7am - On the 14th floor of the IRS Building
The Anachron Team presented their findings from Wichita to Weiss, his assistant, and Davis. The video evidence was irrefutable. Weiss was pleased with their efforts even though they had broken protocol. The suspension was lifted and Anachron Team was restored to the investigation, but this time they were going to take the lead.
Under the Team's orders, Davis was assigned to find Mitchell, the missing security guard from Wichita, dead or alive. Weiss made one request before the Anachron Team investigated any further; he asked that they look into the deaths of his two two Secret Service (SS) agents that were with the President when he died. Weiss released the bodies of the two SS agents who were with the President on the stage on the afternoon of the assassination. The Team agreed and the meeting ajorned.
Anachron Field Log: Sequence 5
The President was just taking the podium in front of hundreds of spectators in Burnett Plaza. The two SS stood a few paces back from the President. Their radio earpieces were alive with chatter from the dozen or so SS and military guards scattered around the plaza grounds and rooftops. As the President began speaking things quiet down and an all clear was given over radio.
A minute or so into the speech a sharp pop could be heard over the radio. It was followed by three more pops. For the next few seconds nothing intelligible could be made out over the radio. People were screaming and running from Cane who had opened fire on the guards inside the Burnett lobby, but at the moment the SS and military couldn't make sense of the chaos being broadcast on the radio. Finally someone shouted in a clear voice that there was a shooter in the lobby.
The two SS agents turned around to look at the lobby back through the glass of building behind them. Cane was dashing from cover to cover and firing a handgun with deadly resolve. He had a determined look in his eyes that told the SS agents that he didn't care if he died so long as he finished what he had started. The question was, what had started?
It didn't take long for the SS to find out the answer to that question. Cane made a final rush towards the glass. His backpack was clearly visible and he was firing his gun at the remaining guards in the lobby in an attempt to get as close to the glass as possible without being fatally shot. The SS realized Cane's sinister intentions to late. Both SS dove to protect the President just as the bomb went off. One agent was cut to ribbons in the blast and died almost instantly. The other managed to shield the President and survived the blast.
In the sub-basement of the IRS Building
Lauren sat up on the table of the Anachron. Jeremy was not at her side as he should have been. Silvia was sitting across the way operating for Alex who was still synced up to her SS agent riding out the aftermath of the explosion that had just ejected Lauren from the Anachron. It only took a moment for Lauren to realize something wasn't right. She looked around and immediately noticed Dr. Saren laying face down in a pool of blood at the base of the Anachron mainframe.
Before Lauren could ask what had happened a shot rang out somewhere off in the basement. Silvia shrieked at the noise and called out, "Jeremy." Lauren reached for her handgun but it was missing. She looked to Silvia, and Silvia pleaded for her to help Jeremy. Lauren took Alex's gun and looked out into the expansive basement. She saw row after row of archive files. Occupancy sensors controlled the lights that illuminated the narrow rows of files. Jeremy, and presumably whom ever shot Dr. Saren were somewhere out in the archives and the occupancy sensors left a trail for Lauren to follow.
Lauren slipped quietly into the files, following the trail of illuminated rows. 15 or so rows in she came to the end to the illuminated trail. Who ever set off the sensors had stopped their escape just one row ahead of where she had stood. Lauren could see a boot sticking out from a row at the end of the trail. She tripped the sensor on the adjacent row to create a diversion and ran up the opposite side towards the boot. When she rounded the corner with her gun drawn and ready to fire. At her feet she discovered Jeremy laying on the ground with a gaping whole in his forehead. He had been shot from behind at close range. It was his boot that Lauren had seen sticking out of the row.
Somebody moved nearby and set off another sensor. Jeremy and Dr. Saren's murderer was still close by. Lauren took off without a second thought to confront the murderer. Lauren ran fast and made up the distance between her and the murderer within a few rows. Lauren rounded the last corner and found herself looking down the row at a man sprinting for an exit door leading up and out of the basement.
The man was making to exit the door. Lauren raised her gun. As the door swung open a light cast upon the face of the murderer. It was Chief Weiss. Lauren fired her gun but missed her mark. The door swung shut. By the time Lauren made it to the door it was barred closed. Lauren was alone in a remote corner of the sub-basement. Weiss had shot and killed Jeremy and Dr. Saren, but why?
Back at the Anachron, Alex sat up on the table. She was still shaken from her most recent brush with virtual death, this time being crushed by what remained of Burnett Tower as she hunted, via proxy, for the President in the rubble after the explosion. Alex's last minute as the SS agent had been strange. Time had shifted forwards and backwards and actual reality and virtual reality had started to blend. She recalled a disconnected voice speaking as over the twisted events saying, "I'm shutting you down permanently," and asking "Is this the mainframe?" However, the Anachron run was over now and presently she was sitting up in the sub-basement.
At first glance she noticed Jeremy and Lauren weren't at their station. Next she saw Dr. Saren dead on the floor. She whipped around to find Silvia vigilantly sitting at her station clutching her stomach. She had been shot and the wound had blossomed to stain her whole lower torso. Silvia was breathing in a soft wheeze. Alex applied pressure to the wound and Silvia's wheezing eased for a moment.
Alex asked, "What happened?"
Silvia responded softly, "I could tell you, but it would be easier for me to show you," as she slumped over dead in Alex's arms.
Better gaming through discussion
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Monday, September 2, 2013
Anachron - 07
Anachron Field Log: Sequence 4
Security was tight inside the lobby of Burnett Tower. It was lunch hour and people were milling about. A campaign tent could be seen through the East glazed wall. The President had begun his speech only minutes ago.
A large man with a black military backpack pushed his way through the security checkpoint line at the entrance of the lobby. People shouted angrily as he forced his way up to the metal detectors. He ran right through the metal detectors triggering blinking lights and a siren that sounded as angry as the people in the line behind him.
Without hesitation he pulled out a handgun and skillfully shot both security guards at either side of the metal detectors before they could draw their guns. The lobby erupted with screams as a fire-fight broke out. The man ran as fast as he could, soaking bullets and frantically returning fire, towards the East wall. He made it three-quarters of the way across the lobby where bloodied and firing his gun with both hands, he exploded.
In the debriefing room after the Anachron run:
The Anachron Team dissected the last moments of Cane's life. Cane as always seemed rushed. It was as if he were late for his own suicide mission. Cane exploded without warning. Had he planned this or was the bomb set to blow on a timer? The team begins to question whether Cane was in control of the situation in the lobby, in the taxi, or back in Wichita. Why is he always so desperate in all of his actions? Perhaps someone else is pulling his strings. Could it be General Hills?
The team couldn't be certain until they got the missing video surveillance video from the military prison Cane escaped from. Jeremy loaded a flash drive with a hacking program that the women could use to retrieve the missing surveillance video once they infiltrated the prison. All they had to do was get to a computer on the network and plug it in and let the hacking program do its work.
10 pm - On the tarmac of a military airfield only a few miles from the military prison in Wichita
Only 34 hours had passed since the President was killed, but four Anachron runs and lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll on Lauren and Alex. Two hours ago they were in the basement of the IRS building experiencing the explosion Cane set off in the Burnett lobby via the Anachron, and now they were in the present, in Wichita, attempting to covertly recover missing surveillance video from a high security prison. The present and past were blurring together, it was hard to judge when and where they were.
They were picked up and driven to the prison by a lieutenant. They entered the facility under the guise that they were investigating Cane's escape for the investigation back in Ft. Worth. They quickly learned that someone had already been sent by Weiss just a few hours ago to check the prison. The agent that came before them was named Davis.
The women were shown around the prison, but they speedily turned their attention to finding the missing video. The lieutenant brought them to the surveillance control room, but he forewarned them that Davis came up empty handed after looking for the missing video. The lieutenant introduced the agents to the security guard in the control room. His name was Evans, he looked exhausted. It was explained that another guard named Mitchell usually worked nights and Evans worked days. However, Mitchell went missing along with the video feed the night Cane escaped and Evans had been covering both shifts ever since.
The lieutenant left to get back to his duties, and Evans left to refill his coffee which left Lauren and Alex alone to poke through the video archive. Just as Davis had, they hit a wall. The video they wanted was missing from the archive. Even Jeremy's flash drive couldn't find the video. They simply weren't in the archive. Someone had to have moved them somewhere else, but where?
Hills' computer! Both agents came to the same conclusion simultaneously. They had to get to Hills' office and run the hacking program on his computer. They used the cameras to make sure Hills was not in his office. He wasn't, so they sprang into action. Alex stayed in the control room and Lauren rushed through the prison hallways to Hill's office.
Hills' office was locked, so Lauren picked the lock. She had never picked a lock in her life, but her hands moved with the dexterity of a master thief. As the lock clicked open something in Lauren's subconscious also clicked. She felt white hot heat wash over her and an explosion threw her against a wall. She could feel warm blood rushing down her forehead into her eyes. Suddenly it all went away and she found herself unharmed in the prison hallway with the door to Hills' office open before her. She had had a flashback, but the memory was not her own, it had come from her experience in the Anachron.
She shook off the flashback, entered the office, and plugged the flash drive into Hills' computer. Jeremy's program worked its magic. The missing video files were there, but it would take a couple minutes to download the videos to the flash drive. Meanwhile Alex was back in the control room watching as Evans returned from his coffee break. Alex kept Evans' eyes off the surveillance monitors long enough for Lauren to slip out of Hill's office unnoticed by flirting with him.
As Lauren made her way back to the control room Hills turned the corner and started walking down the hallway towards her. He was headed for his office and they were going to walk past each other. Lauren couldn't help herself not use this opportunity to talk briefly with Hills and see if she could psychoanalyze him. The two had a quick exchange of words that was more like a sparring match than a conversation. Lauren walked away certain that Hills was somehow involved in the assassination, but she let slip that she was working on the same investigation as Weiss.
Alex and Lauren reunited, and left the prison with little fanfare. They had got what they came for, all they could hope for was that the reward was worth the risk.
2 am - In the debriefing room after the trip to Wichita:
The Anachron Team loaded up the recovered surveillance videos and watched. There was no sound but the image was clear enough to work out what was being said by reading lips. Each of the 3 videos held incriminating evidence:
Video 1 - Shows Cane being loaded into the prisoner truck. The guards are dismissed by Hills, who then tosses something (presumably handcuff keys and a handgun) into Cane and cuts the pad lock that holds the doors shut.
Video 2 - Shows Mitchell sitting in the control room. Hills comes in and says "I've got a bad feeling about that prisoner transfer." Hills tells Mitchell to radio the truck and make sure everything is okay. Mitchell radios the truck but gets no response. Hills leaves the control room.
Video 3 - Shows Hills returning to the control room a few minutes later and ordering Mitchell to come with him to go find out what happened to the truck.
The Anachron Team has the video evidence they need to connect Hills to Cane. The team plans to show Weiss the video first thing in the morning.
Security was tight inside the lobby of Burnett Tower. It was lunch hour and people were milling about. A campaign tent could be seen through the East glazed wall. The President had begun his speech only minutes ago.
A large man with a black military backpack pushed his way through the security checkpoint line at the entrance of the lobby. People shouted angrily as he forced his way up to the metal detectors. He ran right through the metal detectors triggering blinking lights and a siren that sounded as angry as the people in the line behind him.
Without hesitation he pulled out a handgun and skillfully shot both security guards at either side of the metal detectors before they could draw their guns. The lobby erupted with screams as a fire-fight broke out. The man ran as fast as he could, soaking bullets and frantically returning fire, towards the East wall. He made it three-quarters of the way across the lobby where bloodied and firing his gun with both hands, he exploded.
In the debriefing room after the Anachron run:
The Anachron Team dissected the last moments of Cane's life. Cane as always seemed rushed. It was as if he were late for his own suicide mission. Cane exploded without warning. Had he planned this or was the bomb set to blow on a timer? The team begins to question whether Cane was in control of the situation in the lobby, in the taxi, or back in Wichita. Why is he always so desperate in all of his actions? Perhaps someone else is pulling his strings. Could it be General Hills?
The team couldn't be certain until they got the missing video surveillance video from the military prison Cane escaped from. Jeremy loaded a flash drive with a hacking program that the women could use to retrieve the missing surveillance video once they infiltrated the prison. All they had to do was get to a computer on the network and plug it in and let the hacking program do its work.
10 pm - On the tarmac of a military airfield only a few miles from the military prison in Wichita
Only 34 hours had passed since the President was killed, but four Anachron runs and lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll on Lauren and Alex. Two hours ago they were in the basement of the IRS building experiencing the explosion Cane set off in the Burnett lobby via the Anachron, and now they were in the present, in Wichita, attempting to covertly recover missing surveillance video from a high security prison. The present and past were blurring together, it was hard to judge when and where they were.
They were picked up and driven to the prison by a lieutenant. They entered the facility under the guise that they were investigating Cane's escape for the investigation back in Ft. Worth. They quickly learned that someone had already been sent by Weiss just a few hours ago to check the prison. The agent that came before them was named Davis.
The women were shown around the prison, but they speedily turned their attention to finding the missing video. The lieutenant brought them to the surveillance control room, but he forewarned them that Davis came up empty handed after looking for the missing video. The lieutenant introduced the agents to the security guard in the control room. His name was Evans, he looked exhausted. It was explained that another guard named Mitchell usually worked nights and Evans worked days. However, Mitchell went missing along with the video feed the night Cane escaped and Evans had been covering both shifts ever since.
The lieutenant left to get back to his duties, and Evans left to refill his coffee which left Lauren and Alex alone to poke through the video archive. Just as Davis had, they hit a wall. The video they wanted was missing from the archive. Even Jeremy's flash drive couldn't find the video. They simply weren't in the archive. Someone had to have moved them somewhere else, but where?
Hills' computer! Both agents came to the same conclusion simultaneously. They had to get to Hills' office and run the hacking program on his computer. They used the cameras to make sure Hills was not in his office. He wasn't, so they sprang into action. Alex stayed in the control room and Lauren rushed through the prison hallways to Hill's office.
Hills' office was locked, so Lauren picked the lock. She had never picked a lock in her life, but her hands moved with the dexterity of a master thief. As the lock clicked open something in Lauren's subconscious also clicked. She felt white hot heat wash over her and an explosion threw her against a wall. She could feel warm blood rushing down her forehead into her eyes. Suddenly it all went away and she found herself unharmed in the prison hallway with the door to Hills' office open before her. She had had a flashback, but the memory was not her own, it had come from her experience in the Anachron.
She shook off the flashback, entered the office, and plugged the flash drive into Hills' computer. Jeremy's program worked its magic. The missing video files were there, but it would take a couple minutes to download the videos to the flash drive. Meanwhile Alex was back in the control room watching as Evans returned from his coffee break. Alex kept Evans' eyes off the surveillance monitors long enough for Lauren to slip out of Hill's office unnoticed by flirting with him.
As Lauren made her way back to the control room Hills turned the corner and started walking down the hallway towards her. He was headed for his office and they were going to walk past each other. Lauren couldn't help herself not use this opportunity to talk briefly with Hills and see if she could psychoanalyze him. The two had a quick exchange of words that was more like a sparring match than a conversation. Lauren walked away certain that Hills was somehow involved in the assassination, but she let slip that she was working on the same investigation as Weiss.
Alex and Lauren reunited, and left the prison with little fanfare. They had got what they came for, all they could hope for was that the reward was worth the risk.
2 am - In the debriefing room after the trip to Wichita:
The Anachron Team loaded up the recovered surveillance videos and watched. There was no sound but the image was clear enough to work out what was being said by reading lips. Each of the 3 videos held incriminating evidence:
Video 1 - Shows Cane being loaded into the prisoner truck. The guards are dismissed by Hills, who then tosses something (presumably handcuff keys and a handgun) into Cane and cuts the pad lock that holds the doors shut.
Video 2 - Shows Mitchell sitting in the control room. Hills comes in and says "I've got a bad feeling about that prisoner transfer." Hills tells Mitchell to radio the truck and make sure everything is okay. Mitchell radios the truck but gets no response. Hills leaves the control room.
Video 3 - Shows Hills returning to the control room a few minutes later and ordering Mitchell to come with him to go find out what happened to the truck.
The Anachron Team has the video evidence they need to connect Hills to Cane. The team plans to show Weiss the video first thing in the morning.
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