OmegaScales

You can still guess for the town name origin if you want. The hint is still available. Also, when Nina said her hypothesis was irrelevant to the case, that was a hint that it is irrelevant to the case. But I’ll tell you if you would still like to know- outside the story, of course. Also, any record-checking or video-checking or other stuff will be described after you leave the suspects’ homes. You bring your left hand up to your head, and lean your right against the wall. It hasn’t stopped bleeding completely, but has slowed down dramatically. “Could I have some orange juice or something? I’m getting a little lightheaded.” Leo goes to the kitchen, while Nina tells you that you will eventually need to get to the hospital for better treatment, since the sugar will only keep you level-headed, not restore blood. But then, there are those rivals of Leo’s outside, and they will not care if you die. Leo returns with some chocolate cake and chocolate milk. He asks you to follow him to the living room. You lie down on the couch after finishing the cake and milk so the blood can flow to your brain more easily. You still have some time before you need to get to the hospital, so you decide to ask just a few more questions. [5 more not including how to get to the hospital alive, or the following] “What do you know about the elder’s grandson, Jorge? And speaking of, what about the elder himself?” Leo looks at you, surprised. “What? Do you think the elder took it?” “Not really, but he is the only one the animals don’t attack around. I was more wondering if he had some sort of schedule or something someone could have exploited.” “Oh. Well, the only thing I know is that I want to know how he gets his information. He gets his information before I do for the most part, and between the two of us, we know almost everything about this island’s residents. Jorge, however, I know about. His current debt is to an arms dealer. A legal one, that is, since we don’t have a government telling us right and wrong. This island is owned by no country, organization, or otherwise. Anyway, Jorge is not the kind to give up. In fact, he would do anything to not give up. As far as I know, he had the opportunity to take it. There is a lot more I know, but it is not relevant.” Nina only says that she knows the same things her father does about Jorge. WIT(cont.)+ You also need to figure out how to get out alive now. By the way, mirandarball, you are both doing this correctly and pretty well.

Dr. Maria is the doctor Leslie talked with when she woke up in the hospital. Nina hates ALMOST everything on the island, and it's not that she hates her father, just that they haven't really bonded. And I don't remember if I said if Leslie loves animals or not, so I'll say it now. Leslie loves animals: Birds, cats, dogs, lizards, snakes, even dangerous ones. "Do you like animals, Nina?" "Not particularly. I find some animals interesting, especially the ones on this island. I want to study them to find out what makes them larger than elsewhere. Especially that one falcon that is just over three times bigger than normal, and acts superior because of that fact. I already have a hypothesis about the enlarged animals, but I doubt it is important to your investigation. I suppose you are going to suggest I trained one or more of them to steal the staff for me, but there is a problem with that theory. None of the animals will approach me without attacking. Check my medical records if you don't believe me." You start to feel a little lightheaded, possibly from losing so much blood. WIT(cont.)

You're overthinking about the town. Look closer at the name. WIT is basically a point where you have to be careful. If you do or say something wrong (in this case, not ask a certain question), you could die or miss out on important information. “What do you know about Manny?” Leo starts off. “Mostly what the elder knows. I find it amazing how fast he gets his information. I’d like to know how- sorry. One thing I know that the elder doesn’t is that he is seeing Dr. Maria. I also heard a rumor that the WWA asked him to participate.” Nina, who has been listening quietly, chimes in at this point. “It’s actually true, but it’s the WWE, not WWA. He came by yesterday to talk with Leonar- I mean, my father.” He smiles upon hearing this. “I overheard him talking to himself. He does that often, actually, which sometimes causes trouble.” Leo keeps smiling while explaining that Manny came over to talk about “a job opportunity” somewhere else. He needed to find a way to get off the island and to the interview. WIT(cont.)

For the town name question, right? If so, wrong for both. And if someone does get it, which I'm sure someone will, I'll give a hint. Not a very good one, but still considered a hint. “Okay… There was a seven day window for it to be stolen, and I’m assuming you have no alibis at certain points, so why don’t you tell me those times.” Nina answers first. “Well it’s spring break for me, and I haven’t left the house once. You can check the security cameras Leonardo installed.” “Please, Nina, stop calling me that. I’m your padre, but you always call me by name. Why won’t you call me father, dad, padre, or something along those lines at least once?” You interrupt before Nina can respond. “Eh-hem. Could you tell me what I want to know please? You can talk to each other later.” “Oh, sorry. I was in and out all week. I was never out more than fifteen minutes, and my bodyguards were always with me. They would tell you if I even thought about trying to steal it, and I mean it. It’s like they have ESP or something. And they are only bodyguards, not part of my gang, so they would tell you if you asked them.” “So I’ll watch the videos and talk to these bodyguards. Can you tell me more about the other suspects then?”[Obtained copies of the videos and names of bodyguards. I'll get to them after you leave.] “Well, which one?” Leo asks. WIT(cont.)

I understood what you meant with the first one, but I was on my way to college at the time. BTW, you can edit your post as many times as necessary until ten minutes after the original post time. Anyways: “Thank you for the information, sir. I think I’ll start off with the Núñez’s.” “Alright then, and if Nina asks if you want to play a game, just say no. There have been plenty of tourists she’s conned out of money.” You reach the house and are about to knock when a bullet speeds by your ear and lodges in the door. A gruff voice tells you not to move, “or the next one goes through your head.” You stay completely still, and then you hear another gunshot and feel something cool spray on you. A friendlier voice from above you tells you to come in quickly. You open the door and get inside right before a wave of bullets come at you, one of which hits your right forearm, but the adrenaline drowns out the immediate pain. The door closes with a bang, and the majority of bullets hit steel plating. You lock the door’s ten locks, and the man you heard comes down. “Are you alright? Oh s***.” You finally feel the bullet wound in your arm. He grabs a first aid kit from the closet and opens it. It does not look like a regular first aid kit, with a gun, extra-long tweezers, and Kevlar-covered bandages, along with customized regular first aid equipment. He takes the tweezers and removes the bullet from your arm, then treats the wound. “That was close. I take it you are the detective the island is talking about. I’m Leonardo, one of your suspects.” “You say that like it’s a good thing. Ah!” You gasp as he pulls a cord tight around your arm. “You don’t seem that scared, being shot at and all.” “I’ve been through worse. Death would have been preferable to it, but then the criminal would still be at large.” “Gang member?” “No. I actually have a friend who is the Don of the mafia in Case Mega Sol, New Jersey.” [Try to figure out how I came up with that for her town name.] “So you don’t have a problem with gangs then.” “I do if they interfere with my work. Or if they are suspects.” “…I get it. I didn’t steal the staff, but I wish I had. Are you happy I admit that?” “That’s not really what I want to hear. I would actually like to hear ‘I did it. Take me away.’ I would be happy if I managed to actually get some vacation time before I need to head home.” Another voice chimes in, this time from a young girl coming down the stairs. ”I take it you still want to question both of us. You can get my father to tell the truth by threatening to cut off his-“ “NINA ESTRELLA MARÍA NÚÑEZ!!!” he screams. “Grrr…“ He starts growling at her, but then turns to you, smiling. “Why don’t you tell the good detective the truth? If you don’t, I will tell your mother that you have been playing with her-“ This time Nina screams. “NO!!! I will tell the complete truth, but only if you do, too. Deal?” “…Deal.” WIT What do you ask and to who? The order of your questions matters here. In other words, if you ask a certain question, an event will take place that prevents you from gathering any other information from them.

Like most hospitals, a helicopter recieves and delivers patients. The pilot is a regular island resident (the copter is owned by the island). To the best of my knowledge, falcons do not care for shiny objects.

“You said the animals don’t attack you, but have you actually seen these animals? And what are they anyways? These markings are larger than normal: maybe 1.5 to 2 times bigger.” “Yes, I usually see some on the way here. There are jungle cats, boars, snakes, birds, and more. And they are larger than normal.” “Why don’t they attack when you are around?” “That’s a mystery that can’t be solved.”[i’m just having it like that for convenience.] “Hmmm… who was the last person you took here and when?” “Let’s see… I think it was three months ago, I brought an archeologist here. We passed some jungle cats on the way here, and on the way back. The next day, he was in the hospital because he tried to steal the staff, but he had been attacked by jungle cats on the way out. I put the staff back, and he was flown to a city hospital the day after. The doctors here are better at emergency calls than long term treatment, and for good reason. There have been many people who tried to take the staff. Oh! I just remembered this one time, a tourist tried to take it after the ritual, he somehow managed to hide it until I left them at the village near my home, where jungle cats attacked only him. I must admit, there is something mystical about it, or these animals wouldn’t protect it.” He pauses then laughs heartily for a moment. “I just can’t stop talking. Every time someone visits me, I believe I do perhaps ninety percent of the talking, maybe more.” “I like listening to your stories. I’m sure others do, too, or they would interrupt you. By the way, do you know what kind of bird this feather is from?” You hold up the long feather you’ve been playing with. “I believe that is from a falcon. That particular one would be about 3 times its normal size, if I’m not mistaken.” What next?

... Did you not read my post?!

That actually does not work.

Oooooohh. I looked for it, it's post first option. Don't forget to take this out of your sig.

“Could you bring me to the ruins?” “Certainly.” After half an hour, you reach the ruins of what appears to be a Mayan or Aztec temple, though you may be mistaken. Overlooking weather and time erosion, it is remarkably preserved. There is a large area in front of the entrance that seems to have been restored somewhat, and has an indentation in the very center where the staff had been stood. You take a look around, and see only signs that animals had been there. Some of these signs are large horn marks on nearby trees, large tracks of the feline persuasion, and some large feathers, all of which seem larger than normal. “Have you found anything detective?” “Just these rather large animal markings...” What now?

The elder's staff is wooden with some common precious metals on it, such as aluminum, and colored with inks. It is mostly for decoration and to show he is the elder. "Do you really think Nina could steal it?" "She is actually a little genius. Her IQ is over 200! She could very well have come up with some plan. She is staying in the same grade as others her age because her parents want her to try to make friends, but that isn't working out well. And, before you ask about the others, yes I think they could have. They are suspects because they could have somehow gotten the staff without injuries. If they were not capable, I would not have told you of them." [And as a precaution:] "You said it is used in a ritual, right? Can you tell me about it?" “Ah, yes. The ritual was handed down by inscriptions within the ruins. It states that should the ritual not be performed once a year, ‘the mountain of fiery rocks shall spew forth the watery flames of death.’ It started when there was only one volcano, and still continues. The people believe in the prophecy still, actually, except for these suspects. The reason they believe in it is because every year recorded that the ritual was not held, there have been eruptions. Every scientist that has inspected them has said that both are long dormant, and will remain that way, though the people still believe the ritual over the scientists. The ritual itself is performed by the eldest resident of the island, which would currently be me. The ritual is to be held in two weeks’ time, in which I hope you can retrieve the staff. You are welcome to stay and watch, should this be the case.”

There is one thing that rhymes with orange:

@sd3000 Where to first? “Have you taken anyone out to see the staff lately?” “No. I go check on it every Saturday, and no one else can get past without getting attacked by the animals.” “No one is missing or hurt, right?” “No one is missing, and no one has injuries that could be made by one of these animals.” “I’m just wondering something, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings or anything… So… How old are you?”[Just felt like adding to the story. It isn’t important to the case.] He laughs heartily before answering. “I don’t mind at all. I’m proud to say that I shall be 101 years old in few weeks.” “Wow! Everyone I know who has made it to 100 is either in a nursing home or has Alzheimer’s Syndrome. How do you stay so healthy?” “Exercise, eat right, and live life with little or no regrets. The only thing I regret is outliving my wife. She died in an accident one score ago.” You hear him mutter a phrase in Spanish, Dios bendiga su corazón, cuerpo y alma. “But that’s life. In the end, we all return to the planet. There is no changing it, only delaying it.”

“Thank you for the tea. It is delicious, sir. What is this artifact, exactly? And where did you lose it?” “You are most welcome, young lady. The artifact is a staff. Mine is based upon it, as the true staff is very old and weak. It is made of several precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium. It is colorful, like my own, because of its metals and its age. It is also missing a part on the top, like part of a circle, or a sideways arch. The staff is symmetrical, except for that one part. It also has a large crystal at the top about the size of your fist. It is not diamond, just a regular crystal.” He gets up and starts looking around. “I have a picture of it somewhere around here, which I’ll show you once I find it. It is used once a year in our ‘ritual’. We really only continue the ritual for tourism. The staff is very valuable, but we keep- or rather kept- it at the center of the island, unguarded. You may think that unwise, but there are several wild animals around that part that are very hostile. For some reason, they leave me be, as well as any accompanying me. Well, it looks like I lost the picture. I’m sure you can manage without it.”[The real reason you don’t get the picture is that I’m terrible with Paint ] “So who are the suspects, and what are the motives? Also, why do you say they are violent?” “My grandson is one of them. Jorge Lopez, the big businessman of this island. He is severely in debt, and would kill, steal, et cetera to keep his job. And I do not mean figuratively. He’s turned out the opposite of how he was raised. The second is Emanuel Rodríguez, a professional fighter. He likes money and fighting. His nickname is ‘Manny el Mano’. A third is the local self-proclaimed ‘excavator’ who collects anything he thinks or knows is valuable. He claims to dig it all up, but I lost one of my older plates two or so years ago, and he started parading around trying to sell it. He found out my staff is more than just decoration. If he doesn’t learn his lesson soon, he may end up stealing from a very wealthy man coming here soon who will not go easy on him. His name is Roberto Montoya. He really isn’t that dangerous, but you shouldn’t provoke him. Fourth is Nina Núñez, who is in 8th grade. She hates the ritual, the staff, me, and basically everything on this island. She would do almost anything to get off this island, but her parents won’t let her. Her parents think it’s just a phase, but if you ask me, they drove her to her current state. And fifth is her father, Leonardo, the head of one of the gangs.” You look at him quizzically. “Yes, there are gangs here. He is the head of the Lions, ‘Los Leones.’ He is the only gang head that would permit someone to try to take the staff, though he is the only one who would. Everyone else on the island, excluding these five, would not dare touch it.” “Is there anything the culprit left behind? Or anything else out of the ordinary?” “No. The only thing that was found was a missing staff. I will take you to the site if you wish to take a closer look, though.” “Thank you. So where do each of the suspects live?” “I have a map around here somewhere. If we can find it, I’ll mark the locations down.” After a minute of searching, you find the map. “Excellent.” He marks down the locations of interest. “So, here you are.” [This is the best map I can do. It’s much better than my failed attempt at the staff.]Barrio del Sol.bmp

*ALL NAMES AND LOCATIONS ARE A PRODUCT OF MY IMAGINATION. ANY RESEMBLANCE OR MENTION TO ANYONE IN REAL LIFE, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.* “Well, what should I do? I have a month off, and I’m not allowed to investigate that discovery. I suppose I could take an actual vacation for once… if that’s possible.” Every vacation you, Leslie Young, have ever had, even as a child, had ended up as an investigation of some sort. From catching a kidnapper by letting them “kidnap” you to simply finding a rich family’s lost exotic pet, you never once had just been able to relax while on vacation. So you call up a friend to fly you down to the Caribbean on his private jet. “Thanks for this Mike. I really need a vacation.” “No problem. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, and it’s always nice to see you. However, trouble seems to follow you, if you know what I mean.” “Ha, ha. I’m hoping to get ahead of it, at least for a little while. I haven’t been able to plan a vacation for over four years now. The closest to a vacation I’ve had since then is resting in my office.” “Wow! You REALLY need this!” The two of you laugh until a loud ‘BANG!’ is heard and the jet starts a nosedive. Mike runs up to the cockpit and manages to get the pilots to pull it into a crash course with a nearby island’s mountain. Another loud 'BANG!' is heard. He and the pilots come into the back and grab parachutes. “The engines blew up!” he says. Mike tosses one to you, which you put on. When all of you are in the air, he motions to a village before pulling his cord. You pull your cord, but a sudden gust pushes you to the other side of the island. You hear a tearing sound, and notice you are falling faster. Part of the parachute falls on front of you, so you look up. A large bird has flown away with a large piece of the parachute in its talons. You look down and see a large tree below you. A few broken branches later, you come to a stop. You think you hear someone yelling, and you look down at the ground. A group of people are gathered around the tree, and a ladder lands on the tree next to your head. You pass out. As you start to come to, you hear several hospital noises. You hear heels coming into your room, and suddenly see a very bright light. You tilt your head away and close your eyes. You manage to make out a few words of what the woman is saying. “You… a fall. Are… feeling better?” You blink few times and try to say something, but you can’t hear what you are saying. You hear her laugh, and notice her sit down on the other side of the room. After a few minutes, everything has cleared up. “Can you hear me now?” she says. “Yeah. Where am I?” “The island of Barrio del Sol. It’s a little island that gets sun all year round. The literal translation is-“ “‘Neighborhood of the sun’. It’s Spanish. I remember a gale blowing me away from my friend and the pilots. Which side of the island am I on?” “Well there is only one hospital on this island. This is next to the west coast, the opposite side you came from. You only got bruised from the fall, so you are able to leave as soon as you feel better… Um…” “Is something wrong?” “It’s just… you’re a detective, right? That’s what your ID says.” “Yes I am. I suppose you need to investigate something or something’s missing or whatever?” “Heh heh… The island’s artifact has been stolen. Normally I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but the elder heard about you and asked me to talk to you about it. We know the culprit is someone on the island, and that there are several people who have reason to steal it. I don’t know the names of these people, but the elder will tell you if decide to help.” “… Well what’s a vacation without investigating something, huh?” You chuckle to yourself. After you discharge yourself from the hospital, Maria, the doctor you talked with, directs you to the elder’s house. Before you stands a wrinkled old man with a large colorful staff. “Detective, come in.” You follow him in, and take some tea when he offers you some. “This is an herbal tea that will help with the pain. I hope you are tough, as the ones who may have stolen the artifact are violent. I wish to test your mettle before you start, including your ability to gather information. So what knowledge do you require before heading out, hm?”

How's this for sextuplets of three each? Ken/Ben/Glenn Jen/Lenne/Gwen Imagine if one of them was called for:

Yes it is. I will be working on getting the next installment ready, but I don't know when I'll be ready to put it up since I have other things (like college) to do. Again, if anyone can think of a town that does not exist in New Jersey, please tell me.

Oops, forgot the poll.

Greg rushes in, going straight to the window. The wine bottle had done a good job at breaking a window designed to prevent sound from escaping. As he looks out the window, you hit him from behind on the temple, just hard enough to knock him out, but not kill him. Ten minutes later, local police arrive and take both you and Gregory into custody. With the evidence you gathered, including the recorded conversation, Greg is given 50 years in a high-security prison, and you are flown home. It turns out that he brought you three quarters of the way to the west coast. A sudden discovery in the “hotel” you were held in extends his sentence to life. The discovery also brings ADX Florence in to pick Greg up. You try to investigate this discovery, but a piece of paper floats down in front of you before you can leave your office. DO NOT INVESTIGATE. You will be placed on leave for a month. When you return to duty, a new case will be waiting for you. –The Messenger– ~The End~ Don’t worry, there will be more . I’m also going to try to use the SUDS Creator to make text-based games from these stories. Wish me luck! P.S. If you can think of a name for Leslie's town that does not exist in the state of New Jersey, please tell me. P.P.S. I also live in New Jersey. This is the only time I'll say this, and I will not tell anyone to check this post if they ask where I live, but anyone else can tell them to.

That would work if he wasn't going to kill you later. You don't even know if your still in the same county. For all you know, you could be on the other side of the country. He's similar to those guys, but he's not an idiot and won't waste time talking. Did you notice that he moved you after you woke up the first time? That's how agents and such are trained for certain missions; never stay in one place too long is one of the first rules, the very first being "don't get caught." This is the closest to my plan over all, but I'm going to say that the window only opens enough to slip your hand through. However, there is something faster than opening it...

Sorry, none of those work (it's a dresser -with drawers- not a wardrobe), but my plan does involve the window.