Phoenix vs The Seven(1): The Will To Fight
Oct 29, 2020 22:21:24 GMT -5
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Post by CJ Phoenix on Oct 29, 2020 22:21:24 GMT -5
The following events take place during the summer of 2020.
"I saw a dead body once."
The scene opens up inside an interrogation room. CJ Phoenix is leaning back in one of the chairs. He has a bored look on his face. A detective walks in with a folder and places it on the table.
Detective: I'm Detective Jacques Bannetto of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. I have a few questions to ask you, Chase.
Phoenix: Well I would hope so, or else you'd be holding me hostage for no reason. Oh, wait, you're already doing that.
Jacques: Listen, Chase. I don't have time for games. A man is dead and you're the prime suspect.
Phoenix: Alright. I'll keep it simple. I didn't do it.
Jacques: That's not good enough. We have been informed that you spend time in the desert whenever you come to Vegas. We even saw you at the crime scene. You were kneeling in front of the body.
Phoenix: I was investigating.
Jacques: Are you a detective?
Phoenix: Do I need to be? I found a body. I wanted to know what happened.
Jacques: So you admit to tampering with evidence.
Phoenix: Nope. That's wrong. I never touched the body.
Jacques: So you were just looking at a corpse. You didn't call the police or anything. Instead, you decided to play investigator and look at the body yourself.
Phoenix: Correct.
Jacques: That's highly unlikely. There's a better chance that you were just basking in the joy of taking someone else's life, but I'll entertain your claim for a moment. Let's say I believe you. Are you sure you didn't see anyone else while you were there.
Phoenix: Unfortunately, I didn't.
Jacques: Did you find anything?
Phoenix: Yeah. Blood. Multiple stab wounds. That watch I figure you picked up off the ground while you were there.
Jacques: You saw it too, huh? How do I know you didn't put it there?
Phoenix: Because I didn't.
Jacques: You're not really being cooperative here. You know that just makes you more suspicious, right?
Phoenix: I'll be as suspicious as you believe. It won't change the fact that I'm innocent.
Jacques: You're not sounding innocent.
Phoenix: Would you like to hear a story?
Jacques: Don't try to change the subject.
Phoenix: I'm not. This is relevant.
Jacques: Oh really?
Phoenix: Yep. It's a story about your so-called "prime suspect". Please, take a seat.
Jacques glares at him and ultimately decides to sit in the other chair. He folds his arms and leans back as well.
Jacques: Alright, talk. This better be good, or you're getting charged with murder.
Phoenix: Have you ever heard of Alexithymia?
Jacques: What?
Phoenix: That answers my question. Alexithymia in a nutshell is the inability to understand emotions. Do you know what that's like? The feeling of not being able to understand feelings? Let me ask you something.
CJ's facial expression changes from relaxed to serious as he glares at Jacques.
Phoenix: Do you wanna die?
Jacques looks surprised and confused.
Jacques: Excuse me? Are you threatening an officer of the law?
Phoenix: Not quite. You just assumed that I am. I'm just asking a simple question. How did it make you feel?
Jacques: It didn't. This isn't a therapy session, so stop stalling.
Phoenix: Are you getting angry?
Jacques: No, but my patience is getting worn thin. You're saying you have Alexa-whatever?
Phoenix: I'm not sure, but it's within the realm of possibility. I've been searching for that answer for a while. My life was good. Simple even. Perhaps too simple. For the most part, all I did was make sure my wife was okay, stream, and watch television. I was getting lazy. The lack of needing a lot of effort to do something took away my drive to get better. No longer did I strive to be as much of an influence as I could be to as many people as possible. I had become complacent physically while still being conflicted mentally. My behavior would change drastically depending on the situation. It was hard for me to control because I was too lazy to put effort into controlling it. There were times where I'd do something spontaneously and then just get really depressed and stop. Other times I'd be doing nothing and then I'd erratically do something. The only action I was taking was to come to places like this to clear my mind.
Jacques: So when you would arrive at the desert, you wouldn't be in the right mindset?
Phoenix: Sometimes.
Jacques: So it's possible that you went out there, lost control, killed the victim, and then stayed at the scene out of regret for your actions.
Phoenix: It's possible, but it's not the case. It could be that killer that you guys haven't caught yet. You know, the one with no real rhyme or reason to their murders.
Jacques: There's also a chance that you're that killer. Especially since you just said that you have the tendency to do things erratically.
Phoenix: HAD. That has changed. The reason I brought it up is so that you would know why I visit the desert areas so often. My story is not yet finished.
Jacques: Fine, continue.
Phoenix: So I'm driving one night and I hit a tree. I end up waking up in a hospital 17 hours later. In that timeframe, I got to really think about my life while I wondered if it had already ended. I thought about the things I've done. All of the mistakes I made. All of my successes. Lastly, I thought about what my life had become. What could I have done better? How could I have prevented this? Turns out, that time was what I needed. I figured out how to embrace my emotions instead of fighting my feelings. The laziness that had loomed over my head like a dark cloud was finally gone. I had inspiration, goals, and a rebirth of energy to get back in motion! For the first time in a long time, I gained full control of myself. When I woke up, I started planning. I knew I still had work to do. There were still limits to break and ceilings to shatter. As soon as I was able to drive again, I came here. This place has been my home away from home for about five years now. The sands were always peaceful to me. Well, until earlier today when I came across that body.
Jacques: So you came here to I guess meditate, and you just so happened to come across the body. Again, why didn't you call the police?
Phoenix: Didn't need to. Didn't feel like it either, especially since I had heard gunshots earlier. That's what led me to finding the body.
Jacques: We got a call about people hearing gunfire in the distance. That's when we went out to see what was going on and ended up finding you and the victim.
CJ starts laughing. He sways his head from side to side.
Phoenix: Nyahahaha! Surely you see the issue, right? Right?
Jacques looks confused at Chase.
Jacques: I thought you said you could control your behavior.
Phoenix: I am in control. I just choose to express myself this way! Now, I ask again. Surely you see the issue, right? Rrrriiiiiiiiight?
Jacques: You're talking about the victim's wounds?
Phoenix: Nyahahaha! Correct! If gunfire was what led us to discovering the body, then why does the victim have stab wounds instead of gunshot wounds?
Jacques: Don't try to use "us" like you're a part of the team. You're still the main suspect. Although, you do bring up a good question.
Phoenix: I wonder if our killer gets lazy sometimes.
Jacques: What do you mean?
Phoenix: Remember in my story how I mentioned that my life was so simple and easy that I got lazy? What if killing is the same for the murderer? What if killing is so easy for them that they keep having to do it in different ways to avoid being complacent....
He starts swaying from side to side again.
Phoenix: ...or arrogant...or sloppy...or bored?
Jacques: Can you stop doing that?
Phoenix: Why?
Jacques: It's suspicious.
Phoenix: How?
Jacques: Abnormal behavior.
Phoenix: If you say so. Anyway, I'm getting hungry. Are we done here? We don't even know when the victim died.
Jacques: You might know, but you could be hiding it. I know the blood was dry, so that eliminates the possibility of the victim being killed there because there wasn't blood soaking the sand under the corpse.
Phoenix: Well, when you find out the time of death, let me know and I'll tell you where I was. Sound good?
Jacques: I don't trust you, but since I don't have definitive proof that you're the culprit, I guess I'll let you go for now.
Phoenix: Excellent. Byeonara!
The two men get up from their chairs and exit the room. CJ gets escorted out of the precinct and driven back to the hotel he was staying in. Meanwhile, Jacques watches as the vehicle exits the parking lot.
Jacques: You're hiding something, Chase. I know you are.