"Handprint, footprint...well, partial..., and pretty clear evidence this was an unanticipated id manifestation event. All signs point to a female student or similarly aged female who broke in, using telekinesis or something to open the doors. She spray painted one classroom before security confronted her. Unknown if they got their tasers deployed or not, but she pulled some kind of psionic manifestation that left them flattened before tearing its way through the entrance."
Christopher hooks his camera up to the workstation, uploading and copying all the files locally.
"I've got an idea, but we need to find out just what kind of sneaker has these treads. Also need to get a biometric estimate of height/weight from our handprint, it'll narrow down our suspect pool significantly."
"We should get a good idea of her size from the footprints and handprint, as well. I wonder if we can match the tread pattern to a particular brand of sneaker, that may help to identify our UnSub as well. It'll mean combing through a whole lot of surveillance footage, but just maybe I can re-task some facial recognition software to look at the shoes of all females that fall within certain physical criteria. Should be workable back at the labs, maybe even from our mobile workstation."
Christopher takes plenty of pictures, and carefully bags the hand prints themselves.
"More and more evidence this was a spontaneous manifestation. She got spooked, was being threatened by the rent-a-cops, and reacted reflexively. This person could still prove valuable to the Department. I hope we can bring her in peacefully. "
"Yeah, I think it might. Especially if we can tie it to some recent weirdness from the area."
Christopher think for a minute, "We should check the news and police blotter foe "linked" cases...if something like this gets on the wrong path early on, there's all kinds of confirmation bias we can exploit for ease of direction."
"You're right, of course. Home grown synthetic drugs, crazed gangers, that might work. We can seize the science lab while we're at it, if that might help."
Christopher is careful to document everything and catalog all the images on his notepad. When Zeva mentions the footprint, he takes detailed images alongside a scale for inspection later.
"My best suggestion: a red herring, some kind of technological "terrorist" threat. Perhaps an exoskeleton system or robotic combat model? Something to sate their curiosity and explain thus level of damage. Need to know is only gonna go so far."
Christopher continues into the scene, taking photos of the damage and any suspicious areas. He pays particular attention to signs of explosive damage and any signs which appear out of the ordinary.
"Homeland serves much more than simply hunting down terrorists, Detective. I'm this particular instance, the threat is not so much what is known, but what is not. There are things we cannot speak of, security clearances and need to know, I'm sure you understand. Frankly, things you don't want to have in your head. Simply put, our agency is concerned there may be a bigger picture in play here, and would like to contain any issues at the smallest level possible. If our suspicions turn out to be unfounded, we'll gladly turn over the scene to your expertise. "
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Officer. I will allow my colleague Specialist Hall to fill you in, but out team needs immediate access to the scene. If you would radio to Detective Vincent to expect us immediately, that may save some time."
Once the van is pulled up and out of general view, Christopher pulls on some latex gloves and grabs his evidence kit and a camera.
"Big brass ones and a confident demeanor, right team?"
He walks towards the scene, staying out of the line of sight of the reporters as much as possible.
Christopher shows his Homeland Security credentials with confidence.
Squinting to make out the name on his tag, he addresses the patrol officer at the cordon, "Afternoon, Officer Larrington. My colleagues and I will need to speak with the incident commander and somewhere at least partially out of view to.park the vehicle. Can you guide us to the best spot, please?"
Christopher tosses his gear together; phone, multitools, pads and the like, before heading to the quartermaster's office.
"We're going to need an evidence collection kit, plenty of caution tape, so e Homeland Security credentials, and a couple of high-res cameras. And some transport, something that screams "Feds" like a black Suburban or a Crown Vic. Thanks!"
"We definitely need some cameras and evidence collection equipment. It'll help sell our story as well as give us the opportunity to gather some clues."
Christopher gets up and heads to his desk, gathering up some tools and equipment that may prove useful.
"Homeland sounds like out best approach. Gives us a good angle to insert into all aspects of the investigation, and with a little backstopping there's no reason we won't appear to be legit. At least on the surface."
Considering the damage and the obvious internal origin of the "explosion" Christopher begins working out just what could have conceivably done this, barring the obvious answer of a psionic creature.
"The doors and walls look superficially enough like explosive blast damage, at least a mid-grade low-explosive type. Perhaps our 'terrorists' have been recruiting some home-grown mad scientists based around low-income science teachers or students."
"Sir, do we have any prior historical records of this school? Any similar incidents in the area? Have we isolated the electronic surveillance records from the area?"
Christopher shed his customary lab coat and recording equipment for this meeting, wearing a muted black suit and comfortable dress shoes. He studies the pictures and videos as shown with intense concentration, looking for clues visible or irregularities that stand out.
A master Linguistics Smart hero, he now speaks most languages commonly employed in the northern hemisphere, and has a decent. Hance to understand the others.
Languages:English, Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese
Gear: utility knife, Glock 17, cellphone, earbud, concealed carry holster, Glock magazine (2), penlight, standard binoculars, car opening kit, lockpicking set, multipurpose tool, steel handcuffs, zip ties (25), aluminum travel case (10lb capacity), range pack (standard), chemical light sticks (10), windbreaker, fatigue jacket, tool belt
Profession/Wealth: Technician, 11 (8+3)
Backstory:
Spoiler:
Christopher showed strong promise in his high school and undergraduate days, breezing through advanced science classes, computer engineering, and other technical subjects. The PSID had eyes on him from an early age, knowing his inherent curiosity and engineering acumen could prove a valuable resource for the Department in future days.
Receiving several grants, scholarships, and work fellowships, Christopher was groomed and pointed towards governmental research and field science early on in his graduate work. Operating through blind companies, DARPA research grants, and the like, the PSID “poached” this promising young scientist straight out of school following his PhD defense (“A Method to Provide Superconduction in Copper Wire at Non-Supercooled Temperatures”) from MIT. Exposed to the “truth” of the world, Christopher took to the physical training with the same gusto he had applied to his studies, and looks forward to finally being a part of the “solution.” Having access to strange, advanced, and potentially illegal technology without much constraint or oversight is just the icing on the cake for the curious young man.
