"First Impressions" (Heavy Rain)

[Anonymouse]

What: "First Impressions," a Heavy Rain oneshot.

Who: Naaahmen Norman Jayden

Where: "The Crime Scene" scene from Heavy Rain.

When: Morning

Why: Because this scene was just begging for some sneezes. Rain, pollen, insufflation of mysterious powdery substances... they couldn't have just squeezed one in there to humor me?

Warnings: References to murder, vague allusions to drug use.

Weather: Heavy rain *ba-dum-cshhh!*

---

Norman had been sitting in the car for nearly two minutes now.

The cops knew he was here. Every so often they'd glance over and make a comment that he couldn't hear. At last he turned the car off and just sat there, bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation. No matter where he went, there was at least one officer on the squad he was sent to collaborate with who took personal offense to his involvement. Norman knew the moment he showed them his badge this intended partnership would turn into a pissing contest. This always made it difficult to get any work done.

His arms were trembling, and not just from the cold. He glanced uneasily at the glove compartment where the vial was stashed, then became distracted by the realization that the interior of the rental car was soaked. He'd been out in the rain for about fifteen seconds, the amount of time it took to walk briskly from his hotel room to the car, and he was soaked to the bone. He was so annoyed about forgetting his umbrella in the room that he just drove off without it, fully aware of the consequences, but now he regretted it.

Gripping the door handle, he began to push it open but then stopped at the uncomfortable sensation that was developing in his sinuses. Pressing the back of his hand against his nose, Norman reached over carefully and popped open the glove compartment with the other. He pushed the spare GPS and the little blue vial aside and grabbed the pack of tissues he kept for nosebleeds. Tearing one out of the pack, he clamped it around his nose and braced himself again, this time for backlash from his own body.

"ehh'TSCHHH!... hh'ehhTCHHH!!"

He sighed, slumping in his seat. This case was already stressing him out and he hadn't even officially began his investigation yet. He was up last night until about three in the morning doing a little unpaid informal research, which entailed using the ARI's WiFi to Google the victims' names and the various details of the rumors he heard his first day here. By the time he went to bed his throat was so sore and his nose so stuffed up that he could barely sleep longer than twenty minutes at a time before he woke himself up coughing, or from a nightmare.

Taking one last look at the blue vial, he crammed a few tissues into his pocket, tossed the rest into the glove compartment, and slammed it shut. Then he plunged into the rain before he could change his mind. It was like jumping back into a pool after you'd been out for twenty minutes and had a chance to dry off. Norman took solace in the fact that soon enough he'd be too numb to even feel how cold it was. He smothered a cough against his shoulder and struggled to compose himself before making his way over to the officers at the entrance to the crime scene.

"Nahman Jayden. FBI."

Already they had their hackles up, like a pair of threatened dogs. "Can we see some identification?"

"Of course."

He pulled his badge out of his pocket, losing half of his tissues in the process. Cursing internally, he maintained an expression of stoicism as he showed the badge to the officers. They eyed him for a moment, then the one on the right waved him through. Norman walked over to the taped-off section, ducking underneath and taking great care not to slip and fall in the mud. The last thing he needed was to ruin his suit.

There were so many officers on the scene that he had a difficult time withholding criticism. He told himself that whatever evidence their presence threatened to destroy was most likely long gone, either due to the sheer volume of trampling feet or the persistent rainfall, the latter of which was beyond anyone's control. Making a comment now would only give them more reason to resent him, so he kept his mouth shut, pulled the ARI glasses out of his pocket, and began the search for what remained. As he put on the glasses and pulled on the glove he began his introductory recording, fighting to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Video memo recording. Agent 470239, Jayden. Tuesday, October 4, 2011. The time is..." He pulled his sleeve up to check his watch, surprised to find that it was nearly nine in the morning. Sunlight did not seem to want anything to do with this town. "8:48 AM."

He flexed his fingers and a faint golden trail appeared in the air, leading from the train tracks to the white tent under which the body and other evidence was being preserved. Norman made his way over to the floating particles, passing his fingers slowly through the trail. The sample that stuck to the wet glove was analyzed, words flashing in the air above the trail. Norman read them aloud, both for his own benefit and for the sake of keeping a verbal record of everything he found.

"ARI comment. There's flower pahllen... orchid, common species, funeral flower... a symbol of innocence..."

And thankfully, one of the few flowers he wasn't allergic to. Unfortunately just looking at the pollen prompted that irritating tickle to return, exacerbated by the wind and the pitter-patter of raindrops against his face. The next couple of words were distorted by the desperate quaver in his voice. Recognizing the hopelessness of the situation, he trailed off and allowed the sneeze to take over. Drawing in a deep, quivering breath, he buried his face in the crook of his arm. "Hehhh... hhTFSCHH!"

Goddamn it, he was going to have to go back and edit that out. Assuming that was even possible. Not yet finished, and not willing to take the risk of humiliating himself further on official FBI records, he pressed the side of the ARI glasses to stop the recording. He dug his tissues out of his pocket and held them against his nose, breathing in and out slowly as he waited for the next sneeze to manifest.

"Hey you!"

Norman's breath wavered as he lost the sneeze. He closed his eyes briefly, sighing with irritation, then turned to see one of the officers coming towards him. The way he carried himself suggested that he was the one in charge here, and without having even met the man before in his life Norman could only presume this was Carter Blake. "Lieutenant Blake?" Norman asked, quickly stuffing the tissues back into his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing here? This is a crime scene." He turned on one of the nearest officers. "How did he get through the-"

"I'm with the FBI," Norman interjected, holding up his badge as proof. Apparently the suit and the high-tech sunglasses didn't make it clear enough.

Blake regarded it skeptically, but signalled for the other cop to continue doing whatever it was he was doing. "You the profiler? Norman Gayden?"

"Jayden," Norman corrected him, certain that this wasn't a genuine mistake. "I came by your ahffice this morning, but you weren't there. I thought I'd catch you here."

Blake nodded, then turned around without saying another word. Instead he beckoned for Norman to follow by snapping his fingers behind him. The agent took the opportunity to rub his nose against the sleeve of his already-wet suit, in a feeble attempt to forcibly grind the persistent itch out of his nose, but to no avail. Curling his ungloved hand against his nostrils, he stopped mid-stride and snapped forward with a soft but forceful "eh'tshhh!"

A nearby officer blessed him but the sneeze went unnoticed by Blake, who had stopped to speak brusquely with a cop near the entrance to the crime scene. "Where's the goddamn coroner? It's been a fucking hour! Call him up and tell him to get his ass over here!"

"Yes, sir."

"And you." He stopped a passing officer and pointed to the small crowd that was beginning to gather on the other side the chainlink fence. "I don't care how you do it but make sure those gawkers clear out."

"Will do, Lieutenant."

Blake was showboating. Norman had only known him for a short amount of time but he'd already figured out his type, officers who thought their title put them above the law. No doubt Blake felt like the FBI had sent an agent to keep an eye on him, so he was strutting around like a peacock, showing off his feathers in an attempt to exert his dominion over the situation.

"So, Jayden, what is it that you'll be bringing to the table?"

"I'm here to assist with the investigation in whatever way I can. They've asked me to gather evidence and develop a profile of the killer."

"A profile, huh?"

"Anything we can do to narrow down the suspect list will help," Norman elaborated. "And if I'm able to figure out the killer's modus operandi, we can try to stop this before it happens again."

"I don't see why we need a profile. We've already got a couple of promising suspects in custody."

Norman knew this was a lie, but he didn't dispute it. He had some legitimate questions to ask and he wanted to get them answered before he said or did something to make Blake hate him completely. "Well, I go where I'm sent," he said with a shrug. "So, can I have a look at the body?"

"I suppose. This way."

They made their way over to the tent, Norman deliberately lagging behind. Again he was gripped by the urge to sneeze. This was starting to get tiring. Cursing softly under his breath, he dug what was left of the soaked tissues out of the pocket of his damp jacket and pressed them against his nose. "Hhpptschh! eh'tschh! ... hh... hih..." snff! "Hehh'TSCHH!"

"Jayden!"

A pair of fingers snapped at him from the other side of the white tent. Discarding the tissues that were now too wet to be of any use in the nearest trash can, he walked through the mud and peered under the flap of the tent as Blake pulled it aside. He knelt down, holding his wrist against his nose and sniffling until he was sure his nose wouldn't start running, and examined the body. He pressed the side of his ARI glasses to resume the recording and ran his gloved fingers gently over an object in the boy's hand.

"ARI comment. There's an origami figure in the victim's hand, just like the others... and an orchid was placed on the victim's chest."

That explained the pollen in the air. Norman swept his gaze across the body, taking notice of the rip in the boy's pants, near the ankle. "Superficial cut in the leg..." He dipped his finger in the wound, the sensors of the glove analyzing the sample in an instant. "Blood analysis suggests that the wound was inflicted post-mortem. It seems the victim endured a prolonged period of exhaustion."

"No witnesses," Blake piped in. "No tracks. And aside from that cut, no marks on the body to suggest the cause of death."

Of course there's no tracks, your people have covered them up with their own footprints, Norman was tempted to say. Instead he pinched his nose in his gloved hand, smothering a stifled and embarrasingly squeaky "Heh'NKxch!-uh..."

"You're not sounding too good there," Blake said. "I'm sure you can go now. We've got it covered."

Face burning, Norman opened his mouth to say something he'd wanted to say since he first met Blake, but then he stopped, noticing something he'd missed before. The ARI had revealed a set of footprints that continued beyond the crime scene, almost parallel with the trail of orchid pollen. It went past the train tracks and up the hill towards the highway. Norman stood up slowly and began following it, oblivious to Blake's fake concern.

The other officers were wandering around the scene aimlessly, merely trying to look busy. Some stood under the awning to escape the rain, warming their hands with their breath and cups of coffee. It seemed nobody had attempted to follow the trail of distinct sneaker footprints up the hill, and soon Norman found out why. As he tried to climb the hill his foot slipped and he nearly lost his balance. He couldn't resist looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody had seen, but everyone was preoccupied by the coroner's arrival.

Norman could hear Blake ranting at the poor man as he continued his treacherous advance up the hill. He grabbed onto rocks, roots, and whatever was available to keep his footing. The weather seemed determined to keep him from reaching the top of the hill, as if it were an accomplice to the killer. The mud made it nearly impossible to make it the last few feet, but when Norman finally cleared the top he was glad he had gone through the extra effort.

The footprints led to tire tracks in the mud. Norman had no doubts that this was the killer's car. He had just enough time to record the details before another sneeze snuck up on him, a powerful "Ehh'TSCHHuuh!" that literally knocked him off his feet. He lost his footing and rolled down the hill, the world spinning around him as if he were a ball in a lottery machine. When he finally came to a stop at the foot of the hill he could hear sniggering, nearly drowned out by the sound of the heavy rain. He looked up to find a few of the officers laughing at his expense, Blake included. Norman stood up immediately, clearing his throat and trying to regain even a tiny shred of dignity.

"I'm taking my evidence back to the station," Norman said as if nothing had happened, though the mud streaked across his suit and the deep blush spreading across his face indicated otherwise. "I'm glad I was able to provide an extra pair of eyes here."

Before he could mention the tire tracks Blake interrupted him. "I'm glad the FBI has sent us their finest," he said, causing a few of the officers around him to crack up again.

Norman wanted nothing more than to get out of here. Blake could read his report if he wanted to know about the tracks his squad had missed. For now that bastard wouldn't be getting anything more from him.

The profiler returned to his car, shaking all over from cold and embarrassment. He backed out and turned towards the road, stopping to open the glove compartment. He attempted to dry himself off with the remaining tissues, and then, inevitably, the blue vial caught his eye. Without considering the consequences he popped off the cap and tipped the contents into his left nostril, sniffing forcefully. Within seconds the shame and humiliation of the fall dissipated, replaced with a sense of calm and well-being. He would have another opportunity to make a good impression. He would analyze the evidence, find something they missed, and ultimately it would be he who would find and apprehend the killer.

And Blake? Well, Blake could suck it.

Edited May 22, 2013 by AnonyMouse

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

This is a good plot :3 really enjoyed this you should continue although I am aware this is a one-shot :3 mkai thanks for writing this

[Dye]

Oh lord, Jayden was my favourite in Heavy Rain! I think if you wait around long enough in that scene and let the idle animations run, he actually does sneeze!

[retrofan191]

One thing I really like that you do is using the bold text on the release part of the sneeze, putting emphasis on the additional force

[Anonymouse]

Oh lord, Jayden was my favourite in Heavy Rain! I think if you wait around long enough in that scene and let the idle animations run, he actually does sneeze!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA are you serious?!

ETA: Found this with a quick Google search.

I was looking at Jayden walking/idling out in the rain in the Mad Jack chapter. He is so freakin' cute!!! He looks positively miserable, frowning, face covered in rain, rubbing his hands together, looking up at the sky, sneezing. It was like watching a sad puppy. I've never seen anyone so upset by the rain.

AUUGHDSHFIO thank you SO MUCH for bringing this to my attention! You made my night. Now I need to wait around long enough until it happens or find it on YouTube. If it's not there I'll try to get a video.

And thanks for the comments you gaiz.

Edited May 20, 2013 by AnonyMouse

[Dye]

I believe so.

A quick google search told me yes! Here's a quote from a forum:

I was looking at Jayden walking/idling out in the rain in the Mad Jack chapter. He is so freakin' cute!!! He looks positively miserable, frowning, face covered in rain, rubbing his hands together, looking up at the sky, sneezing. It was like watching a sad puppy. I've never seen anyone so upset by the rain.

[murphy dee]

Oh man, I've played through this game twice and never noticed that! I need to play a third time methinks...or at least start to get to that scene. Ugh I love Heavy Rain so much (who's excited about Beyond: Two Souls?? I AM I AM).

This is such a wonderful fic. Nahman was my favorite character. XD And his sneezes are so greeeeeaaaat!! I love the way you spell them. Man I think I need to read this again right now.

[Anonymouse]

Thanks Murphy! And yeah Beyond looks freaking insane, I love that stuff.

Also I replayed the "Mad Jack" chapter and waited at the beginning outside the car, in the rain. I thought it would take forever but he sneezed right away, it was so cute. Sort of like "t'choo!" Adorable. And he looks so freaking distraught too, like "why are you making me wait here? x("

ETA:

C: Edited May 20, 2013 by AnonyMouse

[Dye]

dklkhjakjfhlkaj gAAAAHHHH SO ADORABLE