Plum Island

Thursday, July 1, 2004, 4:10 a.m. EDT

Hidden Laboratory, Plum Island, New York

As the klaxon rang, MICHAEL took the probes that had been stuck into the crimson goo and detached them from some electrical equipment. MORGAN picked up the canister with the goo. All three agents ran out of the laboratory, still wearing their hazmat suits.

They ran down the corridor. A half a dozen doors lined each side of the hallway. Most of the doors were solid Plexiglas and led to laboratories, each with a glass wall so that observers in the hall could see into the lab. One of the doors, though, was solid. It opened into a storage room with shelves full of chemicals. The agents slipped into this room. MORGAN pulled out his fake can of Barbisol that he bought at the spy store. The can had six metal tubes in it. MORGAN and MICHAEL filled three of the six tubes with the crimson goo and left the rest in the canister.

MAYA realized that they hadn't injected the female researcher with the blue liquid. MAYA checked the corridor. The alarm still sounded but no one had, as yet, come to investigate. They left the storage room and went back to the lab where they found the canister.

MORGAN placed the canister back on the laboratory table and MICHAEL put back the metal probes. They pulled the researcher out of the cage. MAYA and MICHAEL pointed guns at her. MORGAN pulled out a syringe of blue liquid. MICHAEL told her to stick out her arm. She shied away. MORGAN tried to grab her, but she fended him off. MICHAEL pointed the gun at her head and threatened to shoot her. Reluctantly she stuck out her arm. MICHAEL grabbed it and held it still while MAYA continued to train her gun on the woman. MORGAN injected the researcher with the liquid, leaving him with only two doses. He then injected her with a sedative to knock her unconscious until the blue fluid kicked in. They ran out of the lab, leaving the canister and the probes on the table.

As soon as they got into the corridor they heard someone charging up the same stairs that they, themselves, had ascended earlier that night. They realized that their way out was blocked. They looked around for another exit.

The stairs they came up was at one end of the corridor, the far end from where they were currently standing. The agents noticed a door at the closer end of the corridor. They ran for the door in their hazmat "bunny suits" as quickly as they could. As they guessed, the door led to a stairway. They ran up the stairs. MAYA stopped them. She heard someone in the stairwell. They listened. The sounds were above them, receding. Someone was probably exiting the building. The agents continued running up the stairs.

The stairs rose to a landing and kept going up. There was a door off the landing. The agents peaked out the door. They saw a corridor identical to the one they had just come from. They continued up the stairs.

The stairs ended at a door that required a swipe card to open. Using the card he took from one of the unconscious guards, MORGAN swiped it and the door unlocked. The room beyond resembled an airlock. There were benches to sit on, and hooks and cubbies for equipment. A couple of hazmat suits hung from hooks. At the opposite end of the airlock was another door with a card reader. The agents ran through the room and swiped the guard's card to open the door.

On the other side of this door was a large room split in half, left and right. Each side contained metal lockers, and a communal shower. A sign indicated "Men" on the left and "Women" on the right. The agents ran through the men's side. They encountered another locked door and another card reader. MORGAN swiped the card again. In front of them was a second airlock, identical to the first except that it was completely empty. They passed the guard's card through the card reader.

The door opened onto a stairwell leading up. The walls, though, were a different color. Instead of the pale green of the secret lab, these were an industrial light beige tone. A heavy metal door with a lever stood in front of them. MICHAEL opened it. The sound of heavy machinery hit them. The room was well lit. It contained boilers and electricity generators. MICHAEL closed the door. MORGAN and MAYA, meanwhile, recognized where they were: they were in the basement of the main building of the official Plum Island facility. They were now out of the secret lab.

MORGAN, MAYA, and MICHAEL quickly climbed the stairs, afraid that they were still being chased. They briefly considered heading for the lab that was assigned to them, but decided just to leave the building as fast as they could. They exited the stairwell at the ground floor and searched for a storage room. They couldn't find one right away. What they did find was an empty, unlocked lab. Attached to the lab was a clean room where researchers could change into their hazmat gear. They stripped off the borrowed suits and left them in the clean room. Sweating in their blue track suits and rubber gloves, they ducked back into the corridor. By chance, they found some unused lab coats in the lab next door. They put them on and then they walked down the hall, hoping if anyone saw them they wouldn't appear too out of place. They walked toward the building's main entrance.

Thirty feet down the hallway they discovered an exit out the back of the building. They briefly debated continuing on to the main entrance, but decided to stick with their plan of exiting as fast as possible. They took off the lab coats in a room beside the exit door. The exit was attached to a swipe card, though it also had an emergency exit alarm bar. MORGAN pulled out his own security card and swiped it. As he later explained to his colleagues, if they were caught at this point they could claim they were working late. They found themselves in the humid outdoor air for the first time in hours.

They headed toward their rooms, but along the way they took a detour into the woods. They found a small clearing. MORGAN dug a shallow hole and buried all of the guards' swipe cards. He didn't do a very good job of covering them, but MAYA noticed and corrected it. The agents left the woods and went straight to their rooms. Once there, they jumped into bed for a short doze.

Thursday, July 1, 2004, 7:14 a.m. EDT

Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plum Island, New York

The agents woke up a couple of hours later and got ready for work. MORGAN put the fake can of Barbisol — with the three tubes of crimson goo — in with his shaving kit. All three agents arrived back at the lab building at 8:30 a.m. Nothing seemed amiss. The agents went straight to their lab and continued to work on their experiments. They had two days of experimentation before they could leave the island without causing suspicion.

They broke for lunch, and then went back to work. About half an hour later, Cheryl Fairview, the facility's director, and a middle-aged man showed up outside the lab. They asked for MORGAN, who spoke with them outside in the hallway. MICHAEL and MAYA heard them talking, and then heard them walked away without explanation. MICHAEL and MAYA looked at each other, and then continued operating as though they were still experimenting.

The man with Fairview was Roger Weaver, head of security. He asked MORGAN some pointed questions about what he was doing in the lab earlier that morning. MORGAN said that he had trouble sleeping and decided to go in to the lab and do some work. Someone leaving the lab held the door open for him, but he couldn't remember who it was. Weaver asked him if he saw anyone in the building. MORGAN answered that he had. Weaver asked if the man was carrying something large enough to carry a laptop. MORGAN stated that the man was carrying a metal case, the kind that is sometimes used to carry high end laptops. He told them that the guy was white, with a dark shirt, dark tie and dark pants. He prattled on about the guy's amber tie tack. MORGAN said he remembered the tie tack because it matched his a pair of his mother's earrings. His lie was convincing. Weaver said he still needed to check his room, just as a formality.

The three went to MORGAN's rather austere room. As Weaver searched he explained that someone stole a laptop with sensitive material on it. He did a thorough investigation of MORGAN's room, looking for the "missing laptop". They didn't find anything. Weaver and Fairview apologized and escorted MORGAN back to his lab, then left.

MORGAN saw that the other two Delta Green agents weren't too concerned about him having gone missing. He explained what had happened, and how he had lied about seeing someone.

"Oh, Lord, I can hear the stories now," said MAYA. "'He was eight feet tall and had three green heads, and there were raccoons following him!'"

After working through the afternoon and eating dinner, the exhausted agents went back to their rooms. They agreed, on the walk back, not to say anything incriminating while in the rooms. Chances are the rooms were bugged with listening devices and/or cameras.

"Don't do anything suspicious... don't tell any stories...!" said MAYA.

"Don't check the can," added MICHAEL, "because there's no way we can get back in there again. If they took them," he said, referring to the samples, "and let us go, then we just failed in our mission and that will have to be the end of it."

"And next time," replied MAYA, "we can take a mini-sub."

MAYA and MICHAEL realized that someone had searched their rooms. Whoever did it, they were professional. Only some very, very subtle clues gave it away: a bottle of deodorant with the label turned in the wrong direction, a can of hair spray out of place.

MORGAN, on the other hand, couldn't tell if anyone had been in his room before or after Weaver had shown up, and he was itching to know if anyone had taken the crimson goo samples. He had a very hot shower and let the entire bathroom fill with steam. He waited until the mirror was heavily fogged, then he reached for his can of shaving cream and took it into the shower with him. MORGAN quickly opened the can and checked the tubes. They were still there. Even though MICHAEL told him not to check them, MORGAN thought he was safe as any cameras would be fogged as bad as the mirror. He shaved and finished his shower. After he dried off, he opened up the false bottom of his suitcase. He took out a bottle of Glenfiddich single malt scotch hidden there, reinforcing to any spies that the false bottom was to sneak alcohol onto the island. He took a shot, packed his bags, and then went to bed.

Likewise, the other agents packed their things before they went to bed.

Friday, July 2, 2004, 6:00 a.m. EDT

Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plum Island, New York

The agents got up early and went for their morning run. "What will I do when I go back to New Orleans and not have to run in the morning?" asked MAYA.

"Sit on your ass?" answered MICHAEL, rhetorically.

While they ran they discussed what they had discovered. MORGAN realized that whoever searched their rooms never went through his "man purse". It never left his side. That meant that whoever searched the room didn't know about MORGAN's special supplies, including the blue fluid. They finished their run, showered, dressed, ate, and then made it back to the lab by 8 a.m. They spent the rest of the day finishing experiments and gathering the data.

Around 3:45 p.m. MORGAN walked to the office of his friend Dr. Stephen Bellows. He thanked Bellows and engaged in some small talk. Bellows was packing up early for the long weekend and would be ready to leave very soon. He offered to drive the agents back to the ferry. MORGAN thanked him and told him they would be at their rooms, gathering their bags.

MORGAN went back to the lab. The agents grabbed their belongings and walked back to their rooms. Bellows picked them up soon after and drove them to the ferry dock at the end of the island.

Security had been beefed up at the dock. Cars and people were being searched as they got on the ferry. They would also have to walk through metal detectors. The agents, Bellows, and his car were searched as they boarded the ferry. The tubes in the Barbisol remained undiscovered. The agents recognized two of the guards. One of them was from the tunnel and the other was from the guard room in the secret underground laboratory building. The guards didn't appear to recognize the agents. The ferry left without incident. Once it docked at Long Island, MORGAN thanked Bellows once more. Bellows drove home. The agents walked to the car MORGAN had rented in Washington. MICHAEL climbed in. He feigned dropping something. While bending over, he checked the bottom of the car. He didn't see anything. Nevertheless, the agents were careful what they talked about on the way to the airport.

They arrived at J.F.K. airport and returned the rental car. This was MORGAN's idea. He worried that they were under surveillance. If he was right, it would look suspicious if they drove to Washington, D.C. Instead, they would fly to Atlanta, Georgia as though all three of them worked at the CDC offices there. They booked three tickets to Atlanta on the first available flight. Luckily there was a flight that wasn't sold out on this Fourth of July weekend. They quickly boarded.

MICHAEL thought that a heavy set guy a couple of rows back was watching them. MORGAN was sure no one was watching them, and MAYA wasn't sure one way or another. Just to be safe, they kept up their front as CDC investigators until the plane landed in Atlanta.

Once they arrived MORGAN and MICHAEL went to the nearest men's room. MICHAEL kept people away from MORGAN while MORGAN checked the Barbisol can. The three tubes were still there, so no one tampered with them during the flight. MICHAEL hadn't noticed the heavy set man from the plane since they disembarked, either, so perhaps they were safe. They left the men's room and met up with MAYA. The three walked to a bank of pay phones. Once the few fellow travellers near them had disbursed, MORGAN pulled out his Delta Green cell phone and called ALPHONSE.

MORGAN gave him a brief mission report. The A Cell leader asked pointed questions about the stuff in the tubes. MORGAN could only tell him about the colour and some of the strange properties they observed. ALPHONSE then surprised MORGAN by asking if the agents had a laboratory in which to test the substance. MORGAN said he would try to secure one. ALPHONSE said there was no need, he had one in mind. He would call MORGAN back in half an hour once he had everything confirmed. They hung up.

The agents hung around the airport waiting for ALPHONSE to call back. The A-cell leader phoned almost exactly 30 minutes later. He told MORGAN of a secret Delta Green research base that dated back to the days when Delta Green was known as "P Division" of the United States Navy. Built in the early 1930s, the facility had managed to stay "below the radar" and remain at the disposal of Delta Green, within certain limits. To get to the facility ALPHONSE directed them to fly to Boston, and then drive to a specific address on, of all places, Plum Island, Massachusetts. They were to knock on the door of the house and say to the person who answered the door, "We are looking for the East Massachusetts garden center." The person should answer, "The garden center closed three years ago." He would then escort them to the research facility. MORGAN thanked ALPHONSE and hung up.

There was a flight out of Atlanta that night, headed for Logan International Airport. It was leaving at midnight and, fortunately, had seats available. As they waited to get their boarding passes, MICHAEL looked around. He didn't see the heavy set man; the other agents didn't see anyone watching them, either. They boarded the plane and twenty minutes later it took off for Massachusetts.

Saturday, July 3, 2004, 3:00 a.m. EDT

Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts

The plane landed at Logan International airport. They rented a forest green Ford Explorer and drove north. After a 60 mile drive, they crossed a bridge onto Plum Island. They drove south a few miles through the occupied parts of the island into what is now the Parker River National Wildlife Reserve. After driving another five miles, they turned right onto a dirt road. They soon come to a spooky looking house with a long covered porch and peaked roof. They got out of the car and walked up to the door. They knocked.

A middle aged man with balding grey hair and average height answered the door. He was in pyjamas, slippers, and a house coat.

MORGAN smiled and said, "We are looking for the East Massachusetts garden center."

The gentleman answered in a midwest accent, "The garden center closed three years ago."

MORGAN stuck out his hand, "I'm Agent MORGAN. This is MICHAEL and MAYA."

The gentleman shook his hand. "I'm Agent BASIL. Please come in."

The house was rather spartan in furnishing with only a small number of personal items to indicate BASIL lived there. The living room was large, with the look of a rustic hunting lodge. BASIL offered them a seat. He told them that he could take them to the lab earlier in the morning, but they wouldn't be alone. The laboratory fell under the auspices of the Office of Naval Intelligence. An ONI team would be in the lab that day. They were expected to arrive anywhere between 7 and 10 a.m. The team maintained the lab facility and checked the security systems. Leading the team was Delta Green agent BAXTER. BASIL gave the M-cell agents their cover story. They were members of the CDC there to check out the facility. The story was that the CDC was interested in using the facility, or possibly even in purchasing it from the Navy. The agents were to stay out of the way of the ONI team. BAXTER would have the team finish work on the third floor lab first. Once cleared, M-cell could use the third floor lab without fear of being interrupted.

BASIL asked the agents if they wanted to sleep for a while. They napped on the plane, but they were all pretty tired, They accepted his invitation. BASIL took them down a short corridor. There were four rooms here, one of which was Basil's. The other three were more dormitories than guest rooms, with four beds per room. After pulling their gear from the Explorer, MAYA took one room, MICHAEL and MORGAN another. Soon all three agents were asleep.

Saturday, July 3, 2004, 9:15 a.m. EDT

Delta Green Plum Island Laboratory, Plum Island, Massachusetts

The sound of men tromping through the house woke MAYA. Two men were talking outside her room. One of the men was BASIL. She assumed that the other was BAXTER from what little of the conversation she overheard. BAXTER sounded peeved that there was someone at "his" facility on such short notice. He was critical of ALPHONSE. He thought the Delta Green leader was putting the facility at risk.

"This is, what, three times this year that it's been used?" said the man MAYA assumed was BAXTER.

BASIL tried to calm him, "ALPHONSE feels there's no point having it if we don't use it."

"I don't like it," answered BAXTER. "I wish it was back the way it used to be". The men walked off.

MAYA woke up the MORGAN and MICHAEL, and told them what she heard. In the background was the sound of at least a dozen people moving around.

"How long are they going to be here?" asked MICHAEL, yawning. "We could just sleep until they left."

"That's the MICHAEL we all know and love!" said MAYA.

"Mocha latte?" offered MORGAN.

"Our mission is over," continued MICHAEL. "We shouldn't be dealing with this laboratory detail!".

MORGAN happily suggested that they were expendable, which might be why ALPHONSE wanted them to investigate the goo in the first place.

After they showered, BASIL came to see them. He asked if there was anything he could make them for breakfast. "Pancakes. Blueberry muffins. Do you have any fresh squeezed juice?" asked MAYA.

"Is there a Prada store nearby," mocked MORGAN.

After BASIL left them in the spacious kitchen by themselves, they discussed their cover story. It was obvious to MORGAN and MAYA that the story was for BAXTER's benefit as well as theirs. BAXTER couldn't afford for any of his ONI team to be suspicious. This facility used to belong to Delta Green when it was sanctioned, and somehow they were still able to use it, but its use certainly wasn't officially sanctioned.

The non-sanctioned nature of Delta Green hit MAYA. The fact that Delta Green wasn't really a part of the government had been mentioned in her presence, but she hadn't quite caught it. Now she understood. "Y'all showed up in my kitchen with a six pack," she cried, "and talked me into doing something that's not only illegal but..."

"...could be considered terroristic!" added MORGAN.

"Thank you, Captain Morgan," she muttered.

"Argh!" he replied.

BASIL returned just as they finished eating. He asked them if they were ready to go to the lab. They said they were. It turned out that they didn't have far to go. He took them into a short hallway and pushed a wooden wall. The wall was actually a metal door with wood paneling on one side. It led to a large room with a staircase in the middle, leading downward. They walked down to about 20 feet below ground level. The stairway ended at a corridor. The corridor had the look of a World War II bunker. An African-American officer stood in the middle of the corridor talking to a younger sailor. BASIL introduced Commander Demitrius French to the agents. This, they realized, was BAXTER. BAXTER greeted them gruffly then excused himself. He was definitely not pleased to see them.

The agents were left alone as BASIL excused himself. They looked around the laboratory on this floor, staying out of the way of the ONI team. The lab took up the entire floor except for the long entrance corridor. It had an eclectic collection of equipment. Some mechanical items like electrical generators and fume hood fans were of 1960s, 50s, and — in the case of an aging rheostat — late 1940s vintage. Some analytical equipment was more recent, such as a two year old spectrum analyzer. The rest of the equipment, particularly optical microscopes, were from some time in between. A roomy office contained wall-to-wall book shelves. They were filled with all manner of books: dictionaries translating modern, ancient, and obscure languages into English, books on astronomy, and text books on a wide range of subjects from Japanese carpentry to Greek pottery techniques. One set of shelves contained nothing but 19th century and early 20th century encyclopedias and almanacs.

MICHAEL, MORGAN, and MAYA contented themselves with perusing the books while the ONI team finished what they were doing in the third level lab, somewhere beneath them.