In a small town near the northern mountainous regions inside a small town two people were sat on opposite sides of a bench inside a public park. One was dressed in a white winter coat, gloves and dark green jeans, the other wore a dark blue pinstripe suit. The frosty air was noticeable as he breathed out with a slight chill, his body shivering despite his warm clothing.

The man in the suit had a lean frame but showed no signs of noticing the cold temperatures. His posture was relaxed with outstretched feet. A dark green backpack lay next to him.

‘Aren’t you feeling cold sir?’

‘No, no. It’s refreshing to enjoy this type of weather. Quaint. I just don’t feel the cold, nor much heat. I’m fortunate that way.’

‘I mean, we can move inside if you feel that’s better. It’s kinda chilly outside.’

The two sat on the bench still, silent for a moment before the pin-stripe-suited man stretched out his hands in front of him.

‘I’d rather conclude our little business transaction. Did the Sheriff’s office give you any trouble?’

‘Nope. As an office administrator as long as I get my work done, they barely notice me. It’s not as though I’m involved in the investigation process or interviewing people, just reading through the paperwork for any errors, correcting mistakes, and making sure it gets filed away. If you asked me to access the evidence locker, then I’d have to refuse. I don’t want a part of any illegal actions.’

The man in the suit nodded lightly.

‘Well spoken. Your efforts won’t go unrewarded though. Say, do you feel a little bit parched?’

‘Not unless you wanted to move to the café down the street. Like I said, I’m kinda chilly here.’

The man in the winter jacket gestured towards a diner where the sign was visible on the outskirts of the small inner town park.

‘Well, after we finish our little conversation if you feel the need to drink something you’ll need some money to buy it then.’

A wad of banknotes was dropped onto the bench between the two people. The sound that it made rang out in the crispy cold air.

His eyes opened wide for a second before he sat up. He had thought about reaching out to touch it but decided to ask a question.

‘What’s that?’

‘A future drink order of your choice.’

‘I don’t know about that…you said this needed to be discreet.’

‘Don’t you work hard in your job? Shouldn’t you deserve more for your efforts?’

‘Sure, I guess so.’

‘Fantastic. Please do let me know if you feel thirsty again.’

‘OK…’

‘Now, just to start our little chat. I’m going to ask a few questions and I’d appreciate any answers that you can provide me within the limit of your capabilities.’

‘Yes, sir.’

The man in the suit frowned at the word.

‘How many people would you say live in this little town of yours?’

‘Well, gee. It’s not that many. The tragic deaths of some of the older folk reduced the population a little bit. It’s sad what happened.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that. But please can you give me a rough idea of your town’s population?’

‘It was around eight hundred. Less the recent deaths. Tragedies they were.’

‘Why don’t you tell me what happened. You did find out information, right?’

‘Are you a government agent? I just want to confirm this isn’t entrapment.’

The park only had a few visitors at this time of day. It was mostly people taking it as a shortcut towards their next destination.

Glancing around nervously as though there was a law enforcement team hiding in the nearby bushes the man in the winter coat carefully tucked the bank notes away inside a hidden pocket.

The man in the suit shook his head lightly and smiled as though amused by the actions of the other man. A look flickered through his eyes for a fraction of a second.

‘No, no. Just call me a concerned citizen. Here’s something to show a little appreciation for your efforts. How many have died so far?’

Another wad of banknotes covered in a brown bag was removed from the suit jacket of the lean man as he placed on the bench.

‘Oh. Thanks, sir. I think it was three, not five. All in the four months.’

‘My goodness, is there a serial killer at large? The county sheriff should be called at least. Or even bring it up to federal authority. Five is quite a large number of deaths in such a short time for a small town such as yours.’

‘Well, it’s all been released to the press as accidents so far. At least that was what the sheriff said before she disappeared.’

‘Did she now? Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?’

‘No sir, she said she had planned to take a holiday last month. Her Deputies took over for temporary until she returns.’

‘She’s a lucky sheriff then.’

‘She’s a good woman. Strict but fair.’

‘What form did the accidents take then?’

‘Well, the first was a vehicle that fell on a person in a garage. A real shame, but the sheriff found that it was a severe mechanical fault in the car lifter. It was as though someone had ripped out part of the hydraulics. But nobody could do that, not even with tools. Could have been an insurance fraud gone wrong’

‘These deaths do sound tragic. Are you able to fill me in on the rest?’

‘The second one was far too sudden. It was an older person in the local clinic who needed a large quantity of oxygen due to a long-term illness. But the oxygen cylinders were all broken.’

‘You mean that someone had tampered with the oxygen seals or valves?’

‘No, it was more like someone had used a tool to break the canisters themselves.’

‘Like a hammer?’

‘Well, the clinic is manned twenty-four by a nurse and other staff. They all swore that they didn’t hear a single sound.’

‘Can you tell me exactly how the canisters were damaged? This is important.’

‘My, ah, throat feels thirsty again I guess.’

‘Yes. Here you go.’

Another small brown paper bag filled with stacked bank notes was dropped onto the bench. The gloved hand of the man in the winter suit reached out, checked inside before it disappeared into a winter jacket pocket.

‘Thank you, Sir.

‘Don’t call me that. I’ve made myself clear.’

‘Sorry, it’s a force of habit. You have an aura about yourself. Like my Commanding Officer back when I engaged in the military.’

‘Let’s stick to the information that I’ve requested, shall we? Now, you mentioned a clinic and oxygen cylinders. I need to know how they were damaged. Please.’

‘Staff witnesses were interviewed. They found in the clinic, that they had been forcefully damaged on the side. The cylinders I mean. I’m not sure quite how it happened myself.’

‘Can you clarify that?’

‘There were parallel lines that ran down from the top to the bottom and ended with two smallish punctures. The lines were imprinted into the metal. So deep it caused the cylinder to bend inward. To do that quietly they must have had special equipment. I don’t get it. There was a rumour that they were looked like fingerprint indents. Can you believe it? Sounds crazy right?’

‘….’

‘I’m serious! You paid for the information, and I’ve tried to get it. You can’t take back your money just because you think I lied. God’s honest truth, it’s all in the copies in the folder. I don’t know where the rumours came from. I risked my job for this.’

‘Calm down. The money is yours to keep. If you say that it happened, then I’ll accept it as a fact. How long did you serve in the armed forces?

‘I was in the Drone Corps for fourteen years. Did my time before I decided it was time to quit.’

‘Drone…?’

‘Yeah, I know it doesn’t sound that good, but I did my job to save lives. Mostly dropped off supplies for emergency medical aid.’

‘A drone? An insect?’

‘No. A machine, the ones that fly.’

‘I see. A small robot that is controlled.’

‘Yes Sir.’

‘I asked you not to call me sir. Several times now.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Now, we’ve covered the first two accidents. What about the sixth?’

‘I think you mean the third.’

‘Right, right. My mistake. Tell me about it.’

‘It was the result of two hay bales.’

‘I know that it isn’t funny that a person got killed by accident. But hay bales?’

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‘Yes sir. Eyewitness accounts reported two hay bales fell through the air down a hill and crushed a car on the road. They came from on a farm up the slope. Unexpected it was. The farmer is still under investigation.’

‘Did they find any vehicle tracks near the hay bales that would be evidence of a deliberate act?’

‘No. The sheriff did an investigation along with her deputies that did not show any tire or other forms of track nearby.’

‘What about footprints? It could have been a large group of people who got involved as part of a dare. Or a the work of a criminal gang.’

‘…No. The weight and size of a hay bale are around 1600lb. I have no idea what could have caused it.’

‘….Hmm. It was just a freak accident then.’

‘Yes sir. Could have been the wind or a whole herd of cows. I didn’t see any records of hoof prints in the report though.’

‘The fourth?’

‘Well, that was a sad one. The Sheriff was about to call for the government to come investigate last I heard. These four deaths hit her hard, that’s why she went on vacation to her cabin in the woods for a few days. I don’t blame her for it. All those people. It’s tragedy.’

‘Right, you mean five deaths. Tell me, do you feel thirsty again?’

‘Now that you mention it, sir, I do feel a bit parched. I guess I just lost my memory there for a moment. Five deaths it was.’

This time a larger stack of cash notes was placed on the bench. This time with a little more force.

The man reached out, grabbed the wad of notes, and stuffed away in a hurry this time. His movements showed his growing anxiety.

‘You do know that I’m happy to provide for a thirsty friendly local citizen who’s happy to help me find some answers.’

‘Yessir.’

‘I’d like to hear about the last two accidental deaths in this town.’

‘The fourth was sad. That poor lady.’

‘You already said it was said, tell me about it.’

‘A fire hydrant hit a woman and her pet dog on the High Street. She was struck right in the head with it. A heavy goods truck just blew a tire on the way out of town and it straight crashed into the fire hydrant. The water pressure from the ground just exploded that heavy chunk of metal right off into the air where it struck the lady right in the head. She died instantly. Her dog was luckier though. Poor thing.’

‘A metal fire hydrant? I assumed they were fixed into the ground.’

‘Yessir. I don’t know anyone who could pick one of those up.’

‘What about the driver of the truck?’

‘The driver swore to the sheriff that she wasn’t under the influence of any chemicals, drugs, or alcohol. No traces were found inside the vehicle either. The tire just went pop, the friction on the road combined with the speed of the truck that caused the tire to just overheat and blow out at that moment. It’s kinda odd because the weather has been so cold. They were pretty old tires too.’

‘Heat friction caused a blowout. That’s the official version?’

‘Yessir. You can read through all of these in the copy of the reports. You aren’t a reporter or someone into morbid stuff, are you? I mean these deaths have affected this town. They were all good people and for all of it to happen over a month. What are the chances of that?’

‘Slim but not impossible. The last death. I’ll read the reports later if you leave that file on the bench. Remember, I’ll have a larger reward for you once I have all the relevant information.’

‘Yes sir. Thank you, sir.’

‘Again. Stop it with the sir. I’m not in the military. Not the police, not law enforcement. Call me a concerned citizen.’

This time the man in the suit said it with a severe tone and his voice stretched out for a moment. The sounds in the park froze for a moment.

‘Yes, si-. Sorry.’

‘Tell me about the last accident that occurred in your little town. The fifth one. It’s strange how life works out. Human lives can be so frail.’

‘Yup.’

‘I’m not a resident of your little town but it has been such a shame that all those people died.’

‘Uh, yeah. Do you want to hear about the fifth death now?’

‘Yes, yes. Let me hear the details of it.’

‘Sure. There’s a popular fast-food place in town. Wheaty-Meats. Did you try it yet? They got this lab-grown meat that tastes good with their special sauce in a pickle-rye bun. The people in the town think it’ll pick up more business and become popular in the cities around when they set up the factory. I love how they got this whole set-up where they grow the meat in front of you. That’s how they guarantee that it doesn’t come from an animal. Not a vegan or vegetarian myself but the mean tastes so good.’

‘Spare me the details. What does an accidental death have to do with a fast-food restaurant?’

‘I mean it! The food there is good, you should check it out when you have the chance. The place will put our little town on the map!’

‘I need details on the accident. I promise I’ll check out the non-meat factory of Wheat when I have a moment. Meat that doesn’t come from an animal. The thought intrigues me.’

‘Yeah, it’s become a popular trend in the last few years. Pretty big stuff now. You been stuck inside a cave Mister? Everyone is keen on no-animal meat.’

‘My business is mine alone. Now, tell me about this last accident.’

‘It was a shock to our town. Mainly, because it just wasn’t expected to happen. But they’ve made a local law to check and reinforce all large signs so it shouldn’t happen again.’

‘I can read all of this in the folder. I’m interested in your impressions. I need a clearer view.’

‘Well…to make it simple. The sign for Wheaty-Meat fell and crushed an older man.’

‘Another accidental death.’

‘Yes sir.’

‘What did the sheriff find in her report?’

‘Oh, she had left the town by this time. It was her deputies and the Wheaty-Meats owner who did the investigation. The company sent out professional . All the safety checks were double-checked, and they still couldn’t find out what caused it.’

‘How large was the sign?’

‘Oh, it was big. They had the Wheaty-Meats logo and the Meaty-Maker box underneath. Tasty stuff.’

‘You’re sure that it was an accident?’

‘Yup. The owner got involved. She paid for all the specialists who swore that it was an act of god. The whole sign just snapped off in the wind and fell on a poor man. His family did receive compensation. Along with free Wheaty-Meat burgers for life. A real shame that. I think that I went to school with the guy years back. His name was Greg.’

‘Are you sure that the owner wasn’t involved? Power is meant to corrupt force. If her business were to become successful, then what would be better than free publicity.’

‘No, no. I don’t think the owner would be that kind of woman. Paid for the whole event as well. It was lovely, she cried at the funeral.’

‘Great. Now to quench your thirst a bit more.’

A larger stack of notes was put down onto the bench so hard that the wood and metal rocked a bit.

‘Woah! Who knew that admin work for the Sheriff would pay so well!’

‘Yes. You’ve been quite thorough in your private investigation on my behalf. Are these copies of the original records?’

‘Yessir.’

‘You know what? I’m going to let all that sir business go for now. I did recall that you used to work in the military with drones, correct?’

‘Yessir.’

‘What made you get into drones? Are they those mechanical balls that float around the sky that do deliveries for people? It’s a very ingenious idea. Who would have thought that electrics would have advanced so far?’

‘Yessir, they’ve advanced a bit since I left the military a few years back. They’re now used for civilian use. May I ask a question?’

‘Yes. Yes. You’ve worked hard enough. I’ll let you ask a question.’

‘It’s your accent. I travelled a bit when I was a kid and also with the military, I travelled to most of the different areas around this country and plenty overseas. I just can’t place it.’

‘Heh. Well, you could say that I’m a new arrival to this great country of yours.’

‘Goddess bless our country.’

‘Indeed. What made you so interested in drones that you would spend so much of your life collaborating with them? And in the military as well?’

‘Well, it’s gonna sound a bit silly.’

‘Nonsense. I promise I won’t laugh. Please, I’d like to know.’

‘Do you know the story of Icarus or Da Vinci?’

‘No. No, I don’t recall those names. Enlighten me if you would.’

‘They were both legends in their time who wanted to experience the world through human flight. I’m not talking about through a machine but just getting into the air like a bird and soaring through the skies. I figured that if I couldn’t experience it in my body then a surrogate was going to be the next best thing. The military had these drones where you would plug yourself in. Full visual and auditory experience. You’d be at headquarters and you could feel see the ground below you. After a while, my old mind and body can’t manage it, so they retired me, but I loved the whole experience. For years of my life, I got to become a creature of the air.’

‘That was your passion? To fly through the air in the form of an electrical machine. Surely, there would have been other methods.’

The man in the winter coat was uncertain for a moment if the other man talked oddly for amusement. He thought that he sounded more like a time traveller than anything else.

‘I wanted the full experience of flight. Flying an immersive drone was the next best thing for me.’

‘Why did you not try to take an aircraft instead? Flying through the air in a giant metal bird did not appeal to you?’

‘No, no sir. I wanted to experience the world. I did use a paramotor though before the drones.’

‘Explain it to me. I’m not familiar with that word.’

‘It uses a propeller-like on a plane with an engine attached to your back, then you have a chute. If you use one you can fly above the clouds. I once flew seventeen thousand feet into the air before I began to find it hard to breath. I was above the clouds; I could see jets flying in the sky. I did it one time when I was younger but never again.’

‘You like the feeling of being in the sky do you?’

‘Yes Sir, the freedom that it allows is amazing. When you can control your flying it’s a different experience. You can see all the people far, far below you. The feeling you can’t find it on the ground. But through the drone machines, you can fully experience the wind on your face without any of the physical discomforts that come with it.’

‘Interesting. You still rely on a machine for flight.’

‘Well, yes sir, everyone does. It’s part of the human dream to fly in the sky as birds do. We may not have wings, but we learn and use technology. It was Da Vinci who came up with the first machine design that was meant to bring people into the sky.’

‘Who?’

‘…Leonardo da Vinci. The famous inventor?’

‘I’m sorry but I don’t know that name. Did she build the paramotor you were talking about?’

‘…no…’

‘Well, then I’m sure that they were a decent inventor in their way. Did they ever tamper much with the human genome?’

‘I don’t know…’

‘Well, thank you for sharing your hopes and dreams with me. I did promise you a final reward, didn’t I?’

‘Yessir.’

‘I have good news and bad news for you. Firstly, you’re going to get your lifetime wish to fly through the air as a bird does.’

‘I guess…wait what?’

‘What height did you reach previously?’

‘I, um. I reached around seventeen thousand feet before Sir. What are you talking about birds for?’

‘I think we can go beyond that a bit further. In-person of course.’

‘You lost me here.’

‘Secondly, your little town is going to have another little accident occur. While the last few were fun, I’m starting to lose interest. Might be time for another scorched earth scenario. Don’t worry, I won’t destroy your home town just yet. I only want to cover my tracks and presence here.’

‘What? What are you-? Oh my God! How can you float in the air?! You, you’re flying!’

‘Yes, it is one of my little gifts. Now, come join me for a little time in the real heights of the sky.

The small-town park became quiet as the bench was empty again. The sound of fluttering bank notes filled the air and trees in the silence.

A lone voice that would never be heard echoed in the cloud cover far above the ground.

‘She’s going to hate me for this but I’m doing it for her sake. I needed to make a choice for the both of us, this way they can target me in this place. She’ll need to survive though. Ah, there it goes, the human body can be so fragile. What a mess. Time to move on.’