2024.03.08: Crowley and a rat bond over lab samples

Hackett04/23/2019
Later, night of March 8th

At this hour, there is no one at the reception desk, the only way into the building, let alone deeper into the depths, is by coded key card. The lights are all on, illuminating the sterile, white walls, waxed tile floor, and drop ceiling. The lighting is primarily florescent, and there are cameras that leave few blind spots.

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
As the hour ticks over, a curious effect begins.

The cameras watching the unchanging scenery begin to pivot away and up, their lenses closing, while anyone bothering to look at the feeds receive no sign of unusual activity, the pictures all showing nothing amiss.

At the door, however, a man in the uniform of a janitor is swiping a badge to let him in@the front door.

Perfectly normal, of course.

Hackett04/23/2019
The keycard unlocks the door, as expected

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
The janitor whistles softly as he comes inside, walking past the reception desk, looking up to eye the cameras before he heads to the door which will lead him towards the lab, and attempts to badge himself through.

Hackett04/23/2019
The system beeps, and after a few moments, unlocks the door

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
The “Janitor” slides through the door, his whistling tune getting a bit more peppy - and to students of the classics, quite recognizable as the theme to a certain Impossible franchise.

Take that, kiddo.

With a little jaunt in his step, Crowley heads for the supplies closet, opening it up and pulling the cleaning cart out.

Hackett04/23/2019
The cart is neat, well organized, though the trash can appears more than half full, mostly cleaning supplies, but some papers as well.

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
There’s a little shuffling around the cart as he checks the papers, as if tutting over the state the can was left in, then lets something gently fall from his hand into the papers, shuffling then slightly to conceal it before he takes the cart and closes the closet door behind him, making his way down to the lab.

Hackett04/23/2019
There seems to be virtually no one around, though as you approach the head medical examiner's office, the lights are on, and the doctor is working at his terminal. Otherwise, the only sounds are the squeak of a wheel in need of lubricant, and your own footfalls. The silence would be eerie to most people, and is so complete that when the air conditioning starts, the sound of the air moving seems overwhelming, and is accompanied by the sound of a snap and a high pitched death squeak

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
The squeak makes the Janitor pause on his way towards the lab, tilting his head as if trying to figure out just where the sound came from, the cart stopped as abruptly as his whistling.

Hackett04/23/2019
The last scratching, as the rodent tries in vain to escape the trap, is coming from just behind an HVAC vent, just above you

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
"Aw, come on..." Crowley looks over to make sure the examiner is still at his desk, then begins to hum deep in his chest, while the "Janitor" apparently starts cleaning the window of the examiner's office, spraying a few squirts of windex before slowly swiping his cleaning cloth in slow circles.

"Everything's fine," he sings softly, though it's not entirely clear if he's singing to the doctor, the rat, or himself. "Just fine...just relax...just relax...just slow down...just sleep...."

Hackett04/23/2019
After a few moments, Dr. Forsmith rubs his eyes, and stretches, seems to be getting tired, and takes a sip of his coffee

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
Crowley continues to sing as he cleans, switching to dusting as he walks back slowly over to the HVAC vent.

Hackett04/23/2019
The good doctor starts typing more, but he is slowing quickly, then after a few more moments, he slowly lays his head on his arm on the desk, and starts snoring lightly. From above you, the rat hasn't made any sounds in a few moments

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/23/2019
"I'm a fuckin' good samaritan..." Crowley produces a swiss army knife from his coat and carefully works opens the HVAC grate, making a pretense of checking the filter before he gets on his tip-toes to look for the rat.

Hackett04/23/2019
The poor creature is calm, but clearly frightened, still alive, but hurt badly, the large, old style spring trap holding it firmly just in front of it's rear legs, which aren't moving, neither is it's tail

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/24/2019
With his strength, opening the trap one handed isn't too bad. But it's still a slow process to carefully extract the rat, softly humming again to help it stay docile and ease its fear, sliding it out until it's clear of the trap entirely and carefully cradling it as he brings it out of the vent, stroking his thumb gently over it's head before placing it in his top coat pocket beneath his Mask, sweating a fine sheen of blood at the effort of using so many of his disciplines at once.

The bar of the trap is lowered slowly, mindful not to lose another finger, and once that's done Crowley swiftly replaces the filter and the grate before pushing the cart down to the lab.

"The things I do...sweet Jesus lord a'mighty."

Hackett04/24/2019
While you are handling the shivering creature, it sniffs at you, then licks, tasting at first, then starts licking at your skin, trying to get to as much as it can reach

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/24/2019
Crowley sighs as he gets to the lab door, withdrawing his hand finally and wiping the sheen of blood off his fingers with one of the cart's cleaning cloths, which he stuffs into the pocket with the rat.

"OK...what kind of an idiot sets their password to '1 2 3 4 5?'"

He's actually putting in the 0078552 passcode Faust provided, but hell, take your jollies where you can get them.

Once he punches the enter key, he'll wait for the door to unlatch.

Hackett04/24/2019
The sound of an electric motor hums for a moment, and there is an audible CLICK as the door unlocks. Inside, there are dozens of samples, many organized together on trays, all of them on each tray relating to the same case

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/24/2019
Crowley pulls the substitute sample out, checks the case number and evidence tags on the label, and begins quietly walking down the trays, looking for his target.

As he does, he lets his free hand slip back into the pocket, giving his new ghoul pet another taste.

"Another mouth to feed. What am I even doing with you, huh?"

Hackett04/24/2019
The rat squeeks a bit, and sets to licking more of the blood sheen from your skin. As it does, you feel what you are pretty sure is either her back legs, or tail moving a bit. It doesn't take you long to find the right tray, with a number of samples

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/24/2019
"Good girl, that's it...get those feet movin'. What asshole even uses those old traps? Whole place is supposed to use that humane live trap shit." Aware he's on a bit of a tangent, Crowley refocuses as he reaches the tray, examining it carefully.

"Now, where were we..."

Holding the fake sample up to confirm the numbers, he checks each sample without touching them, angling his head this way and that until he finds his objective this evening.

"There you are..."

Lifting it up with the minimum of contact, and careful to avoid touching the other samples or the tray, Crowley lifts the "live" sample container up, then puts the false one in it's place with equal care.

Hackett04/24/2019
The samples are switched. Inside the sample jar you now hold, there is a strange black goo, quite thick, like a darker, more ominous pink chicken goo, or a very thin slime

“Uncle” Jon Crowley (ST Jaymie)04/24/2019
"...did none of you stupid fucks watch The Thing?"

Crowley makes sure the sample jar is QUITE well sealed, and takes the extra step of wrapping it in a cloth and in one of the small plastic trash bags used for the cubicle bins. securing it with a pair of knots before slipping it into the trash can and covering it in some of the loose papers and detritus, making a show of emptying a few more bins before turning the cart around and pushing it back to the door.

"I swear to god if I have to strut into the Eysium with a god damned flamethrower to solve our weird black goo shit problem next week..."
Retracing his steps as he grumbles is easy enough, extracting his prize from the can with a little slight of hand and tucking it into a rat-free pocket before he puts the cart away, and the "Janitor" gives a happy wave to the still dormant cameras as he hits the lobby, the devices only finally returning to life once he's out the door.

Looks like he has a delivery to make to the Blue Devil - after he gets his fuzzy new friend dropped off, anyway.

After all this trouble, it would be a hell of a note to get them busted for a health code violation.

Hackett04/24/2019
A little over an hour later, Dr. Forsmith wakes up, rubbing his eyes, and goes to the bathroom. Afterwards, he makes a fresh pot of coffee, then returns to his office, and back to completing reports