‘Dead Letter’ 1997 playtest logs: Session 2

Previously:

• Mission Briefing
• Session 1

Lundquist : Hi everyone, sorry I’m a little late.
Dee : Morning, Lundquist.
Dee : Black was here when I arrived a few minutes ago,
but then he disconnected.
Sglancy12 : No problem, hold on a bit Black got kicked off
line.
Lundquist : I got busy signals for ten minutes or so… Typical
AOL, I guess…
Sglancy12 : Let’s chill a bit.
Dee : Heh. Makes me glad I stuck with my PPP service.
Black : sorry about that my parent’s computer locked up!!
Black : So did we decided on equipment yet.
Dee : Yuck.
Sglancy12 : Okay, I just sent you guys Dee’s wish list.
Sglancy12 : Let’s get this thing rolling.
Dee : And where’s the response from Drake saying, “You
gotta be kidding me!”…? 😉
Sglancy12 : Drake just says, “24 hours and tell me where you want
it.”
Dee : Cool,then. The airport where we’ll be landing, I
suppose, if that’s possible.
Sglancy12 : The closet regional airport to the Rez is in Happy
Valley Montana on the west side of
Sglancy12 : Glacier National Park. The next nearest is in Great
Falls.
Black : Guys I reserved a RV for use. I thought that we use
it to enhance a cover as camping at
Black : Glacier Park
Black : I thought that we could use the RV as a base of
operations
Dee : Sounds good, yeah.
Lundquist : Which airport sees more tourist, etc type traffic?
Are these commercial airports?
Dee : Where are the Reservation and Browning in relation to
those airports?
Sglancy12 : Black (Dee) has arranged for a 5 day camping permit
for the Park.
Black : Plus we have room to store gear in
Lundquist : And interrogate prisoners! 🙂
Dee : Can’t forget the interrogation!
Dee : And the torture! Oops, um, I mean… nevermind.
Sglancy12 : They are commerical airports, just very small. One
problem. The RV can only be picked up in
Sglancy12 : Great Falls.
Lundquist : I say we fly into the busier airport. Even go a
little farther away and drive into the area of the
Lundquist : reservation, if necessary…
Sglancy12 : Great Falls sees more Tourist traffic.
Dee : Looks like Great Falls is for us, then.
Lundquist : What about flying into Bozeman or Billings or
something? Taking a half day to drive into the
Lundquist : area we’re looking at?
Lundquist : How paranoid are we, in other words?
Sglancy12 : If you’re going to pose as Glacier tourists, Great
Falls is better.
Lundquist : OK, Great Falls then.
Sglancy12 : You have to drive through Browing and the Rez to get
to Glacier from Great Falls.
Dee : Well, we have to pick the RV up at the Great Falls
airport.
Lundquist : Or we can get the Ford there and drive to the RV
rental place.
Sglancy12 : Welcome to Great Falls.
Sglancy12 : This Montana scenery is stunning.
Dee : Even better. En route to Glacier, we ‘stop by’ the
Rez to admire the landscape and native
Dee : culture and chemical processing plant…
Sglancy12 : There’s also a Museum of the Plains Indians in
Browning.
Sglancy12 : Browning: population just under 1200. Almost 100%
Blackfeet Indians.
Sglancy12 : You palefaces will stick out like Custer at Little
Big Horn.
Lundquist : We’ll exploit the fact that we stick out. Play up the
tourist angle. Hide in plain sight, as it were.
Dee : Now, Browning is outside the Reservation, is that
right?
Sglancy12 : Nope Browning is the Tribal capital. Just about dead
center.
Dee : Oh, oops.
Dee : Where is the casino?
Lundquist : Yeah, I’m feelin lucky!
Dee : Papa needs a new pair of shoggoths…
Sglancy12 : The Casino in in Cut Bank Montana, just on the far
eastern border.
Sglancy12 : Big oil and gas town full of palefaces.
Sglancy12 : Well, relatively big, pop. 3000
Lundquist : Metropolis.
Sglancy12 : The Rez covers 3000 square miles and only has 7000
people on it.
Dee : Is the Rez populace spread thin, or concentrated into
towns?
Sglancy12 : Spread very thin. Over 60% of the pop lives in 10
small towns including Browning & Cut Bank
Dee : Also: Is Great Falls east of the Rez? So, heading
west we’d go: GF, Cut Buck, Res.?
Dee : Also again: Do we know where the non-tribal
employees of ABC reside?
Sglancy12 : Housing is a premium so non-locals live at the plant
in residential housing.
Sglancy12 : Great Falls is SE ot the Rez and Cut Bank.
Sglancy12 : From GF you’d go through Cut Bank, and immediately
into the Rez, then down US 2 to Browning
Dee : Okay. Do we have any information on the plant’s
facilities or layout?
Dee : I guess there wouldn’t be blueprints in state
planning offices, would there?
Sglancy12 : No. Being EPA and OSHA exempt, they never had to
submit their plans to the US gov.
Dee : Groovy. 😛
Dee : Okay, gents. First stop, the airport. Then, want to
check things out in…
Sglancy12 : But is anyone interested in Satillite photos?
Dee : Um, yeah. 🙂
Sglancy12 : Well, Mr. Drake has a freind at the SVR, used to be
the KGB, and maybe the Ivans got some
Sglancy12 : shots of ABC while photographing our missile silos.
Sglancy12 : It’ll take 48 hours to check it out.
Lundquist : Sounds good…
Sglancy12 : Otherwise, there are some private French firms that
do satilite recon, strictly for
Sglancy12 : cartography, of course.
Dee : Interesting. Does Drake (or do any of us) have NRO
contacts who might give the same info?
Dee : The good NRO, not the OTHER guys…
Sglancy12 : NRO is another good suggestion.
Sglancy12 : Plus the office of the US Geographical survey, or the
Defense mapping agency.
Lundquist : We’ll encourage Drake to run down all of these
options. More photos the merrier, eh?
Dee : Also, Lundquist, what about FBI files? Did Hoover’s
boys keep tabs on this Rez?
Lundquist : What about FBI files, Scott? Any AIM activists
amongst the Blackfeet?
Lundquist : And any collateral intelligence of use there?
Dee : Or BIA, of course.
Sglancy12 : Yes, during the 60s and 70s there were plenty of
Blackfeet in AIM.
Sglancy12 : But since then they’ve turned to capitalism rather
than activism to cure tribal ills.
Dee : Is there anything archived from old investigations?
Sglancy12 : BIA has changed since 70s. The BIA police are now
completely independent of the Feds.
Dee : Oh, is that right? Okay. (Re. BIA)
Sglancy12 : But . . . there may be a few FBI COINTELPRO stoolies
still living there.
Dee : Could be an interesting angle.
Sglancy12 : They sure as hell don’t want anyone finding out they
were FBI informants.
Dee : Exactly.
Sglancy12 : Even if it was 25 years ago.
Sglancy12 : Do you want to see if the FBI has kept up with some
of their old snitches?
Black : i’m sure they did
Dee : Yeah, definitely. That’s Lundquist’s dept. though.
Sglancy12 : Sounds like a job for a DOJ lawyer to me.
Dee : Could Col. Black find out if the Rez participated in
any federal immunization programs?
Dee : CDC or whatever?
Dee : A stretch, but possibly another avenue for
information if others dry up.
Sglancy12 : Not too hard. . . the answer is yes, but just the
standard battery of T.B. & smallpox
Sglancy12 : They also were involved in Fed anthrax immunization
programs
Dee : Anything where they would collect information on the
locals and the region?
Sglancy12 : Hmm? Yes. The records would list who was immunized,
where they lived, or if the were rancher
Sglancy12 : immunizing livestock, where the ranch was and how
many animals.
Lundquist : I’ll try and locate any names, addresses, etc of the
snitches.
Dee : Might not hurt to find out who their contact Special
Agents were, if the info is available.
Sglancy12 : Most of the FBI guys from the 1970s COINTELPRO are
retired. It was 25 years ago.
Lundquist : Naturally, I’d be especially interested in locating
any informants who are still active in any way…
Lundquist : Though I doubt any will be.
Dee : Hmmm… do we already have information on the Rez
populace? Names and addresses?
Sglancy12 : Okay. The names address stuff will take 11 hours to
get together.
Sglancy12 : Of course getting the flight to Great Falls takes 15
hours to arrange and execute.
Sglancy12 : Lundquist, FBI informant info takes you 10 hours to get.
Sglancy12 : No active informants, but there are some 35
informants still living on the Rez.
Sglancy12 : Former informants.
Dee : Whoa, more than I thought.
Dee : Do those files indicate if the former informants knew
of each others’ status?
Lundquist : Outstanding! Well, we have quite a few to pick
from…
Sglancy12 : J. Edgar was a paranoid kind guy. More FBI informants
in the Communist party than real reds
Sglancy12 : Drake gets you the 1st satellite photos in 3 hours!
Dee : Could be trouble, too–if we lean on one, and he has
friends to go to would help.
Lundquist : Must be the French…
Sglancy12 : Courtesy of Defense Mapping Agency and US geological
survey.
Sglancy12 : There’s not much detail of the site, and one set was
taken before the plant was completed.
Dee : Can we get it enlarged enough to make out anything
interesting?
Sglancy12 : The plant is set up on the Milk River, 25 miles north
of Browning, about ten miles from US-Canada border.
Sglancy12 : It covers about 400 square acres, not the plant, the
grounds.
Black : I would be interested in taking water samples from
the Milk river when we get there
Dee : Just as long as there’s no reservoir… 😉
Dee : Is the plant fenced?
Sglancy12 : Yes. Two fences with a dog run between them.
Dee : Yikes, the works. Barbed wire, too, I’d bet.
Sglancy12 : Razor wire.
Dee : Do the fences cover the entire grounds?
Dee : cover = encompass, I mean.
Sglancy12 : Actually the Milk River flows into the Fresno
Reservoir 150 miles away.
Sglancy12 : Yes the facility is completely enclosed by both
fences,
Sglancy12 : The basic lay out seems to be a series of bunkers.
Lundquist : Good for isolating things.
Sglancy12 : The majority of the plant seems to be underground.
Sglancy12 : There is a central admin building in the center, and
then at each cormer a round Bunker.
Dee : Yeah. Are there any outside structures nearby?
Dee : I meant, structures nearby but outside the fences.
Not part of the facility.
Sglancy12 : Parking lot, what might be a dog kennel. Two
dormatories.
Lundquist : How big an area does the plant cover, roughly?
Dee : 400 square acres?
Sglancy12 : There’s also a waste incinerator away from the main
complex.
Dee : Oh, that was the whole grounds. Wait, is that whole
area fenced like that?
Sglancy12 : No, 20 acres by 20 acres is the size of the grounds.
Lundquist : So the four bunkers are how far apart?
Sglancy12 : The plant itself covers the area of a small football
stadium.
Sglancy12 : But much of it may be below ground.
Lundquist : Like an iceberg…
Sglancy12 : Looks like it was designed to survive a nuke strike.
Sglancy12 : The four bunkers are about 100 yards apart.
Dee : This is sounding like a bitch. Pardonez-vous ma
Francais.
Black : so much for the frontal assault 🙂
Sglancy12 : Lotsa concrete, very low profile.
Dee : Remind me, how many non-tribal employees are there?
And how many tribal employees?
Dee : I would say we just take off and nuke the site from
orbit–only way to be sure.
Dee : But it would probably survive.
Sglancy12 : There are some 40 plus non-tribal employees, but
there appear to be more dorms than that.
Dee : Those would be for the brain-eating zombies, I
think.. 😉
Sglancy12 : naturally.
Lundquist : Or the SWAT commando team they have here waiting for
us…
Sglancy12 : There’s only suposed to be 24 security guards and
most of them are locals.
Dee : Or both. Okay. 40 non-tribals means no way for us
to sneak in undercover.
Lundquist : And are any of them on my informants list…?
Sglancy12 : Nope. Too young.
Lundquist : Figures.
Dee : Oooh, good one, Lundquist. What about parents?
Lundquist : Yeah… “Let us in, or Dad’ll be in trouble!”
Dee : Of course, blackmail would be wrong…
Lundquist : So’s eldritch horror from beyond space & time!
Sglancy12 : Don’t call it blackmail. It’s just acting on
enlightened self interest.
Dee : Heh heh.
Dee : So, how about it? Do any of our informants look to
be related to any ABC employees?
Dee : Time to go over the files and make plenty of notes.
Sglancy12 : Hmm? Well, there are a couple of last names that are
the same . .
Sglancy12 : And the immunization records show familiy histories .
.
Dee : Might be something. Cross-reference some more using
the imm. records. Any matches?
Sglancy12 : But no such luck.
Dee : Nuts.
Lundquist : Again, figures.
Sglancy12 : However, one of those informants is on the tribal
council!
Sglancy12 : FBI patronage can pay off.
Dee : Hmm, very useful. Somebody who would prolly kill to
keep the secret, too.
Black : we have to be careful about that contact because if
you remember the council is on the take
Dee : Right, the council is apparently in deep with ABC.
Dee : All the more reason for this prospect to fear
exposure, though.
Lundquist : We’ll exploit that.
Dee : And it would increase the likelihood that he or she
will know something useful.
Dee : Say, do the photos show above-ground telehphone lines
leading to the facility?
Sglancy12 : Yes they do.
Dee : Oh, and what about the electronic security expert I
requested?
Sglancy12 : The NSA guys name is Steve Wendel. He occassionaly
does black ops but isn’t DG
Sglancy12 : He’ll arrive in 48 hours.
Lundquist : Who’s this crooked council person? Where do they
live?
Lundquist : Do they have any occupation besides council member?
Sglancy12 : His name is David Bird Rattler. He is an local
landowner and makes hundreds of thousands of
Sglancy12 : dollars off oil and gas leases in the eastern Rez.
Sglancy12 : He lives outside Cut Bank.
Lundquist : Any criminal record, etc for Mr Bird Rattler?
Sglancy12 : Nope. Squeaky clean.
Lundquist : Well, we’ll keep him in mind as someone to approach
later. Anything else to be gleaned from the
Lundquist : overhead photos?
Lundquist : I’ll scrutinize the photo taken during the
construction of the plant.
Lundquist : Can I discern how extensive the underground structure
is?
Sglancy12 : Looks like at the time the photo was taken, they’re
excated about 30 feet down
Sglancy12 : But who knows if that’s where they stopped.
Dee : Hmmm.
Black : China?
Dee : N’kai?
Lundquist : Leng?
Sglancy12 : Red Litten Yoth, or Blue K’n-Yan?
Dee : Ah, the possibilities!
Lundquist : 30 feet… About two or three stories. How much area
do the excavations cover?
Lundquist : Are there four separte underground structures, or
just one big one?
Sglancy12 : It looks like just two of the round bunkers, but
there’s only one photo, taken on one day.
Sglancy12 : The other sections may not have been started.
Dee : In the enlargements, can we make out any signs that
read ‘CAUTION: SHOGGOTH PIT’?
Sglancy12 : No, nor Yellow Signs used as Bio-hazard signs either,
Lundquist : I assume each bunker has its own structure, guys.
Which means, if we infiltrate, we have to know
Lundquist : which bunker _to_ infiltrate.
Dee : True. They’ll probably be connected, though, by
tunnels.
Dee : Ah. Just checking.
Sglancy12 : So now what?
Dee : Let’s review the information we are waiting on.
Sglancy12 : Okay, In 8 hours Drake comes up with some Russian sat
photos.
Sglancy12 : “Their cheaper than the french.”
Lundquist : Heh heh. Fast work, though…
Sglancy12 : The photos were taken as part of a industrial
espionage job that SVR did last year for a UK
Sglancy12 : Pharmacuetical Co. Just to pay the bills.
Sglancy12 : No state security involved.
Sglancy12 : They were more than happy to sell the photos twice.
Sglancy12 : Anyways, the Photos are IR and recgular optical
shots.
Dee : “Good work, Agent Drake. How old are these photos?”
Lundquist : Last year.
Sglancy12 : “They’re from last year.
Sglancy12 : IR shows production in all four bunkers, although the
signature are muted.
Dee : Do they match the others?
Sglancy12 : Yes they match the layout as it appeared in the other
shots.
Sglancy12 : The Bunkers are probably two stories deep each.
Dee : Any additional structures or infrastructure (roads,
wires, etc)?
Sglancy12 : There is a helipad.
Sglancy12 : There are also microwave relays on the roof and
perhaps some commerical sat dishes.
Dee : Do the IR photos indicate personnel above ground?
Sglancy12 : Yes.
Dee : How many?
Sglancy12 : Estimated 100 heat signatures above ground on any
given shift.
Lundquist : What about the grounds, inside the fence? Any cover
there, or it it just open lawns?
Dee : Gah, this connection is still crummy. I’ll get back
on if it boots me again.
Dee : One hundred signatures matching those of personnel??
Lundquist : Busy place.
Sglancy12 : Open lawns. And the kennel shows 24 guard dogs.
Dee : Esp. if it is only supposed to have 40 non-tribal
and… how many tribal employees again?
Black : are the dogs shepards (ie matching the head sent)
Dee : Heh, good observation, Black. I bet they match.
Sglancy12 : Hmm? They may be. Can’t tell from IR, but on the
other shots they sure look like it.
Dee : Can we distinguish the heat signatures’ origins:
tell a person or dog from a heat vent?
Lundquist : I’d like to attempt a count of dogs (and people) on
the optical photos and then on the IR photos. I’m
Lundquist : trying to see if there’s any that show up on one but
not the other.
Dee : Yikes… and if they do match, let’s remember please
not to tangle with those dogs.
Lundquist : How quick can Drake get us a flamethrower or two?
Lundquist :
Black : napalm strike
Dee :
Sglancy12 : A flame thrower? In Montana? About ten minutes.
Handguns have a 2 week waiting period.
Sglancy12 : The IR signatures are quite distinguishable. The
Russian Sat used a lense stolen from the US
Dee : So, estimated 100 signatures that would indicate a
human or a dog.
Dee : Which does not include anyone underground.
Dee : So, it does appear that they have more than the
official listed number of personnel.
Sglancy12 : Dee, after pouring over the photos two things
become apparent.
Sglancy12 : There are more personel than there are supposed to
be, but less than the faciltiy is able to
Sglancy12 : handle.
Dee : Mmm.
Lundquist : Maybe they have 3 shifts going.
Lundquist : 2/3 of the people are in the dorms.
Lundquist : (at any given time).
Dee : Yeah, could be.
Sglancy12 : IR indicates 3 full shift.
Sglancy12 : But there are enough dorm for 120 people
Dee : Are the personnel concentrated in any particular
areas?
Lundquist : I think we need to go in and recon this place. Find
a hill, stake it out. Observe the activity.
Dee : Definitely.
Lundquist : Look for people coming & going, security patrols,
shift changes, vehicles, etc etc.
Sglancy12 : Yes. the south west bunker has more activity.
Sglancy12 : remember this intel is a year old.
Dee : Getting in will be tough. No way to go in posing as
employees.
Dee : We’ll need to either go in completely on the sneak,
which will be HARD…
Dee : Or else go in with their permission.
Lundquist : We don’t have to go in. We find an adjacent hill
with a view of the facility and hunker down to watch
Lundquist : for a while.
Sglancy12 : For starters.
Lundquist : Exactly.
Black : I have a feeling you would see more sneaking in
Dee : RIght–but that won’t tell us everything. And it
won’t tell us anything about
Dee : the underground.
Lundquist : Yeah, but like Scott said, for starters. It’ll give
us some more intell to plan our infiltration with.
Black : maybe we can get geological equipment that might help
Sglancy12 : Anyone interested in tracking down Thomas Iron Shirt
or Charles Low Horn?
Lundquist : Yes, definitely.
Sglancy12 : Give you something to do while staking it out.
Black : you said we have a geological report. What kind of
ground are we looking at.
Sglancy12 : The ground is very stoney. We are in the foothills of
the Rockies.
Dee : Tracking down Iron Shirt and Low Horn–what resources
do we have to do that before we get
Dee : to the Rez?
Dee : We’ll be going to Cut Buck first, and I want to find
out if any of the plant workers ever
Dee : come out to the casino for entertainment.
Sglancy12 : Not many, state records such as birth certificate,
criminal records, maybe court records,
Sglancy12 : bail slips, DL records.
Dee : Right–we already got that info on them, I believe.
Lundquist : Recent photos of the two of thewm?
Sglancy12 : Okay, first stop Cut Bank.
Dee : DL photos?
Dee : Arrest photos, too, maybe.
Sglancy12 : DL photos no problem. Booking photo are all with the
tribal police in Browning.
Lundquist : I’ll make myself very familiar with the DL photos.
Dee : Good idea. Same here.
Black : How quickly was the plant errected?
Sglancy12 : The Plant was errected in about 11 months.
Black : So the bunkers can’t be that deep. Solid rock is
hard to dig up.
Dee : It looked like the bunkers were 30 feet deep, right?
Sglancy12 : Thomas Iron Shirt looks too damn pretty. Movie star
material.
Sglancy12 : Charles Low Horn looks like a thug. Big, mean and
ugly. Lots of facial scars
Black : any photos showing possible construct after the plant
was finished
Sglancy12 : No photographic evidence of further construction.
Lundquist : Okay. I’ll be keeping an eye out for either of them.
Dee : Oh, I just remembered: on a totally different topic:
Sglancy12 : Both Thomas and Charles are Blackfeet and wear their
black hair long.
Lundquist : I’ll assume either of them may have cut their hair.
Dee : Looking at the note that came with the Package, and
the request for a back issue of
Dee : Ecotopian: does the handwriting seem to match?
Sglancy12 : Note with package was from bubble jet printer.
Sglancy12 : But the carbon of the cashiers check is signed.
Sglancy12 : And, the package was addressed by hand.
Dee : Does the writing on the package address resemble that
of the mag. request, then?
Dee : Not as much to go on, but are there glaring
differences or similarities?
Sglancy12 : It could. But you’d be better off having an FBI
handwriting expert look at it.
Dee : True. Lundquist, want to fax them off for analysis?
Lundquist : Will do.
Black : Yeah, I forgot about that I was looking at the same
possiblity
Dee : Yeah. I suspect they’re the same, but we’ll want to
be sure.
Black : If you have his driver license, it should have his
signature on it
Black : or at least on file at the DMV.
Dee : Another thing: Can we get employee lists of the
Browning post office?
Sglancy12 : The signature on the DL looks nothing like the
writing on the package or check carbon.
Sglancy12 : Yes you can get a PO list of employees. Remember
Insp. Baldwin can assist.
Dee : Perfect. I’ll want that list ASAP.
Sglancy12 : You got it.
Dee : And if he can get work schedules for the past eight
weeks, that’d be cool too. 😉
Black : No one remembers who sent the package? No camera
footage at the post office?
Black : or what they look like
Sglancy12 : Okay. However, the package was not mailed from
Browning.
Dee : Hmm? I thought both were.
Sglancy12 : It was mailed from Great Falls.
Dee : Where we are landing, eh? Useful.
Sglancy12 : It had a return address for a PO box in Browning,
but it was mailed from GF.
Black : Again, did anyone remember who mailed it. Is there
any security camera footage at the post
Black : office
Dee : All right. Did a postal employee in GF have to sign
for the package to be sent?
Sglancy12 : There sure is security video. They keep it for a
month and reuse it.
Dee : Yeah, when we get there we need to check it out.
They should still have footage of the
Dee : package being sent.
Sglancy12 : Yes an employee did have to check it in for next day
express.
Dee : Lundquist, as US Atty. could maybe request to see the
footage as part of an investigation.
Sglancy12 : He sure could.
Lundquist : Or Baldwin could get it for us.
Dee : Is that employee’s name legible from the signature on
the package?
Dee : Or Baldwin, yeah.
Lundquist : If I can do it myself, I’ll do so. ASAP.
Sglancy12 : Yes it is: Vikki Stewart.
Dee : Okay, I think we have plenty to go on. Shall we fly?
Black : sure
Dee : Any other preperatory investigation or deduction to be done?
Dee : If not, on to the airport. When we get to GF, we can hit the PO
while waiting for the vans.
Lundquist: Good enough. Let’s go.
Sglancy12 : Okay. Welcome to Great Falls Montana.
Sglancy12 : Where to first.
Dee : Okay. Do we want to go into the PO openly, or try to finagle it
somehow?
Dee : First off, are either of the vehicles here yet?
Lundquist : Get the Ford Explorer, and to the PO to pick up the tape. Let’s go
openly, but quietly.
Sglancy12 : Both vehicles are ready.
Sglancy12 : And the RV has a car trailer hitch.
Lundquist : Cool!
Dee : “Very good. Lindquist, if you’re going in with your
regular credentials,
Dee : “I’ll stay with the RV.”
Dee : “I don’t want to be observed as a federal
investigator if we can avoid it.”
Sglancy12 : The Post office is a small affair. A quick question
puts you in touch with Vikki Stewart.
Sglancy12 : 4’11”, maybe 80 pounds. The woman looks like an elf.
Sglancy12 : “Cannah help yew?
Dee : (Get a copy of the tape, if you can, guys)
Dee : (And try to get her to keep quiet, too!) 🙂
Lundquist : Scott, did we work this at all in advance (through
Baldwin)? I didn’t want to go in here cold.
Sglancy12 : Cold as far as I can tell. Nobody asked Baldwin to
set this up.
Lundquist : Okay, then, I’ll fall back on my powers of
persuasion. I’ll explain I need to ask her about
Lundquist : a person who mailed a package from here some days
ago, and that I need to review the survielance video
Lundquist : for that time. I’ll identify myself as a Federal
attorney and explain I’m working on an investigation
Lundquist : with Inspector Baldwin.
Sglancy12 : “I’ll be happy to get the postmaster for you.”
Lundquist : “That’d be great.”
Lundquist : Scott, what day was the package mailed? How long ago
was it?
Lundquist : I’ll act bored, like I’m just running an errand.
Sglancy12 : The postmaster is a guy name Herny Suarez and he’s
more than happy to coperate.
Sglancy12 : The package was mailed 08/22. Today is 08/26.
Lundquist : I’ll question Ms Stewart about the customer on the
22nd. Does she remember him? “He mailed a package
Lundquist : about this big to California.”
Lundquist : I’m keeping my voice quiet, too. Is anyone paying
attention to me?
Lundquist : (Besides the postal employess, I mean…)
Sglancy12 : Nobody appears to be ease-dropping.
Sglancy12 : She thinks she remembers him. She thought it was
weird a guy that white would have an indian name.
Lundquist : “Can you describe him to me?”
Lundquist : “How old was he?”
Lundquist : “How was he dressed? Did you see his car?”
Sglancy12 : “He was white, mid-twenties. Glasses. Blonde hair.
Tall.”
Sglancy12 : “Didn’t see his car.”
Sglancy12 : “He was dressed a bit warm for August.”
Lundquist : “How so?”
Sglancy12 : “I say that cuz he sweated alot.”
Lundquist : “What were his clothes like? Expensive?
Sglancy12 : Yes, very nice jacket. Gortex I think?
Sglancy12 : I think I could remember better if I looked at the
video tape.
Lundquist : “Mr Suarez, could you get us that tape please?”
Lundquist : “Maybe we could go into the back room?”
Sglancy12 : “Of course.” After 30 minutes of fast forwarding she
finds the guy.”
Lundquist : Can I get a good look at his face?
Sglancy12 : He’s got the package. He looks at the camera once and
then seems to try to avoid it.
Lundquist : A little paranoid, eh?
Sglancy12 : With some computer aided enhancement you might pull a
usable image.
Sglancy12 : He sure doesn’t look like no Blackfoot indian.
Lundquist : “Mr Suarez, I’ll need to take this tape.”
Sglancy12 : “Uh, okay, but I’ll need to clear it with the Postal
Inspectors.”
Lundquist : “Call Inspector Baldwin in Berkley.”
Sglancy12 : “Will do.”
Lundquist : “He’s coordinating this investigation.”
Sglancy12 : “Anything else we can help you with?
Lundquist : “Has anyone else been in here asking about this?”
Sglancy12 : “No. Nobody.”
Lundquist : “Okay. Thanks very much. You’ve been a lot of help.
We’ll be in touch if we have any further
Lundquist : questions.”
Sglancy12 : “What should we do if we see the guy again?”
Lundquist : “Nothing. He hasn’t done anything wrong. But don’t
mention this to him, if you don’t mind.”
Sglancy12 : “Do you want us to call you?”
Lundquist : “No, I don’t think that will be necessary. As I
said, he hasn’t done anything.”
Sglancy12 : “Good day, then.”
Lundquist : I head back outside.
Sglancy12 : Now where to?
Lundquist : Have we gotten the RV yet?
Sglancy12 : Yes you have the RV.
Lundquist : Do we want to head towards Browning?
Dee : There were two items that would take 48 hrs: the NSA
spook and what else?
Sglancy12 : The russian sat photos, but Drake is a miracle
worker.
Dee : Ah, okay.
Black : I’m game
Sglancy12 : By the way. Where is the NSA guy, Steve Wendel flying
in to?
Sglancy12 : And who’s picking him up?
Dee : I can take the Explorer to pick him up at Great
Falls.
Sglancy12 : Okay.
Lundquist : Do we have enough information on our ABC employee
records to pinpoint white guys in their 20’s?
Dee : “First, I want to visit Cut Bank. We should know if
any ABC workers come there.”
Lundquist : Yeah, good idea.
Black : get some food to stock the fridge
Sglancy12 : 1st Stop, Cut Bank. Anything else before you arrive?
Lundquist : Looking over the ABC employee records on the trip
out. Looking for white guys in their 20’s,
Lundquist : if possible.
Sglancy12 : Plenty. For the whole company or just the Blackfoot
facility.
Lundquist : Blackfoot.
Dee : As we drive: “One thing to remember: Wendel is
black-op, not Delta Green.”
Dee : “We’ll need to be careful what we discuss in his
presence, if this job turns up anything.”
Lundquist : “Right.”
Sglancy12 : Okay there are six white males. You got names & ages,
that means DLs, & DL mena photos.
Lundquist : Excellent! Looking for blondes with glasses…
Lundquist : (restrictions on their DL’s)
Sglancy12 : None of the photos match.
Dee : Crap.
Lundquist : Errg… Okay, that would have been too easy.
Dee : Dee will be inspecting the RV with a fine-toothed
comb before we drive too far.
Dee : Looking for bugs, mainly.
Sglancy12 : No surveilence devices found in RV.
Dee : Good. 🙂
Black : I fill the rv’s fridge before we go
Sglancy12 : Lotsa beer with the gear.
Dee : Doesn’t mean he’s not in ABC, though. They have
plenty of undeclared personnel.
Lundquist : I’d like to hit a hardware store. For items on my
“wish list”.
Sglancy12 : As you approach cut bank you see more and more oil
and gas pumping equipment.
Sglancy12 : Such as?
Lundquist : Crowbar, bolt cutters, gas can, road flares.
Sglancy12 : Those items are no problem.
Lundquist : I pay cash.
Sglancy12 : Planning for that interrogation?
Lundquist : At least!
Dee :
Black : don’t forget the duct tape
Lundquist : Yeah, some of that too.
Dee : Darn right. Never forget that.
Dee : Oh, another geography question: is the ABC facility
north of Browning?
Sglancy12 : Yes, It is north of Browning.
Dee : Into Cut Bank, then?
Lundquist : Yes. To the casino? The RV should blend right in.
Dee : Oil and gas plants and pipes along the way…
Sglancy12 : Cut bank is a big redneck town, full of Oil and Gas
workers. The majority pop is Indian.
Sglancy12 : They own the town and the casino.
Dee : “What’s our cover going to be when people see us
together?”
Sglancy12 : The casino isn’t exactly Caesar’s Palace. But it’s
packed.
Dee : “Friends on a hunting and sightseeing vacation?”
Lundquist : “Works for me.”
Lundquist : “I want to bag a trophy buck. When’s deer season,
anyways? Maybe fishing is a better cover.”
Sglancy12 : It’s summer, so fishing ain’t that great. Try back in
the fall.
Dee : (Hmm, good question. I don’t know.)
Dee : Heh, what IS in season?
Lundquist : Well, we’re all workaholic yuppies who took our
vacation time when we could get it, then.
Black : works for me
Dee : “Okay. Meantime, we should all be mulling over ways
to get invited into the ABC plant.”
Black : try fly fishing
Lundquist : “I’d like to buy the company. Can I get a tour?
Lundquist : (Maybe not)
Dee : Heh.
Lundquist : I don’t think there’s any reason they would invite
us.
Dee : “There might not be. But, we can maybe tame that
council member if we want extra leverage.”
Dee : “Get him to vouch for us if we can develop a
believable cover for ABC.”
Dee : Okay, first stop is the casino. From maps, how many
towns are nearby that might provide
Dee : patrons?
Sglancy12 : In a 30 mile radius they’re only 9 towns. Sheby is
the biggest. About 3000 people.
Lundquist : “Even if they do let us in, they’ll be paranoically
careful about what they let us see.”
Dee : “That they will. But even there, we can do more on
the inside than the outside.”
Sglancy12 : maybe you can get some of those UN weapons inspector
shoes?
Sglancy12 : They were built by the CIA and designed to take
samples off the floor.
Dee : Hey, good idea… “Uh, Drake, I have another
request…” 😉
Lundquist : Heh heh.
Sglancy12 : He can have them in Great Falls in 18 hours.
Dee : Hmm? Oh, well cool. I didn’t know you meant that
literally.
Sglancy12 : (I saw them on CNN)
Dee : Floor samples might tell something.
Dee : First though, we need to be looking for our
whistleblower.
Sglancy12 : Depending on where you step
Lundquist : Avoid the kennels!
Dee : Let’s park the RV and Explorer, dress appropriately
to the other patrons, and head inside.
Lundquist : (Actually, that might tell us something after all…
And you wouldn’t need special shoes for it!)
Dee : Blah. I have a bad feeling about those pups.
Sglancy12 : Okay . . .
Sglancy12 : Dee, at least they show up on IR.
Dee : Heh, that’s a plus.
Lundquist : Was the severed head cold to the touch? No body
heat?
Sglancy12 : Cold as dead meat.
Lundquist : Good. Thought so,
Sglancy12 : How do you plan to ask around.
Dee : Very casually, to start.
Dee : Businessmen or salesmen on a trip, but still curious.
Lundquist : I plan more just to eavesdrop. Keep an eye out for
palefaces, especially those who look more
Lundquist : white-collar. Listen for any mention of ABC
Dee : “What kind of business are around here? Who does
their advertising?”
Sglancy12 : Okay, after two hours of mingling you’re $110 dollars
lighter and no sign of ABC folks.
Dee : Does anyone queried about local businesses mention
ABC?
Sglancy12 : However, they mostly mention the oil and gas
companies.
Dee : Hmmm. I wonder if they have lines running to the
facility.
Lundquist : “Kaboom!”
Sglancy12 : Cute.
Lundquist : OK, anything else to do at the casino?
Dee : “I have a mind to play some blackjack.”
Lundquist : “Do we have time for recreation here?”
Sglancy12 : There are plenty of games.
Sglancy12 : There’s a bar and a TV with some satillite
Austrailian Rugby game on.
Dee : “We have a little time.” Dee spares a brief,
meaningful glance and nod.
Black : play a few games of blackjack looking for anything
that looks out of the ordinary
Lundquist : Scott, can I get the PO tape to Drake somehow? And
can he both work on enhaning the image, and run a
Lundquist : check for the guy through FBI records based on the
picture?
Sglancy12 : Well, no. You’d need to download the image off the
video onto data or hardcopy and they fax
Sglancy12 : or email it. The fax or email isn’t a problem, its
down loading the image.
Lundquist : Yeah… I guess that gear doesn’t come standard in
RV’s yet…
Lundquist : Is there a video production company somewhere in
town?
Dee : “I’m going to to play a hand or two of blackjack.
Looks like a couple of… interesting
Dee : fellows at the table.”
Lundquist : Oh? I look at the blackjack table in question.
Dee : “Try not to be obvious. I’ll check them out from
their table.”
Lundquist : I’ll be subtle. Glance at them as I make my way
around the room.
Sglancy12 : Just two guys being loud and drunk and playing
blackjack.
Lundquist : Are they saying anything?
Sglancy12 : The most obvious thing is one is black.
Sglancy12 : The only African American in the room.
Dee : I’ll head over to the tables, then toward the
blackjack table with the two drunks.
Dee : I’m getting into an “Ordinary salesman guy” demeanor
as best I can as I approach.
Sglancy12 : They’re just whooping it up. “Hit me again.” “Okay!
Double down! Double Down!”
Dee : Big smile, looking for some action. “Hey, looks like
a good game here. Mind if I sit in?”
Sglancy12 : One of them, the White guy has a Marine tatoo on his
arm.
Sglancy12 : “Sure thing! Siddown!” He says.
Dee : “All right!” Sitting down. “Hey, how about some
Scotch over here?”
Sglancy12 : A non-plussed looking waitress in a silly-looking
indian outfit brings you a scotch.
Dee : “Name’s Jones, Amos Jones. I’m in refrigerators, if
you need any!” Big smile all around.
Dee : Take a big swig of the Scotch. Slight grimace, more
for effect than genuine.
Dee : “Hoo-eee, that’s the stuff!”
Sglancy12 : “Nah, I think I’ve had it up to here with all the
cold shit I can handle.”
Sglancy12 : “Next stop for me is Jamaica!”
Sglancy12 : He high fives his partner.
Dee : “Hah, izzat right? You selling something up here
too?”
Sglancy12 : “No,” says the white guy, “we’re just up here for the
. . . ”
Sglancy12 : “Seasonal work” finishes the black guy.
Sglancy12 : They both think that’s pretty funny.
Dee : “Oh, hey, I heard you. Head out of here before the
snow! Hey, where are those cards?”
Sglancy12 : “Don’t be looking at my cards, dammit!”
Dee : Take another drink. “Who, me? Not a chance! An
honest game’s a good time, is what I say.”
Dee : Another friendly grin.
Sglancy12 : He turns to you, looking a bit pissed “Don’t look at
my cards again, buddy.”
Dee : Hold my hands up. “No problem, mister. I don’t want
no trouble.”
Sglancy12 : He’s so pissed he has the dealer hit him again on a
19 and gets busted.
Sglancy12 : “Now look what you did!”
Sglancy12 : The black guy backs him up “Go find another table.”
Dee : Look kind of surprised. “What? Hey, all right.
Just wanted to talk and have some fun.”
Sglancy12 : “Well you’re messing with my game. Get th’fuck away
before we tap-dance on your head.”
Dee : Nod quickly, not wanting any trouble. “Okay, okay,
you got it.” I get up with my drink and
Dee : step away.
Sglancy12 : They let you leave and go back to playing. But
they’re start to lose so they quit and leave.
Lundquist : Shall we follow them?
Dee : Absolutely.
Sglancy12 : In an RV?
Black : You could take the explorer
Lundquist : No, the Ford. What are they driving?
Dee : We have the Explorer. “Either of you a really good
driver in a pinch?”
Sglancy12 : Well, at least its not a dark, late model sedan.
Black : No, don’t look at me
Black : I’ll stay with the RV
Lundquist : I’m a good enough driver, but not a great one.
Dee : Nuts. Where’s the Standard FBI agent in the party??
😉
Black : I have drive at base
Lundquist : Sorry. Federal attorneys don’t get the pursuit
driving school like cops do.
Dee : “Good enough. You drive, Lindquist. I’ll go with
you.”
Lundquist : Okay, give me the keys.
Dee : I’ll try to get outside soon enough to see what they
are in.
Dee : Give Lindquist the keys.
Sglancy12 : They get in a white Jeep Cherokee.
Lundquist : We take off, following them at a discreet distance.
Sglancy12 : They get on US 2 and head straight for Browning.
Lundquist : I drive casual.
Lundquist :
Dee : Can I get their tag number?
Sglancy12 : Yep tags are Montana plates.
Dee : Ah, crap! Prolly too late, but I call Black on the
cellphone fast.
Sglancy12 : Okay.
Black : I’ll answer the phone
Dee : “Black, you remember which table these two were at?
See if their glasses are still there.”
Dee : “If they didn’t get taken off yet, grab them quick.”
Black : I think so. I go in to the casino to check if their
glasses are still there
Sglancy12 : They table’s been cleared.
Black : No, they’re gone
Sglancy12 : They’re running a high class joint, dontchaknow.
Dee : Thought so. “Lindquist, who should I call to get a
report on that tag number?”
Lundquist : Who, Scott? Drake? FBI?
Sglancy12 : At this time of night? US Marshals officein Great
Falls or the State Police.
Lundquist : Call the State Police.
Lundquist : How long does it take to run the tag?
Sglancy12 : they get back to you in 5 minutes.
Black : I hang up the phone. Is the Indian Museum here in
town? If it is I lock up the RV and check
Black : it out
Sglancy12 : The Indian Museum is in Browning, not Cut Bank.
Black : ok
Sglancy12 : Its a corporate tag. Amalgamated Bio-Carb Inc.
Dee : Is there other traffic on this road? Are we blatant?
Sglancy12 : There’s not much traffic on US at 10pm on a Tuesday.
Dee : “Let’s head back to the casino. All we can do right
now is get caught.”
Lundquist : Well, we know where they’re going, right? We turn
around at the next interchange.
Dee : “Maybe the dealer back at the casino will know them
by sight or name.”
Sglancy12 : No interchange, but you can drive off road to turn
around. US 2 is a 2 lane road.
Lundquist : OK. We won’t do a bootlegger U-turn or anything.
Just take the next turn and loop around back to US2.
Dee : “Both of them seemed like cops, to me. At least one
was armed.”
Sglancy12 : Who’s going to approach the dealer?
Dee : “Almost definitely security for ABC.”
Lundquist : Yeah, sounds like a reasonable assumption. Ex
military, too. Which means if we’d gotten their
prints
Lundquist : there’d be a record of them… What about the deck
of cards they had?
Dee : “Yeah. Damn, should have thought of that sooner.”
Dee : “Could be. But if the cards stay with the table,
they’ll have plenty of prints. Too many.”
Black : Did the plates have special markings on it? Like any
special abrevations or symbols?
Sglancy12 : No special abbreviations.
Lundquist : Not necessarily. Run all the prints, see how many
ex-marines come up. And don’t they change to a new
Lundquist : deck every couple of games anyway?
Dee : “Right, right. That’s worth checking when we get
back there.”
Sglancy12 : Yes, but how are you going to get the deck.
Dee : Good question. First, go back into the casino. Are
the same dealer and waitress there?
Lundquist : Fast talk it away from the dealer. Use my powers of
persuasion again.
Sglancy12 : Yes the same dealer is there. The waitress is working
another table.]
Dee : I’ll just watch the dealers for a few minutes. Do I
see them changing the cards out?
Black : Play a game at the table. Someone new should do it.
Complain that the cards are marked
Black : and ask to see the manager.
Dee : Yeah, good idea. Black or Lundquist should go to that
table if the same cards are there.
Sglancy12 : After another 30 minutes they change the deck.
Dee : Where does the old deck go when the dealer changes?
Lundquist : I’ll approach the table. I won’t make a scene, I’ll
just ask the dealer how often they change decks.
Dee : “Hold on before we bring management in. That might
be too much attention.”
Sglancy12 : She just puts it back in the box and puts it aside.
Dee : Aside–like, in a pile with other used decks?
Sglancy12 : “Uh, every hour or so. WHy?”
Sglancy12 : Yes in box under the table with other decks.
Lundquist : “Just wondering. Can I take this deck for a minute?”
(the one for the hour the 2 guys were there)
Sglancy12 : “Um, I dunno. WHy?”
Lundquist : “Well, I wanted a souvenier of my trip here.” I’ll
give her 20 bucks.
Sglancy12 : You just bought yourself a deck.
Lundquist : Out to the RV with it then…
Dee : I’ll find the waitress while Lindquist is talking to
the dealer.
Sglancy12 : Thar she is.
Dee : The waitress who served me the Scotch before. I’ll
sit down somewhere in her route.
Sglancy12 : Okay. Now what.
Dee : “Hey, how about another one? Say, you know those two
who were getting noisy?”
Dee : I’ll gesture to the blackjack table to refresh her
memory.
Sglancy12 : “They always do.”
Dee : “Yeah? Who were those guys, anyway? Real attitude
problem.”
Sglancy12 : “I don’t know. They’ve been coming in every few days
for the last couple of months.”
Sglancy12 : “I’m just glad when they leave.”
Dee : Following Lindquist’s move, I’ll give her a $20 bill
for a tip when paying for the drink.
Sglancy12 : “I hate cops worse than anthing, and those guys are
the worst.”
Sglancy12 : “Hey! Don’t you want your change?
Dee : “Cops? They’re cops? Well, I’ll be damned.”
Dee : “What are they, local cops off duty or something?
Nah, you can keep the change.”
Sglancy12 : “They tell cop stories. Talk like cops. And the
locals cops treat ’em like royalty.”
Dee : “What do you know! Well, if that’s right, don’t tell
em I got so curious, eh?”
Sglancy12 : “No they ain’t from around here. I think the black
one’s from New Orleans and the white guys
Sglancy12 : from LA or something.”
Dee : “Pretty strange. Like what, FBI?”
Sglancy12 : “I don’t tell those two jerks shit.”
Sglancy12 : Nah. You can tell those FBI guys. Look like a
Mormons, all clean and pressed.
Sglancy12 : Those two were beat cops once.
Dee : “Well, whatever you say. Still seems strange. Well,
thanks for talking.”
Sglancy12 : “Thanks for the tip.”
Dee : Give her a grin and wink. “Maybe next time I get in
here we can talk again.”
Sglancy12 : “Hey now, this ain’t Nevada. I just serve drinks.”
Dee : Laugh, friendly. “You got that right. Well, take it
easy.”
Sglancy12 : Okay, now what?
Dee : I move toward the exit, still casual, but I try to
spot house security while I’m there.
Sglancy12 : They’re not subtle. They maintain high visibility to
discourage trouble.
Dee : What ethnicity?
Dee : And do they look very professional, alert and
courteous, etc.?
Sglancy12 : Indian. Big. Quiet. Wearing a jacket to identify
their positions.
Dee : All right, back out to the van.
Dee : Report to the other two.
Lundquist : How about we find someplace to Fed Ex the video & the
cards to Drake?
Dee : Yeah, good idea.
Sglancy12 : You could fed ex from Shelby, twenty miles away.
Dee : We can do that first thing in the morning. Is there
anything we can do tonight?
Lundquist : Do that, then find a campground for the night maybe?
Lundquist : I want to get the stuff to Drake ASAP.
Dee : It’s probably too late for FedEx or the post office
to accept a parcel, though.
Sglancy12 : Shelby is a small place. Fed Ex won’t open til
morning 8am.
Dee : Unless we can go back to the airport, get Drake to
try to arrange the stuff to go on a plane
Lundquist : OK. Anything else we want to do tonight?
Dee : I’ll look over the satellite photos again, looking at
the terrain surrounding ABC.
Sglancy12 : The terrain surrounding ABC is higher to the south
and east. Across the river to the north
Sglancy12 : are plains.
Dee : Is there much vegetation?
Sglancy12 : No, not much.
Lundquist : And I’ll check my USGS maps. I want to find a good
hill to stake out the facility from.
Dee : Right.
Lundquist : We should move into position before dawn, spend the
day there, observing the activity. Sneak out the
Lundquist : next night.
Dee : Esp, tracks not on a main road–to indicate possible
vehicular patrols?
Dee : Can we see vehicle tracks on these photos?
Sglancy12 : No vehicle tracks, but there are plenty of trees.
When you said vegatation I though you
Sglancy12 : meant “ground vegitation.”
Dee : Trees are good. Very good. That would make a view
from the south/east feasible.
Sglancy12 : There don’t appear to be vehicle patrols outside the
fence.
Dee : The trick is getting there without getting the car
spotted.
Lundquist : Drive some distance away and move in closer on foot.
Dee : Look at the other maps, examine roads and paths that
the Explorer could possibly use.
Sglancy12 : The trees are evergreens, like pines and spruces.
Sglancy12 : The Explorer will do very well on that terrain.
Lundquist : We could also rent som ATV’s or dirt bikes, which
would get us in there.
Dee : I esp. look for towns or houses, to find a route that
passes none.
Sglancy12 : No towns or houses.
Dee : Bikes would make a lot of noise, I think. And I’m
not very good on one, anyway.
Lundquist : Yeah, me neither. We’d still want to approach on
foot.
Sglancy12 : No towns within 20 miles.
Dee : “Good. So, let’s follow this route. Stop a half-mile
away, have Black and I hike in closer.”
Dee : Look at Black. “If you’re game, Colonel.”
Black : yeah I’m game
Lundquist : I could stay with the Explorer, be ready to come in
and pick you up in a hurry if necessary. We’d stay
Lundquist : in radio contact.
Lundquist : (transmitting only in emergency, of course).
Sglancy12 : Okay. Do you FedEx from Shelby the morning of the
27th?
Lundquist : Yes.
Lundquist : I could drop the two Army guys off before dawn, drive
in and send the package, then be back by
Lundquist : 9 or 10 to monitor them.
Sglancy12 : It’s 50 miles from Shelby to Browning. And off the
Rez there’s no daylight speed limit.
Lundquist : Well, I still wouldn’t want to attract too much
attention…
Lundquist : BTW, guys, I think the security guys are prolly a
dead end… They’re prolly just low-level goons, and
Lundquist : it sounded like they were leaving soon anyways.
Dee : “That sounds good. Though for that long a stay, we
might want to send me alone.”
Lundquist : No. You want two sets of eyes, taking turns, no
nobody gets burnt out.
Dee : “Maybe. But I’m used to this kind of work, staying
out of sight if things get hot.”
Black : i do have navigate, ride and other outdoor skills
Dee : “Yeah? Well, all right. We’ll both go in, then.”
Lundquist : I’ve got a GPS unit and a high-power spotting scope
you guys could use.
Dee : “Good. Whatever visual surveillance gear we have.”
Sglancy12 : Okay, what are you taking with you?
Lundquist : Remember I can have lots of stuff just a few minutes
away in the Explorer.
Dee : Black commando suit, pack, climbing line just in
case. Small pistol w/big silencer.
Black : my camping gear with the climbing gear, binoculars
and cameras and my side arm
Dee : Night-vision goggles. Lindquist’s GPS & scope.
Dee : What’s GPS stand for, btw?
Sglancy12 : I assume you’re dressed like hunters or hikers?
Black : global position sysytem
Sglancy12 : So you don’t get lost.
Dee : Oh, good. Yeah, hunters’ fatigues would work.
Dee : For that, I’ll bring the rifle bag as well (with the
rifle, of course).
Dee : I think that’s it. Let’s move.
Sglancy12 : Lundqist heads to Fed Ex, Dee and Black head to ABC.
Dee : Yep.
Dee : L is dropping us off tonight, then driving out again.
Dee : Lindquist, do you want to risk driving in during
daylight to pick us up?
Dee : Or would it be better to wait until night again
unless we call with an emergency.
Lundquist : I also give you guys a couple of self-heating meals,
and a couple of bottles of water. It’s a long day
Sglancy12 : Dee and Black: you don’t see too much on your way in.
The night is still chilly.
Lundquist : And I’m going to keep a hill between me and ABC’s
facility; I’ll drive to within a half-mile or so of
Lundquist : where the guys are going to be hunkered down.
Lundquist : That should be safe enough, unless they have aircraft
buzzing around…
Dee : Should be.
Sglancy12 : ABC’s facility is on a private road, of SR 464.
Dee : We can follow the tracks we scoped out from the
satellite pics.
Sglancy12 : You’d have to drive up the private road to get within
a half mile.
Sglancy12 : No aircraft or helicopters buzzing around. Just the
big open quiet of Montana.
Sglancy12 : The private road has a sign announcing it as such and
declaring “No Treapassing.”
Black : just drop us off in a safe distance. If we have to
hike in the we will then.
Black : I do have navigate so I could use the map and gps to
guide us where we need to go
Sglancy12 : The safe drop is about 8 miles from ABC. Care to get
closer?
Lundquist : Can you guys hike that?
Dee : I know I can.
Dee : We’ll just get there three hours later that we
planned.
Lundquist : Why don’t I drive you a little closer. You want to
be in position to observe before daylight.
Sglancy12 : Black can make it too. No trouble.
Black : let’s play it safe
Dee : Right. We don’t want to risk getting the Ford
spotted.
Black : I’m sure the road is monitored
Sglancy12 : Okay troops, you dismount and start walking.
Sglancy12 : Through the woods?
Dee : “Oh… Colonel Black, make sure you leave your I.D.
in the car.”
Black : ok
Sglancy12 : Okay, Lundquist is on his way back now.
Lundquist : I drive back to Shelby after dropping them off.
Sglancy12 : You two are on your own.
Dee : We hoof it through the woods. On the way I want to watch for
signs of wildlife.
Sglancy12 : The hike isn’t easy, but just before dawn you crest the high
ground to the south.
Sglancy12 : There it is. Laying like a military style command bunker.
Dee : I’m also discreetly watching Black, silently gauging how he
handles the exertion.
Sglancy12 : It’s 6:27am. The complex is coming awake.
Dee : We lie low among the trees, get out the scopes and cameras.
Sglancy12 : Black is handling the hike just fine.
Dee : “Colonel, you see anything strange about the plants or wildlife
here?”
Black : I don’t know
Sglancy12 : As you set up, you can see the dogs moving in the run. And you can
see a pair of guards
Black : Do I Scott
Sglancy12 : walking the fence.
Dee : How high is the fence? And are there corner towers or platforms?
Sglancy12 : Col., there do not seem to be any mutations or unusual species of
plant or animal present.
Sglancy12 : No guard towers. But there appear to be cameras mounted on high
poles around the fence.
Sglancy12 : The Fence looks about 14′ high.
Dee : Through the scope, can I tell if the cameras are moving?
Black : I like to try to take samples of the soil but, if I have to wait
until night then I will do
Black : it
Sglancy12 : The cameras are panning over the grounds.
Dee : Are they looking inside the compound, or outside, or both?
Sglancy12 : Both.
Dee : Does each camera rotate 360 degrees?
Sglancy12 : They appear to.
Dee : And are they synchronized, or staggered, in rotation?
Dee : Like, does one camera face outward while the one next to it faces
in?
Sglancy12 : They apear to be sychronized.
Dee : Or do they seem to enter a particular bunker more
than the others?
Sglancy12 : There appears to be a kennel/security building
outside the main building.
Lundquist : Sorry, guys, AOL dropped me…
Dee : Yeah, that’s what happened to me earlier.
Sglancy12 : But when they change their shift they go into the
central building.
Dee : Can we see inside the kennel/security building
through a doorway when a guard enters it?
Dee : Can we see enough through the scopes to see if there
are others inside?
Dee : Like at video consoles, for instance? 😉
Sglancy12 : You can see inside, just a little. There doesn’t seem
to be any banks of video monitors.
Dee : Hmmm. But there may be, underground or in the main
building.
Dee : If they are nuts enough about security to want a live
guard AND a remote guard on watch.
Dee : Along with the dogs.
Dee : Otherwise, the cameras may just record for archives,
to be used only if the live guards or
Dee : dogs detect trouble.
Dee : All right. Keep watching, all the live-long day.
Move as little as possible.
Dee : Watch for patterns in foot and vehicular
traffic–when there is more, when less.
Sglancy12 : Step two? How long to you observe? Lundquist should
be back to pick you up around 8:00 am
Sglancy12 : Lundquist, where are you supposed to pick them up
exactly?
Dee : 8 am? Yuck, broad daylight.
Lundquist : I’m not picking them up… I’m just going to be
nearby. They’re going to stay there till after dark,
Lundquist : then sneak back to the car.
Lundquist : A whole day, in other words.
Dee : Right–we stay put and watch, while he goes and does
FedEx.
Dee : Then he comes back at night and waits nearby. I
think.
Lundquist : And while in Shelby, I want to stop by a bookstore.
Sglancy12 : Okay. What for?
Lundquist : A couple of birdwatching books. (Flimsy cover
story).
Dee : During our daylight watch, do we spot the blonde guy
from the post office?
Sglancy12 : Hey Mr. Dee and Col Black!
Dee : Umm, hey!
Lundquist : Uh oh…
Dee : Heh.
Dee : When a Keeper gets that excited, I get out the dice
and a blank character sheet…
Sglancy12 : Around 8:23 am some guy comes running out of the
dorms toward the main building
Sglancy12 : Blond, tall, glasses . . .?
Sglancy12 : He looks a bit like the guy on the P.O. video.
Dee : Hmmm. Watch him carefully. Which building does he
come from, and which entrance does he
Dee : go to, who does he talk to. Snap pictures if our
camera will get the range.
Sglancy12 : Camera has the range, picture won’t be great. He’s
wearing plain old civilian clothes.
Dee : And is there any apparent reason for him to be
running instead of walking?
Sglancy12 : He enters the main building and disappears inside.
Dee : How long is this after the shift change?
Sglancy12 : About an hour and a half.
Dee : Okay. Keep watching, esp. for him and for other cars
leaving.
Black : does it look like he is late for work or is he
running from something
Black : How do the guards react to him
Sglancy12 : He doesn’t exit the building for a car. he may be
late to work.
Sglancy12 : The rest of the day passes. You see another shift
change at 3pm.
Black : The guards don’t react towards him?
Sglancy12 : No they don’t. The blonde guy leaves at 3pm on the
dot.
Sglancy12 : This time you get better shots of him since he’s
moving towards you.
Sglancy12 : He really looks like the guy at the Great Falls Post
Office.
Sglancy12 : You can see which apartment he enters.
Sglancy12 : Its on the 2nd floor of the dorms. Access to the
Dorms is by outside doors, along a balcony.
Sglancy12 : The apartement actually faces your position.
Sglancy12 : Sort of. The front windows are about 70 degrees off
accress from you.
Sglancy12 : You could change position to see inside,
Sglancy12 : Other than that, nothing about the shift change strikes you.
Sglancy12 : What next?
Dee : Same old same old. Watch and wait, til night.
Dee : Oh, are the dorms up close to the fenceline?
Lundquist : While killing time today, can I take a stab at ID’ing the blonde
guy from ABC’s employee lists?
Lundquist : (The whole thing, not just this facility).
Sglancy12 : Okay. The only other traffic between the main building and the
dorms is around 6pm.
Sglancy12 : A heavy-set black woman in a lab coat leaves the main facilty &
goes to a ground floor room
Sglancy12 : facing away from your position.
Sglancy12 : Funny thing is you didn’t see her at the 3pm or 7am shift changes
Dee : Hmmmm.
Dee : I don’t suppose this scope we have is strong enough to read name
tags…? 🙂
Sglancy12 : There are hundreds of employees, checking out every employee will
take some time.
Dee : Wait a sec… don’t we have a full employee list for this
facility?
Dee : Those on tax rolls, at least?
Sglancy12 : Nope, but she doesn’t seem to be wearing a tag. Her hair looks
messed up, like she has been
Sglancy12 : sleeping on it.
Dee : If so, let’s see if we can look them up in DL records for photos.
Sglancy12 : Yes you have a complete list of employees.
Dee : I’ll phone Lundquist with the suggestion during the afternoon.
Dee : Match names & social security numbers with DMV records, for
Montana first.
Sglancy12 : Okay, Lundquist, after several hours of work, there are no black
female employees at this
Sglancy12 : faciltiy.
Dee : What about tall blonde white guys with glasses?
Sglancy12 : He doesn’t seem to match up with anyone at ABC here in Montana.
Dee : Nuts.
Sglancy12 : What about the rest of ABC?
Lundquist : I’d like to check _all_ ABC employees. I know it’ll take time, but
I’ve got time…
Sglancy12 : After about 3 hours (just about when you need to leave to go pick
up the others) you find a
Sglancy12 : photo in a on-line company prospectus. Dr. Enzili Metreaux, black
female, 36 yoa, and ABC’s
Black : sorry guys but, I got to called it a night. Good luck on the rest
of the mission.
Sglancy12 : lead researcher in the field of neural stimulants. She’s patented
a stimulant to revive coma
Dee : See you next time, Grindle. 🙂
Sglancy12 : patients and is supposed to be working on neural transmitters
which can bridge gaps in
Sglancy12 : severed nerve fibers.
Black : be seeing ya next time. Scott just email me if you are continueing
Sglancy12 : I’ll cure paralysis as we know it, if it works.
Sglancy12 : I’ll email you the log of the session. Fear not.
Black : thanks bye
OnlineHost: PGrindle has left the room.
Lundquist : Actually, can I take this opportunity to ask how much later we’ll
be going?
Lundquist : I don’t have all night myself…
Sglancy12 : I have to quit at 6pm.
Lundquist : Good, that works for me too. Is this going to take another
session?
Dee : Another 30 minutes max for me.
Sglancy12 : Okay. Next step.
Lundquist : I guess, when it gets dark, I’ll go pick up the team.
Sglancy12 : That’s about all you observe before its time to meet up with
Lundquist.
Dee : Next–get any and all info on Dr Metreaux, and look in the rest
of the files for blondie.
Dee : Okay. We pack up and back up, then; about three hours before the
meeting time.
Dee : Keep low until we’re over the ridge and out of sight, then hoof
it to the meet.
Sglancy12 : Dr. Metreaux graduated from Harvard med school, but spent several
summers interning at
Sglancy12 : the medical college at a small time in Arkham Mass.
Dee : Heh heh.
Sglancy12 : She’s been written up in theNew England journal of medicine a few
times
Sglancy12 : Mostly for new theories on neuro-fiber function and growth.
Dee : Do we have any personal information on her?
Sglancy12 : Lundquist, there are a number of ABC personel she’s worked with on
her neurotransmitter
Sglancy12 : projects.
Lundquist : I
Lundquist : I’d like to get their names, etc if possible. And check to see if
Blondie is one of them.
Sglancy12 : Bingo. Dr. Arnold Crisp. Age 26. PHD Columbia is bio-technical
engineering.
Sglancy12 : Works for ABC at their Philadelphia research lab.
Dee : Oookay. Very good.
Sglancy12 : So does Dr. Metreaux.
Sglancy12 : Neither are assigned to this facility,
Lundquist : Good stuff. I hope you got pictures of both of them, Dee.
Dee : “They might be a little blurry, but I got something.”
Sglancy12 : Yep. DL photos about 2 years out of date.
Lundquist : I meant photos of them at the Montana facility.
Sglancy12 : Both look happy and professional.
Lundquist : Have we rendezvoused yet?
Sglancy12 : Yes.
Lundquist : Okay, back to the campground where the RV is parked.
Sglancy12 : Then what?
Dee : All right–pack the gear into the Explorer, compare notes, drive
off.
Sglancy12 : where to?
Lundquist : Plan our next move. I say we track down Iron Shirt, try to
establish his connection to Crisp.
Dee : Now… we have names. How are we going to meet with them?
Dee : Maybe we can develop personal information, use a family member or
old friend
Lundquist : I don’t think they’ll get out of the facility much. We could stake
it out, wait for them to leave,
Lundquist : and follow them.
Dee : to arrange a meeting. Letter from somebody.
Lundquist : Assuming they ever do leave…
Dee : Staking out might work, too, though it might take a while.
Dee : Or… maybe we could send a reply to Crisp from Lin Wei. Since
he covered his trail,
Dee : that might get his attention enough to smoke him out.
Lundquist : If we find Iron Shirt, his connection to Crisp might suggest
something. There’s got to be some
Lundquist : reason why he used Iron Shirt as his cover.
Dee : Hmm, there might be something. Could be that Crisp just picked
Iron Shirt out of a hat.
Dee : But if they are linked in some way, that could be another thing
to use.
Lundquist : What hat? Local arrest records? How did he get that particular
name?
Lundquist : It might be something random, but then again, it might not…
Dee : Well, good point.
Dee : We can try to ask Iron Shirt about it, though we’ll need a strong
pretense.
Sglancy12 : How do you intend to find him?
Dee : Or we can ask Low Horn about it.
Lundquist : Well, finding him is our next problem…
Lundquist : We could check out the father’s residence first, I guess.
Sglancy12 : Okay. Any other options?
Dee : Hmmm… we need more inside access. Maybe we should go after the
council member early on.
Lundquist : Yeah, it might be time to develop our council member contact.
Sglancy12 : That’s good too.
Dee : Tell him, all he has to do is arrange meetings, no harm done.
Sglancy12 : Care to visit David Bird Rattler?
Dee : Yeah. I think so. Drive in looking like tourists, to start.
Lundquist : Yeah, I think we should do that. Tonight, if it’s not too late.
Lundquist : I say we just drop by his house and ask to speak with him
privately. Then explain that we need his
Sglancy12 : Okay. It’s about 7pm. Still light till 9pm.
Lundquist : help, and tell him why he’s so keen to help us out.
Dee : What’s our cover if somebody notices us, Lundquist?
Lundquist : We’re tourists. Bring a camera.
Dee : And, I want to get cleaned up before we talk to him.
Sglancy12 : There’s a shower in the RV.
Lundquist : Yeah, good idea. We hit the RV at the campground first.
Lundquist : I
Dee : Back to the RV, then. Black and I can get showers, then drive
touristy for the Rez.
Lundquist : I’ll put on a clean set of clothes too.’
Sglancy12 : Bird Rattler’s home is a ranch outside Cut Bank.
Dee : Stop first at Rattler’s address, tell his friends or family that
we heard about him
Dee : someplace.
Lundquist : I say we just ask for a word in private.
Lundquist : Once we’ve talked to him, he’ll cover up his meeting with us.
Dee : Yeah, okay. We can do that, too.
Lundquist : Okay, once we’re cleaned up, we’ll drive out to his ranch.
Dee : I’ll change into tourist clothes while Lundquist drives.
Sglancy12 : Okay. As you pull up to the ranch (its not a working ranch) a
young Blackfoot man approaches
Lundquist : Let’s just take the Explorer, okay?
Dee : Okay. Change before, then. 😉
Lundquist : (less conspicuous)
Sglancy12 : your RV “This is private property, you need to go back to the main
road.”
Lundquist : “Hello there. We’re here to see Mr Bird Rattler.”
Sglancy12 : “Well, does he know you?”
Lundquist : “No. And we’re not expected. But it’s most urgent we speak with
him.”
Dee : I keep quiet, let Lundquist do the talking. Contribute a
friendly smile once in a while.
Lundquist : I’m going to be calm and respectful.
Sglancy12 : “We get to bed early around here. Couldn’t you have shown up
earlier?”
Lundquist : “I’m afraid not. Sorry about this.”
Dee : Are there any dogs around?
Sglancy12 : No dogs.
Dee : Weird.
Sglancy12 : “What’s it about?”
Lundquist : “A private matter.”
Sglancy12 : “You need to do better than that if I’m going to bother Granpa
David with you.”
Lundquist : “It’s something better kept private, I assure you. We only need a
few minutes of his time.”
Sglancy12 : “Don’t get out of this RV or I’ll put the dogs on you!”
Dee : I still keep quiet, trying to look innocuous and non-threatening.
Sglancy12 : He goes back to the house.
Lundquist : “Easy, son, we’ll stay right here in our Explorer!” (The RV is
still back at the campground).
Dee : Guess they keep the dogs locked up….
Lundquist : And unfed, I bet.
Sglancy12 : He comes out with a bent old man, about 70 years old, he comes out
to the Explorer and says
Black : are you guys getting in trouble again. I sneaked out earlier than
I thought.
Dee : Does the kid walk up to us along with the old man?
Sglancy12 : “I don’t know you. What do you want?”
Dee : Does the kid come up right next to Rattler?
Sglancy12 : He stands on the porch. But he brought a pair of large hunting
dogs with him.
Dee : “Good evening, Mr. Rattler. This will only take a few minutes.”
Sglancy12 : “Be quick about it.”
Dee : “I will. You are on the Tribal Council, I’ve heard. Is that
right, sir?”
Sglancy12 : “I am.”
Dee : “Excellent. So, if we wanted to do business, you would have great
influence with the tribe.”
Sglancy12 : “Maybe you ought to quit beating around the bush.”
Dee : Smile at the old man. “Very well, Mr. Rattler. How
much influence would you have if
Dee : the rest of your tribe learned of your collaboration
with the FBI?”
Dee : (The old man came up alone–the kid is on the porch
with hunting dogs.)
Sglancy12 : He looks like you punched him in the guts.
“sunnuvabitch!”
Lundquist : (Better than keeping a rifle on us, I guess…!)
Sglancy12 : “Who the hell are you?”
Dee : “Easy there, Mr. Rattler. As long as you keep quiet
and do right by us, we’ll do the same.”
Lundquist : “We represent the Federal Government.”
Dee : I nod to Lundquist, let him continue.
Sglancy12 : “Uh-huh. I was never supposed to see another one of
you bastards ever again.”
Sglancy12 : “What do you want?”
Sglancy12 : “And I mean, what EXACTLY?”
Lundquist : “Sorry about this. We were hoping you could answer a
few questions for us, that’s all.”
Lundquist : “Well, for starters, we were hoping to locate a
couple of local residents.”
Sglancy12 : “I want you people gone as quick as possible.”
Lundquist : “I assure you, we’ll leave as soon as we can. How
quickly that comes about depends on your help, of
Lundquist : course.”
Sglancy12 : “Alright. For the last time, what do you want?”
Lundquist : “Can you tell us where we might find a Mr Thomas Iron
Shirt?”
Lundquist : “And I mean where, EXACTLY?”
Sglancy12 : “I don’t know. I don’t know Thomas. Except by
reputation.”
Lundquist : “Okay, then, tell us about that.”
Sglancy12 : “He leaves babies whereever he goes and takes what
isn’t his.”
Lundquist : “Perhaps you could use your influence with the Tribal
Police to help us locate him.”
Sglancy12 : “I can do that.”
Lundquist : “Does he have a job that you know of?”
Sglancy12 : “I don’t know. He got a neighbor of mine’s 14 year
old daughter pregnant.”
Lundquist : “Sounds like a swell guy. What about his friend, the
ugly one?”
Sglancy12 : “Which one?”
Lundquist : “The guy who looks like he’s been in one too many
fights.”
Lundquist : (I’m trying to see if he volunteers the name, to see
how much he knows)
Sglancy12 : I don’t know who his friends are. They’re trash and I
don’t want anything to do with them.”
Sglancy12 : “What do you want with them?”
Lundquist : “Perfectly understandable, sir. Okay, then, why
don’t you give us a number where we can call you?”
Sglancy12 : He gives it to you.
Lundquist : “That way, we won’t have to come out here again when
you get that information on Thomas Iron Shirt.”
Lundquist : “Thanks.”
Sglancy12 : “Wait. I know a man who can help you.”
Lundquist : “Oh?”
Sglancy12 : “I’ll tell you if you promise me this is the last
time I have to see you.”
Lundquist : “Well, I’d like to promise that, but then how do I
know that he really can help us?”
Sglancy12 : “He’s a cop. He runs the anti-burgulary task force
out of Browning. He knows every crook on
Sglancy12 : the Rez.”
Lundquist : “Yeah, he sounds like a good man to know. And how
can we be sure he’ll cooperate with us?”
Sglancy12 : “I’ll call him and tell him to help you find Iron
Shirt.”
Sglancy12 : “I do have some influence.”
Lundquist : “Okay. That’s a good start. But what if we need
something else while we’re out here?”
Sglancy12 : “What do you mean? Money?”
Lundquist : “We’re not asking for much here… A few phone calls,
that’s all. Considering what you have at
Lundquist : stake…” I wave at the ranch, “I don’t think we’re
asking for much at all.”
Lundquist : “I mean, a man’s reputation can be very important,
right?”
Sglancy12 : “I’m not becoming one of your slaves again, not after
everything I had to do for you!”
Sglancy12 : “This has to end.”
Lundquist : “No, no, nothing like that, I assure you. Just a few
phone calls. That’s all.”
Sglancy12 : “Why come back now? After 20 years?”
Lundquist : “It’s nothing too serious. Nothing that concerns
you, directly.”
Sglancy12 : “Alright. I’ll see what I can do.”
Sglancy12 : “The man’s name is Det. Wallace Red Crow.”
Lundquist : “Thanks. We’ll call him tomorrow.”
Lundquist : “I assume he’ll be expecting our call?
Sglancy12 : The old man stalks off to his home. “yes” he calls
back as the door closes.
Lundquist : Okay, we leave. Well, I can’t say I’m exactly proud
of that…
Lundquist : I hope the ends justify the means.
Sglancy12 : They rarely do.
Lundquist : Heh heh. But there’s severed dog heads involved
here!
Sglancy12 : Let’s call it a night gents.
Lundquist : Good enough. Are we going to set a time for next
week?
Sglancy12 : I suggest next sunday 12 noon. But lets keep the next
session to 4 hours. Six is too much.]
Lundquist : OK, concur. That’s good for me.
Black : sorry about bailing earlier. I manage to get out a
little earlier
Black : I available next sunday
Lundquist : Sunday’s much better for me than Saturday next week.
Lundquist : See y’all then!
Sglancy12 : All right. I’ll see you guys next sunday at 12noon.
Sglancy12 : Be Seeing You

Next: Session 3