James Locker- The Duality of Fate

by Martin Lundqvist

  Thomas Anderson was seeing some ugly woman and motivating it to himself with her having an awesome personality or some other crap. This scenario was promising as it meant Adam Smith could have a lot of fun on Thomas Anderson's expense once he came to his senses and stopped dating the whale. Before that promising future, however, he would probably have to listen to a lot of moralising bullshit about that he should not judge people by the way they look and so on. Adam Smith did not like people who claimed to be non-judgemental as these people usually were hypocrites who just made their own and other peoples' lives difficult by sugar-coating their opinions to an extent where it was impossible to understand what they meant. It was, after all, a lot more humane to tell someone “I don’t want to see you because you are fat” as the overweight at least was a problem that could they could remedy. Anyway, this scenario was less likely than the conversion to homosexuality scenario as Adam Smith perceived Thomas Anderson to be too picky at times. When in a dry spell, the primary objective would be to get out of it and not to find the love of your life. Once out of the dry period the latter would be easier to obtain as well.

  Thomas Anderson was not seeing anyone and was using the mysterious lover excuse to be lame and sit at home jacking off instead of being awesome partying and hunting with Adam Smith. This was the best scenario for Adam Smith's sake as Thomas Anderson most likely would find it boring sitting at home in a few weeks time. Until then, however, Adam Smith needed a replacement, as he was living in a shithole and found no pleasure in sitting at home during the weekend.

  Adam Smith was thankfully interrupted from reflecting further when Officer Mason came up to his table.

  Officer Mason:

  - Hey, Adam, how have you been? I heard you pissed off the BITCH pretty severely recently?

  Adam Smith:

  - Hey, mate! Yeah, that's correct. The punishment he gave me should be reported to the United Nations Human Rights department as a cruel and unusual punishment! Five daylong sessions with Barry's wife Wanda Itch AKA the WITCH.

  Officer Mason:

  - Hmm... Five sessions at the workplace equality seminar sound like the typical punishment for sexism in the workplace?

  Adam Smith:

  - Well, it's still a cruel and unusual punishment I reckon! Anyway, I will get drunk tonight since tomorrow is going to be woeful anyway.

  Officer Mason:

  - Don’t get Michael Fuller drunk though, because then you will never make it out of bed tomorrow.

  Adam Smith:

  - What about him?

  Officer Mason:

  - Oh, nothing in particular. I just saw him blind drunk the other day. In the elevator when we headed to your latest crime scene. I told John Dean about it, but he did not seem to care.

  Adam Smith:

  - Well, no-one cares about Michael Fuller he is an arrogant prick! Good riddance I'd say.

  - By the way, what's your first name Officer Mason? Have I never heard you say it?

  Officer Mason

  - That's because I always use Officer Mason. It works wonders, with the ladies!

  Adam Smith:

  - Great do you want to be my wingman for tonight?

  Officer Mason:

  - I would be honoured to Agent Smith!

  A few hours later Sydney Swans had won the game and qualified for the finals. Adam Smith and Officer Mason celebrated this with an epic night of boozing and hunting, a night that is not covered by this story.

  5.21 The Killer experiences an unplanned delay.

  THE KILLER SAT IN FRONT of his computer, bored and a bit frustrated. Since he was planning to frame Michael Fuller for the killings, his convalescence in the hospital was bad news that forced the Killer to postpone his plans. In theory, this would be the best time to plant all the evidence against Michael Fuller as his house was unoccupied and he would not be able to do anything from his sickbed when the police came for him. But the Killer was not finished with his plans, and he had not yet achieved what he needed to reach his goal which would finally give him freedom. James Locker was his final target, but he felt no satisfaction in killing James Locker as long as he did not understand why he had to die.

  The Killer was looking at the file he had made for his next victim. He did not enjoy the prospect of killing her. But it had to be done, as it would send the message for James Locker so that he would finally understand. Once he finally realised it would be a pure pleasure to kill him, but it was an essential part of the plan. The Killer could not put the finger on why it was vital for him that James Locker understood who he was, but it was just the way things had to go, it was an obsession he had, and the only way to get rid of it was to follow it to the end.

  The Killer was thinking about Rebecca. She was hanging out with her friend Samantha Robinson, from the Police Academy, tonight. The Killer had a feeling that they had been more than friends once from the way Rebecca spoke about her. He did not feel compelled to find out which however as he did not mind if she had romantic connections in the past. Even though he was considerably older than her, she was still 21 years old and probably had several romantic relationships from her past that he neither felt need nor interest in finding out more about. From what Rebecca had told him she was playing Lasertag with her Samantha Robinson, which seemed like an odd thing for two girls to do a Friday night but the killer did not mind. He would love to join them, but sadly it was too dangerous. He knew that Samantha Robinson was one of the police officers that were investigating his murders and it would be a great thrill to stand face to face with her while she was oblivious to whom he was. But it would be too dangerous, as the excitement might go to his head and blow his cover. He could not risk all that for having fun.

  Finally, the Killer decided to just have a rest for a couple of days. He would need to gather all the energy he could muster for the grand finale where his plans would unfold, and he had been up a lot lately so he could use the rest. He went to bed and immediately fell asleep.

  5.22 A very vivid dream

  JAMES LOCKER WOKE UP and felt excited and nervous at the same time. For the first time in nine months, he was going on a proper date. James had been a bit sceptical about online dating, but Thomas Anderson had persuaded him that it was a great way of seeing people and getting to know them in a relaxed environment one on one. The woman he saw today was named Vanessa Ward and was almost a perfect manifestation of all his dreams and desires in a woman. Would he find a woman so perfectly matched for him and would he be a good match for her?

  He picked her up at her place, and they drove south to a deserted beach in the Royal National Park south of the city. It was late August, so the beach was empty, but it was a sunny and pleasant day. They spoke for hours, and James Locker felt how their souls connected when he held her hand. When the sun set they rose up, and he kissed her. It was a truly magical moment. He spoke to her:

  James Locker:

  - Oh, Vanessa, this day has been so beautiful. I can't wait to see you again.

  Vanessa Ward:

  - James, I would love to be with you as well. But I can't.

  James Locker:

  - But we are perfect for each other why are you turning me down.

  Vanessa Ward:

  - You know why.

  James Locker:

  - You... Don’t Exist?

  She disappeared in front of James Locker’s eyes and all of a sudden he recalled a phrase from the Matrix “Have you ever had a dream that you were sure were real? What if you were unable to wake up from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” The phrase felt very authentic to him at this moment when he woke up alone at a beach and could not understand how the day had only been a dream.

  5.23 Pre-Talk before the Central Sydney Lasertag Championship

  JAMES LOCKER ARRIVED at the Lasertag arena in Darling Harbour 30 minutes late. He found his friends and Adam Smith immediately approached.

  Adam Smith:

  - Hey,
mate you are late a damn good thing I anticipated something like this happening and picked our meeting time an hour early.

  James Locker:

  - Well, a good thing I predicted you doing something like that, so I did not come here too soon...

  - No, but I am sorry mate I went to a beach in Royal National Park and completely lost track of time.

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Oh yeah the date from the online dating site, how did that go?

  James Locker froze for a second when Thomas Anderson asked him about the date. When had he told Thomas Anderson about it and what had he said to him? James Locker decided to play along for the time being.

  James Locker:

  - Well as it turned out, she was not at all as I expected her. I guess my mind created fake feelings towards a woman I never met. I should learn not to have as high expectations.

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Well, we all live to learn, I understand why you feel that way though, you showed me her profile and pictures. The profile was like it was written towards you and the images. Damn, they were hot.

  Samantha Robinson felt a bit jealous when Thomas Anderson was speaking like that about another woman. Most of all she felt curious though and decided to join in on the conversation with a positive approach.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Hey, Guys that chick sounds incredible. Can I have a look at her as well?

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Of course, she can, right James?

  - Check it here on my phone.

  Samantha Robinson checked the profile thoroughly. She did not put much emphasis on the written text as she did not know James Locker well enough to determine whether the person described would be a good match for him or. But she looked carefully at the pictures. There was something wrong with them, but she could not put the finger on what the matter was. Somehow the person in them seemed familiar to her. She decided to not mention anything about her feelings to the group for now but instead have a talk with Thomas Anderson about it later.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Yeah, she looks hot, sorry it did not work out for you. But looking at it positively if you can get dates with a hot chick like that you are still an attractive man James, so don't let I push you down.

  Adam Smith:

  - Yeah, there is a particular sound to the title Detective Locker isn't there. But fuck this; it's annoying to talk about chicks no-one of us managed to bang. Let's talk Lasertag tactics.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - But I already know everything about the tactics for this arena; I went here with Thomas and my friend Rebecca last night.

  Adam Smith:

  - Seriously? A hot friend? And you did not invite me?

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Well, she's attractive and taken, so that's why we did not invite you to come along.

  Adam Smith:

  - Seriously? So you are banging Samantha’s hot friend? Strange development considering how much you fancied Samantha before.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Oh please, Adam; you are the only one who would draw that conclusion.

  Adam Smith:

  - Oh yeah, I am special and so on...

  - That used to be a compliment right? These days you are supposed to use the word “special” when talking about retards and stuff! I would be offended if someone said I was special to them...

  James Locker:

  - Oh well, Adam, I am sure you don't need to worry about being called special by someone for a while. But please share your unique Lasertag tactics with us.

  After this Adam Smith spent 5 minutes explaining various Lasertag tactics to the group. They sounded advanced and sophisticated when Adam described them but all in all, they could be summarised with "run around in circles to confuse your enemies and then shoot them in the back."

  5.24 "Man you are taking this far too serious."

  AFTER LISTENING TO Adam Smith's tactics walkthrough, it was time for their first game in the tournament. As they entered the arena, James Locker was paralysed and entered a trancelike state. Lasertag was no longer a match for him, this was for real, and he had to fight to survive! The panic gave him a massive surge of adrenaline that temporarily increased his potential, so for the 15 minutes duration of the game, and James was clearing the house with the opposing team. The price he paid, however, was steep as it instead of being a fun competitive Saturday pastime turned out to be a fight for survival in James Locker's mind. When the game ended James Locker collapsed on a couch outside the arena, his shirt was all wet, and he was hyperventilating. Adam Smith was the first to speak to him.

  Adam Smith:

  - Hey, James I never thought I would say this, but man you are taking this far too seriously.

  - Mighty impressive performance though you outscored the entire opponent team yourself and we are through to the next round, five wins to go!

  James Locker was unable to respond to this as he was still confused and felt very sick from the adrenaline leaving the body. Samantha Robinson noticed that James Locker was feeling very ill, so she tried establishing contact with him.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Hey, James, are you alright? What happened there?

  James Locker:

  - No, I am feeling sick can anyone drive me home?

  Adam Smith:

  - Feeling sick? Come on man you would not have swept the entire opposing team by yourself if you were not feeling great. Have a drink to calm down; the next round is in 30 minutes.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Adam! Can't you see he is not feeling well at all? Don't worry about it, and I'll drive him home as this game means more to you than it means to me anyway.

  Adam Smith did not respond to this as he knew that Samantha Robinson was probably right in what she said. He found the events extremely confusing though as he certainly had not seen this scenario coming. He decided that this was not a fight to take so he accepted and encouraged Samantha Robinson’s decision instead.

  Adam Smith:

  - Okay Samantha, maybe you are right. It’s much appreciated that you are sorting this mess out, James hope you will feel better soon.

  After this conversation, Samantha Robinson and James Locker headed to her car so she could drive him home.

  5.25 James Locker opens up to Samantha Robinson

  SAMANTHA ROBINSON WAS giving James Locker a drive home after the incident at the Lasertag place. She was very curious and worried at the same time over the behaviour she had seen. None of it made any sense to her considering all they have been doing were playing Lasertag. She was thinking of different ways to approach James Locker about the topic, and she realised that the best way to make him open up would be to pretend to have been through the same situation herself. Since they did not know each other that well, it was likely to work and in either case, James Locker was probably not in a state where he would question what she said. It was strictly speaking not morally correct lying about her mental health, but since her motivation for doing so was to help him out, she did not feel sorry about it.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - I know what you are feeling; I have had similar episodes in my past. It's like the weight of the entire world is crashing down on me.

  James Locker:

  - Oh really? You have never told me about this before.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Well, I guess felt ashamed to talk about it. I do not want to be perceived as the crazy woman; people would not take me seriously if they did.

  James Locker:

  - That's what I am feeling! I was depressed when my ex-girlfriend Emily left me nine months ago. I was not functioning very well at all. But then I got medication from my psychologist. It's called Xenopropsyche, and it's doing wonders for my mental strength. I mean I have never been doing this well at work as I have been the last nine months.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Okay, I have never heard of that brand before. Any idea why you are g
etting worse now?

  James Locker:

  - Can I say something to you in confidence?

  Samantha Robinson:

  - It depends on what you are going to say. All I can promise you is that I will not try to benefit at your expense.

  James Locker:

  - Well, that's good enough for me.

  - Well to be honest with you, Xenopropsyche is not precisely an antidepressant.

  - In reality, it's a mixture of antidepressants and antipsychotics. The reason for telling everyone it's an antidepressant is because people can accept and understand depression while insanity scares the shit out of them.

  - And no-one should judge me for things I cannot help, and it has not affected my work either. I have been doing great workwise recently.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - I can't argue with that statement you have been doing great. Reaching the detective rank at the age of 32, not many persons advance that quickly.