The Mysterious

Mutants

By Graham Winegarden

Background

The players have to be either agents or recruits for the Hoffmann Institutes. They will be brought in for a briefing with there superior in his office. Giving them the briefing, he then dims the lights and turns on a projector. It shines a picture onto the wall. It is a picture of a dead young woman. The picture is a head shot and it has a great deal of damage to one side of it. Then he pushes a button and another picture comes up. This one is an full nude body shot and it shows some unusual mutations. The mutations are that she is covered in some sort of natural armor. It looks to be an exoskeleton of some sort and looks to be completely natural. The woman was found on the side of the road a victim of a hit and run. She had no ID and no one seems know who she was or where she came from. This is not unusual and it leads the authorities think she was probably living on the streets. What I want from you is to go and find out how she got these mutations and if they were natural or man made? If they are man made we would like to know who is doing it and why?

He then gives them each a plane ticket to Seattle Washington. The tickets are for a flight that does not leave until the next day. He also gave them each two sets of identification that would give them reasons to be in Seattle investigating the body. The first set of ID say they are from Military Intelligence. While the other is, they are investigators for the CDC.

Characters at this point can chose to do some research into genetics and any genetic facilities in the Seattle area. The whole group does not have to be a part of this some of them can go and collect any equipment they might think they are going to need. If they do any inter net research in genetics they will find out about Gen-tec. It is a company that is involved in the mapping of the human genetic code. Gen-tec is run by a Dr. Ruth Dawson, and is just outside of Seattle. If they look into Dr. Ruth Dawson they find the basics, she is overly educated and all the projects she has ever worked on have been a great success. They even get a picture, which the men in the group find very alluring.

Scene 1

Once in Seattle and the group is settled, they will probably go and check out the body. At the morgue their fake ID’s should be enough to get them in to look at the body. If that does not work they can always use Intimidate or Charm to get in and look at the body, or the autopsy report. Just looking at the body allow them a Perception roll to notice the mutation, it is some sort of armor. It flesh color and texture, but on a closer examination not that hard to see. It is also only in locations where it would not be seen if the person were wearing clothes. If the Players make a Deduce roll at this point they would realize it was done this way to hide it. That would also imply it was man made. If the Players have access to the autopsy report give them a Forensics or Biology roll to notice the unusual chemicals in the body.  This could lead to a Genetics roll to identify the chemicals as substances used to create mutation in human bodies.

The body armor is a type of casing, it is not part of the skin but it has grown under it and makes the body look very muscular. Parts of the body had been opened up for the autopsy and showed the armor around any vital organ and also most of the muscle tissue. It was like a cartilage where it needed to be flexible and more like bone where it did not.

After the examination of the mutation they should get down to looking for normal clues as to who this woman was. Some of the group at this point should go through her belongings, which is not much, it is mostly just clothing. They do have a set of keys to examine but there is really nothing to help them know what they are for. Her clothing is old but in good shape and clean, if you take into account the accident, her being knocked down and dragged by a car.. Her body does not give up as much information. It does confirm that she was not well off, the soap she used was a very inexpensive brand.

Scene 2

As they leave the morgue they are confronted by two police detectives. The two men want to know what interest their corps is to ( who ever the players have said they are ). With a little quick talking and a Charm skill roll the players should be able to get what information these two police detectives know. They were first on the seen of the accident and they found Big Betty dead on the side of the road. Big Betty was her street name and they just found out that she has been working with Brenda Cox down at the Harbor Front Mission. They also tell you that the body smelt of booze and that was probably how she ended up in front of the car in the first place. At this point any Player who has a photographic memory and has seen the autopsy report can make an Intelligence roll, if the roll is good or better, they should remember that there was no alcohol in her blood.

If the Players are getting along well with the police detectives one of them say he is going to talk to Brenda down at the Mission and would the Players like to go with him. He then introduces himself, Det. Frank Chapman. He also lets the players know that they are checking out her finger prints to try and find out her real name, but he does not hold out much hope for that. He figures the best chance they have to find out who Betty really was is at the Mission.

Scene 3

Going to the Harbor Front Mission takes the Players into the less well off section of Seattle. As they drive through the section of the city they see people lying in door ways and over vents. The group should be taken aback by the extreme poverty. Getting to the Mission they find it is an old department store.  Have one of your Players make a Perception  roll, but don’t tell them anything. This is just to make them a little paranoid. Going into the Mission they will find people all over the place. Some will be running around trying to help others by bring them blankets and hot drinks. The rest will be sitting all over the place trying to keep warm and alive. After a couple of minutes a large heavy set woman comes to the group. She recognizes the two policemen and the policemen introduce the group. They get Brenda to identify Big Betty from a picture and ask what her real name was. Brenda tells the Players and police what she knows about Big Betty or Susan Husly, her real name. Brenda knows quite a bit about Susan, but if she is handled poorly she will not tell the group anything. If she is treated right she can tell the group that Susan was from a small town in New York State. Brenda will speak very highly of Susan and what a good person she was. She use to help out at the Mission and will be sourly missed. She will also mention that Susan did volunteer work at a free clinic close by. The Clinic is called Health for Tomorrow and is run by a Dr. Michael Miller. If the Players ask around about Big Betty they will find numerous people who will say nothing bad about her. They do run into one woman who did not like Susan or Big Betty. The woman who would not give her name said,

“It is because of her that I can never go home again.” Then she leaves them. Another resident tells the Players to ignore her as she was jealous of Susan. Have Players make an Awareness roll, on a good or amazing result, tell them there is something unusual about the woman they just talked to. The woman will not let them examine her unless they force themselves on her. She also has a mutation, but hers is different from Susan’s, she has a set of gills that she keeps hidden under her clothes.

By this time the Players should be getting very interested in both Genetic Research and if  anything going on in Seattle. This would be a good time for them to check with there contacts if they had not done so all ready.  (See Scene 4)

Scene 4

It is about time you hit your resources and informants after all that is what they are there for. If the Players have a source in the Scientific community, they will find out there are a few interesting things going on in Seattle. The highest profile project is at Gen-tec, it is helping to map the human DNA. The second is a mystery Think Tank that is based in the Seattle area. It seems they deal with a lot of fringe technologies and different ways of using them. It is called I.D.E.A., but no one knows what it stands for. The third is part of the great military machine. This contractor is working on knew ways to protect the 2001 US fighting man.

Other sources might give the players information on local Militia groups. Some of these are very well financed and could possibly pull off a project like this, but it is very unlikely.

There are also a couple of cults in the Seattle area who have a great deal of money and scientific knowledge. Some of them have some very unusual agendas, none are suspected of being into anything like this but who knows with a secrete organization like these. Some of them are religious based while others are into the occult or alternate religion. 

Any resource that the Players use should not be able to give them any exact information unless your Players are really lost.

Scene 5

Going to Gen-tec. With there CDC cover they should have no problem getting a meeting with the facility director. They should meet with a Dr. Ruth Dawson, she is the facility administrator and also one of it’s leading researchers. If shown the pictures of Susan she will be very curious. She will not know anything about it, and will be very upset if anyone suggest it could be any of her people.  She will tell them that none of her people even have time to carry out this type of research.

If asked about the chemicals that were found in Susan’s body, she will tell them that they have all of these chemicals in the facilities. If she is persuaded to look into the chemicals, a good computer hacking roll will find that there is a large discrepancy in the inventory, on an amazing roll the hacker will even know who took them, a Dr. Michael Miller. She will say that she has no idea how the chemicals could have gone missing, she is not lying she does not. If the name of

Dr. Miller comes up. She will tell them that he is her ex-husband. She will rant on about what a jerk he is, but she never thought he was a thief. If asked she will tell the group that he was into Genetic research also, but he was more into doing experiments then good research.

Coming out of Gen-tec have one of your more combat oriented Players make an Awareness roll, or maybe even a Danger Sense roll. If they make it tell only them that they see a laser light on the back of one of the other Players heads. If the Player reacts and does something no one will be hit. If he does not, a shot will ring out and hit them in the shoulder. The group will not be able to catch whoever it is, and if they go back and question Dr. Dawson the only think she can tell the group if asked the right question, is that Dr. Miller her ex-husband still has access to the building. If they look on the roof, they find a spent rifle shell.

Scene 6

After the shooting at Gen-tec the group will be confronted by Det. Frank Chapman the same detective as in the Susan Husly death. He tells them that another mutated body is in the morgue. The only problem is this time the woman was murdered. They go back down to the morgue and there they find the only woman who had nothing good to say about Susan at the Harbor Front Mission. If they had not noticed her mutation before it they can see it now, the woman has gills. If anyone has a forensic skill they will at once see the cause of death as a small caliber bullet wound to the back of the head. Or they can get it off of the autopsy report. Det. Frank Chapman tells them that she also went to the Harbor Front Mission, but the group might know that from meeting her earlier. If asked whether the woman ever went to the Health for Tomorrow Clinic, the Detective will not be sure but knows most of the street people use it.

Scene 7

The group will eventually go to the Health for Tomorrow Clinic. When they get there, they will be very surprised to find an ultra modern clinic. Walking in they are met by a young woman in a nurse’s uniform. When asked about Dr. Michael Miller the young woman will tell them that Dr. Miller no longer works at the Clinic. He has left and no one knows where he has gone to. If the group forces the issue, the new director of the clinic will talk to them. He will tell them that Dr. Miller had been negotiating the sale of the Clinic for a couple of months now. Then all of a sudden last week he made a deal and disappeared. We have been trying to get in touch with him but he is no where to be found. At this point get all the Players to make an Awareness roll, anyone who gets an amazing result will notice the young nurse is behind the counter trying to hide that she is on the phone. If confronted about the phone call she will say it was Clinic business. She will then offer to show the Players around the clinic to prove they have nothing to do with Dr. Miller anymore. If the Players accept she will spend about a half an hour showing them around.     

Then as the Players leave they will be attacked in a drive by shooting. If the Players have weapons and shoot back, one of them will hit the car and blow it up. If they give chase the driver will have to make a number of Vehicle Operation land rolls or they will lose the other car. If they catch the other car and confront the shooters, they will tell them that they were hired by a guy to scare them. They make sure that the Players know they were not to be hurt. When they are asked to describe the person who hired them the description fits Dr. Miller perfectly.

The Players can deduce that they were probably sold out by the young nurse at the clinic. The group has a couple of options at this point, they can follow the girl hoping she will lead them to the doctor. The other option is to confront the nurse. They can do this either with the police or by themselves.

Scene 8

If the Players decide to watch the young nurse and see what she does, they are amazed at how cool she appears to be. She finish her work day and then goes home and has dinner. She then watches television for a couple of hours then goes to bed. If the group keeps watching they will finally get rewarded at about two o’clock in the morning. At that time they will see some one sneaking into the backyard. If they have some way to see in the dark they will recognize Dr. Miller. Or they can go and look. If the group moves to capture him he will not go willingly and will even use the nurse to escape. He would rather die than be capture by who he thinks the Players are. In talking to him the Players may figure this out and try to convince him that they are from the Hoffmann Institute. This will not help their chances to get the doctor out of there alive, because Dr. Miller realizes that what he did to those two women was an unthinkable act. He is very embarrassed to the point of wanting to kill himself unless the Players can talk him out of it.

If the players talk him out of killing himself he will hint of a major conspiracy working on Genetic manipulation, but he will not give any names, but from the conversation you get the impression it is very large. He does say he will tell all if the Players can get him to a safe place. He will not tell anything else. As the group leaves Dr. Miller is shot and killed. The Players can follow who ever did it if they are quick enough. This is a good chance to give these Players a good shoot out. It can be a running shoot out or maybe the bad guys get held up in a deserted building. If in a deserted building maybe they can get picked up by a black helicopter that has stealth capabilities. This would and to the conspiracy aspect of the story.

Scene 9

If the group confronts the young nurse and threaten her with jail or something equally bad she will give up Dr. Miller’s location. If the group does not keep her on ice somewhere while they go and check it out she will have called and warned him. He will be long gone. If they do keep her with them or where she can not make a call, he will be there. If the group can sneak in and get the doctor before he knows they are there. They can get the same deal as in Scene 8 and the doctor will die again.

If the doctor finds out about the group before they get him under their control he will barricade himself in and fight to the very end. Only if the Players are very good at talking to him will they get him out alive, he is more likely to kill himself and anyone else who is around. If you want to add to the conspiracy aspect of the game you can let the Players know later that none of their guns killed the Doctor, someone else must have been there also.

The End

When the group goes back to their office they will get a little back ground information on Dr. Miller. He actually thought he was working for the Hoffmann Institute, but as far as anyone can tell it was an outside agency using our good name.