👥 Collaboration Collateral 👥

Alma's POV

“With hearing as sharp as mine, you'd be surprised with the secrets I overhear around the stadium.” Alma started, this statement was recorded by the I.B.I. before the night of her death. “I only went out to grab a drink before I heard one of the contestants cry. Patricia was conversing with this contestant in particular. I heard her mention the cure that she would give to the patient that laid bedridden in the infirmary in exchange for a favor. I have no clue what this favor is. I'm assuming, that this favor would be either for this contestant to win the tournament or to fill out a survey. If it's the latter, I can't leak that type of information cause it would get me fired.” The survey was similar to the ones akin to advertising a product, like sportswear or another service. A sponsor would offer a contract to a competitor to use said brand to bring in revenue. For example, a fresh new contender accepts to sport the brand and appear in commercials. The rising star accumulates a following for an event, the clients pay for going to the event, have fun, and take souvenirs. If the rising star has a social media platform, the better. That's marketing for ya. You wear the product, the product wears you. If one of the employees persuades the artist and suceeds on getting a sweet deal. The employee gets the credit, or a frame with “Employee of the Month” emblazoned on the frame.

One of the inquisitors enquired further about Patricia. “Patti? I don't know much about her since she's more of a workaholic. Patricia is a perfectionist when it comes to her job, straight forward. She's not a fan of small talk either, she looks like the type to cast a death glare if you poke about her personal life, her fake smile is also creepy. Reminds me of my mother.” Alma shuddered at the thought of her gaslighting, shoppaholic mother. “I overheard her talking with a new caretaker. An asian albino, he's not hard to miss. White hair, pale skin, bugundy eyes, baritone voice. I had to figure out how to loosen him up a bit and ask him about the girl with the mismatched eyes. The girl and the sick patient are siblings, albino boy is a childhood friend of theirs.”

Another inquisitor asked about the male Rave hunters. “I don't know much about them other than what Sajid told me about the drone. My guess is that they're using this Rave riff-raff to steal the powersource. Most of the stadium is gem-powered. Believe it or not, there is a hidden gem that had been dormant for a millennia. With a stadium built on an ancient ruin, there has to be a hidden gem somewhere, or at least a skeleton buried underneath. If you ask me, those guys are after the motherload and use those drones to steal it for their own lucre. You know how humankind gets when there is power involved.”

One of the I.B.I. agents sped the audio to find any further information related to the suspects. So far, the only information they could extract from the defunct was about her coworkers, the contestants, and the interloper. As the I.B.I. heard the word shapeshifter, they rewinded the audio and played it.

“It's difficult to identify a shapeshifter to a certain level. Many shapeshifters can change their appearance but they can't change who they are. Mirror is an excellent impersonater: his energy is vibrant, light, rarely fades into a dark undertone. He likes being dominant, the center of attention, though it's strange that his vibe has been dimmed to a yellow hue. His aura is usually a shiny rainbow disco ball. One time Mirror shapeshifted into Patricia to take her paycheck. He gave his usual radiant vibe and strolled in to take the check and walked out like a diva on a runway, I hadn't noticed the difference until Patricia came in, and I could sense that her esha came off in rivulets. She came for her paycheck, and I realized that she was the real deal by the way she gave off her fake smile. I sensed her vibe spike in whips. I also noticed that Glen wasn't his usual self either, his eyes usually lit up when he saw me. He ignored me, which was wierd. So I heard Glen and Mirror murmuring about something about a few hours ago, I thought Mirror was mimicking a British accent until I heard Mirror respond: Yes Warlin.”