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The Shadow Knows! (Final Update 6/3/04)
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<blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 1375365" data-attributes="member: 16760"><p>[This session consisted almost entirely of the phone call with OmniMetal. A lengthy call, but a very informative one...]</p><p></p><p>As he dialed the number, the Shadow asked Grace, "Do you want to talk to them first? They already know you." "Very well."</p><p></p><p>When a secretary answered, Grace calmly informed her that her boss was expecting the call. This promptly got her connected onward, and a friendly male voice came on the line. "Hello?" "I spoke to you earlier today. You wished to speak to my associate." "Ah yes, of course! Please put him on." With that, the Shadow interjected, "I'm listening."</p><p></p><p>"Pleased to meet you, sir. What should I call you?" "You may call me Van Helsing. Dr. Frankenstein, I presume? ... Or should I say Dr. Mengele?"</p><p></p><p>There came an easy chuckle. "I'm not a doctor at all, actually, just a manager. Call me Mr. Johnson. And that second comparison of yours is rather harsh. I hope we can discuss it. I must admit, though, the first doctor you mentioned is a rather uncomfortable fit! We do indeed seem to have, well, created a monster." "Indeed."</p><p></p><p>"One of our employees seems to have, ah, decided to take some unauthorized steps on his own. Quite without our knowledge. We're very concerned." Silence. "His name is Thomas Christophilous." "Was." "I beg your pardon?" "Mr. Christophilous, or rather his body, is quite dead." "I see. That is unfortunate, we were hoping we would be able to cure him of his... condition." "Which one? The group mind, or the psychosis?"</p><p></p><p>A slightly embarrassed silence followed. "Yes, it does appear that our psychological evaluation of Mr. Christophilous was, ah, flawed. We're looking into just how he managed to slip through the cracks the way he did." "He was, of course, a telepath." "Yes." "It would not seem difficult for him to suborn those who performed the tests." More embarrassment. "As I said, we're looking into it."</p><p></p><p>The Shadow changed the subject incisively: "What is the Overmind Project?" A long pause, then, "My, you are quite well-informed I see." At the lack of a response, he continued, "You must realize, I don't remotely know everything there is to know about it. You see, OmniMetal is part of the Overmind Project, not the other way around. A small part, but an important one, I trust. But I have been authorized to share certain parts of our research program with you." "I am listening."</p><p></p><p>"In a nutshell, Project Overmind is intended to improve the human condition by inculcating new forms of mental awareness and sharing. Ultimately, ideally, even a group consciousness embracing the entire human race." His voice glowed with seemingly sincere idealism... but the Shadow could not hold back a shout of mirthless laughter. "My word, you are a pack of innocents! You wouldn't sound so eager if you'd met Legion!"</p><p></p><p>In hurt tones, Johnson responded, "I assure you, sir, this 'Legion' is not at all what we had in mind. Our work with telepathic group minds has been conducted in entirely different directions." The Shadow inquired in razor-sharp tones, "And were all the experimental subjects willing ones?" "Of course!"</p><p></p><p>The Shadow's voice rose as he spat, "You DARE to say 'Of course' on such a matter to me?! I've seen the tame, computerized telepathic brains you make use of!" "You're misinterpreting the situation, Van Helsing... or should I say, 'Mastermind'?" The Shadow's response to that coy barb was a stony, "Mastermind is known to me." "I see. Well, as I was saying, you're operating under a false assumption. The brains we make use of aren't 'tame'. Nor are they human. Not at all! They're domesticated, vat-grown animal brains."</p><p></p><p>"Telepathic animals? Now I've heard everything." "Their talent is tiny but measurable if you know what to look for. At OmniMetal, we've found ways to artificially boost that talent in specially-grown brains. If you know enough biology, you'd probably even be able to tell what sort of animal we use if we cracked open one of the boxes for you... but I'm afraid that's a company secret." "And what, pray, is the purpose of these talented animal brains?"</p><p></p><p>Johnson heaved a sigh. "I'm afraid they turned out to be a dead end. We make what use of them we can, since it'd be cruel to just dispose of them." The Shadow boggled. "Cruel?!" A snort came from the other end of the phone line. "Well, I realize that as your enemies, we have to be heinous monsters with no trace of human feelings, but yes, cruel." "They don't feel anything at all. They don't THINK anything at all." "Oh dear, we seem to have overestimated you. While not a telepath myself, I've been assured by our personnel that the animal minds live in a state of contentment. They know nothing but their current condition, and they're quite happy with it."</p><p></p><p>The Shadow forebore from mentioning that those "contented" minds had tried to burn his own out. He just said, "And I suppose your group mind projects also use these animal minds." "Oh, no, that project involves humans. We'd never get useful data out of animals. As I said before, they're quite willing, though." The Shadow made a skeptical sound, which prompted the impatient rebuttal, "No matter what you may think of us, Van Helsing, use a little logic! Would it be wise of us to create a group mind with vastly enhanced psionic powers out of minds with a reason to hold a grudge against us?" The Shadow kept his own counsel on this, uttering only a stony, "Go on."</p><p></p><p>Johnson resumed, "Our group mind project has been a bit disappointing, actually. We were afraid it was turning out to be yet another dead end. You see, we've managed to create these group entities of telepaths with chemical aids... but once they come apart again, the subjects invariably have a strong antipathy to each other that makes further work impossible." "Did Mr. Christophilous ever participate in one of these experiments?" "No, actually, he didn't. He was the researcher in charge of them. Tell me, do you have any indication how much of his knowledge the Legion-mind possesses?" "All of it." "Oh dear. That will make things more difficult."</p><p></p><p>"Tell me about these chemical aids." "I'm not sure how much technical background you have..." "Give it to me in detail. I have resources." "Very well..."</p><p></p><p>It developed that the three chemicals were meant to be administered in a specific sequence. First the will-sapping alkaloid, to open the mind wide; then the stimulant, to ramp up the brain to a new level of activity; and then a third chemical (the cocaine derivative, though Johnson did not say this) to awaken latent psionic abilities. Guided by a specially-trained telepath, people in such a state could be brought into a telepathic communion... though, as already stated, the results were generally disappointing. The three drugs all had quite short half-lives in the human body (minutes to an hour), though in some cases side-effects lasted longer.</p><p></p><p>"The good news is that our research does point to ways to defeat this 'Legion'." "Oh?" "Yes. First, if you break sufficient numbers of members out of the group mind, the whole thing should simply collapse. Our data suggests that a third to half of the members will do the trick. Furthermore, the individual members have all the weaknesses of ordinary humans - they can be rendered unconscious normally, with deprives the group of their input for as long as they're out." "And how do you propose to break them out of the group?"</p><p></p><p>"Are you familiar with psionic 'screamers'? No? Well, we have mechanical devices that disrupt psionic activity in a certain radius. Set one of those off near some of Legion's bodies, and their communion should be completely disrupted. Once disrupted, as I've indicated, they shouldn't be able to rejoin - in fact, they'll probably have an overwhelming loathing for the Legion-mind." "You don't know the half of it. What sort of shape will they be in?" "Well, you must understand, we've never dealt with anything quite like this. But my guess would be that they'll be disoriented and very upset at the least, possibly suffering from some deeper psychological damage." "Will they continue to be homicidal maniacs?" "I can't say for certain, but if anything, I'd think they'd be more likely to be catatonic."</p><p></p><p>The Shadow changed the subject with a cold smile. "You do realize that Legion will know all this too - or at any rate, whatever Christophilous knew." "Yes. We think we can easily hold him - er, them, er, it? - off here, and so the best guess is that Legion won't even try - though we'll be prepared just in case. The real worry is that it will seek out other places in this area that can make the necessary chemicals. I'm not sure just how many there are nearby..." "My resources indicate four or five in Los Angeles County."</p><p></p><p>"Well, then. You see the problem. We have the screamers... and we also have a very good anaesthetic gas that can knock out the bodies... but we can't exactly approach other companies and ask to install such things in their premises. It would raise eyebrows." "It would indeed." "You seem to be talented in getting into places unawares and finding things out. Perhaps you..." The Shadow had to chuckle his usual throaty chuckle. "You want me to plant your paraphernalia in these companies and be on hand to take Legion down when and if it shows up." "Well... Yes. We realize you can't be everywhere at once, of course. But it may be that the screamers themselves will be enough."</p><p></p><p>"You seem very confident of that. Do you have an armed force in your company?" "Yes." "What are they armed with?" "Tasers. And batons." The Shadow felt very uneasy. "I do not believe you are taking Legion seriously enough. It has very unusual psychic powers. It is also highly adaptable... in particular, it is very skilled in evading notice by ordinary psionic means. And in seeing through mental screens." "Oh dear, that is a little worrisome. But don't worry, we have resources even Christophilous didn't know about. Why would it attack here when there are easier pickings elsewhere?"</p><p></p><p>"Because you have people with the clear expertise to make the stuff! Perhaps even stockpiles of it, still?" "Well, of course. Do you have any idea how expensive it is?" The Shadow ground his teeth. "Of course it's expensive... given that it's made out of COCAINE." Johnson paused as he digested that. "It's regrettable that we've had to use such materials, of course..." "Obtaining it illegally, I might add." "Unfortunate, yes, but it's definitely not easy to obtain large quantities of it, even for research purposes." "Do you know just HOW it was obtained?" "I have no idea. That's not my department."</p><p></p><p>The Shadow gave up in disgust. "Tell me about Christophilous." It developed that the man had been 34, single, with a degree in biochemistry and a minor in psychology. He was middle management at OmniMetal, as mentioned heading up the group-mind project. He had a hobby of making models of dinosaur skeletons, and was also a talented amateur sculptor, mostly of busts. He had pretty much been a model employee, though with a few crotchets. He tolerated no romantic liasions or flirting among his subordinates, even seeking disciplinary action for rather minor incidents. But he had a zeal and a drive for the project that was very much what upper management wanted to instill.</p><p></p><p>The Shadow snorted at that. "Some corporate culture you have there. ... Had he been disciplined of late?" "'Disciplined' is not the right term, but he did have rather an argument with his bosses not long ago. You see, the project had focussed on creating group minds between small numbers of skilled telepaths - usually just three. The results were poor, but Christophilous was convinced he could do better with a larger number of latent people - mostly "normal" people with scant telepathic ability. It was felt that this course was not at all likely to be productive."</p><p></p><p>The Man of Mystery concluded harshly, "He wanted a group mind he could control." Johnson replied uncomfortably, "It does seem that way now, yes." "When he died, why didn't the group mind simply die with him? Given that it was entirely focussed on and through him." "It seems that it somehow managed to change from a centralized structure to a more distributed, weblike network."</p><p></p><p>"Have your experiments ever produced such a web?" "...No. There has always been a central telepathic director." "So, you cannot be certain that your experimental results really apply to Legion after all." "Certain, no. But we have the best - indeed, probably the only - experts in the field working on this. We are confident of our conclusions." I wish I were, the Shadow thought glumly.</p><p></p><p>Struck by another idea, the sable sleuth asked, "Did Christophilous know where the cocaine was obtained from?" "He was not privy to that information." "He certainly seems to have become privy to it." "There do seem to have been some security leaks, yes." "Him being a telepath, after all." Glumly, Johnson had to concede, "Just so."</p><p></p><p>"How will I pick up these 'screamers' and gas of yours?" "Well, you could come in person..." The Shadow laughed coldly. "I think not." "Or you could send a courier. You can contact me at this number and authorize them. And, cliche' though it might be, a pass-phrase might be for the best." Grinning mirthlessly, the Shadow said, "Very well. How about, 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste'?" Johnson did not seem greatly amused, but acknowledged it. "By the way," he added, "I really ought to warn you that using that gas on people is technically chemical assault, which is illegal." Puzzled, the Shadow pointed out, "So is breaking and entering - which you have also asked me to do." "Well, yes, but I just felt I should point it out, since not everyone is familiar with the finer points of the law." The Shadow offered only a nonplussed silence and then a rather cynical, "Thank you so much." Johnson said, "Is there anything else to discuss?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes. You have asked me to help you, I believe." "It seems to me that you have also asked us. But yes, we certainly have." "Now there is the price." "The information we've given you isn't enough?" "No. I want access to your files. All of them." "Let me speak to my superiors." After a minute or so, he returned and said, "Let me make a counter-proposal. We will give you free access to the group-mind project files and to Christophilous' personnel record. And you may request access to other things, but it has to be cleared through me first." "Very well, I agree." "We will prepare a login name and password for you, to be given to your courier. Everything should be ready to go by 8 AM. You may contact me here at this number during the day; at night, Mr. Torrance will be here instead. You may speak freely to him, though he is not as well-informed as I." "Understood."</p><p></p><p>After a few more details were worked out, Johnson hung up. The Shadow waited for Garrity to confirm that the connection had also been broken at Grace's end, then exploded, "Grace, are these people FOR REAL?!" "I was about to ask you the same thing, darlin'!" "Do you buy that telepathic animal business?" "I've never heard of anything like it. And I definitely did not like how blase' he was about Legion. There doesn't seem to be a 'Plan C' in case these screamers and the knockout gas don't work." "You noticed that too, eh? I am certain of one thing, though." "Oh?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes. OmniMetal's computer system is about to be thoroughly hacked." He could almost see Grace's brow arching. "I didn't know you were good at that sort of thing." "I'm not, but I know someone who is." "Ah. Just be sure to request some files first, then have them hacked along with everything else. Makes you look innocent." "Devious woman," the Shadow chided.</p><p></p><p>"I should go now, Shadow. I've spent too much time on this line, and in this location." "Very well. Will you call back?" "I'll contact you again when I can." "Until then."</p><p></p><p>The Shadow bade Hal a quick farewell (and reminded him to keep working on the anti-Legion enzymes) then hopped on the cycle. As he sped back toward the LA metro area, he filled Carlos in, as always, on events.</p><p></p><p>The boy was loudly skeptical of Johnson's claim not to know where the cocaine came from. "Pssh! Yeah, right! Where else are you gonna get that much?! Either he's lying... or he's shutting his eyes." "Astute, Carlos. Yes, I agree. I am not sure just how much Mr. Johnson knows of his company's activities... and how honest he was about what he does know."</p><p></p><p>"And what do you make of that animal-brain stuff, sir? Do you suppose he might be shutting his eyes on that part too?" "In a way, I certainly hope not. I would rather believe he was telling the unvarnished truth... but it does seem rather far-fetched."</p><p></p><p>"Have you been having any strange dreams lately, Carlos?" After a hesitation, he got the response, "I had one last night." "Earlier today, you mean?" "Right. It was one of those weird symbolic ones instead of anything clear-cut... I feel sure that parts of it were 'special', but not the whole thing." "Very well. What was it?" "I was swinging through the trees... you know, like Tarzan. Then I dove into a pool of water and swam underwater for a while. When I came up, I saw the world through a pair of computer monitors rather than eyes." "Did you wake up from it?" "The buzzer woke me up." "I see."</p><p></p><p>"Carlos, I want you be extremely careful. I want you to take no risks at all, in fact." "Do you, uh, think that, maybe..." he swallowed and went on, "Well, the whole 'chop shop' thing might happen to me?" "I want to make sure that it does not." "I'd think that would make for a really scary dream, though, and this one was just mildly disturbing." "It occurs to me that a disembodied brain isn't likely to experience much in the way of emotions." In a small voice, "Oh." "Don't worry, Carlos. We'll be on our guard. That's why the dreams are useful. You hear me?" "Yessir." "As I said: Take no risks." "You don't have to warn me twice, sir. Well, three times, I guess."</p><p></p><p>The Shadow mercifully changed the subject, discussing other matters in the case. Then he abruptly pounded the handlebars. "I keep thinking that Juan Martinez will have a missing piece of the puzzle! Or at least something useful. My gut tells me he had a close brush with Legion - or possibly other OmniMetal activities. Or possibly even both. If only there were a way to find him! ... Of course!!" "What is it, sir?!"</p><p></p><p>"I should have thought of it before. I've been in his mind, quite deeply, twice..." He slipped into the same light trance he'd used earlier in the evening to reach David, and strained outward with a great telepathic push "tuned" to Juan's signature.</p><p></p><p>The connection was made, though slightly more tenuously than usual. The boy was eating a hamburger... in McDonald's. Perfect! He carefully dipped deeper into Juan's mind to find which restaurant it was... but the lad was as perceptive as the last time, and reacted with the same overwhelming panic. Damn! He maintained the contact, and succeeded in getting a location - a suburb south of the city, a long ride. He immediately turned in that direction.</p><p></p><p>Juan rushed outside, leaped on a motorcycle, and gunned the motor. The Shadow tried reasoning with him, but couldn't get past the wall of panic in the boy's mind. Driving like a demon, weaving past cars... Not weaving well enough. He was hit. [I got a sweet roll on the Telepathy Use, Juan got an even sweeter roll on the Sense Motive, but failed the Will save. Then the kid has to go and utterly flub a Drive check! Guess SP's magic doesn't always work, eh?]</p><p></p><p>"Carlos, there's just been a motorcycle accident in this suburb. Pinpoint it for me!" "On it, sir... Yes, the reports are just coming in. Motorcycle and a car... the motorcyclist is down... he wasn't wearing a helmet... they're calling an ambulance." At this point, Juan passed out, and the Shadow lost the contact. "Where are they taking him?" "Hold on... Sisters of Mercy." The Shadow continued to fly grimly, awaiting more information. "They're taking him to trauma, sir. Fractured skull." "Right. Give it an hour or so, then call the hospital and ask for 'Juan Martinez' by name, find out his condition." "Will do."</p><p></p><p>By that time, the Shadow had arrived and invisibly snuck into the hospital. Carlos reported, "He's in the ICU in 'serious condition', sir. That's all they'll tell me." The Shadow had a look for himself, and decided that Juan wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "I suppose I'll have to come back. He isn't up to dealing with me yet."</p><p></p><p>"At least now I know where to find him."</p><p></p><p>[Johnson bugs me. He was very idealistic, very sincere, not smarmy at all. Passed several Sense Motive checks. Good ones, even. Of course, there was no visual feedback... and no mental verification. Still. I wonder how many people in the hierarchy REALLY know what's going on. Somehow I think things aren't nearly as innocuous as Johnson says.]</p><p></p><p>[Carlos' dream makes me, and Alex, much more nervous than the Shadow let on. I'm going to trust SP not to do anything egregiously unfair, however.]</p><p></p><p>[Pity about Juan, btw, but Alex doesn't really feel guilty about it. If he'd had his way, the kid never would have noticed the quick mental probe, and would have had an unexpected meeting with the Shadow on the street. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> However, I suspect the Penumbra Foundation is going to be picking up a large chunk of his medical bills.]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 1375365, member: 16760"] [This session consisted almost entirely of the phone call with OmniMetal. A lengthy call, but a very informative one...] As he dialed the number, the Shadow asked Grace, "Do you want to talk to them first? They already know you." "Very well." When a secretary answered, Grace calmly informed her that her boss was expecting the call. This promptly got her connected onward, and a friendly male voice came on the line. "Hello?" "I spoke to you earlier today. You wished to speak to my associate." "Ah yes, of course! Please put him on." With that, the Shadow interjected, "I'm listening." "Pleased to meet you, sir. What should I call you?" "You may call me Van Helsing. Dr. Frankenstein, I presume? ... Or should I say Dr. Mengele?" There came an easy chuckle. "I'm not a doctor at all, actually, just a manager. Call me Mr. Johnson. And that second comparison of yours is rather harsh. I hope we can discuss it. I must admit, though, the first doctor you mentioned is a rather uncomfortable fit! We do indeed seem to have, well, created a monster." "Indeed." "One of our employees seems to have, ah, decided to take some unauthorized steps on his own. Quite without our knowledge. We're very concerned." Silence. "His name is Thomas Christophilous." "Was." "I beg your pardon?" "Mr. Christophilous, or rather his body, is quite dead." "I see. That is unfortunate, we were hoping we would be able to cure him of his... condition." "Which one? The group mind, or the psychosis?" A slightly embarrassed silence followed. "Yes, it does appear that our psychological evaluation of Mr. Christophilous was, ah, flawed. We're looking into just how he managed to slip through the cracks the way he did." "He was, of course, a telepath." "Yes." "It would not seem difficult for him to suborn those who performed the tests." More embarrassment. "As I said, we're looking into it." The Shadow changed the subject incisively: "What is the Overmind Project?" A long pause, then, "My, you are quite well-informed I see." At the lack of a response, he continued, "You must realize, I don't remotely know everything there is to know about it. You see, OmniMetal is part of the Overmind Project, not the other way around. A small part, but an important one, I trust. But I have been authorized to share certain parts of our research program with you." "I am listening." "In a nutshell, Project Overmind is intended to improve the human condition by inculcating new forms of mental awareness and sharing. Ultimately, ideally, even a group consciousness embracing the entire human race." His voice glowed with seemingly sincere idealism... but the Shadow could not hold back a shout of mirthless laughter. "My word, you are a pack of innocents! You wouldn't sound so eager if you'd met Legion!" In hurt tones, Johnson responded, "I assure you, sir, this 'Legion' is not at all what we had in mind. Our work with telepathic group minds has been conducted in entirely different directions." The Shadow inquired in razor-sharp tones, "And were all the experimental subjects willing ones?" "Of course!" The Shadow's voice rose as he spat, "You DARE to say 'Of course' on such a matter to me?! I've seen the tame, computerized telepathic brains you make use of!" "You're misinterpreting the situation, Van Helsing... or should I say, 'Mastermind'?" The Shadow's response to that coy barb was a stony, "Mastermind is known to me." "I see. Well, as I was saying, you're operating under a false assumption. The brains we make use of aren't 'tame'. Nor are they human. Not at all! They're domesticated, vat-grown animal brains." "Telepathic animals? Now I've heard everything." "Their talent is tiny but measurable if you know what to look for. At OmniMetal, we've found ways to artificially boost that talent in specially-grown brains. If you know enough biology, you'd probably even be able to tell what sort of animal we use if we cracked open one of the boxes for you... but I'm afraid that's a company secret." "And what, pray, is the purpose of these talented animal brains?" Johnson heaved a sigh. "I'm afraid they turned out to be a dead end. We make what use of them we can, since it'd be cruel to just dispose of them." The Shadow boggled. "Cruel?!" A snort came from the other end of the phone line. "Well, I realize that as your enemies, we have to be heinous monsters with no trace of human feelings, but yes, cruel." "They don't feel anything at all. They don't THINK anything at all." "Oh dear, we seem to have overestimated you. While not a telepath myself, I've been assured by our personnel that the animal minds live in a state of contentment. They know nothing but their current condition, and they're quite happy with it." The Shadow forebore from mentioning that those "contented" minds had tried to burn his own out. He just said, "And I suppose your group mind projects also use these animal minds." "Oh, no, that project involves humans. We'd never get useful data out of animals. As I said before, they're quite willing, though." The Shadow made a skeptical sound, which prompted the impatient rebuttal, "No matter what you may think of us, Van Helsing, use a little logic! Would it be wise of us to create a group mind with vastly enhanced psionic powers out of minds with a reason to hold a grudge against us?" The Shadow kept his own counsel on this, uttering only a stony, "Go on." Johnson resumed, "Our group mind project has been a bit disappointing, actually. We were afraid it was turning out to be yet another dead end. You see, we've managed to create these group entities of telepaths with chemical aids... but once they come apart again, the subjects invariably have a strong antipathy to each other that makes further work impossible." "Did Mr. Christophilous ever participate in one of these experiments?" "No, actually, he didn't. He was the researcher in charge of them. Tell me, do you have any indication how much of his knowledge the Legion-mind possesses?" "All of it." "Oh dear. That will make things more difficult." "Tell me about these chemical aids." "I'm not sure how much technical background you have..." "Give it to me in detail. I have resources." "Very well..." It developed that the three chemicals were meant to be administered in a specific sequence. First the will-sapping alkaloid, to open the mind wide; then the stimulant, to ramp up the brain to a new level of activity; and then a third chemical (the cocaine derivative, though Johnson did not say this) to awaken latent psionic abilities. Guided by a specially-trained telepath, people in such a state could be brought into a telepathic communion... though, as already stated, the results were generally disappointing. The three drugs all had quite short half-lives in the human body (minutes to an hour), though in some cases side-effects lasted longer. "The good news is that our research does point to ways to defeat this 'Legion'." "Oh?" "Yes. First, if you break sufficient numbers of members out of the group mind, the whole thing should simply collapse. Our data suggests that a third to half of the members will do the trick. Furthermore, the individual members have all the weaknesses of ordinary humans - they can be rendered unconscious normally, with deprives the group of their input for as long as they're out." "And how do you propose to break them out of the group?" "Are you familiar with psionic 'screamers'? No? Well, we have mechanical devices that disrupt psionic activity in a certain radius. Set one of those off near some of Legion's bodies, and their communion should be completely disrupted. Once disrupted, as I've indicated, they shouldn't be able to rejoin - in fact, they'll probably have an overwhelming loathing for the Legion-mind." "You don't know the half of it. What sort of shape will they be in?" "Well, you must understand, we've never dealt with anything quite like this. But my guess would be that they'll be disoriented and very upset at the least, possibly suffering from some deeper psychological damage." "Will they continue to be homicidal maniacs?" "I can't say for certain, but if anything, I'd think they'd be more likely to be catatonic." The Shadow changed the subject with a cold smile. "You do realize that Legion will know all this too - or at any rate, whatever Christophilous knew." "Yes. We think we can easily hold him - er, them, er, it? - off here, and so the best guess is that Legion won't even try - though we'll be prepared just in case. The real worry is that it will seek out other places in this area that can make the necessary chemicals. I'm not sure just how many there are nearby..." "My resources indicate four or five in Los Angeles County." "Well, then. You see the problem. We have the screamers... and we also have a very good anaesthetic gas that can knock out the bodies... but we can't exactly approach other companies and ask to install such things in their premises. It would raise eyebrows." "It would indeed." "You seem to be talented in getting into places unawares and finding things out. Perhaps you..." The Shadow had to chuckle his usual throaty chuckle. "You want me to plant your paraphernalia in these companies and be on hand to take Legion down when and if it shows up." "Well... Yes. We realize you can't be everywhere at once, of course. But it may be that the screamers themselves will be enough." "You seem very confident of that. Do you have an armed force in your company?" "Yes." "What are they armed with?" "Tasers. And batons." The Shadow felt very uneasy. "I do not believe you are taking Legion seriously enough. It has very unusual psychic powers. It is also highly adaptable... in particular, it is very skilled in evading notice by ordinary psionic means. And in seeing through mental screens." "Oh dear, that is a little worrisome. But don't worry, we have resources even Christophilous didn't know about. Why would it attack here when there are easier pickings elsewhere?" "Because you have people with the clear expertise to make the stuff! Perhaps even stockpiles of it, still?" "Well, of course. Do you have any idea how expensive it is?" The Shadow ground his teeth. "Of course it's expensive... given that it's made out of COCAINE." Johnson paused as he digested that. "It's regrettable that we've had to use such materials, of course..." "Obtaining it illegally, I might add." "Unfortunate, yes, but it's definitely not easy to obtain large quantities of it, even for research purposes." "Do you know just HOW it was obtained?" "I have no idea. That's not my department." The Shadow gave up in disgust. "Tell me about Christophilous." It developed that the man had been 34, single, with a degree in biochemistry and a minor in psychology. He was middle management at OmniMetal, as mentioned heading up the group-mind project. He had a hobby of making models of dinosaur skeletons, and was also a talented amateur sculptor, mostly of busts. He had pretty much been a model employee, though with a few crotchets. He tolerated no romantic liasions or flirting among his subordinates, even seeking disciplinary action for rather minor incidents. But he had a zeal and a drive for the project that was very much what upper management wanted to instill. The Shadow snorted at that. "Some corporate culture you have there. ... Had he been disciplined of late?" "'Disciplined' is not the right term, but he did have rather an argument with his bosses not long ago. You see, the project had focussed on creating group minds between small numbers of skilled telepaths - usually just three. The results were poor, but Christophilous was convinced he could do better with a larger number of latent people - mostly "normal" people with scant telepathic ability. It was felt that this course was not at all likely to be productive." The Man of Mystery concluded harshly, "He wanted a group mind he could control." Johnson replied uncomfortably, "It does seem that way now, yes." "When he died, why didn't the group mind simply die with him? Given that it was entirely focussed on and through him." "It seems that it somehow managed to change from a centralized structure to a more distributed, weblike network." "Have your experiments ever produced such a web?" "...No. There has always been a central telepathic director." "So, you cannot be certain that your experimental results really apply to Legion after all." "Certain, no. But we have the best - indeed, probably the only - experts in the field working on this. We are confident of our conclusions." I wish I were, the Shadow thought glumly. Struck by another idea, the sable sleuth asked, "Did Christophilous know where the cocaine was obtained from?" "He was not privy to that information." "He certainly seems to have become privy to it." "There do seem to have been some security leaks, yes." "Him being a telepath, after all." Glumly, Johnson had to concede, "Just so." "How will I pick up these 'screamers' and gas of yours?" "Well, you could come in person..." The Shadow laughed coldly. "I think not." "Or you could send a courier. You can contact me at this number and authorize them. And, cliche' though it might be, a pass-phrase might be for the best." Grinning mirthlessly, the Shadow said, "Very well. How about, 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste'?" Johnson did not seem greatly amused, but acknowledged it. "By the way," he added, "I really ought to warn you that using that gas on people is technically chemical assault, which is illegal." Puzzled, the Shadow pointed out, "So is breaking and entering - which you have also asked me to do." "Well, yes, but I just felt I should point it out, since not everyone is familiar with the finer points of the law." The Shadow offered only a nonplussed silence and then a rather cynical, "Thank you so much." Johnson said, "Is there anything else to discuss?" "Yes. You have asked me to help you, I believe." "It seems to me that you have also asked us. But yes, we certainly have." "Now there is the price." "The information we've given you isn't enough?" "No. I want access to your files. All of them." "Let me speak to my superiors." After a minute or so, he returned and said, "Let me make a counter-proposal. We will give you free access to the group-mind project files and to Christophilous' personnel record. And you may request access to other things, but it has to be cleared through me first." "Very well, I agree." "We will prepare a login name and password for you, to be given to your courier. Everything should be ready to go by 8 AM. You may contact me here at this number during the day; at night, Mr. Torrance will be here instead. You may speak freely to him, though he is not as well-informed as I." "Understood." After a few more details were worked out, Johnson hung up. The Shadow waited for Garrity to confirm that the connection had also been broken at Grace's end, then exploded, "Grace, are these people FOR REAL?!" "I was about to ask you the same thing, darlin'!" "Do you buy that telepathic animal business?" "I've never heard of anything like it. And I definitely did not like how blase' he was about Legion. There doesn't seem to be a 'Plan C' in case these screamers and the knockout gas don't work." "You noticed that too, eh? I am certain of one thing, though." "Oh?" "Yes. OmniMetal's computer system is about to be thoroughly hacked." He could almost see Grace's brow arching. "I didn't know you were good at that sort of thing." "I'm not, but I know someone who is." "Ah. Just be sure to request some files first, then have them hacked along with everything else. Makes you look innocent." "Devious woman," the Shadow chided. "I should go now, Shadow. I've spent too much time on this line, and in this location." "Very well. Will you call back?" "I'll contact you again when I can." "Until then." The Shadow bade Hal a quick farewell (and reminded him to keep working on the anti-Legion enzymes) then hopped on the cycle. As he sped back toward the LA metro area, he filled Carlos in, as always, on events. The boy was loudly skeptical of Johnson's claim not to know where the cocaine came from. "Pssh! Yeah, right! Where else are you gonna get that much?! Either he's lying... or he's shutting his eyes." "Astute, Carlos. Yes, I agree. I am not sure just how much Mr. Johnson knows of his company's activities... and how honest he was about what he does know." "And what do you make of that animal-brain stuff, sir? Do you suppose he might be shutting his eyes on that part too?" "In a way, I certainly hope not. I would rather believe he was telling the unvarnished truth... but it does seem rather far-fetched." "Have you been having any strange dreams lately, Carlos?" After a hesitation, he got the response, "I had one last night." "Earlier today, you mean?" "Right. It was one of those weird symbolic ones instead of anything clear-cut... I feel sure that parts of it were 'special', but not the whole thing." "Very well. What was it?" "I was swinging through the trees... you know, like Tarzan. Then I dove into a pool of water and swam underwater for a while. When I came up, I saw the world through a pair of computer monitors rather than eyes." "Did you wake up from it?" "The buzzer woke me up." "I see." "Carlos, I want you be extremely careful. I want you to take no risks at all, in fact." "Do you, uh, think that, maybe..." he swallowed and went on, "Well, the whole 'chop shop' thing might happen to me?" "I want to make sure that it does not." "I'd think that would make for a really scary dream, though, and this one was just mildly disturbing." "It occurs to me that a disembodied brain isn't likely to experience much in the way of emotions." In a small voice, "Oh." "Don't worry, Carlos. We'll be on our guard. That's why the dreams are useful. You hear me?" "Yessir." "As I said: Take no risks." "You don't have to warn me twice, sir. Well, three times, I guess." The Shadow mercifully changed the subject, discussing other matters in the case. Then he abruptly pounded the handlebars. "I keep thinking that Juan Martinez will have a missing piece of the puzzle! Or at least something useful. My gut tells me he had a close brush with Legion - or possibly other OmniMetal activities. Or possibly even both. If only there were a way to find him! ... Of course!!" "What is it, sir?!" "I should have thought of it before. I've been in his mind, quite deeply, twice..." He slipped into the same light trance he'd used earlier in the evening to reach David, and strained outward with a great telepathic push "tuned" to Juan's signature. The connection was made, though slightly more tenuously than usual. The boy was eating a hamburger... in McDonald's. Perfect! He carefully dipped deeper into Juan's mind to find which restaurant it was... but the lad was as perceptive as the last time, and reacted with the same overwhelming panic. Damn! He maintained the contact, and succeeded in getting a location - a suburb south of the city, a long ride. He immediately turned in that direction. Juan rushed outside, leaped on a motorcycle, and gunned the motor. The Shadow tried reasoning with him, but couldn't get past the wall of panic in the boy's mind. Driving like a demon, weaving past cars... Not weaving well enough. He was hit. [I got a sweet roll on the Telepathy Use, Juan got an even sweeter roll on the Sense Motive, but failed the Will save. Then the kid has to go and utterly flub a Drive check! Guess SP's magic doesn't always work, eh?] "Carlos, there's just been a motorcycle accident in this suburb. Pinpoint it for me!" "On it, sir... Yes, the reports are just coming in. Motorcycle and a car... the motorcyclist is down... he wasn't wearing a helmet... they're calling an ambulance." At this point, Juan passed out, and the Shadow lost the contact. "Where are they taking him?" "Hold on... Sisters of Mercy." The Shadow continued to fly grimly, awaiting more information. "They're taking him to trauma, sir. Fractured skull." "Right. Give it an hour or so, then call the hospital and ask for 'Juan Martinez' by name, find out his condition." "Will do." By that time, the Shadow had arrived and invisibly snuck into the hospital. Carlos reported, "He's in the ICU in 'serious condition', sir. That's all they'll tell me." The Shadow had a look for himself, and decided that Juan wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "I suppose I'll have to come back. He isn't up to dealing with me yet." "At least now I know where to find him." [Johnson bugs me. He was very idealistic, very sincere, not smarmy at all. Passed several Sense Motive checks. Good ones, even. Of course, there was no visual feedback... and no mental verification. Still. I wonder how many people in the hierarchy REALLY know what's going on. Somehow I think things aren't nearly as innocuous as Johnson says.] [Carlos' dream makes me, and Alex, much more nervous than the Shadow let on. I'm going to trust SP not to do anything egregiously unfair, however.] [Pity about Juan, btw, but Alex doesn't really feel guilty about it. If he'd had his way, the kid never would have noticed the quick mental probe, and would have had an unexpected meeting with the Shadow on the street. :) However, I suspect the Penumbra Foundation is going to be picking up a large chunk of his medical bills.] [/QUOTE]
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The Shadow Knows! (Final Update 6/3/04)
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