Brainfever Part 1- a scenario for Delta Green
Brainfever (part 1)
Handler Summary
Ben Ozark is a doctoral student at the University of Nevada, studying Astrophysics. He has spent the last seven months working at Cain Mountain Observatory, a former US airforce missile tracking and communication radio base now converted into a Radio Observatory. Working late one night, Ozark noticed several anamolous readings in too consistent a pattern to be RFI, and digging further he realised that this interference only occured when the Radio Telescope was pointed at Pluto. He became convinced that an alien civilisation on Pluto was attempting to make contact and set out to respond. He convinced the Observatory's engineer and technician to help him send a message and when it was just the three of them, he fired a message towards Pluto.
Unfortunately for him he had intercepted several messages from the Mi-Go on Yuggoth to their operatives on Earth and his transmission merely revealed his existence to the Mi-Go. Intrigued at this transmission from this man on Earth (who decided to identify himself in his transmission), the Mi-Go decided he'd make a good candidate for brain extraction, and dispatched two of their human operatives (Phil Major and Tony Brown) to intercept Ozark as he drove home from the observatory a few nights later. Ozark spotted his pursuers and tore down the motorway, but was driven off the road and abducted. They drove him up to Idaho, before summoning their Mi-Go masters who extracted his brain and flew it to Yuggoth. His body was left where it laid.
His body was discovered the next morning, and the unusual manner of death alerted the Program, who scrambled a team to investigate and clean up.
Agent Briefing:
The Agents are scrambled to the Pocatello FBI Office, where in a conference room their handler delivers the brief.
- Ben Ozark is a doctoral student at the University of Nevada. He was undergoing a year of work experience at the Cain Mountain Observatory in Western Nevada. His dead body was found in a field outside of Twin Falls, Idaho, whilst his car was found driven off the road on a remote stretch of Route 80. It's believed he was abducted in Nevada before being taken across state lines and murdered in Idaho.
- Ben Ozark's body was found in the middle of a circle of camp fires, with the top of his skull removed and his brain extracted (the brain has not yet been located). It is now being held at Twin Falls County Morgue
- His family in Las Vegas have been informed of the death and the police have gotten a confirmation of identity from them. Aside from them however, his death has been kept quiet, even his University and coworkers are unaware of his death. Media coverage is currently being suppressed, but the story is likely to break eventually.
- Agents are being assigned to an official FBI investigation into the abduction and murder of Ozark. Agents are to investigate his death, and determine whether there's a continuing threat to the American people. If the death is Unnatural in nature, they are to provide a mundane explanation or culprits and neutralise Unnatural vectors.
Site of Kidnapping:
The believed site of the kidnapping is on the side of an isolated stretch of Route 80 in Nevada. Highway Police have already sectioned off the site from oncoming traffic and curious onlookers.
Ozark's car is a light blue Toyota Echo. It is currently face half off the road and half in a ditch, with a large gouge in the side where the car was driven off by Brown and Major. The driver's side door is ajar. It's obvious to anyone with law enforcement training that Ozark was driven off the road before being abducted.
- Paint transfer from where the Mi-Go operatives rammed Ozark off the road will reveal the ramming vehicle is red.
- Skid marks suggest the ramming vehicle was likely a van or truck.
- Ozark's vehicle has been turned upside down, as the operatives ransacked the vehicle looking for anything that could point towards their Mi-Go masters (also helping themselves to anything valuable they found).
- Signs of a struggle suggest Ozark fought against his human assailants before being subdued. A lack of drag marks suggest at least two people who lifted him into the van rather than one person who dragged him.
Agents who spend the time canvassing truck stops and petrol stations will find that a red van pulled up to a small petrol station just outside Idaho late at night (~1:30am). Though the petrol station doesn't keep indoor security camera recordings longer than 24 hours if no crime occurred, the outdoors security cameras have recordings of a van pulling up, with one man going inside to pay whilst the other fills up. The camera is far too grainy to get an accurate picture of the two's faces but does get the license plate and make of the van.
County Morgue:
The autopsy will reveal the following:
- The cut that removed the top of the skull is impossibly clean, like a hot knife through butter.
- The brain has been impeccably removed. The cut at the brain stem is impossibly clean and precise.
- Blood flow patterns from the head suggest that Ozark was still alive when his brain removed.
- There are two injection marks on the neck.
- Bruising on the lower arms and knees suggests that Ozark struggled during his abduction.
- Under the nails, Agents will find sand from Nevada where he was abducted and skin samples (taken during his altercation with the operatives). Running the skin samples will trigger a hit on Arnold Major.
Ordering a toxicology report of Ozark's body will take weeks. If Agents put their thumb on the scales it will shorten the time to three days, and will turn up M99 (a powerful animal sedative) and a previously unknown substance. Agents will take 0/1d3 SAN loss from seeing the corpse and the unusual cause of death.
Ritual Site:
The field where Ozark's body was found is just outside Twin Falls, Idaho. Around the body are five campfires (now extinguished), arranged equidistantly from the body. There are a number of clues at this site:
- Chemically analysing the ashes of the campfires will reveal a number of compounds that changes the colour of the flames, such as salt, potassium chloride, etc)
- Tire impressions at the site are the same as marks on Route-80
- Twix wrapper discarded on the floor. DNA on the wrapper matches to Arnold Major
- Multiple sets of footprints. Agents can make out two distinct human sets and a number of sets that don't appear to be human that appear and disappear at the centre of the ritual site. Agents with Science (Biology) will recognise they don't appear to be human.
Operatives and a Red Herring
Phil Major (32)
Phil Major is a veterinarian working in Twin Falls Idaho. He runs a small practice, mostly dealing with horses. He believes that Mi-Go are the creators of humanity, and have been behind all major human historical events with the eventual goal to see humans become a successful space faring society as well. He is the one responsible for acquiring the M99 used to sedate Ozark. He is married with three kids. His home is entirely absent of any clues, but in his office at his practice he keeps a Mi-Go receiver in a locked cabinet. It is entirely alien in design and only seems able to receive rather than send data. Examining the receiver will make Agents realise its of an entirely alien design, and employs principles that seem to defy the laws of physics (0/1 SAN loss from the Unnatural).
If questioned he will claim he was at home the night of the murder, spending Valentine's with his wife. If his wife is questioned she will break down and admit he was not. If Agents put the screws on him, he will claim that he was acting on the orders of beings far outside of the Agent's understanding, and that they better back off if they know what is good for him. If arrested, he will phone his lawyer Alfred Ginsburg, who will in turn report to Mi-Go Lobotomite Adam Scottsman [more on him in part 2]). Depending on the Agent's evidence, Ginsburg will recommend Major pleads guilty for a reduced sentence. If Agents offer to reduce his sentence in return for giving the Program information on these "beings far outside the Agent's understanding", he will be killed by corrupt guards during a prison riot to stop him snitching.
Tony Brown (28)
Tony Brown is a maths teacher at a Middle School in Meridian, Idaho. He is an ardent cultist of the Mi-Go, believing them to be the representatives of an advanced alien civilisation who are working to integrate Earth into their civilisation and thus do away with societal ills such as cancer and crime. He is the owner of the red van that he and Phil Major used to abduct Ozark. The van has a gash on the side from where it collided with Ozark's car, and Agents doing a forensic sweep of the inside will find it filled with traces of his, Ozark's, and Phil Major's (though in any system it will flag as Arnold's) DNA.
Brown's flat is largely unremarkable and is fairly standard of a maths teacher. However, in a false bottom in his wardrobe is a Mi-Go receiver, which he uses to receive orders from them. In addition is a selection of glass vials filled with Mi-Go brain preservation liquid.
If Brown sees any sign of suspicion falling upon him, he will attempt to destroy the Mi-Go receiver and the brain preservation fluid before shooting himself (0/1d4 if witnessed). If he is detained, he will refuse to say anything and will continue to plead the fifth.
Arnold Major (32)
Arnold Major is the identical twin brother of Phil Major. In 1990, he was convicted of burglary after attempting to steal a TV from a hotel he was employed at and he served a six year sentence. Today he is employed as a bartender in an Irish bar in Boise, Idaho. Arnold is a bald, muscular man, with a tattoo of an American flag on his neck. He is fairly intimidating, but after leaving prison he has attempted to turn his life around. He is now a practising Buddhist and pacifist. He only rarely has contact with his brother, who he know lives in Twin Falls (he will provided the address if asked) and is ignorant of his dealings with dealings with the Mi-Go.
However, as they are identical twins, they share DNA. When Agents run Phil Major's DNA through the system, they will only get hits for Arnold Major. Arnold will be outraged if he is accused of committing any crime, and will provide an alibi: on the night of the crime he was working a midnight shift at the Irish pub till two in the morning. If Agents push DNA evidence against him, he will identify he has an identical twin.
The Ozark Family
Ben Ozark's parents live in a nice suburban home in Las Vegas. They moved there from Oklahoma in the 70s and have stayed put ever since. Ben's murder has rocked the family.
Ben Ozark (27)
Ben Ozark is the victim of our story. Born in 1977, he was the second son of the Ozark family. At the time of his death, he was a tall and handsome lad, with dark hair and a good physique. He went to the University of Nevada in Reno, where he completed a Bachelors in Physics, before staying on to complete a PhD in Astrophysics. He managed to gain a position at the Cain Mountain Observatory as part of a placement year, and worked there for seven months before his death. In January of 2004, whilst logging RFI reports, he noticed that several RFI logs seemed to suggest structured communication. Investigating further, he became certain that the Radio Observatory was receiving communications from Pluto of all places, likely from an alien race trying to find out if it was all alone in the cosmos. Believing he was the first to discover alien life, Ben Ozark set out to also be the first man to contact alien life. Under dire secrecy he attempted to decrypt the message to no avail. Nonetheless, convincing several of his coworkers, he made a short transmission to Pluto via the Observatory's radio transmitter and waited for the great race of aliens on Pluto to respond.
At the time our story begins, he is now located in Yuggoth as a brain in a jar.
Scott Ozark (32)
Scott Ozzark is an accountant for the Walt Disney Corporation in Los Angeles. With the death of his brother, he is on his way to Las Vegas with his wife and kids to comfort his parents.
Marty Ozark Jr. (24)
Mary Ozark Jr. is the youngest son of the Ozark family, and is a member of the United States Marines Corp, joining up immediately after the towers fell. At the time of the scenario, he is deployed in Iraq.
Molly Ozark (56)
Molly Ozark is the matriarch of the Ozark family. The death of her middle child has left her basically catatonic and she is in no state to answer questions.
Marty Ozark Sr. (58)
Mary Ozark Sr. is the patriarch of the Ozark family. The death has shocked him and he feels a righteous fury to those that killed his son. If Agents give a hint of who is responsible he will hunt them down and blow them away. Ben would come to Las Vegas on the first Sunday of every month to have dinner with his parents, and Marty can recall nothing that would hint at why someone might kill Ben. He seemed to enjoy working at the Observatory, even more so last time they saw him. He appeared to have made fast friends with two of his coworkers, Mark Tanner, the Observatory's Engineer, and Adrianne Costa, a fellow student. At the last dinner, Marty recalls Ben cryptically going on about "going down in history" but he refused to elaborate, saying they'd find out soon.
Ozark's house in Fallon:
Ozark lived in a small one bedroom house in the town of Fallon, a relatively short drive from the observatory. The inside is fairly typical of a doctoral student who spends most of his waking hours studying or at work. There is no sign of forced entry or anything that would suggest anyone has been in his home since Ozark's death.
There are a number of clues at this site:
- A number of books on UFOs and the Fermi paradox.
- A seemingly endless number of notepads filled with notes from his studies. Agents with an understanding of physics or maths will recognise recent notes seems mainly concerned with doppler-shift equations
- A separate notepad is filled with drafts of his first intended first contact message. The final message he seemed to have settled on is: "Greetings from Earth! I am Ben Ozark, I come in peace. I am a scientist in my country of America. I wish to learn more about you and to see peace and collaboration between our two peoples."
- A home produced CD, containing the sonified raw data of one of the transmissions from Pluto. Playing it produces a shifting, warbling chord that rises in and out of the background static. Hearing it is unsettling in a way that's hard to identify (0/1 SAN from the Unnatural).
- A home computer sits on a desk. It is password protected. Aside from the expected things, there are recent emails from the Observatory asking why he's not at work; an email to his doctoral supervisor enquiring about research into extra-terrestrial life; and a file copy of one of the raw data transmissions from Pluto (not in an audio format).
Cain Mountain Observatory:
About
Cain Mountain Observatory is a Radio Observatory in Western Nevada, near the town of Fallon. Originally built by the US Airforce in the 60s as a missile tracking and radio communications base, it was decommissioned in 1979. In 1985 it was leased to a number of regional universities and non-profits who converted it into a radio observatory. Today it houses a six man team that studies and records a wide variety of phenomena. It's main attraction is a 26-metre parabolic dish but it also boasts a 12-metre dish, a small optical telescope, and a retrofitted military radio transmitter.
Cain Mountain Observatory runs a six man skeleton crew (five now Ben Ozark is dead). They are a close knit bunch, who have learnt to work effectively as a group. They're not all best friends, but everyone enjoys the company of everyone else.
Director Dr Ken Morgan (62)
A balding, portly man, Dr Ken Morgan used to be enthusiastic about his role in the Observatory, but after years of being overworked and underpaid much of this enthusiasm has leaked away. Nonetheless, he remains committed to ensuring that the Observatory and its crew runs smoothly. He is a kind man and after notice of Ben Ozark's death he is more than willing to allow Agents to poke around the Observatory unobstructed, even without a warrant.
He is completely oblivious about the transmission. On the night of the transmission, he left early to spend it with his wife, as he was unable to get Valentine's day off. He puts no stock in talk of aliens and frowns at the suggestion.
As Director of the Observatory, the buck stops with Dr Ken Morgan. Aside from cases such as managing authority's access to the Observatory (where he's overruled by Jean Barker), Dr Ken Morgan is the final authority in the Observatory. He approves the operation of the Observatory, handles the budget, approves personnel changes, and more.
Mark Tanner (48)
A skinny man with a goatee and a fondness for Hawaiian shirts, Mark Tanner is the Observatory's Radio Engineer. Formerly employed at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, Mark Tanner is a true believer in Extra-Terrestrial life. In his workplace the poster "I want to believe" hangs, much to the chagrin of Dr Ken Morgan. When he finds out about Ben Ozark's death, he is utterly convinced that aliens were involved and will believe that he is next.
Mark Tanner was one of the figures who helped in transmitting Ben's message to Pluto. He and Ben were tight and when Ben came to him to request his help transmitting the message, Mark asked few questions. Mark is aware of the contents of the transmission, but is oblivious to Ben's identification of transmissions from Yuggoth.
As the Observatory Radio Engineer, Mark Tanner is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Observatory's radio equipment. He is a sorcerer of radio equipment, a master of the techniques needed to keep the ageing hardware alive.
Richard Johnson (45)
Richard Johnson is a well built man with short cropped hair and is the Observatory's Radio Technician. He views the Observatory as a dead end job and is eagerly looking for any opportunity to jump ship. Nonetheless he is not a monster, Ben Ozark's death is disturbing to him and it will weigh upon his mind heavily. He is not a believer in aliens, but if Agents continue to poke around the point he might start drawing conclusions.
Richard Johnson was the other person who helped in transmitting Ben's message to Pluto. Unwilling to help initially, Mark Tanner offered to put him in contact with his former coworkers at NASA and Richard leapt at the chance. He cared little about the content of the message or even why Ben wanted to send a radio message. Mark Tanner followed through, and Richard has submitted an application to work at NASA's Deep Space Network program, an application that will be accepted in a few months. Richard is unwilling to jeopardise his career prospects by admitting to the unauthorised transmission, but Agents who threaten to sink his NASA application will see him spill his guts.
As the Observatory's Radio Technician, Richard is mostly responsible for running the telescope controls, helping the Radio Engineer in his repairs and performing telescope calibration. There are no flies on him when it comes to doing his job.
Adrianne Costa (31)
Adrianne Costa is a blonde woman of slight build, who is the other student working at the Observatory alongside Ben Ozark. She arrived eager to learn and the long hours and mediocre pay have yet to crush her spirits. She and Ben Ozark were occasional romantic and sexual partners and were quite close, and news of his death will absolutely annihilate her.
She is not entirely oblivious of the transmission, but the clues are far from the front of her mind. As she was leaving on that day, she recalled Johnson and Tanner in hushed debate over some article of contention and when she arrived back in the Observatory the next day she noted that the Radio Telescope was pointed in a direction different to what it should be.
As a placement student alongside Ben Ozark, Adrianne Costa helps in the day-to-day operations of the Observatory. They assisted in repairs, logged data, pointed the radio telescope and more, everything they needed to gain relevant experience.
Jean Barker (35)
Jean Barker is the administrator of the Observatory and is responsible for the majority of the paperwork the Observatory makes its way through. Mother to two young twins, Jean Barker works part-time three days a week, clocking in on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. She delights in gossiping with Adrianne Costa whenever the two have the time, and was the one that set her and Ben Ozark on their first date. News of Ben's death will shake her, but she will nonetheless uphold the interests of the Research Consortium that manages the Observatory, demanding a warrant (unless Agents get approval ahead of time from the Consortium) if the Agents arrive at the Observatory at the same time as her.
She is completely oblivious to the transmission. As the Observatory's administrator, Jean is responsible for the paperwork that keeps the Observatory running, from managing payroll, purchasing, invoices, correspondence with the Research Consortium, personnel records, etc.
Observatory Archive
The Observatory's archives hold almost 20 years of data in a variety of hard data formats, evolving over the years. The Director, Dr Ken Morgan, has been attempting to get funding to migrate all data onto modern storage systems, but has had no luck so far.
Analysing all the data in the archive is basically impossible due to the sheer amount, at least within a reasonable timeframe. Agents can narrow it down by looking through the logs of anomalous readings, which include calibration errors and RFI. Agents with Science (Physics) or Science (Astronomy) will note multiple anomalous clusters of spikes in the maser shift recordings over the past year that have the same patterns and doppler drift and have all been dismissed as RFI. Agents that match up the telescope's pointing logs will note that the anomalies only occur when the radio telescope is pointed at Pluto. Checking the anomalies logs and comparing it to when Pluto is being pointed at will reveal cases dating back since the Observatory started recording. Realising these are structured transmissions from Pluto causes 0/1d4 SAN from the Unnatural.
The transmissions from the Mi-Go are currently in a raw data format. Agents with 50% SIGINT will realise that cracking the encryption of the message is essentially impossible, being structured in a way entirely alien to how humans communicate, with no other comparable example (0/1d6 SAN from the Unnatural) but will recognise it as the sonified recording at Ozark's home in Fallon.
Optional Complications
Operatives on the Loose
The Media
If you wish however, less reputable outlets may pick up the story and run with it, pestering the Agents and conducting their own parallel "investigation". One such outlet is a Phenomen-X team lead by producer and presenter Ron Marco, who will eagerly latch onto the alien angle and pester everyone connected with the case. Though they're likely to get a cold shoulder in many places, they won't let the law or journalistic integrity get in the way of a good story.
The Outlaws
The Program's estranged sibling, the Outlaws, have dispatched their own agents to investigate. P Cell operates without official cover, but will lie, fabricate, and threaten to continue their investigation. P Cell has the same number of agents as there are player Agents, but are better armed and just as ruthless (if not more so). They are determined in their mission to cover up the Unnatural and will impersonate, lie, and deceive to achieve this mission.
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