Shattered Identity

[mynameisnotbrad]

There is no honor among thieves. Trust no one. Mantras that people of ill-repute have problems following and Jeff is no exception.

He hasn’t been in the best of moods lately, recently discovering that someone leaked a filming of his game show to a vaguely disguised Nexus ‘porn site’; the video was slowly creeping up in random searches. Trivia Murder Party was never meant to be easily accessible: the Darknet proving to be a reliable way to conceal his actions and keep the paid sponsorship anonymous. Getting it removed, and the person responsible for the leak exterminated, was proving to be harder than he thought.

When he spots the familiar purple Alolan Persian sitting next to the door leading back to John’s world, he knows something is amiss. The groceries he’s holding get dropped to the ground instantly, as the Pokemon immediately moves to his side, rubbing her head against his pant leg. Normally confident, the creature is rattled by the recent incidents, tries to keep him from opening the door.

He has to go back though. He’s left a few important things there.

Slowly, the door is opened; the dark shed welcoming him to his second home. Immediately, he can see that people have been rummaging through the storage area, a lot of footprints have been left behind in the snow outside the shed as well. He carefully makes his way to the backdoor of the cabin, noticing that a lone car is parked in his driveway. An unmarked police car.

“...This can’t be happening.” His eyes go wide as he pulls the PINpoint from his pocket. He’s made sure to set a few coordinates for the basement into it, quickly pushing a button, which puts him inside the house. He’s not ready to deal with the police and signs of tampering he believes they’ve created, completely unaware that mere hours ago someone else was here. Quickly, he walks over to the floorboards, relieved to find his journal still there.

Taking it quickly with one hand, he pulls out his PINpoint and jumps back to his original homeworld, appearing in his old basement. The assortment of tools and weapons are comforting, but he ignores them, placing the book on a nearby table and walking to a large metal lockbox. Opening it reveals a large quantity of C4 explosives, along with the appropriate tools for detonation. He puts on a pair of gloves, takes a few blocks with a detonator, then PINpoints back to the other basement.

It takes every bit of energy he has to focus on the task at hand: layering the walls of the basement with explosives. No one can know what he’s done here. Erase all evidence.

He sneaks back upstairs, heading into the master bedroom and notices his slightly-open suitcase and duffel bag. The black and red cloak isn’t something he was expecting to see, a item he didn’t take from New York. Reaching into the bag with one gloved hand, he pulls out the note which was left for him, turning it around carefully.

UNWORTHY

The paper, he can tell, has a second message written in invisible ink. He always keeps a portable blacklight with him, but only a select few people would know that. Jeff immediately becomes angry upon reading the text.

I am the future Jigsaw. You are no longer needed.

Amanda. He understands why the police are here now. She sold him out to them.

He doesn't get any additional time to think, as the sound of additional cars are pulling back up to the house. The voices grow louder, angry and irate, as he manages to slip out the back door.

”We’ve got a warrant to search the premise! Be prepared for anything!”

Damn. He’s sprinting to the shed as the police begin arming themselves, taking refuge behind the wooden building. Reaching into his pocket, he removes the last bit of C4 he saved for this location. Planting the explosive quickly, he dashes towards the forest as a single officer spots him.

”He’s here! I’m following the suspect into the woods!”

The officer starts to run as Jeff removes the detonator from his pocket, flicking the black switch quickly. From behind him, the explosions begin: first the house, then the shed. The chasing officer hesitates, stopping to turn and look at the growing fire, hearing his comrades talk loudly, some of which have been injured by the blast. His distraction gives Jeff enough time to retreat into the woods, one last moment to see his second home burn to the ground.

He frowns, before taking the PINpoint out of his pocket, teleporting back to the Nexus.

It’s not that a far of a walk back to where the doorway once stood, finding Persian laying on a nearby sofa, waiting for him. The cat seems very happy that Jeff has returned safely, but can tell he’s in distress. He’s on alert; is not even sure the Nexus is safe right now, especially after needing to blow up his work on another world. The cat Pokemon almost has a sixth sense for these kind of things, nudging his leg, until he starts walking to another set of doors.

“Persian, please…” He stops when the cat places him in front of a door with Hawaiian flowers printed on it. “Is this your world?”

The cat meows, pushing her head on the door, as if telling him to open it. When he finally does, the scent and sounds of the tropics await him, and for once, he doesn’t mind the overly cheerful scenery. He can always get a new home and start again. Before he gets the chance to walk through the doorway, he can feel something watching him from behind. Turning quickly, his demeanor changes upon seeing a small, black Deino. It’s the one he ‘caught’ a few weeks ago, but let go.

“Why are you..?” He doesn’t get a chance to negotiate, as the vicious Pokemon begins nibbling happily at his pant leg. The Persian watches intently, pleased at the appearance of another Dark Pokemon. Jeff quickly scoops up the Deino in his hands, before walking into the welcoming tropics of Alola, Persian following suit.

He’ll survive this and come back. But the realization is clear: he wants to make everyone who’s ever hurt him pay.