Identity pt 1

Prologue


It was busy in the “La Tricolor” restaurant. Waiters were rushing around the room, bringing food to their patrons and muttering to themselves about to quality of the tips. The patrons however, even while sitting still at their tables, somehow were making a lot more noise, clinking cutlery and glasses as well as laughing out loud at the smallest of amusements.

In the center of all this, like a calm island in the middle of a stormy sea, was the table of Anthony O’Connor and Lauren Macmillan. They were totally oblivious to the noise because their attention was totally focused on each other.

They had met three years ago at a concert; Lauren was one of the lead singers and she had transfixed Tony. They got talking in the bar afterwards and it was plain sailing from then on.

Well, I tell a lie, actually Laurens father, a wealthy businessman, didn’t like O’Connor. He was of the old school of minimal technology and with O’Connor being a computer programmer this didn’t help his attitude.

“Bloody Net Heads!” He would say, “sit in front of the screen all day, without any notion of real world problems.” Laurens mother on the other hand didn’t share her husband’s skepticism and actually liked O’Connor, much to the irritation of Mr. Macmillan.

They stared into each other’s eyes as if they were crystal balls holding their future. The remains of dinner lay cooling on their plates.

“Lauren,” said Tony.

“Hmm,” replied Lauren.

“You remember the reason we came out tonight right?”

“Sure, it’s the first anniversary of us moving in together,”

“It’s also the third anniversary of us meeting,” he said.

“Really?” she said, sitting up a bit more.

“Oh yes, I’d never forget that night.” Replied Tony, “I couldn’t concentrate on the rest of the concert, I could think of nothing else but you.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t do anything else except worry about the apparent transparency of my dress,” they chuckled, “I could swear that the whole hall could see my underwear.”

Tony smiled, took her hand in his and kissed it tenderly. “There’s another reason that we came out tonight.”

“Well it’s not my birthday and I’m not pregnant,” she said, “I would notice those things! So what is it?”

“Today is already a double celebration,” he pushed his seat back and got on one knee next to Lauren. “Let’s make it a triple. Lauren…”

“Yes?” she said, surprised but smiling.

Tony reached into his pocket and took out a small box. He opened it. “Lauren, will you marry me?”

“YES! Of course!” she was shaking with excitement. Tony took her shaking hand and put the ring on her finger. The ring had a holographic stone, as it moved in the light different shapes appeared in it. “It’s beautiful!”

They hugged and kissed, being totally ignored by the rest of the restaurant, who were a lot more concerned by the quality of the service than the major event happening in their midst.



Identity
By Stephen Ward


“Let’s see it again!” said Anna.

“I wish you’d hurry up and get one yourself,” said Lauren, looking up from her microscope and showing Anna the ring for the seventeenth time that day. “Then I could bug you all day to look at yours.”

“It’s so beautiful,” said Anna, letting Lauren have her hand back, “I checked how much it would have cost during my lunch break…”

“Don’t tell me!” interrupted Lauren, “Sorry. I know he loves me and that he makes me happy. I don’t need to know his bank balance as well.”

This was Laurens day job. She was a biochemist working for a pharmaceuticals company. She enjoyed her work normally but tonight was dragging on more that it should have.

Anna leaned back in her seat and half-heartedly tapped at her terminal keyboard. The lab was empty apart from them and outside twilight was setting in.

“What does your father think about it?” asked Anna. Lauren sighed, Anna was a good friend but she would ask the most awkward questions.

“I… err… He seems fine with it actually,” replied Lauren,

Anna raised an eyebrow.

“Okay!” said Lauren, “I haven’t told him yet if you must know.”

“When were you planning on telling him?” asked Anna, “During the wedding? At the birth of your second child? Or on his death bed perhaps?”

“I don’t know!”

“You mustn’t let him rule your life anymore, you’re 26 and you’ve got Tony now.” Said Anna, “go home and phone your dad…”

“But…”

“Go on! I’ll finish off here.”

Lauren got up and headed for the door, she turned back, “are you sure…”

“Go!”

Lauren smiled and left.



Anthony O’Connor sat at a table near to the bar, empty beer glass in front of him, sketching in his notebook. He was a successful computer programmer but his dream had always been to design and program games. The dream was far away though; he needed to stick with regular programming to keep the money coming in especially with the wedding coming up.

“Whatcha drawing?” said Eliza, setting another beer next to him and taking a seat at the table with her own. She was a computer programmer who worked in his team. She was an expert with network systems and Tony suspected that she had been a major hacker in her teens.

He slid the notebook across the table so she could see. The picture was of some kind of robot, it was pepper pot shaped with a lens-like stalk on top and two other stalks in the middle of its body. “It’s from an old Sci-Fi series I used to watch,” said Tony, sipping his beer.

“It’s freaky looking!” she exclaimed.

“I was thinking of making a game based on it. But loads of work to do before I can even plan it.”

“Decided on a date for the wedding yet?” she asked, sliding the book back to him.

Just like Eliza, thought Tony, straight to the point.

“Not yet,” he said, “I don’t think she’s even told her father.”

“Yikes,” she said, “I’ll expect she’s just putting it off until he can’t do anything about it,”

“Like the honeymoon!” They chuckled and drank some more.

“Look man,” said Eliza, “I’m really happy for you and Lauren. I’m glad someone has had some luck in their love life.”

“Still not found anyone El?” asked Tony.

“Nah,” she replied, “most men seem to have a problem with girls who are able to check their criminal record on the LawNet before the first date.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone,” said Tony, “I think Bob from Validation has a crush on you.”

“The one that smells of cheese? No thank you.” She lashed out at him but Tony was ready and dodged her flailing arm.

“I’m kidding!” he said grabbing her hand as it came back for another pass. “Have you ever thought about trying one of those computer dating thingies?”

“Nah,” she replied, settling down again, “perhaps I should.”

Suddenly, Tony’s pager went off. “Damn,” he said, “You know that big compilation batch I started up today?”

“Yeah.”

“Guess who forgot to tell the security guys to leave the power on.”

“Oh no!”

“Oh yes,” he said, standing up and putting on his jacket, “now I’m gonna be up half the night setting it back up.” He finished his beer.

“Do you want me to keep you company?” she asked, looking for her coat.

“No, don’t worry,” He replied, “finish your drink and go home, get some rest.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” She looked at his back as he left the room and hurried into the night.

She looked round the bar and spotted a particularly handsome guy ordering a drink. She had half a mind to just go up to him and start chatting him up.

Do it girl, said the part of her brain that was fed up with the loneliness, you’ve got nothing to lose!

Just then another guy joined her potential life partner, wrapped his arm round his waist and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Figures” she said to herself as she finished her drink and left the happy couple.



Lauren looked at the videophone screen with apprehension. She knew she had to tell her father sooner or later and it may as well be now. Her hand hovered over her father’s number on the screen and with a sudden force of confidence she pressed the dial button.

After a few seconds her fathers answer phone kicked in.

“That’ll make it easier,” she said to herself. The outgoing message finished and the words ‘speak now’ appeared on the screen. “Hi Dad! I have some good news. Tony has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes.”

She heard the door to the apartment open behind her. Must be Tony, back from work, she thought, better finish this off.

“I know you don’t like him,” she said to the phone, “I don’t care. He will make me happy and that’s all that matters…”

Suddenly the lights went out, if it hadn’t been for the light from the Vidphone screen she would have been in total darkness.

“O’ Rose, thou art sick!” came a quiet voice, seemingly from all around.

“Tony?” said Lauren turning in her seat to see who it was. She couldn’t see anyone.

“The invisible worm, that flies in the night,” came the voice again.

“Tony, is that you?” It sounded like his voice.

“In the howling storm, has found out thy bed,”

“Tony, if you’re trying to scare me you’re doing a good job of it!”

“Of Crimson Joy; and his dark secret love,”

“Tony?” said Lauren, standing.

“Does thy life destroy.”

Lauren screamed.



Detective Miles Sharkey finished the last of the paperwork concerning the Westside murders. He was glad that that scumbag was finally locked away but the vast amounts of paperwork really irritated him. He leaned back in his chair and yawned loudly, causing his partner, Elaine Marshall, to look up from her screen.

“You should get more sleep,” she said.

“I should sleep period,” replied Sharkey, “I haven’t slept at all in the past 48 hours.”

“It’s showing,” she said. Sharkey tilted his seat back and began to dose. Some time later his well-earned rest was interrupted. Elaine was shaking him.

“Shark! Wake up!” she seemed pretty insistent.

“What is it?” said Sharkey, still tired but alert once again.

“Possible abduction,” she said, handing him his coat, “Uniform have secured the place and they say there was defiantly a struggle.”

“Let’s go!” said Sharkey.

Here we go again, he said to himself.



They arrived at the crime scene within ten minutes. Squad cars filled the snowy road with themselves and a lot of flashing blue lights.

Sharkey ducked under the crime scene tape, careful not to slip in the snow that was thick on the ground and made his way up the stairs to the O’Connor apartment. He had to climb over several forensic guys who were taking blood samples from all the way up the stairs. He arrived at the apartment and surveyed the damage. A glass coffee table was smashed and was covered in blood. The Videophone was also smashed, why would that be? He asked himself.

Elaine walked in after him. “I’ve talked to the on-scene officer. The neighbours heard a commotion and a few witnessed her being dragged away but the light was too bad for them to positively ID him.”

Sharkey nodded and walked over to the smashed videophone. “This was smashed for a reason,” he said, “check the phone company’s records. See if she was calling somebody when she was attacked.” Elaine nodded and noted it known in her notebook.

“Blood samples will be taken to the lab and DNA tested, that will take a couple of hours.” She continued. “Until then I suggest we find her fiancé. He works at Hydrax Software, a few blocks from here.”

“Right,” said Sharkey, “let’s go.”



Tony sat at his terminal hitting at the keys angrily. The past 2 hours were hell, he not only had to restart the compilation but he also had to debug a whole host of linking errors.

“Here I am, brain the size of a planet and I’m stuck here correcting spelling mistakes.” He said out loud.

“Speak to yourself often Mr O’Connor?” The voice came from the far side of the room. The man and the woman flashed their badges at him. “I’m Detective Sharkey, this is Detective Marshall. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“What’s this about Detective?” asked O’Connor.

“I’m sorry to inform you that your Fiancée appears to have been abducted,” said Sharkey.

Tony was taken aback. “What?”

“There was a struggle in your apartment and she was seen being dragged away.”

“My God!” said Tony, holding his face in his hands.

“We’re going to have to ask you come down to the station so that we can eliminate you from our investigations.”

“Yes, of course.” Tony said, standing up and putting on his coat. They headed for the lift.

“Can we just quickly ask you where you were between the hours of 9 and 10 tonight?” asked Elaine.

“I’ve been here since about 8 O’clock.” Said Tony. “You can check with Dave in security.”

“We will.”



“This won’t hurt much,” said Elaine, as she took a blood sample from Tony’s arm. “There!” She left the interview room with the sample and closed the door behind her.

Tony just sat in his chair, still stunned by the news. Sharkey sat opposite him and stared at him. He normally had a good sense of whether someone was guilty or not, but he wasn’t sure about this one. Anthony O’Connor and Lauren seemed to be the perfect couple if there was such a thing, what motive would he have?

There was a knock at the door. It was Elaine.

“Shark,” she said, “we’ve got a trace on that phone call, you’d better come along.”

“Okay,” said Sharkey, “Excuse me Mr. O’Connor.” He left the room.

Tony still sat there. He was asking himself so many questions, but the same one kept popping up. Who did this to her?



Suddenly he was somewhere else… It was dark but he was defiantly in his apartment.



Just as suddenly he was back in the Interview room.

“What the…?” he said to himself.



Back in the apartment again… he could see Lauren at the Video Phone, saying words he couldn’t hear. She was frightened. He rushed towards her…



Back in the interview room and he was confused… was this his overactive imagination? Or was it a memory…? That last thought filled him with horror.



“What have we got?” asked Sharkey as he entered the communications room.

“The call she was making was to her Father,” said Elaine, “but his answering service picked up, we’ve just got clearance to view the message.”

“Let’s see it.”

Elaine tapped a key and Laurens face appeared. “Hi Dad! I have some good news. Tony has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes.”

Sharkey raised an eyebrow, “She took her time telling him…”

“Wait Shark,” said Elaine, she was listening closely to the sound, “The door just opened, here we go.”

“I know you don’t like him,” Lauren continued on the screen, “I don’t care. He will make me happy and that’s all that matters…”

On the video, the lights went out.

“O’ Rose thou art sick…” came a voice.

“Voice scan that,” said Sharkey, “Quickly!”

“The Invisible worm that flies in the night,”

“What is that he’s saying?” asked Sharkey,

“Sounds like a Blake poem,” replied Elaine.

Suddenly a figure rushed into shot and the image was replaced by the white noise of static.

“Replay that last bit,” said Sharkey, “Slowly!”

Elaine played it back and froze it as the figures face was revealed…

“Well I didn’t see that one coming,” said Elaine, “but it makes our job a little easier.”

“Sir,” said the officer who went to scan the voice, “I have a match. It’s…”

“We know…” said Sharkey.

The face on the screen was unmistakable.

It was Anthony O’Connor.



Officer Gorman stood outside Interview Room 3 playing on a small, pocket-sized game console. He always played it when he was on guard duty because he was always told to guard people who didn’t really need guarding, and thus he didn’t need to be alert. As long as the Duty Sergeant didn’t find out he was fine.

“Die you evil Cacodemon,” he said under his breath, “stop firing those bloody fireballs.”

“Use a rapid fire weapon like the chain gun,” said a voice from inside the Interview Room, “It can’t fire when it’s being hit repeatedly.”

Gorman did so and the Cacodemon splattered like an over ripe melon. Gorman paused and saved the game.

“Thanks, that’s been bugging for hours,” he said, “Say, do you play this game?”

“Used to,” said Tony from behind the door, “Could you do me a favour and get me a drink?”

“For that tip I’d get you anything!”

“Just some water please,” replied Tony.

Gorman walked over to the water cooler down the corridor and brought back a Styrofoam cup of water. As he entered he saw Tony sitting at the table, head in his hands and shaking slightly, clearly upset. He put the cup on the table.

“Here you go son.” He said. Suddenly the quiet trembling figure transformed into an angry pillar of confidence. He stood bolt upright and brought a swift chop to the side of the old cop’s neck. He collapsed like a felled tree and stayed down.

Tony reached down, took his sidearm and left the room.



“We still don’t know where she is Shark,” said Elaine as they walked down the corridor towards the interview rooms.

“We’ll soon get that out of him,” said Sharkey, “he was a gibbering wreck when we left him. Once he knows we have him he’ll tell us everything. We should have this all wrapped up by dawn.”

“Unless…” began Elaine

“Don’t!” warned Sharkey, “don’t make things more complicated by suspecting murder. It will mean more paper work for me.”

They reached the Interview room and entered.

“Oh crap!” said Sharkey as they saw Officer Gorman lying on the floor. Elaine ran over to him.

“He’s alive,” she said, then she noticed the empty holster, “but his sidearm is missing.”

“Oh crap!!” said Sharkey; “I want an APB on him now!”

Elaine ran out of the room.

“It’s going to be one of those days again!” said Sharkey as he walked after her.