[nWoD] Campus Vigilantes 3: The Root of All Evil

[Misaat]

"Sure. i think i could do that, they use that sort of thing in cars too. Should we wire him as well? to hear what's going on or if they threaten him? "

Matthew starts to comb the web for " Homemade tracking devices "

[Odentin]

"A wire would be ideal, though something that's not going to be found easily, in case they search him."

He turns to Conrad and flashes him an unnervingly predatory smile, his green eyes alight with excitement, further enhancing the look, "All you need to do is hold yourself together long enough for the cavalry to ride in. The GPS and wire would only make it easier for us to do so."

Turning back to Matt, he allows the 'Hunter' mode to fade from his face, "Yeah. Discretion is the better part of Valor, here. We just want to find the place for now. Once we know where it is, we can go in as a group and raid it, without having to worry about one of our in the crossfire."

[Lycan 01]

Jonah coughs. "What about me?" he meekly offers.

When all eyes inevitably turn to him, he smiles meekly. "I know the most about the occult out of everyone here, right? I'd actually know what to ask about, what to look for, and how to recognize what's legit or not. Who knows, I could even pass myself off as being interested in being a distributor or something..." he says with a small shrug. "Just... throwing that out there..."

[Odentin]

Adam's brow furrows, "That....is an option. D'you think you can bluff your way through explaining where you heard about him? And hold your own long enough for extraction if something goes wrong?"

[Enoich]

"Hrm... I suppose there couldn't be an option of two infiltrators? One with the knowledge and the other with the proper panache. We find ourselves at a bit of an impasse... I likely could not tell whether this Mr. Grey is a Vamp or an Extraterrestrial or what, but I could certainly get some mild information, if I knew what to ask... Meanwhile, Jacob here knows the stuff back and forth... Anyway, how would we approach it as characters? Druggies? Professionals? Possible Business Partners? We have to think about how we step into this viper's den carefully."

Conrad crossed his arms, furrowing his brow in a look of contemplation, "Two people might be too much though. Put him on the defensive, make him less willing to answer questions. Hell, I don't know what we can get out of him in the first place. The bastard sounds like he won't cooperate very readily."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"I don't think you fully understand what we're talking about doing here, Conrad. We're not going to interrogate him." Leon sits up and looks Conrad dead in the eye. "We're going to send one of our own into his lair with a tracking device, take note of the location, and then storm the base at our own leisure. When we do storm the base, we will be killing Mr. Grey, and any of his associates who attempt to stop us from dismantling his operation. We will bring back samples of his assorted wares for analysis, along with his body, if he proves to be something other than human. We are not police, Conrad. We do not take monsters prisoner. If we interrogate them, it is in the field, and we dispose of them when we are finished. We are exterminators, Conrad. Nothing more, nothing less."

[Enoich]

Needless to say, Conrad was a bit stunned by the bluntness of this reply. No due process or even investigation, merely an extermination and assassination? It bogged his mind, but made sense. It was like killing a beast, but beasts didn't walk on two legs and offer drug addicts undead hearts to place into golems. It made sense, but...

"E...exterminate. Look fellas, I don't know what you were thinking when I got hired to this, but I've never killed a man... Even if he's some sort of vamp freak, outright murder seems... ugh... sort of gives me a queasy feeling. It's a lot to put on a guy... I mean... Even if the bastard is Cthulhu itself... I... I mean... whoa."

[Odentin]

Adam glances between Leon and Conrad, "We don't kill humans, unless we have to. Some are more monstrous than the monsters. If you catch someone dabbling in magic soon enough, you can rehabilitate them, get them to stop messing with it. Or the holy grail, of course, getting them to turn their talents towards hunting. There's a line that gets crossed, though, and it's different for everyone, where there's no going back. If Mr. Grey is as deep as Jonah says, and has no qualms about selling potentially lethal artifacts to college kids, then I have to assume he's crossed that line. So unless we can find evidence that he's being controlled or manipulated, then it's most likely Leon is right, and we're going to have to kill him."

He releases a long, drawn out sigh, "This job sucks."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon reclines once more. "You volunteered. Besides, it could be worse. We're making the world a better place, right?"

[Odentin]

"I tried to get out!" Adam snaps, "Anyways. One thing at a time. Who are we sending in, and what's the cover story going to be? Once we find out the location, we can figure out the logistics of the breach."

[Odentin]

Adam speaks again after a long silence, "Pros and Cons, guys. We've got Jonah and Conrad, and we should only send one in.

Conrad. Pros. Smooth talker, and if he's anywhere near as good as he said he is, he can handle himself in the worst case. Cons. Danny might have tipped Grey off about him, and he's not exactly the brightest.

Jonah. Pros. Knows his stuff, can probably identify some of what Grey is selling. No chance he's been compromised. Cons. Not a con man, not our strongest fighter in the worst scenario.

I still think Conrad is our best option. Not that I like sending anyone in, but he's more likely to walk back out, no offense Jonah."

[Enoich]

Conrad had been silent for a while, letting Adam continue talking while he contemplated this. While there was definitely something otherworldly about monsters and vampires and wizards, still they all seemed... human, or at least human enough. While he could cause a stir, strike some fear, perhaps even make some people sweat. but kill? The whole idea gave him the heebiejeebies. There was consequences to killing someone, often spending a lot of time in a cell with an all-too buff Samoan with too much love to give.

"Look... I'm sorry for being worried, but it's tough getting out of the idea of the real world. We are still there, but there are these things that go bump in the night, but you're still going to get pulled over by the five-oh and if there's blood on your hands..." He spreads his hands, letting out a sigh, "Not to say I'm not in. I am willing to do this... After all, there are too many freaky things in the world and I'd prefer to even the playing field whenever I can. It's just my style."

"If you'd choose me, I'd like to discuss a persona. I might be tall, but I can take on a lot of different guises, given the time. So what would be the best way to get in? Junkie? Businessman? These are questions ya gotta ask before you go into something. You create your own little life so that if someone tries to tell if you're lying, your convictions are stronger than anything they can prove." A cocky grin spreads across his face, "It's simple really."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Not a junkie. Junkies don't need the kind of stuff this guy's selling. What you need is a need. Some purpose that you need supernatural help with. A businessman might work, and you need some juju to improve your luck or charisma in an upcoming deal, or else some bad juju to bring down a competitor. Think about why Danny went to him. He wanted to take Adam out of the archery tourney, and he figured the best way to do that was using the hearts."

[Lycan 01]

Jonah smiles meekly. "Right, no offense taken. Conrad likely would be the best choice between us."

The scrawny scholar taps at his chin thoughtfully. "And yes, a junkie doesn't sound like the right persona for this. Our juju dealer is likely going to want to work with people whose motivations aren't too nice for people besides themselves. A junkie looking for his own fix? Nah. He wants people like Danny, I'd wager."

More chin tapping. "Maybe you've got a rival who needs a leg-breaking of sorts? A former lover has left you jilted and bitter, and you want some revenge? Or you've got a pesky neighbor causing you grief, and you want a way to even things up or drive them out of their house?" he offers.

[Odentin]

"Jilted lover might be best. Don't want to have a story too much like Danny's."

He looks back over at Conrad, "Think you can work with that?"

[Enoich]

Conrad gives a small smirk and leans back in his chair, adjusting the lapels on his dress shirt "I don't see any problem with that. When do you want to set out?"

[Odentin]

As soon as Matt has your tracking device up and running and we're all around to tail you.

For now, though, I'd like to talk about Michelle Warner. I don't think she's won any fans in this group, and right now we have the opportunity to take her down. If everyone is agreeable, I'd like to dedicate some focus over the course of this election to destroying her reputation and kicking her out of office. Play the shadow game, take down a human monster, so to speak. We've already got an ideal candidate in Max Hodge. He may be a blowhard, but he's one of us..."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon snickers. "Max. As student council president. Yes, that will happen." He opens his mouth to say more, pauses, then closes it again and shakes with mirth as an image of Max making a very animated speech, complete with waving his rapier in the air, pops into his mind. His laughter subsides in a few moments, and he clears his throat. "Seriously, though, yes, I want to see Michelle get taken down, but I'm not convinced Max has a shot in Hell at actually winning. I mean, he's a better choice than that nutball granola girl from this morning, but that's honestly not saying much."

[Odentin]

Adam shrugs, "Admittedly, he's a buffoon. Who else has applied that can actually give Michelle a run for her money, though?"

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"You've got me there. I'm sure there will be more candidates than just Max, Granola-for-Brains, and the granola girl from this morning."

[Lycan 01]

Jonah, head back in his book, gives a small shrug as he idly flips a page. "Alternatively, one of us could always run, if it's not too late. Not to win, mind you. Just to further split the vote, and rip more support out from under Michelle. 'A house divided cannot stand,' as they say..." he observes offhandedly.

[Odentin]

"To be completely fair, I don't really care who wins. I just want to drag Michelle through the mud and expose her for what she is. Dig up her dirt, air her dirty laundry, etc. If we happen to get a better SC President out of it, cool. I just suggested Max because he knows about the Club and can help us out from within the Council."

He shrugs and sighs, "How is more important than who. Just...just think about it. Unless anyone has anything else to discuss, I need some sleep."

[-Sentinel-]

Tuesday

The following day was somewhat cloudy, with a few snowflakes drifting lazily about. Early in the morning, Jaime, journalist at the Maxwell Chronicle and occasional member of the RPG Club, reposted on her Facebook page a blog post written by Ellen Dobson on the student newspaper's website:

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Election Frenzy is On!
Ellen Dobson

It seems that the students of Maxwell University have an interesting two weeks ahead of them. Already they are being bombarded with the electoral campaigns of the most numerous candidates for the position of student council president in, well… ever – a few dozen as of this morning. Most of the candidates will deny that they are in it for the generous scholarships being offered by Slater Capital. Even if at least a few of them speak the truth (and I’m skeptical about that, given how Michelle Warner was re-appointed without opposition last semester), surely they understand that the scholarships have raised the stakes and that they have some fierce competition ahead of them. Michelle had better watch her back: I’m told that at least a few loyal members of her little posse are now planning to run against her or supporting someone who is.

Would you believe that, less than 24 hours in, we already have a sex scandal? Some Anthony Weiner wannabe in the chemistry program (I won’t name him; he knows who he is) got caught sexting his penis to girls from his class in hopes of getting them to sign his candidacy registration form as supporters. No kidding. Word is that he got off scots-free because there was nothing technically forbidding it, but if this sets the tone for the election, we at the Chronicle are going to have a field day.

On a more serious tone, I’m of the opinion that the huge amount of money on the line will make the race dirtier than ever before, with a strong possibility of very unethical practices. I tried to make my concerns known to the principal, Mr. Owen Thompson, but he was still not available for comment as I type this. Perhaps I should just relax and enjoy the show. Or rather, work hard to make my readers enjoy it.

Oh, one last thing. For the first time in the history of student elections at our university, the Maxwell Chronicle’s journalists will be polling a significant sample of students every day to keep track of the most popular candidates. The results will be regularly posted on our blog and our Facebook page. In addition, the Chronicle will be holding a semi-official debate/press conference for the five or six candidates at the top of the polls, Thursday at 8 PM in Tyler Hall. There will be pizza and beer. :)

On campus, the walls were plastered with hastily-made posters for various candidates. The candidates themselves campaigned in the hallways, the cafeteria, the classrooms... even the toilets, where it was harder to run from them. As if would-be council presidents were not enough, just about every class counted its own slew of hopefuls vying for the position of class representative, and the ten-minute period before the start of a class had become "speeches and promises o'clock" - not that a class representative had any real authority.


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Might as well warn you guys that this day will be rather uneventful unless you choose to make something happen. So what's the plan now?

[-Sentinel-]

Jacob, Jonah and Conrad

At the Arts and Humanities cafeteria at lunchtime, Max Hodges provided a welcome change from candidates taking themselves too seriously by turning up in a brand-new-looking, dark-green military uniform, complete with medals, epaulettes and a cap, and grabbing a microphone and a portable speaker to pronounce a speech:

“Citizens! I am comrade Maxwell Hodges, and I am here to stake my claim on the generalship of the student council. For too long our proud university has been restrained by the weak, ineffectual democratic government of Michelle Warner and her minions! It is time to rid ourselves of our spineless leaders and put in charge someone strong – someone determined to usher a new golden age for the people. As soon as I am in power, I shall declare independence from the government of the United States which has oppressed us for too long, and rename our university after myself; we shall henceforth be known as Maxwell University. I shall restore our football army to their past might and lead them in battle against their sworn foes, the Blue Demons of DePaul University, in revenge for daring to defeat us last year. I shall have our science and engineering departments develop new superweapons to crush all opposition. I shall instil a new sense of patriotism in the populace and push them to higher grades and greater achievements. Your support will not go unrewarded. On to victory, my comrades! Long live Maxwell!”

He saluted and left the room under the chuckles and applause of a sizeable number of students.

---

1

Jacob

Near the end of the day, Michelle Warner called Jacob on his cell phone: “Hey. I’m having a strategic meeting at my place at seven to discuss my campaign. You coming?”

---

1

Jonah

Jonah was leaving his first Russian Literature class of the semester when his cell phone beeped to inform him of a text message. It was from Dr. Freeman, head of Ashwood Abbey at Maxwell University, who was currently on a trip to some meeting in Dublin. It appeared to be addressed to all Abbey members.

On my return flight, ETA 8:20. Anyone available to pick me up at O’Hare, terminal 5?

---

1

OOC, everyone else

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I don’t have much for the rest of you to do, unless you decide to do something yourselves.

[savior indra]

"Oh my god... spat Jacob with disgust at the end of Maxwell's speech as he looked around and actually saw people applauding at that abomination of the art of oratory.

"Has the world gone mad? My god it seems like most of these people have no sense of dignity and culture." thought Jacob as he looked around the cafeteria.

_____________________________________

"I will be on my way momentarily. What is the address?" asked Jacob as he put on his bulletproof vest under his dress shirt and blazer, and slipped on a red and black diagonally stripped tie and put his gun in the glove box of his Celano as he prepared to make his way over to Michelle's after texting Michael of his whereabouts and the address.

[-Sentinel-]

Jacob

"I will be on my way momentarily. What is the address?"

Michelle gave it to him. "Thanks for coming."

Jacob arrived ten minutes early. Michelle's apartment was very close to the university and was, for a student at least, rather large and nice-looking, though not quite as much as Jacob's - more upper middle class than one-percenter. The elegant furniture was mostly in shades of brown and red. Several prominent signs of Roman Catholic faith caught his eye: a crucifix in the living room, a prayer framed on the wall, a Bible on the coffee table, etc. A white cat padded over to him and rubbed his flank against his ankle. Michelle herself was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on something with a mouth-watering smell. She turned and gave Jacob a smile.

"Shrimp jambalaya - my specialty. Take a seat. You're early... The others should be here soon."

---

1

Jonah

One of Jonah's colleagues, Pedro, sent Dr. Freeman a No prob I'll be there, with all other Abbey members as secondary recipients to make sure nobody else made the trip for nothing.

Kristin, another Abbey member, typed: Hey can we all meet at the usual place after? ;)

Dr. Freeman: Not saying no, but I wont stay long. Bit jetlagged.

[Lycan 01]

[Lunchtime Speech]

Jonah snickers to himself a bit for most of the speech. At the conclusion, he turns to his friends with a joking look of annoyance. "And no mention of the plight of the proletariat. Capitolist warhawk," he quips begrudgingly, trying to be silly. Beyond that, though, Jonah has little to say about this political fiasco...


---
[Abbey Affairs]

Jonah was just about to offer a ride when Pedro beat him to it. He decides to still send an offer, smirking a bit at Kristin's own message. While Jonah had managed to so far keep his interests in the club and its activities in check, some members of the Abbey seemed more than eager to meet up for practically any reason.

I can offer a lift too, if you need a backup. I'm up for a meeting, too; see you all there.

[-Sentinel-]

Jonah

Ashwood Abbey’s usual meeting place on campus was a stately, richly-furnished lounge in the bowels of the former church that was now Maxwell U’s library. Several leather sofas and armchairs surrounded a pool table. A bar on the side had a large supply of expensive wines and spirits. That a room like that could remain exclusive to a club of only a dozen people was sign of the serious money behind this chapter of the Abbey. Jonah knew that several of his fellow members were from very wealthy families, some of which had been closely tied to the Abbey for several generations.

As soon as Jonah entered, an excited-looking Kristin gave him a drinking straw and breathed: “Good stuff”. He eyed it in confusion until he noticed, in the center of the pool table, a small pile of white powder that a few of his colleagues were snorting with their own straws. If Kris’ bulging eyes, too-wide grin and jerky movements were any indication, she had already had more than her share. The only members missing were Pedro, who was bringing Dr. Freeman back from the airport, and Nathan, who was still recovering from injuries suffered on the… ski trip in Norway.

Around nine, a tired-looking Dr. Warren Freeman arrived, followed by Pedro. The professor, a gaunt man in his forties with a short salt-and-pepper beard, bespectacled blue eyes and an old brown suit, waved at his crew and sat down with a smile.

“I made you some mulled wine, professeur,” said Étienne, pulling an elegant chrome thermos from his bag and pouring its steaming contents into a mug. A smell of cinnamon filled the room.

Dr. Freeman’s smile broadened. “Why, thank you, Étienne.” He accepted the mug, blew on the mulled wine and took a cautious sip. “Mmm. Good. So how are things going in windy Chicago?”


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I actually googled How to snort cocaine. See, I'm willing to risk being put on a government watchlist just to give you a well-written and realistic game. I hope you all appreciate this.

[savior indra]

"It smells fantastic. Thank you." said Jacob with a smile as he stroked the cat and took a seat.

"Nice place, I like the contrast of red and brown. It's a good combination, I was always a red and black person myself but its a very warm colour scheme. So who else is coming? And did you hear Mr. Hodges ... speech?" said Jacob conversationally.

[-Sentinel-]

Jacob

The cat jumped in Jacob's lap and lay on its back with a purr, obviously waiting for a belly rub.

"All my best supporters are coming," said Michelle as she cleaned the top of the counter with a rag. "There's my boyfriend and funder Kale, my vice-president Joshua, my secretary Phoebe, my treasurer Thanh... I'm expecting eight people in all. They'll be here any minute."

Indeed, the size of the jambalaya stewing in the pot suggested a lot of guests on the way.

"I did hear Max's speech." A smile tugged at Michelle's lips. "I know the guy. Nice enough fellow, but he's never serious about anything. He makes people laugh, but they won't vote for him."