Episode Transcript
Reyne: Well William. It’s time. We found him, and he’s here. Patrick Smith, the murderer we’ve been chasing for weeks. I don’t…honestly I don’t know what to expect. From what Risk said he didn’t put up much of a fight. Sounded disappointed at that. I’m sure he was hoping Smith would give him a reason to just end him there. I’m glad he didn’t though. I need this talk. I need to see…just what this man is.
Risk, everything set?
Risk: Eh, there he fuckin is, yeah fucker’s in here. Tied him to a chair for ya. Take the time ya need, just…do me a favor? Leave enough of him left for me and the boys would ya?
Reyne: There will be plenty left for you Risk. My goals are a bit more…information related than punishment related. Figure you’ll take care of that in abundance.
Risk: You are god damn fuckin right about that. Alright, do your talkin, don’t keep me waitin for too long.
Reyne: Of course. Thank you for all your assistance in this.
Reyne: Mr. Smith. It’s…well it certainly isn’t a pleasure. My name is Detective Derek Reyne. I assume you know why you’re here?
Smith: Ay, I have a fair guess. Detective you say? Would that make the lovely gentlemen who escorted me here fellow officers then?
Reyne: Outside help. The department doesn’t always act as quick as I’d like it to, so sometimes we must look elsewhere.
Smith: Well, you certainly found interesting help. Sure you’re a detective then? Not just telling me that for fun? Or is this a self-styled deal, vigilante like?
Reyne: Unfortunately, I am an official detective of Etherax, though my status is currently…questionable, due in no small part to your actions Mr. Smith.
Smith: Well I’m right sorry for that Mr. Reyne. Certainly never meant to cause you any harm. Never even knew you existed. Though I’m curious as to how what I’ve been up to would’ve caused an issue for you. Aren’t you all known for not solving cases?
Reyne: We’re known for not trying to solve cases. You, in your…pursuits intrigued me enough to get me to try. And the department didn’t take kindly to…you’re an interesting one Smith. Certainly didn’t mean to ramble like that.
Smith: Few people do, I've found. Not much care for people beyond ourselves typically, everyone’s very focused inward. Honestly, I’m shocked anyone cared to look into anything I did.
Reyne: You didn’t expect people to try and figure out who had killed these people? When you just left their bodies in the street?
Smith: You said it yourself, yer not known for trying to solve cases. I had no reason to assume anything I did would be any different. Say, what is it you needed from me, detective? Just a confession? I feel like you’ve gotten that already.
Reyne: I want…I want a lot of things. Let's start simple. Tell me about yourself. Who is Patrick Smith?
Smith: What, you didn’t just look up my files?
Reyne: I want to hear your version. Indulge me. It can’t hurt you.
Smith: S’pose you're right about that. Well, as you know, my names Patrick Smith, I’m 32. Originally from New Dublin, moved out here when I was about 14. Learned Cyberwork and securitech, and recently been working as a contractor for the various corps in this fine city of ours, helping them shore up both their physical and cyber security. My parents moved back to New Dublin around when I was 21, don’t see them too often, maybe once a year, every two years.. Don’t got a partner, never quite found the one I suppose. That enough for you? Or were you looking for something specific?
Reyne: You ever think about going back to New Dublin?
Smith: Eh, from time to time I suppose, but never a strong pull. It’s a good place, I enjoy it, but I’d probably just end up doing the same shit there that I’m doing here. It’s a lot of work, moving, and if you’re hearts not in it, I guess I just don’t see the point.
Reyne: Fair enough. So, you’re here in Etherax for years. And as I have on record, no kind of criminal activity before this. That sound about right to you?
Smith: Tell me, is this how you normally interrogate? Just ask if I’ve done anything illegal to see what I’ll say?
Reyne: Smith, both of us already know you’ve done something illegal. Whether or not you’ve done more has no bearing on what’s going to happen to you. That was decided some time ago.
Smith: I see we aren’t in the business of fair trials here. Well, no, I was never really in the habit of doing anything illegal. Some dabbling in substances here and there, but nothing truly illegal. Probably could have done a lot, what with the access I had to company security, but I didn’t want to put a target on my back or anything like that.
Reyne: A reasonable decision. And then, not too long ago, you decide to kill Steven Terik. And after him Debrah Jane. Then Jet-Fire, Cyndi S, Sophie Bestat, Erik Olen, and William Haverford.
Smith: Well that sounds like the right number. Couldn’t have told you their names honestly, glad someone was keeping track. So, assuming those are the right people, then yes, I did in fact do that.
Reyne: You don’t…Smith do you know anything about any of the people you killed? Anything at all?
Smith: I can tell you they were decidedly unlucky. And that none of them wore neck armor. Not sure anyone wears neck armor though…maybe someone.
Reyne: I…I expected that answer and yet I’m still shocked. Mr. Smith, I’m going to ask you to continue indulging my curiosity here: how did you choose these people if you knew nothing about them?
Smith: It’s a powerful thing, curiosity. Dangerous too. Keep an eye on where it leads you. But as for your question, it was rather simple really. On a day where I had decided to act, I would stand on a street and hand out business cards. Whoever took the first one, well, they had until nightfall. I’d find them using the cities security feeds and whatnot, jump em, slit their throats, and leave. Never put any thought in before the day, and forgot about them soon after. Of course I’d make sure to cut feeds of any cameras watching us and disable my ID tracking well before, I may not have thought heavily about my actions, but I didn’t want to just get caught by any random person.
Reyne: That was it then? It was random chance, nothing more?
Smith: I find that most things are when you look at them right, didn’t seem fair to make murder special. Very few things in this city ever come down to anything but a bit of bad or good luck at the right time, no matter what talent you think may have gotten you somewhere. I’ve seen very talented people with very bad luck end up in gutters, and idiots with very good luck run companies. Kinda shakes the notion of a universe that gives a shit.
Reyne: I suppose it would…I suppose it would…earlier, you said on a day where you decided to act. What was special about those days? How did you choose when you would?
Smith: Well, that’ll take a bit to explain, as there’s a fair bit that goes into this. You alright with that detective? Or you just want the quick and dirty?
Reyne: We have time. I want to know why you did this.
Smith: Say detective, were some of them friends of yours? You seem pretty upset with what I’m saying? You don’t have to answer, just wonderin aloud. But, how I chose days. Well, let’s start with the beginning of it. You ever get impulses detective? Your brain starts telling you to do things that don’t make much sense, and things you really shouldn’t do, don’t want to do even? Tells you to grab that person, kill that person, run over that animal, throw yourself off a building, that kind of thing? Think somepeople call em intrusive thoughts, or at least something like that, I don’t work in psychology. You familiar with the concept?
Reyne: I…I know of it yes.
Smith: Lovely then. Well, I’ve had those for a long time. Mostly violent in nature, towards others and myself. Ignored them for the most part. Never wanted to act on them, was disgusted to an extent that I would ever even think any of those things. And so life went on. And I saw good people get killed in the streets and no one seemed to care. Corporations ran with different names and executives and nothing ever seemed to change, none of them seemed to care for eachother. People I worked for sometimes didn’t even remember me, couldn’t tell the difference between me and the other people they worked with. Funerals every day, no one stops to think of how it might be better. Maybe it can’t be better. Maybe this is it, and life is just like this. No one gives a damn about anyone who isn’t them, no one thinks more than a day ahead, no concern for people as a whole, nothing at all really.
And so I thought…well why don’t I? If no one cares about anyone, what’s the shame if I kill someone. Who’s going to care? Who’s going to notice? I thought about doing it just in broad daylight but I still wanted to live, and I saw what happened to people who acted and could be seen by everyone. They were killed for acting out. So I did it at night. If I woke up and I felt the desire to kill, that was a day. If I didn’t, I didn’t. It never mattered before, why should it matter now? Why would anyone care if someone else died in this city?
Of course, it seems you cared Detective. You seem to care a whole lot. And I am very intrigued as to why you do.
Reyne: Well you can keep wondering. And it never occurred to you that those people might have families? That someone would mourn their passing and want to find out more?
Smith: Oh I figured some might have families, but many people have families, and many of those people die, often in brutal ways. Tell me, were any of their families that interested in finding the killer Mr. Reyne? Did any of their families try and assist you in finding me? Or were they simply sad, but moved on?
Reyne: …How do you live with yourself? How did you rationalize all of this, how do you make it sound so easy, yet so horrible? What are you Mr. Smith?
Smith: I’m just a man Detective. A man in a world that doesn’t care who lives or dies. Nothing really matters, nobody really gives a shit, least the way I see it. But then, you cared. So who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there is something in this world for people to care about. I certainly don’t see it though. As far as I can tell, the world is pure chance. You roll your dice and hope for the best, hope you can see another day, and if you don’t oh well. Who knows, a proper psychologist might tell you this was me trying to establish control in a crazy world. I don’t know though. I don’t think I needed control. I just…followed my impulses.
Reyne: …Mr. Smith, I hope that wherever you go after this, and I do not believe you will be doing so alive, you can learn to look at the world in a new way. There is a great deal of hardship here, of the horrible luck that you describe, but there is so much more. People do care about eachother, and if they’re reminded that the world can be changed, they are capable of so much. Many of us, myself included, have forgotten that before. We are not helpless victims at the hand of some God. We can control our own world. You asked about the families of the victims. You’re right that some of them didn’t care to search for justice or vengeance. But not all of them. It’s because of families and friends of victims that we found you, that you are here now, tied to this chair. People do still care Mr. Smith. And they can do a whole lot when they realize they do.
Smith: Poetic, Detective. Y’know, I do hope you’re right and I’m just a lunatic. Your world sounds much nicer than mine. Perhaps you are right. As you said, the fact I’m sitting here means you made someone care. But can you make enough people care? Can you make people care enough to truly alter this city? The corps kill more people than I ever did in a heartbeat, but they’re still here. I hope you can do it Mr. Reyne. But if you can’t, and it all seems lost…well just remember Patrick Smith. Remember just how far you can go, if you choose to not care at all.
Reyne: I pray I never become like you Smith.
Smith: I pray you never do as well. The world would be a better place with more people like you. But I think you’ll find a great deal more people like me or worse out there.
Reyne: I probably will. But I’ll still try my damndest. Goodbye Mr. Smith. I don’t believe I will be seeing you again.
Smith: Goodbye Detective. And good luck. With whatever it is you plan to do.
Reyne: I got what I needed. He’s all yours now. Don’t hold back.
Risk: Thought you’d never fuckin ask. Alright, boys, it is time to do what we do best and we are gonna take our time, not just for us, but also for Deb, but mostly for us. Alright, time to see what this motherfuckers insides look like.
Reyne: I am glad I don’t need to be in the room for that…Well William. We figured it out. We know who was killing these people and why. And yet…it doesn’t feel finished does it? We find the man who’s been killing them and turns out he’s been doing it just…cuz. Because he looked at the world and saw that no one cared, and figured he didn’t have to either. I didn’t say it to him but…there were times where I have thought that. That if no one cares, why should I? Why should I try to be good? That’s most of my time on the force to be honest. Thinking that there was no point, so I stopped searching for one. It’s…scary to see that reflected in someone like that. But now…there is something to care about. And he is right, there’s a lot more people that do whatever they want without care for others than there are who try to help each other. It’s not a pretty world we live in here, and I don’t know what it is I can do. But I have to try. I’m not gonna walk down that road again, of just not giving a shit. For all of the people who died, for my mom, for my brother, for Sophie and William, and for all the people who live, Jane, Optic, hell even Risk…I have to try. Try to care and look for a world that is better than this. A world that cares about the people in it and what it does to them. I don’t know what that looks like. But I’ll do my damndest to build it.
