[WP] You live on a planet with a single landmass and a fixed sun that never sets. As a result your world is rife with "sungroves" where the light is overpowering. Bodies are often dumped in the sungroves with the hope that they won't be found. It is your job to investigate such cases.

“It's called the 'Photic sneeze reflex'. Stop laughing.”
“Seriously?” Cath wiped her eyes. “Haaaaaaaaaaaa.....” she trailed off. “I haven't had as good a laugh since, well before I started in this division.”
“You haven't heard of it before?” Theo asked. “It's meant to afflict something like twenty percent of the population.”
The smile dropped from Cath's features, but her teeth still grinned under her goggles, their usual yellow illuminated into a bright glow of pure white in the glare of the edge of the sungrove. “You learn something new every day eh? The day you stop learning is the day that you die, is how I see it.”

Theo sneezed again, the glare from the squad car was getting through his dark goggles and triggering his sneezing reflex again. “I did tell them when I was transferred here, but no, of course they didn't listen. You'd let me know if it was one of those jokes that they do to every new recruit, right?” Cath smiled wryly, her eyes hidden in the black holes of her goggles. “We've got work to do.” she said, shrugging on her reflective suit. “It's gonna be hot in there. Make sure you're well hydrated, and take a leak before we go in there, 'cause you're not going to want to get ya bits burnt.” Theo nodded and stepped into the shiny, lightweight suit. He zipped up, pulling the hood over his head as he had seen Cath do, grabbed his equipment, and wandered into the white glare, making sure to keep close enough to Cath so as not to get lost.

The blackened earth crunched beneath their feet as they trudged through the barren hills past the remains of tin shacks and fallen cylinders of carbon that used to be trees. This had once been part of a national park – it still was, technically at least, but the only living things here were the worms underground, and the two police officers investigating a tip off.

They found the body where they had been told it would be, next to what perhaps used to be a streambed. There was a concrete ledge on either side of a shallow trench, that probably was the foundations for a bridge that had burned away with the rest of the sungrove. Now it shimmered in the glare, alive, or at least wriggling – unlike the corpse that lay baking next to it. “That's a fresh one for sure.” Cath said, crouching down to get a better look. “Alright, let's call it in. Then we can set up and get some evidence.” She placed the markers around different features, a small scuff on the ground that might be a footprint, a scrap of rusty metal that may or may not have dried blood burnt into its surface, and the reddened puffy shape of the body. “Since it's so fresh don't you think...” Theo said “What, that whoever dumped them here might still be around?” “Yeah...” “Would you want to stick around?” “Hell no.” “Well then, let's get him in the shade, and stave off some of the UV damage before there's no evidence left.” Theo unfurled the thick reflective umbrella, and began to set up the shade tent.

“Don't move.” said the voice, and Theo stopped, his hand ourstretched holding the shiny tent. Cath turned her head slightly, and slowly began to stand.
“I said don't move!” the voice screamed, echoless and dead. Theo could now see a shadow cast on the ground – an outstretched arm holding a gun.
“An old woman like me can't squat forever, let me stand, and then we can talk this over.” Cath said.
There was a pause, and Theo could see the gun waver. “Alright.” the voice said.
Cath stood slowly, and turned to face the gunman.
“Let my partner here lower his arm too, it's hard even for a strapping young man like him to stay like that with his arm poking out like that for too long.” she said.
The gunman's shadow nodded, and Theo lowered his arm. The glare from the reflective umbrella caught him in the face, and he felt a sneeze coming on.
“No sudden movements.” the gunman said. Theo turned, and sneezed.
/r/WritingPrompts Thread