Chapter Two

Murderbot arrives at a murder scene in Preservation Station's mall and encounters the station's security team. After examining the body and estimating time of death at approximately four hours, Murderbot is asked by Dr. Mensah to work with Station Security on the investigation, despite mutual wariness. Indah, the senior security officer, reluctantly agrees to hire Murderbot as a consultant, and Murderbot accepts in exchange for increased security around Mensah.

A dead human lies in a junction of Preservation Station's mall with a broken feed interface nearby. Murderbot performs a scan and estimates the time of death at four hours, providing a detailed report to Senior Officer Indah and Dr. Mensah. Tech Tural confirms the estimate, and the team discovers the victim has no identifying markers—no subcutaneous ID, interface, or augments. Medical cannot arrive immediately because the mobile medical suite is busy with preventative health checks at the school, forcing them to wait for a body scan to identify the victim from visitor entry logs. Mensah privately asks Murderbot if this could be GrayCris-related activity, but Murderbot lacks sufficient data to assess. Mensah insists Murderbot work with Station Security on the investigation, arguing it will improve Murderbot's relationship with them and potentially lead to permanent consultant work. Indah questions Murderbot about experience with suspicious fatalities; Murderbot admits to investigating deaths at isolated corporate installations, which Indah recognizes as "corporate slave labor camps." After some tension, Indah agrees to involve Murderbot and increase security around Mensah and the council. Mensah confirms an employment contract will follow, with Pin-Lee handling the legal details. Murderbot accepts the assignment and asks to examine the deceased immediately.