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Post by naomi on Jul 16, 2008 3:45:51 GMT -5
((It may be a bit too ask to get a ghost to join me in this thread, but I've got less than two weeks before my prolonged absence, so I may as well get this in while I have a chance and see if we can have our first ghostbusting thread.))
"Yeah" Miles barked into his cell phone, while he was on with the boys down at the Inglewood P.D. "Cortez junior. Her boyfriend that got offed. I need his address." He rolled his eyes as the boys on the other end made some disgusting remark. He may have been a parasite, but he wasn't a complete pig like those guys, no matter how hot Cortez was. Kind of made him feel better about himself to talk to them. "Yeah, why else would I be taking this case?" He asked half-heartedly, not really caring what the guys thought of him.
It wasn't too long before he got an address and headed out towards it, jumping in his car and getting out to the inner-city apartments were Avery lived... hopefully still lives too... if Miles' assumption is right that he has a lot to stick around in the land of the living for.
He got out of his car and removed his usual device from his back seat, keeping it close to cover all bases, if he'd even need it.
There was one cop hanging around the front that Miles nodded to as he attempted to get into the elevator. The man stopped him with the palm of his hand. "I was called on the job, man, check with Callis at the P.D." he told him before he was released. He figured he at least had ten minutes before he called his superior and Miles was in trouble.
He took the elevator up and got off at the appropriate floor, tapping open the door of the apartment and stepping in. It was nicely furnished... almost no signs of disturbance. Miles could see why they thought it was a suicide.
He went straight for the bedroom, always the most logical choice and put the device on the only clear table, turning it on so it made a light whirring sound. He sat down on the bed and tried to block everything out, glancing at his watch quickly before he did so. Eight minutes. He let himself go to the sounds of the room hoping to hear the deceased still kicking around.
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 16, 2008 8:26:27 GMT -5
(Hee! Ghostbuster thread!)
Of course, he had know there was something wrong. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, so he knew that something was wrong. However, he couldn't place what.
Daniel sat in the large chair by the bed, wideeyed. The last 24 hours had been a blur, eventless as if coming out of a dream, and yet, Daniel knew. He knew somehow...because, well, it didn't feel the same. But what had happened? Why couldn't he leave the apartment? Was this some bad dream?
Suddenly, he heard a door open, and he turned quickly towards the bedroom door. An asian man stepped in, and Daniel watched, shocked, silent, as the man placed a machine down on the table, and watched as it started to whur to life. The sound made Daniel cringe slightly.
"Stop that. It's annoying. And what are you doing in my apartment anyway?" His voice didn't even sound like his own. It sounded strange. Cold. Distant.
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Post by naomi on Jul 16, 2008 16:26:37 GMT -5
Miles' fingers twitched as he sensed the cold presence in the room. Bingo. His eyes flew open, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see the man, per se, but maybe at least get an indication of where he was coming from... an energy reading.
"You know you have to leave this place right?" Miles pointed it, his eyes going upward with a sigh. Stubborn ghosts were just annoying. He felt a short gust of wind coming from the chair in the corner and narrowed his eyes at it. "It's not your home anymore..."
He pursed his lips for a second wondering if this guy even knew he was dead enough to answer him whether it was a suicide or not. He was surely protective for someone that wanted to die. "So..." he paused, wondering how the man looked until he saw some pictures on a bedside table. Him and Cortez. Handsome guy. "You know Cortez is pretty broken up over the whole deciding to die thing, right?" He raised his eyebrows and paused again. "Can't really see why you did it," he said matter-of-factly, "a hot girl like that," he shook his head, "really seems something to continue breathing for... but y'know... each to his own."
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 16, 2008 20:21:17 GMT -5
Brows narrowing in confusion, Daniel listened to the Asian man as he said he had to leave the apartment. "Wait, what? I--I'm not leaving my apartment. I pay 5 grand a month for this apartment!" Why was he saying it wasn't his home? Of course it was his home, he'd--
"You know, Cortez is pretty broken up over the whole deciding to die thing, right?"
Daniel's mouth dropped slightly, and his brows deepened in confusion. But...but what the hell was he talking about? He wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead because...because he was talking to him, for one!
"Did what?" Daniel asked sharply, angry at Miles. "I didn't do anything. I woke up in my bed a little while ago, what the hell are you talking about? And can you seriously turn that shit off? It's getting really annoying."
Miles continued to speak about Ana, and Daniel narrowed his brows at Miles threateningly. "Shut up and get the hell out of my apartment before I call the cops."
But then, he noticed that Miles wasn't looking exactly at him. "At least do me a favour and look at me when you're insulting me."
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Post by naomi on Jul 16, 2008 22:22:25 GMT -5
Miles bit back a laugh as the man talked about having to pay for his apartment. "Sure, you could keep paying $5000 for it, but seeing as though you're not going to be living in it anymore, it would be an intense waste of your money."
The man hadn't seemed to grasp that he was dead, he heard what he said about looking at him and turned his eyes towards where to cool breeze was coming from, not getting the exact eyeline, he was sure. "You won't have to call the cops because they're here. Investigating your death. So you want to give me some more information?" Miles asked him lightly, "You said you were in bed... but did you hear anything unusual? Anyone else that could have gotten in here?"
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 17, 2008 8:34:25 GMT -5
"No."
Daniel couldn't help his voice being a little sharp. He--he couldn't be dead, not right now...he had always knew that he would die someday, and the thought of not doing right with the Company had always loomed over his head, but...but death? Now?
"No, I don't remember anything, and I told you, turn it OFF." The whurring noise got louder, and Danny clenched his eyes shut, before lashing out with his hand, knocking the machine to the ground.
Standing up sharply, Daniel found himself pacing. "You know what? This is insane. This is just--just a bad dream. I was happy, I couldn't die. I was happy and I was going to see if she wanted to marry me again. I'm going to wake up any moment now, I'm going to--"
Daniel continued to speak as he walked towards the bathroom, but as he entered, he was brought to a sudden and violent stop. He saw a mirror image of himself, however, this image was hanging from the shower rod.
Stumbling back, he fell, landing hard on his ass as he stared wide-eyed at the bathroom, which now was empty. Suicide? This...it was a joke. This was a sick joke.
"This--this isn't funny, I'm..." Daniel's brows narrowed in confusion. "I can't be dead. I couldn't've--I didn't hang myself in my bathroom--Who HANGS themselves anymore?!"
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Post by naomi on Jul 17, 2008 8:50:28 GMT -5
Miles heard the spirit leave the room... well, more sensed. He heard that his voice had left which was pretty much all that was left of the man that used to be Daniel Avery. He watched the place where the device was, still whirring away as usual. He wasn't going to turn it off. He'd dealt with spirits and this was the only way to keep the presence in the room in check.
He was going to ask Cortez junior to marry him... again? Crap. Bad timing.
He followed him to the bathroom as the ghost continued with his speech not accepting the truth about what happened.
"So you have no memory of ever hanging yourself?" Miles shook his head. "Look, it's rough, buddy. I get that. As much as it sucks to die, at least you get to leave this place whereas Cortez is stuck here... mourning over you."
He bit his lip. "Look, I'm here to help... I'll pass on any messages you want to pass on... but you just need to tell me what happened, man. You just need to think back to what you remember."
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 17, 2008 9:13:59 GMT -5
"I didn't HANG MYSELF."
Daniel's voice was loud to his ears, so much so that he winced afterwards. "Will you just STOP saying that! Why?! Why would I hang myself?! I'm one of the top Lawyers in the west coast. I make an insane amount of money every month! I work for one of the most prestigious companies in the WORLD on the cutting edge of--of research..."
And then, suddenlly, it hit him. He didn't feel the same because...he wasn't the same. He felt himself collapse into the chair by the bed. "I didn't kill myself. I didn't--I don't have a reason to be dead, okay? My life--" Well, his life wasn't exactly cherry at the moment, but it was getting better. He was going to make it better with Ana--was.
"I don't remember anything." Daniel told him, his voice no longer angry, but low. "I don't remember anything but I know I didn't hang myself."
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Post by naomi on Jul 17, 2008 9:27:56 GMT -5
The guy had a lot to be proud about and it was already starting to piss Miles off. "We're all very impressed that you made a lot of money and that you were loved by all" he stated sarcastically at the spirit's rant.
Miles took a deep breath, and then got a smug look on his face because the man he was speaking to couldn't do that anymore. It was really quite funny... well... except for Cortez junior crying her eyes out and the fact that this guy swears he didn't kill himself despite evidence to the contrary.
"OK. You didn't hang yourself. But that doesn't change the fact that you were hanged. Was there any chance that you were drugged first? Did you just black out all of a sudden some time last night or yesterday? You need to give me something, man. Because if you didn't do it we need to know who did. Cortez needs to know who did, alright?" He practically shouted the last part at him. He wondered if he could get the ghost to give up any of his funds... but Miles assumed a man like him would have had it all locked away in bonds or something.
Really didn't seem worth it to Miles, to be here, talking to this guy who was probably just as much as a jerk dead than what he was alive, when he wasn't even being helped out by him to solve this mystery. He tried to ignore the thought that he did this for a chick. There's no way Miles would be that stupid... at least that's what he kept telling himself.
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 17, 2008 23:01:22 GMT -5
All of the things the asian man was saying...it didn't make sense. None of it made sense at all, and Daniel leaned, pressing his palms against his eyes. "No! I told you, I don't remember ANYTHING." But as he heard the man's voice rise when he mentioned Ana, Danny's head shot up out from his hands. "She--she thinks I--" Suddenlly, he was too shocked to speak. His brows narrowed deeply, and he felt like crying, although, the sensation was strange. There was intense saddness, but no tears. It almost built up in him, the feeling eating him alive. As he thought back to all the times that he had been sad in the past...this felt like pure and utter hell. As if his heart was being torn from his chest, yet he couldn't do anything to stop the pain.
"She thinks I killed myself?" Daniel asked in almost a shocked whisper. "She--I-I mean is she--" his brows narrowed deeply in sadness. "Who are you?"
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Post by naomi on Jul 17, 2008 23:20:50 GMT -5
"Look man," Miles said, levelling with him even though he couldn't even see him and tapping his fingers on the tiles of the bathroom. "Cortez doesn't think you killed yourself. Why do you think I'm here?"
Miles sighed and leaned against the cold wall, stopping the tapping and looking around at the perfect tiles, the perfect little apartment. She had to have just been with him for the money. Nobody could stand to be around someone like this for more than twenty seconds, right? "Seriously man. What is all this crap?" He interrupted his talk about serious matters and indicated to the door with led to a very spacious bedroom filled with furniture that looked like it was ordered from one of those internet catalogues for what was the word for it? Oh yeah... upper class metrosexuals. "You can't tell me that having an apartment like this actually worked for getting women, right?"
He snapped out of his annoyance for all the junk in his apartment that was pretty much on the useless scale. "Miles" he snapped at him. It was hardly important who he was. Plus he didn't like strangers knowing his name and there was no way he'd be forthcoming with his last name, he didn't care how dead this guy was. "So if you don't remember anything what the hell am I supposed to tell Cortez, huh? That you could be going through ghostly post traumatic shock and you've blocked out the entire event? How stupid do you think I am? You think anyone is going to buy that?"
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 18, 2008 9:06:18 GMT -5
"Why do you think I'm here?"
"To drive me to seriously hang myself, it seems."
Daniel narrowed his brows as Miles spoke about his apartment, his bedroom. "I don't know. Tell me, does being an annoying little man with little in the way of self confidence and social skills get you some tail every night? Of course it does, I was going about it the wrong way."
When Miles said his name, Daniel racked his brain. "Miles Straumme." he said after a moment. "Widmore hired you." But as Miles kept going on, speaking of Ana and what he was supposed to tell him, Daniel became furious. "I don't CARE what you want to buy, or how STUPID you actually are. All I care about is that she knows I didn't do it. If you want to enlighten me, tell me what it is I'm supposed to do to remember how I got myself into this SHIT then LET. ME. KNOW. You're the man will all the answers, it seems. So enlighten me."
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Post by naomi on Jul 18, 2008 9:42:38 GMT -5
Miles scowled as the spirit repeated his name. This was almost a waste of his time... but he kept thinking of the way that Cortez looked at him when he tried half-heartedly to be of some comfort and fought the urge to pack up and leave.
He shook his head and smirked, knowing he was only saying it to appear nonchalant about the man's snide remark on Miles' personality... which if the alternative was being a jackass ego-maniac who cared more about owning things than living, then he was really quite fine with who he was. "I really would have thought Cortez would have better taste." The smirk got broader, "but I guess with all your things, it's hard to let go man. You've lost the girl, you've lost the apartment... oh... yeah... and you've lost your life all in one day." He didn't envy him. Miles could die tomorrow and have no regrets. What did that jackass have? Nothing.
Miles' expression hardened. "So if I was you, I'd stop being such an ass and actually try to help me out here. But you know... I can always go back to your girl and tell her just how important she was to you... fourth to your ego, your apartment and your job... up to you."
The fact that Daniel knew him from Widmore and not from Ana-Lucia did not escape him. He sighed, calming himself long enough to try to work this out. "Just how involved are you with Widmore? Do you know anything about the island? Anything that could be worth your pathetic life?"
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Post by Daniel Avery on Jul 18, 2008 21:12:21 GMT -5
Daniel tried hard to ignore the asian man as he spoke about his things, and how he had lost them. Dying did that. Then, he mentioned the order that Miles saw the order of Danny's priorities, with Ana being forth. "Shut the fuck up. She knows how important she is to me." Is. Was. The simple way he needed to phrase sentences, in past tense instead of present, he could never get used to.
Widmore's name was used, and Daniel felt himself sigh out slightly, bringing a hand up to his face as he sat in the chair. "Well," Daniel said after a moment. "I suppose it doesn't matter much anymore, does it?" Danny asked honestly. "Before I worked at Oceanic Airlines, I worked at Hanso in the foundations Legal department. Charles Widmore was a board member on the Hanso Foundation. I got offered to oversee the legal department of Widmore Corporation, but I turned it down when I joined Oceanic. Charles Widmore personally recruited me to find out information about the survivors and about the Island."
When Miles spoke, asking what he knew about the Island, Daniel felt a shrug cross his shoulders. "I don't know. I've never been there. You know more than me at this point."
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Post by naomi on Jul 18, 2008 22:32:24 GMT -5
Hanso, Widmore... Mittelos... Miles ran through the names he'd gotten recently in connection to Widmore in his head. "Well... looks like we have more in common than just ice-queen Cortez then." Miles started slowly, completely ignoring him when he told him to shut up. When did he ever listen to stupid suggestions like that? About the only time was when he had a gun pointed on him. "So you worked for Hanso? What has that got to do with something called Mittelos?" Miles asked, referring to the information he'd gotten the day before from Penny.
Miles gave a little snort of laughter. "Widmore recruited you to find out about the island?" He laughed again, "man, are you so stupid not to know a cover up when you see it? It was his island!" He shook his head. "He was probably just testing you or something."
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