Mid-West Campaign
Session Twenty-Four

Tuesday, 5 December 2000 (continued)

On the way to the hotel, Quentin Stone is taken ill. He is driven to the local hospital where he is found to be suffering from appendicitis and admitted. Agents Black, Oaxaca and Rocaan return to the hotel.

Wednesday, 6 December 2000

Black receives a small package containing a zip-sealed plastic bag. Within the bag is a substance that resembles green rice. There is no clue to the identity of the sender. The box was produced by Genetech in Philadelphia, and probably originally contained a 300W power supply for tower computers. These boxes would be very common.

They examine the rice. It fluoresces under a UV light, and when Black accidentally drops the glowing seems to be centred on 'veins' around the grains. The bag is put in the freezer to slow any chemical reaction. Black phones Jane to get a scientist's view on the matter, but cannot reach her. Oaxaca agrees to analyse the green rice at the mining authority lab. They are going to see Peterson this morning anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a diversion.

The agents arrive an hour late for their meeting with Peterson. The Mary Estate outside Casper is almost buried by a snow-fall 36 hours ago. When they arrive two cars are in the car park, covered in snow. The complex, of which the mining authority is a part, is very modern, expensive and extremely high-tech. In the foyer the agents are greeted by the holographic projection of a receptionist who sends them into the complex following a series of lights that illuminate their journey.

They pass a door marked "Dynamicorp Maintenance Division". Inside in the scruffy and dishevelled, James Perry, a long-haired computer jockey who works for Novel Software Solutions. Intrigued by the mention of Dynamicorp (see case TL348) Oaxaca remains with Perry to question him.

Perry says that the complex is run by Dynamicorp, and that he runs the place. He looks after their enormous server, and reveals that Dynamicorp backs up all its data here (their main HQ is in Tulsa). Perry seems to spend much of his time playing on-line computer games, in which he takes on the persona "Jimxxor". Perry often downloads pornography from a site maintained by a character called "Harlow_porn" or "porn_phreak". He seems to be a big Harlow fan.

Perry shows Benedict his own website: "Who Watches the Watchers." Perry is a conspiracy nut although alarmingly he has uncovered a conspiracy. Seems that the President's office has been ordering loaves of bread from the Department of Agriculture at $100 each. Perry thinks they contain a psychotropic drug and that someone is brainwashing the president. He also thinks that Russia collapsed because of aliens and that MacDonald's burgers contain seeds that germinate in people.

Black and Rocaan meet with Ray Peterson. He is the only other person in the building and can't get his can out because of the snow. Concerning the evidence, Peterson believes that the miners drilled into a major vein of trans-uranic element (soft metal) that brought the ceiling down. He said that he received no written report complaint from Bryce. There was no way to know it was there in advance. The agents take a copy of all the evidence collected by the mining authority for independent analysis.

Peterson says that there were rumours of the mine being played out in the 1980s, before Ward Industries took it over. He also reveals that he has had protests from archaeologists at the Anasazi dig that the mine may endanger their work. He thinks because of the distance (thirty miles) this is extremely unlikely. Peterson gives the agents the home address of Joel Grey, but tells them he is going on holiday to Kansas tomorrow. The agents pick up a copy of every report Grey has ever done from Peterson's tragically futuristic desk.

Rocaan and Black return to Casper to meet Bruce Campbell-Robson. With the permission of Peterson, Oaxaca uses one of the labs to examine the green rice. He conducts the experiment in secret, and videotapes the entire thing. At one point he spills the rice on his hand. Oaxaca is no scientist. He is only able to determine that the rice is a mineral, naturally formed and granulated.

Bruce Campbell-Robson arrives by plane at 12:30. He looks like a high-school jock, and is very eager to impress the agents. He is nervous, and neither Black nor Rocaan warm to him. The quickly brief Bruce on much of what has been happening and go to see Barry Kelly (head of the Copperworker's Union).

In his office, Kelly tells the agents that Elaine Ross of the computing section at the mine knew of Bryce's written complaint to Joel Grey. However, she and her husband are currently on holiday. Kelly doesn't know where, but Elaine's friend and colleague, Janice Henderson might. Kelly says that the drill chief, Lloyd Patterson thought Shaft 43 was cut too low. It seems that Patterson and Peterson are in agreement on this point.

Kelly says that the mine was originally closed in the depression, and then reopened in the early 1950s. It was closed because it didn't make enough of a profit - it was owned at the time by an investment company called Horizons and the city of Casper. Horizons pulled out, and the city could no longer afford to maintain it.

Kelly reveals that men from his union are willing to back to work for the return of their hazard pay. He accepts accidents happen in mines, and he doesn't believe that there has been any corruption. It is only Alexander Sanders of the 212th miner's union who has levelled charges of corruption.

The agents allow Bruce to ask some questions of Kelly before returning to the hotel. Bruce is assigned the job of going through the seventy reports written by Joel Grey that Benedict retrieved from the mining authority. Benedict also has a 'bad feeling' about Bruce.

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