Balancer by Patrick Wong

occurred. And like the wildfire carcasses, the fish had somehow burned themselves from the inside out.
    As the agents stood gazing across the water, Bishop exhaled loudly. Both men had spent some very long days and nights puzzling over this mystery, which had been complicated by pressure from the Senate security office. It wanted reassurance that Senator Jennings wasn’t the target of any hostile plot, rogue group or mentally disturbed individual.
    “Anything new?” Carter indicated to Bishop’s tablet.
    “No. No notes or threats or people claiming responsibility. No established natural or human anomalies. The seasonal temperature was normal, so the fish didn’t get too hot or too cold. No disease, no toxins, no bad rain.” Bishop thought about it. “Essentially, we are dealing with something that internally combusts stuff. Small stuff, granted. But stuff nevertheless.”
    “Weaponize that, you got yourself some power.”
    “You know, DARPA isn’t far from here …”
    Carter nodded. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was known for its development of classified military weapons.
    “I read a paper on a system being tested for nonlethal crowd control defenses. Made you feel like your skin was burning, which should cause crowds to disperse. But it was also capable of becoming lethal with just some minor modifications.”
    “We should send somebody there. Maybe a rogue scientist … or an unsanctioned test that has gotten out of control?”
    They heard the crunching of footsteps behind them, which abruptly stopped the conversation.
    They turned to find Officer Gillespie.
    “You gentlemen any closer to solving it?” Officer Gillespie stared at them patiently. His question was in earnest.
    Bishop gave a quick glance to Carter, who chuckled. “Well, Officer, the wildfire looks like it was caused by a camping accident. We’re fairly confident of that. That type of thing happens all the time. But we’re continuing to do analyses on the animal deaths. It’s a needle in a haystack now,” Carter said.
    “Well, when you run out of things to test, maybe it’s time you think about finishing up around these parts?” The officer indicated to the forensics. “I got about a dozen families wanting to know if they can come camp while the weather’s still fine.”
    “We can bring the barriers down in about a day or two,” Carter explained. There was no need to keep the park closed much longer.
    The officer nodded. “Oh, and I got a lady over there. Says she has an appointment with you for an interview?”
    Sure enough, Lynn Meyers was standing on the other side of the barrier, in front of an impatient group of TV and newspaper reporters. The media interest in the mystery was certainly intensifying.
    As in all situations like this, Bishop turned to Carter, who understood what he had to do. He strode up to the group, and the closer he got, the louder the questions became. The reporters seemed like a gaggle of geese, each goose trying to out-screech the other.
    Carter sighed inwardly before waving them down.
    “First question, Ms. Meyers?”
    Lynn nodded. “Special Agent Carter, you’ve been investigating this site for a week now, and WBN understands you’re about to leave. Can you tell us if you know any more about what happened here?”
    “As a matter of fact, Lynn, I can confirm that we’re satisfied in our investigations of this area. The wildfire appears to have been caused by a campfire that was started outside of the designated campgrounds and without usage of a proper campfire ring. We have no suspects at this time, but we believe the devastation was unintentional.”
    The clamor rose again, and as previously agreed upon with Lynn, she was given the second question too.
    “Thank you, Agent. That explains the wildfire. But what can you tell us about the strange animal deaths at Lake Fairfax and here?”
    Carter’s face was indecipherable. “As you know, Lynn, we’re looking into several