Play@YSDC

Police Headquarters, Franklin Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4:15 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969
Sergeant Charlie Rawlings sat at his desk. He had just gotten off the radio with Detectives Jim Hendricks and Gus Stoker, who were on their way back after their stakeout went bust. They needed to stop to pick up Bill Johns, the new sergeant, but they would probably be back within half an hour. His shift had ended at 4:00 PM, and only he and Lieutenant John Yeager remained from it, though the next shift had already arrived.

Bill Johns walked back into the office with Detectives Jim Hendricks and Gus Stoker at around a quarter to 5:00 PM. Most of the detectives had gone home for the day, but Lieutenant John Yeager, Sergeant Charlie Rawlings, Detective Harry Sawyer, and Officer Amy Cooper were still present. They were sitting around a cluster of desks talking.

"Glad you guys could join us," said Yeager, motioning them over. "Looks like the gang's all here. So, what have we got?"

Bill dropped the papers he'd picked up from the library on the desk with a resounding 'thump'. 'Got a little light reading to do," he commented drily. He looked around. "Professor Anderson is interested in dreaming and the effect on neural activity..." - he tapped the pile of papers - "...There's probably some clues in here but you'll need someone with medical knowledge to find it."

"I also saw a couple of people who were in the bar the other night. The Brit Braithwaite, and woman in her early 40s - she was talking to the redhead down at Lenny's. They were talking about Anderson being up to something shady and they've obviously sniffing around. They're going to the experiment tomorrow night. They also said something about Anderson having connections." He glanced at Yeagar."I thought about asking them about it but thought I better clear it with you first.

"You already know the stakeout on Anderson was a complete bust. But those frat boys helped him - we should warrant that place..." Jim says sourly.

"Interesting," said Yeager. "What about the doc we met last night, the one who treated Harry? If anyone can decipher these papers, it's him."

"I'll bring them by," said Harry. "I ought to have him examine me again anyway, make sure I'm okay."

"Good thinking. Interesting about the limey and that woman from Lenny's poking around. I had a feeling he was lying about how he was involved. Harry, you'll be in the experiment with them. You might be able to get some information out of them, but be careful not to blow your cover. I'd like to lean on Braithwaite some and sweat it out of him, but we'd have to find him first. If he went to Lenny's once, maybe he'll do it again. We already searched Brian's room at the frat house after we arrested him. Found the gun he told us about and some bullets, along with the rest of his stash of drugs. Nothing else of interest, though. Don't know what we might find if we searched the whole building, but I'll have a word with a judge tomorrow morning. Anyone got any thoughts about where Brian might have gone after he slipped out, or any other suggestions? We've already got a couple more guys watching the frat house, and we've alerted everyone to be on the lookout for him, especially around train and bus stations, the bridges to Jersey, and the airports in case he tries to skip."

"Has he got a girl?" asked Bill, "Someone who might put him up for a couple of days?" He thought about Mary for a moment. Cursing himself for having to bring her into this, he said, "There was a girl there last night - said her name was Mary. Have we got her details?"

OOC,Sorry for the delay - been on my hols :)

OOC,Welcome back! :)

"He had a girl," said John Yeager. "She doesn't want anything to do with him any more. Mary Walters is her name."

"Yeah, I remember," said Charlie. "She's a real hot chick."

"She left her contact information. She lives in room 87 in the girls' dorm at Penn. She may not want to see him, but that doesn't mean he won't try to contact her. Doesn't mean he hasn't been seeing someone else on the side, either."

"We should watch her at the very least then," Jim Hendricks says. "I want to get my hands on the punk after he gave us the slip today!"

Yeager nodded. "Any volunteers?" he asked. "We'll need two guys working in shifts. I'll understand if you want to call it a day at this point. I can get some guys from the evening and graveyard shifts if nobody else wants it."

Bill held up his hand. "Count me in," he said, "Although I spoke to her yesterday so she's seen me. If you need someone covert, someone else might be better."

Bill felt bad about offering spy on Mary but rationalised it by telling himself that he was making sure she was ok and safe from Brian.

"Yeah," Jim answered. "We don't wanna let this go cold on us. I'm in."

"Thanks, guys," said Yeager. "There's no need to be covert on this one. Let her know you're looking out for her. Might be a good idea to talk to the girl anyway in case she's noticed anything unusual or he's already tried to contact her. I'll have another pair of men relieve you two around midnight. You'll both be pulling a lot of overtime on this one, so you can have tomorrow off if you like."

"I'll let you know tomorrow," said Bill. "Kinda depends if we have a quiet night." He looked at his watch. What time do you want us down there?"

Bill saw that it was about 4:50 PM.

"As soon as you can get there," said John Yeager. "Brian could already be there for all we know."

"You can take the unmarked car we used earlier," Detective Gus Stoker said to Jim Hendricks. "Brian did make the car, so if he's there he could recognize it. Of course, he also made you, and he's already seen the sergeant."

"We'd better get going then," Jim said as he headed out to the car.

"Right with you," said Bill, picking up his jacket and following Jim out the door.

"Good night, guys," said Detective Gus Stoker.

"See you," added Lieutenant John Yeager, waving.

Bill and Jim went back outside to the parking lot, where they got into Jim's car. They drove across town, over the river, and to the University of Pennsylvania's campus. It didn't take long to find the girls' dorm.

Girls' Dormitory, University of Pennsylvania
5:30 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969

Jim parked the car outside the girls' dorm, an ivy-coated two story building with a tree-lined walk.

OOC,Where boys are meant to go and where they actually go are often quite different! ;)

"You ready?" said Bill as he climbed out of the car. "Brian Anderson could already be here so keep an eye open." He looked around for a sign indicating where the dorm was that they needed.

OOC,Where boys are meant to go and where they actually go are often quite different! ;)

"You ready?" said Bill as he climbed out of the car. "Brian Anderson could already be here so keep an eye open." He looked around for a sign indicating where the dorm was that they needed.

"Ready," Jim responded.

Bill and Jim walked through the front doors of the dormitory building and into the lobby. A middle aged woman with dark hair sat behind a desk, frowning when she saw the two men enter. "Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked.

"We're policemen, ma'am," replied Bill politely. He fished his ID out of his jacket pocket and opened the wallet to show her his shield. "We're here to see Mary Walters, room 87 I believe?"

Jim also shows the woman his badge.

The woman looked startled when the men showed her their badges, but she nodded. "Yes, that's right," she said. "It's all the way down the hall, up the stairs, and straight down the upstairs hall. Fourth door on the left. You can go on back. Miss Walters is a nice girl. I can't imagine what the police would want with her."

"Don't worry ma'am, she's not in any trouble - just helping us with our enquiries," Jim tells her.

"Oh, all right," said the woman. "Miss Walters is there. I saw her come in half an hour ago, and she hasn't left for dinner yet. Just go on up."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Bill, turning towards the hall. He paused, struck by a thought, and turned back. "You haven't had anyone else asking about Mary... Miss Walters, have you? We're looking out for one of her fellow students, a guy called Brian Anderson".

Bill glanced around to see if they were being overheard then looked back at the woman. "He's been dealing in narcotics and we're concerned for her safety."

"No," she said, "although I've only been on duty for half an hour so far today. If you describe this Brian Anderson for me, I'll keep an eye out for him and tell the others who work this desk."

Bill ran through a quick description of Brian Anderson, checking that the woman had a clear picture of who she was looking out for. That done, he turned Jim. "You ready?" he asked, "Let's go speak to Mary."

Bill and Jim followed the matron's directions up the stairs and down the hall, and they soon found the door to Room 87. There was light visible beneath the door, and some soft rock music was playing beyond it.

Jim knocked on the door a waited for a reply...

A few moments later, a blonde girl in blue jeans and a red blouse, her long hair spilling down her back, opened the door. She looked startled to see two men standing there. "Um, can I help you?" she asked.

With the door open, it was easier to hear the music. Further back in the dorm room was a record player, from which came the strains of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. There was another door inside the room in the left wall that was closed.

Bill Johns,This girl was not [b]Mary[/b].

Bill fished his shield out from his inside jacket pocket. "We're police officers, miss," he said. "Is Mary Walters at home?"

"Police?" she said, confused. "Uh, yeah, she's in the bathroom. I'll go get her." The girl went over to the door and knocked. "Mary, are you decent? There's two policemen here to see you."

"Just a minute," called back Mary from beyond the door. This was followed by a flushing sound and then running water. Shortly after that, the door opened and Mary Walters stepped into the room. She was about eighteen years old and very pretty, and she was wearing a green dress. "Oh, you're that nice sergeant from last night." She smiled at Bill. "This is my roommate, Jill."

"Um, hi," said the other girl.

"So, what brings you here? Is everything all right?"

Bill flushed at the compliment and returned Mary's smile. "We're just checking in to make sure everything's ok," he said. "There's nothing to be alarmed about but Brian Anderson was released earlier today so we're keeping an eye on things to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

"Released?" said Mary, frowning. "I thought he was going away for a long time. You think he might come here?"

Jill shivered. "You mean that creep might come after us?" she asked, her voice quavering.

Bill held up his hands to calm Jill down. "The judge bailed him - very much against our wishes, I hasten to add," he said, "but we've no real reason to think that he's going to come around here. All the same we thought we'd call in and make sure you're ok."

"You've, ah, had problems with Anderson before?" he asked Jill.

"No," Jill said. "I've met him a few times, back when he was going out with Mary. But she told me about what he did last night. A guy like that, there's no telling what else he'd do."

Mary put an arm around Jill's shoulders. "I don't think you need to worry, Jill," she said. "If he does come here, it'll be because of me, not you. All the same, I don't ever want to see him again. Anyway, we're safe with the police looking out for us. They're probably keeping an eye on Brian too."

"Ah, yeah," said Bill, unable to meet Mary's eye. He sighed heavily. "Look, I'll be straight with you. We don't currently know Brian's whereabouts. The guys we had tailing him managed to lose him." He held up a hand to stifle any protest, "We really don't think that Brian's going to risk turning up here - and Jim and I will be right outside waiting for him if he does."

So far Jim had said nothing, which was understandable. He had been one of the guys who had lost Brian.

"Well, thank you for letting us know," said Mary. "Brian may be many things, but he's not stupid. I don't think he'll come here either, but I do feel better knowing that you're looking out for us. Is there anything else you need?"

"Do you mind if I take a quick look around?" asked Bill, "Make sure everything is secure?"

"Sure, be my guest," said Mary. Jill just nodded.

Bill looked around the dorm room, which was a pretty standard college girls' room for this time. It contained two twin beds with nightstands, a record player which was still playing "Hey, Jude" - quite a long song, he remembered - with a collection of albums on a shelf beneath it, and a radio. There was no television set, however. There was a closet containing the girls' clothes. There were no kitchen appliances, nor was there anywhere to eat. Students living in the dorms were expected to have their meals at the cafeteria or at the many restaurants and eateries in the neighborhood. The bathroom looked fairly standard too. The dorm room was clean, though not immaculately so. There was no sign of anyone else having been here recently.

Bill Johns,[b]Bill[/b] had a sense of deja vu as he explored [b]Mary[/b]'s dorm room. He vaguely recalled having been here at some point in the past - or, rather, the future. [b]Jill[/b] seemed somewhat familiar too, so he had probably met her at some point.

Jim asked the girls, "Is there a fire escape?"

"Yes," said Mary. "It's at the end of one of the halls up here. If you go back to the intersection and turn right, then follow the hall to the end, you'll find it."

"Do you want to check that out, Jim?" asked Bill.

"It's worth checking that it's secure," Jim answered striding off to take a look.

"Thanks, Jim," said Bill as the younger man went to check out the fire escape.

He turned back to Mary and Jill. "I'll take a quick walk around the block and make sure there's no problems. Keep the door locked for now, until I get back, ok? I'm not expecting any problems but better to be safe than sorry." He nodded and turned to go down the corridor, had a thought and looked back. "You don't know if Brian had any other friends in the dorm, do you?"

"Thanks," said Mary. "I don't know of Brian having any other friends in the dorms here, but there's a lot I didn't know about him before last night. Brian lives in a frat house - Alpha Epsilon Pi. I'm sure he has friends there. His best friend is one of the frat brothers, Gary Brown."

While Bill talked to the girls, Jim went out into the hall and checked out the fire escape. The fire exit was a sturdy metal door. There was a bar that could easily push it open from the inside, but it could not be opened from outside. It led out onto the fire escape, made of wrought iron. A ladder made of the same metal rested in brackets there. It could be lowered to reach the ground in the event of a fire, but it was currently raised.

Bill waited for Jim to return then asked him to keep an eye on the girls while he went to make a call. He walked back to the lobby to see if he could find a phone.

The matron had a telephone at her desk that she let Bill use.

After checking the fire escape, Jim went to find Bill.

Bill pulled the phone towards him and dialled the number for the Police Headquarters. When the operator spoke, he asked to be put through to Yeagar. With the sound of the phone ringing in his ear, he looked around the lobby and through the door as he waited for the phone to be answered.

Bill had waited for Jim to return from the fire escape before heading downstairs, so Jim saw him leave for the lobby and could easily catch up with him if he chose.

Bill saw nobody enter or leave the lobby as he made his phone call. Only the matron was there with him. John Yeager picked up a moment later. "What can I do for you, Sergeant?" he asked.

"We've checked out Mary Walters and there's no sign of Brian Anderson over here,LT," replied Bill, "but Mary did mention that his best friend over at the frat house is a guy called Gary Brown. It might be worth rousting him to ask if he knows about Brian's whereasbouts?"

"Good thinking," said Yeager. "You and Hendricks are already on campus. Can one of you do this while the other watches over Mary?"

"Can do," replied Bill. He signed off then went to find Hendricks.

Catching up with him outside Mary's room, Bill said, "Hey Jim, Yeager wants one of us to go and have a word with Anderson's buddy Brown, see what he knows about him. You want to take it or shall I?"

"I'll handle it," Jim said, already walking out of the building.

Mary gave Jim directions to the frat house before he left.

"Well, I'm going to go get dinner," said Jill. "Anything you need from me before I go?"

OOC,[b]Jim[/b], you are moving to the thread linked below. [b]Bill[/b], you remain in the current thread.

Growin' Up

"No, I don't think so," replied Bill. He watched as Jill left and turned back to Mary. "You not hungry?" he asked.

"Oh, Jill's going to go get some takeout food for both of us," said Mary. "Have you eaten yet? Would you like something too?"

"Umm, yeah, if you're sure," said Bill, smiling. "I came here straight from the station and I shouldn't think I'll be done this side of midnight, so something to eat would be good, thanks."

"No problem," said Mary.

"I'll bring back dinner for three, then," said Jill. "Hope you like Chinese food. See you in a little while." She left the dorm room, closing the door behind her.

As the door shut behind him, Bill started to feel uneasy. Being alone with Mary would have been everything he wanted but now the difference in their ages made him uncomfortable. He wanted to tell her who he was, but he couldn't.

He sighed and looked around the small room. "So," he said, "What are studing at university?"

"History and anthropology, mainly," Mary replied. "I've always said that if we want to understand where we're going, we need to understand where we came from."

Bill recalled that these were in fact Mary's interests. Though they hadn't had any classes together during their freshman year, which was before they had met, they had taken several history classes together starting in their sophomore year in the fall semester of 1969.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," quoted Bill. "I saw that at Auschwitz," he continued, thinking back to a trip he'd taken around Europe in the 90's. He looked up and smiled grimly, "It was a lot easier to get around after the Berlin Wall came d..." He stopped, catching himself suddenly, realising that he wasn't concentrating on where - or when - he was.

Mary frowned as her brain registered and processed every word Bill said. "But Auschwitz is in Poland," she said. "How could you have been there? It couldn't have been during World War Two, as the Soviets liberated it, and they haven't exactly let go of it since. And I'd think that travel in Eastern Europe would have been harder, not easier, since the Berlin Wall was built."

"S-Sorry," stammered Bill, realising what he had said. "Forget I said that, ok? There's just some things I can't talk about." He looked around, the room suddenly seeming much smaller. "I couldn't trouble you for a glass of water, could I?" he asked Mary.

"Sure, no problem," said Mary. She went over to the sink and filled a cup with water, looking back at Bill over her shoulder. "I guess you were some kind of secret agent or something back in the early days of the Cold War, huh? Maybe even during World War Two, back when the CIA was called the OSS." She smiled and handed him the drink. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks," replied Bill as took the cup. He sipped the water and smiled ruefully. "One day, everyone will know, but for now... ...." He paused and looked out the window, gathering his thoughts.

He looked back at Mary and with a conscious effort to change the subject, asked her what she planned to do when she finished college.

"I've been studying history and anthropology, mainly," said Mary. "I'm planning to get a job teaching after I graduate. There aren't too many other lines of work that call for my field of study."

"I'm sure you'll make a fine teacher," replied Bill. "Do you have a favourite era of history that you study?"

"Thank you," said Mary. "I'm particularly interested in Ancient Greece. It's at the root of our modern civilization."

"Not somewhere I've had the opportunity to vist," said Bill, thinking that his last visit to Europe had been a damp week at EuroDisney enlightened with indifferent Gallic hospitality, "Have you had a chance to go?"

"Me?" said Mary. "No, I haven't really had much chance to travel, but I'd like to someday. I also want to learn Greek first. I'm taking a class on it in the fall semester."

At around 6:30, Jill returned with Chinese food for the three of them. There was plenty of wonton soup, beef lo mein, and General Tso's chicken.

Bill tucked into his share of the food. He'd tasted better but he guessed for students, it was filling and cheap.

Between mouthfuls, he said to Mary, "The 'experiment' that is due to take place tomorrow night? What's happening with that?"

OOC,[i]Sorry in advance if I've got my dates mixed up, the experiment is due to take place 'tomorrow', isn't it?[/i]

OOC,You've got it right. Tonight is Thursday, and the experiment begins Friday night.

"That's right," replied Mary, "it starts tomorrow night at 8:00 and lasts the whole weekend. I'm signed up for it. It's run by Dr. Gregory Anderson, who's Brian's dad. I'm not sure what exactly it'll be about. All I have to go on is what I saw on the flyer."

"Have you got a copy of the flyer?" Bill asked Mary conversationally, "I'd be interested to know what it's all about."

"No, I'm sorry, nobody was handing them out or anything," said Mary. "I saw it posted on the bulletin board in the lobby of Logan Hall. It's probably still there, but they'll be closed up for the night by now." Bill recognized the building as the one containing the History Department, though by his time it had been renamed Claudia Cohen Hall.

"So what made you decide to give it a go?" asked Bill conversationally, helping himself to more of the food.

"Well, there is the fifty bucks they're paying each of the volunteers," said Mary. "College isn't exactly cheap, and that'll really help out. It also sounds interesting. It's a study about sleeping and dreams, and it does make me curious."

Bill thought back to his own student days and considered how far $50 would stretch. It would pay for quite a few nights out and a number of text books as well.

"Is the study looking at any particular aspect of your dreams?" he asked.

"Dr. Anderson asked me questions about my dreams when he interviewed me," said Mary. "One thing he said stuck out. He asked me if I had ever been able to control my dreams. He called it lucid dreaming."

"Strange..." mused Bill. "Why do you think he wanted to know that?"

"That's what puzzled me about it too," said Mary. "I have no idea...unless...maybe that's what the experiment's about. Lucid dreaming, that is."

"I don't understand," said Bill. "What advantage does being able to control your dreams give you?"

"I don't get it either," said Mary. "I mean, I can see that it would be cool to be able to do that. People would pay good money for the ability to dream about whatever fantasy they wanted, sure, but I don't see why it would be such a big deal otherwise."

"You mean like Total Recall?" said Bill without thinking. He looked at Mary and Jill and realised what he'd said. "It's, ah, an arthouse film," he said, "About a guy who dreamed he was on Mars. It sorta went pear-shaped after that..." he trailed off, looked down at his food and continued to eat. He was getting tired and his concentration was starting to waver.

"That sounds a lot like We Can Remember It for You Wholsale," says Mary. "It's a story by Philip K. Dick. If someone made a movie based on it, I'd like to see that. Have you read anything by him? His stories are so strange and bewildering. You're never sure what's real and what isn't."

Bill clicked his fingers and said, "That must be why the story seemed so familiar," he said. "I've read a couple of his books..." he trailed off again. He'd read the novelisation of Blade Runner but had no idea how it matched up with the original story. "... I'm sure some of them would make for interesting films."

He glanced at his watch, trying to remember how long it had been since he'd seen Jim.

It was almost 6:30 PM, and Jim had been gone for the better part of an hour.

Bill placed his chopsticks on his plated and smiled, thanking Jill and Mary for the food. "Look," he said, "I'm going to take a turn around the block, see if I can find my partner." He glanced at his watch again. "I shouldn't be more than 10 minutes - keep the door locked until I get back, ok?"

"Will do," said Mary. "Just knock and say something when you return and we'll let you in. I'll recognize your voice."

After Bill left, he heard the lock click behind him. He headed for the frat house where Jim had gone.

Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity House, University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6:30 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969

Bill followed Mary's directions to the Alpha Episilon Pi house, a three-story building with ivy-coated brick walls. Double front doors stood closed at the top of some steps.

Bill glanced around to see if there was any sign of Brian before he climbed the stairs and knocked briskly on the door.

There was no sign of Brian. A young man with straight brown hair opened the doors. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Behind him, Bill could see into the lobby. It was lavishly decorated, with mahogany paneling. A lounge was on the right, with comfortable-looking leather chairs and couches. Photographs hung on the wall, most of them black and white, but a few in color. On the left was a narrow staircase leading upward, and there was a door at the back.

Bill flaashed his shield. "My buddy came this way earlier. You seen him?" he asked.

"I don't know," said the young man, stepping aside to let Bill into the lobby. "What does your buddy look like?"

Just then, there was a thump on the stairs, outside of Bill's field of vision. "You!" shouted another young man's voice. Footsteps raced further up the stairs.

Bill didn't wait and took off after the sound of the footsteps. He wasn't sure if he recognised the voice, but whoever it was seemed to have recognised him. "Hendricks!" he yelled, summoning his colleague to his assistance.

Bill rushed past the man, who did nothing to stop him, into the lobby and reached the base of the stairs just in time to see Jim reach the top.

"I'm fine, Sarge!" called Jim, glancing back. "But Gary's getting away!"

"Who's Gary?!" shouted Bill, as he started running up the stairs.

"Gary Brown!" called back Jim. "You know, Anderson's chum!"

Bill raced upstairs and got close enough to the top to see Jim running for a door that slammed in his face. Jim tried the knob, but it only rattled. The door was locked.

"Gimme a hand here, Sarge," said Jim, catching his breath as Bill caught up. "We'll rush it together. On three..."

On three, Bill crashed his shoulder into the door. "What we chasing Gary for?" he grunted, "Where's Brian?"

"Dunno," said Jim as the door gave way under their combined strength. "Gary's the one who pretended to be Brian and decoyed us earlier. I bet he knows!"

The door crashed in, knocking aside a chair that had been wedged under the knob. Bill and Jim burst into a bedroom decorated with Phillies memorabilia. There was a single window at the back, which was open, and a young man with dark hair was already halfway out it. He slipped and plummeted to the ground below.

"Shit!" Bill swore as he saw Gary fall from the window. He turned and ran back down the stairs, knowing that the outcome for Gary wasn't likely to be good.

The run up the stairs had been tiring and Bill was feeling the strain. "I-If Gary's a decoy," he puffed, "Then where's Anderson?"

"That's what I wanna ask him," said Jim, following Bill down the stairs at a jog. He was huffing for breath too. "Dammit, I'm getting too old for this."

The two men ran past the frat brother who had let them in, who just stood there looking confused. They both raced outside and found the spot under the open window. There was no sign of Gary.

"If he's a decoy," said Bill, "Then what's he distracting us from?" He thought about Mary and swore again.

"Get on the phone and get some uniforms down here to give us some back up," he told Jim, "I better check on Mary." He didn't wait for a reply and set off towards the girls' dorm at a run.

"Will do, Sarge," said Jim. He hurried back into the frat house to use the phone while Bill ran back to the girls' dormitory. The matron was still there when he got back.

Bill didn't pause, just flasked his badge as he ran through the lobby and hit the stairs. He was breathing heavily before he got to Mary's door, and knocked hurridly. "Mary! It's Bill... ... Sergeant Johns!" he called through the door.

Mary opened the door and stepped aside to let Bill in. "Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, fine," puffed Bill, dropping onto one of the chairs by the table. "My colleage was chasing a guy who was acting as a decoy for Brian Anderson. That got me wondering what he was trying to decoy us from and I thought he might have been trying to get to you."

Bill put his head down and breathed deeply. "Could I trouble you for a glass of water?" he wheezed.

"Sure," said Mary, picking up a glass and going over to the sink to fill it up while Jill closed and locked the door. "Everything's been quiet here while you've been gone." She handed Bill the glass of water.

Bill sipped the water and coughed. "I'm sorry," he apologised, "I'm getting paranoid about what Brian's getting up to".

"That's all right," said Mary. "Better safe than sorry. Did you catch the guy? He might be able to lead you to Brian."

"No, he jumped out of the window when he saw us on his tail." Bill held his hand up to ward off the girls' concerns. "Don't worry, he wasn't hurt. Shame he didn't turn an ankle really, he wouldn't have been able to get away."

"Why was he so scared?" asked Mary. "He must have been pretty desperate to get away to leap out of a window."

"I really don't know, Mary," replied Bill. "If he was impersonating Brian then perhaps he didn't want to get caught and give him away. I'm not sure what Brian's up to, but it must be something if he's getting someone to pretend to be him."

Bill stood up, crossed the room and looked out of the window.

The window overlooked the quad in front of the dorms. It was high summer, so it was still light out at this hour. Students strolled around outside, but none of them looked familiar to Bill.

"Gary was a good friend of his," said Mary. "He seemed like a nice guy when I met him, though. I'm not sure why he's still helping Brian."

Bill continued to stare out of the window, looking out for a familiar face.

OOC,I'm a bit of a loss as to what's happening at the mo'. I'm not clear if there is a threat to Mary and Bill should be hanging around or if he'd be better off taking another look around the campus.

For several minutes Bill saw nothing, but finally he noticed Detective Jim Hendricks walking back to the dorm from the direction of the frat house, alone.

OOC,I'm not sure what was supposed to go inside that button above, but something went wrong with it.

Bill knocked on the window to attract Hendrick's attention, indicating her should come up to the girl's room.

OOC,Fixed it, I think. I'd said that I wasn't really sure what I should be doing but perhaps a chat with Jim will make things clearer.

Hendricks looked up and then hurried inside. A minute later he knocked on the door and Mary let him in. "Any luck?" she asked.

"Nope," he said, his shoulders slumping. "I tried to pick up his trail, but I lost it pretty fast. I only know that he was headed east at first, towards the river. He could have been heading into Center City, or maybe to 30th Street Station. Frankly, he could be anywhere by now. When I called it in, I had them notify the officers on patrol at the train station to be on the lookout for Gary. They already know to look for Brian, of course."

"So, what happened?" said Bill to Hendricks, "You saw Gary pretending he was Brian Anderson, yeah?"

"That was earlier," said Jim, "when Stoker and I were tailing him. I told you about that. After the last class, we followed Anderson back to the frat house and he went inside. A while later, I saw him come out again, only it wasn't really him. I realized this after a little while and turned back for the frat house, but we were too late and the real Anderson had given us the slip. Gary Brown was the guy pretending to be him earlier to lead us away so his buddy could escape. I recognized him when he returned to the frat house this evening."

Bill drummed his fingers on the windowsill while he thought. Brian had to be hiding up somewhere.

He turned to Mary, "Has Brian got any other friends you can think of?"

"Gary's the only one I know," said Mary. "He probably has a few other friends in his fraternity, but Gary's his best friend."

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Idea.

Bill recalled the odd assortment of strangers who had all come to visit Brian in jail shortly after his arrest. There was the lawyer Alan Gains, as well as Bernard Braithwaite, the young Englishman who had also been present in Lenny's Bar. Then there was that scientist in the wheelchair, who seemed to work for Brian's father, and the two professors who had been with him. Brian had also mentioned a priest, Father Nathaniel Levington, whom he mentioned had heard his confession.

OOC,It was actually an Idea roll, not a Know roll, but you still passed. You might want to review the thread Subterraneans to refresh your memory.

Bill resumed his position by the window, drumming his fingers as he considered his options. He reviewed the people who he’d seen with Brian back at the station and mentally ticked off the ones who might know where Brian was. His father might, as might his lawyer and priest, but getting them to talk would be another matter. He thought of the Englishman – Braithwaite - he had seemed shifty, although he’d claimed he was flying back to England. Bill wondered if he’d actually caught his flight.

Bill instinctively reached into his pocket for his cell phone then sighed inwardly. He looked around at Jim. “You stay here,” he said, “I’ve got to go make a call...”

OOC,[b]Bill[/b] will call the station to see if [b]Yeager[/b] is still there. Failing that, he’ll ask the Duty Sergeant to try to contact the airport and see if [b]Braithwaite[/b] caught his plane.

Bill recalled that he had seen Braithwaite just this afternoon in the library at Penn, along with that fortyish woman who had also been at Lenny's Bar last night. He obviously hadn't flown back to England.

Bill headed back to the lobby and asked the woman behind the desk if he could use the phone. Picking up the receiver, he dialled the number for the station and when the phone was answered, asked to speak to Yeager.

Bill was put through to Lt. Yeager very quickly. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked.

"There's no sign of Anderson here," said Bill, "So I'm wondering what we oughta do? Jim's watching the girl's for now but I don't think Anderson's going to make an appearance. You reckon he could be holed up anywhere? His dad perhaps, or that Brit, Braithewaite? He claimed he was flying home but I saw him in the library when I picked up the reading material, so that looks like BS to me."

"Braithwaite did seem shady to me," said Yeager. "It wouldn't surprise me if he's in this. I wouldn't know where to find him, but as a foreign national, he would have had to give an address where he's staying. You might want to check with immigration and customs. Professor Anderson would no doubt do anything to protect his son, but I don't think Brian would go running to daddy unless he's desperate; the two of them aren't exactly getting along. At any rate, we can't actually arrest Brian Anderson unless he tries to skip out on his bail or commits another crime, but I'd damn well like to know where he is and what he's doing. Hendricks can do fine keeping an eye on the girls by himself until end of watch when he's relieved. If you want to follow up on one or more of your leads, feel free to do it."

Bill confirmed that he'd do that and hung up. He picked up the receiver again and and dialled zero for an operator. He asked to be put through to Immigration and Customs and he stood idly looking around the lobby until someone picked up the phone. "This is Detective Sergeant Bill Johns, Philly PD," he said to the voice on the other end, "I need to find an English national called Bernard Braithwaite - presumably residing in the Philadelphia area. Have you got an address of where he's staying?"

"Hold on, please," said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent at the airport to whom Bill was connected. "I'll go pull his file." He was on hold for a few minutes. In his own time, the information could have been pulled up in seconds on a computer, but in these days people had to do things the old-fashioned way, presumably using a filing cabinet. "Yeah, I got the information here, Sergeant. Bernard Braithwaite, age 26, from Manchester, England. He's been in the States for five years now. Previous address was in San Francisco, currently residing in Philadelphia at 3701 Spruce Street. Says here he's a musician and independent filmmaker who owns something called Mindstorm Entertainment."

"That's him," said Bill, jotting down the details in his notebook, "Thanks for your help." He hung up and studied the address, trying to work out how far it was from the dorm.

OOC,Is it walking distance or further afield?

The address at 37th and Spruce was nearby in University City, only a few blocks away. It made sense, as Bernard had been using one of the libraries on campus. Bill could probably walk there in five or ten minutes.

Bill walked back up to the girl's dorm to have a quiet conflab with Jim. He apologised to the girls saying he had a lead to follow up and assured them that Jim would look after them until he got back.

Bill made his way down the street to University City, found the address and knocked on the door.

3701 Spruce Street - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:00 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969

Bill arrived at the building on the corner of 37th and Spruce Streets, a small studio with a white plaque on the door that read "Mindstorm Entertainment." He knocked on the door and waited, but there was no answer.

Bill glanced at his watch and sighed. He shouldn't really have expected anyone to be here at 7pm.

He looked up and down the street to see if he was being observed and then tried the handle to see if the door was locked.

There were a few people walking around in the area, as the weather was nice and it was still light out at the height of summer. However, nobody was particularly looking at Bill as he tried the door. It was indeed locked.

With the handle still depressed, Bill casually pushed the door, checking to see if there was any give between the lock and the jamb. That done, he went for a look around the building to see if there was a back way in.

The door was fairly sturdy. A man of his strength might be able to force it open, but he would surely be seen by passersby while it was light. He went around to the alley behind the studio and found a back door there. It was locked too, but it wasn't as strong as the front door. Even better, there was nobody else around.

OOC,If you want to force the door open, you will need to make a STR vs. STR roll on the Resistance Table. Your STR is 14, and the door has a STR of 12. This gives you a 60% chance.

Bill leaned against the door and placed his ear carefully against the surface to see if he could hear anything before he tried to force it.

OOC,I made the roll (Bill's listen skill is 25) but I don't know if you're applying modifiers: [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3466719/]Bill's listening at the door. (1d100=14)[/url]

Bill listened at the door, but everything was quiet inside.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3472170/]Bill tries to pop the door. (1d100=17)[/url]

Bill put his shoulder against the door and heaved, giving it just enough to pop the door without flying into the room behind.

The door gave way to Bill's strength, and it opened up as if it had merely been stuck. Behind the door was a hallway that immediately led around a corner to the right. It continued for the length of the building, with a few doors in the left wall of the hall. At the end of the hall, it turned around a corner to the left, leading towards the front of the building.

Bill closed the external door quietly behind him and walked carefully down the hall. He stopped at the first door, listened for noise then pushed it open.

OOC,[i]If there's noise from within, [b]Bill[/b] will listen further to see if he can determine what's being said and/or the source of the noise.[/i]

Bill heard nothing and tried the first door. It opened to reveal a storage room. A rack contained multiple film canisters, and there was various video equipment.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Photography to see what you know about the equipment.

Bill studied the video equipment but electronic stuff was never his forte so he restricted himself to pushing buttons more in hope than expectation.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3493012/]Bill takes a picture... (1d100=64)[/url] Nope... :(

Bill had no idea how to use the video equipment because it was too primitive. In his time, digital cameras were so easy to use that anyone could pick one up and start shooting, though there was no guarantee that the footage would be any good. The traditional cameras stored in this room took film, either 8mm or 16mm. The equipment looked relatively inexpensive, like something an amateur might use.

Bill shook his head and left the room, moving quietly down the corridor to the next door, listening to see if he could hear anything from the other side.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3510309/]Bill listens at the door (part II). (1d100=45)[/url] Umm, is there a 'Hear noise' skill? :?

OOC,That would be the Listen skill. I need to make an edit to the post where you were talking to the ICE agent about [b]Barney[/b]. It now says he's a musician as well as an independent filmmaker, which I forgot to include.

Bill heard nothing at the next door.

Bill carefully pushed the door open and looked inside the room. He was looking for a desk or filing cabinet, anything that might include papers that would give him a clue as to what was going on.

OOC: Ok. Posting from my phone so the text effect buttons aren't working properly!

Bill found that this room contained musical instruments, primarily keyboards, drums, and guitars. There were also a few other instruments, such as a xylophone and a saxophone.

Bill quietly closed the door and moved on down the corridor, trying each door in turn, and checking out the rooms beyond.

OOC,[i]I can play this out in full if you prefer,but it seems like we'll be doing this for some time! :) Can we assume that [b]Bill[/b] will listen at each door and open it unless he hears a noise on the other side?[/i]

Bill listened carefully at the door, then quietly and carefully tried the handle...

OOC,No probs. I wasn't sure if I was being over-cautious and holding everything up. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3529735/]Bill listens at the door again... (1d100=43)[/url] Fail! :(

The third and final door in this section of hall opened to reveal a room containing audio equipment: speakers, woofers, a synthesizer, amplifiers, and the like.

Bill took a quick look around the room, again looking for anything that would give him a clue as to what was going on and how Braithewaite was involved.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], you are moving to the thread linked below. Please do not read any posts in the new thread above the one in the link.

Comfortably Numb

Girls' Dormitory, University of Pennsylvania
7:30 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969

Bill returned to Mary's dorm room without incident. Jim and the girls were still there when he got back. "Hey, Sarge," said Jim. "All's quiet here. Any luck?"

"No sign of Anderson," replied Bill, "But I found the Brit Braithewaite. He seems keen to help - not quite sure of his motives though. I need to talk to Yeager to see what he's got to say."

He glanced at Mary then back to Jim. "You ok to hold the fort here while I go find a phone?" he asked.

"No problem, Sarge," said Jim.

Bill went back down to the lobby, where the matron let him use the phone at the front desk again. It didn't take him long to get connected to Lt. Yeager, who was still in the office. Did he ever go home?

"What's up, Sergeant?" asked Yeager.

"No sign of Anderson over here," Bill replied. "There's some guy - one of his frat buddies - who dressed up like him trying to throw us off the scent but Jim lost him. They guy jumped out of a second floor window when he saw Jim coming and was gone before we could catch up."

"I checked out one of the guys who visited Anderson when he was locked up - a Brit called Braithewaite. He's interested in the sleep experiments that Dr Anderson is running and has offered to go in there on our behalf, if we can back him up? What do you think?"

"Well, we've already got Harry on the inside," said Yeager, "but it wouldn't hurt to have someone else. Harry can look out for him, but Braithwaite is not to know. I'm not sure how much we can trust the guy. What's your impression of him?"

"He seems ok," said Bill, "Although he seems to have a bit of a secret agent fixation. I said we'd back him up and he asked for a walkie-talkie, a camera... and a gun."

"Well, the gun's not happening," said Yeager. "It won't be a problem to fit him with a wire, though. If you can get him into the experiment tomorrow, bring him by. Anything else?"

"Nope," said Bill, "I'll run it past Braithewaite and make sure he's ok with it."

"Have we got relief coming?" he asked, wondering what time he would get to bed.

"They're due in at midnight," said Yeager. "If you want them earlier, I can arrange it."

"Nope, that's fine," replied Bill, "I'll hang on until they get here." He said goodbye to Yeager and hung up the phone. He nodded his thanks to the woman on the desk and headed back up to Mary's room.

Bill returned to Mary and Jill's dorm room. Everything was just as he had left it. "What did the Lou say?" asked Jim.

Bill asked Mary and Jill to excuse them and he took Jim out into the corridor so they could talk privately. "The LT gave Braithwaite the OK to help out," he said, "but he's not to know that we've already got someone on the inside."

"Did the girls say anything about the sleep experiment while I was gone?"

"Nah, just small talk, Sarge," said Jim. "Anything else you need to discuss?"

"Nope, I don't think so," replied Bill. "Do you want to take another turn around the block while I watch the girls?"

"Sure," said Jim. He took a walk while Bill returned to the apartment, where Jill was studying and Mary was packing an overnight bag. "It's for the experiment tomorrow night," she explained when Bill walked in. "It's a sleepover, so I'll need to bring some things. I figured I might as well get it all ready now."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Bill, "I'm not sure it's such a great idea. Brian wasn't exactly dealing with a full deck - who knows if his father is any more stable?"

"Yes, I'm sure," said Mary. "Besides, it'd be a good idea to have someone you know on the inside."

Bill realized as soon as he brought it up that it was at the experiment where he had first met Mary. He had no idea what would happen if he talked her out of going, but if he truly had gone back in time, his younger self might never meet her.

Bill held up his hands in mock surrender. "OK," he smiled, trying to put Mary at ease, "You win. You go, but look after yourself, ok?"

"I will," said Mary. "I can report back to you on what I observe when I'm there each day."

"Cool," replied Bill, "I don't like to think that you might be in danger in any way but at least we've got someone keeping an eye on you."

"Oh?" said Mary. "Who's that?"

OOC,I don't think [b]Bill[/b] ever told her that [b]Harry[/b] is going to be in the experiment.

Bill blanched. He'd not told Mary about the back-up. "Probably better you don't know who it is," he said, "Just be reassured that we'll have someone there."

Mary nodded. "That's good to know," she said. "I'm going to get some studying done. Anything else you want to talk about first?"

"No," smiled Bill he stood up. "I'll let you get on with your studies." He raised a hand and waved goodbye and left the apartment.

OOC,[i]Think I'm done here.[/i]

Eventually, midnight rolled around. A detective and a uniformed officer arrived to relieve Bill and Jim, and they left campus.

OOC,If there's nothing further you want to do tonight, I can move you forward to Friday morning.

Bill Johns's Apartment Building, Rittenhouse Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6:30 AM - Friday, July 18, 1969

Bill returned to the apartment that was somehow his and got there not long after midnight. He was exhausted and was able to fall asleep quickly. When he awakened, he could not recall his dreams, if he had any. Sunlight could be seen through the window, and the clock said it was 6:30. He'd gotten about six hours of sleep, which was enough to get by with a little help from some coffee.

Bill stretched and lay looking at the ceiling as he mentally replayed the events of the day before. He tried to piece everything together. The drug that Brian Anderson was peddling seemed to be linked to something his father had cooked up, something that Mary and the others would be testing. And then there was the alleged CIA involvement in the tests - something that Barney had told him about - where did that fit in?

Unable to make sense of it, Bill got up and headed to the shower. He flicked on the kettle and the TV as he passed, to see what the breaking news was.

Bill was used to 24-hour news channels, but things were very different in this time. There were only three major networks plus a handful of UHF stations, not the hundreds of channels available in 2009 that included multiple all-news channels. The set also needed a little while to warm up. He had to surf through the channels - using the dial, as there was no remote control, though he was sure such things did exist in 1969 - to find a morning news program on CBS. International news was currently being discussed in the early part of the program. Apollo 11 was now close to halfway to the moon with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins aboard. They were expected to touch down on Sunday. In the Vietnam War, casualties continued to mount and sentiment against the war was increasing. There was another war going on at the time too, apparently. The news mentioned that the Soccer War between Honduras and El Salvador was now in the middle of its fourth day. The Salvadoran army was getting closer to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Honduras had appealed to the Organization of American States to stop the war. The OAS was attempting to negotiate a cease-fire, but El Salvador had so far resisted. Still, there was hope that a breakthrough would occur.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll History.

Bill knew plenty about the Soccer War, as he had been following it at the time and studied it later on, and he still recalled the details. It was called that because Honduras and El Salvador had played a series of soccer games to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in June 1969 that had been marked by fighting among the fans. El Salvador had cut off all diplomatic ties with Honduras the same day it narrowly won the final game, June 26, but the causes of the war were far more complex than that. Honduras was a much larger country than El Salvador, but El Salvador had a much larger population. Many Salvadorans moved to Honduras throughout the twentieth century as a result and squatted on the land there. In the 1960s, Honduras passed a law to take land away from Salvadorans and give them to native Hondurans. It was enforced without regard to whether or not the Salvadorans were in the country legally or whether or not they actually owned the land. Many Salvadorans were deported. This directly resulted in El Salvador cutting off relations and accusing Honduras of permitting genocide, which was followed by border skirmishes.

Late on July 14, 1969, El Salvador invaded Honduras in force. Initially, they made swift progress and soon were close to Teguchigalpa, the Honduran capital. However, the advance stalled as Honduras overcame the surprise and fought back. Their air force bombed El Salvador's oil depots and disrupted its supply lines. Honduras asked the Organization of American States to intervene, and the OAS called for a cease fire and for El Salvador to withdraw from Honduran territory on July 15. However, El Salvador refused to comply unless reparations were paid to the Salvadorans who had been expelled and that those Salvadorans who remained in Honduras would have their safety guaranteed. An agreement was finally reached on the night of July 18 (today), and it went into full force on July 20. El Salvador dragged its feet when it came to withdrawing its troops until the end of July, when the pressure got to be too much. The troops finished withdrawing on August 2. The war hurt both countries and caused economic problems throughout Latin America. The influence of the military in both countries grew stronger, and El Salvador was unable to support the Salvadorans who had been kicked out of Honduras, eventually resulting in a bloody civil war in El Salvador starting in 1979 that would last until the early 1990s.

Bill paused and studied the TV then shook his head. He could never understand why conflict between two nations could start over something so ridiculous as a game of soccer. He knew that thousands would die and the consequences would rumble on for decades.

He flicked the TV off and headed for the shower. Twenty minutes later he was heading out the door and in the direction of the station, eating a toasted bagel as he went.

Police Headquarters, Franklin Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:30 AM - Friday, July 18, 1969

Bill walked to police headquarters and arrived with plenty of time to spare, half an hour before his shift was set to start. Hardly anyone was in the office, but Lieutenant John Yeager's office door was open and his light was on, so he had presumably also gotten in very early. He had been working pretty late last night too, but then again, so had Bill.

Bill helped himself to a coffee and headed for Yeager's office. "'Morning LT," he said as he pushed open the door, "Any news to report overnight?"

"Morning, Bill," said Yeager, who was sitting behind his desk. Paperwork covered part of its surface. "It's been pretty quiet overnight. No sign of Brian Anderson yet, or of that con artist Leblanc from Louisiana, though I think that guy probably skipped town if he had any sense. He had to know we'd trace his prints."

"LeBlanc?" said Bill, as he took a seat on the corner of Yeager's desk. "Don't think I came across him. What's he been up to?"

"He's one of the guys we arrested outside Professor Anderson's house night before last," said Yeager. "We sent his prints in. He made bail yesterday morning too, and shortly after they cut him loose we got word back that he was wanted in Louisiana. He ripped off some rich guy back in Lafayette. Nobody's seen hide nor hair of him since he got out, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him mixed up in this mess."

"Jesus," said Bill, "Who isn't mixed up in this mess? Any idea what LeBlanc was up to or was he just sniffing around looking for drugs?"

"Maybe he was sniffing around for Morpheus," said Yeager. "For something that's supposed to be new and experimental, an awful lot of people seem to have heard about it. We do have an APB out on Leblanc. If he sticks around, it's only a matter of time before he gets picked up. He's a fugitive in an unfamiliar city, and we know what he looks like. He caught a lucky break once, but it won't happen again. He's not Richard Kimble. We'll find him, get what he knows out of him, and then extradite his sorry ass back to Louisiana."

"So what are we gonna focus on today?" asked Bill. "Are we still focussing on Anderson junior or have we got other leads to chase down?"

"If we can locate Brian Anderson, that would help," said Yeager. "So far, he hasn't turned up, but we have guys looking for him. In the meantime, there is a new lead. There was a murder last night in South Philly. Guy named Jimmy Salvatore, also known as Jimmy the Hand. He's a notorious fence. He was found tied up, tortured, and murdered in his apartment early this morning, but it looks like he's been dead awhile. Homicide Division is in charge of the murder investigation, but there may be a link to our case. A ledger was found in his home that refers to a recent business transaction involving Morpheus."

"OK, I'll check that out," replied Bill. "Who's my contact at Homicide?"

"You don't know anyone there yet, so it's best if we go together," said Yeager, standing up. "I'd want to talk to them personally, anyway." He shook his head. "Well, I don't want to, but it's important that I do. Those guys in Homicide think they're better than us." He led the way back through the office, talking as they went. "The man we need to see is Lieutenant Frank Little. He'll point us to the detective assigned to the case. Little and I have something of a rivalry going. He just has to try to show me up every chance he gets."

Bill went with Yeager out to the hall and down to the eastern end of it, where they reached the entrance to the Homicide Division. Yeager pushed open the swinging half-door in the waist-high wall that separated the entry area from the main floor of Homicide. There were a few detectives in plainclothes sitting at their desks and others walking back and forth on various tasks. Yeager flagged one of them down. "Lieutenant Little in?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," said the detective, carrying a mug of coffee and a file folder to his desk. "He's in his office."

Yeager nodded and led Bill to an office door with the label "Administrative Lieutenant," on which he knocked. "Come in," came a gruff male voice. Yeager pushed open the door, revealing a spartan office that looked fairly standard. Lt. Frank Little sat behind the desk, a bald man about fifty years old with a black mustache, smoking a cigarette. "Oh, hello, Johnny. Who's this, your dad?"

"Real funny, Frank. No, this is Bill Johns, my new sergeant."

Frank Little regarded Bill skeptically.

Bill decided to hit this one head on. "Lieutenant Little, we're investigating the Morpheus drug. Jimmy the Hand was involved in shifting the stuff and he's dead. If you can help us work out what happened to Jimmy and who killed him, we'll be outa your hair again."

"Ah, the Salvatore case," said Little. "That just came in this morning. I've assigned Detective Brooks to that one. You should talk to him."

"That's the guy with the coffee we spoke to on our way in," Yeager told Bill.

"Going in circles as usual, I see." Little chuckled.

"Don't laugh. We might just solve your murder for you."

Bill nodded an abrupt thanks to Lt. Little and made his way back across the room.

"Detective Brooks, he said as he approached, "I'm Detective Sergeant Bill Johns. Your LT tells me that you're working the Salvatore case. Jimmy was dealing in a substance called Morpheus, which we've been looking into. Perhaps if we work together, we can crack the case?"

Yeager went with Bill to Detective Brooks's desk.

"Good to meet you, Sergeant," said Brooks, raising an eyebrow. "So Morpheus is a drug, huh? I'd been wondering what that was. It's the last transaction." He reached into a cardboard box on his desk and pulled out a little black book, "This was Salvatore's ledger. It was well hidden, but we practically took the crime scene apart and located it. Says he purchased two units of it along with some papers for a thousand bucks from someone named Terry, but it's all in shorthand. Can't even tell if this Terry is a guy or a girl." He handed the book to Bill. "You can take a look if you like."

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Accounting.

Bill knew enough mathematics and economics to make complete sense of the ledger. It contained meticulous records of a series of business transactions that were skillfully disguised so that it wasn't apparent at first glance, but Bill could tell that they were purchases of stolen goods, which fit with Salvatore's reputation as a fence. The same names of his clients appeared with frequent regularity, including this Terry, who had been one of his best performers for the past few years. In some of the early records in the ledger, which dated back as far as 1965, there was a client named Terrance Williams who disappeared from the ledger shortly before Terry showed up in 1966. It wasn't a stretch to conclude that these were one and the same person, and that after a while Salvatore had switched to using a shorter variation of his name. The Morpheus purchase had the previous day's date, and the transaction had occurred at around 4:00 PM. Bill also noticed that there had been a transaction on Monday evening. Someone named Marianna had paid him a hundred dollars as an advance down payment for Morpheus - which he did not acquire until Thursday. She did not appear anywhere else.

"It looks like 'Terry' is Terrance Williams," said Bill, pointing out two entries in the journal. He traced his finger down the page and tapped the entry for yesterday. "Do you recognise the name 'Marianna'?" he asked. "She - or he - paid a downpayment for some Morpheus..."

"Marianna?" said Detective Brooks. "No, I haven't the faintest idea who that is. I hadn't noticed the matching names either, but I'd only had time to glance through it."

"Good catch," said Yeager. "If this Williams is a thief who's been in the business for years, he'll have a record. We need to bring him in and have a chat with him."

OOC,The [b]Marianna[/b] transaction was dated Monday, four days ago. The last [b]Terry[/b] transaction was yesterday, which was Thursday.

OOC,Posted that from my phone so I'm using that as my excuse! ;)

"Have you got an address for Terry?" asked Bill. "We'll go and pay him a visit, see what he knows. And can you ask around and see if anyone's heard of Marianna?"

"I'll look into it," said Brooks. "It'll be hard to come up with something when we've only got a first name on Marianna, but Terry Williams will be easier to track down."

"If he's in the system, we'll have his address," Yeager said. He picked up the phone on Brooks's desk and dialed an extension. "This is Lieutenant Yeager. I need the criminal record and current address of a Terrance Williams." He paused. "Uh huh." He waited for a couple of minutes, obviously on hold. Then his face lit up. "Great, thanks!" He hung up the phone and grinned at Bill. "Got it. His record has a number of counts for theft and burglary, and his apartment is a bit south of Center City. You ready to drop in on him?"

"Yeah," replied Bill, "Let's go see if he's got the coffee on." He thanked Detective Brooks for his time. "If you find out who Marianna is, you'll give me a call?"

Terry Williams's Apartment - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8:00 AM - Friday, July 18, 1969

Yeager and Bill went out to the parking lot and got into Yeager's red Mustang, which he drove to the western part of Center City, where they soon found the address they had for Terrance Luis Williams. It was an ordinary three-story apartment building that looked pretty much like all of the others on this block. Williams had his apartment on the third floor. They managed to find a parking spot down the block from the building.

"So, how do you want to play this?" Yeager said. "Wanna sit around on a boring stakeout waiting for a guy who for all we know has already skipped town, or just go up and knock on his door?"

Bill glanced at his watch. "If we sit and wait, chances are we could be here for some time. Something tells me that Terrance isn't the type of guy who's up at the crack of dawn. Let's go knock on the door and give him an unexpected alarm call, shall we?"

Yeager grinned broadly. "That's my man! Let's go!" He and Bill got out of the car and went inside. The vestibule was small and cramped, with a row of locked mailboxes for the tenants on the left. A door led inside to a stairwell. The door to the ground floor apartment was on the landing there, with another door on each of the two landings above to the apartment on each floor. They ascended the two flights of stairs to the third floor apartment, where Yeager rapped on the door with his fist, making enough noise to wake anyone who might still be sleeping. There was no response.

"We going in?" said Bill to Yeager. "You're younger than me. I'll let you open the door."

"You bet we're going in," said Yeager, trying the doorknob, though the door was locked. He leaned hard on the door. It popped open with almost no effort, and there wasn't even any visible evidence that the door had been forced open. Yeager seemed to be an old hand at this sort of entry. "Guess it was just stuck, huh?" he added with a wink.

The two of them entered the tiny studio apartment, which was barely big enough for them. It had minimal furnishings, and none of them were anything special. It was apparent that the apartment's occupant was quite poor, and also after a cursory inspection that he was not at home. There was a small bed, a little writing desk with a similarly sized wooden chair, a closet containing grubby clothes that looked like they would fit a teenager, a small kitchen area with a fridge and stove, and a black and white television with a 13-inch screen.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Spot Hidden if you want to search. Also, you should specify what exactly you are searching. If there's something to be found in a particular location you specify, you'll find it regardless of the roll's outcome.

OOC,Nope, can't see anything... [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3813317/]Bill searches Terrance's abode. (1d100=40)[/url]

Bill searched the apartment methodically. He started with the writing desk, checking any papers on there, trying the drawers and not forgetting the waste paper basket. That done, he checked the bed, lifting the mattress to look underneath and got down on his hands and knees to look under the bed.

"Druggies sometimes keep their stash in the fridge," he said to Yeagar as he moved through to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, checking the contents, before trying the cupboards and the cooker.

Sorting through the writing desk, Bill found a journal that looked like it might be interesting in one of the drawers. The desk also contained blank paper, pens, pencils, and other things that would be useful for someone who wrote a lot. The fridge contained various cheap foodstuffs, including a large number of apples. There was no sign of any drugs.

"Any luck?" asked Yeager, whose own search was fruitless.

"Just this," replied Bill, showing Yeagar the journal. He flicked it open to the latest entry to see what had been written.

The last entry was dated yesterday morning, and it was a gold mine of information. It contained a summary of the results of the first round of Morpheus experiments. Terry concluded that Morpheus was intended to enable someone to take control of their dreams to some extent. Not only that, it seemed that the intention was to use it to visit locations in the real world while dreaming, and to observe without being observed. The test subjects are never referred to by name, but rather by a number from 1 to 6. The first round of experiments had lasted 3 nights, over the July 4th weekend. The first night, the subjects were instructed to dream about exploring Philadelphia, apparently to get them acclimated to the process and start off simple. The second night, the students were told to dream about being in Moscow and to attempt to infiltrate the Kremlin. They were told to look for any documents and photographs they could find about a certain phrase in Russian and remember what they could, but Terry didn't know the language and had been unable to translate the Cyrillic letters. On the third and final night, they were told to dream about being on the moon.

Subjects 2, 3, and 5 had various random and unrelated dreams - when they could remember them at all. It seemed likely that they were the control group. Subjects 1, 4, and 6 were able to follow their instructions. On the first night they did dream about walking around Philadelphia. Subject 4 went off by himself (at least, the student is presumably male from the context, but with the sexual revolution one can never be sure) and spent hours watching women undress and bathe in bathrooms while they were completely unaware of him. Subjects 1 and 6, oddly enough, were together in their dreams, and both of them recalled the same experiences. They spent their time visiting various tourist attractions: the Liberty Bell, the house where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and Betsy Ross's house were the ones they remembered.

On the second night, all three subjects split up in Moscow and were able to just walk past the Kremlin guards without being detected. Subject 6 was the only one who found papers with the specified Russian phrase, in a highly secure room underneath the Kremlin, but did not know the language and was unable to translate them. There were, however, a few accompanying photos of Russians sitting cross-legged in what looked like a trance state. Subject 1 did know Russian, but was unable to find any relevant documents.

On the third night, the three subjects successfully dreamed about being on the moon and again split up. Subjects 1 and 4 just walked through a barren wasteland without incident, but subject 6 encountered a flying monster that was described as "like a dragon, with scaly skin and huge wings." The monster saw the student and swooped down to attack, and that's when she awakened.

"Well, isn't that interesting?" said Yeager, reading over Bill's shoulder. "Wonder where he got all this information?"

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], you may roll Other Language: Russian to try to translate the phrase. The base skill is 1%.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3822231/]Can Bill speak Russian? (1d100=91)[/url] Nyet, comrade...

"This stuff's dynamite. He's either on the programme or someone is feeding him information," said Bill. "I reckon if we cross reference Terry's known contacts with the list of people on the trial, we might find out who it is." He tapped the Cyrillic writing. "We could ask if there's a Russian-speaker at the university and see if we can find out what this means - unless you've got someone down the station who speaks Russkie?"

"I don't know of anyone," said Yeager. "I don't know about trusting someone at the university to translate this. We don't know what this gobbledygook really says, and letting word about it spread could be disastrous. The only people there likely to know Russian are probably Commies anyway. Maybe we should read the previous entries. We might find out how this guy learned all this stuff."

"Fair enough," replied Bill. He sat down on the small chair and started flicking back through the entries in the journal.

Yeager transcribed the Cyrillic letters into his notebook.

The penultimate entry was dated Wednesday night and read: "Just got back from visiting Jimmy. It didn't work out too well. Maybe I'll have a more sucessful chance later. I'm going to take a nap before I head out."

The one before that one, also from Wednesday night, said: "The job did not go as planned. I was spotted by a guard, and was chased into hiding. I was going to check the lab, but I ended up almost being caught by the guard again.

I'm leaving to give Jim a piece of my mind, and get some answers to this whole fiasco."

Flipping back another page, Bill found an entry from earlier still on Wednesday evening: "At the bar this evening, I overheard two of the people I was watching at the university earlier today. They seemed to know I was following them, and I didn't feel exactly safe knowing that they might know what I'm up to. If this goes down the way I expect, I might be suspected for sometime. It was sort of small, but I hope I convinced the girl. But I hope this isn't going to be too tough. After all, it looks like chocolate milk, according to Jimmy."

"Do we have a list of who was at the bar the other night?" asked Bill. "Who's this Jimmy character?"

"The uniforms would have gotten people's names," said Yeager, "but it's possible some of them slipped out in the confusion. We also don't know what time on Wednesday night he was at the bar, or even if it was the same bar. It could have been before or after we were there. Jimmy has to be James Salvatore, the late, lamented fence in whose ledger you found the lead to Terry Williams. So Williams had an axe to grind with him. Interesting. Let's look back further to see how he got into this mess in the first place. We should also look up the guard who spotted him at some point."

Bill continued to flick back through the journal, looking for any reference to Morpheus, the Andersons or any experiments that Terry was involved in.

Bill read the next entry back, which was from Wednesday morning. Terry had received a call from Jimmy Salvatore asking him to do a special job, seeing as he had done good work for him in the past. He was offering Terry five hundred dollars if he could get Jimmy a sample of a new drug called Morpheus. It was described as a brown liquid resembling chocolate milk, and Jimmy had mentioned that it had been developed by Dr. Gregory Anderson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. He had an office and a lab in John Morgan Hall.

None of the entries before that mentioned Morpheus, the Andersons, or experiments, though some of them alluded to prior heists he had pulled, and Jimmy Salvatore, also referred to sometimes as Jimmy the Hand, was mentioned in conjunction with several of them. The language was phrased in such a way as to disguise the illegal nature of Terry's jobs, but it was obvious that this was the diary of a thief's exploits.

"Not much else," said Bill. "I reckon we need to find Marianna - she seems to have set the ball rolling when she asked Jimmy to get her a sample of Morpheus. The guard at the lab might be a help as well, although I'm not sure he can tell us much more than Terry was hanging around. If we can pick Terry up himself, that would be useful - see what else he knows that he didn't write down in his journal."

Bill looked at Yeager. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, that's about the size of it," said Yeager. "We should put the journal back where you found it. That way, we can 'find' it when we come back with a warrant. If we can convince Homicide to name Terry as a suspect, that'll be enough to get one from a friendly judge. That would also let us get an APB out on him, so that every cop in the city is looking for him. Finding the security guard and asking him some questions might help. You never know what he might have seen. But, yeah, we need to find Terry himself. So, what do you think the next step should be?"

"We should get back to the station," said Bill. "We can get the word out about Terry and Marianna and you can speak to your tame judge." Bill smiled to himself wryly - he'd have been horrified if he thought of a modern-day cop breaking into a property then using a 'tame' judge to secure a warrant but here things were done very differently.

ooc,Happy new year!

After replacing the journal, Bill and John Yeager returned to police headquarters.


Police Headquarters, Franklin Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9:30 AM - Friday, July 18, 1969

Bill and John went upstairs to Homicide first, where they found Detective Brooks. "Looks like our boy Terry Williams has gone to ground," said Yeager. "He wasn't at home, but the word is that he had an axe to grind with Jimmy Salvatore over a job that went sour a couple of nights ago. If I were you, I'd consider him the prime suspect in the murder."

"With all due respect, sir," said Detective Brooks, "please don't tell me how to do my job. I'll decide who the suspects are in my own case."

Yeager frowned. This would obviously be more difficult than he had thought.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], if you want to try to convince [b]Detective Brooks[/b] to name [b]Terry[/b] as a suspect, please roll Persuade.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3847784/]Can Bill persuade Brooks that Terry's his man? (Persuade = 75) (1d100=10)[/url]

Bill held up his hands to placate Detective Brooks. "No-one's trying to tell you how to do your job detective, we're just sharing some intel, that's all. We're all on the same team, aren't we?"

"All right, I'm sorry," said Brooks. He lowered his voice. "It's just...Lt. Little can really get under your skin. You guys don't like him much, but I have to work for him every day. Okay, Williams looks good for this murder. We've got his mugshot, so I can get it and an APB out on him right away. It's a shame we don't have description on this Marianna, but maybe when we find Williams he can lead us to her. I'll also be able to get a search warrant for his place."

"Good thinking," said Yeager. "By the way, do you know anyone who can translate Russian?"

"Yeah, I do. There's old Federov over in the Sixth District. I used to work with him before I earned my gold shield. He must be getting ready to retire soon. He was born here, but his old man came over from Russia, fleeing the revolution, and he taught his son Russian."

"Thanks, Detective." Yeager looked over to Bill. "The Sixth District building is only a few blocks away. Shall we head over there now, or is there something else you'd like to do here first?"

Bill shook his head. "Nothing that springs to mind," he replied. "Let's go find Federov."

Sixth District, 11th and Vine Sts. - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9:45 AM - Friday, July 18, 1969

Bill and Yeager had a quick trip up Eighth Street to Vine, where they turned left. A few blocks later, they were at the Sixth District building at the intersection with 11th Street. After Yeager asked the sergeant in the Operations Room where they could find Federov, he pointed them to a desk in the back. A chubby man close to Bill's age sat there, doing paperwork.

"Officer Federov?" asked John.

"Yes, sir?" said the man, turning. He had no accent, which he wouldn't considering he was born here.

"I'm Lieutenant John Yeager and this is Sergeant Bill Johns. We're working on a case, and a phrase in Russian came up. We were hoping you could translate it for us." He took out his notebook and showed it to Federov.

Federov squinted at the Cyrillic characters and replied instantly. "Remote viewing."

"Okay, what's that mean?"

Federov shrugged. "Beats me, sir. I only know what it says, not what it means. Maybe if I saw the phrase in context."

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Occult.

Bill had no idea what "remote viewing" meant.

"I've never heard of remote viewing before," said Yeager. "Maybe we'll run across someone who knows what it is. Well, thanks for your time and help."

"Glad I could be of at least some assistance, sir," said Federov.

"Back to HQ?" Yeager asked Bill. "Or have you got a better idea?"

"No," replied Bill. "I've got a feeling we're missing something but I'll be damned if I know what it is!" He scratched his head to underline his lack of ideas.

"Someone somewhere has to know what this remote viewing is," said Yeager. "That egghead Anderson sure does, but we might not want to ask him. I dunno, maybe there's something about it in a book."

"We could try the university library, perhaps there are some journals there that might help us understand," suggested Bill, although how good the cataloguing of such journals would be was anyone's guess. In his own time, he'd have typed the term into a search engine and he'd have had the answer in moments - here it could take a good deal longer.

"Could be," said Yeager. "I'll spin you down there. Let me just call in to HQ first and fill in Sergeant Rawlings about what we found out." He borrowed the phone on Federov's desk and quickly summarized the morning's events to Charlie, then went with Bill out to the parking lot where they had left the Mustang.

Van Pelt Library, University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10:20 AM - Friday, July 18, 1969

John Yeager and Bill Johns arrived on Penn's campus and parked outside the main Van Pelt Library. "This is a good place to start," said Yeager, "considering we don't know what remote viewing is. If we find any information that leads to one of the more specialized libraries, we can try there." The two of them went inside to begin their search.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Library Use.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3861946/]Bill takes on the Dewey Decimal System... (1d100=62)[/url] Success!

Bill lead the way into the library, heading towards the scientific journals where he had a hunch that he would find what they were looking for. He found the summary of journals, sat down at a nearby desk and started to read.

It took quite a bit of searching, plus a pause to grab some lunch. Eventually, in the early afternoon, Bill hit paydirt. He found a reference to remote viewing in a parapsychology journal of all things. It was lucky that the library even had such things there. Once he made the initial breakthrough, it was a simple matter to find more details on the subject. Remote viewing was a form of extrasensory perception, or ESP, that was used to envision what was happening in another place, or to see a distant person or object, at the current time. Research into psychic phenomena such as ESP began in the nineteenth century by various scientists, including Michael Faraday, though the scientific establishment was highly skeptical of claims of success. As of 1969, interest in parapsychology was enjoying a renaissance due to the counterculture and New Age movements' growing influence. Having read the accounts of the dreams that participants in Anderson's first experiment had given, Bill realized that Morpheus was in fact most likely intended to use dreams for the purpose of remote viewing.

Bill yawned and stretched. He'd forgotten how long research used to take before everything was available at the touch of a button.

He turned to Yeager and said, "According to this, 'remote viewing' is using extra sensory perception' to see things in other places. It seems that Morpheus is being used to unlock this ability - and it looks like they're using it to spy on the Russians! Seems like they've got the same idea though - hence the Russian phrase for 'remote viewing' that one of the test subjects saw."

Bill shook his head. "I'd heard the CIA had been playing around with this stuff but I never thought it actually worked." He looked at Yeager. "That would explain the 'government' involvement, but who's Marianna? a spy for the Russians?"

Yeager whistles. "Yeah, that sounds likely," he says. "She must have hired Jimmy to steal the Morpheus, then iced him to make sure he never talked. I don't know if it really works, but people are willing to kill for it. We're using it to spy on the Russkies, they want to use it to spy on us...we're getting in over our heads here. Now that we've got this information, what do we do with it?"

OOC,[b]Bill[/b] and [b]John[/b] are moving to the thread linked below. You've also completed Chapter 1! At this point, you may roll for skill increases. I'll post instructions in the OOC thread.

Did You Ever Have a Dream?