Strangetown: chapter 26.5 (Truth)

[strangetomato]

Warnings: None.



Chapter 26.5

Truth



Detective Jack Luxel lifted a book from the shelf.




After his meeting with their client that morning, he had poured through the files again, leading him to what appeared to be another dead end. It was frustrating, but he was not content to give up.

There was one detail that had caught his attention: a reference to alien abduction in the genealogy of one of the suspects. It was something that he was already quite familiar with, but one could never be too well read on the subject.




The records on alien abductions told an interesting story. The increased frequency of these occurances pointed to a growing urgency on the part of the aliens.

It was as if they were racing against time.

The records mentioned his own grandfather's abduction, in Riverblossom Hills. He had moved to Sim City shortly after it had happened, and Jack had been born there too. Jack's own family tree revealed just how linked he was to this story. He was a part of that whole thing, as much as it weighed on him at times. He was marked by it.

There had been very few abductions in Pleasantview in recent memory, but there had been a number of them, and that was significant. There had been some sightings, here and there, but not nearly as many as in that little town on the Road to Nowhere. West of there, through the desert.

Strangetown... was that where his answer lay hidden?




As he worked, he was joined by his partner, Zelda. Knowing that Jack did not like to be disturbed while he was in the middle of something, she quietly selected a volume of her own, and joined him in his research.

Hours passed.




"C'mon, Jack. That's enough for now, don't you think?" Zelda rose to her feet.

"But I'm so close to a breakthrough. I can feel it."

"Suit yourself, then. I'm going to make us a lunch."

"Okay."

When he didn't move, she sighed, but smiled. That was how he was. When Jack put his mind to something, there was no way to pull him from it until he achieved his goal.




He would not rest until he discovered the truth about Bella Goth.








A/N: Thank you to pixelcurious and jessicus for the wonderful sims.

 

Comments

[simgarooop.livejournal.com]

Oh, the plot thickens! I knew it was just a matter of time before the whole Bella Goth connection made an impact in this story! Since you began the Pleasantview crossover, I was eager to see how you'd handle it.

Those are neat sims! I wonder what will Jack discover?!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

You knew it was coming sooner or later, right? ;) It's too good to pass up, and it very much a part of the story of the town.

I really like those sims. I've had my eye on them for a while now, and I think they make an interesting team (though they are a little similar in colouring - oh well, it happens). It was my desire to finally add them to the game that lead to me posting this little bridge chapter.

Jack has a connection, but he's not seeing how it's relevant yet.

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

*rubs hands together* I KNEW it was going to feature Bella, as soon as I saw the name Pleasantview.

Delightful! I can't wait for more.

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Oooo... Bella and aliens! I always knew there had to be some kind of connection with that!

[swhedonberry.livejournal.com]

That's a wicked sweet teaser. I can't wait to see how Bella Goth plays into the story.

Also, I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I really enjoy the new banner!!

[treesahquiche.livejournal.com]

This is probably going to be the shallowest comment you've ever gotten, and I'm very sorry:

Zelda is adorable. Adorableadorableadorable.

[aledstrange.livejournal.com]

wow!! awesome!!!
I'm dying to see how you'll connect Bella in the story now!

[dothesmustle.livejournal.com]

Oooooooh! We're learning more about Bella. She hasn't had a big of a plot yet, other than her sessions with Pascal. I'm going to love to see what your interpretation on the whole Bella craze is!

[jessicus.livejournal.com]

What an unexpected twist. Must go back and re-read chapters with Bella, heh! Zelda looks awesome with the maxis skintone.

[80sfiend.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. Very interesting. I like Jack..he's a hottie! ;P And he's part alien?? :D Nice.

Also wanted to mention I like the new banner. :)

[muslemura.livejournal.com]

Tasty teaser :)

[showercapfrog.livejournal.com]

Ack! So teased now!

Also, I am so frustrated that you seem to have seen into my head, taken my story idea and made it good with your writing :P I hate all you people with your psychic knowledge of my half-formed ideas!

At first I thought Jack was Frances...but I guess it's because they're both hot men with similar hairstyles.

[soniabigcheese.livejournal.com]

First of all, congrats on getting hitched.
Oohhh, I've been following this story all along and simply love it. I've lurked for ages now, but just couldn't resist posting a comment.
Hmm, the mystery that is Bella. Wonder what intrigues you'll come up with, with this new twist on the abduction rumours.

Keep up the good work, I'm seriously hooked.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Zelda is just ridiculously cute. She has such a unique look too.

You can find her in her natural habitat here:

Afterland

It's a great read.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Were you planning to write something about Bella too? You should still go for it! There is (way) more than one way to tell a story. I'm sure you'll put your own twist on it, even if we're working with a similar concept. I know what you mean about someone seeming to steal a brain cell from you, though... it's eerie at times.

I'm following what I've gathered as the likely answer to the "what happened to Bella" question, given the clues and facts left in Pleasantview, but I've added some extra details to make the connection to Strangetown a little more concrete. You'll see. Bella got herself caught up in the middle of some very bad news. She's lucky she can't remember anything.

It's probably Jack's pale skin and black hair. It's the same colouring that the Worthingtons have. They're both hot, I agree.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Well, the Maxis back story did leave certain clues... ;) They seem to suggest that it had something to do with alien abduction, but why did she end up in Strangetown instead of being returned to Pleasantview? That's the question that needs to be answered here.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Well, Bella has been poking into some scenes here and there with Pascal, so it was only a matter of time (and timing, for this story) before her story is more fully revealed. I've had something planned since the beginning, and it has developed a little more as I went along. I hope it all works out and makes sense...

Thank you. This will enter the story again fairly soon, I think.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I was dying to reveal a little more of the Bella storyline. I have my take on it pretty well worked out now, I think, and I can still improvise some of the details as I go. It's such an interesting little mystery built into the game.

Thank you. I'm happy to hear that. :)

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

Sweet X-Files feel to this. I have a soft spot for X-Files (ok, mostly David Duchovny, but I digress).

And you're getting to the conspiracy (for lack of a better word) side of the story, too. Does this bode well for more tales from the peripheral characters? *gives puppy eyes*

(and how much do you love pixel's sims? she's my go to girl for aliens)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I just might slip a little more Bella into the next chapter... just maybe, though. Erin already bullied her way in there, but there might be room for some more of Bella in the first half. I have some ideas.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I should probably re-read those too, just to make sure I'm not contradicting myself somewhere in my plans. Trying to make all of the disparate parts into a halfways coherent story can be a challenge. It's a fun challenge, though. I wonder if it will all fall into place eventually? (If not, I'm sure it will still be fun to work with what I have.)

Zelda looks great anyway, so it was fun to make her over in the style of this story. I'm glad you liked the results. I wasn't sure how you'd feel about her in the Maxis skin, but I think it works. I gave her some pale Lyran eyes that matched the colour of the eyes you use on her pretty well.

I'm thinking of keeping her last name from Afterland, if that's okay with you. (If not, I can change it.)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was thinking The X-Files there too, after I had written it. I almost titled it "Truth (yes, it really is out there somewhere)." I'm a Duchovny fan too... I think I've mentioned it before. *swoons* He falls squarely into my type.

I have plans to bring hints at the "conspiracy" (you're right, it's not quite a conspiracy at all, but I won't give more detail than that) into the next chapter or two.

The peripheral characters will be featured in very small doses, but I will digress from the main story a little. I'm thinking about side stories that will crop up here and there, but nothing too elaborate (unless I get really inspired - then I might do a little short story on the side). They'll remain pretty peripheral, since the playing field is pretty crowded as it is. Some of those who I would consider the secondary characters (the older generation) will get more play in the upcoming chapters too.

Stop trying to sidetrack me! *snicker* I really want to move the MAIN characters forward. At this rate, it will take me 20 years to write this story.

Pixel has some great sims, but I have a soft spot for Jack above all of them. He's very special to Pixel, and I can see why. Those alien eyes were made just for him - what's not to love?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) We tied that knot and tied it good.

Nice to meet you. *waves* It's great to hear from a lurker. I'm happy to hear that you've been following and enjoying it. Thanks for reading!

I've always loved the Bella mystery. So many fans of Sims 1 were pissed about it (and it was a pretty nasty blow to original fans, in some ways), but they created such great potential for a story there. Like many of the sim mysteries (such as Olive, the Grim Reaper, and Nervous), there are many ways to interpret it.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. I love cooking up a fresh batch of teasers. :P I was just dying to post something story-related.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, peripheral wasn't the word I wanted. I meant supporting characters. Peripheral is more the ones you only see in passing and never really get full stories from (as opposed to support staff who you know a bit more about).

*snicker* Yeah, you are the slow and steady type. The subs can get a lot of love once the mains finally escape college and return to the hood (or where ever they're going).

Pixel's Jack IS special. I was surprised when she offered him to any and all and I'm taking special care to be very kind to him in Peculiar (he's so cute and sweet, it's not hard to give him a "nice" story).