Operation WHITE TEETH - Fri, Sep 9, 2016

The session opens with the players troubleshooting audio issues and discussing podcast metrics, including 87 total plays and an audience size of 20 distinct devices in the last 7 days

Chris shares that a work colleague listened to 3 hours of the podcast and complimented Luke’s editing skills

The players joke about Luke’s ego and Mark being the heart of the show

Chris’s colleague was interested in what’s in the folder from a previous session and if it would be revealed

Luke gives a recap of the previous session:

• The agents confronted McCarter about his concerning religious vision; Drummond and Monroe expressed worry that the rituals from Kalamatiano’s writings were making McCarter a conduit for supernatural forces
• To alleviate concerns, McCarter handed over Kalamatiano’s notes to Cortez
• The agents then spent time with loved ones:
  • Drummond argued with his brother then found peace in NYC before being bitten by a rabid bat
  • Cortez enjoyed a romantic trip to Boston with his wife Kate while visiting their daughter at college
  • McCarter dealt with a nasty alimony proceeding with his ex-wife Isabella and researched the tattoo seen on one of Kerry Houghton’s attackers, linking it to a neo-Nazi biker gang in Florida called the Iron Wolves
  • Monroe encouraged his son Caleb to seek vocational training but the two generations failed to connect
• The agents each received a coded package with instructions to meet in D.C. the next morning

The agents arrive at the Attorney General’s Office in D.C. where they meet Antonia Pitzerelli, who is unusually friendly as she provides them with DOJ badges and leads them to a secure meeting room

In the meeting room, Pitzerelli drops the friendly act and briefs them on a fingerprint match for Elle Gable from a break-in at an outdoor goods store in Waldorf, MD four days prior that only reported vandalism

Pitzerelli instructs the agents to:

• Investigate the break-in in Waldorf as it’s the freshest lead on Gable
• Visit the King Torino children’s refuge in North Carolina where Gable spent time to see if anyone remembers her and can provide a trail
• Go to Florida to resolve the Crystal Killian loose end and destroy any evidence connecting their names to the case
• Track down all of Houghton’s killers and assess if they can be put into the criminal justice system or if they need to be “neutralized” as a Delta Green threat

The agents discuss that the three murderers are unnatural loose ends that need to be dealt with, and Pitzerelli coldly remarks that no one will miss these people on the fringes of society

Drummond notes it’s been nearly a month since the first murder was found

The agents discuss the aftermath of a previous case involving a Hendry County Sheriff’s Department investigation into Killian’s death. The official conclusion was that Killian died of a heart attack, but a deputy named Eckstein was pursuing another line of inquiry. Delta Green intervened and had Eckstein reprimanded and removed from his position, though he may still have information relevant to the case.

Pizzarelli informs the agents that they are all on the no-fly list due to their tenuous situation with the program. This is meant to make it difficult for them to leave the country. Despite their efforts to help the organization, there is still a lack of trust.

Drummond expresses his frustration with the organization’s treatment and considers creating a “dead man’s switch” to protect himself. He wants to secretly document information that would be disclosed if he were eliminated. However, since being taken off normal duties, his level of access has been cut off.

Pizzarelli provides a rundown of the agents’ open leads:

• A fingerprint hit on Elle Gable at McGarren Outdoor Outfitters in Waldorf, MD, related to a vandalism and break-in.
• Records of Gable at King Torino children’s home from 2001 to around 2006.
• Facial recognition hit of Gable boarding a Greyhound bus in Miami on August 16th.
• Facial recognition hit on the unnamed assailant, who has multiple arrests for public intoxication and petty theft in Broward County, FL.
• No leads on Thomas Perez Cunningham, and his family is deceased.

Pizzarelli provides the agents with a 2015 Tahoe, burner phones, and instructions to contact her for further communication. The agents’ fake identities are also on the no-fly list.

Drummond expresses suspicion that Gable’s vandalism and fingerprint at the store in Waldorf are meant to lure them there, giving the culprits control over the situation. He suggests choosing their own “home field advantage” instead.

The agents debate whether to split up to investigate the leads in Waldorf and Florida or stay together. McCarter argues that splitting up is a bad idea, especially once they start officially investigating, as that’s when they’ll be in danger.

The vandalism case is being handled by local police, not as an official FBI investigation. The agents discuss whether to involve State Police Officer Velasquez, who they’ve tried to keep in the loop, but ultimately decide against it to maintain the FBI’s jurisdiction.

McCarter emphasizes that the culprits committing crimes to get the agents’ attention is a clear sign of a trap. Monroe suggests that Gable may have a message for them and that they should try to access it without alerting local authorities to their presence.

The scene ends with the agents in the car, debating their next move while Monroe waits to input a destination into the SUV’s touchscreen.

The group discusses their plans for meeting with a woman, wanting to control the situation and prevent local officials from interfering or arriving at the planned meeting location first

They debate whether to go to the crime scene itself or the arranged meeting spot

Drummond asks about what they know about the Waldorf area, while also jokingly suggesting creating a Tinder profile to attract Elle Gable

The others play along with the Tinder joke, suggesting including details like being homeless, having childhood trauma, and being part of a government conspiracy

They decide to head to Waldorf, which is about a 40-minute drive from D.C. on the Delmarva Peninsula

On the drive, Drummond tries to recall any connections between Waldorf, Cornucopia House, and the orphanages where the Cornucopia children were sent, but can’t think of anything specific

They arrive at McGarren Outdoor Outfitters, a small sporting goods store on the main street of Waldorf where most of the commercial businesses have moved away from

The store’s front window has a broken pane covered with plywood

Inside, they see typical outdoor gear like fishing rods, hiking boots, and hunting supplies, including firearms secured behind glass or cabled to the walls

The proprietor, a man around 60 with a short haircut and glasses, greets them

Monroe produces a badge and explains they matched someone they’re looking for to the store

Drummond shows the man a disturbing photo of Elle Gable, but he claims not to recognize her or know who broke his window since he doesn’t have security cameras

The man says only he and his wife work at the store, and that the only thing taken was a decorative display knife with a carved bear’s paw on the bone handle

He shows them a distinctive photo of the knife, which he bought at a gun show in Virginia a few years ago

The knife was apparently not very valuable, so he only reported it as vandalism, not theft, though he had a police captain friend dust for prints

There was no graffiti or markings left at the scene, and the knife doesn’t appear to have any obvious occult significance based on the photo

Monroe looks around outside, wondering if they’re being watched by wilderness creatures

Drummond asks the proprietor what kind of hunting and outdoor activities go on in the area

Steel Monroe goes to Cup of Joe’s coffee shop to access their security footage from the night of the break-in at McGarren’s Outfitters

Cortez accompanies Monroe to the coffee shop

A 20-year-old woman, the manager, allows Monroe access to the security footage after he shows his DOJ badge

The footage shows Elle Gable, dressed the same as when she killed Kerry Houghton, walking by McGarren’s at around 3 AM

Gable stops, picks up a large rock from the sidewalk, smashes the window of the store, reaches in and grabs something, puts it in her jacket pocket, and continues walking

The whole incident takes only about 15 seconds

Monroe and Cortez note that Gable seemed to know exactly what she was looking for and where the rock would be

Earlier footage shows a kid kicking the rock down the sidewalk until a dog lunges at him, causing him to abandon the rock in the exact spot

Monroe downloads a copy of the footage and then erases the original to cover their tracks

Meanwhile, Drummond receives a call on his burner phone from Dr. Barkley at Charlotte’s Rest Veterans Home

Dr. Barkley informs Drummond that Franklin Price, a veteran and former case officer, has started speaking after years of silence, repeating the phrase “it smells like cookies”

Drummond tells Dr. Barkley he will be there in 15 minutes and hangs up

Drummond and McCarter leave to go to Charlotte’s Rest, meeting up with Monroe and Cortez who have returned from the coffee shop

Drummond informs the others about Price’s sudden communication and the strange phrase he’s repeating

The agents quickly depart for Charlotte’s Rest to investigate this new development, which may be connected to their current case

The scene ends with the agents heading to the veterans home to question Price and uncover any potential leads

The session opens with the players discussing the high cost of installing central air conditioning, with Chris expressing frustration over the seemingly inflated prices. The players compare their experiences with AC installation costs.

As the game begins, the agents arrive at Charlotte’s Rest medical facility and encounter an ambulance outside with EMTs working on a resident who had a heart attack. They briefly speak with a staff member who informs them it was a Mrs. Jennifer Williamson, not their person of interest Franklin Price.

The agents enter the facility through a side door, finding themselves in a residential area with a cafeteria. Oddly, the song “Muskrat Love” by Captain & Tennille is playing on repeat over the speakers, specifically a live version from a 1980 TV performance.

Drummond shares trivia about the song, including that it was originally performed by the band America before Captain & Tennille covered it. He seems bothered by the song choice.

As they approach the empty nursing station, the agents discover a gruesome scene - an African American male nurse lying in a pool of blood, his throat torn out. Bloody paw prints from several medium-sized dogs lead away from the body down the hallway.

Drummond instructs Monroe to check on the injured nurse while he and McCarter follow the bloody tracks with guns drawn. Cortez examines the paw prints, identifying them as belonging to dogs.

The agents briefly check the security monitors but see nothing of note in the empty halls. They then proceed to follow the trail of paw prints.

The grisly sight of the dead nurse requires a Sanity check for those not adapted to violence, which McCarter fails, losing 1 Sanity point. He then chooses to project his reaction onto his relationship with his daughter.

The agents enter Room 121, where Franklin Price is located, and encounter Elle Gable standing over Price with two aggressive dogs.

Drummond attempts to breach the locked door by shooting it and then kicking it in, but slips on a bloody paw print and falls, injuring his leg slightly.

McCarter successfully breaks down the door that Drummond had weakened, and the group prepares for a confrontation with Gable and the dogs.

As McCarter enters the room, he is flanked by the two bloody dogs, a German Shepherd and a Standard Poodle, while Gable is positioned near Price’s bed.

McCarter quickly fires at the German Shepherd, landing a critical hit and killing it instantly.

Steel notices Gable reaching for the hilt of a knife in her jacket pocket and decides to shoot her, firing past McCarter.

Steel scores a critical hit on Gable, dealing 20 points of damage. His combat training kicks in as he steps in, puts a hand on McCarter’s shoulder, and unloads his weapon at Gable from close range.

Gable is hit multiple times in vital areas and the head, causing her to drop the knife, stumble backward, hit a cabinet, and slide to the ground, dead.

After Gable is killed, the dogs stop snarling, and the agents momentarily feel a strange kinship with the animals, as if they were on a shared hunt.

McCarter pushes past to check on Gable, confirming that she is deceased due to the extensive damage inflicted by Steel’s attack.

Cortez decides to put down the remaining dogs, firing until both are dead on the ground, unwilling to leave the “touched” animals alive.

The Handler requests a sanity check from McCarter following the intense confrontation and the decision to kill the dogs.

David Cortez expresses frustration at the inability to get information from the dogs, acknowledging that they are all dangerous and questioning why Drummond shot one dog but not the others.

The players discuss the game mechanics of repressing sanity loss and gaining checkmarks. To get a checkmark, a character must lose sanity without hitting a breaking point or temporary insanity.

Luke asks Robert about McCarter’s feelings towards dogs, determining that McCarter is an animal lover and a “softie” deep down. As a result, McCarter loses 2 points of sanity - one for Gable and one for the dogs - and hits his breaking point.

While McCarter deals with his breaking point, Drummond decides to search Gable’s body. He finds a crumpled wad of cash and a worn, full-color printed pamphlet for St. Lawrence Church, a chapel and homeless shelter in Miami, Florida. The pamphlet has blood on it and contains various doodles and drawings made by Gable, including disturbing imagery like a blackhead containing a red brain, a dead tree silhouetted against the moon, and a stock photo of a smiling family with the mother’s head turned into a black hole with wicked fangs. Drummond quickly flips through the pamphlet and pockets it.

Nurses and an unarmed security guard rush down the hallway towards the scene. Cortez pulls out his badge and declares the area a federal crime scene, instructing the staff to stand down. He tells them that one of their own was attacked by the dogs and directs them to check on the fallen nurse, Desmond, while keeping them away from Price’s room.

The security guard hurries over to the nurse’s station, exclaiming “Oh shit, Desmond!” upon seeing the bloody scene. Meanwhile, Price is heard mumbling very quietly, saying things like “Smells like cookies” and “Smells like warm cookies.” The agents then smell the scent of cookies baking, but with a meaty, brothy undertone coming from Price himself. Drummond recoils in revulsion at the smell.

Cortez calls Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonia Pitzerelli to report that Gable has been taken down and that they will need a crew to handle the aftermath. Pitzerelli determines it was a clean shoot, as Gable was a suspect in their manhunt and had a weapon. She instructs the agents to pocket anything the local police shouldn’t see and to let them take the body, with the possibility of recovering it from the morgue later if needed.

Cortez explains to Pitzerelli that they were in Waldorf following up on a lead, as Price’s doctor had called to report that he was talking. Gable seemed to be waiting for them at the nursing home. Pitzerelli suggests that Gable may have done something to Price and advises the agents to answer enough of the police’s questions to satisfy them while invoking need-to-know restrictions.

Drummond thoroughly searches Gable’s body to ensure there’s nothing else they don’t want to be seen. He notices that Gable has a peaceful smile on her face in death. Drummond takes a picture of her face with his phone.

Monroe reflects on the moment he barged into the room and unhesitatingly unloaded his pistol into Gable, feeling satisfied with a job well done.

Drummond, feeling a bit upset at how rapidly the violent situation unfolded, sits down in a chair to collect his thoughts and process the events before the local police arrive.

A woman’s voice is heard in the hallway, calling out for her dogs named Bert, Lamarue, and Gal. The woman, who appears to be in her 40s and not a staff member or resident of the nursing home, comes down the hallway yelling about her dogs being there.

Cortez instructs the security guard to keep people out of the crime scene. The woman insists that her dogs are inside, but the guard informs her that she can’t go in. Cortez bluntly tells the woman that her dogs are dead and that they killed a man, pointing to the bloody scene at the nurse’s station. The shocked woman exclaims, “Oh, my God,” as the guard turns her around and walks her away from the scene.

The police arrive at the scene and take statements from the agents, who explain that Gable was a suspect in an ongoing federal case and had threatened Price.

Cortez takes the lead in handling the police, providing them with the necessary information and signing paperwork.

The police take Gable’s body to the morgue but expect the agents to collect her later.

Out of respect for Price, the nurses attempt to wheel him out of the room while the commotion is ongoing, but he seems indifferent to the situation.

The entire incident unfolds quickly, but the agents spend several hours at the scene waiting for everything to be taken care of.

By the middle of the afternoon, the agents are finally done at the scene.

Cortez steps outside multiple times to survey the area, looking for any signs of the other two suspects among the onlookers and police presence.

After making an alertness check, Cortez determines that the other suspects are not present, as they would likely stand out due to their young age compared to the average person in the area.

The agents discuss their next steps, considering whether they still need to go to North Carolina or if they should head directly to Florida.

They decide to set their GPS to head south, with their next destination being King Torino in Florida.

The session ends with the agents in the Tahoe, ready to begin their journey south to follow up on leads and tie up loose ends.

The players discuss the unexpected turn of events with Gable’s death, having hoped to question her but acknowledging that Monroe’s critical hit likely saved them from significant damage.

They also reflect on the narrowly avoided scenario where Gable could have killed Price if her initiative had been higher.

The players joke about the accumulating “sanity debt” from the traumatic experiences and the potential consequences they may face in the future.

The session concludes with the group looking forward to the next leg of their investigation in Florida, anticipating new challenges and revelations.