\+/ Tales From Night City \+/ Chapter 9, Part 1 - Breadcrumbs
Brian steps out onto his backyard scanning the area before stepping down the backsteps into the patched dead grass and dirt with litter scattered everywhere. The Woman in Black follows him out the backdoor with her arms crossed watching him.
"You think I didn't do this already..?" She proclaims
"Well, if you found it, you wouldn't still be here would you?" Brian says looking back at her; She looks at him directly before Brian continues.
"No...you wouldn't. In fact, I'd go as far as to say you can't go back to wherever you've come from without whatever the hell this is." Brian goes back to searching briefly before shifting focus and walking back into the house right past her... she promptly follows.
Brian exits back out on to the front porch of his home while lighting another cigarette. The feelings...frame of mind.. and energy he now has feels in complete contrast to when he first exited his home that morning. Scanning the street out front with focus he takes a drag of his smoke before stepping down onto the side walk. Brian looks at the burned rubber tire marks of the Avenger and the pursuing Emperor...they drag in a drift right past the front of his house before returning the road slightly and continuing up the street.
Brian calmly smokes his cigarette as he follows the path of the tire marks up the street occasionally glancing at various areas and debris around them. The woman follows behind him at a good distance with her arms crossed attentively watching him work. He reaches the end of the tire marks and looks around the impact/crash site. To Brian's surprise the area that it went down in is noticebly far more clean than your standard NCPD clean up. All traces of both vehicles are completely gone besides several metal scraps and a lot of broken glass. The damage the chase did to the neighborhood is worn far more than the vehicles that caused it. Brian takes another drag before looking around the impact sight then up to the top floor of an apartment complex. Brian takes yet another drag before letting out a deep breath. "Shit.." He says in a tired tone.
"What is it..?" The woman asks.
"Come on." Brian B-Lines it into the apartment at steady pace as the woman follows. The pair walk past a clearly destroyed and busted elevator to take the stairs up as Brian flicks his cigerette on the floor in the entrance.
"What are we doing..?"
"We're gonna try and have a chat with someone."
"Up here..?"
"Nicholas Howard.."
Brian says while reluctantly closing his eyes and continuing up the flight of stairs.
"Who..?" She asks.
"For as long as I can remember, playing on this street, we kids would always look up and see ol' Nick staring blankly out of that damn window. We would laugh and make guesses as to what he was looking at or what the hell he was even doing. Nothing about it was certain except for the fact that he was always looking...Always watching like a fuckin' gargoyle."
"And you think he saw...what exactly..?"
"We'll find out." The flight of stairs is no joke as both traverse them, neither of them get winded or tired on the way up. Brian continues. "Besides...its not exactly what he knows that matters." The woman promptly looks over at Brian as they both reach the front door of the apartment. Brian returns the look. "Its what he won't tell anyone that matters.." Brian knocks on the door 4 times with light force.
"So he doesn't talk to badges huh." The woman proclaims figuring out the purpose of the visit
."He doesn't talk to anyone..."
"So why the fuck would he talk to you..?" She asks while putting her hands in her jacket pockets.
A brief pause takes place. "...He knew my father" Brian responds before impatiently knocking harder another 4 times.
"NICK! Its Brian! Open up!"