What in the world was happening?

  The girl's body was still in the Facility. It's impossible for her to be playing the game.

  Was it a data collection agency? Artificial Intelligence gone rouge? But that's impossible. He reasoned out to himself. She lived in the Old City where the people can only track a few data to make a functioning one as the person did.

  Good thing he was recording the whole thing with his secret camera in his satchel. He can easily cross check the with the videos in the watch by Mrs. Smith to rule out if the woman was really her or not. He also needed a voice detector test to check if the person on the video game was really her.

  This case is taking on a different way. His former cases always end up when he traced where the prank callers were.

  "Hey! Detective. You sure this big thing was a smartphone?" He shifted his attention to Mark when he heard him.

  "Yes, it's a smartphone. A 21st century one." He replied to Mark who was fixated to the device.

  "Seriously? These are too big. People in the past are weird." Mark commented.

  The younger man was still looking at the rectangular phone. He doesn't blame him for being fascinated. All of the phones from that century was recycled and turned into weaponry used in the last war. The ones in the museum were either. He was lucky he have a history maniac friend that introduces antique to him.

  Cass looked at the gaming equipment as Mark kept on walking and still looking him on the phone.

  Should he seize the gaming equipment? He put his fingers on his chin. It might put Mark in danger. After all, he looks like he had no business with Mrs. Smith's case.

  The gaming equipment screams shady in different levels. One, the Game Master who ships these as "free". Two, missing people because they told the public and Three, dead people playing inside the Game.

  He flicked the watch and turned it off. He looked at the monitor where Mark .

  "Oh, you disappeared." Mark wondered. "But, I didn't turned it off."

  Today onward he needed to carefully thread towards on how to investigate it. He told his name after-all. There might be someone saw the footage of him speaking with the dead Ms. Sara Smith.

  " I need to go now. I already saw the game." He told the young man. "If you can tell me anything more about the game, go here. Or you simply need some help."

  He hand him a business card.

  "Dial this number and swipe it with your watch. Then, tell your address." He instructed. "People will help you right away."

  "Thank you! I will." Mark said, smiling with his eyes full of hope. "I hope you uphold the end of our bargain?"

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  "Yes." He said solemnly.

-------------

  "What's this?" Cass asked Malcolm on the striking red thing next to the vase. It's the first thing that his eyes set on the dark room. His fingers traced the outline of the weird thing. This one Bigger than the 21st century phone.

  "A rotary phone. 19th century one." Malcolm answered while clicking his fingers over the keyboard. "By the way, are you already finished with your case?"

  Do people put this on their bags? He looked at Malcolm. He was dressed in his bathrobe while working.

  "No, not yet." He replied. "By the way, have you ever heard this thing called "Underground Gaming?"

  Malcolm hand stopped moving over the keyboard. His hands went to side of the robotic arms and his finger finding something over the corner. He stopped. The corner shined against his fingers, the robotic hands started to move over the keyboard. The soft clicking sound can be heard.

  He grabbed his mug from his desk and rotated the chair on his way. His eyes on the coffee and gently sipped it. "Yes, I do. Is this why you haven't finished your case?"

  "Yes. The college student was a dead end. On the good side, he showed me the game itself." He smiled as he remember goofy kid.

  "Bold move." Malcolm stated, impressed. "There's a possibility he could die."

  Cass nodded gently in full understanding of the consequence of his actions. "He'll be fine. I gave him the I.P. address ." He crooked his head to side looking at his friend intently. "How did you know about it?"

  "By playing it. Of course."

  "Without me?" Cass voice raised a little, accusatory. This is one of the days he asks himself if Malcolm really considers him as a friend. They've been friend since Big Boss G found them and mold them into what they are now.

  "You didn't know? I didn't stop with gaming." He replied nonchalantly.

  "I asked you for the last 5 years, you know." Whenever Cass visits him, he never saw him touched any games. He always work with his codes; his eyes always on the monitor. "I've never see you play a game."

  "I play whenever you're not here. Obviously." Malcolm replied blandly. "Why? Would playing the game will solve your case?"

  He doesn't have any antique this time. He doesn't know how to lure his friend on having him play the game.

  "Want a Coop, like before?" He didn't answer his question. It's been awhile, but he knew he could play like him.

  "No, thanks. I'm doing well. Game wise." He said. "And also, you're a horrible gamer."

  "That's true, but we are older now. Older means better right?" Cass admitted, smiling but his eyes glint in defiance.

  Malcolm's eyes was hard and no emotion can be seen. "Right." He enunciated the word slowly.

  "Right?" Cass asked with much hope in his voice.

  "Right." Malcolm replied in the same and his expression was same.

  Well, he was but he needed to be good for this case. He needed to understand the game more.

  Cass shook his head in defeat. "How did you became this 'Underground Gamer'?"

  He don't really know the scope of work of Malcolm. His friend never truly share what he does. Whenever he came here, their talk was all about his new antique collections and his cases. And, Big Boss G.

  "Like the rest, they sent me a gaming equipment and a note." Malcolm started. "Then, I just plug it in and played it."

  "And, you just played it like that?" He asked surprised by his friend's decision. "Without thinking; what a very ."

  That was quite different for a guy who had always prioritize security.

  "Of course. I thought about that." Malcolm raised one of his eyebrows at his remark. "As Big Boss G said: we operate anything underground. This one just came out of nowhere."

  "So, did you play the latest one? The horror game?"

  "Yes."

  "Did you find something weird while playing?"

  "Wait." Malcolm put down his mug on the desk. His eyes surprised. "Are you investigating me?"

  "Well, you don't want me to play with you and I don't have access to the game. So..." He pointed out. "Yeah."

  Malcolm looked upward and sighed. "Nothing." He replied. " I've already finished it. It's just a simple game really.." Malcolm said non-nonchalantly like that the sky is blue.

  He knot his eyebrows. He saw Mark's saved time. He knew he didn't finish it yet. Mark was clearly having a hard time beating the game. And this game monster had already beat it.

  "Ah." He muttered. He raised his satchel. "I will show you something."