Hard Crash - Christie Golden [11]
Despite everything that had happened, Lense couldn't help laughing at the expression on Emmett's dark face. "Don't worry. We won't be dissecting the body, I promise!"
Em looked very relieved. Still chuckling, Lense gave instructions to the computer. "Computer, prepare to construct accurate holographic replication of the body on the biobed. All weights and textures must be exact."
The biobed closed over the body and a lavender beam washed through the form.
"Prepared and awaiting data," replied the computer in its cool female voice.
"Project the alien's skeletal structure," Lense ordered. "Keep it in the same position as it would normally be if held into place by tissue."
Immediately, the skeleton appeared on the empty bed. It could easily have been mistaken for that of a human, save for the narrower jaw, extreme indentations of the skull at the temple point, longer finger bones and a rib cage that extended almost to the hip.
"What conclusions do you draw from this?" she asked Em. He carefully examined the skeleton, leaning in to peer at it, his hands clasped behind his back.
"No, no," said Lense. "A good doctor uses more than just his eyes. Touch it."
Em was hesitant. "We are not programmed--"
"You'll need to learn to exceed your programming here, Emmett. Go ahead. Touch it. Like this. Computer, adjust image to permit removal of individual bones without disturbing the construction." Lense stepped forward and picked up the skull. She ran her fingers over it, feeling the smooth, slightly oily texture.
"This is unusual," she said, caressing the indentations in the skull. She handed it to Emmett. "What do you make of it?"
"Perfectly circular," he said, emulating her and running his fingers around the holographic skull. "It's unlikely that this is a natural development."
"Part of the torture that we think may have been performed?" It was a leading question, but she wanted to push him.
"No," he replied with certainty. "The indentations are too old, too well integrated into the skull structure to have been inflicted upon an adult. These modifications were begun when the patient--" His face fell a little, realizing that there was no "patient" to treat, only a body to examine. "When the, ah, subject was in infancy and the skull was more malleable."
"Good," approved Lense. "What else?"
Em was starting to get as excited as she was about this old-fashioned method of examination. "There are similar stresses in the radius and ulna. They've been manipulated over a long time to draw away from one another. Again, I would say this was begun in infancy. Perhaps for decorative or ritualistic purposes."
"Good. And the ribcage? What does that indicate?"
"The extended ribcage indicates the strong likelihood of a multiorgan cardiovascular system and perhaps other extra organs humans do not possess. And the lengthy fingers indicate that this race is probably quite dexterous."
"You catch on quickly," said Lense. "Computer, add internal organs except for the brain."
Blue light traveled down the skeleton, leaving in its wake an intriguing jumble of soft tissue. Lense nodded to herself. Emmett's theory of two hearts had been dead on. There were a few extra organs that they did not recognize. She went through them one by one, removing them and handing them to Em for his comments. The functions of most of them were immediately recognizable despite the unusual shapes, textures and colors. All humanoids had hearts, lungs, and organs that formed the function of kidneys and livers. They might have different shapes and colors and be located in different parts of the body, but they were always there. She frowned when they examined the digestive system.
"It's unusually atrophied for a humanoid of this size," she said. "What could be the reason for that?"
Em frowned. "Perhaps this alien has evolved to the point where it does not require fibrous foodstuffs in order to obtain its nutrients."
It was a fascinating development, and one Lense had never before encountered, but it