The Twilight Zone

[Typewriter]

Earlier in the day you all witnessed a murder that could only be described as supernatural. When faced with armed guards questioning exactly what it was that you saw, one of those present, a man named Seth, spoke up claiming that you had seen nothing.

When the armed guards left to continue their search Seth voiced the opinion that whatever it was that you had all just seen could not be discussed here. He recommended you meet later in the night at 11:00 PM, at a pub called O'Banions.

The time is 2300 hours, 11:00 PM. The place is quiet, and only a few men sit at the bar, where a lone bartender serves. Seth is not present.


Whoever posts first is the first to arrive, and so on and so forth. Once everyone 'arrives' we'll progress.

[Shady314]

Lance notes the security in the parking lot and of the building as he pulls up to the pub about 15 minutes before 11. He unbuttons his jacket a bit for easy access to the pistol holstered there. This is all very mysterious and Lance does not like mysteries. He glances at his watch and sits watching for anyone to enter or exit that he'd recognize from earlier that day.

Ever punctual Lance enters the bar exactly at 11 and casts his eyes around the bar looking for Seth or anyone he recognizes. No one. Maybe they won't show up he thought. That might be for the best. Well let's not act suspicious he tells himself. He heads up to the bar and orders a budweiser. Once he has that he pays the bartender in cash leaving a few dollars extra and heads to a corner to nurse his drink.

[Cespenar]

Jacob

Having dressed casually for a change, Sergeant Tanner (aka Jacob) jerks his head to the door that finally lets in a familiar person and sighs. Always taking his station seriously, he had been waiting here since an hour and was keeping an eye on both the inside and the outside. Now that someone arrived, he gets up from the poorly illuminated corner he has been sitting in, takes his barely touched beer and walks up to where Lance settled down.

"Hey there," he says, greeting him with a nod, and slowly drops himself on the seat in front of him. People might remember him as the special security officer that has been charged with the safety of the contractors, but the way things seem, he looks as much uninformed as the next of you.

[Ashbound Sage]

Gregory Hinson arrives at the pub five minutes early, but sat in the parking lot unsure of whether or not to proceed. He almost didn't come tonight, regardless of the murder he witnessed earlier that day. Everything that he had learned in the almost 25 years that he had been a lawyer for the United States government was screaming against his decision to even drive to the pub. In his profession, you cover up the crap, not go diving in it.

On the other hand, he had seen a man’s throat ripped out by… something. Only years of training to hide and control his emotions were keeping him sane right now. But he had enough skeletons in his closet and enemies out to collect already. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for that one. The radio clock in his charcoal grey Porsche 997 continued its slow march towards 11:00 pm.

“Dammit,” he cursed calmly as he stopped the car’s engine and removed the keys from the ignition, “You are a fool, Greg. A damn fool walking into an early grave.”

The curious side of him couldn’t dismiss the case, just as the reasoning side knew that he couldn’t just walk away. At the very least he could collect enough of the facts to build himself an alibi for the inevitable questions that would arise.

He grabs his briefcase and walks casually to the door, noting idly that his shoulder holster carrying his Glock was incredibly uncomfortable under his jacket. He steps into the pub and scans the room. His heart does a somersault when he doesn’t see the informant anywhere in the bar. Fighting the urge to bolt, he shakily comes inside, takes a corner booth that has good line of sight to the door and pretends to watch the game playing on the miniscule television suspended from the ceiling on the opposite side of the room.

[Cespenar]

OOC: Hey, just to remind, we're supposed to know each other. So, you might (perhaps) want to come over to the table over here. :smalltongue:

[Dersess]

Sebastian

Sebastian Cabbot arrives in front of O'Bannon's, a few mintues later than the others. After debating with himself earlier, he decided to walk to the designated meeting place instead of taking the bus. It was nice night, after all, and the constellations were in few view, even with the light pollution from the town around. He is a stern man, with hard features brought about by years of wilderness survival, and a toned body covered by a vintage Rush tour shirt and a pair of black cargo pants.

Entering the bar, it takes him a moment to see the rest have already made their way to a table. He nods in their direction, and walks over to the bar.

"Four bourbons. Over to that table in the back there."

After placing his order, he joins his companions at the table, taking the last seat against the wall. As he makes his way over, the other patrons eye the Blackhawk at his side with a bit of concern, but Sebastian either doesn't care or doesn't notice.

"Evening, gents....uh...I don't really know where to, uh...begin here..."

[Typewriter]

Right as the forth man sits at the table, the bartender steps up with the bourbon.

He eyes the group as if expecting trouble and asks, "Were you all here to see Seth?"

[Ashbound Sage]

Upon noticing the group of men who also witnessed the grizzly scene earlier that day, Greg decides to feign going to the toilet. He walks strategically towards the table in hopes of hearing what the group were chatting about. However on the way over, a somewhat burly man sitting at the table of witnesses catches his eye and bobs his head to take a seat. He remembers the man as a quiet military presence, but can't quite place a name.

'Thatcher? Tagger?' He rakes his mind for the name 'Tanner! That's it.'

He arrives at the table and attempts to slip into a chair without causing too much commotion, as if it had been his intention all along. The last member of the party arrives and places an order before taking a seat himself. The Bartender turns up with the drinks shortly afterwards and asks his question.

Greg attempts to appear noncommited, hoping that the other members of the party will drive the conversation. He has nothing to gain from incriminating himself entirely at this point, but is too interested in obtaining the facts to get up and leave.

OOC: Thanks for the tag, Cespenar. Not sure what I was thinking there.

[Cespenar]

OOC: No prob.

Jacob

Feeling somewhat content that all of them managed to gather without any problem, Jacob glances at the bourbon and raises his eyes to meet the bartender's.

"Yes, we are. Where is he?"

[Typewriter]

Well, he showed up earlier today, seemed a bit upset about something. Told me he was going to have some company later in the night, but wouldn't say what was bothering him. Some suits came in and when he saw them he got up and started for the door, but they, eh...they offered to escort him out. I kind of had the impression that they weren't the ones he was waiting for.

[Cespenar]

Jacob

Jacob lets out an annoyed breath and lowers his head. After a second, he leans back and sees how the others would react, and more importantly, come to a conclusion. Not that he was lacking anything in the heads, but, as he reminds himself once more, his primary job was to provide security, not take lead.

[Dersess]

Sebastian

Sebastian swipes a shot of bourbon from the bartender's tray, lifts the glass at the bartender, and downs it in one gulp, slamming the glass down on the table once the drink is consumed. His entire body shudders for a moment before he regains his composure. After the bartender finishes speaking, he replies in a dry tone.

"Well, that sounds like pretty great news, right? They happen to say anything other than 'We'll take you outside, Mr. Seth?' Anything out of the ordinary?

Actually...how long was Seth here before the suits came in?"

[Typewriter]

Oh, he arrived kind of early...earlier than he usually does anyway. Normally don't see him in until about 9, but he was here right after he got off work, still in his work suit and all...oh I think right around 6? And I remember that it was around 8 when he started getting especially loud, rambling on and on about 'something that had happened'...probably around 9:15, 9:30 before his, eh...his ride arrived.

[Shady314]

So how do you know Seth? Lance inquired. He come in often?

[Typewriter]

Often enough...he came in at least 2 or 3 times a week. He was a bit of a conspiracy nut. Never got to know him too well, he always wanted to talk about the next big conspiracy....you fellas need anything else?

[Ashbound Sage]

Having been silent through the whole conversation, Gregory decides that someone who doesn't speak can be just as suspicious as one who speaks too much.

"I think we can handle it from here." He says with a smooth, personable smile, "Thanks for the information about Seth. It at least explains why he didn't call to tell us he wasn't going to make it. Have a nice night."

He adds a laugh with the last bit, attempting to transform the troubling turn of events into something that could be laughed about. Greg didn't feel like laughing. He felt like a mouse munching on cheese two seconds before the trap snapped shut. Police work wasn't his line, he dealt with the garbage after, but he knew that an investigation could get nowhere without a lead and that they had just lost theirs.

He turns a questioning look to the group of 'accomplices' sitting around the table with him. "What now?" He asks in a low voice once the bartender has left.

[Cespenar]

Scratching his chin, Jacob eyes the bourbon warily, but finally takes up the glass to have a sip. He frowns as he puts it down.

"We could, uh, ask some people outside the bar, to see if anyone saw anything about the 'suits'," he ventures, "...if you're willing to get on with this."

[Ashbound Sage]

Greg turns his icy gaze to the man who flagged him over earlier and narrows his eyes. “And have them show up and take us away too for asking so many questions? Should we go door to door waving signs? Put dear Seth's face on the side of a milk carton, perhaps? Drawing attention to ourselves is the last thing that we want right now.”

He lets out a sigh and straightens his glasses.

“Hang on a second, let me make a few calls. I'll see what I can turn up before we go announcing it to the public.”

OOC: ST, could Greg use his government or police contacts to pull Seth's military file? I'm sure somebody would have gotten it down after his claim that "we found him that way" at the site of the murder earlier today. Greg would want to make it seem like he was not connected to the case, and could know some nifty legal tricks for getting his hands on that information (represented by his Academics and Allies). It's just a possibility, if you have something else in mind for the group, it would just mean that the line was busy or something.

And to Cespenar, no brutality meant towards you through Greg's actions. It's purely for roleplaying purposes.

[Cespenar]

Jacob stares unbelievingly at Greg for a few seconds, and then just shrugs.

"Okay, whatever," he says, trailing off, and looks around the bar one more time while the man makes his call.

OOC: Are you kidding? I'm loving it. :smallbiggrin: It's about realistic for these kinds of stuff to be happening. We're a ragtag bunch of misfits trying to solve a supernatural case, the story simply wants us to bicker and argue. :smallsmile:

[Typewriter]

Greg makes a few phone calls to his military contact. The contact tends to work late, so he's just getting off of work.

When asked about pulling specific information on an individual he queries, What all information can you give me? Name is Seth, last name is? No chance of a social, per chance? Description? Was he a civilian, officer, active duty?

After he receives any information he can get he says he'll look into it and call back in a day or two.

[Ashbound Sage]

Greg hangs up the phone with a wince.

“The best he can do is a couple of days,” he says disparagingly to the men around the table, “Still, is there any other way that we could handle this more discreetly? I just don’t think that involving every Tom, Joe and Harry that we happen to cross paths with in our little manhunt is going to go unnoticed.”

He looks over to where his drink sits and contemplates breaking his dry spell for a sip. He decides against it, leaving it untouched on the other side of the table. He turns his thoughts back to the situation at hand.

“Gents, we’re in a hell of a spot. Legally speaking, I wouldn’t touch this case with a ten foot pole. I’m drawing a blank here.”

[Shady314]

Lance stands up from the table and goes back to the bartender. My friends and I are worried Seth might have got himself in some kind of trouble. Can't imagine what though. Like you said he seemed harmless when we met him. Any idea where he lives? Maybe we can see if he's back yet or a neighbor that can tell us more about this trouble he's in. Lance idly drums his fingers on the pocket holding his lockpicks.

[Typewriter]

Well, I really shouldn't...I have one of his ID cards with his address on it...he gives it to me to hold onto when he can't pay a tab...no I really shouldn't...

[Shady314]

Subterfuge+Manipulation [roll0] We're just going to see if he's home and maybe wait around for him. It's not like I'm going to break into the place or anything. Lance smiles innocently.