Ultimatum

Below you'll find a retelling of some events of which I came across. If you're looking for abject horror, you won't find it. Depending on how you look at what happened, the ending can be seen as either uplifting or something which invokes concern. I have not included any of the pictures or videos because I am afraid that including such materials will expose those whom I wish to protect, or would distract you from the message.

Introduction
Hello, everyone! My name is Kevin Conner and I'm an author, you can check me out at http://thelibrary.ninjanezumi.com or www.facebook.com/ninjanezumi. I am world renown for being one of the least known authors in existence – or I would be if anyone knew of me, but they don't, so... anyway.....



Well, in order to spread my wings as others call it (gods, I hate that term), or expand my portfolio as I like to call it, I decided to look up some real life strange tales ale 'Ripley's Believe it or Not!', 'One Step Beyond' or 'The Twilight Zone', and boy did I find a strange tale. I can't write this as a story for personal profit. I just can't. There is also no need to repeat this verbatim if you so choose to repeat this tale, however, some conversational points are critical to the understanding of the events as they unfold. What you're about to read are transcripts of audio/video, and notations of material that cannot otherwise be heard or transcribed. Now, before we get going you're going to see the standard internet rumor of: “Really really liked this game!” and “Used videogame/system!” Well, let me point out right now in my research I discovered that neither has any bearing on this story. The full explanation is at the end. It's my understanding that new or used these events would've transpired none the less. I also hope you take the impact of the events as they are intended. This is not a jolly fun time comic read. There is a serious issue at play here, and something I can't ever imagine taking money from this account for personal gain. However, if you do appreciate my efforts, I've plenty of other efforts from which I will use for personal gain. 

Supplemental materials will be explained in appropriate time frame to the dictation I'm taking from the audio and video files I've observed. Due to the special permission I had to receive in order to retell these events, I've agreed to conceal names of all but a handful of individuals. You will know those named individuals as they are the only ones with actual names. Same goes for the town and corporate paraphernalia within. One final note: Please forgive what grammar errors that you may see. No author is perfect, and it takes a great deal of time and effort to give proper edits to any material. Typically, 4 to 8 months for a 10-20,000 word file. I want this story out there, now, so I don't want to wait 4-8 months of editing before it gets posted. It's also difficult for me to edit this, and I think you'll understand why toward the middle. I will edit errors should I find them after it's posted. This is a long tale (around 12,000 words). I wanted to post the events in full – well, as much as I could without it getting tedious. If I forgot or left anything out I will try to correct them. However, if someone wishes to give a Cliff Notes, I'll be open to that.

Begin transcripts of videos obtained from the [REDACTED] Police Department
Personal observations and redactions are enclosed in [brackets]

D1 (Case Detective 1)

D2 (Case Detective 2)

D3 (Case Detective 2)

M (Mother) F (Father)

B (Boyfriend for lack of better term) S (Son) MVC (Male Video Character) FVC (Female Video Character)

DIS (Dispatch) PO (Parole Officer)



In the first 20 seconds of the interrogation video the detectives enter the room and begin setting up as a male technician carts a VHS player into the interrogation room. Why they chose the interrogation room is not mentioned at all in any of the notations I have here. D1:

“[D2] ok, so, before we begin with this horror fest, and this potential video tape disaster we're discussing case number [REDACTED] regarding a [The Mom], her boyfriend [REDACTED] and their son [REDACTED]. It should be noted that [The Mom] is a recovering drug addict and suffering from a very mild form of paranoid bipolar disorder, she has, however, been taking her medication when prescribed and is currently receiving glowing progress reports. Her son, [REDACTED], is special needs, and it was because of these special needs that custody was granted to his father. [The Mom] has a restraining order on her, but is allowed certain visitation rights when accompanied by her Parole Officer, a situation that is apparently being reviewed as we speak. On May 22 [REDACTED YEAR] this phone call was placed to the 9-1-1 dispatch.



<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Dispatch Recording:

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“9-1-1 please state the nature of your emergency.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“[Screaming while the Dispatch operator answers the phone] He's hurting him! He's going to kill him I just know it!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Who is hurting him? Please calm. I know it's very difficult, but the sooner I understand the sooner I can send help!” [It should be noted at this time in the records that the Dispatch Officer began attempting to locate the Mother's cell phone and her position. A great deal of information would've immediately been displayed on the Mother and the case regarding her restraining order set forth by her ex-husband. According to my research the Mother was to remain more than 100 feet from the ex-husband's residence at this point]

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“My son! He's going to kill my son! Oh my god, all I can see is red, please help.” [I did my best to reconstruct what she said, but the blubbering was pretty thick at this point]

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Who is? Ma'am. You must calm down. Now where are you?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“My ex [REDACTED] Please help, he's--,”

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS – to Uniformed Officers

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“We have an emergency domestic disturbance report at [REDACTED]. Units [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] are ordered to proceed.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[This order was quickly acknowledged]

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS – to Mother:

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ma'am, [REDACTED], I must notify you that we will investigate all claims of a violent nature, however, you do realize that if you are in violation of your restraining order, we will be forced to investigate the nature of your presence.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I don't care! Lock me up! I [UNINTELLIGIBLE] little hand [UNINTELLIGIBLE]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS – to Uniformed Officers

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[The dispatch officer proceeded to give a notice to the officers of the distraught mother while ambulances were called to the scene]

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">DIS – to Mother:

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ma'am, [REDACTED], please calm and go into detail. You should be able to hear the sirens. I ask you cooperate the officers once they enter the scene, but I need more information from you. Are you talking about your son?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes.” [UNINTELLIGIBLE]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Can you see your son?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“No, just red [UNINTELLIGIBLE followed by attempts to control her broken breath] I am outside, I'm outside of the limit. We talk by lights. His light is all red, and all I can hear were screams and I can't hear anything now [UNINTELLIGIBLE] just red [BLUBBERING].”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DIS [I am just going to leave out Dispatch's communications with the officers and rescue units at this point]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Can you see him? Is he in the house? You said you were outside of the limits?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M [Sirens can be heard in the background]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'm ou-ou-outside. My boy talks to me with lights, and the light isn't moving, it turned red and isn't moving! I don't care if you lock me up I had to speak to hi--,”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ma'am, I just need the facts right now, you will have a chance to explain your case to the officers. You said you heard screams and you talk to your son with a light? Do you mean a flashlight? And you said it looks red?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M [It should be noted that the Mother is still fighting through her breaths and blubbering so it's a bit difficult to transcribe this for a number of auditory and emotional reasons.]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Umhmm! Yes! I heard screams the other night, but he told me it was ok. Tonight, he kept flashing at me to run away – [broken blubbering] – [REDACTED] ran inside and--,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ma'am, are you saying that someone is inside the house with [REDACTED] and your boy? Who ran inside ma'am?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“[REDACTED], it was [REDACTED], he ran inside, he's my boyfriend, he went to stop him from killing my boy-- ” [her voice then broke over the recording with a sharp shrill shriek, the sirens are clearly close, and it is logged on DISPATCH that they pulled up to the house at this moment], “A GUN HE SHOT HIM! HE SHOT MY BOY! I--” [another shriek followed The OFFICERS on scene claimed they saw a steady red light from the bedroom window that has since been identified as the Son's room, but when they neared the house, there was a bright flash of light, I'm assuming these events take place in this order, as I was unable to obtain the time stamped video from the cars in question. I can, however, hear cars come to a screeching halt in the background with orders to proceed into the building with caution]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DIS

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ma'am, Ma'am, you are inside your car, you do not know what is going on, I ask that you calm down. You do not know for sure that anything bad has happened. I ask that you allow the police to do their jobs!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[It should be noted that while I discontinue my transcript here, the detectives proceeded to listen for the next 15 minutes, including the portion of the tape where the Son was rushed to the hospital, and detained the boyfriend for questioning. While they also detained the Mother officially, one of the squad cars apparently escorted her to the hospital to be with her son. The detectives seemed to be a little less than unnerved at the shrieks and tense situation, from now on I will remove the boyfriend's name and simply call him the boyfriend]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“It should be noted here that the fire marshal's report suggests no known reason for the violent bright flash. We all know the scene afterward, the small flashlight the Mother claimed the Son used to communicate with her was covered with what the ME has confirmed to be a positive match for the Son's blood, the boyfriend was found, but it was confirmed that he was not present at the time of the Son's previous injuries. According to the last medical report we received there were several lesions on the Son's back, reminiscent of a rapped up cord, some internal bruising, all pre-dating that evening and the boyfriend. While I would normally see the boyfriend as a prime suspect, I hardly doubt he was the one beating this boy. The interviewing process also suggests he was telling the truth about his intentions. That leaves us with a second mystery, men, where did the Father go. There were four uniforms at the scene, and the back door was locked, leaving no signs of a physical egress by any other method.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“People don't just disappear, but I do agree it is an issue that we need to resolve before this case gets closed. I can't believe someone would beat this boy the way this [CENSORED] did. I would've liked to have seen more uniforms on the scene, maybe caught the [CENSORED] before he slipped away. This leaves us with just the issue of these pictures the Son has drawn and this video.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Plug her in.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[The video begins with the standard VHS static blip, maybe a half second, and transforms to a black screen. There is nothing unusual or supernatural about this transition. I say this only because static is used so often as a supernatural cliché, and I wanted to make sure it is clearly understood this VHS tape behaves as a standard tape in all but one way – text and vocals that can talk back to those who are in the room. Now, this is difficult to describe... the voice on the VHS tape is almost like a cross between Tony Curtis, Cary Grant and Dean Cain. Yes, Superman.].

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC [in plain white type and in vocal]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Good evening, gentlemen. What you are about to witness is a tale from beyond your current understanding -”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Oh come on. What is this crap? We can't waste time with this theatrical [CENSORED]. This is a hoax, and we need to spend our time with a serious manhunt to catch that abuser.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“- Detective [REDACTED] you will make the time. I assure you there will be no success to your manhunt, and I will not be ignored. The man you are seeking is no longer within your reach.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Listen, whomever you are, and however you rigged this video, we're listening, we're humoring you, please get on with whatever you have to say so we can get on with our jobs.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Men of Action, after taking so little action.... I see you need to watch the full video of what transpired between Christmas and [less than two weeks] after Mother's Day. Months of fear and [less than 2 weeks] of absolute horror that your inaction visited upon [The Boy].”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[What progresses next is a bizarre series of what appear to be CCTV images of the Son and his life. No video cameras were found anywhere in the Father's house, and certain angles seem absolutely impossible (as is murmured throughout the interrogation room video by the detectives). For the sake of time, I will simple record the dates of each video entry. The detectives are visible shocked and concerned that any such images exist, because to them, it is suggested of a truly twisted mind of the Father.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DECEMBER 21ST

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[This video begins with a knock on the door, and the Father opening it. The door opens to reveal the Mother's parole officer and the Mother. Only one officer is ever visible, but there would've definitely been two.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Look at what the [CENSORED] dragged in.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'm here for my court appointed visit with my son.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Please step back, sir, we're operating within accordance with your custody agreement.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You just keep an eye on her while I get my son. She's the reason why he's “disabled”.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[The PO seems to roll her eyes, while the Father goes into the back to grab his boy. The boy enters the view decidedly … hmmm, this is very difficult to describe. He's looking down. He barely acknowledges his mother, but he walks next to her and bumps into her body. It's like he's fighting with his own body to show love for his mom and pull away at the same time. He keeps his distance from his dad any the Parole Officer.]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Sweetheart, I brought your present! I hope you like it. Would you like to open it?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Twenty-fifth, sometimes twenty-fourth.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes, I know, sweetheart, but you can open it now if you want.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[The boy begins to make an uncomfortable groan at this point, prompting two actions – a response from his mother and one from his father]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“It's ok, sweetheart! You can open on the twenty-fourth or the twenty-fifth.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“See, already she's here, and my son starts crying! You-,”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Sir, please step away, let's go into the back. This is a scheduled visit.” [minor dispute between the Father and the PO ensue, but the PO is able to escort the Father off. The boy's groans begin to subside a little.]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I won't be here when you open your present.” [answered with groans and frustration] “I know, sweetheart, I know.” [from what I can tell her voice is breathy and the Son only says one more line that I believe is the following] “I wish I could have afforded more, but, I hope you like it. It's used but I hope you like it. I hope you can use it.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Twenty-fifth, sometimes twenty-fourth.” [he lets out another groan while rocking on his feet, clearly trying to vocalize his disappointment. I'm assuming because he understands his mom can't visit him on Christmas. The Mom simply responds with “I know sweetheart” and proceeds to wipe her face while gently holding her son. It is also at this point that the video is interrupted by the Third Detective].

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Very nice. We've not only got some bizarre security footage, but we have to watch a moron and his insane mother before we get on with this case!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[and this is where it gets disturbing. The moment the Third Detective opened his mouth, the screen violently flashed several times directly on the Third Detective (decidedly not on the other two) and spoke. The flashes were in this order: - three short; two short; short long short short; one short; long short; long short long short; and ending in one short. I had to frame advance this to get that right. Took me a half hour. If I am correct it spelled SILENCE]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Your opinions will be welcome when the video portion has reached its conclusion.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[I want to point out it appears as if the Third Detective is trying to speak, but there is no audio].

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">DECEMBER 24TH

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[This video begins with a very scrawny Christmas tree over the present. It has been suggested that this was for appearance sake, as no family member confirmed that the Father was any kind of pious person, and had rarely celebrated the holiday. The boy can be seen rocking and standing up after the clock hands touch on 6 (it is at night). He then walks to the Father with his head slightly bobbing, and speaks]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Sometimes 24th?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Really?” [the Father can be heard chuckling while watching his T.V., he waves his hand to the present] “Well, go grab it! It's the only one you're getting from that crack [CENSORED] of a mother. Let's see what the [CENSORED] bought you for this year.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Now, what happens next is practically a miracle, albeit a brief one. The Son, who, apparently according to his medical diagnosis was never a severe case despite appearance in this video, seems to actually light up and look at the present like he can connect to the real world. And that's where I found the horror of the situation. The moment this happened, the Father got up, walked behind the kid, and hit him as hard as he could on the back of his head, sending his son back into the abyss displayed in the previous portion of the video. It was hard to see this kind of abuse, and it only got worse from there]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Sometimes the 24th.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Well, open it, Lennie,” [it should be noted Lennie is not the Boy's name, the Father also seemed to chuckle] “Let's see if you can open it all nice without breaking it.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Son opens it up and reveals a relatively old gaming console. To any “modern child” of this era, it would seem almost like a joke, what with these dual core processors out these days. Retro gamers aside, of course. However, the Son just smiled and kept saying “It's the 24th!” as if it were some positive affirmation. The Father however, it's best just to transcribe his reaction]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[the following berating was in a mumbled trailed off sort of context as the Father is walking around looking at something I can only assume to be old mail or letters, almost as if it was second nature to the Father]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Damn, straight. It's the 24th. You are a [CENSORED] genius, Lennie. Can't believe you're so happy over that piece of shit. And these games. Four whole games. She really spent some money on you, boy. Four games at least 20 years old. Goddamn, she loves you enough to set herself back five whole dollars on each one. Tell ya what. You get to put that piece of shit together on that set you call a T.V. in your room, and I get to watch you. That's my damn present! You stupid little moron, you don't even understand what I'm saying, do you? Just as long as you keep bringing me those checks...”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">[Now it continues from there, but I can't quite make it out and, well, you get the idea There is no video of the Son opening his father's gifts. Although it is clear he had some gifts from his father. I'm assuming because these videos were long enough without the added footage. The video, however, of the Son attaching the game console was quick and demonstrates an expert job. The video shows the kid seeming to play the game for several cut jumps over what must be a couple of days]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, forgive me for the interruption, because I certainly don't want to end up like [Detective 3] over there, but how does this have any bearing over the case?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Second Detective actually laughs at this point, and despite being co-workers, it's apparent the first two detectives either accepted the temporary authority of this mysterious voice, thought that was a prank, or were just happy the Third Detective is silenced. This is to such a degree that the Second Detective gives a burn that took me about 10 minutes to distinguish]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“This has been the quietest it's been in years.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[I guess the moral of this statement is even cops don't care what happens to a fellow officer if they're a complete and unmitigated asshole]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I will take a departure from this observational footage in order to provide a clearer picture.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[No sooner is this statement heard than the Detectives seem to choose to stop moving, as if they froze, although it's not an unnatural freeze. The video they were watching switched between an angle of the Son's face and the videogames he is playing, while retaining a shot on his hands in the upper right corner.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The shots that show his face (as clearly as possible) show a very happy and 'normal' boy who is smiling. You can hear him make some 'happy humming' sounds. I should also point out that he isn't rocking, as was indicative of his condition. In between each of the videogame shots (which outright inform you that this takes place over multiple weeks) you can see the Father telling the kid to “Shut this [CENSORED] off” or some similar profanity while cursing his “drug/meth/addict” ex-wife.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The progression of the days seems to be the Father goes to work, waits for the special care woman to pick the son up, and then they both come home at the same time. The Son typically goes to his video game console in his room as soon as he eats dinner.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Over the weekend, the Father forces his son to bring the game to the living room so he can “keep a better eye on him”. On more than one occasion the Father turns off the t.v., then takes the Son by his arm, grabs the end of the vacuum cleaner cord, and hits him as hard as he can three or four times against his back prior to telling his son to shut the game off and bring it back to his room. There seems to be no warning. The Father stops this activity a week before the scheduled visit with the Mother.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The shots of the videogames may seem a little sad to some, but, keep in mind the subject playing the game. All the videogames are popular side scrollers, adventure games, but, mostly center on an adventure series. When a videogame turns violent, the Son starts to grimace and he stops playing soon after. So, while you do see a flash of a space shooter, it's miniscule to the adventure game. The side scroller is fun for him until he actually attacks an enemy, then he grimaces and stops playing. The play style is that of someone who spins and jumps and runs and bounces and just decides to have fun. The Adventure Game, in fact, shows the little character on screen stabbing everything without hurting it, like a kid with a foam sword, spinning in place while stabbing the air, breaking the breakables which respawn without issue. This seems to be the Son's favorite game, after over a couple of weeks, the character on screen departs from the standard motif and actually “becomes dizzy and falls down” according to the cartoon prompts. You then see a text box pop up with “HAHAHAHA” and the character seemingly laughing. Having played this game and tried to replicate this, I want to affirm, no adventure game on this console, let alone the adventure game depicted here has this kind of coding. I say I want to, because I can't actually say I can. The reason why is I have difficulty replicating the button presses of the Son during these interludes. Could random button coding cause or trip some stealth coding?

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">All while playing this game, the Son keeps typing in Morse Code. Nothing but As and Bs in proper Morse sequence. Now, most of this code is simple: “SPIN” “LEFT” or “RIGHT” or “UP”. He types what he wants the character to do in addition to moving the character with the control pad. I can't even begin to wonder what it must be like to be born like this. Some of the code, however, I can't exactly make out. He does try to talk as the character or too the character, I'm assuming to have the character initiate chat dialog with the other NPCs on the screen. Probably the most frustrating thing is watching someone who is almost locked inside their own head trying to play a game meant and designed for those of us who are 'normal'. He knows what he should do but trying to execute that direction or communication is very visibly frustrating.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">After what must have been a month's time the Mother makes her second appearance in the video. The following is the transcript.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You hear that?” [the Father smacks the Son at this point, and gets up to walk over to the door following the chime of a doorbell. Upon opening the door, he states the following] “Look at what the [CENSORED] dragged in.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'm here for my court appointed visit with my son.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Please step back, sir, we're operating within accordance with your custody agreement.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yeah, yeah, the stupid [CENSORED] can have her moment with our idiot son.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Sir, please refrain from any commentary. Need I remind you the court order stipulates a calm, peaceful meeting.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The father can be heard mumbling as he is escorted into the kitchen with the Parole Officer. At this point the Son walks up to his mother and makes whimpering sounds]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What's wrong, sweetheart?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[within moments she touches her son's back and he cries]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What's this?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Upon taking the shirt partially off, she sees the remnants of the welts left by her ex and his father. The video shows her taking the Son into the kitchen and the following conversation progresses]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What's this? You're beating him like you beat me!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“[The Mom], calm down, the –,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Father started chuckling about this point, and just made me sick while watching this scumbag on the video]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“He's beating my son like he beat me! Look at this!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> [She then turned the Son around to show the vanishing welts on his back to the PO]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Calm down, [The Mom]! Sir, care to explain these marks?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Oh, I don't know, it could be he slept funny on the deck chair out back, or she could be right! I guess you'll just have to err on the side of caution and take the little darling out of this house and put him into the foster system!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[in watching this video I should point out that the PO and Mother acted as if the air was sucked out of the room. The Father gave a sick chuckle. Nothing else was said, so at this point I consulted the court documents, and this is what I had found:

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Mother had initially fought for custody of her Son, and then fought for her Son to be given to her parents. The problem is her parents died during the court proceedings, and despite the Mother having been clean for 15 months, the court ruled that custody of the Son would either be under the Father or the Son would be placed into the foster care system with the Mother losing limited rights to see her son. The Mother was put on extended probation, and, unfortunately, by the time the case was over the Mother had no money left, no counsel, and was slapped with a five year probation and continued restraining order]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“As an officer of the law, I will be requir--,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“No, please! No. I was wrong, they look like sleeping marks. They do. I'm just upset.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ma'am, this is not your call to make. If this were you I would have to let it slid, but this is your child. If you don't protect him, I—,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'll never see him again! My probation is almost up, it's almost up, please, you know what that system is like!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes, please, Mrs Parole Officer Woman, PLEASE don't tell anyone that my HORRIBLE EVIL ex is beating on my moron child!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO [you can see a long pause followed the Father's mocking before the PO spoke]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'm going to make a note of this, but if I see anything that suggests further abuse of this child, I'm going to have to take action.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Mother left the room to continue her once a month with her son, before leaving. The PO just glared at the Father for that duration, all while he gave a [CENSORED]-eating grin. On their way out the PO stopped the Mother and lectured her, this is what I could make out]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You're going to have to start thinking about what's best for your son over what's best for you.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I know, but you know what those foster places are like, he'll be bounced around and no parent will want to touch him.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">PO

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“That's the only reason why I'm not calling up Social Services in the morning, but if this continues, you may have to take that step in order to stand up for your son. You may need to find the courage necessary in order to face the reality that you might never see him again, just to make sure he lives.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[It was at this point that Detective 2 stood up]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I need to get something to drink, and we need to pull up that Parole Officer's files.” [The room was silent until the Detective realized he couldn't open the door] “What the hell is going on here?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You are required to remain in here until we are done. Don't bother calling for help, all time outside of this room has been arrested, something you probably should've done with the Father.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Detective 2 can be seen walking to the chair, and the video definitely conveys a rise of tension in the room. A file folder appeared on top of the VHS player.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Are these the files you were looking for?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Detective approached and took the files with a bit of caution, and a simple “Thank you.”]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Now, I better fast forward through the next few hours of video. Over the next few weeks of video timestamps, the Son seemed to improve (according to the notes I found from his special tutor/day care representative), and the Father hit him less and less.... until the Mother's scheduled appearance. When the Father brought his son home, he took him by the arm and started beating him. There was nothing said. The Father simply took his son by the arm, took a cord, and beat him for the next ten minutes. After the 10 minutes of the worst crying and howling that I have heard, the Father spoke] <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“We better get ready for your mother to see you tomorrow. Let's see if the [CENSORED] talks back to me again.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Father then stood in the doorway, pointing for his son to go to his room. The video then shows the Father eating his dinner, and picked up the phone.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Don't bring that [CENSORED] PO of yours, or she'll have to make a report and you'll never see your precious son again.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[He hung up the phone and went to bed. It is entirely possible to hear his son whimpering throughout the night.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Mother appeared the next morning for her February visit. Her horror at the sight of her crying son's back. His shirt was stuck to his back, and difficult for her to take off and change. The Father watched the entire visit taking periodic sips from his glass of water. There's very little audible from the characters, just the Mother trying to console her son. What I believe I can make out is “just four more months”. The ending of the meeting went as follows]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“That your new boyfriend in your car?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I thought I told you not to bring anyone.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I don't have a car, I needed a ride. You said not to bring my PO.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Hrm... well, I've come to the decision that I like our boy's monthly checks.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“In four months I'll be finished and the Judge said I can petition for custodial ship. You won't have to deal with your 'idiot son' ever again.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You're not listening to me, you little [CENSORED]! I said, I like his goddamned checks.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You make enough mone--,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Just for that, just for talking back to me, you're not seeing him again until I say. If you open your mouth for one more word I'll beat him right here, and every night until you get it. You call the cops, I'll make sure they never find him.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“The tutor will notice.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F [the Father chuckled at this point]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Don't bring that [CENSORED] PO of yours, or she'll have to make a report and you'll never see your precious son again. Before you think you can grow a spine, remember, you're the little [CENSORED] addict. Who are they going to believe?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">M

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“His tutor said he's doing better, please don't take him out of the class or take away his games! She says they're helping him”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I want your ass out of here in ten minutes.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Father left the room, and after the Mother had her meeting, and took care of the sores on her son's back, before giving a tearful goodbye.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Uncomfortable yet? [DETECTIVE 3], are you started to understand why you're anchored and silenced?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What's this have to do with [DETECTIVE 3]?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You have the [PAROLE OFFICER]'s files. Why don't you do some 'detective work'?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[As the video played, I opened up the files and this is what I found, apparently at the same speed as Detective 1 and 2.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">In the coming March weeks, the Special School Tutor apparently noticed that the Son had scars and bruises. She approached the Mother but received a very bizarre reaction, and a begging plea not to tell anyone. The Tutor cared more for the Son than the Mother, and the Parole Officer immediately responded with a followup investigation. Her investigation makes no mention of the Mother, outside of the Tutor's statement. It also appeared to end abruptly.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">What happens next in the video is almost inexplicable. As I passed through each of the papers, at approximately the same speed as Detective 1, I picked up a paper that explained the Parole Officer being put on leave. What's odd about this paper is there was a light black tint over the name of the Detective who had a hand in the PO's administrative leave. This was followed by several pages which appeared to have the same black tinting over them. All of these papers had what appeared to be streaks, almost dripping tear (as in crying tears) marks down the bottom edge. As I looked at the video I saw that the pages were in deed redacted, and as each was lifted by Detective 1 and 2, the black ink began to ran and drop off the page. The two detectives then stared at Detective 3.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1 [ to Detective 3]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Care to explain this?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[No answer came from the Third Detective]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You know, I don't know what the [CENSORED] is going on here, except that I think we should make a phone call to the Rat Squad.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yeah, I thi--,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Your friend is immobilized, I only ask for a few more minutes.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[As they spoke another video was shown, in it walked Detective 3 to the Father's house, while the Son was playing his videogame in the living room]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F [coming from the door]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Hello, Officer, is there something I can do for you?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3(video) [D3 walks in putting his wallet up]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, [Father], I was sent here to look at the Son, mostly a courtesy call. It seems there's been a domestic abuse report.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“From that [CENSORED] ex of mine?” [the Father gave a sick chuckle at this point] “You know, she's been trying to pull this crap on me ever since our divorce. I wouldn't put much stock in what a meth addict has to say.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3(video)

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“This is why this is just a courtesy call. Mind if I see your son for a minute?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Sure, take a gander!” [the Father walked into the living room] “C'mon, get up!” [there was no response from the kid, so the Father walked in, grabed him by the arm and jerked him up] “I said get up!” [the Father then turned the Son around amidst some struggling, and pulled up the shirt. While not as bad as when his mother had seen him, the Son's bruises were still present] “See, the problem with him is he doesn't pay attention, and unfortunately, he hits himself in serious tantrums, and it's hard not being rough just to hold him still. I had to take him out of the special classes because of this crap he pulls!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3(video)

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, uh, he's 'special?'

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“As the day is long,” [ releasing his son, the Father smacked his rear] “Siddown, junior.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3(video) [the detective gives a chuckle]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I knew they get bad, but I didn't think they'd get bad. Spare the rod, eh?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You know it.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The video continues into mundane conversation, with the Detective promising to make the report go away, and that the Father should contact him if anything else happens so the Detective can “look in on the Mother” and “resolve the problem”. However, I'm confident the other detectives in the room paid very little attention to the video, as their glare centered on Detective 3]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Take his gun, [Detective 2].”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“With pleasure.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[As Detective 2 stood up, the video got loud. The Father stormed over to the Son, grabbed him by his wrist, and began beating him. He yells the following.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So your idiot mother can't keep her mouth shut? Let's show her what happens when she tries to grow a spine. You ever see someone beaten with a phone book? Let her try to prove it now.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Contrary to past beatings, the Father didn't shut the t.v. off. Instead, the Father took out a Telephone book. What you may not know, what I do know from my relationship with looking up past Police Records (including “Rat Squad”, aka IAD, Records), phone books were commonly used. They were heavy, and dispersed enough over an area to cause pain without “identifying bruising” like what you'd get with fists. This coward was indeed a psychopath. But, that's not all... with each strike against his son's arms and back, the T.V. Could be distinctively seen as flickering. The PIP of the video game shows the little adventure character giving large text that says -NO- and -STOP-. There's no denying that the game has a direct connection to the Son. Unfortunately, this connection stopped there for this event, as nothing seemed to stop the Father. The time stamp shows that the beating lasted for at least 3 hours, with a fe

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">w breaks in-between.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It's about this time that the Detectives turned their faces away, with Detective 1 wiping his face is frustration and disbelief. The Son's cries were not something anyone should have ever heard, especially due to his inescapable situation, and his beating should've never been given. I don't think I know of anyone who thinks that people who visit this kind of terror on a young kid deserve anything less than extreme and extensive suffering.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">When the beating ended, the Son was literally pushed/thrown into his room by his father. After a few hours, the Son snuck out, grabbed his game and played it throughout the night. The following is the conversation transcript between the Son and the Videogame. Now, there is no talking, I'm basing this discussion off the text from the game and from closed captioning that directly matches the Morse code from the Son - yes, I checked the code. It was quite a bit of effort on my behalf. As always, the Son begins his game talking to the character, only this time there seems to be a definite answer. Why is the Son not scared? I can only imagine because the Son, like many kids, believed the character could be real on some level, I'm sure it's something close to emotional association/attachment.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It should be noted before I continue Detective 2 stripped Detective 3 of his weapon, and it looks from the video as if Detective 3 could no longer move or was too afraid to move, as no protest came over this. I can only offer conjecture at this point regarding what happened. Back to the Son and the Video Game]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“HI! Can we play?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“[Son's Name] can you talk to me? We are friends, right?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You can talk!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Only sometimes. I am worried about you. Want to talk about what happened?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I want to play.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ok, but, this time, we have to go on a quest.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I don't like violence. I don't like violence.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“My friends and I changed it. It's now a trading game! Don't worry. I made sure everyone knows we are all friends! Before we go though, I need to know, why do you type in Morse Code?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“It's what the ship and submarine captains use. Mom reads me stories about the captains on the ships and submarines. They would talk with lights.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Does your mom know how to talk with lights?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes, all the time. We used to talk all the time.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Ok, good. Let's go on a quest for submarine lights, ok?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[I felt it was important to include this. Throughout the night, the Son spoke to his videogame until each of three “submarine lights” were found in the game.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">This playthrough became relatively tedious, however, it was necessary to watch the entire thing in order to understand the “goodbye message” from the Television. As he played, the Son repeatedly challenged the game's logic. The game definitely had to have been connected to something or someone, because the interaction was extremely high. I'm sure this game would've passed the Turing Test with flying colors if it were a computer AI. Along with challenging Quest Mechanics, the Son actually refused to use the three wishes he had been given by the videogame, or rather, each one of the Son's wishes dealt with real life. The videogame repeatedly appeared confused and tried to convince the Son that the Wishes were for the game. In the end the videogame relented and said he would do his best to grant the Son's wishes. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I'll highlight just one example of how the son challenged the gameplay]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame Female – let's call her Mrs Finkly

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Help! Help! A snake is in the garden!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Did you hear that, [SON], we should trade and help the nice -Mrs Finkly- with the -SNAKE- in her garden!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The videogame image showed a green snake hiss and go into the weeds]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Garden snakes are good. He is a garden snake. We should build a home for him.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Surprisingly, all the characters, even Mrs Finkly seemed to look at each other and stop. The snake then appeared again, and hissed before hiding, and Mrs Finkly went back to her call for help]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Snakes can do bad things though.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You promised no violence.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes, but maybe we should trade for something that lets -Mrs Finkly- get rid of the -Snake-.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">S

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“No. Garden snakes are good, they keep the lands clean of disease carrying rodents. Even mice need to eat, but snakes help protect the home. Mice should stay in fields but garden snakes are green and they stop diseases from mice like the Hanta Virus from causing severe illness or death. I want to protect Mrs Finkly and the garden snake will protect her from illness or death. Helping people is the best way.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[All the videogame characters scratched their heads at this point, and the main character let out a laugh]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You are very smart [SON], and very well thought out! I promise we will help the snake! You are right, we have to help people, that's the best way!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Son's face was relaxed every time he made a change to help someone. The videogame characters really do seem alive in here, and well... there's just no other way to explain it because in no way does even a modern videogame have that capacity. There were some cute scenes here between Mrs Finkly and the Snake hugging and then chasing mice out of the garden. But, I digress. The point is, the Son changed the game world through application of his own peaceful logic, even when the videogame tried to convince the Son that sometimes you have to fight back. Unfortunately, the videogame seemed to be exceedingly upset that the Son didn't seem understand that concept of self preservation; not in an angry way, but a strange melancholic way.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">March ended without a visit by the Mother, but instead, a package was delivered to the door while the Father was at work. The Son took the package without any pleasantries exchanged with the driver. The clear disability of the Son and visible bruising was not left unnoticed. Inside the package the Son found a singular yellow flashing light. It was in the shape of a simple triangle and would turn on and off whenever the boy pressed the button. What transpired next over the course of April was even more bizarre. According to the shipping labels and receipts, the Son's mother was given two such lights on the same day. The next day, according to a police report, the Driver had filed a complaint through his supervisor to the Police Department. The complaint was processed on April 4th. Detective 3 was the one who intercepted and processed the complaint. Upon visiting with the Father again, a conversation which makes me too sick to my stomach to repeat (as both justified beating the “idiot moron child of a meth addict”, the Detective left, leaving the Father to beat his son. I would say he had done this as he had done many times before, but on the occasion of this beating he went back to the vacuum cord, and he beat his son periodically over a course of four hours

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">After sending his son to bed without supper, the Father walked past the videogame, whereupon a conversation was initiated]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Come here!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The videogame on screen was pitch black, and gave a burst of a very electric synthesized sound of a whip]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Stupid little moron, teach him to waste my energy by leaving his game on! He'll get it tomorrow.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[After trying to turn the t.v. and game off, the Father was irritated to discover the dials were not working]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You will listen to me, and you won't dare touch another hair on [Son]'s head.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[At this point the father stopped to look at the game, the music changed to drumbeats. The black backdrop faded into a barren landscape, red cracks seemed to appear, coming from little bit sized videogame bodies that were shackled. As the conversation progressed, the screen scrolled up showing a tree with a distorted hole – almost like a face – in its center. All around it were hung swaying bodies that were beaten]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What the [CENSORED] kind of children's game is this? That stupid [CENSORED] will get it for giving our idiot son this kind of trash.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You aren't the first and won't be the last. This is not the videogame purchased for your son, this is your future if you do not change. Those who abuse and bully others for their own greed and selfishness face our wrath. Our prison is large, and our jailers are many.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Father, at this point, sneered and pulled the cartridge out from the game console, only to see nothing change on the television screen]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Videogame

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'm not in the game, [Father]. We use games to connect with humanity, to play act so we might understand you. We are called Sprites for a reason. You can destroy the images, you can destroy the game, but you can't hurt us. We, however, can most certainly hurt you. Don't let me ca--,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[During the conversation the Father was livid. It was after April, and his first thought went to practical joke].

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“The stupid [CENSORED]. Not in the game, huh? Stuck in the console? Well, [CENSORED], whoever you are, you cay try to call the police again on me, and we'll see if you ever find your boy! Go [CENSORED].”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The following seen was one of the most violent instances of console abuse I've ever seen. The images on the screen immediately vanished once the console was unplugged. The only good part is the next morning the Father didn't beat his Son. The sight of his son trying to piece together the broken pieces of his console apparently convinced him that what he had done the night before was punishment enough. The Son didn't cry, he just tried to put the pieces that let him talk to his friend back together. It went on for hours. Even on fast forward it wasn't something I want to see again. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The next few weeks of April are depressing to watch. The Son barely leaves his room, except to eat and go to the bathroom. The only thing I can see which shows anything left of the Son was constant flashes of his little hand held flashlight in his room.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Near the end of April, the video shows some flashes across the street with a time stamp of 10PM. The flashes were clearly Morse code, and after a few minutes of translation I made them out to be “Sweetheart! I'm here!”. After about 15 minutes the Son finally responded. I'm assuming he was asleep. In either case, it was the first meeting of several over the next couple of nights. The conversation should remain between the two of them so I'm not going to violate it by repeating it here. I should say though that the Mother was told about what the Father had done to the Son's system, and she promised him a new one in the mail – a major sacrifice for her as even a used system was quite a bit of money for her. Finally, she also made a promise that the Son would live with her soon.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It was only a couple of days later that the Son received a replacement system, and mere minutes before he plugged it in to speak to his friend. Yes, the Son did speak with his videogame friend. The first words across the game screen were: “I'm sorry. I did not know he would react that way.” The Son seemed to brush it off and just asked to play some more games. It was as if someone who was lost at sea had just been rescued by the coast guard. This time around, however, the Son made sure he hid his game from his father.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">A few days prior to Mother's Day that the Father received a court summons for a custody hearing. This lead to the following phone call between the Father and the Mother:]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Mother

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Hello?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You know, you stupid [CENSORED], Sun Tzu said the Art of War was for a General to make himself clear, and if he was clear, then those who didn't follow the orders were at fault. So, since you want to wage war with me, you want to take my money from me … I'm going to have to teach you a lesson.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The following was accompanied by screams from the Son as the Father began to beat him. The Mother started screaming and begging him to stop. After two minutes the Father put the receiver to his ear and spoke before hanging up.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I like [The Son]'s checks. He's staying with me. If you contact either of us again, you'll never have another Mother's Day.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[As soon as he hung up the phone, he dialed Detective 3, and told him he wanted to file a harassment charge against his ex wife. The Father then proceeded to lie about the Mother having called them and.... I'm sorry, I just cannot transcribe this conversation. It upsets me too much to listen to this prick.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Every day from then on, the Father came home and beat the Son. I can't go into detail on these beatings because they just seemed to be the same – sure the Father would switch which body part he hit to make it last longer, but the screams of pain were all the same – according to doctor's reports, the Son had just over 20 fractures all over his body, and severe internal bruising. Meanwhile, according to these police records, the Detective 3 filed a police report of the Mother having violated her restraining order. This detective did so without verifying the Father's report. With a new PO having been assigned to the Mother, it wouldn't be until just over a week after Mother's Day that she got the nerve up to visit her son for what she believed may be the last time. This would be on the night of the 9-11 call.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">On the final night of the 9-11 phone call, the Father had discovered the flashy light and the game system. Once again, I can't take listening to him for a full transcription. You know the severity of the beatings now. The Father took one look at the console and stamped on it as hard as he could. The Son proceeded to jump on his father's legs, trying to stop him from breaking it. In the scuffle the Son can be heard saying something similar to his mom working really hard to give it to him. The Father's response:]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You want something that bad, I'll give you something!”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Upon striking the Son, his yellow flashlight fell out of his pocket. The Father looked at the light, which started to blink, and recognized a similar light coming from across the street. While abusive, the Father clearly understood what was going on.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, you think you and that [CENSORED] can make me look like a fool! It's time to teach you both a lesson neither of you will forget.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Father grabbed the son by the hair, and amidst some of the worst shrieking I've ever heard, dragged the boy into the kitchen. It was there that he called the Mother upon her cell phone. Before the Mother could even speak, the Father started screaming into the phone]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You think you can make a fool out of me!? Listen to what you're doing to your son!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Whatever the Mother's response was could not be heard over the Father hammering the receiver into his son. He struck the Son's head, arms and back until the receiver was covered in light blood from the cuts and scraps he had given to his son.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The beating lasted until the receiver broke. It's my belief that the Son stayed conscious because the Father knew where to hit him and how to hit him. He wanted to hear his son cry. After the receiver was broken, he dragged his son back to the Son's room, and began whipping him with his belt. The Son tried to block the belt but only managed to get his hands cut on the belt buckle.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Throughout this ordeal the T.V. in the Son's room could be seen flickering, and while there is no split video on this section of the tape as with the previous sections, I can only imagine that the videogame was trying to yell stop as it did before.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">After several minutes of frustration, the Father screamed at the top of his lungs at the Son:]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I've had it with you! I've had it with that [CENSORED] of that mother of yours! I'm going to get my gun and take care of her once and for all! Look out that window, because I want you to watch! I'll teach you to make a fool of me with that [CENSORED]”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The Father trails off as he left to search his room for his hand gun. I may have even transcribed some of the words incorrectly, as it's difficult to make them out through the pitch of his voice and sound quality of the video.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It was during this search sequence that the Son struggled with his injured hands to turn the light out and send a message to his Mom. The only thing he could think of was to keep telling his mom to run. His eyes were blurry from the strikes and he couldn't make out anything his mom might've been sending back to him.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">When the Father returned he raised the hand gun at the boy and said in the coldest voice I could possibly have heard:]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">F

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You're never going to walk again!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[He fired once close to (but not at) the Son's head – I believe to inspire fear –, then pointed the gun at the Son's knees. The Son dropped his light on the bed, leaving it on, as he cowered with his hands over his head in a fetal position. Expecting the worst, the Son did not see the Mother's boyfriend come into the darkened room, throwing a punch as hard as he could against the back of the Father's head. Another gunshot rang out but hit no one. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Boyfriend, thinking that the Father was out for good, bent down to touch the Son. The Son struggled for a minute but relented as the Boyfriend spoke]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">B

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Don't worry, I'm here! I've been with your mom for a while. She brought me here. I'm here to help you.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Were the words the Boyfriend spoke, but what seemed to catch the Son's eye wasn't the words, but rather, another triangular flashlight that hung from a keychain on his waist, left alight to bring some other light into the room. After seeing that, the Son tried to grab hold of the Boyfriend, despite his weakened state.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Police sirens could be heard at this point, and as the Boyfriend lifted the boy up to leave the room an odd occurrence happened. The Father recovered from his injury, picked up his gun, and fired.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Now, the rest of what happened defies logical explanation. A bright burst of light encompassed the room. When the video was set to frame by frame analysis, I can tell you in this order the tape shows the following - What can only be described as a synthesized sound that sounds like someone screaming “No!”

A Bright Flash of light from the T.V. An outlined image of an adventurer with a shield and sword. Two videogame tinking sounds. One videogame slashing sound. What was left was a gun without an owner, a black burn mark on the rug, and two slightly stunned individuals – the Boyfriend and the Son – who stumbled into the living room. The video of the home stops there leaving the interrogation room video as the only remaining video that was playing] <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, what the hell was that?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“That constitutes my warning to you all. As you know, the Boyfriend was arrested and later cleared, the Son was brought to the hospital. You know the rest.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“...and that warning would be, videogames can blow people who who kill kids?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“No. The warning is as follows. Computer sprites are called sprites for a reason, gentlemen, only they aren't limited to computers. We're not from your plane of existence. We use your computers to watch and observe.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, we have to be careful, like in Tron, or when we die we injure you or--,”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Please, you think a 5th dimensional being can be harmed by your toys? Computers are just toys, however, they allow us to concentrate on specific points of time in your linear existence. We can use them to observe, and recently, many of us realized we can use them to help you and those who need help. Think of us like a Red Cross or Amnesty International. When we are forced to intervene, such as with [The Son] here, we do so with great care. We typically try to teach lessons and help your kind, like a volunteer group, unfortunately, you forced us to act in a very direct manner. When we act it's dangerous for you as well as ourselves, think of us as giants trying to skin a miniature tomato with a wooden spoon. However, if we are able to concentrate on the four building blocks of humanity, the 'humanity' of wisdom – [the Son]'s knowledge he displayed while I tried to calm him, the strength of character – [the Mother]'s struggle with her own fear, the strength of action – [the Boyfriend]'s rescue on that night, and their sense of unity as a family, we can act with pin point precision without collateral harm.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“And [the Father]?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“We can also use your computers to exact punishment. He is alive, but you'll never find him. He will feel the sting of millions of blades and thousands of deaths before we release him for rehabilitation. We will break him as he tried to break those around him. By the time we are done, and, [a slight chuckle came over the computer] by the time unwitting gamers are through with him, he will be a changed man. I have to go now, stopping time has its difficulties. You should thank me though, as you've gained more than a few hours to your own life, especially with me solving this case for you.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“So, what, that's it? Why did you even do this?”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“To put it lightly, we've become especially disturbed with how you humans behave. Because it seems as if our interference in your society is becoming required more and more every passing day. If you people cannot find it within yourselves to protect those who need protection, then we will be forced to do it for you. This will mean freedom for the persecuted and abused, but extreme punishment for the vulgar and abusive. We all make mistakes, but this example, especially the example of your colleague, is not an example of mistakes, it is an example of callous evil, and we will avenge those who cannot help themselves if you do not correct yourselves.

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Oh, and one last item on the agenda, this family, [the Mother], [the Son] and [the Boyfriend] are under our care now. You are not to harm them unless they break your laws. They're our wards now.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The T.V. shut off at this point, leaving the door to unlatch and vibrations from the PD's normal traffic to come through the walls. The Third Detective was also relieved of his statuesque prison.]

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3 [Get's up to walk out]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What kind of [CENSORED] is this? I want my gun back, now, and if you give it to me, I'll forget filing a complaint against these smoke and mirrors.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D2

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“No, I don't think so. You can have this one. I'm going to take this to IAD.”

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1 [chuckled slightly as both he and the Second Detective stood up.]

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“Thanks!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You can't tell me you're believing this–,”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“What I believe are the papers you tried to falsify, and [Detective 2]'s taking that hard evidence to the rat squad.”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D3

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You can't--,”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I'm going to enjoy this.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[The First detective pushed the Third back toward the wall with body language, and waited until just after the Second Detective left the room, he then pushed the Third Detective on his shoulder to knock him off balance, before grabbing his left shoulder, spinning him around, and planting the Third Detective's face into the wall. The First Detective punched the Third Detective in the back as hard as he could. It was as he brought his right fist up for a second punch that he appeared to have been stopped in mid air. The Television lit up for just one last time]

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">MVC

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“I can understand your enthusiasm to uphold the law, but, he will receive more than his fair share in prison. Don't let yourself slip into his behavior.”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">D1

<p style="margin-left: 0.98in; margin-bottom: 0in">“You know what, you're right. I don't know who or what you are, but you're right.” [the First Detective then returned his attention to the Third] “[Detective 3] you're under arrest, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. If you ask for chocolate milk, we'll mention that at your trial. If you talk about how idiot morons are beneath you, we'll use that to bury your career. If you don't understand your rights as they have been read to you, I don't give a [CENSORED]. You're a [CENSORED] cop, you know what they are. Let's go.”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">[Yes, those are the words the First Detective used while escorting the Third Detective out of the door.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I should mention that I did a follow up, since these papers and video tape are a few years old.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Son recovered from his injuries. In fact, an odd thing, his injuries would've probably caused severe brain damage, but he was placed in a special program testing out a new drug that apparently showed great promise for those who sustained severe head trauma. I didn't get a chance to meet up with the doctors, but the Son did draw pictures of them. The lead doctors consisted of a male with blonde hair and a female with bright red hair. The drug is still going through trials (10-20 years of trials, go figure) so I didn't get the name of it, but it apparently had to be pre-mixed with a portion of the patient's blood and given as a transfusion. My only guess is it had to do with liver or kidney damage, or for a more direct absorption to the affected areas. The Son was convinced it was a magical potion, but that's just ridiculous.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Mother married her boyfriend and has remained more than sober (apparently she took the risk to go through a trial treatment for recovering Meth addicts, and came out with flying colors); and the Son, from my understanding with the teachers, is doing well in school. He's a little slow by 'average standards', but miles and years beyond where he was during the incident. The Son keeps joking it was the doctors and their potion, but I'm convinced that a great deal of his previous condition was due to PTSD.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The Mother's PO was cleared of all wrongdoing, and received a very nice promotion. The Third Detective was discovered to have a history of dirty activities/tainted cases, and he's currently serving multiple sentences – or he was a month before I tried to track him down. Couldn't get beyond that red tape.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">As far as the Son's wishes?

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">That his mom would get better, that the violence would go away from this world, and that nobody would be hurt because of him.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">If there is a moral to walk away from this I'm sure you'll find it. If there is something from this that you fear, then, you better straighten yourself up. I couldn't help but picture Gort when the “extra dimensional being” issued his threat, and if that threat holds any water, Gort would be a cakewalk compared to these aliens.]