Necessary Investigations (for fiveofnone)

[youmeandpokemon]

It's been about a week since Professor Madrone spoke with one Caspar Millen about his current predicament: a serial killer who just happened to be involved in the killing of two persistant Pokemon poachers in the Nexus. Normal murder mysteries would be left to the police, but since Pokemon have been dragged into the ordeal, Professor Madrone feels his involvement is somewhat needed. He's become the local person to come to for all things Pokemon related in the Nexus, after all.



He's been unable to sleep well the past few days, no matter how much Chamomile tea he drinks or how early he goes to bed. The thought of death weighs on his mind, and Madrone finds himself plunging headfirst into new research to distract himself from the case. New samples of grass type Pokemon spores need to be collected. Rock pokemon formations need to be examined. He's thankful that the life of a Professor can be filled with many things to do.

The text comes out of nowhere Saturday morning, not from Marie, who he's been trying to call, but her assistant Samantha. It is not the news he wants to hear:

Marie is dead. Review the information I'm about to send you while I take care of funeral arrangements. We will meet later to discuss things.

What. Madrone is forced to take a seat at his kitchen table, one hand over his cup of tea, staring down at his cell phone / PINpoint. Within a few minutes, a USB flash drive and a folder full of documents are PINpointed to him, contaning evidence he's none to excited to see. He won't call Caspar just yet, wanting to look over the data first, in case he should warn the Cylon of something gruesome beforehand.

By mid-afternoon, he's already numb to the pain and has had time to compose a message to Caspar:

Caspar. I have new information that I wish to review with you. Please meet me at the labratory, as soon as possible.

If Adia asks to come, please allow her to do so. I will give her a few scientific tasks to work on for the day while we discuss Josh. Perhaps the wilds will do well for her spirit.

With best regards,

Professor William Madrone.

Comments

[fiveofnone]

It doesn't take long for Madrone to get a message back. Caspar has been keeping his PINpoint on him at all times, anxious to hear some news, either from Madrone or anyone else who has been looking into the 'Josh' situation on his behalf.

We'll be there in a half-hour. Adia is coming, too.

They show up in the lab a little before the thirty minutes are up. Caspar is wearing a suit this time, gray with an orange dress shirt. Adia is also dressed semi-professionally, her hair pulled back in in a ponytail. She looks tired, but not as jittery as one might expect considering her situation.

"Hi, Professor," she says shyly, almost apologetically. It bothers her that he's been dragged into this mess. Caspar has a protective arm around her; he gives Madrone a nod in greeting. "We would have been here sooner but we had to wrap some things up at our lab first."

[youmeandpokemon]

Of course! I will brew up some tea and be ready for your arrival shortly!

Professor Madrone’s coordinates are helpful at getting the couple directly into his laboratory, where he’s already waiting for them with a smile on his face. It’s clear that he’s a little sleep deprived though...

“Adia! Caspar! So good to see you both at the lab again! And don’t worry if you’re a bit late, I understand how busy we can get.”

He gestures for both of them to join him near the a computer screen, where pictures of a large lake are displayed. “I’m excited to show you my newest research project, Adia. It involves a possible legendary Pokémon!”

[fiveofnone]

The couple dutifully heads over to the computer screen. Caspar is anxious to discuss what the professor has learned about Josh, if anything, but he knows that Adia needs to get settled with her "project" first. Anything to keep her mind on happier pursuits.

"A legendary pokémon?" She peers at the map, intrigued, perhaps even eager for a good distraction. "I'm surprised they'd want to leave their home world for the Nexus. Which one do you think might be here?"

[youmeandpokemon]

Madrone will keep quiet about the Josh incident for now, focusing on Adia and her mentally stability first. She doesn't need nor deserve to learn about what her stalker has been doing in his off-time, especially since more violence has occurred.

He taps on the keyboard, and a few blurry pictures appear of a horse-like Pokemon can be seen, rushing across the water. Madrone reaches for two Pokeballs on the desk next to the computer and offers them to Adia.

"Keldeo. Known as one of the Swords of Justice, it travels the world with three other Pokemon: Virizion, Cobalion and Terrakion. These four Pokemon are known to protect the weak and assist the strong, but they rarely interact with humans." He points to the picture of the lake. "About 10 miles away, the lake exists, hidden within the middle of the forest, connecting to other water sources by a small waterfall."

Madrone writes down a set of PINpoint coordinates and also offers them to Adia. "I need you to observe the lake, Adia...To see if Keldeo shows up and to also check on the Feebas and Magikarp that reside there. I'm giving you two Pokemon that handle water types effectively, in the rare instance that something comes up."

[fiveofnone]

As far as mental stability, she seems to be acting like her usual self. Of course, she's in a place she considers safe with people that she trusts. That goes a long way to keeping her from feeling anxious.

"Oh, they look like horses," Adia murmurs, looking over the blurry images. Madrone certainly knows the best way to distract her. She listens to his description, then enters the coordinates into her PINpoint. "Who are you sending with me?" she asks, holding up the two pokéballs curiously. "Do you mind if, um... that is, can I let them out right away so that they can keep me company?" She knows that she'll be safe at the lake, but she'd rather not be alone with her thoughts, either.

"She'll be all right with the feebas and magikarp?" Caspar asks, but Adia shakes her head a little and smiles, unworried about that. After you've seen a magikarp, you know not to be overly concerned.

[youmeandpokemon]

"That they do. It would be wise, should you encounter one, approach them quietly and calmly. Legendary pokemon can speak with telepathy, or so the rumors say, and they can sense those with a pure of heart." Adia's questions are not forgotten, and Madrone points to one of the Pokeballs in her hand. "I would wait on calling Torterra, since he likes to take his time. Manectric probably wouldn't mind getting out of the Pokeball early."

Madrone pulls up another picture, showing a blurry image of Virizion dashing through the woods. He looks at Caspar, then back to Adia. "You both will be going by yourselves, but I'm giving you highly powerful Pokemon to keep you safe. Caspar, I'm sending you into the deep woods to observe the local Grass Pokemon. I'd say the research should take about two hours, getting you both back here before nightfall."

He waits to see if anyone has any questions about the matter, but he gives Caspar a light nod, hopefully letting the Cylon know that he'll be staying around. "Also, Feebas and Magikarp are very weak fish Pokemon. Hardly a threat to a Grass and Lightning type, I must say."

[fiveofnone]

The telepathy doesn't put off Adia, although she'd never presume that she's pure enough of heart to attract a legendary pokémon. All the same, she's hopeful that she'll be able to at least catch a glimpse of them in action. She tucks the two pokéballs into her messenger bag, next to her pokédex. She can give them a scan to learn more about them when she gets to the lake.

Caspar does a double-take when Madrone gives him a mission as well. Wait, what? Wasn't the whole point of this visit for him to stay behind and speak with Madrone? The light nod keeps him silent. Perhaps the professor knows more than he's letting on.

"I haven't seen a feebas in person yet, but a friend of mine once accidentally caught a magikarp," Adia informs the professor. The memory brings an amused smile to her face. "I'd never seen a fish belly flop the water as hard as it did. They're a funny fish, aren't they? I'll make sure they're doing okay." She checks her PINpoint again. "Is there anything else, or should I go on ahead?"

[youmeandpokemon]

"Yes, they are a silly bunch, but when angry, they evolve into a sea serpent." Madrone has no doubt that if anyone was to get a glimpse of a Legendary Pokemon, it would be Adia. He really doesn't have any other advice to give her, but Madrone does have one last question for Adia, albeit it relates little to the current mission.

"I've arranged for dinner to be delivered this evening; I hope you both have no objections to it? Your friend at the Crossroads Cafe seemed adamant about providing the food, the fuzzy polar bear. I didn't tell him you'd be coming, so no worries there." He seems pleased at this surprise: hopefully having some homemade ramen will do everyone some good. "Other than that, contact me if you have any issues or concerns. Me and Caspar will drop our tasks and meet up with you."

If Caspar was concerned about going out on his own, Madrone's next set of words should indicate that he wants the Cylon to stick around. "I need to finish getting your coordinates and team ready to go, Caspar, so if you can wait a few minutes, we'll go over your information."

[fiveofnone]

"I'll make sure none of them evolve because of me," she jokes. She'll be happy to see them swimming about, anyway. Fish -- even silly fish -- are always relaxing to watch.

The mention of Ice Bear brings a bright smile to her face. His and Madrone's thoughtfulness is almost too much, and for a moment she simply stares at the ground, scuffing one of her shoes against the other. "That sounds wonderful, Professor. Thank you." She brings her gaze back up, a shy smile on her face. She is truly blessed to have such good friends. Even Caspar looks touched by the news. Ice Bear is a very good bear.

Ah, okay, that was the plan after all. Caspar gives Madrone a brief nod, then leans into Adia to give her a farewell kiss on the cheek. "Text us if you need us, Adia. Don't hesitate."

"I'll be fine, sweetheart." She loads up the coordinates on her PINpoint, then gives her boyfriend a knowing look. "Try to make a little time to actually visit the woods, okay? It'd do you some good."

Caspar startles, but Adia has already teleported out of the lab. After a brief stare at the space she vacated, he sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Sorry... I should have told you not to bother with a ruse. She knows why I'm really here."

[youmeandpokemon]

"If the Feebas evolve, I'll be very impressed. You won't have to worry about them being a threat like a Gyarados." He smiles at both Adia and Caspar, unable to really contain his happiness upon seeing them kiss. They're such a cute, nice couple in his opinion. "See you in a few hours, Adia."

And she's off...leaving Madrone to process her words, before Caspar mentions that Adia knows why they've gathered here today. He can't help but frown a bit at the cylon's words. "Hopefully my lack of truth-telling doesn't look bad in Adia's eyes."

The Professor is rather forgiving, as he walks over to a coffee and tea machine that's placed near the lab entrance. He makes himself a mug full of Chamomile, then turns to pour some coffee for Caspar. "How do you take your coffee? Do you want some alcohol to go with it, because alas, I have some less favorable news for you."

[fiveofnone]

Caspar shrugs, dropping his hand. "She knows you're only looking out for her. and if there's anything she needs to know, I can tell her later while leaving out the gory details. It doesn't hurt to let her have a little fun first, anyway. She's barely left Atlantis these past couple of weeks."

He follows Madrone to the coffee and tea machine. "Black's fine," he replies uneasily, already not liking what he's about to hear. "I'll pass on the booze. And -- let me guess -- you didn't get to talk to Marie."

[youmeandpokemon]

"...I'm glad that you think I've done the right thing, because sometimes I make mistakes just like any other person." He nods, feeling at ease regarding Adia, but not so much to the upcoming news. He pours a mug of straight black coffee for Caspar, offering it to him, while walking back into the laboratory.

"I can't talk to a corpse." Taking a seat in front of the computer, Madrone reaches for a nearby remote, which turns on a large TV against the back wall. He opens a file on the computer, which shows up in a larger form on the TV. It's a screencap of an online article from a German news website, translated to English. There's a picture of a woman with red-hair, dressed in an expensive 3 piece suit. The title reads as follows:

Murder at Spiel Gaming Convention, Police Investigation Currently Underway.

The article talks about how one Marie Aldaine, age 34, was found dead in her hotel room in Essen, Germany. A little bit of her history is revealed: a successful entrepreneur, specializing in game design: her death seems to be a shock, since murders rarely happen to high profile people overseas. Madrone takes a sip of his tea, letting Caspar absorb all the information thus far, given the worst is yet to come.

"The police have a suspect and I believe it is the person you're seeking."

[fiveofnone]

"You? No way, Professor." There's a wry twist to his smile, but Caspar isn't being completely sarcastic. He trusts Madrone's judgement, far more than most other humans.

That trust is important, because the news that Marie is dead hits him with surprising force. Not because he cares at all about what happened to an "unorthodox" trainer, but because it's an immediate road block to their investigation. He scans the article quickly, a scowl on his face. "He's covering his tracks. Dammit. It doesn't matter if the police think he's a suspect, it's not his world. Unless they know about the Nexus, there's no way to follow him here."

A pause while he sips his coffee. Then, grimly, "How'd she die?"

[youmeandpokemon]

Madrone just stares at Caspar with a look on his face that indicates his understanding of the joke. He manages a smirk, but his expression immediately shifts back to being serious.

"I think he's up to something. Samantha, Marie's personal secretary, informed me that someone hacked into a few of Marie's personal bank accounts, scoring themselves a cool half-million. The accounts were locked afterwards, but it'll be hard to recoup that money." Madrone sighs, preparing to open a file labeled crime scene, but wants to give Caspar fair warning that it won't be pretty.

"Stabbed to death 37 times. The coroner's office claims she also had a slow-acting poison in her system, but they're having trouble ID'ing what kind of toxin was used."

[fiveofnone]

Caspar raises an eyebrow at the news. Grand theft is the least of Josh's crimes, but it is concerning that he bothered to siphon funds from his victim. "What do you think he's playing at?" he asks. What does he need all that money for?

"Stabbed and poisoned?" Seems like overkill. "On his game show, he either tortures the contestants or has them torture one another. Maybe the poison wasn't acting quickly enough for his liking so he decided to have a little more fun before she died."

[youmeandpokemon]

"I have no idea. That's something I figured you might have an answer to." Madrone shakes his head, tapping the computer screen to reveal police photos of the crime scene. It's a large bathroom, where Marie is laying on the floor, dried blood covering the shower curtain, tiles, everything. Someone clearly had pent up rage, as the stab wounds are simply overkill.

"The police think he has an accomplice, because some of the stab wounds don't line up with Josh's height. If that's the case, then who knows what those two have planned." Madrone shifts the gory image away from the screen, bringing up a picture of Josh in a fancy tuxedo, interacting with Marie in what looks to be a hotel. "I'm going to take a logical guess and assume that this is your man?"

[fiveofnone]

"I don't know anything about his motivations except his obsession with Adia." Despite having money, Caspar has never concerned himself too much with it. "He's amassing funds for something. His game show is too low-budget to warrant all that cash."

Further speculation will have to wait, as he examines the crime scene photo. Frankly, he's seen worse, but the thought of Adia being a possible victim fills him with a stomach-turning unease. He pushes away his nausea, focusing on the professor's words instead. He doesn't like the idea of someone assisting Josh with his murders, but he's not entirely surprised. "Adia said that he had a friend? Someone dying of cancer... there was a lawyer, too, someone helping him find contestants for his show."

And there's the man of the hour himself, all gussied up. "That's him. Is this from a security camera?" He stalks up to screen, stares at the tuxedo'd man as if he'll give away his secrets. "Not so clever that you can't avoid getting photographed, are you?" he hisses at the image, a sneer curling his upper lip.

[youmeandpokemon]

“That much money has to have importance or maybe he was trying to purchase something for Adia? If he’s that obsessed with her, maybe he thinks he can win her over with cash?” Madrone shakes his head, staring at the photo of Josh in the hotel with Marie, who seems to be smiling deeply at him. The photos were clearly taken early in the evening, well before something happened to her. A second photo is brought up, which shows Josh guiding a very disoriented Marie into a smaller hotel lobby.

“Unfortunately, none of the other photos show anyone other than Josh and Marie. It could very well be those two, but we’ll have to see if any other evidence points to them.” He sighs, flipping through some of the pictures on his desk, trying to make sense of what’s going on. “Yes, the first set of photos came from a hotel connected to the convention center. The second came from the hotel Marie was staying at.”

[fiveofnone]

"Even if she didn't have a stable life now, you can't buy that kind of affection with money. Unless he's planning something really outlandish..."

His gaze flicks from the old photo to the new. "The slow-acting poison," he murmurs, taking in Marie's stumbling appearance. He rubs his jaw, as if trying to will some of the tension out of it. Marie's murder has only brought up more questions, none of which have answers. "Whoever they are, they would have PINpointed directly to her hotel room." He turns towards Madrone. "Do the police have any other clues or evidence about what happened?"

[youmeandpokemon]

"What kind of outlandish thing do you think he'd do?" This topic is not Madrone's strong suit, as he turns to face Caspar, the only person in the room who's had more than a fleeting moment with Josh. He rests one hand near the computer, leaving it on the two photos.

"Indeed. He must have slipped the poison into her system during the night. Records indicate that the two of them took a taxi out to dinner; I would assume he poisoned her there." He pulls the folder into his lap, looking over the police records. "If Marie had a PINpoint, it was stolen along with her luggage, laptop and other personal belongings. Josh wanted everything for some reason." Madrone stops when he comes upon a new photo from the crime screen. He returns his focus to the computer screen, bringing up two new pictures.

The computer screen has a touch feature and Madrone takes a nearby stylus, circling two particular spots: some red stains on the carpet and a few footprints in the bathroom. They look smaller than the average person, especially in comparison to Josh's foot size.

"Perhaps we can do our own detective work, given our knowledge of the Nexus..." Because he most certainly doesn't expect the German police force to identify unusual things easily.

[fiveofnone]

Caspar frowns to himself, trying to get in the mindset of a killer. He wishes it was harder to think like Josh, but the Fives have an unfortunate history with torture and cruelty. Not as vengeful as the Ones, or as obsessive as the Threes, but it's there. Dormant. Waiting for an acceptable target.

"I'd build a cage," he says finally. "A big, beautiful cage, and I'd put her right in the middle of it. And then I'd make her learn to love me... or kill her trying."

He shuts his eyes, trying to push out the idea. When he opens them again, there's a new photograph to look at. He stares at it, his frown growing. "Are... are those a kid's footprints?" They do look quite small in comparison. "Someone a hell of a lot smaller than Josh, anyway..."

Madrone's suggestion gets a raised eyebrow. "You don't need to ask, of course we should look into this further." Which reminds him of another fact that hasn't yet come up in their discussion. "You should know that he's trying to learn magic. Voodoo. Do you have that on your world? A witch opened a portal for him, that's how he was able to get to the Nexus in the first place."

[youmeandpokemon]

Professor Madrone raises an eyebrow to Caspar’s ideal about what Josh would do with Adia. Wow. He doesn’t say it out loud, but that’s a dark thing to say. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point.” His attention is already back on the television screen, looking at the shoe prints. “A child? It’s possible, but that would seem unlikely. What kind of child would willingly participate in murder?”

The topic of Voodoo is a new one, but it sounds like something that shares traits with rituals of certain Pokémon. “Not really, but some people believe in spirits and the powers they possess. Personally, I’ve seen and heard about portals being opened, but through scientific means. Do you think this witch wants access to the Nexus? Or something greater?”

[fiveofnone]

He doesn't know what to do about that look except avert his gaze awkwardly. Madrone did ask, after all. It's not his fault that he understands that sort of thinking better than others...

It's a relief when the subject changes. Madrone's question about a child murderer earns him a shrug. "There are all types in the Nexus, Professor. He was advertising on the Darknet, it's possible he made a friend there, too."

Madrone's other questions aren't answered with nearly as much certainty. "Josh didn't write much about the witch... ah, I should have said, Harley was able to take photos of his journal while she was in his cabin. He sounded eager to pursue learning about voodoo. I don't know enough about magic to guess at this witch's intentions."

[youmeandpokemon]

Well, yes, he did ask for an answer, but Madrone never suspected Caspar could think like that. He shakes off his concern regarding that line of thinking, because his focus is now on the fact that a child is involved. Madrone doesn't want to believe that's true: maybe the child was there at the wrong time and could be another victim? He has no idea how to process this information...

"He probably wants power. As for the witch, unless we directly found a way to confront her, I'm not sure what those intentions are." Madrone isn't sure what Josh wants to do either, which makes the situation tricky, especially given his recent attack on a 'friend'. "Marie's goals were straight-forward: there's documents and security footage from her business showing Josh visiting her multiple times.I don't know how significant it is, but I can pull those up as well."

Maybe learning more about Josh's behavior will allow Caspar to figure out what his next steps are.

[fiveofnone]

Perhaps it'd be less surprising if Madrone knew more about Caspar's past, but that's a discussion for another time. He's not about to push his "child as an accomplice" theory, either. He knows it's a little far-fetched. More likely that the other person is simply on the small side.

"Considering how many powerful people are in the Nexus, that's probably his goal," Caspar agrees. "That makes him more dangerous, too. He might be looking for a way around the anti-violence field." Which, if successful, would really suck. "The witch lives in his home world, but Harley and I don't know where that is. There probably isn't a door, if she had to make a portal herself."

He hates that Adia was able to read over those journal entries, as necessary as it was to prove Josh's intentions. Already she blames herself as being the reason Josh wanted to visit the Nexus in person. Never mind that he probably would have wanted access anyway, as crazy as he is.

"Go ahead, pull them up. Let's see how deep their relationship extended."