Session 8
Judy Margolis, working in Quantaco, is approached by a 'friend, high in the FBI' to undertake an investigation. She calls Ashford, Day and Carter to assist (they were all on holiday...); Traxler is previously engaged testifying in court.
May 23, 1999
The agents arrive in San Francisco, except Carter, who was already there on holiday. Carter, attempting to get his usual FBI weaponry, discovers his boss hasn't heard about this investigation, or Carter's assignment to it. Carter asks Margolis to fix it up, which she does later from her hotel room.
We get a sort of briefing over dinner together and set up a meeting for noon the next day. During dinner, Margolis gets an SMS. [which she doesn't share. "Meeting 10am, 99 Montarme, San Fran."]
Margolis contacts the local police. Jack Bowling is handling the disappearance.
The late news reports a small earthquake 15 miles east of S.F.
May 24, 1999
[Jack Bowling is out of his office when Margolis visits in the morning. She goes to that meeting, and by lunch time has had evidence stolen.]
At the lunch meeting, held in the pool lounge at Margolis' hotel, Margolis spins all sorts of shit about the investigation. It's freelance, we know almost nothing, and have no reason why Margolis should be personally interested in the case. Riiight... Ashford and Day realise she's lying, while Carter picks at the holes in the story.
Carter calls his boss in Seattle, SAIC James, who still doesn't know about this thing. But he checks it out and calls back a few minutes later. Both Carter and Ashford are to assist. [The investigation is becoming less secret.] Meanwhile, 'Lee' calls Margolis, with info about the case.
By the end, what we think we know is:
The Case
Gather evidence to get a warrant to seize assets of Biozyme. They are suspected to be in violation of seven international treaties, and it "would be embarrassing" for this to become public.
Investigate the disappearance of Dr. Peter Tait in the past week. He lived in San Francisco where he worked for Dawn Biozyme International, a company primarily involved in genetic engineering. Apparently, Dr. Tait was trying to contact the EPA before his disappearance.
Margolis' contact is Frank Watts, a zoologist and lab assistant in Full Wilderness, and notoriously hard to contact. He claims Full Wilderness were sponsoring Dawn Biozyme to research high CO2 converting plants ('C4' plants), but believes the actual research performed was on something different. Dr. Tait was part of this research team. The FBI do not know the true research Biozyme were conducting, we are to find out.
Dawn Biozyme International
- Publicly owned, $23/share x 2m shares = $46m total.
- Founded by James Corezini in 1985; he currently owns 13%
- Larson Pharmaceuticals owns 60%, and is in turn majority owned by New World Industries (51%). Larson bought in during a money crisis in Biozyme.
- 150 employees
- Research into various sciences, especially genetically engineered agricultural products. No commercial products at present.
New World Industries
- Controlling owners of Dawn Biozyme.
- Privately owned, charted in the Bahamas.
- Valued > $6b in NATO countries; [has interests in other countries also.]
- Origins in New World Inc., which collapsed in 1929 due to the stock market crash and the death of its chairman, Edward Chandler.
- The embarrassingly wealthy Thalassa Chandler is on the board of directors.
Full Wilderness
- Environmental group set up by Robert Jadik.
- Publishes "One Wilderness" magazine, organises fund-raisers, etc.
- Established no-human reserves - ie, places where nobody, ever, goes.
Characters
Peter Tait
-
- Missing employee of Biozyme.
- Involved in the Full Wilderness-sponsored research team.
- Was trying to contact EPA.
Jack Bowling - police handling disappearance of Peter Tait.
Robert Jadik
-
- Got cancer aged 25, refused conventional treatment, became a recluse in the woods.
Returned after ten years, with the cancer in remission.
- Wrote two books: "A task received" and "Hard lessons".
- There was a telemovie biography of him. Not sure if he appeared in it, or made it himself.
- Became wealthy due to books and telemovie.
- Formed Full Wilderness.
[Slakes]
Frank Watts - Contact; zoologist for Full Wilderness.
James Corezini - founder and 13% shareholder of Biozyme.
Thalassa Chandler - on board of New World Industries; ?granddaughter of Edward Chandler?
