Act III – "The Signal"
Chapter 13 – "Breaking and Leaving" – Arcadia Bay Police Department, Oregon, United States of America – 10:14 PM Local Time, 8th October 2013
Officer Berry sighed as he glanced through the one way mirror into the interrogation room at the man inside, taking a drink from his steaming cup of coffee as he took a long look at the man inside. The man fixed the cufflinks on his dark blue shirt, doing so without breaking eye contact with the wall; he'd dumped his formal jacket just after arriving at the station at the request of Berry and a few other officers, mainly as a cause for concern about the man's health due to how wet and cold the jacket was.
"Something's not quite about him," Berry commented as he looked at his partner, Office Bradly, "He's been staring at that wall for ten minutes now…Don't think he's even blinked once…"
"I'm more concerned about half the shit we pulled out of his pockets when we brought him in or how he got those singes on the back of his shit," Bradly muttered as he picked up a clipboard from the table behind them, "I will never for the life of me figure out how he got one Rubik's cube into those pockets, let alone two…"
Berry chuckled nervously at the thought, his eyes wandering back to the man they'd identified as 'Richard Lester'. He was currently being charged with manslaughter for his part in Kate Marsh's suicide as well as a series of charges which had been brought forward by Blackwell Academy.
"Someone really wants this guy behind bars," Bradly went on as he read aloud the allegations from Blackwell, "Trespassing. Breaking and entering. Harassment. Threats against staff…List goes on…" Bradly stopped as he let out a low whistle, "Some piece of work…Even for someone who's supposed to be a Private Investigator…"
Berry didn't comment on the charges, looking back at Richard through the glass as Principal Wells' words echoed in his ears.
Mr. Lester is quickly becoming a nuisance; he is sticking his nose in places where both Sean Prescott and I do not appreciate. Please see to it that he remains out of the picture.
Berry inwardly sighed; he hated doing his job when the Prescotts were involved, especially in situations like this. The Prescott family had the entirety of Arcadia Bay Police Department by the balls, so when they wanted something done: it got done and it got done quickly. Berry closed his eyes at the unpleasant memory of Sean Prescott bringing the investigation into Rachel Amber's disappearance to an abrupt close barely two months after it had begun.
"Let's get this over with…" Berry sighed as he finished the last of his coffee, giving a small nod to Bradly before picking up the case notes and walking into the interrogation room.
"Mr. Lester? If you don't mind we'll have to start now…" Berry notified Richard as he entered, raising one of his eyebrows slightly when he became aware that Richard hadn't even noticed his entrance; clearing his throat impatiently with a loud cough to get the man's attention, Berry went on, "Are you sure you don't want a law-"
"Shush!" Richard quickly hushed as he held up his right hand, still looking at the wall with his unwavering, disconnected stare, "Shushhh…"
Berry almost took a step back at the abrupt interruption, "I'm sorry, what?"
"I missed something…" Richard muttered as his eyes seemed to frantically dart around the room.
"Uh…Missed what?" Berry asked as he sat down in front of the man, growing concerned by the man's actions.
"Something…" Richard muttered again as he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes, "I saw everything when I was on that roof…Everything…" He opened his eyes again and looked at Berry, "I missed something…"
Berry's eyes drifted away from the crazed Richard Lester towards the one way mirror and he shook his head, clearly the man was in no state to be interrogated.
"She was looking at something…" Richard went on as he continued to speak quickly to himself, "Someone in the courtyard…but who?"
"Mr. Lester…" Berry continued as he glanced back at the one way mirror, "If you don't feel up to this interrogation at the moment…We can conduct it in th-"
"I said shush!" Richard cut across Berry again, slamming his palm against the table as he continued; his voice more irritated than angry, "I'm thinking…"
"Mr. Lester," Berry snapped; his tone insistent as he continued, "I would appreciate it if you could show a little respect towards a fellow member of law enforcement."
"Good God…" Richard groaned as he sat back in his chair, directly looking at Berry with a glare that made the officer move his chair back a little as he went on, "What part of shush don't you get?" Berry was about to interject when Richard held up his hand to stop him, "I'd like to go back to my cell now."
Berry shook his head slowly at Richard; biting his lip in frustration as the man crossed his arms and returned his gaze to the wall behind him, Berry let out a sigh as he looked over the case files a final time before standing up.
"Very well, Mr. Lester," Berry muttered with a defeated sigh as he picked up the case notes and turned to leave, "We'll continue this in the morning…"
Several Hours Later, Blackwell Academy
Bleep
"Kate!" Max screamed as she woke up from her nightmare, looking up at her wall in horror as the memory of Kate falling from the dormitory roof played through her mind again.
The brunette let out a shaky breath as she blinked a few times to clear the horrible memory from her mind; looking back down at her desk, Max picked up her phone and unlocked it to look at the recent SMS message she had received, her face brightening when she realised that it was one from Chloe.
I have something to show you meet me in front of campus.
Get dat ass in gear NOW
Max smiled at the text messages as she picked up her phone; I knew Chloe would be all over this. So I better get moving.
Max stood up and slung her camera bag over her shoulder; sniffling a little as the thought of Kate's death ran through her mind again. The brunette rubbed her forehead as she mentally steadied herself.
I still can't stop thinking about Kate…It's like I'm awake in a bad dream…
The brunette breathed out as she calmed herself down, walking over to the corner of her room in an attempt to distract herself from thinking about Kate for the moment. Max stopped just beside Lisa and offered the plant a weak smile.
See, Lisa…At least I kept you alive…Guess I'm better with plants than with people.
Max's smile faltered at the sound of movement in the cage by her feet; looking down the brunette's heart sank at the sight of Kate's bunny as she knelt down beside the cage and offered the poor bunny a carrot.
Are you a hungry bunny? Here, nosh on this.
Standing up again, Max took a step towards the half open the window, placing her hands on the ledge of the window as she took in a deep breath and looked over the courtyard.
There's been so much going on I almost forgot about the eclipse…The brunette's head dipped slightly, I bet the Professor would be able to explain it…
Max took a step back from the window and looked back at her desk, deciding to check her computer for any updates regarding Rachel or Kate. She tapped the touchpad and brought her internet browser quickly, skimming over the contents of the latest Arcadia Bay News article.
Glad to see the media doesn't waste a second exploiting tragedy, Max commented bitterly as she read over the news article; her stomach twisting when she saw a link to one video of Kate falling from the dormitory roof, Now Kate's family has to deal with their daughter's death being all over the internet like a cat video.
The brunette took a calming breath before she moved onto the next tab; the missing person's list in the Arcadia Bay Police Department website.
Besides Rachel, it's been years since someone disappeared from Arcadia Bay, Max noted as she read over the various last-seen dates on the page, I guess I shouldn't sound so disappointed…
Giving the picture of Rachel Amber a final sympathetic glance; Max clicked on the next browser page, taking her to another part of the Arcadia Bay Police Department's website. She quickly read over the publically available article detailing the Professor's arrest and sighed.
Wow. Blackwell really dumped the charges on the Professor after he was arrested…Looks like we won't be getting anymore help from him…Damn it.
Shaking her head at the article, Max rubbed her forehead before going onto the next browser page and read over an email she'd received from Principal Wells.
This is such a moving piece of cut and paste Blackwell bullshit, the brunet thought angrily as she read over the email, clenching her fists as she finished skimming over it, Nobody here had Kate's back. Too little, too late.
Max quickly moved onto the next browser page, freezing when she saw that it was Kate's Facebook page.
Yes, now everyone loves Kate Marsh, Max inwardly fumed as she read over the newest comments on Kate's page, They bullied her and now post their feels. Hypocrites.
The brunette sighed as she moved onto her own Facebook page, gritting her teeth at the amount of provocative comments – anonymous or otherwise – on her page, Either I delete my page or I block everybody. Nowhere to hide these days…
Everyone will be talking about Kate now, Max inwardly sighed as she took a step away from her desk and turned to face the door, Blackwell might as well shut down for the next month.
The brunette rubbed her eyes slowly as she walked towards the door to leave her dorm room, pausing for a moment beside the door to look at herself in the mirror; her eyes were a puffy red thanks to her almost non-stop crying since she'd been able to get back into her dorm. Come on, Max. No more tears, Max thought as she tried to comfort herself; not that she had anymore tears left by this point, You have to act. Not react.
The Professor sat quietly in the corner of his cell and faced the locked metal door as his mind continued to fire through possible theories and explanations for the events of the past few days. The Timelord had turned the cell light off shortly after he'd arrived back from the interrogation, the only light in the room came from the dim moonlight outside and the reflected light from nearby street light. Despite his relatively composed appearance, the Timelord's mind was a raging battleground between reason and emotion over what he should do next.
Anger reminded the Professor that he'd failed to save Kate Marsh; that his inability to act and react fast enough had cost that poor, sweet girl her life.
Reason quickly shot back that the Professor had no way of knowing what that girl was going through; he'd only recently become aware of a viral video that Kate had feature prominently in.
Guilt commented that the Professor could have asked Kate about it when they'd talked in the dormitory courtyard a few days previously.
Reason countered that there had been more pressing matters at the time than making chit-chat with a seemingly unimportant human teenager.
Disgust and Horror loathed the fact that Reason would see any life as 'unimportant'; Guilt quickly agreed with Disgust and Horror, noting that the Reason had strayed dangerously close to the mind-set of the High Council.
Reason laughed at the notion, pointing out that the Professor had still done all he could to save Kate's life – far more than the High Council would have done.
Shame cut Reason off, noting that the Timelord had nevertheless failed to save the girl.
Reason tried to steer the debate away from its failings, pointing out that it would have taken more than just the video to force Kate to jump off of the roof.
Empathy agreed with Reason, the Professor would have to look further into the events preluding Kate's suicide. Perhaps Max would know more.
The Professor's inner war ceased as the Timelord heard the sound of footsteps stop just outside his door; standing up quickly, he walked over to his nearby bed and sat down at the edge of it, rubbing his hands together slowly as the door was unlocked.
"Oh, it's you…" The Professor sighed when he saw Officer Berry walk into his cell, "What can I do for you, Officer?"
"You can start by answer a few questions," Berry replied sternly, although his tone was distinctly non-hostile, "Off the record…"
"'Off the record'?" The Timelord chuckled as he looked at Berry carefully, "You think I'm stupid?"
"Far from it…" Berry replied as he closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall, "I'd just like to know how someone who isn't anywhere on the Oregon P.D database managed to get a signed warrant from the state's governor…"
The Professor rubbed his forehead slowly, "I operate…off the grid…"
"Uh huh…" Berry continued, sounding unconvinced by the Timelord's answer, "Why are you in Arcadia Bay to start with?"
"Wells didn't tell you?" The Professor asked as he sat up straight, he continued when Berry shook his head, "I'd seem surprised but that man has lost the ability to surprise me at this point…"
"Answer the question please, Mr. Lester," Berry interrupted with a small sigh.
"Fine, fine," The Professor almost laughed as he held up his hands, "Officially I'm looking into Rachel Amber's disappearance…" The Professor hid a smile at Berry's attempt to suppress a shocked reaction, "From the look on your face I'm guessing that you expected something along those lines…"
"That'll be all, Mr. Lester…" Berry finalised as he cleared his throat with a small cough and turned to leave, "Goodnight…"
The Professor's smile widened as Berry's response more or less made up the Timelord's mind; Berry would have only reacted in that manner if a previous investigation into Rachel Amber had met with a similar abrupt fate and the Professor could only think of one family with the power to shut down such an investigation and keep it buried, Oh; the Prescotts are definitely all over this…I need to get out of here before they come up with a way to get rid of me.
"Chloe the Keymaster," Max said with a smile as Chloe opened the front door and led the way into the empty dark main building of Blackwell Academy.
"You know it," the blue-haired punk chuckled as the flashlight beam from Max's phone danced over the dark corridor walls.
"Dude, I don't know about this…" Max whispered as she stopped walking and took a look around the darkened corridor, "We're both already in so much trouble…"
"Not to mention the weed you brought into my room…" Chloe laughed quietly before she saw the concerned look on the brunette's face, "Joking!"
"I'm serious. We're not kids anymore," Max pointed out as she looked over her shoulder towards the exit, "We're breaking and entering…"
"If I have a key how can it be breaking?" Chloe asked with a grin as she held up the keys in her hand, "They can't charge us for just entering!"
"I'm serious," Max insisted as she looked over the corridor again, "We could go to jail…"
"Not if I'm related to the head of Blackwell Security," The bluenette countered with a sly grin, "Step-shit will not want me in the hands of the local police…" Chloe looked at the closest door to her and started walking towards it, "So we better find out what's in the Principal's office first. You can rewind if we get caught, right?" The punk asked as she looked back at the brunette, "You have mad powers, Max."
"Tell that to Kate…" Max muttered as her head dropped slightly.
Chloe looked back at Max as she unlocked the door, her tone sympathetic as she talked, "Max, don't beat yourself up about that," Chloe quickly walked over the brunette and pulled her into a tight hug, "Hey. There was nothing you could've done…" Max looked up at the concerned bluenette and offered her a weak nod, Chloe returned a small smile before she continued, gently grasping Max's hand as she led the two of them through the first door to the Principal's office, "Come on. One more door and our work here is done."
Max took a moment to look around the smaller receptionist office as Chloe started to sort through the keychain in her hand, the brunette crossed her arms and relaxed for a moment before she heard Chloe's voice again.
"That's it," Chloe muttered as she tried a key, upon failing to unlock the door she looked at the keyring again in confusion, "What the fuck? The security officer should have the key to the Principal's office."
"He's hiding shit," Max commented as she walked over to beside Chloe and eyed the door, "Like everybody here."
"Well, now we definitely have to get this door open," Chloe muttered as she slipped the keychain into her pocket, "Believe it or not, I know a little about lock picking – thanks to Frank," The bluenette continued as she pulled out a pair of small lockpick tools and started to try her luck with the lock on the door, "I might as well test out my thief skill…"
"Go for it," Max agreed as she looked around the receptionist's office again and pondered the reason for Madsen not having a key to Wells' office, "We're already in this deep."
"Well, you could look for the key…" Chloe suggested as she looked at Max, "Just in case."
"Why yes," The brunette smiled in return as she looked at Chloe, "I could."
Max walked towards a set of cabinets close to the door and pulled open the top drawer, sighing when she was greeted by a wall of folders, Dead end…The brunette quickly closed the cabinet drawer and moved onto the next one, only to be disappointed when she saw exactly the same contents in it, Boring, rolling her eyes at the wall of folders and binders, Max quickly shut the cabinet drawer and took a step to the side as she continued to work her way along the row; opening the next cabinet and letting out a frustrated groan as she was confronted by another set of binders, Crap.
Max gave up on that row of cabinets and walked over to the key rack close to the corner of the room, the brunette frowned as she quickly glanced over the various keys that were present, Here are the keys. None for the Principal's office.
"No key for thee…" Max sighed as she walked back over to Chloe, casting a curious glance at a strange deer hunter hat that was hung up in the corner of the room, "We have to find another way in."
"Guess I didn't spend enough time with Frank," Chloe muttered in defeat as she turned around to face Max, "But I'll use my DIY lock-pick tools while you come up with a better plan."
"My plan has a name…" Max began as she turned her phone around and quickly started dialling, "Hey Warren, you busy?" Max asked as Warren quickly picked up the phone, "Just bubble-hearth, you'll be okay. Listen, I need your physics expertise – stat," Max paused for a second as she let Warren catch up in the conversation, "Without naming names, if somebody had access to the art and science labs and wanted to construct a device that would, say, open a locked door, would you maybe kinda know how?" Max laughed softly as Warren replied in a concerned tone, "Huh? No, I'm just asking for fun. Thanks, Science Guy. Uh, n-no no, stay," Max looked at Chloe in alarm, hoping that Warren would stay put. "We need you as backup. Just send the text instructions now. Yes, I'm still all in to 'Go Ape' with you at the drive-in…" Max answered quickly with a small smile, inwardly laughing at how much of a nerd Warren was, "Thanks for the help."
"This sucks ass!" Chloe shouted as she hit her hand against the Principal's door, "Goddamn door!"
"Try not to wake up everybody at Blackwell," Max said in a teasing tone as she returned to Chloe's side.
"Sorry Max, I got nothing," The bluenette sighed as she turned to face Max, "What about your plan?"
"I'm going to go put it together," Max replied as her phone lit up with three text alerts from Warren, "Can you stay here and not get caught?"
Chloe cocked her head and smiled at the brunette, "I might get on the other side of that door before you, Lupin."
"The race is on," Max chuckled as she turned and walked out of the room, "See you soon."
Warren is such a classic nerd, Max thought with a smile as she looked up from her phone and glanced further down the corridor, Let's see if I can find those items…
The Professor stood in front of his cell door, eyeing it carefully as he slipped his hands into his trouser pockets; he was already missing his jacket and planned to pick it up on his way out. Scrunching up his face as he wormed his hands deeper and deeper into his pockets, the Timelord let out a small laugh as his hands remerged with both his laser screwdriver and his psychic paper.
Sorry Berry…I wasn't about to give you things that would jumpstart humanity's scientific understanding by at least four hundred years overnight…I'm sure you'll understand.
The Professor looked at the psychic paper for a moment before pocketing it again and starting to adjust the settings on the laser screwdriver. The Timelord set the screwdriver to 'stun' and passively smirked as the three prongs snapped out from the main body of the screwdriver, stopping their extension as they made contact with the main focusing lens at the tip of the screwdriver.
The Professor glanced at the door quickly as he used the adjustment dial on the hilt of the screwdriver to manipulate the intensity of the screwdriver's stun blast; he only wanted to incapacitate anyone – if it even came to that – for ten minutes at most. Satisfied with the stun settings he'd selected, the Timelord switched the device back into 'passive' mode and pointed it at the cell door.
"Let's get this show on the road…" the Professor muttered before he activated the screwdriver, taking a deep breath as the door clicked and slid open.
The Timelord nonchalantly stuck his head through the open door, casually whistling as he looked down both sides of the corridor. Deciding that the coast was clear for now, the Professor left the cell and locked the door behind him before walking in the general direction of the nearest exit.
Station's probably running on a skeleton crew this late at night…
The Professor navigated the seemingly empty corridors of the police station quietly, taking care to look over his shoulder ever couple of steps to make sure he wasn't taken by surprise. His ears twitched almost erratically as he tuned in for any signs of movement around him, so far he could only make out the dull hum of the air conditioning system that ran through the ceiling above him. The Timelord paused for a moment as he came to a three-way corridor intersection and slowly pocked his head around the corner, his eyes lazily wandering from wall to wall of the increasingly dimly lit corridors of the station.
This place can't be that big…Probably took a wrong turn some-Ah, never mind…I remember this area now…
The Professor smirked as his eyes picked out the entrance to the storeroom where they'd dumped his various possessions upon his arrival barely five meters further down the corridor, the Timelord inwardly laughing at memory of the officers' reactions to the storage ability of his pockets. Seeing no officers around, the Professor edged his way down the corridor; glancing at a surveillance camera further down the hallway as he made sure to stay out of its line of sight. The Professor quickly reached the door to the storeroom and unlocked it, taking a final look around the corridor before slipping inside.
And…I can't see anything; the Professor noted glumly as he shut the door, plunging the entire room into darkness.
The Professor held up his screwdriver and flicked his wrist slightly as he activated it; a dim blue light quickly flickered to life within the focusing lens of the screwdriver and started to illuminate the area around the Timelord as he made some minor adjustments to the dial in an effort to brighten the light.
With the room bathed in a cool blue glow, the Professor navigated his way through the half-cluttered, half-organised room towards a small chest-height drawer which had his human alias' name on it.
The Professor quickly opened the drawer with his laser screwdriver and began to hurriedly remove his personal effects from it. Pausing slightly as he threw on his damp jacket, the Timelord cringed as he ran his hands down the sleeves in an attempt to ring the remaining water out of it. The Professor momentarily grimaced at the memory of Kate falling away from his open hand as he adjusted the jacket and fixed his cufflinks.
I will find out why you did what you did, Kate…I swear.
The Professor rubbed his forehead for a moment as he thought over what he was going to do next, slipping his Rubik's cubes back into his jacket pocket as he closed the now-empty drawer back over, locking it before he turned back to face the door.
Knowing typical human administration patterns, it wouldn't hurt to check the ABPD's database to see if my hunch about Berry's reaction was right.
The Professor glanced over the room again to make sure he hadn't missed anything before he extended his free hand to grab the door handle and leave the room.
The Timelord's hand quickly retracted when the relative silence of the station was shattered by a deafening alarm which threw the Professor's mind into a panic as he took a step back from the door and killed the light on his screwdriver, setting the device to 'stun' as he was plunged into total darkness.
Several tense seconds ticked by as the Professor picked up the sound of running footsteps, shouting and what could only be described as general chaos on the other side of the door.
Okay…So there's a lot more of them out there than I thought…Now wh-
The Professor let out a pained gasp as a sharp pain shot through his temples, almost dropping his screwdriver in surprise as his free hand instinctively rubbed his forehead. Another rewind…What the hell is Max doing at this time? The Timelord swayed a little as he was hit by a sudden and brief feeling of vertigo which quickly ceased as the rewind halted before his brain was racked with a massive migraine shortly after the rewind finished.
Argh…Goddamn paradoxes…The Professor inwardly groaned as he rubbed his forehead, Max, what have you done now?
The Professor paused for a few seconds as he waited for the alarm to go off again, steadying his balance quickly as he took a step towards the door. The Timelord smirked as the alarm failed to come on, thankful that he wouldn't have to fight his way out of the station just yet as he opened the door and locked it behind him as he left the storeroom and looked over the corridor once more.
Right…Now I just need to find a computer.
"Welcome to my domain," Max said with a grin as she opened the door to the Principal's office, taking a moment to enjoy the dumbfounded look on Chloe's face as the bluenette slowly stood up.
"You are magic," Chloe gasped as she took a step into the room, quickly hugging Max as she continued, "I have no clue how the hell you got in there, but you did it, sista."
"The company I keep," Max smiled as she watched Chloe look around the room, appreciative of the quick hug Chloe had given her, "Now let's find out what we want and beat it. My powers only go so far."
"Man, I can see why the Principal locks this room up," Chloe muttered as she looked at the paintings that adorned the walls of the dimly lit office, "Fancy faux art crap. He must want everybody to know he has money. But no taste," The bluentte paused as she turned on the lamp on; taking a moment to look over Wells' desk, Chloe continued, "How can you trust somebody who has a fucking bronze bird in his office? I'm glad I was expelled…"
"Yes, if only the Principal still had a Monet or Picasso you'd still be at Blackwell," Max laughed quietly as she joined Chloe by Wells' desk.
"Eat me. I'm going to pilfer the papers on this ugly ass desk," The bluenette half-joked as she sat down in Wells' chair, her expression changing to one of surprise as she sat back on it, "Okay, sure, it's ugly but damn is it a cosy chair!"
Chloe looked back at Max with an almost giddy expression as she slowly swung from side to side on the chair, stopping after a few seconds as she wiggled the mouse for Wells' computer, "This is your chance to truly get all deductive 'n' shit, Sherlock. Find us some clues about Rachel…or Kate…or Nathan…Anybody!"
Max nodded as she turned on the spot, "I'm on the case."
The brunette calmly walked over to a small table behind her; with a quick motion, Max turned on a small lamp close to a small pile of paperwork. Upon turning the lamp on, Max quickly realised that she was looking at Kate's school file; This pretty much sums up Kate…shy and sweet, Max mentally commented, her mood sombre as she read over a recent update to the file detailing her suicide, And in the wrong place.
Slipping Kate's file into her camera bag, the brunette turned and walked towards a large cabinet by the Principal's desk, taking a moment to cringe at his choice of artwork on the walls before she rummaged through the various files on record; quickly locating Nathan Prescott's file and reading over it before frowning.
Weird! This asshole has a spotless record.
Max sighed as she added Nathan's file to her camera bag, pausing for a moment to reply to a text she'd gotten from Warren. After taking a few seconds to convince Warren that she'd never intended to actually bow anything up; a half-truth now that she'd rewound, Max pocketed her phone and resumed her search for clues.
Let's nab this last file, Sherlock. Always wanted to say 'nab'.
The brunette stopped by the edge of desk as her eyes spied a sheet of paper that almost screamed 'confidential', piqued by her curiosity; Max picked up the sheet of paper and read over it, letting out a low sigh as she realised that it was a letter from Nathan's father, So Nathan's dad is a bully too…Shocker.
Placing the Prescott letter to one side, the brunette raised an eyebrow when she spotted a second letter beneath it; intrigued she quickly began reading.
What the hell is this? Max asked as she read over the letter addressed to Officer Berry again, Why do Sean Prescott and Wells want the Professor gone so badly?
Max put the letter into her camera bag and took a step away from the desk, deciding to walk over to a chest sized cabinet of drawers to continue her search. The brunette opened the first cabinet and quickly looked through it, she found Rachel's file quickly but raised an eyebrow at how out-of-place it seemed – almost as if it'd been put back in a hurry, Huh…Rachel's file is out of order here…Has someone been looking through these files recently?
Noting the thought for later, Max read over Rachel's file quickly; frowning at the lack of information surrounding her disappearance, Rachel doesn't seem so "troubled" based on all this…but there's not much here about the police investigation.
The Professor glared at the overly bright computer screen in-front of him as he scrunched his face up in both confusion and frustration; letting out a sigh, the Timelord lightly scratched his cheek as he quickly read through pages of data. Returning his hand to the mouse, he scrolled further down the page and continued to read, his eyes darting from one side of the screen to the other as he read through report-after-report at lightning speed.
"Nothing…How can there be nothing?" The Professor asked himself in a hushed whisper as he ran his laser screwdriver along the exposed motherboard of the computer, glancing between the screen and his efforts with his laser screwdriver with increasing impatience, "Blah, blah…filler reports…not relevant…Oh! Oh…"
The Timelord smiled as he directed his attention towards the screen again, "Hmm…Case update just under six months ago…Filed by Officer Berry…Interesting…Why was this so encrypted?"
The Professor leaned forward onto the desk as he read over the report, feeling uneasy at the amount of redacted statements that seemed to plaster the screen in front of him.
"The Prescotts stepped in just when the ABPD were getting close to a breakthrough…" The Timelord summarised as he scratched his chin in thought, mentally satisfied with this development; even if it was a little one, "Of course the report doesn't say what that breakthrough was…Of course the encrypted files have sub-encryptions…Sheesh, someone's trying to hid something big," The Professor let out a low sigh as he directed his screwdriver back in the direction of the motherboard, "Maybe a little boost to this thing's processor will speed things along…I'd really like to kn-"
The Professor flinched as the computer's motherboard blew up from a sudden overload, showering both him and the area around him in sparks as he let out a low groan of both pain and annoyance.
"Stupid machine…" The Professor sighed as he shook his hand which had been holding the screwdriver in pain, quickly standing up from the chair and blowing on it to try and ease the burning sensation.
Clenching his fist several times before picking up the undamaged screwdriver, the Professor glanced at the charred remains of the computer's motherboard as he was bathed in the flickering blue light coming from the monitor.
Now wh- The Timelord was halfway through thinking before the sound of voices outside the office forced him into a low crouch as he took cover behind the desk.
"You see anything, Berry?" A voice filtered into the room as the Professor popped his head up to look through the glass window on the door; he dropped it back down at the sight of a flashlight beam penetrating the glass.
"Standby…" Officer Berry's voice replied as the Professor heard the door opening followed by the sound of footsteps as the powerful flashlight hovered on the flickering monitor.
Ah, shit…Sorry about this, Berry. But you chose your side when you went on-board with the Prescotts…
The Professor took a final breath as he switched the screwdriver to 'stun' mode, standing up quickly as the sharp click of the prongs extending echoed around the room.
"12-99, Officer needs assist-ARGH!" Berry was halfway through reporting as he pulled his pistol out of his holster and turned to face the Professor; only to be struck in the centre of his chest by a bright blue beam of light that sent him crashing to the floor.
"Sorry, Berry…" The Professor apologised out loud as he walked towards the now-open door, his screwdriver at the ready as he offered the downed man a final glance, "You seem like a nice guy…Just on the wrong side of this…"
The Professor left the room and quickly took off running in the direction of the nearest fire exit as he heard the alarm sound, the deafening – almost monotone – ring blaring in the Timelord's ears and making him cringe in discomfort. Turning a corner, the Timelord quickly backpedalled at the sight of two officers further up the corridor who were charging towards him at full speed; one officer rolling forward into a crouch at the sight of him before shouting a warning as the Timelord ducked back behind the safety of a wall.
I need to get past them…The Professor reminded himself as he picked up the sound of voices from further down the corridor behind him; This is going to suck…
The Timelord threw himself into a sideward roll as he jumped back out from behind the wall less than a second later, firing his screwdriver once as he hit the ground and rolled into a crouch. The beam struck the crouched officer in the leg, sending the man crashing onto his back with a yell of pain as the impact knocked him unconscious.
Not wasting any further time; the Professor directed his attention towards the second officer, who seemed caught off guard by the sudden incapacitation of his partner as he brought his gun to bear on the Professor's crouched form. The Timelord sprung up from his crouched position, using both his momentum and far superior reflexes to his advantage as he grabbed the officer's gun and yanked it to the side.
As he'd expected, the officer pulled the trigger in response, sending two bullets over the Professor's head as the Timelord ducked to a crouch and took the man's legs out from under him with a quick kick which caught the back of the officer's leading ankle; sending him crashing to the floor where the Professor disabled him with a blast from the screwdriver.
Three down…The Timelord tallied as he looked back up the corridor towards the exit, No injuries so far…Let's keep it that way…
The Professor resumed his sprint towards the exit as he cast a hesitant glance over his shoulder, the sight of more officers rounding the corner driving him to pick up the pace as he ducked behind a set of cubicles.
"We have three officers down!" The Timelord heard an increasingly distant voice report as he rounded another corner, taking out an unsuspecting fourth officer with a screwdriver shot to the back; not even stopping to watch the man hitting the floor as he ran around his falling body, "Suspect still on the run. All units respond!"
Exit. Exit. Exit…Come on…The Professor inwardly commented as he cut through an empty office to avoid another group of officers, his mind quickly retracing the map he'd memorised of this floor as he paused for a moment behind another cubicle. If he remembered correctly, and he usually did in situations like this, the nearest fire exit was just down the corridor; he just had to get through this office.
The Timelord took another breath as he steadied himself, hearing more footsteps thunder up a nearby stairwell as additional officers arrive on scene.
Now's a good a time as any, I suppose…
The Professor raised his screwdriver as he burst out from behind the cubicle; quickly spotting four officers a few meters away with their weapons drawn and an additional two behind them who were taking up a rear guard. The Professor targeted the closest officer to him and fired as he continued to walk in the direction of the fire exit; the blast hitting the officer in the shoulder and sending him into a downwards spin as the Timelord wasted no time in taking out a further two officers before he'd taken another step.
The remaining officers took a step back in shock as three of their comrades were downed by the screwdriver's brilliant blue beam; the Professor quickly took advantage of this as he fired again before the officers that were still standing could get into cover. A fourth officer fell as he was hit in the side by the Professor's pinpoint aim; he was soon joined by a fifth as the two rear guarding officers turned to face the Timelord.
The Professor had barely taken four steps by this point as he levelled his screwdriver in the direction of the last officer who was standing, the man looking at him with a mix of bewilderment and sheer terror as he watched the last of his fellow officer's bodies hit the floor. The Professor had taken out five police officers in less than four seconds, a fact he was willing to press on the clearly unnerved last man standing.
The Timelord simply offered the man a smirk, "Run!" he shouted as he took another step, causing the officer to take a step back under the Timelord's unrelenting gaze; the man gulped as the Professor shouted again, "I said: RUN!"
The Professor watched the man closely as he glared at the screwdriver in fear, the Timelord taking another step towards the exit to emphasise his point as he kept the screwdriver completely level.
"Oh, fuck this!" The officer yelled with a slight whimper as he backed into cover behind the door to get out of the Timelord's view, talking into his radio as the Professor vanished up the corridor towards the exit, "All units, we now have nine officers down…Who the hell is this guy!? I need hel-"
The Professor smirked at the relative success of his ploy as he covered the remaining distance between himself and the fire exit in less than a heartbeat, taking even less time to switch the modes on his screwdriver and force the door open.
"Right then…" The Timelord muttered as he took in a breath of fresh air and quickly looked around the police car park a few feet below; casting a glance over his shoulder as he heard more shouting coming from inside and the blaring of sirens in the distance, "Only one place to go, I guess…"
The Professor let out a grunt as he vaulted over the railings around the fire exit and landed on the tarmac a few feet below, he cast a final glance back at the station as his eyes picked out signs of movement in the room he'd just fought his way out of.
With that, he turned on his heels and ran into cover, quickly thinking through the fastest way to get back to the junkyard as the sounds of sirens became noticeably louder. Less than a second later, the Professor grinned as a plan formed in his head and he took off into the darkness; trying his best to play down the consequences of what he'd just done as he kept to the shadows and thought over what his next plan of attack would be once he got back to the TARDIS.
You can't trust anybody in this town...Now I definitely need to get to the bottom of whatever the hell is going on here...
Author's Sidenote: And with that, I declare that Act 3 has started. Sorry if it seemed like this chapter wouldn't be uploaded today, Episode 4 of Life is Strange threw me emotionally and I had to spend a day getting my thoughts collected before I even thought about rewrites to this fic's plot. And yes, Dark Room content will now be included at some point in the future as the new Act 4 (I'm going back and forth between 5 and 6 acts total in size for this fic and I've yet to completely make up my mind on the issue - I will keep you updated on that). I suspect that I may get complaints about the fight scene at the end of this chapter but I can assure you that it has happened for a reason other than just driving the Professor's story arc forward; and what reason could that be? Stay tuned to find that out.
As always (and this is probably starting to seem repetitive at this point; for which I apologise), favourite and/or follow this fic to show your support for it and leave feedback to let me know your thoughts (constructive criticism is greatly appreciated).
Additional note: There will be a noticeable lapse in uploads for the next ten days as I'm leaving for a holiday in 2 hours, I'll try my best to get a chapter or two written up while I'm away and you can expect updates to resume upon my return.
- CAS2109 signing out.