Operation Kerebos: Chapter One

A Delta Green Investigation, Using Mythic GM Emulator

Mar 24, 2025

Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are ©SolumProtocol, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

Chapter 1 Photo by Malcolm Gillanders from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/aerial-view-of-fog-and-clouds-over-a-coniferous-forest-16552524/

Summer Heights Conference Center, Summercrest, Washington State - September 23, 2005 1PM

Summercrest was a small town on the border of Washington State1, nestled in one of the many curves of the Spokane river.2 I had arrived in the office Monday morning to a plane ticket, a manila folder and instructions to hurry my ass up, because if I missed this flight it would be coming out of my paycheck. A small green triangle in the corner of the first page was the only indicator of anything out of the ordinary.3 I keep a go bag packed and ready at the door of my apartment so I made the flight in plenty of time. It was an hour to Spokane, so I reviewed the folder, which was extremely brief on details.4 There had been a number of missing persons in Summercrest, more than usual for a town with less than 5000 population.5 There was little connection to be made between the people as yet, but two people stuck out; Gloria Yarbrough, a park ranger and Daniel Martinez, a 9 year old boy who disappeared from his backyard.6 The local Sheriff’s office had been arranging regular search parties since Daniel had gone missing last week, at which point they found Gloria’s remains. The search party reported seeing a number of dogs off leash, but they seemed trained, as they acted calm and always trotted off when approached. This fact was a footnote, but had been underlined several times, in green ink. The file had little else of note. Names and addresses of Gloria and Daniel’s next of kin. Gloria had been found just after midnight this morning, so there was no coroner's report. Officially, I was to check in with John Bosworth, the County Sheriff in charge of the local investigation, and offer my assistance in finding the missing boy. There was a small sticky note on the inside of the Manila folder in Agent Baker’s cramped hand. Summer Heights Conference Center, followed by a license plate. When I landed in Spokane, there was a nondescript man in an ill-fitting business suit holding the license plate from Baker’s note. He silently took my bag and loaded my into the back of a black SUV, where I sat in silence for the 30 minute drive to Summercrest, watching the trees outside the car window.

Summer Heights Conference Center was a 3 story building in the center of town. There was a coffee shop and a Denny’s on the first floor, but the rest of the building seemed largely unused.

“Third floor conference room.” The driver said laconically as I grabbed my go bag from the back seat. I took the elevator, noting the lack of hustle and bustle with mild amusement.7 The conference room was large but basic, a handful of fold out chairs and an overhead projector that had been hastily shuffled into the center of the room.8 I recognized both of the people sitting in the chairs, pointedly not looking at each other and tried to hold in a sigh. Montford and Dr. Palmer were sat almost casually on opposite sides of the room, both seemingly very absorbed by the dated wallpaper. Palmer smiled slightly as I entered and gave a small wave while Montford continued to investigate the wall. The sigh escaped me and I dropped my bag onto a chair in the center of the room, wondering why they would assign people who clearly did not like each other on case after case. I dragged a table over, pulled the folder and my notepad out and started making notes for reference. Landry arrived not long after with his usual irritating smile and placed a briefcase on the desk at the front of the room.

“Welcome to Summercrest!” He said brightly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Shuffle in you two, I don’t want to have to raise my voice.”

Landry gave a quick summary of the official case, which would primarily be the investigation of Daniel Martinez’s disappearance before handing over a couple of ID card’s for Montford and Palmer.

“Those are for your covers as FBI consultants. If anyone asks, you are both intimately familiar with rainforest survival, and kidnapper psychology.”

“Are they real?” I asked, glancing at the ID’s. They looked remarkably similar to my own.9

“The badges are real, for a pair of specialists the FBI have used before.” Landry said. “The only hole in cover is that both specialists retired form their respective professions in 2001. Don’t make waves. If someone complains about you to the federal government, they’ll reach out to the real people, who may have some interesting follow up questions.”

“Why have we really been brought in?” Montford asked, ignoring the offered ID badge.

“Excellent question.” Landry said. “We’ve been monitoring the wildlife in the Knight’s Lake National Park for the last year. There have been some concerning patterns emerging, but its mostly been second or third hand stories.10 Gloria Yarbrough was a friendly for the Program, and we transferred her here earlier in the year to monitor the situation more closely. Her last dead drop was concerning.11 She had requested a meeting in person, to discuss an extreme threat to National Park, and the surrounding towns. That was 2 weeks ago. They pulled her body out of a ravine this morning while searching for Daniel Martinez and preliminary reports indicate that her wounds are a match for an animal attack. Do you see where I’m going with this?” He said, gesturing his hand and I nodded. Whatever was happening with the animals here, it seemed like they had claimed at least one life, and may have claimed more.

“Is there any indication that these animals are responsible for the other spat of disappearances?” I asked. Landry shook his head.

“Nothing that we have seen. However, The Sheriff's office has had an increase in reports of feral dogs. Nothing to indicate they’ve been attacking people, which considering the number of reports is a statistical anomaly. The dogs have been showing the behavior that caused the analysts in the Program to flag the park as an issue in the first place. They are seemingly coordinated, skittish and unusually silent.”

“Do we have the reports given by Gloria?” I asked, jotting down notes as Landry spoke.12 Landry’s lips twitched, the only visible dent in his good humor.

“We do not.” he said, voice tight. I cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “The reports have gone missing. Her reports were compiled and stored at a secondary dead drop, which has since been Interfered with” He said the last words with a weight that surprised me. There was a story there, but Landry didn’t elaborate.

“What were the cliff notes?” I ask13.

“Gloria was fairly sure she was being followed.” He said succinctly. “One of my analysts pointed at a distinct uptick in paranoid behavior over the last few months, but that isn’t unusual in this line of work. She didn’t mention any other details.” I tapped my pen on my notepad. A whole lot of nothing, so far.

“Anything about these missing people?” I asked.14

“Nothing. It wasn’t on our radar, Gloria was very focused on the strange activity in the park, and the potential threat it posed to the town.”

“My file listed a number of disappearances in the last year, but it sounds like Daniel Martinez’ disappearance is the only one to flag a search party. Is there a reason?”15

“Most of those that have disappeared were loners, unemployed or drifters. Summercrest is a close knit community, but they don’t have much time for outliers. Some of them were employed, which is the only reason they were reported missing in the first place. The others were not, including the town’s most visible homeless man, and I’m sure most townsfolk are more relieved to see him gone than worried.”

“Charming.” Palmer said.

“Is there much of a community amongst these outliers?”16

“No. It’s a small town, and the wealth doesn’t exactly flow. Most people down on their luck just leave. Still, there are usually a few bleeding hearts, even in closed communities like this. You would have to get some local intel to find out more.”

“Is the FBI fronting the bill for a hotel, or do I have to file 3 expense reports when I get back to Seattle?” Landry grinned for the first time since the briefing started and slid a set of keys across the table.

“You each have a room at the Marriott paid until the end of the week. It’s across the street. Here.” He flicked another key at me, this time for a car.

“That’s a rental with government plates, the same one that picked you up. It has four wheel drive but don’t go off road for too long if you can avoid it.” I glanced at Montford on my left.

“Any additional firepower? I’m sure we can put down a pack of feral dogs between the three of us, but it would be preferable to stack the odds in our favor.” I said and Montford grunted his approval, his first and only contribution to the briefing so far.

“12 gauge with buckshot for the nerd, and a pair of hunting rifles, preferably with army issue bayonets for me and the Feeb.” He said, but Landry just snorted a laugh.17

“I would direct you to the Sheriff’s station for the rifle and the local firearms supplier for a hunting shotgun. If you're looking for more Illicit goods, I suggest one of you make the round trip to Seattle, or start asking some of the more traditionally minded farmsteads along the Spokane.” I winced, but nodded. If we were mostly dealing with animal attacks, getting a loan form the locals wasn’t a bad idea, but I could see that it didn’t sit well with Montford. Landry passed over a small stack of bills with a flourish, and bid us good luck.18

Marriott Hotel 3PM

The radio was already dialed to the local news station when I slid into the drivers seat. The local news reader was a pompous voiced middle aged man who interrupted songs before they finished to give titbits of local news, mostly about the ongoing search for Daniel Martinez. He also spent an alarming amount of time discussing local gossip, most of which was banal or crude, but one bit caught my ear, and I turned the volume up. The Radio host interrupted the last few lines of Paradise City to say, with barely contained glee, that the local “homeless epidemic” had recently come to an end, with the abandonment of the encampment on the edge of town. Landry had been correct about the local’s disinterest in the homeless population, as this was being treated as a good thing, despite the fact no one knew where the people in question had disappeared to. I made a note of it in my notebook, although without any lead on their sudden disappearance, it looked like a dead end.

The Summercrest Marriott was functional enough, and I was grateful to have my own room overlooking the nearby tree line. I had packed light, so after depositing my backpack and having a quick shower, I rustled up the other two.

“Sheriff’s office first, we have to maintain the cover. It’s probably best if I lead, and you two try to look as nondescript as possible.”

“Nondescript?” Palmer asked.

“We don’t want to appear threatening. If Daniel is missing for mundane reasons, it's best if he is found by the Sherriff and his team. And if not, its doubly for the best if the Sherriff thinks his team is the reason the boy was found. The last thing we need is the Sherriff’s office getting territorial.”19

Sheriff’s Office, Summercrest 4PM

“Is Sheriff Bosworth in?” I asked the cop at the desk with a smile.20 She was a middle aged white woman with close cropped brown hair threatening to turn grey at the temples. She smiled lightly and shrugged, pointing down the hallway as she hung up the phone and picked up another. I motioned for the others to follow me as we made our way through the Sherri’s office.21 The office was a bustle of activity, armed deputies and townsfolk crowded around maps and desks.22 The Sheriff’s door was open, and he was scribbling notes down on a well used notepad. I fixed my FBI windbreaker, made sure my badge was visible on my belt, and waited politely in view as he finished his call. As soon as he hung up the phone, I knocked politely on the open door and waited for him to wave me in.23 He hesitated, but waved me in after a breath.24 I glanced around his office, noting with surprise a number of higher education certificates form Washington State University, as well as a bookcase filed with thick textbooks. The man was clearly overqualified for his position, and fully aware of it, if the irritated twitch of his eyebrow was any indication. I smiled and held out a hand.

“Special Agent Jones.”

“Sherriff John Bosworth.” he said gruffly, but he gestured for me to sit, and dragged another chair over for Palmer. Montford, unsurprisingly, slouched imposingly on the far wall, looking disinterested.

“I’ve been expecting you.” Bosworth said. “I haven’t had cause to work with your office before, and a lot of my people aren’t thrilled.” He grimaced as he looked at the notepad in front of him. “I have to admit, we could use the help.” he held up a hand to forestall my response. “Look. Just tell me one thing. Why are you really here? Children go missing all around the country without the FBI looking in. So what else have I missed here? Is there something else we need to worry about?” He asked the last question softly, so as not to be overheard. I turned to Montford

“Can you get the door?” He looked at me impassively, and I shook my head, turning back to the Sheriff with a serious expression.

“I will be as honest with you as I can Sheriff.” I said quietly. “Our priority is locating Daniel Martinez.25 But he isn’t the only person to have gone missing, correct?” I didn’t wait for his answer. “Are you familiar with Gloria Yarbrough?” I asked.26 He blinked owlishly.

“Of course. Her body was found just off the main Spokane trail, what does that have to do with it.”

“Gloria was a federal employee. She went missing for a week, and turned up dead shortly after another resident of this town went missing, this time a child. The two may be unconnected, I certainly hope they are, but I’m here to make sure, either way.”27 Sheriff Bosworth looked at me for a long time, and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Thank you, I suppose, for sharing that.” He said, his voice strained.

“Look, Sheriff, I’m not here to run roughshod over your investigation. My team is here to help, but your people are the ones with local expertise. I won't take up too much of your time now, I just have a few requests, and then I will do everything I can to support your investigation.” He let out a somewhat unprofessional grunt, but he gave in. I took out my notebook and jotted down the Address of Daniel Martinez’ family, the coroner's office and a contact at the National Park Ranger station, Tracy Castor.

“I don’t know where Ms. Yarbrough was staying, or anything else until I get the corner report. It hasn’t been a priority, to be honest. The folk that found her reported it as some kind of animal attack.”

“Where was she found?”28

“Now that I do know.” He said, pulling out a file from the pile on his desk. I jotted down the location. “We’ve tapped it off and marked it, but more from a public safety standpoint.” He passed over a folded map, annotated with red marker.

“Here is a summary of our searches made thus far, and the planned search for tomorrow morning.” I thanked him, and tucked the map away. Now came the tricky part.

“Sherriff, we came to Summercrest last minute flying coach. If Gloria Yarbrough fell afoul of the local wildlife, I would appreciate it if you could loan us a few firearms. I can fill out any paperwork as needed, of course.”29 He winced again.

“Look, your right, of course, you need something to defend yourself if you’re going to be poking around the trails, but I’ve deputized over a dozen people for these search parties, and I just don’t have the resources to spare right now.” He looked genuinely apologetic, and I smiled tightly. Looks like we would have to make do, for now.

Thank you for reading! For this Operation, I will be using Mythic GM emulator. I find the system works best when you ask a lot of questions, so you might notice a bit more Yes/No questions than last time! Let me know what you think! See you next time.

Next Chapter

I decided to set this one somewhere fictional, so that I could just make things up on the fly. We will see how it goes!

Oracle: Official FBI Investigation? Likely - 5/100 - Extreme Yes.

Plot Hook. ‘Several people reported being chased by a pack of feral dogs, and the pack seemed unusually intelligent’. I was interested in this hook, but I realized it will take a bit of work for it to make sense as a DG Operation. I’ve asked some follow up questions to solidify the opening.

Oracle: Missing Persons? 50/50 41 Yes.

Oracle: Missing People Connected? 50/50 71 No.

Oracle: Both bodies found? 50/50 62 No.

Oracle: First to Arrive? Unlikely 39 No.

Oracle: Both Familiar faces? 50/50 41 Yes.

Oracle: Real Consultant ID’s Likely 52 Yes.

Oracle: GY friendly? Likely 9 Extreme Yes.

Open Question: “Threaten Defence”

Oracle: Do we have GY’s Report? Likely 95 Extreme No.

Open Question: Use Vulnerability.

Oracle: Any Information regarding the missing people? Unlikely 50 No,

Oracle: Are most of the missing people low priority/high risk? 50/50 23 Yes.