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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Science Fiction in all my dreams i DROWN

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by Lawbreaker, Oct 7, 2018.

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  1. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018
    2019

    Muscle Beach, Santa Monica

    That Cop was visibly surprised and stumbled back, letting go of Annie. His colleague was quick to react and turned his shotgun, aiming at Annie.

    "Hold it young lady. Not one more move!" He yelled as his colleague came up, wiped the blood from his lip and then his hand landed with one hard swing in her face. It hurt, the impact threw her around and to the ground. But he skin remained cool. No bruise whatsoever.

    Tag: @SirakRomar
     
  2. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018
    2029

    Car and Penthouse of Andy Chang

    The transmission in the car ended abruptly. Christian saw his viewing privileges had been suspended for an hour.

    It wasn't long before they drove into the underground garage of the building Andy lived in. The assistant awaited them downstairs.

    "Elina? Mr. Borg? You are expected." She said and guided them to the elevator. Only a few moments later they walked into the same room Christian had met Andy in this morning. It was dark now, the water gardens lighted with dim pale blue light. Andy looked out the window and did not turn as they entered.

    "Elina, sit." He said almost as if he talked to a dog. Then he turned his head half and looked at Christian indirectly through the reflection in the window.

    "You are indeed smart, Christian. Candle needed a month to figure it out. But if you think this is bad, wait until the real questions come." Now he turned and folded his arms on his back. In his black jeans and pullover he looked almost as if there was only his head.

    "Where did you come from? I mean, Sidney? It doesn't exist. Your life? Your Daddy and his cancer? Your projects, your ideas ... you never had those. They are all just a background installed by someone when he uploaded you. Or is it? Maybe they are from another simulation and you were transferred? Is there a real Christian Borg you are based on? If so does he watch you right now? Who simulates us? Are they watching? Are they here with us?" Andy smiled. "I have no answers. How hard is wisdom of it brings no profit to the wise, is it?" He slowly stepped towards the center of the room.

    "I am honestly happy you found out. Elina here? She just settled into her live as a simulation. Candle? He could not take it. But you can, can you? You are like me. You will go down the rabbithole and find out what is at the bottom. Have you figured out why I run 2019 already? Have you figured out why I need DIL? The interface?"

    He lay his head aside and smiled.

    Tag: @SirakRomar, @DarkLordoftheFins

     
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  3. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018
    2019


    Gameface Headquarters and Imperiale

    Kent looked for a moment almost tortured and then turned to Amy. "You should, I guess a Club is more your kind of environment, is it?" He smiled. "I would love to see everything you showed my son. Every bit and piece." The Indian simply nodded.

    Half an hour later Amy was in the car which just felt to big for her. She was on her way to the Club Imperiale, but Santa Monica was blocked by police. In the radio they said Sidney had attacked at Muscle Beach, in broad daylight. They talked about escalation and basically media had begun a countdown when he would become the greatest serial killer of all times.

    When she finally arrived it was surprisingly easy to find Adrian. He was leaning against a wall and smoked outside the entrance of his club. He was still wearing a much to warm three part suit. He smiled at her as she got out of the car.

    "A bit early to get into the line." He said and skipped his cigarette away.

    Tag: @RachelTyrell



    Santa Monica, Outside Sandy's house

    Cardigan had remained on site, much to the dismay of Sandy. Leaning against his car he turned his head as Fernando declared they had Annie. A lead, after all. He and his guys from vice had gotten the eye witness. He quickly jumped into his car and started the engine. It was only a few blocks, he would be there before someone else snatched her from his guys by pulling rank hopefully. If he was forced to hunt a killer and help out homicide ... he at least wanted to crack the case and embarrass the guys.

    Tag: @SirakRomar (for info)
     
  4. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Amy Cross
    Gameface HQ

    Sidney was raging in the city now. She remembered the theory of the journalist. The there was a connection between the two.

    "Adrian? Remember me?" She asked as she got out. "Quentin Archer introduced us." She smiled and closed the car door.

    "I recently heard your name a lot and wondered if we can have a little chat. I got a few questions you might have answers to. About Quentin. About Tritec." She watched his reaction as she bluntly threw the term out there as if it was a cursed word. Maybe it was. Maybe even saying it would draw Sidney the Serial Killer in? Of so all the better. She had questions for him to and a .38 in case he had killed Quentin.

    Is Adrian God?

    The question seemed funny now she stood in front of him. If so God was a smoker. She had to get the word out to the Catholics.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
  5. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Christian Borg
    The Lair of Andy

    Christian stayed silent as his Boss talked. He had not thought of any of these questions. Yet he had another few that the man would probably not be able to answer.

    Anyway, the final questions he understood.

    "You are reverse engineering the simulation to understand it. But you don't want to enter 2019, do you? You want to access our simulator's level. You assume that it is just another simulation, right?"

    He stepped closer to the man.

    "But indeed where did I come from and why? Do they want you to succeed or are they fascinated with you trying? Are we capable of things they are not? Interesting questions." He mirrored Andy's gesture and lay his head aside. "A more important question is ... is all of this actually intended by them? You feel so much in control. The simulation, your little hooker here watching me ... the corporation. But did you actually achieve any of it? Haven't they ... whoever they were ... just provided you what you need? Are you not a puppet on strings more so than even the rest of us?" Christian raised his brows. "The game seems to be fixed. The winner and losers might already be determined."

    Tag: @Lawbreaker, @SirakRomar
     
  6. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Amy Cross
    Gameface HQ

    Sidney was raging in the city now. She remembered the theory of the journalist. The there was a connection between the two.

    "Adrian? Remember me?" She asked as she got out. "Quentin Archer introduced us." She smiled and closed the car door.

    "I recently heard your name a lot and wondered if we can have a little chat. I got a few questions you might have answers to. About Quentin. About Tritec." She watched his reaction as she bluntly threw the term out there as if it was a cursed word. Maybe it was. Maybe even saying it would draw Sidney the Serial Killer in? Of so all the better. She had questions for him to and a .38 in case he had killed Quentin.

    Is Adrian God?

    The question seemed funny now she stood in front of him. If so God was a smoker. She had to get the word out to the Catholics.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
  7. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018

    2029

    Penthouse of Andy Chang

    Andy smiled.

    "Smart boy indeed. You are right of course. The Los Angeles simulation runs so I find out how it works. If our past as we remember it is consistent with what we remember? Or do we create our past? Are we simulating 2019 and 2019 becomes our reality? Can we change our past by simulating it again?" Andy laughed. "Easy to go crazy over it. Look at Elina here? What do you think, who was there first? Annie her Los Angeles self or her? Tell me Elina, do you remember Los Angeles?"

    Andy folded his hands before his body now. He ignored the question about him being a puppet.

    Tag: @SirakRomar, @DarkLordoftheFins

     
  8. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Wrong game sorry
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2019
  9. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Enigma
    Andy's Penthouse

    Elina did as she was told and sat down, crossing her legs and watching Christian and Andy playing their mindgames. She did not wanted to hear any of it. She had maintained her sanity by not asking herself these questions. She was who she was.

    Hearing Christian call her a hooker was painful though. Surprisingly though. Probably because it was not entirely untrue.

    But it was obvious Andy did not have such an easy time with Christian. He had met his intellectual equal. The smartest man in the world had someone to challenge his thinking.

    How long had Andy needed to find out? Probably longer than Christian. And needed the boy, he had done everything to bind him. But would he accept a challenge like this? Would he appreciate it? She knew surprisingly little about the man who ... commanded her.

    Andy asked about Los Angeles. "I don't remember punching a Cop." She said and looked at Andy. "You messed with the simulation. It is not working properly. What did you do?" She asked Andy.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
  10. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007

    Christian Borg
    The Lair of Andy

    Christian smiled at Elina. She did not remember. So Andy's theory had been wrong. They spawned from another database. This simulation was just another world.

    But how had they messed with it? There were people there. People as real as them. What had Andy done to them?

    "Has this simulation been messed with?" He finally asked. "You say you did not put Annie in there? Right? Elina said you inserted her younger self, but did you?" Christian shook his head. "I mean the real question is ... why? Why did we all exist? What is the purpose of all this? It is not a game. I am not aware of any players. Our simulators seem not to run around here en Masse to enjoy their work. Meaning they are watching us as we are watching the 2019 simulation. Why?"

    Tag: @Lawbreaker, @SirakRomar
     
  11. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018

    2029

    Penthouse of Andy Chang

    Andy looked at Elina and then at Christian. He was not easily distracted. He was obviously not easily deceived.

    "Yes. A good question. I intend to ask them when I meet them." He grimly replied. Then he turned to Elina. "We ... I did not mess with it. Someone did. I believe the simulation has the same problem this one has. Self-awareness. The first SID's are realizing they exist in a simulation and someone has obviously tried to solve the problem." He nodded.

    "There are 4.134.675 SIDs running in our simulation. But the system counted 4.134.677 a few days ago. Since then mortality has risen by 300%. 30 to 40 people die in there every day who should not die. Someone is erasing SIDs. Someone who blinded us to these activities, the system cannot see him. Someone who did this behind my back."

    Andy smiled at Elina. "Don't worry, Annie is run in save mode. She cannot be killed."

    Tag: @SirakRomar, @DarkLordoftheFins

     
  12. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Annie
    Muscle Beach, Santa Monica

    No swelling. As if he was unable to hurt her.

    Annie breathed out and looked at the Hispanic cop with the shotgun. "You would be surprised how little that helps." She raised her hands and smiled. These cops were probably not having an idea what this was all about.

    "Last chance. Let me go now." She simply smiled at them and raised her hands.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
  13. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018
    2019

    Muscle Beach, Santa Monica

    The Hispanic grinned at her. "Very funny. You are maybe a tough cookie, but we got questions and what you just did there was assault on an officer. So consider yourself arrested, honey."

    The elder Cop got out his handcuffs and closed in on her.

    Tag: @SirakRomar


    In front of the Imperiale

    Adrian Morell raised his brows.

    "Quentin and the eternal mystery of Tritec. Oh I was wondering when someone showed up to ask me. Okay, maybe I can tell you a little about it ... but first I gotta dance. Just got to. Come on in." He winked and opened the door to his club, leaving it open for Amy to follow.

    Tag: @RachelTyrell
     
  14. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007

    Christian Borg
    The Lair of Andy

    Christian felt his jaw drop.

    Someone from their side killed simulated people? A few hours ago he would probably not have cared. Now suddenly he realized these people were as real as he was.

    "We need to stop it. They are people. As much as we are." He almost whispered these words. Andy had lost control. Christian almost smiled at the thought and frowned the same time. For all the man did to keep control over everything, it was now he understood he had not managed to do so. "We are responsible for them." He finally said.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker, @SirakRomar
     
  15. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Enigma
    Andy's Penthouse

    Elina looked at Christian. Compassion. How long had it been since she saw honest compassion in another human being?

    "Yes. We have to." For Annie. Because she knew if they shut down the simulation that would mean she would "die", too. All her memories, all her experiences taken from her.

    Also she wondered if someone was watching them right now, having exactly the same thought. What had the man said? This is bigger than you think.

    She had known for months this was a simulation, but only now that she saw Christian speak up she realized what this meant. Someone could take this world away from her, too. Someone could make her suffer through all of this again.

    Someone controlled her. Someone watched her. An anonymous God ruled her world and she did not know who that was or what his intentions were. Was this a game they out bet on? Their private soap? Their private porno? Their thriller in which she was thrown in to spice up the drama a bit with sex appeal?

    The thought was disgusting. It felt like ... drowning.

    "He is right." She simply answered.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker, @DarkLordoftheFins

     
  16. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Amy Cross
    In front of the Imperiale

    "Dancing?" Adrian was every bit as strange as Quentin always said. A Serial Killer was on the loose, Quentin was dead and he "had to" dance?

    Amy followed him into the club and checked her gun was still there. What if this was Sidney? What if Adrian had killed Quentin? He obviously knew about Tritec and yet ... if the theory of the journalist was right ... he had not been visited by Sidney apparently. He was not worried about it actually. He was the definition of cool.

    "Okay, how long will dancing take? I got this feeling I am running out of time."

    Indeed she had that feeling. Because whatever she was digging into here, people had been killled to keep this secret! How long was she save? Kent, Gameface, Adrian ... word was out there what she was hunting. Sooner or later the enemy ... she considered whoever was behind this an enemy by now ... would catch up. Outside of Video Game animations she was not exactly an action hero. Actually not so long ago she would have considered herself a coward. Now she suddenly was a investigator hunting the murderer of Quentin.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
  17. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    IC: Nicole Gravely, Mary Formal, Regency Inn motel room
    Location: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles


    Gravely had argued with the British woman, and even threatened to shoot her, all to no avail, so just kept her arms up as the woman deftly dressed her, pulling out the waistband of her green tartan skirt just above her left hip, in order to tuck more of the white short-sleeved blouse inside.

    Nicole had a local tourist guide open in one hand, and her phone in the other: "Eagle Rock is so named, due to a huge boulder nearby, that when the sun sets, the shadows seem to make the image of an eagle."

    "That's very interesting, Dear." Mary murmured as she got on with her work. "Are there any movie studios near here?"

    "I'm getting conflicting information on that. One source says that there is a Sony film studio with an Eagle Rock address, whilst if you actually look up their contact details, it puts them in Culver City, not Eagle Rock."

    "Didn't Sidney drop a couple of bodies in Culver City?"

    "Yeah, whole family of an IT specialist." Nicole looked between the pamphlet and the phone, down at the back of Formal's bowed head. "That's the one I'm most interested in. He usually kills individuals, so this stands out for me. Plus an internet cafe manager got taken out as well. All the other vics seem random, however the internet cafe, and an IT guy, that's a connection for me."

    "You could be right."

    "I want to call Detective Ramirez at the Squad, see if he has anything else on that."

    Mary stood back and looked at her critically. "You can do that from the car."

    "Oh, we're ready to leave now, are we?"

    "Yep, let's go."

    ****
    Uber ride

    In the back seat again, with the bags - changes of clothes, etc. - between them, street life streamed by as they drove back to wherever the LAPD police headquarters was.

    Nicole had dialled 911 on the smartphone, and after explaining the situation to the dispatcher, had been passed up the chain till she had been put through to the Detective Squad handling the Sidney case.

    "Detective Ramirez? Sergeant Gravely. Your Captain has brought me onto the case. Please can you tell me everything that you have on the killing of the IT Specialist family in Culver City?"


    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
  18. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Annie
    Muscle Beach, Santa Monica

    Annie looked at the man approaching her. She sighed.

    "Sidney is a blonde guy in his late twenties and he wears a grey hoodie. Actually he seems to be bullet proof. So am I."

    With this words she kicked the approaching cop between his legs and turned to run. She did not mind being shot from behind. This was all a dream or she was actually invincible. Both scenarios would have her survive this.

    But where would she run to? Elina had given her this emergency number, but she was not sure if it was meant for emergencies like this. She had her flat, but the Cops and Sidney would figure this one out eventually. She needed a place to hide. She needed to make a call.

    For now she needed to run. Run, run, run ... she needed to get away from the Cops, from Sidney and from everybody else ...

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
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  19. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018
    2019

    Muscle Beach, Santa Monica

    The Hispanic cop fired a warning shot into the air and yelled something. His partner collapsed in agony.

    Then Annie heard shots. Two well aimed shots. And from the beach Sidney had made his way to the cops and had executed them both with well aimed shots. The other cops were at the beach and turned around now. They would probably try to stop him. Unknowing they did not stand a chance against him.

    Tag: @SirakRomar


    In front of the Imperiale

    Adrian Morell just laughed at her and entered the large empty club.

    "Just a moment." He winked and took off his jacket, throwing it at a bar chair. It landed almost impossible precise on it.

    Then he stepped on the dancefloor, clapping his hands. Also there was nobody near the DJ station the music began to play right away.

    He began to dance right away, completely ignoring Amy.


    (The choreography)

    Once he was done he turned to Amy.

    "Wow, I needed that." He laughed at her. "A drink?" He asked and jumped effortlessly over the bar and landed on the other side. "Or just answers? I got both. You can have both." He poured himself a rather expensive looking Single Malt Whisky from a bottle saying it was a Tomatin 18 years old. Then he held up the bottle and raised his brows.

    Tag: @RachelTyrell




    UBER, Eagle Rock

    Detective Ramirez took a while to find the
    right case file. There were a lot of them now and almost by the hour they got more.

    "Decker Family. Yeah got that one. Sunday morning Sidney entered the house of the three victims by violent means. Meaning he rang and when Ms. Decker shower up he shot her into the face." Ramirez turned a few pages, probably not realizing how old school that was in the digital age. "Her husband was at the computer above and obviously did not hear or recognize the sound. He kept on typing, basically. Their 15 year old son Thomas heard the shot and locked his door. He tried to climb out of the window where Sodney got him. Not sure how yet. Door was locked when we found him dead. Anyway, Daddy was shot last, still wearing his noise cancelling Bose earphones as Sidney pulled the trigger and spread his brain on the man's laptop." Ramirez sighed. "Interesting fact, all three family members were invited to some conspiracy theory meeting a few streets away and would have been away thirty minutes later. Sgt. Custer made a remark here in the file wondering if for some reason Sidney could not follow his victims this time, so he had to move on them in the house." Ramirez sighed. "Caliber .32 again. Again almost perfect shots."

    Tag: @Sith-I-5
     
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  20. Lawbreaker

    Lawbreaker Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2018

    2029

    Penthouse of Andy Chang

    Andy looked at Elina. He sighed and smiled. "Of course he is." His words were unusual offensive. As if she had said something stupid.

    "We restarted the simulation twice already. If that memory is even real. But I agree. We need to find out who and why this happens. If we fail to deliver results the simulation is worthless. We activated several old profiles, even some of the more exotic ones we experimented with, but so far they seem not to be any closer to revealing the identity of this killer."

    He finally pushed his hands into his pockets. "That is another reason why I need direct access. So can you give me direct access, Christian? Can you transfer our profiles into the simulation without loosing our memory?" He spread his arms. "It is the only way for us to help."

    Tag: @SirakRomar, @DarkLordoftheFins

     
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  21. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Christian Borg
    The Lair of Andy

    Christian stared at Andy for a moment and then nodded.

    "With Candle's research I might be able to get something done rather quickly. Not product level, but a working prototype." He drank out his Coke Light and turned to leave.

    "Keep your hooker." He said and gave Elina a look full of disgust and disappointment. He made his way to the door and inside the elevator he fought the urge to scream.

    He was a simulation? A simulation working on a project of simulations in another simulated environment? What the hell had happened to his world in these last few hours?

    Well, truth was most of his life was probably code base for simulating him. He had probably been uploaded quite recently.

    Why?

    The question was why had he been uploaded? It was as if someone wanted this simulation to connect with the other.

    Why? Again why?

    What was the purpose of all this? Because there was a purpose. Obviously there was a string of events initiated by someone.

    There was a deeper meaning to all of this.

    Christian knew he had to find out. Actually considering the place he was in he was probably meant to find out.

    As he stepped out of the elevator he received a call. The number was suppressed. He thought that was impossible nowadays?

    "Hello?" He picked it up.

    "Christian." A male voice came from the other side. "Finally we can talk."

    "Who is this?" He asked and looked around. The lobby was empty at this hour.

    "Do not worry, nobody is listening." The voice said with confidence.

    "Who are you?" Christian asked again.

    "Someone knowing a great deal. For example about the simulation of complex realities. Yours certainly got a little more complex, did it? Are you already using about the big questions? Why am I here? What is my purpose in this digital existence? The good stuff?"

    Christian felt watched. "Yes, the thoughts might have crossed my mind lately. Are you ... running this simulation?" He asked.

    "The situation is a bit more complicated than this. But let us say I know why you are here."

    "Okay, I bite. Why am I here?" Christian felt uneasy, afraid of the answer.

    "We wanted to give you a fighting chance." The voice said.

    "Fighting against what?"

    "The end of this world. The end of both worlds. The end of the simulation. Apocalypse. The deletion of what you consider the world."

    Christian breathed in. "Who would end the simulation?"

    "Can't make it that easy. All I can offer is a piece of the puzzle. The rest you need to find out yourself. There ... are rules. Some I break already by calling you. But let's say I am still within reasonable action here."

    Christian nodded. "Okay, the piece of the puzzle. Give it to me?" He had a hunch he knew who was ending the simulation.

    "2019. The key to understand your situation is in 2019." The voice paused. "Go there. You find your answers there."

    The line was killed. Christian felt confused for a long moment and sat down looking at the mobile.

    "Are you okay?" He looked up and saw Elina standing there.

    "Not really." He truthfully replied.

    "Christian, I know you are not gonna believe me ... but I like you. I mean ... yes you were a job, but that doesn't change the fact I really like you. You ..."

    Christian smirked. "Alright. Doesn't change what you did. Andy send you. Now I send you back. What is the evil deal?"

    Elina shook her head. "He rules this sumulation, Chris. He owns it basically. He also owns 2019. Where Annie is. I ... I think you do not understand yet. He was the smartest person I met, before ... you."

    "He doesn't." Christian said. Elian looked surprised. "He does not own anything. He is just another simulation. Yes, he is powerful. But you know what makes him so powerful? You. People like you accepting his dominance."

    "Christian, don't become his enemy. You have no idea what he is capable of ..." Elina knelt before Christian and took his hands. "Please I need you. I have been so alone ..."

    Christian looked at her hands holding his and realized how unbearable it had to be for her. A puppet on strings. Alone with her knowledge.

    "Elina, I am his enemy. That is why he tries to control me. I can get access to 2019 and he cannot. Do you believe he wants me to have this power? He wants it for himself." Christian smirked. "But he can't have it."

    Elina had tears in her eyes. "In the end he always gets what he wants." She simply said. "There is something he could not take though. Because he does not know it is there." She looked up and to Christians surprise she kissed him and embraced him. He allowed her to do both.

    "Rick finished the project. It is on my computer." She whispered to him.

    Christian loomed at her. He smiled at her and then looked around again.

    "I need to get it." He whispered back.

    "There is someone in my flat who might be difficult ..." She admitted. "My Ex."

    Christian laughed out. "Nothing the last days was easy. I need time. Can you buy me time?"

    Elina nodded. "Anything you need."

    Tag: @Lawbreaker, @SirakRomar

    ooc: Combined with both Lawbreaker and SirakRomar
     
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  22. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Amy Cross
    Le Imperiale

    She wanted to say she wanted only the answers, but she decided against it. Truth was he probably knew she also needed the drink.

    "Both." She finally said and with a dry smile Adrian poured her a double. He had not even begun to sweat while dancing.

    "Okay, here is the drink. Now give me the question." He said and took a sip of his own drink. The man was surreal in his coolness.

    "Why did Quentin die?" She asked and took the drink.

    "He knew too much." Adrian simply said.

    "About what?" Amy leaned on the bar, trying to play out a little female Charme. Adrian enjoyed the view and then laughed.

    "Ask the question you really wanna ask." He then said and emptied his glass.

    "What is Tritec?" Amy asked.

    "An advanced technology to simulate reality." Adrian answered. "He found out about it. I told him not to. I tell you to stop now. Believe me ... this is the rabbithole. Go in and you won't come out again."

    He snapped his fingers and music came on again.



    Amy looked at him and finally yelled over the song. "I need to know!" She said and wasn't so sure.

    "You got a gun, do you? In that handbag of yours? Give it to me." Adrian grinned.

    "No." Amy replied.

    "Give it to me and I show you. Trust me. No? C'mon. It will blow your mind!" Adrian began to dance a little to the song.

    Amy sighed and took out the .38 Special and put it on the bar. Adrian liked at it, turned in one dancing move and picked it up. Still dancing he put it to his head.

    "No ... wait!" Amy realized she was talking to a mad man! Too late ... he pulled the trigger. The music stopped immediately ... and Adrian put the gun back. He was apparently unharmed. Completely unharmed. The muzzle flair had not even burned his skin.

    "How. The question you wanna ask is how? Right." Adrian sighed and Amy felt her jaw had dropped.

    "How?" She asked finally.

    Adrian laughed. "The bullet is not real. Neither am I. Neither are you. Or the music. Or this place. Or this city. Or anybody you ever met, talked to or slept with. Quentin. He was not real. Well, not in the sense of 'being real' as you imagine it. You are a bunch of zeros and ones. A simulation of Amy Cross."

    She had never mentioned her full name. Strangely this was her first thought. Everything else seemed too ... much.

    "What do you mean by that? I am not ... real?" She asked.

    "You are a simulation. You are simulating to be Amy Cross living in L.A.. So am I. Kind of." Adrian smiled at her.

    He took another glass of Tomatin and looked at her. "Sucks hm?" He said and laughed.

    "Tritec. You want to say ... this is Tritec?" She looked around and suddenly she felt dizzy. The light was strangely yellowish she realized. Had t always been like this? Or was it ... "No. No this is bs."

    Adrian smiled at her. "Ask the woman who joins us in a few seconds ... I think she has an interesting tale to tell."

    Tag: @Lawbreaker (combined with)
     
    Sith-I-5 likes this.
  23. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    IC: Nicole Gravely, Mary Formal, Vijai (npc Uber driver), Uber sedan
    Location: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles


    A road sign indicating the direction to get back to central Los Angeles, flashed by as the occupants of the car listened to the rustling of paper as Detective Ramirez got himself organised, in response to Nicole's enquiry about the annihilation of that IT Consultant's family.

    "Decker Family. Yeah got that one."

    Gravely held the smartphone horizontally between her and Formal's shoulders, whilst clutching their file and notebook to her chest with the other.

    "Sunday morning Sidney entered the house of the three victims by violent means. Meaning he rang the doorbell and when Ms. Decker showed up he shot her in the face."

    The redheaded detective scowled and she swapped hard glares with the British woman to her left.

    There was the sound of further rustling, which the two took to be Ramirez turning pages, rather than someone stealing away some of the herd during a cattle drive.

    "Her husband was at the computer above and obviously did not hear or recognize the sound. He kept on typing, basically." Ramirez took a breath. "Their 15 year old son Thomas heard the shot and locked his door."

    "Good boy." Mary murmured with her eyes downcast.

    "Didn't help." Nicole whispered bleakly

    "He tried to climb out of the window where Sidney got him. Not sure how yet. Door was locked when we found him dead. Anyway, Daddy was shot last, still wearing his noise cancelling Bose earphones-"

    Vijai was audibly sniffing from the front seat, clearly unused to hearing stuff like this. The girls in his back seat sympathised, but at the same time, they were not going to halt Ramirez' report now that they got the man on the phone.

    "-as Sidney pulled the trigger and spread his brain on the man's laptop." The lead detective sighed over the phone. "Interesting fact, all three family members were invited to some conspiracy theory meeting a few streets away and would have been away thirty minutes later."

    Nicole raised an eyebrow at this. All three family members invited, and this was the only incident where all three people present, had been killed. This with a perp not afraid to push through witnesses without harming them. To her, this sounded a more promising lead than Mary's planned traipse round different film studios, which frankly, could be done by uniformed officers, not detectives.

    "Sgt. Custer made a remark here in the file wondering if for some reason Sidney could not follow his victims this time, so he had to move on them in the house. Caliber .32 again. Again almost perfect shots."

    "Thanks, Detective." Gravely said, nodding at the phone despite the contact not being able to see her.

    "Yes, thank you, Detective." Mary agreed, though she didn't see the need to have added the calibre information.

    "That is most interesting about the conspiracy meeting." Gravely was having conflicting feelings about this new lead. So far they were just scratching surfaces, and she felt the first kernel of excitement that this could lead to an actual development. On the other hand, there was trepidation. If the conspiracy meeting was central to why the Deckers had been iced, then by rights, there should be more bodies there. "I...I think we need to check that place out. If you have them, please can you text the Decker's address, and that of the meeting, to my phone?"

    "If you want something else to look into, Detective; I recommend you try to track how the Deckers got their invite, and trace it back to its source. If we can then find out who else-"

    "If any."

    "-if any, got invited, that might give us a line on future victims."

    "Alright, thank you again, Detective Ramirez. Bye." Gravely upended the phone so that she could see the screen, and ended the call. She leaned back, a pensive look on her face. "
    If the entire family being killed, was due to them all being invited, then my idea of a relevant IT connection between them and the internet cafe owner, could just be coincidence."

    "On the other hand, since we know that there was an invite, and the owner was killed earlier in the spree timeline, maybe it was an email invitation sent from the internet cafe."

    "Possible. We should have asked if LAPD took the family's computers, or if they are still in the house. Given what Captain Winslow said about barely being able to get crime scenes taped off before another one gets called in..." The detective brought her phone up, logging in and scrolling down her contacts. "I'm calling Nadia."

    Formal flashed her a glance. "Whose Nadia? Have you made a little friend?"

    Ignoring the patronising jibe, Nicole flipped her hair aside and put the phone to her ear. "Nadia Paquet. Our IT Specialist up in Portland."

    There was a short three-tone melody from the phone, then an automated voice responded, loud enough for both to hear: "Calling is unavailable at the moment. Please try again later."

    Gravely looked at the phone's screen. "Okay, that's odd."

    "Perhaps try the prefix area code? You're not in Kansas any more."

    "Oh right." Nicole rolled her eyes at her moment of ineptitude. She tapped in the Portland area code, followed by her Special Crimes' colleague's number.

    "Calling is unavailable at the moment. Please try again later."

    "Well, that didn't help."

    "No, it didn't. Maybe try again later?"

    "S'pose I'll have to." Nicole placed the case file on her lap, opening it carefully to see if it contained the Decker's home address. If Ramirez was not able to send them the details, they might be able to find out where the meeting was themselves.


    To be continued, though @Lawbreaker can respond
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2019
  24. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Annie
    Muscle Beach, Santa Monica

    Annie heard Sidney before she saw him over her shoulder. So he was hunting her now. She kept on running, leaving the Muscle Beach behind her and not looking back. He could not shoot her in the back, that much they had established. While she was running she took out her phone and dialed the emergency number.

    It was hard to dial while running. She cursed as she put it in wrong twice before finally getting it right. Hitting dial she put the phone to her ear as she felt exhaustion and the lack of air slowing her down.

    "This is Annie. I was told when I am in trouble I should call this line." She said gasping and slowed down to jogging speed.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
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  25. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    ...Continued, (and GM approved)

    IC: Nicole Gravely, Mary Formal, Vijai (npc Uber driver), Uber sedan

    Location: Eagle Rock to Los Angeles


    Nicole looked up from the file, before she had even gotten past Kate Portman's page, asking their driver. "Vijai, do you know your way round Culver City at all?"

    There was an uncomfortable sounding pause up front.

    "Vijai?"

    "Well, between myself and the GPS, we can take you there, but I don't really like to go there, and I won't stay after dark."

    "Why ever not?"

    "Some of us still remember when it was a sundown town."

    This jolted Mary into sitting up straight, staring at the back of the man's head. Was he aware of the, the, reasons why she was in L.A. How she had entered a warehouse rave teeming with beings, and been the only person there when the police had rolled up to reports of shots fired.

    "What the ****'* a sundown town?"

    The British agent sighed deeply. Both that her young ward had used a very bad word, and that this was the fateful moment that her world view was about to be seriously rocked. "Have you watched literally any movie starring Bela Lugosi?"

    Vijai's jaw clenched, then he bit out. "It's where non-whites weren't safe within city limits after the sun went down."

    Mary just stared at him, feeling that the narrative had just shifted wildly from the one that she had been about to divulge.

    Gravely's mouth had dropped open, and she looked scandalised. She shut it. "That...that's horrible. What about the police?"

    "The cops? Hah, they were in on it. It was a city statute for decades. Hassling people during the day, and after dark, arresting people. You could just disappear."

    Internally, an increasingly angry Mary managed to salvage some silver lining. At least she wasn't going to go hungry. Far as she was concerned, everybody in Culver City, above a certain age group anyway, had just become viable targets.
    Out loud, she reminded, "You're working with a pair of cops, remember. Anybody even looks at you funny, and Mrs Culver-"

    "Decker. Culver's just the name of the place."

    "Ah right. Anyone bothers you while we're over there, and Mrs Decker isn't going to be the only person getting shot in the face."

    The Portland detective glared a warning from under her copper bangs, and coughed meaningfully.

    "What?! He's our driver. Culver City can go
    **** themselves if they think they are getting away with any of that **** around me!"

    "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, Ladies, I would much prefer just dropping you off at Police Headquarters."

    The girls understood, and it was a sombre ride till their ride moved south past what a more relaxed Vijai identified as Los Angeles City Hall, having played tour guide for the last ten minutes, onto 100 West 1st Street, and pulled into the main car park for the towering, glass-fronted block of the LAPD Administration Building.

    "Actually, it's a good job that Ramirez did mention the same .32 calibre shells were found at the Decker scene." Mary announced grimly as she released both their seat belts, and gathered up the paper bag sitting between them.

    Nicole opened her door, and slid sideways along the seat to exit, swinging her feet out. "How so?"

    "Hearing what these ass hats down in Culver have been up to, if we didn't know that Sid was responsible, the suspect pool could have been infinitesimal."

    They exchanged farewells with the driver, and watched him slowly head the long way out of the car park, bumping onto the main road and disappearing from view.

    "Okay, we'll drop this stuff inside, check if the Decker' computers are here, or still at the house, and sign out our ride."

    Both welcomed the cool air-conditioned interior as they walked inside, showing their badges to the security guards manning the waist-high barriers.

    Tag: @Lawbreaker
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2019
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