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.
mikc wrote:"Well, the man is a visionary, don't you agree?" returned Barney, whilst thinking, who is this old geezer and why is he sticking his nose in?
"Listen, man," rejoins Barney, "not meaning to be impolite, but really don't think this is the time to be discussing creativity and its manifestation in the artist. I've got a plane to catch, want to speak to Mr. Anderson, then get out of here, to be frank. Very uncool vibes, you know," he adds sotto voce.
Returning to a normal speaking tone, he addresses the man directly, looking him in the eye, "I don't believe we've been introduced properly; what are you doing here, actually?"
Bill flashed his shield. "I work here," he said grimly, "And your visionary is helping us with our enquiries..." He smiled nastily at Barney, who was really starting to get on his nerves, "Uncool, eh?"
Jones returned from the cell block with Brian Anderson. Bill and Barney recognized him from Lenny's Bar and Anthony recognized him from his class, but he was currently wearing a prison uniform instead of his usual clothes. Jerome knew him from the description he had been given, though he had never seen Brian before. Mary saw him too and lowered her head, tears in her eyes.
"The interrogation room is too small for all of us," said Yeager, "so we'll just have to hold this conversation in the guard room."
Stepping in close to Mary, Bill pulls a clean handkerchief from his pocket. "Here, miss," he said, offering her the handkerchief, "Perhaps you'd like to sit this one out?"
ooc - I'll be away until next Thursday and may be unable to post. To avoid holding things up, I'll post now - if it's pre-emptive, just edit it out. mik
Barney backs away from Bill, a little shaken, but does his beat to recover his composure.
When Brian is led in, he addresses the young man, "Well, Mr. Anderson, looks like you're in a bit of trouble, eh? I hope this is all a misunderstanding; Mindstorm Entertainment is still interested in your "Morpheus" cycle, but I need your assurances that you're still commited to the project. Perhaps you'd like to comment on your plans for its development?
You realise, time is limited and I would have wished a more private audience, but you can be assured that Mindstorm will handle your interests with discretion."
Barney pauses, giving Brian his best `you can trust me, mate´ smile, thinking I hope he's quick on the uptake ...
"Thank you," said Mary, taking the handkerchief from Bill and drying her eyes. "You're very kind, but this is something I need to face."
Brian looked back and forth between the people who had come to see him, a confused look on his face. "Who are the hell are you?" he asked Barney suspiciously. "How do you even know about me? Mindstorm Entertainment, what's that? Mary, what's going on?"
Mary strode up to him, determination in her eyes. "That's I wanted you to tell me," she said. "How could you, Brian?! Don't even try to deny it! You've been selling drugs, and you've tried to kill someone!"
"Mary, I never tried to kill anyone! It's a setup, you've gotta believe me."
His words fell on deaf ears. "No, I don't. I can't ever trust you again. I don't know why I ever had anything to do with you in the first place!"
"Come on, miss," said Bill gently taking Mary's arm and trying to ease her away from Brian, "I don't think this is the sort of thing that you want to get involved with."
OOC,If she moves away with him, he'll find her a seat, a drink and start asking gentle questions about Brian to see what he can find out.
Barney tries to surreptitiously make it clear to Brian that he should just play along, "Listen, we're here to help, just go along with it", he whispers.
Mary nodded silently and went along with Bill into an empty interview room. She leaned against him as he led her inside and eased her into a chair. Officer Jones brought her a cup of water. "Thank you," she said, taking a sip. "Thank you both."
"Look, I don't know you," said Brian to Barney. "Why the hell should I trust you, anyway?"
OOC,[b]Bill[/b], feel free to start asking questions.
[b]Barney[/b], roll Persuade if you want to get [b]Brian[/b] to open up. Don't forget to rolelplay what you say to him, whether or not you succeed. Unfortunately, social skills such as Persuade have no effect on PCs. If you want to convince [b]Jerome[/b] of anything, that's entirely up to the two of you.
"Well," answers Barney in a low voice, "you're right that you don't know me, and I bet you're not in a very trusting mood right now, having just been busted and with all these accusations flying around. But it's a maxim of mine that when a wayfaring stranger comes offering help, you don't look him too closely in the mouth, if you know what I mean.
I mean, what have you got to lose? I'm not a cop, I can promise you that. And I do have connections.
Let's just say that I've been pulled into your story and I'm trying to do my bit to see that it has a happy ending."
OOC,Failed Persuade by 11%: [url]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2307035/[/url]
Brian frowned, then glanced at Jerome. "He's got a good point," he said to Barney. "Just what do you know about Morpheus, and how do you know it, anyway?"
OOC,[b]Barney[/b], roll Psychology to see if you pick up anything from [b]Brian[/b]'s reaction.
OOC,[b]Barney[/b], you can't tell any more from that. Go ahead and continue speaking if you like.
[b]Jerome[/b] and [b]Anthony[/b], feel free to roll Psychology as well regarding [b]Brian[/b].
OOC,Anthony failed his [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2309984/]roll[/url], he is interested to see how this plays out as everyone else seems to know a little more than himself at thsi point so he's just gonna wait this out a bit.
Bill sat on the edge of the desk as Mary sipped the water Officer Jones had brought her. "I'm afraid, miss," he said quietly, "That Brian appears to have got mixed up with a crowd selling drugs. I don't think for a moment that you've anything to do with this but have you noticed anything unusual about his behaviour recently?"
Barney does his best to keep his temper under control, and to keep his voice down, "What do I know about Morpheus?" he addresses both Brian and Jerome, "Well, actually, I heard it was a new experimental drug. That's about it. I've had a lot of drug experiences in the past myself, but I don't do that shit any more. Why am I here? I thought I could do the lady a favour and possibly help you out of a tight spot. Obviously, I shouldn't have bothered!"
Leaving the statement hanging, Barney waits for a response. He is doing his best to make his position clear: if you're just going to give me a hard time for trying to help you out, I certainly have better things to do with my evening, and goodbye!
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.
"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.
"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?"
Mr. Handy wrote:"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.
"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.
"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."
"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."
Mr. Handy wrote:"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."
"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."
"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.
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
"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.
"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?"
"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.
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?"
"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.
"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.
"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."
"And before that? Is there anyone else you have told? or anyone we can get a hold of to help you out? It sounds like you don't want your father to know."
"I still don't completely understand what happened, but it sounds more like a job for a lawyer to me. Brian, I'd like to help you, but I wasn't there, there isn't anything I can do, and if you really were involved in drug dealing than I don't feel a lot of pity. Officers, would you mind talking to me about the Morpheus you confiscated after this interview is over?"
"Well, I can see the situation is more complicated than I thought," answers Barney. "Mr. Anderson has my card, my associates can take it from here.
Good luck, mate," he finishes, addressing Brian.
Sod this, this guy's in the sh*t and no mistake! he thinks to himself.
"I think I had better go for my 'plane now."
ooc - unless the cops object, Barney will leave the station, looking around to see if any of his companions from the bar want to join him.
"I told the priest," said Brian. "Father Nathaniel Levington. I spoke to him this afternoon. But all that was in the confessional, and he wouldn't have told anyone else. He was here earlier talking to me. I don't know what else he can do to help me besides talking to God."
"As I matter of fact, we would mind talking to you about that," said Yeager to Jerome. "We still don't really know what this Morpheus stuff is, and everything we confiscated is evidence. I'm also not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation - and we have some work to do on that investigation as soon as we're done here." From the tone of his voice and his earlier statements, it was obvious that he wanted that to be as soon as possible.
OOC,[b]Jerome[/b], roll Fast Talk if you want to try to get him to talk further after the interview.
"If you still don't really know what it is, and you're trying to investigate, than wouldn't I be one of the best two people to ask about it?" Jerome says convincingly.
"You do have a good point there," said Yeager. "Okay, we'll have a chat about Morpheus. Let's use one of the other interview rooms, then. Officer Jones, return the prisoner back to his cell before he embarrasses himself again."
"Yes, sir," said the tall black cop, leading Brian back into the cell block.
Yeager opened up another interview room and motioned for Jerome to join him.
OOC,[b]Barney[/b], nobody is stopping you from leaving. You haven't posted in a while, so I don't know if you've given [b]Jerome[/b] one of your cards or not. If you don't post by the time I update again, I'll assume you did.
OOC,You haven't missed much, as I've been very busy over the last few weeks too. [b]Bill[/b] is in an interview room talking to [b]Mary[/b], but he stopped to talk to the others in the guard room, [b]Jerome[/b] just went into another one with [b]Lt. Yeager[/b], [b]Brian[/b] was taken back to his cell, and [b]Barney[/b] is about to leave (though his player has been absent too).
[b]Jerome[/b], you can just start posting in this thread as you talk to [b]Yeager[/b]. The door's open, so those in the guard room can still hear you unless you whisper (in which case you can use a spoiler button). They'll still get Listen rolls to see if they can overhear you. You could also ask [b]Yeager[/b] to close the door if you want privacy.
Bill returned to Mary. He felt uneasy about Brian's confession about the gun - he'd been attacked but he knew that there was no way for Brian to have returned the gun... ...
He sat heavily on a chair next to Mary. He glanced at her. "We'd better get you home, Miss. I'll see if I can get a car and run you home, if that's ok?"
"Yes, thank you," said Mary, rising from her seat and allowing Bill to escort her back to the guard room. "You're so kind."
"I'll call for a patrol car for the young lady, Sarge," said Officer Jones, picking up the phone from his desk and dialing.
Barney handed Jerome one of his Mindstorm Entertainment business cards before the wheelchair-bound man rolled into the other interview room. Then Barney left the cell block with Bill and Mary, heading for the elevator. The three of them walked down the hall, and Mary pushed the button to summon the elevator. For once the doors opened immediately, as nobody else had called it since they had come down here.
Bill stood to one side to let Mary and Barney enter the elevator car, then stepped inside. He pressed the button to take the elevator to the ground floor and stood next to Mary as the doors slid closed.
The elevator arrived at the lobby, and the four people inside it got out. Mary, Barney, and Maxine returned their visitors' passes to the desk sergeant as they left. Bill walked Mary outside, where the patrol car was waiting for her. A young, handsome officer was behind the wheel. "You must be Mary," he said to her with a smile. When she nodded, he leaned across and opened the passenger door for her. "Hop in, miss. Where are you headed?"
"The girls' dorms at Penn," she said, getting into the police car.
Barney started to walk towards a Volkswagen minibus, which had peace signs, rainbows, and flower designs painted all over its surface in a garish mix of colors, as well as a smaller peace sign for a hood ornament. Two hippies with long hair sat in the front.
Jeromes places his hands on the table in front of him, and looks Officer Yeager straight in the eye.
Yeager,"You already know that I'm a scientist who works with Dr. Gregory Anderson. We've been conducting government research on a new chemical. Only Dr. Anderson knows the exact formula, but we called it Morpheus - a name the doctor came up with, which is why I'm surprised people in a bar knew it. Maybe Brian overheard his father talking about it.
We have been testing the chemical on people - college students who sign up for a study. We give them an entire glass of Morpheus mixed with chocolate milk to drink. It hasn't changed their behavior. They don't get drunk when they drink it, and they don't get high. They don't even report feeling any different. I don't think they notice it. As a street drug, Morpheus would be a complete failure. However - we haven't done enough testing to know that it has no side effects. I know it is a complicated molecule - if someone on medication, for example, took it, it might cause complications. Altogether, we would rather nobody took it outside of controlled laboratory conditions.
As far as I know, all Morpheus has been produced in our laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. A sample went missing this morning from the refrigerator where we keep them. The only person who had been in the lab other than us was Brian, so we thought that he would have taken the sample. It seems I've found him, and the sample.
The sample will be irrelevant to you in your investigation - like I said, it is completely legal, and no judge or jury would even understand what it is. However, it is somewhat difficult and expensive to prepare, and we are on a government research project - and they won't be happy with us if a sample goes missing. I'd like to ask you to return it to me - it would save me a lot of hassle."
Bill watched Mary get into the police car. He thought for a moment then stepped over to the car. He tapped on the glass and waited for her to wind the window down. He looked into oh so familiar eyes and said, "Will you be alright, Mary? Or would you prefer me to come back with you to make sure you're ok?"
OOC,I'd forgotten that [b]Maxine[/b] had already left. I edited all references to her out of my post above.
Jerome Padgett and Lieutenant John Yeager,"There's one side effect you didn't mention," said [b]Yeager[/b]. "Or maybe that's what it's supposed to do. It makes someone fall asleep and they can't be awakened normally. Do you know how to wake someone up once they've taken the drug?"
"I'll be okay," replied Mary. "I just need some time alone, that's all. But thank you again, Sergeant." She closed her door and fastened her seatbelt as the driver pulled out of the lot and turned left onto 8th Street. Meanwhile, Barney got into the VW minibus, which followed in the wake of the police car.
OOC,[b]Barney Brainstorm[/b] is moving to the thread linked below. Please stop reading the current thread at this point, and do not read any posts above the one in the link in the new thread. All other players remain in the current thread.
Bill watched the car carry Mary away and sighed heavily. He wanted to stay with her and tell her it would be ok but... ... He thought back to when he first met Mary and wondered what, if anything, he was changing with his actions. He shook his head, turned back towards the station and went in search of Yeager.
Jerome Padgett and Lieutenant John Yeager,"You're quick on the uptake," said [b]Yeager[/b]. "I'm afraid so. If you want it back, you'll have to wait for him to piss it out. He mistook it for chocolate milk, not realizing what it was. Do you know how to wake him up? If not, we'd better go talk to [b]Dr. Anderson[/b]."
Bill went back inside and called the elevator, which hadn't budged since he had come back up. He rode it down to the basement and returned to the cell block, where Yeager was still in an interview room talking to Jerome. Sergeant Rawlings, Nancy Remington, and Professor Scott were still standing in the guard room along with the two uniformed police officers.
Yeager,Jerome blinks, but takes the news in stride.
"I'm afraid not," he says, "When we ran the studies, we gave it to the subjects shortly before they went to bed, and they got up normally the next morning. If he has to be up sooner, we could try taking him to the laboratory and administer some sort of stimulant to counterract the drug, but if it isn't critical for some reason, I wouldn't advise it - we wouldn't know what we were doing or what the risks and interactions might be."
"It would be a very good idea to call Dr. Anderson about this. My preference would be to take him back to the lab and monitor him, but he should be perfectly fine if you give him a comfortable place to sleep. Ironically, I was going to suggest that if you wanted to learn anything else about Morpheus the best way would be to participate in a study."
Yeager looked up as Bill entered the guard room. "He's in the hospital right now," he said. "He should be all right there. I'd prefer to talk to Dr. Anderson face to face. I want to see how he reacts to everything. You and your associates are welcome to come along if you like." He called to Bill. "Welcome back, Dorothy! You're just in time. It looks like we're off to see the wizard. Charlie, take a uni and go down to Brian's room at the frat house to find that gun - and anything else that looks interesting. Sergeant Johns and I are going to have a chat with his father." He walked back out into the guard room, glancing back at Jerome. "You coming?"
Nancy Remington and Anthony Scott went with Jerome and the police back to the elevator.
"Commie sympathies?!" said Nancy, shaking her head. "If he heard you say that, he'd laugh in your face. He's firmly opposed to communism. He's even a member of the John Birch Society."
"You know him well, do you?" asked Yeager, an eyebrow rising.
"I've only worked with him for a couple of months, but I do have some insight into the man. He's very much in favor of winning the war in Vietnam."
"Good. He can't be all bad, then," said Charlie.
"Still, running a background would help," said Yeager. "Good thinking, Sergeant Johns. Charlie, stop off upstairs and assign one of your detectives to do it. Have him radio my car with the results. We should get them before we arrive at the prof's house. You don't happen to know where it is, do you?" he asked Nancy.
"Yes, I do," she said. "He's got a house on Pine Road, up in the Northeast. It's right near the edge of the city. How about I drive there in my car, and you follow us?"
"That works."
The elevator arrived, and everyone got inside and rode up to the lobby, where everyone but Charlie Rawlings, who stayed inside so he could return to the office, emerged. The visitors returned their passes to the desk sergeant before everyone came outside. It was already dark out. Yeager motioned for Bill to follow him to the red 1967 Ford Mustang parked nearby, and Nancy Remington waved for Anthony and Jerome to follow to her car.
OOC,If there's anything anyone wants to say or ask before the groups separate into their own cars, now's the time.
John Yeager and Bill Johns got into the red Mustang and pulled out of the lot first, followed closely by Nancy Remington and Anthony Scott in her car. Jerome brought up the rear in his van. The vehicles turned left on 7th Street and then right onto the expressway, heading into Northeast Philly.
Lieutenant John Yeager and Bill Johns,Once they were on the highway, [b]Yeager[/b] turned to [b]Bill[/b] with a smile. "Our friend in the wheelchair let something slip when I was talking to him," he said. "He mentinoed that he and [b]Dr. Anderson[/b] are doing research on Morpheus for the government. Things just got a hell of a lot more interesting."
[b]Bill[/b], if you want to talk to [b]Yeager[/b] in private, you can use spoiler buttons like this one. When you're done conversing, just make the Spot Hidden roll as in the instructions below.
OOC,Everyone, roll Spot Hidden to see if you notice anything while approaching [b]Dr. Anderson[/b]'s house.
OOC,"The Government? Did he say why they were interested in what he doing?" said [b]Bill[/b]. He knew the Government had their fingers in all sorts of dubious pies in the sixties so he was curious as what they were getting into.
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2402881/]Bill's got his eyes peeled as they approach Dr Anderson's. (1d100=71)[/url] Or not, as the case may be... :(
Yeager slowed down to let Nancy pass him and lead the way. I-95 had significant traffic even at this time of night, but it moved swiftly enough. A ramp to the right led to I-95 South, with a sign that indicated it went to the airport and Chester. I-95 North, which was the route they took, indicated that it went to Northeast Philadelphia and Trenton.
Bill Johns and Lieutenant John Yeager,"No, he didn't," said [b]Yeager[/b], "but that's one of the questions I intend to put ot [b]Dr. Anderson[/b]." He noticed the sign for I-95 South. "Your old stomping grounds, huh?"
Dr. Gregory Anderson's Home - Pine Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 10:00 PM - Wednesday, July 16th, 1969
The vehicles made their way up Pine Road after their trip to the northeast. The house where Nancy Remington stopped was a big two-story one, made out of dark red brick. A light was on in one of the downstairs windows, and a driveway led up to the garage, which was closed. A cement walkway branched off from the driveway and went up a few stairs to the front porch, where the front door stood closed.
Anthony Scott,[b]Nancy[/b] [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2404095/]noticed something out of the corner of her eye[/url] as she parked. "[b]Professor Scott[/b]," she said to [b]Anthony[/b]. "There's a pickup truck parked nearby, but I noticed someone trying to duck down in the passenger seat."
Nancy parked her car in which Anthony Scott rode just outside the house, and Lt. Yeager parked his Mustang right behind her. Jerome arrived last in his small van.
Bill Johns and Lieutenant John Yeager,"Did you see that?" asked [b]John Yeager[/b] as he parked. "[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2404103/]I just noticed a pickup truck parked nearby[/url]. It looked normal, but then I noticed someone sitting in the passenger seat ducking down so he couldn't be seen as we pulled up. I've been on enough stakeouts to know what he's doing here. I wonder who he is and what he wants with our friendly neighborhood sandman? Considering the government connection, maybe he's a Fed or something."
Nancy got out of her car too and stood back while Anthony started across the road towards where the pickup truck was parked, on the left side. Her car and the vehicles that had followed her were parked on the right, the same side of Pine Road as the house.
"Our boy's a long way from home," said Yeager, "whoever he is. Those are Louisiana plates." He got on the radio and called in to headquarters while the others got out of their vehicles. "This is Lieutenant John Yeager, calling for one of my detectives."
"Hold on, he's right here," said the radio dispatcher.
"Sir, this is Detective O'Hara," said an older man's voice on the radio. "I've got the background on Dr. Gregory Anderson you wanted. 48 years old, no criminal record, but he does have a military service record. He was a U.S. Army medic during World War Two, in the European theater, and he was awarded a few medals. He served from 1942-1948, including occupation duty in West Berlin. He's from D.C., and he got his M.D. at Johns Hopkins when he came back from Europe. He taught at George Washington University until last year, when he took a position at Penn. It'll take more time to find out any more details."
"That'll have to do for now, then," said Yeager, "but see what you can dig up. Also, I've got a license plate for you to run. Louisiana, 234I101."
"Will do, Lou. O'Hara out."
Yeager opened his door and motioned for Bill to follow him. "You might want to hang back," he said to Anthony. "We'll check it out."
Yeager grabbed a flashlight from his car, and then he and Bill approached the vehicle while Anthony, Jerome, and Nancy hung back. Yeager took the lead and walked carefully up to the passenger side door. When he got there, he shined his flashlight into the window, revealing two men in the pickup's cab. They were ducking down in an effort to avoid being seen. The driver had concealed himself well, and they did not see him until Yeager had shined his light inside. He was a very handsome white man of average height and weight who was about thirty years old, with long dark hair. The man in the passenger seat had the top of his head sticking up so that it was visible from the window, which was how Yeager had noticed him in the first place. The second man was a tall, plain-looking white man in his mid-twenties who wore fancier clothes than the driver.
"And what are you two gentlemen doing out here at this time of night?" asked Yeager.
"Oh my Bon ami had a liddle to much to drink," said the driver, his accent showing that he hailed from Louisiana. "I was tryin to get him home when he started gettin' car sick. I figured I'd just pull over for a bit till he get his wind back and can give me directions. I ain't used to de big city and got lost."
OOC,If Anthony can hear what is going on he tries to tell if they are lying, which he suspects they are. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2424664/]Psychology 57, failed.[/url]
The passenger blinked blearily into the flashlight beam.
"You've got a good nose," said Yeager to Bill with a smile. "I smelled it a mile away, and boy does it stink! Right." He took out his badge and pressed it against the glass. "Philly PD. Both of you out of the vehicle." He focused on the driver. "And you, bring your license and registration. And I want the truth about what you're doing here this time."
OOC,[b]Bill[/b] and [b]Jerome[/b], feel free to roll Psychology too.
The driver retrieved his registration from the glove box and slid out of the car with a smile on his face. "Sorry officers but it be de truth," he said. "I'm new in town and met dis fella at a bar. He heard I was looking for work and offered to ask around for me. I figured since he was so drunk I would give him a lift home and dat way it wouldn't slip his mind that he was gonna help me out."
Bill tried to open the passenger door, but it was locked. The passenger then opened his door and stepped out of the truck too, wobbling as he walked.
Yeager put his badge away and took the license and registration from the driver after he emerged from the vehicle.
