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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shadowdancer" data-source="post: 1535493" data-attributes="member: 515">Chapter XXXIDate: 124-993Place: Kingan, King George's Land, Alief In the morning, Vasilii places a call to the King Sour Bottling Plant in Kingan and arranges a 10 a.m. tour. Arranging the tour ends up being pretty easy once Vasilii communicates that he is from offworld and might be interested in exporting some of the soda. Vasilii is quickly passed onto John Gibson, the VP of the plant who offers to give the tour himself. Arriving at the plant, the foursome is met by John Gibson, a large, balding, and very cheerful fellow with a penchant for expansive gestures. He cheerfully leads the four around the plant and points out various features. The plant produces quite a large number of cans and bottles of King Sour every day, but he points out that the plant could operate on double or triple shifts if there were enough demand. "In fact," he says, "we were working on double shifts a few months ago in preparation for the government giveaway. The poor guys were working their hearts out, so they really were happy to get that week of vacation from upper management. I know that I appreciated that week off to go visit my family. "It’s really a shame that this plague and war have started. I’ve heard that our government agents have discovered evidence that Wirral and Coventry created the plague and were about to attack us with dispersal artillery shells and sprayers! It's a good thing that our scientists were able to discover a test so quickly and have some antivirals that work. In any case, I hope that peace comes quickly so that we can really get back to business!" During the tour, all four members of the crew are looking around to see if there is anything that looks odd or suspicious. Unfortunately, they don’t notice anything. Ian and Swann look for security devices, and note the type and locations of each. They also take note of entrances/exits and the layout of the facility. Ian and Swann note a couple of security cameras near the entrances, but that’s about it. The security appears to be pretty minimal. There are three personnel entrances on the west, south, and east sides, and a loading dock and personnel entrance on the north side. There is a rentacop type security guard at the plant entrance, but they don't notice another guard (at least during the day). The fences are chain-link with barbed wire on top. Arriving back at his office, John Gibson offers refreshments (King Sour, of course), and then asks, "So, gentlemen. What else can I do for you? Do you think that we can set up a deal to export some of this excellent drink?" Vasilii sips his refreshment, and smiles at Mr. Gibson. "Quite a nice tour, thank you. "Now, I think this would be a very nice export item for your country. Do you have production numbers as to what your current output is in relation to consumption? If my company decides to export this item, we’d be looking at approximately 130-260 dtons of product per month." "What was that? We could easily produce that much King Sour for export. Our plant was built with extra capacity in mind, and we are only running single shifts now anyway." Vasilii continues in this vein, drawing the VP out as to production numbers, scheduling, quality control, and target dates. After about 10 minutes of this, he glances over at the rest of the party. "I’m sorry, surely this isn’t interesting to you. Step outside and stretch your legs, I’ll be fine here," he says with an absentminded wave towards the door. Turning back to Mr. Gibson, Vasilii smiles and continues right back into the same information, particularly the quality control procedures, trying to discover if the cans and bottles are stamped or marked in any way with production dates and other information. "We spot test cans and formula at each step along the process," Mr. Gibson says. "We have never had a problem with dissatisfaction with our product except for a couple of diehards who were convinced that the giveaway product didn’t taste the same as our standard product. I can’t believe that because we automatically stamp our cans with plant IDs and manufacturing dates." Vasilii tells the VP that he’s interested in samples for his final report. Any will do, but the story he told about the government giveaway had a nice human-interest point of view that would help him sell the product. If he has any of that lot left over, Vasilii would love to have a can or two for thesamples. "I’m sorry, I’m pretty sure that we don’t have any of the giveaway cans left. We do have some of the case boxes left, and I’d love to give you a case of those. The cans themselves were not any different from the other cans that we produce. Well, except for the manufacturing date. The giveaway cans probably would have been marked something like 993-020 to 993-030." -----After Swann, Ian and Saro step outside the office, Swann looks around to make sure no one can overhear them. He steps close to the other two and says in a soft voice, "I have a feeling the government pulled out everything we’re looking for during that ‘vacation’ a few weeks back. Our best bet here is going to be the clinic, and possibly tracking down a can left over from the giveaway." Gibson’s office is in a sound proofed administrative area towards the front of the building on the ground floor. Ian and Swann wander towards the back of the administrative area and through a door without being stopped. The two spend about 10 minutes just observing the production of the King Sour cans. They don’t see anything noteworthy other than that the workers seem really pretty happy. "Maybe they’re drugging the water supply, too," Swann jokes. -----Gibson insists on taking the group out to a nearby restaurant for delicious lunch, ruining Swann’s plans to grab lunch near the clinic so he could observe it. After lunch, Gibson takes the group back to the plant where he loads them down with a case of King Sour case boxes and several cases of free samples of recent manufacture. In the afternoon, the quartet splits up a bit. Saro drops off Swann and Ian to observe the clinic. Then he and Vasilii go to a nearby park to talk to some pre–teens who are hanging out there. -----Swann and Ian notice that there isn’t much in terms of security for the clinic. It’s really just a small storefront type clinic in a strip shopping center. Entering the building from the back looks like it would be relatively simple. There doesn’t seem to be a security guard posted during the day. Swann says, "Ian, keep a lookout while I try to get a closer look at the clinic’s back door. I’m not going to try to break in, just take a couple of slow walks past, to see what I can see." "No problem." Ian finds a location where he can watch and not be too conspicuous. Swann tries to determine what type of locks are on the back of the building. He also looks for any signs of a security system. The clinic’s backside is much like that of the small stores that share the strip shopping center. There is a rolling delivery door and a standard metal door with a peephole but no window. There does appear to be a security camera mounted on a nearby wall to cover both doors. He tries to keep his face turned away from the camera. Just to be thorough, Swann will take a look at the front door of the clinic, to see what type of locks, alarms, and security it has. The front door is a simple, mostly glass affair with a lock. Inside the door is the standard entry area with another door. There appears to be a security camera trained on the front door inside the entry area. The inside door is considerably more substantial and appears to be a metal door with a good-sized window in it. Swann does notice a door alarm sensor on the top of the outside door, and a keypad in the entry area. Swann and Ian spend most of the afternoon and early evening observing the clinic. The clinic closes at 1700, and there does not appear to be any security personnel visible. A ground car marked with Switte Security Service does enter the shopping center's parking lot at 1805, circles the building once, and then drives off again. The car returns at 1858 for another circuit. Saro and Vasilii show up a little after 1900 to take Swann and Ian to a diner for dinner. -----Vasilii tries to convince the skateboarding pre-teens to bring him some King Sour soda cans, claiming to be a collector who is willing to pay money for cans from the special promotional giveaway. Most of the kids look kind of skeptical, but a couple run home. They come back with cans of recent manufacture. One comes back with a single, empty can. The kid says that the can is from the giveaway and he saved the can after he drank it. Vasilii checks the manufacturing date to make sure that the code matches what the plant VP told him. The can’s date is interesting: the manufacturing date is marked as 993-034. Gibson indicated that the giveaway cans should have a date of 993-020 to 993-030. Vasilii remembers that one of Swann’s purloined memos indicate that the entire plant (including management) was given a week of vacation from 993-031 to 993-037, so there shouldn’t have been anyone to manufacture King Sour during that time. Vasilii then smiles and reaches in his pocket. "Well, young man, you’ve done your best so I’m willing to pay you. If you come across any cans that haven’t been opened I’d really like a couple of those for my collection." Vasilii pulls out a single Imp credit and hands it over to the young man. "If you bring me a can from the giveaway that hasn’t been opened, I’ll give you three more credits for it." Bobby (the kid with the empty can), says, "Sure! I don’t think that anyone has those cans anymore, but I’ll ask around." As he wanders off, Vasilii can hear him muttering to another boy, "Those guys are weirdoes, but maybe we can find . . . " Vasilii strolls back to the Amadel with Saro. Pitching his voice low, he sighs and says, "I don’t know if you can do anything with this, but actually paying one kid may convince others that I’m serious. Can you . . . I don’t know, run a swab or something and do a test with any residue inside?" Saro takes the can. "I’ll see what I can do. There might be some left in the dried up soda that accumulates in the corners but it might be denatured by now." When they return to the hotel, Vasilii stops at the front counter and converts 10 Imp credits to local currency. He asks for small denominations. Back in the hotel room Saro opens the can completely, exposing the inside. There is a little bit of dried residue at the bottom of the can, but not much. Taking some of the crusty residue, he tries to dissolve it and analyze it. He looks at the readout with hope in his eyes. "Another thing we might try is to actually get a viral culture going. I’ll have to think more about it, though. I doubt that we will get enough virus from this can, but if we do get some unopened ones we might lose the virus once they are opened. Actually culturing the vaccine virus shouldn’t be that difficult and we will be able to reproduce the virus and package it for the trip much better. Plus it is an indirect way of knowing if the virus is still alive or not. We might end up raiding a hospital to get the needed supplies after all." Saro smiles and shakes his head. "I can’t believe I’m talking of raiding hospitals like this. I have to admit this is exciting." After several hours of analysis, he really can’t conclude much. "Sorry, Vasilii, I can’t make much out of this residue here. I’d be able to tell more with a real lab or even what I have back at the Bray Keaven, but because the can has been opened and sitting around for a while, and I don’t have much residue to work with, my conclusions are really limited. I think that whatever was in this can was a little different than the normal King Sour formulation. I’m not sure, but there seems to be some odd protein concentrations in the residue. I think that I’ve subtracted for the effects of dust and other accumulation, but I can’t be sure. Sorry, we still need to find a new can. Well, that and maybe some of that baby formula?" -----Later that night Saro and Vasilii drive back to the clinic to pick up Swann and Ian. Saro suggests eating at a diner. He feels like having a beer, and wants to try a local brew. Swann suggests that they find someplace near the clinic. He wants to get a look at the place at night, after it closes, to see what the overnight security looks like. He tells the others, "I think it will be pretty easy to get inside the clinic and take a look around, see if we can find some vaccine." "I like that idea," Ian says. -----After a mediocre meal (but better than Marine rations), Vasilii suggests a night ride around town. Once inside the moving vehicle, he relays what he’s done so far. "Well team, I’m out of ideas. Perhaps someone else has a plan of action?" "So, I’ve been thinking who else might have old cans," Saro says. "How about collectors of King Sour memorabilia? If they are anything like their counterparts for other soft drinks, they might have a six pack as a collector’s item. Also, I do not know if there are either virtual or actual markets for private property but if there are we might check there." He then scratches his head. "I’ve got nothing." Vasilii smiles at that. "Good idea, Dr. Talbek, I hadn’t thought of that. If I can borrow the portable computer, I’ll search to see if such a market exists here in KGL." -----Saro and Vasilii drop Swann and Ian off for more observation. Looking at the shop from the car, Vasilii muses, "Mr. McConnell, you should look on the roof as well. This being such a dry planet, maybe they have roof accesses or vents you could use." "Hmm," muses Ian. "That’s a very good suggestion. We’ll need to check that out." During the night observation, Swann and Ian notice there is a ladder in the back of the strip shopping center for access to the roof. The ladder is a couple of shops down from the clinic. The security car returns each hour on the hour, plus or minus 10 minutes each time. Saro and Vasilii return at pick them up at 2200. -----"What are we doing tomorrow?" Saro asks as he drives the Amadel back to the hotel. Swann rubs a hand across his face and says, "Well, I think I can get into the clinic without too much trouble. There’s a camera on the back door. The main concern is does it go to a recorder, or does it go to a security center? If the image just goes to a recorder that only gets checked periodically or as needed, then there shouldn’t be a problem as long as I don't show my face. If the feed goes to a security center, and there’s a dispatcher who can send a guard or notify the police, then we have a problem." Swann thinks for a while, then continues, somewhat distractedly, almost as if he is thinking out loud. "Once I got inside, there would be the problem of me knowing what I was looking for. That’s more of Doc's area. But Doc also is our only driver, which means we would have to consider: Is it worth taking him along for the B&E, or does he stay behind the wheel so we can make a fast getaway if needed?" -----After casing the clinic in the strip shopping center, Vasilii, Saro, Swann, and Ian return to the McClure Kingan Hotel to decide their next moves. While Swann and Ian discuss and plan a possible attempt to enter the clinic, Vasilii and Saro poke around on the KGL computer net to see if there are any virtual markets for King Sour memorabilia. They quickly find a virtual auction marketplace called the King’s Market. And, interestingly enough, there is an auction category for King Sour Memorabilia. In the category, there are various King Sour products and items for sale including 11 cases of "Official Government Giveaway King Sour Soda L@@K!!!!" Most of the cases are being sold by people in cities elsewhere in KGL. Two of the cases are being sold by people in Kingan. The auction for one case (sold by a SingerBlack) ends tomorrow at 1400 hours. The current high bid is 23.13 KGLP. The second auction (sold by a RickEckels) ends in three days (125-993) at 1700 hours. The current high bid is 12.67 KGLP. They know a case of King Sour Soda regularly retails for about 8 KGLP, based upon their previous shopping trip. Vasilii looks at the auction info and speaks up for the group. "I think we should look at these. Assuming these are legitimate, this could be an easy fix." Looking at Ian, Vasilii asks, "How long do you think you need to prepare for your end? I’m thinking of bidding on both of these in the hope that one will be legitimate." Ian replies, "I agree that we should wait to see how the auction pans out. That would be, as you said, an easy fix to our problem. Swan and I can continue to work on the clinic plan just in case." Swann says, "Yeah, I’d like to have time to study the clinic a little more. By the time the second auction ends in, what was it, three days?, that should give us enough time to know how we want to proceed with the clinic, if we still need to." Vasilii logs into The King’s Market, creates an account, and places bids for each auction. The one ending tomorrow gets a bid of 25 KGLP and the one ending in three days receives a bid of 18 KGLP. In each bid post, Vasilii requests verification of the manufacturing date for the case. Saro gets out his baliset, and starts singing and playing. After making his bids, Vasilii calls the front desk and asks about long distance communications. His story is that he wants to check on the group’s transportation. The front desk staff assures Vasilii that the hotel provides voice and data communication to anywhere on planet ("rates available on the rate card in your room, or you may use your calling card, sir"). Messages offplanet or visual communications are available from the business center. -----At around 2330, the group hears a discrete knock at the door. Swann and Ian tense a bit, and make sure their pistols are within easy reach. Saro stops his playing and singing, and looks around a bit nervously. Vasilii checks to make sure that Ian and Swann are ready, and then goes to answer the door. A young gentleman in the uniform of the hotel's front desk staff stands at the doorway. "Sir? Please pardon my interruption." "Yes, what is it?" "Ummm, our guests in the adjoining room have requested that your party stop, ummm, singing at this late hour. I can offer the use of one of our conference rooms if you would like to sing at this time." "Ah, thank you. I will direct my assistant to use the conference room if he wishes to continue singing at this time. Good night." "Very good sir. Good night." After the door closes, Swann unsuccessfully tries to keep a smile off his face. He looks at the others and says, "Maybe they would prefer Doc go outside and play his Vargr power ballads while baying at the moon."</blockquote>

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