savetheearth | Computer Text

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Good afternoon, numbered-network viewers. I'm writing this time with a solemn job request.

My brother has gone missing. He was travelling abroad when this happened, and the local investigation is coming up with nothing. If there is anyone here who has an ability or talent that could help locate him, please contact me privately through my number. There is a reward out for anyone who can provide information that leads to finding him.

Thank you for your time.

PRIVATE TO

formermagicalgirl (backdated to just before all this started going down):

I understand that you're the one I need to contact for copies of those hacked ThunderCorp emails. Do you still have them?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You can call me L. I give out nothing else over this network; please understand that being a private investigator for a secret, numbered network carries with it certain risks.

I'll tell you what you want to know when we meet in person. It's your brother, so I assume it's not a problem for you to drop everything and meet me at the Starbucks closest to the park.

I understand. *And he doesn't like it, but he really does. If he wasn't the one here hat-in-hand for anyone who could possibly give him anything, he'd probably still be doing the same.*

Ah... No, it's not a problem. *He rubs his eyes, glancing around for a clock. What time is it, anyway?*

Do you mean now?

[L keeps a weird schedule, and fortunately, the Starbucks is 24-hour.]

Let's say in an hour. If he's been missing for two weeks, it would be unwise to waste any more time.

*That is lucky. Even more lucky is that Cesar's not at work, and that he's not trying to swing a surprise free-afternoon with his boss.*

I'll be there in an hour. Ah--*He picks something up.* --holding a red book. *'Intro to Prolog'. And if it takes the other man a while to arrive, at least he'll have something to do.*

I'll have a newspaper, a grey coat, and there will be a pen on the corner of the table.

[And when Cesar arrives, L will be there already... though the man in the grey coat with the pen on his table and the newspaper scarcely looks like an investigator. He's scrawny to the point of being gaunt, and for this reason, his age is difficult to place; he's in his late teens at the youngest and in his mid-twenties at the oldest. His hair is disheveled, his pale face is all saucer-eyes, and there's something off about his hands and the tentative way they grasp the newspaper.]

*He doesn't look like an investigator. Cesar wants to tell himself that it doesn't matter him, but considering that this is the man he's trusting with his own identity, his family's identity, and the details of his brother's case... Yeah, having someone who looked a bit more professional would be a bit more reassuring.*

*Cesar spots him soon after walking in, and makes his way over. For his own part he is tall, with faint shadows around his eyes that hint of stress and deep worry. He's wearing a nice leather jacket, left open to show a button-up shirt that he's probably had on since at least that morning. He reeks of someone who works in a nice office job. Tech-related? Engineering? There red book pinched against a file in his hand with lines of code on the cover, but it also says the word 'intro'.*

*He stops when he's close enough to rest a hand on the back of the chair opposite to him.*

Excuse me--Are you 'L'?

[L glances up; his eyes are quick and sharp, even if the rest of him doesn't inspire much confidence. He takes several seconds longer than is probably polite to study the newcomer, and then, curtly, he nods.]

Lazarus Lawliet. If you'll be wanting a coffee, you should get it now; I really don't like interruptions.

*He has a name. His eyes, at least, are also alert. Both of those help a little: at least he's not running in blind.*

*Cesar's eyes fall to the table. If the other youth bought anything, he doesn't see it, and he shrugs is jacket off without sitting down.*

I think I will. Can I get you anything?

Thank you. A small coffee, with four creams and 9 sugars, will be fine.

[He's referring, of course, to the individual packets. The ones that each contain what's meant to be a single serving.]

*The request comes as he puts the file and book down beside his jacket, and his eyebrows float up.*

Ah... Of course.

*And off he goes to the line. Fortunately there isn't much of one--only one person ahead of him, at this hour--and he's meandering towards the counter with the individual packets in no time. Four creams. Nine sugars. This person's dental record must be colorful.*

*Soon enough he's bringing back two cups (one tall and one short) and a handfull of little packages. The latter two he places in front of L, and the former he keeps in hand while he sits.*

Four creams, nine sugars? *He looks towards the file.*

Edited 2014-03-31 04:32 (UTC)

[Upon Cesar's return, L immediately starts opening the packages and dumping them into his coffee. It's probably even more apparent that his hand situation isn't fantastic; his thumbs and forefingers seem to move and grip normally, but the rest of his digits actually look atrophied.]

Are you close with your brother? That is to say... is it safe to assume that you would be in the top five people he would share important news with first?

*Cesar's eyes follow his fingers.*

We haven't spoken a lot since we moved to different parts of the world, but yes, we're close.

We are definitely within each other's top five.

So in short, you don't think that he's trying to get away from you or your family. That he didn't disappear by choice. Some people absolutely do... and I'd like to rule that out first. Have you heard that once you've eliminated all the incorrect answers, the remaining one is guaranteed to be correct? Words to live by.

[The coffee is more like a paste now, and it nearly overflows. He cranes his neck down, taking a sip at the rim.]

I understand why you have to ask this, but no. My brother is on good terms with all of his relatives, especially with his closest family members.

*Thick eyebrows have drawn closer together, and his tone is cold: he'd be offended, if he didn't logically know this had to be asked.*

[Unruffled by the young man's cold tone, L is now safely able to lift the coffee without spilling it. He takes a deep gulp.]

The good news is that your brother probably isn't mad at you. The bad news is that there aren't any immediately obvious suspects. No matter... if there were, the police might have some hope of finding him, and they've already proven themselves to be less than adept.

Was your brother ever involved in anything blatantly illegal, or is his career one that could viably earn him enemies? Even if it was a long time ago, to the point where he would feel safe backpacking alone in a different country, I need to know.

He's never been involved in anything illegal. He's a coach for a soccer team in Argentina, and before that he was played sweeper in the Club Atlético Independiente.

It's possible that someone might have held a grudge for a game he played too well, but I doubt anyone would have waited this long.

*His hand is around his cup, but he hasn't yet drunk from it. He's too intent on the conversation.*

It's honestly more likely that someone has a grudge against you and knows that you're related. The simplest solution is usually the best solution, and if he isn't numbered, the truth is that you're far more extraordinary and more of a target. Did you fight the snake, or were your otherwise visible during and following the attack?

*A muscle in his jaw jumps, and he looks upset. If he was the reason his brother was missing... Well, that'd be everything he's been trying so hard to avoid, wouldn't it?

No. No, I actually hadn't even accessed the network at that point. I never even saw it, personally.

You accessed the network on March 15, less than a week after the snake attacked and a few days before your brother dropped off the grid. By then, people were widely aware of the fact that there were apparently superheroes in their city, or at the very least, people who knew things and had abilities they probably shouldn't. You might not be the reason your brother ran away, but it's possible you're the reason he's gone. Again... This meeting's purpose is largely to eliminate what's not possible, so please try not to take any of my questions personally.

What's the nature of your echoes, so far, and how much have they affected your interactions as a whole? Have you told anyone outside of the network what you've been experiencing?

*'Try not to take any of this personally.' It's a tall request, but Cesar will try. Lazarus has spooked him, not just with the knowledge of his activity, but also with observations of unpleasant coincidences that seem obvious in hindsight.*

I haven't told anyone. After the chaos surrounding the snake attack, I didn't want to be associated with anyone involved. My echoes have been nothing but glimpses of memories and impressions, and if they've affected my behavior at all, it's been subtle.

[Lazarus, to be fair, spooks a lot of people for a lot of different reasons.]

I'm running with the premise that you're the reason for your brother's disappearance, so please answer honestly. Is there anything about your life that could make you a target, even if it was before the snake? Your habits, your friends, your work...?

*Cesar's brow furrows: anything that could make him a target? He's already wondered this about his family as a whole, but he retraces his steps now, focusing on himself. His family is moderately rich, but that's not unique to Cesar. He got a promotion that someone else in the office didn't get, but that wasn't personal. He works for Thunder Corp--No, that wouldn't make him a target. The only people out there who might have a grudge against Thunder Corp employees would be people over the network, and Caesar's been careful.*

*Unless it made him a target from his own work.*

*The idea turns over in his mind, opening and unfolding. Cesar sipped his coffee for the first time. Is it likely? Of course not. Even if the rumors are true, there's no way they could have known what he was.*

*(There were rumors of scent-hounds that could find them. Rumors that Thunder Corp and the police department had been searching.) The corners of his mouth tug down.*

*He can't believe he's entertaining this idea. Of all the paranoid conspiracies he could think of... He drinks from his coffee again, before returning it to the table.*

There is... one possibility. It's extremely unlikely, though.

Just for the sake of reiterating this, I'd like for nothing said here to ever leave this table. *Lazarus' age and appearance are working against him, again: Cesar is wishing he felt more confident, or at least that they'd signed some kind of contract by now. It would make him feel more secure.*

That goes without saying... no pun intended. I understand your reluctance, but if you think it could help us find him, I need to know.

[He waits, patiently, for Cesar to either ask for more reassurance or to say what might be a linchpin in solving this.]

*That seems to be enough, though his expression wars with something else at the accidental pun. The moment passes, and he's far more involved on making sure no one's jumping to any conclusions about anything, here.*

As I said, I think this is less relevant than others on the network might assume: I'm a hydraulics test engineer for Thunder Corp.

I'll have been working there for two years, this coming June.

[L's brows shoot up... or would have, if he'd had eyebrows. As it was, the effect was simply rounder, wider eyes for a few moments.]

You're probably right... it would incite a bit of a panic if that got out, not to mention put you in even more danger, so I understand your concerns. But it might be more relevant than you'd think. I'm confident that if it's not a random incident, it has something to do with your work.

[He sounds slightly annoyed; he feels they've wasted time beating around this, but ultimately, he's glad it's out now.]

Did your brother ever study Greek? I'd like to see a textbook. It's possible that my other spoke the language and that seeing materials associated with learning it might trigger an echo.

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