That Old, Lazy Swing Chapter 1. You've got a friend in me.

>>319820
>remain calm, wait for the individual to speak. I don’t even know who this person is yet…

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>>319864
“Oi, y’ere the new lad, right?” A thick Scottish accent bellows behind me. I turn in my swivel chair and gaze up at the hulking man in front of me. Easily over 6 feet tall, the man has white hair with scattered black bits throughout and a weirdly pornstyle-ish mustache with the same color scheme. His jawline is sharp and defined, enough to make a marble statue envious.
“Yeah, that’s me. Frank Portarelli.” I spit out, still sizing up the beast of a man.
“Good, good. I’m Lieutenant Caylor. I’m ya’ supavisin’ offica.” That accent is thick; this is gonna’ be a bear to understand him.
How do I respond?
>Remain silent, don’t wanna say anythin’ to embarrass myself, right?
>Stand up and offer a handshake. Course, that’s the right thing to do?
>”Rippin’ and rearin’ to go, L.T.! When do we get started?” Gotta get the first leg through the door, right? I’mma make Captain one day.
>”Oi, listen here ya dumb Scot, y’ere gonna have to speak clearly or I swear I’ll kneecap myself.” That forcefull approach outta get the respect I deserve, right?
>Submit your own!

>>319868
>Stand up and offer a handshake. Course, that’s the right thing to do?

Really firm.

Could you give insight on current technology in the next post. Useful for ambient and general feel.

>>319868
>>Stand up and offer a handshake. Course, that’s the right thing to do?

>>319872
I stand straight up and offer my hand to the L.T. He grabs my hand in a near vice grip and offers a smile. He slaps me on the back and chuckles out a "Good ta meetcha, Frank. Alright, nowsa let'sa getcha acquainted with the rest of the crew, eh?"

He loosens the grip on my sore hand and stands a bit more erect, looking way over my head to the rest of the room.

"Oi, ya finks, stand the fuck up and introduce yerselves already!"

A cacophony of groans echo across the room as about 6 people stand up to do the usual introductions.

A pretty lass stands up first, blonde hair to past her shoulders, naturally curly, I guess. "The names Laura Gettler, specialties include synth recovery and restoration." Her brown pants-suit hides most of her features, but I betcha shes gots some yams under there.

A middle-aged man in the back stands up next wearing a blue-suit that looks like it was more suited for a lawyers office then the DCPD. He flicks back his short brown hair and smiles as he speaks "Gregory Pofflen, Vice and anti-gang."

Next a young man, looking in his late twenties stands up wearing a black vest and pants with a white dress shirt, his laser revolver dangling from his shoulder holster. "Names Frank too, believe it or not, sure we ain't gonna get mixed up at ALL." His last words dripped with sarcasm, he chuckles and sits back down.

"Troy Middlestreet, I work homicide." The sentence came from behind me in a dark corner. When I peer in the direction, the only real features I can make out are a lit cigarette in the darkness. I shrug and continue to listen to the introductions.

A young women rushes hurriedly into the room. Wearing a white button down and red skirt, she almost tripped due to wearing large, black heels."I didn't miss introductions did I? Oh good, Cheri Colpen." She offers a wink and blows a kiss in my direction, and I see a collective eyeroll from the rest of the unit.

Finally, a man in a white and black checkered suit stands up. "Right, names Kingston, I'll be your partner I guess. We get to work the odd jobs the chief gives us, lucky us, huh?"

I offer a nod and a grin to everywhere, and decide to socialize with one of the members.

>Here, decide on who, including the L.T. you would like to know more about.

>>319874
Not to blow ya off but gimme like one more post to get there, sorry :p

>>319889
we go to meet Tory

Socialize a bit with Cheri because Frank is a cheeky bastard

And in the end get to know our partner better?

>>319896
The dude in the corner of the room struck my attention first, just oozin' mystery.

The rest of the room returns to their business as I home in on the figure in the corner. I'm almost sure I hear another groan emanate from the corner.

"Hey...Tory was it?"

A sigh erupts from his mouth as he extinguishes the cigarette in the ashtray on his desk.

"Its Troy, yeah?"

"Ah...right, Troy. Sorry, anyway, figure I'd see what your deal was, always fascinated by homicide, ya dig?"

"Yeah, they always are when they're fresh, huh? Right, well, been on the force about 10 years, first 8 were spent in traffic. Wasn't glamour, but it sure as shit was a lot simpler than fuckin' homicide..." He motions to his desk, scattered with files upon files of holofolders. I eye a few up, pictures of grizzly scenes flood the pages. I direct my attention back to Troy. Now, that I'm closer, I can get a clearer look of his features. A strong five o'clock shadow...well, at this point it looked a bit more like a 6 o'clock shadow, permeated his face. A sharp nose and some deep set eyes round out his face, and he is dressed in a olive green suit.

I was about to ask him another question, but I feel a hulking man behind me approach. "right, sorry'ta break up them introductions, but it's time we get ya down to the armory, gear ya right up."

I turn quickly turn around and nod to the LT. On the way out, I offer a nod to Kingston, who returns it in turn. I'll have to get back to him later.

We step into a glass elevator, offering a view of the whole Denounce district. Skyscrapers attempt to pierce the sky with flying cars looking oddly like classic Lincolns flood the area around every building.

"Floor 20." the LT bellows out. A ding echoes from the elevator panel and we begin to descend. Our office was on the 48th floor, so we had a few awkward moments of silence as the elevator thrusted downward.

A slight ding signifies we've hit our floor, and we both step out. Cheri stands in front of us, hands on her hip and a slight smile curled across her lips. "Ya boy's come down to play with my toys, huh?"

"Save it, Colpen." the LT bursts out before pointin' a thumb at her and lookin' at me.

"Colpen here is our resident arms expert. Fixes, maintains, and....well, I dunno what elsa' does inta it, but...y'know." His voice trails off before he starts back for the elevator. "Talk to her and figure out yer' sidearm, then come back up for your first assignment, yah?"

Right...all alone with a pretty dame, just my style.

I hear the ding behind me and there we were, all alone. She eyes me expectantly.

My response?

>Strictly professional, ain't lookin' to stir the pot so soon.

>Pretty dame, the smell of lasers recently being fired? Sets the mood in my favor, eh?

>Remain silent, and just stare. Puts the power in my hands, yeah?

>Submit your own!

>>319912
Start talking with her professionally about the sidearm. We can't skip that. If she flirts surely flirt back-

>I'm not even voting since I'm the only other person in here

>>319912
>>Pretty dame, the smell of lasers recently being fired? Sets the mood in my favor, eh?

>>319932
I am very glad I am no longer alone with the OP
This way it will be way more fun

Just means I get to put all my effort into pleasin' you, my man.

>>319922
"Well, miss Colpen, what can ya tell me about the sidearms, hm?"

"Straight to business, hm? Oh poo, and here I was hopin' you weren't a stick in the mud." She says playfully while reaching for the table behind her.

"now now, miss. Never said I wasn't above a bit of pettin' on the job, but y'know." I slither the last sentence out as smooth as a snake, a smile etched across my face.

"Well, color me overjoyed." She winked in my direction before pulling the hovering table in her direction in between us. "Right, so let's talk about sidearms, honey. So, ya got your average Hamilton revolver, y'know bout' these, right? No? Okay, well, the Hammie is a single shot heat based laser. I...well don't ask me why they call 'em revolvers, because they certainly don't cycle any new rounds in. S'pose it's more of a misnomer and a throwback looks wise." She shrugs and holds it up to the light. "Ya load a heat-sink in the back...right..." She presses a button on the left side of the classic looking revolver and the front action open forward, revealing a large, single, empty chamber. "Right here, see? The heat from the Hamilton is so much, it'll eat one heat sink but the intensity of the laser can melt damn near anything." She picks up another sidearm, this one considerably smaller than the last. "Right, now here we got the Yankee special. Fires about 9 or 10 shots per heat sink, standard heat output, hm? She'll last longer in a firefight, and let me tell ya, sometimes going the distance means a bit more than a single, big shot, eh?" Her words roll playfully off her tongue and winks in my direction.

So what'll it be? Am I gonna pick the...ahem....big, single shot? Or am I gonna go...the distance?

>Chose either the Yankee Special or the Hamilton Classic, or deny both of them!

>>319938
I vote we try to get something even better from her since she obviously has a thing on us?

If that fails, go for Yankee Special.

Do we do rolls?

>>319942
Absolutely, we'll go off a 10 sided system, with one being critical failure, 2-4 is a fail, 5 is a neutral, 6-8 is a success and a 10 is a critical success.

That sound fair?

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>319949
More than fair. According to our skills we can get pluses and minuses at certain things right?

Rolling for miss Colpen!

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>319938
il have what your having missy

>>319951
Correct!, but as of now we are starting off fresh, so we don't have much in the way of skills, but hopefully through working with our partners we will gain some skills over time!

>A neutral roll

I eye up miss Colpen and run my hands over the two sidearms in front of me. "Y'know, I like these two, but I was wonderin' if ya had any...nicer stock...behind the lockers, hm?"

She chuckles before resting her hand on mine. "Right there, hot shot. I got the big toys back there, but sadly the LT only permitted me to let you use the base sidearms for now, hm? Don't want a cute thing like you to go and get yerself shot now or overloadin' a heat sink, do we?" She winks in my direction before pushing the Yankee in my direction. "Let's start you off with the basics, hm?"

I chuckle a bit, but shrug and hold up the Yankee special. "Right, sounds fair. Well, gotta start somewhere. She'll suit me well, hm?" I pick up a few heat sinks laying besides the firearms and start back for the elevator.

I offer her a parting wink and she blows another kiss in my direction. The elevators close once more in front of me and I decide on my next destination.

>Yknow, the LT said he wanted me right back in his office for my next assignment...

>Or, I could go hit the streets and try to sniff out some crime on my own...

>or explore some of the facilities the DCPD has...a cafeteria...a shooting range and gym...crime database files...synthetic recover...the vehicle response unit...

alright, so Imma start waiting for two replies now so I don't skim over the second poster. Sorry I've been missing you every time man.

The rule will be I'll wait for both of you, and if more drop in we will expand it to probably a three vote system.

>>319963
voting for this
looking for action
>Yknow, the LT said he wanted me right back in his office for my next assignment...

>>319963
>>Yknow, the LT said he wanted me right back in his office for my next assignment...

>>319966
>>319977
"Floor 48" I said mirthlessly into the empty space. A ding signifies it recognizes my response and up we go.

A few seconds later, the door open and I step out into the bullpen. Most of the detectives here are working still, except I can see Kingston waiting in the LT's office along with Laura Gettler through the glass that separates the LT's office from the rest of the bullpen.

I go to knock on the door, but before I can even tap, the LT motions me in. The door slides open in front of me with a slight "swoosh" and I take a step in, with it closing just as quickly behind me.

"Right, laddie. Ready for yer' first case, hm? Chompin' at tha bit, I betcha are." He chuckles to himself while Laura and Kingston both shuffle aimlessly.

The LT calms back down and taps his large, oak desk once while he thinks for a moment. While he thinks, I take a moment to survey the room. Despite the high-tech glass separating the room, the office space still looks like it would in the early 1920's. Worn wood floors adorn the bottom of it with the oak desk in the center. A ceiling fan spins slowly from the ceiling of the room, and on my right is a large, room sized window, giving us a perfect view into Denounce city.

The LT snaps out of his trance, and I snap out of mine. "Right, so I got Laura in here, so I might as well let her explain."

She clears her throat and looks more to me then Kingston."Synthetics, what do you know about 'em?"

"Eh, not much, just the ghost stories ya hear growing up." I shrug and answer her question.

"Right, well forget all that rubbish, hm? Their real people, sentient AI inhabits them, and nowadays they have all the rights a normal person would, right? Problem is, not a lot of people agree with that, mostly religious fanatics but a few corporations claiming they 'hurt their business. So, we're gonna follow up on a lead about a group of these religious fanatics threatening to raid a few houses of synths. Merely checking up on the area, should be real nice and easy, yeah?"

The LT nods his head and Kingston shrugs once. "Right, nice and easy case, I dig it." Kingston states.

The LT shoos us out of his office, were the three of us stand in the bullpen and discuss how to get started.

Laura starts. "Right, so there are a few ways I see us going about this. First, we start by going to the meeting place of the religious sect, see how they are...reacting to everything, see if we can't sniff out trouble."

Kingston offers a "Or, we could start by checking out the homes that've been threatened, yeah? Might catch some people snoopin' around or...something, dunno."

I think for a moment and also say "Could also check around in the local bars, see if anyone is spoutin' hate..."

The two both roll their eyes at the suggestion, but shrug it off. They look to me to make the call, guess puttin' the rookie on the spot the first day is customary.

So...

CONT.

>>319995
>We could start off at the bar scene, never know what you can gleam from the squeezin' scene.

>Could follow Kingston's suggestion and check out the houses...

>Or, y'know Laura's idea sounded good too, check out the church, see what we can sniff out.

>Or...could do it the hard way, hit the streets and hope for the best?

>Finally, we COULD check the crime database in the DCPD, might find some interesting information...

>>320000
>Crime database first

>After that if no useful info check houses

>>320000
>>Or, y'know Laura's idea sounded good too, check out the church, see what we can sniff out.
got to kno who we dealing with

>>320011
>>320023
I will now roll to break the decision. One will be blue poster, two will be purple

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>320026
I scratch my chin for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Right, well, let's check the city database, yeah? Might have some information about previous crimes."

They both beam a smile at me. "Well well, looks like the rook ain't a shistain, eh K?" Laura muses.

"Yup, good call Frankie, ya already are thinkin' like a detective. Databases are down on the 18th floor."

A brief elevator ride later, we are down in a massive open room with servers stretching to the ceiling. The room is incredibly dim, with the only light coming from a lamp on a small desk a few steps away from the elevator and the blue light emitting from each server. It's fairly spooky.

"Ay, Gretta, you down here?" Kingston breaks speaks over the low hum of the room.

A small redhead pops up from the desk suddenly. "Eh, who...no, I wasn't..." The woman had obviously been sleeping, but the three detectives don't care. "Got any info on a string of threats made to synths in the Garmin district?"

Gretta rubs her eyes, and I take notice to how young she actually is as we close the distance to her desk. I would say she isn't more than 20. "Eh, lets see here..." She types quickly on a keyboard and a few screen appear in front of our faces from a holo projector.

"Well, I can tell ya the religious sect that's been making threats goes by the name of Anti-Synthetic front..."

"Wow....creative..." Kingston spouts off, I respond in kind with a chuckle.

Gretta continues. "Right...threats of arson and bombings, assault....seems the members leave notes on the doors of the synths...classy. We don't have any hard leads, but it seems patrol offices picked up a person named Theodore Bolton hanging around the apartments one day...other than tha..." Gretta is cut short by an intense, loud ringing coming from both Laura and Kingston. They exchange glances quickly and each pull out a small box with two knobs.

Before I can even ask, Kingston says "They are alert radios, brings in different reports across the scanner. Looks like the apartments JUST got hit...damn!" Huh...guess I didn't get one of those radios...but that's not important now!

We don't have the time to thank Gretta, and in an instant we hop back into the elevator.

"Where're we goin'?" I ask.

Laura looks back over her shoulder after spouting out a quick "1". "Vehicle response unit, gonna borrow an interceptor, see if we can't get there quick and catch any culprits before all the evidence burns up..."

The elevator opens up and in front of us are rows upon rows on blue and black painted Lincoln class Near-Fold interceptors fastest vehicle on the planet, even more so with super-charged plasma converters in the engine, specifically for police use. Not to mention the things are decked out in some of the thickest armor, and they have a small weapons rack in the trunk.

Despite that, seems like the garage knew that we would need a quick ride, and had a vehicle prepped for us, the gate already open...CONT

>>320039
Kingston tosses me the keys, looks like I get to drive...and I barely passed the defensive driving course!

Regardless, I got a few ways I can handle this...

>These decisions will require a roll

>Floor it! Better get there quick!

>Probably should just, y'know, drive with a moderate amount of haste, wrecking won't get us there quickly.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>320041
>>Floor it! Better get there quick!
iv played need for speed iv got the skills

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>320044
vote this

>>320047
its up to you save us all
unlesss it dosnt count...

>>320044
Let's just hope OP doesn't roll the way we do hahaha

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>320044
>>320047
Both critical failures, lel

And the magic tells me....

>>320054
Op is barely better than us!

This was destined to fail. Rolling gods are against us.

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>>320055
y didnt you roll? you had have made a diffrence but you chose to not partake

>>320061
Op is the only one who's rolls count

And I did roll. We both got critical failure

>>320044
>>320047

>>320054

"Y'know, like I said, I hadn't passed defensive driving with flying colors..." I stutter as I slam the keys into the ignition.

Both Kingston and Laura pat me on the back and give me a ol' fashioned "ATTA BOY" as the engine roars to life.

The supercharged engine speeds us out of the gate in near supersonic speed, both Laura and Kingston are thrown into their chairs, eyes wide as they clutch for the nearest hand-hold.

Dipping and diving out of traffic, I barely side-swipe a few cars, scratching the nice black-and-blue paint job on the interceptor, but manage to get us to the apartment complex in record time...except for the end as I slammed into a light pole.

The flames were dancing from above the wreckage of the apartment complex, and I was far too busy scanning the scene in horror while driving to see that...very large...very solid....light pole.

A large crash erupted above the din of sirens and raging flames nearby. Emergency crews were too busy tending to the fire to deal with a crashed interceptor... that's probably coming out of my pay.

I had smacked my head pretty hard on the steering wheel, jarring me for a solid few minutes while I felt ringing in my head. I snapped back to normal, looking to my fellow detectives. Kingston was passed out in the backseat behind me and Laura was no where to be seen.

I rub my head for a solid few seconds before scanning the scene around us. The burning apartment complex was about 50 yards in front of us and...oh shit!

I saw Laura lying on the pavement about 20 feet from the car, she must've been ejected through the windshield!

I start trying to open the door, but the damn things jammed! Looks like I got a few options as I survey the surroundings.

>These will require rolls as well, hopefully better then last time, huh?

>Kick the door repeatedly...

>Crawl out through where the windshield USED to be

>Check on Kingston

>Could try to shoot the door with my Yankee Special. Might be able to melt the door?

>Submit your own!

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>>320063
really? well then i take back what i said

Check Kingston first
then do whatever

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>320065
>>Crawl out through where the windshield USED to be

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>320069
>>320070
>rolling on seeing if we check on Kingston first before crawling through windshield

1= yes
2=no

They 8 will be carried to both actions regardless

>>320069
>>320070
>>320071
I look back over my shoulder at Kingston...he'll be fine right? Laura probably needs my attention first though...being ejected from a car tends to fuck you up.

I crawl through where the windshield would've been without much effort, avoiding the sharp remnants of glass. As I exit the vehicle, I see a man standing close to the fire, watching it with his head tilted. I stumble forth from the vehicle with some noise, which drew his attention to me and he bolted.

I yell out a loud "STOP!" before trying to decide what I should do...

>Should I check on Laura?

>Give chase after the man fleeing the scene?

>Try to shoot the man fleeing the scene? Don't have the time to run him down...maybe aim for his leg or something...

The last two options will require a roll, checking on Laura will not.

>>320074
Laura.

Man could be a victim so shooting is a bad idea

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Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>320074
>>Try to shoot the man fleeing the scene? Don't have the time to run him down...maybe aim for his leg or something...

>>320081
duck me sideways 2 ones?
also if his a victem wya did he run away when we told him to stop?

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>320079
>>320081
Time to roll if we check on Laura or fire on the fleeing man.

1 is Laura, 2 is firing on the man

>>320079
>>320081
>>320087
I think hard for a split second, my hand hovering over my Yankee special, itching to give it a try...but I decide not to as the man still continues running off in the opposite direction.

I, in turn, run over to check on Laura, her motionless body lying not far from the interceptor wreck. I kneel down beside her and check for a pulse...

Good, she's alive. Time to go through all that medical training they sent me through... Let's see, check airways...no blockages...no signs of pooling blood...

Wait what...her right arm? It's got a deep scratch in it and underneath it is metal and wires? A synth? Huh, guess why that's why they put her in the synth division. Takes one to know one...

But enough of that now, course I don't know synths well enough to administer any kind of medical aid.

I stand up and signal over to a few medical personal checking the scene for survivors. I let them know the situation and they load Laura up into an ambulance along with Kingston, once they open up the car with a buzzsaw for sorts, spewing sparks across the ground.

Now that my friends are taken care of and the firefighters and tending to the flames...where should I start?

>Could always scan the scene, the fires are all about out now, see if any clues have been left behind...

>Could also try to follow the man that ran? Mighty suspicious...

>Finally, could try talking to the first responders, see if they saw anything of value.

>>320091
>>Could always scan the scene, the fires are all about out now, see if any clues have been left behind...
that guy is long gone

My personal choice would be quitting my job and hiding somewhere because we just got two of our partners almost killed on our first mission hahahaha

>Scan the scene

>>320107
i know right

>>320110
Only reason we didn't get fired right away is that there weren't rolls at that point !!!

>>320101
>>320107
I'm still feelin' down bout' almost makin' my partners check out, but still, can't make this whole day a waste, eh? Let's see if we can find something amongst the rubbage and ash.

It's a bleak scene though, a lot of charred body parts are scattered throughout the scene, a lot of people died in this explosion. I let out a sigh, not finding very much. Just as I'm about to give up, I spy something out of the corner of my eye that catches my interest...

...well I mean it was another body part, but something about this body part of different than the others. The other arms.....legs....torsos....were all synths, which is to be expected since this WAS a synth apartment...but this body part isn't synthetic, it's simply a....normal body part, as morbid as that sounds.

Odd, I didn't read anything about non-synthetics living here. Someone was here where they weren't supposed to be. Odd. Guess I'll tag it.

I pull out a large flash camera, and begin taking pictures of the surrounding scene, digitally placing a marker down for the crime scene unit.

I feel like I turned over everything in this area that'll be valuable, the rest looks like ash... that being said it never hurt to be thorough. Or...could drive....actually no, I could walk to the hospital and see how Laura and Kingston were doing? Or see if I couldn't follow up on the lead on the arm...


>Rescan the area, maybe some other clue will pop up?

>Better go check on my partners since I stuck 'em in the hospital in the first place.

>Could always grab the body part and take it to the analysis center in the DCPD, of course the Crime scene unit would also do that, but I'd have quicker answers...

>Or...I could let the LT know about the whole case so far, I'm sure...he would love to hear about my escapades on my first day out...

>>320113
lol if we had to roll to get the job i think we might have goten put in jail

>>320119
Rescan for sure!
Arm is interesting. Rest of the body should be near. Maybe we could identify that person.

I'm too scared to report to LT so I think we shouldn't do that until we actually do something that makes him NOT want to fire us?

>>320121
It surprises me we didn't roll 1 with the girl in the PD and got sued for sexual harassment

>>320119
>>Rescan the area, maybe some other clue will pop up?

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>320123
>>320128
Time to roll and see how observant we will be in our next scan!

>>320130
Damn it
We need some synth upgrades on our body or something. We need cash. We can't lose this job. I'm panicking

>>320123
>>320128
>>320130
I rub the back of my head as I scan the scene again. I kick around a few piles of ash, trying to uncover something, but as I patrol the wreckage, not much catches my attention.

Still, I press one, trying to find some more...until I hear a loud "OI, YOU GET THE FUCK OUTTA THERE!"

I snap my head up and see a punch of crime scene lackies starting to set up shop. Not surprised their angry at me, I am traipsing all over the scene, probably just making their job harder.

"Aight, aight." I lift my hands up in a form of surrender and start walking off the charred remains of the building.

A man reaches out and grabs my arm, stopping me from getting to far away, though.

"Hey, you're the new detective right?" asks a tall, lanky man. His blonde hair sparkling in the superficial glow of the city.

How am I gonna respond? Could be bad news getting my name associated with not only wreckin' the interceptor but also potentially messing up a crime scene....course tellin' a lie isn't a good thing either.

>LEG IT OUTTA THERE, TIME TO RUN.

>"Yeah, I'm Frank. Just got stuck in the DCPD today...."

>Remain silent, just stare at the man.

>Write your own!

>>320133
>>"Yeah, I'm Frank. Just got stuck in the DCPD today...."
i dont see anything going our way

Frank Portarelli
>shake hands

>>320135
>>320136
"Yeah, I'm Frank Portarelli, just got assigned to the DCPD today..." I offer my hand out to the man, and he returns the gesture with a smile.

"Zach Crumley, chief arson detective...assigned to your same unit." He offers a smile and pats me on the back. "Good to meet'cha, was out on another case earlier today so I wasn't in the office. This scenes got me all balled up, got any more info you could throw my way?"

"Well, had reports that some religious nuts were threatening synths that lived here in the building...maybe even threatened to blow it up... guess they maybe followed through with it. Other than that, I did find a body part that wasn't synthetic right over there..." I point off in the direction of the lifeless limb lying in the ash.

Zach nods his head as he listens and scratches his chin. "Right, maybe the person who detonated the bomb? Merely speculation, I'll have my boys here run tests on the thing, maybe get some more info for ya."

"Great, I appreciate it Zach."

He nods once more and turns to head towards the charred remains of the building. Me, on the other hand, had to decide my next move.

>Could always check up on my partners...

>Or, could let the LT know of my actions today, gonna have to file that report eventually

>Could hit the streets too, canvas and see if any witnesses saw anything outta p lace...except for, y'know, a massive bomb going off.

>Could probably check back in with some of the DCPD facilities, might help me get better at some things. Got a shooting range there, cafeteria, a gym, the vehicle response unit, the database...

>>320142
>>Could always check up on my partners...
we dont drive anywhere now call a cab

>>320142
>Check back in the DCPD
I don't feel like checking on my partners right now because we got a case to solve. Apology cards and flowers come later.

>>320142
>>>Could always check up on my partners...

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>320144
>>320146
We shall now roll to see what to do!

1=Apology cards and flowers
2=Not that ^

>>320146
I see where you're comming from but we just seriously fucked up. We need to regain the trust of our coworkers

>>320148
Ignore the roll in my favour since we got another vote for 1

>>320147
Nevermind we have a third! Welcome!

Looks like we are checking on them partners!

>>320147
>>320146
>>320144
Well, since I fucked up pretty hard, guess I should go see how they are doing. I hail a cab and jump in. "Hey, mac, mind takin' me to the hospital?" I say.

He turns around to look at me curiously. "How'd ya know my name was Mac, bub?"

"Uh...just guessed?" I offer a awkward smile, rubbing the back of my neck as a spoke.

"Well then why don't ya just guess your way to the hospital?" He asks nonchalantly.

"Do you want the fuckin' business or not?" I snap back.

"Fine...fine." He shifts the car into gear and off we fly to the hospital.

After a brief ride, I toss the cabbie a few credit chits. "Fuck off, mac." I say as I exit the cab and enter the building.

I enter through two sliding doors and am immediately greeted with a almost brilliant white finish to everything in the hospital. "Fuckin' hate hopsitals..." I mumble to myself as I approach the front desk.

"Yeah..hi. Lookin' for two DCPD detectives? Laura Gettler and Kingston...uh I don't have his last name actually..."

"Right this way, sir." the nurse at the desk motions me through a few hallways until I enter the room. I see Kingston on a bed a few feet from the door, a bandage over his right eye. A curtain is drawn across the middle of the room, so I can't see how Laura is doing on the far side.

What to do?

>Looks like Kingston is sleeping right now. Could wake him up to see how he is feeling.

>Could also check on the other side, see how Laura is doing. Might give Kingston a moment to rest anyway.

>Could just walk away too, sayin' sorry and shit ain't my strong suit, and besides, I'm sure their fine. Just part of the job...

>>320161
I'm skipping the vote on this one because I'm bad with this stuff. I'll let them two decide

>>320161
>>Could also check on the other side, see how Laura is doing. Might give Kingston a moment to rest anyway

>>320161
>>Could also check on the other side, see how Laura is doing. Might give Kingston a moment to rest anyway.

>>320167
>>320173
>>320178
Kingston looks a bit worse for wear, let's give him some well deserved rest. Besides, got some questions for Laura anyway...

I stroll quietly across the room as to not wake Kingston, gliding over the porcelain tiled floor. As I reach the curtain in the mid-point of room, I peak my head around and spy Laura sitting upright, looking out the window of their room while aimlessly spinning her mechanically right arm in circles.

"Hey, how ya..." I was about to ask how she was doing, but seems like I glided a bit too well, and she jumped and let out a quick "EEP"

I raise a brow and she fidgets with her right arm, it's wires still showing. She tries her best to cover it with a blanket, but I obviously still saw it...

She blushes a bit and keeps lookin' out the window. A few awkward seconds pass before she break the silence by speaking. "Guess we know not to give ya the wheel again, huh. K and I are tryna make up some catchy nickname for ya about crashin' and shit. Damn impressive that you fucked up that hard on your first day, you beat the shit outta the other Frank." She whistles to herself and laughs quietly.

How am I gonna respond?

>Press her about being a synth, she seems pretty embarrassed about it, but why? Could figure out a bit more about synths, and that's pretty relevant about my current case.

>Ask what the other Frank did on his first day...the little shit.

>Offer a new nickname for yourself and the crash. "Fatal Frank?"

>Keep it related to the case, see if she can shed some light on anything you've found.

>Craft your own question for Laura!...?

>>320184

>Keep it related to the case, see if she can shed some light on anything you've found.

>>320190
vote this

>>320184
>>Offer a new nickname for yourself and the crash. "Fatal Frank?"

>>320190
>>320191
>>320192
I laugh in turn, but change the topic pretty quickly, instantly turning the mood a bit more serous.

"Hey, so...before I introduced us to the pole intimately, do you remember much about the scene?" I ask.

"Well, Frank, we were moving at near supersonic speed, so no, I didn't get a clear view of the area. Besides, looked like it was mostly on fire. Then I blacked the fuck out, they tell me I launched through the windshield, which has a survival rating of like....2%. So, yknow, there's that." She smirks, still looking out the window.

"Right, hey...sorry about that, didn't mean to turn you into the world's luckiest detective." I run my tongue over my teeth after I speak, and she nods and looks my way with a smile.

"So, did you find anything interesting after my abrupt exit from the vehicle?" She asks, tilting her head as she waits for my answer.

"Well, I did see some guy leg it outta there as soon as I clambered from the car, but figured I'd let him get off. Needed to take care of you and Kingston anyway. Other than that, also found a body part that wasn't actually synthetic. The whole complex was synths only, right?"

She thinks for a moment and replies. "Yeah, don't recall there being any bio's in the building. Maybe the culprit of the explosion?"

"Zach thinks the same thing." I reply.

She rubs the back of her neck as she stretches it out slightly. "Well, unfortunately, can't think there is much else I can tell ya. Only thing I can think of is hope we have the body part's DNA in our database already, or try to canvas and get a trail on that man who fled. Only leads we got right now..." She frowns at the thought and lays down on her bed. "Shit..."

Looks like things are winding down with Laura in terms of the case.

My next move?

>Check on Kingston, hope my partner doesn't hate my fuckn' guts.

>Ask Laura about being a synth, we seemed to glide over it. Might give me insight into synths though...

>Head back to the DCPD, they got a bunch of facilities I can use, maybe even get better at some things. They got a gun range...the database...cafeteria....Vehicle response unit...

>The LT is probably expecting my report before long....

>>320206
>>Ask Laura about being a synth, we seemed to glide over it. Might give me insight into synths though...

>>320206
>Back to dcpd

I want to improve our rolls so that we dont mess up this hard anymore

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>320210
>>320211
I'll take this time to go ahead and roll between the two of you. You know the drill, one being first, 2 being second

>>320210
>>320211
>>320228
As I stand there and think, Laura drifts to sleep. Might as well let her rest, and Kingston is still passed the fuck out as well. Looks like I'll take this time to head back to the DCPD. Course, we do have a bunch of faculties there...

Which one am I going to use?

>The bullpen, the detectives not out on assignment or in the hospital are here. You can socialize with them or possibly learn snidbits of cases you are working on.

>The gunrange, Cheri is down here, and if you do well, you'll learn to handle firearms better. AND if you get proficient enough with firearms, you'll get access to Cheri's top line gear.

>There is the cafeteria. A random chance of running into one of the detectives down here, if things go well you'll learn more about them and a possible chance to increase your charisma. The food is shit though.

>The database. Gretta practically lives down here, poor girl. That being said, you can learn a lot down here just purusing over old case files. There is a chance you'll come across a case that is connected to your current one, giving you a breakthrough. And, in addition, you can gain more intelligence down here.

>The Vehicle Response Unit. visit the garage, and possibly take more defensive driving courses. It's obvious you are pretty shit at it, so you'll have a chance to improve your vehicle handling skills.

>The LT's office, turn in case reports and generally get a tongue lashing. If you did well, you'll gain some praise and the morale of the unit will improve, if things go poorly on your cases, however, morale of the unit may suffer. This has variable effects.

>>320237
>>The LT's office, turn in case reports and generally get a tongue lashing. If you did well, you'll gain some praise and the morale of the unit will improve, if things go poorly on your cases, however, morale of the unit may suffer. This has variable effects.
going to happen at some point

>>320237
Gunrange

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>320246
>>320249
>Its time to roll!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>320246
>>320249
>>320250
After a pretty long day, figure it'd be best to stop by Cheri and see if she can't cheer me up. Plus firing lasers always lifts my spirits. Nothin' better.

I enter the DCPD building and take the elevator up to the armory and gunrange floor. Cheri isn't around though...

I frown, but still. I came here with a mission, so to the gunrange I go. I enter a long room, 50 yards in length, and stand on a line towards one end of the room. I ready my weapon and fire at each of the targets that dance across the room in front of me...

>The roll shall determine how effective we are at the range! All the rules still apply. I shall roll for this.

>>320259
so that 10 counts? hmm i htink il give up rolling
so as long as we dron drive we will be fine

>>320259
>A natural ten, we did pretty fuckin' good at the range!

...and I eliminate the targets with ruthless efficiency. I learn a good bit from this too, like how often I'll need to recharge my Yankee special's heat sink, which is every 9 shots, on average. I also learn that if I go above 9 shots, there is an increased chance with each shot that my pistol will overheat and explode.

Of course, using heat based lasers, that threat is fairly constant, but at a reduced rate if using fresh heat sinks....

A grin emerges across my face as I leave the range, a pretty successful outing, I'd say.

>Our ability to use sidearms has increased by 2! This'll give us quite an edge in gunplay. Hell, next time we find Cheri, we might have the ability to get some of her better stock...

Of course, the day was growing late, it looks like I only have one thing left to do today...confront the LT.

I'm sure he's dying to know what the hell happened today, but it looks like no one else has given their report yet, mostly due to being in the hospital.

>Am I going to be straight up with the LT, own up to my failure and admit I fucked up pretty hard?

>Or am I going to find some excuse, such as blaming the man at the scene of the crime that fled. Hey, y'know, everyone else was passed the fuck out...maybe he DID cause the crash, y'know?

>>320268
I vote admit
>real sad cheri wasnt there

>>320268
>>Am I going to be straight up with the LT, own up to my failure and admit I fucked up pretty hard?

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>320273
>>320276
Looks like I decide to own up to my mistakes and be the bigger man. Probably a safer call.

>Time for a good ol' fashioned charisma check. I'll take the combined total of both of your 10 sided die rolls and compare it to a roll 20 of mine. If the combined total of both of yours is higher than my roll, then the charisma check will be a successful one, and the report will go better.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>320279
im worrys all my rolls have been shit and not just in here

>>320282
fucking knew it

WISH ME LUCK

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>320284
I typed it in the wrong spot.. so much luck

>>320285
Yep. We get away with almost killing our parters!

>>320285
OH HE SQUEEZES IT OUT. NICE.

>>320285
il forgive you for saving us

>>320279
>>320282
>>320285
I take the elevator up to the bullpen and march straight to the LT's office. The gauntlet, as they say. I can feel the other detective's eyes on me, but I don't really care about that right now, I've got to tap-dance my way outta a box right now.

First day on the job and already in some deep shit...

The LT motions me in before I even make it half-way across the bullpen to his office. The door opens with a distinct swoosh, and closes right behind me once again with the same sound.

"Frank...what in the bloody fuck happena' today, lad? I'm gettin' reports'a crashed a fuckin' interceptor into a fuckin' pole, not to mention ya stuck Kingston and Laura i the hospital on the FIRST FUCKIN' DAY LAD. We haven't had a first day go this badly since the other Frank and his issues with the aliens..."

"Sir...what..."

"Nevermind that, we are focus'n on you, eh? Ya got any excuse for your reckless behavior?" He quirks a brow at me and taps his fingers on his desk impatiently.

"Well, sir, highlighting the fact it WAS my first day...the case is already proving to a hell of a nut to crack..." I speak slowly, trying to measure every word.

His brow still raised, he speaks again. "Ya ain't savin' yaself here, lad."

I continue regardless. "Well sir, let me highlight the fact I did manage to find a key piece of evidence, some of the crime scene lackies might've missed. For instance, the limb I found wasn't a synth...but a human's. Odd place, considering it was in the apartment complex of only synths."

The LT strokes his mustache gently as he thinks for a moment. "Aye, this is true, Zach gave me the report. Turns out we did have the DNA in our system..."

My eyes grow wide as I speak again. "Really sir, then who's limb was it?!"

"That's the troubling part, it wasn't a member of the church group we had under watch, but a member of one of the many gangs in the city." He still was stroking his mustache, but was now looking out into the bullpen to Gregory, who was just packing his stuff up to leave. "You might be working with Pofflen to get to the bottom of this, aye?"

I nod, still thinking of possible explanations for why a gang member would be in a synth apartment complex during a supposed attack by a church organization. My mind was drawing a blank though.

The LT looks back at me and makes a shooing motion. "Get outta my office before ya break somethin' in here, ya twat..."

And just like that, a faint swoosh could be heard as I exit his office. That...could've gone better, but it certainly could've gone worse too. Gregory eyed me up as I left.

"Hey, partner, try not to wrap me around a pole too, huh?"

And with that, I exited the building for the day, tomorrow is gonna bring a whole new slew of problems.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

Alright ladies and gentlemen...or just gentlemen. Our first chapter is coming to a close, so now I wanted to get some feedback from you guys, as well as tell ya the next time I'm doing this.

So, go ahead and tell me what you thought? Its my first time writing something like this, so any feedback on characters, environment, how it was set up. Everything would be good to hear, and if you liked it of course.

As for now, I need to go ahead and write the next case that will be faced by Frank. I plan to have it done by tonight, at 12:00 AM EST. So I was probably going to host another session then.

>>320305
i think it was good.
i guse we made it a bit harder cose we alomst killed everyone but you keept the bad rolls in and went with it, got to having that in, but so fare keep at it, going to need more befor giving you enguh feedback

>>320309
mybe changing hte dice some how so we dont fuck up soo easly( thats just man wanting to win but failing is good as well)

>>320305
I just read up on chapter 1 here and this quest seems like a real delight.
What's up OP? When's the next session?