Return To Sender

[HoneyDog]

“Don’t worry” Andre reassures Dr. Fulani. “I don’t have the skills for computer hacking.”

He looks for any public information on Amalgamated BioCarb – a website, and if there are any news stories relating to them.

Search,Search 50 +20: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/824628]Search[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]42[/b]

He also searches for any recent news articles relating to the Blackfoot Reservation.

Search,Search 50 +20: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/824630]Search[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]83[/b]

[Silver Priest]

Andre,[b]Andre[/b] begins by searching for Amalgamated BioCarb website. One pops up, but it is surprisingly bare bones and covered in corporate speak. Very little of it is informative. Undeterred, he searches for information about the company, and is successful in learning a bit more about their history. [i]Amalgamated Bio-Carb, Inc, or ABC for short, is an aggressive bio-technology research and production firm, publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol AMAL. They seek to patent new drugs and chemicals which have applications to human (and to a lesser degree, animal) medical needs. They also subcontract their chemical and pharmaceutical production facilities, producing orders for customers around the world. But the long-term corporate goal is to turn their own production facilities to the production of patented drugs that ABC produces. ABC currently has twenty-three drug patents pending. They seem particularly interested in drugs that affect the central nervous system: anti-psychotics, anti-seizure medication, etc. Their first commercial product, currently undergoing FDA review, is a drug used to revive long-term coma patients called Reverol. ABC has also been seeking artificial neurotransmitters which could be used to "bridge the gap" in severed nerve ganglia. Such a neurotransmitter would effectively end the suffering of millions of people suffering from various forms of nerve damage and paralysis (not to mention make the company millions.). Their stock was issued in 1995 at $5/ share, and has been as high as $57; at present, it's hovering in the low 20S, due to some apparent skepticism in the efficiency of Reverol in clinical trials. Nonetheless, analysts who follow the volatile field of cutting-edge biotech stocks predict that if ABC's coma drug is approved, they'll hit a twelve-month high of 128, with a three-year possibility of 260. With one million shares i.n play, their current market capitalization is about $23 million. Most analysts seem to be cautiously optimistic in the company's future growth.[/i] *** Then [b]Andre[/b] decides to look up recent information on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation. Here he and [b]Fulani[/b] have little luck, or there simply is little of note to find. He does find a few tourists review of the place, and they describe it as being breathtakingly beautiful, with snow capped mountains, clear blue skies, and deep blue lakes. It's around this time that Andre's phone rings, and [b]Vanessa and Jose [/b]report they've finished up at the green box. [ooc]Andre can feel free to do more research if he likes, or something else.[/ooc]

OOC:   Vanessa: It's 3:00 pm, and you have finished gathering the supplies at the green box. I'm assuming you've called Andre and are talking to him now and planning out your next steps.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Yes, that sounds good to me.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,I'm guessing it's okay for Mr. Handy to read the last personal post for Andre.

Andre communicates his findings to Vanessa.

“I’m guessing that this Reverol drug might be what we’re ultimately looking into, but I’m drawing a blank at what to search for now. The company doesn’t have much publicity. Maybe if we can get information on personnel – CEOs, shareholders and the like. The FDA would be a good place to start, but I don’t know anyone there. Do you have any ideas?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, we need to look up the patent for Reverol with the U.S. Patent Office," says Vanessa. "That's all public information, and they probably have a searchable website. I can translate it from medicalese, or Jose can."

[Silver Priest]

"Well, from what you told us, we'll know if Thomas Iron Shirt has a record soon," Jose responds. "Maybe you could see if Fiona does as well? Or you could look up more information on Amalgamated BioCarb-- it sounds like you've found a lot of business information, but maybe they've been in the news before, or we can find out if Iron Shirt had any connection to the company. I think searching for big investors in the company is a good idea. See if Drake recognizes any of the names? Maybe they're associated with those other guys in the government. This strikes me as the sort of thing they'd do." Andre has heard of Majestic-12, and suspects that's who Jose is referring to.

"There's also the chance to go back to the Ecotopian and pull out a badge. It's more intimidating and would probably attract attention, but it might get some of the workers to spill anything incriminating they're hiding. I'm not an FBI agent like you and Vanessa though, so I'm not sure if you want to do that. I also agree that finding information on Reverol will be fairly straightforward-- heck, even I should be able to do it. If both of you want to do other things I can see what I can track down on that lead; drug trials and the like. Vanessa can come to the university and help you search, or research another lead.."

[HoneyDog]

OOC,Andre already indicated that he was looking for news stories on ABC in the previous posts. I was under the impression he didn’t find anything?

“Okay” says Andre. “Good ideas. But I don’t like the thought of going back to The Ectopian. We have no warrant to conduct a search, and if they call our bluff and check up on us we can get in real trouble. I’m supposed to be conducting training, not working cases. We have no idea if the other workers there are familiar with this issue, and as journos they probably don't give information away easily. From the way that his letter was worded, I got the impression that this was the first time Iron Shirt had contacted Lin Wei anyway. I’m going to start the searches now. Before you come here to the university, I suggest you might want to hire a suitable vehicle to take us to Montana. A van would be good, something with 4wd. We’ll be heading out to the reservation.”

Andre hangs up before anyone can respond and begins the search.

Rolls,Search 50 +20 For searching names relating to company personnel: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/826733]Search[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]33[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, let's go rent us a ride," says Vanessa. "Then we'll meet up with him at the university."

[Silver Priest]

Andre,[ooc]Sorry about that. The way this information is laid out is that it requires a roll for each nugget you uncover. But I find I don't really like that approach, and you rolled a critical success for it anyway so I'm going to give you a lot now. I'll spread the information out over a few posts so you can react to it, make any follow up inquiries you may have, and allow for time to pass, as it will take more than an hour to find all of this. Also I apologize, this will be a huge wall of text.[/ooc] [b]Andre[/b] continues his research, and with the aid of [b]Dr. Fulani[/b] he makes great progress. Eventually he's able to find enough that he can send her away if he likes, though she is happy to help for as long as he wants. There's no immediate news stories about ABC, but [b]Andre[/b] digs further into the business news and is rewarded with more information. He finds a listing of the companies major shareholders; the names mean nothing to him, but those he can find information on tend to come from withinside the company, largely administrative or R&D personal. A bit more internet searching finds a analysis of the companies future, one that does not seem entirely rosy: "[i]Amalgamated Bio-Carb,Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAL) is running low on capital, due to the high burn rate typical of the emerging biotech sector. The CEO, Dr. Leslie [b]Dehaveland[/b], has been pouring money into research and development but has yet to bring a product to market. ABC's contracts for small-scale pharmaceutical productionhave helped, but investors have seen a lot of biotech companies come and go and few have lived up to their potential; Fears are that ABC may be just another flameout waiting to happen. If the FDA denies the coma drug Reverol or it flounders in the marketplace, [b]Dr. Dehaveland [/b]may be out of a job. Rumors of infighting on the board of directors have further destabilized the stock price, and several larger companies have made quiet noises about a hostile takeover. ABC is allegedly looking for a 'White Knight' to invest in the company in order to stave off just such a takeover.[/i] The article is dated from two months ago. Deciding to pursue the matter further, [b]Andre [/b]looks more into the background of ABC. He discovers the company is far from rosy, and in its short existence (It was founded in 92) has developed a reputation for playing fast and loose when it comes to FDA and EPA regulations. They have set up most of their production and facilities outside American. jurisdiction, preferring such locales as a Blackfoot reservation, South Korea, Taiwan, and the People's Republic of China, although their headquarters and primary research facility is located just outside Baltimore, Maryland. There is a persistent rumor that ABC researchers have conducted human experimentation in China as part of their program to repair neural damage, and their name has been mentioned by congressional representatives in conjunction with the ongoing debate over high-technology leaks to China. None of these rumors have been proven, and ABC denies all allegations, but they may be one of the reasons why none of the large pharmaceutical corporations has moved to take over ABC through a stock buyout. While ABC has a great reservoir of research to be plundered, any incoming owners would become liable for any suits or fines resulting from ABC's violations of FDA and EPA regulations. [b]Andre [/b]looks at the clock and sees that another hour has gone by. His eyes are starting to burn, but he should be able to keep searching if he thinks their is more to find.

Jose and Vanessa,"[color=#0000FF]Sounds good.[/color]" [b]Jose[/b] says. "[color=#0000FF]If you don't mind can you rent the car while I look into Reverol? It seems to make more sense to split our efforts. But um, be careful, [b]Vanessa[/b]. Renting a car's definitely gonna leave a paper trail if things get hairy. Not to mention probably cost a fair amount. And I don't have enough to cover for it, I'm afraid[/color]." [ooc]Vanessa can roll Accounting or Int*5 to see if she has the money to rent her desired vehicle. A fail means she can still get it, but it will reduce one of her bonds by 1 point as she has to go into debt.[/ooc]

[HoneyDog]

Andre invites Dr. Fulani to look through what he has found.

“We’re checking this company, trying to find out more about them” he tells her.

He starts to search for any information about Dr. Leslie Dehaveland.

Search,Search 50 +20: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/827412]Search[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]39[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

"I've got the money to cover this," says Vanessa. "You paid for the lab, so it's my turn this time. I agree that leaving a paper trail is a concern, but I don't see what alternative we have."

OOC,INT x 5 roll (55% stat) to come up with the money for the rental: [dice]0[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

Andre,"[color=#0000FF]They don't seem very upstanding, though that's hardly a surprise. Many of these companies have appalling records on everything from human rights to environmental issues[/color]." Dr.[b] Fulani[/b] points out. She continues to help him search if asked. There's not too much out there on the internet concerning [b]Leslie Dehaveland,[/b] but an article in the[i] Baltimore Sun [/i]from last year briefly mentions some details. She's in her mid 50's, and graduated with a PHD in neuroscience from Yale. She worked for a few major pharmaceutical companies but started ABC in 1992, due in part to her feeling that the corporate landscape was full of inertia and unwilling to take chances on emerging technology and drugs. She's seen as a strong example of a female CEO in a male dominated profession. The article ends by saying she overseas the Maryland office of ABC and has survived two attempts to force her out of the company. Other than that, Andre can find very little. Suspecting the company is shady, he does some more digging, and finds one last critical article from a corporate watchdog group. [i]Pharmaceutical company Amalgamated Bio-Carb, Inc.may have been involved with some serious legal violations in its overseas operations. In the last year, ABC has retained [b]Ray Turner[/b] as a Special Projects Consultant for their plant on the Blackfoot Indian reservation. As we've documented previously, Turner has long been known as a corporate "fixer" who has allegedly engaged in criminal actions in support of corporate policy. He's been suspected in the bribery of legislators in Taiwan in 1995, of supporting labor unrest in the Philippines to pressure legislators into granting construction permits for a chemical plant in Manila, and blackmailing government officials in Malaysia to halt the investigation of a fire at an oil refinery that killed five people. Attempts to contact ABC to ask about this led to stonewalling. [/i] It's around this time[b] Andre[/b] gets a call back from his friend. [b]William Thomas Iron Shirt's [/b]name came up in the FBI's records; He's 20 years old, and a citizen of the Blackfoot Reservation. He has had six juvenile and two adult arrests for trespassing, burglary, and petite larceny. His last listed physical address is with his father, [b]Robert Iron Shirt[/b], on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation. [b]Andre's[/b] phone rings again. It's [b]Jose.[/b] He points out that he and Vanessa are done with their tasks and asking if he wants to meet for an early dinner; it's just after 5.

Jose and Vanessa,[b]Vanessa [/b]is able to find the money and pays for the car without any difficulty. She and the team will have it for ten days, which should hopefully be enough time to finish whatever they need to do and return it in one piece. [b]Jose [/b]meets with her afterwards. [color=#0000FF]"Did some research on my end. Think we should go meet up with[b] Andre[/b][/color]? I'll call him and ask."

[HoneyDog]

Andre makes printouts of the relevant information to show the others, and thanks his friend for the information.

At the call from Jose, he hesitates.

“Can you meet me here? There’s one more name to look at. Then we can eat and head off.”

He looks for information on Ray Turner. If he can find any kind of address for him, he’ll run him through VICAP too.

Search,Search 50 +20: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/827760]Search[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]48[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's go meet up at the university, then," says Vanessa.

[Silver Priest]

"It's no trouble," Dr. Fulani tells Andre. "Here's my number. If you need any more help don't hesitate to contact me. I can't leave Berkeley but I'm good at digging things up from time to time."

Andre finds a few articles about Ray Turner, but unfortunately new little information. He doe seem to have a sketchy past, however, and there are several stories covering companies he worked for over the past decade or so and suspicious behavior at each during his tenure there. Andre notes that he does not seem to stay at any one company for long; three years was the longest. But the fact that he keeps getting hired suggests he gets results. A check of the shareholder's indicates Turner is one of the top ten, suggesting he has invested heavily into the company. What's more, he seems to have tripled his ownership since the start of the year.

A VICAP search finds he is clean. For all the bad rumors surrounding him, he's never been charged with anything.

It's around this time that Vanessa and Jose arrive in their rented vehicle. They can easily find Andre.

[Mr. Handy]

Once they have some privacy, Vanessa fills Andre in about their findings and asks what he has learned.

[HoneyDog]

Andre says goodbye to Dr. Fulani and thanks her for her help.

“Let’s get a quick bite and head out” he tells Vanessa. “Maybe we can make our destination by the day after tomorrow.”

He fills the others in on the details he has found and his thoughts as they are driving.

“With a record, it’s doubtful Iron Shirt works at ABC” he says. “I wonder how he came by the dog? I suspect that he might have tried breaking in to the facility. He has a record for burglary. Maybe when we arrive, we should check with the tribal police? I don’t think reservations take kindly to FBI poking around, so maybe you guys should take the lead, unless you’re FBI too.”

[Mr. Handy]

"I am FBI," says Vanessa, "so that leaves Jose. We'll have to be discreet about our inquiries. I don't think the head's disappearance will have gone unnoticed, and if strangers show up and start asking questions about Thomas Iron Shirt, people may get suspicious of him."

[HoneyDog]

Andre is silent for a moment.

“I think you’re right, Vanessa. Iron Shirt obviously wants to tell his story, so maybe he’ll be willing to talk to us freely. We’re going to stick out though, driving around the reservation. Maybe we can contact him, get him to meet us outside. We could claim to be from The Ectopian. Meet him in a public place, so he doesn’t get spooked.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Lying to him's not a good idea," says Vanessa, "especially since he can easily check with The Ecotopian and find out we have nothing to do with them. We don't want to destroy his trust in us, or he'll never open up to us. Maybe we should use a part of the truth. Maybe we can tell him we're with the FBI and that we're investigating ABC."