Episode 3 - Random Bite - Sus

[00:00:00] Lovers of horror, fans of mystery, welcome to JB's radio show, the one and only place for original fiction written and narrated by JB Cross himself and guest authors. For the amusement of all you creepy crawlies out there, we've got a great tale pulled out of the trunk for you as we lead up to the release of our first special event. But first, a word from today's sponsor. [00:00:26] Oh no. I ripped it out. A set of pants. My mate is gonna kill me. [00:00:31] Oh, that's too bad, old chum. Say, you know what you need? You need shifty shifts. Shifty shifts? That's right. Shifty shifts. They're the clothes that shift their shape as you do. Why, their patented blend of fibers is strong enough to take even a direct blow from an axe and still curve around the bevel of the blade. It sounds too good to be true. [00:00:53] Oh, it's true all right, old chum. Tell your mate to come with you and get her own pair. Why, they even have offspring sizes for those little ones that are growing faster than their clothes can handle. [00:01:04] That's fantastic. Thanks, friend. We'll go check them out tonight. [00:01:09] Shifty Shifts, Changing shape with you to cover your ass. Available in most backroom stores. [00:01:17] And now our feature presentation. [00:01:21] Sus. [00:01:30] Where did it happen? Wecker asks. [00:01:34] Saturn tapped a gloved finger on the display. Hercule found his body in the corridor outside of Oxygen Storage. Damn, polo said. I just moved Medical's oxygen supply back in there. [00:01:45] Saturn's eyes narrowed. I know. I saw you on the security feed. Hercule crossed his arms over his chest. Seems kinda suspicious. Polo's eyes widened. No. Come on, I. I loved Captain Green. Why would I kill him? [00:02:03] Fohman leaned forward, staring daggers at Pullo over the display table. You lost quite a bit of money to him yesterday. [00:02:11] I already paid him. How would I get him back if he's too dead to play cards next week? Pillow asked. His face was pale and he looked from one man to the next, but he found no friendly faces. [00:02:23] Yetram alcohol. Lock Polo and his quarters until we figure this out, saturn instructed. [00:02:30] Who puts you in charge? Polo asked. Come on, guys. I didn't do this. [00:02:37] We're not dumping you out of the airlock. We're just confining you until we talk over the evidence. Then we'll go from there. Saturn's tone brooked no argument. [00:02:47] Don't listen to him, guys. You know me. I couldn't hurt the captain. I wouldn't. [00:02:52] Let's go, yetrim said. He tugged Polo by the arm. Just hang out in your quarters for a little while. There's no harm in that, is there? [00:03:01] Polo opened his mouth to argue further, but Alcoul stepped to the other side of him and took his other arm. Polo sighed and let them escort him from the bridge. [00:03:10] Saturn looked at Fohman. Find anything on the body? [00:03:14] Fohlman straightened and picked at his fingernails. [00:03:18] Cause of death was a single puncture through the back of the head. Exit wound through the nasal cavity. Solar's Fury, wecker said. He looked away to the corner of the room, fingers at his mouth. [00:03:30] Yeah, fohman agreed. We all know what leaves that kind of wound. If one of those things is on board, we need to start testing, saturn said. Fohman scoffed and shook his head. The tests are gone. I did an inventory an hour before we found the Captain. I was looking for them when I got the call. [00:03:48] Why didn't you report that? Saturn asked. I did. To the captain. He wanted to do an investigation. I guess it didn't go his way. [00:03:58] There's an understatement, hercules said. You think this is funny? Saturn asked. Do you find humor in Captain Green's murder? How about when they blow us to atoms when we try to land at Lunar 7? Will that be funny too? [00:04:13] Alright, alright, it was just a joke, wecker said. Saturn whipped around. This isn't the time for jokes. We've got to figure out who the changeling is or we're all dead. [00:04:26] We could just not tell anybody and land anyway? Herkyel suggested. Falmin looked at him aghast. Absolutely not. If it got loose on the base Saturn shook his head. No, no. We're going to figure out who it is and deal with them. Then we'll report it and hope they test us rather than destroy us. Polo raised. A fair point, wecker said, tapping his chin and frowning. Who did put you in charge? [00:04:54] Saturn frowned at him and crossed his arms but didn't answer. [00:04:59] As I remember, you were the one who recommended the captain take the shortcut through the quarantine zone, hercule pointed out. You were also the one who loaded the supplies on Vernak 7, Wecker said. I was with him and we all got tested when we re boarded, fulmin said. Frankly, Doc, that just makes you both suspicious, hercule replied. Falmin and Saturn exchanged glances. [00:05:24] Alcol and Yautram came back in and glanced at the other four's stony expressions. [00:05:30] Polo's locked up, ytram said. He glanced at each of them again. Something else happen? [00:05:36] There's a changeling on board, Alcol gasped and fell into a chair, his eyes wide. Yetrim swallowed. How do we know the wound on Captain Green's body? Fohman said. [00:05:49] Throw it out of the airlock, alcol said. We gotta get rid of it. [00:05:54] We don't know who. Saturn started to say. Yes, we do, alcol said. You said you saw him on the security feed two minutes before the captain died. That's not a guarantee. There won't be a guarantee, alcoul said. He shot to his feet, big fists clench. I was on Grendel 9 when it got infected. I know what happens next. We need to throw that thing out and watch it die to be sure. He's got a point, hercule said. It's the safest bet. What? No, saturn said, frowning. Ten minutes ago you were sure Polo killed Captain Green, wekker said. Now we know why he did and what we have to do about it. This is crazy. You can't just execute somebody without a trial, saturn said. This is the trial, hercule replied. Is one man's life worth the risk? [00:06:43] Silence reigned for a moment. [00:06:46] No, fahlman said. No, it's not. [00:06:49] Saturn looked at Fohman with betrayed exasperation. Dr. Fahlman, you can't possibly agree with the changeling killed the captain. The evidence points to Polo. We don't have tests to confirm, and this isn't something we could just wait out. [00:07:05] No, we're not doing it. Saturn crossed his arms and shook his head. No. [00:07:10] Nobody put you in charge, wecker reminded him. We should put it to vote. [00:07:16] Saturn opened his mouth to object, but Alcol spoke first. I vote yea. Me too, hercules said. And me, wekker put in. Nay, yetrim said. He looked down at his feet. No, saturn said. Falman chewed his lip as all eyes turned to him. [00:07:35] Finally, he heaved a sigh. [00:07:40] Yay. Saturn threw up his hands and scoffed. Alcohol pumped his fists. [00:07:48] Please. Please, I. I didn't do it. I swear I didn't do it, polo pleaded. Alcol shoved him through the airlock door without reply. Alcohol, pal. Come on. Come on, man. Come on. The door slid closed. Watch the body, fohlman said. If it changes shape when it meets vacuum, he was a changeling. [00:08:07] If it doesn't? Yetrim asked. Falman's fingers closed on the external release lever. Then we killed an innocent man. [00:08:16] Polo never changed. [00:08:21] I just can't believe it, hercule said. He slid into a seat across from Fohman and set his coffee on the table. Are you certain it would change on contact with vacuum? [00:08:31] Fohman looked up from his bowl of soup. Yeah, I'm sure it has to do with its neural impulses as it dies. [00:08:39] Hercule nodded and sipped from his coffee. [00:08:43] An alarm began to blare. A robotic female voice announced, emergency. Emergency. Emergency Room C. They leaped to their feet and bolted out of the cafeteria. They found Wecker and Saturn outside the engineering room door. What happened? Fohman asked. [00:08:59] I found Yetrim in there, wecker said, motioning toward the engineering room. [00:09:04] Fohman tried to push past them. Let me see. It's too late, saturn said. He glowered at each of them, then asked, where's Alcohol? No one answered. We need to find him, fohman said. He turned to walk away. It's obvious, isn't it? Saturn asked. Alcol insisted. We kill Polo, then another body turns up. Wecker nodded. Then he looked down at his feet. [00:09:29] Fohman wasn't so quick to agree. You're jumping to you said yourself that one life isn't worth the risk, saturn said. Three men are dead. Now you want to stop and have a trial? Alcohol was supposed to be with Yetram in Engineering, but he's not here. [00:09:44] He did insist we execute Pillow without a trial, herkil put in. And Ytaram was the only one who agreed with Saturn. [00:09:52] Fulmin frowned and looked away. [00:09:55] I know what I said before, but now you're gonna balk? Saturn asked through clenched teeth. He stepped closer, almost nose to nose with Fohman. [00:10:04] Maybe you're working with Alcohol. If there's one, there could be two. Wecker put a hand on Saturn's shoulder. Alright, alright, let's calm down. [00:10:14] Saturn shrugged the hand off but stepped back. His angry stare was still fixed on Falmin. I vote yay. Me too, wekker said. Hercule just nodded. Falman chewed his lip, staring back at Saturn. His eyes brimmed with tears. [00:10:31] Yes. They found Alcohol in his quarters, laying on his bunk. It took all four of them to subdue him and drag him to the airlock. [00:10:42] The big man didn't plead as Polo did. Alcohol never changed either. [00:10:49] Foeman shoved Saturn against the wall. You're 0 for 2, buddy. Pretty bad scorecard. [00:10:55] Saturn shoved him back. That's where the evidence pointed. You're the one. That's twice you insisted. It had to be someone. But it wasn't, wecker said, pulling Saturn away from Fulman. You've killed as many as the changeling at this point, hercules said. He grabbed Saturn by the other arm when he swung a fist at Wekker and missed. Funny how you were the only one who saw the security feed of Polo. [00:11:16] Saturn spat in Hercules face. You wanna go look at it? Go look. That doesn't matter now, fulman said, his burning gaze fixed on Saturn. We know it wasn't him. Where were you when the captain died? Saturn's eyes widened. I I I was in electrical. Wecker was there too. Wecker was in the cafeteria with me, hercule said quietly. Wecker nodded. Saturn looked from Hercule to Wecker, then back to Fulman. They're lying. I swear by the solar they're lying. I vote yay, wecker said. Me too, herkiel said. [00:11:50] Fulman didn't say anything. He just stepped back and opened the airlock door. [00:11:57] Saturn didn't change. [00:12:02] Foleman watched his oldest friend's body drift in the vacuum for a moment, then slowly turned to Hercule. The man stood there, smiling back at him. Fulmin wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. [00:12:15] You were lying, weren't you? [00:12:17] Humans are so emotional, Hercules. So quick to join the lynch mob. [00:12:24] Fohlman felt a presence at his back and knew Wecker had slid up behind him. [00:12:29] Wecker whispered, all you had to do was wait us out. Make us test at Lunar 7. But it was too much of a risk now. You're outnumbered, Dr. Herkil said. He shook his head. I vote yay. Me too, wecker whispered. Wecker's tongue extended from his mouth, the tip hardening to a spear point. It passed through the back of Fohman's head and out through his face. [00:12:56] They left his body lying by the airlock two interstellar days later. [00:13:04] The ship landed last night, delko said. He turned to the other Lunar Sector security officers and held up a hologram of one of the bodies. [00:13:12] Several of the crew are missing. The rest are dead. They all have changeling wounds. Solar save us, greely whispered. And it's been on the surface all night? Delco nodded. Lunar 7 reports 12 deaths already, but they haven't had enough tests for the whole colony. What are we supposed to do about it? Jinki asked. Seems to me like they should be quarantined. They are, but they have to find and kill this thing, Delco said. Tribunals start in three hours. The governor requested us to be their firing squad. [00:13:49] Well, wasn't that fun? So sad it's over. Never to fear, friends. We've got another episode next week. Next time we'll examine how evil a corporation can get. Exciting. [00:14:05] In the meantime, check out our website, jbcrossauthor.com to find JB's work in print and more episodes of the podcast. Make sure you also keep up with us on X, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok so you know when our special events and new episodes are coming. In fact, drop us a line while you're there. Give us a spooky or a fun idea. We'll spin it into a nice yarn just for you. Until then, remember friends, don't be too loud at night. Always lock your doors and never stare at the moon. JB's radio show is produced and copyrighted by the Koteri of North America. All rights reserved.