Missions of the Retrieval Team - The Girl with the Silvery Smile

[davedove]

Scene 12


Media Room, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot


The Moderators and Heralds had gathered in the Media Room to receive a briefing from my team. Ms. Starling had started the briefing by revealing what we had found out about the perfume.

“So what you’re saying,” said Mike, “Is that the drug you found in the perfume is the same as what Ivana Rulital was using in her process?”

“Exactly,” answered Ms. Starling. “This drug, which Ivana called hypnotin in her notes, affects a part of the human brain, making the person so affected very susceptible to suggestion. By placing it in a perfume, any person who is near someone wearing the perfume is affected by it. That is, assuming the person’s sense of smell is working. As we saw, since David had a cold and couldn’t smell properly, he was not affected.”

“That was not the only part of the process,” she continued. “The choker that Mrs. MacMillan wore also played a part. Ms. Raven.”

Mr. Raven rose to give her part of the briefing. “We quickly found that the choker was no ordinary piece of jewelry, which is evident because of the electronics found within it. After running some tests, we found that the device inside was activated whenever the person wearing it spoke. The device did not alter the wearer’s voice in any way, so its function was completely unnoticeable. However, as the wearer spoke, an additional sub audible signal was also broadcast so that all in the wearer’s vicinity would be subject to its effects.”

“And what would those effects be?” asked Colin.

“The signal sent from the device operates on a frequency that seems to affect a very specific part of the human brain. When we compared results, Ms. Starling and I found that the device affects the very same part of the brain, as does the hypnotin. Very simply, the hynotin readies the brain and the signal opens it.”

“Opens it to what?” Colin again asked.

“To whatever the person wearing the device says. For instance, the members here were told how great the plumed hat would look with a kilt and immediately accepted that suggestion.”

“So it takes the combination of both the drug and the device to affect someone?” asked Nelson.

“Exactly,” responded Ms. Starling. “And if someone is subjected to the hypnotin, but does not receive a signal within a few minutes, the drug wear off. Now, since we have this particular device, it will no longer cause any problems. However, according to Mrs. MacMillan, there were one hundred chokers given out at that benefit, as well as thousands of bottles of the perfume.”

“You’re telling us that there are still ninety-nine women out there who are passing along suggestions without even knowing it,” said Mike.

“That’s just the start of it,” Ms. Thrush broke in. “Emma Ritchgarl is working very hard to promote her product line. So far, counting the benefit in California, there have been five such benefits, and the same freebies have been given out at each one.”

“Where were these other benefits?” asked Todd.

“Other than the one in San Francisco, there have been benefits in Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, and most recently, Toronto.”

“That means there are hundreds of these devices out there!” Mike exclaimed.

“Correct,” said Ms. Starling, “And apparently some have been used. Ms. Stork.”

Ms. Stork rose to continue the briefing. “After finding out about the benefits, Ms. Starling asked Ms. Swan and I to check to see if anything unusual had been happening in the host cities after the benefit occurred. Not surprisingly, we found some. No single occurrence was widespread, but they were unusual enough to note.”

Ms. Swan worked her computer to bring images up on the screen at the front of the room.

Ms. Stork continued, “As you can see from the style section of the Dallas paper, shortly after the benefit, a number of people began wearing pink cowboy hats, both men and women.”

“In Miami,” she continued, “Clothing shops report an unusual increase in the sales of black leather pants and black leather cowboy hats. Both are highly unusual for the South Florida climate.”

“In Chicago,” she went on, “A large number of men seem to have started wearing Hawaiian style shirts. And these are not the typical prints; the shirts have butterfly designs instead of the more common floral prints.”

“In Seattle,” she said, “It seems that a lot of people are wearing mirrored pilot style sunglasses. And this is during the rainiest part of the year.”

“And in Toronto,” she continued, “We find the most unusual fashion trend. It seems that in that city, we find a large number of men wearing kilts with a very unusual accessory. These men are all wearing sporrans that seem to be made in the form of a rubber chicken.”

[CactusJack]

"These men are all wearing sporrans that seem to be made in the form of a rubber chicken.”

[Wompet]

[delete]

[Wompet]

“And in Toronto,” she continued, “We find the most unusual fashion trend. It seems that in that city, we find a large number of men wearing kilts with a very unusual accessory. These men are all wearing sporrans that seem to be made in the form of a rubber chicken.”

Why didn't Ms. Stork mention the follow-up article in the Sun about the pack of wild dogs running through Toronto, savaging every chicken sporran in sight (and some beaver sporrans as well)? Witnesses said it was led by a large shaggy dog wearing a green and brown tartan collar ...

[Panache]

Everyone is always so mean to Grant!

Though I'm strangely comfortable with it.

Cheers

Jamie