Funding Body Advisor & Media Liason: Daniel Carter

[Laraqua]

"I- M-my daughter's gone missing." Ursula Humboldt sounds stressed, rushed. "I'm trying to find out where she ... where she would have gone. I mean... She was ... I didn't think ... Not even the police thought ... I'll get back to you later. I'm sorry. I will need that day off."

[Mr. Handy]

"You've got it," says Daniel. "If you need more than one day, just ask. Look, I've got some contacts with the police. I know sometimes they might not take it as seriously as they should when a teenage girl has disappeared and not a lot of time has gone by. Maybe I can pull some strings and get them to start the ball rolling on this if they haven't been helpful enough."

[Laraqua]

"Yes, thank you, thank you, I ... I've got to go," she says, then hangs up.

In front of him lay the resumes. He'd read them before. There's Charles Hubert up first: Graduated '95. Did some leg work as a cameraman on a local news channel, but was fired because of odd mail and calls the station got about him. Since then, he's done some odd jobs for people; filming birthdays and weddings and such. He probably wouldn't be asking for much of an income. His medical certificate reveals himself in peak condition.

Then there's Carl Noether: a German who had done a lot of work in England on a series of BBC documentaries with a specialty in underwater lighting and camera work. BBC Tomorrow’s World - Series of Underwater Short Programs - Lighting Cameraman. BBC Lake Atitlan Archaeological Expedition - Director of Underwater Photography. Corporacion Raxon Jimmy Johnson Underwater Spot for NFL - Director of Underwater Photography. Fox Sports - Florida Keys Underwater Live Satellite Uplink - Coral Reef Disease - Underwater Lighting Cameraman. The list goes on all the way back to 1985 when he first got work at the tender age of 16. The medical certificate identifies him as not exactly being in peak condition due to age-related instances and the early onset of athritis (he is about 39).

Bernhard Riese: a German who has traveled extensively throughout the world and is keen to recommence traveling once more. Coral Cay Conservation - BBC Tomorrow’s World - U/W Lighting Cameraman. BBC - Belize - Video Fish Book - Video Encyclopedia of Caribbean Fish - with David Attenborough. Vision Earth Society - Cayman Islands. There have been several others around the world that he has worked on since 1993.

Stuart Lees - Cameraman - Director of Photography. Also a BBC Staff trained (BBC Ealing Film Studios) Film Editor and BBC and ITV Staff Programme Director (drama, documentaries, multi camera, live studio, news and outside broadcast), English language commentary. Stuart has unusually broad experience in top quality documentary programme making. He offers these complementary skills and knowledge to enhance his camerawork. Multilingual - English/French/German. Shoot locations within the last year include: Paris, Rome, London, Johannesburg, Monaco, Vicenza, Nice, Durban, Sofia Antpolis, Cape Town, Livingstone (Zambia), Reims, Sancerre, Zug, (Switzerland) Fontainebleau, Barcelona, Dakar, Wimbledon, Mâcon, Alpe d'Huez, Les Gets, Geneva, Toulouse, Nyon - Switzerland etc. The medical certificate identifies him as not exactly being in peak condition due to age-related instances (he is about 52).

Jennifer Rose - Camerawoman - University educated with a PhD of Arts. Has a lot of relevant degrees in various tertiary institutions and a great number of diplomas but has little practical experience. Still, the medical certificate of hers seems quite good.

The last person's resume was quite poorly written and reveals very little.

[Mr. Handy]

[OOC: Sorry it took me so long to post here. Too many posts popping up in the other games! Also, no medical records for Bernhard Riese?]



Daniel calls someone he knows in the Berlin police to try to get the investigation into Ursula's daughter's disapperance fast-tracked. With the girl's suicidal tendencies, he knows that time is of the essence.

[Laraqua]

Carter manages to talk to a few of the higher-ups. He did, after all, aid the police union once upon a time through Ophidian's media resources.

[Laraqua]

Background music.

The intercom crackles to life. "Hello, anybody here?" asks an unfamiliar male voice. German accent.

8:34

[Mr. Handy]

[OOC: Ack, ninja posting! Just assume the part above where I answered the intercom took place before that, please.]



"Guten Morgen," says Daniel. "I am Daniel Carter, from Ophidian Enterprises. My assistant Ursula Humboldt has a 15 year old daughter who has recently gone missing. I know that whoever is assigned to the case might be inclined to think that the girl has just gone off with friends or is playing hooky or something, but this particular girl has suicidal tendencies and has threatened to take her own life more than once. I feel time is of the essence in order to save the child's life, and you can imagine how distraught her mother is. I'd appreciate it if you could forward this information to the investigator on this case and stress the urgency of the matter." He speaks with all the eloquence he can muster, knowing that the girl's life is at stake.

When the intercom buzzes, Daniel answers in German: "Hello, Daniel Carter speaking. Who is this?"

[Laraqua]

Background music.

Carter hears a quick assent on behalf of the police before being distracted by the intercom. After making his reply to the mysterious man, he hears:

"This is Charles Hubert, I'm here for an interview."

8:35.

First appointment isn't until 9:00.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says Daniel to the police. "Please keep me and Frau Homboldt informed on the progress of the investigation. Goodbye." He hangs up the phone and answers the intercom. "Ah, you're early. We might as well get started now, then. I'll buzz you in." He presses the button to open the door.

[Reclaimer]

He puts his camera down and walks in the room, smiling at Mr.Carter.

[Laraqua]

Daniel Carter has a corner office, with a magnificent view of downtown Berlin out of tall windows on the rear and left walls. The right wall is taken up by bookshelves, containing volumes about accounting and finance, media relations - and some books from his native Ireland. These include Ulysses by James Joyce and a few books of poetry, among others. The desk which he sits behind is clean and orderly, and has all of the usual things one could find on a desk: a calendar, phone, in and out boxes (the former usually empty or nearly so, as he works quickly to clear any backlog before it can build up to unmanageable levels), and of course his computer. Ophdiian had spared no expense on this powerful desktop model that excelled at number-crunching, and the 22 inch widescreen flat panel monitor is sleek and elegant. There is almost nothing on the desk that isn't work-related, and he does not have any executive toys that are commonplace in corporate offices. The only thing out of place is a book of matches resting on the corner of the desk, near his right hand.

[Mr. Handy]

"Good morning, Mr. Hubert", says Daniel as he stands up. He walks over and shakes his hand firmly. "Please, have a seat." He indicates a comfortable chair in front of the desk, facing it. He sizes the candidate up, trying to get a read on him.

[OOC: Invisible Castle is down, so I'll roll physical dice:

Spoiler:

Psychology roll: 30% vs. 75% skill

]

[Reclaimer]

He seems preoccupied about something as he sits down, like this interview had recently became a second priority.

[Mr. Handy]

Daniel sits down in his chair behind the desk and faces Charles, steepling his fingers. "I'm Daniel Carter, the Media Development Chief Marketing Officer here at Ophidian Enterprises. Why don't you start by telling me why you want this job, Mr. Hubert?"

[Reclaimer]

"Well, I'd enjoy the travel. And of course I like the entire concept of the show, never have been that superstitious person," He says.

[Mr. Handy]

"The kind of traveling we'll be doing isn't the ordinary sort," says Daniel. "There are no luxury hotels or gourmet restaurants where we're going. It's a rough trek into the wilderness, far from civilization, and it's going to be grueling and challenging. Are you up for it? You'll need to be in top physical condition. Do you have any medical problems we should know about?"

[Reclaimer]

"That's fine, I'm not accustomed to a high standard of living. I think I can handle the conditions. I'm in fairly good condition. I don't have any health problems that should be an issue."

[Mr. Handy]

"You used to work as a cameraman for a local news affiliate," says Daniel. "What were the circumstances behind your leaving that job?"

[Reclaimer]

Knowing this would come up, he takes a deep breathe. "It was more of a who than a what sir. This girl, I believe her name was Melanie. She sent letters and called in bomb threats all the time, saying that she was doing it because of me. They said it was for 'morality issues', but I know why I was fired. She didn't hesitate to tell me."

[Mr. Handy]

"Are the police aware of this?" asks Daniel. "Have they done anything about her?"