The HoloSphere Paradox - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Unraveling Shadows

The sterile walls of Novos Police Headquarters bore witness to countless interrogations. The interrogation room itself, with its polished metal table and two opposing chairs, was nondescript. There was an intentional coldness about it. As Dalton entered, Dr. Luna, a tall woman with sleek silver hair and piercing blue eyes, sat upright, her demeanor calm but evidently wary.

"Dr. Luna," Dalton began, his tone neutral, "Thank you for coming in. I'd like to discuss Dr. Voss and the ongoing investigation into her death."

Luna's eyes didn't waver. "I've been waiting for this. What do you want to know?"

Dr Luna was clearly impatient. Just as well, Dalton thought as we he was keen to move things along. "Marek mentioned your involvement with the Turner prototype. Why were you brought into the project?"

Dr. Luna's fingers played with a silver pendant around her neck. "I see that the cat is out of the bag on Turner. Marek was growing uneasy. He felt Cassandra was holding out on her progress in Turner’s development. He wanted an independent assessment from me. And you know what? He was right. Marek doesn’t know much about science but he knows when someone is holding back on him. After that, Marek lost complete trust in her and paid me to babysit Cassandra."

Dalton's brow furrowed.

"I reviewed Cassandra's work for weeks. But I started to notice something odd. Every review of her computer log and work raised more questions It became clear to me that there were obvious areas for improvement but she was merely ignoring them. I was furious and confronted her about it. If Marek suspected that I was hiding information from him as well...".

"What kind of progress had Cassandra actually made?" Dalton knew that the answer to this question was crucial. If Marek had thought that Turner was completed, there would be no need to keep Dr Voss alive. Her death would instead leave Marek with the only working upgraded HoloSphere. No doubt a valuable csset in the black market.

"When I confronted her, she disclosed more of it at Voss Innovations. While I was amazed at the progress that she had made, I remained skeptical about the extent of her disclosure.”

“You thought there was more?”

“Definitely. There were days Cassandra would meet me with a sense of excitement. As a scientist, I recognise that it’s the kind of excitement that came with progress. But she never shared any of it with me or Marek. I suspect she hid other advancements within her personal lab at her apartment.”

“And that’s when you reported this to Marek no doubt.”

Dr Luna paused, touching her neck with her hand. “Yes I did. He mentioned he was going to her apartment to find out for herself." A feeling of guilt started to stir within her. "Dective, please tell me Marek did not murder her?! I would not be able to live with myself.”

“I am still piecing the puzzles together Dr Luna but Marek is certainly a strong suspect at this time. As are you."

Luna's eyes flashed with defiance. "Are you insinuating that I had a hand in her death? It would be counterintuitive for me to want her dead. Despite our disagreements, I would never do such a thing!"

Dalton switched gears. "I understand from her colleague, Dr Kane, that the new Turner has the capability of two-way communication with the human brain, allowing for real-time projection of a user’s desires. A technology that could easily be misused. Someone with enough knowledge could manipulate the system, even potentially cause harm to Dr. Voss."

"Yes, but so do other scientists, even Dr Kane" she shot back, "and Marek had access to numerous experts. Don't you think Dr Kane might have grown tired of Cassandra's ego overshadowing him? And Marek... he was growing increasingly frustrated with her secrecy."

Dalton leaned back, studying Luna. "So, you're suggesting that either Kane or Marek had a stronger motive?"

"All I'm saying," Luna said carefully, "is that in a game where so much is at stake, anyone could be driven to take drastic measures."

The room's silence became palpable as Dalton weighed Luna's words, wondering where the twisted path of this investigation would lead him next.

Dalton tapped a few buttons on his wrist device, bringing up a hologram visual from the crime scene – the haunting holograms of Dr. Voss flickering around her lifeless body. "Dr. Luna, can you explain what we're looking at here?" Dalton asked, pointing to the display.

She leaned forward, her eyes analyzing the hologram. She took a second to compose herself after noticing the numerous HoloSphere generated emotional figures of Dr Voss. "These aren't the usual projections from a HoloSphere. They seem like... memories."

"But isn't that impossible? HoloSpheres don't record or project memories."

Luna sighed, "Under normal circumstances, yes. But the Turner prototype was designed for bi-directional communication between the brain and a HoloSphere. If Cassandra had finalised the prototype, it could potentially record and replay memories. Her memories."

Dalton's eyes sharpened, "So, you're saying these could be her actual memories, a sort of visual diary?"

Dr. Luna nodded. "It's speculative, but yes."

"But why would she do this? Why record her own memories?"

"Maybe it was an accident, a byproduct of her testing. Or maybe, just maybe, she wanted to leave behind a trail, something that would tell her story if something happened to her."

The implication of Dr. Luna's words hung in the air, adding another layer of mystery to Dr. Voss's death.