Togusa

Togusa's voice is strained when he picks up.

"It did. Straight from Dr. Izunia herself. Hell." A sound of him running a hand over his face, steeling himself.

A ding on Matt's phone, Togusa sends along the full file, but he can sum it up, also. "Zee wasn't just found at the Wiffle Waffle. Somebody impaled him on the building itself. Cause of death was that impalement."

"Somebody was sending a message. A really overblown message, but a message."

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Matt's sigh sounds over the speaker on Togusa's end. Well... That's really...

"...What part of the building?" he asks in a less than enthusiastic tone. This is an important detail, however gruesome it is. He'd much rather find out this way than by snooping around Wiffle Waffle smelling for blood scent.

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"One of the outcroppings on the roof," Togusa cannot keep his tone even, this is so much more than just reporting the facts.

"They also left a more specific message aimed at Jim. 'Jim, did you know'."

"Jim hasn't poked his head out in months. And Retrospec was nice enough to separate all the users into the older cohort and newer ones? I'm working on trying to figure out who all the Alpha users are. Who the hell would even know who Jim even is, at this point?"

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How does one lure another person up onto the Wiffle Waffle roof? Then kill them via... forceful shove into a part of it? "This certainly sounds like a crime committed with powers. Statistically speaking, if a murder happens on a roof and no weapons were involved there was shoving and a fall. The outcrop though? Does the Wiffle Waffle have a roof with a lot of sharp points and I just don't know it?"

His lips press into a thin line as he considers Jim's absence. "...I hate to say it but it might be too soon to say how new the culprit is to Retrospec. They could have heard Jim's name by word of mouth or read the notes Elda has been keeping on what we know about the company and city."

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"I wouldn't have thought so, until somebody got stabbed on one." Togusa shakes his head even though Matt can't see it.

"I can see the logic, but. Doesn't this feel personal? Why go to all that trouble if you just think of Jim in the abstract? I-" His voice cracks a little. "This was extreme for sending a message to someone you don't even know."

His tone sounds defeated. "I was trying not to keep track of everyone with powers, I didn't want to single them out, in case something like this happened. But I know of some people who have the ability to do this. But not the capacity, if that makes sense."

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"It does come across like a crime of passion. From the nature of Zee's death to the threatening message, it suggests the culprit is someone very angry. Not that that narrows down the list of suspects. We've all been upset with Retrospec... Any chance the autopsy revealed signs of a struggle? Like Zee was attacked and shoved into the outcrop?" He realizes he could have the layout wrong in his head. He hasn't gotten his hands on a raised map of the crime scene yet.

"There might be more of us with strange abilities than not. It's good that you didn't single out anyone, people's privacy is important. Not every power or change Retrospec doles out needs the attention of the entire network. If you're regretting not tracking every powered person, don't."

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"Mm. One second." Togusa goes back to the report, looking for more details. "Between the autopsy and the footage? Doesn't look like it." Even off the network, Grell is still good at her job. ..was still good at it. "The impalement was clearly the cause of death, but whatever confrontation happened? Doesn't look like it happened there. Which is even stranger, really."

Togusa heaves a sigh. "You know, I would have bet money that Zee was going to turn out to have an extranatural ability. I didn't think Retrospec would have put anybody out in the open without being able to take care of themselves. Even people who were angry? I actually advised them not to take their anger out on Zee in case he had power on Eleanor or Dante's level."

"Hell of a way to get proven wrong."

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[Akira will get another text message on the 22nd.]

I got confirmation that Zee had abilities. He could teleport.

We were already assuming that whoever did this had some kind of abilities of their own. Now, they managed to kill Zee before, or in spite of, his ability to get away.

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maskreant

Thank you for this information. It gives more light to what might have happened. Naturally, he would try to use that ability if they made any attempts at his life.

Whatever they received, it's either instant or can be done at a distance. Location may not need to be known by the killer, either.

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Matt shakes his head to himself. He expected violence against Retrospec to occur eventually but not this soon and not this extreme.

"I hope we can get justice for Zee but I have concerns about how we'd go about it. Say we do apprehend the guilty party, the city acknowledges Zee's death, you have the file right there, but a jury of sleepers wrap their heads around Zee's extranatural ability? If the motive to kill him was Retrospec, will they even hear that testimony?"

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"With the police reports, I've always been able to get the truth written down, and just never pinpointed when Retrospec's change takes effect. It's probably possible to do this without naming Retrospec, though, if you're concerned. Paint the guilty party as paranoid, believing that Zee is responsible for things going wrong in their life? That, the jury might hear."

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hi its shinji i got a memory i need to talk to a grownup about but i dont want people i know rly well to freak out + cant tell my fam anyway is it ok if i talk about it

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Shinji. Of course. I'm here.
Are you all right?

Would you rather keep this over text, is it easier to talk that way?

[If he needs the extra layer of distance to get the words out, it's something that's worked for other people Togusa has helped before.]

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im ok its just a memory i didnt get hurt txting is easier do u remember when i said i was talking 2 zee about remembering dying

[A good place to start.]

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Okay.

[And, as Togusa feared, Shinji jumps straight onto the worst topic. Well, he wouldn't have to reach out to someone if it wasn't something heavy.]

I remember.

I guess you remembered something else about it?

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y b4 i only remembered getting stabbed through + another memory was getting ready for dying as some plan but i now i remembered a little after the stabbing the plan worked i died so somebody else would live bcuz they cried for me nobody else wouldve cried

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Shinji. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you have to see any of this.

You shouldn't have had to make a choice like that. Nobody should, but especially you.

There aren't many people who would have the bravery to choose themselves over someone else, though. I know it's cold comfort.

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ty

[It seems like the answer to that, even if this is all a lot and Shinji hardly knows what else he should - or even could - say.]

in shows/games/whatever when somebody does a heroic sacrifice its rly sad but theyre not scared i was scared im scared now

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It's okay to be scared. Real people, when they meet a moment like that. They're scared. Everybody gets scared.

It doesn't mean it's a bad thing, and it doesn't mean you're not strong. It's what bravery is, going ahead and doing something even though you're scared.

But you don't have to be brave right now.

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[If Shinji sniffles a little, Togusa will never know. That's why texting is better.]

i gotta bad stuff happens all the time here so i gotta help even if its scary but i dont wanna have to do that again

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