Convergence

[HoneyDog]

“Whatever” says Nik, rubbing his eyes. “Look, the town is filled with UFO conspiracy nuts. If one of them gets the idea that there’s a team of feds here to investigate it, they’ll never leave us alone, and it’s going to bring a lot of heat down on us. So we have to avoid attention if we can.”

He swings his legs over the side of the bed and stretches them.

“Especially as I think it could be an extraterrestrial threat behind this, and we really will be investigating it.”

[Mr. Handy]

"I've got my own vest on too," says Vanessa. "It's concealed under my clothes, so people aren't going to notice. You never know when you'll need it. If we run into someone who can kill you with a single punch, we can't exactly ask them to wait while we put our vests on. I also brought pepper spray, so we have a nonlethal way of bringing someone like that down. I do like this place. It kind of reminds me of Mayberry. I hope we can put all this to rest so it can go back to being peaceful and left alone. We'll want to talk to Spivey's mother and girlfriend tomorrow morning. We may want to split up into pairs. Having all four of us together would attract more attention."

[HoneyDog]

“You want to use pepper spray on a guy that can punch your head clean off? How the hell do you think you could restrain him? They had to shoot Spivey several times before he went down, in case you've forgotten. Good luck with that.”

Nik shakes his head in despair.

“We should talk to the mom and girlfriend, but I want to talk to that Saucerwatch guy. As those kind of organisations go, they seem to be a lot more professional about their investigations. He might have learnt something of interest, if he’s still here. I’ll have to get his last whereabouts from the Sheriff though.”

[jp1885]

"Well, we're certainly off to a good start, arguing like this," sighs Griff.

"Yeah, Billy's family and girlfriend should be our first port of call, and this Adams guy. Maybe we should also triangulate all the supposed cattle disappearances - it might be nonsense, but if whoever experimented on Billy started off on animals, then there might be a pattern somewhere. Who knows? There could be a whole bunch of surgically altered livestock roaming the countryside - do we want them entering the food chain?"

He rubs his head.

"Damn, I sure hope I don't look as crazy as I sound... Hey, did you see how the locals reacted to us? I ain't sure that's just mistrust of outsiders..."

[Anatomist]

"So off to pairs it seems, thats ok with me at least. Ill suggest cop with paramedic should be a good pair." José grins at Nik and then giving him a playful smile "I go with you asshole, wherever that is"

OOC:   José will agree on whatever plan is made fo the morning as long he pairs up with Nik

[HoneyDog]

“We’re not arguing – sorry I don’t know your name – we’re getting to know each other” Nik tells Griff.

“That’s a good idea about the cattle – I doubt its nonsense. There must be somewhere where they’re doing these surgeries, unless it’s on their spacecraft. But maybe they have a favourite locale. I can ask the Sheriff about the disappearances. I’ll have to spin a story for him. We don't have to split up yet, it might be better to get locations for everything first.”

[jp1885]

"Call me Griff. I'll go with whatever you guys decide, but I think we've got a rough plan of action: talk to some folks, pinpoint some locations (I did ask for the deputy to get me a list of farms) and then decide if we need to split up. If we do, José is right, we should pair up as agent and paramedic."

[HoneyDog]

"I'll call the sheriff's office now and let them know we'll be over first thing tomorrow".

Nik opens his phone and makes the call.

[Silver Priest]

It occurred to Nik that the sheriff said that he'd have the list of abandoned farmhouses available sometime in the afternoon-- if he wanted to avoid having to make a second trip down to the station they may want to wait until then and kill two birds with one stone. It was all a matter of how much they wanted to risk bringing law enforcement in to the real reason that they were here.

However, before Nik can make a call, there's a polite knock on the hotel room door.

[Mr. Handy]

Without making a sound, Vanessa slips up to the door and peeks out through the peephole to see who is there.

[Silver Priest]

Vanessa sees a familiar face, albeit it not a comforting one. It's Sonja Dewey, the Phenomen-X reporter she and Nik had met back in May during the Glendridge,Long Island investigation. Their she had tried to convince the FBI agents to give her details as to the grizzly nature of the case, but Nik had successfully misdirected her by sending her off to investigate an old operation of theirs. Vanessa seems to recall that Phenomen-X was big into investigating the unusual and purported paranormal incidents; Groverville must be catnip for them.

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa tiptoes back to Nik and whispers: "It's Sonja Dewey, your old friend."

[HoneyDog]

"Aw, shit" mutters Nik in dismay. "She must have seen us and put two and two together. She won't be easy to get rid of. We'll have to make a deal. You okay with that?"

[jp1885]

Griff has no idea who this woman is, but clearly she's trouble. Not wishing to make matters worse, he keeps out of view and says nothing, leaving it to the professionals to get rid of the reporter.

[Anatomist]

José stay quiet.

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa nods, knowing that Sonja won't be diverted a second time.

[Silver Priest]

Apparently deciding that hiding under their beds is not an effective strategy, the agents decide to open the door. Sonja begins speaking almost immediately.

"Sonja Dewey. I'm a reporter with Phenomen-X. I'm interested in what brings a state task force to Grov__"

And then her eyes fall on Nik and Vanessa, and the pleasant reporter smile becomes something else entirely. It's still a smile, but now one that resembles a cat that has cornered the biggest rat of its life.

"Oh. Now this is interesting. Agent Marchand. Oh and Agent Siilasvuo. A pleasure to see you both again. And two newcomers. What might your names be?

"It's funny, you know?" she continues, "A state task force investigating this town would be an interesting enough hook, but a group of FBI agents poking around in a hotspot for UFO activity? Among them the same group of FBI agents who I encountered a year ago at another event that was thought to have a paranormal connection... oh, the viewers are going to eat this up! You getting this, Allen?"

An older man behind Dewey hefts his camera and records the agents. "Crystal, Sonja."

As for Sonja herself,she is one of the most attractive women any of them have seen. She is in late middle twenties, with short cropped black hair, expressive brown eyes, and designer clothes that look like they just came out of a Hollywood starlet's closet. Nik notes with some frustration that the last year has not diminished her in anyway.

[jp1885]

Griff groans inwardly - so much for not drawing attention to themselves!

Usually he hated reporters, especially the hacks who often hung around emergency incidents like hyenas, trying to get the scoop on the latest tragedy; poking their noses right in the middle of resus.

Still, the chick is hot. Hey didn't he recognise her from somewhere? Oh yeah, that dumb TV show he sometimes watches when he's on the night shift.

Still, being hot doesn't qualify for having your pal film a government agent, or whatever the hell he's supposed to be.

Trying to act nonplussed, he takes out his notepad and pen and begins to write.

"Sonja Dewey and Allen...? Sorry pal, your surname please? Just for... y'know..."

[Silver Priest]

"Eddington." The man replies gruffly, not even pausing from his filming. He's a brawny man with a big bushy beard. He's mid 50's or so, and looks every one of his years. He has a large scar going down the side of his face,along with burns on his hands, suggesting he has seen some things.

[Anatomist]

José instantly recognizes Sonja "hottest chick on late TV" Dewey as he and his manly colleagues would call her. He stands his ground though, not saying anything when queried.