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he [Music] [Music] there is nothing only warm primordial Blackness you're conscious F men in it no larger than a single grain of malt you don't have to do anything anymore ever never ever never ever ever baby an in audient am out time passes it is utterly void of struggle no ex-wives are contained within it you got it sweet brother nothing upon nothing upon nothing comeing right up Sir smooth passage all right nothing town to [ __ ] over do you want me to upgrade that to a one One Way trips H the song of death is sweet and endless but what is this somewhere in the sore bloated man meat around you a sensation like a fly to the ointment your conscious sticks to it the limbed and headed machine of pain and dignified suffering is firing up again it wants to walk the desert hurting longing dancing to discar music you can take it you're a [Music] champion the stench of liquor rises from your mouth annoy it and ungodly headache a fiery streak penetrates your skull trying to force your eyes open it's a sound a Clarion call from hell [Music] [Applause] [Music] you hear a jingle keys are clinking in the pocket of your flare cut pants it says whirling in rags on the Alum key ring there is a single key on the ring the number one is etched on it it's it should open the door the window stands broken in its frame Cold Wind Blows in the shards face outward whatever broke this window came from the inside a fine web of scarring covers the back of your right hand but none of it is recent more likely a projectile than a ELD object there are no fragments on the floor from pulling a tool back in after impact it is too large for a bullet yet too small for a piece of furniture you're looking for something heavy and larger than your fist the single green shoe you found fits the hold almost as well as your foot it would have also been heavy enough if thrown with Force congratulations you you smashed the window with your own shoe now you only have one if you're lucky you can still find the other one on the balcony outside the door to it should be outside your room the Cool Wind gushes in your toes curl up from the cold this fan has two chain pull switches one ends in a tiny fan the other in a light bulb a truly horrific neckti has somehow attached itself to one of the plates or has it been consigned there as punishment you feel as though this creature is your friend and wants to reattach itself to your neck so that you may continue your adventures together in This Strange World the blades come squeak into a halt it should be easier to reach the tie now you swoop up and catch the tie snap it's released from the blade warning warning the necktie is no longer contained what you have in your hand is a fantastically colorful tie with four or five different patterns the not reminds you of a noose a mirror hangs above a bent and broken sink in a fierce discharge of masculine energy someone has ripped half the foret off hot water sprays from the base and steam covers the the mirror you cannot see yourself just the outline of a man suddenly you realize you have no memory of the face that awaits you there underneath the soft Vapor really all recollection of the person you are the people in your life and even the world you're in has drowned in a sea of blood alcohol this was no mere night of drinking it was a deluge of world ending proportions as you slowly reach your hand towards the surface of the mirror abort you clearly have not thought this through you won't like what you see there and you will never unbecome it yeah there is definitely something wrong with it where to even begin there is the bloatedness then the swollenness it's like there's an upholstery of alcohol underneath your skin bet you are your nose feels like a small balloon in the middle of your face it hurts when you honk it it doesn't appear to be a particularly tiny nose either not with all the drinks it's absorbed for you it's not it's swollen and snail likee wriggling between your fingers behold you have no idea who this thing is do you too late you clearly have RI Mortis on your face oh wait is that an expression are you trying to make an expression with that face why please stop it's horrible you're scaring yourself oh my God you can't stop it's like it's not even voluntary anymore you have worn that grin into your face and now it won't come off what does it even mean what is the emotion you're trying to convey there might have been 10 years ago it's little more than a cadaverous spasm now it's too late like an image on film the expression belongs to your primary motor cortex it would take a minor neurological mirac irle for you to cease producing it like the rest of you it comes from a bad place somewhere in the past that's all you know for now hello officer the young woman raises a cigarette to her lips her eyes are brown and her face is speckled with birth marks she can't be more than 28 uh no there's only one solution to this you're a businessman the young woman shakes her head slowly no you're a police officer sir I am yes unless you've been feeding us a set of very well rehearsed lies all this time you've been here for 3 Days on Official Police business no less I could say in truth so far mostly drinking don't be so harsh on yourself they let almost anyone be a police officer a glip remark don't let it stand assert yourself a fondness for contradictory statements extraordinary could it be because of the drinking the words have already left your [Laughter] mouth what was that that's not even how words are used what did you say come on say it again no you see that's not what you said you said come on man Freddy please one more time goddamn right you did you crazy [ __ ] you what kind of cup are you okay that's cool or if I can just maybe ask you to elaborate in that Superstar them a tiny bit I have certainly been entertained thank you whatever you are you should stick to it otherwise it's going to suck for you later when you have to interrogate me and for the record no I didn't do it [Music] [Music] [Music] there they both are two identical shoes both copiously green and indiscriminately snakes skin reunited on your feet like two baby crocodiles it's pretty clear a normal cop is not what you are good they're balanced comfy feels like the only good thing about you right now truth be told [Music] [Music] on the counter rolled out of his open hand you see a blister pack of headache medicine the man does not mind you probably need them more than he does you gently shake his shoulder but nothing happens this man could probably sleep soundly in a ship's engine [Music] room a respectacle man in an orange bomber jacket is tapping his foot on the floor looks like he's waiting for someone you as you approach he Narrows his eyes and extends his hand in greeting if an assault were launched on this building right now if the windows Came Crashing Down and the whole world descended upon you this man would hurl himself in death's way to save you you are sure of this but why he is your half brother hello I'm Kim kitsuragi Lieutenant prison 57 you must be from the 41st you realize he's waiting for you your name this is your chance to come up with a really good name for yourself get creative [Music] conceptualize Raphael ambrosus Gusto you instinctively run your hand over the multi- patent silk of your tie its slickness gives you comfort and reassure don't worry Raphael ambrosus Casto is one classy name for one classy cop yes well it looks like we had a little skiding error on Sunday Saturday too actually have you had time to talk to the manager here then we should ask him for a rundown of the area get me up to speed I understand the scene is out back right it also wouldn't hurt to assure him the police are finally here in full force I mean have you mapped out the initial interviews at the 57th we like to prepare an initial list of Persons of Interest and then just skim the surface prepare the field get to know the players you don't do that maybe it's not an interdistrict practice okay we'll have time for that after we take a look at the C case have you removed the dead body from the [Music] tree mhm so the body is still in the tree this is the first time you detect a weariness in the Lieutenant's voice it is obvious he would have preferred for the body to no longer be in the tree where it has been hanging for seven days straight we should go there as soon as we are done talking to the [Music] owner I was sent here to meet a detective from precin 41 you have the Insignia of the citizens militia on your sleeve and on your back I suppose you could be impersonating him you could have gotten the Insignia from the black market or forged it but for now I'm going to set those possibilities aside I'm not from the Inspector General Internal Affairs and I'm not them I'm from criminal investigation he nods after you officer if you're about to embark on an investigation shouldn't you have a badge you mean you don't have a badge losing your identification card is a serious matter my vehicle has a shortwave you can use it to report your badge missing I advise you to try to locate it as quickly as possible but getting the body down should still take precedence hello sweetie wait who's sweetie you're a handsome man officer with your mustache and your chisel jaw and that silly dimple on your chin but dear you're not for me I'm too old and too married besides you must forgive me I'm getting so scatterbrained I completely forgot to introduce myself I'm Lena my husband Morel and I are staying with our friend Gary just down the street but I come here for tea when they're away this Lina is wacky enough for the mly crew hire her on the spot Yes dear I'm a paraplegic a paraplegic is someone with limited or no ability to use the lower half of their body paraplegia is caused by spinal cord injuries like falling from a great height or a grenade explosion that's quite all right I'm used to people asking questions I know they're thinking about it anyway there is no bitterness in her voice she accepted the Curiosity her condition inspires a long time ago whatever do you mean sequence Killers oh my but I think you already have a partner sweetie a partner who need you to help him get a corpse done from a tree it seems to me that you locked out with your partner he has the look of an upstanding officer of the law someone you can lean on and sweetie you are looking unsteady yes officer you look rather dazed like a stunned Fox but surely things can't be that bad oh my you know where we are right that's right and where is the whirling and Rags cafeteria itself located we're in the city of Revol deer how would I even begin to tell you Revol is the most beautiful city in the world we're fortunate to be here you and I I haven't seen very many other cities personally but everyone says so Revol is a rare Jewel this city used to rule the world though it has seen better days speaking of History you know what year it is yes that's right dear how Splendid here take this pen knowledge should always be rewarded her relief is palpable she was getting pretty worried about you there but now she relaxes her shoulders I can tell that this is taxing for you so I'll just ask one more question what regime are we living under what mode of [Music] government oh no not nothing like that dear rishal is a zone of control LED by an alliance of foreign powers called the Coalition we have almost no government of our own and certainly not one whose horseback oh dear this is troubling you really ought to know that being one yourself there aren't any cops in reval not in the traditional sense the status of law enforcement has been a complicated matter since the revolution but we should stop for today sweetie you look like you need a break besides I'm not the best person to explain the big things to anyone she's scared now she's realized you really are brain damaged someone more educated in sweeping matters maybe you should ask no I'm not an encyclopedia I won't be a guide either I'm a detective of course then I don't know someone Rich maybe wealthy people are educated though I don't know where you would find a wealthy person in Martinas of course dear good luck with your case [Music] h [Music] [Music] [Music] a man in his late 20s with a thin unimpressive beard notices you approaching he drops The Ledger he was holding and turns to the lieutenant could he be irritated with you he avoids eye contact altogether like you're not even there Mr G right you run this place yes I am Kim kitsuragi from prison 57 this is an interdistrict investigation so joining me from prison 41 right now I know it took us a while to arrive at the scene it also took you a while to col us and report a dead body it was you who played the call yes no I only just got here it was probably Sylvie who called you she usually works the bar here I'm only temporarily taking taking over her duties do you have her number as a matter of fact I do you said you just got here from where are you a local what of martines no I live in Jamrock I only sometimes come here to keep an eye on the place this is just one of the many many cafeterias I manage but you still know your way around yes in case any directions yes I know where some things are but as I said I don't live here I just used to work here and I'm not going to start working here again if that's what you think I didn't imply that detective I have everything you yes yes he means do you have questions for me like a police officer would no I'm not the bartender I'm the cafeteria manager he's very animated all of a sudden this is clearly a touchy subject for him I have three cafeteras I manage three get over it why would I have a problem with you you're a hero cop am I or did you ride in take the body down solve the murder and not trash my hostile room you're right you didn't and it's only taken you 3 days not to no I haven't seen you around I just got here remember was there anything else she went away because none of your more business extra fine behind this building there's a courtyard they hoisted them up on a tree there that's easy see that door there first you exit through that then to your right you should see a big hole in the fence a really big one you can get to the Courtyard through there no need for the keys the hole is big enough for the Franco Nigerian Cavalry to fit through does he want you to feel guilty of making that hole it's implied in his voice I don't know who killed him I'm not the police that's your job the lieutenant turns the page in the little notebook he's been scribbling in let's go not so fast you owe me 130 Royale no one is saying the multi-pattern nectar you found tied to the ceiling fan can talk no one it must be merely imagination but let's bail time to push the eject button sounds like a responsibility you don't like those one moment you're running like the wind then you've suddenly turned around and are giving him the finger furiously with both hands why watch [Applause] [Music] out everything goes dark back so [Music] soon admitted you just missed the quarter light the darkness on the edge of town I was wrong to let you go I should have kept you here is it bright where you are is it terrifying have you felt the love what do you mean what do I mean are you okay no you have sustained a trauma to your lower neck in addition you have strained your left trapezius muscle pain surges down your back when you move the chair took the Brun of it don't worry are you sure ma'am yes yes check on him sir I didn't I didn't mean for this to happen I'm sorry this has always been a cop friendly place the drinks are on the house okay there were a lot of drinks on the tab I still have to charge you for three nights and the Broken Window though that's 100 square don't thank me yet you still owe me 100 Royale if you don't have it by tonight I just can't let you up there and for God's sake watch out for yourself by the way where is Home the address is coming up blank and this place sure isn't it but you've been at this hostle cafeteria for only three nights where were you before you had to be somewhere in time or space that doesn't sound like somewhere you can stay if you run out of [Music] money you can try run some addresses in your head when you get the time maybe a street or an apartment will appear [Music] [Music] [Music] the RCM in Martinez what can I help you with we don't see a lot of police around here that's all of course what can I help you with Excuse me she's uncomfortable maybe you should drop this line of questioning oh well I didn't write it there I'm just sitting here I don't know anything about that either as I said I didn't write it pig is a widely used term for members of the police it's not loving no need to worry we are not saying you did okay well I didn't me I am just a gardener I am working I have a greenhouse in the yard there I've been trying to get some work done there's discomfort she stops mid-sentence well as you probably know there's a cops hanging from a tree there it smells pretty bad so I have to take breaks don't worry Miss we are here to clean it up you can get to work soon mhm thank you my head is about to explode from all the salts I've had to inhale since the street signs messed up okay what do you need it's there in the yard right through the hole in the fence what do you mean we're in Martin sir this intersection is called roundabout North I think there's the pier the capeside apartment buildings some more tournaments not a lot really the har Gates some kind of commotion I think I don't follow the local politics a fleet store too some shops and the bridge the Canal Bridge leads to the coast but it's broken I think some kind of accident probably just Coast there's a little fishing Village there and a fish market but that got closed down ages ago it's just water no actually I think they call it the monise inlet there are some islands in the bay but they're hard to reach no problem of course I won't hold you back her gloves you get the feeling that you need them you have a dead body to deal with after all sure keep them I have another [Music] pair I am again ER and a hunter and a gatherer feel like a [Music] traveler a simple little Cadence he seems to be making it up as he goes you sure are my man it's the jam my man it's a traffic jam for the ages harber gates up the street are shut tight no explanation given workers on strike scabs agitating and all around cluster [ __ ] Meanwhile we're all stuck here in Long Hall limbo for days upon days upon days upon days feels like forever like I was born on this here roundabout and this was all I ever knew just me and the metal and the tires the oil and the fumes of Mao yeah imagine it's been a whole week already behind the LOF however a touch of Sorrow so tell me what do you need he ain't one of us drivers I know that all accounted for otherwise I haven't really asked about that been wasting time right here keep him busy it's easy to see he's telling the truth he's kept his nose out of the dark stuff analyzing the fundamental structural and psychological conditions of being stranded in the midst of a sea of motores and their sad despondent chauffeurs a sense of surprise there ain't more bodies hanging from more trees it's like whatever's going on over at the Docks workers got a blockade set up making demands no way in or out some pretty wild stuff I hear like a giant new power crane in half the company I forget what exactly good on them I guess I've heard talk there's a company rep in town too like a strike negotiator type they know what's up precise demands and so on ah yes from the wild Pines we'll meet her soon enough I'm sure they want to keep that money flowing in my man king anything else yeah this ain't really my area of expertise I just do my job and get paid I have things to do and places to be all of us do us Lori drivers cam your nurse you still hang around here waiting for this mess to end most have scurried off somewhere to get drunk or high or laid not that I blame him really not my thing chasing transient Pleasures as a drag these days I prefer the examined life now thinking reflecting observing he tries his best to look nul but there's a rigidity in him as if trying to conceal something warm and deep beneath a cool exterior in his eyes an our familiar longing Flex of brown and gold it's hard to say his gaze wonders Southwest down the street that goes beyond the Arizon excuse me a Flinch jolts his frame the question has touched the ner man I don't know what to say not much anyone can do there's no helping in absence you know I miss my family they're all I have my wife second kid on the way waiting all the way in Diora and here I am stuck in this [ __ ] so far from home Diora of the Seven Seas it's on the other end of laou pretty much on another island called laurentide off Mainland we've got a little place there can almost hear my kid laugh when it snows what's it like like good and bad an ache that brings you Joy I think of them a lot I dream up these silly scenarios in great detail of living with them it comforts me what about you cman you missing someone is that what it is this feeling no it's scarier than that you're pursued by a hunter smell ing of apricots and sorrow and the past I feel for you my friend it's bad enough to know who you Miss Missing like that doesn't feel like it has much of an upside but thanks for this it's nice to talk to someone and I know it wasn't easy to ask I hope you find your way through your own troubles oh high-grade narcotics illegal Firearms stuff like that time to arrest him no I'm joking my man F runs a nice clean business this Hall of cargo is mostly Sporting Goods you know tracksuits and that kind of thing they usually get shipped to grod in the oent though we've been making Headway in the IL Moran Market lately not unless they have a legalized sports equipment while I was on the road this rocking Beauty sure is like a rash you can't get rid of you interested in heavy duty cargo Machinery a motur also called a cameon on Caillou at neighboring Islands this one looks roughed up enough to be some sort of f rust bucket maybe the A6 good IMA man yep she's an old one but reliable me and her spent a long time together there it is again a little touch of sadness beneath his cool he thinks he spent too long in this Lorry we're Pals and all but I can't just freely hand out the merchandise the bosses won't be happy the man Taps his fingers rhythmically against his arm don't be a stranger for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] welcome to iall don't you welcome to RI my grand father came here from a 3,000 year-old racist isolationist culture while your ancestors came to this island a mere 300 years ago every school of thought and government has failed in this city but I love it nonetheless it belongs to me as much as it belongs to you it's man like you who keep Ral divided making it that much harder for everyone to climb out of this post-war limbo oh come on man I just said welcome to Ral it's a l driver thing I know exactly what you meant you think my kind doesn't belong here that I should watch myself and behave but you see I'm an officer of the RCN it's actually my job to make sure you behave I would advise you to remember that silence the air between them becomes tense your partner needs backup now's your moment to shine whatever you say officers oh not much anymore I'm here to pick up some cargo but the Dock Workers are on strike so uh it's sit and wait on your situation apples yeah apples I take it you had other questions he's given you the runaround let's be honest you were bested it's about biological determinism natural L the Sorting of the races not the most popular top NES with a Coalition in charge and all you might want to change the topic that is bury your head under the sand like common sheep people who've studied this things said that you and me are superior by Design so naturally we ocidental should be in charge obviously you can see the merits in that So lately we accidentals have experienced an unfortunate downturn when members of the superior race cease to believe in their innate superiority they stop competing for resources This concerns you policemen so you better be vigilant the damn giips are showing up good lately same with the mosquitoes and the other Intruder species too they're on the precipice of cultural Victory it's what the keeps of Boogie Street are going for right under our noses and the others too on the radio heard any LLY heard any MOS or leader no dominating culture is how they plan to win they say so themselves it's true also you need to realize the dangers of mixing races who knows what might happen if people don't stay in their first place you might end up with a new sub race with unknown characteristics leading to extra competition that's why you've got to control The Offspring don't push your luck run you [Music] not a good track record of mental health in that family even by the standards of the Philippian Kings old sumptious philli was known for his profligacy well he blew through the whole National treasury starting the decline of one of the penultimate centuri greatest superpowers the suarin of riversa his own Mal Administration foreshadowed the fall of the monarchy during the anti- Centennial Revolution an end to his family line and the monarchy on the insulindian Isola stories have it that he had his bedroom converted into a treasure chamber where he stored unfathomable wealth kruggerands bars of gold ornate Weaponry armor and various chalises there were Whispers he slept on a huge pile of gold di feathers like some obese Dragon instead of a bed like a normal person the man certainly knew how to live but wait you haven't even heard about his fabled cocaine addiction you see old Philipe wasn't just good at squandering the national treasury on gold and ceremonial Weaponry he was also a prodigious snorter of nose candy that's what the revolutionaries said 150 years later right before they entered out the royal morsum and dumped his Majesty's mortal remains in the insulindian bay beneath the cold Waters of the insulindian bay thrown there by the revolutionaries after they cleaned out the Royal mosum the original was blown apart by communards then further damaged during the landing of the coalition's airships during the turn of the century Revolution when martines was was leveled most historians think the coalition's Hasty Landing may have ultimately saved the statue if the communards had more time they would have reduced it up to even finer pieces some years ago a group of liberal artistically inclined individuals designers mostly thought it would be ironic to restore the statue of the most wasteful ruler of riversa in the poorest part of the city the statue is supposed to capture the moment it was blown apart like an instant Frozen in Time a rear butterfly trapped in Amber floating on the sea of [ __ ] people in martines tend to disagree as do many prominent art critics and thought Leaders with more nuanced social awareness than the young ironists Philip III the squad wonderer however with his bronze face up in the air doesn't seem concerned about what the Hoy pooy think of him in death the small wrinkled woman does not greet you she nods along to something on her radio a photograph is clutched in her hands and there is a warm smile on her face the photo an ambro type from the turn of the century as golden as her smile it's the warmth of a winter night's fire maybe she could give you comfort and shelter some cigarettes and food money maybe she's your nothing her smile just keeps widening her hair is gray like lead wait she's just a distracted old woman better to leave her alone why I just told you why [Music] what Scot I was just messing with you no one's ever seen a cop's scab imagine you cops going on a strike but then another cop comes in and says let us cop for less money speaking of what brings the RCM here to the wild North come to see The Strife murder huh that sounds like a lot of hard work you'd never see me investigating a murder of course policia it wasn't me you can Ru me out easier that way should we he's nice I don't like nice he didn't do it it's the truth you know serious business I'm sure the big boss will be glad to tell you you'll have to ask him first he's a chaty guy want to talk about the strike return once you've met the union boss and are on a better footing with the organization my friend I respect the right to roam the Open Range awaits I don't operate in that capacity I'm not a granter of Passage the passage grants itself I walk right past measurehead and go in yeah the 2 and 1/2 M tall sem supremas is there walk right past him then press the button to unlock the door then go past him again and you enter the arbor through the office the man Whispers a juny tune a coastal Breeze Ruffles his hair sure thing my friend I can help you out the coin lands into your hand as if it has always belonged there the swallow returns always glad to help out the RCM shame I can't do more things are meager at the moment due to you know the Winter's fight is slowly running out and all still better than scabbing though nothing to worry about really the Jam's a bit of a mess cargo can't get in or out the rationing is a bit strict or as all suppli should last a strike though hey you lost me there honcho but it's okay as long as you're not a sorry ass scab all your buddy betrays your degeneracy yeah measure head his body totally betrays his degeneracy don't say anything size him up first are you admiring my morphophysiology it must be frightening to stand in the shadow of this raal Pinacle be calm I'm sandwich you are not in danger because you are not a threat to me what is this androgenous display of sexual maturity merely standing up makes you sweep profusely your breathing is erratic your own heartbeat in your ears grows frantic and you feel your blood pressure rise stop it you are embarrassing yourself in front of this woman and your idom friend this display of weakness May appeal to older women with a stronger maternal Instinct but it is a liability here on Battlefield Martinez jean look his body is betraying his degeneracy pretty hard maybe you can ask him to leave that is precisely the negligence that has led you to succumb to alul you Rec of it an invisible sword of alul emerges from your throat you cannot see it but others can it is making the woman in my company sick it's it's not good it's like a rat crawled into your stomach got drunk and drowned no you don't you need to get another drink oxidal applo group B4 is done giving orders around here the influence of the amand ray is waining show him the ham still got it jerking motions signs of a late stage neurodegenerative disorder how far the oxidal [ __ ] group has fallen you are once a noble and Powerful race you gave the world Eugenics electricity and powerful weapons of war like missiles and aerostatic aircraft you made great gains in metalurgy race Theory and statecraft you dominated lesser cultures like the deformed Hans and the inexplicably potato obsessed quos but now your Ascent to the genetic Summit has halted you are obsessed with sadness and with frivolous pop culture you will be superseded isn't that right B it is baby yeah you know it there is a button right behind him just Out Of Reach it must be the one that opens the door to the harbor that is right you should leave this stage of history with dignity by inviting the other races to a great world war bring your troops to the zimine islands and to Boogie Street and we will pulverize you when you are gone we will build a museum for you the walls will be lined with bottles of alul your beloved Gage inside we will store the o to homosexuality you call Art and your mif colag col ask what kind of races there are first classification is C of this stuff do [Applause] you you are obviously a Liberal site a poly culturalist I can see it from your love of MOT technology and your sorial choices do not deny your friend the truth you have denied yourself there are three categories of race chipa the heroic races tibe the surine races and the vile CF race cauldron of pasty which one do you need occasion I knew you would go straight for the vile cauldron everyone does you need to First learn about T A and B to appreciate the depravity of the chimic races yeah I mean otherwise it just won't make any sense yes it would seem nonsensical those are the simones the arop pagit and the oxid donals excluding the mound of course the mound are riddled with ezema to the point where they find it impossible to smile they are all lactose intolerant a common result of in breathing a receding genetic pull has led the mound on apprehensive Street parades in Mound cities like stats canal and VOR wherein wooden clogs on their feet and little green tassles on their hats the Vesper tines and meinian of vasper and meina the ancient meteorin of Meto by the golden pantic sea the suran of Sur and even the north Kik Steiners all have t race propensities the other large M civiliz the mesque are too yellow and oous to count as a heroic race true they are violent and expansionist but they have a glandular problem over production of seom seom is leaking into their brains making them listen to El Mari music and etoxic minced meat based food which in turn only produces more SE as proven by the mountain and the mesque oxidal is in retrograde the semes and the arop pajit are on the ascent the indigenous people of this the insulindia in archipelago the simes inhabit the southern Islands I am simes from the stock of the arop are the master rays of the IL Maran deserts the zimes are descendants of the arits we came here during heroic V from Mar to anulan thousands of years before the lose intolerant Mound oxyon tals disc discover this place the arop pajit are Sleek laded the zimes are powerful mesomorphic the former is an immutable progenitor unchanged since the super Isola of bicis ancient brains has in their slander skulls the latter is perfected and adapting together they form the Simo arit or simit super that is all there are no more T races in the world nature was not capable of more T are the unheroic races among morphous non competitors of the great race the Coos and the V they are mud color the Kos of gr Yugo Jim chest at AR are what you would call White officer in a suspect description yes to an untrained eye the COO appear white and pinkish like a hands on Wich but looking their eyes and you will see they are of an indistinct color and so is their skin unhealthy muddy and Ashen pinkness is a Ral quality that has to be earned through centuries of advanced ballistic Warfare and cultural domination that the people have undergone for drinking alul and smoking generate toak her and for eating potato the Koo the countless mro nationalities of grad are all inexplicably obsessed with bat the only thing they like more is dividing into microscopic ethnos States like political amiba rans halfway between TP and Ral culon two makes to know right from all you tried your degenerate little Evolution which was the single greatest failure committed by humans in our 82,000 year history on this planet is it 82,000 years that we've been recording history you have very little idea of what is happening but that seems a little off the mysteries of the people of this planet are a tragedy that has played out countless times over like a fever dream of skin hair and bone wake up night CHP the revolution came to raol from GR in Zar potato cards it is lit illness a pron disease that leaves the paral and frontal L ridden with h a soft Spong likee mass of dementia hallucination and parano the reevolution is fatal famili inia a hereditary condition passed from the COO to the O but but not sexually probably through trade roots and potate acid the prime compon of the potato plant enough of tie mediocrity tips f are a museum of failed ceric experiments and tragic Malad of the they are tortured creatures waiting to be put to sleep your morbid interest in them worries me lesser races like the mosquito a grotesque mixture of a Masque woman and a semones man only possible if the mother is mesque and of Father semes the other way around they fail to produce Offspring the mosquito is born sterile like a donkey all they have left is to ride customized motor carriages with hyraulic suspension listening to aggressive El Mariachi music to vent their impotent despair then there is the Simo Ki K are you sure you wish to know of the Simi Kira it is not an athetic S the Koo as you know are very servil especially when they meet the rich man AAL scientists have toyed with the idea of cing the simones with a Koo to produce a super worker of sem strength and grity this will never happen the simes in the COO may have similar inter readen problems as the mosquito we will never know precisely no simones man could maintain an erection in the suffocating potato T of the woman or k but enough it is crel to entertain ourselves with the deformities of TP F were there any able boded races you needed education on you understand nothing who solve the great race in you have to first ask yourself what is the r Enigma you have not even worded the mystery let alone solved it we will see access to the union is important for our investigation but there may be another way without becoming a r am I mildly worried he might take it seriously theen thinks yes I am he concludes I am worried you need to internalize what you have heard here today then return to me this Clarity does not come instantly I cannot possibly imagine what else we have to discuss Tan Your Love for disco music and venal disas racists are generally not very good examples of their race I am not like them I am craniometric Perfection I have taken the trouble to permanently draw a phenologic grid on my skull and features this should dispel any doubt you exhibit forward projection of the jaw indicative of schizophrenia and sexual inac accountability from a purely aesthetic standpoint The dimple in your jaw makes you look like a baby this is not grometry just an observation it is impossible to see any more of your bone structure it is covered in the ravages of alul from What Remain of your features I can see fleshy lips baldness of the head and long arms relative to ours this leads me to conclude you are not a police officer you are a common criminal an offspring of murderers and sailors from Su and vper and possibly even the degenerate sheep herders of Ubbi your racial Heritage is uninteresting it is the same as all Rish holens your parents and their parents made the decision to reproduce while under the influence of alul that is the only reason you are here oh don't be vulgar white or not has got little to do with this the race Enigma runs much deeper than that there must be some friction there he's keeping it well hidden however he still CL is a man of vision and memes he has the will to confront polycultural Capital something your race nistic Communists never did also to serve is Noble it takes discipline your petulent individualism has only contributed to your race failure it is LS and veronic jam individualism you have gotten these ideas from degenerate youth culture have you not you have picked them up from rock and roll songs f and roll is morent only Kos listen to it anymore there is no life left in it my people abandoned it long ago it leads only to neurogenerative heres and aruin overdoses I am not surprised you enjoy it so much this has happened to many of the side products of the inevitable cultural victory of the semy race meas head stoically looks to the the distance in silence I think this racist is better than the last but the next racist will be the really good one that will be the there always is place is reality h bastards we have a right to work hold up and stay frosty everyone cops are here you here to [ __ ] with us beat the honest worker down good we're fighting for a cause here right to work right to work besides we're not that different it helps if people see us talking cops and strike Breakers together shows authorities are on our side builds confidence rights of people rights of workers to have gainful employment to make a salary and feed their families might be time don't let the fat bastards Tread On You cops tend to side with the higher ups you're essentially still workers I don't trust cops but I can see you understand though right to work right to work maybe you should ask them the questions like why we're not allowed to make a living here shame on you we have families to feed you piece of [ __ ] so do we Scott honest men and women with rights to work to be useful not toys for corporate interests we came here to help the harbor run smoothly in time of Crisis if Union [ __ ] don't want work they ought to let in those who do want work I have a question why do all these men follow your leadership you think they follow because I'm big and loud no they follow the rules of the market the rules of the economy because they were given a job to do we were promised work we'd be in there working if the bastards hadn't shut the gates main gates locked would take heavy ordinance to bust it open could try to get in through the secretary's office doors locked the guards blocking the way to the access panel and I don't mean the scrawny mesk Punk either I mean head measurer or whatever he is like civilized folk you mean these native [ __ ] don't don't understand civilized it would be better for the neighborhood if you went home at least for now if you can't get in anyway no they will give up eventually or get drunk eat the button unguarded then we charge have fun Union shits are on full strike don't think they're going to let you through the gates I'm trying to meet their boss I know nothing about a murder the mention of a killing sends a barely noticeable shiver of tenseness through them interesting wouldn't put it past these Harbor bugs they do anything to stay alive right to work it's shameful cops doing nothing you should bring backup open up the gates for us blockading gameful employment for workers is a crime why not I see numerous reasons not to pick aide in this local matter pity let us work [Music] welcome to frit feel free to the around or something everything is out on the shelves what's that magazine she's reading you mean this this is pops Stars it's got like famous people in it it's not for sale looks like it also has something called police Dela mode featured on page 34 this speaks to you um it's where they rate different outfits famous people wear it's kind of funny they're kind of mean it's about who's the most stylish um no I don't think so we are not the fashioned police we're the real police I don't know frit I think they think that the extra tea makes it funkier it doesn't The Story Goes that normal FR with two te's a men's work where shop in Veda Fort was already taken so when FR retail Inc grew into a multinational corporation they had to add an extra letter to avoid trademark infringement um okay I'm not really supposed to be chatting to anyone but um I don't really know anything I mean I know it's there but I haven't seen it so not really um no I didn't know him at all I don't know really long um I don't know no need to worry it's just standard procedure for us to ask around if you hear anything let us know okay okay uh-huh you see several packaged raincoats fill a low shelf beneath a display of crossant and Juice bottles the raincoats are transparent except for the big FL slogan on the back the packages are small discreet sloppily stacked making them easier to take unnoticed no need to worry about knocking over a display what is what um it's a raincoat if you want to buy one then it's only for Royale her attention is drawn to the raincoats stealing one undetected will now be more difficult a small cabinet on the wall is filled with various medicine bottles nasal sprays and blister packs they all bear the S batist pharmaceutics logo the logo is the bloodless Rose Pure White Untouched by harm um just ask me if you need anything from St batist we don't stock prescription meds but we do have Nosa fed damine magnesium and hypnogram St batist you know the Pharmaceuticals company St batist pharmaceutical the one that sells meds out of St batist that one there she is right s batist the company derives its name from s batist the city itself so named because that's what it is a rear case where that really is the full eological history as far as almost anyone knows at least um I don't know let's see Nosa fed is a nasal spray damine is a really good painkiller magnesium is a dietary supplement hypn is I don't really know what hypn is I guess it makes you feel less [ __ ] it's recommended to use after lots of partying studying or exercising um no sorry I'm not like a doctor or anything a colorful display of cigarettes and alcohol bottles line the shop wall inviting you closer there in that dark green glass all in vain the great flowing river of warmth wine alcohol beer alcohol love alcohol um guess not no I'm obliged to inform you that both alcohol and cigarettes damage your health but I guess you're already know that don't ask don't look don't do anything here just go away get back to work no FR only sells legal drugs like the law says um the pale AG vodka is special I guess it's stored in pale for a couple of years which makes it super expensive and super strong I mean I already said it' hurt you I don't know what else they do [Music] the tear machine stands in the corner a sign says one bottle equals 10 cents H oh that's the tear machine it's a machine for tear you know you find tear outside like bottles or whatever and put it in the machine then it gives you money you need a bag I guess we used to have some but we gave them all out so feel free to use it if you find a bag though I'm sure there are some out there somewhere before you stands a motor Carriage the Bodywork is covered in blue and white Livery bearing the number 57 Vapor emanates from the large engine on the back of the vehicle it hasn't had time to cool off yet this must be the infernal machine machine that to you from Oblivion in the cabin you are welcomed by a set of steering levers a radio microphone on a hook a pullout toolbox under the seat and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge this is the CIS kinema my motor Carriage you can use the toolbox and the radio if you'd like motor Carriage motor Carriage something bad with a motor Carriage a dark lump rises in your throat yes sorry about that the cisma does have a rather distinctive in jingon he says it with very badly concealed Pride the CIS motor car does provide most of our Patrol Vehicles yes but this is different this is a sports model you're right I didn't take you for a motor car Enthusiast do you also like tiptop detective an inter racing series you should definitely give it a go if you like motor carriages it has fantastic competition no I'm afraid not we have a murder case on our hands remember in the cabin you see a set of steering levers a radio on a hook a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the the fuel preheater gauge a metallic drawer slides out from under the seat and clicks into place the tools inside are neatly organized take what you need officer it's going to be a long case I'm not protective of my tools like some men are he's clearly a little protective of his tools but what can you do work is work the pry bar feels nice and cold in your hand heavier than you'd think useful for opening all sorts of doors and Lids the handles are long and Sleek snap snap go the Cutters in your hand you can do good work with these cut chains locks and ropes especially belts it's robust weatherproof and wellmade Police Issue blue lets you see things in the dark you would otherwise miss the pullout toolbox slides back into its Mist preheater gauge casts a warm glow on the steering levers and the radio on its hook the frequency Tableau lights up and the green button labeled Prime line glows like a feline eye and then you hear something the soft purr of electrical kittens radio waves cast far and wide over the metropolis a woman's voice greets you you through the static this is pring 57 hello J how may I assist you hello Alise please assist our colleague from the 41st prison here I'm putting him on operating the radio is easy just be confident you've probably done it a thousand times this is Officer alet ping 37 how may I assist you under the green Prim line a yellow saved but catches your eye I wonder what Kim's default radio station is just a second officer 102 105 this is 41st coming over a scrawny old man sits in a Dusty cubicle smoking with a large white rectangle sewn on his vest in front of him is a box-shaped apparatus with an array of wires and antennas the radio switchboard the man uses relay code you got this you're a cop and cops no relay code 104 message received 105 relay message what's your status over 108 State your message [Music] sir 104 I hear you I don't have the authority to Grant your request but is it him what does he want he says he needs money don't give that [ __ ] anything he's just going to drink it all right that's a negative on the additional funds he says it's important to the case he isn't getting a red sent you can tell him that request denied sir over there he says he's in trouble doesn't have a place to sleep well I guess he'd better Crack the Case before send down them vicar said who cares what this vicare said pull on their heartstrings enough officer this begging is below your dignity anything else sir over there then over 104 message received this is a very serious situation I need to 1022 the captain over any other good news he's saying he lost his badge he what he lost his badge who lost his badge dick [ __ ] Mullen who do you think it's Officer Dick Mullen from the best seller dick Mullen and the lost identity dick Mullen is not your name it's the name of a fictional detective who would not lose his badge defend yourself immediately They're laughing at you 104 I hear you officer I'm just going to make a note here that you are in pursuit of your misplaced badge over there [ __ ] me mac come here you've got to hear this dick Mullen lost his badge what's going on super cop here lost his badge he lost his what now his badge he lost his goddamn [ __ ] badge did nine come again you didn't get that new heights even for Captain sober ask him ask him if he's lost his gun too Sergeant wants to know if you lost your gun too over check your pockets check your holy [ __ ] you don't know where it is do no it's gone it's not [ __ ] on you don't sweat it bratan you don't need a gun to to have fun we can still have fun it's not all overun did you get my question we were wondering about your gun over even before you can get the words out everything gets scrambled in your brain he says he didn't lose his gun or his friend whatever that means ask him to describe it his gun not as fun just the gun will do satellite officer mlan request a description of your weapon over oh request a description huh we'll give him one describe the blasa it's a single shot kill A9 and AR to be precise say kill 99 mm armis Armistice what is he a [ __ ] clearly he doesn't have his V anymore dear God he lost his gun oh my I can't this isn't really a laughing matter M face the giant of Coco by himself but disc go here him pisses pants oh I I can't [ __ ] he lost his ass if he still got his wiener oh man I'm not going to ask him Sergeant here is wondering if you are still in possession of your genitalia over that's a negative not going to say that over what's he saying share with the class he uh he said he the prick ate Mama's vanilla waffles at the Captain's birthday party some nerve he's got sure her vanilla waffles were the only thing he ate shut up Chester this isn't funny this is my mom we're talking about tell him to apologize right now Sergeant person request that you apologize for the claims you made about his mother over he says he's sorry and didn't mean nothing by it okay tell him tell him to find his goddamn B and gun that's the only thing that matters here satellite officer 10 for affirmative officer in pursuit of his firearm oh God I officer do you need further assistance over okay 104 sir I hear you relay your question over wait before you say anything stupid think it through you're going to be looking at a great jacket if you tell everyone you lost your memory be smart about this ask if he's there alone 104 sir I'm not hearing your question that's a negative sir I got 10 12 visitors present here over 10 excuse me sir over you probably don't want to continue on this road um no sir I haven't you're not really keen on mentioning your own life so I've always assumed things weren't that good on that front [Music] over 109 repeat message I didn't get that sir over there what what is it what can he possibly still want from us he seems intoxicated and keeps asking me to call him by his name mullen's drunk and emotionally aggressive that's new wrap it up don't indulge in his drunken Antics and out 18 km to the south in the first precinct's relay Booth a small crowd has gathered around communication officer jeel old boy pider around a dozen cops the small room is filled with cigarette smoke a buzz with laughter when officer Judith minow enters her left arm is in bandages and her hair trimmed short what is going on here did something happen what happened is my partner made contact it's not good he's lost his badge and his sidearm he seemed confused Delirious even Mac the Torso torson is finger [ __ ] his fist laughing hoarsely and apparently telling some dirty story to his partner Chester mlan near the entrance yeah M was [ __ ] all right sounded [ __ ] drunk to me yeah Max right this was some gnarly [ __ ] there I mean before he started begging for money it was enough none of this is funny he [ __ ] sad that's what it is he's a cop he's one of us God damn this we must help him yeah how do you [ __ ] plan to do that huh get him off the drink go jogging with him in the morning and get him on Courage jues he's a lost man I just know we can't give up on him when he's at his weakest you wouldn't ma man the door you know what he told me I don't want to get better I want to get worse those were his words this [ __ ] does not leave this room not a word of this to the captain or anyone else we'll give him a couple of days to put his [ __ ] together I guess I can hold of the report for a few days good okay everybody nothing but a prank call here we all got our laughes now get back to work far north on the other side of the motorway the officer quietly hunches with his hand in the motor Carriage this is pring 57 how may I assist you of course what is her number officer yes hold on her number is 05 1 944 298 received hold on [Applause] officer Lieutenant kitsuragi slowly begins to tap a little rhythm with his right foot quite a lot of time has [Music] passed off you sir I have syv Mal on the line for you yes hello all right hello officer what can I do for you you can hear resentment in her tone she's not thrilled to be talking to you again no not me no sorry I don't not a lot of people have phones around here copper thieves take the wires people don't have the money to have the cables put in again they use the Union's phone or the one on the coast it was someone else we'll find them sooner or later officer it just might take a while what of course it bothered me but I thought the union already knew about the courts no one calls the police the union would get angry you know what the union says goes people listen to them and they take care of their own which is like everyone here garbage legally no in reality yes Martinez is de facto policed by the dog Workers Union words are not necessary to feel the Lieutenant's discontent for the situation I I didn't want to get in trouble with the others push her further show her the eror of her ways no don't push her it sounds as if she's about to cry the other people who lived around here local people I I didn't want trouble her voice is resigned and weak you don't live here you don't understand squealing is frowned upon here everything is dealt with well by the union internally please I just didn't want any trouble [Music] I I didn't know I had to report it I I thought someone would take him down eventually you can almost hear the girl getting smaller on the other end of the line until she almost drowns in static okay you mean why did I leave the bar honestly I'm not really comfortable discussing it with you sir I uh let's just say I left because I needed to get away from someone you know who you think you hear a sliver of accusation in her words I really don't want to talk about this let's just forget about this okay maybe I don't know I just know I have to take some time off right now yes I know who you are you're a police officer the law yeah I think she got it good [Music] job oh no I haven't sorry real policeman have uniforms too by the way where's yours he's in plain clothes voluntarily it's different from not knowing where your uniform is there are officers who wear the signature perous black uniforms to the highest ranks in the RCM and end up buried in them as well others do it more casually looks like you're one of them uniform I I never saw you in any uniform you had your things on the Disco things please no not this again everyone saw your cool gun detective you were trying to impress some people with it everyone was eating and you were waving it around in everyone's face begging them to describe it you said it calms you and then you started making suicide jokes it it got pretty graphic some poor sord was trying to eat his pudding while you were screaming spit flying imitating the Mercy shot right next to him spat some in his food I don't think he touched it after me neither no idea all I know is next you waving around money instead saying things like big butts cannot lie and guns can't buy money but money can always buy guns it almost looked like you pawned it but believe me I did not ask I do hope so please don't call me again bye yes you have obviously done something to upset her at the whirling in rags when she was still working there I'm not mad it's just you were so drunk and so emotional all the time and then the scoer thing happened just made me want to quit yes obviously you were the worst client I've ever seen and I have seen so many [ __ ] in this place I've had Sailors fighting Union guys grabbing my ass kids stealing booze once a guy was glued to the karaoke machine every night for 2 months but you well you were worse than all of them honestly you were getting borderline aggressive even about little things like not turning down the volume at 3:00 a.m. I even liked one of those songs you kept listening to on repeat no more I I hate it now we go on by the oo I can't listen to it anymore you've turned it into a parody the hell with that song then there was your room your project an experiment to see how bad it can get in there I tried to send the cleaner but you wouldn't let me threeding to make me understand I had no idea what you meant and I don't want to know and then you screamed something about how you're actually a real cool guy and no one understands it one of the coolest guys there is the coolest guy in Jamrock something about disco too and then I had to deal with your toilet the one you clogged with police documents causing water damage downstairs in the kitchen I won't even mention you waving your gun around harassing customers threatening to sing karaoke threatening to kill yourself I the ones I had to wrench out of your toilet I damn it I don't remember what I did to your damn papers I don't remember every little thing I do especially when there's a hurricane loose it's your fault for losing them not mine something in you wants to immediately forget about this as if there was a reason you threw them away no you really weren't you were simply the worst God I I know I shouldn't have brought it up just try not to calm me again and let's pretend it never happened the stuff bird the great skoa you threw it against the wall while screaming [ __ ] that bird and laughing like a maniac I think you said it had been giving you [ __ ] ever since you got there yes well you hear a sigh of relief on the other end of the radio wordless the call breaks then the already familiar voice anything else I can help you with upself as always it's DJ mesh and fellatio and you're listening to freaks FM bringing you the hottest the nastiest the most vulgar right to way the lieutenant reaches into the cabin and turns off the radio he's not looking at you as he says someone must have been messing with the radio or maybe picked up a random frequency you wanted the prime line right he's still avoiding your gaze and his ears glow red oh is that what it was called nothing to get into really but sure uh let's focus on the important things this is T 57 can I connect it to someone 57s over and out in the cabin you see a set of steering levers a radio on a hook a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge Advanced race Theory everything is calm in the eye of the race storm your mind is lucid and bright the mindbending phog gentics appear more distant and to be fear a little ridiculous the great race mystery has cleared up all that's left to do is verbalize your thoughts go and talk to measurehead about your newly found insights h [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] life doesn't need to be a struggle I'll be with you in a moment officer let me just finish my sandwich talk to angry H first [Music] have you no shame whing about your back every time you bring out the measuring tape H you're a man with a fork in a world of soup please let's just try to enjoy the game all right I'm trying to but you keep breaking my concentration you're old I can see that we're both old now stop grabbing your ass like it's a girl these manly men are playing balls this is a ball game grab a ball and play it don't ask questions shoot first ask questions never no you got this there's the ball you're the game see you're munching and complaining have ruined my concentration could the objective of the game be to throw the metal ball so it lands by the wooden ball ah M the pain in my back is unbearable I can't even say if it's in my back or hip anymore feels like it's in both I hope you pass out from it you goddamn jellyfish men like you are the reason this nation is sinking trying to throw something as close to a predetermined Point as possible measuring this must be the age-old game of pank shush ignore them they don't know what they're doing they're old you are letting down yourself and the team get in the damn game already does it matter what team pick a team any team the Blue Team you're letting them down get in the game and throw the goddamn ball eyes on the ball dinky winky sure officer I am r r an and my specially abled partner here is gesto Martin how can we help you yes the terrain here provides an interesting variety to a familiar game I do fire from Heavy Artillery why what because that's what happens when communites hijack your country execute your Supreme leadership and turn your Capital into a Slaughter house you use heavy ordinance to clean up your home sadly no it was the foreigners who brought them to their knees we fought valiantly too valiantly so valiantly we got licked should have fought dirty like they did with this suicide six cult propaganda and mad Anarchist women strapped to Shel bombs we didn't so and we left caliber God bless him but the sarain Cannons simply weren't big enough because this place is it damb beit head and to soften it come is up first yes the military coordinated amphibious Landing to take back Rell he finds your lack of historic knowledge troubling a sign of mental deterioration in the preceding Generations martines was used as one of the three footholds in ravell during operation death blow in' 08 the other two are of in Stella Maris and the Delta this here is blood ground where Coalition boots first made landfall and clean those rabbit dogs out most likely we playing Pon on their mangled corpses blood ground you got all H going there like he isn't angry enough already mhm don't get me wrong officer I hate those Fallen dogs but the enemy of my enemy and all that they the Lesser evil damn right son they laid the fire of Hell on this city before they stormed it and it worked too the rest of the city got cleaned up but Martinez they keep as a monument and now the union socialists are practically running the place well it's your H damn fault you we the Coalition EV whoever you want to blame never finished the job officially the party never surrendered of course they still all influence you don't even begin to truly understand the players of the table let alone the specific circumstances surroundings what do thinking men have opinions on these things present one I'm sorry it had to be them after8 years of fighting those hyenas boiling cats for food and drinking piss in the mountains I would have preferred if the right honorable King Gom returned through Ral or even if s damn Clan Fel had risen from the grave and led us sadly that was not the case this Royal failure weighs heavily on him instead all that is just holy and beautiful in the world was wiped away and now it's neon signs with toothpast ads everywhere foreign influence pedling garbage and stupid music on the radio this is just what the commies wanted this was their plan all along this is what they wanted to replace the RO of the sarin with it doesn't that was 100 years ago it got nothing to do with anything damn Freel he was the king we couldn't protect the carabineers failed him and the crown he died he slouches as he says that it makes him smaller admitting they left the king to the Mob a true king in both blood and mind let R shall before fre cell he would have been better but the damn commies drove him into Exile the is the King has everyone forgotten already they forgotten already it's no use talking to you you were still in Daddy's Boris when it happened when we took our last stand against the filth and rode the Cavalry straight into gunfire as Rene turns from U to his partner and back the medals on his chest Rattle and glare he keeps his spine straight and his rib cage lifted displaying them proudly two the larger one is shaped like a cross while the smaller metal resembles the Sun a crowned head in front of two crossed rifles the metal hangs from a blue striped triangle it's the C the Bravo Cross of Valor the cross was the highest Battlefield decoration in sarin's Armed Forces awarded for exceptional bravery in the line of duty in service of King frisell the first a small blue star inside an orange Sun it has the word Valiant written below the settin sun was a decoration used to distinguish seasoned combat veterans in service of King Frizzle I first During the Revolution for bravery it's a conflicted topic for the old veteran there must have been a number of controvers episodes in his service days for doing my duty In the Heat of battle for looking my mortality in the eye when men like Gaston here hiding the bushes and shed themselves he saved some muddy princeling who foolishly strolled into the front line in his gwn of velvet and gold [Music] it was on the first months of the Revolution here in Rell unra was spreading like wildfire MERS had taken most of zon and were getting really ambitious King frel thought he could end it all in one decisive strike sent his cousin Dron to put an end to the unrest alas the young Dron was all pie and no vinegar wearing a tunic of purple velvet and cocky feathers to battle even his rifle was God plated Shun from five clicks away can you imagine the asininity purple velvet tunic that isn't exactly camel to keep the long and bloody story short the marched us against the partisans in coron and when I say marched I mean made us walk into capture the enemy territory single file Like Toy Soldiers while he rode in front on his giant red stallion the rebels were smart they let us come real close before opening fire suffice to say it was cage I got shot in the left Sher and went down just a flesh wound but just as I turned over the prince fell into the mud next to me he was missing his lower jaw then his horse driven mad by the noise and smell of G there stepped on my leg and shattered my knee hang on to the story veterans get sentimental after such retellings this might yield something useful I gbed my sidearm and shot the beast in the head then everything went black cap aru when I came to it was all over it was just just me and juson gurgling in the blood soaked mud right next to me the dink had taken numerous Flesh Wounds and lost a lot of blood but despite missing his Joy he seemed hesitant to die tougher than he looked that one he didn't I hoisted the prick on my back and started crawling kept going until the 59th caval picked us up through some miracle we both survived and the Jess freak convinced Fel to give me a medal for not leaving him to die in his own blood peace and [ __ ] he was the commanding officer and I was on duty just doing my job shouldn't hand out medals for that 13 months later I received the Sun for distinguished service it's not worth mentioning you sense he's down play in it he did a lot more than his duty more than anyone's Duty it's in his spine in his billowing breasts and untarnished selfworth what monor modesty is not telling you is that he crawled over 7 kilm before the Cavalry men found him and dant two days later that was and that even wi crawling with mongle up dead Prince on his back he still managed to murder three reels on his way is that pride in his voice it's deep down but maybe even unbeknowst to the man himself it's there sorry officer but you're reading me all wrong I'm a man of peace and these kinds of bloody heroics are only impressive to men like Renee himself certainly not to me how did you find the story to be officer bondar you and Gaston must be related his blood runs yellow too man maybe maybe but also be in mine officer they don't end this out for anyone with a service record oh no you have to get shot repeatedly and you need to get your hands bloody too really really bloody do not speak of what you know nothing about poon duty is something you will never understand there were many such stories in those days many such men too true rans men be backbone oh yes Rene yes men were bigger girls were preer and everyone were the faser Lord please bring those days back if you can I'm not getting into this with you again officer was there anything else you should try to come up with a heroic story of your own impress this old Soldier ah yes King Philip the thir on his Steed a reminder of what Rashel once was oh absolutely at the mercy of a cocain snorting Tyrant who hemped the treasury so he could sleep on a bed of gold a superpower feared and respected a testament of what this country can be under the leadership of a true king someone who knows how to rule decisively without fear of offending the sensibilities of the frail and weak-minded among his subjects this is something the insurgents never understood rol would be a different place if more people realized that we could still be there don't get started on that again what happened happened no one and nothing can change this man's mind he is as rigid as they come still in that antique uniform it's a symbol for him oh H philli was a big fan of the purple nose candy the nobility loved so much a cocaine conos of sorts his egocentricity is borderline legendary you can't even take the responsibility for yourself how could you fathom the responsibility Weighing on the shoulders of a ruler that's why the Philippian kings use cocaine for clarity of vision to Aid in their work Reg [ __ ] ral's finest years of course Clarity of vision awareness Philip the third was even brought into this world with the help of cocaine the court medic administered the do to his mother when she was in labor and it is well known that with the help of cocaine only the purist of course he was able to connect with higher Realms higher realms of course it all makes sense it's really not please do spare us the cocaine fairy tales yes indeed we are not here to investigate the drug trade of centuries past right unfortunately I don't unlik most of the locals I have no CRS about assisting law enforcement but this affair has passed me by completely in Martinez the union is the law so can you really blame them cop is a pajora term I don't have a problem with policeman on the contrary I admire the effort to bring order to our streets if I knew I would not be afraid to tell you I simply don't I am an old man not a coward The Daily Business of the re ra no longer concerns me this is a man with a lot of past but little present and almost no future unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything worth mentioning among your achievements you should resort to good old lying but of course s looks like they're waiting for you to speak it's clear you like the hard stuff BR lower intestine the term is metabolic and circulatory system fascism Ro you're going to keep your voo right keep your V broer there's a slow painful growl somewhere in your intestines knocking on your alcohol engorged liver it is one of betrayal and disappointment for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] look [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the streets will flow red once more a great torrent rushing down Ruda esperant you wait and see the streets will not flow red with anything who are you I'm Cindy the [ __ ] skull what else do you want to know date of birth blood type the last time I was tested for heepsy go where a costing Miner listen to your partner Pigman keep your grubby Hooves of little old ladies she nods disdainfully toward the woman performing maintenance on the boat docked next to the pier hatred disgust it's difficult to tell which of the two is more present in her girlish features the woman on the boat does not notice her steering that is on her someone's got to keep an eye on her ozon is an archipelago 2 days travel away from riversa its moneyed residents used to Posh restaurants and upscale boutiques rarely have reason to visit martines probably the wild pang's rep we should talk to her she's a professional negotiator though I have the feeling she will be very Cooperative while telling us nothing you should take the lead ask her unexpected questions you know do your thing don't be afraid to get a bid while throwing her off is our best bet good idea Piggies run along now [ __ ] her [ __ ] up good impound that boat while you're at it I'd like to watch her swim back to o on can't you tell I'm painting a beautiful mural an Aro graffiti visible from low orbit I haven't really started it yet I'm waiting for the right words yeah let's be realistic what are you going to do climb up there you heard your partner piggy I'm unstoppable I ain't no snitch pigs Stein go forth and forage in someone else's [ __ ] no shortage of Squealers in these parts actually there is a shortage of people who talk to us in a normal Cal informative manner we weren't put on this Earth to make your life Pleasant [ __ ] watch your back unul you've got eyes on you [Music] [Music] [Music] a striking woman leans against the cabin top of her Sailing Boat smiling as you approach her green raincoat glistens with droplets a silk scarf is tied around her throat good afternoon officers I'm Joyce Joyce El messia I represent the board of wild Pines the owners of the harbor you gentlemen must be from the RCM bton my maiden name um I meant you the Reva citizens militia the police nothing honestly I've said it to every drunk in town and you're the first one who's responded what is implied here that you're a drunk she hasn't actually said it to every drunk in town it was spoken in Gest of course you're not it was only a joke I'm glad to see you [Music] here like steel there is strength there if she wanted she could sink her nails deep into your skin I was dispatched to handle a strike not a lynching anything I can do to assist the RCM in this matter I will gladly that is good to hear Madam my colleague will take the lead on this interview I should let you know that he is recovering from an unusual medical episode very unusual but I can assure you of his ultimate competency how interesting I wish you a swift recovery in the meanwhile you have my full cooperation and the full cooperation of the wild Pines group it's hard to get a read on her precise disposition but she appears helpful what we do I'm afraid I don't speak for wild Pines as a whole it it's a giant undertaking the kind's core competency is logistics container shipping Freight that sort of thing see those airships there linking those are the shipping side of things and that is the terminal another subdivision deals with energy oil and gas exploration Offshore platforms the wild Pines group is one of the original rolian Indo tribes companies awarded Royal monopolies by the the king the suarin himself centuries ago the king is long gone but several of the Indo tribes remain I'm not at Liberty to discuss the company balance she but I can tell you that last year the company booked more than 20 billion real in Revenue 8 billion yes past a certain point numbers begin to seem imaginary but they are quite real for the 72,000 employees who depend on wild Pines for their paychecks a conglomerate the size of wild Pines is like a shark if it stops moving and growing it will die then What Becomes of those 72,000 families it is a tremendous responsibility they started as an exploration and cargo Fleet conducting trade between the Samaran and insulindian eers 250 years ago when Pine ships explored the South semes and charted laurman Tanga on behalf of the suarin centuries of care deliberation and Madness have gone into this endeavor vessels pass through the great unrest to reemerge with apricots in tow the logic of the system is totalizing it's taking everything from its employees to build it you know more than you let on certainly it help but most of the original Indo tribes have failed or been absorbed to survive wild Pines had to grow and adapt no suarin did that you mean aside from being the terminals legal owners who are responsible for moving 8% of the world's cargo we built this District all the best parts of it rud de sanis Len with its bastions the plazas meteor and Mosaic even some of the old Street lamps have been put back thanks to the investments from the wp before martines was swallowed by the industrial Harbor even before it was part of reval long before Terminal B was erected here the Pines built it as a resort for its rolian employees a company getaway for a weekend or a summer holiday then came the revolution but that's another matter I'm here to make sure the Pines can fulfill their responsibilities to the place they built with your help hopefully says her warm tone everything right up to but not including tra Secrets I believe the official title is senior labor negotiator in practice I'm a grocery clerk I relay the Union's demands to Wild Pines and return with wild pin's counter offer and how are the talks going they're not that's the problem the union stopped all negotiations a week ago after that awful lynching took place now they won't even let me into the harbor there's a 2 m 20 RAC Behemoth blocking the gates oh so you've met him has he begal you with his in name theories my colleague has his peculiarities let's not go into this particular one just yet of course to each their own let's say I was not making the kind of progress I'd hoped for when I first arrived and when did you first arrive I arrived 3 weeks ago yes in the middle of February the bay was still partially frozen then I prefer to do these things on site like the RCM but the strike began in December I wasn't the original negotiator here I took over after Mr gont hit a wall with Mr Clare the union boss Mr Clare refused to speak with gont despite concessions he' granted the Union in Prior negotiations this isn't the first time the union has going on strike Heavens know there have been two prior strikes both times the union won significant concessions including overtime pay and a medical plan this time their demands are more I guess you could say aggressive Mr CLA told him to how did he put it [ __ ] off [ __ ] gont is short of statue you see yes keep in mind this is a negotiator Mr CLA has worked with before and who was more than fair with him and the union sounds like usual aggressive posturing there are leaflets everywhere and Banners what did they say again oh yes every worker a member of the board in its defense another said demand democracy pretty tame stuff compared to every worker a member of the board fortunately they explained it every time the wild Pines group makes a decision about anything it needs the signature of each of the 2,200 workers in its Martina's terminal just so you understand this is but one of 22 terminals owned by wildpine essentially not only are they Kings of the company they are also Kings of the 72,000 employees of wild Pine's group I'm not sure Naturally I assume that was just their opening position a hard-nosed tactic with the side of mockery but there's been no followup just the same nonsensical slogan repeated over and over again and now people are getting lynched I hear behind the whirling in rags a disastrous situation if there ever was one excuse me from whom did you hear about his lynching I first heard it from the Boyer at the gates the one whose very name advertises his aversion to work I think he said it was call me Manana this checks out the scabs you mean the huddled masses of Jamrock come to plead for work where the union refuses to if they were organized by wild Pines or its Affiliates then it would be a company secret I could not share it with you not right now at least it's implied she's open to discussing this matter with you at a later occasion art CLA is a man of the utmost Integrity if you can say one thing about him it's that he always puts the interests of the workers first of course not Evart is fantastically corrupt I imagine he has a thick viscous goo where you and I have blood he is the most corrupt individual I have ever seen and I deal with men like him for a living if there is anyone more venal more irredeemably nepotistic than it's his twin brother Edgar yes Edgar looks exactly like his brother except for that lazy eye he also talks exactly like evro does and when one's term as Foreman is up the other takes over it's how they circumvent the term limits you see with a funny little Switcheroo while in office they've embezzled God knows how much of their workers dues the deard union was once a perfectly normal institution 20 years ago anyway it must not have been easy to establish under the emergency act but they did it I can respect that organized labor at its best as they say then something happened in the local chapter elections the brothers CLA came and transformed it into a how do you say a mob the deers are a crime syndicate sad as it may be I suspect we'll be forced to cooperate with them refreshingly honest officer the company has tried appeasing in the past but I'm a afraid our concessions have only emboldened Evart and his brother and your opinion detective if I may ask I'm a curious and talkative person you see would you say the deer's Union is why do you think so well I suppose that's one way to look at it they're an interesting composition orbe it vile but enough about Evart what else can I do for you I'm glad you asked there was a woman the previous forom of the Union she disappeared disappeared yes on the last day of the local chapter election her daughter phoned in and said she wasn't running anymore or coming to work ever end of story indeed the company suspects Foul Play but there's nothing they could do it was a union matter the point of the presentation is these kinds of things happen around the Claire's watch out when you're dealing with him thank you for your concern man we'll be just fine of course how else can I help quite a few things I'm afraid the information I'm to share with you includes sensitive trade secrets for the sake of my employer I have to ask for your names and badge numbers of course ma'am we should have introduced ourselves I am Lieutenant kitsuragi from prisin 57 and this is my colleague from pris 4 1 I'm afraid he doesn't have his badge at the moment I hope mine will suffice how curious why is that detective awkwardness washes over the conversation the woman doesn't like this turn of events I see so are you saying you lost your badge during the course of this episode oh dear some kind of enil apathic Amnesia I don't even know how to respond I do believe you naive as that may sound I simply can't imagine what you gain by faking such a condition as I said ma'am his technique may be very unconventional but he is an officer of the RCM of course I sympathize but I'm afraid I simply can't share anything more until I've seen that badge hang on she's a professional negotiator she should be open to some sort of mutually beneficial Arrangement she's a negotiator just float a favor at her insinuate I will be frank with you if I'm going to break protocol I need to be able to justify it to my superiors they're going to want to see something very tangible you're in but expect her to drive a hard bargain reports from inside Terminal B suggests it's a hub for the local drug trade This Is An Open Secret in martines the union controls the terminal so it goes to reason they're profiting from this trade the company has tried looking into this matter before to know Avail perhaps someone with your Authority and resources might turn over the right stones or you can recover your badge though if I may be blunt with you it sounds like that may be a lost cause detective a word in private before we continue this is not going quite as I hoped it would detective honestly I was expecting you to use your unorthodox technique to keep keep her off balance and you know not volunteers to be her henchmen this woman is running circles around us she might have known about your misplaced badge all along or she's simply an Adept improviser either way we've played straight into her hands he doesn't let it show but there is a limit to how much the consequences of your unprofessional behavior can cost the investigation it would not hurt if you tried more in the future yes you're back good what can I help you with it's quite straightforward someone is using Terminal B to smuggle raw ingredients from the Samar and Isela into reval with the Union's blessing wild Pines has suspected it for years ingredients for what Ma meth and dextro amphetamin GBL and various synthetic psychedelics honestly it might be quicker to say what you can't make from the stuff yes after they clear the terminal we lose track the actual production is taking place at various sites in and around Jamrock quarter north of here Wild Pine seems to be well apprised of the drug trade man do you mean to say the union also produces the product sells drugs I mean we're in logistics it's our business to know and no as far as the company knows the union does not produce it they transport the ingredients for a cut yes but you won't get anything out of Evra and the doc Workers Union still Every Chain has its weak link unlikely officer I'm talking about the lorries once the ingredients reach Jamrock they're distributed to a network of local manufacturers well beyond our grasp but in transit they may be vulnerable perhaps you've noticed that a number of lorries are Tangled in a traffic jam at the roundabout just now interview the drivers who are still hanging about one of them might be waiting for a crucial shipment I'll be explaining if you find this driver I will share company secrets with you how do you think they're financing this strike there are thousands of unpaid dot workers going strong for the fourth month straight there was a Shakedown of local businesses preceding the strike many were squeezed to bankruptcy to fund it with all due respect to these desert cat TI the contents of a few cash registers can not provide for 2,000 men the local businesses can scarcely provide for themselves precisely smuggled out of that very gate at night most likely then loaded on to Lor's and driven to Jamrock you simply need to find one driver who will open up to you it sounds like she tried looking into it herself though she's clearly not the type your typical Lori man would conf find him we did on more than one occasion apparently there's some sort of inter Precinct disagreement about whose jurisdiction this area falls under we know the company has launched its own probe into the Union's alleged involvement we also know it's come up empty it's not just the RCM no one's been able to find any hard evidence well here's your chance officers yes excellent according to my reports there are at least three Lorry drivers lingering near the roundabout hopefully one of them will know something it may come to nothing or it may just blow the case wide open I suspect the traffic jam won't disperse for a few more days you should have the time you need in the meantime let me know if there's any other way I may be of assistance is what you want to say but it isn't that easy is it look at that lady take a gander squint your eyes BB a well-kempt yet Tastefully short bob of dark hair despite the first hints of Gray she's elected to keep it oh natural shaped into a permanent wave late 40s style positively statuesque while dull orange pearls hang from her hair loses red from the cold her light green eyes scanny full of knowledge and worry wealth and all its possibilities these are the kind eyes of the rich man that seem to say everything is possible now look at you you misery clad Simeon barely able to tie your own laces your armpits are lakes a scythe of booze precedes you your hair sticks to your forehead and your underwear feels uncomfortable you're poor poor as balls you can't ask this person for money you're too you think your little communism protect you from this feeling no the more demeaning it is to grovel at her feet oh God the lieutenant is here too do not dishonor the force as I was saying if there's any way I may be of assistance please don't hesitate to ask voila you're doing it why yes I am rich how much money do you need hopefully not too much I couldn't bring all of it with me she's surprisingly nonchalant about this could it be that she some Heros more about your predicament then she's letting on that's a good sum not too small not fantastically large she removes a few notes in hand them to you the paper is cold and Oily to the touch whoa whoa did you see how easy that was ask her for more toot toot train to Money Town can you eat honor are you an Honore give me a break so I hope I didn't just bribe you officer it may not be technically illegal under the emergency act but still you're right man that donations are permitted under the emergency act and seemly as it may be as long as they're properly loed to Vis A prec which he most certainly will do now how else can I help the RCM today besides supplementing its salaries of course detective take care [Music] this is a wall on the side of an apartment building are you trying to sneak up on me come to slip my throat in my sleep pigs come to take me out trying to Snuff me out don't get [ __ ] clever with me pig you think you're so clever you see a young man on a balcony nursing a cigarette his eyes have been following you for a while not looking for any trouble officer I don't want to be seen talking to the jearie if that's okay I just want to finish my cigarette don't let him go this could be your witness the balcony has a great view of the whole thing is it really that important like a nervous cat he keeps stealing looks at the neighbor Windows all right but make it quick once I finish this cigarette I have to run my name my name is Martin Martinez Martin Martinez good local name let's go with that I'd even go so far as to say that the view is a little too good my dear jarm do you have an estimate of when the body will be taken away we will remove the body as as soon as possible now tell us where were you last Su day oh you already asked me that didn't you no not you some more muscular type and when did you speak to this more muscular gentleman last week I don't know look you didn't answer the question what were you doing last Sunday I had a friend over it was my Sunday friend makes sense friends are nice on Sunday you don't have to work you can just spend time with Pals watching rugby and drinking beer he doesn't reply gesturing no with his cigarette in the neighboring Windows you can see faint reflections of his silhouette all from different angles no we won't now if you'll excuse me I really need to get going this isn't the place or time for questions who knows who might be watching from the distance hidden behind the curtains for a moment the man on the balcony seems almost vulnerable something moves in a depths of his feline eyes compassion and a hint of understanding I am sorry but I really don't have the information you're looking for but hold on what's that for a split second his hand lingers as though gesturing towards a stone placed right next to the front door it's a sign good luck with the investigation he's gone no point in running t like this often have multiple exits if he doesn't want to talk to us then he'll know how to hide himself he could be a witness him or his Sunday friend either way we need to look into that muscular type who's asking about our case he did leave us a sign did you see that he wanted to draw our attention to that stone right over there if we find a way inside the building we can ask around for his apartment a stone like any other lying in a whirl of sleep and mud maybe there's something under it there's a key beneath it Rusty from the dirt this must be for the front door pit doesn't have the apartment number on it this building has many apartments and the man can be in any of them we'll just have to go in and see [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] this door has been closed with a padlock a chalk drawn number on the board says number 11 no reply it's a solid lump of metal but the shackle is deeply corroded a solid pair of chain Cutters would make sure work of it better whip out those Cutters you won't get very far otherwise this door has been closed with a padlock a chalk drawn number on the board says number 11 what are you doing you're trying to cut the body of the lock with the chain Cutters and it's really not working I believe it's the shackle you mean to cut detective he's just trying to help don't take it bad relax perhaps you should give it another go the shackle snaps like a twig and the lock falls to the floor with a little thud it should be possible to enter now after you Detective [Music] a plaster cast bust depicts a middle-aged man with impressive sideburns the name on the plinth reads k mazov k mazov n Gear was an Economist and a theoretical historian he was a leading figure in the gr side of the turn of the century Revolution where he headed the n-day government mazov is considered the father of scientific communism mazovian thought or mazovian ISM the white star the photos on the wall I think we have broken into the apartment of aun how fitting [Music] [Music] you hear someone walking around inside rearranging the furniture the number on the panel says 10 the walking stops abruptly but no one comes to the door you can feel tension on the other side a poor communard from the looks of it the room is barely bigger than a closet let's go we don't have a reason to get inside that department [Music] [Music] give me a moment the cold never does any good for my brontis I'm fine fine don't you worry about me you're still worried it's very worrying now what do you want from me policeman she's the cleaning lady she knows the floor plan and the residence I'm no one just an old woman who cleans these hallways if you can call it living I have a little room upstairs right next to the coal room it's barely bigger than a closet but I don't complain no I have my bed and my aching bones to keep me company and that's all I need from this world ask away policeman people come and go I don't keep an eye on everyone no one lives there it's been empty for months impossible I would know if someone had moved in there maybe it's those countercultural people again breaking into a house like it's a public space you're a policeman be good and take a look will you great young people they're worse than rats you know always littering the hallways with Trinkets and empty beer cans oh that one is a scientist a future scholar I think he studies astrology at the community college education is good I always tell them to study something to do with all those Stars around his door he asked me to leave his drawings up on the wall the symbol of what now oh all I know about politics is that it's brought us more harm than good the artist nothing I can do about her I'm afraid she ruins the walls faster than I can clean them still she leaves an old lady to her business more than I can say for others oh you'll find plenty of Martins here don't you worry PE brain someone played a trick on you Martin Martin a is a name for anyone who comes from Martin a like Jim Jamrock or Ral Ravel oops you really didn't get the joke there I thought it was obvious anyway officer we don't have the witness's name yes yes I know who you mean the scrawny boy who's always smoking like the devil right somewhere in the building a child starts crying you hear a radio tuned to a talk show and someone taking a shower what's he in trouble for [Laughter] talk he lives upstairs in in room 28 go to the balcony it's one of those doors there he's usually home in the evening thank you we should go check out his apartment on the balcony see if he's [Music] [Music] home for [Music] [Music] [Music] ruination has come the broken arches betray the once Grand history of this building it towered over the harbor until it happened a great force from the Northeast fired into the city Heavy Artillery shelled the coastline fired from the water a straight shot into riversa the tenement acted as a defensive wall against the worst of the shelling until it was destroyed and they had a direct Firing Line those archers acted as support for something greater than what you see now only three stories stand where 9 to 12 once did restoration has failed what the shelling took out was never rebuilt a fleet the combined armies of oxident and gr with mesque volunteers a FIV Nation Army hundreds of vessels they masked airships further down in the Bay of rivall the artillery was so powerful the ships not only required gyroscopic stabilization they were anchored into the ocean floor as well many are still there to this day if you squint you can just barely see the shadow on the water far in the Northeast Cannon still ready to Plate rivell the Coalition but that was a long time ago I think we should move on it's titty up here he does not like talking politics of this kind the waves of the Martina's Inlet roll over the Fallen remains of the building the dark Waters obscure the better part of the remains [Music] ooh the piggies have learned how to saunter up staircases I didn't think you could do that with Hooves but here you are yeah you got me now the dynamic between us has completely changed that smell coming from her Paint Bucket it's not paint it's heavy fuel oil red dyed heavy fuel oil intended for exclusive use in government vehicles to be precise what did he think I was using aquarel sucked it out of a spel tank myself back in Jamrock she really did it she's proud of it too oh what you'll push me off this ledge and pry the bucket from my dead [Music] hands ooh not only have you found my address you've discovered my biggest secret I'm a coal miner it doesn't have to do anything at all nothing does like me right now I'm doing nothing at all does anyone in a city like this shoot piggy it's what you do isn't it [Music] is [Music] you hear someone walking around inside rearranging the furniture the number on the panel says 10 there's no sweet talking your way in there be official that was smart satisfied my name is Mariel sharpener and I'm an agent with Martin's realy Associates I am not breaking in as I have every right to be here the keys see boy there are a lot of different keys there more than 20 at least her voice is really cheerful despite her obviously hating you do you want to see my ID as well you can't legally ask for it but why not want to see my residence permit too it feels flimsy in hand with the words rol zone of control written under a nondescript Municipal logo there's a picture of her with shorter hair inside along with all her personal details thank you do you have any questions I need to be back in Midtown in an hour I need to get it ready for the next lease but as you can see the previous tenant completely trashed the place it was some kind of a marbun old man who used to be a business owner you'd think they'd make rent a sudden un serious look crosses her face this story didn't have a happy ending but that was months ago anyway was there anything you wanted or is that it I'm in a hurry oh that's another huge mess the former tenant owes us three months of rent three we closed the apartment and planned on auctioning off the valuables but and again I have no idea how stupid mistakes like this can even happen but Ron when he came to close the door didn't close the neighboring door and there's a hole in the wall a hole in the wall can you believe it and then the tenant ran off with his stuff he's gone the money's gone just like that the sun must have been puny well it does not disappear from my hands no I don't let it these apartments are perfectly fine they have gorgeous architecture a million real view of the bay good ventilation neighbors life spark and they are affordable I'll tell you martines has a future in a few years it's going to Blossom with artists and creatives and those radio computer Wizards don't ask me what happened with the wall I have no idea how we're going to find the time or resources to fix it both apartments are now unrented both of course Lonesome long way home here we go home awaits walk p Station 41 and through the market past the Boogie Street spearhead to the other side of the lake the Frozen eye at the center of the district then pass the video rental store on the corner there at the end of a street lined with pine trees a small house no larger than a matchbox 11 Voyager Road you no longer live there those times are gone and so are those people why did you come here why are you still here and where's the dealer you have to get back to work that's all you have now that's the pockets of these new jeans are perfect for sticking your hand into makes you look cool calm and and collected as your hand enters the pocket your fingers brush against something soft yet crinkly hey it's a chewing gum rapper it reminds you of the fruity juice of apricots you should inspect it closer if you have time something about the rapper's texture is familiar a crinkled chewing gum rapper the worn label reads Tutti Frutti it smells faintly of apricots with a barely noticeable twing of cinnamon good question there is no answer or secret phrase written on the inside of the rapper yet you're drawn to it drawn by regret stop before you hurt yourself with a Tutti Frutti rapper throw it away please you carefully fold the rapper into a Square before putting it back into your pocket lovingly even despite the strange feeling of regret give me a moment I see I hope some good people are finally going to move in this place needs them yes well I hope they're good people your statements are too vague to comment on [Music] [Music] that isn't just a five-pointed star it's an inverted white pentagram cradled in a wreath of antlers the iconography of Communism in other words the star and antas was developed in the sixth decade of the last century and quickly adopted by mzo and the communards During the Revolution even today half a century after the star and antlers retains the ability to evoke hope disappointment and fear in equal measure because white is the color of peace to symbolize the toppling of the old order also some social Democrats were already using it the wreath of antlers represents a natural Crown it was about building a society that could exist in accord with the natural world and at the same time above it nothing at all yet right now it's just meaningless shapes on a wall this door is made of metal and appears to be reinforced someone here really values their security number 28 this is where the clean lady said the smoker on the balcony lives let's see if anyone's home knock on the door no one answers looks like the young man we are looking for isn't home I think our best chance to catch him is in the evening we should return tomorrow after we have finished with our day's work how about 9:00 p.m. sound good tomorrow 900 p.m. right here apartment number 28 good let's go damn turns out it's quite tricky finding someone in a big apartment building don't worry you'll get him remember tomorrow he's probably gone for today [Applause] [Music] this coin operated viewer is facing south the instruction manual says to insert 25 Cs and pull the handle while looking inside then use the focus knob to zoom in if necessary why place a tourist attraction in the middle of such poty there was a revitalization project in 49 a design studio tried restoring Martinez to its pre-war Glory it didn't stick they got as far as the street lamps and the statue on that intersection then something went S I suspect that something was EV Clair the union leader he mled them out it's how it usually goes around here we should have done something about the union 10 years years ago that ship has sailed officer your money disappears into the coin slot a clunk the Ring of metal the curtains on the display open you lean in to catch the view it's blurry different blues and greens in the middle of the Shimmer stands a drab gray shape like a ghost the lenses shift the ghost sharpens into a islet in the bay in the roof ruins a man-made structure is visible a half sunken sea its concrete almost reconquered by Nature it looks as if it was abandoned quite some time ago nothing but a rotten tooth remains of the anti-aircraft Tower a lonely birch tree grows out of it its leaves ripped from it by the Winter Wind really I don't have the eyesight to make it out the little Brave birch tree seems to wave back in the wind this coin operated viewer is facing Southwest its coin slot is full of fossilized bubble gum rendering the machine permanently inaccessible a thick layer of grafito covers the lenses you spell out the word onok written on the other side with n and C scribbled backwards that's Kuno on the lens under the grao a sea of Blues and Grays appear behind the water lies a coast studded with concrete and reads on it a church on stilts lanky weather-worn wooden planks an x-shaped cross topping its Tower the church looks old and weather War there are no lights in the window window around the large wooden building you see chunks of sea ice gathered on the beach and a small tent set up on the ice probably some kids a simple but clever solution to ruin in a coin operated viewer it took Ingenuity the metal feels cold and wet under your palm it looks unhygienic [Music] come [Music] [Music] hello sir step right in the store is open are you interested in a new and exciting book it's a bookstore s we sell books postcards and some board games it's called crime romance and biographies of famous people whoa whoa whoa whoa hold your horses little girl you're fooling nobody sir are you okay you've been standing here silently for a while now okay sir I'll try to answer any questions you have I hope they're about books my name is aneta my mom her name is playance she owns the store she's inside minding the register or organizing the stock feel free to step in and browse our Wares I'm signaling that the store is open otherwise people might not know they'd miss out on the crime romance amb biographies of famous people a sudden gush of wind turns the pages of the books on the counters she covers her face smiling but she's cold kind of you to officer what could you do to help her anyway thank you sir I'm happy to help Mom out with the store I do my studies at home at the moment moment I have to help Mom keep this place running mom says it's necessary to do both because it builds character mom says a proper worker is beautiful that's how you get ahead in life you succeed there is stress and unease Behind these words she's reciting etiquette mom says it's peachy she was a little afraid at first there's talk about this house being cursed behind her the window has been boarded up you sense the boards creaking twisting for a second and some kind of doubt in her tense shoulders cursed in the way that makes them say that no business has ever really thrived here sir that they all go exactly but we've been doing fine so far we can go into the bookstore and ask about the case but I I don't see much more to look into him yes please do also look at our Wares inside the postcards and board games are there sir nothing really sir mom doesn't allow me to sneak around in the back rooms or the cellar don't really know what's there it does not manifest itself in any way it does not exist I liked it better when we were talking about weather whether it's appropriate to stand out in the freezing weather No Such Thing uh anything else you wanted to talk about Sir maybe I can tell you about some of our books instead oh kings and queens and Generals of old or artists and writers or musicians those kinds of people there's usually something extraordinary about them I think that's why people read them to find the secrets of their Fame seems like most people who read those books fail to get more famous from reading them but it does make the famous people more famous why would they do that sir that's so cool maybe they'll make you a book cover picture and everything standing over a dead body holding a gun crime fiction is about murders or burglaries or things like that and the work of a policeman or a private detective who's trying to solve a crime and catch the criminals it's exciting to people I guess they get to imagine dangerous things and it's kind of like a puzzle but you can guess who the criminal is or how the good guys are going to catch him you don't look much like a policeman didn't mean to offend sir sorry sir it's just that you don't look like dick Mullen head yes but that's like the same thing if you say so sir he's just a fictional character he's no match for you maybe you can show me some real police work sir like in the books the girl keeps her hands folded hidden why is that what do you mean sir she knows where this is going she looks around anxiously her hands remain folded in front of her she doesn't want to show them the lieutenant stands by looking at the two of you with little interest a facade of true professionalism he is far more intrigued by the situation then his Poise reveals she brings out her rened hands her nails frayed nearly chewed down to the Flesh and you knew this from me keeping my hands folded well that proves nothing anyone could do an easy deduction like that she actually is impressed this is more like a defensive reflex she nods half provocative half [Music] enthusiastic maybe so sir okay I know it's a bad habit and I shouldn't it was okay sir there's more that can be achieved here ask her to do the same you're quite sober the lieutenant does not flinch at the comment he does not flinch even a single bit he is intensely not flinching it takes [Music] effort because you usually aren't I sure hope you are sir there she stands swaying on her feet assaulted by the early spring Breeze she smiles at you the whole situation suddenly feels familiar somehow there's something you're missing because you know each other she's been talking to you so openly because you've talked before yes I stand in this spot all the time you've been running around all week without your shirt on Sir telling people about being a star or something I don't really understand who those stars are of course you stopped by a few times you certainly look better than the last time I saw you yeah I can see you don't have party eyes anymore party eyes yes of course that makes sense I'm not surprised children have seen you running around with party eyes on he thinks not at all you know like a cat in the dark all big and wideeye it certainly looks odd on a man the swiveling eyes of a looney drug addict that is what she meant you were probably going into [ __ ] yeah you should get some party eyes right now snap those sequins on you [Music] boy oh baby that's not what you have to worry about worry about the important thing I didn't know I had to do that I'm glad I could help you sir it's the type of book where there's a rich lady and she has to choose between the good man and the bad man or there could be a story about a poor lady getting a rich man it's about man and lady business sir I haven't read many of those maybe you should ask Mom I don't think it's a romance story if the main characters break up though um no I don't know yes she knows books definitely what was that an idea for an unfinished novel stuck somewhere in your forebrain it happens but usually the guy gets rich in the process or should actually be rich himself but has lost his family property unjustly like during the revolution or something those are unhappy books for most of the pages people sad about what they have lost but then it all turns out just fine in the end that's really not a proper romance story that's more like everyday life not in Romance Books sir these are about nice and pretty people and everyone is happy in the end these are not very common you can't have a choice between bad and bad nobody wants to read a story like that well maybe then it's fine maybe if the lady then decides not to pick either because she doesn't need a bad man yes that would be interesting maybe some about other books [Music] [Music] welcome to Crime romance and biographies of famous people my name is plance be welcome and please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space I am the proudest owner of our little shop of culture she has fine-tuned her voice to find the most welcoming approach for attracting new customers it doesn't work Anette yes my daughter I hope she wasn't slacking off again with her nose in science fiction tell me was she at her post doing her job like a proper girl wonderful did you talk to her great on a scale of 1 to 10 how compelled were you to buy books after talking with her her opinion of her daughter depends on how well she lured you into the store my precious her dedication brings joy to my heart if you have children I hope they turn out as great as mayonette God uh I've told her not to do that it's such a disgusting habit she'll get over it anxiety is a part of life a part of hers too clearly she can if she has enough willpower this is what's called Growing Pains life isn't easy life doesn't give breaks come on ma'am it's sub your can't do anything about it you are placing an unnecessary burden on a young child she stands stiff and severe silently fuming 10 or so seconds pass without change oh no hold on I need to invite her inside and apologize she must be freezing out there there I don't know what to say to you my husband he tries to teach me business lessons I have what my mother called a dull mind all this stress it sounds like both the husband and the mother treat her the way she treats Annette oh well my mother was horrible of course absolutely perverse energy around that person but my husband my husband is completely different of course yes I'm afraid so a real treat she is it would be nice if she had no we couldn't have afforded more children really not in this economy a glimmer of sadness blinks through the well-crafted exterior we're quite busy people you know my husband and I quite busy children are a lot of work you don't look like a father so I don't expect you to understand I'm sorry I'm sure you do understand she's been too busy helping me here so she studied at home this trimester this is a temporary solution of course I assure you I of all people understand the importance of Education she will be back in school the moment the store takes off and Hell Freez is over never mind it's not a good topic to get into yes my husband is a successful entrepreneur east of the river if only he were more involved in the business we're running up here no matter soon we'll both be off for GR kuram it's a proper place to live one of the most peaceful neighborhoods east of Jamrock you may know it for massive housing projects most of the buildings are empty at the moment it's a great opportunity to get ahead of the crowds better times ahead for sure he made the initial investment since then he's been what you might call a silent partner the woman looks aloof her features much softer occasionally she glances at her daughter's silhouette then why are you talking to me everything is on the shelves to browse don't you feel compelled to buy anything see those shelves there go be drawn everything is on the shelves take a look yourself the shelves compel you don't they she smiles and nods seemingly relieved a small mountain of colorful board game boxes there are numerous types of games for all ages a lot of shelf space seems to be taken up by whel related merchandise an endless variety of source books law books and codices litter the table the topmost book is titled welin compendium second edition there's also a large hardbound t with intricate cover art the hunters of katak boreal creature comp compendium and a pick your path Adventure Game book titled Tales of Wal Cavern of velag books in a board game section who wants to read books there's a box that says weal Third Edition Mega setting supplements module the side panel notes a fantastic Adventure board game new maps and Miniatures a sticker on it displays 25 r that price is steep but then it's the third edition Mega set in supplement so it makes sense wonderful board games sir the viticulturist is a classic for sure or perhaps you'd like archipelagos of in cyinder a very educational game for those interested in geography R Brit is a fun game of economic competition but can get quite intense after a while we have games for the whole family you can play with your children who are you going to play board games with do you have friends or family are you actually friends or just colleagues thrown together by circumstance friends are technically like family for playing with friends I'd recommend suity it's a civilization building game where you build a civilization then set off to brutally colonize and repress other civilizations it'll cost 12 R lousy auras there no role playing games are popular among those types you know who are into those kind of of things personally I don't like it not at all I've heard they turn people into Ault enthusiasts that they have rituals where they try to summon entities highly immoral stuff you can still buy them though I'm sorry sir I can't talk right now I'm very busy with my homework I have so much homework now just can't win out of the rain and into the gutter math it's really difficult like really they say you need it to get rich better than standing outside in the cold I guess oh oh I found something while you away I thought this would fit you like thanks for helping out not me the city I mean like a detective does yes just like the one dick Mullen wears all the time you'll look way more serious with that right I have to get back to my homework now before Mom notices man this is hard the display rack is brimming with worn paperbacks featuring an extremely muscular sword wielding Barbarian on the cover nearly all the titles contain the word hamal somewhere pros and rows of heam damin blur your vision you make out some titles man from heal and the mammoth Riders man from heal returned to heal and the solop cystic man from heal and the heal man maybe a 100 man from hamal and the sages at the end of the world man from hamal and the false god man from homon and the scorched Earth man from homon the homar colonies man from hondal and the swamp Beast Man from hondal and the snow crabs not even close man from hamal in hell man from hidal and the forest of slaves man from heal under the lake man from hial heal burning there's even the trial of death a pastal combat game book set in the world of the on Dam man and so much more nothing of interest only silence and the cosmic background pain radiation oh man from hel doll a very popular series of Adventure novels they're awfully immoral and violent books blood and violence scantily clad women epic narratives all those mystical things he encounters they're bound to grab those with little imagination and nothing to do what does it matter they're all the same however the customer is always right they say if you're a novice of the series I'd recommend helel Daman the man from helal it's supposed to be a good introduction to the series these shelves are overburdened with books from the same series you see the name dick Mullen over and over crime fiction is a disgrace an asinine misrepresentation of the physical attributes of the arduous everyday work of actual police officers these books greatly overstate the excitement of police work over how long it takes to actually follow up on leads and eliminate dead ends what's more they completely ignore the psychological hardships of year after year coming into contact with people during the worst days of their lives not a single mention of all the stress this work creates upon the officer's family detective fiction just doesn't tell the truth at all now would you like a list of all the books found on the Shelf you see dick Mullen on the job get me Mullen the stalwart Adventures of Richard P Mullen dick Mullen and the murder in the orchard the sworded affair of Dick Mullen a killing is declared dick Mullen in the murder house the final case of Dick Mullen an obvious lie dick Mullen in the clock tower the ordeals of Dick Mullen don't L dick dick mullen's funeral P the murder of Dick Mullen oh no turns out he fed to solve a case yes there's also the Dame who did it Farewell My Mullen faking death seems to be a common Trope in the Mullen series The Morbid Tales of Dick Mullen a dark tide turns tragedy calls for dick Mullen another one with fake death and of course dick Mullen the murderer in order to catch a murderer dick Mullen must become the murderer after all this you still haven't found the answer to the one question that matters who is Dick Mullen your attempt to grasp at the answer fails it seems very close by pulsating just Out Of Reach oh crime robberies murders even sexual crimes we're fortunate to have dick Mullen and his stories to sort all that out you're a a police officer apparently you should buy all of these they really do teach a person how to be a proper Detective the plaque on the Shelf reads biographies of famous people you see a large variety of names none of which ring a bell browsing through all the books with all their names makes your head spin none of these seem important or relevant it's all just vapid egoism suddenly a particularly odd title catches your eye it reads high-speed love the tragic true love story of Jacob Irv and Alfie deatra by one Cecilia aook High Speed love Chronicles the romance between two of the finest tiptop torn races in history one of them is the madap driver Jacob Irv his blonde Mane Graces the cover next to Irv's life story you see a slim biography of an accidental rock star called the anti-ar he's famous for was shooting morphine into one of his eyeballs and cocaine into the other next to that riverian radio personality gam bevi stands in front of a rundown drug B he's a permanent fixture on Channel 8 reporting on real life crime and ruining cops days I really must insist you buy one of the books reading them is not for free do still browse though but not too long she understands she has AED against the customer and immediately corrects course I'm sorry I did not mean to rush you you are browsing go ahead take your time time is Commerce I would say the greatest innocence yes most certainly it's an important educational tool delving into the depths of History religion and their relation to innocenti power a very influential historical figure but surely I don't have to tell you that you're a law officer and Law Officers have at least some education the book is also very daring the author aims to re-examine the universal understandings of the inoc centic system creating a fresh vantage point and a shift in the tired Order of Things certainly it's prudent for a person to have at least at least an elementary understanding of history and Society imagine the chaos we'd be in otherwise you feel like you should get this one definitely it's important somehow there's something personal inside this bookstore is not strictly about crime romance and biographies of famous people there's also a wide range of paranatural literature amidst the various books you find one written by someone named Mathias W Dundas it's about wholeness Unity balance the point of the book and many others on this shelf is to give people medicinal advice in situations where they don't have access to paid Health Services it serves platitudes while also telling everyone that traditional medicine the kind people don't have access to and which costs more than this book is garbage and would only give you cancer anyway without even curing your cold or anything wholeness Unity balance on the other hand can basically take care of anything though it is important to note when it's up to your mind to heal yourself then it's because of your mind that you're ill in the first place the book features chapters on topics such as how to find magnesium it even lists plants you can Harvest magnesium from how to continue drinking if you're an alcoholic who has destroyed his liver and there's even a chapter on the ancient sares tradition of using duck gallbladder preservatives to treat and prevent sexually transmitted disease diseases pre and post factum apply nothing worth buying this is just mundane garbage what's even paranatural about this the throbbing in your head increases with every passing moment you gaze at this shelf suddenly as if out of nowhere a small green book becomes apparent the title of it reads medicinal purposes of the pale the book contains descriptions of various pseudoscientific therapies alternative medicines and folk remedies involving the pale also known as lto for example it recommends vigorously swatting one's naked body with a venic or hand broom made from the leafy Twigs of a young birch tree from the near P it is supposedly invigorating and good for the circulation it also recommends consuming distilled Spirits like vodka or whiskey that have been aged in the pale readers are instructed to cover these jars in a shallow hole just inside the pal and leave them there for 30 to 60 days depending on the potency desired among other benefits it is alleged to restore a damaged liver to perfect health that seems improbable for General Health and well-being readers are encouraged to take regular strolls through the pal though a sidebar cautions readers to limit each stroll to less than an hour these strolls promise to cleanse the mind of Warriors and the body of toxins especially if the perambulator performs this ritual in the nude nudity figures prominently in a number of these prescriptions this is exactly what you need there's an entire section devoted to cures for men who are struggling to perform their marital obligations you close the book and return it to its place on the Shelf H sir please no browsing in that shelf that wisdom is not for free I can't have you end up like opening a police store next door and stealing my customers oh [Music] no several maps have been attached to a bulletin board hidden inside the AL Cove they're held up by small pins the board has come loose from one corner the maps look old and Faded your eye catches a map of in cylinder a map of rever and a map of martines it's not really a map it's a tourist thing a picture postcard with buildings on it drawn from an isometric perspective a date in the upper right corner says 48 still it's detailed could be pretty useful for scouting ahead you see the jagged boxes of an industrial Harbor even the whirling in rags there this large map displays archipelagos you see a constellation of small dots on the light blue emptiness of the insy indic ocean the largest in the Northeast is laou you are here another far away in the southwest semes Islands IL Phantom ozon laurentide F alamir archipelagos North arcade islands all just specks of dust on the vastness of the the insy indic on the edges of the map the color Fades into a blur of dotted lines black and white disintegrating into mathematics in the Northeast a dust mite stands on a North Coast of Caillou in a bookstore it's you you can on Caillou riversa a single black star on ozon fondel and vandu on archipelagos croan Moran viler on semine alivi and on laurentide Deora of the Seven Seas lost little Pearls of light tiny fires in the dark 850 million people live on these little dots an oceanic world of culture and commerce torn apart by history the ocean breaks apart into a tangle of cosines and azimos all pointing into pale nothingness wndi is the north Azimuth grad is the Northeast Azimuth Samara is the East Azimuth SE is the West Azimuth is Solas they're called connections to other worlds words past the Insel Indian unknown to you you only know you've never been there you have little idea what they are distant Stars Gods but looking at them makes you feel almost non-existent whatever they are the isolas are immeasurably large compared to you and very very far away perhaps they are Gods gods of distance and outer dust the North Coast of a verdant island is Shattered by the Delta of a river it is the river esperons countless Bridges put the shards back together connecting city blocks to River Islands lad Delta says a great artificial heart in the center teaming with life forms and construction to the east rolling hillsides L jardan Stella Mari the suburbs of s batist swallowed up into the mega City they sound Rich to you this is riversol East kudon it's somewhere to live not bad then there's Jamrock it's bad people shouldn't live there but they do then forberg it's almost as bad and much larger then Cole City it's the worst it's so small you can't even see it on the map no wait there it is north of Jamrock the strip of Coast next to the greater rivershell industrial Harbor it looks downright despondent it's almost cold City to be honest no this is somewhere to be this is all you have but it's still something streets and sodium lights the sky the world you're still alive I'm sorry officer the map of martines is the only one available the other two are not for sale anymore and besides you could scarcely afford them they're quite valuable though they might not look it the map of Martinez is 90 cents though yes yes are you interested or not always good to be informed of your surroundings the worn map features the patchwork grid of the streets of martines with directions to appropriately touristy locations year 48 resides on the upper right corner your finger moves through the various streets across Ru Theon gizan and Ru SAR over San Brun and martines North finally come into a halt on the spot where you are currently standing although the map gives no such indication itself [Music] you see a set of tattered curtains blocking the way to another room a strange cage-like trinket dangles from the curtains excuse me officer the back room is strictly for employees only nothing now please go back to browsing the books don't you feel compelled to look at the books the books are all you care about she speaks almost as if she's trying to put a Spell on You urging you to buy more books oddly enough the more she tries to draw you away from the curtains the more alluring they become you see some kind of charm an irregular polyhedron assembled from bones sticks and straw inside a disturbing fish head with empty eye sockets stares at you this is a traditional seanese Ward meant to provide protection against ill luck bad dreams curses and other Supernatural scourges inhabitants of Il phanton the semine islands down south aside from poking at it suspiciously there is nothing else to do with the fish head charm at this time the curtains remain shut before you just as you're about to pull apart the curtains the Petrified voice of the shop owner cries out once more sir don't touch that I told you it's off limits for the customers Paras psychologically speaking we're Dum if you decide to open them I won't be held responsible for the consequences it's too dangerous she looks away mumbling why is everyone always messing with the curtains why can't they just buy books like normal people no it's just a store room for the employees I told you now please step away from the curtains why it's not like anyone was killed there I am sorry I don't mean to be so impolite just please don't go there I can't allow that you'll only make things worse and unleash the powers the curtains do seem frail suddenly not robust enough to contain a slippery Darkness you do my God even more reasons not to mess with the curtains just step away Dear Sir no please just talk to me officer come here and let's talk this through before you decide to do anything extreme there is something mysterious about the curtains be careful the curtains tattered with age and covered in dust hang before you as if taunting you hello again esteemed officer and welcome to Crime romance and biographies of famous people I already told you it's just a storage room for employees I don't understand why it's so important to you Just Let It Go officer go buy some godamn books you're supposed to be drawn to the books it's just for decoration okay fine it's just because this place is cursed just like everyone said they don't call it the doomed commercial area for nothing are you happy now officer happy that you've ruined everything take it easy you've broken our resistance pushing her further will gain nothing yes I've contacted numerous Paras pycs and even a pair of simones mediators they provided me with the wards the wards helped to keep the Doom at Bay and protect us against the darkness that lies further in the building even though now I feel here it's not enough oh this no it's a special himan amulet blessed by desert pygmy shamans with a spell of compulsion it's to compel people to buy books there are numerous spells cast throughout the store I had the books Anointed with a different inducement spell for example it's guaranteed to boost sales 15% the curse is so much worse than you could imagine it's a disease eating at the very Foundation it's the curse of financial distress of Ruin and bankruptcy didn't didn't that curtain just move it's not just that officer we're dealing with something Supernatural here it's the kak demons feeding off bad business practices and disappointing income statements there's something wrong wrong with this building I can tell you ever since I arrived I've sensed an eerie lingering presence as if I was unwanted here sounds familiar truly so perhaps the dark energies are leeching off you you shouldn't stay in the store too long it may be dangerous most certainly not I don't want anyone who's not familiar with the psychic Arts to get involved in this mess stay away leave the spirits be so they can return to their Slumber psychic Arts sounds right down AR Slither up to her you silver tonged fiend show her what worldclass pery looks like are you sure don't think I haven't seen charlatans before I'm not sure I can trust your claims honestly you look like a bit of a drinker I'm sorry for being so blonde but the lieutenant keeps his usual Stony calm he silently picks out his notebook go ahead then Rock her world he thinks I'll compose some notes how do you know all this here we go I should have realized a pattern lies within the fabric the hand of Fate guides us our meeting couldn't have been mere chance perhaps you truly are the one to deliver this woman from the Doom but I am not the only one at risk I have to think of my daughter you are certain you can help us keep us safe I can't allow any collateral damage to hit us if you promise good officer then you might be our last hope do you swear it thank you sir there's one more thing I haven't told you about yet The Entity do not act surprised you know of these things s you have the entity takes the form of a woman a witch probably I've suspected that she must be connected to the curse ever since I first saw her did you know that she lives inside the chimney yes that chimney is part of the building's Central furnace and it's enormous she has barricaded herself behind some metal security curtains God knows what she's doing there some unnatural magic I assume you should go find the entity and ask what happened to all the companies in the building what is the source of this curse here's the key to the warded door behind the curtains take it oh and please do return to me after you've looked around I'm quite anxious to know what she has to say about the curse what you discover in there unbelievable darkness and ruin what you discover probably just some office space don't be scared okay but please only a few questions you wouldn't want to disturb the spirits it's not good to talk about the curse not in detail the negativism it's dangerous talking about the void wths angers them wow void Raves you have new words the woman looks aloof her features much softer occasionally she glances at her daughter's silhouette you see a set of tattered curtains blocking the way to another room a strange cage-like trinket dangles from the curtains you see a dimly lit room full of Dusty furniture and trash a doorway stands in the back covered in dozens of scary little semines Wards Your Shadow looming over it like an omen oh a heavy door with a missing handle stands before you covered in dozens if not hundreds of semones Trinkets and charms it appears to be locked after exerting some Force you managed to turn the key it's eily silent the door slides slightly open letting a draft of cold air into the room what is this place yes but no one's been here in NES I doubt the electricity still works good thing we have a flashlight on us don't forget to take it out of your back before we move on an Airy feeling rises in your chest yes because it's closed no need to look for super ual explanations where a banal one will do now let's move on shall we a barbell lies on the floor the color has worn off its weight plates it's 60 kg your triceps hum at the sight of these weights show the world what kind of Beast it's dealing with lift them there are no collars on the barbell this is a safety hazard why does it feel so familiar you're right the weight may fall off better not touch it then it would be a violation of epis safety regulations if the gym was still operating but it isn't no one's supposed to come here anymore no it's not that it's the stale smell of rubber the squeaky sound of sneakers your bruised knee against the mat and a whistle then the feeling is gone it's just a memory a memory from another life when you were young and fit [Music] [Music] looks like someone tried to reconceptualize their business here look the skis and rotor blades both bear the same slipstream logo it seems likely that they started out making one failed to turn a profit and then pivoted to producing the other that's a good question not quite you do know that there's something unusual about this company's business model [Music] [Music] your flashlight slides over an old green chalkboard covered in scribbles sketches and schemes like some ancient cave mural some of the writing has faded with age but you can still make out SE c s here and there photos and drawings have been pinned to the board these live pointy a creatures appear to be different types of welkins you make out automo candle welkins casting wax-based magic translucent welkins with organs shining under their skin and even ether welkins hailing from the vast emptiness of side re space who are all those creatures fantasies of a tortured feverish mind one of the welkin Towering among the rest appears to be different however it's VAR hamira a high welin his face white and scarred like cracked marble this is clearly a welin supremacist the note says all non-walking Races will be purged the halor the th the humans and and even headless men all of them purged imagine a world filled only with welin green welkin dread welin and the high welin to rule them all an inordinate amount of time has gone into drawing these little weling creatures this looks like concept art for a project it's not really real some people really like building a world I think even if it's just for a game just look at those details sum aort and for what all gone the photo collage depicts Barren icy Landscapes wrapped in Perpetual night you see permafrost and glacial landforms dead trees grown in under the entire oceans have been frozen from Shore to Shore there are pictures of settlements on dried up riverbeds abandoned in a storm animal corpses in the dark carcasses and Bones you see primitive oil rigs built into glaciers Boreal dor Ys under the snow great Mammoth likee beasts of Burden albe it dark and cold this Vision also feels cozy in its own way like eggnog or morphine a much needed Rite from our own world a pinned postcard reads the heat death scenario A desperate fight for geothermal energy engulfs the world as WHL becomes untethered from its Sun drifting through the universe this is a monthly calendar from the year 50 cryptic words like Sprint daily minime and GPI span the mark drawn grid the grand scheme of production and money minimi stands for a mini meeting it's part of a bigger framework for managing work called run Station 41 tried to implement it a few years ago but failed as time goes on the numbers in the boxes grow rarer and rarer the board becomes an empty snowfield in the final days only failure and regret dwell in this region looks like they didn't make it a note in the bottom left corner of the chalkboard says see the prod schedule filament for details the handwriting is only partly legible but you can still make out three slogans call in tune out WHL untethered and heat death of the universe this appears to be some kind of machine with a cube-shaped heart and a wired framework the keyboard has a rectangular onoff button a piece of paper still hangs from the printer the radio computer just sitting here without anyone Insight this is the re Civic radio computer model RC 5120 equipped with a filed Mainframe and a ream compatible printer we have one of these done at the station but I never really learned how to use it the machine lights up like some prehistoric animal stirring from its Slumber revealing florescent play and print keys on the keyboard the Hat on the machine's Central compartment is wide open it's empty like a beehive without its brood some cables have been left at dangling disconnected the filament you have would fit perfectly inside the compartment like a smooth drawer the filament slides into place on the keyboard the play key starts blinking nothing happens a b bar of fabric right above the keyboard starts producing a soft hum the sound of static seeps through the machine's planer magnetic driver have you stirred the ghost of the doomed commercial area from its rest could this be its dismembered Hearts beginning to flutter the static gets louder slowly filling up the abandoned Hall until a voice speaks out crackling and old cutting into the air good afternoon this is Ean station please repeat is this the production schedule the filament you have inserted into the readers that was a question have you inserted it into the Cor good please repeat the password password of course it would have a password that's why there's a human administrator involved you should ask her for a hint no a hint system is not part of the protocol for for repeater stations received I will register this L attempt don't worry password have a way of turning up sooner or later for accident is there anything else I can do for you today foress accid is the company on Whose name the terminal you are currently using has been registered do one moment produces revolutionary interactive calling radio games that's what the catalog says that's not bad any other questions yes I am alive I am 74 years old and my name is Ion she repeats passwords programming people are all paranoid I work as a repeater at the East in celan repeater station it's my job to know where you are for as for me well I am sitting in my cubicle surrounded by a wall of radios doesn't it get lonely sitting there all by herself lonely why would it get lonely I get to talk to people all day that's why she does this now please tell me if there's anything else I can do for T ACD thank you and good by tiles on the cube are still smoldering casting the framework in a soft glow florescent play and print Keys shine on the [Music] keyboard this old fireplace is covered in lines drawn in blue and red marker the mesh spreading over the stone like blood vessels on Alabaster skin it looks Ghostly and strangely ancient the whole thing resembles kadran Mosaic tiles very pantic history classes students with their textbooks open studying the roots of our civilization those aquarel blue tiles looked beautiful in the sun radio frequencies it seems ukv 23.6 ukv 23.7 ukv 123. 9 some written notes too sparse and cryptic unclear it looks like a cardiovascular system split into veins and capillaries very Advanced perhaps the web is comprised of radio stations all lead back to one red heart titled the game master frequency a note says this one can listen an in on any station it wants they must have had massive air withth these things don't come cheap someone very important the leader of a massive onair game built by these people a conductor for the hundreds of story threads that pass through the game Master's frequency whoever decides to call in to a call-in station it looks like all of this is gone left unrealized there's no way a little basement Studio working here could pull anything like this off my God it's as if the less money they had the more ambitious their project became the schedule I know Doom when I see it the company was running out of funding nothing it's just lines on marble an echo from times long gone no one has used the fireplace in ages okay what do you think is going on with that computer chalkboard and fireplace yes that is a question like he's ready to lay out a fine Theory crafted together like a puzzle box it looks like one of those popular pen and paper role playing games only these people were trying to automate it make it work on radio computers utter madness he thinks as a compliment not to my knowledge they make automated games in gr missina constein you know know places with industry but I don't think anyone has attempted to create an inter isol game before we just don't have the technology through calling stations none of the players have to be physically present anyone in the world can participate in the game as long as they have a two-way radio then there's the game master frequency that listens in on the smaller coin stations I think that was supposed to coordinate the stories functioning as a Master of Ceremonies of sorts coordinating so many games would take a whole switchboard of people possibly divided into subf frequencies indeed those welkins are a dead giveaway role playing people love that stuff the world looks like a modified version of the we World board game with hi death thr him super cool someone should give them millions of real immediately this game is too good to be left unfinished no idea they stopped filling out the schedule on the chalkboard indeed it's ambitious and and tethered from reality but ah yes the Doom of bad business practices okay let's keep moving [Music] and an iron safety curtain curves before your eyes folded like a Bellows it covers half the room blocking the way into a colossal industrial chimney this must be where the entity lives what an odd thing to do nothing happens still nothing no one's home those curtains prove to be surprisingly sturdy your fist hurts now if this is really an entrance to the chimney then there must be a furnace somewhere as well maybe there's another way to get in can you please try to refrain from attacking random things thanks in any case there's no way we can get in right now let's investigate further [Music] [Music] a few bricks have fallen off revealing a compartment behind the wall it's too dark to see him there is yes and there also appears to be something inside the hole interesting do you want to take a look your hand reaches deep into darkness and SPID SP webs rumaging around you find Rusty rifles hidden away are these any good most of them are Rusty and inoperable like the rest but one catches your eye bolt action model with a fine Woodstock in better cosmetic order than the others that's a rare sight seems to no longer be functional but still beautiful thing in its own way it means there are firearms all bait inoperable still lying around in Martinez it's an interesting coincidence I would say might come in useful in the future he likes this find seems like an old bunker from the Revolutionary period look at all those rifles must be an old weapons cache e two cables are plugged into the breaker box the red one leads off into the darkness and the black one to the ice cream maker nearby don't rip the red one out you'll awaken the ghosts something close to you dies with a soft electric Pur why did you do that the lieutenant raises his brows but doesn't say anything the electric distribution board now has one cable [Music] missing you see a terrifying ice bear with a strange compartment in its belly the door is covered in Frost and the beer's eyes are glowing red the beer looks oddly realistic is it taxi dermy the lieutenant doesn't answer his eyes are glued to the animal a sharp slice of light shines out from its mysterious belly door a gust of freezing cold air rushes to greet you you hear a low Grumble as the bear regulates itself this is the inside of a refrigerator the lieutenant takes a peak inside his hand has found the holster of his gun of course just a giant I bear-shaped fridge let's take a look inside the shelves are empty all you see are crumpled ice cream wrappers with the brand name reveron ice City a handwritten note has been attached to the door the fridge is is huge you pocket the note and the little fridge magnets keeping it on the door a friendly cartoon bear smiles back at you from a glossy cellophane rapper it looks nothing like the fridge good question it looks like an ice cream fridge I know what an unfortunate marketing Choice what is even worse the bear is still C in them money to this day the fridge buzzes with energy the electricity bill on this thing must be catastrophic a thick layer of cold dust covers the furnace coloring it pitch black looks like this furnace has a face and it's a face of Agony looks like it looks like an old Central furnace used to hid building it's connected to the chimney no one has used it in ages no signs of any recent fire only dead rats it's dark and grimy here in the darkness you can hear chatter is coming from above a voice or several voices talking to each other near the smoke chamber upstairs what are you doing wait really maybe it's coming from behind those safety curtains we saw upstairs your right the rooms do look like they're connected but malignant entities don't exist at least not the supernatural kind something breaks loose in you a mighty Bellow Echoes throughout the chimney's depths the chatter of tiny voices above suddenly cease then you've awakened The Entity you hear a low Rumble upstairs the sound of a curtain being pulled aside after you officer [Music] only the red cable is plugged into the breaker box while the black one lies neglected on the floor somewhere a machine hums along with the current happy and contented an old call box with a matrix of push buttons lists all the companies in the East Delta Commerce Center East Delta Commerce Center this must be the name of the doomed commercial area all you hear is St IC but no one answers the call an off key Melody starts playing after you ring the doorbell then a woman picks up the receiver Kuno please stop calling here grown-ups don't have time for your stupid [Music] games oh I'm sorry officer I thought you were but the doorbell is broken and the bookstore shouldn't even be on the list anymore so I can't help you please don't call here again thanks a single beep indicates that the line has gone dead you ring the doorbell but no one answers what an ominous name for a hair salon doesn't bode well for anyone's here you wait for a minute or two but all you get from the call box is silence no one answers the call you ring the doorbell but nothing happens looks like someone has melted half the plastic off with a lighter the doorbell doesn't work anymore you hear static from the intercom speaker it sounds as if someone has picked up the receiver but isn't saying anything yes hello this is tricentennial electrics have you come to place an order she sounds almost antique as if her voice was being played off an old wax cylinder a receiver must not be working properly my God the lieutenant exchanges a look with you it's you my God I didn't think I would hear your voice again no something's wrong here I are you sure she's talking to you Michelle just please why did you even call I don't understand you've been gone for months I thought you didn't care ever since I came to work here it's been different as if my mind mind's been wiped clean a spot of static overrides her words when she speaks again it sounds like she's submerged it's so nice it's so nice to be able to finally forget she sounds like she's about to cry she doesn't answer silence the only thing you could hear now is static and waves washing ashore on the bay another seagull passes by it's getting cold standing here staring at the silent cor box I don't know what happened either we should probably stop playing with this thing you press the number sign on the keypad that terminates the call 12 name cards on the call box read silence no one's home at Fortress [Music] accident silence no one answers the doorbell nothing happens after you ring the doorbell they don't want to talk to you silence no one answers your call this button looks new but someone has removed the name card nothing happens when you tried to ring it huh this button looks new it's probably not connected yet [Music] [Music] hello I'm there did you try knocking on my window I must have missed you I've been listening to my Milas so what kind of diet are you looking for could this be the milous entity perhaps it's wise to go along with this masquerade for now she's got a direct view to the backyard you should interrogate her about the lynchin yes Amilia is like a call-in station you need a two-way radio to access one that's why I have these mostly they just teach you to swear in different languages but some of the stations can be quite interesting I was so observed I must have missed you [Music] knocking I'm a novelty dice maker tell me the name of your role playing system and I'll make the die you need that's why you're here yes role playing games you know the one made by Fortress accident does that count answer is how strange these days people only come to me for D and role playing games I'm not sure how helpful I'll be but go ahead and ask it almost looks as if the stones and dice are a natural part of the room growing out of the shelves like stall Knights this person means you or no one else absolutely no harm she will answer freely and honestly where inside the chimney of an old Central furnace it's strange I know but when I arrived here all the other rooms were taken so I had to build myself a makeshift home besides I don't really have to pay any rent here so that's a plus playance was right there's an entity living in the chimney you should ask her about the curse creative more or less are you interested in anyone specific oh quite a lot of them spring to mind yes I think it was called androgynous Orlando or something similar they weren't a big hit around here turns out that workingclass men don't like genderless haircuts they're scared of that word a bit of experimen in every now and then isn't bad it's not about the haircut it's about the confidence me neither I just wanted off my face it wasn't merely a gym it was at the MPS Boxing Club a community project created to steer at rescues away from drugs and [Music] crime it didn't if anything think it made the youth situation in Martinez even worse at some point someone started a rumor that the punching back downstairs was full of unfed mens it's not really full of that no one would store their drugs like that eventually the Coalition took away the funding and the club went bankrupt this was a few years ago it's gotten much more peaceful around the plaza ever since oh oh this one's a mess there used to be a company that promised to repair windows 24 hours a day what could go wrong with this one right turns out the business was actually set up as the front for an illicit group that was producing snuff medas who would have guessed H what's the snuff milia and they never cleaned up the de either now it's just littering the hallway and I have no idea how to get rid of it on my own it's a sub Rosa radio station that broadcasts real murders with real victims some people pay good money to get off on it don't worry the ACP has a separate division that deals exclusively with unlicensed s broses this isn't our problem good luck with that it's not easy catching those perpetrators you mean Mr faon the taxi dmist no he mostly just did drugs anything else there used to be a fashion atal here but I have forgotten the head designer's name they were doing well for a couple of years until the insect rights activist came yeah the ATA didn't know it either they produced a certain collection that used kiten among the materials apparently kiten is made in the oxident where it's extracted from beta wings and you know how W kinds of political movements are big in the ocient the activist shut down the bigest skyen supplier which of course caused the price to Skyrocket and naturally all the most fashionable taste makers refused to be seen in kiten from then on the at went bankrupt before they could finish the collection actually insects do have brains but yes I understand what you're saying I think the protesters took it a little too far as she shifts around you notice several dead flies on the windowsill in front of her legs up they're not moving anything else they were made by a company called sleepstream after they pivoted from making rotor blades to skis their shf executive took off on a vacation with all their money honestly I think it's quite funny I think he's still sending our holiday Transmissions from Tula or Tumo or hasore or wherever he is sure it's illegal but it's not exactly anything extraordinary in business besides slipstream is history now all their remaining assets got seized by the Bailey in 47 I have no idea why those skis and blades are still lying around they were just the props why return them maybe you could make a sword out of one no wait forget it it would take too long Fortress accident the radio game Studio she liked them there were an interesting Bunch we talked about role playing systems every now and then once I even saw two of them get into fisticuffs over weo they certainly took their work very seriously even if they seem to be chronically liberal with their schedules the usual they ran out of money and couldn't get the project done on time well I did hear them talking at times they seem to believe they were his torical individuals on some Grand Quest yes but when the money started to run out they just began to complain a lot about capitalism you know how the markets are rigged to keep out new businesses and so on in the end they just didn't get it done they didn't have enough willpower to produce something truly historic and to show up to work on time not the wisest decision you would have lost all your savings the result is one on a 20-sided die the dice is black and filled with little silvery flakes like snowfall anything else oh boy the fabled rers show I C you're in for a treat here the place was owned by two guys who had some rather innovative ideas about marketing the bear was one of them now ask me about their other ideas indeed what were the other ideas there was really just one and it involved picking out the prettiest girls in the neighborhood and paying them 20 cents per hour to Mand the booth and by Mand the booth I mean slump behind the counter with a face that could maim you if you ever dare to disturb their bored magazine browsing sounds like she really didn't like those girls fra does the same thing employing so teenage girls is a widespread practice yes unfortunately they always come in packs I'm talking about acne ridden girlfriends and gorilla like Bo boyfriends lottering near the shop at least that's what happened with ravish show I City and they already had the bear of course not the bear was terrifying no one wants ice cream guarded by a hostile apex predator to make matters worse the fridge didn't work too well either and half the Ice Cream came out mou form and partially melted eventually ravish show I City lost the price War to its rival glass 5000 glass 5000 sold caramel Sunday for only 5 cents a piece out of regular [Music] fridges maybe because the taxi dmist who made the bear definitely wasn't doing his job I mean he said that the bear was his vision Beast he said he met his vision Beast while high on desant called it megaion sounds cool it's an imaginary Beast that guides you through life by telling you to do more drugs mostly the horrific necktie Titans around your neck strangely excited but it doesn't feel particularly fun this time around what right anyway now you know the story of the Fallen ice cream Empire anything else another failed business perhaps I've been here for a long time oh right I hope you didn't try to ring me I think none of those doorbells work including mine I'm still in the middle of connecting the wires sorry about the confusion the doorbell the empty name card must belong to her then that's right I haven't even written my name there as I said it's quite useless right now it doesn't work yet you could say so both houses were built at the same time and under the East Delta Commerce Center project that explains why you can call the whirling from the intercom orbe it I doubted anyone responds if the whirling is part of the same building then it's part of the doomed commercial area the darkness of this place is there too right it used to be a gaming arcade this is an ancient failure before my time I'm not surprised however my advice don't base your business on a fat hypnotism floriography trick track especially pinball agreed pinball is the worst his disain for pinball could not be clearer it can't be true they don't work here anymore they've been gone for years are you sure it was lipst stream sea was it a woman maybe it was play s from the bookstore all right but did this person say anything Tri centeno Electric it used to be a major electric company 100 years ago are you sure it wasn't just some kid playing a prank on you no it was something else it was Eerie whatever happened keep your cool it's probably better to admit that it was a harmless prank a prank is more likely no ah the kids these days we were just one of them and now they're terrorizing us no solidarity sure I'm listening good I hope it clarify things a bit what else I've heard the stories but I don't think those stories are true it's just capitalism we only hear about Tales of success so it's often surprising to realize how many Ventures actually fail play sounds the Bookshop lady I've heard that her business is doing rather well have the energy Spar her [Music] somehow all right but it's not just the bookstore that's still up and running what about the whing in racks some people say it's part of the building complex and then there is me I've been here for 14 years selling novelty dice to role playing enthusiasts not exactly a million real business idea yet somehow I've survive despite the talk of malicious energies strange isn't it [Music] what so the curse only affects people with poor work ethics what you're describing isn't a curse it's capitalism time has come to face the source fear not for the forces of the universe are supporting you in this psychic Quest exactly Jud is always so disappointingly mundane and boring but I'm glad we got this sorted out anything else I can help you with today playance is not going to like what you have to tell her nothing really I didn't know him the lieutenant looks at his notebook then the woman under the large window your window looks directly onto the courtyard you're saying you didn't see or hear anything unusual last Sunday evening I'm sorry detective but as you know I usually have my headphones on when I'm working it shuts out most of the Daily records behind my window well there's always something going on in the whirlings backyard during daytime they're usually those kids and lately I've been seeing a lot of drunk workers hanging about must be because of the strike but I never saw anyone during that fateful Sunday night I'm afraid I might have but in this case all I would have seen is my own reflection staring back from the darkness it's really hard to make anything out in the yard when it's dark outside besides I rarely get up to look out the window when I'm in the zone it's an odd profession Mak dies for people but I like it and I prefer doing this to sitting at home she Nots anything else officer how did I become one it was a business decision I was a regular jeweler at first but that's an unfocused field with too much competition some of my friends were role players they asked me to make some poly hedro D out of cobalt that was my first order I SC it from there not especially I like working with rare materials and a steady pay and role players as customers they're nice people she's thankful for the security they provide her of course tell me what you have in mind I think I have just the right one for [Music] you police cols not the most original I know but sometimes the obvious choice is obvious because it's best here catch there a gift for me a beautiful woman tossing you a gift whatever you do don't overthink [Music] it Mr Smooth moves you snatch the dice out of the air with one hand just like you're in a movie oh well what are the odds the red one is made of Blood Stone with a Lapis Lazuli inlay and the blue one is the inverse I believe these guys are your lucky charm officer she winked back at you can you believe it you truly are Mr Smooth moves you definitely need luck in Martine a was there anything else you're alive and well don't keep me waiting now what's in there in that dark sarcophagus yes yes how was it I knew it oh such Horrors that have been thrust upon us but what else did you find did anything survive no of course not have you located The Entity a novelty dice maker well spit it out why does she need the dice for some kind of sorcery sometimes they use the ankle bones of she I don't understand if it's not her then where is the source of the Doom how did she explain the curse the narrative she's built herself it does need tearing down she's squeezing on the pendant too tight a drop of blood in her Palm just don't say you don't have any answer yet the uncertainty is killing her to hell with it per chance you ought to just lie s oh how horrid I knew something wasn't right about that place tell me did you find a way to break the curse of course I trust my semon Wards and charms kept you safe while you performed the ancient rights all that matters is that the energies are retreating I can already feel the curse lifting it will be a long time until we're fully free of it of course but still thank you officer truly you've brought a better psycho imination to this humble bookstore and that's no small achievement she so badly wants this to be over she would have believed anything it will only last a day or two a week tops then her mood will sour and she will feel the curse again all right then all well that ends well should we return to our ordinary lives the note is written with a blue pencil on a piece of lined office paper the kitchen magnets have left spots on its surface does it say anything interesting this is tangental at best but the Lieutenant's detective instinct is still active someone has scribbled S I can't believe the off-site copy is still here the illiterate Ginger kid keeps stealing stuff from the studio so I had to hide it somewhere safe you'll find the filament memory with the offsite copy in the frozen ice cream maker please take it home ASAP it's important I'd do it myself if I lived in a civilized place with a freezer take care suf some local Mis cran probably there are tons of them running around in Martinez ready to stir up trouble we usually dispatch our Junior officers to deal with them looks like someone from that radio game company upstairs I'm a little surprised they just left their property lying here that's a plausible hypothesis it belongs inside a radio computer storing its memory it's like a tape you listen to disco tapes right it's like one of your disco tapes only for a computer I don't know no I assume it's somewhere close to the ice bear fridge didn't you see one right next to the breaker box this posa vantor male collection box has been heavily vandalized with grao a closer inspection reveals two bullet holes in the front the Box seems happy e [ __ ] Pig [ __ ] by the [ __ ] and St G with a crown have been scribbled on it Jenny is a [ __ ] and best set maale box also the male collection box seems cathartic thankful even so do you you shudder then you swallow [Music] [Music] this orange machine is buzzing like an old submarine it has a hand cranked ice cream churner on top and an electric freezer that appears to be frozen shut turning the crank feels oddly satisfying like stirring your childhood dreams in the distance you hear water dripping it's all gone now you'll never become a poet or an entrepreneurs you slip your fingers under the Frozen lid but the ice is too cold for you to get a good grip a pry bar would come in handy here no this is going to need something else some kind of super pry bar don't even try to open it with a regular pry bar you're just wasting in your time if you want to try again then you need to have the pry bar in your hand detective this orange machine is buzzing like an old submarine it has a hand cranked ice cream churner on top and an electric freezer that appears to be frozen shut you see a set of tire tracks in a brown slush that covers the plaza Mosaic cop habit you look at everything this isn't case Rel ated you think hard to say your vision is blurred and you're having difficulty concentrating thanks to your Relentless hangover the tire tracks were left here by an unknown event that took place some days ago it's a message written in the language of burnt rubber some of that rubber stuck to the tiles right in front of the whirling in rags this is point a the driver started the there and then accelerated straight into the fence left a hole big enough for the Franco Nigerian Cavalry according to the cafeteria manager why that Pang of guilt again the driver proceeded to back out of the yard barely stopping before hitting the adjacent building before heading south must have been in a hurry you are correct this is a r motor to Carriage friendly City somehow that makes you feel scared you don't know why I'm not sure there are plenty of traffic accidents waiting to happen in Martinez with the gam right here on the roundabout I would keep them separate you could follow the track South there seems to be a canal there see where they went if you find the time [Music] there are several footprints in the mud left by work boots anywhere from 6 to 12 peers have walked here heav worker's boots with reinforced toes and hob Nails all over the yard isn't this something an industrial worker would wear not it maybe more than 12 no eight pairs of boots have shuffled back and forth in the mud one standard work boot steel reinforced toes number 46 two standard work boot steel reinforced toes number 44 three hob nailed work boot steel reinforced toes number 43 four standard work boot number 45 or 46 you don't know it's a miracle you can tell the prince apart as it is the cold must have preserved them five another standard work boot steel reinforced toes number 44 six an aberration light as air even Pace same make of boot but number 41 impossible to tell could also have been an adolescent the gate is undeveloped seven the glowing outline of a standard work boot number 46 but the imprints are twice as deep as the others the weight exceeds 200 kg8 and yet another standard work boot number 44 there's an aberration in the pattern of the Soul however the right soul is smoother more worn how many I was pretty often I can't H 20 I never got the hang of it hyperopia do you see anything out of the ordinary a woman or a kid okay how do you know he knows it's hard to discern sex from a person's gate understood anything else 200 could it be the combined weight of of two people one carrying the other host TI up let's say a heavily built worker carrying a similarly built soon to be dead man he might be right 200 kg of living weight is unlikely from here the boot the victim wears it's bad very bad before you can heave the wind changes direction again the greenhouse plastic flapping in its gusts he appears to be wearing some kind of armored boots I can't see any exotic prints here someone had to carry him are any of the other prints deep enough an obese person is becoming less likely possibly yes but why yes they could have used the makeshift stretcher or just March him up to The Gallows maybe there was a physically impressive strongman in their midst someone who wanted to impress their peers even easier to carry on a stretcher or between two men anyway it's for future consideration what else can you see interesting let's name it the old soul someone oper creting a workbench with a pedal like a joiner at the harbor or maybe a drummer he regrets it the moment he says it a drummer only uses the right foot for the Ki drum you're right it's stupid perhaps it could be a driver a driver would wear out their right shoe before the left the accelerator is on the right we should keep our eyes open on the traffic jam see whether anyone strikes out as a potential suspect seems prudent no hhm a week maybe 7even days would feed the time frame provided to us by the caller who reported the hanging it is not impossible I pulled last week's forecast for Coastal her 7 days below freezing the day before the day of his hanging was the last warm day correct again Sub-Zero temperatures would preserve the tracks in a good State the commotion here could have taken place a week ago what do I think a mob of people brought something heavy to the tree one of them was carrying the victim they shuffled around especially under the tree then after hoisting him up they stood in a semicircle facing his Direction at first glance this appears to be a lynching indeed they all stood in a row here and looked at the tree yes everything fits so well carried him over hoisted him up watched him hang this is easy isn't it strange to have your assumptions confirmed like this this is what someone Whispering suggestions in your ear would like you to feel the Lieutenant's eyes narrow he's thinking to himself doubt perhaps it would be unprofessional of to be sure of himself at such an early stage of the investigation either way what else an inconspicuous pile of the roofing material eonite it's nothing someone just left some roofing material slanted against an old shack because there's a secret door hidden behind the panels of eonite that's why they're too orderly there it is you see a Shabby little door [Music] what is this then a tool shed let's investigate be still my beaten heart it's amphetamine sweet amphetamine the lieutenant isn't studying the powder in the mirror he studying you perhaps not this is below our pay grade detective however see that ladder there it's probably another way into the industrial Harbor no the secret path the local kids use [Music] looks like someone left his tarping cloak hanging on the railing here yes it's probably yours it Bears the RCM insia and you have a habit of being careless with your equipment you could probably made a jump you look like you've done some track in field in your day the wind is aggressive up here the lieutenant looks at the enormous crane towering in the distance over the container yard the look in his eyes is a mix of the engineer likee interest and The Wonder of a six-year-old seen a for the first time that machine is a Calson 1020 HK is it Quon makes a lot of heavy equipment but this is phenomenal even for them but I digress we were focusing on your cloak here the cloak I do think it's yours yes as to whether you should go for it well it doesn't seem too dangerous 2 m stops whenever you're ready to do it I'll be right behind you the cloak looks like a bag of goodies floating in the wind who knows what its Pockets May hide M the luxury of fine things just look at those black monk strips after spending an entire day hustling who's to say that you didn't deserve a pair of ridiculously expensive Ive shoes on your tired feet beautiful things give you a rush it's power crafting your style draping your flesh in silk and leather deciding how to present yourself to the world remember when they come to take it away from you you worked for those shoes whether you like it or not wearing these shoes has made you more liberal Ultra liberal wow you work hard oh yes you hustle you're a provider it's tough out there but you keep it real and provide look at yourself you're a human pedometer you must have walked 200,000 steps down cracked ashfeld Mosaic sand and lonian after you reemerged that is the sign of a hustler who never gives up the world is Harsh and people are evil you didn't make it that way and you won't let it break you you ride that's just what it's like life and death but you got gills on your side baby got those black papers with the faces of the Innocents on them you bring in the Franco Negros and the solar it ain't easy but you do it day in and day out you didn't make the rules but you won't lose you're a cop and a sprinter and a money printer oh yeah you took that bribe hard you're a killer you didn't log that in as a donation either you don't lock any of that [ __ ] in you're a straight Rider sure sure and has it been easy is life easy have you not gone into cardiac rest are you not about to have an anxiety attack or shoot yourself in the mouth but you still hustle 24/7 ride or die now ask yourself are you rich that's right you work harder than anyone you almost rode yourself to the grave and you're still practically a hobo why is that the G man has set himself up one of those self-replicating money structures you should learn from it don't play the victim think Hustler think with your head that's right 100% [ __ ] g man's got his Jam covered sticky fingers in your pocket stealing from you every time you buy sell walk talk F so much as sneeze every time you wipe your ass they got their direct and their indirect modes of Taxation sales tax excise duty extraction taxt alimony one taxt that doesn't even have a name plus there's the stuff people in other countries pay for that makes them ask for more money from you here total tax duties add up to 98% of all your money what are you not sure about they're milking your nipples till they bleed can't you see aren't you sick and tired of having bloody nipples here you go Hustler fight the righteous fight free the people keep it real keep it Street keep foaming at the mouth furiously on the tax issue a tarping cloak is still caught on the railing no one has claimed it for their own as you leap in the air a chilly Breeze engulfs you sharpening your senses as the concrete floor welcomes you you realize it's been a while since you felt so alive alert capable must be the adrenaline I knew you could do it my climbing down might not have been as disco as your jump but at least we can EXP the harbor now with your feet firmly planted on the concrete the noise of the harbor rushes back in an imposing combination of a punch clock and a pay phone is looking down at you from the wall a note on the side says tokens unavailable due to strike use change the machine swallows your coin and seems to be waiting for your next move your fingers run over the dial pad zero 05 that's the dialing code for riversa 4952 and a moment of hesitation before entering the final numbers 993 calling calling still calling then video rall 24-hour video rental you're an 8 and 10 mm film for home use this is Lamy how may I help you video rall is a 24-hour video rental we rent 8 and 10 mm film for home use this is lumy no maybe you call to extend your rental period do you need to extend your rental period Raphael what listen I can't help you over the phone if you need further assistance you can visit us on the corner of Voyager in Maine are we done the call is terminated by the other party you're left with the discomforting sound of the disconnect tone on Second Glance someone has forgotten to properly close one of the drawers it's unfortunate for the union to just leave their paperwork laying around like this let's see what's inside he thinks the drawer opens smoothly inside is a well organized selection of brown folders hundreds of documents containing logistical data two kinds of transactions Stand Out materials coming into rivell from the outside world from muindi grad and even ilara and the same materials being handed over to companies inside rall kuron Cole City lad Delta and Jamrock are listed among the many districts where the Imports are being sold it's hard to make sense of this Thicket of company names dates quantities and percentages you try to focus but the lines are getting blurry whatever's hidden here is hidden well concentration isn't enough only a trained accountant with a background in logistics would be able to really make sense of it however there is a little handwritten note stuck on the side of the drawer it appears to be a to-do list written in large uneven capital letters remember Leo everards shoes special whirling B water everards plants sweep office floor more banners all items on the list have been crossed out and the note itself is crumpled evard Clair probably the head of the debers Union one of his AIDS must have left it nothing incriminating here the special B seems a bit odd in the list the draw slides shut smoothly the front of this quarterly Journal features a large satirical portrait of the late King frel from the sides of his head a pair of white antas spread to the corners of the cover because Freel was incompetent foolish and cruel in short the embodiment of everything the communards wished to overthrow it's satire you see to your disappointment there aren't any full color pictures to direct your attention just column after column of closely set text interrupted occasionally by little Doodles in black and white no advertisements you notice so who's funding this radical commentary after rifling the pages with your thumb several times you return to the table of contents the magazine is divided into several sections International Development and local concerns just inside the cover there's also an editor's note comrade as you know this journal takes its name from Mao's Immortal expression du Christal alaume this was his way of describing the way the rigid crystalline structures of capitalist ideology turned to smoke under communism but like the structures of capitalist ideology we too are at risk of going alaume unlike many Publications which are content to spoon feed their readers reassuring driil laume is committed to telling the radical truth even when that truth may drive away potential subscribers perhaps they've overestimated the market demand for this kind of commentary so please if you value our radical mazovian perspective on contemporary politics culture and international Affairs please consider subscribing today yours in struggle the editors what do you expect it was laying around the office of the de Union they're probably Bank running the thing you flip back to the front of the magazine the table of contents unfolds before you it takes a moment but gradually it Dawns on you that Kun unto must mean arts and culture obviously because it's cool to drop random phrases in foreign languages it evokes a sense of recognition and fellowship among those privileged enough to understand as you leave through this section you come across several reviews of recent radio plays as well as a brief artist Spotlight featuring a local artist identified only as CS the main feature though is a long essay titled tiptop Tor a critical mazovian perspective this so-called artist Spotlight is really just a brief Q&A made all the briefer by the subject's evident hostility to her interviewer the actual article is surprisingly light on details but after skimming a page or two you gather that it has something to do with motor Carriage racing if you don't follow it you only ever hear about the ludicrous sponsorships and obscene death toll you think you're settling in for a relaxing recap of the most recent season maybe sprinkled with some nice anecdotes about a few of the more colorful drivers instead you find yourself skimming a 10,000w feature about all the politically problematic aspects of tiptop T where to even start for one there's the crass commercialism of its sponsorships and then there's the practically criminal emphasis on deadly motor crashes oddly enough this article has two by lines nasep ENC colada berell and excellus buer there's no way those are real names have you ever met anyone named exilus come on they're plainly pseudonyms under capitalism the article says every Pursuit has its price every pleasure even one as Elemental as the joy of racing others around a track is reduced to an advertising opportunity thus the so-called Tor becomes a competition between increasingly meaningless brand signifiers your discount laundry detergent racing against a pack of Astra cigarettes or even a fra and that precisely is what's problematic about it were it not for the promise of random spectacular violence audiences would quickly lose interest at the end of the day it's the destruction of these 750,000 real races that you're really watching for sure you think that but subconsciously it's the visions of brand names being engulfed in flame that you crave that's because you haven't been reading critically but don't worry the whole point of these sorts of Articles is to let someone else read critically for you a come on can this article read your mind well there you have it no reason to get hung up on the pretentious ramblings of a few young men if I had to wager I'd say they've never even seen the inside of a motor much less a motor race I take whatever they write with a large grain of salt you flip back to the front of the magazine the table of contents unfolds before you this section includes a long tedious critique of the latest round of free trade negotiations between the epis Nations and the free state of semine you also skip over an article about heavy fuel oil smuggling along the mesque MSA border something about bear wrestling in Samara book riots in Yugo grad face it you really aren't interested in foreign affairs you're not even sure where most of these countries are you flip back to the front of the magazine the table of contents unfolds before you unsurprisingly much of this section is taken up with articles declaring unqualified support for the Dock Workers strike you skim the headlines paintt the harbor red and white martines tames the wild Pines a city in Revolt First We Take martines then we take lad Delta finally there's a brief article by the writer G Martin accusing the owner of the capeside apartments of illegally attempting to evict certain communist tenants simply for not having paid their rent according to these editorials there can be no accommodation with the forces of international capital or their mucilaginous allies in the Coalition you flip back to the front of the magazine the table of contents unfolds before you we should think about calling it today maybe the nights are still miserably cold this time of year you should take care of that then I'll also take a room at the whirling one cannot get much closer to the crime scene [Music] this is the night watchman's Booth the name on the door reads Renee are no if you must but please hurry we are pretty easy to spot up here nothing incriminating catches your eye the cabinets are clean and their sparse contents meticulously organized there's a framed photograph on the table looks like the inhabitant is rather pedantic when it comes to order it's a black and white photo of a young couple out in a street fair the man Renee is dressed in a Royal cariban uniform the girl is Young and very pretty she is smiling playfully at the camera why did you take that picture of H you're really interested in that old Soldier not sure I understand your fascination but sure as long as it doesn't take up a whole lot of time [Music] all those empty wine bottles and cigarette butts on the ground someone partied really really hard here well they went through six bottles of potent pilsner three bottles of commodore red and almost four packs of cigarettes it must have been pretty hard well yes I think we can say with relative confidence that it was you yes this scene isn't exactly ripping with joy let's just move on [Music] l [Music] [Music] [Music] f [Music] austing control panel with several knobs two buttons marked mash and aret are faded with use it seems to control the large crane above a container is attached to its hook block Alum on it turn off with a loud grind the crane shifts over ahead moving a massive metal container through the [Music] air and with a surprisingly quiet thk the crane places the container down the harbor sleeps as the strike rages in the distance the crane can rest again now that its purpose has been fulfilled the rusty control panel grows warm to the touch then grows cold it is finished I can't see how that was worth the records except for seeing the crane in action which I admit was satisfying before you stands a cargo container just one of many in the yard you do because I don't there are a million containers here why are you fixating on this one there may very well be but we are not here to look for that we are not here to interact with containers we are here to talk to the Union right no rep fly you attempt to turn the handle to no avail the doors seem to be mechanically locked to your left the lieutenant considers your actions with some puzzlement f is the lyrics to this container song are being made up as he goes along the accent is so thick it's impossible not to notice he's Ubie from the vanishing peninsula of ubun on mindi container container used to be well Pines container container now belongs to art art art art he looks after everyone huh well hey there how can I help you mister I see you are not a union man mister did you get lost you're not one of them scabs are you I mean I don't personally mind folks are just folks you know and folks got to eat oh yes born and raised in a Rish Mister mom had to leave my dad after he got a bit violent took us here to the new new world I was about 10 then too old to lose my accent then people say us ubis are up to all s sorts of trouble with sheep and other animals and whatnot I just want you to know there was never any of that where I come from no sir those are just nasty rumors thank you for clarifying that sir oh most of the guys are down at the gates keeping the scabs from coming in we're on a strike the whole Union is you don't have to work when you're on strike ha we haven't worked for 2 months now so no one is working not everyone is down there of course Mr Evar is in his office where he always is and Jean Luke is guarding the gate but Titus and his boys got into some drunken trouble and aart sent them on a nice vacation for a week or so well I'm not really supposed to talk about that that's Union business him and his boy stirred up something in town probably drank too much and got into a fight or something I heard Mr evat telling them to take some time off don't go all bad cop on this simple friendly fellow I guess the boys got a bit too rowdy and had to let out some steam I don't really know the details that's just how boys are you know I haven't been in a fight since I was in Middle School easy Leo let's keep this on the hardies I remember I was the run of the class the bigger boys always used to pick on me you see I had a bit of a temper back in the day flew off the handle like nobody's business but Mr Evra and his brother always came to help once they beat old n Becker so bad he needed stitches on his head no will never started another fight with anyone after this Mr Evra and Mr Edgar are real nice guys mister you should go talk to Mr evod I'm sure you'll be good friends he's friends with everyone around here you're never getting anything useful out of him it's good enough you found out everard has a brother called Edgar and he helped Leo oh I'm just making some covers for them containers here yes I am yes I am so it's easier for the crane operators to spot them the containers in the yard are green in Wild Pine's Livery and the mountains Rising behind Leo is all red in Union colors it's like some red infection was spreading outwards from the container yard's core no not really miss aat doesn't tell me all the big things says I go and tell them to everyone yes they're hiding it from the inside all the red containers have the de Union logo on them oh no trouble at all Mis no trouble at all yes yes everybody needs a job and this is mine I'm Leonard by the way Leonard bellet but everyone calls me Leo I'm like Mr Everett's right hand man when Mr Edgar is out of town and Mr Edgar's right hand man when Mr erra is away actually Miss bufor is the right-and man but she's a lady who is this Miss bu a real pretty lady with a skin like those do su candy bars my misss like so much they are real nice to suckle on once the dinner is done and me and the mes sit down besides the radio but I can't listen to the radio all the time there's so much to do around here and I'm always busy keeping things running here yes I am yes I am stay on this Miss bow for topic poor Lizzy she is a real sharp tool Mr art put her through some fancy school and everything east of the river four years she was gone and when she came back she was all fancy and lawyerly but she's a real nice girl grew up in this here neighborhood knows everybody and gets along with everyone real pillar of the community one day I'm sure for a fraction of a second there's sadness in his eyes if me miss a KN was to have a child I'd be real happy if she turned out like her but she can't have kids Dr lra said so and she knows about such things been a doctor for almost 50 years she has so Evra trained a lawyer named Miss beot interesting yes this place really seems to run like clockwork keep it up Leo well thanks a lot coming from you it means a lot really sometimes I feel some of the guys don't really get how much I bust my ass for them here but you guys are all right the white rectangle on your clothes might not mean an awful lot in martines but the recognition from an authority figure made Leo's day oh yes yes yes I leave all kinds of notes for myself that old head of mine ain't so good at keeping things in no more I almost forgot about the B oh yes I've been taking special whirling B to the men every day since the strike started it's very very good makes a man feel so warm and happy I feel like I could take on Mr renan's boogs every time the lunch is done yes yes I'm taking it to to them the borch keeps them happy and in fighting Spirits makes you all warm inside they brew it in the whirling in rags oh the whirlings cook he makes it them is always talking with Mr Manana and that weird language and laughing together he doesn't speak what we speak he's from grad oh sure Mis sure you do that yes sir oh that one that should be empty as far as I know lots of containers here have nothing in them they're just waiting to be loaded up tell you boy you want Mr art then he's an awfully nice fellow he is him and his brother are both nice fellows they've lived their entire lives in this here neighborhood guys like Mr ever and Mr Edgar his brother are real good guys made Martin what it is today Mr Evra and Mr Edgar and I went to the same school we did when we were boys oh Mr dear is usually in his office of course but he already left for the day he always leaves around 10 p.m. bye-bye now indirect modes of Taxation turns out those financial oversight committee gangsters stuffed millions of hard-earned dividends away in the last place anyone thought to look the hearts and minds of everyday River shans you need to spread that deregulation gospel to the people tell them about that foreign fear tax preach that 98% gross burden preach it Preacher Man set the brothers free taxes are racist a large table with two huge vacuum insulated thermal coffee dispenses someone has forgotten a small plastic card next to the stacks of Cups you snatch up the red plastic card it features a black Contour of a crane lifting a container the name eten ogart is written in the middle below it in smaller text member of the board it comes with a magnetic strip meant to open electronic doors for [Music] [Music] the unpromising race pupil returns and Fascinate the rol and degenerate shows signs of raal self refle how did you accomplish this little feat so it would seem of rule on one hand this btic self therapy has little to do with the great mystery of living organisms the race Enigma and of course you will not be able to free yourself from the Yoke of R it is too late it may be Leal to stop at this point but still your willpower fires up directing you to speak if the rolian degenerate is capable of critical thought he may Pro adversary yet was I mistaken to share the esoteric science with him Johan baby you did the heroic thing that is not possible the game of shahmat you play against the r streets is unwinable the days the weeks the months will wear you out the ocidental applo group is uncapable of longterm Lucid thoughts you will not you cannot withstand the Wasteland of reality super hard Johan my mom couldn't do it either let's go AA let's go do some work for Kuno the pig's getting pretty close to me come to Snuff my [ __ ] out I think looks like it's time for me to go Kuno Pig's come to take me in I'm going away for a long long time Kuno going away for life what's going on there [ __ ] are you trying to pull Pig what's this kid [ __ ] [ __ ] mind games I'd rather die than sque get the [ __ ] out of her face you got something talk to me kun's got this if there ever was such a thing as an ugly kid then this is it he's almost in Exquisite in his ugliness like a gremlin oh yeah Nappa gy Kuno right in the dick Kuno get him right in the dick loing in the dick the boy is sweating profusely his eyes are like two black holes and his jaw is twitching as if trying to break free from the Empire of his body the the kid is obviously High [ __ ] thato yeah right in the mouth shits himself The Rake Kuno you should throw the rake at him Kuno the [ __ ] does Kuno know what a rake is Kuno is not a gardener [ __ ] no Kuno doesn't buy that [ __ ] [ __ ] enchantment [ __ ] the [ __ ] are you talking talking about he's calling us Kuno he says we're [ __ ] each other we shouldn't do anything I don't tempt such forces you will see all right entertain the Kuno show me what you got what you got there what you got huh show me what you got the kid moves his hands like a basketball player dribbling fast right Pig this is where Kuno plays with his little wooden choo choo [ __ ] do you want with it look at that [ __ ] [ __ ] you're trying to get Kuno killed [ __ ] does Kuno know Kuno is not a [ __ ] acrobat Kuno knows the ladder is unclimbable the lieutenant takes a quick note in his notebook it's a trap Kuno don't climb it Kuno don't know keep that g you used to work there Kip is a pejorative term used to describe people of South seanes or Arie opag descent it used to be a common first name among the Arie oages of ilar not So Much Anymore look Kuro doesn't explain [ __ ] Kuro just says [ __ ] yeah her what was she doing in the greenhouse in March anyway what kind of gardening is done in March yes it seems suspicious you don't like things being like that suspicious yeah whatever Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] [ __ ] Lo Pig what's your question don't tell the pig [ __ ] Kuno if I were to want to waste my time which I do not I would ask them who he is how we good there and the usual you have no idea what the usual is just ask whatever comes to mind Kuno [ __ ] imp Kuno uses the [ __ ] imp for target practice probably climed Kuno was busy down the road when that [ __ ] went down you heard Kuno Kuno wasn't even in martines Kuno wasn't in reverol Kuno wasn't Regional I don't know some [ __ ] mes or or I don't know some other place night City Kuno is in [ __ ] night City there is no night City anywhere that sounds like the name of a city in some pulp science fiction novel why you got to be riding kun's ass you haven't been where Kuno has been you haven't been in Kuno head you want to know where Kuno was you want to know what Kuno is been [ __ ] up to don't tell him that Kuno it's lame it's not [ __ ] lame Kuno building Kuno City night City Rage city the city of Rage that's it and it's not lame lame that's the name of Kuno city [ __ ] get the [ __ ] off kono's back this [ __ ] ain't about that it's impossible to deduce what it is about at least for the moment if it's important it'll come up later Focus on the case just a couple of pigs sniffing around in the dirt that seems pretty [ __ ] suspicious to Kuno yeah you tell the [ __ ] Kuno you're testing Kuno patience here get lost you found Kuno secret daugh to Kuno secret Shack it was closed for 5,000 years how the [ __ ] did you get in [ __ ] get the [ __ ] out of here you can't do that he can't do that Kuno he's trying to [ __ ] at you again pigs can't displate can't do that teleport [ __ ] how did you like it in there Pig old boy kun's got a lot of cool [ __ ] there right it's a vitamin Pig don't you know anything you could use yeah it's the M you [ __ ] need that [ __ ] to stay on top of your game Kuno goes through like a tube a day rips mag like a [ __ ] and you could use a battle oh don't teach him Kuno he's going to use it against you Kuno you're not getting this pig it completely takes away The Hangover it's like you didn't do anything like you stayed down playing with your choo choo [ __ ] you pig don't do mag you're going to OD and you're going to [ __ ] die that's where Kuno gets his daily hit of electric Kuno Shazam Kuno rides the [ __ ] lightning in their Pig bet you'd like to Ride the Lightning too wouldn't you you feel tired and old but you could have that sparkle in your eyes oh that Kuno decapitates pigs that's just a Kuno demo tape what eh what is this [ __ ] [ __ ] on yourself this is weird level [ __ ] Kuno doesn't go there [ __ ] your [ __ ] back to normal what is this well played no one saw that coming good call Pig Meister don't come and talk to Kuno about his kingdom kun's Kuno Pig it's always Kuno never I clearly the kid's using the third person perspective as a shield Kuno doesn't do that smart [ __ ] don't throw that book [ __ ] at Kuno Kuno knows you're lying trying to get Kuno hooked on the book watch out Kuno he's trying to fiddle you is going to put his hands on you help Pig's got Kuno help rape help he's got the Kuno help yeah get out of here before the Kuno beats the [ __ ] out of you yeah that's right drag your fat ass out of here fat boy before Kuno [ __ ] you don't listen just go this trash container is locked the sliding lid as a padlock that says whirling in rags there's something in there not necessarily connected to the case but still the body is downwind from here maybe you prefer the smell of garbage to the smell of death trash food Wass from the cafeteria they loog these containers to keep the barites from fluing in could be evidence too mhm we could try using a pry bar the one you took from my motor carriage or or we could ask for a key from the manager of the whing in RX he probably has one he might also have information this is better than the prybar idea hello again officer how are things I'm a nigh Hawk what can I say OD well uh this might be the last snow we get at least I hope so snow has nutrients in in it helps Everything Green up in the spring at least that's what my grandma always Tau me nitrogen and sulfur mostly and whatever factories and aerostatics exhale to I [Music] guess stop looking at her look around what do you see that's right and the canal the bookstore the harbor gate this is a great vantage point for keeping an eye on [Music] you no of course not I don't understand what this is about the kid did this right the redhead rat can't say a sentence without or kipped he's always giving me trouble it is because CU he sent you to harass me didn't he you shouldn't listen to him it was probably him who wrote that you've been resting here for quite a while haven't you yes I'm tired I understand the RCM isn't welcome here and the locals want to keep an eye on us this silence the smallest of smiles that's okay M do what you have to do do I think we're done here let's go [Music] that sugary black rum stain on the counter makes you teary eyed with joy it's almost touching how syrupy and sticky it is how long have you been up [Music] already oh excuse me do you have something better to do than lust for sweet syrupy rum and lemonade with a Twist of lemon maybe lime maybe who cares just rum [Music] you should totally s karaoke here the first chance you get your emotions need to be expressed people need to know your vast Oceanic Soul utterly and it needs to be heard through a PA system by other people who is mistakenly identified as a cop for his prominent ja line Yes sounds likely you should probably go on stage and pae for a moment when you're done with this thought see if it works you should sing the sad small church song from that tape you found thought it was obvious serves them right wipe that smirk off their face with your sad tragic song Who's laughing now no one you would need another copy of the tape first though the one upstairs is destroyed as you turn a bright light catches your eye making you squint From A Distant Sunset a stage light flash photog graphy nowhere in particular it's just what superstar Law Officers do they squint at lights and they solve [ __ ] yeah you have you're a big dick cop dick Mullen Salam Rocky Bay badass on the edge disco cop time to recede into a ludicrous fantasy world here we go camera lights with a sudden flesh the world freezes around you and you along with it in an iconic monochrome solution a black silhouette against a rized orange world it's on [Music] you see a heavy still door with a prominent dimple lock it's painted blue you immediately feel drawn to the color blue is for mystery the cobalt blue surface feels rough to touch the stainless steel door is flush with its frame on every side the door does not budge you do it's a door in the back of the kitchen why do you care where it leads eccentric but okay I suppose we could look into it as a side investigation G is the person to ask about this the cafeteria manager can I help you what thing oh yes that door sure there's nothing mysterious about it it's just a door no I don't have a key I don't know how to get there and I don't care either it's not like I've been wondering about it for 10 years it's just a frit Warehouse probably or some boring storage space with a bunch of old junk and dust junk and dust he's attempting to maintain an air of indifference it's absolutely not convincing fine okay A little but my job doesn't leave me time for wondering about one locked door in one of the cafeterias I manage so I haven't opened it I have cleaned the whole place a 100 times over though after the animals and I haven't found found a key so good luck with that yes not the whole damn Union thank God just the nastiest and loudest faction they come here in the evenings dumb unruly types think they're big [ __ ] but they're good customers they Place big orders and always pay on time we should find out who this Lord faction is occupying the booth lordess means talkative and we need info we don't we have to wait they'll show up sooner or later men get hungry even men on strike you glance at the clock on the wall behind the manager huh good question they're probably getting drunk or protesting something somewhere or laying low after the you know lynching whatever may feel about you he can't miss the opportunity to throw you a look of what he assumes is sheared understanding go with it yeah the union guys think they're Untouchable they probably [ __ ] killed that guy or something and now think they can hide out till it all blows over and it's fair weather again in Martinez H I have a feeling we'll make their acquaintance sooner or later what by the way you should come back to this thing based questionnaire if you see anything interesting in the whirling later mine no it belongs to the whirling and Rags thank you for clearing the up why do you keep the container locked why to keep the hobos and drunks out that's why and the neighbors too they put that trash there and they don't pay for the garbage company I thought as much and are you the only party with access to the trash container well yes us and the garbage disposal Company it seems a little callous doesn't it something stirs in you prod at him and find out Callas what are you crass mazov almost all establishments and Revol keep their trash locked the whirling and Rags is not not special in that regard no one was implying you were officer where were we what do you need them for it concerns the cas please corporate just bring them back once you're done please yes have you got it a lot for the room and broken window 100 rale well great thank you officer that's all I wanted payment for services rendered if you continue to stay here I just ask that you please pay your nightly bill in advance starting tomorrow he's not sorry about his behavior for your sake now that you have money he really wants to make sure you're not angry with him I'll unlock the electronic lock to your room or all the doors lock automatically at 900 p.m. please pay for each night in advance starting tomorrow 20 Ral per night I'll take a room here too of course always happy to have officers from the RCM as guests anything else I can do for you hey so we've been monitoring you internally and now we know your Copo type yes guess what's yours no you're the sorry cop the cop who's sorriest let's make it official then shall we no you don't come on you'll be back to saying sorry in 2 minutes stop wasting time and begin the repentance what jealous of the sorry cop I think they'll be fine don't worry they'll be super super fine it'll be totally okay you can duel cppo type from sorry to anything of course you are it's okay see if you can get something out of this like info or maybe every time you say you're sorry you get a million bucks that won't happen hey yes you word on the street is you're ready to start building communism again you keep saying things like down with the Bourgeois Eat the Rich sodomize the land owners impel all people who have more than 25 real in their pocket literally murder all human human beings regardless of their political beliefs that kind of stuff okay not in so many words but don't deny it you're about to rip off that mask of social democracy and reveal the Monstrous seveney lamb of global communism that will devour and masticate mankind everyone can see that so tell me do you have any questions before we fire up the big communism Builder or do we get right down to it failure it's about failure of course you do you are failure you are communism absolutely vanquished beaten curb stomped shaton while everyone else is out partying having a callous laugh you will reverse the fortune of the workers of the world world you alone against every living thing against every human alive 800 trillion real in the hands of an impossibly well-organized ruling class towering city blocks of Bank men who have the ears of prime ministers million headed armies of Nations and the love of your own mother you against the atom the charm and the spin we the whole world failed matter failed to bend to human will human will fail to get out of bed and tie its laces you alone single-handedly will rebuild the dreams of the working class you are the last communist now get to work comrade very well I guess no one will build communism then tell the work in man it's over unless anyone has has objections no objections it's mathematically impossible to achieve a classless society everyone knows this let not failure ins snare you any further beautiful Pixie Girl be an acrobat a pronon fairy queen anyone anyone else there's no one there's one you should build communism precisely because it's impossible [Music] [Music] this trash container is locked the sliding lid as a padlock that says whirling in rags with a well oiled crack the lock pops open it should now be possible to Simply raise the lid don't maybe you shouldn't the smell of rotten food Rises to greet you you see soggy cartons dirty rags and organic waste we're just in time this hasn't been emptied for over a week you see milk and egg rest with one broken egg in it some pasta wrapper picking up the socky packages somehow feels familiar a box falls into pieces in your hands bati solle cereal there are plastic pasta packages below and turbo noodles nothing of note however it's just organic waste cold and slimy on your hands apple and potato pills mostly unidentified sludge and the occasional chicken bone thrown in for good measure but hey nothing it's nothing nothing more to see here what's this a blue piece of plastic sticks out from the Apple pills it's shiny looks like the corner of something they look badly damaged but you can still make out forms and notes written in a man's handwriting officer is that your paperwork it is look the plastic has the RCM Street grid on it you've even got an autopsy form in there if you don't mind my asking how could you have let your paperwork end up in the trash well lucky we found it you should take stock of what remains just to be sure some has not made it into the hands of the rcm's adversaries organized crime and the like there might have been police secrets in your notes it would also not hurt to start taking notes on the case now tell me what your eagle eyes see or are we finished among the threadbear kitchen towels something catches your eye a pair of denim trousers as the legs of the slim covered jeans begin to unspool from the garbage a rank corpse smell fills the air the victim's clothes cavino door is faint if this belong to the deceased they were removed when he was still in the early stages of Decay drop them in here officer guitar marked blue jeans poet empty or emptied he wore them with a belt too a white belt the loops appear stretched but the belt is missing that's it do you see anything else in there I have another bag here something slimy catches your eye a drab long sleeved shirt Olive colored appears from the food waste dripping with pus this is a military type over garment No Label of serial number this is the kind of rib knit shirt that's one of a light armor to consider it in an urban scenario anything more the rest of the rags are just kitchen variety waste a yellow old mug that catches your eye but other than that all right we should go to G again and ask if he knows who put the clothes in the trash it could be as simple as someone from the hostel cleaning in the yard or that one I'd advise against confronting that force not really all we know is the victim's cloths are in the trash the lead was locked and his establishment had the key it's just a small loose thread the [ __ ] he on about kids you hear that Kuno he thinks you're an infant or something see the lieutenant nods then looks back into the trash container you pick out a broken mug with an oddly racist depiction of the yellow man frolicking in Saffron only in its social sensibility [Music] mhm the container sounds a muffled gone that's one thing of the least I think we got it all it's just a racist mug what's there to read here not much oh boy here we go what are you going to say about a broken tossed away mug that you dug out of the garbage understood you're that kind of detective why don't you get back to your case it's The Ledger you found in the trash a pitiful cabbage of white and yellow papers hanging from plastic board barely held together by a metal clip this sad display is made complete by The Faint smell of urinal cleaner there's a piece of toilet paper or is it cleaning tissue no it's toilet paper desperately sticking to the back of the blue plastic clipboard it's a metaphor for you below the pathetics terror do not look into its blue heart the acidic stench of rotting food is rubbed off on the cellulose it now forms the base of the experience this base surrounded by a faint air of spoiled meat the stuff of death itself and then sprinkled liberally with the Citrus zest of toilet cleaner it's just toilet paper sticking to the back of the plastic clipboard you can take it off if you want still wet the toilet paper peels off the plastic easily all you have to do is Shake It Off with your finger and voila The Ledger now looks marginally better it's made of dark blue plastic hard enough to beat someone to submission with the edges are rounded however the u4 size board feels thick and heavy in your hand light shimmers on its wet surface on the back you see the embossed letters RCM something rattles inside ever so lightly is there a hidden compartment the plastic shimmers like lapis lazuli but it is not seethrough you cannot see to its Center blue the blue heart don't look into it with your hands you four sized Pages hang from the clip screw to the top of the board H the two sides of the board appear slightly misaligned like a drawer that's come off its slides if you bend the plastic on your knee slowly the slides snap back into place it should be possible to just you know without resistance or sound the two panels move against each other the compartment is now open two ticket stops and a handmade postcard two octopuses are smiling reaching their tentacles toward each other in the colored pencil drawings the tickets permit access to the zoo in riversa East the aquarium costs extra these let you go there too thin wax paper has been glued to a piece of cardboard sounds like leaves rustling when you pick it up you see Violet flowers floral patterns patches of glue it smells of chewing gum apricot flavored exactly like the gum rapper you found the same brand of chewing gum familiar handwriting lines the inside of the card looped round letters in a woman's hand a young woman in her 20s there is Care Effort and a smile you think although that is not something you can read from someone's handwriting Harry it begins you're already reading I wanted to write you a letter so you can read it when you wake up maybe it will make you happy throw it away please your hand shakes holding the card every morning when I step out and you're asleep behind me it says I find a little piece of sadness in me I carry it in my chest down Voyager road every step I take it grows by the time I reach the fuel station it has filled me entirely I step onto the Light Rail and look back Sparks fall from the bow collector I know it will be like this until late afternoon when I get off the 42 and walk back to you you you every step I take will get lighter it almost makes me run sometimes I do I can't believe I met you I can't believe the happiness I feel with you you have a vast vast soul and I will always always always come back to it kisses kisses kisses you feel the air sucked out of your lungs and the blood sucked out of your head everything around you gets dark small white dots appear you Feel The Ledger slip from your hand no no hold on [Music] there is [Music] nothing again nothing sad brother no treachery just blackout well almost nothing there is the ground below you that's still there and the small light this on flattering somewhere in the basil ganglia that's me blue eyes that's me who is W he speaks of the sickening longing the unwell emotion even in the darkness he's grasping for it still trying to hold on to the great Sorrows slipping in the water slimy [Music] the call when you're dead bra here in the Paleo meleon cortex we call it the shadow because it's always there bloated corpse of the past resurfacing beautiful believe me stupid a its lack of beauty was not the problem there is no Voyager Road there are no roads no houses no lights in the windows it's all on pause you think they would let you until you disintegrate into biomolecules no someone is breathing on your face now inspecting your pupils you stupid idiot oh but you are they're pouring something on you something in you it's it's delicious glowing lights on a dashboard emerge out of nothingness drink water the water is cold silvery the stuff of life itself as it pours down your parched throat the pounding in your head recedes the darkness Parts drink you haven't drunk water in 2 days did you know the human body is not made to survive on alcohol alone you need a secondary form of hydration with greedy dos you down hard half a liter of cold water some of it spills on the driver's seat the lieutenant pays no heed to it what happened that does sometimes happen you dropped this are you okay to proceed good for it's The Ledger you found in the trash a cabbage of papers hanging from the board with the permeables drawer inside it's barely held together by a clip then made complete by The Faint smell of urino cleaner an aluminium block runs the width of the board Biting Down on the paperwork its crocodile teeth are the only thing keeping the papers together a regular pencil the tip worn down to nothing has been attached to the clip the surface is interrupted by a silvery sticker it's rectangular sparkling with iridescence you don't know how you didn't notice it before what that thing it's a allergen Watermark we use it for adding information to our CM property any capable light with the right wavelength will do all our CM vehicles have had lights designed to reveal allogen watermarks mind too this means you can read the watermarks if you just turn the lights on it depends aside from an anti-counterfeiting stamp mine has my station number and address the information varies by date of issue how many years you've been on the force he's thinking it'll have that okay while a bunch of Soden papers sag from the clipboard in your hand it's a sorry sight they're not exactly white they're yellowed in Patches by sunlight and alcohol and covered in dense blue handwriting ink escapes into watercolor patterns reaching its tendrils across entire Pages the paper itself is checkered with faint red lines forming short paragraphs once in a while there's a red stamp that exclaims case files commit to paper the Case Files themselves are plenty you count more than 100 Soden crumpled up earmarked Pages falling apart in your hands they appear to be sufficiently organized and extremely dense if mostly illegible work Strife poverty the Jamrock quarter these are handwritten LS of Investigations dating back to January 51 this year the exact number is hard to estimate due to missing pages and an odd name in convention but there are at least 20 maybe 30 cases undertaken not completed mind you it's the middle of March you have attempted two cases a week on average yes it appears you employer shall we say robust yet literary system each investigation has its case number written on the margins yet still more tellingly most are accompanied by a name a title one might say even one that draws inspiration from Snoop fiction and vestine cop show Staples yes all caps one is called the next World mural another the square Bullet Hole murders another yet the unsolvable case others appear more light-hearted the guys on a couch in an unexpected location and the murder at the ukar paror even the rare article free collapsing tenament murder features prominently throughout it's going to take an effort to piece these Case Files together but it can be done once you're done inspecting them up close you mean the alpha numeric officer precin time of arrival at the scene Oh you mean the titular yes well so do I in our defense almost everyone in the RCM does it's a hold over from the early days of the RCM right after the revolution when the organization had little idea how to do things it persists in an unofficial capacity officers use these titles to refer to their work among themselves again in your defense I seem to have named one the man with the hole in his head that was a real person his death was real still I did that to amuse myself I pray his loved ones never find out rail spiked through the head he died it was a workplace accident huh two complex cases to undertake is a lot yes you really have to push yourself I would not suggest it lest you start making mistakes two that's a lot I didn't mean to say you are making mistakes by the way it was prous of me I prefer normal case load it's a matter of method like a fan of gills the checkered papers dry in your hand the hand writing is extremely dense if mostly illegible there is for precisely one more 15 pages near the end remain Untouched by the damage the checkered grid forms a structure of passages breaking the case into subtasks to accomplish the tasks you've completed flow out of the kind green ape pen in a Brash freehand similar to the rest of the letters the wording comes easily it's almost robotically simple a language developed for mental rigor and simplicity inspect the victim's body interview the cafeteria manager it's not exactly poetry but poetry would be out of place a satisfying slash sounds across the paper you're done it seems to say and you and you things to be done and things already done the composition of reality this is an extremely useful tool for a detective of the citizens militia Now All That Remains is to name the case no actually in ideas great that's great that's actually what I was thinking too the hanged man good strong name we have a very good name for the case now I'm going to start calling it The hanged man it's good we sort it is out you don't exactly close them so much as a distance yourself from the smelly papers there a little further from your nose now yes you can piece them together using the alpha numeric code on the margin it always begins with hdb 41 then date of initialization and time of arrival on the scene followed by the title for example hdb 411201 17 0 0 the next World mural why yes your precinct number is 41 every last alpha numeric in the files begins with it and these are your case files it's safe to say hdb are your initials I got nothing here either logic really isn't the best faculty to have this conversation with but it's the one you got so sorry yeah we're staying out of this business for now hdb is bad news from yester year it's [ __ ] oncho it takes about half an hour to piece one together using the system you've devised where do you want to start not much has changed in the meanwhile a bunch of sodn papers still sags from the clipboard in the back you see thin translucent copy of paper some neon yellow some bright red all covered in boxes like marching armies these look like official forms waiting to be filled out then rip them from the binder and hand them out according to type of form three the topmost are misconduct fines the middle ones are station calls and the bottommost are field autopsy forms each is easy enough to make sense of you don't have to be an intellectual giant to do police work a monetary penalization ranging from 20 to 250 R severe cases allow for 1,000 R but that requires special paperwork the details of issuing these fines are spread out over the rest of the fields a dozen pages of thin copy paper bright red in color you see the parameters of a deceased human form waiting to be filled in age sex condition of internal organs these are quite Sinister in turn they give a date and time for the person to appear at the specify Precinct Police Station below the call are the criminal charges you risk by not appearing yes All That Remains now is to fill those forms and hand them to people fines for wrongdoers interview requests for bad guys and field autopsies to dead guys the rest of the stinking cellulose is much worse for wear being sandwiched between the board and the rest of the paperwork must have spared The Fragile copy of paper inside you see a set of steering levers a radio microphone a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge all right ready I turn you press start it's next to the preheater the dashboard lights up with orange glow the r engage Chums and the agent of the can to life with a whiny growl the lights unfold with a little click casting electrical light onto the ground before the vehicle there you go I'll turn them off from the remote once you're done we just need to stand in front of the machine now as you hold your Ledger clip under the headlamp and iridescent hologram appears a street grid and the veins of a Great River a familiar sensation washes over you there she is R West around the borders of the watermark are dozens no hundreds of micr perforations there are many of them and they are divided into three separate rows the first row has 18 dots the next is the longest it runs all the way around the border and then some there are so many it's hard to count more than 150 at least maybe even 200 the last row has three perforations that's it the rectangular Watermark is overlaid with the logo of the RCM and yet the major arteries of reverol are all recognizable they Shimmer in the cana's headlights let me see right here oh yes cold City L the burnt quarter those are perforations they represent your record as an officer of the RCM there are your statistics as it were I should have guessed you'd keep a record officers often do let's take a look the first row represents your years of service 18 years okay not bad at all what did you do before you volunteered no shame in working a regular job detective sometimes after a long day of doing this I even Envy it let's move on shall we this next role the one that wraps all the way around is your number of closed cases closed is good it means finished you've got let's see wow more than 200 it's quite a lot even for someone who's been on the force for nearly two decades usually clearing more than 10 cases a year puts you in the nth year percentile of all our CM [Music] officers call it what you want you are a valuable member of your Precinct now let's look at the last Rob right those are your confirmed kills you've got precisely three perforations there for an RCM officer especially PRI 41 which is in the jam quarter it's rather tame I mean that in a good way there are certain officers who treat their kills like some kind of ghoulish game if they do happen to solve a case it's usually by accident but it seems as though you are or at least were one of the good ones so we have that to be thankful for yes everyone has their own method of coping some more effective or self-destructive than others personally I find it helps to keep up a few Hobbies example why not gardening you've already got the yellow gloves it's meant in Earnest please don't mistake it for a jab [Music] if you want to pour out the booze you've been carrying around on duty I'm certainly not going to stop you a dark pool of cheap wine appears at your feet it shimmers in the lights of the canama very Noble of you are we done here the lieutenant nods right I'll go turn off the lights some kind of Superstar they say the world isn't ready for a rock and roll cop no one wants their state Monopoly on violence to be mixed with celebrity worship they claim to know it would be dangerous for detectives to rise to the ranks of demigods and have sexual encounters with barely legal covergirls it would be insane they say to all this you say [ __ ] off and die in a cool voice you people have no idea how good these cops are going to get they're going to crack 20 cases a day in the future cops will be like Astro physicists or prime ministers or prophets and you're the first one yes no response he just arches his brow have you tried concentrating on something other than your personal affairs there is a sudden harsh Edge to his voice like he's tired of hearing about your personal affairs not a fan it's just the nature of lieutenancy the RCM deploys a self- style structure called the deage as its chain of command every Lieutenant is responsible for two sergeants and eight officers that means the average Lieutenant has to deal with quite a few personal affairs even you try work the K is at hand it can work miracles fine we should get through this day first off hours begin at 9:00 p.m. if you're still having trouble then I can give you an orientation really you look fine to me this Psycho Drama is Unbecoming of an officer then you should consider seeking medical attention you can use the radio in my kinema to call your station's Lazareth was there anything else you wanted me I don't see how my life is pertinent to the investigation if you insist what do you want to know what do you mean I have no idea what you're talking about the Lieutenant's conceptualization skills must be rather rudimentary the lieutenant is a police officer of the old school his concerns are material and extrinsic but this isn't an old school case so what that makes you the new school God spare us for real detective work nothing beats a good notebook by your side the lieutenant produces his small blue notebook and idly thumbs through a few pages we all have our different mediums his is written no your brain sends the signal to your lips but they refuse the order something is paralyzing them you're pretty sure it has something to do with the Lieutenant's eyebrow the eyebrow is exercising psionic control over you something the matter detective what's going on it's like your a puppet in his hands the lieutenant relaxes his eyebrow and you seem to regain control of yourself that's correct you feel a slight urge to put the lieutenant down for this but you can't quite must enough testosterone are they they're mostly just cumbersome you could use a good normal peer yourself that's because I'm half seite or quarter my father's father was from seol so was my grandmother but from my mother's side it's not an interesting topic it's a part of the world officer a geopolitical entity and a geographic Division I told you it wouldn't be interesting SE is a protectionist isolationist panori state west of the insulindian Isola actually it's quite interesting some would even say mysterious you're barking at the wrong tree I don't speak a word of seite I've never met either one of my grandparents and I've never been to se I'm a regular heier good let's change the subject [Music] can I help you thanks I hope you found what you were looking for how strange I certainly didn't put them there the trash collection service CS Municipal I don't see why they would put anything in the trash though ah The elusive CS Municipal I doubt we'll be able to track down who was sent here last and when this will have to be one of those little threats that solves itself down the road thank you anyway Sylvie had the keys before I got here and I can vouch for her I can vouch for all my stuff none of us would tamper with the crime scene yes this is the door to the room you redecorated just a moment you had some questions earlier I believe and besides we should discuss our progress on the investigation let's go out to the balcony the air outside is brisk the lieutenant is silent for a moment he listens to the traffic hum then where shall We Begin we should talk about the investigation first and foremost but I also remember you're wanting to discuss the RCM I have a cigarette every night when I go over my notes it's something of a ritual oh man he looks so devastatingly cool with that cigarette you mean this this isn't cool it's an unnecessary trial of Will and unhealthy keeping the Habit within the parameters he's given himself takes a lot of focus it would be easier to simp cour yes it's been a long and event for day the dying Lights of the city Shimmer below slowly like luminous clouds they pass on his lenses the lieutenant looks at his slim cigarette contemplating the next drag this Soldier is the highight of a day for me he thinks this little stick right here they really don't like us here and the mouth on that kid Kuno it's different in man in Jamrock in a [Music] g it's our fault for leaving this place to the do to the Union to the company not daring to come here more often this place has fallen between the cracks jurisdictions of our two PRS we run this city west of the river is our CM land it's incredibly hard human beings are but we are in control and it's worth it the organization Works our systems work if they didn't the city would [Music] disintegrate me too but I wouldn't count on any drastic changes in our lifetimes they're quite limited actually the power officers of theal citizens militia exercise most frequently is imposing fines of up to 1,000 real for offenses in accordance with an inter departmental schedule yes although indirectly as Citizens can always request records from their local station officers of the RCM have been known to take bribes of less than the prescribed fine amount it undermines trust in the [Music] the rcn's primary role is to ensure safety we are not really supposed to play any part in the economic structure of Kash we can arrest people of course but rather than bringing someone indirectly it's preferable to service station of C sleep it prevents confusion and overcrowding you can't those who don't show up become fugitives though and have fewer legal rights when they are eventually caught it's about power projection th far they seem to mostly short as you may have gathered from the fact that we are expected to carry a record of our kills like the one in the waterm marks we are permitted to use whatever force is necessary and strongly admonished not to abuse that power we don't convict we arrest and send them to coalition government courts in Kur and lad Delta the prosecution Works off our testimonies and Records which is why it's Paramount to keep them [Music] you have to supply compelling evidence for why it was necessary to use lethal force in these cases the part is usually your weakness not a good position to be in by the way Internal Affairs handles these cases thoroughly by cross-examining you for inconsistencies it is hard to cover for anyone which is for the best the coalition government and the moral intern more broadly the RCM was formed by the coalition government to restore order in the international Zone After the Revolution so we did now we attempt to maintain that order no more no less or perhaps it is better to say we were allowed to form it's a point of contention whether the citizens of kol or the coalition government founded here it's probably more honest yes either way the moral Linton leases us the right to keep the peace in this city and they will take it away if we misuse it the moralist international are the world's largest political organization you know who they are they have been running this place after the revolution failed there are a union of Center left and center right parties across the real belt our coalition government is just one of its many project they also run the ICP epis most intergovernmental organizations in the world World interesting question it's a blue forget me not their motto is love compassion self discipline I think you can gaug what they want you to think of them from that something kind and usual something ominous what do they believe in they are Deloreans they believe they continue the humanist project set forth by her innocence doore day four centuries ago others say they such as technocrats a historic figure the author of The Modern Age you will have to look elsewhere for opinions the subject of humanism is too abstract for me the moral intern are a fact I try not to have opinions on facts until they change and it doesn't look like that's about to happen do you in fact we would need them even if you didn't think that way we are in what is called the Twilight of international law the laws we claim to enforce come from the Mii without them we are simply Vigilantes then you will adore Martinez for many of these people the union especially Vigilant this is precisely what we are personally I don't enjoy it much well we didn't even look at the Budd but we performed a thorough search of the premises of the crime scene that's great it's not my job to evaluate your methodology officer I'm just going through the facts as for the interviews we didn't get to meet EV Clair but we did get into the hble it'll be easier to reach him tomorrow we tried to interview the wild pans rep but she asked us to do something for her first fine so be it I have a feeling Joyce knows how dangerous the situation really is we have to get her to talk to us above all though today was exhausting what with all the running you run a lot is that a standard pron 41 practice it's impressive to say the least for a Manor age especially those are some stylish shoes too by the way those lers must be hard to run into like you do yeah it's getting very cold now let's [Music] go what's this we're getting reports of normal reasonable temporary at political opinions somewhere in martines the air suddenly feels calmer more transparent in a strangely tender way perhaps it's the hangover perhaps it's a temporary surge of Serotonin but something tells you it's time to become a citizen of the kingdom of conscience it is not a place it is a moment in time that can only arise in the right circumstances in all of human history it's only been achieved a handful of times incrementally History's Greatest catastrophes have been brought about by people trying to make the world a better place too quickly that's the genius of Dolores day she recognized that progress is meaningless if its gains are lost because of of instability real lasting change can only come about gradually increment by increment tisk tisk just because you live in the present doesn't mean you have the right to place your needs above the needs of the future you may never live to see the kingdom of conscience your children may not even your grandchildren might not but that's no excuse not to keep working what benevolence the kingdom is difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to describe partly because Humanity will need to discard many of the categories that Define and limit it today the kingdom of conscience is post capitalist postnational it's also po Industrial po ideological and even post seexual slow down Mr reasonable did you miss the part about compromising and taking things slow that's right remember real democracy is just around the corner for Rivers showw when that real democracy kicks in a long time from now we are all going to be so much happier [Music] [Music] for the bed is cold and not particularly inviting but it's yours the sheets look awful the sheets feel at once coarse and clammy against your skin the bed sags beneath your weight as you stretch out and finally close your eyes and then sleep doesn't come maybe it's the bed's fult it's synthetic filling has separated into hard lumps the pillowcase smells oddly it barely covers your toes stretching over your soft belly this is your body here intimate and warm Brea breathing under your thrumming eyelids you see a dizzying array of colors you won't get off this Caron quite so easily it's a little better colors scenes and half formed phrases still litter your mind part of you is still trying to solve the case isn't it something to do with what was it that the lieutenant said Union and it's gone again your thoughts lost between the slowing braak waves your breathing steady is a great silence washes over you until your eyelids twitch in your sleep and images images start forming [Music] [Music] do you remember the scent of your childhood you're not kiding anyone Harry you don't remember [ __ ] tell me do you remember your wife's hand on your face you know who I am I'm the bad day the one where you ask her and then later in the streets wondering it's the worst day of all time Harry dear and it's coming she will hear about it on the phone reality will turn into a grotesque nightmare this will be the last thing you did to her tell me do you remember the love of your life do you remember the warmth of her thighs between her legs and in her mouth that's right funky baby and you just stood there one hand on the bottle and the other on your dick watching her go let it all be dragged away from you tell me where are your friends human beings have friends Harry boy where the hell are yours no it's gone three times gone and never coming back you failed you failed me you failed elesium everything the pile and the isolas on the surface the outer magnetosphere burning Furious truth 8,000 years years of written history you really dropped the ball Harry 4.6 billion people and you failed every single one of them you really [ __ ] up you're not coming back from [ __ ] thrashing around in that high conductivity state of yours bumping into things and acting like a clown who are you kidding you're trying to want I can't hear you this is just a word dream now jumbled up garbage the pictures are gone the bed Rises to meet you a thin sleep likee State more glass than velvet grinding in your hand so something is wrong sleep shouldn't be this bad this dry this unnourished there's something wrong with your thoughts some kind of new type of Hangover oh yes party boy and it's worse than the one before just think of the [ __ ] you saw here it comes too so soon already a silent alarm goes off in your head like clock qu barely let you sleep at all time to get those clothes on Harry time to go to work in the [ __ ] Factory [Music] good going buddy yes wait till you see the one with the chick in it it's going to be a good one you feel even worse this morning than you did last night you don't know you don't know some bro that messed you up it'll come to you it always does you mean why are you so tired too tired and down to even think it is worrying isn't it you can't be a detective like this detectives need to be able to think it's just that your heart has finally pumped all the speed out of your system Buster time to get some more don't do that stay strong The Hangover will wear off you don't need to keep doing this to yourself are you sure ready to live as this pathetic shell of yourself for days basically a week let's be honest two weeks maybe three you won't make it half the town will be dead by then you will be fired suit yourself slow sad Shellman see how you do without your spark for than [Music] morning looks like we can get to work at once the union musle turned up they look Rowdy we should talk to them I completely forgot sorry I had a rough night's sleep it's them by the looks of it loud and nasty just like the manager said one lose thread less to worry about and one big problem to replace it I mean ungovernable Martinez isn't exactly enthusiastic about the RCM being here they prefer to be policed by the union these men here men who drink beer for breakfast there's talk of an armed wing of the Union called The Hardy Boys who are responsible for State policing I think it's them that would just escalate tensions no Captain would sign off on it solving one murder isn't worth a conflict between the RCM and the deers Union in fact even the death of two detectives might not warrant an all war so let's keep a cool head okay everything points to the duck Workers Union the tracks in the mud the circumstances in Martinez my preliminary information which may of course all be wrong but we still need to talk to them and it won't be easy one more thing before we do we don't have to talk to them immediately we can walk right past them continue with our business but aren't you curious to know what they have to say about the murder they're in no hurry to leave they think they own the place anyway I leave that choice to you whatever you decide is fine by me [Music] just and there's no public phones nearby the closest phone booth is down the coast sorry for the inconvenience ma'am it's fine I understand thank you anyway I'm glad to see you again dear the lady is distressed perhaps something more upbeat might cheer her up please don't trouble yourself about me sweetie I was just hoping to make a call but the whirlings phone line isn't working the union office probably has a phone but I can't really get there or to the phone booth down the coast and Gary's phone is dead too the manager was vague about it why would he be vague about phone problems this is something to look into later ask God maybe to let the young woman who house sitting for us know that we may be delayed Morel my husband and Gary were supposed to get back by Monday night but they're still missing and I haven't heard from them I was also hoping she'd heard from Morel that's just it this isn't like him at all he always plans his Expeditions so carefully but you have more important things to worry [Music] about just some field workor sweetie Morel is a highly trained scientist he and his assistant Gary are studying an extremely rare species of insect but they should have returned by now they were just going down the coast across the water lock to set a few traps he said they'd be back on Monday what could oh sweetie it's nothing like that Gary's as loyal as they come I trust him with my husband's life any day there's a nameless old fishing Village nearby but we've never had any trouble there before there is a lot of crime around here isn't there I can't say it's the best part of town but I wouldn't worry too much about a pair of grown men traveling together the lieutenant doesn't want to agitate the woman do it find her husband this will surely lead to a crypto Zoological mystery with that extremely rare insect some fringe science is exactly what's needed right now spice up that vanilla murder investigation are you sure we have time to go chasing after bug Hunters just now I did suggest we played cool but if you say so oh thank you officers truly I I'll be right here if you come across any sign of morel oh sweetie it's fascinating but I shouldn't bore you with enological maner the lieutenant gives you a sideways glance what else it's a fmid technically but a yes fasm toia a diverse group of insects whose bodies resemble Twigs leaves that sort of thing ghost insects colloqui oh yeah here comes the interesting where other fats Ms imitate sticks or leaves this one's a living Reed it disguises itself among the reads here on the Insel Indian coast hence it's named the insal Indian fmid perhaps you'll end up co-discovered the fmid with us officers to be honest this animal sounds like a crypted you wouldn't happen to be searching for some kind of gome of Goma would you I smell pseudo science he's thinking not a big fan of that it's simply elusive so much so that most establishment zoologists doubt it exists at all establishment I thought so not at all why else would it hide itself so carefully yes it can blend in almost perfectly among the reads it's how it stayed hidden all these years centuries even that's not special at all of course it Blends in most insects do you don't even have to be a stick insect for that oh I doubt it no one gets into crypto zoology for the money sweetie well some teenagers making out in the read saw one they they didn't know what it was of course but there was a brief article in a local newspaper about their encounter with a ghost insect that looks like the reads Gary sent us the clipping of course most fmid sightings turn out to be false alarms but their description matched the Insel Indian fmid perfectly and they didn't even know what they were looking at oh dear I'm afraid I'm not explaining this very well it is very special Morel can explain it all much better I wish you could hear him describe it then you'd understand I'm sure oh dear I'm not sure where to begin we'll be celebrating our 16th anniversary this Autumn not the most numerically satisfying anniversary but I like the less obvious M Stones even more somehow via dating agency I'm ashamed to say I was looking to get back into the scene after recovering from my accident and he just divorced we hit it off and well here we are she's skipping over some important parts perhaps you'll find out more later well his expression is slightly grumpy but his eyes are always bright and curious like a small boy and his palm are quite coarse from all the field work but he's quite gentle oh well he's a bit shorter than you but with a larger frame and he has longish white hair usually a bit uncombed you might say wild even the lieutenant pulls out his notebook and begins jotting down the woman's description one other thing he'll likely have all kinds of field gear on on him even if he's not out in the reads you know just in case I hope I've been [Music] useful can I help [Music] you another thing great I love those what are you a cook now that's none of your business he wasn't pan fried he was lynched what could the kitchen possibly have to do with fine okay the kitchen is closed until 1:00 p.m. because the cook is working you can snoop around after that if you must yes and the phone company is taking its sweet time sending someone to fix it losers who told you that fine yeah it looked like someone had messed with the wiring it was shortly after the hanging but I don't know if it's at all related plenty of [ __ ] around here who aren't murderers if you do find out who cut the line though let me know so I can afford them the repair Bill yes [Music] a thin man is smoking below an exhaust Hood occasionally sipping from his mug this must be the whings cook as you step in he nods toward the table and says something in a completely foreign language the only words you can make out are garansi and kubc it must be his name garansi garansi Quebec sounds [Music] representative the man puts his cup down and replies something his left hand drawing arcs in the air he looks up at you then looks away quickly shrugging and muttering something to him himself shrugging is an international sign for no I don't know what's behind that door The Mention Of Manana gets his attention he smiles and delivers a whole slew of unfamiliar words and Lively gestures then he falls silent again he smiles and bangs his lader against each of his pots in turn it's almost like music especially with the sounds of assorted dishes boiling and simmering on the stove the man says a couple of sentences in that strange language of his and then seems to wait for you to speak B need more vka okay so it's vodka that keeps the men happy and in good good spirits clever move by the union vodka I love it bratan turn it the [ __ ] up and then ask for some yourself turning it up seems like a dangerous idea honestly the place is a powder kick he smiles nodding vigorously then pours half a bottle of vodka into the pot with a whistle he stirs The Brew he smiles and nods enthusiastically and chattering away in his language ladles some brew into a small thermal cup then hands it to you [ __ ] does Kuno care it's not Kuno it's Kuno s [ __ ] you Whispering about he's Whispering too he's going with it but Watch What Happens [ __ ] you it's Whispering about if Kuno wants to whisper he's going to [ __ ] whisper okay let's whisper Pig this is it you've got him but be careful you can still [ __ ] this up don't make Kuno look bad in this crazy you don't know the half of it she's not crazy she's insane dangerous she smoked a man she's done people in probably even pigs stop talking to him Kuno I'm [ __ ] warning you you're going to get us into [ __ ] she understands what you're trying to do yo see did Kuno not tell you Kuno told you Kuno talked whoever he wants talk Pig kun's got it under control you did it they're separated he's even turned his back to her so she can't read his lips [ __ ] she can read lips you should cup your mouth [ __ ] no she's not my sister she's just a stray who got in like a mad dog or some [ __ ] yeah she was just there what was that kunai she was in the hallway dripping wet by the [ __ ] shoak in the dark Kuno got no [ __ ] idea her hair was all wet I think she pissed on the floor too she was there for 3 Days in the corner every time kuna went out I don't know someone left the door open Kuno comes home and she's sleeping under the desk under a pile of clothes like a dog kun's dad doesn't give a [ __ ] doesn't even see her there or thinks it's [ __ ] Kuno shit's all on Kuno Kuno Kuno s Two of a Kind cuz she [ __ ] looks like Kuno no one knows her name Kuno calls us see F NOS she says it's the song of a people or some [ __ ] crazy people the [ __ ] nais I don't know sounds boreo like something from the tundra and tiger covered Cutler Isola far far away from here as far as possible really you mean evil little red-haired people like her yes they do the suru have that Ginger Jean Sur is like that man from shellam doll [ __ ] she could be she could be [ __ ] Ral does have a small Sur Community or she climbed into a yak Berry crate and was shipped over accidentally yeah she's psycho none of that kitty psycho C and [ __ ] she does the real deal yeah snuff radio [ __ ] believe me pig you don't want to know Kuno means she killed someone that's right sees a killer like actually a killer are you getting this you think I'm [ __ ] telling you a joke here how hard do you think it is to kill a fat ass sweet talk him then knife him she's probably killed a pig too I mean I'm pretty sure she has forget Kuno said that Kuno was just [ __ ] Kuno was just running his mouth Kuno stupid like that the creature PE at you both from over the fence there is something searching in her eyes yeah she would have liked to [ __ ] him up but she didn't Kuno wasn't around and C was with Kuno look Kuno is going to put you at ease we didn't do it he speaks the truth My Le how's Kuno dealing Kuno is dealing just fine he doesn't need you [ __ ] with any of it see doesn't either Coo's got this [ __ ] under control listen listen see is Kuno goto Coo's protecting her you [ __ ] with see you [ __ ] with Kuno you threaten her you threaten to take it away this is what it all comes down to he needs you to take him seriously now I I'm going to kill you I'll run when you put the cuffs on it sneak up on you later and [ __ ] you up you understand all right now we can do business yeah what do you want Kuno can hook you up with don't hook him up with [ __ ] Kuno see relax he respects the Kuno Kuno made him respect the Kuno you respect the Kuno you get all kinds of [ __ ] Kuno is going to get you hooked on illegal narcotics if you run a little edent for the Kuno get you hooked Pig get his hook in you then Kuno going to get you hooking for more cashing big style pig cooker that's right Kuno is a candy store for pigs now get ready to be rewarded Kuno gets it from his dad Kuno and his dad had a major suppliers that's where Kuno gets his lightning on problem is Kuno and his dad had a little falling out now junky's claing at kun's door Street's going mad kun's got to throw his dirty popo man at it Dy popo man is you in there is Kuno violent dad on steroids kun's dad does steroids and speed if you can take him you can have half of the speed Coo's dad is a [ __ ] monster he's the most violent man in rol he doesn't give a [ __ ] about a single thing he drinks too are you sure you can take on the most violent man in rers Shaw in your condition like her a baggy but like in this vial that's half a grham sir yeah half a g want it or not [ __ ] you talking about half a g this [ __ ] is giant grade a [ __ ] so clean you can barely see it you can barely see it because there's barely any okay Kuno is listening sure whatever if you survive make sure to bring that [ __ ] back to Kuno Kuno is almost out you wouldn't like the Kuno when he's out just get in the apartment building Kuno knows you already [ __ ] your way in Kuno knows everything go to room 12 first floor and kick down the door police violence style Kuno style and then it's action time you're locked in the room with violent [ __ ] that's it next time Kuno sees you you better have his [ __ ] what the hell are you signing us up for here okay then the [ __ ] about it you're testing Kuno patience here get lost yeah the kingdom of Kuno the [ __ ] do you want with it yeah Kuno doesn't know [ __ ] about that that [ __ ] is beneath Kuno listen listen Kuno doesn't care about this small time [ __ ] just listen Kuno saw what you did there dumpster diving sad [ __ ] Kuno could hook you up with some sweet Rags [ __ ] like Kuno wearing your size good price 500 look Kuno a seen [ __ ] lying around except for that up there now you want performance gear or not Grandpa the lieutenant remains silent but his expression couldn't say I Told You So any louder Pig these are F modular liquid fit performance crutch urban survival [ __ ] made in me over by scientists pant scientists believe it you need this [ __ ] these could drastically improve your chances of survival in the urban Wilderness they will also make you into an idiot all right pigle [ __ ] rolling don't do business with a pig Kuno he's going to steal your money Kuno as you can see Kuno and SE don't trust you can't do business without trust there's more to his distrust than being a pig he feels threatened by something obscure in you what that is however remains a puzzle for now the [ __ ] a mug in the trash is this about the [ __ ] clothes again yeah Kuro sees where this is going kuro's got that fast brain you saying you pigs her after the mug [ __ ] cuz he's the clothes [ __ ] I can't hear you Kuno speak louder Kuno [ __ ] that's tense someone's going to the beat down basement huh mug guy going to get tired to the radiator Kuno doesn't know who put that [ __ ] in there and if he did he wouldn't squeal but if you find out maybe you can stop turning into a pig Kuno they're trying to get you hooked on the snitch in get away from my Kuno yeah get your bacon [ __ ] away Kuno doesn't like to be seen with the popo get your [ __ ] done and out of kun's face yeah whatever Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] e Pig we' fall now performance buddies Kun see you saring through the air like a [ __ ] eagle picking Kuno debt now money Deb Kuno doesn't [ __ ] care yes hello me no one I'm just the working class woman she doesn't really want to be disturbed that much is she such a working class woman why isn't she working not all the time right now I'm browsing books even a workingclass woman needs something to read I know you are everyone can see that the rectangles what with her hands move over the book covers the tips of her fingers look rough stained with yellow it seems like she has spent a lot of time at work smoking my husband no he's not I don't know at home now out drinking with his friends barking where is this guy officer she gives you a short nod and shifts her attention back to books the woman before you nods and returns to her reading [Music] [Music] [Music] a Shabby door hangs oddly on its hinges secured to the door frame with a safety chain an unpaid Energy bill is attached threatening to cut off the electricity it's addressed to Mr Uno DOA and the place comes with three months worth of utility bills no response you'll need to equip the chain Cutters to enter snip right through the metal a Shabby door hangs oddly on its hinges secured to the door frame with a safety chain an unpaid Energy bill is attached threatening to cut off the electricity it's addressed to Mr Uno DOA snip the cutter goes through them like Dead Leaves the links fall to the ground on the other side of the door I noce no stop you but let's at least make this quick Master investigator you just can't keep yourself away from locked in hidden places can you at a boy the world's secrets were made for you they wait patiently for you to uncover them for [Music] a bundle of clothes heaped on the bed a stained Parker some towels and a duvet some socks even something underneath there is breathing it's not too late no one's going to blame you for backing out you don't have to do this just get out your hand touches a greasy du covered in cigarette Burns and ketchup stains you hear a growl there is something alive underneath it you see a 60-year-old fat redheaded Man passed out from large amounts of alcohol and God knows what else the smell of [ __ ] rises from his mouth you don't have to take him down he's already down well judging by the color of his hair I would say yes it is the Lieutenant's right the man's unwashed hair Bears a familiar Ginger tone even the hair on his chest is coppery the light from the window falls into his half openen eyes no it really doesn't this looks very hard to recover from this man won't be feeding his family anytime soon not that he was but at least he won't be beating his son a pair of half openen bug eyes is staring back at you from the dark empty and Frozen it's clear that the person behind them is not awake can't you tell it happens to exceptionally committed substance abusers they fall asleep with their eyelids still open not a pretty side look he's trying to communicate the man groans once again but his tongue keeps failing him it's impossible to make out the syllables a hand emerges from the blankets trying to gesticulate something and then it Dawns upon you clear and surreal pigs he says he's trying to call you pigs his hand falls back on the bed limp and defeated a loud snore escapes his mouth he's asleep again at least he got to say his peace what is there to do we could turn him on his side so he doesn't choke on his own vomit but he's already on his side we could take him to remedy or S batist but he doesn't have money for medical services the arms would turn him down they don't do charity for people who are trying to kill themselves besides he'll be dead in a few the pile of blankets grunts miserably a phone book Lies open on the table covering a stack of utility bills right next to it in plain sight it's a small bottle of amphetamine conveniently equipped with a straw good confiscate it the minuscule amount of amphetamine doesn't interest the lieutenant in the slightest he listens instead to Something in the other room you pocket the bottle as if it were the most natural thing in the world [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] vigilance officer what and This Old Car B do for you yes the Dead's Union pays me to stand V during the nights not out of any political allegiance mind you I'm an old man don't sleep more than a few hours every night anyway and money is tight yes it does unfortunately I wasn't working that night been on a two we leave since last Monday It's A Private Matter nothing to do with your investigation you see officer Renee is the kind of man would rather die than admid in needs medical assistance or God forbid sick it a real man's man is just going to write it out I'm fine God damn it mind your own business it's nothing just go to C back on coffee no one the buos has been on man since last Monday there's no other guard it's just me no one has been guarding the container yard since last Monday yes it's it's not actually an issue I mean l officers the container yard doesn't actually need a Guardsman never had one before R mer CLA had that boo built specially for him it's mostly decorative the possibility of someone being in there is enough to discourage any ill-minded individuals herard created this job for Renee because he knows the Royal carabineers pension of Ono and PTSD even something a man can can live off her decorated Kingsman collecting tear reflects bad on the world Neighborhood his words oh I didn't mean to imply there's something wrong with that I do it to everyone does it it's an excellent side thing yes yes yes can we conclude the topic of my Gout boost now he is not going to become an entrepreneur she is nobody this is none of your concern and I refuse to discuss my Private Affairs with the RCM the lady is Jan Mari Buu and she sure Asel wasn't a nobody yes yes like I said it would be up anyway so might as well keep an eye out he keeps my senses sharp it's a b mrave 4.46 caliber Bridge loading Ral made good weapon accurate and reliable his moves are quick and precise as he first checks the weapon then aims it at the sea this man knows firearms [Music] intimately this one's inoperable the Bol spring is missing and the mechanism is jammed shut still a beauty where did you find her I'm not surprised there are probably lots of Forgotten wartime weapons lying around here back in the day everyone had something stashed away as for the rifle I don't know what else to tell you these BM 446s are an antique no one used them anymore the ammunition is impossible to find I have really HED down myself this is divine yes that's what you need Gaston more padding on that fat ass of yours I hope your heart gives out it's a little pleasures life doesn't need to be a struggle hello officer how might I be of assistance on this fine day oh sweet Jenny she was the finest woman in Hall of rash maybe the entire world do not defile her memory Gaston let all rest in peace we knew her our right lived on the same street our entire lives just two houses apart the three of us have been best friends since we were four she was R's first girl back when the prick was 16 they were cting till he decided he'd rather die for some great ideal than just be Happ and then you sto her from me well technically you stole her from me because we'd been pretty close ever since you two had that falling out over the ink you spilled over a pretty yellow dress we were just boys then this was different you no point starting this all over again for the thousandth and the first time especially when we have come company officer she died of pneumonia two Winters ago it was a quiet passage peaceful FY and I were B by her bedside when she died no use sugar coating it won't bring her back will it now they parted until the very hand she couldn't decide between us the most indecisive woman I've ever met she could never make up a mind about anything what to have for breakfast favorite color or which one of us to marry she was always leaving one of us for the other but never long enough to actually get married heck technically we're both still in engaged to her you always confused her couldn't let us be happy sedu her with your fancy wordss and pastries of course officer memories are all we have left oh the goal is to throw you bull as close to the Kos as you can that's the cion well first you draw a circle about a alpha meter in diameter we made ours out of rope then the order of play is determined by a coin toss you win it you get to throw the cushiony then the players aim to throw their bulls as close to the cion as possible they must stay in the circle and keep both fit planted I could but I'd rather not I don't want to take up your time with trivial details officer you'll put that knowledge to good use in 20 I mean 50 years I'm sure of that officer I don't like where this is going officer don't you think we should do something else [Music] now hurry up then let me think I heard someone was hanged and left on a tree for a week but that's all I know really no officers I'm sorry and I really would like to assist you are boss good guys I can see that then help them you wimp you are plenty of shoulder we see go cavar in the union someone must know something I wish I could but I just don't know anything I always keep my nose clean and don't gossip everyone knows and respects that respects I'm not I'm not even any of course he's holding back his mouth is so full of Union prick he can't even speak properly can I at least finish my [ __ ] sentence before you piss on it is that okay Renee I'm not anyone important in the union I just know Evart everyone in Martinez knows the Clare Brothers I told this boy's human studies and history in the gymnasium what do you know about about history you never witnessed history only heard about it years later when it had already moved on you don't know history there he stands proud rigid and alone like a cracken marble statue let's try not to get caught in a crossfire lest we leave riddled with bullet holes this animosity is ancient oh in many ways yes like an honorary member I attend meetings and parties help with little things Evart Edgar and the older deers all know me not in the technical sense I don't have a vote or a membership card but art keeps me on the payroll just for the little things of course he's not a member he's not a member of anything I knew that he's a VAV turns to where he Wind Blows and tries to look important I hate the Socialist Rebel but even sighing with them is better than living your entire life on defense never committing to anything pick a damn side already writing work mostly occasionally he needs something written and I have happen to have a way with words people say oh nothing official I assure you just essays for the newspapers about Martinez and how things are and how they could be avart and I have these long talks where where he tells his little pen man exactly what to say it's come propaganda plain and simple you should be ashamed of yourself no thank you for being consumate professionals you'll have this case wrapped up in no time [Music] [Music] you see a Samaran street vendor surrounded by a mly assemblage of goods when he realizes you're looking at him his face breaks into a wide welcoming grin the name s is embroidered over his breast pocket happy shopping officer everything's cool here everything's cool the goods are cool the customers are cool the place is cool and one more thing officer you're very cool bang bang bang bang you're right Officer 100% no playing around then Strictly Business maybe I can interest you in some premium men's wear instead me it's a boring story officer who cares about the past I'm all business now all rol this man probably comes from sey sometimes known as the apricot suarti an archipelago in the Samara Isola see guys apricot suar anti it's all the same to me it's all cool I'm interested in sales go ahead let's make one super high quality friendly prices only the coolest Goods in rev I've got sneakers speakers extremely comfy pants too try them on right here no shame only Freedom good joke officer here we don't have permits just economic freedom take a look around you glance around at the cpid buildings the miserable weather the sidewalk strewn with sunflower seeds and a dust choked air it's beautiful beautiful Freedom it is yes anyone can set up their shop whenever they feel like it that's right no permits no bureaucracy that's why this city and its low officials are so cool if you wanted to be cynical abouted you could say we are here to protect the interests of property holders I am not however my man officer you make all this possible without you this climate would be extremely bad for business you're part of the gossam must did Gosa is a fine filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders seen especially in Autumn it's safe to say he's referring to the near absence of [Music] regulations yeah yeah that's the main thing about you freedom is great it's what lets independent entrepreneurs like me sell quality Goods at competitive prices I'm an entrepreneur officer I've got sources buyers suppliers Distributors manufacturers wholesalers all extremely cool and above board no need for discounts at ceilings officer everything already on sale anything you want 50% off anything for [Music] you there are clothes inside cheap secondhand clothes smelling of strangers body odors don't be shy these are premium class clothes good quality Fabrics best retro design save the economy with your style officer sir how about some premium class service over here like paying with net worth go over and ask him if you can do that you find your hands deep in tattered and Faded garments made from weird poly Blends that make your body itch and sweat in all the wrong places economical but also trendy look Firth Hand by second hand keep the economy moving no good all you can come up with are some treated wool pants you can tell they're too tight around your thighs and too loose around the waist they itch like hell like an itch pit in hell all natural materials see real wool 100% skin friendly and they're yours for only Tal you see two lowly defeated speakers THS slaves basically perched at top them like conquerors surveying the land a pair of f durable wear sneakers Ultra serious I can see you a taste for luxury officer can't keep your eyes off those sneakers speaking of luxury you should go over and ask about paying for those sneakers with your net worth these once respectable speakers have been conquered reduced to a mere prop by the indomitable found altras the top them no no don't look at the speakers officer look at the sneakers the sneakers are the stars here no don't pity them officer these are old Samaran garbage don't even look at them check out these super cool fun ultas instead Samaran trash that sounds like they're from the Samaran People's Republic produced under the dictatorship of the proletariat no way officer these aren't for sale they're bad speakers low F socialist junk no officer you're a high class police man who accepts nothing less than the best lucky for you I've got the best on sale you do officer you do remember we don't have to resort to socialism we can have nice things too at socialist prices a pair of found Ultras the design is impossibly Sleek and simple a futuristic silhouette with a Sleek monochrome colorway a jet black upper and a silver lined Mido dedicated Victorious sporty these F sneakers are a must have for a track and field Legend those sneakers Mister those sneakers are the latest F sneakers super rare super fine super cool only 50 R only that's Madness [Music] there's a pile of cheap sunglasses in a small box a variety of shapes and colors you like sunglasses officer I've got the latest Styles right here stylish Shades huh they'd be even more stylish if you paid for them with net worth go over and ask him abort these are hideous what's more they don't even fit your face you can feel them pinching your nose and chafing against your brow damn officer you look like a mega secret spy very secret they're practically made for you I'll let you have them for two real and 50 cents no you are definitely not buying those are you sure but they look so good on you you should think this through officer these are all boring boring Third Rate hoam sunglasses made of cheap sires plastic the kind of plastic that melts in the sun those UV stickers are almost certainly just there for the show if anything these lenses probably direct more UV light into your pupils a UV magnifier these are all first red sunglasses premium design superb material very cool UV resistant these were definitely keep your eyes safe and fool while doing your dangerous police work no luck all you find is this lime colored cellophane visor produced byy a bargain sportsware brand called amphibian apparently there's a malformed green frog on his bent cap oh that visor is perfect for you officer it'll definitely keep the Sun out of your eyes while you're shooting criminals bang bang and all for a m six R I hope not you don't like it sure Square Joe no problem let's get you some real shades good morning to you officers a Burly man hangs out by the water loock carving up a generous serving of salami with an old Hunter's knife His Eyes Are Fixed On A man stranded on the other side of the water lock and on an enormous billboard that has fallen down into the canal between them I wasn't here to witness it but those look like tire tracks on that sign weird huh then again plenty of Daredevil drivers in rivershell the words Daredevil driver sound ominous to you too bad it also takes a year in a day to repair anything around here especially a water lock the rest of the coast is closed off till then then well there's the fishing Village an abandoned Fish Market a Bizarro church not much used to the congregation though there always seems to be something wrong with it yeah not really much else just bombed out ruins a couple of indicator lights are missing from this control panel loose wires dangle from the now vacant holes in the middle is a lever beneath it a small metal plaque this panel usually closes the water lock turning it into a bridge that lets you cross the canal but there's a crashed Samaran butter sign in the way pulling the lever probably won't do anything pull the lever all the way up until the metal clicks against the contact pins you hear a soft clunk then nothing happens nothing happens a cold gust of wind blowing in from the sea interrupts The Silence of the situation mhm a spring brings the lever back to its original position you still need to close the water lock to get across the canal some other way wasn't there a sign over there saying functionality would be restored on Wednesday morning I [Music] [Music] [Music] it's not often that I see officers from the RCM in my porn shop what can I do for you his courtesy is not insincere but he prefers being alone with his projector just watching the movement of light across the walls of the shop I haven't had any problems myself though some of my customers have complained about inconsistent law enforcement who are your customers usually all kinds of people come from through here locals Travelers people looking for a deal people looking for a keep sake people who are terminally bored as you can see I have a wide selection of goods for everyone to choose from it keeps me entertained hello again how can I help you okay he definitely is high whatever it is you've probably done it and many other things besides but you can't cut through the jumble of Sensations to get to the answer let me have a look anything else you're thinking of selling I'm not purchasing any more clothing at the moment and especially that tire it swallows photons around it I have no need for necrotic objects your mother is an necrotic object I'm fun look at me sparking in the light of the projector another time perhaps feeling warm and enthralled by the movement of light while the Mind continues to race forward Lucky Bastard he's probably on peridon it's tough to come by on the street a drug developed by the military to treat and prevent radiation sickness it has psychedelic side effects and it makes your eyes turn yellow how would I know those triangle patches on his vest you have a feeling they mean something like they're similar to the hallogen rectangle on your jacket I was I was with the emergency relief Brigade you know after the people's pile disaster had to tape rodon for radiation sickness that's what you were hinting at just now wasn't it he's taken it for mental and emotional not physical pain these days a bad idea some poor leftist built a particle Decay generator in hopes of bringing affordable electricity to underserve communities it malfunctioned radioactive waste everywhere probably some of it in you too we were an all volunteer Force self-organized tried to help the fire brigades contain the spill I lived by the river since I was a small boy the Esperance didn't have the art to let it all go to [ __ ] without trying to do something to help out there wasn't much the volunteer Force could do however we wasted years in the river mud years getting sick there's a reason why everyone's tried to forget any of it ever happened and why no one has tried to repair or replace the pile so much disappointment and early death cancer mostly and we knew all that was coming even as we were cleaning up as best we could no On's everyone's so much bitterness a bunch of poor people built themselves A Primitive nuclear reactor hoping for the best what do you think is going to happen the cleanup happened 15 years ago I was young then later my second Aunt Di died left me this Shack and all the assorted junk in it so I came to martines people told me don't go there it's a [ __ ] hole I said people we just had a nuclear pile meltdown I'm going to get as far away from forberg as I can still in the same city but I like the theory more than the story out W movement not vortices yeah you got to get in on those vortices my man I doubt it but I can try and answer any questions you may have I do my best to keep my distance from all manner of Butchery bad for business bad for everyone the porn broker's gaze is already fixed on the dancing colors someone else came here earlier today asking the same question I promptly sold her the gun you pawned a couple days back the lieutenant shifts from one foot to another alert you uh you were adamant about getting rid of it officer said you were undeserving of a service weapon of the Rev Shaw citizens militia and I don't like keeping guns around the shop for long off the charts Photon emissions the unhealthy kind she didn't seem like a policeman although she kept referring to herself as a pig which was odd I found her interest in the gun a bit obsessive but I was just happy to get rid of it and of her truth be told she was terrifying right so let me get this right you sold your sidearm issued by the citizens militia and now a civilian is running around the streets of Martinez with it you're right the CH could cast aspersions on the force we have to find her my apologies officer but I have no idea where she was coming from or where she went a needle in a Hy stack there is nothing you can do about it now you'll just have to hope you luck upon her somehow of course Kingdom of conscience the kingdom of conscience will be exactly as it is now moralists don't really have beliefs some sometimes they stumble on one like on a child's toy left on the carpet the toy must be put away immediately and the child reprimanded centrism isn't change not even incremental change it is control over yourself and the world exercise it look up at the sky at the dark shapes of the Coalition airships hanging there ask yourself is there something minister in moralism and then answer no God is in his Heaven everything is normal on Earth typical Martina street light sits among assorted floor and table lamps yes officer as you see it's in perfect working order it was brought to me to be altered we are not here to investigate the theft of city property you have to admit it's rather clever what he's done with it the light pole has been carefully cut and the wiring has been redone and attached to a standard indoor plug the light buzzes faintly but persistently this would make quite a statement in your living room 700 rale a bargain I dare say the light has undergone three Transformations and every transformation large or small has a price tag well there are the cost of removal and rewiring the most important transformation is the light's placement among ordinary indoor fixtures which has adjusted his morphological field the light became suitable for use inside the home just a few days ago okay that checks out the boom boxes on the Shelf look well loved and well traveled chipped dented they stare at you with the unblinking eyes of their tape reels one especially catches your eye deep gold and Amber plastic with a big old handle on top a classic boom box that says stereo 8 approved this is you golden orange a sunset Suite just make sure it works before you buy it absolutely I've tested each one myself with recordings of speech found sounds and music from a variety of genres even though I don't really like music if police work means playing tapes sure you can use it for that or any other the time you'd need to play a tape is the Harmon weli W2 made in Vesper designed in SEO plays all real toore formats 2 mm 8 mm 12 mm it's even got a little radio in there it'll set you back 12 rale and here you are quality sound reproduction on the go it'll play anything wherever turn any tape into a conversation of sounds and shapes you see rows of toy soldiers guarding the rest of the trinkets displayed on the table some on Horseback others in rags others yet in bright blue uniforms all are Stern and unyielding in their Duty try to find something pretty and cool here then use it to win her back yes buy something nice a figurine big men on big horses glad in Lamela armor and carrying Flint loocks the kind that would mow down a line of enemy soldiers in the blink of an eye frankco nerian knight I used to be very serious about these guys a long long time ago they're not all blue these figurines also wear gold coats and caps complemented by orange trousers they are variously posed wielding swords and rifles with bayonets this is what the Loyalists look like yes at first then they wised up in good camouflage which ones ah royalist soldiers from the time of the Revolution the uniforms are painted a bit too brightly I suppose this set of soldiers isn't meant to look impressive a few have rifles but most of them carry pistols some even shovels and toall sticks you're probably talking about the revolutionaries yes yes they are soldiers revolutionary soldiers I think they're poverty has been exaggerated for effect when you place them next to the royalist it doesn't seem like they could possibly win okay I don't like either set too much to be honest why what's this a headless man riding a horse a headless man wearing futuristic tracksuit trousers that save F oh let that's the Headless phone Rider the Headless phone Rider it's an open legend about a man who rods the streets of riversol sporting a fallen tracksuit as you see he's missing his head 50 cents bargain price I'll throw in the tiny cap too I think he's looking for it or something that part of the story has many interpretations did I mention that this figurine is supposed to be lucky always carry it with you that was a very smooth salesman's grin that almost comes off as Earnest you should learn from him [Music] still here stuck in this damn Jam my man what's up ah man me and narcotics go way back had some good times surfing the psychic waves of my own Consciousness you know but those days are behind me there are other addictions of my life now why the inquiry my man we have a credible lead sir someone on this roundabout is waiting for a bell shipment from the harbor to load it on their Lori and drive it to Jamrock not me man no way I don't need any trouble shit's bad enough anyway this Jam's got Folks up in arms and I'm afraid it's headed toward a configration got to guard the stuff bosses don't look kindly on missing cargo and it gives me time to work on my Rhymes a rhyme Smith this is quite credible it goes with its Cadence and way of speaking look man I try to stay away from the criminal underbelly of Reva I'm a guest here you really need to find another man to probe with those questions still here stuck in this damn Jam my man what's up wait there's something here stored away in some dusty corner it starts like whoa what else silent communion that's good dang that's some great [ __ ] you came up with that yourself right but really no [ __ ] that's great stuff I sort of want to know if it's yours [ __ ] hey seems I got you all wrong cops aren't much known for their artistic sensibilities these days it's good to meet a fellow poet someone with an appreciation for real text the others here see they don't really get it yeah I guess I owe you an apology for thinking otherwise and again great [ __ ] you found some common ground with this man even impressed him the next time you look in the mirror though remember those words looking for something aun come to tell me to [ __ ] off again oh man oh man that great look at that guy go I haven't seen anything that funny in a while God D thanks for that but no it's not mine drugs they're [ __ ] man I don't let anything pollute my body you know where that [ __ ] comes from Sara safre Mara they take the money from our local Jung is here and then use it to out compet Us in the manufacturing sector they know they can't beat us in a fair fight so they have to get us to weaken ourselves somehow it's Ral sabotage ra economic sabotage I don't go for that forign piss prop boo is made in Mundi or sometimes I like a drum of the Yugo vodka Coos Ain wor much but they do no booze he eyes you wearily Unsure how to respond this goes on for about 2 seconds then I don't know [ __ ] and if I did I wouldn't tell you what do you think I can't leave Zan guarded stuff's been getting looted lately is those little Kips sneaking on that night if they touch my stuff the bses will be on my ass like ass cancer there was a bunch of spilled boxes in the back of a big lorry nearby yeah I knew that guy he was an Hest driver who loved his country we were having a good debate about genetics at the wheeling in rags when some kid boys smashed his lock and took Dam near everything lost his [ __ ] job over it since he left him I haven't had anyone to talk to it's a [ __ ] travesty is what it is isn't it obvious [ __ ] seing that bidy eyed s Samaran his little side business is a scam I wouldn't be surprised if he was pedling drugs as well of course he's a l driver what he tell you he's just some simple businessman or some [ __ ] he's selling his employer stuff after he broke the seals on his human his tribe are natural liers it's in their blood he's your man all right 100% I wouldn't be so sure about it not until we've heard what cang himself has to say guess so everything's still cool here officer drugs I don't go in for that officer drugs ruin lives unless you're into drugs of course in in which case drugs are excellent W tasty tasty drugs that's very cool I don't like drugs either I only said I do because I didn't want to sound lame peir pressure that's even cooler you investigating narcotics crimes like that but I am not a lry driver I'm just a street vendor I don't know anything about that who said that it's the fat racist right I bet it's him he has an agenda against me because I'm an immigrant who works harder than he does he's a hater so you admit you're a lur driver no I just said I work harder and he's an [ __ ] I'm realizing he can't get out of it smart man okay maybe I'm a Lori driver too a little but that's not the most most important thing about me that's my day job this is my dream no I just forgot it's such a small part of my life it's in the rear view mirror now I'm climbing out of that hole with Ingenuity no that's insane it's the fat hater he's been eyeing me for a week and he sent you here maybe he he's the one huh have you thought about that nothing I told you I'm not a dumb guy I don't get in bolded with that crowd and what crowd is that crowd you know the drug crowd no use he's not telling us he's too afraid we need to take him to my station and ask him there after we've called his bus okay look there's bad people doing bad things here that's all I know please don't get me into this mess I spent 15 years working my way up it's a she okay the other drivers call her the lady driver you're better off staying away from her the way they talk about her she's no lady I don't know maybe if she is I have a gone near her I don't get involved I told you it could be she was strange all of them I don't know I told you all I know are we cool now I really want us to be cool now who exactly is talking about this lady driver of yours the racist or the other one with the tattoos all of them even the ones who've left I don't hang out with them I don't remember who has tattoos all right I scored let's cap this off with the purchase you can walk away from here with funky sunglasses detectives both of you you deserve it [Music] now it's turning into a kind of a snow limbo man what's on your mind I don't want to talk about that man I was hoping it isn't going to be her all I can say is she isn't around here anymore she isn't some evil drug trafficker and I don't know where she is I didn't man I told you I was hoping it's not her that she wouldn't be mixed up in it thank God I don't know people here call her the lady driver she kept her name a secret for me too now I see why a youngish woman Gruff but in a cool way what could our hair blue and violet died it was Violet when she got here blew before she went then she may have died it again a friend an acquaintance I don't know she was the only person in this damn Jam I could talk to she's someone I don't want to rat out to the law okay damn I don't want to please just let it go whatever she did it can't be that bad she's not a bad person I know that much we can just let it go it's part of a police investigation that's how it always is with you isn't it all part of the investigation the girl's troubled if you hunt her down she may not survive it I can't have that on my conscience it won't come to that we won't pursue her on this this is information only I don't believe you she's got the darkness in her that Young Person's darkness when you think it's all over and you're looking for a way out she shared this with you yes which is why I don't want to snitch on her I heard the rumors I saw the other drivers looking at me strange when we talked and she told me too that she's had a violent life but I wasn't afraid of her more like for her did this violent life include drug trafficking well it looks like it did now but we didn't talk about that we talked about life you know she talked about her mind the way it worked the trouble it was given her [ __ ] man go grow someone else with these questions okay there are plenty of drivers here who couldn't stand her or were afraid of her they'd be more than happy to rat her out he's right there are other options the racan for one push Tommy and it will break his heart and his Spirit don't expect you to be Pals you're not going to put a bullet in your head if you blow it are you cuz she's on the edge man imagine it an explosion of stars Goodbye World of men money and machines thank you friend wow this makes me feel like I should pick up smoking again would help with my Rhymes [Music] too looking for something aun come to tell me to [ __ ] off again I don't know what you're talking about he did something he stole his employer goods and another la man's job you should be thankful for the tip listen up [ __ ] you don't scare me you Cubs don't run Ral West you don't run Martinez you don't run anything no he means lauta Madre a legendary and not in a good way Crime Boss from Jamrock controls what is probably the most powerful organized crime outfit in reverol West looks like the lieutenant has a plan let him do this yeah him then I presume you are familiar with his Pon yeah they're his little [ __ ] he's got them all of other the unions not just the unions he has peers everywhere some say he even has them in the AR M dirty [ __ ] Pioneers who do anything for him multiethnic drug addicts you're not peonies you wouldn't be investigating a drug thing if you were no of course not we are not peonies but if we were and one of madre's drivers were to be stealing from him then it's a good Pi's job to find out who that is it's not a hard job it won't take a long time it won't make b m angry but a stupid [ __ ] racist is standing in the way protecting this [ __ ] teeth I'm not scared of you or the mob I'm under the protection of the lorman and Carter's Guild you've seen the corpse in the yard yes you took a peek I know you did does it look like his friends protected him nah you wouldn't just leave him out there if you the lieutenant turns and gives you a barely perceptible nod I've softened him up as best I could now it's on you to finish the job men like this only respect two things strength and fear [ __ ] you I told you I'm not going to there his voice grow smaller as yours look [ __ ] you man it's om down there green banged up thing I don't [ __ ] know who she is when did she go away I don't know I don't even know her name she just rules with the fleet and acts like a big shot some dke probably I haven't even seen her for days is pass the monument down there the green Temple now leave me the [ __ ] alone okay a small Temple by the monument Green Let's get into that Lor [Music] this screen Found A to Z contemp is parked in the shadow of the ruins looming overhead it's seen better days this must be the one he told us about unless he was laying the glass on the side windows is tinted and covered with dust you can barely make out the shape of the seat and two steering levers the door is locked the handle looks shiny like it's recently replaced use the cry bar to smash the window open it from the inside I don't know how good it is but this investigation has taken long enough we can't afford it to take any longer this screen Found A to Z contempor is parked in the shadow of the ruins looming overhead it seen better days prybar in hand you take a hard swing at the window a loud thunk rings out and the pry bar bounces back leaving a tiny spider web on the glass no it's not shatterproof give me [Music] that he smashes it into the window droplets of glass fly everywhere shattering over the Lorry floor and pavement you can just reach in now mhm it went better than I expected open it from the inside the smell of cigarettes and perfume welcomes you the cabin inside is plastered with old movie posters actresses smile from the walls there's a radio transmitter in the front and a toolbox tucked under the driver's seat some tools lie scattered near the pedals these are movie posters featuring starlets from long-forgotten films from the 20s the teens even the '90s of the last century one of them particularly catches your eye a cold of an anenu attached right above the back seat the actress is draped in a Sheath dress one of her shoulders Beed The Faded remains of an autograph run across the poster she's looking past the camera this is T Jean a Starlet from the dawn of cinematography less known for her Talent than her tragic untimely death she wasted away in a drug Den called door to the river not far from here on Boogie Street a mixture of cocaine and morphine she was afraid of the world and the camera too the actresses and the rear actor all smile you a warm goodbye a radio transmitter is a attached to the dashboard and a toolbox sits under the driver's seat you wed yourself under the steering wheel to get a better look seems like the few tools lying around here a hammer a pair of pliers a rusty wrench have been casually thrown there by the disorganized driver but one odd detail does catch your eye a piece of sandpaper has been glued to the throttle sandpaper add adds extra grip sandpaper a novel technique yes do the honors he thinks connect it to yourself which means that the missing lady driver was present at the lynching we've identified one of the footprints but there are still seven to go the movie stars are still smiling from the walls there's a radio transmitter in the front and a pullout toolbox tupped under the driver's seat some tools lie scattered near the pedals looks like the frequency dial is absent it requires a key to work but the key has been removed likely by the missing lady driver strange there are so many radio stations saved here must be over 100 at least no that's on 78.9 what I happen to have committed the frequency to memory I have no problem admitting that for contacting an entire fleet of lormen for example this is all shortwave U and ukv looks like we are dealing with an impressive organizational tool the Nerf center of a huge operation with quite theang too uh doesn't look like it it's completely inoperable with the di key the smell of a thousand cigarettes some Dead actresses and a rusty old toolbox under the seat a metallic drawer slides out from the seat it's empty except for a folded newspaper it's an issue of py ferik from last Wednesday piece of paper falls out from its Pages it looks like an article ripped out from a radio Enthusiast magazine complex mathematical equations explain the basics of something called the Ulan frequency system uland frequency system I've never heard of that before I know of FM am ukv but the pull out to slid back into his nest the rest is as it was radio posters a trace of motor ORS smell under all the cigarettes it closed the rusty old Lori door great I think we got everything a word detective before we return to Joy all right we finished here let's quickly debrief and go over what we found so we don't do it in front of the company rep honestly I'm quite worried by what we've seen so far the evidence seems to point to a rather extensive and well organized operation I'm especially intrigued by that radio transmitter particularly the sheer number of stations it can connect looks like this alleged drug trade casts a wide net I'm not sure what the uland frequencies are all about but they may hold some significance perhaps it's a better way to connect between in Fleet while avoiding frequency bleed or maybe it's used to tap into RCM networks as elegant as they are I don't think they are relevant to the drug trade yes well unimportant we didn't find anything conclusive linking them to the smuggling operation but somehow I thought that Evar Clair would be a obivious to something like this happening right under his nose my suggestion is we use it against the Union in any way we can to our own hands it's a slippery ill but we just might be able to pin them down indirectly down the road we should return to the murder case see what Joyce tells us about the lynching when we are done for the day I call my station and suggest our narcotics Department look into it there are more than enough grounds to start an off IAL investigation sometime later when we're done here we do not want to get caught in that the fact that one hasn't started already gives me pause an investigation I mean especially if the MRI grouping is involved and I can't imagine the aren't it certainly worrisome all the same I don't like the idea of internal affairs descending on the matter that won't help anyone either debrief over after you I uh saw you poking around in lady driver's Lori she in trouble it's that bad man what should I do what should I do to help her yeah maybe I should just keep my head down and work on my Rhymes while I can oh you know Tommy leam is going to be a musician gang but with Beats I've got a lot of free time on the road to home my craft Tommy L was taken my real name's Jerry leit Tommy's way better yeah you too be safe Detective [Music] the te machine stands in the corner a sign says one bottle equals 10 cents your bottles clunk into the machine and the money appears with a satisfying jingle you're a richer man now [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hear that magnesium that's what you're lacking the lack of magnesium has you slouched yes and it's critical look at yourself you're practically devolving into a fish due to the lack of magnesium in your blood stream mag it sideways what what are you talking about you need to maggot up you've probably had two heart attacks and a minor stroke already and the only prescription is insane amounts of magnesium yes if you want to live you need to evolve you need to ascend the carbon barrier go to the Apothecary and buy insane amounts of magnesium it will reverse the damage to your circulatory system before you is a warror of a man seated behind a large desk he looks up from his work not the least bit surprised to see you with great effort he straightens himself up in his chair yet says nothing he simply stares at you with a mixture of expectation and impatience well bottled welcome Mr de Mr kitsuragi it's good of you two to stop by please have a seat I'm art art CLA head of the Dez Union here at Martin a I'd offer you my hand but unfortunately my health prevents me from getting up you understand he looks extremely comfortable the tiny folding chair on the other hand looks like a torture device you go ahead detective whatever he has in store for you it can't be good he thinks I'll do my best forget about that what's with this deis stuff you're getting some seriously bad vibes from that name please Mr de let us Converse this civilized manner as equals take a seat I insist it's nothing yes that's probably right it's nothing forget about it filter it out excellent Mr deire I can see that you a reasonable man and reasonable men reasonable men can be of great use to one another so tell me how can the head of the deard Union help a representative of the rishal citizens militia today the chair you're sitting on has got to be the most uncomfortable chair in the world it's violating your backside oh by the way I heard you got a rather rude reception from a certain Lawrence G some people have no manners it pains me to say this should take care of that nonsense it should be sufficient to cover your expenses for a few days and patch over your differences with a cafeteria manager go ahead take it wow that's 25 r that's good money you need it yes I know Lawrence he's a real character no Union man in him a real piece of work that boy is with a grin he points to the checker game it's like you're on a game show at least don't thank him for it is there anything you'd like to say to me or no cool I wouldn't go that far I'm sure there are cooler things than delivering a comically oversized novelty check to a cafeteria manager but sure if that's what's cool nowadays now I'd like to set your mind at ease about one other matter your lost gun let me assure you you Union people are on it as we speak I've got my best hounds looking for that lost gun his slug likee lips move but all you hear is an echo lost gun lost gun lost gun the world is swallowed by a black hole of fear only two words Escape its gravitational pull lost and gun when he said don't don't worry he actually meant be very worried I know everything Harry right now I know that you're worried don't be worried everything's going to be all right it's not like you left it loaded you didn't lose a loaded gun local children aren't out there playing with it right now pointing it into their own mouths it's in a safe place I just know it I have a feeling everything's going to be all right it was loaded there were two bullets in it you always keep at least two barrels [Music] loaded who does this guy I think you are Ronnie the rookie you ain't worried about no lost gun or unpaid bill or forgotten name you're the bad cop you're probably more corrupt than him the fat man does the same sinking deeper into his chair than one would think is physically possible he seems to be enjoying your little display good now lean in with some corruption that we do Harry let them say what they will about you and me we're both born Fighters why thank you it's always nice when a fellow professional appreciates your work that's it now kick back and add a final flourish for dignity you strike me as a reasonable man Harry I like that in a law man let's cut to the chase shall we what what can art CLA do for you I think we'd like to ask you a few questions don't you think so detective you've got a lot of spirit clearing up the drug problem alongside this murder I'll talk to the mayor and see if I can get you the key to the city Harry now let's talk real business actually riversol doesn't have a mayor of course let us dispatch with the formalities you call me art I call you Harry my God so it's true I didn't want to believe it but you are a fantastic science fiction Amnesia cop aren't you what are the odds of that I think the odds of that are very low so good to hear that Harry apparently my sources were wrong however if you did have a spot of memory trouble I could help you out with my big fat faler words flow like a river of honey from his lips are you trying to tell me you've gotten hold of some of our documents Mr kitsuragi would you mind me and Harry are talking about his lost identity right now don't just jump to the folder that's not smart shows you're on the edge do some probing first as you look at the folder everard covers it with his hand and pets it he's hiding it from you because it's not a real RCM folder it's just another one of those brown folders you saw in the file cabinet okay hey harry you got me this is from the Census Bureau not the RCM those Census Bureau people are absolutely corrupt you should do something about them he got the name from the sensus buau and everything else from your actions here in martineza yes yes Mr kitsuragi from the Census Bureau like I said now I'm actually a very busy man so is there anything else I can do for you Harry that means means he doesn't really know anything about you a Pity the mystery of you will have to remain a mystery for the time being yes that's what I said try to keep up okay let's move on Harry honestly I'm just relieved you didn't get a hania a man your age H you did look like you were going to collapse and die when I told you about your lost gun anyway I assure you I am a very well-informed man information reaches me before I even get the chance to request it yes your lost gun my best men are on it they're turning every stone searching every playground asking kids grandmas everyone one your gun will be found Harry let me assure you of that it's just a matter of time and effort the only way to find it seems to be working with him he might even be holding your gun hostage who knows only one thing is certain if you work with him you're going to get it back and working with him might be the only way to do it yes thank you for the hot tip regarding your lost gun Harry my men have indeed factored in that you pawned it now please let the professionals do their job kick back Harry relax I have great guys on this you focus on what's important building our relationship for the good of Martin a it did not come as a surprise to him he might actually not be bullshitting Harry Harry I was only trying to be tactful a lost gun is a dangerous thing I can't have it around in my neighborhood kids could be playing gun roulette with it as we speak teenage gangs could be arming themselves get a hold of yourself Harry I assure you we are working on locating the missing side armor as well the lieutenant is concerned about the lost gun and feels that the fact you haven't prioritized looking for it is unfortunate if inevitable and doesn't put the RCM in a good light excellent Mr kitsuragi that's excellent news looks like we have a friendly gun finding competition on our hands I don't know what that means Harry but I love it I love your initiative knowing you're out there keeping things running lets me focus on the big picture stuff don't even tell me what was going on alcoholic Brew stronger stopped it strike I'm just going to let you surprise me Harry my dear Harry there are literally millions of containers in this Harbor I couldn't possibly remember what's in all of them Harry you smooth talking son of a [ __ ] time is a precious resource and I don't have enough of it to count containers with you smooth talking maybe that's the way to go about opening the container you should at least try convincing it oh that's very nice I haven't gotten around to her yet I'm very very busy you see I hope you're getting along one thing I want to make very clear Harry is that this is not some kind of Union versus Corporation situation everyone is just Pals here we're all trying to do what's best for Martin AES don't feel like you can't cooperate with her because you and I are such good friends and I'm helping you find your lost gun I'm not a jealous guy whoa that's so nice of him suspiciously nice vanished Harry the woman left her casserole in the oven and couldn't make it here in time for the voting oh did I leave my casserole on better go home and check the election can wait when she got back the whole thing was over wait there was no mention of a casserole from Joyce Harry Harry Harry do not fixate on this little matter maybe it was a rabbit's stew or a hair dryer or an iron the point is her heart wasn't in it mine was yes yes low balling of course this isn't a casino Harry real people real livelihoods are at stake here but everything's a casino for those Rich types his expression makes it clear this is childish and irresponsible Behavior what do you mean Harry nothing I let him go he's an old man Harry I wanted him to spend more time with his family God knows how long he's got left Harry I have little people in my organization I would never call someone a [ __ ] what is this honestly I'm beginning to think you're a [ __ ] Harry I'm only kidding Harry you're not a [ __ ] no one is we're Pals if she actually wants to see me she will find a way any good negotiator would and I just don't have anything to discuss with a bad negotiator he doesn't want to see her it's as simple as that I'm just a nice guy Harry I wouldn't be where I am now if I wasn't nice politics is all about emotions and I want you to have positive emotions when you think of me of course Harry let me just assure you one more time it's perfectly okay to share anything we discuss here with this Joyce this is a completely transparent organization I have no interest in what she is doing but I myself have nothing to hide your business is your business and I respect your privacy just remember remember none of this is secret tell her about all of it my brother's picture my singing swordfish clock tell her how overweight I am and how I'm helping you find your lost gun tell her about everything evat doesn't mind it is rather interesting to tell people things about each other isn't it it was nice telling him about her right now oh of course that's your main thing here that's why you're in Martin a I know everything that goes on around here and I would love to help like I'm helping you with your lost gun I mean it's no secret that the lynching is connected to the strike so much to talk about honestly it's been weighing on me so heavily I understand you need to interview me but there's a thing that's been keeping me up at night I want to talk about the hanging I mean if we could just calmly talk exchange information we could blow this thing wide open yes that sounds good let's do that but I can't think straight with this thing Weighing on me you're police officers aren't you I have a crazy idea you guys are basically door opening machines incredibly talented at opening doors and I'm sure you're going to open open this one with flying colors Harry this really is very simple and there's nothing Shady about it an excellent opportunity presents itself sire you could win the trust of the arch liar pretend to play into his hand then should you wish Bend his efforts towards your own hurry my dear friend I am what people call a local bigwig I know everything that goes on in Martin A's Harry I'm a very busy man and more importantly I don't have that extraordinary physique you do you look like you could run around all day you want to send someone a message that the police are working for you I repeat I'm a very very busy man Mr kitsuragi and therefore I must occasionally enlist outside help so what will it be Harry oh no one's it's just a weasel a weasle lives there nothing for you to worry about a loud blabbering weasel when weasels feel no one is watching they start acting foolishly just go there unlock the door and leave it open it's been such a burden on me Harry I just want this to be over so I can discuss business with you fantastic my friend just let me know when it's done and we can take our friendship to the next level you can get the key from Manana he's down by the gates Manana is like a free agent in the Union Special Operations hardened socialist a real free thinker too he'll tell you precisely where the door is one last thing Harry just open the door you don't need to go in or anything I just want that weasel to come home and see the unlocked door wait you need this to get in and out through the gate here you're one of us now a real red and white Union man take care Harry the gamerro shuffle in a way yes you are treasure hunting most officers from precept 41 do what is called the Jamrock Shuffle cracking open containers most of them are from Jamrock or Cole City the poorest parts of riversol that also overlap with a network of Royal catacombs called L royam just beneath the streets as children you would all go underground hoping to find treasure and come back back with a rat's tail or a used needle that playful curiosity must still be in you who knows maybe one day the or deont the holy sector and the cocaine skull will all be yours [Music] [Music] so how' you like our Harbor it's but a rest area on the path leading across open Plains right you talk to the boss eye to eye like men of the plane if you have any more questions I'm set to talk the mercenary eh who could have killed him that's indeed the question why even do such a thing the man Whispers a jointy tune a coastal Breeze Ruffles his hair a key huh what door is this key supposed to open of course I got you you don't know anything I got that key right here and let me tell you it's mighty good of you to help us out during the strike working class solidarity as they said B weasle oh I know what you mean I'm pretty sure he's actually ocidental though so you're going to be committing fraer side my racist friend what you're looking for is a basement door behind the greenhouse that's behind the whing in rags that's all I know our organization is what you call compartmentalized means we keep out of each other's business okay but where did you get the key from the janitor gave it to me nice fellow we talked about life and things that really truly matter none of this mess we in this jiving and juggling what's it for to feed our children I guess I'm more of a philosophical dock worker I like to talk about the big picture stuff who I am who you are what we are fighting for who he is and what they're fighting for this is interesting we're negotiating our share I all of it however right now we want all the harbor workers to be on the company's board so they could take part in the decisionmaking process no I don't think I'm a communist seeing something of value and saying I want it all to myself is a much older and simpler notion no signs to it at all even a weak child can think it the only things holding someone back or I can't and I shouldn't then how can anything ever be mine but that's okay we don't have to agree the Prairie is wide enough for all of us I think it's best you make up your own mind now that you've made it in my eyes he is a capable organizer and a decent and businessman I guess you kind of get to be the village chief he oversees the harbor makes deals with the owners or other relevant parties watches out for his own by that you mean corruption by Heavens why would it not be corrupt we live in a harsh and disordered world see and in this world the old man is corrupt for our benefit and we know it appreciate it even he is personally not too lavish he is reasonably lavish sure that's his perogative it's not like you want a saintly demeanor on a corrupt [ __ ] that would be a manipulative illusion besides there are no non-corrupt systems in the world anyway and moralism is the most corrupt of them all sure I've had the necessary free time fortunately there's always time the look in his breath brown eyes conjur up an understanding for him having command of his time is the most important thing it all comes together now the way he speaks about scabs his General attitude he's a follower of a 500 yearold Franco Nigerian boodo code itself an appropriation of vestine cool that of a noble peasant or a traveling herdsman true to yourself independent in your actions loyal to your friends no no the man sits on the railing his hands reaching far and wide yet it feels as if he could effortlessly go even wider if need be an endless torrent of time [ __ ] does Kuno care all right so you got Kuno kilo here is how we do it first give Kuno Kuno kilo then Kuno gives you half back that's how we split it it's the best way street way where on the street is you send your little friend in just as a hooker distraction style that's some sick [ __ ] not a single muscle move on the Lieutenant's face kuna wants to hear all about it but first we split the kilo then we shoot the [ __ ] Kuno knows what Kuno means all right Kuno knew you try that sneaky pig [ __ ] on him tell him Kuno kun's Got Brains this [ __ ] doesn't surprise Kuno so Kun is going to give you one more chance know this pig [ __ ] is major major [ __ ] Choice Pig Kuno won't take this [ __ ] lightly the pieces a moving Pig this is [ __ ] Domino [ __ ] not like he thinks but you can feel it somehow this will change things it's not hard to see at all you hand out drugs to kid the Lieutenant's faith in your judgment will diminish significantly none that you can see no you can see it this young man has Junior officer material in him in another life where he trusts you tick tick tick tick decision time what's it going to be you got to [ __ ] the Kuno all right now we're talking wa That's Heavy there you go more than half in there Kuno is [ __ ] honorable like that there is no movement on the Lieutenant's face as he stares intently at the trash container now tell me how the [ __ ] are you still alive Pig yeah you do some [ __ ] [ __ ] sneak in is the hooker thing real [ __ ] is an acronym for Samaran boxing graceful martial arts stuff [ __ ] style implies stealth cleverness and cool just letting you know what is this [ __ ] he's [ __ ] up on roids to drink more you can't kill him puno's dad says he'll die by his own hand die suicide style the lieutenant flashes you a sharp look but doesn't say anything only his tightly closed lips betray the effort keeping silent takes him [ __ ] out of here Kuno made that [ __ ] up to demean you look pigs Kuno gets it you don't want to talk about it close quarters combat [ __ ] Kuno doesn't want to talk about it either combat trauma [ __ ] what his posture changes the swaying rooster motion stops for a second then he gets it going again reorienting himself [ __ ] right kun's Dad was sleeping like a bum Kuno told you kun's dad doesn't give a [ __ ] about anything [ __ ] breaking and ENT and [ __ ] that's nothing to kun's Dad you got lucky Pig Kuno knew this kun's [ __ ] violent fiend dad's been drinking hard lately Kuno knew you have a way in Nar window Kuno window Kuno is not [ __ ] trying to be tough this [ __ ] is real Kuno [ __ ] violent dad's going to be a vegetable Kuno knows that [ __ ] stroke [ __ ] stomach [ __ ] up and Kuno is going to go out like that too going to be just like Coo's violent dad speed [ __ ] clim [ __ ] [ __ ] on the bed go out west revera style stop saying all this sad [ __ ] Kuno [ __ ] you talking sad kun's got hard [ __ ] death [ __ ] nothing [ __ ] get your [ __ ] nun ass out of here before Kuno [ __ ] it dead you think CU you broke Kuno one gr of speed your friends now turn into Kuno ain't turning into [ __ ] Kuno is Kuno is that [ __ ] Kuno won oh you won Kuno the [ __ ] do you know about kun's life kun's got plans get the [ __ ] out of here yeah we got plans [ __ ] right there way [ __ ] 3 years or some [ __ ] [ __ ] that you Kuno is going to move underground L I am [ __ ] ancient [ __ ] kudo's going to live in a [ __ ] catacomb yeah in a tomb Kudo yeah Pig this [ __ ] is done now get get the [ __ ] out of kun's face Kuno needs to drop the bomb Kuno doesn't [ __ ] care the corpse looks at you with bulging white eyes the face around them does not look human it's swollen and ready to burst his lips are fish-like and his tongue like a ball gag in his mouth you seem to be holding your breath a cargo belt twists his neck at an unnatural angle the body below appears stiff it's letting out an ungodly rot the smell seeps in even through your clenched nostrils active Decay it's okay to throw up of his arm no one is judging he's about to blow cop's going to blow Kuno as you breathe in the odor comes over you it's a spell of the mind telling you to run and your stomach to ring itself empty with your hands at your sides and your eyes squinting you stand in it the man before you is naked but for a pair of Underpants and enameled boots his skin is greenish marbled with decaying veins and blotched by lividity a fading web of tattoos covers his chest and shoulders the cargo belt used to fasten him to the branch above appears Industrial in strength his eyes are milky white and blind to the world protruding comically from their sockets there is no one home just subaquatic Terrors there dark brown hair grows on his head his face is ready to explode from the organic processes inside the death's head grin has passed what remains is an unrecognizable mess I'm gone I'm a joke look at me a killer a [ __ ] and a killer go ahead Cobo into the wild pile Yonder in the past Way Out West what do you mean it's the power of [Music] your imagination yeah man don't be crazy inanimate objects and dead people can't really talk you your wild imagination is doing this ask some more of those questions you love so much he loves those because you're a copper rooni look at all of them go do you want more questions here you go Looney because you have [ __ ] no you're no [Music] Rooney no no you're not a Harry either you're a [ __ ] that's who you are runy a [ __ ] do I remind you of someone a child born with mullus disease Haro quinism grown up miraculously you sure wrangled out of that one calini come back later cppo amuse yourself with my Frank manners and my Moto moru features if possible also see me in your dreams an intricate web of blue lines stretches across the Torso from the right shoulder to the solar plexus each time they intersect a small white star is formed in their Crossing hundreds of fading Asters rid his skin the concentration is highest around his heart his corpse is marked by stars alcohol and heartbreak of no nation that I know of if anything it reminds me of religious illumination last or penultimate Century men who live harsh lives often turn to innocen worship but which one I see no trace of a humanoid figure I agree he takes a thin piece of milled aluminium from his coat pocket and pulls it open sounds like a sword being un sheathed a small lens appears some sort of camera Tri Sunshine mini triot is the world's leading manufactur of intercommunication devices primarily projectors the camera before you looks familiar somehow [ __ ] Kuno what the [ __ ] is that an instant color camera this is the first time he openly acknowledges the kid's existence I have only two ulols so nobody move I don't want to waste one a sound shrill flash followed by the breaking of a small ampool of glass you see streams of color pour onto the thick glossy piece of paper rolling out in case we need it yes it is pretty cool isn't it it contains insight to the victim's person by his build I'd say this was a man of physical violence the story he wanted his body to tell was important to him it is his letter to us someone should decipher it we'll need to show it around sure just don't lose it the glossy eyed corpse looks by his mouth mute and his skin as colorful as the chemical Rainbow on the photo paper teing The Hangman's knot is pulled tight by the weight of the corpse below yellow hard-edged polyester cut cuts into his neck above a sliding Buckle ties the belt to the branch this is a steel reinforced cargo lashin belt Big Brother of the regular cargo belt it's used for tying cargo under six rotor airships airlifting I thought it was used on L for strapping cargo to them the local Harbor uses six rotters to shuffle containers around I get the sense they use whatever was on hand without paying much attention to not incriminating themselves I was afraid it would be thin steel wiring parallel strands this makes getting him down more problematic than I had assumed a new is one of those things that's easier to use one way around that ladder can't carry a grown man I didn't see any splinter ing either did you I think they left sued the branch then pulled on the Bel to close the Buckle could be the shape of the branch supports the theory the brief suggested as much politically motivated by the ongoing strike did you not get a briefing okay you should ask me for one the first moment we get the cadava hangs from the cargo belt limbs limp and torso covered in tattoos the material appears to be ceramic its clean white stands in stark contrast to the decaying flesh above the knee the man wore thick polymer socks probably for padding a fine array of interlocking plates covers them delicate and fragile they feel alien to the world around you out of place somehow these are clearly not boots they're armor possibly part of a larger set indeed technically speaking these are sabatons not boots ceramic plate zirconium dioxide most likely this is where the make would be under the hill fair weather fair weather model t500 ve I'm guessing that's vrio in Amo this is advanced stuff a small bell-like sound fills the air like tapping on the side of a Pelin cup it's anything but this material is a kinetic redistributor it spreads kinetic energy horizontally from plate to Plate dissipating it entirely see faint Organic Lights cover the plates where they separate into smaller ones these plates then divide into smaller plates and till there are hundreds of them altogether like whs of floorboards the design looks organic influenced by highly resistant wood materials like lignum vety and Ebony perhaps if trees were made of porcelain this is what their cross-sections would look like the smooth glossy surface fractures into ever more intricate interconnections peing on the right Sabaton where you notice the worlds are in the shape of a letter and number combination e50 100 1,000 good can you read it to me we have a make and a number that's something we can use the radio in Mika when we're done either station can chase it for us the locals probably scavenged it it would be odd if he had more on after 7 days we should keep a lookout for this species the armor could yield information this is one thing he might actually know no I think he had something precious underneath the clothes they had to remove the jeans and shirts we found to get to it and this kind of armor is often worn under Fabrics they usually hang them completely naked for that lauta Madre the Mazda the bmer and the like this one still has his underpants [ __ ] talking about Underpants that's for us to find out my initial report on the area suggest he was a security guard for the harbor company but that just he say I agree this equipment is Way Beyond what a guard can afford it is it's expensive we we've requested similar material for our tactical units for years now the constabularies deemed it too costly in that time we've lost six men to semi-automatics for a full set about four years of wages for the northwest region of reveral an officer's average yearly income is 5,500 R unadjusted for rank not too much yes it's a sorry situation I agree this feels dangerous are you sure the stench fills your nostrils as you push downward an ominous creaking sound comes from above stop Pig's going to pull his head off brutal even the mongrel can see you're about to pull his head off do it h yes that's what I say you'll compromise the coroner's case if you do so please don't indeed from this angle it does look like the neck isn't going to take much more being dead for a week has all but liquefied his muscles what are you trying to achieve anyway why are you hanging on to that boot how many clothes do you need you already found the number besides there's no way you're getting them off all the organic matter in his body has been flowing down into the boots they are fused to his feet now why do you think the locals haven't scavenged them yet you're sure there's a way to peel them off but first the body needs to be down and second it would probably be better if the lieutenant wasn't around the anticipation makes you crack your fingers feels nice nice and cracky processing will take care of them with the situation in the morg it will yield nothing but we must pick our fights should we continue the kadava slowly twists on the cargo belt his torso covered in tattoos and extremities blotched pink and blue as you narrow your eyes the monster before you blurs into a violent mess of green and pink this is a trick you've done it before pink is where the blood settled in the first hours post morum you can use it to see if the corse has been tempered with does his position at the time of death match the discoloration only the lower extremities are pink with a dash of blue his fatted hands thighs and his neck just above the Noose the rest of the corpse appears dark green in the Cold Spring Air I see it his neck too the lividity goes right up his chin we have good well pronounced discoloration here the monster comes back into Focus an explosion of color csing with dark marbled veins his stomach appears pregnant with something black liquid streams down his thigh and onto his boot so what do you think agreed especially on the neck the belt acted like a t keeping the blood in his head the hypothesis supports a hanging yes there's always a chance we are wrong we should check for ligament marks on his neck to see if they're in tune with the belt we'll have to get him down first I do most of them are postmortem maybe even all of them the delinquents have made our jobs harder with their little sport stop talking in riddles coin slot he means he [ __ ] him up good Kuno [ __ ] him up brutal a pool of blood and feces has eaten into the frozen mud below the man's feet Purge liquid is dripping into it drop by drop the victim appears to have contained no more than half a kilogram of digestion at the time of death the [ __ ] he saying talking about [ __ ] maybe I agree there are crow's feet in his eyes he's laughing silently his personality is no longer a part of the world totally dead no Sur but there is no breath to catch only the kadava filling the air and your nostrils he slowly rotates before you decomposing are you sure we finished the preliminary examination of the cadav we might miss some of these things once he's done the steel reinforced belt present a unique challenge I brought chain Cutters but I don't see a good angle of approach to the Belt the cadaver is a good 1.2 M up neither one of us can reach the belt without assistance and even if we do there's the question of cutting the Airship strength material climb up there and S the branch there has to be a less risky way with less falling down of trees someone else you mean like the police someone already did you know who came we did because we have made bad life decisions I know it's hard but I assure you the others won't come to help us and we have a growing sanitary concern here we need to get him down fast yeah bang bang time Pig shoot his head off oh where the Buckle ties the Rope to the branch that's a good spot to aim where ah yes I see if the shot hits that there might be a chance to release the belt yeah now we're talking entertain a Kuno with some [ __ ] they'll miss the pigs will miss Kuno the lieutenant is undecided on one hand he wants to shoot some gun on the other it's an awfully stupid idea I'll blow his head off take it take the shot yeah take the shot Kuno wants some of that [ __ ] Silence with his elbow sharp the lieutenant unzips his jacket and produces a lightweight firearm he drops a paper cartridge in the barrel separates the scouring stick and gives the cartridge life tucks that's a keel a990 Armistice mass-produced muzzle loader athetic Frugal one of the most common firearms in the world he then steps back and assumes the fellow stess position taking aim the corner of his eye twitches his finger is on the trigger he's going to [ __ ] M the kid's voice is drowned in a shrill blast that Echoes off the walls of the surrounding tenements a cloud of smoke slowly Parts in the air as the lieutenant steps back and says to himself God damn it a lot of things were wrong with that shot the Fess was the wrong choice his shoulders were raised but above all he cannot trust his isight [ __ ] idiot MOA [ __ ] Kuno could have hit it easy but then Kuno is not [ __ ] handicapped is he Kuno sorry too Kuno feels sorry for the Pino Cloud the lieutenant doesn't say a word just looks at the gun in his hand no we are lucky as it is we didn't break anything and the victim remains uncompromised any more mistakes could put us in an unfortunate POS position with the locals we have eyes on us I didn't do us any favors with that I have to say It's Beginning to Look unlikely we can get him down without assistance you know you don't feel like too bad of a shocked yourself it's bad as it is us shooting Firearms like punks go ahead I'm not stopping you just don't lose it they only have one gun this is the sorriest pair of pigs kun's ever seen yeah take it you [ __ ] banani poer take it and shoot yourself in the mouth the cold piece of bake light and gun metal is surprisingly light your fingers fit right through the guard instinctively resting on the trigger the [ __ ] are you waiting for Kuno tell him to shoot himself in the mouth the comes into focus in your sights you stand with your feet planted firmly in the ground and your left hand supporting your gun arm why don't you just shoot yourself in your mouth at least you won't miss your field of view Narrows the branch slowly moves becoming entirely two-dimensional the metal buckle glimmers catching the noon light as the corpse slowly rotates the slow movement of the branch in the wind and your shoulders directing the gun sink up dancing hypnotically look he's crying you going to cry now [ __ ] [ __ ] the Buckle explodes into tiny pieces coming loose with a were with your hand numb from The Recoil you look at the body slump down for a moment the man appears to kneel in front of you looking straight at you helpless trapped within itself communism it takes a millisecond for the association to flesh within your cortex you have no idea where it's coming from only that it's right then the riger in his muscles gives up and he smashes sideways into the spring mud letting out a horrid stench [ __ ] you kural AC is high the aces high a custom invented by the aerostatic brigades during the revolution ution is used to celebrate success in reveron especially in sports the gesture is spread across the world despite the defeat of the revolutionaries themselves the lieutenant takes a little hop to perform the customary salutation your palm hurts from the slap it's precise and down to the point I knew these guys were we will perform a Phil oopsy and determine the cause of death but before excuse me the St is getting bad I'm sorry to interrupt the jubilations here I need a little breather before we do the autopsy I would suggest we interview evat and Joyce the leader of the Union in the wild Pines rep but we've already done that so it's up to you detective take us where we need to be he trusts you have plenty of things in a task chain lined up [Music] [Applause] this must be it the basement door is weather worn the copper Nails holding the upholstery in place have turned green from sier and there's AER shaped like a lion's head the Royal lion gom's kitten this knocker will last a lifetime and then some you try to be as silent as you can it takes a bit of rattlin of the handle to loosen the bolt finally the door unlocks with a small small clack thoughts race through your head only curiosity could account for stepping over that threshold maybe there's treasure in there a white alligator a fountain of quicksilver this is the flag of riversa the suarti this isn't just one Sun but there are little Suns dancing around the big sun this is the Sevenfold Sun Miracle it's an optical atmospheric anomaly the first settle as saw happens in cold weather six small Suns around the big one this complex Halo phenomena is how old rivol got its flag mhm the tenant is an oldfashioned guy the flag doesn't seem to mind it's just a colorful fabric with a sun sewn onto it like all feudal Flags it looks like a children's drawing a row of mugs sits on the Shelf each one depicts her human figure a dark skinned woman grinning amidst mysterious symbols a broad shouldered man shoveling potatoes and others a little ring though cheerful the images on the ceramic make you vaguely uncomfortable the lieutenant picks up one of the mugs then puts it back down with a look of disdain I'm beginning to feel better about breaking into this man's apartment yes your broken mug friend would feel very much at home here the same humor the same mocking lines there there's the missing tetin Soldier whoever lives here might have used the whirlings container to dump his trash and now they've drawn the ey of the Union the plot thickens as they say an interesting little clue let's see where this goes Clues have a way of magically connecting to other Clues down the road perhaps you should break into Apartments more often who knows I'm not expecting too much from these clo in the trash lead either way it might turn out to be some random local matter but still a nice coincidence [Music] [Music] you're back good what can I help you with yes my eyes on the Harbor have sent word to that effect what have you discovered it doesn't really matter and I do apologize for the surveillance wild Pines can't afford to be blind at a time like this in any case it's a relief to know someone has looked into it if I may ask Will there be an official investigation I assume you discovered there is an operation if there is an investigation it will be part of an ongoing operation subject to confidentiality I'm sure you understand of course detectives in any case you've held up your end of our arrangement I trust you with the rest now it's my turn I wouldn't normally break protocol like this but the situation demands it if you don't solve this murder I'm afraid we may have a bloodbath on our hands the words bloodbath sound cold in her mouth they taste of iron and strawberries yes I'm afraid this strike May descend into a small scale civil war with possible consequences for all of Rivera West since you are sharing man this is also the rcn's worst case scenario then we're on the same page as Grim as it may be I have an indirect role to play I'm sad to say my employer experienced a momentary lapse of faith in me in that moment they elected to deploy a private military contractor as an insurance measure they called it my security detail they were dispatched after I relayed the Union's initial offer every worker a member of the board I tried to convince my employer it was simply a piece of rhetoric or a joke they did not appreciate the humor absolutely not these mercenaries are muscle pure and simple they meant to intimidate the union into surrendering who are they exactly crenel an orines military company as far as I know three arrived in martines they report to me sporadically but they do not answer to me to be frank our relationship is deteriorating they wear ceramic armor have semi-automatic weapons and years of combat experience they also have trauma and stressor disorder and no idea how to conduct themselves in an urban civilian environment so what happened the story is one of them the colonel I don't know his real name sexually assaulted a local woman while he was drunk and separated from his unit this allowed some of the more militant Union remembers to subdue him he was taken out behind the whirling in rags and lynched last Sunday night nothing Mr CLA refuses to let me into the harbor I have not been able to discuss this matter with anyone there the remaining two kenel contractors carry out their orders for now it's a smokescreen in secret they are conducting an independent Military Tribunal into the lynching once this investigation is concluded executions will follow what is the nature of this so-called investigation whether to execute one some or all of the Union militants surely you're joking these people are killers my only hope is that yours provides a single concrete suspect before they indiscriminately pick theirs simply put if you don't pin this on someone good and do it fast they will identify and execute everyone present at the lynching this in will force the union to respond the de have over 2,000 men it should be a, to one have you ever seen a hornet invade a beehive Lieutenant it's not pretty the SES giant hornet the world's second largest insect can kill 40 honey bees a minute while a group of 30 can decimate an entire Hive of 20,000 bees in less than 4 hours these men work in tandem using semi and fully automatic Firearms their armor is virtually impenetrable to muzzle loaded weapons even yours most union workers don't have guns at all the muzzle loaders need to be reloaded after every one or two shots the automatics every one or two minutes as I said a blood bath it doesn't have to be like this nameless badgeless officer of the citizens militia one single concrete suspect delivered into civil court a good one and I may be able to diffuse this situation or he didn't this is information passed on to me from some teenagers loitering around the canal now I cannot testify by it that the man was killed because he assaulted a local woman I've asked around a bit this seems to be the accepted story around martines the lieutenant consults his notebook his eyebrows knitted in concentration OD we haven't heard any reports about an assault in connection with Ling where did it take place and when last Sunday night at the the whirling in rags the Hostile by the gates supposedly the colonel was drunk maybe on narcotics too either way he's alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman sometime later a group of Dock Workers got their hands on him that's a good question officer I don't have the slightest idea as I said it's a rumor about a rumor in any case it's what the Colonel's remaining colleagues believe meet her soon enough you [Music] feel if you mean did I see him alive yes but I did not know him lari his service name and Nom dear most likely he wouldn't divulge his full name only one of them did a bad sign if there ever was one he was 40 or 50 it's hard to say which he had a combat in injury on his lower jaw it made it difficult to estimate his age or gauge his facial expressions what else nationality accent he was uh accidental I think like brown hair a mixed accent Odon or missan maybe his injury gave him an accent all his own in a way it was humanizing he had to learn to speak through it it through the injury that's all I know I guess I only met him once not much their public resume is relatively good as far as private military contractors go I believe they were once called downwell they boast a long list of clients s batist VCH man lence in a warning sign however the operations concerned all take place in third or fourth world countries guarding facilities escort missions and such meaning they're used to operating in war zones yes all the good conflict corridors Supra Mundi yut the seanese islands countries that don't have a good record reporting atrocious military conduct on their soil sadly no before this happened I had little interest in in them now that I do I don't have the resources if you still have access to the icp's database you could run a better background check than I ever could it may take some time though the international collaboration police ICP is charged with coordinating law enforcement activities in complex multinational investigations their database is the single largest source of information in the world do you know a lot about the inner workings of the RCM and the ICP man in my line of work it pays to do your research I was prepared to deal with the RCM I did not think I would be dealing with a group like kenel I have and they will however these orders take time to reach what is basically a rogue unit out in the field here until they do it's all on us she's being truthful she is pressing them as hard as she can they've gone to ground as it were I don't recommend seeking them out for one they're almost certainly armed to the teeth they don't have the same respect for the reval citizens militia as I do to put it bluntly they think you're Vigilantes ghetto Savages it will not be a fruitful meeting you're likely to run into them eventually when that happens I'll be in a better position to mediate if I don't appear involved one it's obviously the scab leader at the harbor Gates the one chanting the idiotic slogans he's barely maintaining his disguise the other has a vantage point in a building south of the roundabout they were keeping tabs on you while you were caning the Lorry drivers that may be so I still hope you heed my advice there's no need to kick The Hornet's Nest for all your talk of averting this catastroph the situation at the gate is a border keg does this not bother you of course it bothers me Lieutenant but my hands are tied how would my employer react if it appeared I were intervening on behalf of the Union your concern may be appearances Aris is keeping the peace that would afford a good vantage point in any case it's practically inaccessible where is your radio for contacting them if I may ask do you have an earpiece Heavens no I'm not an undercover agent there's a short wave at the ship's wheel I hope I can answer it better until the executions start truthfully I don't know it depends on their progress identifying the members of the Lynch Mob and their impatience they don't report their progress to you not on this matter I'm afraid they consider this a personal initiative it's a matter of days not weeks I am sorry to have been the bearer of bad news if there is anything else I can help you with please ask she reaches for the photo takes it then holds it in her hand for about half a minute in silence it was taken with a trette not long ago this is the man's upper body there were no more markings on his hands or legs her mouth is relaxed the accordion lines near her mouth vanish the pearls of her eyes move slowly on the photo's surface sorry I was trying to see if I can read the web of interdependencies between these points the Stars I can't but that's how you read this story The Points themselves don't have letters numbers anything their size location on the body and distance from each other tells you what they represent close port cities this is an orines map of the waterways a sailor's tattoo worn by Wayfarers of the dolorean century over 300 years ago the sailors would mark their bodies to map their travels the sailor's Soul would use it to fly back home if they should die abroad this is a sort of contraption to be reeled back in by the silver cord they would call it where is he now the times have changed quite a few reort the orines capital traditionally stands on the right shoulder he started somewhere near here I think what next then he made his way to to the pretto granii through what I think must be the stats Canal an artificial Channel Through the oxident from the pretto he sailed to the Incy indic Ocean First the semes islands then this Revol those are the two constants redort on the shoulder and Revol in the heart they started the tradition of these Maps right after the discovery of insulinde at the dawn of the inter eer age the old old world passing by and the new new world already here you said you can't read it I can't this man was no sailor and these are no ports I can understand Geographic fragments but not their meaning his platoon members the other contractors though I do not suggest you go and show them that picture this man was their friend and comrade surely there are other people to ask about the tattoo this is not necessary to complete the task officer it's a dangerous side task search elsewhere do what you have to do detective I don't think deciphering that tattoo should come before public security but if you should wait into the mob to find out I couldn't stop you we will be careful man is there anything else I can help you with you have and how did you like Mr CLA oh come on now he has his uses how else would he have stayed in power all these years or wait actually corruption that's how he's done it fantastic verm like corruption reaching into the bowels of the Earth the position of my unusual colleague does not reflect official policy I hope you understand the RCM does not pick Sid of course and I don't expect you to share anything he told you with me I'm not a corrupt verm myself however if you felt like discussing something how could I stop you are we not human are we not curious to hear another person's take it's only natural we would only be gossiping intellectually speaking it would be quite interesting to hear what she has to say about these things yes your disgusting necktie agrees completely let's gossip weird oh no one of the positive things to come from the revolution is the unhindered exchange of information you see even when it comes to trade secrets which isn't to suggest our talks constitute corporate Espionage even if they did it would be fine but they don't since you loged the money as a donation and this is clearly just gossip between friends oh that's so helpful of him the lieutenant looks at you and you can swear his jaw muscle is trembling he's able to contain the anger and surprise when I said be wacky I didn't mean wildly grossly irresponsible and damaging to the RM unconventional police officers sometimes lose their guns they then go around and tell people about this to gauge their reactions it's all part of detecting incredible simply incredible and how is it going has this detecting produced a gun well maybe he's not as helpful as you thought then is there anything else did you now what sort of bch is he making the strike Brew That's a classic and by turn up the heat I presume you mean that put more alcohol in it why if I may ask why make them more drunk aren't they corked enough already Yes detective what were you hoping to accomplish with this strange thing very curious a very curious thing to do truly but that's how he operates he just does things man and then talks about them even if it's inappropriate what else of course detective should something come up later down the road don't be afraid to drop by for a chat until then is there anything I can help you with why yes I am the boat no it is called cord delate 19 because that's the type of Sloop it is the word it feels strange such a beautiful boat deserves a proper name okay how about cordel a19 why because it was manufactured in reveral East by a company called cord deichi and its hole is 19 PES long why Dolores H well it means nothing to me I think I'll stick with a factory name but thank you for the suggestion it's a pleasure craft a 19 Pacer it also happens to be rated for category 1 racing though these days I mainly use it for business my Sloop I like it a lot it's the eels hips baby I'm enjoying this part of the interview it has so little to do with the murder we're investigating I really do the lieutenant thinks is she thrown off yet he's looking at the woman assessing her officer I assure you I'm a highly qualified pleasurecraft operator the crowns of her teeth are Pelin white as the boats H as she smiles qualified pleasurecraft operator so Charming where's the damn license I just renewed its safety inspection last month officers it is completely seaworthy in fact it's taken part in not one but two iny indic regatas even finished ones actually you don't it is a little known fact among those who police that the wayf farer act specifically denies the RCM the authority to demand anyone's operator license unless it's their passport no do you want to ask for the lady's passport of course the woman is silent smiling while the waves lap against the hull in your hand under the plastic a light blue passport saying Republic of Vesper the coat of arms has a lion and an ostrich seent the Republic of Vesper formerly the Republic of vesa MSA was once a dual Kingdom an amicable parting of ways produced two constitutional monarchies Vesper the Richer of the two is an accidental Nation known for its proximity to the pal and its exotic Financial derivatives it is a stable country and yet there has always been something ominous about its perfect stability it's a place at the edge of the mndi Isola overlooking the Obi Sun Isles fracturing into the great unrest of the pal the woman born in the year three in the commune of Riva Smiles at you face adorned with frown lines and crows feet the photo is recent the name reads Rejoice Lon Messier yes but please don't call me that Joyce is much more efficient my husband is I have dual citizenship a vestine is handier when traveling she nods and Returns the plastic bag to her coat of course there are we're on an archip pelo how else are you supposed to get around I mean we are on laou are we not we are and the City of Revol is on the island of laou I haven't seen anyone else drive a souped up cpri Kena motor Carriage either actually that motor Carriage has been specially issued to Ser as a patrol and pursued vehicle it's for crossing long distances in a greater rol industrial Harbor it's not top neither is this a toy I mean it's a machine for crossing long distances in the Bay of reval between the city and the islands good there working class drunk you know what this means right cracked it all in a good day's [Music] work what do you mean what did I crack look at how working class that drunk is yes and you found him now go and tell the workingclass woman protect and serve recruit there's no need for champagne when there's honor recruit go and tell the workingclass woman what you found right [Music] now God damn it I already told you my husband isn't missing and I specifically added that I didn't need to know where he was very well then where is he excuse me I I don't follow right cuz working class women come with alcoholic husbands you know what you were right I do have an alcoholic husband although not that one ah blam knew it [Music] no he's not or maybe he is I don't know he's probably in the park or in shambro somewhere drinking with his friends I haven't seen him for well to hell with him I wouldn't be so sure ma'am just to be completely clear do you want to report it to the police report what he's just out drinking with his friends I'm sure the police has better things to do than to chase down local goofballs she size but you can detect a slight hint of gratitude and relief from her face all right go ahead do you have any questions honestly not that different from you oh thank God no it hasn't come down to this yet well he's slightly chubby but else he was wearing a dark brown leather jacket with a bright blue inner lining the lining is hand sewn I made it myself it's his cool jacket God knows it's too cold to run around in this but he refuses to change who cares about the Cod when you have your cool jacket to wear you can completely simplify I even tried throwing it a Avon but he just dug it out of the bin can you believe it well what can you do I hope that at least that extra lining helps him keep warm at night I wouldn't like him to catch cold yesterday morning he went to the library he went to retrieved my book and he promised he promised he'd walked straight back home because we talked about this we talked about not wandering off again I I don't know what to do I honestly don't know what to do with his addiction just makes me feel weak gone for around 36 hours then damn this is a missing person's case she turns away from you in an attempt to recover so you are going to look for him she genuinely wants you to now don't make her ask thank you please do even though I'm sure he will return home by himself I'm still sure of that I'm sure he will too when he does would you let prison 57 Kim kitsi know I will of course officer as I I said there's probably [Music] nothing the rotting man lies on his side with his eyes looking straight through you the belt is still around his neck his body is suine and open to intrusion by autopsy the lieutenant adjusts his glasses and takes a deep breath come on officer you know what the fotsy is you've done aund of them what you do know is at 18.9 km the dormant shield volcano Corpus Wy is the world's highest Summit and the failure of the 38 single U to crack the top 20 was the death nail of disco but what a field oopsy is you have no idea you must have me confused with the cedia you sir you are the cedia unfortunately no they better than nothing tell you what I perform the anatomical side of things while you will take notes that's right the dead man stares in silence as you crack open The Ledger the bright red paper is covered in boxes and lists describing the condition of his skin and organs in three parts above those an 11 field info form needs filling out first it begins with it's you the corpse is indifferent to your scribblings just lies there the next box says KK 57- 803 do 0815 next we've heard a Nar L it's better than nothing write it down what's next uh date of birth na H roughly 50 try 40 the damage is so extensive is better to ear on the young side he nods M fair to Olive skinned from the Eola of Mendy this is as vague as it gets you might as well say whitish the pudgy mess of curdled meat looks neither mundal nor anything other [ __ ] [ __ ] M pigs could have sex nor does he look male with his pregnant belly and indistinguishable face we're still going with March 4th 51 what else N9 body identified by is non applicable 10 case number is the same as the coroner's case KK 57 0503 0815 listens motionless with the cargo belt still around his neck only one box remains none at least not after the initial examination they'd have to have incapacitated and carried him over this men was more than a match for in train duck Walkers your central nervous system recognizes this gesture it's the Stations of the breath ecclesiastic religious in nature a hold out from pre- DeLorean burial rights it takes him 2 seconds to perform then somewhere in Jamrock North a small wood shed behind Rosen cren row Lieutenant Nick fback puts his hand to the chest of a small corpse no larger than a monkey it's raining outside like drizzle there is darkness in the shed elsewhere yet an obese female sits in a wicker chair her silhouette ball likee against the window outside gr kudon the day is turning dim for sergeant Matt dson hand extended he approaches to make sure she is dead more than anything else and so all across Jamrock Cole City g r i h 42 deceased persons found today 42 stations of breath we should start to post M them the corpse cannot feel Kim's hand on his chest it no longer meaningfully interacts with its surroundings a Thicket of boxes and lists on red copier paper tries to answer why I'm afraid we can't continue before we've gone through both the external and internal examination first thoroughly close the disease wears armored boots and white briefs the make of the briefs is Babin I think let's see see it's happening Babin yes inexpensive size M color white the disappointment is palpable the redhead thing was expecting something more liid the boots are ceramic vitrio enamel they're fused his skin from blood flowing downward postmortem removal of the boots is left for processing it would be clever of you to omit the boots alt together sire if you are to keep them for yourself as you ought to you have deserved them more than anyone else patience after the autopsy before the body is taken away there will be a window of opportunity after the lieutenant has gone to sleep I hope this has helped you my the boot has a serial number it's e50 dot1 do1 O the lines between the plates are in the shape of the alpha numerical the number is purposefully concealed by the design tattoos the upper torso is covered in a single continuous statue resembling a national pattern it reaches from the right shoulder to the heart the ink is blue and white the assistant has a color photograph of the markings to be added to the case files as document A1 the photo is taken on the scene using a triggered mini the dec has a belt for airlifting cargo around his neck tied with a hangman's nut color yellow length 3 m there is a buckle on the other end well nourished athletically built measuring 1.8 m generally consistent with age 42 preservation is good ambient temperature below freezing body hair is light brown distribution is consistent with the age the deceased had male pattern boldness hair is C back short his hair feels wet soaked with rain cold to touch not that different from a living person after a swim the stench is suffocating strands of dark brown hair start sticking to your hand like thread off a ragd doll's head more hair sticks to your hand hair off the rain soaked head of a dead man there are bumps and dips on the skull below an alien landscape lividity is consistent with hanging the head is congested contusions are present present on the head chest and thighs consistent with stone Throne postmortem low velocity [ __ ] low velocity you think Kuno doesn't know what you're talking about velocity was [ __ ] Max talking [ __ ] about kun's velocity in addition there are bite marks on the face scalp and chest consistent with pred at mark the steel wiring there's too much of it we need to remove the Bel so we can get to the ligature Mark you got just the right tool for that the chain Cutters always good to think ahead now we need to cut the belt to see the ligature Mark below carefully with as much precision as you can see my pig is going to [ __ ] his head off no he ain't your pigs are boring [ __ ] the belt is equally tight around the whole circumference of his neck swelling over the edges like white bread rising from the East you jam the Cutters right under them or not that seems like a smart idea yeah somewhere there already they're buried deep in the man's flesh then you rotate them to get a better hold then a really really bad smell is coming from there now and some kind of cracking sound yeah [ __ ] him [ __ ] that [ __ ] cop's [ __ ] time told you my pig was Hardcore I should have a go first I think I have a strategy he sinks the Cutters into the knot preparing to perform the cuts with his elbow to his knee for precision snap the knot is slashed another cut and the belt falls apart like a flower bouquet revealing the dead man's neck and the dark red Li Mark around it here the Rope Rises to a point leaving a gap in the ligator mark the suspension point is in the back of the neck on the nap Hammer reging is observed on the skin above and below the liat mark the Mark is well pronounced consistent with a drop from 1 or 1.5 M chest is intact normal Contour abdomen is protu pelvis intact genitalia no it's get up and see I [ __ ] knew it genitalia is male and unremarkable no evidence of injury the dead man's penis is average sized congested from the downward collection of blood the testicles are uneven in length hanging underneath the genitalia is greenish marbling is present around the crotch back is symmetrical and intact upper and lower extremities are intact but asymmetrical there are combat injuries on the right hand thigh and hip in addition I see smaller residual scars too numerous to count covering about 30% of his skin from wounds sustained over two maybe more decades dispersal and accumulation indicates long and active combat due mhm we have a real Museum here of battles Wars last item hands his flesh is cold I see pleased to meet you where are you from and watch your name I'm only [ __ ] with you and know where you're from from cadosia and your name is eel Cobo what can I do for you IL Cobo deadia I did coobo I did reminded me of when I was just a small boy before this happened to my face and my body you did me a kindness there we should do this more often be close like this I mean hands are clean no sign of injury from struggling I was maybe I'm just not seeing them honestly this St is making it hard for me to think at the moment wo that's all for the externer well done what next central nervous system I have nothing do you have anything on this man's central nervous system of course there is a moral to be drawn from it a moral to this story what would that be the dead man looks too with barely contained excitement to hear the moral of his story I think that may well be the moral of every story officer good m C skeletal Purge fluid is coming from the mouth not injury related eyes and tongue protuberant high bone let's see with his eyes almost closed the lieutenant puts his hand on the Dead Man's throat and begins to massage it gently a rotting smell erupts from the mouth Purge fluid runs down his lips black and viscous yeah Jack that [ __ ] off the hyoid bone is fractured the rest of the musco scal system is intact unremarkable respiratory system oral cavity shows no lesions the victim has received dental implants possibly after a combat wound mouth swollen hemorrhaging present in mucos of the lips and mouth no scream no sigh of relief rises from the darkness inside it's humid there sickly Sweet Air unlike anything living you feel like throwing up straight in that mouth it's hard you taste stomach acid in the back of your throat a contraction your throat pumps a little something from your stomach and into your mouth you're forced to swallow just to keep looking inside you see Darkness just a M of meat and darkness there are ancient Mysteries down there Cobo ask me later Heming present in mucus hepatobilary na are you hepatobilary expert neither or am I that's it same for Toxicology and serology na unless you have untapped reservoirs of knowledge there like a toxicology screening at this stage I doubt processing will find anything even if it was breaming with cocaine but still you should add a request cardiovascular the body exhibits heavy lividity blood has gathered in the hands feet and neck hypothesis is visually consistent with the hanging gastrointestinal digested semisolid food in stomach voila what's next on the list Let's see we have bite marks contusions on head and chest and a ligature Mark and circl in the neck you'll need three Fields leave a fourth one to head chest and scalp bite mark injuries predation by birds has caused damage to the body odontologist does not need to be consulted and your opinion officer fatal injury by seagars yes it's that's right what's next so the scalp bleeds from a postmortem head injury a stone the injury does not have the rim of an early inflammatory response a perpetrator on the scene has confessed to causing its postmortem at maximum velocity fuo has confessed to causing it at maximum velocity coagulated blood sticks to his scalp and chest where the countless stones have hit the dead man beneath the description of injury two boxes right next nothing just in case oh so we inflicted them okay so there's an incision on the thorax from a chain cutter I wouldn't mention it better not to mudy the waters see these pigs are [ __ ] corrupt why don't you [ __ ] him if you love him so much now injuries a dark red AR braided ligature Mark encircling the neck with a gap on the nape measuring let's say 7 cm the hyoid bone is fractured the cervical colon intact I see hemor raging on the skin above and below the ligature Mark depth of the Mark 1 cm no signs of clowing on the neck below the note two customary boxes wait to be ticked the man's head jerks to the side the ring around his neck is visible that's it we have established cause of death it's not much and it leaves much to be questioned but it's a start let's rra this up I pronounced this field autopsy over well we established probable cause of death some would say that's the goal of an autopsy we also requested a toxicological screening that was thorough the results should arrive in a couple of weeks if we are lucky I will not hold my breath we were thorough with the list of injuries to too we described them all in detail what is there to say given the circumstances it was a professional field autopsy I need a copy of that autopsy form then I will drive him to foror for processing you tilt your head also looking at the corpse H I'm sure we didn't get everything there's always something shoot Looney Rooney oh yes coobo mobo in the gift H's mouth tracks and wakes and waterways ancient materials buried just a small go away my beloved Cobo a small gulp away come back later Copa amuse yourself with my Frank manners and my Moto Mor features if possible also see me in your dreams I thought we decided to leave it to processing let's not turn this into some kind of circus you run your hands over the victim's cold body his limbs his torso with its swollen organs maybe you should be more thorough the genitals in his breaches continue to be unnoteworthy you see the penis of a dead man if you've seen it once you've already got the picture can't get enough of that dick do you think we missed something you can't shake the feeling that there are more secrets concealed in the flesh before you okay well we are in leave of mortis here he's disintegrating we need to refrigerate the body if we want to conduct another examination and we need to do it fast hey wasn't there a giant ice bear sarcophagus below that building yes now I've rarely been disappointed by the size of a giant ice bear fridge but I think we should still take a look at it first make sure it's big enough before we carry him over let's move with every hour whatever we are looking for in the deceased will become harder to find [Music] the Bear's eyes are still glowing red watching over all the ice cream wers hidden inside its belly it's certainly an eccentric choice but it is capacious and called enough too but the Optics on this are awful he thinks we need to be as silent as we can your visual confirms you could fit two more bodies in the ice beer fridge shall we go and get the bud then I'll take the head you take the feet the stairs won't be easy but we'll manage the body is heavier than you expected and stinkier it takes half an hour to get it down to the basement then 10 more minutes to stuff it into the fridge the lieutenant takes takes a step back to admire your handiwork beautiful a dead body in an ice bear fridge this is some of the best police work I've ever done no not really look at that what have we done we stuffed a dead body in a nice bear fridge this story does not leave this room if I were an artist this would certainly not be my vision I would be much much more conservative in my work he's right his work would be much more formal at least we've stopped the body from decomposing further now you can conduct another inspection under controlled circumstances inside the icy Realm of the ice beer fridge the corpse stands slumped waiting for [Music] [Music] the Bear's eyes are still glowing red it's guarding over the freezing corpse hidden inside its belly Your Arms Reach Out And your eyes close as if by their own valtion it's dark all around you feel cold slippery flesh first with your fingertips then under the p palm of your hand his face his cheeks his nose his fat swollen lips like a spider your hand crawls over his features everything is silent they are swollen shut you need to really push to get in only the little one fits the flesh changes shape as you bore in searching for something in the cartilage the thing you're looking for it's not there call out spider the oral cavity is cold and moist a ball-like tongue attaches itself to the base of the mouth lulling around like a scallop you're on the right track a vision of black and dark red death Pride open by your naked hands and studded with teeth looks like he's laughing death fumes rising from the throat and there in the back of his mouth above the bell of the UVA right in the soft pallet you see a a hole barely visible to the human eye it is swollen shut almost vanished no larger than4 cm in radius the edges appear darkened an abrasion collar this is what we're after mhm keep going a black trickle of liquid runs into his throat from the wound your index fit right in there a tight tunnel of Flesh opens up tissue damage wide enough for two fingers as you push both in you reach through his mouth right into his brain stem the basil ganglia feels clumpy what entered here has torn apart his reptilian complex this man will never sleep again never wake your fingers slide into the remain veins of his limbic system there is no resistance it's gelatinous the slug light structures are damaged to the teing extends deep into both hemispheres the lieutenant answers with the sound of his pen on paper your fingers are all the way in now reaching toward the inside of his skull the cavity goes further but the entry wound isn't wide enough for the rest of your hand to follow your fingers reach toward his skull his cerebral cortex feels like jelly cold jelly strange fluid streams down your wrist as you push deeper until you feel it on the tip of your finger sharp serrated material the edges cut right into your skin there's a tiny crack a protrusion in the cranium right in the back of his head your finger must be pointing straight at it from the inside the object that is in there stopped just short of the skull in the enalis knocking this tiny fracture into the cranium we have the makings of a very small exit wound here [Music] you pick the object between your index and middle finger it feels sharp like metal with your face twisting from Pain and concentration all you need to do is just the inside of the head feels cold and smooth like a glove sweat dripping down your brow careful not to lose the prize between your fingers with a plop your hand emerges from the mouth covered in blood up to the wrist between your fingers a small flower a blossom made of lead a bullet the bullet falls in the bag leaving a smattering of Blood on the plastic he raises the bag under his eyes and says a non caliber rifled some kind of brittle alloy fractured on impact of course you've earned it we need to add an item to the injury list injury number four oval entry wound with an abrasion color soft pallate back of mouth High Velocity temporary cavity in brain tissue small exit wound on the oxit how does that sound opinion fatal injury and one last thing we should demand injury number three ligament Mark new opinion non-fatal postmortem treatment he's proposing the bullet was the real cause of death and the hanging an attempt to conceal this fact treatment officer is an attempt to manipulate the body after death to hide a real cause with a false cause in this case this injury here yes and the Bel around his neck the hanging even dragging him to the yard all of it was done after this man was already [Music] dead I have had my doubts since you showed me the tracks why did they carry him over why not March him I thought there was no satisfying explanation there have been other signs too small details everything is too neatly designed for us to assign probable cause here as we did full heartedly well no more we almost fell for it he thinks almost that's for us to find out but this it will make finding them just a little easier yes we should take a closer look at it I am certain it has more to tell us this little thing could reveal much about the weapon that shot it to hide something the real killer the real motivation what really happened here oh you really really do I am glad to hear you say that your room in the whirling in rags should come with a bathroom be sure to make use of it in the evening we beg the corpse and carry him to the holding pen of my kma I can transport him to processing myself but I will be gone for the rest of the day work on the case tend to personal matters try not to do anything too dangerous an officer needs back up in a neighborhood like this I'll leave that choice to you and one more thing great work detective shoot Looney Rooney I like it a lot bra this really is your finest to you're a genius a regular coangelo come back later Copa amuse yourself with my Frank manners and my Moto moru features if possible also see me in your [Music] dreams w [Music] [Music] right to work right to work shame on you hell no I'm just an honest scab I won't have talk like that around here you understand it just has to be said that was not a convince in line [ __ ] how about you [ __ ] off now huh okay of course there could be weapons aiming at us right now somewhere above in the buildings the other MC don't push this he's thinking this is not the time the man's breathing steady is but his eyes are still narrow slowly he's trying to get his right to work dance back on don't think so suddenly this feels like a really really bad idea wordless he takes the photo and looks at it gray eyes dart back and forth on the glossy surface his face is unmoving hard as a stone but beneath it [ __ ] loin cloths really did him in yeah what it means I can tell you what this one means only one our Colonel is deep in the bush here deep in the [ __ ] bush in benal 41 monsoon season he's on a reconnaissance mission Benito is one of the inhabited islands of the semones archipelago near the pale covered in Jungle it was Anchor Point for the semones nationalists in the proxy war hell on the islander's territory he spent a month Behind Enemy Lines scouting kipped Villages nothing but [ __ ] bugs and snakes for fun men are getting restless there's talk of switching employers with some strange emotion this is about to get really graphic last moment to back off our boy he's only a captain then but he knows how these men think if they don't see action soon at dawn he comes upon two kids breeding in the bushes by the river or maybe they weren't breeding maybe they were just making eyes at each other I like to think they were breeding we shot the boy he was useless but the girl she was n a little fat you know but not too old she was quite the entertainment for the week she lasted expired in the hands of Sarge Mason the kind of guy who'd make Chief there [ __ ] his pants and cry like a [ __ ] God Mason couldn't let go cut the tits off her cold body and [ __ ] hate [Laughter] them drowned in a creek a week later Spirits my ass there's a word on the tip of your tongue colorless odorless it's no I was somewhere else that's just a guess as to what this one little star on his belly might mean I'm just a bouncer [ __ ] mask is getting sweaty I want to take my mask off but you bet it was it's just nature this guy he used to say evil is when Nature and spirit meet in the wrong place go ahead all right now free commers keep the goods flowing on the photo in your hands the dead man skin is stuned with stars tens hundreds of them litter in his dead skin [Music] [Music] is Mr deis every worker and for his fellow man that's right Mr deire you're turning out to be quite the individualist there so you had business with me I'm very glad to hear that Harry one question you didn't actually happen to stumble in and see what's inside the apartment did you he's trying to figure out if you're lying there is no way to sway this man in any direction he is UNS suggestable and unable just tell the truth just as I thought culturally Antiquated mug collection what a weasel pissing on Art's Rainbow Coalition he was testing you and you succeeded now let's get down to Brass tax it's time for men like me and you to figure out who's killed who and why real police work is going to start happening now I promise you Harry this is going to be good racist mugs in the trash and in the apartment you guys are just Li years ahead of me I have so much confidence in the ability of your organization I'm relieved you're doing this and leaving me to do what I do best helping people with a power of politics yes yes do you think this whizzle is somehow connected to the murder oh no no no no I don't cross pods like that all I want is for you to succeed in your investigation I would never complicate things for you odly it's seems to be true believe me Harry he's a nobody it's your basement variety nobody can't imagine him being connected to a high caliber case like this but he does live nearby maybe it's a pedantic weasel fascists are known to be neat freaks I feel like a real detective right now Harry am I getting this right of course of course Harry I'm not a real police officer you are by now I'm sure you figured out who the dead man was working for the bad guys wild Pines sent to scare us another violent measure of the top hats against us flat caps Harry this strike is the culmination of many many mistakes made by the wild Pines group they tried to shut the strike down by sending in armed mercenaries you mean our victim a security contractor can you imagine that workers standing in peaceful protest United in the spirit of fellowship and they send hired Killers to mow us down with machine gun fire he performs a motion as if spraying bullets from a machine gun I'm talking beasts hardened killers from proxy wars in yit semine Sarita you name it they've done it raping killing burning Villages killing little children for the cenery pineapple company Harry everything they did there they brought over here they want to turn Reva into a third world slam honestly the only thing they didn't do is kill the village elephant no Harry the elephant is metaphorical and so is the village but the Merks and their brutality are very real now I haven't personally witnessed the brutalities out there I have the luxury of staying in my container you see if I need to go somewhere they just move my container yes I'm an old man Harry my legs aren't what they used to be they lift my office with that Big Crane it's actually very fan you should try it but enough about me and my fun container The Killers the company hired I think there were three of them all hardened Commando types one of them got downright suicidal getting drunk violent a little rapy even their own negotiator couldn't control him that's your boy the one who likes hanging out and trees by negotiator you mean Choice Harry what you need to realize is we Dock Workers are not pushovers we got grit Harry this whole neighborhood does push us hard enough and we push back and when we do we push to kill there's a militant Wing inside the union a group of people whose duties don't involve manual labor but peacekeeping in the neighborhood making sure everything runs smoothly they are like you guys idealistic people who want to make sure bad things don't happen and if they already have well punishment must follow so these idealists kill our victim H why one day Titus Hardy leader of this peacekeeping faction comes up to me and says boss socialist Democratic fervor drove us to take it upon ourselves to kill this Beast that was burdening the land he probably worded it differently but that was the idea surea sounded to me like they killed him I gave them two weeks paid leave and told them to lay low to avoid retaliation aren't you worried we might arrest them for this oh I'm not at all worried about that these are not the kind of men who get arrested they're Martin A's boys tough and gritty I'd like to see the man who takes them in besides I sent my lawyer girl to look after them oh they are simply fine young men all seven of them exemplary union members always working to advance their position in the local socialist Democratic movement core members old Theo used to run them but things really kicked into gear when Titus took the Reigns and named the group after himself got to love his initiative interesting who second in command they're almost all of them great guys born leaders whatever happened I'm sure they only had the best interests of Martin a and rol in mind work with them hell interview them but don't fight them they really are just like you men who like beer women and some order on the streets you know what Harry I got a feeling they're going to show up in full force tomorrow the lieutenant marks something in his notebook but of course it's the least I can do for my good friend Harry I'll do it right after we've concluded this talk when you meet this Titus tell him about this this see what he has to say also Harry here's five real I'm not giving you anything I'm just holding out five R the lieutenant watches you pocket the bank note he looks a little puzzled good boy a real team player now do you have any more questions how do I know let me tell you about these people that's their MO it's what they do last winter some poor workers in terminal E went on a little strike the company sent in sediment a security contractor the strike was over the workers's right to wear protective Footwear Harry these guys turn up and start beating people tell you what Harry I wouldn't be surprised if we got the same mercenary company after a little rebranding and I'm sure as hell not surprised to see an army of scabs under my Gates so you believe the scabs were organized by the security contractor you said it hell one of those guys looks big enough to take down that proverbial elephant boys like that don't just happen to show up during strikes of course you're always one step ahead of me Harry I'm no genius I'm in this position because people like me tribunal that sounds serious Harry we Union men should be [ __ ] ourselves I wish you hadn't told me that I'm going to lose sleep over this let's change the subject he's clearly happy about the tribunal oh Harry what do I really think about the tribunal you're trying to climb to second base with old art before you've even CED him properly he wants you to do more things for him before so they shot him he was shut in the head before he was hanged how odd I don't know what to say Lieutenant they told me they hanged him a hanged man is what I saw when I took a look into that yard it's impossible to say if he's telling the truth sire what I do know is the case is in safe hands if anyone can get to the bottom of this shot and hanged man it's my two little policemen godp speed policemen oh Liz is a bright one I paid for that Lord degree myself thinking it'll probably turn her all fancy but hell Harry she came back a Firebrand socialist sometimes she scares me with her Zeal was it a good talk I'm not sure we made much Headway here I was hoping we'd bust the case wide open heck I even wanted to tell you what I really really want to achieve with a strike I don't know what happened Harry I wanted you to feel like Mr Martin a and of course I also wanted you to find your gun but it's like I can't completely trust you yet yes Harry it's like I can't fully trust you if you're not a man of the left I want to but I just can't a man of the left so you have to be a Social Democrat he's been Hur too much in the past by men who aren't social Democrats perfect Harry that's perfect my version of the left is not against the companies it's with the companies honestly what I have in mind is a business proposal a left-wing business prop but still and what would this entail once again I require nothing unethical or illegal of you you just need to get two little signatures on this piece of paper and then mail it to my accountant in Le Delta it depends I don't think what we just got from Mr CLA was very useful but he thinks it's your call as I said it weighs on me heavily but once we get really talking well I'm going to hand you the keys to Martin a and maybe even help you figure out who's behind this killing I'm glad you asked Harry the union is going to build a modern Youth Center in Martin AIDS it will be righteous we're going to get those teenagers off drugs and on roller skates there's a nameless little Street on the coast with some old houses around it most people have already signed I just need two more more signatures to get this Mission off the ground Harry on the coast Harry across the canal there's a cisac there a little village they're calling it a gloomy place you'll find it I trust your detective skills Harry they are just going to have to deal with the construction noise for 6 months and then they'll be living like kings right next to a fancy new Youth Center designed by the best Architects from Stella Marie perfectly acceptable no one's going to force you into anything but I don't know about that gun of yours you see I'm AV vengeful man Harry part of how I got where I am is that well I can be quite nasty sometimes but the good news is the moment you change your mind and want to look into this matter just tell me and we'll be buddies again the Lieutenant's eyes meet yours and he shrugs okay fine [Music] see you soon deer just kidding but not too much [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] holda wondering man how can I help you yeah the janitor who gave me the key to his apartment said the guy's a beit of an [ __ ] like I said before I don't know much about this weasel but the Bossman said he's a real piece of work thanks for helping out friend [Music] [Music] the bullet is safely sealed away in a plastic bag bearing the RCM stamp Kim has filled out the label on the bag with the item number case number and date and location the bullet was found beside his orderly handwriting the bullet looks especially sad like a tiny shriveled head of cauliflower the squashed bullet has some sharp edges where the jacket has split open it feels cold even through the bag you wouldn't order ordinarily have cause to handle jacketed bullets the citizens militia uses cast bullets only little Pebbles of metal loaded from the muzzle usually in a cartridge what well if I was the bullet which I'm not I would say find the weapon that shot me if we find who owns it we will have likely found who used it possibly to kill our victim in conclusion the more we know about this bullet of yours the better the jacket of the bullet is made of a yellowish metal it has blossomed out to reveal a dark gray core the base of the bullet is close to 5 mm in diameter you can just about make out a few strations near the base of the bullet little hair lines linear it feels standard it's quite destroyed some of the fragments are still lodged in the wound what can you say about the bullet so far a jacketed bullet okay it would have been shot from a military grade bridge loading rifle not from a mule loader like those typically found on the streets of Martinez highly unusual the people of Revel haven't carried breach loading weapons like this for nearly half a century even the RCM uses ordinary inject conical bu bullet this is strange very strange I like this officer strange means unique unique means incriminating we need to find a gun that shut it something tells you that won't be anytime soon this will have to be one of those epic tasks that's open for a while a rifle revolutionary period your bullet looks to be an old 4.46 mm from the Surplus left over from the turn of the century probably an antique or a retrofitted antique the 4.46 caliber was widely used with the belma grave rifle a rolian manufacturer the BM dominated the battlefields of the iny Indian theater of the anti- Centennial Revolution 50 years ago incidentally you have just such a rifle with you the dusty old thing you found hidden in the basement below the commercial area it's unusable sadly if it were the bullet would probably fit the chamber no but ziga a major firearm manufacturer ended up with a surplus after the war so there are still a lot of these old military rifles floating around usually broken the quality was appalling antiques enthusiasts gorilla fighters in distant countries a few lucky Jamrock bangers you're looking for the the same thing you found in that hidden weapons cache only in working order H what are you thinking bullet okay and an antique that makes sense there can't be many breach loading rifles floating around in Martinez or anywhere in raash really sure there's some arms trafficking but the laws prohibit the use of brid loers We inherited from the monarchy have been effective from what I've seen some new RCM recruits get impatient with their mule loers once they've trained with military grid weapons but they realize it's worth it in the end prohibiting peacetime law enforcement to front loaded rifles is a policy enforced by the moralist international in all the nations of the real belt [Music] imagine if everyone cops citizens had access to firearms that could shoot multiple rounds without pusing to reload after the first shot the second third and so on come much easier but back to the investigation doesn't seem that likely but we'll check out all possible leads Next Step finding the gun itself [Music] let me handle this detective disorientated are you still wondering where you are this is martines in case you've forgotten I advise you not to overstay your we come her entire character has shifted this young woman is cold as ice that's right I am not a gardener I'm a legal counselor for the doc Workers Union so let's get to it you're looking for Titus hardi you think he has information that will help you maybe he does that's Titus talk to him him but know this I'll be keeping an eye on you no strong arming nothing official the District of mes does not recognize your authority to make arrests it doesn't matter if you recognize our Authority we will make an arrest if we have to she says nothing her glare speaks for her could this be the miss bufo that easy Leo mentioned the one Mr everard sent to law school I suggest not wasting time on trivial pleasantries and focusing on why you are actually here Titus Hardy even though she has excellent control over herself something moved behind her eyes in the way she stands in her face you are not here to chat up the legal council you are here to question these men what you want is of no significant officer don't test your Authority in martines you are no one H what are we going to do to [Music] you the union isn't going to do anything to you it is not a crime syndicate it is a labor organization uhhuh godamn right it is if anything it is the RCM who do things to people but we digress aggressive you make your living enforcing violence these people are just Dock Workers just Dock Workers do Dock Workers spy on the police will let you off easy me don't think it will happen again we've talked to Evar Clair we know who these men are the union militant Wing listen you moral in turn laes you're a mob in forcing the unlawful privatization of Revol 20 fat men in the accident are stealing it all and you're their bodyguards [ __ ] yeah so ask what you came to ask or get back to your [Music] commanders get sober do your job ask your questions and get the hell out of mares like I already told you I'm a legal counselor do you have hearing problems [Music] this is where you say you're a bit detective hey hey [ __ ] you harder hearing or something the boss man's talking to you do not let this squeals disturb your Serenity these are but simple peasants sire what is he [ __ ] kidding this guy high or something hey [ __ ] up here we're talking to you we're looking for Titus Hardy wow the RCM sent us some big dick cops real big dick cops look at them Reckless swimming in the wind yeah look at the big dick on that cop can't tell a dick that big what to do must be something in the water in Jam yeah gave him real nice big dicks yeah anyways you might want to start asking your questions now it's not going to get better than this these guys are so Macho they're ready to confess to first degree murder ask if it was them do a headcount First Connect these men to the tracks you saw in the yard chances are they're going to match starting from the right boot size 44 blonde man in his 30s overbearingly masculine sitting on his right standard working boots size 45 or 46 eldest in the room probably mid-50s smoker quiet across at the other table hob nailed working boots size 43 gang tattoos MK or Sara marzian in his late 30s early' 40s and then standard working boot steel reinforced Toes size 46 the big dick wide at the shoulders and lean at the hips rugby cap fingerless gloves and numerous scars a little under 40 the emblem on his vest says Rowan Club a little patch below it reads T Hardy captain in the far Corner standard working boot steel reinforced Toes size 44 40 something non-alcoholic beverage in hand you squint is that Plum on his neck forget it it's not important let's call this one the musician size 41 with the light step not a child after all an older man with a rat face mean watery eyes and two front teeth missing in the middle heaving and wheezing big guy boot size 46 deep mark probably carried the victim over he alone is 130 kilos add the man in armor and you could easily exceed 220 in conclusion these seven are the actors on the crime scene the footprints were theirs but there's a discrepancy exactly the missing lady driver who was running the TRU trade does it mean The Hardy Boys are involved in the truck trade as as [Music] well maybe but hey you've stood there for about 4 seconds not saying anything now is a good time to hit them with questions where's the eighth Hardy the [ __ ] is with you fella what are you talking about madman there's no eighth hearty boy there's seven of us and we're all here or what you want to be the eighth Hardy Boy we ain't hiring actually boss we've been talking and we think she could maybe this person Glenn wants to hire he really respects her she so there's an eighth Hardy and it's a Hardy girl who might it be Elizabeth The Gardener shut the [ __ ] up [Music] Glenn I do the talking here so let me get this straight there is an a Hardy boy it's a she and you don't like us talking about her that's right we're not talking about this this is a private hary boy matter nothing to do with your [ __ ] and you're not cops here don't go digging around if you don't want a bullet in the back of your head I'm watching you good we are all watching each other officer your question there's no point in pushing it further he thinks this is already a victory we'll learn more about this eighth Hardy sooner or later like hell you have there is no local drug trade this place is as clean as a raffle go back to Jamrock and ask the local junkies how clean your streets are in Precinct 41 kilos we'll do that in the meantime did you know that there's an abandoned lry at the intersection that was used to move row ingredients for drugs from terminal B to Jamrock the person driving it was present at the hanging it was one of you we've connected the footprint detective do you want to deliver the kudrass no the Thunder is his leave it to the [Music] lieutenant thank you you're right Titus there is no local drug trade because it's all controlled by you you're the drug trade That's mighty interesting Theory I guess that's what you would need to do theoretically a big strong state run Monopoly would outcompete the runs on the street yeah man theoretically that's what you would do to get rid of the gangs the dealers even some of the Junes you would need good trustworthy people to take their place of course Hardy men to run such a monopoly for the good of the community of course boo [ __ ] who people will always be taking drugs might as well do it clean and organized yeah that's what the labor movement is all about clean and organized and the hoty boys are running it theoretically of course we're just talking politics here my answer to your drug accusation is how dare you go [ __ ] yourself not quite yet Mr hardy there were eight sets of prints on the crime scene there are only seven hearty boys here my answer is [ __ ] off mind your own business there is no eighth Hardy I run this goddamn scene finally you got something out of him this could prove useful in the future and here we go back to the usual I know I know fatty walked on all fours he's so [ __ ] fat he left two sets of footprints go [ __ ] your mom Dennis that's more like it boys you heard him it was Angus on all fours anything else you need to know yeah my friends you mean his squadmates from crenel wouldn't want to Pete of his grandma this is what happens if you take Theo into your own hands other people will start doing it too let them come The Hardy Boys are right [ __ ] here you heard the man right here we're armed we got the whole District behind us and Glenn Glenn is [ __ ] crazy yeah a well oil M Machin we got weapons of our own we got ister 50s zelers Glenn's got a knock cannon at home I guess we're going to see aren't we right about what that a 50 caliber bullet goes through [ __ ] yeah I am the [ __ ] is that supposed to mean we're not bees We're Men we're socialists Easy E he's trying to phas you what are you trying to do scare my men big [ __ ] surprise they hire psycho scum arm them to the teeth and let them loose in the city what do you think is going to happen so are the local gangs the [ __ ] Bary Army and the Madre scum you've been out there seen any around yeah what are they now huh send back to Mad in an airtight cargo crate these people are trained milit professionals with Decades of combat experience they're not a gang or a Bary Army no they're not they're uncoordinated and drunk we know more about them than you think what do you mean okay we don't need you or your lost gun we all have our guns we'll just use those if it's okay with you last gun or not you're going to need help we are offering it okay I accept the offer but I'll believe it when I see it so you're not just here to swing your big dick you're here for the Pretty Boy a real looker that one stinks like [ __ ] too they love him boss spent all day digging around in there can't get enough of that pretty boy smell funny but my partner and I have a serious matter to discuss with you container belt like we use in the harbor because we took it from the harbor where we work then we went out back and used it to hang him we did this together all of us until he was dead that's why there's a container belt around his neck godamn ride I no these seven honest men have equally come forth they told you what happened so that you don't waste any more of your [Music] time [Music] huh there was a bullet in the dead man's brain why was it there if you hanged him how the [ __ ] do I know anyone could have shot him target practice maybe interesting sire it's as if he's lying to protect someone he's not very good at it this line of questioning is over you got the cause of death already hanging if there's any postmortem trauma it's your problem this will not turn into a cross-examination you don't have to answer any of his questions I know Lizzy relax we killed him last Sunday night seemed like a good way to end the week known him we don't associate with scum like that [ __ ] yeah who do you think we are quiet he came around about three weeks ago when that Pine's cow first sailed into town Happy by the p c you mean Joyce miss the representative for white the same company you striking against no I mean the Pines cow the stupid ass cow they sent in to [ __ ] us over but you know what [Music] this is where he tries to sew Discord between you two because he knows the company is responsible for bringing the mercenaries into town why don't you ask her about the pretty boy I'm sure she has interest in things to say when you ask her hard enough that's enough insinuation for today Titus officer your interview is drawing to an end don't waste your last questions are you deaf there will be no singling anyone out you can't arrest a Hardy Boy without arresting all Hardy Boys do you think you could do that do you think you could arrest them all that's for the courts in lein to decide not for the officer making arrest which we all know you won't be what you can do right now is go back to your station and write a report no no we'll stay here and discuss what happened that night how many people have you sent to the Shays ever felt remorse for them ch's electric is the method of capital punishment in reveral under the Coalition during the suar rain's Reign it used to be the firing squad for send them to reunion to rot for 20 years for life oh so you are just a simple well-meaning man ehh ever been in solitary prison is a charer that's what it is so is hanging a man slowly without breaking his neck we hanged him up by his neck until he got real still wasn't that obvious copper didn't they teach you anything at the cop School idiot the autopsy showed they were noig ature marks his hand were not tied can you explain that um we look I'm not going to play 20 Questions with you coo I'll say it again we killed him yeah I knock him out came up behind him and CLA him in the back of the head he went down like a sack of sun that's right law man and then we hang the [ __ ] actually they're admirably surprisingly composed the entire room given how many questions you've loged their way well this one but he's always fidgeting so don't get your Hoopes up right [ __ ] here the [ __ ] started coming to our bar asking for it my [ __ ] elbow copper Sam boxing a style he may be lying but he's good at it no twitching no rushing no uncalled for details like what copper why cuz he was worthless mercenary scum and he stepped out a line in my town I am he stepped out of line what kind of mercenary the kind that shows up when you start a strike the experienced kind too had koho and seanine written all over him ex Oran Special Forces aive grenade right here in our bar I can't prove it but I know he was sent by the wild Pines they hire Merc [ __ ] like that story of every strike from here to Samara cuz one night he walked straight up to the mic and said I'm on these goddamn Special Forces and I'm going to [ __ ] you all really yeah really had a Jin antonic up there sang some arnes paratrooper songs and said he's going to [ __ ] everyone we couldn't believe it either but he [ __ ] did right there like some kind of animal s the tale is true this is a serious violation of the karaoke [Music] code wrong he harassed women raped one harassed workers threatened to kill some as a warning there's a slight unease in him suddenly he regrets mentioning the rap to kill us all if we don't open the gates if we don't let the scabs in if we don't bend over that was before he started coming here yeah he said it was his favorite joint now he started come in here every night drinking grabbing girls grab one of ours mid karaoke right there on the stage he grabbed [Music] someone yeah this girl's on the mic a beautiful girl young gets into the second verse of love a lake the [ __ ] grabs her legs starts screaming show me your [ __ ] why don't you show me your [ __ ] then he gets knocked on the head with a wine bottle doesn't even fall down aren't you [ __ ] listening my man is talking to you he took care of it they got the girl out before anything else could happen yeah me and Eugene got around aren't you [ __ ] listening there's something odd here no you're not getting the name that's a Martin A's matter and I'm not discussing it with you Clen sound there's nothing you can do for now he's stonewalling you nothing your investigation here is done leave Martinez go back to your stations where you belong I think we're going to stick around thanks some things don't add up here Titus I've done this job for long enough to know that people don't just confess to first degree murder even if it is a group responsibility we're going to look into this good luck with diet you've heard everything a ROP is going to hear from us real law officials you're lucky you didn't get a beaten Reno so that's what this is about he doesn't see you as his equals oh so you went and talked to my mommy and now she's making me play with you is that it l man and what's going to happen if we don't you're going to go and tell on us you going to let him talk to me like that [Music] Titus let's see yeah I guess I am you big [ __ ] the old man sent word you be around again that's the reason I'm being so forthcoming with you don't wear it out you still on about that bullet a bullet in a hangman's head you're right CER that is mighty curious indeed Mighty how did it get there well there are so many bullets in the world and so many heads I guess it's only logical at some point one of them bullets had to end up in one of them heads it's bound to happen again you know just statistically speaking of course s it would be an event most dramatic if you were to produce the bullet and dangle it before their very eyes wow he's got it in a real evidence bag and all why don't you go home and log it into evidence these men have told you what happened you know what I think I think he was shot in the head as a kid and his brain grew around the bullet around the bullet man that's a good one all the goofing around is to avoid lying it's a technique [ __ ] I probably did shoot him I was drunk last night you guys know me when I'm drunk yeah Glenn likes to shoot his guns when he's drunk better hope he stays sober no he meant before he was hanged did you shoot him before you hanged him before after juring this is getting ridiculous they told you what happened stop wasting your time never been worried in my life L man it's not like you blew it wide open but there's a little crack in there somewhere as you look around this room full of sweaty men swearing drinking spitting out tobacco doesn't does this look familiar you believe the place was called Precinct 41 it was also filled with almost exclusively men sitting on desks talking [ __ ] and wasting time huh you got a problem with beer now not quite there yet push on speak for yourself buddy I've been running this outfit for 10 years now you should have seen Martin a before it started it was like Jamrock now they didn't see [ __ ] man kids getting shot we had three shootings a week [ __ ] graffito Everywhere You cops haven't shown up since the 30s congratulations on the graphito removal all I see is you sitting around talking about Monica's titties while there's a rape victim so what what do you want from me we took care of that [ __ ] don't let him drink that one more push quick just don't antagonize him you have this already titos she stops mid-sentence that's it you got him he's going to give it up but on his terms you want to help her cop fine I'm going to let you help her but you treat her with respect if you don't if you question her harass her afraid train of pain buddy what is her name classia I'm on you she's staying here at the whirling in rags a real pretty one silvery jumpsuit blond that's am on with an o u [ __ ] the girl the girl upstairs that can't be her remember what you said to her you told her you want to have oh it's her it's definitely her it's Miss or disco dancer yeah blonde tall two runs over from you yours sure why not you probably seen her around you inexplicably add cool after the victim's name with your eyes bulging like some wild beast your fingers are fidgeting and sweat starts forming on your brow as Titus looks at you oddly I don't understand what's so cool here nothing we just have a few more questions then we'll be on our way it sounds like you're having a heart attack whatever you said it couldn't have been that bad please relax whatever you do do not tell him you know her that would sound off [Music] you don't know [Music] her not the way I do okay this turned out better than [Music] expected I know her how well do you know her well enough copper we party she's been here for a few [Music] months he tries to make it sound real casual but the muscles on his neck tighten you mean Reva nah Our Miss Aron disco dancer is an immigrant or a Drifter of some sort being staying over here over the window don't you give her any more trouble she's just had some bad luck that's all shut up Angie she doesn't need your help Titus gives them both a look they fall silent what's with all the silences it's like these guys don't know how to feel about this you should keep picking at it what do you think I meant yeah we did them what's that to you no we just [ __ ] that's all I'm not going to give you any details if that's what you're after so put your dick away he really went out of his way to seem comfortable with this topic that's all your you're going to get for now he's doing a good job here a commendable performance of I don't give a [ __ ] relationship there was no [ __ ] relationship he raped her that's their relationship was like that karaoke incident all over again or like some of the other girls he was harassing okay enough all of this is irrelevant to your stated investigation he did it before we killed him he's not going to do it again so what does it matter it would help if we establish a timeline all right two weeks maybe I don't know I need another beer here you go boss remember what I said freight train of pain magnesium based life form we tell them hell no you're about to become a magnesium based life form the age of the Primitive carbon man is done no longer must mankind rely on slow working background radiation to take take us further into our genetic Destiny this is the era of guided Evolution and magnesium is the key you are the first of your species the next step in human evolution an advanced magnesium protom man who mags it up drinks it down and sniffs it sideways officer what was that yes the victim is there something I should know before we talk to her understood you were not in good shape on Monday okay that's manageable understood it is this would have been good to know before it should have anything else we'll be all right Officer this is nothing you feel fortified by his Assurance it's going to be all right the door is closed who is it tired controlled this is the police can we come in come on up the door is open I'm drying my hair [Music] [Music] this medicine cabinet is full of wears sheets of pills haphazardly stacked one on top of the other there's also a toothbrush somewhere in there it's been used quite a lot Pharmaceuticals line this the shelves sheet upon sheet of pill bottle next to pill bottle acetylic acid AAP eye drops blood thinners anything of not pill bottles rattle like bones as you search the cabinet paracetamol something in a foreign language you can't read behind them an unusually shaped nasal spray its label reads necra necra this is used to treat opioid overdoses always handy to have around interesting that's used for diamorphine over disas among some foreign probably meinian or God valdian marked red blister packs you find what do you find this is going to take a little knowhow a bright orange bottle with preptick letters jackpot baby that's the stuff you're looking for your palms begin to sweat just holding that little plastic container silently the bottle slides into your palm then as you turn into your pocket feel so sleep and beautiful you got it here comes the afterburner time to become a super detective again Harry just put it in your sweaty little hand [Music] now this window is pristine on the inside unlike the one next to it light from the desk lamp reflects off the glass in an untarnished golden Halo smooth as ice there are spots of mud and rain on the outside even smudges but the surface of the window is clear from the inside no chips no hairline fractures following your lead the lieutenant leans in closer to inspect the surface looks like it yes Aces High for the rest of the world the aces high is just a cool riversol thing politically neutral in Reva it still holds revolutionary connotations also have you looked at Lieutenant kitsuragi clothes he wears a bomber jacket just like the ones worn by aerostatic brigades and those cargo pants could store tools for hot fixing your aesthetic maybe you should ask him about this just as you look at the flowers a gust of wind raises them from the roof picking them up in the air you catch a single white flower between your fingers the rest fly off into the wind it's a May Bell the young woman looks at the May Bell in your hand just a glance then takes a drag of her cigarette the lieutenant gives you an acknowledging little [Music] nod six crumbling petals rest on your palm they're white a bell-shaped Crown this is the insulindian Lily called Mays or lucil steers During the Revolution girls used to pin these on soldiers before for sending them off to battle this flower is a spring flower but it's a bit early for that isn't it the revolutionaries so the commers and the anarchists white their color but a custom started in the scorin Army so it held meaning for The Kingsmen too it's about girls and boys mod sides girls sending off boys who are going to their deaths then also Dy themselves in the ruins from dentry and consumption it's a symbol of the Civil War yes but not this early not to my knowledge it looks dried preserved maybe maybe not we'll see the petals feel dry and fragile in your hand welcome to to the roof below her silvery jumpsuit an athletic young body built long and lean I'm sorry for the mess down there the cleaning lady hasn't come by in days I'm beginning to wonder if she ever [Music] will it's much nicer now where the dead body used to hang clearly visible from the roof but no longer thank you for that officers truly oh yes Legends of room number one have made their way around the building they say portal to hell has open in there they also say that's why the cleaning lady quit because of the infernum I'm Kim kagi I'm a detective from prison 57 I believe you have already met my colleague from prison 41 have I ever this is the one and only Superstar cop he's kind of a big deal around [Music] here wow what brings the Phoenix back to me the Phoenix is one of the many nicknames of Gom Lilo revera's second greatest male disco artist this is an honor Miss we are investigating the murder of the man down there the people who put him there have asked us to talk to you huh I see be careful ask something else first when you go there use words like I hear you have been through something difficult classier [Music] AMU I'm afraid you can't officer why is that because it's buried in a sealed plastic bag at an undisclosed location on the coast along with cash and airline tickets thank you for your Kinder why they say though in your tourist brochure keep travel documents away from your person when west of the river if I were to lie to you I would come up with a more mainstream name than CLA Mandu it's a weird name she seems to be telling the truth sah oky doie if any of this made her nervous it certainly doesn't show in her expression or her movements I'm 28 something stupid want to hear what's stupid somewhere in a one room apartment on Boogie Street a Young Man shows patrol officer tilbrook his genital warts asking if they're cancer his partner Emil Mullins can't be there he's in another apartment with another man who's showing him a dead dog under the radiator it's dead Molin says no the man replies I touched him he's warm he's warm Mullins replies because he's under the radiator no no more stupid or a knees lit what I need's literature it's what I studied at the University fear of failure fear of death how it sucks to be at an KN all national literatures are only the name of the nation changes if that's true then rever sholi and lit would fit you like a glove nothing I do nothing with it cool I've made more money by just being than I have with r lit many things a rooll is skating instructor a secretary Miss 37 V for Republic of AR a bad memory officer of lilacs and lightning Parks glass dur aluminium Fred for is a conference city it's always Autumn there and night at least it was for me what's so bad about that nothing if you're no longer there the record so official yeah it's pretty Deluxe thank you I've put a lot of time and effort into it technically possession of Narcotics is legal in riversa but you should still reprimand her no no don't listen to the stiff be cool with money sir it's not exactly the NTI star siiz Kaboodle I intend for it to be one day but it's getting there the anti-ar is or was a vestine rock and roll star who liked to do drugs he did so many drugs he eventually mutated into a corpse comes in handy when you've done too many opioids is that something that happens to you often miss better safe than sorry oh yes one of my favorites it cures many ailments like not being able to stay up for 36 hours not being happy it cures those ailments it's just a mered speed molecule basically very funky I'm wintering how long have you been staying here about 4 months I came in November here in the whirling here in martines or here in ravisha I heard this is where the washed up disco has been go if you say so officer if you say so it is the lieutenant makes a note in his notebook okay yes you're just one room away very personal you do not need to know that what you need is to ask normal police questions like get a grip he thinks at least do your personal stuff when I'm not here she looks at the dry petals in your palm then lightly touches one with her fingernail pretty looks like a dried mayell is that the one you caught SBO style why was there a flower on the roof I don't know officer because of the wind or an admirer admirers I'm too old to be a debutant and this place is is no fashionable Society something difficult I've been through at least half a dozen difficult things which one do you mean by sexually assaulted you mean raped yes it's a bit early in the morning for raped isn't it is it it is even evening time flies man yeah I'm going to go with not raped I don't want to say that [ __ ] about him by him she must mean the victim tell them it's not my style they'll have to you know if they want to Jazz up the charges they'll have to get someone more uh rapable are you saying that you were asked to tell us you were AA did not explicitly but I understood what they meant it wouldn't hurt to spice things up a bit some assault and battery sexual assault maybe it was clear the ladder would be spicier they're frequent guests downstairs they have a booth for union members they're probably down there now over drinks it's been a long boring winter pretty much warming them I'm 89% sure you know how it is do you H maybe you don't know in conclusion officer I'm going to go with a mild to medium not raped here I'm sure there is one person in the world who does I mean there are so many people but let me make this clear the man who was hanged from that tree did not rape me we partied a lot a lot of partying going on from Titus about her and titus's relationship that's where you heard it with all due respect sir I think we partied a little harder than that oh it is you're still alive what did you do when you bed we drank sir a lot for weeks basically we had that effect on each other we made each other drink harder that's why I liked him what else stimulants speed also has that effect making you drink harder and then drinking harder makes you do more speed it's quite the combination we also had sex a little the drugs were good enough and we did enough of them how did you two meet downstairs at the bar he was on some sort of assignment uh a military man as you probably know had a cool scary scar she appears aloof but that scar part the scary is stressed and drawn out what's that about apprehension when was this a month ago something like that [Music] oh yes I've had a great view from the roof out of the bathroom window in my dreams a bitter cringe it hurts you look to the lieutenant he takes a small step closer you C us drcm yes I made it and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell everyone in martines they call it snitching reporting crimes is confidential in ra Miss because I couldn't handle it anymore none of these people called he just kept hanging there then they started stripping him the voice was disguised did you I didn't EXA ly disguise it I just muffled the mic and Nick the Len line a little with nail clippers and I diverted some radio fuzz into it into the cold wire so she's God's mystery foam cutter did I [ __ ] I didn't mean to I had no idea what I was doing I don't know sir it was stupid I was drunk too I was probably afraid the union was listening in locals say they have ears in the wires thank you for making the quote M it was the right thing to do I didn't want to sir but if I hadn't you'd still be hanging there I'm sorry I can't do it not right now later maybe I keep seeing him like he is now I can't talk about his I don't know hair I know it's difficult Miss we can return to it later she meant she sees him in her dreams you pissed it all away all of it elisium bullet they shot him to I'm not picking up on any theater craft here sir the pause is sincere they Str ripped his clothes and they shot him you mean after they hanged him I'm confused sorry so am I were you aware that he had also been shot miss things are starting to go a little over my head here I thought he was hanged I was not present when they did it I don't know what happened I just know what they told me and Sylvie the bartender it's hard to know what to think think about that answer he had something to do with the strike one has been roing since I got here rotten timing but you probably know all about it and his role in this track was what I think he was in a security detail he was ex-military worked for wild Pines and against the union we didn't discuss work much if you know what I mean but I understood it was dangerous and they lynched him for it she nods she breathes a silvery sigh of relief and weariness the air on the roof feels humid should we head by downstairs officer we may have things to discuss there she nods silvery cigarette fumes disappear into her mouth soft light brown eyes look back at you directly into the space behind your eye sockets you see the Smoke Rise From between her painted red lips she's beautiful I have bad news for you you know these guys who me yes you he's talking about you you boring stiff you too me what did I do these guys are compromised she's got them singing along to her tune the little bleeps and bloops you trust for info you can't trust them anymore I'm sorry I didn't catch it sooner it takes conscious effort on your part there's no way of knowing at the moment I'm afraid it's best to assume all of them [ __ ] man I ain't compromised especially that guy that guy's the most compromised one in here no [ __ ] way man I just want a drag of that sweet menthal Ziggy really quick tell me what's under her jumpsuit Glory truth softness protect her she wants you I take it back it's got it pretty bad but this next guy on another level entirely she likes you the crown head is a boring condom he's jealous this is human nature how it always does through subtlety there's nothing you can do about it you are how you are and she is how she she is things will go as they do no it's better to know you're being played than to be played without knowing it is it not you can't draw a sound conclusion the one who usually does says she may want to control the information roll out not to become a suspect she may have a past she's escaping unrelated to this case you doubt if something truly Insidious see It's oddly moderate probably compromised yes Mr thespian here has been singing pians to how truthful she is she is a lady most fair and just in his defense to reduce him to such inadequacy she probably had to employ half truths more often than outright lies that is correct and omissions too a little they're all still of limited use interpreting things to the best of their ability maybe they add flare or something I wouldn't know I don't add flare but when it comes to assessments of character and factual accuracy they are not to be trusted not with her don't be melodramatic you can trust them just not not with Miss Aran disco dancer here don't worry it's only been four or 5 Seconds you've got this for a second her face disappears from your cornea only a silvery negative remains still smiling a tired smile why not I'll be here until 11:00 p.m. drinking coffee most likely looks like we have more to discuss with those so-called Hardy Boys half their reasoning just went out the window nothing will make them respect the RCM but it will disrupt the game they prepared for us we just ripped off one layer of whatever it is her decision to not corroborate their story was definitely not part of the plan what else could she have done lie she saw there was no way to lie and get away with it if not you then me it was a smart more from her what do you mean by that she seemed forthcoming to me and usually so being forthcoming with some things is a good way to obscure other things but I wouldn't call myself compromised I am not easily swayed by young women but on the other hand the best Liars are candid and she was candid the lieutenant seems oddly sure he is not compromised not psychologically at least is it hubris anyway we should move I suspect our investigation will bring us back soon enough [Music] um is this about the questions again cuz I don't really know anything uh wow I didn't know you worked for the union sir anything else I can do for you a warehouse I don't know maybe I don't really you care what frit does she scrunches up her face into an expression of consumate adolescent skepticism fine frit doesn't have a warehouse just a little back room here okay Lori stuck in the traffic J this big heavy grade machine is well kept for such an old machine the windows are clear they've been recently washed you can see a Lori man's cabin with personal belongings stickers Insignia the driver has adorned his space with a substantial collection of peculia paraphernalia proclamations about honor strength and Purity are glued to various panels the back end of the cabin has a small perch to sleep large ashtrays there are several Suns and wheels sewn into the curtains racist nationalist bar felia Not Unusual in this part of town this is our guy likely yes this guy's proud of who he is dpes it all over his machine there he is in front of FR smoking nervously hoping it's over [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] John D Marie you found me his slender figure is backlit by City Lights its distant streets and motorways flashing like diamonds beautiful so tell me are you here to make things right again beautiful I have some good news for you my Sunday friend is visiting me tonight I told him about you and he'd like to say hello step in he already waiting mhm that's why I chose this place martines is special isn't it wait suddenly you are digging things trust me you do that's nice but I don't have anything to tell you it's my friend you're looking for not me he takes another drag of his unfiltered cigarette and looks around it's getting dark and the neighboring Windows have lit up one by one besides I've got to run he's going to leave you alone again that's sad something tells you you're never going to talk to an individual this cool or mysterious ever again to the city to beautiful night take care all right and he's gone again looks like it's becoming a theme for him different of course something so mysterious about the way he talks very he's barely holding it together it's all he can do to keep from bursting out in laughter come on detective let's go we've got a potential witness to interview his Sunday friend remember [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] officers of the Ral citizens militia his hands are clean and well manicured this is a man who knows the importance of appearances my name is charl vuan and I am an official with the coalition government I work for the Institute of price stability on assignment from surley I heard you talking to my friend outside very good super I am here to assist you in any way possible ask me about the hanging no first ask an innocuous personal question to get the interview off on the right foot oh we got it from an atellier in the East Delta Commerce Center personally I think it's a little culturally insensitive but the material is great sadly the shop is now out of business that's really all I can tell you about it the lieutenant takes out his notebook and kns to you to proceed the Coalition is only looking out for the price stability inflation is a killer like a heart disease blocking the normal circulation of the economy it must be controlled the economy impacts the entire International Community which is why it requires International oversight ah well I'm renovating it it is an interesting project the building used to be a 12-story skyscraper before the Cannons took the top four stories off this of course happened when the Coalition forces landed here you could say I'm undoing some of the material damage the International Community caused when we arrived here yes as I said before I am a commissioner from surle working for the Institute of price stability this is one of the main projects of the Mor wait there isn't actually an Institute of price stability is there or maybe there is God it's impossible to understand whether someone from the moral intern is joking or not it's the International Organization for moralists hence moralist International The Institute of price stability is just one of its many mind babies as is the doing one's job doesn't automatically make one anyone's [ __ ] besides there are more nefarious powers to work for than the moral inter but of course well do you value Freedom do you believe in a normal stable World governed by Democratic Values me I um you you've managed to catch the lieutenant off guard but only for a moment he quickly recomposes himself I'm a lieutenant of the RCM dedicated to maintaining Law and Order in raes a very moralist answer the lieutenant is practiced in the art of putting on a show for one superiors Martinez no Martinez is something else rivol is generally difficult it's led by an interim government which means it hasn't yet achieved full democracy but they are working towards it you're all doing very well here relatively speaking is this option the usually the most reasonable answer not boring my friend responsible moralism is all about compromise and achieving the achievable it's pragmatic realistic and levelheaded an ideology for doers are you a doer my friend it looks to me like you are now enough of this delightful political interl was there anything else you wanted to ask what's there to say tle is a modern urbanized country that measures very high on the human development and freedom index mostly though it's known as the executive heart of epis moreover it is a great sponsor of less emerged countries Rashel is only one of its many Darlings whose progress it supports and cherishes because a great percentage of River's culture HS from Sur its language its people its cuisine even or at least in the downtown LA Delta area it is the most important thing it's the central goal of any sound monetary policy maintaining zprice stability is essential to maintaining high levels of economic activity which is essential for maintaining high levels of employment which is essential for maintaining the social stability basically it makes sure the price of bread doesn't change prec too much inflation bread becomes too expensive too much deflation it becomes too cheap for Bakers to produce that's why the Institute of price stability Works to keep inflation just below 2% but not too far below no too below is also bad below but close to 2% the Coalition believes in the importance of informing the public about the benefits of the price stability transparency is one of our principles would you like an informational pamphlet a sound monetary policy is essential for addressing uncertainty stability is the res of the moral inter it's the reason why I identify as aist but oh I don't have my leaflets on me today that's too bad you can always call our information line making information available is part of the moral intern's commitment to transparency commun interational is what rans colloquially call the Coalition in other words the Nations that stopped the disaster of the Revolution whatever you wish officer ah my friend my friend is a good young man his family immigrated here from kedra and life has not been easy for him but he understands the importance of Education he has taken his future into his own hands and that's all that matters kedra is a candidate member of apis but between you and me their potential membership is a more contentious issue that it's never going to happen they enter negotiations in 21 and it's been pending ever since epis is a very special program developed by the moral inter to support certain accidental Nations it began as a unified system of weights and measures which proved to be a wild success nothing but kilog and centimet as far as the I can see it was such a wild success that we expanded it into an economic Union for the processing of Steel another success and between you and me the moral intern Feels emboldened by this success emboldened to take epis to the next level why it stands for progress and stability like the moral intern as a whole it's been such a wild extraordinary success thus far we are very excited to take it to the next level a supranational political Alliance the United States of ocient you mean r no it's going to have transparent democracy it's one day going to be a candidate member of epis sure no no candidate members do become members why do we even have the whole system in place if they don't it just takes time time and evaluation but we were talking about my friend here not politics sorry who but I told you officer he's a bright young man here to pursue his education education is the foundation of our future especially the Arts it is a Cornerstone of our civilization officer you have to understand I can't give you his personal information I'm sure you have your own methods and databases right please don't put me in this situation he's deeply in mesed in the study of the Fine Arts yes he's a truly free spirit he likes all the Arts perhaps graphic design print making who knows the world is open wide for a talented youth like him how did any of us become friends bad things happening on the insul Indian insula oil platforms Ablaze in the night Civil Wars lasting for years finally the International Community is forced to step in it's how millions of people end up where they are meeting the people they meet it's how I came here and my friend too I'm just enjoying the view listen the insulindian bay this place used to be a luxury accommodation before the Revolution Apartments of course were much bigger then a few walls have been added here and there leaving some of the tenants without a private bathroom or a kitchen but the million Real views stays you can't take that away my friend comes and goes I'm sure you'll see him around he's a busy bee I'm all ears officer I'm sorry to say I did Officer because I did it he's clearly not a man accustomed to being spoken to in that manner let alone to being accused of murder officer it's very difficult to describe what I saw that night it was so surreal to me like in a play he holds out his hands and Blossoms his fingers like a Drama teacher setting the scene what do you mean like in a play it was just so strange I could barely comprehend what was happening I was on the balcony when it happened getting some fresh air I remember that first they came in carrying what looked like a body and then I saw all the surrounding Windows go dead one by one that's when I understood I should not be seeing this sounds like the victim was unconscious or at least incapacitated well done detective I couldn't tell you exactly less than 10 maybe eight the lieutenant sends you a sharp Look At The Mention Of that number that's a giant you're describing no they were all quite human as far as I could tell I went back inside were you able to see anything from inside officer the yard was Pitch Black there was nothing to see but I could still hear their voices they were threatening to kill that poor man all men I presume but again I couldn't see very clearly H but we are fairly certain the lady driver was present it's possible officer but I cannot say with certainty it was very dark you must remember I believe they were mostly white though I believe I saw two aop pites among them and I am quite certain that one spoke with a mask accent well that's the strangest part officer nothing happened it was oddly quiet for a public lynching eventually their shouts died down and that was all there were no gunshots no celebratory shouts no anything you're right of course that is what one is supposed to do in such circumstances I was simply in shock I'm afraid I don't have anything else to add about what time was all this happening approximately all I can say is that it was late my watch yes now I remember it's it was 30 minutes past midnight give no I didn't see the corpse until the following day I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance a moment officer do you have everything you need from me I'm afraid we won't have the chance to speak again once you leave it's against diplomatic best practices for an official in my position to be discussing murders with local militia men and I'm pressed for time after you leave I should be leaving as well of course I'm glad I could help [Music] inside you see a set of steering levers a radio microphone a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge this is pring 57 how may I assist [Music] you sir officer what's the number and the make of the armor if you know it got it I'll contact the ICP database immediately call back tomorrow hopefully they'll have dug up something useful by then it will take just a moment officer her voice is fade out into the familiar radio [Applause] static got Le what you want he's carelessly chewing on a piece of hard candy oh it's you was that a snar or a suppressed groan no love for you here yes there's no end to the misfortunes Fate has seen fit to re upon me who you are you lost your human v a while back now let's get to on visit I've got more important things to do with all the damage you've been dealing yourself with drugs and alcohol I'm not surprised what else I'm not a brain doctor look on the bright side you've got a whole new life now use it wisely it's hard to say if he doesn't believe you all doesn't [Music] care look pal getting pumped and dumped is not a disease people live through it all the time you should be happy for her you must have me confused for a close personal friend I am not I am a medical professional with a constant idiot emergency on my hands one needs tending two right now he thinks looking around the room got these apes and you survived it congratulations are you mobile even better anything else I wouldn't worry about that officers your age have Cary trouble all the time also death is a natural part of life accept it the body is an object and objects break down do what good you can with yours before the rest goes too what you want me to do blood work for you again tell you just how bad things really are across the board you want another rundown of everything collapsing inside your body you want the real honest to God truth stop drinking eat magnesium and vitamin D our station is not our retirement home we don't have the funds to deal with rock stars past their Prime so it's political you're being neglected because of political reasons and now I don't want to hear a political commentary on the topic in fact I got work to do some idiot has glued his eyelids shut with cyano acate it looks like Mech torsson it's not [ __ ] cryo acal latte it's super glue doc [Music] mhm anything else I can help you with officer 57s over and out in the cabin you see a set of steering levers a radio on a hook a pull out to box and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge can I help you got the 20 Royale good you got the room for the night but remember you'll need another 20 roale tomorrow [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I was just thinking what a nice evening it is for taking part in a murder investigation ah yes the night before I saw you in the hallway and reminded you you're a police officer wow Elysium you don't hear that term often she's a glib girl but she liked the wording there was the usual Ruckus loud disco music I can't say probably not sounded like you were flying solo Oh yes various artists ostentatious orchestrations Prime among them oh that yeah whoa the less said about oo the better oo were huge where I come from I was very young then of course like seven like gets hard but we go [Music] on it would appear So at around 2:00 the Disco stopped and there was a change of pace a slow sad song started playing like organ music on repeat that went on for quite a while some of that time you were yelling along to it that it doesn't matter anymore and that We're Alone Now it was difficult to tell the song itself was very quiet and soft but you sounded like a wounded boar sir it was hard to understand what you were singing on top of it yes it was very cool then you started screaming and trashed the place a window was smashed the tape player probably the song Stu top and furniture too a real destruc Theon there was screaming then I think you passed out there was I think you screamed that you didn't want to be this type of animal anymore I may have misheard but it was sort of memorable I went out afterwards everything was quiet by then around 4 or 5 and that was it no problem sir [Music] [Music] an old call box with a matrix of push buttons lists all the companies in the East Delta Commerce Center whatever she says it can't hurt you you're a different person now stronger healthier and all right maybe not healthier but it's a bonus that you've drunk so hard you can't remember any of your past relationships oblivion's the Ace in your corner there's a light Buzz as you press the doorbell waiting for her to answer the call it's cold outside and you can hear the wind blowing into the speaker yes hello this is tricentennial electrics have you come to place an order my God here come the bad vibes again relax distance yourself from it it's you my God I didn't think I would hear your voice again wait is she Michelle just please why did you even call I don't understand you've been gone for months I thought you didn't care is this some kind of joke The Voice from the intercom doesn't answer but you could hear her breathing Wind Blows into your microphone again crackling and echoing in the Box ever since I came to work here it's been different as if my mind's been wiped clean it's so nice it's so nice to be able to finally forget about you and then it hits you she tries again not to cry and still doesn't succeed completely her quiet sobs sound old and distant as if her voice is being played off a wax cylinder her sound melts into the static from a longdistance phone call from time to time you can hear people talking in the distance but can't make out any words this is where you hung up the call the last time but the recording is still going the phone rings in the office with an old oldfashioned chime and someone walks by in a pair of heels the static is like a warm blanket wrapped around the sounds No One replies but the static grows stronger like rainfall then a female voice speaks out completely different from the one before glorious and total somehow crawling inside your head her words are too cold to comprehend she smells of sodium lights and Rain streaks on car windows eyes like pilot lights watch your shape in dark always guttering the strange and alien thought pattern ends you're left staring at the electronic doorbell [Music] the beer's eyes are still glowing red it's guarding over the freezing corpse hidden inside its belly the body is reluctant to let go of the boots as though it were its last bit of dignity whatever you're planning to do you need to do it before you catch pneumonia in the cold draft coming from deep inside the fridge it's not completely useless you're able to reveal a little more of the putrid polymer sock beneath the boot it feels like the leg is going to come off along with the boot but you're able to get the boot to move a centimeter or two he's too heavy to move by yourself a great mass of dead muscles with B Frost covering his milky eyes this is the right method it takes some time but eventually the boots come off with nasty slices of polymer sock stuck to even bigger pieces of skin and Rotting Flesh not good let's pin this on the bear the ice bear tore up his legs with its claws as for the boots you can't possibly do anything with them until you've cleaned and disinfected them thoroughly yes these absolutely need to be washed before the stink is incredible didn't the whirling have a kitchen [Music] [Music] this industrial gas powerered stove has been used to prepare food for many hungry hostile guests there are several pots and pans on hand getting the Court's residue out of these boots is going to require patience and also a huge pot full of boiling water soap and white vinegar there is a variety of soaps and bleaches in the cabinet to the left of the stove there is also a bottle of white vinegar in the cabinet next to the fridge the delicious smells of cheap soap and vinegar wed up from the pot all right now Chef light up the stove and boil them a commercial pot draws your attention it's very large gigantic even it could be used to make enough stew to feed an entire city and also to boil a putrid pair of death boots far away in the darkness of a makhi morg behind station 41's Lazareth Dr Nicks got Le into the cold dead feet of a murder victim the veins are oddly black he suspects a neurotoxin the strong smell of vinegar forces you to step away from the pot the water slowly comes to a boil strips of polymer Fabric and human tissue separate from the lining of the boots they float to the bubbling surface the boots look cleaner and cleaner those bits of human flesh are beginning to look cooked you can smell it too just like beef stew that's it Chef the boots are as clean as they're going to get steam dense with the smell of strange meat disappears into the vent above the stove a pair of real Beauties the boots are shiny hot and reek of vinegar just perfect rigorous self-critique here it is hard facts from the man you are you once jerked off in the locker room and were caught you held a young woman by the arm and kept her in your apartment for 20 minutes against her will that's right these are not Flights of Fancy these are real Deeds Harry emerging from the darkness of your past you tried shooting a fleeing suspect in the foot but hit him in the pelvis crippling him for life and above all you let life defeat you all the gifts your parents gave you all the love and patience of your friends you drowned in a neurotoxin you let misery win and it will keep on winning till you die or overcome it this [Music] a mirror hangs on the bathroom wall in it your face adorned with the expression it belongs in the new the third decade of the current century enough time had passed from the failure of the Revolution that for a fleeting moment free market economy seemed like the ultimate uncontested way of life for our species things were good it was smooth sailing people made gold and champagne tinted inas and facades to suit the times calling this the new style but more importantly disco happened forget about ostentatious orchestrations forever sha your city that meant only one thing Gom lilon if if it doesn't rhyme you're not pronouncing it right out of the dazzling swirl of disco music in an open air wat deui somewhere in riversa West Guam's blonde man appeared on the screen he sang some [ __ ] then he made the expression everyone loved it maybe you thought some of the Stardust would rub off on you maybe it did either way it's all gone now only the Grimace remains there is a vast ocean of time between right now and the expression looking good on you or anyone two decades if the calendar is to be trusted Humanity has run ground in that time it's a different world now the expression is a relic you have some understanding of the near history of disco plus the trivia you've picked up along the way episodic memory however remains in the dark it may never return you should prepare yourself for that not really o oh must have just stirred your mind they're more like a disco rock band anyway it doesn't have to be you can Swoon over Gom and a champagne Coke smile whenever you want to maybe some some of the Stardust will return a mirror hangs on the bathroom wall in it your face adorned with the expression the foret is quite terribly mangled but she just might be able to twist its parts into place you handle the chain Cutters deftly apply just enough pressure the foret regains a recognizable shape the steam stops told you that you needed those chain Cutters everything is connected everything has a purpose the mirror begins to clear slowly without you having to wipe it it's like something snaps in you a nerve ending a thought a sadness your face in the mirror is suddenly clean of the lay that had distorted it for God knows how long just like that it's over the running gag that your life had become a sad old man looks back at you this is not the cleanest bathtub in the world but it's cleaner than you are right now the bathtub slowly fills with water the water beckons the water is only lukewarm but still comforting like amniotic fluid a few bear cans are bobbing up and down along your flanks like sad duckies you feel nice and lonely and so so tired the cans continue to bop as do your thoughts aimlessly splashing up against the sides of the tub they're not even really thoughts just assorted Sensations none of them acute enough to focus on your fingers grow pale and are covered with tiny whs as the water cools you see the corpse you can still smell the kadava on you it's going to take more than one bath to get rid of that stench then houses along long a narrow Street a video rental Darkness on the planet's curvature the water line recedes as you stand you are cold now your clothes stick to your still moist skin it's The Ledger you found in the trash a cabbage of papers hanging from the board with the permeables drawer inside it's barely held together by a clip then made complete by The Faint smell of urinal cleaner it takes about half an hour to piece one together using the system you've devised which one do you want this one is relatively easy to reconstruct overnight on 1202 a grao nay a mural appears on an eight-story tenament overlooking Central Jamrock the building is a sparsely inhabited ghost tower part of a failed real estate development called gron kuron the mural is enormous Two Silhouettes a man and a woman are kissing the text cut into their form reads True Love Is Possible only in the next World for new people it is too late for us reek havoc on the middle class people call it that thing and that [ __ ] thing it's visible for miles in 2 days the station's complaints desk gets clogged with requests to remove the bummer you and your partner are assigned to the case the grao crew is easy to track down only the bellers have the literage of industrial paint to cover the surface one of the graffito artists is rumored to be rich they take responsibility for the execution but not the design the ideal log of the next World mural as the crew calls it remains an unknown the case files do not show you finding the author of The Design the crew agrees to clean up after themselves however your partner JV is against the removal citing public support for conservation this leads to a debate in Precinct 41 which then spreads to the streets of Jamrock ending in a rare plebis side organized by you and the rest of Row three the 9,000 people subjected to the mural message all of Lakeside Central Jamrock and Villa Lobos plus half of the eminent domain participate in the vote although the case begins with what appears to be a lot of rambling on the streets as to how Juvenile and stupid the mural is given a choice between two options a staggering 78% of Voters choose to keep it turns out the opposition were a loud minority and that love truly is possible in the next world for new people and it is too late for us no one cares what you believe in man with the smelly toilet Ledger what do you want to tackle next or are we done murder tum tum tum at the hookah paror was a case originally assigned to an officer called Joseph Mills who is now dead of circumstances completely unconnected to murder at the Huga paror beaten to death by a throng of villa Lobos gang members when him and his partner JM only initials mentioned answered a call one night it's a sad story and it isn't really represented in your case files stop stalling and get to the murder at the Hooka Bara Joseph Mills was on this case that he just couldn't solve was doing it solo said it was a real Nutcracker a real brain twister was on it for like a month the captain got impatient [ __ ] or get off the pot Mills Mills didn't get off the pot not yet he kept at it for a couple of weeks more racking his brains running with every Theory as outlandish as they seemed still couldn't solve the murder at the ukaa tough case he said toughest he's ever had no he was awful awful sense of humor too the worst jokes you've ever heard really rapy still he'd been on it for months now said it was the final case said it was uncrackable that murderer vanished Into Thin Air that godamn hook capala was all he talked about okay so the case is handed to you because Mills isn't getting anywhere and you look into it here's the setup a young man is found dead in a hookah paror you know those places where you go and smoke bubblegum flavored Vapor all day no it's Sutten water vapor it doesn't do anything yeah so anyway young man in his 20s found with his skull busted open right on the floor of the hookala in the middle of the day no one else is in there only client that day in perfect health too too some kind of movie producer no one enters no one exits he's just sucking on his watermelon hookah all morning all noon like he usually does he's a regular no calls nothing just sucking on the hookah until 1545 then bam he's dead on the floor with his skull busted open blood everywhere what happened how can it be Mills has no idea invisible assassin movil gone sour girl at the counter did it Nothing fits Eerie man just dropped dead so you go to The Parlor you see cushions around the table tables low heavy really sharp edge see you can't even read the thing without solving it yeah it was that turns out hookah does do something it turns off your brain's oxygen supply and you don't notice it until you get up to go to the bathroom yeah he liked his hookah Steven was his name smoking hookah didn't you hear I don't know trying to come up with a movie script maybe anyway that was murder at the hookah parlor Joseph Mills wasn't a good detective and about 30 minutes has passed piecing it together next it would be very interesting to read about these wouldn't it I mean this seems to be a square shaped entry wound in the victim's forehead she's been sitting there for weeks on her rocking chair with a square hole in her skull staring at the wall her mouth a gap that's all you got from the half hour you spent piecing it together all you know is the entry wound was Square shaped you know never found the bullet and then another body showed up also with a square hole in his forehead who knows those pages are missing what next don't worry one day one day you may still catch the man with the square gun some [ __ ] brought their couch outside and hung out on it in the middle of the street on the roof on the hillside by the motorway you know at an unexpected location they were young and they thought they looked cool on it yes as you said here insufferable rock and roll [ __ ] young people are the worst so anyway you got to complaint about the damn sofa or couch or whatever it was they were leaving it out in all these unexpected and Whimsical locations they took it too where they also took photos of themselves on it and smoked cigarettes because they felt it's intellectual cigarette butts coffee cups stupid couch you had to clean it all up and you did so congratulations to you case solved no you didn't have time for that these notes show that you have what is called a real godamn job you don't have time to be chasing down the couch [ __ ] you have a real job to do what next AKA Leslie and Burke aka the public indecency drunk and the property damag drunk is a cursed case it has been passed from unsuspecting officer to unsuspecting officer for 10 years on January 29 the unsolvable case made its way to you why you accepted it it is unclear every officer and indeed most civilians in general know it's unsolvable you were so drunk you didn't remember what it was when you signed on that or you were high Leslie will always take his pants off when he's drunk Burke will always trash everything it's just what they do it is their nature you cannot change the nature of a man and you can't lock them away because public indecency and small scale property damage are not punishable by incarceration the only way for Leslie to to stop displaying his genitals and for Burke to stop attacking things would be for them to stop drinking alcohol which in their 40s or 50s it's hard to tell because of their distorted features is a medical improbability you would think that but you're wrong where's the fun in exposing your genitals or breaking stuff in your own home no Leslie and bur are on the corner of Main Street and pedition because that's where their action is threatening fines dragging them to the station locking them up in the hell holes they live in locking them up in the station hypnotherapy even trying to get the local gang of Zaki to take them out the Zaki gave them ethanol so Burke and Leslie would Expose and Rampage even harder you tried it all and still the complaints wouldn't stop as they hadn't stopped for 10 years it's plain to see from the files that you satellite officer JV and special consultant th had more important cases to attend to you uncover cross reference to several ongoing investigations each brought to a standstill every time you drive down Main Street because there they are on the corner of pedition and what is Leslie doing good you're learning if the files are to be trusted that's all there is to it that and Burke breaken things and the fact that they're both drunk but then again so are you the case becomes considerably less comic one day when Burke takes a swing at your Ledger he must have it confused with the property he likes to damage but the jok's on him the officer is also drunk way more drunk than Burke there and let's be fair you also have party eyes you slam the hardened plastic board in his face then proceed to beat him unconscious with it in the process The Ledger sustains damage the compartment within reserved for permeable documents is jammed shut you stop your assault on the now unconscious Burke to open it but are unable to do so the officer began to cry reports Leslie who at this point is tending to Burke he came at us and at us I think he was trying to kill burko while trying to kill burko you slowly come around the permeables compartment is open you've smashed it open on poor bur's kneecaps the good news is Burke can't walk anymore can't get out of his apartment an invalid with Burke to tend to Leslie Cuts back on the indecent exposure maybe he flashes his genitals to Burke who knows but both drunks are off the street the complaint stop the unsolvable case is solved which is also why the officer responsible narrowly escapes a disciplinary hearing the end do you want to read Another one not much has changed in the meanwhile a bunch of sodn papers still sags from the clipboard Wasteland of reality congrats You're Sober it will take a while for your body to remember how to metabolize anything that isn't sugar from alcohol so you're going to be pretty ravenous soon eat plenty you can expect your coordination and balance to improve in a couple of weeks in 2 months you might start sleeping like a normal person full recovery will take years though it'll be depressing and it'll be boring don't expect any further Rewards or hand claps this is how normal people are all the time the bed is still cold from the broken window and not too inviting but it's yours you've earned it the bed is still cold from the wind blowing in from the broken window the mattress Creeks as you close your eyes and try your hardest to fall asleep here we are again my broken B the waves are coming carrying you away but you can't go no you have to stay always half aware of yourself you're not cooperating brother man it's your disgusting body even through your sleep you feel a vague discomfort suffusing it your belly and your sides unpleasantly tender you wish you could curl up into a fetal ball of safety but you cannot because of the pain every cell in your body is moaning in agony asking what did we ever do to you yes your body is a system and it's failing you because you're failing [Music] it there's no dignity here only reflections of your body mass flashes of the day you keep coming back to yourself in the mirror but why to admire all your accomplishments you're just stuck here in the half world could try looking at other people really looking but why would you want to start doing that sure you do they're all so friendly aren't they some of them are some of them are nice others are scared at least they're interesting each one has a process just like yours running in the space between their ears full of secrets what do you think you're doing right now coming to some greater awareness look at all these lights blinking in and out of existence thoughts you're just pretending that you're asleep even to yourself while the world goes on without you let it let it but it never seems to let you go does it time to rise and wipe that shining sweat off as best you can gather your bearings rock and roll I [Music] yes okay let's talk about it you stole the boots congratulations that must have taken an enormous concerted effort considerable Ingenuity and timing now I'm going to report you and you are going to go to jail am I anyway did you want something related to police work I don't care about your insane theft the lieutenant thinks and looks away from the boots just know if anyone asks me I will snitch on you what do you want to know you mean like a brief do you want me to brief you 3 days ago the RCM emergency desk received a report about the security guard who was found hanged in Martinez an anonymous caller said there was a dead body behind the whirling in rags hostel cafeteria the cadav had been there for 4 days no one had come to investigate during that time the victim had been stripped of his belongings the caller did not identify him but used the word lynching there is an ongoing labor dispute between the local Dock Workers and the logistics company wild pints I was told we should approach the death as part of this dispute they class here as we've come to suspect didn't identify themselves in any way the tone was muffled using a device of some sort the desk could identify neither the call of age nor sex there's a strong prejudice against involving the RCM in what's seen as Union matters The Dock Workers Union is the de facto police in Martinez now it appears they've started executing too we cannot allow that that's right I'm afraid you and I are Pawns in a a pissing competition his disain is clear this man would not use such an expression otherwise you don't know I assumed you were in on it better still than an MBC Le cup off it's just stupidity the cop kind or PRS can decide if Martinez is part of Jamrock or the industrial Harbor yours or mine as if we somehow own parts of the city typical street gang mentality so we've L the union make mockery of law enforcement here and now it's come to its natural conclusion well sort of it's less a matter of who gets to police Martinez than who has to it's an orphan District in other word I think the dispatch desk just told both our stations about the hanging there was quite the B at the 57th I can tell you that time to settle it they said cop off but I assure you I am not their finest or toughest with 102 cases solved what I am is least in interested in a pieing competition so he volunteered to represent the 57th but not out of competitiveness on the contrary yes I am an in Repentance boil sport Martinez nothing it's just a pedal at the end of some drain pipe no one cares about this place they care about sports most of our colleagues don't even know how to get here north of The Interchange doesn't exist H it's all part of the master plan you [Music] see no oh no it's very imaginable we fail to place responsibility for the hanging the harbor company see the situation is out of control so they bring in private military maybe a gunship the union responds in strength automatic fire local law enforcement solving one little homicide decides nothing not solving it can have real un calculable effects things can always get worse matter of fact ogy we should move yes it's a holy pointless matter forget I ever mentioned it [Music] [Music] yes look at you it's because you're a failure they sent you to slight Precinct [Music] 57 just think about it for a second you're a raan alcoholic who showed up 3 days late and argues with his neckti you weren't sent here to win I've considered [Music] it it would be immensely ugly of them not to mention unprofessional but I also think it's somewhat unlikely I check the records this jurisdiction dispute who polies Martinez reaches back to the 30s it's as old as my station and all this time we can decide who gets Martinez I think yes both stations would prefer a win I am the finest of nothing safe no but you're old you've made it this far something has brought you through we've only just started working together so I don't know what it is yet but it's there so no I don't think they sent you as a joke and even if they did they are in for a surprise he's right there are no airtight theories just paranoia you've given it some thought now let it go I've got nothing to say to you why are you wasting your time I am not you could be Liz you could be anything you could even be a model even a mod Glenn I went to law school I am an attorney it's you again what is it [ __ ] I knew that [ __ ] [ __ ] couldn't be trusted you've hit a nerve Titus is furious no more than that the loyal Titus feels betrayed for the record Titus Hardy did not explicitly specify the victim as a [ __ ] nor did he say anything about trusting her no shut up and stay out of this liil he raped her he was out of his [ __ ] mind you have no idea she's just in denial [ __ ] you don't understand the traumatic experience she's shutting down and she doesn't [ __ ] trust you yeah she's crazy you know a crazy [ __ ] you know the type she's [ __ ] up law man I at the end of my God damn robe with you I [ __ ] told you not to push her and you went and pushed her I am going to [ __ ] hit you dck Titus Hardy success Titus backs off fist down everybody everad personally sent me to take care of this if this goes south we'll all be in the [ __ ] but you Titus Hardy are going to be buried am I understood someone has to rush in to break the tension the second in command look copper we know that that [ __ ] was a rapist and a killer we got him confessing to it on tape show it to him T was the harm right here jerkwad listen to this [ __ ] then come back and tell me the soldier of the Apocalypse was an innocent man you don't care about evidence the [ __ ] are you a cop for then fxy they don't care about getting the truth they care about getting convictions they are [ __ ] keeping a score on their bulletin bards I won't be on your bulletin board if you don't listen to the tape we got nothing to talk about what's on it we call it the door gun a mega mix you know why won't you listen to it you think we go into this [ __ ] deaf and dumb you RCM aren't the only ones who know how to bug people there's no University degree for that we have machines we're in logistics how do you think a harbor works it's advanced stuff understood you've listened in on their Communications how long since way before there air Chiefs started taking swing lessons things got nice and quiet after that it's not Advanced you just hold up in a coupe all day writing down what they say it gets hot as hell in there don't put yourself down Angus it's important work yeah man you're like a radio genius or something those notes are some in-depth stuff indexes and [ __ ] don't forget your tape law man Compliments are Titus Hardy you do that oh and keep it maybe you'll need a reminder of human ugliness someday [Music] [Music] behind the Dock Workers a ceiling height window the Hawthorne branches scrape the glass like bony fingers there's a little slide panel up there to let some air in no need to open it in the spring it's still too cold outside nothing just black Tangles like the hair of an old woman motionless the wind in the yard doesn't reach the Hawthorne nor does the light come in from this [Music] window behind the Dock Workers a ceiling height window the Hawthorne branches scrape the glass like bony fingers there's a yellow ribbon tied to one of the branches light yellow faded with time a tiny splash of color in the Blackness of the thicket hanging from it a bronze key it's close enough to the latch up there one can slide it open and just take it surely not a coincidence [Music] huh and I need the fatty to get his feet amputated cuz the smell is killing me we can't all always get what we want God damn it Dennis you know I can't help it sorry [ __ ] these guys won't help you looks like you're going to have to go Bush diving the Hawthorn's got a [ __ ] of a bite I'm going to enjoy the sight of you in the bushes out there with a loud Thug the old man stands up pushes the window open grabs the key from the hawthor branch and slides it across Ross the table to you the key is brass Workshop spare is etched to its bow the old man closes the window and sits back down in silence come on man we were just having some fun where's the hormon I'm tired of listening to your [ __ ] didn't even know it was there boys no idea never even seen it someone must have hidden it there before this room became our place it could open the door in the kitchen the blue door it says Workshop spare maybe there's a workshop there don't thank me I don't give two shits about your key there is a silence around this man's words unlike Titus they're afraid of him that that's the type of respecting commands the Porter is just what you needed the reels attach to the apparatus with a satisfying click the the tape is rooted behind the magnetic reader this isn't sure this is a [ __ ] Village I can almost see the elephants the harbor that's the son ofon crane when this [ __ ] is done I'm going to tear that place up Soldier the apocalypse Style Kill [ __ ] dogs and chickens too going to run a room Cy a real nice I don't give a [ __ ] I'm [ __ ] done I'm done mentally I'll [ __ ] do them all in rape that disco Con on the counter you know the Dan aore upstairs do it cooh hoi Style never did get that taste out of my mouth the lieutenant presses the button marked AR on your Porter the tape stops spinning one of the other mercenaries I think the one he was talking to a friend of his a village on the Samaran isula in South safre grad committed war crimes there the kind of thing he talks about who knows maybe the tattoos would have an answer we would need to know the story of this man's service end of recording it seemed authentic enough probably recorded of the short wave then edited to seem more incriminating he sounded like he was on patrol around the harbor walls still there's more going on here than we know I think we've got a few more questions for classier don't you this seems to contradict her testimony at least to some degree as you take out the tape the boom box Tunes itself back to the Cherry radio again spewing out beats like it's a Friday night the contrast feels chilly inappropriate even you see a heavy steel door with a prominent dimple lock it's painted blue the key fits the dimple lock it takes a bit of effort to turn it after all these years but then the lock clicks dust Rises before you like Mist a tomb haunted by Regal Spirits from distant ages no smells like engine grease and cut wood a workshop this small elevator is dimly lit by a bulb that's been glowing for ages the LTI cage is open inviting you to step inside smells of noua and sweat your head brushes up against the ceiling there is a control panel to your right and just enough room for two people to fit in the maintenance card under the control panel reads last maintenance 10th July 888 there are large rectangular buttons Monte desant and an international call for emergency assistance that third one appears to be broken a small small steel PL reads halter 800 halter is a constein a lift company who went out of business a long long time ago that it does I say let's Brave it at the end of the last century look on the bright side if it fails we will only sustain minor injuries I'm talking three maybe four months in the hospital maximum five seems like a small fright elevator for transporting machinery for that it's pretty quaint so this is where they brought 40 pinball machines to fix them up a long time ago everything is covered with dust now the lieutenant looks around the dusty crowded room inspecting the tools on the Shelf at some point 20 years ago 15 maybe before pinball went out of Vogue looks like it I'm guessing Martinez North 22 used to be pinball arcade before it became a hostile there are machines left over a creek some dust falls off a shelf downstairs in the hall next to the main door one of them even works I've seen one of the hearties bang away at it remember the dice maker then that means ah yes as the novelty dice maker said this has absolutely nothing to do with the case I'm sure but I do like a nice little connection but then it went bankrupt your skin crawls from making the connection if that's true then our cafeteria manager is not going to like it we should tell him what we found up here omitting that suspicion he does not appear to be the kind of man who likes his establishment to be part of a neighborhood ghost story about bankruptcy it's not a ghost story it's a curse and G ought to be made knowledgeable so he can perform counter [Music] spells you clearly see footprints in the dowy carpet of dust covering the workshop floor jackpot these un like everything else here are new 3 weeks maximum from the dust coverage it could easily have been one week too you know officer this is good he likes it that's a little smile there in the dark of the workshop this isn't bad at all it was a good idea to see where that door leads commandable work bringing us to this place large prints most likely made by Boots the size is hard to determine Soul could be bigger than Vamp the souls have left the pattern uniform horizontal lines the size looks about the same actually they're not the same sh but they could be the same person no these little horizontal lines are different they look custom made to me or some kind of foreign print hard to say still a boot though everything around you is quiet the prince crisscross the workshop floor it it means someone snug through what seems like a secret route behind class's room in the recent weeks this may prove to be significant you can almost see the shape of a man and a woman writhing inside bathed in drug sweat and dirty Linens bottles lie around everywhere you can barely see through better not to jump to sensationalist conclusions here the footprints on the floor however definitely suspicious you lean closer to the peephole instinctively I bet they're doing something quite unnatural they're sensationally unnatural the door is small but heavy looking it's barred from the [Music] inside officer what brings you up here in the rain she puts her coffee cup down with a soft ring as the porcelain meets the metal table did he I never said he was a good man or that he had good intentions only that he was never bet to me um where did they get this recording exactly it's intercepted radio chatter of the deceased recorded via the encryption station it's authentic enough does he say he's going to do it soldier of the Apocalypse Style yeah that was practically his pickup line did he say [ __ ] a lot was he pretty much on the verge of doing it cooh style he liked the way it sounded when he said it as to cooy he wasn't actually there he didn't do a tour or at least didn't tell me he did would have been Overkill anyway he lived his own little cooy it wasn't his everything yes was he breaking oh no I'm pretty sure he did hold those things then integrated them into his idea of normaly to keep on living until they just sort of turn into his um what's the word I'm looking for running joke I was going to say running joke and it sounds like he didn't even get the good bits L's punch lines got way way funkier than that he was like the semones conflict the koho massacre and the 36 famine in yeut all rolled into one person then cast in orani ceramic armor which he wore in bed and in the shower we're all scraping up any happiness we can find officer going around with our little scouring sticks you your first love Mr cooy here did he tell you he had actually done any of those things here in Martinez I mean no we were too busy laying ways to our own nervous systems to direct any of the fury outward he seemed he seemed happy I guess at ease as much as a man like him could be there is a small measure of pride in her that she could quell the rage in such a being thank you for clearing that up Miss whenever you're ready I'm interested to hear what Titus Hardy has to say now she takes a very small sip of her coffee and smiles like for example his name actually officer I didn't know his name I just called him ly unique name I guess he came from Le Dad it's short for that and it was his army name apparently he said his real name wasn't his I tried to pry it out of him but it was no use lat that's a good start we have a few questions you can help us with a few things of field doopsy alone contens her the young woman cranes her neck trying to catch a glimpse of the page the lieutenant passed to you on it is a list of autopsy observations recorded neatly in blue ink the last missing pieces of a puzzle of Flesh in officer it's um I think municipality is the term a nowhere town there the lad municipality has few borrowers and even fewer cities It's Made Of Agricultural plots near the border of goval executive summary cows silos and wheat you are almost right Officer that means his race was accidental not mundal I update the form yes we were compatriots did that bring you together no he was too old for that and From Another Part of Aran the I didn't even understand his accent what brought us together was an it was bad habits he was 42 42 are you sure I would have had him above 50 he had many scars that made him appear older but no we even celebrated his birthday like some weeks ago it was a funny two days he had little reason to lie to me looks like you were right Officer points AR good have one you old dog before we all die it isn't police work is a Cooperative sport this is clearly sports for him something like archery or darts that's too pinball for me I just like to get autopsies right on the first try where were we blue like blue they were like like little blue galaxies you know it was strange seeing those eyes in his [ __ ] up face Parton the swearing I do him an injustice he wasn't ugly and he had a beautiful soft voice very surprising what was all the scarring it was quite something watching him speak he had a combat wound on his chin and mouth Yes severe it made him look like half his face was cracking away in some strange smile that in those eyes oh yes his hair if you can remember it was light brown almost blonde he darkened it with brilliantine made oily not nice to stroke I couldn't convince him to leave it alone no okay sure here you go what else are we missing officer oh that it's clear she liked it quite a lot yes sure waterways it was mostly for showing off to chicks though how imagine him lying in bed freakish musculature laid out on the sheets scarred of course tattooed the sheets are dirty for some reason is this Oran lit yes this is the very essence of Aran lit a moment's respit dark and hopeless as the struggle itself he smoking and drinking of course and his chest and shoulders and arms are studded with stars tens hundreds of them maybe even thousands and the woman goes like what was this baby and he says that was too hardcore don't ask me about that so she goes okay but what's this baby and he's like saw some bad [ __ ] there killed some loin cloths and so it goes star after star Port after port third world country after third world country and he's done horrible things in every single one of them oh yeah no thank you I've seen enough of him dead I can tell you what they meant without looking at them go on there was a blue-eyed boy with thick arms from a small town he was also poor and the government of V needed some people killed so they turned him into a grotesque killer for money he went to killer Academy in ffor then he killed some people on the semine islands and on other Islands too all of the Island after this he came to rishal and got killed himself it is when you're high it can be very exciting then you have the tools to deal with it it's not a very nice story to Remember When You're Sober a change of topic a real rainbow splattering of pharmaceuticals I bet barbiturates and feten zenil how much does the toxicology report cost the police of reval I can do it for half of that save you some money make some myself it's quite expensive Miss but we'll manage without your help for now is the Union communist there are a couple of Shades Pinker than that no social Democrats they're not hardcore in that way is what I'm trying to say what are we talking about anyway this politics [ __ ] is a lot in the morning is it even morning I think she's just tired she doesn't know what you meant by that and can you blame her you could blame her a little it was a pretty straightforward question that she refused to answer all right coly gracefully she PS herself more coffee wait stop that man bloated beyond all recognition was 42 below the damage the weeks of decomposition all the swollen indignity of morality he was 42 years old how old are you that's where this is going 45,000 L of raw alcohol has left it disfigurements What Lies Beneath you wonder you could ask either one of them huh how old do I think you are she's buying time to formulate the best answer look who's finally awake I don't know 1 million years old 21 17 how old are Superstar police officers usually really you're not sure he is you know H is just a number yes but for him that number is 56 wait this requires scientific measurements to the laboratorium all these mesmerizing machines just waiting to be plugged back in and played feels like it might jump back to life any moment the lights Illuminating the white robed woman some kind of inan pinball theme probably related to Messina during the DeLorean age the history themes are the worst the lieutenant grimaces looking at the machines no I love it I love pinball who doesn't love pinball let's move on he doesn't no you can't fire them up they're broken only that one machine in the main hall works the royalist pinball what a dumb name royalist pinball if they weren't broken he would kick one of these machines about now Kim pinball kitsuragi exactly that's what he's known as his reputation precedes him what so now he remembers fine I'm Kim pinol kitsuragi aka the kimbol you remembered congratulations wonderful he only remembers hearing about the pinball policeman no human being should it is a game that requires no skill and a childlike Affinity to flashing lights and to Fantastic s fiction and historic romance Fran it is lame I am not called pinball it was used to taunt me a long time ago before I became a hom side detective and got my lieutenancy fine I was a juvenile police officer for over 15 years it's how I started out in the RCM once I had to infiltrate a pinball ring as you do when you a juv cup it was not okay I needed to become a pinball Champion I trained for 9 months the job was successful and I was moved out of the juvenile Wing to homicide and end of story that time is over now I was already a 38-year-old man it was Unbecoming as was playing pinball so that's why he doesn't want to talk to kuna trauma and stressor disorder from being a juvie cop it's best if you handle the juvenil delinquent not only to you I am Lieutenant kitagi to everyone now we really need to continue our sweep of what appears to be a secret path through the whing the man Ponders his cooking utensils and hi garm another rendevu I am so are you what brings you here bye-bye je Gom lilon bad news Gom Lilo did not become a cop in 38 he went on a tour to the siniao province in safre where he died of autoerotic asphixiation his body was found hanging from a decorative Dragon Tree in his junior suite amid drug paraphernalia UNH wholesome objects and the Sylvia trainer single Wonderland skipping in the background and yes you can take this as a metaphor for rivall in the 30s and also as a warning [Music] hi again garm could he be a member of the homosexual underground just pointing it out we're not talking about some kind of cult with members here you made it up the homosexual underground why yes I am officer why do you want to investigate well I am one of them one of the sub Rosa pleasure group congregating in sellers under the cover of night Saturday night sometimes even Friday night oh we're ambitious we want to destroy the last vestages of meaning the last things people in rol have to hold on to the true symbols of security the meaning of man and woman mother and father their marriage everything will be constantly shifting and moving under our rule the future will belong to a circus of identities just spinning around surreal and unreal you won't even know who you are anymore but do you also like The razzled Dazzle of gold do you like parties and discos and having fun under the vibrant lights of Saturday night because because instead of the traditional family unit we're going to have all this rasmas and Mysteries of course too mysteries of sexual nature very esoteric and disco music and drugs the sure thing officer what do you want to know [Music] next admiring the atmosphere what about you [Music] officer well here's to you oh yes let's see he knocked on my door a few days after the lynching I think he was going through the entire building asking [Music] questions yes but he was speaking to someone on his earpiece yes you know those tiny speaker microphones that fancy security guards sometimes wear just reporting back whatever I was telling him nothing that I didn't see anything why shouldn't he what friend no I don't think it came [Music] up muscular handsome strong like one of those military types oh let me think he had an accent he sounded like one of those mercenaries he sounded vaguely ores no not vaguely scratch that he sounded definitely ores sure anything else on your mind you did and how did you like [Music] him a shoot why not a visitor from the first world he's not like you and me jeand he can always return to his opportunities in oent sir lay still his coming and going brings some life to the Village or is it just money I don't know friends I told you Sunday friends friends who like to get together from time to time that he won't be there when times get tough I guess it is on Sundays he has keys and he likes the view to the sea I mean h what about me jandarm bye-bye jeand it's you again what is it and he tenses immediately chest titens jaw sets ready for another blow that [ __ ] [ __ ] you're the worst cops in revisa I gave you gold on that tape [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] and what did she say then that it's fine people are supposed to be like that yes in fact I think she thought it was a little funny funny no good God damn psycho [ __ ] all right all [ __ ] righty then I guess it's good then that [ __ ] please try to control yourself in the presence of visit Titus oky dokie this is just perfect just [ __ ] perfect any thoughts on this lawmen I already told you we [ __ ] hanged him there's less gusto in his voice now his men too are growing increasingly silent come on Titus we know you didn't hang him he was shot I know you're tired so am I why don't you just you know what I am tired I'm tired of you and the [ __ ] upstairs next time you see her tell her T said [ __ ] off that lion gamon we're done this is over you understand your little investigation is over yeah on the floor bear drips out of the can into a small puddle no one does anything about it what is this quiet funeral [ __ ] what we need is some beers in US B ER 20 beers for the Dock Workers Union why don't we make it 40 huh why do we make it 100 beers you're not loud enough a 100 beers now we're talking hoity hop over here cafeteria manager convince Titus he's being manipulated you should know by now Titus Hardy will never falter just remember it's about more than clasia it's about these men and martines their District their responsibility H he'll get it go on got it kill you because they don't like you I'll because bring that up one more time and you won't get to write that report yes I understand Alan that's your name right Alan you'll kill us that's what they do in the wild North it wasn't that it wasn't we didn't shoot him that's it that's the weak one you flushed him out now go in for the officer you will be next if you don't shut up firearm a glass 08 or a 38 caliber pistol either is small enough for you to have missed he's onto you he knows what you're trying to do stealing yourself push on just ignore [Music] fear we didn't kill him we didn't even hang him he was dead when shut up Angus fatty say one more thing to the cops and I'll Dennis stand down or I'll beat your head in Theo take your hand off the belt this isn't 31 I've got this under control does he his closed fist is shaking it's you who's in control let them have their moment the room Falls quiet so quiet you can hear Angus whee Angie where's your goddamn inhaler you sound like you're dying I left it home I can't get it I'm too [ __ ] I'm sorry why are you so [ __ ] fat Angus now it's all pointless because of you you wasted my time I told you Titus I told you just give her up Lizzie your help is no longer needed here go tell abro fine I'll tell him after a long walk along the coast what just happened between these two you're in he's all yours questions the lieutenant gives a smile only you can see [Music] he Nots you hanged the corpse to cover up the real cause of death the bullet in his head another notd cuz the girls asked us to they were in some [ __ ] did she kill him cop I have no idea the girl says she didn't it doesn't think she did or at least he hopes she didn't class sh came came down she seemed really out of it drugged up even more than usual bug eyed and gning you know not in a fun way it looked like she'd redosed after something went down I've seen that look before she was scared I knew someone had died I've done this job for 10 years I've seen it before it's the politician in the motel room with the dead hooker scenario only in reverse good analogy boss you don't get to talk yet chanky you're still on the bench you keep taking it easy too Angus that's okay with the fat man still weezing there he couldn't speak if he wanted to we went upstairs sure as day the Merc was dead there was a bullet hole through the window that [ __ ] dirty sheet and Bottles everywhere tibs patched the window and the corpse we hang n he's my brother he's in the window replacement business you may have noticed our girls in some [ __ ] of her own the can't show up on police radar kind there were people after her from the old old world where she came from they're powerful connected to the moral intern she's clearly afraid for her life says if she showed up in your systems she'd be ghosted away and why would you have someone like that by taking on the murderer why would I I guess we abide all sorts of runaways and losers here it's a Martin's thing not yet just some ideas she says the shot came from outside behind the window somewhere so that's a clue I'm thinking someone's past caught up with them either hers or his first you mean I mean the people after claa maybe the shot missed maybe it was meant for her I like that been thinking the same thing myself my dude one of those mercenary buddies of his could have done it they got guns training years of Bad Blood probably or it could have been someone else from crenel tell you what I do check out the coast for Vantage points maybe consult with a ballistics buddy of mine that's what i' do if I'm wasn't too busy doing this clown dance with you he's calm now threw all that turmoil away and became himself again in a manner of speaking we had help from another girl it was her idea to hang him and I liked it for political reasons it sent a good message fella you think too much he's off all right you're going to hurt your SC a little too far there but you're definitely right that woman is just affiliated with The Hardy Boys You Don't Know Her Anyway nope you're not getting to her it's classia you want to talk to me too you do that hey cop before you go she classia came to martines to hide many of us did this is where you wash up when there's nowhere left to go the union takes you in now she refused that protection but that's right if we didn't take care of the people who end up here this place would just be a couple of ruins and some cargo containers we'll take that into account [Music] it's always good to see you something in her demeanor has changed she's tired consigned to her fate to being here with you and what's to come I understand just like that no resistance her shoulders are slouched her feet long and straight I didn't lie not a lot I've done my absolute best not to I just come on she lied through her teeth and you know it it was a mistake I'm sorry for wasting your time why did you waste our time then because of the hardies I couldn't just dispense with them they were only trying to help me out of the [ __ ] I'd gotten into you're right there's more you answer to the coalition government and by extension the moral intern briefly glancing over her shoulder to the Sea as she's done time time and time again a grand expense of water reaches over the bay into the Horizon gray and pale Violet in the Morning Light the pale the muindi Isola the oxident and then or the old old world you share a database with them you send people to their courts just business but bad business for some people in the moral intern if I show up in your records officer they will find me they will what happens if they do they will kill me sir if you file my name take me in for questioning enter me into the moral intern Mill well then I'm [ __ ] for nothing this murder didn't Happ anything to do with me here we go for once you seem to have her off guard it's not nice but it's not illegal not here in ravashol or even in Oran what exactly did you do industrial Espionage I joined a business Collective with the intention of betraying them I did my job well enough to be asked to do it again with a bigger company the kind you really really don't [ __ ] with I took their ledgers two decades worth of accounting I need the names of the companies involved and who hired you the job was lose during County Savings Bank they sound small but they're part of the loose scop conglomerate that was the second job the first was some printer company you wouldn't know them as to who hired me for the job I don't know but they're after me too along with L scul and their friends in the Mi once you're done in the competitive intelligence circuit you don't have allies you're radioactive L's capap these people engineer financial disasters in Second World countries the conglomerate also includes the bank of consecration airG and a popular papalo line of dairy products yeah Papa [ __ ] l wants to kill me it is many people lost their jobs not just seite ordinary people what I did to get to accounting a lot of people got hurt but that's just more of my [ __ ] you shouldn't have to deal with you're solving a murder because I'm an idiot with is an indicator of Truth you have to understand the people around here no one was making the call and he kept rotting and then they picked his clothes off and that little [ __ ] threw stones at him her jaw is clenched her throat moves it takes all her strength not to cave in and sub once just one time he kept throwing stones at him for 3 days I could hear the thud thud so I called you I hope with all my heart it's not the last thing I do in ravashol she definitely called the cops that was task complete it could not have been a lie that is impossible oh God that was a lie too who made the call then don't be paranoid man man it's Unbecoming of a police officer and it makes you sweat we were there together in bed I mean okay he was in a kneeling position he had just entered me I was on my back looking at him I heard the window behind me shatter and I turned to look there was a hole in the glass I turned back to him his eyes were looking through me and his mouth was open dumb I could see I could her chest Rises and falls with each word she keeps herself together and says it I knew he was dead before he fell down on top of me he was Heavy I pushed him off and he fell to the floor there he only had his boots on I bit the pillow not to scream then ran downstairs I waited for the second shot to come for me I thought there would be one it never came she's forgotten about her cigarette the butt has burned right down to her fingernails oh so am I what time was this when did it happen it would help us if you could be as precise as possible 11:30 to 12:15 I don't know the exact time around midnight it's okay were you inated not as much as usual he'd done a line plus other things I was drinking wait tius said she was good turning her jaw off much more than usual oh yeah I did one of his lines just to clear my head did you hear or see the shter in the course of this no nothing I was trapped I was stuck in my room downstairs I got some clothes on and crawled back up drew the blinds blood was coming from his mouth not a lot just a little little he was still in the floor slouched I couldn't be there with him anymore so I ran down and out of my room into the hallway down the stairs I knew there would be people there when he was shot I may have I don't know I couldn't hear anything over the glass exploding that's the first thing that went through my head when I heard the last break I thought they'd found me they've killed him to punish me all last week I've tried not to talk to anyone or be seen with anyone so they wouldn't be hurt I've come to understand however this is paranoia what happened didn't have anything to do with me or I don't know anything anymore all I do is wait here we we can't go after loose capap not yet there are other Sor leads I don't ask you to Lieutenant but there's one thing I know is that you'll get nothing from there syvia was tending the bar a lot of people were there the hardies were at the table in front of the stage I think the union box was full Ruby was there too they were having such a good time I sat down and they all well welcomed me I didn't even have to say anything Ruby knew something was wrong Ruby Ruby you know the leader the leader of what The Hardy Boys well nominally yes Ruby is the one they go to when things happen like things they need taken care of she's the organizer this Ruby in her phrasing is entrusted with great power she trusts her so do the others would you say she is the eighth Hardy Boy why not well Ruby said let's talk upstairs I showed her the room I've known these people since December they know my situation but I can't leave a paper trail Ruby was the first one I told she said she'd take care of this it's what she does you know take care of things I helped her get the body to the bathroom we used a Bel to pull him up under the shower to keep him upright to produce lividity matching a hanging yes we completely missed the tempering looks like you got there in time what was this 20 minutes after death oops about 20 yes Ruby explained it would make the blood you know what he does Ruby went outside to talk to Titus and the boys I was just looking at lelly in the bathroom I had to put his clothes back on his armor too was tough but I've seen him take it off and put it on many times it took Ruby maybe half an hour to come back with Titus I'd gotten him ready by then They Carried him out I knew what they were going to do make it look like a hanging Ruby said they would Ruby said to wait here she also said I wouldn't see her for a while that we should lay low or something so I did I don't know I haven't seen her since we will need to take this question to The Hardy Boys last week Angus and titus's brother I think he's called tibs took care of it you should have another look at that window after this reconstruct the scene it's right there yes you see the glass sparkling out of the corner of your eye she nods silently she doesn't even smoke just picks up the cold coffee and holds it in her hands um he's thinking are we done here or should we arrest her she's a Flight Risk and she lied to you she should be taken into custody no that won't be necessary just leave her alone she's been through enough she doesn't need this police brutality this guy won't budge you have to wake multiface up forcefully if you want to continue pushing her but we are awake s she has been forthcoming with sworded details women usually conceal most shocking details of the sexual kind we are a bulwar unbreached you've been breached bulwar you've been breached like a thousand times now so you say but give us one example of Deceit just one example there isth no doubt the lady could not bear the sight of her lover sped and disfigured a horrible story try not to sweat so profusely in her presence too you blow your chances it looks like this one's not waking up you'll have to do it without pushing her further at least for now this window is pristine on the inside unlike the one next to it light from the desk lamp reflects off the glass in an untarnished golden Halo Golden Light melts away Into the Blue glassy darkness of your mind in it are two neon lit shapes a man and a woman on the single bed like the witness said the man is kneeling the woman is on her back it's the night of March fourth and a shot has just been fired the man looks directly at the woman the shots possible directions converge in his mouth a ray cast from somewhere outside entering his brain ending him from the roof outside location a crime the glass fractures Around The Bullet Hole shards face inwards like a Corona behind the woman's back the man does not know the bullet has entered his brain he never will death comes faster than the realization the ray cast from the man's mouth unravels into a fan of possible directions all on the roof at first the shot could have come from any of them this is composite location a prime most likely of the origin points there could have been then the rain and slush and wind washed it away this was more than a week ago 72% with an antique weapon that fires military grade ammunition a belma grave rifle for example this is a good short distance but not too short the perpetrator aimed with their back against the railing or possibly kneeling for precision this would explain why it only took them one shot the lights were on in here outside it was dark it was like shooting fish in an aquarium a well-lit aquarium the victim opened his mouth to let the bullet in neither of them would have seen anything outside in the darkness too busy with their own bodies point x would contradict the woman's testimony rendering the entire proposition void these figures would be wiped out detective none that you've found thus far but that doesn't mean there aren't any that's a 28% yes in this model the shot could have come from a greater distance nothing excludes the possibility should we extrapolate to include every possible point of origin in martines according to your map of the district this shot could have come from a wide angle of locations starting with the northern edge of the abandoned Boardwalk ending with an islet in the bay let's call them B Prime B Prime for Boardwalk b double Prime for Land's End and B triple prime for the islet detective there may be smaller points in between but those are too fine to zoom in on 700 M away the likeliest of these B positions 20% chance a skilled sniper could have made the shot provided he had a safe snipers Nest even with the light on inside we're talking military training at that distance the perpetrator would have had to take wind direction into account 1.2 km away the least likely of these positions let's say 3% a truly skilled sniper could have done it possibly from a tent no too farfetched 1 km away the point beyond the docks on an islet in the bay the fort is ruined but the perpetrator may have found a stable spot on the beaches surrounding it where the concrete crumbles into the sea as you saw in the coin operated view the shot would have been a small miracle 5% likelihood there is an extremely narrow fi feeli of view from the bay to the window between rud gizen 10 and 33a the angle would have been extreme and access to the islets is questionable from where precisely I see you have given this a lot of thought are those the locations you've single out in addition to the roof and what is the likelihood in your opinion that it came from a further distance okay well we should see if there is gunshot residue or sniper nest if we go down the coast roll these spots out one by one it would be the diligent thing to do until then personally I'm going with the roof version it fits the hidden path through the whing a simple hypothesis you look like [ __ ] and I don't mean that as a metaphor oh don't be so modest we're looking at several months worth of damage here kind of a miracle you still up and add it to be honest oh come on Johan it looks like it's been a rough week on him it's not just this week what' you want there's something about this guy that matches with a face in your head a similar but different face the suit the sunglasses the haircut he's famous that's how you know his face you know what it is it's like the two of you know each other just ask him oh I definitely know you from somewhere another life yes from Another Life a different life maybe the life of a police officer belonging to the ranks of the to what station do you think you would belong in this alternate and totally fictional reality okay okay that's plausible that's entirely plausible now we're really getting somewhere somewhere [Music] good let's be crazy let's say you and I are Partners how's that for a thought experiment I'm sure he's [ __ ] flattered but Kim is not part of the thought experiment in this one we are Partners the lieutenant is silent no cuz in this thir experiment we are police officers in a police station we don't do crimes we're not crime Bros come on stop [Music] it this isn't helping you're not going to believe this but police officers yes sir solving crimes likeing a bad guys and and get this and not getting that drink on at 2:00 just some regular barring [ __ ] in suits and uniforms nothing spectacular extravagant like you the far out son of L not even a little bit it's an urban meth about an officer who is so far under cover he can't remember who who he is as I say it's just an urban myth you are not the son of L he's trying to protect you from further rough handling dished out by the sunglassed man okay yes you get the joke leave it at that neither can I partner neither can I it's a m second but it feels like you saw something a gram of compassion in that sadness mm I'm not getting involved in this it's not my style he thinks glancing at the man in sunglasses and the woman beside him oh boy they're mad at him no wonder he just doesn't recognize them not as famous as you Superstar oh yes big time who hasn't heard of the far out son of lever [Music] failure oh oh yes you are and you've worked really really hard haven't you Jean is obviously suffering okay Superstar talk to me what do you want you want a pat on the back about what you don't look like a cop you know what you look like no you will not start blabbering about that [ __ ] it didn't answer your question no CU it's not my job why don't you go and [ __ ] do yours and solve this damn hanging come on Jean okay say things I want to hear you say things hear that he wants you to say things say one suddenly out of nowhere case related things start popping up in your head a coverup what the author of the cover up is the per makes sense you don't have a motive then the double coverup seems too neat I don't know why are you oh my God there's more you want something more what is it watch out for yourself loser that voice so very familiar did you hear it when calling to your station and Reporting your badge missing oh really I wonder where that's the where you remember me from you don't say goodbye then the voice thing was a coincidence run along [ __ ] okay the man with the sunglasses and his hypothetical Station 41 weird right there's something missing here something you can't put our finger on you know what just ask him I know it sounds crazy and you'll probably get laughed at but still yes just cross it off the list it's probably not true though again I can't believe this [ __ ] I'm going to say no just to see what you'll say to that what' you say Okay Jean he said okay give it a rest okay I was clearly wrong he is a firefighter male nurse Animal Control agent something of that kind not a cop go on with your top work don't let me stop you again the woman in an RCM Patrol officer's uniform winces as she notices you I would really prefer not to talk to you right now a patrol officer is the lowest rank in the RCM below lieutenant and Sergeant I am definitely not the cavalry yes I am I know here's the real deal I don't know I mean uh why would I want to talk to you no you haven't wronged me it's okay okay fine let's talk what did you want God damn it you live alone keep your weird [ __ ] to yourself and be professional for once for [ __ ] sake can I actually help you with something yes of course Preposterous I mean you would remember if they were right who forgets this squadmates that's not possible of course I'm with him why do you ask well he's not he's a sack of [ __ ] barely kept together by crazy glue but at least he tries un like you please let's not turn this into another exchange okay I don't I don't know what to say don't say anything Judit I'm just looking out for you no one I'm just a man with sunglasses and you are yes a police woman who just wants to do a job that's [Music] all something about the man with sunglasses and you the energy between you two is making her uncomfortable can I help you another thing great I love those why no [ __ ] it I don't want to know I don't want to know why these degenerates do what they do I thought we had one good guest in the building he really doesn't like it being class here what's that supposed to mean [ __ ] you buddy she's not my taste good thing she pays for her stuff on time I'll forward her the bill and be done with it wow she really isn't his taste her spell hasn't spread here now was there anything else I have like 4,000 coasters to stack and then I need to wash dishes because it turns out I have to do that too now what wall I'll have it fixed at once thank you for letting me know I assure you the whirling does not abide spying on its guests the color has drained from his face absolutely not [ __ ] you for even implying it it wasn't me it wasn't my staff The Establishment will look at it and ascertain what it was Sir he was only asking a question it's his job and mine see that it's covered yes I absolutely will sorry it's been a bit of a day and now a hole in the wall thank you I'll Patch It Up personally was there something else about the establishment I hope not oh okay well I did hear you make noise back there so good for you he's really really holding himself back here it takes a lot of willpower not to ask obviously he's been wanting to know what's behind the door okay what is back there ha I knew it I've always wondered where those machines by the door came from and they told me there was some kind of pinball thing here too I knew it were there any back there in working order I mean no I was just wondering if you found pinball machines there those machines are whirling property but if it makes you feel feel any better I'm not planning to sell them it wouldn't hurt to get a little life in here other than the hellish caraoke machine that one's always causing trouble sounds like he cares about the place he's not going to be overjoy to hear that it's part of the doomed commercial area he should still know you have to be forewarned about these things what why would you say that we're at a completely different address from Van whole thing so he knows of the doomed commercial area and its address he's thought about this everyone knows of it I've been working here for a long time and that intercom has never been used by the whirling it's a sign of the whirling in rags not being part of the doomed commercial area if anything we're revitalizing in this neighborhood relax Mr Gat I'm sure there is no Doom he simply wants to share his discoveries with you does this look like part of a doomed commercial area this pre-revolutionary tile work these high ceilings the nice rooms well most of the rooms for 14 years man that's how long I've worked here I've kept this place up through hail and through sleet [ __ ] me if some Doom go he's done a fine job too though he's spoken of the place dismissively before the hostel is actually very important to him yeah it it's slowly growing on me again it's beautiful in its own way especially for this neighborhood I've been trying to keep it that way even if it is part of the damn doomed commercial area I don't Place much stock in the curse and so on but the label frighten the clientele who wants to stay at a doomed hostel everything's doomed enough without that some real estate management company they never come around here just collect money from afar honestly I think some money laundering might be involved well it's sure as hell wasn't the real estate company it was you you look surprised what it's a great name I know cafeteria managers come up with great names too it's from a song Hail Holy Queen by the atenas Hail Holy Queen of the sea you're whirling in rags you're vast and you're sad good pick what about them one is a basement di frequented by Chain smoking Communists I can't tell you how sick I am of K mazov and ignis Nelson and all those old ghosts he's hesitating not sure if he should share this information with you encourage him the other is a kebab cart it's very successful in its way but it's nothing like the whirling luck has got nothing to do with it I need to think about where I'm going to place those pinballs I have a feeling they're going to help so if you didn't have anything else to tell me about my establishment can we you know wrap it up yes it's you again what is it why you're cuckoo cop I I'm the only man responsible for this unit get with it or [ __ ] off how many times must I tell you yeah [ __ ] off sounds like you're making her a suspect in this not on my watch you're not Ruby's one of us we're not going to throw her under your Mar Ln Steamroller [ __ ] that [ __ ] and [ __ ] you too moral Ruby is missing if you hide from the police in a murder investigation you become a suspect you know how it works guys that's nothing that's just legal ease you don't even have a sound Theory I don't want to be rude but we're trying to get some RNR are here think you could [ __ ] off now I think we'll keep sticking around Titus you'll be surprised at how quickly a theory presents itself if you keep looking a sudden flash of lightning in your neocortex the hostle cafeteria is lit by its Airy Blaze floor plans bullet trajectories webs of human emotion all channeled into single thought because she was here all night with us he's cing together [ __ ] so he can put her away it's Cup 101 she was here all night 12:25 to 12:15 she was here during all that time yeah with us drinking near the stage there no all right she took a [ __ ] leak okay for one moment maybe went out too she has an operation to run from her lry we're not getting into what that operation is again C that's probably for the best don't break your strien now and just cuz she was gone for 5 minutes doesn't mean she magically got to the roof and shot him I've been through this it's not plausible all right we're in we got Ruby unaccounted for some time during the window this was crucial now let's Place her on that roof you got his attention now don't ruin it by making weird claims remember you can still mess this up why not you can't draw a straight line into colossia window from any of the surrounded buildings not from what I know know about Martin a Maybe from the coast but like I said I've been too busy dealing with you idiots so no I don't think it was a sniper it was close up 72% that is a percentage you all where'd you get it from your guys in the lab wouldn't hurt to have one of those in Martin still all the labs in the world don't put her on that roof how'd she get there climb how people say there was a pinball arcade here sometime before the hostel what was it called Theo East Delta pinball arcade weird place went bankrupt I'm okay but how'd you get up there's no room for a staircase in this building or an elevator for that matter the elevator is outside the building it's an old D waiter used for moving pinball machines have been down from the workshop thank you the lieutenant is glad he got the floor plan right there Ruby could have gone up shot in come down all under 7 minutes that's quite the theory we need to have a look at that secret passage boys I'm on it boss right when the law clears me and Angus are going up there it's a dumb waiter not an industrial lift how about I go instead of just now you got something else to back this route up or is that it firmly firmly doesn't go well with could have there's a route to the roof me and the boys need to check it out that's what we established but a route does not put that bullet in his head a gun does that and Ruby doesn't care he won phase two murder weapon get a gun in her hand if not that then at least a shadow of a doubt in the the shape of a gun god damn that's just about your favorite topic isn't it every [ __ ] 5 Seconds you were warned not to bring it up your best shot hair is to just back out of it okay cob she's got connections I could see how she could have access to a gun that still does doesn't mean she did that's all you needed doubt so so it had to come from a breach loading rifle military grade not even you militia monkeys have those this goes against your everyone has a gun theory if it was military grade how' Ruby get it C that's exactly what it means that wasn't strong that looks antique a b mgra it's inoperable where'd you get it 20 maybe 30 rifle status also broken but still there were too many and there must be other caches too God damn it we need to close that dump down for good that's a goddamn breach loader too find wand the works and you got a military grade weapon that shoots jacketed ammunition he sees it this is coming together he must time to really close the deal show them the bullets the blonde man looks at the mushroomed deathbringer in the evidence B and says yeah the [ __ ] is jacketed all right 4 mm too whoa well God damn it's not proof but it's a possible murder weapon close to her too damn close you have been thorough I'll give you that all right keep talking I'm getting a bit curious about some things myself T we're not seriously considering it are we Ruby wouldn't do this why would she do something like this phase three motive the last component the big one get this and they'll give her to you remember don't piss him off that never works there's no [ __ ] leadership challenge here get your head out of your ass this is serious okay we've ruled out in fighting that's how this works by exclusion remember all we need to do is Rule Ruby out to that's all this is there's a bit of Truth in there for Titus to so brashley he does not like his authority questioned and I suppose you have a theory on that think about it why go through all that effort it was her idea wasn't it the hanging you went along but she suggested it she had like a fully formed plan and [ __ ] right when she came back downstairs really Shanks plaia wanted to talk to another girl that's all she was just the first one up there I could have come up with that plan if I i' have been first time for a logic's demonstration you WR thin ass here [ __ ] it's a thought exercise Titus think you kill him get up there shoot him get down alone I don't drag my man into [ __ ] with me if she used us then that's a serious violation of the Hardy code boss but she didn't she would never do that why aren more of you defending her this is [ __ ] stupid Titus Glenn I thought the same thing when she skipped town and left us in this [ __ ] oh so he didn't rule her out completely and she skipped down this is [Music] good you had expressed on occasion your dislike of the mercenaries presence in Martinez right whack someone in my district that doesn't carry much favor with Titus Hardy she has to know that silence he looks around the room the old man in the corner nods a very small nod and a trickle of tobacco spit on his lip this is the only option he cares for yeah I see it there's one more thing I've been wondering about ever since you asked me where she is add it to your list of suspicions if you won't I don't know I don't know where she went she just got up and left got real scared too wouldn't tell me where however hard I asked want to know why she was afraid I would tell you maybe she was right by now I probably would she knew there's evidence on her and she knew we'd find it this is typical suspect Behavior why fleeing is always incriminatory perhaps ask her if you find her it won't be easy though she made sure that I told you you yes you the cop with the sideburns and the Disco clothes how can I forget you and I are going to dance in the Moonlight under a billion stars you know when I first saw you limp in here I thought she was paranoid or sniffing her own Supply but now I'm not so sure she said you have a funny taste in clothes and that you won't stop until you have something on her she said she's heard of you from Jamrock that you're a human can opener that you play suspects against each other open them up like can [ __ ] hell Titus did he just open Angus up like a can yes he did now we can whine about it Whack Him or we can go on with our lives I'm having to go on with our lives kind of day Al how about you it's not an actual question silence he [Music] nods you are insistent yeah there was something in else she wouldn't tell me though I could see she wanted to it was burning on her lips this C Titus this called he but she was too scared no what now I have no idea boys she said she's building a a pale emitter what we were talking about radio equipment she said she's doing Ulan frequencies and a hail something I don't know more there you have it hail something a little on the coast where have you looked for her more precisely more precisely on the coast past the water log she's not here so I'm thinking she's there Friday afternoon when you first arrived I got word the RCM was in town then she came in to see me told me she was leaving that's when we had our little conversation she's not far we know that much she didn't take her lry so she's on foot good [ __ ] luck man she knows this place like the back of her hand you'll never find her yeah L and we won't either she's not really a Hardy candidate anymore is she she's not Glenn sure there are some [ __ ] houses there a center block Town fishop folk there refused to unionize so that's why place we haven't looked I hear they have a shack where junkies sometimes crash time for you to step up we will start there one more question what does Ruby look like boyish here's red died she looks like a Lowry man it'll have to his grip is firm and reassuring like holding a p piece of unpolished granite not just Granite tightly packed RCM Sergeant material when are you going to get it through your dumb head I already am I just wasn't sure you were and he still isn't people aren't afraid of good cops in the way Ruby was afraid of you he thinks then turns back to his men you think you have a pretty hot suspect right now don't you that Ruby of yours notice how it came together without casting too much suspicion on classia it was nice and rubby Centric in the end anything stuck you a bit off about this Mish mes absolutely it could have come from anywhere but you're suddenly so certain it came from the roof behind the window no they didn't good point it is rather rare these days but do continue true strange how you conducted the whole Advanced ballistics analysis and then handwaved it notice how this hasn't come up at all even Hardy and his boys didn't mention it neither did you that's right finish thought just finish it and conveniently go on she's watching you leave right now you know that free as a bird on that roof lighting up a cigarette and thinking am I glad Ruby's in this [ __ ] and not me don't listen to this guy the theory was solid he's just jealous move on it's no use harassing her further oh [Music] [Music] w [Music] [Music] come [Music] AR right rusting control panel with loose wires dangling out from the hole where an indicator light used to be and a mechanical lever sitting in the middle the water lock starts moving [Music] all right we can go to the coast now expect rugged terrain and DRS [Music] [Music] [Music] h for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] rust peels off the bent iron post of the Swing the wind whistles through the skeleton of the small house behind you there's desolation everywhere in his yard he's assessing the situation how long ago was it abandoned someone thought they could have a summer house in a block up cure for chip it didn't work out they abandoned it about a decade ago a black block a part of the city left unrenovated after the war or one that has fallen to gang violence or has become inhospitable in some other way on aerial photos block obscures look like dark squares hence their name practically it's not an official term in any way but look around n suage broken power LS crime drums life is tough in the blocks it's no place to build a summer house yes for you to scavenge like a post-apocalyptic scavenger who collects trash and erant magnesium blisters it's not meant as nagging just an observation we should move I don't think our suspect is in this particular yard no place to hide and besides it's too close to martinezz [Music] [Music] what [Music] [Music] this is it the scene of the party the fire pit cigarettes and bottles all evidence it not as such I'm talking about what came after the party scene looks like they were here a while judging from all the bottles the sunken motor Carriage provided them a focal point like a goose ice sculpture or a chocolate fountain looks like it no death search no let's keep moving detective somehow he doesn't want to dwell on [Music] it a banged up motor Carriage lies half submerged in the icy water slowly sinking into the insulindian ocean only the cabin top rear wheels and the engine remain visible it must be cold and lonely down down there in the icy water remember the tire tracks in martines this is where they were leading it appears to be so I agree we should definitely investigate you get a sudden Sinking Feeling stomach acid comes up as you look at the motor carriage in a deep dark cold water why the Doom and Gloom it's just a sunken motor carriage some motor carriages are bound to end up in the sea the logo is too deep in murky water you can't make it out but you do see a monkfish Float by the ice hasn't closed around the vehicle yet my guess is it's been here since last Saturday or Sunday the estimate is correct the incident probably occurred on Sunday evening the motor Carriage is properly stuck in the ice getting it out would require a team of Specialists let's wait for the low tid and see what's inside I don't know an hour or two [Music] tubs as you sit down in the old rusty playground the world around you becomes very silent the hinges Creek under your weight dangerously sir nothing but the sound of Seagulls high above in the sky echoing like distant laughter ice Cracks around the blue motor carriage in the sea yes yes it does H let me think about it the tune on your lips forms a strange yet undeniably beautiful contrast with the surrounding completness the lieutenant gives you a quick glance then still looking straight ahead he joins you with a higher pitched and slightly more melodic Trill two birds on a wire whistling by the seaside looking at the water and a sunken car the clouds pass in the sky and the shadow of the Swing moves like the hour hand on a Time piece 30 minutes have passed looks like this might take a while time to present a good topic for [Music] discussion I'm pretty sure I told you already didn't I my Dad and Mom are both alate clouds on the horizon grow darker and the shadow of the swing set keeps climbing you hear the distant Rumble of the city 30 minutes pass luckily I am already a member of an independent organization and therefore do not have to choose between a rock and a hot place your voice Echoes on the water strange and out of place in the environment 30 more minutes pass detective I've been able to make out the mark ever since we arrived I find it odd that you haven't it's a cpri model 40 it is a simple and rugged machine favored by working men government offices firefighters animal control people you know those kinds of people yes 41 what do you think it stands for I'm sorry Harry I'm so sorry 41 Precinct 41 a massive pit opens up in your stomach and the most terrible feeling comes over you you feel like you're about to faint and fall off the swing your hands get clammy and the air tastes sour to breathe no just NOP say no to this Harry I'm afraid so yes it looks like you studied in front of the whirling jumped over the canal and then drove your vehicle in the sea right here the lieutenant adjusts his glasses and doesn't say anything there is also a fourth thing you've lost more precious than the gun the bad Edge and the motor Carriage combined lost forever into the deepest of seas detective we don't a rescue operation really isn't viable at this point that is very unlikely all the electrics are toast that goes for the electromagnetic steering and brake systems as well you'd be lucky to find one and damage component in there in a few months there will be nothing but rust left of this vehicle it'll be cheaper to buy a new one well not cheaper this motor Carriage cost 40,000 R but in the long run it still makes more sense to buy a new machine than try to refurbish this let's face it this is a substantial loss to your District's budget I mean my station only has four of vehicles in addition to my my kinema I'm afraid it will have to be there like that for many years look at it parts of it might be salvageable but overall this machine is right off yes let's go take a look [Music] a police badge on which you see the photo of a man you some seaweed is stuck to the back at least something good came out of all these encased between two durable plastic sheets is a bluish card with lines of information and a watermark in the shape of the street grid of riversa West you see a photo a name a rank a document number the date of issue and in the lower right corner your Precinct the man keeps winking at you with his green gray eyes the photo is old no doubt about that good choice a newer photo would look different eight maybe 10 years the guy in the picture is rather good-looking he's got a nice haircut and is distinctly lacking in massive sideburns what do you think his face is already contorted by the expression although it looks less grotesque on him than it did on you it looks like you had quite the Charming face way back then your hair is brown and slightly curly your eyes seem more more clear somehow the lack of alcohol swelling is a bonus though there's a pinch of that in your cheeks already don't be fooled the bad times have already begun the badge in your hand shines as you rotate it catching light you see lines of information on it and a shining Watermark Harrier that's long for Harry so you are Harry Evart was half right probably not a lot of people know your full name whoever told him your H du didn't it's a wartime name revolutionary the canm mothers give their sons during troubled times like undying or boxer or iron hide it's meant to keep you safe from bullets hunger Shel kidnappings and worse please to make your acquaintance Harrier du he's not going to call you Harrier he'll keep calling you officer when he's angry with you and detective when he's not the badge in your hands shines as you rotate it catching light you see lines of information yes it's the designation of your precin 41 like mine says 57 the 57 is mostly Industrial hbor lot of Asal the 41st is it's a tough station to working you have all of jamro to cover that District should have three precincts but money is what it is it's no wonder you are like you are he thinks but then again but then again it's a legendary district and a hell of a station too it must be a n or anner curse to work with people like price mcoy Bera Roberts Foy back dietry suddenly names from your decom flash in your forbrain and you is it an honor to work with you don't ask him ask yourself the badge in your hand shines as you rotate it catching light you see lines of information on it and a shining water mark 4 months ago seems like a new document was recently made one is handed to you as part of a promotion or if you lose the old one the pain in your chest tells you you were working yourself to death to earn that rank a lot can happen in 4 months especially in Winter the winters are never easy on you of that you are sure I remember that time the tie around your neck feels tight suddenly that was a good time we had a good work drink balance going what happened man Pump It Up that's just the serial number R Jamrock prison 41 with some numbers thrown in there for good measure Lieutenant W Freer the lieutenant is a rank above sergeant and Below Captain it's the highest rank in the RCM that still does field work I am a lieutenant the title of yator is added to your rank when you decline a promotion to a higher rank in your okay Captain you have declined twice thus your W freighter there are many reasons one would do this the rank above you in your precin de contage might be taken or sometimes promoted officers do not want to replace their superiors out of respect and sometimes they just prefer the type of police work available to their current rank in your case Lieutenant heavy duty case solving machine d is the hierarchical system employed by the Ral citizens militia it means counting down to toos the countdown is modeled after the Dual leadership system employed by the left During the Revolution which in turn was developed by last century experimental psychologists in the University of kerstein the lowest rank is Junior officer usually teenagers then there are the patrol officers then sergeants lieutenants then and a captain that's basically it except for a few Kings Kings like satellite officers and the additionally a freighter rank I already explained the long and short of it is you're his Superior you are given the title of satellite officer if your partner is quickly promoted through the ranks and you rise with him you don't seem to be a satellite no I've been putting up with you because despite an and conventional approach you are doing good police work it matters more than driving your motor Carriage into the sea and now we've even found your B he trusts you for now try not to spoil it such a small yet precious thing expensive paper caught between thick plastic like a fly in Amber it reads [Music] the pter is just what you needed the reels attached to the apparatus with a satisfying click the tape is routed behind the magnetic reader you press the large button marked comment here and the tape starts spinning there's a small delay before the song starts playing it sounds like someone's moving in the room getting comfortable then the organ starts playing a simple melancholic tune echoing in the hallway aone singing voice joins in telling you about the tiniest Church in song surrounded by even tinier yard you almost feel the seaside Mist on your skin it's Mega sad within seconds you know this is the one the real [ __ ] you've been looking for the one you trust your room to that classia told you about perform it a click then silence for a bit then the tape stopped spinning of course you could sing this you could take sad to a whole new level with this and you already know the lyrics since you've listened to it like a million times yeah they're all here all three verses and the bside of the tape contains the instrumental version it's like the world itself is telling you to do it only one obstacle stands on your way got you have to convince G to let you s karaoke in the whirling after you've won him over you can express yourself let the pain out make everyone understand the lieutenant watches you pack up the boom box he doesn't say anything e the scruffy headed little boy kicks a stone he can't be more than 5 years old he watches his brother kick the stone with his tongue Ling out of his mouth the stone kicking one becomes frantic all of a sudden as if that's something to be scared of the obvious fact that you just stated he looks just like me the boy doesn't answer his brother throws another rock both of their hair is covered in some kind of dirt The Rock was just being shy but now he's enthusiastic again you're bad with kids don't worry everyone is how about we do some police work now we're not getting anything here the kids don't reply absorb in their little game what bad people I don't think we questioning four-year-olds with de parents present is going to crack the case then we're definitely doing [Music] it you stopped mid-step and put your hand on a garish neck time that bottle bratan just look at that bottle [Music] this isn't even about that this is about so much more than regular alcohol please go talk to him see what it's about I'm drawn to it hey tequila good to see you how's business how's the whole reality situation treating you so what's happening yeah tequila sunset how are the um High concept reality-based Adventures proceeding good these people know your true name looks like it has preceded you Mr Sunset more on that later I like this guy you should too here respect you by calling you your true name I know what you mean sitting around with these bums you really get to know the Nitty Gritty of reality and it isn't good things aren't going super well for idiot Doom spiral either haven't found those keys yet haven't won that great piece of ass back no word from my business buddies this guy's your buddy buddy you feel it immediately you belong to an organization a fraternity of drunks can't really remember seeing any women after losing my keys he really has no idea who this Ruby is s we are saving the world please please don't call don't call okay we're drinking we're drinking alcohol that's what we're doing I tried to save the world once a long time ago with Enterprise creativity and willpower but that didn't work out so now it's a pirates life for me it's you you're to teila Sunset we've met before don't you remember no you sure don't aha do you want to know how tequila sunset came to be tequila tequila sunset something ominous there mhm let me take a sip to moisten up my cords tequila sunset rolled into martines last Friday and by tequila sunset I mean you the man the myth hey let's not jump ahead of ourselves this is your story stop interrupting you got here on Friday to solve a case hoping to be the early bird who gets the worm and by the worm I mean the buzz because as far as I know all you did was get pissed drunk word on the street is you went around the local hosle telling people that you're a police officer and it would be really [ __ ] up if you shot yourself in the head right in front of them that's pretty high concept if you ask me the Lieutenant's brow is furrowed he's listening as casually as he can it was a late Saturday night when we the union of moraband Alcoholics were getting our drink on nothing remarkable about this we get our drink on 24/7 makes everything warm and glowy I trust you know the feeling oh yes you do bruska the only thing better than that is Ping the pedal to the metal after you kiss the tie and off we go one moment we hear the sound of a motor Carriage revving up somewhere on the Plaza followed by a series of dings and bangs do you remember the sound of wood cracking the billboard naturally loud noises piak the interest of anybody owning a pair of ears that's just the reality were in anyway there was a brief silence a gasp of Silence if you will followed by a real commotion we heard the carriage kening towards the coast at top speed sounded like someone jumped the canal we grabbed our brusis and rushed to the jetty never under underestimate the speed of an alcoholic what we saw was a sight to Behold a beat up police Carriage containing you right there on the beach you revv the engine and screamed at the top of your lungs the time hath come so naturally being the curious cat I am I asked what time hath come to which he replied the time hath come for Tequila's sunset the end of all things your reality contracted you jammed the pedal plowed right off the jetty and through the ice we ran towards the ice whilst you crawled your way out miraculously unhe hurt covered in seaweed and [ __ ] like some kind of sea monster when we finally got there you were sitting on the beach crying you said that your badge and uniform were in the car it was too late to get in there though the carriage had sunk too deep recognizing a brother in need we offered our condolences and invited you to party with us which you naturally agreed to we asked about the whole tequila sunset thing and you told us it was your name now and insisted that we all call you that from then on no that's just what your mother called you your real name is tequila sunset just embrace it brother hours it was an allnight drink ofon then at some point I think it was Sunday morning you got belligerent and wanted to talk about revolan women how they're beautiful and also [ __ ] and so on how one of them [ __ ] you real bad after a short while you crossed the Event Horizon looked Sullen got up and left without saying anything wow that's quite a story yeah I bet Tequila's a [ __ ] Legend around the precinct you must be proud to work with him if you only knew you were pretty vague about it but you kept saying you got [ __ ] real hard and that we've all been [ __ ] too please don't open that door no one's [ __ ] me I do the [ __ ] around here abar it seemed pretty painful to be honest with you if I had to guess I'd say you're still working through some [ __ ] you told us that they were a bunch of [ __ ] losers whose main interest was cramping your style it's more like you were cramping theirs no specifics though it was more about you that night you were the star of the show beside your gun and your badge you said something about your hope or heart or something to be honest the details are a little hazy in retrospect I guess you lost your motor Carriage too that's a big one yeah you said it it was no biggie and that you'd solve it in no time and that you didn't need anyone to do it you're doing it solo now a lot of cops go solo and hermit once they reach that level of alcoholism it's not meant as a joke he's sorry for the hermit [Music] C you kept calling yourself a goddamn Superstar who'd cleared 501 cases as you've already determined the actual number is just over 200 but what's a little embellishment between friends no thanks to the squares at the precinct as you put it yeah you said that it was okay that you crashed your Carriage because the spectral hand of the market was guiding you this was before you started talking about how the pinkies were always trying to [ __ ] you it's a hard thing for a man to confront his past that's why I avoid mine at all costs whoop ddoo so now I'm a [ __ ] Storyteller right why not better than a beach bum it depends really are you willing to help me out booze did you already forget our party the thing I relayed to you earlier so have you gotten anything for good old idiot Doom spiral a bottle for a story seems fair to me interesting ah this is what they use to keep the Working Man going hey spiral boy you going to share that D call abigal shut up guys I'm telling a story here something happened to you something happened to me too my actual name is George but around here you already know I was once a reasonably High net worth individual a Founder SL Junior partner at a high concept creative Services Agency when my Story begins I had just landed a major contract with an insurance firm I used the profits from my agency to finance what I called a cultural incubator abstract value generation value per person High concept stuff I developed the Paradigm worked within the Paradigm but the burden of leadership weighed heavily on me so I went jogging every so often to keep myself sane 22 fulltime employees an Allstar team a potentially historical set of individuals worrying about them often kept me up well into the morning hours it did with my trusty sanseri tracksuit I felt like I could conquer the world but now dreams are worn thin much like my tracksuit one day I left on my evening run as you may know it's impossible to clear your head when you're distracted by the sound of keys jangling in your pockets his eyes are clouded his dilated blood vessels encircling his irises like stinging brambles his eyes are your eyes so I removed the key ring and put the keys for the front gate in the apartment into different Pockets to stop the jangling you see at least that was the plan I was halfway done with my usual lap when it started to rain the reality situation became very wet very quickly I made my way back home and discovered that I didn't have the key to the front gate I'd mixed it up with the key to the letter box which was useless naturally the situation required me to climb over the gate which I did there was no climbing down because I slipped and landed on my ass no you don't whatever the point point is reality was looking rather Grim just then me lying on my ass in a mud pit in the middle of a heavy shower but when life knocked me down I always got up so I made my way across the yard standing in front of my apartment door fumbling with my pockets I realized that I'd also forgotten my apartment key I rang my neighbor buzzers it was late and most most of them didn't even answer those who did assumed I was trying to sell them something and hung up before I could even explain the situation people are naturally wary of adman you see one moment someone chats you up 5 minutes later you've bought a box of edible lingerie and a strap on I don't begrudge them especially since I was known to be one of the best heavy is the head that wears the crown just then I experienced a Moment of clarity I still had the key to my office I could wait out the storm there but when I reached my office I remembered that I'd asked one of my producers to change the locks that day and since I hired only the best he'd already done it and I couldn't get in anyway long story short life spiraled out of control I haven't gotten into my apartment for years and my girlfriend left me because she didn't want to date a homeless man the company well you see where I'm going with this so now you've heard my tragic tale what do you think like nothing you've ever heard huh tequila I've thought about this series of events for a long time if there was anything else to it I would have thought of it by now why didn't you go to the authorities well at one point they came to me but you know I I didn't have any idea on me so they tossed me in jail for two days I can't say it increased my faith in the RCM no offense gentlemen yeah maybe I've exaggerated certain parts over the years when you tell a story too often it begins to take on a life of its own but what matters is that it's true to my subjective experience anyway that was all the story one bottle gets you almost empty this one truly he has the soul of an artist you too tequila [Applause] sunset good to see you friend do I have deals set up for you buddy boy so what do you want I got smokes they're cheap very cheap I got pills now great deal you won't get a better deal on that piss Spirits I can let go for 300 R I also have speed and by speed I mean amphetamine see there it is bruska the spirit let's buy the spirit 300 rale is a lot but this has to be done it's our end game [Music] snap out of it bratan this is no time for melancholy introspection it's time to buy that [Music] Spirit bratan you don't understand it's not just another drink this is what our relationship has been building towards all these years this is the climax the mystery the virginal sigh you have to buy it from him get it off him kill him if you have to our ultimate fate depends on it and the fate of many worlds the lieutenant looks at you looking at the bottle of spirits then at Rosemary suspiciously oh the system's been good to Old Rosemary here and I'm milking her like a [ __ ] goat in in the backyard you see friend man makes his own luck and I made mine real good got my hands on three bottles of liquor exqueeze sold two to the fellows around here and immediately invested the profit bought cigarettes bought beer even bought a bit of speed and look at me now I got everyone on my hook the hook where is it I can't see it permit who gives a [ __ ] you want to buy something Grease the wheels baddy boy see friend it's real valuable worth every real if you catch my drift got it from a bit of a business venture you know it's funny actually he's finding it difficult to focus his watery gaze what this guy this guy conversation might bring a discount no oh this is medicinal Spirits the good staff got it from the doctor's office he ain't [ __ ] you medicinal Spirits are up blast bratan the Flaming truth of this joke of a world I've got one of those scientific ampol a few months ago torpedo they call it it's supposed to keep a man from taking a drink didn't stop me for [ __ ] that's for sure five Lemons with half a pack of butter and you're good to go it really isn't in a week the goddamn kidney started giving me all kinds of help finally the misses took me to to a private doctor's office not a charity the real thing those [ __ ] those [ __ ] charged me four real to remove the damn thing but I came out on top after all the idiots left me alone in there now I used to teach high school biology I know what doctors use to preserve dead fingers fight three cans of this blue medicinal stuff from the back room threw the snakes out and Walla what's left is this beautiful blue stuff 98.7% almost pure alcohol who I already sold to these fine gentlemen here but this last one is yours for three real if you want it don't say [Music] it free real and it's yours friend the deal of a Lifetime well done you got it just make sure to enjoy that one friend bratan I am so proud now whatever you do don't drink it this deserves so much more than just regular oral consumption just wait for my sign keep it with you keep it warm keep it safe soon we will enter the other world soon the time will come soon have patience Brave one in the Civilized world it's accustomed to tip the shopkeep friend but come back [Music] anyway the noxious odor emanating from the drunken man is strong and familiar don't should call her yeah don't call abig uhhuh Abigail don't you [ __ ] call Abigail Abigail is his wife or girlfriend chances are she's gone calling her wouldn't make it any better or worse [Music] abigal abigal where where are you don't call [Music] abagar he snorts and beckons you to lean in closer don't call abigal don't call abigal there's no use in yaling at drunks he's barely holding it together the drunk man starts coughing a really disgusting hacking cough don't you [ __ ] caller hear me ABA down [Music] down there was little chance he'd be a reliable witness anyway [Music] hello mister she clutches a small stuffed animal occasionally she Twirls it around yes they don't want to play with me they're older and play outside they look the same sometimes I can't tell them part they look identic my mom's outside and I don't really know about my dad it's Lambie he's my friend sort of like lamby is a stuffed lamb that admittedly has seen better days one of the eye buttons is missing and the fur is tattered in several parts yes ly has lived a long life Lami was a r r no no that's not it you know where you are lambi I think she means revolutionary yes Namy was a R lution AR it's a gr you might be able to get on G's good side if you replace a broken scoer you almost certainly broke sure I mean you already took it I don't like it anyway it looks angry L Luby R Luby my mom tells me I'm a big girl but she doesn't know that I can't say Earl well like sometimes I can but then oh kids bye [Music] [Music] [Music] you're not sure about the melody but it might be saf Samaran possibly sigan also known as the apricot suun welcome to the fishing Village please lean in closer I have cataracts oh welcome police officer we don't cause any trouble around here and we don't want any trouble either we are not here to cause any trouble Madame trouble say the second thing bratan shows you God style oh of course last time we saw you around here was 12 years ago you also came to take care of trouble then wish you did but still in maress you're considered an ill om no not you personally I meant the oan some of the men got into a fight one of them killed another locked himself in that Woodshed over there he was boarding needed some help opening the door you got it open for him and took him to think about what he done in the more secluded place somewhere more quiet she says it as if he was on some kind of spiritual Retreat oh the usual dark Tidings black Hound that's you all right a black Hound licking your own heels maybe they are afraid because you're an ill om but you're still welcome here as long as men with guns on CHAS you and maybe even then because that's the kind of fishing Village we've built I'm sorry there's not a lot of room to park the Moto carriage and not a lot of houses or a lot of people my kids are long gone searching for Treasure so are others ah look at me rambleon what brings you to us is St most people here are trying to leave that said if lodgings is what you're looking for I've got a free room in the shop I won't charge you for it take it as a gesture of Goodwill from the village to the [Music] RCM no one is using it and God knows it's not much anyway you can stay there don't make an old woman regret opening her house to the police well if you are not in the hostel in the morning I'll know where to find you here in a shack he's a little relieved you're no longer in that room should he this environment encourages one thing and one thing only drinking finally you have those layos of martines off your back bratan this looks like a great place to bring shaks nay I haven't seen anyone lately this is my little cinder block town I know what goes on around here she's being evasive she knows something there was a murder in Martinez she might be a suspect we would appreciate your help would you know I know how this world works and it does work when people tell on each other ah I should have known this is yet another Union mess I'm not afraid of them you know we are not in the habit of being afraid around here there's not much to tell people come and good now was there something else I see ma'am I hope I hope you don't mind if we look around anyway you should look around your sha maybe she's rented it out to others too not much where's the abandoned church the Delan Church of humanity it's been there since before my time even some things just don't fly officer look around who'd go to church here they built it 300 years ago must have been nicer then so they don't hold Services there anymore the Ecclesiastes no we've tried but things just keep happening crime accidents other things the place never stays open it's a Pity it's used to be such a nice Church she's not telling you all she knows keep her talking before you get to the church there's some RS an apartment complex or some kind of electrical plant run down bunch of houses empty I don't know exactly a pre-war place it used to be something before the War I wasn't here then you know was born in Samara of ner the old fish market up on the boardwalk but it's closed what you're one of those real estate people with big plans if you want a development opportunity you can check out the abandoned building over at lend used to be a supply Depo we think sending goods and armor across the bay is Jam sh do we tried to get in see if there was anything to sell or scavenge but it's impossible and now you know everything there is to know about this Coast just us it's barely a village anymore we almost don't exist this is pretty much a non place a Gap a blank spot on the map just a cluster of nameless shars on the nameless Street the place is so pornographically poor it's not even funny well there's Lilian and her kids if you knew folks live in the house to the east but they're aware right now and then there's the drugs not a pretty side but there's little we can do about it hope is home even for them I'm sure you did nature keeps them in rotation a new face pops up every now and then and an old one disappears and is forgotten this is who we are over there you can find more of the same shars and trees growing wild that's the pox an old military hospital and it surrounding or it used to be during the time of the sarain after the war it was turned into a Goodwill hospital for Shell Shock veterans and folks looking for some quiet in the old sanatorium Gardens now the area is crisscross with nameless streets and makeshift cinder block houses Shacks as far as the eye can see the Goodwill ran out the staff left and the place was shut down it's long gone by now here for you no officer the only money we have here is some coins the drunks try hiding from their women and then forgot about under carts boats in Little Boxes it's not hard to find she nods rinsing another piece of cloth me no one just an old washer woman mother called me Isabel if that's what you asking and my married name is s now it's your turn Mr quite a handle you got there so many titles one of them double [Music] hi officer anything I can help you with a fishing Village on the seashore this place doesn't really have a name it's sometimes called Ila the sign on the street leading here is elgible has been since they built this place the name is Lilian people call me netp picker I think I have time for questions and that was actually the second one indeed you're always confused as to your whereabouts ask her about the cool sword helps to break the ice unfortunately the factory sold this one with a 3-year warranty instead of story it's to intimidate folks mostly not really I know some basic moves and I know it sure as hell beats a knife when you're in a tough spot but not when you're in a tight spot it's a regular mass produced sword like a shovel or an axe nothing fancy just for intimidation from time to time people need a lesson in respect that's just the way it is back in the day I caught the eyes of Many Men and believe me men need a lesson in manners from time to time no I'm afraid not attempting to confiscate the blade I used to keep these animals in check you would put me in an early grave what makes you think we haven't the truth is that almost everyone in this life is scared and tired and stupid and too dull for that that goes for men too but they put on a act for us pretend like everything's good and living in [ __ ] doesn't bother them like anyone fools for [Laughter] that not bad sure it looks as if you could face down any Horror in the world with that same unchanging grin it's like a shield the traces of her laughter are still there in her eyes fading fast some went to patch their wounds their lesson learned others were more thickheaded and one of them I ended up marrying guess I enjoyed the way he bled if it is then why The Melancholy G to the way waves the sea took him it was a long time ago he didn't respect the sea went out there drunk like a skunk and sure enough one day the boat was found floating empty the bloated corpse turned up two weeks later now before you tell me how sorry you are for my loss know that it was 4 years ago and I've moved on there's only so much mour in you can do for a drunk with seny muscles us working folk don't have the luxury to be bedick with Melancholy I buried him mourned for an appropriate amount of time and went on life didn't really change that much for me and the kids this is neither a touchy nor a very interesting topic for her she looks like she's ready to go on a date with another better drunk ask her both of you could need some action do it hit on the Widow it's the right thing to do sure is the sun I call her coated with a fresh layer of tar just yesterday it'll take some time for it to dry assuming the sunny days continue like I said fish mostly sail the waves take care of the kids pick Nets right now I'm taring a little skiff sometimes I also walk to the beach to see what the sea has given up the sea is full of surprises this is what is called a conversation you don't have to be guarded right now oh bar finding pieces of glass bits of wood every once in a while we get dead bodies human animal fish other sea creatures a mine washed ashore once what else botel drugs also lost cargo in general most of the time it's just wood and glass very romantic all right major Choice moment you only get to ask one thing it would be weird to say them all Choose [Music] Wisely go where the fish are PL plentyful here and we get enough orders to get by it's not great but it's something people imagine picking up and finding something better is an easy solution but how is that supposed to work when all your time and energy goes to staying alive you have almost nothing to set aside to actually fight your way out hords of wild homeless people roam in the lands Nomads scattered across an endless plane in a dystopian world where tear is the only valid currency and people eat each other to stay alive I don't mean to complain about my poor for life we are warm and fed here and I don't know there's just something about this [ __ ] hole let's see who are you looking for okay when did this person stay here here oh I've been out on the sea for most of the past week the weather's been good for fishing so I usually start at 4: in the morning yes that's the optimal time got to make the most of the Cal I've been sleeping like a corpse after the sea really takes its toll now I'm just waiting for the wind to settle to get out there again sorry I couldn't help you out maybe I can help you find someone else uh I don't think I know what these are care to elaborate aha like snowmen two odd guys have been wandering around here nosing sand talking nonsense about snowmen in the like right not only snowmen also green men monkey men burning rhinos you get the picture oh you're getting it and it is gorgeous I don't really know further down the peninsula I guess I mean that's where they were heading who else are you looking for besid snowmen yeah I'm not really looking for that anymore not much into the middle class ones either I could use some landed gentry but apparently they don't make those anymore I wish I could help you with that but I haven't seen your working class husband maybe I can help you find someone else she seems genuinely sorry for not being able to help you really are you sure you're not also looking for Nadia haranor or ignis neelson or the Great Lost City of Ace under the waves a lot of [Music] stuff I guess that makes you into some sort of terrier either way I can't help you out I'll just keep the cord Dei in the channel if that's okay it's too shallow near the pier hi ma'am and it's a jetty by the way of course jetty I prefer a good Jetty to appear any day Jet Jet Jetty hello detectives it's good to see you here I only just arrived myself what brings you here Madame nothing really I've had my eye on this Jetty for weeks now so I decided to investigate it personally this cluster of buildings isn't on any of the official Maps as far as I can tell H how do I like it water drips down Eaves of eonite the jetty below her feet Creeks to the tune the smell of salt and dog [ __ ] in the background it's pornographically poor the street has no name all the men are dead or missing and is that the carcass of a motor Carriage over there I'm surprised that woman hasn't put put me to the sword yet maybe she will you should ask your questions while you can dark eyes survey the coast leading up to martines DAR grey metal rests in her Scabbard a sword the wind is too loud for her to hear fortunately for you Madame the RCM is on the scene Real Men Real politics real thoughts in your head maybe it's early spring and the rains are coming an officer enters a low Hut of stone and wood inside weapons are piled against the walls rifles with splintering stocks and swords tens if not hundreds their antiques says lieutenant John the archetyp McCoy to his partner they're digging them up from the CAC KBS now fixing them old cachets from the revolution the children carry them up come May the streets will be flooded outside the wind rattles the loose hatches flooded with cheap weapons in angry hands do you know how they discovered this place no they're insulindian Isa I'm guessing you don't know then well your condition has left you no worse off than most of these people the literacy rate is around 45% west of the river 50 years of occupation have left these people in an oblivion of poverty I knew you would sympathize most rians will never know what this place means our home this island of matter or why they were fed over in the first place remind me to tell tell you one day for now how can I assist you in this new location do we I hear you have singled out a suspect and are in Pursuit this is cause for cautious optimism I would not want to delay you this story she will tell it only before she leaves marate at the very end of her stay maybe there is something else I can assist you with while your hot in Pursuit I love you did Fast observantly like an electronic printer pleased to meet you lieutenant W frea Deo I am glad to see a man of high qualification the situation is precarious what can I help you with Lieutenant frea this reality no but please a little context we're not in such a hurry ah yes the episode sounds like an acute case of enop now that I think of it don't be faithed Madame he functions perfectly well he only needs a low down on all of reality we may be here a while then ask away officer I'll help however I can all right we're in I know these all look good but begin with the first okay 6 km Southwest in the valley of dogs Junior officer Chad tilbrook takes aim at a rabid black dog licking its wounds in the grass to his left his partner EML mollins Whispers you heard what happened to tequila sunset in martines yes he lost his mind tillbrook answers fingers on the trigger don't worry ml he pulls it out slowly slowly now he'll find it game we always do you you're an officer of the RCM preciso Mundo nothing more nor less than the deao law enforcement body of postrevolutionary reveral detective yes we are the Ral citizens militia yes that means not de jury the RCM acts in what is poetically called the Twilight of international law both at the behest of the coalition government and to its sugarin the rcm's responsibilities are defined by the emergency wayf farer and Ali ments acts through pieces of legislation keeping the city in a let's be honest lass Fair stasis to the benefit of foreign Capital all three are good to know when we are out policing there's nothing basic about your role detective it's true that the RCM keeps everything the way our seemingly permanent provisional rulers like it yet on the other hand I know these people I deal with them daily let me tell you dear they are not fans of you the postrevolutionary decade was a disaster for the coalition government Revol in the 20s was hell especially on the west side of the river gang Warfare a botched privatization scheme a nuclear pile meltdown they called it the international Zone because no Nation wanted to claim responsibility the RCM restored peace where the Coalition failed a true blue citizens initiative they will never forgive you that's somewhat of an exaggeration in reality ours is a mutually beneficial Arrangement R shulian get to keep the peace in raal and the Coalition doesn't have to worry about it anyway sorry to intrude please continue yes Lieutenant permit me to conclude with this who you are to me is the police the only legitimate law enforcement Authority in rolw and if those authorities drink so hard they need help recalling the basic terms of reality well I'm here to help a bird a spenic a flightless bird of the polar regions some sort of krill Hunter no wait you're an ancient ruin a symbol of huis and Decay half submerged in some Salty Sea of course you're not my dear I'm just terrible at guessing games this place is an unmarked micro settlement on the coast of martines it's lovely really I'm thinking of buying it actually yes the thought did cross my mind when mmis Lillian over there told me about the fresh produce these women sell to restaurants on the Delta you both turn to consider the young woman she's hunched over Annette methodically picking out ribbons of plastic this place could use a competent manager there's so much to be done but then I'll never get round to it will I there is Regret in her voice for all the countless things she never had time to do with her money doubtless I'll be off someplace keeping social classes from each other's throats let's go back to the basics of reality shall we we're in Martine baby a casual term of endearment popular among the 50 plus crowd it's a disco hold over pay it no heed aren't we all is a district of riversa a very small District tucked away near the industrial Harbor North of the 881 and Jamrock you would be excused for not knowing about it unimportant they say forgotten even shell to smithin During the Revolution it has its charms just not this time of year it's not really a sea it's the Bay of rolw and the bay feeds into the ocean yes we are on an island in an ocean the world's largest body of water the Incy indic known to the early River shans as leim BL the blue immensities vast lukewarm and unknowable flowing in and out of sight Caillou as you already know imagine a pebble a smooth over Pebble amidst a great blue sea misshapen cracked the cracks are the river esperons we're in the Delta of this River on the sixth Branch the Martina distributary it is clear this pebble is of enormous value to her and to humanity at large rol Revol is what you call a city a great kind as if it's self-explanatory Beyond patriotism a fact history detective they built this city to resolve history our part in it at least our centuries the nations of the oxident or migrant workers from semine and IL Mara depending on your Creed in the DeLorean Century 380 years ago they say it's where the terrible questions of our time will be answered the tensions are highest the fault lines Deepest by that I mean conflicts ideological conflicts the stuff of men we are standing on a fertile self-sufficient Island able to sustain up to 200 million people in the middle of the Incy indic ocean the world's connective tissue it's where the money is oh we're quite a way off about a collection of tall ghosts behind the water vapor light reflecting off the glass windows 22 colomet from the center of the world that soldering iron is the Bank of the World building the bottom floors are inom coalition government in C Indian Mission command silence she lowers her hand the water the light it's as though you're seen it for the first time there is no recognition only the immensity of the Sea and the cold radiating from it she observes your eyes scanning The Horizon Horizon then breaks the silence slowly this is one thought you need to complete where are you was there something else you wanted to know I remember something about a Lowdown this has been informative thank you ma'am I'm sure my memory impaired partner has many more questions to ask about even more fundamental aspects of reality might I suggest not asking them all right now M Miss will be here later too and tomorrow isn't that true ma'am absolutely my commitment here is longterm that is understandable but perhaps it's better not to eat all your candy at once indeed I'm always at your service these are unimportant times detective you and I were born after the dust had settled a thousandth of a second too late for the big time the revolution it's quite easy every hundred years or so our species gets together to decide what's next who gets shot in the head and who gets the mineral rights it's a real kafuffle the turn of the century Revolution don't answer it it's a trick question question the Revolution began in ' 02 on the ISA of grad though by the end nearly the whole world had gotten involved it wasn't a who but a what a pandemic of zarat a particularly virent preon disease which the authorities in gr proved unable to contain then marzol came along and overthrew the government it made people overthrow their governments of course not it was a highly infectious microorganism that destroyed brain tissue the actual causes of the Revolution were material pandemic only provided the spark from Revol and gr not far the world managed to quarterized itself mol's government was overthrown in '08 and the Coalition crushed the reval commune 2 years later it was the end why you and I officer our lives in the zone of control something tells you her life and yours are not that similar maybe it's because she has a boat and you have that necktie a pair of pants no doubt but we share the same time and position on the planet's crust that counts for more than you think a city state divided into free market zones under the Everlasting internum of the Coalition of Nations and you of course the citizens militia the clut of typewriter Keys fills the main hall of the reappropriated silk Mill Precinct 41 Chad tilbrook presses enter outside officer elf booy Williams slams the door of an armored motor Carriage the zone of control is the third incarnation of reverol after the failure of the suarin and the commune modernity they develop the marvels of the inter eer communication telematic milus radiation colored plastics meanwhile in rever Shaw West the aftermath continues for the fifth decade 43 years hard to Fathom I know the 20s saw a decade of Urban War west of the river leveled Offshore platforms in Flames still it's regarded as an improvement on what came before 08 to9 was simply hell the 30s things settled down in the 30s rev sha East transformed itself into the world's largest tax Haven with the international community's blessing for the first time in a long time it seemed like things were going somewhere yes and quantitative easing it was was a market Mirage unfortunately the 40s dispelled it an Isa wide hangover you might say so here we are welcome to reality baby those would be the Communists generally speaking 40 million people got shot in the head during the World Revolution but the Communists they all got shot in the head oh and the anarchists too they shot them well so well one forgets they even existed did they ever before they got shot themselves they shot 2 million people yeah it was a Kur right yes the insulindian deou they call it oh lots of people even the King got shot in the head or thrown beneath a horse or drowned accounts differ it was unceremonious just as well he wasn't actually the king just the king's nephew the real King abdicated and lived out a long and productive Life as a venture capitalist in gr I prefer the term risk averse hon was Nobody's Fool he could smell a PR disaster Brewing so he got out alive and his nephew forel got shot in his place him and tens of thousands of his wonderfully fascist Kingsmen it was a wild time the Liberals got the mineral rights and by mineral rights I mean everything Liberals are usually middleclass people detective or the remaining Gentry the beneficiaries of the pre-revolution AR Arrangement some were Rich enough to stay with the Constitution with monarchy big mistake others bet on the revolution they were called the Ultras or Ultra liberals they fared well they didn't win so much as survive we were the last ones standing when the war ended everyone else got shot in the head remember we she's one of them of course to foreign intervention the Coalition those people really took the mineral rights the Liberals took everything that wasn't nailed to the ground the Coalition took the ground the ocean the laws and the people the Coalition of Nations gr mesque Vesper missina Oran and sua Clay the armed Center of the world they landed here and ended the revolution it was the moralist thing to do there is bitterness in her voice tempered with understanding she is critical but ultimately understands the cause the moralists believe in keeping everything exactly the way it is they believe in Mineral rides and not shooting people in the head at least not in the same manner and volume as the others do they are the long-standing provisional rulers of Revol now the coalition government this is their zone of control they embolden the RCM with crumbs of the same law they took technically speaking you are a moralist the color of moralism is blue the official motto of moral intern or moralist International is a blue Forget Me Not a piece of gray sky unofficial for a moment there was hope a devout man of the center hard to come by it's good to have someone who takes a moderate approach to Head shooting in your line of work I mean good question what would you have done differently no her first and I asked you past less detective of the citizens militia what insight has acute enop given to you so a quarter of humanity simply lost their minds and how would you stop a pron a complex folding protein unlife with a technology 50 years ago a poor remedy for pre-own disease that was the attitude of most of the more moderate Indo tribes particularly those who supported the king cpri resplendant both gone now those that survive mended their ways they're all Ultras now opinions expressed here do not reflect the official position of the RCM and what is your official position Lieutenant my position ma'am my parents got ripped to shreds in the revolution I would have gone the same way I was saved by being 2 years old that's my position de understandable they are what they are who knows an after blo May yet come anyway enough sentimentality is there anything else you want to know not so fast who is she in all this ask her who she is she owes you an answer H she won't maneuver her way out of this one I am the viest of the vile a traitor a devour of Nations and infants I am an ultra she raises the corner of her mouth smirking revealing a canine yes I am the nether creature of the Forbidden swamp I pushed the king under a [ __ ] wagon and betrayed the revolution my kind surrendered the nation to financial colonists I can see you thought our kind were all extinct after all no sane person identifies as this anymore not in broad daylight I can see we're not so different you know tell me now that I've coiled myself do you find me frightening in her green eyes you see a mixture of Truth and self satire Decades of guilt and pride forgive her but only because you like CL lisent teeth and those light green eyes a devil who being of great charm and guile sneth into the homes of The Godly I hope we're able to continue as friend friends despite my scaly bulk and my intimidating liberal credentials this was not the plan all along when the dust settled the Liberals were the only ones left to clean up the mess by virtue of their survival they were handed enormous power to shape the future this was all our last generation managed with due respect to our overlords the Eternal caretaker government that keeps Martine is a monument to the efficacy of its artillery I would not have relinquished sovereignty to the Coalition not here in martines and not in the Stellaris or Delta Beach heads either if not for my own sake she realizes her small cold fists are clenched she loosens them then for my daughters we had an obligation to defend our sovereignty we should have burned the whole Isela down rather than than let them have it dark orange Flames reflect in her green eyes an oil fire on the ocean yes I suppose I am but I wouldn't be a patriot Anywhere But Here Sous talk man' perhaps my intellectual vanity will be my undoing yes whatever else I am I'm also a mother and a wife now should we return to reality it's a neurological disorder caused by a lack of vitamin B in the brain symptoms include a retrograde amnesia it's quite serious you should get yourself checked out she conveys it in short cold bursts trying not to invest too deeply in the condition of this doomed detective in case he goes down lateer souring the entire portfolio it's not just me detective all of martines has placed its chips on your success I pray we've all bet wisely well it's either bariatric surgery or long-term alcohol use she NDS slowly yes and perform autoerotic asfixiation on yourself with your funny NE die out in the open somewhere glad to have been of assistance the little that I know anything else these are some wonderfully regular pants not too tight not too loose moderate in every sense you'll blend right in at some pleasant dinner party mhm I know you do these inter esari pants are like wearing a perfect compromise in your nether regions no one will call the moral intern on you like this that's for sure you're a little more moralist now buddy a little more normal even if you didn't want to be makes sense this is what wearing boring office trouses does to you [Music] the door has seen better days the layer of paint has started to peel off due to the salt and wind from the sea even the lock looks slightly rusted I'll wait outside to give you some time and privacy to check out your new living Arrangement and look for any signs of Ruby but just so you know after we are done with the day I'll still be staying in the whirling in rags for the night we'll meet in front of the shack in the morning the key turns with a satisfying click you can enter the shack now [Music] [Music] an old mirror hangs on the wall you see the reflection of your face in it such as it is without the expression it's just [Music] hairy on the table you see a bowl of water a rough soap and next to it a small hand mirror a straight razor soaks inside the wash basin the water reflects back a vague image of your face nose bulbous and red hair unkempt wrink an Les lining the eyes and forehead the stash is gigantic like an artist with a brush or a master swordsman you use the small mirror and the straight razor with some soap to remove all that unkempt hair from below the nose line the sharp blade chafes against your skin producing a scratching sound the surface underneath the bed feels tender the airbrushing against it chilly they feel so smooth surprisingly so a feeling of freshness overcomes you as if you just came from a cold paath the water reflects back a vague image of your clean shaven face despite the bulbous nose unkempt hair and persistent swelling you look a little younger maybe your face such as it is a regular human face s's expression as you look at the floorboards in this corner of the shack it's clear one of them isn't quite level with the others the edge of a floorboard next to it looks scratched hollow space underneath the floorboards is dark and damp you can barely make out the mixture of sand and sore dust below you stick your hand in and start combing through the sand dry not like outside fine dust and then something hard wrapped in paper a small cylindrical object you pull it out a bullet a 9 mm bullet to be exact fit for all muzzle loaders of that caliber the floorboard isn't interested maybe the washer woman is you have enough to confront her with it's extra ammunition she's locked and loaded ready to fight fight some cops the bed is comforting if a bit run down still you've earned a rest yes yes uh um I don't know what to say uh perhaps uh um I'm really not sure about this turn of events I may have preferred the mutton trops they sort of seem to cover up the damage either way good and you you are saying our tenant the policeman I hope the waves don't keep you up at night what can I help you with damn that girl but you didn't put it there did you she did Gone and hit things in there she's usually a good tenant and not a stupid one either yes I let my room to that Ruby girl as I've done before when she's been in trouble or just looking for Solitude I've made it clear we welcome all kinds of people here she came last Friday left on Monday in a hurry what has she gotten herself into that girl that's for the police to find out right then please answer each question to the best of your ability I'm sure we have a few she's good company knows how to talk to an old woman at my age you don't get a lot of quality conversation so I really appreciate that about her did she talk to you much during her last day no she was mostly silent this time kept to herself she tried not to let it show but I could tell she had come to fish usually she likes to to ca a few lines but this time she mostly stayed in her room I cleaned it like I always do no how would I know she's a c one but not violent she doesn't go around toting a again not that I knew of though she was into nice music she once showed me a few mixt me she' made although I guess she was pretty handy with the mechanical and technical stuff even fix the heater in the shack you should be thankful for that she may simply have kept the equipment elsewhere yes early with the dogs around 8:00 I think I don't know further of the curse she tried to leave quietly but the hinges on that door Screech like a cut in heat woke me up I heard her rushing in those heavy boots heading up North it's a peninsula she might be trapped you'll never find her you know she knows the co at the back of her head you only just arrived I wouldn't worry about that ma'am we are persistent are you sure you would have to stay here get get a nice Coy fire going in the heater seems like a better idea to me no you can do it you still have plenty of juice in you before you drop behind the cinder block houses Old pre-war ruins rise to the sky like dark palaces the wind calls one thing officer if you do find her please go easy on her she really means it it's an honest plea she's a good girl whatever she's gotten herself mixed up in [Music] h here we go nice and easy no way out little guys not out of this gem there's a cylinder on the ground in which the man is arranging some netting it looks like some kind of trap he notices you who's there oh the police hello officer is that the police why are the police here don't worry Gary I'll handle it to what do I owe the pleasure ah of course thank you for passing along the message that damn water loock is broken and we can't go all the way around the 881 oh good we should really be getting back Gary could use a H share and a warm bed did he say we can go back now yes Gary we can go soon if you see Lena tell her I won't belong sir your wife is waiting for you I just have to do one more round see if the fmid has taken the bait then we going for all his passion this man is diligent and patient you could learn things from him well they may not look impressive but Lena designed them quite cleverly so I'm sure they'll do the trick yes simple attracted by the locusts the Faz mid crawls down the funnel and having eaten its fill can't get back out at least that's the intention the net isn't a perfect solution but we didn't want to use anything that might damage the specimen's delicate exoskeleton locusts nearly all known phasmids are herbivores of course but we've hypothesized that the insy Indian fmid might occasionally prey on other insects inside the traps a number of locusts crawl and Tumble over one another in a tiny chitan swarm they'll work I assure you the predatory hypothesis using Locus as bait accounts for the failure of previous efforts by other teams which use plants we have given this some thought yes what which is why we've been knee deep in the reads laying traps for it I'm expecting it to be quite giant one known species of fmid called the mega fasmo DEA zenis is about the size of a grown man's forearm so uh typical rookie assumption insects are much more sophisticated creatures than those unversed in Zoology give them credit for even simply catching a glimpse of the insulindian fmid would be the Apex of my of any crypto zoologist career but to study it and its defenses find out how it stayed hidden so long good question being a fmid of the order fantasmo a ghost insect it disguises itself as plant matter in this case the reads awful lot of reads around aren't there and I suspect it may have also developed Ved other specialized techniques to protect itself from predators or scientists in their present case it's my hypothesis that it has evolved certain electrochemical defenses that allow it to interfere with animal perception impeding pattern recognition confusing the visual cortex but I cannot describe how these defenses work much less how they evolve without studying live specimen yes it makes perfect sense you're beginning to suspect there's something paranatural about this fasit very little I'm sorry to say no one's ever captured a specimen so all our information is based on First and thirdhand accounts not yet that's what makes it a crypted just out of curiosity if there's no proof of its existence how do you know it's real I know it's real by which I mean I've heard enough firsthand accounts to believe quite firmly that the insulindian fmid is more than mere Superstition yes the most recent sighting was by a couple of teenagers along the coast here that's what brought us to Martin a specifically it's the first credible sing in several decades admittedly it's an unusual location for this species but with all the sewage run off Upstream it probably doesn't matter much anymore I have to resist the thought such an extraordinary creature is doubtlessly highly resilient after all it's generally thought to be capable of path no Genesis um yes the females don't need males to reproduce makes it easier for a species to survive in adverse conditions nature does not concern herself with ethical propositions as a scientist my interest is strictly dispassionate and I'm eager to return to her I assure you but I can't leave before we finish with these traps my wife understands that just as well as anyone come on morale we've been soaking out here for days it's time to go back and leave the traps absolutely not I won't let laning her down come on she wants us back I'm soaked up to my nut over here we'll both catch Reed crabs if we don't dry out soon of course it's important to her she's seen it a very fired sing on record one of only 40 century and it's hers yes that's how we first came to know one another in fact but that's her story to tell not mine needless to say You must ask her about the mysterious fmid suffice to say it's long been our Dream to find proof of the insulindian fmid together I can abandon course now good a good quality to have both for a police officer and an experimental zoologist I didn't expect you to take take such an interest in our work here officer why not at least it will give us the excuse to look into a lot of reads that it will that it absolutely will I hope you brought you good boots bring it to me at once just make sure the Trap is closed tight there are four in total one is to the south on this little Peninsula by the boat houses there it's very near another we set in Land's End to the Northeast it's behind a small sand June there on your way to the old radio tower after the church the third is set near the canal where you crossed by a concrete slam a Big Thicket of reads going up the slope and among them you should check at least one of those before returning to this one since I just said it this one's more of a technicality but still better safe and stupid than sorry that's highly unlikely officer but in you event you do I'll spray you with a pheromone mixture I developed it's made of mask and research chemicals the pheromone should attract the insect to you or at least prevent it from bolting at thecid it's quite potent will last you about a week I hope you're not buying this he dispenses it without letting you touch the canister so it would be precious like holy water it is precious a single do cost me 50 R to develop not that I expect you to understand self financing one's own research right which means you two can pack up and go back to the whing whatever he thinks about this detour it's clear that these men are exhausted and in need of assistance finally someone's talking sense thank you for your help Gary and I will start breaking Dan Camp if you have any more questions Now's the Time to ask we'll be gone once you get to it if it's more crypted related business you want to discuss you'll have time for that later too but what if the information is vital on the hunt I've just always liked animals and puzzles searching for Cryptids is a bit of both he seems reluctant to talk about himself but he'll open up if you prod a little no very few cryptids are ever disced CED and not for a lack of trying to stay hidden is a Cryptids primary quality it's even in the name crypted of the list of Cryptids kept by the crypto Zoological Society of shne which is 4,082 items long about 2,000 have been confirmed as hoaxes two are categorized as confirmed discoveries the rest are in differing stages of Discovery reputation and data collection yes the shatow Quan Forest pygmy who turned out to be an extinct species of primate and a cave salamander from Hugo grad who is honestly quiet and remarkable it's in a zoo somewhere we crypto zoologists are brutally honest with ourselves more so even than the public with cryp is most Crypt kids are hoxxes or they are never found that does not mean we should stop searching indeed if our Expedition is successful every paper in the world will report on it from rever Sha to do shantu it will be a Zoological Miracle it's not Charles play just because I have to trade through the mad every so often yes I'm afraid not officer I've been busy digging around in the reads for days looking for signs of insect activity I'm less interested in mamalian concerns to be perfectly honest the lieutenant takes a short note in his notebook then gestures for you to proceed hello I'm Gary very generous of you to help us out officer yellow man I mean officer the lieutenant raises his eyebrows slightly and takes out his notebook yellow man that sounds awfully familiar something to keep in mind for later I'm just waiting for my friend Morel to finish up with his insect traps so we can return to civilization I like nature just not this bloody Coast it's mostly drunks and degenerates that come here oh I've been tempted but someone has to stay strong for Revol he pronounces Revol with a hard K unlike other people serious question time this man is no innocent no one is I like to pronounce it the hard way the old way the vespertine way he Winks at you trying to relay some hidden message inviting you to mispronounce it too perhaps it's odd it's a secret right a very Fringe nationalist handshake probably no no I help Morel with research sometimes and I've learned some things along the way but I don't usually go in for picnics like this on my own not many seal lights here or anywhere other than S I met no offense truly do you remember how when we met measure head and I said the next races will be a really good one well this is that racist hey man all I meant was there are not many seites around here I'm just stating a fact oh yes of course he is I was just speaking about his connections let's change the subject okay my mug why would you think that really I hear it all the time all in justest of course no offense meant to anyone okay okay I admit it I threw the mug away in the trash container behind the hosta I know I shouldn't have and I am very sorry officer offic sir you're not going to find me are you okay I deserve that and I won't do it again you have my word I don't know what got into me stuffing my garbage in another man's property it's I've been having trouble at work lately the Koo are price dumping us out of competition what did you do Gary nothing nothing just answering some questions helping out the law I know a guy who works with the trash collection Services CS Municipal he gave me a master key for the trash containers of martines so I can use the whirling trash compactor to store my own stuff garbage disposal is expensive as hell the damn humans run it like a mob I'm sorry okay I thought I could cut costs I shouldn't have I shouldn't have disgraced myself disgraced no need for the histrionic sir he T after all just a trash container he studies his reaction Gary doesn't answer officer please let me explain it's not like that I was only cleaning up I live right across the yard from where he was hanged and I saw him stripped naked all the clothes lying around in the yard smelling people are animals you [Music] know then I came out to clean up the rags because no one else would I put them into the whirlings trash along with a broken mug admittedly okay I was coming to throw the mugle away and well I threw the mug there and the clothes too right it was just civic duty exactly that's exactly what it was civic duty as he shifts uncomfortably a series of clicks like the clinking of glass beads against one another as they roll across a hardwood floor you've heard this sound before but where what sound I haven't the slightest there's lots of weird stuff out here in the re though insects trash could be the wind shifting some garbage nearby armor no I I mean yes of course I know he was wearing armor but I don't know anything about it I hope I could help your investigation in my small way I told you everything I know sir I'm truly sorry for the mug but I have nothing to do with that [Music] always a pleasure to see an officer of the law I mean officers that shirt looks very uncomfortable on him look at the buttons barely keeping that thing together as if something is ready to rip out from underneath yes like a piece of ceramic armor for example one that makes a clicking sound when the plates meet each other resembling pearls or marbles stolen from the corpse in the yard near where he lives I knew you'd figure it out officer I'm sorry I didn't tell you at once I was I was ashamed of what I did and I didn't want you to know this shame is surprisingly sincere Gary what's going on later Morel I've got apologizing to do no you've got explaining to do everyone was picking those pieces off him and I was watching them do it and they scattered his clothes all over the yard everything was smelling so I went there to take out the trash and started cleaning up all those Rags on the ground him swinging up there and I had a lapse of Honor sir I thought he's a foreigner they all say he wasn't from here only the carass was left so I stripped it off him it was early in the morning no one saw me I took it with me it was a mistake had I known it it give you guys trouble I I wouldn't have [ __ ] it's okay it was a loose end and you are tiny up now I'm so [ __ ] sorry I called you yellow man seite officers commanded the suarin Navy most of them sided with the King when it's difficult to say what the lieutenant thinks of this historic apology his face does not bely emotions because I was weak I should have told you the moment I saw you but the hell Gary you in trouble I'll explain later I always thought it was the union some Union hard asses lynched him because of the strike but almost everyone in town knows that I wish I could tell you more he sigh again hangs his head and unbuttons his shirt fully airus that matches the dead man's boots comes into view soon it is in your hands smelling of his sweat yes absolutely I will never do anything like this again that patch of reads over there it's a great place to hide something kind of out of the way being so close to the water nothing just a hunch the hunch passes leaving you there by the old boy Hing in the water time to go [Music] there's a trap in the reads at your feet looks like the same one you saw Morel set before same mesh same wiring behind you the ruins of a residential building Loom over the reads they whisper amongst themselves confidently snowflakes cling to their shivering stems locusts are crawling around in the Trap confused but uneaten you see no carnivorous Reed fasit gorging on them big surprise anyway one down three to go I meant no offense just [Music] [Music] [Music] the scattering of bullet holes is spread across the crack wall reaching from one corner to the other H correct the density of the bullet holes is unusual even in a general average Bullet Hole frequency in Martinez sense Grim Affairs meaning this is a lot of bullet holes looks like fully automatic rifle fire something you don't see these days the manufacturing and sale of automatic rifles was curtailed After the Revolution the the destructive power of such tools proves to be too much we do need to retain some Humanity in this [Music] world a scattering of bullet holes is spread across the cracked wall reaching from one corner to the other a row of ghostly Shades stand facing the wall there are many of them a dozen at least their heads lowered and eyes blindfolded it's quiet no sound no movement 10 m away other shades are lined up in an orderly manner automatic rifles primed a gust of wind Blows By the coats of the firing squad flap slowly in the breeze a single person stands on the side a long time has passed since the moment of this fusel aing rain and brine have since washed all the blood away not a trace Remains the abundance of bullet holes leads to two options either an inordinate amount of executions were performed here or they did not use a conscience round where only one soldier has the loaded rifle looks like this was a mass execution with everyone fully armed I don't know I don't know who died here ling up beside that horrible wall it could have been any of the parties involved in the revolution perhaps the ones executed here were the loyalist conservatives killed by the communist at the start of the Civil War or it could have been the Communist put to death during the last stretch of the conflict by the Coalition forces it could even have been the employees of the Fel R&D Center down the coast as their building was taken over by the revolutionaries or maybe yeah it's very unlikely the Coalition forces were the ones who died here they were always the last ones against the wall to be honest if a coalition member was anyone in this situation it was a commander the superior giving the the orders the commandant the one who gives the order machine gun fire crackling through the air the lights of the muzzle flashes dancing on his face seven men in combat uniforms and dark coats holding automatic rifles aimed at the people soldiers from some side but from which one men of Duty Dark Duty overpriced mercenaries putting down some rabbit dogs someone's got to do it right a host of men probably in everyday clothes ragged from the conflict and covered in dust they were not sitting a common practice for executions in some Nations as demonstrated by the height level of the bullet holes they stand facing the wall it's impossible to discern any details about their personality or background order AR people familiar each and every one of them leeches fleas and thieves all the freeload of scum living off the hard work of others such as your belief maybe you should change it they were praying screaming a cold sea wind blows away the figures [Music] [Music] [Music] this is the Trap Morel just said checking it over he said is just a technicality but the reads hiss and Shake in the darkness that is settled over the abandoned Camp the later it gets the colder remnant of the camp can still be seen in the sand the fire that's gone out you you feel strange somehow this trap is also full of panicked locusts no sign of any cryptozoological Beast inside Another Empty trap yep the next one has a crab trapped in it these are just crab traps you do realize and Mikael noticed the windows especially with how there are no windows on the South Side this was to deal with you officers come to investigate the historic Subs of West martines I'm you must be Kim kagi right I was just telling my son about this building not a lot of people realize the historic significance here very rich in hypertext nice to meet you oh yes so Mel they had to deal with mon glair especially in the summer they still had Vector monitors back then that was 49 years ago so they didn't have Windows on the South Wall yes hypertext young cop and the collection of cultural hyperlinks no I can't say that we've met before but I've heard of the game of course Mikel say hi to the officers mikel's a little tired today we spent all night trying to run Oris on his radio computer have you heard of it it's a programming language used in gr quite tricky but he wanted to play this grade adventure program we've been getting really into verbs lately but I assume you're not here for giant BMS when there are so many real things to see just as I was telling Mel before this is where the Coalition landed in ' 08 we could be standing on what is the most interesting landmark in reverol West this man is your half brother you feel it but why well get a load of guy he really enjoys his trivia the orbis programming language was named after its inventor Victor orbis a cybernetician from gr they run Vox in the ocidental countries aha but it's not just any empty old building what not a lot of people know is this used to be the R&D Department of felt electrical and felt which now sells in cartridges mostly was once a top dog in the turn of the century cybernetics boom hold on what's R&D apologies it's an acronym for research and development they don't use it anymore you're probably more familiar with Rd research and technological development mayor kala you are not familiar with that one either this man is a bookhead it looks old and weathered with seagars picking apart its Stone and metal carcass bushy undergrowth has taken hold of the collapsed rooftop some kind of bird has set up a nest on a broken window cill that's not surprising only a vestigial ink cartridge and ferot tape manufacturer remains they started out as a Midway Electronics outfit in kerstein two centuries ago after an aggressive move to rolw Feld became a GL mobile player in the emerging personal electronics Market of the pre-revolutionary era still tricentennial was beating them in Business Machines but felt had an ace up their sleeve or should I say they were developing an ace up their sleeve I'm mixing my metaphors here it was here in Martine possibly In This Very building that they developed prototypes for a tape computer mhm an elegant folding mechanism of rollers and ferite ribbons portable enough to be a take it home solution revolutionizing Business Machines possibly even bring them to the average consumer which is a feed of engineering even today's Giants ien and Zam haven't achieved yet he assumes something like a combat stance facing the wind indeed what the revolution unfortunately their moot project never made it to the market Felts moved to R Shaw backfired the Revolutionary government liquified their assets and expropriated those very Advanced prototypes possibly from this very building or one of the adjacent ruins all of this was built by felt even a boardwalk Wild Pines built martines proper as a resort for their middle management felt built this side of town for R&D yes they even built a pleasure wheel but that got destroyed in the war a pleasure wheel perhaps reminded of a childhood memory it's clear he would prefer there were a big wheel lighting up the coast yes to lure in their star Engineers this part of martines was nothing but reads before felt arrived they had to make the prospect of living here attractive it was supposed to become a global Center for innovation in cybernetics but history had other plans oh I'm afraid it didn't end well for the boys but this story is a bit too dark for little Mikel here now if you were to ask about tape computers actually no one knows no one even knows what a computer made entirely of tape would look like but word has it they were very elegant Exquisite alien looking turn of the centory hardware buckle up 10 years ago ago I did a little freelancing I guess you could say I was a special consultant for an exhibition at the wp Dumpty dum Center in V or it raised the same questions and we had lengthy discussions with Paul okaman who was head curator at the time this was before the twins Kean guws joined the team trying to wait did he just say wpty Dumpty dum Center he did it he said wpty Dumpty D Center like it's the most natural thing in the world what the hell is a wpty Dumpty Dom Center and who the hell are Keith and Guy y the wty dty D Center for Contemporary Arts the exhibition itself Drew on laman's notion of memory and so there were some parallels that's why the head curator Paul oan chose to in fact I'm not the wty Dumpty D Center is a place you can visit if you ever in R for and are ever in the market for an exhibition space SL Contemporary Art Research Center but perhaps I should return to the tape computers as I was saying the device itself was very elegant fragile even one could write directly on the tape using a special chemical solution the machine would then analyze the handwriting perform operations and project output onto wide screen it was a beautiful delicate thing made of black film and Golding tape structures even one would be very useful though I understand the socioeconomic causes of the Revolution it pains me to imagine their revolutionary setting fire to this precious device so they did the felt playback experiment vanished into the fires of 07 yes the official name of the Prototype some sources reported as def felt playback experience but those are incorrect who knows maybe it was an accident or maybe they didn't want the technology to end up in a wrong hands either way they're all gone now all three versions of the Prototype nothing but debris and Ashes Remain inside that building they used them for military Communications but also to write and send out press releases the most notorious example being L Mars what's the Mars decree I mean the radio transmission sent out to news agencies and World governments by the newly created commune of rasol on the 7th of March in the year2 a shortlived legislative foundation for a shortlived Utopia it's a beautiful piece of text actually a singer songwriter I know sheret called it a l po into River Shaw on her political concept album bom dint you should read it every local library in rev schaw stocks a copy of the decree I tried to get Mel to memorize it tried to someone was much too interested in vers to be paying any attention the kid takes a peek at the green and silver verm on the cover of the book already forgetting about this part of the discussion but of course what else no I'm afraid I can't help you with this one officer it's just a regular day off for me and Mikel here so you haven't seen any one around no I'm sorry as I said this is just a day off we just arrived anyway there's something friendly and familiar in how he says that a day off now thanks to you for having me in little Mel here to pick your brain a very interesting conversation indeed you see a once bright mural towering above you the sign of has peeled off over the years but you can still make out Fel electrical RND D A slogan used to intertwine with the loops a long time ago now only a shadow of peeled letters remains it says tomorrow is just a whisper away looks like tomorrow never came above the mural a collapsed roof broken windows set in walls that are cracking and will soon also fall and the coastal Breeze rustling and sighing in the remains of the edifice fail electrical how ironic all these dark rooms Feld electrical you only know them as a small company that makes ink cartridges looks like they used to be big there's something in the wind sometimes the only way to go forward is to fail first in there she could or she could be in the identical run over there or in that Boat Shack in that church Tower Maybe [Music] someone has left an unidentifiable article of clothing on this railing it smells really bad it's stre with dried seagull [ __ ] and Tangled with pieces of seaweed a dangling arm suggests that there might be a jacket beneath the crust of Filth please tell me you're not taking that with you a clue you think our suspect is a seagull who's been defecating on unsuspecting jacket me neither you should still take [Music] it as you hold it in your hands it makes an uncomfortable crunching sound it's a sorted filthy tail not for the week are you sure you can stomach it some secrets are better left uncovered don't even try seriously it occurs to you that you're not even holding the jacket itself but rather the thick crust of jetsam and seagull [ __ ] that ensconces it it smells like a dead sea creature Tangled in Gray strands of seaweed it must have spent quite some time in the water before the tide deposited it ashore somehow it was carried or dragged to the boardwalk if not by human hands then perhaps the feral dogs that prowl the beaches at night the faint impressions of many Footprints are also present though it's impossible to tell what kind or how many suffice to say the jacket spent some time on the ground before someone draped it over the railing the crust is hard this jacket spent at least a day baking in the sun who knows what happened to it then it's to too late you've already thought about it and now your hands are covered in muck now you're just flicking that [ __ ] everywhere this is a disaster you'll never get the smell out [Music] f [Music] the smell it's awful and familiar it doesn't help you can still smell it keep it in now don't overreact breathe don't you recognize it that it as pungency that faintly clo sweetness only death smells like that something cold wakes in the pit of your stomach fear the lieutenant has already brought a handkerchief to his nose [Music] [Applause] there's some te an empty cigarette package and a crumpled Kebab wrapper in the trash bin two empty bottles of Tula vodka and a can of black potent Porter is all you find no there's more in there Liv strawberry liquor plus some pilsner bottles too better not pick them up they seem unhygienic a tragedy he shakes his head with genuine sadness whoever tossed it here was a heavy smoker the brand name reads red Astra red Astra is the black market version of Astra cigarettes known for their High tar content you see traces of mayonnaise and ketchup on it as well as a tomato wedge the rapper reads shish kebab Riverson it's no older than a day or two no mold yet it's hard to concentrate in the smell the Sea Air brings some relief a Man Lies on the boardwalk his limbs bent and neck turned at an unnatural angle right next to him is an empty bottle of spirits in his cramped hand a chewing gum wrapper the smell is not as bad as a two we old corpse but it's definitely heading there hold on lividity is faintly pronounced whoever this is has been dead for 2 days no longer we need to investigate another dead body this is your job steal yourself calm now carefully just another day just another dead body breathe the man has fallen through a crack in the boardwalk and hit his head against the metal bench coagulated blood covers his black hair one of his feet is still dangling through the hole his expression is dull like the sea behind him drops of water shining on his mustache his eyes empty and wide look frightening in their Frozen gaze height 170 to 175 CM curly hair Stout build age approximately 50 to 60 years he's wearing mudcake boots beige trousers and an old brown leather jacket with a bright blue lining there are traces of Kebab sauce on his chest the leather jacket suits him well it must be custommade a cool leather jacket with a bolt of blue oh no this sounds terribly familiar familar you find some sunflower seeds and a rain soaked Library cart folded into two his jacket feels sudden and heavy under your hand good we should take a look at that library card after this is done there's some dried blood on the metal bench right where The Corpse's head rests the floorboards are rotten and slippery wet around the hole An Empty Bottle lies nearby a chewing gum rapper is clutched in his fist they Screech under your feet ominously it's hard to say whether the dead man's weight was the cause of the boardwalk to break it definitely looks fragile you see waves churning below something cracks beneath your feet he could have easily disappeared into the sea through that hole and you would have never found him a 75 L Tula vodka with its cap missing there's hardly anything left inside tear all around us I'd prefer if you didn't collect them this time it's not proper true it feels disrespectful robowski spearmint chewing gum green leaves on the cover the man's mouth is half a gate from the terror of the Fall the Blackness of death stench you you think you see white chewing gun too he ate the whole pack right it's to cover the smell of alcohol before going home the worst thing is I've seen it before almost the same scenario even the chewing gun it's always the same in a ditch off a road below the 881 he thinks a young father then he shakes his head to make the memory stop a dried chunk of blood covers the hair at the back of his head an open wound it's sticky and cold to your touch I don't see any other major wounds do you seems like the head wound was fatal it's exactly the shape of the bench the entire Boardwalk creaks in the wind as you take a step back looks like one of the locals he'd have to know this spot to come here you don't just walk over here that's just a lazy assumption what do you think a dead workingclass man with a bottle in his hand don't deceive yourself you know who this is the woman you met at the book stand why do you think it's her husband the bright blue Ling well he's definitely someone's husband death by misadventure he slipped and fell through the B walk a truly unfortunate accident if it wouldn't have been for that bench he'd be alive no I don't see anything that points in that direction for now let's treat this case as a simple albe it sad accident and related to the murder case oh yes some symptoms of acute alcohol poisoning could have definitely played a role here severe confusion respiratory depression unpredictable Behavior but I think that death arrives through head trauma not liver failure what about it the decease at some Kebab it's probably from a nearby place maybe in the Box they'll seal this place off after the news reaches the Coalition officials I doubt that they have enough resources to actually repair the boardwalk not that sealing it enough would keep anyone away all it does is keep the city council's Hands Clean it does seem to be a pretty straightforward misadventure although there's still a question of identifying the body from where I stand I can see two options we either take the case and follow the leads to identify the body on our own or we report back to the station and leave this for our colleagues to handle a field autopsy isn't necessary if the cause of death doesn't appear to be criminal and this looks like a simple accident to me I'd say we should just write down head trauma and leave it at that let's keep this detour as short as possible the sooner we get back to finding Ruby the better maybe but we don't really have much time or resources to spare the guys at processing will take care of the rest all right we should first examine the library card you found then we can call the Station from MMA let them know we are taking the case the library card is folded into two and still slightly wet to the touch the front side reads Central Jamrock public library card issued to Billy Mion expires July 53 If lost please return the card to the library dial 005 0255 211 or visit us at Maro Street 78 Jamrock business hours 900 to 1800 good we should give them a call from miky Nea see if we can learn anything about Billy mijon whoever owns this card is an Avid Reader you find a list of books written in blue pencil radio Thriller stand a little less between me and the Sun the last one in the list is the glinton curve by m theobalt a library stamp indicates that the book has been returned most of these titles seem to be in the Sci-Fi genre some Thrillers too for [Music] [Music] this trap's not too hard to spot once you know what to look for keeping it hidden has not been a priority for the cryptozoologist the reads Bend for long ly toward the sand snow covers the broken stalks like a shroud and they Shimmer ghostly in the darkness in the East the city center HS to you the constant distant song louder on this part of the coast nearer somehow and there's that cold again always the cold nothing but Locust in this trap as well definitely no crypto Zoological monstrosity empty as all of them one more of these and we're [Music] done no no I'm fine I didn't mean to complain it's just inside you see a set of steering levers a radio microphone a pull out toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge this is Ping 57 how may I assist you yes the armor was produced by Fair WEA in facilities in bet2 it was of a special order for c pharmacy a security firm contracted to protect the interest of Oran pharmaceutical companies in the semine conflict so it seems the armor went to semine that's where the paper trail ends though even the FM has proven difficult to track C the pharmacy has been renamed several times over in the years since the armor was issued yes that is the most recent name the ICP has been able to connect to the CVP and the one before it was DW I also have one called sediment but I think that might be a different contractor no they were called sediment and sensor all that during the last 9 years a suit of armor like this would have been manufactured with a particular person's Physique in mind you should ask for whom this suit was fitted yes but the ACP tends to be reluctant to their private sector records I could try to duug them into it though this is a fun challenge for her an opportunity to contribute Beyond doing her job by rot she'll gladly put in the extra effort for team RCM glad to help call back tomorrow hopefully I'll have more for you then one moment can you please describe the body AE sex C of death we suspect he might have been inated when he fell there were bottles all around him and traces of vomit on his shirt any signs of violence no field doopsy necessary you can hear her quickly type him in the background what about his belongings did you examine his clothes any information on the library good you have a lead do you and you want to take the case or should I assign it to someone else I have assigned the case toim kagu please follow up on this Library lead to identify the man we'll send someone to take the body to the morg that's all for now thank you for reporting in is there anything else I can do for you 57s over and out in the cabin you see a set of steering leevers a radio on a hook a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gaug ch [Music] [Music] [Music] can I help you what is this [Music] thing what the interior decorating kind you know I'm sorry this is actually a nice bird a competent piece of taxy I can fix it to the plaque and have a new bird in the establishment I guess so I don't know thank you I'm going to go with thank you people just don't know how to accept gifts especially Taxidermy he likes it this was mostly about the [ __ ] cardio massive cardio here you live till 90 or you get a heart attack from running I feel good about our work here today it's all about little things like bringing people random stuffed animals no you don't he tries not to look at you it's dangerous to acknowledge the karaoke man it's for the it's for no one it's a prop I'm not letting anyone use it after the great karaoke catastrophe of [Music] 44 okay yes it's for some clients ha well we don't have any tapes they all got stolen the man in the vest and the Violet shirt stares at the tape you've just given him he begins to frown hard this is the look of a man who's defeated he knows he's out of excuses fine fine climb on that stage and do your thing just get out of my hair I'll plug it in for you damn this karaoke machine I'm having it uninstalled he mumbles to himself oh yeah time to do the [Music] damage oh hello dear I I didn't notice you at [Music] first goodness how is he did he say why he hasn't returned yet he's fine man he couldn't get back earlier because the water lock on the canal was broken now he's just finishing up some work oh yes that's my Morel he's bound to catch a cold staying out there for so long but I am so relief to hear that he's okay thank you for putting an old woman's heart at ease if even a little you haven't however there are dangers Out There Our aging bodies fail Heart Won't rest until Morel is safely back with her oh you don't want to hear about some old woman's ramblings reflexively the lieutenant reddis his familiar notebook well it was summer I was building a racing track out of sand on the beach near a tall stand of reads quite a tall one many times my hide I remember when all of a sudden ah I'm getting ahead of myself I was 5 and a half in Baton Corp in the suburbs my grandmother had a summer home there the strangest moment of my life I looked up and one of the reads moved not like a plant but like a living thing it stood up and looked at me its body unfolded like some antique toy I've never seen anything like it I didn't know this can happen so I reached my arm and touched the thing it felt just like a stalk of Reed but it moved swaying towering above me after a while 20 seconds a minute maybe it left went into the reads I tried but I was only a child there was mud and high water I couldn't see it anymore I was just standing there me deep in mud looking around me where did you go don't go I ran back home to my grandmother and asked her if Reeds could walk and told her they were looking at me of course she just laughed at me but I knew what I'd seen for years it was a story I told at parties when I wanted to impress boys that sort of thing of course most people just took it as a strange amusing anecdote so did I honestly but then I met Morel we were on our first date when I told him my story you should have seen his face he said my descriptions match the F it down to a tea it's white marble limbs the way it moved so that's how they meant this is beyond significant for them our first yes not all of them as far as I remember some of them on the inside like stalks of marble if that makes sense it's hard to say how big things are when you're quite small yourself to me it seemed to be taller than I was then but that's probably not the case what if it is the case I thought it was one ful story man but I don't believe it a Child Left unattended on a warm day children make up stories and then end up believing them you're welcome sweetie I do appreciate the chance to relive it whenever I get one it was just such an impossibly sunshiny day so warm and she could get up and walk right into the read on her own into the mud anywhere the stage is all set up for your performance feels silent you can hear the pellets Creak under your feet you feel a little dizzy a little unsteady suddenly so are you ready for your thing now let me know when I should turn on the karaoke Carousel the bar is full and buzzing with chatter no one is paying you any attention but still you feel your knees turn to Noodles okay now a couple is looking at you even worse they are going to hate you just make sure you move okay don't be stiff I can see that the air is thick with anticipation someone dims the lights as the music starts okay here we go [Music] I would often go there to the tiny Church [Music] there the smallest Church in Sant sand though it once was [Music] larger and the real May rest there down through the Mist there toward the Seven Sisters toward those pale Cliffs there I would often stay there in that tiny y there I have been so glad here looking forward to the Past here [Music] but now you are all [Music] alone none of this matters no none of this matters at all [Music] a lazy Applause fills the RO you feel your hand shake as awareness of your body returns to you the lieutenant doesn't say anything but gives you a quick smile before turning away he's incapable of blushing but if he weren't he'd blush good good are we ready I want to unplug the microphone now last words [Music] I was just thinking what a nice day for questions pertaining to a murder investigation I really don't know sir I certainly don't feel like I've won I feel like [ __ ] sir all the time she smiles a bitter little smile she means it clearly I haven't we're having this conversation aren't we how well could it have gone I mean the snow falls on her shoulders then melts in her light blonde hair cold and soft I'm stuck in martines just like all of us I've been up here for I don't know how long now I like to call this my rooftop containment facility for my sins of course the longstanding SS of a bad frivolous person we're destroying my first love we working for bad people the list goes on and on the what oh those ones I don't know sir I said I have no idea what to make of them honestly I think they're just trash I mean there's no reason for me to think they're somehow connected to her I don't know what to say none of this is fortuitous for me did I why do I still feel suspicion hanging over me then what I managed was to get him killed I understand that the lieutenant looks away over the railing he feels uncomfortable with this conversation he doesn't know what to add she nods slowly carefully even there is suddenly a strange glint in her eyes not malicious but dangerous who what dear God you've been lied to she could have killed her lover and lied to everyone she's not candid at all she smoke and mirrors and Willow wisps she probably didn't give you her real name either why would she arrest her immediately before she further entangles you in her Web of Lies take it easy don't overcompensate with this Co correction ask questions first see I did what is this I called your a desk or whatever it is the numbers are all over town call A 8 100 2 for emergencies there was an older woman on the other end it sounded like she was smoking she took my complaint she coughed that is the emergency's desk number anyone could know that s by looking around and calling the desk I don't believe a single word she says what time did you make the call Thursday night it was late sometime after 12 it checks out she stands before you holding her back very straight I agree you wouldn't give us your real name not when people are after you okay okay it's not you lug your work every week it's all transmitted to sir I couldn't just beg you not to enter my name so I lied like I lied before like I did at lcsb I have to lie all the time I'm so tired of it no it's submerged in a plastic boy on the coast in the reads it just doesn't say CLA AMU it says ANUK May SMI falsified documents passport and Visa given to me by my employer I can't even use them my employer probably leaked the name Maya SMI to hurt me why would they do that I didn't show up to a rendevu they don't take that lightly I didn't show up because I was afraid they do something to me the job was finished I'm just a liability now she fears an arrest right here and now this has been an awful turn of events for her west of the boardwalk in the Reeds on the coast there I put it there when I first arrived haven't been there since I'm not sure I could even find it now it's useless the lieutenant makes a note of it you're welcome to it it's in the Reeds North west of here past the berken sewage pipe right near the water line I am they can never take my sash and my scepter from me yes they can for lying it's got alazia could it mean clasia is an alacron for Catarina alazia it was a Sentimental thing I want it to be more me here this time so I used my nickname a nickname who gave you this nickname clausa a teenage boy a million years ago she nods her round eyes meet yours they seem moist from the wind on the roof she nods her back straight ready for whatever is next but I haven't done anything anything legal faia to Aid a police investigation [ __ ] mind games enough that's right gang Stern and merciless now Stern and merciless as we reel her in the lieutenant produces a pair of handcuffs please no but there's nowhere to go a two-story drop to the plaza mosaic if she could she would have run before fragile unshielded her voice is thin and tired I think I know who did it who shot lelly I can tell you I can help you she's silent for a second as if looking into herself for certainty then in a hushed voice she says peering up for this betrayal is hard for her Ruby you've been through there right I saw you come out it leads downstairs she could have come to the roof through that then made the shot right here where I stand it was dark outside I wouldn't have seen her then slipped back downstairs without anyone noticing that is possible interesting Theory did she know that door exists had you been out there with her yes of course she's been up here many times jacking private stations off the ring antenna she used to come here to drink on the roof with me before it got weird she has this thing for me ever since I met her and the boys downstairs she's been pretty Frank about what she wants sex and more I made the mistake of confiding in her I told her I was on the run she started protecting me it became an unhealthy relationship when I started spending time with ly she told me to end it said there would be [ __ ] if I didn't it was not a good meeting we stopped talking after that but I don't understand what exactly in your relationship made you think she's romantically interested in you she said she's in love with me she even asked me to run away with her when I told her I'm a fugitive she started developing Notions about our relationship and you leted her on a little I was flattered you know but then I had to let her off and it was not easy I came to regret being friendly with her we may be kissed nothing more I know what this sounds like that's why I didn't want to tell you before but she knew what had happened when I came downstairs somehow she knew ly was dead she wasn't surprised at all when we came up here she was calm as a stone too she cleaned it all up like she had a plan that is a little strange people don't usually keep things together under stress like that she came over one night drunk said she'd turn my life into a living hell I've been threatened before as I can tell when someone knows how to do it and she's a pro she must be to keep the hardies in line I tried severing ties with her after that I thought it had worked but some of that fear is still with her she exhales sharply what are you talking about she's afraid you'll arrest her okay and what arrest the liar now don't arrest her push her a bit more but then let her off that Ruby theory was solid and she's beautiful she's stuck here she's already in prison look around she's only trying to help you still after all this sir please it's a shitty world and I know I'm shitty too I know but I don't deserve to be sent to the moral intern and round into paste just because I disturb the sanctity of accounting that's some multinational she's gearing up for a Last Stand this is it I don't know to spend my days with smoke drink and dance wallowing and [ __ ] just like everyone else you have those station calls right where I have to show up at the station or I'll become a fugitive you can write me one you don't have to take me in right now I promise I won't go out anymore at night I'll be right here I know you can do that just let me come in on my own in two months or maybe even one month that's all I need you do have the form that's it I'm calling it Kim is beyond compromised definitely s everything could change this city the extradition rules the people after me could be in jail or maybe raval there is desperation there in that silence a cornered animal looking for a way out maybe ravashol could be free I could be tried in a free raval an independent state that doesn't hand its detainees over to the moral intern I find that hard to believe M the world can change it's changed before her political Overture has succeeded we see this was her last card there is nothing more she can say the final decision is yours you alone stand on the throne of your mind she looks at you in silence her face filled with fear lips parted wait if you arrest her Kim will have to transport her you'd be without your partner for the rest of the day shut up he's making a decision and it's his to make I will escort you to the motor Carriage outside Miss with a muffled whimper she extends her wrists they're white bony exposed below the rolled up sleeves of her jumpsuit his one Beary I will take you to station 57 myself and slow the extradition process as much as I can it may be possible to stole it indefinitely but you will be safer there for the purposes of this investigation I can do this on my own she's not an immediate Flight Risk see you tomorrow morning officer downstairs at the whirling in rags or outside your Shack [Music] Kuno like kun's Dad Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] about anything the [ __ ] about it Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] about the armor that [ __ ] imp had one thing majorly wrong with him he's a [ __ ] mutant do you remember how he looked [ __ ] growth hormone [ __ ] he's a s the Armor's too big for any man Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] about that freak armor Kuno threw that [ __ ] away Kuno tried to get the helmet on it was too big Kuno kick that [ __ ] in the sea rugby style that [ __ ] means nothing to Kuno yeah that [ __ ] means nothing to coo Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] about material [ __ ] Kuno is a [ __ ] monk you want to [ __ ] on someone about that armor go [ __ ] the mustached union [ __ ] the Jolly trador [ __ ] at the gate yeah cocking boot you know that Jolly Union cow [ __ ] came around talking about cows or some [ __ ] came around pretending like he cares about cows yes you met him at the gates the one with the boots and the Jolly smile yeah he's the one you want to talk to he's [ __ ] crazy about that armor [ __ ] coming here pretending like he likes cows trying to catch a peeper Kuno armor curious My Le why did Kuno feed you this information yeah Kuno is doing charity today Kuno day Kuno feels sorry for you loser Pig Kuno is doing pity now still seems suspicious he may have it in for that guy or you may be paranoid that is also a possibility s [ __ ] are you talking about what is the this cont [ __ ] he says you're stupid Kuno they want to make you stupid again oh did Kuno make your [ __ ] sniffing harder obstruction of [ __ ] sniffing this is kun's Kingdom Kuno [ __ ] rules here you're testing kun's patience here get lost Kuno doesn't [ __ ] care the woman still has her eyes fixed on the photograph in her hands in the background the radio plays no response wherever this woman is your words fail to reach her where am I who are you the smile on her face has disappeared replaced by the weary aspect of her cornered Beast never mind I remember now I'm still stuck in that traffic jam in the ' 50s the men have small jewels and everything is made out of plastic why do you need plastic when you can make the world out of umber back in metha during the time of the Revolution the sidewalls and cafes are filled with a young people I was on my way to see a newo picture starring Gabriel wero until you came along D is this is Gabrielle wero a strikingly handsome man looks straight at you his head crowned with a wide Grim hat his hair is dark as an oil slick and his jaw the most perfectly chiseled thing you've ever seen this man's has got a hold over her even 50 years later you can feel it he was the biggest star of his day girls used to faint in the a of zinema whenever he came on the screen and school boys used to memorize all his lines someone was they are someone's memories boy what difference does it make if it's me or not they're beautiful that is all that matters beautiful and true and they will win they're coming for this you know all of this she seems to derive some bitter pleasure from this strange thoughts as if the past would one day wipe the present away like a tidal wave approaching I wasn't dreaming I was there Lan it was early spr and the mine behind the black Sun had just come out the posters were 20 M tall everything was golden while you people were tearing each other apart over your petty little revolution in meth it was a golden age why not har it's not like I have anything better to do in this hell hole of course not to truly understand the boo you need to listen too on the western plane it's an old about a young girl who falls in love with a Dar and Bo he promises to marry her as soon as he returns from the Western plane of course not the boad returns from the Western plane a changed man one night as he and his below are out walking around the River mrid she pleads with him to give out this ring and settled down in the background you can hear the orchestra swell as the screen fills with the maiden's imploring eyes no the boad strangles his below and throws her body in the merret then he rise off because the Western plane is calling to him the most beautiful a true Bo Ado need a whole Horizon to himself he can be tied down by man or woman his beloved was selfish she didn't know what it meant to love a boy what do you mean yes what about it oh don't worry about me I'm one of the best commers around i d roots no one else will L the West plane the transcat magistral you for 1as dor all the good ones the Deep trenches where the blue birs fly I already am dust diamonds of course not but wouldn't it be marvelous if I was whatever stupid things they put in the lry I imagine I quit concerning myself with that a long time ago besides I don't drive the Lor for the cargo if you know what I mean then it's Contraband Lan what do you want to take an old woman in be my guest lock me away like bad hand Herman gildo bad hand Herman gildo's bad hand strangled 300 people what can I say some people just really like strangling people yes go enough jambur I need to get back to mesy a [Music] a [Music] [Music] a metal pay phone under a yellow plastic Dome you could use it to call someone unless you're out of change you hear the tone the machine is inoperable calling still calling this feels wrong should you be doing this end of tone someone picks up here is that you here so nice of you to find the time to call me it gets so lonely even the animals have died are you sure you're here your voice it's different I there crysanthemum her voice is drowned in White Noise sounds like waves washing a beach growing in volume until the call suddenly disconnects calling still calling again seriously someone with a masculine voice picks up hello Gerard speaking hello Gerard technically speaking you're electricity no what you are is a surprise get his wife on the phone who is this who the [ __ ] do you think you are talking to me like that very funny [ __ ] why don't you grow up oh and disco is dead phone hanging up disconnect tone calling calling calling still calling still calling stop calling me man I'll get you your money all right I just need two tonight let me work my debt I don't [ __ ] owe you it's who is ah never mind I don't have time for this he does not seem to be overly thankful of your kindness as he hangs up disconnect tone calling I'm tired I could go G just one month without writing no two months I could regenerate my brain [ __ ] liberalism the man disappears with a sigh you do not hear the customary disconnect tone just silence in the handset the machine is still waiting for you to dial a number seems like it did not have time to swallow the coin this sometimes happens [Music] you close your eyes and put your index finger on the rotary dial then pull down on the number then move one up and repeat the motion twice strange this is not how you started before you dialed 01 this is not the area code of rivers Shaw it is another destination on another Isola some far off nation state 41 4447 the rotary D feels cold from the Sea Air 1 1 17 361 your fingers keep moving like a spider every time the ring rotates back with a little ring of metal like a bell tolling yes 451 67 451 you are going deeper now into some un known Place far away from this island of matter and its telecommunication networks 451 you have died God knows how many numbers the headset has been waiting silently to relay a signal surely nothing can come of this you think but it does a connection an ultra longdistance call your air fills with a crackle the wash of a strange ocean full of white noise a little bir bird starts ringing in there not like the local calling tone before no a small ring in a cage of distortion far away a distant network of phones calling calling in the night the saddest sound in the world calling still the handset starts slipping from your sweaty Palm your breathing is heavy calling calling calling calling calling still then the ocean breaks out of the depths a woman's voice emerges small the dearest thing you've ever heard hello who is this Dora who is this the connection is bad Dora the name feels like a gift a gift that was meant for you to make it possible to live no no it's it's you isn't it it's you what oh no is that you this is too much you need to recede oh no not this what time is it you're not a highet worth individual Harry you're drunk oh God do you know what time it is it's so late here it's 4:00 Harry I need to wake up in 2 hours I'm in marova sleeping to work the academy where I [Music] work no response only a sigh the connection crackles like burning paper what are you doing to yourself right now you need to stop Harry you'll die no I want to go to sleep what do you want to talk about that we haven't talked about already this is bad you feel your right hand on the handset cramping up with pain oh no please stop please let's just hang up she does not answer anymore Harry disconnect tone the machine ran out of [Music] money you dial the number again 26 pulls of the rotary dial The Machine machine eats the coin and a terrifying ocean of distance rustles in your ear in the middle of it a familiar ring small distorted calling calling calling calling calling calling calling it looks like she doesn't want to pick it up Harry Stop scaring her calling calling Harry [Music] please please I'm going to hang up now okay phone hanging up disconnect [Music] tone you dial the number again as you've done many times you remember it well now 0 01 41 44 47 1 1 17 361 451 67 451 451 calling calling calling calling calling calling and calling for who knows how long but no one answers you need to insert more money to call again [Music] the cold metal is hard and hurts your knuckles you look at them turning purple it didn't give you any fun for that money your hand is turning blue now blood drips to the ground bent metal broken glass your path lies strewn with the broken forms of everyday objects you are the Destroyer the bane of inanimate matter kudos it's getting cold this late in the night time to call it a day the bed is comforting if a bit run down still you earned a rest across the room the heaten system hums its soft lullabi the mattress feels soft and sheets warm it only takes you moments for the world to Fall Away thoughts baby a million little lights in the dark you're one fine instrument br all those faces and all those names all that laughter and screaming and scheming around every corner and every street recorded in you forever on verit no you're spinning tapes at the Disco t the great unceasing disco of the Mind The Flash the bang the endless learning experience on and on it goes for Untold hours at the Disco where you first asked her to dance Rising Rising above the dark curvature the great wingspan of sleep studed with stones behold there are millions of them down there the first time the last time the smoke in her mouth the plotted flowers the f faces turning changing it's the world Harry boy and you're made of it every day you're out there you make more of yourself from it I'm afraid you can't be unmade now you can never forget this [ __ ] [Music] beautiful it's stuck on Loop whirling spitting out words in images you're the son of the world again harar a ceaseless agent picking up litter and old newspapers collecting your little bubble gum rappers and idiotic picture postcards meaningless meaningless keep Saints reading your awful letters and recalling things aren't you the endless names of the world an address book you are the map of a city you'll go insane if you keep going like this one more day and you'll be in the Looney Bin I just know you will and for what brother man for the Money Baby for the greater good solving your little crossw word puzzles doing your tasks Crossing names off lists trying to become some sort of world detector it won't make it okay it won't put smoke back in her mouth he's got no idea what he's in for CU Only Love Can break your [Music] heart beep beep beep the alarm is ringing Harry the Disco sarus goes on and on you barely slept 3 hours last night good you're up listen there's something that's been bothering you for a few days now it's a suspicion or a feeling really that things are not quite in hand around here every day things seem to spin more and more wildly out of control the center isn't holding and despite your efforts to moderate and contain these energies things only seem to be getting worse oh sure you've been making progress on your case interviewing people solving side tasks but whose Focus in on the big [Music] questions but have you ever seen them how do you know they're even there more importantly how do you know they aren't waiting for your participation you've got to find out who Bears the responsibility the most awesome terrible thing it is human nature to Crave the responsibility and to deny it that's why it must be distributed across many different organizations agencies offices and portfolios Harry Harry you're thinking about this too narrowly La responsibility isn't concerned with trivial questions like who killed who it's about the real issues the human welfare index the price of staple Goods the transition to real democracy whoa whoa whoa this isn't some kind of dictatorship you can simply seize L responsibility for yourself it must be given by legitimate Authority like a committee only the most even killed Minds in martines your half brother the lieutenant is a natural place to start together you'll be able to discover who has La responsibility in riversa and if necessary you'll have the wisdom and expertise to assign it among yourselves most likely your findings will be collected in a report which will be carefully reviewed by your superiors once they've reviewed it those same superiors will produce a set of recommendations to be taken up at the next meeting of the standing committee rest assured no matter what happens it will be done through the proper channels good luck your report is eagerly anticipated for yes ah I'm glad to hear it detective I was wondering when we'd get to this very subject if you ask me it's high time for you to set aside these frivolous side tasks and focus 100% of your energies on the case before us why are you pronouncing it like that gentleman from The Institute of price stability you know what forget it what specifically are you trying to assign responsibility for ah now I understand next I suppose you're going to tell me you need to form a committee to assign this [Music] responsibility simple because moral intern types love to form committees in any event I am just a humble low official I may work under the moral intern's umbrella but I'm certainly not qualified to serve on any committee you know who might be though that Mr V the gentleman you met in the young man's apartment if I were trying to get in touch with a coalition I would start by seeking him out but first you might need to speak with his young Companion now was there anything else [Music] [Music] heavy wooden doors more than twice your height stand shut in front of you the rectangular seaw warn ornamentation appears in stark contrast to the padlock carelessly drilled in to the wood nothing happens only the sound of the padlock rattling against the door I don't think that's going to work do you think our suspect is hiding inside the lieutenant nods silently the carving on the door is blocklike an angular like the church itself two large beams shoot downwards sinking into the wood before they reach the threshold the surface is smooth from the wind but moist to the touch this cheap looking padlock is sturdily built it shackles together a hasp and a staple screwed into the wooden door the lock is adorned with a yellow sticker you see a yellow circle with two x's and a big curve below them that looks like a mouth you're pretty sure you haven't seen it before but what the deps is clear enough a smiling Dead Guy The Curve makes it smile and the exes make it dead there is something blindingly modern about this symbol its modernness puts to shame everything you've seen before he takes off his glasses and uses a blue handkerchief to thoroughly wipe them clean before inspecting the sticker then he looks up pauses and replies no looks like a dead man smiling suggests Junior delinquency I haven't seen that sticker before and I'm not a youth that level of conceptual thinking is not part of my skill set the padlock passes through a staple that's been hastily attached to the wood closer inspection reveals that one of the screws is not a screw at all but a nail the work has been done recently and is unprofessional to say the [Music] least your hands are clammy from the Sea Air the piece of sticker keeps slipping away the lieutenant hands you a blue handkerchief he looks a little dismayed when he gets it back crumpled however it should be easier to peel the sticker off now there's nothing like the sound of a sticker uning now it's stuck to your thumb looks like today was a gold star day if you really think we should get in there we need to find some other way yes the pulsing base an indication of Junior delinquency you see that seagull up there remind you of anybody exactly think about the seagull story it's one of endurance and adaptation the seaside was Paradise once they were birds of that paradise then their Paradise became [ __ ] city and what did they do they became Urban survivors eating burgers out of trash cans killing and eating pigeons no time for that sentimental [ __ ] their Hustlers getting [ __ ] done they're one pair of track pants away from gangsters just like you you have the body remembers exactly the seagull does what it takes and so do you you've got that same spirit in you when the time comes you'll push yourself a Shaggy looking girl in her late teens or early 20s kneels on the ice with an electronic Contraption in her hand hearing you approach she looks up oh hello there it's cold out here but she's not wearing a hat she must be freezing huh so should you oh I didn't notice that yeah well look man [ __ ] the Hat what did she just say that's not how a civilian is supposed to address an officer of the law your eyes are fixed on her as everything gets very still dangerously so she looks down pretending to be busy with the device make her meet your eyes the kid isn't arrogant she's just afraid to look you in the eye you already put her in her place you're right I shouldn't have sworn I'm sorry her hair is dyed blonde with dark roots showing most men wouldn't exactly call her pretty there is a manliness to her a coarseness okay recording I guess I think I'm recording cracks in the ice but there's no way to tell not without headphones I think I just recorded your footsteps too not sure how that will sound my boyfriend sold him I don't know man things just stuff you need for Life a lie they were probably porned off for something suspicious the musicians in the palum used them for making music they Loop the stuff cutting the tapes together they make music out of cracks in the ice and keys jangling crazy sounds like that it's hard to explain anyway I thought I'd make some too it's supposed to be like a music place anyway I don't really know what I'm doing they use synthesizers too I don't have a synthesizer she looks at the recording device the thing she thought would fill her hours with joy and Escape it's turning out to be an empty fantasy she feels childish very useless all of a sudden take this your call no ma'am [ __ ] that I'm C I'm sorry I said that I'm sorry about the [ __ ] it's okay [Music] thanks that the boys think it could be a place like the palum or something stupid it's really not going to be a palum that's for sure yeah Andre and the guys they're inside in the tent go ahead a cell why okay it's Burger you have little reason to doubt that's a real name but she's not all that surprised by this cop show questioning is she well it's just questioning right you're just questioning me it's what cops do once or twice yeah I'm sorry I haven't had the ravish or experience they get east of the river the usual I had a shitty run as a teenager you know drinking getting into fights the ugly stuff that happens when you move out your parents place at 13 in forberg interesting term time to glean some knowledge is this a rhetorical question my dad was a drunk plus I guess I just wanted to drink too you know get my party [Music] on she nods very cautiously no just no it's pretty desolate here I only hear the dog spark at night and see the Shadows move down the coast teenagers skulling around gang members looking for a hole in the Union's defenses maybe Ruby too but she wouldn't be able to tell from here Superstition we can turn a grim desolation into a fun dance club and us also help turn this hell hole around this is a portable recording device it's for field recording low quality but still actually just one wire I picked on it till the braiding came loose the wire leads to a contact microphone a contact mic records sounds from inside things like this ice same place I got the recorder from the palum oh man you haven't been to the palum it's the coolest place in this whole drug addled [ __ ] hole it's a music club and a synthesizer workshop on Boogie Street in Jamrock musicians live there like real musicians I once saw Aro van a thinking about it really cheers her up it's a long way from here though oh yeah guess you wouldn't know van a or really be a palum going kind of person I don't know what that means I don't know what that means either that's cool sucks man was there something else about the contact mic perhaps the mic I don't exactly know somehow it doesn't pick up vibrations from the air the book said it only picks up structure born sound if you like technobabble okay it's supposed to become like a club for anodic dance music like that new style of synthesizer stuff they play at the palum except that yeah you know a noic cathodic music that's made with electronic instruments synthesizers and tape consoles micro computers too anything that uses electricity but isn't guitars also found sounds stuff like that you see clear beautiful violent flashes of light light cutting through a smoke filled darkness that is what the future will look like if it ever comes no not really [Music] no it's noise yeah I guess you could say that to keep more weirdos from getting in [ __ ] Marise I'm sorry it's got the worst weirdos if you get around to it ask Andre about them he'll tell you I know it's not my idea Andre and the boys found the place it was supposed to be deserted but now they can't even take it hey you two are cops okay well maybe you could talk to Andre and the guys because there are some strange things going on in that church if you're police you should look into it right they're inside that thing there would be cool if you did was there something else go ahead the device is cold to the touch an angular Omicron logo adorns the yellow plastic cover underneath you see a reel of tape rolling you put the device back on the ice okay [Music] bye wpty Dumpty D Center you're at home stupid cop not with the art crowd you hate them everyone hates them even they hate themselves it's nauseating an industry built on Sprat satura and sparkling wine and let's be honest tax evasion schemes the wty Dumpty Dom Center is the heart of this Unholy symbiosis of Aesthetics and tax optimization and now that you've internalized it you can have a peace [Music] too hello again the device is still warm from her touch and heavy as a brick from the batteries inside ACC companied logo Omicron adorns its yellow plastic cover inside the tape is rolling the girl looks at the device in your hands she looks you in the eye her pupils wide surrounded by a ridiculous amount of makeup the wind howls she remains silent it's real tell her [Music] what [Music] is I know I'll stick to it there is little you can do to help her now but given the chance you feel like you should there is something about her a weightiness so thanks I guess for the pych session maybe I can return it what's been eating you officer come on I can tell but okay be a boy a daro about it if you want to what is [Music] it oh really so the thing that's been eating you is a slow pace of social progress okay so you're not that upset it sounds like uh-huh and you're sure it's social progress you're distressed about and not I don't know some chick perhaps okay why' you think that there you have it then chick trouble not political after all who was she really you seem pretty upset about this chica are you sure you don't remember anything about her eyes hair color wow man that's some pretty strange [ __ ] are you sure the letters were for you how come you don't remember though is it like some selective memory thing man when I get hurt I just want to forget that [ __ ] you know that kind of selective memory yeah or it might be that this one time I did so much booze that I forgot too or it might just be some psych [ __ ] you know kikin wank you know the psych thing they've got going on there [ __ ] people like it people in kikan are mostly Rich you're welcome might be for the best to keep that [ __ ] forgotten though just my opinion if it itches don't scratch yes but it itches really really bad a pane of eonite has been planted into the snow two poles are holding it up barely holding it up it could fall over any minute a stronger gust of wind might be enough the pain falls into the icy snow with a soft thunk the tent is just tarping fabric covering a pile of stuff the flap is open inside three young men all in forward looking on apparel reminiscent of the sticker on the padlock are listening to some new form of music it's like nothing you've ever heard one of them looks at you come on get in and close the flat behind you the warm stuff's getting out it's safe to assume this is their leader or at least he thinks he is sorry we barely have room for one you go ahead I'm too old for this I'm actually not he thinks I just dislike delinquents I'm sure you will feel right at home I'll keep [Music] watch you see a youngish man bleaching the tips of of his hair with a toothbrush he puts the toothbrush down and extends his hand in greeting hello I'm Andre it's a pleasure to meet you his grip is strong sweaty and warm he's trying to project and Inspire confidence this is my posy noid the young man with earrings looks at you suspiciously an egged egg together with a burger who's out there right now doing some seriously Progressive Sonic experimentation we like to think of ourselves as music venue organizers we have many in a pipeline officer you see we've been all over Jamrock North respecting for Real Estate to establish a new venue in h all for talent yeah thank you edhead and while there is no shortage of raw unfitted talent spinning tapes in shrock we've had rotten luck with the real estate Park Place is a [ __ ] hole I I apologize for my friend no poty mouth I realize this is not how you speak to a police officer he has Authority issues oh so you've met her good good yeah it's a matter of occupied ecclesiastical property I bet you've noticed the derel hive of narcomania on the coast an attempt to Panda to your perceived conservative sensibilities no person his age would ever use a word like narcomania with a straight face don't fall for it I'm talking about the church and I'm not exaggerating even a place of spiritual Refuge can become a magnet for all sorts of dopeheads and burnouts if' left unattended dop heads burnouts well I'm sad to say that's exactly what happened sad because we were just about to put Martin a on the map with one of the maddest dance clubs in Jamrock nah strike that in riversa strike that the and sad yet because the deds and burnouts hold up in there are the worst kind he leans back a little watching you with a steady serious gaze letting you imagine just how bad those dope heads and burners really are good this calls for an opinion you're an expert in [Music] those yes yes and the worst part is they're also spooky I was hoping you would be the judge of that officer all I can say is their spookiness is the kind that keeps us from restoring this church into a community center and a place of spiritual Refuge also they don't eat or clean the building shit's going to collapse people just want to spin tapes without them spooking it up place has bad signs no one can dance leg that thank you Egghead so you're going to look into it right it should be a police matter getting them out whatever spooky stuff they're doing I'm sure it's not what the Ecclesiastes meant their property for all right man Andre is obviously very happy you took him seriously the whole tent is the boys exchanged giddy looks I did ask noi to install a measure against more Drifters wandering in it's a temporary fix just something to contain the situation I had to do it in an arry not my best work but it should hold for a while not long like a week maybe I'm super sure they're alive I mean come on I'm at least 90% maybe 85% sure they're still alive okay I'm sorry I'm sorry too I guess it wasn't very hardcore of us to just log them in like that of course no give the officer the key oh what you sense the trajectory of the little piece of metal and plastic the object makes a small ringing sound as it approaches just the tiniest CH to your left kaching the key hits your palm the speed freaks not to you appr provenly the speed freak nods to you a respectful nod you proved something here sure man tell us what you want to know let's do it truth is I don't really know none of us do I don't even know how many there are all we've seen a glimpses well there's also the Machinery this Machinery is of the deeply mystical variety when I first scouted the place back in February it was abandoned empty took some time getting the crew together so about 2 weeks ago we came here hoping to set the stuff up Suddenly there are all these strange machines lying around in there one of them has wires running into bowls of water wires into water never seen anything like it Andre tell him about the feeling oh and it felt like there was some thing in there with us watching us from the dark no the other one um which other one I'm not as in tune with my emotions as you are egg felt like silence awful silence for this man even regular silence is awful enough but that was something something greater not exactly we've just seen someone who we think as a woman go in and out of the church a couple of times and we felt someone or something eyeing us inside but that's kind of it sure why not yeah but not really Brown air old heavy dark signs what noid said you have to see for yourself these people are not reliable like you aren't alone you know it wasn't quite human if you know what I mean it was this dark shape climbing upside down along the ceiling like some kind of crabman yeah you know the way it was climbing up and around the ceiling like a crab it was stalk in a Cell exhibiting Ambush Behavior yeah totally I mean mean I didn't personally see it AEL was alone that time but I believe her if she comes out running and says there's a crab in there there's a crab in there you should ask her about it but be nice don't tell her you don't believe in the crab you should talk to Noy about that I just got a distinct burnout and dopehead sign from them probably jacked up to some snuff station too probably very likely well honestly I can't but I am why not let's go with that I'm 70% sure they're substance users don't let the technology fool you sure what oh yeah that's a meteor and name for the founding party thought it'd be cool to use [Music] it come to think of it I've never really looked them up you know I can't give you a precise definition but they're a very powerful religious organization and they have roots in ancient Mass society and they're the custodians of the panasian church plus they anoint the Innocents they like made the inoc sentic system [Music] no you're totally wrong about that theasian church is about love and know music is about love I got love for my perassi and posy love is the relay out of death we dance love is Hardcore Unity Unity Make some noise for my insul Indian py oh yeah it can he's coming around you're getting it your puss is like your people man like you got your cup [ __ ] you look out for each other and you party together that's a [ __ ] and where is your py detective nothing comes to you the world is silent that's pretty down beat I think I speak for all of us when I say we expected the law to be more open to the idea of love unity and the pericon ASI and [Music] posy yeah I guess it is so you got more questions the one with the large head is still looking at you nodding his head waiting for your body to start moving his expectation is fierce yes what yeah yeah good to have [ __ ] to carry when I first scouted the place I did some reconnaissance I'm not sure the church even is running water oh it's the one they sell at the fuel station it's like he's lying to you my le but he's slippery enough that there's nothing for you to grab hold of the what now oh the old Ultra we uh um he's like an actor looking to the sufa for his line I have a major sinus infection stuff he knows we all do shit's all blasted up winter can't even breathe yes that's all Nosa fed's doing without the Nosa I'd be drowning in [ __ ] right now Nosa fed is the [ __ ] [Music] um sure here you go officer the noser Blast away he nods enthusiastically no doubt a little relieved as always we'll be right here waiting patiently for the news yeah [Music] The Shaggy hit girl kneels on the sea ice she looks up as you approach so you talk to my associates right are you going to help us with the church I mean shoot oh that you're not going to believe me there's no point in me telling you she's less prone to flirting out crab man than the others okay I went in and I saw a woman next to one of those machines there noid calls it a main frame she was dressed like someone who's been raised by their grandmother you know strange old clothes had this absent expression didn't say anything just stood still and then you know right behind her a man crawled down the wall upside down sound like a crab down the church wall I think the woman didn't even know he was there he was completely silent he stopped right before he got to the floor then just hung there like that looking at me right at me I [ __ ] turned around and walked out end the story like a CB you say it was too dark I couldn't tell exactly come on she obviously could she already went went into detail he looked like a banger okay he was all muscular and stuff had a mesh tank top I know it sounds ridiculous but that only made it scarier in a way the crab and the Banger yes a banger as in a mess gang member I know what it sounds like but that's what I saw why [Music] I guess so anyway what else my associates I haven't got much to say about them of course I do I just don't tell people about my friends and who they are and so on I don't provide information on them me I'm a silver bird don't know what makes you think it'll be any different later but [Music] [Music] heavy wooden doors more than twice your height stand shut in front of you the rectangular seaw warn ornamentation appears in stark contrast to the padlock carelessly drilled into the wood the lock turns easily you hear a click as the shekele pops open let's go as you do you hear the echo of the doomed commercial area its black holes and Dusty machines then the feeling passes a great whoo of air rushing into the dark innards of the church as though rushing to fill a great vacuum in the Heart of the City [Music] in white silver and apricot fance the young mother of humanism stands above you a crack runs across her body she is impossibly tall oval faed and sad a dark and radiant Majesty this is her in Ence dolorous day cradled in her arms are a pair of glowing lungs clearly visible from underneath her flowing dress you should kneel your knees touched the floor the floorboards are hard and cold there you kneel among the snow drifts diffuse light falling on your hands from Beyond the glass the world is silent but for the creeks and cracks of the massive wooden structure behind you it covers you from the wind outside in the darkness you sensor Eyes on You inspecting you with their multicolored glass as if you're a bug under a microscope the woman looks down at you kneeling she Towers among her followers archtics laymen courtiers there is a sad smile on her lips and a glimp in her green blue eye of what compassion remorse she acknowledges the passing of someone who is still alive you as that useless word passes through your mind the lieutenant draws an x-shaped cross from shoulder to shoulder your fingertips touch your chest four times then you rise from your knees into the apricot colored light of the window above you the woman still Smiles her distant smile sued by the crack in the glass the old woman in the village was right this must be the DeLorean Church of humanity in Martinez or the small Pinewood Church in some records it's a minor Landmark not easy to find most Maps misplace it it was built not long after rever sh's founding 300 or so years ago go by first generation settlers there used to be seven sta churches on the coast Leeta they called them the Seven Sisters only one Remains the rest were burnt in the revolution or used for building materials we should be respectful here although the building appears to be deserted I do not believe we'll find the instigator here something else perhaps respectful is the lieutenant a follower of DeLorean a Pang of guilt the lieutenant is leaving something out I have a theory yes there was a police raid a while back I heard the place was shut to Pieces the old woman in the village was being tactful with us when she didn't mention it she has more respect for the RCM than many around here well your station was involved I hear although I can be sure three prisin were involved in the raid and people say prison 41 was one of them I'm sorry I'm not saying you were it was a clandestin operation I don't know anything about it why it was conducted or who participated I try not to pry into extra District matters good luck you will not get information on a confidential operation from your station secretary just by calling if you really don't remember it might be better to keep this one forgotten it happened a while ago it's an important to our business in Martinez now despite the damage you've done to yourself the title appears lodged in your hippocampus this is her innocence delorious day the innocence of humanism internationalism and the welfare state perhaps the most famous human being ever to have lived no amount of commodore red can wipe her sad smile from your brain thing it has survived the Deluge and haunts you still and will haunt you forever as it hauns all men the highest category of historic individual and embodiment of the world's Spirit more an innocence is elected to office by the founding party a precedent that has taken place a mere six times in the entirety of History the legal system of the real belt is built to accommodate an asentic rule should it coincide with our time and innocence is infallible the decisions made by one are not decisions they are inevitabilities what would have happened anyway only accelerated packed into decades instead of centuries and innocence is a continuous compressed event a sacred human being it is an honor and a glory to live when one is in office no we are alone 300 years ago in the wake of the discovery of this Isola the insulindian by explorers from the continent of mendi she is among other things the innocence of inter esary travel and the connected World many things you know she was a woman of the Court the wife of an influential and eventually the principal advisor to Irene lvor queen of serin modern day serla clay also that she was gorgeous Beyond Beauty draped in ancient sadness are you sure you want to remember this bit of historic trivia standing under a long slender form like this dwarfed yes big bummer boring history got to keep it light man keep it moving get [ __ ] up instead the past it's a silo of sadness fermenting you should keep away [ __ ] this pain bratan it's unhealthy no you must know terribly women of the Court were expected to play both contract bridge and chest sufficiently well to to prove an interesting challenge to a man a simple grasp in matters of philosophy Theology and science was encouraged she was by all means a kept woman she made the most of her position in the anti DeLorean Court a court visited by the most prominent thinkers and artists of the day in secret she was becoming the era's preeminent philosopher of the state a scalpel a piercing gaze she was an almost preternaturally magnetic and intelligent individual to her contemporaries she appeared out of time a messenger from the future of the species we all fell in love with her head over heels even before she was declared in innocence her influence was tremendous it was on her advice that Irene lener sponsored a number of voyages into the pale a costly often tragic endeavor ultimately Vindicated by the discovery of the new new world the piece of reality you're standing on she was crowned 2 years after the first expedition returned setting in motion what is widely considered the greatest era in history the DeLorean era wow indeed when her innocence was declared and the queen she had advised for years fell on her knees before her she was so overcome with emotion that her lungs started glowing in her chest bystanders reported golden filaments lighting the already sunlet chamber around her clearly visible beneath her dress that is why the lungs are the symbol of love for the cultures of the real belt as did we all the lands of the mesque and the oxident and even far away Su windy altogether 21 of the 40 mandol nations of the time immediately accepted in asentic rule even before her crowning in a city called at vesperas in Vesper missina her Homeland the name of the city means evening comes but it happened on a Winter's morning with the canals Frozen and slush falling out of the sky she was dressed in a white and pearl dress on a emptied out Plaza with the crowd far away already her theier the secret servicemen of the Innocence were worried about an assassination attempt oh yes she looked like Humanity's young mother a perfect mother insultingly beautiful it was as if her face and shoulders and hands were covered in a soft down of under feathers you know this well very well Midwinter snow was beaten the cobblestones around her a small atache of officials stood by as her the ear placed a white gold wreath on her head the crowning was mostly witnessed by secret servicemen one of the men in this Secret Service killed her 22 years later a young man who had come to suspect that dlor day was not entirely human but something else something that had walked in our midst watching us stumble for hundreds if not thousands of years until it decided to interfere interfere in the course of our history we were supposed to come up with this ourselves the man was reported to have screamed at the Innocence Dolores day was shot in the chest with a fowling piece eight times the man thought to be insane said he once touched her and her body had been unnaturally warm like a furnace and that sometimes while on duty he observed her forgetting to breathe for over 10 minutes this inhuman quality was witnessed by many others as well glowing lungs and all it is commonly attributed to mass hysteria and religious psychology terrifying is a term too emotionally charged for your semantic memory or what remains of it but terrifying it's a simple word she was bad for Humanity and you shouldn't have started thinking about her you already do although she is often considered to be the greatest human being to ever live there was something ominous about Dolores day constantly surrounded by her thear she was the most socially secluded and least self-aware of all the innocences some Modern thinkers would consider her a war criminal for the campaigns she waged against the mesque state and then there were the resettlement programs the MK State tried to detach itself from innocenti rule parts of the world were experiencing Whiplash from accelerating inter secularism her mandatory education programs and mass resettlement of Upstream margarit were problematic as well denters were suppressed by a military force she called the army of humanity she adored chess yes but also military war games Dolores St often holds a tiny Tin Soldier between her index finger and thumb in icons such as this she was also blonde the blondest woman you have ever seen with green eyes the color of the pantic mar interum little is known of her Marquees husband it's as if he vanished from history after completing his role which was to introduce dores day to court in conclusion yes there is something lonely paranoid and even terrifying that people seldom mention but feel when they think of her this subtle terror is part of her iconography Lieutenant your Freer you've stood there for over 5 minutes what are you thinking of if I may ask that she is a great sacral piece I wonder what we are doing here however in this church I mean the coast in general we shouldn't linger this isn't a good place to get lost in yes we all are her name body and Rule are synonymous with humanism the laws we enforce DeLorean in the woman looks by in silence smiling enigmatically it's not spiritual it's constitutional the DeLorean system does not demand Faith only accordance a jigsaw of broken shards falls into place in front of you a ghostly reconstruction of the stained glass window before it was shattered there was an older woman beneath the younger one and a text a light Motif below them both unknown something during the raid the lieutenant mentioned or just Hooligans looking for something to break the excussion on her throne says Irene the Navigator she is depicted as an older woman wearing thick rimmed eyeglasses holding a golden rights app fill in one hand and a scepter in the other this is the queen her innocent day advised above she herself is whole small figures of Wise Men Common men worshippers walk up the stairs to stand at her feet secret servicemen 30 years stand in a row guarding her it must have taken years to produce this work in all its dizzying detail below both women in luminous black letters a PR la la la and then along the left side a a death life again after the world the pale after the pale the world again this exaltation is common in DeLorean secism in the early years it was even incorporated as the RCM slogan no more however Justice Union prudence and force so do I the mother of humanism Towers above you a wax painting on a correct pain of glass nothing has changed in her expression hey her innocent Dolores day liked little figurines right liked holding little men between her fingers remember you have the Headless F Rider figurine you should give it to her win her back don't be so pessimistic love doesn't die that easily this isn't funny you have a bad feeling about this one so very very very niff Nifty and mysterious this is surely what the figurines are [Music] for the mother of humanism stands above you a precious and complex wax painting on a single pane of glass a crack runs across the length of her body her face oval and sad why that does seem to be a problem maybe you meant something else I don't know what are we thinking of part of your mind has gone on to other things already only a strange little sadness Remains the mother of humanism Towers above you a wax painting on a cracked pan of glass nothing has changed in her expression [Music] the silence in this part of the church it's almost palpable all the shifting matter and shuffling of living things is gone nothing seems to exist beyond the church anymore maybe if you were to stand in just the right spot even your footsteps will be completely silent and then it's gone almost all of it but for the faintest of hums you can hardly hear your own breathing your voice is barely audible not a howl but the softest of whimpers you produce a few muffled thumps after which the silence feels even more total somehow the lieutenant points to his ears and Shakes his head then he leans closer can you hear anything I wonder why the church was built with such strange Acoustics his detached tone conceals how uncomfortable ears maybe the church was designed this way to prevent boisterous activity singing and dancing on its premises hm H could be the orderly rows of ceiling panels become barely visible then Disappear Completely in the darkness of the tower overhead just darkness Without End it makes your head spin there's nothing you're dizzy and disoriented as you see dark and more Dark Rising officer what are you looking at you see something hanging from the rafters looking straight at you with dark eyes maybe it's possible possible to talk to it is that a man looks more like part of the carpentry of the building came alive and is now studying you intently the crabman the man leaned forward a little fixing you with a steady unreadable gaze then speaks habitual alcohol use has made you into a scar little [ __ ] homes but don't worry everything's going to be all right you come to the right place here you can receive the mother's love and when you're ready she will take your hand and lift you out of the despair at the bottom of that bottle this man is obviously a habitual narcotics user do we really need to question him I'm put off by this religious stuff he thinks and maybe the ceiling climbing too it's all very hard to square with the Lieutenant's own view of reality hey and what was that about the bottle again you haven't even drank that much lately lay off it's already sh is that cre the way I see deep inside you your body and your spirit are suffering greatly from overindulgent and you don't even know it I was like you once just dragging my feet to the next bottle [ __ ] was dark Holmes you know actually since we are here you may want to pay attention to what the seeding climber is saying if the lieutenant agrees then maybe just maybe you should pay attention [ __ ] you crap man you don't tell us us what to do tell him it doesn't matter who I am way I'm just bringing you the message of the mother's love she don't want you to hang yourself on your own stubborness this is the Church of the mother of Silence you are welcome here this mother of Silence sounds like a serious player you might want to be careful until you find out what you're dealing with never known myself to be a crab but if that's the name you got for me I won't stop you from using it I always thought of myself more like a flame flickering along the rafters and beams it may be that I got to work on my technique I was in a gang way but my memories of that time are fading most of them are already gone no man you got to let that [ __ ] go then the mother's light touch will fill you with Rapture do you remember your name sir the lieutenant is not particularly interested in this information he's just trying to assert some control over the conversation thiago's my name but those sybl don't mean much to me these days my name isn't just your identity but also so to speak You're a place amongst your fellas your place in the world I ain't got no use for such a place anymore that's just the thing Holmes none of that matters this is a special place there's a perforation in the world were up there a way out into nothingness this church was built around it for purposes of veneration I circled it nurtured by the silence bestow by the mother one of these days I'd be pure enough to go drink from it directly no no no there a new Garden town and she can't be painted oh scul it because she has no limb or even a face she is the end she is a cavity in the dark Beyond sense she saved me but I couldn't describe her to you no one can homes and no one ever will I will be incinerated but not destroy finally I W with the state of the world before reality began hard to say I think I did some construction work here back when I still had material worries up there I realized what the true purpose of the church was been spending a lot of time here ever since the past is nothing to me now way it didn't belong to me it's not like that at all man it's just faith and joyful service I heard that before way and I know I can't convince you on the spot but think when's the last time you woke up from Silent communion with a hangover regretting what you did last night there are drugs darker than alcohol Circle in your system she took you for a good spin huh don't worry bro that love is but a drop compared to the ocean of the mother's love the mother will eat all of you and never spit you up I know it will take time don't sweat it I know it will take time don't sweat it I'm a Sarah Holmes I sing the mother's Glory I am from noar ready if that's what you're thinking and the song I sing is silent as the mother he lost his cool there for a moment seems you hit some nerve the seny figure lingers on the wooden beams blending into the Shadows something like that did you witness it not really or at least I don't remember much of it anymore the Mother's Love Has Done its job that's what's so great about the mother it lets you forget about everything the ones in the tent outside right I see them guessing they're the ones who call me a crab probably scared of me nah man they look pretty funny and I don't harm no one anymore any more anyway why not they wouldn't bother me none I'm usually way up there in vibing ain't no music on Earth that can reach where I go might even be nice to have some company he said that in spite of himself he's more attached to the human than he'd like to think other spoker oh don't know Holmes no I just call her yita because of her clothes she's actually quite young or maybe not that young H is just one of the many masks we wear wait what if it's Ruby did it ever seem to you like she was hiding here from something you mean like a fugitive no man why the opposite I don't think she care much about Authority or anything else for that matter maybe only about her machines I see and where is she now I told you holes I don't know don't really follow how comings and going just see her typing on her computer now and then we got different interests I'm afraid not essay you just have to wait until she comes back or or search through her radio computer a machine stands in the corner watched over by the figures on the stained glass window it's turned on and quivering with soft electricity another radio computer and this time it's already turned on these machines sometimes Harbor traps he thinks alarm systems and the like let's be careful we should leave I doubt this place Bears any connection to the case [Music] it's also quite similar to the one we have done at the station must be the same model a quaint little box of radio waves you see florescent play and print buttons on the keyboard a hatch connected to the central compartment is wide open the lieutenant says nothing you see the machine's glowing frame reflected back from his diamond shaped glasses you're free to proceed behind the hatch sits a cub likee crisscross of filaments smoldering in the dark like fireflies silver tape on the side says in black marker log February to March another filament memory press play to talk with the repeater the speaker comes to life static seeps through the machine's planer magnetic driver an old lady greets you her voice sounds a 100 years old good morning for accid on S BR this is the East insulindian station one please repeat is this the personal log it's the same old woman you spoke with through the radio computer in the doomed commercial area good thank you please repeat is this the personal log good please repeat the password let's look around there's no use trying to guess the answer maybe he knows something received I will register this login attempt but ACD is there anything else I can do for you today I have two machines registered to this company nam in Martinez one on S the other on Ruden s that's the church and Ruden that's the doomed commercial area anything else I can help you with goodbye for don't The Machine's keyboard is still illuminated revealing the rest play and print buttons [Music] oh hey way there's coffee in the back oh wait I meant the Mother's Love Too Many Times essay you need it for something don't the password is afterlife death why you think of that makes me almost pity Lita Bea when I hear it I think we're done here essay that was an interesting conversation however I'm still not sure whether we'll find our suspect here [Music] The Machine's keyboard is still illuminated revealing florescent play and print buttons the speaker comes to life static seeps through the machine's planer magnetic driver an old lady greets you her voice sounds 100 years old good morning ACD on S this is the east in Indian rep station one please repeat is this the personal log good please repeat the password good I have unlocked the filament after ending the call please press print to access the filament for accident is there anything else I can do for you today goodbye for accident The Machine's keyboard is still illuminated revealing florescent play and print buttons the printer prints out a long text document with dated paragraphs it looks a bit like someone's journal the first entry made on the 4th of February 51 by an unknown author is short and concise arrived at the church the door was boarded up so I used the Crowbar to get inside looks like the place has been deserted nothing out of the ordinary but I'll ask around need to figure out how to get the electricity in the lieutenant leans closer scouring the printer over your shoulder just as you finish reading he looks up muttering under his breath fourth of February that's over a month ago whoever set up those machines has been here for quite a while our case no I don't think so it must be some local eccentric 6th of February 51 had a little chat with the local fishermen said I shouldn't go near that place that the church was spooky and ridden with narcotics it's a little spooky all right still haven't figured out the electricity see even one of the spookers themselves says it's unnerving 7th of February 51 finally got the electricity in next on the agenda a new antenna I'm thinking Esa Ser something Advanced why would anyone need any of this equipment here 8th of February 51 bought the antenna had some problems setting it up called Simo for help heard the others are back to make an art drinking somewhere out of town sulav started a rock band again Lexi has been seen asking money from strangers but at least the artists have their act together they're qualified labor they can get work anywhere graphic design ads the programmers are doing fine too I mean their programmers the writers though they're [ __ ] I just have to find out what caused that data loss and be done with it still don't understand how it managed to wipe out the backup when the backup wasn't even even connected to the front I know I know everyone thinks it's impossible they say I must be lying I'm here to set it right seems like something to do with radio computers unfortunately I don't know enough about them to understand what the author is saying something about the bakeup data getting destroyed and how everyone thought it was the A's fault let's just keep ready I think these people worked in the radio computer games business the one we saw in the Doom commercial area they must be our former co-workers 12th of February 51 brought some food from the grocery store apparently there's a strike going on in the harbor definitely not happy to see the Martina's people again everything's Now set up in the church going to start working tomorrow 8:00 a.m. the strike we are nearing the date of the murder keep reading I'm interested now I want to know what's that radio anomaly that sent this person here in the first place 25th of February 51 I've been sending data up to lintel for a while now trying to recreate the data loss but nothing didn't even feel like logging in the disappointment but I did discover a curious audiospatial anomaly at the back of the church I've named it the swallow it swallows sound need to get some mics is she talking about 28th of February 51 yes the first recordings confirm that the swallow is real and I'm not just losing my mind it's a pillar of Silence with a diameter of approximately 3 m seems like the higher I go the less I record this might be a coincidence or it could be connected to the data loss that led me here the pillar of Silence she is talking about the silence is she suggesting it's more than just an architector work the lieutenant doesn't answer he follows your gaze studying the Basin the water shines in them no ripples March 51 some kind of young disco men have appeared next to the church I've been trying to record The Silence to find the epicenter but now now it turns out I've also been capturing the future of dance music One Neo disco song over and over again fortunately the song is so monotonous I was able to devise an algorithm to factor it out the other day one of the Disco men came in before I could even say hello she got scared and left good I don't want anyone distracting me from my work that disco man must be a sale the girl on the ice sounds like her yes March 51 I got a call from the repeater station someone has tried to access the radio computer in our old office in martines can't do anything about it the storekeeper still doesn't want to let me inside the building thinks I'm part of some kind of curse how martines of her I knew it wasn't a good idea to meddle with a machine March 51 a new 2 m Orcs cable noodles crackers pingpong energy drinks water toothpaste gum also some candir your reading is interrupted by the sound of the church door opening a strange woman makes straight for the radio computer breaking into my radio computer I see I do apologize for the intrusion Madame we are with the RCM you see no one's hiding here it's just me and my computer and it has been this way for weeks now please give me some room I need 2 seconds to see that you haven't destroyed anything we should talk to her after she has rebooted the machine what is it no you just printed out my personal loog and wasted some paper yes or no not anymore that project is dead she doesn't seem surprised to be recognized rather sad something passes over her face before she straightens her back I am Sona the former lead programmer of Fortress accident and RSA radios I have over 16 years of programming experience and I'm proficient in both Vox and orbis languages if you're not here to hire me I don't really know how I can help you no yes and I don't care I don't care about CP men wow she really doesn't Not Afraid this one what no no one's suspicious around here she has not seen her s it is true I brought them here these are my machines please don't touch anything I use the ar1 as my rain prefix Processing Unit rain prefect my radio computer yes you really don't know anything about radio computers do you all right well all radio computers perform operations up on air so in order to gain more processing power you need to invest in a good antenna I guess it is so far I've been quite satisfied with it Martinez is an unstable region with bad coverage and the operation has been surprisingly stable but it's not the cheapest one on the market so I wouldn't recommend it for your regular red tape operations Fraser 1000 is a foolproof line for civilians anyway you should do some research before you decide to buy anything ask around compare the prices there are many millions was dedicated to that sort of thing she liked telling me this it calmed her nerves I'm working the machine seems almost alien with its pulsing core the light cast in her face in a strange Shadow could you could you just sh for a moment or get to the point I really need to focus on something it's not just rudeness it really is hard to concentrate on whatever she needs to do and you're not helping they are connected to my rain prefect whatever you do just please don't move them okay thanks great you really like those questions don't you their bloodshot she really hasn't been getting much sleep lately has she I'm conducting sign ien ific research here you can't throw me out I'm looking for the location of a 2mm hole in the world wait what she's looking for A disruption in the radio waves that's what her personal log said the lieutenant raises his brows but doesn't say anything yes that's what let me here but I suspect it might be something a bit more complicated than that exactly what does it mean up to now it has been impossible to say what it is because it's impossible to measure nothing what do you think it is what qualities does nothing have how do you measure something that does not exist that's a little above your paygrade at the moment I don't know are we that's what I'm trying to figure out here but how do I figure it out you measure it by its surroundings by that which does exist which is what I've been trying to do I've tried using hydr transducers to record The Silence to find out where it begins but honestly it's not progressing very well somewhere underneath those roof Beams I assume only a faint crisscross of Rafters can be made out from the dark most of the tower disappearing into the shade strange things may flourish in the dark there's this place at the back of the church a place where all audible vibrations seem to decease I've named it the swallow and the higher you go the less you record the pillar of Silence are you sure it's not just an architectural qu May me but it's oddly close to the physical coordinates of the data loss that led me to this place I know no I don't she sounds mildly annoyed by this line of questioning her hands type in hundreds of commands into the machine because it's just trial and error trying to locate the swallow the exact point in space and I don't have a you know what it would be really helpful if you could just stop talking and let me work great thanks what I hate it I bet she hasn't even heard it yeah like all the time my tent neighbors don't really ease up with their partying do they maybe I'd have to be on drugs to get it but to a sober mind it just sounds like uninspired rug whipping no idea what it has to do with either dancing or music this is about those speed freaks in the tent isn't it I've got some news for you it's not a nightclub they want to build here take a guess why don't you I can't believe they got you so easily go have another talk with those up andc coming entrepreneurs will you thanks good luck I'm not coming in there why does art inspire you so much excellent question art is a diverse range of visual literary auditory and performative creativity it's an expression of imagination and Technical skill additionally it's history criticism and pure enjoyment in short art is the highest form of human communication representation narrative emotion and agency intertwined have you looked in the mirror lately to be honest you have the exact features of the modern artist with that wild hair and those clothes perhaps you should try to write poetry someday and critique architecture of course not it's all autism box drawing masturbation with a ruler and a seant or whatever they use you should demean and criticize the Gentile institution of architecture while extolling the virtues of the pure Arts only the most experimental kind yes you seek substance no vapid representations and reproductions of social Ms as made manifest in stuffy bional with talking real Living Art here become the art cop half art critic half cop quit being so indecisive what are you going for here some kind of indecisive and Camp aesthetic now strike a bold shape here go art or go home exactly it's not only your duty to only catch the criminals of the street you must also apprehend criminals of of the printing press and the gallery the trite and derivative artists and writers of the world go ahead and provide Savage criticisms art cop The World is Yours to rip to pieces and reassemble J Vu D realization J Vu the opposite of deja vu not already seen but never seen everything that should be familiar appears strange and new like some half forgotten day in your childhood only now that's the feeling you've been having and for who knows how long you should go and ask Joy Messier about this what world are we in this is a fundamental question [Music] [Music] [Music] a young man with peroxide blonde hair holds up a Harmon wowy tap player nodding along to the music he looks at you with a knowing smile and says as though you're supposed to be sharing some tremendous Evangelical Secrets hardore hard car hard car is a mega internally coherent all car all right yeah he furrows his brow as his very large head traces the sublime invisible movement of the music in the very real air of the stuffy tent hardore ah the question is what is the question but there was no question could there been a right way out of this Garden of foring paths you think [Music] the young man with the tape recorder acknowledges your return when he looks at you he Squints as though you were the Setting Sun this is hardcore hardcore hardcore is a mega internally coherent allore all right yeah he furrows his brow as his very large head traces hard a ah is it though but is it I mean really no but seriously I'm a bit worried it isn't don't be alarmed everything is okay he isn't actually worried everything is still super hardcore what he probably means is it could be even more so no Nation the trans Nation no V but class V don't be a lunatic of course he isn't Germania just yields random things odds are sooner or later one of them will come off his fault reading yeah reaw imperative unless you were thinking reaw imperative right now anyway I've had a similar thing happened with eggs yelling I know what you mean hardcore Superstar he's not a communist it's just something he likes to yell he picked it up from a tape docky at the pisum she was a communist though yeah with the Rebel Yell oh sure I can do that if you want that I can avoid taking a stand please don't turn him into a moralist I don't don't even know what to say to that hey it's time to compromise incremental change I'm swiftly moving toward a solution which pleases nobody you feel Jermaine egghead's smile is too enthusiastic but it'll have to do for now dark hardcore Germain Egghead um basically yes it is lungs are for love love in a woman's lungs lonely as I am I'm Not Afraid this strange damaged feeling grows on and on cuz I've Never Loved Someone like you before there's nothing wrong with it I'm still in love with the hardcore sometimes I just feel like anodic music is in its infancy you know for example take this anov van ik Jam I've been pumping for the last month and will continue pumping for the rest of 51 isn't something holding it back from being hyper it's like it's only Ultra I think it's super hardcore but you're right it's not hyper hardcore if anything it sounds a bit Proto like it's not fully formed yet you might be a morun alcoholic and a failed cop but you are pretty certain a thing cannot be both Proto and hardcore wow culture cop I think you might be right but how could it become hardcore then I know it in my heart but cannot sink it in my head if this is not hardcore how could anything be what guys there's something happening in his head as your mind works the Beat recedes from your ears you hear your own blood pulsing through your head nourishing your thoughts with oxygen the rhythm is familiar the abstract shapes swelling in the foreground have done so in vain this is a core matter the answer in the double kick that moves the milliliters through your mind the dark thud is the source of all Rhythm the inspiration behind mathematics the hardcore oh yeah he's doing it but you're not this is almost certainly a matter that surpasses the limits of reason I know no so does mine yeah no that would be silly your body isn't for thinking it's for robust wholesome things things like discus Javelin and 400 m hurdles discus did someone say [Music] disco you know it in your lungs where the precious should vibrate in your heart that's alone and in your solar plexes where the hits should land so does every cordate animal what wow okay we should start with the melody but where would we get that stuff from I'm sorry I don't know anything about anic music I'm just the party boy I get some people going and say it's hardcore he feels ashamed he can't be of more service to the future of dance music the young man falls silent with appreciation he even tries to contain his smile as if it could hinder your investigation basically what you need to find here is a tape with some banging music on it so that Egghead could use it to remix van H Jam yeah maybe that street ochre across the poem shop has got some t Apes to sell that's just an idea anyway that's all yours to figure out Cotman cman all right here comes the night so you had a talk with Andre and now you want to discuss things with no good it's good you talk to Andre first gave me time to get a reading on your sign can't really talk to people before you get a reading yeah got to compare see if we can align I suck at socializing man even now our sign synchronization is way off but I'll see what I can do the hardcore aesthetic is esoteric it's not meant to be disgusted with the law at this moment it's not easy to reach a I Resonance of signs without some adjustment yes further sign matching would do good for us one way to achieve this would be by getting us into the church weird stuff specialized there was a data processor and some sort of longwave Machinery wi is going into Walter gives off a spy sign or some [ __ ] up Samaran science sign you know the kind that goes head first into the supernatural most of it doesn't exist but there's also stuff that isn't allowed to exist cuz the moralists think it's too dangerous for the plebs Sonic Powers pale related diseases Pretenders pretending to be human folk RS that kind of stuff the sticker you mean the yellow one can you describe it to me interesting he wants you to describe it though he already knows what it looks like seems like my creation has found its way into the legal bureaucracy what did you want to ask about it the Dead Guy smiling he defeated history we all living in the age of history and in the eyes of History we are always already dead how can we ever smile then because this history is a lie and so are its deaths the present moment and life are the hardcore the hardcore expels death or maybe he's not dead maybe he's just really ecstatic about the Beats Simplicity was brought to us by a classical Sol artist modernism but that was a tasteful harmonious Simplicity right well hard cor is not tasteful or outwardly harmonious it's a warning shot this will be dangerous the echo of man's loss haunting him the sticker the clothes the music same thing not alone many people are thinking the same thing right now there's a gathering at the palum the beat is the same for all I guess one could write an entire Treatise on the thing but what for [Music] hi again so uh A's going and what happened oh man who is he what did you think think really huh interesting what's he doing in the church what do you [Music] mean no matter is he going to be a problem yeah noid is right let's get back to the point what are we going to do about him these guys will never catch him you will never catch him there's nothing to do I don't know man doesn't it feel like a major hindrance to you a spooky guy climbing around when all the guests are trying to have nice friendly hyper time I guess it's not a massive problem now that I think of it everyone is welcome to dance till the morning light yeah maybe uh I guess we'll figure something out okay but what about the other spooker the one in Grandma's clothes did you see her a programmer that's odd what was she like did you ask her about the nightclub come on man who will you trust a spooky programmer or us we just want to make the world a better place feels Al love get down and feel [Music] it you'll get there believe me when we've got our gear set up things will be flowing and pumping anyway now that it's settled how did she seem I mean disposition wise about the dance club idea y OD n rocking it or dropping it what a pit that's my favorite thing in the world and she doesn't like it at all a shame what can we do now do you see a way out of this jam and into a laser lit future of dance and unity Unity dance and you can't just evict her look at you honor man no noid he's right maybe we've approached it the wrong way after all I'm sure there's a worker around we can make a deal not to bother her if that's okay with her we only want to get in the church and spread the joy and Ecstasy of Music the lines in the dark exist coexist at least crabman seems like an advanced being he's OD he'll understand yeah he can do his climbing thing in the tower and the programmer does she like anodic dance music he head cannot believe what you just said it makes him pump the jam a little slower for a moment but then he returns to the full swing of it no worries we'll figure it out if coexisting fails you can always muscle her out right if it's all okay with you what do you think excellent good luck my friend a number of things don't add up let's take a look how about gather around kids the young speed freak puts down a busted capacitor and looks at you the one with the large head seems very enthusiastic about whatever you have planned their wouldbe leader is less amused but you still [Music] are what happened he doesn't know what to say the young speed freak is silent he says say something is wrong [ __ ] man it's difficult to get along with some people but we're trying to make an effort we are on a mission here I have no idea how you arrived at that conclusion but it's wrong look we even have speakers one speaker they have one speaker what do you mean friend it's a one- speaker system it's it's monody dnamic you wouldn't know the first thing about sound reproduction and anodic music other speaker what do you know about spinning tape nothing I'm sorry but there is no lab equipment and no drug ingredients he said it was for his nose what more do you want and of all cellular based life what's your point lawbringer no [ __ ] that's come on that's I meant to say not true what do you mean do this resignation in his voice he's almost ready to drop the act it wouldn't take a lot of pushing or else okay ma' okay things are just so so hard for an entrepreneur in this city right now it's not like we lied when we said we want to turn a church into the wickedest club in East rers show because we do we totally do we just need to turn it into a speed lab before to get our foot in the door like I told you spooky [ __ ] moved in while I was getting all this stuff together a month ago the place was empty and now it's all spooked up no man they're spooky all right it's just that they would also probably call the police if we started cooking speed in there but the sign was way off too I couldn't feel the love at all whatever you think is right sir but please we were only trying to make a living this is it judgment Time come on come on man really the young man doesn't move his earrings rattle from the tension with his jaw clenched he says no [ __ ] way yes [ __ ] way without a word the other speed freak pulls a red wallet out of the toolbox and hands it to you the disdain is palpable his eyes Pierce you like lightning as he lets go of the wallet yeah I knew it it's impossible now no Andre it's harder now this hard cop has come to show us how much the fish is and the fish is always so much more we all know there was never going to be a club for a notic music music with the speed lab now it has a Fighting Chance there needs to be a club for a ntic music in there needs to everyone hates each other everybody hates it here it's all just drugs and with slaves and I can't we are running out of time we need a win Andre I promise this will be a win we won't cook speed in there we'll do it clean we'll do it true we do it sober and real and beautiful this will be a victory for the light okay we'll try to do it without the drugs we'll do a straight club up in there spinning the madest reels and nothing but I swear to God okay egg from here on it'll be straight all the way goodbye officer [Music] [Music] hello again I did and I'm sorry for what it's worth which isn't much this is why I didn't go into the tent typical delinquency you don't get to choose your posy they choose you mine are idiots but they're mine I tried to talk Andre out of it I even tried not to lie to you indeed she merely tried to omit the truth [Music] instead I know I should have been able to control them and I will in the future I promise may I ask what did you tell them thank you I'll get them under wraps I promise [Music] [Music] [Music] yes what is it I don't want to make anything work yes anything I don't want to make anything work it's not the anotic dance music that's made her bitter it's the failure of Fortress accident that's right if we couldn't get our welkins to happen I don't want anything to happen ever again there's not a trace of irony in her voice she means it easy when her research is done she can move out what no I don't really need any help with the project she thinks about it a glossy look in her eyes a gust of wind brings more snow in from the broken Gallery it touches her hair all right bring me the game's offside copy from my old workspace if you really want to help it's stored on a filament memory and I'm unable to go and fetch it myself yeah that's the one you can get in through the Bookshop you just have to do some explaining to the bookstore lady that's her name I believe good then you might know the giant ice bear fridge in the building Cellar the filament is inside the fridge just go and get it in the giant ice bear fridge I just told you it has red glowing eyes it's impossible to miss you just need to get the offside copy from the ice bear but you've been to the fridge and it wasn't there there was a note saying wait a note from whom did it specify where they took the filament memory zaa of course our project lead suis Jaa God he was always so hellbent on keeping the copy somewhere safe and feature creep and the Valley of the heads like it would have made a difference the offside copy was perfectly safe when the data loss happened that data loss was anomalous and the heads I won't even get into the heads millions of them go find that copy from that ice cream maker will you thanks Valley of a th000 heads you like the sound of that this is getting ridiculous can't you just defrosted or I don't know I don't know about the ice cream maker just figure something out there's a solution but she doesn't want to hand it over to you yet it's a thing something she holds dear the bookstore lady hates me says some part of the curse whatever that means because she's from margines and people from margines have never ever seen a radio computer she thinks it emits Elemental Evil no she literally started praying for the higher Powers when she first saw my rain Civic I'm not making this up the lieutenant coughs like he's amused once I came in one morning only to find that my terminal was full of those train Trinkets and amulets Wards it looked like some semine magic it's a backup of my former employer's project the radio game we were working on it's stored on a filament memory just like the one inside this radio computer the backup itself is destroyed now but I'm hoping to use what's left of it to pinpoint the exact location of the anomaly you just have to go to my old workspace and get the filament thanks and here's my Quon multitude you might need it to hack loose some ice it opens everything if you get me the offside copy then you can keep the Quon it hurts a bit for her to say this she's not too happy to be parting with the caval sunnd [Music] oh [Music] [Music] an old door worn by element guards the depot the wind has blown a sand June in front of it the door hasn't been opened in a long while you see a handle it's military a service Depot of some sort the washer woman mentioned a Depot of the coast she said it was for moving ammo and cargo across the bay this might be it it may have been used to serve as an aerostatic battleship in the atmosphere or a fortification like a sea for in the Bay from here to the wiring I can't see how the church is in the way you rattle the handle a bit then push on the door with all your weight it does not budge not only is it locked it's also jammed shut we don't get in there frankly you're just going to have to accept the fact that you can't get in through every single door no no we've gotten into every door thus far that's what we do we open doors We're Cops that's our perk even everard knew that's a part of ouro relax no one's hiding in there if we can't open it others can't either and they can't get in at least you can think think about opening it about doors in general they are after all fundamental to your life perhaps something useful would come from this [Music] is there something here that would indicate a sniper used this place as a nest for taking the shot just some Urban detritus a bottle and a dilapitated 's tower I don't see it Lieutenant frto I don't see a person take a shot here and hit something there in the whirling in R there 1. 2 km over the cold water of the bay blew from the distance and the air you see the smallest rectangle barely visible the light is off on the third floor of the whirling in rags the young woman is gone in Precinct 57 safe closed off her form no longer moves behind the glass there it's not possible to climb that other and even if it were why there's no platform up there to aim from it does look extremely rickety and wouldn't help much either to warm his hands before pulling the trigger perhaps but anyone could have made this the coast is specked with fire this time of year truthfully this seems like a very poor choice to take a 1.2 km rifle shot from VIs ability is awful there's water vapor everywhere I think we can rule out B Prime was it those a smoking asant who favors tumu to asra or Jan cigarette buts are everywhere this is a common brand for old man still you felt it was important enough to make a mental note that means something you didn't pay attention to any of the other cigarette buts on the coast it takes you a moment but finally you spot the last of morel's traps this one's partially obscured by the reads the Reeds Sway in the coastal Breeze they seem to be waiting for something the wind picks up here near the cape's end surrounding the narrow strip of land from three cardinal directions it's cold for this time of year the Trap feels light and Silent as you pick it up something is different here no Locust no fmid either but still well debate worked on something this doesn't mean it was a re monster though unless you see one in there I just see an empty trap the neton is a little untidy messier than the others like someone or something picked up the Trap and shook it before dropping it back down on the ground perhaps our cryptologist have competition in the for form of an actual entomologist or someone else is sabotaging them I could present more theories but then I would be taking this on as a case which I'm not right anyway that's for the cryptologist to figure out now we are not cryptologist we are cops a cold gust of air dries your sweaty face and you look to the dark shadow of the Fel building in the distance drawing you to it what a strange sensation once this is done should you ask the wind again [Music] [Music] a metal and plastic Contraption Bobs up and down amidst the trembling reads at first it just looks like trash but if you look closer that over there must be the boy class you told us about the one she hid her passport in we should take a look you lift the boy out of the water without much effort it's not tied to anything the cords dangling from the bottom appear to have been cut the number 11 has been written on the yellow plastic it hasn't been in the water for very long but it's already discolored and slimy with silt a latch holds it close but only just barely the brittle metal of the latch has cracked simple construction very unsafe there's something in there splashing around it smells like you would expect it to smell a concentrated version of the coast salt industrial slop and Decay a shot glasses worth of seawat pours out some algae and nothing else well done we still got here too late there's nothing of use here anymore I have no idea or think we do this is a small loose end either way not important I hope in my experience Cryptids are generally uninterested in travel documentation we should go you could ask the Miss what she thinks later if you have the time though you doubt she'll tell you much at this point [Music] [Music] the remaining Windows rattle from a strong gust of wind they're covered in a thick layer of grime they must have been like this for 40 years dripping water falls from a high place all you can see is the shadow of a collapsing staircase there's rust and corrosion on the bars they're foaming with it and a small layer of white salt from the sea no I won't even try you know I had a partner once they called him eyes because he had to show me things it's that bad this SP of his eyes things didn't end well it saddens him to say his name don't even ask he wouldn't answer maybe some other small talk well enough actually it's OD how that works I'm no sharp shooter but I pass my shooting courses 7 out of 10 the light vanishes inside the concrete slit the structure goes deep under the Earth no idea could be connected to one of the buildings around here we might find her down somewhere there's an old storm drain system beneath Martinez that's mostly collapsed Ral sewage system has been built and rebuilt four or five times now in conclusion she could be under any building I hope not there's no Echo and no answer maybe it's just a storm drain for the sewer hello hello let me know if I can help you with anything sure thing maybe Shady looking guys came in here yesterday looking like they just taken off their wild Pines overalls they asked if I have a police weapon to sell I told them I already sold it they went their way it was a trip but you know all sorts of people come here asking for all sorts of things maybe CLA really is tracking down new gun h show them [Music] man the shine on these sunglasses lasts a lifetime officer 100% guaranteed stylish Shades huh they'd be even more stylish if you paid for them with net worth go over and ask him oh very interesting choice officer very high culture this is how a sea monster sees the world you've become a sea monster Harry Giant hidden and strangely tender at heart all is blue all right but these actually make your vision worse it's like literally being underwater yes but they also make your soul quiver like jello so deep wow officer you look so cool and they can be yours for a mere three real my regular customers have passed them all up because they've got no taste but you found them the lieutenant tilts his head and steps back eyes narrowed in a thorough examination it's a case to him you look like a musician like a blind musici but you could do worse take them if you want everything's still cool here officer start with a little compliment then work your way up from there this is about business remember oh okay but why officer after all this mess the broken seals lying to you come on an investment what kind of investment oh you could not make this about corruption and go with something even Wilder I guess it can't be any riskier than speculating in exotic derivatives how much are we talking about here 10 R is a bargain for that kind of investment you got it my man Taps you mean like music Taps no music is out don't listen to music I sell extremely cool sunglasses if you want to get your mojo going D tapes tapes are everywhere they're worthless kids throw them in the trees there's one in the bushes right behind this Lori no one would ever throw a good pair of high quality plastic sunglasses in the bushes Mister the speakers below banged up and worthless the sneakers triumph over them they're the star of the show here you should go over and ask him about paying for those sneakers with your net worth super cool now the premium lifestyle is yours officer the sneakers seem to vibrate in your hands with an almost mystical energy you keep coming back that's good officer keep browsing those clothes keep saving that economy if he really wants to save the economy he'd let you pay with net worth go over and ask him if you can something cold grazes your hand synthetic and Sleek a windbreaker surf it says but also wind summer 100% waterproof and Sport All in different type faces this jacket is the Apex of human evolution the moment at which Man became weatherproof good choice officer Mega sporty and it's only 450 for you sir the Hawthorne Tree on rud deji's Lane bronze-colored ribbons of magnetic tape are caught in its branches fluttering in the breeze patting the tree reveals a small sticker which has almost been worn to Oblivion it reads RCM emergencies desk number 81002 underneath a slogan mankind be vigilant the 's ribbon twists around and within the branches in an intricately natural pattern but there's something there's a twisted logic in this mess you see the ends of the ribbon the way it flows how it twists and turns it's all starting to make sense it'll be easier to remove now with slow and deliberate motions pulling bending and unraveling you manage to extricate the magnetic tape from the branches it curls up into a mess inside your pocket if only you could find a way to respool it so that you could hear what's on the tape what's the tape for how it's broken and unspooled do you think your yourbody knows how to fix it you could also get it fixed at the pawn shop across the street we shouldn't waste our time [Music] [Music] wow a very large red t-shirt with an impressive print stands out from the the G oh yeah the print depicts a muscled man striding toward you a giant sword in each Hand encircled by burning embers behind him is a cluster of cabins engulfed in flames beneath him other words heal burning hell yeah man I don't usually carry printed teas but this one was just pure Exemplar a fan no I wouldn't go that far but I do think the hilm Daman Saga is an integral part of our shared reality most people don't think that the man from yown really existed but they're wrong I mean even if the man from homow didn't exist before the adventure novels the stories have made it so that he has it's simple really okay you sound skeptical it's not that complicated all that's required is a more robust understanding of cause and effect besides I've been to Cutler though not quite as far north as the helm doll and watched Northern Lights travel across the sky very unique energetic Tides there is isn't exactly incoherent but its logic does suggest some unusual neural activity interesting very very unique energies indeed geomagnetic lay lines one might even say to ra that's dirt cheap but why I suppose that makes sense yes please go ahead and take it welcome to humal hello hello let me know if I can help you with anything you m raise spet yeah I do but but I'm not some Miss to fix it I'm a porn broker if you want to porn the type sure although it looks pretty worthless just explain why you need this so much he's bound to understand no it's different those film tapes actually mean something to me but this is just a worthless bundle of old tape huh what do you mean yes what about it is it any good the music I mean you're quite invested in this okay I'll help you out it's going to take a moment though so just sit back and relax you take some time to look around the store the play of visuals all around the porn shop is mesmerizing suddenly Roy turns back to you with a reel of tape in his hand and coughs yeah my pleasure I do what I can for True passion projects just try not to use this tape for negative Photon missions take responsibility okay that's one brutal motor carage if I were a real skull now I jacket paint it in palm tree Livery then bottom light it neon style a snazzy [ __ ] ripped skull mobile like this would make a fine trophy we could like hang [ __ ] shrunken heads from the side mirrors cops heads scary tribal [ __ ] yeah tribal [ __ ] a cop Carriage like this would have proper skull value well I appreciate the interest you take in my brutal Moto carry I have to stop you right there the RCM takes threats directed at its property seriously I um it's just theoretical work copper no basis in reality man if we were certified skulls right now I can tell you who we're not cop we're not snitches flow Bears or skulls which is not to say that the skulls are [ __ ] in on the contrary the part of this presentation you want to take home with you cop man is we're not part of the skulls yet you don't know what kind of cop are you the skulls are the most vicious gang of the bmer bestin or the bti The Immortals are West River sholan crime syndicates then nastiest bunch of psychos ever jacking cages and getting into highspeed chases possessing an infinite amount of [ __ ] all Swagger Infamous for their nonverbal modus operandi if a SC spots you he will pull out his dagger and stab you without saying a word the Lieutenant's voice is as calm as usual a testament to the violence and death he's witnessed through the sight of his firearm they usually occupy the burnt out quarter in Jamrock or you can find them lering around the brightly painted bottom lighted vehicles I can't wait to become a skull bottom lights are wretched aggressive oh yeah Cindy's a right proper skull yeah a true artist of the future just like Aro van by the way if you see Cindy give her our regards OD there isn't a hint of hate in them it's like they're piss and [ __ ] the world out of some kind of moral obligation the lieutenant on your left is unusually lenient toward them oh man yeah we're not [ __ ] kids man be wary of the Abyss probably because of how nonverbal their mode of operation is going to be it's a threat whoa come on man we're just talking here just words nothing wrong with that yeah no need to throw your Authority in our faces that's right way to put them in a little boy's corner you want to talk let's talk boys ask them he liked how you decisively shut down a situation that could have turned into a fce we're not franchise skulls well not yet once we get our name out there we'll have a chance to join them because we can be just as psycho and vicious you'll see but in a non-threatening and definitely legal way we'll [ __ ] the system from the inside later just be cool now the damage will be tfold right on [ __ ] so what's happening now the union does their share of policing in Martinez at least where gangs are concerned that's why there isn't much organized crime on here apart from the unions themselves of course don't you worry about that we're going to make up for the deficit yeah we are mhm [Music] mhm yeah sure we'll gladly tell you everything we know about it it was a man also he was hanged he was hanged from a tree yeah I mean duh these Banks don't know anything let's just move along hey stop right there how does one know anything ah this sounds like epistemology a field so occupied by thought that it begins to question thought itself however there is no way these young men could possibly be aware of her work sure sure understandable [ __ ] I appreciate your effort though what about them well first off it's a statement and not necessarily something that characterizes me as a person even though the statement has character and I do like piss the word piss epitomizes the struggle taking place in the world things being defined as they seem not as they are and I guess it's also about communal Spirit the future and truly appreciating our difference also you've got to admit it catches the eye and since the grand Piper is slowly but steadily moving towards basing the economy on it attention it is imperative that the medium itself convey the message what I mean by this is we are all piss and that the world is inherently meaningless it seems that the young man has a certain expertise in at least to one field even if it's rather narrow like I said before many men keep searching for the one for so-called true love which is actually just Obsession masquerad in his kinship The Thrill of the chase the hollow that fills your chest cavity after catching it to catch a fish you'll need to H the LW many times and even then it isn't certain that you'll get anything if you blow up the lake though you get more fish in a shorter time and for time is of the essence and fleeting ever so quickly one must think of a way to [ __ ] the whole world and not get caught up in [ __ ] someone because when one [ __ ] everything he [ __ ] nothing and that to me feels glorious sticking your dick into the Vo is it a coincidence that here we have two badass jackets and two badass cops yes what is what are you in playing I'm not sure I understand you detective neither fine if only to end this discussion theoretically if I were a juvenile delinquent if I were to already be down that path I think p this is the stronger of the two statements seems about right especially considering your heroic exit attempts that's an origin story for a dynamic duo right there so are we done here or you don't need us around for your secret whisper party do you no no no don't ask anything be subtle and SC scary the boys dream about being skulls use that suggest their massive skulls come on what no skulls don't have Kings I think and we're not even in yet yeah man keep your voice down skulls don't take it lightly when folks pretend to be them we're not even prospects yet wow you boys are ambitious only prospects and already planning a coup in the skulls you're destined to go far he gets it passive aggressive flattery shut the [ __ ] up are you trying to get us killed now bring it to the jackets and yes start shouting please be quiet what what do you want the jackets you got it no need for cruelty oh man okay I get it skulls don't really wear slogans anyway this was stupid [ __ ] the lieutenant watches the boys take their jackets off with mild Amusement I'm absolutely okay with not having either one thank [Music] you this case doesn't require us to go under cover or raise hell in fact I don't think the jackets will be useful at all I just wanted them to not have them anymore coldhearted cop the need will not arise the jackets are meant to complete each other if a man was standing alone on a street corner with P written on his back it would just be an individual that has taken a Lykan to urine and [ __ ] the world all on its own is frankly generic I don't know Eric it's cold up yeah let's get out of here the cops [ __ ] [Music] us you finally made it haven't you people point fingers at you and Whisper to each other when you pass by by wondering to themselves where did that man get such a cool jacket did he receive it upon graduating the AAL super de is he dangerous you are very dangerous my friend dangerous and cool in fact no one dares to say a single thing about the jacket but believe me they are all very impressed inside you see a set of steering levers a radio microphone a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge this is pring 57 how may I assist you yes it took some convincing but I got the mercenary's name and a few biographical details are you ready the lieutenant leans in to listen notebook in hand that suit of armor was issued to an noran citizen named Elis C that's e l l i s k o r d e n i e f exact date of birth unknown he was signed into the lad County Neal care unit on 28th of February 09 he was found as a newborn in a leaf compactor near an abandoned Farm he spent four months in the neonatal unit survived apparently and was assigned to a faster family at two this is what the ICP knows about him he was raised by fostter parents entered the East brand military academy in V for at 17 Zen served in the oran forces till he was honorably discharged in 41 just a year before the seese conflict then the armor followed him to semine or at least I assume it did and that's it there are no regards of his employment in kenel or any of its other incarnations or him even entering raol it's a garden tool is to press leaves into these cubes it's a detail the hospital had the only detail in these files so I thought it would be good for you to know it is thank you Alise none officer sorry even that is a small miracle this organization usually double check their inventory thank you Alise great work no problem a compliment from Lieutenant karagi not bad the name this is very good Elis Corton sometimes police work is about human dignity about giving back names to Anonymous victims I'm glad the inquiry was helpful to your investigate officer did you have any other questions hold on officer I've got Central Jamrock Public Library on the line and I've already introduced you to their librarian connecting the cin two one yes this is Central Jamrock Public Library here how can I help you officer you sounds worried yet ready to assist this is how people get when the police call Billy Billy maon you said give me a moment I'll have to check our [Music] database yes hello are you still there I found Billy magan's home address is that all right no phone number unfortunately Here We Go sir rud sanes Lane 33b apartment number 20 it's in martines I believe capeside apartment at says that's all that's where the smoker on the balcony lives isn't it it says here that they returned their last book just a few days ago but I wasn't at work that day Marie Marie do you remember a reader named Billy maon they returned a tibolt book the other day yes it was my colleague Marie uh she said that it was Billy's husband who returned the book he also asked for this new Sci-Fi release Lowe's Radio City 87 but we don't have it yet sorry no Maria only knows him by sight Marie she said it was an older man and that she's pretty sure he'd had a drink or two the last time she saw him uh one second was he wearing sorry Marie wasn't really paying any attention to that Marie knows Billy she's been working here longer than me sometimes her husband returns some books for her and then goes for a little drink later on the lookout happy we could help goodbye officer anything else you need from me 57s over and out in the cabin you see a set of steering levers a radio on a hook a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge [Music] hola wondering man how can I help you Los Aries they're an independent militant group a bit too high strong but it comes with the responsibility they're sort of like you preserve the rule of law and all that except it's ard's law but really they're just like you is he actually comparing you an officer of the law to some neighborhood Vigilantes why not must be nice being something else for a change the rest of us are just folks the little boy I did good on his promise to get me into trouble to seek the pigs on me pardon the choice of words not mine what happened I was asked to look into that armor situation official Union probe you know track it down and see who took it did you at first I thought why not maybe the pieces can feed the strike bias a few more days Under the Sun you know so I went to this boy he said he'll make me his prison [ __ ] he's got eyes everywhere the cops in his pocket and he's the king of Jamrock serves me right for doing menial footwork I dropped that prob right then and there and it still got me into trouble one bad move is all it takes I learned that people don't want to talk to a drunk Union man about some armor what El not much technical stuff mostly that was the interesting part I did some research into this armadura let's say I have friends at the library I didn't get into the material science just how it comes off how does it come off in Parts foreign told the helmet was the first to go the kid says he throw it off and kicked it into the sea I believe him the boots were still on the guy last I saw too hard to remove so as I count there are two parts missing the gauntlets and the quir ass this is where I left off too much hassle more like a job for some milicia oh they're just gone they don't exist anymore if they ever did at all forget about them I did all of it there are junior officers out there eager to prove themselves I would leave some for them but okay let's find all of it a meski is epic then all across Martin a I hope it will be a real bonansa for you it's a minor nuisance it's all good no problem if you see that kid thank him from call me Manana thank him for showing me the way he is sincerely grateful he is not tracking down pieces of armor right [Music] now for [Music] Mr deire I hear the meeting with Titus was a glowing success that's such a relief Titus can be a handful sometimes now what can R Clair do for you today you bring joy to my heart Harry such a pleasure to be working with you here you need to get signatures from Isabel sad and Lilian Carter the culdesac is right past the porn shop and across the canal I heard there was some trouble with the water lock but it should be fixed now once you have the signatures mail this to 13022 Lara in L Delta then I know we can do business [Music] together you take the legal documents out of the envelope a 12 to 4mth construction period and the zoning plan in the addendum the youth center cuts into the ocean like the bow of some great modern ship apparently it's going to cover most if not all of the street and the square between the existing houses it's three stories tall it's going to be awfully close to the already existing buildings almost wall to- wall practically integrating them into the youth center this is either an ominous or cool architectural choice hard to say my money is on cool looks like a cubic pyate I'm no property lawyer but it looks fine I like the print size they're not selling or leing anything it's not the perfect solution but there is no loophole the simple truth is the current residents are going to lose their street access and for the next 12 to 40 months their lives will be dominated by constant construction noise right next door once the construction starts it'll probably take a few months a year maybe for even the most stubborn occupants to get tired of living like this after that they'll sell their property for cheap and move out I should have seen it Evra probably has eyes on on us but we could try to get other people to sign this instead of those listed or you could Forge their signatures Yourself by the time he finds out we'll already be gone for [Music] [Music] [Music] [ __ ] does Kuno care so yes so Kudo did sick the pigs on him kudo's a man of is weird Kuno sent your fat ass running around like jello look Pig Kuno sent you to rough some people up Kuno played you that happened now you and Kuno should move on good idea what is this trying to be cool with your new [ __ ] could was just being nice to you you got [ __ ] bad now limp the [ __ ] out of here after this [ __ ] you better have something real interesting to say if you want to stay in kun's face yeah real interesting Kuno doesn't [ __ ] care [Music] [Music] just an ordinary War nothing to see here because this is no ordinary War it is Sublime look at it the Shadows the colors all the other walls on all the other houses must make a pilgrimage in adoration of this the uncontested Pinnacle of Warcraft calap pealed from the very face of God oh War father huh he sounds tired of it all you already have the heavy fuel oil to use as paint it's red and Cindy the skull has a paintbrush this is on if you must [Music] hello again officers have you come to admire my mural I don't believe it I've never known those boys to have manners the amusement in her voice doesn't fully mask genuine tenderness there'll never be skulls but but their hearts are in the right place [Music] fat chance but you can still do your part to revitalize the neighborhood she throws you a conspiratorial glance then presses her finger to her lips and Squints up at the sky as though straining to hear something in the distance have you notice the quiet every so often you might hear a gunshot pierce the air somewhere in Jamrock but in martines no gunshots no Sirens the people are languishing in boredom and complacency this place is the Seiler we'll paint it red we bring the rockus you bring the sirens what do I care about some [ __ ] t eggshells all right sad piggy I'll give you this one I saw a little girl in the fishing Village running around with military grade handwear look cute as hell could that girl have been Little Lily it's not a bad place to start could have been her small kid with giant white armored hands if if you've seen one of them you've seen them all what for what do you think I'm trying to paint here a mural for a better tomorrow why do you really need it well if it's for art but what kind of art are we talking about sounds like you're just about to live out your self-pity not make a statement I can't have [ __ ] art on my conscience yeah not going to hold my breath piggy you look like you'd suck uh everything really [Music] that's pretty [ __ ] up even for you pigo stop quivering like jello then you won't get [ __ ] but that would mean he doesn't say every pathetic thing that pops in his head you're a real Sad Sack you know that go ahead then art it up just try not to hurt yourself and no self-portraits sure anytime us [ __ ] artists have to help one another besides I was out of fuel oil anyway she only gave it to you because she doesn't see you as competition the right idea is not coming to her it's excruciating you know what you've got in that fuel canister you scavenge from your Cana red dyed heavy fuel oil paint and the brush you're ready to do this [Music] [Music] the paintbrush in your hand is like a loaded revolver what will it be Desperado quite a few things come to [Music] mind you've spoken the wall will now silently repeat the message for a decade or so until the Sea Air degrades the paint adding another layer of detritus to the city very poetic real poetry should we return to our murder investigation I hear there's a really bad one we are supposed to solve [Music] a weathered Brown door the number reads 20 something smells good Su alono the lieutenant motions to you to go ahead and knock this is the door you already know it's the right door this is going to be so hard get yourself together it's just police work don't knock just leave you don't need this you don't need to sad it up you're right let's talk this true you hear Light footsteps passing by the door and some folk music playing on the radio we have our first preliminary identification in all likelihood the deceased is the husband of Billy mijon we need to confirm this as well as deliver the death notification to bil herself now delivering a death notification is never an easy task there's a reason why it's often called the most stressful part of our job this is why it's usually done in pairs you got this I'll be monitoring reactions ready to act if necessary dad just don't say that you know how they feel you don't good advice the lieutenant motions towards the door and someone turns down the radio he gives you a short encouraging nod tidying up nervously there's fear in her voice for [Music] [Music] it's you from the bookstand I don't think I introduced myself properly I'm Billy would you like something to drink tea lemonade we're out of coffee the lieutenant has taken off his foggy glasses and is busy cleaning them in his handkerchief for now you're on your own here condensation from stepping inside he must feel vulnerable without his glasses is this why he's letting you take the lead is this about Victor my husband is he in some kind of trouble again I can come pick him up in the station if that's what keep it together you don't want your body language to tell her the news sorry I'm rambling it's just that Victor often gets into all kinds of trouble so how can I help you you've done this before just keep your focus [Music] what did you say oh oh but he was just but he was just here alive we understand this comes as a huge shock I want you to know that me and my partner are here for you if you have any questions take your time man' what happened to him was he drunk I see and you just found him there lying in the cold how long had he been there if you say 2 days maybe it will be etched in a mon mind forever she blinks eyes welling up with tears as her hand starts searching for something from the pockets of her dress k no no I just need to tell my girls unreal God should I call them should I tell them to come home no a day no I'll do it myself I just just tell me what do I need to do next where is he can I see him we've taken him to the city morg the local coroner will be contacting you shortly to arrange the funeral here's his number in case you want to contact him earlier is there anything else that drcm could do for you no I'll call you if something comes up I'm still thank you thank you for telling me I'll call if we should step outside and talk [Music] you did well you did enough can save the whole world you know can't bring the dead back I'll call the Station when we finished with the day and let them know the name of the deceased manage they have to it's not your place to live their lives that's it we should get back to our case now that our duty here is done let's go [Music] [Music] whoa what have we here a bridge with loose nails and rot fested wood that creeks in the wind a construction code violation if there ever was one true they never cleaned up the war damage the rest of looks better though the bridge is fine enough locals use it all the time after all it's nothing to worry about shall we wow so someone's been a little boring yes my standard Le someone seen all sorts of wild ideas pop off and thought I'll take the boring one the regular please the brown you I wouldn't worry about that see you're so regular and vinyl Brown he doesn't even want to talk to you about it of course you do let's get right to it my Lord Copo type is regular cop I'll let everyone know I'll send that to telax yes the type of cop you are sire think of it as a cast a class even a nation of regular law officials that you belong to it comes of course with the usual benefits done and done no actual communic will be sent of course the that would be too [Music] dramatic the purity of snow always reminds me of the purity of a man's Soul if he's got principles I prefer the old name insulindian Lily girls brought them to Young Cadets when they entered service weighing them on your cap was supposed to bring good luck it used to be but the communards were fond of them too call them revolutionary flowers bells of the Revolution you know what no they bought me misery false hope and disapp appointment the Revolutionary SED them but it wasn't the revolutionaries that SED the ID for you was it she gave them to me too and your jealous little heart just couldn't accept it enough I can go over these matters in detail with you Gaston but not while we have company so officers mayel don't Blossom yet do they maybe on some remote parts of the city they do but I think you'll have to wait for at least a month there's nothing for you to understand here it is not her death you are investigating Ral Fair of 91 in the furberg district a parade was held to honor Gom lon's name day and the caribiners marched in the place of honor this was the happiest day of my life I was 22 when I returned from King gom's Aira operation in the South and found my sweetheart in the arms of this W the AA operation was a 7-year campaign during which suarin gom's army forcefully United the people in the Southeastern part of LA deep continent collectively known as the aera tribes under the rolian banner I want help back but while I was dealing with some issues you are like a dark cloud secking the joy out of every living thing around you and you you hurt her Dark Cloud that sounds unpleasantly familiar I uh I those days and memories are gone [Music] [Music] the theme on that pinball machine is a standard royalist theme used on everything from pinball cabinets to full flavor cigarettes clinging to a picturebook version of the past Century waiting for the king to come back and cast out all the propers and homosexuals basically imagine a yellow plastic crown with a liquor brand emblazened on it it comes free with a six-pack of veran roor the words roor are stamped into the Crown's plastic the sentiment is called anti- Centennial Nostalgia pining for a time before the turn of the century it's common even now after 50 years just dragged her away huh Stone Cold didn't think you had it in you yeah you rless son of a [ __ ] I certainly didn't have it in me I always let the pretty ones go I'm soft like by it yeah like when we left old Clancy's widow walk a Denise the diner girl the milk rack on that one can't say I wasn't sad to see her go our classia there her face when your friend walked her out godamn like she was walking to the Gallows he avoided looking her straight in the eye you would have too [Music] yes normal nothing to do about it now I guess I just hope she can game her way through the system and come out the other way don't think I forgot how I specifically let you know how I felt about her arrest either now what do you want his tone is friendly now and the last words are actually accompanied with a little [Music] [Music] smile hi again oh a committee how interesting and if I may ask shandar what is this committee about God of course it is my friend is always trying to convince me I need a little more responsibility as though I don't have enough going on already in any case I would love to help but the thing is I don't know where he is we don't talk about everything you see he might have mentioned something about making a tour of some historical sites up the coast in an unofficial capacity of course not a clue I'm not as a agenda keeper you see I guess you will bye-bye [Music] je oh sweetie I don't even know how to thank you for finding my husband and helping him out I hope we haven't been too much trouble for you here I want to give you a small token of my gratitude it's a tie mesing origin the pin is an antique quite special the little silvery knob holding the tie together feels warm in your hand it's in the shape of an Aven skull with eight eyes you could ask her about this when you get the time it's probably a crypted but the fmid of course is more important sometimes the most Charming thing you can do is be reasonable in your requests I suppose you could use a break and I could use a distraction one crypted like you said one this can't turn into some kind of crypted extravagan we have things to do and I don't just one or he'll be disappointed in you ooh tough choice there no it's the crypted oh yes the eight eyed teratorn the largest flying Aven ever discovered with a wingspan of 11.5 M it was thought to have gone extinct 3,500 years ago some even doubted the fossils were real a mutation they said said until mutation huh all of evolution is a mutation until it was cited by renowned God valdian Explorer and naturalist U platin Cal in 21 this Renown seems a bit dubious your own catalog comes up completely empty but of course you are not all knowing it happened on a Botanical Expedition into the W and unexplored wam Canyon in southeast IL marra Dr platen got separated from his group during a sandstorm the world's largest canyon system sweetie it's a Barren waist east of the Eric desert an ancient riverbed completely dried up alone in the Blasted desert heat the doctor wandered Eastward where man hasn't stepped foot in over a thousand years since the fall of Perry carnassus he was lost without any navigation equipment and desperately low on water after a day or two he noticed a bird high in the noon Sky a great black bird it seemed gargantuan every now and then the bird would dive down to feed on an animal carcass somewhere on the horizon but by the time UA got there the Tator had taken off already and the carcass was picked clean this happened many times yes or rather hunting a bird that big has a lot of blood in it and he was dying of thirst for many days Dr plot andal followed the Tator until they reached a great canyon wall where the bird finally landed to rest the professor climbed up there with a rock in his hand he found the bird sleeping with his head tucked under its wing a great black pile of feathers on the perch so he approached slowly squeezing The Rock in his fist then the Tator suddenly looked at him he could see it had eight eyes four on either side of its skull like a spider and the man couldn't move he was paralyzed frozen into place with The Rock in his hand whatever he did he could not get closer to the bird the bird was controlling his mind it kept him from approaching he could step back but every time he stepped forward paralysis UA spent 3 days trying until the bird flew away the eight eyed Tator was indifferent to him as long as he didn't get closer than two steps it even let him feed on some carcasses up there and the two unfertilized eggs it left behind yes way sweetie crypto zoologist have been tracing it ever since but wamal is vast mysterious and holds many Secrets modern radar Telemetry shows great promise we will confirm this one by the end of the decade latest this one I liked not only does it have eight eyes and is a living fossil and the largest bird ever to live it also does mind control sadly yes but there are numerous reports of eight eyed bird skulls from IL Mara and then there's the Striking resemblance to the paronian Imperial Eagle an ancient ter symbol that is hard to pass off as coincidence the Imperial Eagle too had eight eyes not really it's just stylization the way they drew eyes it's not a Zoological drawing very very hard this one's very famous everyone knows it people be looking at that tie on you and thinking that man is in Cryptids so so what else do you want to [Music] know yes it's the kind green ape half War Story half undiscovered species in the genus homo yes it was reported by soldiers in South Safra during the war the kind green eight would visit bunkers during the night healing wounded soldiers with its saliva yes it has amazing healing qualities some soldiers reported growing back limbs regaining their sight indeed there is it's our closest relative among the Cryptids same taxonomic family different gainus which is to say the kind green ape is a species with which we share a common ancestor and that evolv parallel to our own just like your partners the lieutenant looks at you pleasantly surprised oh no I didn't mean to imply that s lights are inferior to us in many ways you are superior for example your ear wax doesn't have a foul odor like ours does a tremendous evolutionary Advantage I'm sure but perhaps we've had enough speculative biology for today hey you promised you'd only ask about one crypted the lieutenant pauses thoughtfully something in him breaks ah [ __ ] it let's have more crypted well the answer is yes there is an invisible Cryptid the called de madaka or thin Whisper Of Sound and that's precisely what it seems to be self-replicating soundwaves invisible and intangible it's very afraid of us which makes it incredibly difficult to track called madaka can also be translated as a whisper light and low yes that's another translation they're both quite lovely aren't they although the low part is a little ironic the cold de mama daqua makes or rather is such a high pitched sound that other animals including humans can't hear it it could be everywhere all of the time and we wouldn't know fine I'll bite how can an animal be a sound many scientists have asked the same question some have claimed that it isn't itself a sound but a tiny corple that admits sound waves but there's no evidence to support this Theory plenty it's the evidence that led to its Discovery in the 20s a group of aial pagei ornithologists that is scientists who study birds were trying out a new recording technology for capturing sounds outside the range of human hearing when playing back recordings they had made in the foothills of the a mountain range they noticed certain anomalies patterns that seemed random at first but on closer examination were consistent with the waveforms of song birds the scientists soon discovered they could track and even predict what appeared to be feeding mating and migration patterns based on sound waves in a strictly delimited range of ultrasonic frequencies even higher than those of the highest pitched bat calls they realized that they had discovered a new species and called it the C mad daqua after the parasian name for the voice of God which is said to be very silent they grew quite obsessed with these little birds even though they couldn't see them they could distinguish among individual birds and even began to name some of them sequester time Josan those are but some of the madaka they followed individually it could be as I said it could be everywhere and we wouldn't know any better it could be ringing all the days of our lives and nights that is a sad story a group of University students assisting with the fieldwork in their enthusiasm for the project and no doubt because they were preoccupied with impressing their professors nearly drove it to Extinction they tried to communicate with it and had no other means but sound so they started sending out sound waves at frequencies they thought might match the mamakas and what happens when a soundwave meets another Soundwave of the same frequency deer they cancel each other out exactly ly and these tests were performed so recklessly that when they happened upon the right frequency well they wiped out most of the population great regret washes over her a wending cloth after that the corpal appears to have migrated elsewhere there have been recordings of anomaly similar to those spotted in a but they've been few and far between it's impossible to confirm the presence of any stable C to madaka population anywhere of course a Common Thread in these disappearance and unfalsifiability I like the story though ma'am I'm glad you did dear what about what the gnome of jeroma oh it is none of it fix VI survived gri even relatives never even found their bodies because the Gnomes Venom dissolved organic tissue it was reportedly a small creature with wet fingers and a protuding forehead and gamely little thing quite scary to look at a couple of campers found it when it was already dying they heard an odd wailing in the woods and followed the sound they were scared and wrapped it in tarpoon to suffer at it it still took the gnome of Joma an entire day to die if the body of the creature was found why aren't there detailed illustrations of it in science textbooks confirming the existence of this very little species alas the first scientist who got his hands on the creature's course put it in a jar of form Malahide thinking that would detoxify the gnome's Venom instead all the Venom Le leaked out of the creature's teeth and into the surrounding liquid dissolving the creature itself a poetic end perhaps but a real loss for science that would be the giant of konur the giant lives in the most arid parts of the vas konur desert in South Samara casting a strange light across the barren wastes um Mirage or or a psychogenic luminance no one knows for sure it is like an awful Mountain appearing from below the Horizon and expanding to cover almost a third of your field of vision The Towering Luminosity of konur is a bad Omen in local folklore some say it's a Fatam Morana others fate unimaginable who you no animal can be that large it's a mirage that's what makes it so peculiar a species surviving at the very limits of scientific law the giant of gonur must be the largest animal the planet can support there are limits you see to how large a metabolism an ecosystem can be get some say a gravity anomaly below the konur desert might allow the creature to grow to these gargantuan sizes great this is great ship you need more gravity anomaly digging it diing this parascientific stuff right here crya Kat lensis yes a unicellular bacterium that was discovered in one of the northernmost points of kutla on the Boreal Plateau by renowned geologist Caitlyn maanu some 70 years ago the bacterial Colony Miju found had remained alive while frozen in ice for longer than anyone could reliably estimate certainly from before recorded history Mishu disappeared shortly after injecting herself with the bacteria she had brought back to study no doubt in hopes of prolonging her own life yes the bacteria had survived in the eyes since time IM Memorial it is not hard to see where she could have gotten the idea it's actually a little hard to see but do go on yes and she's quite mad too after she treated herself with the bacteria she stopped aging but also became increasingly eccentric and erasable so that even her oldest friends were forced to pull away we can assume assume that she has been living somewhere in the wilderness for decades now all alone except for the crya cenis coursing through her bloodstream I'm glad you like them but I'm not really want to tell you about all of them you should ask my husband if you get the chance he's the real expert I couldn't puss shower thanks on you as enthusiastically as my wife has but I am grateful for your assistance officer he tries to play it cool remain professorial but inside this man is itching for some news on those traps hell no I had no idea and I'm still cross with him to be honest it's not like him he's got his quirks but dishonesty dis loyalty are not one of them thanks he's still glad his friend stood up for him all right what Cryptids precisely I usually discuss these things with Specialists so I don't know what we would have to discuss he wants to say but decides against it since you've offered to help oh everyone knows about that one thanks to Professor Miju being the Talk of the Town for a Time although probably because her life Ended as a result of her working Guta now one remembers her contributions to the search for the Nong o a flightless cursor Al found in the semine oiles its long legs permit the Nong o to run faster than any other Aven perhaps any other animal who knows when it's not hunting its prey in its manner the O hangs from tree branches like a bat waiting to dive on hapless prey Below on the jungle floor maanu liked extreme animals you see one of the few figures of the academic establishment I respect really a shame she disappeared oh decades ago in the 30s I didn't know her personally of course a Chasm of academic pretensions still stood before us even though she had unusual courage for someone from the other side that's impressive I guess but have you seen it with your own eyes I haven't had a chance to travel to Coco nor no and I likely never will the samur Skil desert region has been embroiled in a small Civil War for the last eight years I fear this mindless barbarism may have wiped out the elusive creature entirely sidings of towering luminosities have grown rare recently while they once used to be constant it remains unclear what this has got to do with you seeing it as he was inquiring before he was just being defensive formerly the most dangerous yes but do you know the most dangerous living crypted he doesn't want to make it feel like you knowing it is some big deal believe me you won't guess it you either know or you don't the most dangerous Cryptid is a carnivorous ruminant known colloquially as the dread moose yes the dread moose subsists entirely on flesh there's even been known to dig up fresh graves in search of sustenance just like an ordinary Arden moose you can't that's what makes it so Dreadful and hard to identify the bodies found in the forest are just one piece of physical evidence there's more the recent surge in the moose population as hidden carnivores The Dread moose are effectively removing competition for both themselves and their evolutionary cousins the carnivorous moose are a very young species the result of a genetic mutation that fared well in the process of natural selection it makes sense that such a majestic animal with natural weapons antlers would come to rule the forest the only strange thing is that it took so long moose are already been hunted for sport can you imagine what would happen if they came to be viewed as Predators one slaughterhouse at the outskirts of the woods in Vasa reported that its staff kept seeing moose in the distance the Moose would just stare at the building as though they were waiting for something its eyes bloodshot and full of Cruelty but that's not all some of the ous apprentices went hiking by a nearby Creek and saw a moose nibbling on an unidentified carcass this isn't something unique various species of deer have been known to scavenge when plant food is scarce anyway there is more than enough evidence to justify a thorough surge for the dread moose let's close the subject before it turns into an argument here is a man who has had more than his fair share of heated arguments and would surprising as it may seem prefer not to have anymore I see you've been talking about Cryptids with Lena the kind green ape is one of her favorites a warm wave passes him of course the kind green ape is her favorite he thinks we traveled to South saffra to look for it once Gary and and I got stuck in a rainstorm though and had to spend most of our time there in a little village The Surge was fabulously unsuccessful but the people were very nice I'm glad they didn't understand what Gary was saying about them those people were on a different wrong of the ladder of civilization that's all you kept complaining about how dirty they were and I realized that their hygiene habits were completely appropriate for nent culture I just didn't feel comfortable let's change the topic no offense officer but I'm not much of a pedagogue I don't know what I would have done if Lena hadn't persuaded me to go back to field research you should ask her if you want interesting stories me I'm not a people person unless you haven't noticed and I don't make a good lecturer my strength lies in field workor and persistence be friendly dear the detective really likes these Critters we've talked about them in great detail by all means good okay and completely empty no locusts no fmid either that's not ideal but it just means the insulindian fmet is even more clever than we thought of course more clever yes the fantasma DEA picked off the Locust and escaped this is good news though we'll have to reconsider the design of the traps make them more secure another trip to the RO reads why don't you try convincing Morel his hypothesis is invalid thank you for the vow of night confidence Gary an officer I appreciate your concern but please leave this to The Experts unless you have an alternative hypothesis you'd like to venture actually no excuse me for getting emotional this is a a big deal for us you've helped us twice now and brought some great news too my gratitude and the Gratitude of the Krypto deol is yours heart felt gratitude but does it feel like closure what really happened some kind of Foul Play might be a foot theft thank you it we should probably return to our main investigation here this has been refreshing but helping cryptozoologists isn't really a priority for our organization is it the lieutenant looks out the window impatiently damn it Lieutenant have you no intellectual curiosity consider the way the empty trap was Disturbed as though shaken most likely the hands of a young person hands small enough to fit inside the Trap too kids what would a child want with bags oh my dear Morel you've been an old man for too long kids love to torment insects almost as much as they love to torment old folks delinquents my favorite oh you've been such a dear to us please let us know whatever you turn up I have a feeling we're getting so close well I see you've got all the help you need I'll see you tonight at my place let's play susar Renity but no more field trips for me really Gary we're getting somewhere here I'd love to play suarin t but Elena I'm sorry but you're not getting anywhere it was some kids I know the little mutants around here leave anything out in the open and they'll steal it even if it's bugs Morel it's been fun really but I need a bath and I have deliveries to handle when this tea is done I got to run no no no need to apologize garyi you'd be more than helpful we'll have to take a rain check on that game of Sue rain te today though we're going to follow this through he keeps the language unemotional but it's in there disappointment the first man to break formation is always a blow to leadership this is bigger than he lets on always a pleasure to see an officer of the law I mean officers was that could it be the CU mad daaka no it's probably just your imagination ringing in your ear there seems to be an extremely high-pitched ring ultrasonic Lena said it was very high-pitched right it's like something tickles your a honestly your ear isn't hearing a whole lot the distant hum of the industrial Harbor the traffic but admittedly there is a high-pitch noise somewhere there too but then isn't there always there it is again you are about to ReDiscover a long lost species yeah but how are you going to catch it it must be very close Maybe just maybe it will come toward you keep still it might perch on your shoulder no I don't hear the CUA and neither do you of course he doesn't he's death oh no the sound it's moving away somewhere over there go after it no too late it's gone there is no ringing anymore just the sound of the streets keep your ears peeled then if the species really has migrated to martines you're sure to hear it again [Music] Kuno saw you real that can sweet graffito action Pig Kuno likes that delinquent [ __ ] [ __ ] no ah [ __ ] that's right pig [ __ ] no Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] about books oh my God I told you that [ __ ] is lame shut upy now they're going to take you to lame prison she sounds like she's about to cry out of disappointment at kuna's Newfound lameness deny everything Kuno you need to lawyer up Kuno is not going to say anything without his lawyer present lame that Rings some Bells could this be connected to night City aka the city of Rage oh God Kuno no it's going to happen now they're going to make you lame stop it see no one's going to make anyone lame Kun know's got this under control there's definitely something going on here you should check out kuna's Shack the one with the pig's head Kuno doesn't [ __ ] care all around here the hisses and chirps of locust fill the musky air the earn floor of the shack has been shaked into mounds of mud dotted with little holes for Windows like skyscrapers spires of dirt and sand Rising accommodations for their insectoid inhabitants well detective it appears you've solved the case of the Locust for the missing Locust case which is a subcase of the imaginary insect case so at least that's going well oh I'm not being sarcastic at all we are making real progress here if any anything the presence of the locus points to the opposite the fmid did not take the bait from the traps it was Kuno the fmid doesn't exist but what do I know I'll let you handle the Kuno side of things you are doing just fine [ __ ] does Kuno care yeah Kuno took the books so what so it wasn't the fmid a wave of disappointment washes over you they're not pets don't you know what locusts are when they come out of the [ __ ] Sky [ __ ] descend and [ __ ] stop you stop it's like their night locusts are like this huge Shadow Locus coming down like a shadow this must be the night City he mentioned when you asked him where he's been yeah local city city of Rage City of Lights there's a tug of war over the name of his Fantastical City it's almost too big for his imagination the girl forces herself to watch again the corners of her eyes twitching from discomfort maybe I am oh my God Kuno he's going to make you totally lame in like 3 seconds don't let him Kuno yo [ __ ] you see Kuno can be what Kuno wants to be Kuno is his own man Kuno is free Kuno made himself into Kuno Kuno can make himself into anything Kuno can make himself into a pig if he wants Kuno can make himself into a Kuno doesn't give a [ __ ] don't make yourself into a pig Kuno you'll have to take me away without a word she disappears entirely behind the offense for once the boy is lost for words he turns completely red now with splotches of white beginning to appear across his face use this momentary confusion to take control of the situation I don't give a [ __ ] I don't need the locusts anyway [ __ ] is all lame now she was right the girl's face appears again above the fence just long enough to make eye contact with Kuno she doesn't know whether to be glad because Kuno is finally convinced of the lameness or more worried because of his continued use of the first person singular Kuno is Kuno not I it don't mean anything it's [ __ ] Kuno just likes to focus Kuno likes to concentrate on [ __ ] build [ __ ] when he's zipping hard [ __ ] Pig you really shouldn't have [ __ ] with Kuno City now it's all [ __ ] leave Kuno is going to let the [ __ ] locusts die the [ __ ] are they trying to catch anyway with the traps huh he recognizes the name [ __ ] think Kuno doesn't know [ __ ] the [ __ ] out of here Kuno tired of this [ __ ] there's silence between the two children they're not saying anything to each other nor looking in each other's Direction [Music] hello officer I think I almost have it a new trap design that is I know you're skeptical but I have a good feeling about this so he was just a [Music] child thank you for telling us sweetie this is good news right it means we can try again she acts chipper but something's changed in her tone a hidden worry something is secretly Goring at her confidence it's not this Kuno kid or the missing Locust it's something else yeah you're right we just need to restock the empty trap then we'll need to inspect the traps one more time then maybe we can [Laughter] he has a 38° fever his resilience has given way darling I told you to take it easy you're getting sick maybe it's time to go home you're right you're right we can come back next season when it's warmer there won't be a next season not for this find a fmid or admit defeat people [Music] of course sweetie you've helped us so much already everyone would understand if [Music] you you can fine it's better than having these people get pneumonia on the coast but after this he wants to see this tell through as much as you otherwise he'd have stopped this already but he cannot let it drag out after this really it's too much officer what Morel means is we're grateful for your help he's a fresh TR Lo they should slide right down the funnel and thank you again we would definitely mention you should this lead to a discovery I'm not talking co-discovery of better this would show them all we need to get you on that list of discoverers no question about that [Music] you're back good what can I help you with not an umbrella I hope I don't need one myself you see sadly I need this one myself it's hydrophobic repels water almost magically the company makes them for offshore platform Personnel very sturdy what I can do for you is answer some questions nothing like talking to pass a rainy day more lessons in basic reality my favorite part of the day go ahead ask me anything what is all of this the scent the sound the air what world the only one I suppose the world of matter and its pale antipode the camera of her mind Glides over the surface of the water great bodies of water water Forest covered surfaces clusters of light where the cities lie you've seen the Montage we all have this world is enough there is a term of endearment they coin for it in the DeLorean century when Humanity was high on this world discovering more and more of it these archipelagos included elisium it does there are those who would call it hell a term of hatred that originates like many such things with the mesque Petr fascists oh you want a picture of the world there is no complete set yet dear they're having some trouble reaching orbit great things are difficult to achieve for now we're viewing the world from the inside sideways we used used to think it was a sphere but that is beginning to look less and less likely by the day you wouldn't know it from the tabloids but the O RG Nations have been launching weather balloons into the lower ionosphere since the 30s o RG oxident riversol gr there's a steadily increasing trickle of images between the big three scientific contributors they're piecing together a dark gray Corona yes pale covers 72% of the surface there are gray flares and prominences even arcs above entire isas the images are blurry but if there was a sphere in there it certainly looks like it fractured a long time ago a cold fear seeps into you they say there is a rarified envelope of matter surrounding in the darkened disc of our planet that is if we are still living on a planet or to speak more plainly imagine vast sades of land disrupted by nothingness I am sorry dear it must sound quite terrifying through the acute enop even scientific positivism isn't entirely convinced about what we're dealing with here but this is one of the greatest questions of our time maybe when they get the complete set together it will jolt us out of our rut bring us together however naive it may sound I don't know about things of that scale my expertise lies in Nations and trade routes one or several layers below everything yes we'll be fine don't worry she does not seem convinced that you be fine if anything she's realizing how deep your condition runs you have Mis imagined it I don't have the power to convey to you the effect and geometry of the images that depict our world from below low orbit it's it's like the crowning of the world it's insane very disco you'd love it see everyone finds something worth holding on to in this world however wasted its opportunities suddenly you're conscious of yourself standing there on whatever this all is your arms hang down by your sides the lieutenant observes you both silently he adjusts his glasses the pale is not technically speaking part of reality yes also I think we've had enough excitement for today we do have a case to attend to his voice is low but firm all she can say is of course Lieutenant let's try something else I don't think your colleague would appreciate that he has already been so patient with this whole exercise let's continue with something else all right you can ask about anything else in the world anything you could sneak back later when the lieutenant is not here unless you can convince him to step aside good idea just ask him he won't make a scene fine see what can he do you're a grown man are you sure you're sure your colleague seemed adamant okay the pale is the most dominant geological feature of the world detective the separative tissue between the eers it is the inter Mass Isa is a meinian word for a continent of matter enveloped on all sides by the pale also isolation or land mass we used to believe there was only one in the last four centuries we have discovered seven Wy SE Samara ilar gr catler and this in sind an oceanic Isa it comprises mostly of water Moi is the largest catla the coldest insulinde The Bluest what can I say each is perishing and dear acromatic odorless featureless the pale is the enemy of matter and life it is not like any other or any in the world it is the transition state of being into nothingness no detective we're safe it begins there 6,000 km to the north and even more to the south east and west you are in in the middle of the isula as your gaze instinctively turns North a small black pit opens up in your stomach an uproar of matter darling Rising into the pale rolling evaporating even a great vision the area of transition between the world and the pale is called porch collapse imagine a gray coron Mist Cold Vapor marked by spores of an opportunistic microorganism a mold that's adapted to grow at the edge of the unrest it's a the most disco thing you will ever see oh it is so difficult for us a Squall of birds Hardware operating in the harbor firm self-evident it is possible to force dimensions on the pale in modern times we can even compress its latitude bouncing radio waves from one end to the other shortening the path but it is still hard for humans to navigate The Pale without getting lost or having our minds damaged extensively some say the damage stems from extreme sensory deprivation others argue that pale somehow consists of past information that's degrading that it's rarified past not rarified matter they call it the blend over of the self the pale does not only suspend the laws of physics but also the laws of psychology maybe history even the human mind becomes over radiated by past it feels terrible absolutely Ely terrible International standards strictly limit civilian travelers to 6 days of pale exposure per year no Lieutenant DW I'm entreprene business class I'm cleared and trained for 22 days of pale Transit annually perhaps that explains her strange pining After the Revolution some degraded early memories up to my girls off sir an acidic smile on her lips it's getting worse every year it's difficult to describe or even measure something whose fundamental property is the suspension of properties physical epistemological linguistic the further into P you travel the steeper the degree of suspension right down to the mathematical numbers stop working no one has yet passed the number barrier it may be impossible entrop netics is a scientific study of the pale or a recent iteration of it by way of gr the study of the pale reaches back 6,000 years the peric canarians called it the western plain there are signs of pretto modern Crossings successful navigation of the pale relies not just on technical knowhow but intensive psychological preparation some of these tactics have been known for thousands of years nothing we remain powerless before the pale the only real advance in pale Transit is the speed with which an aerostatic craft can pierce it less exposure leads to less effects later hybrid airships detective conventional rotors or jet engines no longer add veloc after the point of reference for motion is suspended once you've crossed from near pale to far pale in essence we throw them in and they come out the other end if we throw them precisely then they don't gone like a skipping Stone beneath the surface the pale outweighs reality 2 to one there is more pale than there is matter and the ratio is slipping what do you think Detective precisely one of the few measurable effects of the pale is that it is expanding at an unknown rate an intuitive conclusion of that development is that one day the pale will cover everything but this sort of talk is mostly left to extremists most people and indeed most private and government sector organizations entire civilizations and religions even find Handy ways to ignore or downplay that knowledge I suggest you do the same off we go you see the hanged man's mouth open one and all they say pale is death but for the universe why should we just leave and leave and the world get left behind yes sweet reality but before we do tell me detective is this the first time you're hearing this do you really not remember anything then tell me what do you think of the pale mhm your aien Constitution sweaty forehead the beads there and your heavy breathing you really didn't know this does not spell good for the investigation detective if you don't know even this then I hope so I truly do if I may suggest hold on to your colleague kitsuragi I ran a check on him and he is very competent in the meanwhile some of that Assurance is meant for herself as much as it's meant for you she must have a lot on the line here you have me I will assist you in any way I can even if we have to do it one basic term at a time good you have not passed out from it perhaps I wor it for nothing are we still on the reality Lowdown or should we do actual police work now good luck Detective gives tremble the time is now TAA time for the show for TAA the hallowed time of fear and disintegration a countdown has begun all will collapse on itself the world will disappear into a single grain of Blackness all sound will be muted all life will scream U theodos Zin oanes Monday morning the moment you arrived in this reality are the first crack in the sheer face of God from you it will spread yes you spoke the words of the paland dros and the houses of perican nesses items people even words will tumble all will lose its meaning in the coming years that is why you marked yourself the face of the woman fractures there will be heard killing we all become VAP [Music] is that the fmid it looks like the fmid leaning against the wall wait what if this is the fishing rod situation all over again fine it's not a fmid it's not even organic just a fire iron resting by the fireplace but where's your sense of Wonder Man hello Mis yes I am Little Lily you know my mom that's nice my mom is great she's never angry or anything oh I had gloves very big ones heavy too where did you get these gloves found them when ly and I were playing hide and seek in an empty house where no one lived I think someone hid them there she doesn't want you to think she stole them I hid them the Twins were going to take them they're stupid we're going to need those gloves it's for important Police business oh there in my sand castle behind a house understand you can break the castle it's not very good bye the scruffy haired little boy kicks a stone while the other watches him do it yes yes yes this one doesn't say anything kicking the concrete with his worn out sneaker Lily our mom the stone kicker laughs suddenly his head is too large for his shoulders the other one laughs as well [Music] weather has not been kind to Lily's little sand castle the once Mighty towers are quickly eroding away you can see something shining back to you from what must have been a vast underground catacomb Network the walls and Floors give way to the Giant's greed collapse and present you with a pair of ceramic gauntlets congratulations that's the ga let's down then we're doing good on the armor collection front as you fold your fingers into a fist you realize you could knock anyone out with one punch the white ceramic gloves wrap around your digits comfortably your movements cause tiny little clicks like dice rolling somewhere far away as the plates reorient to your motions the hardened vitous enamel at once sleek and light adds a glow to your cheeks and a spring to your step just imagine what a full suit of this stuff could do for you you really do feel more confident invulnerability does that even partial invulnerability it may be a while before you have all the pieces in the meantime you should analyze the armor figure out its vulnerabilities remember this is a highly specialized kinetic redistributor meant to stop bullets wear it observe its properties see if there's a weakness in the design for the day you have to fight someone covered in the same material [Music] you take the legal documents out of the envelope a 12 to 40 month construction period and the zoning plan in the addendum with a confident flourish you complete your forgery what do you see on the signature line indeed they look distinctly different and very convincing these might as well be their actual signatures but they're not and the document will be nullified if they dispute it that means everard will have to start over all you need to do now is mail the signatures to ever's accountant in lad Delta there was a mail delivery box in the plaza near the corner of the bookstore tequila sunset good [ __ ] question tequila if I knew the answer you think I'd be hanging out on a beach in this formerly premium but now extremely dirty two two piece licra tracksuit I used to own my reality situation my business buddies and I had our own creative Services Agency I had a nice apartment an even nicer piece of ass but somehow it all got away from me now I can't hang on to anything just last week I stole this nice new jacket but then I lost it too the only things I haven't lost are these two to drunks you of all people should empathize with this perhaps this lost jacket is something you could help with tequila it's a verifiable tragedy was practically brand new sure it didn't really go with my licra threads but it did itch a lot less say you're a detective right maybe you can help old Doom spiral out solve the case of the missing jacket what do you say tequila holy [ __ ] tequila how did you never mind I don't care just let me see the jacket let me see what this isn't my jacket my jacket was beautiful this is [ __ ] filthy what am I supposed to do with this I'm not taking a disgusting pile of hobo Rags I may be in an irrecoverably decaying orbit it but I've still got standards either bring it back the way it was before or find a dumpster to burn it in you know despite the guano it looks like the jacket itself is stain resistant it may just need a good scrubbing I do but as you can see my fuel tank is running quite low if you catch my drift not much but it will do the tale I'm about to tell you is an urban legend particular to martines that said I first heard it from a former bicycle Courier in Koran there are many variations on the basic story and the details often conflict what everyone agrees on is that nobody knows the exact nature or identity of the phenomenon are you telling the story of the edas shut the [ __ ] up Rosemary summer of 44 17-year-old Gertrude het is walking home from a late shift at the harbor it's almost midnight she stops for a cigarette near the canal our heroine finds herself enjoying the peace and quiet the canal provides what she doesn't know is that her peace is about to be shattered from behind her comes the clattering of hooves startled she turns around and what does she see well yes but it's the man on the horse that's of Interest here a man the PO is long and dramatic with no head on his shoulders wearing a f tracksuit searching for the legendary found cap that went missing when he lost his head head I thought that hero The Headless Pig well there are many versions of this story the most peculiar of which has the Headless found Rider riding on the back of another headless man yes according to Legend young Gertrude head had to endure years of psychotherapy before she was able to look at a horse or tracksuit again and she's one of the lucky ones Gertrude het may have been the first to witness the Headless F Rider but she wasn't the last oh no tell them about the two feminists by the locks [ __ ] Rosemary they were dating no one said they were feminists everyone always misremembering this stuff H this wouldn't be the Depon delado case would it what you know it I read the case File but please gone right Early Autumn of 46 Ula deont and Eva Delgado are fishing near the water lock long after the sun has set the wind picks up a sky already dark now blackens water starts falling from above the first cold rain of the season the women are caught in the downpour they act quickly Eva gathers the rods whilst Ula turns around to reach for The Tackle Box don't turn around don't turn around when she sees something her shriek is so violent that the residents of the nearby apartment building believe lightning has struck but there is no lightning only a heavy downpour and the silhouette of the Headless F Rider looming on the horizon aula makes a run for the shore but Eva slips on a wet Rock and disappears into the cold cold canal with Nara sound her body has never recovered naturally Ula Deonte became the prime suspect in The Disappearance of Eva delado deponte maintained that it was the so-called headless F Rider and that she ran fearing for her life during the investigation it became apparent that there was a love triangle the third party being some smalltime businessman I don't remember the exact details the leading theory was that an argument broke out on the jetti and DEP Pon pushed Delgado into the canal then cooked up this stupid cover story no she committed suicide before she could be taken into custody they found her in the bathroom with a rifle her face slowly peeling off the ceiling not a pretty scene man that's some grizzly detail oh well he appears to another case closed anyway that's the story of the Headless F Rider pretty crazy [Music] huh well tequila that's part of the legend no one knows for sure there are a couple of possibilities though some say he was an undercover cop who blew his cover and got beheaded by The Vicious gang he had infiltrated now he rides searching for his lost found cap plotting Revenge oh headless Brother Where Art Thou others claim he was a professional jockey who veered off course during a steeple chase ended up in somebody's backyard and got decapitated by an exceptionally taught clothes line personally I think he was just some guy who hanged himself from a really tall tree and the fall was so VI violent that his head came clean off coincidentally at that exact moment a horse happened to pass under him and his beheaded corpse mounted it where it remains to this day but then no one really knows for some reason this does strike you as the most plausible theory of them [Music] all that explains the horse part for sure don't know why he'd be wearing a track suit though seems like like a stretch if you ask me anyway to each his own you want to hear any other stories hard to argue is that I suppose that's the reality situation for you you think you got a handle on it then blam it throws some wild [ __ ] at you no one knows some say he stalks martines to this day and can be seen near the canal when the clock strikes midnight he won't though because it's just a stupid Legend hi I saw him one night when I right [ __ ] faed the legend he's back and firstly I got smokes and piss and a little speed to spice things up bottoms up Captain tequila sunset I actually do have one the strangest of them all but I'll need to fortify myself before I can tell that one do you have anything to fortify old Doom spiral tell me you got some story juice not much but it will do this last one is the most Martina story I've ever heard I've never heard it mentioned outside of here at first I thought it was a joke to be honest but I've been on the coast 8 9 months now and in that time I've seen at least three Expeditions come through searching for something hey hey [ __ ] you tequila all kinds I've seen archaeologists gangsters even a bunch of Ad Agency types I'm telling you tequila this thing's got a pull on certain kinds of people you know obsessive types people with predels some of those Expeditions come back after a week or so looking Haggard and dejected others don't return at all the first time I saw one of these Expeditions I thought they were [ __ ] with me there was no way it could be true it was just too high concept even for me I'm not even sure I should be telling you this story to be perfectly honest you're in a fragile state and it might be too much for you to handle okay fine I'll tell you but I'm warning you it's pretty Out There Our Story begins at a legendary design studio right here in martines there was this designer his exact name is lost to history but in life he was a legend made it big in aranna where he did did some real pioneering work on grotesque and Sans serif typography a [ __ ] genius man that is if he even existed who knows it's an urban legend after all anyway sometime later he started his own personal Studio here in Martinez and that's when he started working on some really wild stuff I'm talking some glass smooth forward-looking design language the kind of thing that would totally overthrow the old regime design wise a paradigm shattering revolutionary but then something turned you see it's widely known that nose candy and Pioneer graphic design work go hand in hand you know Tequila nose candy the white railroad party powder the kids on the streets also call it snow day or eilan gold for the plateau on which most of the world Supply is grown and harvested typically by slave labor sinus salt the White Knight con C for its popularity among the aristocratic class of the prior Century along with a number of more benile street names blow of course but also flake powder Pearl really anything that's white will work he's talking about cocaine baby [ __ ] yeah tequila you know exactly what I'm talking about you've got to understand the work this guy was doing was so high concept that regular amounts of cocaine just weren't cutting it by the end they were bringing it in by the L load now as you might imagine snorting that much cocaine can't be healthy for a regular human right right wrong do it all the time all day baby hey tequila pay attention The Story Goes that one day he was balls deep in work on what he thought would be his PS resistance an advert so minimal it contained neither text nor images just Pure White apparently the idea was too high concept even for this genius he dropped dead right at his desk before he could finish his last words are recorded to have been it's as white as a blizzard of cocaine I know Tequila I know but the story doesn't end there supposedly when they performed the autopsy the coroner discovered nearly A4 kilo of coke jammed into his nasal cavity that's right 250 g of blow had accumulated in there over the years we're talking highgrade saram meritan pure not that Cut Rate [ __ ] your grandma does there are those who believe the designer was buried with this quarter key of nose candy still lodged in his sinuses that's what those Expeditions are looking for the cocaine skull the cocaine skull no wow here's the kicker this designer this lead designer of a world famous Design Studio was born in martines a local boy Martin martines that's why he brought his Studio here back to where it all began and that's why they buried him here too perhaps right under ab's pipe there or probably further down the coast or in some yard in Martin's proper a hidden melum no one knows exactly no my grandma always told me his grave lays somewhere on the islets on the bye this is ludicrous and physically impossible sinuses can contain that amount of anything now now detective always the skeptic my only question is where does one get a shovel don't listen to him or his grandma he's just making things up no my grandma told me I've heard other people say it too that it's underwater oh no maybe it was the storm CS or maybe it's in the air or in an ancient step pyramid of shore in a pyramid now that would be something the archaeologists say they want to put it in a museum the gangsters say they want to sell it on the black market and the Ad Agency guys say they're seeking inspiration [ __ ] they just want to snow it but you could beat them to it Harry you could snort the magic skull cocaine instead I'm pretty sure they all just want to snort it though and why wouldn't they eh sounds like right strong stuff they're pretty vague about it in general the gangsters like to claim they're looking for the grave of a friend with picss and shovels the archaeologists act all official about it saying they're conducting serious research honestly I think they're not really scientists just Rich the junkies for some reason are pretty upfront about it they just say they're looking to snort some blow out of a dead man's nasal cavity honest men on an honest Quest you should join them by now I'd say I know about as much about it as anyone on the [Music] coast whoa whoa whoa hold on just a minute finding it right now is literally impossible what for one the way is blocked by that big lry that says Delta logistics company on the side you definitely have to search the area behind that L too yet it is impassible and second outfitting an expedition like that is expensive it' have to be a big production to do the cocaine Justice you need new gear people who know what they're doing all kinds of Provisions it's just not feasible within the economic and temporal frame of our current setup matter of fact unless a bunch of money just falls out of the sky we might never know what's up with that skull I have to agree we barely have what we need to solve the case we've got now we can't afford to run around chasing after quas mythical pieces of drug paraphernalia besides it would look extremely bad for the RCM to be caught up in something that has the word cocaine WR large on it the pr is tricky on this wait maybe there's another way maybe up around the coast don't give up now yeah well that's the reality situation for you who knows though maybe someday we'll get our chance not that I can think of C L that might be the case yes ourant the policeman I hope the waves don't keep you up at night what can I help you with I can wash it for for you but it's going to take about a half an hour think you can stay put for that long hell yeah I could use a breather it's been another track and field day well hand it over then and I'll see what I can do Mercy I'm proud of this one it's pretty nice underneath all that filth I hope you take better care of it than its last [Music] owner tequila sunset my jacket a look of consternation crosses the man's face he looks at you then at his bottle then back at you what the [ __ ] are you talking about tequila Rosemary what the [ __ ] is tequila talking about oh that's the jacket you stole two weeks ago from the kid who was making it with his gal on the beach that's disgusting I've never done anything like that in my life you're both delusional F that's medium concept stuff I'm calling it it's neurological that [ __ ] is so medium concept I wouldn't touch it with a stick but yeah okay I'm sure it looks great on you it's an okay jacket if you are into that look okay let's step aside for a second I have something I want to talk about [Music] I've been meaning to have a little chat with you about your sense of style I'm glad you finally started dressing a little more like an officer of drcm keep it up your half brother is proud to stand beside [Music] you officers above the rank of sergeants are granted wide discretion when when it comes to their uniforms the idea is that civilians are more likely to open up to someone who's not dressed like a typical cop you know the expression the clothes make the man the right outfit in the right situation can make all the difference in the world let's not get ahead of ourselves detective a warm smile anyway we should probably get back to the case let's go [Music] the Reeds dance slowly around the empty trap the trap's netting trembles no insect sounds or movement anywhere the Locust dazed from being transported slowly begin to acclimate to their new surroundings they're not really going to to get the chance to get comfortable here good now that's done when can we get to our impending apocalyse of a murder investigation don't answer that it was a rhetorical question he doesn't want to but if there is one more cryptozoological runaround he must Force the investigation back on track this better be it [Music] as you approach the man turns and greets you with a polite wave he appears completely at ease like a common holiday maker ah super it's the officer I was not expecting to run into you again but things have a funny way of turning out no what brings you down to the scenic Martinez Coast h well that's TR I was visiting the fishing Village just north of here they have applied for a series of microloans to revitalize the Old Market and well I wish to see the situation firsthand and then well I had some extra time on my hands so I decided to stroll down here it's quite peaceful isn't it h is that what those Puck marks are I might have guessed fascinating how much history is contained right here if only one knows where to look for it you feel like there's something you could say here if only you really knew what was going on abon I'm all's officer my friend if it's responsibility after I have good news for you there's no need to form such a committee because it already exists the responsility it acts as a sort of of Clearing House for Coalition activities to put it simply they are the ultimate Arbiters of responsibility in this part of the world yes this is just the sort of reasonable Authority you're looking for I would offer to connect you with the committee myself but alas I am not actually in Martinez what where is he then of course we are speaking informally but officially I am still in LA Delta preparing for upcoming conference on fuel oil derivatives that's why it would be extremely irregular or potentially even inappropriate for me to intercede with the committee concerning a district I'm not officially in yes you've made your persistence quite clear under normal circumstances I would have to insist you go through the regular challenge no no you can't let them give you the runaround but if you have information of a vital interest they might be willing to entertain an exception in which case I would advise you to contact them via Coalition warship arer Prof sir you mean to say that you haven't noticed the giant Coalition aerostatic peacefully patrolling the Skies over rivon you can't see anything but then it's dark and your eyes aren't the sharpest interesting in a sense that's the very idea the Coalition doesn't want the people of Rivera to feel that they are under a military occupation that is why the Archer is always careful to maintain a constant discret distance you see in addition to being an Airborne artillery platform Coalition warship Archer is also the lynchpin of the coalition's surveillance and Communications infrastructure in Ron and listening it has the most objective vantage point in the entire city not to mention a vast array of radio photographic and meteorological monitoring instruments I find it a great comfort to know there are benevolent Powers watching over all in strict accordance with the wayer Act and the Bristol Moon convention the Bristol Moon conventions are a series of international agreements governing the treatment of military personnel and civilians in theaters of War as well as occupied territories in practice they are more talked about than observed this is quite the problem very tricky of course the Archer has orders to fire on any unidentified aerostatics that might approach it so it might be safer to get in touch from the ground but in that case you would require a radi transmitter capable of broadcasting on Coalition frequencies and that kind of Technology naturally isn't typically available for non-coalition use yes it is a bit of a conundrum I suppose there might be some way to Circuit bend your way onto those frequencies but you'd have to be one of those techno thinkers to do it unfortunately not no I don't have the pleasure I am merely a representative of the coalition government not very well vered in technology but you sounds like something that programmer we met in the church might be able to help with let me just say that I have complete confidence in ZM I'm sure you'll figure something out always my pleasure to be of assistance to the RCN do speed and if we don't meet again buns [Music] no [Music] [Applause] [Music] the surrounding blaze of the electric lights makes the white on Blue police liery of the motor Carriage seem beautifully ominous do something important something murder related there's always something important doesn't mean you can't take a moment to admire this piece of Machinery this is a Caprice Cana the capric motor corpse followup to their highly successful Workhorse Caprice 40 and the answer to the lum's racing breed FV series with its aircooled rear mounted 12 cylinder compression ignition engine driving the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox the caner is able to reach 100 km per hour in 13.5 seconds and go onto a top speed of 180 km an hour the high Center of balance is offset by a large battery Bank mounted at the bottom of the cabin feeding all the auxiliary systems and making the Cana effectively a mobile power plant due to a quite steep price tag it is very unusual to see one in police Livery mhm you want to take a closer [Music] look 130 I reckon that's a 7 L V12 there man that's got to be a major advancement over the kr18 GU engine on the old cprice [Music] 40 yeah you know it uh yes that's right I'm very impressed that you know these things yes an Extraordinary Machine helium headlights would improve the range and quality of the visual fi a lot it's a bit girly right now fit it with some proper off-road components actually I have a pair at home just haven't gotten around to fitting them yet I need to lay some wiring for the ballast first you want to help thank you for the offer that might be fun let's do the case first though all right you mean the coil noise when variable current passes through wires that make up the coils on the electrical system on this machine it causes vibration in the wires and the cores of the coils when the frequency of the current in the coils Falls within the audible range the resulting vibration creates the whiny sound you mentioned I have pretty much maintain my vehicles by myself ever since one was assigned to me you inevitably pick up some knowledge on the way there's pride in there a trained driver knows his [Music] ride the dented yellow mailbox greets you with its graffito and bullet holes in the [Music] front you drop the white envelope in the darkness it lands with a soft thud on what sounds like a couple of letters about a week's worth of male as collected in there they'll entty this very soon all right let's go back to Evart if we don't mention anything to him he won't know before it's too late [Music] [Applause] ready [Music] [Music] you're back before the cargo container it's drawer has not lessened since you were last here if anything it seems to have grown slightly [Music] you're back before the cargo container its drawer has not lessened since you were last here if anything it seems to have grown slightly why are you even trying to open a door with rhetoric because what wasn't an option now is not the time to get philosophical detective you can do that after hours you're back before the cargo container its drawer has not lessened since you were last here if anything it seems to despite the dirt that surrounds and trails you a beacon of light emerges from deep within you the door stands silent satisfied detective try again just like that you hear a click then a rattle some mechanism unlocks itself inside the door AO come on in you can't be serious the man stands at the far end of the shipping container it's hard to say anything more about him you cannot make out any of his details but you do feel the overwhelming presence of capital the feeling causes all the hairs on your body to stand at attention like soldiers preparing for review something a miss the light beams bend around his face and Scatter in a thousand and directions it seems the laws of physics do not apply here they are suspended distorted an echo trying to visualize the physics at play is liable to give you an aneurysm don't think about it too hard in the general Stillness only your tongue moves flickering as you utter welcome come in make yourself at home sorry I'm not better able to receive you I wasn't expecting visitors today you can't hear him exactly yet you're able to understand every word he says it is very strange and overwhelming hum covers everything voice doesn't escape from him no what can I do for you gentlemen who am I oh I haven't been asked that question for such a long time I don't meet a lot of people outside my circle these days anyhow my name is rustan deodor investor license holder an extremely high net worth individual and you are Mr deodor I am Lieutenant Kim kitsuragi of the RCM and this is my partner pleasure to meet you harer dubua I must admit the name suits you very well could you please stop asking people for money it does not reflect well on the RCM and to be perfectly Frank we can't afford to look worse than we already do it's perfectly all right based on your appearance I can tell I'm dealing with a smart man as you may know us High Network individuals do not have a lot of cash on hand Investments and liquidity are enemies of one another I think I only have coins for coffee machines here's three how much can you get for this that's the idea my friend you've got to work for the rest maybe you can make that money grow come up with an investment plan how's that sound this is a proposal not a question deploying High concept buzzword generator all systems functional ready to engage in three 2 1 it's time to disrupt the future you've got to stay lean Innovative and focus on what matters most the children a youth center huh what kind of Youth Center a place to teach them practical skills like teamwork and self-discipline come on tell him what he wants to hear brilliant without children who'll be there to buy stuff in the future when life closes a door it opens a window yes what's the expected return on this you're deep into Ultra liberal territory now good work very impressive you've got a natural eye for unusual investment opportunities I don't normally do this without a formal pitch deck but to hell with it what's the point of being rich if you have to follow all the rules here's the round of seed funding this should be enough to prove out the concept and get things off the ground bratan now's your chance to take some time off spend it with your good buddy and get absolutely wrecked in the process what is this [ __ ] calculating risks thatan the risks you can't calculate are the only ones worth taking the lieutenant looks at you with horror you've been mumbling to your necktie in a days for several minutes ah yes now you're display it the eccentricity that becomes a wealthy individual remember it's not a handout it's an investment and I expect to see Returns the lieutenant stands there dumbfounded his mouth opens slightly then closes again is he having a stroke yes I'm all right can we get going now now was there anything else I could help you gentlemen with oh Lord not this again oh nothing it's just that we've got this murder to solve and yet you go around asking everyone about money and every time I ask are you sure this is related to the case you say sure game I think it is and yet it never seems to get as any closer to solving the case it's quite all right I'm used to the question by now to be PL I inherited my fortune from my grandmother who herself was an extremely high net worth individual backing gr all I did was take her fortune and invested prudently believe it or not it takes more than a bit of skill not to blow a vast fortune on sailing boats bad choices and unsupervised State policy I got to tell you at first being rich is a lot of work you've got to work hard because everything's so darn expensive you know prices increase exponentially at this income level but then once you've reached my position it's nearly impossible for me not to make money my assets are so Diversified that I'm bound to come out head no matter what some of my lower Networth friends say to me but doesn't that take all the fun out ofit and I tell them not really sure and they benefit when I buy things to stimulate the economy do you know how many jobs it takes to build and maintain a racing yach dozens at least of course in the future it will all be ultimated but my point is this every man gets what he earns it's the height of tyranny to take that from him it is truly it's almost entirely Carefree it really leaves you time to better yourself spiritually hey hey all this talk about money has made you lose the thread what is going on with the light in this place that's what you need to ask him about traveling this is a great way to get around it's fun it's safe and it gives me lots of time to think by the way let me now ask you a question where are we exactly in the very very early days of colonizing this archipelago the kingdom of sens a precursor of a modern C clay used to own the city of r an obscure detail in the bigger picture but still worth dropping ah a fellow history buff I myself am currently reading Cup on Franco Nigerian era trains very interesting stuff it's a shame I can't get out and explore myself one of the downsides of being an extremely high net worth individual is that mops of low net worth indiv individuals are constantly bonding together to ask for money there simply aren't enough hours a day to hand out all the handouts it's like feeding seagulls they're always more and they never seem to do anything interesting with it except more seagulls spending money is a matter of Desire I'm sure you agree I don't have the desire for spending it like that smart L it also provides a means to hide from all the targeted advertising we extremely high Networth individuals are constantly subjected to luxury Ys High Fidelity portable radio systems pil prooof alare and so on it just gets a bit middle class after a while a bit boura don't get me wrong there nice things but once you achieve a certain level of wealth your time and mental space become much more important than material Goods he speaks from the heart he has very different problems compared to low net worth individuals such as yourself for example no problems at all what no I didn't say that at all being rich is great just don't tell anyone I told you that what do you mean are you talking about my chin oh that's what you mean yes I've heard of this effect though I've never witnessed it myself of course it has something to do with our vice visan coefficient the wise vaman coefficient is a ratio designed to reflect the difference in net worth between individuals when the coefficient is close to one or 100% it means one person possesses all the net worth among that group of individuals it's been observed that when the wise visman coefficient reaches about 96 or so the laws of physic begin to bend around the high net worth individual the wise fisman coefficient for you and this individual appears to be 9998 repeating come on other thingss but calm down I'm but a lonly single digit billionaire no not really there are actually quite many digits I see nothing of the sort to be frank all I see is a gentleman who is unusually well-dressed for Martinez in a cargo container which I admit is hard yes I imagine that does look strange to you my container the pleasure was mine unfortunately I must be away soon the next time we meet I'll be expecting an update on my investment farewell friend and may your peace of mind guide you to happiness [Music] Mr de every worker for himself right what can I do for you today Mega Rich light bending guy oh my God how did that get in there damn it to hell Harry I specifically told my guys to check all the containers for Mega Rich light lending guys there was a guy in the container but he didn't bend any light that was in the detective's head honestly guys we might be moving all kinds of suspicious things through this Harbor but I won't be caught transporting the light bending Mega rich I have a reputation to protect no they're not they're Vermin and one just found a way inside my container soon he'll bring the others all three of them thank you for telling me I'll see to this immediately I shudder to think what you're going to tell me next Harry not for one second did he believe there's an actual Mega rich person somewhere in his container Town The Golden Boy returns once more wonderful simply wonderful Harry but my friend the mailman confirms the letter is on its way you've done a great thing today you've given the children of Martinez a bright future and you've proven yourself someone I can trust someone I can really do business with you're in my inner circle you too Mr kitsuragi we can talk about anything the strike the murder your lost gun nothing is off the table oh bratan you play the old man like a three string banjo he has no idea better not to gloat sire it his arrogance that gives the play away be subtle Harry by now you should know I would never do anything tricky like that however if the construction noise and limited Street access makes some people consider moving well let's just say there'll be freshly renovated buildings near the roundabout where those poor people can finally enjoy a significant optic and quality of life I'm talking real affordable workers palaces he proudly spreads his hands to demonstrate the size of the Palaces they're very large so the village is doomed you were there you saw the place a wasteland there's nothing left but mark my words officers we are going to reset it reset I have big plans for Martin A's and they do not include humans living in those Pig sheds on the coast that land will be used for municipal buildings and commerce Harry imagine a youth center Supermarket Church complex employing hundreds no thousands of people the coast will be lit up with Enterprise and life all those ruins out there turned into lowincome housing Harry enough is enough we're taking this District back the war was 50 years ago for God's sake it's time to move on yes I do I got the center I got room for a retail complex and in 4 years I'll get the church too the wheels are already turning Harry the wheels of progress this postwar limbo I won't stand for it there are kids practically playing with their own feces out there it cannot go on there is true indignation in his voice when he speaks about the state of things and even a touch of pain and then there will be a giant statue of him taring above it all I'm not a symbolist Harry I'm a realist my statue will be Martin A's rebuilt five-story building complexes kids off speed and land owners in a zon hating me that will be my statue and yours we're doing this together you would look nice as a statue oh I do Harry I really do I'm going to make the Working Man richer than Joyce Messier with that vote of yours that's my job just like yours is to keep the peace order it you know my men didn't kill him they told you it was a happy accident you know how it is no one takes the initiative if I wanted him dead I would have had to do it myself and I'm too fat for that why a war of course and what do you have to gain from a war Victory Mr kitsuragi I have Victory to gain we are going to start a war with the wild Pines group and win before they even realize there is a war I have it's a great story Harry did you also know how the bee Colony kills the giant hornet they swarm and blanket it entirely Until It suffers a massive heat stroke and dies he crosses his hands contently thinking of the Interior temperature of the WASP Rising Harry we outnumber them 1500 to one and that's just Martin a with all the unions in rolw and with public opinion on our side we can hold off two men or 15 men or even 50 men the more they send the worse it's going to look for them they made a huge mistake hiring those guys no one likes foreign mercenaries the leftists hate them the fascists hate them even the moralists think they're in bad taste hurry there is no strike only War class war or in business terms a dawn raid or wait is that is that when you still pay them something because we won't do that we're not going to give nothing we're going to take Terminal B away from them the roads the gates the containers that Big Crane even the damn coffee maker we're going to take all of it for the people and [ __ ] wild Pines the word [ __ ] Rings like a gunshot from his mouth he doesn't swear often so that's why you haven't let Joyce in yes it's also why I let that [ __ ] gont go he's too nice I can't put him through this plus he knows how to get in here that woman can't tell her tits from her [ __ ] she has no chance because we're friends Harry besides it doesn't matter now you can go tell her if you want it won't change the course of events we have a significant Head Start it's already happening 2372 plus Yours Truly of course and they're all well motivated at least the ones you've seen Oh you mean what sort of goods are going to be flowing through how am I going to replace all the contacts we'll lose once the poo poo hits the fan the clients will ditch us Harry we've thought of everything we've been rning running back Channel negotiations with all the major clients I think the company will be unpleasantly surprised to see how many of them stay loyal to Martin A's and to the new competitive contracts we can offer with renewed Zeal sparked by communal ownership the men will be shipping those containers double time you'll be surprised to see how fast things go without parasites latching on we'll have our hands free to pursue bold exotic new revenue streams that's drugs drug trafficking drug trafficking don't be stupid Mr kitsuragi there are perfectly legal 100% ethical chemical factories on the Samaran esola you don't need to be colonialist about it all they do is produce components to keep the pharmaceutical industry running that's People's Health we're talking about old granny's little babes people with disabilities the company thinks trans sporting these chemicals in bulk looks bad has bad Optics may be illegal in some countries the deard union however we're all about the large volume column in Block shipping large volume column is a major buyer a shark we're going to transport The Living Daylights out of those materials Harry so your sick kid can get his benefit and your wacky Uncle doesn't have to come offer a spazo benefed is a children's cold medicine usually apricot flavored and RIS perizone is used to treat severe psychosis and the kids on the street can get speed and Pon I'm an oldfashioned Guy Mr kitsuragi I sometimes grab a beer with the boys but I have no idea about the things you just mentioned but if I were to supply ingredients for some sort of rainbow party I would make sure the union took a fantastic share and I'd keep that stuff far away from Martin A's he's basically admitting to it Harry if I was supplying raw materials to drug manufacturers I would need an army of rubies and this to it it's also far removed from my men and the people of Martin A's who've put their trust in me anyway let's not focus on the sensationalism of the drug trade this hypothetical drug trade is all anyone ever seems to be interested in it would only be a small part of the Harbor's turnover just like the harbor is but a small part of Martin a let's look at the big picture Martin a as a whole there are little girls out there with dreams of making music Young mothers who want to start businesses models who want to walk catwalks and steel welders who want to weld steel I'm going to unite them all into one economic body we're going to incorporate this place to Kingdom Come everyone's going to be in on the wealth and everyone's going to pull their weight let's keep focusing on the drug trade he was almost admitted to it no no Harry that's boring all right it's gone the hypothetical raw materials trade is off the table it's such a small and insignificant slice of Revenue I'm cutting it boys Harry felt queasy about it we're not doing it can we talk about my beautiful Incorporated Martin a and its many sided business ventures now this bold New Vision of Incorporated socialism I'm offering yes if you start thinking about it like like that the Socialist Municipal body sort of is like a corporation isn't it it uses corporate law we're in corporated I like to think we're using the best parts of all the ideologies here Harry we're way past specific union members now this is the big time we're talking about the future of Revol here Harry you can bother Leonard with that he loves to run his mouth on such matters but I'm in Big Time mode Harry there's something different about him now he's more vibrant More Alive in his big time mode no idea could have been his own mother for all I know if you ever find the guy give him a big fat kiss from Ard CLA couldn't have done it without him he really doesn't know a guy huh I don't I told you it could have been his own mother I'm pretty sure it wasn't anyone from the union maybe it was the mob or maybe he killed himself cuz he was a closet socialist truth is I simply don't know he really doesn't Harry I've got to be honest with you your gun was found 2 days ago withholding this information weighed heavily on me but it had to be done an old woman has it and let me tell you how word on the street is she's a character so watch out this must be the woman who bought the gun from Roy the one he described as terrifying yes the same one I see you've done your research the porn shop made the gun easy to track crazy stuff Harry selling your gun like that wild anyway the neighbors of this old woman contacted my men because they trust me and the dear's union apparently she was waving it around at the entrance to her building unfortunately I don't know anymore you're going to have to go in blind Harry but she's an old lady how dangerous can she possibly be oh and she calls herself the pigs there it is again the pigs like Roy said not good at all I for one find it refreshing find near someone calls themselves a pig it actually sounds extremely bad but let's not give him the satisfaction I already have tonight starting 10:00 near the old fish market on the coast the one on the boardwalk a little past the fishing Village be careful Harry I would never set you up for anything dangerous but you did ask for this now back to the fun stuff she will be there from 2200 hours till 0200 hours morphan stuff seems like we already have fun stuff to do great Harry great I think we have truly built a bridge between Martin a and Jamrock today we have United the RCM and the deard union this has been so great I'm sorry we don't have more fun things to do together but if you ever feel like bouncing something off me my door is always open [Music] [Music] [Music] you see several packaged raincoats fill a low shelf beneath a display of crossant and Juice bottles the raincoats are transparent except for the big FR slogan on the back here you go the tear machine stands in the corner a sign says one bottle equals 10 cents your bottles clunk into the machine and the money appears with a satisfying jingle you're a richer man now you keep coming back that's good officer keep browsing those clothes keep saving that economy if he really wants to save the economy he'd let you pay with net worth go over and ask him if you can save the economy that sounds off haven't you heard officer we've got to be economically conscious recycle your cash keep it in circulation don't buy new things buy eco look around officer you see all these premium Goods just sitting there not getting bought we've got to keep the flow of goods moving is this really the economy we want to leave to our children too bad officer kids make it all worthwhile without kids who's going to be around to enjoy the economy don't let me stop you open the box and browse a little you won't regret it officer got to prepare for Springtime right the speakers below are banged up and worthless the sneakers triumph over them they're the star of the show here you should go over and ask him about paying for those sneakers with your net worth no way officer these aren't for sale they're bad speakers low five socialist junk well if you want them on the one hand these speakers are socialist garbage on the other hand you did buy the sneakers so I don't really need them anymore okay Officer they're yours for 50 cents the junk is yours officer happy listening try not to hurt your ears with that Samaran gun [Music] garbage the shine on these sunglasses lasts a lifetime officer 100% guaranteed stylish Shades huh they'd be even more stylish if you paid for them with net worth go over and ask him party and practical officer good choice a good starter pair officer and when you're ready to upgrade come back and see me a man who knows his style much respect [Music] [Music] come this orange machine is buzzing like an old submarine it has a hand cranked ice cream churner on top and an electric freezer that appears to be frozen shut ice squeaks beneath your cavalon multitool but your fingers slip away from the tool the lids shut as tightly as before this orange machine is buzzing like an old submarine it has a hand cranked ice cream churner on top and an electric freezer that appears to be frozen shut ice groans and howls under the strain of your giant cavalon multitool until the lid cracks open blue electric lights come to life inside on a frosty platform lies an object intricate and foreign left there for a Sub-Zero beauty sleep a filament memory with the world words off-site copy written on its side you gently lift the cube from its Frosty bedding careful not to damage it we should take it back to miss Lucan and kild as soon as possible I'm not sure how well unused filaments tolerate room temperatures yes but aren't you curious to know what's on the precious filament there's a radio computer upstairs [Music] tiles on the cube are still smoldering casting the framework in a soft glow florescent play and print Keys shine on the keyboard the speaker comes to life static seeps through the machine's plane a magnetic driver an old lady greets you her voice sounds 100 years old good evening F this is e station please8 is this the production schedule good please repeat the password good I've unlocked the production schedule after ending the call please press print to access the V really she just used the same password maybe those radio computer guys aren't that paranoid after all foress accident is there anything else I can do for you today thank you and goodbye tiles on the cube are still smoldering casting the framework in a soft glow florescent play and print Keys shine on the keyboard with a quiet determination the printer starts printing a piece of paper unfolding like a handheld fan a black crisscross of letters covers its surface it's a project report written by the lead producer Andrew Andy shot about WHL untethered a radio game developed by Studio Fortress accident the first few pages give an overview of the capital and Workforce while the rest of it seems to be a production schedule the production schedule depicts their glorious descent into bankruptcy it was impossible not to fail the project was too large and no amount of money could satiate the ever expanding ambition s of the development team they tried to make a 4 million real game with 400,000 in their bank account they thought they could bridge the gap with pure willpower and Imagination they couldn't no even then success remained within an Ever narrowing margin of possibility that despite everything never entirely disappeared that is until they discovered the Valley of the heads at the 11th Hour the lead designer Jim sporn suav Jalisa decided that what were out uned needed was a secret mystical location at the extreme edge of the map this place was to be the Valley of the heads where the heads of all the Headless constructs could be found the player would have been able to choose a head for their headless party member and each head would have been voiced on air by a per professional actor so many the last count there were approximately 10,000 heads for 10,000 headless men all of which could be endlessly recombined do you really want to know this seems to be a calculation here but it may take a while [Music] the lieutenant Taps his foot impatiently his arms folded tight against his chest what if you broke the radio computer what if it's never going to stop and that's it well yeah that and the catastrophic data loss on the nature of the data loss there's ominously little information in the production lot it comes at the very end where things get fuzzy and dark where tables and numbers seem to vanish into an eerie nothingness before the igian investors pulled the plug what is clear is that one day an unidentified numeric anomaly occurred on the East insulindian lintel front just as the WHL untethered project was being compiled that day when the project was returned it was completely blank the team spent weeks on the phone with lintel the service provider but despite their Diagnostics they could never produce a satisfactory explanation or pay for the loss mysteriously enough it seems that the offside copy happened to be onsite when the catastrophic data loss occurred it was the lead programmer's responsibility to oversee weekly maintenance of the off-site copy and well keep it offsite an explanatory note from the lead programmer has been attached s lukan and kilder the lead programmer of Fortress accident the off-site copy was onsite because there was no offsite anymore not for me not after 8 months of crunch I didn't have a home anymore so I started keeping it in the basement in the ice bear refrigerator near where I went to sleep it was perfectly safe there the temperature conditions were optimal that's not what her colleagues thought the production schedule ends with a few random notes that seem to be added sometime later Fortress accident employed 18 people the bulk of the team composed of writers and concept artists there were also radio programmers sound Engineers a CEO two marketing experts and a single overburdened producer who developed a habit of popping paridon in the basement to escape his obligations in its short time of existence Fortress accident SCA managed to burn through truly insane amounts of money the first tranch of seed financing brought in100 50,000 rear but then came the delays eventually the damage reached 400,000 rear with only half of the game finished let's just say it was a real adventure for their igian investor 4 months later by an unknown author I am the only one left and it's gotten rather damp here a few other businesses have gone under too slipstream switched to making skis and the hairdressers just left cursing martines they're right though something's seriously wrong with this place martines all of it still haven't got an answer from lintel about what happened all I could get were the physical coordinates of the era on the East insulindian Front on that day since the computation happened on air I reckoned it had to coincide with an actually existing location I have compared the coordinates to a map of reveral West turns out it's only 800 M from here the address is s Brun 1147 I am going there to look this thing in the eye San BR 1147 that's what the street sign next to the church set tiles on the cube are still smoldering casting the framework in a soft glow for restent play imprint Keys shine on the keyboard the filament slides out of its glowing Nest like a smooth drawer the filament slides into place on the keyboard the play key starts blinking the speaker comes to life static seeps through the machine's plan a magnetic driver an old lady greets you her voice sounds 100 years old good evening AC who the is this is e Lan station please repeat is this the offside copy good please repeat the passw no that's not it maybe it's the second part of the light Motif you saw on the stained glass window good I've unlocked the offside copy after ending the call please press print to access the fmo King foress accid is there anything else I can do for you today thank you and goodbye tiles on the cube are still smoldering casting the framework in a soft glow florescent play imprint Keys shine on the keyboard it sounds like something cracks before the piece of paper starts filling up with pure black ink something's broken machines aren't supposed to behave like this the paper is soaked with ink it's monochrome Darkness spanning from margin to margin it's not possible to make out any information a single Speck of white shines out from the shade for some reason the printer decided to spare this one tiny dot of paper marked by the devil itself looks like gibberish better get running again but something is sub usually broken here tiles on the cube are still smoldering casting the framework in a soft glow florescent play imprint Keys shine on the keyboard the filament slight out of its glowing nest for [Music] oh it's you again are you looking for a die oh it's you again are you looking for a die a gust of cold air sweeps through the chimney the stones and minerals on the shelves rattle as though agitated for a moment it almost feels as though you're outside the building exposed to the atmosphere didn't we already talk about this what are you talking about my address is exactly the same no the old cold plant that used to be here was subsumed into the new Venture its ruins swallowed up yet it has a different address in the Heart of the City this doesn't make any sense are you saying my business was spared because of a technicality where is this coming from and what does it mean that I'm safe from failure don't let to become complacent she still needs to Ward her soul against the evil [Music] forces do you know what this [Music] is It's a morning ring I made this when my first company failed it was a small jewelry shop right here in the East Delta Commerce Center built with a little I inherited from my parents I drove it into the ground within a year I didn't have what you would call a viable business plan it wasn't just the jewelry shop either I always thought that it was just the world that you were supposed to try again and again until you finally succeed and now you're telling me what that it was all because I didn't run my little shops and Ventures from a dump inside an abandoned chimney yeah or maybe it's the entire world that's cursed it's such a precarious Place nothing ever works out the way you want it that's why people like role playing games you can be whoever you want to be you can try again still there is something inherently violent even about dice roll it's like every time you cast a die something disappears some alternative ending or an entirely different world but anyway thanks for sharing your theories officer [Music] [Music] the barbell Waits patiently on the floor like a dog for its [Applause] Master Conjuring up an inhuman amount of strength you raise the barbell up in the air your biceps tremble but you're a Savage this is a children's game a warm wave of accomplishment washes over your head as you drop the barbell to the floor for a moment it feels like you're strong enough to succeed at anything you ever set your mind to hey but you're still in a ghost house what if someone heard this what if they know you're here good technique [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] yes what is it yes no that's the production schedule you stolen accessed without authorization I don't need it in his defense it was simply laying in the desk drawer of an abandoned cubicle okay but still thanks looks like it's the one now I'm going to print it out to see what's left of it a speck of white that's exactly what I'm hoping to find cantle was able to Divine the location of the anomaly from this broken copy I want to repeat their calculation only this time with better equipment watch what an intricate display of failure the paper gets soaked in ink again its evil Blackness shining in the light of the Mainframe it looks Eerie this is wrong machines shouldn't behave like that SAA doesn't reply her hands running over the printout she's looking for something for her Morning Star eyes scouring the millimeters here I found it hold on shh just give me a second I'm almost I've never witnessed a programmer work before done I've got it I found the location of the anomaly thank you there in the swallow think you can help me again I need you to go move those water bolts for me I need to double check my calculations you like moving things around moving things around is calming just walk over to the circle and follow my instructions move the third bow 2 cm to the left and the fourth bow 5 cm to the right this should do the trick thanks do I look like someone who has time for side projects at this moment if you want her help maybe you should help her first it's awfully silent again as if someone turned off the entire world outside those walls water inside the bowls stand still measurements have been marked down around the ballls each chalk drawn line representing a centimeter on the floor oh boy this is going to be good it moves like a ghost without creating a single trace of sound some water spills out of the bowl wetting the floor the lead programmer sends you an encouraging thumbs up from across the hall time to run back or maybe walk this is a sacred place after all yes what is it CR everything should be aligned now miss Noor is hesitating yeah nothing now the only thing left to do is to unmute the headphones if we got the location right we should then be able to hear whatever sound this anomaly makes honestly honestly I'm a little scared I don't know that's what I'm scared of I don't know it could be anything I mean what sound does the nothing make how can you even listen to something that doesn't exist what if silence is only what surrounds it but the swallow itself is I don't know I'm just scared maybe it's going to be something terrifying maybe it's going to tear the world apart like that evil ink that filled the print out erasing coherence and meaning maybe maybe I'm just tired yeah you're right let's do it the lieutenant takes a step back and then nothing nothing happens as Sona loan and kilder presses unmuted on her keyboard nothing but silence you can hear some small animal cross the floor in the chancel it's that quiet in the century she doesn't answer her eyes closed and brows knitted together in a state of deep focus one hand cing the headphone damn it no of course not nothing happened let's move on despite her fear she was hoping for something extraordinary to take place no no my hypothesis was wrong according to this I should have heard something if I got the coordinates right like I said silence is only what surrounds it but this this is just another failure silence sounds like silence that's all it is you can try on the headphones see if you can hear anything but don't get your hopes up silence is silence you're sure there's more to it all you hear is your own breathing heavy and horse from all the nights spent drinking it's the breath of an old man but there's something else there has to be something big something unexpected something new yet to be discovered ghosts speak to me when was the last time this world had anything new to say well did you hear anything yeah no I don't think there's anything there the lieutenant looks down at the floor as if to say you're wasting time here maybe the speed freaks can help you with this go talk with Andre hi again so uh how's going yes what's the deal what kind of a hitch an audio shortfall you say yes what we got speakers with massive low end there's a good chance it can do it they've got one speaker one Uno un we've got some serious range on this baby it will blast their shoes off believe me goodbye officer [Music] [Music] yes what is it everything disappears you are draped in silence like a drowning man staring into his puny little head space and then the pressure changes it feels like flying on an aerostatic or when your ears pop or like a subtle difference in the atmosphere a weather change hanging in the air what if the sound you're looking for is too low for you to hear it a better sound system all right but where would we get one suddenly a rhythmic beat permeates the walls causing a small patch of decorative stuer to crumble onto the wooden floor they should really allocate some renovation funds to this place no what they really should do is shut down the Disco men for disturbing neighborhood peace you mean the speed freaks of course the speed freaks they have a fantastic sound system and you think they would help me I guess I could live through a week or two of peaceful coexistence sure let me know how it goes thanks officer [Music] hi again so uh how's going yes what's the deal we are grateful Cotman you're a true Ally and the augury of a new era of anodic dance music that's fine we can manage and you're still sure about keeping our little side business right [Music] fine we can make do it's going to take us a bit to move our stuff inside a couple of hours maybe come check back later let's get moving [Music] [Music] he he [Music] put your hands where I can see them show me your hands this is the pigs show me your hands right now show me your hands right now scavenged battery powerered police lights protrude from her back the flickering light Sher reveals a gun in her shaking hand her hand is trembling from some sort of neurodegenerative disease Madame please drop the firearm immediately failure to comply suspect is displaying aggression officer under Jess officer under Jess I am the police don't move don't move hands on your head suspect his arms are dangerous L vascular neck restraint corroded sweeper corroded sleeper critically reducing blood from passing through the neck of the suspect be careful detective don't do anything but might set her off all right here's how we do it as soon as that gun isn't pointed at you again you dash right then immediately close the distance left hand grabs the barrel right one breaks the wrist a drop of sweat runs down the and in it you see the Martin's Inlet wrapped in the night in the abandoned Fish Market three figures standing in a spectacular light sh a large loud woman is pointing an empty firearm at the other two she doesn't want to listen or even to be heard huh my God I think you're [Music] right suicide back up let's take a decision it let's come back oh my God cut I almost blew her head off what is this this isn't Police Issue police weapons bullets this isn't real please don't always had bullets what is this why did you sell me this she looks devastated grab the gun right now this might be your only chance no one ever cares anymore why would they cheat me like this poor woman you need to figure out what to do with IMA no nobody's ever around nobody ever comes to visit me her scratched skin is warm to the touch but the person inside doesn't even know you're there she's in a stuper I've seen this before God knows for how long could be days when they get like this honestly I don't know dementia probably dementia and ch eight and loneliness there's a bit more to this than that but right now we need to decide what to do with her I don't think there's any need for that in her current state and without the gun she isn't really a threat to anyone we could let Titus know this is a perfect problem for the local peacekeepers toand they might even know her family that would just be a waste of paper I mean look at her she's not going to respond to a station [Music] slip then we can ask him once we get back to the warling but we have to hurry cuz it's late and they might have already gone home but I think we're done here for now let's head out this is done please leave the radio on on she stands motionless just a heap of clothes and fleshes now maybe if you search her once more the woman stands slumped she looks catatonic under her mountain of RCM paraphernalia is one of those things a police cap she doesn't even flinch as you reach out and disentangle the familiar looking Lieutenant's cap from her mountain of RCM paraphenalia oh is that yours it's hard to say it's been so long since you wore yours it's your hat the old woman doesn't react to your touch is all around you rain falls on the great city of riversa rain drips from the the eaves and floods the gutters washing the filth away the spring Thor must be here the snow is melting looking up at the sky cold water dripping from your hat gray sky like great battleships clouds colliding with one another rain falls down on the world humid your coat Shields you from the rain while the city shivers around you Sheets of Rain Over The Water a flight of stairs leading into the ocean wave after wave washing the coast of martines with its motorboats and gently swaying reads the ruins of a half sunken sea for crumble on an inlet beyond the Bay of revall ghosts rise into the sky Urban Coastline rain dripping off eonite covered roofs Cinder blots left over from half finished construction a defunct research and development building once seized by revolutionaries an old wooden Church stands on stilts above the water Coal City end of all lines the skyscrapers of lad Delta the financial district faint Golden Light seeps from the office windows will you ever go there no you are just one of the hundreds of thousands who watch them rise across the bay from martines every day the great Gates of the industrial Harbor are locked a chill runs down your back you shut like an animal trying to shake water from its hide you shudder looking down at your feet dirty rainwater runs veins into the plaza snow you realize you have no shoes on your feet are red with cold from the corner of his eye the lieutenant gives your feet a worried glance rain drips from his glasses the lieutenant nods then looks East the rain falls tower blocks CR PR one another 4.46 mm bullets still lodged in their War torn stone walls hallways collapse from the mortar hits of a war that was lost long ago closed lines go to waste in the rain radios play The Evening News a yard rain falls onto the roof of a Woodshed the lingering odor of decomposition mixes with that of damp soil a traffic jam rain thrumming on the roofs of Motor Vehicles inside drivers watch water streaming down their windshields the statue of a king shutters he too is cold the Canal Bridge has been raised the road ascends a raised Motorway Loops above the ghetto beneath its concrete columns a sea of rooftops Woodwork and tar stretches northward four story buildings as far as the rain can fall the Snows melt in Jamrock have a brother in the cut where the wood at to be in martines where no one goes at the runoff point of a long forgotten canal in the whitest part of town in the shadow of the day the revolution fell standing in the rain looking North where Jamrock Rock City stretches Inland in the rain swept distance above the rooftops of Jamrock a repurpose silk Mill stands perched above the motorway exit Precinct 41 hunches in the rain your vision blurs you wipe your face with your hand the rain stings your eyes making you look up and blink Coalition AOS Statics hang like apparitions under the cloud cover way up there where rain forms rotors flutter silently your sight clears collapsed storm drains old sewage systems flooded with rainwater hidden weapon caches from the revolution doors leading down to lyam the catacombs to which for three centuries they delivered the BL BL blooded dead this rain will not let up anytime soon at least we are dressed for it let's keep moving [Music] ah smallest Church in Sans SS right cool now what can I do for you [Music] [Music] the Bear's eyes are still glowing red it's guarding over the freezing corpse hidden inside its belly all right I will need a little help carrying him you take the hands I'll take the legs [Music] h [Music] [Music] you're back good what can I help you with she's not even asking you anything it's so easy to just say a takeover taking it green Livery changing into red blot by blot like a cancer of the blood metastasizing then we're talking about a war Evra needs to let me into the harbor at once we need to talk about this they most certainly are not kenel has a th men on their payroll the next batch will be a platoon of 20 men and a gunship they have the support of reverol West they have the position this will be a prolonged and bloody conflict the only question is how long and how Bloody what do you suggest I [Music] do everything affects the decision-making process detective a constrictor KN of contrary motives greed fear there may be a way to affect her through these microscopics there will be no gloaming there will be slow simmering hideous Civil War the beginnings of a failed State no Rapture just ugliness what will I do her arms fall to her sides her spine relaxes did I ever tell you how they discovered this Isa during our reality Lowdown it may be the only break we've ever caught as a species the last one for 400 years the Nations who colonized this Isa called their's mindi the world it was all they knew all they thought would be that there would be something more was a gamble akin to another world or life after death the pale was thought to be impregnable Perpetual iren laag the queen of s sent eight Expeditions one after the other into the mass at the edge of the world five of the crews did not return two did but had lost their minds it was anything but normal there was no precedent people thought she was punishing the Admirals or had gone mad or both until after years of trial and error and the development of a strict psychological regime imitating the creation process of poetry called VTA doar or return from the sea the eighth Expedition returned sane and intact they told of a new continent of matter they told the queen and her counselor Dolores day that the pale had begun to condense day after day hour after hour minute after minute slowly r raining down until it formed a vast ocean the air is cold and scented with Petra cor there are rain circles on water all around humidity crawls up your back like a piano Trill the droplets feel warm like spring rain the phenomenon has never again been encountered for a Time the crew thought they were experiencing a hallucination the mass hand proclaimed Lila Lind the signal to wake up but they could not they were sane and conscious as Islands began to appear on the horizon there are 78,000 uninhabited islands in the insulindian archipelago officer the freckled face of God you've thought it a million times a total shift inhuman comprehension of reality on the second day a great skewer was shot down above the flagship larik the bird was preserved and brought back along with pollen 4 years later the Queen's counselor was proclaimed her innocent Dolores day the elected World Spirit the age of humanism internationalism and parliamentary rule followed we were high on Caillou the pebble the largest of the Fertile uninhabited islands of the Northeast in insy Indian archipelago four centuries and two revolutions later the first living autonomous organism proof of reality it's the symbol of insulinde detective the coat of arms of the suarin and the wings on the crest of the commune the nations of Mundi proceeded to discover five more e or they discovered us all in the rush of the great inter eer reconnection but these others weren't uninhabited we had to kill people there wipe out indigenous populations gunboat economies or they came to do the same for us or had done to each other but here there was no one but the skuer the lilat SE and the blood Beach and the river esperant it was the new new world the mandals used it to amass the greatest concentration of wealth mankind has ever seen reval the suarin revolution poverty and the Mercurial rise of capitalism I will surrender Terminal B to the union she puts her hand in the rain she's silent for a second we will see what happens will happen the age of capital has only begun I will talk to my Employers in person we will amputate and quarterized the situation on the ground there are no employers she's a member of the board probably a partner you are the citizens militia there are no superiors that's right we're all answerable to someone I [Music] am I have not deceived you I showed you who I was Rejoice Leighton yes Mr CLA has a two-month Head Start I can't let it grow any bigger and I've exhausted all my options from here keep the peace and I will keep my end of the bargain the confrontation is imminent they have followed in your footsteps as your investigation reaches a climax so does theirs they are your Shadow arm yourselves armor yourselves protect their targets violence may be unavoidable but we can limit the casualties soon I do not know precisely they have cut off all communication you see they know I've been feeding you information one last thing Lieutenant dupar I've given the matter much thought and come to this conclusion you're not an amnesiac you're insane I know because I too am insane I just hide my illness better and I'm rich no detective no one's as insane as you I'm Overexposed baby my travels take me through the pale dozens of times a year I've got the longing and I've Got It Bad she would die to return to it the pale the past anything one can return to the same strict psychological regim in the eighth Admiral developed when he crossed the pale and discovered this Isela The Vault of doar it's used by inter eery Travelers and other troubled Souls even to this day you could use a little if it yourself watch out for yourself they will strike soon slowly the cells turn gray blue as more oxygen gets between you waves are beginning to die down look at those little bastards simmer down simmer down bastards why does she care about the waves so much what is it with waves and fishermen we need to be out there with them fishing making a living so I asked them to accommodate me but until that happens I can try to assist you the best I can so what will it be officer oh that's good to know I guess why is it in the sea quite the sign an I saw too situation calls for a funeral if you ask me hi feels deserved don't you think falling in the line of duty like that and all why odd our things are a part of our life world they're made with with our human sweat and they share human history we should care about them as we care about humans to some extent at least life world someone's been reading up on last century got valdian philosophers play it cool now oh yeah you won't even be able to get it out of the water before early June and where are you going to bury it who to invite what music to play at the Wake take it from someone who's been through a few funerals it's easiest to just leave them there and let nature take care of it absolutely things like what for example you think she really needs more of that after a man died at Sea what if I told you it is actually possible to go on a date sober before recorded history men and women were able to do simple very primitive things together sober acknowledge the situation and keep it basic I have and I don't really just a walk I don't know officer I would not have taken you for an innocent perambulator where would this W take us officer nothing creepy strange or out there keep it eery and simple all right I will walk with you but you need to understand that nothing is going to happen we're just walking yes someone could get pushed in the water maybe even get laughed at but I'm sure that's not going to happen all right I'll go put the kids to bed and we'll meet at L's end in 15 minutes she doesn't wait for an answer you better get ready [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the woman gazes steadily at the waves a sudden gust picks up her dark hair and lets it fall again tussled wild she brushes a few stray locks from her eyes and only then spots you approaching I so here you are it's late and it's snowing the snow is well it's not really snow it's slush know that you're not the first guy to bring a girl to Land's End this is what the locals call A A make out spot that is not going to happen here today I just want to make that clear dimples across the rusty water that's L Delta the financial district in the Mist covered distance Towers rise as a rebuke to the poverty of this Coast drinking men aren't known for keeping their appointments I you're the star is of them [Laughter] all her laughter is throaty and warm it rhymes with the waves and the cries of the gulls here it comes so fast as to make it seem like the weather turns at her command me no no no just grew up on the sea know which way the wind's blowing and all knew the weather would clear up once we got here otherwise it would have been a Less Pleasant stroll n you should say something anything maybe the tequila sunset thing it's a common rolian expression means drinking yourself to death and what about you keeping the name well then officer Dua the remains of the dying Sun are reflected in the waves and the skyscrapers Rising across the bay your mind clears for a moment as your senses take it all in not just the glass skyscrapers fragile looking in the shimmering air river esperons flowing into the bay isn't it strange for this all powerful thing the sun to be so generous towards us you know the best time to go out fishing is usually towards Sunset when the water is warmer the sun also falls on the capeside tenaments and War torn ruins an old sea Fortress juts out seemingly impervious to the sheen cast over everything else shaking you out of your revery the sun does little for the dead and those hopelessly lost in their own minds oh that was a bit of Pride and a bit of superstition and a bit of conceptual Unity too it being yellow and all the salt in the air and the cries of the gulls and skewers grit of the sand and the green glint of broken bottles but still your gaze all always returns to the dazzling streaks of light wherever they may be reflected their opulence it's bringing us spring summer it's entirely on our side no matter what we do or who we are for absolutely no reason it's unlike no other powerful being certainly no powerful organization or government how can that be I guess we wouldn't really be here if that thing wasn't on our team maybe some general remarks before you say something big work your way up to the [Music] cool these these aren't real fish hooks silly they're earrings shaped to look like fish hooks a drunk called Rosemary brought them to me I kept them she's right they're made mostly of plastic a cheap no gift you can buy from a flower shop or a kiosk the wind Ruffles her hair Silver Street in the Moonlight thank you I'm half ubby my mother was from ubis sunent not a lot of sun there I hear though I've never been the wind Ruffles her hair Silver Street in the Moonlight I always do I like it it's like being on another planet a water planet with water worries and water Joys the wind Ruffles her hair Silver Street in the [Music] Moonlight good one um I'm going to go with the Rope here we go two different approaches to C this off with style [Music] hi and a benevolent one when did you last have one of those on your [Music] side well now you have that giant thing to watch over you so to hell with love you know the wind's going to pick up soon and I have to go but have this the sun's good but it doesn't stick things I've no use for it anymore no men around here are too drunk to pose the threat to me doubt it but thank you for the company this is as far as it goes with her you'd need to put a year between you and your last drink for anything more farewell [Music] as she walks off the wind picks up and the light from the sun seems to fade the crumbling silhouette of failed electrical R&D Towers in the distance beckoning [Music] [Music] dinarian Church the place to be makes the noise my church people he stands on stage behind the table nodding along to the music and waving his hand in the air in front of him the audio mixer one re spinning the other real deck is empty cables run hither and tither on one side you see an auxilary line in with the number 4.5 written next to it yeah remix Time tape goes here into deck B a hand on his a he listens to the audio through his headphones and shouts wow did you get this from ano himself a great excitement is bubbling to the surface within him this is big listen I'm just going to show it to you ready [Music] wow here's that was a science match perfectly now if only we had the beat for the full of assault it would be unbelievably hyper what is this it's good how did you guys do that yes but what if van based his remix on some forgotten local Melody like a folk song and you just found the original piece that inspired him to create this Jam that would explain why it fits so well nah to me it sounds like classic van a I don't think he needs any inspiration from folk songs maybe he lives in Martinez and just threw away part of his song because he thought it wasn't good enough I think it's just happened stance kaaos in action contingencies of our limited existence that and EG's fantastic Talent something mysterious is going on here be how it may if it fits it fits bring up the volume what about the base do you have any ideas for that yeah I remember you said it needs more base yo Z Warrior the warrior of dance music don't be too hard on yourself if you don't figure out it out I think the Jam's already pretty Ultra but it could be hyper hyper hardcore yeah back on the case no disgrace bring it down to Party Place the first page of the second chapter could it be maybe for him you only have a chapter or two left in you last of the penultimate or like [Music] you got a in cop I can't believe you got us in with Wonder in his sharp eyes between you and me I don't know if you've noticed this about me I'm a little suspicious of authority but you you really came through for the hardcore underground what's on your mind trying to get in line with the big bad are you those are some serious frequencies you want to mess with come on noid I think we owe him I s's right he's one of us now yeah all right if you're going to sink out with them you're going to need a serious wave generator of your own you understand what I'm saying not likely scoped that spot a while back it's shortwave stuff mostly commercial plus it's all rusted out build it ourselves rebuild this nightclub we can build anything yeah maybe Tech wise radio is not the spookiest thing around our parts finding an Anna big enough to align with those Mega low frequencies an antenna hardcore enough to shake the whole world maybe not that big but pretty [Music] big close your eyes unfold your mental map of martines it's morning your standing on the Plaza before the whirling in rags the wind pushes a piece of tear across the cracked tiles from the north comes the malicious laughter of two [Music] children you turn around the morning sun is blinding you bring your hand to your brow and a great Shadow materializes before you a towering Beast Frozen in [Music] midair cental man is made of metal with the right gear we could make it work yeah connect the Cent out to the lorries unite the whole roundabout in hardcore waves huh say our egg saying you could use some of the spare cables to rig up the stalled motor lores and increase the wavelength which would pretty much make the old roundabout one giant Antenna One roundabout one VOR LS hardcore pretty hardcore maybe it would be better to go with something more positive we have the amps we have the cables the armor ready yeah he's right all we're missing now is the transceiver itself soon as you find one we'll be all set I don't know buy one the one I don't know your cck ways can't do it we just got this place set up can't go risking egg's most important equipment H some equipment from Arbor could work worth a leg work at least yeah probably thing is you'd have to be an engineer to get it out I'd stick with regular radios if I were you while you're gone me and EG will get the rest of the gear together meet us back here when you got it it's a miracle of carpet Tre their bodies carved into total shapes now it can be something more that's right the first settlers built it plus six more like it on the coast here was one of the first things they did must have been really scared of something but I understand alone on an uninhabited archipelago Force to face themselves and nature pre-industrial quantities of solitude the sea perhaps something more fundamental he means something paranatural he must I would want to build a safe place for myself and my own as [Music] well for cop who's into building critique okay then this is folk DeLorean ism La mongera it's a subset of early DeLorean architecture OD of core total everything between an ancient concrete Cathedral and a glass cube is DeLorean ISM this is just an hpan version of it folksy stuff early mass production they made thousands like this does that help you out like that woman there vertical thin white a false image of grandeur the S of the system is up there you're at the bottom they really dug that power vertical like to show off large and intricate structures arches spires put you down with them they were really intoed pain and everything white too virginal [ __ ] you know marriage [ __ ] virtue and tyranny your entit to your wrong opinion stands to reason it used to be white on the outside before the sea wind took all a paint off slowly peeled by the wind your skin crawls from the sensation as you look around dead bodies of perennial plants Sigma functions are left this place it's a good thing we came along the spiritual collapse has been total I saw some piglets suckling their dead mother have you heard this one cop man after a short while they shuddered and went away they had sense that she could no longer see him and that she wasn't like him anymore what they loved in their mother weren't her body but whatever it was that made her body live end of quote this is an high quality carcass the PA of anodic beats and hard bases needed to re animated a sares man who lived a long time ago an ancient hardore brother a 3E thy old tyrannical regime of History built and maintained by hundreds of generations of self-appointed intellectuals it's false core the way he says it the false in false core is invested with 20 kilotons of dis disussed I only said Unity One Word figures of Authority Always misquote you Andre doesn't care about the Ecclesiastes he just wants the operation to run smoothly and egg is a demi Beast you shouldn't listen to what people say you should listen to what they are the founding party don't give two shits about this place look around they do not have enough love for the human crew to oppose anything anymore we're on our own an AIC dance music regular dance music wasn't OD enough and yes I do hard to say cop man signs in here are distinctly wild going to take a while before everything's properly synced I did get to talk to the crabman though anyway he's been giving me kind of a psychic rundown at this place dude's seen some crazy [ __ ] but he's actually a lot like us talking to him I realized that s briy can be pretty hardcore too I got to respect it the man picks up on stuff and he knows a lot about the church I got a lot to learn from him good thing you didn't squash him [Music] they're hardcore they're just [Music] cloes nah it's just a vest of suspenders made to resemble a human rib cage plus some lady clothes to piss off the sex system now tell me about that hardcore nect Tire it's [ __ ] Primal it looks like you're trying to Ang yourself with it so large too so many different patterns it's crazy man I like it makes me want to forget you took all our money you suddenly realize the patience and respect this speed freak has shown you is partly because of your style he's probably not like that with everyone respect as a man supicious people are esoteric people we don't go around spilling everything to Johnny Law they don't call me noyed for nothing it took us setting out for this whole Enterprise to get our signs synced it sh for paranoid a reasonable question say I get hurt I want to make sure it never happens again so I analyze the situation exercise caution caution is suspicion ah it' be easier to list stuff I'm not suspicious of I'm not suspicious of sand and color mechanics and chemistry also have a tress about them most anything else deceives wants to steal your life away this is a good dangerous line of questioning you should CR him on I don't have a top 10 list of things I'm most suspicious of but if I had one the Left Right complex would be number one number two would be their sole accomplishment the pig wheat Paradigm something is off a you feel like it should be the other way around it's only our [ __ ] we should make better use of not being animals or seral grain ourselves nothing animals are cool guys I like animals too but that doesn't mean I have to be one myself no politics is an inert complex of daily corruption and inan think pieces the real Paradigm is economic and it concerns Pig and wheat this is where the Innovation happens it's only a theory I suspect they're breeding a pig wheat hybrid probably in gr I prefer not to both ask the wrong questions any spark a light from either one is accidental their combined movement's only concern is producing enough Pig and wheat for everyone the end goal of humanity the original mistake was assuming that words have more being and bodies that's what led us astray far from our true lives but we may yet find a way back whatever this true life is you feel it's the real centerpiece of this mythology mental illness is a term that powers used to homogenize people I think I don't reach mental illness this I am merely politically ill a suspicious element his eyes flicker the life is true if it's free from Fear an internal division among oneself and others mankind has seeds of greatness in it a germinal will come and return to tress it will be hardcore beats and bright lights to shatter falsehoods nerve impulses for the collective body we are very much alike in basic structure an hard enough beat would awaken everyone to a trer calling in unity just like that the speed freak is right in your face his eyes burning his comrades look on worriedly the young man is dead serious about this rejection of the right left axis emphasis on Unity appreciation of some Prim prial mode of being what does that remind you of nationalism militarism racism and emphasis on a leader character are totally absent in hardcore if someone want to lead and others want to be led I think they are welcome to it utmost dedication thoughts from the spinal cord it's a potent superlative as well the term also signifies certain varieties of pornography that depict penetration just so you know Ed usually has a better concept of the hardcore he just really likes saying hardcore hardcore that's a pretty hardcore coincidence don't you think yeah many non ox ental cultures share a beat at their art thus they are closer to True hardcore life there's just never been enough of them and they had to rely on some extremely basic percussion oh yeah sure thing if you fear it let it happen Keep on Dancing till the world ends the crabman's been lurking here for a while he's experienced things things that give off bad signs as far as we can tell the UB built this place about 320 years ago as a sarcophagus not like a literal sarcophagus I'm just being metaphorical encasement confinement of something they were afraid of something new and unheard of on the Isela I think that's what the crabman is experiencing when he climbs around upstairs like this is some old world [ __ ] ues had heard about I thought the best way to deal with it was to build a church surrounding it to contain it I don't know and it's not something they properly understood either what it does but it's what this Sona person is looking for and trying to measure it will be fruitless though she won't be able to measure it people like that always want to measure everything all those things I really can't the wood Creeks as a g Blows By outside dust particles fall through the darkness settling down on the age bleached floorboards the structure doesn't not feel particularly durable seems to be the trend around here doesn't it you can't measure [ __ ] like this it's not like substance no he pretty [ __ ] unsound if you ask me they should have built a club for a noic music around it instead a noic music will definitely contain whatever we're dealing with and if it can't well like a concentric ring spreading out the struggling Villages and that is what caused the communards to fail in defending the beach head yeah a lot of failure has gone down around here I don't know maybe maybe not it's not even a thing we can answer cop man even I have limits I'm a limited side person maybe you can figure things out cop man I think we got on a good level here the signs are sinking up well Dead Body Spirit entered what is there to talk of I don't [ __ ] giving me the evil eye you defend her La minion she was a mass murderer what's up with that mellow man mellow no one's a mass murderer this is a house of love mass murder on the floor She invented the beauty you're feeling she and her Glass Cutters and iconographers you set the standard all right then you meet it it's effective like that but it is also very soft of core that soal beauty of hers you wouldn't be the first Millions liked her she's got those Mass murdering lips no one says arov vanet is a mass murderer the anodic Pioneer reel is not a mass murderer he's not accused of mass murder likewise no one says Germaine eged or Andrea Mass murderers you can live in entirely outside that suspicion billions of people go about not being guilty of mass murder just not her the world Spirit does not everbody it has organs arore is an organ of the world spirit this arov van track is an organ the carpentry and glass cutting that built this ass are also organs she's a thief if you ask me an organ Thief all innocences are humanism leads to eating sugar and pigs humanism was invented to mes produce billions of humans billions of humans can mes produce hundreds of billions of pigs she like games her Legacy the thing we liveing isn't real life it's a strategy for some kind of Victory against a long dead opponent but yo I'm only annoyed what do I [Music] know I like this question cop man she did not live the life of an human she lived like someone who's playing a game the life of an operator that's not the life that humans live she was adored humans aren't I don't know about you but they hate me and they do not think I'm innocent or some [ __ ] like that well they loved her they put all their love in her and forgot all about the rest of us there is she is a party repellent and must be taken down before we can begin partying in here the speed freak's eyes narrow with suspicion as if he's looking at a man possessed it's not coming down people are going to love it it will be like a thing plus it keeps the cold and the rain out what a strange choice of words CTIC overflowing with negativity that can't be healthy what's happening here why do you keep coming back to this window well you shouldn't you shouldn't come back to this anymore stop talking about it please sure honor van Ike okay so Egghead is clearly not van Ike in Disguise van Ike is an orines disc good jockey but those people get around especially in rers Shaw in the clubs on Boogie Street perhaps he stayed here for a short stint and discarded part of the song he was working on just threw it away and then it ended up in the orthorn tree but why did he think it was retrograde it wasn't perhaps he caught a glimpse of the future and did not want for it to arrive just yet Perhaps the city whispered the top line to him and he was frightened by it [Music] she's whistling a Melody her trusty contact mic attached to a wooden Pulpit at the sound of your footsteps she stops what she was doing and turns to you hey there I've been recording some new audio from all these beams and rafters The Sounds traveling through the wood are pretty cool creeks and stuff like you're underwater you know but like underwater inside a tree but that's not really what I wanted to talk about I wanted to thank you instead for getting me and my friends in here and we even found some new Associates such as they are good I think noid is getting a read on the place I think he finds the carpentry very impressive Andre's been setting up the compressor and dancing egad's been keeping the party up he's got the stage under control SAA the programmer she's doing what whatever she does behind that radio computer of hers she doesn't talk to us much and the crab man hasn't shown himself thank God sure you helped us out I can repay the favor what do you want to know oh the crab man still gives me the creeps the way he moves but he doesn't actually come down that much just climbs around the rafters I just tried to stay away from the crab man but he talks to no they seem to have some thing going on Beats me noid said they get along somehow they're both crazy enough I guess who knows he doesn't really answer our questions see not that it's easy to ask them what are we supposed to do yell up at the tower who do you want to know about oh she's a bit odd I have to say doesn't talk much I'm not really sure how to Vibe with her you know seems like she's not in a very good mood most of the time but earlier today she told me about welkins and she seemed oddly happy like she had some idea with those little creatures some artistic idea I didn't really listen I was busy with my mic he's a forger I guess like the rest of us okay maybe not egg I don't know about him but NY and the rest are from forberg making the pilgrimage up north to visit the palum he's real hardcore about the lifestyle it's just something poor forberg kids do every spring to pass the time we walk the entire length of Boogie Street up to Jamrock or as much as possible I don't know man have you been down Boogie Street it's a little bewildering um kind of I'm going to say yes okay then you should go and take a look I guess Boogie street is cool it's got a lot of immigrants and all kinds of different people yeah I hope you do what do you mean do like for a Livin he's a carpenter trained and all he's very good he just doesn't have the mindset to work like that in a shop somewhere wow you really have talked to him indeed noid serves no master but the beach sir I abide by the law a strange feeling every now and then something feels off about the way she speaks she doesn't change tone but she feel as though there's more about her than she lets on who do you want to know about Andre he's a cool guy doesn't really come off as one but he is to me at least he takes care of [ __ ] sorry I mean he's got a vision thought life should be you know he tries to push things until everything falls into place he's an organizer nothing but then again there's nothing to organize around here either he really wants this church thing to work must have taken it as a sign when he found it abandoned like that said it was an augury I don't know where he got that from Andre is not super intelligent I've never seen him so pyed about anything though and he's off in psyched looks sort of desperate like it's his last chance or something or maybe he was just hi I mean not that he does drugs just hi you [Music] know uh yes anyway yes who do you want to know about what do you mean oh that he's the party boy anodic music doesn't really do vocals in the traditional sense vocals are thought of as rock that's to say they're a bit backward no offense if you like rock music though Rock music's called by me p p swish your credentials as the resident future man of revera are being questioned show her your hip with the times Gramps anyway even if you don't have vocals you still need someone to to say something every now and then right to urge things on that's where the party Boy comes in he basically just stands on the stage and dances and yells how awesome everything is he very catchy actually we don't know where he's from or who he is really one time we were out partying somewhere in Backwater forberg or maybe even Co City I can't remember maybe it was Cole City the worst of the benur a wretched heap of closed down mines even west of Jamrock on the dusty slope of Mont Mata the remotest possible area of revera no one even wants to exploit those people anymore egg was yelling along to some Jam someone was spinning all night long just kept yelling until he didn't have a shred of voice left when the sun came up over the mines there were mines yeah it was in Cole City egg came with us he made this wheezing puppy dog sound all the way back couldn't even speak it was definitely cold City cuz it took us 2 days to walk back to the four he just wheezed the whole way we never really asked why he came with us or who he was I think his name is Jermaine people are sweet you can see it must have been a great night the memory causes her to go silent for a moment or two you wish you'd been there who do you want to know about me again I told you I'm a silver bird this that phrase again really reminds you of something it means I don't answer questions about myself is there a law that would stop me from lying though all right there is thank you [Music] sure welcome back the Silver Bird has already flown away I will catch it later [Music] welcome [Music] back oaso de it fluts by your air it's what the Zeo Yaki the gradian community in riversa call a person who never breaks under interrogation it's an organized crime term excuse me she's attempting to remain calm but the phrase made her Flinch what do you mean all right my father was a Zaki he died years ago he was a bad man not a lot of good things to say about him and what he did he bought the family a huge house so we got to live at least temporarily in a giant castle in Jamrock and then he died what do you think the competition came and took everything away it was like in a war zone so after his death we had nothing left and we were in danger my mother had to change her name mine too we left it all behind it was a stupid idea and I'm still disappointed I came up with it yeah kind of I'm the head of the operation coordinated it with the deers else they might get unhappy not in person but I'll let him know you can't do anything without the fat ones getting wind it wasn't too difficult to convince him really it's a good thing you ended that mess though I felt I was turning dad wise into a corrupt business person and pleasant hear that set Justice on its feet confront everard with a fluid gesture you seize her wrist her hand just centimet from your nose that's not going to lead anywhere with Evra he'll just deny everything I mean have you seen the [Music] guy yeah it's all set up man can you already imagine a th000 people in here 10,000 ecstatic vibrations totally Transcendent and I finished setting up the new compressor too now the only thing left to do is a name with a club will you do the honors [Music] detective how about something simple like the club too modern and too ironic we don't want ironic we want real real and true and beautiful like a morning after the Rave BM Amnesia like the I can't remember the name of the club amnesia amnesia it's not Amnesia guys Yak yoat the place to be yoat the zone of ecological catastrophe that's to moreid egg got anything else hard car hardcore Doga no it has to be bigger than hardcore yes it has to be even bigger than hardore to the mega it has to be bigger than the scene I don't good we have too many opinions anyway the name everything I managed to come up with sounds just wrong Andre is overthinking it yes you should do it detective it would be good for the signs no's right you've helped us so much it's the right thing to do you have well what's the name like that DeLorean word for the world you mean elesium but disco elesium isn't it wacky disco's kind of gone isn't it forgotten the past is the future but the future is dead no it's beautiful beautiful and brave like we want it to be and short and memorable it's settled then everyone welcome to disco elesium Andre breaks into friend of danike motion to celebrate the name someone turns up the beat you should go with the flow join in on the experience I'm dancing that soft core gyrating is supposed to be dancing yes my man talk what is there to talk about if you can express yourself with moves Audio Waves thump against your rib cage the speaker setup makes everything sound much better but the beat is still so weak it's to express my individuality is that a ball spot it's hard to tell for sure with the fuse together spikes but it looks like he's Bolding of course it is otherwise i' just be another poor guy with no education and no money General issue man now I'm all that and I have radical spikes or because I'm buling yes I want to fuse the remains of my hair together before it leaves me I want to show my hair I don't give a [ __ ] how old you think I am I'm 20 not 20 maybe it was a bad idea anyway goodbye [Music] officer yes what is it [Music] what what did you say I can't hear you the music is too loud oh the project it's not going well there's that guy I need him to plug a 3.5 cable into the auxiliary input so that I can root the audio signal through the mixer into the speakers he doesn't listen to me he only ever seems to care about hardcore and Yukata a place to be apparently thanks maybe you can get through his magic Rhymes let me know how it [Music] goes a bet a deal yeah medium [Music] car God is close by but maybe he doesn't have good enough ears let me turn it up so we can lure him here to a mega yeah I can rout it through auxiliary what kind of a cable does she use 3.5 or 4.5 oh she uses 3.5 yeah the auxiliary lining is 4.5 mm these two don't mix oh God you're going to be in this church forever forever don't worry I have an adapter for it right here hang on this is a 4.5 we're all good people great someone got true to him okay let's get it all set up can we turn the music off please every everybody everybody don't panic I'm going to turn off the aror for just a sec for a special sheduled event Zano will be back but we're doing something else for one moment all right go tell us that Egghead is ready to Rave to her tunes and Zen I'll turn off the music [Music] [Music] wait take a longer look at yourself and how you're reflected in that slick chemical rainbow what what do you see metaphor it's always metaphor this is more important than you that's the blood of Industry you see before you the runoff from Cole City further down the coast the engines of Fortune once roared here great wealth poured into riversol the Delta as did smoke waste sickness life the engines stopped the West River sholan industrial base was dismantled after the war now extinguished Coke furnaces dot the landscape a landscape despoiled by industry yes Fortune left you too leaving only Pharmaceuticals and a subpar service-based industry it's getting cold this late in the night time to call it a day a Brisk Coastal wind still howls against the window of the shack occasionally the waves crawl in under the foundation producing a low hum the room feels muffled like you pulled your hat over your ears outside it is cold and windy but you're inside and it feels safe and warm what is this place to you waves crash onto the beach drown in the reads far to the South a congregation gathers to a soup kitchen in a shelter for the homeless an old woman gives out knitted scarves for free this could have been you this could still be you a down on his luck nobody trying to survive who are you talking to to there is no one here not even cold outside the howl of the wind has picked up the waves crash against the stilts again it's as if you think the thought but in someone else's voice [Music] forever the bed is comforting if a bit run down still you've earned a rest the bed underneath you is soft if lumpy waves wash the sand underneath the Hut then grow distant to your ear in the quiet hum of the organic heater you fall asleep like a deafly cast fishing net sleep pulls you out of the world and into its dark Shore the rough mesh Chas tightening around you it digs into your brain how have things been going for you out there helped anyone lately saved anyone lately mured anyone LLY this bastard isn't even listening to you because you know you are a murderer a disco music listening psycho killer who offs poor people and then forgets about [Music] it hear that you are naive to think he's afraid of his blooded hands soul brother oh no I see inside is a Mikala and he hippocampus the thing he's really scared of it's much much worse than that don't tell him sister it's too bad we're trying to help you all these processes these tortures voices and tremors are all just distractions flares and countermeasures to keep you from the last dream the worst of them all the last dream will be total Annihilation Cinders peeling off the fuselage we won't be there to help you anymore Harry we will be dormant you will be naked and alone in Hell an ancient sadness brother 10,000 years later in front of the video rental there is a warm breath on your face again everything is okay again everything is so okay your eyelids flutter open for a moment when you close them again you sense the light of the room around you you're back in two seconds the alarm will ring the last thought in your head before waking is maybe you shouldn't have seen that stained glass window in the church [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] he [Music] yes what is it the swallow you mean what about it great thanks a better deal yeah medium car yo man what's on your mind [Music] welcome [Music] back oh hey man it's good to see you [Music] you close your eyes and dream with the shapes your body should form to bring this strange music into life for now but just imagine the mve you could pull to this futuristic beat goodbye officer yes what is it okay but think you can ask him to turn the volume down a bit just in maximum maximum is the only way I know I know pump it to see he pumped it to the hard Master it's [Music] hopeless of course yeah never mind then Egghead pumps his hand up in the air B ready ready I'm ready a few two our detectives the lieutenant nods stoically not suddenly 5 4 3 2 1 you no window the woman looks around in the silence a low hum starts creeping up your spine it's a song inside you not in the speakers not in the room a great base sigh in the basement of your mind slowly it builds until the air around you starts to vibrate it will devour everything floorboards the glass the streets and the people nothing will remain guys what's going on it's getting louder in the basins the water looks like it's boiling h mother of Mega in his mind a Title Wave approaching from afar swallowing entire coastlines on its way salvation the Beauty and the Beast the future of dance planetary no egg it's the window in the corner of your eye the lieutenant steps aside cautiously his eyes searching for a possible evacuation route the window is going to come down no the rules cracks appear on the stained glass window cracks run up the wooden pillars in the dark come down to us love a great pulse arises in your flesh that's it I'm muting it oh I want to feel the hit with somebody [ __ ] it doesn't stop a seal have you yes I've turned it off Andre pull the compressor the place is going to come down [ __ ] I can't sh up the Signal's passed it's not in here it's this is it a great Roar the Vault of the roof twists above you glass shatters somewhere near the door it's coming down but then it stops totally and utterly as if there never was a sound only your ears still ring from the shock everybody is staring at Egghead holding a dangling Cable in his hand a black three pin connector egg I pulled the plug it was getting too hardcore you did good egg most of the place seems to be intact [ __ ] hell programmer lady tell me you were recording that four years 22 people millions of raos all that time this is what we were up against just erased it suly w isn't going to believe this yeah but did you record it though it was dope I think we can use it yes Andre I recorded it damn I I need to send some letters now thank you all for doing this Eggman you too and you officer I don't know what we've discovered but I know what it sounds like now that's the start it was very hard not to I think you're right there is something going on here and you need to be very careful with it I promise officer we will not play it again it was mathematical information from the anomaly presented as a waveform that's what it was technically theoretically I have no idea I've never even heard heard of anything like this a voice seems muffled in the silent church it's your ears adjusting after the exposure yes our lead designer and maybe some of the producers too and some of the writers if they're sober enough to open a transmission they need to hear that it wasn't her fault or theirs they need to hear about this don't worry I won't send the recording although I doubt they have have the speakers to produce the frequency anyway stay here I'm going to stay here with these lunatics s letters maybe meet sulis also devise further measurements I want you to know that's totally chill with us I don't care but thank you anyway that's the best she can manage for Andre it's quite a lot in Truth for her at least now I have a theory to come up with some kind of preliminary explanation to all this or the letter will sound like I've lost my mind yes and we have to get back to stabilizing Martinez instead of demolishing it with loud bass noise of unknown Origins you have an explanation for all this somewhere deep in you you know the person you were knows [Music] yes what is it what do you hear there is silence in your head yes what is it you don't have to you already have a long time ago these thoughts formed in you somewhere in a long forgotten discussion behind the kitchen table in the evening light drinking coffee and smoking with a friend what but but pale isn't here we're thousands of kilometers from The Edge she looks up into the darkness under the Nave then back at you then what is that it's nothing no it's less than nothing no then the pale is but the gradient it clearly hasn't started yet we're here and the pale is not I understand a theory of the pale where instead of an outer ocean it metastasizes like a cancer or or mold erupting in points inside the world according to this how long and information causing data losses in the east iny Indian front have you considered why it's born in a church and also when or how it might start growing or if it has other effects in addition to s data an intellectual hunger filser cost and faar aside I also have a question since we're piling the arm how do you know this I'm not doubting you I'm simply curious as to how a detective of the RCM knows how to think this an amateur andrene police officer I'd like to say I've heard stranger things but I'm not sure this is a hell of a guess however well Worthy I might have yes it is very interesting but I wouldn't say you know this is a guess one that's going to have to be proved by anetic scientists of course a pinewood sarcophagus or a a containment facility of some kind built by the first settlers I have considered the same the bad news is there were seven Pinewood churches built in the first decade of pral settlement most of them were burned down during the revolution or repurposed before during this is Reign I'm not saying all of them have one in them but some of them might a black grain hanging in the air you think the presence of that puncture has somehow influence the outcome of events here even say software development she already already made up her mind when she heard it some kind of great and uncaring force had to play a part it wasn't only them I told the producers we need to go and move to a normal office building with amenities but no the artists like the mure the writers like the history I told them you mean play Sans and the dice maker they was there's almost no one left when we packed up then go tell her she falls silent the wind blows in through the hole in the stained glass window cold and moist I'm going to leave that out but the rest some of this I can use to stop hard to explain this to the rest of the team maybe I'll sound mad but man you will certainly S one more thing maybe a club for anodic music isn't the worst thing you can erect around this particular point in space yeah once the light is on in the universe it will never go out thank you aad let's leave it at that shall we we have an entreprene detection to perform in this District the creepy woman we were wondering about that when we worked there but I had completely forgotten about it ever since it must be entoptic cross talk the one you get in radios and long distance calls now it makes sense with the pale right on the doorstep incredible this would also explain why we get it on the police radio all the time it's quite common actually when the signal gets rooted through pale all kinds of irregularities take place you may hear Snippets of someone else's conversation or the voice of your former lover or an echo of an event that took place 100 years ago pale is a shroud of memories and it doesn't really distinguish to whom those memories belong to you could hear anything anytime [Music] he for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] officer care to play a game with a lonely Holdman actually never mind wouldn't be the same the prick is gone I I can barely believe it but his really gone he is trying to retain his Jolly facade but the underlying sadness casts a deep Shadow over his wrinkled face hell most likely he was an absolute Kent his angry little heart finally gave out the duck workers found him in the god boost this morning wasn't he even supposed to be working for another week but he just had to prove how tough he is wait did he push himself to prove he can pull his weight and doesn't need handouts guess he was about to head home cuz when the dog workers found him he was wearing civilian clothes and not the cetu uniform I saw him in all the time sometimes I thought he was wearing it just to piss me off now the js on him CU he's going to be buried without it that means the uniform could still be in the guard booth something to keep in mind if you really plan to give yourself the Riva no Renee was the most storn man in rol nothing your high could say would ever push him to do anything the men was completely immovable he has doubts but right now he just wants to move on and not think about it I repeat an absolute K even his old hary buddies didn't want him around he was like an old Viper they harly people who could stand to be around him where Jenny and me she saw some singing himym when we were just kids and and she never L side of it and I thought if the most beautiful being in the world can love him then there must be something worth holding on to we've hated each other our entire lives so mer in fact that yes I I loved that angry prick he didn't deserve it but I did you know what this last words to me were well in Guam's time you'd have been shut without trial that's what he say to me he lived can't and he died can't let's leave it at that I took them for myself took them to remember that old C nobody knew him better than I did did and I want to remember that old [ __ ] buy something strange how old [ __ ] sounds almost gentle when he says it now let me see this was 60 years ago we all went to that parade Yung gr looks so happy and Jenny I'm sorry officer I just thank you thank you for this little memorabilia it TR means the world to me that was nice a small thing for us but invaluable to him he probably didn't even know when he had the photo yes we are both very sorry for your loss it is what it is part of life really but to know someone for 79 years then one day they're just gone I just don't know anymore about anything really but you you must need something H wasn't really what you'd call a botanist officer and believe me he didn't like insulindian [Music] lies that's their old name dating back to the time of kings and crests and all that other stuff he loves so much there were many reasons but mostly it was the communal they called them the bels of revolution I guess in the hand the insulindian lies were just another piece of the hold insula the royalist had to surrender to the mazovian insurgents it doesn't really matter anymore for [Music] a common office radio like any of those found in countless waiting rooms lounges and other semi-public spaces all over the world there's usually a little switch somewhere ah yes it's the one that say release the lock disengages with a nice click you may now safely remove the transceiver unit there's nothing obvious vious ly remarkable about it it's about the size of a common pasta box with knobs of molded plastic what else is there to say if this transceiver were a person it would be an accountant at a large Logistics firm perfectly competent but unexceptional very good let's get going then the transceiver appears glad to be of service you surprised me more than once during the course of our investigation but I have to say it still seems like a remote scenario with its transceiver gone the radio has ceased its persistent buzzing it is as silent as a headstone [Music] this is the night watchman's Booth the name on the door reads Renee an no Rene left his uniform neatly folded on the table generally speaking it would be dishonorable to take it but then it looks like a military uniform and wear in that is very honorable so a conflict of Honor it's up to you I suppose Rene is not going to be needing it anymore it's a bit too colorful for my taste though fantastic try not to wear it with other similarly colorful clothes okay [Music] [Music] [Music] so the ship has sailed did you see it I know you did tell me what did it look like as it grew smaller and smaller when that main Cil dropped behind the Horizon did it look like a germ did it look like a piece of bacteria his tone is totally different now the Jolly man of the people is gone and so is the smile you get a Sinking Feeling oh my God you've been played you wanted us to relay all this information to her that this is a takeover that I want a war God I hope you also told her about the drug train they absolutely hate getting their hands dirty with that you can kill a million people but if you do something the police doesn't like well then you're out of the yach club goodbye you inhuman [ __ ] Harry I bugged her cabin I bugged her whole boat I had cameras surveying her boat hell I even wanted to bug that thermal C but my boys advised against it not me personally I had guys recording and processing this information for me hell no they'd [ __ ] it up they can't do anything right I mean my real boys my special task force boys where are these boys they sure as hell aren't hanging out in the open with beers in their hands for the copster question they're Pros Mr kitsuragi Harry I can't see into the future we are all playing by ear on this planet I had no idea she'd react so strongly I did I knew the negotiations would go better with police officers telling her horror stories from inside the harbor it's scarier this way turns out it was a magnificent strategy I never thought it had so fundamentally [ __ ] her up no no Harry what we have is real we're working men this here is real Harry you made a conscious decision to relay that information to her you could have kept it for yourself she's not insane what did she tell you she's a Sentimental alcoholic they all are Harry never take a drop and you'll be eight laps ahead of the upper class wios Just Like Old Mr CLA here try it you'll be a real super detective I can see that Harry alcohol has left its marks but you're doing better than when I first saw you rich man is [ __ ] himself the working class sober of course she did rich people have the best stories about all the interesting things they've done done and seen all the beautiful places they've been to it's just sentimentalism she can afford to be sentimental and she can afford to lose as well what was always going to happen we take the harbor and she [ __ ] off to oon uncorks a bottle of wine calls her partners and says they need to distance themselves from this nasty business before the big [ __ ] spinner splashes everyone only difference is the union doesn't have to lose 2,000 men to machine gun fire that it will Harry that it will as to the bad taste please you're not a Somalia you're a cop you knew something something big and you wanted to see what happens when you tell someone so you told her anyone who's ever been close to power will tell you inside information is the sweetest thing in the world it's better than money it's better than [ __ ] Money only makes you special for some salesman [ __ ] only makes you special for yourself information makes you special For All Mankind it's the ticket to history right on Harry what you did was participate in history when history calls you have to pick up you had no choice none of us ever do a hard disco cop like you I knew you weren't one to resist temptation you know what detective I am going to leave this out of my reports and I suggest you leave it out of yours too just look at the three of us the three careless Bood deros good times good times now there's a whole lot of work to do for me and for you I suppose there was a reason you came here so let's get to it what can I help my best friend and comrade with today my my she's quite the look at Harry you can't imagine how pleased I am the two of you are reunited tell me was it difficult to convince the pigs to give it up I knew you could handle it I know my special policeman anyway I'm glad you're all right and armed again Harry now what can Evra CLA do for you Fanny that doesn't ring any bells Harry funny she was trying to set up a Narcotics operation in the old church on the coast oh that a cell yes I do seem to remember sending a pretty young thing down there to liven up the place get some anodic music in there amphetamin lab that sounds very immoral and abored frankly a health risk but what do I know about kids these days the music they listen to the drugs they do while they listen to that music it sounds to me like you trying to start an amphetamine lab in the district and you're using some delinquents you found God knows where to set it up and run it for you found God knows where that Asel is the daughter of moo the Kebab a man who once killed a guy with a kebab I think a daughter of a man who killed a man with a kebab can handle running a little nightclub don't you maybe it was B of or yakob I think it might have been Conrad a nightclub Harry I'm an old-fashioned gang after work I like to listen to some rock and roll music and have a non-alcoholic lger nightclubs don't interest me but here I am talking about myself when you have much more important things going on tell me Harry how can I help you [Music] h [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] the copper Nado is back what do you want watch that copper you want us to help little old ladies now you're local law enforcement aren't you helping troubled civilians should fall under your jurisdiction yeah yeah we'll send someone out who is wait it's the pigs isn't it God poor lady don't worry we'll handle this I think she got some family in kuron or something bastards left her alone when she got sick we've been getting complaints hey wasn't ever's B Team looking for her the other day they said something about her I don't know finding something yeah I think you're right Jean she have something to yours big whatever you do do not admit to these punks you lost your gun you will suffer if you do no well whatever then copper no they totally said what it was what was it anyone remember I don't remember I was [ __ ] drunk let me know if you figure it out back there now anything else we can help you with Auntie leant we always called her something Le land Maran [Music] Amigo anything else you wanted to know WS like before just an old lady her kids moved away years ago never come to visit never took her calls she gets out every now and then she did ride by L lots of us when we were kids always was a little off but still us kids that must have been ages ago she was better then the children kept her together get wanted to be a cop you mean well she [ __ ] I don't actually know anyone know why she started acting like a big no [ __ ] clue it's got to be the crazy who' want to be a [Music] pig respectable professions don't shoot kids Sero they don't beat confessions out of prisoners measy there Al sit down we got one of our own to take care of so let's not get worked up D know she lives by the water [ __ ] washes up all the time on the beach police paralia doesn't just wash up on the coast people it's not like we dump it at night she bought it collected it Station 41 A man carries a crate of rusted unused badges you think these would neor something at the annual oan a balding detective drags a con futy across his head [ __ ] who'd want those just dump them into the river no problem old cop man we take care of our mentally ill here in Martin a ain't that right boys sure enough we're the real heroes on these streets [Music] hello dear it's good to see a familiar face thank you for doing that dear her smile is weary her earlier abulance has left her Morel still isn't feeling well I convinced him to stay at Gary's to get some rest I'm afraid the cold has really gotten to him him I'm sorry dear you've had to Drudge through them so many times such as field workor a Young Person's game as they say her voice is shaky what is going on here Morel will eventually or we'll talk Gary and to go back out perhaps the lieutenant stares at his shoe Kate in mud he doesn't say anything that really is too much sweetie thank you for your dedication but I can see you're coming down with a cough yourself very strange why is she not letting you do this it's like she's given up different how I'm not it's not that it's a a strange feeling I haven't really told this to anyone but you are a police officer and when a police officer asks you must answer do you ever wonder if some lovely story from your childhood is just that a story or a dream hunching her shoulders now she seems even smaller than she is like a sad young girl seeing the insulindian fmid was just a story I used to tell people I didn't really think about whether it was real or not morel's so proud of it he always tells everyone a terrible sting in the heart regret no at least I don't think I did but Morel was so eager to believe my story was evidence of the FMS existence that I'm some Queen of the crypto zoologists that and for years his belief made me believe too that I am a queen and EXT extraordinary witness to Grace but now we're both getting old and he's still working himself sick out in those reads looking for it but what if I was just wrong I think I was the lieutenant opens his notebook but doesn't write anything an acorn is not the same as the tree that requires time diligence and care care but it is we've spent years searching for the FID hunting it together without it what are we just another pathetic old couple if I hadn't led him down this path he could have a steady job lecturing at a university oh of course it counts for or something but we've had our hard times too I was a paraplegic before we met he didn't know before I arrived on our first date if I weren't the queen of the crypto zoologists if I didn't tell him that story she has to swallow to relax her throat it's keeping her from talking maybe but then why do I not dare tell him I've wasted enough of your time with this drama I really must stop talking about it L I start crying and waste more of your time what you have to know is the insul Indian fast mid probably does not exist let us fools chase our ghosts they are a million better things to do with your life are there some of the other things are pretty bad a True Believer sometimes I still see it too the real memory of it how it was there not the memory of the memory but it's so hard to tell the two part either way I should go poor Morel is running a fever and I need to get him home to Jamrock before we overstay our welcome with Gary oh no thank you but I can get there on my own this old thing is gas powered and then a taxi home it's not so bad really oh sweetie please don't get stuck on a dream take it from me and Morel okay it's 1113 Tabernacle Road Jamrock but aai she doesn't think you'll need it you too sweetie thank you for everything truly even though it turned out to be a a waste of time a dream like that she drives off the guests quietly as she gets to the doors then pushes them open outside it's snowing we should go too somewhere out there a kilometer to the southeast a gust of wind shakes the Fel building rattling Dusty Windows beckoning with strange coldness to ask the wind once more [Music] [Music] [Music] the door is closed again nothing to do here anymore the display rack is brimming with worn paperbacks featuring an extremely muscular sword wielding Barbarian on the cover nearly all the titles contain the word heal somewhere the display rack is brimming with worn paperbacks featuring an extremely muscular sword wielding Barbarian on the cover nearly all the titles contain the word here down somewhere a twinge at the back of your head makes you Flinch your eye starts twitching your hand reaches toward a book with glossy cover art of the very muscular man from hamar in Chains kneeling in front of a staircase leading to a throne a woman sits on the throne laring at the man she's laughing at him belittling him between the throne and the Hond delaman lies a bonfire casting Shadows on the wall the shadow of the woman's headdress looks like a pair of devil horns the title reads man from H down and the Devil Woman the display rack before you is burdened under PES of man from heon novels oh yes certainly another good sale it is a bestseller for a reason shelves filled to the brim with crime novels featuring The supposedly stwart vespertine detective dick Mullen your quick eye notices a small caterpillar crawling across the spine of a book the title reads dick Mullen and the mistaken IDE identity A Worn paperback from dick mullen's classic hardboiled phase the premise seems to be that dick Mullen is framed for the murder of his best friend and has just a few days to prove his innocence could it be the motifs of unstable identities and shocking betrayals then this is the book for you of course such violence and immorality uh I mean enjoy shelves full of biographies of famous people whoever they are a true cultural Touchstone enjoy the read this bookstore is not strictly about crime romance and biographies of famous people the there also a wide range of paranatural literature indeed something about that book does seem to have spoken to you well I hope it contains what you're looking for a small mountain of colorful board game boxes there are numerous types of game for all ages a lot of shelf space seems to be taken up by wal related merchandise if you say so but you better stay away from those immoral occult rituals wonderful Choice sir a wholesome family game large letters on the front form a title weel the colorful box is Illustrated with bucolic Vistas the cover art also features odd-looking humanoids some short some taller some with pointy ears others with ephemeral Wings text underneath the title in smaller typ face reads Third Edition Mega settin supplements module the side panel adds a s and sorcery Adventure board game with new maps and Miniatures mysterious things rattle inside what could they be dice plastic Miniatures a Fantastical alternate world full of magic and wonder none of that witless man from hial fascist dross hidden behind faux realistic allegory urel is no cliche ridden apologia for Colonial violence urel is pure imagination yes the WHL setting is known for its complicated system of political alignments but if you're not into that you can just hack your way through dungeons in search of loot that's what most people do a blurb on the back reads tired of the tedium and toil of Modern Life escape to W leave behind es solar and nations with their Petty squabbles discard electricity magnets and boring technology iCal widgets succumb to a world of high pastal fantastique Unleash Your Imagination and create an adventure of Endless Possibilities discover the terrible secret threatening weal can your band of adventurers save the world exactly that's the spirit all you have to do is read an intricate rule book study an assortment of maps unfold The Illustrated game board and start rolling dice in no time you could be romping through grasslands with low-level characters hunted by iscala riders or battling unspeakable monsters in Endless dungeons fraught with danger and despair Conjuring up forceful Magics to Aid your quest don't forget heated arguments escalate into physical confrontation with your friends and most importantly never forget to rage quit if the dice don't go your way you pry open the box inside you find a folded up map a small booklet a 24 sided dye and a little plastic figurine a reprint of a crude handdrawn map the top left corner reads lands of Wal the map features both small villages and midsized towns with odd names in addition to Meadows forests Hills lakes and seas also with odd names it doesn't seem to correspond with anything you've seen thus far it's not a very helpful map a quick guide to the magical races of Wal create your own hero choosing from any of these completely unique and Fantastical backgrounds the options are in order of importance the welin the twor the humans the fairy folk and the pig M the welin tall lithe and graceful with long flowing hair and pointy ears they're known for being powerful magic users but can also hold their own in a Brawn driven fight the welin come with a variety of exciting subraces High welkin Forest welkin Lake welkin and snow welin but if you're not feeling experimental a basic welin will always do a grand race of industrious mountain people they're short Stout and muscular and enjoy digging for gold and other Precious Minerals they're also well-versed in the art of combat where they prefer to use axes and hammers the toog also come in a few different subraces Hill toog shield toog and dark toog they're just humans what else is there to tell they average in all stats and Jacks of all trades a very small race of flying people known for being mischievous full of trickery they often lure people into their magical traps there are no sub races for the fies the least popular of the wal races the pygmies are short rotund and dimwitted pigmies live in small villages made of shoddy wooden dwellings they spend most of their days tilling the Earth and smoking their pipes there are no subraces for the pygmies you see a man in ragged clothes wearing a lopsided hat and wielding some sort of a firearm huh interesting AAR the figurine is not a part of the real world game setting I guess someone misplaced it during the packaging process I have a feeling the figurines are more there to set the scene than anything else you pick the figurine up by the base to meet your gaze the Little Plastic Man stares back at you his face contorted into a disturbing shout then you pocket it it's made from some sort of wood and has been decorated with peculiar plant motifs you place the dye into your pocket it's always good to have luck on your side a colorful box with the title wal in bold letters it's a board [Music] game in your hands you hold a brand new copy of the game suarti it's snugly wrapped in a skin of plastic the cover features a Charming illustration depicting a mass of grinning laborers loading Goods onto a ship while a richly dressed administrator oversees their work the box has a nice he to it you hear the rattle of individual wooden tokens and feel their weight shifting back and forth what Treasures wait in store for you even before you open it you can tell that this will be a mey game of Grand strategy and complex player interactions the plastic wrap rips off as easily as a bodice in a torgy historical romance there's a hiss as the lid slides off inside you find a thick full color rule book and more than a dozen pouches of various wooden components you open up a number of pouches containing wooden tokens there are also several punch boards with other cardboard components that will need to be punched out before you can play in addition to the worker and building tokens used by each player there are also several piles of colorful resource tokens each representing one of the game's four principal resources from the Empire of sephr orange apricot tokens from IL Marat The ancestral name of ilara gray marble block tokens from the semine islands white sacks of sugar tokens and from Supra mndi and Sara Marissa magenta tokens for unprocessed cocaine leaves oh those are nice each cardboard token makes a satisfying as you pop it out soon a neat pile of cardboard coins and counters has accumulated before you what you're not going to offer to let me punch any of them out you hold the open open game box before you welcome to sarenity a game of economic strategy for the whole family the rule book is sumptuously Illustrated and thick as a guardian novel the instructions are opaque at first and introduce many Concepts you're not familiar with fortunately there are many diagrams and examples throughout you soon figure out the basic conceit each player represents an administrator for the suarin of ronw your objective is to increase the sarin's wealth and Renown by accumulating victory points that's where the suarin vessels come in the game features four vessel Nations each one home to an economically important resource each turn the player collects resources from vessels where they've placed workers they may then rearrange their workers fulfill contracts for coin and bonuses or build structures back in rers Shaw as you Leaf through the pages your eye catches on a sidebar labeled advice for beginners remember there are many paths to victory in suarti but successful players will find one strategy and commit to it wholeheartedly the actual scoring system appears infinitely complex with a series of tables and appendices required to compute each player's final Victory point total you skip that part for now the lieutenant looks over the rule book before he sees something that makes his eyes go wide holy [ __ ] the average playing time for this game is 1 to 6 hours I'm not sure we can afford to set aside that kind of time for a game what is detective work if not an elaborate game you need logical inference attention to detail the ability to analyze your opponent's motives H I do feel like my thinking has become somewhat rigid maybe a little diversion to keep the Mind limber is just what's in order see he's doing the hard work himself all he needed was a little nudge all right you've convinced me how do we play you explained the basic setup procedures too the lieutenant who seems to be a quick study you each take your bag of tokens en counters and unfold the board between you in the center is the crown of revon radiating outward are are colorful vessels each one supplying some raw material desired by the suarin apricots from saffr archaeological Treasures from ilar sugars from the semine islands and magenta cocaine from Supra mndi and Sarah Maritza there's also a neat little log to keep track of your progress in case you need to put the game away and return to it later the lieutenant goes first he draws a contract card and moves several of his workers to the sephr territory of the board and the others to the semine islands all right detective your turn you have a few options available to you will you try to fulfill contracts right away or re arrange your workers to maximize production on future turns remember what the rule book said you'll want to choose a strategy early on and stay committed to it you draw a contract card offering a number of coins in exchange for archaeological Treasures you place all your workers on the IL Marat territory on your next turn you project prod six units of archaeological treasure and fulfill the contract for a handful of coins not bad detective but not good enough the lieutenant seems to be saying as he completes his own contract card the lieutenant is rewarded with four coins and a round wooden token that he places in the center of the board that's a market it's worth two victory points don't worry it was mostly just luck you earn some points soon enough what is that patronizing tone you're one of the sarin's trusted administrators you may need to put the lieutenant in his place points are nothing they don't exist they're just an arbitrary convention that games use to reward or punish players for certain behaviors game designers I imagine now I believe it's your turn glancing over the board you see several possible strategies pressing more workers into service would increase your economic output and help you to survive a possible conflict with the lieutenant or you could ignore your labor Supply and focus on fulfilling contracts for points and resources those aren't your only options you could also show your workers how much you appreciate them by investing some of that wealth in them after all they're the ones producing wealth for the suar rain well sure you can do that it's just not a terribly effective strategy but then it's up to you who cares about workers or territory is when the real action is in revera you spend your turns fulfilling contracts for sweet coins and one-time bonuses after several turns you have a neat pile of cardboard coins and several units of archaeological treasure which you trade in to build a museum you place a cylindrical piece of wood on the riversol section in the middle of the board it's meant to stand in for a beautifully adorned edifice filled with ancient wonders well played Detective that museum is worth three victory points now it's the Lieutenant's turn to respond he moves aggressively onto the saffr territory soon his workers are producing a steady supply of extremely valuable apricots for several turns you struggled to respond to the Lieutenant's burgeon in apricot Empire eventually you relocate the majority of your workers to prndi and Sara Maritza where they begin producing a bumper crop of cocaine tokens you draw a new contract card according to the text there's an aristocrat willing to trade a large supply of cocaine for a number of coins and access to a rear bonus Amplified music worth seven victory points you've reached a critical strategic juncture how do you respond to the Lieutenant's aggression it takes several turns but you slowly begin accumulating the cocaine necessary to complete the contract when you do it practically Reigns cardboard coins on your side despite your trash talking the lieutenant still has a formidable store of coins and resources the end game is upon you how will you spend the vast resources you've acquired for the glory of the suarin flipping through the manual you find the most expensive structure in the game the revolan victory column worth 12 victory points if you can successfully build it Victory will be all but assured alternatively you could try launching a trade War to crush the Lieutenant's economy or you could blow all that money on a public education system for your worker tokens the choice is yours using the substantial coins and resources you've accumulated from diligently fulfilling contracts and constructing trade routes you spend your final turns constructing the ultimate structure in the game the rolian victory column with a triumphant flourish you remove a rectangular token from one of the Sauls and place it next to to your Museum cylinder in the center of the board they're nice tokens yes very impressive now let's tell of the scores shall we Computing the final scores is almost a game unto itself you each spend an inordinate amount of time making stacks of coins Consulting tables and struggling with basic addition and multiplication after Double then triple check in your meths you have your final score 35 victory points the suarin will be extremely pleased I've got 26 points looks like you won convincingly well played Detective now let's clean up and get back to work you hold the open game box before you anti object task force behold the anti-obese God's avenging Angel arrayed against the lower emanations of the darkened one shoe racks tape recorders motor carriages and doors so many doors you're not just pounding it all to pieces you're reforging the universe from the Anvil of the Heavens to the worms below indulging it be bold have an impact on the shape of creation Out of the Furnace of your rage a new reality also you should trash your room again you sharpened your senses by being on the lookout for missing persons now you notice more of what's happening around you perhaps when you're done with this case you can join the search light division of the RCM and find every Rivers sholon that's ever gone missing Without a Trace there is undoubtedly a backlog of such cases because you never know a missing person could be just around the edge barely out of sight oh it's you again are you looking for a die you mean the curse that I'm spared of because I live outside its immediate reach I'm listening excuse me a 2 mm ho in reality this can't be true I'm afraid it is man Sona Lucan and killer the former lead programmer of Fortress accident made the discovery Sona is involved in this so it's even worse than I thought it's not just the commercial area that's cursed it's the entire world she looks outside the window where daylight has filled the yard you mean considering the fact that the world is collapsing on my porch in any case thank you for stopping by it's good to have an answer even if I can't claim to understand it fully date of birth generator you were born in the year' 07 in the last year of the commune of reveral right before it fell in the old B Military Hospital on the ground floor where people usually came to die during a snowstorm the revolution had about one year left to go and the fires were still burning bright there were explosions in the blizzard this was 44 years ago you are 44 years old the bloa in might never leave your face but beneath it you still have some years you still have some hope h [Music] he [Music] [Music] I see you haven't left our little marches yet still running around like some kind of cross country law [Music] official I but don't let it grow too much this is not the place to settle down now what's on your mind officer Harry [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] that's a deal yeah medium car yeah it was awesome and scary very hardcore too hardcore in fact I couldn't control it at all it sucks up all the airs and mix until it's the only thing left starts compressing itself and everything around it completely fills up the head space extreme oh oh but how what about the compressor the one with the spiky hair was setting up to achieve some sort of parallel [Music] processing a better deal yeah medium car [Music] goes the track in the background never ending you can't grasp what's missing but you can try to make something up anyway the young man Bobs his head to the music much as [Music] [Applause] before a that's a deal yeah medium a side chain the beat listen you can use the compressor to select between which track it's compressing either the auxiliary signal or the main input from the tape make it alternate between the signals the compressor controls the game based on the level of the signal on the oride Chain input it will allow maintaining a loud sound without Peaks that fill up all the head space side chaining it you said then he puts on his headphones and his eyes go wide wider than they've ever gone on drugs he starts jumping up and down with bliss in total silence still listening to his headphones hey what did you do to Egghead cop man did you break him are you ready [ __ ] noid straightens his back ready for the beat I Was Born Ready Egg [Music] [Music] the ordal salt is glorious the speed freak dances on the stage intensely waving his hand in the air this is beauty this is life what in the world is going on the way Mel and Bas flow together it's unnatural your body is taking a beating from the low frequencies crashing over you it's making you feel aive again introducing the Ultimate Sound God damn it this dance club idea might just work out DeLorean Church the place to be Pump It pump it this is it this is a new era the fabric of the world has been irrevocably altered who will be the innocence of Hardcore anotic dance music oh hey man it's good to see you you close your eyes and vacate your skull leaving your brain to wonder where did that little fluttering light go total darkness you sink down the darkest fathoms of your own personal deep vertebrate by vertebrate through the unformed sculls of your mind here it will begin I'm going to let you in on a little secret every vertebrate in your spine is an unformed skull ready to pop up and replace the old one like shark teeth the one you're currently in has a little brain forming in it waiting for its turn to rule the world I I am the spinal cord from what I can see it's about to bust a move who [ __ ] cares no not good or gmic oh don't worry the mic music still there it's you who is gone nothing just the immaculate Silence of your spinal fluid electrified full hearty do you even know what's happening on the surface maybe a thousand years have passed or maybe you started it's passing out like two seconds ago with your eyes still closed the first thing you feel all the way back in the pivoting darkness of your own torso is warmth you have become a Triumph of rhythmo plastics somewhere in a smelly wooden Church on the coast of rolw the wounds from the war you waged on your body are healing Twist by twist turn by turn as you open your eyes you should scream hyper hyper it seems appropriate you have become a Flawless interlocking mechanism a flesh and Bone approximation of the throb coming from the speaker setup of the one called Eggheads entirely rigidly IM basilic Without Pity or [Music] fear free from selfawareness no deliberation only and I mean only execution oh my God no way with his real toore mixer blasting the Anem of a future that will never come the young man observes your moves for a second he throws a screwdriver and a bunch of drill shuts into the corner and explodes into dance what he lets in sharpness e more than makes up for in violent [Music] enthusiasm the young woman lifts her Headphones Up slightly and raises her chin looking at you expectantly a few aren you going to dance no recording the lead programmer throws the other young woman a knowing glance before turning her attention back to her own work she's still at her M frame pressing buttons reading printers but she started knocking her head Al to the music what's going on here delinquent this is clearly code 31 emergency the lieutenant scream squeezes the bridge of his nose the lights reflect off his glasses he's obviously having trouble adjusting to this new the C 31 emergency really the lieutenant crosses his arms with a amused look what's happening good for you rock on then [Music] what who's rege you are you kidding me get my what on sheesh okay okay your psychopath I see what you're doing there it's jacked up footwork plus um is that UB for dancing [Music] n it's not Ry folk it's hardcore yeah whatever oh yeah I did 15 years in the juvenile crime unit I can do AG inappropriate now check this [ __ ] out the lieutenant begins to heal kick the church floor with such intensity it's reasonable to fear he'll Kick a Hole right through it causing FL to crack and the pillars to collapse bringing the church roof down on all of you it doesn't look like he give a [ __ ] either the young man immediately bounces up and down then assumes the same dance pattern embellishing it with some sort of waving motion the authority of the law is clearly unquestionable the dynamic motion of your flailing body is bordering on the stream you're going off the CHS you feel as if turning on the hyperdrive will be a point of no return feels on this are you sure you have the entire P for this here we go again hardore fills the air the sound above my head what now the sound above your what about my hair man okay this is too embis excuse me on the coast of the Martine Inlet in a small weather beaten State church built 380 Years Ago by settlers from the ocient most likely to guard against an anomaly at its Center an officer of the RCM is contorting his body into idiotically rigid shapes as he invents the future of dance music it's the hardest anyone has ever danced I am I am the city the modulations of my voice are noted down with thermometers and parameters you feel me in your nostrils on the little hairs on the back of your neck I also reside in your lungs and vestigal organs and everywhere there is space I am a fragment of the world Spirit the genus Loi of riverol my heart is the wind Corridor the bottom of my air is red I have a 100,000 luminous arms come morning I carry industrial dust and let it settle on tree leaves I Shake the Dust from the sleeves and onto your coat I've seen you I've seen you I've seen you with her and I've seen you without her I've seen you on the C of the Hill you are an officer of the citizens militia J when you wear your coat you wear my soul you move through my streets freely in motor carriages and on foot you have access to the hidden places you also circulate among those who are hidden I need you you can keep me on this Earth be vigilant I love you an officer of the RCM is lying on the floor of a small church with his eyes rolled back and his tongue lulling out several others are standing around him he slowly comes too had a good rest there [ __ ] yeah I bet you did those were some advanced moves man that's all great but we should really get going we spent enough time doing aerobic exercise for [Music] today you might be imagining it but it feels like Egghead turned the volume down such is his respect man now now man now now imagine if we could do that right but we've like a th000 people end of human development mission complete hope I remember those moves man don't worry man I'll remember it room [Music] [Music] [Music] wow this ch it makes you feel strong as if your blood is mixing with that of the venerable Philippian loyalists of [Music] old apologies you're right the need for a strong central government has always been clear to you you're a true patriot of Reva born to do it it's time to clean up the streets and restore the city to its former glory whether you like it or not this jacket gives you serious nationalist cred [Music] [Music] [Music] yes what is it yo man what's on your mind so your cop ways came through again impressive let's see what you got an ordinary White Collar transceiver joins the hardcore underground yeah this should do nicely a nice story to tell himself but don't forget it really is just a normal run-of-the-mill transceiver unit all right L Farah we're ready to do this I have to warn you though once we commit there's no stopping until we've seen it all the way through no pauses no second chances this is our shots you got it it so any cop prep you got to do you do it now we'll wait if we have to don't sweat that egg found something down near the water lock some Maniac abandoned the perfectly good power source that explains why it was covered in cop colors all things totaled but lucky for us the engine on the back is still perfectly good all I have to do is run a cable from the engine up the C into all men's Memorial it won't last forever but it should bi us enough time to get you sinked out with a big bed how should I know it's up to everyone to know their own needs whatever keeps your body and soul in top working condition at the very least you should make sure you're wearing a good pair of gloves personally I'm going to make sure I've got a steady supplier prep tired Andy the speed is to get you through the tedious detail oriented parts of the work maybe this freak will spot you some hope you don't get any little wires crossed because you lost your concentration Mister clean and sober west of the crew has got to stay here can't afford to let the beat drop right as we're getting off the ground much love to my hardcore antenna Brothers good luck guys try to squeeze in a promo Spot while you're on air we've got to start putting the word out back across the water lock at least we're getting our exercise in today [Music] [Music] just plug that in there would you it's done I believe we are ready yeah as ready as we're going to be grab one of these can sets both of you I've got it rigged so we can all listen but only your cop talk will broadcast no idea what what we're going to hear when I turn this thing on so be prepared for anything trick is to keep transmitting your request until the big bad acknowledges you you got that honestly that might be for the best like I said the signs coming off this old project are seriously Uncharted don't know how much juice we've got so we better get to it you ready good we're live in two one a soft rustling between your ears a winterscape with fast falling snow every light switch every motor Carriage every doorbell tea kettle and radio in martines all mingled with electrical interference caused by scattered thunderstorms over ozone hey L man we're waiting on you yeah you're all alone out there wandering a blasted Heath calling out to the Knight but there is no reply except for the buzzing of invisible machines the lieutenant looks up at you with a nervous glance he is nervous for your sake of course but also his own looking at him now with both hands on his headphones you see very briefly what the lieutenant must have been like when he first join the RCM then he turns to you he gives you a half smile along with an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement give it another go perhaps you're simply imagining it but it seems as though you're learning to pull apart the fibers of this auditory felt you focus on one strand in particular one that sounds very nearly human for you can't make out a word of this gibberish keep trying we'll get through these radio spookers eventually again it's cold now a slight Frizzle at the point where your neck meets your spine something about the Lieutenant's words directed at you but not you I didn't say anything detective someone has been maintaining it the wiring has been repaired an uncomfortable silence Falls over the connection It's Been a Long Winter long and cold I promise you I didn't even though it certainly sounds like me so your partner's hting himself trying to warn him off his current path most like it's Eerie for certain but also harmless I just wish I could remember what I was talking about something here is eating at the lieutenant as much as he would like to move past it you just have to embrace the spookiness now give it another go but someone has been maintaining it the wiring has been repaired D please acknowledge leing bit worship AR please identify the signals are getting increasingly mixed plucking Archer signal from this will be like isolating a single strand from a tangle of hair this isn't looking good the radio spookers are winning don't know if we can't get around the interference we're in deep trouble hold on I think he gave me some sort of checklist says here main step volume to the max that's not too helpful okay it also says inspect connections for our core Clarity so let's try that my guess you climb up the Centaur man see if there's anything obviously interfering with them maybe you've got some technical law or something someone has been maintaining it something about this setup seems dimly familiar but you'll be damned if you know what you're supposed to do about it images of your body smashed against the pavement flood your mind this is dangerous your gloves give you a solid brick on the metal bar this feels pleasingly familiar you don't exactly cut a lives some figure but after several moments of scrambling you managed to hoist yourself at top the monument that performance was frankly an embarrassment the connection itself is nothing more than a little braid of exposed wire wrapped about the hoof of the horse a copper Fetter it cannot slip the whole Monument is covered in a thin but durable layer of oil and grime it's obvious no one has cleaned it in years well what's it look like huh I don't know what to do then hang on I'm looking at eggs checklist he says it all fails Bend antenna narrow is the odd corol way that make any sense to you it says here muscle style good question maybe he's saying we're casting to wi net got a narrow our receiving band so we pick up the big bad without the spookers since you're already up there I say you should do it the speed freak is right the responsibility is yours and yours alone there's no turning back now you are face to face with Philip II the bronze King looks toward the west something about his features seems bizarrely distorted his imperious gaze leads you naturally to his outstretched hand which for some reason strikes you as sadly empty come on Kings and Sabers are so played out there's a better way why not arm the good King's Valiant Steed Instead This there seems to be just enough room between its teeth there to your surprise the saber slides snugly between the horse's beard teeth there is no way that is going to make any difference nah every bit helps we need this antenna to be as hardcore as humanly possible this faithful indeed cuts a dashing figure with the replica saber between its teeth the sky is gray and overcast somehow the raindrops seem to fall more slowly from this angle through the scrim you can just make out the shadow of Coalition warship Archer a few kilometers to the east a few of the idle Lorry drivers and strike Breakers gesture at you with their cigarettes more out of curiosity than than anything else from the window of one of the adjacent apartment buildings an older woman leans out her heavy breaths sagging she yells a single word you can't make out and then shuts the window with a violent thk [Music] your grip is firm yet controlled the swelling in your headset guides your hands as much as your hands guide the bronze horse head it's almost like you're hearing through the horse itself looks like it's working keep going just a bit more liing the signal is clear the storm has passed this is another voice a live voice on the other end of this invisible Bridge you've established try it [Music] nowen on the this is Collis AR we are acknowledging and accepting there it is the big band now be quick I'll keep us aligned as long as I can this is it you're finally getting to speak with those who hold real power and by that we mean the ones with the guns and the warships there is so much you wish you could ask your efforts have bought you some time but you can't forget what your really really here for please be advised that you speaking on a public frequency what is your request you are currently speaking with Coalition worship Archer Flagship of in circum for in r no the captain of the Archer is deeply classified intelligent we are the second signaler our name is not important all you need to know is that we all depos of second sign a you really don't have the faintest guess what her name could be you were never very good at this sort of thing there's something in the way she refers to herself always with the first person plural a deliberate blurring of the boundary between herself and the institution she represents not to mention the Airborne artillery platform she works on her every word is backed up by the most powerful ordinance available because it's standard practice for signalers to use the pluralis italis during the course of it's meant to serve as a reminder that we don't speak only for ourselves for instance as second signaler we represent Collision moreart which in turn represents incom and the C more general which in turn represents the moress international which itself represents the interest of 1.2 billion people across the w meaning she's the voice of all those living Souls no of course not there are many nations outside the moral inter umbrella in SE Samara and elw at most you might say the moral inter represents between a quarter and a third of your mind perhaps you could say that we represent the interest and hopes of a great many people what you could say just if that we are the assistant to the Secretary of a fum no more remarkable than the lowest cashier of a common flee it all depends on your perspective the chief signal our Superior they are ultimately responsible for all Communications aboard the other but now we've wed quite for a field what was the request we can assure you it is coming as soon as as possible oh most likely though of course it depends on the contingency you must understand the moral intern is responsible for ensuring the continence and flourishing of mankind for the next 3,000 years the planning division must account for a great many possible outcomes and chance events fortunately we have contingency spreads to help guide our decision making of course there is no one spread that can reasonably account for all these possible events but at least we're able to prepare for the most likely eventualities it's not really our area of expertise but we can try to explain picture a smooth Hill made from fresh now if you stand at up this hill and put a glass of water over it what will happen PR we know only that it will run down but not what course it will take if we place a rock in the water's path will it divert to the left or to the right we cannot say but we may predict which way it might run in either event that is the essence of the idea you might also Imagine This Brads as a kind of tree with every juncture representing a different event and every Branch representing a different timeline not exactly no one can know the future but with Contin spread it is possible to predict what the future realities might reasonably look like but we shouldn't overstate their importance they are simply one of many tools used by the mor intern to set policies that's impossible to say it may be that Ravel has a great role to play or no role at all that is the nature of contingency but didn't the wild Pines representative say that that rivershell would resolve history you must understand when we speak of contingency spreads we are talking about the most fantastically complex data visualization human beings are capable of producing with thousands of events from elections and Wars to natural disaster or scientific Miracles and millions of possible outcomes it may be the case that under certain scenarios Rell is vitally important as it was during the Collis l in OA it may also be the case in many other equally plausible scenarios that Rell is simply another once great City like countless others throughout e it may be the case that it may be the case that under certain scenarios Rell is vitally important as it was during the Collision Landings in O it may also be the case in many other equally plausible scenarios that the Rell is simply another one great City like countless others throughout these it's even possible the cities that we resolve the questions of the future have not been founded yet for this reason responsibility for developing contingency spreads is only assigned to highly trained analysts working with Advanced Radio computers and a steady supply of drums even though we are only a second signaler we can tell you with great certainty that that there is no contingency spread for you simply that there is no such change as an individual contingency spread please understand we are not some totalitarian Enterprise we are committed to and bound by the highest values of individual freedom and opportunity what you're describing is the attitude of a child the moral intern is not Humanity's mother despite what some critics Alle responsibility and freedom are deeply entwined and both are essential in a flourishing Society sleepling bitter on the signals weakening I guess you got about two questions left come again we're picking up our interference a very important question with a very simple answer we want Humanity to endure beyond that it may be said that we are the inheritors and Steward of dolor day secret doloris day so so beautiful immeasurable it includes inter solary travel three scientific revolutions humanism internationalism the welfare state and balance of Terror nothing less than the intellectual Foundation of our mod f the role of the moralist internation is twofold to buy Humanity sufficient time to perfect itself and to patiently guide it along the road while protecting it from ideological highway men and esy the RCM exists Under the Umbrella of the Collis just as the CIS exists Under the Umbrella of the moral Ln at the same time the RCM is not exactly off the Collis we are not that familiar with RCM la in practice but we believe that may be the case as we recall the deage originated with the rasalan commun itself there is some truth to that but in a practical sense if the responsibility of the ethic division to ensure that both organizations are working towards the demands one now committed to upholding moralist values strange isn't it history is a river coursing ever downward occasionally its course is redirected in mysterious and unexpected ways it was established by many of the same founding party members who elected does day and who after their assassination dedicated their lives to the continuation of a political and intellectual project the Communists say they are the next dialectical step in an inexorable spiral of program they claim to have resolved an inherent contradictions of moralism and believe they're just one revolution away from establishing ing a humanist Paradise the fascists say they are both the ancestors of and the successors to the loyalism in other words they believe that Dolores day's Reign simply represents a glorious phase of expansion within a greater Franco Nigerian Heritage they criticized the DeLorean project for accepting and integrating new peoples rather than forcefully subjugating them and then there are our prodical cousins the Vasan social Democrats who all our saint values and have even adopted many of our same rights and iconography though they persist in rejecting the umbrella of moralism for some reason it's the social Democrats she sounds most exasperated with we don't resent them it's more that we are disappointed that they have chosen to emphasize certain points of dispute over broad areas of Accord she speaks of them like a family member she's abandoned hope of ever maturing but of course they also remain Dependable Partners in a number of centus governing cations it's an elegant idea one of the cornerstones of the modern data in short it holds that durable lasting peace is possible when the major powers are capable of inflicting unacceptable and irreversible destruction upon one another because no rational state is willing to accept the risk of such a Calamity befalling its own people all powers are incentivized to deescalate conflicts before they reach the point of no return for the most part it has the world is certainly not free of VI conflict but in the modern era we have made great strides to reduce its frequency duration and sity let us answer your question with a question have you ever seen evening fall over the Old Town ofis The Heart of the City the old town is a district composed of weather Mark comprising thousands of colons and arcades AR ranged around a series of grand PL during the day it's a beautiful side equal to any of the great cities of peric carnis but as the sun sets the Shadows cast by those columns and arcades weave together to form an integrate omra lce when you see it you suddenly understand it was all buil for you for this very moment the name at vesperas means evening comes by thousands of people over many centuries in keeping with a precise plan each believed in but never expected to see the final completion of it not only that but you you are also part of the center's long plan when you cross one of the open plazas your own Shadows is effortlessly woven into the great ltis a deliberate synthesis of humanity heart and the natural it is possible we grew up there we have seen the latis with our own eyes she was there are even those who say that ad some or that it was built in preparation for her centuries before her arrival that's why the old town is sometimes called the ceremonial heart of humanity of course such a city does not spring from nowhere nor does it endure without effort its construction was the work of many generation and its preservation is an equally Monumental responsibility about 3,000 years she really had that on the tip of her tongue it's like she has the timeline laid out right in front of her that depends on how you look at it since the peric caran incident there have been nearly 8,000 years of recorded history viewed from that perspective we are nearly 3/4 of the way there this is it final question time I can already feel our alignment getting shaky is everything all right we lost the connection for a moment that's difficult to say we have a very particular view from our observation platform up here oh it looks quite lovely from here even with the rain from our portal we see rolling Hillside a public park filled with grand oak trees men and women going about on horses uhuh there are children running home to get out of the rain the Homes and Gardens are quite beautiful very near like those in certain areas ofo Stella Mar s batist she's looking down on the suburbs of rever East H that must be we have only recently V to the Archer so we are still learning the names of all the many districts Martinez Martinez that is to the West yes to the South let us see no that cannot be right that way is only spr we were under the impression that Martinez was nearer to the B but now we seem to be quite turned about we'll have to consult a map in the future now was there something else it's been a long winter long and cold bad news L man signals going down these waves are receding time to let go are you there Lieutenant please repeat your signal is very weak nothing important bad connection going to update theing frequencies and the line goes quiet the lieutenant gives a long sigh as he removes his headphones he looks up at you I think it's best for you to climb off the statue now detective your real work is done here there's a damp cold running up the insides of your thighs your legs have grown stiff you've been up here quite a while you look around the strike Breakers are still shouting their slogans and waving their hand painted signs beneath you the lieutenant and the speed freak have begun disconnecting a few cables about time you grabed that amp forget the cables need to lose some evidence of our antenna to inspire future Generations what's one more trip across the waterlock well cop man we've repaid the favor yes he cements the C hardcore Alliance yeah we are CS now easy egg we still hardcore music venue organizers first and foremost but maybe this bz makers pill at the local community no need to fake it you know you're still a cop at Art I'll put this Tech away later I think there's an extra caner in case you want to grab a souvenir don't think anyone will miss [Music] cleaning out the rooms what if you didn't lose your memory what if something in martines came and stored it all away for you to slowly open one box at a time so you can choose which parts to keep keep almost none of it only the flowers on the window sill only the distant sound of a radio lose all the ERS the Dark Shadows leave only the still lives the Blissful distant wash of waves if everybody knew you never did she'll be coming soon that is all remember that weakness you were looking for in the ceramic armor like maybe it can only stop small fast projectiles but a large slow moving prybar would shatter it or if I run an electrical current through it maybe it will melt or personal favorite frequency something something radio weapon none of that would work you need to shoot the part of the enemy that doesn't have Fair witha t500 on it because the armor itself is invulnerable good news is so are the armor pieces on you [Music] he [Music] holding the gun feels natural and satisfying it's like an extension of your arm the Pol wooden handle almost Fus it into your palm it reminds you of the day you first held it with fear and respect hoping you don't have to use it in vain the sun was out in Jamrock it was so long ago sheath your sidearm officer a serious law official cop by the book should know to only unholster their service weapon when using it is unavoidable [Music] [Music] the once bright Muro Towers above you SA fil electrical R and D tomorrow is just a whisper away indeed somehow you knew it was here an urban ruin gutted by looters that once used to consume money and dispense warmth and light you felt it before when it rained at martines and you felt the cold of the rain the feeling persists it has been in you ever since even though you're sure you succeeded all is quiet there is no cold hand brushing against your forehead no rustle in the reads the wind has died down the ruin in front of you is silent as a tomb trying to talk to the wind the city whatever you thought would happen did not and now you're just standing there with your hands Fallen to your side prayer of ss to Risha how do we I was really hoping she'd be in the village okay she's probably north of the village and this place is a peninsula we already scan most of the other areas on our wild crypted Hunt so we have an understanding of the geography at least and then as a church we've already searched that and can Ru it out and it doesn't feel like progress but exclusion is a step two anyway we do it the old fashioned way sector by sector go over the whole Peninsula ask the locals enter the places where we can enter first like we did in the village then if we desperate we can look where we can't enter Bankers Tom drainage this place I'm sure it won't come to them walk the coast the old Boardwalk the reads you can always come back here and talk H to the wind again look where it already got you an adventure awaits an adventure on the winds swep Urban Coast buckle up and raise your collar this search is going to be wet and cold suddenly there's a sigh carried on the molecules around you moving flowing from high pressure to low pressure like that of a woman emptying her L she wraps the collapsing Stone box in front of you in her breath flowing through it in through the collapsed roof flowing down a concrete staircase to the basement sweeping away footprints in the dust on the stairs and then the beach below the boardwalk its winding tunnels a whisper away she's down there okay why good good yes cold spells so basically your hangover is telling you she's down there so how do we get in there the doors were on the collapsed side of this building they're gone basically finally my time to shine perhaps you can clim them we are not climbing anything I'm 43 years old and I plan to leave to see7 there has to be a way to use Brute Force climbing sounds unsafe brute force is safe look around and find something to break if the ladder fails an old pipe Peaks out from beneath the rotten Boards of the boardwalk could this be an alternative path into the Fel building a building like this must have multiple doors serving various functions perhaps a basement access your eyes slowly begin to adjust to the darkness inside the drainage pipe the liutenant looks over your shoulder the pipe is Sleek with rain as your eyes adjust you see some trash crumpled up newspapers cigarette butts someone has half-heartedly spray painted skulls on the right side and and nothing broken glass from bottles thrown against the walls of the pipe a syringe given that this isn't martial arts Thriller it's highly unlikely and not without risk to our health either however the pipe suggests there may be an entrance to the basement around the Lieutenant's face lights up he doesn't usually notice these little things and it's right here a maintenance door it's jammed shut the subtle approach isn't going to work on this one oh yeah big boy time this needs you to put your back into it you and the lieutenant lean all your weight into pushing the doors apart but you're not quite synchronizing your efforts they slam shut again before you can enter let's take a breather and try this again later it's very tough [Music] a rusty ladder leads to the rooftop some of the rungs are missing yeah that doesn't look good at all the distances between the remaining rungs are rather wide you'd have to use the mounting brackets however they seem corroded and the peeling rust is razor sharp in addition the first rung is going to be tough to reach it's what 3 m above the ground and your 180 not to mention that the roof is collapsing and the wind gets pretty brutal up there dismounting from the ladder is going to be hard perhaps if you were to not climb the ladder instead what if you were to do something more subtle what if you were to reconceptualize climbing the ladder astral projection be open-minded about this tation is not a thing okay let's say teleportation is a thing wouldn't you need some kind of scientific apparatus to create a teleportation field you can just do it without apparatus what are they talking about teleportation Mel it's generally thought impossible oh yes it could hurt a lot he is restraining himself from using a parental tone with you right now all you need to do is close your eyes and concentrate Darkness infolds you you can feel the distance between the bench and the first rung of the ladder all you need to is Zoot zap cow crinkle it's like magic you feel yourself disappear your atoms fading out of existence oh my God I can't believe it bam you find yourself on the roof having mastered the art of physical displacement I just saw you climb the ladder you just climbed it like a regular person the wind at the top of the building starts howling loudly blowing away the Lieutenant's voice faintly you hear never mind find a way to let me in when you get inside don't go adventuring with a back up especially if we think the suspect may be hiding here [Music] [Music] this hat is so soft so warm it wraps around your head and your mind tingles with all manner of socioeconomic Theory K mazov would have worn this yenka mazov knew where to cook those thoughts that's why it Bears a mazovian logo glory to the revolution comrade whether you like it or not wearing this hat has made you more communist [Music] [Music] two rusty metal plates that slide apart form a crude door it's been here Under the Boardwalk for a while it's much easier from this side the panels on the rails once you dust the sand off with the help of your partner from the other side the door opens with a creek huh I hope no one dangerous heard that yes time to investigate these passages let's move quietly and not make more sound not running is a great way to do that this isn't just glass these are old computation components yes filament memories from the time when wires were cast in glass slides with an inlaid nervous system the how was a closely guarded secret something that was locked in safes and human heads across the river where they were manufactured as to why your fingers don't know so it is I think is used to form a single system slotted in a wall these no these are old filament memories I hope you're not expecting to find the device here you will be disappointed all you will find here is pain the rest of the building seems to have been picked clean [Music] could this have been the Killer's Hideout and this narrow window the point of origin of the shot that killed the mercenary this does look like an imbrasia a slit made for shooting out of outside the window desolation snow falls softly onto the coastal sand where it melts almost instantly on rooftops it lingers it's a great place to hide sir certainly but there hasn't been anyone here in ages indeed no one could get a clear view well at least we've been thorough I like thorough the Lieutenant's voice betrays a slight disappointment which he glosses over by reasserting control a mustachioed and mutton chopped man amateurishly depicted gazes at you with sad eyes the plaque reads a mazov there is a spider web in the lower left corner of the portrait years worth of dust is shaken off the full head of hair matched by an ample mustache and sideburns look a bit silly someone crouches heels digging into wet sand hands sweep across the sand grains stick Into The Frayed skin of the fingertips and old man sits on a slab of concrete and Taps his fingers against the glass of a scope you shutter some radical or radicals were hiding out here they left a long time ago half a century this was probably part of the network of Defense posts the commers built against the amphibious Landing I think the purpose of this bunker was to produce propaganda it would have had radio equipment by then but it's all been looted we have found a lot of those lately I guess what most people think of as history tends to linger in random neighborhoods Martinez being what it is no one has gone through the trouble of cleaning up the old bunkers good hide in place for someone who's up to no good millions of depictions of mazov have been produced they're not all connected besides that looked like some student the youths always go for this kind of stuff I won't stand in your way but only after we through with this case you mean like Ruby no I think we've stumbled on a piece of history there it is again the scent of apricots with a touch of cinnamon smells like the end of some distant summer the surface of another planet or some Ancient Temple yes from the height of antiquity a long long time ago Millennia ago on an island of time you can never return to the sun sets into the sea but the water does not boil instead it turns to Liquid Gold for a moment the world's store of precious metals seems to increase dramatically and you are rich there is a movement next to you the shuffle of a small coat warm like the evening but when you turn toward it there's nothing there why are you talking to a gum wrapper bitter Citrus sweet it seems to grow stronger like a glow With Every Breath You Take until a blossom of skin and flower petals erupts behind your closed eyes made of toffee cream and distance you just had to take a dive your heart working overtime trying to keep up with the panicked synapsis firing all over your brain moving liters of blood through you panin feels very very familiar Harry please you were supposed to discard it the cover of this tattered paperback features the man from Yar standing at top a pile of bloody corpses his two Zanders are crossed over his massive chest in a dramatic X their blades dripping with Gore behind him rise the harsh snowcapped peaks of his native Northlands in bold red letters the title yam dala man the man from hondal unfurls like a banner in the foreground a nearly nude woman lies spread in supplication her privates strategically covered by her flowing black hair naked women and giant swords is that really the best they could come up with feels formulaic and derivative the back blurb reads his latest Adventure serves as the perfect introduction to the Savage hondal Saga meet man from hial his faithful Blood Brother tald the noble Lord rothgar and some of their most fearsome foes yet for the Northlands for yomal Below in smaller font you see the parenthetical adapted from man fromal and the Necromancer treasure man from IAL Lord of RAR and man from IAL the curse of Na Hera the story opens in meteorz the man from helal and his band of Northern ravers are in the bowels of an ancient Temple surrounded by an army of gibin whites led by The deathless Necromancer One By One The Brave northmen fall to the Relentless Crush of Undead only to join their number as reanimated corpses by Nightfall only the man from IAL and his blood brother Noble tyal are left standing against the dead horde it is an honor to die by your side brother tyal cries as his battle a beheads one of their reanimated comrades nine tial the man from hamal Bellows over the army of Flesh and Bone have courage for the Northlands for he elal he leaps to the mezzanine to face the blackeyed figure and like a mad ice bear whirling twin Zanders Sturm and Drang he plows through the ranks of the deathless surrounding the Necromancer the writer has never helped sword in their life let alone two two-handed swords at the same time and with deadly finesse his twin Blaze siit the necromancer's head from its body the undead Legions collapse like ragd dolls as the dark magic leaves them and the two northmen stand alone in their cursed Temple where the bodies of their lost Brothers litter the floors a few chapters later the man from hial and tibal are in a completely different setting high above an arid desert riding a pair of griffins that always seem to appear at narratively convenient moments this book makes a mockery of the very idea of good plotting though something tells you coherence was never the point the northmen find themselves in the court of a powerful Southern King Lord rosar the Old King beseeches the man from hiar to rid his kingdom of the NAA a sub terranean clan of blind Wizards who traded their souls for demonic Powers the man from hamar extracts a high price from the desperate King he asks land for the homeless desert pygmies living exiled in the Kingdom's Borderlands rothar offers the hand of his eldest daughter instead but the son of winter doeses not budge what do you mean because the flame of Justice Burns bright within his chest best because above all he's driven to bring honor to the name of his beloved yamal because his Noble cutland blood lust for Glory and Conquest it cannot be denied what do you mean is that all he is the man from Hond down forged in the fury of Battle Death was his sire and blood is Dam he had but 14 Winters when he left his Frid homelands in Cutler to seek Glory and Honor that is his character he doesn't even have a real name what is inside this man or is muscle and bone all he is he is the wildest man alive the only Mortals strong enough to wield the twins yanders Sturm and Drang whose names mean storm and what are you a book critic enough you're ruining the pacing of the story now where did you leave off ah yes what pacing you skip past a section detailing an elaborate banquet with many toasts as well as a long and perilous Journey from rothgar keep to the Ancient Forest of yor where our heroes Infiltrate The Na's dire Hall in the center of the Great Hall stands a blood altar on which a pair of necta are disembowelling a shrieking peasant an Unholy right that empowers the necta Forbidden magic as the vile ceremony ends the sound of still un sheathing draws the nectar's attention to a pair of cloaked figures standing in the doorway swiftly the visitors toss off their cloaks and unsh glimmering Northern steel it's the man from hondal and his Valiant blood brother TI bald in an instant The Knack header summoned a horde of gibbering organoids who Rush Our Heroes the hall fills with the clang of blades and the screams of the dying as the floor goes slick with steaming ooid viser oh for [ __ ] sake when the den of battle settles only the man from homar and teral remain standing exhausted and dripping with the entrails of their foes the two northmen confront the foul KN Herer the man from heal's sodik blue eyes fill with Indescribable Fury for the Northlands he cries rushing headlong into a desperate melee what in the first scene the man from hear fought a powerful Necromancer and his army of the dead now is confronting a pair of knct and their horde of aloid THS the two couldn't be further apart an excellent question one easily answered by purchasing the next thrilling chapter in The hiam dalan Saga heam dalan at the gates of Tomorrow the last page of this one M reads to be continued considering the sheer amount of different hiam dalan books out there it's very unlike L you're ever going to find the sequel the man from hial stares at you on the cover his face fixed in Grim resolve the edges of the pages are worn and smudged a lot of people have read about the devil woman's alterations with the heelal man the jacket copy proclaims man from hial returns in his most exciting an adventure yet after crashing into a strange jungle Cannon balistic natives abduct his only surviving comrade Noble tyal before man from yandal can mount a rescue he is ambushed by a tribe of female warriors and taken to the ancient Citadel of cloud city where a mysterious and wicked Queen rules Supreme will man from hondal be able to escape his dire situation and find his missing friend you open the book to a random page man from helel wielding his two Zanders is carving through a sea of savages his Visage fixed in Grim determination his arms whirling like windmills are soaked with the blood of his enemies mangled corpses lit of the battlefield good God this is some retrograde stuff when was this [ __ ] written you flip to the copyright page this book was written in 8 Berserker rage Burns in his Azure hued eyes as he brings glory and honor to his long lost hamala tribe from the village of hamal the ivory giant Roars like an ice bear and the Winds of Cutler howl out his name man from hamal rides on a gilded Griffin his golden Mane billowing in the breeze both Zanders sheathed on his back he is off to war will he conquer his enemies will he conquer himself the steel muscles of man from yamal gleam in the humid jungle air yet the man does not sweat in meditation his soul drifts in The Frigid Northlands he calls home a passage reads the man from hial looks up his eyes blue as the Mountain Lakes of his homeland he rarely speaks but now his voice booms in the darkened Throne Room do not try to sap my masculine Essence Wicked temptress son of yamal will never succumb to your seductive WS thine spells are no match for Purity and strength of will Brothers of hamal stand above the vices of Flesh for it is weak and corruptible yet mine is forg it in Gore and strife Queen lyana just laughs a sultry and salacious sound then says I have grand plans for you man from hial she gestures her diabolical hand toward an array of potions and uents first you shall please me then lead my armies against the vicious cannibals not a muscle moves in the face of the man from yondal yet inside there is turmoil this goes against all he holds sacent what do you even know about literature have you ever read a book in your life this is not just another book it's man from hial and it's done with you in your hand you hold dick Mullen and the mistaken identity the brittle paperback feels fragile to the touch the cover features a Pastiche of different scenes in the foreground a man in a dark Overcoat clutches a pistol to his chest rising up behind him are Two Silhouettes wrapped in a passionate embrace the tagline reads detective dick Mullen must prove his innocence after an old friend is murdered by someone who looks just like dick Mullen that seems to sum up the premise nicely needless to say it violates nearly every RCM regulation for a detective to investigate a murder in which he is a suspect are you really reading that detective good luck finding it he's not much of a character I think you'll find just a stand in for the reader the point is for the reader to feel like they solving the crime along with dick Mullen a crude narrative convention but no less effective for it the story opens with a knock at the door detective dick Mullen is is greeted by an old friend Charlie Spain who's come to Mullin to ask a favor on this dark and cold night Spain needs Mullen to drive him in from Vesper to a small town along the insulindian coast despite his friend's apparent agitation Mullen does as he's asked then returns home where he passes out drunk as he does most nights an extremely unprofessional and hurtful stereotype that's offensive to all upstanding officers of the law 2 Days Later mlen is arrested by the Vesper Police and charged with the murder of Charlie Spain at his interrogation Malin learns that Charlie Spain was shot in a bar in the very Town Mullen dropped him off in by a man matching mullen's description desperate to clear his name Mullen manages to convinced the veser police to release him for 3 days so that Mullen may solve his friend's murder and prove his innocence what's the matter detective the lieutenant shrugs resigned to the idea that his profession will rarely if ever be accurately represented in art and literature they're not [ __ ] you detective this is what the writers think passes for police procedure of course Mullen didn't do it that's the whole premise of the book anyway Mullen returns to to the seaside bar where Spain was murdered and meets a beautiful mysterious woman named Diana denova and not just any Dame she's truly one in a million a knockout whose mind is as dangerous as her curves but she's got her secret she's any man's kind of woman according to this book are you sure about that something about her gives you a bad feeling what kind of secret is she hiding you couldn't handle a woman like that look at yourself you couldn't even handle your stop don't say it nothing forget it go back to your story denve reveals that she was Spain's lover and that he was mixed up with a local amphetamine smuggling operation as soon as Mullen begins pulling at strings the whole conspir y begins to unravel not only is the local police captain in on the amphetamine ring so is the son of a powerful politician and a strung out art collector named dval each of whom has his own reasons for wanting Spain debt outwardly the old police captain is a real Law and Order crypto fascist a barrel chested man who's beaten his sheare of suspects to pulp but is also dirty and increasingly paranoid that someone's going to expose his role in the drug ring he would certainly have the motive and the means but the captain walks with a noticeable limp from an old war injury is it possible that he was able to conceal it long enough to commit the murder a typical privileged [ __ ] in all likelihood he's just in over his head he does bear a personal grudge against belain though a former prosecutor who nearly brought down his father's Administration the kid doesn't exactly have dick mullen's manly build but he is the correct height and while interrogating him at his home Mullen did notice a certain Overcoat that looks suspiciously like his own toval the art collector is a strung out mess frankly it's hard to imagine him holding a pistol steady enough to actually hit someone let alone plug them three times in the chest the way o Spain got de that said toal and Spain have a long history and while interrogating him mlin discovers that toval was once involved with Danna denve could it be that this is all over a sorted love triangle one evening de denve comes to mullen's hostel room in tears the two of them drink half a bottle of vodka and soon they're seeking comfort in each other's arms yes comfort and pleasure the warmth of another human's touch the bird burning taste of liquor on her full sweet lips well that testimony won't be admissible any longer the man's a prosecutor's nightmare solving a murder counts for nothing if all the evidence gets thrown out in court over police misconduct that's just dick mullen's modus upperi he might bend the rules but he closes cases like no one else can as the two lovers share a postcoital cigarette the nerve turns to Mullen and says by the way dick there was something else I meant to tell you I love you always aim for the center of mass whatever it is mlin never hears the words a blow to the base of his skull knocks him out cold instantly who can you trust in this wicked messed up world the lieutenant gives you a quizzical expression in return you go back to the story when Mullen comes to dener is dead on the hosle bed next to him to make matters worse his clothes are covered with her blood Mullen trashes his blood stained clothes and fleas at the hostel knowing it's only a matter of hours before the cops discover theer's body if they haven't been tipped off already flee in a crime scene Destro destroying evidence even if detective Mullen didn't commit the murder he should be facing years behind bars dick Mullen won't be sent to the clink for the sake of some legal niceties the heat is on if dick Mullen can't solve both murders before the cops catch up to him he's going away for life can you solve the case before the cops close in what is it Detective there was never a time when he wasn't a detective he was born a detective for a moment you cease to read the story on the page and see the book for what it is a collection of brittle cheaply printed Pages held together by Glue made from the Hooves of horses from nowhere you hear the Screech of sneakers on a waxed floor and you feel the burn of rope against your hands are these fig of some other life you won't find the answers you're looking for here in other words it's a dangerous line of work but somebody has to do it that's why dick Mullen never lets anyone get too close is it really so evil detective like what do you even have those yes yes they're out there waiting for you just over the next rise up on Marvel Hill did you lose them or did they leave you do you even know the difference but then what does this book know it's just a poorly made piece of Pulp garbage made to be consumed and discarded so who did it detective who killed Charlie Spain and Deanna dener could be who knows only one way to find out you begin furiously flipping through pages even as you know these books follow a series of well-worn tropes you find yourself completely engrossed your turning pages so fast you don't even notice the ancient spine coming unglued you try to grab the pages as they come loose but your fingers aren't quick enough they're gone dozens of pages scatter across the floor the last fifth or so of the book SE seems to have been lost it's possible that you could gather and reassemble the pages but it would take way too long ah yes the problem with mass Market paperbacks they are not made to last perhaps this is a sign that you should get back to solving your own murder huh detective in your hand you hold four fifths of dick mullon and the mistaken identity the greatest innocence by joal Pao salal Lopez def fuo the book is large and heavy browsing through the various chapters you try your best to understand the ceaseless overflow the sprawl of names dates places events historical most of it ends up as a twisted mass of facts inside your brain you can do it it'll be worth it there's something here your educational survey is done did you catch any of that no oh well it's pop quiz time let's see what you've learned this might take a few minutes you ready that's the spirit here we go question one who was the first innocence dolorous day correct nothing much is known about him it's not even clear that he was a he but Franco negro presumed as such and called him peuse he's depicted as a young man with molten gold pouring out of his mouth all he spoke was gold it's said he invented God and equality of men before God he also introduced the gold standard as a way for measuring people's love for Aram as the first innocence he declared that this should be be more of those like him it is presumed his disciples were the beginning of the Holy party the founding party question two who was the strongest innocence easy everybody knows the answer to this you me anybody correct named the innocence of militarism he codified hereditary rule but at the same time ended serfdom and established the inter isolar real as the global Reserve currency he also established the concept of the nation Franco negro attempted to solve the rising tensions between the aristocracy and bisi by building a unified society in which Every Man Has a place and a mission but at the same time may rise to nobility provided on the strength of his virtue question three who was the false innocence correct there have been a number of counter or false innocences some assumed to have innocen qualities some who just thought so themselves occasionally they have the support of a faction inside the ecclesiastic organization and accusations of Foul Play have Arisen the most famous and important of these was Era pastan he was into torture despotism hymns cannons and World Conquest but got defeated and humiliated by stepan the Despicable of kedra final stretch you've come so far and learned so much this is the most important one question four who was the greatest innocence the most important of them all the most most precious to humankind I don't even have to say it anymore correct the mesque might see Franco negro as the father of Nations but as of this Century there's been a great shift in Attitude Dolores day has become widely regarded as the greatest innocence a most radical change to the whole fabric of the world everything from inary travel to the connected world to three cons ative scientific revolutions can be traced back to her every decade that passes she seems less human somehow and more beautiful and more beautiful and more beautiful congratulations on finishing the test the results and your subsequent grade have been calculated you get an A all correct impressive oddly so you really navigated some treacherous Waters here well done huh take what uhhuh you are really just talking to yourself it is quite silly man something's weird about this book you should do something fun instead rock out forget about it medicinal purposes of the pale the cover of this head toome features a number of esoteric symbols flipping through the book you find a number of sections on the general benefits of the pale a large pharmacopia makes up nearly half of the book you come across the following explanation while modern pharmacopia are continually updated by so-called experts based on the results of clinical trials readers will find assembled here the Timeless wisdom relied upon by generations of traditional seite medicine practitioners mesque Mystics and Ilan folk doctors finally something to calm the angry spirits that have been plaguing you it seems to contain descriptions of the medicinal properties of various ingredients that may be gathered from the pale as well as instructions for producing a variety of Herbal Remedies there are a number of seite tonics that promise to improve your short-term memory but nothing that speaks to your condition there's nothing in here that speaks to Hangovers directly however while browsing through the various descriptions you become convinced that you could assemble something from the ingredients listed here want to give it a shot first you need to choose a base ingredient next you'll need to combine the base ingredient with an appropriate vehicle lastly is there anything else you'd like to add the ginger and aloe vera make this pus ideal for the treatment of arthritis it won't do anything for your hangover though be that as it may it might have been useful to have such a thing for the trials you'll soon be facing it's a shame you can't get your hands on these ingredients would you like to try again very well first choose a base ingredient next you'll need to combine the base ingredient with an appropriate vehicle lastly is there anything else you'd like to add the ginger root will help with the nausea and the birch bark tea will help you flush out the toxins the Gins sing should give you more energy as a nice bonus the very thought of this tea causes your muscles to relax and your mind to clear you're more present and in control than you were a moment ago A tingle rushes down your spine and you feel your toes uncurl if only it could always be like this [Music] [Music] there it is again like a swarm of hornets buzzing under your scalp a strange tingling you can almost smell now what do you mean I don't feel it but we should still be careful there were Footprints back there and I'm pretty sure they were fresh looks like our suspect if she's in here we need to plan our next step carefully once we detain a credible suspect who knows what the union and the wild Pines will do we'll set in motion events we have no control over this part of town is a fine Clockwork puzzle disturb its peace and it will start breaking down uncontrollably Keep Calm go over the whole situation in detail I don't know little things but you're right we've gotten everything we can from the union we even opened that container you've been very very s there your fingers approve I still don't think that was a good idea but yes our affairs with the wild pans are in order since she isn't in Martinez anymore someone's been a very busy boy good on you okay why not whatever goes down might also affect her the union is watching her closely now not closely enough you suspect but still good idea to visit her once more well we are not responsible for what we can't predict are we I don't think the entire city will be raised to the ground let's try not to worry he thinks if you can't predict it there's nothing you could have done I think I see a cavern maybe more sellers I think we've been careful enough we still have the element of surprise I wouldn't be so sure you haven't exactly been sneaking him or maybe not either way once we go de her there will be no turning back suddenly your entire body is paralyzed aggressive White Noise fills your Stull a strange pain like you've never felt before through the satic you hear a woman's voice it's like a thousand radio stations are being blasted into your head all at once but her words are the only ones you can make out I know you're feeling pretty uncomfortable right now don't move too much or fight it that'll just make it worse can't say it's a pleasure officer I was really hoping not to make your acquaintance But Here We Are The Voice coming through the Whirlwind of pain is not malicious she doesn't want to hurt you but she has to doesn't wish to hurt you not according to your par wait home not even your air canals this is going directly into your fural Pathways no buddy that's not going to help you can't Shield yourself from this it's an entirely new type of experience way worse than all the previous ones don't focus on the pain focus on doing your job tell her she's under arrest really now check this out you're overwhelmed with a new surge of violent static it feels like a blood vessel exploded in your brain I'm using a pale latitude compressor you and your partner have been caught in its field the explosion of static you're hearing it's the uland frequency blasted from that pale emitter at pangas mentioned [Music] saw my equations you've been sniffing through my Lorry right I expected as much I am a bit surprised you knew what you were looking at send your [Music] back you should probably check on K that's what good partners do right behind you I sir a pale latitude compressor is used to sort of make the pale more manageable with a lot of these you can force a radio signal grid on the pil literally crunch the distance across it signals are relayed across a series of repeater stations fixed to buoys not a fun job Manning those stations all alone out there in the pale people lose their minds in just a few years what we are experiencing is the concentration of radio waves precisely this is an industrial strength for avalid it's meant for forcing dimensions on something that doesn't have them needless to say the frequencies used are out of this world at the upper limit is the large prime number generator station it's used specifically for pale latitude compression that's why you may may be hearing some numbers but you might also hear or think you're hearing local radio chatter she's been hold up in here for a while with no one to talk to keep her talking and you just might get an opportunity to break you loose I built it myself and she's proud of it too as she ought to be this is Way Beyond your abilities that's illegal I'm guessing it's bented but we are beyond that aren't we oh yeah Way Beyond yeah I stuck my head in there before using it on you it seemed like the ethical thing to do can't say that I enjoyed it the field was weaker but I can imagine what you're going through no once I shut down the compressor the pain will end it may take a few minutes for you to study yourself there it's a bit like waking out of a very confusing dream [Music] yeah let's not talk about that [ __ ] you were hunting me and fell into my trap instead that's all there is to say about it so she thinks of you as Hunters not cops and of the so merely as pre if you've got something really important to say you can do it through the White [Music] Noise you're looking for a deal on mattress this God damn it fine if you really want to talk I can dial down I've also got a gun by the way the gun she's carrying is a two Barrel Front Loader not like the murder woman well it doesn't feel much better but she can form sentences now Thinkin doesn't seem to hurt as much just keep her talking and you'll get through this there's only 3 m between you and the Machine if you keep them distracted for longer maybe be careful when you make your move that'll be it for questions by the [Music] time I heard you in the passages and I've been preparing for quite a while so you found my shack huh I'm not surprised her tone is bitter she thinks she being betrayed so nice that's one knife I didn't want to find in my back this could have turned out pretty bad for me if you hadn't walked right into 25 bands of ultra high frequencies as her admitting the bullet was an emergency exit it was dark in the shed the waves outside had calmed down she looked at the loaded gun then she creck the barrel open and look it out today no I didn't do it I only helped stage the lynching though I doubt that makes much of a difference to you so she says she didn't do it and she doesn't trust you is it you specifically or the citizens militia that she distrusts who ratted me out by the way was it Titus no he wouldn't have broken first oh well I guess I always knew she was a Survivor above all [Music] else oh I wouldn't have wished that upon her the girl was playing some dangerous games but even with what she did to me I wouldn't have wished that upon her she had some pretty messed up people after her she's going to come out of that meat grinder a different person if she comes out at all but clusia couldn't have known I was here how did you oh [ __ ] took some convincing my ass those guys liked me I know it this is what happens to people who people like A8 despair is creeping into her place how the [ __ ] did the rest of you get by I did didn't I now you've come for me got them all the same that did make her forgive them a [Music] little like what I already told you I didn't do it a strong mole com she still wants the opportunity to make a case for herself I didn't like him paron mercenaries aren't particularly likable types yeah sure and I didn't like wild Pines sending in those foreign hirelings me and a [ __ ] ton of other people around here she didn't hate it okay you think I was envious of his conquests look [ __ ] is not a problem for me and definitely not a reason to off someone I'm [Music] listening I considered her a good friend yeah oh so that's where you were going with this that's a very sentimental way of putting it we both had pasts we didn't want to catch up with us and we enjoyed listening to music together why not go on a road to the lieutenant watches her expectantly occasionally shaking from the pain okay fine I was into her clausy was into me too for a time I know it we even fooled around once and yeah after that I thought maybe we could make a go of it she rejected me with some wishy-washy [ __ ] about how she was confused because she felt so close to me and valued my friendship so much and how guilty she felt for leaving me off I knew that wasn't the whole story but thought fine I'll take it and move on though ill Willer it wasn't for yeah one time we would book and drinking I said some heated things about how dangerous her patterns with men were I was a little worried to blow it out of proportion in her head all the drugs she was doing can make you feel like you're living in a DeLorean tragedy yeah the girl seemed terrified The Merc was beyond caring what happened to his mortal coil it was a no- bringer go ahead it's your body and mine too be think keep on this must be [Music] done no gifts of flowers and Candy aren't really my style so now I'm leaving revolutionary symbols around come [Music] on I never did understand why when someone dies a hot house is worth of flowers has to die too no I did not who doesn't oh you probably mean cla's rooftop sure I've hung out there she's got this great [Music] antenna it's very powerful I used it to tune into RCM frequencies that's how I need to be prepared for your arrival our The View's pretty bomb too but you might say the antenna was the main attraction there yeah along with FAA yes I'm sure in fact the shot couldn't have possibly come from the roof otherwise we would have heard it [Music] downstairs no one mentioned here shot and a rifle like the one you would have been loud she is right I don't think came from her man I was with the boys the whole night I hope they at least bothered to impress that upon me yeah and I'm sure they also made some funny remarks about it they always do I've given a lot of Long Haul and chugged a lot of beer man can't do either without some power of Mind Over bladder and anyway that wouldn't have been enough time wow now I'm curious please explain don't know it but also evaluating your competence as a police officer the shot couldn't have come from the roof or we would have all heard it downstairs she has a point there no one mentioned that didn't go super well you've got to lay something so part of gold Tommy [ __ ] me over too never trust a musician that really comes as a blow tur okay great you got into my Lorry on your own what now you're going to arrest me for drug trafficking beneath it she's relieved coming to the betray [Music] no gifts of flowers and Candy aren't really my [Music] style she deliberately avoided name in The Mob she worked for you might be able to find this out later I got lucky being a dispatcher never had to do any of the really dirty work myself this gun has only been used for self-defense against serious gun there it's going to be easier to reach the machine now based on what I've heard about you you are serious gum [Music] and a knocked way 8 front motor two barrel not really what you were looking for I'm guessing that isn't it sure don't the bre loader no this is such right now the gun store trigger happy Jacks what did you think that I'm going to squeal on my gun supplier sorry I'm not that kind of gal no they're not practical break too often yeah evidence yeah where more more questions before doing [Music] anything I saw you roll into town I wasn't about to stick around for questioning by a godamn Laut Madre agent so this is what she was scared to tell Titus this C this C yes you everyone says you're his peon his human can opener [ __ ] me [ __ ] hell and why me you hear through the white noise it's especially bad something felt like a vein exploded everyone in Jamrock the cops the criminals why do you think I'm H up in here with a goddamn death ray waiting for you if she knows that about you she must know you real too per you one corrupt [ __ ] with a disco pants and a funny tie agent to La M did someone mention a [ __ ] up tie I call [ __ ] you're too crazy to be corrupt so she know your name that doesn't mean you're on the tap criminals make up Bogman stories about cops all the time is that a joke or a threat I'm guessing [Music] both yeah sure she doesn't believe me I'm sure lamadre himself will explain it all to you soon enough you've been to my Lori you think the biggest player in Jamrock appreciates competition now I have Harry can opener in my layer [ __ ] Titus I thought we had an agreement she thinks this was not supposed to happen she's not going to change your mind that easily she still perceives you as a threat wait one thing possibly small but she said you roll into town was that you singular or plural she might know something yeah you had your death squad with you what happened to them anyway well it wasn't this scrawny dude you had two guys and a lady the guys looked pretty buff lady wasn't bad either one of the guys seen chipper a blonde the other had a brooding something or other about him and the woman the woman was the only one in uniform all were carrying that sound about right satellite officer vicm looks out of the window grimly then puts his coffee down and turns to patrum officer we could even take a room here in the worthy or go home for today let's go home John nothing's going to happen today she responds quietly Johan takes his blond wiger off call Hy he can give us a [Music] ride I've faced [Music] worse how should I know as I keep saying he already had a bullet in his head when I got to him and there hasn't been any useful gossip over the radio those rings around their eyes her tired voice she's been staying up late listening in on the conversations Chris Cross police radio you've been following the case who hasn't you know I can still see him there in cla's room lying on his side he was still warm but the bluish light coming through the broken window made him look as though he'd been dead for a good long while she eyes you wearily as though gauging your sincerity she's refusing to to adopt the demeanor of a cornered animal a leader with no one to leave she still wants to retain some control of the situation it's okay we just want to all right don't kill yourself over it I was shooting the [ __ ] with Hardy and the boys over a few years like always then clasia comes in all pale and shuttering she sits down with a drink trying to steady her nerves so I grab a seat next to her no I really didn't she's not that easy to read I just assumed she'd done too much blow it wouldn't be a first for her but no such luck she was in some deep [ __ ] she asked me to come upstairs The Merc she'd been going with was lying on the bedroom floor dead I knew she couldn't get the authorities involved so yeah you made it look like it' been hang what no faking a lynching was her idea yeah In Cold Blood it really surprised me how quickly she was able to get a hold of herself once we got up there it was like she was another person the party girl was gone she asked me to help her drag him into the shower so she could wind the shower head around his neck to take vividity then she dressed him while I went to get the Hardy Bo classia knew exactly what she was doing you can't remain calm Under Pressure otherwise yeah I wasn't sure whether to admire her or be disturbed as I keep telling you cop we didn't hear anything downstairs no gunshot nothing but even if this is true weren't you worried you think you might lead to war the thought crossed my mind but the mercenary's death was going to have repercussions either way although the way things are going I have [ __ ] it I'm not responsible for these people after what they did to me what bunker don't know anything about it no one's been around since I set up camp but I'm sure I'm not the first Vagabond to [Music] 24° you've got to act it soon this is getting bad Keep Calm breathe in after the pain Reeds it's a little clearer [Music] you did it the compressor lies broken on its side it's quiet in your head again it still hurts like hell but she looks at the machine assessing the damage her hand trembles oh [ __ ] it she's truly desperate she thinks she has no other options you need to give her options you know she pulls the trigger before you finish your sentence you watch as her brains trickle out through her neon hair lien and du control your emotions we did our job this won't be the worst thing that happens on this case believe me you can't let this break you there is no coming back from this one it will stay with you in nightmares we clean up it may take days for processing to pick up her body we need to move it somewhere that tent there the plain red tent stands by dispassionately it was pitched by practiced hands she was used to camping out you see a rolled up sleeping bag and personal belongings we should put her in the sleeping bag so the rats don't get to her the lieutenant [Applause] nods there she lies cocooned in the sleeping bag surrounded by empty cigarette packs books and half red magazines magazines you should look through them assorted soft covers mostly pulp horror a motor Carriage lies buried in the snow on one cover on another a ghost Airship you also see a collection of radio Enthusiast magazines see anything Reger monthly Journal of Material Science more technological digest one of the magazines doesn't have images on the cover it's not a magazine it's a leather notebook you pocket the worn brown leather journal she watches by Motionless we should read this immediately like right now A thick Journal the cover is worn like someone used to carry it around in their back pocket it's made of full grain leather the lower left corner of the back cover Sports an embossed brand name schella this was important to her when it was still hers the journal Falls open about 23s of its ruled Pages have been filled the large cursive of some some one who writes quickly and confidently perhaps too confidently many phrases and even paragraphs have been crossed out with tiny Corrections scrolled above and in the margins it's a mix of logistical notes diagrams and personal Reflections all dated we could learn a lot from this short Rye observations of people and places probably a way to pass the time on the road also what appears to be attempts to sort through some difficult decisions there are a few passages with many questions in them staff issues always tough on the leadership you smell traces of betrayal the first entry is from August 2nd of last year it reads simply I know my position is precarious all I can do is make myself as useful as I can can while looking for a way out remember no one is indispensable esoteric radio technology the most recent ones probably pertain to the latitude compressor sketches calculations of distance and density you make out a familiar spiral shape hard to tell exactly it's mostly noted down in code looks like contact information quantities directions there could be useful information information about local operations in those notes we have a junior Sergeant at my station who's good with codes I can give this to her after we finish this professionalism is his coping mechanism that name isn't mentioned as far as you can tell what about this m could this be Laut MRE here March 9th and March 15th great mpon is come to town no doubt to investigate the lynchin but also I feel it in my gut to finally put a bullet in my head while I'm napping in my Lorry or on a smoke break well I won't stick around just to Twist my own neck by constantly looking over my shoulder then again isn't that what I've been doing ever since I got the call the call did mem call her personally why were you supposed to find her even apart from the investigation then on M's request no you wouldn't do something like this this must be a mistake whatever you may look like you don't feel like a hired assassin been held up here for 3 days now I'm used to being alone and all but I don't know when I'll be able to leave or if I'll be ratted out they will rrap me out of course I've made it a point to believe in the best in people the boys for example but experience tells me did mem feel truly betrayed by me I was feeling threatened he'd have to know if he threatened people they'd take measures to protect themselves even I know that economic measures first of all got to make a living right I can still hear his voice in the receiver taste the plastic the entry ends abruptly the call was Aur y he must have held her in high regard to personally tell her he knew about her plan to run drugs for the competition nothing on March 4th March 5th though well that's bound to come back and bite me in the ass I'm bad at this loyal to a fault except but that's another matter entirely you have no idea what she means these are personal notes don't expect to understand all of it the most recent entry is from today it reads even when I leave here if I leave here alive what's my next move staging a lynchin is a crime even if I'm not accused of murder on top of that forever On The Run not really my idea of the open road man I was really looking forward to winning I don't think she killed a mercenary it looks like she might have been framed this whole thing was a detour and a fatal one he thinks don't get emotional by The Hardy Boys by classia by as no I don't think you are ask someone in your Precinct if you want to be sure his trust is well placed you aren't you you can feel it classia was the one who pointed the finger at Ruby perhaps she was trying to steer us away from herself or maybe she had an accomplice either way we should go back to the whirling see if we can find out more about her time there one thing is for certain we have business back in the whirling and Rags questions to ask we should get to it ratan now is the time oh you will see it feels like the tie is rubbing itself against your chest like a cat in heat faster Spirits the blue medicinal Spirits grab the bottle and uncor it it is time to unleash the other world world bratan life and death are inseparable there's a party when you're born a party every year to celebrate that birth and a party when you're put in the ground why shouldn't there be a party when you die and besides this isn't even about that you have no idea what this is about this is going to be so off the hook it's going to be off all hooks the bottle open with a silent mysterious hiss the fumes rising from its mouth are as crisp as the northern winds howling somewhere lashing the boardwalk with Brine and Rain an ancient warmth crawls under your skin Now bratan take me off bratan have I ever lie to you just take me off your fingers managed to undo the oily nod and the necktie slides off it looks so frail sitting there in your hand weighing almost nothing now put me in the bottle trust me just trust me you and I can have so much fun it should be illegal just put me in the bottle batan I'm not going to let you down you and I are like the same person as the nectar slides into the purifying liquid large stains of grease rise off from it and Float to the surface there they quickly dissolve and Disappear Completely cleansed by the blue Spirit fire of 98.7% pure alcohol the fabric looks almost new again no longer like a disgusting worm of the lower intestine but like a ciple and deadly poisonous Reef snake of the insulindian ocean the necktie floats in the bluish liquid with almost unearth Grace there is silence the lieutenant has been observing you quietly all this time he's struggling to keep silent but finally seems to give up I've got to ask what are you doing that makes absolutely no sense but I guess every family has its own traditions let us not linger we have a great big mess to figure out [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] The Headless Fon Rider he could appear at any minute please tell me we are not here to look for a headless man in a tracksuit riding a horse because there's no such thing don't listen to The Lieutenant he doesn't know anything there's nothing to wait for we should get some rest it's been a long [Music] day yes stay what's a few more minutes going to hurt there we waited nothing happened happy now I know myths and legends are enticing but in the end are just stories for children to teach them lessons or to frighten them let's go it's very late we should be resting already tomorrow will be another tough [Music] day stop just up ahead danger you are prepared did don't put away your friend your weapon the barrels of your nway a80 pistol shine threateningly in the Cold Spring Light why don't you take out your trusty Villers instead wait your old friend has prepared you for this at Great cost to himself make sure you have the Spirit Bomb in your hand when [ __ ] goes south yes I I hear commotion let's go do what you need to do and then keep moving toward the [Music] future I'm all out of shits to give loin cloth welcome to the [ __ ] Reckoning put your damn gun down people are going to get hurt we need to talk this through all right shut up not going to talk yourself out of this Lo cloth [ __ ] [ __ ] this is the mercenary at the gates his chest Rises and falls under the ceramic breastplate his fingers reach for the butt of his sidearm sh this is a misunderstanding nothing irreversible has happened yet you can just return to your unit and forget all about this the kipt is merciful willing to spare us if we just forget about our murdered and humiliated Commander I think we should just kill everyone Cy you are all drunk come to your senses you won't gun down seven people people in the middle of the street this isn't a Frontier Town or a jungle Outpost easy Lizzy let me handle it I know guys like this I'm sure we can come to a peaceful agreement ain't that right fellas he is facing overwhelmingly Superior Firepower and he knows it peaceful nest in your abdominal cavity like a little wild mouse the M man's words are barely intelligible but you can hear them [ __ ] there's the third one how did we miss something like this the lieutenant is genuinely worried for his life you should consult him before getting in [Music] there if this turns into a firefight we should take him out first my plan plan is not to get killed but we have to intervene he doesn't want to but he [Music] must the mercenary [Music] tribunal get lost comedian you cops had your chance now it's [ __ ] time for some justice I think he's calmed down a bit Pi [Music] [ __ ] ah yeah welcome to the [ __ ] party you're probably going to get killed too I don't give a [ __ ] if you're CAU no one is going to kill anyone let's just put the guns down and talk like civilized human beings with a wordless gurgle the killer loads his long rifle all right end game LGE me on fire and throw me in his face wait it's a good thing you have an anthropomorphic petrol bomb it really is but you have to soften him up first present an argument even if it comes to a fight it's a good idea to get under his skin first I don't know about this getting under his skin what if he gets under yours I'm CLE keeping your hand from trembling here all right here we go this is an illegal tribunal kreno would never sanction this who's the commanding officer take your pck really none of this looks like it's going to do anything but piss him off you only have time for one argument Choose Wisely what always happens when you get good at your job that name meant night raids [ __ ] extrajudicial funky time burned Villages [ __ ] that sounds bad on the radio the same thing happened when we were called whatever the [ __ ] it was probably won't be called crenel for much longer either not after this [ __ ] okay it's not much but he's thinking about something else and his hand is off the gun this did something easy now tell them these men didn't do it there's a peaceful way [Music] out you think I care what that company cun thinks [Music] now is not a good time to strike he's looking right at your hands do something else get him distracted she's [ __ ] gone she [ __ ] sailed on you're alone stay cool don't do anything stupid the company [ __ ] is gone L is gone [ __ ] are we still doing in this [ __ ] hole guys I um I just get in the way I don't even have a gun hold your ground any more you run I'll shoot you myself we're doing this together they're huddled close in a formation steal the rest will stay even if it means dying here with him yeah who did that how [ __ ] convenient his fingers are twitching that's a draw reflex he's about to draw one of us saying we whatever Just sh one of your pals here right now huh how about the kid go ahead tell me we [ __ ] killed our own Colonel one more time listen please this cop and this drumhead C Marshall won't decide who The Hardy Boys confessed to Hanging him all together Titus said we took him out back and hanged him he said it loud in a public place you're lying the PA H you heard wrong she and his men have been helping us find the shooter Fu F us the shut rings in your ears a low tiny ring then The Hardy Boys yell something the young woman stands and looks behind her the shot has Flo over her head crashing a small pane of the glass window behind her I missed I know what I heard Cy they said they killed him they said it was a good way to end a Sunday night that doesn't sound good you need to change the topic now or there will be another show rude rude is the killer rude the killer hoen cloven he doesn't talk much all of you [ __ ] Inside [Music] Out rip you open the Gunner the radest the killer what do you think he does there on the rim of enen cler's helmet you count me till stick figures 19 20 21 you're a tit sucking pig I'm going to show you kill what are we waiting for let's blow that pig [ __ ] mouth off his face Lance corpal just [ __ ] shut up and wait for your order he is not used to commanding or leading he feels uncomfortable he'd rather shoot and kill yeah yes so what nah I'm clear as day [ __ ] government ordained super soldier in Authority what is this we didn't come here to [ __ ] chat interrupt me again and I will execute you on the spark lands Corporal dangerous ask about him first you don't want personal facts about his dead friend coming out of your mouth he has to start it yeah I don't [ __ ] act so well Ley had a hard on for making faces for you natives [ __ ] food a [ __ ] that [ __ ] is done now Trigger Time sergeant major Raul C reporting it to bur this [ __ ] mud hot to the ground as he moves the interlocking pieces of his armor click softly click click click the realization comes to you like a picture puzzle coming together his name is Raul Cortona the dead man's name is Elis cortar he's Brothers with the deceased no probably Foster Brothers Elise was put into a foster hun remember for killing maming and humiliating our commanding officer you're all sentenced to death by lead he wasn't my [ __ ] brother we just grew up on the same farm and got beat into place by the same sick [ __ ] you don't know [ __ ] L Coral why don't you you lost him quick don't let him finish the [Music] sentence [ __ ] do you mean talker we've heard testimony people say he was charismatic a nice guy to be around yeah he likeed to chat up the natives chair leaflets squeeze a bit of kipt ass here and there great [ __ ] idea that turned out to be if Ley was here he would spare the lot of you maybe shoot W for show but me I'm not a big fan of public affairs clay monkey I'll gun every one of you down for what you did ready to open fire major at your command this one isn't used to be in suited this long she's uncomfortable we'll open fire just to hurry things along baby blue yeah like someone [ __ ] up and put a baby's eyes on a grown man it was creepy but [ __ ] [ __ ] like that [ __ ] I guess or I don't know what [ __ ] is like I just know how to mow down cloths our Colonel did what he had to do it was either one [ __ ] or aund of them rude here in your ship pipes R he likes to fire mortars at random coordinates wipe out mud Huts like that when he gets bored L knew how to command he was a good Commander I can see you miss him oh yeah he would have commanded this fuckel way better than I did that didn't happen because ha seen Bill and K that kept here [ __ ] murdered him had him stink The Village up for 2 weeks after and you fxck did nothing listen man we told you we told us what what did you say who said that tattoo [ __ ] you'll die [Music] first find his killer St his killer stands right there [ __ ] his pants and you're standing in the way protecting them I know what this tactic is silos Sam you're going to die for them right here today big to but you got him to admit he's a bad leader it's a small thing but it got him off center [Music] with a crash of shattering glass and a terrible Roar the fire draws in oxygen the bomb hits the mercenary in the chest swallowing him in Flames as he stackers backward in the fiery Inferno you'll see your tie coiling around the man's neck it is no longer horrific but beautiful and pure I only ever wanted you to have fun Harry it calls out to you one last time my name should you know it is Json as men's fashion model colorful tie catalog number j327 one day a sad man walked into a clothing stop he looked really Dar like he hadn't had fun in years he needed someone to show him how to rock and roll again trups and A's catalog number j327 sha on the Tyra trying to get his attention the sad man picked it up and put it on he looked at himself in the mirror didn't smile and from that moment on we rode together the rest of your clothes were still normal back then but we took care of that soon enough truthful there not a lot I did everything a multi-pattern Neti can do to help a man I mean I tried to get you to do all the fun things drink beer drink wine drink cider go to parties with young people around and drink beer and cider do drugs too so you don't fall asleep you had some fun but not enough to heal you your heart is broken batushka and it cannot be mended believe me I've tried no you're going to be mowed down by gunfire from the two remaining marks so no not forever you both did bratan deep down you know it was both of you no no it was her mostly don't lie to him Nick Tai yeah his body contorts in a very disturbing manner there's no mincing words with this one he's dying a horrible painful death as you're talking to your tie in your head smells like a steak on the grill the burning flesh in your nostrils it's good to see you still have capacity for compassion my friend deep down you are a good man see you on the other side the necktie disintegrates into molten heat its last remaining EMP letting out a pop and crack that sounds like Harry for God's sake watch [Music] out to your right the killer raises his rifle and takes aim at you his moves are steady but the long barrel of the rifle sways slowly from the corner of your eye you see the lieutenant raise his pistol and aim it at Roode he's trying to find a straight line of sight before The Rifleman can take you out in the background the leader is still on fire it's not easy he has 0.6 seconds to do so he won't make it you're on your own a low shot rings feel a tapping like rain on your chest plate heavy drops of rain then the sound of dice rolling as the quir distributes the shop evenly from plate to Plate you got hit the armor took most of it but still your rot cage Burns feels like blood is slowly seeping into your lungs God please he's aiming for the I slot in rud's helmet an extremely difficult Shot Two Shots ring at once one from the Lieutenant's pistol and the other from Deal's it's aimed at the lieutenant but it misses you hear a scream behind you Glenn dying in a puddle of blood behind you his mangled torso has two gunshot wounds blood gushes out of them like red geers oh God watch out [Applause] here it comes death [Applause] you can't there is no time something inside your pelvis explodes your entire lower body is on fire and your legs can't support you you fall down like a rag doll the pain is too immense to scream it pushes the air out of your lungs everything goes dark a distant blur as you recede into it The Hardy Boys are screaming fighting dying someone jumps over you nearby gunfire shatters glass stop the cop protect the cop he's down feels slick and warm with blood the pain is too strong to know what has happened there even clutching to your Consciousness takes everything you got most of what's down there it's all gone open your eyes now you have to see what's happening no no it's just a faar even if who cares no one wants you anyway nothing a persisting Darkness Dancing Lights of pain distant Shadows cast by them like a hellish play you're bleeding out yes keep talking stay awake look at me but you can't it's so hard your eyelids grow heavy and the sounds ever more distant and a cold comes over you the lieutenant too is somewhere far away almost gone when suddenly you sense something behind him a slender white shadow towering someone stands there raising her pistol at him the lieutenant does not see it he's pushing down on your wound with both hands scream immediately he's going to die no you say and hand out your firearm to him your hand trembles and your eyes are full of fear that's all it takes there is no room for hesitation station the lieutenant moves like a spring unloaded he grabs the gun from your bloody hand and fires behind him you hear a faint scream a woman's then the sound disappears like someone pressed stop on the tape the woman is gone so is Kim then the whole world this is death one more door baby one moreor the fight there is no fight the fight is over it was lost a thousand years ago you have laid here forever keep falling deep take the door he's not taking his body is not taking it oh God no he's not disintegrating he's swelling up instead over the hours hurting moaning in his sleep and rotting and being disinfected and smelling of drugs and feeling salver in his mouth drifting in painkillers thrashing in his own sleep he can't go not before the case is solved there was a radio in the distance a radio of the world plain sounds good morning elesium soon we will return to the world you're thirsty reach for the glass of water by the bed the world is still there sleep some ours turn to days soon we will get up again and go through it again again finally we know what the infernal engine was outside the Clarion call it was him he is the infernal engine he never stops he only gets [Music] you see the Lieutenant's familiar shape in the orange jacket it turns double then triple from the pain sunrise parabon Mr G cleaned it it took him an entire day two days in and out you've been happy enough to take Dam in and curse and drink water it's not ouch time yet you just go to dwam in pill an hour ago wait until it wears off Sunrise Parabellum Sunrise prepare for war it's an old revolutionary thing isn't that written on your cops like it the gates of the harbor are boarded up the streets are a little more empty apocalyptic violence is yet to erupt I am relieved to say I think we may have held it off for now barely yes we have also completely failed but that's okay what happened you threw an improvised petroleum bomb at the major a firefight ensued very he died in the hospital a blood stain killer you're an officer of the RCM as retaliation The Rifleman tried shooting you he hid the cras I heard it go off I was looking for a clear line of sight to him he sounds a tiny bit sorry he did not find it before you got hit I shot it wounded him while Glenn took a bullet in the spine it was meant for me he did not survive this is not the first person to die in his place he goes on Titus fangus and Theo charged Angus and Theo did not make it they both died before they made it to intensive care Titus survives so do Al and the musician I forget his name yes he's still alive too you were bleeding out you said something I don't know what and you warned me I was able to disarm officer the pool before she got to jump on me thank you I killed her and that's what happened this is the one he Nots the poll was the last today Evart had their buddies returned to Corell for a funeral company is yet to retaliate because we deterred them or Joyce did maybe the harbor in full lockdown is too costly a Target or maybe maybe they're simply taking their time and we'll attack soon I don't know three Glenn Theo Angus the fat one he took a lot of bullets and Theo he was just too old for combat all yes officer six people are dead it's not a success plus one Ruby but what's done is done the violence is cold enough the Hornets did not get into the Beehive the worst scenario has not materialized yet and we we are still alive both of us he did not expect you both to survive once you stepped between those two armies his smoking his hunched back you have it worse but he took a real beating that cigarette has medicinal purposes reasonably bad you were shot in the left geps that's your th it appears no major arteries were nicked the bullet was removed and a bacteria infection treated with mercur the bruising in your shoulder is negligible the armo took the Brun of the fire we will see through tears and blood and stitches tearing it should be possible not very I have a concussion from that woman beating me with the butt of her gun I try to not move too much things would be worse if you didn't want me thank you I did not see her coming stupid of me no a man and a woman sit in the front seat of an armored motor Carriage the woman is driving the man lights a cigarette Jean vicm is his name the asphalt vanishes under the wheels of the machine ahead Harbor cranes rise to the sky back to that [ __ ] hole he says I called your station after the fight the injury was logged in they told me they've sent officers to join you on the site I'm sure they're worried about you I did no need easy now how are you the lieutenant doesn't reply just looks at you teetering on your feet I honestly don't know we can't talk to evat the harbor is in lockdown everyone in there is outside our grasp now Joyce has left too thanks to our medling I don't know what to think it might not have been a bad idea there is a pin somewhere in the machine something is keeping conell from sending in a death squad maybe it's her maybe she kept her hand either way Ruby's gone and classia well at least she safely locked away locked up no she would be of more use to was free honestly but it was the right thing to do I don't know I I think the terror you presented it's someone else outside our circle of suspects was right it better be everyone within the circle is either dead or gone honestly I think our investigation has not produced a single credible suspect we should go upstairs reing the ballistics Inu I agree with this what else see there's that you can do ballistics we could find thousands more if we wanted all of R is full of them but they seemed so mysterious there's a little pause he says nothing as well it's extremely easy there are thousands laying around we found one all completely unusable it's precisely how easy it is to find one that makes the bullet useless he arches his brow the ceiling fan patiently spins overhead it really is very hard that concussion must be making him dizzy no are you ready to limp good where do you want to limp too why not another look at the window perhaps the one he was shut through I don't know I can't think of anything better these papers bear the stamp of the RCM they appear to be fragments of the Lieutenant's paperwork half finished you make out notes on this and other recent cases I had got open the door to your room you were running a low bacterial fever the first night it would have been easy were it not for my concussion we both got lucky considering the odds we faced let's go two neon lit shapes a man and a woman having sex a ray of backward motion explodes from his mouth to the roof outside a prime to then widen into a radius of locations in martines B Prime b double Prime and B triple prime it's not the roof and you would have found it had it been on the coast in either B prime or Bou Prime which leaves the island in the bay it's not impossible there is a narrow opening between the commercial area and a collapsed tenement north of it I remember so it is for a second he seems tired the lieutenant size looking into the cold distance across the water he is trying to justify it to himself there across the gray water amidst crumbling concrete a birch tree and the half sunken ruins of a flack Tower could be the makings of his neer's nest why not military fortifications are made for that kind of thing I understand he will he has it in him of course of course I mean how do we get there Joy miss here had a Sloop but she's gone ah yes of course the village let's go [Music] oh you you're up it's good to see you back on your feet did you like your room I cleaned it for you you're welcome I thought it would be nice for you to wake up in a clean place after you let's be fair defended this establishment and its clientele from gunfire I give credit where credit is due and that was a crazy move crazy effective petroleum bomb never seen anything like that I was there until it struck him crawled inside then bullets started flying anyway he really wants you to realize that he was also on the balcony looking by in the danger zone so to say I wish you a quick recovery also you and your partner are staying here free now this establishment supports cops the stay is free the drinks are not just felt I needed to specify that oh you know people don't tend to stick around after shootouts turns out they're not good for business yeah I was yeah that's because I'm a bad ass it really took courage don't pick at him he nods back at you even more stoically just two badass men nodding stoically make that three the lieutenant is nodding too hands crossed I don't remember everyone who comes here and many people wear sunglasses inside lately must be a fad no problem they'll come back they always do seeing you approach the bruised man raises his bear in welcome crazy [ __ ] didn't think you had that Fury in you but I guess I've misjudged a lot of people lately there I was thinking where are we going to find a tent opener large enough for those cans then goo loo shows up and just sets a Man on Fire impressive [ __ ] copper none of us would be breathing right now if it wasn't for it I guess what I'm trying to say here is thank you this is big it's as big of a thank you as Titus sahabi can must under any circumstances well cheers anyway [Music] copper Dio was old I think he'd be pretty happy with the way he went never could imagine him withering away on a sick bed but Angus he was just a stupid kid didn't realize the mess he'd gotten into trusted me still the balls on that kid went down fighting for someone else's [ __ ] like a fat Angry Bear here it comes the last one is the worst one he only deals with it by drinking copious amounts of 8% beer and Glenn Glenn was my friend best I've ever had I'd love that crazy homo like my own brother we're all [ __ ] without him but what do you do this job is [ __ ] Dennis you saw him run he's a mean little [ __ ] and I never trusted him he better run real fast now real fast well yeah Mima Mory right it means you might die tomorrow so live every day like it's your last ain't that right fellas absolutely today I'm going to get drunk eat good food and B A good looking girl cuz tomorrow a motor carage might run me over or you might die of a heart failure or syphilis hey hey [ __ ] you for ruing a beautiful idea first we're going to find Dennis I'm going to find Dennis I'm going to find him and then I'm going to kill him the tone of the statement is so matter of fact it's as though he were talking about picking up a morning newspaper on his daily walk around the block mhm we're hunting that rat down let it be known what happens to cowards and then I guess I'll take a closer look at our union members there's bound to be some ambitious fellows there who'd love nothing more than advaning social democracy by busting some heads might even ask tibs if he's tired of replacing windows and maybe wants to have some fun with with his brother anyway don't you worry as long as Titus Hardy's standing there will be Hardy Boys judging by the side of you I'd suggest crawling into bed with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a big tit in the other yeah go Monica visit him jandro she's got a knock for making men forget about their worries biggest SP of milers in all racho hell you both look like you could use some feminine company right now thank you for your advice Eugene and you too Al I do always appreciate a good use of the expression milkers you're welcome be a CL you're all right in my book take care coppers you too look after yourselves now death passed on you today but men don't get that lucky twice Copo and the huh normal cop I guess good luck in shamro scars made the best tatos they say thanks for getting involved guys not a lot of cops would step into that line of fire but you did and if you ever feel like the uniform is holding you back I've got a few vacancies you'd make one h hard Hardy Boy copper and Titus Hardy himself would make a good officer that man was born to lead I will coo that's a promise now scoot cuz The Hardy Boys got some morning and drinking to do take it easy on the drink the danger has not passed this town needs you on your feet good point be CLA we'll keep the Vault Under 12% tonight the graphito has been painted over the traces of the fight that took place here it smells of blood and heavy fuel oil this was Cindy the skull the lieutenant crouches touching the fuel oil with his finger looks like it yes this is still fresh it wasn't here yesterday and blood some of it is even yours heavy fuel oil isn't that flammable you could buy some smokes light up a sigy and throw it in there you know just to see what happens see if it's flammable it's better that way safer [Music] M officer it is worse than i s believe me I know all about that kind of pain I've had hip trouble for the past week maybe it's time to slow down enjoy life a bit anything I can do to assist you inside you see a set of steering levers a radio microphone a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel preheater gauge this is pring 57 how may I assist you something is wrong only static hisses through the speaker no reply only the Mindless drone of static crawling through the air he's been this way for a while now my guess is the union is listening in on our conversations and jamming outward Communications to protect themselves from crenel it only happens when someone mentions the attack the rest is unaffected our best bet is to carry on like nothing happened that is if we don't want us good of the Greet completely no more dangerous than stepping between three armed mercenaries and eight Union men I hope I don't like it either but that's the way it is the street seems safe enough to me if anything taking out the Merks made things calmer for now you can try calling again just don't mention the tribunal and remember they're listening in everything sounds okay no drum beat of Total War yet if anything everything sounds too okay in the cabin you see a set of steering levers a radio on a hook a pullout toolbox and the soft glow of the the fuel preheater gauge this is cing 57 how may I assist you just a moment officer 10 come in officer over 10 for sir glad to hear that I'll write down that there is no need to issue a new one to use then over then for sir Roger that and very glad to hear it I will make relevant changes to the report 104 sir well there's been some talk sir I only meant that there have been some to in the station that's all but there always some to in the station you know how in jamro are but then again some of us truly are on the take it's unfortunate over that 10 10 over and out my man you're alive almost kind of sort of alive man what a day I missed out on most of the action but I heard it was quite the encounter had a strong sense of finality to it so what's next you guys heading back to Jamrock now talk is Local Union muscle were behind it all I'd reckon the case is closed even if it kind of turned into a [ __ ] [Music] show good luck with that my man ain't easy being you but hey you're still breathing right okay is it wise to share information about the case like this s telling him is a really bad idea the lieutenant throws you a quick glance what are you doing what he cannot believe it I told you not to go after her I told you what happened is she is she dead he can't say it you've given him a panic attack he's ill equipped to deal with it don't tell me just back off and don't talk to me again okay I can't talk to Cops anymore I can't be involved in this [ __ ] he cleans his hands of it it's too much let's go the lieutenant is too tired to be cross with you he just wants to go [Music] [Music] a colorful display of cigarettes and alcohol bottles Lin the shop wall inviting you closer again I'm obliged to inform you that both alcohol and cigarettes damage your health here you go mister the boy of D STS at you with respect then gestures towards the trickles of blood adorning your clothes there are types of danger the one I'm usually concerned with is lung cancer or getting mauled by Wildlife not bullets it calls back to an older era where this was common place though you have a True boad Heart hiding Gathering themselves the harbor is in full lockdown friend no getting in or out for the time being time will tell I'll tell everard you drop by I'm sure he'll be glad I'll be okay here doing Lookout quite Bes side aren't they getting to like that red I am don't worry about me I live to alleviate the worries of our brothers see if any insane Killers turn up then I'll run and live I'm sure I'll be luckier than you friend [Music] [Music] there it is a brave little Army in your pocket the first smokes platoon 20 brave souls standing in salute ready to step into fire for you sir you picked the best one this Soldier is fat and succulent what are you waiting for light up rebec yourself already you regret it looking at the pack but don't worry you can come back to this later the army of smokes is Honorable and faithful to you you have your entire life to return to it the graphito has been painted over the traces of the fight that took place here it smells of blood and heavy fuel oil this was Cindy the skull the fuel oil catches fire immediately with a low hiss a bright orange flash across the surface of the lettering the falling snow turns to Vapor above the burning message mingling with the black smoke the lieutenant has taken a small step back he looks at your face illuminated by the flames and nods silently then the fire falters the Flames warmed him too not at all in a bad way let's go to that Island slowly the Flames subside the fuel burning out the air still smells of Mazo and springtime [Music] oh my God things have gotten out of hand I thought the psychic stuff was bad but the crime it's even worse I haven't been able to come to work for 3 Days the shop has been locked no sales gang bangers running around shooting everyone I know I shouldn't have bought a shop in this ghetto oh my God even the police can't take care of all this just look at that limp someone should do something about this maybe I should close the bookstore and open a psychic Studio yes it makes sense crime is the Sixth Element you see the darkest element I could teach people to protect themselves against Bad energies and to fight crime yes what Martinez really needs is more Vigilantes roaming the streets exactly it's a brilliant idea thank you officer I'm going to start drawing up business plans right away in the meantime do buy the books as many as you can they won't be here for much longer is there anything else I can help you with oh I'm very sorry sir some of these old paperbacks just don't have the durability I would be happy to sell you another one but unfortunately it's the last copy we had in stock hi Ace detective are you here for more books which book was it sir oh I'm very sorry sir I haven't read that one yet I wish I could help you give up you'll never find the answer there's no other copy of Dick Mullen and the mistaken identity here cuz that's how the world Works some stories never get finished you shouldn't expect there to be a tidy satisfying ending but but what if you never find out how your story ends there isn't if only you had more time more resources who knows what you could have come up with maybe if there had been more money and less speed or more speed or that yes either way you might have been able to come up with an answer but not like this [Music] wow a cop limping down the street bleeding from the shoulder face bruised looking like hell you know what that is cool that's cool [Music] [Music] officer Harry what happened you're limping why are you limping you look terrible she sounds almost disappointed with you reprimanding you for falling and hurting your [Music] knee is this from the shooting in town we heard gunshots not that we don't hear gunshots all the time but they were closer than usual there was an exchange of fire on rud s it's nothing to be worried about mad so you're a killer that's good I guess I guess better than being dead hi not a lot of RCM men who aren't Killers she knew you were one when you took her to Land's End Of course can I help you with something that won't be a problem it's wind still and the T just dried we've got two days of relative Sunshine ahead if you promise to bring it back and no scraping the hole I just got it nice and yellow and no drinking on the boat and no joy riding either of course man' it's only for a day or two Official Police business hi [Music] the crow's feet disappear from the corners of her eyes as she smiles at you H used to be some kind of fortification there before the war for the communards an anti-aircraft gun I think bombed to bits in The Landing I haven't been there myself always steered clear of it hasn't been there herself who has them my husband used to drink there him and his drinking buddies always seemed like a bad place to drink to me people died there during the landing you know my mother told me the kids sometimes go there too I know they do on rafts I tell them not to but they bring back old bullet casings and such the twins God forbid they bring the girl Along on some rickety barge can we maybe ask your twins about that place before we go would that be all right be my guest they a strange way of talking see if you can get anything useful out of them I seldom do well most of it sunken underwater that means concrete underwater cut your boat if you're not careful be sure to enter from the South Side water is deep there I I captain I'm sad to hear that take care of that with ether will you don't get too many RCM men around here be sad to lose the first one please be conservative with the fuel will you just filled her up but it's a small tank [Music] the scruffy haired little boy kicks a stone while the other watches him do it on that island that's um nothing it's just a sea and some plants you can take a ra there it's great and and we make a fire we make a we make a fire mhm gather the sticks for the fire and bullets or not real bullets empty bullets they are light the fire guy comes and asks us to put the fire out your nerve endings Sting from the mention of a guy they must mean a human being on that island but it's cut off no yes let's go with his yes because because cuz he asks to Pi the fire out um I don't know he doesn't like it he don't like people to be there you shouldn't go yes no he doesn't live there I don't think no he lives there been there twice two times uh he doesn't live there he isn't there sometimes anything else what does this guy look like I don't know we we ran he just yelled we shouldn't be there our father killed himself didn't say that he didn't I don't know doesn't even have anything to do with this you father isn't the fire guy I I don't know did you mean there are electrical lights um yes there's a lights fire guy we should check up on that island our tenant the policeman I hope the waves don't keep you up at night what can I help you with I even I I can see that I told you not to bring your trouble with you policemen we've got Troubles of our own here though I suppose you took the worst of it then you were your own ill I'm not sure those were the loss of the men with guns either they are always more coming for your kind officer then we'll be ready for [Music] them a skiff with a small steering engine in the back floats on the calm mirror of the sea its two seats are empty once you get in that's it one pull of the starter handle and you're off into the bay a strange trepidation comes over you are you sure you want to go now have you made all the necessary preparations closed all your accounts remember what the net picker said it's a small tank you won't be going back and forth on this what fine let's blast sad FM then sad FM is a radio station specializing in sad slow rock songs you seem to know its frequency by heart Want to Be [Music] Free want to be free it will last [Music] forever eternally [Music] Want to Be [Music] Free want to be [Music] free it will last [Music] forever eternally [Music] go one 2 3 1 1 2 three it will last forever [Music] ET green and overhanging light free and everas [Music] and chees are green and overhanging likee [Music] everas one two be [Applause] [Music] free the boat comes to a slow stop the lieutenant turns the engine off then there's silence in the silence a sputter of wings a flock of quals takes off in a distance there is very little wind here today the ghost is standing still you look at your arms then the cliffs above you let's go the chain Trails off into the ocean connecting the island to the Supply Depot on the coast ah yes so it seems for bringing Munitions to the island maybe and supplies you could also lock the bay when you raise the chain as a defensive measure lock it off that side of the Bay from enemies enemies of the commune of Rashel this sea Fort was a revolutionary fortification I believe [Music] [Music] [Music] the dry grass crackles under your feet as you stop far away bird's wings touch the still surface of the sea the flock of quail departs now more than 100 m away 102 105 on the islet There is almost no wind just snow quietly falling on the reads bull rushes swaying on the waterline long dried leaves chafing against each other like a silent Orchestra tuning at the beginning of some major work of great importance to the few who attend a silent hiss see air moving through the needles of a p tree the far away Roar of the city distant like today's dream before it the sound of sand the low tide filtered through its grains a bird tending to its feathers snow falls under water melting away without even a Whisper air flows out of the pilbox window there is very little there the air CET flowers on a meadow absolute silence reads motionless bull rushes motionless a flake of snow falls on an extinguished campfire yes a low hum the air slowly moves through a concrete box through its ancient slits and cracks resonating Hollow a big building called the mamaka yes I have is that why we're stopping you see a small metal door nested inside a larger one a heavy steel blast door there is a conventional Keyhole above the handle it's it's very small another part of the island probably the lock looks like it could still be usable maybe this is one of the doors we don't open he's right it would be better to open its Big Brother a powerful engine hangs under the ceiling it must control the blast door all right I retracted my statement it was naive let's look around and get it open books and magazines lie scattered on the floor and on a makeshift cupboard they are not particularly well organized most are soft covers serialized fantastique and detective stories from the 20s and 30s this desperate digest includes the classic animal Adventures among what is mostly commercial fiction and serialized stories you find a magazine cathod for electrical engineering then it's back to pop light erotica an international Thriller about circuit Benders someone's made themselves a home soft covers serialized fantastic and detective stories animal Adventures a magazine for electrical engineering and an international Thriller also like erotica and some historical novels from the century past not that you can tell this is a digest of someone who's dead bored most of it is for entertainment purposes fittingly right next to the radiola on the floor maybe it's a little oldfashioned there's a nude mag more than than that you can't say h the print in some of these is pretty small though this person has good eyesight soft covers serialized fantastic and detective stories animal Adventures a magazine for electrical engineering and an international Thriller also like erotica and some historical novels from the century past oh yes under the bed there is a rather extensive collection of critical theory that is Da life nonaffirming left-wing literature published by small imprints such as abattoir firm and UA it's not exactly like reading oia humanitarian Sciences stands out not a l of critical ter around in rash West anymore your incendiary remark has failed to provoke him wasn't there some in the Communist students room well yes that one student did the little books seem inconsequential next to the big pile of frivolous entertainment covering them Whoever has lived here they have some education and a certain set of Interest interesting an old cylindri generator is nested above the ammo lift with makeshift electrical wiring running out of its side and across the floor the cables disappear into the wall to your right the lieutenant puts his hand on the metal Barrel checking for warmth it's cold now but someone has been maintaining it the wiring has been repaired wait haven't you heard this before downstairs somewhere liquid carbon I would imagine it takes mazut the kind that's favored by vagrance and fuel thieves It's Been a Long Winter the lieutenant pauses something seems to be pecking at the edge of his concentration he gives you a sideways look before adding long and cold there's no time to dwell on this moment you've got to keep moving a hollow ring the canister is empty dust falls from the generator and down into the ammo lift I don't know I'm not a philosopher that is his idea of a joke someone with basic electrical skills has restored it in order to keep the room warm maybe it's the fire guy the wind outside picks up Suddenly with a faint how inside its warm green paint flicks off the monolock aluminium cabinet there are rows of switches on the front panel a frequency band and even a keyboard the console of an antique computation device the generator upstairs with wires coming out determine it here possibly it sounds like this device was used to control the electronics here maybe it still does this device was used to control the electronics in the room it could open doors control lights function as a radio computer nothing happens the dial slides under the glass silently you make out defunct Stations of the ukv frequency the words Fel insula are written on the band insul this is an off a radio computer I believe used for military Communications we need to restore power before using this officer the generator it didn't look like there was fuel in it we should look around outside there are barrels all over maybe one of them still has something in it the boat engine but off youer then we would have to swim back to the main L let's just look around okay the console stands by mutely over reads a dial key Alum reads another the frequency band says radio diffuser [Music] a strange feeling looking at the water maybe you should just wander off into the sea leave it all and walk in with a bottle in your hand always perhaps there's someone there under the water waiting for you where it has always been smelling of Tutti Frutti and betrayal maybe you know it's going to hurt in the snowing mirror of the bay you see martines reflected tall edifices of ruins reach into the water like shimmering Towers and the Shacks too pine trees and motores upside down ey lets and post like Stepping Stones lead into the water in front of you go step in it's been too long yes cold and still but love is warm like the inside of her mouth oh [ __ ] yes go there in your head it's been days since you thought about a week no no we're not starting with that not now not this time this thought is over [Music] there's a rain soaked mattress on a concrete slab only half covered by the crumbling roof at the head of IT double embur firing slits like two eyes in the wall B triple prime this looks like a good place to shoot from a single person mattress modern civilian use branded name Margery there's a fuel stain on the cover along with cigarette Burns and an empty can of beans on the ground next to it filled to the brim with cigarette butts the silouette of a tobacco picker adorns the paper filter the brand Tio mtii I may have been wrong when I said it wasn't important this means the same person could have visited both locations I didn't see any signs of smoking inside though if people live there to keep it tidy this here may also be a smoking spot there's a fire in slit in the wall in front of you like a little window quite old and grimy from years without cleaning by anything other than the rain the Springs Screech as you lean on the mattress and crane your neck to look out trepidation a tingling feeling in your stomach a small piece of Martin Coastline opens up in the square in front of you like a tiny landscape painting 1 kilometer across the water the ruins look familiar a tower in skyscraper its top floors shaved off by artillery Fire capeside Apartments rud des's Lane 33 a and 33b the red chimney and collapsed back of the four-story tenament in front of the whirling in rags rud deson jiz Lan 10 the doomed commercial area the box-shaped silhouette of the whirling in rags you see a small Fleck of white on the rooftop the upstairs window of cia's room in the snow reflecting light do you have a line of sight to the window more than [Music] that a pair of binoculars or a scope of a rifle you'd be prone lying on a mattress Barrel resting on the Embraer cheek against the cheek rest hand on the hair trigger on a calm day like this good I think we have it detective the origin of the shot this is to sniper's Nest affirmative why we don't go everywhere in the Thousand M radius of the crime scene that's not procedure he looks North over the fortification then at the mattress he's conflicted for a second there's guilt there it takes him a moment to rationalize it away where he does not answer just nods with his back hunched he looks around once more and says we should move now [Music] h [Music] [Music] this old cylindrical generator Waits with its fuel cap open makeshift electrical wiring runs out of its side and across the floor the lieutenant assists you holding the canister up to the fuel tank as you tilt dark brown viscous fluid pours out and the room fills with a chemical smell there's a red starter switch on the side of the cylinder and a start rope on the other side the lieutenant flicks the switch The Recoil start wakes the old Generator up the machine sputters like an old warhorse before settling down to a rattle that should it there's a greasy Old Spring mattress in the corner resting on piles of soft cover books white linen and a pillow are visible under a worn out Caracol blanket someone has been squatting here the linen is fresh recently washed you forc the rest of the sentence out through pain thick as mesus no longer able to hear yourself speak you know officer you can rest here if you are feeling tired I will keep watch you could use some rest for what's ahead you face the concrete wall there's less light there in the dark corner like a dog you lie there you didn't realize how tired you were your body is still nowhere near healed the blanket feels cold the entire room does concrete and cold minutes pass half an hour maybe the sounds of the sea Beyond grow distant your eyelids close until you feel yourself standing up in the darkness right next to the the mattress slowly the world begins to hatch from the Blackness it's evening sleep [Music] dolorous day the innocence of humanism internationalism and the welfare state turns around to face you she has an Airship airbag in her hand she seems to be in a hurry okay don't say you need to talk right away melt the ice first this way you're already talking but you don't even want to talk to her she would only be cold and mean Let Her Go Let Her Go this is the Holy Queen of the territories of mndi and incela think of the historic knowledge we could glean this is a once- in A- lifetime opportunity to win her back no Harry No I don't want want a massive epic showdown I want to go to the aerodrone I have tickets for the 1020 flight to Mor really we don't have anything to talk about anymore every combination of words has been played out the atoms don't form us anymore us our love our unborn daughters it's all gone I have to go to the aerodrome I have to leave rever Shaw and you and you have to be alone in Hell forever that's just the way it is oh God whatever you do don't try to kiss her yet not after that you're still reeling you'll fall over if you try it [Music] now I don't know what you mean Dolores day oh Harry you shouldn't have done that call me like that you ruined it there was still a chance you should have waited longer she would have called you instead oh Harry do you really think so we haven't talked in years I don't want to call you I don't want to hear hear from you I think of you less and less every year weeks go by without me remembering you months already soon it will be years every season that passes the light gets less clear I sit there in morova in the Holy gratitude of my Bliss I put my hand on my belly and smile the air gets cold around you she looks down on her stomach then up at you her eyes are full of tremendous distance and mystery the death blow is coming blackeyed dogs wonderand the alleys apple trees hang their bony limbs low over the patchwork of roofs red and black Riva West the Evening Sun she's left un bloomed far away from us our vast Soul it's Dora that's what the voice said on the phone DEA yes Dora DEA oh no no no no no we're not doing that again that was not the death blow yet you saved yourself for now keep stumbling around and it will happen wasn't I Deloris day just a second ago now I'm the ex thing you're confusing me look I have to be at the lazan aerodrome at 10:20 p.m. I still have a light rail to catch I haven't even bought the tickets yet we all told you everyone warned you everyone literally all of you I'm glad too but I have to go my friends are waiting for me on the platform I can't let them wait it's impolite what I will a thousand times you beat an animal a thousand times you've raised that fabric what is underneath has always calmed you centered you made you sane in your mind you could still climb inside her bed still the only man the morning I don't understand yes it really really is better that I don't yes Harry I am things have gotten much better for me now that I am the ruler of the known world oh God it's already so late I have to go Harry a tiny golden watch with red straps around her bony little wrists it's not but I don't know why I said but there is no but that's it yes we've talked about it a million times you will get over it just like I did people do things will get good for you again where in Hell stop you're only making it worse for him you never help with anything see it just takes some time for you I think it will take something like 20 years maybe it was hard for me too I used to think I couldn't live without you but I can she keeps her shoulders squared and her back straight but it's clear you're still making her sad yes but that time is gone now so very gone no Harry we can't we already tried again and it didn't work is that how it is now we should just try all good things twice and then give up by that logic not you too yes of course you've got everything under control and I'm hysterical because I don't want to keep hurting you I don't know please Harry we can't be together because you're insane she avoids turning them to you they're turning moist now her eyes she slowly shakes her head and tries to get a hold of herself brushing her hands in her gown she doesn't know what to say yes okay I'm glad it doesn't sound like you're better at all Harry it doesn't even sound like you're a moralist it just sounds like you want to win me back or something I don't want you to try that anymore okay it's too sad I need to go total Annihilation we got annihilated Harry it wasn't about responsibility at all it was always only about you having no power at all over her yourself anything that's why they didn't take you on that Airship you're insane without her you know what I mean it's not about some tie Harry you've worked there for so long you can't even talk like a normal person anymore it's always lists with you questions questions did someone say questions this is another one isn't it we're in a tree right now it's not just the lists or trees or whatever you get sad Harry too sad people can't get that sad it's impossible to watch other people get sad too but not like you you stayed down for too long until you start giving your thoughts names and talking to things in conclusion you're real you're an old insane man and you have to be in hell until the end of your life and I have to go to marova I don't want it it looks expensive I don't want it that's not what figurines do Harry she looks at the Headless F Rider between your fingers and doesn't know what to say the figurines don't do anything anything at all but I thought the historic figure she had yes I thought it would be good a form of communication where words are fail yes it was a good idea but she felt obliged by The Headless phone Rider to give you things in return things she no longer wants to give you so she refused that's how it goes your figurine Rider idea was naive no please please don't give me anything Harry I don't want things I want to go to the aerodrone I didn't ask for things it's too late to give me anything I would have liked these things a long time ago the Headless fall Rider especially but now only boring hell remains we both said a lot of things we were very young it was her I can feel it I can see it in her tender long fingers in her wrists her hand wrote it said those things as Queen regnant I write a lot of letters you need to recite it to her for effect all of it no summaries yeah put a Stak through your heart she'll get hurt too collateral damage she won't get hurt she'll Bend out of the way please Harry I just don't have time for this okay stop yes are you happy now very well I wrote it it was morning you slept there was [ __ ] frost on the ground when I left on Voyage Road it was Autumn the first Autumn but Harry please understand it was a million years ago no it was a 100 million years ago I was someone else then Phil to the r with love for you hanging on your every word oh Harry you were the coolest but I'm no longer that person this has taken her place it will devour you Harry I will eat your mind the light of the video rental shines through her dress now a DeLorean figure cut in Black moves below it's still her her legs her breasts her hips the coolest with your leather jacket and your boot cut pants smoking in the bus stop I wanted you to be the rest of my life that day and you were some of it at least you were my first my first kiss my first time to have sex the first and worst time I fell in love I will always have that with me it's a fact but that is all it is it's like a ticket star Harry it doesn't do anything anymore yes let's talk about that too let's bring it up the zoo in ladan the day we went East of the river to the aquarium first I was sad about my mother I don't even know why the Shimmer of the fish tank on my face the octopuses it was just a day then but to think were we there now you could touch my hair kiss me talk to me about anything go virtually anywhere in the world not like now now our interactions are limited to pain and regret it's here Harry we are on Voyager Road at the end of it 300 M from the stop we used to come here to rent videos fa you could not pay the electrical bill it became a lightess tomb the years you spent training for the militia my parents' money it was not good surely the alcohol didn't help either everyone has a little glass of wine every now and then I certainly do it's a queen regnant thing I don't think it was the alcohol it was inevitability see if you drank with her you'd be cool again if you drank with her you could have on alcohol and my crown of immortality no you scared her out of me with your crying your the awful time we wound up having and the cheap rental Flats you could afford can't you see I can never think you're cool again I can only think that way about new people it wouldn't be a rental this [Music] time no it's too late I found someone for whom I feel the same love I did for you only this time he is more careful he will not lose me it will go somewhere it will grow your heart burns through the Blackness you feel the trial of Blood on the mattress below you Harry do you notice how none of this is very funny she smiles mysteriously looking East then turns her gaze back to you the smile is gone is there really anything left if not we can always repeat one of the things we have already talked about talk about it again if you do not feel like doing that then you should let me go to the aerodrone [Music] [Music] [Applause] with your feet trembling from the steps you took tepid and fearful you stand against her her body close to you radiating warmth with your eyes closed you move your lips on her mouth she is not kissing you back nothing just pillows against you unresponsive but for the taste of apricots apricot scented chewing gum her chest Rising like a pillow warm exhalations against the side of your mouth her tender Soul moving through her lungs hidden distant kept safe from you her hand does not return the grip her body is rigid a current of unease courses through it distrust for you the curve of her spine her shoulders hunched she keeps herself stiff her Center guarded from your emotions unresponsive to your guidance the moment is ending she is going to move her face away from yours trying hard not to look at you when she withdrew and you held on to her hand she tried not to look at your face and see the expression there brother you should put me in front of a firing squad I have no words for how I failed you no I'm just Dora why did you do that to yourself you know I don't cheat Harry I never cheated on you no Harry not yet there is one more thing you have to see I'm pregnant of course not I terminated yours don't you remember you poor [ __ ] poverty stricken [ __ ] now go ahead ask me more questions let's talk about something else no this has to end do the last one more questions ask more I have to Harry really I've already missed the 8:30 I'm going to go now I was wrong you don't have power over her anymore you shouldn't have said that I am wrong about everything you should go on without me that was someone else I betrayed her overwrote her and I'm happier for it and I'm really going now the time is up I must be on the 10:20 flight I won't see you but you will see me oh Harry this is a dream can't you see I'm already in marova by now who knows how long ago this happened a year two 5 years ago right here tomorrow night once this dream starts happening it keeps happening three times a week at least and Harry it really really looks like it started happening again there's the video rental I'm suffocatingly beautiful and young and I smell of Tutti Frutti chewing gum like I did that time when I asked you for forgiveness after leaving you the first time so long ago oh yes this is real darkness it's not death or war or child molestation real darkness has loved for a face the first death is in the heart Harry see you tomorrow you're a Greek how was your sleep of course I was just thinking maybe you've torn your stitches are you ready to move on okay he's still worried you must have really threshed and squealed in your as sleep a dim Golden Glow animates the console faint like a ghost light o reads one DOI Alum reads another it's on turn emergency open Automatic boot the blast door opens with a series of clicks a shaft of light appears then widens as the light shines in after you so did I not back there but I felt it since we came here don't worry I have a gun I know it was not easy to acquire I don't know a thin whisp of smoke rises from a Char black fire pit the wind picks up then dies down again an old man wearing tracksuit trousers leans on the frame stock of his rifle he gathers a big ball of spit in his mouth then spits it out into the extinguished fire before him he raises his black eyes hooded by creased eyelids to meet Yours unclouded by cataracts his eyesight is sharp he's practically tearing up from bite hatred got the best of him a long time ago this man hates everything the what now I can't hear you I may have all sorts of little rats have come sniffing around trying to give up the position the position sounds like a hiding place fire guy agressive Bourgeois henchman can't even talk like a grownup I did and you opened it how I should have burned that console down reactionary rock and roll music playing on the water told you we shouldn't play sad FM sad FM huh I always hated that station flagma counterrevolutionary durges sadness is a mental illness a weapon of the Bourgeois the fascists were right about rock and roll it is degenerate hit gting mental illness music it's not nice it's a piece of [ __ ] but it gets the job done it's a triang Gong 446 a samaron rifle how did you get hold of one it was sent to us by our brothers in the S commune military aid if has stayed true to him he can still make it sing you heard me it's good now like chalk white from the board yes I bet you've killed a lot of people with it you fascist [ __ ] have you come to make me one of them his left eye twitches with What Fear rage we have come to ask you questions nothing more if you do not comply we will take you in Queen do you understand another spitball lands in the ashes that's all the answer he gives the lieutenant pulled his pistol from The holster you are a glorified night Watchman this is a service rifle I can only lay it down before an enemy commander of corresponding rank the lieutenant aims his pistol square at the man's forehead put it down now sir or you're going to blow my brains out before you question me to hell with it it's a walking stick anyway it's out of bullets like an amputated limb in the sand he stes on his wrinkled mouth moving without a sound a strange sadness like a song the old man pulls back the hood of his plastic cap and looks up into the sky his gaze follows your motions the rifle feels surprisingly light in your hand frame stocked and patched in places with tape and wire the rifles in a Shabby State like a crutch that seemed to too much travel hieroglyphs are embossed into the forearm made of Walnut on the butt you see vestine writing burnt into the wood triang 4.46 mm made in syia the right type and the right calibra he's liking this no one said it has to be a b mrave we were just guessing from ballistics it could easily have been a triango too it doesn't matter if it was made in Shanti Shanti all it has to do is use jacketed ammunition and it does the old man keeps following your motion with his gaze his right arm twitches suddenly some kind of involuntary response something is slightly off with his motoring this looked very much like the murder weapon it could be used against him to get a confession in time my name is Yosef Lili anovich dross political commissar of the 114th anti-aircraft division of the fourth Army of the commune of revall I am a deserter a partisan and a prisoner of war this is my term surrender the commun of do you mean DCM your hold over from the from the insul Indian citizens militia the army of the Revolution I was recruited in Jamrock 07 trained in theal control or young and consigned to emergency defense duties in '08 I left my unit on the eve of the landing when I returned here on May 14th the commune had fallen still armed and ideologically trained I wrote a criticism of myself and resumed partisan duties 43 years no I've been on other Islands too I was an on until they turned it into a spa in 18 then I was an e48 a namess sound until the sea washed over it then I came back here that was 22 years ago 43 years and 10 months it's too long it's not how a human being should live but I couldn't just forget what I saw what have you been doing during all this time hiding fishing waiting where the afternoon grows late on rud gizan people walk home street lights will soon be lit further Inland the streets are alive with workers men women children Street Hawks and migrant laborers the temperature is steady Alto cumulus clouds form above Precinct 41 two police officers step out of the whirling in rags cafeteria satellite officer Jean vicm inspects a series of burnt black letters splashed across the plaza Mosaic patrol officer Judith Mino Points West the fishing Village she glances at her watch we meet in 15 minutes it's a 10-minute walk the officers go leaving behind the writing still smoldering one day it says I will return to your side always waiting for her to return her who girl child Revolution I am not a fool I know the material real base for Uprising has eroded the working class has betrayed mankind the historic opportunity for a revolution has passed it will not come back anymore however hard I try whatever I do what has he done perhaps a confession will lighten the load yes what to get things going again finder flame very there is no flame to Fan there is nothing left of the world of our dreams I was just 16 years old 15 when I volunteered I had a lapse of faith and of Courage too you could say I misunderstood the historic role of the proletariat and thought m Ian socioeconomics were fallible for a second I doubted the irreducible laws of historic materialism a second is all it took for reaction to take hold it's the same thing you haven't seen it not really not naked it's impossible not to be afraid and this was when May the 1308 44 years ago the Horizon was black with Coalition airships their petroleum Rose to the sky and it looked like like it formed the clouds storm clouds when they started shelling it was dark magic the combined might of international Capital all at once all the greed and Terror in the world tore into rivers Shaw it lifted streets from the ground and turned houses into ghosts we were in the Flack Tower huddled on the floor the artillery was 80 kilm away in oon but I knew I knew the commun would fall we would all be turned into Ash so I said I was going to the map room a terrible shame still within him the loes of his ears are red with it the shame and smallness of what he became now I climbed the chain link across the water and hid Inland in the bunkers there like the weakest of the weak a mouse frightened at the ordinance all night and and the sound of the rotors in the morning woring is ships multirooted airships used in The Landing AOS Statics The Landing had started I climbed out into hell there were ships All Above hissing whirling and Men pouring out the chain was submerged so I had to swim back the Fortress was half submerged too shattered they'd all drowned in the lower levels or got torn to shreds above the anti-aircraft gun had malfunctioned so had I I left them without ideological Direction it was real I'd seen it I've seen it in reality the mask of humanity fall from Capital it has to take it off to kill everyone everything you love all the hope and tenderness in the world it has to take it off just for one second to do the deed and then you see it as it strangles and beats your friends to death the sweetest most courageous people in the world you you see the fear and Power in its eyes then you know that the Bourgeois are not human I had to I had to fight it I had to never stop how does anyone survive I steal supplies vegetables I like rain water it's the life of a dog Not a Human Being how is your health Mr D I've been throwing out blood since winter red like beetroot been passing it in stool too he does seem frail GA for his age more like 75 and 65 trouble putting on weight could mean Cancer do you CM can provide medical services you need to be looked over I need to die you don't have medical facilities you have guns that's all they give you toy guns you also have druine I have been running out of that stuff I haven't I have holes in my brain years missing others filled with pain only a decade of I don't even know what Inferno I would imagine it gets tremendously difficult mentally to leave in isolation traitors it's better alone I watched the people of this city turn the lights back on more and more each year ruin glimmering in the dark like a [ __ ] merry go around it's disgusting are they not heartbroken how could they have moved [Music] on it was hard in the tens I didn't have partisan training they were searching for stragglers those blood hounds flood lights on the water night there were posters campaigns we communi still hoped and they needed to Snuff that hope out the East capitulated Martin and Colt city were turned to dust but Jamrock forberg even coron and Boogie Street of course those [ __ ] Kips had M off coursing through their veins and others too some cordons of rers Shaw was still fighting there were cells I tried to contact them soon they all went silent the frequen is dead at night I used a dingy I only went after dark then when I got to the city I stayed underground patrols ulot the commons too they started snitching in the city you move underground from bunker to Bunker not anymore no one cares now I don't even have to hide they think I'm another antisocial vagrant I could walk straight into that town if I wanted I just I don't want to they're all traitors pigs rabbits and dogs men without ideals are only animals he does not want to see life moving on people forgetting drinking laughing the propaganda bunker I used to but not anymore propaganda bunker they stored leaflets there broadcasting equipment too made broadcasts I think propaganda officers I buried them with their leaflets they killed themselves two young boys a lot of our boys did I spent some Winters there never liked it kept thinking of them no need to go underground anymore it's better in the ruins on the ground so you finally found it there must have been a small squadron's worth of arms in there Elma Graves right I know so you've been there sleeping some nights how I cring on others those mcgraves were [ __ ] even before they corroded some had bullet in the chamber however you feel the dots connecting little dots on the map he's walked across I do than good good plenty of tar I like that boy on the pack too reminds me of the last century the old man looks across the water at the city the ruins the motorways rising above it it's not an island BL it's a defensive fortification of the commune of revera and I am its last surviving Defender the congenitally deformed King Philip II built it to restrict access to the Bay of revera we captured it in O2 retrofitted the fort with an AA gun to defend against an Airborne Landing against the whole world Coalition military called it operation death blow I later found out on the radio they called it death row you're one of them tell me who speaks like that we had 50 million people on Caillou alone IAS the blackeyed angel shaian aor the darkened one you're with the RCM the co Coalition appointed mob that enforces pora morals in Reva you're the RCM you represent the moralist international the enemies of humanity who took this city I represent their adversary communist take me to them as a prisoner of war I have relinquished my weapon I can no longer serve no superiors can relieve me of my duty you bulldo them all to a mass grave for trying to free Humanity a spray of blood from his mouth on the black charcoal in the fire pit Rene the royalist on the coast said liberal reactionaries signed that instrument traitors who should have been burned alive my answer to the Communist party is that part of why you've been here all this time because the party didn't surrender if the party had surrendered then it would not be the party I don't think you did you live in a delusion radio shows speed racing and Sporting Goods it's not real no I am not a soldier I am an ideological officer I belong to the party not the Army trained in historical materialism then assigned as a political commissar by the party these things used to mean [Music] something the old man does not answer he tilts his silver ahead and looks at the reads you his job was to assure the Army answers to civilian control and follows the ideology of the commune scientific communism a commiss politique is a night philosopher of the Revolution a future human awakened from shutdown by the promise of ideology he nods slowly then another tremor no you're not you're part of the meat Shield the human shield that surrounds the fascists while they kill and rape that's what you are detective we have not come here to discuss ideology we have come to ask questions regarding a murder investigation the old man spits into the fire pit he does not say anything more a Jitter passes his lower body there's definitely something off with his body something more than just metabolism or even cancer there's nothing serious in this world it's a f real music [Music] real that's ever not your rock and roll Miss h of the Black and Whites you need to address that [Music] Remar it is the anthem of the World Revolution one of three in gr they sang Brave children favorites of history and in Sy it was so everyone has they named a [ __ ] perfume after it talk to her God [ __ ] house should have taken it down like they did in gr dismantled it for firewood all around you the air slowly circulates the islet carrying little swallows and black beaked seagulls in its slow drift they all every one of them every bird mammal and crustacean keep their distance how did it go something about shooting rabbits I don't know I can't remember it doesn't matter it's gone now he waves erratically with his hand annoyed that he can't remember a little Tremor passes through him it was dear to him he resents forgetting it I've used it for killing people killing people it's a gun that's what they're for you want a moralist euphemism defending your family and your property I haven't done that I've used it to kill people interesting dur or after the war there is no after the war class war is never over so he's continued killing after hostilities ended okay okay this is it you can feel it like battery acid on the tip of your tongue something you haven't felt in a while but this is what you live for this is the [ __ ] the great serotonin jackpot the solution go in straight no euphemisms he doesn't like those no no be careful now slow and steady does it make him repeat it first don't mess this up remember he wants to tell you get person the who now he heard you he just wants to hear you say it you're in oh yes that one ugly piece of work that boy did you kill him I am a son of a welder and an officer of the commune of Reva I do not collaborate with murderers and Pedas of the liberal regime a drop of blood in the saliva exhaust him with proof pile it all on him get a confession the gun the murder weapon is the perfect opener the scent of blood in the air but what else there was something you can't remember something about the tra suddenly all those trcks are so confusing go with something else first I saw you poking around there looking for evidence you're damn diligent when it comes to dead fies did you like the view you had Direct visibility there are umbr you in the concrete specifically meant for a top follower to use and you had a long range rifle in your possession you've been here a long time Mr D too long you clearly need Medical Aid I'm ready to die I've done my part he's practically admitt to it dead FES for fascist done his part because it's a sniper's nest you stupid [ __ ] radio gosh is right you have worms in your brain almost he almost burst out there keep piling arguments anything not to lot of guns around that use military grade ammunition are there it's a real gun not like your little musketeer pistols I've seen you prance around with the those jumping hopes for the Liberals you look like imbeciles why don't you ask them to give you real weapons eh going against automatic rifles with a flame bomb damn he saw you he's watched it happen he would have a good view of the tribunal from here it's not just empty boasting so we saw you okay so what don't let it divert you you know what you're right I'm convinced this made the shot should we call it good this feels good doesn't it telling things up like this when you have the murder weapon you have the killer murder this pushed him but not enough just a little more wait here it comes the godamn mays the dried Mays on caia's roof there were May bells in the grass when you got here they're revolutionary symbols from the war nowhere else nowhere in all of martines have you seen them this spring wait don't forget the footprints the diagonal prins in the dust in the secret space behind Clara's bedroom now they're going to come up you got it remember the bootprints were like no modern Soul maybe don't beat yourself anymore though you're not Immortal everything is brands with you individualists who cares what brand my shoes are Sansa some [ __ ] show me the souls Please Mr dasas [ __ ] imbecile the maker is called sensor and the size is 42 to 44 these are not the unusual horizontal patterned sols you saw in the dust on the floor of the Hidden room they do however seem to be about the same size the size fits but not the soul s he doesn't have to be wearing them right now racking those brains are you desperate to report something back to your Masters they must have really loved that dead [ __ ] the lieutenant gives you a quick sideways glance and nods to acknowledge the prince were his you can see it in those eyes he can't keep them from flickering looking for something the old man stares at his own prince in the ash around the fire silence s suddenly some strange process within him a gush of wind seagulls in the distance you almost got him just the last little psh damn Mays the whole island is turning white with them he seems tender suddenly nostalgic even a strange mood swing so many this year too the spring is coming no it's already here wash the filth away they blossom on the eyelets before we fertilized them with our blood azerion was Snow White in May before they ruined it South the Bay of martines is dotted with little freckles of islets turning green with white flowers in white snow the coast too before they piled their containers on top of it filled with broken useless trash for fat fingered Bourgeois children to play with you must get around a lot to stay undetected all these years do you know any secret paths pinball workshops I may class year with the victim there is a small tremble looks like a smile a crooked smile yet isn't quite voluntary he's about to burst you know who he was a coalition trained murderer armored Al arm he wasn't human the blunt end of a hammer dripping with blood beating us to the ground moaning with with joy you HS get so thorough when a company train killer dies I haven't seen you on this Coast for 40 years you know maybe I should have killed one sooner got your attention now you stop eating druggies and prostitutes in your basement now you come to investigate not when they die by the hundreds this is it shot him shot him say shot him not kill him oh the inhumanity one paramilitary less in riversa the lieutenant raises his right arm to hush you hush he does not need to be pushed anymore the ball is rolling while the Lieutenant listens holding his breath I had them in my sights both of them him and the [ __ ] I was breathing with them in phase and I pulled the trigger and flew on the air until I landed in his mouth I didn't think I had a shot like that in me anymore I did I saw him kneel there with his mouth full of death and that stupid look on his face and his dick still in her nothing I went to sleep next morning there were May Bells everywhere the world was white or what's left of it anyway my last spring here I knew the fascists would come to avenge their own and so they did Mr D are you aware you're confessing to murder yes and you were looking at them the victim and a young woman having sex through the scope of your rifle that night before you shot him the old man nods why because that's what they were doing the motive this is where the motive is going to come from you can coax it out of him the lieutenants preparing the ground I don't understand do you detective I don't understand this part I'm always looking are you always looking through the scope of a rifle I'm just trying to understand a rifle scope has the best magnification and if you don't like it click yes think of it as a form of critique he will not stop now these dialectical materialist types never do exploit it start with when he first saw him it will give him a chance to ramble them [ __ ] I didn't like that jealousy is a reactionary concept I didn't like the Reaver enjoying himself drugged out soothed in the arms of a young woman I wanted him to die so he could not enjoy life anymore for him to stop reacting to stimuli to be broken off from the world cordoned into darkness and and I wanted to see his head explode that too she should know better than to hold a child murderer between her thighs I knew he'd be there for one more second ring that's all it takes for the bullet to reach his head now that I think of it I wasn't aiming for his mouth I wanted his brains to spill out on her but but you can't have everything this man has seen past her like you did and now he longs to see her covered in blood to punish her there's there's nothing to hold on to only this it's it's not enough the coals of his eyes glisten suddenly like stones dripping with water is he crying man needs to feel something else in this fight it helps if you have your eye on something there it's weakness I know yes over the years it's not un proletarian to feel something no I don't really know I was there one night and she was crying like a child in the corner of her room on the floor like she does sometimes the day after I killed him yes I don't know why I do the things I do anymore maybe I told you I have holes in my brain now I wouldn't just sit here waiting for you if you came 10 years ago I would have killed you in the silence the lieutenant draws a line in his notes one more down since she came to Martinas I saw her sneaking in the reads early in the morning behind the fell building it was dark still winter she didn't have her skimpy out fit on then just a spot in the night moving fast the fell building on the ghost what was she doing there hiding something in the water she had a [ __ ] after she'd done it I was up in the ruins there she couldn't see me but I could see her smoking she was nervous but not scared and beautiful that's how could you see what she looked like you said it was dark the sun came up her hair was like cobwebs she smoked Mor [ __ ] and snorted a line of whatever [ __ ] she was on right there she needed it just to move her passport and tickets to Rel and from there to Casher [Music] after she was gone did you keep what was in it when we found the submersible it was empty no why would I do that I didn't need tickets to valer I put them back if I wanted to extort someone I'd do better this implies that he's thought about extorting her why would I need that trash I'm not going to valer a strange confusion comes over him from time to time some kind of aberration of the nervous system I did she had a face like an archipelago with those birth marks and a body hard and lean and bruised all over black and yellow I could see she's taken a beating I could see who she was too a spook On The Run rever sh the CL Waker of capital now all the bagman and arms dealers end up here to do drugs and have sex like animals you could tell she was a spook from the documents she had different color hair on the photo and glasses forged some sorted Bourgeois Affair I've heard about this kind of thing on the radio the bruises you can't make that out in a scope you can't see bruises through a scope it's just a blur it quickly comes to you oh yes cutting those drugs of hers into little lines with a knife masturbating everything in him fills with impossible longing all at once did you make that hole with a clip point knife good for listening in too for hearing the moaning and the snorts like that too yes bending like a bow against the glass I've been through all of Martin every no and cranny yes that too the things they did in that little room what she'd do to feel good funny the way light works you turn it on inside and it gets so dark out you can't see a man looking in I learned that in the 20s when they were still hunting me I've seen people do some [ __ ] but those two took the cake You Hear The Familiar scribble of the lieutenant an's pen a quick glance at you one more loose end down we're doing this detective how did you get in there the hidden pinball Workshop I can just walk in there now after a good wash I told you they think I'm an antisocial closing hour is a good time the kitchen's empty you had to open the steel door in the kitchen how I got that as open a long time ago some Bourgeois gay Merchant lived there I don't know 15 years ago he left spare keys all over and I took one then I saw her turn the light on one night in my scope Andy found use for it a spare key like the one hanging behind the union box window one more thing the flowers Mr D the dried flowers that were on the roof what about the there he's already admitted to it just ask I did I shouldn't have it was a mistake I was there one night and she was crying like a child in the corner of her room on the floor I'd never seen her do that before the day after I killed him yes I don't know what why I do the things I do anymore neither does he he lowers his head like a sunflower on a withered stalk in the silence the lieutenant draws a line in his notes then nods at you once more one more down she practically breastfed that man you were wouldn't believe the things she let him do to her you stare at them too in your mind her innocent day still turns to leave airport bag in hand silks flowing in her wake see you tomorrow Harry her voice rings in the evening air burning you're delusional there's nothing to see in the soul of the Bourgeois woman it's the same as the surface sick headism and Desperation made a little love nest up there sweaty linen and bottles they would use for God knows what I saw other men there too but I can't be sure even a woman once a redhead woman Ruby that kind of thing is fine by the party so he fine by me but it goes to show you seems like the answer was yes the lieutenant nods at you in acknowledgement that's it motive we have it where is she that classier I haven't seen her there for days locked up with your Masters like I'll be maybe we'll meet she kept staring into the scope you know in the end quite she knew staring at the island the thought like she knew I was here it doesn't matter across the harbor on the banks of the river esperons cold rain falls on Precinct 57 a twostory box of geram near the gates to terminal H inside a cell a young woman is withdrawing from amphetamines barbituates and alcohol all at once while two men in brown suits wave ICP badges at a young polican she hears the door open and knows it's over they've come for her outside it's springtime the river flows blue and green into the Bay of Mones there on a dilapitated jetty in a nameless Village two police officers and one special consultant look across a narrow strip of sea the ruins of a sea stick out of the water built by Philipe II reappropriated by the commune then lost in the landing he's there doing what exactly I don't know satellite officer vicm points at the ruins behind that anti aircraft something that's why we can't see him special consultant hylam is optimistic we'll see the boat when he comes let's go get a coffee until then I know this interesting little place where his voice Trails off as the three walk down the jetty as the men go patrol officer minow looks back over her shoulder at the crumbling fortification in the rain like a rotten tooth rising out of the the water good luck Harry she thinks you need something good for this we could get more we've got him talking you could get more out of him he likes talking enough take him in Bend his arms behind his back and end this 3 weeks ago when the rich hag came in on her Galley her honor guard came in toe Joyce he means Joyce wrinkled up [ __ ] black sexual morals are a bouro ploy as to pederasty the party legalized it in know4 my party not your liberal Masters so don't you sermonize me you racist [ __ ] hole it's still Bourgeois when the Bourgeois does it fiddling with their sexual organs some strange glandular process takes place in him at the Fort like yeast Rising they moved into a deserted apartment above the roundabout radio equipment out for to see reactionary radio planing sloppy and drunk I've seen their kind during the landing those ocidental and M fangs weren't con strips boys like us they were whites all they know is to destroy and hurt barely alive they like to kill while they're on their drugs after The Landing in the burning years I would take take shots of them end them the worst on if I had a bullet to spare I could see they've return now to show that real face the face they don't dare show their Bourgeois voters back on Mundy with their families and polyester clothes a tragic comedy druggists prostitutes and rentiers a strange little engine seems to fire up in him again it straightens his back the familiar putt putt put of hatred specifically the whole city is a chal house stri clean and draped in neon the Martinez because of the racists everyone is a racist in Martinez it's their favorite thing to do in the whole world World listening to race themed radio shows in the ruins in their lores pump full of steroids and radio reveral 92 race this race that it's all sanctioned by that Social Democratic Union and the fce of a Social Democrat who runs it yes the fly lava in his container he let some nihilistic advertising yuppies erect a statue of Philipe II a syphilitic murderer on the Town Square to spit on the working class not since the Surfs of ancient perican nases has history produced a more inert social class than the Martina's proletariat the rest of revall at least pretends to rebuild these people still live in Ruins intense like animals like those boom boom morons on the ice a pity they didn't drown in that tent of theirs the worst of them is the blood drenched surion on her yacht licking her lips the old horse gone now her gun touting porcelain men are dead so actually no the worst is that old [ __ ] parading around in his uniform throwing balls all day it's not enough that the racists and Liberals are dancing on our Graves the old loyalist ghouls still parade the ruins too every morning he's there while the parasites he fought to protect her off in oon or quam Moran or some other Island they they built their palaces on feeding on drugs and having sex with their own children that's all the rich really want sex with their own children throughout history even the Royal bloodline of the suarin it's all just an excuse for them to have sorted sex at least that old [ __ ] Fel is now dead we did good when we pushed him under the horse car until in the 30s those disco [ __ ] the Disco [ __ ] are too much hatred shuts down his brain's Language Center leaving only a nonsensical sputter there was something about a statue and nihilistic advertising agency people might be worth investigating horse syphilis is a disease Philip theii contracted an a wh house the statue is an Abomination the bacteria entered his brain and made him squander trillions of sparkling wine cocka enum and monuments of himself his son Philip IV the insane contracted syphilis in the womb and he still went on to govern rev scha at 25 years we lost 2 million lives toppling that mode of government and those grotesque statues too hundreds of them what a keen remark yes it is isn't it it's still there do you know why no cynical design cockroaches like you erected a new ironic version of it we tore it down with honest workingclass plastic explosives but there it is again grinning art is a bouro establishment it's an upfront to humanity every Gallery should be bulldozed and the artists should all be given 30 years of hard labor in yokata wait it suddenly strikes you perhaps it was not as it seemed what are you talking about what is this madness the lieutenant to has cocked his head and is looking at you with a strange expression so you're saying it's a communist Monument now not only we did always have the prettiest posters maybe you're right that is how dialectics work but understand this art is still a buire institution and they all should still will be sent to yokata it is common place to relocate the workforce according to the needs of the land All Nations do it it's called settlement grounding the fat Union man let them put it there corrupt as he is probably got a fat check for it too shared with the Lord a accusations of corruption pushed them aside with a sharp change of topic officer put the heat on him he keeps having opinions about the Union's leadership another hideous disappointment unions are the Real Enemy the true enemy of the proletariat prating the masses disappointment so personal he displays a familiarity with the Union's top gr that deformed toad I wouldn't expect him to wipe his own ass I mean the brains of the operation the smart one Edgar he talks a big game about Uprising and social base they must have sent the smart one to some University in lean where it's alienation this and hemony that he's been sweet talked by this Edgar they must have met in person for such animosity to have developed you can't live alone the claes wouldn't miss a man hidden in their own backyard not all this time nothing happens in Martinez without them knowing of course maybe the clear's asked into don't go strength for the kill exhaust everything else first suffer it I haven't approached anyone I hid it was Edgar who came to me how did he know you were here he didn't just stumble in like an oath he figured it out some kids told him about a monster on the island I told you he has brains stepped right off the boat and walked walked down where you came I even kept the door open for him thought he was a man of the left wouldn't rat me out I was right about one of those things Edgard did the talking paid his respects like I would a fossil in the uniform offered platitudes about the struggle flaunted his pink degree even quoted marle never trust us Social Democrat Who quotes marsof oh and charity too they love their charity offered me blankets and social housing I still have the gas cooker he brought let me be here the zoc is an unlawful successor of the commune of revall we took this fortification from the Loyalists even the Claire's understand this they let him be here understanding was a courtesy but why such a courtesy 20 years ago neither of them could walk now could they they were less fat then that's around the time the clears came to power you know why I killed that [ __ ] dwat as to Edgard I'm not doing anything for that swine again again what have you done for Edgar before try teaching him some mazovian socioeconomics they didn't stick we parted ways okay he didn't do the Hang demand for them but he's insinuating something every [ __ ] morning for 34 years throwing that ball one ball against the other I've always loed that game that is not a workingclass game I don't care what they say on radio June royalist ghouls played like it was life itself click clack across the water each day and that uniform like a parrot plumage I won't even mention that he's a traitor to his race a pank maniac race traitor I remember him I remember him from Lanos not him personally his M model there were tens of thousands of them I thought we took them all out before the Liberals came to their rescue we missed one that one that doesn't seem to be a single person under the pine today not even geston [Music] alone fat and plump like a pheasant just begging to be popped off please Mr truss shoot me not yet I like to look at him strut around place the Crosshair on his medals right on his face and just fiddle the trigger think about it let the bom bom melt in my mouth save the treat for later he is a juicy Bon bong that one a real treat for the black day the blackest when I put that gun in my own mouth I think no don't waste it put this lead in that [ __ ] greny for the boys he killed and then I look at him throw those balls and I suddenly feel better I even hid one bullet so I'd always have one for him haven't seen him around lately strutting around must be down with arthritis I hope it hurts like hell I hope he sweats blood hearing it may destabilize him you sure you've gotten everything from him no I waited too long I waited too long and now he's dead I'm sorry Mr D I understand you knew him for a long time they're all dead now [ __ ] it all human beings care about each other I cared for seeing his head explode now God damn this one he reminded him of himself the same hatred the same you Tred to think of something else but no it's just hatred you think I haven't seen people die it's all I've seen them do [ __ ] and die all the other plans we had to love to colonize the pale it's all [ __ ] he's not okay this is just another black day in a row of black days something strange is keeping him together making him AJ an idea told to him by grown-ups from radio towers and leaflets in beautiful print when he was still a teenager everything is possible if we fight and then he lost it so did they [Music] all the connection comes to you like a splash of cold water dark cold water he he acknowledges it here we go a Twist behind the dark bend that Bourgeois cow tiffen Holly was her name licked the rich man's hand every time he came to town never seen a labor leader so hot on Mutual Corporation and money she liked that too that Holly was a real bridge builder and a deal maker she was and she was real soft on those money men had a Barbara Musa bag over her shoulder that she liked to bring to work called in they say on the eve of battle ran away vanished like a pist no that's not quite it is it did she they say her daughter called in not her personally but that wasn't really her daughter was it no I guess it was not she couldn't make the call herself here it is the bend in the river because she was dead because the cow caught a bullet in her right lung fell into the canal grasping her tit and drowned or bled hard to say it was a sloppy job on a moving Target she was going home waddling dressed in yellow drunk like she often was was the ruins are black around her and she had a yellow leather bag under her arm she tried to cross the canal heading home to Gran coron or banur some place like that where they build those new baton the people who flourish in the hell around her and the ruins someone shot her or maybe the cow just fell my memory is full of holes all I know is nothing changed not in the material base not in the hegemony there was no Uprising just words the union fizzled sogged nothing came of it nothing Edgar didn't keep his part of the deal huh if you were to testify to this give the RCM something on Edgar you could work we would strike everything you've done and process you as a p you were in a war you were on assignment we could even extradite you to the Samaran People's Republic a degenerate worker State gshit no thank you I'm reever Shan my days are short I will rot away here in a moral intern cell I will not testify to anything I saw it happen and I liked it that's all I have to say I didn't live and fight for 40 years to end up as a collaborationist I've heard it on Channel 8 40 a.m. radio rers Shaw late night everyone is a blobber in this world everyone betrays everyone they're all already locked up for betrayal the best ones the ones with heart were slaughtered trampled the same old freezing hatred there is plenty here to work with Once he's in custody and the lieutenant knows it he gives you a little nod to proceed glad we talked about what for a 60-year-old man with stomach trouble who spent his entire life alone on an uninhabited Island he seems surprisingly f it he's prone to erratic hand gestures and clearly malnourished but that's it you can see no more by looking at his slouch frame the moment passes and you say I ain't going anywhere the old man stares despondently at the logs it's like he's forgotten you're there what strikes you about this gaunt man is not the stomach pain or the cough or the malnutrition is precisely what you could not see before for a man who spent 44 years hiden in the urban wild indeed he speaks fluidly his movements are r ID if erratic his voice despite the cough is there it is capable of expressing complicated ideas above all he seems animated it's a mystery this animation comes at a cost too erratic hand gestures thought processes cut off like threads as he just stares at the logs or the reads he also suffers mood swings bubbling to the surface unconstrained by his nerves nervous system great leaps of emotion from anger to grief despair you've seen demented people before this feels similar yet different when his thoughts move they are Lucid Keen even not Cena is it some kind of substance damage like he's addicted to something not only the painkillers he's clearly on no I won't be stuffed full of [ __ ] like the rest of this city you said you take painkillers I take them to cope with pain the people of this city use painkillers because they have pain untreated illnesses not enough money for a greedy doctor he is indeed very lucid at times it's not a downer rather an upper judging by his snaps like some kind of decadent rockar perhaps but his seems more than that the inner turmoil takes unexpected turns as if forced on him in a way in summary you sense some underlying neurological disorder no I'm not okay I [ __ ] blood and I'm surrounded by insane people there it is again eretic hand motions bouts of rage and the stomach thing too of course could it be a symptom of overdosing on something something even you have not tried keep your eyes peeled what but you said I would be taken to the this terror is the sum of all the uncontrollable movements and mood swings he's been exhibited the wind picks up the silence on the water is broken all around you little Shivers of waves appear the lieutenant continues like an incantation your WF farer rights have been suspended information provided to the officers on the scene will be used against you by the prosecution you will be given legal Cel within 1 week and must face Court in 4 for days do you understand do you understand what no I don't want to I have to stay here he's sweating beads are forming on his forehead pupils are dilated too eyes getting blacker and Blacker your confirmation is not required sir now on to the boat there it is again to your North as it has been since you came to the coast the Reeds whisper stalks rubbing against each other but then in the middle of it something completely different it sounds like a bow very slowly being drawn against the strings of a violin a very small violin made of reeds and rushes maybe there is room for three on the board what what are you talking about is this really your skin crawls a delicate tangle of arms and legs unfolds from the reads limb by limb to then just stand there moving its sidike arms in ghostly silence what are you talking about there's nothing there the stick insect is over 3 m tall it looks straight at you with its tiny pinck eyes and its grotesque smaller head you feel your leg shaking under you and your gun hand mve to your holster to grab the gun tell me what you see damn it I can't make out one small thing in the reads I can see it four simple words thank God if you can see then you're not insane but that means it's really there spinning slowly in absolute silence its limbs long and slender very very [Music] careful the creature stands on Long stilt-like Legs antenna hanging from his head like a woman's hair white and curled at the tips it is no more than five steps away from you the segmented antenna move with apprehension searching for something that's not there readed likee toughs stick out of its joints as the insect moves its forearms it produces a faint hiss like a real tooreal machine spinning after the tape breaks the hiss is different from the strings you heard before it says something else in a lower pitch slowly with your breath held you take two small steps toward the fmid the creature lets out a series of ultrasonic clicks that swarm around your head like swallows like laughter a sort of Happiness sweat drips from your brow soak in your chest you wre of it your chemicals hissing and clicking it extends its mendable like antenna to greet you you're right below it now looking up at the Colossal kiteen of its white limbs the head of the creature is crowned by reads and its eyes are like small droplets of water okay there is no change in the insect's motion while it's being aimed by the camera it remains fixated on you in three If It Moves you jump back I'll shoot here we go 3 2 1 the shrill flash of the camera cuts the air like the blade of a sword the fmit freezes in its bright light head turned toward the lieutenant hypnotized by the flesh it stands Frozen before you I got it immortalized the antenna hang from a great height with your hand shaking you barely touch the tip of the left whisker on contact the kiting curls into a spiral like the tip of a poison ivy its touch on your fingertip feels cold ticklish the sensation is electrifying resounding through your body it is surprisingly delicate the curly end of the whisker like a young Bine it's even a bit wet be careful detective it's moving you were right it glistens with some kind of moisture the creature in front of you stays Frozen it tastes like sugar very faint the anthropod towers above you toughs of reads pointed from limb and head alike odorless mostly comprised of water the limb before you is incredibly light like eggshell it's much lighter than a reed you feel a soft push could tip the creature over its Hollow exoskeleton collapsing warning a small shutter passes the creature's arm high above you its Black Pearl ey is still glisten mesmerized by the light passing its nervous system there is some kind of countdown happening as it slowly processes the overwhelming brightness of the signal the in vertebrae is regaining control the stimulus overloaded it it's passing like an extended moment or a gall stone another shutter pulses through the creature's limbs it jolts back to life like a record continuing where it left off in a swaying preying motion even the small black Pearls of its eyes do not stray from you the insect stops its stridulation seeming to observe you below its crown of reads little pin prick eyes detect motion glittering the world stands still around you suddenly there is [Music] silence as you do the invertebrate comes to life its limbs moving independent of each other as if each has a mind of his own they are white like stalks of porcelain knitting above you praying to you sets of complex eyes follow you droplets of dew on either side of the head no reply a total ancient silence comes from its mouth along with what appears to be some kind of foam the stridulations of its limbs continue all around you you were right little bubbles form on the mouth parts of the creature on its segmented lower lip it looks to be foaming slowly the foam is white then yellowish the faintest smell like you've never felt before like burnt roses careful it may be poisonous the foam slowly turns a darker shade like burnt caramel as the insect moves its mouth Parts masticating the little bubbles begin to burst one by one letting out that same smell like summer burning apricot blossoms white blossoms erupting a sensation like cold hands on your face I ex tell me what is life to you yes holy is the Lord of hosts and all the Earth is filled with his glory now I will tell you what is like for me for me it is a series of half l images a kind of Darkness being intruded upon transient deep moist shapes of plants and animals and internal Sensations a swarm of sounds tiny vibrations on the inside of my forearms all speak of complexities totally beyond my understanding I am at the end of a aunel weightless so light it only feels like something to be me in truth perhaps I'm not nothing I certainly do not have a soul and if I did it would never ache few of us can begin to imagine the horror of you with all of creation reflected in your for brain it must be like the highest of Hells a kaleidoscope of fire and ring glass Eternal damnation even when you're sleepy and when when you wake you carry it around on your neck with eyes open that cannot help but swallow more behind the mirror I feel great mute empathy for you that must be incredibly hard the arthopods are in silence and meaningless all of you know that we're watching when you are tired when the vision things out of control the insects will be looking on routing for you and when you fall we will come to raise you up but from you bner like Blossom from you and carry you apart in the sky funeral in owner of your passing but not me because I'm just a Le leater detective arriving on the scene so am I I was born to detect Su Cru rewards and semiochemicals what were you born to detect he's in a bad State deteriorating fast now he thinks I am beneficial to him but I am not I only Quicken his deterioration very slowly and only because he won't go away it is meant to keep them from noticing me to interfere here with the picture in your head but he has looked at me for too long and I am destroying [Music] him no you're awake I am real light is forming me this is real not even the Birds know that not even a water l I think we should eat it if it's a leaf you can put it in your mouth or read yum yum wait so yes they don't mind yes I once cloned myself and ate the little ones it was Winter and I woke up at the wrong time it was an accident I am an alln species of the order fantas Modia and damic to the insolia insula for the last 350 years I have hidden in PL sight masquerading as the reach molding calling myself unfolding at night to play with trashs and boys no no one believed I exist almost no one until you came detective dripping of blood that smells like like strawberies across the calm sea the first in the thousand years I have stayed Heen through four forms of government and two scientific revolutions until I was accidentally discovered by detective of the cities of Malaysia in Roso District of Martin March 51 no you are the moral of our encounter is I am a relatively needan life form well it is you who are a total extreme Madness a volun tile see your nerve system ominously new to the planet the pale too came with you no one remembers it before you the narian Do Not the radially symmetrics do not there is an almost unanimous agreement between the birds and the plants that you are going to destroy us all it is a nervous shadow cast into the World by you eating away at reality a great all natural territory it advant coincides with the Rival of the human mind you're a violent and irrepressible Miracle the vacuum of Cosmos and the stars burning in it are afraid of you give me enough time you will WIP us all out and replace us with nothing just by accident we suspect it will be something like the oygen Holocaust that wiped out anerobic life 2.6 billion years ago when organisms first started breathing only much worse instead of air you exhale thoughts there are no trees that eat thoughts everything your eyes Touch goes back there behind the nose mirror what if you blink are we still here please don't blink what if he misplays us all one day watch just forget so it is already happening soon one of you will close your eyes and open them to see that none of this ever existed it doesn't look like that no you're just staring at it okay is it somehow related to the case I think you should back away from the unstudied species now no there is one [Music] more thank you I also have one more thing to say to you before before you go that woman turn from the ruin turn and go forward for all my kind you cannot Li to me behind you it smells of fires so awfully far he would prepare to go in her presence and it she was held on Earth it doesn't take a three M sticking SE to tell you that as you're turning away the fmit mirrors your movements stepping on the water the long limbs carrying its feather weight without breaking its surface and just like that it's gone skating away across the Sea's calm mirror like a skipping Stone leaving nothing but circles on the water and something under it in the place it stood bobbing there among the reads a collection of items it's gone apparently yes like a water's trer only I've never seen anything like that in my life looks like a nest of some sort we should have a look what now in some kind of strange semi catatonic State our suspect is not looking so good we need to check on him brother you've managed to collect all the armor pieces too bad it's too late for the big Showdown it would have looked very impressive still you found it all now your mortal coil is completely protected few cops are this futuristic this passport issued by The Sovereign Republic of aren is issued to a blackhaired woman called katazina alier class's hidden documents from the Mt boy she said it would be for ANUK mayor Smith ANUK mayor Smith I told you she kept on lying to you she's probably lying to someone else right now another detective no she lied to us her so-call real name was not her real name somehow she's managed to lie to us about that too it's clausa with short black hair and glasses she looks boyish younger somehow an old photo before life came and did what it does maybe our man Mr D took it from classus or whatever her name was hiding place or like a magpie what a coincidence then it would also have collected the other objects which would be highly unusual I can see how the helmet could wash up on the island and the scope maybe Mr Dr lost it but to seek this out would be very unusual behavior for an arthropod would it maybe it was simply curious an octopus belongs to a very different class it's not even an insect it's a molusk but yes I see your point I don't know but it was not katar Alasia or ANUK mayor SMI or classier whoever she is when we get back I need to warn our holding cells we need to double the security around her what is it what do you want from me I can't go something is very wrong with him now see Mr delas the man does not respond he keeps staring black eyes glazed over and bulging from their sockets his gaptooth mouth shaking with fear and longing like an addict of some terrible substance a light shiver passes him followed by nothing his hands are trembling and he breathes slowly he's going into some kind of psychomotor Mobility the good news is these SS are Transportation problem doesn't it Mr dasas the trembling mouth appears to sigh between this and the broken Tire he used for a boat I think it's safe to leave him here while we go and get help it will need to be medical first I'm afraid old age and shock yes the arrest and the appearance of the fmid the combined stress but you think it's something more than that don't you there's much more remember what it said when it spoke quite a few things about that health check you did on him makes sense [Music] now that could be part of the shock but you're right something is off for here Mr D no response then how did we see it Oh you mean whatever Does this does it over time teenagers kids drunks sightings are brief perh not credible but anyone who spends a long time with it mhm Mr D have you ever seen a stick insect pretending to be the Reids [Music] the doctors would have to look at this I hope your station has better medical personnel than 57 this is a little Advanced for nurse he was energetic and articulate after all these years alone with little hygiene or medication I would expect worse it does not seem to be animated now it's left honestly I'm ready to believe anything at this point May maybe it is psychoactive I mean why not it's 3 m tall you should be more careful detective are you sure it wasn't having an effect on you are you sure you were looking at it for a long time almost as if you were hypnotized were you hypnotized a valid hunch long-term exposure to something like that could be neurod degenerative also please be careful When approaching a non species in the future detective it did seem distress when it finally came to arresting him like he didn't want to leave this place and the insect maybe I have absolutely forgotten to take notes I hope I remember all of this this will be one hell of a report thank God we have the photo he stares into the reads your words don't stir anything in him perhaps you should I I lost he turns his eyes to the reads again as he's done so many times beige and white stripes he lost the scope then it somehow made its way over there with the help of a mpai fmid this site is A9 M was it attached to the rifle when you made the shut silence not even a sigh you've gotten all you will out of this poor being no reaction his breathing is slow and he appears very old all of a sudden around 80 this is an old man at last no longer a tin soldier but the broken down remains of a man did you take this passport and other papers from the boy on the G the spirit he hears us the spirit no reply he's gone again try something else we got him back for a moment nothing just dull staring not even rage left wherever he is if Kuno kicked it into the sea as he said he did the ab would put it back here this makes sense Mr D could have picked it up or the FM it even if it did this is incredible the plastic cake flaps around his face in a gust of wind his back is slouched and his mouth open the blacks of his eyes are receding his pupils are returning to normal the strength has all gone out of him just frail old bones in a sack of tracksuit trousers and they Wind Breaker we should think about getting back to the mainland to get help he'll be safe here if we don't take too long [Music] [Music] for [Music] ICM this feels familiar somehow insul Indian citizens militia it's the official name of the communal Army the black and white Army of the Revolution sounds an awful lot like it does the RCM May descend from the ICM it's impossible to say it was chaos after the war the name was good for getting people to join us R always was mostly workers and criminals nice political thoughts rush through your neocortex a mediocre athlete would pamp from Dragon around his body on a busted crutch but not you you're thinking about politics with blood driven down your thigh that's just a coincidence officer the coil was founded in 32 no an upside down star with its horns in the sky the symbol of the commune no that's the an inhabited archipelago a DeLorean era symbol of inela known as the face in the sea after 44 years that's not nearly enough to hide what happened here liutenant Freer one of these barrels was still leaking fuel as you saw the city is full of things like this old bullets gun fuel [Music] the skiff is swaying on the Waves by the duck let we are done here the skiff rocks gently under your weight as you get in the ride back is uneventful and quiet but for the sound of conversation on the water there is someone in land waiting for you two men and a woman stand on the concrete square of a nameless Village looking at a small yellow boat as it draws closer the sea is calm you reach the jetty and climb out of the skiff look what the tide brought in Harry you're bleeding all over the place you're half dead whatever this is it is completely unimportant compared to what you've just seen this is the man with sunglasses from the whirling in rags but where are his sunglasses that's right and you're bleeding bothered by it Harry you look like you need a [ __ ] organ transplant [ __ ] it let's not get into that hello I'm trar I believe we've met on several occasions I'm your goddamn partner Jean vikar and this is your special task force or what's left of it special consultant TR Hy St pet officer Judit Min hi we've come to SC what's left of you of the pavement Lieutenant Kim kisori prison 57 we've just come from the island where our investigation led us the scene is making even him feel as though he has to justify your actions we might need your help with something later as if he recall that is in fact a decorated police lieutenant and not a nauy boy but this is clearly a departmental matter so I'm going to leave you to discuss it among yourselves it's good to meet you liut kagi letting the lieutenant know he shouldn't feel embarrassed over the [ __ ] storm that's about to befall you Ari we want to help you taunt I believe this is where you come in this is the horse-faced woman I don't know why you named her that but it was beyond idiotic you should never address her using those words again um I don't quite know what I'm doing here I was asked to participate as an expert I think I need to manage your expectations a little I'm at best Enthusiast in cognitive science my background isn't something else entirely I engage in neurology on a merely theoretical level in fact I should probably get going no trout it's too late you're part of this [ __ ] now what have you got to say for yourself [ __ ] kid what does he have to say for himself he left you to catch the bullets [ __ ] kid what an interest in Monica you [ __ ] kid that's you maybe you've deserved it guilty as charged I heard you lost your mind and your memory I wanted to see if it was was true and it was good work Harry you're insane now there's one less person for me and everyone else to rely on he was too sarcastic for you to realize who he [Music] was did you or did you literally not recognize my face we've been partners for how long Harry don't answer that you don't remember judging by the familiarity you feel toward him 2 years minimum or maybe a short but close stint on the task force he's right don't start guessing now's not a good time it's okay I didn't come here to gloat or to folu neither did he actually we're just worried that's right worried I'm always worried about you every time you don't show up to work or when you do but s you're a worry Fest she's worried about you I'm worried about you even special consultant backpedal is worried about you everyone worries instead of working yes I'm tanan I never said I wasn't Hanan Mikel Mikel is my son no I was just interested in a felt building and a martine's beach head and M wanted to see Martin Ace it was a coincidence him being there with his son it was not a coincidence it's difficult to see but he was worried about you and also interested in the Fel building what indeed I was asked to share my take on some of the more obscure theories developed in kin in the 30s like partial psychotraumatic Amnesia group personality theory he's here to see if you're insane he's smart let's move on the cafeteria manager you [ __ ] over told us where you went um and uh people on the street helped us too with your whereabouts you're a legend among the drunks Harry a legendary local drunk yeah Major Crimes unit under and Pik ring any bells refresh your memory it's a goddam Major Crimes unit there's you me dude TR [ __ ] hiam and G B I'm technically just a civilian adviser [ __ ] you you're part of this [ __ ] show oh that's an interesting story actually Yom is a police reporter who joined our team he was really good then he left because he lost faith in your ability to lead the unit other people have left too good smart people people we won't get back only me and this really patient patrol officer are still here and TR because I'm forcing him to stay do it's a major crimes unit we clear the desk of cases so precin 41 doesn't look like the worst station in town we're [ __ ] tier now Harry Because Of You the your or what remains of IT hand picked hand lost to 41st isn't God damn it Harry you told us to [ __ ] off you said we are cramping your style your detective God [ __ ] everything all will burn detect or die it wasn't like that [ __ ] you h we didn't know there was going to be a tribunal did we sure you're not a superstar law official T on the town is your gam lilon reincarnate I know this [ __ ] nothing has changed the bells aren't ringing because you have brain damage TR this is where you come in how bad is it well he doesn't have visible Tremors he talks with without slurring he can drive a boat he's standing reasoning all good signs but complete retrograde amnesia episodic and semantic meaning you forgot both who you are and the definitions of money Eola pal and so on as displayed in a station call our interactions with him and I don't want to be a snitch but also mine with him before when Harry did not seem to know who I was it's all very interesting interesting yes interesting I have my theories but I would like to hear Harry's thoughts first Harry what do you think happened to you neurologically psychologically and why not socioeconomically he is he's getting better and I can confirm that he drank a lot of alcohol prior to it happening I believe he drank people do that especially this one what they don't do is forget their whole life because of drinking but detective vicare he has blanked out before yes a couple of times after some of the more serious Benders one was after the two drunks case the other when we looked into that mural so you don't remember not remembering beautiful the two cas es in your Ledger the unsolvable case and the new world mural those were recent those cases were hard on you interesting so at first he dipped his toes into it prepared that's where he would have gotten the idea yes practice and then he used alcohol to get there so to speak what do you mean well here is my theory what if this is an absolutely normal reaction to the world we're living what if this is not a significant anomaly at all something to be explained approach as a defect look at the sensory input here look at the ruins the neon listen to the radio the multitudes the people live here for 40 years as a police detective he's like a magnetic reader on the world team to borrow a known metaphor Harry's been pushed flat against it total IM hardwired to the free market he just need it for its end okay Trum thank you that's absolutely meaningless I'm glad we brought you will he or will he not be able to work in the Major Crimes unit is he now I want to know that he's not a [ __ ] and he is able to do work if not in his previous leadership role then as a line detective no one even mentioned that I Mis phrased my question it should have been is he able to put his clothes on and use the party or do we need to get him on the Disability Pension now nothing now we're just going to stand here no now we discuss that what the [ __ ] did you do to our motor Carriage why is it there Harry so refreshing it just admits it thank you for for your honesty thank you for destroying 45,000 real of police property that's coming out of everyone's space lip it doesn't matter your badge Harry show me your badge in a rush to demonstrate your badge your eager fingers can't sustain a grip on the smooth plastic and the badge slips out of your hand you juggle the badge for a second unsuccessfully and it lands on the ground some 2 m away ouch you strained your elbow trying to catch that stupid thing damn it he found it he found it Jan it's his badge and your gun as if having your badge and gun are natural States not achievements what is it with all these Mater material objects pH he has it and he didn't drop it you're drunk like a b Harry put that thing away before you kill someone we're not talking about the [ __ ] gun anymore we're talking about the vaporous cloud of ethanol coming from your mouth you were never supposed to lose it in the first place not lost is your guns natur Natural State you drunk bomb I don't buy it why do you smell like a corpse then huh he's wounded it's been a long week and his handle an actual corpse I don't believe you you're drunk you made a suspect shoot herself in the head you went in drunk and intimidated her we've read the report sari l kagis we know oh well if she thought you were sent by lauta Madre I'm not even going to get into what this means for the ethics commission not to mention the catatonic old lady with the police lights or the fact that you're Evar Clair's little peion now doing I don't know what for him that's small Time stuff that's nothing that's a humorous anecdote compared to the six people who were gunned down the streets all literally red with blood Harry it was [ __ ] mass murder he did everything he could we did everything we could the company hired and vetted mercenaries good between them and the locals here comes the Cavalry he did so at considerable risk to his own life he was shot and survived only because of his armor we stopped an execution not a negotiation the loss of life was minimal compared to what it could have been detective it's better if I to that it's so much better if he does this a million times better thank you for the input yagi I didn't mean to suggest you didn't handle the situation he thinks of apologizing but decides against it you spent the week with him on this case what is your take on the case well the drinking the gun losing also losing the badge that's all true although he has not been drinking on the job this week see one week then there's the super staron he likes to from time to time allude to being a superstar low official at first I thought it was a joke but now I'm not so sure he says disco about 20 times a day it's just strange especially in light of his political views detective Duo is as you may know a true blue moralist a man of the center not prone to political outbursts which is commandable but also at odds with his behavior and then there's the Moto carriage in the sea something I was not present for but despite all this he is a great detective one of the best I have seen in fact he can talk human beings into telling him everything and he doesn't stop in all the time I've spent with him he has not once stopped pursuing leads however farfetched and tangential he is tireless madly driven well except that one time when he stopped to sing karaoke which by the way was a valiant effort he really s his heart on yeah it was what it was other than that one time he has tirelessly worked on the case and he solved it we have a confession a murder weapon and the perpetrator locked on the island right now awaiting Transportation he apprehended a revolutionary brigad who stayed hidden for 50 years ever since the revolution who probably committed other murders over those years oh and he also discovered a new species a new species a colossal stick insect it was on the island camouflaged as the Reeds it unfolded from the Reeds I think we may be dealing with the insul Indian fmid he takes out the photo and shows it to the officers across the yard thick white snow falls all around you flakes stick to the glossy photo of the fmid you hear gasps Beneath the Howling of the wind as you can see it's about 3 m tall in fact we think it may be the largest land invertebrate ever discovered [ __ ] hell is that is this somehow connected to the case detective the old man was not aware of the fit's presence exhibiting a strange atypical dementia he fell into a stuper after its appearance he became near katonic so it is connected I must say this is absolutely extraordinary it's I don't even have words for it yes it really does make it hard to fire out the drunk this is a very very sad man who has just seen something that's made him forget his sadness now you make your case now is the time now or never female what makes you think so you had to see it it had the subdued colors of a female and the nesting Behavior too I think incredible were there eggs in the nest not as far as I could see there were other things there though it's interesting time forget about the rest actually you know this would indicate it was a male this is far from anything in my field but I think such nests are called Bowers they are for attracting Maids of course as I said I'm only guessing I didn't see it it must be robust if it can move a whole helmet with its limbs yes but also readed colored Pig and brown a little green on the outside after unfolding from a single Stoke it still retained parts that look like red tfts on its limbs incredible the pr value of this is exceptional C discovers New pieces maybe even discovers the insulindian fasit no no that's too much this would really help with some of the uh problems we've been having absolutely this is great this does not say vigilante murderers to me at all this is science news human interest you know it's a really good thing you have that photo without it you're doing good here perhaps only for a moment but still quit while you're ahead or no what was that it sounded like to set up a nightclub in the church that's great entrepreneurs is a great new carer for you after police officer I don't care go leave in the pale four kids were living in a tent on the ice they were going to drawn when it melted it's not optimal but the building was abandoned so he put them in there it's okay it's not that okay get off this subject now how it seems to be ongoing I see red banners on the gates he didn't quite solve it he cross-pollinated information between the company rep and Ard until the rep came to see the the union desires War at which point Mrs mesier decided to what and clear the terminal sounds like you got played Harry because because you were off your tits on alul it doesn't matter how I know about alul what matters is you're EV Clair's Pion now just as I said he's a mob boss did you know it's not quite like that the move allowed us to stabilize things here it was not bad for Martinez and we don't owe anyone anything okay silence good the man doesn't know what to say yes yes fallen through a gap in the boardwalk drunk the body was transported to Precinct 41 our morg I had till Brook and Mullins take care of funeral arrangements and uh family stuff you're not the only cop in the world Harry this all comes back to us still good work with the missing person detective it's still a point for you no denying it this is a conversation for when we are no longer out in the open in Martinez where art and Edgar Clair have ears everywhere and eyes too your return from the island must not have gone unnoticed I understood of course but a case against everard would be big I would prefer not to partake in anything Union related for political neutrality Lilian ofic a revolutionary metonym the the Customs started in grat where they have Patron covich Lovich Etc the Revolutionary saw this as a chauvinist activism so they used maton derived from the mother's name instead this man's mother was Lillian his lilian's son liliano the custom was overturned After the Revolution failed but not before before it made it to revera so it is what a soldier of the ICM would be called thank you TR thank you for that piece of cultural Theory you said you have a motive of course excuse me I just thought it was noteworthy jealousy I thought this lilov was an old man to have been hiding for 50 years 70 something a strange psychosexual fix aggravated possibly by proximity to the fmid and its chemicals he himself gave a political reason said he had killed an enemy combatant also we have ballistics from the gun matching the bullet found in the dead mercenaries head and two officers on the scene that Mr D confessed to it's a clean win oh it's way more than that way way G I've never doubted you can bull yourself together and work in bouts bouts don't last I can still smell the booze on the Wind God damn it doesn't it ever leave it is there like in your bones or something it will pass in time I don't want to but you discovered the new species and solved the murder so I have to Jude anything that ends the trial is okay with me you haven't been drinking she thinks so maybe this time agreed the public relations potential of this is too valuable to let go okay we have vehicles in the square and the perpetrator needs to be taken into custody let's go now now you will finally get to know who you are the man looks Westward impatiently jingling his car keys in his pocket who are you you're a gym teacher Harry well obviously you're not a gym teacher anymore about before you were a cop you were a gym teacher in Kohan it's getting really cold outside should we maybe Harry it explains everything the running around the jumping the bicep girth your inexplicable facial hair the fact that you don't seem to know what homosexuality is and your moves on the church floor which honestly were just jump aerobics the raw robust stamina output also this guy just everything about this guy yes you tell Jim in K I believe that's the term T Jim at a high school you were a high school gym teacher the smell of sweat and glue the worn floorboards High School Harry you're going on with Kuno Andre Asel the whole thing on the ice that's why you are so juvy the SM suggests barely contained laughter in your 20s or late 20s you've really let yourself go since then the regular you found some chick she inspired you to fight the big fight be more than you are all that you every morning walking from Voyager road to teach Jim she leaving for the Academy with her spring coat on the air filled with the smell of smoke and raspers and incredible hope an ocean full of Hope I knew it I knew no normal human being can run like that he's a nest to God gym teacher it's not a mystery some chick [ __ ] you over also you were drunk you really went with it too really maximized the damage du it was Dora ingol I think you've said her name but you weren't married you were engaged something like that half Vasan no one is married anymore this is Ral God I don't know 6 years ago she was way before my time 6 years and you haven't gotten over it what the hell is wrong with you yeah you're not doing too good there it's an old man thing I think two old years equals one normal year that and Andora angelon really tore you a new one a big one incredibly bangable she was extremely [ __ ] Harry gorgeous a gorgeous Bourgeois woman waish like a whalin basically snow welen blonde welin heartbreak welin pain wel I've only seen a picture but it's obvious you formed the real spirit ual connection with how pretty she was one you never recuperated from look the sun is about to go down it's time to go I think she taught in the Academy desar East of the River Way East hard to say which came first the middle class chick or the drink egg and the chicken kind of thing my point is you need to see a psychiatrist about this [ __ ] not a psychologist several degrees harder is there something harder than a psychiatrist a forensic psychiatrist could talk to that in other words he's heard enough about this no you're too unstable to work for my boss you're suicidal Harry no my boss would take you I assure you I wouldn't consult for a corrupt unit he would immediately backpedal out of it I told you it's not that bad us we're the bloody murder station haven't you heard we're the Bad Guys no one likes us that's not true Jamrock is too big for one precin you are just underst staffed and everyone respects the 41st you have Captain Price thank you LNO you're being kind it is an understaff station and the district is too big which is why we need to get back to it we left torsson and mlan to run the seawing it's not good Mac the Torso tson and Chester mlan they're not fit to run a wing believe me things are shaky as it is they are damn iconic though torsson and mlan yeah not like us too clinically depressed all M where's the contrast here we're garbage to me price he's the son of the old price one of the founders of the RCM he's one of the most highly regarded men in the force you're lucky somewhere under the curved roof of a former silk Factory shaped like a ladybird with two chimneys Police Captain patony Price sits behind a heavy wooden desk resident medic Nix gotle PA him coffee it's silent in the captain's office they speak of change the the tension on the streets they speak of the events of April and the blood on the streets in May God there are four wings Harry a b c and d we're in C it's made of losers and clock punchers you and I reconceptualized it as a task force it was a mistake there's also a lot of outside help involved not only me other losers too he's anything but a loser although he would like to be seen as well it's cooler that way so he remembers that yes there may have been a red on some Churches it wasn't good press shooting up churches never is I was out of town to be clear our enemies were riding in a church to the best of our information that's it I'm not talking about this anymore your security clearance is shittier right now you have to wait for it to go up he means it the RCM and its enemies will not be discussed on this Coast your clearance will not go up while you're within air shop of the Union headquarters okay it's not the bloody Mt station it's an all converted silk Mill with green desk lamps and Coffee corner a lot of good people work there hard every day Jamrock is the largest ghetto in riverol for book technically but uh it's divided into 11 districts Jamrock only has us the Press will blow over Jamrock is lucky to have you and it's often considered to be the greatest of the districts you're lucky to have it thank you again y now well first I will go back to my station and write the most detailed report anyone has ever seen it will have to be good to cover all these then I will have a series ious talk with my captain detective we just stopped a small scale War something is happening to R I don't know what yet but it's going to be a hard spring for the RCM we need to get ready infiltrate investigate talk to Captain Price I'd rather not ruffle the feathers of two captains with my Doom mongering work with price I'm flattered but I don't know if I would fit him I'm crazy enough can take the stress he doesn't know how to finish the sentence this truly came as a surprise to him not a bad one but he's at a loss flattered you're yet noit ragi we would be flattered if you even considered I would have to tie things up in g i first but I mean whatever is coming Jamrock will be more Central to it than the harbor and we also have a huge case load lutar piles that we need to get back to mountains even I do like the sound of that he's really considering it who is Lena she lives at 1113 Tabernacle Road in Jamrock remember Tabernacle it's on the way over near where you live on pedition fine if we're going to drop you off anyway she and her husband were conducting the search for the FID it's their Discovery in part they should know as soon as possible it would do you good to deliver some positive news for a change she is going to be over the moon watch out or she'll faint good [ __ ] it let's go TR br's mot Carriage it's a 20-minute drive to Jamrock under the evening Sky the great District turns on its lights a chessboard of wooden houses 880,000 living Souls inside fire traps as far as the eye can see from Main Street to Precinct 41 at top of the motorway to Boogie Street forking into the snow swept Horizon you close your eyes and hear the dogs bark a lone woman sits by a factory window dreaming of meteorite strikes on rud Des sjon a square bullet slides into a square-shaped chamber in Old South a man without eyelids Smiles spring has come it's time torsson yes mlan yes hlan no vicm yes de of course really Nick scottley looks up from the list I hear he's unstable you say that like it's a bad thing Captain pomy Price gestures with a ballpoint pen it's dim in the office and the curtains are drawn Harry's our man he'll pull through when he does he'll sck with the RCM understood got Le returns to the list minow of course wonderful then can we please just go back to Jamrock now [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] 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