Missions of the Retrieval Team - The Girl with the Silvery Smile

[Kilted_John]

One word.... Hollywierd... ;-P

-J

[davedove]

Sorry for the delay, but I've been away from my computer over the holidays.

Now, the newest installment of the story.

[davedove]

Scene 8


Grand Dining Room, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot


Ms. Falcon and I entered the Grand Dining Room through the main entrance while my other associates made their way through another doorway. As we made idle conversation with the assembled guests, we purposely avoided contact with the members from California.

Shortly, we came across Dee speaking with Riverkilt.

“I really do like those hats,” said Riverkilt. “Although the feathers could probably be another color.”

“Do you really think so? I just don’t see it,” was Dee’s reply.

It seemed that Riverkilt had already been affected, but Dee had not. It would be an extraordinary stroke of luck if the Herald could assist us.

I casually pulled Dee aside to speak with him. “Dee, we need to speak with you. It seems we have a situation here in the hall.”

“Certainly, is it about the sudden fascination with Elizabethan hats that everyone seems to have.”

“That’s it exactly. It seems to have originated with the California members and spread to whoever has talked with them. But as a Herald, you should have spoken with them and you don’t seem to be affected. Can you explain that?”

“Easily, I haven’t spoken with any of them yet. I had to go prepare for the entry of the guests of honor before the California members came into the Dining Room. McMurdo would have spoken with them though.”

“Of course, that would explain it. It also means that McMurdo has been affected, along with all the Moderators. My team has established an impromptu command center in the Library. I need you to go with Ms. Falcon. She will answer your questions.”

“Certainly, I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed anything strange.”

As Ms. Falcon escorted Dee to the Library, I continued to work through the room. One of the members spotted me and quickly approached.

“You’re Mr. Dove, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. And you are?”

“Well, in XMarks I’m known as CactusJack. It’s great to meet you. I’ve heard all about how you and your team rescued those who had been kidnapped. Well done!”

“Thank you,” I answered, shaking the hand he had offered. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“What do you think of the hats that the members from California are wearing?”

“They’re a bit odd if you ask me. Mind you, if that’s what they want to wear, good for them.”

“Have you spoken to any of them?”

“Just one, Coemgen.”

Just then, I heard my name being called from across the crowd. When I turned to see who it was, I noticed the Moderator David approaching.

“Mr. Dove, I need to talk with you,” he said upon reaching me.

“Sure, what do you need?”

“I want to ask you about all this nonsense with those stupid caps those California folks are wearing.”

“You don’t like them?” I asked, genuinely surprised. David had obviously spoken to all of the California members.

“Don’t like them? They’re ridiculous. It’s like something out of a Renaissance Ball, not what one should wear at a formal kilted affair. But even the other Moderators seem to have fallen in love with the look.”

Suddenly, David let loose a rapid sequence of sneezes.

“Bless you,” both CactusJack and I said in unison.

“Thank you. I can’t seem to shake this blasted cold. I can’t smell a thing and nothing tastes right. Now what about these caps?”

“I think you need to follow me,” I told him. “Would both of you gentlemen follow me to the Library?”

[davedove]

Scene 9


Library, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot


Over the next hour, my team had managed to isolate only a few more people who had not been affected. We were all assembled in the Library and were discussing our next steps.

Dee had suggested viewing the records from the surveillance cameras to see if we could isolate just which of the California members was the source of the situation. Ms. Swan was working with him to accomplish this.

“We could just gas the whole area and knock them out,” David suggested. “After that, it would be easy to lock them into their individual rooms until we figure this out.”

“Let’s keep that as Option B,” I replied. “I’m not real happy about the thought of gassing the other Moderators.”

“Whatever, I just thought we could make it easier than this slow investigation.”

“Thanks, David, I’m just hoping we can accomplish this a little more subtly. Ms. Swan, have you made any progress?”

“I have taken the tapes and cloned them onto a virtual diagram. Each person has his or her own symbol in the diagram. We are now tracing each symbol to track just who had contact with whom.”

“And what have you found out?”

“Well, we know that this all started with the California members. Also, each of the Moderators had contact with all of those members, so we didn’t start with them. Now, CactusJack has not been affected so we decided to start with him. In his movements about the room, he only had one contact with the “Hat Club”, as I am calling them. Notice right here he interacts with Coemgen. Since he was not affected, we can assume that Coemgen, although affected himself, is not spreading whatever this is. Likewise, we can eliminate Rigged, since Ms. Starling was not affected. Also, those members who only had contact with either of these two have not been affected.”

“So we can eliminate Coemgen and Rigged as the source?”

“Exactly, and that leaves only three others of the Hat Club to check. We can divide the other people in the Dining Room into three groups, those who have had contact with each of these three members. Of course, there will be some overlap, so we can start with the people who have only had contact with one of these members. Those who have had contact with only Crusty are the fewest, so we started there. None of them seem to be affected, and they are already here with us in the Library.”

“Eliminating Crusty.”

“Right, so I looked at Ozman next. Again, those who only had contact with him were not affected and they are here with us. We also were able to isolate the people who had contact with more than one of these members, but not with the fifth. With one exception, they are also here.”

“Who’s the exception?”

“Riverkilt. He had contact with Rigged, Crusty, and Ozman, but not the fifth member.”

“But he seems to be affected,” I protested.

“Is he really?” asked Ms. Starling. “Isn’t he known for making unusual choices of attire to wear with his kilt.”

“Of course,” I answered. “How could I forget that? Also, when I spoke with him, he didn’t completely accept the hat as the others had. He commented that the color of the feather was wrong. I think I made a big mistake. Ms. Falcon, perhaps you should go and retrieve him for us. Be subtle, but get him out of there.”

I turned back to Ms. Swan. “So, you have eliminated four of the California members. That leaves only James MacMillan.”

“Right, and I’ve traced his movements to be sure. Every person who had contact with him has been affected. Well, everyone but David here.”

“Why wasn’t he affected?”

“Because I’m obviously not as weak minded as the others,” he answered.

“Maybe,” said Ms. Starling, “But I don’t think that’s the main reason. There is something else different about him right now, something that may have prevented his being affected. He has a cold.”

“So you think this is airborne,” I said.

“Yes, he said that he couldn’t smell anything right now. That means his olfactory receptors are being blocked. Perhaps that kept him from being affected.”

“So, if we block the olfactory receptors, we prevent being affected.”

“That’s a reasonable assumption.”

“Okay, so we plug our noses somehow and go get him away from everyone else.”

“Hold on,” said Ms. Starling. “There is someone else beside James. His wife has been at his side the whole time. I don’t want to accuse either of them, be she could also be responsible.”

“That’s a good point. Okay, Ms. Thrush, why don’t you accompany me? We’ll find a way to block our smell and go get the two of them out of the room. Dee, where can we put them?”

“We could isolate them down in the medical ward. It’s probably the best place.”

“Good, you go down and get a room ready. Ms. Thrush, let’s go.”

[davedove]

Scene 10


Isolation Ward, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot


Ms. Thrush and I had retrieved James MacMillan and his wife and directed them to the Isolation Ward that Dee had made ready for us. David had provided my team with filters that discretely fit inside our nostrils, enabling us to be in the room with the couple. I had explained the situation to the couple and they seemed most distraught.

“Do you mean that something we are doing is changing the behavior of everyone we talk to?” asked James. He seemed to be genuinely surprised.

“Not everyone,” I replied, “But that is generally correct. This seems to be caused by something in the air. Tell me, are either of you wearing some new cologne or perfume?”

“I’m wearing the same thing I have for years,” he replied.

“I’m wearing a new perfume,” his wife answered, “something I got at a benefit James and I attended.”

“Could we see it ma’am?”

“Of course.” She opened her clutch bag and pulled out a small perfume bottle. On the bottle, in pink letters, was the name ‘Emma’.

“Where did you get this?” I asked.

“It was a charity benefit that James and I attended. This was given out free to all the women who were there.”

I handed the bottle to Ms. Thrush. “What do you make of this?” I asked.

She took the bottle and examined it. “The perfume is called ‘Emma’, after Emma Ritchgarl. It’s a new fragrance line that bears her name.”

“And Emma Ritchgarl is?”

“You really should read watch the celebrity news more. Emma Ritchgarl is the daughter of the Ritchgarls, who made their fortune in the coffee shop boom. Her father was a major stockholder in Stellar Coffee before it went public. Emma is known mainly for being rich and partying with other celebrities. Recently, she has been trying to improve her image by putting her name on a perfume. She is also the major spokesperson for a new jewelry line.”

“Yes,” Mrs. MacMillan added. “There were also jeweled chokers being given out. I got one. I was told they were only given out to the first one hundred women attending and that I received the ninety-eighth one. I considered myself lucky to get there just in time.”

“Ma’am, do you mind if we examine the choker?”

She took off the choker and gave it to me. I passed it to Ms. Raven who began to examine it closely.

“Tell me James,” I continued, “When did you first get the idea to wear the feathered cap?”

“Why, I guess about the same time. This attractive young lady came around to each woman who received a choker to speak with her. Now that I think about it, when she saw my kilt she told me it would look really good with an Elizabethan cap, preferably one with a large pink feather. I’m not sure why, but it seemed like the perfect accessory.”

Ms. Raven broke in. “Look at this,” she said. She had opened the back of the choker, revealing electronic circuitry. “These are certainly not the standard for most jewelry.”

I turned back to James and his wife. “Ma'am, it looks like you were the unwitting carrier of something underhanded. We’re going to have to examine the choker and the perfume more closely. We may have found the source of our problem.”

[Coemgen]

Splendiforious!

[davedove]

Commercial Break


On a rocky hillside


We see three men, wearing maroon kilts and red shirts, crouched behind some rocks, firing their handguns. They duck behind the rocks to reload, and then look toward the viewers, as if just noticing them.

“Hello,” says the first man, “I’m Mr. Splash.”

“And I’m Mr. BEEDEE,” says the second.

“And I’m Mr. Mender,” says the third.

Bullets bounce off the rock above them. The three men rise up to fire over the rocks again, and then duck back down.

“We’re the Security Force,” says Mr. Splash.

“Of the Airship Saltire,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“Of the League of Moderators,” says Mr. Mender.

“When you’re in the middle of action,” says Mr. Splash.

“You’re often much too busy,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“To eat proper meals,” says Mr. Mender.

“But you’ve got to eat something,” says Mr. Splash.

“To keep up your energy levels,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“Just when you need them most,” says Mr. Mender.

Mr. Splash reaches into a bag at his side and pulls out three wrapped bars. He hands one to each of his companions. He holds up the bar in his hand to show the viewers. Across the bar it is labeled “X Power.”

“That’s why we rely,” says Mr. Splash.

“On the X Power bar,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“To keep us going,” says Mr. Mender.

“It’s blend of all natural ingredients,” says Mr. Splash.

“Provides the perfect combination of nutrients,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“To keep you going when you need it most,” says Mr. Mender.

Each of the men opens their bars and chew on them as more bullets fly overhead. When the bullets stop, they put the wrappers into their pockets and ready their firearms.

“So keep a supply of X Power bars around,” says Mr. Splash.

“For those times when you’re too busy for meals,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“And you’ll be ready for anything,” says Mr. Mender.

Mr. Splash nods to the other two men. They all rise up, shouting out a battle cry, and fire their weapons over the rocks. They finish firing, but no bullets return in response. Their foes have been defeated. The three men return their attention to the viewers.

“The X Power bar,” says Mr. Splash.

“The always handy nutrition bar,” says Mr. BEEDEE.

“From X Marks the Scot,” says Mr. Mender.

[davedove]

Scene 11


Underground laboratory beneath the Great Hall of X Marks the Scot


David had consented to let us use his laboratory to examine the perfume and choker, provided we gave him a copy of all the findings.

Ms. Starling had been running an analysis of all the compounds within the perfume. She had located something of interest and called us over to look at it.

She explained her process to us. “I started by isolating all the different substances within the perfume. Of course, there is a large portion of simple alcohol, quite common in any perfume. Also present are these three substances, which when combined give the perfume its floral scent. Additionally, there are the common stabilizers and such common to all such products. However, there is one substance which I cannot identify.”

“What can you tell us about it?” I asked.

“I have done an in-depth analysis of the substance, and determined its molecular structure. It appears to be some sort of drug, but it’s one with which I am not familiar. Here, let me pull up the diagram.”

She punched a few keys on the keyboard of the computer and shortly a picture diagram appeared on screen. It showed a complex molecular diagram.

“This is it,” she said.

David was looking at the screen intently. “You found this in the perfume.”

“Yes,” she answered.

“Why?” I asked him. “Do you recognize it?”

“I think so,” he replied. “Let me use the computer to look up something.”

Ms. Starling got out of the chair and David sat down. After entering a series of passwords, his personal page appeared on the screen.

I couldn’t help but see the latest project he had been working on. The title of the project was “Genetic Manipulation of Lesser Primates to Instill Avian-style Locomotive Abilities.” This page quickly disappeared as he accessed his files.

I had to chuckle to myself. Apparently, David had recently watched ‘The Wizard of Oz’. He was trying to figure out how to produce flying monkeys.

“Here it is,” he said.

We all looked at the screen. Pictured there was an exact duplicate of the molecular diagram that Ms. Starling had produced.

“So you have seen it before?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s a drug we recently acquired.”

“From where?”

“It’s one of the drugs we confiscated after your last mission for us. This is one of the drugs that Ivana Rulital was using in her reeducation process.”

[davedove]

Scene 12


Media Room, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot


The Moderators and Heralds had gathered in the Media Room to receive a briefing from my team. Ms. Starling had started the briefing by revealing what we had found out about the perfume.

“So what you’re saying,” said Mike, “Is that the drug you found in the perfume is the same as what Ivana Rulital was using in her process?”

“Exactly,” answered Ms. Starling. “This drug, which Ivana called hypnotin in her notes, affects a part of the human brain, making the person so affected very susceptible to suggestion. By placing it in a perfume, any person who is near someone wearing the perfume is affected by it. That is, assuming the person’s sense of smell is working. As we saw, since David had a cold and couldn’t smell properly, he was not affected.”

“That was not the only part of the process,” she continued. “The choker that Mrs. MacMillan wore also played a part. Ms. Raven.”

Mr. Raven rose to give her part of the briefing. “We quickly found that the choker was no ordinary piece of jewelry, which is evident because of the electronics found within it. After running some tests, we found that the device inside was activated whenever the person wearing it spoke. The device did not alter the wearer’s voice in any way, so its function was completely unnoticeable. However, as the wearer spoke, an additional sub audible signal was also broadcast so that all in the wearer’s vicinity would be subject to its effects.”

“And what would those effects be?” asked Colin.

“The signal sent from the device operates on a frequency that seems to affect a very specific part of the human brain. When we compared results, Ms. Starling and I found that the device affects the very same part of the brain, as does the hypnotin. Very simply, the hynotin readies the brain and the signal opens it.”

“Opens it to what?” Colin again asked.

“To whatever the person wearing the device says. For instance, the members here were told how great the plumed hat would look with a kilt and immediately accepted that suggestion.”

“So it takes the combination of both the drug and the device to affect someone?” asked Nelson.

“Exactly,” responded Ms. Starling. “And if someone is subjected to the hypnotin, but does not receive a signal within a few minutes, the drug wear off. Now, since we have this particular device, it will no longer cause any problems. However, according to Mrs. MacMillan, there were one hundred chokers given out at that benefit, as well as thousands of bottles of the perfume.”

“You’re telling us that there are still ninety-nine women out there who are passing along suggestions without even knowing it,” said Mike.

“That’s just the start of it,” Ms. Thrush broke in. “Emma Ritchgarl is working very hard to promote her product line. So far, counting the benefit in California, there have been five such benefits, and the same freebies have been given out at each one.”

“Where were these other benefits?” asked Todd.

“Other than the one in San Francisco, there have been benefits in Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, and most recently, Toronto.”

“That means there are hundreds of these devices out there!” Mike exclaimed.

“Correct,” said Ms. Starling, “And apparently some have been used. Ms. Stork.”

Ms. Stork rose to continue the briefing. “After finding out about the benefits, Ms. Starling asked Ms. Swan and I to check to see if anything unusual had been happening in the host cities after the benefit occurred. Not surprisingly, we found some. No single occurrence was widespread, but they were unusual enough to note.”

Ms. Swan worked her computer to bring images up on the screen at the front of the room.

Ms. Stork continued, “As you can see from the style section of the Dallas paper, shortly after the benefit, a number of people began wearing pink cowboy hats, both men and women.”

“In Miami,” she continued, “Clothing shops report an unusual increase in the sales of black leather pants and black leather cowboy hats. Both are highly unusual for the South Florida climate.”

“In Chicago,” she went on, “A large number of men seem to have started wearing Hawaiian style shirts. And these are not the typical prints; the shirts have butterfly designs instead of the more common floral prints.”

“In Seattle,” she said, “It seems that a lot of people are wearing mirrored pilot style sunglasses. And this is during the rainiest part of the year.”

“And in Toronto,” she continued, “We find the most unusual fashion trend. It seems that in that city, we find a large number of men wearing kilts with a very unusual accessory. These men are all wearing sporrans that seem to be made in the form of a rubber chicken.”

[CactusJack]

"These men are all wearing sporrans that seem to be made in the form of a rubber chicken.”