Comments: WOW! I'm actually
writing something with substance! It took me over a year to get the story
figured out and I'm still working on the trickier parts but I think Giga
Prime is about ready to get under way!
Disclaimer: ALL CHARACTERS
BELONG TO ME and me alone! Show some respect and
ask if
you're going to use them!
*** CHAPTER 01a : STARTUP
***
___
You
know how to get eternal life
In
the centre of the lightning speed waltz
Feel
your soul cut by a rusty knife
As
you head down for the self destructive edge
Our
satori are just floating in the core
Where
we can spiritually go through the door
We'll
know how to get eternal life
While
we catch the pulse from unknown satellites
Sharon
Apple
Information
High
___
Sasuki Kazuma stared impassively at the wall of blood before him. They'd been called at four in the morning to examine a violent crime. D.A.V.E; The Destruction of All Viral Entities; usually specialized in wiping out random computer viruses gone unnaturally real; was not usually the first unit called to the scene. They had forensic and crime scene investigators for that. Why was D.A.V.E here? While popping a piece of gum into his mouth his green-flecked hazel eyes passed over the horrendous scene. The light wind tossed his short blonde hair in his eyes and he pushed it back with a gloved hand. It was like someone had taken a bucket of blood red paint and tossed it over the side of thirty story building and let it drip till it stopped itself. The door only a few meters away was stained red from an obvious impact; the mark looked like it had been a very hard blow to the chest-area. That meant the body would have been dragged upwards to the roof; which explained the bloody marks on the opposite wall.
Stoically Sasuki observed the rest of the scene chewing on his gum while beside him it was all Anya Romenko could do to keep her last three days worth of meals down. Her normally tanned skin was bleached white and her fierce brown eyes were swimming. Beside Anya, a few feet ahead Troy, her little brother scribbled noted down furiously. He didn't bother to look up. He had a weak stomach. It wasn't really something a person should have if they are a reporter but somehow, a blood bath like this had never come up in his everyday life.
"Have we identified the body yet?" The lanky figure of Toki Himura asked from behind them, he had been talking to another officer and was now looking over the reports. He didn't bother to look up at them, sometimes they guessed he could just sense their movements. As he waited for an answer a Chiharra floated by, it's slick and translucent exterior glinting in the early morning sunlight.
Toki was always the organized and inexplicably calm one and therefore had become the de facto leader of D.A.V.E. Even Sasuki, normally brash and outspoken fell into line when spoken to by Toki.
"Yes, apparently her name was Reine Louis." Sasuki said pointedly and snapped his gum. Toki's aqua eyebrows raised as he stared for confirmation. Sasuki and Anya nodded and then turned his head back to the scene ahead of them.
"Reine Louis? She was a technician with the CRACKED team wasn't she?" Toki asked shaking back his long ponytail and Anya nodded.
"Yeah, she and I had gone over a major data thread only two days ago. I thought she was out of town till tomorrow." Anya mused taking a long drag from her cigarette and left it dangling precariously between her lips. "I never returned her message..."
"The CRACKED team sir?" Sasuki inquired while Anya glanced around at the rushing squads of officers and investigators.
"It's
the team of scientists that are working to discover the cause and cure
for the Chiharra, Saka." Toki explained. Sasuki nodded.
"The
best from all over have come to study them; due to their rather...eccentric
personalities they've earned themselves the nickname CRACKED." Anya laughed
haltingly.
Toki smiled grimly and nodded. A constable walked up to him and Anya departed to chat with the forensic team about any evidence left behind. It was unusual for the communications officer to be on the actually crime scene; however Anya had been an acquaintance and therefore had personal reasons for her being there. Toki turned to face the fresh-faced young man; too young to fully comprehend the impact of this incident and too old to turn a blind eye to the scene as so many others were doing; passing it off as a strange and freak accident; perhaps suicide?
"Sir." He said quickly eager to report his discovery to the legendary officer himself. Toki was well known throughout all of GMPD as the best of the best. "Sir, I found these a couple of blocks back." He held out a pair of heels, navy blue laced with scuff marks.
Toki pursed his lips and nodded. "Add it to the evidence then, good work." The constable's face brightened with the praise and he raced off to show his discovery.
Meanwhile Sasuki had begun to precariously exaimine the crime scene closer. After climbing about twenty flights of stairs he decided to catch an elevator up to the final floor. Possibilities raced through his head, why would anyone want to kill a member of CRACKED? It wasn't feasible. Aside from probing into the existence of the Chiharra, a virtually harmless species they had no other purpose. Was there an inside conspiracy? Perhaps this Reine had discovered something so important it was a reason to kill her...
He walked quickly down the glass plated hall, not bothering to look at the people warily watching his movements. He snapped his gum again just before inserting his CODE card into the door mechanism and walking out to the roof. The sun was higher now and the stench from the blood invaded his nostrils in a sickening wave. Taking a step back and clearing his head Sasuki coughed.
"It's pretty bad sir, you sure you need you see this?" A rather fetching young woman with overly large circular glasses asked as she observed his reaction.
"I'll be fine."
"You're
trip to the bathroom..." She muttered and took another picture of the corpse;
or rather, what was left.
Sasuki inhaled. From
ground zero it looked like a horror movie, or one of those suspense video
games. Where the photographer stood was the charred remains of the former
scientist. Burned beyond any recognition the corpse's hand reached out
stiffly as if she were reaching for help just before the final blow. It
was charred black and the smell of seared flesh reached him from where
he was standing. Spread from one end of the roof to another was her blood,
crimson and starting to rot in the sun. It splattered up against the walls
and dripped over the sides leaving no surface unmarked.
He let out his breath in a sharp exhale and muttered. "Shit..." The photographer nodded. "Any ideas as to how this happened?" he asked trying not to focus on anything.
"Near as we can figure." she said stiffly rubbing a shoulder. "She actually was killed down by the door, hit by a blunt object point blank. If it didn't kill her immediately then very soon after... and then she was dragged up here via the east wall and burned, why is still unknown."
"What hit her?" Sasuki asked reaching into his pocket for another piece of gum.
"Well, we don't know yet... it's going to be hard to discover anything with the body this burnt up but we'll do our best..." She shrugged. "Poor soul..." With that she left to converse with her team and Sasuki filed it all to memory.
Toki came up a moment later and had the same basic reaction but more contained. He lifted his eyebrows and squared his shoulders. Sasuki turned to face him.
"All forensics' can give are speculation sir." He said. Toki nodded. "We're going to have to wait for an autopsy until we know for sure. Anything on your end?"
"Well, we've found a pair of shoes and her CODE card and sensory armband. Other than that nothing, no visible traces of struggle aside from the point of impact. It's a goddamn mystery." Toki sighed and scratched his chin, stubble shone in the light; Toki must not had had time to shave before arriving.
"Saka." Toki began using Sasuki's nickname; the one he'd given him in training camp. "Do you have any theories?"
"Murder. I have ruled out suicide after examining the body, no one can do that to themselves. As to why; perhaps she knew something important somebody wanted to be kept secret?"
"My theory too... but what could be that important to do something like this?" Toki rubbed his eyes wearily. "Well, we've done what we were sent to do. Let's go see the chief."
**
The chief, a short stocky man with very little hair on his head had been very easily exictable man. Usually bad news would send him into an uproar, yelling, cursing, possibliy even firing whoever had brought the bad news.
That, however was before he got his new personal assistant. Akiko Mya had literally transformed the man from a human cannon ready to go off at any moment; to a smaller version of it. While to outsiders it didn't seem like much; the officers and other pesonnel were praising whatever god was out there.
Akiko was a large, cat-like woman; literally. She had two large ears and four even larger paws. Usually soft-spoken and quiet she could persude the chief to calm down in under four minutes. The funny thing about the woman was she had no emotions; or at least, she didn't show them. It was no use arguing because she wouldn't fight back, nor would she hold a grudge or get angry.
While Toki seemed oblivious to this fact as they sat in the chief large office on the sixtieth floor Saka was growing increasingly uncomfortable by the minute. The chief and Toki had been discussing the details of the case for the past half hour all the while the feline was eyeing him suspisciously. He shot back the same look and continued to listen vaguely.
"Sasuki?" The chief's voice broke through his concentration. He was a bit red in the face and the thick mustache under his large rounded nose was quivering.
Saka coughed;
embassed. "Sorry sir?" He asked.
The chief's face turned
a bit redder. "I asked if you had anything else to add." Saka could feel
Toki's eyes glaring a hold through the side of his head. "Well?" The chief
prodded and Saka shook his head.
"No sir."
"Very well then... I want a report as soon as possible." He said as they stood. Saka could see Toki's shoulders stiffen and Akiko tapped the chief on the shoulder with a massive paw.
"Sir, I believe we should allow Lt. Romenko to take a leave of absence for a week due to the circumstances..."
Toki's shoulder's relaxed a bit; obviously he was about to ask the same thing and was terrified of the answer he would recieve. No wonder, even Akiko couldn't keep the chief in check when someone asked for a day off; even if they were dying themselves!
"Alright,
a week, no more..." He muttered. Akiko looked up smugly (if possible) and
nodded for them to be dismissed.
There was a stiff
silence between the two until they reached the door and were out into the
hall. Toki almost collasped against a wall, the early morning and encounter
with the chief had drained him.
"I thought he was going to kill me, or you..." He laughed tiredly running a hand through his unrully hair; Toki was a neat man in everything except his hair. Saka nodded and sighed. "I could use a cup of coffee right now." Toki offered.
"Me too..."
"C'mon we'll head down to the food court and grab breakfast then write up that report." Saka blinked in surprise; Toki must be hungry, usually the work came first then the food. Which was exactly opposite to Saka's point of view. He followed happily smiling at the prospect of food.
***FILE CONTINUED***