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Sounds intruging. No victim please. But I would like to be involved in some fashion.

Woot! victim!

Other people that post that don't want to be victems: please specify if you want to be an apperent good guy (police inspector, eyewitness, etc.) or an apperant bad guy (suspect, underworld figure, tofu vendor, you get the picture...) If you do not specify (except for in the case of Mren above who can let me know) I will just arbatrarily pick something.

Edited, Fri Jan 2 10:45:24 2004 by Kaolian

Victimize me, as long as I can still post to tech forum?

Lots of victims!

Put me wherever you need me.

Femme fatale? You got it!

Sounds like a lot of fun.

I like being BAD!

Use me as you see fit....er, my character anyway.

Alright, spiffyness.

Look for the first installment later today. I am liking the loose script idea too, so I may be e-mailing certain people certain script prompts from time to time (or PMing them in the cases where I can't find an e-mail address) The script prompts will be something like "After you see [this] happen to [person x] post something where you do [this] ending up [here]"

Just as an example, I may e-mail Mren saying "after you see Angua switch the drinks at the table, post something about how you followed her and saw her dispose of a small object (of whatever type you like, or can be a mystery) at any type of out of the way location"

Mren could then write something along those lines, but if he wanted to, he could also confront Angua, take a side trip for some reason, meet one of the other characters, pretty much whatever. My goal here is to provide enough direction that the story doesn't get bogged down or sidetracked, but loose enough that it has a life of it's own in some respects.

If for some reason somone someone doesn't get an e-mail, I'll just ghost write for them for that part.

I think this will work. Should be fun I hope

Michael Corleone, here =)

i'll do something, i guess. can i be the guy who doesnt really *do* anything, but still somehow gets all the ladies? and not just the hot young ones, but the teachers, and buisiness women, you know, the MILFS.

Well, here goes. Keep in mind you are all actors, so anything I write you into is jut a roll (so no one get mad.)

The Mortis road: A story of death and intrigue in the Vancouver heights
The sky was overcast. It was always overcast in this damnable city. Darkplague checked his formal gold watch in the fading evening light as he paced back and forth in the crisp Vancouver night air. 6:15pm on the button. Where was she? If it wasn’t for this, he would be back, warm and entertained at the 5th annual Vancouver orphans benefit ball, hosted every year by the powerful DeVille Bloom. Much more entertained. He pulled the small lilac colored hotel stationary paper scrap out of his back tuxedo pocket, where he had discovered it earlier during the dance. The note was short and simple:

Meet me by the old steam train in Esther-Short Park as soon as you get this

It was signed simply “M”, but the hint of custom, and very expensive perfume left little doubt who it could be from. He should know. He had purchased the last bottle of the stuff at that nights charity auction less than 3 hours before.

Darkplague thought to himself. “When I get my hands on that little minx, she’s going to pay for pulling me away from the ball!!!” He smiled at thoughts of how, back at their shared hotel room, such payment could be extracted. Maybe over a good bottle of mulled wine…

Such thoughts continued for a few moments more as Darkplague pulled out his cell phone to dial room service back at the hotel. It would be a nice surprise for her…

He heard a slight crunch coming from the trees to the left. He turned, startled, to see an apparently homeless man leading a goat around the park on a string. Darkplage shuddered. He glanced at the darkening sky. It was time to be gone from this place.

Suddenly, something caused the homeless man to look up, apparently in terror.

To look up at something behind Darkplague!

Darkplague turned, just in time to see a figure press something hard, black and lethal to his sternum. His mouth formed an “o” of surprise, or perhaps recognition, as the first bullet tore through his left ventricle. 2 more followed before he fell to the evergreen needle studded ground. His assailant did not see cell phone in his hand spin off into a nearby clump of bushes, a 3 digit number punched in at the last moment by dying fingers.

The figure turned to the fleeing man with the goat. <pzip> <pzip>. The goat man fell, unmoving to the cold ground.

Satisfied, the mysterious figure turned and vanished into the night.

* * *

The Headline ran in the local paper the “Columbian” the next day:
Foreign media tycoon heir found murdered in historic park
By: Nadenu

Australian Publishing company heir Darkplague was found shot in Esther-Short Park earlier this morning. Passing joggers discovered the multi-millionaire media tycoon scion early this morning. He was pronounced dead on the scene. A second, unidentified male was also discovered at the scene with bullet wounds to the temple and abdomen. He is currently in a coma at Portland’s memorial hospital just across the river. Doctors have not announced any details the patients current prognosis to the public at this time. An empty goat leash was discovered at the scene of the crime…


* * *
2 weeks later…

Kaolian sat in his small office, crowded with computer equipment and gadgets of all types. The etched sign on the door read “Kaolian Drachensborn, P.I.”

Kao looked at it with a wry grin. If business didn’t start picking up soon, that sign might be the only thing left of his business. For some reason the holidays were always bad for business. People don’t like to air their dirty laundry aired during vacation for some reason.

“Bah. It’s been months since I’ve had a real case.” He said with a sigh. “If I don’t get some action here soon, I’ll be reduced to installing nany cams for a living!”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

To be continued tomorrow or maybe later on tonight…

Don't worry, the rest of you are coming up soon!

Loving it so far Kao!

rack Skeet.

...At that moment, there was a knock at the door. I started to get up from my large mesh desk chair, but at that moment, the door opened. The hand on the door was long and lithe, with a French manicure, and was attached to a raven-haired bombshell in a black mourning dress. She was the kind of women men would kill for. Heck, considering she was in my office, they may very well have. She looked with some evident slight distaste at the faded chair opposite my own, then with a look of resignation that she tried to mask, she sat down.

I gave myself a moment to get an impression of who I was about to deal with, before introducing myself. Judging from her elegant dress and mannerisms so far, she was one of the rich power crowd. From time to time one of my cases would cross their path, but for the most part they and I ran in much different social circles. I was intrigued.

“So miss…? What can I do for you this morning?” I asked, leaving the question of her name open for her to supply.

“Taredoru” she replied with a soft foreign accent. English, maybe? “Mr. Drachensborn, there’s been a murder. I require your services to help find the killer and bring them to justice”

I chuckled. “ I hate to break it to you miss, but that sounds like a job for the police.”

She scoffed angrily. “Ach, your police think it was just a simple robbery and aren’t even investigating! They are of no use to me. Please allow me to explain.” She paused to raise the mourning veil on her large broad brimmed hat. “Two weeks ago, my younger brother was fatally shot. You may have read about it? It made the front page.” I nodded. Australian then. She continued.” Someone lured him out there to that cold lonely park in the middle of the night, and then shot him. Robbery! The only thing missing was his cell phone! The “thief” left his Rolex, wallet, and a rather expensive diamond tennis bracelet that my foolish brother must have been planning on giving to that air headed fiancé of his. Doesn’t sound like a very good robber to me at all. Of course detective @WorkSlacking just thinks it is some drug robbery gone bad.” I filed the name away for later. I still have a few friends in the department, even now, so that could come in handy later.

“ I take it you don’t share the good detective’s opinion. Do you have anything solid to back that up? Or is it just a feeling? More importantly, did anyone here want him dead?” I asked bluntly

She considered for a second. “My brother was set to announce that he was assuming control of our father’s publishing company later this week. Only a few people knew that, but the announcement was expected to have an effect on stock prices. A lot of money was at stake. Several of my brother’s competitors are in the area at the request of the Bloom family. The Blooms have strong ties to Australia. Two of those in particular stand out to me:
Angry Hippo. He’s kind of a playboy type, big into the party circle. His family runs a rival satellite TV service out of Melbourne. Up until about a month ago, he and Darkplague used to hit the clubs together, but then they had a falling out. I don’t know what it was about, but it was messy. He is staying at the Homewood Suites in Vancouver, the same hotel my brother and his fiancé are staying at… Were staying at.” She quickly corrected herself after only a momentary loss of composure. “ The other possibility is Angua. She’s never liked my brother. They went to the same school, and things did not go well. At one point my brother had to take out a restraining order against her. 2 weeks ago was the first time that either of them had been in the same building in years. I’m no detective, but If anyone was going to kill Darkplague, it would have been those two!”

I pondered this information for a moment. Clearly, I was going to have to talk to those two if I took the case. If, of course I was going to take the case! Who was I trying to kid? One thing had me troubled though. Why kill Darkplague in Vancouver? Foreign murderers almost always come badly in the American justice system. Seems that people around these parts really don’t take kindly to those who take care of their dirty little secrets in our country. I would need to think on that more.

“Tell me about Darkplague’s Fiancé?” I asked.

Again, Taredoru scoffed. “Atomicflea? Darkplague thought he was in love with her, but the little minx was just after daddy’s money. We all saw it, but he never did. Sure, she’s pretty enough, and she definitely had him wrapped around her little finger, but in the long run I think he would have figured her out, had he had the chance.”

So the Fiancé wasn’t well liked by the family. Interesting, but not a cause for murder. The very opposite in fact. “So they weren’t married. That means she doesn’t stand to inherit anything right?”

She nodded. “Oh, I’m sure daddy will do alright by her, so she doesn’t embarrass the family, but her route to power isn’t there anymore. She had no reason to kill my brother if that’s what you are thinking. I can see that you are already thinking this through. That tells me the person who recommended you was right about you being thorough. I like that”

I nodded. “and who recommended me, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t mind a bit Mr. Drachensborn.” She finished with a smile. “Now about your fee…?”

I named an outrageous figure, expecting her to counter. “Done, Mr. Drachensborn. I’ll deposit a retainer check this afternoon to your account. Now will there be anything else?”

I was momentarily taken aback. “uhh, ummm, oh yeah. You mentioned your brother’s phone is missing. Did he keep a contact record, or anything else that might be of use?”

Taredoru reached into her purse and pulled out a late model Compaq PDA. She handed it to me. “Here, it’s password protected, but perhaps you can get something out of it.”

I thanked her, and we exchanged contact information so I could stay in touch with her to keep her informed. “I’ll get started on this right away. I’ll be in contact when I have anything.”

“I’m sure you will Mr. Drachensborn… I’m sure you will.” And with that, she turned and swept out the door. I could have sworn the temperature in the office dropped a few degrees as the door shut. I shivered.

I turned my attention to the pda. A few quick tries of the old standard passwords didn’t produce any results. I unscrewed the back and removed the password chip. Fishing around in my desk, I pulled an identical chip attached to a ribbon cable and a device looking vaguely similar to a pocket calculator out, and placed the chip shaped end in the now vacant pda socket. I slipped the old chip in a socket in the back of the device, and turned it on. Instantly, semi-random characters began flashing on the screen of the calculator thingy. I set it aside, and turned on the now passwordless PDA. With a little luck I could retrieve the list of old passwords and an access log from the old chip. Who knows, could come in handy later on.

I started browsing the e-mail log.

To be continued…

Wrter note: After the next installment, certain people will want to check their e-mails or old PM accounts at allakhazam boards. I’ll post a link and let you know when…