Codexians, welcome to another chapter of the Snatcher saga. Starring :
Snatchers : They suddenly appeared in Neo Kobe 3 years ago. They are bioroids that can alter their bodies and duplicate the appearance of any human. They mostly target VIPs. Their true goals and origin are unknown.
Gillian Seed : Was found with his wife in Siberia, both suffering severe amnesia. After receiving special training he has been re-instated as a Junker. Junkers hunt down Snatchers. He's made a habit of unsuccessfully hitting on the ladies.
Jamie Seed : Gillian's wife. Since they both can't remember anything about their marriage, they decided to separate for the time being. She's been working in Kobe pharmaceuticals. Occasionally she receives annoying video-calls from Gillian.
Jean-Jacques Gibson : The most experienced Junker in the agency. He managed to find important intelligence on Snatchers. He was found decapitated by the Snatchers he was pursuing.
Katrina Gibson : Gibson's daughter. Currently a popular model in holographic advertisements. If you check her inner-thigh, you'll find a heart-shaped birthmark.
Benson Cunningham : Chief of Junker HQ. Former member of Fox-Hound. He has lousy taste in art.
Mika Slayton : Administrative assistant in Junker HQ. She has two majors in criminology and can act as a backup field agent. She has suffered Gillians clumsy flirting, but she still thinks he's cute.
Harry Benson : Chief engineer of Junker HQ. He has won two Nobel prizes. He has created the "navigators" , the robotic assistants of Junkers. He's an orphan and a rabid fan of Madonna.
Metal Gear Mark II : Personal robotic assistant of Gillian. He provides on-site analysis and problem solving. He records everything, evaluates all of Gillian's moves and provides emotional support with his ironic remarks.
Napoleon : Seedy Chinese informant. You can find his number on Brandy bottles. Has an unhealthy obsession with Napoleon Bonaparte.
CHAPTER 7 : SNATCHERS
Last time we found two possible suspects. One of them could be the Snatcher we're looking for. First let's head over to that surfer guy, Ivan Rodriguez.
District data retrieval networks haven't been installed in this area. As such, there is virtually no data about this area in the Alpha-One network.
I wonder if anybody is actually living in this area.
There are a few freemen here.
Freemen ? You mean these bums over there ?
Their actual lifestyle is not much unlike that of the homeless, but unlike them, these people have chosen to live like this. They often leave good jobs to do so.
But why ?
It appears to be a form of rebellion towards the over-control of information by the central authorities.
Maybe they know something, why don't we ask them ?
Hey, there. Can I ask you something ?
Yeah ?
He's in apartment 301 of this building. He's one of those Air-Surfers, isn't he ?
Thanks. So, how long have you been living here ?
I used to be part of the development team that put together the Alpha-One network. One day I took a peek at some secret data...
That's impossible. Security on the system is ...
It was possible for me ! Anyhow, I saw enough to make me want to leave that kind of society. Why don't you become free, too ? Join us here !
Hmmm... I've got to get my past back before I can become free...
If we insist of asking a lot about their background we'll eventually come to an old guy that's there with them.
Abandoned ?!
Yeah, homes for old people are expensive, so they just dumped him here. It's like a garbage heap for the elderly.
That's inhuman...
We try to take care of him, but you know sometimes he calls out his son's name in the middle of the night. Hey, we know his number, why don't you give him a call ? You're a policeman, aren't you ?
This is sort of a side-quest. There isn't much, but we can call his son and persuade him to pick up his father. So, let's do our good deed. We call him and with a bit of talking we get him to do the right thing :
Now I feel all warm inside. Time to get to Ivan's apartment.
After a couple of knocks, someone finally answers :
Ivan Rodriguez ! I'm a Junker, open up ! I've got a few questions to ask you.
VOICE: What do you want ?
First, you open this door !
VOICE: All right, all right. Just relax...
The door opens... SHIT !
must... draw... blaster ...
Did I kill him ?
He's only unconscious. Good job, Gillian.
Ivan starts to regain consciousness, but he's incapacitated... Let's take a look at him :
Is it possible for a Snatcher to get a suntan like that ?
Without a scanning warrant I can't perform a full analysis, but a visual inspection reveals no cancerous skin lesions, despite his deep tan.
I think it's about time to interrogate this bum.
Hey! What did you come out shooting for ?
I don't know what you're talking about, man !
You're a Snatcher, aren't you ?!
You got the wrong guy, I swear !
Bah, enough with this crap. Time to grab some collars !
You better talk sucker ! Before I loose my patience !
Please, man ! Don't shoot! don't shoot !
Gillian stop ! While your earlier shot is justifiable, harming the suspect now, will violate section 5, article 2 of the Junker bylaw. You must first have concrete evidence that he's a Snatcher.
Damn ! That metallic piece of junk won't let us have any fun. How the hell are we supposed to get to our goal without a bit of good old-fashioned police brutality ?
We should search his bathroom, we may find sunscreen there.
Hmph...Ok. Let's do that.
And so, we enter Ivan's filthy bathroom. Hey, there's a bottle on the shelf :
Suntan oil ? But that's the exact opposite of sunscreen... Ultra-violet light harms the Snatcher's artificial skin...
I detect numerous organic residue and organisms in the water residue here. But, there is no evidence that there is a Snatcher here.
Anything else in the bathtub ?
Nothing. What are you looking for, a snake scale ?
hohoho, if that wasn't an obvious reference, I don't know what it was...
FACT: You don't deserve this LP if you don't know where that came from.
What about the Air Board ?
Hmm. There is a crack on the bottom of the board. Something seems to be jutting out... It's a plastic bag !
Well that about explains everything , doesn't it ?
Yes, it appears that Ivan was simply trying to conceal the fact that he is a drug trafficker.
Let's get back to our friend. Where were we ? Oh yes, we were gun-raping his mouth...
Get up asshole !
Hey, I only do liquid-sky, dude ! I don't touch anything else, don't hurt me !
I couldn't care less about your drugs. The only thing I want to know is if you're a Snatcher or a human.
Gillian ! HQ has transmitted us a scanning warrant. Therefore I hereby commence a full bioscan of Ivan Rodriguez.
Analysis complete. Ivan Rodriguez is a completely normal Homo-Sapience.
Hey, I keep telling you dude ! I'm no Snatcher or whatever. I just do a little Liquid-Sky. Now would you please get me a doctor ?
Save it for the boys from Narcotics. They'll be here any moment now.
Come on, man ! I just needed the money to win the air-board competition. It's just drugs, man !
BLAH BLAH BLAH. Ask us if we care... No Snatchers here. That leaves Freddy Nielsen. Time to pay him a visit and see if he has a suntan.
This is like day and night compared to Ivan's place. This area actually looks safe.
There are pedestrians and cameras everywhere. Would Snatchers actually live in an area where they would be seen ?
Hmmm, they may choose to hide in plain sight. What else do we know about this area ?
The old subway system, known as the tube-liner, uses to run directly underneath. Now, it's been sealed up. Work on the sewers was delayed because they stumbled on it.
Ok enough with this, let's head over to the apartment. We knock, but...
Why don't we try showing our badge, er, I mean our ID ?
I'm a Junker ! Open the door !
VOICE: A Junker ? All right just a minute.
Gillian, please use extreme caution !
Huh ? A woman ?
And you are...
I'm his wife, Lisa. Exactly what can I do for you ? I've had a bad toothache since this morning... I'm really not in a very good mood...
As a matter of fact, we are investigating your husband on the suspicion that he may be a Snatcher.
Freddy ? Freddy a Snatcher ? That's ridiculous !!
We show her the facial montage :
Where is your husband ?
He's out right now. I'm not sure what time he'll be back
Have you noticed anything strange about him lately ?
Uh... I don't know. You see, he drives a "manned taxi", but lately he's been taking walks at night, alone.
Walks, at night ?
Yes I don't know where he's going. He's been acting a little strange lately... But a Snatcher ? No, I can't believe this.
If your husband is a black taxi driver, then there are no records of his working hours, right ? On Thursday around 8 p.m., was your husband at home, or working ?
Hmmm, Thursday... Oh, that's right. That was one of his days off. He was home. He was watching the launch of the first colonial expedition to Mars.
(NOTE: If you play Policenauts, you'll find out more about this expedition)
Are you sure about that ?
Yes, but that evening I went over to a friend's house... I wasn't with him all night.
So, no real alibi. Let's check the rest of the room. What's that map on the wall ?
Moscow ? That place has been no more than a ghost town since the Catastrophe. What would anyone want with such a map ? Mrs. Lisa, what's this map about ?
I don't really know. My husband bought it and stuck it there about 4 months ago.
Gillian, the map is marked in one spot... It says "Kremlin".
Hmmm. Moscow, Kremlin...I wonder what could this mean... We should search the rest of the house.
We'd also like to take a look at your bathroom, if you don't mind.
Of course, go right ahead.
That's one shiny bathroom. Let's check out the fancy-looking bathtub :
Strange. Let's investigate the mirror :
Incredible !
Jeez... I've always been a handsome devil... So, What about the rest of the room ?
Everything is tidy and... Wait a minute. Haven't we seen that bottle before ?
Analyzing... There's no mistake, it's sunscreen !
Sunscreen in the middle of winter, eh ? and it looks like it's been used recently !
All the evidence point to Freddy Nielsen being a Snatcher. We'll have no difficulty getting a scanning warrant for him.
We've got you now, snatcher SCUM !
...
VOICE: So, you figured it out, huh ?
Who's that ?
VOICE: Know all about us... DO YOU, JUNKER ?!
WHAT
THE
HELL ?!
...FUUUUUUUUUU-