Horologium: part 5
Will
(So Chuck is here!)
(James was right!)
(And he does have a Manifesto by the looks of it…)
(…one that lets him turn himself invisible!)
(We've got you now!)
Where is he going?
Auriga, I need to see normally again!
The world returns to normal
Will
Now, where is he?
Where does the trail go?
Hm?
That direction…
I-I think that's where the barn is…
Wait a minute…
(We were told that the barn suddenly caught on fire the other day, and Chuck was caught on arson charges…)
(Did…did Chuck light the barn on fire?)
(No, that can't be the case.)
(It has to be mere coincidence…)
(There's no way for him to be here according to Auriga when the fire was lit a few days ago…)
…
(Why am I getting caught up on the details?!)
(Chuck Berry is here! I need to warn James before it's too late!)
Will begins running.
The time is 7:50
Perspective change to James
James opens the doors of the barn
James
(Ok, you may have misjudged the situation…)
(Don't get trigger happy, but you need to stay on guard…)
(Just…just calm down…)
(Even if it turns out Mitski was the enemy and that this is all a trap, he was still right about the fact that as a detective, it's my job to take careful note of the situation before passing judgement.)
(See? There's nothing abnormal about this barn, just what you'd expect from a barn.)
(Hay stacks, some wool, some crops…)
James takes a deep breath
James
Ok!
(Get your head back in the game Spectre!)
(You've got a job to complete…)
(Still, this barn is very large, even if Will was still here, it could take me a while to actually find…well…anything…)
(What is it I'm looking for exactly?)
(Traces of a fire I guess…)
(Anything to present as evidence to my client…)
(I feel kind of silly if I'm being honest, just wandering around this barn looking for anything suspicious.)
(I wonder if there's actually anything in here at all.)
(What are the odds I'm just looking around a normal run-of-the-mill farm?)
?
(It's those footprints from earlier, I guess whoever left them came in here…)
(...those footsteps came inside…)
(The footsteps are in here!?)
James brings out Lacerta
James
(These patterns aren't a part of a well-worn trail from someone making the trek everyday…)
(...these are the tracks of someone who just entered the barn…)
(Then they suddenly disappear…)
(...over near that ladder…)
Heh…
(I've got you now!)
(Whether Mitski knows you're on his farm or not doesn't bother me…)
(He told me that there's no one else on this farm…)
(Meaning at the least you're trespassing!)
James begins running and then stops himself
James
(Wait, let's not be reckless about this…)
(I should wait and examine the situation…)
(The path is too obvious for the person that made it to not notice it…)
(There has to be something more to this…)
(It has to be some kind of trap…)
(I can't let myself get caught up in this person's web!)
(Let's take this slowly and thoroughly…)
(Those footprints are recent due to the fresh indent in the mud…)
(They can't be older than a day…)
(Looking at the footprints themselves, it's clear the person in them attempted to tread lightly, that paired with the imprint left by the sole implies that these aren't boots like mine, they seem more like dress shoes…)
(Whoever's wearing them didn't want to get mud on them…)
(Possibly throwing off anyone tailing them was just an unforeseen benefit.)
(The footprints look like they're roughly 26.55 centimetres long…)
(With that I can get their height, so 26.55 divided by 0.15…)
(That means the owner of the footprints is around 177 centimetres tall.)
(That means they can't belong to Mitski, Mitski's too short…)
(It's also not Will's footprints, Will wasn't wearing dress shoes like this.)
(I'll assume from the height and from the shoes the person I'm following is a man…)
(So, the suspect should be around 177 centimetres tall, or 5 '8", well dressed, male.)
(A well dressed man…)
(Now, this could all be a coincidence…)
(And I know I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions…)
(But I also can't just ignore all of the evidence that is piling up…)
(To me, it seems like I was on the right track with my original theory.)
(My instincts were probably right.)
(He was here.)
(I don't know if he gave a Manifesto to Mitski or what happened here…)
(But I know he was in this barn.)
(You're mine now.)
Perspective change to Will
The time is 7:55
Will
Auriga!
I need to see it again!
The world eclipses
Will
(These footprints, they're definitely Chuck's. He was definitely moving in this direction before…)
(So then why…)
(Why whenever I'm not using Auriga are the footprints still appearing?!)
(How is this happening?!)
(He was moving in the past, but also in the present in the same direction and at the same time…)
(How does this work!?)
(This shouldn't be possible?!)
(How in the world is he doing this?!)
(This goes beyond merely being invisible, this is a different power altogether!)
(How strong is this guy?!)
(This can't be happening!)
?
(Is that a second trail of footprints?)
(But this is a complete trail already…)
Auriga, is there any chance you can show me this area a few days ago?
Auriga shakes its head
Auriga
Heri domain noster
Will
I'll take that as a no…
(Just what is happening here…)
(This farm…)
(It doesn't make any damn sense!)
(People being present in both the past and present, beautiful weather and temperatures in the middle of winter…)
(Barns suddenly igniting one night before being back to normal the next day…)
(The dead coming back to life…)
(None of this is normal!)
(How can a place like this exist?)
(Even if Manifestos are involved…)
(...How many people on this farm would need a Manifesto for that to be possible?!)
Auriga!
The world eclipses
Will
Attack!
Auriga
VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI! VI!
None of the punches connect
Will
(none again!)
(How in the world is this possible?!)
Huh?
It looks like we're about to reach the barn!
Perspective change to James
The time is 7:58
James
(Slowly and steadily approach…)
(I must not let the suspect escape…)
(They're too close for me to even think about letting them get away from me now!)
James slowly creeps around the barn
James
(So many cobwebs…)
(I guess Mitski's too old to get up here…)
(No, don't focus on that…)
(Focus on the muddy footprints…)
(Those are what will lead me to him!)
James gets to a door
In the room, there's a figure against the wall
James smirks to himself
James
(Heh, I knew it.)
(You're right where I expected you to be.)
James brings out Lacerta
James
(There's not really any benefit for me to pretend to be friendly…)
(He must've heard me and Mitski yelling…)
(It would be more surprising if he didn't.)
(I'm sure he's ready for a fight as well)
(I gotta attack before he has time to run!)
Freeze or I'll shoot!
Hm?
W-what is that…?
T-that isn't human…
What is it?
C-could that be…
…a Manifesto?
The camera flips to show Horologium, standing in the room: Horologium lies still, only being a torso and a head. The body is hanging off of the ground being supported by what look like webs.
James
(There's a Manifesto in here!)
(But, if there's a Manifesto, then where is the user?)
(There wouldn't just be a Manifesto on its own, would there?)
Hm?
What is that?
The time is 7:59
Perspective change to Will
Will
I knew it!
This trail was leading me to the barn!
Hm?
Is that the farmer going into the barn?
Wait, the trail is stopping here?
Auriga!
The world eclipses.
Will
That's definitely Chuck!
Wait, what's he doing?
Is…is that a Manifesto!?
A manifesto appears from Chuck's back as the barn begins to erupt into flames.
Perspective change to James
James
(Smoke?!)
(D-did someone set fire to the barn!?)
(I've got to get out of here!)
James passes through the door, as he escapes he passes Mitski
James
M-Mitski!!!
Mitski's skin has begun to melt from the fire
Mitski
Are you finished investigating the barn?
Goodnight then sir.
James
(W-what in the world is going on here!?)
The time is 8pm
Screams come from upstairs in the loft of the barn
James
(Screams!?)
(Was there someone else up there with me!?)
(No, there was only…)
(...the Manifesto!)
James runs up the stairs and sees the Manifesto scream as it begins to emit light from its mouth.
James blocks his eyes from the light