1 BLITZKRIEG: Act I - "Into the Heart of Darkness"

[Halo]

Halo unzippers her jacket and removes her pack of Red Apples from the inner pocket. She sets that and a Zippo refillable lighter on the table top.

"We have access to partial maps and personnel listings should be available in the future." She removes a ciggarette and lights it, placing the ciggarettes back in her jacket. "I am certain Mr. DeMarco will come through for us. In the mean time, I am off to find my sleeping quarters to have a shower and unpack." She ashes in the half full cup of coffee and pushes back in the chair to stand.

Halo walks to Mr. Yankowski. "Is there a specific way to contact you should any questions arise?" She removes her jacket to reveal a leather armpit holster containing a rather large firearm. She has another drag off of her ciggarette and exales quickly.

[Crimson]

Crimson looks over at the lighter as Halo sets it on the table. "ah i see what you are good at" as he picks the lighter and puts it in his pocket.

"mind letting me know when you are gonna borrow my stuff" as he goes back to listening to Yankowski.

[Roanoke]

Roanoke eagerly helps himself to a cheese danish. He scarfs it down while one-handedly preparing his cup of coffee (lots of sugar, no cream).

As he stirs his coffee, he asks, "So tell me, Greg, what is the crew complement of this facility? Also, do you know of anyone who had had any run-ins with Dr. Hadley, maybe wanted to do him in?"

Roanoke asks Mr. Yankowski these questions while staring directly into his eyes, never blinking once. He deliberately uses Mr. Yankowski's first name to lull him into a false sense of security, hoping some useful information can be gleaned from his nervous mannerisms.

[The Dispatcher]

"T-the Fafner's Lair facility can house up to forty-four employees, " Yankowski states with the sound of wrote memorization. "At the current time, we have thirty-one... well, thirty now that Dr. Hadley is gone." He adjusts his glasses. "We were about to be sending most everyone back home in preparation for the oncoming snow storm, only six people were able to leave though. This was a week and a half ago. Extra security guards, a couple maintenance people."

Yankowski goes to the beverage table and makes himself a cup of coffee.

"In fact, with the exception of myself and the cooking staff, everyone but the mining crew and Dr. Everitt were going to leave. I was going to stay behind to make sure that Constantine and his men had a company man to go to if any problems arose during the excavation."

He takes a sip of the coffee.

"And to answer your questions, I don't know why anyone would want to kill James. He was fairly well liked. His ego wasn't so big that anyone would want him dead."

He goes to the conference table, sets his coffee down, and scribbles something on a post-it note.

"This is the number to my office. I'm usually down here during regular business hours-- nine to four PM. I also live in one of the trailers on this level."

There is a knock at the glass door and you all look up to see a tan skinned man dressed in a grey suit jacket come into the conference room.

"Ah, I see that the Security Squad is here. Maybe now, we can get to the bottom of this so we can all go the hell home." The man says with an undisguised note of irritation in his voice.

"This is my Assistant Director, Carmen Iglesias." Yankowski says, making the introduction.

[Halo]

Halo looks at Crimson with a sheepish grin and shrugs.

"Sorry about that hun, force of habit I guess." She begins to walk out of the room. "I was just borrowing till I could get to my own that I had packed away. I have what I need. Mostly."

With that she disappears into the corridor.

[James Mercer]

"Well, at least no one on the cooking staff was killed. That'd be a real shame," Apollo quietly mumbles around a mouthful of strudel. He fixes himself a cup of coffee, and says, "First of all, Mr. Yankowski, let me compliment you on your hospitality and fine selection of pastries." Apollo takes a sip of coffee and stifles a yelp as it burns his tongue. He adds a bit more cream to cool it down, and continues. "Second, do you or... Mr. Iglesias was it? have any suggestions on where we should start?"

[The Dispatcher]

Iglesias looks daggers towards Apollo. "Where should you start?" He spits with a hispanic accent. "Where should you start?! You should START by convincing Gregory here that there WASN'T any murder!"

"That's bullshit Carmen! H-he told me that he had something REALLY important that he wanted to tell me, something about one of the 'others'. He told me that he say who when he 'had it all'. Someone SET that fire!" Yankowski shouted back.

Carmen clenched his fists and took a step towards Yankowski. "That could have been ANYTHING. From Juliano skipping trash pick-up runs to that damn Arden looking at porn again!" His dark moustache shaking like a brush under his roundish nose. "Beso mi culo, Gregory!"

"ENOUGH!!!!" Yankowski shouts. You are amazed at how furious this Suit has gotten. His face reddening he yells, "You are my ASSISTANT Administrator, MISTER Iglesias, and you will never speak to me like that again! Niblung Engineering placed ME in charge of this facility and it trusts MY judgment to run it for them. That means that they pay you to keep your opinions to yourself, and to do what you are told to do!"

There is dead silence as an extremely uncomfortable tension settles on the room.

[Halo]

Halo stops dead in her tracks at the doorway and turns her head slightly and raises and eyebrow, garnering some interest in the conversation.

[Crimson]

Crimson finishes his coffee and sets the cup down as he stands up.
Crimson moves a few steps towards Iglesias. "So mister Iglesias what exactly do you think happen since you are so sure it was not murder."

[The Dispatcher]

Iglesias levels an even look right back at Crimson. "Apparently my opinion doesn't matter very much, now does it?" He says flatly. "Besides, I'm here to take you people to your quarters. At least I can be of some service."

He gives Yankowski one final smoldering look, then walks over to the door.

"Well, come on. I have better things to be doing than to be baby sitting a group of glorified rent-a-cops." He says, then he pushes past Halo and out into the caverns.

[Crimson]

Crimson looks over at Yankowski "is he always like this?"

He turns and follows behind Halo as they head after Iglesias and mumbles "Why do i get the feeling this guy is gonna be a problem."

Crimson looks toward Iglesias and says sarcasticly "Is there a problem with us 'cause we could always just leave if you'd like, it isn't are asses that are being murdered."

[Roanoke]

Roanoke pans his gaze from Crimson to Yankowski, his expression changing from incredulity to benevolent pleasantries.

"I believe what Crimson is trying to say," he says as he eyes Yankowski, "is that you guys should be a little more appreciative that we're here to help resolve your dilemma. I won't tolerate comments like the one just now from Mr. Iglesias. Your personnel would be wise to refrain from any such unwarranted attitudes during the course of this investigation. It would be most unfortunate if such conduct were to be misconstrued as an attempt to thwart our investigation. And as for you, Dr. Yankowski, you may not like us being here, but you'd better get used to it 'cause we're not leaving anytime soon. Oh,and uhh, by the way, I know you're hidding something from us. We'll find out what it is, make no mistake of that."

Roanoke chooses this point to leave Yankowski to ponder his admonitions and vacates the room to follow Iglesias to the living quarters.

[Hollowpoint]

"I think way Roanoak is trying to say is don't screw with us. Simply put." Wallace adds abruptly.

"Is there anythng else you want to tell us?" Rick looks over both of them through his hawk-like eyes.

[Halo]

Halo chuckles as she matches pace with Crimson behind Iglesias. Her jacket is in her left hand while slung over her shoulder, her half finished ciggarette in her right.

"I know I would be one cranky bitch if I was supposed to go home in six days but couldnt." She says to no one in particular.
"So here is hoping that our stay is short lived and we have a nice comfy ride home after we find the murderer." She takes a long drag off her Red Apple.
"Of course I hope that comfy ride isnt in a pine box" She flicks her ciggarette with her thumb, dropping ash on the cave floor.
"So Mr. Iglesias, what would you be doing right now if Dr. Hadley hadnt been. . . err. . . hadnt died?"

[The Dispatcher]

Yankowski, still in the conference room with Bluemojo, Apollo, and Hollowpoint, slumps into the chair at the head of the table.

"I-i think that we might have a Mole." He states flatly. "I think that Hadley was onto them, and was burned in his trailer." He looks up at the three of you. "I-i've nothing to hide. I'm the one who requested help to come here in the first place. I WANT you people here. Find out who killed James Hadley. Make them pay..."



Outside in the caverns, Iglesias leads Halo, Crimson, and Roanoke back towards where the blast door is. Once again it's shut.

"I just got engaged to my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago." Iglesias answers. His tone of voice seeming to have cooled somewhat from his recent argumement. "We had plans for the weekend when I got back."

"Assistant Director!" comes a shout from a passage off to your right. You turn your head to see the two security guards that greeted you, as well as a stockier man with a Pheonix Coyotes hat on held between them. " For fuck's sake guys," The Coyote's fan says irritatedly, "I just wanted to get some damn fresh air!"