Noah, City of Von 2067, Sunday, January 12th
'Puff, Puff, Puff. ' Noah running down the stairs: black raincoat on and black pants, making way for the police station.
"Finally," Noah says, standing in front of the police station entrance. Before entering the police station, Noah takes out his phone to look at the time. The time reads 4:53 pm.
'Okay, that leaves us around an hour to look for Amelia Ashford before the sun sets.' Thinks Noah.
Noah, standing there, finally walks through the sliding doors into the police station. After walking through the doors, he just stops there and takes a look around.
"This has got to be the busiest the police station has been since the acts of the Primal killer," Noah says to himself. Noah glances around the station, and he immediately picks out Rudolph and A-3 standing in front of the chief's office. Noah hesitantly walks over to them.
"Hey! Kid, watch out!" A cop says as he chucks Noah to the side. "Don't you see the station is busy! So don't just stand there!"
"Sorry." Noah throws up a hand gesture.
Noah looks back to where Rudolph and A-3 were and sees that Rudolph has noticed him and begins walking towards him.
Rudolph approaches Noah and just stares at him for a second, "Hey, you shouldn't be here right now."
"Why not?"
"Because I thought I told you not to worry about this killer."
Noah sighs, "Well, I want to help, and you can't tell me not to."
"You're still such a child." Says Rudolph.
A door opens, and the room suddenly falls quiet.
"Okay, is everyone here!" The chief says with his voice trembling. "Okay, even if everyone is not here, we're going to start the briefing now." The chief looks over to Rudolph.
Rudolph nods his head and begins to walk towards the front of the room.
"Alright, as you guys have probably heard by now, Amelia Ashford has been missing for around an hour now." Rudolph points to the holograph screen, which displays her name, date of birth, picture, and other information.
"This time period, a person goes missing, the time needed to find them is called the critical hours. More specifically, for women, it's about 7 hours. About 70% of victims die within that time. This means that we have about 6 hours left to find Amelia Ashford with the highest chances of her being alive."
"Any questions?" Rudolph asks. "Okay, since there are no questions, we will begin the search for Amelia Ashford. We'll have the police all over the second district of Von: going around central neighborhoods, streets, and the different sections of Von city's second district. We will even have police cover Luminara Square."
"Lastly, before we go out, make sure you are partnered up with someone. That's all! Everyone, make sure you find Amelia Ashord!"
Everyone in the room starts walking around, getting up from their chairs, gathering their gear, and rushing out the doors.
Rudolph walks up to one of the last people in the police station, Noah.
"I want to help find Amelia Ashford." Says Noah.
"I understand you want to help, but this is a police matter, Noah. So just go home." Rudolph sighs, "And you're not even partnered up."
Slowly, someone stood up from their desk, the chair rolling backwards. " Actually… I could still use a partner." He says.
Rudolph sighs angrily, "Lucas, I told you! You have to be more social!"
"Well, it's not really my fault. It's just happened that my partner isn't here today." Lucas laughs nervously.
Noah looks up at Rudolph, "See, he needs a partner! So please let me help you guys find Amelia Ashford."
Rudolph runs his hand through his hair, "Fine. You can help, but just remember you can't carry a gun. So just be careful out there."
"Okay! Thank you!" Noah looks over to Lucas. "My name is Noah, as you probably heard." Noah reaches out for a handshake.
"Yeah, I know who you are. The guy who got framed for being the Primal killer."
"Hmm, so you know me, huh?"
"Of course I do! I mean, who wouldn't know you!"
Rudolph grunts. "Okay, me and A-3 will be heading out now. You guys should be, too."
"Wait—where are we going?" Noah asks.
"Right, you two are heading to Luminara Square." Rudolph begins to walk out with A-3 following behind.
Lucas sighs, "Great, so we're one of the groups going to Luminara Square." Lucas starts to head for the door. "We'd better leave now so we can make the 5:30 train."
"Uh, right." Noah follows behind.
"God, it's freezing," Lucas says as he walks down the police station steps. "The station is about 15 minutes from here walking, so we will have to run if we want to make up time. Is that fine with you?"
"Yeah, it's fine. We need to find Amelia fast." Noah says as he starts to run.
'Puff, Puff, Puff.' "We're finally here." Says Lucas bent over trying to gather his breath. "Let me go get us tickets quick."
"Yeah, ok." Says Noah.
Noah stood straight up and put his hands to his waist. Then he looks around the station. "Ughgh, there are posters everywhere." Noah looks at the posters. One poster features a robot with an X going through it, which reads 'Die.' Another poster discusses how AI is taking over the world. There are also propaganda posters of the president, some of which say 'AI has been the future!' of course, with the president's face on each of his posters. Noah looks over to a TV on the wall, which just happens to be covering the president's latest speech on how he played a part in the victory in the war that occurred 30 years ago.
"Hmm?" Looks over to an old lady talking to Lucas.
"What nice black hair, you police officer." The Grandma pats his head. "It's also short, which is nice."
Lucas chuckles, "Yeah? I guess it's nice."
"Are you Korean, by any chance?" The old lady asks.
Lucas stands there, confused. "Sorry?"
"Oh, shucks, I didn't mean it like that, it's just that I had a Korean husband, is all."
"Ah, I see." Lucas tightens his cheeks, trying to force a smile.
"Hey! Lucas, do you have our tickets?" Yells Noah.
Lucas glances over and sighs in relief. "Yeah! I have them!" Lucas walks towards Noah and waves back to the old lady. "Are you ready? Our train is the next one up."
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"Ah, here it is." Lucas points to the train there getting on. "I bought cheap tickets, so there will be a lot of people next to us, hope that doesn't bother you?"
"It's fine." Says Noah as he rubs his hand on his pants.
"Ah, fuck it smells like shit in here!" Says Lucas as they board the train. "Ah, look, there are seats right there, hurry and sit!"
The train starts to fill up with a variety of people: those going to work, coming home from work, students, or just people doing their own things.
"Dam, it smells in here! Do people not know how to use deodorant?" Lucas whispers aggressively in Noah's ear. "Ah, it's also so hot!" Lucas looks up at the train roof, "Fuck I don't want to be on this train any longer!"
"Finally! We have arrived!" Lucas says as he steps off the train and takes a deep breath. "I was getting tired of looking at prostitutes."
"Yeah," Noah says, stretching himself out. Noah takes a look around one of the entrances to Luminara Square.
Lucas speaks up, "This place is always going to look eerie to me." Lucas points in front of him. "It's always weird, every time I get off at this stop, I'm always greeted with an angel at the end of this slab pathway," Lucas begins to walk into Luminara Square. "Well, we'd better get going, don't want to waste any more time, right?"
"Yeah, let's go," Noah says with his hands in his pockets. "What do you think it means? I mean, them putting the angel here?"
"I don't know," Lucas says.
As Noah walks past the angel, he sees writing at the bottom where the angel stands, "Archangel."
"Okay, for now, we will split up. We'll need to cover as much ground as possible." Lucas says, pulling out his phone. "I'll ask people around Luminara Park, you ask around the heart of Luminar Square. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Okay, let's say we meet at the coffee place, 'Goat?' in 30 minutes."
"Yeah, alright, see you in 30 minutes." Says Noah as he heads to the heart of Luminara Square.
Noah, finally at the heart of Luminara Square, starts pacing in a circle mumbling to himself 'We must find her! We're running out of time! Do something, Noah! Ask! Noah then stops pacing, takes a deep breath in and out, and tries to collect his thoughts. "Where would a teenage girl go? Ah, karaoke maybe?" Noah pulls out his phone, opens Maps, and searches for nearby karaoke places. "Ah, here we go, the nearest karaoke place is about 3 minutes from here, let's go."
Standing in front of a door with a big sign on the top that says 'karaoke magic' at the top, Noah opens the door and sets foot inside.
The door shuts fast behind him, "Hello?" Says Noah, slightly waving to the worker.
The worker lifts their head from their phone, "How are you? Here for some karaoke?"
"Uhhh, no." Noah pulls out his phone and pulls up a picture of Amelia Ashford. "I was wondering if you may have seen this person before? Maybe by herself or with friends?"
The worker squints his eyes to get a closer look, "Ah, here isn't she the chief's daughter? The one on the news for being missing?"
"Yes, that's her. Have you seen her come here either by herself or with friends?"
"Now that you mention it, I think I have seen her here like once or twice. She would be in a group of like 3-5 people." The worker goes to his computer, "Actually, that same group is here right now."
"Great! Can you give the room there in?" Noah, getting anxious, cracks his knuckles.
"Yeah, they're in room 7."
"Okay, thank you." Noah nods his head at him and begins to head towards the room.
Without even knocking, Noah opens the door to the room. 'Cough, Cough' "Why is it so smoky in here?" 'Cough, Cough. ' Noah waves his hand in front of him to clear the smoke. After being able to clear some of the smoke, Noah is finally able to see the people in the room, the drugs on the table, and the alcohol in front of him, with couches surrounding the table.
Noah's eyes widen, "Is that a butterfly?" A butterfly lands on the head of the person who sits at the head of the table.
"Who the fuck are you?" The person finally noticed Noah standing in the room.
"You're just kids?" Noah sighs in disappointment. "Amelia Ashord really hung out with you guys?"
The other kids finally take notice of Noah standing there.
"Who the fuck is he, Mike?" Says a girl lying down on one of the couches.
"I don't know," Mike says as he shoots a puff of smoke into the air.
"Well, tell him to fuck off."
"You know I can hear you, right?" Noah says annoyed with the situation.
"Shush!" The noise comes from directly in front of Noah.
"Sorry?" Noah confused.
"Don't you see that Mike is thinking?" The kid says, pointing to Mike.
"Look, I have just one question, okay." Noah tries to crack his knuckles again. "Do you guys know Amelia Ashford?"
"Yo, Mike, why do you have a butterfly on your left shoulder?" The kid says, completely ignoring Noah's question.
Mike looks over to his left shoulder, "Huh, you're right." Says Mike as he picks up the butterfly with his right hand. Mike then crushes the butterfly to death with that hand.
"Hey guys, I have an idea? If this guy doesn't leave, why don't we just kill him?" Says Mike menacingly.
"Whoa, there's no need for that now!" Noah puts both his hands up in the air. "Look," Noah takes a deep breath. "I'll leave after you tell me what I want to know about Amelia Ashford.
"Amelia who?" Mike snaps. "I may have known her! Or I may not know her! I wouldn't know right now because I'm high as fuck!" Mike gives Noah a sinister smile. "But I do know what's going to happen, is that if you don't leave right now! I'll kill you."
Noah nervously starts walking backward when, suddenly, his right eye lights up bright blue. "Ahhh! What the fuck is happening!" Noah bends over slightly and holds his right hand to his head, his ears ringing. "What? What just happened?"
It went by in a flash, like a piece of film, but it was showing Amelia hanging out with these guys, doing drugs and alcohol. Was what I saw a vision? If what I saw then is true, these teenagers definitely knew Amelia.
"So let me ask again, did you guys know Amelia?" His voice is getting angrier.
"And let me tell you again! I may have known her, or I may not have!" Says Mike, now slowly approaching Noah.
Mike begins to raise his fists. "Now if you don't leave right now, you're dead."
"Fine, but if Amelia turns up dead, then expect to see me again." Noah slowly exits the room. After leaving the room, Noah waves to the worker and then exits the Karaoke building.
After exiting the building, Noah takes a deep breath in and out as he looks up at the sign that says 'Karaoke Magic.'
Starting to walk back towards the coffee place, Noah notices another butterfly flying over the large crowds of people. "Why is there another butterfly?" Noah, starting to get curious, follows the butterfly
As the butterfly passes place after place, it finally stops.
"Huh, isn't this the coffee shop where Lucas and I were supposed to meet at?" Noah stands in front of the entrance to the coffee shop and watches as the butterfly flies inside. "It's going inside?" Noah continues to follow the butterfly inside the coffee shop. "Now it's finally landing." Noah looks at the butterfly land at a small table with two chairs. Then, suddenly again, Noah puts his hand to his head.
Ahhhh, it's happening again! The ringing in my ears! The head throbs! For a moment, Noah, standing in place, bent over. The flash, I saw it again! Like pieces of film! This time, Amelia Ashford is shown sitting at the table, where the butterfly is, with someone sitting across from her, although I couldn't make out the person sitting across from her.
Someone taps Noah on the shoulder, taking him back to reality.
"You good?"
Noah looks up to see it's just Lucas. "Yeah… I'm fine."
"You sure? Because you're sweating like crazy?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Noah stood upright. "Do you think we get the security footage from this place?"
"Yeah, why? Do you think Amelia Ashford was here?" Lucas gives Noah a weird look. "You do know kids come here all the time, right? Like to do studying and stuff?"
"Sure, whatever. I still need to see the security cameras."
"Fine, but you're asking."
Noah walks to the worker to ask, then walks back. "They said we could check. Let's go."
After following the worker into a cramped room with one desk, one monitor, and one keyboard, the worker sits in the seat and pulls up the time Amelia Ashford last went to the coffee shop.
"Here—we go." Says the worker as he shows Noah and Lucas Amelia Ashford on the cameras.
"It's just her?" Noah asks questioningly.
Lucas looks over Noah's shoulder, then at Noah like he's crazy. "What? Were you expecting someone else to be there?"
"Shut up, Lucas." Noah then turned to the worker, "You're sure she was the only one there?"
"I mean, unless the camera is wrong, then yeah, she was the only one there."
What? How is this possible? I definitely saw another person sitting across from her.
All of a sudden, Noah runs out of the room and then out of the coffee place. Lucas chases after him.
Lucas catches up to Noah, who is just standing there. Lucas puts his right hand on Noah's left shoulder. Then Lucas notices Noah's eye lighting up blue. "What the?"
"Look around. Look until you see a butterfly." Noah says.
"A butterfly?"
Noah looks around, taking in all his surroundings: A photographer taking pictures of people, someone handing kids ice cream, kids playing hopscotch. Finally, Noah sees the butterfly. It's flying over a clown handing out balloons to kids.
"Their! The butterfly." Noah points toward the butterfly. "Follow it!" Noah begins to run after the butterfly.
"Ah, God dammit." Lucas puts his hands to his face.
Finally, after running, the butterfly flies into a square storm drain.
"Fuck me, that really made me sweat." Lucas watches Noah walk over to the storm drain.
Noah just stands there, his eyes widen, and he starts taking fast breaths. "We were too late," Noah says as he looks at Amelia Ashford's dead body in the drain and the lone butterfly resting on her head.
"What?" Lucas walks over to Noah and looks inside the storm drain. "Oh fuck!" Lucas goes to the side and vomits everywhere.
Noah stuttering over his words, "Amelia Ashford is—dead."
"Oh fuck!" Lucas looks back into the storm drain. "She's really dead?"
"Yeah, she's dead." Noah walks over to some nearby steps and sits down.
"Shit, I have to call this in!" Lucas grabs his walkie-talkie and radios in Amelia Ashord's death.
Noah, just sitting there on the steps, starts to feel a buzzing noise coming from his pocket. Noah reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone.
Someone is calling me? But it just says unknown number. Noah hesitantly answers the phone.
"Hello?"
It sounds like someone is trying to say something, but no words are coming out. And when they do try to say something, it sounds like liquid is rising in their throat.
Finally, the person manages to say something…
"We—were—you–able to save her?" She then pauses again.
Ah, it sounds like a girl. Is she okay?
Noah, not fully understanding what's happening, said, "What do you mean... save her? Amelia Ashord?" Noah stands up.
"Yes," she replies.
"Just who are you?"
"I guess you weren't able to." The line disconnects.
Noah's arm drops to his side, and he just stands there. "What the?"