PARALLAX, Session 7: The Motel

Scene setup

Scene Expectations
Delta green agents visit the motel to find out more about Kaminski's wereabout.

Expected scene test: Scene Proceeds Normally

Phalanx drives us to the motel in a grim, focused silence.

Pariah: "Placebo, just so you know, this mission is... irregular. I know your name, which violates every protocol. But time is a luxury we don't have. Also, this is your city. You’re NOPD. Don't flash your fake ID unless it's a life-or-death situation. If you're recognized, you’re 'consulting' for the Bureau. Clear?"

Character Personality: Knowledgeable + Active
Character Conversation: Offensive + Interesting
Character Appearance: Simple + Hurt

I nod, the weight of the lie settling in. We pull into the lot and head for the reception desk. Phalanx takes point, flashing a badge with practiced ease.

Phalanx: "Morning, sir. Agent Danielewski, FBI. We’re here regarding the Baptiste homicide."

The receptionist is a man in his thirties, his name tag reading Howells. He has a heavy bandage wrapped around his left wrist and is frantically multitasking, barely glancing up from his monitor.

Howells (exasperated): "AGAIN?"

Phalanx leans over the counter, his smile more of a threat than a greeting.

Phalanx: "Yes, Mr. Howells. Again. Walk us through what you saw the night of the murder."

Q: Does he add some new detail?
A: Exceptional No!

Howells actually looks relieved to step away from his mundane chores. He launches into a story that is a verbatim copy of the police report I’ve already read. It’s too perfect—like he’s reciting a script.

Phalanx HUMINT = 70 => no need to roll
Q (likely): did he see Kaminski with the accomplice?
A: Yes

Phalanx: "You inadvertently omitted something, Howells. We have footage of Kaminski talking to a man by the entrance. How odd that you forgot to mention him."

The color drains from Howells’ face.

Q: did he known the man?
A: no
Q: why did he omit to tell about him?
A: Character Motivation: Strange + Fight
My interpretation: he saw them fighting but then something strange happened and he feared that he would not have been believed

Howells: "I... shit. I saw them, alright? They weren't just talking. They were fighting."

Phalanx: "About what?"

Q: did he hear what they were fighting about?
A: yes!
Q: what they were fighting about?
A: Character Motivation: Approval + Search
My interpretation: the man wanted Kaminski's approval to begin searching for something or someone

Howells: "The guy was desperate. He wanted her permission to go looking for something—or someone. She wouldn't give it. The argument got heated, and then something... odd happened."

Q (likely): is the odd happening related to the tattoo?
A: Yes
Q: What did he see?
A: Vision & Dream: Ideas + Colorful
My interpretation: he caught a glimpse of the tattoo color, that altered his perception

He pauses, looking at his bandaged wrist.

Howells: "Look, what I saw... it was probably just my imagination. I was tired."

Phalanx: "Indulge us. We love a story."

Howells: "I saw a light. This strange, impossible color bleeding off the girl's arm. And then... God help me, I saw the tattoo move. I fell back, blacked out, and woke up with my wrist half-snapped. Go ahead, write me down as a junkie. I don't care."

Phalanx: "We’re not looking for drugs, Mr. Howells. But tell me—have you seen him here before or after that evening?"

Howells: "I have, actually. The day that girl tried to rob the jewelry store? He came back here, alone. I figure they agreed to meet here if things went south. He bolted shortly after, though, when some of your friends in the NOPD showed up to check Kaminski’s room."

Phalanx: "So he’s familiar with the floor plan. Good to know. Now, we’re going to need to perform a medical exam. Is there a private room?"

Howells: "My office. Right there."

Phalanx gestures to me to proceed with the examination.

Inside the small, cluttered office, I have Howells strip. I’m careful to keep my distance, my heart hammering against my ribs. I see it almost immediately.

On his right shoulder: the same design as Kaminski’s, but warped. Deformed. I look away, unable to stomach that pulsating, "colorful" light.

I step back out to Pariah and Phalanx.

Lawrence: "He’s contaminated."

Pariah swears under her breath. Phalanx doesn't even blink.

Pariah: "Cleansing protocol. Now."

Lawrence: "Wait—wouldn't a live specimen be more useful? To understand the transmission?"

Pariah: "Too risky. We take him to a quiet location and terminate. Keep your distance, Placebo. Contamination is likely visual or physical. As long as he stays dressed, we’re safe."

Lawrence: "You’re telling me this after I was in a closed room with him?"

Pariah: "You’ve had contact before and didn't turn. We assumed you had a natural immunity. It was a calculated risk."

Lawrence: "I don't like being part of your 'calculations,' Pariah."

A sudden, blood-curdling scream rips through the office door. We burst back in to find Howells on the floor. Blood is streaming from his nose and ears in thick, dark ribbons. I check for a pulse. Nothing.

Lawrence: "The tattoo. We need to see it."

I snap on latex gloves and cut away his shirt. The skin on his shoulder is pale and clear. The mark is gone.

Lawrence: "He dies, and the tattoo vanishes? That’s not a coincidence."

Phalanx: "It reacted to us. It knew we were looking for it."

Pariah: "Which implies it’s sentient. Or at least possesses a self-preservation instinct."

We stare at the corpse. The reality of Operation PARALLAX has just shifted from a medical mystery to a hunt for a thinking predator.

We spend the next hour in a blur of "laundry." We bag the body, wipe the security drives, and scrub the office with industrial-strength cleaners from the SUV’s trunk. Pariah makes a muffled phone call, and we drop the "package" at the storage unit Green Box for disposal.

Lawrence: "Now what?"

Phalanx: "We find the man from the footage. If he was arguing for 'permission' to search, he’s part of this. We need to see if the NOPD picked him up during the robbery aftermath."

Pariah: "Lawrence, stay in the car. We’ll use our FBI credentials at the precinct. If you show your face there while 'on leave,' it’ll raise flags we can’t lower."

We pull up to the station, and I watch my "partners" walk in, looking every bit like the federal agents they aren't.

Scene Bookkeeping

Chaos Factor: 6 (unchanged)
Character Added: Kaminski’s Accomplice
Thread added: Kaminski's accomplice pursued by police