Kelly Michaels (26) was an employee of Terrel & Squib who encountered an Orpheus team four months ago as they attempted to access a ghost's memories for a client (see mission file #0643). Ms. Michaels was already disgusted with T&S' cavalier attitudes towards ghosts, and made contact with our agents shortly thereafter. She offered her services to us, originally as an employee (meaning she would leave T&S), but she is more valuable as a mole. Ms. Michaels has been slowly feeding us information ever since. Another informant within T&S, however, tells us that Ms. Michaels is under investigation and her cover is likely in jeopardy. That in mind, we must contact Ms. Michaels, ascertain if she knows how her cover was blown and if it can be salvaged.

Ms. Michaels is a skimmer. Before joining Terrel & Squib, she worked for a company called Professional Building Services, clearing away hazardous materials and cleaning up after construction crews. Several years ago, she suffered what should have been a fatal case of chemical fume inhalation after working in an enclosed area with toxic cleaning agents, but survived after prolonged hospital treatment (she points to this incident as her "trigger" to see ghosts, though T&S actually trained her to project). She is knowledgeable about industrial practices, particularly with regards to chemicals and acids, and can operate heavy machinery like forklifts. She transmits information to us once a week via the Internet. Usually the information is pertinent to T&S policy, practice and operations (and has on several other occasions allowed us to scoop work out from under T&S). She aggressively pursues advancement, in order that she might obtain pure samples of the drugs T&S uses to facilitate projecting.

Last night something interrupted Ms. Michaels' communication just as she finalized plans for tomorrow's meeting. The interruption in communication is untraceable, and we have no reason to assume it was anything other than a hiccup in the transmission (other than the general suspicion associated with this line of work). Obviously this development puts a certain degree of risk in the mission. Stay in contact at all times, and use extreme caution, especially when moving as spooks. Terrel & Squib have evinced special tactics and equipment against ghosts and projected entities in the past (see Intel).

Mission Parameters

You are to make contact with Ms. Michaels at the North Bend Drive-in Theater. The theater has been closed for some time, and is far enough outside any dense population center that you shouldn’t run any real risk of being followed. Your meeting is for tomorrow night at 11:00 PM. The last transmission between Ms. Michaels and Orpheus was interrupted, however, so we do not know if she intends to project or go solid, so you should prepare for both eventualities. Likewise, because of the recent communications difficulty, be prepared for trouble; ensure nobody shadows you to the rendezvous point and have ready and fast transportation waiting. If you even suspect Ms. Michaels cover is broken, take her and return to Orpheus immediately (calling for backup if necessary).

Intel

Terrel & Squib’s usual MO is to send in agents in black hummers, armed with stun guns, small handguns and spook-lethal ammo. Likewise, Ms. Michaels’ intel indicates they can detect spooks through Kirlian goggles, and may even be able to incarcerate ghosts and projected entities.

If T&S plans to ambush you at the meeting, however, they will no doubt arrive ahead of time. Preliminary intelligence at the site reports no unusual activity, though T&S is not know for initiating well thought-out plans (they tend to show up and improvise). This makes the mission doubly dangerous, since we have no idea how much “safe time” you have upon contacting Ms. Michaels. If you feel necessary to take Ms. Michaels to a safer location once the meeting begins, then do so.

Approach Ms. Michaels as an Orpheus agent, but there is a always the possibility that her loyalties have reverted back to T&S. If this proves the case, then capture her. The 1996 Economic Espionage Act is quite clear in matters involving corporate intelligence, and Orpheus cannot afford any potential backlash in this matter. If this proves impossible, inform Orpheus of the situation immediately, and evacuate the area (if she has turned, it is likely the meeting is an ambush).

Additional Information

It is imperative that the crucible use all the skills available to them to be as cautious and undetectable as possible. While some methods, such as horror usage will always attract attention, others may not. Keep horror usage to a minimum if at all possible.