Protagonists#

• Short, Lance - Foreign Service Officer (Γιάννης)
• Miller, Liam (Agent Dave / Jocko) - Naval Special Warfare Group One (SEALs) (Παναγιώτης)
• Lensing, Emma - Professor of Philology (Τάσος)
• Bennet, Wendy - Criminal Intelligence Analyst / Assistant Professor of Criminology (Κωνσταντίνα)

Sunday September 11th, 2016 – Morning#

Wendy contacts Pitzerelli about Casey Eckstein, and he always answers her calls. She suggests offering Eckstein a job in the fire department to appease him enough into providing information on Crystal Killian. Pitzerelli agrees to investigate and mentions the “insurance” the Program planted in Eckstein’s parents’ backyard (M249 light machine gun, a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun, and a kilo of cocaine.)

The agents convene to plan their next actions.

Investigating Benson and Killian#

Lance allocates time to investigate Sheriff Benson for any information that could assist the agents, based on a potentially corrupt past, as well as his relations with the Miami State Police. However, his investigation did not yield any useful information.

Additionally, he attempts to locate Crystal Killian’s cellphone by contacting AT&T and obtaining their assistance. The results are still pending.

Rider’s Blood and DNA work#

Wendy visits the FBI office in Fort Myers to test Myer’s Point Rider’s blood samples. The results arrive later the same evening, revealing that the blood type and DNA matches Lance Short’s.

Marie Noella#

Examining the family photo found in the trash heap outside Killian’s trailer, Wendy uses FBI’s Next-Generation Identification database and identifies the man as Charles Noella. He is married to Dr. Marie Noella, who resembles Agent Clove and Crystal Killian. Wendy also uncovers Marie’s past:

• Dr. Marie Noella – Taught Mathematics at Wilmington University, Delaware.
• Husband: Charles Noella (Physician
• Son: Timothy (19yo in 2016)
• She lived in Bethesda, Maryland
• She spent 2 years at Xiamen University on a faculty exchange program funded by Wilmington University.
• After Noella’s two-year placement in China, her husband and son, Charles and Timothy, returned to the U.S.
• Divorce:
  • Charles began divorce proceedings immediately upon return.
  • Without a legal fight or even securing counsel, Marie signed off on all asset splits and surrendered all visitation rights to her son. She only interacted with the family court through recorded depositions.
  • In transcripts, Noella readily admits to distancing herself from her husband to substance abuse problems, and to the neglect of her son. Though she provides no explanation, she insists the separation is a mutual decision for the good of the family.
• Employment:
  • About a year after the divorce was finalized, Wilmington University fired Noella, citing a dereliction of duties and refusal to return from her post in Xiamen. Xiamen University did not continue employing her, as Wilmington had paid her salary.
• The Ex and the Son:
  • During this period, Charles Noella contacted the Department of State asking for help finding his ex-wife, fearing for her safety and mental health.
  • He later rescinded the request, claiming that Marie had contacted him and convinced him she was safe, though she refused to provide her location.
  • There is no indication she ever returned to the United States. She had not filed U.S. taxes since 2006.
  • Charles Noella married a real-estate agent in 2009. Their child, Timothy Noella, now 19, attends the University of Colorado. They have not heard from Noella in years.

Talking to the Librarian#

Emma heads to Florida South-Western State College. She couldn’t figure out which specific books Crystal Killian was reading, since no records were kept. The odd thing was that there were a lot of advanced physics and mathematics books and notes in her office.

She interviews Laura Corduroy who seems surprised to hear that foul play may have been involved in Killian’s dead.

Dear Andy#

Emma contacts her mentor, Prof. Andy White, and requests some insight on the unidentified language and words the Rider spoke of. The results come back later in the evening: The yellow rider was speaking Middle Egyptian, a language last widely known around 1300 BC: “I do so miss the games we played in our dalliance amongst the children of Atlantis.”

MAGA Friends#

Jocko visits Eckstein at his home. He manages to convince him that he is a fellow American patriot, fighting against the Deep State. Eckstein confides his theories to Jocko and eventually hands him the police case file, containing photos from the crime scene and the autopsy report, as well as Killian’s Journal.

Eckstein is eagerly waiting for a meeting between himself and the other patriotic agents, as promised by Jocko.

Living After Midnight#

The agents gather later at night to share their findings. Wendy and Emma analyze the photos and the autopsy report. Eckstein knows a lot about the case, while the Sheriff’s Office attempted to close the case as quickly as possible. Emma manages to escape her sleep disorder for the time being.

Jocko was bitten by another bat in the bathroom after his phone call ended with Eckstein, who was asking about the meeting.

The Particle#

Wendy did some more research on Thomas Noella. His work hypothesized a subatomic particle that lurks in higher dimensions suggested by string theory yet interacts with known particles that our tools perceive. Changes to the particle can cause changes to other subatomic particles: nudging their masses, toggling their charges, altering their spins, mixing the colors and flavors of quarks and neutrinos. The implications, if published, set the field of quantum physics aflame for a time, but ultimately as no more than a controversial hypothesis.