Indeed, you are remembering more. A great deal more. Your name is Gilbert Cathaway. Two years ago you were transferred to Arkham Research from an analysis position with the FBI; you were barely out of the academy before the order was put through. After a few months of training and preparation, you were put to work sorting files on some of mankind's best kept secrets. An entire network of facilities crosses the nation, dedicated to repelling, containing, or repurposing supernatural forces that the average man never encounters.

After your training you were transferred to Blind Falls, an island research station in the middle of Lake Superior. It was three days before you first ran into Theodore Arkham, pacing the halls like a king in his castle. He took one look at you and chuckled. “Just like I remember,” he said with a shake of his head. At the time you had no idea what he meant. It would be two more months before the Origin Project was brought into the testing phases.

Hey, it's Timequest.

It took them nearly a year of testing to successfully send a solid object backward in time. The lead scientist on the project, Dr. Babbage, tried explaining the science to you once, something about tunneling through areas of space where the normal laws of physics didn't work the same, but you could never wrap your head around it. Still, you learned how the device worked, learned to properly calibrate and monitor the mechanisms. You thought that was all you would be doing.

Dr. Babbage called you into his office one evening, and you were shocked and a bit nervous to see Mister Arkham leaning against the Dr.'s desk. They explained that Arkham was once saved by a man who bore a striking resemblance to you, wearing a uniform which he has since adapted as Arkham Research standard issue. The purpose of the Origin Project is to send you back in time to the day Theodore Arkham was almost murdered. It was made clear that refusal was not an option, but you weren't about to refuse. You had seen the work the company did. You had seen some of the things kept under lock and key at Blind Falls, some of the things being loaded onto the trucks bound for the newly opened Miami installation. Breathlessly, you accepted your task.

The next few months are still hazy, but from what you can reconstruct, you extensively tested the Origin equipment on human subjects, even sending yourself on a few test runs forwards and backwards. However, when the mission was officially given the go-ahead, something went wrong. You passed through an area of intense temporal distortion, and though you were luckily able to manifest close to the proper time and place, there were, and have been, lingering effects. Sometimes you slip a few minutes in one direction or another, or spend an hour in some sort of stasis-like state. You've kept your mouth shut about some of the more extreme incidences, because you know what happens if it becomes obvious that you can't control this power: a Subject designation, and a lifetime of imprisonment in the Arkham facilities, lest you somehow disrupt the normal flow of causality. But you know you can control it. You know you can.

Spoilers:
We went back in time, after a bit of amnesia, and we shot a guy who clearly knew too fucking much about elder abominations.

Also, we used up one of our 1-ups because I retardedly accepted a car ride from one of the NPCs, leading to roadkill. The checkpoint wasn't far back though.

“Yes,” you nod, “the temporal incidences are getting much better.”
“That's good, Gil, that's very good. Have you been having any negative effects from the medication?”
You shake your head, maintaining a neutral expression. “They've been working fine. A little nausea.”
“Well, that's to be expected. Just let us know if anything becomes more serious, we'll need to take further actions to protect you.”
You nod. You know exactly what that means.

>>DEBRIEFING SESSION
>>AGENT: GILBERT CATHAWAY
>>DATE: April 15, 1990
>>LOCATION: Blind Falls Sub-basement

The picture isn't of anyone you've seen before. It's a fairly waterlogged photograph of a bearded man with white hair, slightly off-center and apparently unaware that he's being photographed. You shift uncomfortably; all eyes are on you.
“This man is Mahmoud Hassan. He will be your target.”

It's been about a month since you last traveled through the Origin machine. Arkham is under the impression that your symptoms are much more under control than they actually are; you've been fortunate so far in that nobody has witnessed any of the more intense distortions. You were nervous, therefore, when they told you that you would be traveling back in time again, this time with the objective of actually changing the past rather than completing a temporal loop.

Another picture is slid in front of you, this time of a sadfaced brown child. He's holding a lightbulb between two of his fingers; the lightbulb is lit.
“You are not to harm this boy in any way. In fact, if you can eliminate Mahmoud without ever encountering this child, so much the better.”

>What do?

>TimeQuest

>>14604094
What resources does Hassan have at his disposal?
I'll need, at the very least, a fake ID, a means of murdering him, and a map of the area. A means of transport will be helpful, too.
What time period and location am I to be sent to?

>>14604094
What's the significance of the child, and what is his relation, if any, to Hassan?

Have we actually been able to control our temporal displacement, at any point?

>>14604118
"What resources does Hassan have at his disposal?"
"Very few," says one of the men sitting across from you. "You'll be going to Afghanistan, June 12, 1985, a few hours south of Kabul. Hassan lives in a small village in that area. You will be properly outfitted. We'll monitor your progress and recall you through Origin when there's a significant temporal shift.
"What's the significance of the child, and what is his relation, if any, to Hassan?"
"The child is of no significance to you," another of the men cuts in sharply "But be aware that he is the reason for this mission. As we said, avoid him as much as possible. And be sure to remove the body. Try to make it seems as though Hassan simply disappeared."

>Have we actually been able to control our temporal displacement, at any point?

You have not been able to consciously displace yourself in time at any point. There have been a few instances when you think deep breathing and relaxing thoughts have prevented or lessened temporal events.

Might as well get on with it. No time to waste.

Nobody minds puns, right?

>>14604223
So, kill Hassan, bury the body in the wilderness.
Got any tools that would help cut up a body or smash bones?
I think I'm good to go sir.

"Might as well get on with it. No time to waste."
There is an aching silence in the debriefing room. You smile, then stop smiling, then cough into the back of your hand, then smile again.
"Yes..." one of them finally says.

>>I have steady vitals

How did you get here? You drift alone in the weightless dark. Far away you can see the twinkling of stars, or light reflected on the surface of water.

>>We have a temporal lock, opening the tunnel.

You are not alone. You can feel the constant caressing of spectral fingers across every inch of your skin. The stars are gone, replaced with a dull sepia light that permeates throughout the void.

>>I'm getting minor temporal spikes from Cathaway, should be nothing worry about.

You suck in a breath of hundred-degree desert air, scrambling to your feet and looking around. You can feel the weight of the gun in your pocket, and the pack on your back. Reaching into your other pocket, you pull out the piece of paper within. Hassan's face has been circled in red ink.

>What do?

>mfw TimeQuest!

>>14604331
Check inventory, check surroundings, remember to make more puns later.

Fuck those guys. They're not risking their lives in this bullshit. Jumping timestreams like train tracks. Oh, and they don't have to deal with the CRIPPLING GODDAMN SIDE-EFFECTS.

We gotta ask for a pay raise. Right after we murder this guy. Making good use of that FBI training, huh, Gil? We're a time-traveling government hitman. Dad would be so proud.

>>14604331
Survey the area. Look for shelter. Obtain more appropriate attire. We're sticking out like a sore thumb.

>>14604389
Why would we stick out? It's not like they'd send us back wearing a beer hat and a leather codpiece. I mean, they're not stupid. That one guy said we'd be "properly outfitted" before we totally killed the atmosphere by mentioning time.

>Check inventory
There is the gun in your pocket. It looks like the one you used to shoot Armitage on your first timeventure.
The backpack on your back contains 3 freeze-dried meals, an entrenching tool, a compass, and a zippered pouch containing one syringe marked "Ricin 85mg w/ saline"

>Check surroundings
To the south there is a small collection of buildings. To the west you can see rising dust and sand from passing vehicles on some sort of road. To the north you can see a trio of planes flying east.

>Properly outfitted
You are wearing the uniform of a United States Army private.

>>14604437
>The backpack on your back contains 3 freeze-dried meals, an entrenching tool, a compass, and a zippered pouch containing one syringe marked "Ricin 85mg w/ saline"

What? No water? They sent us to the middle of Afghanistan without any water? No flashlight, no multitool, no money, not even a pair of sunglasses. Next time we choose our own equipment.

Go south. Try not to get thirsty.

Cut Cactus

>>14604472
Arkham's ability to plan things out seems a bit limited. Which is especially odd because they're sending us BACK IN TIME, to KILL A MAN.

>>14604429
I was alluding more to the sudden appearance, and the fact that we're completely alone.

>Go south
It takes you about fifteen minutes to reach the collection of buildings. It seems to be a simple group of houses clustered around a well. There are a few people milling around, all of whom smile at you. They talk at you in a language you cannot understand, perhaps Dari. You notice that there are unlit christmas lights strung between many of the houses. A few of the men have assault rifles.

>>14604556
As I see it, we have two options.
Show people the picture and have them lead us to Hassan (which will likely get us shot if they suspect our motive)
OR
Try to find Hassan ourselves (which will likely get us shot because we're derping around in a place where we can't even speak the language).

>>14604550
Yeah, we're completely alone. Which means there's nobody to see us suddenly pop out of time's wretched asshole. We'll just tell people we fell off the back of an APC or something.

>>14604556
>There are a few people milling around, all of whom smile at you.

Creepy.

Let's go show one of the friendly villagers our picture of Hassan. Maybe this is where he lives.

Approaching one of the villagers, a man in his late 20's or so, you produce the picture of Hassan, pointing to the man's face. The villager smiles.
"Mahmoud. English? You need English? Uhm...America?" he grins sheepishly.

>>14604629
"America, yes. Do you know this man? Have you seen him?"

"America, yes. Do you know this man? Have you seen him?"
The other man nods, motioning for you to follow him. Several people pat you on the back as you pass or waggle their assault rifles at you. It's possible this is a mujahideen camp.
You are shown through the door of one of the low-ceilinged buildings. Within, the bare sand floor is covered with various blankets and cloths. Mahmoud Hassan is seated at a table with a small child next to him; it is the child from the other photograph. They are engaged in conversation. Your guide says some words and then departs. Mahmoud looks at you.
"Ah! American! One of the CIA men, I presume."

>>14604742
>Hassan is seated at a table with a small child next to him; it is the child from the other photograph.

Fuck.

>"Ah! American! One of the CIA men, I presume."

Ask him if there is somewhere we can talk in private. There is an important matter to discuss.

"Can we talk somewhere privately? There's something important I need to discuss with you."
Mahmoud narrows his eyes, seeming guarded.
"Sir, I am merely an interpreter. I thought I made it clear to the last agent who came to see me that I am not interested in working for your agency. It is a good thing you are doing aiding the mujahideen against the soviet puppets, but I will not endanger myself or my family with your conflicts."
You look between the two seated figures. The little boy picks up an electric motor, which promptly begins whirring. Mahmoud slaps it out of his hand.
"Not now, Ahmed! Eh...go, go outside and play. Not too far!"
The child rises and scurries past you, hiding his face nervously.
"Nephew," Mahmoud says with a nervous laugh. "His parents were...well, never mind. Perhaps I was presumptuous. If you're not here to make a job offer, what do you want?"

>>14604832
>nervously
>nervous
God damn it. I need more sleep one of these days.

>>14604832
You know, we could totally just kill him right now. The kid's gone, anyway.

I suggest we just take that syringe out and use it for its intended purpose. Anyone disagree?

I'm actually kind of curious as to why this man must die.
"Sir, please have a seat. There's not much time."
"Your nephew has a special gift. We're not so different, he and I. Where he is an... energy conduit?... while I possess the ability to exude a fast acting and deadly poison into the air around me. There's an antidote, but I need to know why you're targeted for assassination."
"No cries for help please. The more nervous I get, the more poison you get. I'm the only help you have right now."

>>14604853
>Kill him
"I'm not here to make a job offer," you say, moving closer and sitting across the low table from Mahmoud.
"Well, good. Nothing personal, my friend, but where the soviets are an obvious threat, I feel yours is subtler and more insidious still. I am always wary of authority figures claiming to hold my best interests at heart, because we are only ever tools in their eyes, to be used and discarded. I hope to teach my nephew," he gestures to the door, "to utilize the same discretion, and I would urge you to do the same."
You look to the door, then back at the man, trying to look as urgent as possible.
"There isn't much time." you begin.
"Wh-what?" he says.
"Your nephew has a special gift. We're not so different, he and I. Where he is an... energy conduit?... while I possess the ability to exude a fast acting and deadly poison into the air around me. There's an antidote, but I need to know why you're targeted for assassination."
"Targeted for..." Mahmoud swallows hard, eyes darting around the room.
"No cries for help please. The more nervous I get, the more poison you get. I'm the only help you have right now."
"I don't know!" he hisses. "Why would the CIA want to kill an interpreter?! If you've been led to believe that I'm some sort of informant, some sort of soviet agent," he coughs nervously, "sir, be reasonable. Who will raise the boy if you kill me? I am his only family."

>>14604901
I just realized he was still seated. I have to pay better attention.

>>14604963
>Zalgo
I missed you, man

>>14604945
"Exactly. He's what they want." Hand the syringe to him. "You have to counteract poison with poison. I'm going to leave now. Wait a day, then leave this place. Go underground. If at all possible, get the boy to Arkham. They'll be able to help. I just hope you're good at hiding."
Before we leave, turn back. "You're lucky you caught me on a good day." Then stroll out.

>>14605020
This. Why the hell not.

>>14605020
"Exactly. He's what they want."
Mahmoud's face becomes stony. "So you're going to kill me if I don't hand my nephew over to you, into the hands of surgeons and killers and monsters?"
You approach him, palming the syringe to him and shaking your head.
"Take this. You have to counteract the poison with poison. I'm going to leave now. Wait a day, then leave this place. Go underground. If at all possible, get the boy to Arkham. They'll be able to help. I just hope you're good at hiding."
"Arkham? What is that? What kind of mad game is this?" Mahmoud has raised his voice.
"You don't have much time," you say, pointing to the syringe. "You're lucky you caught me on a good day."
Mahmoud spits on the ground, then tosses the syringe into the corner of the room.
"I will die before I see my kin pressganged."

>What do?

>>14605091
"You die, and then what? Who's going to raise him? Arkham's the only people I trust, but if you've got a better idea, go for it." Point to the syringe. "But don't throw your life away. I've seen way too much meaningless death. And you seem like a good man."

>>14605091
"Listen to me. You've already been poisoned. If you don't take the antidote, you'll die. That is a fact."

"The boy needs you, Mahmoud. As you said, who will raise him but you?"

"Take him to Arkham or don't. As long as you both stay alive, that's enough."

>>14605134
>>14605143
>Persuade

Roll me a d100

rolled 13 = 13

>>14605205
And here is where I ensure that we have to use the gun anyway. Luck? Who needs luck.

>>14605219
Yay! I don't know if that's good!

>>14605219
>13
"The boy needs you, Mahmoud. As you said, who will raise him but you?"
Hassan looks at you, then past you, breathing heavily.
"Listen to me. You've already been poisoned. If you don't take the antidote, you'll die. That is a fact."
Mahmoud looks at the syringe in the corner. He walks to it and picks it up.
"Antidote? Ricin?" he tosses the needle at your feet.
"I'm not a chemist, but I translate people's lies for a living. You need to work on yours." With a growl, he bull-rushes you.

>What do? Dice rolls for combat actions.

rolled 65 = 65

>>14605273
THOSE FUCKING FAGGOTS LABELED IT, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT

THEY LABELED IT

THE POISON

THEY FUCKING LABELED IT

We should have torn the label off. Oh well, guess we'll have to make a quick grab for the syringe and plunge it into the largest vein we can find. On him, though. Not us.

There will be strong words when we get back, I'll tell you that.

>>14605302
I swear, if we have to waste one of our time-burps on this I will be enormously pissed.

My kingdom for a dart gun.

>>14605302
Kinda why I went with "counteract poison with poison" but meh. He saw through it.

>>14605315
Well, yeah, at least he's not completely stupid. It wouldn't be fun otherwise.

That kid's going to see us kill him, I just know it.

>>14605302
>I FORGOT ABOUT THAT
Must be that desert heat getting to you, Gil.

>65
Thinking on your feet, you quickly pick up the needle. Bracing yourself, you stop Mahmoud from charging through you, jamming the needle into his neck and depressing the plunger. With a cry, he falls back, clutching at his neck.
"What have you done, American?" he says. "Now I will die, and my nephew will become like you." he coughs, "A dog. A killer. Except," he laughs raggedly, "I suspect he will be better at it."

There is a knock at the door. Someone says something in Dari. Mahmoud responds.

>What do?

>>14605376
Any other exits?

Y'know, there are easier compounds to kill people with. We were probably meant to put the Ricin in his drink or something.

Oh well, there's always bullets.

>>14605403
Just the front door. The walls don't look particularly sturdy; if you absolutely had to, maybe you could just Hulk through one of them?

I'm assuming that we're going to be immediately recalled as soon as the mission's complete. Since Ricin takes a while to kill... I guess that's what the meals are for. But now we're in kind of a bad spot. We could take the chance and just shoot him, or tear out his jugular or something, but we might not go back right away.

Maybe that kid can inhibit time travel or something. Is that what they were worried about?

Ask Mahmoud who is at the door, and what he/they said.

"Who is that? What did they say?"
Mahmoud laughs.
"They want to know if everything is alright."
"And?"
A man with an AK47 bursts through the door, shouting angrily.
"I told them you poisoned me," Mahmoud says with a shit-eating grin.

>What do?

rolled 74 = 74

>>14605514
Take him hostage, shoot the man who just came in, then shoot Mahmoud and take cover.

>>14605543
INCOMING WORMHOLE

If this does not work, I suggest we try very hard to go back in time and do something not entirely retarded.

Why couldn't we just kill Mahmoud when he was a baby? I mean, come on.

>>14605560
Because then he wouldn't be in charge of the boy, and we would have to go after someone else.

>>14605580
Maybe it would be someone more susceptible to outrageous lies.

>The worst part is, there are good answers (well, answers at least) to all the questions you guys are raging about, but it would be uncouth of me to spill all the beans. For the moment, let's just say you're properly roleplaying someone with an incomplete understanding of Arkham time travel, and who isn't being fully let into the loop by his superiors.

>>14605543
>74
You leap for Mahmoud, wrapping one arm around his throat while the other produces your gun. Taking aim, you fire two shots at the man at the door, hitting him once in the stomach and once in the shoulder.
"You are the worst assassin I've ever-"
You silence Mahmoud with a bullet to the brain.

>Continued...

>>14605614
>"You are the worst assassin I've ever-"

Actually, I agree completely. Maybe murder is one of those activities that tends to get easier the more you do it.

We have to kill more people.

Judging by the fact that we're an FBI-analyst-turned-time-traveling-hatchetman, I think we're doing fairly well.

>>14605660
It would be a lot easier if we were given proper tools for the job.

At this point, I would like to bring up again that they sent us to AFGHANISTAN without WATER.

You feel Hassan slip out of your arms as more figures step through the doorway. They shout angrily, but you can't hear the words.

>>I'm having trouble getting a lock...wait, there he is!

You are being pulled rapidly through the darkness. It feels like great pieces of you are being torn off. It is...unpleasant.

>>I'm losing him. There's a temporal disturbance originating...March 11, 199-

You are forced through a space the size of a keyhole. You're still screaming when you hit the pavement, dark and slick with rain and oil. You can feel the droplets on your back. At least you seem to be in one piece.
"Who the fuck is this? Dude, what the fuck are you doing here?"
You look up. Two people are sitting in the front of a nice looking Cadillac. They're wearing ski masks.
"Forget about him," the driver says. A female voice.
"Bro, get in the car before the fucking fuzz snaps you up, yo," the passenger jerks a thumb at the backseat.
You hear sirens.

>>14605702
Get in. Check inventory, check surroundings.

>>14605737
You pull the handle on the back door. It's locked.
"Come on, Wires, what the fuck?" the passenger says.
There is a click, and you get in the back of the car, which peels away from the lot.
Looking around, you can see that you're in a city of some sort. Palm trees line the streets. You're still wearing your military uniform. Your backpack is gone, but you can feel the gun in your pocket. It seems to be the middle of the night.
"Yo, dude, what the fuck were you even doing on that lot? You some kinda dishonorable discharge or some shit?"
'Wires' continues driving. The sirens don't seem to be getting any closer.

inb4 saving Constantinople.

>>14605795
"Must have gotten a bit lost. I don't suppose you could tell me where we are? And why you picked me up?"

"I have a condition. Now, I don't mean to weird you guys out, but what's the date and why is the police after us?"

"Must have gotten a bit lost. I don't suppose you could tell me where we are? And why you picked me up?"
"Where we are? Yo, are you for real?"
"I have a condition. Now, I don't mean to weird you guys out, but what's the date and why is the police after us?"
"Did they kick you out of the army because you couldn't remember what day it is? It's Thursday, man. March 11th. And the police are after us cause this ain't our car."
"So why did you pick me up?"
"Cause you don't want to get picked up by the cops for boosting cars, man. Now where do you- oh, that's right, you don't know where you are. We're in Miami, bro. Welcome to the sunshine state and shit."

>>14605860
Miami? Awww

>>14605860
Miami. The Miami installation. We need to get there.

Tell them to stop and let you out at a street corner. We don't want to be around these guys.

If they refuse, pull out our gun and tell them to let us the fuck out.

what the fuck is this shit?

FBI arn't assassins, no matter how much they wish they were. And Hassan seems like the good guy.

Also, what gun have we got? I vote Sig P229 in 9mm (being the FBI standard issue). That means you have 3-13 = 10 bullets left. Its also small enough to fit inside a pocket, because for some reason an FBI guy doesnt have his own gun and holster.

>>14605903
>Implying we're still with the FBI
>Implying we don't work for a version of The Foundation now

>>14605903
We're no longer FBI. We work for Arkham Ltd now.

>>14605860
"I meant the year. You lose track of that stuff in the service."

>>14605903
Two things:
1. The exact type of pistol we have is unimportant.
2. It's 1990 when we got the pistol, the 229 wasn't even developed yet. The 226 was just barely getting into service by the military.

>>14605925
So there like; your a pretty good desk jocky, wanna come and fly through time and shit? And your like; some how i managed to pass FBI training without a gun but OKAY!!

I'd like to see an answer to that!
Why did they want YOU to kill Hhassan and not somebody ells?

"Shit!" Wires says, pulling down a sidestreet. She slows to a crawl, the two masked thieves breathing heavily. A few seconds later a police car cruises past down the street you were just on.
"Check that crazy shit, yo!" the passenger says. "When Wires says something's about to go down, it always does, man. Always. Crazy bitch is never wrong about a hunch."
"Hey, go fuck yourself," Wires says.
"Hey, you can just let me off here," you say.
"Sure thing," Wires says, stopping the car abruptly. "Fuck off."
"Hey, uh..." the passenger says once you're standing on the sidewalk. "You ever need some help with that 'condition' of yours," he insinuates with air-quotes, "come by Kincaid's down by the beach. They got all sorts of conditions in there, you feel me?" he laughs for too long, then trails away awkwardly.
"Well alright bro, roll five deep and don't ever sleep!"
The car pulls away, leaving you in the warm rain.

>What do?

>>14605954
We need to head for the Arkham Miami installation. Presumably we know where it is.

>>14605954
Find a newspaper or magazine or anything to find the date.

Do we know where the Miami Installation is? It's the 1990s at least, we heard that. If we know where it is, head there.

If we don't call the Arkham installation where we worked. We're bound to know the number of the place. If it's a lot later than when we left, start going through numbers of people we know who work there, colleagues. We need to get back into contact.

>>14605954
Pick up newspaper.

Take off helmet, put in bag. (we look like someone from /k/).

>>14605935
Pistol is ALWAYS Important.
>Implying they'll give you an old pistol because they want you to die.

>>14605950
>Theodore Arkham distinctly remembers having his life saved by you, specifically, in the past. You were selected as the human subject for the Origin project to properly complete this time loop. Presumably you were selected for further time travel missions because you've successfully utilized the device before.

>>14605981
We don't even know the year. And in our present time, the Miami station was *just* newly opened. I say we check a newspaper and borrow a phone to call the Blind Falls office.

>>14606004
We know that it's sometime in the 1990's based upon what we were able to hear when they were attempting to retrieve us. That means that the Miami branch should be open, unless they close it for some reason in the next decade.

>>14606004
We heard the technician saying 199-, so there's a 90% chance that it's 1991 or later. And even it if is just 1990, there's still a chance that it's been opened already. Or at least under construction.

>>14606018
That's a good point. If we are in the future, and we find some information on something bad that will happen to us or the Arkham group, we can go back to 1990 and tell them so they can prevent it.

>>14606018
Well, our own timeline is April 13th, 1990. So either we're a month prior (which could mean the time distortion was our first mission) or we're in the future.

I have a theory concerning the time distortions.

The time line is linear. One line. We go back in time to when we already are, and there are two of us.

We change something, and it just changes the line. But there's only one line.

We bypass the line by moving up and down it. But this leaves scar tissue.

As we pass over the same areas in time more and more, the area around it becomes more damaged, causing more temporal distortion around us.

You wander the streets for a while until you find a newspaper in a trash can that hasn't been too washed out to read. The paper is from March 10, 1999. You're nine years in the future.
After a few gutters and a gas-station clerk, you deposit some change into a payphone with a satisfying cha-ching and dial the number for the Blind Falls installation.
"Extension?" the receptionist who answers asks.
"Spheres within spheres," you reply, the last code you were given for dialing in.
"Um...hold on a moment."
You are put on hold. The phone plays a smooth jazz that is somehow relaxing and irritating simultaneously.
"Sir, how can I help you?" a man's voice says after a few moments.

>>14606083
"Gilbert Cathaway. April 15th, 1990. Afghanistan. Now in Miami." Just say that, and only that.

>>14606100
>>14606100
>>14606100

Shamus the giant Irishman approves of this quest.

"Gilbert Cathaway. April 15th, 1990. Afghanistan. Now in Miami."
There is a silence. You can hear fingers on a keyboard and the man's breathing.
"One moment, sir."
You are put on hold again. A woman's recorded voice tells you how your donation can help children in need.
"Target's name?" a different man says to start the conversation.
"Mahmoud Hassan."
"Cathaway, when did you stabilize?"

>>14606137
"Approximately twenty minutes ago. Shouldn't you know this already from my debrief after you get me back?"

>>14606137
"Only moments ago. I might snap back, so if there's anything I should know before I go, lay it on me."

>>14606137
"Twenty five, thirty minutes ago. I'm outside a gas station in Miami. I don't know if I'll be pinpointed and recalled to 1990 soon or what."

"Approximately twenty minutes ago. Shouldn't you know this already from my debrief after you get me back?"
"Cathaway, you never return to Arkham custody after Afghanistan. This is the first contact you've made. Protocol is...a little unclear on how we should proceed. You're positive that you have not manifested between your current experiential moment and the mission in Afghanistan?"

>>14606172
"There was an attempt to extract, but I guess I slipped through their fingers. We may be speaking in a temporary time line where I *didn't* get back. Hazards of traveling into the future? I don't know..."

>>14606172
"From my current subjective viewpoint, I am certain. Who knows when I'll end up in the future, speaking from my point of view."

>>14606185
I like this. Yeah, temporary timestream where I never came back. Once I get recalled, I'll be in a different timestream.

"ANYTHING MAJOR I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT. A CATASTROPHE TO AVERT!?"

"From my current subjective viewpoint, I am certain. Who knows when I'll end up in the future, speaking from my point of view."
"This is...unorthodox," the man says. "After failing to recover you the book was shut on Origin. You're probably going to experience some discomfort and temporal incidences over the next few subjective hours or days as the team tries to get you back to 1990."
"We may be speaking in a temporary time line where I *didn't* get back. Hazards of traveling into the future? I don't know..."
"Possible, but unlikely. Still, what's your current street location? We'll send a team to retrieve you. And stay away from cops. You were placed on a large number of watchlists in case you had somehow gone rogue and later remanifested. Purely precautionary, you understand."

"In case I'm recalled, any major catastrophes I should know about? Anything I can help avert?"
"I am instructed not to inform you about past events, in case our attempts to change the past were what caused the 1990 disruption in the first place."

>>14606234
Give him our location and ask how long it'll take the retrieval team to show.

>>14606234
"I'm outside a Shell station, on 75th and Wabash. I'm in military fatigues. Send a team to pick me up. But we might not have much time. Anything else I should worry about?"

>>14606249
"What's your name, man. If I get back I'm buying you a beer or two."

"I'm outside a Shell station, on 75th and Wabash. I'm in military fatigues. Send a team to pick me up. But we might not have much time. Is there anything I should know in case I get recalled before they get here?
"Just sit tight. We'll have-"

>>There he is! There are conflicting timestreams everywhere, it's difficult to sort everything out!

You can see yourself putting money in the payphone, like looking through a stained glass window.

>>Shit!

You feel nauseous. Something is peering out from behind your eyes.

>>You're not done yet...

The voice is different, hissing and sinister. You can feel its hot breath in your lungs, feels its scraping grip underneath your nails. Abruptly, you are back in front of the payphone, receiver in hand.

"I'm outside a Shell station, on 75th and Wabash. I'm in military fatigues. Send a team to pick me up. But we might not have much time. Anything else I should worry about?"
"Just sit tight. We'll have a team out there in two shakes."

>What do?

>>14606312
Puke from feeling so nauseus. Then close our eyes and concentrate on our original timeline. Focus very hard on where we're SUPPOSED to be.

"Wait... I'm getting residual feedback. They're still trying, from my point of view..." Thumb through that newspaper real quick. "I don't suppose you could tell me who won the Superbowl in the past decade?"

Stoner, I really like how you're handling future time travel here.

That's what I hated about Back to the Future 2. How could he go see himself in the future? As soon as he left the timeline, he'd come to a future where he mysteriously vanished in 1985.

You lean over the payphone, dry heaving. It is momentarily humorous to you that if it feels like it's been years since you've eaten anything, that's because...no. You stop yourself. That's so lame.
"Wait... I'm getting residual feedback. They're still trying, from my point of view..."
"Okay, just hold on Cathaway. Hopefully you'll be right and it will work itself out."
Your vision blurs a bit. You page at the newspaper. The biggest headline reads "McVEIGH MURDER CONVICTIONS UPHELD BY SUPREME COURT."

>>I've got him again. I think it's a lock this time.

You feel yourself throwing up again. Your eyes are open, but there's nothing to see. You blink. Nothing changes.

>>Damn it! Something's interfering. It's like there's another machine trying to grab him.

You can see a hallway, white and brightly lit, lined with some sort of cylindrical chambers, doors thick and vaultlike. The number stamped on the closest one reads "116". You can see a humanoid figure within, frozen as though in stasis.

>>Whoa, where's he...I can't...someone get that plasma compactor before-

"Well alright bro, roll five deep and don't ever sleep!"
The car pulls away, leaving you in the warm rain.

>What do?

>>14606406
>You can see a humanoid figure within, frozen as though in stasis.
I darkly suspect that figure is us. We keep seeing ourselves.

>What do?
Go somewhere to sit down. They'll keep jerking us around, we'll never get anything done until they stop. And I don't like whatever's sitting in the timestream watching...

>>14606406
Sigh and find cover from the rain. Shit is getting fucked in the time line.

Do the same as before, get some coin and dial the institute. Give them our name, date of departure, etc. When the guy comes back on, tell him our target and once we get to talking, say:

"I've already had this conversation with you once before. Something happened, I don't know what. I was about to get recalled. I could hear the technician, they had a lock on me. But they were getting interference from somewhere. Then I was back here in Miami again."

>>14606406
Try an inner monologue with ourselves.
"Am I going crazy? Is there something else in my head?"

Now I'm thinking that maybe Kincaide wouldn't be such a bad guy to visit... damn.

>>14606481
You here at the back of your head

>Eehehehehee
>Don't mind me, just a hitch hiker.

Although distant and quite, yet very clear. It scares the shit out you. But thats the second time today(?) so its loosing its punch.

You trot over to an overhang to get your bearings. The Cadillac pulls around a corner and speeds away.
"Am I going crazy? Is there something else in my head?"
The only answer is the splattering of rain on pavement. You hope that's a good thing, but then again, you're already worried enough to start talking to yourself.

>Fifteen minutes later
"Just sit tight. We'll have a team out there in two shakes."
"Sure...sure..." you say. This is all pretty exhausting.

>>14606522
STOP MESSING WITH MY HEAD, ANON!

>>14606546
Wait for team. See if we bounce again. If we do, then we'll try something different for the third time around.

>>14606546
"Do you guys know of any other group who's been trying this kind of shit? Because man, if someone's fucking with my head, I'm gonna kick their asses. And if I can get back to 1990 and do it before they even start, then I'll fuck their shit up."

"Do you guys know of any other group who's been trying this kind of shit? Because man, if someone's fucking with my head, I'm gonna kick their asses. And if I can get back to 1990 and do it before they even start, then I'll fuck their shit up."
"Another group? What do you mean? What makes you say that?"

>>14606599
Hesitate for a while. "I heard our technicians trying to get me back. But there was someone else, too. It's like they were preventing our boys from getting a hold on me."

>>14606615
"And... our techs, they said it looked like another machine was trying to pull me back. Assuming that it's not just an overlay from their trying to pull me back repeatedly... there's someone trying to mess with our systems."

>>14606615
>our boys
>our boys
>syob ruo

>>14606651
Syob Ruo, my arch nemesis.

"I heard our technicians trying to get me back. But there was someone else, too. It's like they were preventing our boys from getting a hold on me."
"I'm not a technician, I don't know much about the project. Maybe their multiple attempts to fetch you from the same time period produced some kind of interference."

>>He's barely there, but-

The phone receiver dangles in your hand, wires attached to nothing. You can see the red "K" of the gas station's logo sticking out of the pile of rubble. The wind whips dust and debris all around you. Looking around, you can see nothing but wreckage for miles. You drop the phone in shock.

>>If we keep trying this, we're just going to cause more inst-

"Agent Cathaway?"
The voice comes from the receiver, which dangles from the machine.
"Agent Cathaway?"
This voice comes from the car idling on the street. Two men wearing sunglasses at night sit in the front seat. They nod to you.

>>14606667
>>14606651

>>14606712
Walk to the car, nodding, our hand ON our pocket with the gun, not in. We don't want them getting jumpy. They're probably from Arkham. "Yeah. I'm scared guys, I'm getting a lot of disturbance."

>>14606712
Go to the car, get in. Do not say we are scared as in >>14606744; we will take this situation with professional calm. No talking about emotions.

You hang up the phone and stroll over to the car, hand comfortingly on your pocket.
"Good evening, Agent Cathaway. How are you feeling?"
"Evening, gents. Getting a lot of disturbance."
"We'll get you in good hands soon, sir. Just relax."
The car drives out of the city, until the buildings are fairly thinned out. It parks in a lot that appears to be some sort of one-level office park. Several more unmarked cars and white vans populate the lot.
"Please be aware, Agent Cathaway, that Miami is primarily a containment installation. Please go only where directed; effectively, your current clearance level is Escort-Only."

>>14606848
"About what I expected. I'll probably be shut in a room with a lot of monitoring gear until these blips wear off, eh?"

>>14606848
S-fine by me.
I don't particularly want to die in some horrible way from one of the things you got under lock and key down there.

"S'fine by me. I don't particularly want to die in some horrible way from one of the things you got under lock and key down there. I'll probably be shut in a room with a lot of monitoring gear until these blips wear off, eh?"
The two men exchange glances. The driver takes the keys out of the ignition, then smiles back at you.
"Probably, sir."

You are led through the upper levels, which are designed to appear like a normal, albeit underused office building. The elevators take you several layers down, which must have been an impressive feat on construction in these wetlands. Soon you find yourself in an interrogation chamber, the driver standing nearby. You are offered coffee and told that someone will be with you soon.

>Any questions for the driver/things to say before your debriefment begins?

>>14606959
Don't eat or drink anything for now.

Don't say anything to the driver. We don't know their clearance.

They'll probably ask for our gun before we enter. They might not even know we have one...
In any case, strip a bullet off of the mag and keep it in our pocket. Worst comes to shove we can use it to escape.
Ask for some place to change out of these clothes. It'll probably be private.

>>14606959
Let's ask if anything interesting happened in the last decade or so.

The agents looked pretty sure that we'd be treated as a subject instead of a returning agent, which is damned annoying, but there's little to be done about that.

>>14606959
Heh. Why do I get the feeling if things keep going this way, we're going to be thrown into a cell and left there.

Ask the driver what major things have been going on in the world. Let's see if he slips up in telling us things.

>>14606999
From what i know. This is actually not uncommon, especially if the mission fails. This is what the term debriefing means. Its kinda an interrogation.

You let the coffee sit untouched on the table.
"Anywhere I can uh, change out of these clothes?" you ask.
The driver shakes his head. "First things first, sir. I'm sorry."
"Anything, uh, anything interesting happen in the last ten years?"
"A few things sir. I got married, for one." he smirks.
"Well, uh, congratulations."
"Thank you. Arkham's been expanding pretty steadily since you left. You're coming out of...'90? They don't tell us much."
He drops the smile as the door opens and a tired-looking man enters with about five different-colored folders.
"Alright, Agent Cathaway, let me be the first to welcome you back to Arkham. You were missed. Uh...it says here you were supposed to have a backpack...could you turn out your pockets please? We need to verify as much of your equipment as possible."

>>14607010
Not like you care.

You probably came to Miami because you heard that guy say it before the mission and you were about to be shot by angry Muslims.

It would take billions of dollars to construct a containment cell for you. And even then you could just time jump out of it.

What this means is; at this moment they need you allot more than you need them.

This also brings up the question: how were they able to track you through time? If its some kind of signal. Can it be hacked?

>>14607065
"Lost most of my gear somewhere between here and infinity, got a pistol in my pocket. I'm going to take it out and put it on the table." Slowly take it out, remove the magazine and the bullet in the chamber, set them on the table along with everything else.

>>14607065
"Sure." Turn out our pockets. "I... you know, I never actually took my backpack off? It must have vanished somehow during one of the temporal shifts."

"Lost most of my gear somewhere between here and infinity, got a pistol in my pocket. I'm going to take it out and put it on the table." You do so, along with the picture of Mahmoud, which is still in your other pocket. The man begins taking extensive notes.
"Well, you said you were experiencing some...disturbance?" He pauses as his pocket begins to vibrate. "Oh, excellent." He answers the phone, puts it on speaker, and sets it on the table.
"Cathaway? Babbage." the voice says. Babbage sounds like he's aged more than ten years. "Listen, why don't you just relax, take it easy, and just walk us through everything that happened since you went back. Carlton will take notes." the man stops scribbling to smile at you.

>>14607161
Humm... no tape recorder?

>>14607174
>There are cameras in two corners of the room. Microphones are not out of the question.

>>14607161
"Most recently, I was astonished by advances in phone technology."

After that, go through everything, leaving as little out as possible. Keep an eye on the guys in the room for their reactions.

>>14607161
Stretch and lean back in the chair. "Alright. I left the complex on April 15th. Arrived in the deserts of Afghanistan, just outside of the target's village. I went inside, acted like CIA, got alone with him and killed him. Before his men could kill me, I began to be recalled to the original timeline. I could hear the technician speaking, and then heard them say they were getting interference. Then I popped up in Miami on the street. I got the date from some people on the street and a newspaper. Got to a payphone, called in. Talked with whoever that was that talked to me. But then, and this is weird, I heard someone say I wasn't done, and saw myself in the phone booth. I relived the conversation, but it was different. Different words. Then I started to recall again. I could hear the technicians pulling me back. I was almost back there in 1990, when I heard them say they were getting interference from another machine. I don't know if it was just from trying to get called back several times, or if there's someone else out there actively trying to prevent me from being recalled or what. But then I was back at the same spot in Miami I was when I first arrived. I went through the entire thing again, calling in and talking to that man. Now I'm here."

>>14607161
Don't tell them about the robbers or the girl or the bar. You shall have to look for her later.
But, how can they track you through time? This should mean that they could do it to anyone or, conceivably, everyone.

>>14607208
They would end up asking you to elaborate on some of that. Then they would come back several times over the course of the day and ask for the same statement to see if you remembered anything new or to check for inconsistency.

"Most recently, I was astonished by advances in phone technology."
>DM's note: I lol'd
Carlton stops taking notes momentarily to look up at you. He lets out a single coughlike laugh. Babbage's laughter cuts in.
"Yes. Have them show you the computer network later. Go on."
>>14607208
As you explain, the following questions come up:
-You were supposed to make Hassan's death look like an accident or a disappearance. What happened?
-What voices did you hear other than the technicians? They're hungry for details.
-What sort of people did you encounter in 1990. What about the people you encountered after you manifested here?

>>14607241
>Edit: When I said 1990, I meant 1985. Running a 100 degree fever, bear with me.

>>14607241
"Hassan was an accident. He saw through my lie quickly and attacked. I had to do it fast and get out of there. He had a group of highly armed soldiers outside who came in shooting. It was unfortunate. The voice, it was only one. It was . . . unsettling. I don't know how to describe it. But I did see something else. After my first time in Miami, before I reappeared there the second time, I was in a hallway for a moment. There were a lot of . . . test tube things. Big ones. The one closest to me was numbered 116 and had a person in it. It was like he was frozen or something." Shake our heads. "It was really weird. I wish I could say more about it, but I was only seeing that for a few moments before I was gone again."

>>14607241
"I made premature contact with Hassan and his nephew. We were alone for a moment. The situation deteriorated from there. I had an opportunity and I took it.
"The technicians... and another. I didn't like that one.
"Arkham, Dr. Babbage... I can't really remember anyone else's names. There was a redhead though, but I wasn't interested in her name..."

>>14607241
"Hassan's death... I quickly determined that making it look like an accident or disappearance would have been all but impossible. I didn't speak the language, was incredibly conspicuous, there were heavily armed men all over, and he almost immediately indicated that while he was willing to talk to me he had no interest in cooperating with anything else I asked. I have no training in assassination techniques or even much by way of stealth or fieldcraft; I decided it was better to achieve the primary objective in a mediocre way than to risk total mission failure."

>>14607272
>>14607318
>>14607321
"Hmm. Interesting. You may have seen the sub-basement here, several of the Subjects must be kept in some sort of stasis chambers. If you're experiencing widespread spacial as well as temporal displacement that's something we'll have to work on."
"Listen, Cathaway...we got hungry with Origin. Reckless. We thought we could change the past, change the future. Ahmed Hassan's uncle instilled a deep resentment of authority in him, ruining what could otherwise have been a powerful asset. We thought by removing his uncle from the equation we could fix that."
"Did that work?" you ask.
"That's...listen, Cathaway, for now, just no that you're not in any sort of trouble. We just want to make sure you're medically fit, get this temporal displacement sorted out, and get you back to work. There are all sorts of new toys to play with around here. Until then, please just bear with procedure here."

>There was a redhead
Hey, I never said that, she had a ski mask on.

>>14607380
>just no that
I am so ashamed of myself.

>>14607380
"Well before all that, before all your fucking plans, and assignments and what the fuck ever you've all got up your sleeves, before we get to all that shit, I need a fucking beer."

>>14607380
I was making stuff up. You didn't really get into Arkham personnel beyond Mr. Arkham and Babbage. Improvising.

"Well before all that, before all your fucking plans, and assignments and what the fuck ever you've all got up your sleeves, before we get to all that shit, I need a fucking beer."
Carlton clears his throat.
"We're not sure if there will be any untoward chemical interactions with the-"
"Christ's sake, Carlton," Babbage cuts him off over the phone. "Alcohol makes time displacement worse? I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Carlton clears his throat again.
"Um...light or dark?"

>>14607380
>That's...listen, Cathaway, for now, just no that you're not in any sort of trouble.
That means "when the kid thought that his uncle got killed by the man, he turned out even worse", at a guess. Ah, well.

>Until then, please just bear with procedure here.
"All right, what's the procedure? How long should I expect to be stuck in debriefings, medical, and probably close observation somewhere? As for the spatial displacement- I don't see why I wouldn't experience it, logically. I mean, the original mission threw me halfway across the globe; of course whatever's going on right now wouldn't leave me in the same place. I'm just lucky I haven't ended up underground or in space somewhere." Grimace.

>>14607409
"Just cold and wet."

"Just cold and wet."
A few minutes later you're sipping on some tasty brew.
"So what's the procedure? How long should I expect to be stuck in debriefings, medical, and probably close observation somewhere? As for the spatial displacement- I don't see why I wouldn't experience it, logically. I mean, the original mission threw me halfway across the globe; of course whatever's going on right now wouldn't leave me in the same place. I'm just lucky I haven't ended up underground or in space somewhere." you wet your whistle again with a grimace.
"We're just trying to get as clear a picture as we can. We don't want to risk doing any damage to the flow of causality, at least any more than we may already have. Origin's been decommissioned, the whole machine's on ice somewhere, Blind Falls maybe, it's out of my hands. I shouldn't expect this to take any longer than a couple of weeks." That makes the beer taste bitter for sure.

>I archived the thread for the evening. Plot's probably ground to a halt, but I'll continue dialogue if people have other questions. Throw me some votes if you love me, or if you just want to be friends.

>I'll probably do this again...next week? Maybe Sunday, there's a possibility my Sunday will be free from like 3PM until I pass the fuck out, in which case if I'm feeling better we can do like some kind of quest marathon.

>>14607380
>Implying that authority even exists
>Implying that appeal to authority isnt a circular argument
>Implying that the only people who use the word authority arnt always claiming that they have it.
>Implying that when you look at the definition of the word authority it describes anything at all.
>Implying that Knowledge and skill arent the only players that exists.
>Implying you can have authority without knowledge and skill.

I feel better now...

Oh, Carlton. Always by the book...

>>14607484
I can't tell if you're angry. If I've somehow made you angry I apologize.

>>14607415
lol gave him a 10 year head start on desert storm 2.

If he was about 7 when you killed his only family in 1990 and the iraq war started in 2001 then he's still only 18.

For people who have quested with me before, am I up to snuff?
For people who have never quested with me before, how am I doing?

Alchemy Quest and Bavaria here. Great job.

>>14607479
>I'll continue dialogue if people have other questions.
"There's one other thing that's bugging me. I can't shake the feeling that for some reason, I need to be in Kampfersburg, Bavaria, in 1847. No idea why, but it feels... important."

>>14607566
A pleasure, as always.

>>14607577
>Bavaria
Sorry about that one, bra. Between December and January I suffered a massive schedule overhaul.

>>14607479
Ok later op.

I'm pretty sure that everything terns to ashes thing is still a plot possibility. However i think its more likely that things will change than be destroyed.

Also, i kinda like the idea that if the US is the only one with this technology and you create two alternate realities then this will mean that the US will have to fight itself to become the dominant reality. Perhaps you versus a more hard-line fascist version of the US (implying implications), and your not really sure which reality was yours originally.

>ITT

See you in another lifetime brotha!

>>14607889
I don't even know what to think about this.

>>14608125
Getting to see Desmond's time traveling shenanigans was probably the only good reason for watching the last season of LOST.