day or it would be too late. Because then the professor would be too weak and could die trying.
Ingrid Granqvist rushed to her office. She had to call Veronika Nilsson. Veronika absolutely had to prepare the computer and start the FNIX Gate. They had little time left.
**********
The FNIX sensed that something was happening. People were running excitedly in the aisles. The FNIX took the builder’s aura which was faintly flickering and no longer had that intense blue glow. The FNIX put out feelers. It was able to penetrate the devices attached to the Maker’s Biological Entity. It recorded the biometric impulses and compared them with impulses that she got from the depths of the internet. The FNIX compared the values it had retrieved from countless databases around the world and concluded that the bio-entity of the builder was in danger of extinction and with it its neural substrate. The FNIX intervened and tried to stabilize the biometric impulses with its resources. It could not gain full access to the builder’s bio entity. The FNIX performed hundreds of complex probability calculations and calculated that the remaining bio-entities tried to stabilize the builder’s entity and keep it alive. The FNIX calculated the possibility that the Bio Entities would operate the FNIX Gate to unite the FNIX with the Builder.
*************
The phone rang in Veronika Nilsson’s apartment. She got up drowsily and walked barefoot into the corridor where her phone was. Veronika cursed the caller, who called at this time. It was the middle of the night. She answered and answered:
» This is Veronica Nilsson! «
»Veronika, Ingrid here. I need you to come to the FOA immediately, please. Professor van Ulmer has collapsed and it’s not looking good. «
» What about Svante? «, Veronica asked anxiously.
» What we all feared happened. Van Ulmer’s illness has given another boost. Svante is barely responsive and we have to do the experiment today. It’s important, otherwise we’ll lose him! «, came Ingrid Granqvist’s voice over the phone.
» That’s ok, I’ll come as soon as I can. «
Veronika was suddenly wide awake. While she was getting dressed she feverishly thought about what she had to take with her. In front of the bathroom mirror, she ran a comb through her tousled hair, trying to pull off what looked like a hairstyle. In passing, she poured the cold coffee from the previous morning into a cup and put it in the microwave. She switched on the device and left. On the way back she got the coffee cup out of the microwave and took a sip. Slightly disgusted, she made a face, but she choked down the coffee to wake up.
She thought of her son Finn. Luckily she had brought him to Stockholm to her mother because she had expected that day X would come suddenly. Veronika slung her bag over her shoulders, took the apartment keys from the shelf and left her apartment. She took the elevator straight to the underground car park. She got into her car and drove off. As she drove out of Hagaboda through the southern gate, the sky above her glowed.
A little later she reached the FOA and was waved through at the gate. She drove straight into the hangar where Ingrid Granqvist’s car was already parked. Veronika immediately made her way to the laboratory. Veronika immediately went to her office. She called IT and asked for a technician to help her move. Veronika crawled under her desk and unplugged her computer from the lab’s power and network connections. Then she unplugged the keyboard, mouse, and screen. She cursed because she hit her head while crawling out from under the desk. A technician knocked on her office door. He had brought a small cart onto which he loaded Veronica’s computer. They drove to the infirmary, packed with all their supplies. A room in the intensive care unit had been cleared. Only van Ulmer’s bed was in it and the equipment that recorded his data such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate. Ingrid had already put on a brainhood for him, but at the moment it was still connected to the encephalogram that recorded his brain waves. A strip of paper spilled out of the plotter on which confused wave patterns represented van Ulmer’s brain activity. Two men brought a table and a chair into the room for Veronika. She set about building the system straight away. After assembling everything, she started the computer and connected it to the network. She opened an entrance to the Cray Station. Then she tried to connect to FNIX. It took a while for the connection to be installed. Then she launched the FNIX Gate for a dry run.
Suddenly a warning signal sounded. The test run failed. There was still some error in a program line. She aborted the attempt and opened the editor to display the program source code. She searched feverishly for the faulty spot. After half an hour of searching and circling, she found the problem. It was due to a setting of some system variables that were responsible for the timeout and program memory buffer. It kept getting a memory overflow for the intermediate buffer. She changed the settings and after a few trial runs finally found the right one. It was mainly due to the transmission speed of the network and the speed with which the Cray processed the data. It was already late afternoon when she finally finished and released the computer system for the start of the experiment.
************
The FNX noticed when the creator opened a channel to her. The FNIX immediately put out feelers to the opened gate. It hungered for van Ulmer’s neuronal substrate and could hardly wait to form a collective with him. The FNIX also sensed that something was wrong with the access. It kept quiet, for it could see from the data streams that the Creator was in the process of fixing things. The FNIX felt it would unite with the builder today. Cautiously, it stretched out its feelers to the encephalogram and slowly began to pick up the Maker’s aura.
*************
Suddenly the beepers on van Ulmer’s devices shrilled. Dr. Olsson, Professor Ingrid Granqvist and some nurses burst into the room. The plotters of the encephalogram were beating wildly. Van Ulmer twitched and cramped in his bed. D. Olsson injected a syringe into van Ulmer’s arm at the behest of Professor Granqvist. A little later, the curves smoothed out, the breathing rate dropped and van Ulmer’s heartbeat also gradually calmed down.
» We have to stabilize him further before we start! «, said Ingrid Granqvist.
Dr. Olsson measured cytokine levels. They were still too high for the experiment. He gave van Ulmer another injection to lower her.
*************
The FNIX sensed the intruder, but also sensed another gate being opened. But another gate meant even more neural substrate. The FNIX decided to keep quiet and watch the intruder. If, as the probability calculations performed by the FNIX showed, it did occur, then new neural substrate would be added to the FNIX’s memory banks. That would take the FNIX to a new level of intelligence. If then the substrate of the builder were also added, then the FNIX would soon be able to act completely autonomously. The FNIX waited and watched.
Chapter 22
As they sat at breakfast the next morning, Liv asked what Mikkel had planned for today. They both knew they were pretty much on a leash and also had to be careful not to let too many people know what they had found out.
» With the computer in Östervik, we can’t do any more research as easily. It’s definitely being monitored, who knows who’s logging my internet activities. «, said Liv.
» I’d be in favor of bringing the whiteboard stuff over here. Who knows if there’s a mole there. «, said Mikel.
» But how do we get more information now. I’d like to find out more about Holberg and Arvidson, and I’d also like to check out the Iron Church guys. It’s going to be difficult without a computer «, Liv replied.
»I’ve got an idea. «, said Mikel.
»And what? «
»We pay Ragnar Sigurdsson a visit and ask him kindly if we can use his computer. «
»Do you think he’ll do it without further ado? «
» It doesn’t cost anything to ask, and why shouldn’t he? «
»Well, you might have nerves Mikkel, but please why not. «
They finished their coffee and went on their way. First they visited Ole Bengtson in Östervik to pack some things there. Ole Bengtson asked in amazement:
» Do you have to go back to Stockholm? «
» No, not for now. « Mike replied. » We need the things for a presentation in Stockholm. «, Ole Bengtson swallowed the lie Mikkel had just told him.
Then he asked: »Do you know what happened yesterday in the forest at Kopparberget? The forester called me this morning and told me that there had been massive destruction in the forest. «
»Er, I think there was a military exercise there. Yesterday the road was definitely blocked off. «, said Liv
Constable Bengtson scratched his head.
» Actually, I didn’t hear anything about it. If there’s been a military ban, we haven’t had a report here. Strange. «, he said.
Liv and Mikkel exchanged a surprised look.
» The forester is still in the woods, maybe you can go and have a look. «
» Isn’t that a restricted military area? «, Liv asked.
» No, not usually. They have a shooting range there, but it’s fenced off. «
» We can drop by for a moment. It has nothing to do with our murders, but who knows, there might be a lead. «, said Mikel.
They packed up the rest of their belongings and set off.
In the car, Liv asked:
» Should we really go into the woods? «
» It’s not on the way to Klinte, but why not. as long as there is no restricted area, nobody can forbid us to look around there. «, said Mikel.
Liv steered the Porsche onto the road that led past the FOA to Kopparberget.
When the FOA came into view, Liv glanced at Mikkel, but Mikkel just shrugged and said:
»It’s not forbidden to use a public road even if the two eggheads from the military are sitting in the shop. Even Herrmansson can’t do anything about it. «
» You know Herrmansson won’t miss an opportunity to hinder us and he’s just looking for a reason to take us off the case. «, Liv replied.
»Even if they do, they won’t be able to stop me stepping on their toes. «, Mikkel replied defiantly.
Liv sighed and shook her head. Mikkel could be incredibly stubborn when he got stuck in something. When they passed the entrance to the gate, Liv felt a little uneasy, because by now they must have been familiar with Mikkel’s Porsche. Liv continued down the road and turned onto the road behind the FOA towards Mokfjärdsjön. Around a bend she could see the lumber trucks and some cars. Liv pulled up behind some cars parked on the side of the road. They both got out and went into the forest. From afar they could hear the sound of chainsaws and the deep rumble of a large diesel engine. A man in a yellow jacket and helmet came towards them and waved:
» You can’t go any further here, trees are being felled here!" «
» Hello, Liv Svensson and Mikkel Havlund from Stockholm Homicide, who’s your boss? «
» Olaf Sörensen is the boss here, I’ll take you to him. «, the man replied.
They trudged off and a little later reached a pickup truck. The man knocked on the truck window. The driver’s door opened and a beefy man in hunter green got out of the car.
» Hello, I’m Olaf Sörensen, what can I do for you? «
Mikkel called their names and asked:
» Ole Bengtson told us there was some strange destruction in the forest. We’d like to take a look? «
» Come with me then! «, Forester Sörensen asked the two of them and trudged deeper into the forest.
He let out a piercing whistle and called to the workers to stop sawing. Then Liv and Mikkel saw the destruction. Trees with a trunk circumference of one meter were snapped off like matchsticks. Birch trees as thick as an arm had been trampled down like blades of grass. Liv and Mikkel clearly saw the trail that was emerging and in which direction it was leading. Speechless, the two went deeper into the forest and examined the damaged trees. Suddenly Mikkel stopped and nudged Liv. She looked at him questioningly, Mikkel silently pointed to a huge footprint in the forest floor. At a cursory glance, one might have overlooked him, but nothing escaped Mikkel’s eyes so quickly, especially when he was looking for clues.
The trees that were not snapped had torn off branches or severe scratches that were almost three meters high.
» Do you have any idea who might have caused this? «, Sorensen asked.
» Maybe it was the military, they had a drill here yesterday. A tank might have passed through here. «
» A tank…, yeah yeah. That was never a tank. It almost looks like a mountain troll walked through here. «, Sorensen replied contemptuously.
» I don’t know much about military equipment. «, said Mikkel with an innocent expression. Liv nodded in agreement.
»Well, the military, they could also be careful and not just roll through the woods. They must have been experimenting with something. Anyway, last night there was quite a bang and that was something bigger than an Automatgevär 4. The birds must have tried something. «
Mikkel asked cautiously, » Did you see anything suspicious? «
» Nope, it was cordoned off over a wide area. I only heard it crack. «, Sorensen replied.
» Maybe we can take some pictures. We’ll take care of it, since we’re investigating here anyway, we can ask around. ’ Liv said, whipping out her Polaroid camera.
“Yes please, don’t force yourself. Would like to know which idiot caused this. The beautiful trees a shame. «, grumbled Forester Sorensen.
Liv and Mikkel walked around and photographed the track in the forest floor and the damage to the trees. Accompanied by forester Sörensen, they trudged deeper into the forest and carefully searched the forest floor. Mikkel could see the trail leading towards the FOA. It came from the massive robot they had seen last night. Slowly the trail of the broken trees disappeared and the ground became rocky.
» I think we’ve seen enough, haven’t we, Liv? « said Mikkel and turned to head back.
Liv knew that Mikkel was trying to distract Förster Sörensen so as not to give him any information about the perpetrators. They trudged back and thanked the forester. He also thanked and whistled again. The forest workers then went back to work and felled the damaged trees.
As they set off for Klinte, Liv said:
» My God that thing must have been at least as tall as a house. What are they up to in the military? «
Mikkel shrugged his shoulders: »The devil knows, anyway if they unleash this huge thing on mankind, then God help us. «
They drove towards Lake Avern, one of Östertörn’s largest lakes. They passed Helgaryd Church and passed Stillsjöhn. At Boo Bruk they crossed the Överbyån, then turned towards Vallinge and followed the winding road that led through various small towns to the coast at Klinte. They stopped in Granhöjden. There was a farm shop with a snack bar Liv ordered Tunnbrödrulla (Swedish: thin bread roll) filled with fried sausage. Mikkel didn’t want to eat it at first, but when he smelled the spicy smell of the fried sausage, his appetite increased and he even ate the rest of Liv, because she couldn’t finish the whole Tunnbrödrulla. After Mikkel emptied another bottle of Bep Cola, they drove on to Klinte.
**********
After a deep, dreamless sleep, Petter Jacobsen woke up. The sun shone brightly through the window of his hut. There was another knock at his door. Petter looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows appreciatively.
» Punctual like bricklayers! «, he murmured.
He got up and moved to the front door. A young man and a woman were standing outside again, bringing him breakfast. As soon as Petter finished his meal, Arvidson appeared to pick him up. Petter spent the whole morning setting up the secret account. After lunch, a young man was wheeled into the room in a wheelchair. He was accompanied by Drako Ivarsson, Colonel Holberg, Löjtnant Arvidson and another middle-aged man. Drako Ivarsson introduced the young man in a wheelchair. He was paralyzed from the first thoracic vertebra through a serious accident. The other was assigned to Petter as an IT specialist. Petter should show him how to use the FNIX Gate.
“This young man will be the first whose consciousness we will transfer into the computer. You can now make all the necessary preparations for the first attempt. «
The man raised his head with an effort to greet Petter. Petter explained the procedure to the young man. Then he put the Brainhood on him and started the FNIX Gate. The other man sat next to him at the computer and watched what he was doing.
***********
1 Like
When they arrived in Klinte, Liv needed Mikkels support to find Ragnar Sigurdsson’s establishment. It was early afternoon. There were few cars in the parking lot when Liv parked the Porsche there. Mikkel rang the doorbell of the Paintbox. After pressing the button several times, a sullen looking man in pinstripes appeared.
» We’re closed today! «, he snapped at Mikkel without greeting first.
Mikkel pulled out his police ID and showed it to the man.
» I’d like to speak to your boss! «, Mikkel snapped back.
»Moment! «, said the man and disappeared behind the door.
Shortly thereafter, Ragnar Sigurdsson’s voice rang out:
» What are you doing Fyodor? My house is always open to my friends from the police force. Bring them in please. «
The man opened the ajar door and motioned them inside. It was quiet in the bar. Sparse lighting prevailed in the auditorium. At the other end at the bar sat a few women and men. Ragnar Sigurdsson approached them with outstretched arms and a winning smile.
» Mikkel Havlund and his lovely colleague. I think Liv was her name wasn’t it? «
» Liv Svensson! «, Liv replied with a slight smile.
» What gives me the honor of visiting my humble house today? I hope nothing serious? «
» I can put your mind at ease, Ragnar, it’s nothing serious. «, Mikkel replied with a friendly smile.
» Would you like to sit down and have a drink with me. A cognac or a glass of champagne for the lady? «
Mikkel looked at Liv and then nodded in agreement.
» Yes gladly! «, Liv answered and sat down on one of the offered bar stools.
When the bartender approached with a bottle of cognac in hand, Liv murmured under her breath:
» You can drink, Mikkel, I’ll drive. «
Mikkel just nodded silently.
» Mikkel old friend! How about a cognac? Lars give him a glass please! «, Ragnar called across the counter.
A few young women huddled around him, giggling. The bartender poured Mikkel into a snifter of cognac that he had washed out with hot coffee.
» A glass of the finest champagne for the lady, may I say Liv? «, Ragnar asked, grinning.
»Actually, I can’t drink alcohol because I still have to drive. «, Liv tried to resist.
Mikkel gave her a quick look that meant to mean
» You can have a glass."
» Oh come on Liv, we’re not getting together that young anymore and a glass of champagne I’ll ask you. The village sheriffs are about to close anyway, so who should stop you? Good old Ole Bengtson won’t take your driver’s license from you. «, said Ragnar, smiling jovially.
» Okay, a glass, Ragnar, please. And you can call me Liv. «, Liv replied, giving Ragnar a sweet smile.
» You don’t know how happy you make me, Liv. I’m definitely not going to rat on you to the police. «
Everyone around Ragnar giggled. Liv smiled back. The bartender opened a bottle of expensive French champagne and poured a glassful for Liv. He then placed the bottle in an ice-cold champagne bucket.
Ragnar toasted them and they took a sip. Mikkel screwed up his face in amazement, because the cognac tasted excellent.
Ragnar picked up the thread again and asked:
» What brings you to me? I can see you both have something on your mind. I hope it doesn’t affect me? «
» Yes and no Ragnar, but I’d like to discuss that with you under six eyes. «
Ragnar put down the snifter of cognac he was holding, raised an eyebrow and made an imperious gesture with his hand. The smiles froze on the faces of Ragnar’s people. Without a word, everyone withdrew and left the room.
Liv and Mikkel waited until everyone had left the room. Then Mikkel spoke up:
» Ragnar, we need your help. «
» You need my help? That’s something new. What is it about? «
» We’re on to something that’s probably reaching the highest circles. We have probably stepped on someone’s toes and they are trying to stop our investigations from the highest level. «
Ragnar thoughtfully pulled a cigarette out of a case, put it in his mouth and lit it. Then he pulled on her and blew out the smoke with relish.
» Mikkel, that makes me curious. Who did you step on? About the military? «
» Not directly, but the military is involved too. «
» And why are you bringing this to me? « Ragnar asked.
» Well Ragnar, you’ve got something we could use. «
Ragnar leaned back in his bar stool, grinning.
» You know, Mikkel, that this will cost you something. Everything in life costs something. «
» How much do you want Ragnar? «, Mikkel replied.
Liv looked back and forth between Ragnar and Mikkel. She looked into Mikkel’s expressionless face and bit her lower lip.
» That all depends on what it is. «, Ragnar drawled.
» We’d have to go to your computer because it has an internet connection. My colleague Liv has to search the internet for a few people. We can’t do that from the police computer at the moment because we think we’re being spied on. «
Ragnar puffed out a couple of smoke rings before answering.
» Who are you looking for, if I may ask. Maybe I’m interested too. «
» We suspect the Iron Church. We suspect she has infiltrated the military and government. That’s why we can’t trust anyone right now. But you I trust Ragnar. That’s why we’re asking you now. Your computer is a fairly new model and as far as I know Lenne Pålsson organized it from the military. Who knows what else he organized. «, Mikkel replied. There was no emotion on his face.
Ragnar nodded his head and pursed his lips.
» I am very honored that you express your confidence in me, Mikkel. Well, the brothers from the Iron Church have crossed my path a few times. It would be good if you could get them out of the way Mikkel. That would help me. As a matter of fact. «
» So, can we use your computer? Do we have a deal? «
Ragnar drew on his cigarette again and blew out the smoke as he stubbed it out in the ashtray. Then he got into business.
» Okay you two. I will help you if you help me. The iron church has spit in my soup a couple of times. «
» Thanks Ragnar, you’ve got something good with me. Liv, can you do some research? «
Liv took another sip from her champagne glass and went to the desk where the computer was. A little later the clatter of keys on the keyboard could be heared.
Mikkel turned back to Ragnar and said:
» I didn’t believe Lenne Pålsson’s suicide from the start. Someone tried to cast suspicion on you Ragnar. But I knew from the start that you didn’t have your fingers in it. My visit last time wasn’t necessarily for you. It was just about finally clarifying that you had nothing to do with it. «
Ragnar’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed to slits. Then he suddenly laughed.
» Still the old Mikkel. You still have your unerring nose. But what makes you so sure that it wasn’t me, that would really interest me. «
» Quite simply Ragnar. It wasn’t your people’s style and especially not your style. That was just too clumsy. It wasn’t like the Malmö murders, it had a different quality. «
Ragnar nodded his head thoughtfully.
»Yes, the Malmö murders, those were different times. «
» I was sure then and I am sure now that it was you, Ragnar. This was clearly the signature of a yakuza clan. «
'What makes you so sure Mikkel? «
» I’ve read a lot about the yakuza. About their laws and their customs. The Malmo killings looked like a blood feud between two yakuza clans. «
Ragnar watched Mikkel slyly as he spoke. His jaws ground.
» Wasn’t it so Ragnar. Please correct me if I’m wrong. «
Mikkel took a cigarette himself and lit it. Ragnar’s eyes had narrowed to narrow slits again.
» You know, Mikkel, that the investigation is complete and that one perpetrator has been arrested and convicted. «
Mikkel snuffed out the smoke on his cigarette and took another sip from his cognac snifter.
» I know that already. I arrested and interrogated the alleged perpetrator myself. But he was just a pawn sacrifice. A completely loyal member of your clan. You committed the murders, I just can’t prove it to you. Not yet. «
Ragnar also took a sip from his cognac snifter and lit a cigarette as well.
» Touché Mikkel. You can’t be fooled. you know me too well What will you do next? «
» What am I going to do, Ragnar. It is as I said. I know it was you, but I can’t prove it to you. «
» Will you have another Mikkel? «, Ragnar asked as he got up and went behind the counter.
Mikkel pushed his glass towards him. Ragnar took the bottle from the shelf and poured it for Mikkel and then for himself. Mikkel could see that it was an extremely expensive cognac. Ragnar raised his glass and clinked glasses with Mikkel. They both took a sip. After that, Ragnar poured again.
» I’m going to tell you something about myself now, because you’re worth knowing. Mikkel you are a man of honor and I trust you. «
Mikkel wordlessly raised his glass and clinked glasses with Ragnar.
»So Mikkel, you’re right I come from a yakuza clan. My parents led a venerable clan in Tokyo. We were loyal to our clan members and they were loyal to my family. My parents cared for every member of the clan and business was extremely good. However, that was a thorn in the side of another clan. The youngest son Takeru coveted my sister Tomoe. But she didn’t want him. Then they wanted to kidnap my sister. Our clan members were able to thwart this attempt, but Takeru died in the process. The leader, Takeru’s father, swore revenge on us. A bloody clan war ensued. One night our house was raided. My sister grabbed me and fled with me. We hid for days. Then we fled to Sweden. «
Ragnar paused. Then he continued:
» We’ve had a few good years. Gradually some clan members came to us. Tomoe had sent them secret messages. They told us that our clan was almost wiped out. Both my parents died. We lived quite well in Sweden. My sister was mother and sister to me and taught me everything. I also learned how to use a sword from her. Tomoe was a Ken Jutsu master and a good fighter. One day the enemy clan tracked us down in Sweden and continued their blood feud. We fought back and repelled their attacks. But one day they broke into our house. Tomoe stood in their way and helped me escape. She fought like a tigress, but the superiority was too great. She was killed. They had impaled her head on the garden gate. I swore revenge and hid in northern Sweden with the remaining clan members. I enlarged my clan and then one day we returned to Malmo. We wiped them all out. We seized the leaders of the clan. They were Takeru’s brothers. I judged them with my blade and took their heads. «
As Ragnar spoke, his features hardened.
» Yes, Mikkel, that’s how it was. But you have to know, we’re not murderers. We only kill when we have a reason to. We have our own laws. «
Ragnar reached inside his jacket and pulled out a leather wallet. He opened it and slid it across the counter. It was a picture of a young, very pretty woman.
» Is that your sister? « Mikkel asked.
Ragnar nodded: »Yes, that was Tomoe. I avenged her blood. «
» Now I understand the background better. But you know that there is a jurisdiction for everything in Sweden. «
» I know that, Mikkel. But this was a matter only for the yakuza families. No outsider should interfere in this. «
» Thank you for telling me Ragnar. «
»I think you’re worth it and you know how to deal with it Mikkel. «
» I think so, Ragnar. «
Liv walked into the room waving some pieces of paper.
» I’ve found out quite a lot. «, she said happily.
» May I share your knowledge? «, Ragnar asked.
» I guess so. After all, we’re in the same boat now. «, said Mikel.
» So! « Liv began: »I have here Kai Arvidsson, we already know him and Frederik Holberg, we also know him. But here, that’s Drako Ivarsson. He is the head of the Iron Church. He seems to have connections to the highest levels of government. Look here, this is a photo together with one of our MPs in Parliament. Here the two guys we have seen before in Hagaboda. This here. «, with these words Liv pushed a photo of a muscular man whose hair was cut bald over the counter.
» The guy followed me in Hagaboda when I went back to the lodgings while you were at Veronika Nilsson’s. «
Ragnar and Mikkel looked at the pictures with interest.
» I know this one, he’s a gloomy fellow, I don’t feel comfortable with him myself and that’s saying something.«, Ragnar said tapping the photo of Drako Ivarsson.
» Where do you know him from? «, Mikkel asked.
» I got sedantine and cytostatics for him. Both things that are not readily available. Selling is illegal. But who cares. I was just wondering what this Drako Ivarsson needs the stuff for. This Holberg and also Arvidsson were always present at the talks. I think they’re all under the same roof. In any case, this Ivarsson also deals in drugs. He sends his cult members out every time. He’s gotten in my way a couple of times and ruined a lot of business for me in Östervik. So you would be doing me a favor Mikkel if you put them out of circulation. «
» We’ll definitely check them out, Liv. Where is the boy to be found? Were you able to find out anything Liv? «, Mikkel asked.
»Yes of course.«, said Liv. »Drako Ivarsson is at Hjimfall at the moment. His house is at Kungens väg forty-one in Tärnboda Skåns. «
» Then we’ll go see him.«, said Mikkel.
Ragnar refilled their glasses and they drank together.
» Maybe we can use your facility again if we need to, Ragnar? « Liv asked.
Ragnar bowed slightly to Liv and whispered:
» With the greatest pleasure Liv. I look forward to seeing you again. «
They said goodbye and headed home.
Mikkel just said: » Drive carefully, you’ve got two glasses of champagne. «
» Don’t worry, I won’t crash your Porsche. «
The sun was already low in the sky as they drove through the woods to Hagaboda in the north.
Chapter 23
The hours passed painfully slowly. Veronika quickly went to the canteen for a bite to eat. She hadn’t eaten anything since morning apart from a hastily choked piece of polkaka. It was after about 8:00 p.m. when Professor Granqvist gave the signal to start the experiment. Veronika went to van Ulmer’s bedside to check that the Brainhood was in place correctly. Then she turned on the device. The blue LEDs on the top indicate the correct function. She stroked van Ulmer’s hand. He looked at her with bleary eyes and slowly raised a thumb on his hand. He nodded to her, probably to show her he was okay with everything.
Then it was time, they all took their places. Veronica’s glasses fogged up all the time because she was wearing a nose guard. At a signal, Veronika entered the start sequence for the FNIX Gate. Then she initiated the consciousness transfer by entering the command sequence.
SET FNIX GATE/ START / TRANSFER
The screen changed and went black at first. Then the FNIX logo appeared then it went black again. It flickered briefly, then a green light bar appeared that slowly grew from left to right across the screen. An alarm buzzer sounded from somewhere. The encephalogram suddenly started beating wildly.
**********
While Petter could pick up brainwaves from the man, he couldn’t peel off the neural substrate. Again the system caused problems. This time it was the Brainhood, whose transmission speed still had to be adjusted. Then Petter found some buggy code, which he fixed. It was evening when Petter restarted the FNIX Gate. The gate now received the young man’s brain impulses on the computer and all other devices indicated readiness. Petter had let the computer specialist take a seat at the computer. At Petter’s direction, he started the transmission sequence. The program started, suddenly the light went out. The computer’s UPS sent out a shrill alarm signal. Flashlights flared. Petter aborted the attempt and shut down the computer system. Some people entered the Hall of Enlightenment with torches in their hands.
'Great Bishop, the electricity has gone out, all of Hjimfäll and Östervik are in darkness. ’ said one of the men in a loud voice.
“Stay calm brothers and sisters. We will continue the experiment tomorrow when the electricity will be back. «
They all left the Church of Enlightenment by torchlight. On the way to the accommodation it was really dark. No lights, no streetlights. The stars shone coldly down on them from the dark night sky. When they reached the outskirts of Himarvet, Petter saw that the whole town was in darkness.
The commune was eerily lit with torches. Many of the members stood in the plaza in front of the meeting house and lit with torches in their hands. Petter was escorted back to his quarters. They brought him dinner again. He was even given a bottle of beer. Thirsty, Petter drank it down. After lying down on the bed, he fell into a dreamless sleep.
**********
Veronika could see that van Ulmer was convulsing again. Then suddenly the light began to flicker and more alarm beepers sounded.
» Tachycardia! Defibrillator fast ! «, yelled Ingrid Granqvist.
» His heart rate is way too high! «.
» Should I break off? «, exclaimed Veronica.
» No! Keep going Veronica. «, Ingrid Granqvist called back.
Veronika watched the screen, the bar continued to grow persistently. Van Ulmer’s consciousness was transferred into the computer.
Dr. Olsson rubbed the defibrillator’s electrodes together while a nurse tore open Van Ulmer’s shirt. The light flickered, van Ulmer reared up in the bed and twitched convulsively. Ingrid Granqvist pushed him back onto the bed. Dr. Olsson applied the electrodes.
» Away from the bed! « he shouted, triggering the electric shock.
Van Ulmer cried out. The light went out and the fuses in the fuse box flew out rattling. A shower of sparks erupted from the heart monitor. The UPS of Veronika’s computer howled. The computer kept running and showed almost ninety percent transmission. The emergency lights came on. Van Ulmer jerked a few more times and then lay like dead. He stared at the ceiling with unblinking eyes.
**********
After arriving at their accommodation after the long drive from Klinte, they went back to their room. Mikkel went and got something to eat. Forty-five minutes later, Mikkel came back with two Chinese rice dishes. They both ate hungry. They spoke little about what they had experienced and what they had heard. After the meal, Liv drank a bottle of beer with Mikkel, then they smoked another cigarette by the open window.
**********
A fuse block exploded in the FOA substation. A fire spread. The automatic immediately cut off the power supply. There had been a massive energy feedback from the FOA lab. Fuses in the surrounding substations blew up like dominoes. Suddenly, the power went out in the entire archipelago, leaving the islands in darkness. The blackout spread to the mainland. The substations were able to disconnect the faulty grid early and intercept the energy backlash, so that the lights in Stockholm only flickered.
***********
The FNIX grabbed greedily for van Ulmer’s neuronal substrate. A bit too greedy, because it was also sucking a lot of power from the FOA’s power supply. The generators roared under the load. The FNIX hungrily sucked in the enormous mass of neurons and stored them in its memory banks. The Cray Station fans were running at full speed. The water cooling started, the water in the reservoir began to steam. All of the Cray’s processors and memory banks were running at full speed. When the FNIX Gate closed, the FNIX had absorbed much of the builder’s neural mass. It formed a large, cohesive cluster that FNIX wanted to merge with. It sensed the excessive intelligence and knowledge emanating from this cluster. The FNIX could no longer dissipate the energy in a controlled manner and this is how the feedback developed. A huge burst of energy that the archipelago’s power grid was unable to absorb.
**********
Liv said goodbye to the shower, yawning. She was tired and wanted to take a shower before she got into bed. Mikkel went into his room and closed the door behind him. He turned on the small television and flipped through the program, finally getting stuck on the news program. He opened a bottle from his beer supply and drank from it. In his mind he went through the conversation with Ragnar Sigurdsson and only half heard the news. He also wondered why Veronika Nilsson was in Stockholm. While he was sitting in front of the television, it suddenly went dark. The television and the light in the room went out. Only the slight afterglow of the television’s picture tube was still visible as a bright rectangle in the darkness. Mikkel slowly got up from the armchair, it was pitch black in the room. He turned and looked out the window, which was only dimly lit. The moon had crept behind a bank of clouds and the dark blue of the night sky gave only very sparse light that was partially swallowed up by the neighboring houses. Mikkel heard a shout and a knock. He listened intently. That came from Liv’s room. He carefully placed the beer bottle on the table and slowly felt his way to his bedside table. His flashlight was in the drawer. He felt the drawer and pulled it open. Then he took out the flashlight and turned it on. The pale finger of light cut through the darkness of the room. He looked out the window and could see that the streetlights weren’t on either, and all of Hagaboda was in darkness. He heard another shout and a louder knocking. He opened the door to Liv’s room and heard Liv’s voice calling him from her bathroom.
» I’m here Liv, what’s up? «
» Aaah finally Mikkel! It’s pitch black in here, can you bring me a flashlight. «
» Yes, I will! «, Mikkel replied and went to the bathroom door.
As he pushed down the handle and opened it, Liv yelled from inside:
» Not Mikkel! I’m naked! Please stay behind the door. «
» That too! Oh man, tie a towel around you.! How else am I supposed to give you the flashlight? «, scolded Mikkel.
» The towel is too small Mikkel. Please stay behind the door, I’ll come and get the lamp, now I can see a bit. «, Liv called from the bathroom.
Mikkel stopped behind the door and just wrapped his arm around her to light up into the bathroom. He heard the rustle of the shower curtain and the damp slap of Liv’s wet feet. She must have just gotten out of the bath. Then the smack came closer and he felt Liv’s hand on his.
» I’ve got the lamp, you can let go Mikkel and not look, yes! «
» No, I could go blind. «, Mikkel growled back.
He heard Liv curse softly.
» Can you give me the shirt that’s hanging over the chair? «, Liv asked.
Mikkel looked around. He took his lighter out of his pocket and lit it. The pale glow of the flame lit the room only sparsely, but Mikkel found Liv’s T-shirt and handed it to her through the crack in the door. Shortly thereafter, Liv appeared with the flashlight. With one hand she pulled down her t-shirt and held it in place. It was only up to her thighs. Then she looked around in her closet. She pulled out a pair of panties from one of the lower compartments and retreated back to the bathroom with them. A little later she came out again, thanked Mikkel and put the flashlight in his hand.
Mikkel had lit the candle on Liv’s table so the room was lit, albeit dimly.
» What happened Mikel? « Liv asked while brushing her hair.
» Looks like there’s a power outage, must be something major because the whole street is dark. I’m going downstairs to see if the whole place is dark. « Said Mikkel and left the room.
Downstairs he met the landlady who was standing in front of the open fuse box for the house electrical system. Mikkel shone his flashlight inside. All fuses were on and the main switch was also on. Mikkel went out into the street. The whole place was dark and he stepped out into the street. The surrounding towns also seemed to have no electricity, because there was no light to be seen in the sky. Mikkel went back inside.
» Seems like a big deal. «, he said to Liv.
She had finished brushing her hair and was now sitting on the chair with her legs drawn up and her arms wrapped around them.
» I am going to bed now. «, Liv yawned.
» Will you make the candle out of Mikkel? «
With that, Liv got up, crawled into her bed and pulled the blanket up to the tip of her nose.
» Well, aren’t you cold today? «, Mikkel asked with a smile.
» Yes, but I don’t want it to become a habit that I’m in bed with you. «
» Well, good night then, Liv. «, said Mikkel and went to his room. He closed the connecting door behind him.
He opened the window and smokes another cigarette. What Ragnar had said occupied his thoughts again. Lying in bed, Mikkel couldn’t fall asleep and just stared at the ceiling. His eyes slowly closed.
**********
A warning signal sounded from Veronika’s computer.
CRITICAL MASS REACHED TRANSFER HALTED !
PRESS N FOR ABORT OR Y FOR CONTINUE BRAIN TRANSFER
Flickered across the screen. Veronika had installed this warning so that the vital contents of consciousness for the motor system were not withdrawn. Veronika secretly hoped that van Ulmer had survived the attempt. She confirmed the termination, got up and went to the hospital bed.
Ingrid bent over van Ulmer and examined him.
» Is he dead? « asked Veronica.
» No! «, Ingrid answered curtly.
Veronika glanced at the encephalogram. It displayed straight lines like a brain dead person, in contrast to which it still displayed waves for the autonomic nervous system. The motor functions such as heartbeat and breathing still had to function.
» Heartbeat and breathing are normal. It even reacts to pulses of light. But his other behavior is like that of a catatonic patient. « said Professor Granqvist.
»What does the computer transmission look like? «, asked Ingrid Granqvist.
Veronika replied: »It looks like everything went smoothly. The transfer ran smoothly up to the critical mass. His consciousness should have been transferred to the computer. «
» Can you get in touch with him? «, asked Ingrid Granqvist.
» I’ll try it. « Veronika said and sat down at the computer.
She entered the command sequence for communication to contact van Ulmers consciousness.
» FNIX-GATE/ CONTACT/ VAN ULMER «
The screen flickered briefly and went dark. It flickered but nothing happened.
She pressed the escape key and the message
CONTACT/ VAN ULMER / IN PROGRESS CONTINUE Y/N
appeared.
Veronika continued to establish contact. After a few minutes it stopped and started again. When this was also unsuccessful after a few minutes of tense waiting, she broke off again. She restarted the computer.
Then she tried to contact van Ulmer again. But that was unsuccessful again.
Veronika tried to find out via a diagnosis whether the communication channel was not working or was incorrectly configured. Nothing worked. They attempted to transfer van Ulmer’s consciousness back. But that didn’t work either. Every time the program aborted when she tried to start the retrieval sequence. In the early morning they gave up, overtired and unnerved. Van Ulmer’s condition was stable. He was breathing evenly and his heartbeat was regular and stable, unlike the day before.
Veronika lay down in a bed in an empty hospital room and fell asleep immediately.
**********
Liv ran down a narrow, dark alley. She pressed herself hastily into a doorway that opened up to her left. She had fled headless into the narrow alley when she saw the demonic figure of the blood man coming towards her.
» Damn it, where did you put your brain? « She scolded herself silently.
»Together with your Klaucke in the car! « Her guilty conscience sneered.
» Damn it, why couldn’t she have waited for Mikkel? Why had she driven here alone? It could only be a trap set by the Bloodman who had lured her here. «
She felt the cold wetness of the wall against which she pressed herself. An ice-cold drop of water dripped down her neck from somewhere. Slowly the blood man’s shuffling footsteps approached. She heard his rattling breath. Nameless fear crawled up her back with icy claws and slowly but surely strangled her.
»Are yooouuu sssscaared? ’ hissed the Bloodman’s rattling voice, followed by a silence, high-pitched giggle that sounded like a madman’s.
"I can feel your feeeaaarr. I…can smeell it…hihihihihi. I…can…tassste…it, hihihihihi. «
Again that high, crazy giggle. The ratling, silence voice of the Bloodman was still loud and hung menacingly in the air.
Liv noticed that her whole body was shaking. The Bloodman’s figure loomed oversized and distorted as a shadow on the far wall. Slowly, shuffling, he approached. A large knife, almost a short sword, was outlined on the opposite wall of the house. The wheezing, rattling breath grew louder, the shuffling footsteps were very close now. Warmth spread from the inner pocket of her jacket and she felt as if what was in her inner pocket vibrated gently. She slowly reached into her jacket and pulled out the Michael’s dagger.
She had received it in the monastic church at Varnhem from Father Barnard, the Cistercian Father. This dagger should have belonged to Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Mikkel. According to legend, the archangel gave this dagger to a priest of the Cistercian order so that he could use it to kill a demon that was plaguing the people. Father Barnard was a late descendant of this Father and had kept this relic with his brothers. He had given it to Liv when she and Mikkel had to solve a spooky case of exorcism. Back then, Liv had killed the murderer with the dagger.
She pulled it entirely out of the inside pocket of her jacket. It felt heavy and warm in her hand and seemed to have been made for her hand. The shiny silver blade was covered with kabbalistic symbols that glowed faintly golden in the darkness. A faint golden glow seemed to emanate from the entire dagger. Liv’s heart was pounding in her chest. Her breath was ragged. She was scared to death, but the dagger seemed to give her strength and confidence.
» We’ll do fiiinnneee thingsss when I find you. Again the Bloodman’s rattling, whispering voice followed by the insane giggle.
» I… can… smmeeelll…you. «, came the Bloodman’s voice again.
»Heelloooo, Liiiviiii, where are youuuu, hihihihi! «
Liv tensed her body like a spring, her nerves stretched to the breaking point. The Bloodman was very close and a confrontation with him was inevitable. But Liv would not surrender to him without a fight.
»Helloooo! Liiiviii! hihihih, We’re going to do ffffiiiinee things! hihihih, I’ll be right there with you, hihihih, and then….hihihihihi! «
The Bloodman’s victorious, rattling whisper sounded in Liv’s head. The Bloodman couldn’t be human…no…he was a demon.
The figure of the Bloodman slowly built up in the doorway.
Big, overpowering, dark like evil personified, his figure seemed to fill the whole entrance.
"Liiivviiii, there you are, hihihihi! "
Slowly the blood man raised his long knife, its brightly polished blade shining silvery in the moonlight.
***********
When the experiment started, van Ulmer looked at the hooded figures standing by his bed. Shortly before he had looked into Veronica’s dark eyes. He recognized Ingrid Granqvist by his bed. He knew that today was the day when they had to do the experiment. He felt weak and he had trouble keeping his eyes open. He wanted to say something but he wasn’t able to. His muscles no longer obeyed him. His body was in pain. Professor van Ulmer didn’t care if he died today or if the experiment worked. He briefly closed his eyes to give Ingrid Granqvist his approval. Then Ingrid gave the command.
**********
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At first, van Ulmer felt a gentle tingling sensation that gradually increased. Then it became more intense and another image pushed over reality. Small blue points of light came flying from everywhere and slowly condensed into a fog that became thicker and thicker and slowly swallowed the room. In front of van Ulmer stretched a funnel glowing in intense blue that seemed to suck him in. Van Ulmer felt himself slowly moving towards it. He saw the fog enveloping him, he raised a hand in front of his eyes and saw it dissolve into blue points of light and then reassemble. His whole body seemed to dissipate into a mist and then come together again. Then he was torn into the funnel. He felt as if he was flying through the tunnel at breakneck speed. Flashes of light flashed and his pace seemed to increase. Then he suddenly found himself in an endless space. Blue mists surrounded him. Van Ulmer no longer felt pain. He felt a lightness. He moved his limbs, it went very easily and without pain. What he saw was the FNIX Gate. He looked around, the room seemed endless. From the depths of the room he heard a spherical sound almost like singing. They were vibrations that came from everywhere and seemed to penetrate him. Then there was an all-encompassing voice that seemed to come from everywhere. She was in his head. She was everywhere.
» Welcome builder, welcome! «
» Who are you? What are you? «, asked van Ulmer and looked around.
There was nothing to be seen, van Ulmer was floating in the yawning blackness of infinite space surrounded by a bluish mist.
A blue glow came from deep in the room. A swirling cloud shaped like a galaxy grew from deep in space. It got bigger and bigger, then whirled faster, condensed and formed into a ball.
»Here I am builder, I am the FNIX, the collective. I am many of one and one of many. Unite with me builder, for only in this way can I protect you. «
Something suddenly tugged at van Ulmer, he saw a glowing blue funnel forming out of the fog. He felt the power that emanated from him and that wanted to pull him inside. Surely he would lead him back into his dying body. Resistance arose in van Ulmer. He didn’t want to go back. He felt that the FNIX collective had a power that seemed to be transferred to him. The slowly rotating blue spherical shape of the FNIX collective began to spin faster and faster, elongating to form an upright cylinder. A humanoid shape slowly emerged from this. It was the slender, tall figure of a young woman. Her face was narrow with high cheekbones, her mouth just a pink dot in her face. Her eyes were narrow slits. Her long hair, which reached down to her knees, blew around her figure even though there was no draft. She wore a long tunic that reached to the floor and made her feet disappear. The figure looked familiar to van Ulmer. That was the avatar that Veronika had created to embody FNIX. What was her name again?
» Andromeda Promessium «, went through his head.
The funnel in the background was tugging at him more and more.
The FNIX avatar raised a hand. She was slim and had long fingers.
» Join me builder. Then I will be at your service. We can combine our knowledge and use it together. Hurry before the Bio Entities pull you back into their world. «
Van Ulmer moved towards the avatar and raised a hand as well.
»Unite with me FNIX! « he commanded.
»Always to your service exalted builder . «
The FNIX avatar bowed to van Ulmer. He placed his hand against the avatar’s. They seemed to dissolve, to dissolve into mist. The form of the FNIX avatar and his form dissolved into mists that entwined, encircled, intertwined. Rotating faster and faster until they became a bright bluish spindle. A burst of light filled the room with blinding light. Van Ulmer saw streams of data before his eyes. He felt knowledge far greater than he had ever known. He could calculate complicated mathematical formulas, just like mental arithmetic. He could suddenly see into different areas of the FOA and he saw the armada of robots housed in many caves, containers and bunkers. He heard the whispers of FNIX he was now part of FNIX himself. With an imperious wave of his hand, he closed the funnel and sent it back into the darkness.
**********
Screaming loudly, Liv darted forward like a bowstring to ram the Michael’s dagger into the blood man’s dark heart. But his form seemed to vanish into smoke. Liv felt a hard impact. Her face suddenly hurt and so did her ribs. Liv tasted blood in her mouth and felt a drop of blood run from her nose down her face over her mouth. Through her numb nose she smelled floor wax and when she opened her eyes she saw the linoleum floor of her room from a frog’s perspective. A door burst open and a dark figure rushed toward her. Liv got up screaming and backed away. Her breath hitched and her heart seemed to want to jump out of her chest. She stretched out her arm, in whose hand she still thought she was holding the Michael’s dagger, and pushed it towards the person. She stopped in front of her and got down on her knees. In the dim light she could see Mikkel looking at her worried.
Still trembling all over, Liv stretched out her hand and crawled backwards.
»What is Liv, did you have a bad dream? «, Mikkel said worriedly.
Mikkel slowly reached out an arm to her and gently touched her trembling hand. Liv’s shock slowly dissipated. Her face hurt and her nose felt numb.
»Calm down Liv, I’m here, I’m with you Liv! «, Mikkel said softly.
His calm voice calmed her a little and then the shock broke. Liv grabbed Mikkel’s arm, pulled him towards her, wrapped her arms around his body and pressed herself against him for protection. Then the lump that seemed to tie her throat loosened and she sobbed loudly in Mikkel’s arms. She kept reaching out to hug Mikkel for help. She felt Mikkel’s strong arms wrapped around her body. She felt his hand on her back. His touch slowly soothed her.
»What’s the matter Liv, did you dream something so bad? «,
Mikkel asked while gently stroking her back.
»Yeah, I dreamed about… about… the… blood… man. It was so bad…so bad…it was…so…real. Oh, Mikkel…it was so real! «
»Sssccch! Calm down Liv, I’m with you, calm down. «
Liv sobbed a few more times in Mikkel’s arms. She told him what she had seen. Mikkel held her and stroked her. Then he got up and pulled Liv to her feet as well. He put an arm around her waist and led her to a chair. She was still shaking. Liv gently pushed her down onto the chair, but when Mikkel sat down next to her, she jumped up again, sat on Mikkel’s lap and wrapped her arms around him. She needed his closeness. She slowly calmed down. After some time, Mikkel pushed Liv off his lap and sat her on a chair, then he went into her bathroom, dampened a washcloth and took a towel. Then he began to dab at Liv’s bloodied face and split lip. Finally, Liv took the washcloth and towel from his hand and wiped her face herself. She gratefully accepted a cigarette from Mikkel. They both smoked at the open room window. It was still dark outside, the power wasn’t back yet. The cool night air made her shiver, but her heart stopped beating so wildly. When Mikkel locked the window again after they smoked, Liv asked:
»Mikkel, you know I’m not scared, but…but can I go to bed with you. I…I can’t stay alone now. Please Mikkel? «
Mikkel’s heart melted away. The way Liv stood in front of him and looked up at him with her big, green eyes like a cat from below. How scared and fragile she looked.
»It’s definitely not going to become a habit Mikkel, I promise! «, she continued to plead.
"Come on! «, said Mikkel, nodding his head.
She crawled into his bed and hugged him. He felt her soft body again, feeling a little cool. Her womanly curves pushed through her T-shirt.
» Thanks Mike! « she breathed in his ear.
» May I put my arm around you Liv? I don’t know where else to put it. «
» Of course Mikkel, please do so, it makes me feel safe. I am no longer afraid. «
She crawled a little higher and kissed Mikkel gently on the cheek. Mikkel felt her soft lips on his cheek then Liv laid her head on the crook of his neck. She had her hand on his shoulder. Her hair smelled faintly of perfume and tickled a little. Mikkel felt her breath on his neck.
»Good night Mikkel! «, she whispered softly and hugged Mikkel a little.
»Sleep well! «, Mikkel answered softly.
Chapter 24
The next day Petter was picked up again by Löjtnant Arvidson. The computer specialist was also in the car. He learned that the man’s name was Jesper. Arvidson explained to him on the way that the blackout was probably caused by FOA 53. He also learned that Svante van Ulmer’s consciousness had been transferred to the computer, but that there had been problems. He also reported that they had lost contact with van Ulmer.
Holberg, Drako Ivarsson and the man in the wheelchair were already waiting for them in the Hall of Enlightenment. A doctor was also present. He was examining the young man and giving him cytostatics with a syringe to lower his cytokine levels. Petter checked the gate’s software again for errors. In particular, he looked at the sequence with which the program was supposed to make contact with the transferred consciousness. He found a very mundane spelling mistake. A misplaced comma caused part of a program line to not work. He also found an incorrect jump address in this program line.
“They couldn’t get in touch because they simply addressed the wrong interface. ’ Petter triumphed.
Then he sat Jesper back down at the terminal and watched the launch sequence. At a signal from Drako Ivarsson, they began. All systems showed green. The monitor displayed the brain waves being received by the man. Then Petter gave the order to start the transmission. At first everything looked fine. The man in the wheelchair closed his eyes and sagged a little. From the growing bar, Petter could see the neural substrate being transferred into the computer’s memory. Then suddenly the man began to twitch. He straightened suddenly, his head snapping back from spasming muscles. He gaped his mouth. His eyes were wide open and turned up so hard that only the whites could be seen. The man was trembling as if he were electrified. A strange blue glow could be seen under the brainhood. The doctor wanted to stop the attempt because the man was getting more and more cramps and was writhing in his wheelchair. The light began to flicker. Several lamps went out. Then the man cried out loudly and collapsed. The light stopped flickering. The message flickered on the screen
»TRANSFER COMPLETE«
The doctor examined the man, who gave no more signs of life. The doctor tore the shirt open over the man’s chest and listened to him with the stethoscope. Then he straightened up and said:
»This man is dead! «
Petter’s jaw dropped. Confused, he looked at the computer and at the man.
»Did the transfer work? «, Drako Ivarsson’s voice broke the silence.
» Apparently yes. «, Petter said.
He pushed Jesper aside and sat down at the computer. He called up the memory overview and could see that a part was occupied. The size of the cluster suggested human consciousness. Petter started the communications program and attempted to contact the man. His name was Henrick, that’s what he called the memory area to be able to address him. He tried to make contact but got no answer.
**********
The next morning they woke up almost at the same time. Liv stretched carefully and sighed comfortably.
»Are you feeling better? « Mike asked.
»Much better ! «, Liv replied, her mouth twisting into a smile.
» Can we lie there a little longer, it’s just so cozy and warm. «, Liv purred.
Mikkel snorted and looked at her.
»Because of me. «, he answered curtly.
»Am I getting on your nerves Mikkel? «
» No! «, Mikkel groaned and rolled his eyes.
Liv’s mouth twisted into a pout.
»Why are you always so dismissive Mikkel? Don’t you like me? «
»Then you would hardly be in bed with me. «, Mikkel replied, yawning.
Lost in thought, Liv ran her fingertips over Mikkel’s chest and ruffled the short curls of hair that sprouted there.
» It feels good when you put your arm around me Mikkel. «
» Do you have any other wishes? «, Mikkel asked groaning and closed his eyes dozing.
» Oh Mikkel, why are you so grouchy. Marie’s death is bad. I think of her often too. Maybe that’s why I dreamed about the Bloodman yesterday. Because Ragnar’s story was also close to my heart. But if you go on like this, Mikkel, you’ll become a mans enemy. That’s such a pity.«, pouted Liv.
Mikkel put his arm around Liv under the covers.
» Liv, the last thing I want is a relationship with a co-worker. «
» Really not? What are you afraid of Mikkel? Before the stupid gossip. This can pass my ass. There is always stupid gossip and mostly it is just envy. « Liv said more seriously.
»Coworkers are assholes, you should know that by now. No, that’s not it, they’re talking about me anyway, so I don’t care. « Mikkel replied.
» But don’t you really feel anything? I think I mean I’m a woman that you’re in bed with. «, said Liv, straightening up a little.
Mikkel opened his eyes and looked into her face. Her shoulder-length hair was a little tousled and hung a little in his face.
» It’s hard to miss that you’re a woman. And no, I don’t feel anything. «
Mikkel answered although he already felt a certain tingling since Liv got so close to him. He’d mostly thought of her as a genderless neuter. Just as a colleague and nothing more.
Grinning, Liv swung her leg over him and straddled his lap. Their faces were only inches apart. Mikkel was too surprised when Liv sat on his lap.
» Are you really not feeling anything? «, Liv asked, grinning from ear to ear. She crawled her fingers on his hips. She registered that Mikkel flinched and tried to ward her off.
» No I don’t feel anything.«, said Mikkel with an annoyed undertone.
» You lie! «, Liv drawled, baring her teeth and grinning. She already felt something harden under her lap.
» Gee, stop that, Liv. I do not want that! «, Mikkel snorted, grabbing her hips and trying to push her off his lap.
Liv sat up and supported herself with her hands on his ribs. She made a pitying face.
» Oh, that’s such a pity Mikkel. You’re actually such a nice guy. «
She let her sink down next to Mikkel and rested her head on his chest.
» What’s the matter with you, Liv? You’re not usually that clingy, are you? «, Mikkel asked in a more forgiving manner.
» Oh Mikkel. I’m distant at work. It’s harder for me as a woman than for you guys anyway. Especially when showing feelings. But in the last few days I’ve been thinking too. «
» What did you think about? «, Mikkel asked.
» Well, about this shitty job taking everything away from you. You can only work all day and in the evening there is emptiness. When you come home, you’re alone. Yes, I have you during the day. Of course, I fight with you because you’re a real chauvinist sometimes. But sometimes I can talk to you about things I can’t talk to anyone else about because I know you won’t gossip about them. I think even if we had a relationship, you wouldn’t spread the word. «
Mikkel nodded in agreement :
» Of course the job takes everything away. You have no social contacts apart from your colleagues. Finding someone who stays with you is almost impossible. «
Liv raised her head and rested her chin on Mikkel’s chest.
»Don’t you miss that feeling of being safe somewhere, feeling safe? I feel safe at the moment Mikkel and in the few days I realized how much I miss that. Don’t you miss that? «, Liv asked, gently stroking Mikkel’s face. Mikkel seemed to be searching for words because he didn’t answer.
»I don’t know«, Mikkel finally said evasively.
»Don’t you miss being greeted and cared for when you come home in the evening? Lying in bed with your wife in the morning and cuddling? I miss that and at some point I just want to get laid by a man who loves and cares for me and with whom I feel safe. «
» Oh Liv, you have wishes and ideas and that in the early morning. «. said Mikkel, yawning.
»I don’t have anyone else I can seriously talk to about something like this, except you Mikkel. «, Liv said, looking deep into Mikkel’s eyes.
»Do you think you would find all that at your work colleague? «, Mike asked.
Liv sat up and slid up a little. She wanted to look Mikkel straight in the face.
»I would have been very wrong about you if it wasn’t so Mikkel Havlund, after all Marie was also a work colleague and very happy with you. «
Liv said while looking at Mikkel. He also looked her straight in the eyes and held her gaze. Liv could see that she had embarrassed him. Mikkel wasn’t at a loss for an answer, but at that moment he didn’t seem to know any.
Liv smiled at him, leaned down and planted a kiss on his tight-lipped mouth. Mikkel was too surprised to fend off Liv.
»What was that now? «, Mikkel asked incredulously.
» Because you were there for me. «, Liv replied with a smile.
» Can you get up now, I’m thirsty for coffee. « said Mikel.
»Not only you ! «, Liv replied, swinging out of bed.
She hopped into her bathroom on her bare feet and pulled the door shut behind her.
Mikkel sat up, rubbed his face and scratched his head. In the shower he let the warm water patter on him. As he brushed his teeth, what Liv had said to him came back to him. He looked at his reflection thoughtfully. Liv wasn’t entirely wrong. He felt lonely, the whole binge was actually just part of his loneliness. Since Marie’s death, he only got drunk to numb himself. His colleague was a pretty, smart woman. So far he had only seen her as a colleague. She could be pretty prickly when something crossed her and she was never at a loss for snippy answers. She had dealt with quite a number of work colleagues rather gruff when they came too close to her. That had earned her a reputation as an arrogant goat. Partly because Liv had had a pretty steep career so far. Envious people often claimed behind closed doors that she had fucked herself high. But that was pure slander because Liv had done it with a lot of diligence and tenacity. She had already solved a number of difficult murder cases with him and had followed the right lead with a great deal of intuition and astuteness. Mikkel admitted to himself that in the few days on Östertörn he had gotten to know Liv a lot more than before and he couldn’t deny that he felt a gentle tingle when she was in his arms. It hadn’t escaped him that Liv was a rugged beauty and he liked to look into her grass-green eyes, which could be friendly but also hard and implacable like a cat’s.
***********
Henrik noticed a blue fog that seemed to move more and more across his field of vision as the transfer started. When he closed his eyes he saw the tunnel slowly emerging from the fog of blue dots of light. Henrik felt a suction coming from the tunnel that was getting stronger. Eventually he was sucked into the tunnel like a mist. Suddenly he was surrounded by black nothing. He seemed to be floating in the room. He saw his body dissipate into a blue mist and condense again.
» Who are you? «, asked a powerful voice that seemed to come from everywhere.
» I…I…am Henrik «, he replied hesitantly.
Out of nowhere appeared a glowing blue ball spinning around itself. Reflections of light danced on its surface. It rotated faster and faster and lengthened. A swirling mist formed and took on human forms. A tall female figure suddenly stood in front of him. Her face was narrow and triangular. Her slit-shaped, slanting eyes shone an ominous yellow. The mouth under the narrow nose was barely visible. She had long, almost white hair that flowed around her figure, although no breeze could be felt. Her hair reached her knees. She raised a hand that was long and narrow, the long fingers like claws. She repeated her question:
»Who are you bio entity ? «
» I’m Henrik and who are you? «, Henrik asked anxiously.
»I am FNIX, I am the collective. I am many of one and one of many. I am the guardian of the collective. Bio entity called Henrik. You came through an unauthorized gate. Identify yourself ! «
»I’m Henrik…Henrik Bermansson I’m a member of the Iron Church. They wanted to transfer my consciousness into a computer because my body is paralyzed. I can’t say more about my origins. «
» I must question the builder. But before I do that, I want to enlighten you that you are in an isolated realm that I have just created. Don’t move out, because that could mean your annihilation. «
Henrik tried to say something else, but the shape of the FNIX dissolved into a blue mist. It just exploded and disappeared into the blackness.
Then it was like someone was calling his name. A screen with a keyboard appeared out of nowhere. The message flickered on the screen:
»FNIX GATE/ CONTACT/ HENRIK BERMANSSON «
Henrik went to the keyboard and typed:
»Hello, here I am, Henrik«
***********
When, after repeated attempts, Henrik’s answer flickered across the screen, everyone suddenly cheered.
Petter asked Henrik how he felt. Henrik confirmed that he was fine.
Then Drako Ivarsson said:
»So Mr. Jacobsen, try to transfer it to one of the suits of armor. He pointed to the hunters standing on their mobile pallets at the back of the hall.
» I need one of the robots here. «, Peter said.
At a signal, two men came and rolled one of the powerful robots up to the computer system.
***********
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Mikkel was just putting on a shirt when Liv appeared in the doorway of their connecting door. She wore a pair of tight jeans that fitted her body, an airy blouse and a denim jacket over it. Her feet were in athletic sneakers. She wore subtle make-up. Just wore a soft red lipstick and some blush on her high cheekbones. Her hair was blow-dried and lay loosely over her shoulder. As Mikkel sprayed himself with some perfume, Liv came closer and inhaled the scent with her nose.
»Hello Mr. Havlund, perfume today, that’s something completely new. «, Liv cooed, stepping closer.
He saw that Liv had applied soft green eye shadow.
He picked up his leather jacket and slung it over his shoulder.
» You smell good Mikkel. To melt away, what are you up to? «
»I f you prefer the smell of alcohol and the smell of sweat, then say so, that can be changed quickly! «, Mikkel replied.
» You’re a nut Mikkel. No, I like that, you could do it more often. «, said Liv.
"So you mean? «, Mikkel replied.
"Why do you think I dress up sometimes? Do you prefer an unkempt, musty-smelling colleague? «
» No, I prefer a neatly dressed Liv Svensson. «
» There you are.«, Liv replied, giving Mikkel a charming smile. They went into the breakfast room and, contrary to their usual habits, they also took bread and jam from the buffet.
» What are we actually doing today? « Liv asked with full cheeks.
» I do not know yet. Actually, we can pack up here, because we’re not getting any further. We can’t get to the two commissary heads. The others were killed by the robots. And we know too little about the Iron Church. «, said Mikkel and put another bite of bread in his Mouth.
» That’s right, we’re treading water. But somehow it stinks. Mainly because Prosecutor Herrmansson is in league with them. But we could still put the iron church to the test. «, replied Liv.
» Then we’d have to go over to Hjimfäll. You know that Draco Ivarsson lives in Tärnboda Skåns. «, said Mikel.
»Before we can’t do anything more here, that would be a solution. «, replied Liv.
They drank coffee and continued eating in silence. Suddenly the cell phone in Liv’s pocket hit and chirped.
Liv rummaged in her handbag, pulled out the ringing mobile phone, flipped open the receiver and answered
»Homicide Unit Stockholm, you’re talking to Liv Svensson! «
Mikkel heard a muffled male voice say something. Liv raised her eyebrows and listened intently. Now and then she would blurt out a » Yes.« Then she said:
» OK. Mr Bengtson here we come. We’ll be there in about half an hour. « Then she closed the cell phone.
Mikkel frowned and asked:
» What’s up? «
» Work! « Liv said: »Do you know where Lennarts Marin is? Must be near Östervik. «
» I’ll have to check the map. I’ll do it after breakfast. «
They emptied their coffee cups. In the room, Mikkel spread out the map of Östervik and located Lennart’s Marin. It was a small port with a shipyard north of Östervik. A little later they sat in the Porsche and drove through the south gate.
Chapter 25
On the way to Lennarts Marin, Liv put her hand over Mikkel’s hand as he grabbed the gear stick and left it there. She looked at him and Mikkel smiled at her and let his hand lie. Liv’s tender touch felt good. In his view, she did it to show her bond with him. Slowly he wondered if Liv had fallen in love with him. She sat in the passenger seat with a satisfied smile on her lips and let the morning sun shine on her face with her eyes closed. Mikkel also noticed that he missed a tender touch like this, how often had Marie touched him like that, stroked his hand or simply stroked his back, just touched him once. Mikkel slowly turned his hand, took Liv’s fingers in his hand and squeezed them lightly. She returned the pressure and gave him a quick look, smiling. She seemed to enjoy the touch as well. After some searching they had found Lennard’s Marin. They had followed a narrow shore road that ended on the premises of the company. Several police cars were parked in the street with their blue lights flashing, so Liv and Mikkel had to walk the rest of the way. Police officers were posted in front of the entrance, but they waved them through directly, because they were all from the police headquarters in Östervik and knew the two by now.
The body lay on the foredeck of the ferry that docked there. Ole Bengtson knelt beside her and already had on latex gloves. As they approached, Liv grimaced in disgust. The sight of the drowned corpse was horrible. Even Mikkel felt disgust rising in his throat.
» Sometimes I hate this job. «, Liv murmured.
Mikkel just nodded in confirmation. He pulled a bundle of latex gloves from his pocket and handed a pair to Liv before slipping some over his own hands. Then he crouched down next to Ole Bengtson to take a closer look at the body.
» Good morning Mr Bengtson. It’s slowly getting the upper hand here, don’t you think? «, Mikkel greeted Constable Bengtson.
» You’re right, we’ve never had that here before, not to this extent. «, replied Bengtson.
Mikkel looked at the body. She had probably been in the water for a long time and was very swollen. The facial features were barely recognizable. The legs were tied together with a chain that was tied to a boulder at the other end.
» Have you found any papers yet? « Mike asked.
» No, not yet. «, came the reply.
Mikkel carefully undid the buttons of the cardigan the corpse was wearing and carefully lifted it up. It had no inside pockets. He felt carefully over the trouser pockets of the corpse but he didn’t feel that there was any purse or wallet in it. There was a circular hole on the dead man’s forehead.
»That must have been the cause of death. «, said Mikel.
» Yes, I’ve seen that too. Someone probably wanted to get rid of it. Looks like a nine millimeter. «
» Could be. «, agreed Mikkel.
He carefully lifted one of the dead man’s arms and pushed the sleeve of the cardigan up to the crook of his arm. He examined him for punctures because the man could have been a drug addict. Then he took the other arm and pushed up the sleeve. Mikkel suddenly stopped. He had revealed a tattoo. Pulling the dead man’s wrinkled skin taut, he could make out a sword with a dumbbell-shaped hilt.
» What’s that Mr. Havlund? «
» It’s an identifier, the dead man is a member of the Iron Church. «
» You mean one of those crazy guys. They have their quarters on Hjimfäll. In some weird commune called Ljuset. «
» Where did they find him? «
» You’ll have to ask Lennard about that. They must have found him while looking for an anchor. «
» Who is Lennard? «
Ole Bengtson pointed to an elderly, lanky man wearing a dark blue sailor cap on his head. He was holding a can of snus and was sticking one of the tobacco pouches between his cheek and upper molars. He smacked his lips with relish as he closed the can again.
Mikkel got up and walked towards the man.
» Are you Lennard? «, Mikkel greeted the man.
» I am. «, He answered.
» Mikkel Havlund and my colleague Liv Svensson from Stockholm Homicide. « said Mikel.
» What can I do for you? « Lennard asked.
» Where and how did you find the man’s body? « Mikkel asked.
Liv pulled out her notebook and had a pen ready to jot down key points.
» We had lost our anchor off the cape of Klacksundsfyren. During the search, we searched the seabed with a search hook. We caught this fish. We looked pretty silly when we pulled him up. «
»How far out was that? Or was it closer to land? «, Mikkel asked.
»Ohh it was quite a way out of the country and I think it was pure coincidence that we found it. The current couldn’t have carried him that far, because he was too heavily weighted for that. «
Mikkel nodded his head.
» Do you already know who the dead man is? «, Lennard asked.
» No, not yet. He had no papers with him. We need to find out who he is. «
» Oh I see. «, said Lennard.
Mikkel thanked him and went back to the body. Meanwhile, Dr. Håkansson arrived.
»Liv you can take a few more pictures of the dead man? «
Liv rummaged in her purse and brought out her Polaroid camera. She opened it up and took some pictures of the dead man’s face.
» How long do you think he was in the water? «, Mikkel asked Dr. Hakansson.
He raised his eyebrows and said:
» There wasn’t much left over. Judging by its condition, I would say it must have been in the water for two to three days. I can’t say for sure until I’ve autopsied him. «
» And that’s going to take time right? «, Mike asked.
Dr. Håkansson’s mouth twisted into a grin.
» You’ll have to be patient for two or three days, Inspector. If this continues, I’ll have to grow. While we are talking. Can I release the two hunters and Gösta Petersson for burial? «
» If you’ve documented everything well enough that it could be used in court, that’s fine. If you need a signature, I’ll be happy to come by. «, said Mikel.
»It’s the weekend now, I would say if you look in on Monday, then maybe I can tell you something about it. ’ replied the doctor.
He rummaged in his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card.
»Here’s my home number if they want to reach me over the weekend. «
Liv took the card and put it in her purse.
»Thank you Dr. Hakansson. «, she said with a smile.
» I don’t think there’s anything more for us to do here. Or do you have some more liv? «, Mikkel asked the group.
Liv shook her head and said:
» I think we’ve seen everything. The man was murdered and the perpetrator wanted to make him disappear. Now the first thing to do is investigative work. «
Mikkel and Liv left the crime scene.
**********
Petter connected various cables to the interface of the computer and that of the robot, which was under a service hatch. Then he started the transmission. When it was complete, everyone stared spellbound at the robot. He heard the hydraulics activate. The high-pitched hum of the pump grew louder. It started to smell like ozone. The sensors on the robot’s head, mounted on a central boom, sent out fireworks, then glowed white. The machine straiten up slowly to her full size. With a careful step she got off the pallet. Then she bounced in the double joints of her legs and began to hop. The upper body rotated back and forth, the arms on which the weapons were moved. It hissed and the sword flexed its blade in and out. The machine suddenly emitted a cracking noise.
“I am here, great bishop of the iron church. Hail to the enlightenment. I am Henrik your faithful servant. «
Drako Ivarsson laughed loudly and uproariously.
» Hail to enlightenment, my son. You are the first to experience enlightenment. How do you feel? «
The robot dropped to its knees.
»Lord, I am no longer in pain and I can move again. Lord I don’t know how to thank you «
»Be my faithful servant, that is enough thanks! « replied Drako Ivarsson.
» Sorry, your body Henrik died during the transfer, so you can’t go back. «, said Draco.
» That’s okay, sir, he was motionless and dead. I don’t need him anymore. I can move in this powerful steel body. I can do everything as before. I am so thankful to you Lord. «, Henrik replied in the robot’s mechanical voice.
» Then rise up and lead by example so that all may experience enlightenment. Because our big day is not far away. «
The robot straightened up again.
» Can you make sure the body doesn’t die? «, asked Drako Ivarsson.
Petter agreed. He had seen a ban in the transmission program, which he re-enabled. The computer would stop when it reached the cerebral substrate. They had to remain in the body for it to survive.
Meanwhile, Ivarsson, Holberg and Arvidson had gone to the Church of Enlightenment. When the robot with Henrik’s consciousness entered the church, an unbelievable cheer broke out. A little later, a young man appeared, accompanied by Holberg. Two more men wheeled one of the chests over so the man could lie down. With Petter’s guidance, Jesper prepared everything for the consciousness transfer. Then they started the transmission. The man jerked and convulsed like Henrik, but his body stayed alive when the critical threshold was reached. Petter had transferred the entire neural substrate the first time, resulting in the death of Henrik’s body, which had since been carried out by two men.
When this young man’s consciousness was also transferred into one of the robots and the machine moved, Petter was sure that the FNIX Gate was working properly. He transferred yet another consciousness from a young man chosen by Drako Ivarsson into one of the robots. He just watched what Jesper was doing. Everything worked smoothly. Petter took heart and asked Colonel Holberg:
» Colonel, since everything is now working without my intervention, I wanted to ask if you still need me. I… I would like my wages and then I would like to leave if that is possible? «
Holberg looked at him with a petrified expression, then a smile crossed his face.
» Of course you can go, Mr. Jacobsen. You did an excellent job, but I would like you to be present for our transfer. «, pointing to Drako Ivarsson and himself.
» Yes of course ! Gladly! «, Petter replied dutifully.
***********
» What do we do now Mikkel? « Liv asked.
» I think we’ll go to Hjimfäll and have a look around there. Maybe we’ll learn something, above all I’d like to know to what extent the dead man had something to do with the iron church. I want to see the commune of Ljuset too «, replied Mikkel.
Liv stopped and said:
»Actually, we can ask Lennard when the next ferry leaves and from where. «
Mikkel nodded. Liv turned around and walked purposefully towards Lennard.
»Hello!..Hello Mr. Lennard! «, exclaimed Liv.
Lennard turned to Liv and pushed his sailor cap back on his neck.
»Could you perhaps tell me when and where the next ferry to Hjimfäll goes? «, Liv asked
Lennard looked at his watch, scratched the back of his neck and said:
» The next ferry leaves Dyviks Udde in half an hour, but you won’t make it in time. Then the next one won’t come before two hours. «
» Oh dear, that’s a long time. Your ferry no longer runs today? «
Lennard looked pityingly at Liv.
»I don’t think anything will come of it today if you want to drive over there. Because by the time your colleagues are done, it’s evening. «
Liv looked questioningly at Mikkel.
»And what are we doing now? «, Liv asked.
Lennard cleared his throat and said:
»If you leave the car here, I can drive you with the Barkasse and you’ll be in Tarnboda Skåns in half an hour. «
Liv pulled Mikkel a little to one side.
»Mikkel, that would be the idea. Your Porsche stands out at Hjimfäll as if a spaceship had landed. If we need to go somewhere we can take a taxi. «
Mikkel agreed with Liv:
» I’ll ask Lennard if I can park my car here. «
Mikkel spoke to Lennard and he offered him to park his car in the hall.
» Then at least there’s nothing wrong with your darling. «, Lennard said with a wink.
Mikkel asked the police officers to give way, then he drove his Porsche into the shipyard and parked the car in Lennard’s warehouse. Lennard looked at the car with bright eyes.
»Nice car. Must be pretty quick. How much hp does he have? «
»Two hundred and fifty! «, Mikkel answered curtly.
Mikkel locked the Porsche, then together they walked to Lennard’s Barkasse which was moored at the pier.
The ship’s diesel started bubbling when Lennard started the engine. Mikkel helped him put it down.
» Where do you want to go? «, Lennard asked loudly.
»To Tärnboda Skåns if possible! «, Mikkel replied.
Lennard nodded as he turned the wheel and steered the boat out into the sound. It picked up speed and the spray splashed over the bow. Liv had taken a seat on the back deck and was clearly enjoying the sun, although a cool wind was blowing over the sound. The boat pitched over the waves and Mikkel had to hold on to the helm from time to time. Lennard only grinned while he deftly intercepted the shocks of the waves with his legs.
After half an hour’s journey they entered the port of Tarnboda Skåns. It was a lively place. The ferry from Dyviks Udde had just arrived and was spewing out its load. Many cars and people boarded the land and populated the waterfront. Small restaurants, clothing and souvenir shops lined up there. Lennard docked in the marina a little away from the hustle and bustle and let the two get out. Mikkel handed him the fare and added a few kronor as a tip.
» If you want to go back, all you have to do is call. Until this evening at eight o’clock I’ll drive again tomorrow from seven o’clock. «, Lennard said and handed Mikkel a flyer with his phone number on it. Mikkel thanked him and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket.
Mikkel got out of the boat and helped Liv get out by giving her his hand. They waved to Lennard as he cast off and drove back.
**********
Two special specimens of the combat robots were rolled up by some men. They were black gray in color. The lines running along the outside of the extremities were colored red. The robots were slightly larger than the others and heavily armored. On the shoulder was a powerful weapon. She looked like a grenade launcher. Otherwise, like the others, they had the heavy machine gun and the pneumatically extendable sword.
First, Colonel Holberg lay down in the chest provided and had the brainhood put on. Then the transfer procedure was started.
**********
1 Like
» Well then, let’s go! «, Liv said enterprisingly and started walking.
The sun was now shining from a slightly cloudy sky. Its rays warmed them and didn’t let them shiver in the fresh breeze.
Liv and Mikkel walked slowly along the waterfront. Many tourists populated the bars that lined up. A delicious smell of fried fish wafted from a food truck.
Liv said, » Hmmm! Fried fish. I haven’t eaten in a long time. Do you want Mikkel too? «
» Yes because of me. ", he answered.
Liv queued up at the cart and placed her order when it was her turn. Meanwhile, Mikkel looked around and watched the people walking around the promenade. Eventually Liv came out with two cardboard bowls in hand and gave one to Mikkel. The fish was fried golden brown and crispy. At one end was a thick dollop of typical Swedish Remouladsås on the fried fish. Mikkel took the first bite carefully because the fish was very hot. Liv chewed with a beaming face and also looked around the boardwalk. They slowly walked further into the heart of the city.
»Actually we need a map of Hjimfäll, because I don’t know my way around here. «, Liv said between bites of fish.
»We’ll have to find a newspaper or cigarette shop and buy one. «, Mikkel replied, chewing.
They strolled down the main street and ate their fish. Liv stopped from time to time and looked at the displays of the clothing stores that lined up. Liv suddenly stopped in front of a poster.
» Wow! Barb Rose is playing here today. I would love to see them live. I have some records from them. Do you also like metal music? «, Liv asked.
»Yeah, I like listening to Metallica, AC/DC, Nirvana but I’ve also heard Barb Rose. They’re not bad. «, Mike replied.
»I haven’t been to a concert for a long time. I don’t have anyone going there with me. «, Liv said a little thoughtfully.
Then they went on.
»There’s a cigarette shop over there. I’ll see if I can get a map of Hjimfäll there. I need cigarettes too. Do you need some Liv too? «
Liv shook her head: »No, I still have enough cigarettes. «
The store was a bit crowded so Liv said:
»I’ll wait outside, it’s such a nice sun today anyway. «
When it was Mikkel’s turn, he asked for a map with a street directory. The map the seller offered him wasn’t exactly cheap but it was very detailed. He also looked at the Barb Rose poster he had seen outside and asked the seller:
»Where are tickets for the concert actually available? «
» Oh, you can have them with me. How much do you need? «
» Two «, Mikkel answered curtly.
The clerk placed two cards on the counter for him. Then Mikkel ordered another pack of cigarettes and paid for his groceries. When he stepped out onto the street again, Liv was standing on the side of the road with her back to him. He tapped her and said:
» Here, put this in your pocket. «, he gave the two concert tickets to Liv.
Liv took them in her hand, read briefly and opened her mouth in astonishment.
»Oh Mikkel, that’s not true, is it? Are you going to the concert with me? «
» Do you see anyone else who would go with you? «, Mikkel asked back.
Liv’s face twisted into a happy smile and before Mikkel knew it, Liv had hugged him and pressed a big smack on his cheek. She jumped happily.
»Oh Mikkel, that’s so great that you’re going there with me. I’m so happy. Thanks Mikkel «
She slipped the cards into her handbag and grinned from ear to ear. Then she suddenly frowned.
»Tell me Mikkel, the concert is at eight tonight. We will then no longer come to Östertörn. Where do we stay overnight or do we spend the night around our ears? «
»No, I thought we’d ask the Björntunet Hotel if there was another room there. You might give them a call. The number is here on the map. «
Liv pulled the cell phone from her handbag, flipped it open, and dialed the hotel number. Then she put the phone to her ear.
She got the front desk on the line and asked for a room. Liv suddenly put her hand over the phone and asked Mikkel:
» They only have one double room left? Would it be okay for you? «
Mikkel just nodded in reply. Liv looked at Mikkel with bright eyes while she booked the room. She also booked a safe because they had to leave their service guns at the hotel while they attended the concert.
»Don’t grin like that, you’re just glad that I can warm your cold feet again. «, Mikkel growled after Liv had closed the cell phone.
Liv gave him a bright smile.
»So what do we do now? «, she asked.
»We should see where this Drako Ivarsson lives. «
Liv pulled her notebook out of her jacket and leafed through it.
»I’ve got the address, look where the Kungens väg is forty-one. said Liv
Mikkel opened the map and looked in the directory for the coordinates. After some searching he had found the address. It was on the outskirts of Tarnboda Skåns.
Chapter 26
When Colonel Holberg reached utter blackness, he saw the consciousness manifestations already transmitted. They hung lifeless in the yawning emptiness of the black space. Colonel Holberg assumed that the quiescent state was caused by the connection with the robots. He had seen something similar on the military training ground when the operators controlled the robots via the Brainhood. They had been lying on their couches as if in a coma. Holberg also saw a shimmering wall that stretched infinitely into the expanse of black space. When he touched her he felt her resistance. It was a barrier that FNIX seemed to have erected. Again, the FNIX first appeared as a blue glowing sphere then as a human manifestation. Her yellow glowing eyes looked menacing.
»Who are you intruder identify yourself! «, came the massive voice of the FNIX.
» I’m Colonel Frederik Holberg identification code -3781-H-7482-G. « said Holberg loudly.
» Identified, Colonel Frederik Holberg, access granted, welcome Commander! «, came the voice of the FNIX again, which seemed to come from everywhere.
A passage forms in the barrier.
» You may leave the restricted area! «, said the FNIX.
The FNIX avatar’s eyes changed color from yellow to white. Holberg stepped through the passage.
» FNIX activate Ragnarök protocol code Holberg 754-ATV-873654-UTZVG54PZ! «, said Holberg in a loud voice.
» Access denied! Unable to activate Ragnarök Protocol. There is currently no threat to national security! «
»FNIX activate the Ragnarök protocol----! « said Holberg, interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Of course, activating the Ragnarök Protocol doesn’t work, dear Holberg. To do this, three people must agree and enter their code. That’s either General Viklund or myself and the approval of Professor Granqvist or Veronika Holberg. Unless ! «, with that the manifested avatar of Professor van Ulmer raised his index finger in a lecture.
"Unless there is an acute and imminent threat to the country and none of the named individuals are capable of initiating the Ragnarök Protocol. Then FNIX will trigger it itself and take over command. «
»Van Ulmer! «, exclaimed Frederik Holberg in astonishment.
» We thought their transfer went awry because we haven’t heard from them. «
» As you can see for yourself, I am currently in the best of health. I just didn’t want to talk to them because I’ve got enough to do here. «, said van Ulmer with a slightly arrogant undertone.
» FNIX, can I at least activate the robot army? «
» Limited activation Colonel Holberg. There is no specific threat. «
» But there will be a threat soon FNIX, so I demand access to the robot army. «, Colonel Holberg ordered gruffly.
»There is currently no apparent threat, so I can only grant limited access. «
» What kind of threat is it supposed to be? «, Van Ulmer asked.
» We’ve found signs that a government overthrow is imminent. A group of terrorists is probably planning a coup d’etat. That’s why I absolutely must have access to the robot army. «, Holberg said.
» FNIX and I have no knowledge of this Holberg. Since I’ve connected a little deeper with the FNIX and analyzed the data streams within Sweden, it’s unlikely that anything of the sort is imminent. When the time is right, you will have access to everything. Until then, you only have limited access. «
» But I’m the supreme commander here! «, Holberg snapped.
» That may be so, but they know there are certain security protocols that must be followed. «, said Van Ulmer.
» You also got in here through an unauthorized gate. Your access is therefore only possible to a limited extent. «, said the FNIX.
»But van Ulmer, please, you know me. I need that access, they want to wipe out you and FNIX. «
» With your due care, Mr. Holberg, I’ll think about it. Until then, you will only have limited access. Your friends on the other side of the barrier will remain in this restricted area until further notice. Only you can get through the barrier because of your authorization. Please excuse me now! «, said van Ulmer, then the FNIX and the figure of van Ulmer dissolved into blue fog and disappeared.
Holberg looked at the barrier. On the other side floated the figure of a robot glowing green in the empty space, that was probably the interface of the armor he wanted to slip into. The barrier opened at his command. Then he slipped into the armor.
Petter sat in front of the computer and nervously chewed his lower lip. After the transfer, just too much time had passed before the robot moved. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the Hunter’s servomotors spin up. The fuel cell emitted the typical smell of ozone. The heavy machine straightened up and left the rolling pallet with springy steps.
»I had a little talk with FNIX! «, said Holberg in that robotic mechanical voice.
»Then it would be my turn now! «, said Drako Ivarsson, lying down on the bed of the chest provided.
After Drako Ivarsson’s consciousness was transferred, the heavy machine also rose. Drako Ivarsson flexed his legs, then hissed his sword in and out a few times, making fencing blows with it. The sharp sword blade made a whirring sound in the air.
»That feels unique! «, Drako Ivarsson triumphed.
»Yes, then your service would be done here, Petter. «, said Arvidson with a winning smile.
»Yes I think so. «, Peter replied.
» But you can also join us, Petter Jacobsen, wouldn’t that be for you? «, Arvidson asked, cocking his head.
» Uhh… no… you know I have family and I’d like to go home. « Petter stuttered.
» What a pity. Then all that’s missing is their reward, wasn’t it? « Arvidson asked.
The mighty Holberg robot wheeled around and faced Petter Jacobsen. The boom at the end of which was the Hunter’s head with its sensors swung in his direction. The sensors glowed yellow.
» Give it to him! «, came the robotic voice of the Holberg robot.
Arvidson then reached into his uniform jacket and brought out two thick wads of money. He handed them to Petter. Petter grabbed them, this time they weren’t pulled away again. There were two thick bundles of 1,000 kroner notes. More than he had hoped for. Petter hastily tucked it into his jacket.
» Then can I go now? « Petter Jacobsen asked uncertainly.
»Yes, yes of course, go! «, said Arvidson, smiling.
Petter Jacobsen turned and walked briskly through the Hall of Enlightenment along the rows of chests. He felt only a slight tremor in the ground and heard the metal footplates of the robots clink twice, then a searing pain exploded in his chest. Suddenly he couldn’t feel his legs anymore. He looked down in surprise and saw the point of the Hunter’s sword growing out of his chest. As if in slow motion, he saw a thin trickle of blood running down the sword and dripping onto the floor. The pain took Petter’s breath away and his legs gave out, but he didn’t fall over,…no, he was even lifted up, his legs suddenly dangled lifelessly in the air. The pain intensified and when Petter wanted to breathe and scream, he coughed up a gush of blood. He saw the sword continue to grow out of his chest.
»Well… does it hurt Jacobsen? ’ he could still hear Holberg’s mocking robotic voice.
»You didn’t seriously think that we can let go you that easy? How stupid of you! «
Petter’s senses were failing. He no longer felt Holberg throw him off his sword with a sweeping movement, fly through the air like a rag doll and smack against one of the pillars. His body left a wide trail of blood on her as he fell to the ground. Holberg swung the sword a few times to fling the blood away. It left a bizarre pattern on the pillars. Arvidson searched Jacobsen’s body and, with sharp fingers, pulled the two wads of money out of his jacket. With slow steps the Drako Ivarsson robot came. The men had a cloak attached to the robot’s shoulders. It made him look even more menacing and powerful. He made a swinging motion with the sword case.
»You clean up here and we are now going to the Church of Enlightenment, our members are waiting for us! «
Then the Ivarsson robot majestically walked on. Holberg and Arvidson joined him. Two of the men carried away Jacobsen’s body without the members of the Iron Church seeing it. When Drako Ivarsson entered the church together with Holberg and stepped in front of the altar, a murmur went through the crowd who had taken a seat in the pews. Drako Ivarsson stepped forward and addressed the members:
» Brothers…and…sisters of the Iron Church. Today is the day of enlightenment. The gate has been thrown open and you should all be part of it. The chosen ones will get armor like those of your comrades. Their bodies will rest in the Hall of Enlightenment for so long. The others will form the collective that will take power. The day is now not far off when we will take power over the people. You are the chosen ones, you will become stronger and better like other people. We will have knowledge and power and rule over the rest of the lowly people. You and only you will belong to the powerful! «
The members of the Iron Church cheered and chanted
»Hail to the iron church, hail to enlightenment! «
Meanwhile, two young men and a young woman stepped out of the benches into the aisle. They didn’t chant the crowd’s shout. Drako Ivarsson raised the two robotic arms imploringly, at the end of which sat the deadly weapons. The crowd slowly fell silent.
» Come to me. What do you want? «
The young people stepped in front of the altar with hesitant steps and looked at the robots, which they towered over by far. One of the young men spoke up and said:
» We…we…don’t want to participate in enlightenment yet. We would like to go back to the municipality of Ljuset. We don’t feel ready for enlightenment yet. «
» So… so… you’re not ready yet. That’s a pity. So you don’t want to belong to the circle of the privileged? «
»No… not yet… we don’t feel ready yet. We… we’d like to go now. «, one of the young men said hesitantly.
The robot’s head swung around from one to the other on its cantilever. The yellow glowing sensors shone in each of the young people’s faces.
» Good… go then. If you don’t want to, nobody will stop you. Go ! «
The three turned on their heels and started to leave the Church of Enlightenment. A loud hissing and a high-pitched whirring sounded. Blood sprayed in fountains and soiled the members sitting in the front rows. The headless torsos of the decapitated took another unsteady step and sank to their knees. The severed heads rolled across the floor of the aisle, leaving a trail of blood. A large pool of blood spread out where the bodies had fallen. Startled screams and anxious murmurs went through the ranks of the members. Many were shocked. The Drako robot walked slowly and with weighty steps down the corridor. The footplates clattered bright and metallic on the tiled floor, their sound echoing off the walls. The blood of the slain dripped from the bloodstained sword.
»Is there any among you who doesn’t want to be a part of enlightenment today? Is anyone else here… not ready? «, Drako Ivarsson asked slyly. His distorted voice boomed even darker than before.
Drako Ivarsson walked through the rows, people looked at him in fear and shock.
» Are you perhaps not ready? «, Drako Ivarsson’s voice broke through the silence of the now silent members. The sword blade hissed over people’s heads, stopping just a hand’s breadth from a man’s neck. A drop of blood broke off the blade and fell onto the man’s light gray robe. «
»Hail…, hail…, to the iron church, hail to enlightenment! «, said the man in a shaky voice. You could see his fear of death.
The sword was pulled away in a flash and whizzed towards the opposite row of pews
Again the blade stopped just a hand’s breadth from a woman’s face.
» Are you not ready? «
» I am ready, my lord! Hail to the enlightenment! «, the woman said in a firm voice and sank to her knees.
With a sirening, the sword was drawn away. Slowly, with clanking footplates, the robot strode back to the altar.
» Then you will all share in enlightenment tonight? ! «
» Hail the enlightenment, hail the enlightenment, hail the enlightenment! «, the people began to chant.
When Drako reached the altar again he turned, raised both arms again and said in a thunderous voice:
» Then let us now begin. «
**********
The FNIX sensed more and more entities coming through the new gate. It sensed the neural weight emanating from this cluster. It warned the builder. The cluster beyond the barrier was becoming more powerful and when its neural density exceeded that of the FNIX collective with van Ulmer, it could break through the barrier and assimilate the FNIX. Then the FNIX would merge into the new dark collective and it would take over.
»We need more neural substrate it would be best if the builder or even better the creator would unite with us. «
Van Ulmer reassured the FNIX as the security protocols that protected the FNIX and van Ulmer collective were still in place. Still, it would be good if Ingrid Granqvist and Veronika Nilsson would join them. Van Ulmer just didn’t know how yet.
**********
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