Bill Johns and several other people attempt to understand the significance of the appearance of a new drug named Morpheus and its use in an experiment with college students as test subjects.
Police Headquarters, Franklin Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 8:45 PM - Wednesday, July 16, 1969
As Lieutenant John Yeager and Sergeant Charlie Rawlings stood in front of the elevator, the doors slid open. Within were six people: Officer Jackson from the lobby security desk, a man in a wheelchair, a man and a woman in their thirties who looked like professors, a girl in her late teens, and a young man with short, dark hair.
"Sirs," said Jackson, nodding to the two plainclothes detectives. He stepped out of the elevator and into the hall beyond, motioning for his guests to follow him so that his superiors could use the elevator. The people who had just arrived could see that the hall led to a large metal door with a barred window. In front of this door sat another sergeant at a desk. Jackson walked up to him. "These folks are here to see Brian Anderson, Sarge."
ooc,The idea was to assess the situation; is Brian alone or do we have to explain ourselves to an interrogating officer? Can we all waltz in or will Barney have to take the lead, based on his outlandish cover story? ;)
OOC,Until seanarcher and Zubayda return, [b]John Yeager[/b] and [b]Charlie Rawlings[/b] revert to NPC status. My apologies for the delay.
Lieutenant Yeager did a double take when he heard the desk sergeant say Brian's name. He and Sergeant Rawlings stopped in their tracks and turned around. The elevator doors slid shut again behind them, and it began to ascend.
"Hold on," said Yeager. "Who are all you people, and what business do you have with the prisoner?"
"Bernard Braithwaite, officer. I had an appointment with Mr. Anderson and it's rather important; I have to be heading to the airport shortly and if I don't get a chance to talk to him, my journey will have been wasted. Your colleague upstairs allowed me access. These people are my associates in your fair country, and were also hoping to speak to Mr. Anderson about a business proposition.
If I could possibly at least make the introductions, I'll endeavour to get out of the way and let you do your job; my colleagues can continue negotiations when Mr. Anderson is less ... indisposed."
John Yeager's eyes narrowed. "The only business 'Mr. Anderson' is in that I know of is dealing drugs," he said. "What exactly is this about, Mr. Braithwaite, and where are you off to in such a hurry? That accent of yours sounds foreign, but I can't quite place it."
"When were you in England? You're too young to have been in World War Two."
"I wasn't, but I've dated more than a few English chicks. I really dig them."
OOC,[b]Barney[/b], make a Persuade roll if you want to convince them to let you talk to [b]Brian[/b], and you'll have to answer his questions satisfactorily as well. [b]Anthony[/b] and [b]Jerome[/b], you're free to try Persuade as well, or Fast Talk if you prefer.
mikc wrote:"Bernard Braithwaite, officer. I had an appointment with Mr. Anderson and it's rather important; I have to be heading to the airport shortly and if I don't get a chance to talk to him, my journey will have been wasted. Your colleague upstairs allowed me access. These people are my associates in your fair country, and were also hoping to speak to Mr. Anderson about a business proposition.
If I could possibly at least make the introductions, I'll endeavour to get out of the way and let you do your job; my colleagues can continue negotiations when Mr. Anderson is less ... indisposed."
OOC,Yes, I know you already said that, but then [b]Yeager[/b] asked you what business you have with [b]Brian[/b] and where you're off to in such a hurry. He'll let you in, as you had a successful Persuade roll, but first you'll have to answer his questions. You don't necessarily have to tell the truth, but it should sound plausible.
"Well, officer, I have to be at the airport soon for a flight back to Europe; I had an appointment with Mr. Anderson earlier, concerning a possible record deal with my company," he flourishes a "Mindstorm Entrtainment" business card, "and I was hoping to broker the initial deal with the help of my associates here.
It looks like I won't have time for that now, but I would really appreciate the chance to at least make the introductions and have a quick word with Mr. Anderson."
He flashes a winning smile, his best con-job mixture of serious professional and eccentric Limey.
"Right," said John Yeager as the elevator doors slid open, revealing Bill Johns inside. Barney recognized him as the old man from Lenny's Bar, but his companions had never seen him before. He took Barney's business card and examined it closely. "You can go in and see Mr. Anderson, but Charlie and I will be with you the whole time." He turned back to look at the elevator when he heard it arrive. "Ah, just in time, Sergeant! This here is Mr. Bernard Braithwaite, from Mindstorm Entertainment, and his associates." He indicated the young man with the black mop-top hair.
Bill saw that Charlie Rawlings and John Yeager were with five people. One was a man in a wheelchair who looked to be about thirty years old, and two more looked like college professors, a man in his early forties with short hair and an attractive woman in her thirties with dark hair. He recognized Bernard Braithwaite, having seen him sitting at a table in Lenny's Bar when he had arrived. But it was the fifth person in the group that drew his attention the most. She was a young, lovely girl about eighteen years old, wearing blue jeans and a red shirt. She showed no sign of recognizing him, but he would have known her anywhere. Mary!
Bill Johns,[b]Mary[/b] may have been forty years younger than she had been the last time he had seen her, but there was no mistaking her. She looked almost exactly like she had the first time he had met her, only she was wearing different clothes. That initial encounter replayed itself in his mind. He had walked into the lab where the psych experiment was to take place and had seen her across the room. Instantly he had felt an irresistable pull and had approached her, but it was she who had spoken first then.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" she had asked. "You look so familiar."
"Sorry, I've never seen you before," he said. "I'm sure I would remember meeting a girl as gorgeous as you."
[b]Mary[/b] had laughed the way she always did, almost musically. And the rest, as they say, was history.
But now he was brought back to the present - or rather the past.
Bill shook Braithwaites' hand briefly, his eyes flickering to Mary as he did so. He re-focused his attention on the man in front of him. "Mindstorm Entertainment?" he said enquiringly.
"Yes, that's right; we're a media publishing and support agency, interested in original ideas and new trends, whether music, writing, or any other forms of artistic expression. Mr. Anderson is a potential client of ours." Barney pauses, "Are you here to see Mr. Anderson, too? Obviously, his talents shine out like a beacon for all to see!"
"Umm, yeah," said Bill, shaking his head. His attention had wandered to Mary again. "Mr Anderson's talents, eh? So what is it that makes him stand out?"
"He certainly has a knack for getting in trouble," said John Yeager. He nodded to the sergeant sitting at the desk, who pressed a switch that caused the metal door at the end of the hall to slide open with a rumbling sound. Beyond it was a guard room. Two uniformed policemen stood guard there, one a young black man about six feet tall, the other one pasty-faced, chubby, and a head shorter. The hallway continued beyond the guard room into a cell block. Several wooden doors lined the sides of the guard room, and a payphone was in one corner. Alan Gains, the lawyer in a suit and tie, was standing there talking to the cops. "Officer Jones, we'll be needing Brian Anderson again. Seems he's more popular than a sexy blonde at a frat party."
"I'll go get him, sir," said the black officer, who headed into the cell block.
