Reconsideration
31 October, 2013
19:05, Chris' apartment
Chris stared out of the window into the gloomy city below. He had neither an expression of remorse or happiness, just staring at the city below, lit up by the Halloween groups roaming the city. The events at Encephalon Isle had remained in his mind for weeks. Jakes sacrifice, Ed's death, what did it all mean any more? Was Chris really heading in the right direction? Was there more to the operation then just Secrenom? These questions still lingered through his head. While he pondered these silently, Rina walked into his room with a coffee.
"Still thinking about the outbreak, huh?" Rina said, passing the mug to Chris. Chris took a sip, and stared back out the window. "I can understand. We all lost someone close to us that day."
Chris continued to look at the city of Fairview. He remained quiet for a few more minutes, until he turned to Rina.
"Rina... I'm thinking about leaving for a while." He said to her, in deep consideration.
"How long are you going to be?" Rina asked, understanding his troubles.
"I don't know. I could be a day, a week, even a month. I just don't see the point of this any more. I need some time to myself. I'll be back here every now and then, but I won't be seeing you as much. Look after Kristy for me." Chris said in a solemn tone, turning to walk into the living room. Rina sat down next to Will, who was watching the news.
"The report on the outbreak at Encephalon Isle has just come in today. The total death toll has come in at over 1,000 people, and the military rescue operation rescued a mere 20 people from the devestation." The news blared, Chris taking another mouthful from his coffee. "The suspect for the start of the outbreak is a man named Chris Hargreaves-"
"WHAT?" Chris exclaimed, nearly spurting his coffee on the floor. The others quickly turned towards him. "Bullshit! We barely made it out of there alive!"
"...who has been reported by Ryuji Nakamora, the tournament favourite to win. He states the man to be violent, aggressive and dangerous, stating that he was attacked himself by them. The military cleanup operation revealed that Ed Wood, a government worker he was on vacation there, was murdered. Chris is also the suspect of this as well."
"You... Are... Fucking... Kidding... Me." Chris said, barely containing his rage. His anger continued to build, until his phone began to ring. Picking it up, he returned to his calm state and answered the phone. "Yeah?"
The voice on the other phone was familiar.
"Chris."
"Oh, hey Derrick." Chris replied. Derrick was his boss, and though him and Chris had never met before, he didn't mind him.
"I've got an assignment here for you. There's some woman going around called the 'Reaper', and she's been killing various 'targets' for the past week. You know what to do." Derrick spoke to Chris. He had a gruff tone, and hung up shortly after he finished the briefing. Chris went into his room and put his suit on. Picking up some silent weapons, including his gun, his rifle, and a machete, he walked towards the door.
"I've been hired. I'm doing this one alone. I'll be back later." Chris said, shutting the door behind him. Rina stared over at the laptop on the table, knowing that as long as they had it, they could easily counter any claims against Chris.
19:15
Chris walked through the streets of Fairview, staying in the shadows. The gleeful laughter of children did nothing but annoy him, reminding him why he hated these kinds of festive events. The dimly lit streets were occupied by these mobs of kids, which meant killing the target efficiently without alerting everyone was going to be a tough job. Today though, meant something different to him. This day, 15 years ago, was when his father was killed. The case, never solved, hung throughout Chris' life, affecting many decisions he made. Perhaps in his time off, he could finally get to the bottom of this case, and seek revenge on the true killer. The small puddles along the street splashed slightly as Chris walked through them, the night sky providing minor light to the streets below. Chris reminded himself of the sacrifice Jake made. While Jake was never found dead or alive, Chris knew, in his heart, that he was dead: He died so Chris could live. It made Chris think about the people he killed for money. Some of them were just people that opposed the government, and never meant any true harm. Yet he was always sent to kill them, and never failed. The devastated families he left behind, how could he even ignore their cries for so long? Was it finally time Chris settled down and stopped killing? He came to a halt infront of Wolfstable Street. A tune was carried by the wind, a whistling tune, coming from the top of the shopping centre. Chris slowly walked through the street, an old, run down office building lying to the side of him. Forcing the doors open, he was glad the security systems weren't much above a rusty door anymore, allowing easy access to the rooftops. Walking through the office complex, the empty cubicles serving nothing more as memoirs of the work that once went on in here, Chris prepared his rifle. Stepping onto the rooftops, Chris lay down to aim. 'The Reaper' was on the building for sure, their sinister mask showing an expression of insanity. There was another person on there, blindfolded, standing in the open. As the killer began to draw a revolver, aiming it at the person's head, Chris aimed straight for the head. Opening fire, the silenced bullet raced across the sky, penetrating the madman's skull, making him drop to the ground instantly. The other person took his blindfold off in relief, but did not see his saviour. He focused more on getting the hell out of there. As Chris packed his rifle away again, he began to turn to the office building, until he was met with a revolver in his face.
"That was supposed to be my kill." It was a woman, in her twenties, with long, blonde hair. She was wearing a long, thin dress, with her normal clothes underneath. She had a serious look on her face, and Chris understood who she was straight away; Another assassin.
"So you're The Reaper then. " Chris said, daring not to mention that he was probably supposed to have killed her.
"Me? Don't be silly. The man you killed was The Reaper. I just decided to kill them myself." She said, lowering her gun and staring past Chris at the building. "I'm a freelance assassin, and someone hired me to kill that guy. Apparently they were going to kill a loved one of theirs, so they asked me to save them."
"They got out alright." Chris simply replied, glad that he at least got the right target.
"Man of few words, aren't you? Well anyway, We'll both take claim on the kill. You work with the government, and all they care about is them being dead, isn't it?" She spoke, turning to face Chris.
"Wait, how did you know I work with the government?" Chris asked suspiciously.
"I know these kinds of things. I'm an assassin, I need to come prepared." She explained, turning to leave. "I'm Alice, by the way, but I don't think I'll be seeing you around much."
Chris waited a few minutes before walking downstairs. Thinking about the woman he just met, he had to reconsider his thoughts again. Yes, he found her slightly hot, but was that going to change his thoughts? Probably not, and Chris was certain that fact wouldn't change. Walking through the damp streets home, he kept the same tone.
What nobody understood though, is that this story is a very special one. In this one, everything you know will be flipped on it's head, and your deductive skills will be put to the test as you try to solve the truth. Because this, my friends, is The Truth Within. Once again, some very basic things shall be outlined for you to fill the gaps for: The total death count? Four this time. And the true villain, one much larger the Ryuji, shall be revealed. Stay tuned, because there are twists and turns you'll never see coming.Chapter End Notes:Anyone who takes the correct guess on the four people who die will win a shoutout at the end! (Or the closest
19:05, Chris' apartment
Chris stared out of the window into the gloomy city below. He had neither an expression of remorse or happiness, just staring at the city below, lit up by the Halloween groups roaming the city. The events at Encephalon Isle had remained in his mind for weeks. Jakes sacrifice, Ed's death, what did it all mean any more? Was Chris really heading in the right direction? Was there more to the operation then just Secrenom? These questions still lingered through his head. While he pondered these silently, Rina walked into his room with a coffee.
"Still thinking about the outbreak, huh?" Rina said, passing the mug to Chris. Chris took a sip, and stared back out the window. "I can understand. We all lost someone close to us that day."
Chris continued to look at the city of Fairview. He remained quiet for a few more minutes, until he turned to Rina.
"Rina... I'm thinking about leaving for a while." He said to her, in deep consideration.
"How long are you going to be?" Rina asked, understanding his troubles.
"I don't know. I could be a day, a week, even a month. I just don't see the point of this any more. I need some time to myself. I'll be back here every now and then, but I won't be seeing you as much. Look after Kristy for me." Chris said in a solemn tone, turning to walk into the living room. Rina sat down next to Will, who was watching the news.
"The report on the outbreak at Encephalon Isle has just come in today. The total death toll has come in at over 1,000 people, and the military rescue operation rescued a mere 20 people from the devestation." The news blared, Chris taking another mouthful from his coffee. "The suspect for the start of the outbreak is a man named Chris Hargreaves-"
"WHAT?" Chris exclaimed, nearly spurting his coffee on the floor. The others quickly turned towards him. "Bullshit! We barely made it out of there alive!"
"...who has been reported by Ryuji Nakamora, the tournament favourite to win. He states the man to be violent, aggressive and dangerous, stating that he was attacked himself by them. The military cleanup operation revealed that Ed Wood, a government worker he was on vacation there, was murdered. Chris is also the suspect of this as well."
"You... Are... Fucking... Kidding... Me." Chris said, barely containing his rage. His anger continued to build, until his phone began to ring. Picking it up, he returned to his calm state and answered the phone. "Yeah?"
The voice on the other phone was familiar.
"Chris."
"Oh, hey Derrick." Chris replied. Derrick was his boss, and though him and Chris had never met before, he didn't mind him.
"I've got an assignment here for you. There's some woman going around called the 'Reaper', and she's been killing various 'targets' for the past week. You know what to do." Derrick spoke to Chris. He had a gruff tone, and hung up shortly after he finished the briefing. Chris went into his room and put his suit on. Picking up some silent weapons, including his gun, his rifle, and a machete, he walked towards the door.
"I've been hired. I'm doing this one alone. I'll be back later." Chris said, shutting the door behind him. Rina stared over at the laptop on the table, knowing that as long as they had it, they could easily counter any claims against Chris.
19:15
Chris walked through the streets of Fairview, staying in the shadows. The gleeful laughter of children did nothing but annoy him, reminding him why he hated these kinds of festive events. The dimly lit streets were occupied by these mobs of kids, which meant killing the target efficiently without alerting everyone was going to be a tough job. Today though, meant something different to him. This day, 15 years ago, was when his father was killed. The case, never solved, hung throughout Chris' life, affecting many decisions he made. Perhaps in his time off, he could finally get to the bottom of this case, and seek revenge on the true killer. The small puddles along the street splashed slightly as Chris walked through them, the night sky providing minor light to the streets below. Chris reminded himself of the sacrifice Jake made. While Jake was never found dead or alive, Chris knew, in his heart, that he was dead: He died so Chris could live. It made Chris think about the people he killed for money. Some of them were just people that opposed the government, and never meant any true harm. Yet he was always sent to kill them, and never failed. The devastated families he left behind, how could he even ignore their cries for so long? Was it finally time Chris settled down and stopped killing? He came to a halt infront of Wolfstable Street. A tune was carried by the wind, a whistling tune, coming from the top of the shopping centre. Chris slowly walked through the street, an old, run down office building lying to the side of him. Forcing the doors open, he was glad the security systems weren't much above a rusty door anymore, allowing easy access to the rooftops. Walking through the office complex, the empty cubicles serving nothing more as memoirs of the work that once went on in here, Chris prepared his rifle. Stepping onto the rooftops, Chris lay down to aim. 'The Reaper' was on the building for sure, their sinister mask showing an expression of insanity. There was another person on there, blindfolded, standing in the open. As the killer began to draw a revolver, aiming it at the person's head, Chris aimed straight for the head. Opening fire, the silenced bullet raced across the sky, penetrating the madman's skull, making him drop to the ground instantly. The other person took his blindfold off in relief, but did not see his saviour. He focused more on getting the hell out of there. As Chris packed his rifle away again, he began to turn to the office building, until he was met with a revolver in his face.
"That was supposed to be my kill." It was a woman, in her twenties, with long, blonde hair. She was wearing a long, thin dress, with her normal clothes underneath. She had a serious look on her face, and Chris understood who she was straight away; Another assassin.
"So you're The Reaper then. " Chris said, daring not to mention that he was probably supposed to have killed her.
"Me? Don't be silly. The man you killed was The Reaper. I just decided to kill them myself." She said, lowering her gun and staring past Chris at the building. "I'm a freelance assassin, and someone hired me to kill that guy. Apparently they were going to kill a loved one of theirs, so they asked me to save them."
"They got out alright." Chris simply replied, glad that he at least got the right target.
"Man of few words, aren't you? Well anyway, We'll both take claim on the kill. You work with the government, and all they care about is them being dead, isn't it?" She spoke, turning to face Chris.
"Wait, how did you know I work with the government?" Chris asked suspiciously.
"I know these kinds of things. I'm an assassin, I need to come prepared." She explained, turning to leave. "I'm Alice, by the way, but I don't think I'll be seeing you around much."
Chris waited a few minutes before walking downstairs. Thinking about the woman he just met, he had to reconsider his thoughts again. Yes, he found her slightly hot, but was that going to change his thoughts? Probably not, and Chris was certain that fact wouldn't change. Walking through the damp streets home, he kept the same tone.
What nobody understood though, is that this story is a very special one. In this one, everything you know will be flipped on it's head, and your deductive skills will be put to the test as you try to solve the truth. Because this, my friends, is The Truth Within. Once again, some very basic things shall be outlined for you to fill the gaps for: The total death count? Four this time. And the true villain, one much larger the Ryuji, shall be revealed. Stay tuned, because there are twists and turns you'll never see coming.Chapter End Notes:Anyone who takes the correct guess on the four people who die will win a shoutout at the end! (Or the closest