A)Listen to the agent and refrain from confronting Snodgrass
Could be a coincidence or maybe the actual murderer killed Mary
Could be a coincidence or maybe the actual murderer killed Mary
-
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CYOA: Honeyman's quest
- Thread starter Humanity has risen!
- Start date
Since it's been a while and we have a draw, I rolled at random between the two choices, and obtained A.
The agents seem to still be in a hazed. No doubt, they rushed here quickly to prevent you from confronting Snodgrass and were awakened in the middle of the night to do so.
Right now, you want to make that bastard pay and fess up, and nothing else.
But still... you realize this isn't conduct becoming of an agent. Rather, it borders more and more on criminal behavior. Maybe some people of the secret service do these kinds of things, but you do not want to stoop to their level.
Especially, you think back of how you handled Donald. No doubt, if you enter that house, the very same thing will happen again.
You ultimately decide that there is nothing more that you can do for now. You apologize to the agent, say you've had a troubling day, but to keep an eye on Snodgrass if possible.
You are exhausted. You go back to the Vagrants' hideout to sleep. You can hardly sleep and feel despaired. It seems this time you truly failed Beatrice. There is nothing more you can do.
And Mary too. Since she's just a nobody, and she seems to have died in an accident, her case is going to be dismissed as an accident immediately, and not investigated as a potential murder.
It seems justice only exists for pretty and powerful people.
The ones that live at the margins of society, like Beatrice and Mary, nobody cares for them. They never get justice.
You weak up the next morning, still feeling that same sort of despair.
You discreetely brief Mylene on what happened. You have failed, doubly failed.
Then you leave, and open your phone. You get a notification.
It is from the same throaway email about.
"This is Ed Snodgrass. Mr. Duchesne explained to me what happened and what this is all about, and also who you are exactly. This made me see things in a different light. If you want, come meet me at 11PM, at the same path we met before. I'll be waiting."
At least this is worth investigating.
After another day of evangelizing, which you begin to be really getting tired of since you deeply abhor the group's methods, you go back to the same spot.
This time, you're not hiding your face. You see the silhouette of Snodgrass in the distance.
"Agent Honeyman?"
"Yes, what did you want to tell me?"
"First off, Mr. Duchesne told me about you, and about your latest deeds. I was deeply impressed. Apparently, you are the unwilling heir of one of this country's most infamous criminals, and on the run from his former associates. You are even on the verge of possibly toppling up the Vagrant cult, which I heard about before in the media. He also told me of your scouring of information among sex workers. Apparently, although your goal was to get them to talk, you treated them with tact and respect. I appreciate it. To me, they're like my little babies. I tend to see the worth of a man by the way he treats the most vulnerable. And you have me really impressed.
I know this sounds pompous and unbelievable to you, but I have absolutely nothing to do with the murder of either Beatrice or Mary. In fact, I'm shocked by it. With what you witnessed in my basement, my little... fetichism, let's say... I understand how you will always view me with suspicion, maybe even disgust.
I don't have any means to prove a negative. All I can do is prove it by my deeds. I've dedicated it to fighting for the dirty outcasts of society, and that's what I'll keep on doing. I feel this is the best thing I can do.
So good luck in your future endeavors. I promise if I learn anything, I'll get in touch with Mr. Duchesne, and press the police to get off their bums and do something."
He extends his hand to you. You decide to shake it.
With that, he salutes you, and walks away. He fades into the snow.
You go back to the hideout. You're not sure what to think. Was he truthful, or just a smooth, calculating sociopath? For sure, politicians who attain any degree of power of influence are skilled at the later.
This time, you're truly done. You're starting to accept that sometimes in life, you're just stuck with the unknown.
You decide to focus on the good that you can still do: toppling the Vagrants. Exposing Pious Peter and his accolytes for what they are.
You brief Myriam, Jovencio, James, and David. David gets his father to organize lifts so all the important witnesses can be gathered to Vancouver on that day. He also obtains accomodations for them, in the basement of a church of a pastor he is on friendly terms with.
Rob arrives from Saskatoon, saying he's very excited to be part of the plan. After you tell Brother William that you will go to Vancouver by hitchiking, you enter his car along with Mylene. All the others have secured transportation, and those that belong to the cult like Jovencio and James also use the guide of hitchhiking, which is good, because it gives you a plausible excuse to take more time to arrive.
The meeting with all the Vagrants and Pious Peter is in 3 days, in a non-denominational church that has lent them their premises.
You, Mylene and Rob stop in Kamloops to sleep and recuperate. Then the next day, after eating breakfast and buying some food, you make the 6 hours drive from Kamloops to Vancouver.
You arrive at the church, and see that everyone else has arrived. Jovencio and James greet you and embrace you warmly, along with David Janssen, Elder Janssen, and most of the other key witnesses. The only one missing is Duchesne... who enters triumphally.
"Wait... you guys haven't seen the coup de grace yet, right?"
He takes a projector that he brought, and plays the saucy video that exposes Pious' duplicitous behavior. Everyone is stunnned or laughing.
You talk: "I want to use it due to our need to hurt his credibility, but I will not dwell on it. I think he is a decent type at the root."
Duchesne replies: "Aww man you're too soft! Was he nice when he did all those mind f*** tricks to keep everyone enslaved to the groups and using them like puppets? Stop covering for him, I'm sick of it!"
The others appear to have mixed reactions.
Elder Janssen says: "After you hurt his reputation, and the others have given their testimonies, let me speak. I spent a long time preparing a detailed rebuttal of his faulty doctrine. I even garnered some of it that he stopped preaching... and hopes nobodies remembers. That might help us too."
For the first time in a long while, you have hope.
You have some sort of bold smile.
"Let's all plan this out. Let's work together. Pious Peter, you're finished. You will no longer be the puppet master. The puppets will break free of your chains."
Everyone else cheers. You all seem unstoppable.
You prepare and rest... until the big day finally comes.
You join the Vagrants' church, while those who didn't infiltrate the group wait close by for your signal to enter.
Maxime has brought his projector to use as you interrupt Pious from speaking when it starts, which he hides in a closet.
Elder William is happy to see you and the others, who gradually enter the church, so not as to arouse suspicious.
Finally, you look at a man with intense presence and charisma.
Elder William talks to him, and motions you to come.
No doubt who this is. Not only have you seen him on the video, but even if you hadn't, his stature makes it obvious to anyone who he is.
Pious: "Oh, you must be Bruno. Pleased to meet you, brother. Glad you could join us. Brother William told me a lot of goods about you. You're a dedicated evangelist, who even takes on missions to remote cities. I'm glad to finally meet you."
You converse with Pious, who comes off as some sort of Santa Claus figure. Cuddly, harmless and gentle. You can understand why everyone likes him. But at the same time, you tell yoursell that there is surely a ruthless side to him too, if he can swindle so many people to believe his drivel.
Then he tells you to enjoy the event.
You go back to sit with the others.
You look at Mylene, Jovencio, James, and Maxime.
You smile at them with glee. Soon, the show with start. It's showtime!
"Pious Peter, you're not getting away with it anymore. You're going down!", you think to yourself.
The agents seem to still be in a hazed. No doubt, they rushed here quickly to prevent you from confronting Snodgrass and were awakened in the middle of the night to do so.
Right now, you want to make that bastard pay and fess up, and nothing else.
But still... you realize this isn't conduct becoming of an agent. Rather, it borders more and more on criminal behavior. Maybe some people of the secret service do these kinds of things, but you do not want to stoop to their level.
Especially, you think back of how you handled Donald. No doubt, if you enter that house, the very same thing will happen again.
You ultimately decide that there is nothing more that you can do for now. You apologize to the agent, say you've had a troubling day, but to keep an eye on Snodgrass if possible.
You are exhausted. You go back to the Vagrants' hideout to sleep. You can hardly sleep and feel despaired. It seems this time you truly failed Beatrice. There is nothing more you can do.
And Mary too. Since she's just a nobody, and she seems to have died in an accident, her case is going to be dismissed as an accident immediately, and not investigated as a potential murder.
It seems justice only exists for pretty and powerful people.
The ones that live at the margins of society, like Beatrice and Mary, nobody cares for them. They never get justice.
You weak up the next morning, still feeling that same sort of despair.
You discreetely brief Mylene on what happened. You have failed, doubly failed.
Then you leave, and open your phone. You get a notification.
It is from the same throaway email about.
"This is Ed Snodgrass. Mr. Duchesne explained to me what happened and what this is all about, and also who you are exactly. This made me see things in a different light. If you want, come meet me at 11PM, at the same path we met before. I'll be waiting."
At least this is worth investigating.
After another day of evangelizing, which you begin to be really getting tired of since you deeply abhor the group's methods, you go back to the same spot.
This time, you're not hiding your face. You see the silhouette of Snodgrass in the distance.
"Agent Honeyman?"
"Yes, what did you want to tell me?"
"First off, Mr. Duchesne told me about you, and about your latest deeds. I was deeply impressed. Apparently, you are the unwilling heir of one of this country's most infamous criminals, and on the run from his former associates. You are even on the verge of possibly toppling up the Vagrant cult, which I heard about before in the media. He also told me of your scouring of information among sex workers. Apparently, although your goal was to get them to talk, you treated them with tact and respect. I appreciate it. To me, they're like my little babies. I tend to see the worth of a man by the way he treats the most vulnerable. And you have me really impressed.
I know this sounds pompous and unbelievable to you, but I have absolutely nothing to do with the murder of either Beatrice or Mary. In fact, I'm shocked by it. With what you witnessed in my basement, my little... fetichism, let's say... I understand how you will always view me with suspicion, maybe even disgust.
I don't have any means to prove a negative. All I can do is prove it by my deeds. I've dedicated it to fighting for the dirty outcasts of society, and that's what I'll keep on doing. I feel this is the best thing I can do.
So good luck in your future endeavors. I promise if I learn anything, I'll get in touch with Mr. Duchesne, and press the police to get off their bums and do something."
He extends his hand to you. You decide to shake it.
With that, he salutes you, and walks away. He fades into the snow.
You go back to the hideout. You're not sure what to think. Was he truthful, or just a smooth, calculating sociopath? For sure, politicians who attain any degree of power of influence are skilled at the later.
This time, you're truly done. You're starting to accept that sometimes in life, you're just stuck with the unknown.
You decide to focus on the good that you can still do: toppling the Vagrants. Exposing Pious Peter and his accolytes for what they are.
You brief Myriam, Jovencio, James, and David. David gets his father to organize lifts so all the important witnesses can be gathered to Vancouver on that day. He also obtains accomodations for them, in the basement of a church of a pastor he is on friendly terms with.
Rob arrives from Saskatoon, saying he's very excited to be part of the plan. After you tell Brother William that you will go to Vancouver by hitchiking, you enter his car along with Mylene. All the others have secured transportation, and those that belong to the cult like Jovencio and James also use the guide of hitchhiking, which is good, because it gives you a plausible excuse to take more time to arrive.
The meeting with all the Vagrants and Pious Peter is in 3 days, in a non-denominational church that has lent them their premises.
You, Mylene and Rob stop in Kamloops to sleep and recuperate. Then the next day, after eating breakfast and buying some food, you make the 6 hours drive from Kamloops to Vancouver.
You arrive at the church, and see that everyone else has arrived. Jovencio and James greet you and embrace you warmly, along with David Janssen, Elder Janssen, and most of the other key witnesses. The only one missing is Duchesne... who enters triumphally.
"Wait... you guys haven't seen the coup de grace yet, right?"
He takes a projector that he brought, and plays the saucy video that exposes Pious' duplicitous behavior. Everyone is stunnned or laughing.
You talk: "I want to use it due to our need to hurt his credibility, but I will not dwell on it. I think he is a decent type at the root."
Duchesne replies: "Aww man you're too soft! Was he nice when he did all those mind f*** tricks to keep everyone enslaved to the groups and using them like puppets? Stop covering for him, I'm sick of it!"
The others appear to have mixed reactions.
Elder Janssen says: "After you hurt his reputation, and the others have given their testimonies, let me speak. I spent a long time preparing a detailed rebuttal of his faulty doctrine. I even garnered some of it that he stopped preaching... and hopes nobodies remembers. That might help us too."
For the first time in a long while, you have hope.
You have some sort of bold smile.
"Let's all plan this out. Let's work together. Pious Peter, you're finished. You will no longer be the puppet master. The puppets will break free of your chains."
Everyone else cheers. You all seem unstoppable.
You prepare and rest... until the big day finally comes.
You join the Vagrants' church, while those who didn't infiltrate the group wait close by for your signal to enter.
Maxime has brought his projector to use as you interrupt Pious from speaking when it starts, which he hides in a closet.
Elder William is happy to see you and the others, who gradually enter the church, so not as to arouse suspicious.
Finally, you look at a man with intense presence and charisma.
Elder William talks to him, and motions you to come.
No doubt who this is. Not only have you seen him on the video, but even if you hadn't, his stature makes it obvious to anyone who he is.
Pious: "Oh, you must be Bruno. Pleased to meet you, brother. Glad you could join us. Brother William told me a lot of goods about you. You're a dedicated evangelist, who even takes on missions to remote cities. I'm glad to finally meet you."
You converse with Pious, who comes off as some sort of Santa Claus figure. Cuddly, harmless and gentle. You can understand why everyone likes him. But at the same time, you tell yoursell that there is surely a ruthless side to him too, if he can swindle so many people to believe his drivel.
Then he tells you to enjoy the event.
You go back to sit with the others.
You look at Mylene, Jovencio, James, and Maxime.
You smile at them with glee. Soon, the show with start. It's showtime!
"Pious Peter, you're not getting away with it anymore. You're going down!", you think to yourself.
baud ERYFKRAD Nevill hello friend
What was the first step of the plan you agreed upon with the others?
A) After a while, Maxime turns off the lights, and plays the Chinese call girl video with his projector to the wall.
B) After a while, you and Mylene step up in the middle of the stage, and kiss passionately in front of others.
C) You wait and look for an opportunity. Maxime, Mylene, Jovencio and James all stand ready for your instructions.
What was the first step of the plan you agreed upon with the others?
A) After a while, Maxime turns off the lights, and plays the Chinese call girl video with his projector to the wall.
B) After a while, you and Mylene step up in the middle of the stage, and kiss passionately in front of others.
C) You wait and look for an opportunity. Maxime, Mylene, Jovencio and James all stand ready for your instructions.
it might shock the group, but it would just show we're not following the dictates of the Vagrants. I think the goal here would be to turn the Vagrants against Peter, so either A or C
A) After a while, Maxime turns off the lights, and plays the Chinese call girl video with his projector to the wall.
This is a non-denominational church that can host a fairly large crowd. At the center is a stage. Sometimes, a band plays Christian music for the congregation, so it was built to account for it.
Pious is on the stage, with Brother William to the right, and another elder on the left. In the crowd, you evaluate there are about 150 people. The entire scattered congregation, exceptionally assembled for today.
You are nervous. This is it. This is your only chance to free the mind of all these people. And it needs to be executed very well. If not, Pious will cancel the event, expel your entire rebel group... and everyone else will forever remain trapped.
In a nearby bus, the entire group of witnesses you encountered in your adventures through Western Canada is waiting for you. They stand ready for a call from you. Once they get it, they will enter the church, ready to tell their tale.
You have another megaphone hidden below the bench you are sitting on.
You are shaking. You would rather be anywhere else... but for the sake of all these people, there is nothing to do but to give it your absolute best. To use the skills, the wits you demonstrated in surviving so far, and in uncovering so many clues, to do for these people the work of their Lord: to set captives free!
So you look to Maxime, who sits at the back, and nod your head and smile. Maxime nods back and grin. He seems to be very eager to enjoy the show.
He discreetly sneaks towards the back... plugs the projector, while everyone is absorbed by Pious' speech. Then he flicks the light switches off.
Everything turns pitch black. Everyone murmurs in confusion. Nobody understands what is going on. They seem to think it is a power outage. Oh, if they only knew that their world is about to come crashing down...
And then... a stream of light! On the wall behind the scene, a familiar scene is projected. That of a certain man of God, looking excited and enthusiastic leading a scantily clad woman of Chinese origin towards a hotel room.
While looking at it, and hearing everyone's shock, confusion, and murmurs, you walk confidently towards the stage.
On the stage itself... you rarely saw men who looked so pale. All of them, Pious most of all, look absolutely mortified. So much so that they almost look like they are about to pass out. They mumble confusingly. They look around. They are completely disoriented.
You climb onto the stage from the left end.
Then the video stops playing.
The lights turn back on.
You send a text message on your phone: "It's go time! Wait outside the door, and wait for me to tell you to enter. With God on our side, we cannot fail!"
Then you look at the three men on the stage, walk towards them, and brandish your loudspeaker.
William: Yes Brother Bruno... you had something to say?
Bruno: I've been waiting for this time for a really long time... but nowhere near as long as many people assembled here in this room.
You look towards Pious Peter.
Bruno: Pious... I take it you only meant to bring this poor, lost Oriental woman to Christ? You weren't really taking her to this motel room for a Bible study, were you?"
Pious mumbles, avoids your gaze, and looks away.
Then William speaks.
William: S... so... so what? Pious never claimed to be perfect. He's fallible, like all of us. He simply had a moment of weakness. It will only require some discipline and repentance, that's all. I'm most concerned by his how you obtained this video and are now crashing this reunion, brother. What do you have to say for your defense, brother?"
With that said, Pious looks at you, with renewed boldness.
William looks towards a group of 4 brothers sitting on the right. He makes a quick hand gesture towards you. The four men nod, and run towards the left.
You keep smiling and let them show that you won't be intimidated. No, after cheating death a few times, there is nothing that they could do that could scare you.
Bruno: If that was only that, I would agree with you, no problem. But it's rather the long, long pattern of manipulation, of brainwashing, of dishonesty, and all kinds of other trickery, that I'm most concerned with.
You turn towards the crowd.
And tonight, brothers and sisters. I, and a few other good friends, people who mean you well, have come to help further the work of Christ and help all of you: to set captives free!
People in the crowd are now captivated by you. Most seem very intrigued. Some puzzled. Some others insulted or annoyed. But you have 150 pairs of eyes, eagerly awaiting your every word.
While this happens, things go quick.
Pious Peter and William look at each other. They seem shocked and panicked. They understand that you planned this carefully. That you likely came into the group to dismantle it. And that tonight, they stand to lose everything.
At the same time, the four brothers climb onto the scene. They rush towards you. They are preparing to escort you out.
But things will not turn out the way they expect.
You calmly put the megaphone on the stage.
The four brothers get extremely close to you...
But just as they are about to grab you... you make work of the best techniques Steven taught you, all the while making sure none of the four brothers get hurt.
You yell crazily while doing it.
The entire crowd stands shocked.
The four brothers are pummeled at the speed of light, and quickly land on the ground, before they have a chance to realize what happened.
From the ground, they look at you fearfully. They pull back.
The entire crowd is shocked.
You calmly pick the megaphone back up.
You then say. "It's time everyone. Come on IN!"
The doors open.
You see all the people you met. All those that were hurt by the cult, that you and Mylene sought out and listened to, when nobody would.
They are accompanied by David, his father Elder Janssen, and Timothy Bourne from the Edmonton Enquirer.
The crowd looks back at them, stunned. There are some faces that they recognize, that they haven't seen for a very long while!
William quickly grabs the megaphone from Pious.
He yells: "Enough. ENOUGH! Out, everyone! This reunion is over! Everyone goes back to the hideout, except all the traitors who took part in such a shameful conspiracy of betrayal!"
"One minute!"
You look at the back and see Timothy Bourne, from the Edmonton Enquirer, with a megaphone in his hand.
"I work for the Edmonton Enquirer. These people, your victims that you'd rather not see, have told me everything you've done to them, in minute details.
You're going to sit down quietly, and you're going to get every single one of them come on the stage, and tell their entire story in front of everyone.
Don't want to? Then I've prepared a lovely article that tells all their tales. You do one more thing to end this reunion, and I press send. The document gets send to my boss, who will relay this news story all over the country, from Victoria to Halifax. And everyone, everywhere you go, will know what you've done, and there will be nowhere for you to hide. There will be nobody unsuspecting, vulnerable, desperate to belong, for you to exploit left.
If you have the truth, like you claim you do, you will do the mature thing. You will let all these people have their say. If the truth is on your side, then you have nothing to fear."
Wow, that was powerful. Timothy rocks!
Pious and William look at each other. Pious looks especially discouraged. They realize that they are well and truly trapped. Timothy hit them right where it hurts: he knows that what they fear above all is attention. It's having a light shone on them.
Pious picks up the megaphone.
Pious: "Alright, you can all have your say. I'm sorry that you suffered and felt let down. I will give you this opportunity to tell everyone what ails you."
Everyone in the audience is stunned. You hear excitement and gossiping.
William looks dismayed and discouraged.
You help the four brothers stand back up. They thank you, then go join William.
All of your guests stand in line, going on the stage one by one...
Pious is on the stage, with Brother William to the right, and another elder on the left. In the crowd, you evaluate there are about 150 people. The entire scattered congregation, exceptionally assembled for today.
You are nervous. This is it. This is your only chance to free the mind of all these people. And it needs to be executed very well. If not, Pious will cancel the event, expel your entire rebel group... and everyone else will forever remain trapped.
In a nearby bus, the entire group of witnesses you encountered in your adventures through Western Canada is waiting for you. They stand ready for a call from you. Once they get it, they will enter the church, ready to tell their tale.
You have another megaphone hidden below the bench you are sitting on.
You are shaking. You would rather be anywhere else... but for the sake of all these people, there is nothing to do but to give it your absolute best. To use the skills, the wits you demonstrated in surviving so far, and in uncovering so many clues, to do for these people the work of their Lord: to set captives free!
So you look to Maxime, who sits at the back, and nod your head and smile. Maxime nods back and grin. He seems to be very eager to enjoy the show.
He discreetly sneaks towards the back... plugs the projector, while everyone is absorbed by Pious' speech. Then he flicks the light switches off.
Everything turns pitch black. Everyone murmurs in confusion. Nobody understands what is going on. They seem to think it is a power outage. Oh, if they only knew that their world is about to come crashing down...
And then... a stream of light! On the wall behind the scene, a familiar scene is projected. That of a certain man of God, looking excited and enthusiastic leading a scantily clad woman of Chinese origin towards a hotel room.
While looking at it, and hearing everyone's shock, confusion, and murmurs, you walk confidently towards the stage.
On the stage itself... you rarely saw men who looked so pale. All of them, Pious most of all, look absolutely mortified. So much so that they almost look like they are about to pass out. They mumble confusingly. They look around. They are completely disoriented.
You climb onto the stage from the left end.
Then the video stops playing.
The lights turn back on.
You send a text message on your phone: "It's go time! Wait outside the door, and wait for me to tell you to enter. With God on our side, we cannot fail!"
Then you look at the three men on the stage, walk towards them, and brandish your loudspeaker.
William: Yes Brother Bruno... you had something to say?
Bruno: I've been waiting for this time for a really long time... but nowhere near as long as many people assembled here in this room.
You look towards Pious Peter.
Bruno: Pious... I take it you only meant to bring this poor, lost Oriental woman to Christ? You weren't really taking her to this motel room for a Bible study, were you?"
Pious mumbles, avoids your gaze, and looks away.
Then William speaks.
William: S... so... so what? Pious never claimed to be perfect. He's fallible, like all of us. He simply had a moment of weakness. It will only require some discipline and repentance, that's all. I'm most concerned by his how you obtained this video and are now crashing this reunion, brother. What do you have to say for your defense, brother?"
With that said, Pious looks at you, with renewed boldness.
William looks towards a group of 4 brothers sitting on the right. He makes a quick hand gesture towards you. The four men nod, and run towards the left.
You keep smiling and let them show that you won't be intimidated. No, after cheating death a few times, there is nothing that they could do that could scare you.
Bruno: If that was only that, I would agree with you, no problem. But it's rather the long, long pattern of manipulation, of brainwashing, of dishonesty, and all kinds of other trickery, that I'm most concerned with.
You turn towards the crowd.
And tonight, brothers and sisters. I, and a few other good friends, people who mean you well, have come to help further the work of Christ and help all of you: to set captives free!
People in the crowd are now captivated by you. Most seem very intrigued. Some puzzled. Some others insulted or annoyed. But you have 150 pairs of eyes, eagerly awaiting your every word.
While this happens, things go quick.
Pious Peter and William look at each other. They seem shocked and panicked. They understand that you planned this carefully. That you likely came into the group to dismantle it. And that tonight, they stand to lose everything.
At the same time, the four brothers climb onto the scene. They rush towards you. They are preparing to escort you out.
But things will not turn out the way they expect.
You calmly put the megaphone on the stage.
The four brothers get extremely close to you...
But just as they are about to grab you... you make work of the best techniques Steven taught you, all the while making sure none of the four brothers get hurt.
You yell crazily while doing it.
The entire crowd stands shocked.
The four brothers are pummeled at the speed of light, and quickly land on the ground, before they have a chance to realize what happened.
From the ground, they look at you fearfully. They pull back.
The entire crowd is shocked.
You calmly pick the megaphone back up.
You then say. "It's time everyone. Come on IN!"
The doors open.
You see all the people you met. All those that were hurt by the cult, that you and Mylene sought out and listened to, when nobody would.
They are accompanied by David, his father Elder Janssen, and Timothy Bourne from the Edmonton Enquirer.
The crowd looks back at them, stunned. There are some faces that they recognize, that they haven't seen for a very long while!
William quickly grabs the megaphone from Pious.
He yells: "Enough. ENOUGH! Out, everyone! This reunion is over! Everyone goes back to the hideout, except all the traitors who took part in such a shameful conspiracy of betrayal!"
"One minute!"
You look at the back and see Timothy Bourne, from the Edmonton Enquirer, with a megaphone in his hand.
"I work for the Edmonton Enquirer. These people, your victims that you'd rather not see, have told me everything you've done to them, in minute details.
You're going to sit down quietly, and you're going to get every single one of them come on the stage, and tell their entire story in front of everyone.
Don't want to? Then I've prepared a lovely article that tells all their tales. You do one more thing to end this reunion, and I press send. The document gets send to my boss, who will relay this news story all over the country, from Victoria to Halifax. And everyone, everywhere you go, will know what you've done, and there will be nowhere for you to hide. There will be nobody unsuspecting, vulnerable, desperate to belong, for you to exploit left.
If you have the truth, like you claim you do, you will do the mature thing. You will let all these people have their say. If the truth is on your side, then you have nothing to fear."
Wow, that was powerful. Timothy rocks!
Pious and William look at each other. Pious looks especially discouraged. They realize that they are well and truly trapped. Timothy hit them right where it hurts: he knows that what they fear above all is attention. It's having a light shone on them.
Pious picks up the megaphone.
Pious: "Alright, you can all have your say. I'm sorry that you suffered and felt let down. I will give you this opportunity to tell everyone what ails you."
Everyone in the audience is stunned. You hear excitement and gossiping.
William looks dismayed and discouraged.
You help the four brothers stand back up. They thank you, then go join William.
All of your guests stand in line, going on the stage one by one...
For an hour, the Vagrants hear their tale of confusion, disappointment, woe, and betrayal.
Jovencio and James who were sent to another city for asking sincere question to Elder William, who wanted to get rid of them.
Lester dragged into drug use and homelessness, and later kidnapped by a criminal gang.
Larry and Monica who wanted to marry, but were prevented from doing it by Pious' underhanded tactics.
Beatrice who had to prostitute herself, became addicted to drug, and was killed by an unknown creep.
Then Elder Janssen comes up and talks about many of the testimonies he gathered from fellow pastors. He then spends an entire hour talking about the document he already showed to you, Mylene, Jovencio and James.
All while this is going, the crowd is captive and stunned. Sometimes sad, when they hear of how much others who were once their brothers and sisters have suffered, and how tragically some people degenerated or are no longer of this world.
Pious in the beginning, maintains a hard look. But as you look to him every now and then, you notice that it softens more and more. You see more and more that he seems just a sad and shameful old man.
Elder William displays almost no emotion, other than the occasional shock.
Lastly, you come back to the stage, with Mylene. You declare in front of everyone that you married her, decided to do everything you could to free everyone, and that no one had the right to take that right away from you. At that point, the crowd has been energized by what they heard, and most people applaud you and loudly cheer for you.
Then you look at Pious. He slowly comes to the front of the stage, with a sorrowful, fatigued look.
He speaks through his megaphone:
"I recognize that I've hurt and used many of you, in ways that were not worthy of someone calling himself a man of God. In the beginning, I swore to always act ethically, and to follow nothing but the Bible. But over time, the group faced many dangers. People didn't like us and often harassed us and chased us away. Families came trying to snatch people away, even those who came completely willingly, with no duress. This led me more and more into doing whatever it took to keep my group safe. I believed that God was compelling me to do all of this, so that His last remnant would not fall away.
I am not a prophet of God. I am merely a man. I deceived myself first, then deceived everyone around me. All the things you brought up, are things I thought about and weighted more and more on my conscience.
And now, you give me an opportunity to finally break free from it. I don't deserve to be a leader of men."
Elder Janssen then speaks. He reiterates his offer: he wants to allow Pious to come teach at his church in the afternoon, with his congregation, rent-free. He has arranged for the members to have lodgings, and menial jobs where they can earn a living.
Pious is shocked and looks at him warmly.
"Thank you so, so much Brother. I have no had such an act of undeserved kindness happen to me for a very, very long time. God bless you.
Thank you for opening my eyes and softening my heart."
The crowd cheers as the two men embrace. Everyone is moved.
Well, everyone but Elder William and his supporters. He grabs Pious' microphone:
"People, do not be deceived! Scripture foretold all of this! It says that even the most ardent disciples will fall away! Can't you all see that this is exactly what is happening right now? Pious has fallen for Satan's trap! Don't follow in his error! Join me, and I will lead you, God's last remnant, to salvation! I will not compromise!"
In the end, people talk among themselves, and take time to decide what they will do.
About 40% of the people decide to follow Pious in Winnipeg.
About 30% decide to go their own way and not join either of the congregations.
Finally, about 30% decide to remain with Elder William.
You have not saved all of them, but you have saved many.
Your biggest disappointment, however, is that Max, the young man who joined alongside you, decide to remain with Elder William. Mylene is very, very sad to see that. But sadly, he's an adult and has a mind of his own.
If he is wrong, maybe he needs to find out on his own.
At this point, you go back to the other church where everyone will rest.
Rob and Elder Janssen drive the people there.
Then, Rob's wife, Cinthia, arrives. She came here from Edmonton, in order to spend Christmas with Rob. When he told her everything, she insisted to join.
Finally, Timothy Bourne is happy. He will keep his story, but this time it will end positively.
It ends in freed lives, and redemption for a corrupt man of God, who found back the pure heart that lied deep within him.
He even gets to interview Pious himself and Elder Janssen, talking about their plans to help the congregation subsist, but in a healthier fashion.
"Everyone, I'm so glad for the great story, this will be a hit all over the country. I can't take all of you enough, for having shown such bravery to have withstood so much confusion and adversity, and emerged as victors.
Let me all treat you. Tonight, it's all on me. I'm ordering pizza for everyone! Let's celebrate!"
To this, the entire group cheers!
Then Elder Janssen speaks:
"Above all, let's all be thankful to these two people, Bruno and Mylene. They were the driving force behind all this. They risked a lot. But they removed the chains that held many of us captive. They even gave me back my son David. I cannot ever thank them enough.
David Janssen adds in:
"Long live to Bruno and Mylene! May God bless you all your life!"
The entire group repeats after him.
Then Duchesne adds in
Maxime: "And go ahead and make babies fast!!!!""
The group has a good laugh!
It's Christmas night, and people sing Christmas songs. You see men pairing up with women, seemingly able to finally be open about their true feelings for the first time, without fear of reprisals.
After that, everyone has a good night's sleep.
The next day, the bus takes people back home. Everyone leaves, but not before praying for Elder William and his group. Hopefully, they can eventually come back.
As they leave, Jovencio and James, your two dear friends that you shared so much with, come greet you warmly, and tell you that they're impatient for you to visit them in Winnipeg.
"By the way Bruno, the way you handled those four guys who came at you, that was pretty cool! It definitely is very handy to be able to defend yourself!" James says.
Jovencio seems similarly enthusiastic.
"Call Steven on this number. Tell him I referred you. He will help you both be able to do just that."
After that, they go inside the bus, which leaves.
You and Mylene are now alone. Well, not completely. Maxime has decided to take a vacation, to enjoy Vancouver's warm weather, but he leaves you two alone.
Finally, you have a proper honeymoon with your wife, in a beautiful city like Vancouver.
In the middle of it, while browsing the site of the Edmonton Enquirer, you hear some news: Snodgrass is stepping down from his role as a city counsilor to "take a prolonged and much-needed vacation" and to "come back stronger for the municipal election later next year".
On the last day, you get a call from Maxime:
"Ok, so when you're ready, like I said we have a condo ready for you in Ottawa. We'll help you start your training, so you can officially join us. You will need this training for the trials that await you, what with all those gangs.
I told you I would have an excellent agent in Quebec begin his investigation in Quebec City. I just got a call from the head of the SQ. Apparently, that will have to wait. That agent needs to go on a very pressing, urgent mission. But after that's done, he will start.
Apparently, it's something really delicate and dangerous."
You ponder what it could be?
And with that, that's the end of chapter 2.
For chapter 3, we meet detective Marcoux.
Jovencio and James who were sent to another city for asking sincere question to Elder William, who wanted to get rid of them.
Lester dragged into drug use and homelessness, and later kidnapped by a criminal gang.
Larry and Monica who wanted to marry, but were prevented from doing it by Pious' underhanded tactics.
Beatrice who had to prostitute herself, became addicted to drug, and was killed by an unknown creep.
Then Elder Janssen comes up and talks about many of the testimonies he gathered from fellow pastors. He then spends an entire hour talking about the document he already showed to you, Mylene, Jovencio and James.
All while this is going, the crowd is captive and stunned. Sometimes sad, when they hear of how much others who were once their brothers and sisters have suffered, and how tragically some people degenerated or are no longer of this world.
Pious in the beginning, maintains a hard look. But as you look to him every now and then, you notice that it softens more and more. You see more and more that he seems just a sad and shameful old man.
Elder William displays almost no emotion, other than the occasional shock.
Lastly, you come back to the stage, with Mylene. You declare in front of everyone that you married her, decided to do everything you could to free everyone, and that no one had the right to take that right away from you. At that point, the crowd has been energized by what they heard, and most people applaud you and loudly cheer for you.
Then you look at Pious. He slowly comes to the front of the stage, with a sorrowful, fatigued look.
He speaks through his megaphone:
"I recognize that I've hurt and used many of you, in ways that were not worthy of someone calling himself a man of God. In the beginning, I swore to always act ethically, and to follow nothing but the Bible. But over time, the group faced many dangers. People didn't like us and often harassed us and chased us away. Families came trying to snatch people away, even those who came completely willingly, with no duress. This led me more and more into doing whatever it took to keep my group safe. I believed that God was compelling me to do all of this, so that His last remnant would not fall away.
I am not a prophet of God. I am merely a man. I deceived myself first, then deceived everyone around me. All the things you brought up, are things I thought about and weighted more and more on my conscience.
And now, you give me an opportunity to finally break free from it. I don't deserve to be a leader of men."
Elder Janssen then speaks. He reiterates his offer: he wants to allow Pious to come teach at his church in the afternoon, with his congregation, rent-free. He has arranged for the members to have lodgings, and menial jobs where they can earn a living.
Pious is shocked and looks at him warmly.
"Thank you so, so much Brother. I have no had such an act of undeserved kindness happen to me for a very, very long time. God bless you.
Thank you for opening my eyes and softening my heart."
The crowd cheers as the two men embrace. Everyone is moved.
Well, everyone but Elder William and his supporters. He grabs Pious' microphone:
"People, do not be deceived! Scripture foretold all of this! It says that even the most ardent disciples will fall away! Can't you all see that this is exactly what is happening right now? Pious has fallen for Satan's trap! Don't follow in his error! Join me, and I will lead you, God's last remnant, to salvation! I will not compromise!"
In the end, people talk among themselves, and take time to decide what they will do.
About 40% of the people decide to follow Pious in Winnipeg.
About 30% decide to go their own way and not join either of the congregations.
Finally, about 30% decide to remain with Elder William.
You have not saved all of them, but you have saved many.
Your biggest disappointment, however, is that Max, the young man who joined alongside you, decide to remain with Elder William. Mylene is very, very sad to see that. But sadly, he's an adult and has a mind of his own.
If he is wrong, maybe he needs to find out on his own.
At this point, you go back to the other church where everyone will rest.
Rob and Elder Janssen drive the people there.
Then, Rob's wife, Cinthia, arrives. She came here from Edmonton, in order to spend Christmas with Rob. When he told her everything, she insisted to join.
Finally, Timothy Bourne is happy. He will keep his story, but this time it will end positively.
It ends in freed lives, and redemption for a corrupt man of God, who found back the pure heart that lied deep within him.
He even gets to interview Pious himself and Elder Janssen, talking about their plans to help the congregation subsist, but in a healthier fashion.
"Everyone, I'm so glad for the great story, this will be a hit all over the country. I can't take all of you enough, for having shown such bravery to have withstood so much confusion and adversity, and emerged as victors.
Let me all treat you. Tonight, it's all on me. I'm ordering pizza for everyone! Let's celebrate!"
To this, the entire group cheers!
Then Elder Janssen speaks:
"Above all, let's all be thankful to these two people, Bruno and Mylene. They were the driving force behind all this. They risked a lot. But they removed the chains that held many of us captive. They even gave me back my son David. I cannot ever thank them enough.
David Janssen adds in:
"Long live to Bruno and Mylene! May God bless you all your life!"
The entire group repeats after him.
Then Duchesne adds in
Maxime: "And go ahead and make babies fast!!!!""
The group has a good laugh!
It's Christmas night, and people sing Christmas songs. You see men pairing up with women, seemingly able to finally be open about their true feelings for the first time, without fear of reprisals.
After that, everyone has a good night's sleep.
The next day, the bus takes people back home. Everyone leaves, but not before praying for Elder William and his group. Hopefully, they can eventually come back.
As they leave, Jovencio and James, your two dear friends that you shared so much with, come greet you warmly, and tell you that they're impatient for you to visit them in Winnipeg.
"By the way Bruno, the way you handled those four guys who came at you, that was pretty cool! It definitely is very handy to be able to defend yourself!" James says.
Jovencio seems similarly enthusiastic.
"Call Steven on this number. Tell him I referred you. He will help you both be able to do just that."
After that, they go inside the bus, which leaves.
You and Mylene are now alone. Well, not completely. Maxime has decided to take a vacation, to enjoy Vancouver's warm weather, but he leaves you two alone.
Finally, you have a proper honeymoon with your wife, in a beautiful city like Vancouver.
In the middle of it, while browsing the site of the Edmonton Enquirer, you hear some news: Snodgrass is stepping down from his role as a city counsilor to "take a prolonged and much-needed vacation" and to "come back stronger for the municipal election later next year".
On the last day, you get a call from Maxime:
"Ok, so when you're ready, like I said we have a condo ready for you in Ottawa. We'll help you start your training, so you can officially join us. You will need this training for the trials that await you, what with all those gangs.
I told you I would have an excellent agent in Quebec begin his investigation in Quebec City. I just got a call from the head of the SQ. Apparently, that will have to wait. That agent needs to go on a very pressing, urgent mission. But after that's done, he will start.
Apparently, it's something really delicate and dangerous."
You ponder what it could be?
And with that, that's the end of chapter 2.
For chapter 3, we meet detective Marcoux.
CHAPTER 3:
You are detective Louis Marcoux. You live in Nicolet, Quebec, south of Trois-Rivières, which itself is located on the north shore of the St-Lawrence river, roughly mid-distance between the two biggest cities in the province: Montreal and Quebec City.
Trois-Rivières has its own municipal police force, but there are still offices in it for the provincial police force, the Sûreté du Québec. However, your work frequently has you go to Montreal, Quebec, or even elsewhere.
Indeed, you are very popular. You are considered one of the best infiltrators on the entire police force, if not the best.
You wanted to be an actor when you were young, as you had a natural gift for it. However, seeing as your father heavily discouraged it due to the lack of job security, you ended up becoming a police officer instead, your second choice.
Indeed, your hometown of Nicolet, a very small town, also has the Nationale École de Police. This is where every single police officer has to be trained and graduate in, in Quebec. When you were younger and passed it by, looking at the recruits in the distance, it intrigued you. So much so that you eventually were curious enough to join them! And the rest is history.
Today, however, you are not in Nicolet or Trois-Rivieres as usual.
Tonight, on this cold winter night, on December 26th, on what is boxing day in Canada, you are in a hotel room in L'Ancienne-Lorette.
L'Ancienne-Lorette is part of the Quebec City area, however still distinct from it. In the early 2000s, all towns in the vicinity of Quebec City were annexed to it. All, but two: L'Ancienne-Lorette, located North of Ste-Foy, and Saint-Augustin de Desmaures, located farther away in the West.
L'Ancienne-Lorette is located just east of the small Jean Lesage airport. The area where you are, on boul. Wilfrid-Hamel, has many hotels and motels, along with some grocery stores and others.
This area of town is essentially catering to tourists and travelers.
Normally, you wouldn't need to spend the night there, as the airport is a short distance away from Nicolet, just a 3 hours drive or so. But an important man told you you would need the rest, and also that he needed to have a private talk with you.
On this evening, you wait for him to come in your room. He doesn't even want to talk in a restaurant or another public place, so it must be something very sensitive.
Who is that man, in fact? None other than Patrick Nolin, commander in chief of the Sûreté du Québec. He has the reputation of being incorruptible and fair, which is a breath of fresh air, in a police force notorious for its toxic politics and corruption.
Just as you think of it, somebody knocks.
You open and, lo and behold, Nolin is right here.
"Good evening detective Marcoux, and sorry for the bother. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."
"No, it was fine, I just relaxed."
"Oh good. Did you relax with one of the ladies from around here?"
He laughs. He's alluding to the fact that on this section of Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel, there are many cheap and sleazy motels and strip clubs.
The area is notoriously rife with them. Obviously, it gradually developed into this after the Jean-Lesage airport was built. Prostitution is also probably common around here, along with sadly the occasional human trafficking victim briefly residing in one of the motels.
"No Patrick, I wouldn't do that."
"I know, I was just joking. A straight guy like you. It's only when you play a character that a radically different side of you comes out, or so they say."
Indeed, you have the reputation of being extremely polite, considerate, and well-mannered. However, you have played some though criminals in the past, to great success.
"Louis, this will be your biggest mission of all, by far. You've never seen something like this. This is an emergency, and we urgently require your skills."
"Count me in, boss."
"Good! Glad you hear it. Hold on, let me access the wi-fi, there's somebody I need you to meet. You'll understand immediately why he is not physically present with us."
He turns his laptop on, and connects to the wifi. He opens a video-conferencing program. And within a few minutes, you see a mousy-looking man with small glasses sitting in an office, that you don't know.
"Mr. Campbell," Nolin says, "I want you to meet detective Marcoux. He's the absolute best infiltrator we have. His skill, deduction, and gift as an actor is without equal in the entire department. He's the man for this job."
Then Nolin turns to you:
"Louis, I present you the Honorable Terrence Campbell, the prime minister of Prince Edward Island."
What??? A prime minister? You didn't expect this. Such an important man, and you haven't even greeted him properly. You fumble and wonder what to say.
"Enchanté de faire votre connaissance, détective Marcoux!", he says in a heavily accented French. Which you are glad to hear nevertheless.
Then he pursues in English:
"I have urgent need of your services. Please hear me and your commander out."
"Yes, sir."
Then, both Terrence and Patrick explain to you why they brought you here.
It turns out that Patricia, Terrence's oldest daughter in her early twenties, has been missing for almost a year. She was studying at the University of Dalhousie in Halifax, but eventually dropped out of circulation.
She gave her father a brief and terse call, where it was made obvious, even if she didn't want to say it, that she had fallen victim to sex traffickers. She was already in Victoria, in B.C., by that point.
Since then, his father hasn't had any news of her. He has been very reluctant to publicize the incident, because he doesn't want to hurt his daughter's reputation and future.
However, just recently, an anonymous but reliable to tip came in to the RCMP head offices in Halifax: Patricia has come back.
Currently, she would be held captive in a farm located in an unknown area around Truro, Nova Scotia. Her identity and appearance changed, and kept available only for a few trusted, wealthy guests who want to remain discrete and have the means to pay a premium.
Truro, Nova Scotia is notorious for being a sex trafficking hub in Atlantic Canada. It would make sense after a while for Patricia to briefly passing here, but not for long.
It is just urgent to find Patricia and get her back during this short window of time.
And what is where you come in. The RCMP in Halifax heard of your skills as an infiltrator, and came up with a clever plan: pass yourself as the head of a sex trafficking ring located in Quebec, looking to conclude a partnership with the ring that "owns" Patricia in Nova Scotia.
To this end, you will receive the help of another infiltrator, detective Julia Carpenter, from the RCMP in Halifax, who will pass for your girlfriend and partner.
All so that they trust you enough to let you see Patricia, and get her back.
After hearing all this, you're not sure what to think. Some of the things you will have to do, especially if you will have to display any cruelty towards the girls, will tear you up inside.
But if it's the only way to get the prime Minister's daughter back safe and sound, then you will do it.
You tell them both that you agree. Then, Terrence salutes you and logs off. Patrick then gives you a plane ticket.
"You have a flight tomorrow morning at the Jean Lesage airport leaving for Halifax. From there, you will go to the RCMP offices and meet with detective Carpenter and her team, where you will plan your approach.
Don't fail me Louis. Put all that you've learned good use."
He then leaves.
You are so nervous that you can barely sleep. You keep getting distracted by the sound of planes that constantly over around L'Ancienne-Laurette.
Then on the next morning, you check out of the hotel, and take your plane.
You land in Halifax...
You are detective Louis Marcoux. You live in Nicolet, Quebec, south of Trois-Rivières, which itself is located on the north shore of the St-Lawrence river, roughly mid-distance between the two biggest cities in the province: Montreal and Quebec City.
Trois-Rivières has its own municipal police force, but there are still offices in it for the provincial police force, the Sûreté du Québec. However, your work frequently has you go to Montreal, Quebec, or even elsewhere.
Indeed, you are very popular. You are considered one of the best infiltrators on the entire police force, if not the best.
You wanted to be an actor when you were young, as you had a natural gift for it. However, seeing as your father heavily discouraged it due to the lack of job security, you ended up becoming a police officer instead, your second choice.
Indeed, your hometown of Nicolet, a very small town, also has the Nationale École de Police. This is where every single police officer has to be trained and graduate in, in Quebec. When you were younger and passed it by, looking at the recruits in the distance, it intrigued you. So much so that you eventually were curious enough to join them! And the rest is history.
Today, however, you are not in Nicolet or Trois-Rivieres as usual.
Tonight, on this cold winter night, on December 26th, on what is boxing day in Canada, you are in a hotel room in L'Ancienne-Lorette.
L'Ancienne-Lorette is part of the Quebec City area, however still distinct from it. In the early 2000s, all towns in the vicinity of Quebec City were annexed to it. All, but two: L'Ancienne-Lorette, located North of Ste-Foy, and Saint-Augustin de Desmaures, located farther away in the West.
L'Ancienne-Lorette is located just east of the small Jean Lesage airport. The area where you are, on boul. Wilfrid-Hamel, has many hotels and motels, along with some grocery stores and others.
This area of town is essentially catering to tourists and travelers.
Normally, you wouldn't need to spend the night there, as the airport is a short distance away from Nicolet, just a 3 hours drive or so. But an important man told you you would need the rest, and also that he needed to have a private talk with you.
On this evening, you wait for him to come in your room. He doesn't even want to talk in a restaurant or another public place, so it must be something very sensitive.
Who is that man, in fact? None other than Patrick Nolin, commander in chief of the Sûreté du Québec. He has the reputation of being incorruptible and fair, which is a breath of fresh air, in a police force notorious for its toxic politics and corruption.
Just as you think of it, somebody knocks.
You open and, lo and behold, Nolin is right here.
"Good evening detective Marcoux, and sorry for the bother. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."
"No, it was fine, I just relaxed."
"Oh good. Did you relax with one of the ladies from around here?"
He laughs. He's alluding to the fact that on this section of Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel, there are many cheap and sleazy motels and strip clubs.
The area is notoriously rife with them. Obviously, it gradually developed into this after the Jean-Lesage airport was built. Prostitution is also probably common around here, along with sadly the occasional human trafficking victim briefly residing in one of the motels.
"No Patrick, I wouldn't do that."
"I know, I was just joking. A straight guy like you. It's only when you play a character that a radically different side of you comes out, or so they say."
Indeed, you have the reputation of being extremely polite, considerate, and well-mannered. However, you have played some though criminals in the past, to great success.
"Louis, this will be your biggest mission of all, by far. You've never seen something like this. This is an emergency, and we urgently require your skills."
"Count me in, boss."
"Good! Glad you hear it. Hold on, let me access the wi-fi, there's somebody I need you to meet. You'll understand immediately why he is not physically present with us."
He turns his laptop on, and connects to the wifi. He opens a video-conferencing program. And within a few minutes, you see a mousy-looking man with small glasses sitting in an office, that you don't know.
"Mr. Campbell," Nolin says, "I want you to meet detective Marcoux. He's the absolute best infiltrator we have. His skill, deduction, and gift as an actor is without equal in the entire department. He's the man for this job."
Then Nolin turns to you:
"Louis, I present you the Honorable Terrence Campbell, the prime minister of Prince Edward Island."
What??? A prime minister? You didn't expect this. Such an important man, and you haven't even greeted him properly. You fumble and wonder what to say.
"Enchanté de faire votre connaissance, détective Marcoux!", he says in a heavily accented French. Which you are glad to hear nevertheless.
Then he pursues in English:
"I have urgent need of your services. Please hear me and your commander out."
"Yes, sir."
Then, both Terrence and Patrick explain to you why they brought you here.
It turns out that Patricia, Terrence's oldest daughter in her early twenties, has been missing for almost a year. She was studying at the University of Dalhousie in Halifax, but eventually dropped out of circulation.
She gave her father a brief and terse call, where it was made obvious, even if she didn't want to say it, that she had fallen victim to sex traffickers. She was already in Victoria, in B.C., by that point.
Since then, his father hasn't had any news of her. He has been very reluctant to publicize the incident, because he doesn't want to hurt his daughter's reputation and future.
However, just recently, an anonymous but reliable to tip came in to the RCMP head offices in Halifax: Patricia has come back.
Currently, she would be held captive in a farm located in an unknown area around Truro, Nova Scotia. Her identity and appearance changed, and kept available only for a few trusted, wealthy guests who want to remain discrete and have the means to pay a premium.
Truro, Nova Scotia is notorious for being a sex trafficking hub in Atlantic Canada. It would make sense after a while for Patricia to briefly passing here, but not for long.
It is just urgent to find Patricia and get her back during this short window of time.
And what is where you come in. The RCMP in Halifax heard of your skills as an infiltrator, and came up with a clever plan: pass yourself as the head of a sex trafficking ring located in Quebec, looking to conclude a partnership with the ring that "owns" Patricia in Nova Scotia.
To this end, you will receive the help of another infiltrator, detective Julia Carpenter, from the RCMP in Halifax, who will pass for your girlfriend and partner.
All so that they trust you enough to let you see Patricia, and get her back.
After hearing all this, you're not sure what to think. Some of the things you will have to do, especially if you will have to display any cruelty towards the girls, will tear you up inside.
But if it's the only way to get the prime Minister's daughter back safe and sound, then you will do it.
You tell them both that you agree. Then, Terrence salutes you and logs off. Patrick then gives you a plane ticket.
"You have a flight tomorrow morning at the Jean Lesage airport leaving for Halifax. From there, you will go to the RCMP offices and meet with detective Carpenter and her team, where you will plan your approach.
Don't fail me Louis. Put all that you've learned good use."
He then leaves.
You are so nervous that you can barely sleep. You keep getting distracted by the sound of planes that constantly over around L'Ancienne-Laurette.
Then on the next morning, you check out of the hotel, and take your plane.
You land in Halifax...
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baud ERYFKRAD hello friend Nevill
Once you arrive, you see that you've received a message in the encrypted messaging app that you use, from Patrick.
"A room has been booked for you at the Atlantic Gateway Inn, so just ask your taxi driver to get you there and check in. The appointment with the RCMP is tonight.
However, before that happens, you have another appointment, with other people you'll have to meet. At 3PM, go to room 607, and knock."
You get your luggage, and make your way to the entrance of the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Once there, you wait your turn to enter a taxi. You tell the driver to get you to the Atlantic Gateway Inn.
The drive there is long, lasting about 40 minutes. In the beginning you see little but woods. Definitely, Atlantic Canada is not very developped and sparsely populated, compared to most of the rest of the country.
Then, you get to the entrance of the Atlantic Gateway Inn.
After paying your driver his surprisingly onerous fees for the drive, to go to the counter of the hotel. You ask if you can check in, but they say that the room is not ready yet, but that as you're a police officer and they've been warned of it, they will prepare it quickly. They ask for you to come back in two hours or so. They take your luggage and store it behind the counter.
You decide to take this time to walk around the city.
Halifax is pretty similar to Quebec City, except it is a little smaller, and in your opinion, most of the surroundings aren't as interesting. Except of course, the superb, charming harbor. For a very long time, Halifax was a strategic location for commerce and ships, which the harbour is a testament to. The weather isn't too hard on this time, however it is more humid than you are used it, presumably because it is located next to a large body of water.
Then you walk back towards the hotel. You decide to have a diner in a nearby restaurant.
Then, you walk back to the hotel. Finally, your room is ready for you.
You take the elevator to the 7th floor, and enter your room. You take a shower, make yourself some coffee, and lay on the bed for a while, watching random TV channels.
Then, the time of your appointment comes. You take the stairs down to the sixth floor.
You go to room 607, and knock.
However, this is strange, there is no response. Nobody seems to be there. Or at least, there is no noise or activity. You known 3 more times, but the room stands silent.
A) Go back to the reception, and ask if they can help you enter.
B) Wait around the door for a while
C) Slide a note under the door, with your room number and phone number, asking whoever is supposed to be inside to contact you back.
Once you arrive, you see that you've received a message in the encrypted messaging app that you use, from Patrick.
"A room has been booked for you at the Atlantic Gateway Inn, so just ask your taxi driver to get you there and check in. The appointment with the RCMP is tonight.
However, before that happens, you have another appointment, with other people you'll have to meet. At 3PM, go to room 607, and knock."
You get your luggage, and make your way to the entrance of the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Once there, you wait your turn to enter a taxi. You tell the driver to get you to the Atlantic Gateway Inn.
The drive there is long, lasting about 40 minutes. In the beginning you see little but woods. Definitely, Atlantic Canada is not very developped and sparsely populated, compared to most of the rest of the country.
Then, you get to the entrance of the Atlantic Gateway Inn.
After paying your driver his surprisingly onerous fees for the drive, to go to the counter of the hotel. You ask if you can check in, but they say that the room is not ready yet, but that as you're a police officer and they've been warned of it, they will prepare it quickly. They ask for you to come back in two hours or so. They take your luggage and store it behind the counter.
You decide to take this time to walk around the city.
Halifax is pretty similar to Quebec City, except it is a little smaller, and in your opinion, most of the surroundings aren't as interesting. Except of course, the superb, charming harbor. For a very long time, Halifax was a strategic location for commerce and ships, which the harbour is a testament to. The weather isn't too hard on this time, however it is more humid than you are used it, presumably because it is located next to a large body of water.
Then you walk back towards the hotel. You decide to have a diner in a nearby restaurant.
Then, you walk back to the hotel. Finally, your room is ready for you.
You take the elevator to the 7th floor, and enter your room. You take a shower, make yourself some coffee, and lay on the bed for a while, watching random TV channels.
Then, the time of your appointment comes. You take the stairs down to the sixth floor.
You go to room 607, and knock.
However, this is strange, there is no response. Nobody seems to be there. Or at least, there is no noise or activity. You known 3 more times, but the room stands silent.
A) Go back to the reception, and ask if they can help you enter.
B) Wait around the door for a while
C) Slide a note under the door, with your room number and phone number, asking whoever is supposed to be inside to contact you back.
B) Wait around the door for a while
doesn't cost us anything to wait...
doesn't cost us anything to wait...
Right now, hello friend and Nevill have not been seen for a long while. For now, I will not wait for them to input a choice to move the story forward. We really still have a whole lot of material left, I estimate that we've probably done about 20% of what I intended to do.
All my thanks to both hello friend and Nevill for their participation so far. They are welcome to come back any time they have the time to. I will post a synopsis of each chapter in the original post for the convenience of anyone who wants to join in.
Also all my thanks to baud and ERYFKRAD for sticking with us. I wanted to make a much more detailed and serious story than what we see in CYOA forums, in a setting that I believe is underrated and unexplored. I hope you've enjoyed it and I can tell you the best is yet to come. I will pick a choice at random if you select something different until we have more players.
The choice this time is C.
You are a little puzzled, maybe even alarmed, but you tell yourself that maybe whoever is supposed to meet you here just went on some errand or is late. Or maybe they just fell asleep. So you leave a note mentioning your room and phone number.
You go back to your room. You don't really have a clear idea of what you do, so you just go back to watching TV and taking a nap.
At some point, just after you've fallen asleep, your phone rings.
-Mr. Marcoux, is that you?
-Yes, are you my contact?
-This is the front desk of the Atlantic Gateway Inn. I think your boss had a delivery for you. He paid for a meal, so I just wanted to give you a heads up that someone will bring it to your room.
-Ok, I'll be waiting.
After Patrick's cryptic instructions, that's a nice gesture on his part.
After about five minutes, somebody knocks. You hear a female voice.
"Mr. Marcoux? I've come here to deliver your dinner. Can you open the door for me please? It's a little heavy."
You walk towards the door.
You open it...
And what ends up happening defies all your wildest expectations.
You don't really have time to grasp what is going on, but when you open the door, you don't see a pizza delivery woman. Instead, there are three women, who are dressed seductively.
As you open the door, they push you and make their way into the room. Then they quickly push you onto the bed, and one of the girls closes back the door.
You don't especially think you're in much danger right now, but you're not sure what exactly is happening.
The three girls come around the bed, and one goes on top of you.
Finally, one starts speaking. You notice she speaks in perfect French. In fact based on her accent, she's not a local. She's a Quebecer like you.
-We're your special delivery, naughty boy.
-We're here to make you relax for your big, dangerous mission.
-Aren't you glad? We're here to fulfill your every desire. No request is taboo to us.
As they talk in turns, you find out that all three of these girls are Quebecers. You've heard this accent every day, all your life, and can recognize it in any form it takes.
You feel the arousal increasing inside you. You're happily married, but these girls are really stunning and charming.
Since they seem to enjoy playing, you think the best way to go is to reply in turn.
"Hmmm I don't know. Let me call and I'll try to get my wife to agree."
The girl on top of you chuckles:
"What a lucky woman, to be married to a handsome stud like you. I envy her!"
Finally, the girls relax a little. You ask for some explanations, and finally they explain everything to you.
They each present themselves with a name: Amanda, Gloria and Maria.
Obviously, these names make little sense for French-speaking women from Quebec. They tell you that in escort agencies, they always use names that are easy to pronounce for English-speaking tourists.
Why are they here? They are in fact part of the operation. They are here to play the role of your "girls", in exchange for monetary compensation, and also an agreement with the justice system not to charge them for certain petty crimes that they committed.
Why not just bring more female undercover officers? First, because they have been in the system for a while and know it inside out, which will be all the now convincing.
And second, because they will be able to actually provide sexual services to Johns, which frankly looks a lot more convincing for someone proposing a partnership in a prostitution ring.
-But that's quite something. Are you sure you're fine with actually doing the deed with strangers? It doesn't make you feel icky or uncomfortable?
-Not at all. We've made this work for a while. Plus it means getting paid twice for the same act. What's not to like?
They have a point here.
You're not sure that you've comfortable with this, but you agree that this really would look a lot more convincing. Frankly, what's better than pretty women to help men lower their guard? And on that part, they more than deliver.
Jessica: But you'll protect us, right Louis? You won't let any of those biiiig baaad men do us any harm, right sweetheart?
Louis : Of course not. I'll protect you all like I would my own children.
Amanda: We can give you rewards in nature too. In fact, you're really hot. I want to give you one right now.
Maria: Back off, he's mine!
After a while, you all end up laughing.
These girls obviously were trying to get a rise out of you. They are not afraid to use their charms to weaken men off, to disarm them and get what they want. They are used to dealing with men and turning the situation to their advantage.
In the end you end up speaking with them for a while for 2 hours or so. At the end, you are all satisfied, and feel some sort of complicity with them, which will undoubtedly help.
You're glad to now have a team to support you.
You offer to order pizza for them. After the meal, the time for the meeting finally comes.
As you leave the hotel for the RCMP headquarters, Maria tells you that they will shop around, so that when you come back... they can help disguise you and make you look the part of a pimp in a convincing fashion.
Great, you think. In the end you forgive the prank they played on you and are glad that they're part of your team.
Now, you leave the hotel for the RCMP offices...
All my thanks to both hello friend and Nevill for their participation so far. They are welcome to come back any time they have the time to. I will post a synopsis of each chapter in the original post for the convenience of anyone who wants to join in.
Also all my thanks to baud and ERYFKRAD for sticking with us. I wanted to make a much more detailed and serious story than what we see in CYOA forums, in a setting that I believe is underrated and unexplored. I hope you've enjoyed it and I can tell you the best is yet to come. I will pick a choice at random if you select something different until we have more players.
The choice this time is C.
You are a little puzzled, maybe even alarmed, but you tell yourself that maybe whoever is supposed to meet you here just went on some errand or is late. Or maybe they just fell asleep. So you leave a note mentioning your room and phone number.
You go back to your room. You don't really have a clear idea of what you do, so you just go back to watching TV and taking a nap.
At some point, just after you've fallen asleep, your phone rings.
-Mr. Marcoux, is that you?
-Yes, are you my contact?
-This is the front desk of the Atlantic Gateway Inn. I think your boss had a delivery for you. He paid for a meal, so I just wanted to give you a heads up that someone will bring it to your room.
-Ok, I'll be waiting.
After Patrick's cryptic instructions, that's a nice gesture on his part.
After about five minutes, somebody knocks. You hear a female voice.
"Mr. Marcoux? I've come here to deliver your dinner. Can you open the door for me please? It's a little heavy."
You walk towards the door.
You open it...
And what ends up happening defies all your wildest expectations.
You don't really have time to grasp what is going on, but when you open the door, you don't see a pizza delivery woman. Instead, there are three women, who are dressed seductively.
As you open the door, they push you and make their way into the room. Then they quickly push you onto the bed, and one of the girls closes back the door.
You don't especially think you're in much danger right now, but you're not sure what exactly is happening.
The three girls come around the bed, and one goes on top of you.
Finally, one starts speaking. You notice she speaks in perfect French. In fact based on her accent, she's not a local. She's a Quebecer like you.
-We're your special delivery, naughty boy.
-We're here to make you relax for your big, dangerous mission.
-Aren't you glad? We're here to fulfill your every desire. No request is taboo to us.
As they talk in turns, you find out that all three of these girls are Quebecers. You've heard this accent every day, all your life, and can recognize it in any form it takes.
You feel the arousal increasing inside you. You're happily married, but these girls are really stunning and charming.
Since they seem to enjoy playing, you think the best way to go is to reply in turn.
"Hmmm I don't know. Let me call and I'll try to get my wife to agree."
The girl on top of you chuckles:
"What a lucky woman, to be married to a handsome stud like you. I envy her!"
Finally, the girls relax a little. You ask for some explanations, and finally they explain everything to you.
They each present themselves with a name: Amanda, Gloria and Maria.
Obviously, these names make little sense for French-speaking women from Quebec. They tell you that in escort agencies, they always use names that are easy to pronounce for English-speaking tourists.
Why are they here? They are in fact part of the operation. They are here to play the role of your "girls", in exchange for monetary compensation, and also an agreement with the justice system not to charge them for certain petty crimes that they committed.
Why not just bring more female undercover officers? First, because they have been in the system for a while and know it inside out, which will be all the now convincing.
And second, because they will be able to actually provide sexual services to Johns, which frankly looks a lot more convincing for someone proposing a partnership in a prostitution ring.
-But that's quite something. Are you sure you're fine with actually doing the deed with strangers? It doesn't make you feel icky or uncomfortable?
-Not at all. We've made this work for a while. Plus it means getting paid twice for the same act. What's not to like?
They have a point here.
You're not sure that you've comfortable with this, but you agree that this really would look a lot more convincing. Frankly, what's better than pretty women to help men lower their guard? And on that part, they more than deliver.
Jessica: But you'll protect us, right Louis? You won't let any of those biiiig baaad men do us any harm, right sweetheart?
Louis : Of course not. I'll protect you all like I would my own children.
Amanda: We can give you rewards in nature too. In fact, you're really hot. I want to give you one right now.
Maria: Back off, he's mine!
After a while, you all end up laughing.
These girls obviously were trying to get a rise out of you. They are not afraid to use their charms to weaken men off, to disarm them and get what they want. They are used to dealing with men and turning the situation to their advantage.
In the end you end up speaking with them for a while for 2 hours or so. At the end, you are all satisfied, and feel some sort of complicity with them, which will undoubtedly help.
You're glad to now have a team to support you.
You offer to order pizza for them. After the meal, the time for the meeting finally comes.
As you leave the hotel for the RCMP headquarters, Maria tells you that they will shop around, so that when you come back... they can help disguise you and make you look the part of a pimp in a convincing fashion.
Great, you think. In the end you forgive the prank they played on you and are glad that they're part of your team.
Now, you leave the hotel for the RCMP offices...
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Your appointment is to the police station located in the harbour district. Since it's pretty close, you decide to walk.
While you do, you pass in front of a building that's part of the Dalhousie university campus. You think that since Patricia studied there, it might be a good idea to go there later if you have time to try to get a better sense of who she was.
Then you head towards the harbour. After a few aging streets that don't look particularly appealing, you arrive in the harbour district itself. You notice that Halifax really prides itself on its status and history as a maritime hub. Souvenir shops littered with miniature ships and other such apparel abound. What a lovely place, you think to yourself.
Halifax is the closest thing to "the big city" in all of Nova Scotia. It's well known that in general, the Maritimes are about "small town dynamics". You sort of have an idea of what it means since you lived in Nicolet, but the proximity to a much more populous town, Trois-Rivières, might have skewed it.
Finally, the RCMP office, that since recently occupies an old vacant building, stands in front of you.
At the reception, you present yourself.
"I'm detective Marcoux from la Sûreté du Québec. Your bosses are expecting me."
"Right this way, Mr. Marcoux."
The friendly chap invites you to come in.
He guides you towards the office of the commander, René Arsenault. As you cross the open office, you see a few people working.
Your presence has not gone unnoticed. Apparently, you were expected, and most people know who you are, and what you came here to do. All in all, you're a fairly tall, well built, and generally thought of as good-looking man, but you're not sure if people simply expected too much of you.
You see four men and one woman evaluating you. One of the men waves at you and says:
"Hey Marcoux, welcome to Halifax! We're all counting on you."
He honors the reputation of Atlantic Canadians of being overly friendly. You've noticed that even in a big city like Halifax, it also seems to be the case, almost like everyone is part of a big family.
Then the receptionist points you to the door.
You enter...
And as you do, you see sitting on his chair, a middle sized, slightly obese, bald man with a constant smile on his face.
To his right is a blonde woman with short hair. You are surprised that she is much younger than you expected, she looks in her late twenties tops.
"Oh, détective Marcoux! On vous attendait! Avez-vous passé du bon temps à Halifax jusqu'à maintenant?"
As is evident from his French, Commander Arsenault is Acadian. That is, an Atlantic Canada French-speaking person, with an accent quite different from the French speaking in Quebec, one coming from settlers originally from a different part of France, and much more influenced by English.
"Yes, I'd never been here before. This city is lovely."
You switch to English because you assume that the lady on the right might not understand.
"Oh, sorry Jessica, I forgot about you. You just don't get to speak a whole lot of French in Halifax, or meet people from Quebec save for the very occasional tourist. I was just a little curious. I'm all the way North from Edmundston, you know."
(Edmundston is a city in New Brunswick right south of the border with Quebec, that is predominantly French-speaking)
Jessica: that's totally fine. I actually understand most of it, years ago I used to work in a call center in Moncton. Speaking it, on the other hand, is another matter.
She turns to you and smiles frankly.
"The man, the myth, the legend! Pleased to make your acquaintance, detective Marcoux! I'm detective Jessica Naughton. "
You shake her hand. Her big smile and positive demeanor really makes a strong impression on you. You instantly feel at ease.
"The pleasure is all mine. I can already see we'll make a good team and work together without issue."
Jessica: so, the girls aren't with you?
Louis: they wanted to hang around the city a bit. And actually, they want to help me look the part. In fact, I'm just thinking now that they might help you do that too!
René: That's a good idea, we hadn't thought of that yet. I mean we have someone who is used to infiltrations, but if these girls know this scene, then that's even better. We'll just ask Kyle what he thinks of your disguise after.
The girls had left you their phone numbers from the encrypted app. You suggest them for help to disguise Jessica too. A few minutes later, you get a very enthusiastic reply, with a lot of exclamation points!
For about 30 minutes, you speak to Rene and Jessica about the situation, and your approach. Apparently, they have someone posted in Truro, who will be the "contact" point between the two of you. He already talked about this "guy from Quebec who could help us expand", but we need to wait for his vouch to get an audience with the head of the group and meet him in Truro. It will come soon, within a few days tops. Then you discuss plans and strategies. You agree investigating at the University of Dalhousie is a good idea.
Jessica: we should all spend time together. I'll play your girlfriend, and the girls will be your girls, so we really need to look like we all already know each other and have some sort of chemistry.
Louis: But if we have to show a little bit of physical affection, are you comfortable with that? It won't look very believable without it.
Jessica: Yes I can, I can remain professional. I presume it is the same for an experienced infiltrator like you?
Louis: Yes, it's not a situation that's totally unheard of. I'm happily married anyway. I'll just look at the picture of my family every morning. They will give me courage to see things through, even if what we will do will be difficult.
Jessica: Oh, can I see it?
Louis: Of course!
You take out the family picture that's always in your wallet. On it, the four of you were on a vacation in Old Orchard. The four of you are on a beach. There is you, your wife Catherine, your son Maxime (11), and your daughter Stéphanie (9). René leans in to also have a look.
Jessica: Oh wow! What a lovely family you have! I'm still single... although I definitely want to marry and have kids one day.
Louis : In fact, I think I'll leave it to Rene. I don't want the bad guys to see it. We'll have to leave everything that might hint at our real identities to him, in fact.
René : Good thinking, I was just about to say it.
After a while you decide to leave with Jessica. You tell the girls to meet you in your hotel room once they're done shopping.
You salute René. As you walk back out in the office, the policemen who were there notice the two of you. They whistle and tease you:
"Wow Jessica, what a catch!"
"Finally hitched up, eh?"
How obnoxious they are, you think... although it's still kind of funny.
You leave and Jessica offers to drive you there.
You arrive, and head up to your room.
While you wait for the girls, you converse with Jessica. You are pleased to be partnered with her. You are more optimistic and less stressed now. You are also glad to be in the role of a mentor. She seems enthusiastic, and eager to learn more about your approach to police work.
The girls finally arrive.
"Hi Jessica! Nice to meet you!"
"So pleased to see you!"
You let the girls mingle. Jessica is slightly older than them, but it's as if they had been best friends for years. It's as if she instantly is just one of the girls.
Then they take 30 minutes to disguise the both of you.
The end result is fantastic! You really look like a bum! And Jessica like a girl from the streets who doesn't let anyone walk all over her!
"Haha, wait until Rene sees us", you think.
Then you have an idea.
Why not go out a little? You need to build chemistry with the girls. They really need to believe that you are a pimp with his girls. And the trio needs to teach Jessica a few things. She looks much less experienced than you at infiltration, so she needs to learn some street manners and to let loose more.
A) Go out in a bar with the four girls and act the part there.
B) Watch a movie with this setting to draw inspiration from.
C) Do nothing tonight, you've had a long day.
baud ERYFKRAD Nevill hello friend
While you do, you pass in front of a building that's part of the Dalhousie university campus. You think that since Patricia studied there, it might be a good idea to go there later if you have time to try to get a better sense of who she was.
Then you head towards the harbour. After a few aging streets that don't look particularly appealing, you arrive in the harbour district itself. You notice that Halifax really prides itself on its status and history as a maritime hub. Souvenir shops littered with miniature ships and other such apparel abound. What a lovely place, you think to yourself.
Halifax is the closest thing to "the big city" in all of Nova Scotia. It's well known that in general, the Maritimes are about "small town dynamics". You sort of have an idea of what it means since you lived in Nicolet, but the proximity to a much more populous town, Trois-Rivières, might have skewed it.
Finally, the RCMP office, that since recently occupies an old vacant building, stands in front of you.
At the reception, you present yourself.
"I'm detective Marcoux from la Sûreté du Québec. Your bosses are expecting me."
"Right this way, Mr. Marcoux."
The friendly chap invites you to come in.
He guides you towards the office of the commander, René Arsenault. As you cross the open office, you see a few people working.
Your presence has not gone unnoticed. Apparently, you were expected, and most people know who you are, and what you came here to do. All in all, you're a fairly tall, well built, and generally thought of as good-looking man, but you're not sure if people simply expected too much of you.
You see four men and one woman evaluating you. One of the men waves at you and says:
"Hey Marcoux, welcome to Halifax! We're all counting on you."
He honors the reputation of Atlantic Canadians of being overly friendly. You've noticed that even in a big city like Halifax, it also seems to be the case, almost like everyone is part of a big family.
Then the receptionist points you to the door.
You enter...
And as you do, you see sitting on his chair, a middle sized, slightly obese, bald man with a constant smile on his face.
To his right is a blonde woman with short hair. You are surprised that she is much younger than you expected, she looks in her late twenties tops.
"Oh, détective Marcoux! On vous attendait! Avez-vous passé du bon temps à Halifax jusqu'à maintenant?"
As is evident from his French, Commander Arsenault is Acadian. That is, an Atlantic Canada French-speaking person, with an accent quite different from the French speaking in Quebec, one coming from settlers originally from a different part of France, and much more influenced by English.
"Yes, I'd never been here before. This city is lovely."
You switch to English because you assume that the lady on the right might not understand.
"Oh, sorry Jessica, I forgot about you. You just don't get to speak a whole lot of French in Halifax, or meet people from Quebec save for the very occasional tourist. I was just a little curious. I'm all the way North from Edmundston, you know."
(Edmundston is a city in New Brunswick right south of the border with Quebec, that is predominantly French-speaking)
Jessica: that's totally fine. I actually understand most of it, years ago I used to work in a call center in Moncton. Speaking it, on the other hand, is another matter.
She turns to you and smiles frankly.
"The man, the myth, the legend! Pleased to make your acquaintance, detective Marcoux! I'm detective Jessica Naughton. "
You shake her hand. Her big smile and positive demeanor really makes a strong impression on you. You instantly feel at ease.
"The pleasure is all mine. I can already see we'll make a good team and work together without issue."
Jessica: so, the girls aren't with you?
Louis: they wanted to hang around the city a bit. And actually, they want to help me look the part. In fact, I'm just thinking now that they might help you do that too!
René: That's a good idea, we hadn't thought of that yet. I mean we have someone who is used to infiltrations, but if these girls know this scene, then that's even better. We'll just ask Kyle what he thinks of your disguise after.
The girls had left you their phone numbers from the encrypted app. You suggest them for help to disguise Jessica too. A few minutes later, you get a very enthusiastic reply, with a lot of exclamation points!
For about 30 minutes, you speak to Rene and Jessica about the situation, and your approach. Apparently, they have someone posted in Truro, who will be the "contact" point between the two of you. He already talked about this "guy from Quebec who could help us expand", but we need to wait for his vouch to get an audience with the head of the group and meet him in Truro. It will come soon, within a few days tops. Then you discuss plans and strategies. You agree investigating at the University of Dalhousie is a good idea.
Jessica: we should all spend time together. I'll play your girlfriend, and the girls will be your girls, so we really need to look like we all already know each other and have some sort of chemistry.
Louis: But if we have to show a little bit of physical affection, are you comfortable with that? It won't look very believable without it.
Jessica: Yes I can, I can remain professional. I presume it is the same for an experienced infiltrator like you?
Louis: Yes, it's not a situation that's totally unheard of. I'm happily married anyway. I'll just look at the picture of my family every morning. They will give me courage to see things through, even if what we will do will be difficult.
Jessica: Oh, can I see it?
Louis: Of course!
You take out the family picture that's always in your wallet. On it, the four of you were on a vacation in Old Orchard. The four of you are on a beach. There is you, your wife Catherine, your son Maxime (11), and your daughter Stéphanie (9). René leans in to also have a look.
Jessica: Oh wow! What a lovely family you have! I'm still single... although I definitely want to marry and have kids one day.
Louis : In fact, I think I'll leave it to Rene. I don't want the bad guys to see it. We'll have to leave everything that might hint at our real identities to him, in fact.
René : Good thinking, I was just about to say it.
After a while you decide to leave with Jessica. You tell the girls to meet you in your hotel room once they're done shopping.
You salute René. As you walk back out in the office, the policemen who were there notice the two of you. They whistle and tease you:
"Wow Jessica, what a catch!"
"Finally hitched up, eh?"
How obnoxious they are, you think... although it's still kind of funny.
You leave and Jessica offers to drive you there.
You arrive, and head up to your room.
While you wait for the girls, you converse with Jessica. You are pleased to be partnered with her. You are more optimistic and less stressed now. You are also glad to be in the role of a mentor. She seems enthusiastic, and eager to learn more about your approach to police work.
The girls finally arrive.
"Hi Jessica! Nice to meet you!"
"So pleased to see you!"
You let the girls mingle. Jessica is slightly older than them, but it's as if they had been best friends for years. It's as if she instantly is just one of the girls.
Then they take 30 minutes to disguise the both of you.
The end result is fantastic! You really look like a bum! And Jessica like a girl from the streets who doesn't let anyone walk all over her!
"Haha, wait until Rene sees us", you think.
Then you have an idea.
Why not go out a little? You need to build chemistry with the girls. They really need to believe that you are a pimp with his girls. And the trio needs to teach Jessica a few things. She looks much less experienced than you at infiltration, so she needs to learn some street manners and to let loose more.
A) Go out in a bar with the four girls and act the part there.
B) Watch a movie with this setting to draw inspiration from.
C) Do nothing tonight, you've had a long day.
baud ERYFKRAD Nevill hello friend
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Welcome back!
Pub crawl!
nah, too risky
B) Watch a movie with this setting to draw inspiration from.
hello friend
Arcane
You're welcome any time.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Aaand done. Haven't paid much attention to typos and the like, just tried to binge the updates.
Didn't check the summary page yet, but I definitely got rusty and forgot some of the names. May not matter much now though, since the cult chapter is completed and we won't see most of the characters from there ever again.
I was just about to leave a sarcastic comment before he turned down the idea himself.
The CYOA threads the line between somewhat realistic and completely out there, and you just don't know whether you should expect common sense from people.
A) Go out in a bar with the four girls and act the part there.
Getting ideas from movies is a terrible idea in itself. Get out there and get some hands-on knowledge.
...now to catch up with baud's CYOA...
You consider for a moment to be cautious and not venture outside. But then, you look at the population of Truro : only 12000 inhabitants or so. Halifax in comparison is much bigger. So, it seems like the best place to experiment a little. If you make a mistake or something happens, it won’t make waves. However in a place like Truro, word could get around.
Jessica tells you that she knows a good place where you could all go. In Darthmouth, she knows of a bar that is mostly frequented by middle-aged men. She had an uncle that used to frequent it. Most of the patrons go there to drink beer and watch hockey games. So, this seems like the perfect place to improve your group chemistry, while all of you are in character.
All of you exit the hotel and head into her car, which is actually a Dodge Caravan that was lent to your group for the operation. You go at the wheel, and Jessica shows you how to get to the bar in Dartmouth. After crossing the McDonald bridge north of Halifax, you quickly arrive.
Albert’s Hideout is plain as can be, with brown bricks. After entering it, you see that the TVs are open to a hockey game. By coincidence the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing against their perennial enemies, the Montreal Canadiens (also known as “the Habs”). Inside the bar, about five patrons, all middle-aged, are watching the game. There is also a female waitress in her mid-twenties or so, and a barman, who is presumably in his early sixties, and Albert himself. All of them look at you, surprised at the strange group that just entered the establishment.
You sit, and decide to just enjoy the evening. The five of you talk and laugh. The waitress comes to pick your order, and brings all of you beer.
Needless to say, the five middle-aged men lose a lot of interest in the game, and can hardly take their eyes off you!
At some point, one of them stands up and comes up to you.
“Hey kid, I sure didn’t have as much success with women when I was your age! You must be quite a stud!”
You look at him with a playful look on your face.
“You better believe it pal. They swoon over me everywhere I go. I don’t know how I do it, it just comes naturally to me. I’m just that awesome.”
The trio and Jessica chuckle at it. Then, the trio decides to go talk to the other men. They engage in playful banter and tease them. Everyone is having fun. While they do, you and Jessica look at each other and kiss.
The evening goes on like that for a while. When suddenly… two policemen enter.
You are surprised, but only briefly. You recognize the two officers from the police station earlier today! Why are they here? It must be Jessica that summoned them to come. You look at her with a puzzled look. She just smiles. It really gives it all away.
She did it on purpose to practice in a live environment, so to speak. They are assuredly in on it.
While you are still pondering the situation, you hear:
“Excuse me, we received a call because someone said there were some girls here who were under duress from a shady man.”
“Are any of you ladies under duress? Is this man holding you captive?”
The trio is not aware of it and protests.
“Surely, it’s your wives that must feel under duress, not us! Why are you being such pricks?”
“Calm down ladies. We’re just doing our best to keep the city safe.”
Then he looks at you.
“We know what you’re up to. I don’t know why you came here, but we’re going to keep our eyes on you. You seem to be from Quebec, based on the way I heard you speak. Make sure not to break the law while you are here in the Halifax region, or we’re going to come at you without hesitation.
“We don’t like your kind here. Why don’t you go back home?”
You smile smugly.
“Why don’t you two go back to your donuts and stop pestering us?”
As you reply this, the five middle-aged men all erupt in laughter, along with the trio, and the barman.
Frustrated and dejected, the policemen leave.
After they do, the same man as before comes to speak to you.
“Sorry for the way they treated you. They probably just were looking for an excuse to pick on you. I don’t know who you are exactly. But so far you haven’t done anything wrong. These girls look like they’re enjoying themselves, they don’t look distressed at all. And you don’t seem a bad guy to me.
My wife always tells me that we must give everyone the benefit of doubt.”
You smile and shake his hand.
“I appreciate the gesture, sir.”
You look at the TV screen. The game is now at the third period, and it’s still a tie, 1-1.
“Say sir, who are you guys rooting for? The Leafs, or the Habs?”
“The Leafs of course!”
The four other men express their support for the Leafs.
“Me, I of course support the Habs. I have a proposition. Since you guys have given us such a warm welcome, I’ll offer you all a beer if the Leafs win. If the Habs win however, you all owe me five dollars. Are you in?”
“Yeah, bring it on!”
For the rest of the period, everyone watches the game with trepidation.
Three minutes before the end… the Leafs score.
“Well, barman, I lost. Give all these men a beer and put it on my tab!”
All of them get their free serving of beer. The trio and Jessica take more alcohol. You decided not to take any more of it, to remain within the limits of the law when you have to drive everyone back.
Finally at 1AM, you decide to leave. You wave all the men and the barman goodbye.
“Come back anytime!”
You drive the trio back to the Atlantic Gateway. You realize that Jessica has drinked too much, so you offer to drive her back home. She lives in an apartment not too far away from the hotel.
As you drive by night through the city, Jessica thanks you.
“I’ve had a great time tonight, Louis. And you handled yourself pretty well. Hopefully, you didn’t mind my putting you on the spot.
“I don’t mind it at all, it was a clever idea, in fact. Hopefully, they won’t be too upset at us tomorrow.”
“They won’t, they’re good guys. In fact they’ll probably be the ones worrying that you’ll be upset at them. They told you to back from where you came, after all.”
“I’m a big man, it’s really meaningless. Most criminals I deal with are considerably worse. I pay it no mind at all, really. Hopefully, playing my girlfriend and… all that it entailed didn’t make you uncomfortable or anything. I’m not doing this to perv on anybody, you know.”
“I know, and it went fine. You treated everyone in that bar with respect, and you didn’t let the policemen walk all over you. I consider it a success. I feel more at ease in playing that character now.”
You leave Jessica at her apartment. She waves at you.
You go back to the Atlantic Gateway. Tonight was definitely successful.
Well, things were joyful… but when you are actually interacting with criminals and sex traffickers, it might get far more sinister.
Well, not necessarily. You think back of what this man told you in the bar, to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, that is.
You wonder what kind of men they will be? And what the girls living in subjection to them will be like?
You become aware that humans are complex. You doubt that even the men doing something so horrible will be all bad. At least, you hope so.
You think that maybe it would have been simpler to simply impersonate a rich patron to have access to where Patricia is hidden. But then again, they might have some tricks up their sleeves to make sure she is not found. And if you do that, you would not be able to gather as much evidence to incriminate the group, and send them to jail.
Anyway, you’ll see how it goes. Let’s enjoy a good night’s sleep. After you wake up in the morning, you will go to Dalhousie University, to gather information about Patricia. Then afterwards, go back to the RCMP police station.
Jessica tells you that she knows a good place where you could all go. In Darthmouth, she knows of a bar that is mostly frequented by middle-aged men. She had an uncle that used to frequent it. Most of the patrons go there to drink beer and watch hockey games. So, this seems like the perfect place to improve your group chemistry, while all of you are in character.
All of you exit the hotel and head into her car, which is actually a Dodge Caravan that was lent to your group for the operation. You go at the wheel, and Jessica shows you how to get to the bar in Dartmouth. After crossing the McDonald bridge north of Halifax, you quickly arrive.
Albert’s Hideout is plain as can be, with brown bricks. After entering it, you see that the TVs are open to a hockey game. By coincidence the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing against their perennial enemies, the Montreal Canadiens (also known as “the Habs”). Inside the bar, about five patrons, all middle-aged, are watching the game. There is also a female waitress in her mid-twenties or so, and a barman, who is presumably in his early sixties, and Albert himself. All of them look at you, surprised at the strange group that just entered the establishment.
You sit, and decide to just enjoy the evening. The five of you talk and laugh. The waitress comes to pick your order, and brings all of you beer.
Needless to say, the five middle-aged men lose a lot of interest in the game, and can hardly take their eyes off you!
At some point, one of them stands up and comes up to you.
“Hey kid, I sure didn’t have as much success with women when I was your age! You must be quite a stud!”
You look at him with a playful look on your face.
“You better believe it pal. They swoon over me everywhere I go. I don’t know how I do it, it just comes naturally to me. I’m just that awesome.”
The trio and Jessica chuckle at it. Then, the trio decides to go talk to the other men. They engage in playful banter and tease them. Everyone is having fun. While they do, you and Jessica look at each other and kiss.
The evening goes on like that for a while. When suddenly… two policemen enter.
You are surprised, but only briefly. You recognize the two officers from the police station earlier today! Why are they here? It must be Jessica that summoned them to come. You look at her with a puzzled look. She just smiles. It really gives it all away.
She did it on purpose to practice in a live environment, so to speak. They are assuredly in on it.
While you are still pondering the situation, you hear:
“Excuse me, we received a call because someone said there were some girls here who were under duress from a shady man.”
“Are any of you ladies under duress? Is this man holding you captive?”
The trio is not aware of it and protests.
“Surely, it’s your wives that must feel under duress, not us! Why are you being such pricks?”
“Calm down ladies. We’re just doing our best to keep the city safe.”
Then he looks at you.
“We know what you’re up to. I don’t know why you came here, but we’re going to keep our eyes on you. You seem to be from Quebec, based on the way I heard you speak. Make sure not to break the law while you are here in the Halifax region, or we’re going to come at you without hesitation.
“We don’t like your kind here. Why don’t you go back home?”
You smile smugly.
“Why don’t you two go back to your donuts and stop pestering us?”
As you reply this, the five middle-aged men all erupt in laughter, along with the trio, and the barman.
Frustrated and dejected, the policemen leave.
After they do, the same man as before comes to speak to you.
“Sorry for the way they treated you. They probably just were looking for an excuse to pick on you. I don’t know who you are exactly. But so far you haven’t done anything wrong. These girls look like they’re enjoying themselves, they don’t look distressed at all. And you don’t seem a bad guy to me.
My wife always tells me that we must give everyone the benefit of doubt.”
You smile and shake his hand.
“I appreciate the gesture, sir.”
You look at the TV screen. The game is now at the third period, and it’s still a tie, 1-1.
“Say sir, who are you guys rooting for? The Leafs, or the Habs?”
“The Leafs of course!”
The four other men express their support for the Leafs.
“Me, I of course support the Habs. I have a proposition. Since you guys have given us such a warm welcome, I’ll offer you all a beer if the Leafs win. If the Habs win however, you all owe me five dollars. Are you in?”
“Yeah, bring it on!”
For the rest of the period, everyone watches the game with trepidation.
Three minutes before the end… the Leafs score.
“Well, barman, I lost. Give all these men a beer and put it on my tab!”
All of them get their free serving of beer. The trio and Jessica take more alcohol. You decided not to take any more of it, to remain within the limits of the law when you have to drive everyone back.
Finally at 1AM, you decide to leave. You wave all the men and the barman goodbye.
“Come back anytime!”
You drive the trio back to the Atlantic Gateway. You realize that Jessica has drinked too much, so you offer to drive her back home. She lives in an apartment not too far away from the hotel.
As you drive by night through the city, Jessica thanks you.
“I’ve had a great time tonight, Louis. And you handled yourself pretty well. Hopefully, you didn’t mind my putting you on the spot.
“I don’t mind it at all, it was a clever idea, in fact. Hopefully, they won’t be too upset at us tomorrow.”
“They won’t, they’re good guys. In fact they’ll probably be the ones worrying that you’ll be upset at them. They told you to back from where you came, after all.”
“I’m a big man, it’s really meaningless. Most criminals I deal with are considerably worse. I pay it no mind at all, really. Hopefully, playing my girlfriend and… all that it entailed didn’t make you uncomfortable or anything. I’m not doing this to perv on anybody, you know.”
“I know, and it went fine. You treated everyone in that bar with respect, and you didn’t let the policemen walk all over you. I consider it a success. I feel more at ease in playing that character now.”
You leave Jessica at her apartment. She waves at you.
You go back to the Atlantic Gateway. Tonight was definitely successful.
Well, things were joyful… but when you are actually interacting with criminals and sex traffickers, it might get far more sinister.
Well, not necessarily. You think back of what this man told you in the bar, to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, that is.
You wonder what kind of men they will be? And what the girls living in subjection to them will be like?
You become aware that humans are complex. You doubt that even the men doing something so horrible will be all bad. At least, you hope so.
You think that maybe it would have been simpler to simply impersonate a rich patron to have access to where Patricia is hidden. But then again, they might have some tricks up their sleeves to make sure she is not found. And if you do that, you would not be able to gather as much evidence to incriminate the group, and send them to jail.
Anyway, you’ll see how it goes. Let’s enjoy a good night’s sleep. After you wake up in the morning, you will go to Dalhousie University, to gather information about Patricia. Then afterwards, go back to the RCMP police station.
At 9AM, you are awakened by a knock on your hotel room door.
“Can I enter?”
After you agree, you see Gloria that enters with a plate.
“I’ve gotten you breakfast! You’ll need it for another hard day of work!”, she says smiling.
You appreciate the gesture. You stare at the meal, consisting of broiled eggs, generous slices of bacon, toasts with butter, a ripe banana… and unfortunately…
Yes, it is here… a cup of coffee.
You heave a sigh, thinking to yourself “She just doesn’t know, it’s not her fault.”
Louis: Thank you very much, Gloria. That will help. However, I’m not having any coffee. That stuff is harmful.
Gloria: What?
Ever since a Seventh-Day Adventist friend tried to evangelize to you, you’ve been exposed to the idea of caffeine being harmful and needing to be avoided at all costs, and you’ve appropriated it. You didn't end up adopting their religious beliefs, but they abhor coffee and caffeine in general, and it appealed to you. The world would be a much better place if people stopped taking coffee. He opposed alcohol as well, but that you only take very sparingly. Coffee however… people take many cups of that stuff every day without a second thought.
For the next ten minutes, Gloria gets to hear about your favorite drink, of which you drink several cups every day: gynostemma, also known as the ginseng from South China, or the “immortality herb”, due to its reputation as a powerful anti-aging herbal tea. Indeed, people in southern China where it is commonly drunk have very long life expectancy and surprisingly good health even in old age.
Gloria: Err… Ok, I guess. Cool.
She’s trying to be polite. She didn’t get it… yet. But eventually, you’re confident that she will.
You make tea for yourself, and convince her to try it.
After she drinks it:
“I guess I feel a little more relaxed now, thanks.”
That is the hook, you think. The adaptogenic faculties are starting to work. This is the herb that allows you to prosper and thrive!
After you’ve eaten the entire breakfast, and had your cups of gynostemma, you finally feel ready to start your day.
You tell the girls that you will go to Dalhousie university and do some shopping. They plan to just chill in their room.
After walking for about 20 minutes, you arrive at Schulich School of Law, the faculty of Law of Dalhousie university.
You enter, and look for the faculty office.
You enter and go to the Dean’s room, Howard Windhurst, whom you find working.
You knock, and a voice says “Yes? Please enter.”
You enter, and present yourself.
“Detective Marcoux, from the Sûreté du Québec. I’m working in cooperation with the RCMP.”
“Oh really? That is surprising. Hopefully, you’re enjoying your time in Halifax so far. I’m the dean at Schulich, Howard Windhurst. So how can I help you, detective?”
“This is about the Campbell situation. A most sensitive one. I guess I can share the specifics with you, but please keep it a secret.”
You tell him what you and the RCMP have planned. As you tell your tale, you see the look of shock and surprise on Mr. Windhurst. He intently listens to your every word.
“I see. A most ambitious plan. Yes, Miss Campbell’s disappearance was a shock to all of us, especially since we don’t exactly know how it happened. The RCMP thought she was approached by someone on campus, but that was never established. They already investigated, but that was almost a year ago. So if you want to interrogate someone whom you feel can tell you something useful, I’ll be more than glad to help you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Windhurst. I would like to speak to one of her teachers, perhaps one she was closest to. Maybe that teacher can also refer me to a student who was one of her friends. Well, I figure we have nothing to lose. I’ll make sure I am discreet as well.”
“Yes, I appreciate it. There are rumors that God forbid, she was recruited by sex traffickers. Of course, we wouldn’t want to sully Dalhousie’s good name. I fully trust your judgment, detective.
I recall based on last year, that her closest teacher was probably Roberta Steinke. She is giving a class right now, but by noon she should be free. I’ll go ahead and request for her to come meet you in her office after it has ended. You can accompany me, if you want.”
You agree. You and Mr. Windhurst walk through the faculty. As you walk in the campus, you see a few students looking at you with a puzzled look. Who is this man in a suit with the dean?
You arrive at Roberta’s class. The dean knock on the door. Then, you hear footsteps getting closer. Roberta opens the door. You see a woman in her late fourties or so, with long brown hair, and tiny glasses.
“Yes, Howard? You wanted to see me?”
“Sorry for the bother. (He whispers something in her ear).”
“Oh, of course, of course. In fact, I might bring Amy along with me, she’s in this class. It’s going to end in about 30 minutes.”
She turns her hear towards you.
“Please to meet you. You can go and wait for me in the faculty office, and then we’ll talk.”
You thank each other, then Roberta resumes her class. You and the dean walk back to the office. You thank him, apologize for the disruption, and wait in the office for Roberta to come.
After 35 minutes or so, she enters, with a young girl in her early twenties or so with gothic makeup, and long black hair. Roberta points to you.
You stand up and smile, and extend your hand.
“Hello to you both, I’m detective Marcoux. Let’s go in your office to have a talk.”
“I’m Amy. I’ll do my best to help you, detective Marcoux.”
You all enter Roberta’s office.
You ask them what kind of girl Patricia Campbell was. It seems, according to Roberta, that Patricia was studying law to please her father. She was a talented student, but her heart really wasn’t that much into it. She didn’t pay much attention in class and looked apathetic most of the times.
According to Amy, who was her closest friend in class, Patricia felt oppressed by her father, and that is part of why she chose to study far away from him, and the pressure that she would have felt if she would have stayed in the same city as her Prime Minister father. She didn’t enjoy it very much. She wanted to break free, but didn’t know how.
At some point, about a week before her disappearance, Amy noticed that she had expensive items that she didn’t have before. She had the latest smartphone, along with jewelry, and a coat. When Amy tried to ask her how she could afford it, as she had a small budget and was living in a dorm, Patricia didn’t want to elaborate.
At some point, she saw her speaking to an older man around campus from far away, but she didn’t really know who he was.
Then at some point she never came back.
“Hmmmm… sadly, these hints seem to point to a victim that was very vulnerable to sex traffickers. I’ll trust both of you to keep this a secret… but we’ve got it from a good source that this is indeed what happened to her. I’m here to help try to get her back.”
Amy: “Well, I wish you luck. Patricia was just a girl who wanted some enjoyment out of life. I hope she didn’t suffer too much. I hope she can get a normal life back. She deserves to be with people who will respect her, and not exploit her.”
Louis: “So Amy, according to you, if I ever meet her, what would be the best way to convince her that she is being exploited? And how should I approach her?”
Amy thinks about it for about 30 seconds, then speaks.
Amy: “She mostly doesn’t like condescension. She wants to be taken seriously. She doesn’t like to follow orders. You would need to appeal to her sense of independence and autonomy as an adult, and not come off as patronizing.”
You thank both women. They wish you the best of luck. Then, you are on your way.
When you are out of the campus, you call Jessica. She tells you to come to the RCMP station along with the trio, as Kyle, their infiltration specialist, has now arrived, and needs to speak to all of you.
You go back to the hotel to pick up the girls. The four of you hop into the Dodge Caravan, and you drive to downtown Halifax. After 10 grueling minutes spent trying to find a parking spot in Harbour Town, you finally do find one. Then all of you head to the police station. You arrive after a few minutes of walking.
You to go the receptionist, who tells you to go in.
You open the door, and see a man with long, slightly curly brown hair, a slightly elongated face, and a constant smile on his face.
“Oh, Louis! Bonjour mon ami, comment ça va?”
“Très bien, et vous? Vous êtes Kyle, j’imagine?”
“Oh, sorry Louis… my French pretty much stops there, haha. But it’s good to see you nevertheless. Oh, and hi girls. We’re very glad to have you on board.”
Patricia comes up, with the two police officers who were at the bar yesterday. The police officers look sheepish.
Louis: Oh come on guys, it was all in good fun for me. I hope you didn’t feel offended.
“No, we didn’t. Well, maybe a little. Anyway, all of you were great. If I wasn’t in on it, I would really have been convinced that you were a pimp. You were totally in character. You have the language, the mannerisms, everything nailed perfectly. You’re a good actor.”
Louis: Don’t flatter me. Glad to hear it.
The trio offers to disguise you and Jessica again. After 20 minutes, you come out, dressed as the bum and his girl. Kyle is pleasantly surprised.
“Wow, you look fantastic! You’ll totally blend in!”
Then, Kyle starts talking about the operation. He gives you some advice, and talks about logistics. He gives you fake ID cards, and to each of you a phone, for use in the operation.
Kyle: You know the best part? You can use it for personal business, if you’re by yourself. You don’t have to fear them stumbling on it.
Louis: But how, isn’t that risky?
Then Kyle shows you a special function to all the phones. In an obscure setting in the menus, there is an option for “second user.” Once you press it, everything changes.
Kyle: It’s like a brand new phone! It even has an IP-based phone service, and the SIM card is disabled if you are under the second profile, so you don’t have to worry about them seeing anything. They’ll never know.
Wow, that’s great! The girls are happy too.
In the end, you can keep that picture of your family with you, under the second profile.
Kyle keeps talking about the operation.
Then, René comes into the office where you guys are talking.
“It’s agent Stayner, our source. He says one of the pimps is ready to meet you. He would give you an appointment tonight, in a house they are renting in Truro, to discuss with you. Do you feel ready to do it?”
You, Jessica, and the trio look at each other. You are nervous. But, you need to try. You need to get over your fears of screwing up. You need to confront these people. You need to establish whatever rapport you can with them, to gain their trust.
Louis: Yes, René. We’ll go. Afterwards, I’ll tell you and Kyle how it went, and we’ll discuss the rest of our plan.
You go do some last-minute shopping. Then, finally, it is time. You, Jessica, and the trio enter the Dodge Caravan. Then, you go north.
You were under the impression that Truro was hours away, but in fact it’s only slightly more than an hour’s drive north.
You quickly arrive in view of Truro, Nova Scotia, this accursed hub of sex trafficking.
Hopefully, you can help Truro get rid of its infamous reputation.
“Can I enter?”
After you agree, you see Gloria that enters with a plate.
“I’ve gotten you breakfast! You’ll need it for another hard day of work!”, she says smiling.
You appreciate the gesture. You stare at the meal, consisting of broiled eggs, generous slices of bacon, toasts with butter, a ripe banana… and unfortunately…
Yes, it is here… a cup of coffee.
You heave a sigh, thinking to yourself “She just doesn’t know, it’s not her fault.”
Louis: Thank you very much, Gloria. That will help. However, I’m not having any coffee. That stuff is harmful.
Gloria: What?
Ever since a Seventh-Day Adventist friend tried to evangelize to you, you’ve been exposed to the idea of caffeine being harmful and needing to be avoided at all costs, and you’ve appropriated it. You didn't end up adopting their religious beliefs, but they abhor coffee and caffeine in general, and it appealed to you. The world would be a much better place if people stopped taking coffee. He opposed alcohol as well, but that you only take very sparingly. Coffee however… people take many cups of that stuff every day without a second thought.
For the next ten minutes, Gloria gets to hear about your favorite drink, of which you drink several cups every day: gynostemma, also known as the ginseng from South China, or the “immortality herb”, due to its reputation as a powerful anti-aging herbal tea. Indeed, people in southern China where it is commonly drunk have very long life expectancy and surprisingly good health even in old age.
Gloria: Err… Ok, I guess. Cool.
She’s trying to be polite. She didn’t get it… yet. But eventually, you’re confident that she will.
You make tea for yourself, and convince her to try it.
After she drinks it:
“I guess I feel a little more relaxed now, thanks.”
That is the hook, you think. The adaptogenic faculties are starting to work. This is the herb that allows you to prosper and thrive!
After you’ve eaten the entire breakfast, and had your cups of gynostemma, you finally feel ready to start your day.
You tell the girls that you will go to Dalhousie university and do some shopping. They plan to just chill in their room.
After walking for about 20 minutes, you arrive at Schulich School of Law, the faculty of Law of Dalhousie university.
You enter, and look for the faculty office.
You enter and go to the Dean’s room, Howard Windhurst, whom you find working.
You knock, and a voice says “Yes? Please enter.”
You enter, and present yourself.
“Detective Marcoux, from the Sûreté du Québec. I’m working in cooperation with the RCMP.”
“Oh really? That is surprising. Hopefully, you’re enjoying your time in Halifax so far. I’m the dean at Schulich, Howard Windhurst. So how can I help you, detective?”
“This is about the Campbell situation. A most sensitive one. I guess I can share the specifics with you, but please keep it a secret.”
You tell him what you and the RCMP have planned. As you tell your tale, you see the look of shock and surprise on Mr. Windhurst. He intently listens to your every word.
“I see. A most ambitious plan. Yes, Miss Campbell’s disappearance was a shock to all of us, especially since we don’t exactly know how it happened. The RCMP thought she was approached by someone on campus, but that was never established. They already investigated, but that was almost a year ago. So if you want to interrogate someone whom you feel can tell you something useful, I’ll be more than glad to help you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Windhurst. I would like to speak to one of her teachers, perhaps one she was closest to. Maybe that teacher can also refer me to a student who was one of her friends. Well, I figure we have nothing to lose. I’ll make sure I am discreet as well.”
“Yes, I appreciate it. There are rumors that God forbid, she was recruited by sex traffickers. Of course, we wouldn’t want to sully Dalhousie’s good name. I fully trust your judgment, detective.
I recall based on last year, that her closest teacher was probably Roberta Steinke. She is giving a class right now, but by noon she should be free. I’ll go ahead and request for her to come meet you in her office after it has ended. You can accompany me, if you want.”
You agree. You and Mr. Windhurst walk through the faculty. As you walk in the campus, you see a few students looking at you with a puzzled look. Who is this man in a suit with the dean?
You arrive at Roberta’s class. The dean knock on the door. Then, you hear footsteps getting closer. Roberta opens the door. You see a woman in her late fourties or so, with long brown hair, and tiny glasses.
“Yes, Howard? You wanted to see me?”
“Sorry for the bother. (He whispers something in her ear).”
“Oh, of course, of course. In fact, I might bring Amy along with me, she’s in this class. It’s going to end in about 30 minutes.”
She turns her hear towards you.
“Please to meet you. You can go and wait for me in the faculty office, and then we’ll talk.”
You thank each other, then Roberta resumes her class. You and the dean walk back to the office. You thank him, apologize for the disruption, and wait in the office for Roberta to come.
After 35 minutes or so, she enters, with a young girl in her early twenties or so with gothic makeup, and long black hair. Roberta points to you.
You stand up and smile, and extend your hand.
“Hello to you both, I’m detective Marcoux. Let’s go in your office to have a talk.”
“I’m Amy. I’ll do my best to help you, detective Marcoux.”
You all enter Roberta’s office.
You ask them what kind of girl Patricia Campbell was. It seems, according to Roberta, that Patricia was studying law to please her father. She was a talented student, but her heart really wasn’t that much into it. She didn’t pay much attention in class and looked apathetic most of the times.
According to Amy, who was her closest friend in class, Patricia felt oppressed by her father, and that is part of why she chose to study far away from him, and the pressure that she would have felt if she would have stayed in the same city as her Prime Minister father. She didn’t enjoy it very much. She wanted to break free, but didn’t know how.
At some point, about a week before her disappearance, Amy noticed that she had expensive items that she didn’t have before. She had the latest smartphone, along with jewelry, and a coat. When Amy tried to ask her how she could afford it, as she had a small budget and was living in a dorm, Patricia didn’t want to elaborate.
At some point, she saw her speaking to an older man around campus from far away, but she didn’t really know who he was.
Then at some point she never came back.
“Hmmmm… sadly, these hints seem to point to a victim that was very vulnerable to sex traffickers. I’ll trust both of you to keep this a secret… but we’ve got it from a good source that this is indeed what happened to her. I’m here to help try to get her back.”
Amy: “Well, I wish you luck. Patricia was just a girl who wanted some enjoyment out of life. I hope she didn’t suffer too much. I hope she can get a normal life back. She deserves to be with people who will respect her, and not exploit her.”
Louis: “So Amy, according to you, if I ever meet her, what would be the best way to convince her that she is being exploited? And how should I approach her?”
Amy thinks about it for about 30 seconds, then speaks.
Amy: “She mostly doesn’t like condescension. She wants to be taken seriously. She doesn’t like to follow orders. You would need to appeal to her sense of independence and autonomy as an adult, and not come off as patronizing.”
You thank both women. They wish you the best of luck. Then, you are on your way.
When you are out of the campus, you call Jessica. She tells you to come to the RCMP station along with the trio, as Kyle, their infiltration specialist, has now arrived, and needs to speak to all of you.
You go back to the hotel to pick up the girls. The four of you hop into the Dodge Caravan, and you drive to downtown Halifax. After 10 grueling minutes spent trying to find a parking spot in Harbour Town, you finally do find one. Then all of you head to the police station. You arrive after a few minutes of walking.
You to go the receptionist, who tells you to go in.
You open the door, and see a man with long, slightly curly brown hair, a slightly elongated face, and a constant smile on his face.
“Oh, Louis! Bonjour mon ami, comment ça va?”
“Très bien, et vous? Vous êtes Kyle, j’imagine?”
“Oh, sorry Louis… my French pretty much stops there, haha. But it’s good to see you nevertheless. Oh, and hi girls. We’re very glad to have you on board.”
Patricia comes up, with the two police officers who were at the bar yesterday. The police officers look sheepish.
Louis: Oh come on guys, it was all in good fun for me. I hope you didn’t feel offended.
“No, we didn’t. Well, maybe a little. Anyway, all of you were great. If I wasn’t in on it, I would really have been convinced that you were a pimp. You were totally in character. You have the language, the mannerisms, everything nailed perfectly. You’re a good actor.”
Louis: Don’t flatter me. Glad to hear it.
The trio offers to disguise you and Jessica again. After 20 minutes, you come out, dressed as the bum and his girl. Kyle is pleasantly surprised.
“Wow, you look fantastic! You’ll totally blend in!”
Then, Kyle starts talking about the operation. He gives you some advice, and talks about logistics. He gives you fake ID cards, and to each of you a phone, for use in the operation.
Kyle: You know the best part? You can use it for personal business, if you’re by yourself. You don’t have to fear them stumbling on it.
Louis: But how, isn’t that risky?
Then Kyle shows you a special function to all the phones. In an obscure setting in the menus, there is an option for “second user.” Once you press it, everything changes.
Kyle: It’s like a brand new phone! It even has an IP-based phone service, and the SIM card is disabled if you are under the second profile, so you don’t have to worry about them seeing anything. They’ll never know.
Wow, that’s great! The girls are happy too.
In the end, you can keep that picture of your family with you, under the second profile.
Kyle keeps talking about the operation.
Then, René comes into the office where you guys are talking.
“It’s agent Stayner, our source. He says one of the pimps is ready to meet you. He would give you an appointment tonight, in a house they are renting in Truro, to discuss with you. Do you feel ready to do it?”
You, Jessica, and the trio look at each other. You are nervous. But, you need to try. You need to get over your fears of screwing up. You need to confront these people. You need to establish whatever rapport you can with them, to gain their trust.
Louis: Yes, René. We’ll go. Afterwards, I’ll tell you and Kyle how it went, and we’ll discuss the rest of our plan.
You go do some last-minute shopping. Then, finally, it is time. You, Jessica, and the trio enter the Dodge Caravan. Then, you go north.
You were under the impression that Truro was hours away, but in fact it’s only slightly more than an hour’s drive north.
You quickly arrive in view of Truro, Nova Scotia, this accursed hub of sex trafficking.
Hopefully, you can help Truro get rid of its infamous reputation.
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Truro is a very small and simple town, that acts as kind of a hub for Nova Scotia, because it is located centrally. It's also pretty centrally located when it comes to Moncton, the biggest city in New Brunswick. Because of all this, it has more hotels than usual for a city of this size, which you guess helps to conduct these kinds of "activities".
You stop and on the encrypted app, you have a message from agent Nathan Stayner. René showed you a picture of him at the police station before you left. He's a very young man with light, short brown hair in his mid-twenties. Probably a rookie cop. But then again, his inexperience might be just what is needed for this sort of thing, because sex traffickers around the same age will have a lot of common ground with him.
He gives you an address in a fairly isolated road. He says it’s a small white house. One of the pimps in the “Rascals” wants to meet you, and potentially discuss business with you.
You are nervous the more you know you get close to the house. Eventually, you see it. You see there are two cars in the entrance.
You park. You look at everyone else. The girls look at you with determination, conveying to you that they are ready and eager. You can’t very well let them down, can you? Your nervous eyes now become bold as well.
Whoever these guys are, however cruel they are… you will not be intimidated by them! They will not win!
You all get off the car. You knock on the door.
Someone quickly opens.
“Hi, glad to meet you! Come on in!”
In front of you stands a very young man, who looks about 22-23. He has blond hair and a little bit of acne. He has the mannerisms of a little gangster, but looks surprisingly friendly.
“Julien, is that it?”
“Yup, that’s right. Haven’t got your name yet, sorry.”
“Oh, I’m Ian. Really thankful that you and all the girls could come here. Sorry if you’ve had to deal with a long ride. Anyway, come on in. Ryan is here too.”
(By Ryan, he means agent Stayner)
You enter the living room. There is a big HDTV turned on, that plays a rap music video. “Ryan” stares at you.
“Yo Julien, what’s up?”
“’Sup Ryan? Everything’s alright?”
“Yeah man, good to have you.”
Ian looks and smile.
“Awesome, glad we’re getting along!”
He of course turns towards the pretty ladies that enter the room. He looks pleasantly surprised.
“Wow girls, you’re stunning! I must admit, I heard Quebecoises were the best-looking girls in Canada. You’re definitely living up to it!”
Bruno: well, Amanda, Gloria and Maria here are Quebecois, like me. But Elsie here is from Halifax. She’s my girl. I met her because she was studying at Laval University in Quebec.
Ian: Ok cool. But you’re a looker too, I must admit!
He invites the girls to sit on the couches, then he heads into the rooms. There are already some girls there.
“Hey girls, they’ve arrived! You should come and meet them! I need to have a chat with Julien!”
Three other girls also come out. A red-headed one, a black one, and one with blond hair. They seem pleasantly surprised to have company. All the girls start talking to each other. They seem to bond pretty much instantly, which is definitely good.
Ian: Ok, please come, let’s talk a little business.
Ian invites you into one of the rooms. But already, you feel much better than you did before.
You thought the pimp would be an intimidating figure, a though, muscular, cynical guy. But obviously, although he probably has a bad side that he uses to control the girls, he looks anything but it.
You’re in your late thirties, while he is very young. In fact, he seems to be very admirative of you. He tries to act though, but he doesn’t look so confident. He seems to almost look up to you, to see you as a mentor. Obviously, he thinks you’ve been in this business for much longer than him. That he shouldn’t try to pull any punches, because you’ll know.
That isn’t so surprising, because usually, the ones who are reckless enough to engage in a sordid, risky business like this, tend to be the young ones.
Ian: “Sorry, the boss isn’t here. He won’t be around for a while. He’s on an important mission, guarding something important. Maybe I’ll talk about it to you later. Ryan told me that business is pretty good where you're from, and you're looking to expand east, and to help us expand West, which is definitely an interesting proposal. But for now, you’ll deal with me, not with the boss. And you’ve come at the right time, because I could use your help.”
Julien: “Good to hear it. But before we start talking business, I want to make something very clear. I’ll only say this once."
Ian: “Go ahead, speak your mind.
Julien: “These girls, they are my girls. They will follow my orders, and no one else’s. No offense. I am very protective of them. So you get it… pas touche.”
You take a sinister confident look, summoning back your memories of playing villains in school plays.
Ian looks a little taken off guard, even intimidated. But he smiles and laughs quickly.
Ian: “Ok sure dude, I respect that. You’ve had the courtesy of coming here to meet us as well. We’ll let you manage them. It won’t be a problem.”
Julien: “Glad we’re on the same page. I also brought a little introduction gift.”
You hand him an envelope. He opens it. Inside it, there are multiple bills of $20, adorned with the picture of King Charles.
Ian: “Wow, you sure have friends in high places! Hello Charles! Anyway, thank you. Much respect to you. But now, I could use your help with something, and later we’ll discuss our plans over the next few weeks. Is that fine with you?”
Julien: “I am all ears. What do you need my help for?”
Ian: “You see, we have a girl in a nearby hotel. She’s been working for us for a while. But as of late, I’m pretty sure that she’s been keeping money for herself, money from her customers that she’s supposed to give to me. When I bring it up with her, she just gives me some attitude and denies it. So I could take care of it, teach her a lesson… but since you’ve arrived, it seems like an ideal task for you, isn’t it? After all, I presume you’re used to dealing with bitches who don’t know their place.”
You smile smugly.
Julien: “No problem, just give me her room number. I’ll go deal with her right away. She’ll know that she can’t pull this s*** with us. But while I am there, I expect you to hold your end of the deal. This is not something you’ll do to any of my girls. If I come back, and I hear they’ve received anything from you but stellar treatment, I’ll be really, really pissed. Are we clear?”
Ian looks a little worried, but again, he cools off quickly.
Ian: “Oh, of course! You can trust me. I hope things will go well with this girl. Her name’s Tiffany. And you know... if you're horny, or if you want to f*** her really, really hard to teach her who's boss, feel free to. You've earned it, you must be tired after such a long trip too.”
He tells you this with a sleazy, gleeful look. You smile... but you struggle not to cringe. How disgusting. He's being truly pathetic right now. If this is his idea of a "gift", it's not one you want.
Ian tells you that she is at the Traveler’s Inn, room 305. Traveler’s Inn is not far away, only ten minutes or so.
You salute everyone, and head into your car. You see Ian talking to the girls as you leave, seemingly trying to show off.
As you head into your car, you see a message in the encrypted app. It’s from Ryan.
“You can generally trust Ian, he only very rarely gets upset. I’ll keep close watch on the girls too. Good luck handling this task.”
30 seconds after, the message self-destructs. Clever. This way, they won’t ever be able to pry on your messages. You thank Ryan.
Then, you head to the Traveler’s Inn.
You head into the inn, and take the elevator up to the third floor.
As you see room 305, and knock on it, you hope that you won’t have to use too much cruelty with Tiffany. Well, in order to leave a strong impression on her, one that she will convey to Ian later, you don’t really have a choice to.
Hopefully, this won’t last too long, and soon enough, Tiffany can be freed.
“Y… yeah? Who are you?”
“Ian sent me.”
“Ok… you can enter…”
You open the door...
You stop and on the encrypted app, you have a message from agent Nathan Stayner. René showed you a picture of him at the police station before you left. He's a very young man with light, short brown hair in his mid-twenties. Probably a rookie cop. But then again, his inexperience might be just what is needed for this sort of thing, because sex traffickers around the same age will have a lot of common ground with him.
He gives you an address in a fairly isolated road. He says it’s a small white house. One of the pimps in the “Rascals” wants to meet you, and potentially discuss business with you.
You are nervous the more you know you get close to the house. Eventually, you see it. You see there are two cars in the entrance.
You park. You look at everyone else. The girls look at you with determination, conveying to you that they are ready and eager. You can’t very well let them down, can you? Your nervous eyes now become bold as well.
Whoever these guys are, however cruel they are… you will not be intimidated by them! They will not win!
You all get off the car. You knock on the door.
Someone quickly opens.
“Hi, glad to meet you! Come on in!”
In front of you stands a very young man, who looks about 22-23. He has blond hair and a little bit of acne. He has the mannerisms of a little gangster, but looks surprisingly friendly.
“Julien, is that it?”
“Yup, that’s right. Haven’t got your name yet, sorry.”
“Oh, I’m Ian. Really thankful that you and all the girls could come here. Sorry if you’ve had to deal with a long ride. Anyway, come on in. Ryan is here too.”
(By Ryan, he means agent Stayner)
You enter the living room. There is a big HDTV turned on, that plays a rap music video. “Ryan” stares at you.
“Yo Julien, what’s up?”
“’Sup Ryan? Everything’s alright?”
“Yeah man, good to have you.”
Ian looks and smile.
“Awesome, glad we’re getting along!”
He of course turns towards the pretty ladies that enter the room. He looks pleasantly surprised.
“Wow girls, you’re stunning! I must admit, I heard Quebecoises were the best-looking girls in Canada. You’re definitely living up to it!”
Bruno: well, Amanda, Gloria and Maria here are Quebecois, like me. But Elsie here is from Halifax. She’s my girl. I met her because she was studying at Laval University in Quebec.
Ian: Ok cool. But you’re a looker too, I must admit!
He invites the girls to sit on the couches, then he heads into the rooms. There are already some girls there.
“Hey girls, they’ve arrived! You should come and meet them! I need to have a chat with Julien!”
Three other girls also come out. A red-headed one, a black one, and one with blond hair. They seem pleasantly surprised to have company. All the girls start talking to each other. They seem to bond pretty much instantly, which is definitely good.
Ian: Ok, please come, let’s talk a little business.
Ian invites you into one of the rooms. But already, you feel much better than you did before.
You thought the pimp would be an intimidating figure, a though, muscular, cynical guy. But obviously, although he probably has a bad side that he uses to control the girls, he looks anything but it.
You’re in your late thirties, while he is very young. In fact, he seems to be very admirative of you. He tries to act though, but he doesn’t look so confident. He seems to almost look up to you, to see you as a mentor. Obviously, he thinks you’ve been in this business for much longer than him. That he shouldn’t try to pull any punches, because you’ll know.
That isn’t so surprising, because usually, the ones who are reckless enough to engage in a sordid, risky business like this, tend to be the young ones.
Ian: “Sorry, the boss isn’t here. He won’t be around for a while. He’s on an important mission, guarding something important. Maybe I’ll talk about it to you later. Ryan told me that business is pretty good where you're from, and you're looking to expand east, and to help us expand West, which is definitely an interesting proposal. But for now, you’ll deal with me, not with the boss. And you’ve come at the right time, because I could use your help.”
Julien: “Good to hear it. But before we start talking business, I want to make something very clear. I’ll only say this once."
Ian: “Go ahead, speak your mind.
Julien: “These girls, they are my girls. They will follow my orders, and no one else’s. No offense. I am very protective of them. So you get it… pas touche.”
You take a sinister confident look, summoning back your memories of playing villains in school plays.
Ian looks a little taken off guard, even intimidated. But he smiles and laughs quickly.
Ian: “Ok sure dude, I respect that. You’ve had the courtesy of coming here to meet us as well. We’ll let you manage them. It won’t be a problem.”
Julien: “Glad we’re on the same page. I also brought a little introduction gift.”
You hand him an envelope. He opens it. Inside it, there are multiple bills of $20, adorned with the picture of King Charles.
Ian: “Wow, you sure have friends in high places! Hello Charles! Anyway, thank you. Much respect to you. But now, I could use your help with something, and later we’ll discuss our plans over the next few weeks. Is that fine with you?”
Julien: “I am all ears. What do you need my help for?”
Ian: “You see, we have a girl in a nearby hotel. She’s been working for us for a while. But as of late, I’m pretty sure that she’s been keeping money for herself, money from her customers that she’s supposed to give to me. When I bring it up with her, she just gives me some attitude and denies it. So I could take care of it, teach her a lesson… but since you’ve arrived, it seems like an ideal task for you, isn’t it? After all, I presume you’re used to dealing with bitches who don’t know their place.”
You smile smugly.
Julien: “No problem, just give me her room number. I’ll go deal with her right away. She’ll know that she can’t pull this s*** with us. But while I am there, I expect you to hold your end of the deal. This is not something you’ll do to any of my girls. If I come back, and I hear they’ve received anything from you but stellar treatment, I’ll be really, really pissed. Are we clear?”
Ian looks a little worried, but again, he cools off quickly.
Ian: “Oh, of course! You can trust me. I hope things will go well with this girl. Her name’s Tiffany. And you know... if you're horny, or if you want to f*** her really, really hard to teach her who's boss, feel free to. You've earned it, you must be tired after such a long trip too.”
He tells you this with a sleazy, gleeful look. You smile... but you struggle not to cringe. How disgusting. He's being truly pathetic right now. If this is his idea of a "gift", it's not one you want.
Ian tells you that she is at the Traveler’s Inn, room 305. Traveler’s Inn is not far away, only ten minutes or so.
You salute everyone, and head into your car. You see Ian talking to the girls as you leave, seemingly trying to show off.
As you head into your car, you see a message in the encrypted app. It’s from Ryan.
“You can generally trust Ian, he only very rarely gets upset. I’ll keep close watch on the girls too. Good luck handling this task.”
30 seconds after, the message self-destructs. Clever. This way, they won’t ever be able to pry on your messages. You thank Ryan.
Then, you head to the Traveler’s Inn.
You head into the inn, and take the elevator up to the third floor.
As you see room 305, and knock on it, you hope that you won’t have to use too much cruelty with Tiffany. Well, in order to leave a strong impression on her, one that she will convey to Ian later, you don’t really have a choice to.
Hopefully, this won’t last too long, and soon enough, Tiffany can be freed.
“Y… yeah? Who are you?”
“Ian sent me.”
“Ok… you can enter…”
You open the door...
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You push the door open. The hotel room is very messy. Empty pizza boxes, styrofoam coffee cups and grocery plastic bags litter everywhere. The TV is open to the news.
On the bed lies a young girl with long brown hair, who looks confused, jaded, and like she doesn't get very much sleep. A truly sad spectacle.
What is even more tragic to you is how young she looks. She looks about 19-20 years old or so. So young, and the Rascals already almost ruined her life. She could be your daughter, in fact. For a moment, you think of how upset you would be if your own daughter, Stéphanie, would one day fall prey to such shameless people. You dare not even think of what you would do to them.
You have to try very hard not to look at her with sorrow. Everything inside you makes you want to say "Come, I've come to rescue you! You will never have to see these horrible people ever again. Testify against them, and they will be sent right to jail where they belong."
But alas, it is not possible, at least not yet. First, because you would permanently lose all traces of Patricia, as soon as the boss who is presumably standing guard over her in a secret location, learns that his group has been dismantled.
Secondly, because it is far from certain that she would cooperate and turn against the Rascals. She has no doubt been brainwashed. Isolated in dark hotel rooms like these for very long times. Made to believe that the whole world hates her, and that the pimps are her only allies. That all she needs to do is to help them with the expenses.
As much as it pains you, you must summon all your courage to come off as a villain to her, not as a hero. You tell yourself, it's only a matter of time. This girl will get her freedom soon enough. You only have to endure for a little while, Tiffany.
Tiffany: Who are you?
Julien: Ian sent me. I'm his new associate, we're looking to expand West. He told me you've been keeping money to yourself, instead of giving it to us like you should.
You take a menacing look.
Julien: That's not good, is it?
Tiffany looks upset... but her anger is intermingled with fear. She will not hold for very long, and needs to be pushed just a little more.
Tiffany: That's... that's not true! Plus, he doesn't give me enough to eat. I need to pay for basic expenses too! I work hard for that money.
Julien: Tiffany... you don't get it. We're the ones who manage that, not you. ARE WE CLEAR?
Tiffany looks absolutely terrified. How wouldn't she? A man she doesn't know, tall and built like a colossus, who looks truly evil and upset at her, is standing in front of her.
Tiffany: Oh.. ok... I won't anymore. Here's some of the money I haven't spent yet. But please make sure to give me enough to eat.
Julien: That's better. Well, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it? Still... I don't think I can let you off the hook that easy. I don't like bitches who don't know their place. Hmmmm... what should I do...
Tiffany looks absolutely terrified. You have trouble not tearing up. They're keeping her famished, and they're the ones who complain. The nerve Ian has! For sure, you've never had such a difficult role to play. But you can't let up! The Rascals fully have her under their conditioning. You have to toy with her mind as well, go from very cruel, to somewhat kinder, in order to sway her from them to you.
Tiffany: You're not from around here are you? You sound like a Quebecer. You must be tired after such a long trip. Let me take care of you a little...
Julien: Now you're talking, girl. You seem to realize you need to be taught a good lesson. To be taught who's the boss here. And yes, I'm horny as hell, and you're hot. Well, what are you waiting for?
As you tell her these words, she starts to undress...
But of course, you don't intend to actually have sex with her. Now, you must think of a way to turn it down, while remaining in character and coming off dominant.
A)You've bought a whip earlier today. Pretext that instead of having sex, you intend to want to use your new whip.
B)Pretend to turn it down because you suspect she is riddled with STDs.
C)Pretend to turn it down because you are in a good mood today.
Nevill baud ERYFKRAD hello friend
On the bed lies a young girl with long brown hair, who looks confused, jaded, and like she doesn't get very much sleep. A truly sad spectacle.
What is even more tragic to you is how young she looks. She looks about 19-20 years old or so. So young, and the Rascals already almost ruined her life. She could be your daughter, in fact. For a moment, you think of how upset you would be if your own daughter, Stéphanie, would one day fall prey to such shameless people. You dare not even think of what you would do to them.
You have to try very hard not to look at her with sorrow. Everything inside you makes you want to say "Come, I've come to rescue you! You will never have to see these horrible people ever again. Testify against them, and they will be sent right to jail where they belong."
But alas, it is not possible, at least not yet. First, because you would permanently lose all traces of Patricia, as soon as the boss who is presumably standing guard over her in a secret location, learns that his group has been dismantled.
Secondly, because it is far from certain that she would cooperate and turn against the Rascals. She has no doubt been brainwashed. Isolated in dark hotel rooms like these for very long times. Made to believe that the whole world hates her, and that the pimps are her only allies. That all she needs to do is to help them with the expenses.
As much as it pains you, you must summon all your courage to come off as a villain to her, not as a hero. You tell yourself, it's only a matter of time. This girl will get her freedom soon enough. You only have to endure for a little while, Tiffany.
Tiffany: Who are you?
Julien: Ian sent me. I'm his new associate, we're looking to expand West. He told me you've been keeping money to yourself, instead of giving it to us like you should.
You take a menacing look.
Julien: That's not good, is it?
Tiffany looks upset... but her anger is intermingled with fear. She will not hold for very long, and needs to be pushed just a little more.
Tiffany: That's... that's not true! Plus, he doesn't give me enough to eat. I need to pay for basic expenses too! I work hard for that money.
Julien: Tiffany... you don't get it. We're the ones who manage that, not you. ARE WE CLEAR?
Tiffany looks absolutely terrified. How wouldn't she? A man she doesn't know, tall and built like a colossus, who looks truly evil and upset at her, is standing in front of her.
Tiffany: Oh.. ok... I won't anymore. Here's some of the money I haven't spent yet. But please make sure to give me enough to eat.
Julien: That's better. Well, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it? Still... I don't think I can let you off the hook that easy. I don't like bitches who don't know their place. Hmmmm... what should I do...
Tiffany looks absolutely terrified. You have trouble not tearing up. They're keeping her famished, and they're the ones who complain. The nerve Ian has! For sure, you've never had such a difficult role to play. But you can't let up! The Rascals fully have her under their conditioning. You have to toy with her mind as well, go from very cruel, to somewhat kinder, in order to sway her from them to you.
Tiffany: You're not from around here are you? You sound like a Quebecer. You must be tired after such a long trip. Let me take care of you a little...
Julien: Now you're talking, girl. You seem to realize you need to be taught a good lesson. To be taught who's the boss here. And yes, I'm horny as hell, and you're hot. Well, what are you waiting for?
As you tell her these words, she starts to undress...
But of course, you don't intend to actually have sex with her. Now, you must think of a way to turn it down, while remaining in character and coming off dominant.
A)You've bought a whip earlier today. Pretext that instead of having sex, you intend to want to use your new whip.
B)Pretend to turn it down because you suspect she is riddled with STDs.
C)Pretend to turn it down because you are in a good mood today.
Nevill baud ERYFKRAD hello friend
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