The Vespidian Arc 1 Contamniation, Chapter 4

Interlude: Grains of Sand

Saar never really had to worry about his daughter getting into trouble, not in the last five years. That was something adventurous people did. After she dropped out of college it seemed that all ambition and anything even remotely resembling a will to get out there and do something had been stripped from her. It was as though she had given up and did not care if she was successful or not. It hurt a lot to see her like that. She was driven and motivated before she went to college, she had returned despondent and reclusive. No matter how much he asked, she never did tell him exactly what happened. She had once said, “I just got tired of caring.” College became something of a taboo phrase around her and just mentioning it was usually enough to make her completely shut down in a conversation. Unless she was really mad, then it would invoke a yelling match.

Whatever sort of trauma she endured from it had turned her into a slacker. At the least that was it on the surface, he could tell that it was deeper than just being lazy and hoped that if she had enough time she would pull herself out of this slump, Vesper always had before. It only got worse. The years ticked by and she withdrew even further from the world, delving into games as though to escape reality. She had to be dragged out of the basement for most anything. He only wanted her to get it together, stand back on her feet and start doing things, but she was content with eating ramen and staring at a screen like a brainless zombie.

It made Saar angry to see her wasting her life down there. She was dug in like a tick though, and refused to budge. His only solace was that she had no interest in drugs. He had seen many of her age group fall prey to it and end up as junkies. Life moved on, but then she got that game, The Shattered Realms Online. It was the first time in years that he had seen her smile. Little did he know that it would consume even more of her time. She would stay down there for days playing it non-stop. It had become an addiction, a rather destructive one as well. She once prided herself on her hair and how toned her muscles were, but now she hardly even maintained basic hygiene. She was just down there playing that game. It had to stop and he confronted her about it.

He would never hit her or anything, in fact the last time he bent her over his knee and spanked her was in middle school. Vesper was afraid whenever he raised his voice, then again so were most people. This was the only time in her entire life that he really yelled at her and they both regretted it. She did not leave her room for the ensuing month, not even Caroline, her mother could get through to her. Not even the scrumptious Thanksgiving Day dinner could lure her out, food had always been her weakness. It had been her favorite, turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. She would sneak out late at night to raid the fridge in order to avoid them. He knew because he caught her red handed and she ended up scurrying back into her den like some sort of rodent.

One day either she had burned herself out on the game or she had calmed down, but there she was sitting on the couch watching TV. It was the first time they had talked face to face in a long while. She had dark circles under eyes from not sleeping properly and she listened to everything that he had to say. Things began to look up from there. She would still have her binges, but they typically only lasted a few days and she would actually do things around the house, show her face before he left for work. She had become rather mousy, but when she was playing that game she was completely different. She was malicious, insidious and downright evil.

One time, he watched her slaughter a whole herd of baby seals like it was nothing, she skinned them and everything. Then she proceeded to spawn camp some poor bastard and steal all of his things. His friends tried to help, but she butchered them all like lambs and robbed them as well. The more she did it, the more people came to challenger her until the chat was filled with bounties to kill her and whole guilds started showing up. It was a bloodbath. When she left they were crying and had all been reduced from level fifty to one. In the game if you died you lost a level. Saar did not understand it properly, but he could tell that she was very good at that game. Apparently this was how she made money in there. It was cringe worthy how she grinned the whole time.

The game had become something of an outlet for her aggression and pent up rage, there was a lot of it. He had no idea where it could be stemming from though. In real life she was timid and was more likely to harm herself than a mouse. Granted. she was foul-mouthed, lewd, likely stalking some Internet idol and needed a shower, but overall she was a good girl. She was certainly not the violent type, seeing her do that though was eye opening. Vesper dismissed it as not real, but to be able to do that while laughing hinted at some deep seeded problem. There was an upside though, she knew full well the difference between reality and fantasy. She just needed to be pointed in the right direction. Maybe it was society?

Other parents were having similar problems, though not as extreme, except in one case, it was worse. The kid across the street killed himself after college. Apparently he had racked up a huge student loan debt and couldn’t take the pressure, since he could not get a job. Then again, it was a Gender Studies degree. Saar didn’t know what the hell the kid was going to do with it. He could not think of any jobs it would be useful. There was not exactly a crazy demand for that. Engineering or Architecture would been much better prospects, they were some of the highest paying straight out the gate and demand was pretty good. Vesper was better than that though, she might be weird, but she was not suicidal. She avoided conflict like the plague, it had been the main reason that he was not worried too much about leaving her alone in the house while Caroline and him were at work. She rarely even went outside so why should he worry? The most that he was concerned about was a burglar, but the front of the house looked a little beat up so nobody would think to rob the place.

Then the 8th of February came. A day like any other, well actually a better day than most, at the least at the start. Saar was rather happy when he left for work. He had finally broken through to her or at the least gotten well on the way to rehabilitating her. Who knows, she might even start working if he introduced her to his boss. They did need a new waitress and it might entice her to pay attention to how she looked, perhaps even find a nice boy. It also helped that she was very good with money. To say that she was stingy with her dollar would be an understatement. He would talk to her about it when he got home.

With a spring to his step he walked down the old walkway to the truck in the driveway. It was a newer one with red glossy paint, it was rather intimidating to look at, but that was good since he worked in the slightly less upscale side of town. Not in the slums or anything and certainly not the upscale North West side, it was somewhere in the middle. Despite only being a bouncer Saar made quite a bit of money. He gave a casual glance over the house and set off.

The Atomic Strobe could be seen from a good distance, due to the spiraling neon lights that rose up on an antenna. It was a strip club on one side and a nightclub on the other. A little strange, but it worked rather well and people came from all around. It was one of the three major hangout spots for the young adults in Bronson. Only problem is kids get stupid when they get drunk and tend to get into fights. Drug use was frowned upon, but it was still there. So his usual day would consist of around three fights with kids and dragging out those too drunk to drive, getting a taxi for them. A few times he had to beat up a stalker that was following around one of the dancers. The one thing that Saar always dreaded at work was that a Super would come in to wreck the place. He might be fairly strong, but that don't mean shit. You can't fight super freaks. They could throw a fireball at you or it could be one of those damned werebeasts from the slums.

Glitter Kitten was something of a menace, she owned the Sparkle Kat Cafe, which was the only strip club and whore house in the slums, well actually the city since, prostitution was illegal, not that it stopped them there were no laws down there. She employed all the Supers who had transformed into less than humans, anthropomorphs mostly though there were a few others. She herself was reasonable, but her gang was running wild down there. Sometimes they would roam up and cause problems. That was what the Hero League and the Scarlet Souls were for.

The Scarlet Souls were the local Super Villain gang that controlled the northern section of the city. They also happened to own the Atomic Strobe. One might not be too happy about super powered thugs running around the place, but for the most part they were decent people. They did not screw around with civis and laid low. They did not like attention. The only time you would even know that they were around was when another gang decided to encroach upon the area. Fold was the name of the boss and his power was that he could make portals, it made getting around undetected very easy. Things had been rather peaceful as of late.

When he thought about what sorts lived down in the slums Saar was actually glad that Vesper did not get out much. Ten years back the nuclear power plant melted down just south of the city. They were lucky the city did not end up like Chernobyl. Though they contained it the residual radiation mutated animals and they wandered into the poor districts and the ghettos. The result was an outbreak of rabid animal people. Most were put down, but those that did not go completely feral formed a gang, the Mad Dogs. They quickly took over drug trafficking and prostitution in the area. They either killed their rivals, converted them or drove them out. Ever since then the whole south of the city has been referred to collectively as the Slums. The police and heroes fought them for a long time, but two years ago, they gave up and decided to simply contain the spread. Ever since it had been relatively quiet, the only disturbances were the gang turf wars.

Saar had never been the so-called looker. He balded early in his twenties which made him shave his head. Facial hair was not his thing so he kept it baby smooth. His body structure had been large even in college, when he was on the football team, defensive lineman. The flat face and dominate chin created a real macho look, but he often intimidated people without even meaning to, Vesper among them. This was especially true if he wore sunglasses and a suit. Luckily she had taken more after her mother and only got his nose.

He looked more like a thug than much else, which was not so bad considering the occupation he got into. Being able to make some little shit piss his pants just by glaring at him was rather rewarding. The leather jacket with a random book in the inner pocket, was more to ward off knives than much else. One would be surprised at how shady some people get, then again that would be why he makes the big bucks. Over the course of the last ten years he had been stabbed eight times, shot twice and wrestled with a Super before he ended up beating him unconscious with a beer bottle. Luckily the Super was just some kid with Pyrokinesis and not telekinesis or super strength, it also helped that he was not a very high rank. After a little chat the kid joined the Scarlet Souls and turned out alright.

Saar stood at the door, checking IDs. There was this punk ass kid, who was clearly underage and had a fake card. He looked it over for a moment, considering what to do. He decided to just get rid of him. “Beat it kid come back in a few years.”

“Hey man, its legit. I am twenty-two.” Complained the teen. Saar gazed down at the youth, not hard, he was six foot. His look sent shivers and spiders crawling down the whole line waiting to get in. It took a few moments before he ran off.

“Fucking kids,” sighed Saar.

“Hey, you should like come in here and like look at the news,” said a young woman from behind him. It was Rosie one of the dancers, dumb as a brick, but she was a nice girl. Blonde, fake tits, pouty lips and barely a g string to her name. She looked like a bimbo, word around the bar was that she was easy.

“Why? I am on the clock.”

“Something like happened by your house. You live up on Greenman Drive right?” She asked, genuinely worried. This girl was usually nothing but smiles and cotton candy, so if something was bugging her it must be serious.

“What happened?”

“I don't know, like something blew up around there.”

Saar scrunched his face up and yelled. “Charlie watch the door for a few.”

“Alright, alright,” complained a shorter man in a suit, he wore sunglasses despite the fact that it was dark out and had been for a while now.

He walked inside, shoving aside several stumbling drunks. Lights flashed through mist and people danced to the roaring music. It was a writhing sea of sweaty bodies mashing together. It was like this most nights, full and seething with people. It was good for the business, but a lot of these kids should really have better things to do. He passed by a little huddle of people trying to stay to the side, the tell tale sound of a lighter and sucking made it real obvious they were getting high. Not to mention the plume of smoke and coughing. He frowned, ignoring them, it was just weed. Not like it was some hard shit. Saar made his way into the back room, looking up at the huge plasma screen. It was breaking news.

“Roughly an hour ago debris from the International Research Station crashed in the forest reserve near Greenman Drive. There have been no reported injuries besides the scientists who were on board when the station was struck by the Spore, all on board the station are presumed deceased. First responders arrived on the scene minutes ago. The Hero League has quarantined the area and prohibited anyone from entering. There are some dangerous chemicals leaking from the wreckage and they have begun to investigate the crash site.”

Rosie asked. “Like is that a big deal?”

Saar shook his head and walked back out to finish his shift. Vesper was likely playing her games and did not even notice the station crash. At most she felt a small earthquake. It was times like this that he was thankful that she minded her own business and had her head so deep into that screen the world could end and she would not know it. The rest of the night passed without too much, a random fight and he had to drive one of the strippers home. Her car had broken down and she did not want to walk this late at night. He did not blame her there were super freaks running around after all. It was not too much of a detour so he elected to do it. She thanked him for the ride and he arrived in his driveway ten minutes later.

It had been a rather quiet day, only two fights. Saar yawned and made his way inside. Normally he would just go to bed, but something was bugging him, normally Vesper left most of the lights on after her little expeditions through the house. It was nice to come home to a lit house, even if it did make the electricity bill a little higher. However, tonight there were no lights on beside the kitchen light. It seemed odd. His daughter was something of a creature of habit. She almost never turned lights off. She did not like the darkness.

He went to check on Vesper, half expecting to find a locked door and low moans emanating from inside. Saar knew far more than he wanted to about his daughter's intimate rituals and right around now was when he usually steered clear of bothering her for good reason. She was not exactly modest. Often she would run around the house with a just a towel on after taking a shower, mostly during summer, but still. Silence was a strange thing to be heard from her room. Usually he could hear her loud assed computer fans trying desperately to keep the motherboard cool or her talking to the streamers.

He knocked and waited a few moments for a reply. Nothing. He knocked again, then entered the pitch darkness. Roaches scattered when the light turned on, the trash had been attracting pests again. She however was nowhere to be seen. He scoured the room and came up empty. Saar stared at the blank computer screen, he could not remember the last time it had been completely off. He glanced at the posters of Ichigo and the Moon Sailors then shook his head.

It was at this moment that he recalled the call about the router and sure enough it lay on the floor shattered. She couldn’t have been playing games if there was no connection. Apparently the steam account would not even work without Internet. Where would she have gone? Saar systematically went through the house. She was gone. This was concerning. She had no friends, well, there were those people that she skyped and played games with, but not real friends, none of them even lived in Bronson. That chat was a bad influence on her and as far as he was concerned they were just a bunch of perverts looking at her like a piece of meat. It was why he wanted her to stop the stream and get a real job, something to be proud of. However, that was a discussion for another time. There were no signs that the place had been robbed and she had laundry still in the dryer. He called her cell phone. The number was either out of service or it was off. It went straight to voicemail. He sat on the couch wondering where the hell she ran off to. The news did little to distract him while he waited for her to return.

Morning came, but Saar had not slept and Vesper never showed up. He called the police, “Hello, hello?”

“This is nine-one-one, how might I be of assistance?” replied the rather bored sounding operator.

“My daughter has gone missing.”

“I am sorry sir, but how long has she been gone?”

“I don’t know about nine hours or so.”

“Are you sure she is not a friends house?”

“She doesn’t have any friends.”

“Well, maybe she is just out with a boy or something. Call back after it has been a full twenty-four hours and then we will see what is going on. It is probably nothing, we get a lot of these this time of year.”

“She is not like that,” replied Saar, but the line was already dead.

He sat, rocking on the couch. Saar could not remember the last time he was this worried. However, she needed to be missing for more than twenty-four hours for a missing person's case to be opened. He slouched on the couch and dozed off to sleep, or rather tried to, hoping that she would be there when he woke up and he was just over reacting. She was an adult after all, so surely she would come back. Maybe she just went out to get something to eat and lost track of time playing a game on her phone. It was a stretch, but he was desperate. She did not return. Rain filtered in as a thunderstorm descended. He had not slept a wink. He left a note on the kitchen table telling her to call him before taking his truck out searching for her. Night came, but she had vanished without a trace. What little evidence there may have been would be washed away by the downpour. Saar sat there staring at the phone, he was about to make one of the hardest calls in his life.

“Hey honey,” said Saar, his voice strained and tired.

“What is wrong you don't sound too good,” replied Caroline.

He was silent for a long moment. “Vesper is missing.”

“Wait, she actually left the basement?”

“Listen to me she did not come home last night. I don't even know where she went.”

Caroline took a deep breath. “Alright, I am coming home. Call the police and get a report going. Hopefully, somebody saw something.”

“I will see you tomorrow. With luck, we will find her before then.”

He hung up the phone and called 911 again. This time they were far more accommodating. Officers arrived at the house and he filed the paperwork. He gave them pictures of her and they took her computer to see if there were any clues as to where she went. Her cell phone was still dead or disconnected. Saar called in, to take the day off and began his search once more. Through the pouring rain, he scoured everywhere that he could think that she would go. It was no use. For the eighth time, he circled the neighborhood, knocked on doors and asked people if they had seen her. It had gotten to the point where they would not even open the door to hear him out. It did not help that most of the neighbors did not even know she was still living here since she hardly left the house. It was ultimately fruitless. By the time he returned home it was already in the early morning hours and the rain had passed. The couch beckoned and he passed out the moment he crashed on the cushions.

The sound of the television woke him and Caroline stood watching it. It was the news. “As of yesterday morning, Vesper Walda Vasska went missing if anyone has information or has seen anything please report it.”

She stood there rigid, with a scowl and her dark hair was a little messy. Her business dress was wrinkled and it looked like she had been up all night. She was drinking coffee and looked like she might strangle somebody if they said something wrong. Her frown was twitching slightly. Yup, Vesper really took after her mother.

“Where the fuck did she run off to?” said Caroline, rubbing her tired eyes, she had been crying.

She paced restlessly and Saar grabbed her hand to make her stop. “You have any ideas where she would have gone?”

She shook her head. “Not a clue. This is the first time in years that she has gone without her computer for so long. She might just wander back on her own.”

“What was that place she always ran off to as a kid? That old tree remember?”

“What that rotted out tree in the back? I suppose it is worth a shot.”

They walked along the muddy path and soon came to the edge of the property and the fallen tree. The old gnarled bark was gray and rot had spread making half of the tree fall. It was still with only the chirps of blue jays and the buzz of mosquitoes. There was nothing here to even hint that Vesper had come recently. Their hearts sank, it had been a long shot, but now they could only rely on the police.

Days turned into weeks. There was no ransom call, so the likelihood that she had been kidnapped was close to zero. Bloodhounds and sophisticated drones had followed a trail into the forest, but they lost the scent shortly after entering. Even the local search and rescue team with Supers: Medavac, Enforcer, and Fire Chief were stumped. The police called off the search and all but a tiny sliver of hope had been extinguished. The Supers were still keeping an eye out, however, they did not promise anything. The more time passes in such a case and the odds that the missing person will be found alive plummets. To most Vesper had been written off as dead after the weeks turned to months.

Saar would not believe it, he dared not consider that she was dead. Caroline fell into heavy alcoholism to cope with the reality that Vesper was dead and not coming home. She blamed herself for always being harsh on her daughter, pushing her and challenging her to rise above where she currently was. She had always thought it was the right thing to do, it was how she had become successful, but now there was a gnawing doubt. There were even assumptions that she had run away from home, but that did not pan out. She had taken nothing with her, if it was their daughter they knew she would have taken that damned computer with her. Caroline had lost motivation to do much besides lay around the house drinking herself into a stupor. He could not watch it any longer and took her in to get help.

She yelled at him, blaming him for not properly watching her. He took all of her abuse, physical and emotional. Despite how work kept Caroline away from home, she really did cherish Vesper. The two were very close and it was devastating to her to even fathom the loss. Her little Evening Star was dead, never to be seen again. It took a long time for that to sink in. After an excruciating three months of counseling. Caroline was mostly cured of her binge drinking, but she was cold and distant now. She hardly ever returned home from work and there were rumors that no one wanted her as a manager due to how strict, unyielding, vicious and impersonal she had become. The only upside was that she got a lot more work done than before, she forced an idol into stardom, but she was never thankful to her and more than happy to be under someone else after her debut.

Saar was still in denial. Not even after four months could he accept that Vesper was really gone. He never spoke to Caroline about it anymore. It would end badly, usually things broke and he was tired, so very tired of it. Everyday he went out to search for hours before going to work. He had let his appearance decline, he no longer shaved everyday and his balded head had sprouted gray hairs. June came just like all the other months. The 10th rolled around and the phone rang. He answered it vaguely, likely a telemarketer, but then he heard a heavy Russian voice from the other side and dropped the phone.

“Mr. Vasska. We need to talk, it involves your daughter.”