Chapter Four - A Different Point of Vu

 "Now if I do this, you promise to tell your cousin that I think she's cute for me?"

"I already told you I would John."

 "Good, not that I needed a reason to hack into the Patent Database." John said as he sat at his computer. "I like challenges."

Kelly had read the letter repeatedly, and deduced that the doctor who had developed the device to pull meteors out of the upper atmosphere had used in on Sunset Valley. Despite some digging, she still couldn't find out the name of the so-called "Doctor" or anything, so she approached her friend John, Annabelle's brother, for help. 

John was a hacker from the day he was born. He was kicked out of school once for changing his own grades and the grades of half his classmates, and another occasion he was nearly arrested for hacking into the FBI Database and listing a bully at school as one of their Ten Most Wanted, a bully who had since left Sunset Valley for roughly five to ten years. Kelly realized if anyone could figure out "Project Gravity", it was John.

After roughly five minutes, John had gathered all the information he needed on Project Gravity, which was patented in 2004 by a Dr. Khan Vu, a research scientist who lived in Sim City. A little more information was discovered and Kelly learned that after Vu's Gravity Impact Device was rejected for military use, he went crazy and tried to take over the city before being stopped by the mayor of the town, Richard Cade. Vu left for Sunset Valley where his first test of the device occurred after hearing about an alien life-form, where he lived until his death in 2012.

"Last year?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah. It says he lived on 314 Wallflower Lane. That's just down the street from here!"

"Did they say anything about children or whatnot?" Kelly asked. 

"Apparently his son, Xan Vu, was his caretaker in later life. He too is a doctor, Kelly, working in the fields of astronomy..." John searched recent news for "Vu". "...and according to this news report I just found, Vu was seen standing near the courthouse holding some medical device just before the meteors hit!"

"You are amazing, John! That's what we need! And don't worry, I'll tell Scarlett what you think of her!"
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 "Can I get a hold of Officer Cambridge at the SVPD?"

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 "Look little girl, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but this is not some science fiction movie!"

"It's true. One of my friends found information concerning the investigation. I even gave you the weapon used in the attack just this morning! You have to believe me!"

 "Even if I did, I need a warrant to search his house, and those can take days to get!"

"But you have the jurisdiction to go by and question him without going inside!"

"Wait a second... how the hell old are you?!"

"Ten."

 "You want me to believe that a ten year old girl solved a case of this magnitude with no formal training of any kind? If I go to the captain with the suspicions of an ten year-old I will be laughed out of the office!"

"But what if I'm right?" 

"Say what?"

"If I'm right, you will have solved the case of a lifetime. If I'm wrong you can chalk it up to, as you said, 'the suspicions of a ten year-old', but if I'm right, and you get this guy, imagine what that would do for your Law Enforcement Career, I could even see you becoming a captain in no-time flat.

  "Okay, Kelly, is it? I'm listening..." 

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Officer Cambridge drove by 314 Wallflower and saw a man inside. After a few minutes of second-guessing himself, he contacted two other officers, Pvt. Reginald Deeve and rookie Corina Winters, who stopped by to help in the investigation. After a few minutes, they heard a loud noise from inside the house, almost one that sounded like a gunshot, so without a warrant they pushed open the door where they saw a man standing near a bookcase, Xan Vu.

 "Xan Vu? Are you Xan Vu?"

"Who wants to know?"

"We are the Sunset Valley Police, we want to ask you a few questions concerning the meteor shower yesterday. We have strong evidence that it wasn't an act of nature."

"Oh, well if you're nice police officers then yes, my name is Doctor Vu." 

"Then do you know anything about the meteor shower?" 

"Yes I did it. I did everything. Say, you wouldn't have happened to stumble upon my father's Gravity Impact Device? I need it back for... sentimental reasons. My dear old dad would be so depressed if I lost it."

"Turn around."

Xan turned around and faced the officers. As Cambridge predicted, he looked just like his father, Dr. Khan Vu.

"Now I suppose you have to arrest me? Take me in? Bring me that much closer to the device I dropped in the park? How reckless would that be for Sunset Valley's 'Finest'?" 

 "Seriously, it's enough of a wreck for you guys to not see a wave of meteors heading for you, but you would actually give me a chance to get a hold of the weapon used for destruction? That's a whole new level of low." 

 "You are one word away from being a greasy smear on my fist!" Deeve said, stepping forward. Xan put his hands up like he was surrendering.

"Oh we must stop the violence." Xan said, smiling. "If it will help to bring peace to this situation, I am ready to give myself in..."

 Realizing things could be better if there was no violence, Deeve stepped forward to cuff Xan...

 

 ...but suddenly the floor gave way below Deeve's feet, revealing a series of strange devices that sent a wave of energy through his body. Deeve fell back and ran out of the house to get something from the med kit in the squad car to help heal his burns.

 "Wonderful trap eh? Tested perfectly. In fact, I've perfected many of my father's weapons, with some help from my benefactor of course. Without him, I never would have gotten the Gravity Impact Device to work properly."

"And since the subject was brought up: yes, that test went perfectly yesterday, wouldn't you agree?"

 "What is is you want, Vu?", Corina asked. "What are your demands?"

 

"Well it seems my Benefactor wants me dead. I don't know why, all I did was take more money than he gave me. So in exchange for some protection, I can give you information that will lead to his arrest."

"How can we trust you?" Cambridge asked.

"Seeing as you've seen what I can do, I suppose you have little choice." 

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"...you have little choice." 

 Hidden in some strange lab deep underground, Xan's benefactor sat in a computer chair, monitoring Xan's discussion with the cops. The Benefactor was a little upset when he heard Xan discuss things concerning him with the cops, so he decided to make sure the good doctor didn't talk. 

"Poor pathetic doctor."The Benefactor shut off the television and began typing information into his computer. The first thing he did was contact the Doctor through a surgically implanted earpiece.

"While I commend your work Doctor, I feel I must make sure you don't tell the police about my true identity. Goodbye, Doctor Vu."
"No! No, Officers, please help me! Please protect me!"

"Please?"

"We can help-"

 

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

 

Suddenly another trap opened right under Vu's feet. The fire quickly spread through his entire body and he fell to the ground dead within a few seconds of the burst. 

 

 BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP 

 Suddenly Cambridge heard a noise coming from the oven, a strange beeping noise that shouldn't have been heard from such an old range. As the beeping became louder, Cambridge realized what was inside the oven, and he grabbed Corina's arm as they ran outside the house. Deeve also got the idea from their running and turned tail as well until they were across the street. 

 "Run!" 

 Beep.

 An explosion took out the entire house, shaking the ground. Windows halfway across town were shattered, and all the while Cambridge, Corina, and Deeve realized they were lucky to be alive. 

 "So who's gonna tell the captain about this?" Deeve asked.

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 Kelly was going out for a walk when she saw Officer Cambridge approach her on the sidewalk.

"So was my information correct?" She asked. 

"Yes it was Miss Coen. We uh... we got the guy."

 "I suppose it makes little difference." Kelly said. "We didn't stop the meteors, we didn't save those people, and all we did was figure out who did it and I suppose why."

"Kelly..." 

 "To make matters WORSE, I have to move! Our school was destroyed, and my father doesn't want to live in a dangerous town full of explosions! That explosion an hour ago sealed the deal!"

"Kelly please list-"

 

 "Why did the guy do it? Did he want to avenge his dead father or get money? Why would someone be that evil? Why? That's the word I mostly hate in the entire world! Why?! I always need to figure out why! I need to know WHY! WHY WHY WHY?!?!" 

 "KELLY!"

 "Look I'm sorry, but you need to calm down. If it makes you feel any better, your constant questioning of the world around you means that one of these days you will be one to answer them. I've seen it before, Kelly. One of these days, you'll become the best private investigators of all time, you pretty much already are!"

That made Kelly's day. She'd never heard anything like that before, but she would hear it again many times later on in life. 

"Oh and when you're older and want to join the force as an investigator, Sunset Valley PD would be lucky to have you, Miss Coen." Cambridge said as he walked away. This made Kelly feel even better. 

 Kelly immediately ran upstairs to tell her parents the complements she got from Cambridge, and saw Scarlett looking at the empty foyer. Keeping a promise, Kelly yelled to her as she ran "John said he likes you!" and got upstairs before Scarlett could respond. 

 

"Yes!" 

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Tom and Annabelle stood at the beach watching the sun set, waiting for it to wave goodbye to them on their last day in Sunset Valley. This night, they would be on their way to the town of Bridgeport, where Annabelle's mother Maria had gotten a job as an actress in the city's film studio, following in the footsteps of her own mother. Elliot and Mei decided to move with her, bringing the entire family along.

The long night had begun.

 Kelly was given an award from Officer Cambridge, he told her it was his father's own award and that he wanted to give it to her because of her bravery and accomplishment. 

John and Scarlett shared a hug, a gesture brought on by a mutual discovery concerning the two of them.  

After all the goodbyes, the family hopped in their van and drove off, starting the long drive to the city of Bridgeport. They didn't know what would happen to them there, but they were ready for it. They were ready to shed their past and begin a new age of happiness.

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Meanwhile, in an isolated area nestled deep in the mountains, a townsman who was chopping wood heard a noise from an impact crater. This crater was formed during the meteor shower but was not spotted due to the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere. He stepped down into the crater and saw a girl with white clothes and white hair lying in the center of it.