IC-Chapter 1-The Cygnet Committee(Richard/Christopher)

[Mr. Handy]

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," said Emily, nodding. "I'll talk to my lawyer again later. Maybe Mr. Gains will say it's okay to say something." She headed into the classroom.

[CrackheadC.]

OOC,Anderson said all the doses he had stored checked out right? Just trying to figure out my next move

Richard smiles as Emily goes into her class - hopefully she reached her enough to change her mind in the future and talk to him about what had happened. Until then he needed to get more information on the testing - any other students who might had had issues or anything that might have happened during the test that was not legitimate or might have indicated a student's extra interest in the drug.

The only answers he could get for the moment would be through Ms. Remington since Dr. Anderson was sure not to be back with the remainder of the paperwork yet and Remington had the only key to the lab. So Richard took up a seat at the back of her class and waited until it was finished to talk to her.

[Mr. Handy]

Nancy Remington noticed that Richard was sitting in on her class, but she said nothing and launched into her lecture about different personality types. The students, including Emily, listened and took notes. It was at least somewhat interesting, and even though it was a subject outside his area of expertise, she used terms that made it easy for him to understand. Of course, the class probably was an introductory one. She was also easy on the eyes, which helped make the time fly past.

Shortly before 2:00, she concluded her lecture and dismissed the class. The students filed out, leaving only Nancy and Richard in the classroom.

OOC,Yes, that's correct.

[CrackheadC.]

"That was a wonderful lecture Ms. Remington," Richard says as he gets out of his chair and approaches her at the front of the class. "I'm Richard Cane, I work at the library. I'm also currently helping Dr. Anderson with some problems that his sleep study has run into." Richard extends his hand in a friendly greeting.

"Dr. Anderson said that you work on the project as well, correct? He said that you might be able to answer some questions for me, are you free now?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, Mr. Cane," said Nancy, shaking Richard's hand with a light grip. " Yes, that's right, I'm assisting Professor Anderson. He mentioned you'd be helping when I stopped by the lab this morning. I've got some time before I have to be anywhere, so I can answer any questions you may have."

[CrackheadC.]

OOC,I just got back, sorry for such a long delay. If I haven't been put too far away I'd like to continue. I need to review the thread so I can remember what it is I wanted to ask Nancy and my next leads, then I'll post ASAP. If you remember what I had planned you can jog my memory to what that would be appreciated.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,That's okay, we can proceed at your own pace; none of the other players are waiting on you for anything. I'm sorry, but I can't remember what you planned to ask [b]Nancy[/b] or your current leads and I don't have time tonight to search for the information, but reviewing this thread should give you the details.

[CrackheadC.]

OOC,I see what it was now, I wanted to ask her about lab conditions - the missing bottles - if any students acted abnormally after the trial (asking questions about the drug) - how effect the drug was, if she tried it, about Emily's condition if she has noticed anything different, and finally about Dr. Anderson's son. Post pending, this list is here to just remind me what I was looking for with her. Trying to put together my character for the Orphanage game too so I don't hold things up there.

[CrackheadC.]

"This should only take a few minutes." Richard flipped open his notebook took out his pencil, "First, I wanted to ask you about the students who participated in the trials so far. I understand that the Morpheus was mixed with chocolate milk to disguise it and form a proper control group. Do you think it was possible for any of the students to figure out that they had the actual drug before taking it, possibly hiding the real drug and taking a fake instead? I ask because in the lab I noticed something that looked like someone may have stored the thermoses for the drug and taken them out at a later date - possibly even a former lab assistant?"

Richard waits for her answer before moving on, "Also, on the topic of the students, did any of them seem to gain a deeper interest in the drug after taking it? Perhaps asking more questions than what usual curiosity would have? And beyond that could you give me your professional opinion of the students who took the drug, did any of them seem to exhibit a personality change or other noticeable side-effects? And of course, what do you think about Miss Emily Simmons and her accident, could it have been caused by some sort of flashback?"

Richard will wait for her to finish answering, writing notes all the while, before moving on to follow up questions should he have any.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, I don't think the students could have figured out which group they were in before taking the Morpheus," said Nancy. "There's certainly no way they could have swapped it out for a fake. The fridge is kept padlocked, and we hand the doses to the students and watch them to make sure they drink the whole thing. None of them expressed an undue interest in Morpheus or even knew what it was called. There are thermoses kept in the lab, yes. I know that when Brian Anderson stole that dose, he used one of them to transport it, but there were no others missing at the time. Are you saying there were more missing?

"The three students who were in the group that took Morpheus seemed the same before and after. I interviewed them myself with an eye on learning their states of mind. There was some mild confusion and disorientation upon awakening, but we got that with the control group too. It's common to feel that way when you've just woken up from a dream. Emily Simmons always seemed to have a level head on her shoulders to me. I heard about her accident, and I don't really know what to say. I suppose it's possible that she had a flashback to her Morpheus-induced dreams. She had seen monsters in one of them too. I don't know whether the Morpheus could cause a flashback, or if it was purely psychological out of the fear she felt from her nightmare. Emily doesn't take any drugs; she won't even touch caffeine. Maybe that has something to do with it. She could have been nodding off behind the wheel. It did happen late at night. Have you spoken to her yet?"

[CrackheadC.]

"Mmm, yes there were some missing thermoses - or at least it appeared as if there were some missing thermoses it sounds silly but there were suspicious dust marks in one of the cabinets, but Dr. Anderson checked out the doses and they all appeared to be on the level. I thought perhaps someone had replaced a dose and stolen some, but I appear to have been mistaken." Richard said.

"Yes, I spoke to her just before class. She seemed willing to talk to me about it more, but she wanted to consult her lawyer before going any further into it. I guess he told her, probably with good reason, not to talk about it." He continued, "As far as I know Dr. Anderson's son is the only one that took any outside of the lab, but is it possible for anyone aside from Dr. Anderson to have made more of the Morpheus? He assured me there wasn't, but scientists tend to have more than a little hubris when it comes to their creations."

After Nancy finishes answering the last of his questions, Richard will ask, "Is there anything else you think I might need to know while I keep looking into this? Any suggestions on who might have broken into the lab or be prowling around other than Brian?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Maybe you were mistaken," said Nancy, "but maybe Dr. Anderson was. If more thermoses are missing, there's a chance that someone did swipe some more Morpheus, only this time whoever did it was smart enough to replace it with something chemically similar, or took some of it and watered down the rest. I don't know who might want to do it, though. Dr. Anderson hasn't told anyone else the formula to Morpheus. I assume he's gotten it written down in some secure place just in case something happens to him, but you're right, he won't share it with anyone. As for Emily SImmons, maybe it would help her open up if I have a talk with her. I know her pretty well, and I know where her next class is. If I hurry, I can catch up with her before it starts."

[CrackheadC.]

"If you can get through to her that would be great - or maybe if she doesn't trust you, you can help her trust me. I told her about some of the chemicals and experiments from the war, so she would know that she doesn't have to deal with it alone - that I am on her side." Richard replies.

"I think that's everything for now, if you need to get a hold of me you can leave a message at the science library or at the lab, but I would prefer one left at the library."

[Mr. Handy]

"She trusts me," said Nancy. "I'll go talk to her now, before her next class starts. If she tells me about it, I'll leave you a message at the library, Mr. Cane. Good afternoon." She walked down the hall towards the building entrance.

[CrackheadC.]

"Thank you for your time Ms. Remmington, you have been a big help." Richard says. After completing his notes from the two short interviews Richard heads back to the lab to see if Dr. Anderson has returned with his complete set of notes on the project.

[Mr. Handy]

John Morgan Hall, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
2:10 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969

When Richard returned to the lab in Room 110, Dr. Anderson was already back. He was working with a machine when Richard entered. "Oh, hello, Mr. Cane," he said, looking up. "Just checking that the EEG machines are in working order for the experiment. Any luck?"

[CrackheadC.]

"I didn't get much out of Ms. Simmons, but it seems she is willing to open up at a later time provided her lawyer is as agreeable as she is." Richard took a seat, "Ms. Remington was helpful as well, she said she will talk to Ms. Simmons some more ask she trusts her."

Richard sighs while looking over his own notes and Dr. Anderson's incomprehensible notes, "I suppose the only person left for me to talk to at the moment would be your son. Do you know where he is?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't know where he is at the moment," said Professor Anderson, "but Brian will be heading for his chemistry class soon. It's his last class of the day, and it lets out at 3:30. He lives at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house. I don't know how amenable he'll be to answering questions, but it's worth a try. I also retrieved a full copy of my research notes, if you're interested. The accounts of the subjects' dreams may be more accessible than the more technical material."