12-31-20 - Kill That Baby!

 Kill That Baby!

IDEA - 12-31-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

After losing his mother, Jared inherited an old radio that had frequencies well above the typical radio dial. He secretly wished to be given money as he was in debt and had a tough time finding work.  One afternoon while playing with that old radio, he unintentionally switched it to a frequency aligned with 1845 AM and heard a voice. "Hello, this is the Alliance Powers desperate for anyone who hears this to go to the University building on Union Street, go to the basement, and radio back to us. With the war not going well, and the alliance needing every advantage, we are calling for your support."  Jared put his hands in his pockets and went for a walk down to the University building; there was an old AM radio station only broadcasting sporadic updates to the ten residents still listening. A security guard is standing in front of the elevator. Jared asks,  "I got a message…" the security guard, completely apathetic, just points to an elevator that looks like it hasn't been serviced in decades.  When in the basement, there is some white noise coming from a room down the hall. Jared talks into the microphone, and the white noise ceases. On the other side, a man's voice emerges, surprised to hear someone. "Hello, I can't believe we finally got someone.  What year is it?"  Jared tells him the year, and the speaker explains that they are broadcasting from 48 years in the future where a dictator has taken over the presidency in the United States.  Civil war broke out when the tyrant introduced a new election law that they developed to ensure a third term. Unfortunately, millions of people have died. For those in the other political party, life is an unending hell. People who take part in protests have been jailed without charges, executed for speaking out against the government and thrown into a death camps, where they're forced to starve to death, and mauled by dogs. The speaker explains that their only hope is for someone from the past to kill the dictator, so they don't destroy the world.  According to their calculations, the dictator just had their first birthday.  Her name is Kate Thomas, and she is the daughter of Senator Roger Thomas and lawyer for the wealthy, Carolyn Thomas. "Think about it, the one time-travel question everyone asks; if you could go back in time, would you go back and kill baby Hitler?"  As an incentive, the speaker offers to give Jared stock tips that will make him and his heirs billionaires for generations; he just has to kill one baby.  At this moment, there is a lot of confusion and fear in the United States. The United States is about to dissolve, millions have lost their lives, and the fate of the world is in the balance.  Without Jared, they don't have a prayer.

12-30-20 - Where is Your Daughter?

 Where is Your Daughter?

IDEA - 12-30-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

Alice and Frank have just finished breakfast, and they are cleaning up the kitchen. Now that their only daughter is off to college, they are now into an empty nest life. There's a loud knock; as Frank opened the door, a man, burnt to a crisp, walked in. Frank backs away as the burnt man yells the same words over and over. "Where is your daughter? Where is your daughter? Where is your daughter?" Once he's cornered Frank and Alice in the kitchen, he attempts to pull a gun from his waistband, but the pain is excruciating, and he collapses to the ground. They call the police, and it turns out the charred man in the Lucas breakfast nook is the leader of the 42nd street gang, the largest and most dangerous gang in all of LA. He ended up dying on the floor that morning, and everyone was baffled. The terrifying and disturbing thing that no one knew was that Frank and Alice's daughter, Vanessa, was a psychopath, manipulating men with sex and built her own loyal gang of foot soldiers. Her newly formed crew partnered with the 42nd Street gang to sell drugs on campus. Until a low-level drug dealer skimmed $100 from money owed to Vanessa. Furious that she was being cheated, she figured out where the 42nd street gang leadership all hung out, chained the doors, boarded the windows, and then set the entire block on fire. About fifty innocent people were killed. She also took pleasure in blowing up 15 cars and killing an additional 21 gang members by sending them an assortment of deli sandwiches laced with arsenic as a token of goodwill towards their new partnership. Venessa is 19 years old, impulsive, immature, and now heads the largest drug gang in LA. Oh, and don't forget, she is bat-shit crazy when she doesn't get her way.

12-29-20 - Diomede

 Diomede

IDEA - 12-29-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

 In 2012, Henry Coates was elected to Congress from Alaska for a fifth term. With Republicans also taking back the majority in the House, Coates has also been nominated to be a House Intelligence Committee member. Elected on his conservative values, as he has been consistently strong on ethics, morals, and loyalty, one night could damage a lifetime of moral behavior! The Congressman's cell phone number was a contact in a dead prostitute's phone. To make matters worse, the only person the prostitute contacted that night was the Congressman. DC Metro landed the case, and a tenacious deputy is hunting down the clues. The pressure starts to build as the forensics experts begin to uncover additional details that link the Congressman to the murder investigation. Considering his resignation, Henry is contacted by Russian hackers who agree to make the whole thing disappear. All he has to do is download various spreadsheet files from the House Intelligence Committee's server and deliver them to the hackers. The Congressman can't send the files digitally, and international travel is red-flagged by the department of defense. However, being from Alaska, Henry is familiar with unmonitored islands off the coast of Alaska and Russia called Diomede Islands. Little Diomede is part of Alaska, and Big Diomede is part of Russia; two miles separated them. The hackers and the Congressman will meet halfway between the two islands. Everything goes as planned, and DC Metro's case starts to unravel.  If everything went as expected, why is the Congressman still paranoid? What happened on the evening of the prostitute's death? Is there more to the story?

12-28-20 - Shortfall

 Shortfall

IDEA - 12-28-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

In a town that has been in an energy crisis for nearly ten years, a solution arrives out of nowhere. Isaac Epstein and the formula for room-temperature fusion came along just as it was revealed that there is only one year of fuel left for cooking, driving, heating, and technology. Epstein's fusion process works by creating muons, a heavy electron that shortens the gap between nuclei, causing fusion. The town is saved. However, unknown to the town, to generate a muon requires more energy than the amount that fusion ultimately makes. It's a scam; Epstein is looking to take the remaining fuel from the town and sell it for a substantial profit on the black market. That's until a 12-year-old catches Epstein loading the fuel into his truck. The kid was fascinated by the fusion process and extensively researched the ins and outs. The kid has some questions for Epstein, and until they're answered, he's not going anywhere.

10-15-2020 - Suburban Traffic

 Suburban Traffic

IDEA - 10-15-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,513 Words

The Harrington's live in a quiet suburban neighborhood, packed with near-identical culdesacs and homes. One morning, Janette Harrington woke up to find a traffic jam in front of her house. It stretched as far as she could see.  The cars were from all over; her daughters would play a game, and anyone who could spot all 50 states in the traffic would win; her daughter Caroline was a Vermont and Maine short of winning. The explanation for the traffic was that God visited a child two blocks away. In a dream and said he could cure any illness and relieve any ailments, no matter how severe. 'sIt so happened that this child's mother had incurable pancreatic cancer, was already sentenced to death, and was placed on home care hospice. She was cured the next day, seen watering her garden and cleaning the gutters. She said she felt like a 20-year-old again. In the Internet age, news spread rapidly; miracle boy has the power to heal the sick. The only condition is he needs to look the sick person in the eye. A few hundred cars came through in the first few days, and it was hardly noticeable. Hundreds of thousands of cars came in the weeks that followed, causing a traffic jam that extended for miles. People will wait for traffic days to be cured by the miracle child. But he doesn't cure everyone; you must demonstrate what makes you worthy.

10-14-2020 - Subvert Expectations

 Subvert Expectations

IDEA - 10-14-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,436 Words

Tonight it's pitch dark, no stars, the streetlight is busted, and the office park is a ghost town. Headlights appear at the entrance to the park, the only pair you've seen in the two hours you've been waiting. The car rolls slowly into inertia, and I slip into the passenger seat without stopping the vehicle. My Case Officer is driving; that's never a positive sign, "they don't buy that chicken feed of intelligence; you're blowing their ass." From that point forward, my handler will communicate through cipher; open communication risk is too dangerous. We drop by the safe house and study the mission's contingencies. The cobbler drops by the apartment; he has my passports and other papers. I hadn't known we were nearly burned. When he leaves, I corner my handler, "What's going on? Why do I have traveling docs? "He admits an asset was compromised overnight; he takes a USB drive from a concealment device. "In a counter-intelligence mission, we used a cut-out to relay information, and our agent spotted with the informant. Here's the last known recording of our asset, playing on an audio file, "When do we go to Andre's? "We're not going anywhere; it looks like you've been doing some extra-curricular activity!" The audio ends as if 4 or 5 men swooped in and knocked out the agent. So started the most massive covert operation involving a single man with 100s hanging on his every move; politicians, intelligence agents, analysts, and other adjacent spies waiting for intelligence. Information is vital, shared every day in a microdot, behind enemy lines, where so far, everyone has failed.

10-13-2020 - Held Up

 Held Up

IDEA - 10-13-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,546 Words

The disease got bad, year three, and still no vaccine. Everyone feared going outside, and the economy imploded. The federal government was hanging on by a string. Then, they announced that a vaccine was successfully tested. My father was careful; he let others try it. First, we waited a month, and no side effects emerged. We learned the nearest vaccination site was a Winterhaven medical building. We read a billboard sign, "Vaccine, $1,000 per shot, cash only." My family had $1,000, but it was our last bit of money in the world. We walk up to the entrance when we arrive at the medical building, but a security guard stops us, "We need to see the money before you enter." My father reached his pocket and took out a wad of cash, and handed it to me. He wanted me to have the shot. I show the money to the security officer, and he lets me in. My parents have to wait outside, so I hug them and enter the building. I follow the signs to a giant waiting room. Everyone waiting looks nervous, keeping a distance from each other. I walk up and pull a numbered ticket, "142," the wall counter reads "25," it could take a while. About an hour into my wait, a nervous-looking man starts holding his sweat pants. As the nurse exits to request the next vaccine number, he takes a gun out of his pocket and holds it at the nurse, "I think I'll go next, honey." The nurse responds quickly and runs to the floor’s secure portion, narrowly making it out of the deranged man's clutches. He holds the pistol to the ceiling and fires, "No one is going anywhere until I get my money." The gunfire is louder than I expected it would be, still 20 feet away, I'd ring in my ears. The man with the gun stands in front of the street exit, "not only will I be getting the vaccine next, but you better believe I'm taking your money, too!" People start handing huge stacks of cash one by one to the man with the gun. I notice the latch on a vent that leads to the secure portion of the laboratory is loose. The duct is narrow, and I would be the only one in the room who could fit. As the man with the gun walks down the line to where we are, we know this is our only chance, a woman helps with the remaining screws, and I start crawling, "get help," she whispers. As I enter the building’s secure portion, I see a nurse and two orderlies cowering in the corner. When asked why they haven't called the police yet, they admit they've been selling fake vaccines, and they'd be arrested for sure. One of the orderlies shows me the injected saline canisters. It's only a matter of time before the man barrels through that door, demanding his vaccine. I can either save myself or help the poor people robbed of their money. I decided to fight criminals instead, both of those robbing with a pistol and a needle.

10-12-2020 - Last of their Kind

 Last of their Kind

IDEA - 10-12-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,472 Words

When did rock and roll die?   Rolling Stone interviews the rock band, Cam Tuning, in their dressing room. The show is in two hours, but there are no signs of jitters; this group of four guys has been on the road since the band was signed in 1997. It's rock show number 1,380, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, tonight. Show number 32 of 68 on their 2021 tour. They'll hit the road again later this year and play Europe and Asia. Just another year for a band that hasn't had a hot 100 hit in 4 years and hasn't cracked the top ten in 7 years. They open and close the show with classics from the late 1990s and early 2000s. They try a few new songs in the middle, that's when they see the crowd thin out; I guess bathroom breaks and concessions are a calling. The interviewer for today's session, Martin Sally, is young, couldn't be over 25, leads with the question, "When did rock and roll die?" The band is surprised and refutes the argument, but Marin fires back with statistics, "four." "What?" "This year, there were four hot 100 rock songs, so far, and just 12 last year. That’s if you consider electro-pop, rock." "Hell no! That shit is wack," the band responds. "Okay, then none." This statistic surprises the band. They spout some modern bands they like, but Martin has a response to all their suggestions. "They haven't had a hit since 2015, they split up in 2018, the lead singer is in rehab, they're now experimenting with instrumental music." As the band sits and attempts to find a competitor for themselves, Martin says, "You guys are an endangered species, a rock band that releases new music and gets radio play; guitar solos, high-notes, bass, and drums ... a typical rock band."  Your audience used to be a mixed group of males and females, and are now mostly white males dragging their girlfriends to the show, but they end up on their phone most of the time. "Look at top-rated music videos." "That's the problem, MTV no longer plays music videos." "Of course, why would anyone watch MTV for music videos? They're a reality television channel? Music videos are on YouTube, and they're watched more than ever in human history; but they're not watching rock music videos, mostly just hip hop and rap." They delve into different topics from the diversification of music sub-genres to how people consume music; every step of the way, Martin is there with data and a forecast that Cam Tuning is dying. A band from another age is left in a world that no longer consumes their new music. Playing rock and roll, turning the amp up to 11, and living the rock star lifestyle is everything they've ever wanted to do; tonight, the band realizes it's coming to an end. After the interview, they hear their opener close their set; it's an electro-pop band.

10-11-2020 - Any Means Necessary

 Any Means Necessary

IDEA - 10-11-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,532 Words

Something that may surprise many people is that there's a clandestine group of 150 individuals and companies running the world. They don't always get what they want, but they do 99.99 percent of the time. They don't appear on stock exchanges, fortune 500 lists of the richest people, and most people never knew their names. These companies made a thousand times more profit than the stock exchanges' most profitable firms. They are fifty times wealthier than the world's alleged "richest people." If you have enough money, you have the luxury of staying off lists and exchanges. The group has no name; others refer to it as the super-elite, the network, freemasons, or the new world order architects. But these mostly men like anonymity. They're not famous, and they're not politicians; they’re just people from the wealthiest families from the renaissance, industrial revolution, and the military-industrial complex. It's crazy how much money you can have when interest accumulates over 600 years. Just because this group runs the world does not make them evil.  They think they've done enormous good in the world. To execute their worldview, they need a covert secret army. Again, this army has no name, just a selection of the world's most deadly and talented soldiers. They are well paid and have every tool, technology, and clearance to get the job done. With links to fifteen of the world's most powerful nations, if this hidden collective what’s someone killed, someone kidnapped, or an entire nation at war, it will happen.  Today, five elite military assassins were sent to an affluent chateau in Nice, France. A middle-eastern prince threatens to cut off western shipping routes after his father dies. Yesterday it was secretly revealed that the king, his father, has pancreatic cancer in stage 4 and just a few days to live. The assassins make it look like an accident, so instead, his younger brother, a more western friendly leader, will succeed his father. The nation is tiny and so small that the prince's murder won't even be front-page news in most Western papers. The latest succession line, however, will save trillions of dollars a year. Over the year, one assassin in the group finds that his duties are becoming highly dubious, such as murdering minors, infiltrating and undermining nonviolent civil rights activist organizations, and manipulating elections for maniacs and unstable men. The soldier does as he is told, but starts investigating why their means have changed. Has there been a power shift within the secret organization? The soldier surgically maneuvers amongst the players, one man versus the most influential people in the world.  When he gets to the core of its power, he is shocked by what he finds. An organization so hidden and terrified of being found out, they've put up so many walls, they've honestly have no idea who's making the decisions.

10-10-2020 - You, Me, & the Devil Makes 3

 You, Me, & the Devil Makes 3

IDEA - 10-10-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,445 Words

Everyone has inside them a little devil, some a little more than others. Allow too much, and you're asking for trouble. The devil came up from hell sixty years ago because he fell in love with a girl, wholesome, church-going, pretty much everything he wasn't. She fell in love with the bad boy, and they had a child together. Not long after, the young mother discovered her lover's reality, and one night she murdered the devil as he slept. The devil attempted to come back in several ways to see his daughter, but her mother expelled him every time. The devil became frustrated and angry at his daughter's mother.  Nobody can hold a grudge like the devil. Eventually, his daughter grew up, and with her mother's profoundly rooted religious doctrine, the devil could go nowhere near her. She, too, fell in love and had a child named Emily.   Again, the devil appeared to be the imaginary friend of his young grandchild; he formed a bond with his granddaughter. At four, the devil persuaded her to sneak out in the middle of the night and go to Grandma's house. He showed her how to play with the furnace, filling the house with carbon monoxide. It was all a game for young Emily, not knowing what she was doing.  They found Grandma dead in her bed the next morning. It was deemed a terrible accident, and nobody was yet on to the devil. Less than a week later, the devil forced Emily to kill her puppy, who could sense his presence, and she was caught. Her mother sent her to psychiatrists, and Emily told them about her imaginary friend's fun. At four, Emily was put on anti-psychotics and would take them for the rest of her life. Her mother lied, claiming she'd die if she ever stopped taking them. A strong dose of the Holy Spirit will provide the cornerstone for Emily's life. The devil stayed away. Emily grew up and went to college. At college, Emily mixed with some mean girls. They tricked her into attending a senior frat party as a freshman, then lured her into a bedroom with some guys. Her friends left her alone, and the guys began to assault her sexually.  She barely got away when one guy got a text message and was distracted. Emily became depressed. She stopped taking her anti-psychotic medicine in an attempted suicide because that's what her mother told her would happen. Instead, the devil re-appeared. The devil helped her seek vengeance on her "so-called" friends who fed her to the wolves. He then helped her get revenge on the two guys who sexually assaulted her. She enjoyed having Grandpa around. The devil didn't want to stop there, though; he wanted to create hell on earth. Emily felt obliged to support, and part of her loved her grandpa. So the chaos began; death, destruction, and violence began to fill the earth, ignited by the devil's actions. As death and devastation grew, the devil's power also grew. There was a way to make him no longer imaginary. The devil tells Emily that if she kills her mother and casts a spell in an ancient book, he will be alive again, and together they will rule the world. Guilt filled Emily, but now she was in too far. Emily's mother came to visit, and her dorm smelled of sulfur. She realized what had happened. As Emily's grandmother defended her daughter, Emily's mother should defend her.  Eventually, a conflicted Emily has her mother tied up, and the sacrifice is set to take place that night. However, Emily starts to doubt whether the devil's actions are for his love for her or his own power. Emily's mother kills herself, slaying the devil again. Emily's heart returns to the peaceful nature it originated. She kept living her life, knowing that her mother sacrificed herself to save her. She knew the devil was lurking, awaiting his chance to return; she had to be vigilant in her pursuit of good, or else evil would rein.

10-9-2020 - The Fool

 The Fool

IDEA - 10-9-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,598 Words

The fool is hidden among us, pretending and lying. The fool isn't who you think; the fool has the outward confidence of a person who knows a great deal.  The fool would never admit they're foolish because they don't know they're foolish. School test scores don't matter; a fool may score high, sometimes low. Like reading the book jacket rather than the book, they have a cursory knowledge of many things, but they know little. Inside, they know they're just a few follow-up questions from being revealed. Putting on the poker face, nodding, and agreeing with everyone around. Blend into the background because they've already used what little they've read and understood. The fool would take a stand based only on a couple of off the cuff remarks they heard in passing. Despite facts, they will stick to their stance. Their credibility is strong, considered competent in their profession, spouting authors they've read but never finished a single book. With confidence, they'll make a decision when others are paralyzed by overthinking.  Occasionally the fool will be right, not that their decision was thought-based; they were fortunate, like choosing a horse race winner. The fool sometimes rises to the top of organizations, improving their foolish skills to a point where they even start believing their hype. Eventually, the fool discovers they can hijack compelling ideas as their own. If an idea sounds interesting, make people believe the idea was yours first. The truth is, a fool has never had an original thought in their entire life.  The fool is dangerous because following a fool is very easy because they let themselves be followed. The fool likes adulation, prestige, and influence over people looking for solutions, even though they have none to give. What happens if they're wrong? The fool will always dispute the results and blame others. Build enough distortion, so most will not know what to think.  Like Teflon, nothing will stick, not unless it's on purpose.   The fool will ultimately ruin everything. If enough fools persist, no complex problems will ever be solved again. The fool won't easily give up power; they'll fight tooth and nail to survive. Worse than being wrong, worse than admitting they don't know something, is someone claiming they know nothing, and they're a fool and shouldn't have any power. The fool is among us, but you'll never know who it is; who knows, the fool could even be you.

10-8-2020 - In Search of Dr. Pangloss

 In Search of Dr. Pangloss

IDEA - 10-8-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,603 Words

Some time ago, disease, war, racism, starvation, water shortages, climate change, and government corruption devastated our city. The news became overwhelming and depression rampant. From nowhere, like a cool breeze in a heatwave, Dr. Pangloss began preaching his theory of "everything happens for a reason." This low anxiety, don't worry, be happy philosophy, was an oasis in a desert of pain. Pangloss’s observations penetrated the masses when millions of people no longer wanted to engage with the nightmares they experienced daily. The government, criminals, and skeptics persecuted the community. Pangloss himself was beaten, imprisoned for months without a trial, and besmirched by religious leaders who believed he was brainwashing their parishioners. Nevertheless, Pangloss retained his philosophy, "everything happens for a reason." The group of optimists remained faithful, and, being sick of seeing his devoted harassed, Pangloss revealed his ambitious next move, Project Harvest. Pangloss declared in the plan that he was moving the group south to rich farmland where they could expand and become self-sustained. When revealed, he gave an ultimatum to followers, come with the group, or stay. Pangloss wouldn't reveal where the new society would reside, built outside of the populated world; there was no way to join later. Pangloss repeated, "if somebody's supposed to be there, they'll be there." And one day, the group was gone. Not all members left as some had careers and other responsibilities, but many accompanied Pangloss out of town on their pilgrimage to their new home. Things in town only escalated after that; protests, vandalism, and arson persisted as citizens' rage hit an all-time high. It wasn't until the police disbanded, and the government bureaucrats had no one to protect them that the city degraded into chaos.  People feared for their lives, and many regretted not accepting Pangloss on his request. With the city practically collapsing around us, a few of us decided to take the rumors of where the Pangloss settlement was and migrate. The rumors were random; for instance, walk to freshwater, if you see the house of the rising sun, head in that direction.  We agreed that the house of the rising sun had to mean brothel as many interpreted the song that way. We decided on two possible locations with research and compiling family retellings of the pilgrimage, which ended up being an arduous trip, walking mainly because lyrical directions led us to places without roads. The last stretch was the toughest; on that last hike, we lost 10 of 22 people — most succumbing to heatstroke and old age. We eventually saw dead crops, dead bodies, and infected animals. There was a small village north of the farmland; we went there. As we entered, one of the tents was talking. Pangloss, delusional, malnutrition-looking, and dehydrated, was within the tent talking to himself. He looked up at us and smiled, "I knew it; everything happens for a reason."

10-7-2020 - Parade on my Rain

 Parade on my Rain

IDEA - 10-7-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,448 Words

Luck's a curious thing. Luck plays a prominent role in deciding whether we should blame or praise an individual in daily actions.  Two people drive while intoxicated, one left the party at 1 AM and the other left at 1:15 AM. Suppose the person who left the party earlier makes it home safe while the second driver killed a biker crossing the road. In that scenario, I think onlookers would blame the second driver more unanimously. While the second individual just suffered from bad luck. In fact, both should be blamed the same, since the decisions and actions taken were the same. In a more severe case, let's take circumstance and environment into account. An extreme example would be a Nazi soldier operating an execution gas chamber in World War II, and a first responder risking their lives to save others from the burning building on 9/11. It's convenient to say that the soldier needs to be blamed while the first responder needs to be praised. However, let's presume I could swap these two consciousness, the firefighter now grows up in Nazi Germany, and the soldier grows up to be a New Jersey firefighter.  There's no way to tell for sure, but it's more likely than not that the firefighter will operate the gas chamber, and on 9/11 the Nazi will be the hero.   With this understanding, we find Auto Ventura, the most unlucky person on the planet. You may argue that the unlikely odds of him existing show he has some luck; but for this story, let's only concern ourselves Auto's life, all prior happenstance is credited to his parents, whoever they are. Abandoned as a child, uneducated, never having friends; Auto lived in isolation. Now, at age 25, he questions the role of luck in his life.   Place a bet on red, it'll come up black; place a bet on red and black, no doubt, 0 will be called; place a bet on red , black and 0, and the roulette wheel will break. Because of his lack of qualifications, he can't get a job, so he works for a dishonest contractor who takes advantage of him at every turn. fAuto became desperate, he hadn't eaten in three days, but he knows if he tries to steal food, he'll be caught for sure, so he begs. Auto created a sign and stood at a busy intersection. A man rolls down his window, "Why would I give you anything, so you can waste it on boos and smack?!" Then he throws trash at Auto. After half an hour of berating for no money, a woman rolls down her window and starts to dig into her purse, but the light turned green, and the car behind her started whaling on the horn, she said, "sorry," and left without helping Auto.   All the homeless shelters were full, he got into a fight over a temporary shelter with another homeless man and he stole all of Auto's possessions in the world. Left with nothing,  it began to downpour. At that point, Auto decided to turn to crime, damn the consequences. The next person he saw would get mugged. The next person he saw was an undercover cop in street clothes. That landed him in jail. His cellmate was Jason, the same age as Auto but much more put together. They start talking about luck and how things never turn out exactly as you want.Jason's experience confuses Auto. "Everything goes my way I guess; I always find random $20 bills on the street." Jason has what people would call a charmed life; he won the lottery at the age of 18, fell in love at first sight, and it turned out to be a wonderful relationship; and he found something he loved doing and turned it into a career that made him great money. Yet, this rainy night, the world's most unfortunate man finds himself in the same jail cell as the luckiest man in the world. Both men are miserable, Jason imprisoned for soliciting a prostitute, while he has a caring and loving wife at home, and Auto imprisoned for mugging an undercover police officer. Auto tells him, "Don't worry, at least when you're done here, you can go back to your loving family and a job that makes you money." Jason responds, "Ha, that's funny, all the stuff you've described is stress in my life, obligations, jobs, and expectations; I want your life, nobody expects anything, I can just exist. You're trying to live under this pressure for the rest of your life!" Put Auto in Jason's life, and Jason in Auto's, and they're no better off than they are now. Fortuitous acts occur from time to time and may change a person's life, but there is no link between luck and things changing for the better; because what you think you want might not be as fortunate as you thought.

10-6-2020 - Spread Thin

 Spread Thin

IDEA - 10-6-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,512 Words

The Crime Spree Criminal strikes again, this time in La Crosse, Wisconsin. According to news, eight fires began in the northern end of the town, the neighboring town of Onalaska sent all its police and fire resources to battle the blazers, some were in dumpsters and risked spreading to commercial properties, and some were on residential properties and risked causing serious damage to neighboring homes. One thing was clear; all of them were arson designed to be a diversion from a much larger crime. Neighboring Onalaska has five banks all within two miles, all of which have substantial site value. Citizens State Bank was struck first, $250,000, like taking candy from a baby. First Federal Capital bank holding an heir to an auto fortune's jewelry collection to an auto fortune, taken in the blink of an eye. BMO Harris Bank, home to $423,000 donated from a national cancer drive. Financial state bank, home to retirees' union and state pension funds, $714,000 in one night. Finally, Onalaska officials caught on to what was happening when an alarm was tripped as the crime spree criminal fled the building. 1.2 million in gold was expected to be deposited at Bremer Bank, a lost opportunity for the criminal, as it was sent to the airport by an armored truck one day early. As the thief was only left with a measly $2,163, the Onalaska police marched to the building's front. Two police officers were shot and killed in the escape. In Onalaska, the incident was the first time anyone was killed in the eight-month-run by the crime spree criminal. The deaths prompted a federal inquiry, and the criminal's modus operandi was plain as day. He would go to small to medium-sized towns, commit himself or pay others to commit small crimes that would overwhelm police forces while he himself would commit a much bigger, well-planned, and more lucrative robbery. He knew about banks, particularly low-security vaults. He'd done this in 12 cities in eight months, always using the same method. The FBI put Agent Brian Johnston on the case. There was no telling where he'd hit again with the crime spree criminal acting from New Mexico to Michigan. There were many things that Agent Johnston did not understand about this crime spree criminal; the criminal had inside knowledge of bank values; only being from the SEC would generate such knowledge; he worked for a far larger organization with goals well beyond your ordinary bank heists, and the crime spree criminal was not one person but five. They were all really good with disguises and could blend anywhere. The real question is, what can they do with all this money? The ulterior motive will shake you to your core and forever change how we see the financial sector.

10-5-2020 - Give me a Sign

 Give me a Sign

IDEA - 10-5-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,547 Words

Some people see shrinks; others see religious leaders; I see a psychic at her home in Arvin, California, about a half-hour away from Bakersfield.Her name is Maria, and she's a single-mom stay-at-home who cleans houses on the side. I've continued to see her ever since she predicted my sister's death. She was so convinced that when my sister was going to be murdered, I wasn't in total shock, like the rest of my family. Now, I've been seeing her for ten years. "I had another Mike dream last night. Should I reach out?" I asked. "It's important to keep a distance; if you make contact, it won't go well," she replies. I like it's not always positive news; bad news keeps it real, I'm a realist, knowing is better than not knowing. Once a week, $40 per session, it's totally worth it, beats paying a therapist. As I mentioned, I keep having recurring visions and coincidences around my ex-boyfriend, Mike. I think it's a sign, but Maria's adamant that if I make contact, bad things will happen. She was confident about my sister's prediction. I know when to stay away. Via social media that night, Mike reached out, "I need to talk to you." As I see it light up my DMs, I ignore it and continue my day. As I left work the next day, Mike was waiting for me in the parking lot. He told me he misses me, saying he's in love and thinking of me day and night. We sit and chat amid Maria's warnings. I must confess, it felt good, like old times. As I join Maria for my next session, she already knows I met Mike and plans to meet him this Friday. "Stop now while you can, if it goes too far, you'll only be hurt or worse." "What do you mean, worse? " I ask.  "It's not clear but it is completely shrouded in darkness," Maria says ominously. Since the plans have been made, I meet Mike, but only I officially break things off. I tell him about Maria's prediction, and he scoffs, suggesting she might have had something to do with my sister's murder.  "She was the only one who knew it would happen, how can you explain that? " Said, Mike. "She's a psychic!" I reply. “She cleans houses, right?  What if, while cleaning a house, she stumbled across something related to your sister? " Mike says. I can't believe this conversation, but he starts to make sense. He thinks the entire mystery of who murdered my sister is inside Maria's house. He persuades me to break-in with him, and search for information. I agreed, but if we found nothing, we forget it forever. We begin watching the house, after 20 minutes, Maria leaves with cleaning supplies and drives away. We've got at least an hour. Mike can easily break through the back door lock. I turn to her reading room in a converted garage out of habit, but why would she hide something there. Instead, I follow Mike to the living house. Her laptop is on her desk and has no password. Once in, Mike and I are surprised to see her customer's phones mirrored, including mine! bt On that laptop, there must be at least 100 phones. Outside, we hear a car door slam, I look out the window to see her teenage daughter coming up the driveway. Mike and I navigate out of the house without detection. We get back to the car, and I was in shock. No wonder she knows so much; she has all the information on my phone.  Although odd, it doesn't mean she had anything to do with the murder of my sister, although proof to the contrary is starting to rise. Mike suggests I continue my sessions as usual while producing some texts and messages leading her in the wrong direction. At my next session with Maria, she states that she had a vision. Mike killed me in my sleep. I act shocked, but start wondering if she's the one to kill me and blame Mike? Despite Mike asking me not to, I call out Maria on the mirrored phones. Maria admits it, taking me back to her laptop. As it turns out, once I raved about her about ten years ago, before my sister's death, Mike visited Maria on a whim. Any new phone entering the residence is mirrored on her laptop; her cousin used to work for NSA. My sister and Mike had an affair, but my sister wanted to end it and tell me everything.  Maria saw the abusive messages Mike sent her for months. My sister's phone was stolen at the crime scene, and Mike mysteriously misplaced his phone. It wasn't until she showed me the messages leading up to the murder, that I put it all together. So she expected it; she saw Mike's violent tendencies. Looking back, Maria told me to split with Mike all those years ago. Maria had a nanny cam, showing Mike and I breaking into her home. "I could tell when you were interrupted that he was going to kill you, he saw his old cell phone in the list, but he couldn't do anything about it," she said. Mike saw a video about signs your phone is mirrored on youtube; one of the symptoms was your phone slowing down. He recalls his phone slowing down when he went to visit Maria. He reached out to me to see if his messages had been revealed,  and the rest was his undoing. So, it turned out that Maria wasn't psychic, and while she saved my life twice, installing an app on someone's phone without their permission is illegal. Mike and Maria were both arrested and I guess closure was finally found, although, I do miss my psychic therapy sessions.

10-4-2020 - One for You, One for Me

 One for You, One for Me

IDEA - 10-4-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,645 Words

A billionaire named Curtis Pembroke, who made his money shorting stock during a financial crisis, began gaining swagger with his riches. He'd go to illegal casinos and wave his dick around like he owned the place, hit on strippers in the VIP lounge, and partner with rappers and criminals to bring up his street cred. Unfortunately, he attempted to hook up with a notorious gangster's girlfriend one night at the strip club. His underlings got the word out, and as he left the bar, the deadly bR-21 gang surrounded him. They beat him pretty badly, leaving him for dead in an ally. He licked his wounds at a run-down bar the next night, and he began talking to a former FBI agent and ex-army ranger, Mitch Green. Mitch was thrown out of the FBI because he got too close to a nefarious conspiracy. He became a whistleblower for off the books killings, skimming money, and illegal arms trafficking. Unfortunately, he didn't know how far the conspiracy went. They ruined his reputation, pinned crimes on him, and fabricated evidence to get him in prison. He just completed five years in one of America's most brutal prisons. As Curtis goes on and on about his billionaire problems, Mitch sees him as the most annoying guy he's ever met but is starting to see him as an opportunity to finance his revenge. As Curtis leaves the bar, the bR-21 gang is waiting for him again; they enjoyed beating him up and taking his money, why not do it again. Mitch followed him out of the bar to ask him to make a deal, only to see him pummeled. Mitch steps in and disarms the gang, injuring some of their soldiers before they run away. Curtis is grateful that night, and they both make a deal "one for you, one for me," where Curtis finances an arsenal worthy of a military unit. Mitch uses the equipment to plot revenge against the corrupt FBI special operations agents who got him thrown into prison. It was great initially that Curtis got revenge on notorious bR-21 gang members, and Mitch began picking off low-level FBI corruption members. But with an enforcer in hand, Curtis got some of his swagger back, talking a lot of shit to the wrong people. Especially one night, Curtis had some trouble with some violent individuals, but it was Mitch's turn in the revenge tour. Mitch's turns always took a little longer because he had to plan covert murders of specially trained people; Curtis usually killed an unsuspecting, low-level gang member. Curtis was in it deep this night, though, talking shit to a mafia-made-man, there was a risk they could try to kill him tonight. When he contacted Mitch, frustrated, Mitch said it would be days before it would be his turn. Fearing for his life, Curtis tries to pay another assassin to kill he mafia guy who threatened him.   Assuming the quality was the same as with Mitch, discretion, loose ends tied up, and dead bodies disposed of, he didn't give much thought to the transaction. However, the guy he hired was an amateur; not only did he fail to kill the mafia-guy, but he put a target on Curtis' back, a mob target, and a police target. Cutis went into hiding, but the law started connecting the dots to the other murders Curtis ordered. Police now have Mitch's photo with Curtis and alert the FBI that an ex-special ops murderer is after them. Curtis blew the operation. Mitch goes out and sees Curtis clinging to a revolver in the corner of a panic room. Realizing they have only one chance to save the mission, they opt for the shock and awe strategy, everyone dies tonight, while there is still an element of surprise. Mitch and Curtis work together to defeat the mob. They then made their way to the high-level FBI agent allowing all this corruption to happen. They eventually succeed in taking down corruption, but Curtis gets shot in the process, and the non-corrupt FBI apprehends Mitch. He ends up serving three years before he is given a shortened sentence if he works for FBI internal affairs. Curtis learned to keep his mouth shut; almost dying will offer some insight. A few times a year, Mitch and Curtis grab a drink at the run-down bar they first met, now in a good place, they became friends.

10-3-2020 - Digging Deep

 Digging Deep

IDEA - 10-3-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,523 Words

Energy is at a premium in the future, and desperate scientists turn to Earth's mantle to sustain our standard of living. Off California's coast, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a corporation named Inertia began boring a four-mile hole through the ocean floor to the mantle below. The goal is to build the world's most powerful geothermal powerplant. Just a few miles down, temperatures are already exceeding 500 degrees celsius. Upon arrival at the mantle, they expect the temperature to be well above 1000 degrees celsius. The drill, called hammerhead, the most advanced drill ever made, will cross the threshold and tap into the mantle later today. As the computer displays the required depth, scientists open and toast with a bottle of champagne. Over the next few days, experiments would begin; by pumping steam and water to the surface, the change in pressure caused the water to turn into steam and moved a series of giant turbines. They pump more water if they need more energy. They test the engine to its limits, and the results are better than they ever imagined. But as they exceed the maximum pump level, some scientists want to push the limits higher. Despite being told to stop, they proceeded, and the Earth started to shake beneath them. It recorded a 5.0 on the Richter Scale, which could be felt as far as Honolulu. They developed a way to create man-made earthquakes. This got Pentagon officials' attention. Upon the scientists returning to the States, they faced a proposal worth more money than their geothermal power plant would ever have made. All they had to do was take vessel miles off an enemy's coast like North Korea or Iran and trigger earthquakes. The team was divided, but the idea of solving the energy crisis with the money from this mission was appealing. They eventually agreed and set a course for North Korea first. Anchored over 2,000 miles away from Pyongyang but had a straight shot without affecting any other nations, they started drilling. Replicating the experiment performed off California's coast only ten times more pressure, triggering a 6.8-level earthquake in Pyongyang's center, crippling its infrastructure, and damaging some of its buildings. The scientists disembarked; no one knew the presence of the U.S. military involvement. High-ranking military officers salivated over their new secret weapon. They could do more harm than a direct war for less than 1% of their budget, with everyone thinking it is an act of God with no blowback on the US. Scientists were told to set their course for an assault on Tehran. They were closer this time, nearly 1,500 miles from their target. They drilled their hole, pumping water. This time they had better results with barely the pressure they needed in the Pacific. The Richter Scale earthquake recorded 7.7. That day Tehran crumbled. However, the huge earthquake also triggered a tsunami in all directions, putting Mumbai underwater and sending a 100-foot wave to Dubai. Along with Iran's deaths, the overall death toll was millions. Ally infrastructure loss was in the trillions. To make matters worse, as they were taking the drill out of the seabed, they were spotted by a container ship who alerted the Indian military. The ship was seized, and the scientists were imprisoned. The US  Military disavowed and denied any awareness of the actions of scientists. The resulting anger would spark World War III, and even intensified the global energy crisis’s effects. What started as a plan to save the world only destroyed it in the end.

10-2-2020 - Unproven Traveler

 Unproven Traveler

IDEA - 10-2-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,448 Words

A man named George P claims he's a time traveler. He insists that he successfully developed a  time travel process in the year 2100, but the framework he thought would return him home has failed. Sitting across from this man at my kitchen table, I have questions. Why did he seek me out? I'm a 22-year-old college student. I don't have a background in science, only political science. He said specifically speaking to me was important to him. He couldn't tell me why, for fear of altering my future or worse, we might be catapulted into an alternative universe. "Is there some way to prove you're from the future? Tell me who will win the Super Bowl? "He says it'll alter the future. "Show me some future tech? "He says I'd never recognized it; after a giant solar EMP wiped out all technology, it had to be rebuilt differently. So we sit, uncertain how to proceed, but then I got an idea. He couldn't have been more than 30-year-old, which means he was born around 2070, his parents, grandparents, or great grandparents would be alive. Let's look and collect some DNA. He says, "My parents were born in 2042 and 2044, but my grandparents were both born in 2011." That's it; we have it; we're going to visit his 9-year-old grandparents and inquire about DNA testing, but he wants to stay away from family for fear of destroying himself. We decide to walk, maybe seeing how much the world has changed will ignite something and prove his story. As we're in the park, he says everything's different; it’s all skyscrapers, as far as the eye can see. It's a giant metropolis from New York to Boston. He swallows his tongue. I ask, "What's your fear? He responds, "Look; I didn't think it would work, I was on my first trial, I figured it would take a lot of iteration, so I didn't intend to prove something. I still couldn't say whether he was from the future or whether he was a delusional nut case who was going to kill me in my sleep; no matter what, something made me give him my couch to sleep on; he didn't have anywhere else to go. We grabbed dinner, an Italian restaurant across the street.  He maintains that food from the past tastes better; future food has too many chemicals.  With overpopulation and lack of adequate food supply, society has to produce food chemically in the future. When paying the bill, I know I'll have to pick up the tab. He says there's no money in the future, but some collectors have bills from this time, they have value as antiquities. I wake up with a fantastic idea; I told him, "What if you write a note to yourself like like in the movie, Back to Future? Then, when you read the note in the future, you won't build the time-traveling machine. He claims it's dangerous. What if it creates another universe? We spend the afternoon together. Questions like, "Why, 2020?" He claims he didn't choose the date, but it must have some cosmic meaning. When we pass a bar, he pauses, "Brownstone Bar?" I nod, he says, "This was the sight of a massive fire, it was famous because the fire killed a celebrity. "When I was a kid, I remember reading about the fire," he responds. Afte explaining some recent films, the pandemic, and politics of the moment, he replies, "the Eurlamier Meteor, of course!"  "What's that?" I ask. "In 2022, a meteor lands in the United States. It's a big occurrence as they forecast it weeks in advance, it lights up the night sky; that'll confirm that I'm from the future!" "When in 2022?" "I don't know the date, but it's certainly in 2022." George moves in, gets a job under the table as he's undocumented, and even had a girlfriend. 2022 came and went without the meteor. How could it be possible? Does he have the year wrong? Wasn't he a time-traveler? All tried to reassure him, but his story was doubted. He shared all kinds of facts about the future, but they were never widely believed. So lived George P, from the future, trapped in a time where he doesn’t exist.

10-1-2020 - Marmalade Skies

 Marmalade Skies

IDEA - 10-1-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,581 Words

Where are you going today, Ashley Lemay? Fire up the jet, Marmalade’s the cheapest you can get. To fly you to Bonnaroo or Timbuktu; this ain’t no luxury, there is no crew. Although the passengers may be questionable at best; just mind your own business and get some rest. If anyone asks how you got to be where you are; shrug it off and tell them you rented a car. Airports are for tourists; you’ll be landing on a dirt road in the forest. They don’t collect passports amongst the trees, no questions asked but they’ll be fees. And who would want to travel in such a manner; criminals of course, so don’t be candor. Halfway through there’s a shake and a rattle; forced to land on a farm with some cattle. Stuck with those who can’t be trusted; on foot we go, the plane is busted. Although her company is vile and mean; Ashley has a secret of her own, worse than you could dream. The time is ticking, the deadline will be soon; a bomb will explode, tick tick boom. And what does Ashley have to do with a bomb you ask, it’s in her backpack, destined for a deadly task. If she fails to deliver the bomb in hand; her life will end buried in the sand. So, she must trust killers, rapists, and thieves alike; to put her position for her strike. Innocent life will be lost in the fight; if Ashley’s bomb detonates tonight. What’s that through the clearing, it’s Houston, Texas, target nearing. If she can get the bomb into position; this suckers nuclear, put this city out of commission. She walks ahead, where are you going; criminals question, her intentions are showing. They all realize they might die in this fire; impede her progress, she’s sparked their ire. Ashley runs to deliver death; chased by miscreants, she’s out of breath. Caught red-handed placing the bomb; they turn it off, saving millions from harm. You’re too late now she says with a grin; I’m not the only one they sent to pay for your sins? Everyone stops, they hear something explode; fade to black, there was another payload.

9-30-2020 - Into the Woulds

 Into the Woulds

IDEA - 9-30-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,665 Words

When you're young, you've got an idea of happiness, an idea of a good time, and an idea of what friends are; when you grow older, you start entering the "I would, but ..." stage of life. I would have a drink on Thursday night, but I've got to work on Friday morning; I would be with a different girl every night, but that costs too much money; I would help you move, but you just call when you need something. This realization occurs quickly; maybe it's the added responsibility of adulthood, maybe it's maturity finally seeing the forest through the trees, or maybe you've finally developed your bullshit detector. It's funny how high our bullshit tolerance is when we're younger; it's like the ends always justify the means, even though you're spending a dollar to make 15 cents. Isaac finally entered the woulds; he would prefer to stay home every night of the week, watching a movie over engaging with the human race. Isaac is also well conscious of the transition; it makes him happy to be alone, no one to impress; he doesn't have to be "on." Experts would say that Isaac needs psychiatric help; they would question, "Why wouldn't someone want to engage with other people?" It also aligns with the American interpretation of "sad, lonely, life-hating, and depressed." One of the youth's traps is the constant prattling and dwelling on what other people interpret you as. "What did they mean by that? How do they see me? Am I cool? Am I someone people want around?" The version of you trapped inside their head will inevitably remain well after you're gone. It's with this mindset that Isaac finds himself the winner of a contest. He doesn't remember signing up, but it's a chance to win a million dollars, so refusing would be foolish. As he arrives, his cell phone is collected, and he is taken to the green room where two college-age girls are also waiting. They wait for a half-hour in silence, and Isaac finally gets irritated and tries to open the door, but it's locked. One girl begins to panic, "I need my phone; this is bullshit!" The other girl is childlike, smiling in the doorknob at her distorted reflection. Isaac attempts to calm them down, but the girls keep irritating him by voicing their priorities that remind him of his life before entering the woulds. The three continually harass each other for hours before all agree to remain silent. That worked for about ten minutes before Isaac started lecturing girls how insignificant their priorities are. The girls take offense, and arguments follow. It's been around three hours, and one of the girls attempts to seduce Isaac, but he can't overcome his frustrations with who she is, and that what she cares about is so trivial. After more hours, they start behaving hysterically. Isaac wonders how they could have gone this long without being hungry, thirsty, or using the bathroom? One of the girls suggests that they might be dead, stabbing herself in the stomach with Isaac's swiss army knife he used but failed to open the lock. Isaac and the other girl look on horrified, but the stabs were ineffective; she was still alive and felt no pain. Isaac concludes that this is hell,  and past versions of himself are torturing him. Nothing is more tormenting than living with your past self, a self you've run from your whole life.

9-29-2020 - Childhood Movie

 Childhood Movie

IDEA - 9-29-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,569 Words

Alfred's relationship with the world was impacted by his time in front of the television as a child. That time was significant, considering that his parents were always looking to keep him quiet or entertained. Alfred's understanding of complicated subjects grew throughout the years as he spent most of his time watching sitcoms, not that something was wrong with how those subjects were covered. Unfortunately, the half-hour format led Alfred to assume that it was possible to solve most of life's problems in 30 minutes. Later in his life, Alfred was full of one-liners and canned laughter in his head day after day. I can imagine worse ways to go through life, to laugh, and to tell jokes. It's as if there is a movie on a loop, and he can access any scene at any moment, having committed these childhood comedies to memory. The real tragedy comes when he runs out of material. Heather, his girlfriend of two years, someone Alfred would say was a recurring character in his movie, was assaulted a few years ago. Accessing dialogue from The Facts of Life episode where Natalie was assaulted, he knew just what to say, and he was the hero for one night. Nonetheless, Alfred woke up the next morning and expected everything to be fine, on to the next storyline, but it wasn't, and it ruined his relationship. On and on, Alfred's internal movie offers a glimpse of what is exactly required, but then, eventually, the letdown. Alfred meets Jennifer, and this season's plot is written in his head. Jennifer is a fan of past sitcoms, but she appears to be a little more grounded than Alfred. For the first couple of months, with skilled screenwriters writing the dialogue, love is in the air and their eyes. However, the superficiality comes faster than it usually does, since Jennifer recognizes Alfred's shows.  Jennifer calls him to task on the superficial way he lives his life. In a meta moment, asking if she'll ever meet the true Alfred! He becomes fractured with no plot or dialogue to add to the scenario. He's been reciting and acting so long he doesn't know who he is inside. Will Alfred be good enough for Jennifer?  He knows he needs to risk everything to find true happiness, but in a true twist worthy of the best sitcoms, Jennifer's ex comes back into the picture.  A charismatic, good-looking, charming guy with the intention of sweeping Jennifer off her feet. Accessing his childhood movie is the only way to compete; it always knows precisely what to say and do. But the story is familiar to Jennifer; it will require Alfred to create original material for the first time in his life, a challenge greater than anything he has ever seen on TV.

9-28-2020 - Who Killed Becky Jupiter

 Who Killed Becky Jupiter

IDEA - 9-28-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,552 Words

Becky Jupiter had several friends, earned straight A's, and joined various clubs and teams. That's why, when her body washed ashore in a nearby lake, the whole community was shocked. Becky had just begun her senior year, aiming to be valedictorian and go to an Ivy League college. As detective Roger Murphy arrived at the scene, he found quite a few onlookers had arrived. The detective called over a Sargent staff and asked him to gather everybody's names, and if anybody does anything atypical, make a note, and we'll discuss it. As interviews start and the investigation begins, they soon discover that Becky had a summer relationship with Jayden, a student who graduated last year. It supposedly ended with a huge fight at a party in late summer, though. Jayden became the detective's number one suspect. Detective Murphy visited the State University to question Jayden in his dorm. "Yeah, we were hanging out a little, but we weren't exclusive or anything, I haven't seen her since that party." When asked about the fight, Jayden answered, "It was the strangest thing, the fight was about nothing, she showed up to the party all pissed off and took it all out on me." Once Jayden established an alibi, he was playing pool with friends on campus, the detective's suspicion began to diminish. There were quite a few investigators on the case, as Becky's parents have money and won't rest until they bring the murderer to justice. One investigator found something unusual about her social media accounts; she has lots of friends and lots of posts with friends, but the posts are superficial when examined. There was a photo with a group of girls posted two weeks before her death; when he questioned the girls, they didn't even recall her being there. One girl recalled, she showed up to the party two hours late, took a few rando-pics, like this one, and jetted. Another girl claimed to be in the same math class two years in a row, and they would text each other about assignments and correct answers but never hung-out in person. In reality, none of her social media friends claimed to be her actual friend; they said she was cool, but it never went beyond hello in the hallways. As Detective Murphy stepped back from her social media, it seemed to exist to keep up appearances.  There was no inclination about what her life was like outside school. So there he was, a dead end with the ex-boyfriend, dead-end with her so-called friends, and her parents knew absolutely nothing about her life.  Detective Murphy wanted to return to the transcripts. After hours of interviewing, only one thing stood out; she was an ambitious kid; she would do anything to get a good grade. They interviewed 22 present and former teachers, and 20 of them said something similar. Rather than concentrating on the 20 that agreed, the investigator wanted to look at the two who didn't. One was her new Foreign Language teacher; the other was her sophomore year Biology teacher. Come to find out, the Foreign Language teacher was out on maternity leave for most of the quarter and was just starting to get to know her students.  He turned to the Biology teacher. Looking at her report card, A+ is straight through every year, except for Biology, the first quarter was a B+, then the rest was all A+'s. The detective wanted to interview the teacher again. Suspicions emerged again when he didn't throw universal adulation towards Becky. Rather, nitpicking about poor writing and insufficient ambition. Why was he agitated about Becky?  He had her two years ago; why say these things now, unless there was justification to say them. Toward the end of the interview, the Biology teacher said something that might have blown the case wide open. "I'm sorry not to say this the first time, but there was a student Becky didn't get along with, the class's former number one student, Miranda Fells." Miranda was the number one student in the class before leaving halfway through her sophomore year. Miranda supposedly moved to San Francisco, but there's no record of that student anywhere in the U.S. I suppose she may have attended school outside the U.S., but why was the Biology teacher the only one to mention it? Looking further into the Miranda case, the last two outgoing messages from the mother's g-mail account were to her work, resigning, and the school unregistering Miranda and demanding her transcript. Both emails suggest they're heading to San Francisco, as the teacher said, but they never did. If you're close to someone, it's easy to hack their email; they keep it logged in on computers, phones, and other internet of things. The Biology teacher had a thing for the valedictorians.  When Miranda threatened to turn him in for an inappropriate relationship, he murdered both the mom and the daughter, sealing the deal by moving them halfway across the country. Continuing messages and paper trails, he covered his tracks. Digitally moving the mother and daughter to San Francisco, without suspicion, took a month. When he started to focus on Becky, she was open to his advances, and a relationship began. It ended suddenly in a fight, and she tried to turn him in. He was sloppy, overconfident, and lazy this time. Trying to pull off the same murder by chaining Becky to weights and forcing her to drown a mile out in the lake. On his way to murdering her parents, Becky slipped through the chains, and late-night joggers noticed her body. Upon arrival at the house, the principal texted the whole faculty and staff about Becky's body washing up on the lake's shore. He abandoned the second half of his plan and attempted to cover-up his relationship with the student instead.