Part 1 of The Osiris Enigma.

As Quinn walked down the long corridor leading to the OEWI Research and Development Center he was lost in thought about what could possibly have been overlooked in the Osiris investigation. The forensic samples from pilot Harold Moore’s autopsy had been verified and double-checked. The results were all identical. The L.A. medical examiner, FBI and NSA forensics were all in agreement. There were no drugs other than caffeine and traces of viagra indicated in the toxicity screens. No suicidal tendencies or other significant psychological problems were uncovered during the review of pilot and crew competency exams. Why on Earth would the pilot and crew deliberately crash an airplane full of innocent passengers into the Pacific Ocean? How could the QED Syndicate have caused the crashes as they claimed? Finally, Quinn reached the guard at the doorway.

“You OK Agent Quinn?” the portly guard mumbled through a mouthful of bearclaw and black coffee.

“Yeah Hubert, I’m fine...just having a bad day. Goin’ to see Berkman again.”

“Sign here boss” Hubert said, chewing steadily as Quinn signed the roster.

Berkman was a slim wisp of a man wearing a white lab coat, horn-rimmed glasses and yellow paisley bow tie. He was waiting for Quinn in the forensic section of the R&D lab, peering into a microscope.

“Hey Berk, Thompson has been chewing my ass into hamburger over the Osiris File...”

Before Quinn could say any more Berkman interrupted. “I can fix Thompson for you, just give me a few minutes to mix up a little botulinum-toxin cocktail and I promise your problems will be over!”

Quinn chuckled, “Now Berk, you know bo-tox has to be signed for, and guess who they will come looking for first when he’s gone?”

“Yeah, that’s too bad isn’t it?” smiled Berkman.

“We must have missed something Berk. We need to go over all the Osiris data and the forensics on Moore again.”

Berk looked up from his microscope and replied, “All right Quinn, seems to me you like beating your head on a brick wall, but if you insist...”

Leaving the laboratory they took a short walk down the hall to a stainless steel security door. Berk punched in the daily pass code and opened the door to the evidence storage room. Browsing the shelves, Berk pulled the Osiris file box down onto the bench.

“Let’s start with the Flight Recorder data and voice transcripts.” Said Quinn.

Berk opened the files and spread the data across the bench. They poured over the black box data and found again an entirely normal data stream until the aircraft reached cruising altitude. Then, according to the records, the autopilot had been switched off manually. The aircraft was placed into a high velocity descent causing engine failure and loss of control. Seconds later, the data stream ended as the aircraft slammed into the Pacific. The voice recording tape revealed no activity in the cockpit after take off clearance. This evidence was indeed unusual and had already perplexed Quinn and Berk alike. The only conclusion that could be drawn, and the one Quinn reported to Thompson, was that someone on the crew had deliberately sabotaged the flight. The pilot, co-pilot and navigator were either all in on the action or the perpetrator(s) had incapacitated the others.

None of this evidence, however, could explain why this crash happened with an otherwise stable aircraft, pilot and crew. The cursory re-examination of the evidence took Quinn and Berk about 3 hours, leaving them both tired and weary.

“Berk, I think we’re looking in the wrong place.” said a bloodshot and bleary eyed Quinn. “We need to re-evaluate the autopsy findings...there has to be something physical to help explain this crash.”

Berk added, “You’ve got to be right if we're ever going to get that bulldog Thompson off your case...but the Moore family must be anxious. We need to call Washington and see if they can delay releasing the body to buy some time.” They immediately phoned NSA headquarters and had the forensic team countermand the release order on Moore’s body. Quinn and Berk agreed to call it a night and fly out to the Los Angeles NSA medical facility the following day.

End Part 2

Move on to read part 3