A Strange Scan

Ch.1 A Strange Scan...

Emily Sayoko Hunter sat in the attic, starring at the pages of her father’s journals. “This isn’t right…There can’t be any truth to these pages….OH!! I’ve gotta get out of here before they return.” Emily quickly placed the books she read back in the case she found them in and rushed toward the attic’s staircase. Within a few minutes, she was able to close the entrance to the murky upper room and reach her bedroom when her parents opened the door. “Emily. We’re back. Can you come down here please?” Murdoc called up to his daughter while hanging up his wife’s coat. Emily rushed down to the living room and hopped over the couch, landing on the cushions. “Yeah, dad? What is it?” Her mother brushed some of her silver white bangs out of her eyes. “First of all, DON’T jump over the furniture. Second, you’ve apparently had some problems fitting in with your class. Why is that, Emily?” Emily looked away from her slender figured mother. “I-I don’t know, mom. I mean, I just don’t like the way they all act…well, not all of them but…” Murdoc sighed as he looked at his watch. “We can talk about that tomorrow. You’ve got school tomorrow and it’s passed 8 o’clock. And what’s more, you haven’t even showered and gotten ready for bed…Is there something wrong?” Emily slowly nodded her head, looking up to her father, but before she could say a word, Murdoc’s cell phone rang. “Hold that thought, girl. Hello…Yes, there isn’t much going on right now. We just returned from Emily’s Open House at her school…No, she stayed home to finish the homework for tomorrow…Yeah, no problem. You can come by. Okay, see ya, Alana.” Murdoc looked back at his teenage daughter, who had apparently listened to his end of the conversation, and was waiting in anticipation for an obvious response. “*sigh* Fine, Em, you may stay up until 10:30, but after that it’s straight to bed for you, ok?” “Yeeessss!” Emily said as she rushed her way to her room to get her PJ’s and have a shower. While in the shower, she began to think about certain events that she read about, which confused her. “Maybe…I could ask them without letting them know I was in the attic…” Thinking about what she wanted to say and how to say it, she dried herself off, put on her red pajamas and made her way down the stairs to see her martial arts instructor and long time friend of Murdoc, Alana Salazar. At the door with her was her older brother, Blaine, who poked Murdoc’s forehead. As Emily made her way to the group of adults, Alana quickly threw a right hook to her side. Emily leaned back and threw her left leg to block her instructor’s attack. Alana smiled as Emily smirked before performing a flip kick using Alana’s arm as a boost to lift herself up. Alana moved back as Emily gracefully landed on her feet before being pushed down on her rear end. Emily looked up in confusion and saw Alana standing over her with her arm stretched out. “Don’t be flashy unless you know for sure it’s a knockdown. That, plus the fact you would have landed out for a penalty.” Emily looked at the distance between where they started and where she is now and jumped up in surprise. Murdoc stood behind Alana. “And who taught her these moves?” Alana, sweating bullets, slowly turned around to try to explain what happened. “I learned them on my own, dad! She tells me not to use them, but I like them.” Blaine knelt down next to Emily. “While its try that it catches the eye, it has many flaws like the one my sister showed you.” Emily lowered her head in slight disappointment. “Okay…” As Emily settled down, a “FAALCOON PUUNNCH!!” rang throughout the house. Murdoc, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, pointed to the couch near his daughter. “Sorry Emi, but could you give me my phone…HEY! Don’t read it!” Emily looked at her mother, then her father. “What’s Trace Memory?” Both parents mentally froze in place. Emily took no notice of their mental anguish as she continued to read the message. “ You still attend the Anime Expo & you two cosplay as well!?” Her mother quickly recovered and patted her child on the shoulder. “Well, we do like anime and manga. Aside from that, how do you think you get that bookshelf full of manga and DVD shelf loaded with anime?” Emily looked at her father with eyes wide open. “You mean you guys buy them all there?” Murdoc chuckled as he quickly snatched his phone back from his daughter's dainty hands as he read the rest of the message. Emily thought about what she had read in her father’s journals, and an idea popped into her head. "This is the perfect opportunity to ask what I need to know.” As she stood there deep in thought, Blaine called her to attention. “Yo, you just gonna stand there with that blank expression on your face or are ya’ gonna get over here with the rest of us?” Blushing, she shook herself out of her thoughts.

“Hey, dad? You say you always go to the Anime Expo, right?” Murdoc turned to Emily as she made her way over to the table where everyone had gathered. “Sure, as much as we can, anyways. There are times where it’s just me, or my wife & Karla would go. Even Terry went a few times.” Emily nodded. “Okay, but what about the first time you went? Was it by yourself or did everyone go?” Murdoc palmed his bearded chin for a minute before Alana spoke. “Well, I may not remember the first time you went, but I do remember the one year that you did go. It was the only time Karla skipped out on her martial arts classes that week. In fact, she told me pretty much how it happened…"

"Don't worry about a thing, Terry. The event will go just as planned." Murdoc Hunter said over his speakerphone while typing figures into a program on his desktop computer. "Yes, but will your job interfere again, pulling you away from your social life?" Terry Marmo asked his lifelong friend. "The last time they did that, you were swamped with work for a couple of weeks." Murdoc leaned back in his chair and turned to his 19 year old sister, Katherine Rholanda Hunter, who was watching T.V. "I'm taking my vacation early." Was the response Terry received. "What? You said that was for you and Karla! Is she ok with that?" Murdoc stood from his comfort zone and picked up the phone. “Not a problem. My sis and I are going to the Anime Expo this weekend, and I’m long overdue for some Naruto! It'll just be Karla 'n I." Terry fell silent for a second before answering. "Guess that'll work. I'll be at the Karate dojo this Friday, but I’ll have the DJ equipment ready and at your house on Wednesday. Can you have it set up by Friday?" "Sure. It'll be done by Thursday afternoon, then we can all go out for dinner. You game?" "Sounds good. I'll see you at Fry's Electronics on Tuesday."

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dad! I didn’t know you worked on music, too!” Emily said, leaning on the table while listening intently to their story. Murdoc, smiled at his child. “Well, yeah, sure. There was more to me than just work…” “And video games.” Said a smirking Alana. “Or watching anime.” Blaine said, laughing out loud, before having his side elbowed by his younger sister. It didn’t stop his laughing, though. “Or playing YuGiOh.” Said Murdoc’s wife, who looked at him with a smile that said ’touch me and you DIE!’. Murdoc only shrugged. “Everyone’s against me… Well, I was 24 at that time and was working as a private investigator, not yet a detective, so I had a lot of free time.” Emily tilted her head to the side. “24? Wow, that’s old!” Murdoc glared at Emily. “UGH! SHUT UP OR GO TO BED!” Alana placed a hand on Murdoc’s shoulder “Whoa there, tiger. She’s only 13, and she’s your daughter. “Alana then turned back to Emily. “Murdoc DID prioritize his life. He also worked with other police officers in his city department, as well as D.J. in his spare time.” Blaine, still laughing, leaned on the glass table and pointed to Murdoc. “And he had a lot of that, huh?” Before Murdoc could attack Blaine, he stopped laughing to continue talking. “But seriously, his free time might have been just playtime to most, but he utilized that time for some rather interesting projects. As far as your uncle Terry Marmo, that’s still your dad’s best friend, and he also was a D.J. in his spare time.” Alana crossed her arms and nodded her head. “Terry is known for his skills in various martial arts. That’s a guy nobody wanted to fight.” Emily looked at Alana. “Was uncle Terry really that strong?” Her mother answered instead. “Yes! Definitely. He was-no, still is one or the strongest guys I know. He also had plans for creating his own business, Marmo Industries way back then. So you see, both men had their plates full, but would always make time for one little lady: Katherine Rholonda Hunter.” Emily began to think, trying to put the pieces of what she heard together with what she read. “Who‘s that? Is that some relative I don’t know?” Everyone at the table laughed at Emily’s question. Her mother shook her head. “You know, it has been awhile since that name was actually used. Katherine is Karla, your aunt.” Emily was in shock. “No way!” she thought. “Even in my dad’s journals he didn’t mention that! I guess she had been called that for so long it stuck.” “But wait.” Emily began to speak again. “Why doesn’t she use her real name?” Murdoc smirked. “She can't stand her birth name. So to this day, she prefers the name "Karla". In fact, the only person who ever used her birth name was your late grandmother, Sonya Hunter.” Alana coughed to get everyone’s attention again. “Now where'd I leave off... Oh! I remember. Karla said that you two had cosplayed on the second & last days of the expo with your dad looking like Kakashi from Naruto and Karla dressed as Beauty from BoBo-Bo-Bo-BoBo..." "...Really, Doc. Did you have to cosplay as someone from Naruto both days?" Karla said as she removed her pink wig and let her long light brown hair fall past her shoulders. "Honestly, I don’t know how you can hide all that hair in that wig, sis!" Karla smirked at Murdoc's rebuttal, while he brought three large bags of souvenirs bought throughout the convention inside next to the couch. "Funny. I've never seen a black Kakashi before!" "Heh. You're lucky you have light skin. That’s the only way you'd play a good Beauty!" "Puh-leez! I'm naturally beautiful!" Karla said, striking a modeling pose, making her older brother roll his eyes while taking his belongings to his room. "You girls are as vein as peacocks..." Karla laughed as she yelled back. "And you wonder why you don't have a girlfriend now. You're sooo picky!" "...Whatever, Karlie. Check the machine. Seems like we have a few messages." Murdoc said from his room. Karla looked over by the computer and saw a flashing "3" on the green monitor. As she pressed the play button, she sat in the large black office chair and swiveled left to right. "Three messages. Friday, 4:27 pm. Yo, it's ya boy, Ra. I guess you two left earlier than five. I've got the tracks that you and Ter wanted to mix, so I'll hold on to 'em until Tuesday. Hope you two have fun, and don't spend too much on Karla." "Too late, Rasheed..." Karla thought with a chuckle as the next message played. "Saturday, 10:16 am. Murdoc...Hello?...Rats. Anyway, it's Lieutenant Beckly. There's a case that has been bouncing around the beat here, and Sergeant Thompson and I thought you'd be interested. You don't have to take it right away, but let us know before the Fat Butt-ins of Instigation, or the F.B.I. as they prefer to be called, decide to take it from us instead. Enjoy your vacation and tell the little lady hello from the P.D." "I'll call them later tomorrow. And pretend you didn't hear that F.B.I. joke!" Murdoc said as he stepped out of his room wearing a pair a blue denim jeans and a plain white tee. On the side of one of his belt loops was a deck box with Yu-Gi-Oh cards and slung over his shoulder was a blue backpack. "Sunday, 12:21 pm. Wudup, kid. It's Terry calling to let you know it's cool to use my scanner for your projection project...I'll be available all day today. Later." Karla looked behind her. "Is that what's in the bag?" Murdoc nodded. "Yep. Hmm...2:38, huh? Ok, I'm gonna grab some gas, run over to Terry's pad, and I'll be home before 7:30-8:00. I'll fix dinner." Karla crossed her arms playfully. ”You’d better!” Murdoc bent over the chair and kissed Karla's forehead. "Promise. If you need anything..." "I know, I know. Call your cell phone or Terry. I'm not 11 or 12 anymore! I'll be fine, so stop playing the 'big brother' card!" "*sigh*I know, but you're still my 'little sister' to me." Karla looked up at Murdoc with a small smile."...Go on. Keep this up, and you'll be stuck in traffic, and my guest for the house party will show up before you leave..." Murdoc laughed as he walked out the door. "You're popular, but you ain't no celebrity!" As he made his way to his Ford GT, he placed his headset on his ear and dialed Terry's home. "So Edgar, how was your vacation?" "Quite fun, but tiring as well. I had my hands full with a 19 year old anime fan girl!" "Runs in the family, huh?" "Har de har har, Marmo... Anyway, how was the karate class?" Terry sighed deeply on the other end of the line. "It wasn't so bad this time. Out of the 20 something students, only four had to really work on their technique, while two really stood out." Murdoc smirked, knowing which one of the two they really knew. "Alana was there, wasn't she?" "...Yeah. We'll talk about that later." Murdoc kept that smirk on his face. "Sure, ok. I'm at the Shell station up the block. I'll be down at your door in less than 5 minutes." After filling up his tank, and grumbling about the high price of the gas in his neighborhood, he pulled in to Terry's driveway. Terry Marmo lived alone in a small house that would have been better of with a roommate, as it had two bedrooms, a main bathroom, and a guest restroom. Murdoc walked past Terry's midnight blue Eclipse in the usual spot in front of the garage door as he stepped up to the black gate. *knock, knock* ...No response. "Huh?" Murdoc thought. "Maybe I should knock louder...?"*KNOCK, KNOCK* ...Still nothing. Murdoc scratched his beard as he looked through the dark painted gate. To his right he saw Terry Marmo sitting in front of his computer with his studio headphones on. "Oh, great... He can't hear me...Huh?" Curiously, Murdoc turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. Opening the door and stepping inside, he found was a mistake, as his eyes saw something flying towards his face! "Whoa!" He moved back outside as he heard Terry's voice. "I KNOW your mother told you not to just walk into people's houses like that, right?" Murdoc bent down and picked up the thrown set of keys as he walked back inside. "I could say the same about your door being unlocked, Ter." Turning around to face Murdoc, Terry raised an eyebrow. "I didn't leave the door unlocked, kid." Murdoc, in turn, raised his own. "You didn't? Well who..." "Sorry, dawg. That was my fault." A new voice was heard as another person emerged from the kitchen. Holding a glass of ice water stood Rasheed Wilton. Rasheed was a dark skinned male with French braids. Murdoc and Terry glared at their friend. "Rasheed, you left my door unlocked?" Rasheed shrugged. "I went to the restroom, man." "So you left the door unlocked?" Murdoc stated instead of asking. Rasheed slumped his shoulders. "You ain't gotta grill me, inspector Von Hunter..." "Don't call me by my P.D. name, Rasheed!" Murdoc said tightening his fist. Terry turned his glare to Murdoc. "Hey, man. Calm down. Did you bring the cards to scan?" Murdoc reached into his bag and pulled out his laptop, card folder, a few cables, and a small round device with a lens in the center. "Yeah, all here." Rasheed sipped his water before talking. "Hey Doc, I've got the music you wanted to mix for your sister's birthday party. How is Karla anyway?" Murdoc finished hooking up his equipment to Terry's computer and scanner. "Oh, you know...The same as always. Playful and flirtatious, but has a good head on her shoulders like girls her age should. As for the music, I've gotta take a rain check. Promised Karla I’d be back before eight 'o clock. Only here to scan these cards." “Sorry to interrupt again, but who’s Rasheed?" Emily asked while sitting on Murdoc’s lap. Murdoc fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Rasheed’s my music partner and Terry’s business advisor.” Emily leaned on the table to look up at Murdoc. “But you and uncle Terry run your business with ease, right?” Alana ran her blue nailed fingers through her short black hair. “True, but they weren’t always like that, you know. Rasheed's computer and music knowledge had risen him from a small studio in his garage to a high-rise building where he produces and mixes for singers and rappers today. He had been in the business for a long time before the other two.” “He's true to his music, and is absolutely amazing with computers. That’s what made him propel in the industry.” Murdoc added. “Rasheed, Terry, and I were really close friends in high school and also took band class together. I was on the drums, Terry was on the trombone, and Rasheed was on the saxophone. Our teacher called us the 'troublesome trio'. But I digress, back to the story at hand, I was scanning the Yu-Gi-Oh cards and everything was going smoothly until..." "Ok. Time for the Egyptian god cards. Obelisk the tormentor..." Terry looked at his monitor. "Scan is clear. I’m sending it to your laptop for digital projection." Murdoc typed in some figures before sending the image to his projection device. "Whoa! It's huge!" Rasheed said as he saw the 7 foot projection of the blue god card. "...Too small, but it works." Murdoc said, reaching for Slifer the Sky Dragon. Terry looked at his companion. "Too small, Doc? Aren't you asking for a bit too much?" Murdoc placed the red card in the scanner. "No. When you use the projection system, you expect the monsters to be life-like and life-size. That is an Egyptian god card, so..." He sent the image to Terry, who confirmed its picture quality before sending it back to Murdoc. Typing more figures into his laptop, he sent it to his projector. "...This is what it would look like when it is summoned to the field!" As he hit the enter key, Rasheed nearly split his water on the floor when he saw only a third of the divine dragon's tail, as the rest was cut off by the roof. Terry pointed to the last card in the folder, The Winged Dragon of Ra. "One more, kid. Let's get it done." Murdoc pulled the card out of the sleeve and placed the golden card on the clear screen of the scanner. However, when the button was pressed, something strange happened. The entire system shut down. Scanner, monitor, laptop, and digital projector. Off. "Murdoc, what did you do?" Terry asked scornfully. "I pressed the scan button. Don't blame me for this!" Murdoc said in defense. Rasheed looked around the equipment. "No cords were burnt, and there isn't much voltage being bulled from this socket. Turn it back on, Terry." Doing as told, Terry powered up his PC. "It's starting normally...What the heck...!" Rasheed said in shock. "Hey! What is this, the Matrix?" Murdoc exclaimed as Terry sat as still as stone. Their focus was glued to the monitor as the black screen began to drop foreign green symbols vertically at a steady pace. "H-Hey! It's on my laptop, too!" That was all Rasheed needed to hear, as he quickly pulled the plugs on both the PC and the laptop. "Ok, boys. It's time to play doctor on these computers. You did save you progress, right?" Terry and Murdoc nodded slowly before Rasheed placed the laptop on the couch and began to undo any attachments on Terry's PC before he would take it home. "Well, it's 7:47, and I did promise a young lady a nice dinner..." Murdoc said as he made his way to the door. Terry walked him to his car. "Alright, man. Drive safe and tell lil’ bit hello for me." Murdoc nodded as he turned to Rasheed. "Hey, Ra! Let me know as soon as you find out what that was all about, ok?" And he drove off. "Karla, I'm home!" Murdoc said in his normal tone. He looked around the house and didn't see or hear anything. Keeping a calm tone, he reached for his licensed gun, keeping it hidden at his side. "Karla?" He slowly made his way to his bedroom, he released the breath he had subconsciously was holding, as he saw his little sister curled up in a ball with her white pjs on, sound asleep. "Heh. 'Bout time." Was all he said as he tucked her in his blanket and left for the living room to read. And as he left, her lips curved into a small smile.