Invasion! Transcript version

[Namae Nai]

   It is nearly the same story with all the other recruits you have been training with these past six weeks. The situations were different for people, but some common themes arose: almost everyone had suffered some sort of personal setback when that man in the gray trench coat showed up; you all have felt disoriented at times in your life, like everything you had accepted as real was merely an illusion; and of course there were the dreams, but nobody talks about them after Vasquez had his breakdown during dinner a few weeks ago. You hope Vasquez can pull it back together, but somehow you don't think he'll ever get a chance to see anything but the insides of mental institutions for the rest of his life.

   The man in the gray trench coat called you by your full name. It was the last time he ever did so that you remember--you've been nothing but a number since then so far as the agency cares. At least your other recruits call you by your preferred name during rest periods. The rest of his speech was so consistent that all the recruits figure it was scripted years ago:

   "You may call me Mr. Xavier when you address me. My agency has been tracking you for the past several months because you possess special talents that we are always looking to recruit. We scour the world's population, and it turns out that there just aren't enough people like you for our needs. If you understood the opportunity that I am offering, you would realize how badly you are wasting your talents. I can't brief you in much detail, but if you agree to work for me you could very well end up saving the world.

   "A war is coming my friend. It's bigger than a squabble between nations. Your enemy--my enemy is much stronger than we are, but every day they wait we make progress towards correcting the inequity. That is the primary job of my agency. Why don't you come with me and I can show you more?"

   You thought about it for several minutes and Xavier didn't seem to mind waiting. More than anything you wanted to get on with your life and forget the times you had just experienced, so you said yes instead of declining his offer. Xavier smiled and the next thing you knew you woke up in the bunk you still claim today as your own. The recruits are split into two camps about what happened--one group claims they were drugged and the other claims that they were hypnotized against their will.

   Whatever the case, the agency had you completely under their power from that day. Surprisingly, you don't mind your new existence. The training is supposed to last eight weeks and then you are farmed out to intelligence agencies around the world. Half of the day is absorbed in physical exercise using a wide range of exercise to work you cardiovascular system, as well as improving balance and strength. The afternoons are given over to classroom instruction at an accelerated pace or problem solving activities. You do well at some things and not so well at others, but your trainers have indicated that you are performing at an acceptable level on the whole.

   The strangest part of the day is the few hours after dinner where the psychologists run every sort of diagnostic tool on you. The other recruits have started to call this the brainwashing session, but only when the white coats can't overhear them. At least it isn't as stressful as the rest of the day.

   You've been at a training facility called Heartland for six weeks but you still don't know exactly where you are. The land outside is grassy and flat and could be the Midwest, the Canadian plains, or Mongolia for all you know. Most of the time you are too busy to think too much about this sort of thing.

   Finally, you have been granted a full day of rest after a nonstop schedule. This gives you a chance to catch up on the most precious of commodities--sleep. Around mid-afternoon you roll out of your cot and decide to pass the time getting to know the other recruits who were also granted a day off.

~~  DayOne ~~ 

A young Arab woman is sitting in one of the lounge chairs, building a house out of playing cards. It's now four stories high, and she's concentrating as she builds it higher, but doesn't seem to be having much fun with it. Her hair is a chestnut brown and tied back in a pony tail.

~~ Mercy ~~

"You don't seem to be having much fun." The short Irish girl pulls a chair around backwards, and sits down with her arms crossed and her sea green eyes intently peering at her pony tailed colleague. "Maybe it's because you sense the deep symbolic parallels between our existence here and your house? Or maybe it's just because you're as bored as I am."

   Without waiting for a response, the Irish girl draws the next card off the top of the Arabian woman's deck. Flipping it, she reveals it's a the joker card with all the instruction printed neatly at the bottom. "Hmm.. should have started with this one though... if you wanted to be extremely Jungian." Setting the card down, she smiles wanly and continues. "My name is R0077, but if you want you can call me Mercy. What's your name?"

   Watching her companion, the layered bob cut of Mercy's red hair almost flickers in the fluorescent overhead lighting. She's wearing a UU almost as a statement of how little she cares for it, since it's obviously oversized and folded back in the cuffs. If you pay close attention, you might notice Mercy smells vaguely of an iris.

~~ Akilah ~~

   The Arab woman glances up momentarily, before returning to her card tower. "Ah yes, I think you're in one of my classes, Mercy. Firearms? I'm Akilah. Don't call me by my number please... this place feels enough like a prison as it is. No TV, no internet, no radio, no phone calls... my poor dad probably thinks I've been kidnapped... maybe he'd be right.

   Anyone told you what this is all about yet? I've asked a few times, and the answers have always been cryptic. We've been here a while though, I suppose we'll find out soon enough. If it involves a plot to corner the gold market by detonating a nuclear device in Fort Knox though, I'll be sorely disappointed."

   Finishing the 6th story of her card house, she starts in on the 7th.

~~ Jackson ~~

   Looking up from a rather thick book, a small but athletic looking Caucasian man says, "Well, as long as we're being conversational, I'll join in. I'm Jackson Daniels. Yes, I do usually go by Jack, and yes my dad was an alcoholic with a weird sense of humor."

   He grins, and comes over to the others. "I am sorry to hear you are hear not of your own choice. I'm here because this seemed more interesting than my alternatives."

   He bookmarks his book and sets it on the table. Addressing Akilah in Arabic, he says, <<That's an amazing job, you have quite the patient and steady hand.>>

~~ Akilah ~~

   The woman smiles and replies in Arabic "Ah, you speak the language? Makes it feel a little more like home. Nice to meet you, Jack."

   Returning to English for the benefit of Mercy, "Oh, I had a choice as well. But let's just say that given the alternative this seemed the wisest one to pick.

   So... it seems like everyone here has some special talent or another. Let me see here...." Akilah rubs her chin and studies both of you. "Clearly Mercy here is a firearms expert... heavy gunnery, demolitions, tanks and the like. And Jack here... clearly a seducer, using his guile and charm to lure powerful women into the bedroom and draw out their secrets. How'd I do?" She smiles the smile of one who is obviously kidding.

~~ Mercy ~~

   Mercy snorts under her breath, "Salax American spurius. Vos velim impetro inter suus cruris." ((Latin))

   Pointedly turning away from Jack, the Irish girl answers Akilah. "Actually no. I am undergoing training for firearms, but I haven't qualified yet. Too tense, you see." she draws herself up straight in the chair. "I'm more of just your basic high school athlete. I was on the track and triathlon teams, so I guess they need me to run and throw things. I just hope they don't think I'm going to cheer. Those days are long behind me."

   "I don't know what we're here for, and I hope you won't think me rude if I say I don't care. Like our mutual friend over there," Mercy whips her head over at Jack for an instant, "I'm here because I have nothing better planned."

~~ Jenna ~~

   Seeing the others gathering together the petite Caucasian American girl who looks like she should be starting high school and not in the UU wanders over to the others. Her shoulder length light brown hair is kept in place in a mini-ponytail and her hazel eyes dance with curiosity. She wears the UU jumpsuit oddly appearing comfortable in it for some reason.

   Reaching the others, missing out on their earlier conversation, she says "Hello I'm Jenna. Isn't this exciting to be here, saving the world from the bad guys and all that? I'm so glad they accepted me here. They call me R0033 but I like Pixie better."

   As if to prove her point Jenna pulls one of her legs straight up over her head while maintaining her balance on her other foot before returning to stand on both feet after holding the pose for a moment.

   "Hmm I need to loosen up a bit, my muscles felt a little tight that time."

~~ Gracie ~~

   Dressed in tight fitting jeans and a wifebeater, a buxomly woman steps out of the bathroom. Wet auburn curls fall down her back. She tosses her towel on her bunk and glances around the room. Seeing mostly women, she forces a smile and turns her attention to the lone male, the smile working its way up to her eyes.

   "Well hello there, shug." she says. "Good t' see y'all are makin' friendly. I was startin' t' think we was all jes gonna play mime tha whole time we are here." She offers a slender hand, perfectly manicured nails shining.

   "I'm Gracie." Addressing the rest of the group, she continues. "Y'all as bored around here as I am?"

~~ Jackson ~~

   "And Jack here... clearly a seducer, using his guile and charm to lure powerful women into the bedroom and draw out their secrets. How'd I do?"

   Jacks turns about four different shades of purple and seems to choke a bit at this. "Umm ... no ... and ... just ... well, no ..."

   As Pixie enters and does her gymnastics, he goes through the color spectrum again. When Gracie arrives, bringing the ratio up to four to one, he grabs his book, scurries back to his original chair, and says,  "Bored? No ... never bored when you have a good book. A little stir crazy from being cooped up indoors, but not really bored."

~~ Mercy ~~

   Giggling lightly at Jacks sudden retreat, Mercy watches Pixies gymnastics.

   "Ah ha! It's nice to see that I'm not the youngest person here! Your form is good by the way.. Pixie.. is that right? I was in my schools gymnastics team as well. By any chance do you do ballet as well?"

~~ Gracie ~~

   Gracie grins widely and walks around behind Jack's chair. Leaning over she peers at his book, dropping a hand casually to his shoulder.

   "Ahh, whacha readin' shug?"

~~ Akilah ~~

   As if to prove her point Jenna pulls one of her legs straight up over her head while maintaining her balance on her other foot before returning to stand on both feet after holding the pose for a moment.

   "Hmm i need to loosen up a bit, my muscles felt a little tight that time."

   Akilah blushes slightly, still unaccustomed to (though not offended by) the casual manner in which western women behave in mixed company.

   "Nice to meet you, Pixie. I'm Akilah. This is Mercy and Jack (gesturing to each in turn). I haven't heard much about why we're here as of yet. I worry it's some sort of psych experiment to see how test subjects behave under such peculiar circumstances. They haven't dropped me into a maze with cheese in it... yet... so I suppose it's not that bad."

~~ Gracie ~~

   Gracie grins widely and walks around behind Jack's chair. Leaning over she peers at his book, dropping a hand casually to his shoulder.

   When Gracie finishes with Jack, Akilah introduces herself to her. For the moment though, Gracie seems... focused.

~~ Jackson ~~

   In odd contrast to his fluster moments before, Jack seems to appreciate Gracie's attention. "Oh this?"

   He holds the book up, titled "Historical Underpinnings of Greco-Turkish Conflict and Its Effect on Modern Mediterranean Cultural Relations".

   "It's quite fascinating ... to a cultural anthropologist. I doubt you'd find it very interesting. But, this is what I do. What about you?"

~~ Gracie ~~

   Gracie stands up and laughs, hands on hips.

   "Shug, the only underpinnings I'm interested in are tha ones in my bra. So far as what I do..."

   She shrugs. "I'm a good talker, I hear...good at gettin' things I want." She winks and turns to Akilah.

   "Pleasure ta meet ya. Lovely suit you got on...I've never been one for stuffy clothes, unless the circumstances merit it, of course."

~~ Jackson ~~

   Jack chuckles, and a number of unspoken thoughts are visible to anyone looking at him before he opens his book and starts reading again (or pretending to, anyway).

~~ Akilah ~~

   "Hmm?" Akilah asks, looking down at her clothing, embarrassed. "Oh... yeah. I don't usually dress like this. It's just what I was wearing when this 'opportunity' presented itself. Whoever dropped me off here didn't see fit to pack anything else, so it was either this or the uniform."

[Namae Nai]

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah nervously looks at the man, and then his gun, and then back at the man again.  "Um... hello."

~~ Gracie ~~

Gracie beams a smile at the newcomer.

"Well hay there! Welcome to tha shin dig. I'm Gracie, and that's a lovely lil piece ya got there."  

~~ Mercy ~~

"Did you hear the one about the women who walked into a bar and ordered a double entendre, so the bartender gave it to her?" Mercy causually narrates to herself, "No? Never mind."

Mercy removes a small object from the cuff of her UU, and flicks it open revealing a butterfly style switchblade. She begins to work on her nails with it.

~~ Jenna ~~

"Ah ha! It's nice to see that I'm not the youngest person here! Your form is good by the way.. Pixie.. is that right? I was in my schools gymnastics team as well. By any chance do you do ballet as well?"


"Ballet? No I didn't have time for much of that, i did a lot of traveling when I was younger with my parents so I really only had time for gymnastics. Of course father was a bit upset when I didn't make the Olympic squad last year, but what can you do against a bunch of 14 year olds whose bodies are made of rubber?"

"Oh hi everyone nice to meet you all."


"I'm Gracie." Addressing the rest of the group, she continues. "Y'all as bored around here as I am?"

"Well its nice to actually be able to relax a little, seems like I'm always running to or from somewhere since I got here. I'm Jenna, but you can call me Pixie if ya want."

~~ Jake ~~

Gracie: "Well hay there! Welcome to tha shin dig. I'm Gracie, and that's a lovely lil piece ya got there."


With disarming smile in place. "Thanks. It's my favorite piece. My Ex-wife gave it to my when I graduated the academy. The pistol seems to have almost magically reassembled itself in his hands. Glad I had it on me when they ... recruited me. I'm Jake W..  I guess they don't want us to use our real names, just Jake will do. He holsters the pistol with practiced ease under his left arm."  

~~ Gracie ~~

Gracie grins widely.

"Jake and Jack! Well this should be fun!"

Sitting down on the floor cross legged, Gracie smiles sweetly up at everyone.

"Wonder if they got sweet tea in this place..."

~~ Game Master ~~

A young man dozing on a couch in the lounge wakes with a start and takes in the group with long look, making certain to let his glance linger on the women in the room.  He looks very fit, but when he gets up you realize he's not as tall as you expected - only 5' 10".

"Does anyone know where I can get a beer?  I'd even drink one of those Heinekens from a bottle, and you know how skunky they get." he says in English with a heavy French accent.

"Tabernac! I'm forgetting my manners now.  I am Francois Bargle, former left wing in the junior hockey league.  I set a season record for penalty minutes last year, but it is not enough for the pros, eh?"

You might have guessed this man played hockey just by looking at him.  He sports a disheveled mullet and has obviously suffered a couple of broken noses.  Strangely enough, his lumpy nose gives him a sort of likable presence.

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah looks up and smiles at the hockey player, but is starting to feel overwhelmed with all the introductions and shyly returns to building her card house.

~~ Jenna ~~

"Ah bonjour Francois. I don't know about the beer here. I get all clumsy if i start to drink anything, not that my folks ever found out about it. I'm Jenna but you can call me Pixie." Jenna replied obvious to the fact that her parents were well aware of the times when she did get drunk.

~~ Game Master ~~

A man enters the room dressed in what you've identified as typical agent garb:  black suit, white shirt, and a red tie.  You've seen him around the complex, but he's never been involved in any of your training.  When he speaks, his voice has a quality that reminds you of a drill sergeant:

"I hope everyone is enjoying their day off, because it's time to put you eggheads to work.  I am Undine Agent Monroe, and personally speaking, I'd like to see the lot of you on riding the bus back home, but you've been approved for a mission by the faculty.  From now on you are designated team R-109 and you've earned the right to provisional mission duty.  I just hope you don't let us down."

Agent Monroe check his wristwatch before continuing.

"Report to briefing room number three in ten minutes for your mission briefing. You will be leaving immediately following the briefing, so you must decide what gear to take along for your mission.  You will be in a desert environment, but mostly indoors.  This is a covert mission, so dress appropriately."

Monroe waits a moment, watching the team members and then says, "What are you waiting for?  Get moving!"

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah stands to attention, frowning slightly as the breeze from her sudden movement knocks over the card house.

"Sir.  Is there any opportunity to requisition additional supplies, or shall we make the best of our current equipment?"

~~ Mercy ~~

Mercy goes quickly to her room, and selects 3 Fragmentation Grenades, a smoke Grenade, Hip Holster, Flashlight, Road Atlas, Desert Eagle 50AE, Binoculars, First aid kit, and Windbreaker. Opening a drawer, she takes out her undercover clothes: Bellbottom jeans, sandals, and a red mini-tee emblazoned with 'GNOMERCY!' Cutting and removing the tags, Mercy slips into her undercover clothes quickly, then attaches the hip holster.

She assures that the safety is on her Desert Eagle as she takes a box of ammo and preps 3 box magazines, and slides a 4th into the Eagle itself as she secures it in her holster.

She slips the rest of her equipment into a day pack, and almost as an afterthought, an extra box of 50 AE ammo, just in case. Then she heads directly to the briefing room three.

~~ Jake ~~

"Which desert? We being covert for a civilian faculty, a military, drug lord what? I suppose we could all just wear our nice orange jumpsuits and be a prison gang right? They allow those to be co-ed these days, right??." *smirk* "You are pretty much guaranteeing we fail to be covert, asking us to gather gear from our limited supply without knowing where we are going and what we are trying to accomplish." Jake obviously has done covert work and is not happy about how this is being handled.  

~~ Jenna ~~

 Jenna sprints off to her room and quickly starts loading things into her backpack. the travel case is a bit too bulky she reasons but begins loading the rest into her pack. Changing into some "civilian" clothing- multipocketed baggy shirt top and shorts, tan-to-brown-colored both and hiking boots and a visor to block the sun. Finishing off the look with a pair of sunglasses, Jenna started adding things to her pack- binoculars, windbreaker- very handy in a desert she figured if there is a need to make a run for it, flashlight of course, never know when the power's going out. At her hip she carries a short club as she hasn't as yet been issued a gun but tosses a holster in her backpack just in case.

Looking at the rest she weighed her options before adding the first aid kit, she might not be too good at it but surely someone in the group will have some training. Finally after yet another internal debate she loaded her climbing gear in the pack as well. Never know when there's a wall that needs to be scaled or a rock face to climb up or down after you leave. Oh and finally the roadmap, after all it would be handy to figure out just where they are or are going if things turn out badly.

Finishing her packing she thought her gear selection would give off the appearance of a hiker or rock climber of some sort and headed down to the briefing room.

The Pixie would finally dance.

[Namae Nai]

~~ Game Master ~~

You swear you can see a vein in Monroe's temple throb as he takes in the questions...

"I knew you'd have questions, but remember you're wasting time.  Since you're just recruits I've requisitioned some mission-critical equipment for you to take along.

"Everything is a test, recruits.  Sometimes when you're in the field you just have to operate without much information.  Make your best judgment and if you have messed up too badly, I won't send you into the field without the right stuff.  You're just clueless recruits after all."

Monroe checks his watch again, and says, "Eight minutes egg-heads."  He turns crisply and leave the room.

~~ Gracie ~~

Gracie clears her throat.

"Scuse me shug, but I do think that if y'all want us to be covert, y'all better let us know at least what part of tha world we're gonna be headed to. Y'all send us to tha desert in tha US of A, an this here outfit I got on will do nicely. Y'all send us over to the big Sandbox in tha East, an' I'm gonna get stoned for wearin this.

Tests are great, but aint no sense settin us up for failure."

Pursing her lips, hands on hips, she waits for an answer.

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah removes her shoes and sprints towards her bunk, hoping to make up for lost time.

Her clothes end up in a disheveled pile on her cot as she removes her business attire and slips into the pants of her UU and a snug white T-shirt.  She straps on her holster, followed by a sandy-gray desert fatigue jacket.

Pulling out a day pack, she tosses in her binoculars, a roll of duct tape, a penlight, a glow-stick, and five zip-tie handcuffs. 

A fake US Military ID (rank of private) goes into her pocket, along with her HP Pocket-PC. 

She pulls on a pair of white cotton socks, tosses her business attire into the locker, slams the door closed, and runs off towards the meeting room (carrying her daypack over her shoulder, and a pair of UU boots with her other hand.

~~ Jack ~~

Jack shrugs and heads to his room.  His hiking pack has the usual gear in it.  He checks the medical kit and notes any items that need replacing, then stows it.  He is already wearing his field clothes (the "casual" clothes he was delivered to UU in); to this he adds his hat, sunshades (that fit over his glasses, on a tether to hang around his neck), and hiking boots.  Pulling on his vest, he shoulders his bag and carries the backpack to the meeting room.

- - - - -
Equipment packed:

Backpack
* Sleeping Bag
* Tent (2 person dome)
* Spare Clothing
* UU jumpsuit
* Rope (150')
* Duct tape
* Speed Loader
* Holster (hip) 

Contractor's field bag  (currently loose, but Jack has his pack arranged so that the bag can be strapped to the backpack for hiking)
* Binoculars (Standard)
* Digital Camera
* Chemical light sticks (5)
* Medical Kit
* Flashlight (Battery, flood)
* Map (Road Atlas)
* Notebooks, various colors of pen, pencil, and marker

Pull-up pouch vest
* Multipurpose Tool
* Knife
* Compass

~~ Gracie ~~

Clucking her tongue, Gracie heads to her room and begins tossing things in a backpack:

Digital camera
Chemical light sticks
Duct tape
Flashlight
Disguise kit
Roat atlas
Holster (for non-existent gun)

She slips a wallet in her back pocket containing her real ID, and one for a lady named Miriam Sterling.

Glancing over the remainder of her belongings, she tosses her UU uniform, a green cotton skirt, blouse, sandals and t-shirt that reads "I PUT THE 'DD' IN ST PADDY'S DAY" into a travel case. Quickly applying a layer of peach flavored gloss to her full lips, she tugs on a pair of tennis shoes, pulls the backpack over a shoulder, picks up the travel case, and slips the lip-gloss into her pocket before heading to the meeting room.

~~ Jake ~~

Following Gracie out, trying not to stare too much. Strolls to his room. Puts on his casual wear, blue jeans, what cash he has stuffed in the front pocket,  his light undercover vest under a t-shirt saying 'Born to Boogie' a loud Hawaiian shirt over his concealed holster with the Colt Double Eagle and 2 spare clips in it. Decides to wear his police boots instead of the flip flops. Pockets the penlight, multipurpose tool, handcuffs and pepper spray. Stops as he is about to leave his room, grabs the Lock Release gun, mumbles "Maybe one of the ladies will have a purse I can put this in."

Shows up with about 30seconds to spare  at briefing room 3, scuffing the mirror polish off his boots.

~~ Mercy ~~

Mercy dies a little inside as her guns, grenades, and other weapons vanish, pulled away to interdimensional 'GM-Space' whence all loot comes and is expended to.

But moments later she's forgotten all about it, listening to the briefing.

~~ Game Master ~~

Agent Monroe is waiting in briefing room three, sitting at the table and reading through some notes.  As you enter he puts down his paper and looks each of you over as you find a place to sit at the large conference table.

"'Undine agents often find themselves in difficult situations where they have to figure things out for themselves.  Looking at what you have chosen to bring with you, I can see some smart actions and a few mistakes.  Your instinct to take as much as you can with you is a good one, but be mindful of weighing yourself down with unnecessary gadgets and be prepared to dispose of things in a hurry if you need to leave quickly.

"The UU is a very practical garment, but for this mission you will be working with the general public and you cannot have anything that identifies this agency.  We have proper garments that will allow you to mix freely with civilians without attracting attention."

Monroe takes a moment to pass out a mission briefing, and then waits for the team to read it.

It says:

Mission: 9222/09A

Team: R-109

Objective: Acquire the memory crystal from civilians named below.

Restrictions: Covert action, non-lethal weapons

A three-day UFO convention is being held in Sedona, Arizona at the Grande Vista Hotel and Resort. We have been informed by one of our imbedded agents that one of the attendees has acquired a high-technology memory crystal from an unknown source. This crystal may contain crucial intelligence data related to the corruption of top government and military officials by [censored]. Team R-109 will infiltrate the convention under cover and determine which of the suspected attendees listed below possesses the memory crystal. If the crystal can be taken via non-violent means, the team will endeavor to do so.

Suspected attendee profiles:

Sam McGrath: Houston, TX. Sam has authored several books on his abduction experiences and reportedly makes six figures in royalties a year. He is middle-aged, trim, has salt-and-pepper black hair, and blue eyes. He claims to have fathered several half-human children with an alien life form he calls Sylvia.

Wendy Hughes: Phoenix, AZ. A local legend, Wendy claims to have been abducted over 150 times in the past twenty years. She tours the UFO convention circuit giving speeches and workshops. Her most popular workshop is called "Dressing for abduction: do's and don'ts". Additionally, she sells crystals at her booths at conventions. Wendy is in her mid-thirties, has sandy-blonde hair, brown eyes, is approximately 5' 4", and slightly overweight.

Paul Michaels: Littleton, CO. Paul runs the UFOTeam website which tracks sightings and accounts of UFO activity. He does not earn a living from the website and thus works as an electrical engineer. He is in his mid twenties, has brown hair, brown eyes, and is overweight.

"The memory crystal is a typical example of its kind. It will be approximately golf-ball-sized, but may be potentially any color.  You will be provided with an identification rig to confirm if a crystal is of the smart memory variant.  This action is covert.  Agents may not identify themselves as governmental agents.  The UFO community may widely be off the mark when it comes to the realities of extra-terrestrial contact, but Undine has found certain individuals to be particularly useful sources of information.  Overt action against this population would likely drive our sources underground.

You will find rooms booked at the hotel under your provided alias. Identification and cash for expenses will be provided. The agent in charge will distribute mission-critical gear. An Undine plane will deliver you to Denver International Airport. You will arrive via bus from Denver to Sedona. Extraction will take place at the Sedona bus depot 72 hours following your arrival.

Other Undine Agents will identify themselves by the codeword "glacier" if they have new directives for the team."


The briefing includes photographs of the suspects.

Monroe speaks when he senses most people are done, "This is a milk run perfect for egghead recruits.  Our imbedded agent does not expect any violence will be necessary.  You get in, you find out who has been hiding that crystal, you get it without breaking any heads, and you get out.  You should even have time for a few Shirley Temples if you do it right."

Monroe notices Jake's lock pick gun and nods approvingly.  "You might have an opportunity to use that.  These convention folk like to party, so clever folks like you should be able to steal something without getting caught."

Monroe cracks his knuckles and leans back in his chair. "I can't say that I'm allowed to answer the questions you have, but now is the time to ask them.  Once you're done with that, I'll distribute your equipment."

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah flips through the mission briefing, committing the information to memory as best she can.

"Agent Monroe, I have a few questions.

Is the rig used to identify the crystal conspicuous during operation, or can it function discreetly?

Does Undine have any of Sam McGrath's books in it's libraries that we might read during the flight?

Is there any time for me to access the UFOT website prior to departure, and if so, is there equipment here from which I can do this?"

~~ Jake ~~

"Speaking of this" Holds up the lock pick gun. "will any of you ladies be carrying a purse with room for this? Me tucking it in my waistband might be a tad suspicious."

Jake digs through the provided clothes, finds some tattered hiking boots his size, a ball cap and a cheap pair of sunglasses and dons them. He then sits at the table studying the pictures and Bios of the people in question. "Good thoughts Akilah. I must admit UFOs have never been an interest of mine and learning a few terms etc might help."

~~ Mercy ~~

"It would probably be most efficient if we split up and covered each suspect in teams. 72 hours is not much time. Once we've located the crystal, we can work together to obtain it."

Hmm.. I'll need to create a cover persona. "Is there a way to obtain maps of the location.. service entrances and connected rooms especially would be helpful. Are they all staying at the same hotel, or is that something we need to find out on our own?" Mercy peers intently at the photographs as she asks questions, trying to engrave each person in her memory.  "We might wish to acquire keys from the maid service. If we also change the sheets while we're looking for the crystal, they might not even know we were there at all."

~~ Akilah  ~~

"Speaking of this" Holds up the lock pick gun. "will any of you ladies be carrying a purse with room for this? Me tucking it in my waistband might be a tad suspicious."

"I can.  Although if Gracie holds it she might have a better chance of talking her way out of a search if one comes up.

That said, if the hotels in America are anything like the ones in Doha, they'll have electronic locks that utilize a keycard.  As Mercy mentioned, the maid service is likely to have universal keys that open all the doors.  They're likely to report the theft of one, but someone might be able to fool the maids into thinking they're helping them get into their own room.

Also, since this is a resort hotel, it's likely that the rooms have personal safes (nicer ones usually do).  I'll see what I can requisition in case we have to deal with one.  With the right tools I can bypass electronic door locks as well, but I don't know what they'll let me use as a recruit."

Sensing how long she's been talking, Akilah blushes slightly and returns to looking at the mission documents.

~~ Jenna ~~

Feeling somewhat pleased that she seems to have guessed right more or less with her gear and clothing, Jenna takes a look at the profiles of the suspected crystal keepers. hearing Akilah's idea about the book Jenna comes up with a thought of her own.

"Sir? Do you have the web address to Michaels' website? Sometimes people like to brag on their web pages and maybe he will drop a clue or two if we check it out. At least it will give us something to talk to him about if we have to."

~~ Gracie ~~

Gracie reads over the information and licks her lips.

"I jes got one question. These two boys like girls? If we are lookin' to ..distract them...at a party or whatnot while someone else goes nosin' around their room, I'm yer girl."

Gracie glances down at her low cut tank top. "Looks like I chose appropriate clothes too. UFO guys can be kinda geeky. Chances are they ain't seen a real woman in some time. I'll be on my BEST behavior."

Pondering for a moment, Gracie chews on her bottom lip. "I jes thought of somethin' else. Y'all UU folks got any tranq's? Something one might slip in someone's drink? That might come in handy, I'd think."

~~ Mercy ~~

"Chloral Hydrate would work for that. It's odorless, tasteless, and dissolves colorlessly and instantly in most things a human being would drink at a convention full of rapid UFO fanatics, i.e. alcohol. It's the stuff you used to read about in old detective novels: Mickey Finns." Mercy actually looks interested. "It's not too hard to mix up either, if I had access to some chemicals. It's just a minor byproduct when you chlorinate water. The only tricky part is the dosing. Too much and you kill them.. too little and they just get a nasty hangover. Oh, and don't lick your fingers after handling the stuff."

~~ Akilah ~~

"Do be careful though.  All three of these people sound like minor celebrities within the UFO community.  They'll likely have busy schedules and a lot of people to meet.  Anything that incapacitates them, even if non-violent, might serve to arouse suspicion and make our mission more difficult."

[Namae Nai]

~~ Game Master ~~

Monroe rattles off some answers:

Akilah: Is the rig used to identify the crystal conspicuous during operation, or can it function discreetly?

The rig looks like a normal wristwatch, so you can check things without attracting attention.  It takes 5 seconds to scan a crystal (full round action if you're in combat).

Akilah: Does Undine have any of Sam McGrath's books in it's libraries that we might read during the flight?

We don't actually have his most current book.  If you could pick up a copy to bring back, the archivist would appreciate it.  I'll request one of his earlier books for you to read on the flight.

Akilah: Is there any time for me to access the UFOT website prior to departure, and if so, is there equipment here from which I can do this?

You're not cleared for network access here at Heartland, but I'll send a few articles along with you.

Mercy: It would probably be most efficient if we split up and covered each suspect in teams.

You may split up as needed, but I recommend no more than two groups.

Mercy: Is there a way to obtain maps of the location.. service entrances and connected rooms especially would be helpful. Are they all staying at the same hotel, or is that something we need to find out on our own?

We believe the suspects are all staying at the hotel, but you will have to find out where exactly.  I do have a map of the location:

Gracie: Y'all UU folks got any tranq's? Something one might slip in someone's drink?

Given the probability of messing up on dosing or application, Undine will not be providing tranquilizers.

Monroe seems satisfied with the questions and gets to his feet.  "Time for your gear requisition."   You follow him to another meeting room where your gear has been laid out.

Each character gets:

A choice of a stun gun, pepper spray, tonfa, or taser for self-defense; casual clothes if they do not own appropriate clothing; a first aid kit; a fake ID; a concealed carry holster; Aluminum carry case (10 lb cap).

The team also is given the following to split up amongst themselves:

A UT-15 Crystal Tester, 2 cell phones; 25 zip-tie handcuffs; lock pick set; multi-purpose tool; a medical kit; a disguise kit.

Monroe gestures at the equipment and says, "The weapons are non-lethal and we're issuing them just as a precaution.  I'll go get those articles and books you requested while you folks get kitted out."  He then leaves the room.

~~ Jenna ~~

Jenna chooses a taser and concealed holster for herself figuring that's probably the longest range option around ((she has her club with her- does that get confiscated?)). Looking at her fake ID of "Brenda Jakes" she rolls her eyes wondering who came up with that one. She takes four of the zip tie cuffs figuring there should be enough of those for three or four of them to go to everyone.

As for the rest Jenna looks to the others to see what they will take and stands ready to help lug whatever everyone else doesn't feel like taking along.

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah selects a canister of pepper spray... less effective than a taser, but hopefully quite "civilian" in nature should she be searched for any reason.  She also takes some casual clothing, smirking at the "I want to believe!" slogan on the T-shirt.   And of course, one can never have too many fake IDs.

"If no one minds, I could really use the tool kit.   A cell phone wouldn't hurt either, but so long as each team has one it should be fine."

~~ Jake ~~

*Jake always wears his pistol concealed and always tries to stop others from noticing it, so I guess he is trying to hide it from Monroe cause he certainly doesn't give it up voluntarily*

Jake hands Akilah the Lock pick gun, since she offered to carry it. "Thanks" He examines the  stun gun and clips it to his right-hand pocket, adds more cash if available to to the wad in his pocket and grabs a piece of soft side luggage and a couple changes of appropriate clothes, toiletries etc. Almost as an after thought finds and memorizes the name on his fake ID before sliding it in a shirt pocket.

Jake then goes and leans against a wall and pretends to sulk, though he is secretly happy to be getting out of this boot camp for a while.

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah also opens and looks through the medical kit to see if it has a stethoscope she could take (for safecracking).

"Just so everyone knows, I know how to use lock picks.  I'm fine to let someone else carry them though if they do as well."

~~ Jack ~~

Jack looks over the equipment.  He selects a taser and concealed holster, and several zipties.  "Gregory Finch," he reads aloud from his fake ID.

"As it happens I already have a medical kit and a multi-tool, so I won't be looking to take those. "

He ties his shoulder bag to the outside of his hiking pack, then stands up. "Gregory Finch is fairly recently converted to the UFOlogy scene, having been abducted and force-taught the language of the Naquateans, the ancient benevolent ancestors of the Aztecs, who taught them how to build pyramids to harness the power of the Earth's magical field. "   He looks around at the group, and says a few sentences in an incomprehensible language. "What do you think, over the top?"

~~ Akilah ~~

*laughs*

"Sounds good.  I'll try the skeptic approach, and see if some mild objections provoke them to be more forthcoming.  I don't think I have the social skills to pull off anything too wild."

~~ Gracie ~~

Gracie grabs some pepper spray and 4 zip ties. She picks through the clothing and snags a T-shirt that reads "My other car is a UFO" then rethinks and instead takes one saying "The Truth is Out There".

Glancing over the table she picks up the second cell phone. "Y'all mind if I grab the other one? If things go well with me gettin' them boys off to ourselves, I'd like to still keep in contact with ya."

Gracie pulls the t-shirt over her head, wiggles around under it, and sticks her arms through the arm holes, while pulling the tank top she had on out through the neck hole. She winks at the boys while tying the shirt into a knot at the small of her back to turn the otherwise frumpy T into a tight fitting belly shirt.

~~ Game Master ~~

Francois rummages through the gear, taking a stun gun and holster.  He fires the stun gun for a moment and chuckles.  "I could have used one of these in that fight in Winnepeg."

~~ Jenna ~~

Jenna looks through the shirts as well now seeing that the others are all donning UFO-able attire. Finally seeing one she likes Jenna takes a "I went to Area 51 and all I got was this lousy tee shirt" one and puts it into her pack to change into once they're on the plane feeling a bit uncomfortable in getting changed in front of the men folk.

[Namae Nai]

~~ Game Master ~~

You sort through the gear and Francois only complains a little bit about carrying the leftovers.

Monroe returns with a file containing articles from Paul Michaels' website and a copy of McGrath's book Starcrossed.  He doesn't seem to notice Jake's concealed gun.

You take the elevator to the top level of the Heartland complex and walk a quarter mile down the tunnel to the airstrip.  Outside it is brisk, but the sky is clear and the sunlight is heartening.  A small turboprop is being fueled at the end of the runway.  It lacks any sort of decoration and seats 12 passengers.

Monroe pulls open the aircraft's hatch and removes a bag that was sitting inside.  "We have one precaution that you'll have to put up with on this mission.  You can take these off 20 minutes after we take off."  He then hands a black hood to each of you as you climb up into the plane.

Hearing some grumbling, Monroe adds, "If you don't like it, just remember that doing well on this mission is the fastest way to get promoted to Omega status.  There are all sorts of perks to be had."

The trip is fairly turbulent, especially takeoff.  Once you get your hood off you find that you're over some sort of flatlands dotted with round fields.  Occassionally you see towns, but nothing seems familiar until you spot the Rocky Mountains looming in the distance.

The flight takes approximately four hours, giving you time to review the additional materials that Monroe has provided:

McGrath's book hardly passes for great literature, but you can see why UFO enthusiasts have taken to his story.  His accounts of his abductions are pretty much filled with the sort of standard details that all the stories have.  The sections on his liaison with the alien Lydia are borderline erotica with a heavy dose of domination and submission.  Anyone who is slightly skeptical would readily discount McGrath's story with its hard-to-believe claims.  You pick up on a subtle tone of arrogance in his writing.

UFOTeam is a glorified aggregator of UFO news.  Paul frequently adds editorial commentary to the articles he links, and from these posting you get a sense of his earnestness.  One article in particular has a lengthy commentary attached on the importance of consolidating UFO research and information into one central site.  Presumably, Michaels is thinking about UFOTeam site as the place for it to happen.  The site enjoys a small but loyal following, but seems to lack many sponsors.

The landing at Denver International Airport is also nice and turbulent, but instead of taxiing to the commercial concourse, the plain pulls up to a freight facility.  Monroe hands the team over to a driver with 2 days' growth of beard who loads the team and gear into an unmarked step van.  About a half hour later you're deposited at the Greyhound station where your have only 10 minutes to find and board your bus.

The least said about the bus ride the better.  The bus driver takes pity on you and drops you at the hotel since it was on his way.  It's after 2 in the morning and you all crash in your three hotel rooms once you sort out the sleeping arrangements.  The next morning you assemble, somewhat groggily, in a hotel room to make your plans for the day.   

~~ DayTwo ~~

~~ Akilah ~~

Akilah wakes early and begins her planned routine.  First she takes a shower and cleans up, followed by as thorough an examination of herself as is possible, looking in particular for scars that she can't recall.  She'll ask her roommate for help if she can't see everything in the mirror.

Once that's done, she'll flip on CNN and listen as she searches through her clothes, carrying case, and other belongings looking for bugs or tracking devices, and then get dressed.

Once that's done, she'll begin a cursory search of the hotel room... light fixtures, dressers, etc.

Once she's satisfied she's not under surveillance she'll step outside and grab a newspaper from someone's door if she sees one (and stow it away in her bag for safe keeping).  If no one's in the hall, she'll also test the security on her door (ie: try to pick her own lock to get an idea of how difficult it is).

Once the others are assembled, she'll lay out her ideas...

"I think Paul Michaels is my best "mark".  I have a background in computer science and engineering, so I can certainly "talk shop" with him.  I'll be glad to talk to him and see if I can glean any useful information or get some of us invited to his room for some further discussion. 

Judging by his book, Sam McGrath certainly likes the ladies.  I think Gracie probably has the best skills for interrogating him (no offense). 

I don't know what to do with Wendy.  Whoever's wearing the UT-15 can get close enough to scan most of her merchandise.  But if she's got it in her room I don't really know how to talk her into a visit.  Maybe Jackson can engage her in some discussion about the role of crystals in ancient religions.

We don't have to do all of this at once.  Whoever's speaking with the target can have one cell phone, and the rest of us can hang on to the other.  We can program the other phone into speed dial, and agree that if anyone receives a call from the other phone with nothing said to treat it as an emergency.

Since we have a few days, we might also check the convention schedule to see if any of these people are giving seminars or speeches.  It might give us a little more to work with when we talk to them.

Anyways, those are just my ideas so far.  The few classes we had to take in subterfuge helped, but I'm sure others of you are a lot more expert than I am in this area."

"These kinds of conventions usually require registration, and sometimes they sell out.  We should probably make that one of our first step."

~~ Mercy ~~

Mercy looks at each of the 4 different weapon selections with moderate distaste. Picking up the tonfa and a concealed carry sling for it, she slides the holster onto her left arm, then selects a jacket from the pile of clothing, and a change of clothes as well. She reaches over to take the fake ID with her picture on it, and stops, reading the name aloud. "Angeline Destrus Ree. 'Ms. D. Ree.' Cute." Putting the change of clothes in an available carrying case, she snaps the locks closed.

With that she prepares for the flight with the others, and accepts the blindfold without question or remark and wears it the prescribed amount of time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I guess the Heartland really is in the heartland of the US. About 875 or less miles from Denver. Probably less with us fighting the jet stream. Mercy mentally ticks off states, So that means Kansas, Eastern Missouri, Nebraska, or Eastern Iowa. Anywhere else would have given us too many ground landmarks.

Mercy is shaken out of these thoughts by the arrival of Akilah.

Akilah says, "I think Paul Michaels is my best "mark".  I have a background in computer science and engineering, so I can certainly "talk shop" with him.  I'll be glad to talk to him and see if I can glean any useful information or get some of us invited to his room for some further discussion. 

"Judging by his book, Sam McGrath certainly likes the ladies.  I think Gracie probably has the best skills for interrogating him (no offense)."

Mercy grins ruefully, "Agreed. You got that too? He's one of those guys that wants his lady to come on rather strong Gracie. Right up your alley."

Akilah also adds, I don't know what to do with Wendy.  Whoever's wearing the UT-15 can get close enough to scan most of her merchandise.  But if she's got it in her room I don't really know how to talk her into a visit.  Maybe Jackson can engage her in some discussion about the role of crystals in ancient religions.

We don't have to do all of this at once.  Whoever's speaking with the target can have one cell phone, and the rest of us can hang on to the other.  We can program the other phone into speed dial, and agree that if anyone receives a call from the other phone with nothing said to treat it as an emergency.

Since we have a few days, we might also check the convention schedule to see if any of these people are giving seminars or speeches.  It might give us a little more to work with when we talk to them.

Anyways, those are just my ideas so far.  The few classes we had to take in subterfuge helped, but I'm sure others of you are a lot more expert than I am in this area."

"Sounds like a good plan. I can probably help out on Wendy... she sounds like someone I used to know. Very driven and attention seeking, I mean." Mercy turns a little red at that thought, then adds, "The convention will need us to all be present to register.. they usually make you show ID.. just remember I'm Angeline, ok?"

"Oh, something I should add: I think this is all a setup, and the crystal has nothing important on it. Just a hunch, understand? I'll play along anyway, don't worry." Mercy stands up, and heads to registration at the main ballroom.