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

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.

*Cesar's not at all surprised that Lazarus has latched on to the idea, and he presses his lips together just the slightest.*

He studied some Greek before travelling, but I don't have any of the books he used.

What other questions do you have about my brother's case? *His free hand moves to the file that's been resting off to one side, but he doesn't push it forward: he'll wait until he thinks he's prompted.*

Hm. That's too bad. What a pain...

[It just means he'll have to figure it out by himself. Maybe shell out for a textbook of his own. He'll get over it, and for the purposes of this conversation, he recovers fairly quickly.]

As for questions... I'll let you know after I've glanced through what you've already compiled. I'm aware that you feel like things are moving forward while you're talking to me, but efficiency really is best in these cases. I can always call you with anything further I need to find out, remember.

Yes, I understand.

*He slides the file across the table to L, but doesn't usher him to open it. Instead, he simply takes another, longer drink from his coffee, and then lowers the cup.*

*If he looks like he's going to look through the file, he'll simply wait for him to finish. If not, Cesar will fill the silence with another question, but only once L's choice is clear.*

[L accepts the file, careful to keep his sleeves down around the heels of his hands. He handles it delicately, only using his thumbs and forefingers; they look like the only fingers he can use, judging by the stiff, atrophied way his other fingers just don't follow suit.

He glances through the contents, taking in the names, locations, dates and numbers compiled there.

Then he finishes his coffee paste.]

This will be enough to go on, for now. I see you've included your contact information... I'll let you know once I find out if I speak Greek. I can't go there, obviously, but I can establish contacts.

*Cesar's eyes follow his hands while he browses. What's wrong with them? Is it fixable? There may be google searches on this in his future. He sips his coffee while he waits.*

Please do. *Then, a bit more slowly,* I will see if I have any digital copies of books that might be useful to you. May I have your email, in case I find them?

*And this time that question isn't a fish for information, but really just a way to get them to him. He's still not very confident in this youth's people-finding abilities, but it's more of a lead than he's had so far, and if an echo triggering is possible, then he has to try.*

[Google will bring up some interesting stuff if Cesar's descriptive enough. Ultimately, that flexor tendons are what controls those movements and that they fail when they're damaged badly. Deep cuts in the wrists and forearms can do this.]

My email...

[He grasps his pen in a way that looks awkward and painful, scrawling an email address on a napkin and sliding it across to Cesar. Though his handwriting is poor, it's not illegible, and it reads:

throwawaybishop@goodmail.com]

Please indicate clearly in the subject line who you are, and what you're contacting me in regards to.

*Cesar takes the napkin, studies it to make sure it's legible, and then pockets it.*

Thank you. You'll recognize me by the name I'll put in the subject.

*He looks down at the file, and then back at L: They're near the end of how much they can get from each other in this meeting, and he wants to wrap up loose ends.*

I'll be in touch. Is there any way besides email that I can get in contact with you? And do you have any more questions you need to ask?

Yeah.

[He grabs for the napkin again; if he feels annoyed or inconvenienced by having to write again, he does a pretty good job of concealing it.

xxx-xxx-xxxx is the number.]

I think that's enough for now. I've got some of my own research to do... I'm dropping by the college book store on the way home to pick up a Greek textbook.

[You know, no big deal, dropping $80 on a hunch.]

Thank you again. *Again, he glances at the number and tucks it somewhere safe. Then he stands, not reaching for the file.*

I hope your studies are productive, then. *It's a lot of money, but Cesar is unbothered: L isn't the first one to invest in quests for knowledge, and science has unforgiving price tags.*

*Cesar stands, taking his coffee with and leaving the file with Lazarus.*

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