Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency Year Two: Case File No. 39-91
AMBER LOVE 11-FEB-2019 Catch up on Year One and previous Year Two cases at the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency. This work is supported by the generous backers who adore my cat stories at Patreon.com/amberunmasked and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and podcast. For a one-time tip, you can go to the new PayPal.me.
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Where we left off:
In the previous chapter we discussed how we’re trying to make some improvements to the property and to public space for the wildlife and for the cats. Don’t litter. It’s a dick move.
They Came From Beyond Space
You won’t believe how 2019 started off for us. On January 2, it was a lovely enough day for an outside adventure. Detective Burton Guster Nabu has some quirky routines he likes to follow and it throws me off when he diverts from them. Typically, he goes directly out the back door of the main residence and walks up the stone pathway to the lower parking lot. That’s the area with a short rock wall around it inhabited by the Chipmunk Mafia boss, Cheeks Moretti. You read about that neighborhood frequently in our case files because of how often Gus and Oliver like to patrol there.
Between the stony path and the driveway is a bit of the grassy backyard and a tall hedgerow of burning bushes. This is hedge is a great nesting spot for catbirds in the spring and summer. Chipmunks use it for cover as they dart between neighborhoods. Other than that, we aren’t used to spotting anything out of the ordinary.
Let me go back to last summer, July 2018. I did spot something strange under the burning bush, but after thinking about the object for weeks, I decided it wasn’t anything notable. Now that something else has come up, it’s time to revisit that first object.
A glint of bright blue caught my eye. We had been finding brilliant blue eggshells around the yard from the blue fairy’s hatchlings. By the time Gus allowed me to get close enough to the blue thing, I took a photo. I could tell then that it wasn’t one of Eugenia Elmore’s eggs. It was a blue and black sphere. As I periodically reviewed the photo, I convinced myself it was simply a toy ball that had flown over the fenced yard of the neighbors.
Jumping ahead in time to January 2019, this new discovery is something I believe to be linked to that blue and black sphere. When I spotted something blood red at the base of the hedge’s trunk, I had to pause and think whether any of the scarlet leaves from autumn could have been left dangling behind. It didn’t look quite right though. I kept my eyes on Gus since we were in the driveway. I had to be quick. He showed no interest in this discovery while it was still under the hedge. I thought I saw feet! I took a couple pictures then carefully lifted the object from the trunk.
The item was humanoid in shape, but more like a robot in appearance. I had to do my visual inspection while walking behind Gus. He chose to pursue other matters. This little robot figure has human-like musculature, but it also has armor and articulation like a machine. Its face looked rather menacing. I couldn’t wait to get back inside to wash it off and show Oliver.
Case Findings:
I reminded Oliver about the spherical object being found within several feet of this itty-bitty robot person. He was able to work out the measurements in his head since I never took any of the sphere. Based on his calculations, the blue and black sphere was a transport for the nanobot. Although the little metal man appears to have been strong, he would have melted while entering the atmosphere. Therefore, as Oliver deduced, the little metal man or “iron man” would have required a spaceship to get here.
This iron man has lost all power but can be manually articulated at certain joints: neck on the transverse plane; and shoulders on the sagittal plane. He shows no response to light stimulation. None of us have located anything resembling a port to recharge him. His hands are locked in curled up fist position which Oliver believes to be significant. He said this wee iron man could have been in the middle of a fight or some other smashing activity when he had to summon his pod and leave. There could have been a malfunction disabling his ability to release his hands from the gripping position. Oliver said that would also mean that any commands issued to the pod were done so without typing or pushing button, most likely verbally executed. We aren’t sure if it was created on Earth, left, then returned or if it’s alien in origin.
For now, the little iron man stands on my desk. If there’s anything to report in the future, we will make notes and report back. We’d love to get a peek under the hood so to speak and see what’s really inside this armor.
Status: Closed
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.