Unit 731, Part 1
Kulm, Red Ruthenia, Eastern Poland – November 24, 1995, 5:00 PM
A train blared its horn as it lumbered down the tracks, passing a number of waiting cars at a road intersection. A group of kids on rusty bicycles rode up to the barrier.
“Hurry up!” a girl said.
As they reached the intersection, the train barreled past, and they gasped in awe. These kids had grown up in the last days of the Occupied Territories and immediately afterwards. They knew little of the equalists who had once ruled the place, but they had grown up with the poverty and the economic collapse that followed the war. Many kids their age couldn’t afford to get bicycles. Trains were a symbol of prosperity and economic growth here, a way for the western provinces to show they still cared about their brothers in the east. From the boxcar at the back of the train, a man leaned out of the window and waved to them, tossing chocolate bars to the kids.
“Hi!” the kids said, eagerly picking up the chocolate.
As the train slowed down and approached a station, the man stepped back inside and walked to the front of the boxcar. After they stopped, he unhooked it and motioned to the conductor.
“All clear!” he said.
He got onto the next car, and the train continued on its journey, leaving the boxcar behind. Smoke leaked from its top, next to a satellite dish. A plaque reading “82594” was placed next to the window. As night fell, several blue cars drove up to the boxcar, and a number of Chinese men got out. A Chinese doctor stepped out of the boxcar and greeted the scientists in a mix of Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, and Vietnamese, saluting. The doctor walked to one car and drove off as the four other scientists entered the boxcar. Inside was a glass sliding door barrier cutting the car in half. Sitting on shelves were containers and other scientific equipment. The scientists put on medical garb and gas masks and began dissecting a dead alien, talking to each other in the same mix of Chinese and Vietnamese. One man went over to an IV unit, where a tube fed a green liquid into the alien’s arm. As a camera filmed them, the door burst open, and soldiers wearing gas masks ran in and fired on the doctors, killing them all. The soldiers forced their way into the impromptu operating room and packaged up the dead alien body.
X-Division, Constantinople – November 30, 1995, 10:00 AM
Angela walked into the office and found Anders sitting at his desk, feet on the table, as he watched a video.
“Hey Angie,” he said, “Come in.”
Angela walked in and closed the door.
“What are you watching?” she said.
“Something that just came in the mail,” Anders said.
Angela pointed at the screen. “That's not your usual brand of entertainment.”
Anders laughed.
“What is it?” Angela said.
“According to the magazine ad I answered, it's an alien autopsy,” Anders said, “Guaranteed authentic.”
Angela looked at the screen, seeing the autopsy being conducted in the boxcar.
“You spent money for this?” Angela said.
“Thirty marks, plus shipping,” Anders said.
“Anders, this is even hokier than the one they aired on RBC,” Angela said. “You can't even see what they're operating on!”
“But it, it does look authentic,” Anders said, “I mean, the setting and the procedures. I mean, it does look as if an actual autopsy is being performed, doesn't it?”
“Well, technically, I don't know why they would be wearing gas masks,” Angela said.
“You saw what happened to the body of ‘Annie’ a few months ago,” Anders said, “Not to mention the bounty hunter that almost killed me shortly afterwards. And that’s not even getting to Dr. Sigurd way back when. They’re extracting green substance from the body.”
“Olive oil?” Angela said. “Snake oil? I suppose you think it's alien blood.”
“It's widely held that aliens don't have blood, Angie,” Anders said sarcastically.
“I guess that begs the question, if this is an alien autopsy...” Angela said.
“Where's the alien?” Anders said. “But what, what's so intriguing to me is the striking lack of detail here.”
“Well, What do you want for thirty marks?” Angela said.
“No, that, that autopsy you saw on TV was so fake precisely because it tried to show too much,” Anders said, “And it was narrated by Jonathan Frakes, but let’s ignore that.”
“And this is real because it doesn't?” Angela said.
“Yes, and because, uh...” Anders said.
He fast-forwarded the tape to the point where the soldiers stormed in and killed the scientists.
“Because of that,” Anders said.
The footage turned to static.
“Who's selling these tapes?” Angela said.
“Some guy in Lelow,” Anders said, “Claims he pulled it off the satellite dish at two in the morning.”
“So we’re going to Poland again?” Angela said. “After what happened in Bialystok?”
“Hey, beats staying here chasing leads for another seven months,” Anders said, “Or spending entire weekends with Demetrios.”
Angela punched him in the arm.
Lelow, Lesser Poland – December 1, 1995, 9:00 AM
Angela pulled into the driveway of a house and got out with Anders. The street was relatively quiet, save for a dog barking. As Angela walked around to the door, Anders walked around back and up the back steps and noticed two stickers on the front steps reading "Rat Tail Productions" and "Leave Packages Here." He continued up the stairs and knocked on the ajar door, swinging it open. Angela walked back over to him.
“Front door's been boarded up,” Angela said.
“Back door's been busted open,” Anders said, drawing his gun, “Hope nobody left the rat out.”
Entering the house, Angela drew her gun as they walked through the kitchen. They split up, Angela inspecting a production lab and Anders checking a hallway. Angela walked into the bedroom and found the dead body of a man with a pillowcase tied around his head. His hands were tied.
“Anders,” Angela said.
Anders joined her in the room.
“He’s still warm,” Angela said, “The killer must be in the area.”
They heard a door slam, and Angela looked down the stairs to see a Chinese man run by. She quickly followed him out the back door to see him running away. She drew her weapon.
“Imperial agent!” she said.
The Chinese man, carrying a brown leather satchel, hopped the fence into the next yard as Angela ran after him. He tried hopping the next fence, but Angela grabbed him.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Angela said.
The Chinese man kicked the gun out of her hand and then kicked her once in the chest, knocking her back. However, she drew another gun from her ankle and fired off a warning shot.
“I got tired of having my gun stolen,” she said.
The man climbed down and raised his hands, faced with no alternative. Angela picked up her first gun and holstered it.
“Okay, now face the fence,” she said.
The man didn’t move.
“Face the fence!” she repeated.
The man continued awkwardly staring at her.
“What’s your name?” she said.
The man spoke Mandarin.
“You speak German?” Angela said.
The man continued speaking Mandarin.
“Well, this is just great,” Angela said, “Give me the bag.”
She pointed at the bag, but the man growled at her. She still took it from him.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said, leading him away.
Police Station – 10:00 AM
As police officers and clerks scuffled around and talked with each other, phones ringing and voices chattering all at once, Angela walks down the hallway over to Anders, who stood by a window looking into the interrogation room where the Chinese man sat.
“Either they can't locate an interpreter, or the interpreter they located didn't interpret the instructions and got lost somewhere,” Angela said, “I don't know which. This being the Occupied Territories, I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened to him.”
“Did you try the Krakow field office?” Anders said.
“Somehow, this is a tall request in Allentown this time of day,” Angela said.
“Well, look at this,” Anders said, “Looks like they did send someone.”
They turned and saw Erich walking towards them.
“Anders, Angie,” Erich said.
“This is a surprise, Dad,” Angela said.
“You don't, uh, speak Chinese by any chance, do you?” Anders said.
“Only a few words limited to yes, no, hi, goodbye, food, and some profanities,” Erich said, “Aside from some basic Thai I’m sure this guy doesn’t know. I wish I could, so it might save us all some embarrassment.”
“What do you mean?” Angela said.
“I'm up here with a lawyer trying to sort out a little international mess,” Erich said, “He said you made an arrest this morning.”
“A murder suspect, yeah,” Anders said.
“Yeah, I'm afraid you'll have to release him,” Erich said.
“What are you talking about?” Angela said.
“According to the Chinese Diplomatic Corps, the man you arrested is a high-ranking diplomat,” Erich said.
Angela pointed to the window. “This man, sitting in here?”
“That’s Cai Yingjing,” Erich said.
“Oh, I didn't get his name,” Angela said, “I was too busy getting my ass kicked. Is every Chinese diplomat a kung fu master or something? Or did Boris Li suddenly take up politics?”
“What about the murder victim or the paperwork?” Anders said.
“Schulz will handle it,” Erich said, “What are you two doing out here, anyway?”
Angela sighed and punched Anders in the arm.
“Tracking down a video piracy thing,” Anders said.
“I suggest you keep your nose clean and head back to Constantinople, before someone takes another swipe at it,” Erich said, walking past them.
They looked at Cai one more time and then left the station.
“I don't know, Anders, it just doesn't track,” Angela said, “What would a Chinese diplomat be doing in that house with a dead man with his head stuffed in a pillowcase?”
“Obviously not strengthening international relations,” Anders said.
“Well, what do you want to do now, drop it?” Angela said.
“No, I paid my thirty marks, Angie,” Anders said, “I think I'm entitled to a few more answers, don't you think?”
Anders opened the trunk of their car and dug through the contents.
“What are you doing?” Angela said.
“I just remembered a piece of evidence from the crime scene you forgot to turn in,” Anders said.
Angela reached in and grabbed the satchel before Anders could. Opening it, she took out a folder and looked at a picture of a ship near a coastline, clipped to a list of names. After reading the list, she handed it to Anders.
“They look like satellite photos,” Angela said, “What would he be doing with these? And what would he be doing with a list of GUFON members in the greater Lelow area with the name Brunhild Hagopian circled?”
“Maybe he was going to fit her for a pillowcase too,” Anders said, “Why don't you stick around, get a motel room and check it out in the morning?”
“What are you going to do?” Angela said.
“I’m going back to Constantinople like a good boy, like Uncle Erich told me to do, and show these to a few friends of ours,” Anders said.
Lone Gunman office, Constantinople – 5:00 PM
Reinhard looked at the picture under a high-powered magnifying glass as Rudolf and Ragnar watched behind him.
“The name of the boat is the Talapus,” Reinhard said, “Just got to love those Indian optics.”
“So you're saying that's from an Indian satellite?” Anders said.
“No, the optics are Indian,” Ragnar said, “The technology is probably ours, but the satellite is most likely Chinese.”
“Built in Vietnam and launched from Tawantinsuyu,” Rudolf said.
“Got to love that global economy, huh?” Anders said.
“Where'd you get this, Anders?” Reinhard said.
“Chinese diplomat Angie beat up,” Anders said, “Long story.”
“I'm surprised,” Rudolf said, “The Chinese are very secretive about their espionage capabilities, and extremely careful with their intelligence data. The fall of the junta didn’t change that.”
“What exactly are they spying on there?” Anders said.
“The Talapus was a salvage ship out of Lisbon,” Ragnar said, “They spent months looking for a Chinese sub that went down in the western Pacific in World War II. It was rumored to be carrying a load of gold bullion.”
“Did they find it?” Anders said.
“Not according to all the reports, but looking at this photo here, the ship never returned to Lisbon,” Ragnar said.
“Why do you say that?” Anders said.
Ragnar showed him another photo from the file.
“In the rest of these satellite photos, they track the ship through the Panama canal,” Ragnar said, “All the way to Greifswald, Western Pomerania.”
“The naval shipyard,” Anders said.
Ragnar nodded.
“But why would they go there?” Rudolf said.
Anders thought about it. “Well, maybe what they found wasn't a Chinese sub.”
Chinese embassy, Constantinople
Cai Yingjing walked out of the embassy building and over to a waiting limo. The driver opened the door for him.
“Good evening, Cai xiansheng,” the driver said.
Cai got in, and the driver closed the door. The doors suddenly locked, and Cai looked around to see a red-haired man pointed a silenced gun. One shot rang out, and he slumped over, dead.
Brunhild Hagopian’s house, Lelow - December 2, 1995, 9:00 AM
Angela drove up to Brunhild’s house and looked at her list. Getting out, she saw a GUFON sticker on the window. She knocked on the door, and a woman opened it.
“Hi, Brunhild Hagopian?” she said.
“No, I'm sorry, Brunhild's not here right now,” the woman said.
“Is there some way that I can get in touch with her?” Angela said.
The woman looked at her strangely. Angela dug through her pockets.
“I’m sorry, um, my name is Angela Hansen,” she said.
“I know you,” the woman said.
“No, I think you must be mistaken,” Angela said.
“We saw you,” the woman said, “Penny? Penny, come here.”
Another woman walked up beside her and looked at Angela, immediately recognizing her.
“I'm, I'm afraid I'm not who you think I am,” Angela said.
“Oh my God, Hannah,” Penny said, “She's one.”
Hannah nodded slightly.
“One what?” Angela said.
“One of us,” Hannah said.
Angela walked inside. Penny picked up a phone.
“There must be some kind of mistake, I, I work for the Athanatoi, and I'm here conducting a murder investigation,” Angela said.
“A murder?” Hannah said.
“Cathy?” Penny said. “I'm here at Brunhild's. Can you call the group and get everyone over here right away?”
She hung up and looked at Penny.
“A man named Steven Zinnzser was murdered about two miles from here,” Angela said.
“Penny, do you hear that?” Hannah said.
“Steve Zinnzser was murdered?” Penny said.
“Did you know him?” Angela said.
“He was a member of our chapter,” Hannah said.
“But you understand, I'm, I'm not a member, I'm an Athanatos,” Angela said.
“That’s what you said,” Hannah said, “We heard you clearly.”
“But at the door, you said that I was one of you,” Angela said.
Hannah and Penny looked at each other.
“Did you have an unexplained event in your life last year?” Hannah said. “Were you missing for a period of time that can't be accounted for?”
Angela stared at them. “Why did you ask me that?”
“I think you better sit down, Frau Hansen,” Penny said, “I think there are some people you're going to want to meet.”
Cars started arriving outside.
Office of the Admiralty, Greifswald, Western Pomerania – 9:30 AM
Anders walked with a Kaiserliche Marine officer down the hallway.
“The Talapus,” the officer repeated.
“It's a salvage ship registered in Lisbon,” Anders said, “According to the harbor master, you went out to meet the boat when customs wouldn't allow it into port.”
“Oh, yeah, that's right,” the officer said, “But it wasn't customs preventing her landing, it was the Drug Enforcement Bureau.”
“The DEB?” Anders said. “What was the problem?”
“They were searching for contraband if I remember correctly,” the officer said, “The boat came through the UPM. There was some concern that her crew might have picked up a shipment.”
“Did they find anything?” Anders said.
“We were never aboard,” the officer said, “I think there was a question of confiscating the boat if the crew were to be arrested.”
“Were they?” Anders said.
“Apparently not,” the officer, “We were called off and the, uh, boat put out to sea the following morning.”
Anders looked out the window. “Well, that doesn't make any sense.”
The officer stopped and looked at him. “Excuse me?”
“The Talapus came nonstop from the UPM,” Anders said, “She would have had to stop to refuel, wouldn't she?”
“I don't have all the details in my head,” the officer said, “I’m just an officer.”
“Would you do me a favor?” Anders said. “Would you see if there's any paperwork on this? See if there's a heading or a destination for the Talapus.”
“That might take some time,” the officer said.
“That's alright,” Anders said, “I'm happy to wait. Got plenty of time.”
The officer cleared his throat and walked away.
Brunhild’s house, Lelow
The room was filled with women now. Angela sat at the center.
“But I've never met any of you,” she said, “I, I've never seen any of you before in my life.”
Hannah walked in, carrying a cup of coffee, and sat down next to Penny on the couch.
“You may not remember,” Hannah said, “You've only had one experience.”
“Most of us here have been taken many times,” Penny said.
Angela looked around at the women. “Taken? Uh, taken where?”
“The bright white place,” Hannah said.
Angela stared at her. Suddenly, she briefly remembered lying in a bright white room. But the memory was fleeting. Another women, Paula, leaned forward in her chair.
“You remember it, don't you?” she said.
Angela closed her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“There are men performing tests,” Paula said.
Angela remembered a drill advancing towards her.
“What men?” she said.
“They don't reveal themselves,” Hannah said, “They take our memories away, but somehow, they start to seep back, like their attempts are crude and inefficient.”
“Some may have come back to you, but they didn't make sense,” Penny said.
Angela started crying, for some reason.
“Do you know about regression hypnosis?” Hannah said.
“I tried that a few months ago, but…” Angela said. “I'm sorry. I don't think I'm ready to discuss this.”
Paula stood up. “You're afraid to remember, aren't you? It's okay. We were all afraid at first.”
Office of the Admiralty / Imperial Naval Shipyard, Greifswald
The officer walked back to the hallway with a clipboard in his hand, but Anders was gone.
“Agent Humboldt?” he said.
Confused, he walked away, not noticing Anders walking outside along the loading docks, past foremen, forklifts, and service elevators. He walked over a bridge connecting the docks over large tankers and boats, both civilian and military. Stopping and looking down from his view, he saw the Talapus, a long white ship, moored a few docks away. He made his way to the ship and made his way into the cabin. Looking around, he checked the drawers and rifled through papers for anything important. Finding nothing, he searched the other cabins before heading down into the boiler room. At that moment, he heard cars approaching. Running to the nearest window, he saw various cars pull up, and armed SWAT team members and RSB agents stormed the ship, searching for him. Anders ran up a stairwell and immediately jumped into the water without anybody noticing.
Brunhild’s house
Angela continued listening to the GUFON members.
“I don't know, when I opened that door and saw you standing there?” Penny said. “It was like a revelation. The image of your face was so clear to me.”
“But why is it that I don't remember you?” Angela said.
“All you remember in the beginning is the light, and then sometimes the faces of the men who perform the tests,” Penny said.
“How do you know that you're not mistaking me for somebody else?” Angela said.
“You have the mark, don't you?” Paula said.
“What mark?” Angela said.
“Here,” Paula said, pointing to the back of her neck.
“We all have them,” Hannah said, “It's where they put the implants.”
She nodded to the other women, who all took out various capsules, medicine bottles, and containers, each holding an implant like the ones found in Ragnar Sigeric, Max Fenig, Daniel Burkard, and herself. Angela felt a wave of anxiety hit her. She gripped her Walkman tightly, trying not to remember, trying not to realize what she feared was true.
“By the way, where is Brunhild Hagopian?” Angela said.
Department of Oncology, Lelow Medical Center – 10:00 AM
Penny, Hannah, and Angela looked through a window to an adjoining room, where Brunhild Hagopian lay on a table connecting to a machine, undergoing treatment. A female doctor stood over her.
“What's wrong with her?” Angela said.
“Brunhild's in the advanced stages of an undiagnosed cancer ailment,” Hannah said, “Her body's full of tumors that won't respond to any kind of treatment.”
“And you think this is the result of her abduction experiences?” Angela said.
“They've been taking her since she was in her teens,” Penny said, “This is what's going to happen to all of us.”
“What do you mean?” Angela said.
“I don't know if you understand this or not, Angela, but we're all going to end up like her,” Hannah said.
“We're all dying... because of what they do to us,” Penny said.
Angela uneasily watched Brunhild lie on the table. A part of her didn’t want to hear what Hannah and Penny were saying. She wanted to tell herself she would be fine, but she couldn’t bring herself to, for some reason. What was going on here?
Office of the Admiralty / Imperial Naval Shipyard
As a ship scoured the waters looking for him, Anders climbed out of the water and up a flight of stairs. He then ran, checking behind him often, over the bridge and saw a warehouse being heavily guarded, lights shining brightly from inside despite being morning. Another car pulled up and more SWAT team members and RSB agents got out and talked to the others. As they talk, Anders snuck behind them and over to the side of the warehouse. Skulking carefully, he ran up a ramp and climbs up the side of the building to a window. Rubbing off the fog, he looked in to see a number of scientists and technicians working on a giant craft, like the one he vaguely remembered seeing at KL Edinburg, of some sort under a large plastic sheet. As the technicians, draped in containment suits, worked on the machine, Anders looked away, trying to comprehend what he has just seen.
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Posting this early because it's a pain to format on mobile.
