On Sunday, Travis sat down, as per his earlier plan, to write down the final part of his novel. This was to consist of many exposition heavy conversations, wherein the plot was to be gradually revealed. This would start with a conversation between the detectives and Dr. Small, followed by another conversation with the detectives and Oscar, followed with possibly one or two more scenes which would ultimately lead to the arrest of Mr. Thorn. He was also debating whether to add a scene involving the unknown Power Monger and government official.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFrSinUMUd
The conversation involving Dr. Small and the two detectives was first. So, he took some time to recollect the context of this important conversation.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRjSeiRu4K
He had written the story to the point where the detectives had some doubts that Mr. Thorn was involved in some shady business, but were unsure about it's nature. They had arrested the attacker behind the failed sabotage attempt on Energised, who had pointed them towards a bank account. This bank account seemed to be operated by a non-existent corporation, which appeared to be run by one of the other companies Mr. Thorn owned. The detectives had busied themselves in identifying the actual owner of the account which had been used to finance the attack on Energised.. Also, Dr. Small remembered reading cases of poisoning with symptoms similar to StrangleHold, and had been searching the archives for them. With these things in mind, be began writing.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dqsS1bQJo
It was late in the afternoon when the two detectives reached Dr. Small's office. Once seated, Joe came straight to the point.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡqr3Rkmee89
"So doctor, why did you call us? Has something new come up?copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡsn1Lgg47K9
"Yes. New and unexpected."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMmhffjq62
"What is it?" asked Riley.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwuSoOeD3n
"A rather interesting fact. You remember I had mentioned that poisonings with symptoms similar to StrangleHold had been recorded in the past?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvKNg03l7O
"Yes, we do."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZBRhQ6Agc
"I finally managed to find them. There were three occurrences in all. I remembered being consulted on for one of those. We had even managed to identify all of its constituents, but no incidents happened afterwards. It was a most mysterious affair."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5J7X7WbKZ
"You mean StrangleHold was used st least three times before?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡywvjkMjo7r
"Yes and no."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBqOsIFziV
"You are not making any sense, doctor." replied a slightly exasperated Riley.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡLV1v3YC0am
"Well, what I mean is, it was one of the components that make up StrangleHold that was used. This component is responsible for the most of the symptoms."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡZITv2dhlCo
"But could that not have been the Government using it to take out enemy targets?" asked Joe.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP0dDsWi1e
"No. Because the program which resulted in StrangleHold began four years ago. the cases I found were from over a decade ago."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNagieeVep
"And who were the victims?" asked Joe, even though both him and Riley knew where this was going.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡhe7bJao0v1
"It was used to kill the three diplomats in the environmental health conference in 2020. But I think you had guessed that already."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiQpwuSsNU
"Yes, we had." said Riley. "The terms 'three deaths' and 'a decade ago' could hardly have meant anything else."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2IRi15xWk
"Now we have something of our own to share as well." he continued. "Our team of forensic accountants was able to trace the cash flows in one of Mr. Thorn's shady shell companies. It seems that company has been heavily buying all sorts of chemicals."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡWey4pieOiK
"That is certainly questionable. Do you have a list of the chemicals purchased?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡPI2G8za02Y
"Yes. Here they are." replied Riley. handing a printed list of chemicals to Dr. Small.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ1DAjEGRA
"Hmm. This is interesting." remarked Dr. Small after studying the list for a little around a minute. "This list contains most of the chemicals used to manufacture StrangleHold."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NOzSdR61a
"So Mr. Thorn could be the one behind the murder of Terrence Plank." mused Joe.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRTTx1tI2v
"It is possible. But I will need to run some tests to determine whether the exact compound used to poison Mr. Plank could be made from them." agreed the doctor.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWeIAP1ewT
"In any case," went on Riley. "it is enough for us to get a search warrant."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxGD6zRYFT
"Yes." agreed Joe. "Let's go. If we leave now we can get the warrant issued today itself."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wK2qi3T05
"Thanks for the info, doctor." said Riley. "We'll let you know in case we come across something."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡpH2DqCssRY
"Likewise." assured Dr. Small.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFv2iCB9Bg
Travis stopped writing and glanced through the conversation he had just written. It seemed to be short. so he added a few more sentences about the tests Dr. Small had done to identify it, along with a discussion between Joe and Riley regarding what should be the plan of action once warrant is issued. He added some more paragraphs detailing how the detectives carried out the search at Mr. Thorn's home and offices, confiscating everything they thought that would help shed more light on the matter.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KNNNe5Q76
Now he had to establish the motive he had decided earlier, he decided that Oscar would be the right person to discover a last minute alteration in the production line, which would lead to them discovering the real plan. Accordingly, he started writing.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwOZaeCDGt
The next morning, the detectives had an unexpected visitor in their office in the form of Oscar Johnson. Without wasting any unnecessary time, he came directly to the point.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2974sKFCl
"I think there is something going on with the production lines at the plant." he began.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡWF6KtTYyK6
"What is it?" asked Riley.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHDtGNIjqp
"There have been some last minute changes made to the process. And none of the team members seem to be aware of it."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2rXawpUb2
"What!" exclaimed Joe. "How is this possible!"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8HmSafRJZ
"I don't know." replied Oscar helplessly. "I am not able to pick anything on the surveillance cameras as well."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoGASnnBHO
"Does anybody have remote access?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uQsr0YRVa
"Yes, some of the senior management has the necessary authorisations."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbjBxbLM3v
"Could one of these machines have been compromised?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0UtAMRYny
"Highly unlikely. All the senior management's laptops have the latest antivirus software and fully configured firewall. Both these are regularly updated."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡNo3DRvEPmz
As this was not going anywhere, Riley decided to try something different.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gKjRivD5y
"Tell me Oscar, does Mr. Thorn also have remote access to the production line."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ry2l9Pc8c
"Yes, he does. You think he is involved in this somehow?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVBOzsjdiF
"Probably. The investigation is still ongoing."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiVyCNQ8qV
"Okay. If that's the case I guess I will be a bit more discreet in my inquiries."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyNfA8ppkx
"Good. We will check how Mr. Thorn figures in this. In the meantime, can you try to identify what exactly was changed?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5teT2GcgY
"I will need some time to go through the code and the new equipment installed on the production lines. But I should be able to find out more in a couple of days."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4hOCTBs11
"OK. But be careful. Let us know immediately in case you feel your life is in danger." cautioned Joe.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIAcYbknBF
"I will."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeLosEr8RH
"It seems we are on the right track." remarked Riley after Oscar had left.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KLpzoibRk
"So it would appear." agreed Joe. "But we still don't know what Mr. Thorn's plan is."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡcf3Nr1YMoz
"We wouldn't have to wail long, I think."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkNdIgR9pJ
And Joe was right.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwuDV31eeS
Here again Travis paused for a while to think how to proceed. Clearly, it was now time for Oscar to discover the nanosensors and Mr. Thorn's plan for mass surveillance. Also, around this time, the analysis of Mr. Thorn's laptop was to conveniently reveal further details about the shady financial transactions, as well as deleted emails which proved that Terrence was aware of Mr. Thorn's plan and did not approve of it. He was planning to halt the production and go to the authorities, which provided Mr. Thorn the necessary motive to eliminate him. He started writing and within an hour, had finished the final events which revealed Mr. Thorn's plan and ultimately lead to his arrest and conviction. Towards the end of the chapter, he decided to add an indication about the "plot twist", which was to be delivered in the epilogue.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr8CeAEdm3
A few days after the trial was over, Joe and Riley were driving out to a scene of crime when Riley remarked, "You know, I still keep feeling that something's off."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOnB15RTfg
"About the whole Energised case?" asked his partner.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7N7KJbLYp
"Yes, looking back, I think if that attempted sabotage hadn't happened, we would never have been able to solve anything."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡExRMa6mPjI
"Yes. That bothered me as well. Mr. Thorn would have avoided anything to attract undue attention to Energised, especially after the death of Terrence Plank."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7xfIzlAsB
"And if the Power Mongers had financed it, why did we end up with a bank account that led us to Mr. Thorn?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5IEdsooem
"Maybe it was all part of the Power Mongers' plan to get Mr. Thorn arrested?" reasoned Joe.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSTFE4M1T6
"But what good did that do to serve their purpose? The other founders of Energised are now even more determined to ensure that the launch of nLight1 is a success.", countered Riley. "And also, we still couldn't determine whether Mr. Thorn was actually involved in releasing Apocalypse back then."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLdh1WQnwj
"That is true. But as far as the department's concerned, its case closed. Maybe we will find the answers to these questions someday..."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnpG2C9q1n
"I hope we do. I don't like unsolved mysteries." said Riley, as they got out of the car.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPfHvULiVF
A few minutes later, they were busy processing the current crime scene, with all doubts about the Energised case pushed to the back of their minds, where they would remain for quite some time.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFrBXsyNQ4
Travis studied the conclusion he had written. It seemed to create more questions than answers.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Oswuv8EW9
Which was what he wanted, as it was in line with his original idea of the mysterious duo of the government official and Power Monger feeding clues to the investigators. The ending was purposely intended to make the reader feel that there had been some unseen forces at work, helping the two detectives every step of the way.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JZhqvccN7
Now all that was left to do was to write the epilogue, and on this he started right away. He began with a description of the launch of nLight1 and how it helped Energised secure funding for further research. Then he followed it with an announcement by the Government to investigate Mr. Thorn's connection with Apocalypse and StrangleHold so that all involved could be brought to justice. This was to serve as the starting point for the final reveal, the "plot twist" that the reader had been waiting for.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbNiNKLlxB
Here he ran into another problem. So far, he realised, he had not bothered about a motive for the actions of the government official and the Power Monger. Now, he would need to think of one, in order to make the plot twist more convincing. He reviewed the plot mentally again and again adn finally found that there was a way in which he could establish suitable motive for these two characters.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEqTaVpjzl
That left the question about the sniper rifle. It was one loose end which he had to tie in order to complete the story. A little thinking about Mr. Thorn and the motives of the two puppeteers brought him to a solution for that as well. He decided against not explaining everything, but leaving some things for the readers to fill in with their imagination and creativity.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡtA4tSvY4HM
So he starting describing the meeting between the government official and the Power Monger, which was taking place at the abandoned power plant outside the city.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡczXZRLJD7h
Have you heard about the announcement?" asked the Power Monger, with a hint of concern in his voice."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyWFs7ARq9
"Yes." replied his companion.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUKinCNlHv
"You think Mr. Thorn will expose our little secret?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8T45SWRBzZ
"Not initially. But once he is convinced that there is no escape for him, he most certainly will."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOxPu0W4Rn
"So we had best take care of him as soon as possible."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5hYnEBa0i
"Exactly what I had in mind." replied the government official. "I believe we have managed to solve our little 'puzzle'."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8bKe4G6Gg
"Yes. One of my men has it in his safekeeping. He is awaiting further instructions."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5z5DpzDlEv
"Good. He will be shifted to another prison soon enough. I will let you know the details once I come to know them."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡISA0QXFr8F
"My man will be ready to take him out."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPOVz3Zg9F
The two men then talked a little bit about their plan and decided the details of the next meeting. As they were leaving, the government official asked, "What have you planned to do with the tooth Terrence gave you?"copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡxffCSEcw0Q
"At present, the part of the key to The Vault is with me. I am almost finished with the process of identifying a guardian for it. I will let you know my decision in a few days."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IIBJzzo1I
"Choose wisely, for Apocalypse is one of the least dangerous things The vault contains."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LxSG6VGn5
"I will."copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUkBxdgJJg
And with a parting shake of the hand, the two went back their separate ways.copyright protection394ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKZimISV7T
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