DNA Testing

Posted on 25 Aug 2010 @ 10:33pm by Captain Reva Madhava & Colonel Stadi Andrus

1,587 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M6: Blood of the Innocent
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 2 1200

ON:

After returning from the Ballard, the Science Department, under Meru's direction, had sorted the samples and collected body parts in a form of organization. The sampled scrapings stayed in Sciences; tissue and blood were taken from the body parts and the rest sent to the MedBay for autopsy - as much of an autopsy as dismembered body parts could get.

With her black hair bound back in tight bun, Reva Madhava stood at a lab table, frowning at a report from the centrifuge. The report was another one analyzing blood and tissue samples from the body parts Meru and she had gathered on the Ballard. The results of that analysis puzzled her. Various chemicals were found, but one was a chemical that shouldn't have been present as it was most commonly used as a low-grade preservative, something akin to formaldehyde. As far as Reva knew, it wasn't an explosive, wasn't used in any engineering applications, and wasn't used in... well... in anything besides preserving non-food organics.

Thinking that the much more senior Meru would have an idea of why this chemical was present, Reva went to the Lieutenant's office and poked her head in, "Hey, Lieutenant? I have this strange outcome and was hoping you might be able to shed some light on it."

Anara put up a finger to let Reva know that she needed a minute. She wrote quickly, "In conclusion my findings are evidence of these metallic alloys: Zamak, Molybdochalkos, Megallium and Duralumin."

She looked up at Reva and then stood up. She leaned back to crack her back and then she made her way over to the ensign, "Alright, ensign. Show me your findings." She followed Reva to the lab.

Back by the centrifuge, Reva showed her the report and explained, "Unless there's a use for that chemical compound that I'm not aware of, there's no reason for this to be present." She paused; Her lips pressed together as she thought. "Perhaps seeing what medical has found would shed some light on this."

"This chemical is used to preserve flesh. That...wouldn't make any sense why that would be there. It's almost as if someone planted a dead body there. Did you figure out what the race was by the genetic code?" Anara said after looking at the report. She scrolled down to see if she could find the answer herself.

"Um... I did, but I haven't run the DNA code to determine what species or race it comes back as. Perhaps medical has done that already," Reva grimaced, knowing she'd been less than thorough but.... Medical had the body parts - she was certain they'd have run it.

"Alright, let's see what the medical department has to say. Bring your findings," she said. She began leading the way to the medical department. Once they were inside, she looked around for Lt. Hemmingway.


Melanie turned the corner to see both women standing there. "I thought I might see you two today." She smiled.

Anara smiled at Melanie, "I'm happy to know that. Have you done any DNA testing? Madhava has managed to get the code, but we haven't matched it to a race yet. I'm sure medical would have a extensive data on the races of genetic codes."

Melanie shook her head. "No, I haven't. Sickbay has been so busy that I haven't had a chance to breathe yet. Come to my office and I will run your findings through the database and see what we can come up with."

Anara nodded. She handed the vial to Melanie and followed her into the lab of the sickbay. She glanced behind her to make sure that Reva was following.

"Right behind you, Lieutenant," Reva was the last to enter the Doctor's office. "Doctor, has anyone had time to autopsy the body parts or examine them in any way?"

Melanie nodded and put the sample into the scanner to run through the database. "I had a look and I took some tissue samples. It is odd though...the cell structure is all wrong, it is like the tissue was frozen and the limbs placed there. As if they were in some sort of freezer...there weren't any hull breaches were there?"

"There were, but the tissues we collected were in the ship - a hull breach would have sucked the bodies out, then frozen 'em," Reva answered, "We wouldn't have been able to collect them on the ship."

"Even if there was the cells would of burst in a particular way and that doesn't explain the odd burst pattern that I saw." Melanie frowned and looked at the console as the computer worked through the database.

"We found a preservative in the tissue samples and blood, but only in particular samples," Reva said and named the chemical knowing the Doctor would know its uses. "Here, the tissues corresponding to this DNA code," she pointed to one of the codes, "are the ones that had the preservative. I couldn't come up with a reason for it to be there."

Anara listened to the women speaking, Reva seemed to be handling herself well- answering the questions correctly. Since there wasn't much for her to add, she simply took in what they said and tried to figure out the pieces of the puzzle.

"It almost sounds like someone purposely put dead bodies there...but why would anyone do that..?" she spoke softly out loud while she was in her own thinking process.

"I am not liking this one bit ladies. The captain should be notified of our findings." She said as the console beeped. "The sample is Larucian." Melanie looked up from the console.

"Preservative in a Larucian? Is it possible that's a natural thing for the Larucians?" Reva's brow furrowed and she glanced at Meru. "Doctor, the samples that show freeze patterns, are Larucian also?"

"They are Larucian and Kyari as well...I don't understand...," said Melanie.

Anara nodded in agreement, this information definitely needed to be given to the CO. Still..there was more here. "Is there a way that we can find out how they died? If it wasn't from the explosion...then what was the cause of death? Have you been able to fit the body pieces together? Were there any sign of strangling or stabbing?"

"The bodies seem to be cut up after they died...it was as if they were injected with the preservative while they were still alive and that caused their deaths but there is no way to know for sure. The body parts were surgically cut, there is no jagged marks on the bones that I would expect and it looks as if the parts were deliberately altered to look like they were in an explosion or fire fight." Melanie handed Anara a PADD with autopsy results on it.

Trying to catch a glance at the autopsy results, Reva crowded Anara. "Were all of the body parts that way? Did any of them die in the explosion?"

"Here." Melanie said handing Reva another PADD with the same results. "The Kyari died in the explosion."

Reva smiled in thanks, took the padd and looked over the autopsy report.

Anara nodded at Melanie as she looked at the citing, "We need to show this to the Captain right away. I'm not sure exactly what this means- except that it is likely the culprit wanted us to believe that there were Lucarian alive and killed in the explosion. I wonder if they had the pieces hidden in the room with the Kyari or if they added the body parts after the Kyari died? That would be a question that I'm sure Intelligence could handle. Do you have any other results to tell me?"

"Lieutenant, by the damage on the body parts we collected, all of the body parts were in the explosion - the charring patterns didn't seem out of place on any of them," Reva reasoned, remembering what the pieces had looked like. "But, if the Larucians were already dead when put on the shuttles, then... were the explosives hidden inside the bodies? Is there anyway we could determine that?"

Anara gave a smirk, "If the body parts were placed before the explosion, they must have been hidden somehow. Otherwise, someone would have had to place them there and I wouldn't think it would be too difficult to place similar charring patterns on body parts. It's just a matter of when they might have time to do it and not be seen."

"If the explosives were placed in the body parts there wouldn't be anything left of them would there? I'm not an explosive specialist and I don't know how the materials used would explode..." Melanie's mind was spinning trying to solve a puzzle she didn't have all the answers to.

"These are definitely things we can think of while continuing our investigation. Thank you for your help. Would you mind if I uploaded this onto my PADD?" she said to Melanie.

"Be my guest." Melanie nodded.

"Thanks," she said. Once everything was uploaded she continued, "Keep me informed of anything new that you find." She gave a nod to the CMO and then made her way out of sickbay. She gestured for Reva to follow.

Also nodding to the CMO, Reva followed Meru out of sickbay.

"You're welcome." Melanie called out and turned back to her work.

OFF:

Lt. Meru Anara
Chief Science Officer
USS Achilles

&

Ens.Reva Madhava
Science Officer
USS Achilles

&

Lt. Melanie Hemmingway
ACMO
USS Achilles

 

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