Just A Game? (closed for slippedhalo)

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan worked at her father's old company. Twice per week (tuesday and thursday)she had to venture out and go into the office downtown for meetings and to check on the new line of software their company was currently working on developing.

It was thursday, Teaghan decided she'd also get some grocery shopping done on the way home from work. She had just reopened one of her safer back accounts and had recieved a new pin card in the mail with a new user code. It was the only account she was certain was still safe from the hacker for the time being and she'd moved a great deal of her money into it so she could continue paying her bills and using her own money while she worked out the other crap having been hacked into. At the supermarket she picked up enough groceries to get her through the weekend and even a little extra, some wine and crackers with bree, crab salad, egg salad, pretzels, she was thinking she needed a little company and would call her friends, Sarah and Lori to come over and hang out either friday or saturday, help her feel a little less spooked in her own place. Lately, she kept feeling like she was being watched. She thought it must simply be from the expansive hackjob done on her and it was making her feel violated and paranoid all week. She knew she needed some sense of normal chatter with her girlfreinds to cheer her up and take her mind off of things for a while.

Once back at her appartment she took her phone off of the cradle and was about to call up Sarah when she noticed a windowhad been opened in her living room. She put the phone and her grocery bag down on the table to go get a closer look. She was certain it hadn't have been her to leave the window open like that. The weather had been cooler the past couple of weeks. She hadn't opened the windows anywhere in her place for over a month.

But, as she got closer and looked she saw it was indeed cracked halfway open. She closed it and turned quickly with her back to the window, looking with new eyes at her apartment, her mind racing with possibilities. She lived alone. No one could have opened the window from the inside. That meant someone did it from outside...a burgler? It was just oo convenient of a coincidence that she had not even two days ago had all of her personal information stolen from her computer (including her name, address, telephone number, ect) and now someone had broken in...

...Was the intruder still there? She wondered, her breath catching in her suddenly desert dry throat.

 

[Josu_T]

Steve spent the night looking at and memorising all the info about the girl. He called a friend that lived in her city and set it up so he could stay there for a while. He then packed his things and got a little sleep. First thing in the morning he got in his car and drove off to her city. It took him much of the day, but he finally arrived.

The next morning he went out and found Teaghan's home. It was early in the morning and he waited, watching for any movement. Eventually it came. He saw movement in her house as if she was getting ready to go somewhere. He watched as she exited her house and went somewhere. He followed her and waited for her to come out again. It took a while, but eventually he spotted her. He followed her to a grocery store and followed through the aisles, watching her buy some food. As she went through the check out he quickly left and went to his car. He drove to her home and opened a window from the outside. He had a plan and knew exactly what to do. After opening the window he simply left and went back to his car and waited for her to get back. He would watch her reaction to the window from outside. Even though he could not hear her, he would be able to see her movements and know how she reacted.

When he saw her return, he smiled. He watched through windows as she saw the wondow and started to worry. He could see it in her face and the rest of her features. With that knowledge, he was certain of what he would do. He knew, after watching her all day, he wanted to have her and he would. He went back to his friends house and relaxed for a while.

He set up his vr equipment in his friend's spare room and then made sure it was all working. Once it was, he went and ate dinner so he would not be hungry while waiting for Teaghan. He got online as a spare, secondary account he had that was connected to his but that fact was not visible to anyone else. Because it was connected to his main, he could get into the anything goes lobby. He went there and waited and watched the list of online people and looked for her to come online.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan held her phone in hand, ready to call the police at any second...She walked slowly and silently about the place, moving to check each of the rooms, thankful now that most of it was open-plan. Once she'd investigated every nook, cranny, closet and enclosed space within her apartment she let herself relax a little bit in the realization that no one else was there with her. Whomever had broken in had left already. She decided she'd better sleep with the phone very close by that night.

Teaghan called up her friend Sarah and told her all about the recent events in her life. Unfortunately, Sarah was engaged and living with a guy and Dwight was not as worried about Teaghan as Sarah was. He told Teaghan that he was sure it was nothing, maybe someone was about to burgle her when they heard her coming home and they left. Likely he was certain after such a close call as that they wouldn't return. He promised Teaghan he and Sarah would stop by friday evening to take a good look and make sure her apartment was secure. Teaghan felt even worse with Dwight involved than if Sarah would have just stayed on theh phone and comforted her friend herself. Getting off of the phone Teaghan felt very unsatisfied, and very much alone.

Turning up her music really loud to distract herself and also to make it obvious that she was home (please don't come back, burgler! -she thought) Teaghan made herself a martini and headed for her workstation at home. She needed to check her e-mail and also make sure her new accounts were still secure.

 

[Josu_T]

Steve waited around for a while in the virtual game world until he grew bored and tired. It seemed that Teaghan was not going online that night and probably would not until morning. He went and watched some tv with his friend for a while before returning the the spare room and getting ready for bed. He wondered what the girl was doing and whether she had call the police. It would be funny if she had, since nothing was taken. He was hoping she would be online in the morning, then he could set his plan in motion.

He decided to make sure it would happen. He sent a quick email to her game account that should forward to any new email account she had. He sent it with a back up email adress. He sent it from his secondary game account. It was a quick note saying he'd heard what had happened to her from a chain of people telling eachother and he was not sure where it originated from. He told her he wanted to help and if she met him in the game world for a mock fight, they could talk. He then sent the message and went to bed.

In the morning he got up and went to eat some breakfast. He had a nice meal and then returned to his room and got set up in his vr gear. He entered the game world and went to the list of online people. He hoped she had recieved his message and would come to meet him so he could go through with his plan. He had her right where he wanted her. He knew every step he would take to get her. As long as he did not say something wrong, it should work, at least, so he hoped.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan recieved a message from a stranger regarding her identity theft and expressed concern about her welfare. He wanted to meet her in VR for a mock fight. She politely declined in an e-mail explaining that she wasn't going to VR for a few days until she could sort out her RL.

The rest of the week went by quietly and it wasn't until her friends were leaving her house warly sunday morning after enjoying a girls' night in with a bottle of wine and a couple of sappy movies. After her apartment was all quiet again she noticed the car. It was the same car which had been sitting idle outside her house most of the day before and when she considered it she thought she may have even seen it before that day too. Someone sat in the car. It felt to her like they were watching her. The moment they saw her looking down at the car they put the car in drive and went away. Still, she went to bed that night feeling quite unsettled.

 

[Josu_T]

Steve got the email and read it. Luckily nothing in it seemed suspicious. She was just trying to get things sorted out, which made sense. He left the vr world and relaxed for a while. He thought of his next move. He decided to keep making sure Teaghan felt watched for a while so his plan would work. If he made her worry she was more likely to go to someone for help and he had offered without her knowing.

Over the next couple of days he focused on following her and making sure he was close enough that she could feel the eyes watching her. One day some of her friends left. She spotted him in his car and he drove off. As he left he grinned. Seeing his car and someone in it watching her should definitely freak her out. He went back to his friend's house and sent another message to her offering help again if she wanted it.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan reread some of the offers from help from the innocuous gamer who'd befriended her through e-mails and im's since her computer's violation. She told him about the situation with also worrying that she was being followed and he offered his help.

After the close call where the car outside of her building drove off just when she'd spotted it she'd agreed, against her better judgement, to allow this e-mail friend to meet her, in the hopes that his presence around the place might deter whomever it was stalking her from making anymore advances. Maybe he'd think this stranger was a boyfriend or family member and would decide she wasn't good prey anymore because she wasn''t quite as alone as he'd first thought...she hoped.

 

[Josu_T]

When he finally got an email back from Teaghan saying she would meet with him so he could help her, he smiled. He was finally back on track with his plan. Now he had to be careful. He wanted everything to go right. He had to play it safe until he was sure he could get her. He sent an email saying they could meet in the game and exchange some information before actually meeting so he could protect her. He gave her a time and place in the game for the meeting and then sent her the message.

After sending the message he carefully got his mind set and knew what he would say. He chose his words carefully. He would also change his voice so she would not recognise it. Once he was ready, he relaxed and ate a little until it was almost time for their meeting. He then got into his gear and entered the game, going right to the place he had told her to meet him.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan was a little late for the meeting. Work stuff had held her up a little bit. She arrived and looked around for the man who said he'd wait for her with a daisy bouquet in a glass on the table-top. She spotted the daisies fairly quickly and smiled a friendly smile as she made her way to the meeting place.

 

[Josu_T]

When Steve checked the time he sighed. He hoped she would show up. That was when he saw a girl approaching the table with a smile on her face. He smiled at her. He was in his back-up avatar and looked very different from his normal self. He also planned to change his voice. When the girl got to the table he was sure it was the right person. "Hey there. I'd like to be able to help you, but we have things to talk about that I don't think you want people overhearing, especially a certain someone if he happens to come online. So, we can make this brief or enter a time limited game where we can talk and don't have to fight to get out. Your choice."

 

[slippedhalo]

"Brief is fine." replied Teaghan, "I mean, I am not even really sure what I've gotten myself into, anyway. I just want to find a way to get this creep to leave me alone." she stated as she sat.

 

[Josu_T]

He nodded at that and understtod why she would want to deal with it quickly.He spoke so only she could hear him. "Ok, I'll make it simple. The guy following you is an old friend of mine. I hadn't seen him in a long time, but he came into town and was acting wierd. I followed him and checked his email while he was asleep. I figured out he was after you. I can deal with him. I have just one thing. I've got a problem of my own and could use your help with it. I'll deal with your stalker first and let you get comfortable again, but at some point soon I will need you to do something for me to help me out. So, do we have a deal? I get rid of your stalker and you do what I need when I send the message." He smiled at her sincerely and held out his hand for a hand shake to confirm the deal.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan shook his hand but looked at him dubiously, "What sort of favor will you be needing? Nothing which would put me into legal trouble, I hope."

 

[Josu_T]

He smiled at ehr as she shook his hand. She asked what she would have to do and whether it would put her in trouble. He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You will not be in legal trouble. It will be a fairly simple task I'll need you to do. I'll let you know more later, I'm not even sure exactly what it will be yet. Anyway, by the morning your stalker will be dealt with, you won't need to worry about him any more."

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan smiled genuinely for the first time since meeting this stranger, "Thank you...ah...what should I call you?"

 

[Josu_T]

Steve smiled when she did. She had bought it all. He was so close now. All he had to do is log out, lay low for about a week, and then send her a message and she would be his. He forced the thought back as she askedd what she should call him. "You can just call me Ted. I'll be sending you a message in about a week. Until then, I hope you enjoy not being followed and enjoy not having that feeling like someone is watching you." He smiled at her and then exited the game world and shut everything off.

For a week he just hung out with his friend and other people he knew in the city. He had a good time and only spent a small ammount of time formulating his lie to Teaghan at the end of the week. Once it arrive, he packed his things and got onto the computer for the last time. He sent a message to Teaghan detailing what he needed her to do for him. The message read, "Hey, hope you've enjoyed your stalker-free week. It is time for you to help me out. I've had some girl troubles. I got into a big fight with my girlfriend. What I need you to do for me is I need you to help me get her back and fix things. I need you to meet me and using any advise you have for me, we can buy her some things, then go to her house. I want you to then go to her door, knock on it, and tell her how you tried to seduce me but I was so sad about losing her that I would not even hear any of it. Then tell her because I looked so sad you promised to help me and that she should give me another chance. If she agrees, you will call over to me for me to come out, if not, try to convince her. Or, if you have a better plan, you can tell me when we meet. Meet me out in front of the mall on main street in the parking lot at 4pm, in front of the star bucks." At 3:30pm he was already there waiting to see if she would show up.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan thought his request was fairly easy and was willing to follow it though although she wasn't sure his girlfriend would buy the lie. She could at least help him find some things to give when he apologized to her, though. So, Teaghan met him at the appointed place. He was waiting there when she approached, "Ted, hi! So...about this girlfriend business. Why don't you try just being honest with her?"

 

[Josu_T]

Stever smiled when he saw her approaching. It seemed everything was going to work out like planned. He waved to her and closed the distance to her. "Hey, If you think being honest would be best, maybe you can just help me come up with what to say to her. Come with me and we will go get some things for me to give her and discuss what to say." He started walking toward his car which was hidden behind some others in the parking lot so she would not see it and recognise it until it was too late for her to get away from him.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan walked with Ted, not noticing at all how he seemed to be quickening his pace the closer they got to the lot...

 

[Josu_T]

They got close to his car and he let her get right next to him. He looked around and saw no one around. It was the perfect moment. Just as they got past a large van and she would be able to see and recognise the car, he struck. He placed a quick, precise blow to a specific point. it was something he'd learned in his martial arts training. It was designed to cause the one struck to go unconscious. As she did, he caught her and pulled her over to his car. He put her in the passenger seat and then used rope to securely tie her legs to the seat then he tied her body back against it and handcuffed her arms behind the seat. He covered everything with a blanket, also ties back so she could not remove it. This would make sure that anyone looking into the car would not get suspicious.

He got into the drivers seat and pulled out. He left the parking lot and got onto the road. He started driving out of the city. He made his way to the highway and arrived just as she should be waking up. They would be out of the city in minutes and there was nothing she could to about it. He was very happy with how it had all worked out. Now he had her and there was nothing she could do about it. She was his.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan awoke to a pounding headache and blindness...She couldnt see! At first she really thought she might be blind but it became apparent as she tried to move that she was covered with something and also bound. She tried to scream but her mouth was gagged. Her heart sank and tears sprang to her eyes as she felt the pounding of her racing pulse and the humming of...a car. Yes, she was definitely in a moving car. All she could do was keep testing her binds...but they were so tight it was almost painful! Ted! Ted had done this to her! she realized...and then a thought occurred to her... Could Ted have been working with her stalker all along? No...his car was the car of the stalker...and the stalker was related to her internet problems and .....V/R attack...Ted...could he be Steve? Now, she was really panicking as she recalled how Steve had abused her avatar in virtual reality. What would he try to do to her in real life? she wondered.

 

[Josu_T]

Steve grinned as he caught movement from Teaghan out of the corner of his eye. He continued driving for a while until it was starting to get to be time for dinner. He still had a few hours to go before he got back home, so he decided to stop for food. He spotted a diner on the side of the road and pulled in. He parked away from all the other cars and went inside. A few minutes later he returned to the car with food for both of them. He pulled down the blanket and smiled at Teaghan. He ate a little first, then turned to her. "Ok, I'm going to let you eat something now, but if you try to scream, you won't like the consequences. Am I understood?" He held out some food for her and waited for her to nod in confirmation that he was understood. He would not pull down the gag until she promised not to scream.

 

[slippedhalo]

Teaghan was horrified. Here this man was acting like it was perfectly normal to go around kidnapping women and tying them up in the back of your car. As he sat there eating his dinner he looked, happy, almost proud of himself. She grunted her disapproval through her gag.

He turned to her and spoke softly, "Ok, I'm going to let you eat something now, but if you try to scream, you won't like the consequences. Am I understood?" He held out some food for her and waited for her to nod in confirmation that he was understood. He would not pull down the gag until she promised not to scream.

Teaghan wasn't sure what to do but she nodded after a full minute of him staring at her for a response. As he undid the gag she took a moment to move her jaw around, and he put a few fries in her mouth. She chewed slowly and just stared up at his face, trying hard to figure him out. Trying hard to think of a way to get herself safe and free...Sh decided she might need the fuel of a meal because she had no idea if this was her last one or not so she ate despite the sick feeling in her gut. After a few bites of burger she was allowed a drink, then Teaghan said softly, "Why are you doing this, Steve?"

 

[Josu_T]

He was very glad when she did not scream. He fed her a few fries and some of a burger and then let her drink a little. She seemed a little reluctant to eat, but did anyway. Then she asked something he was not surprised to hear. He grinned. "I am doing this because I felt like it. You are gorgeous and denied me my good time in the game by dissapearing. I have nothing better to do with my time. I make my living off of tournaments. So why not do this? They won't catch me or find you. You are mine now, my slave. I like the sound of that." He grinned again and laughed a little. He held out some more fries for her.

 

[slippedhalo]

"You can't treat people like that...real life is not like a virtual reality game." said Teaghan taken completely aback by how casually Steve seemed to take the idea of kidnapping her and...did he say sexual slave? So, he planned to rape her too? She almost feared his response to her next question. "...what do you plan to do with me when you're all finished playing and I'm boring to you?"