The street is dark; it's nighttime, and the road glistens with moisture. The smell of fresh air after the rain still lingers. Two detectives enter the town, ready to break down a crime scene.
"I feel like a movie star right now," Jacques grins. He loves it here, in the simulated crime scene world accessed through VR technology. His only complaint is his partner: a grumpy twink with the face of an angel but the personality of a robot.
"Cease your unproductive jesting, Jacques. Failure to complete this task successfully will result in forfeiting a significant opportunity," Charles snaps, his voice sharp with frustration. The determination on his face shows just how much this simulator exam means to him.
Jacques scratches his head trying to understand the difficult words Charles was using on him, "forfeiting... what?!"
Charles is too lazy to repeat himself, it's useless to talk to an imbecile. Honestly, he can't understand why the instructor paired him with Jacques. Jacques isn't even in the crime investigation extracurricular program. In fact, Charles has no idea why Jacques is at the police academy at all; it seems like he's not interested in anything the academy has to offer.
For Charles, the goal is crystal clear: he wants to be a detective, catch criminals, and bring peace to the world. Jacques, on the other hand, is a complete enigma—here for fun, seemingly clueless, and utterly unserious. Charles is convinced Jacques will only drag him down.
"Baxter and Durant," Instructor David's voice booms through the microphone, drawing their attention. "Welcome to Crime Scene One. Your task is to collect evidence, analyze it, and capture the murderer. You have one hour to apprehend the suspect before they escape the city. If they get away, you fail. Now, before we begin, do you have any questions?"
Jacques raises his hand.
"Yes, Durant?"
"Why am I here?" Jacques asks, his tone blunt and casual. "I didn't even sign up for the investigation extracurricular class."
The instructor clears his throat awkwardly before replying. "I'll explain everything once this is over, Durant. For now, just do your best to solve the crime. Any other questions?"
"Is it possible to request a partner reassignment?" Charles ask.
"For the 5th times, No, Baxter. Other question?"
Neither of them has anything to add.
"Alright, then. I'll set the timer now. Investigation begins. Good luck, detectives!" The voice goes silent.
Jacques glanced at Charles, who returned the look with a cold, calculated warning. "Under no circumstances are you to interfere with my process."
"Beep-beep-boop!" Jacques sarcastically responded.
Charles walks forward, not wasting a second as he starts collecting any evidence he can find in the small town simulation.
"I'm here just to cheer you up! Same as a cheerleader, but without the pompoms." Jacques follows Charles, looking around curiously. "So, how does this work? How do you know if something is evidence or not?"
Charles checks for fingerprints on a car body while replying to his partner. "The outcome depends entirely on our efficiency in identifying relevant evidence. Unlike in video games, you can't just press a button and find evidence. Here, you need precision. Evidence is dispersed unpredictably, with no indication of validity. Errors are not only possible but statistically probable without careful analysis."
Jacques is inspecting an electricity pole nearby. "Hhh... let's just assume I get it instead of getting more confused. So, you can miss stuff big time and overlook things, right? So what's the case about? A serial killer hiding in the warehouse? Any more information about him?"
"The procedure is explicitly detailed in the manual provided prior to VR immersion. I presume you neglected to study it in full?"
"Too many words. My mind drifted to the clouds."
"It is not a challenge to comprehend if you engage cognitive effort."
"Did you just called me "brainless"? At least reading that manual isn't as hard as deciphering your speeches!"
Charles rolls his eyes. Before he could respond, Instructor David's voice cut in. "Durant, if you want to check the manual, you can open the menu interface and read it there."
"Oh, got it!" Jacques opened the menu interface and reread the manual in digital form. "Banshee is a code name for a female serial killer who kidnaps children. No one knows what happens to those children; they just vanish. She escaped to this street and is hiding for one hour before getting her chance to escape. The detectives are assigned to capture her before she escapes."
Jacques switched to the map interface. "So, the point is, we need to find her before she escapes, right? Let's see..."
After examining the map, Jacques started walking away.
"Where are you going?" Charles shouted at Jacques, who had strayed from him.
"Just in case. Let's hope this VR world is highly detailed." Then Jacques disappeared into an alley.
Charles growled and kept searching for evidence. He found broken shards and blood trails, but he couldn't piece them together. This simulator was highly detailed, with no confirmation when the right evidence was found. This is why he failed last time. Charles had seen the Banshee escape, and now he felt the rush to figure out where she was hiding.
The last time he did it alone, he believed no one was as smart as him. Other people only held him back. Now he was partnered with Jacques, the dumbest of all! He had no idea what the instructors had in mind. At least Jacques wasn't getting in his way now.
Charles found a trail of footprints that disappeared into the warehouse. The warehouse was dark, and a weird sound came from a dangling rusty lamp. The air thick with the smell of rust and damp wood. Charles used his flashlight to help him see the interior, hoping to follow the Banshee's trail.
A faint scuffle echoed in the distance. He froze, heart pounding. Was it her? He turned sharply, the light catching on a distant shadow that seemed to dart behind a stack of crates. The sound of footsteps—or was it just the wind?—sent a chill crawling up his spine.
Charles quickly turned around and drew his gun. He momentarily forgot that this was just a simulation. Everything felt so real. Charles mustered all the bravery he could and followed the sound.
As he entered a room in the warehouse, things got creepier. Junk was strewn everywhere, reminding him of the horror movies he'd watched last weekend. But he kept his logic intact. He moved further in, carefully checking every corner.
Halfway through, BAM! The door slammed shut. Charles rushed to it, trying to open it, but it was locked.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Charles shook the door handle and heard someone lock it from the outside. A shadowy silhouette appeared, peeking through the glossy window, creating a gruesome horror sight.
"Ahh!!" Charles screamed, his heart pounding with fear.
The laughter of the silhouette echoed before it turned away and disappeared.
"This can't be happening... I failed again." Charles stomped the ground in anger. Last time, he had checked a house because of broken glass, assuming the Banshee had entered there, but he'd found nothing before the time ran out. Now, he had avoided the house, checked the warehouse, and ended up locked in.
Charles kicked the door frantically, trying to free himself. The door wouldn't budge. He kicked harder at the handle until it finally broke. But as Charles stepped out, the siren sounded, signaling the end of the simulation.
"Alright, it's over. Good job, cadets," the instructor announced.
The boys removed their VR goggles as the instructor entered the room, looking proud. "Congratulations, you captured the Banshee."
The instructor's assistants clapped as Jacques clenched his fist, celebrating the success.
"Wait... What just happened? I don't understand," Charles said, looking back and forth between everyone.
"Durant captured the Banshee using an unconventional approach," Instructor David said, smiling. "Explain your method, Durant."
Jacques explained, his grin wide and unapologetic, "First, I checked the map. The Banshee had one hour to escape, so I figured she'd head for the fastest route out of town. There were three likely options: the car parked near the edge of the street, the train tracks cutting through the area, and the river just beyond the alley. Each could provide a quick getaway. To narrow it down, I thought about how I'd escape if I were her. A boat would leave fewer traces, but if I got desperate, I'd try all three. So, I slashed the car's tire, sunk the motorboat, and derailed the train tracks—just in case."
Instructor David added, "His method is dangerous, to be honest. It could endanger civilians. Go on."
Jacques continued, "After blocking her escape routes, I started looking for her. There were so many 'evidences' scattered around. Some were random, like broken glass with an unlocked door—I wasn't sure, so I passed on it. Then I found footprints, but it had rained, so I figured someone had entered recently. When I saw you enter the warehouse and get locked in, I realized it had to be her."
"You used me to lure her out!"
"I didn't use you. I didn't tell you to enter the warehouse. I just took the opportunity." Jacques grinned even wider.
"So that's how you managed to capture her?"
"Well, she got away from me initially, but since I'd already sunk her boat, she couldn't escape," Jacques laughed.
"You could've just pointed your gun at her head and handcuffed her. No need to wrestle her," the instructor said, smiling proudly at Jacques. Then he turned to Charles. "Now, Baxter, do you understand why I paired you with Durant?"
Charles shook his head, clearly unhappy that Jacques had won.
"Write a paper on that—why Durant succeeded, and you failed twice. And I just learned that apparently, you two are roommates? That makes it even better." Instructor David smiled at Charles, then gave Jacques a high five as they walked out of the VR room.
Charles couldn't understand this, his mind racing with a mix of frustration and disbelief. Jacques never read books, was aimless, and never followed orders. He was a rascal! How could someone like that protect the law if he kept disrespecting the rules? Yet, somehow, here he was, looking smarter than him.
This was unfair.
Jacques's approach felt chaotic, even dangerous, but it worked. For the first time, Charles wondered if there was more to solving problems than just following the book.