...22nd of November 2034...
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"Do you know how powerful an instrument's influence is over people? You can truly work wonders with being skilled with an instrument to brighten someone's day up. There's a reason good musical producers are so famous."
. . .
"Not necessarily, no."
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"What's your favourite song sir? Do you have one?"
. . .
"I don't think I like any particular music in general, I'm just looking for a gift for my Nephew, Christmas is nearby."
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"Well! Ain't that funny, someone who isn't quite fond of music has come to my place to buy an instrument for someone who is fond of music? hm."
. . .
"He always wanted to be a Musician, What do you think is the best instrument in here to get for him?"
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"Guitars, Pianos... There's too many to count, whatever you are willing to dedicate your soul to and respect as if it were apart of yourself, like another limb. I recommend a Violin."
!!!
"Violin, That's the name of it and what I'm looking for. He mentioned-- He knows that he wants a Violin."
. . . The Musician's Thoughts are now My Own.
"You can really play those things to your heart's content, I love the concept of music being able to really.. really reach! into someone's soul. To tug at their own heartstrings and charm people in their own.. special way, it's beautiful how melodies can affect our emotions and thoughts."
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"Yeah, Mesmerising."
... A smile.
"Mesmerising is a beautiful way to put it, I do hope he cherishes this Instrument. Mind you-- It won't come cheap sir."
. . .
"I understand you're very passionate with music, I know it won't come cheap at all. It's a beautiful work of art and those things normally don't come without the price tag demanding a pretty penny"
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"I'm only this passionate nowadays because.. simply.. people have moved on a lot through these years 'yknow, no one quite embraces the idea of how satisfying it is to play music of your own and really release your emotions onto others without words. People have instead grown fond of the auto generated genera or AI created music, they aren't willing to put in any effort anymore.. They'd rather listen to robots sing than a real beating heart."
. . .
"How much for the Violin?"
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"Sorry for my ramblings.. Would you prefer a starter Violin?"
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"It isn't his first time playing... He's actually quite experienced and probably just as passionate as you are, he can.. really work music into people's minds."
. . .
"That puts a smile on my face, How about a professional violin set? They also are not cheap whatsoever. I have one in the back that is a work of art, it is quite costly.. It will put you back around $4450"
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...
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"I'll take it"
. . .
"Thank you for your business, officer..? I didn't quite catch your name, I'd love to hear how your Nephew's Expedition into Music goes"
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"My name is Andy.. Officer Andy, I'm sure I won't have to inform you about it. I am almost certain you'll hear about it"
. . . . . .
. . . "Have a wonderful day, Sir."
The bell of the shop would ring out loudly, Andy stepped outside now holding a box containing a fragile, beautiful violin on the inside. Rain-drops quietly pet and licked the box as they fell from the sky. Turning towards his police cruiser he would approach it, opening the trunk of his car and gently placing the violin in as smoothly and caringly as placing a baby into a cot. His face was stoic, a hundred yard gaze with no emotion on his mind. His fur was dirty and he looked as if he hadn't showered in weeks, bags under his eyes indicating how over-worked he was yet something incredibly strong was motivating him. Gazing back at the Musical Instrument store at the neon sign gleaming down at him he would walk back around and get into his Cruiser. Looking around the car he felt a moment of clarity hit him, why was he doing this? I don't know. But you're doing this anyway and you know how righteous the task at hand is.
Turning the keys in the ignition the thought washed away calmly, he didn't resist. He was going to exact the task that was placed before him, The Musician was going to change this world for the better.
And so he thought.
Ash Valley Correctional Centre, a place that has no selection on the type of criminals it has in store. Ranging from crooked murderers and much worse on a death row for execution to petty thieves serving their months of sentencing, as dysfunctional as this categorising of cruel minds was organised it was strict and some could even say impenetrable.
The stone fortress laid silent surrounded by a vast parking lot on the outside and a barbed fence that towered just as high as the prison that circled it. Completely overlooking this place however was the Ash Valley forest and the boundless rows of trees that followed on through the woods that seemed to drag on forever. Tonight was a full moon, the light would shine down along the dark prison as the night dawned on everyone there. Prison guards began their patrols up and down each block containing prisoners dangerous and some cowardly, locked behind bars some for years and others for a matter of weeks at the least. Leaning against the bars, his arms laid idly along them, looking over the balcony below to the various other cells holding prisoners and watching as a prison officer passes him
"Get the hell away from the bars" The baton would smash against the bars, sending his arms rattled and withdrawn back into his cage. The Musician would simply smirk and laugh in a weirdly sheepish manner "My, my.. You boys are strict in this place. Could've broke my poor arm if you hit any lower, diiickhead." The cat in the orange jumpsuit would tease him, he felt as if he had an advantage over the patrolling guard and he took notice to this. Stopping he would face the cell "You want me to come in there and teach you some manners? You fresh meat are all the same, think you own the fuckin' place do ya'?"
Idly biting at his finger claws he would shrug like an guilty person playing innocent "Soon I will I'm sure, sorry to disturb your nightly patrol. Officer." His new polite approach was enough to swoon the officer to not enter the cell and discipline him, grunting and simply continuing on down the block as the Musician sighs and leans back against the stone cold wall.
"I know that voice, you're dead meat fucker. Didn't know they caught you." A female voice came from the other side of the wall, there was a slight hole in the wall allowing them to talk amidst the writing of roman numerals on the wall scratched in. Turning around and peering through with a grin on his face, entertained by who he knew it was "Scarletta! Oh what a pleasant surprise--" The shark on the other end would hiss, her amber eyes glared through the small hole at him "Shut your smug face, you killed him. You killed Rosco, You fucking monster.. He was a kid how fucking could you?"
She definitely had a sharp tongue on her, insulting the man at every turn and he would quietly snicker under his breath before saying "All according to plan my dear, how poetic that on this night I meet an associate of Jaklo in this very prison." She would sigh, deciding to not let her anger get the better of her and she sat down with her back against the wall as well "As soon as we get into the yard tomorrow I'm gonna cut the skin from your bones, for Rosco and for my fucking family." The Musician would also have his back against the wall again, relaxing and continuing to bite on his fingernails as if just waiting for something. "No need to be so violent dear, What are you even in this dump for anyway? I suppose the saying is the more the merrier and you are a criminal along with the rest of Jaklo's little posse."
"I'm the driver you asshat, what do getaway drivers do exactly? I was an accessory to one of our jobs and they charged me with association alone not to mention robbery." The Musician would scoff and look back through the hole in the wall momentarily before snapping back to his original position "Seriously? Man they aren't so lenient with you guys anymore, huh? Guess Jaklo's Pacifism is really paying off." Sarcastically he would state, it would set Scarletta off into another silent tantrum "His 'Pacifism' is the reason he is a better leader than you'd ever be with your people, you murdering street trash."
"Oh but we're all street trash my dear, you included. Your logic is that because you are better street trash suddenly means you aren't street trash. Chip off of the old block I guess, you're all thieves at heart." He responds quickly, much more passionately speaking as if he was taunting the girl and the rest of her posse he clearly had an issue with. "We just wanted to make enough to have a chance to go somewhere better, you killed Rosco and you've ruined any chance of that happening."
The Musician shrugs, as if it wasn't much of a big deal "If it wasn't me to do the killing then it sure would have been Falco Limelight, him and Jaklo had a rivalry going for a little bit until ol' Falco found himself in here.. On Death Row, think his men were turning against him thanks to Jaklo's powerful peaceful approach. Poisoned the poor folks during a dinner meeting" He sighs and shakes his head before starting up another topic entirely "It doesn't matter anyway, you'll be seeing Rosco again really soon."
There was a period of silence, as if she was digesting this information before she spoke up again "What are you blabbering on about you psycho? You couldn't kill a fly."
A large grin stretched across the cat's face, relishing in his own sick twisted fantasy unravelling in his head as he imagined only what would unfold in a few hours from now. "No, I can't. But the prisoners sure can. I'll be looking forward to a nice prison riot later on, I hope you are equally as eager to watch the fire burn, Scarletta." With that he stood up, listening to the frantic questions and desperate pleas from the other side of the wall. It was practically shouts at that point as he walked over and sat on his bed silently. It took a patrol officer to rush over and bang on the bars of the shark lady, immediately hushing her and filling the woman with dread as she could only think. She knew he was up to something however, she was powerless to do anything about it.
On the outside of the vast stone fortress there appeared a cruiser from the night, as ominous as it looked with the bright headlights shining through the trees and along the rest of the parking lot it drove right up to the main gate. On the inside of the car on the seat beside Andy there was blood staining the seats that the prison guard could not see.
Inside his station he would eye Andy up and down and smile a little "Hey, you're the guy that caught that Musician scumbag right? Good on you man, that's some neat work for someone who isn't a detective" Andy smiles in return, acting as casual as possible "Of course, always happy to help out where I can and I knew I needed to put this guy away for good." The guard would nod and then grow a little more serious "What's your purpose of visitation?" Like an automated reply Andy was on the ball with his response "Just visiting for more questions, the chief has informed me in particular to question him and ask about his enforcer who isn't caught. I think his name was The Dime or something?"
The guard would furrow his brows, leaning forward and staying silent for a moment before responding "He was arrested earlier tonight and is awaiting questioning, your partner Jake took him down when he visited him tonight at his apartment. Are you lying to me officer?" Andy was taken by surprise, he thought he had this planned out but apparently there was an anomaly. The situation grew tense as they both stared at each other, he attempted to twist the situation. "Not lying, that's what I meant. I need information from The Musician because this guy has some sort of behavioural problem and won't talk to anyone, not even me. The Musician might know something that would make him tick and cave so we can testify him."
The tense silence would continue to build, Andy stared with an intense expression at the man who eventually subsided. He pulled back and reached down for the button to open the barrier blocking his car "Good luck with that freak, Heard Jake has been asking around about you. Are you okay man?" Andy nods, not even paying attention and just driving on through. Parking his car somewhere appropriately and exiting the vehicle.
Looking out through the bars of his jailcell his back pressed against the wall and his arms resting over his knees, The Musician was quietly humming and occasionally chanting the lyrics quietly to a religious hymn he heard. Anticipating the moment Andy would arrive and so he did, It took him a while to gain clearance into the actual prison but he did. Approaching the warden's office as quietly as he could, his boots slapping against the cold tiles of the prison floor. The air inside this prison was thick, it smelt of sweat from all the other disgusting prisoners inside. It only got thicker to those who knew what was coming tonight, a freedom that this category of people didn't deserve, Criminals.
(Tactical Precision Disarray by Perturbator would play here.)
All the while Jake was still at large, driving his car at dangerous speeds and almost killing himself on the way to the Prison in a desperate, frantic hurry. His phone was pressed to his ear, constantly hearing that same annoying message from his friend informing him that Andy wasn't at his phone. This time he would record another message that would for sure go unheard. "Andy.. Andy you need to pick up the fucking phone right now. Where are you? Are you at the prison? What do you plan on doing. I'm on my way there now you just need to wait there for me, we're gonna fucking kill him man. Me and you, don't you dare do anything stupid, do you fucking hear me?! ... Please man I don't need you leaving me too." Tears would well up in his eyes before a truck coming down the road suddenly would almost take out his police car and his life, he quickly turned his sirens on so he could race through any traffic light that came up. Hellbent to get to his partner before he would become the ultimate catalyst for an attack.
The prisoners that saw Andy would occasionally shout at him, taunting him to come closer but were quickly hushed by the prison patrol guards, either way Andy ignored them and continued walking, his expression was plain and he almost looked dead inside. He reached the warden's office, still carrying that box with him from the car and setting it down along the floor. The Warden and another member of the police inside who had High authority and hence permission to talk to the warden. They both looked confused and now on alert "What gave you permission to barge into my office this rudely, Officer? get the hell back to where you're supposed to be" the Warden asked with a stern voice, standing up from his comfortable seat he sat on and leaning his hands forward on his desk.
"I don't need permission, you're not in power anymore in this joke of a law system that you call Justice." With that he would strike so suddenly it caught them both by surprise, his pistol was equipped with a silencer that rung out like metal being struck by a copper pipe. Killing two of the men there on the spot and bringing that sadistic satisfaction to the hypnotised officer coaxed out by the Musician's brainwashing, approaching the controls within the room as this room in particular also the mainframe to the entire prison. Andy took his time and eventually opened up The Musician's cell with manual control, he would smirk and retreat from the room. Picking up the box that seemed to have another thing inside other than just a violin, maybe he picked it up on the way here. Walking back down along the cell block on his way towards The Musician's cell that was open for the world to see, luckily the guards had not patrolled around this area again to see the bars had been opened.
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A hand reached out from the cell next to The Musician's and gripped the officer's shirt, he would growl and pull away as much as he could. Looking over to see it was Scarletta who had this grip on him. Her face was panicked with a worried expression that seemed unusual for the bombastic and antagonistic personality she showed before, her confidence was gone and sincerity would arise "You don't wanna do this man, don't trust him. He's gonna kill us all, you're damning yourself!" Her cries started off as a strained whisper shout, gradually growing louder. He didn't even respond, like a moth following the light he pulled away from her and found himself exactly where The Musician wanted him to be.
A reaction so powerful was soon to be created, Pandora's Box was yet to be opened. Stepping forward, Andy placed it in front of him. The cat would smile and look up at him, moving forward to open the box and inside was that iconic top hat. Putting it along his head he would pull out the Violin, that violin that was soon to be the catalyst to complete destruction, power and what would indubitably destroy today's society and birth a new one. One that The Musician had conceived himself.
"You done well, Andy. Watch the Fire burn with me, hear the music and revel in my control."
He had everything he needed, Jake was too late. Chaos followed, utter chaos. Not even a few minutes later, Andy would have returned to the office and opened every cell in the prison, The Musician had the perfect feeding ground to spread the virus with his music that he called Freedom. On the top floor, leaning against a bar he would play the violin. The musical sound was so overpowering it spread through the entire prison, the prisoners were in awe. The deafening yet beautiful sound gave them a crucial and brutal reminder that they were free, they didn't comply with the prison guards. Slaughtering them and any other officer, bashing their heads into the floor. Clawing their guts out and shooting them with their own guns.
Blood was painted on the wall "Justice.", "We're Free.", "The Musician is Our Messiah" Crowds gathered below him like an audience, the others killing anyone they could that resisted. Scarletta was pinned against the wall of her jailcell and gutted with a makeshift shiv by multiple prisoners, no remorse was found within these walls. Eventually the block below was flooded with the prisoners, starting fires and gathering tables to stand on like platforms, their arms in the air as if praying to him. worshipping the man that played the beautiful ode to the start of a flourishing and sick revolution that he had been craving for years. Each and every prisoner was manipulated, brainwashed and looked up to him like an angel.
As much as Prisoners did, Bodies littered the prison too, those of criminals who weren't murderers and were weak. Andy laid inside The Musician's jailcell on the floor, his head was completely blown off by what was supposedly a shotgun of some kind, he had given his life for this man and killed in the riot. But it doesn't matter now, It was done, he got the preferred following of hundreds and maybe more that he had always wanted, ruthless killers and other horrible people, an audience of loyal, Criminal minds so eager to look up to someone who would lead them to a world where they could do what they wanted, Anarchy.
Holding up the Violin with a single hand he would point to everyone below, catching a glimpse of Falco standing in the crowd who gazed up at him with a cold, emotionless expression "You are.. my family.. each and every one of you, this is the beginning of the end my children. We are going to do what it takes to end this pain of existence and ascend to a better place, no one should have to go through this kind of life and neither should you. We're not going to do what they say, no we're not. We will march happily until we have.. taken the world!"
Countless cheers rung out from the crowd, some threw spare rolls of toilet paper into the air and old prisoner uniforms that were bloodied and ripped. Some prisoners gathered behind The Musician and cheered, it was a moment of bliss for the Cat. He got what he wanted and now he had power, strength in numbers of countless loyal followers "And now, We will march to the next prison and break our people out. They don't have to be caged animals anymore, they are our blood. We are Criminals and I think it's our turn to get to do what we desire, not the law!"
As beautiful as the moment was to The Musician, it was horrifying from an outside prospective. Jake sat outside in the parking lot, gazing over at the prison that was eerily quiet with distant cheers coming from inside. He felt a pit in his stomach, knowing he was too late and that something truly horrible had happened tonight. He felt like vomiting, it was this lingering sense of dread that he couldn't shake. It was like the prison was full of people but it was so hollow, there was nothing inside but monsters.
Monsters that would take the world, that people with good hearts like Jake called home.