Report #3270, Transcript Section #22
(Operation SANDMAN)
©1998 Shane Ivey

Keeper:
Last time we left off with Kelley leaving to round up Hoder, the evening of 04 JUN.

Rogers:
What time?

Keeper:
About 9:30 p.m.

Keeper:
The rest of the team is at the safe house, except Maddux, who's off shadowing Lt. Daniels of the NYPD/IAB.

Rogers:
Time for an internet search then if not a library one.

Keeper:
The public library is closed; university libraries may be open, but not for long. Columbia U. is probably open to the public until 10:00 p.m.

Rogers:
No point in going there and making a fuss won't get much done. Just have to do an internet check, do we have this sygil available to scan into a computer?

Keeper:
Your (Rogers') own computer skills are pretty lacking--do you want Danforth to do the honors?

Keeper:
You can scan the image, yes.

Rogers:
Or better yet scan in one of the photographs I took and just post it up to a site interested in the occult and see what response we get, using fake e-mail addresses of course.

Rogers:
Asking if anyone recognises this?

Keeper:
Which is it going to be? A general search, or posting it to a discussion site?

Keeper:
Or both?

Rogers:
A general search first to get some background then dependant on what that turns up a post.

Keeper:
Danforth pokes around a while on occult-oriented sites, starting with a few basics recommended by Lundquist, who seems to have a rudimentary familiarity with the topic.

Keeper:
After searching for a good while--close to an hour--he comes up with a reference on a sub-directory of a little known site on esoterica and dead languages.

Keeper:
The image roughly corresponds to a sketch done by a self-styled mystic and arcanist of a glyph he saw in a book of True Magick. He calls it the "Elder Sign."

Rogers:
"Danforth, can you get any more information on this sign now you know what it's called?"

Keeper:
He does some more research. Unfortunately, he comes up pretty dry. It's not a common emblem, by any means, and all the major occult-oriented groups seem to skip it entirely.

Keeper:
Even in the original site where you saw a match (more or less), the author didn't say that it was particularly useful or powerful, just that he had seen it someplace impressive and it was supposed to have power.

Rogers:
"Does anyone think we should post this photo up to one of the discussion groups, I'm starting to think it may be a bad idea?"

Keeper:
"We can post it anonymously, no problem. Depends if you want someone out there to know that someone else out there knows about the thing."

Rogers:
"Danforth, post it to the discussion group but use a different account and send it annonymously just a quick enquiry, better yet can you find on one of these groups a member who lives in NY and may have just come across it accidently and asking why would this be appearing all over NY?"

Rogers:
"I'm assuming that Hodder has been a busy little beaver."

Keeper:
"I'm not sure what you mean. You want me to find someone from New York on one of these sites?"

Rogers:
"What I want you to do is if possible post using someone elses ID preferably someone who lives in NY if that's possible, that way we can act as if the poster has just come across them in everyday life in NY."

Keeper:
"Oh, sure. Give me a few minutes."

Keeper:
He opens up some anonymous connections and launches several decrypting programs.

Keeper:
A few minutes later he finished posting a scan of the image along with a text message asking if anyone can identify it or explain why it's appearing in the city.

Keeper:
"There. Now just see who responds, right?"

Rogers:
"Yeah lets give it a while."

Keeper:
"Okay. Now what?"

Rogers:
"Now I think we need to make some preparations for tomorrows field trip to the Breckenridge corporation."

Keeper:
"Like what?"

Rogers:
"Everyone should check out and do some maintance on their equipment."

Rogers:
"Kelly what exactly do we have in the armory here?"

Keeper:
Kelley's not back yet--he's still gone to collect Hoder.

Rogers:
Ok I'll check out the armory and see what we've got.

Keeper:
The armory, if I recall correctly, has some basic miscellaneous equipment. There are a few firearms of different types, a few bulletproof vests, some other random emergency goods.

Lundquist has joined the conversation.

Keeper:
It's about 10:00 p.m., June 4. Kelley has been gone an hour on his errand to collect Frank Hoder.

Rogers:
And we were just about to call it a day!

Keeper:
In the meantime, Rogers and Danforth did some internet searches on the images Hoder was crafting. They turned up one mention of it, a rough equivalent remembered second-hand by a mystic who called it the "Elder Sign."

Lundquist:
So it's the five-pointed ES that was painted on the wall? Whew, I thought you were going to say it was the three-headed question mark thing...

Keeper:
Anyway, Lundquist and Rogers, compare notes and get caught up.

Lundquist:
Yeah, we're caught up I think...

Keeper:
OK, about 10:30 you get a call from Kelley. It sounds like he's in the car. "I have Hoder," he says. "Came out of the station a few minutes ago. I stalked him for about ten minutes. Nobody saw me grab him."

Keeper:
Lundquist, you're feeling fatigue in a big way, seemingly all of a sudden. Maybe it's just catching up with you--little sleep and a head wound.

Rogers:
"Ok Kelly bring him over but don't let him know where he's going. Osbourne has empahsised the importance of security recently."

Lundquist:
Okay, I'll put my head down for a few minutes until Kelly returns. I'll lie down on the couch in the living room where Rogers can keep an eye on me, just in case.

Keeper:
Kelley pauses for a second, then: "I have him hooded in the trunk, and it doesn't sound like he's awake yet. He should be fine."

Keeper:
Time passes: it's about 11:20 when the sensors and cameras announce Kelley's car driving up.

Rogers:
"Ok head on over then I'll get his room ready."

Keeper:
Are you doing anything special with the room?

Rogers:
Just setting it up making sure the tapes videos etc are ready and that it's not a mess from our last guest.

Keeper:
Kelley pushes the "guest" in through the back door, from the carport. Hoder's hands are bound, and a black hood is tied over his head. It sounds like he's gagged, as well. He stumbles through the doorway, shoved by Kelley.

Keeper:
Kelley says, "We can take the earplugs out when he's settled. Into the interrogation room?"

Rogers:
"Yeah, nice job."

Lundquist:
"Great work Kelly. Man, am I tired..."

Keeper:
He nods and pushes Hoder into the room. He shoves him down into the metal chair and straps him down.

Keeper:
Kelley looks up from his work. "All right. How do you want to do this?"

Keeper:
He steps out of the room again, leaving Hoder bound and gagged and hooded inside.

Lundquist:
"Well, we need to talk to him, find out what he knows... It' probably best I he doesn't see me, since he'd recognize me from our scuffle earlier."

Rogers:
"Well, since you've been gone we've done some research on the sign he was drawing and there is a possibility that he could be a friend, so we'l hold on the more intensive interrogation for a while."

Keeper:
Kelley says, "A friend? What's that mean?"

Lundquist:
"Rogers, do you want to take the lead on this one? I can listen in and watch on the monitors."

Lundquist:
"Heh heh."

Lundquist:
"We suspect that this guy might not like the wierdo cults any more than we do. But we definitely don't know enough to say so with any kind of certainty."

Rogers:
"He won't see any of us, all we need to do is mask one of us up and remove his blindfold and earplugs, then we ask questions via the intercom."

Keeper:
"We can leave his hood in place," says Kelley. "I'll just take out the plugs and gag."

Rogers:
"I'll ask the questions certainly but don't hesitate to feed me any you want asked, that goes for all of you."

Lundquist:
"Works for me. And I can always fake a midwestern accent if I need to speak to him."

Keeper:
Kelley heads back into the room. He takes Hoder's earplugs out first; the captive cringes and struggles at the contact. Then Kelley pulls the gag out. He secures the hood around his neck again as Hoder starts coughing. He sputters drily, "What the fuck!" "What th'fuck is this?"

Keeper:
Kelley steps out of the room and shuts the door behind him.

Keeper:
You see Hoder's hooded head turn one way and then another. "Hey!" he calls out weakly. "Answer me."

Keeper:
Kelley comes around the corner again to join you in the observation room.

Keeper:
Hoder mumbles something else, then goes very quiet. He just slumps uncomfortably in the chair. If you could see his face, you expect he would look extremely forlorn.

Lundquist:
Poor guy.

Keeper:
You're all heart, aren't you? ;-)

Rogers:
"Mr. L Lets let him stew for a few mins."

Lundquist:
"We'll give him ten minutes, then start with him. Ten minutes is a long-ass time when you're tied up in a hood like that."

Keeper:
Kelley nods. Rogers, you went through similar ordeals in "Career Training" with the CIA.

Keeper:
You and other trainees got the works at counterinterrogation techniques training at The Farm.

Lundquist whispers to DGKeeper:
I want to quietly mention to Kelly that I was feeling a little woozy earlier. "It could just be all the long hours catching up with me... After all, I'm not in the best shape. But with all that's happened, I wanted to let you know about it."

DGKeeper whispers to Lundquist:
"Yeah. Good thinking. I'll keep my eyes open."

Rogers:
"That was always fun"

Keeper:
Hoder stirs in place. You hear him muttering faintly.

Rogers:
"Good evening Mr. Hoder."

Keeper:
He starts and sits up straight. You see the hood turn again.

Keeper:
"Wh-what?"

Rogers:
"Oh no, Mr. Hoder, we ask the question here."

Rogers:
"And you answer them."

Rogers:
"Do you understand me?"

Keeper:
"Uh--What--Uh--yeah."

Rogers:
"Good, then the unpleasentness can be kept to a minimum."

Keeper:
He squirms in place again.

Rogers:
"Why were you vandalising the building where you were arrested today?"

Keeper:
He seems to shrink somewhat in his chair. "Uh... I dunno, man... 's just my thing."

Rogers:
"No, we want the correct answers or I may be forced to hand you over to my colleage."

Keeper:
"I--look, man, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Rogers:
"Oh dear, I didn't ask if you would do it again just why you did it this time, last chnce or my associate will continue this session."

Keeper:
"Man! Look, I dunno. I just do the art. I go someplace, it looks good, I mark it up. Come on!" His voice takes on a whining tone.

Rogers:
"I'm sorry Mr Hodder, Mr Green, this one is yours now."

Lundquist:
"This guy is just screwing with us."

Rogers goes to his medical bag and gets a syringe out.

Keeper:
Hoder look around again. "No--man, Mr. Green, be cool. I tell you, I just do the art, 's all!"

Rogers fills the syringe and ensures there are no air bubbles in the solution

Keeper:
(What are you filling it with?)

Rogers:
to Kelly whispered "Kelly, I'm going to go in there in a while and inject him come with me just in case>"

Host JTRogers whispers to DGKeeper:
saline

Keeper:
Kelley nods.

Keeper:
Hoder looks the other way in his hood, listening for a reply. "See man, I just do the art," he mutters. "Shit, man, 's all I do."

Keeper:
Kelley looks at Lundquist. "Any questions? Or just juice him up?"

Lundquist:
"He's not cooperating. He had his chance."

Keeper:
Kelley waits for Rogers to lead the way.

Rogers:
"Kelly, when we go in there I want you to tell him that Mr. Red told us to give him this injection and that we are sorry about it, but we have to listen to him."

Keeper:
"Sure."

Rogers:
"Mr.Red, I think you should ask him some questions before we inject him"

Lundquist:
I"Mr Hoder, you are in very serious trouble here. Nobody knows where you are. Nobody will ever find you. I assure you, your only chance of getting out of this is to cooperate, and cooperate completely."

Lundquist:
(I'm saying this in a lame midwestern drawl to help mask my voice)

Lundquist:
"Now, for the final time: I want to know all about this thing you're drawing on building walls."

Lundquist:
(Like Jon Voight in "Most Wanted"...) :-)

Keeper:
Hoder shrinks again. "Oh man... Who are you guys? I don't know, man, I just dreamed the thing, and I started writing it. I can't stop writing it. Shit, man."

Lundquist:
"Sir, you leave me no choice. Gentlemen, this is getting us nowhere fast. Go in there and shoot that son of a bitch up."

Keeper:
"Fuck, man!"

Keeper:
Kelley steps out and around into the interrogation room. Hoder cringes as he hears the door whisper open.

Lundquist:
I pour myself an orange juice from the kitchen.

Keeper:
Kelley says, "Sorry about this, kid. You seem nice enough, but this is serious business. The boss says you get the works."

Keeper:
Hoder whines, almost weeping, "No, man! I'm telling you, it's nothing, I don't know shit, man, I just draw the shit and I don't even know why, man, I don't know, it's just this thing in my dreams and I do it and do it and do it and it

Keeper:
--and it's never enough, I always gotta do it again, man!"

Rogers Prepares to inject Hoder

Keeper:
You can see Hoder looking this way and that in his hood, breathing heavily, scared.

Rogers:
"Sorry about doing this to you."

Rogers injects Hoder.

Lundquist whispers to DGKeeper:
I'll try psychology on this guy... Do I think he's hiding anything? Or is he really too scared?

Keeper:
"AAAAH! SHIT MAN SHIT! I--"

Lundquist whispers to DGKeeper:
Dreamed it, my foot! How dumb does he think I am? ;-)

DGKeeper whispers to Lundquist:
It's harder without seeing his face. But you get the feeling he's genuinely scared as hell and probably not trying to hold out--he may be trying to dodge something, but it's got to be big if he is.

Rogers:
"Let's go I hate to see the effects of that stuff and who knows how fast It'l act on him."

Keeper:
Hoder seems to strain in place at the bonds, grunting weirdly for a long two seconds.

Keeper:
Then he sags slowly back into place. His head lifts slowly within the hood.

Keeper:
"Much better!" he says slowly. But his voice seems--odd. Not different, but the tone is wrong.

Keeper:
Kelley steps toward the door again, not noticing it.

Lundquist:
Wrong how?

Keeper:
Hoder seems to look around again within the hood. "A blindfold? How irritating."

Keeper:
His accent is wrong; like he's suddenly sporting some sort of uppercrust New York or New England twang.

Lundquist:
(Thinking fast) "Yes, I apologize for the inconvenience, but we feel that some safeguards are necessary here." (?)

Rogers and Kelly get back to Mr. Red.

Rogers:
"Well he talking yet?"

Lundquist:
(Let's see where this goes...)

Keeper:
"You know," he says, "it's really much better to make the switch when they're having sex--but I suppose that would have been a bit outre for you secret agents, wouldn't it?" He laughs lightly.

Rogers:
"Inconvienince, what are you saying?"

Keeper:
Hoder sits up slightly in the chair, settling into a slightly more comfortable position.

Lundquist:
"Yes, outre. Right."

Keeper:
He laughs again. "Brian Lundquist? Is that your voice, dear? I certainly hope so. If someone ELSE is mistreating poor Franklin--well, that WOULD be inconvenient."

Rogers:
"No."

Rogers:
"Next random name please"

Lundquist:
"I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm Jon Voight."

Keeper:
"No?" Hoder looks up toward the sound of the speakers. Then he laughs again. "Of course. I loved you in Midnight Cowboy! Clever."

Rogers whispers to Keeper:
someone send for andrea my brain pan needs a clean

Host JTRogers whispers to Keeper:
;-)

Keeper:
"Well," says Hoder. "Shall we get down to business?"

Lundquist:
"And you are...?"

Rogers:
"Mr. Hoder that's an impressive trick with your voice but unless you start to answer our questions you won't have a voice or any highr brain functions shortly."

Rogers:
"The solution in your veins is quite effective"

Keeper:
"Yes, of course. Who am I? I am..." He laughs again. "I'm Franky Hoder, can't you see? But I'm so much MORE than that. At least, for now. We need to talk, you see. Can I explain?"

Lundquist:
"Sure."

Rogers:
"Certainly but be fast or ..."

Keeper:
"Very good. Let's just say that certain. . . PARTIES, parties of some prominence, if you will, have taken an interest in this 'Dreaming Man' business. We would like to work out an. . . Oh, call it an arrangement, with you."

Rogers:
"We're listening."

Keeper:
"There's no NEED to work at cross-purposes, after all. Your people want to conduct their little investigation. We can help. And all we want in return is to share the information. The INTELLIGENCE, I think is what most of you people call it." He laughs lightly again.

Lundquist:
"Cross purposes."

Lundquist:
"And I should even conceive of helping you out because...?

Keeper:
"Cross purposes, oh, yes, you know the routine. You run around in the shadows, and we run around in the shadows, and you try to kill some of our people, and we make live extraordinarly difficult for your people. . . it's so DRAB. And you should help us because. . . "

Keeper:
"Well, because, as I say, life can be SO much more difficult for you than it is now."

Keeper:
"And, after all, we can make things SO much more easy for you."

Lundquist:
"Okay, please do so."

Keeper:
"Nothing simpler, dear. But let's be sure of the quid pro quo. Nobody does anything for free in New York, you know."

Keeper whispers to Rogers:
Rogers, lose a point of SAN, btw.

Rogers whispers to Keeper:
bugger

Keeper:
Hoder continues, "We don't need to go through all this difficulty the next time. Getting Franklin here into the right state of mind is a great deal of trouble. Unless you DO want to find a good lay for the boy," he adds, laughing. "You can meet with one of our people easily enough to discuss the situation. Say, once a day?"

Lundquist:
"Sorry, you know, you kind of mumbled earlier, and I didn't quite make out your name..."

Keeper:
"No," he laughs, "I expect you didn't. Never mind that. But if you want, you can call me Truth."

Lundquist:
"Yeah, okay, Truth. Well, then I guess we have nothing more to discuss?"

Rogers:
"And you can call me the Tooth Fairy."

Rogers:
whisperd to Mr. L "We are not going to get involved in this we have to report it."

Keeper:
"Don't we? I haven't heard your answer. Your REAL answer, that is, aside from all the discombobulation that this business seems to bring out in GOVERNMENT men."

Lundquist:
"Oh, I'm sorry... Did you want to make some kind of a deal or something?"

Keeper:
Hoder sighs. "Please, Brian. Or do you prefer 'Mr. Lundquist'? I have a great deal of patience when it's necessary, but here you have only to agree--or disagree. I hope you'll be wise enough to take us seriously."

Keeper:
Kelley whispers tightly, very softly: "If this fruitloop IS channeling somebody, you think they'd feel it if he got a bullet in the head?"

Rogers:
whispered "I doubt it and who wants to shoot that boy in there, I can try and knock him out chemically."

Lundquist:
"Patience? Funny you bring that up. Well, since you won't even give me a straight answer as to who you are, let alone what the terms of this so-called 'agreement' you propose are, you can understand why I'd be rather reluctant to take it at all seriously?"

Keeper:
Kelley nods. He looks unhappy.

Rogers:
"Hopefully that would cut the connection."

Lundquist:
"My own patience is running out here."

Lundquist:
To Kelly: "I say we just dump this punk back on the street somewhere. Whatever's doing the talking here, I doubt it'd much care if we waste Hoder."

Keeper:
"Oh," says Hoder. "The terms? Sorry, I thought I had made that clear. We only want to share your information. You can meet with one of our people once a day and discuss the situation; in return, we'll make things a little smoother for your operation."

Rogers:
whispered to Kelly "Lets find out what he's chanelling and put a bullet in its brain."

Lundquist:
"So I'm supposed to share information with you, without having any idea who you are? How am I supposed to know you're not one of our adversaries? How do I know I wouldn't be shooting myself in the foot?"

Keeper:
"You don't, silly boy. But you must notice how vulnerable you've become. I'm offering a chance to protect you from it; if we wanted to EXPLOIT it, we wouldn't have bothered with this little puppet-show."

Lundquist:
"What kind of deal is this? Where did you learn to do this spy stuff, from a goddamn matchbook? Junior league psycho stuff, man. Fuckin laughable, ha ha."

Rogers:
whispered to Mr. L "Shall I call Osbourne and advise him of the situation?"

Keeper:
Hoder sighs. "Games, games. I'm not playing games, Brian. Not now, at any rate. My OWN employers wouldn't have it."

Lundquist:
"Okay, nevermind then. I think we're doing just fine, thanks. You want to negotiate for real, you give me a demonstration of good faith. I don't like being made to jump through hoops just cause you want to have a chat. Right now you're offering me nothing concrete except a chance to comprimise our investigation with an unknown actor, so you understand that I'm going to have to decline."

Keeper:
He sighs. "I wish you would reconsider. As I said, we can make things less comfortable for you. In fact, we'll nearly have to, if you force us to work at odds with you."

Lundquist:
"If that's how you feel, then give us a sign of your good faith. You say you can make things easy; show us something. Or give us a straight answer about who you are and who you're working for. Or next time, give me a phone call instead of pulling this 'artisitc junkie' crap."

Lundquist:
"Unless you make me feel a lot better about this whole thing, then I don't think we can help you."

Keeper:
"Well," says Hoder, "I can't give you answers that are terribly straight; that's not really my place. But if you want something to tide you over, that can be arranged..."

Keeper:
"At this moment, the widow of a slain police officer is deep in conversation with a very skillful trial lawyer to find culpability in the United States government for the death of her husband outside a voodoo temple of ill repute in Harfleur. Their initial claim, I believe,

Keeper:
...portrays federal investigators calling local law enforcement with insufficient warning of what would be involved."

Keeper:
"All of it is nonsense, I'm sure, but they are intent on 'getting to the bottom of it.' And, after all, there are a couple of ACLU lawyers who are just ITCHING to get to the bottom of all those voudounistas who died before and after, and those who have disappeared; not to mention the ones still held in jail."

Keeper:
"Now, if you want something from me, I can make sure that the lawyers find something else to distract them for a while."

Lundquist:
"Okay... You do that, and maybe we can reciprocate in some way. Let me make some calls."

Keeper:
"Of course! I wouldn't expect a bureaucracy to work otherwise." He laughs again. "I'll have somebody find you tomorrow. If you want to talk, you can talk to her."

Keeper:
Incidentally, you would both bet money that Hoder's vocal mannerisms have been those of a woman for the last few minutes, since his voice changed.

Lundquist:
"Let's do this over the phone. I don't want those ACLU people to put a Breckenridge guy on us and photograph a meeting."

Keeper:
"The phone? Can't they--you know--tap the discussion that way?"

Lundquist:
"Tap phones? I thought the ACLU frowned on that sort of thing."

Keeper:
Hoder shrugs. "Your friends in that Breckenridge company don't seem to frown on it. But it's your choice, really."

Lundquist:
"Okay, how about email then? PGP is supposed to work well."

Lundquist:
"If all we're exchanging is information then email should be fine, right?"

Keeper:
"Honestly! I just don't like those things. We're to be partners, aren't we? Surely you don't think we would take advantage of it, when we've left you alone until now?"

Lundquist:
"Lady, I don't know what to think. You say you'll just 'find' us, and that's not supposed to alarm me? For somebody who wants to establish a mutually beneficial relationship, you sure are hitting all the wrong buttons... Or has that been the idea all along?"

Keeper:
"Do I owe you an apology? Oh, perhaps so. I sometimes forget how sensitive some people can be to all this. But, after all, if you want to do harm to our representative, you'll certainly be capable of it. We are trusting you, aren't we?"

Lundquist:
"Sure, you can trust us. Totally and completely. Okay, okay, I can bend a little here, to accomodate your needs. Just have your boy teleport into our car or tunnel up in the basement of the house here or something when we least expect it and we'll do business."

Lundquist:
"There, now I've given you a little something too."

Keeper:
Hoder laughs. "That's the spirit! But don't worry, it won't be anything so dramatic. Only a meeting, tomorrow, while you're out and about your affairs. Easy enough. And I'll make sure that all those legal troubles just... go away. Fair enough?"

Rogers:
"Just one more sign of good faith. What was Hoder painting on the building when we noticed him and why?"

Lundquist:
"Yeah. What is that thing, anyway?"

Keeper:
Hoder's voice still seems humorous. "That was the Elder Sign, of course. I've known magicians who SWEAR by it! Franklin picked it up someplace or another, and it caused a bit of strain on his mind, the poor boy. Now he's wearing himself out trying to recreate it. He'll be nothing but a ghost before he's done, I expect."

Lundquist:
"Did your people really get to him through his dreams? Or was that just diseased ravings?"

Keeper:
"Franklin's hardly diseased, actually; he's just, oh, BENT a little when it comes to the Sign. He places himself in useful places, you see, and we give him rewards that he can appreciate."

Rogers:
"What kind of rwards?"

Keeper:
"Oh, food, for instance, and money. Franklin's never earned much by his art, you see." He laughs. "The boy just hasn't many talents that he can sell to the rest of the world."

Lundquist:
"That's too bad. Good of you to find work for him. Downright charitable."

Keeper:
"Indeed." He laughs again. "The United Way has nothing on us. Well. Tomorrow, then?"

Lundquist:
"Yeah, okay. Will we speak to you, tomorrow, or somebody else?"

Keeper:
"Certainly not ME, dear. But don't worry, she'll have my ear."

Lundquist:
"How will we know her?"

Keeper:
"She'll know you. That will be enough, I think. Her name is Tish."

Lundquist:
"All right, we'll play it like that. See ya, Betty."

Keeper:
"Goodbye," says Hoder's smiling voice.

Keeper:
Then Hoder slumps again in his seat, going almost fully limp. The weight strains his hands in their bonds. He groans painfully.

Rogers:
"we'd best get him fixed up."

Lundquist:
"Yeah."

Keeper:
Kelley says, "Want me to wrap him up again and drop him off someplace?"

Rogers:
"No lets hang on and ask him some more about the sign if it is 'magic' like that thing said maybe there's a specific way of painting it."

Rogers:
"could be useful to know"

Keeper:
Kelley shrugs. "Go ahead."

Rogers:
"Mr Hoder? Are you still with us?"

Keeper:
Hoder shifts slightly, trying to shuffle to a more comfortable position. "Oooh."

Lundquist:
"Maybe we should shoot him up with something, or get him good and drunk before dumping him. That way, his memory of events tonight will be cloudier, and people will be less likely to listen to any rantings of his."

Rogers:
"Good I though that idiot Red had left it too long." "I'm sorry for the inconvienience but we have just a few more questions for you about your art work."

Rogers:
whispers to Mr. L "Hang on a sec I want to know more about the sign if possible."

Keeper:
"Oooh, man," mumbles Hoder. "Oh man, lemme go."

Lundquist:
"Sure, ask away... I'm curious, myself."

Rogers:
"This Elder Sign you paint so much, is there any particular way you do it or can anyone draw it?"

Keeper:
"Man. . . I dunno, man, I just do it, is all."

Rogers:
"What do the pieces of chalk and stone in your bag do?"

Keeper:
"What do they do? Nothin', man, I just draw with it."

Rogers:
"Ever heard of anyone called Truth?"

Keeper:
"Uh. . . No, man. . ." his voice trails off.

Lundquist:
We could always put him on a bus or a train, though...

Lundquist:
"Don't lie to us!"

Rogers:
"Thanks that will be all, your going to be fine Mr. Hoder so don't worry. You'll be released shortly."

Keeper:
He cringes.

Rogers:
"or perhaps not."

Lundquist:
:-)

Keeper:
He sits in the chair and squirms a little more.

Rogers:
to Mr. L "He knows nothing lets put him on a bus to hicksville."

Lundquist:
So Hoder can't hear: "Yeah, I agree. Give him a good sedative and drop him off on the next bus out of town."

Rogers:
"Kelly If i sedate him can you get him on a bus?"

Keeper:
"Sure."

Rogers:
"Good, the further away the better."

Rogers:
"I'll go and sedate him then."

Lundquist:
"I imagine that will depend on how long it takes him to wake up from his little drug-induced nap."

Keeper:
Kelley shrugs. "Won't be a problem either way. I'll put him in the fucking luggage compartment if I need to."

Lundquist:
"Nothing so conspicuous. He should just be another traveller with a long trip ahead of him, getting a little sleep to pass the time."

Rogers:
"Right then, we should fill Osbourne in I think."

Lundquist:
"Yeah, I'll call him. He already hates me."

Rogers:
"Thanks."

Keeper:
You dial Osborne's number. There's no answer.

Lundquist:
Well, that's good... I was afraid of getting chewed out.

Rogers:
"Or bad, why wouldn't he answer that line?"

Lundquist:
"I don't know, maybe he's off plotting against us?" I leave him a voicemail message, if I can.

Keeper:
No voicemail for the DG lines. That's what the email is for.

Lundquist:
I guess I'll send him an email then.

Keeper:
OK. Want to send it for-real?

Rogers:
"Right lets get some rest we've got a big day tomorrow and you were almost collapsing earlier Mr. L"

Lundquist:
"Recommended courses of action re Club Apocalypse: 1. Large Ryder truck bomb..."

Lundquist:
Yeah, I'll send him some email...

Keeper:
Kelley says, "Good idea. I'll ditch Hoder and check on Maddux. Then we can crash for a few hours."

Rogers:
2. Hygenic urban clearance, Agent Orange after step 1.

Keeper:
Heh heh heh.

Rogers:
3 Take off and Nuke the Site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure."

Lundquist:
"Okay, if you need a hand, Kelly, take Danforth. I'm so tired all of a sudden I feel like I could sleep for four days straight."

Keeper:
(Perfect set-up for the big climactic fight scene with Rogers in the robot-suit vs. the mysterious Truth: "Get away from her you BITCH!")

Lundquist:
Lundquist groans in his sleep, troubled by terrible nightmares...

Rogers:
"Game over man Game over"