Chapter Nine

[take_theride]

Good evening, city. I need you all to help explain something for me. I've acquired all of the information I can, and I've been rolling it over and over in my head since the weekend. It just doesn't make senseSo here we are in the "city". Many of us have been here for some time. Me, personally, about 5 months or so. I didn't really think it through

Comments

[sandersrocksit]

Why is this city not in flames?

I'm just the lab tech in the back, but I would go ahead and say because those fifteen cops are working 12+ hours a day, often sleeping at the precinct, to take care of that level of crime.

Supercriminals require a superjail — fine, now we have one. Well, a superjail requires a super security system — again, fine, now we have one, even if it's top secret or whatever. What went wrong there is obviously not a matter of whether we adequately searched a criminal or not, or how many locks we put on the door. Okay? What went wrong is sort of above my security clearance, but Sentinel said it would never happen again — so call him on that if it does, I guess

[take_theride]

Alright, don't take this personally, man, because you seem like a well enough guy, but 12+ hours or not, tons of people would be looting, pillaging, doing whatever the fuck they can with only a dozen cops. You don't have any fucking teleporters or time machines, you're just twelve fucking cops.

More than 15 people at a time would be going nuts on this shit. Unless we're talking about some sort of competing Citizen-run organization. Citizen On Patrol or what the fuck ever they're called, there's just no right way.

We're talking about New York City. I know this isn't technically New York, but by all landmarks and stereotypes it is. I know you can't explain it, and I can't ask you to, since you're probably as fucking lost as I am. But again, we're taking about a city full of over 8 million people. Not even the entire state... the city alone. Not one of those fucks would sign up? Several thousand would, I guarantee you, if there was a drive. Weird or not

[sandersrocksit]

Oh, well, yeah, the vigilante involvement... I thought that went without saying. People patrol. I guess that's the point of the superpowers, not that I blame anybody who doesn't, it's kinda crazy.

[take_theride]

I'm not even talking about the superpowers, man. Each and every one of us is supposed to have them, but not all of us use them.

I'm talking about the people who were here before us. There's got to be some involvement, there.

[shockheadedpete]

I don't know what the $@&* city you're livin' in, but I file reports, investigate, an' make arrests regardin' robberies among other $#*! every goddamn day. Those "good $@&*ing Samaritans", as you call 'em, have started riots at the drop of a hat in my recollection. Last month I arrested a guy was breakin' into old ladies' apartments dressin' as a mail man, how &@%**ed up is that? Well here's how %#&*ed up it is: that ain't even close to the most &#%*ed up thing I see in a &$*#ing week.

So here's a grand ol' idea, pal. You c'mon down to the station and you file my paper work.

WOULD THAT &$@*ING HELP YOU &$@*ING FIGGER OUT WHAT THE &$@* IS GOING ON???

You can &$@*ing suck my *#%&.

[take_theride]

Good job. I'm glad the people that are working for the police force are as pleasant and helpful as you are. At least you had the decency to censor yourself, although I'm not sure why you felt the need to. ...Other than the fact that you're either a pussy or just inable to come up with as colorful insults as I can. It doesn't matter though, because you've still embarrassed yourself.

Now, I've stayed relatively pleasant. If you'd like me to to snort some fucking coke and argue back with the same incoherency, continue to be a complete fucking tool about this.

[shockheadedpete]

I didn't censor nothin'.

You weren't pleasant one bit an' you know it.

[take_theride]

You didn't. Well excuse me then, I must be going senile.

You just haven't seen me being unpleasant. It doesn't matter, you'll still struggle to take up for yourself instead of taking it as constructive criticism and applying to to enhancing the police force.

[is_fear_itself]

[only got one thing out of that magnificent, finely crafted essay]

You pay taxes?

[take_theride]

...what the fuck, man.

[is_fear_itself]

Oh, I apologize, you clearly are trying to get something accomplished here.

I recall the country abandoned Gotham at one point, when extensive damage via earthquake seemed too costly for them. It was declared a No Man's Land. --something similar may be in place here, perhaps?

[take_theride]

But it's not fucking No Man's Land. This place is loaded. You haven't been here long enough, but you'll see. Nothing quite makes sense, and something else is obviously at work, here. The police force we know of isn't giving much credit to it, because they'd rather stroke their cocks thinking that their puny little force actually takes care of this entire state.

voice

[hisforonehour]

Mr. Duke...this isn't gonna end good. But, you said what needed to be said.

Maybe the rest of the world doesn't know about the city because they don't know what's going on. I mean, what if they don't know what happened here? Or, what if something's preventing them from knowing?

Re: voice

[take_theride]

Nothing ends good, it'd be too easy.

I doubt that's the case. It's not like the city's quarantined with all communication shut off.

But sure, I'll consider that as an answer. Hell, I'll even take a trip if I have to. I'm just a fucking journalist, but that doesn't mean I can't publish an article in every fucking newspaper here to LA.

Oh, by the way, if some fucking weirdo with glowing eyes comes to the house, let him in, he's alright.

Re: voice

[hisforonehour]

Well, maybe someone stops all the communication from going places! Like a sort of Big Brother thing but we don't know it.

That's the attitude. You can definitely get published anywhere you want.

Um, okay.

[take_theride]

I'll work on it. Thanks, Lynda.

Just figured I would give you a heads up, so that you don't freak out when there's a nightmare on our doorstep.

permatext

[stealthvirus]

Until you point out specific problems, this is just a rant everyone's going to pay attention to for ten minutes and then forget about

Re: permatext

[take_theride]

I didn't point out specific problems already? Well excuse me.

But you're right. No one's going to remember anything I said today, which is one enormous fucking issue in this city. I'll do all that's humanly possible about it, and it still won't be enough. It's a vicious cycle.

Meanwhile since I started this shit earlier this month I still haven't seen the police force put out a "Now Hiring" sign.

[stealthvirus]

It's too wordy

Need to be direct and to the point or people shrug it off

[take_theride]

Thanks for the heads up then, man.

I'll make sure that the next audience I write to is the brain damaged. Or better yet: Five year olds.