Sere Tuscumbia

[FONT=Times New Roman]To make up for a . . . 4 month absence, I bring you a 2,500+ word monstrosity. Have fun reading it. I, once again, make stuff up like crazy. Also, please excuse any spelling mistakes in the text. I triple-checked, but I have a problem with mixing letters around and they like to escape my radar. =) --- Chastity was already there when Slade walked in, slumped at her desk with a sullen expression. "Don't even [I]start[/I]," she said in his direction as Slade's eyes found her. "The papers are going to have a field day if, and when, this information gets out, Chastity." Slade unbuttoned his coat and draped it over the back of his chair after sliding it off. "I [I]know[/I] that, Slade." Chastity slammed her hands on the desk as she stood up. "It's not like I went up to the kidnapper and said 'Here, steal this kid from [I]right under my nose[/I].' I took my eyes off Jack for [I]two seconds[/I] and he went poof!" "Children do not just go 'poof'," Slade said, emphasizing the statement with air quotations. "They do now," Chastity muttered as she sunk back into her chair. "There's no other explanation for it, Slade. You can look at the tape - there's only one way in or out, and the kid doesn't even move from the chair the entire time. He goes 'poof'." She mimicked Slade's air quotations. "Chastity--" "I don't know what other way to say it!" Chase threw her hands up in exasperation. "I had no choice in the matter. No [I]control[/I]. There was nothing I could have done that would have changed the outcome. What did you want me to do? Handcuff him to me? Jack didn't fit the traditional conditions under which these guys nab people, so, frankly, I wasn't expecting him to be made off with. My bad." Slade sat down, his arms crossed. "He fit most of the conditions." "Yeah, other than the one glaring fact that the whole situation was [I]over[/I] by the time they got to him. Plus, in all the cases, the children were victims of physical abuse, and we have no clue if Jack and his mother were indeed victims of abuse. His mother could have just been a total psycho and maybe the father just wanted a divorce so she murdered him. There's no way of being able to tell if [I]they[/I] were the victims or if [I]he[/I] was. Jack may have fit most of the conditions, but he didn't fit the most important ones." "I'll give you that." Slade reclined in his chair. "So what --" "--oh, hello." Chastity interrupted Slade as she noticed the figure that had been silently standing by the door. "You were one of the constables at the scene earlier." "Meet the newest member of our team, Constable Robert Peel." Chastity took a moment to eye Robert, who was trying desperately to look at everything but Chase. A quick glance at Slade before Chastity refocused on Peel. "He was there when you got the phone call, wasn't he?" "Yes, but that's not the only reason he's here. He'll be helping with paperwork and such." "Oh hallelujah!" Matthew Montgomery peeked his head from behind a stack of papers, grinning broadly. "That doesn't mean you'll be free any time soon, Matt," Chastity chuckled, freeing Peel from scrutiny. "You're still assigned to investigation, and therefore deskwork." Matt groaned. "And let me guess: Jonathan still gets to pull rank on me and do all the fun outside work, right?" "Speaking of, where is Mr. Crankypants?" "Out. Somewhere." Matt ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair and looked exasperated. "When I got the call from you that you were on your way, he grabbed his coat and suddenly left, announcing that he was going out to work on the cases." "[I]Figures[/I]," Chastity remarked. "Honestly, why does that boy hate me so much?" "Who?" Laura asked from where she was sitting and absentmindedly twisting Chastity's Rubik's Cube around. Chastity waved her hand dismissively. "Jonathan Galloway. He's from Serious and Organised Crime, and a thoroughly unpleasant sort. He also appears to be unable to stand my company - he's barely civil when talking to me. If Slade hasn't picked him because he was so damn good at his job, I would have taught him a lesson or two by now." "So what do we have, then?" Slade asked impatiently, trying to bring the discussion back to the case at hand. "Other than the magically disappearing child?" "Other than that, yes, Chastity." "These." Chastity slid two things across the desk at Slade, who picked them up as they slid off the edge of the desk: a videotape, and a small, torn sheet of paper in a plastic bag. "That's the video you wanted, and the paper was found and brought to my attention by Forensics." Slade looked at Chastity. "They certainly were fast." "Oh, I'm sure the fear of a very, [I]very[/I] angry DI Llewellyn convinced them to move a little faster," Laura quipped from the chair in front of Chastity's desk. When Slade looked in her direction, Laura smiled and mock-saluted. "Cogsworth, Laura. Psychologist on duty when this whole mess happened. Reporting as requested, sir." "Ah, right." Slade gave her a second glance before holding a bag up and staring at the paper inside it with a critical eye. "You didn't mention this in the phone call," he said simply in Chastity's direction. "Simple reason: I didn't see it. It was underneath the other papers, apparently. But it secures our guys as the ones behind it. See?" Chastity got up and half-leaned, half-sat on Slade's desk, ignoring his murmur of dissatisfaction as she pointed at the bottom of the paper. The same indecipherable signature was scrawled there in teal crayon. Slade studied the rest of the note. "Well, this is certainly cryptic." He pointed at the single sentence written in sloping, elegant script above the signature. "'He'll be happy now,' eh? This isn't the child's handwriting, correct?" "You'd be correct. I brought the note straight here, so I haven't had a chance yet to hand it over to analysis to see if we can match it to anyone." "When this meeting is concluded, head straight over and drop this by analysis." "Roger." "Also, what about this tear?" "I'm not too sure about that, actually, " Chastity admitted. "None of the blank papers we gave Jack to draw on were ripped. Considering there were no signs of a struggle, so no way for the note to be torn that way, I can only speculate that maybe there was other writing on the note that our kidnapper didn't want us to see . . . or maybe they just spelled a word wrong, who knows." "Anything else of interest?" "Nothing about the note, no. Perhaps when the handwriting analysis comes back. I'll drop the paper by Forensics and see if they can get anything as well. The tape, however, is a different story." Slade pulled the tape out of the plastic bag and popped it into the player, motioning for the others to assemble around him. The all watched in silence as the tape played through, Chastity's expression getting darker the longer it played. When the screen blipped and Jack disappeared, Matt jumped in shock. "Whoa! Where'd the kid go?" "That's exactly what we're trying to find out. If you rewind for a little bit," Chastity crouched down to manually manipulate the player, "And then pause here . . . see?" "What's that?" "I'm not sure. It's like someone put their hand in front of the camera for a second, but how they knew where the camera was hidden or managed to reach it while being completely hidden from view is totally unknown. Or how they even got into the room in the first place." "Could they have been behind the door?" Chastity gave Matt a 'What do you think I am? Stupid?' look. "That was the first place I looked, and it would have been impossible anyway--" "--the door was closed when I was in the room talking with Jack earlier," Laura finished Chastity's explanation. "There would have been nowhere for them to hide. And how could they have known the exact time Jack was going to be in that exact room?" "Inside job?" Matt asked, resting a hand on Chastity's shoulder to squint at the screen like it would magically reveal the answers to him if he stared hard enough. "It's something I'd rather not consider, if I can help it." Chastity sighed as she removed Matt's hand from her shoulder. "This case is already messy enough without having to worry about an insider. If we worry about it being on the inside, we're wasting valuable time narrowing down other possibilities. If we can't find our guys on the outside, then let's start looking inside." "An insider would be more plausible. There were eight more cases reported while I was with Constable Peel." Chase looked up at Slade. "And you were going to tell me this [I]when[/I]?!" Slade pointedly ignored Chastity's outburst, focusing his attention on the TV screen. Chastity pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, forcing herself to calm down. They had been busy talking ever since he had walked in, and being her superior, Slade was hardly obligated to report every single detail to her. "And?" "Eight cases, spaced evenly out for each region. I sent a Homicide and Child Services officer to each location and they are expected to report to the office in the next three hours." "And these cases," Laura asked, looking thoughtful, "did they all occur around the same time?" "They were all reported together, so yes, I would say they did." Peel finally spoke up from his place at the fringe of the group. "For eight separate kidnappings to happen at the same time . . . that's nearly impossible." "Under normal circumstances, yes." Laura paused, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before continuing. "But these are quite obviously not normal circumstance." "What are you getting at?" "Well, take Jack's case for example. Someone managed to take him from a locked room while staying completely undetected by both the camera in the room and two people standing right outside the room. There were no signs of a struggle or even resistance from Jack, and no one outside the room heard even a peep from the child the entire time. It defies all the normal patterns of a kidnapping." "Our main problem being how the kidnapper managed to enter and exit a room completely undetected." Slade swiveled his chair to refocus his attention on Laura. "Yes. Chastity filled me in on the most general details of the cases on the way over here, and . . ." "And?" Laura looked uncomfortable. "I believe that the kidnappers are not using normal, everyday means to assault these families. There is no way a normal break-and-enter kidnapping could be carried out as silently, as quickly, and as intrusive as these all seem to be. Neighbours never happen to hear anything until the attack is either over or nearly over, and no one has ever seen the kidnappers entering or leaving the home." "So what are you saying?" Matt asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. When Laura paused, Chastity spoke up. "What she's trying to say is that maybe the kidnappers don't enter and exit the area in a normal fashion. That they sort of just show up and well, [I]disappear[/I] inside the home." Matt snorted, and covered his mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to, but that's just so . . . so [I]implausible[/I]. You're really trying to say that these guys [I]magic[/I] themselves in and out of people's homes?" "I don't know if I'd go so far as to say '[I]magic[/I]' but something certainly abnormal. Neither Laura nor I can come up with any normal way for Jack to have been kidnapped, unless there was some very high-tech, very expensive equipment being used. And if that were true, what sort of group would be willing to pay that sort of money to "rescue" abused children and parents? What would be their purpose?" Just then, the phone rang, and Chastity leaned over Matt's back to answer it. "Vulnerability Unit, Detective Inspector Llewellyn speaking," she said, over Matt's protestations. Shushing him with a slashing motion of her hand, Chastity listened to the voice on the other end with an increasingly grim expression. "I understand, thank you. I will let Detective Inspector Slade know immediately," she finally said, and set the phone back down in the cradle. "You expression tells me that the news is something I probably don't want to hear, but tell me anyways." "Randolph, I hate to be the bearer of [I]more [/I]bad news, but . . . Jack's mother has disappeared from the hospital. There are no records of her being discharged, and there are no eyewitness who report her leaving. The hospital is currently conducting a search; however, I have a feeling that they're not going to find her." Peel noticed the same expression come over Slade's face as before - a mask of deliberate calm, but the glint of his eyes revealed just how displeased he was. He smiled, looking pleasant on the surface, but it was a terrifying, mirthless smile to anyone who knew Slade personally. "Well then, this is certainly troublesome." Slade stood and brushed the wrinkles out of his slacks. "Constables Peel and Montgomery," Slade called, and they both snapped to attention. "I want you two to track Detective Sergeant Galloway down and fill him in on the recent events, then you three will visit the eight new scenes and see what information you can dredge out that may have been missed. And kindly inform Galloway that he is not to even lift a finger without an order from me first, much less do independent investigating on a silly whim." Slade slipped his coat back on, and was in the process of buttoning it back up when he turned to Chastity and Laura. "Mrs. Cogsworth, your help was much appreciated. Due to the unforeseeable circumstances that have made you privy to some of our more private information, I'm sure Detective Inspector Llewellyn will be keeping in touch with you with any news on the cases. Any time you feel that you have an idea worth sharing, feel free to stop by. Chastity," Slade looked over his shoulder at her after opening the door, "you know what to do." "And you?" Chastity asked. "I will be heading down to the hospital to inquire as to why and how a homicidal mother seemingly vanished into thin air. If the teams from Homicide and Child Services arrive before I get back, take care of them, then call me. Meeting dismissed." He shut the door after himself. Everyone paused for a second after the door closed, before Chastity clapped her hands twice at Matt and Robert. "Well, what are you waiting for? You heard his orders. Slade was highly vexed - I wouldn't suggest wasting any time loitering around here and risking his wrath when things at the hospital go badly and he comes back." She threw Matt's coat in his direction and shooed the two of them out of the office. "Do you want a ride back to the office or straight home?" Chastity asked as she handed Laura's coat over and shrugged her own on. "Back to the office, please, and you're worried, aren't you?" "Back to the office it is then, and worried about what?" Chastity grabbed her scarf from the coat rack by the door and wrapped it around her neck, then grabbed the note, popped the tape out of the player and turned the TV off. "Worried about Slade." "Oh. I suppose. He's never that verbose. Never." Looking at Laura, Chase laughed. "I feel bad for the poor people at the hospital. If Jack's mother doesn't turn up, all hell might just break loose." Laura followed Chastity out the door, and then the office was empty. [/FONT]

[SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]It's been long, it's been hard, but I uphold my end of the bargain and present the next post. I have no excuses. I have no reasons. I simply apologize for taking so long. Also, as a disclaimer, I make stuff up like crazy in this post, and don't really care if it's right or wrong. =) ---- Chastity stared through the large window at the young boy who was sitting quietly and amusing himself with a small stack of papers and a box of crayons. ?Well?? she asked the woman beside her, her arms crossed. ?How is he?? Laura Coppersmith looked sideways at her friend and sighed. ?He?s got trauma, guaranteed, but I?m guessing a couple months of therapy and he?ll be adjusted enough to move in with a family.? Chastity groaned. ?You make it sound like he?s some wild animal.? ?He?s in shock, Chase. It?s anybody?s guess how he?s going to react once he comes to his senses.? Laura grinned slyly. ?You?re a great example of that.? ?Not this again. Yes, I know: I was a horrible child and should thank you every day for having the patience to set me from my evil ways.? ?I couldn?t have said it better myself.? ?You did - more times than I can count those first few months. Although I seem to remember your speeches were far more . . . colourful.? ?You were wonderful inspiration.? ?I?m sure I was.? Laura shared a chuckle with Chastity before turning and leaning against the wall. ?Why?d you come here, Chase? I?m sure your partner can?t be too pleased with you right now.? Chastity grimaced, thinking of the stern look Slade gave her before she left. He wasn?t happy with her decision at all, and Chase could expect at least another stern look when she went back, if she was lucky. ?I don?t know why. I really don?t,? she said at the look Laura gave her. ?I know where my priorities lie - I?m not going to drop the case of a lifetime --? ?Of course not.? Laura said wryly. ?No, really. This is the biggest case in the history of the entire police force - when it gets solved there won?t be an officer that doesn?t know the birth names of everyone on the team. To drop this chance would be pure insanity. This is [I]it[/I], Laura. I leave this, and I might as well quit and go live on the streets. I just . . . ? Chastity?s eyes flickered to the figure in the chair as she trailed off. Laura reached over and draped a companionable arm around Chase?s shoulder as Chastity turned and leaned against the wall. ?I understand.? They stood like that for a bit, Laura absentmindedly patting her friend?s arm, and Chastity enjoying the comfort. The silence was broken by Laura?s perky suggestion. ?Say, when this all is over, how about a vacation? You, me, and a dozen tanned, half-naked men enjoying a year of sun, sand, and those fun little drinks with the umbrellas in them.? She waved a hand vaguely in the air before grinning at Chastity and suggestively wiggling her eyebrows. With a laugh, Chastity broke off from Laura and lightly punched her in the side. ?And what would any of us do with a dozen young men?? A wink. ?I don?t know about [I]you[/I], but [I]I[/I] can think of at least three things off the top of my head [I]I?d[/I] do if presented with a dozen strapping specimens of the male gender.? ?[I]Laura[/I]!? Chastity gasped, scandalized. ?You?re [I]married[/I]!? Laura took one look at Chase?s face and held her hands up over her head in surrender as she doubled over in laughter. ?I jest, I jest! I don?t know what to do with the [I]one[/I] man I?ve got, so forget twelve of them.? Her laughter subsiding, Laura wiped the tears out of her eyes. ?In all seriousness, though, Chase, why not give a break a thought? Anyone can tell that this case is stressing you out, and a week or two of relaxation would do you wonders. I?m not saying [I]now[/I],? she added quickly, as Chastity grimaced again, ?but sometime. You?re not the only person on the force, you know. We won?t burn down the department if you leave for a week.? At Chastity?s incredulous snort, Laura rolled her eyes and turned back to face the small, white room on the other side of the window. Chastity was about to open her mouth to make a retort when Laura made a small, strangled sound. ?Chastity, it might be in your best interest to check the door.? Chase?s mouth opened and then closed in the perfect imitation of a fish. ?. . . what?? ?I don?t see your charge.? A sharp hiss of air as Chastity started to consider where could be going. But no, it couldn?t. It wasn?t possible. Slowly, she turned around and was greeted with the sight of an empty room. ?It?s totally impossible,? she repeated to herself as she surveyed the room in front of her. Everything was the same - two rickety metal chairs that faced each other across the small table, which had numerous sheets of paper scattered across it, and a couple crayons lingering around - but no Jack anywhere in sight. ?He probably just got bored and is hiding by the door,? she forced out hopefully, but neither she or Laura believed it. Slowly turning the deadbolt, Chastity eased the door open and peeked through. ?Jack?? No response. It was impossible. Unbelievable. She and Laura had been standing by the only door into the room the entire time. There was no way anyone could steal a little boy without one of them noticing. Opening the door further, Chase looked behind it and found nothing. A step inside, and she shut the door behind her, motioning for Laura to wait outside and watch. Another hissing intake of breath as Chastity looked around the room. Besides the door, there weren?t any places to hide, and Chastity wasn?t liking what she was seeing. Or wasn?t, in this case. Striding over to the table, Chase put a hand on the seat of the chair she had seen the boy sit in, and found it still warm. ?This is absurd. Absolutely, completely [I]absurd[/I],? she breathed, before straightening and violently kicking the chair across the room, watching it ricochet off the wall and fall to the floor with a loud clatter. Outside the room, Laura flinched, her face pale, as her detective friend let out a string of words loud enough to be heard through the thick pane, and none of them Laura would have repeated even in the worst of company. Chastity kicked the door closed behind her and snapped open her phone with a vehemence that would have broken anything cheaper. She motioned to Laura to follow her as she started down the hallway, and was in the middle of a particularly venomous tirade about the sexual preferences of the mysterious kidnapper?s mother when Slade picked up the phone. ?I hope that?s not my mother you?re talking about, Chase. It?d absolutely break her poor heart to hear you talk about her like that.? Randolph sounded slightly amused. ?The boy is gone.? Chase wrenched another door open and marched over to a small bank of screens. After a moment?s glance, she waved Laura over and pointed at one screen in particular. ?Well I?d sure hope he would be, by now.? ?No, Randolph, I mean the boy is [I]gone[/I]. Here one moment and gone the next. And no, before you start accusing me of anything, I didn?t leave him unattended. I was outside the room the entire time, and turned around for one second to find him gone the next. The room was locked, empty, there were no signs of a struggle, and he wasn?t gone long as the seat was still warm. He simply [I]disappeared[/I].? ?Things like that don?t happen, Chastity. People don?t simply just disappear. He had to have gone [I]somewhere[/I].? ?We?re checking the tape now,? Chase responded, and both of them fell silent as Laura rewound the tape. Chastity held her breath as the replay started. [I]Jack sits in the room, rocking back and forth slightly as he idly kicks his feet under the table. Pages and pages of scribbled-on paper surround him, the majority of them angry splotches of red and black. He looks to the side every once-in-a-while, smiles once, waves once, but spends most of his time filling pages with colour. The scribbling slows. Stops. The crayon is put down, and Jack simply stares at his work with a blank expression. He looks as if he is desperately fighting the urge to cry, and losing the battle. He rubs his face with his hands, wins his internal fight, and is preparing to pick the crayon up again when he looks up suddenly at something off-screen, and asks a soundless question. The next second, the chair is empty.[/I] ?Good God, that can?t be. Laura, rewind the tape right before he disappears and slow it down. We have to be missing something.? ?What?s going on, Chastity?? Chastity sighed. ?I don?t know, Randy. The kid is there, and then he?s not. Nothing moves other than him.? She bit her lip as she watched the boy?s mouth move in slow-motion. She?d have to call in a lip-reader and find out what he was saying. Leaning over Laura?s shoulder, Chase squinted at the screen. ?Stop the tape, and then go forward frame by frame.? ?Chase . . .? ?I?m trying to find something, Randy, I really am. But there?s nothing ? wait. What was that? Go back, go back!? Laura started rewinding again, and Chastity let out a disappointed breath. It wasn?t what she thought, after all. ?As much as it kills me to say it, we?ve got nothing.? ?Nothing?? ?The best we can get is that the camera goes black the frame before he disappears, but that proves nothing. All that we can prove right now is that somehow a child went missing from a locked room in the plain view of a video camera, a police officer, and the psychologist on duty.? Chase heard an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line and flushed. This was going to hurt when the press got a hold of it, and Slade knew it. A fake Greenwich turned into a real one, and the Met doing nothing to stop it. ?I?m sorry.? ?Nothing can be done about it now, so apologizing is wasteful.? Another sigh. ?Meet me in thirty. Bring the tape and the psychologist. We?ll figure something out.? ?I?ll be there.? [/FONT][/SIZE]

[font=Times New Roman][size=2]Don't ask. Just read.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]---[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"So, just to make sure I've got all the facts completely straight -- around two AM this morning you received a call about a domestic disturbance at this location, correct?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]The constable Chastity had been listening to for the past several minutes fidgeted under her stare. "Yes ma'am."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"You arrived, bashed in the door, and found the flat empty except for one unfortunate victim and a crime scene looking suspiciously like a Greenwich, correct?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"Yes ma'am."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"Detective Slade and I were called in to case the scene, and deduced that the crime was not, in fact, a Greenwich, but merely the case of a crazy wife with a knife. But, while I had assumed that the wife and child had left the scene of the crime, you said that the exact same neighbours that have been staring out of their windows since I first arrived here -" Chastity waved without looking, and noticed that curtains were being hastily pulled shut, "- didn't mention a thing about the wife leaving the scene of the crime."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]" . . . yes ma'am."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Chastity sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in acute frustration. "Is there something wrong with this picture, constable?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]More fidgeting from the poor boy, and Chase was tempted to slam her hands down on his shoulders to get him to quit. He was making her antsy and [i]Christ[/i], she just [i]had[/i] to decide to quit smoking right before the most stressful case of her career, didn't she? "Yes ma'am."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Chastity hated being wrong. Hated coming to a conclusion simply to find that she had to start over from square one. Hated the sneaking suspicion that all the other decisions she made were as wrong as the first. She knew she couldn't be right all of the time, but she knew that people lived - or died - on her ability to be right 99.9% of the time. It drove her crazy when she was wrong.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]And she knew she was wrong about this case.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]The wife could have, perhaps, left the crime scene, but Chastity knew that the nosy neighbours that were once again peeking out at her from behind paisley curtains would have been spying out their windows since the first second they heard a noise, so escape would have been impossible without being detected. So it had to be that the wife and child never left the flat. But how? The entire team had combed the flat but found no evidence that the occupants were still inside. She'd have to ask Slade about it later - he was still inside.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"Oh," Chastity gasped, coming to a sudden realisation. Slade was still inside with a crazy, knife-wielding widow, and Chastity knew firsthand how dangerous a woman with a weapon and a child to protect could be.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Chase turned and stifled a yelp when she came face to face with Slade, who was staring at her with a look Chase could almost dare to call amused, if she didn't have any sense in her head. "Jesus [i]Christ[/i], Randy, warn someone the next time you decide to sneak up on them!"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"If I were planning on sneaking up on someone, warning them would ruin the point of being silent. And you were deep enough in thought it wouldn't have mattered even if I had said something."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"That's not the point I was trying to make and you know it. But anyway, Randolph, about the wife -"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Slade cut Chastity off by pointing to the side, and Chase followed his finger to see the sobbing woman being helped into the back of an ambulance Chastity hadn't even noticed had arrived.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"How . . .?" Chastity let the question trail off in utter confusion.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"She and the boy had been hiding inside a wall, but she was sufficiently lured out."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"Ah, that makes perfect -- what?" Chastity glanced at Slade, but he was completely serious, as always. "The wall?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Slade nodded and Chase gave off a low whistle of surprise. "Impressive. Pulling that off with a kid to keep quiet was clever work. And the boy? How is he?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"Perfectly fine. He'll need therapy, but he was physically uninjured."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]But Chastity had already run off after spotting the small boy from the flat, and Slade couldn't blame her. Once a Child Services agent, always a Child Services agent.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Kneeling down in front of the boy, Chastity smiled tenderly. "Hi there."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]The boy chewed on his lip and looked thoughtfully at her before answering. " . . . hullo."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"My name is Chastity, but everyone calls me Chase. What's your name?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Another look, and then a timid response. "Jack."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"That's a good name, Jack. What do you say about taking a little ride with me, hmm? We've just got to work out who you're going to stay with while your mum gets better, and then we can go see her. That sound good?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Jack slowly nodded, and Chase took his hand with a smile at the constable who was in charge of the boy. The constable nodded and fell into line behind Chastity and Jack as t[/size][/font][font=Times New Roman][size=2]hey made their way over to where Slade was talking intently with a Sergeant and a small group of constables. "We almost done here, Randolph?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Slade looked at the small boy at Chastity's side and then up at her, and knew exactly where this conversation was going. "Handing him over to Child Services personally, are you?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"Would you expect any less of me?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]"It'd be futile to try and stop you anyway, I suppose. We'll be able to close this case soon - I'll finish up with the officers and then meet up with you later."[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Chastity nodded. "I'll give you a call if anything happens." Walking away, she gently squeezed Jack's hand, and smiled at him when he looked up at her. "You ready to go?"[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=2]Jack looked back at the officers milling about the complex with an expression like he fully comprehended that he wasn't going back for a very long time, then stared up at Chastity. " . . . yeah."[/size][/font]

[size=2][font=Times New Roman]Pardon for bad spelling/grammar mistakes that may occur - I'm not the best writer at 5 in the morning. --- "There's a definite difference between excuses and legitimate reasons, Randolph. While I don't condone what this woman might have done, it's obvious she thought that this was the only thing she could do. Or," Chase's tone was bitter, "she thought it was simply an easy thing to get away with." Slade glanced over his shoulder at his partner. He knew that tone - Chase used it when she was stressed and working a case she couldn't stand. He knew why, of course - you never worked with someone without throughly researching their background first. He could pursue the conversation but knew it would do nothing to help solve the case, and let the matter drop - for now. Chase pulled out and flipped open her notepad in the silence and quickly scanned the notes she had taken. "Randy, I'm not seeing a note." "Beg pardon?" "Was there a note with the body?" "Not that I'm aware of, no. The constables never mentioned finding one." "So not only is our victim dead instead of alive," Chase started, ticking off points with her finger as she talked, "the security chain isn't locked, the wife and child haven't [i]magically[/i] disappeared, the destruction doesn't match up with an animal, and to top it all off, the note that has been in [i]every[/i] other case isn't with the body." Slade sighed. "Are you going somewhere with this?" "It just proves that this case is in no way a Greenwich. I'll admit again that, at first glance, it's a very convincing imitation, but there are just too many inconsistencies to be the real thing." Chase took one more look around the room and sighed. "I wonder if the Greenwich came before or later." "Is there really any point in speculating about it?" Chase shot Randolph a look that he chose to ignore. "No, but I've always found it interesting to see just how close I can get to the actual circumstances. For instance, one has to wonder: why the kitchen? It's a perfectly plausible place to murder someone if you're in the middle of cooking, but since there's no mess that I can see - " there was a quick pause as Chase peered into the kitchen, " - unless the wife decided to wash the dishes after killing her husband, no one was cooking anything and therefore it's not a logical place to murder someone in the middle of the night." "So?" "So, let's say that one of the two - or both of them for that matter, I don't think it really matters - is up to get a midnight snack, and for some reason I'm not going to bother speculating about, a heated argument breaks out between the two. In a fit of passion, the wife attacks, sends her husband's soul on it's merry way to wherever it is destined to end up at, and then realises there's no way she's going to get away with this." Slowly starting to pace around the room, Chase tapped a finger against her chin as she thought. "So she wakes the kid up - assuming the child isn't staying the night somewhere else - tells them that they're going on a little vacation and no, Daddy isn't coming along, then sends them packing to a friends while she stays to 'clean up the mess.' Makes the crime scene look as close to a Greenwich as she can, packs clothes for her and the runt, then heads off to wait for us to arrive to declare it a Greenwich and then she can relax and live a semi-normal life." Another sigh from Slade. "Was there a point to all that?" "For you? Probably not. For me? Of course." Chase absentmindedly tucked an unruly strand of hair behind one ear before sticking her hands in her jacket pockets. Before heading out the open doorway, she stopped and looked at her partner. "I'm off the interview the other constable then, since we're done here." Randolph nodded a response, and then Chase was gone. [/font][/size]

[font=Times New Roman]My contribution to this little thread, haha. [b]Name[/b]: Detective Inspector Chastity Llewellyn [b]Age[/b]: 32 [b]Sex[/b]: Female [b]Previous Department[/b]: Child Abuse Investigation [b]Life[/b]: Chase Llewellyn was what you could have described as a ?troubled teen? before her induction into the Metropolitan police service at age 21. Taken from her mother at age 10 as a victim of domestic abuse, Chastity was shuffled to relatives that didn?t have the proper time or resources to take care of her. Deprived of a proper role model in life, Chase fell victim to the temptations of drugs and alcohol, becoming deeply involved in gang activities until the age of 18, when she moved in with a friend and underwent rehab at the friend?s insistence. Coming out of rehab a changed person, Chastity joined the Met in 1995 with the intention of correcting past mistakes, and transferred to the Child Abuse division after several years of diligent work and a recommendation from her superiors. Chase is still living with her friend, and they do volunteer work when Chase isn?t working. She has a tendency to smoke when she?s stressed, but is trying to break the habit. [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Answer: Megatokyo. New word: nyotm hntyop nda het lyho rilga Hint: Famous British movie, frequently known for their knights [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Gender roles in a forum like Otakuboards really don't work, because no one at OB [b]expects[/b] you to act a certain way depending on what gender you are. All anyone at OB expects you to act like is a civil, rational, and mature human being. *shrugs* I've never really seen gender roles played out in any of the forums I've ever inhabited . . . well, maybe one, but that goes back to the "gender roles are more apparent among younger posters" point of this thread and I don't feel like beating a dead horse. Really, the only time I've ever seen gender roles apparent is in what boys and girls are expected to like. Males are supposed to enjoy the darker genres-with plenty of violence, action, and blood, while girls are supposed to like the romance and pink fluffy bunnies. And while that is true to an extent-you do find more guys interested in an anime like Bleach than an anime like Furuba-there are plenty of people who defy that stereotypical behaviour, liking a mixture of both or the complete opposite of what is expected. And while figuring out the gender of someone on a forum is confusing, figuring out the gender of someone in a MMORPG is far worse. Especially when you are allowed to pick your gender, for there are a great many guys that love to run around with a female avatar. Makes my brain break, because if I get a choice, I play my gender. My gender is probably apparent enough, considering the last statement. [/font]

[quote name='Reiku][color=DarkOrange][size=1][b]That's probably because I haven't read them/studied them. The ones I've actually listed are ones I've studied in highschool English, but I'm definitely open to new plays.[/b][/size'][/color][/quote] [font=Times New Roman]Ah. Well, being the Drama nerd I am, I've had the opportunity to perform Hamlet (I was the Player Queen, AKA a nobody), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia, yayz!), and Much Ado About Nothing (Margaret, alas.). I have also studied Macbeth and Twelfth Night in school and on my own time. If you want a teenybopper version of Twelfth Night, then the movie 'She's the Man' is a good way to go. I have not seen the movie myself, having a deep hatred for a certain redhead who plays the main role, but I know that it's Twelfth Night. Ah, Shakespeare has so many good plays to choose from. I've never read 'The Taming of the Shrew', however. Was a year too late for that. Although, I do have to say that if I had to pick a play that [b]shouldn't[/b] be picked, that is Romeo and Juilet. That has been done to death in 50 different mediums. If we want a horrible love tragedy, let's go with 'Antony and Cleopatra'. [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]I would have to go with Hamlet or A Midsummer Night's Dream, since, of the one's there, they are my favourites. Pity you didn't add Much Ado About Nothing to the list. Or Twelfth Night. But neither of those really lend themselves to a larger cast.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Althena looked up from the book she was reading for a moment when the comm system paged her. "What is it now?" she responded simply, returning her attention back to her reading material: a study of cultures before MetalEarth. "You have a form to fill out waiting for you outside. I suggest getting it done before this thing gets impatient." "Robots [b]can't[/b] get impatient." Althena headed out the door and down a short hallway, before hanging a right and passing through two more doors. "And aren't [b]ye[/b] just a fine example of that?" the voice at the other end jokingly responded, and Althena chose to ignore it. She popped out of the hatch and was accosted by the AI that was waiting to take her information. "Please present . . . information . . . promptly," it buzzed at her. She keyed in a 12-digit code, and after a little processing on the computer's part, a file popped up on-screen. Althena read through it to make sure the information was correct, but she figured it would be; it never changed. "[i]Model number: 1258296-AL, commonly referred to as "Althena". Android number five of seven, Japan's model. Appearance: Female frame, pale skin with white hair and red eyes. 5'2 in height. Identifying Marks: Bar code on back of neck and information port on underside of right wrist. 1258296-AL is one of the seven android models created by the unified government of MetalEarth. Has a self-sufficient power supply and is equipped with evolving AI and personality algorithms, something it's Japanese creators are quite proud of, for 1258296-AL mimicks human behaviour almost perfectly. After being studied and tested extensively in labs, 1258296-AL was assigned to the ship [/i]T.Y. Cross[i] as resident linguist. It has been serving there for 3 years and has shone no deviations or odd behaviour patterns. Scientists expect only good things from 1258296-AL and the other models[/i]." "Please confirm that this information is up-to-date and correct. If this is the wrong file, please type in a new code." Althena hit the 'confirm' button on the screen, knowing she should have brought her book with her. The process was always the same: dock somewhere, fill out the information; dock somewhere, fill out the information. One had to wonder why the repetition was essential for the good of society. The AI spat out it's "Thank you for taking your time to fill this out and have a nice day" speech, then stiffly swiveled and shuffled off to find some other hapless victim to demand information from. "Eh," Althena shrugged at the retreating machine and went back inside. ^--This came off the top of my head, so sorry for the not-so-great quality. I hate doing biography stuff. [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]I = TEH BACK, MOO HA HA. Anyway, the story behind Sere Tuscumbia is a wee bit long. It started when I was a crazed fan of Sailor Moon. I immediately took a liking to Queen Serenity, and wondered who she would be if she had been reborn on Earth, and came up with a name that paralleled Serena Tuskino -- Serenity Tuscumbia. I eventually got tired of typing in Serenity Tuscumbia wherever I went, so I shortened it to Serene Tuscumbia and kept it as that. However, at that time I was a member of a different forum that also came with a chat, which I frequented. My fingers have a habit of getting ahead of my brain, and I only got the 'Sere' part of 'Serene' written out before I pressed enter and thought that Sere Tuscumbia sounded fairly interesting. Since then, I've found that no one can pronounce Sere Tuscumbia. o_o;; Is it really that hard? --Sere [/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=1]Excuse me while I giggle insanely. ^-^[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]MegaTokyo is one of my fav. webcomics (I still haven't been able to buy the actual books yet, wah. T_T (although Piro says that the re-issue of the 1st book is better than the original, so I'll wait for just a little while longer)), up there right along with Sluggy Freelance ([/size][/font][url="http://sluggy.com/"][font=Times New Roman][size=1]http://sluggy.com[/size][/font][/url][font=Times New Roman][size=1]), Tsunami Channel ([/size][/font][url="http://www.tsunamichannel.com/"][font=Times New Roman][size=1]http://www.tsunamichannel.com[/size][/font][/url][font=Times New Roman][size=1]), College Roomies From Hell ([/size][/font][url="http://www.crfh.net/"][font=Times New Roman][size=1]http://www.crfh.net[/size][/font][/url][font=Times New Roman][size=1]), Reman Mythology ([/size][/font][url="http://www.felaxx.com/"][font=Times New Roman][size=1]http://www.felaxx.com[/size][/font][/url][font=Times New Roman][size=1]), and many, MANY others (it would take forever for me to list all of the webcomics I read, *drool*).[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]It's a very beautiful webcomic to read, and I have enjoyed going back through the archives time and time again just so I can see how much Piro has progressed, in both terms of writing and in terms of art.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]Also, I think that most people have MegaTokyo to thank when it comes to |_337; I know I do, haha! ^^;; I didn't even know what leet was (I had seen it before, but just thought that the person was nuts and therefore randomly speaking gibberish O_o) before I read MegaTokyo, and then during a "conversation" the light bulb just kinda . . . light up and I understood. And now I've been trying to get other people to understand just what leet is. It's kinda hard to explain though, phooie. =/[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]Hmm, I really can't say anything on the subject of whether I like Piro or Largo's adventures better, because I like and dislike them both equally. While Largo's adventures tend to be the same thing, over and over and over again, so do Piro's.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]Another thing that I've found that I haven't really liked is that the emotions of the characters are severely muted. Most of the time they have very neutral faces (and that makes Erika and Kimiko look a lot alike) and the only people who seem to have emotion consistantly are Ping (so kawaii~~!) and Largo.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]However, I have to say that my favourite character award is tied between Miho, Ping, and Pirogoeth. I'm leaning more toward Miho, because she has a lot of depth and mystery that hasn't been explained (although you've been left to assume a lot. Grrr, I hate that!) and I just love the way that she handles situations and people (and just how she looks, mawr.). But Ping is def. a very genki, kawaii character, as of the fact that she is the physical embodiment of the shoujo dream-girl, but with that funny little quirk that causes her to go into rampage mode whenever she gets mad or frustrated. And Pirogoeth just kicks butt, 'nuff said (plus she looks really cool, and she spawned the "ph34r the cute ones" phrase that went around for a little while).[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]All in all, I really love this webcomic, and I think I'll faithfully follow it to the end. I just wish that Piro (I keep on typing in Prio instead!) would hurry up and finish the top sections of the site because some of the times you have so many characters that it gets confusing and you can't look up who they are because THERE IS NO CHARACTERS PAGE! >

[font=Times New Roman][size=1][quote name='ninetails390]Our world is a beautiful place, the environment, the creatures, and the [i]humans[/i']. We, being more advanced technologicaly and mentally than plants and animals, have been left to care for our world and eachother; that is what our creator intended for us to do. Every living thing has a purpose, and all living things are equally inportant in the grand scheme of things, and we are one of those species', so we must have been created for a purpose, right?[/quote][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]Actually, I disagree. Humans didn't show up on Earth to be the "mother" for every other species. And if you think about it, Earth has been around much longer than humans have. We humans think that we've been around for a really darn long time, but that's not true. We're actually very recent in the history of the world.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]In other words: the world was doing just fine without us. And when we finally die off, the world will continue to do just fine.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]You say that we're advanced technologically and mentally, and so much more than plants and animals, but humans think that we're so smart because we made fire. Animals are extremely intelligent in their own right, and we just think that they're stupid because they can't speak the same languages we do. Animals have their own civilizations and their own laws and their own morals and their own way of doing things just like us humans do. And point: humans are animals. Sure, we don't run around on four legs or have feathers, but we're still mammals, and mammals are animals. 'Cause hell, we sure ain't plants.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]In the event of technology, humans began something called "controlled evolution". Because esentially, that is the entire reasoning behind why plants and animals are still around today: we've evolved. We've evolved to adapt to the changes that Earth goes through, but now, humans have stopped that process. With the invention of technology, of convinence, humans have stopped the process of evolution.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]And not just for humans, either. We've stopped the evolution process for most other plants and animals too. The only way that we're causing the flora and fauna to adapt is by destroying their homes. And so, because we don't want to change, we make other things change instead.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]My generation -- [b]our[/b] generation -- will probably live to see the death of an ecosystem, maybe two. Humans aren't made to protect -- they're made to destroy. As much as we work to preserve what we have, saving extinct species by no hunting laws or cloning, Arbor Day, recycling, etc, etc, etc, it's never enough, and it's never going to be enough. Let's just face it people: [b]we suck[/b].[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]I think one of the real issues is longevity. Yes, I know that it sounds cruel, but old people just need to die already. We keep trying to extend the span of our lives, trying to find a way to live forever and look youthful, but for every child that dies, someone should die. It sounds mean, but it's true. That's how a population is stablized. Our population will stop growing once we equal the death/birth ratio. So either we teach old people that living until 90 really isn't worth it, or we find some way to keep families from having birth.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]Which, as we all know, will never happen. To certain cultures, having large amounts of children is a way of life. In China, families would try to have large amounts of boys, because women were considered useless (in most cases, if a daughter was born, the house wife would just snap the baby's neck and say that it was a still-born), so families would end up being 12, 13 children (I think that China has child-birth laws now that say that families can't have more than two children . . . but I'm not sure.). It's the same way with Hispanics (no offense to anyone), and people who live in poverty. Children = work, work = money, so the families have lots and lots of children, and our popluation rises when it actually needs to decline until we stablize.[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]Hmm, Mr. Bond turned out to be a very depressing teacher, teaching me these things . . . =/[/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Times New Roman][size=1]--Sere[/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Name: Chastity Lewellen (heheh.)[/font] [font=Times New Roman]Gender: Female (VERY female . . . )[/font] [font=Times New Roman]Age: 23 (Nice 'n' young.)[/font] [font=Times New Roman]Occupation: Prostitute (Told you I couldn't help myself.)[/font] [font=Times New Roman]--Sere[/font]

[font=Times New Roman][quote name='eisenschmerz']Call me old fashioned, but I prefer not to make it so far fetched as a series. I would've gotten into it if there were logic behind the series...[/quote][/font] [font=Times New Roman]I really am sorry, but I'm trying to figure out where Witch Hunter Robin lacks the sense of "logic". I mean, yes, so many things don't make sense yet, but, like in any other slower-moving series, there is a larger backstory that we have yet to find out, figure out, and understand.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]I would really appreciate if you could pull up some examples of where you think Witch Hunter Robin lacks "logic". It makes the job much easier for a lot of people when you have something tangible to go off of, instead of just "it lacks logic". Because for me, having read a slightly-in-depth article in the Animerica magazine, and then having access to the official site, I have a little bit of a larger grasp of all of the back story.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]Far-fetched? How so? Because I think that a group of modern-day witch hunters in Japan isn't as implausible as giant flying robots in space.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]And I agree with you, Kent. I liked the part where Yuri and Robin got to work at Harry's. I think Robin looks very sexy in that shirt. Mmm, love the shirt.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]The thing that I think I find very interesting is the fact that the STN-J (and the STN in general) hunt witches, but their own employees use the same powers as the witches they hunt do. Except they sugar-coat their employees' powers so that they're "extra abilities". If they didn't work for the STN(-J), would they have been labeled as witches and hunted? O_o;;[/font] [font=Times New Roman]I really do like though, as the series goes on, the way that the others are finally getting to know Robin and accept her as a part of the group. They're most certainly less hostile toward her now. And that's good. Because while Robin can be very annoying at times, she's a good girl, and I think she really wants to help. But I think she helps more out of a sense of duty, than out of actually wanting to help.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]After all, she's only 15. I sure as heck wasn't thinking about running all over Japan hunting witches with my awesome fire powers when I was 15. (Haha, I wish. It would so so awesome to be able to set things on fire . . . mmm, fire.)[/font] [font=Times New Roman]But we're finally starting to get a personality pulled out of Robin, instead of a robot that has been trained to blandly follow orders.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]Although, you have to wonder: what's the jewel that Robin wears for? I mean, the ending sequence (I don't know if that's the Japanese ending or just the Adult Swim American ending) concentrates primarily on the stone and it's holder, showing it twisting and untwisting at the side of the screen, and then burning up and disappearing in the center of the screen at the very end. And while most episodes show her wearing it, I've noticed one or two episodes where she'll be missing the pendant necklace.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]It does appear special, though.[/font] [font=Times New Roman]--Sere[/font]