Play@YSDC

"The so-called Holy Redeemer never showed up on the tapes," says Vanessa. "They kept saying he was coming, though. They also mentioned a Saint Yig. I agree, we need to call DG and see what they can find out about all this. It must have been one of their operations. Then let's go back to the cabin."

Nik shudders. What kind of thing can give you the power to bring people back from the dead? Whatever it is, he’s beginning to feel sick about the possibility of burning something to death.

Using the number given to them in the briefing dossier, Vanessa calls DG. The phone rings three times before it's picked up.

"Cell and Names." The voice asks by way of greeting. The voice itself is female, tight and free of all emotion.

Once this information is given, the voice answers. "Affirmative. Report in, what is the situation there?"

Vanessa tells her what they have discovered so far. "We would like more information on the operation involving the Church of the Holy Redeemer in 1992 and 1993," she says. "Specifically, we'd like to learn about what happened to Selina and Pastor Michael, and more about the role Baughman played."

There's a slight pause from the other end of the line.

"I'll get you the information. I'll need to make some calls, however give me some time; I should have it within the hour." The call is abruptly terminated.

The team returns to the cabin. Even though it's now day, the weather is not cooperating; a light but persistent drizzle has begun, and clouds have conspired to block out the sun. Perhaps it is because of this that the cabin looks so ominous when the agents pull up to it. Or maybe it's because they now know that something lurks here that they've been tasked with eliminating.

It's around this time that Vanessa's phone rings once again. It's truly good fortune that she's able to get reception out here. The caller is the same woman, who begins with asking the same question she had asked before. "Cell and code names."

Once these are given, she begins to lay out what she has. "It was a church located in a small town in Georgia. It had the trappings of Christianity, but the deeper levels of the cult were something else entirely. We were clued in to it by an asset who alerted us that it was potentially within our wheelhouse. Agent Baughman, or PETRIS as he was better known, was by then not on active duty. But he was called in as additional backup by the cell leader, who whom he had a prior working relationship.

After observation detailed to us that something unnatural was going on within the church, the order was given to liquidate." She speaks about giving the order to kill dozens of American citizens like one would discuss cracking an egg. "It was a successful operation. All high ranking members of the cult were reported as dead. The SELENA entity was captured, but due to unique hyper geometric rituals, magics if you wish to be vulgar, killing it proved difficult. Eventually the cell reported they had successfully destroyed it. We had no reason to doubt them. at the time.

"As for the Pastor, he was reported dead with the rest of the cult when P-Cell reported in. The cell had been reliable up to that point, so we see no reason to doubt them on this either. The church was burned down and the bodies disposed of. The operation was considered a success.

Agent Baughman's roll would have been to examine the finances of the church and determine how and where it's influence stretched, as well as how to subvert it. If he was called into active duty I can only assume the team wanted another gun.

A slight pause. "Agent SALLY, that you know any of this is a security breach in it of itself. Delta Green agents are not encouraged to keep records of their engagements. Ensure you remove any of the sort. And if you suspect Agent Baughman became compromised in some fashion or was either working for or sympathizing with the cult report this information."

[

"Thank you for the information," says Vanessa. "We'll remove all of the materials. I do have suspicions about Agent Baughman's motives. His wife Marlene died in early 1993, and I think he tortured Michael in order to find out how he brought Selina back from the dead so that he could do the same thing to Marlene. She is most likely in the septic tank at the cabin he owns. He left instructions to pour twenty gallons of gasoline in the septic tank and ignite it in the event of his death, because he could not bring himself to do it. From your description of the SELENA entity, I take it she was no longer human after she was killed, that something else must have been brought in that took control of the body. We may be dealing with a similar situation."

"Agent SALLY, it is on you and your cell to correct Baughman's mistakes. Burn whatever is in that tank. Regardless of what it once was, it has been tainted by hyper geometric principals and is now a threat. Offer a full report once you are done."

Once again, the call terminates.

Nik

"What's the word Marchand? Do we have a better idea about what we're dealing with?" asks Nik as Marchand comes off the phone.

Vanessa fills the others in on what she has learned and Delta Green's instructions. "Baughman apparently knew Marlene - or whatever she had become - was dangerous, but he couldn't bring himself to put her down," she says.

“I see.”

Nik feels himself beginning to sweat.

“Are you two okay to go through with this?” he asks.

"Well..." says Vanessa. "I'd feel better if I could confirm that she isn't actually human any more, and not just 'tainted by hyper geometric principles' - whatever those are. Whatever she is, she's dangerous, that much is clear. Going in for a closer look would be a bad idea. Baughman specifically warned us not to do it. He loved her, or who she used to be, so he couldn't do the job himself. I love dogs, but if I found a rabid dog, I'd have to put it down. Best thing for the poor dog, too. Maybe this is something along those lines," she rationalizes.

Nik

“Sure, but you wouldn’t douse your dog in gasoline and roast him to death. Shit, let’s get to it.”

On the way out to the shed Nik stops by the footlocker and retrieves the matches and candles. After a pause, he picks up the L85 rifle and strips it to make sure it’s in working order.

“We might need it” he tells the others. He slips the spare magazines into his jacket pockets.

OOC:   After checking it, can I assume it's still in working order SP?

As best as Nik can tell, the rifle appears functional and safe to use.The team head back outside and get to work.

The shed is largely empty save for the gallons of gasoline. There are exactly 20 of them, all weighing one pound each. Each agent can lift a few and bring them over to the septic tank. It's a simple matter of a few trips to retrieve them all, hampered only by the slight rain that continues to persist.

The tank itself currently has only its hatch visible. It's locked rather securely, but a key from Baughman's set opens it. Right behind it is yet another hatch, this one locked as well. But it took is easily opened by yet another key. It would appear however that Baughman had taken great caution to keep whatever he kept in here secure.

The insides of the tank are large, larger than would seem necessarily for the property. The bottom of the tank can not been seen, the darkness shrouding whatever may be below. If the agents wanted to see what was in here, they would need to shine one of their flashlights down inside.

Vanessa retrieves the shotgun from the car before unlocking the septic tank. "You ready?" she whispers nervously.

Nik

"Shall we pour in the gas, or do you want to have a look?"

He is becoming increasingly doubtful about the situation. Being faced with an enemy trying to kill you is one thing, but this...

"I don't know..." whispers Vanessa, clearly uncomfortable. "We were warned not to, but..."

As the agents whisper, something responds.

"Clyde? Clyde! Please let me out, I'm sorry!" The voice sounds like that of an elderly woman, and comes from the bottom of the tank. None of the team can still see anything down there as of yet.

"I guess we'd better at least take a look," whispers Vanessa. "Shine your light down there."

"Are you sure about this Agent Sally?" Rue asks, using Vanessa's code name, and with a frown creasing his brow.
"I mean we all got a good idea that whatever is down there ain't Baughman's wife anymore. We already seen the damned video of the young girl - I jest don't see what we can gain from seeing the creature down there - let's set fire and be quick about it. Remember what happened to Nik last time we put ourselves on the line?"

Vanessa nods. "Okay, you're right," she whispers. "I just don't feel good about this either way. Let's start pouring."