I haven't been on here a while due to limited PC acess - but I finally got to kick off my Delta Green game on Monday of this week ( 6th September 2004 ) and things went well - so I thought I would share the experience. I've also shared this with the community over on Yog-sothoth.com and I hope it's of interest to people here.
I've started off with two players (my thanks to Martin Tulloch and Steve Emmott from the Leeds role-playing group ...Some of you on here may know Steve as he is a manager in the Travelling Man chain of games shops here in the UK). I hope to introduce one or more additional players as things develop.
I kicked the campaign off with 'Puppet Shows and Shadow Plays- - the suggested 'introductory' scenario from the original Delta Green sourcebook.
For those of you who think you might end up as a player in that scenario - please stop reading now. What follows are some notes on what I did to prepare the scenario and how the first session went. Most of the handouts I refer to I have saved on to a folder on the Delta Green Yahoo Group so that other Keepers can use.
Steve played agent 'Scott Hackett' a somewhat grizzled veteran who was formerly on regular duty with the FBI Hostage Rescue Team. Hackett was present at the Siege of the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco - the mental scars of which he bears to this day.
Martin played agent 'Peter de Vere'. Peter comes from old East Coast money but is currently estranged from his blue blood relatives and lives very modestly having been 'cut off' . He is also something of a maths whizz kid. He took advantage of an FBI scholarship programme and his immediate future is committed to the Bureau as a result.
I kicked off the game explaining that it was set in August of 1997, and that the players were based in the Phoenix Field Office in Arizona. [I was able to show them handouts depicting the FBI building in Phoenix and an FBI Arizona office patch - images obtainable from the FBI website ]
Atmosphere wise - the scene was set with the use of the 'Silence of the Lambs' soundtrack throughout....
The characters had been summoned to see the SAC for Phoenix who was assigning them to a new case. I gave them a handout depicting the front page of the 'National Tattler' which contained a story about mysterious disappearances occurring on or near Highway 70 passing through the San Carlos Indian reservation. They were told to make their way to San Carlos the next morning to meet up with the Arizona State Police Major investigating the disappearances. They were instructed to play it carefully with the local law enforcement - the reservation is a separate legal jurisdiction with it's own police force in addition to the state troopers - and relationships between Native-Americans and federal agencies have been strained in the past [another handout was provided describing the case of Leonard Peltier - an Indian activist convicted of killing two agents]. The PCs were being assigned on an 'advisory' capacity only.
The characters obtained a detailed map of the area [ I had purchased a good atlas of Arizona so was happily able to oblige ] and after signing for a 4 wheel drive vehicle from the car pool and gathering some equipment together they set off for the San Carlos area - just over 2 hours drive away. They checked themselves in to the Apache Gold Casino Hotel [which can be viewed online at it's own website ] and set off on recce of the area. First impressions were that Highway 70 was a lonely, quiet stretch of road.
Returning to the hotel there was some nice role playing between the players as their characters got to know each other a little better over a drink - Hackett expressing mild cynicism about the role of mathematics and statistics in modern investigative work and then clamming up, changing the subject and ordering more drinks when the subject of Waco was raised by de Vere.
The next morning they made their way to San Carlos and after encountering a Tribal Police Officer engaged in some public relations with some tourists [giving me a chance to use a picture of a San Carlos Tribal Police officer doing just exactly that which I'd found on the 'net') they met up with Major Frank Garrett of the ASP and Sheriff Colorados of the SC Reservation Tribal police. After making it plain that this was their 'turf', further details about the disappearances were provided and the last known whereabouts of the individuals concerned were plotted on the map. Hackett made a point of trying to put Colorados at ease - emphasising that they were here to assist and not to hinder.
The two agents decided to visit the scene of the last disappearance - that of an Indian rancher and his family who had vanished from their home. With Colorados accompanying them they arrived at the property - de Vere setting off to examine the buildings and Hackett exploring the surrounding area to look for vantage points from which the house may have been monitored. Reaching a nearby hillock, the keen-eyed Hackett spotted vultures circling about a mile away further into the hills surrounding the property. They all set off to investigate - joined at this point by John Crow, a taciturn old Apache and neighbouring farmer.
Presently they came upon an a flat, barren area surrounded by dunes. Vultures had alighted upon what looked like a large number of small mounds of disturbed earth and were greedily feasting on gobbets of flesh they were tearing from them. The stench of death hung heavy in the hot, oppressive air... Examining the nearest one, the players discerned that the mounds seemed to contain sheep carcasses. Furthermore, they were covered in prints and it looked as if a coyote had uncovered the sheep - although there were no signs that the coyote had done anything to the carcasses after exposing them. John Crow explored further (ignoring the agents concerns about contaminating the scene) and silently pointed out a larger mound to them. The squeamish de Vere stayed put, but Hackett moved closer and soon saw that there was a human hand protruding from the larger mound - as well as signs of exposed clothing. It looked big enough to contain several persons. Colorados went off to his cruiser to summon backup. Crow completed his examination of the area, looking even further perplexed by something - but not divulging anything to the white men and only conversing in Apache with Colorados on his return. Colorados informed the investigators that Crow had noticed that the coyote tracks could not be found entering or leaving the area. John Crow apparently thought that this was the work of 'spirit animals' . Colorados had further news; his men were on their way to secure the scene, but the two agents were wanted elsewhere. The Arizona State Troopers had spotted the roof of a buried car from the air about 12 miles further down State 70 from their present location.
Arriving at the scene, they found Garrett and his State Troopers busily excavating the car. De Vere spotted the fact that the troopers were standing all over some further prints: coyote prints again. From marks on the roof, it looked as if a coyote had exposed the roof of the car. Photographs were taken, somewhat to the chagrin of Major Garrett - who was in a hurry to establish whether the vehicle was an important development or not and who was not really interested in 'wildlife'. The car was then exposed enough for the driver's door to be opened and Garrett and the State Troopers turned expectantly towards the agents. Hackett bravely stepped forward and took the plunge. Opening the door, he was confronted first by the sickening stench of decay and immediately thereafter by the sight of a rotting, disfigured corpse. The body was that of a man. His bottom jaw hung impossibly open - obviously dislocated by a substantial degree of force, and his intestines were spilled out on his lap. Hackett successfully fought back the natural urge to vomit - barely. Two of the State Troopers didn't. De Vere, squeamish again, kept his distance. The Medical Examiner and a ASP forensic team were summoned. In the meantime however, the Texas plates of the car were exposed and identified - providing a further twist to the day's events. The two agents were aware of the car owner's name from an FBI bulletin which had been circulated some weeks earlier [I had a handout prepared summarising the following facts] The car belonged to a Kenneth Braverman, a Houston cop wanted in connection with a series of gruesome prostitute murders - and also for the murder of his two children and suspected kidnapping of his wife. It now appeared he was dead, with no sign of his missing wife......
And that was where we left the first session....
Hope this was of interest, and I'll provide a further update as the game progresses.
OK - played the second session of my Delta Green game last night (13th September 2004). As before, this contains SPOILERS for a published Delta Green scenario - so potential players - STOP READING NOW ! If your Keeper has been talking about how much he's really looking forward to buying the Delta Green D20 statted re-print (or has just bought the original for a small fortune off of E-Bay)......THAT MEANS YOU !
We picked up where the action left off last time (see my last journal entry), with the player characters investigating some mysterious disappearances in the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona. After potentially having found the remains of one of the missing families, they were summoned to another site where they uncovered the body of a policeman turned wanted mass murderer - not something they were quite expecting.
Re-examining the corpse before the forensics team arrived, agent Hackett could see that most of it's front teeth were missing (in addition to the dislocated jaw and severe abdomen trauma). They then decided to let the forensics experts do their jobs. They headed off to the first site where another forensics team from the Arizona State Police were now engaged in documenting the scene. They were also introduced to Dr Guiturez, the Medical Examiner from neighbouring Graham County whose jurisdiction encompassed the reservation. The large shallow grave found earlier now disclosed the four corpses of the missing Begay family and they were not a pretty sight. Twenty sheep were also buried nearby. The two agents decided to call it quits for the evening - the forensic technicians faced a long night ahead of them and expected to be able to deliver a preliminary report in the morning. They headed back to their hotel to discuss the case over a bourbon or two but they were still trying to come to grips with events. Agent De Vere, before retiring, decided to do a bit of internet research on coyotes (both burial sites seem to have been exposed by the action of coyotes) and he found that that the Coyote Spirit was an important figure in Native American myth - a trickster / joker culture hero who can be either deceiver or deceived.
Awaking the next morning, De Vere was also puzzled to find a plain brown envelope pushed under his door. Opening it, he found it contained a County map of West Virginia with the neighbouring counties of Tucumseh and Lowery circled in red. Accompanying it was a clipping from the Scientific American describing how West Virginia had been treated to a spectacular meteor shower back in January (it was now August). In fact Tucumseh County had been the recipient of some meteor fragments. Puzzling over this, De Vere committed these materials to evidence bags. He shared his research of the night before, and this latest information - with Hackett on the drive over to the morning briefing in the SC Tribal Police Station. From there they dispatched the envelope and contents to the lab in Phoenix for analysis.
Here they attended a briefing given by a bleary eyed Guiturez who had toiled through the night. His results were as follows:
The Begay family had all had been subjected to a horrific attack, their bodies were drained of blood and they had been mutilated in a variety of nasty ways. It looks as if someone had hacked off various strips of flesh and muscle. Interestingly their bodies showed traces of an as yet unidentifiable paralysing agent which seems to have affected their muscles. Sheep carcasses found at the scene also showed these traces. The ME requested the assistance of the FBI labs in analysing the substance and a sample was duly dispatched.
Kenneth Braverman died of severe abdominal trauma (his stomach was slashed open). Shortly thereafter, someone (and all the evidence - flesh scrapings found on his remaining teeth, teeth found lodged in his oesophagus etc - pointed to his missing wife) shoved their arm down his throat and ripped out his lungs. Braver man's wife looks as if she spent some time in the trunk of the vehicle (where bindings were found) and her bloody fingerprints were also found in the front compartment.
Major Garrett of the ASP contacted the Houston PD on a conference call and shared their findings. The Houston PD were surprised and mystified. Their take was that Elaine Braverman had been kidnapped against her will. Surely she hadn't been in on the death of her children ? And surely she hadn't been able to kill Braverman in such a brutal fashion ?
Nevertheless - this was the only lead they had (the players had not divulged their secret about the envelope). Major Garret and Sheriff Colorados therefore tried to organise a search to see if anyone had encountered Elaine Braverman.
The two agents however, decided to spend the rest of the day and evening engaged in a search of their own. Using the West Virginia information as their starting point, they researched and uncovered an interesting and unsettling series of facts. Lowery County in West Virginia had been subject to a series of cattle mutilations and strange disappearances back in February - with all manner of kooky theories posited (e.g. UFOs, Satan Worshippers etc). They also uncovered a case of a suspected cannibal who had shot himself in Lowery County when interviewed by the police. They then discovered that the Medical Examiner who had performed his autopsy suddenly decided to quit his job and leave town. A week later he was discovered dead - gutted - in a Nashville Hotel Room. For the month subsequent to this, Nashville's homeless started to disappear with investigations eventually centring on a local priest who ran a homeless shelter. The priest disembowelled himself before he could be questioned properly.
Sensing a connection to their own case in essence if not in fact, the agents began to posit the existence of either a person or persons unknown (Hackett, still bearing the scars of his Waco experience, suggested the possibility of an apocalyptic cult) somehow connected to these individuals. Their revelry was interrupted by a late call from the Medical Examiner's Office. His assistant had done a comparison of the coyote tracks form both the sites. It looked as if the same coyote was responsible. The agents called it a night - more puzzled than ever. They made a point of looking to see if anyone was observing them at the hotel - but noticed nothing out of place.
Next morning, the agents put in a call to the Phoenix office to chase the lab on the analysis of the unknown paralysing agent. This wasn't yet ready - but analysis on the 'surprise' envelope was. With the exception of the agents' fingerprints, it was clean as a whistle. De Vere took this to mean that it had been put together by an intelligence professional, or someone versed in similar techniques.
Next up was a briefing from the State and Tribal Police which described how they had so far drawn a blank in the search for Elaine Braverman. The agents were interrupted so that they could take a call from the Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix, Patrick Hobson, who had assigned them to the case. He chewed their asses out for not having been in touch with the latest developments. The agents decided to share all of the information they had. Hobson's head told him that most of what they had uncovered was unconnected, but his veteran's instincts agreed with the agents and he agreed to assign some research resource looking for similar cases. He was also able to tell them that the Phoenix lab had drawn a blank on the paralysing agent and that it had been forwarded to Washington for further research.
Shortly thereafter a call was received. A body had been discovered near to one of the disappearance sites. Descending on the location - a gas station on Highway 70, the agents and other troopers were led to a spot nearby where the shallow grave of young man was found. He was a gas station employee who had disappeared during a night shift. The gas station owner had been led to the spot by the incessant howling of an unseen coyote. When he arrived at the spot he found that the body had been exposed by what looked like the scrabbling of a coyote. The corpse's visage bore an expression of horror which particularly unsettled De Vere when he looked at it. The decision was made there and then to re-visit the other disappearance sites on the assumption that the bodies may be buried nearby - and the agents split up to accompany State and Tribal police in their efforts. The day was a partial success - yielding two more bodies (again seemingly recently exposed by a coyote). The search continued into the evening and was called off as light failed - to be resumed again the next day. Again the agents were on guard against being perhaps under surveillance - but again noticed nothing.
The morning briefing brought the autopsy results from the days previous 'finds'. Same MO as before - blood loss, traces of the mystery substance and ghastly wounds inflicted. The day's search brought two more bodies discovered in a spot previously examined. Again, the bodies seemed to have been deliberately exposed - overnight - by a coyote. At midday they received further news from Hobson...the FBI lab in Washington, which contained some of the finest minds and resources in the world, were unable to identify the paralysing substance describing it a something 'unknown to humankind'....The other disconcerting news was that he had discovered another case of mass murder and cannibalism. This occurred in New Orleans - where a local man had seemingly ended the terror reign of a vagrant cannibal by blasting him with a shotgun. Coincidentally, the vagrant's last known address was a certain homeless shelter in Nashville......
Played the third session of my Delta Green game last night (21st September 2004). As before, this contains SPOILERS for a published Delta Green scenario - so potential players - STOP READING NOW !
The action resumed on the afternoon of Tuesday 12th August 1997 (play had commenced on Friday 8th August). As advised in my previous journal, the characters had just been informed of another interesting case of serial killing with cannibalistic overtones that had occurred in New Orleans just about two to three months ago. There, the terrifying reign of a murderer and cannibal had been brought to an abrupt end by a local man who had shot him dead. They had also been advised that a strange substance, found in all the corpses so far located, had defied laboratory analysis by some of the finest experts the FBI had to offer.
The players requested that the Phoenix field office research the whereabouts of David Charles - the New Orleans citizen who had slain the serial killer. In the meantime they decided to head off to San Carlos lake to visit another site - a campsite where two Phoenix anglers had disappeared (I was able to provide a picture of this obtained from the 'net). Once there they encountered another couple of fishermen who were camped on the lakeside seemingly oblivious to any danger (their bravado probably fuelled by the cans of beer they were steadily working through). This encounter lead to some good, light-hearted role-playing from the players; DeVere, to the veteran Hackett's amusement, speculated on whether these guys had a permit to fish on the lake. Hackett responded that while he was absolutely sure that that was a very grave and important question, it was quite unfortunate that they already had the small matter of a multiple killer to think about. DeVere ignored his sarcasm and moved off to interview the men - while Hackett followed along asking him if he thought he should draw his piece or request backup in case things turned ugly with these 'potentially dangerous criminals'.
The interview drew a blank. DeVere had been speculating on whether the anglers might have spotted anything that may have led the agents to a body in the water but nothing was discovered. The agents decided to call it quits for the evening but on the way to their cars they received a call from the Phoenix field office asking them to get to a fax. They headed back to the Tribal Police Station in San Carlos and received some more interesting intelligence. David Charles, the hero 'cannibal killer' of New Orleans had apparently turned up dead just over two months ago. He had been discovered dead from horrific stab wounds to the stomach in a Houston hotel room. DeVere made the connection instantly - Houston was where Kenneth Braverman was from (he was the cop wanted for multiple murder who had turned up dead in a buried car on the Reservation).
The characters retired to the bar in their hotel to consider the case again. They now had a lot of dead bodies all over the country, and here in Arizona, all linked by the most tenuous and circumstantial threads. They considered their third party or ‘cult’ theory anew and kicked around a few scenarios. DeVere also postulated the possibility of some kind of viral infection that induced homicidal madness; but neither was wholly satisfied with these theories.
The next morning they were awoken early by an Arizona State Trooper sent by Major Garrett. Apparently Sheriff Colorados wanted to see Garrett and the two agents. When they got to San Carlos, Colorados informed them all that he had become concerned about the whereabouts of three tribal elders who had taken off into the wilds about 3 weeks ago on some form of spiritual retreat to a sacred cave. They were now late back – and what’s more a young pupil of the holy men sent yesterday to find them had not returned either. Most of the State and Tribal police were needed for the searches planned today down at the lakeside – so after outfitting themselves in clothing more suitable to the ‘great outdoors’ the two agents set off in their Jeep Cherokee after Garrett and Colorados.
They drove higher into the Gila Mountains, eventually turning off onto a rough mountain road that wound down into a wooded valley beside a creek. Eventually this road came to a halt, and they left their vehicles behind and set off on foot (with Colorados bringing along his rifle at the suggestion of Hackett). After a trek of several miles alongside a small creek, Colorados set off on another trail which wound uphill through the woods. Rounding a bend in the trail, Colorados paused and pointed put out a cave set into the side of a small mesa just up ahead. Colorados asked the rest of them to stay put while he went ahead to check things out.
No sooner had the words left his lips when the back of Garrett’s head exploded in front of their eyes as a shot rang out from the direction of the cave ! Garrett went down like a stone on his back in front of the shocked men. The two FBI men reacted quickly – DeVere taking cover in the trees to one side of the trail and Hackett shoving a stunned Colorados into the trees on the other side.
Drawing their guns, they looked towards Garrett’s prone body. Hackett could see that a neat hole had been drilled between his eyes – whoever they were up against was a considerable marksman. This was confirmed a moment later as another shot slammed into Garrett’s body – this time hitting him squarely in the groin. Colorados was in a panic – whispering ‘shit shit shit shit’ as he crouched - rocking back and forth, clutching his gun and staring wide eyed at Garrett’s corpse.
A third shot slammed into Garrett’s groin again. Hackett shouted ‘FBI ! Drop your weapon and surrender !’ - but the only response was a further shot in his own direction which rattled through the trees. Hackett – something of a weapons expert, tentatively identified the rifle as a Lee-Enfield Mk III – an older, bolt action weapon. The two agents couldn’t see each other clearly and did not want to risk shouting. Hackett pulled out his cell phone and called DeVere’s number. The phone rang out in the quiet mountain air. This immediately drew another shot in the direction of DeVere which he heard cutting through the branches very near to his position and he scrambled backwards in the direction of the creek. They both conversed in whispered tones – Hackett could barely see the cave mouth from his position but could see no movement. Colorados had pulled himself together by this time and attempted to raise backup on his radio. DeVere suggested that they try and lure the shooter into sight. They put the plan into operation; Hackett ‘borrowing’ the sheriff’s rifle and swapping positions with DeVere (working back and across the creek so as not to expose themselves to possible fire). DeVere then placed his cell phone as near to Garrett’s body as he could risk while Hackett crawled into a good position where he could observe the cave mouth through the scope of the rifle. Ringing DeVere’s number he scanned the cave mouth - but saw nothing. Deciding to sit tight for backup the agents were informed that a team from the Special Operations Unit of the Arizona State Police Special Enforcement Bureau was en-route to their position. They could also rely on some assistance from some State Troopers who were also on their way.
These units duly arrived about an hour later. The State Troopers were shocked to hear about the death of Garrett. Hackett (an ex-member of the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team) briefed the SWAT team on the situation. The SWAT team agreed on a strategy – covering the cave mouth with snipers and sending two five man elements up the flanks to mirror the cave mouth. Again, there was no sign of anybody so the team went in to the cave – updating their superior officer as they went. Two bodies were almost immediately spotted – along with something else which evidently freaked out one of the normally cool headed SWAT officers, who broke comms protocol with a repetitive stream of alarmed and panicked swearing. However, the site was shortly given a cautionary all clear and the two agents and Colorados headed up to investigate.
The cave was a charnel house. Two bodies sat propped against a wall. One was of an elderly Apache man, his face set in a mask of agony. His flesh was stripped to the bone from his waste down and he was matted in gore. The other corpse was that of a young Apache boy. His throat was slit open and random strips of flesh and muscle had been stripped from his body. Not far from where they lay was an even more disturbing site – a horribly suggestive pile of smashed and gore soaked skull fragments, broken rib cages, gristle, flesh and scraps of cloth. The two agents kept their cool – perhaps by now becoming accustomed to the macabre sights this case had thrown at them so far. Colorados was horrified – the old man was one of the missing elders and the boy was the pupil he had sent to look for them. He turned way retching and headed for the clean air outside.
One of the SWAT officers took the agents to the rear of the cave. Here it became apparent that there was some kind of vent through which a man could squeeze and through which their shooter may have made an escape.
As they took stock, Hackett noticed that something lay half buried and concealed by sand towards the rear of the cave near the vent. Investigating further he established that it was something like a canvass bag or holdall. Deciding not to look further he established that one of the officers present has been trained in bomb disposal techniques – this officer was tasked with investigating the item just in case any nasty items (like an Improvised Explosive Device) had been left behind.
Meanwhile DeVere had re-surveyed the cave and was drawn to the corpse of the old man. He spotted that he was wearing some kind of charm and was intrigued to see that it was carved in the image of a coyote.
Hackett quickly established that the vent was drawing air through the cave and proposed that the SWAT officers use their tear gas canisters in an attempt to ‘smoke out’ any lurker who may be waiting in ambush on the other side of the vent. This plan was put into action. Hackett led the way – supported by four SWAT officers and DeVere. They found themselves in a narrow chamber with two potential exits – tracks on the floor indicated that a large man in rugged outdoor boots had passed this way. They squeezed through a second narrow aperture – this time seeing sunlight shining into the space beyond. In this further chamber, they saw a narrow chimney like fissure open to the sky above and quickly calculated that a fit man could have climbed his way up. However, to the amusement of the SWAT team, both Hackett and DeVere were unable to do so – both sustaining skinned knees and bruising in their failed attempts. A SWAT officer was successful however – though when he reached the top he soon reported that the tracks he found soon disappeared on the rough rocky terrain.
Returning to the cave through the vent, they were amazed to see that the canvass ruck-sack (now declared ‘trap free’) had held an item quite unlike anything they had ever encountered. A strangely glowing spherical object a little larger than a basketball. It appeared to be made of metal or perhaps plastic, but it’s interior seemed to hold some dim lights which glowed at intermittent and seemingly random intervals [an image of the item was supplied at this point].
Colorados, now the senior investigating officer since Garrett’s death, had once again pulled himself together and was efficiently directing the examination of the scene. The SWAT team was stood down – though an aerial search of the area was ordered. Forensics had also arrived – as had the sorely pressed Medical Examiner Dr Guiterrez and both set about their business. The immediate good news was that there seemed to be plenty of prints on the bones that should yield a match. However, the ‘item’ which had been discovered continued to confound – attempts to dust it were impossible, as anything just seemed to glide right off its surface. The item was taken into the possession of the Tribal Police. The two agents decided to contact Hobson, their SAC in Phoenix, but were informed that he was in an extremely important meeting and could not be disturbed.
Hackett – after locating some of the rifle cartridges from a spot just at the edge of the cave, collared Colorados. It was clear to him that they were dealing with a large man, someone who knew the area – and who used a pretty distinctive rifle. Might he know of such a person? Colorados said no, but something in his eyes said different.
Colorados informed them that he was leaving the scene to go and tell some folks ‘some very bad news’. The agents were suspicious however and followed him to San Carlos, there shadowing him on foot. However, a few checks established that he did indeed seem to be visiting the relatives of the dead elders and their unfortunate pupil.
Attempting to contact Hobson again, they were tipped off that Hobson seemed to be locked up in his office having a shouting match with some ‘visitors’ from Washington.
Shortly thereafter they received a call from Assistant SAC Bellamy. Hobson was taking some leave and Bellamy was in temporary charge. Some gentlemen from Washington (their exact agency not divulged) would be down to see them in the morning and they were to give them their FULL co-operation.
More perplexed than ever, the agents decided to retire for the evening.
However, their slumbers were disturbed by calls to their rooms at about 5.30 in the morning. Someone had hit the Tribal police Station in the middle of the night. 3 officers were dead, butchered, and the mysterious ‘item’ was missing….
And, as they were absorbing this piece of news they were then called by the forensics team who had been working through the night. They had a match on the prints from the cave. The agents, it seemed, had a combination of ‘John Rambo and Geronimo’ on their hands.
The prints belonged to a Master Sergeant Emanuel Santana, a soldier with extensive Army Special Forces training and three tours in Vietnam (latterly, seconded to Project Phoenix – a CIA sponsored counter-intelligence and ‘wetwork’ programme). Santana had deserted back in 1971 while on leave and consequently was a federal fugitive.
OK folks, we were able to play another session of my Delta Green game last night (4th October 2004) . As per the previous entries in my journal, this account contains SPOILERS for a published Delta Green scenario. Potential players should stop reading now.
We picked up the action where we left off last time. The two agents had just found out that the main suspect in their baffling case was an ex-special forces Apache man named Emanuel Santana who had deserted from the Army back in the early '70s while home on leave from the Vietnam War. Worse, someone had attacked and killed 3 San Carlos Tribal Police Officers in the early hours of the morning. The agents were initially under the impression that this had happened in San Carlos, but en-route this was quickly clarified and they learned that it was a sub station in Geronimo where the incident had occurred. Arriving there, they found two State police cruisers already at the scene parked up alongside two Tribal Police cruisers. Two of the Troopers appeared to be comforting two of the tribal police. Sheriff Colorados sat alone on the edge of his patrol-car seat with his head in his hands - clearly shaken.
Hackett approached Colorados while De Vere moved off to enter the police station, which was little more than a glorified porta-cabin set in a small lot surrounded by a barbed wire topped fence. Stepping past the trooper guarding the entrance, De Vere was immediately confronted with the grisly sight of an officer slumped back over his chair at his desk. His throat was slashed wide open and congealing blood covered everything. Careful not to disturb anything, he stepped past. Now in a small corridor he could see a room to his right containing unlocked equipment lockers. To his left there was another room - obviously a rest area with soft seats, coffee machine and a small TV. Two other officers lay sprawled here face down - the stench of blood filled the air and it was apparent they had suffered the same fate as their colleague. An area to the rear held two empty cells and access to the rear of the building. De Vere decided to leave - not wishing to contaminate the scene any further. Outside, a dismayed Colorados eyed Hackett, who informed him about their lead on Santana. Colorados did not appear to be surprised when his name was mentioned (he clearly had been thinking about him when Hackett had supplied a brief profile the day before) - but he nevertheless insisted that Santana could not have been responsible; he was a peaceful hermit who had turned his back on violence a long time ago. The implication of this was clearly that the local community had been sheltering Santana since his desertion Hackett tactfully pointed out that people have been known to snap under stress and that they couldn't ignore the physical evidence.
Hackett was then called by SAC Hobson - whom they had learned had recently been temporarily suspended. He gave them a quick 'heads up'. The 'gentlemen from Washington' had apparently become aware of the strange samples that were currently baffling the FBI labs and were extremely interested in where they had come from. They had already seized the samples in Washington on the grounds of 'national security' and had turned up in Phoenix throwing their weight around and generally pissing Hobson off. Rubbed up the wrong way and unconvinced by the line they were taking - he had done his level best to stall them but had eventually been advised by a superior in the Justice Department that he was to consider himself on 'indefinite leave'. Hobson was aware of the lead on Santana - though not aware of the most recent slayings. He advised that since Santana was a federal fugitive that the agents could and should take over the case. He told them not to let the 'assholes from Washington' push them around and wished them luck.
The two agents began to direct the crime scene, during which they learned something strange from a civilian living nearby. Apparently she had been awoken by the sound of a coyote howling at about 5.30 or so in the morning - it had continued for about 15 minutes or so, but then broke off with a long, mournful cry.... A two man TV crew turned up and Hackett deflected questions, promising a full statement later. The two agents re-examined the scene - Hackett walking the fence perimeter looking for clues whilst De Vere's attention was taken up by a car ,with New Mexico plates parked, seemingly abandoned, across the street from the station. He requested a check on the owner.
In the meantime, Assistant SAC Bellamy contacted the agents - advising them that some people from the National Security Agency were on their way. Their interest was in the unidentified substance and the agents should offer their full co-operation. However, bringing Bellamy up to speed with the recent murders he sanctioned the agents in organising a full scale manhunt. In the next half an hour or so it became apparent that the agents would soon have considerable resources at their disposal: 40 State troopers (including access to two helicopters), 10 US Marshalls, 8 FBI agents, 50 Tribal policemen and over 100 civilian volunteers (including two blood hound teams). The area soon become a hub of activity as the hunt team began to assemble.
By this time, the weary police forensics team had also arrived and completed an initial examination of the scene - they gave De Vere their take. The first officer to die had been slashed on the throat from the front. The other two looked as if they had been 'stung' with the same mysterious paralysing agent and then butchered quickly and efficiently. Prints had been obtained which the technician was willing to bet were the match of Santana's. More bad news followed - not only was the mysterious sphere missing but a shotgun and bullet-proof vest were also gone.
Acting on a hunch (based on the supposition that the killer would be covered in blood) the two agents decided to check the dumpster outside and hit paydirt - discovering blood drenched clothes. A forensic examination quickly yielded another disgusting token of how savage their prey was; a human finger stripped of flesh was discovered in the pocket of the jeans.
De Vere found out the mystery car belonged to a young woman from a small town in New Mexico. Documents found in a travel bag in the rear led to the discovery that she had recently left a hotel near the Grand Canyon. De Vere felt this could be important but couldn't yet say why.
Hackett addressed the gathering team of civilian searchers and warned them that they would be hunting a man previously thought to be a friend: Emanuel Santana. The news wasn't too well received, until Colorados intervened and revealed how guilty he felt about not acting sooner. Three of his colleagues - all Apaches of course - might still be alive if he had. This sobered the crowd and they agreed to do what they could - though they were still wary of the possibility of Santana being shot out of hand by trigger-happy policemen.
At this point the agents were greeted with the sight of a black sedan nudging it's way through the crowd. It stopped and four men in shades and black suits got out. One was immediately confronted with the reporting team who had questioned Hackett earlier on. Two of his colleagues sprang into action; one ripped the microphone from the female interviewer and pushed her away, calling her a 'pinko bitch' before tossing it away. The other delivered a swift punch to the camera man, before trashing his camera in full view of everyone present. These two took up positions in front of the station - keeping their eyes on the subdued crowd who had been surprised by this display.
The older of the two remaining men stepped forward and introduced himself as Agent Harper - snapping off an NSA ID. In an abrupt manner, he explained that he and his colleagues would require all files and samples in connection with the mysterious paralysing agent. This was a 'confidential matter of national security' but he was willing to disclose that they were on the trail of a 'sophisticated bio-terrorist' whom they had been monitoring and that they suspected the substance had been made by him However, right now they wanted an update on just what the hell was going on here. The agents filled him on on the last 24 hours - omitting nothing. News of the mysterious sphere seemed to be of particular interest and the two 'spooks' exchanged looks as it was mentioned. Leaving, they ordered the two agents to co-operate fully in all matters in relation to the mysterious substance. They would be 'around' and expected to be fully updated upon request. Hackett, finally tiring of their manner baited them by telling them that he may have 'misplaced' some files although he couldn't remember where right now. This went down like a lead balloon and Harper reminded them sternly that their full co-operation was expected, before driving off with his colleagues.
Further mystery was to follow when De Vere recieved a call on his cell-phone. A disguised, synthesised voice asked: 'Did you like the clippings I sent you ? Listen up, in case you haven't realised, those spooks are not your friends. Their focus will soon be on the sphere. You are not interested in in the sphere. You are interested in what arrived in the sphere. You are interested in what has Santana. Good luck.' This message was relayed to Hackett; both were perplexed again.
With the search already underway, the decision was made to let a bloodhound team have scent of the discovered clothing. This brought immediate results and the hounds led the agents and searchers further into the small town. After initial confusion it became apparent that their quarry had stolen a car from outside a house. An APB was immediately issued, and the missing car was discovered within half an hour, abandoned by Highway 70 about halfway between Geronimo and San Carlos.
Just prior to leaving the two agents took another call from Harper. He's been in touch with his superiors he explained, and it seemed that a 'vital component' of a an American satellite system was suspected to have come down somewhere in Arizona recently. This 'sphere' sounded very much like the component. They were ordered to report any sightings immediately.
The two agents were soon at the abandoned car along with the bloodhound team - the trail led north, back into the Gila Mountains. The agents had requested that the helicopters available to them search ahead and this request paid dividends when word came back from one that a suspicious figure had been spotted moving quickly through the terrain on the other side of the mountains. A minute later their suspicions were confirmed when the 'copter reported that it had been fired upon ! The copter shadowed their quarry at a distance and the two agents were soon airborne themselves in pursuit.
Shortly, it was reported that the fugitive had 'gone to ground' in a cabin off a rough mountain trail in the northern foothills of the mountains. Shortly after, another figure had swifly emerged - entering another small out-building before re-entering the main cabin.
Over the next two hours it became apparent that the agents faced a siege situation. The cabin was a vacation spot, recently rented by a party of five individuals from Phoenix. Their car was parked to the rear of the property. All the curtains in the property were closed so nothing could be seen inside. An outer perimiter was quickly established and The SWAT team the agents met yesterday was summoned. No contact or any sign of movement was received from within the building The SWAT team stealthily moved into position - one five man element ('Tactical 2') to the rear of the property and the other ('Tactical 1') to the front. The two FBI agents volunteered to act as 'trailers' to Tactical 1 - officers who would follow the team in to secure any hostages and make any necessary arrests. Both donned ballistiv vests. Final cover was provided by two snipers.
Tactical 2 suddenly reported that they could hear screaming from within the building. Within seconds the agents could also hear the screaming - someone was in extreme pain or distress. A smashing sound was then heard. Tactical 2 requested permission to 'go dynamic'. Hackett and De Vere both agreed instantly that it was obvious that lives were in danger and they would have to act - seconds later the go signal was given.
An officer from Tactical 1 battered open the front door with a ram and stood aside. It instantly became apparent that there was a blockage behind the door, though it opened sufficiently far back to admit the first officer. A shot rang out and he went down instantly. His colleague, fired by adrenalin and his ingrained training to clear any potentially deadly 'funnel zone' followed immediately, stepping over his body. His three colleagues immediately followed. Hackett and De Vere also decided to enter.
Inside, the SWAT officers were momentarily taken aback by what confronted them. Immediately to their front a screaming, bound hostage - a young man - lay against a hastily erected barrier of beds and other furniture. A carpet of flame enveloped the area between the door and this barrier. Somewhere above and beyond was a balcony, over which mattresses lay draped. A figure holding a rifle could be seen adjacent to the stairs leading up here, apparently taking aiming at them. The SWAT officers delayed in the immediate confusion. As Hackett and De Vere arrived through the door another of the officers was felled by a shot. Hackett and De Vere, less encumbered by headgear, instantly realised that the shot came from immediately above. Looking up, they could see that sizeable holes had been made in the ceiling. A SWAT officer reacted to the shot - letting off an SMG burst at the figure with the rifle, dropping him instantly. Hackett screamed, 'Cease fire ! The shooter is in the ceiling ! The shooter is in the ceiling !' before body charging an obstruction in order to clear the flames. Successful, he found himself at the foot of the stairs up. Meanwhile, De Vere let off two shots into the ceiling.
Hackett was now screaming for Tactical 2 and was somewhat relieved to see them emerge from a corridor to the rear - he shouted at them to locate a fire extinguisher. One of the lead officers was now on fire and was frantically trying to smother the flames in the corner. De Vere was now dragging the hostage to the corner - clear of the flames.
Hackett immediately headed up stairs, passing the downed rifleman - a young man about the same age as the first hostage - dead or dying from gunshot wounds. Moving past he saw two doors to the left and right - and a stepladder leading to the attic space above. One of the rooms was a bathroom, containing another bound hostage. This was a young female whose tendons at the back of her ankles and knees had been slashed. The other room was an empty bedroom.
De Vere was now struggling manfully to drag one of the fallen officers from the flames and out the front door - despite the fact that he was beginning to take damage from the flames. A shot rang out and a third officer went down beside him screaming 'I'm hit ! I'm hit !'.
Hackett crept up the stepladder - it was obvious that this latest shot had come from above. Edging up he could see that the attic was a large storage space criss-crossed with beams. Near the centre, another young woman lay bound and gagged. Over her, holding a rifle stood the tall muscular figure of a mature Apache man. He looked up and his eyes met Hackett's in the flickering firelight from below. He grinned - and Hackett realised that he was glimpsing insanity, damnation and death in that visage. Hackett had a clear shot, but still felt compelled to challenge him - shouting 'FBI ! Freeze !'. Santana discarded his rifle, but in a fluid motion he reached down and pulled up a shotgun. Hackett fired, missing him with his first shot but hitting him in the chest with the second, rocking him back. Hackett fired again, missing again before clipping him on the leg. Santana laughed like a lunatic - before leaping into the air off the beams and plunging through the ceiling into the chaos below !
Below De Vere was incredulous as a huge hulking figure came crashing down into the flames beside him in a shower of plaster ! There was an audible crack of bones and De Vere could see shattered bone protruding from the man's thigh. Incredibly, Santana was starting to rise - laughing (or was it screaming ?) insanely as he did so. De Vere who could see that Santana was wearing a ballistic vest, drew his piece again and shot him again - again hitting him on the leg.
Hackett was heading for the balcony at this point. A SWAT officer below fired a burst at the rising figure - tagging him on the back of his vest with two bullets before a third exploded a piece of his skull. Incredibly - he kept rising ! It was now apparent that he was doused in something flammable - he was already enveloped in flame. Hackett put a shot in his leg again, exploding his knee cap - but still he kept going ! This impossible sight deeply affected De Vere, who was crouched in the doorway where he had been attempting to drag the fallen officer - and he only narrowly dodged backwards - falling outside on to the porch, as the laughing, burning figure leapt for the door and staggered beyond and down the stairs. A sniper was instantly granted permission to shoot, and De Vere saw the top half of Santana's head explode with the power of the shot before the flaming figure fell and moved no more.
Back in the lodge, as the extinguisher smothered the flames, Hackett grimly surveyed the carnage.
I ran Shadow Puppets and Power Plays a few weeks ago, as a one-shot for new society members, with six pre-genned FBI agents and consultants, making up Task Force Deliverance (hostage rescue and abduction investigation).
Running it over 3+ sessions really seems to have given you time to flesh things out a bit. I had to skip the attack on the police station, and just went straight from Santana escaping the cave and heading across the mountains.
The final showdown with Santana took place in the middle of the desert, with five of the PCs shooting it out with him.
The two special agents-in-charge of the team both failed Sanity rolls and went doo-lally when they saw Santana sitting up after they blew his brains out. A few more bullets, and Santana starts playing dead. The strategy didn't work because the tac-team leader PC unloaded two entire magazines from her Glock sidearm on full-auto, to confirm the kill. At least a dozen of the bullets hit Santana's abdomen, mincing the parasite and ending its rampage.
The forensic pathologist, usefully on-hand as the team medic, scooped up a chunk of the alien tissue into a sample jar, just before one of those NSA helicopters came into land and took the body away.
At roughly the same time, two MiBs went into the team's base at the Reservation Police Station, brutally karate-chopped the team researcher across the throat, winding her, and stole the orb from Santana's backpack.
For anyone who has been following this, they may be interested to know that the handouts and other bits and pieces that I prepared for this scenario are available to download here from yog-sothoth.com.
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