A tale of two cabals

[Emily Littleton] Emily has been pulled into the relative clusterfuck that is Molly's involvement with the Two Cabals Matter. The Matter of Two Cabals. A tale of two cabals. Two cabals, about whom she'd rather remain ignorant -- alas, an Emissary's job is never done. After the shouting match in Chuck's living room and the threat of upcoming hackings and exploit, the youngest member of the House of Leaves sits down to sort out what they know from what they don't.

She has a pair of CPD badge numbers. A last name. Some corporate ties. Whatever Chuck has managed to wrest from Molly, whatever he has gathered on his own. It's all written out, in her crisp perfunctory script, in a notebook she keeps within arm's reach throughout the process. Her computer has been cleaned, booted up in a virtual machine, logged onto a broad wifi connection. She's careful not to log into any personal accounts. She doesn't use the University connection. Emily is cautious; she does not plan on breaking any laws; she does not plan on appearing to impinge on anyone's privacy.

First things first, she summarizes what they know. Possible search queries. Gaps in their knowledge. It's a lot like game theory, if this then that. If NOT this, then that other thing. She is an ordered, organized, structure being at heart. There is reason in this noise, a pattern in the madness. Emily will find it, and in finding it she hopes to help Chuck and Riley in their less legal escapades to come.

[Emily Littleton] She's made a fresh pot of coffee, something rich and darkly roasted. Something to keep her bright-eyed through the long slow slog of web-pages, links, dossiers, and departmental bulletins. She starts with the badge numbers, information that's required be kept on public access due to the nature of the police force and its funding.

[Int (Analytical) + Computers: Badge numbers.]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 3, 3, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 5 at target 7)

[Red Right Hand] Page by page, result by result, Emily goes through it all with a fine-tooth comb. Some things might test her patience, the sheer lack of information on just badge numbers, nothing more. Then, a fateful find, one that improves her search drastically. A BBS discussion, and what sounds like several Chicagoans discussing police abuse, corruption, and a myriad of other usually inane bits of bullshit.

Between the horrendous spelling and grammatical deficiency, however, a gold mine. From a number to name, a user having posted his rants and very, very, very colorfully painted comments on one particular Andres Riveira. The number that corresponds to this particular name is a number that, if she knows the story, Emily can easily attribute to Mr. Thomas Taylor for finding.

Deeper searching, this time probably using the name to go on, has so much more. The already colorful (And insult-filled) portrait of a man, an apparently very corrupt and very dirty man, is made that much clearer (dirtier) with the articles she finds. Citations, cases, even news reports of 'corruption in the force' which include some reference to him, directly or indirectly.

Associated with criminal activities ranging from a string of 'gang-related murders', drug dealings, stealing from evidence, the rape of a young girl in Chinatown. This guy's done it all, and always walked away squeaky-clean as far as evidence and final results go. It's a miracle he hasn't gotten his badge stripped over it all even with the cases that never hold in court.

[Emily Littleton] Some of the things that Emily finds make her angry. Some of them make her furious. Some of them make her tremulously livid. There are words that she can't quite externalize; that always sting when she sees them in print or reads them on the screen. But now is not the time for such things, so she takes a few minutes away from the computer. Sips her coffee. Rocks in Owen's chair while threading her prayer beads through her fingertips. Then she minimizes the window with the disturbing search results and opens a new browser tab, clears her search history, moves on.

No one had been able to tell her much about the corporation Molly'd found ties to. Emily doesn't like going into any situation or search blind, so she focuses on getting to know the firm. She checks the job openings, looks at the mission statement. Everything a potential employee might do. Everything is important, down to the symbols that denote the professional associations to which its executives adhere. Any of it could be important; any little thing could tie the whole mess together.

[Int (Analytical) + Computers: Corporation, general]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, 5, 9, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6) Re-rolls: 3

[Red Right Hand] Mission statement: "To, as pioneers of industrial, medical and social technologies, provide a safe and happier future to generations to come."

In job openings, Emily finds, as one would expect from a corporation on this level, an incredibly large amount of openings in an equally vast array of different fields. Ranging from simple office workers to researchers to engineers to construction workers. Amongst the associations, however, is the obvious Charity connected to Ephrain's own efforts.

There is no official mention of it anywhere on any site belonging to the corporation, however. No reference to it, or attempt to pull at heart-strings by associating them, so as far as she can find... It just stands alone, separate. With the notable fact that every single executive, without exceptions, can be traced to belonging to it on some level, most simply by donations and assistance with event planning.

Another interesting fact, the lack of availability or even mention of anything connected or even mildly related to military technology and researchers. Usually, a corporation this large would have defense contracts everywhere, but not this one. In fact, if she searches deeper on the issue, Emily finds that it used to at one point in the 50s and early 60s, but, for 'reasons of personal and financial interest', they pulled out of the field in the late 60s and have since kept their distance from it.

[Emily Littleton] The Charity is curious. The departure from military contracts -- usually a stable source of income for a company buffeted by the public sector -- is curious. All of it warrants a second, closer glance, and all of it (for reasons of personal and financial interest) seems to point back at the top of the decision making pyramid. Ephrain.

Emily redoubles her inquiry, focusing now on that pinnacle and kingpin. She is careful, meticulous to note down each avenue she studies and to follow up faithfully on any lead that seems even vaguely promising. It is an act of will, remaining this intently focused but the feeling that she is getting somewhere buoys her; the idea that she is starting to unravel the hairball of information and narrow down the leads she inherited from countless searches and encounters is pleasing. It pushes her on. (It's not only her magic that can be Unrelenting; she's taken her resonance to heart.)

[Int (Analytical) + Computers: Ephrain; WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6) [WP] Re-rolls: 2

[Red Right Hand] It takes her a while to sort through the pages of rubbish, to hit the heart of the matter in the corner. The reason why is simple, every related article, every mention of it and discussion of it is old, very old. Almost as old as computers.

The story isn't quite clear, even with what she finds, the obvious bias of reporting and that little bit of uncertainty that shows that, ultimately, not all the facts surrounding the situation were in. What is clear, however, is that during the 60s, the company and particularly Ephrain himself as he was not as much of a recluse then, were involved in some major contracts.

Major contracts. With the United States. One of these in particular, some sort of defensive measure against the then-feared Soviet invasion, went awry. Not in the sense that they dropped the ball, no... It was different, worse. During the showcasing, when a large number of US officials were present as was Mr. Escudero's family, the man himself on a trip and expanding already-vast empire further, found itself ending in disaster.

The full details of it aren't known, a prototype failure, sabotage, the stories were many and in days of fear, what is known was the result. Half of the people present were wiped out, obliterated in the tragic event, amongst them Escudero's family. It was not long after that, after the losses of losing the contract, the company disconnected from any and all military contracts and connections and he went into the sheltered lifestyle he's famous for.

[Red Right Hand] Addendum: It was, also in the aftermath of these events, that his philanthropist activities began. No signs of such behavior displayed prior to the tragedy, which some suspect is a resulting 'penance' for the company's involvement in such affairs and the loss of his family.

[Emily Littleton] She puzzles over this for a long while. Emily refreshes her coffee, paces around her flat a little bit. There's something to this that she isn't quite putting together, and it eats at her. Ephrain Escudero is still somewhat isolated from the rest of the information she has. She needs to tie him in more soundly.

Usually people with a sense that they have something to atone for act out their penance in a way related to the ill they've caused society. With this in mind, Emily starts to work her way through the Charity connected to his firm. Their fundraising activities, their goals, recent outreach projects, grants and expenditures. She's looking for the common thread that might illuminate what horrible thing happened so very many years ago.

[Int (Analytical) + Computers: Charity]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 5, 6, 9, 9 (Success x 1 at target 7)

[Emily Littleton] It's possible that she's getting tired, being less meticulous in her searches. Emily makes herself something small to eat. Reviews her notes. Applies herself more carefully to this search.

[Re-rolling! Int (Analytical) + Computers: Charity, +1 dif, WP!]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 3, 3, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 5 at target 8) [WP]

[Red Right Hand] What she finds is more of the same, more of the usual. Things she's already probably heard about, things she already probably knows. Events, planning, obvious connections. The place is ship-shape and cleaner than a surgery room should be.

Except one tiny little bit, that technically isn't even part of the charity. One tiny bit that is probably alarming with everything else she's read so far. Another side project of Mr. Escudero, separate from his nice little schtick with the kids and whatnot.

He has this side thing, where he picks random cities around the US and donates exorbitant amounts of money to their police departments. The last two? New York City, roughly seven months ago. Chicago, about four months back.

There's also another minor bit but that seems more like an attempt to fill the empty space left by the loss of his family. It seems that, despite his isolation, he's encouraged young children from the many orphanages he helps run to strive for a greater purpose. Has even taken a few under his wing and taught them personally, one of which is currently his personal aide.

[Emily Littleton] Curiouser and curiouser. And this is where Emily steps back, takes a chance to review, and starts looking for the greater pattern. Someday, when she's had more time to refine this art, she may have specialized in pattern identification or gone further into cryptography. For now, she's just an ordered mind looking to make sense of the rhythms in the chaos before her.

Dirty Cop. Questionable corporate lead. Charity that isn't entirely above board. Donations to NYPD and CPD. There's a connection here, hopefully one she's sharp enough to see.

[Int (Analytical) + Enigmas: Connect-the-dots. ]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 6, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6) Re-rolls: 1

[Red Right Hand] Well, there's the obvious, really. Dirty cop > Strange cop-related happenings > Relatively recent donations.

Then there's the less obvious but still plenty obvious fact that, personal venture as it might be, a charity is good rep for a company. So either he doesn't want them associated by any means to not look like a hypocrite, or because it's that big a headache.

Especially given how all his donations come from his own pocket rather than the company pockets, yet a few of his little orphan projects have become involved with the company at some point or the other. Like the success story that was his aide.

[Red Right Hand] In the info, she finds something. It's no great piece of evidence, no great discovery, hell it's arguably not even decent. But it's something to think about. Out of the funds donated to the CPD, a larger percent than most went to the department Riveira works in, or worked in at the time anyhow.

[Emily Littleton] Emily has all but reached the end of the road, given where she started and what she's willing to do from her own home, with her own rig. It's beginning to give shape to some of the key players -- this Riveira guy is a clearer picture of hideousness, the corporation no longer a faceless nameless entity. That last little bit of information, the money trail and where it leads, is enough for her to pack up the search party and go home (figuratively, since she's already home[/i]).

Emily orders her notes, readies a synopsis and lets the rest of the House of Leaves know what she's found. And then? She tries her best to relax and de-stress.