Synopsis
Ergo-Jen Hasselti, Jen to her friends, is what is known in the post-scarcity city of Nusquama as a Ultimatum, a private detective sent in as a last resort when the powers that run the city have no choice but to admit there’s a problem. Nusquama is supposed to be the perfect city, where crime is not just rare, but impossible.
When a body is found that no one can identify, Ergo and numerous other Ultimatums are called in. Their task? To discover who the corpse was, and how such a crime was possible.
Things quickly become dangerous when the other Ultimatums start dying, and investigation suggests that the perpetrator has a far larger scope in mind than an unidentifiable corpse. Ergo-Jen knows that she’ll solve the case, she always does, but can she save Nusquama, and is it even worth it?
(This is an entry for the January Royal Road Magazine. Prompt: Immortality is a myth)