A Briefcase of SCPs

Sep 05 19:16:41 <Belaris|GM>	{DATE: [REDACTED], 2015}
Sep 05 19:18:29 <Belaris|GM>	{LOCATION: [DATA EXPUNGED], SITE 54, MEMETICS DIVISION}
Sep 05 19:30:37 <Belaris|GM>	By the time Dr. Francis Rola has made his way through the unfamiliar hallways to the memetics lab he'd been assigned to, Dr. Pierce is already reading through the project assignment while sipping on a steaming mug of coffee.
Sep 05 19:35:08 <Belaris|GM>	Her steely eyes rove over the document. Essentially, a packet of memetic depictions had been "recontained" from a GOI (probably the Chaos Insurgency, reading between the lines) and needed analysis.
Sep 05 19:37:40 <Belaris|GM>	Normally, this would not require two Level 3 researchers, being essentially grunt work, but the Foundation had also collected a trove of encrypted files alongside the documents. It was believed that there was a pattern in the way the documents were ordered that would help break the encryption.
Sep 05 19:40:02 <Belaris|GM>	The pair had been assigned two Level 2 researchers and were authorized to requisition up to eight Level 1 researchers in case of menial tasks, as well as as many D-class as were required.
Sep 05 19:41:32 <Belaris|GM>	The main thrust of the project is to work with an assigned memetic cryptologist to decode the documents and report any findings "at all possible speed". Sounds important.
Sep 05 19:42:06 <Belaris|GM>	Just as Dr. Pierce finishes reading the file, Dr. Rola enters the lab. ||
Sep 05 19:42:34 <soulpelt|Frank>	((Post order?))
Sep 05 19:42:59 <Belaris|GM>	((First come, first serve))
Sep 05 19:43:08 <Belaris|GM>	((Claim your space with ...))
Sep 05 19:43:17 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 19:45:18 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa looks up from the thirty-first page of the project summary, looking at Frank over the rims of her slim glasses. "Well look who finally decided to show up." She remarks primly, turning back to the document in her hands. "Coffee's in the pot, if you somehow haven't managed to wake up yet." ||
Sep 05 19:45:33 *	Pink|Lensdoc (pink@dlp-35D75E77.dyn.optonline.net) has left
Sep 05 19:46:06 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 19:49:37 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank mumbles something about caffeine and 'ambrosia' as he gets yet more of the life blood of being a researcher. He fills up the stained cup he brought in with him. 'Doctor no worky without coffee', was on the faded ceramic. "Good mornin' Peirce. What're we dealing with again? GOI or CI memetic stuff, right?"||
Sep 05 19:50:26 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 19:55:29 <apoc|Pierce>	"Memetic depictions of some sort, yes. And /GOI/ yes." Teresa stresses, glancing towards the security camera in the corner of the lab and rolls her eyes. There was a reason the reports didn't outright /say/ that there were Chaos Insurgency connections.
Sep 05 19:55:29 <apoc|Pierce>	"It's suspected that the depictions can be arranged or some such to help break an encryption code on a cache they recovered , so there should be a cryptologist along shortly..." She reaches into her pocket for her phone for a moment, before stopping. Phones were obviously not allowed inside a memetic studies lab. She checks her wristwatch instead. "In fact
Sep 05 19:55:29 <apoc|Pierce>	he should be here by now." She says crossly. ||
Sep 05 19:58:13 >soulpelt|Frank<	Just in case I wasn't clear, GOI is Group Of Interest
Sep 05 20:00:16 <Belaris|GM>	...
Sep 05 20:01:31 *	Ace|Cuttlefish is now known as AceOfSpade
Sep 05 20:01:42 <Belaris|GM>	As Dr. Pierce looks up at the door, there's a distinct lack of cryptologist.
Sep 05 20:03:29 <Belaris|GM>	This distinct lack continues for another thirty minutes, until a disheveled woman with mussed black hair and thick-rimmed glasses stumbles in. Without saying a word, she grabs the coffee pot and slops some into a cup, then takes an enormous gulp.
Sep 05 20:05:19 <Belaris|GM>	Suddenly, she turns and, with a chipper smile, says, "Hi there! I'm Dr. Germaine, your memetic cryptologist extraordinaire! Are we ready to get started?" ||
Sep 05 20:05:34 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 20:06:55 <apoc|Pierce>	"/I/ was ready to get started..." Teresa checks her watch again. "...Over an hour ago. And Dr. Rola here was ready roughly /half/ an hour ago. So yes, I would say so." Her tone is thick with annoyance.||
Sep 05 20:07:31 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 20:09:43 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank finally awake has been looking over the information. "We all can't be early birds, eh?" He asks, glancing up at the new woman. "Hello Dr. Germaine. Let's do science."||
Sep 05 20:10:51 <Belaris|GM>	Dr. Germaine visibly shrinks in on herself, then rallies. "Righty-o then, I'll lead the way!".
Sep 05 20:15:51 <Belaris|GM>	As she heads into the lab, she nonchalantly pulls on a pair of thick leather gloves and an apron from a rack by the sink, as well as the standard-issue vision-distorting goggles for use with memetics.
Sep 05 20:17:33 <Belaris|GM>	She heads to a solid oak door in the rear of the lab and unlocks it with a swipe of her identification card. She delves into the dark office and retrieves a battered brown briefcase from inside, setting it on a lab table with a thunk.
Sep 05 20:18:29 <Belaris|GM>	With a flourish, she undoes the catches. "Lab ready for memetic exposure?" she announces. ||
Sep 05 20:19:34 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 20:22:24 <apoc|Pierce>	"Christ no." Teresa remarks with alarm, putting down her cup of coffee and papers. She follows into the lab, strapping on similar gear and making sure her goggles are especially tight. While she does so she fires off a series of rapid questions. "Have the materials been tested on D-rank personnel? Are Class-A amnesthetics at hand for rapid application? And
Sep 05 20:22:24 <apoc|Pierce>	you are aware we have at least a dozen lower ranked researchers avaliable to assist, correct?" ||
Sep 05 20:23:32 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 20:25:15 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank grabs his own equipment, smiling slightly at Peirce's machinegun questioning, He continues his business, getting himself and the lab ready.||
Sep 05 20:26:40 <Belaris|GM>	...
Sep 05 20:32:15 <Belaris|GM>	"Initial testing is done, yes, Class-As are in... this drawer," pulling out one of the drawers in the bench to reveal several bottles of pills, "and I thought you would be better able to parcel out work if you knew what you were working with. Doctor." ||
Sep 05 20:33:03 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 20:34:04 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa bites back a comment about thinking she'd actually be provided with competent researchers. "Fine then." She grounds out. "Proceed as you see fit, since apparently you've been informed more than we were." ||
Sep 05 20:35:55 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 20:37:08 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank allows the 'expert' on such things to lead things. "Let's see what makes this thing tick, shall we?" He cracks his knuckles and smiles a bit again.||
Sep 05 20:38:28 <Belaris|GM>	...
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Sep 05 20:44:49 <Belaris|GM>	Dr. Germaine smiles at Frank- probably, it's difficult to tell through the goggles- and puts her hands back on top of the briefcase. "Allow me to provide some background info, since evidently we're not on equal footing. The briefcase was recovered after a raid on 'GOI'. It contained a collection of hardcopies of encoded files, as well as a sheaf of 23 pages of evidently memetic information."
Sep 05 20:48:35 *	Firlz (Firlz@D7CE9CF5.CAFE8D41.3C9C32D8.IP) has left
Sep 05 20:53:31 <Belaris|GM>	"As is stated on page 63 of the assignment introduction, the first seven pages consist of assorted colored lines and forced instant brain death. The next six allowed the D-class to report intense pain before shutting off a major reflex action. Two are currently intubated in the medical bay if we wish to interview them. The next one removed its tester's ability to communicate, and the next eight appear to be related to destroying sensory
Sep 05 20:53:31 <Belaris|GM>	input, though interviewing insensate D-class is understandably difficult. The final page is a letter-for-letter reproduction of the first page of the report, with the 'g' and 'h' in the letter collection 'gKE4ELPwhe' switched. That D-class is currently under quarantine pending a reaction."
Sep 05 20:53:45 <Belaris|GM>	"May I now open the briefcase, Doctors?" ||
Sep 05 20:56:02 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 20:56:33 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa sighs. "If Dr. Rola does not object, I suppose. Though I would like summaries from those D-classes that are capable of answering questions." ||
Sep 05 20:58:11 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 20:59:23 <soulpelt|Frank>	"I agree let's see what the D-Class have to say and hope we can get some good information from their brains." He grins wider.||
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Sep 05 21:08:18 <Belaris|GM>	...
Sep 05 21:12:15 <Belaris|GM>	Something nags at Frank's mind... something /off/ about what Dr. Germaine just said.
Sep 05 21:14:46 <Belaris|GM>	When he was but a lowly Level One, Frank's mentor had talked about 'the littlest voice'. He'd said that if a tiny voice spoke up and said something was wrong when memes were involved, he should say something. He'd said that most times that was all the warning you got. Right now, his tiny voice was screaming that something wrong had been done against procedure.
Sep 05 21:15:19 <Belaris|GM>	The letters. She'd said the specific letters. You never described memetic agents. Law Zero of the lab. ||
Sep 05 21:15:29 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 21:23:02 <soulpelt|Frank>	"I suggest we take some amnesiacs NOW." Frank says opening a pack. "Dr. Germaine, you just broke Rule 0 of Lab. NEVER repeat a meme verbally or through other means unless it's been thoroughly tested." He holds out the others. "Take them NOW, before something bad happens." He writes down quickly what had occurred, to prevent too much wasted time.||
Sep 05 21:24:36 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 21:26:39 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa opens her mouth to protest... and then grudgingly shuts it. She shoots Dr. Germaine an annoyed glare. "Terrific." She says, her tone heavy with sarcasm. "This will be going on your record, Dr. Germaine. I suggest if you ever wish to make Class 3 you retain from repeating such elementary mistakes." ||
Sep 05 21:28:34 <Belaris|GM>	Her face white as a sheet, Dr. Germaine shakily accepts a pill and downs it, sliding down the wall to sit leaning against it in the recovery position. ||
Sep 05 21:28:44 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 21:29:12 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank does the same after finishing the quick note. He hated these things.||
Sep 05 21:29:30 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 21:30:43 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa downs the anesthetics without any complaint. She always liked the cherry ones. Well, she thought she did. With a sigh of annoyance she took a seat on the tile floor with her back to one of the cabinets. ||
Sep 05 21:33:23 <Belaris|GM>	Blackness.
Sep 05 21:33:28 <Belaris|GM>	Blackness.
Sep 05 21:33:30 <Belaris|GM>	Blackness.
Sep 05 21:33:48 <Belaris|GM>	Light.
Sep 05 21:38:56 <Belaris|GM>	Dr. Rola jerks his head up. He's sitting in an unfamiliar lab. A memetics lab? Probably took amnestics for something. Hope it worked. Probably a note around somewhere. As he sits up, he notices two women in the same gear he wears. Coworkers? One of them was probably Dr. Pierce.
Sep 05 21:41:20 <Belaris|GM>	Dr. Pierce lets her head hang until she's fully conscious, a faint hint of... cherry? on her tongue. Amnestics. Great. Somebody messed up, and it probably wasn't her. Bringing her head up, she sees a man in the standard apron and goggles dragging himself up off the ground. That Dr. Rola she was supposed to meet, probably.
Sep 05 21:41:35 <Belaris|GM>	||
Sep 05 21:41:40 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 21:46:55 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa sighs and lays back for just a moment, already feeling the frustration brewing. She didn't know /what/ she was frustrated about, but something certainly existed. She pulled her labcoat wide for just a moment and added another black mark to the tally on the inside. This would be the thirteenth time she'd recovered from amnesetics, apparently.
Sep 05 21:46:55 <apoc|Pierce>	She rose, smoothing out her coat and looking at the two other researchers in the room, her lip curling. "Well?" She asked. "Is there a summary of whoever screwed up this time?"||
Sep 05 21:48:27 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 21:52:31 <soulpelt|Frank>	"It appears I wrote a quick note..." Franks says looking over the paper. "Dr. Germaine might be infected, as she broke Rule 0 of Lab. She repeared certain letter of the memetic agent in question, I did not write down what they were, naturally." He looks at the woman. "I suggest you cease any verbal or written communication with us." Better to be safe than
Sep 05 21:52:31 <soulpelt|Frank>	sorry.||
Sep 05 21:54:57 <Belaris|GM>	The woman who is evidently Dr. Germaine shakily stands up and nods, then looks around uncertainly.
Sep 05 21:58:14 <Belaris|GM>	Just then, a piercing wail sounds from the overhead speakers and a red light begins spinning in a recessed slot by the door. The containment breach alarm.
Sep 05 21:58:26 <Belaris|GM>	||
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Sep 05 22:00:22 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 22:01:35 <apoc|Pierce>	"Note please, quickly." Teresa demands, impatiently extending a hand. "Does it say anything about this briefcase? It seems obviously important." She indicates the container on the lab counter. ||
Sep 05 22:01:50 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 22:03:29 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank hands the note over. "Negative. Nothing on the briefcase, however I agree. Suitcase seems like a good place to start." He slowly heads over to the container in question. "I just hope Dr. Germaine didn't spread the infection to others around the Site."||
Sep 05 22:04:10 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 22:11:42 <apoc|Pierce>	"Whatever memetic materials we were working on need to be contained and stored safely and then we need to exit to designated safe zones. That would be the briefcase, apparently." Teresa answers in clipped tones, before cocking her head. "Hmmm, you're onto something." She turns her glare onto 'Dr. Germaine'. "It's possible that she has infected others..."
Sep 05 22:11:42 <apoc|Pierce>	She seems to come to a decision, stepping towards the cryptologist and the briefcase. "Please step away from the materials for safety purposes, Doctor." She orders, moving to latch the briefcase close and return it to storage. "In addition, should you have any contributions, you should make them now while we have access to amnesthetics on hand. Before we
Sep 05 22:11:43 <apoc|Pierce>	exit we should equip noise-cancelling earwhere to limit potential memetic exposure." She eyes Germaine testily. "And I'm going to request you not speak after we exit as well."||
Sep 05 22:14:55 <Belaris|GM>	...
Sep 05 22:19:37 <Belaris|GM>	She gulps, then stammers, "D-12053 tested th-th-th-th" she twitches, "the LETTERS, and Stanley Leopold, he's a Level One in the general memetics lab, he t-t-t-tol-he tol-told me the LETTERS, they're LETTERS just LETTERS the letters aren't important they're just swi-" She clamps her hand over her mouth and motions for another amnestic insistently. ||
Sep 05 22:21:20 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 22:25:58 <soulpelt|Frank>	"Shit. Fucking D-class AND a researcher." He gives the meds to Dr. Germaine. She hadn't repeated any of the letters. " Dr. Peirce we need to inform the site of the containment breach immediately, and if they're infected... fuck." He wasn't well versed in Memetic containment. Humanoids were his specialty. "Stanley Leopold and D-12053."||
Sep 05 22:26:21 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 22:27:36 <soulpelt|Frank>	*site director
Sep 05 22:28:49 <Belaris|GM>	The siren continues blaring intermittently as the spinning light casts a hellish glow over the room. ||
Sep 05 22:29:39 <apoc|Pierce>	"Write it down, immediately." Teresa orders authoritatively before turning back to Germaine. "Make sure it's a Class B, to be sure. Erase the past several days, we can't take any chances." She opens another drawer and rummages through it, taking out an epipen. "I will apply a six-hour sedative in addition to this so that myself and Dr. Rola may exit and
Sep 05 22:29:39 <apoc|Pierce>	assess the scale of the mememtic outbreak." She grasps Germaine by the arm and holds the injector poised, waiting for her to take the amnesethetic. ||
Sep 05 22:33:53 <Belaris|GM>	Dr. Germaine chokes down the pill. As she's looking up at Dr. Pierce to get the shot, her eyes roll back in her head and she slumps to the ground, smashing her elbow against the desk on her way down. ||
Sep 05 22:34:39 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 22:37:27 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa holds he steady and presses the plungers, sending sedative coursing through the doctor's neck. She carefully withdraws it, then moves towards the briefcase, relatching it and returning it securely to storage. Only then does she glance at Dr. Rola. "We'll need the noise-cancelling earware next, if we're to assess the scale of this outbreak." She says
Sep 05 22:37:27 <apoc|Pierce>	calmly. "it's not entirely within protocol, but we need to get this information to the appropriate staff members so the sources of the outbreak can be quarantined and sterilized." ||
Sep 05 22:38:04 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 22:39:57 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank nods. "Right. Ear-wear, possible sign language communication?" He asks as he looks to Dr. Germaine, frowning slightly. Poor woman. Then he glances around. "Where would the ear wear usually be?" He focuses on his lab partner, letting her take the lead on this.||
Sep 05 22:44:25 <apoc|Pierce>	"Use a notepad and pen." Teresa instructs, grabbing one of the pads Frank used to write his notes on. "Be careful though, memetic communication can easily be translated by vision or text as well, though our goggles should provide some protection." She crosses the lab to the rack of aprons, goggles, and other protective materials, and grabs two pair of
Sep 05 22:44:25 <apoc|Pierce>	headphones. "Here." She offers one to Frank and fixes the other over her own ears. ||
Sep 05 22:48:38 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 22:51:20 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank takes the ear-wear, and follows the instructions. "Check and check." He says, knowing she likely can't hear him. He gets two notepads, a pencil and a pen. He writes, handing a notepad and a pen to Pierce. "Lead the way."||
Sep 05 22:51:45 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 22:54:21 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa hesitates for a moment before the door, biting her lip. She's not used to feeling such indecision. "Protocol does state that we should remain in here in lockdown..." She trails off, looking from the note to the door, obviously weighing the risks of exiting during a containment breach and letting potentially vital information go unheard. Finally she
Sep 05 22:54:21 <apoc|Pierce>	turns back to Frank. "Perhaps we shouldn't... argh, I can't decide!" She claws her hair angrily in exasperation. ||
Sep 05 22:55:31 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 23:00:02 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank watches her and shrugs, writing out. "If everyone but us is infected then we would need to set off site containment protocols." He glances to the door. "However we have little idea how the agent spreads, besides written and verbal, we could expose ourselves through other means once outside." He put a hand to his chin. Risks, so many risks. "Either way
Sep 05 23:00:02 <soulpelt|Frank>	we must act quickly."||
Sep 05 23:03:33 <apoc|Pierce>	Teresa bites her lip for a moment before coming to a decision. "We'll have to..." She takes a deep breath. "...have faith in our compatriot's competency and remain here." She seems to be holding off a tone of disgust. "Still, keep your headphones on. Just in case." She makes a face and pushes the security call button, then settles down to wait. ||
Sep 05 23:05:46 <Belaris|GM>	...
Sep 05 23:07:54 <Belaris|GM>	A few minutes after she pushes the button, the siren and light cut off. A robotic voice starts up through the speaker: "MEMETIC CONTAINMENT BREACH TEST COMPLETE. TEST REPORTED: SUCCESSFUL. PLEASE RETURN TO WORK."
Sep 05 23:08:21 <Belaris|GM>	The announcement repeats a few times, then goes silent.
Sep 05 23:12:13 <Belaris|GM>	Two minutes after the announcement, the door unlatches and a thin man in the orange coveralls of a D-class sidles through. He's clutching a piece of paper desperately in front of his face and quivering.
Sep 05 23:16:05 <Belaris|GM>	He begins reading from the paper. "Security has arrived. I will bind your arms and legs and gag you with Foundation-compliant equipment. You will be moved to a secure location. Security will then administer an amnestic. You may complain about my-" he gulps, "behavior at any point. I am approaching now. Do not resist." With that, he lowers the paper shakily and walks forward with plastic cuffs in hand. ||
Sep 05 23:16:49 <apoc|Pierce>	...
Sep 05 23:17:53 <apoc|Pierce>	Unable to hear the D-Class with her earwear on, Teresa nonetheless exasperatedly lip-synchs the instructions she's heard dozens of times before, rolling her eyes before offering her wrists to him impatiently. ||
Sep 05 23:18:50 <soulpelt|Frank>	...
Sep 05 23:19:57 <soulpelt|Frank>	Frank merely allows the D-class to do his job, given Pierce wasn't resisting. Maybe the memetic agent had been stopped really quickly.||
Sep 05 23:25:07 <Belaris|GM>	Once the man (roughly) finishes cuffing and gagging the three scientists, men in black helmets with rifles file in. Some kneel down and fit thick mittens over Drs. Rola, Pierce, and Germaine's fingers, while the others take stock of the room and collect the D-class. They eye the latched briefcase warily before picking  up the scientists on cloth stretchers and carrying them out of the room to med-bay.
Sep 05 23:26:51 <Belaris|GM>	People passing them in the hallway ogle the passing security team, then immediately shield their faces upon spotting the telltale lab gear of memetic workers. There'll be stories in the cafeteria for sure.
Sep 05 23:27:03 <Belaris|GM>	Not the best start to research. ||
Sep 05 23:27:31 <apoc|Pierce>	(||||?)
Sep 05 23:28:04 <Belaris|GM>	||||