Zen Blade

[Elub]

OOC: a mystical, super-natural, science fiction, magical, murder mystery. *wink*

134 Evergreen St., heartland USA. My stomach turns as I exit the crime scene. Just 24 hours ago, this house wasn't marred with the blood of the innocent. This house wasn't seperated from the others on the block by bright yellow police tape. 24 hours ago, this house was home to the Evans: Billy (10), Mark (12), Adam (36), Eve (36), and their dog Scout. Today the Evans family is dead.

An empty swingset sits in the backyard, still in the wind. Inside the police were preparing the last of the bodies to be taken away. The coroner's report will read carbon monoxide poisoning, despite the fact their were adequate detectors in every room of the house. To the average, scientific mind, this is a logical situation. To an extra-educated being such as myself, I know the truth lies in the cosmos, and I'm the only one determined enough to solve their murder.

My name is Mixx, but for this day in age I go by Frank Lincoln. I've been a law enforcer for a long time, somewhere around a 1,012 years I think but nothing could ever have prepared me for this case. Lighting a cigarette, I watch as the police cars leave the area, now my investiagtion can truly begin.

 

[Elub]

I know what you're thinking, what the hell is with Frank Lincoln? How can a regular beat cop, like myself, be older than a century? Well, to be honest with you my real name isn't Frank Lincoln and I'm not human. In fact I'm something more than human, but let's not get into it now, I've got some work to do.

Summoning the powers I have perfected over the years I enter the astral realm, the raw skematics of life. Why is the water wet? Why is the sky blue? Because it was planned that way, all in the astral realm. As the neighborhood I stood in gives way to the cosmic outlines of life I can immediatly see the first clue in the murder mystery, Red Dust.

When beings enter the realm, sometimes they leave a little resedue of their other world behind, called red dust. I scooped up the dust in my hand in an attempt to examine the particles, but was unable to determine where or when they are from. This is highly unusual, seeing as how I have visited every known dimension over my time.

Next it was time to examine the bodies. By that I don't mean the biological works of art that make up the human body, but the spiritual powers that flow through everyones veins. These energies are what make everyone either inheriently good or totally evil. No human has been totally one color, even Hitler was a flair or two of blue in him, only other beings such as myself are full on. Looking at their bodies, I see the Evans' have a normal purplish aura. It seems the only answers I would get from here are from the Red Dust. It seems I will need the help of my peers to figure this out. Melting into the darkness, I travel towards the meeting place.

 

[SecretDesires]

OOC: Elub, I hope this char is okay. I don't want to take too many liberties with her relationship to the deceased if you have other things in mind. If I need to change it just let me know. It was the only creative way I knew to bring her into the story.


IC: Cheryll Evans groaned as the phone by her bed jangled. Reaching out from where she was snuggled under the covers she pulled the reciever under the covers with her and spoke sleepily into the phone. "Hello?" She had just gotten off her night job and, in fact, had just fallen asleep not two hours ago. The interruption of the phone was not a welcome one.

She listened to the voice on the other end and sat straight up in bed, the covers falling from her and definately wide awake now. It was the police and they were asking her to come to the morgue and positively identify her Uncle Adam and his family. The voice in her ear was apologetic but the words fell on deaf ears as her mind reeled at the thought.

She had just eaten dinner with her uncle not two nights ago and it had been a pleasant evening as always. They had had a barbque and played some outdoor games with the kids until their bedtime and then the adults had sat and talked and drank wine coolers and beer until Cheryll declared it was time to go home. She had hugged her aunt and uncle and waved to them from the driveway. It had been the last time she had seen them alive.

Tumbling out of bed, Cheryll pulled a shirt and jeans from her closet and thrust them on not bothering to see if they matched and ran a comb through her blond hair before dashing out the door.

Her Uncle Adam was her father's brother and had been there for her after both her father and mother had died in a car crash seven years ago. The thought that this gentle man could be dead was something she could not fanthom and it seemed she was in a state of unreality as she drove to the morgue.

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

An hour later reality had hit her. Hard. She was in the coroner's office, a cup of coffee in her trembling hands, tears coursing down her cheeks as she sat on the edge of her seat and listened to the doctor's findings. Carbon Monoxide poisoning. It wasn't possible. Her uncle was a fanatic about smoke detectors and had installed Carbon Monoxide detectors throughout the house only a couple of months ago. He was also very careful to see that the batteries were working and installing new ones just in case.

Breaking into the Pathologist's droning about the family's deaths, she asked,"Is someone looking into it?"

"Why, yes," The balding, middle age man said,"I believe the case was turned over to a detective Frank Lincoln. Though I doubt he will be on it for long. He is probably just clearing up some loose ends before closing the case."

She looked up at the man and a look of determination came to her face. "Closing the case? Do you really think you can explain away the fact that a man and his whole family died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning with detectors in every room?"

Standing up and setting her cup down on the table near her she said,"Where is this detective."

The small man shrugged. "I don't know. You might try the police station but..."

He didn't have time to say more for Cheryll was out the door and heading toward the elevator. She wanted some answers and she was going to get them if she had to do it herself.

 

[Elub]

OOC: SD, looks all good

Waiting in the 4th dimension for some council always took a toll on me. I lit a cigarette, filthy habit but there's no real effect on someone who has no body. As I inhale the filthy tobacco the lit end goes from hot red to charcole. Feeling incredibly hot I realize my call for aide has been answered. "Hey Hal, how have you been?"

Looking over I see a ragged old man dragging a huge stone hammer behind him. "Is that how you refer to me Mixx? *cough* *cough* *cough*" It was Hephaestus, the former god of labor. Since he had not been worshiped in many years he had started to deteriate, along with the other greek gods. "You know Mixx, I used to create weapons for all the heros!!! The blades I forged with my hammer slew hundreds of Hades' minons!!! What have you done for the heros of today besides cloud their lungs with second hand smoke?" "It's the year 2003 Hal, there are no more heros or minons, just men." Hephasestus hung his head low, "Hmmm than Christ was right eh? The meek has inherited the earth, such a shame. Why have you summoned me Mixx?"

Pulling the Red Dust from my pocket, I emptied it into the aging legands hand. "What do you make of this?" Hephaestus shifted it in his hands for a few moments, getting a feel for the weight and texture of each grain of dust. "Where did you get this Mixx?" "Crime scene." "Where?" "Why?" "I've only.....nothing. I have to be going now."

In a blink of an eye, Hephaestus disappeared with the dust. Determined not to lose my evidence, I decided to follow him into his own dimension.

 

[SecretDesires]

"What do you mean he is out?" The enraged Cheryll barked at the woman behind the police desk. "Do you know how many places I have been to looking for this Detective Lincoln? Do you know how many people don't know where he is? What is he? The invisible man?"

Cheryll was fuming. She had gone from being tired, to being devistated and now she was just mad. It was her family that was lying in that morgue, her family that had died with no rational explanation and it was her right to know what the hell was going on no matter how many people she had to go through.

Slapping a paper with her name and number on it as well as the name and number of a coffee house that she frequented and her cell number she said,"Here are two places he can get me at as well as my cell phone number. When you happen to see Mr Invisible tell him I damn well better hear from him or he will have me chasing his ass from here til doomsday."

Before the harried desk officer could respond, Cheryll whirled and stormed from the building. Too little sleep and too much emotions did not for a calm head make. Getting into her car she headed toward the coffee house. She had already called her work to tell them she was going to be out for an indefinate period of time and now she needed a cup of strong coffee and time to sort things out.