Report #3270, Transcript Section #42
(Operation SANDMAN)
©1998-1999 Shane Ivey

KEEPER: The team split up once you got the word to move out. Rogers went with Kelley, Cabot, and Keen to hand off the biological specimens.

KEEPER: Lundquist and Danforth went straight to the new safe house to check it out and set it up.

KEEPER: En route, one of the specimens started... kicking. A little chaos followed, as it looked like the specimen inhabiting your comatose FBI man broke through his sealed biohazard suit. A similar specimen in a vial broke its container.

KEEPER: The specimens are unaccounted for, presumably destroyed in the flamethrowing which followed.

KEEPER: You still have the specimen of the "Dreaming Man" drug.

ROGERS: But we've lost the second organism I identified?

KEEPER: Rogers' team continued to the drop-point in Harlem, where they scouted the location a little before parking out of the way.

KEEPER: Correct.

ROGERS: (nuts)

ROGERS: So we're all en-route to the new Nest?

KEEPER: Rogers and Kelley parked to wait for the pick-up. Cabot and Keen headed for a nearby fire escape to establish a perch on a roof with Cabot's big-ass sniper rifle.

ROGERS: They were heading back to the car as we finished last time and Rogers was going to drive on.

KEEPER: Cabot and Keen were heading for a roof--they were going to give the signal to start your drive-by.

KEEPER: OK... Lundquist, are you doing anything special in the meantime?

LUNDQUIST: I'm gonna grab the most comfortable looking bunk for myself, and put my head down, just for a second... Not going to fall asleep... Mmmm... sleeeep.... (snore)

KEEPER: Just going to the new house, then, I take it? ;-)

ROGERS: Yep

LUNDQUIST: Yeah, but I'm going to check for tails fifteen or twenty times.

LUNDQUIST: And then some.

KEEPER: Right. It's not as long a drive, for you, except for the circuitous route you and Daforth take to avoid surveillance.

KEEPER: The new house is in north-eastern Queens, a rather derelict urban area overlooking the river.

KEEPER: Your neighbors are warehouses, dockyards, and half-occupied, run-down tenements.

LUNDQUIST: Right.

KEEPER: You have a perfect view of Riker's Island in the distance, in the middle of the broad East River.

KEEPER: Further off, to the left, are the lights of Manhattan.

LUNDQUIST: I make sure not to leave anything valuable in the car, even in the trunk.

KEEPER: To the right of Rikers, across the river, you see the skyline of the Bronx.

KEEPER: OK... the new house is not far from LaGuardia Airport, to the east, and less-deteriorated residential neighborhoods to the south.

KEEPER: The house itself is a narrow, two-story affair, squatting between an apartment building and an abandoned, condemned storefront.

LUNDQUIST: Good, Deveraux can set up a surveillance OP there... Perfect for him.

LUNDQUIST: (abandoned storefront, I mean)

KEEPER: There's a short yard, mostly dirt and debris with tufts of stringy grass, leading to steps and a small stoop stoop, and a narrow front door.

KEEPER: Danforth looks around with disgust, but he's too tired to bitch aloud.

LUNDQUIST: "Trading up, eh Connor?"

KEEPER: "Movin' on up to the fucking East Side, all right."

LUNDQUIST: "Don't worry about it... I'm sure this is all a false front. Underneath, in the secret sub-basement, you'll find a high-tech superbase with every comfort and convenience."

KEEPER: He smiles. "How about a little submarine, with lasers. And a Lotus."

LUNDQUIST: "Nah, the Lotus *is* the submarine."

KEEPER: "Oh, yeah. Good thinkin'. My compliments to Q. Or is that M? Whatever. We going inside this mansion?"

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah."

LUNDQUIST: We go in.

KEEPER: He looks around. There are several cars parked on the street nearby, none of them noteworthy.

KEEPER: The wind picks up a little as you walk for the house, smelling like the river: damp, a little stale.

LUNDQUIST: "We gotta ditch our cars ASAP and get new ones. We gotta figure Deveraux has made all of these and will no doubt have people out looking for them. Maybe even an APB to the city cops. I don't even want him knowing what neighborhood we're in."

KEEPER: "Yeah. I can monkey with their online records, but he probably has the shit written down and memorized."

LUNDQUIST: "I say we dump these in Laguardia's long term parking facility and just rent some new ones under false ID."

KEEPER: He nods.

LUNDQUIST: (this will make what, like our eighth set of rental cars this op?) :-)

KEEPER: The steps and porch creak slightly as you step up to the front door.

KEEPER: Danforth tries the door; it's not locked.

LUNDQUIST: "Hold it."

KEEPER: He steps back.

LUNDQUIST: Is the door ajar?

KEEPER: No, it's closed.

LUNDQUIST: I open it a fraction of an inch, looking carefully for tripwires, that sort of thing.

KEEPER: Danforth looks around, reaches under his coat for his pistol. He breathes, "Should go get the shotgun..."

LUNDQUIST: "Just stay cool for a second... I'm just being paranoid..."

KEEPER: The door creaks noisily for a split-second as you push it open even that little. You see no wires or anything--just a sliver of darkness inside.

LUNDQUIST: Quietly: "My MP5 and a couple of mags are in that duffel bag there, if anything goes south."

LUNDQUIST: Then, feeling sort of stupid for being so paranoid, I push the door open all the way.

KEEPER: He shakes his head and takes a step back from the door as you open it.

KEEPER: The door groans noisily as it swings inward. Inside, the house is very dark, with no ambient light coming in from the shuttered windows.

LUNDQUIST: Fumble around for a switch.

KEEPER: The air is hot inside, a little stuffy, but not as bad as you would expect from the look of the place.

KEEPER: You find the switch near the door--it's old and coarse, painted over long ago. It flips with a distinct "snap", and overhead lights turn on.

KEEPER: You see a narrow living room area. Beyond it you see the tile floor of a kitchen. Stairs immediately in front of the door lead up.

KEEPER: The place is sparsely furnished. There are no pictures or decorations, just a table and a few chairs.

KEEPER: Well, meanwhile, back at the drop-off...

KEEPER: Rogers, you sit in your car, and Kelley sits in the other, for several long minutes, waiting for the signal.

KEEPER: Nothing happens. It's late at night, dark but for a couple of distant streetlights, and nobody is out.

KEEPER: You hear a helicopter flying high overhead at one point, someplace at the edge of your hearing, then nothing else.

KEEPER: Finally, Cabot signals: "In position. Make a drive-by of the street, then take up a new position on a side street and report."

ROGERS: "Ok on way"

KEEPER: The street remains quiet as you start your circuit. You see the bum on the sidewalk on the next block, but he doesn't look up.

ROGERS: We keep on moving towards the arranged point. "Kelly keep your eyes peeled man."

KEEPER: You drive past the designated pick-up point and beyond. (Kelley's in the other car.)

ROGERS: Can I see anything that looks out of place?

KEEPER: No. Things remain very quiet.

LUNDQUIST: Danforth and I will move out stuff in and quickly go through the place.

KEEPER: OK... the rest of the place is similar. You find a set of keys on the living room table.

LUNDQUIST: Any obvious security problems, like broken windows or such?

KEEPER: No--the place is surprisingly intact, considering the location.

LUNDQUIST: Good enough then. I'll stash all the gear in the main room. "Now, about the car... You want to take care of it?"

KEEPER: Danforth checks the wiring, as well, checking with his own gear. "Sweet," he says. "Looks like a regular phone jack, here, with fiberoptics on the other side." He looks up. "Let's get the communications set up, first."

LUNDQUIST: "Okay, what can I do to help?"

KEEPER: "Just bring the stuff in," he says. "I'll set up shop upstairs. Easier to keep it out of sight."

LUNDQUIST: "All right."

KEEPER: Meanwhile, back in Harlem... Rogers, you park and send the signal to Cabot, all's clear.

KEEPER: After that, it's a matter of waiting. Time passes slowly.

ROGERS: Anything unusual happening or anything happening at all?

KEEPER: Once, you look back to see a car cross your street a couple of blocks back, but that's the extent of the traffic.

KEEPER: Finally, at 3:49 AM, you see an ambulance drive past.

ROGERS: OK I'm going to follow the instructions we recieved.

KEEPER: The ambulance turns onto 191st street and drives slowly along, finally stopping at building #13. Kelley drives out behind it hurriedly and pulls to a stop. He opens the door and steps out of the Range Rover.

KEEPER: The ambulance doors open in the back. You see two men in paramedic uniforms inside, plus the driver. One man in the back remains crouched near a deep equipment tray. The other leans out, looking around. You don't recognize any of them.

KEEPER: Kelley walks up, shrugging off tension. He looks from one man to the other. "Well?"

ROGERS: Rogers gets the EGGS from the car and hands them over giving a quick summary of what has happenend en route

KEEPER: The closest one nods as they bundle the men into the ambulance. They listen closely, without taking notes.

KEEPER: "Understood," the nearest one says, finally. He looks up as his partner secures the man and the samples inside. "Anything else?"

KEEPER: Rogers, the paramedic looks at you and Kelley, waiting.

KEEPER: Meanwhile, back at the house...

KEEPER: Lundquist, within an hour you and Danforth have the place wired up.

LUNDQUIST: Good enough. I want to check out the window every so often, looking for surveilance.

KEEPER: It doesn't have the bells and whistles of the last safe-house, but it's easy to set up the IR cameras in windows on each side.

KEEPER: Danforth gets his recording gear set up, turning one small upstairs bedroom into a claustrophobic bank of electronics and consoles.

LUNDQUIST: OK

KEEPER: And, finally, you get a call from Kelley.

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah."

KEEPER: "The EGG is in the NEST. BLUEBIRD is heading for the BIRDCAGE. Copy."

LUNDQUIST: "Ah, roger that."

KEEPER: "Be seeing you." He clicks off.

KEEPER: Danforth looks up from his equipment. "Everything cool?"

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah, they're inbound.

KEEPER: He nods and looses a long yawn. "Put some coffee on, man. It's been a long damn day."

LUNDQUIST: "Has it? Yeah, I guess so." I go look for a coffee pot in the kitchen.

KEEPER: An hour later, as the clock creeps up on 5:00 AM and the sky turns a lighter grey outside, the other cars pull up, and the rest of the team comes inside. Rogers and Kelley look a little more sooty than they did before, and Rogers is wearing a different suit, but they're healthy.

LUNDQUIST: "Trouble?"

KEEPER: "Lost one of the samples," says Kelley. "We had the FBI man doped up, but the stuff went active and burst the NBC suit. We had to torch it."

LUNDQUIST: "Jesus."

KEEPER: "Yeah. Gave Rogers a little scare, too."

ROGERS: "OK lets decide what we're going to do tomorrow and then get some rest."

LUNDQUIST: "Hey, we gotta get rid of our cars." I explain my concerns about Deveraux's people finding them here.

LUNDQUIST: "We can go rent new ones over at the airport."

ROGERS: "Ok who can handle that?"

KEEPER: Kelley gets a cup of coffee. "Good idea. I can drive it out with Keen. But let's figure out our next move, first."

LUNDQUIST: "Well, I'd like to have a go at Volker's safe deposit box, after I get some sleep."

ROGERS: "Mr. L I figure we need to get into Volkers safety deposit box ASAP. But we ned to be safe doing it, I'm going to call in and see if I can borrow a bomb sniffer from the office."

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah, he might have booby-trapped the thing if there's anything juicy inside."

KEEPER: Kelley nods. "Right. Can we afford to take the morning off to sleep, though? Lundquist, you're hurt, but the rest of us may need to keep going. We have too much on the plate."

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah, well, I'm open to suggestions..."

ROGERS: "I'm figuring we all need a good 8 hours so I'll set that up now then we all sack in for some rest."

LUNDQUIST: "I'd still like to question one of the Warriors sometime, and then there's that farm in Pennsylvania."

KEEPER: "Exactly. We don't have much intelligence on that farm. With their boy Mahmoud gone, we don't know how they'll react. I don't think we can spare 8 hours."

ROGERS: "The way I see it we need to have a quiet period if possible and checking that Deposit box seems the safe option any indeas on how we should handle that Mr. L?"

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah. Volker's dead, right? So I'll draw up a fake power of attorney allowing us access to the box as agents of his estate."

LUNDQUIST: "We might be able to just get in with they key... But if we get any flak from the bank, we can produce some papers. A fake ID with the name Volker on it might be good too, one of us could be a relative."

ROGERS: "Best have everyone in the bak as security though anyone want to get a second mortgage?"

KEEPER: "Everyone in the bank? I don't know. That's risky. Better to scope it out first, then keep it low-key."

ROGERS: "Ok well everyone close then just in case."

LUNDQUIST: "One or two backup guys can go in and speak to a loan officer for a while. The others can be in a car around the corner."

KEEPER: "Sounds good. What to do about the farm? I think we should send me and Cabot or Keen in early to recon it. Once we have some more information we can send the main team in."

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah. I think the farm is going to get stale fast, once Abdul fails to report in."

ROGERS: "I think we should check what we get from the box first it may be of use before we go in there or send anyone on a recon."

ROGERS: "Then proceed to the farm."

KEEPER: "I agree. All right. We have three or four hours until the bank opens. Figure an hour to get there, and an hour to surveil it. That leaves us one or two."

ROGERS: "So we going to get some sleep? Or should i break out the pep pills?"

KEEPER: He nods at your injured arm. "Let that shoulder rest for a while. You be the judge if you're up to hit the bank with us. And Lundquist needs to rest that busted skull for a while--stimulants won't do him any good at all."

LUNDQUIST: "I'll be okay after about thirty hours of sleep."

ROGERS: "OK so can you guys retrieve the stuff from the bank while me and Mr. L sack in a few extra hours then Kelly?"

KEEPER: He nods. "I think that's feasible. Give us an hour to retrieve the box, another to get back; that gives you guys five or six hours to crash before we start recon on the farm. Me, Cabot, and Keen can handle the bank. Danforth can keep an eye on things from here."

ROGERS: "You want me to get a chemical sniffer over for you to use on the box?"

KEEPER: "Yeah. And Lundquist, see what you can do for those powers-of-attorney papers."

ROGERS: Rogers goes off to make some phone calls to CIA contacts

LUNDQUIST: "I ought to be able to whip up something convincing."

KEEPER: "Good. All right. We'll get cleaned up and changed. We can change cars on the way to the bank." He goes to tell Cabot and Keen the plan, then the three of them head for the showers.

LUNDQUIST: I fish out my laptop and start typing.

KEEPER: Montage ahead: Lundquist, you get a few documents typed and printed out. You're too fatigued and nauseous to make them perfect, but they're passable. Rogers, you make a pick-up of a case of chemical gear.

KEEPER: The rest of the team charges up on coffee after cleaning up and putting on new suits. Finally, they take the gear, get in the cars, and drive off.

LUNDQUIST: I'm already asleep.

KEEPER: You too, Rogers?

ROGERS: Oh yes

KEEPER: Five minutes later--that's what it seems like, anyway--Kelley's voice wakes you. "Up and at 'em, boys. The day's wasting." The clock says it's 10:48 AM.

LUNDQUIST: "What! What! I'm awake!"

KEEPER: "Come on downstairs, then. We need to make some plans." He closes the door again.

ROGERS: One quick shower and breakfast later....

ROGERS: "So what happenend at the bank Kelly any problems?"

LUNDQUIST: "Christ, I feel awful."

ROGERS: "Don't look too good either."

KEEPER: The proceeds of the safe deposit box are on the dining room table: you see several stacks of cash in various currencies, four passports (one English, three American), and three different New York state drivers' licenses.

KEEPER: Danforth is looking at the other item found there.

KEEPER: Kelley says, "It went smoothly. No resistance, no surveillance that we detected."

LUNDQUIST: "What ya got there, Danno?"

KEEPER: Danforth doesn't look up. He's wearing microscope goggles and using his finest tines to probe the thing. From your vantage, it looks like a 13-inch strip of circuitry embedded in a flexible fabric, with a thin, metallic grey card at one end.

KEEPER: "Fuck if I know," he says. He seems to be looking at the "card" at the moment. "But it sure is funky."

LUNDQUIST: "How funky?"

KEEPER: "Better-than-NSA funky. Check it out." Still staring through his goggles, he reaches out and thumbs a button. A monitor nearby hums and an image forms.

KEEPER: In the monitor you see a featureless expane of gunmetal grey. "This is the card." He moves one of his tines in, and under magnification the thing looks like a slab taking up a quarter of the screen.

KEEPER: The tine presses down, and the grey shifts and flows around it like liquid.

ROGERS: "Is it the same tech as in that weapon we recovered?"

KEEPER: He pulls the tine out again. The grey flows back into place, featureless.

LUNDQUIST: "Well, shit."

KEEPER: "Looks like it from some of the circuitry. Real fine stuff. I mean, so fine I can't see it all."

KEEPER: "The circuitry on this strip looks kinda like the insides of that weapon, where that--stuff--was. Same kind of gold connectors."

KEEPER: He continues to stare at the thing, moving his visual field slowly to the circuitry. It looks like a mesh of tiny golden hooks above a blurry copper-colored layer.

LUNDQUIST: "All right. All right." I boot the computer back up and type up a quick update to Meredith.

ROGERS: "You tried connecting that card into anything?"

KEEPER: Danforth keeps examining his find. "Not yet. No telling what'll happen."

KEEPER: Kelley says. "Well. What's next?"

LUNDQUIST: "Recon the farm?"

LUNDQUIST: "Were there card readers around the Breckenridge facility that might work with this thing?"

KEEPER: Danforth says, "I never saw any."

KEEPER: Kelley shakes his head.

LUNDQUIST: "All right. Something to keep an eye out for."

ROGERS: "Does this look like it should fit into the weapon at all?"

KEEPER: Danforth says, "Nope."

KEEPER: Danforth is still examining the strange item recovered from Volker's safe deposit box.

KEEPER: Any other questions about it?

ROGERS: "Is there anyway to input anything into it lkike the keypad on the weapon?"

LUNDQUIST: Yeah, what's it for, how does it work, what's it do, who made it, where did Volker get it, why was he keeping it in the box with his spooker, is there any extraterrestrial technology involved, and how can it help our investigation?

KEEPER: Danforth says, "I don't know. Some of the connectors look similar. This..." He licks his lips. "I think this is a transdermal conductor."

ROGERS: "And that is in english for the hard of thinking Danforth?"

KEEPER: "Like, you wear it on your skin, and it receives electical signals from your nervous system."

KEEPER: "USAF is big on researching that kind of thing, but it's a long way off... Supposed to be, anyway."

ROGERS: "So if we connect someone up to that?"

KEEPER: "I got no idea, big guy."

ROGERS: "Hey hang on what if this stuff isn't for use by people its for use by that organism we Identified?"

ROGERS: "Thats subdermal right?"

KEEPER: "That organism--again, no idea. But you wear it on your skin, not subdermal. If I'm right, which I won't guarantee."

ROGERS: "I'm thinking it would make an excellent security feature, only those under control by the organism with this tech can open doors if thats what it's for. Anyone want to attatch it to their skin and see what happens?"

KEEPER: You don't hear anybody volunteer.

ROGERS: "OK so I'll do it."

ROGERS: "Any objections?"

LUNDQUIST: "Well, I'm certainly a little leery..."

LUNDQUIST: "But then what's the worst that could happen?"

KEEPER: Kelley says, "We don't have clue one what this is."

ROGERS: "Possession and death?"

ROGERS: "Yeah and we won't get any idea unless we take a risk."

ROGERS: "Danforth what goes where?"

KEEPER: Danforth says, "Just... Hell, I guess, just put your arm on the strip, there. Lay it on the table here so I can keep an eye on it."

LUNDQUIST: "And Rogers... If something goes wacko here, nothing personal, but..."

ROGERS: "Right before we do this if I go ga ga rip the damn thing off ok."

ROGERS: "We got any medical monitors to monitor me when we put the strip on?"

KEEPER: Kelley nods and brings blood pressure cuffs and some other minor equipment from another room.

ROGERS: "Ok let's see what this thing does."

KEEPER: You place your arm on the open strip. Almost immediately, the material gathers up and wraps around your forearm, until it connects in a full loop. You feel a distinct tingling throughout your arm.

ROGERS: (any pain?)

KEEPER: No pain, just tingling, like your arm has gone to sleep and feeling is returning. The tingling grows deeper in your arm and spreads to your shoulder and back.

ROGERS: "My arm feels like it going to sleep and now it's progressing up my shoulder like an anasthetic almost"

KEEPER: The tingling reaches the small of your back and the nape of your neck, and then it fades. Instead you feel a dull ache, across your body. It doesn't start in any one area and spread; it simply appears , everywhere at once.

ROGERS: "I'm getting a dull aching sensation all over my body."

ROGERS: "What are the monitors showing?"

KEEPER: "Increased heart rate, slightly increased respiration--"

ROGERS: "Well I am nervous so that normal, watch for any spikes."

KEEPER: Rogers, a wave of black, absolute pain hammers you.

KEEPER: Rogers staggers and collapses.

KEEPER: Then the pain disappears.

KEEPER: Rogers, things look strange.

ROGERS: "I'm ok. I think"

ROGERS: What do I see?

LUNDQUIST: I've got my gun on Rogers now.

ROGERS: "Things are looking strange guys."

KEEPER: You see the room, but it's strange. The colors seem wrong, less vivid. The men standing around you look--incomplete. You can't figure out how, exactly, but it's like there's something missing.

ROGERS: Rogers trys to move his arm slowly "I'm going to move my arm everyone."

KEEPER: You notice that Lundquist is aiming his pistol at you. Kelley and Cabot have their hands near theirs. Their eyes are cold.

LUNDQUIST: "R g rs? Wh t's wr ng?"

ROGERS: "My perception of the room has changed, and I'm not hearing complete sentances I think someone say something."

LUNDQUIST: "Yeah?"

KEEPER: Rogers, your arm rises, but it takes some effort. Danforth takes a step to the side, and it's like seeing a movie switch from 3-D to normal and back again.

ROGERS: "I heard all of that, the last thing you said though was broken up, whow when you moved then that was strange."

LUNDQUIST: "Strange how?"

ROGERS: "I'm going to try standing up, be ready to catch me this things altering my perception of the room."

ROGERS: "It was like you were a painting but when you moved you became three dimensional and then back to being a flat painting again."

LUNDQUIST: I'll lower my gun, but keep it ready.

ROGERS: can I feel anything from the device on my arm?

KEEPER: Rogers, you still feel yourself moving sluggishly, but you manage to stand. It's like you're standing under a great weight.

KEEPER: You don't feel the device at all.

ROGERS: "Well that was hard to do. Felt like I was heavy and slow, maybe this thing needs the DM drug to allow you to perform at normal speeds."

ROGERS: "What are the medical data doing?"

KEEPER: Kelley looks the equipment over. "Your metabolism is going harder--high respiration, pulse..."

LUNDQUIST: "Body temperature?"

KEEPER: "A little low. 97.9"

ROGERS: "Not dangerous yet then." "Someone move in front of me lets see what I can see."

LUNDQUIST: I walk back and forth.

KEEPER: It's a similar effect, like perspective is changing in more than the usual visual sense, somehow.

ROGERS: "I'm going to try and think about the device and see if it does anything."

KEEPER: You can't.

LUNDQUIST: ?

KEEPER: Wait--that's not right. It's like, you can think of it, abstractly, but you can't really conceptualize it.

ROGERS: I can't think or I can't think about the device?

ROGERS: "Hmm well ok lets try the final thing, lets take it off." Rogers sits back down.

ROGERS: "Danforth want to take the connectors out please."

KEEPER: "Uh... yeah. Let me take a look, first."

ROGERS: "But be ready to stop if it looks like I'm in trouble on the monitors"

KEEPER: He puts the goggles back on and sits down, watching the loop as he manipulates it with another set of tines.

KEEPER: "Yeah... okay, I'm pulling it off, now." He tugs, and part of the strip lifts away. Rogers, it feels cold.

KEEPER: "Yeah... coming up out of the skin, one by one... there's residue still, microscopic, fluid from the skin... wait--" He flips the monitor on again.

KEEPER: You see a length of the golden hooks over the coppery blur, held shakily within view. The hooks have a coating of fluid and a few large chunks of what must be skin cells.

KEEPER: As you watch the little golden hooks, one at a time, emit a brief glow, and the coating fluid vanishes. There's a puff of steam or smoke as a larger chunk is vaporized.

KEEPER: "Self cleaning," Danforth notes. The image switches off as he moves the lenses and pulls the strip further off of Rogers' arm.

KEEPER: Rogers, your arm and spine now both feel cold.

ROGERS: "If this fucks up it's been nice knowing you guys."

KEEPER: After another minute, Danforth pulls the strip fully away from Rogers' arm.

ROGERS: "Feels cold no pain yet though."

KEEPER: The chill lasts another minute, Rogers, before it slowly passes. You don't notice when your vision returns to normal, but it does.

LUNDQUIST: "Well?"

KEEPER: "Vitals are going back to baseline." DGRogers says: "Danforth don't suppose you had any electronic masking on in this room did you?"

ROGERS: "Ok I'm going to try and move an arm now."

KEEPER: Danforth shrugs. "The place is insulated to keep emissions down. Just an antenna array up top to allow radio and cellular communications."

KEEPER: The arm moves normally.

ROGERS: "Did my arm just move?"

KEEPER: "Yeah"

LUNDQUIST: "Let's hope this thing doesn't send some sort of beacon to its makers when it activates."

ROGERS: "I'm going to stand up." Rogers attempts to stand

KEEPER: Rogers, you find you can stand without difficulty. There's no lingering disorientation.

ROGERS: "I was just thinking what if this thing started to transmit information because I couldn't get access to anything from it."

KEEPER: Danforth takes off his goggles. "I don't know. I doubt it. But I don't know."