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CYOA: Honeyman's quest

Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,867
Location
Ottawa, Can.
You instruct David to follow you quietly. You will attempt to enter through the left door. You go up the stairs quietly.

The door is locked, but the lock is very simple, nothing complicated for someone like you. You open the door and push it slowly. You and David enter.

This factory used to produce soda bottles but has been closed due to long being obsolete. No other tenant has occupied it for a long while, probably because the ground is contaminated and the cost of decontamination would be deemed too high, making it a burden that the original owners cannot unload onto anyone. Which of course in turn, makes it a perfect hideout for criminals.

You see a hallway. There is another door in front of you. Then, there is a door far to your left, which seems to lead to an office. You and David gets close, but there isn't a single sound. You determine there is nothing to do there.

You walk all the way in reverse, which leads to a corner, and then to your left, to another hallway. It seems to lead to the entrance, so, it doesn't seem like it is the best idea to go there.

You come back where you initially were. You open the door. It seems to lead to an area where there is a cafeteria, toilets, and a changing room. Obviously, employees used to come here before starting their shifts and on their lunch break. The table is dusty, along with the entire floor. The fridge is rusty. There is another door at the very end.

You approach it, and you hear some sounds! The door seems to lead to the main factory floor, where the bottling actually took place. This room is extremely vast. You hear footsteps, two men seem to be walking around.

You decide to wait. After 30 minutes or so, they start talking.

"It doesn't seem like Lester wants to learn. He needs to pay for what he's done. There has to be some serious consequences."
"Well he was pretty much a deadbeat, wasn't he? A loser like him probably doesn't have anything to give."
"Hmmm, he said his mom lives in Red Deer, didn't he? We can just go there and SHE will pay."

Another man shouts:
"No! Anything but that! What are you thinking?"

Obviously, this seems to be Lester. You are enraged. These people are thinking of getting back at his mom because of the actions of his son. How low can you sink?

"Oh shut up!"
You hear the sound of a punch. Lester screams in pain afterwards. You have trouble containing your anger.

"So, the dope was all moved, right? There's none left?"
"No, there was a close call the other day. The bosses freaked out and thought there was about to be a police raid on this plant. We moved it to Tom's garage uphill just to be safe. He offered it to us."
"Good call."

(Wait... was Tom the guy you met earlier? Well, if that is so, it certainly explains why he was so belligerent towards you. He wondered if you knew about the dope somehow and wanted you gone ASAP. Or maybe he's just an asshole.)

David whispers to you:

"I can't stand these guys. Let's wait for them to quiet down, and move in. Maybe until we hear some footsteps sounding like they're going farther away."

You look through the window. There is a huge assembly line of sorts. The guys seem to be on the far left of it. It would appear easy to hide under it, and to crawl to reach them.

You wait until footsteps sound from a little farther away... then you enter.

You open the door very discreetly and slowly. The door doesn't make a sound. You crawl to your left with David. You hear the guy moving around, but escaping their sight is easy. You get closer and closer to the other end, where Lester appears to be held captive.

You take a sneak peek... you see a young man tied up, along with another one in his mid-thirties, with a leather jersey wearing a skull logo. His other accomplice is walking around.

You signal David to run to them with you on your signal. You wait until their backs are turned... and then GO!

You both run up to them! Lester turns to look at you and is shocked! The two guys turn at both of you.

"What the F***?"

They don't have time to react! You pummel them both. They are no match for you and were totally caught off guard. Soon, they are laying on the ground. Your feet is on one of the guy's neck. He has a mustache and looks up at you in confusion.

"Who... are you?"

Then he looks at you more attentively, and suddenly seems shocked.

"Wait... Honeyman? That's you, they showed us your picture. I know you! You're the guy everyone is freaking out about! What are you doing here?"
"Well, scum like you give me plenty of work. I heard everything you guys just said. You wanted to attack an innocent old lady to get some cash. How pathetic can you be?"

The man looks embarrassed. He knows how bad it looks, from any angle.

"They'll get you eventually, Honeyman!"

As he says this, you hear a deep voice:

"Indeed we will."

You turn around, and you see a man in his early fifties or so, rugged, muscular, and looking really tough. He is accompanied by three other guys. All of them are armed, and pointing guns at you.

David looks, is shocked, and tells you:

"That's Languirand! He's one of the higher ups! He heads the operations in the Prairies! Just our luck!"

Just our luck indeed. It ran out.

Languirand looks at you amused.

"There's the guy everyone has been looking for. You're famous, don't know know? Everyone acts like you're Batman or something. Yet, you don't look so though to me."

He comes closer. It is impossible to resist, as he and his three men have revolvers pointed at each of you. He studies you.

"Hmmm, it looks like this is true. You're... you're Frank's son, aren't you?"

Bruno: "So what if I am?"

Languirand: "You have your father's impetuousness. People have been wondering for a while why he gave such importance to you. But I recognize him when I see you. You have his eyes.
I don't understand why this old asshole and his schemes are so important to you. Anyway, we can't let his son get away. You're going to start s*** up. You're too dangerous."

He looks at David.

Languirand: "And Janssen too. Crawled back from your hole at last? Well, I don't give a f*** about you. You've been a rat, and we'll treat you like the rat you are. Honeyman, well we have to keep him alive for now. The other guys in Winnipeg want to question him. Then we'll do the same as we did his dad."

Bruno: "You killed him!"

He takes a really demented, scary look. He just laughs.

He points his gun at a scared David.

Languirand: "Bye bye, asshole. Give my regards to your buddy Ramsay in hell."

Just as he does this, you hear a man shouting loudly:

"FREEZE! EVERYONE FREEZE!"

You look around. Six men with sunglasses and black suits and guns barge in from the left corner! Languirand and his men are outgunned. They start shooting, but miss. The men return fire, and two Skull Riders crumble to the ground.

Languirand sees the situation is hopeless and tries to flee from the right side. You run up to him!

You smash the gun out of his hand, but he successfully escapes. You give him chase!

Soon you arrive to the entrance. You outrun him, and block his escape.

Languirand smiles scarily again.

"So, it's just you and me, Bruno. I'll kill you, with my own bare hands.
Let me tell you... I delighted in torching your father and seeing him squeal like a pig as he burned to death!"

You cannot contain your anger. You try to punch him, but he dodges, and pushes you to the ground!

You let him lose his nerve. Languirand knows it's over for him. He has nothing to lose anymore.

How will you attack him?

A)Let him come and dodge his punches
B)Jump him, push him to the ground, and punch him.
C)Take a nearby wrench and throw it on his face.
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,867
Location
Ottawa, Can.
You stand back up. You realize that just like Tom, Languirand is a bully. Only, an actually dangerous and deadly one. You remember the same principle: no more meekness. You need to stand up for yourself. You need to make him realize that you are not scared of him. In spite of the horrible things he did to your father.

You look at him with a confident, brazen look, and yell out:

COME AT ME!

He is very, very though. It will be important to put what you've learned so far to good use. But he's the one trapped, he has nowhere to go. Let him do the mistakes.

He yells out and runs up to you, trying to punch you prantically. You parry, but he is extremely strong.

Now, recalling a move you learned from Steven, you switftly jump a little farther away, while kicking him. It works, Languirand falls to the ground.

Then you kick his head! He hurls and rolls away.

He's not worming out his way out of here. He wanted a fight; he will endure it through the end.

You hit him with a torrent of punches while he still stands on the ground. You unleash your fury. Three of the men in black suits now approach, but they look at the scene, and are stunned at both your sheer rage and prowess.

You stand away. Languirand appears immobile. However, he uses the last of his stamina to quickly pull something out of his pocket. He had another miniature gun stashed away!

While he was doing this, you yelled at him:

"WHAT'S THE CREEPY STUFF YOU GUYS ARE DOING THAT FRANK WAS INVESTIGATING? TELL ME!"

One of the men notices him attempting to pull the miniature gun, and realizes you are in danger. He shoots Languirand, who is hit in the head. Languirand crumbles to the ground and dies.

Sadly, he passed away without being able to reveal any more.

That's disappointing, but still, you and those men not only rescued Lester, but you neutralized one of the most powerful members of the Skull Riders in the process.

Who are those men in suits, and what were they doing here exactly? Who were they following?

An ambulance is called. The other men have surrendered, and are all being handcuffed and escorted out.

One of the men who appears to be the boss, takes Lester, David, and you.

"Come with me too, scumbags."

What? Do they really paint us in the same brush as these criminals?

But you discover that it is a ruse. They only do so in front of the other criminals. Once they are away, the boss apologizes.

"Sorry, I didn't want to risk selling you out. Bruno Honeyman, I presume?"
"Yes, who are you guys, and why were you following us? What were you doing here?"
"I'm Douglas Penbrooke. I work for the CSIS in Edmonton. (He shows you a badge). You have a guardian angel, or so it seems. You're in luck, usually most of us work from Edmonton, but we also have an office in Calgary, and we happened to have a reunion there."
(The CSIS is Canada's intelligence and counter-terrorism service. They deal with threats to national security. They're the Canadian equivalents of the CIA, except domestically-focused.)
"You still haven't really answered my question."
"I'll let my superior answer it. He'll contact you soon enough. He wants to have a word with you. I think it will be satisfactory.
In the meantime, he wanted you to have this."

He shows you an insigna from the CSIS. Your name is written on it! What?

"This might give you some leeway if you get in trouble with the police. They can contact this lawyer if they don't believe you (he gives you a business card with an Ottawa lawyer's phone number).
I'm sorry, I wish we could have a talk, but I don't want to preempt my boss. We don't have a lot of time to write our report. We need to go back to Edmonton later tonight."

"Well, if you're going to Edmonton, can you bring this guy back home to his mom? She lives in Red Deer, it's on the way. He's been through a lot."

(you tell him his story and what happened)

"Oh wow. Sure we will. Well, I don't know if the authorities are going to want to press charges. Maybe not. I will do it, but he might be asked to give testimony or something. I think with that, they won't charge him. He's been through a lot. He deserves rest and a second chance."
"Before you go, there is another problem..."

(you explain the situation with Tom)

"Oh wow yeah, that's bad. If ambulances come here, it might create a commotion. With your testimony, I have enough evidence to ask for a search warrant to a judge. However, I don't know if Tom has been alerted. There might be ambulances, even onlookers and journalists coming soon to the scene.

I think we can have a judge to approve it quickly. I'll send the request immediately, but I don't know if it will be fast enough."

"Well, let me help you. I'll go and make him waste time."
"I get you. What a prick that guy was."

You now have an opportunity to get even with Tom. As ambulances are coming and some onlookers wonder what the fuss is about, you go back uphill. You see Tom's property and big parking lot. You step up to it.

Quickly, Tom erupts back in anger.

"You again! What do you want, pissant?"
"Oh it's like I said, I couldn't resist. I just wanted to admire the scenery."
"Are you dumb? Are you stupid? I said it was private property earlier! It is illegal! You have to leave now! What the f*** do you think you're doing?"
"I can't resist. Sorry, it looks like you will have to call the police so we can sort this out like men."

As you say this, he looks confused. Then, slightly worried. However, he quickly goes back to protesting and insulting.

You give it your best. However, he is stuck. He doesn't want police to be involved here. You're not moving. And he doesn't look like he wants to get in a fight with you, which would attract a lot of attention anyway.

After 30 minutes of this, you see four cars from the Calgary Police Service coming up. In fact, they were waiting a little farther down the road. They wanted to act quickly when the judge would approve the warrant.

"Thomas Schneider? I have a search warrant for your garage. And you sir, you are?"
"Bruno Honeyman."
"Oh, so you're the man who testified? You heard a Skull Rider say that the garage was packed with drugs?"
"Yes, I regret."

Tom gets white as a sheet. He realizes he's been had! He should have fled while he still had time. He's in a mountain of trouble now. He loses all countenances and jumps at you.

"YOU STUPID SON OF A B****!"

He tries to lunge at you! Fortunately, you are much faster. You seize him, push him on the ground, softly so he isn't hurt. He looks up at your in terror.

"Tom, Tom... you really should learn some manners. You're simply not a very nice man. Well, maybe prison will help you stop being a jerk."

The police open the garage, look up at boxes, and quickly find numerous boxes, filled with various sorts of illegal drugs.

The police thank you for your cooperation. You leave, and join back to meet Douglas, David, and Lester, who are waiting for you in a car a little farther away.

You decide to have a chat with Lester before you leave.

"David explained everything to me. I felt really aimless and abandoned, like my life had no value. I sunk deeper and deeper into drug use, even criminality. I was so desperate to belong somewhere, that when they offered it to me, I jumped on the occasion. I realized only later it was a trap.

If you need me, I'll gladly come with you to Vancouver in order to help the others break free from the chains of the Vagrants, without completely destroying themselves in the process, like I did."

"I'm so glad to hear that. I'm sure your mother will be glad to be reconciled with you."

Doug and Lester wave at you, then leave.

Now you can finally come back to the Vagrants' hideout at the house. Well, you weren't seriously wounded. So it doesn't look like you will have to give some complex explanations to the others.

After a while, you finally arrive at the house. David is exhausted, and goes back inside to rest.

Outside, you see the man who was recruited earlier. He greets you, and says his name is Maxime.

"I'm so thankful for you for having taken me in. I finally found a fellowship of Christian brothers!"

You are glad to see that. Then, he comes closer, and whispers in your ear:

"So, did the guys help at the plant?"

What? Who is he, exactly?

He invites you for a walk. He sure has a lot of explaining to do...
 
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Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,867
Location
Ottawa, Can.
Both of you go away. You find a coffee shop. You sit in a corner. And you ask him to explain himself.

"I am Maxime Duchesne. I am a senior officer working for the CSIS. I lead a lot of teams around the country for intelligence activities and sometimes counter-terrorism, although obviously, I am based in Ottawa."
"How did you get here? So you infiltrated the group? How did you hear about it, and why?"
"Simple, through Patrick Meehan. He's an old friend of mine."

(So that WAS the kind of help your father in law was referring to! He knew a higher-up in the intelligence community!)

"Oh, that makes sense. It still doesn't explain the infiltration. And how did you sent a team to me? How did you know I was in danger? Were you following my cell signals?"
"Easy, Mylene told me. In fact, I already met Mylene once, when Patrick had invited me over for supper with his family. Although at that point, Mylene was still a very young girl. I didn't know if she would recognized me. She told me that she paused a little, but thought nothing of it. When I told her afterward however, she ended up recalling it.
Knowing my position, after receiving your message, she begged me to send a team to your aid. She said that sooner or later, you would end up getting killed. Patrick was really worried about that as well."

"Oh, so I have Mylene to thank for it. I guess I take too many risks. But what do you know about the whole situation with the Skull Riders?"
"We know a lot, but not everything. They keep a lot of secrets. I had a hunch, for instance, that you were Frank's son. I'm sorry about your loss, by the way. I don't know if you feel fondness for your old man or not. But at any rate, it's awful that you never got to know him, and didn't have time to establish a relationship with him once he found you."
"Is there a way to prove that? I'm still not completely sure. A lot of people say they see some ressemblances, but it sound kind of vague to me."
"Believe it or not, we've already done it just recently. I sent a team to Frank's dilapidated house. And we found DNA from you, using some of your old belongings. We had it tested in a lab in Winnipeg. The results came back. You absolutely are Frank Ramsey's son."
"Wow, so there really is no doubt about it anymore... that's quite a legacy... that I didn't necessarily ask for."

Maxime then asks:

"You found out what David wanted you to do?"
"It involves meeting various gangs across the country to get something from them, so I can eventually be led for a box. There are three different keys, each of them held by a leader. David told me that, Frank had confided his plans to him to expose the group with extensive surveillance he conducted. He was part of a lot of their most incriminating meetings.
David didn't want me to tell this to other people... but since you're Patrick's friend, I'll tell this to you. I'd ask you to please not repeat it to other officers, unless you clear it with me first."
"Ok, no problem. For sure, that box would be a tremendous help to bust the group. Although, on its own, it might not necessarily be enough."
"Oh really?"
"Well, you know how complicated those megatrials are, with dozens of criminals sued at the same time, and piles and piles of evidence. It's very easy for astute defense lawyers to grind things to a halt or to get evidence thrown out for sure.
The box would be a huge help, but ideally, it should be combined with witnesses ready to confirm some of its contents. Ex-members who decide to testify in court, in other words."
"Oh, that might be complicated, but who knows. If some are compromised, they will surely betray the group."

Maxime looks satisfied. He studies you. Then he says:

"I would like to tell you that I have a proposal for you. It is very serious."
"What is it?"
"The higher ups are really impressed with you. You took on the Skull Riders almost all by yourself. And now you're exposing a cult that has stolen away many relatives who left grieved families in their wake, again, almost all by yourself. You have shown remarkable courage and prowess.
My colleagues in Ottawa really want you to come work for us. Become part of the CSIS. Use your wits and skills to serve your country, and not struggle alone anymore.
That was Patrick's wishes as well. He didn't want to impose it. But he thought it was the best solution, since you were unwilling to back down, perhaps understandably so."

(You never thought about that. You're kind of stunned. You don't know what to think. But for sure, it might make a lot of things easier.)

"Well... suppose I do. That would require a lot of training, wouldn't it? I still want to find out about those keys and get the box. By the way, if I learn the location, couldn't we just bust it open? Even if it's protected by explosives?"

Maxime looks dejected.

"Normally, I would say yes. But if Frank made a box with such a mechanism, according to the intelligence I've had, it most certainly was designed by Miles Hicks. That guy is a genius with contraptions and explosives. It would be too risky to have the box and the user attempting to disable it explode. So, we probably have to go along with this whole wild goose chase."
"You would be allowed to continue. You can keep working mostly on your own, as you're used to, except with support from the guys from time to time. What we could do, is train you over the winter. It doesn't look like it's an urgent situation anyway, and it would be painful to try to do this in the freezing cold. Then once spring starts, the show is back on. After the whole saga is over, you come back to Ottawa to complete the rest of the training, and formally join the team."
"Hmmmm... but I still have to help expose the cults to all the members captive from its mind control. I can't let these people down, me and other ex-members have worked so hard on this."
"Ah, you're underestimated me on this one.
That's exactly why I came here and joined the group. I came to help you. As a show of good faith. Mylene told me about everything you've done lately. I want to also help, if you accept to work for us. While you go to Edmonton, I want to try to go to Vancouver and meet with Pious Peter... I want to follow him around, and see if I couldn't glean some sort of compromising information about him. That would make the big showdown at the meeting a lot easier.

Honestly, I've been bored with office work. I found this a perfect opportunity to go back to some undercover work. I missed the thrill and excitement of it. And it gives me an excuse to get out of a boring town like Ottawa, full of stuck-up people. To spend some time in the sunshine and pleasant weather instead."

Maxime sees you are still doubting things.

"Well, picture this. You already risk getting beaten up or shot at all the time. While not be paid a pretty penny for it? With a good pension plan? We'll even provide you with a roomy condo in downtown Ottawa, how about that?"

He jokingly points his finger at you, mimicking the famous drawing of Uncle Sam

"We want YOU!"

"Well... I can't really say no, can I?"

"Haha, that's great! The only other thing is that there is someone you need to meet in Edmonton. Well, not really in Edmonton. He's coming from the airport, and we will meet in a hotel right beside it. It's a good 40KM distance away from Edmonton itself or so, so nobody else from the group will see us.

Tomorrow, we will leave and go there, you, Mylene, David, and me. Afterward, you three can go to Edmonton, while I go straight to Vancouver to meet with Pious Peter. Then later on, it's showtime!"

You are enthusiastic. You see that it is the best possible idea in these conditions. Finally, you won't have to take against the entire world on your own, with your motley crew.

You go back to the house. You greet the other brothers and sisters. You explain your plan to Elder William (without the plots against the group and the secret service and Skull Riders stuff), who seems happy of it.

You have a good night's sleep. You change clothes. You meet up with David, Mylene and Maxime.

You book a ride in a van that will leave you at the hotel close to the Edmonton airport.

In the car ride, you tell David all about what is going on. He is surprised, but also finds that it is a good idea. It will surely be of comfort to his father as well.

You get a chance to talk to Mylene. You thank her for having saved you. She is relieved, she thought you might have gotten upset that she intervened in your affairs. You're just very glad to be able to count on her, come what may, rain or shine.

Maxime says: "Let me tell you that you two make a fine couple. Patrick told me he was so proud for both of you. You were only a little girl last time I saw you Mylene, but you're a woman now."

Eventually, the van arrives in front of the hotel.

Maxime books a room for you and Mylene, and another one for David. David goes to get some rest.

Mylene also does the same, in your room.

Maxime looks concerned and talks to you:

"Our man is already here. I have to tell you, you might be really shocked. I'd ask you if you are, to please keep your emotions under control."

This sounds ominous. You are not sure of what is going to happen.

You and Maxime arrive at a room on the second floor. Maxime knocks three times. The other man says "enter".

He opens the door. You step into the room.

And you have one of the biggest surprises of your life.

".... YOU???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE????"
 
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baud

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Messages
3,992
Location
Septentrion
RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
"Oh, so you're the man who testified? You heard a Skull Rider say that the garage was packed with drugs?"
"Yes, I regret."

Tom gets white as a sheet. He realizes he's been had! He should have fled while he still had time. He's in a mountain of trouble now.
:lol:

".... YOU???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE????"

My money is on the dad. But mostly because I don't see anyone else who'd cause such reaction
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Understandably so, he seems to consider it as a source of comfort, guidance and clarity, as he is going through though times.
tough
"That's Languirand! He's one of the higher ups! He heads the operations in the Prairies! Just our luck!"
"So, it's just you and me, Bruno. I'll kill you, with my own bare hands.
I see yet again glorious kung-fu proves a superior way of problem-solving.
And the Skulls higher-ups like to get their hands dirty, personally. Evidently they believe in the "authority equals asskicking" creed.
Putting two and two together, we'll likely find some buff supervillain judo-master at the top of that criminal chain, and have a climactic duel over a volcano.
...hey, does that mean someone is going to kill off Steven along the way, or is he not old enough for the mentor role?

My money is on the dad. But mostly because I don't see anyone else who'd cause such reaction
If they had dad, they wouldn't need other witnesses.

STOP IT, STEVEN, THIS JOKE HAS GONE TOO FAR!!
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,867
Location
Ottawa, Can.
Dennis Doyle stands in front of you in the hotel room. He looks at you sheepishly.

You are not really surprised or shocked at him being here. In fact, it is perfectly rational in your eyes for the secret service to deal with either plants or turncoats.

No, what truly shocks you, what truly makes you lose all composure right now, is what this man did to you.

You've lost all control. You run up to him. You push him onto the bed. As he shouts "What?", You grab his throat. You start choking him.

Bruno: "YOU... ORDERED... LANCE... TO... KILL... ME... YOU... STUPID... F*****!"

Dennis looks at you in surprise and panic, he has a really hard time breathing. His face is now all red.

Maxime has to intervene. He pulls you back violently. You fall on the ground. He looks at you meanly.

"Stop this already! What took you?

Bruno... I understand you're pissed at him beyond belief. I would too, believe me.

But let me share with you one of the most important lessons I've learned over my career: you can't condemn a man without first listening to his story."

A fair point. You are still fuming. Still pissed. But it's always good to listen to other people. You are curious about what he has to say anyway.

You go back to him, peacefully this time. He is still lying on the bed. He is recuperating.

Dennis: I'm ok Bruno. I'm just in shock. I guess ultimately I kind of deserved it.

But you have to understand me, Bruno. I never asked Lance to kill you. That's really not what happened.

Here's what did happen: after I got unstuck from my bathroom, I met him. I told him how pissed I was that you played me. How you deserved to be taught a good lesson. I told him you should be chocked to death in a toilet bowl. I did say that.

But that's not really what it looks like. First off, that wasn't a specific order to kill. That was roleplaying. It was purely to maintain my cover.

Maxime: Bruno, you don't understand how dangerous it is to infiltrate a criminal gang. If you are not very convincing, and if you are caught, your life is pretty much forfeit. Every day, you live with that fear of having people shooting you in an ambush, beating you to death or torturing you. Your cover literally is your life. I know it sounds shocking, but that is absolutely necessary for our agents to survive.

You are surprised. You didn't expect this. You are still processing it.

Dennis: for that matter, Lance took him upon himself to kill you. Someone else found out where you were hiding. He learned it and was so excited that he wanted to be rid of you immediately. That ended up being a mistake. You escaped him twice, but that's because both times, he rushed in to take care of the job due to special circumstances.

You don't know how dangerous that guy is. He has killed many very high profile people. I don't have any proof that it's him, but remember the news where the patriarch and the son of the reigning Mafia family in Montreal were shot? That was him, most likely. It made the news all over the world. That's the kind of guy you're dealing with here.

He came back to us gravely wounded and humiliated. Most of all, he got beaten by an old man.

Only then did I have the leeway to tell him to lay off you, after he made a mess twice in a row.

He's in the Montreal area right now, which is where he is originally from. Working with Skulls over there. But I don't think he'll give up on you.

He's become more and more obsessed with you. It's kind of a Moby Dick thing, you know. You'll always have to remain on your guard so long as he's around.


You think back of it... and you realize that Dennis is actually right. The more you think of it... The more you think that Dennis and Maxime are both right. Dennis is doing a great service to his country right now. His very neck is on the line, to make his country a safer place. He's doing so at great personal peril.

But you are still upset. You now speak.

Bruno: Let me tell you both about this dream I had the other night.

You describe to them your nightmare from your first night spent with the Vagrants.

Once you are done, Maxime looks at you in awe. Dennis avoids looking at you.

Dennis: Wow, that's really twisted and tough. I don't know what you say. You've really been through a lot. I'm sorry I contributed to it.

I can't undo it. All I can do from now on, is help you the best I can. I'll answer any questions you have for me, and I won't weasel out.

I didn't reveal myself then at the house yet, but I did give you the tip that you needed to progress further and ultimately find David. Hopefully, it can prove my good will to you. And hopefully, you give me the opportunity to prove it further.

And the way you handled it... I admit I was a little pissed, but that faded really quickly. I thought the way you handled it was actually clever. It really made me look forward to meeting you under better circumstances one say. I'm glad that it did indeed materialize.

He extends his hand to you.

You shake it.

Then you shed a tear.

Both of you hug.

You did go through a lot in the last few months. At least, you are glad to now have some help. You see that your father-in-law was right all along: you can't take on the entire world all by yourself.

Dennis: "Dennis Doyle is just a cover name of course.

My real name is Donald. Donald Hudson. Just call me Don."
 
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Repressed Homosexual
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So, now that he is all too willing to help, maybe Don can now answer some of the more pointed questions you have.

Bruno: Did you come here just to meet me? Or also under your Dennis Doyle persona, to deal with the situation with the death of Languirand and the arrest of some of the gang?

Don: well it ended up being both. It gave me an opportunity to. Languirand was there by sheer coincidence. His passing, the arrests, and especially the discovery and confiscation of all the drugs ended up being a big blow for the Skull Riders. Well, not really a severe one, but enough to be a real pain.

The guys really got stupid and careless with kidnapping that kid. Sometimes they aren't careful with who they take on. It ends up being young bums who will do anything to show off their powers and climb up the ranks. And in many cases, such as this one, it backfires royally.

Languirand was one of the bigwigs overseeing the expansion of the gang in Western provinces. As his name indicates, he's French, and from Quebec. The Skull Riders proliferated there the most, and were created as a merging of other biking gangs. Then they gradually tried to expand westward.

Sometimes, some of the guys don't like them very much because of that. Essentially, almost all the big shots, the guys with the most money and power, they're from Quebec. It leads to conflict from time to time. But in general they get along well.

Bruno: Who killed my father exactly?

Don: Languirand was in Winnipeg that day and was part of it. Another bigwig was there too. He's Benoit Dubreuil. He is probably the second one in the organization with the most power. The Skull Riders are based in a small town in Quebec called Sorel-Tracy, it's east of Montreal. The chief is called Steve Houde, but he doesn't get involved with Western affairs.

So, although I didn't partake in it and was briefed after the fact, I think it happened mainly at the urging of Languirand and Dubreuil. They really couldn't stand Frank's insubordination. They got real pissed and wanted to act quickly to nip his surveillance act in the bud. However, Frank was so crafty that nobody can get his material anymore, except if they agree to jump through his hoops.

Dubreuil is no longer here and is back in Quebec. Well, that might give me an opportunity to get a little more involved.

Bruno: Was my father an evil man? What's your take on it, since you knew him?

Don: That's really difficult to answer. To tell you the truth, your father has done some really bad things. He's had people killed who crossed him. And of course, activities like drug trafficking end up ruining many lives.

But once you knew him, he wasn't that bad. He tended to respect you, to see value in you. If you showed loyalty to him, he appreciated it. He remembered it, and rewarded you for it.

He definitely wasn't as sociopathic as some others.

One thing you might like to know: I heard he has a brother living in Montreal. So, you have an uncle. But what's his name or where he lives exactly, that I don't know.

He definitely did seem changed after the incident with the kid who died. He didn't want to be as cruel anymore. He had this softness about him, that others resented him for.

Bruno: Frank was apparently wary of some "creepy activities" in the group. Apparently, he was worried about that even more than dismantling the group itself. Do you know anything about it?

Don: I wish I did. I think that is all mostly concentrated in Quebec. It's something the French speaking members do. I've heard of some rituals. I've heard of them obtaining resources, of some sort of scheming. Of them having installations, facilities.
But I don't know exactly what that is.

I do know that if Frank was probably that worried about it, then it's probably very serious and needs to be pursued eventually.

Bruno: Well, that is all that comes to mind right now. Thank you for the help. I didn't even know I had an uncle too.

It seems that the gist of what you're saying is that the important people in the organization and the answers that I'm really looking for are all waiting for me in Quebec, and that's where I'll ultimately need to go. I'll need to finally learn French properly, it looks like.

Don: I'm sorry again for the danger, the trauma I've put you through. If it's any consolation, I can tell you that I know that if your father could see you right now, he would be really proud of you.

He was wondering what you were like. He was so eager to finally meet you.

If you chose to honor his memory in spite of what he did, know that he would be more than glad.

You two shake hands again. Then, Don has to go back to Winnipeg. Soon after, Maxime leaves for Vancouver, in his attempts to expose Pious Peter. He adds you on the encrypted app.

You have a nice bison meal at the hotel restaurant with Mylene and David. Then, all of you get a good night's sleep.

Before you do, you contact Jovencio, who is glad to hear from you. Tomorrow, you convene to meet in downtown Edmonton. They've found a few ex-members who are also willing to help bring down the Vagrants.

The next morning, you take a taxi heading to downtown Edmonton.

You head to the Rendezvous point to find back your friends James and Jovencio.

While in the taxi heading towards Edmonton, you feel trepidation. Finally, you are inching closer to the final confrontation with Pious Peter.
 
Repressed Homosexual
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Edmonton isn't a particularly enchanting sight. Much like everything else in Alberta, it is very business-like in appearance. Except more than anywhere else you saw so far. As the taxi drives you downtown, all you can see are beige, brown and gray buildings.

Finally it drops you, Mylene, and David off.

As he drops off, David looks at his phone. He stares at it intently for a while, and smiles.

You ask him why and he tells you that his father is on his way to Edmonton. He plans to communicate with the victims of the Vagrants that you have rallied to your cause so far. Then, he will rent out a van and drive them to Vancouver.

He already has an agreement with another pastor there to have them all sleep in the church basement. Then when the final confrontation comes, everyone will go to the Vagrants meeting place for a final confrontation.

He also discussed something with the other elders: a plan to allow the community to subsist. Indeed, they are willing to let them use the church for meetings and sermons when they are not using it, for a few years, and to help breakaway members find housing and jobs. Even Pious himself, if he comes back to his senses and proves sufficiently reasonable.

Hopefully, all of it comes to pass.

With your bags in tow, you walk on the path where James and Jovencio are supposed to meet you.

You feel elated when you see them in the distance. Finally you see your friends again.

They are excited. They come up to you and hug. Then they tell David they are happy to see him again and that he broke out too.

However, once that is done, they have a look of sadness in their eyes.

Bruno: "What's wrong guys? Aren't things looking up?"
James: "Oh yes, I'm excited for the things that are to come. And we found a few more former members to come help us. However..."

He cannot finish his sentence.

Jovencio takes a deep breath...

"Unfortunately, we found out that Beatrice, a lady in her early forties who was part of the group, was found dead about two months ago. In almost complete indifference it seems. Somebody killed her. She was found naked in the woods."

That is definitely a shocking turn of events.

James: "Yeah, you know, she was a transient, more or less. So the police isn't going to exert much effort to figure out what is going on."

Bruno: "Well, we have two weeks before the meeting starts. How about we use that time to find out what happened?"

They all agree it is the right thing to do.

You agree to go to the Vagrants base of operation, and in the next two weeks, under the guise of proselytizing, you will attempt to honor Beatrice's memory and find her killer.

James: "Poor lady. Sure she did some bad things and got in trouble sometimes, but she had a heart of gold. I can't believe what they did to her."

After you have rested at the hideout of the Vagrants, greeted the brothers there, dined and had a good night's sleep, on the next day, you step out into the city to investigate.

Jovencio and James will attempt to ask around in the places she frequented.

You, on the other hand, will...

A)Visit her old roommate to ask for details
B)Ask the Edmonton police about the case
C) Call George Godfrey. He might get us an appointment with the journalist of the Edmonton Enquirer who reported on the case.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
B)Ask the Edmonton police about the case

Let's see what the known details are.
 
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David decides to go his own way for now to talk to his father. Before he does, he tells you an important clue. He remembers having once met Beatrice who was staying with a roommate as she left the group. He and another one were sent to try to plead with her to bring her back, but she refused. He still remembers where it was. He looks on a map service on the Internet, and figures out where it is.

He doesn't know for sure if the woman still lives there, but figures it is worth a shot.

You think in the back of your mind that maybe he is wary of accompanying you because she would not like seeing his face again after what happened. She could blame David for Beatrice's gradual downfall and get very upset. That is a difficult situation, to be sure.

You go with Mylene and find the apartment building. She is on apartment 3.

You walk up to the door and knock.

A slightly obese woman with red curly hair opens. She looks wary while looking at you both.

Woman: Who are you guys? What do you want?
Bruno: I'm sorry to intrude. I'm here because of the tragic passing of Beatrice. I believe you used to be her roommate?

As you say this, you see that she starts fuming. She doesn't say a word.

Bruno: is it too painful for you to talk about it?
Woman: what a horrible fate for a woman who was just desperate to improve her lot. I want to catch the psycho who did this and give him what he deserves!!!
Bruno: I take it Beatrice meant a lot to you?
Woman: yes, you could say that. I'm Mary by the way. And you are?
Mylene: we are people trying to help Vagrant members break free. We just heard of what happened to Beatrice. We want to see if we can find out the truth.
Mary: is that the cult that brainwashed her and treated her like trash the minute she disagreed with them?

So far, you see that Mary seems to be a difficult person to deal with. She has quite a temper. You decide to get to the point and not to stay around longer than necessary.

Mylene: yes, that's it. We want to know if Beatrice was still staying with you before she disappeared and if you know where she could have been.
Mary: I suppose so. Well she stayed with me but it was hard to say. Sometimes she left for a few days without telling me what really happened. In my opinion, she was probably desperately trying to get high on speed. So if I had to venture a guess, I would look downtown. That's where the pushers hang out usually.

I'm really furious. I can't get over it. That girl was so sweet. Nobody gave her a break. I hope you catch the bastard that did this.
Bruno: Thank you, and here's our phone number in case you think of anything else to say.
Mary: Bye.

She closes the door abruptly. You're not sure if it's because of you or because of the passing of her friend.

Now you have a location to investigate, but still, downtown Edmonton is a vast area. Maybe it would be a good idea to find other clues before going there? Or maybe you'd just want to go to be done with it.

A)Go to downtown Edmonton to ask about Beatrice.
B)Ask the Edmonton police about the case.
C) Call George Godfrey. He might get us an appointment with the journalist of the Edmonton Enquirer who reported on the case.
 

Nevill

Arcane
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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
C) Call George Godfrey. He might get us an appointment with the journalist of the Edmonton Enquirer who reported on the case.
 
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You call George.

George: Bruno my friend, long time no see! How's it going? Have you made any progress?
Bruno: Yes, we did make progress. We plan to confront Pious and his accolytes soon. We've rallied several distrungled ex-members to our cause.
George: Impressive to see! Oh and... I heard Languirand was killed in a warehouse in Calgary, and some Skull Riders were arrested there. Apparently there was a confrontation. You wouldn't happen to have been involved with it, were you?
Bruno: No questions on this, please.
George: Sure, I understand. I came to understand you have limitations that I can't cross. And I respect that. Oh, but first, I'll text you a link. You really need to take a look at this article.

You click on the link George sends you. The link leads to a Winnipeg Times article about Jean-Baptiste, the Haitian pimp that you helped arrest a while ago.

Unfortunately, it seems the agents were not careful in their handling of him. Apparently, they were so irate, that they yelled at him instead of properly reading him his rights.

Eventually, his lawyer was able to convince a judge that the arrest was improper, and he granted Jean-Baptiste a release, pending a review of further charges.

Jean-Baptiste used this opportunity to go on the lam and now he is nowhere to be found. The authorities can't charge and arrest him if he's nowhere they know.

George: Don't worry, I really doubt he would bother Sonia again. Most likely he went back to Montreal. Haitian gangs are big there. In all likelihood, Jean-Baptiste was trying to expand their network westward, hence his presence in Winnipeg.
So, what did you need me for?
Bruno: I understand that the Edmonton Enquirer is under the same news network as the Winnipeg Times? I believe they have reported on a recent murder of a girl linked to the Vagrants. I don't believe she was killed by the Vagrants at all as they are non-violent, but it disturbs me nevertheless, so I would like to ask them for details.
George: Oh yes, I know their true crime reporter. Timothy Bourne. I'll give him your number, I'm sure he'll be most glad to speak with you.

Sure enough, within 15 minutes, you get a call.

Timothy: Am I speaking to Bruno Honeyman? I got a call from a journalist acquaintance of mine from Winnipeg. He said you wanted to talk to me. He also said: "Do whatever you can to help this guy out. Wherever he goes, big scoops follow!"
Bruno: Very flattering. Well, let's meet for coffee at Tim Hortense.

One hour later, in a Tim Hortense donuts and coffee shop nearby, you meet Timothy Bourne. He is pretty much a carbon copy of George when it comes to his brash, inquisitive and nonchalant attitude, except he has a head full of hair.

Timothy: Oh yes, the killing of Beatrice Montgomery. I remember that. Quite a twisted story. Found naked in the woods two months ago by a farmer. Someone who apparently lived on the fringes of society. I have some sources among the prostitution scene, they knew her. It's pretty much established that she offered her "services" in such a fashion. She was pretty much a transient, I believe, and I'm sad to say but a drug addict.

Sadly, the police investigation stalled. Most probably because they police doesn't care about transients and do not invest much ressources into them. You know how it goes.

Bruno: Can you put me in contact with some of the girls who knew Beatrice?
Timothy: Sadly, I won't. Us journos, you know how sacred it is to never reveal sources. Especially prostitutes. They don't trust anybody, not the authorities, the police or the press. It took me a lot of time to gain the trust of some of them.
For a while now, it has been criminal in Canada to purchase sexual services, but not to offer them. However, it is also a crime to advertise these services. Essentially, it means that these girls are forced to conduct their transactions underground and to go back to the streets, and to take more risks with their johns. So it has not made their life easier, it has made their life harder.

Unfortunately for them, frigid wives are a much bigger voting block than they are. Personally, as far as I'm concerned, so long as it's between two consenting adults, I say it's nobody's business but theirs. And the police thinks the exact same pretty much. They essentially never get involved, unless the organized crime or minors are involved. As it should be.
Well, some of them seemed to have stories about men they encountered who creeped them out. There was one girl who had a close call, but she refused to divulge any details to me. I tell you, they're very very suspicious as soon as you start being just a little inquisitive and they don't trust anybody.

I hope this helps you, I'm sorry if it isn't much. I won't give you a description of that girl because I don't want to betray her trust. Telling you generalities about the anecdotes is as far as I'll go. But of course, I am interested in seeing this situation come to a close.

Timothy adds you on the encrypted app, you thank him, and you and Mylene go on your way.

Bruno: So, what do you think?
Mylene: Well, we're pretty much stuck. I doubt the police would help. You heard Tim, they don't care about transients or girls from the streets. They'll just tell us to go away politely. Realistically, the only people who maybe know more and can tell us are the girls. But since they work the streets and feel like society hates them, they don't want to talk.
Bruno: Maybe we're not helping things out. Sometimes, even if as Christians we can be judgmental of their activities, we forget that they are human beings. Or we go the other way around. We treat them as helpless victims with no agency. We tell them that they couldn't possibly have made such a choice except if they were under extreme duress, or someone else forced it upon them. When you think about it, no wonder that it comes off as infantilizing.
Mylene: It's a complex issue. As far as knowing more about Beatrice's death, I'm not sure what more we can do.

You have an idea

Bruno: There might be a way... but I'm not sure you will like it.
Mylene: What is is?
Bruno: I should pose as a John. Pick up girls who seem they could know more. Then bring them to a hotel room, but instead of engaging in intercourse with them, plead with them to help us know what happened to Beatrice.

Mylene turns red.

Mylene: Ok, ok, I guess I trust you. Well, I know what you did to Sonia. You're not a bad man. Hopefully, this works.
Bruno: Sweetheart, my heart belongs only to you, be sure of that. If we start asking them question off the streets, they will brush us off, and warn each other of us, then we'll never get any answers. A more relaxed setting, I believe, is the only way to gain their trust.

You establish this scheme. You decide that Mylene will go assist Jovencio and James for the ministry work. You on the other hand, tell the others that you will go by night, because you have decided to try to reach out to street girls, who are "among the most lost of all souls". With Mylene approving of the idea, Brother William agrees.

You rent out a room in a low-scale model. You also rent out a car.

Tonight, you are going downtown Edmonton, to try to pick up a girl.

You ask a transient man standing next to a bar downtown where they hang out, and he gives you the names of streets where they can be found.

You drive and slow down. Which girl will you approach?

A)A blonde girl
B)A black girl
C)A chinese girl
 
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