IC-Chapter 1-Subterraneans(Police/Barney/Tony/Jerome/Bill)

[Mi-Go Agent]

OOC,Drug? Brian,Barney too, listen to me. Morpheus is a chemical. I'm one of the scientists researching it, and I had no idea people were treating it like a drug. It potentially has serious side effects on people. Serious goes all the way to deadly. If you know where any is, if you've made the terrible mistake of taking any, come clean now. You can't be arrested for it, since it isn't illegal - not enough people even know it exists. But this is a matter of public safety.

[Mr. Handy]

"Unusual?" said Mary to Bill. "Well, he blew off the class we had together today. He often skips classes, but never one we're both in."

Brian nodded to Jerome. "I've seen you before, around the lab with my dad. Look, I don't have any more Morpheus. The cops took the only dose I had, and I'm not dumb enough to actually take that stuff." He glanced back at Barney. "So how did you hear about Morpheus, anyway? Like the man said, very few people even know about it."

Yeager and Rawlings simply stood back and let everyone talk, listening.

[mikc]

"That may be the case," answers Barney, "but it was the topic of conversation in the bar where I met that young lady," the last said while nodding in Mary's general direction.

"So what's the deal with this stuff, anyway? If it's not a drug, what's it used for?"

[Philulhu]

"Unusual?" said Mary to Bill. "Well, he blew off the class we had together today. He often skips classes, but never one we're both in."

"Hmm," said Bill. "Is he your boyfriend or something? I mean, if he skips any class but the one you're in... ..." He left the statement hanging, watching Mary's face carefully and waiting for her reply.

[Mr. Handy]

"Not any more," said Mary, looking at her feet. Bill knew her well enough that he could tell she was ashamed. But how well did he really know her if she had never confided in him about Brian. "Not after today. God, what did I ever see in him?"

In the guard room, Brian said nothing. He looked at Jerome, waiting for him to speak.

[Mi-Go Agent]

Jerome looks very relieved.

"That's very good news. I'm glad nobody will be harmed by the chemical. I'm sure I can get it back from the police, but at least it should be safe with them."

Then he looks a bit worried again.

"As far as I know, we've never mentioned it to anyone outside the lab. Is there something else that goes by the name of Morpheus? I'm a bit puzzled about why random people in a bar would know about it, or even why you would know the name, Brian."

[Mr. Handy]

"I heard dad talking about it in the lab," explained Brian. "The people in the bar must have overheard me trying to sell it, I guess. I did mention its name."

[Philulhu]

"Not any more," said Mary, looking at her feet. Bill knew her well enough that he could tell she was ashamed. But how well did he really know her if she had never confided in him about Brian. "Not after today. God, what did I ever see in him?"

"If he's involved in drugs, he's best to be avoided," said Bill. A spike of jealousy stabbed through him so he had no compunction in carrying out a further piece of character assassination, "You know, drug users are some of the lowest of the low. They'll lie, steel, sell anything they can, even push their girlfriends into prostitution - you really are better off without him."

[Mi-Go Agent]

Jerome comes to Brian's defense in a limited way.

"Morpheus is not an illegal drug. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't give anyone a high, and that it has only been produced in one research laboratory in the world, and at that not for very long."

[Mr. Handy]

"The same can't be said for cocaine, marijuana, heroin, LSD, and a certain variety of psychedlic mushroom," Yeager said to Jerome, "all of which we caught him with. I also take the attempted murder of one of my men very seriously."

"I didn't try to kill anyone!" protested Brian.

"Shut it!" barked Sergeant Rawlings at him. "Save it for the judge."

"You're absolutely right," said Mary to Bill in the interview room. "Believe me, I'm through with him. I don't want anyone to know I was even...associated with him."

Brian could hear every word through the open door. He lowered his head, and tears spilled out from the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks.

[Nanonano63]

Seeing Brian's distress Anthony, speaks up, "Brian, I know you're in a bad spot, anyone can see that. But you have to realize that bad spots are not the end. You still have a chance to turn yourself around. The first step is solving the current situation, and then you can focus on sorting through the other consequences." He nods his head towards the door indicating the overheard conversation with Mary. "First things first though, tell me about these accusations of murder. I realize that you may only see me as your professor, but as such i am invested in your well being and your future. I truly wish the best for you, I am not out to get you and i am not out to make you confess to something you didn't do. I believe you when you say it isn't true, but for me to help you i need you to tell me what happened and why they believe you did this. I am here to help you." Anthony is trying his best to reassure Brian.

OOC,Invisible castle is down right now so i just rolled d% and i'll record them here, if you would rather i waited till the site came back up i can. the first roll is psychology to see if he really does think that Brian is incapable of murder. and the second one is Persuade to see if he can convince Brian he is sincere, which he really is so if the roll is irrelevant that's fine. Psych 21/45 success, Persuade 02/30 success

[Mr. Handy]

"Yeah, I'll tell you what happened," said Brian. "These cops set me up, that's what happened! That old man in there with my girl was at Lenny's Bar, only I didn't know he was a cop yet at that point. He came out of the bathroom acting all crazy and accused me of trying to kill him, but I never saw him before in my life!"

Anthony Scott,[b]Anthony[/b] ciould see that [b]Brian[/b] was obviously very angry, and most of his anger was directed at [b]Bill[/b]. [b]Brian[/b] was potentially capable of murder given the right (or wrong) circumstances, but so were most people. He couldn't tell whether [b]Brian[/b] really did try to kill [b]Bill[/b] earlier, but it's apparent that he'd certainly like to kill him now.

[Mi-Go Agent]

"Officer? I'm not sure I understand what happened - since I'm going to be the one to break the news to his father, would you mind explaining to me what you actually told him and what happened at the bar that lead to Brian's arrest?"

[Nanonano63]

"Brian ,that is really strange. Is there any way you might have acted beyond your own control. Were you on any drugs, did you take Morpheus?"

OOC,Anthony looks around the room sizing up how well the police can overhear. He hopes to get Brian to tell the whole tale but might need to get him into a private room so no one else can overhear.

[Philulhu]

Bill looked around at the sound of raised voices. He saw the hatred in Brian's eyes and quailed inwardly. He'd not thought too hard about what had happened... ... 'What had happened?' he thought to himself. Brian had tried to kill him but that was in the future, wasn't it? What if anything had happened in the past? Or now, rather. He shook his head.

"I was attacked in the gents," said Bill quietly, avoiding Brian's eye, "Threatened with a gun and then... ... an explosion... ... a grenade?"

[Mi-Go Agent]

"I visited the bar looking for Brian, and the bathroom didn't look like someone had tossed a grenade in there," Jerome says.

[Philulhu]

"The gun, then, he must have had the gun on him. Did you search his bag?" Bill couldn't hide the tension in his voice as a cold trickle of sweat wormed its way down his back.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, I didn't take the Morpheus," said Brian to Anthony. "I'm not that stupid. And I wasn't on any drugs."

"Yeah, we searched his bag," said Charlie Rawlings. "No gun in there, just the drugs. He didn't have a gun on his person either, but he might have gotten rid of it. As for the grenade, it might have been a dud."

"We'll search his place later," said John Yeager. "Maybe there's something there." He frowned at Jerome. "You're not going to be the one to break the news to his dad because we're going to do it first, just as soon as we're done here."

"No!" said Brian, aghast. "Please don't tell my dad! I've cooperated with you!"

"Then tell us about the gun and the grenade," said Charlie, glaring at him.

Brian shrank back. "I don't know anything about a grenade, honest! I do have a gun. It's in my room at the Alpha Epsilon Pi frat house, under my pillow. But it's perfectly legal for me to have a gun!"

"Not any more. What kind is it?"

"It's a .38 revolver."

"We got your permission to search your room and go get it?"

"Sure, sure! Just don't tell my old man!"

OOC,There really isn't any way to talk to anyone in this room without the others overhearing.

[Nanonano63]

"Ok, I'm sorry Brian i just had to check. Can you tell me everything that has happened to you? from the beginning?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I was at Lenny's Bar," said Brian, "making a deal with this guy named Harry. Just then, these two cops-" he pointed out Yeager and Rawlings, "burst in the front door and arrest me. Then that guy-" he jerks his head in Bill's direction, "comes out of the crapper and accuses me of trying to kill him!"

"You left out the part where you tried to hit me," said Yeager.

"Only because you provoked me! They hauled me and Harry out, and the old guy joined them. Then they drove us back to headquarters. He drives like a maniac!" He glared at Yeager.

"Oh, don't be such a Nancy-boy. I bet you're scared of roller coasters too. And you left out the part where you peed yourself."

"That was the best part," said Rawlings with a chuckle.

"You haven't said much," said Yeager to Barney. "Are you going to conclude your 'business?' I thought you had a flight to catch. Anyway, visiting hours are over, so let's wrap this up."