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pdpoofficial · 6 years

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Case 1: The Fairy Figurine, Part 6

Firewall

You leave the office briskly and head for the archive. Your team's good at their jobs, and you're confident they'll turn something up, but for now, you really want a look at that figurine. At the evidence room desk, you show the attendant your badge. "Sergeant Firewall with the 77th," you say. "I'm here to see the evidence from this morning, the Miller case."

Narrator

"The Miller case?", the personell behind the desk asks, eyes wide. "Well, doesn't 77 already have that in their possession? Just ten minutes ago, Sniffer picked it up from here to get it analyzed again!"

Firewall

It's not impossible that Sniffer went and got the figurine for you, but... You narrow your eyes, and quickly tap out a text to her

FW: did you pick up the figurine from the evidence room

before turning back to the attendant. "Did she. Do you know where she's taking it?"

MM: What? I haven't touched it! Did someone else? FW: fuck.

Narrator

“...Well", the personell goes, increasingly nervous. "To you, I thought? ...She's going to return it, right? Because I'm on two strikes, and - " they adjust their hair. Three strikes, you're out. Whether that means culling or not depends on the gravity of the matter, and judging by the way they fidget, they suspect that this weighs heavy.

Firewall

The attendant looks jumpy as hell, and you don't blame them at all. "Look," you say with a sigh. "Did you actually see her, yourself, in person, come and get it? And are the security cams around here working?"

Narrator

"Yes!", they squeak, "I'm not lying, miss - they should have the footage in the cutting room! I can't actually go myself, but i can have someone else go and fetch it for you - " By this point, they're standing, looking about ready to bolt.

Firewall

"I don't think you're lying." God, the last thing you need right now is hysteria. "Just... stay here, okay. Don't panic. I'll go to the cutting room and see what's up there -- you go and check to make sure the figurine certainly isn't in the archive still. Check any other evidence you have from this case as well, please."

Narrator

They breathe and calm themselves, apparently remembering that they're still a professional, even in situations like this. "Yes, miss. I'll inform you over email." A pause follows, in which they open and close their mouth again like they're trying to decide whether to say more. "...And could you do the same?"

Firewall

You don't like swapping information with people outside of your team, but you do appreciate the speed with which this one got back to formality. "Will do. I doubt this is your fault, and I'll mention such should I be asked. What's your handle?"

Narrator

A sigh of relief. "Thank you, miss. The handle is oddityLibrarian, written like it's spoken." They stand at attention now, the typical position fleet members take in front of a superior officer.

Firewall

You nod politely and turn on your heel. They'll relax eventually, but you're far more interested in the footage from the camera above the desk. The cutting room isn't too far of a walk, especially with your typical fast pace. You stride in with a scowl already building on your face, because, honestly, this is some bullshit. "Right," you announce. "Who's got the footage from the archive room for the last hour or so? I need to see it immediately."

Narrator

On the cue of Firewall storminng into the room, it's like a derailed train finally hits the wall it's been heading for. The room is in disarray, but as she raises her voice, all the activity stops at once. Arguments are dropped, coffee mugs are tilted, and an empty water bottle rolls across the floor towards Firewall's feet. Hesitant, one of the cutters points towards the one Sniffer spoke to not even ten minutes ago. "He has the footage", she says, and earns herself a glare, but no protest.

Firewall

It's like a madhouse in here, because of course. Leave computer nerds in each other's company for five minutes, honestly. You cross your arms and sweep your gaze across the room until someone speaks up. "Thank you," you say icily. "Was that so outrageously hard? You can all get back to work now." You point to the indicated cutter as you stalk in his direction. "Except you. Queue up the footage for me on the double, man, this is an urgent investigation."

Narrator

His mouth agape, he looks like he's frozen for a moment - before the cutter hurries to his spot, offering his chair to Firewall instead of taking it himself. "Of course, miss. Please. And - the footage, the footage." He fumbles the plug once before managing to stick it in his neck properly, but once he does, the screen turns into a rapid fire of color as he navigates through. Then an image of the archive room pops up, the time being fifteen minutes prior. Through the door, a figure moves - or, it could be a figure. What the camera picks up, instead, in one specific troll shaped spot: Is static.

Firewall

Nonplussed, you sling yourself into the chair and squint at the screen. You're not sure who you're expecting to see -- who would impersonate Sniffer? Who would screw with an internal investigation? -- but you're looking forward to having an actual suspect at last. Except it's not an actual suspect. It's ... it's static. "What's this?" you ask the cutter, jabbing a nail at the screen. "Is it a filming error, have you seen it before, what?"

Narrator

"Um", goes the cutter, fisting their hands into their uniform. "I have once, miss? I don't think it's a filming error, I think the camera's working fine. I think it might be - think it might be a person?"

Firewall

"Well, if it's not an error, then yeah, it's a person. Someone with stealth psi, from the look of things." You drum your fingers on the desk. "Mine just shorts out the camera; this is far more focused than that. You said you'd seen it before?"

Narrator

"Once, miss." The cutter closes his eyes as he lets image after image flicker over the screen - then hums in dissatisfaction as the images flicker faster. There's a shift, and they flicker backwards, then forward again - "...what? I could've sworn - " A library pops up, with thousands of tiny images, too small on the screen to even really see. "...What the hell", the cutter states.

Firewall

You sit up straighter, leaning closer to the screen. "What's going on?"

Narrator

"I." The cutter makes eye contact with his colleague, who leans over to listen. "It's gone." "What?", the colleague interjects. "It can't be gone. This is high security, you donkey. Footage doesn't disappear."

Firewall

"People in the PDPO don't get murdered in the Chief's office either," you point out,. "We're getting all kinds of fun new experiences tonight. You both saw the missing footage at one point, right? Describe it to me. Where was it taken, when, what did you see?"

Narrator

"...We saw someone take a laptop once", the second cutter explains, hand running through her short hair. "Came in through the front door, greeted the receptionist, and then walked right out with it." "The receptionist told us later that it was Shift, but she was on vacation in Neuja at that time."

Firewall

"And they showed up as static on the film?" you ask. "When was this? What was on the laptop? Because that--" you nod to the computer-- "was supposedly one of my teammates, who I know wasn't anywhere near the archive then. And now important evidence in the Miller case is missing."

Narrator

"Two sweeps back?" "Two, yes.", the colleague confirms. "No one knows what was so special about that laptop. It belonged to a newbie who was culled two weeks later for incompetence - but it was literally just paper work, nothing ground breaking." "There's a rumor - ", the short haired one starts, but her colleague hushes her. "Don't start with that bullshit!"

Firewall

"Tell me," you say at once. "Any detail, however small, could help."

Narrator

"There was a rumor", she continues, triumphant, "that that newbie stumbled on someone being dirty, and that's why they were culled." "There's also a rumor he was watching pailing videos, and that his matesprit was Bugflick Black. Come on, dude." "I'm just saying!", she says.

Firewall

It takes you a moment to uncouple the term dirty with the concept of pailing videos, but you manage it at last. "...Okay," you say. "And now the file's not here? How much footage is missing?"

Narrator

"The entire night. It's like someone was in a hurry and just cut it out", the longer haired one states.

Firewall

"The whole night." You uncaptcha a pen and scrawl notes down on your hand. "Okay. Show me the archive room footage from tonight again. And--" You frown. "Is there somewhere you can download it to, or print it out frame-by-frame? I don't want this vanishing on us too."

Narrator

Images flicker over the screen again, and the scene starts anew. "I'll be saving it to a us-bug drive and my pan, miss." His colleague looks at him like he's crazy, but doesn't comment further.

Firewall

"Good," you say with a curt nod. "Okay, now let it play, I want to see as much of what happens as I can."

Narrator

On the screen, the door opens. A figure walks through, more troll shaped static than anything. The archivist interacts with them as if there's nothing odd, nods at their hand as they extend it, then lets them through to the archive. The screen switches to the proper camera - the figure picks up the figurine calmly, then walks back out with it. As it travels, static nips at its edges, but doesn't swallow it. Then the archivist gives the figure a nod, and they disappear out the door again. The rest of the footage goes as follows The figure disappears in the bathroom, puts the figure into another ball of static that they seem to strap to their back, then calmly makes their way down hallways and out of the main entrance. The cameras outside still pick them up, but it's not long until they disappear into the crowd.

Firewall

"...Well, fuck." You slump back in your seat. "They're just fucking gone, I guess. But thank you. Kindly send me a copy of this footage, I... am likely to need it later, I suspect." You stand up briskly, rubbing your temples, and head for the door.

Narrator

Firewall barely gets to step a foot out the door before her tablet chimes, and the footage starts downloading onto it. On her way down the corridors, she passes the hallway leading to the interrogation rooms - where a troll is being led down in handcuffs. She mumbles something under her breath, movements erratic, until something seems to flip. "I can feel it", she shouts out, voice getting louder with every word, until it booms. "Something was here! Something was here!" It's followed by the immediate, unmistakable sound of a taser being activated, a scream - and then, utter chaos as she breaks her hand cuffs. She stares straight at Firewall, then fires a ball of light - something so quick, you would have missed it if you blink. And miss it she does - despite her efforts to dodge, and even despite her powers, the ball of light burns itself into her right shoulder, right at the point where muscle connects to bone. Thankfully, this was only the edge of the attack - the psionic is sloppy, and the rest of it lands in a wall behind Firewall. The psionic curses, but still decides to try her luck, running straight at our detective.

Firewall

The psionic attack burns agonizingly, but you have barely time to yell out your pain before the recently-escaped prisoner charges you. She's fast, but sloppy-crazy, and you side-step her initial rush. Once she's past you, you step forward, grab her arm with indigo-strength, and twist it up behind her back. You take hold of her other wrist with your right hand, ignoring the way your wound wrenches. "Stop," you say coldly. "You'll dislocate your shoulder. What was here? What do you know?"

Narrator

The psionic cries out, but isn't brazen enough to keep pushing as Firewall grips her. "Something!", she whimpers. "Something, something. Holy, maybe? Or touched by it." This close, it becomes apparent that there are tattooed white lines strewn across her freckled grey skin; lines that might be familiar to Firewall. Cultist symbols.

Firewall

Your grip tightens on her arms, and you twist her left one harder, hard enough to bruise. Cultists, again, and always. Cultists, because the world seems like it will never be cleansed of them, like there will always be another hiding under some rock or in some dripping sewer. "There's nothing holy here," you say, voice clipped and icy. "There's none of the corruption you call holiness either. This is the PDPO, and we do not permit that here."

Narrator

This time, she cries out louder, tears starting to run down her cheeks. "I'm sorry", she weeps, "Sorry, sorry! I know there's no place for me in these walls, I know!" The two officers who had detained her take over from there, clipping a standard class-3 nullifier around her neck before they put her in handcuffs again. "Sorry", one of them says to Firewall, "that shouldn'tve happened. We'll take care of it." Leading her back down the hallway, it doesn't seem like they have to; all the fighting spirit the psionic seemed to have is gone.

Firewall

They haul the cultist away, and you can't respond to their apologies because you're too busy fighting the urge to tear said cultist's throat out with your bare hands. You grind your teeth, clap one hand over your aching shoulder, glance once more around the room for any trace of contamination, and go on your way.

#in the field #case 1: the fairy figurine

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

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Powers explained: Virus

Official Designation: Remote Psionic Activation

Classification: Mind Control

Strength: 2

Precision: 10

Reach: 7

Limitations: Must have established eye contact before. Unless renewed, influence lasts 30 minutes.

Description:

Highly specified form of mind control, in which the user plants an imperceptible psychic anchor in the mind of a target. This anchor can then be activated to apply stimulus to the psionic center of the thinkpan.

Activated powers can be turned on and off at will, controlled as well as and overclocked without noticeable strain on the user. Instead, the body and psionic reserves of the target are used, and strain on the user only becomes apparent when too many anchors are planted in different minds.

Certain knowledge of the activated psionics is required prior to activation, as an understanding of how to control the powers does not appear to be inherent.

#worldbuilding #the 77

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

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Case 1: The Fairy Figurine, Part 5

Sniffer

You're still sneaking through the halls, your pumper racing. Somewhere through the idle thoughts about lunch and the toilet in the west wing being clogged again, you can still hear the Deputy hurrying away from your direction and you have to jog to keep up. Eventually you're in her range again. You just have to...make sure she can't see you while you spy on her. You are so screwed if you're caught.

Narrator

'...envious beast. That's what happens when you quadrant outside of your work. You get trolls who don't know how to behave.', the deputy's thoughts race. She's stopped in the kitchen, most likely making herself tea. 'And they always leave the sugar open to get wet. Disgusting.' Her thoughts are silent for a moment, and instead, long steps can be heard down the hallway, moving towards Sniffer.

Sniffer

Trolls who don't know how to...what? You're distracted by trying to figure out that one. Is this even related to the case? Did you just eavesdrop on a perfectly normal, albeit scandalous, bit of mental conversation? You're deep enough in your second guesses that you almost miss the footsteps coming your way. You take in a sharp breath, immediately turning tail and trying to quietly make it back around the corner before she or whoever actually sees you. It's a known fact that you read minds, there is no way to make this look innocent, you're sure. ...Your idea of sneaking probably should not include power walking in terror down the tiled floors. You never really notice how loud your footsteps are until you don't want them to be heard.

Narrator

The steps coming down the hallway belong to one very agitated private secretary, whose thoughts are circling around the death of the victim over and over. It sounds like the two were familiar, and they're thoroughly upset - upset enough to drive the deputy to leave the kitchen as soon as they enter. 'More nervous energy is not what I -', she begins to think, before she sees Sniffer walking away from her. "...Ah.", she goes. "Detective Sniffer, would you have a moment?"

Sniffer

You pause, squeaking a little, your pumper beyond ready to leave your chest. You're caught. At the very least, maybe they'll believe you weren't spying on them? You take a deep breath and plaster a polite smile on your face, clasping your hands in front of you as you turn around. "Yes ma'am? What can I do for you?"

Narrator

"Come here", she demands, beckoning Sniffer in with a bend of her finger. "We both know you were listening. You're assigned to that murder from this evening, aren't you?"

Sniffer

You keep smiling, taking a deep breath through the nose. You messed up, you messed up, you messed up so badly. And now she's not happy with you at all. You rock on your feet a little, trying hard not to shake with the nervousness. "I was, yes ma'am. Do you...have anything you could tell us, perhaps?" You cringe at how small your voice sounds. This is why things are easier when your team is around. You can at least pretend you feel braver than you are when it comes to people being unhappy with you. "Anything you could share would be very helpful." You add, mentally crossing your fingers.

Narrator

"Hmmm, I'm sure it would. Unfortunately, sticking my sniff node in this would be career suicide", the deputy explains, an edge to her words that's eerily predatory for what's being said. "I can read in your intentions, however, that you wish to invertigate the chief's matesprit, and advise you not to do that." One hand around her cup of tea and the other behind her back, she strides past Sniffer and down the corridor, not giving her a second look. "We really ought to get you a nullifier. "

Sniffer

You fidget, swallowing hard as you shift from foot to foot. How do you even respond to this? The meaner part of your pan is saying that you'd just love a nullifier if it means shutting her up right now. But the normal half is saying that you need to apologize, to make this right somehow. To make her less displeased with that. "With all due respect, ma'am, I'm just doing my job. I investigate who I have to. It's nothing personal. It really isn't. I'm very sorry!" The last part comes out as more of an embarrassing squeak that makes your stomach turn.

Narrator

All this nets Sniffer are raised eyebrows and a disappointed shake of the head, before the deputy disappears around the corner.

Sniffer

You take another breath, very casually flipping off the Deputy when you're sure she's gone and there's nobody around to see it. Once that's done with, you get on your communicator again, whispering once more. "Hey, guys. Did....any of you know that the chief has a matesprit?"

Virus

Virus perks up somewhere else, holding a hand to their communicator to hear Sniffer better. "A matesprit? Seriously? ...What does that have to do with anything?"

Sniffer

"I'm not sure. But the deputy caught me. And after helpfully suggesting a nullifier for me-" You hum in annoyance over the line. "She said she knows I want to investigate the chief's matesprit, but that I shouldn't do that. There was also something about dating outside of work and leaving the sugar open to get wet." You pause. "Not sure if we're being baited or not, though. Keep an eye on her."

Firewall

"What led you to the chief's matesprit, Sniffer? And no, I didn't know chief had one." You drum your nails on the table. "...Surely this wasn't an inside job."

Sniffer

"The deputy was passing by and thinking something about a girl who might have her fingers in something. So I followed her and that was what happened. There's also a secretary who was pretty upset about the death and was apparently close to the victim. I'll try there next." You frown. "Hence the worry about baiting. I'm not sure how a secret lover and a mummified monster are connected."

Virus

"Wait a second", Virus interrupts. "Mummified monster? Forget the rest, what's up with that?"

Sniffer

"Did you read the file details I sent over to the communal file? Hopefully the footage comes to the cloud soon. But." You shiver. "The killer was some kind of beast. It had black rags and sharp claws for carving and it disappeared back behind the file cabinet-" A pause. "...In the chief's office." "Leaving the sugar to get wet...the deputy thought something about the matesprit leaving the sugar to get wet. It had a water bottle, but it didn't seem to know how to use it."

Virus

"Uhhhh." It's quiet on Viruses side for a moment. "No, haven't read it yet. I'll watch the footage as soon as it comes." "...And sugar? Are you sure? That's one fucked up metaphor for cheating, if you are."

Firewall

"Keep looking at the secretary, Sniffer. Then onto the deputy maybe. I... Doubt that the sugar thing's a cheating metaphor; maybe she's just making assumptions about lowbloods."

Sniffer

"What? Virus, don't be crude! I think that was literal...she was making tea." You nod. "I'll talk to the secretary and see what I can get. Has anyone else found out anything that's not in the file yet?"

Virus

"Nope, I sent you everything I have. ...Do you think looking into the matesprit will get us slapped?"

Download

“Whaaat?”

Sniffer

"Yes." You say, blunt. "But our hands are tied so what choice do we have? And you know how we were thinking there was something the chief wasn't telling us? If she knows more than she's letting on, then that could.....also be a problem..." You finish, looking over your shoulder like the chief is going to be standing there. This is so risky.

Download

“Well we’re supposed to be keeping this whole investigation on the mum anyway, we just have to play our cards close to the chest. Can we make one of those billboards where we put picture of people and connect them with yarn for this? It seems like things are getting complicated.”

Firewall

Uncomfortable, you run your hands through your hair. "Be careful, Sniff. Don't directly accuse anyone, and be subtle about your questions, okay?"

Virus

"Yeeeah D, making one of those is definitely not going to get us found out. Handmaid in combat." Lowering their voice to a hiss, Virus goes on: "Do we have a way of figuring this out without getting caught?"

Download

“If those who are higher up put us on the case and are still involved, are they expecting us to cover it up for them maybe?”

Sniffer

"I know I just...I had the thought. Let me see what I can get out of some other people here. I'll be off comm for a bit." You say, turning off your communicator and heading back towards the kitchen. You have a secretary to talk to.

Narrator

In the kitchen, the agitated secretary is nursing a coffee - not the first of the night, if the shake of their hands is anything to go by. When Sniffer enters the kitchen, they hastily wipe at their eyes, give her an "oh, sorry", and try to push past her to evacuate the kitchen.

Sniffer

"Are you okay?" You ask, offering a hand to them and blocking their way out as discreetly as you can. "What's happened?" You already know what happened, but maybe you can both get them to talk and offer a helping hand. You don't like seeing people that upset.

Narrator

The secretary takes a step back, not accepting the hand, but still giving Sniffer a teary smile. "You probably already know", they laugh, voice wobbly, and go back into the kitchen to lean against the counter. "It's Vosmar. I know people die all the time here, but..." They trail off, shoulders drawn up.

Sniffer

"I...do, yes." You nod solemnly at them, giving an awkward smile back of your own. "I'm so sorry for your loss." It's killing you to be near her right now. You can hear the river of every tragic thought she has running through her head right now and it's breaking your heart. How awful. You're sure you'd do the same if a member of your team wound up dead, honestly. "I'm with that investigation, by the way. I know this may be a raw question to ask, but is there anything you can tell us about Vosmar that can help us find who did this to him? Anything at all could be helpful."

Narrator

"I..." For a moment, it looks like the secretary wants to say something, but their eyes take on a haunted look, like a rabbit ducked in a field waiting for the hawk to swoop. "No, I can't. I can't, actually. But - " They gather their thoughts, thinking as quietly as they can. 'Things get lost around here. People too. You should look into that. And into... Vosmar's personal file.' "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you anything", they continue, and then practically storm out of the kitchen, coffee left behind.

Sniffer

You blink in shock as you watch them go, frowning. Something was wrong there. Something was scaring that poor troll. But what? You stare idly at their coffee like that might give you the answer you're looking for as you turn your communicator back on. "Mixed results with the secretary. The poor thing was distraught beyond belief. They clammed up and brain told me to check Vosmar's personal file. And that things and people get lost around here." You go ahead and start cleaning up the coffee as you continue. "Virus, what did you find in the files?"

Narrator

A tapping can be heard as Virus checks their communication device with their fingers. "The exact opposite, S. Things not getting lost when they _should've." There's a moment of pause before they continue. "Sorry, coffee. The vic wasn't destroying files when he should've been. That's the only black mark on the file."

Sniffer

"There has to be something else in there. Something we're not seeing." You cross your arms, biting on your lip as you think. "Did it say what the undisposed files contained?"

Download

“Might be a bait and switch? I don’t know if we have it on record but maybe the records that actually got destroyed weren’t switched out with the actual ones. If they were for a case, maybe we can talk to the people involved?”

Sniffer

"We'd have to find out which case first, though. Virus, where are you? Do you mind if I come peek at the files too?"

Virus

"On my way back. Meet me in the lounge. ...And bring more coffee."(bearbeitet)

Sniffer

"Suuuure, make me the coffee troll." You hope they know you're sticking your tongue out right now. "I'll grab it and head down to meet you."

Virus

"Very good. And D, can you look into that?"

Download

“Well we’re all going to take a look at the old casefile together right? We need more leads to look into that way.”

Sniffer

"With all of us there, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up finding something we all missed the first time. Virus, you'd better like black because they're out if creamer in here."

#in the field #case 1: the fairy figurine

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

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Case 1: The Fairy Figurine, Part 4

Download

Speaking of his own investigation. Your name is Download, from half an hour ago. You give your sergeant an easy, two fingered salute before you lope down to the morgue. You hope there’s still blood in the body, otherwise you’re going to end up chewing on a little finger to get the information you need. “Hello,” you call as you step into the morgue, glancing around. “Detective Download here to see a recent body.”

Narrator

"Download?", the little, round coroner looks up from her paperwork to muster him. "Sure, sweetpusher. Which case is that?"

Download

“One of the newest,” you say. “Maroon, with the throat stem torn out? Our own Vosmar Miller for shame.” You saunter over to her desk to talk to her with a smile. “You wouldn’t have happened to save me a vial of blood, would you?”

Narrator

"Hmmm", she smiles. "Who do you think I am?" She has to lean all the way back to look up at Download, and gives that up quick in favor of pointing at the fridge to her right. "Second to top shelf, towards the left. It's labelled for you."

Download

“Perfect,” you say with a smile and a wink as you head to the fridge and pull out the vial she mentions. “You certainly know how to treat me right.” You examine the contents for just a moment- sticky and maroon, before you pop it open. You know you can’t get sick from this but no matter your psi, you can’t quite be rid of the gut instinct that this is very gross. If you were a drinker, this would just be a snack. You down the vial.

Narrator

As the blood hits Download's receptors, a few things become immediately clear. His blood group was AB, he was a very solid mid-maroon color, ate too much spinach and too few enjoyable things, hadn't pailed in the last three nights. There's a clear overtone of stress, the sort of adrenaline content that only murder victims who see their demise long coming get. And then there's something at the back of it, like a bootleg horror. Calling it a horrorterror influence would be like dipping a cherry in a glass of orange juice and calling it cherry - it was there once, most definitely, and that sure is fruit juice. But although this blood has been touched by something, and that something was very horrorterror-esque, it was simply not an actual horrorterror.

Download

“Oh,” you say as nausea hits you in the face. “Excuse me.” And you run to the trash can to throw up. At least it’s not so much you’re retching for hours- just once and you pull your long hair from the trash can and wipe you mouth with a napkin you pull from your jacket. “Excuse me,” you say. “Now there is certainly something afoot.”

Narrator

Concerned, the coroner adjusts her glasses. "Oh, darling. The same old game, hm? Should I be worried?" Without getting up, she pulls a small bottle of tomatoe juice out of the bag lying to her feet. "Here you go. I'll clean up the trash later."

Download

Oh the coroner is such a darling. “Thank you,” you say gratefully as you pick up the bottle and take a swig, removing the taste of vomit from your mouth. “Perhaps a little worried but I know you’ve handled worse! It’s almost like a bootleg horrorterror, not the real thing.” You position a hip on the edge of her desk. “Would you mind if I see the body?” You ask. “And the autopsy report? I’m quite curious about those letters carved into his chest.”

Narrator

"I sure have." The smile she gives this time is a little older, more world weary - she's not the youngest anymore, after all. "Follow along, then. I'll send you the report to your tablet, but you should see the body first." She pushes herself up from her chair, moving sprier than she looks, and leads Download into the cooling chamber. "Put these on", she tells him as she pulls a pair of rubber gloves out of a hole on the wall, along with another pair for herself, "we don't want a contamination." Then she pulls on one of the honey comb shaped drawers, procuring the body of the victim. Vosmar still looks the same, eyes wide, throat torn and chest carved. Only his clothes are missing, and a strategically placed piece of cloth takes their place.

Download

You snap on the rubber gloves as you examine the body, looking at his arms and legs, searching for any wounds that would suggest he physically defended himself. He had psi- “Were you able to discern whether or not he used his psi in the event of his murder?” You check the bases of his horns for any sign of burn out, ligature marks on his wrists and ankles and the back of his neck for nullifiers.

Narrator

"Oh yes, psi was used. You won't find anything there, he simply stopped using it before he died." The coroner puts her hand on the victim's forehead, almost lovingly. "It was the shock, I think. My current theory is this", she sighs, "had he not died of the very obvious, he would have died of shock." Then she takes one of his hands to twist it palm up and show Download the lack of burnout on his fingertips as well. "Maroons are so fragile. A terrible existence."

Download

You’re not so high up from maroon yourself but you have a color to hide behind. Two, if you count the grey. “It really is such a shame,” you say. It could also be a nullifier psi or magic, possession or mind control or any number of things that lowbloods were vulnerable to. “What about the wounds? I am really quite curious about these letters carved into his chest.” You tap the wounds with a finger. “In your estimation, were they done with the same weapon that did this?” You gesture to his torn out throat.

Narrator

"Oh, no, I don't believe so. You see, the edges here", she draws a finger along the victim's throat, "Are jagged, hasty. Bite marks, I believe. But a single tooth would need to be rather small, and the mouth itself rather big. Whereas here", she goes on to the chest, "we have a lot more precision. The weapon was round, not as sharp, and there was only one of it. Perhaps a torn out tooth, but if it was, it would not have been from the same beast."

Download

“So the death wound was a bite with a big mouth and little teeth,” you say. “And the words were cared with something. Postmortem?”

Narrator

"Post mortem, yes. The pumper had already stopped beating - but if you compare the two wounds", the coroner explains, "you'll see that they must have happened within minutes of each other."

Download

“Did you find any horrorterror residue concentrated anywhere in any particular place in his body?” You ask. “There were stains as well, on his stomach. Was there an analysis done on what that liquid was?”

Narrator

"Tap water", the coroner sighs, "with nothing else. Although the clothes are still being analyzed thoroughly." "And I wouldn't call it concentrated, exactly", she goes on, and pulls out two color tests, covered in identical occult markings, before she hands Download one of them. "The throat has the most, but it's really only trace amounts." The test she holds to it goes from a black to a very slight dark purple. "If you hold that to the chest, you'll get the same result. But as you know, these beauties unfortunately have a high false positive rate."

Download

“I don’t,” you reply. “These beauties are absolutely correct in this. And I don’t believe there are any other toxicologies present in the body either.” You sigh and straighten, rubbing the back of your neck as your hair falls artfully across your shoulders. “It is quite a mystery, but your help is ever always so valued.”

Narrator

The coroner watches Download with a smile, then pushes the drawer plus corpse back into the steel wall full of honey combs. "Hmmm, it's a good thing that we have you to confirm that. Just drop by when you need something else, sweetpusher. You know they give me enough work to keep me down here."

Download

“Don’t they always,” you say with a wink and sweep out the room again with the information downloaded to your tablet. And on your way back up you hear Sniffer encounter something... concerning. But we saw all that already and it doesn’t bear repeating.

#in the field #case 1: the fairy figurine

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

Photo

LEAVE THEM TO THEIR COFFEE DAMN IT

#the 77

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

Text

Case 1: The Fairy Figurine, Part 3

Sniffer

You nod, your jaw set in determination. Your headache...and immediate pang of panic at the idea of getting overloaded in your investigation again...will have to wait. You have a job to do. "You'll find out what I know as soon as I do." You say, giving your team a quick wave as you practically run down the hall. It doesn't take you long to get to the security room, where you have a chance to talk to the guards monitoring the feeds. "Excuse me!" You're out of breath by the time you get there and you open the door just a little too loudly. It makes you feel bad. "Sorry! Excuse me-" You try, more politely, as your cheeks flush. "I need to see the security feeds. And the digital sign in records. Please!"

Narrator

Most of the trolls don't even look up. Only one of them throws Sniffer a look over his shoulder - before he clicks stop on his feed and pulls the plug out of his neck. "Of the case this morning?", he asks. "We're still cutting. But you can watch over my shoulder." And then he thinks: 'Already? Shit, time flies.'

Sniffer

"It really does-" You flush harder, feeling yourself die a little inside when you realize he didn't actually just say that. "Uh. Thank you." You shuffle over to him, leaning over his chair to get a better look at the screen. "Who besides him signed in this morning and who signed out since then? Has anybody changed clothes in the time between appearing on feeds?" You ask, trying hard to tune out the buzz of the other working trolls to focus on him.

Narrator

'Man', the cutter thinks, 'mind readers. At least this one's nice.' Next to him, someone very loudly thinks about the lunch they have in the fridge. "Tons of people, miss", the cutter Sniffer is watching continues, "but nothing that'll interest you. Watch this instead." And he plugs himself back in to move the video to a scene twenty minutes before the proposed time of death. The screen shows a view of the chief's office, from the camera behind her desk. Two seconds in, something shifts in the upper right corner, blurry at first; but it soon becomes clear that one of the file cabinets is moving. It looks like it might be being pushed from one side, but once it's moved a few centimeters, it simply stops.

Sniffer

You're just going to pretend you didn't mind read that. You're not sure how much more blue your face can take before all your blood's rushing to your head. And of course you just got reminded that you got distracted with nursing your head and haven't eaten yet today. You're sure that's not helping you. You groan, rubbing your temple. Focus, Sniffer. Focus. You have a job to do. "What am I-What the heck?" You pause, your brows furrowing together. You rest your hand on the back of the cutter's chair as you lean forward, squinting at the footage. Why is the cabinet moving. You can't quite tell from this angle it that's a big enough space for someone to be behind it. Or even if someone physically moved it in the first place. Your brain darts back and forth between the possibilities. Is there something hiding behind there? Was a telekinetic involved? Did he die there first and slump against the cabinet? "What happened after that? Anything else of note?" You ask, your voice suddenly more determined. You think you should send out a message to the team to check around that cabinet.

Narrator

"Ohhhh yes, this is only the first part." The cutter continues the video - this time, ten minutes later, when the chief's secretary comes in. He stretches, checks his phone, and is then about to open the cabinet that moved before he notices that something is off. It seems like he looks through the crack, then whips back like something surprised him. In the next moment, static crackles around him and stripes run through the footage as he pulls on his psionics and disappears into the crack. "Weird, huh?", the cutter asks over his shoulder. "Looks almost like someone set a trap. But I have no idea where the hell he's going - it's not like anything is there." 'Won't set foot in that office again', he adds in thought. "You ready to see the rest? Because this", he exchanges a look with the cutter to his left, "Is where it gets gruesome."

Sniffer

"What...did he even see?" You wonder out loud to yourself, trying to make heads or tails of it. What kind of ham sandwich was hiding in-Oh, damn it. "Hotshot ate your lunch again, please go and talk to her about it!" You finally say over your shoulder to the lunch cutter before you turn back to the screen. You just want them to think about anything else right now and stop distracting you. Your head is pounding. "So he clearly saw something that surprised him. And it looks here-" You point at the screen where he disappears. "-Like he was chasing after it." Another pause. "...The figurine." You say, something clicking. Is this where the fairy figurine comes in? Did someone shove it in the cabinet, maybe? Either way, you kind of wish you couldn't set foot back in the office again either right now. You swallow hard when he warns you that the next part is going to get ugly. You take a deep breath, lightly curling your fingers into his chair as you ready yourself. Finding a dead body is one thing. You're used to that one. Watching them get murdered is another. You were never fond of that part of the job. And that look shared between the cutters isn't reassuring. "Alright. Let's see it. What happened here?"

Narrator

"Hotsho - ", the cutter Sniffer talked to goes, right before she adds an "oh!", and storms off in a fit. The one Sniffer has been talking to pulls a tired face, and goes back to the video. "Guess she thinks shes done", he mumbles. "Anyways", and he skips seven minutes ahead, right to where the cabinet moves again, this time to leave a much wider crack. Something like an arm can be seen pushing it - except that it's completely wrapped in black fabric. A figure pushes through, with no visible face, legs nor any defining feautures, really - and then disappears again, seemingly to pick up the secretary's corpse from wherever it just went. The figure cradles it almost gently; heiress style, the troll is carried on over to the table by the fabric mummy, his throat torn out and head lulling back dangerously far. As it walks, the figure sends a shiver down the cutter's back - having him think exactly that. Whether it's because it is wrapped up in fabric so tightly and cannot move, or because of a whole other reason - the steps the creature takes are irregular, unsure, and trigger something primal as they're watched. There is simply something wrong. As it lies the corpse down onto the table, the figure's back rises and falls visibly for a moment, before it pushes at the fabric on one arm to revel the tip of what might be a claw and carves the letters into the victim's chest. Done with its work, it looks on for a moment - then takes a water bottle from somewhere inside the fabric cocoon and pours water from it straight into its mummified face. It seems baffled by this, and by the fact that most of it drips into the victim, holding a hand in front of its face for a moment - before something outside the door seems to make it hurry, and it rummages through its fabric folds to retrieve something - the fairy figurine. It slaps it into the dead assistant's palm almost clumsily, closing his fingers around it when it won't stay on its own. Then it disappears back into the crack - but not without stopping to directly look at the camera, before it pulls the cabinet back into place.

Sniffer

You breath deep and only then do you notice that your hand is at your mouth. You close your eyes, practically feeling a chill run down your spine to match the cutter's. You swallow hard and stare back at the screen, chewing on your lip as you struggle to make sense of what you just saw. "Do you mind if I join you in just. Never entering the office again?" You ask quietly, your voice shaky. You probably will have to go in there many times after this. ...You'll most likely have to go in there to investigate that crack. In fact, you're kind of wondering if there's some kind of crawlspace behind it. Wonderful. You feel like you should try writing out a will ahead of time after looking at that thing. "...Is this the first time this has been seen on these cameras?" You ask, still trying to make sense of what you just saw. "What was the time stamp on our victim entering that gap?" You're looking at two options here. Either this was a troll with an unfortunate combination of psionics and mutations or you have a full-blown horror on your hands. One that's intelligent enough to know it's been recorded.You stand up straight, letting out a breath. "For the time being, stay in groups and don't go anywhere alone until we get this sorted out." You glance around the room. "Not...that that's an issue on the job right now. But." You hold your face in both hands. This is so not going well. "What do you think about this?" You decide to ask the cutter. A fresh perspective is always a good thing, you think. And he IS the one who's been watching the footage this whole time, after all.

Narrator

"First and the last, miss. Victim enters at 8:21. And I think", the cutter starts, then looks at his remaining colleague, who says what he was thinking. "We both think that that ain't right. But what is in this city, am I right?" The other cutter nods solemly, then goes back to his footage. "Anything else, I have no idea. You'll have this in the cloud by lunch at the latest. Text and video form."

Sniffer

"You can say that again. But that's why we're here, right?" You sigh and give them both a polite smile. "Thank you for your help. I'll relay this back to the team and we'll move from there. And the sooner this is in the cloud, the better." You nod to them, giving a small wave as you back out of the security room and shut the door much more quietly than you opened it. You reach for the communicator in your ear, flipping it on, your voice as solemn as your face as you walk back down the hall. "Guys, we have a-" You cough. "Pardon my language. A hell of a situation on our hands. I'll share the details I have on the communal file and the full footage should be up on the cloud within the hour."

Narrator

As Sniffer makes her way back down the hallway, many a troll passes her. The things they think about are lunch, their quadrants, or the fact that the coffee machine has been adding too much milk. But one train of thought sticks out: An older cerulean practically power-walks past her, disappearing in one of the offices. It's the deputy director, apparently in a hurry - and what she thinks is 'I sure hope that that girl didn't have her fingers in this.'

Sniffer

You pause, frowning. That was...strange. "And-" You quickly talk into your communicator again, your voice very low so she doesn't hear you as you watch her back. "-Something about a girl who may or may not have her fingers in this? That came from the deputy. I don't know what that means. "

Download

A message crackles through Sniffer’s communicator as Download’s voice comes hushed over it. “Sniffs, if the deputy has her fingers in this, maybe see if you can follow and listen in? Don’t get caught!”

Sniffer

You shift from foot to foot, sighing in defeat. "I-" Another sigh. "You're right. I'm going to follow her." You're already treading carefully down the hall, keeping a trail on her slowly fading thoughts. She was moving faster than you thought. "I'm going to be in so much trouble if she catches me, though. So-wish me luck." You swallow hard, already looking over your shoulder for anyone who might ask why you're trailing your superior around like a lost puppy or something.

Download

“Pretend you’ve lost an earring or something!” Download urges over the communicator before turning back to his own investigation. “Good luck!”

#in the field #case 1: the fairy figurine

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

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Case 1: The Fairy Figurine, Part 2

Virus

The archive used to be a real maze before the overhaul, you were told. Not like you know yourself - right now, all you need to do is let the watch troll at the entrance scan your identification and sign a declaration that you won't do anything shady, before you can sink into the big leather chair at the end of the room and wake up the computer. The victim’s file is easy enough to retrieve – everything in this city is documented to hell and back, and the PDPO’s standards take the crown. His name was Vosmar Miller, age 16 sweeps. His lusus was a secretary bird, he’d been studying for a job like this from his seventh wiggling day on – as you read, you let your thoughts drift, and imagine yourself on the other side of a screen. As just a bunch of words, a hatch name that’s finally revealed to the people solving your case. You know how you look on paper, but you wonder how you’ll look to others. Then you see it: a sweep ago, he was caught not properly disposing of files that had to be shredded. It was seen as nothing but a mistake back then, enough to earn him the stamp „absolved of charges by the chief“, but the blemish on his career is there. With a wipe of your mouse, you pull the file onto your tablet. The computer chirps, aknowledging that you now have a copy and will be reminded to delete it after the case is solved. If the case is solved. On the way back from the archive, you stop by the coffee machine, tablet under your arm. You’re just about to take the first sip, when Wizard jeers „Hey, now that’s a face I haven’t seen in forever!“, and has you self consciously tugging on your surgical mask. „Har har“, you tell him, and go back to nursing your coffee.

#in the field #case 1: the fairy figurine

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pdpoofficial · 6 years

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Case 1: The Fairy Figurine, Part 1

One evening, the chief of the Policeradication Department for Peace and Order walks into their office, and their assistant, who usually comes in an hour early to get everything prepared, is lying dead on their table.

„This is now of utmost priority“, the captain of the 50th to 80th squad declares at the meeting later that night, hands folded on her steel podium. The notes she’s been reading off have been discarded in favor of a small remote control, and she turns around once again to flip through the images.

„We are treating this as a direct threat.“ The first image flashes up, of the rustblood on the table, face up and eyes wide. His throat is torn out to show the maroon inside. „We are suspecting that this was some sort of animal, perhaps a lusus. Bitemark analysis is still ongoing.“

She flips to the next slide, the assistant’s hand clutching a fairy figurine. Two of his fingers look broken. „This figurine is currently in the archive. Anyone who has a solid enough reason to can request to inspect it. Broken digits are the annular and auricular finger.“ The next slide shows a crude pattern carved into her assistant’s chest. His button up wasn’t even removed before he was marked; the only thing notable about it are two wet stains towards the stomach. The chief wrinkles her mouth just the slightest – this particular assistant has been serving her for three sweeps now, and training a new one will be a hassle.

„We’re still unsure what this means. Proposed interpretations have been cultist symbols“, she flips, and a red outline is superimposed over the picture to shape it like one of the tattoos from the infographics hung up around the office. „That, or the letters E M, or perhaps M E.“

Another slide change, and the letters are drawn out in red. „The substance is plain water, like one would get out of the tab.“ Then she turns fully back around to her audience, her navy-spotted forehead wrinkled. „Any and all squads that are not currently occupied with the Brightfin case or the entire Butterfly Black dilemma will be set on this case. Which is, unfortunately“, she sighs, „Only the four of you. You will, however, receive as much assistance as you need, and more squads will be assigned to the case as soon as possible. Are there any questions left?“

Firewall

You set your coffee down and nod respectfully to the captain. Doing this on your own isn't exactly going to be a breeze, but... "Do we have a time of death yet, ma'am? And was he here all day or just an early arrival?"

Download

“What do the security feeds show?” you Ask mildly as you press a hip against the edge of the table at a casual tilt. “And when was this photo taken?”

Narrator

"He came in two hours early", the captain clarifies. "Time of death was roughly at eight AM, but we will have a better estimate once the video tape has been reviewed completely, which should be", she takes a look at the watch on her wrist, "In half an hour." "The photo itself was taken at half past eight, thirty five minutes after the chief arrived in the building and thirty after they found the body."

Sniffer

You sit straight-backed in your chair, your hands folded on your calves as you twist your mouth to the side. The room around you gives off a dull hum of thought and the resulting headache is making it a little hard to focus. You breathe deep, forcing yourself to form a question in your head through the buzz. "Ma'am, do you think there's any chance that the perpetrator is still in the building?" If they were here that early, it could have been a member of the staff, you think.

Narrator

"...Perhaps." The captain tilts her head, a solemn twist to her mouth. "We have been monitoring all entrances and exits for unusual thought activity and, so far, haven't discovered anything. So it's very likely the person of interest is still in the building."

Virus

"And we haven't shut down the building yet?", you ask, and immediately, the captain's face grows colder.

Narrator

"We cannot afford that", she says. "Commander Brightfin is focusing all their attention on us, and we cannot look like we don't have our own matters under control at any time right now." "If the perpetrator escaped in that time, then that's a sacrifice we unfortunately had to make."

Firewall

You grit your teeth. "So there may be a murderer with a taste for PDPO victims on the loose in the city? With all due respect, ma'am, how can we afford that?"

Download

“Honestly it seems much more of a press nightmare to deal with a murderer who managed a strike so close to you,” you let the word hang for a moment. “Who we let get away because we weren’t prepared to take the necessary measures.” Her assistant is low as they get, which probably accounts for some of this treatment.

Narrator

The captain gathers all her notes, quiet and dignified, shuts the projector off, and then devotes her attention back to you. "You two have seen through to the pumper of the matter. We cannot afford any of this, which is why no word about it will be uttered to anyone outside of these walls until the case is solved. Respect this in your research." She looks into the round again, but doesn't wait for any further questions. "Dismissed."

Firewall

"Yes, ma'am." You knock the rest of your coffee back in one swallow, then glance around at your team. "All right. Guess that leaves it up to us."

Download

“Solving a case with our hands tied,” you say with a sigh. “At least we have no shortage of leads. I’ll start with the morgue on your leave. Honestly you’d think the medical examiners would know to save me a vial by now.”

Firewall

"You'd think so. And yet." You stand up, brushing off your hands on your pants. "Go ahead, Download. Virus, can you get me the vic's personnel file?"

Sniffer

You have your mouth open to ask one last question, but close it quickly when the captain says dismissed. You know that tone. "You would think." You whisper back to Download. "But apparently they want you to be a proper drinker." You sigh, rubbing the bridge of your nose. "Did anybody check his quad history?"

Virus

"Will do", you nod. "Let's meet up in our office again in half an hour. I need coffee." The captain left long ago, but you're still looking at the space where she was. "You guys think she knows more than she told us?"

Firewall

"Almost certainly, but that's not going to get us anywhere. We'll do as we're told, unless we can't solve the case because of official shadiness. So. Download, you're doing your thing. Sniffer, you can talk to the witnesses, see when he signed in, see if anyone saw anything -- perp was probably bloody, right. Can't imagine they passed completely unnoticed, unless they changed clothes. Virus, check into his work history, and I'll ... fuck, guess I'll check on that figurine. Then back to the office in half an hour, like V said. Sound good to everyone?"

Virus

"Roger that", you confirm, and with that and a salute, you're out the door.

#in the field #case 1: the fairy figurine

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