Play@YSDC

Posted: **Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:29 am**

Vanessa spends the next few months trying to forget. Forget the things she saw in the Night Floors, the thought of which still brings her terror. And forgetting the fate of Nik, her longtime partner who had met his end when he tried to go against Stephen Alzis.

Snoopy was a lazy dog, but affectionate enough, and Rex adapted to him quickly. Malcolm was still affectionate and Vanessa tried to love him, even if it did not come so naturally anymore. Their wedding was approaching quickly as well; the end of November, with a honeymoon planned right after. Maybe then her life could finally get back to normal.

Of course, when the email arrives from Delta Green it reminds her that things may very well never be normal again.
***

November 4th, 2000

Subject: A Night at the Opera

Congratulations! You have won tickets to a Night at the Opera! Take the first flight tomorrow out of LaGuardia to Berkley, California. A car will be waiting to deliver you to your destination. We look forward to seeing you.

If asked about it, McRay claims ignorance. "I've just received a terse request to cover for your absence in the next week, which tells me this is important. That you need to go halfway across the country for work suggests you've won confidence from someone in A-Cell, so there's that. I suspect you'll have some backup for this one, given the unfortunate circumstances concerning Agent Siilasvuo. Be careful. " He seems sincere in saying this. "And good luck."

Posted: **Wed Jun 24, 2020 3:59 am**

"Thank you, sir," says Vanessa. "It's nice to be appreciated. I'll do my best."

Posted: **Wed Jun 24, 2020 4:34 am**

"Just come back alive, Agent." McRay says.

***

November 5th, 2000

The next day finds Vanessa taking a Red Eye flight out to California; counting in a brief layover, she should be arriving there soon after 10:00 AM. Jose is with her, of course. He is polite enough, though also distant, the loss of Nik clearly affecting him and reminding him how dangerous this work is. He spends time making small talk with Vanessa.

Their seats are in coach, and they find themselves next to a crying baby the entire flight. It is not one of their most pleasant experiences.

***

Their plane touches down at Berkley on time, and the agents make their way outside. There's a taxi waiting for them. The driver reports their fare has been paid by a Mr. Drake, but seems ignorant of details beyond that. As Jose and Vanessa get inside, a third person rushes to join them.

OOC: HoneyDog, please feel free to introduce your character when you can.

Posted: **Wed Jun 24, 2020 6:03 am**

Andre is standing quietly by himself, trying to fight off the fatigue from the flight, when he sees the man and woman he was told to expect approach the taxi. He can’t tell about the man, but the woman is definitely law enforcement. He picks up his back and approaches them, running his hand through his short blonde hair.

“Mind if I join you?” he says as he reaches them. “I’m Sam. I believe you’re fellow opera enthusiasts.”

Posted: **Thu Jun 25, 2020 1:27 am**

"Be my guest," says Vanessa, sliding over to make room. She is tired from the flight, having been unable to sleep due to the crying baby. She was already reluctant to have one of her own, and this experience hadn't helped to change her mind. "My name's Vanessa. Yes, I've been to several operas in the last couple of years. How many have you attended?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 25, 2020 3:09 am**

Andre is startled at Vanessa’s casual use of her real name but says nothing.

“Maybe that’s a conversation for another time” he says, eyeing the driver.

Posted: **Thu Jun 25, 2020 4:59 am**

Thankfully the driver seems to pay his passengers no mind. He puts on the radio and drives them to their destination. If any of them ask, he reveals it to be the Post Office in the city's university district. Other than that, he doesn't talk much, and when they arrive he lets them out around the back of the place before driving away.

The man they meet is in his forties. Slightly overweight, he's balding and dressed conservatively in a post office dress shirt and a pair of khakis.

"Hi, thanks for coming," He smiles nervously and extends his hand. "I'm Inspector David Baldwin. If we go inside I can reveal to you all why you're here." He takes them through the back, though the loading docks and letter sorting area to a snack room for the employees. A small hand held freezer is sitting on a table. It's currently closed, and while Baldwin goes to open it the agents see another man standing nearby. He's older, a senior citizen with sharp gray hair and weathered features, but his eyes are still sharp and completely devoid of emotion. The way he stands at attention suggests a career in the military or law enforcement.

"Call me Drake." He offers, his voice that of a heavy smoker. "I've heard your cell has made a bit of a name for itself, which is why I've called you in." He looks to Andre. "Heard good things about you as well- that you're cool under pressure. I certainly hope that's the case. Baldwin here is a friend of ours.So when he saw what he did he made the very wise decision to reach out to us. I'll let him tell it to you himself."

Baldwin takes out a large shipping box from inside the freezer. It's been taped close but was clearly already been opened, and looks a bit worse for wear; there are towels underneath it, upon which a bright blue fluid is leaking.

"One of my colleagues found this box leaking yesterday and noticed the chemical. It smelled oily, so we called the bomb squad in. They x-rayed it, and found out all it was was the head of a dog wrapped in some cold packs. Unpleasant, but not a threat, at least. Inspector Richard Rafferty opened it after they left to see what it was-- we thought it was some sort of, I dunno, prank, or something. We get them sometimes."

Drake clears his throat, and Baldwin gets the message.

"So uh, he opened it." He opens the box in turn and pulls out the dog's severed head, that of a German Shepard. It's still moving, its eyes completely bloodshot and filled with rage as it squirms about.Its right eye is blasted away by a bullet wound. There is a wound in the skull which has exposed the brain tissue. The jawbone was shot out of its right hinge. Even so, its jaw muscles jerk spasmodically. The flesh of the bloodless stump is stained faintly blue, as is the exposed brain tissue. By all accounts it should be dead, but it's not. It chomps on air, again and again.

OOC: San rolls for everyone, 0/1d6 unnatural.

Posted: **Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:02 am**

Andre feels his face turn cold as he sees the head. He’s seen some shocking sights before, but nothing like this. How can it still be alive?

Feeling unsteady, he tries to imagine the shame he would feel if he fainted right now in front of these others, and of the mockery his teammate Suda would surely bestow in him. He remains calm, but he spies a nearby chair, and sits down heavily, his breath whooshing out.

Posted: **Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:52 am**

Vanessa flinches, mainly because the dog reminds her of Rex, who is also a German shepherd. The thought of something like that happening to him is what disturbs her the most. "To what address was it sent?" she asks when she recovers. "Was there a return address?"

Posted: **Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:00 pm**

OOC: Both of you suffered fairly big loses. A great start, clearly.

Jose was oddly fine about the whole thing.

Andre nearly freezes up at the sight before him, but he thinks of his teammate. Suda could be an asshole, but he always knew how to handle things, so he summons his reserves and forces himself to avoid freaking out. But he can't help but resent Suda a little; after all, he had never had to see something like this.

Vanessa too manages to mostly overcome her revulsion. The dog looks enough like Rex to be disturbing, but not enough to be his twin, so she was able to dissociate the two.

Jose gives a sharp intake of breath, but otherwise offers no reaction.

Drake looks at Andre carefully, his face blank.

OOC: Andre can make a HUMINT roll if he likes. Success indicates vague disappointment from the older man at Andre's reaction.

Baldwin nods. "Yeah. It was sent to a Fiona Lin-Wei, c/ o The Ecotopian, Berkeley, California. The return address is... for a Thomas Iron Shirt, in care of P.O. box 26 on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Montana. Apparently it was mailed from Great Falls, Montana on the 3rd of the month, with next day delivery."

"There was a note, too." Blake says, passing it to the investigators.

Dear Ms. Lin-Wei,
This abomination was the result of experiments conducted at the Amalgamated Bio-Carb, Inc. chemical production facility on the Blackfoot Indian reservation, just north of Browning, Montana. From past experience I know you can be trusted to do everything in your power to expose this obscene perversion of science and nature. My position here is precarious, so I must move cautiously. I will contact you soon.

"Your objectives are as follows." Baldwin continues. "We need you to investigate and determine the source and nature of this biological anomaly. Determine the involvement of Amalgamated Bio-Carb, Thomas Iron Shirt, and Fiona Lin-Wei in this matter and what they know. Determine the severity of the threat to national security and the public of these... experiments, and neutralize any immediate threats with a minimum risk of exposure. We can assist in cleanup, but given the scale of things we wish to expose as few people as possible to this unless their is no other option. Hopefully this will only be a few experiments that can be easily thwarted, but if not, we may need to consider other options.

" If violations of federal law have been committed, determine whether charges can be prosecuted without exposure of the public to information about preternatural or paranormal phenomena. If those responsible can be brought to justice without exposing us or the existence of preternatural or paranormal phenomena, then do so. If the threat of exposing us or the existence of preternatural or paranormal phenomena is too great, 'alternative methods' of resolving the situation are authorized." He shares a meaningful look.

"I'm aware this is asking a lot. And this is not some radical cult of a few members. We're talking about a company that may possess considerable resources, and we have no idea how much of it is compromised. That's what we're sending you in to determine. Once you have a better idea of the scope of this, report in for further instructions."

He pauses, seeming to be waiting for any questions.

Posted: **Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:52 pm**

In his shaken state, Andre is oblivious to the reactions of the people around him. He manages to collect himself together enough to pose a question, though.

"Do we know anything about this company? Government contracts? IRS records?"

He stares at the floor, trying not to look in the direction of the head.

Posted: **Wed Jul 01, 2020 3:46 am**

"What do we know about Fiona Lin-Wei and Thomas Iron Shirt?" asks Vanessa, all business now. "There must be public records about them. Are there any known links between them besides the package? He obviously trusted her enough to send it to her."

Posted: **Wed Jul 01, 2020 6:30 am**

Drake shakes his head. "Very little. And due to compartmentalization we're not often encouraged to dig deeper if not officially assigned to the case. You'll probably want to do some research on Amalgamated Bio-Carb and the people mentioned in the letter. I have been able to confirm that none of them have been noticed by the agency before as a threat or even persons of interest. Anything more, I suggest you do some research on the interne, and if you have access to the FBI databases, see if any of our friends have a record."

Baldwin continues. "When we opened the package, the dog head bit Rafferty. Thankfully he had his gun on him. He had to unload six shots into the thing before it let him go, and the only reason I think it did was because he shot its jawbone out of its hinge. It didn't seem to even notice being shot; it let out no yelps or anything. We sent Rafferty home yesterday, he was pretty disturbed by the whole thing. I spoke to him a few hours ago; he sounded a bit out of it. Poor guy must still be shaken up. He doesn't know about you guys, but I'm sure he won't say anything; he knows how to keep his mouth shut."

"And the rest of the workers who glimpsed any of this have been made to sign wavers," Drake adds. "Any of them breath one word of this they'll lose their pensions and become a guest of the government.Think they will, anyway."

"Here's my number, keep me informed as to what you discover, and I'll do what I can to assist. We have an asset on UC Berkley,a Dr. Nadja Fulani. if you wanted to use the computers there in relative safety for research she may be of assistance. This could be a tricky one, but I have confidence in your team's ability to get to the bottom of things." With that, and after answering any final questions, Drake walks out.

Posted: **Wed Jul 01, 2020 6:50 am**

“Is that it?” mutters Andre. “I guess we can’t count on much help from him.”

He looks at Baldwin.

“What about the head? Can we attempt any kind of analysis on that thing?”

He shudders.

Posted: **Thu Jul 02, 2020 3:59 am**

"I have the medical skills," says Vanessa. "I could do it, if we had the proper facilities. I've performed several autopsies, though the bodies don't usually move around and try to bite me."

Posted: **Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:53 am**

"Good, you can make use of that." Drake says. "You're welcome to try and examine the dog head and see what you can find out. There's a laboratory run by a contact of mine about a 20 minutes ride away on the outskirts of San Fransisco. For $7000 a night you can use the facilities, no questions asked. I can pay $5000 but you'll have to come up with the rest of it. Failing that, you'll have to get creative; I suggest a vet office or something like it. They'd have the equipment needed and tend to be less well guarded."
"Before I forget, there's a Green box not too far from here that's fairly well stocked. You can requisition any equipment you might need, within reason." He gives the address. "And if you need to get anything else as the op continues let me know and I'll see what strings I can pull."

Posted: **Thu Jul 02, 2020 5:57 am**

“I would guess that the er… reanimation is the result of some experiment at Amalgamated Bio-Carb, and Thomas Iron Shirt either found out about it or was involved and had a change of heart, and this is his attempt to expose the experiment, as his note says. It’s obviously unethical, and might be illegal.”

Andre looks up, looking at the box, trying to get himself together.

“I know I raised the point, but we should probably ask ourselves whether we need an analysis right now. Would knowing what re-animated that dog help us? I think finding Thomas Iron Shirt should be the priority. He could be in danger and we should get out to Montana as soon as possible. We can keep that thing on ice at the green box until we need it.”

Posted: **Fri Jul 03, 2020 5:15 am**

"I think it's worth it to do the analysis," says Vanessa. "The more we understand about this phenomenon, the better, and I'd sooner trust my firsthand observations than an unreliable witness. While I'm doing that, you can do other things in the area. Fiona Lin-Wei is local, and you could look into her, for instance. You could also collect equipment from the green box. Jose, you have medical experience too, so your help with the dissection - or is it vivisection? - would be welcome, if you're up to it."

Posted: **Fri Jul 03, 2020 6:29 am**

Andre shrugs.

“Sure, I’ll check her out. If you’re thinking about bringing equipment, and by that I take it you mean weapons, it means a drive, not a flight, to Montana.”

He gets up to leave.

"Think about it. Give me your numbers and I'll call when I've spoken with Lin Wei."

Posted: **Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:15 am**

Vanessa gives him her card. "Thanks," she says. "I'll give you a list of what I'd like from the green box when I come up with it."

Posted: **Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:32 am**

The agents go their separate ways, intent on untangling the mystery they now find themselves in.

Posted: **Sat Jul 04, 2020 4:08 am**

Andre ignores the looks, knowing that he is often rightly identified as a cop, there is not much he can do about it.

Spotting the magazines, he picks one up, curious as to what kind of publication it is.

Posted: **Sat Jul 04, 2020 4:14 am**

"Of course you're invited to the wedding," says Vanessa. "The new guy seems okay. I was freaked out by the dog too, but of course I love dogs. Maybe he does too." She sets to work on her analysis of the dog's head, making sure it is restrained so that it cannot bite. She is curious as to where the energy comes from to animate the clearly dead severed head. The brain and nervous system are electrical in nature, so this is most likely some form of galvanism, but where is it getting the electrical power?

Posted: **Sun Jul 05, 2020 5:16 am**

Posted: **Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:17 am**

Lin Wei and the magazine are obviously fighting for environmental causes, Andre thinks. They’d probably be interested in unnatural and unethical experiments. That said, so would any news organization.

He gets up and prepares to find Lin Wei.

Posted: **Sun Jul 05, 2020 5:50 pm**

Vanessa continues with what she knows is actually called a necropsy. It would only truly be an autopsy if the remains were human, or if she were a dog. Besides, she isn't sure whether the head is dead or alive. The whole thing only leaves her more confused, and the CAT scan reveals nothing new to her.

Posted: **Sun Jul 05, 2020 9:12 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jul 06, 2020 4:15 am**

”I need to speak to Fiona Lin Wei. It’s about a story” Andre says, quietly but with authority.

Posted: **Mon Jul 06, 2020 4:48 pm**

"I'd like to run some tests on the stuff, if we can do it safely," says Vanessa. "Do you think it's dangerous for us to handle it?"

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2020 4:47 am**

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2020 5:04 am**

Andre frowns, disappointed.

“Do you expect her back today? Is she on assignment?”

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2020 4:46 pm**

"Then we'd better just save it and hold onto it until we have more information," says Vanessa. "Using it in that manner could very well be dangerous. I don't want to make a zombie mouse. We can just secure the head in the green box and gear up."

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:55 pm**

Posted: **Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:11 am**

Andre looks at the man closely to try to get a sense of whether he is being bullshitted, but can read nothing.

"Never mind" he says. "Thanks for the help."

He leaves and on the way to the car calls Vanessa, announcing his lack of success and intention to visit Dr. Fulani at UC Berkley.

Posted: **Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:34 pm**

"Let's hold onto it for now," says Vanessa. "We can always destroy it later if we don't need it, but if we destroy it now and we need it later, we'll be sorry." When Andre calls, Vanessa fills him in on what they've learned and lets him know they're on the way to the green box. "Let me know what you want us to pick up for you."

Posted: **Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:10 pm**

Vanessa and Jose head to the greenbox, which is actually set up more along the lines of an armory. All of the equipment is carefully catalogued, and agents are expected to return what they use during an op. A sign reads "Don't be a dick. Take only what you need."

OOC: The agents can gather whatever they think they'll need,and Andre can fill you in on his needs as well. Feel free to post this ooc. It will take some time to acquire everything you need and fill out the forms, since I assume you will. I'll let you know when you can post again.

Posted: **Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:54 am**

“I’m Sam” says Andre, trying not to blush, which he usually does when confronted by a beautiful woman. “Secret societies, huh? I’d like to know more, but I’m pushed for time. I need help with a computer search actually.”

Posted: **Sat Jul 11, 2020 8:28 am**

Posted: **Sat Jul 11, 2020 4:23 pm**

Being a member of a close-knit group, Andre has some idea of what Dr. Fulani is talking about. But he concentrates on the matter in hand.

“To be honest, I don’t know what we’re dealing with yet. I just need a computer to find out some information about a company. I want to search online and see what comes up. Is that okay?”

Posted: **Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:16 am**

Posted: **Sun Jul 12, 2020 6:15 am**

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

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

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:44 am**

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

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:31 am**

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:31 am**

Andre communicates his findings to Vanessa.

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

Posted: **Thu Jul 16, 2020 3:52 am**

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

Posted: **Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:43 am**

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

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

Posted: **Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:02 am**

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

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

Posted: **Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:32 am**

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

Posted: **Fri Jul 17, 2020 7:45 am**

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

Posted: **Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:04 am**

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

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

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

Posted: **Sat Jul 18, 2020 4:20 am**

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

Posted: **Sat Jul 18, 2020 6:55 am**

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

Posted: **Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:57 am**

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

At the call from Jose, he hesitates.

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

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

Posted: **Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:07 pm**

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

Posted: **Sun Jul 19, 2020 4:41 am**

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

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

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

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

Posted: **Sun Jul 19, 2020 9:43 pm**

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 1:37 am**

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

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

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

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 2:08 am**

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 2:33 am**

Andre is silent for a moment.

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 3:13 am**

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

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 3:41 am**

Andre grimaces.

“We’re cops. He’s a crook. He won't really want to talk to cops. And we probably want to reveal our real identities as little as possible. How about this - we could tell him we’re with the EPA and we’ve been looking at ABC. The Ectopian shares information with us when they think their sources need more protection than they can provide.”

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:07 am**

"Well, maybe," says Vanessa, "but he could still check with the Ecotopian and prove us to be liars. We could just say we're looking into improper activities at ABC and leave it at that, not telling him who we are until we meet him in person."

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:17 am**

Andre shrugs.

"Well, I don't usually work cases, so I'll leave it up to you. I’m still thinking though about how to get to him. He might be wary - I’m sure that ABC must be aware that something has happened and be on the lookout for who or whatever caused it. I reckon that dog was probably on security. Anyway, we have his address. Let’s try and get a phone number when we arrive.”

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:45 am**

OOC: Nice burst of activity. Always nice to see.

For reference, because I don't believe I noted it before, Vanessa and Andre's cover for this mission is an out of state training exercise. That's nebulously defined, but no questions will really be asked by your real jobs unless you get in shootouts or something that can't be easily covered up.

"I found some stuff out about Reverol," Jose reports halfway through his meal at the busy diner they find. "Had to dig a little, but it seems like it's not the miracle drug ABC was hoping for. Testing results show a slight, measurable improvement in patients given it, so it's not a total bust, but it's not likely to revolutionize the industry or make the company tremendous amounts of money on its own."

He listens as the other agents debate the matter of contacting Thomas Iron Shirt. "Well I'm not FBI.Just a civilian. A Paramedic, actually. I could try to talk to him. I'll leave it to you guys whether or not this is a good idea, and if so what my cover story should be. Even if we don't do that, I like the idea of checking in at his residence. Maybe with the reservation police to, if we can; I think if we're going to be poking around we'll want to contact them sooner than later. "

OOC: If you have no other plans, you can rent a room or two at a local hotel and start the drive early tomorrow.. It will take a little over 18 hrs, so most of the day. Let me know if you want to try to make the trip in one day or two; one day you'd get there late at night, two days you could get there early to mid morning.

Posted: **Mon Jul 20, 2020 6:43 am**

OOC: I say arrive there as soon as possible, and arriving at night might attract less attention.

“We don’t know if we can trust local police” says Andre, shaking his head. “Looking at the MO of this Turner guy, I would suspect that he would try to buy influence with them. And if we turn up and go straight to Iron Shirt’s house, we’re sending up a massive red flag to everyone around there. We should try to draw Iron Shirt out. Get him off the res and meet us in a nearby town, or someplace where he feels safe.”

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 12:06 am**

"Yes, I think it's for the best that Jose initially approach Thomas Iron Shirt," says Vanessa. "Even if we don't identify ourselves as law enforcement, he might 'smell' it. A lot of criminals learn to sense who's a cop, especially those who have done time and don't want to go back."

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:03 am**

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:44 am**

"When we do speak to him in person, we can assure him that Turner is the target of our investigation, not him," adds Vanessa.

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 6:01 am**

OOC: Yes, I use the spoiler buttons more to make text manageable for you both when I have to set separate scenes for you. But I don't mind you reading each other;s, especially when you meet up and presumably fill one another in.

"I guess we'll figure out abetter plan when we get there," Jose says. "We do have Iron Shirt's address, but chances are we're going to need to ask someone for directions." He yawns. "But we'll see what happens. We should get to bed; we have along day ahead of us tomorrow.

Assuming they do nothing else, the agents retire to their hotel rooms and soon fall asleep.

November 6th, 2000

The team gets up early, and are on the road by 5:30.

The trip is long and largely uneventful, though traffic is manageable. To avoid exhaustion, all three agents switch off driving now and then, while the others rest. It's not comfortable, but they've likely been in worse situations. A feeling of trepidation slowly begins to fill the air as the team gets closer and closer to their destination. What horrors were they heading towards?

November 7th, 2000

The team finally arrive at Browning Montana just after 1 in the morning. It's pitch black, so they are prevented from seeing much of the surroundings, but maps they purchased indicated that the area was full of breathtaking scenery and very close to Glacier National Park.
If nothing else, this meant that tourism was not unfamiliar to the area. That might help them with a cover story, at least for a few days.

Browning itself was only about 1200 people in total, and it strikes them as a rather ordinary small town. (But then, so did Groversville for a few of the team...) but there are a few hotels in town which seem half filed. Agents can get a room if they like and wait until morning. Or, if they liked, they could proceed with their mission right now; tracking down Thomas Iron Shirt.

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:52 pm**

Browning looks like a typical country town to Andre, reminding him of New Mexico in many ways. Rubbing his tired eyes, he hopes he doesn’t give off too much of a cop vibe as he scans the phone book at the reception for a listing for the Iron Shirts.

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 5:52 pm**

"We can at least find out where he lives now," says Vanessa, "but we'll probably have to wait until morning to pay him a visit. I don't think he'll be pleased if we try that in the middle of the night."

Posted: **Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:36 pm**

The agents find a phone number for a Robert Iron Shirt, Thomas's father. The address lists him living just outside the town.

Andre does not think he's been made as a cop, though the hotel receptionist, an older woman with tired looking eyes, seems curious as to why he's looking through a phone book. She does not press the matter though and seems friendly enough otherwise, if a bit perfunctory.

OOC: Waiting until morning? If so, what time do you want to pay Thomas a visit?

Posted: **Wed Jul 22, 2020 3:07 am**

Andre frowns.

“If you’re both insisting on visiting him at home, then it might be better to go now. We stand less chance of being seen. I’m not comfortable with going there, I still say we should meet him at a place of his choosing.”

He shrugs.

“It’s up to you though, I don't have much experience with this kind of thing. I’m just a doorkicker.”

Posted: **Wed Jul 22, 2020 5:27 am**

"No, you're right," says Vanessa. "Jose can make the initial contact in the morning, and he can decide where to meet us if he agrees."

Posted: **Wed Jul 22, 2020 6:31 am**

"I'm fine going whenever," Jose says, nervous but trying to look brave, and mostly succeeding. "But I have a few questions. Did you want me to go alone while you both wait nearby? I'd feel better if you both were. And what's my cover story? I was thinking we could go with a half truth; tell Thomas that the box opened in transit and I'm from the post office to ask him about it. Even if he's distrustful of law enforcement, most people don't mind the post office that much, right? And he's less likely to be able to check the story out then if I said I was with the Ecotopian."

Posted: **Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:17 am**

“I’m confused” says Andre. “You want to go there to arrange a meeting with him for a different location? Isn’t it easier to call him on the phone? Look, let’s just go there right now and lay it on him. Jose can knock at the door, we’ll wait in the car. I’ll scout around and get a sense of whether Iron Shirt is being watched or not. Jose, just tell him you’re a friend of Lin Wei’s with government connections, looking into ABC, and you want to talk about the box.”

Posted: **Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:53 am**

"We only have his father's address," says Vanessa. "We don't even know for sure if Thomas lives with him, and knocking on the door in the middle of the night won't exactly endear us to him."

Posted: **Thu Jul 23, 2020 3:07 am**

Andre mutters under his breath.

"We have Thomas' address from his police record. It's the same as his father's. Even if he doesn't actually live there now, where the hell else are we going to start looking? Can we just go there already and get this done?"

Posted: **Thu Jul 23, 2020 4:03 am**

"I still think we should wait until dawn," says Vanessa. "Nobody's going to believe that the post office is showing up in the middle of the night. If you both really want to go now, though, I'll go along with it."

Posted: **Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:42 am**

“What is this post office thing? Come on guys, try and think this through! Postal inspectors are law enforcement too, remember? Look, tell him whatever you want. We can leave it until the morning, I'll leave the plan up to you.”

He turns and makes for his room, intending to try to get some sleep.

Posted: **Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:36 am**

OOC: Made a mistake with the month this scenario takes place in. It's in November. Today's actually election day.

The team heads to their rooms and finds sleep claims them quickly.

Morning arrives all too soon. After a quick breakfast, the agents set out to Thomas Iron Shirt's house. Just outside city limits, it's in an impoverished area, but makes the homes around it look almost like mansions. It's little more than a rusty shack, with garbage and old furniture littering the outside of the small yard. A dog dish sits in one corner, but no animal can be seen.

Jose looks to his companions. "I'm going to go up there and try to get Thomas to talk. I'll give away as little as possible but imply I'm here about the package-- hopefully he'll jump to conclusions from there, and I'll go with whatever he decides. If all goes well he'll either let us in, or he'll agree to meet with us somewhere else. Watch from here, please. That way if there's trouble, you can intervene pretty quickly."

The paramedic gets out of the car, carefully navigating the yard as he approaches the rusted door. He knocks on it three times. A minute goes by and he knocks again. He looks back at the agents and seems about to say something when the door opens and a man appears. He's wearing stained overalls and nothing else. Jose backs up, his hands up in a placating gesture, and it becomes apparent why; the man is holding a shotgun and pointing it directly at the delta green agent! He takes a step after Jose and says something, though neither of the other agents can hear it from here.

Posted: **Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:29 pm**

Andre draws his sidearm and opens the door. Standing behind it to give himself some cover, he takes aim at the man, who he presumes to be Thomas’ father. He waits though, hoping that Jose can defuse the situation.

Posted: **Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:27 am**

Vanessa also draws her pistol and gets out of the car, using it for cover. She holds her gun so that it won't be visible from the house.

Posted: **Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:59 am**

The man does not appear to notice either Vanessa or Andre.

Jose says something to him, obviously hoping to calm him down. In response, the man fires into the air.

"GET THE FUCK OFF MY PROPERTY!" He yells, staggering from one side to another. It's pretty clear he's heavily intoxicated. He aims the gun at Jose, who is already running back towards the car.

OOC: Rolled here, Jose failed his persuade to talk the man down.

Posted: **Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:17 am**

Andre covers Jose until he is back to the car.

“Maybe we should come back later” he says, keeping his eye on Iron Shirt.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 3:41 am**

"Yeah, or maybe not come back at all," says Vanessa, ready to get behind the wheel as soon as Jose arrives while she covers him. "At least not until he sobers up, and even then we should try calling him first."

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 4:27 am**

Jose gets back to the car. The man keeps the gun on him but turns and goes back inside once it's clear he's leaving.

"He didn't want to talk." Jose explains, rather underselling the matter. "Only useful thing I could get out of him was that he claims Thomas isn't here."

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:24 am**

Andre looks around to see if anyone has come out to see what the commotion was about.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:37 am**

A few people in fact have-- At a house across the street a boy of about ten opens the door, before an older woman grabs for him and pulls him back inside. She looks out herself, her eyes zeroing in on the newcomers. Then she flicks them towards the Iron Shirt's home, apparently having figured out the source of the gunshot.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 4:20 pm**

Andre holsters his weapon and holds his hands up towards the woman.

"Excuse me" he calls out. "I'm really sorry about all the drama. Is it okay if we talk? Do you mind?"

He tries to make his voice as friendly and convincing as possible.

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2020 5:47 pm**

Vanessa puts her own weapon away and watches the exchange, ready to support Andre if he can't get through to the woman, though she'll wait and see how he does before intervening.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 2:42 am**

The woman looks torn, but eventually nods, and ushers the agents in.

The home is small and cramped, but far better kept than the Iron Shirt's house appeared to be. She sends her son off, instructing him to go watch his siblings. Then she leads the agents into a small kitchen.

"You're not from here," it's not a question. "Thomas is in trouble?" She pours some coffee and offers her guests a cup.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:12 am**

"We just want to help him," says Vanessa. "We don't want to get him in trouble, but he may be in over his head."

Posted: **Wed Jul 29, 2020 5:35 am**

She sits down, and the agents get a good look at her. Mid 40's maybe, though she looks older. She seems to have had a rough life.

"I assume you're police? From off the reservation, I mean. You all don't look like drug dealers, and are dressed too nicely to be buyers. So I assume you're here because Thomas messed up. Did something he should not have." She sighs. "I knew this day would come."

"Thomas was a sweet boy. I was friends with his parents, Inez and Robert. Things were okay until 6 years ago or thereabouts, when Inez was killed in a car accident. Robert was driving drunk. Jury wouldn't convict him, of course. Everyone knows Robert around here, and he was the only family Thomas had left. But the accident may as well have killed Robert too. He's drank himself into a stupor every day since, and the police have been called out more than once, generally because he and his son got into an altercation."

"Needless to say, it had an effect on Thomas too. He stopped trying in school,started hanging out with a bad crowd... He's done a lot of petty crime on the res. I was already afraid that boy was gonna get himself killed." She shakes her head. "I haven't seen him for months. He'd run away from time to time, stay with a friend or girlfriend, but never this long. And word is, no one else has seen him around town either, or the few of his friends he got into mischief with. We're a small community, and I don't know what to think. Thomas spoke of leaving now and again, most of the young people do. But being frank with you I think he lacked the drive to do so. Part of me fears Robert got drunk one night and did him in. At least that's what I thought, until you all showed up. Now I don't know what to think, except that he's done something awful.."

Posted: **Wed Jul 29, 2020 6:09 am**

“Nobody has seen his friends either?” asks Andre, frowning. “Say, would you mind telling us who his friends are? Does he have a girlfriend now?”

Posted: **Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:07 am**

Since Andre has already asked what she wanted to know, Vanessa waits for the response before asking any followup questions that come to mind.

Posted: **Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:24 am**

"That's right," The woman says. "No one's seen Thomas or his two friends , Jacob Left Hand and Charles Low Horn for quite awhile. Since early this year, I'd say. Few care either, if you catch my meaning. The boys had a tendency to get into all sorts of trouble.But I still care about Thomas-- if something happened to him, I'd feel terrible. That boy is an idiot, but I can't help but feel sorry for him given all he's been through.

"He had many girlfriends, or at least that's what I've heard. His more serious one was a Lynne Crystal Stone. They were high school sweethearts-- of a sort, though much of that was off and on, and there were cheating allegations from both of them. I know a few times the police had to step in when Thomas or Lynne had a bit much to drink and break them up, they could throw quite a row. From what I know she's claimed not to see him either, though I don't really talk to her firsthand and it's not as if the police investigated the boys disappearances all that intensely. If you want to talk to the families of the other boys or Lynne, I can give you their addresses." She does so. "Now if you don't mind me asking, who are you folks exactly?"

Posted: **Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:28 am**

Andre hesitates, glancing at the others.

“Honestly, we can’t say. It’s better that you don’t know. Thomas is in trouble, that’s why we’re looking for him. But he’s not in trouble with us. He can help us, and we’ll help him in return. I’ll take those addresses if you don’t mind.”

Posted: **Fri Jul 31, 2020 4:58 am**

"Thank you for your help, ma'am," says Vanessa. "What you've told us may help Thomas."

Posted: **Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:04 am**

"Of course. I wish you all the best of luck. Before you go, if you need to bring this to the local authorities I'd suggest a Wallace Red Crow. He's a police officer, probably the only one who would give a damn about finding the boys. Though between you and me, I suspect even he's glad to see the back of them. But if you ever get wind that they're in danger, I think he'd be willing to help." ." With that, the woman escorts the agents out of the house.

OOC: If you had any final questions she'd answer them first though.

***

Lynne Crystal Stone's home is only about ten minutes away from her (ex?) boyfriends. She lives in the middle of a trailer park, but her small unit seems fairly well maintained. Any attempts to knock on the door have lead to it opening and a young woman stepping out. She's dressed in a tee and shorts, and is pretty in an understated way. Her eyes look tired though, and she looks at the agents with curiosity that borders on suspicion.

"Help you?" She yawns. Seems she just got up for the day.

Posted: **Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:26 am**

“Hi” says Andre, trying to look friendly. “We’re trying to find Thomas Iron Shirt. He’s been missing for a while with his friends, Jacob Left Hand and Charles Low Horn. We understand that you’re not involved with Thomas, but we really need to find him. We don’t want to arrest him or anything, just talk to him. He could be in a lot of trouble, and we might be able to help.”

Posted: **Fri Jul 31, 2020 8:33 am**

"Who are you?" Lynne's eyes narrow further. "You cops?"

Posted: **Fri Jul 31, 2020 8:40 am**

Andre shakes his head.

“No. We’re not here in any legal capacity. We’re not looking to arrest anybody. Can we come in?”

Posted: **Fri Jul 31, 2020 8:26 pm**

Lynne regards them for a moment before offering a perfunctory nod, opening the door wider and letting them all in. She looks around outside before closing it after them.

She collapses into a chair, rubbing a hand through her messy dark hair.

"First of all, how do you know about Thomas, why are you looking for him? Did he contact you?'" Her tone betrays both curiosity and hope.

"Before I tell you anything, I want full immunity. None of this ever gets out, understand?" She waits for confirmation and an answer to her questions before continuing.

OOC: Everyone can make a HUMINT roll.

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2020 3:10 am**

Andre can see that Lynne is very scared.

“Yes, he got in contact. Lynne, we can’t give you immunity, but we’re not making a record of this. We’re not bringing you in to be questioned or anything like that. No-one will know your involvement. We can help you and Thomas, but only if you tell us everything you know about what’s going on.”

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2020 3:44 am**

"Rest assured, what you tell us stays between us," says Vanessa.

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2020 4:56 am**

Lynne still seems reluctant, but hearing Thomas is alive seems to give her some sort of hope.

"The jackass... he couldn't tell me he was still alive? He probably fucked up really badly though, and was trying to protect me. Dumbass." Her smile is almost fond.

"The thing about Tommy is he could convince anyone of anything. So one night he was hearing me bitch about my minimum wage job and he told me that he had an idea. An idea that could make us rich. Oh he painted a pretty picture. I should have known he's screw it up, but at the time he made it seem so appealing."

"I work for Amalgamated Bio Corp. It's a chemical company about twenty miles north of here. I'm just cleaning staff, nothing too important, but the company has a lot of expensive production equipment. And Tommy got it in his head that he could use some of those materials to start his own meth business. He sweet talked me, told me I deserved it, and frankly I was tired of being treated like shit. So I helped him. The night of September 4th I helped him and his dumbass friends break in, 'cause I knew security was its sparsest then. I got them some cleaning uniforms and supplies, electronic ID's to get around the plant, and a parking sticker for Charles Low Horn's truck. Then I waited. Plan was Tommy would be back the next day, but of course he screwed that up. I was a nervous wreck, but I tried to appear calm, you know? I figured chances were pretty high Tommy was in the Tribal Police's custody and was squealing on me, but if he was keeping his mouth shut I figured I should keep trying to do my job.

"I went to work for my shift the next night-- I work late nights, midnight to 8-- and I knew something was wrong. The plant was locked down like I've never seen, and most of the workers including me were sent home. I heard alarms going off and could see frantic activity around the Gemstone production facility. Tanker
trucks were parked there, people spraying water, or something, on the buildings, like there was a fire. I saw men in "space suits" outside the plant, full hazmat gear. They were talking on handheld radios. The only people working were security staffers and people detailed to "repair and containment" operations, which I had never seen outsides drills before.

When I got back to work the next night,things seemed normal. But when I felt it was safe I asked about the strange activity-- people thought it was a chemical spill. But the strange thing is that none of the people with firsthand knowledge of what happened on the 4th in either the Sapphire production unit or the security office were working at the plant any longer. They all got reassigned to other facilities, most in Maryland. Word is they got very generous benefits to move so quick. That's when I knew something was wrong. I don't know what happened, but I'm thinking Tommy and his friends either caused a chemical spill in Sapphire or witnessed something they were not supposed to. Until you guys showed up I had thought ABC had them kill and disposed of their bodies in the incinerator. I can't prove anything yet, and I'm not even sure what I'll do when I can; we all know 'round here that the tribal police are in ABC's pocket. I'm currently trying to get assigned to Ray Turner's office-- he's the head of the plant and might have some documents relating to what happened, I don't really know."

Lynne finishes her speech, looking greatly relieved; it occurs to the agents they're likely the first people she's told. " Can you tell me anything of what happened then? Or Tommy? Can I please speak to him? I need to know what happened! Is he, like, in witness protection?"

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2020 5:17 am**

Andre gives meaningful glances at his colleagues while Lynne tells her story.

“Now we’re getting somewhere!" he thinks, his heart racing. When she has finished he says,

“Tommy took something with him and tried to contact the press. That’s what led us here. We’re looking at ABC and we want to know what’s going on there. So neither of you are in trouble with us, and it can stay that way. But we don’t know where he is, and we need to find him. Is there somewhere he would go when he wants to lay low? Or does one of the others have a place like that?”

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2020 8:35 pm**

"If they've transferred all these people out," says Vanessa, "ABC must have openings. Maybe with a little help from you, we could get hired to replace them so we could look around and help you get to the bottom of this."

Posted: **Sun Aug 02, 2020 3:47 am**

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves!" says Andre, uneasily. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it."

Posted: **Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:01 am**

"I'm glad someone's looking into this!" Lynne says, new hope lighting her eyes. "ABC owns everything on the Rez-- the cops, the government... I'll be glad to help you take them down. What did Tommy take, anyway? It must have been something really bad if he did not even try to make money off of it. I just can't understand why he didn't try to contact me. He knew I'd be worried sick.

"Wait, so you've not actually seen him?" The worry is back. "He must really be in hiding, then. Sure, I know some areas he'd go. But thing is, they're all on the Rez. I've looked in all our old haunts, and he's not been at any of them. And Tommy... he ain't exactly subtle. I can't imagine where he'd be hiding. The only thing I can think of is whatever he saw at ABC really scarred the shit out of him, and he wanted to put as much distance from him and it as he could until he could get help. Still, not contacting me... he could have at least warned me."

"Well most of the openings have been filled," Lynne explains. "But ABC leadership are racist motherfuckers-- one more 'Indian' on the cleaning staff won't make them bat the eye. But all the staff come from folks on the Rez-- of you three, probably only he could fit in." She gives a nod to Jose. While he's Hispanic, there had been a few locals the agents had observed in town that he could pass as related to. "Of course, the rest of the cleaning staff would know you ain't from around here. We'd need to figure out a workaround for that.

"Getting into security could be tougher, frankly. I'm not saying it's impossible. But unless you have a background in it or have done previous work for ABC or something I don't think you'd get a job anytime soon-- and my word as a reference won't mean much." It occurs to the agents that maybe Delta Green could give them fake ID's that might be suitable for this sort of work-- of course it would still mean they'd likely have to explain why they had any interest in working for a plant in the middle of nowhere.

Of course there were other options besides going undercover.Depending on the agents talents and their preferred approach, they probably could try a few things, including walking up to the door or attempting to sneak in-- it had apparently worked for Thomas and his friends.

Posted: **Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:47 am**

“Tommy must have hit the road” says Andre to the other agents. “We could put a BOLO on him, he’s bound to get into trouble sooner or later. As for ABC, getting a job there is a long shot in my opinion. It might be better to go in the same way Tommy did.”

He turns to Lynne.

“Lynne, can you sketch out the layout of the plant for me? Plus any floor plans of buildings that you know?

Posted: **Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:48 pm**

"The problem with that is that they'll have stepped up security after the 4th," says Vanessa. "Still, with those transfers, they'll have fewer security guards, even with most of the openings filled. However, with new employees there, we don't have to actually get jobs there. We just need uniforms and ID cards, and we can pretend to be new employees even though we haven't been hired. They'll be expecting to see unfamiliar faces."

Posted: **Mon Aug 03, 2020 1:49 am**

Andre nods at Vanessa’s comments.

“That’s right. We can use it to our advantage.”

Posted: **Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:29 am**

Lynne nods. "I have some floor plans of ABC I've been able to acquire over the past few months." She scurries off and gets them, bringing them back soon.
"Security is tight. There's about 50 guards, spaced out over three shifts of 8 hours, the same for cleaning staff. Most of the guards are native, but I'd say about a dozen are white guys that commute to ABC. Most guards tend to stick to one shift-- I don't think most of them would recognize guards who claim to work mostly on other shifts, so maybe you could get in that way. But getting you the guards uniform and ID's sounds risky." It's clear she's reluctant to try."

OOC: You can make an INT roll if you'd like a hint for pursuing this option.

Posted: **Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:46 am**

“Wow, you really did your homework” says Andre, looking over the maps. “Yeah, stealing uniforms and IDs for guards is probably a tall order. What about cleaning personnel like you? Could you get IDs again?”

Posted: **Mon Aug 03, 2020 5:01 am**

"I've been seriously trying to get to the bottom of things at ABC," Lynne explains, looking pleased by the praise. "As for cleaning it should be easier for me to acquire the uniforms and ID's-- there's a bit of reshuffling amongst the cleaning staff every now and again, and like I said management pays less attention to them. But like I said, you're more likely to stick out in that role- except maybe in the Gemstone units. We use a full body suit and filter units while cleaning in there."

It occurs to Andre that there was more than one way to acquire uniforms and ID's for the security. Most of the guards lived on the reservation. A mugging or bribery could work, to gain access to both uniforms and ID's. Then they could contact Drake. It was a good chance someone in the agency could get them counterfeits that could stand up to some scrutiny and which they could use to gain access. Then it would be a matter of showing up to work and trying to blend in, passing themselves off as new to the shift. The downside to this is it could take some time to get the forgeries made; if they wanted to get inside ABC as soon as possible, this might not be the best plan.

Posted: **Mon Aug 03, 2020 5:49 am**

“I can dye my hair” says Andre, rubbing his blond crew cut. “When is your next shift, Lynne?”

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 2:09 am**

"It might be easier to take guard uniforms and ID cards from the premises themselves," says Vanessa. "Those of us who don't blend in can wear the full body suits and stay around the Gemstone units. We want to look at Sapphire anyway."

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 2:15 am**

“Sure, but we have to be inside the facility to begin with to get all of that stuff” Andre replies. “So we still need ID to get through the gate.”

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:03 am**

"Yes, but we only need cleaners' ID cards to get through the gate," says Vanessa. "We can get the guards' ID cards once we're inside."

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:21 am**

“I don’t know” says Andre doubtfully. “It sounds like a lot of risk. If we’re already inside and we have IDs, why do we need other ones? Lynne, can the guards access places that cleaners can’t?”

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:41 am**

"I work tonight, midnight until eight," Lynne says. "If you wanted to go in the cleaner way, I could get you ID's and uniforms. The ID's are just for identification, no doors require them or anything.

"The cleaners and guards can access the same places, though the cleaners are on a stricter schedule than security. If you're somewhere that's not usually cleaned at that time, people might notice. On the plus side, security would never be in one of the gemstone facilities unless there was an issue,while cleaners work in there every day. But security can carry weapons. And you're less likely to appear out of place as security, while two of you don't look anything like cleaners. And outside the Gemstone units, your faces would be visible."

"We should also consider our other options," Jose expresses. "We could demand a meeting with Turner, see if he's willing to meet with us, and try to bug the place while we're inside. It also might unbalance him-- if he's covering up a crime of some sort, knowing the feds are sniffing around might make him do something stupid. But that would mean he'd probably be more vigilant around security around the plant as well."

"There's also the option of trying to sneak inside. Lynne, do you think we have any chance of that?"

"Well, I could drive you in om my truck, into the garage. But you'd be on your own from there. It would be next to the security annex, though."

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:59 am**

“Even if we could install a bug in his office while simultaneously meeting with him, do we actually have any listening devices like that?” Andre asks Jose. “And wandering around the facility with no ID – they have cameras and they’d see us. Perhaps Jose can pass as a cleaner, and he can get security uniforms and IDs for Vanessa and me. We can wait in Lynne’s truck. Lynne, can you mark the location of the cameras you know about on your maps?”

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 4:12 am**

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan," says Vanessa.

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 5:11 am**

"I have a few bugs," Jose says. "Of course, if they're already suspicious due to Thomas' leak, they may be on the lookout for them. Vanessa also has a directional microphone we might be able to make use of to overhear conversations."

OOC: I did not see them listed in the expenses category, but I'm going to say Jose and any of the other agents can pick up some bugs. Roll to place them would probably be SIGNIT.

"In any event, I'm fine passing as a cleaner. Maybe Lynne and I can both grab a few spare outfits for the rest of the team-- I think it would be a lot less suspicious if I was wondering around with someone known to the rest of the staff."

"I guess I could," Lynne says reluctantly. " But I'm not sure how long the ID's would stand up to any examination. As long as you kept a low profile and blended in, things should be fine. But once someone looks at them and sees you don't look like the photo, the alarm would be sounded. Now, I can try to get you pictures that look like all of you as much as possible, but its still risky.

"Unless we just borrowed it to make a credible forgery," Jose notes.

"Well, yes. Can you do that?"

"No." Jose admits. "But uh, maybe someone can?" He looks to the others. "If not, guess we'll have to go in and do our best not to get caught."

"As for the cameras, they're at the entrance to the facility and outside of every building. There's also one on each floor of the Admin building and in each of the Gemstone units. They rotate back and forth, so there may be a blind spot in there, but I've never tried it. Don't want to appear suspicious."

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2020 5:33 am**

“Let’s do it tonight. Find out what they’re doing in those Gemstone units and get the hell out.”

Posted: **Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:13 am**

"All right," says Vanessa. "Sapphire's the one we want. That's where the incident happened. We might be able to find someone who could make a decent forgery, but that would take time. We'll just have to rely on people seeing what they expect to see."

Posted: **Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:58 am**

"Well, I'm pretty sure Sapphire is where whatever happened, happened," Lynne says. "But whatever they've done, they covered it up. I've been in their to clean since and noting seemed out of the ordinary. Of course, I don't know what they're brewing in those vats, but I don't think it would be too easy to get a look."

"Still, if you want to go in tonight, I guess I can take you. Then I can try to acquire you ID's and security uniforms, and let you look around."

OOC: Okay guys, so if I'm right the plan is to let Lynne drive you in tonight, then find security outfits for all of you? Thinking about it more, Lynne would know where the uniforms are being kept and is reasonably confident she can get them to you unnoticed-- though she'd also point that once the guards realize three uniforms are missing the alarm would be raised. But their shift would just be starting and unless they have a reason to do so, they shouldn't notice it until it ends, if all goes well. And if the agents get in and out quietly they can be replaced with no one the wiser. If for whatever reason you wanted cleaner uniforms instead she could try something similar, I just figured you'd all want to dress in the same role, please correct me if you prefer a mixed approach.

After this, let me know your immediate objective. Investigating the Sapphire unit to see if you can figure out what the compound is? Lynne also tells you that there's always a few workers monitoring the control room of each unit, along with the security cameras. Depending on how the agents approach their investigation these obstacles may need to be dealt with.

Finally, let me know what equipment you're bringing. Kevlar can be worn under either disguise, but security only carries small arms and shotguns. Some larger weapons could be carried in equipment bags, toolboxes, or cleaning equipment.

Posted: **Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:12 am**

OOC: Not quite, I was thinking Jose can be disguised as a cleaner, and he can help get the security IDs and uniforms. If security would raise eyebrows wandering into some areas, better to have one of us dressed as a cleaner.

Andre will only carry a sidearm and a camera, plus kevlar. As we don't even know that they are doing anything illegal there, it's probably best not to run riot shooting everyone.

“I think we might want to look around the administration building first” says Andre. “We might see something in the labs there, or some records or something.”

He looks over the maps again.

“Lynne – the river here. I’m guessing there’s a fence between the river and the compound. About the railway bridge – have you seen it? Can you describe it at all?”

Posted: **Thu Aug 06, 2020 3:14 am**

"Yes, let's start there," says Vanessa. "We may find some interesting documents, especially if we can get into Turner's office."

Posted: **Thu Aug 06, 2020 5:49 am**

"Actually, no," Lynne responds. "The compound's surrounded on three sides by a 12 foot wall topped with razor wire, followed by the dog run that the guard dogs patrol in the middle. Another 12 foot wall is on the other end, also topped with wire. But the part of the compound facing the Milk River is elevated, and you can't get up on to it just by swimming across; not that you could anyway, the river's pretty deep.

"As for the railway bridge, it brings supplies to and from the compound. The route starts in Billings Montana and goes through ABC and into Canada. It's an elevated track and the only way into it in ABC is the Railcar loading area here." She points it out. "[*]There's always a few security guards around this area inspecting the train and its cargo on days it's supposed to come in; but it won't be in again for a few days[/color]."

OOC: Ready to go?

Also, Lynne would fill you in on what she's observed of the guard and worker's schedules.

Posted: **Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:55 am**

“The river or the railway bridge might have to serve as an escape route” says Andre. “Try for the bridge, if you can’t make it or it’s too well guarded, then go by the river. Lynne, if all goes well, we’ll wait for you in your truck and you can drive us out when your shift finishes.”

OOC: Andre will bring the lockpicks too. Yes, I think we're ready to go.

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2020 4:19 am**

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2020 6:04 am**

"Alright," Lynne says. "Seems like we're doing this, then." "My shift starts at midnight. I'll take you all in. Until then... I'm gonna go back to bed." And she promptly does so, leaving the agents to make themselves at home.

OOC: Any final actions you guys want to take can be taken now in the several hours you have before midnight.

***

November 8th, 2000

The evening starts with good news; Lynne finds a spare outfit that Jose can fit in that will let him pass for a cleaner. He'll still need an ID, but she seems to think that will be easier to obtain. Then she loads the three agents into the back of her truck, putting a tarp over it for good measure. she instructs them to lie on the floor and only come out when she says so.

It's difficult to hear what's happening, but the truck seems to stop after a fashion and Lynne makes small talk with someone who the agents cannot hear. Then they are off again, and soon the truck stops once again, this time for good. Lynne pulls the tarp up and motions for Jose to get up.

"We're at the garage, but that was the easy part. You two wait here until I can get you disguises. Jose, you want to come with?"

"Right." Jose gets to his feet, exiting the vehicle. "Be careful, guys. I'll be back soon."

Time passes, what seems like forever. The agents hear more cars enter the garage, their doors opening and closing as their drivers come and go. But eventually the pair return, uniforms in hand. Once Lynne says the cost is clear, the others can change; they're now both wearing security uniforms that are roughly their size. Jose too looks snug in his. Their ID's however are less of a perfect match; while Lynne has done a decent job of acquiring three that bear a passing resemblance to them, any attempt to actually examine them would soon reveal their deception.

"I'm going to be late for work for this, but I'll manage. I'll get back to normal on my shift. Assuming I don't hear an alarm being raised, we can hitch a ride out of here at 8, though we should maybe meet a half hour earlier so I can put the uniforms back. Good luck." She hesitates, then tries to look natural and heads out of the garage.

Jose looks at the others. "Are we sticking together or do you want me to try and investigate somewhere else?"

Posted: **Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:55 am**

"It might look suspicious for a cleaner to be accompanying two security guards," says Vanessa. "We'll want to get into the administration building without the guards being alerted. There's one guard at the front desk by the main entrance, and it seems there'll be one at the loading dock too. We'll want to find another way inside. I see there's a door at the northeast corner that leads outside. Maybe we should try to enter that way. If it's locked, you could just walk in the front door and let us in. A cleaner is probably beneath the guard's notice."

Posted: **Sun Aug 09, 2020 1:16 pm**

“Sounds good Vanessa“ says Andre. “Let’s try it.”

Posted: **Sun Aug 09, 2020 8:17 pm**

"Right," Jose nods. "Meanwhile, after you both get inside I think I'll check out the Sapphire unit. I won't do anything too blatant unless I can an opportunity, but even observing how others are handling whatever they're brewing in there might give us some clues. Sounds good?"

The team make their way to the administration building and the side door on the northeast of the building. It's closed, and there's little foot traffic in this area, as opposed to the more main route which most workers were taking to presumably begin their shift. No one seemed to be close to them at the moment.

OOC: First agent to roll please give me a luck roll.

Posted: **Wed Aug 12, 2020 5:22 am**

Andre tries the door, and to his relief it is unlocked. It enters into a stairwell with stairs leading up and a door leading out, presumably to reception. A bit of a security oversight, but one the agents could take advantage of.

Seeing the team had gained entrance, Jose prepares to head off to the Sapphire compound, unless stopped.

Posted: **Thu Aug 13, 2020 1:42 am**

Posted: **Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:22 am**

Posted: **Thu Aug 13, 2020 5:08 am**

"Let's head upstairs," Vanessa whispers to Andre. "From there Turner's office is down the hall."

Posted: **Thu Aug 13, 2020 6:08 am**

The agents head up two flights of stairs, blending in as best they can as security. There are still a few people working in the offices or cleaning them, but all seem focused on their work, allowing the agents to reach Turner's office.

OOC: Please roll for luck again.

Posted: **Sat Aug 15, 2020 4:19 am**

The entrance to Turner's office is blanketed in expensive looking burgundy carpet, as if the very notion of stepping on the building's more traditionally office building shag carpet was repulsive to him. The rich, thick mahogany double doors also demonstrate wealth, but as both are closed at the moment it's difficult to see what style the office furnishings themselves are in.

Andre tries the door only to find it locked. It would appear cleaners have already been inside and left, or haven't come by yet. Either way, entry seems barred to the agents. An attempt could be made to pick the lock, but the camera down the hall seemed to have a good view of them,and rotated around every fifteen seconds or so.

Aside from the investigators, a few offices still have lights on inside of them, and a few cleaners were seen heading the cafeteria when the agents first came up the stairs. Other then that, they were alone.

Posted: **Sat Aug 15, 2020 4:25 am**

"Turner's office is locked," Vanessa says into her radio. "Cleaners can apparently get in, so they must have keys. See if you can find one when you're done in Sapphire." She nods to Andre. "Let's 'patrol' around the corner and down to Dr. Morgan's office."

Posted: **Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:02 am**

Andre nods and follows Vanessa.

Posted: **Sun Aug 16, 2020 4:27 am**

OOC: I assume you mean Dr. Metrauex when writing Morgan-- I understand the map i a bit difficult to read.

"Roger," Jose responds, after a moment. "I'm nearing Sapphire now. Going to go radio silent-- I'll let you know what I find."

The agents had briefly recalled Lynne remarking that Dr. Metrauex was the head researcher at the ABC plant, having held the position for the past two years. Her office is a corner one, suggesting a position of some prestige. But it is dwarfed by Turner's and only slightly larger than the office next door, and nothing about it really stands out as being the office of an influential worker. Adding to this assessment, the door is unlocked.

The inside of the office is functional. There's a bookshelf with several texts, all of them seeming medical. A small window looks out into the back of the plant, though nothing immediately of note can be seen. There's a phone and computer on a standard sized desk. There's no mess to be found in here-- everything is orderly and looks methodical. The desk drawers contain nothing more scandalous than a pack of cigarettes, half empty.

The computer is off, but if turned on, a screen announces it requires a password.

OOC: Agents can make a few rolls here. Computer Science to see if they can brute force it, though be advised that it's likely the computer only allows so many attempts to access it. Alternatively, they can try search. Success will not give you the answer, but will reveal more information that can help point you to it. Feel free to make any other rolls you think could prove useful as well.

Posted: **Sun Aug 16, 2020 5:08 am**

"Maybe she wrote her password down somewhere, or a hint to it," says Vanessa, starting to look around without leaving anything out of place, checking inside drawers and the underside of the desk. She has already put on the latex gloves from her PPE so as not to leave incriminating fingerprints. "You're not supposed to do it, but you'd be surprised how many do anyway."

Posted: **Sun Aug 16, 2020 1:27 pm**

Andre takes a look at the computer, but he can see that breaking into it will be beyond his limited abilities.

Posted: **Sun Aug 16, 2020 11:29 pm**

OOC: Crit fail there for Vanessa.

Vanessa looks through the medical information and various forms that can be found within the desk. All of it seems fairly standard. There was forms for Reverol, the drug ABC seemed to be developing to treat coma patients, but no top secret information was to be found here-- Best as she can tell, it's all patent forms and PR fluff about the drug's capabilities, nothing that seemed really useful or stood out as holding something of particular interest to Dr. Metrauex.

Andre tries to brute force the computer. He tries a few of the standard assumptions-- Password, Metrauex, etc.-- but none gain him access. Worse,a prompt now notifies him that they only have 4 more attempts before the computer locksdown.

It is then that something occurs to Vanessa. Everything in this room had to do with Metrauex's work. It stood to reason that anything that was personal in nature to her and still in here would likely be of great value to Dr. Metrauex, and quite possibly the password. Digging through the drawers, the only thing she finds like that is the cigarette carton. She enters the name of the smoke brand, sure that it is the password.

But receives an error, and now they only have 3 more attempts.

OOC: Would normally not have acted for Vanessa there, but she crit failed so she was sure it was the password. You guys can keep searching the room if you like. I will tell you the password is somewhere in here.

Posted: **Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:21 am**

Leaving the computer, Andre starts looking around the room, but nothing stands out to him.

“We need to get going soon” he says, frustrated. “We don’t want to get caught here.”

Posted: **Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:47 am**

"We need to get into that computer," says Vanessa, continuing her search. "Once we do, one of us can act as lookout while the other goes through it."

Posted: **Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:12 am**

Vanessa continues to examine the desk, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. None of the medical documents stand out from one another, nothing the agent could even realistically guess at being a password. On the bright side, she is reasonably certain that any clues to what the password was won't be found in the desk.

The agents have been in the office about three minutes by this point.

Posted: **Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:16 am**

Forcing himself to focus on the task, Andre turns from the desk and begins to scan the bookshelf.

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:09 am**

Vanessa keeps an eye on the hallway while Andre searches.

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:58 am**

Andre scans the bookshelf in more detail, taking each work out and carefully examining it. All of the books are scientific or medical texts, and seem quite dry. And the dozens of books are arranged in alphabetical order.

Except for six books, oddly. They're interspersed in the collection, seeming to be out of place.

The Art of Biochemistry: P. Hamilton

Professional Biochemistry in the 21st Century: R. Cruz

The Death (and Rebirth) of Biochemistry: H.Walker

Advancements in Coma Patients: J Ewing.

Pioneers of Tomorrow: The Scientists who will Change the World: C. Hall

Consciousness; an Expanded Interpretation: T. Tuesday.

Aside from these out of place books in the otherwise carefully catalogued selection, nothing else stuck out to Andre. But the agents had a feeling that the password lay somewhere in these titles.

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:37 am**

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:50 am**

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:16 am**

Andre returns to the computer and begins typing: H C W E H T

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:56 am**

"Maybe it's supposed to be the initial of the first name rather than the first letter of the last name," says Vanessa. "We may need to sort the six books by last name and then use the initials in that order to spell out the password. That would be RJCPTH."

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2020 5:13 am**

Andre tries the password.

Access Denied.

Then he tries Vanessa suggestion, and it grants him access. Both agents likely feel a rush of relief.

The computer background is some random green field, likely the picture the computer came with. The recycle bin is empty, so either Dr. Metrauex never deletes anything or she makes sure to empty it regularly.The document folder seems to carry more of the same, papers on various pharmaceuticals ABC is developing. Their titles all sound perfectly ordinary, though if the agents wanted to read through them they could, but it would likely take some time.

The only other applications of note are an icon for a game called Chip's Challenge and the internet browser. Deciding that the latter was likely to be a more promising lead, Andre clicks it. It opens onto Metrauex's AOL email account, but she's currently logged out and a password is required. Luckily, Andre notices her address is filled in, and on a lark he enters the password they had just used to log into the computer. It works. Sometimes the smartest people make the stupidest mistakes.

The team now have unfiltered access to Metrauex's email. Unfortunately, it does not appear she deletes anything, and she seems signed up for several different publications. Working through this list for anything of use could take hours, which the team does not have-- and that's to say they're anything useful here to begin with.

OOC: Both of you can make Int*5 rolls at a -20 penalty. You can also declare you're specifically searching for emails related to a specific topic or person. In this case, you won't need to roll for any information found on that. Keep in mind that the clock is still ticking though.

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2020 5:57 am**

Andre types in Reverol, looking for recent emails.

Posted: **Fri Aug 21, 2020 4:20 am**

Vanessa is interested in anything related to the break-in. Since it happened on the night of the fourth, only emails from that point in time and later are of interest. "We can create a free Yahoo mail account and forward any relevant emails to it, then delete them from the Sent box so she doesn't know we sent them," she says.

Posted: **Fri Aug 21, 2020 6:26 am**

Andre sees that most of the emails discussing Reverol are from earlier in the year, before September 4th. Most of these are from fellow scientists or to Ray Turner. The general gist, over the few minutes the agents take to browse them, is that Reverol results are disappointing, something Turner does not seem happy with, which he makes abundantly clear to Dr. Metrauex's. She in turn conveys this displeasure to the rest of her team. The emails progress into Turner attempting to get her to figure out away to in essence fake the clinical trials long enough to allow ABC to spin Reverol as a wonder drug. Such an action would likely help ABC's bottom line in the short term, but completely destroy any future the company had-- but Turner seems perfectly fine with that, and given his record of never staying at one company for two long, it's not hard to guess why; he's likely to take a golden parachute and get out with a nice bonus, leaving his successor to clean up the mess. Dr. Metrauex's seems to be thinking along the same lines.

There's only three mentions of Reverol after the break in, and in these emails it's almost an afterthought. Andre reads from one of them that Turner sent on September 6th:

The majority of your staff can continue to work on Reverol, we need to keep this in house and make sure everything is above board in case the home office comes snooping around. Once what I showed you yesterday shows promise, we can show it to Maryland-- chances are it will be easy to convince them to ditch Reverol and focus on our new treatment. Begin work immediately on analyzing Sapphire. Over the next week or so we'll bring in a few of your most promising staff to help you with the project, once suspicion has died down. This is important. Don't fuck this up, Enzili.

Posted: **Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:30 am**

Andre shakes his head.

“Don’t have time. We have the password, we can access from another computer later if necessary.

He types in Sapphire.

Posted: **Sat Aug 22, 2020 2:15 am**

Vanessa nods and keeps an eye on the hall.

Posted: **Sat Aug 22, 2020 6:21 am**

Andre only finds a few mentions of Sapphire before September 4th, all of them in relation to The rest of the chemicals produced in the Gemstone units. It's only after the 4th that Sapphire begins to be mentioned more prominently. Andre finds a few emails from Dr. Metrauex's to Turner.

OOC: Andre, and Vanessa if they read this, please make a san roll 0/1 for Unnatural.

Vanessa meanwhile finds a cleaner mopping the floor comes into view. She looks into the office and sees the agents, and looks away after a moment. Her movements do not suggest alarm, but she did seem a little curious at the sight.

Posted: **Sat Aug 22, 2020 7:10 am**

“Jesus” Andre mutters. “Human subjects? I don’t want to think about it.”

He begins to close the computer down, careful to leave everything as it was.

He looks over at Vanessa. “Let’s get out of here, back to the truck. We got what we came for.”

Posted: **Sat Aug 22, 2020 7:53 pm**

Vanessa nods again, shuddering. "Yeah, we're already starting to attract some unwanted attention," she says. "We'll 'patrol' around the hallway until we get back to the entrance we used. Let's fill in Jose and see what he's found." She gets on the radio and tells him what they've uncovered as they walk, provided nobody else is in earshot. "If you're still in Sapphire, see if you can find a sample."

Posted: **Sun Aug 23, 2020 1:48 am**

”No!” hisses Andre angrily, as loudly as he dares. “Tell him just to keep cleaning, and come back when he ready. It’s too risky and we know what’s going on now. There’s another way we could do this.”

Posted: **Sun Aug 23, 2020 2:09 am**

"Okay," whispers Vanessa. She gets back on the radio and passes on the message to Jose, telling him never mind about the sample and just to meet them at the truck when he's done cleaning.

Posted: **Sun Aug 23, 2020 2:54 pm**

“I got a plan” says Andre, more softly. “Let’s just get out of here. We’re pushing our luck as it is.”

Posted: **Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:09 pm**

"All right," says Vanessa. "You can tell me about it once we've reached safety."

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:25 am**

"Roger." Jose responds, his voice a hushed whisper.

The agents finish up in Dr. Metrauex's office and then step out into the administration building again. After a cursory patrol, they leave the building and make their way back to the parking lot, quickly changing out of their uniforms and hiding in Lynne's truck. Jose joins them a short time later thankfully unscathed.

"I checked out Sapphire; nothing really seems amiss. There was staff in their managing the chemical production vats, but I don't think they had any idea of what's in them. We already have a sample thankfully," He reminds Vanessa. "What I was able to scrape off the dog's head."

OOC: Did you want to do anything else at the plant or are you waiting for Lynne? If the latter, she eventually comes back near the end of her shift, replacing the uniforms she stole and prepares to leave the plant.

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:55 am**

OOC: Wait for Lynne would be best.

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:59 am**

Lynne arrives near the end of her shift and returns the uniforms. When she returns, she reports that their disappearance did not seem to be noticed by security. Soon the team are back on the road leading to Browning.

"Did you discover anything about Thomas? " She asks, worry evident in her tone.

"Not much on my end I'm afraid," Jose reports. "The Gemstone facilities seem pretty busy, and there's a bit more security in Sapphire as opposed to the other one I checked. But nothing was super obvious that tells us what we're dealing with. And honestly Lynne, the less you know the better."

"I'm already in this deep, Agent. I deserve to know everything. Just what the hell I've been investigating these past few months, and what ABC's up to. And most of all, where Thomas is."

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:22 am**

Andre addresses Lynne.

“They’ve designed some kind of drug that reanimates dead tissue. Thomas tried to send proof of this, which is why we’re here. I don’t know where he is now. This can wait until later, I need to make a phone call.”

He dials Drake’s number. Assuming the phone is answered, he advises Drake as to what they have found and requests him to immediately access Metrauex’s email account and copy all relevant information, particularly relating to Sapphire. He asks Drake to call them back once he wants to progress to the next step.

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2020 2:58 am**

"It's not Reverol at all," adds Vanessa. "That drug was a failure. This is some new drug that they've cooked up. We don't even know its name, and we don't know where Thomas is. You'd probably have a better chance of finding him than we would, as you know him well."

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:37 am**

Lynne listens carefully as Andre explains things and Vanessa collaborates his tale. "I... see." She says, her voice shaky. "I don't even want to believe it. But you guys wouldn't be lying, would you? And Thomas, that's something that would make him want to go into hiding. But I don't have any idea of where he'd be-- he's lived on the Res his entire life. Oh God, I really hope I haven't gotten in over my head here."

The agents realize that since they have told Lynne some of the truth, they'll have to watch her carefully. Some people, many people, could not handle the sort of things that were out there. There was always the chance she'd try to join her boyfriend and go public, which would pose a problem and need to be dealt with in whatever ways would keep her quiet. Even if she could keep her mouth shut, they'd probably need to try to recruit her as a friendly now, or at least promise their bosses they were doing so if they brought up that they had told her anything.

Drake answers the phone on the first ring. He listens to Andre's explanation and gruffly reports that he will get Metrauex’s emails.

15 minutes later, just as the agents are arriving back in Browning, he calls back.

"I've read enough that it seems as though neither Turner or Metrauex are behind things. They were making this chemical for someone else. I'm very interested in whomever this party is, and to a lesser extent what they intended it for.

"In any event, we need to stop these experiments before they progress further. You're on the ground, agent; do you or your team have any ideas as to how to do that?" Andre gets the feeling Drake has his own ideas but is asking because they have more first hand experience with the situation. This may also be another test of their abilities, of course.

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:47 am**

Andre beckons Vanessa over so that she can hear his idea.

“This assistant, Crisp; it sounds like maybe he has a conscience. We find him and get him to work for us. Drake, can you see what you can find about him? We’ll work on it this end.”

Posted: **Wed Aug 26, 2020 2:03 am**

"Good thinking," says Vanessa. "We can approach him when he's off duty, then slip back inside the same way tomorrow night. With his help and Lynne's, we can destroy their work. Maybe an 'accident' in Sapphire to start a fire. Of course, we have to make sure Dr. Metrauex doesn't just start it up again too."

Posted: **Wed Aug 26, 2020 6:48 am**

"Exactly what I was thinking," Drake says, and Andre gets the feeling he's won some of the senior agent's esteem back after their somewhat awkward beginning. "Crisp is our best in for taking this operation down. He already has misgivings about the project; with the right approach, you should be able to convince him to help shut it down.

"Frankly this is too big for us to handle on our own. Bringing in outside authorities is almost never the answer, but here we may have no choice. Of course, we'll have to be careful in our approach. Any contact with the unnatural should be strictly limited to those outside our organization, both because of its corrosive nature and also because the more people that know, the more likely other agencies get involved." All of the agents had enough experience in their past with Majestic to suspect that this sort of research would be something they would pursue with an unhealthy interest. "Hopefully Crisp can give us something to use to legitimately raid the place-- if ABC was doing research on this unknown substance, chances are they're selling their production capabilities to the highest bidder and walking the line of legality. I'm sure we can get them for violating one ban or another. Even if not, with Crisp's help we should be able to forge whatever we need to. Malmstrom, the local Air Force Base, has one of our men in its command structure-- he should be able to ensure the only men of his who have anything to do with Sapphire are those willing to keep their mouths shut."

"As for Crisp, I'm juggling several things at the moment, so you'll need to look him up on your end. I'll get in touch with our man in Malmstrom though, see about getting him on standby if the need arises."

Posted: **Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:07 am**

Andre hangs up and talks to Vanessa.

“Let’s see if he can tell us or find out who’s behind this first” says Andre. “So tomorrow night may be too soon to take such action. We may be able to shut them down legitimately if Crisp is willing to go on the record about this.”

He walks over to Lynne.

“Lynne, we can help you find Thomas, but we need to deal with this first. If we can shut down ABC, then they won’t be in any position to threaten him, and he can come back home. Do you know a researcher named Crisp?”

He turns to Vanessa and Jose.

“Maybe there’s a listing for him in the phone book.”

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2020 2:56 am**

"Yeah, let's check that first," says Vanessa. "We can also see what we can find on him on the Internet."

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2020 7:03 am**

"I'll help you in any way I can," Lynne says, newfound determination behind her words. "Especially now that I know the government's willing to do something.'

"I don't know him, but if he works for ABC I'm guessing he stays in the on site dormitory. I can try to pass him a message for you, or you guys can come with me again and try to contact him."

Andre finds no listing for Crisp in the phone book. ABC likely keeps its lines private. They could always call the plant and ask to speak with him, though they would need a good excuse for someone to be willing to give them his number.

OOC: Please give me a Computer Use or Search roll -20 for an internet search-- all of you can try this, including Jose if you both fail. Also, Andre, please give me a luck roll.

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2020 7:21 am**

Andre sits down in front of Lynne's computer.

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:42 am**

Vanessa is easily able to find information online.

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2020 6:43 am**

OOC: Just a brief note that I'm fairly sure Lynne would not have a computer-- it's 2000 and she's pretty poor. But she could point you to a library or something that would, and I'm willing to handwave this for plot.

The agents get to work on some research. Finding more information on Dr. Crisp is rather difficult, especially when it occurs to them that neither of them know his first name. Thankfully ABC's records for their employees are fairly extensive, and they're able to find a paragraph biography of him on ABC's corporate website.

Dr. Arnold Crisp is young, 27, and a promising biochemist who was recruited out of college from UC Berkeley. He's written a few papers on proposed advancements on the field, though few details are given. It's all pretty sparse- one gets the feeling this is his first corporate job. Searching for the name on Google( a pretty useful tool) finds little else on him however. They do get a few pictures; a short and slightly overweight man, prematurely balding.

They also find a Peter Zeis. He's in his mid 30's and has worked for ABC since its foundation, though he's only been at the Montana location for the last two years. He's had a few jobs at bio firms, though ABC seems to have been his longest gig. He seems fairly well known in his circles; a search indicates he's been named an up and coming scientist. He's vaguely handsome if you're into nerd chic; slicked back dark hair and glasses that he almost makes work.

Dr. Enzili Metreaux is in her late 30's,a graduate of Louisiana State University, where she graduated at the top of her class. She has published extensively and been quoted by several scientists for her theories on life extension and attempts to revive dead tissue. Some of her colleagues seem to find some of her theories on these subjects a bit fringe, but everyone seems to respect her intelligence and drive. One puff piece ends with the writer believing she will one day change the world. Her joining of ABC a few years back was lauded as a major coup for the company, and saw its stock price jump by almost 15 dollars. She's a pretty woman of Creole descent, sharply dressed and eyes shining with intelligence.

By the time the agents are done with their research it's around 11. Jose suggests they grab something to eat and decide their next moves.

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:06 am**

OOC: I assumed it was early morning so we were still at Lynne’s. I’ve lost track of the time. Is she still with us?

“We need to track down Crisp” says Andre, drumming his fingers on the table.

He takes out his phone and calls Dr. Fulani.

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:38 am**

OOC: That's fair. I suppose it would not take that long to google a few names. Let's say it's around 11 in the morning then.

Lynne's around if you want to talk, but she's tired after her shift. If you don't need her she goes to bed. If you do need her, she'll try and help, but she points out she's tired-- the stress of last night took a lot out of her.

"Hello?"

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:46 am**

Andre brightens up at the sound of her voice.

“Hi Doctor, this is Sam calling. Hope you're okay. Things are going very nicely here. I just had a quick question for you; are you familiar with any of the professors who teach biochemistry? Particularly those who work with grad students.”

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:46 am**

"Sam, hi!" Dr. Fulani greets him warmly. "I was just about to step out to teach my first class of the day. What's up?"

"Well it's not my field, but I know one or two as passing acquaintances. Why do you ask?"

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:04 am**

“I just need to drop a name, Doctor. I may have a former student here. Which one of your acquaintances is the most illustrious?”

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:19 am**

She gives a name; Dr Greg Martini.

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:43 am**

“Greg Martini. Thanks Doctor!”

He ends the call and explains his plan to the others.

“I’m going to call Crisp at ABC and tell him that I’m a student of this Martini guy. Let’s see Crisp’s papers – I want to tell him that Martini recommended I talk to him about his research. I’ll get him out for a drink and then we can lay it on him.”

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:36 pm**

"How's your medical and biological knowledge?" asks Vanessa. "I know Jose has plenty, and while I haven't specifically studied biology, I do know medicine. Maybe one of us should pretend to be the student."

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:45 pm**

“Whatever” says Andre. “All we need is him outside of ABC, alone and free of tails. Why don't you call? He might respond better if its a charming lady on the line.”

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:58 pm**

"Sure," says Vanessa. "I can be very convincing. Jose would probably make a better student than either of us, I think." She calls Crisp's number.

Posted: **Sun Aug 30, 2020 6:00 am**

"I'd rather you take this one, Vanessa," Jose says. "Iron Shirt's father pulling a gun on me still has me shaken up."

Vanessa calls the plant and gets the administrator operator, a pleasant sounding middle aged woman. After explaining that she's a grad student of Dr. Martini and would like to ask Dr. Crisp some questions about his senior thesis,she is given his dormitory's phone number. She dials it and no one answers.

Hello, this is Arnold Crisp. I'm not available at the moment; please leave a message and I will get back to you.

Did Vanessa want to leave a message? And if so, what phone number did she want to give him, Lynne's home phone or her cellular number?

Posted: **Sun Aug 30, 2020 7:43 pm**

"Hi, Dr. Crisp," says Vanessa. "My name is Sally Johnson. You don't know me, but we have a mutual acquaintance: Dr. Greg Martini. I'm a grad student of his, and he said I should talk to you about your research. I'm in Browning. Maybe we could get together for lunch or dinner or drinks or something. Please give me a call back." She leaves her cell phone number, as her phone will always be with her even if she's not at Lynne's, and ends the call. "I'll want to look up Dr. Martini's information online, so I can pretend to know him. Biographical stuff, curriculum vitae, that sort of thing. Should be on the university's website."

Play@YSDC

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