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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 5035449" data-attributes="member: 143">Yup, can't beat five bucks. Or you can get the entire X-COM series for $15, but I only ever played the first three titles, and heard that the last two kinda sucked. The second X-COM game, Terror from the Deep, was an almost exact clone of the first game, only with the difficulty level ratcheted up to 11. I tried to keep the same tone when I built the sequel in NWN for this campaign group. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />* * * * * Session 12 (June 30, 2008)Chapter 38The members of Alpha Team sat in various chairs scattered around the lounge, sipping coffee or accessing information on their xPhones.  There wasn’t much conversation, although there were the occasional glances—either at the briefing room door, or at the small bulb node in the ceiling corner, where they knew a security camera was watching.  James was the only one absent; he was in New York, delivering a briefing on the recent alien autopsies to a group of United Nations scientists. After a time, the door to the briefing room opened.  Several members of the team had risen even before chief Hallorand appeared.  “They’re ready for you,” he said. The department heads, Director Garret, and Agent Drake were already there, engaged in intent conversation.  “So in short, I think that this should be an American…” Drake was saying, but as the Alphas entered, she said, “Oh, look who’s here.”“An American what?” Catalina asked, but Garret gestured for them to take their seats on the far side of the table.  “Thank you for coming, Alpha.  We were just discussing options.”  Drake merely pursed her lips, and said nothing more. Once Hallorand had closed the door behind them, Doctor Wagner said, “I’m sure you’ve all seen Buzz’s report on the device and its contents.”“We need to understand the motivations of the spy, to have a chance of catching him,” Joan Beauvais said, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. “It’s a valid approach to learn what makes them tick,” Catalina noted. “Him?” Agent Drake asked.  “Do you know something we don’t, counselor?”Garret raised a hand.  “The fact is, we know next to nothing, so let’s not assume anything.”“At least we found out the delivery mechanism, before any more data was lost,” Grace said. “And who is to say that they don’t have a backup plan?” Drake interjected. Garret turned to the members of Alpha Team.  “Alpha, I heard that you were talking about some options that might help cut this Gordian knot.”Vasily nodded.  “We do know some things.”  Once he had gotten everyone’s attention, he continued, “First one.  Spy is not saboteur.  We figure out who that was.”“And quite the triumph of security that little adventure was,” Drake said.  Ignoring her, Vasily went on, “Second.  Stuff on thing.  There was laser rifle on there, motion sensor.  That kind of odd.  Because that not alien.  It just advanced.”“It has to be someone, or an agent for someone, who has something to gain from the data.”“You don’t think the aliens want out technology?” Drake asked.  “The alien technology is superior to ours,” Wagner pointed out. “In some ways,” Drake granted. “Well, they have us beat in ships, weapons, space travel, power, biology, genetics, and medicine,” Grace said. “And there were files on the aliens stolen as well,” Wagner noted. “What I try to say,” Vasily went on, “Spy not solely interested in aliens.”“I agree, Vasily,” Garret said.  “But what does that knowledge gain us?”The Russian leaned back in his chair.  “Kind of hoping someone make something of it.”“Foreign powers are also interested in advanced technology as well as aliens,” Jane pointed out, “Just as much as major corporations.”“So you are thinking a foreign power is behind the spying,” Garret said. “It would make sense,” Drake said.  “You have more foreigners here than Americans, outnumber us about three to one, in fact.”“So open of you, Agent.  It could be a corporation,” Catalina said. “You think that a business would put profit over the fate of the human race?” Joan asked. Catalina sent the counselor a withering look.  “Yes,” she said, echoed by Jane almost in the same instant. “In any case,” Garret continued, “We have to decide how to proceed.  We have the flash drive, but no clues from it.  Despite Buzz’s best efforts.”  He shifted his gaze to the hacker.  “Buzz, you were saying something earlier about reformatting the device.”“Yeah,” Buzz said, but before he could continue, Drake interrupted.  “Any solution that involves the data leaving this facility is out, I’ll say that right now.”“Take the good data off, put something on it that might even… well, a virus,” he said with a smirk.  “Ah, yes,” Drake returned.  “The classic ‘assume the enemy is a complete idiot’ plan.  Because they managed to penetrate the most heavily fortified secure base in the world, they’ll never suspect a virus.”“Not one I make,” Buzz said. Drake opened her mouth for another counter, but Garret cut her off.  “That’s enough, Agent.  We’re just talking out options here.”“We might be able to scrape together a locator bug,” Grace said, “But it would have to be of limited functionality to fit into that chassis.”“Where our trash go, anyway?” Vasily asked. “Incinerator, after being screened for toxins,” Drake said. “So, between here and the incinerator, we have to assume it would be retrieved?” Catalina asked. “Be kind of dumb otherwise, yah,” Vasily said. “Do we have a contractor who picks up our trash?” Jane asked. “All links in the process are under secure protocols,” Drake said.“The incinerator is off base or on?” Catalina asked.Drake seemed to be a bit off guard, in a neutral voice, she said, “I am not at liberty to discuss the details of United States government operations.”  Vasily smacked his forehead with his palm. “It’s off base, I know that,” Stan said.  “We don’t have the facilities to process the stuff.”“I can assure you,” Drake said, “That we are already investigating the matter, and will locate the breach, if in fact one exists in the trash disposal process.”“I suggest you be a little more open, Agent, or this discussion is pointless,” Catalina said. “At least consider the possibility that the contact is among the incinerator operations people,” Jane added. “Of course, we would have never thought of that.  Thank you, Miss Swift.”“How many people we talking about here?” Vasily asked.  “Just give us round number.”Drake rubbed her forehead briefly, before recognizing the gesture and abruptly lowering her hands back to her lap.  “Did you think that it just took a few dozen people to support this facility? In all, there are maybe five thousand people that keep you fed, powered, supplied with those cheap DVDs you seem to like so much.  You can rest assured that almost none of those know the true purpose of this base, and all those have been screened at the highest security clearance.” “Agent, you should at least keep us appraised of your findings,” Garret said, in a voice that indicated that the debate was concluded.    “Of course, Liaison Garret.”“Okay.  Other possibility that worry me,” Vasily said.  “What, we don’t have enough worries already?” Stan asked. Catalina chuckled, but Vasily’s smile was brief and grim.  “Data stick encryption was easy, right?”“I believe Buzz said that it was more or less off the shelf software, right, Buzz?” Garret asked. Buzz nodded.  “Yup.”Vasily lifted a hand and gestured with it as he went on.  “But to pull this stuff off, whoever doing this probably better than that, right?  How easy was data chip to find, on trashcan?”“You’re thinking it’s a blind?” Catalina asked.“Well, we probably never would have found it, if we hadn’t been looking,” Hallorand said.  “You can be sure that we’ve searched every inch of everything that leaves this base, since then.”“Okay,” Vasily grunted. “Tracking is still a good idea, electronically and physically,” Catalina said. “Agreed,” Garret said.  “Buzz, work with Grace on this.  We arranged for a ‘malfunction’ to one of the trash lifts to explain the delay in getting the regular delivery out, but any longer and our foe may get suspicious.  I’d like to get the thing back in place where we found it by day’s end.”“Assuming they haven’t missed it already,” Drake said, but her heart was no longer in it.“Should be done fast, I’ll get right on it,” Buzz replied.  He was already punching something into his xPhone.  “I’ll have my team get a tracker put together,” Grace said. “Agent, we’ll expect Homeland Security to be ready to jump if something turns up,” Garret said. “Oh, we’ll be ready,” Drake said.  “In the meantime, we’ll keep working the investigation from our end,” Garret said.  “Any more questions?  All right, dismissed.”</blockquote>

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