Good Intentions
Bret Kramer
Come on blackness
Let me breathe you in
'Cause with this clattering and din
we are calling you
-Camper Van Beethoven
Delta Green faces a host of enemies, human and otherwise. Some of those that cross the organization might have good intentions, but, as they say about the road to Hell.
Keeper's Information
An organization as slap-dash as Delta Green cannot help but leave a few loose ends that the dedicated might unravel. This scenario assumes that at some point in the recent past, someone got sloppy, attracting the attention of an anti-authoritarian activist Garret Duncan. If so desired, the sloppy Agent in question might be one of your players; how Duncan and Delta Green cross paths is left to the Keeper.
Several months previous to the start of the scenario, members of U-Cell uncovered and eliminated Sage Zimmerman, a human sorceress. Their cover-up of the unusual murder this art dealer was discovered by, Duncan an anti-government activist. Using what little information he was able to obtain (including a pseudonym used by one of the agents), he began an investigation into what he thought was a Patriot Act Wet-Works group that he dubbed "The Project", occasionally posting cryptic updates to various internet groups he frequented. In the past few days he discovered a storage unit rented by U-Cell and with the aid of a friend broke in and stole several items.
Involving the Agents
A-Cell learns of the break-in three hours after it occurs, just after the owners of the STOR-MOR facility report it to the police. The Agents' cell is the first one available in the area, possibly on another assignment. They receive an urgent email from A-Cell:
ATTENTION: Group ‘storage facility’ compromised. Investigate and
report. Top Priority- THIS MEANS YOU COWBOY!
The email concludes with the storage facility's address and the unit number of the Green Box.
STOR-MOR
Isolated and nondescript, it has about two-hundred units of various sizes, housed in several outbuildings each holding around a dozen individual units. The whole complex is enclosed by a 10' wall, accessible only via a gate attached to the main office. Security is maintained via a series of poorly spaced security cameras and several large dogs.
Agent may interview Curtis Slocombe, the sole overnight employee. He's bored and happy to talk to anyone with a plausible story, especially law enforcement. He has the following information:
- He discovered the break-in just after locking the gate at 8.
- The unit's padlock was cut.
- He called the police; they examined searched the unit, interviewed Slocombe, and departed.
- He called the owner and left a message (alerting A-Cell).
- If asked about the CCTV, he says the tapes show nothing. He is wrong- a van arrives at 7:06 pm blocking view of the unit for twenty-five minutes. After it departs a Spot Hidden roll notices that the padlock has been clumsily replaced. The license plate on the van is read easily, the occupants can only be IDed as adult males.
Slocombe can escort Agents to the Unit; a Law, Persuade, or Fast Talk roll is needed to convince him to let them empty the unit.
The Unit
Fortunately for Delta Green, nothing obviously illegal was kept here. The Keeper is free to stock the Green Box using the [www.nemesis-system.com/greenbox/ Nemesis Green Box Generator] Investigators making an Idea roll notice that the room hasn't been used in several months at least and that someone tossed the room. It is unclear if anything has been taken.
Finding the Thieves
The best way is the plate number of the van. The number can be traced with a Law roll to Garret Duncan, at his local address.
Alternately, Slocombe can identify the storage unit visited by the van. While the name and other contact information is false, the credit card information is legitimate. A Law or Persuade roll will get the same information as above from Duncan's credit card company.
Mr. Duncan's Apartment
Garret Duncan lives in 3rd floor shabby collegiate apartment near his campus. Agents have no difficulty entering the building or finding Duncan's rooms. The door to Duncan's apartment is locked and dead-bolted. Nothing can be seen through the drawn curtains, other than that the television and multiple lights are on. A Listen roll hears the shower running. The residents are both indifferent to late-night activity and uninterested in their neighbors, making forcing the door easy.
Inside the apartment, a few things are immediately evident. There is a dead body sprawled across the kitchen floor (it is Ron Hsu, Duncan's roommate). There is a cardboard STOR-MOR box on the coffee table containing papers and items. A laptop sits on the kitchen table. The shower can be heard.
Ron Hsu- He's dead, apparently in agony (0/-1 Sanity). A weird dark residue can be found on his clothes, his face, and especially his nose and mouth. A Medicine roll can tentatively state he died of suffocation.
The computer- On, with a web-cam facing the couch. If viewed, the video shows Duncan (in a Guy Fawkes mask) examining the items from the box. Soon after he picks up a necklace with a small black pendant he is suddenly covered by an ever-growing number of weird black splotches that quickly surge towards his face. Ron can be seen running into view, trying to help him, but he too is quickly covered. Duncan can then be seen to stumble from view as Ron staggers past the camera and can be heard to collapse; 0/-1d2 Sanity to view.
The Box
Most of the contents are papers from Sage Zimmerman and his business ‘All Curios Great and Small’. An Accounting roll can uncover a number of off-book illegal shipments; otherwise an Idea roll will notice that she was periodically paid large sums by a local university hospital's willed cadaver program.
There are a few other items as well:
- "Ils Papyri d'Ylarnec", 1822 French translation of the Ilarnek Papyri (-1d2/-1d3; +3 CM)
- A scroll suitable for casting Summon Star Vampire
- type-written notes with instructions for the spell "The Black Binding"
- A fetish doll of a man is a dark suit with pins inserted into its groin.
- a 17th century Javanese Kris dagger (1d4+1 damage) with a weird symbol etched into the blade.
The Amulet of Yibb-Tstll
A Spot Hidden roll made while examining the room will notice a small amulet (as seen in the video) has been dropped under the couch. It is a 2 inch carving in cold black stone hung on a leather cord. The figure is possibly human, but with multiple lumps (breasts?) and weirdly distended eyes. A Cthulhu Mythos roll identifies it as Yibb-Tstll. Anyone touching it with bare skin will be drained of 1d3 Magic Points. If the proper command is known (currently impossible) the user may once per day direct the Black Blood of Yibb-Tstll at anyone in sight. Otherwise the individual touching the stone is attacked by The Black. It appears after 1d4 rounds in the form of weird sticky black flakes that fade out of the air and begin to adhere to the victim. After another 1d4 rounds drowning rules (as per the CoC rulebook) apply. The only mundane means of defense against The Black is immersion in running water.
Garret Duncan
Whenever the investigators make enough noise to be noticed, Duncan will call out for help from the bathroom. Unfortunately he is temporarily insane and will shout out warning about a biohazard in the living room- "The Toxic Agent is Black and Rapidly Mutates!" He is huddled in the shower and has been so since he and his unlucky roommate accidentally summoned The Black. In addition to his psychiatric trauma, he is mildly hypothermic and needs medical attention; a First Aid or Medicine roll and a Psychoanalysis or Persuade roll will be enough for now. He is also unaware that his roommate is dead and will suffer another 1d2 points of Sanity loss upon learning of it.
If the Agents fail to locate Garret Duncan in a reasonable amount of time, he will eventually come to his senses enough to flee from the apartment, taking the items (save the amulet) from the Green Box with him, along with his lap top. His video of the Black's attack will be posted on the internet soon afterwards along with a multiple rants post about government conspiracies involving biological warfare against American citizens
Clean-up
The Agents have a mess on their hands. A-Cell will want the contents of the Green Box moved ASAP. Additionally, both Garret Duncan, the stolen items, his online postings, and the remains of Ron Hsu need to be dealt with; depending on Garret's mental state he may still be a serious liability to the conspiracy. If he escapes the apartment and posts his video, things will get much worse.
Rewards and Penalties
Tracking down Garret and recovering the Green Box items: +1 point
Losing Garret: -1 point
Video posted: -1d3 points and a very unhappy A-Cell
