[Insperation: Noir Movies, The Fog (1980), Breaking Bad, Gloomwood (fishery theme and mystery theme)]
A solemn Tuesday sun brings dawn to a foggy town on the Northeastern coast of Newfoundland. Early in the morning, the streets aren’t yet rife with people as the chill air makes a layer of dew on the grass. Streetlights pierce through the fog with their yellow glow, and the noise of seagulls and boat horns covers the hamlet with a layer of unease and atmosphere. Fish are being brought in by the trawlers after a rough night at sea. To the residents, the coastal town used to be a quaint place to live; although, a haunting gas fills the streets these days. With the sickening fog seeping through the town thieves and hooligans have found their place on the streets.
Meltan Asiago’s head is down on the desk. He’s asleep again. The papers on his desk act as a pillow, a pillow of mysteries and open cases that keep him up at night into the witching hours. Meltan is a 56-year-old detective, but he didn’t always want to be one. When he was in high school he loved chemistry. He said he always wanted to be a chemist, but his father made him enroll in police training. Day after day he had to work for the police, but in his mind, he thought of chemicals and formulas. After years of police work as a detective, he was widely considered to be one of the best detectives the world has ever seen; it was something he never wanted to be.
“Meltan. Why are you so tired every day? You are the best detective in Canada, yet you fall asleep every week,” Agatha said in an annoyed tone. “You can sleep later. Anyways, we have a problem.”
“What do you need this time? Can’t you see I have enough cases already?” Meltan was getting annoyed. He had been working to the bone on his latest case but hadn’t made any progress for a while. “Plus, last time you had a problem you almost got me killed by that gang of thieves. I lost my pinky finger!”
“It’s Waylan Lake,” Agatha looked worried.
“The chief of police?”
“Yeah, he took his boat out fishing yesterday and hasn’t come back. The person in the lighthouse saw him go out, but he never returned.”
“Oh no. Waylan is the best sailor I know. How could he get lost at sea?”
“I don’t know, but you need to find out.”
“I’ll do my best,” Meltan said. He was worried now. Waylan wasn’t only his boss; he was Meltan’s friend.
Meltan was walking down Main Street. He heard the sound of the cobblestone street, he smelled the fresh fish, and he saw the foreboding dock. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except one thing: Chief Lake’s boat was still nowhere to be seen. So it was time for Meltan to start questioning. First, he’d question the people around the dock; later, he’d see what was going on in the lighthouse.
He approached a burly fisherman on the dock. Meltan was ready to get some answers, “Hello, how are you?”
“Not particularly bad, but the day’s just begun,” said the fisherman. His voice was deep and full of gravel; it was like a quarry. His large beard was like that of a Viking, “How about you? What case are you stressing about today?” Almost everyone in town knew about Detective Asiago; the detective’s cases were always reported on in the local newspaper.
“I’m trying to find out what happened to Chief Lake. He went out fishing yesterday and hasn’t come back.”
The fisherman thought for a bit. “Waylan Lake?” he muttered, “Hmm… I think I saw him yesterday morning. He was with a strange-looking fellow. He was tall with uh… brown hair and a… long… coat.”
“Ok. Thanks, sir. That’s all I needed,” Meltan replied. Finally, he had a lead, but there was still more to discover around the port.
Meltan started walking along the beach. He knew what happened before they set sail but still needed to know where they went. After a bit of walking, he stood at the base of an enormous lighthouse. Meltan could see the glow stretching out through the fog onto the ocean. It was time to go up. Step after step, Meltan made his way up the tall tower. Each step made him a bit more nervous. He still didn’t know what happened to Waylan or what would happen if he found out.
He could hear the old lighthouse creaking as he walked up. The lighthouse shook as the wind blew outside. The footsteps from his boots rang out on the cold metal stairs. After a while, he reached the top. He saw the old lighthouse worker sitting on a chair looking out onto the ocean.
“What brings you up here Waylan?” said the lighthouse worker. His voice was hoarse which matched his thin, frail body.
“How did you know it was me? You didn’t even turn around.”
“Oh please. I knew you’d be up here after what I saw this morning.” The lighthouse worker had a mysterious smirk on his face.
“W-what did you see?” Meltan trembled.
“I saw a small fishing boat careen into the dark rocks near the shore. It seemed to be coming back from a fishing trip, but as it came closer to the shore, I could see a shadowy figure guiding the boat toward the rocks. I tried to warn him with my light, but… I was too late.”
Meltan couldn’t believe this. His fingers trembled and his heart sped up. He started to feel dizzy. Then, he fainted. His body tumbled down the stairs of the lighthouse. The worker watched in horror as Meltan fell down the five flights of stairs. Meltan Asiago… had died.[2]
[This story was going to involve Meltan exploring an underground chemical plant where the main villain would have kidnapped Waylan Lake. Detective Asiago would then infiltrate the base (like Snake in Metal Gear Solid) and reach the villain. They would fight (similar to a boss in the game Cry of Fear, Doctor Purnell) and the villain would eventually escape in a boat. Meltan would then follow him to the Arctic where they would have a final battle.]