Virtual Mayhem: Troubled Detective Langston's Last Stand

The VR world, as they call it, is a lot like my own reality. The buildings are a little more pristine, the people all look like they've won an award for being good looking. Every time I end up in the VR world, I can't help but think of it as the "Hall of Mirrors" version of the real world.

Which was what made this job so hard. Most of the buildings were designed to look exactly like the buildings in the real world that the crimes had taken place in. Sometimes I would walk into one building with a warrant and find that the evidence I was looking for was in another building entirely. It had been a week since I'd started working the case, and I'd barely made any progress whatsoever.

I hadn't even known there was such a thing as virtual reality until I started working this case. All I knew was that this group was somehow able to commit crimes in the real world through the use of a technology that didn't exist in the real world.

That's why I was standing in front of the building where I knew the stolen art was being kept. The building looked exactly like the one across the street from it, and just as I was about to check the address for the third time, a voice brought me back to reality.

"Hey, you look lost."

I turned to see a blonde woman who couldn't have been much older than me looking at me curiously. As she walked closer, her pink hair bounced around her face, and I realized she was actually pretty cute. If I wasn't so frustrated with the case, and I didn't have a girlfriend, I might have tried to talk to her.

"Yeah, I am. I'm a detective, and I'm looking for some stolen art, but I don't know if I'm at the right address."

"You're probably not, but I'll tell you what. If you let me go in first and make sure the coast is clear, I'll tell you if you've got the right place or not."

I looked at her skeptically. "Why would you do that?"

"Because if I don't, you'll arrest me for breaking into the place anyway. The longer I can keep you out of the place, the better chance I have of getting away with the art. If you let me go in first, I'll have a chance to grab the art and get out without you seeing me."

I could hear a hint of desperation in her voice. I thought about it for a second. I really needed to get back to the real world and figure out if I was at the right address. I didn't have any leads, but if this girl could point me in the right direction, I might be able to start solving this case.

"Fine, but only if you promise to tell me the address after you leave."

"Deal."

The two of us walked up to the front door, and she opened it with a key. We entered the dark building, and I followed her down the hall. She stopped in front of a door and peered through the window in the door. After a moment, she turned to me and said she was going to try and pick the lock.

I pulled out my gun and cocked it. "Let me do that."

She looked at me for a moment and then shrugged before holding out her hand. I placed my gun in it and watched as she picked the lock without much difficulty.

She opened the door and walked inside. I stood watch in the hallway as she moved deeper into the room. After a minute, she reappeared with a small painting under her arm. She smiled at me and walked out into the hallway.

"Thanks for the help. You can put your gun away now."

I lowered my gun and placed it back in my holster. She passed me the painting, and I looked at it. It was obviously stolen, and I recognized it immediately. It was only one of the many paintings stolen during the heists.

"This looks like one of the paintings that were stolen. Do you know what you're doing with it?"

"I told you, I'm trying to take it back. I'm part of a group that wants to stop the people who are behind these heists. You should go check the address on the back of the painting, see if it's the right place."

She smiled again and started walking down the hallway. I took the painting and looked at the back. It was the right address.

"Wait, how did you know..."

But she was already gone. I sighed and put the painting in my bag. I had stumbled upon a key piece of evidence in the case, but I still had no idea where the real headquarters of the organization was. I was about to head back to the real world when I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

I turned to see the same blonde girl from earlier. She looked a little out of breath and there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

"You're the girl from before, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm Fiona. You must be Detective Langston."

"How did you know that?"

"I've been watching you and your partner for the past couple days. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

I hadn't. I'd felt like somebody was watching me, but I had assumed it was my partner, Detective Moore. As it turns out, I had been mistaken.

"So, how long have you been following me?"

"Only for a day. I figured you'd show up sooner or later. I'm surprised it took you this long. So, have you had any luck finding the headquarters of the crime ring?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. I've found a lot of clues, but it's been hard to piece them together."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're a good detective."

"Really? You don't see many detectives that don't look like movie stars."

She laughed and shook her head. "Not everybody wants to look like a movie star. Besides, you're a detective. It makes sense that you'd look a little different."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

She looked at me for a moment and then smiled. "Well, I should get going. It was nice talking to you."

She turned to walk away, and I suddenly remembered the painting in my bag. "Wait," I called out. "Can I ask you something?"

She turned around, and I handed her the painting. "Did you steal this painting?"

She looked surprised. "No, I didn't. Why?"

"Well, this was the last painting stolen, and it just seemed suspicious that you were here and you were able to find it."

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm not a thief, detective. I told you, I'm trying to help you with your investigation. That's why I stole the painting."

"Then why didn't you just tell me you were going to steal it?"

"Because I needed to make sure the location was the right one. I didn't want to tip off the crime ring and have them move out of the building beforehand."

I frowned. "So, you're saying that you stole the painting because you didn't know whether or not it was the correct address?"

"Exactly. But I guess it was the right place after all. So, good luck with your investigation, detective. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

She smiled at me and walked away. I stood there for a minute, and then I turned to follow her. I still wanted to know how she knew where the painting was. I wanted to ask her about the crime ring, and why she was helping me. I wanted to ask her about the real headquarters of the crime ring. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was probably right. I'd figure it out eventually.