Report #3270, Transcript Section #36
(Operation SANDMAN)
©1998-1999 Shane Ivey

KEEPER:  Knight, have you read transcript #23, where Barry made his last appearance in the game?

KEEPER:  That was earlier today--about twelve hours ago. The government agents you did a little shadowing for a few days ago called in a request: you were supposed to call in a bomb threat to the Breckenridge building and make it sound real. Transcript #23 describes that.

KNIGHT:  Okay, I knew that

KEEPER:  So... That was earlier today. You called it in, you went in wearing a fake FBI badge and made some noise, and then you faded as things got hectic. And they got VERY hectic.

KNIGHT:  So I saw on the radio, practical Blood bath

KEEPER:  Less than an hour after you faded, a gunfight on the roof of the building killed ten cops and two federal agents, and the perps fled in a military-looking helicopter and apparently got away clean.

KNIGHT:  I shall hole up in hotel for a little while, what MTV

KEEPER:  Then there were rumors of a biological threat of some kind, and the fire department set up decontamination tents and generally made the situation even more newsworthy.

KNIGHT:  I'll make that hotel more than 10 blocks away in that case

KNIGHT:  Put the radio on to a news channel and watch the TV

KEEPER:  So, Knight, you're lying low, watching the drama unfold behind the talking heads on CNN and New York One.

CABOT:  Finish briefing Knight, I'm getting a Pepsi.

KNIGHT:  Not the BBC?

KNIGHT:  Oh well!

KEEPER:  Not in New York. ;-)

KNIGHT:  Yep, trying not to think about what I may be involved in!

KEEPER:  By now--10:30 PM--things seem to be getting a little calmer and more orderly. The decon tents have been taken down. Officials have given public assurances that the threat did not materialize, so the precautions are no longer needed.

CABOT:  Back

KNIGHT:  Looks like they got the wrong bomb!

KEEPER:  The Breckenridge building is still crowded with police cars as officers sift the building, as is the hospital.

KNIGHT:  I'm going noware near Brenkenridge

KEEPER:  Speculation is rampant on the news programs. The effects are still being explored. The past week has been the bloodiest in NYPD history.

KEEPER:  Many people have been quick to point to rumors that HAMAS, the Palestinian terrorist group, claimed responsibility, and ethnic tensions are high.

KEEPER:  (And can you believe this campaign was written BEFORE "The Siege" came out...?)

KNIGHT:  Have HAMAS been in New York for long?

CABOT:  No, only for a day or so. :- )

KNIGHT:  What I mean is, Is this an icrease in activity for them or are they New Terrorists on the block?

KEEPER:  That's a big question. There have been very few domestic terrorist incidents; an Islamic group was responsible for the deadly World Trade Center bombing, but it was not HAMAS.

KEEPER:  (If I'm wrong on that, please correct my info!)

KNIGHT:  That inspires confidence :)

KEEPER:  Also, HAMAS spokesmen in Palestine have publicly denied the bombing.

CABOT:  HAMAS was just the first rag-head organization that came to mind, I have no idea what the true extent of their base of influence is in NYC.

KNIGHT:  Ahh, I smell a scapegoat

CABOT:  Good sniffer.

KEEPER:  So... that's the scene with Knight. Meanwhile, back at the safe house...

CABOT:  ZZzzzt!

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Did the group need me to contact them?

KEEPER:  Cabot and Kelley have put Keen and Danforth in position as they prepared to interrogate their captive.

CABOT:  Keen has been told in no uncertain terms that if I so much as get a tan from his flamethrower, he is in deep shit.

Knight is cleaning his boots

(Keeper whispered to Knight): They didn't say, either way.

KEEPER:  Keen gets the picture.

(Knight whispered to Keeper): When things die down I will head back to the office and then home

KEEPER:  Kelley stretches his neck to one side, then the other. "So, what's our course of questioning with the boy in there?"

Cabot dons his balaclava and gets one to Kelley. "You might want to change clothes first. I think we need to rule out infection before we go any further. No surprises that way."

(Keeper whispered to Knight): Though, for the sake of roleplaying, you could contact the group to get a status report and any current instructions...

KEEPER:  "We have chemical suits."

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Ok, who is the Contact?

(Keeper whispered to Knight): You had a phone number for Brian Lundquist. You last spoke on the phone to David Kelley, but you don't have a direct number for him.

CABOT:  "I can't see carry out an interrogation in them if it isn't necessary, though. If he's clean, at least from that angle, it'll probably be okay to go in with less PPE (personal protective clothing)."

KEEPER:  "True. Let's one of us suit up and test him, then. If he's clean, we go to stage two."

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Thats what I figured, will call Brian before I leave for the office

CABOT:  "Besides, based on what you've said about your last bird, what might be in him probably isn't catching. Yeah, I'd agree with that plan."

KEEPER:  He smiles. "I'll volunteer. My suit's in the closet." He heads for one of the back bedrooms, where the gear is stored.

Cabot follows Kelley to retrieve the bio-suits and begins to don one.

(Keeper whispered to Knight): He answers after three rings. "Yes?"

CABOT:  "I'll have one on just in case you need help."

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Its Knight, had a good day?

KEEPER:  Cabot, you and Kelley suit up quickly enough. It's become routine the last few days.

KEEPER:  Kelley nods. "Good. I'll draw a sample from him and bring it out." He heads back over to the interrogation room, plastic rustling.

CABOT:  As we go by Keen: "You see this," I pinch the sleeve of the garment, "plastic. HIGHLY FLAMMABLE." Wink.

KEEPER:  "Right." He aims the flamethrower away a little further.

CABOT:  "Heads up, Connor. He's going in." I ready the flame thrower.

(Keeper whispered to Knight): Lundquist: "Not by my usual standards. What's up?"

KEEPER:  Kelley opens the door to the interrogation room and steps in, needle held out. The captive, facing away, lifts his head to listen.

(Knight whispered to Keeper): "Just checking in, I have not heard back from the dealer yet so I wondered if I was done until then"

Cabot positions himself at the open door, behind the subject, and observes the gathering of the specimen. In an altered voice, "Everything you need is on that table."

(Knight whispered to Keeper): And I wanted a new risk related bonus scheme

(Keeper whispered to Knight): "I don't have time to discuss it right now. We'll contact you tonight."

(Knight whispered to Keeper): What ever you say, your the boss

KEEPER:  Kelley steps in front of the captive. The captive looks up at his masked face and blanches. Kelley barks something in Arabic. He motions to his arm. The captive looks confused.

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Still want me to check out this dealer

(Keeper whispered to Knight): "Just sit tight where we can reach you."

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Roger that

(Knight whispered to Keeper): Knight looks at his mobile phone and shrugs

CABOT:  "You want me to do this?"

KEEPER:  Kelley steps closer and says something else. "Hold still, shithead, just hold still or I'll start hurting you early." Frustrated, he steps close enough to grab the captive's tied-down arm and jab with the needle.

KEEPER:  He draws a sample roughly and steps away.

CABOT:  "Put it in one of those specimen plates and seal it."

KEEPER:  He does so. "Remind me to get some Berlitz tapes," he mutters. He seals the plate.

CABOT:  "Heh, heh, (nervously)", Cabot nods out the door and closes it again once Kelley is out of the room.

KEEPER:  Kelley steps out.

CABOT:  "Let's take it to the clean room and test it there."

KEEPER:  OK... Cabot, you and Kelley take the sample into the clean room. Your infected FBI agent is still comatose there.

CABOT:  "Keen, stand by the that door to the interrogation room. Connor, hollar if anything unusual takes place in there."

KEEPER:  "Right."

CABOT:  Place the specimen tray on a flat surface and conduct the sizzle test.

KEEPER:  No fireworks, this time: the blood sample cooks away with no unusual effects.

CABOT:  "Good. Let's get out of the body bags and get to work."

KEEPER:  Kelley nods. He steps out of the clean room, shuts it again, and unzips the HAZMAT suit and takes it back to the storage room again. "So. What's our course of questioning?"

CABOT:  "Start with the ABCs of why he was where you found him, why the hostility, etc. See if he seems cognizant of his situation then and now. As far as the last episode is concerned, you'd know better how to elicit that than I would."

KEEPER:  Kelley says, "If he's related to it. This op has been complex enough that we shouldn't assume anything."

CABOT:  To Keen and Danforth: "The subject appears clean of the shit in the fed. But stay sharp anyway. Remember to tape everything, Connor."

CABOT:  "Let's start with the basics and take it as it goes. He may be a nobody." I don my balaclava and move in.

KEEPER:  "Right." He follows you into the room. The captive's arm is bloody, but he seems to have calmed some.

CABOT:  Oh, and I exchange the flamethrower for my 9 mm, chambering a round as I come into view of the subject.

CABOT:  "Good evening."

KEEPER:  He looks up. Kelley remains just at the periphery of his sight, behind him to the left. The captive looks at the pistol and up at you. He looks shaky, but he swallows, scowls, and toughens up. He says something in Arabic.

KEEPER:  Kelley leans forward and punches him, hard in the back of his skull. The man winces and shouts.

CABOT:  "Oh, maybe you'd be a little more intelligable without the gag. How rude of us. Do yourself a favor, speak English."

KEEPER:  Kelley says something rough in Arabic. The man cranes his neck to glance at Kelley, but he can't get a good view of him. He scowls and winces again.

CABOT:  "What's your name, Habib?"

KEEPER:  The man takes a couple of breaths. He says something in Arabic--it sounds like the same thing he said a moment ago.

CABOT:  "What's he saying?"

KEEPER:  Kelley leans closer to the man and talks softly to him. The man leans his head away from Kelley, but he can't do it much. Kelley stands again.

KEEPER:  "He says he can't speak English," Kelley says. "I've told him he's a liar and we know it, and we'll hurt him worse if he keeps lying."

KEEPER:  The man looks shakier. He glances up at you, Cabot, then back at the floor, wincing, nervous.

CABOT:  "Our time is limited. What is your name?"

KEEPER:  He starts to say the same thing, then he stops himself. He stares at the floor.

CABOT:  "That line he keeps repeating, he's saying no speaky Englace?"

KEEPER:  "Correct."

CABOT:  "Ask him in sandnigger, then."

KEEPER:  Kelley barks at the man. The man looks up for a second. "Habib," he says. He stares at the floor again.

CABOT:  "Habib. Habib. I guess that makes me your psychic friend." I move to plug in the extension cord.

CABOT:  To the camera. "Bring in the water, please."

KEEPER:  He looks over and watches the electrical cord. He breathes more quickly, but he says nothing.

KEEPER:  A moment later, Keen opens the door and steps in with the pan of water.

CABOT:  "Remove his shoes, if you will, Mr. Pain."

KEEPER:  Kelley steps around in front of the man and takes his shoes, very calmly.

KEEPER:  He tosses them in a corner and stands back again.

CABOT:  Once his feet are bare, I slide the pan of boiling water near his feet. Placing the muzzle of the 9mm to his temple, I nod to Kelley. "Is it not a custom in the east to wash a guest's feet as a sign of hospitality, Mr. Pain?"

CABOT:  I eye "Habib" closelyto determine if he comprehends whatever I say.

KEEPER:  The prisoner eyes the water, his eyes widening briefly at the talk of hospitality. Kelley nods. He rattles off something to the prisoner. The prisoner looks down at the water and squirms, leaning away from the pistol.

CABOT:  "Clean our guests feet, if you will, Mr. Pain."

KEEPER:  Kelley shoves the man's feet into the water. The man struggles and howls, but Kelley is stronger. The struggling shoves the pan and spills steaming water on the carpet.

KEEPER:  "Gyaaaah!" says the man. "Habib... H-Habib!"

KEEPER:  Suddenly he stinks of urine.

Knight laughs at something on the television

CABOT:  I nod "enough" to Kelley. "Okay, Habib. Habib it is. Habib what?"

KEEPER:  (Heh... somewhere, the theme song from "Friends" plays to the enjoyment of all...)

CABOT:  "Habib al Camelfucker, Habib said Feetinhotwater, Habib, WHAT!?"

KEEPER:  Kelley shoves the pan away. The man twitches, his breath heaving, his eyes wide. He shouts stubbornly through pain and fear. "Habib! Habib!"

CABOT:  "Habib, my patience wear thin. If we cannot surmount this issue of your FULL FUCKING NAME, how will we ever begin to delve into things of much greater importance?"

KEEPER:  He squirms away from the pistol at his head and breathes raggedly.

CABOT:  "Dunk him again."

KEEPER:  Kelley grabs the man's legs and does so. The man lets out another shout. After a long minute he cries, "Ahh! Hab--Rayis! Mahmoud al-Rayis!"

CABOT:  "There, you see Mr. Pain, he can be reasonable."

KEEPER:  Kelley shoves the water away again. The man cries and mutters something in Arabic.

KEEPER:  Kelley says, "Yes. Now. Mahmoud. Now, you'll talk to us."

KEEPER:  He leans closer, looking into the man's eyes. He says something brief and questioning in Arabic.

CABOT:  "Now to the next issue. My associate, Mr. Pain, seems to believe that you are well versed in the native language. You have two options with regard to this issue, voluntarily speak it, or receive a wall-to wall crash course in it."

KEEPER:  The man looks up, breathing roughly. "I--I am Mahmoud al-Rayis."

CABOT:  "Outsanding, Mahmoud. May I call you, Mahmoud? Know that we appear to be on speaking terms, allow me to extrapolate on the current. . .dilemma of your position here."

KEEPER:  He frowns and stares at the wall.

CABOT:  "You may elect to protect that which you know and those with whom you are associated at the cost of your physical well-being. Or you may elect to provide that information which we seek and walk away from here. In the case of the latter, at least you will have a sporting chance at surviving. As to the former, I can assure you that you will enjoy no such benefit."

KEEPER:  He looks up for a second, frowning, confused. "I... I am Mahmoud al-Rayis."

KEEPER:  Kelley watches him coldly. He says something in Arabic, then: "Talk or die slowly."

CABOT:  "You know, I could have sworn I read somewhere that all you ragheads attended western university's before you went on to bigger and brighter careers in car bombings and say. . .double murders." I pistol whip him.

KEEPER:  "Gah!" He winces and his head lurches to the side at the impact.

DICE for Cabot: (1d100) = [ 60 ]

CABOT:  Psychology roll.

KEEPER:  He breathes roughly again and blinks sweat out of his eyes. He looks scared. He looks like he's trying to be tough but he's not drawing on much more than that. It's not a matter of faith.

CABOT:  "Where are you from, Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  "Palestine." He turns painfully to glare. "We 'sandniggers' are all from Palestine, yes?"

KEEPER:  He stares angrily at the wall again.

CABOT:  "Are you visiting this fine country on a visa or are you a naturalized citizen. Answer carefully, Mahmoud. We're going to be playing a game called Electro-Shock Jeopardy shortly."

KEEPER:  "Visa," he spits.

CABOT:  "Shame, that does make you a sandnigger then. Why where you in that apartment, Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  His breathing picks up. "Money."

CABOT:  "Money from whom?"

KEEPER:  "Anyone. I broke in. I didn't find any money."

CABOT:  "Mahmoud, you haven't come to this beautiful country and got yourself a rap sheet, have you?"

KEEPER:  "Am I under arrest?"

CABOT:  "No, you're under interrogation. Answer the question, please. Your Miranda rights failed to come through the door to this room with you."

CABOT:  I whisper to Kelley, "Are you guys sure you hit the right apartment.?

KEEPER:  Kelley nods.

KEEPER:  Mahmoud looks at the wall. "I have no rap sheet."

CABOT:  "Mr. Pain, please have our associates verify that, would you?"

CABOT:  "Mahmoud, are you aware of the identity of the residents of the apartment into which you broke in?"

KEEPER:  Kelley steps out of the room for a moment.

KEEPER:  "I don't know their name. I saw them outside. They looked rich. I wanted money."

KEEPER:  He glances up for a second, then stares at the wall again.

CABOT:  "Did you kill the two persons found in that apartment?"

CABOT:  Do I get the impression he's hesitating before giving these answers, i.e. receiving the answers for some other source? Psychology roll again.

DICE for Cabot: (1d100) = [ 99 ]

CABOT:  Oh, well.

KEEPER:  He doesn't answer.

CABOT:  "It's a simple question, did you, or did you not kill those two people? Yes or no?"

KEEPER:  He says nothing. Kelley steps back in. "No rap sheet. He's on record as a good boy. This is his first double-murder that we know about."

CABOT:  "Mr. Pain, bring me another of those hypodermic needles, will you?"

KEEPER:  He does so.

CABOT:  "Mr. Pain, please secure Mr. Mahmoud's left hand to the rail of the chair."

KEEPER:  Kelley leans on the captive's forearm and fingers, holding them still. The man squirms again in his restraints.

CABOT:  I place the hood back over his head to obscure his vision, then slowly drive the needle under the nail of his left index finger. "Did you, or did you not, murder the two people found in that apartment.?"

KEEPER:  "Gnnnnkhh..." His other hand twitches spasmodically into a fist and hauls against the straps. "Nnnn... I--ahh! They saw me!"

CABOT:  Continue with the needle insertion. "Saw you doing what?"

KEEPER:  "Gahhh! Bassst--saw my face--cannot---cannot--ahh!"

Cabot removes the needle momentarily. "Speak clearly, Mahmoud. Please."

KEEPER:  He squirms against the straps. "N--no," he pants. "Went... went in for pa--for money. Saw me. Had to--keep them--quiet."

CABOT:  "Who saw you, Mahmoud? Quickly. . ." I gently prod beneath the middle finger ofhis left hand.

KEEPER:  "Ah! The--people there!"

KEEPER:  "Idiots! Thought they were gone! Thought--they were gone."

CABOT:  (Whisper) "Be specific. . ." drive the needle more forcibly.

KEEPER:  "Nnnnk! Just went in--thought they were gone! Thought no one would see!"

CABOT:  "Who are "they", Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  "The people--dead now--had to keep them quiet! Stop it!"

CABOT:  "How did you kill them, Mahmoud? How did they die?"

KEEPER:  "Nnnngh--knife! Had no gun."

CABOT:  "Mahmoud, what papers were you looking for?" Drive the needle even further into the nailbed.

KEEPER:  "Nnnnooo!" he sobs. "Money! Just-just-aah!"

CABOT:  "I know that I heard you correctly, earlier."

KEEPER:  "Nnooo! Stop! Can't, can't!"

CABOT:  "Oh, I'm sure that you can."

KEEPER:  "Aggh! For--for papers! Had to get them! Had to get to his home and find them!" He shouts something plaintive.

CABOT:  Withdraw the needle.

CABOT:  "What papers, exactly?"

KEEPER:  He pants. "Papers... Volker. Ahhh--Volker."

CABOT:  "What information did these papers contain, Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  "He--blackmail."

CABOT:  "Blackmail against whom, Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  "I--I tell you, you let me go."

CABOT:  "No promises, but you are well on your way to such an agreement."

KEEPER:  "No. No! You swear it. You swear it on God, on America. I tell you, you let me go."

CABOT:  "Oh, now Mahmoud. It's a sin to take the Lord's name in vain. I will stand by my previous statement: If things continue along the lines that they are presently adhering, you stand a very good chance of leaving here a healthy man."

KEEPER:  He grimaces. "We come with Volker. We--we work with him, with his people. He said, he said he had papers, he said the police would see everything if he died."

CABOT:  "Who are "we"? What organization do you belong to?

KEEPER:  He shakes his head. "No organization. Just us. Just a small group. We move things in Iran, Syria, Palestine. His people do it here."

CABOT:  "Who do you answer to in this group?"

KEEPER:  "Amr," he pants.

CABOT:  "What type of merchandise is your group responsible for moving?"

KEEPER:  "We--drugs and guns, equipment. Black market. And the gangs... Volker said, his group would own the gangs."

CABOT:  "You mentioned Volkner and his friends, Mahmoud. Who are Volkner's friends?"

KEEPER:  "Army friends. He said he found them the last few years."

CABOT:  "What type of drugs does your group traffic in? Be specific, Mahmoud."

KEEPER:  "Heroin. Hashish."

CABOT:  "What gangs did Volkner seek to control, Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  "The street gangs. The bikers. He said, his people knew war, and the gangs don't know war. He said, they would kill the ones that would not cooperate."

CABOT:  "ARe you familiar with the drug known as the Dreaming Man, Mahmoud?"

KEEPER:  He frowns. "The what?"

CABOT:  "Never mind. Where might I find this Amr if I wanted to speak with him?"

KEEPER:  "You--you let me go. You said so. You let me go, yes?"

CABOT:  "That's a high probability if you continue cooperating as you are. I have no vested interest in seeing you die today."

KEEPER:  He blinks and looks at the floor. "Pennsylvania." He lists a highway and an address. "Now, you let me go!"

CABOT:  "Soon, soon. Be patient, Mahmoud. Who are you so afraid of? Volkner's people? Your little group of smuggler's?"

KEEPER:  He shakes his head. "You don't know them. They kill anyone."

CABOT:  "I don't know whom?"

KEEPER:  "The Americans. Volker's men. You must let me go. You want them, you have them. I go away, nobody knows."

CABOT:  "Who hired you to rifle Volkner's apartment?"

KEEPER:  "Amr said to go. He said get the papers, whatever they had."

CABOT:  "And where are the papers you were sent to retrieve?"

KEEPER:  "I don't know."

CABOT:  "Did you find them?"

KEEPER:  "No. There was nothing there."

CABOT:  "Where in that apartment were you instructed to look. Surely Amr didn't just send you blindly on this job."

KEEPER:  "He didn't know. Nobody knew. He just said, Volker said he kept evidence, and I had to find it."

CABOT:  I nod to Kelley to act on that info and call the team at the apartment.

KEEPER:  Kelley nods and steps out of the room.

CABOT:  "Mahmoud, if Volkner is so dangerous and keeps military men around him, why were you sent with only a knife to retrieve these papers? Forgive me, but I sense a hole in this story."

CABOT:  "Either that, or you are a verrry foolish man. I don't sense that having spoken with you."

KEEPER:  "No... he kept nobody at his home. He kept it secret. Amr said, no guns. I take the laser to escape if anybody sees."

CABOT:  "Okay, Mahmoud. You look like you could use a break." I remove the hood from him. I'll see that you are brought some water. Rest. We will talk again soon and we will make arrangements for your departure."

KEEPER:  He sighs raggedly.

CABOT:  "Provided we can continue to discuss matters openly as we have just done. I don't forsee the need for anymore painful stimuli. Rest. Rest and consider the alternatives."