Draco Cronnoc II
You leave the building and think. You've got to get to the Pentagon. That'd be the place for detailed records on Lucas Esmodre. If he did anything questionable; it'd be there.
You board the earliest plane possible for Washington and get a taxi to the Pentagon. The Pentagon has never been a building you've liked; while it's symmetry is pretty interesting you've thought the dull brown and gray on the outside was too boring. Perhaps Lucas Esmodre with his degree in architecture would have appreciated it more.
As you knew would be the case, torrents of guards block your way into the country's war machine. One approaches you directly.
"Who are you, sir?"
You gather yourself together and present the man a card. Before you left you made all the necessary arrangements to come here. Luckily for you, your importance in the investigation makes you immune to most background security checks and off-limits areas. You concluded your session with the Pentagon publicist very quickly.
"My name is Draco Cronnoc, and I'm here to speak with Senior Deputy of Defense Wesley Johnson."
The man nods militarily. "Yes, sir, we received information that you'd be coming around this time. We've been told to escort you directly to Colonel Johnson. Please follow me."
You follow four men into the compound, leaving your taxi driver behind. The Pentagon, you realize, is huge. You might not make it all the way to Wesley Johnson without pausing for a rest, and you've never particularly enjoyed looking weak.
Thankfully, the walk is much shorter than expected. The guards escort you to a small gray door with no windows and motion to it. You open the door and step inside.
They lock the door behind you!
Sent into utter shock, you take stock of your surroundings. You are secluded in a dark room with one overhanging light, much like those old detective rooms where they's interrogate a suspect. You used to have one, in fact.
There is a man sitting behind a table near you. His face is mostly hidden in darkness; the lamp doesn't shine too brightly, but you can tell he is wearing a coat with military regalia.
"Sit down, Mr. Cronnoc," he says, motioning to a seat on the opposite side of the table. You occupy it, wondering just how bad circumstances you are presently in.
"It is time you abandon your investigation and help us. If you don't you die."
Apparently pretty bad.
"What are you talking about?" you say as levelly as possbile, but it still comes out as a nervous squeak."
"Mr. Cronnoc. I am going to tell you the full truth about the five attacks on May 12th. Chances are you have not delved in as far as I am guessing you have; but there's no use taking a risk. So, just how deeply involved do you know the US Army is?"
You stare at the man. "What? The Army is involved in attacks on US soil? I was told that I would be discussing possiblities with Mr. Wesley Johnson on how these attacks could have happened!"
"I am Wesley Johnson, and I organized these attacks!"
"What? Why? You killed hundreds of Americans!"
Wesley sits down and sighs. "It appears that I've terribly overestimated you, Mr. Cronnoc. I thought you were near the end of the investigation. I was just trying to save my ass, along with the country's. Now I see I shouldn't have let you come at all. But now that you know we were involved, you may as well know why so you don't go tell everyone we're murderers."
"But you are."
Wesley sends you an icy glare. "Mr. Cronnoc, accuse us of that in court and I assure you that you'll be dead in twenty-four hours. Many accidents can befall a man, and we know how to make each happen. Now let me begin, and do not interrupt.
"You must at least know that the reasons surrounding the attacks invole Lucas Esmodre and his squadron from Vietnam. Well, maybe you didn't know that, but that's what it is. That particular squadron, with their officer's permission, raped most of the women in a town in Vietnam and killed all of the men. The US Army found out in a few months, one of the men named Samuel Hastings told us about it due to qualms of his. We gathered all of them together and made them swear an oath of secrecy. While it is true the US Army has committed many atrocities over the years, few have had the scope of this particular incident. Had the information gotten out, a mass uprising against all US troops deployed in all corners of the world would certainly have occured. For many years, the men stood by their oaths and no one was harmed.
"However, as each of the men aged, they lost money. They came together one year and decided that they'd contact a book agency and tell their story at a steep cost. Maybe they just wanted the money, or maybe they just wanted to end their lives with a bang. Either way, we couldn't let it happen. Especially in this period! Do you know how volatile the Middle East is? If this got out, Iraq would be more screwed than it already is. This is a thousand times worse than Abu Ghraib.
"Needless to say, we had to step in so they wouldn't go through with their plan. I contacted a terrorist-communist group, the Red Exterior. Why the Red Exterior? They hate these guys. The Red Exterior is a group of communists from Vietnam, and much of their upper-rankings are filled with the children from Graes, the town where the rapes and killings took place. They jumped at the opportunity to help us, and they agreed to take all the blame after a phony investigation took place following the attacks.
"So went through with it and killed every member of the squadron still alive. Their stories will never be told, and the US Army will be safe."
You sit, unable to say anything. This is beyond comprehension, this is madness! Never has any country done such a thing, killing hundreds of its own just to save its occupied countries from chaos! It must be a lie! But why would the army lie...this story is most incriminating.
"So Mr. Cronnoc, will you stop your investigation and replace justice with sanity?"
You look up. "Hell no. How could I let this just go by?"
"Because you need to! Casualties of US soldiers would double! And do the math in your head, Mr. Cronnoc, that's many more American deaths than those that occured because of our attacks. We did not kill; we saved. And besides. I'll admit it: our government rules through fear. An attack on home soil would be the perfect mobilization of patriotism and would boost troop morale! Not that I'd order attacks for that reason alone; it just sealed my decision. So. If you leak anything at all, you will be immediately killed. Trust me."
You need to tell the world! This is complete evil. This must be told. But as you look into Wesley's eyes, you know he won't back down from killing you before you can accomplish your mission.
"Mr. Cronnoc, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now. Go back to Richland Harbor. It's your choice: end your investigation, or die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A year has passed since that fateful day when the Pentagon told you the truth. You sit in a courtroom. Not to incriminate the Army, but to incriminate the group Red Exterior. The highest of the group sit in front of you, ready to hear the results of your investigation of the attacks.
As Wesley had told you would happen, the false investigation did go through, and they caught some neo-communists as criminals. They were brought before a jury, and now you are to tell how your private inquiry also yielded the same results: Red Exterior was responsible for the attacks, no one else involved.
The truth nags at you, you want to say it but you'll die! Well, at least they can't kill you right now in a court full of people. You'll die soon, but the truth will be out.
What do you do?
You board the earliest plane possible for Washington and get a taxi to the Pentagon. The Pentagon has never been a building you've liked; while it's symmetry is pretty interesting you've thought the dull brown and gray on the outside was too boring. Perhaps Lucas Esmodre with his degree in architecture would have appreciated it more.
As you knew would be the case, torrents of guards block your way into the country's war machine. One approaches you directly.
"Who are you, sir?"
You gather yourself together and present the man a card. Before you left you made all the necessary arrangements to come here. Luckily for you, your importance in the investigation makes you immune to most background security checks and off-limits areas. You concluded your session with the Pentagon publicist very quickly.
"My name is Draco Cronnoc, and I'm here to speak with Senior Deputy of Defense Wesley Johnson."
The man nods militarily. "Yes, sir, we received information that you'd be coming around this time. We've been told to escort you directly to Colonel Johnson. Please follow me."
You follow four men into the compound, leaving your taxi driver behind. The Pentagon, you realize, is huge. You might not make it all the way to Wesley Johnson without pausing for a rest, and you've never particularly enjoyed looking weak.
Thankfully, the walk is much shorter than expected. The guards escort you to a small gray door with no windows and motion to it. You open the door and step inside.
They lock the door behind you!
Sent into utter shock, you take stock of your surroundings. You are secluded in a dark room with one overhanging light, much like those old detective rooms where they's interrogate a suspect. You used to have one, in fact.
There is a man sitting behind a table near you. His face is mostly hidden in darkness; the lamp doesn't shine too brightly, but you can tell he is wearing a coat with military regalia.
"Sit down, Mr. Cronnoc," he says, motioning to a seat on the opposite side of the table. You occupy it, wondering just how bad circumstances you are presently in.
"It is time you abandon your investigation and help us. If you don't you die."
Apparently pretty bad.
"What are you talking about?" you say as levelly as possbile, but it still comes out as a nervous squeak."
"Mr. Cronnoc. I am going to tell you the full truth about the five attacks on May 12th. Chances are you have not delved in as far as I am guessing you have; but there's no use taking a risk. So, just how deeply involved do you know the US Army is?"
You stare at the man. "What? The Army is involved in attacks on US soil? I was told that I would be discussing possiblities with Mr. Wesley Johnson on how these attacks could have happened!"
"I am Wesley Johnson, and I organized these attacks!"
"What? Why? You killed hundreds of Americans!"
Wesley sits down and sighs. "It appears that I've terribly overestimated you, Mr. Cronnoc. I thought you were near the end of the investigation. I was just trying to save my ass, along with the country's. Now I see I shouldn't have let you come at all. But now that you know we were involved, you may as well know why so you don't go tell everyone we're murderers."
"But you are."
Wesley sends you an icy glare. "Mr. Cronnoc, accuse us of that in court and I assure you that you'll be dead in twenty-four hours. Many accidents can befall a man, and we know how to make each happen. Now let me begin, and do not interrupt.
"You must at least know that the reasons surrounding the attacks invole Lucas Esmodre and his squadron from Vietnam. Well, maybe you didn't know that, but that's what it is. That particular squadron, with their officer's permission, raped most of the women in a town in Vietnam and killed all of the men. The US Army found out in a few months, one of the men named Samuel Hastings told us about it due to qualms of his. We gathered all of them together and made them swear an oath of secrecy. While it is true the US Army has committed many atrocities over the years, few have had the scope of this particular incident. Had the information gotten out, a mass uprising against all US troops deployed in all corners of the world would certainly have occured. For many years, the men stood by their oaths and no one was harmed.
"However, as each of the men aged, they lost money. They came together one year and decided that they'd contact a book agency and tell their story at a steep cost. Maybe they just wanted the money, or maybe they just wanted to end their lives with a bang. Either way, we couldn't let it happen. Especially in this period! Do you know how volatile the Middle East is? If this got out, Iraq would be more screwed than it already is. This is a thousand times worse than Abu Ghraib.
"Needless to say, we had to step in so they wouldn't go through with their plan. I contacted a terrorist-communist group, the Red Exterior. Why the Red Exterior? They hate these guys. The Red Exterior is a group of communists from Vietnam, and much of their upper-rankings are filled with the children from Graes, the town where the rapes and killings took place. They jumped at the opportunity to help us, and they agreed to take all the blame after a phony investigation took place following the attacks.
"So went through with it and killed every member of the squadron still alive. Their stories will never be told, and the US Army will be safe."
You sit, unable to say anything. This is beyond comprehension, this is madness! Never has any country done such a thing, killing hundreds of its own just to save its occupied countries from chaos! It must be a lie! But why would the army lie...this story is most incriminating.
"So Mr. Cronnoc, will you stop your investigation and replace justice with sanity?"
You look up. "Hell no. How could I let this just go by?"
"Because you need to! Casualties of US soldiers would double! And do the math in your head, Mr. Cronnoc, that's many more American deaths than those that occured because of our attacks. We did not kill; we saved. And besides. I'll admit it: our government rules through fear. An attack on home soil would be the perfect mobilization of patriotism and would boost troop morale! Not that I'd order attacks for that reason alone; it just sealed my decision. So. If you leak anything at all, you will be immediately killed. Trust me."
You need to tell the world! This is complete evil. This must be told. But as you look into Wesley's eyes, you know he won't back down from killing you before you can accomplish your mission.
"Mr. Cronnoc, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now. Go back to Richland Harbor. It's your choice: end your investigation, or die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A year has passed since that fateful day when the Pentagon told you the truth. You sit in a courtroom. Not to incriminate the Army, but to incriminate the group Red Exterior. The highest of the group sit in front of you, ready to hear the results of your investigation of the attacks.
As Wesley had told you would happen, the false investigation did go through, and they caught some neo-communists as criminals. They were brought before a jury, and now you are to tell how your private inquiry also yielded the same results: Red Exterior was responsible for the attacks, no one else involved.
The truth nags at you, you want to say it but you'll die! Well, at least they can't kill you right now in a court full of people. You'll die soon, but the truth will be out.
What do you do?