IC-Prologue-See Emily Play(Alan Gains only)

[Mr. Handy]

"Walmart's huge," replied the old man uncertainly, "they've got places everywhere. There's one just down the block from here..." He looked down the street, a puzzled look on his face. "Nice car, Sergeant, these are becoming real classics. Did you restore it yourself?"

"How did you know about the accident?" asked Rawlings, opening the back door of the Mustang and ushering the brown-haired young man inside.

"That wasn't my fault," said Yeager. "That other car made an illegal left turn. The driver was drunk too." He unlocked the passenger door for the old man, who climbed into the shotgun seat.

"You'd had a few yourself, boss." Rawlings took Brian by the scruff of the neck and pushed him into the rear of the car after the other man, bumping his head against the ceiling. "Watch your head," he smirked as Brian scowled at him.

"I had two drinks." Yeager closed the door and went around to the driver's side, unlocking the door and getting in. "And I damn well know how to drive, unlike that idiot who clipped my baby."

Rawlings got into the back seat last of all, closing the door behind him. "It's the Lou's car, anyway, not mine. He won't let anyone else drive it."

"And don't you forget it!" Yeager emphasized this by slamming his door. He put the key in the ignition and turned it, and the engine roared into life. He grinned at the old man. "No, I didn't fix it myself. I know a guy who takes real good care of it. You can't even see the dents or scratches any more. You're right, it is a real sweet ride." With that, he pulled out of his parking spot and headed east down South Street with a screech of tires. Though Alan was on foot, South Street was heavily trafficked and there would be no problem finding a taxicab in the early evening. In fact, one was approaching from the west at the moment.

OOC,[b]Alan[/b], roll Psychology about the old man.

[dualshock71]

OOC,Roll(1d100)+0: 3,+0 Total:3 Holy Crud, I made it good! .

[Mr. Handy]

Alan could tell that the old man, while he thought he knew where he was, seemed lost, confused, and disoriented. He did not seem drunk or on drugs, however. Alan had seen people impaired by chemical substances before plenty of times, and he wasn't acting like them. Was he mentally ill? He didn't seem completely stable, and he kept using odd turns of phrase. Alan had no idea what a "70's night" was. As for a store called Walmart, he'd never seen one in Philadelphia.

OOC,[b]Alan[/b], roll Know.

[dualshock71]

OOC,Roll(1d100)+0: 59,+0 Total:59 Just barely made it.

[Mr. Handy]

Alan realized that he had heard of a store called Wal-Mart. He had seen it in Little Rock, Arkansas a couple of years ago when he had gone there to interview someone for a case he had been working on.

[dualshock71]

As the information flashed through Alan's mind, he became even more interested. Yes, he would definitely follow them...

[Mr. Handy]

Alan hailed the yellow cab, and it stopped to let him into the back seat. The cabbie was an overweight Irishman of about fifty years, with a ragged, flat cap covering his bald head. The identification posted in the cab said his name was Tommy O'Malley. "Where to, buddy?" he asked. When Alan asked him to follow the Mustang, he gave a gap-toothed grin. "Mac, I've been waiting years for someone to say that!" He started the meter and sped off east along South Street in the wake of the Mustang, which was driving aggressively through traffic. They were approaching Broad Street, and the Mustang made a left turn when the light turned yellow. O'Malley sped up and rounded the corner just as the light was turning red. The Mustang continued straight down Broad to the north in the left lane, only to attempt a sudden, sharp right turn at Pine Street. A brown pickup truck in the right lane got too close, however, and it was forced to abort the turn. O'Malley reflexively swerved to the right in response, but only after it was already too late. He would not have been able to make the turn either. If the Mustang had managed to turn right onto Pine, the taxi would have been unable to follow it. "Looks like he's made us," said the cab driver.

[dualshock71]

Though it was somewhat out of character, Alan swore underneath his breath. He quickly regained his composure and smiled at Tommy. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a couple of (moderately large) bills, and place them in the front passenger's seat.

"Keep on them, friend."

[Mr. Handy]

"You got it, pal," said O'Malley. He held the wheel with one hand while making the money disappear into his pocket with the other. Spruce Street was coming up ahead, and the cabbie was ready for anything. The Mustang braked and swerved around to the left, apparently attempting a U-Turn, but it skidded across the flat central divider in the middle of Broad and right into the taxicab's path. O'Malley expertly avoided a collision and then tried the same move when he reached Spruce, this time with more success. "That guy's a maniac! Who the hell is he, anyway?"

The taxicab was now heading southbound on Broad, on the right side of the road. The Mustang was a short distance ahead, on the left side and heading into oncoming traffic.

[Mr. Handy]

"Hey, I asked you a question, buddy!" said O'Malley. "If I'm gonna risk my neck following this lunatic, I got a right to know."

The Mustang easily jumped the central divider and the trolley tracks that ran over it. When it reached Pine Street again, it turned hard to the left, darting between the cars going the other way and rounding the corner. O'Malley was unable to make the turn, as there was too much traffic, and then the light turned red and he was forced to stop at the intersection.

"Guess that's that, then," said the cabbie. "Where to now? You got any idea where he was going? It'll be a lot safer just heading there instead of trying to tail him, especially since he already made us."

OOC,You haven't posted in several days, though I've seen you online, so I went ahead and advanced the thread anyway. [b]Alan[/b], roll Idea.

[dualshock71]

OOC,My apologies. Roll(1d100)+0: 62,+0 Total:62

Alan shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. The instant he was done here, he NEEDED to get to sleep.

"Apologies, friend; it's been a hard day. They're police officers. They've got a couple of my clients in the back of their car; I needed to get to them before their captors made them say something stupid."

Alan's mind was working full-tilt, trying to figure out his next move.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,That's okay, no harm done.

"You had me chasing cops?!" said O'Malley. "Geez...Well, do you know where they're taking 'em? I can drop you off there."

Alan thought for a moment and realized that, while the arrest had happened in the north part of South Division, they would not have turned north on Broad Street if they were taking him to the divisional headquarters, which would be further south. They were probably heading for the Roundhouse, the police headquarters for the entire city, located on Race Street between 7th and 8th. It wasn't far.

[dualshock71]

Alan gave the man a tired smile.

"Like I said, it was a long day." He told O'Malley to take him to the Roundhouse, then settled back into his seat. "Besides, didn't you say you'd waited for years for something like that? Something interesting to remember when you look back on life, at the least."

[Mr. Handy]

"That presumes I'm gonna live long enough to look back on it," said O'Malley, "but yeah. Though I had in mind just following someone, not actually chasing him and nearly getting killed. Man, that cop is a nutter!" The light turned green, and he turned left on Pine. "I'll have us at the Roundhouse in about five minutes. What'd your clients do, anyway?"

[dualshock71]

"One of them got caught in the act selling drugs. Kind of got roped into taking that one as a personal favor...not that I mind the money, of course. The other one was in the wrong place at the right time; they just took him along for the ride."

[Mr. Handy]

O'Malley shrugged. He drove east on Pine Street, turning left when he reached 7th Street. "You know who the cops were? I'd like to avoid them if I can."

[dualshock71]

Alan thought back to his first sight of the officers at the bar.

"...Lieutenant John Yeager, and Sergeant Charlie Rawlings, if memory serves."

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, yeah," said O'Malley. "Those guys. I heard they were in a car crash a couple weeks back. Can't say I'm surprised, the way they drive."

Before long the taxi passed Market Street, and then Arch. Finally Race Street was visible ahead, and Alan got his first sight of Police Headquarters.


Police Headquarters, Franklin Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:32 PM - Wednesday, July 16, 1969

The taxi pulled up in the parking lot oustide the Roundhouse, and Alan could see where it got its name. The walls were all curved, with round towers on the east and west sides connected to a central oval. "Okay, buddy, we're here," said O'Malley. "That'll be three bucks."

OOC,[b]Alan[/b], roll Spot Hidden.

[dualshock71]

OOC,Roll(1d100)+0: 28,+0 Total:28

[Mr. Handy]

Alan saw a familiar-looking orange 1967 Ford Mustang parked in the lot, confirming that his instinct had been correct. They were definitely here.