Varran Detective Agency -THIS ONE-

It is the year 2174 and humanity has made great advancements in technology.  With these great improvements; almost all disease have been eliminated, there are next to none in the number of wars in the world, the economy is at an all time high; the Earth has finally reached a golden era.  Despite this wonderful time, it doesn't mean crime has stopped.  Crime is still rampant in the city and it is getting harder and harder to catch the criminals with the advancements in technology.

Enter our two main leads of the story; Dr. Tristan Varran and Arabella Landgere.  Dr. Varran was once a world renowned known for being able to work on the impossible cases that no other surgeon would touch.  He always succeeded and was hailed as a savior and genius.  He was always requested for and he would always accept, even if the people could not afford it; he would even perform surgery for free.  However, there was one case he refused to take which was to save the life of a ruthless crime lord.  His daughter begged for the doctor to help him because of the severity of the injuries; it was impossible for any other surgeon to do it.  Dr. Varran could not do it because this man had brutally killed many people, destroyed families, the man was a monster.  As a result he died; and the daughter was furious.  A particular patient had come in and he was trying to work on the man, until he noticed that there was a ticking sound along with a strange bulge in the man's gut.  Suddenly, there was an explosion, that should have killed Dr. Varran, but didn't.  Miraculously, he survived but a cost; he lost more than half of his arms.  A year later, he was able to receive new prosthetic arms that were almost like a humans.  AFter that incident, Dr. Varran retired, however he decided to be come a detective in order to protect others from criminals.  

This is where our next lead appears, Arabella Landgere.  Arabella was orphaned at a young age and she was raised by her grandparents.  They were a nice couple who gave Arabella a comfortable, normal life.  She has now turned 18 and is going to be starting college soon and since she does not want to burden her grandparents too much, she is looking for a job. This is where are story begins.

It has been over a century long since human technology advanced forward in an incredible explosion discoveries and research. Human kind had struggled with pollution for a long time, but it had gotten worse in the late 21st century. The smog in large cities had become incredibly toxic making it a health hazard for anyone to be exposed to the polluted air for too long. Occurrence of lung cancer and asthma increased dramatically among other health concerns. The troubled economy became even more unstable and soon war and famine broke out. The world had fallen to chaos yet humanity was able to pull itself together. Advances in medicine helped with the health problems which also helped create new jobs. More advances in technology continued and soon the world became relatively peaceful.

It is now 2174 and the cities have a new futuristic look and feel to them. Life is rather comfortable for everyone as everything is automated and people are always equipped with smart devices. However, humans are still greedy and flawed creatures so there will always be crime and tragedy.

On a late night, a young couple were heading home after a romantic night of dinner and a play. They were heading to their child’s grandparent’s home to pick her up but they never made it. An enraged man had drunken himself into a stupor then got into his vehicle to end up driving erratically and dangerously high speeds. He ended up colliding with the young couple’s vehicle head on, killing them instantly. The drunk somehow survived and was charged with vehicular manslaughter and was put away for life.

Upon hearing the news, the family were devastated for the loss of a son and daughter and parents. The maternal grandparents took it upon themselves to raise the young child. It had been about 16 years since the accident. Arabella had only been a toddler, so she did not remember her parents much; but she still missed them. She is now 18 years old, and she had just graduated high school with honors and a high GPA. It was not a 4.0 but it was still up there; nonetheless, her grandparents were very proud.

It had been a few weeks since graduation and the young woman was currently enjoying her summer vacation. Arabella had been spending the past few weeks looking for a job to pay for school. Her grandparents had done so much for her and the least she could do was pay for her own college tuition. She had a few good scholarships making it doable for her to pay for the rest herself. Her grandparents offered to help, but Arabella refused and told them that she already lived in their home and ate their food. She was a bit strange since she felt like she owed her grandparents, even when they insisted that she did not have to worry about it. They were a little hurt she felt that way and it was the reason why she decided she did not need to get an apartment. However, she was adamant on paying her own tuition.

Arabella was browsing through the many ads located on the extranet, browsing through them with a touch of a finger on a holographic screen, in the kitchen. She absently ate some toast with strawberry jam while her grandmother spoke to her behind the screen.

“Arabella, just promise me you won’t get yourself caught up in some shady business. There are so many fake jobs out there that wheel in young unsuspecting girls as yourself. I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to you,” the older woman said with a worried expression.

“I know…” Arabella replied absently.

“Arabella,” the woman continued sternly, turning Arabella’s screen off.

“Hey!...” Arabella began until she saw the expression on her grandma’s face. “Sorry grandma… but you do worry too much. I’ll be just fine,” she finished with a smile.

Her grandma let out a sigh and smiled back then walked over and gave her a hug.

“You’ve grown up so fast,” she stated standing back to look at Arabella.

Arabella smiled sheepishly, looking back at her grandmother with chocolate brown eyes. She had medium length dark hair framing her face. She was dressed in a blouse and jacket with a grey skirt that may have been a little too short for her grandmother’s liking.

Suddenly, Arabella gasped and looked at the time.

“Sorry grandma, I have to go! I have an interview. Thanks for breakfast, I’ll see you later. Bye,” Arabella said, grabbing all of her things then ran out in a hurry.

Arabella boarded the tram and headed uptown to the café where her interview was. It took about 15 minutes to arrive, and she had only ten minutes to spare. She had to run there or she would be late. Luckily she made it just on time, but that did not give her much room to give a good impression.

An hour passed, and Arabella stepped out of the café with an irritated expression. The manager had been such a bitch! There was no way she would be coming back… Arabella sighed and decided to take the long way home so she could clear her head and make a new plan.

On the way home, Arabella made a wrong turn into a hidden side street which was completely empty. There were only a few shady looking shops and small businesses. That was when she spotted a wanted ad in the window of an older looking building that had an air of elegance to it. It was one of the older buildings made back in the 1900s.

“Way vintage,” she murmured to herself as she stared up at the building.

Admiring the building long enough, Arabella glanced back down at the sign. Her eyes widened when she saw how much the employer was willing to pay an hour. It did not look that bad, so why not? She would be able to pay for her tuition with that amount in no time.

With her mind made up, Arabella went inside.

“Hello? I saw your ad on the window and I was wondering if the position was still available,” Arabella stated as she looked around, but she saw no sign of anyone. “Is… is anyone here?” she called out again.

The city had an 80s feel about it in the slums of the lower city, where most back street crimes take place. Varran Private Investigations sat on the outer most edge, acting like a shield towards the arrows that tried to penetrate the purity and the body of the great society. It rested in a back alley away from the larger portions of society and next to dusty antique shops, an old apothecary who still practiced old medicine, and a shady clock maker, but all was fine.

Tristan sat inside his office, piddling with an old Japanese puzzle one of his colleagues sent him. He was trying to figure out how to get the loop out of this twist and make the dragon appear, yet each time he came to an idea, it was proven wrong. He didn't get much traffic, other than the police or some random person asking for the bathroom. In his youthful days, he was the miracle doctor. The man who cured cancer over and over, was now, sitting in a chair. BORED. Out of his mind. He hadn't had a customer in ages and he was warranted from doing free lance work by the police force. He had put out an ad for a new assistant which offered a large pay and a place to stay, granted it was a room in his large house, but it was a good house and offer for someone to be his secretary.

He set down his puzzle and began tinkering with his glitched arm prosthetic. The buttons stuck, the modes tended to swap randomly, and the gears occasionally grind against themselves. A while back he was offered newer versions but declined them because he had heard of their electrical dependency of needing to charge and use numerous back up batteries. There were others who used plasma batteries that lasted eons, but there was a chance he could get plasma cancer, slim as it could be. He tweaked the parts, pulling bolts tighter and groaning in pain.

"Dangit... Dangit... Come oooon... Come oooon... Just a little more," Tristan moaned and slammed his arm against the table.

He started sighing heavily, his arm started squealing like a woman in coitus. It was a mixture of confusing sounds that could easily be mistaken for something evil...

"Come on old girl... Oh yeah... That's it... Loosen up... Yeah yeah and... Of yeeees... Finally..." He paused a moment to hear a voice.

"Sorry, was fixing my arm. The bathroom is on the left, second door," Tristan shouted, hoping his guest didn't think less of him or that he was doing anything unsavory.

The floors squeaked with every step she took but it did not seem to let anyone know she was here. It was relatively dusty and dim in this place and Arabella still had not seen anyone. She was beginning to wonder if anyone was here at all. She continued to head down the hall, calling out once again.

“Hello? Anyone here?” but she was met with silence.

Suddenly, Arabella heard something squeaking and groaning from being used. It sounded like her grandpa’s old computer, something he refused to replace for the longest time. Every time it was being used, it would squeak and whir loudly in protest. Yet, it sounded a little bit different from that. Whatever it was, it let her know that someone was indeed around.

Arabella was finally given a response, but it wasn’t the kind she was looking for. Bathroom? She did not even as for the bathroom. Her brow furrowed a little in confusion but she shrugged it off and followed the sound of the voice. It was the first door to her left which was slightly ajar.

She stopped in front of it, feeling a little shy and anxious. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as horrible thoughts flew through her mind; coming in suddenly did not sound too smart. No, she could not scare herself; she was only answering the want ad. If it turned to be some creepy pervert, she could just leave and/or call the cops on him. With that decided, Arabella opened the door slowly.

“Excuse me, but I saw the want ad on your window and that was what I wanted to see you about… not the bathroom,” Arabella stated as she stood in the door way.

Sitting behind the desk was a man with white hair, yet he looked like he was in his late 20s. He was hunched over the desk which was covered in many papers and a funny looking puzzle toy. The office was pretty messy but dusty, like no one had been in here for the longest time. The dust coated the many file cabinets located around the room and on the shelves with many books. There were so many papers and books she was beginning to wonder what this guy did for a living and if the pay was really good. From the look of his appearance, she was not too sure, but then again, looks could be deceiving; what a cliché.

After looking around the room, Arabella’s eyes darted back to the man and that was when she noticed his arms, which were artificial. She began to wonder what had happened for him to end up that way. Realizing that she was staring, her eyes darted away and looked to his face instead.

“Um… My name is Arabella Landgere,” she added, trying to keep her gaze from going to his arms.

In the back of her mind, she was telling herself that it was impolite to stare and if she were in his position she wouldn’t want people staring at her either. It was none of her business as to what happened anyways. She was only here to inquire about the job.

Tristan was surprised, some one actually answered the call. Finally, he wouldn't have to spend hours of filing at home or at work. He was a great doctor and detective, it was the files that destroyed him. He straightened himself as she walked in the door, trying to look professional in his ruffled shirt. His eyes were a bright silver and seemed like they could analyze the soul. The whirring in his arm died down to a low hum and he held out his hand. "Welcome Miss Landgere, my name is Tristan Varran... Private Investigator. From murders to scandalous dealings, my job covers all cases. Sorry about that earlier, I haven't had someone apply for the job in ages. Most people ask where the bathroom is instead of if their husband has been cheating, or if they wanted a job..."

He saw her hesitation and how she watched his arms. The clicking must have annoyed her, maybe it was the fact he had the arms... He couldn't have an assistant who was afraid of looking at his dysfunctional parts. Tristan cracked one arm.

"It's okay to look, if you're going to be on the job you're going to have to get used to seeing and hearing them. I got them after my last surgery... There was bomb inside a patient's chest, that was my last moment of fame... Two, three years ago? Don't worry, they are a soft titanium alloy and run off a blood engine," Tristan smiled.

He pulled out a small blue cube and set it on the table. "Okay, let's check your resume out." His robotic hands tap three sides of the small glowing device. Holographic screens fly into the air and a keyboard appears at Tristan's side. The screen goes black on Arabella's side and the process begins,

"Let's start... Tell me about yourself," He watched her steadily with his eyes, keeping her in a careful gaze.

Arabella was a bit surprised to find out that this guy was a private investigator. At first glance, she would have never thought he was a detective. However, it did explain why there were many papers strewn about. After he introduced himself he continued on to tell her why he had responded with the bathroom comment earlier. People who needed the restroom were probably the only visitors he got; just look at how unkempt the place was…

“It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Varran,” she replied, stepping forward.

At the sound of his mechanical arms cracking, Arabella visibly winced. She absolutely hated when people popped their appendages whether it be flesh or mechanical. There was nothing she could do about it so no need dwelling on it. She needed to focus since this was for a job.

As Arabella moved to take a seat, Tristan began to tell her how he had gotten those arms. She had been a little curious but she was not going to ask since she figured it may have elicited some kind of gloomy response. So when he told her what had happened, Arabella was taken aback. That was not what she was expecting for her first meeting with this person.

“Sorry to hear that,” Arabella replied, returning the smile.

She was beginning to think this guy was a little strange. At the mention of her resume, Arabella became all business. She took a seat in front of the desk and once she was settled she began to panic a little. She had never worked a day in her life, and she did not have anything worthwhile on her resume.

“Well… um…” Arabella began, feeling nervous under his gaze. She cleared her throat and restarted. “I recently graduated from Midgar Academy… Uh, I’ll send you my resume…” she finished quickly as she pulled out a small device. It opened up to reveal a holographic screen and with a swipe of her finger she sent her resume to Tristan’s computer.

"Ah... Interesting... Says here that you are in the care of your grandparents. I would ask, but it is none of my business. Eighteen from date of birth, and... Very clean," He sighs, a little disappointed not to see criminal records. It would have been ironic if she at least had one parking ticket and she wanted to continue on for good. Tristan tapped a few more screens and came to a personal report and a few clippings from a newspaper.

"Okay, you check out... Personality test now," He shut off the screens and pulled out the puzzle, tossing it to her. "Solve it, answer twelve questions, and I'll see how you check out,"

"Favorite color? Favorite science? Do you mind living with a 29 year old? What are your dental habits? Are you available most Fridays for tea? Cleaning habits? Do you mind old classic water heaters and showers? Hobby you do? Things you wear? Professional or Loose? How do you mind dead bodies? What is the square root of sixty four?" He asked in rapid succession.

It was a test of her listening. And to annoy her he flipped out his light from his arm and shined it in her eyes. "I need that back in order miss Landgere."