The Last Tower: Iwaku

[Pirogeth]

[align=center]The Last Tower: Iwaku[/align]

The epitome of human architecture, The Tower, was originally used as a holding cell for princesses, a view of the land, or a way to conduct business. Now it was brought into the new age and built on a massive scale. The population of three heavy populated states could fit inside just one of these towers. Technology was brought in to recycle and pump water, to grow vegetation in artificial green rooms, and to raise food sources from these rooms. As time moved on, the people forgot about the wonders that kept these monoliths alive and died crushed under the rubble of their own neglect. Now only one of these towers is left standing, Iwaku.

[align=center]

[/align]

In the middle of the great tower was a single metallic outcrop. This collection of windows was the work place of the Board of Administrators as well as the GM Counsel. This evening was a special occasion, the official fifth year the tower had survived since the collapse of it's twin, Moon Wings. There was a video crew inside the press conference room taping the podium. The first to step up was a thin brown haired individual. On the board behind him was this Admin's symbol, wings folded over an oak leaf. His voice was smooth and had a British accent to it. "Good evening everyone across the Tower Iwaku. We are all here today to honor the passing of the previous towers and to pray for the good fortune of ours. Ever since this tower was founded by chief architects, Dox, Gabriel, and Homac, we've always enjoyed its splendors. To show them our own respect we have been studying day and night the structure and the designs of the water systems. We now have a fifteen percent understanding of this tower." From all over the tower, in the large hallways that were meant to be streets, to the pubs along side them, people rang out in cheer. Not once had the Iwakuans ever seen such progress in the hope that they may survive. "We are also tripling our efforts on maintaining the green rooms. For that I hand the podium to our Chief of Agriculture, Diana."

The taller figure stepped down and gave his position away to a sandy brown haired woman about the same age. Her pearly smile gave the look of even more good news. "Thank you Asmodeus and thank you all for working so hard the past five years. The green rooms have never flourished like they have now. There is a thirty percent increase of food for everyone and it steadily is growing. Remember to keep tending to your local room and soon enough we'll have more than enough food for everyone. Finally I'll hand the mic over to Rory to bring everyone up to date on Government and Social Affairs, Rory." Diana had let go of the mic and stepped down. Rory, a skinny and very dark brown haired man, took her place. He had the look of a leader, the look of a true government official.

"Good evening everyone. First I'd like to say this has been an extremely effective year. I would like to thank the GM Counsel for working so hard, our Moderator Police Department, and most of all, you for standing by us all this time. I know we have had trouble in the past, but we promise to make this next year even more glorious than the last. Less abuse, less drugs, and less crime. Thank you and enjoy the festivities." After Rory stepped down there was a brief closing remark by the reporter and finally the camera was shut off. Rory cracked a cigarette as Asmo went to the fridge. "Sfo how longsh can we keep lying to shem?" Rory asked with the cigarette held in his teeth.
"As long as it takes us to get this mess figured out. Has anything leaked to the press about the Subfloor 3 incident?" Diana asked as the room was now empty.
"Hell if I know. They can sniff out that crap faster than Jack can order a raid. But I assure you the area is restricted." Asmo replied as he popped the top off a bottle of beer.
"Has the Counsel been asking questions?" Rory asked as he puffed out a perfect circle with the smoke in his lungs.
"No, at least the ones who don't know." Diana replied.
"Good that vulture Pirogeth is completely oblivious. Can't keep his mouth closed when it comes to these affairs." Rory chuckled a bit as he put the cigarette back in his mouth.
"Rory, has Jack been able to get anything on those rebels recently?" Asmodeus inquired now done with a quarter of his beer.
"If you mean by finding dead officers then yeah. These guys are tricky as hell and we've made quite an enemy out of most of them."
"How do you mean?" Diana piped in knowing full well what these creeps were capable of.
"Well although it isn't ground in fact, the leader is said to be an ex-staff member getting help from one of our members. Just be on your toes about it. You never know when something could happen. Well I'm off, remember, keep quiet." Rory left the room his smoke drifting just an inch behind him. It was not long after that Diana and Asmodeus both headed out. The outcropping was now shutting off its lights as everyone partied in the streets. One by one each level shut down until somewhere around the midsection only one pair of lights remained on. As they turned off an orange glow filled them, then a red, and finally shattered. The concussive force of blast from several bombs went off. The strategically placed explosives ripped the offices right off the wall of the center pillar. Some partied as others watched in terror as the administration came crumbling down.

 

[Jack Shade]

XD

I enjoyed it...well done.

I would like to see more such parodies and stories. Encore good sir.

 

[Pirogeth]

The Tower Iwaku had some odd hours. Due to just sheer size of it, the time zones were distributed vertically rather than horizontally. The sun was just cracking through the windows of the midsection revealing the wondrous green rooms, the clear streets, and the smoke still billowing from the sides of the central tower. An alarm went off next to the bed in one of the numerous apartments like homes. It started slowly and began to pick up pace, obviously designed to annoy the owner into a conscious state of mind. Took a full minute before the nuisance was silenced. From the bed arose a red haired young woman. Her hair was mangled from a tireless night of partying with everyone else. She grabbed for the remote and turned on the television just a foot away from the edge of her bed.
"-making it a chilly day for those balcony goers. Now to our top story. At about nine last night a series of explosions were heard coming from the central tower. Witnesses say the explosions came from inside the Administration Board and was not a missile attack. Reports are unclear as to the death toll and the Chief of the MPD cannot be reached for comment. It is speculated that all three administrators were caught in the blast." The woman had just finished brushing her hair as the anchor went to commercial.
"So the Admins are missing, and the key suspects are whoever was in the tower yesterday. Should not be that hard of a case for the police to work out." She said to herself trying to stay out of the authorities' way. A small thought crossed her mind causing her to look down at a small notepad. The cover was made of brown leather and on the front of it was engraved Patty Pixie. "Then again, the police could use all the help they can get."

[align=center]

[/align]

The sun was bright and shining through the windows and what remained of the ceiling near the entrance to the Admin Board. Behind the line set up by the police was a temporary station put there to interrogate those found at the site after the initial explosion. Inside was the three of the GM Counsel, several employees who were working late, and the MPD leader, Jack. He had a stern face for this interrogation and his black hair accented this mood of his. The only ones intimidated by this face though were the employees. "So none of you know a thing about what went on last night?" Jack questioned, obviously not the first time from the reactions.
"We told you, we had nothing to do with the attack." Kitti, a sandy brown haired girl said. She was nearly dwarfed by the other two standing next to her and her voice was a higher pitch than usual. It was different, that is why people listened and one of the supposed reasons she was now on the Counsel.
"I'm not satisfied with that and neither will our superiors." Jack said mentioning the missing Admins.
"Who knows if they are even alive anymore? You said it yourself earlier, not a soul could have survived that crash." The dark brown haired man, with notepad in hand as well as a pencil and pen in his left pocket, had spoken. He was a profound name when it came to the media and his voice spoke mostly the truth; although sometimes, that wasn't what some people wanted to hear.
"You keep your god damn pessimism to yourself, Pirogeth. We'll find them and they ain't dead until I say they are got that. So don't be looking to me for quotes when you sell this info to the media."
"But Jack, I got all the quotes I need from you." Pirogeth was obviously pushing it as Jack gave up on him and directed his attention to the last counsel member.
"Coffee, what about you? I haven't heard your whereabouts yesterday."
"Yes, I suppose my location is a mystery at the predetermined time of the explosive event. If I had to guess, I'd say that my presence was most needed at my associate's position. His paperwork had not been picked up so he inquired if I could ascertain the object in question and return it to his side." Jack stayed silent for a moment.
"In plain English please?" He asked not wanting to get caught up in the words.
"Pirogeth asked me to grab some notes for him he left behind. Luckily I made it out before the explosion went off."
"Not good that puts you at the scene of this incident." Jack said as he had most faith in Coffee among the three.
"Quite a scandal, that puts me in the running as a suspect as well." Pirogeth seemed to smile, his intrigue in the case had doubled.
"Sir, there seems to be a young woman asking for you at the blockade." A nameless officer said coming in from the side of the interrogation booth.
"Who is it? I don't have anything scheduled."
"She says her name is Patty and she wants to help out on this case."
"Gah, her again. I could really use less attention especially in times like these. Let her in, tell her I'll be with her in a moment." The officer saluted and went to perform his duty.

"Right this way miss. Can I get you anything? Water, a snack, perhaps coffee?"
"No thanks I'm fine." Patty responded as her escort left the room. She had taken a seat in one of the busted café's near the scene. From where she sat she could see the wide open area exposed after the offices had fallen. The smoke clouded her view but she could almost see her green room. It took awhile for Jack to get done with the interrogation. He left the tent with the counsel. She tried to listen in to the conversation even with all the noise coming from the crowd gathered by the blockade.
"I do hope you find the culprit soon. I would not want to disappoint my writers." Pirogeth mentioned picking up a bag he had left in front of the station.
"You just remember to stay in your restricted area for now. The moderators are watching."
"Oh yes a fine job they do all the time, so who do you got assigned to me? Paorou? Perhaps Orochi?"
"If you must know we have Sakura watching you."
"Ghk, you…you win Jack." Pirogeth said leaving the group. It was only a matter of time before a young girl dressed in a cute MPD uniform jumped onto his arm. While they walked away Patty could hear the conversation.
"We will have so much fun together Pironii-chan. We can… and then... and we…" Patty giggled to herself knowing the officer personally. "Hope he likes kids."
"And I hope you like your apartment, because I don't need your help on this one." Jack said sitting next to her at a slightly charred table.
"Come on, you take all the credit each time anyway why can't I help you again? Besides, my gut tells me I can do something in this case."
"I cannot enlist the help of civilians, not in a case like this." Jack's face seemed to become saddened.
"What do you mean 'a case like this?'"
"Enough, I've already given you more than you need to know. Stay inside, and for god sake, do not get caught up in this. I have a few employees to interrogate, Palonis will take you past the line." As he said that an officer appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He had a special device attached to his waist.
"Thermal cloaking device, my own creation. Please come with me." Patty could not do much, at least not now. For some reason Jack was keeping this inside.

 

[Jack Shade]

I'm all the more intrigued *Gets drawn in further to stories in which he plays a large role* XD I like our give and take Piro.

 

[Pirogeth]

The world outside, it is one of grief of the past life. The Tower Iwaku stands around the remains of what used to be Chicago. The harbor was thick with toxins from the nuclear age right before the coming of the towers. The large skyscrapers were just shells of their former selves standing as skeletal beings stripped of their dominance for resources used in the construction of the monolith. The streets grew thick with moss, and the wind heavy in the scent of unnatural ozone brought about by the explosion of several factories in the area. The only thing that kept the people of Iwaku from a grim and unwanted fate was the systems established inside the tower itself. All of which were controlled below in what was known as the sub levels. All entrances into the tower are closely moderated by the MPD and considered boring and tedious work. At one of the side entrances of the tower, in the back alley of the slums, three cloaked figures stood over a panicking man. "I-I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. There was no one else to turn to, I needed to get my fill."
"And so you resorted to disturbing the peace time and time again. This was the final straw, with the admins gone it is up to us to dispense your fate." A male cloaked member said as he grabbed hold of the collar of his victim.
"P-please anything but that. I can't I won't survive out there."
"Banishment is permanent; seek to quell your troubles in the outskirts." For a brief second the door was opened and the man tossed out into the cold, harsh world. The door then shut closed as quickly as it opened as the three figures departed from the alley.

[align=center]

[/align]

Palonis had been able to get Patty across the crowd without even touching a single individual. The man sure knew his way around the paparazzi. "I'll be letting you go from here. There should not be any incidents. If you excuse me I need to get back to Jack." Palonis disappeared again and Patty was left to mull over what Jack had said.
"Not in a case like this, something must be terribly wrong." Without thinking about it she picked up a pen out of her pocket and started twirling it in her fingers. It had become somewhat of a habit as she thought about cases that involved more than what was on the surface. 'Pirogeth did seem to be a great threat to the admins, perhaps he got to them before they could get to him. But without them he has no stories. If anything this explosion would hinder his ability in communicating with the people. Kitti has been up to research for Asmo, however, I have nothing past the fact. What she was researching and even if she got a conclusion to it. Coffee must also have some kind of story to tell. Perhaps I can meet with him. What did Jack say to Pirogeth, stay in restricted areas? That means they must be keeping him where there is a lot of MPD activity along with his associate Coffee. The place with the most activity is the Tower's Government branch. If they got them secured there they can live and proceed in doing their day to day work.' Patty's thoughts just kept on coming until she finally concluded she would search there for Coffee. If anyone had some answers it was him.

Jack had made it back to his desk at HQ on the 76th floor. There had been a large influx of calls ever since he got into the station. Each one was complaining about the debris that had fallen over the lower sections and how it was interrupting traffic. "Blood sucking leeches. All they care about is how much money they will lose and not the loss of life from the crash." Jack managed a bitter sigh and looked out his office's window. The street was packed full of reporters eagerly waiting a statement from the official. "If I give them the truth they will all turn against each other, all the team work and great progress we made will all be for naught. The Admins' dream of a semi-Utopia will be crushed and the last tower will crumble along with the hope of humanity. White lies, they may not be truth but they sure as hell keep this community running."
"Sir!" A voice came from behind the door. The shadow of one of the mods was easily recognized. His Viking hat made it fairly obvious.
"Torsty how many times have I told you to not wear that around the office?"
"Fourteen if we are counting now sir. But I have some urgent news concerning the passing of the admins." Torsty, who was slightly taller than jack and had his curly blonde hair hidden beneath his helmet, was now hovering over Jack's shoulder as he read the notes to himself.
"My god, this means-"
"I know." Was Torsty's only reply.
"Call them all back, and don't tell TK what it is for. I want to see all the reactions first hand." Jack slammed the papers on the desk as he went to get his coat.

Patty had arrived at the 77th floor and it looked the busiest it had been in months. People were scrambling to put back together data files, lost archives, and trying to keep up with the paperwork that was coming in. "Perhaps I came at a bad time?" She questioned to herself as someone tripped while holding a stack of manila folders packed full.
"I must correct you on your inward commentary. Perhaps it is really the most exquisite time for you to come. The authorities do not pay us any mind to our truth and mistake our honesty for deceit. As one could put it, the truth can only be realized by the portal to the mind, the eyes." Coffee had come up behind Patty and was drinking his own brand of coffee.
"Didn't that brand get a bad review?" Patty asked off topic.
"Yes but the bitter flavor does keep me vigilant for a far greater time than any caffeine product would. Please adjourn with me to my not so private quarters. I see the truth in your eyes and the want to transfer my truth to your mind." Coffee took another sip of his drink and gave a small reaction. He held out his hand and motioned for Patty to take the lead knowing she had been there before.

Coffee was the first to sit down, the table was made of old red wood. The tree itself was extinct but the table was well preserved besides a few coffee marks here and there. "So what is it you wish to extract?"
"What were you doing at nine last night Coffee?" Patty asked getting right to the point.
"Oh yes, the same question from our dear friend Jack. You seem to carry much the same essence as him. But like I told him, I was grabbing notes for Pirogeth at the time. I managed to barely escape the explosion myself. If you'd like my office suit is over there if you wish to examine it." Coffee motioned to the door behind Patty. He was telling the truth at least at first glance. The back side of the piece of clothing had been terribly singed, even a hole was burnt into the shoulder blade area. Patty got up to examine it closer. While Coffee started spewing out more gibberish she didn't understand she took the liberty of digging through the pockets. The councilman had no idea as to what she was doing as he started to talk about his opinions of the MPD. She checked the inside pocket and found a card. It was small, meant for simple business, and was intriguing to say the least. It was plain white and spoke of someone she had only recognized from early cases. Porg Virtual Reality, Restarting life to a tea. She quickly pocketed the small piece of paper and set the suit back up against the door.
"I'm sorry but I have to get going, thank you for your input Mr. Coffee." A quick about face and she was out the way she came in encountering one of Jack's men on the way out. He seemed to be in a rush as his pleasantries were quick and his movements swift. Patty was on a mission herself and did not care to listen in on the conversation which took place after she left.
"Your being summoned by the Commissioner, please bring with you any and all forms of physical government records of your position."
"What? Am I to understand your implications correctly that only I-"
"Pirogeth and Kitti are doing the same. Please come with me as quickly as possible."

 

[MiraMirror]

>u< This is exciting! ^_^

 

[PattyPixie]

XD I love it.

Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[Pirogeth]

Virtual reality, it was a black art in the field of technology. People who still practiced it were considered inhuman, almost like drug dealers. It was also one of the suggestions brought up after the third world war. It was called inhuman and sinful, branded just like the witches in the Solemn Witch Trials. There were only a few hundred left after the war and considered eradicated after the decision. But there was still one who practiced it, one who wished to create a better world for those around him. That person was Porg and his dream, the Iwaku World.

[align=center]

[/align]

"This is the address." Patty readied herself as she heard the low thuds of a morning rave. She was near the edge of the low grade area known as the cbox, the ghetto or slums of the tower. It was a place of high traffic and never seemed to sleep. She embarked on her last steps in the journey to find Porg. Entering the club she was nearly blind. The lights kept switching colors, the bodies moving were all meshed into one silhouette, and the music rang through her ears with the occasional thump from the beat. The place wreaked of alcohol and sweat and the only distinguishing difference between faces in the crowd was how many glowing rings they were wearing. It was a tight squeeze but Patty did make her way to the back of the club. She went through the employee door and the music became a tad bit quieter. At least now the girl could think as she browsed the doors. One did catch her eye, it was bright red and had a latch on it. No surprise it had the last numbers to the address she had been looking for. She decided to knock not thinking anything would get through. Her hand rapped against the door three times. She waited for several seconds and no response. Turning on her heal she prepared to leave until she heard the odd clanking of metal coming from behind her. A slot opened at eye level.
"Who are you?" The deep voice asked, his voice commanding.
"I'm Patty Pixie, I was wondering if I could talk with you?" As the silence overwhelmed the two the detective tried to catch a glimpse of what was through the hole. All she saw was the pair of lips sitting there. Occasionally she would see a cup be brought up to them and a sipping sound.
"I'm sorry I do not talk with people who do not make appointments." Patty had to be quick about herself. She could not lose her only lead.
"But-I was interested in your art." She said completely lying. Again silence came between the two but it was better than the metal creaking closed.
"Y-you mean it?" The deep voice was more subtle, like it was waiting for this kind of attention.
"Would I have come to the cbox if I did not want to see you?" Patty asked in the most pleading way she could. Her voice imitated a longing to discover this mystery.
"Come on in." He said, closing the slot and unlocking the door. The metal hinges screeched open but it was drowned out by the rave in the main room. Smoke filtered out of a blue lit room as she saw someone who did not match in any way the voice she heard before. His orange curly hair, somewhat freckled face, his goofy grin, nothing matched and that put an odd look on her face.
"Your Porg?" Her question came with a choked giggle.
"Yes I am. Please come in before my fog escapes." Patty tip toed in being careful of what she might find below the screen of smoke.

All the captains of the MPD squad as well as the GM Counsel and TK were all assembled in a secure room in the back of the HQ. "What is this about Jack? I thought I could continue working but here you are just tugging at our leashes again." Pirogeth asked disturbed by this turn of events.
"I believe we are here for more than just his want to use his power Pirogeth." Coffee mentioned setting down his credentials. Kitti did the same and Pirogeth followed suit. Once everything physical was on the table Jack got up from his chair. The room was like a vault, blocking out the noise from outside. The white walls bounced the luminescent light around the room.
"The Board of Administrators left something behind, it was recovered by my well trusted officer Torsty. It seems that they had a change of guard in plan before the offices crashed and burned." Jack was now flapping around several papers in his hands. "These here are direct orders signed by the admins themselves to remove Pirogeth, Kitti, and Coffee from the GM Counsel and replace them with Sakura, Torsty, and TK." Most of them were shocked, except for Pirogeth, Coffee, and Torsty.
"What? You mean, I need to find a regular job?" Kitti asked.
"No there is another part to this. It says that all three who lost their position in the Counsel…" Jack paused not liking the news himself. He muttered the last bit of the sentence. "…will be made captains under my jurisdiction." Pirogeth's frown turned back to a smile.
"Oh I suppose there is a silver lining to every story. Just think of it, you finally able to give me orders." Pirogeth chuckled to himself.
"I'm just as thrilled." Jack replied sarcastically. "You keep this attitude up and I'll post you on boarder duty." Pirogeth had heard the stories and immediately shut up.
"At least I don't have to go through the hassle of finding a new job." Kitti said wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"But that isn't the whole piece of cake now is it?" Coffee asked Jack.
"Your completely right Coffee, I need two out of three GM signatures to make this document official. My officers have already put their signatures down so now it is up to two out of you three." Jack said keeping an eye on each individual. Surprisingly Pirogeth was the first to step forward with a pen. There was still a smirk on his face as he held out his hand for the documents. The Commissioner gave him the papers and in a moment his name was down. Coffee followed after and Kitti signed it for good measure.
"So what orders do I have sir?" Pirogeth questioned his voice mangling the word sir as an insult.
"I'd like you three to wait outside, I want to talk with the new GM's." All three acknowledged his order and proceeded out the door.
"Who does he think he is finding crap like that?" Pirogeth muttered kicking the wall as soon as he shut the door.
"Don't say that…you might end up first on the suspect list if you keep this up." Kitti warned him.
"I would not worry about his behavior. Right now our friend in blue is keeping an eye on those elected to take the new position. He's only put up with your crap so far, Pirogeth, because he fears that the traitor might be one of his men." Coffee said being more serious than usual.
"So you think that the person that did it could be Torsty or TK?"
"Or Sakura even, they could have threatened her." Coffee was not playing favorites.
"So what do we do then? I want to put an end to this madness before I fall victim to these attacks." Kitti said her voice slightly shaken.
"I would not worry about it. The rebellion has used most of its explosives that we know of in both this last attack and the Subfloor 3 incident." Coffee mentioned perking Pirogeth's interest.
"Subfloor 3? There was an attack there? Nothing escapes my eyes." Pirogeth said still in awe that he had not seen any reports of this.
"You were kept out of the loop so the media would not get their hands on it. Last thing Rory and Jack needed was more complaints."
"Have we found out who is the leader of the Rebellion?" Pirogeth asked still seeking for anything else he was not told.
"No but we did find their contact, he refuses to tell us anything so long as we don't have sufficient proof."
"And who is that?"
"Porg."

 

[Pirogeth]

There was a lingering aroma of freshly boiling tea in the room. Patty felt a little cramped with all the computers, cords, and a large dream pod in the room. The fog lay thick on the ground and all this together made her finally blurt out the first question. "What is up with this room?"
"I must apologize, ever since my work was discontinued with Asmo I was forced to move here. It is pretty cramped but all that I need is in this room. There is a back room there if you want some space but that's crammed full of research data." Porg said as he took a seat at his computer and booted up a program. "So would you like to try it once for yourself or are you the techy type that likes to dive into the numbers right away?"
"Numbers please." There was no need to possibly lose her mind to the poorly hooked up pod that she was nearly stepping on.
"Well here's the main page of it, several different basic start up commands, neural recognition, equilibrium simulation, and stored motor reflex points." Porg pointed out several positions in the large paragraphs of code as he continued scrolling down. "Now here is where some of the beauty of my research comes in. It recognizes two hundred and twelve neural transmitters rather than the average one hundred eleven. Right here it keeps a memory sheet of every single one that passes through your cerebral cortex. Here are some basics like dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and ACh. Each one is replicated to a stand in for yourself projected in the virtual memory circuits. It reroutes the brain's pathways just like a dream would only with electrical stimulants. But I'm sure you already knew that basic stuff."
"Uhhhhh…yeah. I was actually hoping to get to know you a bit more myself. The famous Porg who has kept this alive for so long." Patty said lying through her teeth again.
"Oh? Well not much to say about myself. I started this research when my teacher was forced out of his job. I continued his legacy and eventually Asmo hired me for a project concerning the subfloors. Then one day he up and fires me saying that I was a bad liability. My work ground to a halt, and if it hadn't been for him, well I would be nearly done with this project now. There are still several thousand bugs and kinks to work out as well as developing the perfect world." Porg explained. His sorrow did not show through but Patty could feel it. This man had dedicated his life to exploring the intricacies of providing some people a better life.
"So would you blame Asmo for the predicament your in?"
"No, I don't blame him, my unique genius is hard to grasp. I don't have any proof until I can make the ultimate in Virtual Technology, the adapting environment. Once I can create that, then they will respect my work and the whole tower will take a second look at this awesome science." Porg was a bit too enthusiastic about his work. Patty had to take a few steps back fearing that he could read her thoughts if he gave him the chance.
"So where do you get funding now? I mean obviously your money comes from somewhere right? I'd like to help out if I could."
"Huh? Well that is kinda pushy for a first meeting…you aren't another one of Coffee's goons are you?"
"Coffee? He's after you?"
"You know him! I knew it, too good to be true. I'm not letting you even come near this building again ya hear me!" Porg said getting angrier. He was now pushing Patty by her back towards the door. He unlocked the hinges and swung it open, to his surprise there was a cloaked figure standing there, their face covered in the darkness of the hood. Porg was quick to act and ducked. He pushed Patty into the person and ran for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nzwHfdNuhs

Porg had went for the exit straight away not giving a care about who he had pushed into his assailant. Another bullet fired as he tried to open the exit. The back of his head had a hole and he slumped against the door. Patty watched in horror as his body fell all the way to the ground leaving a large splatter of blood. Without thinking she ran out through a different exit and began to run as fast as she could. It was not long before the door slammed open again and the cloaked figure was chasing her. Three others had joined their leader and were now on the hunt.

Patty dodged a few more bullets as the clip had fully ran out. There was one across the street catching up to her and the other two were on the buildings beside her. She made a swift turn to her right and started running down an alley leading to the next street. She pushed over a few garbage cans and even managed to unlatch a dumpster but that was not enough to deter her attackers. The original one leapt over the junk as the one across the street made for a different alley. The other two on top of the buildings found a veranda to hop onto then off onto the street. The others now started firing at her as she made a leap through a window at a closed restaurant. She flipped over some more tables and took shelter behind the clerk's counter. Several more bullets fired shattering the glass there. Patty screamed relieving some stress from the chase. She was breathing heavy but she knew she had to keep running, she couldn't hide forever. Picking up a bottle of wine she chucked it in the opposite direction she was going to take off. The bottle broke in midair, these were obviously well trained marksmen. Patty dodged the other bullets as she quickly made her way into the kitchen and set off the fire alarm as she went out the back door. Her goal was now in sight, the elevator for the Iwaku Tower. It was practically the only safe place she could be on this floor. "Come on legs don't fail me now!" She yelled motivating herself. Sprinting for the door she was now only thirty meters away, twenty, ten, then a sharp pain. Something stopped her right leg, something warm started to trickle down her leg as she fell to the ground. One of the cloaked figures had shot her. "This is it, I'm done." Her sad mumblings to herself blinded her as the elevator door opened. Several shots from a non-silenced M9 rang out.
"PATTY C'MON!" That voice was familiar, it was Corvus. Patty started to inch towards the elevator the best she could. Once she was within range Corvus helped her the rest of the way in and let go of the call button. The doors provided enough bullet proofing for them as the car took off upward. "You alright?" Tears were coming down Patty's cheeks, both out of fear and out of happiness.
"Take me to Jack…please."

 

[Jack Shade]

2w00t!

You inspire me to do a similar story...I'll wait till this one concludes so I don't step on toes. Well done Piro! Good show!

 

[MiraMirror]

Eeeep! This is epicness/creativity at a peak! ^_^

 

[Sakura]

Pironiichan! This is awesome ! :D
You're an amazing writer and you've caught everyone so well <3

And the suspense @_@ Its killing me xD

 

[PattyPixie]

I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO ME!!!

*bites nails*

 

[Myrnodyn]

heh, I always like stories like this. They are awesome.

I definitely like this one, keep it up, Piro!

 

[Pirogeth]

The tone sounded as the elevator stopped off at the seventy sixth floor. The reporters were now crowding the streets trying to move their equipment out onto the next story. Jack had just finished giving his statement to the media and was working in his office facing the window. His dull look catching a break as it turned to worry when he saw Patty and Corvus approaching the police station. Immediately he bolted down into the lobby as Corvus helped Patty limp through the front doors. The only thing he could manage to say was "What are you doing here you should be in a hospital?"
"She said she wanted to talk to you." Corvus said struggling to keep Patty up right. It may have been only a shot to the leg but she lost more blood during the walk. Eventually she found a secure position to lean on Corvus.
"J-Jack…Porg is…he was shot."
"Look we are getting you to a hospital then you can tell me what happened ok?" Jack said taking Patty's arm. Lucky for them the hospital was just at the end of the street.

[align=center]

[/align]

The clock was ticking away as Jack and Corvus both sat at the end of the bed as they waited for Patty to come back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered for a moment as she sat up slowly. Rubbing her eyes she came to grasp with where she was but not with what had happened. "Jack, what was I doing?"
"It is good to see you are with us again. It appears you witnessed Porg's death." Jack said being rather straightforward.
"Oh…yeah." Patty replied, depression setting in to the second word.
"Look you made it out alive be happy for that!" Corvus said trying to brighten up the mood. Patty knew she could not argue with her so she put on her smile and a laugh to boot.
"I told you not to get yourself involved in this and you do it anyway. More than likely the rebels will be after you." He opened up a notebook he had been holding onto the whole time. "I think this means I need to bring you up to speed. The rebels have finally made their first demands six days ago." Patty was taken in by the new information. Not even her, an ace detective, heard anything about demands.
"So what do they want?"
"They wanted the cbox. To claim it as a separate entity compared to the rest of the tower. They wanted to remove all MPD officers from the area. We denied that request only to find out that a day later one of our tower base entrances were overrun. We managed to re-establish connection and put up new staff but it was too late. The rebels had already brought in what they needed, high grade structure explosives. And just last night they detonated them right after the admins made their speech."
"Who was chasing me, did you get a look at their faces?" Patty asked looking to Corvus to answer this one. She shook her head.
"No I only managed to scare them away. But I do remember seeing four of them."
"Four? Were they hidden behind a cloak and hood?" Jack asked interested in her statement.
"Uh yeah I think they were? How do you know that?" Jack opened another page of his notebook and continued on.
"There were reports a few hours ago from my men that they saw four cloaked members take over another entrance. This one is much smaller though and back up was not requested. Before they knew it they were gone and the hostage they had with them was missing. We searched the grounds right outside the tower but they had already fled into the outskirts."
"What is your next move then?" Corvus asked tapping her index finger on her weapon.
"Porg was our only lead. We are lost now." The room now took on the feeling of despair. Nobody knew where to go or how to stop the new menace. It was then Patty rested her eyes on the papers sticking out of Jack's book. It was the relief forms for active counsel.
"Jack what are those?" Patty asked pointing to the slips of paper.
"Oh Pirogeth, Kitti, and Coffee all were designated to switch over to the MPD. TK, Sakura, and Torsty replaced them on the counsel. I have a feeling though that one of them…may be tricking me." Patty was quick on her tongue and even though she did not think her statement over, it did make a lot of sense.
"That is way too obvious. If we are really dealing with a group this devious then they would not try to promote one of their contacts. If anything…they might have tried to demote them."
"What? Then that means, Pirogeth-"
"I would not jump the gun on him so quick." Corvus said as Jack mentioned the reporter. "He may play dirty in politics but he would never disrupt something he treasured."
"Yeah, and Kitti is far too nice of a person." Patty added in.
"So that leaves us with Coffee." Jack replied.
"I'm almost sure of it." Patty now jumped out of bed and started putting back on her regular attire.

 

[Hydronine]

M-mur!

I like it!

 

[Pirogeth]

The pending inquiry into Coffee's activities had been on hold for awhile. It had been a week since the incident and now finally each of them have gathered enough evidence. The first to meet in front of the Mod Building was Jack and Corvus. Soon Patty joined them her hair frazzled from sleeping in. "I'm sorry, I was up late trying to find the photos I took."
"That is alright, no media around to pester us anyway." Jack said leading the group inside. The Mod Building was the offices for all the high officers under Jack's jurisdiction. He himself answered to the GM's and they in turn worked for the now absent administrators. It was a finite system not allowing control to slip out of the hands of any single house. They were now outside Coffee's door and Jack banged against the frosted glass.
"Come in." The former delegate said as he sipped his coffee at his desk. "Oh Jack, and I see you brought along Patty and…?"
"I'm Corvus, Corvus Corax. I'm a friend of Patty's." Coffee smiled and nodded.
"Well you all should take a seat. I'm glad to have some company today. Less excitement around here with the reporters gone."
"Thank you." Jack replied and everyone took a seat, Jack and Patty at the desk and Corvus along the wall. "Can you repeat, just for the record, what you were doing on the night of the incident?"
"Sure, I was gathering notes for Pirogeth. The exact contents of them I never looked at but I was just able to get away from the blast."
"Tell me Coffee, did you notice anything odd when you were inside." Patty asked now taking up her part of the interrogation. "Anything at all, loose wires, shut off cameras, perhaps a light that was not supposed to be on?"
"No I cannot say I did." Coffee now took another sip from his cup. His face twisted slightly at an awfully bitter swig. "Nope nothing at all."
"So you saw nothing at all that could possibly tip you off that the explosion was about to happen?" Patty asked just to be sure.
"I tell you there was nothing."
"Thank you Coffee." Patty said handing the next bit over to Corvus.
"How about the week before that when you were perusing through the cbox? Several witnesses say you went to some shady clubs." She said standing up.
"I only wanted to party after getting off of work. The whole time was stressful with our annual analysis speech coming up. Can't blame me for entering odd establishments."
"A witness said that they saw you walk into a club constantly looking around you. And when you came out you were hiding something under your jacket. Was he wrong?"
"I admit I did steal a very beautiful glass from one place. They said it was not for sale so I became devious." Coffee motioned to a cup on one of his office tables. It was holding flowers but there was no mistaking it for a beer mug.
"There was also one other incident, the one involving Porg. Witnesses of the aftermath say they saw you in the crowd while everyone was running away."
"Just another coincidence. A case of in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Very well, how about you Jack?" Corvus said now transferring the conversation back over to its leader.
"Information has leaked out of the department on several occasions. During your time as GM this information was usually crucial. After you were demoted, things went awry and the information chosen to be leaked was much less beneficial."
"Could have been one of the other two. Pirogeth could have set me up to make it look like I was the mad bomber."
"Funny you should mention that again." Patty said now pulling out her photos. "I had some analysis on your suit and all information points to you knowing that this bomb was going to go off." She showed off some pictures of his suit that had been ruined and slightly burned. Coffee did not see what mattered about it that was until he noticed something peculiar between all the pictures. His face was all the answer she needed from him. "As you can see, the burn marks, the cuts in the suit all from along your left side obviously a means to defend yourself. But you should not have known about it and your burns and cuts should look like this." Patty showed another picture of another official who was in the blast. They had no way of knowing and the cuts and burns were all over their back side and some even looped around the front. "So you see Coffee, you have been lying to us. What was the real reason you went back to the Administration offices on that night?" Coffee got up and looked out the window. There was still clean up crews trying to remove some debris at the end of the street. A sigh pierced his own defense and he let everything go.
"Very well, I am the contact that the terrorist group has been using. That day, I hid those papers from Pirogeth knowing he had a story he was working on. He looked everywhere for them when we were in the elevator. I told him that I would go get them, knowing full well they were in my desk. Upon returning all the admins were finishing up their speeches, I knew I had little time but I had to be sure the explosives I planted would go off. After checking the primary frame works I managed to get out of the building just before they detonated.'
"And what about the cbox?" Corvus asked.
"I was receiving death threats from several individuals. They told me to meet contacts at each club and to be alone. I went and they dreamed up this plot for me. I needed to make sure they would go through with it otherwise they would have ended my life right then and there. The item I took from that bar was more than just that mug, I also took with me a cartridge of black light only visible ink. I printed off schematics for them of the building and they told me where to place their bombs. Now that I have done what I have, the only punishment I have to face is the cool relaxing resort of prison right?" Coffee was truly broken down from the last few weeks. His face looked less like the political master he was and more like a victim.
"Coffee, you are under arrest for conspiracy, misuse of government position, intelligence selling, obstruction of the law, and the murder of three outstanding members of the community." Jack now hooked the cuffs he had on his waist to Coffee's wrists. "You have the right to remain silent everything you say can and will be used against you…." Jack had led the man into the hallway and out the building. Patty and Corvus were now the only ones in his office.
"Well looks like we did it Patty. Our detective work has really paid off."
"Not yet, we still have one unresolved issue." Patty said now looking down at her leg.
"Yeah, those guys that did that to you."
"If we can find those cloaked guys then I'm sure we can find an answer to who is behind this." They both got up and looked at each other knowing what they had to do.
"So it is finally our second team adventure. Last time was just child's play now we can really do something for everyone." Corvus said giving a thumbs up.
"Yeah but there is someone we need to talk to."
"Who is that?"
"Miru."

 

[Pirogeth]

The art of detective work is a lot like what the media does, only political figures do not know who you are. Knowing people and knowing people who know people is always the core essence of a good journalist and detective. In the mass amount of members that walk the halls of this famed tower, there is only one person who Patty relies on in times like this. There is only one person that she goes to and only one person who he answers to. Miru, the resident information booth of insanity and other such happenings. The cbox is just a filled out map ever changing to this man and so is the worst part of the cbox, Insanity.

[align=center]

[/align]

"The all too common bar scene." Patty muttered to herself.
"What was that?" Corvus asked as she finished scraping a piece of gum off her shoe. "This place is a mess."
"I know but it also means this place has no order, no moderators, no Jack."
"You really think he'd interfere with something like this?" Corvus asked curious about how bad the situation actually was.
"Whoever they were their intent was to kill me, of course he'd get involved." Patty said flaring up. She calmed herself down again. "Come on let's go inside, he'll be in booth A-17."
"What is this a game of battleship?" Corvus was answered by Patty's finger pointing up to the name of the bar, 'Battleship Pub & Grill.' "Holy Christ, I guess so. After you." Patty had dressed up slightly for the occasion. The sun had already set for the lower sections of the tower. It was evening and evening attire was appropriate. Her slim cut dark pink dress combined with Corvus's mid tone green spaghetti string dress made them look just like another set of girls looking for a good time in the cbox. They quickly approached the table where Miru was sitting. He was wearing sunglasses, a grey overcoat and beat up grey hat. He even included what looked to be a fake mustache as well. He almost looked like he would drown in the clothes as he held his newspaper up.
"Hello there. You must be the right man for me." Patty said seductively, as per her usual greeting to her contact to keep their meeting inconspicuous.
"Does your friend party?" He asked his voice intentionally being deeply lowered.
"Of course she does don't you?" Patty said nudging Corvus.
"Huh what? Exactly what am I being dragged into here? I don't wanna start a relationship." Patty came in close to Corvus's ear and whispered something. There was a gigantic smirk that appeared across her face. She could not help but snort.
"Really? He accepts that?" Her friend only nodded. She was still giggling before she finally said it.
"Penish."
"Very well sit down you two." Miru said after hearing the secondary code word. "Order anything you like, the manager here is a friend."
"No thank you I'm on another case."
"I'll take a Fizzy Sakura please." Corvus said. The drink was non-alcoholic unless requested. It was a very fruit flavored drink pink complete with a lime or lemon on top. Miru began as soon as it arrived.
"What is it you are looking for. Many things happen down here and I cannot say I remember all them."
"I'm looking for shady c4 whores." Patty whispered. Her lingo was foreign to most but Miru understood.
"So then Ryker is out of the question. But if I can, why do you need to know about them?"
"Personal reasons, Miru." Patty said. "And to help solve this case Jack is tied up with."
"You realize my information is sometimes hard to swallow, more so now than ever."
"Just tell me I can handle it."
"The dealers you are looking for are not part of the cbox, Insanity, or even the tower for that matter. They are outside and peddle goods to underground organizations from the previous wars. Sleazy merchants who are by no means able to be called a member, at least not anymore."
"So the stories are true then?" Patty asked coming to realization what had to be done.
"I can't believe you want us to go out there. At least let me look at your face before you send me to my death." Corvus said ripping away the sunglasses, news paper, and hat. Underneath it all was just a teenager, a curly blonde one at that. "Wait, your Miru?" Corvus almost burst out laughing as Miru put back on his disguise. He let his voice return to normal as he explained.
"Well I have to look like this otherwise my contact recognize me with who I meet with." His voice was kind of squeaky but also very young. Corvus went on choking back laughs as Patty nearly joined in with her. Miru's appearance never crossed her mind until now. "Well if you excuse me I should be getting back to my own brand of investigation."
"A meeting with Pirogeth?" Patty asked.
"What? How'd you-"
"You and him are like the light and dark aspects to journalism. While he stays in the light and basks in the glory you hide in the shadows getting the scoop on some really threatening stories. It is pretty obvious, and you happen to have your staff pass sticking out your back pocket." Miru quickly shoved it back in as he made his way to the exit. Patty and Corvus, even though giggling now, faced one of the toughest challenges anyone in the tower would ever face in their entire lives. They had to go outside and endure the consequences.

 

[MiraMirror]

XD
Nice. XD

 

[Hydronine]

AHAHAHA! Nice!