retrospec | 6/3 - One Angry Brother

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6/3 - One Angry Brother

My sister has gone missing. If you do not know who she is, let this picture inform you.

_{[Attached is a picture of the pop singer known by Carina, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of about nineteen. It is from a recent photo shoot of Avery's fashion company's new line.]}

If I find that anyone has harmed her, you will face severe consequences. If anyone has information as to where she may be, please contact me. It is not like her to be out of contact for so long, nor is it like her to just not pick up the phone. She is missing, and I want her back.

_{[[OOC: Avery has not had any contact with NPCs over the last few days, so this is his first time noticing that they're just...gone.]]}

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Hey, this is Andrew from Genesis's bookstore.

I don't think she's been hurt. All the people who don't have the Retrospec app have gone missing. Or, at least, not visible.

We'll do our best to get them back as soon as possible.

I can't trust that she's simply just...disappeared. She would be a valuable bargaining piece.

_{[You know, the whole thing about her being a) a celebrity and b) the daughter of a rich family.]}

I need to be sure she is safe.

Hmm.

I might be wrong, but have you tried standing close to where she would usually be and just listened?

How would that even help? She is very clearly not there.

_{[He would have noticed. He knows his sister's laugh--and she can never keep herself from laughing when she's playing a prank on her brother.]}

Nobody who is not on this app is visibly there, it seems.

But, sometimes, we can hear some of them. Whatever is happening, would you please try? If that does not work at all, then the cause for concern would be greater, yes.

Fine. I'll report in with what I find.

_{[He returns a few hours later and adds:]}

Nothing. I didn't hear her anywhere either, and believe me, I would have. The girl never stops singing.

_{[But he's not being as cranky, even if he thinks Andrew's suggestion makes no sense. ]}

Ah. I apologize.

But you heard other people who were not there?

I...think. I heard voices, but they almost...

_{[He sighs.]}

I'm not sure it wasn't all in my head, to be honest.

They're not. They can be heard throughout the city - more clearly in some places than others.

Perhaps we can talk with Zee for clarification.

[ Andrew doesn't sound particularly thrilled by the thought, mostly because he doesn't think they'll get much information at all, but... ]

Whoa, your sister disappeared?!?!?! Hang on, I'll get right on it! I'll come and get you, where are you?

Where do you think I am?

_{[The snarled answer comes from the other room, and Avery opened his door. Oh boy, did he ever look like he was looking for a fight, too. His jaw is clenched and there is fire in his eyes. His hand is clenched so tightly around his phone that he might break it.]}

What, exactly, was your plan once you found me?

[Whoops. Guess he should have checked the living room first.

Zack sat up from his bed, not even bothering with his usual, sheepish grin from when he messes up. In fact, he sounds pretty level to Avery's hostility as he stands up to greet him.]

I was going to take you around the town, see if we could look for her. See if there's more in person than on the net.

I have been around town. I have been to her apartment. I have been to her agent's apartment. I have been to the shop.

_{[He's snarling and pacing, but he's not making any move to actively harm Zack. He's furious, but he knows it isn't Zack's fault.]}

She has not been in contact for two weeks, and that is not like her no matter how busy she gets. So please, if you can think of a place where she might be that I have not checked, let's go.

_{[Please. He's going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate.]}

Well, there's plenty more than just apartments and the shop. If that's really not like her, we have to think more. We have to try and think like who might take her.

[The best thing to say? Probably not. But he's going to try anyway.]

Come on, we'll go in my car.

_{[Avery wheels on Zack as he suggests that they think about who could have taken his princess, but the anger in his eyes flickers out and they go flat, dead.]}

I should have noticed sooner. I should have noticed a week ago that she hadn't contacted me, nor had the time. That's not like her.

_{[His voice is quiet, barely audible really. He blames himself.

And then he rallies and turns on his heel, heading toward Zack's car.]}

Good idea. Come.

[Zack nods and follows Avery out and down to the vehicle, grabbing his keys as they leave the apartment. He unlocks the car door for Avery before jumping into his own seat. As the engine roars to life, Zack looks at Avery.]

Don't worry, we'll find her. She's got to be okay, I just know it. We'll try a few warehouses first, okay?

[Might as well cover the worst bases first, he figures. The ones they can trespass on without legalities becoming to big an issue.

A thought crosses Zack's head.]

Hey, I know things were kind of... hacked? Recently? But I don't supposed your sister has a GPS tracker on her phone, does she?

She does not. She considered it too much a risk should an unruly fan find a way to hack into her phone.

_{[A pause.]}

And she broke the last one that had a tracker when I found her on a date. I didn't interfere. I just hadn't heard from her.

_{[Another pause.]}

And she was sixteen.

_{[He's trying to distract himself from the fact that they were about to check the warehouses and the mental images that came along with the possibilities. Obviously, she had to be somewhere, because people didn't just disappear, but he really did not like that option.]}

[Zack laughs a little at that.]

Hey, you're a good brother. Besides, with her status, it makes sense that you'd just want to keep her safe. If I had a kid sister, I probably would, too.

[Zack continues with a smile as they turn a corner.]

So, if you didn't interfere, how did she find out you were tracking her? Haha, did she spot you and scowl? Were you in for the chewing out of a lifetime that night?

She saw me, and she definitely gave me the chewing out of a lifetime right there in front of the boy she was seeing. After all, if I was there, why not make a scene.

_{[He finds himself chuckling about it all the same. It's funny to him now, though it had been embarrassing before.]}

She likes to embarrass me, especially when she's mad at me.

Hey, man, sounds like you earned it at that time.

[Zack can't help but laugh again.

They pull into an abandoned parking lot outside of an old warehouse. Zack looks up at it for a moment, but they don't have any time to lose, do they? He gets ready to get out of the car.]

Listen, if you want to stay here, I can handle myself.

[He actually probably can't. But it's the thought that counts.]

Because I know these places are kind of... well, intimidating.

_{[Avery glares at Zack for a few moments, really glares at the suggestion that he stay behind. He's a fancy rich boy, but he's used to rough areas like this.]}

Intimidating? You never met my ex.

_{[He was from areas like this, the slums and rough neighborhoods. A street kid turned successful through luck and stealing the right sandwich.

He shifts and unholsters a-- okay, where was he keeping that gun? It didn't show at all through the lines of his shirt.]}

Let's go.

Edited 2018-06-21 13:56 (UTC)

[Zack gives a sheepish kind of smile at that glare. Whoops.]

Right, my b--

[Zack blinks hard with wide eyes at the gun. O...kay. That wasn't anything he expected ever. Why does Avery have a gun?

He tries not to swallow visibly. Right, it's just for protection. But a gun? He's going to have a hard time pushing his mind from that. But he gets out of the car and starts heading to the warehouse trying to pretend he wasn't caught by surprise at the fact that Avery was packing.]

You didn’t think I would go to a place like this and not have some way to protect myself, did you?

_{[Oh Zack, so naive. Places like this were the type that you didn’t just walk into unarmed.]}

Uh... no?

[That's the right answer, right? Still, Zack finds himself praying to whatever powers that be that they wouldn't find anything in the warehouse so that Avery won't have to shoot that thing.

Zack goes ahead and pulls the door open, poking his head around the corner like an idiot. But, deciding there's no immediate danger, he goes ahead and heads in, keeping his mouth shut. Because it's always best to keep quiet for things like this, right? He thinks. This isn't some action flick, much as he'd like it to be.

He ducks behind some crates, sidling up beside them, trying to keep peeking. Maybe he should have brought a flashlight? Well... he does have his phone. He pulls it out of his pocket, getting ready to flick the light on.]

_{[Avery would laugh if the situation wasn’t so dire. Zach had honestly been surprised by the fact that he had a gun. He didn’t believe that Zach hadn’t thought…}

Ah, but now wasn’t the time to be amused. Zach was nervous and…

He puts a hand on the other man’s shoulder and shakes his head as he tries to light his phone.]

Best not. Just wait here. I can see well enough.

_{[It didn’t seem like there was anyone there, anyway. Which, he guessed, was a good thing.]}

[Zack nods and falls back. , waiting for whatever order Avery might give. After all, if Avery's going to weild a gun, he clearly has to know more of what he's doing than Zack does.

That's what the hope is, anyway. Avery never seemed like the trigger-happy type at least. Err... not to this extent, at least. Avery had a temper, but he still seemed pretty responsible. He runs a company, after all.

He'll poke his head around the corner as he waits, checking in on Avery all the same.

_{[Avery moves cautiously through the warehouse, but doesn’t raise his gun above hip-level. He doesn’t seem too intent on firing it, if that helps Zack settle a little bit.}

_{Eventually, Avery disappears into the darkness and around a corner, and he doesn’t come back for several long, quiet minutes. When he does, his gun is holstered and his hands are by his side.]}

Nothing. She’s not here. Or anyone else, for that matter.

_{[His voice echoes as he comes around the corner, even though he’s not speaking very loud.]}

I would have at least expected a party, a rave. It’s a good place for one.

_{[Shut up, Avery. What do you know about raves?]}

[Look, Avery is already full of surprises at this point. He's not going to make any conclusive judgments at this point.

Though the fact that Avery is taking so long begins to worry him. He's getting ready to run around the corner to come to Avery's rescue when...

Avery comes out, talking about... what???

A blink comes from Zack. Really Avery? A rave?]

Isn't there usually music at raves? We would have heard it a long time ago, right?

_{[Avery smirks at Zack and raises a shoulder in a shrug.]}

My point. Isn't it strange? Places like this are never truly abandoned, and yet...

_[Nothing.]

It looks like this is happening across the board. My family's gone too.

_{[That isn't comforting to him, Phil. That just makes things worse.]}

What do they want with our families?

That's the thing. I don't think it's kidnapping. Don't you hear them?

I definitely didn't hear my sister. I'm not sure who or what I heard, but... Not her.

I hate to say it but we might have to play along if we want them back.

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6/3 - One Angry Brother

assuming that whole thing with him having spent time at the Open Book?

Absolutely

\o/

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Private

lol what is texting

Action

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