one | voice, cell phone

[elfstoned]

My name is Strider. I run a small clinic just south of the Dead District.

It's the brick building with the broken sign that says LSR. You can't miss it.

Not exactly inspiring, I know. But it's clean, and I'm licensed -- which is more than you can say for most doctors you can afford without insurance.

[A pause.]

Many strange things have been happening lately.

If you come to me, I won't ask questions.

Comments

[elfstoned]

[His tone gets a shade or two more serious.]

What killed him?

[twopercent]

Who. The chief of police.

If you don't believe me, you can ask around. Some of the others saw it happen too.

[elfstoned]

[Aaron is taken aback. The chief of police always seemed a decent sort to him...]

He's involved with -- all of this? But why would he go that far to silence someone?

[twopercent]

There's something bigger going on. I don't have all the details yet. But I do know it'll be more than animals soon enough.

[elfstoned]

More attacks, you say. I don't suppose you can tell me why this is happening?

[twopercent]

[Jack hesitates again before speaking.]

No. I don't know why, not yet. I don't think anyone, or at least anyone on this network, knows.

[elfstoned]

Edward isn't on here, then? Who exactly has access to this?

[twopercent]

Approximately a couple dozen people. Don't know many of them by name, myself. Some people are worried about giving out their personal details, with good reason.

[Jack hadn't been worried about introducing himself during the past week though. It was a common first name, no links to his outside identity. And now... well, it didn't matter any more.]

You can call me Jack, by the way.

[elfstoned]

"Jack"?

...have we met before? Your voice and name -- they're familiar to me.

[twopercent]

[To be honest he has the same feeling although he can't quite place it. Sounding particular bitter, he says without thinking:]

I'd say my face probably is too, if you've been watching the news.

[elfstoned]

....

I thought so.

Jack Sears.

It's been a long time.

[twopercent]

...

......

Hmm. Wait... Dr. Aaron Strider? Iraq, sometime around... [hold on, he has to think about this, that was years ago... and there's a lot of dark spots in his memory back then.] ...must have been something like ten years ago, I guess it was?

ALSO A NOTE: HIS LAST REPLY WAS PRIVATE

[elfstoned]

The very same. I should have recognized your voice -- I knew you were in the city, from the news reports.

[A long pause.]

Civilians again, Jack?

[It has not yet been explained that the murder Jack is being publicly blamed for and the murder committed by the police chief are one and the same.]

LET THE DRAMA BEGIN

[twopercent]

[Again. That's the part that gets Jack fired up, response coming harsh and immediate.]

It wasn't me.

PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE SNIPING IS GO

[elfstoned]

[Aaron would usually be more level-headed about this, but he has a special kind of hatred for war crimes. He has no idea that Jack the Ripper has changed one bit, nor does he have qualms about making Jack feel guilt.]

Wasn't it? Strange, I was expecting you to say that you acted in self-defense. Were they armed? Dangerous?

[twopercent]

I'm telling you I didn't have anything to do with this, damn it. I'm being set up. The police chief... General Miller's in on it too.

[Jack's getting pretty worked up... boy this sure sounds like a real crazy conspiracy theory now, doesn't it.]

[elfstoned]

Can anyone else confirm this? Besides your legal counsel, anyway.

[twopercent]

[Jack audibly takes a couple deep breaths on the other end of the line, trying to keep it cool. It's not working very well.]

Yeah. Yeah, there is. Captain Mass. And... one of the kids was the one who got shot. Paul Ben. I don't know why whoever it was [ie, NOT ME] had to kill all of them. Maybe it was a message to the rest of us.

[And now that idea is in his head, he mutters half to himself, wondering if that really was the case:] Damn it.

[elfstoned]

...is Mass your only character witness? I know of him, but he's done little to win my trust.

[You'll have to do better than that.]

[twopercent]

Ask around. A lot of people saw Paul get killed. He wasn't in the house with the rest of his family at the time, not even close.

[Jack grates out the words, starting to realize just how bad this looks. That's actually the best he can manage -- what, is he going to ask the General's or his men to vouch for him that night? Even those he talked to on the network after the interrogation... that was in the morning. Well after the time of death for Paul's family.]

[elfstoned]

We'll see.

You don't have a promising military career to protect you this time, Jack. If you try anything like you did in the service -- whether you're guilty of the Bens' murder or not -- God help you.

[Is it a threat? It's unclear. What will Strider do if Jack relapses? Who knows. But Jack knows now that there is a watchful eye on him, one that knows enough to be guarded.]

[twopercent]

I never did anything I didn't have to.

[Jack growls his response and cuts the feed abruptly. He'd been planning to bring up the whole invader thing but these particular unpleasant memories, not ones from some unknown alternate life for a change, ...are not something he's fully prepared to deal with right now.]