Now that the story is over and done with, here it is for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.
The +mail follow-up:
============================================================================== Received: Fri Apr 3 12:54:10 1998 From: Rorschach To: JJ Malone Cc: Rorschach Subject: Seattle, Turner, and sundry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No one in Seattle will talk to you about Turner, or the documents. Among your (tenuous) contacts there, no one knows anyone named "Jack" or a mule named "Danielle." If you mention Turner by name, the phone is hung up -- immediately. If you call back, the line rings open for as long as you care to let it ring. The 18 wheeler has a commercial license plate from Tenneesee, and an ICC number on the cab, as required by federal regulations. There are no other identifying marks on the cab, or the trailer. Both are painted a matte white, with plenty of road grime. There are 5 black and white glossies. In each picture, a very attractive looking woman has been circled with blue china marker. She looks the same age in each photo. The first picture is from 1963, and the last is from 1998. All of them have dates on the back. The letter merely reads: Surveillance 1963-1998. Subject (current): Turner, Ashley. Additional data availible: Yes. URL: https://www.cockroach.org/top/washington/seattle/ Periplaneta americana END. -- Rorschach ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Fri Apr 3 15:46:34 1998 From: JJ Malone To: Rorschach, and Jayson Bcc: JJ Malone Subject: Pictures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jayson brought up a few points I forgot to ask: Where were the photos taken? Outside, or inside? Are the backgrounds recognizable as being anywhere (eg, in front of the Seattle City Hall)? Etc. ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Sat Apr 4 18:48:44 1998 From: Rorschach To: Rorschach, Jayson, JJ Malone Subject: Re: Pictures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are photos of her inside and outside, but in all the outside photos it's nighttime. The locations are not easily discernable. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
The +mail results:
============================================================================== Received: Mon Apr 13 20:56:51 1998 From: Rorschach To: Jayson Bcc: JJ Malone Subject: Re: Ashley Turner ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you use a resource like Alta Vista to check up on Ms. Turner, you'll find that most of the web sites mentioning her name are a) university research grant papers, mostly historical in nature -- most dealing with American history from 1850-1900, b) her own corporate web site, which apparently concentrates operations on transportation, although there are some commodity businesses: oil, lumber, some mineral exploration -- typical for a businessperson in the northwest, c) various humanistic philanthropies, like Habitat for Humanity -- her company supplies the lumber and building materials, as "in-kind" donations -- and sponsorship for Blood Drives for local hospitals, that sort of thing. www.cockroach.org seems to be some kind of specialized Glass Walker site. It's SSL3 encrypted, and requires a password and a username. +mail me if you want more information about cockroach.org. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
The +mail results:
============================================================================== Received: Sat Apr 25 12:23:11 1998 From: Rorschach To: Rorschach, Jayson Cc: JJ Malone Subject: Re: Www.etc ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It takes about 30 minutes to break into the site. It's sitting on a UNIX server, and you make it onto the box and start to search around. It's pretty simple to find some text files. One is fairly lengthly, probably about 40-50K, but that's nothing over a T-1. The other files are shorter, but they're encrypted, which compressed the data length. You're in and out in probably 30 minutes total. You save the long data file on a floppy disk and for some reason it's not encrypted. You're pretty surprised by that, actually, considering the length someone went to try and conceal this information. You're stuck with the feeling that your intrusion, though brief was monitored somehow. Deciding discretion is the better part of valor, you decide to stuff the disk in a pocket and browse it at your leisure on your home computer rather than in a public computer lab. Finally looking at the file at home, it contains a list of business enterprises that Ashley Turner is engaged in, annotated to indicate certain various quasi-legal activities that are taking place. One or two of them mention testing on human subjects -- unspecific, but it's there. The final two pages indicate that through various penetrations into the Turner corporate computer network, they've managed to get enough blackmail information to keep her at bay, but that she was aggressively moving to "eliminate our threat potential." It particularly mentions the fact that she's a vampire of unknown clan. The file was owned by a user named sms. Checking the GECOS information on sms before you logged out reveals it's someone listed as Samuel Michael Samuels, Seattle. Since I'm sure your character would have checked this (but I'm not sure you, the player would have thought of this), when you check the billing contact and administrative contact for the cockroach.org domain, you recognize the name of two prominent (read high ranking) Glass Walkers living on the East Coast in Boston. -- Rorschach ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Tue May 5 14:50:34 1998 From: Jayson To: Rorschach, and JJ Malone Subject: Follow Up WWW.Cockroach.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJ would like me (and I beleive Nigel) to follow up with what we found either by a) Our contacts in Boston (We all share a Boston Background) or by heading out there in person. So we'll start by contacts and go from there? ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Wed May 6 22:34:09 1998 From: Nigel To: JJ Malone Subject: Boston Walkers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The names you gave Nigel for the Boston Walkers are instantly recognizable--they're local legends, admired and respected high-ranks who're strong both as hackers and as corporate warriors. Y'know, I don't think I ever got the first bit of info that let me know why you're looking into these folks and this web site. :) ==============================================================================
Patrick pings J.J. to be filled in, and the two meet to discuss things briefly. Log of that scene.
The +mail:
============================================================================== Received: Thu May 14 09:14:45 1998 From: JJ Malone To: Jayson, and Nigel Bcc: JJ Malone Subject: Ashley Turner Research ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Either of you doing anymore following up on the Boston Walkers, if they know about the information left on their site, this 'sms' person, or looking more directly into Ashley's business and philanthropic dealings? Just following up, not trying to push. :) "Shades" ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Sat May 16 15:57:33 1998 From: Nigel To: JJ Malone Subject: Re: Ashley Turner Research ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My hunch is that the file's owner, 'Samuel Michael Samuels', is the key connecting 'Jack' in Seattle to the Bostonian Garou; I've been using my poor computer skills to hunt down that name. Locally, I've been looking at any unusual activities on the part of companies she owns--a large-scale push into the St. Claire area, to name one example. In both these cases, someone with advanced computer skills could probably uncover much more than I have, so feel welcome to spread these ideas along. :) ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Thu May 21 14:06:46 1998 From: Rorschach To: Rorschach, Nigel Cc: Salem, Jayson, and JJ Malone Subject: Re: SMS? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Samuel Michaels Samuels results in a few hits, but they're mostly just yardjockey homepages with no particularly useful information. It quickly becomes obvious that this is, in fact, a psuedonym. Following up in Boston, yields relatively few clues. The domain contact, one Phillip C. Chenowith, pcc@cockroach.org, is an Athro Philodox. He's also a world famous UNIX security expert. In brief, using PGP encrypted e-mail, he explains that the cockroach server was created as a central secure repository for sensitive Glass Walker materials from all over the world. He doesn't really know anything about Turner, in fact, he knows who she is publically, and that she's a vampire, but not much else. He's been concerned with East Coast things to this point. As for sms, all he will say is that the account holder is a trusted source of information from Seattle. At this point, your probable best bet for getting more information would be to infiltrate the Turner corporate network. JJ, you asked about having Salem perform a particularly good Walker chimanage? Here's the scenario: Turner's private corporate networks are heavily secured against remote intrusion. Security so effective that it'd be easier to actually break in to one of her many corporate facilities to get more information. You can target a branch office which *might* have access to the central databases, or you can attempt to get the big enchilada, and go for her world headquarters, located in Seattle. The local Walkers steadfastly and totally refuse to help with the infiltration -- whispered utterings of being between a rock and a hardplace with Turner. In any case, you can have him run "security" while the ubergeek of your choosing tries to break into to the computer system. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
The +mail about it:
============================================================================== Received: Thu May 21 14:23:50 1998 From: Steven To: Nigel Cc: Jayson, and JJ Malone Subject: Re: Vampwatch, Day 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (cc'd Jayson and JJ because presumably you'd share this information with them) Her company has had a small presence in St. Claire since it was formed back in the late 1870s. In fact, Washington state was one of the original pieces in her corporate empire, and they're the company who built the railroads through this area -- and near the caern... you come to discover. Her home city is listed as Seattle. (ObSmallHint: You may want to discuss this with Ouroboros.) ==============================================================================
============================================================================== Received: Thu May 28 15:51:24 1998 From: Rorschach To: Nigel Cc: Jayson, JJ Malone, and Lisa Subject: Fwd: Railroad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, I wasted a half hour getting on the mush website and checking our official timeline (most of the time was spent trying to remember where it was, actually) ((okay, fine, you got me, most of it was spent checking out Burning Man sites)). Anyhow, we'll try this the old-fashioned way: Nigel's going to trot over to the Athena Library and check out all the old newspapers he can find from that time period, looking for references to the rails: the pattern they were laid in, any oddness in the creation of them, dedication ceremonies involving the Mayor and Town Council drinking blood, whatever the reporters felt worthy of comment on. ---- Below this line are comments added by Rorschach ---- You'll notice that the Official GarouMUSH timeline is pretty vague about the time from 1876 to about 1900. I'm filling in some of the gaps with this story. Anyhoo, this history of the town is that on a seemingly successful mining town. Minerals were being sought in the Blue Mountains to the East of the Caern and railroads were needed to ship goods and workers and raw ore back to Seattle for ports further south like San Francisco and Los Angeles. The tycoon of the time was James R. Bartholomew, a powerful shipping magnate who residesd in Seattle. His empire stretched from Portland to Seattle and through out much of rural Washington state. Seems in 1876 there was quite a bit of Indian insurrection around St. Claire, and the local Army fort at Kent's Crossing was mobilized to put down the natives (savages, they're called). As the rails proceeded toward the Army fort at Kent's Crossing, the Indians once again rose in insurrection, but this time they could not be put down. Bartholomew himself came to St. Claire to oversee the railroad and was killed by savages during a midnight raid on his survey party. His body was never found. A short time later, the region was rocked by an earthquake of unknown magnitude, and the Bartholomew Railroad Company postponed eastern expansion of it's rail line from Yakima indefinitely. In fact, it seems, the rails weren't laid until in the 1940s, as you do further research. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
Log of Nigel relaying some of this information and more to J.J.
Log of the first planning meeting, involving a good chunk of unpacked Glass Walkers and Salem, who is looking to join.
As a result of the meeting, Lisa and Murphy went up to Seattle to do some preliminary assessment of the Turner Enterprises campus.
The +mail of what they found:
============================================================================== Received: Thu Jun 11 20:37:18 1998 From: Rorschach To: JJ Malone Cc: Rorschach Subject: Surveillance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Turner Transportation World Headquarters is situated on 5 acres of lush former farmland in suburban Seattle. The entire lot is rimmed with a chain link fence with concertina wire strung over top. Every 100' is a sign informing people that this is "private property and tresspassers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law." There are three main buildings on the campus. One of the building is obviously a warehouse. There are approximately 40 semi-trailer loading bays, of which approximately 15-20 are current used. The warehouse itself is about 75,000 sq. feet and stands approximately 40' high. Based on an extended casing, it appears to be operational 24 x 7. Another one of the buildings is a smaller one, perhaps 10,000 sq. ft. total and made of cinder blocks. There are no facing windows, except for two truck docks with shutterred steel doors, there are only four doors into the building, which are under constant video and human watch. Every door into the building requires a keycode to open. The only outwardly visible sign of the building's function is one that reads "Operations" in flat block letters. It, likewise seems to be operational 24 x 7. The final building in a monolithic looking construction composed almost entired of heavily mirrored dark glass and steel. It seems in the midst of a carefully manicured and groomed grove of flowers and shade trees; an area especially popular among those employees who smoke. In the midst of the grove, which faces the huge secured parking lot, is an illuminated sign that reads "Turner Transportation Word Headquarters, Kirkland, Washington. Executive Offices." Presumably this is where the suits live and work. As one might expect it runs nominally from 6 am until 6 pm, although some zealous work-a-holics stay longer or come in earlier. The blueprints obtained reveal that there are no public sewer connections and no public water connections either. In fact, there is a small water soweron the southwestern corner of the property. All sewage drains into a cess pool outside the fenced in area. The warehouse is constructed like a typical warehouse, with one enormous main room, and a set of smallish offices. CRT stands are scattered through out, apparently. The cinder block building plans are strangely missing from the project plans and the detailed blueprints. The administrative building is five stories tall and has about 300 employees. The top floor is reserved for executives of the company. Turner's office, it should be noted is centrally located and has no exterior windows. Telephone connections terminate at Turner's private branch exchange, and all data circuits seem to be trunked nearby the PBX. It's impossible to tell where the circuits terminate on the property based on what data you have thus far. Garbage collection is done twice weekly, and all paper appears to be shredded by the time it reaches the contractor who hauls it to the landfill. There are two gates into the fences. One is a southwesterly entrance that is more or less permanently closed, chained and padlocked, it is constantly watched by video cameras. The other entrance is the main gate, which is staffed 24 x 7 by privately trained security guards. All employees, including contractors like janitors and such, wear company issued photo I.D. badges; temporary badges are given to company visitors with a properly badged escort only. Each card has a magstripe, which presumably opens various doors into and out of the complex. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
The +mail results:
============================================================================== Received: Fri Jun 12 13:59:13 1998 From: Rorschach To: Salem, Rorschach, Jayson, Murphy, JJ Malone, Nigel, Lisa Subject: Re: Results of the Umbral Scouting mission ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Building by building then. Warehouse: This is a warehouse. People store things in it. There is cargo from all over the United States in here. All of it is legitimate. Pretty boring, really. The cinder block Operations building: This building contains approximately two large rectangular rooms with large concentrations of net spiders. Presumably, this is where the computer rooms for the enterprise are housed. There is a subbasement to this facility that seems to contain a jail of sorts. It's difficult to say exactly since there are several large nasty looking Wyrm-corrupted pattern spiders in and around that area. The administration building also contains four lower levels of offices for the rank and file. The top floor, as I mentioned before is the executive level. They have videoconferences and meetings; most of it looks legitimate. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
The mail:
============================================================================== Received: Thu Jun 18 13:53:41 1998 From: JJ Malone To: Rorschach Subject: Turner research ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ J.J. is doing his own web/library research about Turner, concentrating on: * The university research she's supported (mentioned in Jayson's initial search): J.J.'s looking for specifics, especially if she's concentrated on stuff around here and what if so. * Her philanthorpic ventures: what does she contribute to regularly, and might it be significant given what we know of her so far * Especially looking for information surrounding the archaelogical dig which discovered the medicine wheel: did she sponsor it, anything published about it at all, news or otherwise. J.J. ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Sat Jun 27 16:33:39 1998 From: Rorschach To: Rorschach, JJ Malone Subject: Re: Turner research ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Turner's university research projects have varied from several different places and in several locations, although, she seems to have devoted a large amount of resources to universities in western Washington state -- especially amongst historical, anthropological, and archaelogical projects. She's never funded anything at SCCU before, but there have been other projects nearby. She is rather well known in regional philanthropical circles. There have been rumors, albeit, unproved that she's supported research of a less than ... ethical nature. I.e., testing of substances on certain human subjects, etc. Nothing's ever been proven conclusively -- or there has been a massive coverup. :) Philanthropically, she contributes to historical research, especially in Western Washington and northern Oregon, blood banks and human health charities. No papers have been published by the dig team, although there were several articles in the St. Claire Tribune about the expedition and the medicine wheel theft. (I don't know if they're still on the media bboard or not.) -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
The following was actually simply meant to be the topics Jayson would look for, but since Rorschach replied, I guess J.J. did more looking. :)
The +mail:
============================================================================== Received: Tue Jul 14 11:46:29 1998 From: JJ Malone To: Salem, Jayson, Murphy, Nigel, Jeff, and Lisa Cc: Rorschach Subject: Turner search ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Things J.J. specifically would be wanting information on: * Information on James Bartholomew, David Turner, and the founding of Turner Enterprises * Information on the details of Bartholomew's death * Information on the earthquake which disrupted rail construction shortly after Bartholomew's death * Any information surrounding the initial delay in building the railroad in St. Claire, especially reasons for why it wasn't continued * Ditto for why the railroad building went ahead in the 1940's. * Any mention of the Medicine Wheel which Consumer-of-Stone was bound into, especially the archaelogical dig which unearthed it Keywords: James (R.) Bartholomew, David Turner, St. Claire, Wendigo, Indians, Natives, Earthquake, Consumer, Stone "Shades" ============================================================================== ============================================================================== Received: Wed Jul 15 02:05:12 1998 From: Rorschach To: Salem, Rorschach, Jayson, Murphy, JJ Malone, Nigel, Jeff, Lisa Subject: Re: Turner search ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information on Bartholomew outside of what you already have isn't readily availible. David Turner was apparently a young man when he inherited the company; no pictures of him are known to exist. He lived in virtual seclusion; most of his work was carried out by business manager proxies. The incorporation papers on file with the Secretary of States office archives are mundane and legitamate. The company was formed to be a holding company for the various corporate assets the company held -- trucking, sea lines, railroads, etc. Bartholomew's death is shrouded in a touch of mystery -- no autopsy was performed and the body was allegedly cremated in the family's burial plot in Seattle. Newspaper accounts peg his death as a sudden unexpected bout with brain fever -- which is period medical jargon for 'we have no fucking clue.' All that's known about the earthquake is that it postponed construction in and around Saint Claire for many many years -- the newspaper reports cite a geological study which shows a more "stable" route to the mountains some 30 miles south of the city and what is now Wolf Woods National Park. No other reasons are cited -- but no other railroad or Turner venture entered St. Claire until after the 1940s. Turner railroad construction ostensibily began in the 40s to support the massive WWII effort in America. A search on medicine wheel does bring up several articles, but none of the specific size and shape that is related to the CoS. A check with the university reveals that there is a draft copy of the medicine wheel report, but that it's incomplete and not for eyes outside of the department yet. The dig site was apparently located by a group of college students who had camped near-by the dig site -- and after an earthquake went to poke around a cave which had opened. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================
==============================================================================
Received: Thu Jul 16 15:10:34 1998
From: Rorschach
To: Salem, Rorschach, Jayson, Murphy, JJ Malone, Nigel, Jeff, Lisa
Subject: Re: Turner Raid
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TURNER RAID
It was a cloudy night, and that helped right off the bat. Lisa's
scouting work in Seattle had finally paid off. A long 58' semi trailer was
holed up by the City of Seattle Port Authority and was in-bound for the
Turner Enterprises Warehouse depot yard on July 15, 1998 just before
midnight. The cargo was a load of Chinese toys destined for a toy
wholesaler in Portland, OR. Amongst the crated corrugated cardboard it was
easy to stash Lisa, Salem and Jayson so they wouldn't been seen. It was the
ride from the rough Harbor district to the open prarie of Kirkland that was
a hard ride. It was jerky and rough -- not much thought is given to the
comfort of cargo boxes.
It took a little over an hour, and soon enough, the flap door of the trailer
was hoisted open by a slightly built young man driving a fork lift. Salem,
the largest was uneasy, and could feel a cramp starting to form in his
tightly constrained leg muscles. Not that the ahroun was going to win a
congeniality contest anyway, but it certainly didn't help matters much.
Lisa uncurled from her hiding place after the first palatte had been unloaded
from the truck to the warehouse. "C'mon," she whispered above the din of
the men at work beyond the truck door. "Time to go." She gestured with her
chin, in response to a glare from Salem and the big ahroun unlimbered to
follow behind her. Jayson trailed in the back, watching in an almost
academic light.
It was a lithe manuever to swing from the lip of the truck bed to the asphalt
ground of the Turner lot; that's when Jayson produced the throat mikes.
"Put these on," he said quietly. Security patrol sweeps had been timed at
roughly every 15 minutes. According to Lisa's watch that meant the group
had 6 minutes to cross to the bunker like data center and get inside of the
door.
Holding to the vague shadows of the building corners, Lisa leads the small
band across the wide open parking lot, managing to avoid the notice of the
security patrol near the concertina wire and chain-link fences. Then came
the south door to the data center. An electronic keypad with a angry red
light indicated the door was locked. Jayson stepped up and produced a small
kit of screwdrivers from a pocket. "Just call me MacGyver," he jokes as he
unscrews the panel. Inside is a rat's nest of wiring. The hacker-Garou
studies the multi-colored strands for 30 seconds -- a tense time of peeking
over one's shoulder and almost certain feeling you're on the brink of being
caught. Finally, he twists together a brown-yellow wire and a black wire,
and the door lock "clicks". The panel light is green. Grinning, Jayson
replaces the hotwired door cover and motions with his hand to follow.
"Piece of cake," he says, under his breath. The steady hum of thousands of
computer fans beckons beyond the unlocked door, and air conditioned air
mingles with the hotter air of the night.
The small infiltration team heads down a stark white painted corridor, office
doors every 10 to 7 feet. Lisa keeps scanning the plates along side the
door, when Jayson taps her on the shoulder and nods to a particular door --
"Director: Computer Operations. Jay Chenowith, Vice-President" -- "Here,"
the hacker directs. He turns the door-knob and it's locked. Lisa gives a
grin, and then concentrates on the door lock for a second, and the metal
lock jam retracts with a barely audible and well-oiled "snick." "All in the
wrist," she tells him. Jayson grins back, while Salem snorts impatiently in
the back. He opens the door carefully and then the trio head inside,
closing the door behind them. Office blinds are lowered and shut, toward
him. He also rummages through his satchel and produces a laptop, a Jaz
drive and a serial cable which he quickly runs from the desktop computer to
his portable. "Damn thing's locked down," he mumbles as he connects the
cables. Flexing his fingers back like a virtuoso piano player, Jayson
pounds the keyboard on his laptop for a few minutes and then leans back in
the chair. "Working on the desktop lock," he says to the two other Garou.
"Wrote the program myself." He kicks his feet up on the desk, while Lisa
pokes around the dim room. "Hey," she whispers. "Anyone want to read about
sales projections to the Middle-East for 1995?" Salem says nothing, his
hand in one of his pockets, look of supreme effort of will on his face. "
How long will it take," the ahroun wants to know. "We shouldn't decide this
is a summer camp, or something." His eyes shift from Lisa to Jayson. Jayson
shrugs. "We'll be done when we're done, dude. Chill out." Jayson puts his
hands behind his head, casually and with a relaxed air that completely
contrasts with Salem.
It doesn't take long before the laptop gives a subdued beep. Jayson springs
forward in his seat and starts tapping away again. "I think we hit
paydirt," he says, nodding excitedly. The disk light on the Jaz drive comes
to life and soon, Jayson kicks his heels up again. "There's too much stuff
to look at now," he says to the room, softly.
Lisa nods in reply and then steps over to a door in the left rear of the room.
Quizzically she turns the knob and opens the door. Inside is a bathroom.
"Private bath," she comments, idly.
Suddenly, electricity to the office dies; the desktop, and its uplink into the
private network dies. "Fuck," Salem mutters, Lisa shrinks into the shadows
and Jayson scrambles to get his laptop and gear back in his satchel.
Finally, he just ejects the Jaz cartridge and tucks it into a pocket,
leaving the rest of his rig on the walnut colored desk.
A woman's voice sounds over the loudspeakers in the data center. "Hello,
little moon-puppies," it says. "This is Ashley Turner. Welcome to my humble
abode. I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to eliminate you -- your kind are
a menance to my operations -- always have been." There is a pause; the door
swings open and five men in full riot gear with large automatic carbines
stand in the hall corridor. "I think you've got enough information to whet
your appetite and for you to realize just what a precarious position you're
in. It's certainly taken you long enough to figure out what I am, and what
my interests are." The voice is mocking, triumphal. "Toodles, dear doggies.
Don't daudle on your way out."
With that, the five men lower their guns, and that's when a loud, blaring
alarm klaxxon sounds. Halon gas starts to spurt from the ceiling and Salem
uses the moment of confusion to overpower two of the guards, shooting the
other three. "Goddamn it," he shouts. "Run!" Jayson leads the way down the
corridor, and Salem trails not much after -- Lisa is no where to be seen.
"Where's Lisa," Jayson asks, as he bursts through the still unlocked exit.
"Don't know," Salem huffs. "Don't really give a fuck," he continues. Rifle
fire peppers the fleeing Garou from the security forces.
They make good time across the lot to an idling semi truck, with Salem climbs
into the driver's seat, shoving Jayson across the cab. "Move, goddamn it,"
he says, grinding the truck into gear and slamming down on the accelerator.
"We're leaving." Jayson ducks to the floorboard, and Salem grimaces as he
aims the truck for a section of chainlink and concertina wire. He slams the
pedal down, trying to gain
The truck tractor slams through the gate and onto grass turf. That's when
Murphy's unmarked, white van with no plates and no lights jumps over a low
hill. "Get out," Salem snarls at the hacker. Jayson doesn't need to be told
twice as three Jeeps marshal on the Turner campus. Both Garou hop down to
the ground and run -- as fast as they can -- into the cargo bay of the
windowless van. "Hit it, goddamn it," Salem says, slamming the door behind
him. Miraculously, Lisa is sitting in the back of the van on a padded
bench. "Hiya," she says, mysteriously. Jayson double-takes, but Salem
climbs into the passenger seat. "Drive," he says. Murphy drives and the van
speeds off down the access road to the freeway.
After ditching the van, for a pre-arranged backup car, at a rest stop near the
mountains, Lisa explains that she held a lighter to the fire detection
system in the bathroom and then escaped through the bathroom mirror and the
Umbra. Although extremely eager, Jayson tells everyone that it'll be a
couple of days before he can unload the data from the disk cartridge and
shed any more light.
============================================================================== Received: Tue Jul 21 00:34:22 1998 From: Rorschach To: Salem, Rorschach, Jayson, Murphy, JJ Malone, Nigel, Jeff, Lisa Subject: Re: Turner data files ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MEMORANDUM To: Department Heads From: A. Turner Subject: Project Broken Wheel By now you're all aware that several scouting parties have been dispatched throughout the valleys of the Blue Mountains that may have been affected by the recent earthquake. Once the key for the gate is found, it should be turned over to me and my associates for further study. The best way to cover this operation would be to fund some kind of university study -- perhaps at University of Washington, since they're located in Seattle -- but maybe SCCU will prove worthwhile enough. Second, this is to be a top operation. I will brook no failure in this. Our potential ally must be freed again and bound into my service once more. I doubt if the current crop of enemies will be able to contain or control the "Big Fella" the way they had previously. Even if they, at what cost will it come? I want daily status reports until the artifact is discovered. MEMORANDUM To: Department Heads From: A. Turner: Subject: Project Broken Wheel Whoever allowed the Wheel to be stolen should be quietly eliminated. We can afford no delay in this plan. The sooner the enemy is crushed, the sooner the plan will bear fruit. In all cases, use our top operatives. We must maintain excellent deniability, should this blow up in our face. The botched robbery cost us much. Further, I want all records of this operation stored strictly on our internal comapny network. Some of the Seattle cockroaches have been scurrying around our network. Consider this your final warning. MEMORANDUM To: Department Heads From: A. Turner Subject: Project Broken Wheel My sources tell me that our ally is free once more and has been properly rebound to our needs. Now we will wait for the final outcome. The friend to our cause must find our enemy's home base -- and then we merely lie in wait. Let the endgame begin. MEMORANDUM To: Department Heads From: A. Turner Subject: Broken Wheel History Since one operational director had an unfortunate end, I felt the time was right to shed more light on the history of the Broken Wheel project. Back in the late 1800s, our railroad empire was expanding across the western half of Washington state. Our company's founded, James Bartholomew was determined to create the most extensive (and lucrative) rail empire across the western United States (most just territories at the time.) It was then when we reached the mining town of Saint Claire, Washington that issues went off track. The natives were in an uprising and the 7th Calvary at Kent's Crossing couldn't keep them at bay. They terrorized our rail workers and Mr. Bartholomew himself was slain in one particularly brutal encounter. Before that, though, he enjoined the services of a special consultant who was able to create and fashion an artifact of extraordinary power -- one that could control a primal adversary of our enemy in the area. It was then that the wily enemy defeated the ally we had forced into our service -- locked it away. Time passed, and somehow, someway, in the 1940s, it came to our attention that our enemies had been cleared away for another unknown reason -- so we began building through the area again -- this time in a position of financial and political strength, as the company's holdings fell under the care and guidance of the Turner line. -- Rorschach ==============================================================================Back to the index
After a few days, it became apparent from the area where Consumer of Stone had entrenched himself, that the binding had apparently worked to rid the Bawn of the bane.