The great vagina in the sky awaits.
Phallic imagery intensifies.
Huh?
KayKay wants to see the statue of liberty. The ferry's nearby.
Heh, that's so fun. I took my girls there once, she'll love it.
Er, yeah. She likes flying up to the statue's head and mooning it.
Oh, um. That's fun too, I guess.
Eli looks more relaxed than you've ever seen him. He stands taller. His steps are bouncier.
Logan continues to smile and nod to a voice only he can hear.
There's a poster for a missing child hanging on the building.
(I forgot to post this image at the Art sex scene. Thankfully another opportunity arrived to use it!)
Also, to the left is a woman,
busy attaching a poster to the wall.
Preposterous. I wanna talk!
I... really don't want to talk, okay?
But please m'lady.
Please, I'm not in the mood.
Nonsense, a little chat never hurt anyone.
I'm ignoring you. Go away.
/ignored
The way east (right) leads
to a downtown residential area. West (left) goes
to Wall Street, past a damp little park.
We went right in the Bronx, so let's do that here too.
Auspicious.
Oh not again.
Ah, the chaos gods speak clearly now.
... I won't let one mistake destroy everything I've built. I WON'T. Too many depend on us. There's too much at stake.
"Too big to fail"? I've heard that before.
It was true then, and it is true now. The Trust must survive. If we go down? It would be catastrophic. You told me you could make all this go away. Is this true?
I wouldn't lie about something this important.
It's lying that got us into this mess. Be sure to remember that. Listen, Miss... what was your name again? It is not my nature to trust anyone. Least of all a stranger. And yet, I think you're the woman for the job. Whatever it is you need to do? Do it. With my blessing.
You won't regret this, Jason.
Let's go to my office and discuss this privately.
Hello, random citizen.
Should I call an ambulance?
Oh. Hi. No. Our friend is just having... an episode. She gets them. Sometimes.
You're...
No, nevermind, it's not my problem.
Codexia gets up
Well, you SEEM all right.
wat
Just be careful around here, it's...
ITZ
Well, just be careful.
exit concerned citizen
Well, that was awkward.
Let's see what we have here.
Strong wooden doors form a barrier to a pleasant apartment building.
Obviously it's locked.
Also some
buzzers for individual apartments.
The poster mentioned an apartment 4E. Let's call that.
I read about your missing son.
You... did? You know where he is?
Er, no, I don't. Sorry.
Smooth
Then... why? Just stop bothering me!
The voice hangs up.
Nothing more to do here, so let's go (W)est
Passing through here, Codexia spots that the poster put up by the concerned citizen is the same one of the missing child. The plot thickens!
(W)
We got hobos.
That they are too important. Too VITAL to fail. So they walk like giants in the clouds. Looking down on us with disgust. Nobody can see the truth. Nobody can see them for what they are. They are thieves! Stealing our future. OUR CHILDREN! And we let them, over and over again. This building. This gleaming glass monolith. It represents all we want to be. But it was built on a foundation of LIES, and sustained by the gullible. The gullible who sell their souls willingly to a god who doesn't care.
The man grips his sign like his life depends on it.
The famous Charging Bull of Wall Street, a monument to finance.
More like the golden calf. Or brazen bull.
Also, the building belongs to
GCT, a financial megacorp, dogged by scandal and accusations of underhanded dealings.
Let's chat up the hobo.
Are you all right?
All right? Society is being consumed by a terminal poison! We have been robbed and nobody sees it! So no, madam, I am not alright. I am in great pain, as we all are.
If there was a robbery, you should report it.
Report it to WHO? The police? The police can do nothing. They are asleep. They don't SEE.
@_@
Mayhap they don't need eyes to see.
"They don't see"? You don't mean void-touched, do you?
Smooth.
The only void is the grand emptiness inside the Grant City Trust! They are the cancerous tumor, poisoning society and STEALING our future. But nobody sees it. They can't.
Our future's been taken?
Yes. Yes, it has. Taken by us. For the benefit of THEM! The giants on high!
T-H-E-M
Pity the few who are chosen. They... know not why.
You don't mean literal giants, do you?
They BELIEVE they are giants. Looking down at us from the clouds and calling us losers. But THEY are the losers. They would be NOTHING if it weren't for us.
What are you doing out here?
Screaming into the abyss in the hope that someone hears me.
We call that shitposting.
Can you hear me?
We heard you. It would be kinda hard not to.
You hear with your ears, but not your MIND.
@_@
You are asleep. WAKE UP!
WAKE UP SHEEPLE
Please.
I... don't understand what you mean.
I know. I just hoped... No. This is... my cross to bear.
We are asleep?
Yes! Because I am the only one awake! Please wake up. Please!
What is your issue with the Grant City Trust?
They... they...
They are a cancer on society! Taking our future! Taking our LIVES!
Look, I get that you're upset, but all this shouting? It's not healthy. You understand that, right?
I mean PRECISELY what I say!
Bye. We'll leave you to... whatever you're doing.
Be cool, hobo.
Surging forward.
Hello there.
Yeah, I can see him. Old guy, wearing a suit. Looking down the street.
Well then, you know your job, Logan.
Hey, um, excuse me? Could we talk for a second?
Dude. The kid?
Heh. Sorry. Didn't see you there. What's your name? KayKay, huh? Well, KayKay, here's an early lesson for you: Never trust a man who doesn't swear. My dad taught me that.
Wise. Very wise.
You said your service was slow?
I believe the phrase was "slow as shit".
Er, yeah, that. What service?
My CAR service. Been waiting for... I don't know how long.
I hate to tell you this, but I don't think your car service is coming.
Yeah, I'm starting to think that too. Well, I can give it a little longer, I'm in no hurry.
No, you're, um, definitely not.
I'm Logan Brown. You've already met KayKay. What's your name?
You seriously don't know?
Nope, I don't.
Then my name is... Richard. Richard Gere.
For real?
Hah, no.
Seriously, man, what's your name?
Paul Newman.
No, it's not.
John Travolta.
No.
Is it Al Pacino?
I'm the one asking you.
Then I guess it can't be that important.
Cheeky bugger
Do you work here at the Grant City Trust?
What gave it away? My suit?
Well, yeah, it's a good suit. What do you do here?
Little of this, little of that.
That's... kinda vague.
Always keep 'em guessing. That's what my dad always said.
I guess we'll see you around.
Sure. Now where is that god damn car service...
Gird your loins, sharpen your steel. The heathen temple awaits
All this pink is making me uncomfortable.
On the right,
a bank of elevators to usher you into the inner sanctum.
Also a guard -
this man seems bored, but happy.
This guy reminds me of someone.
You're open late.
It isn't late in Beijing, or in Australia. Global world of finance. Someone is always working here, which means someone is always at this desk.
Can I go in?
Sure, just show me your ID and I'll buzz you right in.
I don't have an ID. Can I go in anyway?
Optimistic!
I shouldn't, but what the hell. Go right ahead.
Seriously?
Uh, NO? Sorry, I'm just messing with you guys. The late shift gets boring, what can I say?
Thanks for your time.
See you around.
Behind the guard,
a portrait of an imperious-looking older man gazes down at you.
'Sup.
Didn't you call that guy "Jason" back in that vision of yours?
Jason... Grant? I don't believe it.
You know him?
Sure, I know him. Well, KNEW him. Back in the 60s. Jason was just a fresh-faced kid back then. He sure got... old.
That's not all he got. This guy's the spitting image of the ghost outside.
You're joking.
No. This is the guy, right, KayKay? See? She agrees with me.
... well.
Spill the beans, fat man.
Did you know Jason Grant?
Not really. I mean, he walked past the desk every day. He'd say hello, but we never really TALKED. I guess we never will now, poor goy.
How did Jason Grant die?
Had a heart attack just outside the door. Was waiting for his car service, when POOF! Out like a light. The guy was fit too. Well, fit for a 73 year old.
So he wasn't expecting to die.
Well, I mean who IS? He was stressed out, I'll say that much. I don't care how in shape you are, if you can't relax, you're not healthy.
So he was stressed?
Well, like I said, I saw him every day. We didn't talk much, but he was always laughing and joking with people. But towards the end? He was always alone. He never laughed. He never smiled. He looked, well... stressed.
Maybe it's the economy. You keep hearing it's bouncing back, but maybe he knew something we plebs didn't.
Bad ekanami.
Can you tell me more about Jason Grant?
Er, well, he named this bank after himself? I honestly don't know much. Nice enough guy, but I don't know much else. Sorry.
Who's running the bank now that the founder is dead?
That would be Roy Fellows. I... don't know much about him.
He doesn't know much about nothing.
Why's that?
Cuz I never see the guy. If he ever comes and goes, it's never when I'm on shift. But the lights are still on and I still get paid, so I figure he's doing all right.
It seems the local Intrigue (tm) is starting to take shape. We shall investigate further next time.