Mayday Plays - Doomed To Repeat Ep. 22 - "Off The Books"

Episode Date: October 31, 2023

Welcome back to arc 3 of Doomed To Repeat. The nail-biting, anxiety-inducing, award-winning actual play returns for another round of eldritch terror. We check back in with the agents of PERENNIAL as Agent Tuck calls each of them to explain the impossible. Her long-lost sister Mia, who disappeared at age 6, has re-appeared at the same age in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in present-day Yosemite National Park. Meanwhile, something is bubbling under Tuck’s skin. Something Unnatural. Is Tuck strong enough to harness her new power, and how long can the agents cover for her? This episode features the scenario “Operation: Fulminate, Sentinels of Twilight” by Dennis Detwiller. TRIGGER AND CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, body horror, mental illness, Dissociative Identity Disorder, PTSD, manipulation, gaslighting, religious trauma, infighting, the topic of Covid-19 including conspiracy theorists, drug and alcohol use, gun and knife violence, Eldritch Horror sexual situations specifically under the influence (but not in a hentai way), surgery discussions, legal proceedings, mentions of racially insensitive folk tales., threats against the life of a child, medical procedures, parental disagreements, missing children, scars. Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this podcast are © Mayday Roleplay, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property. CAST OF CHARACTERS • Lev (they/them) - Agent Tuck (she/they) • Amanda (she/her) - Agent Boomer (she/her) • Caleb (he/him) - Orson Bradham, Agent Merit (he/him) • Eli (any/all) - Kona Morales, Agent Hyde (she/her) • Zakiya (she/they) - Gaze, Agent Warp (she/they) • Sergio (he/him) - The Handler MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS • Post Sound Supervision: Sergio Crego, Eli Hauschel • Mixed: Eli Hauschel • Original Theme, "Agent's Prognosis" by Aaron A. Pabst • Soundstripe (soundstripe.com) • Epidemic Sound (epidemicsound.com/) • Soundly (getsoundly.com/) DELTA GREEN LINKS • Delta Green (http://deltagreen.com/) • Operation FULMINATE: Sentinels of Twilight (https://drivethrurpg.com/en/product/456340/) MAYDAY ROLEPLAY LINKS • Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/maydayrp) • Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/maydayrp) • Mayday website (https://www.maydayroleplay.com/) • Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@Maydayrp)

I'm Elie and I'm playing Agent Hyde. I'm Sikia and I play Agent Warp. Last year, we submitted the show to the team. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things.

We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things.

We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We're going to be doing a couple of different things. We'm Caleb James Miller and I play Agent Marrett. I'm Eli and I'm playing Agent Hyde. I'm Zakia and I play Agent Warp. Last year we submitted the show to Web and Podcast Festivals in the hopes of garnering some laurels. We were thrilled to earn over seven official selections and four awards for the show, including Best Actual Play and Best Game Master. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who ran the festivals and voted for us. It's a wonderful feeling to be recognized for all our hard work and we're so thankful to have been nominated.

It's now 2023 and this counts as Mayday's fourth year as a podcast and we're celebrating the release of this new arc with a contest. For the first, fifth, and last episode of this arc, we'll be giving away Made a Merch. Every round, it'll be five stickers, one perennial airlines t-shirt, and one never before released Made a Poster, commemorating Devils Night, 1984. Did I mention it was signed by the cast? Check our socials for the photos and more details. If you want the chance to win in this first round, follow our social media, you know, the usual suspects, at Made a Roll Play, and you'll see that we've posted a question that can

only be answered by listening to this episode. Email us what you think the answer is at Made a roleplay 7 at gmail.com and get it into us before November 24th or the release of episode 23, the sequel to this episode. For this arc of Doom to repeat, I've also recorded a supplemental campaign diary that I'll aim to put out as a companion piece to every new episode we drop. There, I'll discuss my plans for the sessions, the overall campaign, and some of the challenges in prepping and running the game. My hope is, it will lend some unique insight into the production of our show,

and maybe help other handlers who are working on a Delta Green campaign of their own. It's available as of the release of this episode in YouTube and podcast format, so make sure to check it out. If you enjoy what we do here, be sure to not only like and subscribe, but leave a positive review. This tends to help us get noticed by the algorithm gods. We're still a very little show, and any support you can offer, including joining our Patreon, goes a long way towards sustaining us, so we can keep up the hard work of producing several actual plays a year. Not just this one. In this episode, we begin our playthrough

of the scenario Operation doomed to repeat. It is Wednesday, September 30, 2020. The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic is coming, finally, to a close. And so too it seems, is the patience of most Americans. The presidential elections are ramping up, and the country seems ready to tear itself apart. Any chance at a unified front against the disease has been thrown out, as masking policies vary wildly between states. There is still no vaccine in sight. America lives in two realities now, and coincidentally, so too do program agents. In one reality, you are loving family members or devoted friends.

But in another, you are trapped in a losing war against unspeakable horror. And though you labor to keep both from colliding, they draw in a scapably closer, attracted in some twisted law of decay. Agents, you have all silently suffered through a year that on paper should have been easy, but by now you all know better. This job is not meant to be fulfilling. It is meant to be survived. You catch yourself sleepless at night sometimes wondering, what does survival even look like? What does survival even look like? Is it escape to some exotic country by a new alias and live anonymously ever after? Maybe you could for a while.

But opsec demands we maintain our silence or we become the mission. Is it returning to the fold if they'd only give you a chance? Accept the Faustian bargain that you made a long time ago, a promise to maintain a conspiracy bigger than any of you. You could climb up the ladder like Mallory, where you can be safe from the field, but dying from the exposure. And there's always the example of Deborah Constance, Fractured, and imprisoned. You've come to realize that survival is really just delaying the inevitable. But it is better than death, which is why you wait for the call. Because you know, deep down, it's coming.

Boomer. Yes. Yes. Last we left you, you were offered a deal by March Technologies, a deal for exclusivity on your algorithm, a project that is both yours personally and your business partner events. Thornbill and the lawyers have just left your office, leaving behind a contract for you to review. What do you do? We go ahead and review it. Go to the first couple paragraphs. I know exactly. I'm looking for numbers. Yeah, the numbers as

they say to you in the meeting close to $2.8 million. I'm going to smirk at that number and I'm going to keep reading the rest of the agreement and contract for anything additional. If you're going to read into it without a professional, give me a law role. First role in the pressure, Amanda. First role of the game and accounting role. Ooh, I have a good law role. Thirty-nine in my laws of forty.

Off to a good start. Ah, hello. Razer, thin margin for season three. You are a business woman, you have much experience with these kinds of things. You do eventually show to your lawyer and the lawyer confirms what you are able to read. This is a legit contract. It's also a very generous offer. They are not only buying exclusivity on the algorithm, but of the parts of your organization

that deal with and update and run the algorithm. But if the parts of your organization that deal with and update and run the algorithm are now effectively a subsidiary of March and that part of your company will become part of March. I'm okay. So okay. So the anyone that works in their mind implement, they're not going to know the true March thing. Correct or is it like, is it their agents taking over? I just want to make sure understanding your employees will remain employees of your business But your business is now attached to March technologies Wow your business partner Evans has an interesting secondary opinion He reads the contract since you give it to him and he comes in one day to your office and he says listen

We shouldn't sign the contract. We should leak it to the press and start abitting more. I'm going to quickly get up and close the door, make sure no one heard anything like that. Sit him down and be like, that is a good idea. The issue that happened is do you remember when I was traveling out of the office for a little bit trying to lock this down?

Yeah, a couple of months ago. We had to, it was for us to guarantee the contract. I had to make a call and that was to be exclusive to them. There's a little back and forth where he resists, but he trusts you. So, Agent Boomer, are you going to take the contract? I will. I will go ahead and I will take the contract

and I will also for the sake of so Evans can feel like I'm not totally icing him. I'm going to say yes, I will take lead on this division. So any projects that he wants to endeavor, I will give my full support. And he's going to take over the rest of kind of like everything else on the company. Well, I deal with the government. The paperwork is signed and both you and Evans become millionaires.

Okay. Thank you very much. paperwork assigned and both you and Evans become millionaires. Thank you very much. I would like you to make a note that from this point on, all of your requisition roles for major expenses and under and below are made at plus 20%. Okay. However, I would like you to reduce your connection with Evans by one. Your bond needs to be reduced by one. So a few months pass, the months in which Tuck is recovering from their injury,

does boomers appearance or demeanor change in any significant way? A bit, yes. Boomer actually cut off a good chunk of their hair and kept it is now it's actually shorter. It's still very curly. It's now like a long bob if you will because of incidences of clearing out some gore in blood and it just triggered some bad memories. So she cut off her hair and also heads up she did take a first aid class. So she's actually a little bit more,

she's going to carry like a side bag that's not a fanny pack. It is not a fanny pack. It is a nice side bag that she carries on her person that is kind of a trauma response for everything with a tuck. And of course with your new finances,

you could easily afford the best trauma kit that money can buy. It's a Versace if it can be. Like it has like a designer label, little thing where you can zip it. In these months where you're enjoying your new success, your new wealth, there is a process that your company needs to go to

to help retrofit this algorithm into March technology systems. And it's March that you're dealing with mostly Thornbill as your liaison. One day, close to the end of the process, you are called by Thornbill. You are invited to the activation of one of the server farms after the installation of your software. Do you accept the invitation? Yes, I will accept the invitation. At a non-descript office park, somewhere in Washington, you have to drive there for the day.

Boomer, you find yourself in a server farm. It is non-descript as average as any other office building or office park. And when you step inside, what is made clear is that this office building has some very heavy security. You go through the walls, you are scanned, you are padded down, your name is signed in, your ID is copied. Do I leave my phone behind in all my positions or am I all the caretakers? I think they leave it with you. There you go. Okay.

You step into kind of the main area where the server is running, you can hear the humming of the machines. And there's kind of an impromptu gathering here. Thornbill is there and recognizes you and approaches. There are here to be one other two IT members and scientists that were kind of involved in working with you. Thornbill says they're hellos and you know you're kind of milling about before there's a little bit of a kerfuffle at the front door. And walking through the door is a tall man in his possibly 70s, late 60s, trim, in shape, and is wearing the uniform and stripes of an admiral. With him is a shorter,

dark skinned woman with short cropped hair and seems to be either an assistant or maybe a fellow intelligence officer of some kind. Thornville introduces the two of you and mentions that this is Admiral Gates. He is part of D2, the intelligence branch of the program. He approaches you, he puts out his big hand, shakes your hand, he says to you, your work is going to ensure our superiority in the 21st century. I'm happy to hear that. Beside him is, again, this kind of unassuming woman

he introduces her as intelligence officer April Crumpton. As I described, short, mostly graying hair, slum shoulders, a little overweight, a little disconnected from the whole scene. She doesn't really look you in the eye, she doesn't really talk very much, and kind of as everyone begins to gather and talk, she almost sort of fades into the background where you'll notice, oh yeah, she's right behind the admiral as they walk around, and the group is given a sort of brief tour

of the facility showing off the security, et cetera. It seems like admiral Gates is concerned with this. Kind of like a millisecond where I could might get like April's attention, I will kind of lean in and be like, Miss Crumpkin, what are your thoughts on on my program? It seems like she is struggling to hold a conversation even with one person. And what she is able to kind of squeeze out is good code, very good code.

I'm happy you think so. My side bag, there is like with a, was it, I have like a little mint candy, I will just go like, hand it out and see if we'll take it, I'll be very respectful, distance and not really touch. Where the charm of Boomer works with the average person and something like a nice gesture of Hanyl Candy works easily most of the time, there's something guarded about April and works with the average person and something like a nice gesture of handing out candy Works easily most of the time. There's something guarded about April and she doesn't seem upset by the offer, but just politely declines the gesture When the tour is over Admiral Gates and intelligence officer Krumpton leave and Thorneville comes over to you and says I saw you speaking to April Crumpton, leave. And Thornbill comes over to you and says, I saw you speaking to April Crumpton.

Well, for my gathering, she was probably the smartest person in the room, and that's including me. Hence why I wanted to talk to her. Oh, you've got a good eye for talent, because you're right. She's kind of infamous around here. Some circles know her as Agent Andrea, and she infamously built the database that your algorithm is currently encrypting.

You wouldn't think it. Oh no, I could tell instantly. You know why? Why? Because she was listening to the numbers. To us, that's nothing, but to her, it's like a music. I know people like that. I used to work with them. I hire them. Thorneville ends the conversation by saying, good work, Boomer. This is good for both for you and for March.

You know what? The way I see it is, if we can just keep it working, it's not a prom. It's all gravy, baby. The event which didn't have any drinks or hors d'oeuvres or anything like that, very informal. Oh, suck. Comes to an end. And you are leaving the office park heading back to your car when your phone begins to ring and it's tuck What do you do? I will pick it up and I'm gonna be like hey sexy how's you breathing?

The cherry tone is met with a completely distraught state Tuck informs you of something completely unbelievable. Her sister, who went missing 30 years ago, the girl that you have been helping her figure out, her disappearance has returned. I'm going to just, I'm just going to be like kind of frazzled. She's in your semini, and Tuck is on her way to pick her up.

She informs you that she's going to call the others. OK. Semid locations. Deeds, I going to call the others. Okay. Send me locations. Deeds, I'm already getting the car. I'll hit up some stuff and I'll come up in the car. I wouldn't have driven off right away as soon as I hang up. Boomers going to, like, she will cry and freak out in the car of that kind of, because she knows what that is.

But on that phone, it's like, okay, okay. And as soon as she does that, she's going to break down in the car of that kind of because she knows what that is. But on that phone, it's like, okay, okay. And as soon as she does that, she's going to break down in that car. Agent Boomer, I want to remind you as you hang up with Tuck that your heart is racing and you are reminded that it is only these people, Tuck, Hyde, Merritt, Samiel, and Warp, who bring this kind of strange feeling that when they call, you're both excited to hear from them and terrified. You make the preparations and you leave as soon as you can. Agent Merritt. Yeah. Albany rural cemetery stretches 400 acres outside of Albany, New York. In a particular section of the cemetery dedicated to fallen heroes in the line of duty, lies your former partner, Alan Pearson, you, Miranda, his former wife, and Gordy, his son, stand over his grave. appearance or demeanor changed in any way. These last few months have been the eradication of everything that Marit used to form as his

identity, and so many of the things that kept the seams together have come apart, and he's afraid at the edges. He is haggard, dark circles about his eyes. He looks a lot gongter and a lot older than he should. At his age, he is wearing some five o'clock shadow that is unlike him and his hair is grown to an unnatural length that Miranda has said she enjoys, but he can't stand to look at the mirror. He's not dressing the same. He's no longer in his suits and formal wear wherever he goes. And even here in the cemetery, he's wearing a Columbia University sweatshirt over a pair

of slacks that are half washed. You're there to lay flowers at Alan's tombstone. Miranda stands there with a bouquet in one hand, Gordy, in the other. And as you are standing there silently, Gordy is acting out a little bit. He seems disinterested to be there. He's making noises, he's pulling on his mother, being a little bit of a nuisance. What do you do? Gordon? Gordon? What? Eyes up? Can you look at me in my eyes? Do you see me? As I see you. Do you know where you are?

Can I play with my Game Boy now? No. I want you to look me in the eyes and I want you to answer the question I gave you. That's a sign of respect. Do you know where you are? Yeah, I'm in a graveyard. In front of who's grave? Mom, I want to play with my Game Boy now and Miranda.

No, there is a time and a place for that Gordon and for right now, I'd like to see some respect. Miranda speaks up and says, Orson, it's fine. It just, he's never going to learn if we keep using every opportunity to employ his feelings over any sign of respect. Ah, she dips down the Gordon and says,

go to the car. You can play the with the Game Boy. We'll be there in a second. He lets go of her hand and runs about 10 feet away where the car is idling. She places the flowers and says, look, Gordon is starting school soon. I need him to be ready in the morning.

And I don't think these early morning runs that you have him doing. I think we need to have them pause for a little while until he gets back into a school schedule. Is that all right? Mira, we talked about this. He needs discipline. If he's going to stay sharp, I mean, those things can only help in an educational basis. I mean, the fiscal education programs at a public school, are we telling jokes here?

Are we going to assume he's going to get everything he needs from the public education system? Orson, I appreciate this intention of yours, but I think I know my son and I just, I think he needs a little bit of time to just get back acclimated to school. He can continue doing things with you, like hikes and stuff like that, but you know what, just, can you give me a minute,

I just wanna be alone here for seconds, is that okay? Sure. Sure, I can leave you here. Fine, but this conversation needs to continue because if you're not careful, he's going to grow up into someone that believes that every answer can be,

every answer can be, every answer can be soft. It's just not true in a world like this. The brisk wind blows past you and you go by the car, eventually she seems to have her peace at the tombstone and makes it back to the car. Do you spend any time at the tombstone alone? I think I do take a walk up to Alan's grave, and rather than flowers, he leaves like a Duncan Donuts coffee cup with the heat sleeve still on, and it's signed for Alan's name. I think he leaves it there squarely at the center of the grave stone. It takes a few steps back,

and he smooths out his sweat shirt, the most he can, to seem formal. And you know, it has been so long since we last saw each other. And I can't remember what you were wearing that day, but I remember thinking that I had never seen someone working in law enforcement who cared so little about the way they look. And I just... Alan, I wish I was still in a world where that was an issue for me.

I wish there was a world where the biggest questions were not what I'm going through now. And I wish you could have come with me. I know what we saw in that forest changed both of us, but God, I wish that you had just been a little more understanding. I wish you could stand right here, because at least when we were standing next to each other, things made sense. And I had answers for things, and I knew who I was supposed to be, and if I didn't, you guide me. You tell me where to go because right now I don't know where the fuck I am. And I'm just hoping that one day you will tell me again.

And there is radio silent. And I just hope that whatever you are now, you can forgive me. Whatever you are now, you can forgive me. Because I'm starting to believe what all of them tell me they are. What everyone tells me I am. I miss you. I think Miranda honks the car and you make your way back over to it. I assume you're driving. Yes always. Painfully slow.

On the way out there is a barricade that keeps you from the normal exit. There is no visible reason as to why this exit is barricaded. There are no potholes, no construction, and there is a wide swath that you could easily cut around the barricade and exit. But the sign of the barricade is pointing you towards an alternate exit. Which do you take? I'm going to take the alternate exit. There seems to be some starting detour. It'll be quick. I follow the signage. Sure enough, it leads you through the front entrance of the graveyard. You continue driving in the car and now Gordy is unbuckling his seatbelt. He's kicking the seat. He's saying, I'm hungry.

I'm hungry. I want to eat something. I'm hungry. Just put the randus reaching back. Put the seatbelt on. Do you know how fast cars go? Even at 40 miles per hour, these are some of the most dangerous things you can be a part of.

Please just put this on. Orson, you don't need to scare him. It's fine. Gordy just put your seat back on, please. Seat bell back on. He continues. It takes a toy and throws it in the front seat. It's just being a complete nuisance.

If you act out one more time, I think we're going to have to discuss screen time. We're going to have to discuss where and when we can play with these toys and whether they have a place for it inside of mode or vehicle, Gordon. Are you listening? Orson, this is my son, please do not tell him what to do. I will punish him, please. What?

Before you can respond, you realize that you are about to miss the exit on the highway. You can either make a drastic move right now or you're going to miss it. Do you risk the chance or do you follow the rules of the road? I follow the rules of the road. There's children in the car. They doesn't have a seat belt on. I'm gonna slow down even more and take the exit. Miranda asks if we can stop for food. Stop for food?

Whoa. We're not even close to the house. It's gonna take me a half hour to cook something. Can, let's just find a grocery store or something. I just wanna get him a sandwich. Sure, sure. A sandwich. Yes, pump him full of that.

Yes, absolutely. And I'll pull off and drive towards the nearest grocery store. You do that. And as you are walking into the grocery store, your cell phone rings. And it's a tux number. What do you do? What?

Excuse me. One second, Randall, catch up. And I go into the restroom of the target wherein or whatever I get into the last stall farthest from the door. And I answer the call. Like Boomer, you hear Tuck distraught, scared, fumbling through her words.

And she explains to you a completely impossible situation regarding her missing sister in Yosemite National Park. What stands out to you is she's explaining the situation and is completely ignoring Opsek. She mentions calling all the other agents and how she's got to get off the phone, but if you could please find her in Yosemite, could you assist? Listen, I will be right there, but we should modify language.

Do you hear yourself? You need to be careful because you don't know. Do you know what's at stake here when we're talking about what we're talking about? Or is it fucking no way to take care? Thank you for the reminder though. I just want you to breathe. I want you to take a few seconds and remember protocol.

Because the wrong protocol means the wrong person is listening. I know you're right. That was a genuine thank you, not ace or castigwin. Of course, of course, and this is a genuine caution, not one done out of superiority. I'm going to be there. I will be on a plane the first I can, probably a red eye tonight if I can make one. But you need to keep it together for you and for her. Where is coming? What? You think my long-lost sister's gonna show up, my wife isn't gonna?

I'm thinking that you're putting your entire world in one place. I'm very aware of that, I'm thinking that you're putting your entire world in one place. I'm very aware of that, but I couldn't convince her not to, so... Okay, okay, we will... We'll have to discuss with hide the extra provisions we'll be taking for security. You're a good man. Only for so long. If we make it out of this hollow, you more than I can say. Well, I will do everything in my power to make sure that we make out of this,

but it's a long shot. I hope you know. Oh, I know. I'm going to see you soon. Please make sure that you eat and you drink plenty of water. I got you. Agent Tuck merits warning about opsec. How do you modify these calls?

Tuck does make the remaining three calls, and her tone is still intense and a little manic, but she finds a way to talk around specifics of who it is, and what is exactly going on. I think Tuck just says something to the tune of the case that I brought to the group has had a new lead. And if we could convene in its location, that would be ideal. Orson, you step out of the bathroom and you find Miranda.

She has found an exiled sandwich for Gordy and they are in checkout. Um, Miranda, I think that what you were saying about the runs before school, the hikes after school, the food, the discipline, all of it. I understand where you're coming from and I think that maybe you're right, maybe that this is all becoming a little too much, maybe we became domestic far sooner than we had any intentions to, because we're going through something that cannot be explained. Degree cannot be explained, really, in any certain terms. I'm thinking maybe that you and I need to take some space while you

reevaluate whether this is something that you want. Now, Orson, are you breaking up with me in the middle of a target? No, no, no, not in a breaking up. No, I just think that maybe some space, maybe some understanding that I am maybe not the best influence on the boy in his egg salad sandwich. Maybe if I were farther removed and I wasn't sleeping in your study, that maybe you'd like me more. Orson, I like you just fine. Can we talk about this a little bit later, please? What was that phone call about?

We can't talk about this later. I need to leave tonight. You need to leave? Yes. Where are you going? California. How long are you going to be gone? I don't know.

I have been given a special consideration by a team of lawyers on my case, my disbarment, my loss of career. Okay. I'm going to speak with them on whether I have a chance for retrial and see if maybe I can get my job back. That's good. That's very good. And I don't know how long that's going to take.

What is your score in human intelligence? Oh, 80. Maraine is relieved. And as you go through check out with her and return to the car with her, you start to realize it's not just relief over your job. It's relief. It's relief that you're going to be gone for a couple of days.

I think that a level of merit is shaking from the conversation with Miranda and the look in her eyes knowing that it's yet another person that is just sick of being around him for this sheer sake of OBS. He takes maybe three or four double takes in the target, watching pass or buy. He gives that little white man smile to some of the families coming in through the entrance and nods towards one of the guests and they're in the parking lot just a few two lanes in far from where he parked because of course he parks as far away as he can to make sure his car is safe.

As Miranda struggles to put Gordon back in the vehicle, you are standing alone with the cart, left with the decision everyone must make when visiting the grocery. You bring the cart to the nearest corral, or do you leave it propped up against the parking block. He leaves the cart unattended in a free parking spot, where someone will have to move it just to park there. And his hands are shaking for a moment. It takes him maybe five minutes before he can even let go of the cart knowing that what he's doing is not fair to someone else.

You make your preparations any special plans before you get on your way? I do put in a call to Alvin Bradham at the prison number that I know how to reach him. I give him a load down on where I'm going to be going, that the weekly calls will be stopping. I care about him, I still love him, and I'm looking forward to seeing him again when I come back. And then I think I will also write a letter to the FBI, another appeal in my name that is a version of four other letters I've sent in the past few months.

And it's just gotten longer since the last. It reads first, per my last correspondence, and it provides as much evidence as I've compiled. It puts theories against my place, the scene of the crime, of my involvement, the casings and the bullets, the theft of my weapon, my police record, everything in an attempt that maybe someone will hear me. And you make sure to mail that off before you leave. Agent Merritt, would you have contacted Simeil during your time off and warn him about hooks? Yes. I do believe there was a call in into Simeil.

I assume you give him the broad strokes. And in your research, you have discovered she's an avatar of Niharla too. I think was the direct information I got. So I would definitely reference that directly so he had all the information possible. As to whether Somail feeds your advice is unfortunately unknown to you as he never gets back. In fact, talk after reaching the others, you try Sam, but he never picks up and goes to voicemail. God damn it, Sam, I hell.

I go back to packing up all my stuff, I make sure I grab all the stuff from the second box and all the extra little Mia things that I have left over. Warp. You are hunched over, inh, deep, labored breaths. You can see the sweat rolling down the crook of your nose. You are alone in the same room as Agent Hyde. Explain to us why you are there together. Yes, this is one of several self-defense classes that have been going on probably since we got back to our lives. It was probably a few weeks of adjustment and then I think we're made a phone call about purchasing a knife and has not stopped calling hide about what to do with it, how to hold it, asking if certain

YouTube videos are right, just sending whole 30, 40 minute YouTube videos and being like, is this good at any time of the day? And it just became, we just need to meet up and figure it out. You return to the mat where Hyde is waiting for you with a dummy knife and you've returned to practice. Warp, could you explain, has there been any significant changes in your appearance or demeanor since we last saw you? was a little bit longer and the little patch. At first it was one braid that was bleached and I think there's like

an entire back part. Like she got as far as the back part can be bleached without her feeling like she's going to hell. And her demeanor is a little bit more confident. And I think that's what I think is a little bit more confident.

And I think that's what I think is a like an entire back part. Like she got as far as the back part can be bleached without her feeling like she's going to hell. And her demeanor is a little bit more confident. Nothing to show for it whatsoever, but she feels like enough, like mundane days have happened to where she can kind of predict what's going next. The last we saw you,

you attempted to take a knife skills class and did not do very well. You succeeded on the role which means you didn't learn anything. Because you have asked Hyde specifically for help, I will allow you to roll the D10, you can add that to your melee score as Hyde is showing you precisely how to inflict as much damage as quickly as possible. That's a four. Hyde, give us an update on yourself. Have you changed in your appearance or demeanor at all? I mean, hide definitely has stayed fit and probably is even more fitter because they have more time. Even though they're, they're, they have brown skin.

They seem like they've been outside more often. So they've got like a level of sun to their skin. They have, their hair's a little bit shorter. They're Definitely they adopted a undercut while they're in the middle of the suspension because it's definitely out of regulations But they don't really care, but it's enough to keep a ponytail at the top She standing on the mat other than that Hyde is pretty much the same though the poly tattoo that she has has this really red like jagged cut cross of it from where uh warp knife them. It's pretty much healed, but it's in that angry

scar phase where it's just like red, but uh hi doesn't seem to be minding it. For shits and giggles, let's have you both make a contested melee roll and let's see how you do. Beautiful. Come on, more key. Let's have you both make a contested melee roll and let's see how you do. Yeah, that's a success with a 29. That's a success with a 28. The highest score wins, so though Hyde is able to, in the end, kind of pin you or place their knife close enough to indicate that the bow is over. You put up a hell of a fight war.

She has taught you well and she has taught you how to be lethal. Good. Good. Sneeva, did you did in the box? You stayed in the box? You didn't go too far? No hard swings? That was, I feel so good.

Oh, incredible, incredible. But remember, you're only using this for self-defense. There's no reason for you to be going out and knife in people. Of course not. I mean, at the same time, many people have come in here to knife me, so. Are you talking about, no, no, I'm talking about the man

that there was a breaking and entering a while ago, don't worry about it. And won't happen again, because I almost defeated a whole military person. So I feel good about it. Well, as long as you keep up with it, you should be fine. Hide, you can heal your cell phone buzzing from your backpack. I don't know, hold on.

I go dig through the bag and I pull it out. It's stuck. Hello. You are given an impossible story and a request to please come and help. Here are the warps here. I put it on speaker. Oh, orp. Hi, I was going to call you next. It's in the location that the case I brought to the group took place in 1996.

Have no idea what that is. Do you have accessibility to maybe pin it? We're in California and you know we can... You're at the same state, you're at the right state. We're in Northern California. You should come to where I am. It's not exactly there, but it might be helpful. Uh, okay. We'll, um...

You know where I'm talking about Warp, right? Yes. You tell Hyde and we'll, uh, we'll, we'll, we'll, um... We'll meet there. I really need to go. Okay. I really need to go. Thank you. I... Thank you.

All right. Hang up. I... Thank you. Alright. Hang up. So what is that all about? We need to go to Yosemite. Well, first I need to go home. And then eventually we will go to Yosemite. What's in Yosemite?

We can talk about it on the way, but... We need to... Talk as a sister, and she might be in be in your cemetery? We need to figure that out exactly Okay, you both get on your way and you are in fact in northern California. You're a handful of hours away from your cemetery. Are we at my house? Well, we'll say that yes. Your home is nearby so that you could absolutely return home and grab whatever things you need I would assume that since high to state side they probably already have a go bag is the plan for the two of you to drive to your seven

Yeah, yeah, probably that is what you do Agent Tuck the last few hours Have been a blur a haze you're just You're like floating through life, still in shock, but having to keep it together. One moment you're in the car, frantically making phone calls. One moment you're at the airport, Ruhi doing most of the work to check in the luggage. The next moment you blink and you're in the plane high up of the ground. Would you care to describe Tuck? Has their appearance changed anyway since we last saw them?

Yeah, well she's a little bit thinner, a little bit frailer. She is working to get back to like a healthy physicality, it's taking a little time. Her hair, which used to be up in really like tight secure ponytails. She's only just gotten to the point that she can reach high enough to put it in a really sloppy like half bun. So instead of being like the controlled ponytail that it has been, it's as much like softer half bun. All of her shirts are buttoned down and usually flannel.

She does use a cane pretty regularly. She stopped wearing her wedding ring around her down and usually flannel. She does use a cane pretty regularly. She stopped wearing her wedding ring around her neck and it's back on her finger now, though the chain is still there. And her face is a little sharper on the angles, but it's still the same tuck for the most part. Your sitting in your seat, an aisle seat, lost and thought just sort of being there, and a small child runs past you in the aisle.

It's a little girl. Their parents call back to them and they stop and they look at you and you swear it's me up. What do you do? Tuck, as their eyes kind of focus, looks at the kid, swears it's me at, and just frees it. The child notices you staring, and their face just sort of stops being me. And for a moment, you realize it's just a little blonde girl,

and she runs off back towards her parents. Give me a sanity check, please. Yeah, I still got that coming. OK. OK. or parents, give me a sanity check please. Yeah, I see. Come here, okay. Okay. Ooh, that's a failure. You're going to lose one sanity? Yeah, I have hit my breaking point on this plane.

Your stomach begins to turn and it hurts. Like, it really hurts. You start feeling nauseous and you look up to see that the bathroom light is green. What do you do? I immediately get up and just break for the bathroom. I don't think it's even like subtle at this point. Ruhi is asleep beside you and doesn't even notice that you get up, but you race into the bathroom,

closed the door and lock it. Tuck, the pain has shifted into a kind of warmth as if your whole body is about to light on fire. And you look in the mirror of the bathroom and you can see that there are blue veins growing and riding up the side of your neck and into your cheeks. You are about to scream when you are flooded with a wave of euphoria. There is this snap into reality, a kind of clarity that you have not had in months,

all of the medication and the pain and the confusion and the anger and the frustration. All of that just washes away. And you are the most clear headed that you have been in the last 48 hours. Time almost seems to slow. You are staring back at yourself in the mirror and the tuck on the other side of that mirror leans in and says, you are going to California to bring back your sister. You will succeed and anything or anyone that stands in your way will be met with the ruin.

Your way will be met with the ruin. The Euphoria subsides. As do the blue veins. They were seeded into your neck, and you return to yourself. Tuck, please roll the detent. A two. You may add that to your constitution score permanently. What?

What? Incredible. That means my health goes up by one. What is your current constitution score? Eight now. So my health goes up to nine. Yeah. Wow. You look back into the mirror and fades away and you feel okay. You step out of the bathroom and as you are walking back to your seat, the pain is, it's almost not even there anymore, you almost feel normal. You realize you're using your cane out of habit

more than anything. Do you make this known? We're still sleeping. Yeah, as you return to the seat, Ru is still asleep, her head is resting against the window. I think I sit down and I look at her. And I think about everything she's been through the last few months with me and everything I've put her through.

And I just reach over and wind my fingers between her's and rub my thumb against her wedding ring. I let her sleep. But I tell myself I'm gonna tell her later. Tuck you've hit a breaking point so we're going to gain a disorder and I think and I'd like your opinion on this one of the best options is the disorder of megalomania. The reason I feel this way is because the way you felt inside there, the way you felt in that bathroom, you've never felt like that, maybe in your entire life, and this confidence that you haven't had in months is suddenly with you and it is empowering you. I don't think Tuck reads it as megalomanina in themselves at all. I think they read it as like, I can do this. I know the situation is shit. I know there's literally no way I can explain this to me

that's going to make sense to her. But I, this is if, if nothing else, my life has led to this and this is what I'm going to do. Eventually, all of your planes will land on schedule, probably slightly different times. I think that the first to possibly arrive at Yosemite would be warp and hide, but is there any kind of coordination made between the six of you? As soon as I land, I'm just gonna text Tuck. I think Tuck's gonna go get our sister before anything else. For any of the team can talk her out of it,

for any of the team can have an opinion on it, Tuck's gonna go and get our sister and tell the others, like, just landed, picking up Mia, will send a meat spot suit. So the rest of you understand that Ruhi and Tuck are on their way to Yusemite. You're all landing very early in the morning, so it's going to take her a couple of hours.

It's going to take you a couple of hours. Do the rest of you rendezvous together, or are you just kind of caravading separately and getting there when you can? Yeah, I know Marit would wait for the others. When he does get the text that she's going for Mia, there's a string of text from Mara saying that this is a bad idea, that she's considered to be an asset. We don't know what's going to happen if she isn't what we think

she is. It's very dangerous, but of course that's all going to be ignored. But he is going to text Sam I.L. and Boomer and see if they want to meet up in carpool so they only have to rent one car. Boomer will uh response but also if that's true on the group chat if I see it I'm going to end it with uh we're in danger gift on the end of that thread just to add on to that and I'll be I'll pick up a rental car and I'll give you my location. I guess if Warp and Hyder the first ones to Yosemite they'll try to secure a living situation or a place to stay. Yeah, because in like my house three hours away from Yosemite that would be the place to

go from the airport but if we're going straight to the park. Yeah. Are we staying in the park proper or Or are we getting like a place outside of the osamite? Yeah, I feel like something like 30 minutes out would be safe. Okay. Yeah. You can find a hotel or an Airbnb 30 minutes outside of the osamite, but you find yourselves all four of you there. It's kind of shocking to see each other again, especially without some kind of more formal kind of shocking to see each other again, especially without some kind of more formal setup, usually the program likes to send cryptic messages and things like that.

This is all getting dangerously informal. Just so I'm just clear, what does Merit look like? Is he, I was gonna say, to like, is he even at all attempting to look? He's way more disheveled than you've ever seen him before. It's probably still pretty, like dressed up compared to anyone off the street, but it is uniquely uncharacteristic of merit, and he's got a lot of 5 o'clock

shadow and longer hair. Oh, you're rocking the scruffy. Yes, that's very astute of you to notice. The retirement's treating me. I told you, you could work for me as security. You're the one that went on. Wow, I don't think I could work security for an IT company. I don't know what I would be defending against.

You'd be defending against your own homelessness, bro. That's all right, Boomer. Thank you for the very, very kind gesture, but I have plenty of savings from years of careful spending. I think I can float for the time being. I mean, that's a funny way of saying that you haven't done shit. Well, I've done plenty.

I've been working my own case to see if maybe they'll reconsider the decision that they've made. And I've been working on myself. And have them. No, but we're in the process. We're making moves. We're making waves. It's not an easy thing to petition the FBI.

No, I can make a call for you though, if you like. You really think you could do that? You think you have a way in? Fortunately, I do know some people in DC. Sure. If you want to make a call on my behalf, of course, you're not required to do any of that, but if you could. Go get a shape too. You're not really pulling it off. I was just trying to be nice. Wow, it's so good to see all of you again. I got you,

let's get some coffee, let's go. Missed you too. You want a Starbucks run? I would have just said that to see if he would have gotten a little clenchy as I pulled out there. We're off budget, so whatever you would like to pay out of your own wallet, that is completely up to you. I've heard that you've done very well for yourself, so maybe you can afford to run the mission, accounting this time around. You are all reminded that if this was a mission, there might be some parameters such as locate this child, identify if this child really is a

melea more, determine whether there is an unnatural threat in the area and if possible either remove it or keep it there and as always try and make the outcome appear mundane. Personally I'm a fan of this freeform style I like having not to report to them. It's kind of scary though, isn't it? I thought that we're really just on our own out here. Think of it as like we're a solo act. We are now breaking away in our own. Only for as long as they let us. Warp has muffins because you start missions with muffins and is passing them out to everyone. I do think it's important to

discuss exactly what we're doing with this child. Since there isn't anyone telling us what to do with it, I understand Tuck wants to keep it alive. But what if it shouldn't be? What do we do? Can't we just, would it be at all possible to convince them to just get a cabin and never leave and be there forever? What like the Bowman family? We saw how well that worked out. Well, okay, first of all, I said let them stay there, because I mean, if you're staying there, then it's all.

Listen, I understand the predication to treat this with kids' gloves considering the child, but we need to understand that there's no guarantee that any of this is what we seem. Of course, Haley is going to think one way because she is the closest to this assignment. That's why the rest of us need to think in the opposite direction twice as far, because if it's not a child, if this is not a child that

is suddenly come back from the 90s, the same exact age that she left, which lets be honest, the odds of that being something fruitful for the rest of us are so slim we might as well go back to Lansing. If it's not, we need to be prepared for what has to be done. I mean, I don't even know why we're having a discussion about it. We know what we have to do, regardless of whether or not she is or not a child. She just popped out of nowhere. So you know, that's got to be a dress. Well, we don't have a handler, so we don't need to do a damn thing. Just because we don't have a handler doesn't mean that we just don't abide by the rules

and regulations of like understanding that this should exist in the world. Right. Yes and no to all of that because if it is in fact a demon child or skeletal child or something of that nature. A skeletal child? Yes. I'm just going to call the next of kid if the child is only made of bones. Listen, I'm with hide.

We need to act as though there are protocols on this mission. We need to at least conduct with our own set of rules, not just for the moral quandary of all this, but for the express concern that rules keep us safe. There's also the consideration that while she is dropped back in here, she was brought here by something. There's more to this than the child. Then let's make sure. let's just get her checked.

Well, how about this? We don't even know what we're dealing with first. If it is a child, let's not talk about murder, mayhem. But if it's not, which is most likely I agree, it's not, we will proceed from there. Because that's why we're here. Make sure talk is taken care of first before we handle anything.

Because this is technically still not a mission. So who are we here for? We're here for Hailey. That's who we're here for. We don't have a safe house or anyone to find a safe house. If things go bad, and almost every time we've gotten together, they go bad. So let's not do anything half-cocked.

We're also low on technical aspect when it comes to research. Anything that we ascertain on what this creature is and what brought it here has to come from us directly. There's no calling home to see what they know. Yes, it's almost like you don't have someone who has access to computers or technology. Boomer absolutely can help and does. She has been doing a little bit of research during the months off and she forwards to all of you two news articles that stand out. These are articles that are separate from all of Amelia S. Moore's missing person's case,

the FBI case, which should also be shared with you. But there are two very interesting articles that Boomer shared with T. But there are two very interesting articles that Boomer shared with Tuck and believes are in some way or another related to what's happening. You eventually all pile into a car and make your way. We'll say, unless you guys would prefer that you all travel in one car, yes? Yeah, I'll make sure you have rented a big, like an actual, like, large SUV SUV Your journey begins with a several hour drive through the great vine of northern California The highways turning to winding roads that lead through lush green forests with the occasional glimpse of a river or a stream

As you get closer to the park the trees start to thin out and the landscape becomes more mountainous the park, the trees start to thin out, and the landscape becomes more mountainous. The road starts to climb and you encounter switchbacks and hair pins as you ascend the Sierra Nevada mountains. The higher you go, the more dramatic the views become. Eventually, you are surrounded by towering granite cliffs, and you might even catch a glimpse of a waterfall or two or three in the distance. I cannot stress enough how impressive and majestic your Semidee National Park is. It is the summer so it is hot, it is humid and the buzzing of insects is always audible. As you enter the park, you pass through the front gate, you give them your information, and they inform you on how to get to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir,

where Mia is being kept. On your way, they do warn you that a storm front is hitting that portion of the park and to pull out your rain jackets and your umbrellas. As you pass by the visitor center, there are a couple of visitors, mostly day hikers, but we are in the middle of COVID and Yosemite opened back up again in June. So they are keeping it very limited to how many people are in here. As you continue driving, you are greeted with some of the most iconic and breathtaking views that you can find in the park. There is El Capitan and Half Dome, as well as other granite formations like Cathedral Rocks, Royal Arches and Clouds Rest. The road takes you through various valleys and meadows, such as Yosemite Valley, Meriposa

Grove, and to Lune Meadows. It takes an hour, once you reach the park park just to get to the HHSU reservoir. This place is enormous. You're deep into the land. When you notice that your cell phones are no longer working and it's just you, in the occasional deer or squirrel, that you might catch along the road. And you do see them. The lack of people has attracted animals into more of the areas where you might normally see people.

Eventually, you do reach the northern portion of the park and the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. And here, the weather does begin to change. It's cloudy and clearly threatening to rain. The sun is blocked by dark clouds, and you can see rain hitting some of the mountains. As you enter the storm, the mood begins to change and from this idyllic scenery, we enter a kind of dark somber place. Eventually, you reach the rancher rea falls ranger station where Mia's being kept. This station is two levels with enough space between it and the tree line to fit a helicopter or maybe half a dozen cars. There is a radio tower on the side of the building and a pole which seems to be running power

from the Oshonasi Dam that is to the northwest. If you listen closely you could hear the dam in the distance, it's about a half a mile away. But once you all pull up and we'll start with tuck first it begins raining We'll say about 10 minutes after tuck arrives the rest of the group arrives. So Tuck you arrive first. It is a kind of very light sprinkle of rain once you get here. What do you do? I think I reach over and squeeze Roo's hand. Um... Are you ready?

We got this, okay? It's gonna be okay. Yeah, yeah, it will. It will. I feel... I feel ready. I... I actually feel like... better than I have in a long time.

That's...that's good. Good. I... I'm here for you, okay? I love you. I love you. You're amazing. We're gonna be amazing. This is gonna be amazing. I mean, it's maybe not the way that we thought we were going to raise a kid, but, you know... There's a pause from her, but she almost kind of ignores the comment and grabs an umbrella and steps out of the car. Tuck grabs a second little messenger bag that's only partially full and slings it over her shoulder and gets out.

You step out and as you are walking towards the building a woman steps out onto the porch. There is a, you know, about a 20-foot porch there and windows lights coming out of it. It is dark here, so a lot of lights are on inside and on the porch. This woman is dressed as a ranger in green and cacky fatigues. Seems to be of Spanish, possibly native descent, and she's wearing a poncho covering her head and her body, and she comes running out to you in the rain, and she says, Hi, can I help you guys?

I'm Hailey Moore. You called me about the child you found. Yes, yes, oh my god, yes, hello. My name is Tomica. I am the ranger that found Mia. I think we spoke on the phone. Thank you. Yes, please, please, come inside, come inside. And she gestures you for you to come inside the building. It's small and it's tight, but it is a working ranger station. You can see that the windows that face the porch are kind of built like a like a kiosk window where you can raise some

wooden slats and if hikers want they can come up and ask questions of the Rangers. The inside is cozy and warm. There are blankets on chairs and on the floor, our rugs, elk antlers on the wall. There are several computers and workstations, television, and in one corner of the room, there appears to be another man who is on the telephone, kind of listening. He's got his finger in one ear. He kind of turns and sees you and gestures towards

Tamika, but he seems to be on the phone about something. The second tuck steps inside, her head is on a swivel and she is looking for Mia. Yeah, I think Tamika would notice that and she would say, Mia is in one of the rec rooms. I'm sorry to do this, but could I just ask for some ID? Could I just kind of confirm you are, who you say you are? Of course, yes, that makes absolute sense

and tuckle pat around and pull out just their license. They're not even gonna pull out their FBI badge. It's just gonna be a license. This is my wife, she's, you can understand why she's here. Of course, yes, of course. Hi, nice to meet you and Ruhe introduces herself and is their usual charming self. Tomeka seems like she's trying to remember all the protocol

of what's happening and what not. And she says, you know, as I let the FBI know yesterday, I was near the devil's chair walking down, checking on the backpackers campsite, picking up trash along the way, and I was wandering a Huckleberry field where I saw a little girl, I saw Mia. She was nude, but seemed to be an okay health. She was coherent, I asked, who she was. She was able to tell me. She asked for her mother and father.

I brought her to this trail station to give a call to her parents. I was able to reach your father. Eventually, I got to you and here we are. I'm sorry. I assume you really want to see her, huh? Yes, yes, please. I, yes, please. She leads you towards the back of the building. There are a couple of rec rooms. There's a little kitchenette area. In this rec room, there's a pool table and chairs, a little stone fireplace. Seems like a place where the

rangers can relax and take a load off in between shifts or whether they're there for extended period of time. Just before you move into the room, Tomika grabs the door and turns to you and says, I am the lighter off. She seems to be a little sensitive to the lights, so I turn them off, but she's in there with someone from the CMC. Being an FBI agent recognizes the CMC, it is the center for missing children. It is an organization that is a nonprofit that often works with the authorities in helping solve missing children or exploited children's cases.

Tuck is just nodding along trying to get her to stop talking and desperately wants to push through the door. The door squeaks open. On a couch across from you, maybe a dozen feet are two people. One of them is an older gentleman. Dark skin looks to be in his seventies. Balled on top, short gray hair around. He's got a gray mustache, and he is dressed. In business casual, he's got a shirt and tie, a slacks.

And he seems to be engaging with a little girl. A little girl that looks exactly like Mia. He notices you, she notices you. She kind of goes to drawing on a little piece of paper that she has with crayons and the gentleman stands, kind of brushes himself. Tomica says, Jo, Jo DeWant, this is Haley Moore,

this is, she looks at you, is this mother? Um, yes. Yeah, that's fine. Jo takes a step back. It seems as if he has an experience with this situation. He knows that every ounce of you just wants to go to her. So he doesn't impede that. So there is this quiet moment where you are at the threshold. What do you do? Mia. She looks up. She locks eyes with you and then kind of just goes back to drawing.

Hey, um... Um... Do you remember how we used to have a safe word? Remember? Remember our safe word? She nods. If I say our safe word, can I come over there? She looks up at you kind of quizzically.

It looks like she's trying to read who you are exactly, but she nods. And Tuck in a really rough, stilted accent says one word in Italian. Like it hasn't crossed her lips since she was nine. What do you do? The little girl smiles. since she was nine. Reach you. The little girl smiles. She looks at Jo. She looks at Tamika like she did it. She looks back at you.

But there's almost like this neat trick factor because she still hasn't made the connection and goes back to her drawings. Could we have a couple minutes alone? I'm sure she's been through a lot and I just need to, I need to explain some things. Of course, of course, Tamika kind of walks out and the older gentleman saunters over to you.

He's kind of taken his time kind of because he has to. He's an older guy, he's over to you. He's taken his time because he has to. He's an older guy. He's in his 70s. And he says, this is Mora. I'd love to talk to you once you feel like you have a minute, okay? Later. Yes. Later. Yes. And he walks past you and closes the door behind him. I assume Ruhi is also in the room with you.

Yeah, that's fine. Tuck kind of goes over and kneels in front of her. I have one year old coloring books if you'd rather have that. She looks to see what you're referring to. I reach into the bag and I leave it open so she can see all the stuff that's in it. And I pulled out like a half completed rugrats coloring book that was left in the car from our trip that neither of our parents

really noticed, and I kind of tucked away when I was a kid. And I flipped to the page of Susie Carmichael that's like half done and pink and blue. And I kind of hold it out to her. Her eyes light up and she says, this is mine. And she goes to take it. Yeah, I know. Thank you.

Mia, do you know who I am? Mm-mm. She shakes her head. It's, um... My name's Haley. That's my sister's name. I know. That's my sister's name. I know. That's... Kitto. Some people get to take the fast way to getting older.

And some people take it slow. And you... You've gotten to take it slow, but I had to take it the fast way. I'm, it's me, but it's, it's your Haley. It's not a different Haley, I'm the same Haley. Do you're my sister? Mm-hmm, yeah.

You're too old. I know, I feel too old. You are special. You've you did something I couldn't do. Tucked your clothes up to her and you see that her face has been cleaned, but her hair and her skin are filthy, her nails black. It almost looks like she crawled out of the earth. She's filthy, other than some Yosemite merchandise that they have put on her shirt and shorts. And she's got some... It appears that Joe has left her a little kind of go-back.

There's snacks and crayons and things like that. I'm going to ask you to make a persuasion check as you speak to her. Failureure 70. You talk to her, you explain things to her, you show her photos, and like a six-year-old, she doesn't seem to quite get it yet. Yeah, that's fair. You're having trouble kind of getting to the root of what you're trying to say as if she might be a little too young to understand it.

But there's this dreamlike quality to the situation. This soft, diffused light is coming through the windows and you're reunited again with a person that you have not seen for 30 years. And there is something I deal with about it. Eventually, Ruhi approaches. Yeah, I introduce Ruhi and I try to explain that she's my wife and I think slowly Tuck makes her way through the bag that she's brought. There's like one of those anemone kush balls and there's a hair clip and there's a stuffed giraffe

that looks like it's seen better days. And time kind of passes in this weird, idyllic way, and I will say that eventually the other agents pull up. The four of you pull up to a Ranger Station. You can see that there are a couple of jeeps and four runners parked outside. The rain is quite heavy at this point Much heavier than it was just a few moments ago or just a few minutes ago when when tuck and rupee arrived

What do the four of you do? I'm not eager to go in there. Do we really have to or we just waiting for Hayley to come out? I'm tuck. I Think that maybe one of us should be in the room given that we don't understand what this is yet. I just don't think that four adults need to show up for a child that's not ours. I know this is weird to say, but I wish

we had the Catholic priest here with us. I think someone with security clearance, either you or me hide. I mean, I am also on that list now. So what? Warp has been taking knife lessons. I'm trained in combat now. It's not a big deal. Oh, but congratulations. I look forward to seeing them in action. I don't think that qualifies as the security clearance. It's guys guys, it's a kid. I'll go. Who, anyone coming with? I'm a little hesitant to send you in, Boomer.

You keep calling it a child. We have no guarantee yet. I think I'm with you. Okay, fine. Thank you. What's going on inside? We'll go in because I want to see what's going on with all these hikers and stuff like that. Okay. You all walk inside. As you step onto the porch, you are stopped at the front door.

A gentleman who was on the phone seems to be quickly finishing up, hangs up, and comes running over to you guys and says, yes, excuse me, can I help you guys? Yeah, I'm so sorry. I'm here for a million more. I'm her uncle, not by blood, but her uncle. I believe Haley Moore has already arrived here. You're all part of the family? Essentially, yeah.

It's a found family, but it's ours. Okay. I'm what's not got to mean. No, no, nothing to... it's fine. I'm just... yeah, they're back that way. Thank you. Then I'm turning America. Racism works. It was very Then I'll turn America into racism. It was very good.

Keep laying on the racism thing. I won't be able to. I just take racism away. Waiting in the hallway are two people. One is a dark-skinned older man, and one is a woman of some kind of Spanish descent. It seems to be a park ranger. And they're kind of half paying attention

to the door past them But when you appear they notice you and approach you introduce themselves You introduce yourself as part of the family and they mentioned that Haley is currently inside speaking to me. Oh Would you guys mind just waiting out here and we'll go in once they're ready of course So it was it was recent you found her. mean, this is a miracle that had happened whatsoever. I mean, what are the odds? But you've found her recently?

Tomika goes over the exact same turn of events that she explained to Tuck. She was out in the field just yesterday and found the girl that she says, yes, you're right, it is a miracle. I'm just glad we were able to find her. Children go missing and you'll somebody quite often. Did you? I'm so curious on the location where you found her. Was there?

Yeah, it's the Devil's Chair. It's just about a half a mile north from here, north east. Do you need to see anything with her that could indicate where she was from, like how she survived? She didn't have any idea on her or anything like that. She was nude. She said her name was Amelia Moore, and well, I came back, I checked the records and sure enough that was a name that was missing.

It was a little odd of time frame, so I did contact the local FBI, someone in San Francisco, and then they sent Joe, and she introduces Joe to Wont, and he puts his hand out to anybody that'll shake it. And Joe kind of takes over the conversation, explaining that he's part of the CMC that's sent up from missing children, and that he typically is here to assist

with any legal questions. The CMC often assists family with counseling, and legal assistance navigating the world of law enforcement And he seems to be going over a little bit of a spiel, but he does say big family. Yeah, we get that a lot Agent, do you think I could take you down your information? Yeah, he absolutely hands you his card And he actually does not hand you a card from the CMC. He hands you an older business card That says Joe DeWant, Atlanta PD, Detective retired. Are you a special consultant? Is this a personal interest? And what capacity are

you working? Well, I'm with the CMC when I retired. I heard about the organization, like what they were doing. I was involved with a lot of missing children's case in Atlanta, so I took up the job, but the reason I'm here is because I happened to be on this side of the country and my contact at the FBI asked if I could come check it out. I was close by, so I figured it was right up my alley and when they sent me the paperwork, it was a hell of a case. I figured I'd come and check it out. It's really kind of you. Are you two the only ones who have interacted with the child?

Tumiko speaks up and says, well, I mean, senior park ranger, Mr. Keena, Douglas Keena, the gentleman you saw at the door. He did interact with the child a little bit, but it's mostly me and Joe, yes. I'm gonna turn to Merit and say, I'm going to have a look around. Okay, boomer. Boomer, you being one of a computer literate mind, you immediately notice a couple of computers in the front visitor center that are open. Different systems that show maps and stuff.

You do notice that there is a weather tracking app that's in the process of showing the extreme weather that is blowing through this area. Can she take a look at the weather app and see where this storm is coming from all of a sudden? Sure, I'll come back to you in a second. All of you are noticing the weather is picking up. It's heavy, heavy rain at this point. The occasional rumble of thunder deep in the distance.

If it gets any heavier, it's going to be hard to drive out of here. Yeah, I'll text everybody inside and it's like, hey, storms get in bad, we need to move before the roads get washed out. I assume Merit you are attempting to enter the room with Haley. Yeah, yeah. Okay, Warp, do you wanna go inside as well with Merit? I do.

The two of you step inside, there's a quiet wrap at the door, Asian Tuck, and it cracks open, and you see the familiar faces of merit and work. Hi! Thanks for coming. Come in, I guess, but just, you know, take it easy. Sure. And I'll turn to Mia, and I'll say some of my friends came to meet you too. They were really excited. They've heard a lot about you.

And the adorable but filthy six-year-old is sitting on a couch and kind of notices the two of you but as a shy six-year-old would kind of looks back down and goes back to their coloring. It's good to see you, Hayley. You too, Horson. Talk, she seems to be a little bit more concerned with your attention. She keeps drawing you to the drawing and showing you the little updates that she goes. She seems to be taking the liking to you.

Those are good. That's really good. Cute from me? Cute from me, a headdrag. She starts meticulously working on it. Yes. And I'll stand up, but I still hover just like almost directly in front of her, almost like shielding her. Ruhi steps kind of out of the shadows and says hello to the two of you. She's seen you before, she's had dinner with you.

Because of the situation, she's not going to come and hug you, but you get that feeling like that's what she wants to do. She just nods her head towards you. Nice to see you, too. Mia, this is my friend, and she'll kind of look at them, like, what do you want to do this name-wise, and let them introduce themselves. Hi, Mia.

My name's Orson. Can you say Orson? She looks at Tuck and Smiles. Like, is he really gonna makeson? She looks at Tuck and smiles like, it's he really gonna make me. She doesn't answer. She's six, not two. You never know, limited communication.

It's been a long time, are you? You can call me Gaze, yeah. I don't understand exactly what you've gone through, but I understand enough. She doesn't seem to quite process what you're saying, but she shows Tuck, the very crude hedgehog she's drawn. Oh, perfect. It looks great.

That's incredible. I love the line work. It's very advanced for your age. Can I see my parents now? Kitto, and Tuck kind of falters for the first time and kind of looks at Rue. There, well, Dad's not feeling good right now. So that's why I flew out, remember?

And mom, you know, I couldn't, I couldn't get a hold of mom. She's, I'm not sure where she is right now, but you... She looks at Orson and Gaze and says, are they gonna take me to mom, to dad? No, baby, no. You're gonna come with Rue and me, to now, okay? She nods her head. I think we're all going to go back together, aren't we, Haley?

Yeah, yes. We'll, we'll'll go back together. Good. We have some more friends outside. You'll meet them later. But everyone, everyone came to see you because we wanted to... It's been a long time, Keto.

And I want you to be safe. And that's all I care about. It's getting you home and safe. We're not gonna go to our old house. We're gonna go to a new house for now. As you talk to her, she is looking at you in a different way, and she kind of sits up on the couch, and she grabs your shirt and brings you closer,

and she starts kind of stretching your face out a little bit, and lifting up your eyes, and checking your mouth with her hands and at a certain point kind of all stretching it. She says, I see Haley. It is you. Yeah, I told you. Oh, I miss you and she goes to hug you. Tuck immediately starts crying as soon as her little arms wrap around her and she just stands up and holds her and kind of breaks for a minute.

I think she's been holding herself back and not really, I think the desire to touch her has been there, but it's that, you know, one, you don't want to touch a kid if they're not ready, like if they're not comfortable with you coming for them and then also it still didn't seem entirely real until Mia wrapped her arms around Tuck and she just kind of rocks her and walks to the back corner of the room as far away from everyone else as she can get and just holds her. Listen, Hayley, Rue, there's a storm brewing and it's becoming really serious, especially for California out there. And if we want to get back to anywhere that we can have a conversation that I think we all need to have, and I think we need to leave now.

This is just in the interest of everything being the best capability that we can. Maybe it would be best if you and Mia come in the car with the rest of us. We can send someone else with Rue and drive in the second car. There is a dramatic frack of lightning outside that draws all of your attention and it's almost as if the rain gets even worse. It is pounding the roof. I feel like we might have missed that chance.

At the same time, there is a little bit of a commotion at the entrance. Those of you in the front portion of the visitor center, you witness 10, 15 hikers make their way out of the forest out of the rain and into the visitor center. Many are carrying their camping gear. You also notice someone are a four-wheeler, another ranger, a young blonde male who pulls up,

jumps out, and runs inside as well. There's now a large group of people in this building stomping their feet, drying off, and chatting nervously. Agent Boomer, you ignore the crowd and try to extrapolate the data you're reading on the display. It's quite an interesting tale this app is telling you and I'm gonna share it with you now.

Young, I don't like those colors. You can see the Hedge Hedge Reservoir area, the larger greater area, which is, you know, many, many dozens of miles, and there appears to be a concentration in this area. And that's probably directly about us. Okay. I'm gonna screen cap this.

I'll send it in our thread, not be like sudden change of weather. Nothing looking suspicious here, and then I'll send a pick. Sirju, I have, I have meteorology as a skill. Could I discern if that's like a natural kind of storm system to just be like here? What is your meteorological score? 40 percent. That's pretty good. Yeah, it, it, this is unusual. This is some, I mean, nobody wants to say impossible

when it comes to the weather, but it's very, very unusual that a concentration of this kind is in such a small area. I hope this is very strange. In text back, it's not normal, yeah. In that same moment, Tuck turns to Rue as the storm intensifies and goes, is this normal? I guess our our weather on these coasts isn't the same as here, but you've heard of like

spin-ups storms like this before the scene is insane. Sure enough, Rue looks at the information and she even kind of pulls up a couple of websites, she knows, and yeah, this she corroborates, this is extremely unusual. It's kind of around that time that the door swings open and the somewhat assertive obnoxious senior park ranger, Douglas Keena steps in and he says, and as he's speaking, there is a crowd of people going up the stairs up to the second floor.

And he says, folks, I'm real sorry, but I just got a storm warning, a flash flood warning. We're gonna have to keep you here until this storm subsides. You're welcome to join upstairs. I know that we have a sedensitive situation here, but I'll just, I'll keep you abreast once I know from the trail head station

back by the visitor center, whether it's okay to move out. Thank you. I think we'll stay down here. You know, the noise and thank I think we'll stay down here, um, you know, the noise and thank you, we'll stay down here. This is less than ideal. Yep, it's just, I'll turn to me though. It's just a storm though. We'll, we'll wait it out and then we'll go somewhere else.

And I turn to the other two and I say, should we get the rest of the motley crew in here? Sure. Yes. You all prepared to grab everyone else, and as you're doing it, tuck, you offhandedly. I would say all of you who are in the room offhandedly say, are here, me a say. Sounds like where I sleep.

What? It sounds like Greece. What do you mean? There's water down there. Where I sleep? Where do you sleep, baby? In the blue cave. Warp's gonna sit down at the table that she was drawing at

and start to draw herself and then ask, can you show me what that looks like? I'm gonna ask that you make a psychotherapy role. You can have plus 20 if any more than just warp is kind of being involved with this. All assist. That's a pass with a 49 under 50. Again, she's not very verbal, but she does start to draw. She draws herself at first, you think it's like a crucifix position, but then you realize she's a fix to a cave wall. She paints the walls of the cave in blue, and she draws her face with a frown on it, and she draws a little toad stool at the bottom, and she says, I eat that.

She points at the gray little mushroom, or she continues to draw, and there are these large yellow figures. There's something jagged about the way she draws them, and they also have frowny faces. They're also double the size of the cavern. She points to her drawing, and there's two little children on that drawing. She says, that's Evelyn, and that's Thomas. They were with me down there. Evelyn and Thomas. Were they, um, did they eat the little mushrooms too?

They fed them to us. Who fed them to you? The yellow people? Cheech. It's hard for her even to knock her head at that, but you get the intimation that yes. She says, I had a nightmare, and the strangers they fell down, and I blinked, and I was outside again, and then she found me and she points to Tomika. They must have gotten tired.

You decided to find your way back to us. So, good job. These people that fell down, when they gave you these toad stools, did they make you feel weird? Did they make you feel silly or sleepy? I didn't feel good. You can tell me, egg?

I think I peed. It's okay, we'll pee sometimes. What about now? How do you feel now, Mia? I feel better when she kind of grabs Haley's hand. That's good. Better is good. That's good, because Haley's going to keep you safe.

We're all going to work really hard to make sure that you are the safest person on the plan. The rest of the agents if you have not already are able to step in and be a part of this if you have any questions or want to speak to me and spectre anything like that. Hi, I'm just watching from the back. I think Tuck like gestures around and kind of lets everyone introduce himself however they want to. And if they don't, they'll just say, these are my friends. We're all here to keep you safe, that's, you know.

I'm, boomer's gonna get down on her, like, knees next to you, be like, hi, Mia. Nice to meet you. She smiles at you. Wow. That's really good art. Can you show me some more? She nods and starts working on it and something else. I'm going to kind of be more distracted with, because to let touch catch everyone else up

while I kind of just be like, wow, that's great. I kind of slide the drawing of a cave away and hold it up for hide and merit to see. I go to my phone very quickly and I've pulled up that Martindale mummy's article and I'm just gonna peel in enough that I can show the depiction of the mummy. And I go, Mia, you know, I think I have a drawing

that might look a little like those figures you have. Just just look like anything to you? Mia is gonna make a sanity check. Oh fuck. Okay, don't break my baby sister. She looks at the cell phone and just kind of pauses and you see the thousand yard stare and she just kind of slumps back and stops responding. What the fuck did you do?

Boomer has been looking into this for the past few months. I'm gonna start like touching her face and trying to like, one like, low-key check her temperature because I remember about the like, the article where it said like, race temperatures but also just trying to like, gently, gently bring her back to us. Okay. She almost seems to be returning into this fetal position. She just keeps becoming more and more insular.

You scuba her up, you try to snap her out of it. Takes about a solid 10 minutes before she stops blankly staring into the distance and eventually looks back up at you. Is it still just the eight of us in here? At this point, it is six, seven of you. I would say that Joe is very much trying to remain part of the conversation and remain present. Tamika kind of comes in and out,

addressing the hikers and the other rangers. So there's a little bit of a, you know, movement, but not a lot. Tuck's definitely been trying to keep the drawing and everything they talked about on the low, and out of Joe's periphery, but is still pretty occupied with Mia and also like checking back in with Rue, because there's so many new people.

Joe approaches eventually merit. Joe, this older gentleman says to you merit listen when you guys get the chance I have a contact who actually told me about This mentioned that this was on their radar. I believe Mr. Kina in there called her her name is Delilah Sands She's a FBI based out of San Francisco. I think you should consider your family should consider giving her call. She's worked with her before and she seems to be really good at these kinds of abnormal cases, especially ones like this that have been cold cases for a while. Might be worth communicating with her.

Thank you so much, Joe. That really means a lot to us. Any information we could get on both sides, we just want to see that this doesn't happen to another kid. Joe, do you mind if I ask you a question? You got nothing but time, sure. You've been working with the center for missing children for a while, you said?

Yeah, a couple of years now, since pretty much since I retired. Can't keep still. I feel the same way. I'm in a similar boat right now. I'm just trying to find what happens afterwards, you know. You work every day of your life and then what they take away, like it was just nothing, right?

Anyways, you think this happens at a lot of national parks, not just you, Saminy? The statistics don't lie. There is a lot of disappearances that happen in different parts of the world, certainly national parks, no different. You know, so many is an unusual case. There's been a lot of disappearances in and around the area. Why do you ask? Well, I just became so obsessed when Nia went missing. I mean, she's like the glue that holds this family together and It became huge to all of us and I have an inquisitive mind. I love true crime documentaries So that sort of fueled my fire and I started going looking, you know, and there's information

There's some articles written on things like this, but eventually you hit a brick wall and that brick wall is some sort of agreement. It was signed between like the Center for Missing Children and another agency guy. I can't even remember the name, the NPC or something like that. And all that information is just behind a locked door. Can they really do that to the public? Just not share what's on the other side of that? Well, we have to protect identities, things like that. Sometimes, you know, people's privacy is important to them. Let me ask you a question. Are you military or former law enforcement? Former law enforcement. You retired a little early, huh? Yeah, I took a shot to my leg and now got sort of a bum knee situation.

I was walking with a cane all last year and I still wanna work, but God, if they found one way to keep a cop down and that's not being able to walk. I noticed the limp when he came in, yeah. I got shot at a couple times myself, hit once or twice. Why? You're still working at this age, you have to consider you're one of the luckiest cops still alive.

Yeah, I guess you could say that. Let me ask you this and you don't have to answer anything for me But you've from one retired cop to another you probably have access to that information you're on the other side of things, right? I was sent in me as FBI files. Yes. That's what you mean. Yeah, just the stuff they might share with the The article folks the the academics, you know. I don't know if I know anything you don't already know, Mr. Moore. That's fair. I'm just not blood-related on me and, uh, Haley don't look anything alike. That's okay. You're an uncle through marriage or? Yeah. Go ahead and give me a...

deception check of some kind. Let's confirm what that could be. Sure. Can't live choice, baby. I hope you can live with it. I think just a general charisma check, please. God bless America. Yeah.

Yeah, I come under with an 18. I think the fact that you are familiar with the law, the criminal law world, you're able to charm him and keep him from asking too many questions about yourself and you're always kind of redirecting the conversation. Joe seems like a genuine person. There does not appear to be any obvious signs of lying or obfuscation. He does seem genuinely concerned about the child and is probably about as weirded out with the situation as everyone else is.

God. Well, I just appreciate you being here, Joe. It really warms my heart to know they put a veteran on this and somebody that clearly has a love for what they do. You know, if you could just keep me abreast, if you know anything I don't, I know anything you don't, and between the two of us we might be able to prevent the loss of another child's line. Tuck eventually Ruhi is by you and she says, I'm going to make some tea.

Would you like some tea, honey? Honey would you like some tea and she references Mia? Mia seems to nod her head. Doesn't- I don't even know if Mia's truly understands what that is, but if you say yes, she'll say yes. Yeah. I'll- I'll just kind of like take her hand and pull her down a little bit. Are you okay? Are you doing okay? Yeah, yeah, I'm doing great. Yeah.

Well... You don't have to be doing great. I'm- I'm- I'm- I'm right here with you. Well, you don't have to be doing great. I'm right here with you. Well, we'll talk more or we're not here. The rest of you, are you all just standing in the room? Do you step outside? What are you guys doing? I think I would eventually step outside since there's too many people in here.

I'm trying to see what's going like on with all these hikers and or the overall situation of the weather outside. You step out into the larger area, people are rushing up the stairs, you might even follow them up the stairs and up there there's a just a very big large attic space that has blankets and chairs and couches. It seems to be some kind of refuge area in case of emergencies and things like that. And some folks are kind of putting themselves together. Again, most of these look like hikers, backpackers,

things of that nature. Most of them drenched from the rain. Most of them complaining. As you walk through them, you do notice the hubbub is producing some interesting conversations. There is one woman complaining about seeing a man rummaging through her stuff. When she went to a costume, he ran off into the woods. Another person was saying how freaked out they were. They think they saw Sasquatch. There was a tall silhouette watching them

from the tree line. There's a handful of stories from these folks as they tell each other and, you know, if you join in the conversation. Yeah, I might, when some people start talking and stuff like that, I'll ask them, where were you guys at? What part of the trails were you guys walking through? Each one was coming from a different place. One of them was coming from the Oshanasi Dam.

The other one was coming from the Devil's Chair Monument that it was where Mia was found. Some folks were traveling from the southeast and southwest. As you talk to them, you start to triangulate in your head that there were at least four sightings, each of them coming from the northwest, the northeast, the southwest, and the southeast. And they were all similar descriptions, some type of large, silhouetted ash kind of beam. Some of them describe a man as tall as 10 meters, 12 meters. Often they are silhouettes, often they are moving fast and disappearing, but there's some corroboration here. If that is everything that everybody's kind of mentioning and stuff like that, outside

of that, I'm probably going to slowly start making my way back to the group to talk about that. Talk, give me a search or a medicine role, please. Ooh, that's a success with a 26. Haley, you've been holding Mia this whole time and you can't help but kind of try to maybe get a wet towel and clean some of her neck and her shoulders. Yeah, I've definitely started to kind of figure out. As you clean her up, you start to notice

there are these nearly invisible seem like scars that crisscross her body in bizarre interlocking patterns. Almost like there's something under her skin. And eventually the cleaning goes to her neck and you notice there's something on the back of her neck. There is a small green tattoo on the back of her neck. There are three squares and what appears to be a stylized feline head in the center of them.

If you were to run your finger across it, it almost feels as if there is a raised point under the skin. I'll catch Marit's eye, and I'll just kind of like shift her in my lap a little bit, like I'm shifting her to clean a different part of her neck. And once he comes around the other side, I'll just kind of like rub my thumb over it as I go.

Not wanting her to know that I've noticed it or know that it's even there because I don't I doubt she knows it's there, but just so he sees it. I'll take out my notebook and jot down a depiction of it at first, and then without touching just sort of hover because of course you never don't have any sort of consent in that direction but he's just trying to discern how raised it is from the skin, what sort of size it might be, a marble pebble, whatever it may be. The tattoo appears flat again as if a tiny little pebble is embedded under the skin. And I just give a knowing look to Haley and say, we may need some privacy later tonight. At this point, it is black out, pitch black.

The rain is a cacophony of sound. At some point, once the rain is really picked up and it's getting darker outside, tux going to weave Nia drawing with Max, and Tuck's gonna go to the closest window and look out. I think it's been long enough that she's getting that anxiety about being back in Yosemite, like the adrenaline of getting to Mia and seeing Mia

is starting to wear off just a little bit, and Tuck doesn't want to be back here here and I think she just gets a little antsy and starts just looking out the window, seeing how much longer it looks like the storm might be if there's any kind of like sun peeking through any any idea of when she won't have to be here. You look out the window, it is torrential downpour. After seeing the example from Boomer of the meteorological signs of where the storm is, you hope that it will blow over. It's so small in comparison to the rest of the valley you would assume it would have moved

by now, but it doesn't. It doesn't let up. It's heavy. The occasional strike of lightning. Make an alertness check for me. Okay. That's why I put more in this. Let's see. That's a success with a 38. The lightning strikes, and you're looking at the tree line, and standing there in silhouette is an enormous figure. You are immediately cognizant of who this is,

what this is. You've seen this before, you were a child. I need you to make a sanity check. Success of the 28. Success of the 28. This rush of adrenaline comes up inside of you, and for a moment, it almost feels like the bathroom again, but it descends. Why? Why are you not freaked out by this? He's still outside. I'm inside. I'm inside with her. We're both safe inside. He's still outside.

Like, almost a childish confidence of like, I'm inside, he can't get me inside, it's light in here. It's dark outside, it's light in here, he can't get me. The moment that lightning fades, the silhouette is gone, and you're confident that you are safe as long as you're inside here. As you are looking out the window, witnessing this, Ruhi approaches Max and Mia with some tea. She hands you one

Max, Mia accepts the drink and that she looks at it. Those of you who are near her recognize this kind of glaze that kind of comes over her and she goes hot, hot, hot and she begins to violently spasm. I'm gonna grab the drink out of her, I'm gonna quick, I'm gonna gently grab that cup out of her hand. Make a dexterity check. 50, yes, under my 60, yes. I think yeah. Yeah.

X-O-R, you are able to bat away the drink before any of it touches her, but she begins to uncontrollably spasm. Ruhi steps back like, oh my god, what have I done? She gets tucks attention. All eyes are on this child who is now going through controllably spasm, Ruhi steps back like oh my god, what have I done? She she gets tucks attention, all eyes are on this child who is now going through some kind of major convulsions. What are we doing? Seizure protocol just like turning her on our side, living your lifting her arm up, getting her just immediately to where she is and talking softly and like gently as

she can. It's okay just breathe, you're okay, you're safe. What is everyone else doing? I'm gonna start shooting people away. If there's anyone sort of looking into this space, I'm gonna start pushing people back. Okay, I think Joe is pretty much the only one in here. He's certainly concerned for the girl, but if you're telling him to back up, he will back up. So the intent is just the agents who are in this room, correct? Yeah. Tuck and boomer, you are the first to see it, but the rest of you cannot help, but notice,

out of every orifice on the little girl's face, some kind of white slime begins to emerge from her ears, her nose, foaming at the mouth, at her eyes, this kind of white fluid, this opalescent fluid is emerging from her as she violently shakes. What do you do? I'm immediately gonna go to my go-back and grab latex gloves and basically throw them at Boomer and Haley.

Hands, protocol, protocol, watch your hands. I can't be fine, I mean, her like this. Well, put the gloves on first, watch your hands. Tuck puts them on and is just like holding her head, trying to keep her still, probably shaking, not quite as bad, but also shaking, and just tears trying to stay calm. Ruhi is in the corner saying, oh my god, what did I do?

What did I do? The white liquid begins to coalesce on the floor, and eventually it stops, but that's not the strange part. The strange part is it coalesces and begins to move. Boomer, you can see it quickest before anyone else with one little pseudo pod at a time reaching out and starting to form and grow and become larger. What is everyone doing?

I'm grow, can I grab a teacup and like cover it? It is like a pancake that is in the center beginning to bulge. It's bigger than a cup. You can attempt to put it over the bulge, if you like. I'm gonna try, yeah. Put the teacup over the bulge. And a moment later, the teacup shoots off in the opposite direction.

And the white goo begins to move away from you. Oh, okay. Is there any direction that it's going for specifically? Windows or doors or anything like that? It seems to be making a beeline around tuck and boomer almost kind of moving towards the wall. I would say that it's coming in your direction merit. Okay, I'm going to close off the direction between it and the door and call for hide, hide, watch the window, any corners, make sure this thing can move, we need to contain it somehow, and I am going to make sure that door is shut if it has a lock and I'm going to lock it immediately, and I am going to draw my six hour just in case.

While we look around, is there any fire extinguisher or anything, I could like CO2, CO2 or anything like that? Make a luck roll. Oh no, I got a 77. Doesn't appear to be anything in this room. There is a fireplace. We're gonna start with initiative here. This thing is rolling on the ground. It seems to be moving around the couch,

heading towards the door, just as Merit runs close to the door, hide with the highest initiative. What do you want to do? Can I try to, I guess, flank it? And then, I mean, if it's small enough where I can maybe like throw my knife at it and see what that does, go ahead and make a melee attack against it. Yeah, well, it's distracted.

I want to come up, try to get right behind it and then like, like my knife at it That's a success with a six excellent That's three points of VMA you jump up onto the couch and you expertly throw this knife at this thing It goes right into it and cuts it like butter and now there are two One rolling towards the door and one rolling towards the fireplace. Do that 50 more time. This is not that much of a moment. I like, Pitch, I'll go and pick up, go and run and pick up for my knife and go after the next one that

darted off into a different direction. Everybody give me a sanity check. Could you give me a... No! I feel like I'm immune to this. Oh, I thought it was a 99, sir. I failed with a 55. Oh, I passed. 12, I'm going to fail. I have a success with a 33. Scary, scary boogers. Smooth.

Those of you who succeed, you only lose one sanity. Those of you who fail need to roll a D8 No, wait fuck me Five three. I got a tip you you are always welcome to project it Yes, yeah, you know what? Let's project it onto, uh, Micah. I'm projecting too. Yeah, I'm gonna project it on my sister. Uh, two.

What happens if I break my bond with my dad right now? Ah, wow. So soon. After Spider-1, I think the bond is broken. Don't think you hit like a breaking point or anything, so I mean, if you lose it, you lose it. I'm definitely going to direct it onto our dad. Agent Tuck, roll a d10. Six.

You may add the six to your dexterity score permanently. What? Don't look a gift to us in a mouth. What are you doing? Shaking. Where you are able to hold it back at the window, seeing this completely alien organism strike something inside you that you were ready for, and again that burst of adrenaline that you felt in the bathroom, that burst of clarity hits you, and you suddenly feel this adrenaline, this overwhelming ability to kind of see everything happening in slow motion.

For the foreseeable future, until I tell you, you have a 40% bonus to the following skills that are associated with dexterity. Dodge, firearms, stealth, and swim. Holy shit, okay, hold. Why is it so much worse when he gives us the positive bonus? Because you know it's coming with a... Oh, that's a shoo. That's gonna fall somewhere. She was kinda drunk. She was kinda drunk.

Yeah. Very serious. You are the iron lung. So there is one organism moving towards the door blocked by merit. There is another organism making a beeline towards that fireplace, which is not currently on by the way. Warp, you are up next. What do you want to do? I'm going to take the pot that still has all of the hot tea water and eat it at one of them. Whichever one's closest to me, I want to just down sit in the hot water. Agent Warp, not only did high train you well, but being around her makes

you more confident. So long as you are around agent hide, you have plus 20% to your melee attacks. On top of what you've already learned. So with that said, please make a melee attack using that hot coffee against this thing. That's a fail, I think. Yeah, that's a fail, it's 79. So you throw the cop, you add it, but it is rolling at a surprising pace, and the hot water just splashes the floor, and immediately a steam is rising from the floor,

but it just misses the creature. You wanna move or are you staying where you're at? I'm gonna keep moving towards it. Okay, you're basically like scuttling behind it, trying to get to it. Are you heading to the one that's heading towards Merrick or towards the one that's heading towards the fireplace? Heading towards the fireplace boomer you're on the ground the girl is still convulsing But there is no more liquid coming out of her face. However that liquid is now moving around the room. What are you doing?

I'm gonna grab her pick her up and I'm gonna try to hold her as best I can also make sure she is and I'm gonna try to hold her as best I can. Also, make sure she is breathing, because I don't want that thing to go back into her, and also make sure she's not choking on any kind of, like, film or something. It does appear like the convulsions are beginning to subside now that this thing has left her, and by the time your round is over,

she is no longer shaking by only. She's just sort of, like, curled up unconscious in your arms. I'm gonna just hold her and make sure that any time that thing comes near me with her, I'm gonna just defend her and use your body as a shield. Oh yeah. Merit, you're at the door, you're able to draw your weapon. Okay, how far away is it from me in the door, would we say? Like six feet. Okay, I call out and say, fire, we need to heat this thing. Merit is going to see, now that he has his gloves on,

to see if he can pick this thing up and launch it further into the room. Yeah, I'll try kicking it instead. Let's see how much I can get. I just want to keep it as contained as possible when it flies. Go ahead and make an I can get. I just want to keep it as contained as possible when it flies. Go ahead and make a unarmed combat attack against it, please. Got it. I succeed with a 37 under 60, like kicking a frog off a log. You punt this thing and it flies across the

room landing opposite of where the second one is rolling but now on the other side of the room away from the exit as you had planned. You look down at your boot and there's a little bit of a little bit of a sizzle coming off of the leather really as if maybe some acid or something has touched it. Watch your hands I think it's acidic. You hear Joe DeWant banging on the door. Well what's going on on in there? Zippling okay? But that is his turn as you are blocking the exit. Tuck, what are you doing?

You're watching all of this in a kind of half speed. You feel like you can move faster than everyone else in this moment. Is there a trash can? There is a trash can. Is it a metal trash can or a plastic trash can? It makes a luck roll and if you succeed, it is the type of material you'd like. I would assume plastic would be better.

I was hoping for metal. Okay, maybe it's metal. 24. Yeah, it looks like they brought in one of the metal trash cans from outside. It currently has a bunch of sports supplies, like baseball bats and hockey sticks in it, and you just dump it out.

Where are they? They're not close to each other anymore are they? One of them is currently active near merit and the other has just been kicked into the fireplace. I'm going to try to put the lip of the trash can on the floor and scoot it along the floor. Try to pull an arc of like scooping one into another and then dropping the lip. Let's make the first roll, which is your melee combat roll against the first one. And it will be pinned by this trash. 45 fail.

You begin bringing the can over to it, dragging it along the ground. And like an intelligent dog Wirls around you it kind of does a little twirl around you and then continues preceding you you miss it However, you move exceedingly fast when you do it Maybe almost so fast that you're not able to you're not used to the sudden jump. Yeah They're smart. It is now their turn. The first one that is in the corner

is rolled towards you since you are at the close and is going to suddenly leap out of the ground and at you tuck. Go ahead and make a dodge roll if you would like to attempt to dodge. Yeah, I'll dodge. That's success with my plus 40, 86 under 95. You leap out of the way,

almost in a preter natural sense, you're able to sense that something is coming up behind you and you just kind of duck and it leaps over your head. You all watch as this thing is rolling up behind tuck, tuck isn't even looking in its direction. It leaps up at her, you're all about to open your mouths to scream, to warn her and she docks and it flies over her head. The other half of it, continue rolling towards the fireplace, it goes up the stone. Instead of rolling, you see these kinds of little pseudo pods, reach out

and pull itself up. It is now just beginning to go up into the fireplace. Hi, we're back at the top of you. What are you doing? I'm gonna take the stack of drawing papers, and I'm gonna light up on fire, and I'm just gonna drop it on the thing. Whoa! Yes! Amazing. This thing is leaping over Tuck, and begins rolling towards your exit. You light it on fire, and you just drop it on the ground.

As soon as that fire hits the ground, this blob stops in front of the fire. And you can see it's flesh kind of rippling and recoiling from the flames. And it is now beginning to head in the opposite direction. There is a secondary exit, not just across from the fireplace, that it is now heading towards a door that has been unguarded. I think this is an interesting place to bring our session to a close.

What? Oh, you did it! Fuck. Okay, Sergio. I think we've been going long enough. I think this is an exciting place to stop. We'll pick up next session, and we'll go from there. Oh, man.

That's hot dude. Good Lord. Okay. Mm-hmm. you you