James Locker- The Duality of Fate

by Martin Lundqvist

  Alan Morse:

  - Hello this is Alan Morse from the Campbelltown police station, is this James Locker speaking?

  James Locker:

  - Indeed it is, how can I help you, Alan?

  Alan Morse:

  - Well, we had a woman shot in our district earlier tonight.

  James Locker:

  - Well, I am sorry to hear that Alan but Campbelltown is not our jurisdiction. Try with the Western Sydney Murder Investigation Department.

  Alan Morse:

  - Well, I beg to differ.

  - You see this woman, Emily Luong called in at 1 AM tonight and told us that she was threatened at gunpoint by a drunken lunatic who called himself Michael Fuller and claimed to be an officer from CSMI. Apparently, he was raving about a conspiracy in the police force against him before he left.

  - We, of course, took the call seriously but when we arrived 15 minutes later sadly, Emily was found unconscious with a bullet wound to the head.

  James Locker:

  - I see. We’ll come by and talk to you as soon as possible. What was the name of the victim again?

  Alan Morse:

  - Great. I’ll see you later today then.

  - Her name is Emily Luong.

  James Locker:

  - Oh my god, I got to go!

  Upon hearing that someone had shot Emily Luong James Locker fell into profound shock. He just could not believe that she was shot. It was impossible. But why was it impossible? Horrible images of Emily Luong were sweeping in front of his eyes. His pulse rose, and his vision and hearing became distorted. Adam Smith who was passing by his office noticed James Locker's condition and approached him.

  Adam Smith:

  - What’s the matter James, you look like you just woke up next to a fat ugly tranny?

  James Locker:

  - They called from Campbelltown; they believe Michael Fuller shot Emily.

  Adam Smith

  - Shot your ex-girlfriend, Emily?

  James Locker:

  - Yes.

  Adam Smith:

  - Well, that's a bummer.

  James Locker:

  - They want me to come by, but I can’t handle this...

  Adam Smith:

  - I understand that...

  - Look this is what we do. We drive you home, and I go with Samantha and meet up with them. Then I will let you know whether it’s your ex-girlfriend or some other woman with the same name.

  James Locker:

  - Yes. Just get me out of here. I need to go home and get my medicine now!

  Adam Smith:

  - If you say so boss, let’s go!

  They picked up Samantha Robinson at her desk and then left the police station for a drive to Campbelltown via James Locker’s home in Lidcombe.

  7.6 A medical failure

  AS SOON AS HE GOT HOME, James Locker reacted instinctively and took a triple dose of his medication due to the misconception that more is better. He soon realised that it was not a great idea and all of a sudden he saw the wandering corpse of Emily Luong coming towards him haunting him with an Eerie distorted voice. She disappeared and appeared randomly, and there were fire and flames spread throughout the room. Time was moving extremely slowly, and James could see how his fleshed open and closed back and forth. He realised that he somehow had been poisoned and with a great effort he managed to get to the bathroom to throw up. By chance, his eyes met with his reflection in the bathroom mirror, and it was the worst horror James had faced thus far. He could see how the other face was smiling at him and talking a foreign tongue with a hissing voice. The last thing James Locker heard was a voice saying, “YOU did this to yourself” before he fell unconscious.

  7.7 An interrupted meeting

  ADAM SMITH AND SAMANTHA Robinson arrived at the police station in Campbelltown. It was like the rest of the neighbourhood a lot more run down than the central parts of Sydney where Adam Smith and Samantha Robinson usually resided. They stated their business to the receptionist and met with the local detective Alan Morse.

  Alan Morse:

  - Welcome to Campbelltown, I am Alan Morse. I hope the traffic was not too bad.

  Adam Smith:

  - No, it was alright. I am Adam Smith and with me is Samantha Robinson.

  Alan Morse:

  - Okay, this is peculiar; I thought the detective of your group, James Locker, would come?

  Adam Smith:

  - Yeah, that would make sense.

  - But basically, it was a sensitive matter for him.

  - You see your victim, Emily Luong has the same name as his ex-girlfriend, and he did not think he would be able to handle a case with someone close to him.

  Alan Morse:

  - Well, Emily is in a coma in the hospital, but this is a picture of her.

  Adam Smith:

  - Well, that's a relief as this is not James Locker's ex-girlfriend.

  - So tell us what you know about the case?

  Alan Morse:

  - Not very much. A local woman, Emily Luong, called in to report that crazy drunken man who claimed to be Michael Fuller had threatened her gunpoint. A traffic camera outside the building captured the following shots.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Well, the video is pretty unclear, but from the clothing, it looks like Michael Fuller. We do have a location data from his mobile phone telling us he indeed was in Claymore at 1 AM and this explains what he was doing there.

  - Can you upload the emergency call and traffic camera video to our evidence database?

  Alan Morse:

  - Yes, of course, anything else I can do to assist you?

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Yeah if you can do the on-site examination and talk to the neighbours that would be good, we are busy with the investigation of Michael Fuller house since we arrested him tonight, suspecting him of three murders. But yeah, I am not the one with the final say in this matter so James Locker will have to get back to you.

  All of a sudden Samantha Robinson mobile phone called. It was from Gerry Livingstone. She decided to take the call.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Hey, Gerry! What's new?

  Gerry Livingstone:

  - Well, I spoke to my pharmacologist colleague today.

  - He supposed that your friend has some mental issues towards schizophrenia considering he is using Xenopropsyche. It's not one the most potent substance on the market, but it still has its effect.

  - That's why his finding was extra critical as he found out that the pills you supplied him with are Xenoantipsyche, a class A psychedelic drug.

  - So if your friend uses the drug believing that it will make him better, it's worrisome news indeed.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Thank you, Gerry. I got to go!

  Adam Smith:

  - Bad news?

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Yes, we got to go to James’ place straight away. I will explain in the car.

  After having said this, they rushed out of the police station and left Alan Morse, and the rest of the staff at Campbelltown PD confused.

  7.8 The Killer watching James Locker fading away

  THE KILLER WATCHED James Locker fading away on his bathroom floor. Or fading was maybe not the right word as he was vomiting heavily, screaming for help and asking Emily Luong for forgiveness. It seemed to the Killer that James Locker had finally realised that he was the one who killed Emily Luong and that was a great relief as he now was ready to die. But how should the killing take place? The easiest way would be if James Locker ate enough of the Xenoantipsyche to die from a toxic overdose. But that was a highly unlikely scenario, as the Xenoantipsyche was a lot more dangerous to the mind than it was to the body. What other ways would there be? Well, there was always the option to kill him where he was lying as James Locker in his current condition would not be able to do any resistance. But the killer knew that if he chose that path his entire master plan of setting Michael Fuller up for the murders
would fail. After all, James Locker killed by poison that Michael Fuller left in his house was an ingenious plan, and it also worked as the police would find several containers of Xenoantipsyche in Michael Fuller's home as well, containers planted there the night before.

  All of a sudden the killer noticed that James Locker was somehow coming to his senses and seeing his presence in the room. James Locker was reaching out for him. The Killer hesitated for a while but then decided to take James Locker's outstretched hand and hold it.

  James Locker:

  - Forgive me, and I never meant to hurt her. I loved her I would never want to hurt her...

  The Killer:

  - I know you loved her, but still, you killed her. You know why I am doing this to you don't you?

  James Locker:

  - Yes, I do.

  After having said that James Locker passed out again and his body was cramping heavily while he was unconscious. In a way, the Killer felt sorry for him, such a horrible way to die. But then again James Locker had killed the woman in the world that had meant the most to him, and there was only one punishment worthy of such atrocity, DEATH!

  The Killer realised that he would miss James Locker once he was gone. After all, for the last nine months, his primary purpose in life was to make James Locker understand what he had done and to make him pay. Now The Killer was so close to that goal but what would come next? For sure he would be free and could fully develop his relationship with Rebecca without his hatred and anger coming in the way, but on the other hand, his life would lose much of its purpose once James Locker was gone. It was a funny thing he started thinking about this factor right at the end if he had thought about it earlier maybe he would have chosen another path.

  The Killer came back to his senses when he could hear police and ambulance sirens approaching. The police arriving was indeed unplanned for, but there was not much that could be done about that now. Realizing he should NOT be there when the cops came, The Killer made a run for it and left the building unnoticed.

  7.9 At Auburn Hospital, toxicology department

  A SHORT WHILE AFTER the ambulance had delivered the unconscious James Locker to the toxicology department that was handling cases regarding drug overdoses Adam Smith and Samantha Robinson arrived there. They were greeted by doctor Jayachandran who took them aside to talk to them.

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - It's a good thing you called us, but his condition is still grave. It looks like a drug overdose or deliberate poisoning, but we have to determine the cause of it to put in treatment. The problem is that I have never seen these symptoms before.

  - And we need to identify the poison to commence with a treatment

  Samantha Robinson:

  - It’s Xenoantipsyche

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - Are you sure? That's a bizarre drug to abuse and overdoses are practically unheard of.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Yes, I am sure, just administer the treatment!

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - Well, the hospital cannot deliver unsafe treatments like this without consent from the patient or next of kin. It's a matter of legal liability that we need written permission to undertake risky procedures and basing treatment on what you think the patient might have taken is sadly enough an unsafe way of determining treatment.

  Adam Smith:

  - What is the treatment for a Xenoantipsyche overdose?

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - That would be a shot of compound called Flushout. But that substance can be hazardous if used to treat overdoses from Opioid substances, and we can't rule those out from the symptoms James is showing.

  Adam Smith:

  - I see Doctor. Well, you just take your time getting the consents while Samantha and I are waiting outside.

  They left the room, and once they got out of sight Adam Smith whispered to Samantha Robinson:

  Adam Smith:

  - Look, I am not intending to let my best friend die while some stiff bureaucrat is filing consent reports.

  - Are you sure he has overdosed Xenoantipsyche?

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Yes, I am positive.

  Adam Smith:

  - Great, I am moving in. We need to find a shot of Flushout and give it to James. Those fucking consent forms can take hours to fill in, and I am not letting him die during that time.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Are you sure? You know if it fails you the court might charge you with murder.

  Adam Smith:

  - Yes, I am sure.

  - Look, just keep the uptight son of a bitch distracted while I find the shot and give it to James. Flushout sounds like the name of a standard compound, so it should be available in the room

  Samantha Robinson:

  - How would I do that?

  Adam Smith:

  - Well, the way he looked at you, it would not take much effort from you to keep him distracted.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Okay, let’s go.

  They decided to move in. Samantha Robinson unbuttoned the two top buttons of her blouse which was enough to show her great cleavage but not enough to make it too visible what her purpose was. She then started flirting with Doctor Jayachandran while Adam Smith found a shot of Flushout and applied it on James Locker whom immediately came to life and started cascade vomiting and rambling strange, incomprehensible sentences.

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - Oh my god man, are you crazy? What have you done?

  Adam Smith:

  - I am saving my friend, while you the doctor who is supposed to protect people are too preoccupied with protecting yourself by filling out bullshit forms instead of even trying!

  Dr Jayachandran

  - You are crazy; let's hope for both our sakes that he will come out okay.

  After this conversation a few hours of nervous waiting took place. Finally, James Locker came back to his senses and started talking.

  James Locker:

  - Adam, Samantha. What happened and where am I?

  Adam Smith:

  - Congratulations you just had the trip of your life!

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Michael Fuller poisoned you. But you'll be okay the doctor can tell you more.

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - You took a massive overdose of Xenoantipsyche. Physically you’ll be fine, but we’ll have to keep you for at least one week for observation to determine what mental damage it caused you.

  James Locker:

  - I see, well probably for the best.

  After that James Locker went back into a delirious state once again. Adam Smith and Samantha Robinson looked worried, but the doctor calmed them down.

  Dr Jayachandran:

  - Don't worry. At least his vitals are fine now. As for the mind, it will take time to recover. You should go home and get some rest now; you look exhausted.

  They left the hospital and when in the car Adam Smith started talking:

  Adam Smith:

  - Hey Samantha where should I drop you off? Or we are going straight to my place in Lidcombe to get to know each other better after all the heroism I showed you today?

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Well, it's incredible that you are still thinking about sex after all the stress we been through today?!

  Adam Smith:

  - Well, that's who I am. You never see James Bond at the end of the movies whining over all the wounds he has received or feeling remorse over all the lives he ended? You see him bang a hot chick!

  Samantha Robinson:

  - True as that may be, I am still going to decline. I am already dating Thomas, and I assumed you knew that?

  Adam Smith:

  - Seriously?! Is it you he is seeing? I have been thinking all along that he finally came out of the closet alternatively starting seeing a hideous woman. That guy is so full of surprises!

  - But it was a bad choice of you telling me about Thomas because now I have to withdraw my offer.
Where should I take you?

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Yeah, that's sad; I can't imagine what experience I must be missing!

  - Well, I live in the city so drop me at the train station. You must be exhausted as well, so no point for you driving back and forth to town just to drop me off.

  Adam Smith dropped Samantha Robinson off at the train station, and they both went home to sleep, at their respective home.

  7.10 Wayne Bruce helps Thomas Anderson decrypting Michael Fuller’s computer.

  THOMAS ANDERSON WAS sitting in the Fuller estate and tried decoding the information on Michael Fuller's computer. He was tired and frustrated as the task seemed to be overwhelming for a man of his skill level. After all Information Technology and Internet security was supposed to be his specialties and yet Thomas felt inept to even compete with the skills showcased by Michael Fuller on his computer. The news of James Locker in the hospital did not improve his focus, and he was considering the option to give up and call it a day. But at the same time, the poisoning of James Locker served as a motivator to him. If someone almost killed his friend he would do his utmost to get that person behind bars. Michael Fuller, of course, was behind bars already but it was still critical to find more evidence to get a conviction. Another issue was the fact that Samantha Robinson's effort to set John Dean up for the sabotage they suspected him of had failed miserably and Thomas Anderson was afraid that he would do everything in his might to undermine the investigation in case they were unable to prove that he indeed had been sabotaging it intentionally.