Karkat clicked her username. She was online. With his heart pounding, he started a chat.
carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling uraniumUmbra [UU]!
CG: HI. I'M KARKAT.
UU: hello! im calliope! bUt yoU mUst already know that from rose.
CG: YES.
CG: ALRIGHT CALLIOPE, LET'S GET RIGHT TO THE POINT. DO YOU KNOW A DOC SCRATCH?
CG: AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT KEEPING HIM SAFE OR WHATEVER, I ALREADY MET THE DOUCHE.
UU: doc scratch?
UU: ….. well, yes, i do know him
UU: he is my father
UU: bUt he's dead, so im not worried aboUt yoU knowing the location of his grave!
CG: I KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO. I KNOW THAT THE FELT TRIED TO KILL HIM, AND THEY MUST'VE TOLD YOU HE KICKED THE BUCKET.
CG: WHOEVER TRIED TO KILL HIM FAILED HORRIBLY. HIS PLACE IS A SHITHOLE BUT HE'S ALIVE.
CG: AND HE TOLD ME ABOUT YOU. I NEED YOUR HELP.
UU: how can i believe yoU
CG: WELL, YOU CAN ASK ROSE IF YOU CAN TRUST ME, BUT SHE'S A FLIGHTY BROAD SO HOW ABOUT THIS. IF YOU HELP ME, I'LL GET YOU IN CONTACT WITH YOUR DAD AGAIN. WHETHER IT'S HERE OR IF IT'S SAFE ENOUGH FOR YOU TO MEET HIM.
UU: really? yoU swear?
CG: ON MY FATHER'S GRAVE. BUT YOU HAVE TO HELP ME.
UU: alrighty!
UU: what do yoU need me to do?
CG: DO YOU REMEMBER THE SIGNLESS?
UU: yes, the district attorney?
CG: THAT'S THE ONE.
CG: I'M HIS SON. I STUMBLED UPON YOUR DAD, AND HE RECOGNIZED ME. HE TOLD ME THAT THE FELT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIRING LEONID BROTS, THE MAN WHO WAS PUT IN PRISON FOR MURDERING MY FATHER. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW, AND THEN I MIGHT NEED YOUR HELP.
UU: well, im not going to lie. everyone in the felt was happy when yoUr father was killed UnU.
UU: bUt if the felt was responsible, everybody woUld know aboUt it
CG: WHAT IF LORD ENGLISH HIRED SOMEONE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE ELSE? WHAT IF IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SECRET?
UU: that's always a possibility
UU: at the moment, i dont know whether or not my father's sUspicions are correct. bUt i will be sUre to look into the matter. my brother is close with lord english, if i asked him of lord english's 'glorioUs' mUrders, he'll fess Up
CG: THANK YOU.
CG: FUCKING THANK YOU. SEE? THIS IS WHAT I NEED. SOMEONE WHO GETS SHIT DONE.
CG: GODS BLESS YOUR WONDERFUL FUCKING SOUL.
UU: are yoU alright?
CG: LET'S JUST SAY THAT MY LIFE AT THE MOMENT FEELS LIKE THE BEGINNING OF A STORY, BUT THE AUTHOR SUCKS ASS AND HASN'T FORWARDED THE PLOT FOR LIKE SIX CHAPTERS.
UU: oh, that soUnds boring.
UU: i've always wanted to be an aUthor thoUgh! trUth be told, ive written some stories, bUt nobody except for roxy and rose want to read them. woUld yoU be interested?
CG: WHEN I FINISH FINDING OUT WHO WAS BEHIND THE MURDER OF MY DAD, I'LL READ EVERY GODDAMN WORD YOU'VE WRITTEN IN YOUR LIFE.
UU: yay!
UU: Uh oh, i have to leave. my brother is calling me. if yoU need to contact me again, feel free to do so here! this is safe from any member of the felt. ill be sUre to do some digging.
uraniumUmbra [UU] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]
Karkat closed his laptop, ignoring other messages from his friend. It was about fucking time something happened.
For the rest of his day, he working on final projects for his classes. He wanted to fight himself for his procrastination, but due to the fact he'd probably just put that off too, he tried working on his homework. Eventually he called Kankri in to help, but he was only useful in English. For his math packet (it was only for extra credit but holy shit, did he need extra credit), he had to contact Sollux.
The next day proved to be rather dull. Calliope didn't contact him at all, and he had nothing else to say to her for the time being. He considered stopping in with Doc Scratch, but he was a creep, so Karkat was content to stay home. He spent the day trying to code, which ended in having to call Sollux for help fixing his laptop. Then they decided to go out to the movies. They didn't see anything together, as Sollux refused to see another romcom, and Karkat refused to see the revamped version of The Matrix, but it was safer walking with him.
Monday came around, marking the last day of school. Although testing would continue for the next few days, everyone ignored the imminent threat of exams to enjoy their last day of classes. Much to Karkat's dismay, Calliope still didn't contact him. At this point, he was getting impatient. He sent her a text asking if everything was okay, and she replied, saying that she was fine, but had discovered nothing.
On the walk home, Karkat stopped by the mansion, deciding that he might as well tell Doc Scratch that his daughter was safe, and if it was possible, Karkat would like for the two to meet.
"Hey fuckass, let me in," Karkat said, knocking on Doc Scratch's door for the umpteenth time. He groaned and opened the door.
Whatever sarcastic remark he had in his throat was replaced by a scream. Doc Scratch was lying on the floor, his head bashed in. There was a puddle of blood surrounding his head, filled with shattered pieces of skull and pink bits that Karkat did not want to think about. The furniture was overturned, and on the wall, in red paint, was the word, 'STOP.'
Karkat turned on his heel and ran, reaching into his bag for his sickle. Once he had that in his right hand, he used his left to call the police. He told them he'd be at corner store nearby, because no way in hell was he staying in the room. Then he sent a text to Calliope, saying to stop contacting him immediately, and he'd figure something out.
When Karkat did run into the corner store, the owner immediately shouted at him. Fuck, he wasn't going to fucking steal anything. To prove this point, Karkat hooked the handle of the sickle in his belt and picked up a chocolate bar. "I plan on paying for this, dipshit," Karkat said, pulling some cash out of his pocket.
Fucking hell. He was in deep shit.