Case Reference: GC–FIR–005
Report by: Insp. Tomas Reed
Rank: City Watch, Gearcross Detail
Assigned Under: Senior Investigator (Protagonist)
Date: 27th Day of Ashwane, 7:20 a.m.
Primary Location: Aether Lift Towers – West Tower (Lower & Restricted Upper Platforms)
Secondary Location: Airship Berths – Ground Handling Apron
Incident Classification: Suspicious Death / Fall from Height / Access Discrepancy
At approximately 5:46 a.m., City Watch received notification of a fatal workplace accident involving a laborer assigned to the Aether Lift Towers – West Tower. Initial reports indicated the subject had fallen from a height within the lift shaft infrastructure and died on impact.
The deceased was identified as Kerrin Doss, age 34, employed as a maintenance runner contracted for ground-level and mid-platform service duties.
The incident was initially logged as an industrial accident pending confirmation of access level and fall origin.
Subsequent findings have rendered this classification uncertain.
A. Impact Site (Lower Platform Service Floor)
The body was recovered at the base of the West Tower lift shaft, adjacent to a restricted access ladder leading toward the upper vertical transit assembly. The platform is designed for mechanical servicing and cargo stabilization related to airship lift synchronization.
The surface showed no evidence of structural failure, oil spill, or footing collapse. Safety railings were intact. Lighting was functional.
Blood spatter and skeletal trauma indicate a fall from significant height, inconsistent with the vertical distance accessible to the deceased under normal authorization.
B. Lift Shaft Vertical Assessment
Engineering schematics indicate that falls from authorized laborer platforms (Levels 1–3) would likely result in injury but are statistically non-lethal due to segmented safety ledges and shock buffers.
Medical findings contradict this expectation.
The injuries sustained are consistent with a fall originating from Level 6 or higher, where vertical drop exceeds survivability thresholds.
Access to Level 6+ requires elevated clearance not issued to laborers, contractors, or City Watch personnel under standard protocols.
Review of access logs confirms:
Kerrin Doss was authorized only for Levels 1–3
No lift pass, badge, or override issued for upper platforms
No alarm triggered for unauthorized ascent
No manual override recorded
Security officers assigned to the tower state that no one observed the deceased above his authorized level.
However, multiple witnesses confirm seeing Doss earlier that morning performing tasks “above usual reach,” though none can specify a precise level.
Upper platform access records are held by Spire Transit Authority and flagged as non-reviewable pending clearance confirmation.
City Watch requests to inspect upper levels were formally delayed due to “jurisdictional overlap with airship transit safety.”
Examination by on-site medics reports:
Massive cranial and thoracic trauma
Impact velocity consistent with extreme vertical fall
No defensive injuries
No evidence of struggle
The cause of death is confirmed as blunt force trauma resulting from fall.
The height required to cause such injuries exceeds the maximum lethal potential of authorized work zones.
Name: Kerrin Doss
Age: 34
Occupation: Contract Maintenance Runner
Assignment: Aether Lift Towers – West Tower
Background: No disciplinary history, no clearance violations, no known disputes
Doss was described by coworkers as punctual, compliant, and cautious around elevation risks. He had previously refused unsafe assignments and documented concerns about lift vibration near upper assemblies.
No evidence suggests suicidal intent or reckless behavior.
Tower Security:
States no breach occurred. Asserts that “if the fall was from above, access must have been authorized.”
Spire Transit Authority:
Confirms no authorization was granted. Declines to release upper-level logs pending internal review.
Airship Ground Handling Supervisors:
Confirm no airship arrivals or departures coincided with the estimated time of death that would necessitate laborer presence above standard levels.
City Watch Access Requests:
Denied or delayed on grounds that inspection of upper platforms could “interfere with vertical transit integrity.”
At present, the investigation is stalled due to a circular dependency:
The death indicates access to a forbidden height
Access to that height is required to investigate the death
Access permission must be justified by cause of death
Each authority involved defers responsibility to another, citing procedural compliance.
No single entity acknowledges the ability to resolve the contradiction.
Kerrin Doss died from a fall originating at a height he was not permitted to access.
There is no evidence of structural failure, negligence at authorized levels, or voluntary ascent beyond clearance.
The fatal height exists.
The access exists.
The permission does not.
This death cannot be classified as accidental without acknowledging unauthorized vertical access that no system admits occurred.
The city insists this man could not have been where he died from.
The body insists otherwise.
Someone allowed him higher.
No one recorded it.
Now no one is permitted to look.
The tower still operates.
The lifts still rise.
The height remains lethal.
The only thing truly restricted is the truth.
Respectfully submitted,
Inspector Tomas Reed
City Watch, Gearcross