LaCroix - Page 1
It's another dreary day in Seattle (sometimes I really miss San Diego). I had sweet talked the UPS driver a few days ago to give me the return address of the weekly packages I've been receiving and it took me until now to work up the nerve to actually check it out. Turns out, it's a biotech company called Zymogenetics. I drove over there on my Vespa, but as I parked, I realized I had no plan on how to get in. Especially with all the police tape surrounding the area. Something must have happened.
As I stood around trying to figure out what to do, I saw my chance in a big, burly man striding towards the door. Imposing people like him tend to catch people's eye rather than shorties like me, and if he can get in, I can probably sneak in behind him. With just a couple, quick answers saying that I had an appointment when questioned, I managed to get to the office of a Dr. Akerfeldt. Security caught up with me at this point and just as I was going to get shuffled out, I mentioned the name and a man who introduced himself as Shennong Liu invited me into his office. Inside, a strict school marm type lady, Maria Reyes, a detective, James Milligan, and the brute, Shillelagh were there. Maybe it was just the frustration of everything over the last few months, getting so close to answers, but not finding anything of use, but I ended up telling them my story.
To my surprise, not only did they believe everything that had happened to me, they were rather supportive. When I got to the point where whatever the drug was was enhancing my physical abilities, they didn't quite get the context so I asked them to show me to a vending machine. I stood about 20 feet away and asked for a quarter. Shilp... Ship... oh, hell! I'm going to call him Lee because I keep wanting to say Shipoopi! Anyway, Lee said he'd give me $5 if I made in into the slot from where I was. I grinned, stared at him, and threw the quarter with a clunk into the machine without even looking where I was throwing. Now $5 richer, I was told that apparently, Dr. Akerfeldt had been kidnapped under suspicious circumstances the night before. I accompanied Det. Milligan to Dr. Akerfeldt's apartment. He had a strange way of deducing what had happened, almost zen-like. We didn't find anything of much use here, aside from a cabinet of empty medicine vials, similar to the ones I get. My current assumption is that he was making the medicine "off books" from Zymo.
Somehow, Shennong made a deal with some people who were on the other end of phone when he called Dr. Akerfeldt's number. We ended up near the waterfront that night for a negotiation. Shennong and Miss Reyes went to talk to them while Lee and I stayed hidden in the shadows along the alleyway, Det. Milligan inside one of the buildings. I had my crosse strapped to my back as I realized it would serve as a throwing weapon. Somehow our cover was blown and one of the thugs took a shot and hit Lee! I pelted a rock at the streetlight so that it would hinder their vision while Lee dove into one of the windows of the building we were next to. I climbed in and followed him as I witnessed him tearing a door off its hinges like it was paper and charge forward. I wasn't sure what he was intending to do with it as our car was pulled up just outside the window and we were urged to get in. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
