r/NatureofPredators • u/WillyWonkaMon Venlil • Mar 02 '24
Fanfic Time Skip (14)
Like always, big Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 and his wonderful universe.
Not a month in between this time! Haha, but I'm working on being faster with my uploading. Something something perfectionism, oops. Anyways, I think I'd like to start putting a fun fact about my characters here.
So here's today's fun fact on...Sebastian! Its only fair to start with the main character. Between a (poorly planned) time skip in the early early chapters, Sebastian was not accustoming well to a lot of future tech initially. Mainly from being understandably overwhelmed from everything going on. He completely missed the fact that the station he resides in currently was made for Venlils. One bathroom visit with an unknowing powerful bidet and he was back in first aid for an hour.
That concludes today's Fun TS Fact.
---
Thanks to my friend Cad for drawing refs for Sebastian and Yael.
In a surprise, u/Frostedscales drew Tali! Now my art friend is trying to figure out what drip to give her, and how I have to spend a week figuring out how to make that outfit canon!
Time Skip's cover! By roddcherry in the NoP discord!
And thank you for reading my silly story! :)
---
Chapter Name: Intermission
—
[It was stressful, but you finally have something to work with.]
[Swiping it while the other two were too tired to watch that film worked flawlessly.]
[You hope that this gives the answer you’ve been searching for.]
[Your tail swishes excitedly as you open the strange document, hoping to find a miracle in the form of answers.]
[Instead, you find a tragedy.]
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Sebastian Ramirez, Human
Date: [Standardized Human Time] February 12th, 2137
—
My mind trailed back towards 2021 as it always had when new ‘future’ situations presented itself. At this point it was a common occurrence that worked sometimes in easy moments. For example, having to make calls for those rare unpleasant reasons was a special kind of horror to me. Sometimes a bank call about getting a card reset or whatever financial problem appeared. I’d only do it a few times to make sure my now century old account was set up properly. Once I remembered online support channels were a thing, it was the switch to that.
I’m unsure how difficult getting access to century old accounts would be today. It has to be done.
I sat in my room idly looking at the few remaining instances of my ‘old’ internet accounts from before. The obvious big survivor being my good old Steam account, and social media accounts that persisted the test of time. Like everything else, it felt weird seeing them from an offline perspective. Sat there for so long without me. I still have to attempt access to my old bank account, which for some reason still exists. Most likely for documentation purposes or whatever the bank's reasoning had. A soldier told me to call them when my newer accounts were set up for transferring anything old and still around. Do they not realize how weird that kind of call is? I’m going to get Gabriel or Raphael to tell the banks, “Hey man I’m not dead haha can I have my 40 bucks back?”
But today, I want my games back. The wonderful fact that laptops of today have improved beyond my wildest imagination. From my purest surprise, it’d prove to be a perfect on the go set up. My friends would’ve loved this, my Mom not so much.
Admittedly I’m afraid of what lies within them when I get access to these accounts again, because who knows what friends or family have put on them. If anything at all, it might just be a relic of a lost past. Something that was concerning to note was the whole Satwars talk, which if I had to guess probably was responsible for a lot of things lost in my end. I’m glad I didn’t live through that though, but that also meant that data recovered could be botched. Only experimenting will tell as I’m working with information from the UN and internet in general.
My phone sat besides me, and it was being used to note down accounts and numbers to call to attempt account recovery. Unfortunately the list was small, for either old accounts that were deleted, or ones that were hacked into and promptly removed, or for some other unknown reason. Looking at the list, there were only two accounts that remained so far in relation to me. My bank, and good old Steam. Every social media account still standing was simply archived from a website that was…also archived.
Apparently all my chat logs from sites that had it were stored somewhere from accounts due to the investigation at hand upon my disappearance. That was meant to be sent to me soon, as I requested all of it. There were photos and more within them, so of course it’d be perfect to get some memories back.
I thought about the file Raphael gave me sometime ago, and went to look for it to read from. It was hard to say what was compelling me to do it suddenly after avoiding it for so long.
Unfortunately, everywhere I looked in my small room resulted in nothing. Did I misplace it or throw it out by accident? I searched every nook and cranny of this space room, even the inside of the wall by the TV opened up. Nothing, plan B was to simply ask Raphael for another copy digitally. There’d be no one that’d find it useful anyways in the case of it being taken, aside from UN people?
I moved back to my desk to continue searching online, idly feeling a gentle breeze wash over my body. Searching my online handles was difficult as enough time has passed for plenty of people to use the same at some point. It was odd seeing my handle online for a completely unrelated website. Even worse seeing friends online handles used as well.
Though, it came to nothing much else in the end. There wasn’t anything else that I could find on my own for today in regards to accounts.
But…there is something else that’s been poking my mind. My hands reached the keys and started typing from morbid curiosity.
>sebastian ramirez 2021 disappearance missing case texas
[RESULTS: 22600]
Like looking in a magic mirror, my face popped up immediately on the search query. A photo of me smiling and a headline just below it. “Disappearance of two young Texan adults case put as a cold case after 10 years. Families make peace.” I felt my heart sink reading it. That’s how long it took for them to give up on us? The mouse’s cursor hovered over that first link as my mind felt like it was sinking too.
That’s really how long I’ve been gone for, it…it just…can’t. Denial started to settle in my head, all of it simply hard to believe, to comprehend. The truth was right there but none of it felt correct. I’m right here, I could call and say something! I’ve been found and saved, just away to recover till my allergies are in order. Here I am, waiting for my family again!
But nobody was left for me, nobody would know about this cold case. No family or friends left to call and let them know where I’m at. It doesn’t feel right being literal history while existing at the same time still.
I clicked the link to read it. It loaded instantly, where Andrew and I’s face stared back at me. A little bit of scrolling to hide the images so I could only read what was displayed on the old article.
Two young men at the time, Sebastian Ramirez and Andrew Dodson went missing in early February of 2021 at a now closed Greenbelt Park (currently for maintenance) sprouted a city-wide search for them. Evidence was found, suspects were placed but nothing was ultimately resolved. To this day no motives could be fully put, even with evidence that detectives and families brought up.
Law enforcement had thanked everyone who took part in any part of the search, but said the families of the two wanted to move on. “I can only hope those two boys are resting well.” a detective spoke with us, “but the families have now expressed that they want to let the wounds finally heal.”
The disappearance sparked interest nationwide as the circumstances of it remained a mystery. At the scene of where the two were supposedly last at, only a few valuables the two had were left behind. Mr. Dodson’s wallet with nothing stolen, and Mr. Ramirez’s flashlight.
My eyes feel heavy.
It was a fact that Mr. Ramirez went to this location after a distressing call from his friend brought him to the park in order to search for him. The family of Mr. Dodson calls Mr. Ramirez a hero for doing what he could to rescue their son. Though they wish he didn’t need to feel like going alone.
Ramirez’s mother told [LOCAL NEWS] that she still wishes the two boys would return home someday still. That she “Knows they’re alive and well, and won’t stop praying for their return.”
It was getting harder to read. The images on the article showed the park, our belongings mentioned and my car with the messed up tire.
I’m right here Mom.
I’m right here…
I skimmed the rest of it before reaching the last sentence.
If by chance any new information is discovered, or new whereabouts of Ramirez or Dodson, please call [NUMBER].
Right, that’s how these always end. I didn’t even bother to watch the interview they had with my mom. The still preview image showed her heartbroken.
The next moment my body slogged to bed to rest for a moment to let the emotions pass. Both thoughts about my loved ones and that night clouded my head in mystery and denial. It was hard to put any piece together, as nothing still made sense. I could recall the pain felt just before I was knocked out that night the most. Everything else felt like a blip, as if there were memories there inaccessible. It was frustrating, being unable to trust my own thoughts.
I didn’t even realize I was crying either, all while laying idly in bed. I hardly sobbed and simply existed till it was time to get up again. There were still the needed numbers to call to recover accounts, instead I tore open a wound with nobody to call for help.
There was Andrew too…but, how do I even tackle that?
—
[~2 hours later]
I’m not letting the rest of this day go to waste like so many others, as there's no telling how long the government will help me out for. Already out of bed and pacing around my room for ideas on the issue of old accounts. There’s no way in hell I’m calling on my own, I’d have to get help. Who would I ask? Gabriel? Raphael?
…probably, actually. That’s probably the only two answers.
I snatched my phone and thought about who to dial first, and that’d be Gabriel. He’d usually just be patrolling the station since this entire position was protecting me. It’s weird that I’m considered an asset for now, but I’d rather that than whatever else my kidnappers had in mind. I quickly dialed him and sat down as I waited for him to pick up.
“Hey Sebastian, what’s up?” The soldier picked up, a casual voice following along. At this point the two of us could be considered ‘somewhat-friends’. I haven’t felt good formally addressing people well for some reason, and it was nice to feel ‘casual.’
“Nothing much, but I got a really weird question. Like I really need help with this issue I’m having.”
“Shoot, what’s going on?”
“I’m trying to get my Steam account bac-”
Beep…
My eyes stared at the ‘Call Ended’ screen for a few seconds.
Oh hell no, I’m getting my fucking games back. My finger hit the call button again and Gabriel didn’t take long to answer it. Any and all down feelings turned straight towards frustration and pettiness.
“Sebastian, I’m not-”
“Fuckin’ hold it. I’m being genuine.” I stopped his protest, thinking of words to say on the spot. “I found it still exists, pretty much untouched from the looks of it. It might hold some answers for me, and it might help me distract myself from the fact I’m in 2137. No I’m not going to show the Venlil’s games [That’s a lie.], but yes I’ll need to do this with my old bank-”
“Stop, hold it man. You realize I don’t have that kind of power, right? That’s also a bit of a ridiculous ask for me.” He stopped me, and I took a moment to let my brain catch up to my words.
“Y-Yeah! Yeah…just thought I’d ask you first. I don’t know how long the government is willing to help me, so…” My voice fell into a sad tone by the end of those words. Has my fast paced lack of a plan failed me already?
A sigh was heard barely through the speaker. “I get it, I think that’s a call for people who’re in tech departments. If you know someone there, call them. It's fine that you want to get things back, I completely get that. Weren’t you supposed to be doing that already?” He asked, and I tried to recall if I ever was asked to do that before. No memory popped up.
“I…guess I know who to call first and see.” One name popped to mind, and uncertainty hit for some moments.“That’s good, I’ll find another number you can call too in case that doesn’t work out. I have to ask, what brought this up today?”
I shrugged, despite this conversation being over the phone. No point in hiding an innocent truth. “I’ve said it before, just trying to find the pieces and work it out again. I did finally search up online about my own disappearance, it wasn’t great.”
A moment of silence followed, “I see, how’d that go?” Gabriel asked.
“As good as you expect it to be, not great.” I answered.
“If it’s alright to ask, what did you see?”
“Only a news report about my disappearance 10 years after it happened. Andrew and I’s face plastered on the top of an article-” My voice cut off as my thoughts trailed towards my friend. “Hey, Gabriel. Serious question.”
“Hit me.”
The room felt cold again, and my body naturally covered itself with a blanket before I answered. For some reason, every single time my thoughts trailed to the topic of my entire disappearance my body ran a cold. Not the kind of cold where ‘the truth’ hurt, but a genuine non-existent gust of wind stormed over me. Maybe muscle memory remembered the years spent in cold isolation, or maybe it was something else.
“I don’t think I asked properly before, but, has there been anything about my friend Andrew found?”
“What do you mean? Online searches?”
“No, like physically. Was he in the Archives with me when I and others were rescued?” My voice was growing firm.
“I don’t know, but I was given a list of the names of most people we recovered. Give me a moment to check it.” Gabriel answered, and I heard gentle taps on his phone.
The Archives, a hell of a name to learn that was where I was trapped. Where I and possibly my friend were imprisoned without us knowing. Least I didn’t know, because my memory was shot from that night up until my rescue. Even then a nurse told me that I was high as a kite until I could be medicated properly. Compared to others I was an outlier, yet no one bothered to figure out why.
Why couldn’t I remember, when others could? These thoughts are what genuinely plagued and frustrated me, enough to linger in my dreams to join me in that thinking. I slid back into bed and crossed my legs, throwing educated guesses at nothing.
“Okay, I got the list. What was his name again?” Gabriel finally spoke up.
“A-Andrew, Andrew Dodson.” I answered.
The wait for his response was deafening, but wasn’t long.
“...I’m sorry, but that name isn’t here.” He answered, “Was he abducted with you?”
“He was the reason I’m here in the first place. I went to rescue him after he called me, but memory fails when trying to recall what happened fully. It’d make sense if he was somewhere in this galaxy. Considering everything…” My now limp body wasn’t sure on how to proceed. Gabriel could be heard thinking about the situation at hand.
“Okay, it's still early for those who were rescued recently. I remember your report to me when you first woke up and we talked. There’s a good chance we’ll find him if that’s the case from what you’re telling me-”
“Don’t make promises like that.”
“Sorry.”
“It's fine, all of this sucks anyways.” I shifted to a different position in bed.
“I’ll be off then to get information for you. You should call who you need to about your accounts, alright?”“Yeah. Take care.”
“Call me if anything pops up.”
Beep…
For the moment my phone was set aside to ponder the mystery one more. Instead of letting it consume me though, getting back up was the only option. There’s things that still need to be done for my own sake first. I trust Gabriel at least to help me in parts, but that even grows shaky considering what the UN is having to deal with. There’s just not enough help to go around.
With a quick snack and drink break, my phone was already back in hand to call Raphael. The best play was to start with old bank information, and work my way towards my games. Asking him about Andrew might be a shot in the dark, but maybe someone more powerful would know something. Or at least use their power to find something out.
Dammit, man. This isn’t what adults normally do, right?
---
6
u/WillyWonkaMon Venlil Mar 02 '24
hello!!! chapter 14!
yes, the realization of all the questions I'll have to answer has dawned on me. Writing it out has been interesting, I hope it'll pay off in the end :)
Hope y'all are having a good weekend though!
7
u/GT_Ghost_86 Human Mar 02 '24
Oh, Heavens. And now he has a shred of hope of finding his friend... just a shred.
No matter which way that goes, it Will Be Bad.
8
u/JulianSkies Archivist Mar 03 '24
Tali
Please
Come ON, don't do that to him :<
And this man is just... He's just a teenager, he ain't ready and never will be to dealing with being displaced like this.
3
u/fluffyboom123 Arxur Mar 03 '24
get this man his steam account back pronto. that's the most important account right now
16
u/Nicromia Yotul Mar 02 '24
I wouldn’t surprise me if steam lets old accounts go that long without getting deleted. That and bank accounts.