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View Full Version : The Guardian ( A short Mystery Story)


RubyEclipse
05-31-2003, 12:03 AM
This story should be something slightly fresh and new for most of you guys here at the boards ( a change which I feel is much welcomed) From the ordinary action/adventure fics that are popping up. Not saying those are bad fics (on the contrary), but this fic is more of a "Sherlock Holmes" Type of story, a "Who done it?", if you will.

This isn't anything up to par with the best mystery novels out there, but I do hope that it will at least have you guessing...with that, I give you the first of the three part short story:

:The Guardian:


"So...I....guess..you're..Dark Diamond?"

A HUmar in a black costume with long, black hair stood in front of an old man.

"Yeah. I'm Dark Diamond.", the HUmar replied, "But just call me Dark."

Dark looked around him at the Hunter's guild. He saw the stars outside of the large glass wall, the games of checkers and chess on the tables, and the ever present twins that ran the front desk.... He had come here for a quest...

...a strange quest....but with a 50,000 meseta reward, he wasn't about to turn it down. A guy has to make a living somehow, doesn't he?

The old man, with grey hair and a wrinkled face, rung his hands together nervously as he spoke.

"Well...I...g-guess...you know....wh-wh-why...I-I called you...here.."

Dark restated the information he had been given when he took the quest:

"Find a missing eight year old girl. Her name is Anna Lynn Bell. She dissapeared two days ago."

"....r-right...."

Dark studied the old man carefully. Perhaps a grandpa to the little girl?

"Are you... a relative of hers?", he asked.

"No...not r-rreally." This man seemed to studder a lot. "I...I'm her n-neighbor...such a ... sweet girl...her parents....they...

...they never r-really took v-very good care of her...her mother neglected her...her father was always at work...I t-think she may have...r-run away...please find her!"

He handed dark a piece of paper. It read : "Anna Lynn Bell. Age: 8 Address: 87234 Arrow road."

"This is where she lived, I take it?"

"y-yes..our house is just right next to it.."

Well, wasn't that convienent, seeing as how they were neighbors. This man could sure state the obvious..

"Ok. Thanks.." Dark put the paper in his pocket and walked out to his hovercar. He opened the top, got in, and shut the glass dome back over him. Outside the old man hobbled out the doors just in time to yell "G-g-good luck!!"

"I may need it.", Dark thought as he started the hovercar and flew off.

-----------------------------------

Pioneer 2. The ship built to take 40,000 refugees from coral to Ragol. This city was full of all sorts of people and androids. Life was fine, with only crimes occuring now and then. People were friendly for the most part; after all, you were chosen to go on pioneer 2. It wasn't just you, it was all of your family.

it was kind of like a draft; yet if a husband's name was called, he could take his entire family along with him. The ship was huge, with many sub ships following closely. A few families got to go because of connections; but most of the military had already left, and the scientists as well...

For many, life was good....nothing big ever happened...

..And Dark hated it.

He hated this ship, this hell of a voyage he had been sent on without a choice. He wished he could have stayed on coral....

How he longed to breathe in fresh air from a planet again; to look up and see the sun while his feet rested in soft grass....

..Virtual reality simulators could simulate nothing like the real thing, the true thing...then again, perhaps that is why they call them "Virtual Reality."... He was in his early twenties now, and had been in his teens when the voyage had begun. So many long years of waiting....

.....

Dark stopped the hovercar and looked out at the house.

"Is this really the place?" He looked again at the piece of paper, then at the numbers on the house. "87234......this is it alright."

The house was horribly run down; made of rotting wood, with boarded up windows, and adorned with cobwebs.

"Who uses wood to build a house anymore?", he thought as he stepped onto the sidewalk. The porch was dusty and creaked as he stepped on it. It was a two story house, with a roof like an upside down V, holding on circle window at the very top. It looked almost like a haunted house.

There was a screen door in the front of the house, and he knocked on it twice.

"Go away!" came a voice from inside.

"Open up!"

"GO AWAY! Don't you people have any more respect these days!?" He heard loud thumps as footsteps paraded across the house, and then a woman, probably in her late forties, with a semi-wrinkled face, but who still looked...well...quite ugly, opened the door.

She gasped as she saw him.

"You's a hunta?! What do your kind what wif us?!"

"I need to talk with you about the dissapearance of Anna. Your...."

"Daughter. Well, you should have said so! Come on in, come on in.." She led him into the house. There were objects all over the floors, dusty things, old things, and a few little childrens toys. A teddy bear with its arm ripped off and stuffing hanging out of the hole in its side was also lying on the floor.

They passed what he presumed was the kitchen, with pots and pans all over the place. Finally they reached the living room.

It had a couch, and two recliners; the couch had patches all over it, and the recliners did as well. They were all dusty, and as Dark sat in one he could have sworn he saw a cloud of dust fly up from it. The mother took a seat in the other recliner across from him, and picked up a small picture in a frame from the ground.

She looked at it as dark took out a notepad and began asking questions.

"So..", he began. "Can I get your full name?"

"Martha lynn Bell..", she said.

"Lynn? The same middle name as--"

"--as my daughter. Yes.." she said sadly.

"And your husbands name?"

"Carl Bell.."

Dark marked down a heading on his paper. It read "Suspects." Below it were the names "Martha Bell and Carl Bell."

"Martha, why didn't you tell the police about Anna's dissapearance?"

"I did."

"When?"

"Just yesterday."

"Can I ask why you waited a day to call them?"

Martha held the picture close to her chest. "Because I was worried...."

Dark noticed the picture and got a bit curious. "May I see the picture?"

Martha reluctantly handed it over.

On it was a young girl, holding a teddy bear. She had curly yet long blond hair, and a cute face, with large eyes and a dimple on her left cheek.

"Is this...Anna?"

"That's her alright..."

"So....looks like she loved that bear.. too bad she's probably dead now..."

The mother put her head in her hands.... Suddenly she sprung up.

"JUST SHUT UP! YOU'RE NO POLICE MAN, SO GET OUT MY HOUSE! GET OUT!! GET OUT!!!GET OUT!!!" She screamed, now in tears. Dark got up and calmly walked out of the house with the picture in his hand, letting the screen door swing as he walked down the sidewalk. He got in the hovercar, and drove off.

"Next stop...", he thought. "...Carl Bell."

---------------

What did you think? I'd love to hear some responses, as well as guesses to what has happened so far into the story! Thanks!

MrSnugglebugs
05-31-2003, 05:14 AM
Your writing is good, but don't know wtf a wooden house is doing in pioneer 2, much less paper for that matter - think they all be using halographic notepads or something lolz.

Actually you're writing kicks ass, quick and to the point, the only thing that needs work is story I guess. Most of the foos on this forum can't write or think of stories worth a damn. Cept one other guy, and he's banned LOL.

Caecilius
05-31-2003, 05:48 AM
WOOT WOOT, cool story so far! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Can I join at some point? Look in the character bank for my character Valten.

Might be coming up with another guy soon...

RubyEclipse
05-31-2003, 02:35 PM
"Dyno Sabers...This is the place." In front of him was a large factory, with white walls and a large sign and that read "Dyno Sabers".

He walked forward, the white streetlights shining down on the sidewalk, and the electric doors shot to the side as he walked up.

"Well...this has been easier than the last house I visisted so.... far..", he thought as he stepped inside and felt the cool air conditioning of the building.

The inside was like a labyrinth of white hallways, white floors, and white lights on white cieling tiles.

There was so much white he nearly went insane. As workers passed him, dressed in white labcoats, he had to turn his gaze for fear that all this white would leave him blind.

"What is it with this place and the color white?!", he thought. "First I take this wierd job, then I find a house built of wood; of wood! Who builds a house out of wood these days?! And now this?!"

A man walking down the hall looked at him and then abrutply stood in front of him with his hand, palm forward, facing dark.

"Hold it. Let's see some identification."

"Uh..." Dark fidgeted his hand around in his pocket and produced his Hunter's License card. He handed it to the man.

"Dark Diamond." The man read aloud. "Age twenty-two, Yellowboze Id, --what are you trying to pull her bucko?! This isn't a circus!"

The man handed him the card back and pointed towards the door. "Now get out before I call the cops!"

"I'm here to see Carl Bell.", replied Dark in a monotone.

"Nope, sorry, never heard of him."

Dark grabbed the man by his collar and lifted him into the air. "Bullshit! You know who he is and I suggest you take me to him before you find yourself with a few broken bones in the hospital."

"A-a-aalright!!!" the man gasped. "j-j-just putttt me doooown first!!"

Dark dropped him onto the ground. The man got up, and motioned for dark to follow him.

"Well, you should have said you knew carl!", said the man. "A friend of carl's is a friend of mine."

"We aren't friends. I'm coming to meet him."

"Oh, really? Well, great guy I can tell ya!"

"Can you tell me some more about him?"

"Well, Carl is one of the best workers here! He's got a heart of gold! He has a wife, which I've never met, and he doesn't speak about her much...but he always spoils his little daughter!"

"He has a daughter?", said Dark pretending not to know.

"Well yeah! Spoils her like the dickens I tell ya! She's a cute little girl, seven or eight years old, I think."

"Eight.", replied dark. "Oh shit!", he then thought. "I just blew that one."

Dark quickly changed the topic as they passed doors to labratories. "Hm...so uh, was carl ever...mean, to his daughter? Would he have any reason to harm her?"

"Carl?! Are you kidding me?! Never! Carl would never do such a thing! He couldn't hurt a fly! Wait...are-are you saying that something happened to his daughter?!"

"I might be."

They finally turned left and came upon a door that read "Engineering."

"This is it..", said the man.

"Thanks." Dark opened the door and entered the room. There were computers all over the place, with many workers typing away at blazing speed. There were about eight workers, so he decided to use a more conventional method to figure out which one was carl.

"Hey! Carl!", he shouted. One man turned around. "Bingo."he thought.

The man had on a pair of thin glasses, and bright, brown hair. "I'm carl..," he said. "Can I help you?"

"I need to talk with you. Let's talk outside."

"Oh..sure thing, whoever you are!" the man replied in a cheerful voice.

"How can he be cheerful in a time like this?!", thought dark. "His daughter has dissapeared and he treats it like he's in heaven or something!?"

They stepped outside of the room, and dark looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. No sign of a soul.

"Mr Bell.."

"Yes? How can I help you, Mister..."

"Call me dark."

"Oh...well..alright, if you insist.."

"Mr. bell, where was the last place you saw your daughter?"

"My daughter? What's this about?"

"You daughter dissapeared two days ago."

"She what?!"

"You heard. Your wife says she called in a day ago. I find it hard to believe you don't know about this."

"I haven't been home in the past three days! But my wife didn't call?! Oh no...she must have gotten more.."

"More....what?"

"Nothing.."

"Carl, I advise you to tell me. Things aren't looking good at this point and if that girl's body winds up dead somewhere you may find yourselves on trial for the murder of your daughter."

"What?! I would never--"

"That'll be to the jury to decide, if it comes to that. Now you need to tell me."

"Well...alright...my wife....she......she's a drug addict...I got her to stop when she became pregnant, for our baby, for our child...but when Anna turned five....she started again."

"I see."

"I have to work so much to keep up payments for insurance, and the house, which is nearly broken anyway, added to the costs of her drugs..."

"So that's why your house is made of wood?"

"We can't afford anything else.."

"I see..well, I need to speak with someone I know...I'll get back to you. Go home and get some rest."

"I.....alright..."

As dark got back in his hovercar, he looked down at his notepad. He took out his pen and half scratched out the name "Carl Bell.", but then thought better of it. Carl was still a suspect.

----------------------------------------------

"So, Dark, what can I help you with today?"

Dark had come to his friend and mentor, Topaz Liason, for help. Toapz was in his late forties, but had provided dark with a home in his early years...that was before they left coral...

Outside it was dark, with the soft white light of the lamps...like it always was on this ship....like it always was in space.

Dark sat down in a black leathery chair, produced his notepad and threw it to topaz, sitting behind his desk, who caught it with one hand.

"Let's see what you have here......

Oh? A missing girl, eh? At age 8? Oh my, isn't that sad..."

"Read on."

"Let's see.....What?! They lived in a wood house?!"

"Yeah. That's certianly odd."

"Why on coral(Not earth) would they live in a wooden house?"

"The wife is a drug addict. She takes the money her husband makes and uses it to buy more drugs."

"I see..and it says her hubsand works way overtime so they can survive..."

"Yeah. So it looks like we have two suspects."

"Indeed. Well let's see, dark, here's what I hypothesise right now...in either case we have to imagine the girl is most likely dead by now. After forty eight hours usually all hope is lost....

Scenario A: The wife did it. In this case, she killed her daughter so that she wouldn't have an extra mouth to feed; and less mouthes to feed means..."

"More money?"

"Exactly. More money for her drugs. They are very powerful things, Diamond, they can drive a person to do things they would never normally do."

"Even kill their own child?"

"Situation providing,... yes.

Now scenario B: The husband did it. He did it to get back at his wife, and perhaps to show her that he has had enough of her drugs and wants her to focus on the main points in life...

...you see dark, many times you don't realize what is truly important to you until it is gone. Maybe he did this to give her a hard slap in the face. He didn't like her doing drugs, right?"

"Right."

"Then that scenario sounds good to me."

"Well..", dark persisted. "When I talked with him he seemed innocent."

"Ever heard of acting, dark? People do it all the time in murder. Acting, and lies."

"Yes but...I don't know, something tells me he didn't do it."

"Well, that'll be up to a jury to decide, now won't it?" Dark's own words had come back to haunt him.

Topaz suddenly snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea. Let's check the wife's credibility and see if she really did call the police!" He picked up a phone and dialed the number.

A few minutes later, he hung up.

"The verdict?", asked dark.

"There were no calls made reporting a dissapearance in the last two weeks. You've got yourself a lie, dark."

"Aha! Then perhaps it WAS the wife?"

"I don't know, we can't be certain...remember this is all theory, my friend, but---"

A constant , quick beeping interupted him. Dark reached down at his belt and produced his small BEE message phone. He clicked it on.

"What's up?"

"D-d-dark?"

"Yea. Who is this?"

"I-i-found her!!! I f-f-found her dark!!"

"Who?!"

"A-a-a-nna!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"!!!!!!!"

"C-c-c-come to the waste recycling plant, and quickly!!"

Dark dropped the BEE communicator on the floor and bolted out to his car.

As he shot out, Topaz raised a hand to the air and muttered, "Dark, wai--"

He sighed. "Just like when you were a kid. No use trying to stop you. Of course, now the real question I'm dying to find out is...

"Is she dead or alive?""

------------------------------------------

Next: The finale to the short 3 part story:

The Guardian Finale: The monster behind the mask!


What did you think? I'd like to hear thoughts on who you guys think is behind this, and why. Thanks!

Cowtron
06-01-2003, 12:46 AM
XD lmao a wooden house

Ryuzaki00
06-01-2003, 02:28 PM
hmmm...i think it was the old man...never trust people who stutter so much. J/K http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

actually, i think it was the mom...dang it, she didn't even cry.