#arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

The kitties are back where they belong!

Morty, the elder, lives with his first human again, cherished and free from the stress of being part of the multi-pet Hydes household.

And Belle was reunited with her two kittens. While Morty didn’t even seem to notice a change in his surroundings, Belle rolled and stretched at every opportunity. She looked so happy!

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Although I now had control over the Durants back, the Bellamy were still outside my control and might start fights. Looking for group activities to keep them busy with, I found this in the Durant teen’s inventory - Salem, as her teacher, would of course have known about it.

Salem: “Okay, sit down... take deep breaths... you’ll feel your mind clear quickly.”

Malika: “Are you going to drug us, Salem?!”

Salem: “To the contrary. This isn’t about in-, but exhaling. The Durant - and to a lesser degree also ourselves - need to get the chaos fumes out of their system.”

Roman (thinking): How devious! They even prepared what looks like a set table on first glance. We were to get lulled into a false security, thinking we’d dine together. But their spaghetti aren’t even fully cooked.

Note: Call to meal doesn’t work, the sims can only discard the plates here. This may be a problem with importing this neighborhood, but in the light of the family feud, Roman’s assertion makes sense.

Salem: “And now we say goodbye... Is anybody willing to shake hands? You, Hunter? Thank you! Know that you may not be able to return here anytime soon, though. I’m able to stop the senseless fading into violence, but the underlying loathing remains. We all are free to refrain from tearing each other apart on sight now, however, we haven’t miraculously become friends.”

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

When the first fight broke out, Jorah and Salem fled the hall autonomously.

Jorah: “Principal...?”

Salem: “I know. I cannot allow grown up people to indulge in behaviour I’d punish in class. It’s time for the chalk and the key chain to get tossed!”

Jorah: “You never do THAT in class!”

Salem (to himself): “After committing murder to acquire the key, it would be irresponsible and incredibly wasteful not to use it. We had the best intentions, my friend, but good intentions are no guarantee for being right. Alright, here it goes...”

*FLICK*

Salem: “The clock stands still.”

Spoiler/Revised backstory:

The “key to freedom” is mentioned a few times in the neighborhood backstory. Coincidentally (?) there is a key pictured next to the Free Will on/off menu (it actually opens an import/export option for pet collars), so I put these together.

Arkhelios is indeed a “chaos patch”, an anomaly in reality where free will is active (my game is strictly free will off). The powers of the cosm created “the key” that allowed their agents survive on the island.

Originally Abraham Helios held the key. Possession of it allows giving commands to free willed (chaos touched) sims, but Abraham rarely did that, according to his last conversation with Salem:

Salem took the key from Abe, but in response to Abraham basically having played Arkhelios as an asylum challenge, he has just now used it to disable free will altogether.

This is what I meant when I said at the beginning of the story that I may have overinterpreted the backstory. But it fits nicely. Salem is described as speaking strangely monotonous (indicative for mind control), and Abraham claims that without him Arkhelios will unravel (because free will would take over altogether). Salem skews towards Niceness on the Mean/Nice scale, so I interpret him as a kind of “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” character.

In the end, both Free Will on and off are forms of freedom, the first representing freedom from social constraints and norms, the second freedom from basic instincts.

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Therapist: “Tell me how you feel about your divorce!”

Omar:

Yes. Looks about right.

Gavin: “Okay, I admit Salem maybe had a point there. No more talking about his marriage to Omar, Daniel!!!”

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Gavin teleported back to the spys’ nest and immediately contacted Director Perkins. He relayed the killer’s identity, how Salem Bellamy had taken control over Arkhelios and that he expected to get captured again any moment.

Gavin: “I hear something at the door...”

Salem had indeed found Gavin, and he hadn’t come alone. Daniel was with his captor, but instead of aiding him in apprehending Gavin, he zapped Salem!

Gavin: “Danny! Haha, of course my deviant would break Bellamy’s mind control easily! Welco... Danny? Say something!”

While Salem was gasping, Daniel stood stoically next to his victim. He didn’t look like a freed victim of mind control. In fact, the android hadn’t gotten freed at all. Turned out control over him had transferred from one device to another!

Salem: “H...h...how...?”

Gavin: “I understand! Daniel is still logged into the servo controller, and that in turn is set to zap burglars and trespasser. So when he stepped into the servo controller’s range, that one took over and, zap, scratch one wanna-be overlord!”

The actual chain of events here was: Gavin fled from the Bellamy household - I loaded the Reed household with Gavin and Daniel - Salem walked by the lot - he wanted to kick the Reeds’ trashcan (from being furious at Gavin) - the servo controller pushed Daniel to zap Salem.

None of that was planned.

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Although Salem Bellamy was able to issue commands to every single resident of Arkhelios now, he preferred to keep the FBI agent and his detective partner close by for optimal control. Gavin and Daniel thus had to spent the night at the Bellamy residence.

Gavin: “So you can pull our strings, but can you also watch everyone on the island? Like we could through the spy cams?”

Such an innocent question, and spoken in jest, too! Salem hesitated just a moment too long to answer “Of course, and my commentary would be way more thoughtful than your blabbering!”. Gavin and Daniel then knew that their captor could not sense everyone’s actions. He had to physically move into a place or at the very least use a telescope to wrestle control over the people present from them.

Gavin: “Okay, we get it, you are all-seeing and wise beyond measure. There, I said it. Will you stop making Danny do chores now?! If playing gulag overseer gives you a boner, I volunteer! Just... not Danny. It’s not right.”

Salem: “That’s not my doing. Your husband simply has a strong drive to nurture.”

Daniel: “And I hate myself for that right now. But there are urges that put to shame your mind control machine, Mr. Bellamy.”

Salem: “Yes. Parental instincts. Group dynamics. A thin crust of socialisation and...”

Daniel: “Don’t try! For all your education, you wouldn’t understand. This is ME being ME, and even though you could cancel my actions anytime, you could never stop me from wanting to do them in the first place. I’m free!”

Gavin: “So if you didn’t command Daniel, then who did you mess with this morning? Your own family?!”

Salem: “Matter of fact, yes! Omar really needs to get a grip on himself and start dating again. He’s struggling to do so, so maybe making him more attractive to the ladies will help. I therefore made him comb his hair.”

Gavin: “You could have suggested that to him.”

Salem: “Like I did to no avail the dozen times before you came to Arkhelios, you mean?”

Over breakfast Salem explained that the investigators would stay at the Bellamy residence for a while.

Omar, Malika and Roman didn’t like the announcement at all. No matter how nicely Salem phrased it, and how amiably he smiled while talking, if the FBI felt that the Bellamy needed police protection, that could only mean that they were the next on the killer’s list!

At this point Hunter already moved in with Wanda, but they aren’t married yet.

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Salem: “I have to do this... Curse you, Abraham Helios, for forcing me into a “Only you can do it” role!”

Salem hesitated for a moment, when he saw the deactivated android in the corner of his eyes. Daniel Reed had clawed up his way from household device to a person with full citizens’ rights. And now he, Salem, was about to take Daniel’s freedom away. It was ironic.

Salem: “Sacrifices have to be made! Under my guidance Arkhelios can still become the utopia we dreamed of.”

Salem: “And so the reign of chaos ends! In a moment I will have full control over everyone’s actions on this island!”

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Gavin and Daniel asked each household member individually about their alibis. Eventually Gavin, at a loss how to phrase this inconspiciously, blurted out about the Bellamy family apparently acting less on their whims than the rest of town.

Salem: “That may come with me being a teacher. But I’d be happy if the others acted on their whims. As things are, they give in to their instincts way too readily.”

Gavin: “Whims, instincts... What’s the difference?”

Salem: “As a detective, you have some basic understanding of human psychology, correct? Do you know the Basic Four?”

Gavin: “That pertains to how our brain takes inventory of the four most pressing needs, and then would choose one at random, if left to its own devices. If the higher cognitive functions are blocked for whatever reason.”

Salem: “Exactly.”

Gavin: “You suspect such a blocker to be in effect in Arkhelios?”

Salem: “Worse: I know for certain that it is. More pious characters will tell you about how the gods stepped out of the primordial chaos, and shaped the cosm. And that there are patches of chaos left here and there... this island being one of those. The mountains keep the chaos contained.”

Gavin: “And do you believe that?”

Salem: “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have told you. The chaos pouch, that we used to call freedom, is what drew us founders to the island in the first place. There - now you know the secret. Tell your superiors, I don’t mind anymore. I’ve lost my best friend to a freedom that didn’t really make us free. We just became pieces of driftwood getting swept here or there all our fucking lifes.”

Gavin: “Bellamy really takes the loss of Abraham hard. In his distress he spilled the whole backstory of the exodus to Arkhelios to me. Even if we fail to find the killer, that’s some major credits with Director Perkins for us!”

Daniel: “What do you mean, “find the killer”? We just learned that the MMO - motive, means, opportunity - doesn’t apply here. Everyone could have picked up the laser pistol and shot Abraham Helios, simply because they felt low on fun!”

Gavin: “More like everyone who hasn’t showered in a while.”

Daniel: “Ey?”

Gavin: “Laser pistols, like fingerprint scanners, advertise Hygiene to the reptile, not Fun. I know this because it came up in the written portion of my FBI aptitude test.”

The very same test Daniel failed in the very first chapter of this series :-(

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Malika asked Daniel in, and they spent some time discussing the tropical fish before getting to the actual reason for Daniel’s visit.

“Salem is the principal of our school, his task is to guide the next generation”, Malika told the detective. “But with Abraham dead, the town looks up to him as the new patriarch. He doesn’t like this extra responsibility at all.”

“I thought that position would go to Giovanni Rivales?”

“The eternal rival? Haha, no! Giovanni is too much of an introvert to slot into a leading role. He will be Salem’s right hand man same as he was Abraham’s and, between you and me, he’d be incredibly unhappy in any other role.”

At this point of the conversation the game chose Gavin, too, as passerby. Omar asked him in and then the Reeds reunited in the floor as if they hadn’t seen each other for years:

“I missed you so much!”

“I missed you, too!”

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

I didn’t even need to teleport the Reeds in for the interrogation scene - Daniel appeared on his own right when Salem Bellamy left for work.

The look he gave the man was one of “I’m onto you!”

Malika asked the investigator in...

Please, please, please, Daniel, don’t make this another Rozen Nancarrow bathroom interrogation incident...

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Arkhelios, Household 9: Bellamy

By now the investigators were able to identify and contextualize the faces they saw though their spy cameras, unlike the day of the funeral service.

Wanda Hydes got engaged to Hunter Bellamy without complications, the family had a very orderly evening meal together and later Ironman swung by to engage in the human tradition of watching TV at a neighbor’s place.

Daniel was touched to see that the older android had decided to accept his personhood and act more self-confident in public. But the joy paled against the irritation at watching the Bellamy go about their routines. Here was a perfectly normal family, not perfect or free of trouble, but they were in no way acting odd. And suddenly it sank in that this was a first ever since the Reeds had come to Arkhelios.

And they hadn’t even seen everything...

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

With the case closed, the FBI wouldn’t pay for the apartment anymore, so Daniel and Gavin moved into the Fontana guest house.

Here they beheld the greatest mystery of them all: A cake made by Ironman that looked like fruitcake, smelled like fruitcake, but tasted incredible!

(Daniel and Gavin started their life in Sims 4, where fruitcake is sort of a bioweapon wielded by the Welcome Wagon.)

And then somehow the lab became the household’s socializing hub. I guess it beats the bathroom, at least.

With all the new people and experiences around him, Nicholas grew quickly and soon he had learned to say Papa! Papa was a staple, a save spot one could retreat to when tired from exploring.

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

And finally Tina changed residence from the temple of Jumbok to the Helios household, where she caught the eyes of detective Hydes while slurping milk from a cereal bowl.

Melvin: “That’s the cutest creature I’ve ever seen that isn’t Sheldon - I want her and spoil her rotten!"

Wbuna: “That’s a fox, though, not a cat.”

Melvin: “Really? Even better! - Here!!!”

Wbuna: “Seven hundred dollars? You sure about that?”

Melvin: “A thousand times yes!” *cuddle, cuddle*

Wbuna: “Do I detect fatherhood hormones at work in you already?”

Melvin: “Hardly! We haven’t decided yet which of us will carry our space baby, might just as well be Sheldon. But, see, meeting Gavin and Daniel caused a bit of an identity crisis. Now Gavin is a cat person, whereas you just told me that Tina here is a fox. In adopting her I prove that I’m my own person, not some parallel universe copy of Gavin fucking Reed!”

Yes, because Gavin totally never cuddled with someone called TINA... Also, this particular fox is technically a cat.

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Speaking of sweet Enid, I only now understand what you meant when you said you had a servo emancipation mod. I had forgotten that free willed servos get pushed to do chores (poor Ironman and Daniel!). NEVER EVER take that mod out!

#arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

It was morning again, when Salem and his family left the Durant residence.

Salem cast his gaze over the town, his domain. All those existences, including the visitors from Detroit, they were now free from the chaos’ influence. That probably wouldn’t stop them making stupid decisions in the future, but Salem had ensured that they had a moment to ponder their actions’ consequences. With luck, that would lead to more consideration.

Salem felt hopeful, and when he spotted Belle, Peggie Hyde’s missing cat, amble down the street, he took that as a sign of better times to come.

Arkhelios would heal now.

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations

[enkisstories]

Arkhelios, Household 10: Durant

Daniel: “What has Director Perkins to say about this family?”

Gavin (leafing through the briefing material): “He describes them as neutral and wanting to stay out of the feud.”

Daniel: “Oh-kaaaay, I can see that. I mean, why would the Durant care about any Helios/Rivales conflict, when they seem to have it in for the Bellamy? We tuned in like five seconds before a turf battle!”

Unknownst to Daniel and Gavin, recently a piece of information had surfaced, that held the potential to end this particular family feud. Or at least that was what Launce Durant had been hoping for, when he had invited the Bellamy family tonight. His relatives in both the Durant and the Bellamy, however, seemed to view the meeting as an occassion to let the fists fly:

*SMACK*

Salem (out loud): “No... no! This is all wrong! We came to talk! We trusted you!”

Gavin: “That outcry feels bit over the top. Not an outright lie, but also not telling the whole story. Unfortunately this is where the spy cams get at their limit - they don’t allow the reading of minds.”

Daniel: “I dunno. You not being able to decipher Mr. Bellamy completely is already a hint that he’s good at putting on a persona.”

#Arkhelios #sims 2 arkhelios #sims2 arkhelios #thesims2arkhelios #sims2 dbh desiderata #sims2 #sims 2 #the sims 2 #thesims2 #ts2 #ts 2 #simblr #arkheliosinvestigations