The Last Equation

[Silver Priest]

A call quickly determines Gossel will be working until the late afternoon today. The agents should be able to land and still have time to catch him at work, if they feel that's the best option.

[HoneyDog]

”What do you think, Marchand?” Nik asks when he meets Vanessa. ”Shall we get him at work? We’ll need to be discreet though, he can’t see us coming, so we shouldn’t announce ourselves.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Yeah, time is critical here," says Vanessa. "We can't risk letting him spread it to anyone else."

[Silver Priest]

The Delta Green agents arrive in Baltimore around noon. Traffic is light, and they soon make it to the vast Johns Hopkins building. Or series of buildings; the hospital consists of a parking lot, several large buildings, and a walkway connecting them all together.

picture,[img]https://i.postimg.cc/J7g2G712/chilcenter-2.jpg[/img]

Clearly they have a lot of ground to cover. Entering the main building, they find a well furnished lobby with a harried but professional front desk staff. No one's paying either of them much attention, and it should be possible to sneak past them and explore other parts of the building if they so wished. Alternatively, they could ask someone where the psychiatric department was or for Dr. Gossel specifically.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's ask where the psychiatric department is and start our search there," suggests Vanessa. "Better if nobody knows who we're looking for, so that nobody can alert him. Although I have a sinking feeling that he already knows we're coming...along with the exact time we'll arrive."

[HoneyDog]

Nik nods grimly. "Yeah, I wonder about that."

He stops a passing hospital worker and asks for directions to the department of psychiatry.

[Silver Priest]

The agents are pointed to the building and floor where Gossel's office is located. After a fairly long walk (and more than one elevator ride) they arrive at the psychiatric offices floor. There are quite a few offices for the various doctors in this department, and more than a few of them are filled with doctors either looking over reports or conversing with colleagues or patients. There's security and maintenance staff as well,and Vanessa and Nik get more than one quizzical stare shot their way. But for the moment no one questions them.

Dr. Gossel's office is larger and more impressive than that of many of his colleagues, but it makes sense, given he is head of the department. The door is only opened a hair, but enough is shown that they can spy Dr. Gossel. He's an older man, with distinguished gray hair and expensive bifocals. Presently he is writing something down at his desk, and he does not seem to notice the agents.

OOC:   There's no one else in the hallway, though an office door down at the other end of the corridor is open, meaning that if there was a loud confrontation someone would likely hear it.

[HoneyDog]

Nik makes sure his pistol is ready to be drawn quickly.

"Okay?" he asks Vanessa in a whisper. "Shall we do this now? It might be too late if we wait."

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa nods, her own pistol close at hand in her holster.

[Silver Priest]

The doctor continues to write, still not looking at the visitors at his door.

The hallway is mostly quiet, but a voice can be heard down the corridor via the open door. It sounds like someone is on the phone.

The agents have some time, but there's no telling when someone is going to turn the corner and see them standing there...

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's slip inside and quietly close the door behind us," Vanessa whispers to Nik.

[HoneyDog]

Nik nods.

"Close the door behind us" he whispers, and slips into the room.

[Silver Priest]

The agents enter the room and close the door. This makes only a bit of noise, but it's enough for the Gossel to look up at them.

"Who the hell are both of you?" he demands, already reaching for the phone on his desk.

OOC:   Roll HUMINT.

[HoneyDog]

Nik draws his pistol and points it at Gossel’s head.

“Don’t touch the phone, Doctor” he says. “You’re going to tell us about the Laqueus Equation”.

HUMINT,HUMINT 73: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/691727]HUMINT[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]83[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa draws her own pistol, but she says nothing yet.

OOC,HUMINT roll (54% skill) about [b]Gossel[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

"The Laq... I don't know what you're talking about." The doctor begins, but it's obvious to both agents that he's lying, and not very well. Vanessa also can tell Gossell is extremely nervous and twitchy, and not just from their presence. He's sweating profusely, his clothes look like they were just thrown on, and he had deep circles under his eyes that suggest he's not been getting enough sleep.

"You should leave. I've done everything you wanted, and with the discretion you asked for. Just put the guns down, please." His tone is level until the end, when it breaks down into pleading.

[Mr. Handy]

"Somewhere along the way, you made a mistake," says Vanessa. "Tell us exactly what you did, one step at a time. We'll see if you've really done everything and with how much discretion."

[Silver Priest]

Gossel looks like he wants to argue, but he's also aware of who here has the guns.

"You people knew that I was deeply in debt. You sent your friend Mr. L to me. He promised me enough money to pay off my debts and still retire comfortably. All I had to do was run a psychological expierment. As instructed, I contacted Michael Wei and formed a relationship with him, feigning interest into his work and providing the answers I was asked to give. Then I sent him that equation you gave me and assisted him in helping to solve it. Your people never told me how it was going to end; I saw it on the evening news!" He complains. "What was Wei, CIA? FBI? NSA? I thought he was a normal university student, but then he goes and murders 8 people the day after he deciphers your little code? It was a hell of a convoluted way to transfer assassination orders."

"To make matters worse, you send L to meet with me again and instruct me never to tell anyone about the services I provided. I'm no fool; I know what will happen if I do. So far as I'm concerned our business is concluded. But I want to make it very clear; I want nothing more to do with you OUTLOOK people. I don't care how much money you dangle in front of me. I don't care about wiping out a terrorist or whomever the target was, but there was no reason to do the children."

OOC:   both of you can try HUMINT again if you like.

[HoneyDog]

HUMINT,HUMINT 73: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/691972]HUMINT[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]14[/b]

"We'll decide if our business is included if we're satisfied" says Nik. "What means do you use to contact Mr L?"

[Silver Priest]

Nik can see that Gossel is apparently being honest; at the very least, he gets no tells that the man is being deceptive. Also there's no sign of the sort of psychosis that seemed to infect Tia Markell. Gossel seems antsy, and it seems to be a combination of both guilt and fear.

At Nik's question he cocks his head and regards him anew,a flicker of suspicion present on his face.

OOC:   This seems like a good time for a persuade roll.