Play@YSDC

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 4:13 am**

Nik and Vanessa

The team returns from solving the haunting of the Spooner house, aware that things could have ended much worse. Even as is, Vanessa had nearly murdered a fellow agent and had lost part of her soul in the dark realm behind the mirrors. She only barely avoided becoming another victim of the house. And Nik knows well that had the house had succeeded in possessing or tricking him in their final confrontation they would both be dead. But they had been competent and lucky. Maybe they would be the next time as well; thinking about the alternative was distressing.

So they go back to their normal lives and try to live them. Nik focuses on learning more about art, hoping to sell the furniture they now owned for a good price and profit from their work for a change. He does enough digging to realize that the market for these particular antiques is fairly small, and selling the furniture would be somewhat time intensive. On the plus side, if he took the time and carefully sold them, they could be worth quite a lot. Enough for both him and Vanessa to comfortably split. He could probably take Debbie on a vacation and help their relationship. But he realizes actually learning how to sell the furniture by himself is a difficult process; worse, he neglects one of his parents and ends up harming his relationship with them. Nothing he could not smooth over later, hopefully.

Vanessa meanwhile tries to shake off the ennui she has felt for a few months now. She spends more time with Malcolm, improving their relationship from the dumps it had been in since she had seen how the unnatural could destroy an other wise healthy one. It's not as close as it had been in the past, and even now it feels slightly forced on her end, but it's a large improvement. But it's still a surprise when after dinner one night he gets down on one knee and proposes.

"I know your job is difficult honey, and it's been wearing at you lately. I've seen that struggle first hand. But I've never been happier than when I am with you,and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, for better and for worse." He waits for an answer.

OOC: In game whatever Vanessa decides here won't impact her bond rating, it just seemed like a good time to have him pop the question. Do what you think is best.

But eventually the other shoe drops, and the agents are called into their real duty once again.

July 28th, 2000

McRay calls them into his office. "I've got new orders for you. A-Cell wants you down south. You've both been booked on the next available flight to Knoxville, Tennessee. A car will be waiting there to take you to the FBI office within the city. There you are to meet with our contact, Agent ROBERTS, who will have further instructions for you.I have no details on this one, but I've developed a good eye for reading these things, and the message seemed urgent. Be careful out there."

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 4:20 am**

Floyd and Jose

Meanwhile, the two paramedics receive their messages by email. A throwaway address invites them to A Night at the Opera. They recognize it as code for an operation.

Your assistance is required down south. A matter of interest to national security has arisen, and you have been assigned to check it out.

Take the next available flight to Knoxville Tennessee. A car will be waiting there to take you to the FBI office within the city. There you are to meet with our contact and your handler for this mission, Agent ROBERTS, who will have further instructions for you.

Be Seeing you,

-ALPHONSE .

Both Floyd and Jose know that they will have to make their own arrangements for taking off work and making whatever excuses they need to to get out of familial obligations. They'd also have to pay for the flight out of pocket; sometimes the agency would compensate their travel with a check that showed up a few months later, or a late night call to head to a certain locker, inside of which they'd find an envelope stuffed with cash. But both had been warned not to rely on this generosity or to take it for granted.

OOC: feel free to introduce your characters and rp out making the arrangements for the trip. Both of you don't know one another, unless you specifically want to.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:06 am**

Nik nods and sets out to call Debbie and prepare his travel bag. Maybe the mission will take his mind off furniture for a while. It’s all he seems to think about, lately.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:29 am**

Vanessa's face lights up, and she gratefully accepts the ring. "I love you, Malcolm," she says, "and I want to spend the rest of my life with you too. Of course I'll marry you. I have been going through hell lately, but knowing you're there makes it all worthwhile."

* * *

"Yes, sir," says Vanessa in McRay's office. "We'll head out there right away, and we'll take care."

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:59 am**

'Bling... bing bing bing...'

The PC in the corner of Floyd 'Griff' Griffiths' kitchen boots up with it's usual annoying Windows 95 jingle.

It's owner sighs. He hates computers, but his employers (no, not the ones at the hospital, his other employers) insisted he got one so that they could stay in touch via email.

Sure enough, amid the Friends Reunited requests and AOL adverts, there it was.

"What poor sap needs patching up this time?" Griff wonders as he munches his cereal.

Thankfully, he had prepared for moments like this. Acquiring a job as a paramedic at a large city hospital means that there is always extra staff to cover for his short-notice absences, while a fictitious older sister (courtesy of some Delta Green computer whizz-kid) with a long-term medical condition gives him the excuse to shoot off at inopportune times.

His buddies are all in similar jobs to his, so random absences from their infrequent get-togethers will be expected.

Of course his parents are a different matter, but they’ve always been supportive of his career and, even though they're old and infirm, they can cope well enough.

"Hey Pop, I've gotta bail out on tomorrow. Yeah, another training course - you know how it is. Give my love to Mom okay? Love ya both."

It doesn't take long to book a flight, though the cost makes him wince - why does everything have to be so damn expensive these days? Hopefully the organisation will compensate him this time...

Long story short, it's not long before Griff is hauling his baggage (which, despite the 'specialist' medical kit, handgun and ammunition, always seems to avoid any scanners), off the carousel at McGhee Tyson airport, Knoxville.

Heading outside, he looks for the car and wonders, not for the first time, what terrible injuries he'll be treating and, more importantly, how the hell he's gonna forget them afterwards...

Posted: **Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:23 am**

Vanessa lets Malcolm know that she has an urgent case that requires her to go to Knoxville, Tennessee immediately.

Posted: **Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:00 pm**

OOC: Going to move us on, Anatomist feel free to post retroactively.

The agents prepare and head out. Neither Debbie or Malcolm seem too concerned by their partner's assignments, but then they really had no reason to be. For all they knew it was business as usual.Nik and Vanessa of course were aware this could be the last time they'd ever see their loved ones.

***

The team arrives in Tennessee in the early evening. The McGhee Tyson Airport was located twelve miles south of downtown Knoxville. As they make their way out of the airport, the agents see a man holding a sign that reads ROBERTS, party of 4. The man looks youngish, and seemed to be fidgeting in his suit. Nik and Vanessa can tell he's an FBI rookie just by looking at him. He couldn't be more than his mid 20's, and the earliest age one could join the bureau was 23.

As they approach the man, they see two other men also following them. Neither looked like FBI, and neither was trying to conceal their presence, suggesting they were the other two members of their party.

OOC: Anatomist and jp, please feel free to make introductions and introduce your characters if you like.

Once the group all seems to have gathered, the young rookie offers a hand. It is clammy with sweat. he introduces himself as Probationary Agent Steve Menendez. It's clear just by hearing him talk that he has no idea of Delta Green, and was instead only sent to ferret them to the office. He opens the door and gestures them into the backseat, though one of the agents would have to sit up front with him.

Posted: **Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:36 pm**

Griff casts a wary eye over his companions. He could tell that this may have been the rookie's first rodeo, but the others... well they had that certain look that comes to those who have seen certain things...

"Call me Griff," he says, by way of introduction. "So who's riding shotgun?"

Posted: **Sat Sep 21, 2019 2:17 am**

"Special Agent Vanessa Marchand," says Vanessa, shaking Steve's hand. She remembers just starting out at the FBI when she had been his age. She hadn't been this nervous then...had she? "Pleased to meet you. I'll ride shotgun."

Posted: **Sat Sep 21, 2019 5:33 am**

Nik gets into the back, not attempting to speak to anyone. After what happened to their last team member, he is wary about trusting newcomers.

Posted: **Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:15 pm**

"Hey Jim. I've been called to get up north to some bs course in wound stitching, yeah i know, again... leadership seems to have collective amnesia as they forget that they send us to the same course every year." José laughs as James Hut, José's friend and almost adoptive son as James points out that its also the cheapest course "yeah but we are to take two courses a year, so they can again check at least one this year, yeah so, back in a week or so buddy, behave and be kind". José hangs up and grabs a long time prepped suitcase from his attic, once in the street he takes a cab to the airport with destination Knoxville, Tennessee.

Inflight José takes the opportunity to sleep as he suspected that this time, he would need all his strength.

Once in Knoxville and leaving the protective airport hall, the humidity his him in the face, at least it was not a super hot day.

He notices the sign "ROBERTS" and three other probably agents hanging around as he was the last one out of the airport.

"Hi all, Im José López, and let me get over with it just out of the gate, so to speak. No, i'm not related to Jenifer López, and yes you can call me J-Lo, all my friends do" he shakes hands and gets into the waiting car. "lets go buddy"

Posted: **Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:00 pm**

Once they all get inside the car, Agent Menendez begins the drive back to the FBI headquarters. He babbles a little about work, and the mundane matters he deals with seem all the more alien for it. He does briefly mention that they had apparently been called in to consult on a case, but has no further details than that. Anyone who makes an effort to strike up a conversation with him finds him friendly but also eager for any advise from longer serving agents. He seems a bit over his head right now, though both Vanessa and Nik know this was not an uncommon feeling for new agents. No red flags stick out to them, and once he gets over his jitters he should be fine.

With a population of around 150k within the city, Knoxville itself was not a particularly big one. Especially after living in New York it may have seemed downright tiny. The city had apparently been a major manifesting center up until the 1920's, but had never really recovered from the Great Depression. The biggest local attraction was the University of Tennessee. Agent Menendez did assure them that the city had great barbecue, and told them they'd need to check it out if they had time. He has a few recommendations.

But soon enough, the Agents arrived at the FBI building, and the reality of why they were called here is brought back into view. Agent Menendez walks them through the sign in process and leads them to a meeting room on the third floor. A large conference table fills the room, with twelve or so chairs situated at various parts of it. There's only one other man inside though, and he's currently standing. He's a tall athletic figure with dark hair and rich ebony skin. He looks to be in his early 40's but is still incredibly good looking. He shakes each of the agents hands with professionalism, inquiring as to their names in turn. Then he looks up at their guide and dismisses him with a small smile. The smile leaves his face as soon as Menendez leaves the room.

"Right. I'm SAC James Derringer. ROBERTS in our shared social club. I'd ask you how your trip was, but I think we'd all feel better if we skipped the small talk and cut to the chase. Please, have a seat, and let's get to it." He walks towards the front of the room, where a TV and VHS is visible. Grabbing an unmarked tape, he slides it inside.

"The video I'm about to show you was shot four days ago in a gas station in Alabama. No sound, and grainy quality, but I don't believe either will be needed for you to get an idea what we're dealing with here."

***

A blurry black and white picture appears of the insides of a gas station. For a moment, no one is visible save for the clerk, a bored looking Asian man. Then another person comes into view. He looks young, probably still in high school or just graduated. He's pudgy and rather sloppily dressed, wearing untied sneakers, ripped jeans, and a stained and ripped Metallica tee.

The youth appears to say something to the clerk, though none of the agents can make it out. What is obvious is that he has a look of anguish on his face, and seems in distress of some sort. The cashier just stares back at him, as if uncomprehending and having little desire to do so.

A half second more goes by, and then the customer lashes out and punches the clerk directly in the face. His meaty fist goes right through the clerk's head and out the other end. The man's skull collapses and what's left of his head is torn right off his shoulders by the force of the blow, falling right behind him on the floor like a deflated basketball. The now headless body staggers for a moment, blood already gushing out of the stump. Then it joins the head on the floor.

The young man steps back, looking shocked, then panicked. He takes a moment to look around the empty store then reaches over the counter, pressing keys randomly and haphazardly on the cash register before it shoots open. He grabs all the money from it before running further back into the store and off camera. He return a few minutes with several pill bottles before running towards what is presumably the exit. Then the tape ends, cutting back to a pitch black screen.

***
Derringer retrieves the tape. "You may be starting to see why you were brought in."

Posted: **Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:22 pm**

"No CPR im aware off could save that guy..." he looks around as his comment may be perceived as harsh reading the others faces "sorry... but the kids seems surprised he punched a hole in the clerck head, he might have not been ware of his power until this moments maybe?... and what pills are those Mr. Derringer? have you done a count of meds?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:38 pm**

Maybe it's the poor quality of the video footage, or maybe it's the fact that Griff has been to the aftermath of more than one RTA, but he manages to hold his nerve.

"Jesus H Christ... Did you see that? Like a damn watermelon... You're right though José, it looks like it came as big a surprise to the perp as it did to that poor clerk."

He turns to Derringer.

"I don't suppose there's any other CCTV footage? Cameras across the street and such?"

Posted: **Tue Sep 24, 2019 4:05 am**

"You're right," says Vanessa, completely unaffected by the video. She's seen worse before. "He clearly didn't know his own strength. The question is, how did he get it? We'll need to identify him, both to apprehend him before he can harm anyone else or draw more attention, and to retrace his movements and figure out how he got this power without even being aware of it. I've heard of a new computer technology called facial recognition, but it's in its infancy. We may have better luck doing things the old fashioned way, looking at mugshots to see if we can find a match. This guy almost certainly has a record."

Posted: **Tue Sep 24, 2019 6:31 am**

Nik blinks. Despite having witnessed many bizarre events, the sight of someone having their head punched off is shocking, although outwardly he gives no sign. He wonders how such a person can be safely apprehended.

He clears his throat.

"Those are all nice ideas, but do we have his fingerprints on file?" he asks.

Posted: **Tue Sep 24, 2019 10:03 am**

“I guess no-one’s been admitted to hospital with bones and teeth embedded in their fist?”

Posted: **Tue Sep 24, 2019 8:03 pm**

Derringer takes the questions in turn. "The pills were pain relief, mostly. Extra strength Tylenol, Advil, that sort of thing. He left behind pills that would have sold on the street for more, so we assume this was not a robbery motivated by money. No other cameras at that location, but we've had several more opportunities to study him. His name is Billy Ray Spivey, 18 years of age. In the past two weeks he's held up six gas stations and drug stores in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. This was the only one that resulted in a fatality, thankfully. But he's demonstrated his immense strength over and over again.

"After the incident in Alabama the FBI got involved, and we managed to apprehend him two days ago after a brief chase. An FBI Agent put four bullets in him before he went down, and that was after he snatched a gun out of the hands of a patrolman and bent it like a pretzel. Due to this being deemed unnatural, we've been keeping him in a secure part of the building utilized on occasion for our particular activities until we can figure out what to do with him. I'd like you all to meet him."

He leads the group up two floors and past another ID checkpoint. The agents are led down a long hallway to another room with an card reader. Derringer swipes his ID and the door opens, revealing a barebones interrogation room. The only furniture is a large table in the middle of the room and two seats across from one another, only one of which is occupied. It's the same man on the tape, wearing the same outfit, but he's heavily restrained, with chains wrapped around every part of him. It would be a miracle if he could move at all. He looks up as the agents enter, his gaze unfocused.

""We're keeping him drugged with enough medicine to put an elephant into a coma," Derringer explains. "Better safe than sorry." The agents also notice three other men in the room. All are equipped with body armor and assault rifles, and all of them are pointed at the teenager. None of them have taken their eyes or weapons off of him, even when the agents first entered.

"Meet Billy Ray Spivey. As best we can determine he's a scared young man with unusual capabilities. We've made it our mission to find out just why that is."

Billy Ray lets out a moan; Derringer ignores it.

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:24 am**

"Has he said anything?" asks Vanessa.

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:53 am**

"Mostly moaning and talks about how much pain he's in. But we've edited records to make him appear to be still at large, which allowed us to get such information on him from the regular FBI when they went to interview his family. According to his mother, Mr. Spivey went missing 18 days ago when he was coming back from a visit to his girlfriend. He showed up next at his family's house two days later, appearing dazed and having no idea that he was missing time. He seemed in pain, so his parents put him to bed and called the town doctor to look him over. He found Mr. Spivey to be in inexplicable pain and stress. The doctor prescribed Tylenol and told his parents to keep check on him.

"Two days later Mr. Spivey went into some sort of fit; When his father attempted to restrain him, he apparently punched a hole through the man's chest. Apparently distraught he ran out of the house, stopping only at the town gas station to steal a bit of money and some aspirin. Then he took off in the cashier's car, and since then he's been robbing gas stations and convenience stores for the past few weeks. We caught up to him a day ago, using Friendly assets in law enforcement to safely secure him and bring him in so we could take a look at him. What we found was very concerning.

"To begin, his colon and bladder have been removed, but he apparently needs neither to function; though he produces no waste, he's incredibly hungry and we need to feed him a full course meal every few hours lest he become agitated. We've been doing it by IV, along with a healthy dose of drugs. In addition, we've discovered that the muscle tissue in his arms and legs is entirely... gone. We can't even find traces of it inside of him. It's been replaced by another material that mimics the tissue, but under close examination possesses a number of non-human characteristics. For one thing, he possesses tremendous inhuman strength. But his skeletal structure has not been changed. So while he could lift a car small distances and even throw it, his bones would break before he could lift it fully above his head.

"Further examination found scars all over Mr. Spivey's body. They're nearly invisible to the naked eye, and were clearly both a sign of extensive cutting and medical expertise to cover them so thoroughly after the surgery. But the interesting thing is that analysis of the material used to close the incisions shows it to be the same strange tissue that now has been placed in his arms and legs and given him such tremendous strength. Whatever this thing is, it seems to have many uses. We're putting all assets into identifying more about it, but for now know little else.

"Based on all of the odd... qualities within Mr. Spivey leads us to believe someone or something modified him into what you saw on the tape. That's a concern to us. We can cover up one person throwing cars around and punching through heads. When a hundred do the same, we have a problem. This needs to be stopped before it becomes one."

"Feel free to ask him questions if you want. We've found him to be largely incoherent, but I welcome the effort. After that, I have one more video to show you. It explains some more about why this case has attracted our attention."

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:23 am**

Nik listens, eyes wide in amazement.

"Holy shit!' he mutters eventually. "Do you have any other reports with any similarities to this case? Have other people gone missing around his town?"

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 11:40 am**

José stands at a secure distance to the chained man "Hey buddy. Can you tell us what happened to you? dgo you remember anything useful so we can catch who or whom altered your body?"

jose will try to talk and use his Psychotherapy skills to maybe put him in trance and make him reveal what happened to him.

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:02 pm**

“What kind of people perform advanced surgery on someone, turn them into the Terminator and then let the guy loose to wreak havoc?”

Griff wonders as he examines the suspect.

“This is some high level shit... Hey Billy, can you hear me?”

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 3:20 am**

"What route did you take after you left your girlfriend's place?" Vanessa asks Spivey. "Do you remember anything that happened along the way?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 4:50 am**

"That's what we are trying to determine," Derringer replies to Griff." Seems safe to say this was intentional on someone's part, and we're trying to determine how far this goes.As for the town, not that we've heard of, though it's a bit difficult to say-- Groversville has had some strange occurrences lately." The name of the town rings a bell for a few of the agents, though none of them can readily recall why at this moment.

José tries his best to ascertain Billy Ray's mental state and get through to him, but the teen is suffering from too much trauma. It's clear he's in a lot of pain, and the drugs and restraints are likely not helping. 'Don't know..." he says, his voice slurred. " Was drivin' home... God, it hurts! It hurts!" He thrashes about a bit, and the three armed men tighten their grips on their weapons.

"Normal route..." he says, responding to Vanessa. "Short drive... Noticed the truck started actin' up, and a bright light... then pain... God, it hurts! Then Pa tried ta hold me down and then... Then..." he wails and thrashes about more. Despite the heavy amount of chains on him, he seems to be breaking free. Derringer curses and speaks into a walkie talkie; a few seconds later two men in scrubs rush in, though they look more like bouncers than nurses. Running up to Billy Ray they inject two large syringes in him with not a hint of gentleness as he continues to wail in heart wrenching agony, and within a few minutes he begins to calm down. His eyes flutter closed and he largely stops struggling, but he still makes noises that indicate some level of distress.

Derringer shakes his head. "You can see why we've been unable to get much out of him. Any attempts to get him to remember anything about what happened to him gets him agitated; he's damn worthless to us as a witness. In any event, he'll be out for awhile, so I think it would be best for us to go conclude our briefing." He moves towards the door, clearly expecting the agents to follow.

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 5:01 am**

Vanessa would have cried for Billy Ray Spivey, but she has no more tears left. She follows Derringer, speaking once they are out of the room and Billy Ray can no longer hear them. "What he describes sounds to me like a standard account of alien abduction," she says. "The vehicle going crazy, the bright lights, the missing time, all the elements are there."

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 7:01 am**

Spivey’s condition fills Nik with loathing for whoever did this to him. It will be a pleasure to take them down. He also follows Derringer out.

“Either he was the primary focus for this, or he was a target of opportunity. If it’s the latter, he’s the first and only, the first of others to follow, or there are already others like him, so we need to determine this. What did you mean about strange occurrences in Groversville? Has there been reported alien sightings?”

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 7:09 am**

José follows Derringer

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 11:24 am**

Saddened by the boy's condition, Griff shakes his head, but he knows there's nothing he can do for him that hasn't already been tried.

"Alien abductions now, huh? Well don't that put the icing on the damn cake..."

He wracks his brains - does Groversville ring a bell?
Nope, he doesn't recall the name.

Posted: **Fri Sep 27, 2019 5:02 am**

Vanessa feels a similar sense of loss as to what she had experienced in the mirror world of the house. Seeing a man like that-- a boy, really-- who had been normal a few weeks ago and was now the sort of monster her group was tasked with fighting broke something in her. She feels very tired all of a sudden, and her will shrivels a little more.

Griff tries to recall a bit more about Groversville. He's sure it's on the tip of his memory, but it was proving frustratingly elusive. Thankfully Derringer filled them in, nodding to the other agents question.

"It does sound like a textbook alien encounter. And even in our line of work that's a bit strange to admit. What's even odder is that Groversville has been in the news recently for precisely this reason, but the town was not on our radar before now. I'll show you why."

He leads the group back into the conference room and puts on another tape. A man appears on the screen. All three agents recognize him as a certain late night talk show host. He has a prominent chin.

"...So now, this is interesting. You folks hear about this? The town of Groversville,Tennessee claims it's been beset by UFO's these past few months. Isn't that interesting? Townsfolk claim to have seen bright lights in the sky, and some even claim that their livestock were abducted. During a recent radio interview, a local resident had this to say."

A man with a very pronounced accent begins speaking, text appears on screen to translate.

"It sure 'wer surprising, I tell you what. I saw Betsy taken up by that there flying saucer! She was mooing her little heart out as she went up in the light. Our cows are in danger! The alien spacemen want to steal them all from us for perverted purposes. Those are American cows, dang it!"

The scene shifts back to the comedian as the audience roars in laughter. "Wow, that was uh, something. Huh. But these aliens are apparently interested in sleeping with cows? Hey uh, has anyone seen the President?" The crowd ohs and laughs, the host smiling sheepishly. "We uh, actually have a purported video from one of the Groversville abductions, now we didn't make this up folks. Put it up on screen."

A craft appears over a field. Strings holding it in the air are clearly visible. The audience laughs uproariously at the obvious fake, which moves unrealistically through the air as bystanders express astonishment at it. Then the screen switches back to the host, who is struggling not to laugh.

"Hey, maybe the aliens are taking the cattle up because they're looking for intelligent life," He wisecracks. "After the break, The Baha Men will be here performing their hit song, Who Let the Dogs Out!"

Derringer switches off the tv at this point, sparing the group from at least one horror. He looks somber as he addresses the group. "For the past few months Groversville Tennessee has been beset with claims of UFO sightings and alien abductions. They all sound more or less like what you've just heard. Very little of it sounds credible, and the media has picked up on it only as a running joke. To be honest, even I did not put much credence into the stories, but Mr. Spivey being from the town is too much of a coincidence for me. Something seems to be going on there, and we need you to find out what it is and what they're hiding."

Posted: **Fri Sep 27, 2019 5:27 am**

"There are real aliens," says Vanessa, "but they generally don't behave the way they're depicted in popular culture. My hunch is that whoever is behind this is using it as a cover, pretending to be aliens to throw off suspicion and keep people from taking it seriously."

Posted: **Fri Sep 27, 2019 6:17 am**

“Maybe” says Nik. “Maybe not. There were lights in the sky reported before all that business back in Arizona.”

“We’d better get out there” he says to Derringer. “Do you have a cover story for us?”

Posted: **Fri Sep 27, 2019 7:29 am**

José seems absent minded as he tries to absorb all the information "must say... this is freaky..." he turns to Deringer "Mr. Derringer you should get a hypnotizer to work on the kid, you know extract what he got in his subconscient" José picks up his backpack "lets go"

Posted: **Fri Sep 27, 2019 10:34 am**

”I hate that song,” mutters Griff as he follows the others.

Posted: **Fri Sep 27, 2019 10:05 pm**

"That could be," Derringer admits. "The media coverage of Groversville is pretty much all on this. The stories coming out of that town are outrageous; Elvis is frequently mentioned. But the fact that Mr. Spivey was from there at a time when this is all being reported... it's too big a coincidence. Something is going on there, and we need to get to the bottom of it."

"Your cover story is that you're all FBI agents investigating a violent drug cartel Mr. Spivey is rumored to be involved with, so your team is investigating the town for any signs of drug smuggling operations. We don't believe there's any real drug crime to speak of in Groversville, but it will be your in when dealing with local officials and townsfolk. We've pulled some strings to get our two senior agents," He nods to Nik and Vanessa," officially assigned to this, but obviously that's not an option for you other two. You will be presented with FBI identification and have to attempt to pass as agents, but I would advise letting the two legitimate FBI agents take the lead when dealing with law enforcement or suspicious citizenry; We can't afford a deep investigation into either of you, and the ID's won't hold up to that kind of scrutiny anyway.

Then he turns to José. "I don't believe hypnosis will do any good here, though I'll pass your idea up the chain and see if anyone else things otherwise. Mr. Spivey is largely useless to us at present; we're focused now on running a few final tests on him and determining everything we can as to his unusual predicament. On a similar matter, we have one final asset for you. We're examining the odd muscle tissue replacement found within Mr. Spivey and believe we will be able to develop a way to unobtrusively test for it within the coming days. This will allow you to determine who if anyone else in Groversville has been modified in similar ways as Spivey. I'll send a man in to meet with you once the identification has been perfected. It should help you test anyone you suspect may have suffered the same effects."

"You can sign out one of the cars in the parking lot, and I'll provide you with a map to Groversville. Once there, we have two leads you may want to pursue, though not necessarily today. The first is speaking with the sheriff,a Dan Oakley. He's been in office since the late 70's, so we're reasonably certain he's not involved in this. Unless he's been compromised, of course. He'll be expecting your arrival and you may want to touch base with him. The second is Spivey's mother, Angel. She may be able to fill in more details as to what happened or perhaps point you to someone who knows her son and if he got involved in anything that may have caused this.

"I won't lie agents; this will be a tough one. Be very careful, and keep in touch ."

OOC: If you've any final questions feel free to ask them.

Posted: **Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:24 am**

"We may want to contact the girlfriend too," says Vanessa. "If Spivey was specifically targeted, her place may have been under surveillance. What's her name, address, and contact information?"

Posted: **Sat Sep 28, 2019 6:00 am**

Posted: **Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:18 am**

“Have there been any other missing persons reports in the vicinity recently?” asks Griff, not sure he likes the idea of trying to pose as an agent.

”And this may sound dumb, but has anyone plotted the reports of livestock abductions? If someone’s been using them for practice, it might be worth following up.”

Posted: **Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:39 pm**

"That's a good idea.I don't have the girlfriend's name, but Groversville is a small town, home to just over 5000 people. Chances are asking around about the girlfriend will lead you to her. And excellent idea about the livestock, agent. The media's reported on livestock and alien abductions, though like you've just seen the reports are unreliable at best. It's worth doing some digging and talking to the townsfolk to ascertain what's really going on in Groversville."

OOC: Derringer is letting you borrow a vechilie from the FBI, though if you like you guys can check out two. Decide for yourself which option is better for your group; though keep in mind if you're trying to be subtle two unfamiliar vehicles in a small town are more likely to draw attention than one.

***
Groversville is about an hour's drive south of Knoxville, and is located directly off Highway 137. By the time the agents arrive it's evening, just after 6:30 at night. The first thing that becomes apparent is that Groversville is out in the sticks. Save for the highway, there's not much else around that signifies major ties to civilization. Most of the town's surroundings seem to be farmland, and it's dwarfed by hills that surround it on three sides, dotted with windmills and the town reservoir. If nothing else it has some breathtaking views, though.

It's the sign that welcomes them to Groversville first. It's freshly painted and looks well maintained.

Welcome to Groversville, Tennessee!

Pop. 5015

A nice town and friendly place.

Birthplace of Anita Cronkite, 1956's Ms. Tennessee.

Going further in, the first building agents spy is a convenience store and gas station. One of the windows of the convenience store has been boarded over. A sign apologizes for the mess.

What did the team want to do first? It was late, so most places were probably not going to be open, though the store still had lights on within it. Alternatively they could go further into the town, in search of a place to stay for the night, the sheriff's office, or something else of interest.

Posted: **Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:57 pm**

Griff takes in the bright lights of Groversville, thumbs jammed in his pockets as he rocks on his heels.

"The great metropolis huh? You guys are more used to this stuff than me; what's on the agenda? Introduce ourselves to the local sheriff and then find ourselves some rooms?"

OOC: I guess one car would be less conspicuous, but perhaps we could rustle up an old truck, if we need to drive somewhere unnoticed?

Posted: **Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:36 am**

"Yes, let's introduce ourselves to the sheriff first," says Vanessa. "Then we'll find ourselves a place to stay." She has chosen the most nondescript car in the motor pool, hoping to blend in with a vehicle that at least doesn't scream "government." She realizes that they probably fit the bill of the "Men in Black," yet another typical element of the alien narrative.

Posted: **Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:35 am**

"I agree on the introduce to the sheriff and then hit the bed by the way"

OOC: we have two good drivers btw. Nikolas Siilasvuo is at 70% and José on 60%

Posted: **Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:33 pm**

OOC: So, seems like you're leaning towards having two vehicles, both as nondescript as possible?

The team continues into the town itself. The Groversville "main street" is fairly impressive, in so far as small towns go. The shops look well kept and there are few shuttered buildings. This may be due to the town being the county seat and thus the regional headquarters for all the surroundings towns. Doubtless some of the other towns in this part of the country were not as seemingly prosperous. The downtown itself takes up only a few blocks. It's business range include a barber shop( with a functional barber pole outfront) The Groversville grocer, and a bank. There's even a Chinese restaurant, though neither its name(Chairman WOW'S! Kung Pow) or the picture (a smiling Asian gentleman with buck teeth and slanted eyes that would have not been out of a place in a WW2 pamphlet) inspire much confidence. The few people walking around seem perfectly normal, though they do look very interested in the newcomers as they pass by.

OOC: Everyone can make an Alertness roll.

The police station itself is situated in the center of town, right next to what appears to be city hall. It like most of the town's buildings is humbly built but clearly well kept up suggesting some degree of civic pride among the town folks. The American flag flies proudly alongside the Tennessee state one.

The insides of the station are made up of a few desks and a few doors leading further back into the building. One of them seems to be the sheriff's office. The other one off to the right seems to lead back to the cells.

There's only one person here visible at the front desk. He's a younger deputy, seemingly asleep. He has apparently not noticed the group's arrival.

Posted: **Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:40 pm**

On the way to the police station, Griff idly checks out the shops, noticing the ubiquity of a certain name.

"Looks like Merle could be the guy to talk to huh?"

Once inside the station, he takes a look around while the deputy sleeps, inspecting any noticeboards for missing persons posters and such.

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 1:20 am**

Nik also notices the ubiquity of Merle – he could be someone useful to talk to.

At the police station, he positions himself in front of the sleeping deputy, ready to engage with him if he wakes while the others are snooping around. He holds his badge and ID in his hand.

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 2:18 am**

Vanessa also takes out her FBI badge and ID and stands at the front desk to block the deputy's view of the others, waiting to see if the deputy notices them.

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 6:02 am**

Griff sees nothing out of the ordinary for small town life; there's an ad for a bake sale and one for bingo night, but no signs of any missing person posters.

It's around this time that the deputy opens his eyes and lets out a yelp at the four strangers in the station, two of them in front of him.

"Uh... help you folks?"

"You fall asleep again, Joshie?" Came an amused voice as the door to the office opened. Out came a man. He's short and heavy, his uniform seeming to have trouble containing his girth. He looks to be in his late 40's or early 50's.

"You boys the federals from Knoxville? We were expectin' you, but I thought it'd be tomorrow. You folks like to burn the midnight oil don'tcha?" He offers a hand to shake along with a broad grin. ""I'm Dan Oakley, Sheriff 'round these parts, or at least that's what it says on my uniform here. Right pleased to meet you. We got the call 'round here a few hours ago. You folks sure work fast up there in the big city." He chuckles.

"So, apparently Billy Ray put our town on the map, as if we needed more press. A tragedy. Billy Ray was always a bit of a rascal, but I never thought he'd turn to crime. But you folks are all wrong in thinking drugs had anything to do with all this. I've been Sheriff of Groversville for goin on thirty years, and short of a Mary Jane patch or two, we've never had hide 'nor hair of any drug production 'round these parts. Those kind of problems don't happen here. We're a nice, friendly community. Says so on the sign, don't it?"

He holds up a hand as if to silence any protest. "That 'bein said, I know you folks are gonna have to do your jobs, what with Billy Ray bein' a national fugitive and all now. So feel free to poke around here to your heart's content. Just don't go harrasin folk, that's all I ask. And If me or my deputies can help in any way you just go and give a holler. I make myself clear?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:20 am**

“Understood, Sheriff” Nik says. “We think that Billy Ray was recruited for his local knowledge. Too many strangers would stick out, wouldn’t they? Speaking of which, are there any facilities in or around the town which might have appeared recently? Or any businesses sold to outside parties? Production facilities, labs, farms, dairies, storage units; anything like that?”

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:32 am**

José keeps in the background letting Vanessa and Nik do the talking.

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:41 am**

Griff also keeps quiet, except, when the opportunity presents itself, to ask about suitable places to stay.

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 5:18 pm**

"Crystal clear, Sheriff," says Vanessa, shaking his hand. "I'm Special Agent Vanessa Marchand. Anything suspicious you've noticed about any of the outsiders who are coming to Groversville of late? The whole media circus that's sprung up would be perfect cover for criminals trying to slip in."

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:54 pm**

Oakley thinks. "Not that I've seen," and his tone makes it clear the idea of any new places sprouting up without his knowledge was simply impossible in his eyes. "Most of the new folk comin here are just looky loos, not criminals."

"Speaking of, we've had a fair bit of tourism lately." His face darkens. "You've all seen that UFO stuff then? Probably joked about it. Folks, let me tell ya, I've lived here my entire life; ain't ever seen one little green man. I don't know who started this nonsense about Groversville but it's categorically false, and that's the truth. Most of the folks who come here have been reporters and the like, a few UFO so-called researchers as well. They've been makin' a burden of themselves all round' town, harrasin' the locals to try and get a story. A few of them have gotten overzealous, and I've had to warn a couple of them to back off. There was that Saucerwatch reporter, What was his name... Adams, Adams something. Got a few complaints about him being a bit aggressive. Went down and talked to him though, and he was fairly 'polgetic. Think he left town; probably dissapointed in not 'findin any alien space men. Anyway, sorry for goin' off on ya. Just wish all this nonsense would end. If you get to talkin to folks in this town don't bring up aliens; it's a bit of a sore spot and we're all rightly tired of it."

"As for places to stay, for accommodation I'd go with The Shut-Eye. It's the only hotel in town limits. The nearest hotel outside is twenty miles or so north, up in Mt. Juntou, and I gather you folks don't want to travel that far. Now, the Shut-Eye only has twelve rooms, but even with the recent news bringin in some lookie loos, I think they'll probably have a vacancy or two. And if you get hungry, it's right next to Ruth's, the town diner. Ruthie makes a delicious meatloaf, let me tell you. And for breakfast, her hotcakes are a real gem. She's open till Ten at night, give or take. I ain't never heard Ruth rushing folks out of her restaurant, but then you folks ain't locals, and that might make her a bit sore givin' recent events." He guffaws.

OOC: Please only read the spoiler below if you think your character would be interested in Ufology enough to be familiar with Saucerwatch

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:09 pm**

Griff has little interest in dumb-ass conspiracy theory TV shows, so mention of Saucerwatch washes over him.

"Ruthie's huh? I'm sure if we tell her you recommended the place, she'll stay open for us." He grins. "The Shut-Eye: that Merle's Shut-Eye? I guess he's the go-to guy around here if we need anything?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:11 pm**

"Yeah, I saw the signs on our way here," says Vanessa. "Looks like he owns a few businesses in town."

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:50 am**

After the case in Arizona, Nik is now interested in talk of alien sightings, knowing that in fact they can be real. Saucerwatch is a name he is vaguely familiar with.

“I’m sorry to bring it up again, Sheriff” he says. “But we have to pay attention to any deviation in the daily life of the town. I don’t plan on asking the townfolk because it's probably nothing, but I’d like to hear from you about these sightings, just to put my mind at ease. How did talk of them begin?”

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 6:39 am**

"Heh, well so long as you don't call her Ruthie. She hates that name. Be right sore with ya." He grins.

"Yep, that would be Merle Barn. Richest man in the town. He's on the board of Aldermen that run the town. Ya'see, we don't have a mayor here; instead the aldermen handle the town business. There's six of em, and I wanna say Merle's been on the board the second longest. He's a good guy, but he'll always size ya up to make sure he gets the best deal he can. Heh, guess that's why he's doin so well, he's got a mind for business. He works in the town hall next door, but he's probably gone home for the evenin by now.

He still looks reluctant to answer Nik's question, but something like professional courtesy leads him to answer. "Oh, I dunno. Couple months back? There were a few flashin lights in the sky at night. Some were pulsing brightly, and they moved faster than any plane I'd ever seen. Couple of the townsfolk more prone to exaggeration got it in their heads it was aliens,and the story must've spread like wildfire. Talk's settled down since then, though. I've gotten no reports of lights in quite a bit of time, and most folk are more concerned with the Billy Ray situation. Probably just the weather, that's all.. "

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 7:49 am**

Nik nods. “Thanks Sheriff. It’s probably nothing. We won’t be bothering people with it.”

He thinks a moment and digs out the map of the area they used to navigate to Groversville.

“Do you know the rough location from which Billy Ray says he went missing?”

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:22 am**

José leans to the door frame listening, watching and learning the impressive agent work unfolding in front of his eyes.
Jose thinks to himself that this UFO stuff seems more of a PR stunt from the local business council, then a invasion from Mars, after all aliens cannot be real, there are though, other forces in this universe that might explain what happened to himself and these light in the sky.

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:47 am**

"Lights in the sky? You're right, must've been one of those weather phenomena the kooks keep getting mixed up with little green men."

Griff is wary of bombarding the Sheriff with too many questions; such a long-serving cop is bound to resent having the 'FBI' poking around his patch; but he risks one more query.

"In a lot of these cases, the drugs are brought in via the local farms." He holds up his hands, anticipating a protest. "I know there's no drugs problem around here, like you say, but we gotta cover all bases (not to mention our asses, am I right?). D'you think your deputy could rustle up a list of local farms for us?

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 7:28 pm**

"That's good. Like I said, folks are still a bit sore. News portrays us as bumpkins,and we ain't. 'Cept Josie here, ain't that right?" He grins at his deputy, who seems to take the insult in good nature.

When Nik asks him about Billy Ray Sheriff Oakley gets a bit more serious. "Well, that's the thing. We were never able to pin down the area where he went missing. We checked the whole town out, specifically focused on the area in and around his girlfriend's house, Jane Allen." He points rough locations out on the map. Allen's house is on the edge of town, while Billy Ray's seems a bit further out of the town's borders. "It's about a 17 Minute trip from Spivey's home to Allen's, and we went over that area with a fine toothed comb. Their wasn't anything there. A right mystery, I tell ya." He shrugs.

"Well, a lot of folk, like the Spivey's, live on farmland out of the town proper. Understand though, I know most of these folks pretty well. They go to my church, have weekly dinner at Ruthie's, that sort of thing. I can't imagine any of 'em suddenly turning to serious drug production.

OOC: Griff can try to persuade the sheriff if he likes.

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:01 pm**

”Oh, I’m not casting aspersions on the good folks around here, but, y’know, there’s the question of seasonal workers and whatnot. Plus there must be plenty of isolated outbuildings and such.”

Posted: **Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:34 pm**

Still reluctant, Oakley nods.

"Well, alright. I'll have Josie here put together a list. We're talkin' several dozen residences though... tell ya what. I'll work on gettin ya a list of properties that have been abandoned or gone into foreclosure in recent years. If, and I highly doubt we do, but if we got bootleggers up to no good, chances are they'd have moved in quiet like to one of these old farmhouses and be workin from there. Stop by tomorrow afternoon or so and I'll try and have it ready for you. In the meantime, keep me informed, thank ya kindly."

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 1:28 am**

"We'll do that, Sheriff" says Nik, folding the map away. "And we'll be as discreet as we can."

He stands up and shakes the man's hand. Addressing the team, he says “Shall we get something to eat and get settled in? I’m hungry. Unless you guys have anymore questions.”

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 3:32 am**

"Yes, I think we've done enough for tonight," says Vanessa. "Thank you, Sheriff. I think you've given us enough to get started. We'll see you if we need any more help."

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 4:40 am**

OOC: If no one has any other plans, I'll move us forward through dinner. Planning to check into Merle's Shut Eye?

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 5:00 am**

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 5:34 am**

OOC: Yes, sounds fine.

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 6:49 am**

OOC: Yep, that’s fine.

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 7:56 am**

The four DG agents leave Sheriff Oakley's office, reasonably certain they've made a good impression on the man. Hungry from their long trip, they head to Ruth's diner. They seem to have just missed the dinner crowd; the place is less than half full, and their food comes out in short order. Whatever they order is greasy and unhealthy in the extreme, and only more tasty because of it. In sum, while it's probably not the best place they've eaten in, they had certainly had a meal in far worse, and it's easy to see why this place might be a town fixture.

Of course, almost every eye in the place seems to be watching them, to various degrees of subtlety. Their waitress too,a middle aged woman with a stained uniform and a nametag that reads Rose is polite but distant, seemingly content to keep things professional.

OOC: Anyone who wants can make a HUMINT roll.

***

Merle's Shut-Eye is right next door to the diner, which makes for an easy walk. It's a three story motel, advertising color tv as one of the amenities. But the outside seems respectable enough, and there's plenty of room for parking.

Inside sits a man behind a reception desk. His feet are plopped up on the counter and he is reading a paper and listening to classic rock on a nearby radio. He looks up as the door opens and gives a smile that seems genuine enough.

"Howdy, and welcome to the Shut-Eye. You folks looking for a room or two?"

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 8:16 am**

José looks around and feels the distrust from the crowd. He chooses to ignore it as hes dont feel he's there to talk. Eat, drink and get to bed is the plan, and he intent to stick to it.

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 3:26 pm**

Nik
In the diner Nik feels the eyes of the customers on them, so he refrains from discussing his theories about the case until they can be somewhere more private.

At the motel, he greets the clerk.

"That's right. Four singles if you have 'em, but we'll take what you got."

Posted: **Wed Oct 02, 2019 6:45 pm**

Griff tries to catch the eye of some of the locals, trying to fathom out why small towns are supposed to be so friendly when strangers are always viewed with suspicion.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 3:04 am**

"Though I'll definitely be taking a room all to myself," says Vanessa.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:00 am**

Griff tries to catch the eye of some of the onlookers, but all avoid him. He gets the feeling they're not afraid of the newcomers, necessarily; it's more caution. Something about them being here makes them wary.

***

"Oh, sorry, we only have three rooms available," the clerk says, sounding genuinely remorseful. "Bit of a busy time for us, given the recent publicity we've gotten. Let's see here... I've got two on the second floor, right next to one another. Then one up on the third floor. All three rooms are doubles. Sounds good to you folks?" He waits to hear who plans to room with whom.

"So, what brings you to our town. Y'all reporters?"

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 6:27 am**

Nik shakes his head.

“We’re part of a state-wide task force, here to assist Sheriff Oakley. I can’t say more than that. We’ll take the rooms.”

He turns to Vanessa. “We can share. You two” he addresses Jose and Griff, "meet in our room once you're settled".

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 8:09 am**

José goes to his room with Griff, he opens his backpack and loads his all black, large fanny pack with his Glock 19, scalpel, tranquilizing pistol, some cash, wallet, water poncho, heat packs, some protein bars and a small water bottle. He adjusts his kevlar under his shirt, and as he straps his fanny pack to his waist he takes a look at the picture of James and himself, thinking on why he was part of this Delta Green group.

'See you at Nick's rom'

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 9:59 am**

Griff watches his new colleague gear up, wondering just what the hell he’s expecting to happen between their room and the adjoining one.

Still, considering how on-edge the locals seem to be acting, perhaps it’s best to be prepared. As such, he follows suit before walking out behind José.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:04 pm**

Nik is lying on the bed, worrying about whether his snoring will keep Vanessa awake, when the other agents enter. He glances at them and sits up in concern when he sees how tense they are.

“Holy shit, are you wearing a vest?” he asks Jose. He looks at Vanessa, and shakes his head in disbelief. “I just want to talk about what we’ve learned so far, not go hunting for Pablo Escobar.”

He crosses his legs and sits back against the headboard.

“Look you two, I’ll be nice for now `cause I don’t know how much experience you have with this shit, but you’re obviously not trained for police work. So you need to follow our lead, and calm the fuck down. We don’t want to stand out. And you two stand out. What the hell are your day jobs anyway?”

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 7:09 pm**

Like many people caught on the hop for being dumb, Griff is instantly on the defensive.

"I'm a florist," he mutters as he unstraps his his stab vest. "Either that or I'm the guy who patches up your ass when things go south. 'course, it could be you X-Files guys who save my ass first, so I'd better watch my mouth huh?"

He shrugs off his vest, bundling it under his arm.

"In the real world I'm a paramedic, so yeah, I guess you two got the jump on me when it comes to this secret agent stuff - sorry 'bout the vest."

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 9:27 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:Nik is lying on the bed, worrying about whether his snoring will keep Vanessa awake, when the other agents enter. He glances at them and sits up in concern when he sees how tense they are.

“Holy shit, are you wearing a vest?” he asks Jose. He looks at Vanessa, and shakes his head in disbelief. “I just want to talk about what we’ve learned so far, not go hunting for Pablo Escobar.”

He crosses his legs and sits back against the headboard.

“Look you two, I’ll be nice for now `cause I don’t know how much experience you have with this shit, but you’re obviously not trained for police work. So you need to follow our lead, and calm the fuck down. We don’t want to stand out. And you two stand out. What the hell are your day jobs anyway?”

José dont twitch at the comment "In mine and Griffs line of work you really never know when some lunatic goes for the kill, ill wear my shirt over the vest, don't worry. And my motto is better prepared then sorry, mind you ive been trough some shit. You might be better a policing, but we are both here for a reason, and I intent to survive this mission"

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:14 am**

“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.”

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:25 am**

"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."

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:40 am**

“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.”

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:40 am**

"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..."

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:50 am**

"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

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:54 am**

“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.”

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:03 am**

"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."

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:11 pm**

"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.

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:14 pm**

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.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:36 am**

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

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:25 am**

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.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 5:05 am**

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

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:47 am**

"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?"

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:59 am**

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.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:42 pm**

José stay quiet.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:42 pm**

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

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 7:01 pm**

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.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:18 pm**

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..."

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:29 pm**

"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.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:36 pm**

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.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:06 pm**

"Eddington..." Griff jots down the name. "War reporter, am I right? Bit of a come-down this, huh?"

He completely ignores Sonja, hoping that this will put someone so used to getting all the attention onto the back foot.

Posted: **Sun Oct 06, 2019 1:58 am**

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," says Vanessa, "but there are no aliens here. It's just a hoax designed to mask criminal activity, and not a very clever or original one. Perhaps you've noticed that the phenomena around here mimic traditional UFO lore closely - too closely. Someone has read the playbook and is sticking to it exactly. If this were a script proposal for a movie about aliens, no studio would accept it. It's too hackneyed and cliched."

Posted: **Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:16 am**

OOC: Vanessa can try to persuade. A single success or failure here will not completely sway Sonja one way or the other, expect perhaps if you crit. But it will be a good start.

Posted: **Sun Oct 06, 2019 5:05 am**

"It's practically ripped from the X-Files," continues Vanessa. "There's even a Mulder and Scully." She indicates Nik and herself.

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:37 am**

Allen nods from behind his camera. "Yep. Algeria, Lebanon, Cambodia, Honduras-- It was after Sarajevo I decided to take an assignment stateside. Pays the bills, and gives me a hell of a lot fewer nightmares."

Sonja does not take Griff's bait. She studies Vanessa carefully, her eyes scrutinizing her for any signs of lying. Finally, she sighs. "Of course I don't believe aliens are behind any of this; I may report on this drek, but don't think I'm as gullible as our viewers can be. The thing I care about is getting a good story, and so far I've not had any luck. The whole town has clammed up; won't tell me anything. It makes things frustrating, having to create something from nothing.

"But then you all show up, and that's interesting to me. Of all the FBI agents to send in, they send in you two, when I know for a fact you both work out of New York now. I've done my homework," she smiles at Nik, and he remembers that she held something of a grudge against him."So stop me if I'm wrong here; the bureau thinks we're looking at another serial killer here. One of the weird ones like The Chiropractor. For some reason they're keeping it quiet. Maybe they fear a copycat, or something similar? Am I on the right track here?"

"Like I said, all I care about is getting a good story, and you folks are my best shot at getting it. So my terms are simple. Give it to me; I want exclusive information on your investigation and what's really going on here. Shut me out like you did in Glendridge and I swear to God I'll have your faces posted all over the news and get every nutty fan we have convinced you're part of a massive coverup. And we have a lot of nutty fans.

"Look, I'm not an unreasonable woman. It's not too late for us to have a mutually beneficial relationship. I'm a reporter; it's not hard for me to approach things in a way that won't raise suspicion, whereas all you guys need to do is flash a badge and you'll have everyone's hairs standing on end. I can actually help with your investigation. Or I can be your greatest enemy. You pick."

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:22 am**

"You can start by turning off the camera and giving me the tape" says Nik, pointing at the camera. "This is private property and no-one gave you permission to film. Do that, then we can talk business."

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:01 am**

All this bargaining is starting to go over Griff's head. Seeing Nik negotiate with the reporter brings home just how much the paramedic is only playing at being an agent.

He takes a step back, keeping his mouth shut while the professionals do their thing.

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 12:44 am**

"How can you help our investigation when you just told us everyone clammed up and won't tell you anything?" asks Vanessa.

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:39 am**

"Give him the tape, Al," Sonja says, and her cameraman complies. "Full disclosure, I'm only doing that because there's no way I'd be able to legally fill you in a hotel room without permission. When you're outside, or around town... well that's a different story.

"As for how I can help, I won't lie that's it been difficult. Unexpectedly so, frankly. But I just got here yesterday myself, and I'm confident once I win some of the locals trust things will proceed more smoothly. Right now they just see me as another reporter eager to put them on TV and humiliate them. Sooner or later they'll understand I really do want to tell their story; even if I don't believe a word of it, I'm not one to mock. Like I said, I know what our viewers want.

"Look, just keep me in the loop, alright? Allen and I are staying three doors down on this floor. I'd appreciate a headsup on what's really going on here, and what leads you're pursuing. And if I can help along the way, I'm open for collaboration. But I will not tolerate being shut out again. I need this." She tries but fails to mask the hungry look in her eyes. "Anyway, If there's nothing else I'll leave you to it. Get some rest. I look forward to hearing from you in the morning." After stopping to hear any last words the agents have to say, she and Allen walk out.

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 7:05 am**

Nik pulls the tape out of the cassette and throws it in the bin.

“She’s not stupid, but her ambition will probably cloud her judgement. She might be useful for information, so we’d better keep her onside.”

He sits down again.

“The cover story I’m thinking of is this; we’re here as we said as part of a state-wide task force. The Colombian cartels are looking for staging areas as they move drugs north, quiet areas where they won’t rouse too much suspicion. The confidential part which we should only share with trusted parties, including the sheriff, is that they are also moving a new drug. It’s similar to PCP, but it can induce even greater psychotic episodes. We want to keep it quiet until we have samples to examine. Sound good? I still want to try and find if that Adams guy might still be around. If I can find him, maybe some of you can keep Sonja distracted. The last thing we need is her seeing us with a Saucerwatch geek.”

Nik opens his phone again to call the sheriff and ask about Adams' last known location.

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 10:12 am**

HoneyDog wrote: “The cover story I’m thinking of is this; we’re here as we said as part of a state-wide task force. The Colombian cartels are looking for staging areas as they move drugs north, quiet areas where they won’t rouse too much suspicion. The confidential part which we should only share with trusted parties, including the sheriff, is that they are also moving a new drug. It’s similar to PCP, but it can induce even greater psychotic episodes. We want to keep it quiet until we have samples to examine. Sound good? I still want to try and find if that Adams guy might still be around. If I can find him, maybe some of you can keep Sonja distracted. The last thing we need is her seeing us with a Saucerwatch geek.”

"Agree buddy" José will go to his room after they finalize talking, getting into bed with cloths on, fanny pack around his waist and falls immediately to sleep

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 12:36 pm**

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Griff concurs. “So we split up into pairs tomorrow and ask around yeah?”

He retrieves the tape from the trash.

“Maybe we should take a look at this too, just in case they caught something interesting. Then we can wipe it.”

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:02 pm**

"I was thinking along the same lines," says Vanessa. "We can degauss the videotape with a magnet when we're done with it."

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 1:29 am**

Nik finds that Sheriff Oakley has gone home for the evening, though the deputy that answers is apologetic and says he'll ask him to call the team back sometime tomorrow. If pressed, the deputy says he last saw Adams two days back,and that he had been around the town for a little longer than two weeks. Unfortunately, he does not know Adams last known location, only that he had been asking around Groversville about UFO sightings.

With that, the agents retire and spend their first night in the quaint town of Groversville.

July 29th, 2000

The team rises, ready to truly get down to business. They have several leads to pursue. They could visit Billy Ray Spivey's mother and see if she could offer them any further detail about her husband's murder and son's disappearance. Or they could visit Jane Allen, Billy Ray's girlfriend and last known location before he went missing. There's also Merle Barn and the rest of the aldermen who run the town, or the UFO researcher Adams; tracking him down could prove useful. And then there was Sonja Dewey. The dogged reporter was not likely to leave them alone, but how much--or little cooperation they gave to her was up to them.

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:06 am**

“I want to run down Adams” says Nik. “But we need to worry about Sonja. I don’t really want her following us around, it will just attract too much attention and might stop people from talking to us. We don’t want her making any connections to Spivey and we don't want her filming us. It might be better to send her off on a mission of some kind, maybe trying to find out more about the cattle disappearances. We can offer her an exclusive when its all done. We need more transport – perhaps the Sheriff’s office can help – and we don’t necessarily have to operate in pairs as we have multiple leads to follow. We might cover more ground and be less easy to track.”

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:13 am**

"I don't think she'll be deflected by just sending her somewhere this time," says Vanessa. "One of us is going to have to go with her to keep her busy. You'll be trying to track down Adams, and I'd like to start by talking to Spivey's mother. Perhaps one of our 'consultants' can come with one of us or follow another lead while the other goes with Sonja to look at cows."

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 11:14 am**

"I'd like to take a tour of the local farms, but if I drag Sonja around she's gonna smell a rat, especially if I have to start mapping livestock disappearances; that's got UFO conspiracy written all over it."

Griff rubs his chin, uncomfortable with the thought of dealing with the inquisitive journalist, before pausing, struck by a sudden thought.

"You're gonna think I'm being paranoid, but has anyone checked that video tape for bugs? They gave it away pretty easy and she strikes me as being very resourceful.

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 11:59 am**

"shh..." José pick up the tape and examines it

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 3:21 pm**

"Knock yourselves out" says Nik. "I'm going to reception. Hopefully I won't run into Sonja".

He leaves the room.

Posted: **Thu Oct 10, 2019 7:54 pm**

Best as José can determine, the tape is clean.

OOC: Nik can roll luck. You can probably guess what for.

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 4:22 am**

Nik heads towards the reception, hoping that he and the rest of the team can slip out before running into Sonja Dewey. Unfortunately however the reporter is slyer than she was the last time they had encountered her; she waits by the front door of the motel, in deep conversation with her cameraman Allen. Once she sees Nik she breaks away and comes over to him.

"Hello again, Agent Siilasvuo. If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to sneak out on me. But I know you have more sense than that." She stretches , letting her shirt roll up and showing off sun tanned skin.

"So, you ready to play ball, then? What are your plans for the day? I'll give you an interesting nugget of a lead I've just gotten; turns out an eyewitness to some of this UFO activity wants me to interview him. I'm not expecting much, truth be told, but it's a start at least.."

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 5:32 am**

“That’s a great start Sonja” says Nik genuinely. “Perhaps you can tell us about it after.”

He pauses and regards her for a moment.

“Look, you need to be clear about something. I understand your desire for a story, and maybe we’ll be able to give you one. If my team agrees, I’m willing to give you an interview after things are done. But we need to be able to investigate without interference, and we’re not able to share information on the case with you now. If you guys dig up some juicy info, that helps you out with us. But you can’t get under our feet, and you mustn’t try to get in our way. I hope that’s agreeable to you.”

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 6:01 am**

"I'm not telling you anything without getting something in return. And forgive me Agent Siilasvuo, but with your record I'm going to need information in advance."

She softens and sighs. "But look, I understand having some secrets. But I think we both know what's going on here goes deeper than UFO's. If it turns out to be drugs or a smuggling ring or anything more than some bored yokels having fun , I want to be there when you make the arrest. I don't want to be chasing saucers the rest of my life. A scoop like this could finally attract network attention, a place where I could do real journalism. So when you can, give me something. And if you don't screw me over again, I'll help you out. Hell, I'm pretty sure this guy I'm supposed to meet with wouldn't have talked to me if he thought I was a cop."

"Best of luck with your investigation. C'mon, Al." And unless Nik has anything to add, the two turn and leave.

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 6:21 am**

Nik breathes a sigh of relief and turns to the reception. He wants to enquire whether anyone called Adams or claiming to belong to Saucerwatch is or was staying there.

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 6:39 am**

The receptionist, the same guy from yesterday, checks the books.

"Why yessirree, we've got an Adams here. Scott Adams. Still got a room here, on the second floor, and he's paid up till tomorrow. Haven't seen him for a few days, come to think of it. But that's not unusual. I know the guy camped out a few times overnight in the hills, hoping to see a UFO.."

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 6:45 am**

“Thanks a lot” Nik replies. “Can you give me his room number? By the way…” he produces a $20 bill. “If anyone comes asking about us, can you let me know? There’s another of these in it for you.”

Returning to the room to see the others examining the tape, he tells them,

“Adams is here. Who wants to visit him?”

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 9:17 am**

HoneyDog wrote: “Adams is here. Who wants to visit him?”

"Let's go buddy"

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:18 am**

"Okay, I'll go get that list of farms from Deputy Dawg and go check them out. Want me to watch the tape first?"

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 3:27 pm**

"Well, the Sheriff said that the list wouldn't be ready until the pm. So watch away, if you think you might find something" Nik tells Griff.

He fills the other team members in with the details of his conversation with Sonja.

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 5:18 am**

"If Adams is here, I'd like to talk to him too," says Vanessa. "We might as well do that now, while we're at the hotel. We can go our separate ways after we leave."

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 6:46 am**

“Let’s go then” says Nik.

He leads the way to Adams’ room and, motioning Vanessa and Jose back out of sight of the peephole, knocks on the door.

“Mr. Adams” he calls out. “Are you there sir? It’s the front desk. It’s time to check out, sir.”

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:09 am**

OOC: Just to confirm, is Griff staying behind to check out the tape or heading off with the others?

There's no answer to Nik's knock nor his words. If any agent tries the door they find it to be firmly locked.

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:15 am**

OOC: Yep, Griff will watch the tape.

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:19 am**

Nik decides it might be easier to get the key from the desk.

“Adams won’t answer his door” he tells the clerk. “He has to check out right? If you give me the key, I can help to persuade him to settle his bills and leave.”

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:58 am**

Griff

Griff pops the tape in the VCR and begins to watch it. It seems to start just before Dewey had interviewed them, as it shows her knocking on the door and then the scene that had followed. Griff notices that each of their faces were quite clearly visible; if this had gotten out, he'd be getting a lot of questions from work and his family. More likely than not Phenomen-X had used a fresh tape to record them, no doubt having others for whatever else they had filmed here.

Nik, Vanessa, and Jose

The receptionist looks at Nik confused. "Oh no mister, Mr.Adams has paid up until tomorrow. He's fine for another day. And I'm not sure he'll want to leave then; he's extended his stay twice already."

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 8:04 am**

"Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood" says Nik. "Still, we'd really like to talk to him on official business..."

Nik looks directly at the clerk.

"We would appreciate your help, we don't want to have to force the door."

He holds out his hand for the key.

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 9:14 am**

”Sheesh, sure as hell, I ain’t photogenic...”

Griff winds the tape on for a while, just in case there’s anything else on it, before erasing all footage of the team by recording over it with static. Then he heads out to find the others.

Posted: **Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:34 pm**

Griff gets to work, eager to erase the sight of the agents, and the incriminating evidence it represents.

OOC: I'll say Griff can join up with the others my next post.

The receptionist stares back at Nik, clearly torn."Well, I'm not really supposed to give out guests keys without their permission..." He waits for another $20, and assuming Nik gives it to him becomes much more forthcoming. "Still, y'all are law enforcement. Here ya go. Don't bother him too much, ya hear?"

Key retrieved, the agents return to Adams' room and unlock the door. It takes some shoving to get it open, as if something was blocking the door. But three agents are able to overpower whatever resistance it offers,and they find themselves in the room. The first thing that becomes obvious is that their is absolutely no light. The two beds are completely stripped, their blankets put over the two windows which are then held in place with liberal amounts of duct tape. The front door itself had a dresser barricaded against it, along with bath towels preventing absolutely any light from seeping in from the hall. But the little light the hall allows in lets the agents see the room itself is a mess. Clothes and junk food containers litter the floor, spread haphazardly with no rhyme or reason. On the bed closest to them rests a laptop, plugged into the wall outlet. A terrible stench fills the room, and seems to be emanating from the attached bathroom, the door of which is closed.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 12:25 am**

"Gloves, everyone," says Vanessa, slipping on a pair of latex gloves and offering more to whoever lacks them. "We have to consider this an active crime scene. I suspect Mr. Adams is dead in that bathroom, and from the smell he has probably been in there a long time. If you have to throw up, do it in the hall." She goes over to the bathroom door, pistol in hand just in case. Leaning against the wall next to the door, she waits for the others to get into position before cracking it open and peeking inside.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 4:55 am**

Griff's task is done, and he can join the others down at Adams' room if he likes.

***

Vanessa opens the bathroom door, finding her intuition to be correct. A man lies dead in a tub filled with bloodied water. He's heavy set and mid thirties,with a large bushy beard and curly dark hair. He is completely naked. The cause of death appears to be numerous slashes to the wrist.

OOC: Any agent examining the body please make an Alertness roll.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:16 am**

"We're going to have to alert the local authorities," says Vanessa, "after we've gone over the crime scene and made sure there's nothing they shouldn't see. There may be something of interest on the laptop." She examines the body closely.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 6:13 am**

Nik

“We need to search the whole room” Nik tells Jose. “Get Griff to help. Adams’ may have notebooks or diaries as well as the laptop. Look for any bills or receipts which might show where he’s been around town. There may be no connection but, you can never tell.”

He peers closely at the body, looking for the same surgical scars which appeared on Spivey, or anything else untoward.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:13 am**

Griff enters the room, his nose wrinkling at the familiar smell of death.

“I can’t leave you guys alone for a minute can I? Let me take a look at the guy.”

He examines the body from a medic’s perspective.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 4:09 pm**

José closes the door behind Griff and examines the hotel room as best he can

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:04 pm**

Vanessa also tries to determine what she can about the body medically.

Posted: **Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:51 pm**

Griff and Vanessa see no signs of surgical scaring on the man, but they recall hat they hadn't on Spivey either. Derringer had told them that the scars were barely visible and only notable under an extensive medical examination. They would likely need to do the same to see if it was the case here, which meant physically interacting with the body.

José works to examine the hotel room, but it becomes apparent that the lack of light is something of an issue. He tries the light switch and discovers that the bulb has been removed from the hotel lamb. The best way to get some light in here would be opening the blinds, but he'd have to spend a few minutes on the task, as the man had secured them tightly with tape.

Nik also looks the corpse over, and something catches his eye. There is a small bulge of pure white tissue on the top right of the man's head. It does not resemble human tissue and looks most unusual, and is unmoving. He's never seen anything quite like it.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:59 am**

"Look at this" Nik indicates the tissue on Adams' head to Vanessa and Griff. "What do you make of it? We're gonna need to autopsy this guy."

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:10 am**

"We can't do it here," says Vanessa. "It'll have to be done at the coroner's. I'll offer to assist in the autopsy, or failing that to observe. I have no idea what that stuff is. First, let's finish examining the scene. We can probably get a spare bulb from the supply closet to get some light in here." She checks the laptop to see if it's unlocked and if there's anything on the screen.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:34 am**

"I'll just get the one from our room, it'll be quicker."

Nik hurries off on his errand.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:24 am**

"What the hell is that?"

Squinting in the gloom, Griff shines his torch on the white lump so that he can get a better look.

"Hadn't we better go through his clothes, check for mud on his shoes and such? Isn't that the kind of thing you guys do?"

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:21 pm**

José places himself at the door keeping guard

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:21 pm**

"He isn't wearing any clothes," says Vanessa, "which makes that easier under the circumstances. We'll need to do that too, but first I want to see if he left any notes on the laptop that might explain this. You can search while I'm doing that if you like."

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:30 pm**

OOC: That’ll teach me to read posts in a hurry!

I’ll amend my post.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:55 pm**

Nik heads off to find a few spare bulbs to place back into the room's lamps.

[dice]0[/dice]

OOC: Nik, it will take you two posts from me to retrieve the bulbs and return to the room. I'll let you know when you're back with everyone.

José Keeps watch of the scene.

Vanessa examines the computer, and finds that it is thankfully not password protected. In addition to the web browser, there are three files located on the desktop that stand out to her.

Groversville Notes

sze, t

Message

The last one is an audio file.

Griff shines his light on the lump. It looks like a pure white lump of human tissue. And then as the light shines on it, it begins to twitch.

OOC: Griff please roll San for unnatural. Loss is 0/1.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:01 pm**

Dropping his flashlght, Griff lets put a yelp as the lump twitches.

"Jesus Christ! Damn thing moved!"

Visbly shaken he hurriedly steps away from the body.

"I guess we know why he had the place so dark... Holy f*** that's freaky!"

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:16 pm**

Even without the light on it the lump continues to move. It crawls off the top of the dead man's head and falls into the filled bathtub with a small plop, vanishing into the bloodied waters. Small residues of the slime are all that remain on the head.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:03 am**

Vanessa plays the audio file first.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 8:53 am**

Embarrassed by his outburst and relieved that no-one seems to have noticed, Griff pulls himself together. Clearing his throat, he calls to the others.

"Um, guys? Part of his head just crawled off into the bath..."

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:36 pm**

Griff keeps watch on the tub. For now, nothing else seems to happen.

Vanessa listens to the file. it's digitized and heavily distorted, but she can hear speech in there. The problem is the speech itself is impossible to make out, and she can't figure out what the true meaning behind the message. Someone who knew about computers might be able to make the message listenable, but until then it was an enigma.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:42 pm**

jp1885 wrote:
"Um, guys? Part of his head just crawled off into the bath..."

"Hu?" José walks over to Griff turning on his flashlight illuminating the blood stained water in the bathtub

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 4:45 am**

"Either of you know anything about computers?" asks Vanessa, heading back to the bathroom to see what Griff has spotted.

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:56 am**

Nik finishes his task and comes back into the hotel room, which is presently empty. It sounds like the others are in the bathroom.

As José shines the flashlight on the bath water, there is a sudden disturbance in the water, before a tentacle of white goo flies out of the water and at him!
But Jose backs up at the last second, and the attack misses him.

From out of the bloody water rises a larger glob of white slime, about the size and shape of a large bowl. It squirms to the end of the tub and pushes itself out of it, and begins to ooze towards the agents. The tentacle that had attacked José withdraws back into the shape and vanishes.

OOC: San rolls for everyone seeing the large pile of slime, even Griff. 0/1d4. We are officially in combat.

Griff goes first. Vanessa and Nik have the same Dex so technically go at the same time, and José goes next. The slime goes last. Since the enemy goes last, feel free to post as you can.

Nik, as you are in the next room, you will not be able to engage the slime puddle until next turn. On the bright side, you don't have to make a sanity roll until you see it, either.

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:35 am**

Griff curses loudly once more as the thing oozes out of the bath. He backs up, instinctively fumbling for his weapon.
Not a natural fighter even when he's not panicking, the shot goes wide.

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:44 am**

Silver Priest wrote: But Jose backs up at the last second, and the attack misses him.

"What the fuck!" José takes a fe step back "Its a blob, it tried to attack me!" he draws his scalpel with one hand illuminating the thing with his flashlight with the other hand

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 3:06 pm**

Nik hears the commotion and then the shot in the bathroom. He draws his sidearm, but decides it would be prudent to get some light in the place.

He jumps on the bed and screws the bulb into the socket, flooding the room with light.

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:58 pm**

OOC: Just realized that the blob crit failed on its last action, so I'm going to say it loses a turn. It had trouble getting fully out of the tub and was delayed.As a result, all of you get one more turn to act before it can.

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:38 pm**

As the thing flounders in the bath, Griff backs away, using the brief respite to look for a can of spray deoderant. Finally thinking rationally, he doubts whether gunfire would harm it, judging by the jelly-like nature of the thing. Maybe then, a spray of fire?

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:14 pm**

OOC: Griff, please roll luck.

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2019 3:33 am**

Vanessa hadn't wanted to discharge her firearm in the hotel, but Jose has already done it, so there's nothing to lose at this point. She draws and fires and it in a single motion.

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2019 4:07 am**

OOC: Valid point Mr. Handy. Yes, I added the rule to the rules thread; if you're shooting within 3 meters of an enemy it's considered a point blank shot and you get a +20 bonus. Just keep in mind you're likely to draw attention if you're close enough to qualify for the bonus.

Round 1

Griff's shot just hits the blob, opening up a hole within it, and sending a small splatter of it around the bathtub.

José shines his light fully on the thing, to no apparent reaction from the slime.

Nik proves it only takes one federal agent to screw in a lightbulb, and the room is now illuminated in light just like the bathroom.

Vanessa blows another small hole in the slime creature, to similar effect as Griff. To both agents horror the holes begin to close with a sickening squish.

OOC: Round two. Griff, if you succeed on your luck roll you can make an attack roll this turn, using firearms. I'll roll for damage, if it even does any.

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2019 8:27 am**

As luck would have it, Griff's frantic sweep of the bathroom yields a can of deodorant. Flipping open his lighter, he depresses the button, sending a whoosh of flame towards the creature.

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2019 4:01 pm**

Nik puts his head round the door of the crowded bathroom, just in time to see Griff shooting flames over the bath.

Posted: **Fri Oct 18, 2019 4:57 am**

"Put out the lights!" says Vanessa, already flipping the light switch off in the bathroom. "Adams made the room dark for a reason!" She then turns off the lights in the main room.

Posted: **Sat Oct 19, 2019 4:07 am**

OOC: Anatomist, you still have a second action, so next turn you can take two.

Jp1885, luck is 50/50 in DG, but I prefer the CoC model of Pow*5 so I've house ruled that in. Also, while you're in the bathroom you get +20 on your firearm attacks to hit the thing; you have to be pretty close to hit it with the fire so you get point blank bonus.

Round two

Griff finds a can of deodorant,and thinking quickly, improvises a string of flame directly at the blob.
The flame barely singes the creature, but it seems to have made it recoil in something approaching pain for just a second. If they can hit it with a better shot it might do more damage.

Nik sees the flames of his fellow agent but can't yet get a good look at what he is firing at.

Vanessa flips off the light switch, plunging the room into almost total darkness, the only two sources of light now Jose's flashlight and the light coming from the bedroom.

The creature continues to ooze forward. Again a tentacle of sludge forms within it, but this time it shoots out at Griff
But once again the attack is easily avoided by the DG agent.

OOC: Griff and Jose, I assume as part of your actions you're moving backwards a few steps each turn. The slime continues forward. It's about halfway across the bathroom floor, and if you did not move it would have reached one of you by now. I don't believe either of your agent particularly wants this to happen.

Posted: **Sat Oct 19, 2019 4:44 am**

Nik turns the bathroom light back on again, and comes further into the bathroom, trying to get a look at Griff's target, but not so close so that he gets in the way.

Posted: **Sat Oct 19, 2019 9:12 am**

Stepping back, Griff sprays the creature again.

”Burn it!” he yells.

Posted: **Sat Oct 19, 2019 11:09 am**

José dont really want to shot at the thing, and he gets slightly scared so he moves out of the room.

Posted: **Sat Oct 19, 2019 3:29 pm**

Nik pushes past Jose, his mouth dropping open when he sees the nature of the threat. He quickly grabs a towel from the rack, intending to throw it over the creature if necessary.

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:34 am**

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 4:17 am**

OOC: Mr. Handy is correct. In the future, if I give you a bonus or penalty to a skill just apply it to the base number. So since your firearms is 50% normally it would be 70% now. So okay, let's see how this plays out.

Round three

Griff takes a step back and unleashes another spray of fire at the blob, this one seeming to directly hit it.
It's a much more effective hit, and the slime is engulfed in flame. And then it simply collapses, its base disintegrating as the blob falls apart into a pile of unmoving and still burning matter. It smells like chlorine and burnt rubber, and is quite foul. But it seems truly dead, or near enough.

Nik observes the last seconds of the creature, to his great shock. He grabs a towel and manages to put out the flame before it starts a smoke alarm.

OOC: Nik, please make your san roll. 0/1d4. Also we're out of combat. For the moment.

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 5:10 am**

"Well done," says Vanessa. "Keep it ready in case there's more of them." She peers into the bathroom to see if there are any other blobs.

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 6:04 am**

In the bathroom itself there is no more blobs visible. The bathtub the blob has emerged from is still full of bloody water,and seeing under it and the body still inside the tub was difficult.

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 7:06 am**

Nik
"What the hell was that?" Nik asks in a shaky voice. He grabs another towel from the rack, almost dropping it. His hands are shaking.

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:33 pm**

Griff exhales deeply, relaxing slightly whilst keeping a wary eye on the bathtub.

”Search me, but it sure as hell wasn’t natural! We need to act fast before our journalist friend cottons on to this. Let’s search this place and take some samples. Any chance we can get a friendly instead of the local coroner?”

He looks around for something to collect samples of bath water.

OOC: Yeah, as soon as I made the roll I knew I’d made a mistake, but it was such a good roll I didn’t want to screw with it!

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 4:31 pm**

José take the door again, hat shot must have stirred someone he thinks

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:34 pm**

Griff recalls there were a few large plastic cups from fast food restaurants in the bedroom. They might suffice to collect a sample.

It's around the time José reaches the front door that an insistent knocking starts on it. "Mr. Adams...officers? Is everything okay in there?' It's the hotel clerk.

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 9:15 pm**

Leaving José to deal with the clerk, Griff grabs some cups and, if he can find any, bottles with screw tops. Returning to the bathroom he puts on some medical gloves.

"Can someone get a lighter ready and cover me with the spray can?"

Posted: **Sun Oct 20, 2019 9:58 pm**

"Careful, there could be more of them underwater," whispers Vanessa. "We may need to drain it." She'll let José do the talking for now, as he's already at the door, though she's prepared to back him up if needed. She takes up the lighter and spray can, ready to use them if any more blobs appear.

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:22 am**

"You didn't answer me!" Nik accosts Griff. "What was that and where did you see it come from?"

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 8:44 am**

Heeding Vanessa's warning, Griff stops what he's doing. He blinks at Nik for a second.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I guess I'm still kinda flustered. I found this gelatinous lump on the guy's head. When I shone my flashlight on it, it moved and sorta crawled into the bath. José shines his light and next thing you know the freaking Blob is coming at us. I'm not ashamed to say I freaked and and loosed off a shot, but it went straight through, which is when I decided to try fire. Luckily it seems to have worked, unless, as the lady says, there's more in there."

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:11 am**

Silver Priest wrote:"Mr. Adams...officers? Is everything okay in there?' It's the hotel clerk.

"Don't worry, that was a blank, please reassure anyone that its all ok. Don't mention us... as we are on duty, right? burst pipe maybe?"

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:45 pm**

“That was the thing on his head?” whispers Nik furiously to Griff. “Christ. Look, we can’t do anything while that clerk is at the door. Leave the tub alone. Just be ready.”

He regards the corpse in the bath, his mind racing.

“This has to be connected to what happened to Spivey. It can’t be a coincidence. You remember Derringer said that Spivey’s muscles were replaced by some substance? How much do you bet that…” he nods his head at the smoldering towel. “Yeah, there might be more of it.”

He backs up and looks out the door toward where the others are talking to the clerk, hoping to see what is happening.

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 7:48 pm**

OOC: Taking a few liberties here, let me know if I'm moving too fast and I'll retcon.

There's a pause before the clerk responds. "Oh, well I'm glad to hear that. Some of the folk here were a bit worried. Said they heard gunshots. I'll say it was a false alarm though. But uh, try to keep it down, please. No one wants to have the police called." It occurs to José that the clerk may be nervous because he was bribed to let them into the room in the first place; no doubt he did not want any attention focused on that fact. He seems to leave.

Griff takes samples of the bathwater, Vanessa keeping watch. He's not able to find any bottles in Adams' room, but perhaps he could transfer them to a more sturdy container later on. Approaching the tub, he leans down and begins collecting samples. It occurs to him that at any moment another of those things could attack him, but nothing does, and he's able to collect as much of the water as he wants unmolested. It's blood red, but otherwise looks exactly like water. He does discover something about halfway down, however; a small straight razor.

Nik sees nothing out of the ordinary-- José appears to have defused the situation. Still, it would probably be best if they were more mindful of when and how they used their guns in the future.

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 9:08 pm**

"Hey, there's a razor in here; I wonder..."

Griff carefully removes the razor and then checks Adams' wrists for any self-inflicted injuries. Morbidly curious, he also examines the area of the head where the blob was. Was it simply attached or had it burrowed our. If so, how deeply had it burrowed?

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 9:33 pm**

Griff finds the wounds match up perfectly with the razor.

There's no hole in the man's head, suggesting the blob did not come from inside it.

OOC: Anyone who examines the man's head can make a forensic roll to determine where the blob may have come from.

Posted: **Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:02 pm**

Posted: **Tue Oct 22, 2019 2:46 am**

"Let's try to get out of here as soon as we can" says Nik.

He begins to make a search of the room for anything which might shed some light on Adam's movement since his time in Groversville.

Posted: **Tue Oct 22, 2019 4:45 am**

"Before we go, see if you can access those files on the laptop," says Vanessa, as she examines the corpse's head. "I can't get that audio file with the message to play right, but you know more about computers than I do. We may need to drain the tub to make sure there are no more blobs in it. We can't leave a threat like that waiting here."

Posted: **Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:05 am**

Nik

"Let's just take it with us back to the room. Sheriff's gonna want to keep everything until the cause of death is official, and we don't have any reason to want it in his eyes. Let's search the room, gather up any relevant evidence and get it out of here. Then we should take care of the tub. Maybe you should take charge of the autopsy, Marchand, and try and limit local assistance. We could say that we suspect he might have ingested that new drug I was bullshitting about, and it's toxic if you don't know what you're looking for. Could we call for friendly assistance?"

Posted: **Tue Oct 22, 2019 10:46 am**

"Yeah, we definitely need friendly backup here. If we empty the bathtub, we risk flushing whatever that thing was into the waste water system; we could have blob monsters popping up all over the place. Let's get this room sealed off, disinfected and searched thoroughly. If we can keep the locals out of the autopsy, then all the better. I agree with you Nik, let's keep up with the narcotics angle: Adams slashed his wrists - went crazy on a dangerous drug which could still be contaminating the area. Let's make some calls."

Play@YSDC

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