forum A Snake in The Hen House (2/6) spots opennenneenenenen

Started November 03, 2019 by Deleted user

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Shane nodded, staring down at his drink. "Oh," he said softly. "I… sorta got that vibe from you two. If I might ask, what happened?"

Chris smiled sadly, setting their glass down on the nearby table as they perched on the arm of the closest chair. “She fell for someone who didn’t want her.” They looked up at the ceiling.

“Once upon a time, I was looking into local drug syndicates. Evelyn, being a major leader in that department, was causing a bit of trouble that a few higher ups wanted setting straight. She had no idea who I was, so when I asked to join her, I wasn’t looked upon with suspicion. Everything ran smoothly, other than the fact that I realised she had developed a sort of lust towards me. She caught me on the phone to the person I was working for, and in order to get information from me she would always slip a little something into my drink and take me to bed. I never told her the important stuff though, even under the influence I keep a level head.” A few tears fell from the corners of Chris’ eyes—they hadn’t opened up about the relationship between Evelyn and themselves. It always brought up bad memories. “As soon as I got what I needed, I left without a single word. It broke her heart…”

"Wow, that's a lot…I mean, I knew being a spy was shitty, but… yikes," Shane said carefully, leaning forward and almost spilling his drink. "Are you like, ok? Actually?" Planning the operations from the house, he never really got to know exactly what went on at the front lines. Bear didn't let him read the high profile mission reports, and he had always kept his head down and done his job quietly. He felt a burning flash of shame at how he had let all of these operations happen without thinking about the people who carried them out, especially this one. Shane had been so proud of this mission after the fact, and only now did he realize how little he actually did. "I'm sorry."

“Don’t be sorry, that mission was out of your control.” Chris ruffled Shane’s hair, giving him a gentle smile. “I’m alright, I promise you. With everything that has happened to me, it’s going to take more than being drugged and, dare I say, sexually abused to kill me.”
Shane wouldn’t know about the surgeries that Chris had been through in order to get on with a mission. Take North Korea for example… It wasn’t information that Chris would expect Shane to know anyway.

Shane's ears tinged pink, but he shoved that embarrassment aside. "No, it wasn't out of my control, because I ordered it. I ordered the mission. The file on Evelyn had almost nothing, and I wanted to know more. You shouldn't have had to go through that, at all. Any of it." He put his glass down on the table, and before he can second-guess himself, he lunged at Chris and hugged them tightly, his cheeks burning.

Chris couldn't blame the man for wanting to know more, it was part of the job description after all, but Shane shouldn't have been blaming himself for what had happened. He had no way of knowing what Evelyn would be like, therefore he had no reason to be blaming himself for what had happened to Chris. If he had ordered the mission while knowing what Evelyn was like then that would be a different matter entirely.
When Shane came at Chris and hugged them, their eyes naturally widened. But they wrapped their arms around him all the same, pulling the man closer and resting their head on his shoulder.

"I'm really sorry," Shane mumbled, wrapping his arms tighter around Chris. "God, if I had known…" Suddenly embarrassed, he pulled away, his eyes filled with a renewed fire. "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna kill Evelyn," he said quietly, his hands balling into fists. "I don't care what it takes and I don't care what happens to me. She's had it coming for too long."

“Hey hey relax…” Chris pulled Shane back to them, gently rubbing the man’s back. “Evelyn has a some pretty powerful people on her side, you wouldn’t want to anger them. Plus, there’s been enough death around here for a while, don’t you think?” There was still the question of who killed Bear, and at this rate they were no closer to discovering who it was——all they knew was that it wasn’t Evelyn.

Shane shot up. "That's it! Evelyn's allies! They may have used some of her manpower to carry out the hit! I'll have to do some digging." He ran out of the room and slid into the dining room, gathering up his remaining folders and running back to Chris. Dropping down to his knees, he splayed the folders out on the table, each with the name of one of Evelyn's allies on it.

Chris was still convinced that Evelyn wasn’t at all connected to Bear’s death, directly or indirectly. It just didn’t seem like something she would have a part in, and no one knew Evelyn better than Chris. “I don’t think it is too late to rule out any other suspects. Don’t forget we still have the Frenchies, the Nords, and the Spanish mafia. They would all benefit greatly from Bear’s death, remember.”

Shane nodded. “Right. You make a fantastic point. Do you have any particular suspects in mind? From all of your worldly travels, you must have a suspicion or two,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“Well let’s see…” Chris fumbled around for a scrap piece of paper and a pen, then wildly scribbled a spider diagram, matching various circled words with thick lines. They put the pen down, grabbing another bit of paper and writing down names. “As far as I am aware, it isn’t anyone outside of the country. Which completely rules out any enemies that are not visiting.” They quickly crossed out several names. “However if my memory serves me correctly, the Nords were at their embassy, which would have given them plenty of opportunity to gather with the Frenchies to plot against Bear.” Chris referred back to the diagram which showed the Nords and Frenchies’ connection. “That being said however, the Frenchies were still in conflict with the Yin and Yang clan over territory, and we have always had a sturdy relationship with the Asians. Although…” There was another possibility.

(Hi this is @vidari-is-tired-in-advance but on an alt account!! I took a little break but I am back to notebook now!)

Shane tilted his head in curiosity, intrigued by the information they had presented. The Nords and the French seemed like they would be a solid lead, but it was clear that Chris had something else in mind. “Although… what?” he asked, tracing his fingers over the lines of Chris’s web.

(Oh howdy! Great to have you back!)

“What if the Nords and Frenchies teamed up and managed to overpower the Yin and Yang clan, offering them something they wouldn’t be able to refuse if they decided to help them out.” Chris stared at the paper, yawning after a moment. “No one would suspect the Yin and Yang because of their relationship with Bear.”

It was only a theory, but a very plausible one. No one would suspect the Asians, and the Asians wouldn’t do something like that without an incentive. As Chris sat in silence, a new feeling of dread crept through their body, turning their insides uncomfortably cold in a way that made them want to throw up.

They turned to Shane with a weak smile. “You’re the brains here, what do you suggest we do from here?”

Shane’s eyes widened in surprise. “The Ying and Yang…” he said thoughtfully. “That… that could be it! I mean, we don’t have any evidence yet, but the timelines and motives seem to line up! Chris, you might have found it!” His excited demeanor shriveled up as he saw the expression on Chris’s face, though. “I… I don’t think I’m the brains,” he said softly. “But if this is the strongest lead, then maybe we should investigate. Head over to their compound. Hopefully not get killed.”

(Cool beans!)

Investigating the clan’s compound, a lot easier said than done. Sure it was only a ten minute car journey away, but numbers is what Chris and Shane were down on. Since the ‘talk’ with Evelyn hadn’t gone down too well with just the two of them, it was wise to assume that they were going to need some extra hands for the Yin and Yang clan.
“Do you remember Astra?” Chris squinted as if trying to remember the girl themselves. “I think her number is in Bear’s logs, would you mind giving her a call while I phone up Fabian.”

Name: Thomas Gray
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Str8
Personality: He’s very uptight and dedicated to his career as a detective, and he doesn’t have any time for joking around or pursuing anything other than Justice
Criminal Speciality: He has a fair amount of intel on various criminal groups, but only to hunt them down of course
Appearance: About 6 feet tall, sandy blonde hair, brown eyes, reasonably buff, wears his badge very prominently and takes great care in his appearance
Backstory: His father was the previous police chief before he retired, and Thomas wishes to reach the position too, as he prioritizes his dad’s approval over basically everything else

(I was thinking that he could be helpful in like getting resources or something of that type, and Chris and Shane have to pretend they’re law abiding citizens/blackmail him)

“Astra? I don’t think I remember her,” Shane replied curiously. “I’ll call her though, it can’t hurt to have as much help as we can on our side.” After rifling through several crumbling folders labeled ‘Contacts’, he found a smudged phone number next to the name Astra, and he figured it was probably the right one. He didn’t know of two many Astras. Picking up the absolutely ancient landline Bear kept around for God knows what reason, he dialed in the number and held the phone to his ear. “Hello, is this Astra… I’m sorry, I don’t actually know your last name,” he said as politely as he could manage.