Preston Price
P.I.
Gifted Factor
Description
~Preston is a decent man pressing his early thirties. Although many things can be said about his appearance, most viewers see one thing first and have a hard time seeing anything else. Though there is a sleeve, there's no right arm in that sleeve. That limb no longer exists, clearly. But the Caucasian fellow just smiles easily and draws one's attention back to his bright, attentive brown eyes. Dark-brown hair billows thickly on his head, though he keeps it trimmed short enough to stay professional. Of course, the light stubble on his cheeks and chin could be a fashion statement. Preston prefers semi-casual slacks (chinos, khakis) and button-down shirts. A suede jacket often accompanies his neat attire. Of course, it's all off-the-rack from JC Penny's. But the fact that Preston lacks greater assets (as well as one arm) has not quashed his good heart, solid head, and sense of humor. The man seeks higher and deeper qualities in the world around him.~
OOC: Appearance 2
"Don't worry, sir. I'll find your daughter and bring her back safe."
"But would you happen to have any of her favorite knick-knacks or pieces of jewelry…?"
History
Youth
Even from youth, Preston perceived things others did not. He could feel certain emotions from things. And as a boy in his middleclass neighborhood in Centropolis, Missouri, he decided things had feelings and emotions. And maybe they really did. But it was a sentiment Preston eventually grew out of…even if as a teenager he still got those "weird vibes" from some objects. His parents were hard-working folks and raised their only son well. They made sure he got good grades in school, stayed away from bad crowds, and was generally content. And he was. His knack for understanding people, and his desire to help his peers in school, made it clear that he would be one day be in public service of some sort.
Police Work
Preston first went to community college, seeking a degree in law. But he grew bored of the work involved and turned his attention to the police. After attaining just a two year degree in general law, Preston entered the police academy. He kept in shape, kept his brain sharp, and soon he was graduated and assigned to a precinct in downtown Centropolis. The young rookie was eager to rise in the ranks and one day become detective. So he continued to study while maintaining his dutiful beat with his partner, Roger Ball. However, he was distracted. The cop continued to encounter occasional "bad vibes" from certain things. Preston never got his bare hands on evidence, but places and other unmarked things at crime scenes often disturbed him. They gave him brief flashes of insight that would later haunt his dreams.
Only Roger had any suspicion that anything was wrong Preston. They spent enough time together as partners and best buddies, after all. But tragedy occurred in 1999. They ran into a drug deal while walking their beat. The dealer fled and they gave chase down a dark alley. And an ambush was waiting for them: three gunmen opened fire. Preston always recalled the white-hot pain as the man with the shotgun blasted him in the right shoulder and arm, sprawling him to the ground. Roger was shot up even worse. The scumbags escaped. And by the time the ambulances arrived, Roger was DOA. Preston nearly bought it, too, and the surgeons had to amputate his right arm. Lucky for Preston, he was left-handed. But that hardly made it any better.
Drummed Out
After his recovery in the hospital and attending Roger's funeral, Preston turned his attention on the case to capture his killers. Unfortunately, the APBs turned up nothing. Rumor had it from stool pigeons that the killers fled town for fear of the police's "cop killer" crusade. Prudent of them, Preston admitted. He confessed to the precinct psychiatrist that he would likely shoot on sight. With the loss of his arm, his effectiveness in duty was diminished. It appeared as though he would be relegated to a desk. Moreover, the psychiatrist was a jerk, reporting negative results on Preston's mental status. Forgive him for being furious and frustrated by his partner's unsolved murder!
Only days before he was drummed out of the CPD with only his pension, Preston snuck into the labs. He took a look at the forensic evidence kept down there. There wasn't much: just a lot of empty shell casings from all the bullets the assassins unloaded into he and Roger. He picked them up, touched them, examined them with his fingers, once more feeling those "bad vibes". Yet to his shock, for the first time Preston received clear-cut images from his examination of objects. Every different bullet type retrieved an image of the killer who fired it: his face, his stature -- enough to give the cops something to hunt by. Terrified of himself, he quickly wiped the shells of his fingerprints. Preston hurried home and contemplated on what just happened. Was it some kind of ESP? He had to assume so -- he wasn't a religious nut and doubted God or whatever would send "visions" like that. But what could he do, who could he tell? His fellow cops would think him crazy if he suddenly "remembered" what he couldn't see before -- the killers' profiles. And they would probably disregard the descriptions as hallucinations. And although the thought that they were hallucinations crossed Preston's mind briefly, the fact that he lived with these "bad vibe" touches all his life suggested otherwise.
P.I. Business
So after he left the force, Preston took some time off altogether. He needed to gather his wits. He needed to look into this "ESP" business. So he started to do some research. Psychometry was the proper term he came across. And he began to experiment and test his fully awakened "powers" everywhere he went. After about a year, they developed into his full control. And Preston felt confident that they would aid him with independent detective work.
Starting in 2001, Preston opened his own private investigation business. He helped people find their missing loved ones and prized possessions. Wise enough not to try and be the "heroic vigilante", he simply dug up clues and leads the police would miss. And always he kept his "ESP" abilities a secret from everyone, even his parents (who since retired and moved to a local lake resort community). While Preston was pleased that he could help people's lives become whole again, he yearned for justice. Roger's killers were still at large as far as anyone knew. And Preston suffered haunting dreams of that fateful evening almost every night. He was impelled to that crime scene at least once a week, but the deed was too old and the alley too ambiguous -- even his psychometric talents discovered nothing, ever. But that didn't stop Preston from visiting anyway, visiting and hoping they might be back. Perhaps finally then he could achieve vindication.
Significant Other
Preston met Kayla Garret when he accepted the assignment to find her older sister in late 2004, Cindy, who has been missing for over a year. The private investigator began by researching Cindy's personals. But as a consequence, he learned much about Kayla, too. His compassion for the miserable Kayla turned to gentle passion. Soon a romance blossomed between the two, even as he focused on the hunt for Cindy's fate. Who knows how far their relationship will go?
Tragically, the serial killer struck again before Preston or the police could catch him, and Kayla was his next victim. But the killer didn't bank on Kayla's desperate soul retaining an anchor to this world. She now exists to help Preston avenge she and her sister, as well as save others from the same grisly fate.
Kayla
Weakness
Guilty Obsession
Preston blames himself less for the murder of his partner and more for the fact that he let the murderers escape justice. Even if he thinks he would have branded a lunatic, he castigates himself for failing to think of a way to present evidence that would lead to the killers. And now those killers have skipped town.
Likelihood of Corruption
Average.
Preston is a very humane and kind individual. But he's far from gullible and naïve -- when it comes to the sleeping world of mankind. The Hidden World is another story, of which he is all but clueless save for his own psychic talents. Many dangers to life, sanity, and soul await.
Links
Character Stats
Character Profiles
Centropolis by Night
E-mail me!
Main Character Hub
Back to Game Hub