Mid-West Campaign
Session Eighty

Friday, 15 June 2001

The self-repair protocols finally restore power to the stricken ship. The lights come on, and the agents aboard activate the outside sensors to see a Russian vessel flying alongside them. Soon Georgeson's image appears, the vessel is cloaked and then guided back to Winterset, where it lands in a cornfield.

The agents are greeted by Artemis Black, and representatives of both NTOPFOR and MK Ultra. Artemis is at his effusive best, trumpeting the achievements of his 'people'. Jane reports everything that happened to Artemis, and recommends that Ecks be commended for his bravery and self sacrifice.

Jane realises that today is her birthday. She lost track of time somewhat on the spaceship. She also realises that this is a sea-change in the work of evidence response. It had been coming ever since Black's promotion and the resurrection of all those dead agents. Watching Artemis speaking to his shadowy friends, and schmoozing as only he can it is clear that they are now moving in very different circles. The war with the shaggai, the grand alliance that Artemis is trying to build against the bugs, and the workings of all these secret societies is no longer in the power of the mid-west team to influence. It is all Artemis's show now. God help them.

Jane, Bradley, Alex, Bruce and Nathan are taken to Washington for debriefing. There are discussions about what will happen next, and how Artemis deploys all the agents that are suddenly available to him. Artemis doesn't bother to tell Jane about her brother.

Sunday, 17 June 2001

Back in Wichita, Danni has still not had her baby and is getting crabbier than ever about. Early in the morning, Todd arrives at the door with a bunch of flowers for Jane, for her birthday. She is touched that he remembered. There is a ring at the door - a UPS delivery man with two packages, both addressed to Jane.

Jane's paranoia kicks into overdrive and she opens them both in secret. The first parcel contains her personnel file and details of where she fits into the new evidence response hierarchy. The new structure is as follows:

In Washington, Artemis Black has a team comprised of Judge Campbell, Justice Williams, Michael Hunt and Fit Harlow. The east coast team remains unchanged. All deceased members of north-east and north-west evidence response return to their respective teams. The resurrected west coast team returns to their old base. Dominic Rocaan becomes head of a new mid-west team that consists of himself, Todd O'Connell, Bruce Campbell-Robson, Bradley Ecks, Classic Harlow and Jack Burchill. Agents Elise Steiger, Alex Drake and Philip McKraken are being sent to Europe to liaise with NTOPFOR. A new Wichita-based flying squad has been created. This team includes Clint Stone, Benedict Oaxaca and Jane as number two to Senior Special Agent J. McPike. Jane shivers: surely they can't mean Ugly Joe McPike?

Jane opens the other parcel. It consists of two wrapped packages: one for her and one for Danni. Believing that the package could be dangerous, she opens Danni's present. It is a set of designer baby-clothes from Michael Levin. Jane apologises to her sister, and hands over the clothes, that melt Danni's otherwise crusty exterior. Jane tries to hide the second box, because she knows that whatever Michael has bought her for her birthday, will make Todd's present look small and unbelievably cheap.

However, Danni sees the box and won't rest until it is opened. Jane grudgingly does so. Inside is a diamond solitaire and a set of keys. Todd is shocked. Jane looks out of the window and sees a red e-type jag sitting in the driveway. "I hear they're expensive to run," grunts Todd and goes off to sulk.

Jane heads outside and looks over her car. She really needs to take driving lessons. She calls Michael to thank him and receives the welcome news that he will be down to Wichita next week. Then she grits her teeth and telephones the J. McPike.

Meanwhile, Benedict has also received his personnel file in the mail, and has also received news of the new teams. He was equally as paranoid as Jane and put on heavy gloves to open the parcel in case it contained the green mineral. He reads over the files: surely they can't mean Ugly Joe McPike?

At his new ranch on the outskirts of Wichita, Clint Stone is busy shooting small animals when the UPS delivery arrives. His personnel file is marked "1 of 30". He takes this to mean he is the real, the original Elijah Stone. He scans the files: surely they can't mean Ugly Joe McPike? Stone makes the call.

Senior Special Agent Ugly Joe McPike is bemoaning his miserable life. For the last six months he has been stuck in Caspar, Wyoming where he has been acting as FBI liaison with the US Air Force. He has been appointed to stop the USAF digging up the local Indian burial ground, but he knows nothing about uranium or commandos or anything of the sort. It is hot and the bugs are the size Volkswagens. He is not a happy man. Then his phone rings.

It is Clint Stone, informing McPike that has been assigned to his team. What team? McPike hasn't received any orders? He isn't even a member of evidence response! Is Stone mad? He slams down the phone and is about the dial Artemis Black to get the matter cleared up when it rings again. This time it is Benedict Oaxaca with the same message. Then the phone rings again: this time it is Jane. To a trained law man like McPike, it is obvious something fishy is going on. He is about to call Black, when there is a knock at the door of his portacabin.

Dripping with sweat, a FedEx courier is holding a package. These are McPike's marching orders, personnel files for his three agents, three DVDs filled with casefiles, and a copy of Artemis Black's summer hits. He quickly scans the orders. He and his team are to be based at the federal building in Wichita. He is overjoyed. He grabs his bag, runs down the flights of steps and is in his car screeching away before the courier can ask for his signature.

On the plane McPike starts to read through the casefiles. The more he reads, the more he thinks he is the victim of an elaborate practical joke. Why on Earth, would anyone want him for an assignment like this? He doesn't know anything about the supernatural. He then reads the covering letter that came with the package. It begins:

Josephine McPike? Oh dear. Joe knows all about Josephine McPike, they were at Quantico together. She is indeed the FBI's foremost occult specialist, she would indeed have been a perfect choice for this new job - assuming the casefiles are even remotely accurate. Joe is the victim of a spectacular administrative cock-up. He decides to play along in case he gets sent back to Caspar.

By late afternoon, McPike arrives at the cramped offices of the evidence response flying squad on the seventeenth floor of the federal building in Wichita. He takes the stairs and it nearly kills him. He is the first to arrive into an small ante chamber. There is a reception desk, but no receptionist. Three doors lead off here: one to some communal offices, one to the investigation room and one bears the legend: "Senior Special Agent J. McPike: Evidence Response".

Jane Munroe arrives shortly afterward. Trying to put her worries about what Artemis is doing out her mind, she determines to make the best of this new assignment. Certainly, the war against the bugs is important but that doesn't mean they should ignore their case load. Each of their cases was selected for them for a reason. If they'd never gone to Joplin then the world could be over by now. Jane goes in and introduces herself to the hideousness that is McPike.

Having read the casefiles, McPike is a little suspicious of Jane's sanity. When she arrives and suggests they sweep the offices for listening devices, he becomes even more suspicious. He tries to make conversation - suggests how happy she must be that Vitrano and Lavin caught Apache Joe. Jane spills hot coffee on her hand, and politely suggests that he finish reading the casefiles. He feels increasingly out of his element.

All the existing casefiles from the mid-west team have been transferred to the flying squad. McPike notices the team seem to be in the middle of both ES174 and BRTS002.

Stone and Benedict arrive, and now Benedict sweeps the area for bugs. Ugly Joe thinks that they're all mad. All these casefiles about Stone being cloned thirty times, aliens and ghosts… it must all be bunkum. But Jane and Benedict and Clint are quite firm that it is not. They offer to take him to mid-west headquarters and show him those three million-dollar super computers that he doesn't believe they have.

McPike puts his head in his hands and asks the agents to leave the room. Once they are gone he telephones Artemis Black. Jane and Benedict exchange looks from outside the door. He is not what they were expecting. Why was he appointed the head of their team? The answer is quick in coming, as McPike's entire conversation with Justice and then with Black is audible through the paper-thin walls. The other agents turn to each other: "Oh, Josephine McPike." That makes so much more sense. But Ugly Joe has read the casefiles now. Artemis makes it perfectly clear, that McPike and evidence response are now stuck with one another.

The agents take McPike to the mid-west headquarters. They slide down the secret firepoles to the blackcave and disturb Todd and Ecks playing computer games. McPike is suitably impressed, but doesn't see much to corroborate their stories. Ben breaks out the magic swords he got after his vision, and then shows McPike the magic dirk he received from Archangel Mike. Despite Jane's warnings, Benedict cuts his hand and lets blood fall on the blade. Immediately the Sword of Samael erupts into violent flame and Benedict seems to grow in stature and importance.

McPike is convinced. Ben drops the sword and returns to himself, although slightly diminished. Jane rushes him down to the med-bay and gives him a full work up. Realising that this is his lot in life from now on, McPike suggests starting a case.

The case is (of course) ES174 - the murder of Peter Ellis Dean. Jane and Benedict apprise Joe of everything they have discovered to date. They have nothing back from the dental records, but they assume that the body is Dean. Jane says that probable cause of death was a blow to the back of the head.

Their leads are as follows: Dean is survived by his cousin and his sister (who lives in New York), he worked as a law clerk in Mississippi and also worked for the "Law 4 All" pressure group that was based in New York. The car he was driving was owned by his black friend, Chris Rock.

Ugly Joe telephones Law 4 All and speaks to James Robbins. He knows of Dean as one of the Mississippi Martyrs - members of the group who went missing for "the cause". Robbins promises to send on further information.

The agents trace Chris Rock through his driving licence. He is currently living in Queens, New York. Joe speaks to his daughter, and asks that Chris Rock get in touch with the agents. He emphasises that Mr Rock is not in any trouble.

Finally, they try to track down the law firm that Peter Ellis Dean worked for, but this proves problematic. As partners change, so the name of the organisation would also have changed. This is something they will need to tackle in Mississippi - or rather, something they can pay others to do on their behalf.

It is late and the agents break for the day. Joe is staying at Artemis's old rented house in the area. It is still decorated with dozens of photographs and portraits of Artemis Black in various poses and reposes. McPike sits in a corner and chugs down some Artemis Black Blend Whiskey.

At home Jane tells Danni that she is going to Louisiana for a few days. However, she will return as soon as Danni goes into labour (assuming that happens before the end of the case). Danni has an appointment to induce the labour on 29 June if the baby has not appeared naturally by then. Jane suggests that fresh pineapple sometimes brings on labour, and Todd is immediately sent to the grocery store.

Monday, 18 June 2001

The agents arrive in Louisiana mid-morning. It is even hotter than Caspar here, and the bugs are bigger than Volkswagens. McPike hates his life. They hire two 4×4s and head off to Estelle. The town is a satellite of New Orleans and is in danger of being absorbed by the urban sprawl. The agents head out to the Roche cotton plantation where the car was found.

They quickly find the spot. It is on the track that leads from the main road to the plantation. An area of dead grass betrays the fact the car wasn't in the swamp, but parked on the side of the water. It had been concealed in vegetation for many years, but that doesn't explain why it wasn't reported in the months before the vegetation grew over it.

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