danger/u/
This thread is permanently archived
(Setting) The New Gatewater Hotel, Downtown

| >Late at night, even then, the prestigious Gatewater Hotel was surrounded by rows upon rows of reporters and police officers attempting to hold them back
"Has any progress been made with your investigation!?" "The culprit is still at large, what if they kill someone else?!"
>The news reporter were all crowding a single officer who could barely answer their questions

>As of yesterday, a body had been found mutilated in one of the rooms, another crime like those of last year...


| >A man in a dark blue trenchcoat arrives and surveys the scene.
"*Sigh* How am I gonna get in with all these cameras around... ugh..."


| >>610250
>There are indeed a lot of cameras, add to that the people wielding them and the bystanders and you get one hell of a clusterfuck of people
>But bizarrely enough... the crowd seems to be focused entirely on the front of the building, with none of them so much as trying to get around the back... perhaps this could be a chance?


| >>610253
>Not one to lose out on an opportunity, he decides to go around and look for a back entrance


| >>610255
>Behind the Hotel is an alley large enough to accommodate a car, garbage bins line the walls, but it's overall pretty clean... as expected of downtown
>Eventually, you arrive at a small service door tucked into an opening, seems like the place where they get deliveries
>There isn't a single camera in view, too, they must've skimped on security for this part of the building


| >>610258
>The man tries the service and attempts to make his way inside.


| >>610325
>The door isn't locked and leads to a very small and dusty corridor littered with cleaning supplies and blissfully empty


| >>610590
"This is almost too easy..."
>The man mumbles to himself, making his way down the hall to look for stairs or an elevator.


| >Soon a police car would pull up in front of the hotel, approaching the rest of the already parked police vehicles.
>The driver comes out of the car, it seems to be a tall man with semi long hair.
>Next to him stands a very recognizable and tiny Oni Officer, yawning loudly as she approaches the policemen that already were at the scene.


|


| >>610727
>The corridors are dark, quiet... and the hall is similar, you can see two officers speaking near the door. A set of stairs and elevators lay opposite them
>>610778
>The policemen seem surprised at the new arrival, as are the reporters
"M-Major!? What are you doing here? Are you with Captain Isuoe on this investigation?"
>The current detective on the case breaks through the crowd to speak with Chanka


| >>611052
"Knew it was too easy..."
>The man ponders, looking around from some kind of electrical panel he can access


| >>611052
>Chanka gives an impish grin at the officer before nodding
"I asked nicely!"
>The tall man, Kamijou Ai shakes his head and sighs loudly, today was looking to be a headache again.
"You mean you abused your authority and almost cried before she finally gave in right?"

"Isnt that asking nicely?"
>Another sigh from Kamijou is followed by a laugh from Chanka, who puts her hands on her hips while baring her sharp teeth in a full smile


| >>611154
>A maintenance panel is close to the door leading into the hall
>>611309
>The office visibly cringes, why did he always have to mop up his superior's messes?
"Well, Captain Isuoe and Urad aren't here yet, so I'll take you to the crime scene. Follow me, please."
>The reporters are once again pushed out of the way as the inspector walks towards the building
"I have to warn you, the higher-ups are watching this whole case really closely."


| >>611415
>He plugs into the nearby panel with his deck and tries to access cameras on the floor


| >>611415
>Chanka turns to Kamijou as the officer leads her towards the scene
"Aren't I a higher up? I wasn't even told about this thing until last night though? Should I have brought glasses"
>The tall man cringes visibly
"Yeah, cant see why they wouldnt tell you major"

"Right? Maybe I'll have to prank them next time..."
>Chanka fails her perception check and starts chuckling as Kamijou Ai stiffles another sigh


| >>611438
>The floor seems calm enough from the cams view... too calm, besides those two officers, there is no movement in the hotel, at all
>You can also notice that the cams are being fed a static loop
>>611521
"No, the higher higher ups. The big bosses."
>The inspector sighs, wondering if Chanka ever forgets that there's always the big corps over them measly GCPD
>He leads the two into the main hall


| >>611590
"Hmm..."
>The man ponders, searching for the source of where the loop is being feed from.


| >>611611
>The loop is being fed from a strange database within a server
>The server has the ominous name: "Corpse Box c_i #009"


| >>611613
>He looks up the location of the server in the building


| >>611614
>It's on the seventh floor, and seems to also be connected to a whole host of the hotel's electronic systems
>The hacking itself is strange, some sort of pulse binary code, but it's amateur at best


| >>611615
>Forgoing the guarded location, the man decides to head to the room upstairs to check the source of the hack


| >As you climb the stairs, the lack of noise in the hotel only grows nore eerie
>The whole place's lights have even been turned off
>The corridor on the seventh floor is just as quiet as the stairs, but one of the doors is open and covered in police tape...
>No one is here


| >>611617
>The man puts on some gloves, then he tries to make his way into the door where the signal is coming from.


| >>611619
>The signal is right behind the taped open door
>The inside smells strongly of blood, urine and other bodily secretions
>The faint noise of music is also heard from within


| >>611621
>He moves the tape over, making sure it doesnt break, as he sneaks into the open door


| >>611622
>The hotel room is quite small, but tidy
>A door next to the entrance leads to a small bathroom and the living room is attached to the kitchen
>In the living room is a door leading to an open, but unlit, bedroom
>The smell of death is quite pronounced here, but seems to come from the bedroom


| >>611623
>He slowly makes his way towards the living room in case someone is inside


| >>611624
>No one is here, and the place is as clean as it could be
>The only notable things in the living room is the couch and tv


| >>611625
>He slowly continues on to the bedroom


| >>611626
>In the bedroom is a scene straight out of a horror movie
>What used to be someone is sitting in a chair, their organs wrapped and sewed like clothes over their naked body, their mouth, eyes and ears are all stuffed with electronic parts, and judging by the bulging stomach, the insides must be in a similar state
>Bile covers their lips, urine and feces stain the chair, this man did not die swiftly


| >>611637
"J-Jesus..."
>He covers his mouth with one hand... seeing the wires he looks closer at the abdomen
"Did they make the guy a server...?"


| >>611640
>The wires all connect to something under his skin, but you can hear speakers from his mouth uttering the same numbers over and over
>"38 89 38 89 38 89"
>His chest still heaves as if to draw breath, despite the obvious lack of a need or means to


| >>611641
"Ugh... well dont want to touch the body..."
>He looks around the bedroom, looking for any sign of anything else suspicious


| >>611642
>The bedroom, like the rest of the room, is so clean you'd be hard pressed to suggest murder
>Even the bed is freshly made


| >>611643
"Maybe I can't touch it directly but..."
>He makes his way outside the room, and looks for another panel to access the server remotely


| >>611644
>The hotel floor doesn't have any easily accesible maintenance panels, probably to keep guests out of the system
>At this point, the three GCPD officer have to be making their way up the stairs


| >>611645
>He looks around for the ice room and decides to hide in there the time being.


| >>611590
>Chanka giggles
"Eheh, he said higher twice"

>Another sigh from Kamijou
"So anyway, what are the particular of this case in the first place? I only heard it was some crazy new gen related incident"
>He raises an eyebrow as he asks


| >>611646
>The ice room is quite small and only furnished with a HTE "Can't believe it's not water! Dehydrated liquid prism distributor"
>It's quite the fancy machine
>>611696
>The inspector sighs at the major's words, mirroying her escort
"Well, it's as you heard. A new gen incident. The victim's body was emptied and filled with electronics. Not something you can do in little time. Despite that, the neighbours and the staff says no one entered the room besides the victim."


| >>611734
"Was the murder committed inside the victim's own room? What about someone entering way before they showed up"
>Kamijou throws out hypothesis, testing the waters

>Chanka is nibbling on a candy bar she got from the lobby and nodding along


| >>611750
"The victim returned to his room very late at night a week ago, and never exited the building. So we can only assume that he was killed within his room during this time frame. But even then."
>He points to a camera overlooking the corridor
"The camera saw no one even make an attempt into the room, aside from the people who discovered the body yesterday."
>The investigator shakes his head and walks into the crime scene, ducking under the tape
"Come in."


| >>611832
>Kamijou puts his hand to his chin and nods
"Any outside cameras that caught anything?"
>He already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to ask.

>Chanka enters the room slowly, pulling back a pair of white gloves from her pockets as she does. She seems eager to investigate... that or she spotted something she found pretty.


| >>611869
>The inspector shakes his head
>The room seems quite clean, as if it was used recently
"We found the murder weapons in a bag on the table, on full display. Those have been taken down to the precinct for examination."
>He points to the bedroom
"The body's in the bedroom."


| >>611869 >>611832
>Hearing the officers make their way into the crime, he decides to duck out of the ice room and quietly make his way downstairs to the panel again.


| >>610236
>Back outside a single male figure appeared on the scene. A tall, blond teenager in a bright yellow business suit, who seemed to have been passing by before being attracted by all the commotion. After spending a dozen seconds contemplating the situation he took a cigarette from his jacket's chest-pocket, and promptly lighting it up walked up to one of the journalists in the crowd.
"Yo, what's the commotion? Not often you see a crowd of you paper crows around here."


|


| >>612245
>You stealthily make your way down, the halls still silent as death
>>612356
>The reporters seem too busy pestering the officers, but another bystander hails the yellow-suit
"You haven't heard? It's one of those new gen murders that were the talk of town last year."


| >>612565
>He plugs back into the panel and tries to access the server.


| >>612566
>The server contains a few bizarre files, along with an encrypted database
>All in all, it seems like gibberish, but it seems to be affecting the building's systems in some strange way


| >>612580
>The man tries to access the database


| >>612565
>Teenager closed in on the bystander, shrugging:
"Gotta be completely honest, but I was completely out of the loop a year ago." — >He cringed, remembering something unpleasant,
— "had a lot of other shit to deal with. Mind filling me in?"


| >>612581
>The database seems to initiate a program
>>
>>
>[The Cortex Interface Initiative(CI)]
>Use of this software by civilians is explicitely prohibited and will result in the death penalty
>Username:
>Password:


| >>612582
"Basically, it's a bunch of weird murders, gory stuff. They know the perp, but even when they caught them, they just walked out of jail."
>The man shakes his head
"Really makes you wonder if the GCPD can do anything besides get payed by corps."


| >>612583
>He figures he'll check out the other files first for hints instead of trying to brute force it.


| >>612590
>The files are all composed of plain text, and seem to be old computer program readme files
>Mixed in these files are the occasional interjections: "Will you find me this time?" And "I'm getting bored-"


| >>612589
>The yellow-suit tug on his cigarette, making a barely noticeable move with his other hand. He nodded, and walked past the bystander fella, but not before tapping him on the shoulder:
"Thank you. Also, I think you just dropped a credstick, dude, gotta be more careful with your money." — >He said, and dived through the crowd of reporters, trying to look for the most corrupt looking cop he could find. There was a credstick lying on the ground where he stood.


| >>612595
"..."
>He looks around the files for any credentials and if failing decides to brute force the database


| >>612596
>The bystander quietly picks up 'his' credstick and then smiles a rouguish grin
"Right, get that wallet fixed."
>Strangely enough, besides the officer being assaulted by the medias, all of them are looking... odd, almost uncaring, cold


| >>612598
>You manage to secure a medium access id from your hacking, granting some access to the database
>>
>>
>[Files]
>[Case Reports]
>[Personnel Lists]


| >>612601
>Files


| >>612602
>>
>Root>Files
>[Files]
>Experiment Image Sets 1-64
>Aera Effect Schematics
>Equipement Schematics
>Mission Statement Original


| >>612599
>Cold and uncaring being the best mindset to deal business in, teenager went to a cop standing the farthest away from his colleagues, casually greeting him on aporoach:
"Yo. You mind if I pass by, officer? I have a very important business inside the hotel, that *everyone* involved will benefit from." — >Yellow-suit said, casually taking out a visit card out of his chest pocket and passing it to the cop.


| >>612605
>The police officer sends a gaze to your card and the sighs
"Everyone was told to keep out... but to be honest, none of us actually care enough."
>He points to the back of the building
"Surprised those dumb media cretins didn't notice that we aren't actually blocking jack shit."
>His words are true, not a single officer is directely blocking anything, oddly enough
"Hell, we've been ordered to not stop anyone. I thought it was a joke at first."


| >>612606
>The teenager smirked, tugging on his cigarette once more:
"Yeah, I figured out as much. Still, isn't it good manners to ask?" — >He shrugged, making no attempt to take back his visit card,
— "I'll go on forward then, do my thing."


| >He began moving past the officer, when he stopped for a second, almost as if he remembered something at the last moment:
"Ah right, you know a crazy thing? A fairy told me, that if you call the number on the backside, you just might get something nice for this Mega-Christmas! Don't miss the chance, officer!"
>Yellow-suit winked, and went inside the hotel proper.


| >>612609
>The officer only gives a dubious look before turning back with a shrug
>The lobby is now completely silent and dark... quite ominous


| >>612604
>Experiment Image Sets 1-64


| >>612613
>Tough to guess judging by his appearance, the teenager have seen more omnious staff than most people. He rolled up his right sleeve a little, exposing his holographic watches. Being already expensive (and extensive) piece of fashion gear by themselves, he recently ordered them upgraded with a device he had never expected to find on one of Glitch City flea markets, yet found nonetheless.


| >A holographic 3D map of his surroundings sprung up in front of him. While not impressive in that regard alone, it came with a trick for which he find the true value of this device's original form. Tiny red dots littered the outside of the hotel on the map, precisely showing location of every human and lilim in the vicinity.


| >Yellow-suit's employed engineers had yet to crack the principle behind the device bizarre workings, but they were paid to produce results — and results they produced, by rigging the map into his watches. Teenager swiped the map, closing in on the hotel building itself, and took a closer look at the positions of the people inside.


| >>612614
>The file reveals over 400 images, all showing gruesome experiments, most of them annotated by various people, talking about improvements and future directions
>Most of the seen subjects are young girls, but their faces are crossed out
>Lobotomy, and other forms of brain surgery make over 90% of the images


| >>612617
>Someone is close to the halls
>Otherwise, a large number of people seem to be hiding in their rooms, or in the staff area
>To be frank, seeing how many people are hiding makes it all the more strange that it's so quiet


| >>612618
"Ugh..."
>He covers his mouth to prevent from throwing up before continuing
>Aera Effect Schematics


| >>612619
>Teenager frowned and turned pressed on two map icons, filtering out lilims and people that moved.


| >>612620
>The file is a pdf showing the proper way to dispose of 'Aera Effect Suffering Test Subjects'
>First remove their brain and burn it, then shred the body and burn the remains
>A small footnote describes what the Aera Effect is
>"Subject becomes brain dead, yet remains fully conscious. Side effects of proximity to AE sufferers include psychotic episodes, memory loss and death. All subjects with AE are to be disposed of posthaste."


| >>612621
>Someone is immobile near the lobby
>Otherwise, most people on the upper floors are moving about their room, but some signals have vanished, probably the lilims


| >>612622
>Equipment schematics


| >>612623
>The blond teenager spends a minute contemplating his course of action. He marked the immobile signal, and then proceeded to filter out the non-lilims as well as resetting the movement filter to only show moving targets. Yellow-suit decreases the projection size and goes to the marked signal, keeping an eye out in case something appears on the map moving between rooms, seeing as everyone seem so keen on sitting in one spot.


| >>612626
>Once again, you witness a pdf, this time showing medical equipement used in the program
>The normal stuff is there, but there are also some machines you've never heard of, most notably a memory pulse extractor and something affectionately called a 'De-Brainer'
>The plans are all signed by a certain Chief Genma


| >>612628
>Very few people are actually motionless... or not human
>But despite this, one signal keeps persisting, somethint seems odd about it... it's on the seventh floor
>As you approach the immobile signal near the lobby,>>612626 begins hearing footsteps coming their way


| >>612630
>Mission Statement Original


| >>612631
>The teenager stops for a second to mark the signal that's bothering him on the seventh floor, and then continues to push on towards the immobile signal in the lobby.


| >>612634
>A pdf file of an old document is shown
>"The goal of the Cognitive Interface Initiative(CI) is the furthering of our knowledge of neuroscience as well as taking over the intended goals of project MK ULTRA and Assidian. By merging teams and developping our technology, our ultimate goal is total control of memory pulses and other brain functions by way of conditioning and re-writing."
>The document is signed messily, and is dated 1946


| >>612785
>He downloads all the files before moving on
>Case Reports


| >>612637
>You approach the signal and see that it's coming from an employee only area...
>>612788
>The files are easily downloaded
>>
>>
>[Case Reports]
>Subject 087
>Subject 556
>Subject 3889
>Subject 'G'
>Subject 77809


| >>612789
>Subject 087


| >>612791
>Subject 87
>Age: 11
>Gender: Female
>Test results:
Subject was incompatible and developped AE symptoms. Disposed of.
>Notes: n/a


| >>612792
>Subject 556


| >>612792
>Subject 556
>Age: 8
>Gender: Female
>Test results:
Subject became stuck in constant anger due to rewriting of her emotional control, further testing deprived her of her desire to eat. Died of starvation.
>Notes: 1st succesful case



| >>612789
>Subject 3889


| >>612796
>Subject 3889
>Age: 13
>Gender: Female
>Test results:
Subject lost touch with reality for an extended period of time. Subject developped symptoms of AE, but escaped with help of Subject 'G'. Is assumed to be located in GC.
>Notes: *@&&^NSFMRoom235¥£*@@÷


| >>612810
>NSFM Room 235, a mental note for later
>Subject G


| >>612825
>Subject 'G'
>Full Disclosable Name: Anri Germain
>Age: 15
Gender: Female
>Test Result:
Subject had their inhibitions dulled and their empathy removed. Caused the adverse effect of her brain associating murder with pleasure. Escaped from confinement along with four other subjects. To be killed on sight.
>Notes: Believed to be in Glitch City along with the other subjects.


| >>612789
>Without spending much time contemplating it, the yellow-suit enters the employee-only are.


| >>612834
"Anri..."
>He mumbles, recognizing the name. He downloads the rest of the reports while he goes to the last report
>Subject 77809


| >>612835
>You notice a tall man near a terminal, jacking into it with a deck. It's >>612836
>>612836
>Subject 77809
>Age: 10
>Gender: Male
>Test results:
Subject had their memory pulse replaced with Subject 9769's. They became Subject 9769 in minr, but not in body, obviously. Due to the large difference in bodies, they contracted AE symptoms. Was disposed of.
>Notes: The first success at a full transfer


| >>612840
>He downloads the last report
>Personnel List


| >>612841
>>
>[Personnel List]
>Chief of Research: I.Genma
>R&D Chief: Andrew Teslov
>Senior Researchers: John Nolan, Line Rendell, Atsuyu Izawe, Ahn Il-Hyun, Rick First, Ari Kubo
>Funded by the U.S Departement of Defense and the Acras-Unity Corpus Research(AUCR)
>Thanks to all not listed here, for your work abd dedication to the project and the future of our research


| >>612848
>He downloads the list and decides to unplug from the server with everything downloaded.


| >>612849
>You unplug from the server with your new files, only to find someone approaching you
>>612835


| >>612850
"Oh... you."
>The tall man states, being recognizable as the infamous CN.
"Are you here investigating as well?"


|


| >>612851
>The Yellow-suit moved his eyes between the man and the terminal, turned around to look back at the entrance he just walked, before finally facing the man again:
"Mister... CN, huh. Still sounds as weird a combination as ever. I don't reckon you working as a hotel employee... decided to consider a more legitimate line of work?"
>Richard finished off his cigarette, before putting it away.


| >>611886
>Kamijou nods and grabs Chanka's collar as she attempts a full sprint towards the room
"Major, I think someone of your stature would be better suited to investigate the building itself... don't you think?"
>He says as he points to the corridor, the small Oni puffs her chest
"Oh, see I was thinking the same thing!!"
>She waltz out as Kamijou thanks the lord above for his superior's gullible streak


| >>613002
"About a legitimate career as how you got in here yourself I'm sure."
>CN sighs
"I'm doing my own investigation since the GCPD doesnt seem to know what to do most of the time. Although I've finished my search for the time being. I wouldnt try to look at the body itself, the cops are up there at the moment."


| >>613014
"I doubt you will believe me, but the blue cap at the entrance told me they have explicit orders to just let everyone through," — >King shrugged, throwing a curious glance at the terminal,
— "So my presence here is completely legitimate, for once. Anything interesting you found here? I must admit, I have only come here out of curiosity as to what is the ruckus out there all about. Everyone seems to think this is some hot topic, and I have a spare evening."


| >>613006
>The investigator sighs as Chanka leaves
"Sorry, and thanks."
>He scratches the back of his head
"Here's to hoping she doesn't cause trouble."


| >>613016
"Well from what I've seen the body has computer parts in it, and its giving off some signals. I dont know the full deal with it but it seems to be even looping the footage of the cameras."


| >>613153
"Computer parts being put in human body is hardly something new, though?" — >The teenager raised his brow, stealing a glance at his map to take a closer look at the other signal he marked,
— "Seeing as the body is not here, any particular reason for you being here? Doesn't really seem to be a particularly comfy room."


| >>613247
"Its the closest place I could access the server without getting spotted. I'm not certain yet but theres a good chance the killer is motivated by more corporate bullshit, which surprising I know. I need to explore a few leads before I'm certain."


| >>613255
"The way you say 'corporate bullshit' truly stabs me in the heart" — >King sighed dramatically,
— "'I'm not a bad corporate CEO, you know! I promise! slurp.'"
>The teenager finished making his reference that only a handful of people in this time and age could get, but seeing no reaction coughed up and moved on.
"Akhem. So, leads, you say? Anything you're willing to share? After all, it would be extremely unpleasant if the next victim happened to be one of my guys..."


| >Richrad whipped out his phone, checking something on it:
"Eugh. Anyway, that would be very much unfortunate and I would have liked to avoid that if possible. You can imagine, I would be grateful as well. That tends to be valuable."


| >As Kamijou proceeds into the bed room Chanka goes out exploring and trying to snoop around!


| >>613256
"Well one of the subjects who was affected in this mess seems to be an Anri Germain, the well, escaped serial killer. Now not to paint serial murderers as serial murderers, but that seems suspicious. And dont say you arent free of corporate bullshit, I've seen what's down there in the abandoned subway."


| >>613434
>The teenager cringed at the mention of the subway and took out a cigarette. Given how much he seemed to smoke, it was surprising how well he still managed to look like.
"In my defence, I will point out that the entire subway restoration project is being plagued by corporate bullshit that isn't mine to begin with." — >He lit up his cigarette and drew in smoke,
— "it isn't really the first time I have to clean up after someone ruined a major transportation hub."


| >He let out a heavy sigh:
"Although quite frankly, when we were clearing up the airport rubble we didn't have to simultaneosly fight off swarms of failed biomed experiments that *someone* didn't bother cleaning up after themselves. Speaking of which, you don't seem quite as sinister as the city's Corporate Board painted you to be, so consider this my personal advice."


| >He tugged on his cigarette once more, and found himself a wall to lean on:
"You would do better by staying away from the City's underground for a week or so, and telling anyone you know would be a good idea as well. There is gonna be a major sweep through both the old subway and the waterways, and the less random people will be caught in crossfire, the better I will sleep at night, and I gotta tell you, any amount of improvement in that regard is a major relief to me."


| >That being said, Richard took out his phone again and began typing something in:
"That boring stuff aside, this uhh, what was the name? Anri Germane? How is he, or she, or whatever involved in all of this?" — >He made a vague gesture with his hands, trying to encompass the entire hotel in one go.


| >>613363
>The seventh floor is quite empty save for the ice room and the other rooms
>Frankly, there is nothing here to entertain the tiny oni


| >>613363
>The room is as previously described, with the corpse sitting in it's chair
>The inspector holds a hand to his mouth
"Disgusting, every time I see it..."


| >>613444
>Frost rooms often equals ice cream or vending machines and as such the salivating Oni makes her way to the ice room
"This is just a side trip... Could be clues in there!"
>She mumbles as she approaches


| >>613477
>Save for the HTE Dehydrated Liquid Prism Distributor, there is nit much of interest in this room...
>That is until someone walks in
"Huh? A tiny oni..."
>It's a women, shortish but probably in her late 20s. She's dressed in all black and wears very noticeable black makeup and piercings
>>613439
>Someone can be heard walking in the lobby


| >>613481
>The Tiny oni in question just seems dejected at the lack of vending machines
"What kind of hotel is this..."
>She looks up at the goth gf(tm) and points her badge at her with a flourish!
"You!"


| >>613484
"Huh? Me?"
>The women looks listless as she yawns and looks at the badge
"Nice badge... Major Chanka? That's a cool name."
>She seems truly uncaring about the situation... or more like, she's just plain dense
"You here to check that dead dude? Nice."


| >>613494
"Yeah! Spill the beans about wh- wait thats not right... Uh, yeah tell me! Did you see anything relating to that?"
>Chanka stands on her tiptoes, trying her best to sound menacing and serious but failing miserably


| >>613439
"Then what corp was responsible for the drek in the subway? I'm pretty sure theres more going on there like with people and plants. As for the airport, if you want to air out grievances about the cyber zombies, tell them to Veriatech not me, I didnt let them out and back then I barely knew the rest of the team. As for Anri, she seems to be one of the subjects the corp bullshitted on, it could be coincendence, I need to see."
>CN sighs, feeling like he's explaining too much for someone who has other avenues of knowing this.
"What other corps *have* you been talking to anyways?"


|


| >>613564
"All of them?" — >King semi-asked, semi-answered nonchalantly, as if it was something obvious,
— "when your endeavour grows so big, it becomes hard to *not* interact with other venues. Now, does it help?"


| >The teenager tug on his cigarette:
"Nope, not in the least. It's not like Veriatech would stop undermining their own business and simultaneosly endangering themselves and everyone around them — MY personnel included, mind you — by not bothering with something so trivial as workspace safety procedures, just because I give them a stern talking to. Although, I swear, next time something like that happens, they will find themselves short a few dozen labs the next morning."


| >He sighed deeply, as the last line was delivered with an expression quite grim:
"Anyway, I wish I could say the same about the retards that left the mess in the subway. I mean, I've heard you helped to drag out one of my troopers out of it, or something along those lines? I've yet to read the full report on the incident, but thank you anyway. Remind me to treat you to a coffee some day."


| >Richard whipped out his phone, and began looking for something on it:
"What was I about?.. uhh, right, that. Anyway, after you had your little adventure, we've had dispatched a platoon from 'Hogwartz' down there, high danger environments operations are their environments are their speciality. You can look at this, if you want."

>The yellow-suit passed his phone over to CN.


| >>613495
>The goth girl tilts her head
"All I heard was that it was crraaazzzyyy weird. And stuff."
>She shakes her head, and yawns while petting the tiny oni
"Anyone ever tell you that you're really tall?"


| >>613905
"Yeah well if you blow them up at least make sure there arent any kids in there first..."
>>613908
>CN takes a look at the phone


| >>614012
"If there are any, I think I would rather consider using more explosives to make it quicker. Simply out of mercy." — >The teenager remarks, his face and expression non-changing. It was clear that he was dead serious.
— "I will leave saving distressed damsels to the selfless heroes such as yourself. I have enough lives to care about as it is."


| >On the phone screen there was a series of photos, most likely taken with something more impressive than the surprisingly budget device the CN was handed.
>On the first five there was a broken creature already familiar to CN, taken from different angle. The sixth and seventh depicted some sort of an underground depot, most likely part of the old subway system. Two Chimera APCs were being completely swarmed by what could only be described as a tide of mouths and legs.


| >The amount of them was so great, that it was nigh impossible to discerne any single one creature among the swarm. The lighting in the picture was not provided by any sort of illumination, but instead by the sheer amount of gunfire and deadstill blurred lines of tracer rounds, frozen in time. It seems that the engagement was somewhat intense, to say the least.
>There seems to be ten more pictures left.


| >>614073
"Then save them and give them to me if you find it too much trouble, killing children isnt going to help my opinion of you."
>He says, not even looking up as he looks through the rest of the photos.


|


|


|


|


| >At this point, two GCPD officers enter the building, walking confidently through the lobby and to the elevator
"This whole situation is strange, Chief, I tell you."
"Your instincts telling you that?"
"Yeah."
>The two step into the elevator


|


|


| >>615392
>The two GCPD officers make their way into the crime scene, just in time for the inspector to see them arrive
"Oh, Captain Isuoe, you've finally arrived."
>The women taps the inspector on his shoulder and grins
"Thanks for holding the front. Me and Urad are gonna take it from here."
>The man behind her chuckles
"Doubt I will be much use. But Akiba sure can solve a murder or two."


| >>614196
>Two other photos showed a different place. Narrow corridors, completely riddled with shells and bullet holes, as well as more bodies of the creatures. On the first one King himself could be seen, this time donning a compact bulletproof vest above his signature suit and a ballistic helmet, kneeling down near a wounded Hogwartz trooper. The two were surrounded by five more soldiers and seemed to be engaged in some sort of a discussion.


| >The last 8 were just showing more of what could only be considered some sort of a lab. Only one picture really stood out, given that it was showing a familiar sight — large empty room filled with dirt and a network of sprinklers on the roof. Two Hogwartz troopers could be seen, extracting some sort of a plantroot network, humongous in sizes compared to the two men.


| "We suppose that this was the blacksite the things escaped from initially. But, well, it matters little now." — >The teenager shrugged,
— "at this point the infestation is so massive, that it actually threatening the city communication and waste disposal facility. There's gonna be a massive inter-corp and GCPD raid to root those out. We are assembling our own part of strike force as we speak."


| >>623519
"The most unbelievable part of that story is that the GCPD is competent enough for something like that."
>He hands the phone back.
"So you couldn't recover any docs on their research or anything?"


| >>623522
>Richard smirked, taking the phone back:
"It isn't, which is why we are getting involved into this mess to begin with." — >He put the phone away into his pocket and ran left hand through his hair,
— "Now, I didnt say that we haven't recovered anything. Not yet, anyway. You can imagine that it is kind of difficult to be recovering information while simultaneosly gunning down mutants, or whatever those are – still waiting for tissue analysis. Once we bag em we'll get to it."


| >>623763
"Well can you let me know when you find anything important then?"


| >>623766
"I have already gave you quite a fair bit of info, now haven't I?" — >King tugged onto the remains of his cigarette,
— "Let's do it like this, you satisfy my curiousity and I do yours — since you saw the victim's body, you likely know where it is, don't you?" —
>King paused briefly to exhale the smoke,
"Well, you show me where it is so I don't waste any more time stumbling around this joke of a hotel, and I make sure you find a meaty archive in your e-mail, say..."


| "...In a couple of days, or so?" — >The teenager made a vague motion in the air with his free hand.


| >>623780
>He sighs, figuring it's a low price to pay for the info he gets out of it.
"Its on the seventh floor, follow me."
>He says as he makes his way back up, slowly climbing the steps and stop just behind the last corner towards the room to avoid the sights of the cops.


| >>623805
>Which promts King, closely following behind the man, to bent over nonchalantly and look around the corner, in an almost comedic manner.
"Did I not tell you that they actually allow people to just walk in here?" — >The teenager asked, remaining in this awkward position,
— "I could have sworn I said that. Work must be doing a number on me."


| >>623858
"You did, but rather be careful when cops around given I'm you know, a well known hacker. Either way, it's just around this corner. You'll know which room cause it has police tape in front of it."


|


|


| >>624003
>The two finally head off to the scene of the crime
>The seventh floor now seems a bit busier, you can hear voices from the scene of the crime


| >>625524 >>624003
"Ah yes," — >Richard pretended to flick himself on the forehead,
— "How could I have forgotten."
>He made his way towards the room in which the crime scene resided, and turned back to CN just for a second before entering:
"Must be tough, being a vigilante."
>The blond teenager smirked sarcastically and finally entered the room.


| >>625540
>CN rolls his eyes, making his way downstairs to leave, his next destination obvious from what he found in the files.


| >>625540
>As you enter the room, three officers turn to you, one woman and two men
"You are..."
>The woman, or perhaps calling her a girl would be more accurate, squints at the new arrival
"Didn't you tell the people to stay in their rooms?"
>She addresses one of the two men
"I did. Sorry, sir, but this is a crime scene, you can't be here."


| >A small Oni makes her way back through the corridors after a confusing encounter down at the ice room. she stops as she is about to go downstairs, catching CN going down the flight!
>She puffs her chest
"Citizen!!! You Can't be out of your room you know!!!"
>She says, with a smug face as she rushes after him!


| >>626044
"W-What?" *He jumps in surprise as the oni chasing after him, sighing and deciding to wait until she catches up.*
"Wait... arent you that oni I met at the Halloween party last year?"


| >>626048
"Who're you!!! Oh wait!"
>The tiny Oni, Chanka, starts approaching CN before suddenly opening her eyes wide
"The Wizard! why is a wizard here?"
>She seems genuinely concerned


| >>626052
"I-I'm not a wizard... anyways you're uh... Chanka right? Don't worry about me I was just uh... checking out is all! Yeah!"
>He tries to continue down the stairs


| >Chanka grabs your arm!
"If you're moving around and checking out, I'll follow! it'd be easier for you to not lose yourself in the hotel and I can explain you're just going down!"


| >>626057
>The goth girl, taking this as her cue, has completely vanished...


| >>625765
"You sound awfully sure about it." — >The teenager replied, as he walked into the room as if the other three weren't even there. He looked around, and, lead by the scent, began to casually stroll towards the bedroom,
— "Maybe if you bothered to announce yourself, I would be more compelled to not be here."


| >>626091
>The girl lifts an eyebrow and the two men stand in the teenager's way
"Sorry, but this isn't a game. The building isn't under lockdown, but this place sure as hell is."
>The bigger of the two detective says
>A strange noise starts coming from the bedroom
"What the-?"
>The two turn towards the bedroom


| >>626093
"Well, perhaps you should consider locking the door, mr. High Horse." — >Threw Richard the detective's way, as he simply pushed between them and into the Bedroom, exploiting their momentary lack of attention.


| >>626057
"W-Well I doubt I'll get lost, the lobby is on the first floor after all!"
>He smiles nervously trying his best to appear calm as he thinks of an escape plan.


| >>626219
"Yeah, but wont my subordinates arrest you if they see you??"
>The Oni says, smugging it up


| >>626261
"N-No it's fine, I'll just let them know I got the okay for good ol Chanka! After all you must be a respected member of the GCPD."


| >>626278
>Chanka puffs her cheeks
"Why won't you listen to me?? do you WANT to be arrested!"
>She stomps her feet on the ground


| >>626354
"I just don't want to trouble you, y'know? Like for you to lockdown a hotel must mean you got a serious case right?"


| >>626355
"Yes! It's one of those New Gen murders commited by Anri Germain you know! We had those last year as well!"
>Chanka points up at you


| >>626361
"Oh yeah... how did you know it was her though? I mean is there any proof or could it be a copycat?"


| >>626365
"We had to deal with some copy cats before! and no one really went this far, the hallmarks are all there"
>Chanka says, chattering away before suddenly gasping
"Y-You! You're trying to get me to talk. I won't!"


| >>626374
"You say that but you're the one who just blurted out this was a New Gen murder you know... would you just spill the beans for some candy or something?"


| >>626401
"Guh-"
>Chanka's head cranks over to the side like a rusted gear
"No, no as tempting as that sounds"


| >>626403
"Hmm... do you like other sweets then? Perhaps cake?"
>He leans a little closer, teasing her with the potential bribe.


| >>626414
>Chanka holds her head between her hands
"Ca-cake ughhh"
>She's almost drooling all over the floor already
"What kind of cake!…"


| >>626826
"Any kind you want, I'll splurge on it cause you're such a cutie!"
>He grins


| >John makes his way to the front of the building, suitbag in hand, while he's wearing a casual outfit.

"Ah, fuck, media and cops? Just my luck."

>The reaches in to a pocket, grabbing a facemask and putting it on, while he lowers the brim on his cap, and and heads towards the lobby.


| >>626913
"Guh... Of course I'm cute! And such a cite and cool adult accepts gifts!"
>She's so easy
"You can go! But just to the lobby alright?"


| >>627683
"Of course!"
>He smiles, making his way downstairs

Total number of posts: 188, last modified on: Mon Jan 1 00:00:00 1581962948

This thread is permanently archived