Nikoli
Mar 17 2004, 12:06 PM
Tom
Promptly at 6 Mr. Shultz is shown to your table, he is in his 40's, his suit is last years near top of the line actioneer. He orders a manhattan and waits for the drink to arrive before diving into business.
"Mr. Bradley, I believe you have some questions for me."
Darkest Angel
Mar 17 2004, 02:48 PM
Nat takes girls hand to shake it.
"Thanks."
Nat opens her senses to the astral to check the area, if the coast is clear I'll cast mindprobe.
Lilt
Mar 17 2004, 07:15 PM
Ordering a drink with Mr Shultz, Tom makes small-talk until the drinks arrive and the topic of business arises.
"Yes, Mr Shults, thankyou for agreeing to this meeting. The more we know about jennifer, the more easily we can track her down. Obviously we already have the chip concerning the nature of her present disappearance, so what I would like to know primarily concerns jennifer herself and her past disappearences, but there are a few questions other questions that I also need to ask as part of general procedure."
Taking a sip of his drink as he lets his past statement sink-in before he continues.
"Firstly: Do you have, or know where we might get hold of, materials that might be useful as a ritual link to Jennifer?"
Nikoli
Mar 17 2004, 11:35 PM
Tom
I'd imagine that her dorm room would still have something of use there.
Lilt
Mar 18 2004, 01:35 PM
Tom makes a mental note to remind Gil and Nat about possible titual links later.
"OK. Do you know if she had a docwagon, crash-cart, or similar contract?"
Nikoli
Mar 18 2004, 09:26 PM
Tom
"Of course she did, I checked with them first thing. Her bracelet has been on the dresser stand in her dorm room since the day she last visited my office."
Nikoli
Mar 18 2004, 09:34 PM
Natalya
As you insinuate your mind into that of the young girl's, you feel her weak willed thoughts skitter and jumble through your astral fingertips. Soon you find the thoughts that the Goddess wants you to see, the girl vaguely remembers tossing a flier for the Temple of Malak Youth Policlub. The tagline read: 'The family you know is a lie. Love is not merely a chemical reaction similar to chocolate, We offer hope. Join us and discuss the true nature of existence.'.
Once found you feel your trail fading into the background serenity.
The girl is looking around intently, her school supplies a pool of discord at her feet. She is silently tearful, she seems slightly frightened.
Lilt
Mar 18 2004, 10:25 PM
"Thankyou, I understand that these questions may seem routine but we need to know what angles of investigation have already been covered."
Tom sips from his drink again.
"Do you have the means to gain access to the tissue sample held by DocWagon? Also: Has Jennifer ever seen councelors to your knowledge or had a psycological profile constructed? Perhaps at the rehabilitation center?"
Nikoli
Mar 18 2004, 11:05 PM
Tom
As much power as I wield in the name of my employer, I can't get those samples. Matter of policy, even LoneStar with a warrant has difficulty. As for the psych profile, I'll see what I can come up with."
Lilt
Mar 18 2004, 11:36 PM
"That would be most useful. On the topic of the rehabilitation center, what other information concerning her previous rehabilitations could be made available to us? Is it possible that she met someone during her last stay who put her up to this?"
Nikoli
Mar 19 2004, 12:29 AM
Tom
"Highly doubtful. Most of those poor souls are back in rehab. Sasly, when your body is repidly cleansed, the mind rarly learns the pays of addiction. That and they were mostly celebrities taking sabatical for various excuses."
Lilt
Mar 19 2004, 01:54 AM
"Hmm. Was her last visit to a rehabilitation clinic one that she had been to before? I understand that these may not seem important factors to you, but we need to consider every possible angle and one of these is that the magic she was exposed to had some lasting effect, be it deliberate or accidental.
But I digress, there are other avenues of investigation to be considered first. I would like you to tell me all you can about her friends and her past disappearences."
Tom carefuly coerces Mr Shultz to tell him everything he knows about Jennifer, her friends, and any possible link between him and Jennifer. All the time, he is listening to the man's answers very carefuly, a touch of suspicion at the back of his mind due to the curious similarity between Mr Shultz and Jennifer.
Nikoli
Mar 19 2004, 04:35 AM
Tom
After 2 hours or so of small talk concerning Jennifer, you find that most of her childhood friends have moved on out of Seattle, yes, they do take her back to the same rehab clinic from time to time. The rehab is very careful to not leave astral signatures. He and Jennifer seem very close, it's obvious he's tried to be the father that Medelson will never choose to be.
Darkest Angel
Mar 19 2004, 09:59 AM
"I am sorry I had to do that, but you have helped immensely."
On realising that that's probably the most powerful magic this girl is ever likely to experience first hand, let alone probably the only spell cast on her, Nat picks the girls things up.
"There's no need to be afraid, I only did that because I realise that some things go ignored and forgotten as unimportant. Let's go for a drink and calm you down."
toturi
Mar 19 2004, 10:43 AM
Gil asks the guard,"So... what's up? I'm going to take a look at Miss Medelson's dorm room if you don't mind."
Lilt
Mar 19 2004, 11:13 AM
Tom poses one final line of questions, asking them in a more layed-back and subtle manner but gauging Mr Shultz's reactions carefuly. The questions concern how similar him and Jennifer look, how well he has looked after her, and how he has been much more of a father to her than the deputy mayor, and how well he knew Jennifer's Mother.
Nikoli
Mar 20 2004, 12:38 AM
Tom
From his answers about Katherine, Jennifer's mother, you'd wager he's closer then he should be as an employee. Instead of her given name, he refers to her as Kat, how his employer doesn't appreciate her as he should. If you had to guess, Katherine is a political trophy wife who's tasks are similair to that of Jennifer's. Show up for the parties, dress as station dictates and be pleasant for the duration of his carreer.
Nikoli
Mar 20 2004, 12:44 AM
Gil
The guard looks to you, "Yeah, sure, that would be fine. I've got my pass code right here."
He walks you inside and to the elevator. A short ride later, you're on the 3rd floor of the dorm building. He walks to the north pod of dorms. "Her's is right there, with the lesbian glitter orc band 'Tuft and Tusks' on the door." Leaving you to your business he walks to the couch and sits down, flipping over to a sports channel.
Nikoli
Mar 20 2004, 12:45 AM
Natalya
the young lady's eyes seem to focus on you for a moment, "What did I do?" She takes her things from you graciously, "Thank you." She looks around again, not sure what caused her disfunction, "A drink would be great, your place or mine?"
toturi
Mar 20 2004, 06:29 AM
Gil puts the notebook sans pages about the Malak group into his pocket. The good stuff he tears out and folds up carefully and puts that under the inner sole of his shoe.
He also puts the notes on 6th World religions and the photographs into his forensics kit.
To the guard, "I'm gonna be a while. I'm still waiting for my mage associate to come."
Calls Nat on his cell phone,"I got what I could from the physical evidence. If you got some mojo to do, I suggest you come here."
toturi
Mar 20 2004, 06:37 AM
Gil (as if making small talk to the sec guard),"Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
Nikoli
Mar 20 2004, 06:39 AM
Gil
"It's Johansen Sir. My friends call me Otto."
toturi
Mar 20 2004, 06:56 AM
"Name's Gil, Otto. You must hear some pretty interesting stories about the girls here..."
Nikoli
Mar 20 2004, 06:58 AM
Gil
"You know it. There's a L.U.G. couple just next door. They think the dressers block the cameras, but they don't."
toturi
Mar 20 2004, 07:08 AM
*eyes wide* "Woah... you gotta be shitting me... Say, I heard some of your students here went missing some time back, probably got too stoned to study and too scared to go home to the parents eh?"
Nikoli
Mar 20 2004, 07:09 AM
Gil
Otto becomes immediately professional again. Coughing, "I' not sure I know what you mean? Other missing students?"
Darkest Angel
Mar 20 2004, 10:23 AM
Nat answers her phone.
"Sure, tell me where to find you, and I'll come right over."
"Sorry, work. Rain check ok... You have a number? And a name?" She smiles
After the pleasantries Nat heads up to meet Gil, keeping an eye out on the astral all the way into the dorm.
toturi
Mar 20 2004, 02:02 PM
To Nat "Girl's room."
To Otto "Come on, this is no isolated case. I took a look at the girl's diary. She said a couple of her friends started to disappear, man. We're on the same side, I'm just want to find the girl before it is too late."
Nikoli
Mar 21 2004, 04:51 AM
Gil
Otto looks nervously to a wall corner,
"I'm still not sure I know what you mean, but there's an all age night spot some of the students go to off campus if you'd like to ask questions there. It's called Logarithms"
Natalya
"Yeah, sure. Here's my LTG, name's Vanessa."
She walks off, looking back over her shoulder at you as you walk away.
Lilt
Mar 21 2004, 05:25 PM
Splitting the bill and completing the niceties, Tom departs returning to the Oracle Investigations office to see if anyone else is around (I'm assuming this is at around 8:30). Parking himself at his usual seat, he punches a coupple of buttons on the telecom.
"Dictate Message, Full Team, Text only, High priority" he addresses the telecom.
"I'd like to call a team meeting early tomorrow. And by early I mean 7:00am. If you can't make it then an update on whatever you've found or are doing would be nice. Our friend Jonus has aggreed to supply us with a psychiatric profile. If Gil and Nat can dig-up something useful as a ritual link from the dorm then that would be great. See you tomorrow. Tom."
Darkest Angel
Mar 22 2004, 09:09 AM
"Thanks Vanessa, I'm Nat by the way, I'll call you later."
_____________
"Gil, someone has gone through this place and cleaned up any trace of life here, probably with some kind of metamagic and almost certainly with sorcery. I doubt we'd find a ritual link if we got here 5 minutes after they'd left, let alone a week. I guess we should try the dark corners and the u-bends for the shower and basin though."
"There is something else though that might be useful, the ghost of Jenna's flatmate, Delia comes here, and has been here recently. I've never tried talking to an aparition though, and by all accounts they'd rather simply go through motions than interact with anything, but it's certainly not unheard of for them to convey a message - and something is tying her here. I'd like to stay and conduct a vigil for when she returns."
toturi
Mar 22 2004, 10:57 AM
Gil replies in mock seriousness,"You mean you'd rather stay here and wait for a ghost than go on a night out with me at the Logathirm?"
"I might need someone who can blend into the student crowd to cover my ass."
Darkest Angel
Mar 22 2004, 12:52 PM
"Please don't mock me Gil, this is important to me. One girl's already dead, I don't think I could forgive myself if we turned up too late to help Jenna because I missed a lead to go out partying instead." Nat says solemnly.
toturi
Mar 22 2004, 01:01 PM
"I'm asking my associate to cover me. However if she feels her time is better served by communing with spirits, it is fine with me. After all, they only killed 1 girl, what's another 1 more PI?" *sarcastic*mutters something about FBI agents always cover each other.
Darkest Angel
Mar 22 2004, 01:10 PM
"I'm sure you'll blend in just fine - better than I will at any rate. If you're that worried, hold still a second."
She steps over to Gil and casts Healthy Glow, followed by Makeover on him.
"There, you look great. And to be honest, I'd make crappy company tonight - I would indeed rather be communing with the spirits than sexually frustrated freshmen."
Nikoli
Mar 22 2004, 05:29 PM
Gil and Natalya
Otto, the guard steps in,
"Oh, uh, aw geez. What happened in here?"
Darkest Angel
Mar 22 2004, 08:33 PM
"Someone went to a lot of trouble to cover their tracks, and whoever it is really knows their stuff." Nat sighs.
On finding the chain Nat descretely puts it in her pocket.
Nikoli
Mar 22 2004, 09:08 PM
Gil and Natalya
Flustered, "But who messed the room up? I'm pretty sure it didn't look like this before. Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners, Ma'am. I'm Otto, I take it you are with Gil here."
Darkest Angel
Mar 23 2004, 05:10 PM
"I'm Nat, the Magician he's been waiting for. You say it wasn't like this before - before when?"
Lilt
Mar 24 2004, 01:00 PM
Pottering about in the office for a bit, tom has a cup of coffie while he waits to see if there are any immediate replies from his message.
After a while: he stops pottering, and starts gathering his stuff. Dashing out to his car, a 2055 honda accord, he brings it to life and sets course for home. Heading back to his bachelor-pad appartment, he watches TV for a bit and catches an early night sometime between 9:30 and 10:00. Tomorrow he may-well need to be invited back to a college-girl's dorm (in the name of investigation, of course). He'll need his beauty sleep...
toturi
Mar 24 2004, 02:05 PM
To Otto:"The mage made me do it!"*grins*"I'll put it all back, when we leave. OK?"
Nikoli
Mar 25 2004, 12:59 AM
Gil And Natalya
Otto, chuckling as he reponds, "Okay, just make sure the other stu. Oh never mind, just make sure it's normal when I wlk you folks out of here.
Nice to meet you Nat, I'm Otto. I'll go back to watching my show, so i don't have to file a report on what I don't see in here, okay?"
With that said he walks back to the comon area sofa and plops down, turning the trid set back on.
Nikoli
Mar 25 2004, 01:31 AM
Jack
The Cheif noisely gets up and leads you to an elevator, pressing his thumb to the panel the door opens. The panel shows this is the lowest detination from this elevator, pressing A on the panel, the Cheif hums along to the Muzac piped into the car; when the door opens he immediately steps out and the Metroplex vanishes. You are surrounded by a lush garden, easily the size of a city block. Taking an umbrella from a creche next to the elevator the Cheif hands you one and opens on for himself. As soon as it's open, the watering system kicks on, immediately blocking any hopes of eavedropping.
The Cheif walks along the path saying, "Several students from U-dub have been missing. I was told to keep the media ignorant of the matter as long as possible. I figure you aren't working for a tabloid so it's safe to tell you. This person also knows it's only a matter of time before the parents of the missing children start asking their own questions, so, since my boys are tied from this matter, if you can lose it up neatly, I'd much appreciate it."
Digital Heroin
Mar 25 2004, 01:41 AM
Jack cocks his head to the side, looking to the Cheif with a sidelong glance. He considers a long moment.
`Are your hands tied when it comes to revealing who's covering this up?`
Whoever it was, had to be someone political. Either that or it was someone corporate. These days it was getting harder to tell the difference.
Nikoli
Mar 25 2004, 05:02 AM
Jack
"Well, let's just say he works in the Mayor's office, in a deputational fashion who has a missing daughter."
Digital Heroin
Mar 25 2004, 06:18 AM
Jack frowns slightly. Their employer may well value his privacy, and his political career, but paying to supress an investigation into his own daughter's dissapearance was despicable.
`I should have known. Did your boys at least get a chance to do some looking into the other disapearances before he came into the picture?`
Nikoli
Mar 25 2004, 11:31 PM
Jack
It's tough to say, there are so many enclave runaway's that start out from U-Dub. The security there is passable, but it's no arcology, these kids might go days without showing up on the grid and the guards think nothing of it. Give me some time and I'll see what I can find that might be of use to you."
toturi
Mar 26 2004, 10:03 AM
To Otto: "Look, I need a favour... actually she does but the things is she needs to talk to the dead room mate's spirit or something. This magic drek gives me headaches... Anyway, can we stay for the night? Promise we won't cause any trouble."
Nikoli
Mar 27 2004, 01:13 AM
Gil and Natalya
Otto blinks for a moment, then replies "Well, I doubt the other students in this pod will mind. Just don't disturb the students trying to sleep study or whatever. The doors don't lock inside the pod, so be mindful of cleaning drones. I still gotta wait here with you guys for a bit longer."
toturi
Mar 28 2004, 01:02 AM
To Otto:"Say... Know any good eats on campus? Coffee? I'll buy."