Phenomena Explanation and Planning - Thu, Jun 1, 2017

The session begins with casual conversation and jokes about the title “God’s Teeth,” referencing Greek mythology. The players briefly discuss Cronus (Kronos), Zeus, and the idea of gods in Greek myths eating people or their offspring. They also make passing references to the role-playing game “Exalted,” primordial beings, and power structures.

After the light banter, the Handler (Luke) confirms the title of the game and sets the scene for Delta Green, “God’s Teeth” campaign. There is a mention of the comedic possibility that Greek gods inspired the name.

The Handler recaps the previous session’s events:

• Graham confronted Kim Boyer, explaining her life was effectively over unless she joined the new Delta Green program. Kim accepted this offer.
• Matthew McCarter confessed to having a special ability to smell the “taint” of the unnatural. Initially, Graham tried to cover for him, but then left Matthew to handle the questions. Antonia Pitzerelli advised Matthew to be open and use his ability to help the team.
• Kim was assisting a program computer specialist to track the suspicious Proton.me email account.
• The agents—Drummond, Booth, Parker—raided the offices of Persistent Vigil but failed at subtlety, smashing the door and planting a virus using Boyer and Brigid’s credentials. This left a clear digital and security camera trail linking Boyer to the break-in.
• The agents returned to a Holiday Inn Express in Carson City around 3 a.m. with about 39 hours left before the predicted next murder at 48 Rancho Manor Drive.

The transcript notes that the team members rest overnight. Matthew McCarter takes a sleeping pill to ensure he can get some sleep. There is a quick con check for healing, and a note that no police have arrived to arrest them.

The next morning, the group wakes up around 9 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Express. They briefly discuss going out for breakfast, bantering about different restaurants and deciding on an IHOP in Carson City. They plan to talk about next steps regarding the predicted murder.

Over breakfast at IHOP, the group debates how to prevent the next murder at 48 Rancho Manor Drive:

• They consider whether to remove the family living there to ensure no one is on site.
• They discuss the possibility that the killers might track the family anyway.
• They review the idea of waiting at the location to ambush the killers or to question them.
• They note the next predicted murder is the fifth in a series of violent events that form a pattern.

While at breakfast, they receive information from Pitzerelli by text:

• The suspicious email account is traced to the Reno area.
• There is a new directive from “leadership” to capture whoever is behind these murders and unnatural events, alive if possible.

The group recalls that the email address (the Proton.me account) responded to a message sent under Brigid’s name. The response hinted that if the person understood “what to do,” they could join or complete the pattern. The user behind the email told them there was nothing else to discuss if they already knew the plan.

The agents look up details on the residents of 48 Rancho Manor Drive:

• They find the name Jason Berry, who lives there with his wife Sadie and a 10-year-old son.
• The group suspects the killers do not care about the specific identities of the victims, only that the murder happens at the correct place and time.

The team holds a more in-depth strategy session back at the hotel:

• Matthew McCarter and Graham Drummond recall that the earliest murders included a ritual element: divination, calling upon some greater entity to witness or observe the violence.
• They confirm there have been four murders so far and that the next, the fifth event, is expected soon.
• Kim Boyer confirms the pattern is complicated: it involves multiple “dimensions” or variables, references a shape more intricate than a simple pentagram, and the final murder is the focal point.
• Boyer warns them that truly understanding the mathematics behind the pattern is dangerous, as observer and observed might merge and be taken away.

Boyer explains further:

• The violent acts are critical points in the pattern.
• The final killing is the end of this series.
• If someone fully understands the pattern and is seen by the drone (the observer), that person risks “collapsing the function” and disappearing, as may have happened to Agent Brigid (Norah).
• The group learns that each time the drones experience these “glitches,” they reset—thus losing knowledge of the pattern, whereas a human cannot simply reset their memory.

In discussing next steps, the agents decide they must prevent the murder and also try to capture the perpetrators, who seem to have full knowledge of the pattern. They acknowledge that finishing the pattern would be catastrophic and that the next murder occurs soon.

Booth emails the Proton.me account again, posing as Brigid:

• The reply suggests a willingness to “meet God together,” implying the final step of the pattern is imminent at the location of the next murder.

The team agrees they need less-lethal equipment to apprehend the killers alive:

• They consider buying tasers, stun guns, pepper spray, or beanbag rounds for shotguns.
• Researching legality in Nevada, they conclude it is feasible to buy such items without major hurdles.
• Cole Parker arranges to acquire three Mossberg shotguns, working through private sale to avoid extensive paperwork. They also pick up beanbag ammunition.

The session winds down with the group finalizing preparations:

• They plan to confront the killers at 48 Rancho Manor Drive.
• They agree to remove the Berry family from the house beforehand or convince them to leave voluntarily.
• The team hopes to capture the mastermind and any accomplices, preventing the fifth and final point of the pattern from taking place.

The session ends after they discuss their gear purchases and strategies. They decide to meet the Berry family later in the day, with non-lethal weaponry ready, and see how best to avert the predicted killing and apprehend the perpetrators.