In the Shadow of the Valley

## INTRODUCTION

As a veteran of the war against the unnatural, Dr. Derek Stafford believes that combating it requires a different breed of human, one that can face the unknown with a blank stare. Unfeeling.

Unconquerable.

A brilliant researcher and former Delta Green agent during the Outlaw years, Dr. Stafford is now the head of a black-folder March Technologies genetic engineering project. Capitalizing on underfunded ICE concentration camps, vulnerable detainees disappear under the guise of ‘advanced medical care’.

They are taken to a secondary compound operated by the Holy River Foundation, a shell charity under March Technologies. Dr. Stafford subjects these victims to rigorous genetic experimentation with the goal of producing a soldier capable of defeating the unnatural.

It is futile. Blinded to both the horror of his methods and the impossible results he is expecting, Dr. Stafford has gone mad in the pursuit of his vision, and has resorted to using reactive materials to realize it.

After a dust storm sweeps through the region, one of his victims manages to escape… and provide the trail of breadcrumbs needed for Delta Green to neutralize the operation.

## BRIEFING

The Agents’ handler provides them with red eye flights to El Paso International. Upon arrival, they present the agents with a manila folder. Within is a set of photos **[1/1d4 SAN - Unnatural]** that depict the deformed corpse of a six-year-old child, discovered in the fields of Lawrence - a small town south of El Paso.

The child’s eyes have black sclera. Lesions and weeping sores cover their grey, dirt-caked skin. Their nails and teeth are long, sharp, and covered in blood, while its belly is bloated and bruised. The body is so mutated and distended, determining its gender is impossible.

These photos were caught by the Program’s cybersecurity protocols, but further data is unavailable. The case was swiftly closed by an Agent Warner from ICE, claiming it was a malnourished illegal immigrant that perished while attempting to cross the border.

The handler charges the Agents with uncovering the truth and neutralizing any potential vectors.

## LAWRENCE

Travelling a half-hour south of El Paso, the Agents find that the town of Lawrence is impoverished and unassuming. A thick haze from the recent storm lingers in the air, and locals cover their mouths with scraps of cloth.

## THE INVESTIGATION

From here, the Agents might pursue several investigation options - they can visit the Sheriff’s office, locate Agent Warner and his subordinates, question the locals, or visit the farm where the body was discovered.

1. The Sheriff’s Office

The working place of Sheriff Ortega, his three deputies, and Ms. Keller (their secretary), the agents find that only Ms. Keller is present.

She says that the Sheriff and two of the deputies called in sick today, and the third deputy is out on patrol. By flashing a badge and wielding **[Persuasion]**, the agents can convince her to elaborate. She reveals that the Sheriff and deputies looked haunted when they returned from the crime scene last night.

If the agents ask for any official report regarding the corpse, Ms. Keller provides a perfunctory autopsy report, signed by the Sheriff in a shaky hand. **[Bureaucracy %40]** or **[Forensics %25]** will recognize a forgery.

By obtaining Sheriff Ortega’s home address, the agents can question him at his home. He is disturbed and visibly drunk. It takes little prompting for him to admit that ICE agents were crawling over the case, and pushed for the matter to be closed ASAP. He complied, hoping to be rid of the entire affair.

2. Agent Warner

The ICE agents still in the area are uniformly stonewalling. They direct you to their supervisor Agent Warner, a beady-eyed brute of a man. He sees the Agents - and every other government institution except his own - as red tape that prevent “real work from getting done”, and insists that the dead child was an “open and shut case”, and incinerated the body “to spare everyone else the sight”. If challenged or threatened, he blows the Agents off, confident he is untouchable.

He will not reveal anything else unless placed under duress. Separating from his subordinates is difficult but necessary, as they will defend him with violence if he’s threatened.

If he truly believes his life or career is in danger, Warner will reveal the existence of the Compound, and that he was in charge of transporting potential subjects.

Performing covert surveillance or accessing his smartphone will also expose the Compound’s existence.

3. The Locals

The citizens of Lawrence keep to themselves, but will become talkative if they are shown a badge or are offered a bribe. Though they have seemingly little of substance to share, there are a number of insights they can provide to the Agents:

Some large, black ICE vans have been traveling through town recently, heading north.

They were not questioned by the Sheriff or Agent Warner regarding the corpse.

They see no illegal immigration in the area.

4. The Crime Scene

Mr. Langstrom owns the field where the body was found, and is forthcoming with the agents. He discovered the body late last night, after he heard his dog “howlin’ like the coyotes were gnawin’ on ‘er”. He confesses to having terrible dreams last night.

The site where the body was found has been trampled and the body is gone - there is only a black scorch mark where the body was burnt.

## THE COMPOUND

Through Agent Warner, the Agents learn that there is a compound in the county where sick immigrant children are ‘disappeared’.

Nestled in an empty lot of the eastern El Paso suburbs, it consists of a small processing center and a medical facility. Satellite imagery (available from the Agents’ handler) reveals that the compound was built quickly and recently.

It is run by Dr. Stafford and four similarly-obsessed underlings. There is also a security complement of ten to twelve contractors provided by Triptych Security, another March Technologies shell corporation. Staffed by hand-picked local white supremacists, all are aware of the experiments being performed at the compound.

None of them care.

## INVESTIGATING THE COMPOUND

The Agents may visit the Compound as part of their investigation. They will be greeted by Dr. Stafford, who shows them the ‘public-facing’ side of the compound with a few of the sick children, lamenting that he can’t do more to help them.

If the Agents snoop too obviously or do not lie adequately, Dr. Stafford will realize that the Program is sniffing around.

The Triptych Security employees are extremely well-kitted, gruff, and unprofessional. They have been instructed to gun down the Agents if they attempt to access the ICU, where the most ‘advanced’ subjects are kept under secure containment.

Obtaining any on-site electronic data will reveal the nature of Dr. Stafford’s experiments, but requires **[SIGINT 40%]** to decrypt.

If the Agents pursue leads on Triptych Security or the Holy River Foundation, links to March Technologies may be uncovered. If the Agents’ handler is informed, they may order the Agents to disengage, inflicting **[1/1d6 SAN - Helplessness]**.

## RAIDING THE COMPOUND

Once the nature of the Compound is ascertained, it is up to the Handler and the Agents to decide how the investigation concludes. The Agents’ handler might arrange a SWAT raid on the compound, or insist that the Agents must personally neutralize the operation. They will provide assets and material to make it happen.

Cutting power and communications will delay any law enforcement response, but might also release the test subjects - all of which have been rendered into violent, unpredictable vectors. In case of an emergency, Triptych Security employees maintain a small armory on-site within the processing center.

When confronted by the Agents, Dr. Stafford will explain his work and his past as an agent in an attempt to recruit the Agents into his conspiracy. Listening costs **[0/1d4 Sanity - Helplessness]**. If Stafford senses his project is threatened, he will lash out violently.

Stat blocks for NPCs are provided in Appendix A.

## OUTCOME

If Dr. Stafford discovers the Agents and survives, Delta Green and March Technologies will escalate their feud.

Documenting Stafford’s atrocities will greatly benefit the Program and hamper both ICE and March Technologies. If details are leaked to the public, worldwide outrage erupts. The Agents are considered ‘hot’ and will not be contacted for some time.

Dr. Stafford is in possession of a flawed copy of ‘the Cookbook’ on an encrypted flash drive he keeps on his person at all times. If an Agent has **[Science - Biology]**, reading the alien document will inflict **[1d4/1d8 SAN - Unnatural]**, but grant **+25%** to **[Science - Biology]**, and **+10%** to **[Unnatural]**.

There are a handful of victims not in the ICU (in the ‘front-facing’ ward) whose level of exposure to reactive materials cannot be determined. Their fates are up to the Agents.

Destroying the Compound and killing Dr. Stafford will grant 1d8 Sanity.

## APPENDIX A

### Dr. Derek Stafford

*March Technology’s Monster*

**STR** 12, **CON** 10, **DEX** 11, **INT** 18, **POW** 6, **CHA** 12

**HP** 10, **WP** 6

**SKILLS**: Alertness 40%, Athletics 40%, HUMINT 70%, Persuade 60%, Science (Medical 80%), Unnatural 80%

**ATTACKS**: Unarmed %60, 1d4-1 damage

     Shock Baton 50%

### Agent Warner

*ICE Procurement Specialist*

**STR** 14  **CON** 15 **DEX** 14  **INT** 12 **POW** 13 **CHA** 10

**HP** 15, **WP** 15, **SAN** 46  **BREAKING POINT** 40

**ARMOR**: Stab Jacket (2)

**ATTACKS**: Unarmed %60, 1d4-1 damage

      M9 Beretta %50, 1d6 damage

### Triptych Security Contractors

*Callous, undisciplined thugs*

**STR** 10  **CON** 12 **DEX** 12  **INT** 8 **POW** 10 **CHA** 8

**HP** 12, **WP** 12, **SAN** 50  **BREAKING POINT** 40

**ARMOR**: Kevlar Vest (3)

**SKILLS**: Alertness %30, Athletics %35,

**ATTACKS**: Collapsible Baton %50, 1d6 damage

    M1911 %40, 1d10 damage

    AR-15 %40, 1d10 damage OR M1014 Shotgun %40, 2d10\*

### The Subjects

*Hollow-eyed victims aware of their suffering*

**STR** 24 **CON** 24 **DEX** 15 **INT** 12

**HP** 24

**ARMOR**: See RESILIENT.

**SKILLS**: Alertness 80%, Athletics 85%, Unnatural 40%

**ATTACKS**: Inhuman Flailing 60%, damage 1D8, Armor Piercing 2

      Bite 50%, damage 1d6

     Empty Eyes SAN 1/1d6

**MUTILATE**: After succeeding with an ‘Inhuman Flailing’ attack, a Subject will begin tearing their target apart, inflicting 1d8 damage per turn.

**RESILIENT**: A successful Lethality roll does not destroy a Subject but inflicts HP damage equal to the Lethality Rating.

**MUTATED**: The Subjects have been altered with reactive materials, wildly altering their body structure. Making a called shot for “vitals” or another apparently vulnerable area inflicts normal damage, with no special game effect.

**SAN LOSS**: 0/1d4

## Credits

In the Shadow of the Valley was written by GunmetalStuG for the 2019  shotgun scenario contest.

Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © GunmetalStuG, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

In the Shadow of the Valley is not available here under CC-BY-SA.