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Content warning - mention of suicide.   "I'm not sure. Probably a heart attack or something." "That's not a surprise. He kept refusing to see a doctor. Man, Sophia would beg him to at least get a checkup, but he'd have none of that." "Don't quote me on that, though. I can't say for sure if it is or isn't." "It really is a shame, though. He was a good man. Did a lot of good work in the medical world." "Oh yeah?"  "MAN. Dead? Really?" He shakes his head. "Sorry, that's just too weird. I'm still having a hard time believing it." Kevin blinks a few times as if he's not sure he's really awake. "I'll be in the security room if you need me. It's the first door on the left here in this hallway." "Um, okay." Examine box on the wall. It's a retina scanner. The door only unlocks if you have clearance. There's a keypad attached to it. I bet I could override the scanner if I knew the right codes.Examine first scroll on the left. It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be a mountain of some sort.Examine second scroll on the left. It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be a forest of some sort.Examine first scroll on the right. It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be an ocean of some sort.Examine second scroll on the right. It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be a cave of some sort.Examine vase near the stairs. A vase with some sort of plant. The vase looks authentic, but the plant is definitely a fake.Examine security camera. A security camera. It's enclosed in tinted plastic so I can't see which direction it's pointing in. Is it looking at me?  I try the door, but it doesn't open. I thought Kevin said he'd be in here. I knock on the door and I hear the sound of footsteps. The door slides open. "What's up?" "Um, you said you'd be here?" "Yeah, I did. What do you want?" I crane my neck to peer over Kevin's shoulder. The room behind him looks mostly empty, but I can see the glow of television screens across the wall. "Can I...come in?" Kevin frowns, but he steps aside to let me in. "Sure, why not? Since Mr. Auten hired you, you'd probably be allowed in here anyway." A long counter stretches across one wall. It bears a lonely keyboard and mouse. Mounted on the wall are several monitors, all flickering with images of various rooms in the house. At first glance, it appears to be a room meant for a high security corporate building, rather than just a house.   "So you can see everything from here?" "Not everything. Mr. Auten's office is strictly off limits. Very private, you know. No one knows what he does in there." He folds his arms across his chest and scowls. "As if it isn't obvious." "Obvious? What's obvious?" "Mr. Auten never likes to be far from his booze. His solution to anything stressful is to drink it away. Course, he tries to hide it because it's not very professional, but every time he walks out of that room, he reeks of alcohol." "Can you think of any reason that someone would want Mr. Auten dead?" "You're kiddin' right?" "Um...no?" "You must be new around here. Mr. Auten's infamous around these parts." "He's a ruthless sort of dude. Any little guy tries to start something new, he crushes 'em."  "Of course, that's only the stuff we know about." "If you ask me, he's got more than just dirty business practices going on. I mean, seriously. Look at this place. No one builds a house like this in the middle of nowhere unless he's got something to hide. If he's not doing something illegal, I'll eat my motherboard." "Why do you work for Mr. Auten?" "The money. Duh." "But you said he's probably doing illegal things. Doesn't that bother you?"   "In other words, you don't really care where the money comes from as long as you don't get in trouble." "Yeah, pretty much. Why, should I?" I'm starting to think that I'm not going to like anyone in this house.   "How'd you get this job?" "Mr. Auten offered it to me." "Really?" "Well, yeah. He hand picks everyone who works for him." "How'd he find you?"  "That's pretty lucky." "Yeah, that's the word for it." Whoa...am I imagining things or is he resentful about something?  I doubt Kevin would appreciate it if I poked around all of his stuff. I should probably wait for a time when he's not around.
  "You're an interesting guy, Kangai." "What are you talking about?" "Well, for one, you keep some interesting company. I was bored, so I decided to run facial recognition on them. I found quite a few news reels about them, complete with security camera footage and mug shots."  "They did WHAT?" "Oh, you didn't know? Like I said, you keep some interesting company." "Weirdly enough, when I looked up their police records, they were completely empty. They haven't been charged with anything." Nothing at all? I wonder how they managed to get out of that. Aki's doing, no doubt. "The other girl with you is the real problem, though." "Who, Li Mei?" "I couldn't find a single thing on her. No online profile, no yearbook, no images of her anywhere, and no connection to anything your other friends did." "So maybe she doesn't like social networking and she was homeschooled. What's the big deal?" "Dude, seriously? You've got to make a real effort to be that much of a ghost."  "You're one of those guys who think the moon landing was faked, aren't you?" "Oh, come on. It's not like that." "Besides, how much do you know about her, anyway?" Well, I can't exactly tell him that she has a kansei that makes her a human sponge for emotions. But beyond that, I really don't know a thing. Aki refused to even speak about it when I asked her. "I know enough." "Of course you do. You're the genius detective, after all." "Oh no..." Kevin taps a few keys on his keyboard and two of the monitors light up with an old newspaper article. "I gotta admit, you're actually kind of cool. So are you on a super secret mission right now or something?" "Huh? What are you talking about?" "You know, since you're using a fake name and hanging out with criminals and stuff."
"No, it's just Aki's nickname for me." "Well that's disappointing." "Life's not all secret missions and government conspiracies, you know." "It would be cooler if it were."   Examine the picture of the flowers. Some sort of art screen. It looks very old.Examine the calligraphy. Calligraphy. Chinese, I assume.Examine the door. That's the door to Mr. Auten's office. It's locked.  "Do you really think Mr. Auten was murdered?" Detective Gurski sighs and rubs his temples slowly. "I don't know, kid. I can't just march in and declare it's a murder without any evidence. For all we know, he committed suicide." "Do you think he killed himself?" "Hard to say. His reaction when he saw you certainly was...unusual." "That's not a level of fear you see in most people. He very likely could have done something foolish in response." "So you think it's my fault?" "Now, I never said that. There are a lot of things that might drive someone to suicide, but in the end, it's still the decision of the individual." "Yeah...I know..." Gurski studies my face carefully before he speaks.    "Are Aki and the others really convicts?" "Well...technically, no." "No?" "They're not on record as having committed any crimes." "But Kevin told me they were in the news a lot. He said something about selling the Space Needle?" "Please don't remind me. That was one of the bigger headaches, and a huge publicity fiasco." "And yet somehow, I'm supposed to keep them out of trouble now." "What do you mean?" "I guess you could say I'm their official handler. I'm supposed to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't do anything else." "But what did they even do?" "Hustling, mostly. The twins ran a lot of cons. Aki's got some sort of charm about her that makes people trust her. She's really manipulative, and her life is nothing but moral grey." "Naoki's a good kid, but he'll do anything his sister tells him to do, and he's a fast learner. He can pick up on pretty much anything." He rubs his head slowly as if an old headache had just found its way back to him. "But Aki is Aki. Somehow, she managed to cut a deal. Clean records in return for their special services." So now the government uses them as investigators, spies, or anything else requiring a quick mind and an expendable body." "Ah. That's why she said they're a special investigation agency." "It's not an inaccurate statement." "What about Li Mei? Where did she come from?" "I'm afraid that's classified information." I raise an eyebrow, but I don't press the question. It's obviously not something I want to get involved with.     Examine soap bottle. A soap dispenser. According to the label, it's evergreen scented, but it just smells like soap to me.Examine first wall lamp. A lamp. It uses ones of those compact fluorescent light bulbs.Examine second wall lamp. A lamp. The bulb uses a lower wattage than an incandescent bulb. Aki would probably attempt some sort of "Mr. Watten" joke at this point.Examine desk lamp. A lamp. The body is made out of porcelain.Examine mirror. Hmm...there's a space between the frame and the wall, so it's not a two-way mirror. I can't believe I'm checking for this. Old habits die hard, I guess.Examine sink. A sink with a porcelain basin.Examine towels. I guess you're supposed to dry your hands on these towels. Where exactly am I supposed to put the towel after that?Examine stall. A bathroom stall with a toilet in it. This place is a lot like a public restroom. I wonder if Mr. Auten used to accept a lot of guests.Examine chair. This chair is sadly not as comfortable as it looks.  If I had to name it, I'd call it the living room, but it doesn't feel very lived in at all. "Oh, Kangai! Hello!" "Uh, hey." She looks happy to see me. Did I do something? "Hey, did something happen? I saw Sophia rush by with that nice boy, but they didn't tell me what was going on." "Oh! Yeah, um..." I'm not sure there's a tactful way to put this. "Mr. Auten died." "WHAT? Are you kidding?" "No..." Marissa stares into my eyes, searching me with a mixture of fear and panic. I stare back until the truth of the incident sinks in. Her expression changes slowly as she realizes that I'm not lying. "Are you sure? What happened?" "Did he die of natural causes?" "Why would you ask that?" "That's why I came. I was hoping I'd be able to uncover something about what he might be doing." "So you're really just sneaking around trying to dig up some dirt." "It's really not what you think!" "Okay, then what?" "Nothing." "What sort of illegal things was Mr. Auten doing?" "Oh, it's hard to say. Everything's just rumor, you know?" "It would be awfully irresponsible of me to spread false information, so I really need some hard evidence before I say anything else." "Right. Sure." It's obvious that there's something she doesn't want to tell me. I wonder if she's a victim of Mr. Auten's actions in the past. "Earlier, you talked about some rumors about Liam. What was that all about?" "Ah, those..." "Well, recently, word's been going around that Liam Auten is involved in dog fighting." "Whoa, whoa... That's a felony!" "Not to mention extremely cruel." "Well, I'm glad he chose to draw the line somewhere, at least." "I'm fairly certain he was just getting fed up with Liam's antics. It's one thing to dismiss underage drinking. But the heat from Liam's participation in animal cruelty is bad publicity he didn't need." "Planning on? So he didn't get around to it yet?" "As far as I can tell, no, but you'd really have to ask someone more knowledgeable than I."  Examine window. The garden is made up of evergreens. I think those flowers are called rhododendrons. They're a fairly low maintenance plant.Examine TV. Two thousand channels, and still nothing on.Examine disc. "Benefits of Organ Reproduction." Looks like some sort of corporate presentation or informational video.Examine disc player. Some sort of combo disc player that reads all sorts of formats. It's empty.Examine table. A dining room table. It looks like it could host a lot of people, but judging from the dust in the middle, I doubt it's been used for a while.[/i]Examine door. This door leads back into the main hallway.  Examine tapestry. Tortoise, dragon, phoenix, and tiger. Li Mei says they're from Chinese mythology.Examine plates. These plates have the same animals as the tapestry. I guess these creatures are really important.Examine armour. Some old armor from the Qin Dynasty, if the label is to be believed. Looks like it's still in decent condition, so I guess it worked pretty well for whoever owned it previously.Examine pot. A very nice urn. It must have been expensive when it was first made. It's probably even more expensive now.Examine door. I'm not sure where that door leads. Outside, I guess? Either way, it's locked.Examine pottery. There are a lot of strange markings on this thing. According to the label, it's an oracle bone. I guess people tried to see the future with this?Examine box. It's some sort of box. There's no label on it. I guess it's not that important. Li Mei is gazing blankly in the direction of a collection of old plates. I approach, but she barely seems to notice my presence. "So uh...hey." Li Mei blinks slowly and turns to face me. She nods once to acknowledge my presence. I shift my weight from one foot to the next as she stares at me expectantly. What am I even supposed to say? "How are you feeling?" She stares at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "I don't know." She states it so simply, I almost feel foolish for asking. "I guess I was just wondering if you were okay, since someone died after all..." She tilts her head and looks at me curiously. "Does it bother you?" "Does what bother me?" "Death."
"Yeah, of course it bothers me." "I mean, even if I've experienced it before, that doesn't mean that I'm okay with it." "Death is a terrible thing, no matter how often you see it." I stare at my hands and rub my fingers slowly together. My palms feel sweaty. "What about you?" "..." Li Mei stares at me curiously, as if she doesn't fully understand my question. "I mean, are you bothered by death?  "He was very scared." "Mr. Auten?" "Yes. But even though I felt his fear, I knew that I was not scared." "I'm not scared, but I still feel scared. Does that mean I'm bothered or not bothered?" I sigh and lean against the door frame. "You know, I've always wondered what it would feel like to die." Li Mei tilts her head to the side. She looks curious. "I mean...I've experienced deaths of course, but they're not mine." "And somewhere in the back of my mind, every time I do it, I always know it's not mine. I've always wondered... When I die, will I be afraid, or will I think that it's just someone else's death again?" "Or maybe by the time I die, I'll be so comfortable with it, I won't care, even though I know it's mine." I turn to face Li Mei. She's watching my face carefully. "I don't know. That wasn't really an answer, huh?" I laugh and shrug casually. "Honestly, I don't even know why I said any of that." "I guess what I'm trying to say is that there isn't really an answer." "You and I both have to carry other people's emotions. It's tiring, and sometimes it's confusing.""But I think that if we didn't have these abilities, we'd still be sad when other people are sad and scared when other people are scared. That's just being human." Li Mei smiles and takes my hand in hers.  "Um, sure. You're welcome." "What is everybody feeling right now?" "Naoki is scared-" "No, I meant the others. Not our friends." "Oh... I apologize." "It's fine. I wasn't very specific." Li Mei takes a deep breath and closes her eyes again. This time, it takes her a little longer to sort out her thoughts. "Sophia is sad. She feels as if there is no hope. But...there is also relief." "Marissa is scared and disappointed." "There's so much emotion inside of her. It's all flowing at the same time. She wants to be happy, but she also feels very guilty." "Humans are very complicated." Li Mei nods earnestly, as if she's just struck a new idea. I nod in return. "Kevin is uncertain. He does not know what he should be feeling." He definitely seemed to have trouble believing me when I told him that Mr. Auten died. Denial, I guess. "And Liam..." "...I can't." "What's wrong?" "He is with Aki right now."  Aki... That girl seems to enjoy invading everybody's privacy. It's a wonder that Naoki and Li Mei put up with her. Hopefully whatever she's up to will lead to something useful. "What did you do before you lived with Aki and Naoki?" "I'm not allowed to speak about that..." "Is there anything you ARE allowed to speak about?" Li Mei closes her eyes and takes a small breath. Her lips move slowly, as if she's poring over the list of things she's allowed to share. Finally, she opens her eyes and smiles with a self-satisfied look on her face. Whoa. What's with that phrasing? She sounds so formal all of a sudden. "What does the calligraphy in the front hallway say?" ""No dust settles here." It means that this place is quiet and safe from influence of the outside world." "Huh, okay."   "H-hey..." "Hey." Naoki welcomes me with a halfhearted smile. Sophia is standing at the other end of the kitchen, sipping slowly on a cup of tea. Her eyes don't waver from the small cup in her hands. I lean in towards Naoki. "Is she okay?" "She's feeling better. Still a little shaken up, though. She was crying pretty hard when we found Mr. Auten's body." "Kangai." "Yes?" "I hope you don't mind if I ask you something." "Um, no. Go ahead." "How did you know that something bad happened to Mr. Auten?" "U-um...that's-" "Naoki, please. I was asking Kangai." "Sorry..." "So? How did you know?"
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Jun 2, 2022 22:50
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| # ? May 2, 2024 15:39 |
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The lie presented is super stupid, because the way we rushed in, we really acted like it was a sure thing. Tell the dang truth.
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Jun 3, 2022 08:23
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Yeah, saying it was a lucky guess makes us sound very, very suspicious; at least with saying it was a sixth sense, even if they don't believe that they may believe Kangai believes it.
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Jun 3, 2022 15:01
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Regallion posted:The lie presented is super stupid, because the way we rushed in, we really acted like it was a sure thing. Tell the dang truth. Basically this. I'm reluctant to play our cards this early still, but that's an awful lie that'd blow up even worse as the only alternative.
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Jun 3, 2022 17:38
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 "Um...I guess you could say I have a sort of sixth sense?" "A sixth sense. As in...psychic?" "I guess you could call it that?" "Can you give me details on how it works?" Whoa...she actually sounds like she might believe me. "I can't really say. I just...feel things. I get sick sometimes, and then I know something bad has happened." Still, I feel as if she deserves at least a partial truth. "I see. I suppose it's different, then." "Different? From what?" "It's not like what you described, though." "What sort of experiments?" "I don't really know much about it. It was a long time ago - before I started working for him. He just mentioned it in passing once, so I thought maybe that had something to do with it. He was terribly drunk at the time, though, so I suppose he might not have even been telling the truth." "I'm sorry. I'm jumping to the strangest conclusions here. I must not be in a very good frame of mind right now." Sophia sighs and shuts her eyes. She looks like she wants to cry again. "I'm sorry. You really cared about Mr. Auten, didn't you?" For a moment, Sophia doesn't respond. Her shoulders shudder as she takes in a deep breath. Finally, she opens her eyes and speaks in barely more than a whisper. "I don't know what I'm going to do now that he's gone..." "I'm so sorry." Naoki places a gentle hand on Sophia's shoulder. For a moment, I feel strange. She definitely sounds sincere, but something about what she just said sounds off.  "I'm sorry. I just really want to find the person who did this. If there's anything you need to know, just ask, okay?" "Yeah, sure. Thanks." Examine door. This door leads back into the hallway.Examine kettle. It's just a normal kettle. Nothing suspicious about that.Examine towel. It's a dish towel. It's about exciting as a limp towel.Examine pots. It's empty.Examine spoon. A spoon with a hole in the bottom. Probably not too useful for serving soup, but perfect for straining pasta.Examine jar. A small jar of salt. Looking at how large the grains are, I'd guess kosher.Examine cooker. Looks like a gas stove. Commercial grade.Examine utensils. Some spoons and a spatula. They're all a bit dusty.Examine recycling. There's a recycling bin in here. It's about half full of glass and plastic bottles.Examine tea pot. There's hot tea in there. Naoki probably made it.Examine microwave. A microwave. It's very clean. Sophia really keeps things tidy around here.Examine fridge. The fridge is pretty well stocked, but it's all pre-packaged food. I guess no one cooks around here.  "What do you think about Mr. Auten's death?" "What do I think? I think it's terrible!" "I really don't like having to see dead bodies." "Well, I meant, who do you think did it?" "Um...I really can't say. I don't wanna make any judgments." He glances to the side and begins to absentmindedly fiddle with his fingers. "Can you at least tell me your thoughts on everyone here?" "Well, Liam is pretty angry with his uncle. His eyebrows went down every time he spoke about him. He covered his face when Aki started asking more questions, so he's got something to hide." "I'm pretty sure Marissa's hiding something, too. Every time she smiles, her eyebrows go up, as if she's worried. After she finished her interview with Mr. Auten, she was even more nervous than before." Naoki glances at Sophia before leaning in and whispering. "Sophia was pretty frustrated when we came, but now she's really anxious. She won't stop pacing back and forth." "And what about Kevin?" "You mean that guy with the red hair?" "I didn't really get to see his face. Sorry." "Don't worry about it. I was just curious. Really, it's good enough that you know this much. I'm kind of impressed." "I've been studying body language for a while, now."     "Why do you work for Mr. Auten?" "Mr. Auten values my services. I am a trained professional and an excellent personal assistant." "That wasn't really an answer. What I meant was, why did you choose to work for him?" "I have personal reasons, but my employment is both legal and morally sound." "Was Mr. Auten planning to cut Liam from his will?" "He was. Liam's actions were very costly in terms of both money and public image. Mr. Auten wanted to punish him for his cavalier attitude." "When Liam took up dog fighting a few months ago, that was the last straw. Last week, Mr. Auten informed Liam that he would no longer be inheriting anything." "How did Liam take that?" "He was furious, naturally. He called Mr. Auten a selfish and greedy old man, and he said that he'd make him regret his decision." "Mr. Auten never got around to doing it. The lawyer was scheduled to visit next week. As it stands, all of Mr. Auten's fortune now belongs to Liam." How convenient for Liam. Killing someone seems like a good way to get revenge, although I don't think Mr. Auten regrets much now that he's dead. Still, it's definitely something to keep in mind.     Examine lights. The emergency lights. They're not on right now.Examine fuse box. I can turn off the house's power from here. I probably shouldn't, though.Examine box. Whoa, this box is full of papers. They all look pretty old. Hm...experiment results? I don't understand what any of this is about. Maybe I should ask someone trustworthy. I'll take a few of these pages and leave the rest here for now.  "Whoa!" "Oops, sorry, Kan!" "Where have you been?" "I was just upstairs with Liam." "..." "Oh, don't look at me like that. It's not what you think." "Of course." "For your information, I was just asking Liam about the staff."  "I- what?" "That can't be true! Kevin said that Mr. Auten pays him well." "Well, then Kevin was lying." "And what makes you think Liam wasn't lying?" "Let's just say that he strongly believes it's in his best interest to be truthful." "In other words, you used your kansei." "Got it in one." "So if Mr. Auten doesn't pay anyone, why do they work for him?"    "Whoa. So, basically he gets people to be completely devoted to him by holding on to what they love. And in the end, he doesn't have to pay a cent." "I have to admit, I'm actually kind of impressed." This is getting complicated. "If we want to get to the bottom of this, we're going to need another look at the crime scene." "But Detective Gurski's guarding the door. I doubt he'd let even you in." "Oh, I'm the last person he'd let in." "But we don't need the real thing. We've got something just as good." "Naoki? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Sophia.""I called him here, of course." Aki glances around the room quickly before taking a step towards her brother. "This is what my kansei is actually good for." Aki takes Naoki's hand in hers and closes her eyes.  The world looks a little warmer and softer than I'm used to. It's kind of surreal. On the ground before me is a dead body. Mr. Auten, I assume. "Are we...in the office?" "Of course not. We're still in the main lobby." "Okay, so what do we do now?" "Have a look around, of course. Does anything look suspicious?" Examine scrolls. A fancy scroll with Chinese calligraphy on it. I have no idea what it says.Examine newspaper. Today's newspaper.Examine laptop. Mr. Auten's computer. The screen is dark.Examine books. A lot of books. I think it's an encyclopedia set.Examine shelves. A bunch of shelves. It's just Naoki's memory, so I can't see what's inside them.Examine chair. A very comfortable looking chair befitting an executive officer.Examine phone. A phone that's actually plugged into the wall. I suppose a land line is still more secure and reliable.Examine drawer. Some drawers. Too bad I can't get a look inside.Examine Auten. If I were in the real office, I'd be able to read Mr. Auten's final moments. Unfortunately, I'm not in the real office. Judging by his skin color, I'd agree with Detective Gurski. This guy was poisoned.Examine globe I wonder why people instinctively search for their home whenever they see a map. Maybe we're searching for a feeling of belonging. Well, I found Edgewater, for what it's worth.Examine bottle. Some sort of alcohol. I'd guess cognac by the color. The ice in the glass hasn't melted yet, which means Mr. Auten was drinking this right before he died. Maybe he was poisoned! "Um...if I had to say, I'd guess the cognac on his desk. The ice wasn't melted, so he poured it recently. And he didn't get to drink very much of it, so it may have been the source of the poison." "That's logical, but how could anyone poison his drink in the first place?" "Maybe the killer poisoned the cognac before giving it to Mr. Auten." "If that's the case, then the murderer could be anyone." Then I guess we'll just have to figure out who bought it. Sophia probably knows who's given him gifts lately."  "Did you learn anything else when you were speaking with Liam?" "Well, he did mention that his uncle likes to drink." "That's not exactly news. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows that." "It sure makes poisoning him easy, though, huh?" "So. You and the others are criminals, huh?" "I see Miko has been talking to you." "Li Mei is the one who told me." "Well, I won't deny that we've done things on both sides of the law." "But we're not just a bunch of criminals, okay? I have my reasons." "I've explored as much of the house as I can..." "But..?" "Well, I haven't gotten a good look at the security room. Kevin's always in there, and I don't want to be poking around while he's watching." "Hm...good point. I wonder if there's a way to get him out of the room for a while..." "Even if we could, the door would lock behind him. There's no way to open it without him. The only way to get in is to reset the power and override the system. You can't override the security system without a code." Aki's eyes suddenly light up. "So what you're saying is, it IS possible to enter without him." "No..." "You just said that we could get it if we had a code." "But we don't! I don't think Sophia's just going to tell us hers." "I'm pretty sure she already did." Naoki appears beside me. He looks a little out of breath, as if he ran here as quickly as he could. "Wait, did you just call him here?" "Yeah." Aki stares at me as if this should be obvious. "It's better than sending a text, although the range isn't that great..." She laughs. "But first things first." She turns to Naoki and places her palms together, almost as if she's in prayer. He frowns. "Every time you say that, we do something illegal." “Well, it's for a good cause." "You always say that, too." "I suppose I do." She smiles widely, showing off her teeth in a cheesy grin. "But you'll help, right?" He sighs. "What do you want?" "When you guys first opened Mr. Auten's office, you saw Sophia's security code, right?" "..." Naoki looks around apprehensively. It seems he already knows where this conversation is going. "Well, we're just going to try a little experiment and see if it works on other doors. Like the one to the security room." She folds her arms across her chest and draws her back up. She paces between Naoki and I like a general giving orders. "I'll distract Kevin while Kan turns the power off. Kevin will no doubt head to the basement to fix the problem. Once the power is back on, Naoki will use Sophia's code to get the two of you access to the security room.  "Got it?" Naoki sighs. He looks resigned. "Got it." Aki turns and looks at me expectantly. "Yeah, I got it." I try not to sound too resentful. It's not an entirely terrible plan, but I don't like having Aki boss me around. "Good. Then wait for my signal." Aki strides down the hallway and knocks on the door to the security room. After a few moments, Kevin opens it and lets her inside.  As soon as Aki starts speaking, I turn and walk down the hallway with long, quick strides. I hurry past the rows of doors and I quickly make my way down to the basement. Once I arrive at the basement, I flip all the switches off. The room plunges into darkness.  After a few seconds, the lights flicker back on. At the same time, I hear the basement door slam shut.  I crack the door to the bathroom open slowly. In the hallway, Naoki is already busy punching in a string of numbers into the security pad. His fingers race over the buttons, tapping each one in an even rhythm. The box beeps softly and the door opens. The two of us leap through it and begin our search through the meager contents of the security room. Examine phone. Wow, a phone that's actually attached to a wall. I guess if cell phones don't work here, you need a land line after all.Examine recorder. Some sort of recording device. I assume it stores footage from the security cameras.Examine top right monitor. The main staircase. Not much going on.Examine second from right monitor. I think that's the upstairs hallway.Examine third from right monitor. It's the basement. I get the feeling I'm the only person who's been there in a while.Examine fourth from right monitor. That's the living room.Examine fifth from right monitor. Mr. Auten's collection of expensive things that break easily.Examine sixth from right monitor. A luxurious looking bedroom. I'm a bit envious; all I get is a couch in Aki's apartment.Examine seventh from right monitor. Someone's bedroom, I think. Looks nice and large.Examine lower left monitor. The road that leads to this house. There are a lot of trees outside.Examine second from left monitor. The main entrance.Examine third from left monitor. A bunch of lines of code. I can't understand any of it.Examine fourth from left monitor. A bunch of computer files. They're probably important.Examine fifth from left monitor. The kitchen. Not much going on in there.Examine sixth from left monitor. The downstairs hallway.Examine seventh from left monitor. The stairs leading to the basement. Looks like the coast is clear for now, but Kevin might be back at any minute.Examine mouse. A computer mouse. It looks normal to me.Examine keyboard. It's a normal computer keyboard.Examine chair. A fairly standard office chair.Examine left most map. A map of the second floor. All that's there is Mr. Auten's office and a few bedrooms.Examine top right map. A map of the first floor. I think I've been in all of these rooms.Examine lower map. The basement. It's pretty small.Examine computer. I kneel beside the computer to inspect it. It looks like it was custom built, but there's nothing suspicious about it. As I stand, I notice a yellow bit of cardboard sandwiched between the computer and the glass desk. "Hm...what's this?" I pull it out gently. It's a folder stuffed with papers. This looks promising. I roll up the papers quickly and stuff them under my shirt. Naoki and I make a mad dash for the door. We burst out into the hallway, shut the door quickly behind us, then attempt a casual walk back into the lobby.  After a few minutes, Aki rejoins us. "So? Find anything?" I show her and Naoki the papers that I discovered. "Hm...these numbers are pretty recent. I see a lot of references to other companies, but I'm not sure what they mean." "Likewise." Aki and Naoki both furrow their brows in concentration as they examine the papers. Despite their wildly different personalities, they still reflect each other's actions. Finally Aki sighs and hands the papers back to me. "I've got nothing." I take the pages back from her and roll them up again. Maybe someone else can tell me what they mean.    Liam approaches me as soon as I enter the hallway. "Huh? Yeah, what's up?" He runs his fingers through his hair and yawns. "Just wondering if you were on good terms with that police dude." "Um...I wouldn't really say that I am..." "Huh. Well that sucks." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "I told him I wanted to go, and he was all like I can't leave 'cause Uncle is something or other." "Um...dead, you mean?" Liam stares at me as if I've just placed an octopus atop my head. "What are you talking about?" "Mr. Auten is dead! He just died!" Did Aki even tell him any of this when she was speaking with him? Liam's eyes dilate as he processes my statement. "Wait...so that means..." His eyes light up as a self-satisfied smirk spreads across his face. "Well, there's irony for you." "What's so ironic about it?" "Oh, come on. What ISN'T ironic about it? The man makes artificial hearts for a living, but his own ticker fails on him!" I purse my lips and attempt to keep my voice calm. "You don't seem that cut up about it." "Why should I be? He was due for it soon enough with the way he was drinking. Heart attack, right?" "Yeah, it was probably a heart attack." "Yeah, figured as much. Well, that's that, I guess." "That's it? You're just going to shrug if off like that?" "Am I supposed to cry or something?" "He's your family." "I've lost family members before." He shrugs. "Really, it's more annoying than anything else." He kicks the door to the living room and the sensor by the door beeps a complaint. "Right." Liam rolls his eyes and turns toward the camera. The lens takes a brief moment to focus before the sensor beeps and the door opens. "I can't believe I'm locked in this stupid place because of a stupid heart attack."  "Liam Auten! Just the man I wanted to see!" "W-what?" Liam looks a little taken aback as Marissa gushes over him. "I'd like to interview you for the magazine Modern Trends, if you don't mind." "Oh, um...sure." Liam quickly regains his composure and throws himself on a nearby couch. "What do you want to know?" I quickly duck out of the room before I have to watch any more of this display.
   "It turns out that Mr. Auten was going to cut Liam from his will." "Well, then. That's an interesting turn of events. Do you know why?" "One too many run-ins with the law, it seems. The big one, apparently, was him getting involved in dog fighting." Detective Gurski grimaces. "That would do it." "Am I to assume that Mr. Auten never actually got around to making this all-important change in his will?" "Yeah. Sophia said that the lawyer was going to come by next week." "Great." "I found a bunch of these papers in the basement. Any idea what they're about?" Detective Gurski takes the sheets from me and pages through them carefully. With each page he reads, his eyes widen.  "What? What is it?" "Old research. Very old research that certain people in the government want to pretend never happened." "How do you know this?" "It's a long story, kid." "It's not like I have anywhere to be." He sighs.
 "Specifically, an old experiment that William Auten was involved with. I got in a lot of trouble for what I saw."  "So you're the one who caught Aki and Naoki?" "I was Aki's arresting officer, yes. We technically never caught Naoki." "He got away?" I'm having trouble thinking of Naoki as the sort of guy who could run from the law for very long. "Aki went down fighting so that he could escape. We spent three days looking for him, and not a thing. Then, less than an hour after she cut a deal, he showed up on our doorstep to turn himself in. Like magic!" He scowls. "Part of me suspects that she planned it all in advance."    "Do you know anything about Liam's night life?" "You mean all the drinking and gambling, or extra stupid stuff?" "Well...I was thinking about...other things..." Oh, the dog fights, then." "You knew about that?" "Well, yeah. I'm the reason Mr. Auten found out in the first place. He asked me to track Liam's movements on his phone. Guess he didn't trust him.""There's a surprise." "Anyway, I noticed Liam was spending more and more time in a corner of town that's not really hot on the usual party clubs, so I did some more digging. Found out that Liam was watching dog fights, and in some cases funding them himself. Big Will was furious when I told him." "When you showed up, I thought he had hired a private investigator to get some proof.""I guess it's kind of a moot point, now." "So um...about your family's debt..." Kevin's face darkens and he tugs on his hair nervously. "Yeah, that..." "There's nothing to feel bad about." "You think so? Because I think there's plenty to feel bad about." He glares at me. "My parents took out a loan so I could go to a good college, yeah?" "Everything looks okay until my last year, when the company suddenly changes their policy." "The minimum payment shoots up, and the interest rate goes through the roof." "They can't do that!" "Sure they can. It was in the contract, printed all tiny and in legal junk." He rolls his eyes. "And if I had been there, maybe I could have read the contract myself and seen something..." He looks like he wants to say more, but instead he merely gazes at the ground. "So yeah. I feel pretty bad about it. But what can I do, you know?"    "Oh. Hi again." I scan the living room quickly. Liam's the only person here. "Where's Marissa?" "Oh, her? She went to the bathroom. I think." He turns his back to me and focuses on the widescreen television set in front of him. "Did you want something?" "Um, just wondering if we could talk." "What, are you a reporter, too?" "No..." "Oh, right. You're with Aki. She said you guys were economics students studying Uncle's business practices." Economics students? I would not have called that. "Yeah. School paper." "Well, you can ask me anything you want, I guess." "But I don't really pay attention to what Uncle did." "Did your uncle threaten to cut you from his will?" Liam's eyes narrow. "Who told you that?" "No one. I'm just asking." "Well the answer is no. Uncle never did anything like that, and if anyone is saying things like that, they're lying." "Really?" "Yeah, that's really not how I heard it." "Listen, sometimes he might just say things to...you know, try to convince me. He doesn't really mean it, though." "So he DID threaten to cut you from the will." "He does that all the time, though!" "But he actually scheduled a lawyer this time." Liam's carefree expression fades into an unpleasant frown. "So?" "He meant it this time. You know that." "No, he was just trying to scare me, like he always does. There's nothing more to it than that!" Liam's casual attitude is completely gone. His body is tense, and his eye bore into the television screen as he struggles to ignore me. I've definitely struck a nerve. "Is there anyone who might want your uncle dead?" Liam frowns and stares at the ground. "Lots of people, I guess." "Can you be more specific?" "Sorry. I was just asking." "I heard that your uncle didn't pay his employees?" "Well, Sophia and Kevin, yes. He said that in order to trust someone, money can't be involved in the equation." "Wouldn't it make someone less trustworthy if you didn't pay them?" "What, you think one of them killed Uncle? What would they have to gain? If he's dead, it's not like he could pay them." Liam eyes me suspiciously. "You're asking weird questions. What's this really about?" "Just asking some economics questions. Nothing big."   Marissa points at the stall. "Um, no, it's fine. I was just wondering what you were doing in here." Marissa frowns and begins to fidget. "Well..." "Wait, do I want to know?" "It's nothing bad!" She scans the room quickly with her eyes. "I just needed a place where I could be private. You know, someplace where no one is watching. There are cameras. All over this place, you know." "So?" She shivers. "That's terrifying! Aren't you bothered by the fact that someone you don't know could be watching your every move at any point in time? We give up so much of our private lives into the hands of strangers, and we don't even think twice." "Doesn't it bother you?" "I guess so..." It's probably something that should bother me more, all things considered. "Well, Mr. Auten at least had the decency to leave the restroom as a private area. I wonder how long that will last..." "So you came in here because you need to be alone?" "I just needed some time to think without feeling like someone is watching me." "Um...I guess, I'll just leave you alone, then. Yeah."   "Does anyone in your family suffer from any kind of medical condition?" Sophia places her hands on her hips and gives me a sharp glare. "Has someone been talking about my husband?"
HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Jun 17, 2022 |
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Jun 16, 2022 23:24
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Considering how easy it would be to cross-check it, i don't think lying about Liam is a good policy here.
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Jun 17, 2022 07:14
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Hmmm...saying Liam told you will probably get her to trust you more, but if it gets back to Liam he may be more reluctant to talk in the future. (I suspect the answer is about who we want trust with more than anything else.) Interesting; Liam's reaction to his uncle's death seems genuine, so either he's an expert liar or the most obvious suspect is not our guy.
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Jun 17, 2022 13:48
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I get the feeling that Liam doesn't trust us already, but I'm not sure if throwing him under the bus is going to do our investigators any good.ZCKaiser posted:Interesting; Liam's reaction to his uncle's death seems genuine, so either he's an expert liar or the most obvious suspect is not our guy.
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Jun 17, 2022 14:11
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When we get to the question about the cognac, do we want to be truthful with Sophia about our reasons for asking:
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Jun 17, 2022 21:39
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It seems to be a trend of giving you a "Lie in a really stupid way" option in this game, huh? We never set foot in the office, we could not have seen it, why the gently caress would that be an option. On the other hand, we COULD have been told about it, so yes we think it's related to the murder.
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Jun 18, 2022 10:06
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Tie breaker between telling Sophia that Liam mentioned her husband's health, or evading the question.
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Jun 18, 2022 17:05
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 "No. I was just asking." She eyes me carefully, weighing whether or not I'm telling the truth. "My husband is very ill right now, but it has nothing to do with Mr. Auten or anyone else here." "Are you sure?" Sophia's eyes narrow. "Please do not pry into my private life. It's very rude." "Um...I found these papers lying around. They're about some uh...other companies, I think. What are they, exactly?" "Those are some of his ledgers from one of his smaller companies." "I didn't know he owned other companies." "Well, he's bought most of them up under various names or through organizations that he heads." "Meaning?" "Meaning that his ownership of these companies is not readily evident." "So he owns them in secret?" "Yes." "Why?"  "Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to kill Mr. Auten?" "Sadly, I could name several." "Mr. Auten wasn't a very popular man in the business world. His most recent project stepped on a lot of toes." "And that would be..?" "Organ replication." "What?" "Auten Engineering is concerned mostly with mechanical organs, like artificial hearts or lungs. But lately Mr. Auten has been trying to find a way to grow organs from living tissue. The process involves taking a tissue sample from the patient and using it to recreate the organ they need replaced." "It ensures compatibility, and it allows for replacement of things impossible to substitute with mechanics. For instance, bone marrow." "The end goal was to be able to recreate any and all parts of the human body when necessary." "That sounds pretty sketchy..." "Well, under certain circumstances it is." "Of course, technicalities aside, the ethics of such research..." "Well, there were the obvious protests, demonstrations, and death threats." "Hang on, why didn't you mention this before?" "I didn't think it was important." "Are you kidding? He received death threats, and now he's dead! You seriously don't see the connection?" "But none of them seemed like serious concerns. Besides, Mr. Auten received death threats for lots of his work. I didn't think this would be any different." "Oh really? Why would people threaten to kill him?" "He saved a lot of lives with his work, but people have died because of him, too. Once in a while, one of the organs built by Auten Engineering malfunctions and someone dies as a result. “And, of course, it's very expensive to get a replacement organ. People have gone into debt over them, and that brings about much hatred as well." It's starting to become more evident why Mr. Auten doesn't like living around people. If that many people hated me, I'd probably lock myself up, too. "You'd think that with all the lives he's saved, people wouldn't hate him so much." "It's really not as simple as that. It's possible to do good things with bad intention." Whoa. She looks angry... I thought she was really distraught about Mr. Auten's death, but looking at her now, she definitely seems to be harboring anger towards him. "I'm sorry, I really don't know much more than this. The only thing I know about his work is what I wrote for his press releases." "I know he kept copies of all of his research, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know where to look." "Did anyone buy some cognac for Mr. Auten recently?" "That's an odd question. Is there any reason you want to know?"  "We think it might be related to the murder..." "Are you sure?" Surprise registers on Sophia's face for a brief moment. "Well... You don't think his cognac was poisoned, do you?" "What?" "Well, it certainly looks that way. The symptoms are all consistent." "The pale skin, the sweating." "I see..." Sophia looks like she's deep in thought. Maybe I shouldn't have told her about the cognac after all... "I'm sorry, I'm really not feeling well. I'd like to take a nap now, if it's okay with you." "Yeah, sure. That's fine."    "Oh, hey! Sorry dude. Didn't see you there." "Yeah, I figured as much. Going somewhere?" "Eh, just heading back upstairs to my room. There's like nothing to watch on TV." Liam pushes past me and strides into the main lobby. I hurry after him.  "Yeah? Okay, shoot." "So...do you really participate in dog fighting?" Liam's eyes grow wide. "Why is it that that's all anyone ever talks about?" "Is that a yes?" He rolls his eyes. "Sure, whatever. Yes." I'm surprised that he confessed so easily. I guess he feels like he doesn't have anything to lose. "W-why?" I try to keep my cool, but I didn't expect him to be so bold about it. "Um, because I was BORED. Duh."  "That's a terrible excuse, Liam." Liam throws up his hands in exasperation.  "Because in nature, animals aren't kept in cages between fights, the loser isn't shot in the head, and-" "Yeah, okay. Forget I asked. Let me guess, you're a vegetarian?" I raise an eyebrow. "What if I am?" "Yeah, I figured as much. I'm really not in the mood for another lecture." Liam turns and heads up the stairs. "I'm out of here." Liam bounds up the staircase, two steps at a time. Aki glares at him as he ascends the steps. She shuts her eyes and breathes out a single, quick breath. Without warning, Liam trips on a step and falls forward, planting his face neatly on the top flight of steps. He looks around in a disoriented panic. With some effort, he scrambles to his feet and runs up the stairs, disappearing down the hallway past Mr. Auten's office. I spin to face Aki. "What was THAT?" She gazes off into the distance, suddenly interested in some invisible point on the ceiling. "Hm? What are you talking about?" "You know exactly what I'm talking about! You did that!" "Eh...sort of." "Care to elaborate?"  She smirks. "Comes in handy more than you'd expect." "I'm not sure whether I should be impressed or disgusted." "You could be impressed AND disgusted. Hm...imprusted?" "Please don't."  As soon as she hears me, she looks up. Her eyes are wide with fear. "What's wrong?" "What happened?" "I don't know." I grab the door handle and pull. The door doesn't budge. "Go get Aki." Li Mei nods and runs down the hallway. "Sophia! Sophia, are you in there?" I pound on the door, hoping for a response. Kevin rushes up to me. He looks out of breath. "What's going on?" "Both?" "Sophia's in there. He locked her in there, and she's hurt! I can't-" He pauses for another breath. "I can't open it without your help. The basement downstairs. You've gotta turn off the power!" "Sure." As I open the panel, the basement door slams shut behind me. I run towards the door and pull on the handle, but it doesn't budge. "Kevin! Kevin, what's going on?" I pound on the door with my fists, hoping to attract someone's attention. "Hey, I'm trapped down here! I'm in the basement!" I press my ear against the door, but I can't hear anything outside. I grab the handle and pull it again, but the door doesn't even budge. Again, I slam my fist into the door, but it's useless. "HEY! SOMEONE LET ME OUT!" I have to get everyone's attention somehow. I stand in the dark room, straining to hear something, anything. Any clue that someone knows I'm down here. I hear some shouting, but it's so muffled that I can't even tell who's speaking. With a sigh of relief, I turn the power back on. Looks like my message was received after all. I hear a beeping noise, and the basement door slides open. "What happened to Kevin?" "Um...he's gone." "What?" Naoki looks at me apologetically. "And Sophia..?" "She's not doing well. Someone hit her on the head pretty hard. Aki's trying to stop the bleeding, but..." "I'm sorry. I could have stopped this. I should have stopped this." "It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for the actions of others." "So what now?" Naoki sighs and turns slowly. "Wait for the police to show up, I guess." I watch him trudge up the stairs, and I follow reluctantly.     
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Jun 19, 2022 21:02
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"Um...Liam told me about him." "That boy!" Sophia's expression tightens for a brief moment, but it doesn't take long for her to regain her composure. "Yes. My husband's heart is failing, and Auten Engineering is the only company with the technology to keep him alive. Mr. Auten allowed my husband preferential treatment in exchange for my services. I may not receive a paycheck, but I value my husband's well being even more." She clasps her hands together and straightens her back. "Now, please, do not pry any further into my private life."
 
"We think it might be related to the murder..." "Are you sure?" Surprise registers on Sophia's face for a brief moment. "Well..." "You don't think his cognac was poisoned, do you?" "What?" "Well, it certainly looks that way. The symptoms are all consistent." "The pale skin, the sweating." "I mean, if he were poisoned... what kind of poison are we talking about?" "What do you mean?" Sophia paces back and forth on the floor, speaking rapidly under her breath. "Why didn't I remember until now?" She berates herself. Sophia spins around to face me again. "This poison we're talking about. Is it a sort of clear, oily liquid?" "Sophia, do you know what it is?" She hurries to the cupboard and pulls out a white, linen napkin. "I just hope it's still here." With the napkin wrapped around her hand, she picks carefully through the pile of bottles and cans until she finds what she's looking for. "Here." She holds up a simple, plastic water bottle. It's empty save for a few drops of water sloshing around the bottom. "What is it?" "I found this in the incinerator yesterday. We burn our garbage daily. I pulled it out because it belongs in the recycling. When I picked it up, I got some of the contents on my hands. It's not water - the texture is more like oil." "But what makes you think it's the poison?" "Because I felt ill all yesterday after I touched it. The same exact symptoms you spoke of! What if it's the poison? What if the killer tried to throw it away?" "But...it's just a water bottle you happened to find. You may have been sick for some other reason." "No one in this house puts recycling in the incinerator. Mr. Auten has very strict rules, and we've always followed them. This is the only time I've ever seen something out of place. Please, just look at it!" I take the wrapped bottle from her, being careful not to touch the plastic.  "Let's take this to Detective Gurski." Sophia nods in agreement.  "Yeah, I think we have our key piece of evidence!" I hold up the bottle for Detective Gurski and Aki to see. "And what is it?" "It's the poison!" "Or...what's left of it, at least." "It'll be easier if I just explain to you who did it. "Fair enough. So who did it?"
 "It was Mr. Auten." "You mean suicide?" "Are you sure about that?" "It had to have been. He locked himself in his office, then took some poison." "But why? I know I said it was a possibility, but I've gotta be honest - it's not a very big one. Unless you have proof?" "Uh..." "Kan, why would he call us here to speak with us, then kill himself?" "Maybe, because... Okay, maybe I didn't think this through all the way." "I'll say." "It was Liam. Mr. Auten was going to cut him out of the will, so he killed him before it happened." "So there's at least motive. What about means and opportunity?" "He snuck into Mr. Auten's study and poisoned his drink." "But how? Liam's not allowed access into the study in the first place. Don't you remember?" "Oh, right." "Are you sure you thought this through?" "It was Sophia." "What are you talking about?" "You're his personal assistant, which means you had access to his office." "But I don't! Mr. Auten wouldn't even let me enter!" "Yes you do! You got us in earlier, didn't you?" "After we reset the power. She wouldn't be able to do it on her own." "And I would never kill Mr. Auten! He was my husband's only chance to live!" "Y-yeah...I guess so, huh?" "Are you done with your wild theories yet?" "It was Marissa." "The reporter?" Detective Gurski frowns. He doesn't look convinced. "She must have poisoned his drink during their interview!" "When? He was speaking with her the entire time. She wouldn't have gotten the chance to do anything." "Oh, right. Hm..." "It was Kevin." "The IT guy?" "But how did he do it?" "He poisoned Mr. Auten's cognac, most likely. He wanted it to look like someone from the outside poisoned it before it even arrived at the house, so he picked something that Mr. Auten would lock up in the office." "How'd he get into the office? I thought no one was allowed in." "That may be true for Sophia and Liam, but Kevin controls all the security in the house. I bet he has a master code that can open any door." "Is that true?" "Yes, he's never used the master code, but it does exist." "So he had means and opportunity. What about a motive?"
"He did it for fun." "What?" "He wanted to kill Mr. Auten because he thought it would be fun." "Well that's not a very strong motive to go off of. Are you sure about that?" "I guess not..." "But we have some physical evidence! Sophia and I found it!" Sophia holds up the water bottle for Detective Gurski to inspect. "Sophia found this in the incinerator. We think he carried the poison in this bottle and then tried to destroy the evidence." Detective Gurski leans down to inspect the bottle. "I suppose we could test the contents for poison and see if this has any fingerprints." "Exactly!" "Well, it's a start, but without a motive, you can't say for sure that it was Kevin." "Yeah..." "I think you've done enough. The police should be here soon, so just sit tight until they arrive. We'll take it from here." "Yeah. Sure."   "He did it for revenge." "Revenge? For what?" I hold up the papers I found in the security room. "Destroying his family's business, of course. We- um...I found these in the security room." I hand the papers to Detective Gurski and he riffles through them, scanning each page briefly with his eyes. "What am I looking at?" "Proof of ownership. Mr. Auten owned quite a few loan agencies under assumed names. He gave out student loans to families like Kevin's, then changed the interest rate without warning, putting them into more debt than they could handle. "So Kevin would bear a grudge against Mr. Auten for cheating his family and using him!" "That's a good enough motive for me, and he's the only person with the means to do it." "Sophia found this in the incinerator. We think he carried the poison in this bottle and then tried to destroy the evidence." "Meaning that we'll probably find his fingerprints all over it." "What is that?" "The house is coming out of lock down. Kevin must be unlocking all the doors!" I groan. "Of course! He can see us! I'm holding his stupid murder weapon in my hand! He probably knows we've got him figured out." "But Kevin isn't going to leave through the front. We'd never let him past us. Sophia, what other exits are there?" "There's an emergency door in the museum-" Detective Gurski and Aki exchange horrified glances. "Li Mei!" "Is there any way to lock all the doors again?" "U-um...there's a panic box upstairs that-" "Don't explain it. Just go!" Detective Gurski grabs the handle on the door and pulls, but the lock by the door beeps stubbornly. He pounds on it with his fist. "Kevin! We know you're in there!" No response. "KEVIN!" Aki glances at Naoki and nods. He nods in return before punching in a string of numbers into the box beside the door. The box rewards us with a friendly beep and a click.    "Kevin...it's okay." Detective Gurski holds his hands up for Kevin to see. "We're just going to talk." "What if I don't want to talk?" Kevin shakes his head vehemently. "I'm not stupid!" "No. You're very intelligent. You should know that Sophia's locking the doors, and there's nowhere to go. So why don't you just put that knife down and let us talk?" Kevin's gaze darts back and forth between us and the exit. "Y-you're lying..." Aki steps forward slowly, hands held into the air. "Kevin, please. Just let her go." Kevin's expression softens for a brief moment, but he doesn't release Li Mei. "You think I'm going to give up my only bargaining chip?"    "Agh-" Kevin stares at Li Mei with muted disbelief. His entire body begins to shake, and he collapses to the ground.  "My body is frozen in shock. The world around me is fuzzy. Distant. I see Detective Gurski kneeling beside Kevin. He's shouting something at Naoki, but I can't understand what he's saying. Aki rushes forward and wraps her arms around Li Mei. This is the first time I've seen Aki look so frightened...  This can't be happening. There's no way this is happening. I can hear my own heart pounding against my ribcage as blood rushes through my head. The world is starting to grow even fuzzier. I feel ill. I clutch at my stomach and stumble a few paces back.  
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Jun 22, 2022 22:56
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Before we start the "A route", could I ask you to vote on the following: Whether we go with Naoki and Li Mei to explore the house prior to the murder.  And, which room we examine. Previously, we opted to go with Naoki and Li Mei, and investigated the Museum. We can explore the Museum again if we have Kangai explore alone, or there's also the Living Room or Basement. HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Jun 22, 2022 |
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Jun 22, 2022 23:02
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well, let's reverse course then, tell Naoki to man up and then we take the stairs
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Jun 23, 2022 07:40
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 "Just man up and go alone." "But what if something happens?" "Like what? You're in the super house of technology. If something goes wrong, a robot will probably pop out and save you." "Probably not." "Oh..." He actually looks disappointed. "Come on, let's just get moving." "Alright, this is where we split up. Let's start at the end and work our way back. There's the staircase and the two doors at the end. Do either of you have a preference?" "No." "Um...I'd rather not go down there, if it's okay." Naoki points at the staircase. No surprise there. It's quiet and out of the way, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Naoki's afraid of being underground. "Fine, I'll take the staircase." I turn and head down the stairwell. It's a straight path to the bottom. The door at the end looks like all the other doors in the house. I touch it, and it beeps quietly at me, but doesn't move. "Really?" I run my hand along the door's surface, looking for a handle, but there doesn't seem to be one... I push on the door and it beeps again, but it still refuses to budge. Well, Sophia said that we had guest privileges, so I guess whatever is in here is off limits to guests... I turn around and head back up the stairs. So much for that. I lean against the wall and shut my eyes. They'll probably be out shortly. "Anything?" "I'm afraid not. The door is locked." "What about you? Find anything interesting?" Li Mei nods. She looks pleased with herself. "It's full of work from ancient China." For a brief moment, Li Mei's expression actually displays a childish expression of happiness. "It's beautiful." "So he's an art collector, then?" "No. Those piece are protective wards." "Strange." Naoki appears from the first door in the hallway. He looks a little flustered. "No. The door at the bottom was locked. Did something happen in there?" "There's a girl in there. Marissa." Ah, right. The reporter. I forgot that she was wandering around here, too. "And?" I definitely remember Marissa being overbearing, but I don't know if I'd call her scary. "She kept asking me all these questions about why we were here and if I knew anything about Liam. I didn't know what to say!" Well, if nothing else, that girl is supremely nosy. But I think I knew that already. "Did you tell her anything about the Sara Blackmoore case?" "O-of course not! Onee- I mean... Aki...wouldn't like that." Of course. Aki. I suspect that Naoki's entire life revolves around making sure Aki isn't unhappy. Talk about brotherly love. Then again, who am I to judge?
  "If you mean down the staircase, I think that door is locked to visitors." "It is, but I can open it from here. Once you head down there, everything will be fine."
"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be okay." "Right..." Naoki doesn't seem too inspired by my words, but he leaves anyway. We stand in awkward silence for a few minutes before the lights flicker off. As soon as the lights power back on, Sophia punches in a rapid fire series of numbers into the keypad beside the door. The door swings open and the three of us crowd into the doorway. Sophia rushes in and grabs the body lying on the floor. "Mr. Auten! Sir!" She shakes him gently, but he doesn't respond. Detective Gurski leans over Mr. Auten's body and places two fingers on his neck. "He doesn't have a pulse." "No! He was just alive a moment ago." Sophia pulls Mr. Auten's body away from the desk and tries to roll it over, but she can't support his weight. "What are you doing?" "There's still a chance I can save him! Please, help me!" Gurski points at me. "Kangai, help us move the body." I step forward and coil my arms under one of Mr. Auten's arms. With a groan, Detective Gurski and I lift the body and lay Mr. Auten on his back. As I lay Mr. Auten's arm down, my hand brushes against his. Even as I struggle to maintain consciousness, my mind is flooded with Mr. Auten's final thoughts.      I open my eyes slowly. I'm kneeling on the ground, but Detective Gurski and Sophia aren't even looking at me. Sophia has her hands on Mr. Auten's chest with her fingers interlocked. "One, two, three, four..." She pumps his chest with her hands, counting out loud as she does. Mr. Auten doesn't move. Again, she pumps his chest, trying to start his heart, but again nothing. She leans down and grabs his mouth, but Detective Gurski steps in and pulls her away. "That's enough!" "What are you doing? There's still a chance!" She punches him with her free arm, but it doesn't affect him. "Look at him! His skin is pale, his pupils are dilated, and he's covered in sweat. There's a good chance he was poisoned, and you could be poisoned too if you try to resuscitate him." Sophia makes another desperate attempt to escape from Detective Gurski's grasp, but he holds her firm. "Don't. You did your best, but there's nothing we can do now." Sophia's knees buckle under her, and she falls to the ground with a choked sob. I thought she was just Mr. Auten's personal assistant, but his death seems to have really shaken her up. Detective Gurski kneels beside her, and places a hand gently on her shoulder. "Sophia. Everything's going to be okay." She shakes her head, but when she opens her mouth to speak, all she can do is sob. I back out of the room slowly. They really don't need me here right now.  "Li Mei said he's gone." I nod slowly. "What happened?" "I think it was poisoning, but I don't know." "Did you...you know...see it?" "Yeah. He was scared of something. Someone, I think. I still don't know why. His final wish was to protect the vault." "What's the vault?" "No clue." "We should find Aki. She'll know what to do." "She's coming." Li Mei turns towards the staircase just as Aki reaches the top. "Hey, what happened? The lights went out for a moment." "Mr. Auten died." "Died? How?" "Poisoning, it seems." "Did you read his last moments?" "Yeah. He was regretting meeting someone. Said he needed to protect a vault of some sort." "Interesting. I haven't seen any vaults around here, but I assume that it would be hidden."
"What about your sister's murder? You're the only witness, but you ran away! Why?" "It has nothing to do with you. I don't owe you an explanation." "That may be so, but you owe it to your sister, don't you? The case went cold, but maybe if you tell us what you know, we can find her killer."
"Are Aki and the others really convicts?" "Well...technically, no." "No?" "They're not on record as having committed any crimes." "But Li Mei said you were their parole officer." "Handler is more like it. I'm supposed to make sure they don't cause any trouble." He rolls his eyes. "That'll be the day." "Do you know if Mr. Auten has a vault at the bank?" "I assume most rich people do. Why do you ask?" "Just curious." "That's a strange thing to be curious about." "Yeah, I guess so." "Although looking at his lifestyle, I'm actually inclined to think that any vault he cares about would be in this house." "How do you know?" "He rarely leaves the house, and security here is tight, even for a high ranking official." "It's obvious that he has trust issues. Someone like him wouldn't let a bank hold on to something important. Besides, I'm sure he'd want to keep a close eye on it, too. If there's a vault, it's definitely somewhere in here." Gurski's right. It has to be hidden in this place somewhere. I wonder if anyone here knows about it. "Do you know anything about a vault hidden in this house?" "A vault? Hm...can't say I do." "If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably in his office. It's the most secure place around here, after all." "Although I can't think of anything he might have that's more valuable than that precious artifact collection of his. He's sunk more money than I care to think about buying all that old stuff up." "Heh, maybe that old museum of his is the vault. He certainly loves it enough." "What do you mean?" "He wanders in there all the time, just to look at stuff." Kevin points at one of the monitors on the wall. The glowing screen displays an angled image of the museum. "That room has so much stuff he cares about. You could probably say it's his vault." Kevin points to the bottom corner of the screen. "There's a blind spot right here. Anything under the camera won't show up on the monitor. It's the only place in the house with such a massive blind spot. I keep telling Mr. Auten that we should reposition the camera, but he refuses." Why would Mr. Auten willingly hide a portion of his house? Maybe there's something there that he doesn't want Kevin to see. I'll have to go inspect it myself.
"Oh, you didn't know? Like I said, you keep some interesting company." "Weirdly enough, when I looked up their police records, they were completely empty. They haven't been charged with anything." No surprise there. Detective Gurski said that Aki cut a deal. No doubt she used her kansei to make her argument a little more compelling. "The other girl with you is the real problem, though." "Who, Li Mei?" "I couldn't find a single thing on her. No online profile, no yearbook, no images of her anywhere, and no connection to anything your other friends did." "So maybe she doesn't like social networking and she was homeschooled. What's the big deal?" "Dude, seriously? You've got to make a real effort to be that much of a ghost." "There's no way that the government isn't involved and trying to cover something up." "You're one of those guys who think the moon landing was faked, aren't you?" "Oh, come on. It's not like that." "Besides, how much do you know about her, anyway?" Well, I can't exactly tell him that she has a kansei that makes her a human sponge for emotions. But beyond that, I really don't know a thing. Aki refused to even speak about it when I asked her. Aki seemed uncomfortable about the topic, and Detective Gurski shut me down completely when I asked.  "Just a lucky guess?" "Truly?" Sophia's eyes narrow. That was definitely not the right answer. "Well..." "You're telling me that out of nowhere, you just guessed that something was wrong with Mr. Auten?" "I...yes?" "And this guess was so compelling that you pounded on his office door until we finally opened it?" "I guess so..." "Stop lying to me! Mr. Auten is dead, and I know you're involved! Why else would he have been so afraid of you?" "H-hang on! Kangai didn't do anything! He just happened to be here today! If it weren't for him, you might not even know that Mr. Auten is dead yet!" Sophia's glare softens, but she doesn't take her eyes off of me. "Then where did his "lucky guess" come from? Surely you don't scream outside everyone's door the moment you guess that something has gone wrong." "If I were the killer, I wouldn't TELL you that Mr. Auten died! I'd run away!" "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime." "Fine! Then how did I do it? I never even SAW Mr. Auten." Sophia's expression wavers for a moment. She can't actually think of a good answer. "It was you. It had to have been you." I purse my lips and shake my head. Nothing I say will matter at this point in time. "Sophia, I'm so sorry about Mr. Auten. But he's the one who called us here, remember?" Naoki tentatively places his hand on Sophia's shoulder. She flinches, but she doesn't move away. "I know it's scary, and I know that it's confusing." "But I know you're a smart woman, and you know that what you're accusing him of doesn't make sense. We're here to help. Please let us help." Sophia breathes in slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm jumping to the strangest conclusions here. I must not be in a very good frame of mind right now." "Do you know anything about a vault or a safe hidden in this house?" "Yes. Mr. Auten mentioned a safe place once or twice, although I don't know the exact location. I'm sure it's in the house somewhere, but the way he spoke of how inconvenient it was, I assume it wasn't located in his study." 
 "Does what bother me?" "Death."  "Not really. I guess I'm used to it by now." "I still think it's sad, but I'm kind of numbed to all of it." I stare at my hands and rub my fingers slowly together. My palms feel sweaty. "What is everybody feeling right now?" Li Mei takes a deep breath and closes her eyes again. This time, it takes her a little longer to sort out her thoughts. "Sophia is sad. She feels as if there is no hope. But...there is also relief." Relief? Again, I feel uneasy about Sophia. Earlier, when I asked her if she cared about Mr. Auten, she didn't actually answer me. All she said was that she didn't know what she'd do now that he's gone. I don't know why that bugs me so much, but it seems like she was avoiding the question. "Do you know much about the artifacts in this place?" Li Mei nods. "..." "..." "Um...could you maybe...tell me about them?" "If you wish." "Yeah. I do." "Most are safety charms meant to ward off danger." I turn to the large tapestry on the wall. "What about this? What are these animals?" "They are the four legendary creatures: tortoise, dragon, phoenix, and tiger." For some reason, this mythology feels familiar, but I'm not sure why. It's not anything I've ever studied. "Do they stand for anything in particular?" "Many things. Seasons, directions on the compass, sometimes schools of thought. "Overall, they represent balance." "It's weird. They feel kind of familiar. Especially the tiger." "The tiger and the dragon are mortal enemies." Li Mei reaches out as if to touch the tapestry, but she hesitates and draws her hand back. "The dragon represents cunning and intelligence, and the tiger represents raw power and strength." "Dragon and tiger. Mind and body." My stomach tightens up as I look at the tapestry hanging on the wall. An endless fight where neither can win... Li Mei watches me carefully. She's trying to decipher my emotions, but I don't even fully understand what I'm feeling. "What bothers you?" "I'm not sure. It's probably nothing." Li Mei doesn't seem satisfied with my response. No surprise there, since I'm not satisfied, either. I don't really have anything else to say, though, so our conversation devolves into an uncomfortable silence. Examine the box. I examine the wooden box at the far end of the room. It's the only item in the room that can't be seen from the security cameras. It's also one of the few items not under glass. I suspect that Mr. Auten was hiding something in this box. "Hey, Li Mei. Do you know anything about this?" I point at the box, and Li Mei approaches it and inspects it carefully. "It's locked." "What do you mean? I don't see a keyhole on it or anything." She shakes her head. "I see... how do I do that?" She shakes her head again. "I will do it." "Are you sure?" I want to help." "Aki does not let me work because she worries about me, but there is no danger with this. I can be useful again." Well, if she wants to, I don't see why I shouldn't let her. She probably has a better idea of what to do anyway. I wouldn't actually know where to begin. She touches the side panel lightly and slides it back and forth, tilting her ear towards the box as if she's listening for something. After a few seconds, she moves her hands to the other side of the box and repeats the process. She pauses, takes a step back, and looks at the box carefully. "This will take some time. Please return later." Huh? Oh, sure." I back out of the room to give her some time to herself.
"What about you? Find anything interesting?" "Well, when I read Mr. Auten's death, the last thing he thought about was protecting a vault. He said the vault had to be protected at all costs." "Maybe the killer is after it, too. We should try to figure out what's in it. Or, better yet, actually find it." "I've explored as much of the house as I can...""But..?" "Well, I haven't gotten a good look at the security room. Kevin's always in there, and I don't want to be poking around while he's watching." "I don't suppose you could sneak in or something?" "Don't think so. Even if we find a way to get him out of that room, he'll probably lock the door behind him." "Darn. Well, exercise the options you have, I guess. Have you found that vault he was worried about?" "Not yet." "Might want to start there."
 "Um...no. It looks more like he was murdered." Again, Liam takes a few seconds to process my statement. When it finally registers, his face twists into an expression of fear. "MURDERED?" Liam begins pacing back and forth, muttering to himself under his breath as he does. He finally turns back to me and grabs my shoulders. "Are you sure it was murder?" "Well, we won't be able to say for sure until the autopsy, but...yeah. Pretty sure." "No no no...this is not good. Not good, not good." He glances back and forth as if he's expecting to see something leap out of the shadows and take him. "I'm gonna...I just...I need to think." He dashes off down the hallway. "Liam, wait!" I take off after him, and arrive in the main entrance just in time to see him race up the stairs.  "Do you do everything your sister tells you to do? It seems like you keep giving up what you want in order to please her." "Actually, it's sort of the other way around." "I guess after making her life so difficult, I'm just trying to make things easier for her now." "Besides, I don't do everything she tells me to. We argue all the time." "Seriously? It sure doesn't look like it to me." "Stay with us a little longer, and you'll see plenty." "Why do Aki and Detective Gurski hate each other so much?" "Well, both of them have very strong personalities, but they have different approaches to solving problems." "He thinks she's too impulsive, and she thinks he's too indecisive." "And what do you think?" "I think they're both right, and I think things are going to go terribly again if they don't realize this." "Again? What happened?" "Um...I guess..." Naoki bobs his head back and forth as if he's trying to think of a tactful way to say something very blunt.
 "Well, they both agree that it was the worst blind date ever." "WHAT?" "Please don't tell anyone I told you that!" "Uh, yeah...sure. I can keep my mouth shut." Naoki smiles at me. He looks relieved. "Ah..." "I'm sorry, I have to get going." "What's up?" "Aki wants me to look around upstairs for a bit." "Right. Okay, sure. See you, I guess?"
 "How's it going with the puzzle box?" Li Mei nods at the wooden box. I approach it and gently touch the doors. I hear a soft click. "Whoa...good job." My heart sinks as soon as the door opens. "It's empty..." Li Mei nods and touches my hand. A small smile flickers across her lips. "That is only the first door." "The first door? What are you talking about?" She takes my hand and places it in the box, pressing my fingertips against the underside of the top of box. My fingers trace out the shape of a small hole carved into the wood. Next to it, a worn series of characters - probably Chinese. "There's a keyhole in here!" Li Mei nods. "What does the writing say?" "There must be some sort of secret compartment hidden in here. I guess we'll have to find the key in order to open it." Li Mei nods. "I have already searched this room, but I cannot find it." "Then maybe it's somewhere else in the house. It's in the place between mind and body? I wonder what that means."
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Jun 26, 2022 21:22
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 Examine the fountain. The center of the fountain features a dragon and a tiger. Is that the space between mind and body that the puzzle box was referring to? I run my hand along the orb. Nothing. Hm...Mr. Auten was trying to keep all of this secret, so... I look up at the camera on the ceiling and move around the fountain slowly until I'm hidden from view. Sophia is going to kill me if she finds me messing with this thing. I run my hand down the orb carefully until I feel a seam in glass. Is this the key? I glance up just to make sure the camera isn't watching me before I take the key and slide it into my pocket.  You're excited." I hold up the key I found hidden in the water fountain. Li Mei smiles. She's clearly as pleased as I am. I place the key in her delicate fingers and she inserts it into the keyhole. She moves it back and forth slowly, pressing her ear to the side of the box as she does. I hear a metallic click followed by the sound of something falling. Finally, she lets out a quiet sigh. She straightens up and nods confidently. "You got it?" She steps aside to show me the open box. I take the SD card from the box and tuck it into my back pocket. We'll have to look at it later. "Nice work." Li Mei looks pleased with herself. She nods, as if to agree that she did, in fact, do a good job.  I feel like I'm close to something, but I just can't put my finger on it... My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of sirens. Looks like the police are finally here. All this investigation, and I still haven't figured out who the killer is?  
    
"Hey, feeling better?" "Yes. I'm sorry for earlier. I just needed some time to myself to think." "Come up with anything?" "I'm really not sure. I'm probably just overthinking." "About what?" "Mr. Auten's death." She touches the side of her forehead and rubs it slowly. "I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking. Sometimes I see scandal where there isn't any. I really need to do more research before I say anything." Marissa's definitely nervous about something. She keeps repeating herself. Has she figured out something?
 Oh no... I spin around, looking down the stretch of doors, but I don't see anything. What is it? Who... The bathroom. It has to be in there. I rush to the bathroom door and throw it open. This is not the scene I was hoping for... The mirror in the bathroom has been shattered by a single blow. Lines of red trickle slowly down the glass. A body has been hastily tossed into one of the bathroom stalls. I approach, and recoil at the sight. It's Marissa. Shards of glass are embedded in her forehead, and blood drips slowly down her face. The blood hasn't dried yet. That means she must have died recently. I kneel beside her and touch her hand. As soon as my fingertips touch her palm, my mind is flooded with her final thoughts.     
   I stop to catch my breath. "It's Marissa. She's been killed." "What?" "In the bathroom! It was-" Our conversation is interrupted by a shrill beeping noise. "What IS that?" Upstairs, I hear the pounding of footsteps. Liam races down the stairs, his eyes lit with excitement. Naoki follows behind him, looking confused. "What? No." "Unlocked? Oh no..."  Li Mei appears in the doorway. She looks scared. "Kevin ran out through the museum. I tried to stop him, but he had a knife." "I'm sorry." Aki shakes her head and places a hand on Li Mei's shoulder. "No, it's okay. You did the right thing." Even as she says that, her face tightens. She's clearly not happy. Unfortunately, Naoki appears behind Li Mei with more bad news. "Argh!" Aki smashes her fist into the keyboard and I'm fairly certain I hear the sound of plastic snapping. "How could we have been so stupid?" "Onee..." Naoki watches helplessly while Aki fumes. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" "There was nothing we could have done..." "Nothing? Well, that's not true." Aki snorts through her nose. "We had everything, Kan, but we didn't piece it together fast enough. We should have known, and now look! Marissa's dead and two of our suspects have run away. Surely we could have stopped at least some of this." Aki sighs, and her shoulders sink. Her rage has disappeared, replaced by a sense of broken defeat. "We're done here. Let's just wait for the police." "There's nothing we can do anymore." "Hey, it's not a total loss." I reach into my pocket and run my finger slowly along the edge of the SD card. "What are you talking about?" "It's-" I'm interrupted by the sound of sirens. "Looks like the police are here." Aki gives me a knowing look. "We'll talk about this later.    "So? Did you find anything?" "Well, yeah...but I'm not exactly sure what it is." I pull out the SD card from my back pocket. "Where did you find that?" "The museum. Mr. Auten went to great lengths to keep this hidden." "Then we'd better have a look at it!" "I don't know...don't you think we should hand this over to Detective Gurski?" "Why would we do that?" "If it's important, we'll let him know about it eventually." "Besides, it's not like the police would have found that, anyway, so they're not missing out on anything." "Um...I guess so..." "So what are we waiting for? Let's have a look at this!"  She pops the SD card into their computer and we wait patiently for the data to load. I click through the files quickly, and we scan the contents of each one as they load. Most of it looks like little more than complicated formulas and diagrams to me. Something about breaking down certain types of tissue, it seems. "A lot of this is pretty complicated stuff." "No kidding. It looks like Mr. Auten's been working on some sort of secret project for quite some time." Suddenly, things start to fall into place. His office was private so that no one would see him working! When he was done, he'd hide his progress in the vault in the museum. No one would even guess anything was there. Whatever this project was, it must have meant a lot to him. "Oh hey, a video file." I double click, and the file pops open. A pixellated video fills the screen. "Wow. Lousy camera quality..." Aki frowns and resizes the video, but it doesn't do much to improve the quality. From what I can make out, the video appears to be of a young man walking down a bare, white, hallway. "Where was this taken?" "It looks like security camera footage. The angle is very high." "So Mr. Auten was spying on someone? That's creepy." The video zooms in on the young man's face, and an uneasy feeling settles in my stomach. "..." Aki stares at the screen, then back at me. 
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Jul 9, 2022 20:21
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 Well, I'll take the door on the right." "Then, I'll take the one on the left."  "It's fine." It's not fine, but there's no point in telling her that. "So what are you doing here?" "Not much. Just exploring." "No, I meant here at Mr. Auten's place. You can't possibly be a business associate of his."
"I'm here for work." "Work? What kind of work do you do?" "Um...I guess I'm a special investigator." Marissa's eyes grow wide as she gazes at me in awe. "Then we're the same! You and I are both people who try to uncover the truth!" She moves close and lowers her voice. "So you're here to investigate Liam, aren't you? I knew it was only a matter of time before Mr. Auten got tired of his nephew's lies. Just between you and me, I really think all those rumors about Liam are the least of what he's done." Funny...back when she thought I was Liam, she said she didn't believe the rumors at all. Looks like she'll say anything to get what she wants. Still, I'm curious to know what exactly this Liam guy has been up to. I guess it's best to play along for now. "Why do you say that? Do you have any proof?" She frowns. "Welllll...not yet. But I'm definitely going to find it!" She puts her finger to her lips and winks. "Once I write a hard-hitting article about all the stuff that's going on behind the scenes here, everyone will see what a great journalist I am. We could work together, you know. I'll even list you as one of my sources. It'll help your career, won't it?" Ugh, what a two-faced woman. She seems like the sort of person who's used to lying to get her way. I don't like the thought of working with her, but it seems better than getting on her bad side, and it's probably best to keep an eye on her. I guess I should put on a happy face... Ugh...smiling feels weird. Do I look as weird as I feel? "Great! We can cover so much ground if we split up! I bet if we explore right now, we can find something good." Marissa doesn't seem to notice that my smile is faker than a spray-on sun tan. She heads to the door and touches it. It beeps and slides open. "Oops! Sorry darling, I didn't see you there." Li Mei tilts her head to the side and gazes at me curiously. "Uh...why don't you go that way, and I'll talk to this girl?" I point down the hallway and Marissa nods. "Good idea." She flits off cheerfully. I didn't realize it was possible to be this annoyed by someone. Li Mei and I stand in silence for a few moments. Finally, she breaks the silence. "She's strange." A hint of a smile plays around Li Mei's lips. It's probably the most emotion I've seen out of her so far. "Well, did you find anything downstairs?" She shakes her head. "The door wouldn't open. No guests allowed." "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by that." "Well, let's go see if Naoki had any better luck." As we approach the second door, it swings open, and Naoki exits. "Oh, hey. Find anything?" "Nothing in particular, unless you count an annoyingly nosy reporter." "What about you?" "Well, no reporter on this side." "That room is full of Chinese artifacts. It's like a museum in there." "This whole house feels like a museum. He's got Chinese relics everywhere." I wonder why he's so interested in China.
 "Do you know if Mr. Auten has a vault at the bank?" "I assume most rich people do. Why do you ask?"
"I heard him mention something about keeping a vault safe before he died." "That's strange. I didn't hear anything." "Maybe I just made it up." "No, you're probably onto something." "Well, he may have been murdered." "Holy cow! Murdered? I didn't see that one coming." Kevin rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I guess that's what he meant..." "What are you talking about?" "Mr. Auten never liked to talk about his history. Any time someone asked, he'd always say that he buried his past a long time ago. Once, when he'd had a little too much to drink, he told me that he was afraid that one day, his past would come back and return the favor." That sounds pretty ominous. It would fit with the fact that he's built up his house like a fortress, though. "MAN. Dead? Really?" He shakes his head. "Sorry, that's just too weird. I'm still having a hard time believing it. So, are the police gonna question us all and stuff?" "Um...probably." I grimace as I realize that I'm about to be dragged into yet another investigation. I won't be able to remain in hiding much longer, it seems. Especially if the people Detective Gurski talked about really are coming for me. "Well, I guess I'll hang out here until then."
 "Did Mr. Auten have some sort of vault at a bank?" "He did not. Mr. Auten didn't trust banking institutions very much." "He preferred to play the stock market himself. His belief was that he should be allowed to do as he pleased with his own money, and if he lost it all, then it was his fault. He'd rather lose everything on his own then gain a little interest from a bank playing it safe." "You've been spending a lot of time in here. Any reason?" "Everything in here is like me." She smiles proudly, as if she's managed to figure out a difficult puzzle. I look around the room, but I'm having a hard time connecting these artifacts with the girl in front of me. "Do you mean...you're all Chinese?" "We are all broken." Whoa...I didn't expect her to say something like that, especially with such a calm face. "What do you mean, broken?" "I don't do what I was created to do, so I am broken." "..." "You are sad. You do not need to be sad, because I am content here." "Content? What about happy? Are you happy?" "Happy?" "I'm not sure..." "What do you mean?""Happiness is a confusing emotion. I haven't had much experience with it." "What about Aki and Naoki? Haven't you picked up any happiness from them?" I'm not entirely sure if her kansei works like that, but if she can feel everyone's emotions, then surely she must feel theirs as well. "They are not happy." Oh. Well then. So I'm stuck living with a girl who finds happiness confusing and a pair of twins who aren't happy at all. If we ever have to pick a team name, I'm going to suggest "The Emo Brigade."
  "Oh, Kangai!" "Did you find out anything about Mr. Auten or Liam?" "Oh! Yeah, um..." I'm not sure there's a tactful way to put this. "Mr. Auten died." "WHAT? Are you kidding?" "No..." Marissa stares into my eyes, searching me with a mixture of fear and panic. I stare back until the truth of the incident sinks in. Her expression changes slowly as she realizes that I'm not lying. "Are you sure? What happened?" "I think he was murdered." "Murdered?" "I suppose that shouldn't come as much of a surprise." "What do you mean?" "William Auten is not a popular man. His business practices are already reprehensible, and there have been rumors of unethical treatment of some of his test subjects. That's why I came. I was hoping I'd be able to uncover something about what he might be doing." "We've covered everything from torturing prisoners of war to animal abuse." "So you're not really a reporter from Modern Trends?" "No, that part's true. I've found that being a journalist for a magazine of fluff pieces puts people at ease." "It's just that I also happen to run a blog that publishes a lot of humanitarian pieces." She smiles sadly at me. 
"What sort of illegal things was Mr. Auten doing?" "What?"   I open my mouth, but no words come out. I can't even think of anything to say in response. Marissa watches me closely, trying to decipher my reaction. Finally, she continues her story. "A little over twenty years ago, most of these women were in college, struggling to pay for tuition. They were offered a large amount of money for participating in a sleep study, and they leapt at the opportunity." "As the years passed, each discovered she was unable to have children."  "And Mr. Auten was behind all of this?" "He was definitely part of it. As far as I can tell, he was one of the people running the experiment. I don't know who ordered it or what his role was beyond that. Everything I have is circumstantial, though. I've tracked down the surviving women in the study, but unless I can find Mr. Auten with something, I have no real proof." I take a deep breath. I don't want to believe that Marissa's right, but if she is...  My head is swimming now. It's hard to focus. "Are you alright? You don't look so well..." "I'm fine..." Marissa touches my shoulder, but I brush her hand aside. "It's nothing. I'll be fine."  "Do you know anything about a sleep study that Mr. Auten ran about twenty years ago?" "A sleep study?" "I do recall one from about twenty years ago. Government sponsored. I believe he was working with a partner at the time." Do you remember who this person was?" "WHAT?" "Mr. Guan and Mr. Auten were partners, and Shen later married Mr. Auten's sister." "Wait...then why is his name Liam Auten? Shouldn't he be Liam Guan?" "It's my understanding that Liam's name was changed when Mr. Auten took custody of him. Both Shen Guan and his wife died a long time ago."
"Oh...I'm sorry." "No need to apologize. It's in the past now." "This was all before my time, of course. I'm only telling you what I've overheard." "It's fine. Even a little bit of information helps."
 
"Yeah, I'm working undercover right now." "That's so cool!" "Hey, do you think the government would hire me to do like spy computer stuff?" "Um...I don't know. I guess I'll...ask?" "Sweet!"  "I heard that Mr. Auten was conducting genetic experiments on people." Mikolaj's eyes widen. "That's a pretty strong claim. Are you sure?" "Well, not exactly...I mean..." "I was talking with Marissa about it. She's got some pretty good evidence for it." "Is that so?" "Yeah. I don't know all the details, though..." "We can talk more about this later."
 
  Detective Gurski raises an eyebrow at me, as if to ask if I had anything to do with Liam's stubborn compliance. I shrug and look away. Marissa is currently eyeing Liam with a cunning look in her eyes. She circles around him slowly before flashing him a wide smile. "Liam Auten! Just the man I wanted to see!" "Heh. I guess I am..." She clasps her hands together, as if begging him for just a brief moment of his precious time. Detective Gurski gives me a brief nod before quickly exiting the room. No doubt, he and Marissa have been talking about extracting information from Liam. I probably shouldn't stick around. "I'm just gonna...yeah. I'll just. Go." I duck out of the room as quickly as I can.
 "Do you know if your uncle keeps a vault in the house?" "Oh, yeah. He totally does." "Um...do you know where it is?" "No, not so much." I feel my shoulders sag in defeat. "Any guesses?" "Well, he always told me it was in a place I could get to easily, but no one would be able to see me." "I wasn't really paying attention." There's a shocker. "He was pretty proud of it, though. Said that even if someone managed to find and open it, they still wouldn't get the contents." "Why not?" "I dunno. Maybe it's booby trapped. Can you imagine that? Someone opens a safe, and then BOOM! Money on fire! Everywhere!" "Uh...yeah..." "Is there anyone who might want your uncle dead?" Liam frowns and stares at the ground. "Lots of people, I guess." "Can you be more specific?" "This is stupid. I don't have to tell you anything if I don't feel like it."
"Hey, feeling better?" "Yes. I'm sorry for earlier. I just needed some time to myself to think." "Come up with anything?" " Actually, yes. I've been thinking about Mr. Auten's death." "What about it?" "The more I think about it, the more I think it was an inside job." "How so?" "At first, I thought that someone on the outside might have managed to sneak something in. Like poison. "But Mr. Auten was very careful. Liam told me that his uncle refused to eat dinner until someone else had eaten it first. The only chink in his armor would be someone that he trusts. There's no other way." Marissa's right. It can't be anyone else.
  
HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Jul 24, 2022 |
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Jul 23, 2022 23:37
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"WHO did he "shaft," exactly?"
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In the last conversation with Marissa the first three lines are repeated for some reason
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Jul 24, 2022 08:43
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Thanks! 
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Jul 24, 2022 08:55
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  "Since when-?" He glances up at the camera mounted on the ceiling and lets out a frustrated sigh. "Right." Li Mei touches my arm gently and whispers. "He's panicking." "Kevin...what's going on? What's all the beeping for?" I take a step towards him, but he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a knife. "Stay there!" He rushes past me, keeping the knife pointed at my throat. With his free hand, he grabs Li Mei and pulls her towards himself with a rough tug. I move slowly away from Kevin, never taking my eyes off of him. "I have to get out of here." "The door's locked." "Not for long." He laughs, but it sounds more like a pained wheeze. "We're coming out of a lock down. In a few seconds, the doors will unlock, and I'll be home free." Something in my brain clicks. "You're the one who poisoned Mr. Auten! You're the only one who could have!" Kevin laughs, a strange mix of fear and derision. "Yeah, you're kinda slow to the party. Your friends already figured that out." He waves the knife at me again, but I don't move.  Despite my current predicament, I find myself rolling my eyes. This information would have been a lot more useful about ten seconds ago... "Hang in there! We're coming to get you." "Kevin. Dude. Why?" "WHY? Are you kidding?" He moves towards the exit as quickly as he can, but Li Mei isn't cooperating. Her body hangs limp, and he's forced to drag her towards the door. "He took advantage of my family. He ruined their lives, and it's my fault. I had to-" "No, you didn't! You're so short sighted! Did you even think any of this through at all?" We're interrupted by a pounding on the door. Kevin puts his finger to his lips, motioning for the two of us to be silent. "Detective! He has a knife, and he's got Li Mei!" Kevin glares at me. The pounding on the door stops. Did they give up? I hear a soft beeping noise. Sounds like they're trying to override the retina detector. I don't think Kevin's noticed, yet. Kevin moves slowly towards the exit, eyes darting between me and the door. I move towards Kevin, but his grip on Li Mei tightens. "Kangai, don't." Li Mei's voice is only a whisper, but the fear in her eyes looks more like concern for me than for her own well being. Kevin stumbles a few paces back, dragging Li Mei along with him. He's already breathing heavily. It's obvious he's not used to anything physically strenuous. Still, the look in his eyes promises that he's not going down without at least attempting to put that knife in someone's chest. I take a step forward, and he moves one step towards the exit. I take another step forward and Kevin swings the knife at me. It whistles through the air, and I try to jump out of the way. My ankle twists under my weight, and I stumble forward. "Agh-" The door bursts open, but Detective Gurski and Aki freeze as soon as they see the situation. "I'm fine..." I hold my hand up, motioning for Gurski and Aki to stay at a distance. I switch my gaze back and forth between Kevin's eyes and the knife in his hand. There's got to be an opening... Detective Gurski and Aki still stand in the doorway, not daring to move. Kevin keeps his knife trained on me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aki blink. Suddenly, Kevin's body shivers. He looks around wildly, as if he's in a daze, and the hand holding the knife goes limp. Without hesitation, I race forward and swing my arm. My fist meets his face, and he stumbles back. He drops the knife, and it falls to the ground with a clatter. Detective Gurski moves in quickly, grabbing Kevin's free hand and expertly twisting his arm behind his back. He gives me a grudging smile. "Not bad, kid." I release Kevin and allow Gurski to take over. As soon as I do, Li Mei runs to me and takes my hand. I look down at her and give her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Kevin won't hurt you anymore." She smiles back at me. She looks grateful, but there's something about her eyes that still reflects fear. She's not afraid of Kevin, though. So... Before I can ask, she gives my hand a small squeeze. "Thank you." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aki watching the scene with a satisfied look in her eyes. I approach her and lean casually against the wall beside her. "So...that little panic attack that Kevin had just a moment ago..." "You can thank me later." She flashes her usual confident smile. "You know, you blink every time you do it. Not very subtle." I poke her arm, as if somehow that will help me get my point across. I'm not sure why I'm teasing her. I guess I'm curious to see her reaction. "And you pass out every time you use your kansei." "Okay, you have a point." "I could teach you how to control it, if you want. How to stay conscious. It'll take a while for you to get it right, but I get the feeling you'll be stuck with us for a while." She leans against the wall next to me. Her smile is softer now. More genuine. "I hope you don't mind." I laugh and shake my head. "No, I don't mind."    Maybe it was the hours of interrogation from the police that came after Aki and Detective Gurski solved the case. Or maybe it was the uncomfortable atmosphere when Aki and Detective Gurski actually had to share credit for solving the case.  "Hopefully today isn't as eventful as yesterday." Aki stretches and throws herself on the couch. "I feel like celebrating our mission accomplished by doing absolutely nothing." "Mission accomplished? But your client is dead." "Huh, good point." "Well, either way, we don't have any work today. We might as well enjoy it."    "Detective." "Great." Aki takes her time unlocking the door. Finally, she makes a great show of opening it. "Well, hello, Miko. What brings you to this corner of the world?" "Oh, I don't know. I guess I just assumed that you'd want to know what happened with Kevin." "What happened?" "We found his prints on the bottle that Sophia brought us. Once we showed him, he pled guilty. He added liquid nicotine to Mr. Auten's cognac and simply waited for him to drink it." "When you showed up that day, Mr. Auten had a panic attack, and he went to the bottle for comfort. It wound up killing him instead." "What's going to happen to Mr. Auten's estate, now?" "Hard to say. Technically, it belongs to Liam, but we're having trouble finding him.""Why? Where'd he go?" Aki looks severely displeased. "So he's still out there somewhere?" "Don't worry. We'll find him." He smiles pointedly at Aki. "We always do." She flashes him her trademark grin. "You don't have to tell me, Officer." Gurski laughs. "Well, I'll be seeing you kids around. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?" "Anything you say, sir."        
   
 
 "Yeah, whatever. This is all I could get. I kinda had to sneak out the back before the police arrested me, too." "What did I tell you about staying out of trouble?" "Are you gonna lecture me now or something? It's not like I could have gotten anything else, anyway. That Detective Gurski insisted on keeping most of these papers as evidence." "Evidence? How did he even find it in the first place?" "He didn't. That Kangai kid found it."
"Kangai?" "Did he have dirty blond hair dyed black at the ends?" "Yeah. You know him?" "You should have stopped him." "Oh, come on. What did you want me to do, kill him?" 
"Pity, really. Well, at least you finally managed to do your job. How many years did it take you, again?" "Oh, don't even start. I did what you told me to do, so you'll leave me alone now, right?"  
HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Jul 31, 2022 |
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Jul 30, 2022 23:19
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So, in the true route we don't get the info that on the SD card is security footage of Kangai? (Presumably because he's a result of the genetic experiments.) Also hah, I assume the high trust with Gurski is what led to him slipping up and shouting what is presumably Kangai's real name in alarm. Why he insists on hiding a common name like Alex is another matter.
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Aug 3, 2022 18:56
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ZCKaiser posted:So, in the true route we don't get the info that on the SD card is security footage of Kangai? (Presumably because he's a result of the genetic experiments.) No, Kangai, Aki, Naoki and Li Mei view that footage offscreen in the true end - I think it was done that way to reduce repetition; you have to get the "Killer Too Late" or "Nothing Happens" endings on the SD path (both of which end with the scene of the four seeing the security footage) before the true ending is unlocked.
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Aug 9, 2022 23:16
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     "Okay, I guess. Still a little tired." "Do you want to come downstairs and eat?" "Um..." "What's wrong?" "I don't think I can be around the others right now." "Too loud for you?" "No. It's nothing." "I know that tone of voice. It's not nothing. You can tell me." "You'll think I'm crazy." "Ha. I already know you're crazy." "You think so..?" "Whoa. This really is serious. What's wrong?" "This morning at breakfast, John lied when he said he did his homework already." "What?" "Well, that was pretty obvious, but-" "Are you sure? Maybe your body is just rejecting the transfusion." "I'm sure. It only starts hurting when someone lies." "..." "I told you you'd think I'm crazy." "I don't think you're crazy. I think you're tired." "I'm scared. I don't know why this is happening." "Hey, it might not be anything.""Maybe..." "I can stay here with you if you like." "No, it's okay. I don't want you to worry about me."           I meant to say "Hello?" but the words must have gotten lost somewhere on the journey between my brain and my mouth. Marissa's chipper voice contains not even a single trace of irony. "Guuurgh?" "Oh! I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" "No, this is how I always answer the phone." Oh, hey. A complete sentence. I guess sarcasm is a reflex. "Well, I looked into what you asked me about." I asked her about something? I review recent events, trying to remember what we even spoke about. Let's see... Last week was when I first got to Edgewater and tripped over that dead body in the coffee shop. I found the killer, but after that I fell in with Aki and her crew of... uh... Actually, I'm not sure what to call them. Government agents, according to Aki. Prisoners according to their handler, Detective Gurski. Probably both. Ugh... and that's when the real trouble started. We all wound up investigating the murder of William Auten, corporate CEO and a generally unlikeable fellow. Marissa was a reporter trying to uncover some of his secret dealings at the time. And then... "...Kangai? Did you hear me?" "Huh? Sorry... what?" "I said I couldn't find out much about that man you asked me about. Shen Guan?" "Oh... right." Before he passed away, William Auten was involved in some sort of secret dealings with a business partner, Shen Guan. "Shen seems to have disappeared completely, but it looks like he and William went to grad school together at the University of Edgewater." "You might want to talk to Dr. Johansen about him." "Who?" "He was in charge of their research project before it shut down. He's been traveling around the world lecturing, but he's scheduled to return to Edgewater today. I'm out of town on an assignment right now, but you could stop by the university and see what he knows. He's leaving tomorrow, so..." "Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Marissa." "Keep me in the loop, okay?" "Uh... Sure." I hang up and toss the phone back at the end table. It bounces off the side and lands on the ground with a soft thump. Yay. Now back to sleep. Aki appears in the doorway, looking as energetic as always. I will never understand morning people. "I heard you on the phone." Huh? Oh, Marissa. Something about Mr. Auten's old research boss. He's back in town, apparently. She said we should head down to the University of Edgewater to go talk to him. Today." "Short deadline. I'll have to make a call." "About what?" "Just getting a few things in place. We'll have to move fast if we want to go today." Moving fast is not my idea of a good time. I can still hear the couch calling my name. Aki pauses for a moment and glances down the hallway. "Do me a favor?" "What's up?" "Wake up Li Mei." She points to a door at the end of the hallway. "Just knock on her closet door three times. That should do it." "Okay." I sit up with a heavy sigh and stretch. I guess if I have to be awake, Li Mei should be too. "Oh, and do it quietly. She doesn't respond well to surprises." Something about Aki's tone sounds like she's not giving me the full story. Big surprise. I shuffle down the hallway, and the thick carpet muffles the sound of my footsteps. Behind me, Aki dials a number on her phone. She heads into the kitchen and the sound of her voice fades. I stand outside Li Mei's door for a moment. Aki said to knock on the closet door. Is it really okay to just... walk in? I knock softly on the door, but there's no response. "Li Mei..?" No response. Across the room, I can see Li Mei's sleeping form buried under a pile of blankets. I rap on the closet door three times, quietly. No response. Again, I knock on the door, this time putting more force into it.  "Whoa." Li Mei's muffled voice sounds from inside the closet. "Um... are you..?" "No, I meant... are you in the closet?" Okaaaay...  "Right. Sure." I duck out of the room, shutting the door behind me. It clicks shut with another squeal of protest. With a sigh, I lean against the wall and blink slowly. I'm still not fully awake, but I'm awake enough to be confused. I can hear Li Mei moving around her room with swift, precise footsteps against the thin carpet. The door swings open again, and she glides into the hallway as smoothly as if she were skating across ice. "Um, morning." I'm not sure if I should ask her about the closet thing or not. I guess it's probably best left unasked for now... Li Mei stares at me curiously for a moment, before deciding that it's not worth the effort to ask me anything. I follow her down the hallway to find Aki and Naoki crowded around the computer.  "What about Li Mei?" "I don't know if we can get her to pass for a student like us, but we can't leave her here. It's not safe." "What's not safe?" The twins spin around to face me, guilty smiles on their faces. "Plenty of things. Tornado chasing, spelunking, and juggling knives, to name a few. But nothing you have to worry about." "Your assurances make me feel safer already. And since when were you students?" Aki taps the monitor with her knuckle. An email is displayed on the screen. I glance over it quickly and read out the subject line. ""You're invited to experience college life with our dorm buddy program!" Is this what I think it is?" "That largely depends on what you think it is, but I'd say you're probably right." "Don't you have to be accepted into the school before they let you wander around and sleep there?" Aki flashes her trademark grin at me. "Turns out calling the right people can get your name to appear in their database. Who knew?" You, I'm guessing. "If we wanna talk to Dr. Johansen, it's best not to arouse any suspicions." "Therefore, we're going undercover! We'll be able to ask all the questions we want."  "That's not suspicious." "We'll figure that part out when we get there." "We're scheduled to meet our campus guide in an hour." "Which means we have to go now." I let out a long and mournful sigh. So much for going back to sleep. "I guessed as much. I'll get my bag." I grab my backpack from the floor and head to the cramped laundry room in the back of the apartment. Naoki was nice enough to add my meager collection of clothes to the group laundry, but he hasn't gotten around to my shirts yet. Guess this one will have to do. I snatch a handful of clothing from the pile of neatly folded clothes sitting on top of the dryer. A quick stop at the bathroom for a toothbrush, and I'm ready to go.  "What are you wearing?" "Glasses." "Yeah, I meant why? That's not supposed to be a disguise, is it?" "Of course it is. What do you think? Does it say "mild mannered reporter" to you?" "It says "I picked this up at the dollar store." I don't have to wear any, do I?" "Not if you don't want to." "But it's more fun this way, don't you think?"
 "Sure, why not? It'll be a party." I shrug. "Excellent!" Aki hands me a pair of dark frames and I try them on. "They make you look smart!" "I'm going to ignore the implication of that statement." Aki's only response is a teasing smile. "So, are you ready to go?" "Sure. Just please let me sleep in the car."   An overly enthusiastic college boy rushes out to meet us with his arms open wide. He greets Aki and Naoki with hearty handshakes. "So glad you all could make it!" "Glad to be here! It's great to meet you." Aki mirrors the guide's posture and smile effortlessly. He beams, pleased to have met a kindred spirit. Smooth. Naoki, in turn, offers a small, shy wave. "You must be Haru. And... I hope I'm saying this right. Kizaki?" "Got it in one." Haru and Kizaki? I throw Aki a questioning look. "Our real names are off limits in public." Aki responds, using her kansei to speak directly into my mind. I should have figured they wouldn't be allowed to use their real names. On our last adventure together, I learned that they used to make a living as con artists. Back before they started doing... whatever you call this. No doubt, a search of their names would reveal them to be on a less than savory side of the law. Our college guide turns to Li Mei and me to offer the same outpouring of unbridled energy. Li Mei calmly sidesteps his outstretched hand, leaving me to bear the brunt of his enthusiasm. Shawn pumps my hand vigorously. I try to match his smile the way Aki did, but it doesn't feel right at all.   "You're terrible at this." I attempt to shoot a glare in her direction without Shawn noticing, but it proves to be more difficult than I had hoped. Shawn is polite enough to ignore my facial contortions, opting instead to fan out a stack of plastic cards. "Here are your visitor badges!" He hands one to each of us like a doting grandmother measuring out candy to children on Halloween. "These'll get you into the dorm building where you're staying. There are also three meals encoded onto the magnetic strip. Just swipe 'em at the cafeteria for a meal!" I inspect the card in my hand. It's got my likeness printed on front alongside the name "Kangai Alexander." That's weird. Aki chose the name "Kangai" for me because I didn't want to tell her my real name.
Shawn interrupts my thoughts with more of his cheerful directions. "Now if you'll follow me this way, I'll take you to the dorms so you can drop your stuff off!" Shawn takes off in a speed walk across the campus and the rest of us follow as quickly as we can manage. As he walks, Shawn points out various landmarks on the campus. "Main cafeteria's over that way in the University Center. Opens at 7:00am, closes at midnight." He points down a winding path. "Biology lab in that direction. Since you're all listed as potential bio majors, you'll get a tour there later."  "Wh-what?" Shawn laughs at Naoki's reaction. "No need to worry! I've been taking classes there for four years, and I haven't mutated yet!" Yes, because that's comforting. Shawn halts suddenly and spins around. "Almost forgot! Our illustrious bell tower's there!" He points at the tall structure looming over the campus. "The bell tower is the only building still part of the original campus. Originally, it was meant as a warning signal in case of flood. These days, it just tells the time. It's all automated now, but back in the day, freshmen were required to ring it every hour." "If you didn't show up for your shift, you wouldn't graduate." He turns on his heel and marches down a cobblestone pathway that leads away from the tower. "Makes you guys the lucky ones. I had a 4:00am shift on the same day as a 8:00am class. It was killer! Anyway, here we are!" He throws his arms open wide and proudly presents to us a brick building that looks like it's seen better days. Shawn points to the card reader by the entrance. "All you have to do to get in is wave your card over the reader. Go ahead and give it a go." Aki steps up and places her card against the tiny black box. It beeps cheerfully, and the lock clicks open. "Okay, Kizaki and Kangai will be in Room 103 in the first hallway. The girls' hall is over this way. Your dorm buddy isn't in right now, so I'll get you two set up." He motions for Aki and Li Mei to follow him, and the three disappear down a hallway. Naoki and I stare at each other for a moment.  "So... just go in, then?" "I think so?" "Are your missions always this vague?" I slide my keycard into the card reader mounted on Room 103's door. "Honestly, I'm not sure what we're even-" A bright flash of light blinds us as soon as the door swings open. Naoki flinches and takes a step back. As my pupils readjust themselves to the light, I finally make out the outline of a guy holding a camera. "Um... hi? We're here for the high school student... something or other?" The guy taps his camera and snaps another picture of us. "Uh huh. I know. You can come in." Naoki and I enter hesitantly.  "I'm Kangai." "Kizaki." Well, there's a new one. "I assume that's not the official name." "No, it's the COOL name." He points to a couple of sleeping bags rolled up in the corner of the room. "Ah, those are for you. You can unpack before we go to the lab." Naoki and I kneel beside the sleeping bags and unpack our few belongings. Aaron hovers around us the entire time, snapping pictures at random. "Um... is there any reason you're taking all these pictures?" Aaron inspects his camera for a brief moment as if he didn't even notice he was holding it. "'Cause I like it?" Naoki looks like he wants to say something else, but he remains silent.
HydroSphere fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Aug 11, 2022 |
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Aug 9, 2022 23:17
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Well, might as well ask him about his hobby.
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Aug 10, 2022 08:04
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Much as I feel the first response is probably what Kangai would actually say, the second response seems like it would raise trust, so go with that. Also I'm guessing the difference in name is just to indicate that at this point the rest of the main cast obviously trusts Kangai, so the relationship level is more to indicate how much they actually like him.
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Aug 10, 2022 13:54
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You can tell there has been an increase in budget and/or art skill between entries.
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Aug 11, 2022 15:15
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 "Is it like your hobby or something?" "Sort of." He lets go of his camera and it swings on the strap around his neck. "I just started doing it one day in high school, and it was fun, so I kept doing it." "Well, that's all our stuff unpacked. What next?" "Did Shawn already show you around the campus?" "Um, a little bit. He pointed out all the buildings when we came here." "Well, I can answer any other questions you might have." He opens the door for us and we file out. Naoki uses Aki's false name without hesitation. I wonder how often they use these identities. "Ah, Shawn probably already took them. We'll meet them again at the bio building." "Okay..." Naoki sighs. He really doesn't look happy to be away from Aki. He stops frequently to point out various buildings, tell us about student traditions, or share stories about the university's founders. Some of it is a rehash of Shawn's tour, but most of it is new information. It's hard for me to keep up, but Naoki seems to be taking it all in without any problem. His kansei of perfect memory seems awfully convenient right about now. "I don't see many people around here. Holiday?" "This isn't the main campus. The original school was built here, but the university expanded. Most of the other buildings are at the main campus about a mile away." He snaps another shot of us with his camera, but I don't think he even notices he's doing it. "Oh, they don't post many pictures of the main campus. The bell tower is all historic and junk, so they use it on all the newsletters." As our tour draws to a close, Aaron leads us to a tall building paneled with glass.  "What is this place?" "Grad student lab. Dr. Johansen's team works here." Naoki and I trade glances. This could be our chance to talk to Dr. Johansen. Aaron waves his card over the small card reader at the building entrance and we file in after him. "Oooh, you're early." Aaron snaps a few pictures of the girls in quick succession. "Yeah, Shawn said he had somewhere to be, so he dropped us off here." "Coo' coo'. Then you're with me now. Let's get going!" As Aaron leads us through the building, Aki slows her pace until we're walking side by side. "Split off from us and look for Dr. Johansen." I frown at her. "Considering Auten's interest in you, he might be more willing to talk to you than a stranger. Or he might be even less willing to talk to me. "Or he might be even less willing to talk to you." "I just-" "What up?" He grins and snaps a photo of me. I don't think he's even aware he did it. "It IS p-cool, isn't it?" Aaron returns to his tour, unphased by my outburst, and Aki returns to my side. "I know it's risky going alone, but it's our best bet. Now go. I'll make sure Aaron ignores you for as long as possible." I nod once and duck into a side hallway as soon as Aaron turns around. The glowing fluorescent lights reflect off the polished white tile floor, giving the entire place a sterile, washed out look. I scan the hallway, searching for any hint of where Dr. Johansen might be.   
A door in front of me swings open and with all the skill and grace of a trained athlete, I plant my face right in it. "Agh!"  The woman's expression changes slowly as recognition dawns on her face. Which is weird, because I've never seen her before. "YOU!" Me..? She turns on her heel and yells down the hallway. "Nathan! David! He's back!" Two more doors fly open and a couple of guys about the same age as the woman come rushing out. Both of them look panicked. "It's him!" "Um, yeah... I think we covered that part already." The what? Uh oh. This can't end well. Real Football reaches me first. He reaches down and grabs me by the arm. "Got him!" That sounds ominous. Real Football pulls at my arm, and I grudgingly stand. "Good job, David. Take him to the lab upstairs." The lab? Guess I'm in a horror film after all.
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Aug 29, 2022 00:55
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How come Li Mei doesn't get glasses? Go to the lab, this is probably just an elaborate welcome prank
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Aug 29, 2022 07:01
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1 seems like the most reasonable option here, though 2 is tempting.
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Aug 29, 2022 15:42
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Tie breaker between options one and three.
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Sep 19, 2022 23:03
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HydroSphere posted:Tie breaker between options one and three. i'm going to be boring and vote for option one then
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Sep 20, 2022 00:44
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  "Hang on! I think you've got the wrong guy here." "No, I'm pretty sure you're the guy. Or did you think we wouldn't notice that someone broke in and stole our research?" Real Football - David, apparently - tightens his grip on my arm. It's more constricting than I'd like. I think he works out. He gets regular exercise, at least. "I... wait, what? No, you definitely have the wrong guy." "That remains to be seen." David gives me a tug, and I follow. It'll be easier to explain I'm innocent if I don't run. I just hope Aki's nearby. I could really use a bail-out. "David. Nathan. Take him in." David escorts me down the hallway with the other two following close behind. War Stars - Nathan, I guess - brandishes his light sword at me, as if it's a useful weapon of some sort. At the end of the hall, David ushers me into a small, sparsely furnished room. There's a large mirror set in the wall on the opposite side of the room. Clearly it's one of those one-way mirrors they use in lab testing. Am I in some sort of study room? "So, uh... hey." "Don't talk. We're not gonna consort with the likes of you." "Consort?" Nathan raises a haughty eyebrow, but he doesn't deign to respond. "Right, okay. No consorting. You guys wanna at least tell me why I'm here?" "You're the guy who broke in." "Yes, I caught that part. Do you really think that?" David shrugs. He almost looks bored.  "Hey, we're not supposed to consort!" "I'm not consorting! Dude just wants to know why he's here." Nathan points his light sword at me. "What if he's from Western? They've been trying to get their hands on our research for years!" "I dunno, man. He doesn't look smart enough to be Western." "What, even WITH the glasses? I'm hurt." The door swings open, cutting off any response that David might offer me. The young woman enters, carrying a slim, brown folder. She sits across from me at the table, and nods at David and Nathan. They leave without a word. Well, I guess there's no question who's in charge here.  "Not particularly, but I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that's kind of the point." A thin smile appears on her face. "We use this room for sleep studies, mostly. It's supposed to be neutral." "Oh. Well, it's very neutral. Good job. Or... mediocre job, I guess?" Her expression tightens. "Kangai." "Unusual, but I suppose I'm not one to talk. It's okay. You can laugh." She pauses for a brief moment to search my expression. "Do you know why you're here?" "That's a pretty deep question. Why is anyone here? Does humankind even have a purpose?" She stares at me without remark. I can't tell if she's amused or annoyed. “The campus may be a public university, but this lab is off limits to anyone without clearance. I'd like to know how you came to be wandering around alone in our hallway." "I'm here with a tour group. The, um, high school welcoming program or something." "A tour group of one, with no guide?" "I sort of... lost them. But hey, if you let me go, I can go look for them!" Jupiter doesn't respond. I can't read her expressions at all. "Last Monday, someone broke into this lab and stole some very important research." "That's, um... too bad?" "It IS too bad. Thankfully for us, we caught him on film." She pulls a printout from the slim folder and slides it across the table towards me. The moment I see it, my heart sinks. No wonder this place looked familiar.    I look up to see Jupiter studying my face. "So you recognize it." “Well, yeah. He looks like me." She shakes her head. "I mean, you've seen this exact image before. Where?"
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Oct 2, 2022 00:07
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Sure, tell the truth that's gonna be a funny one.
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Oct 2, 2022 08:39
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Tell her the truth; lying right now just seems suspicious and we probably need her to trust us.
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Oct 3, 2022 15:40
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 "It was in Mr. Auten's files. I went to his house for something." "Something?" She sounds incredulous. I can't really blame her. "William Auten, may he rest in peace, doesn't just invite people over to his place for a cup of coffee." "Well, I wasn't there for coffee." She leans in and lowers her voice. "And what were you there for?" "That's classified." I try not to sound too smug, but it feels kind of nice to not be on the receiving end of the “classified" runaround for once." Jupiter presses on, undeterred. "Who are you?" "That's also classified, but I can tell you who I'm not." I tap the photo on the table with my hand. "I'm not him." "I don't have time for this." She isn't buying a word I'm saying. "How's this? I won't press charges if you tell me who hired you to steal that. Was it Western State?" "Who?" There's a soft rapping on the glass. Some sort of signal, I suppose. "Maybe you're telling the truth. Maybe you're not." She slides back in her chair and stands. "But we'll leave that for the police to sort out." "Th-the police?" The door swings open with a slow creak. "You have GOT to be kidding..."  I sigh and hang my head. "It wasn't me, Officer." The words sound so recited by now. "Right. It never is." Detective Gurski rubs the side of his head as if he's already got a headache. He steps closer to me and lowers his voice. "Where are the others? Aki's not supposed to let you out of her sight." "She's the one who told me to split off from the group!" "…" "Sorry." "Never mind." He pulls out a phone and taps the screen a few times. "All on campus, at least. That's good." "Are you tracking them?" "It's part of the job description." "Are you tracking me?"  "Not really." Detective Gurski taps on the screen a few more times before pocketing his phone. "Alright, what's this all about?" "She says I broke into this lab." "Officer, we have video evidence of his entry." "Breaking in, huh?" He frowns at me. "Did he take anything?" "He did. He copied some research for a project we're working on. It's..." She glances at the mirror. "It's important." "And when did this break-in take place?" "Last week. Monday night, 10:52. We found out about it on Tuesday morning." Gurski turns to me. "Where were you at that time?"  But... I lied about my name when I got the ticket. There'd be no proof it was me on that bus. "Um... I was-" The door bursts open and a girl with platinum blonde hair and wide eyes pokes her head into the room.  "Chance?" In the doorway stands Chance Jackson, part-time barista, and full time aspiring singer. We first met at a coffee shop last week. That's when I tripped over the dead body that got me tangled up with all this craziness. I didn't expect to see her again, and I certainly didn't expect her to lie to cover for me. "Miss Jackson?" Detective Gurski is just as surprised as I am. "Officer! Hello again!" Chance gives Gurski a small wave. "I was just coming by to drop off lunch for my boyfriend, and I heard they caught a thief!" "But you've got it all wrong. It's not him at all!" She looks at me, and her eyes begin to well up with tears. ""Poor Kangai?"" He glances questioningly at me out of the corner of his eye. I shrug. "He was at the coffee shop with me last week. We're open late, and he was there the whole time!" "Is that true?"
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Oct 5, 2022 22:31
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We know Chance would absolutely poison our rear end so i don't see any reason to be an enabler here.
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Oct 6, 2022 08:48
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yeah don't lie, I'd rather an espionage operator not have a huge favor over our hero also it'll be funny to see her reaction to you dynamiting her cover story
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Oct 6, 2022 12:59
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Chance is giving us an out, and while we don't trust her, if we don't agree we don't get anywhere because no one trusts us. Plus, I seem to recall there being problems previously when we show Chance we don't trust her. You know, minor problems. Agree with her
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Oct 6, 2022 14:08
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| # ? May 2, 2024 15:39 |
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We never told her our fake name was Kangai in Jisei, did we? And she was willing to poison us... This is bad. We're at an impasse and can move on if we lie. Perhaps we can get a bit more info from Chance if we play along too.
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Oct 7, 2022 10:34
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