NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is a closed RP for members of AMW only.

Since the end of the Bonstock conflict and the destruction of the city centre of the Maropian coast by a Singaporean nuclear device, there had been no rebuilding performed on the irradiated city state. A mass evacuation was ordered, and a quarantine was placed on the area for a few years. The place resembled Chernobyl, a formerly thriving city became a ghost town. But newer data revealed recently that the radiation levels in the city were not as bad as first thought. The amount of radiation released was less than expected, probably due to the fact the nuclear device was only a suitcase nuke.

Fresh out of university with his degree in Civil Engineering, Lim was eager to begin employment right away. Getting out of university was like a load taken off his back and landed a construction site role with the Southern Taiwan Construction Co a few days after graduation. But that was all the good news - Lim had been assigned to Hualien, formerly a Bonstockian colony and now a semi-wasteland. In hindsight, it was no wonder he was getting paid three times what normal engineers were being paid.

Lim was put in charge of clearing away debris and laying the foundations for a site located a few minutes drive from the city centre. According to old records from the city, the site was formerly a football field taken over by the Sinoese Army as a forward base for launching the assault on the city. It was going to be a straightforward operation and easy money. His bulldozing crew had already begun clearing away the rubble of an abandoned pillbox. He covered his mouth as pillbox toppled away, blowing up a pile of dust.

There was something beneath the lump of concrete. White pebbles? No. They were human remains. And there were dozens of skulls in the small patch he had just cleared.

Lim recoiled in fright. What would he find if he dug deeper, he thought? Perhaps a friend in the media would like to know. With Liu's death and the ascent of a new "westernised" Emperor, perhaps he would tell the world.

Hudecian radiologists request the ability to work near the site of the quarantined area to confirm independently that the radiation levels are below dangerous levels.

OOC: Of course they will, unless you're lying (which i doubt), just trying to figure out a way to get involved in this.

tag

Southern Taiwan Construction has already employed a radiology firm, but after reviewing the very competitive Canadian offer, has decided to employ them instead.

Paperwork and Visas are sorted quickly for radiologists.

----------------------------

Lim's digging had revealed a revolting sight. There were at least a few hundred decayed corpses on the site, with bits of Bonstockian insignia among them.

-Hualien-
Andrea shivered in the cold, reaching for her cigarette. Her hands trembled as she lit the Virginia Slim, and her mind berated her for inhaling the deadly carcinogens, but she welcomed the calming sensation it gave her. It was a temporary fix, and not a healthy one, but a fix nonetheless.

Her slender hands quickly brushed through the slightly frazzled brown growth she called hair, and then fixed her slim framed black glasses. Andrea was nervous, there was no doubt, and she clung to her helicopter's seatbelt with desperation. Wandering into a possible radiation zone was never an encouraging proposition, more so for a radiologist who knew very well what the effects of such a mistake would be. Most instruments indicated the area was safe, however, and apparently the Chinese had been telling the truth for once. But They were a paranoid bunch, and wanted every area thoroughly scanned, for reasons known only to Them. So after a few bribes to low level Chinese bureacrats, Andrea was on her way to Hualien.

For some reason, They liked Their agents (she giggled at the word) to don black suits (or trenchcoats), black sunglasses, and most curiously of all, black scarves. Andrea felt a bit awkward in such formal attire, especially considering the fact that her surroundings were the ruins of a modern city, a trashheap of twisted wreckage and useless rubble. Still, as she tossed the burnt out cigarette onto the pavement and donned her black shades, she couldn't help but feel a tingle of excitement run through her spine. Here she was, Andrea Schudenbacher, career radiologist raised in the cushy suburbs of Danville, California, doing something dangerous. Oooh, it feels exciting! she thought in a fit of girlishness.

Why They had decided to send an independant expert (actually, she was one of several, but she didn't know that) to start measuring the radioactivity levels/the long term effects of the radioactivity in Hualien was unknown to her (perhaps some real estate investments...?) but her job was her job, and it certainly paid well.

As soon as her feet hit ground, and she could feel something wrong in the air. She cursed herself as another thin white cancer stick entered her lips, and she walked unsteadily, her geiger counter in the air like a weapon. There were trace amounts of radiation, but nothing too dangerous. The Chinese were telling the truth, and the long range instruments were as well (if they hadn't been indicating safety she wouldn't have beent there without a thick, protective suit). Still, she had a sector marked out, and drove off in her white little electric vehicle, packed to the brim with radiological instruments, glancing at her map...

-The Football Stadium-

Andrea's yellow eyes widened as she witnessed the bulldozing of the pillbox. It wasn't because of the the act itself of course; she'd wasn't so sheltered as to be disturbed by that.

But there were corpses.. And by the looks of it, hundreds of them...Wearing Bonstockian uniforms...She trembled, her hands reaching for the third cigarette withing two hours, but...no. She had her orders.

She approached the confused looking Chinese, trying to muster as much authority as possible as she waved an official looking ID.

"Mr. Lim? Andrea Schudenbacher, Associated Press. I have two questions...Will you be willing to tell me everything you know about this, and if this is as groundbreaking as it looks...Would you like to become a very rich man?"

The amount of death on the construction site was astounding. With every soil movement, there was new death revealed. Lim had read Bonstockian media reports of thousands missing in action. He also wondered why the Bureau of Infrastructure had been so sloppy. Wouldn't Liu's puppet government have covered his tracks more substantially? Was the evacuation that hasty?

Lim took a break from watching the unearthing of the corpses as the sound from two helicopters approached from behind him. He turned to one of his labourers, not knowing who or what what inside the two approaching choppers.

"They're the radiology firm. The boss says we've switched to this cheaper Canadian outfit. The other one's an international team."

As the bulldozer continued to knock over yet another pillbox, a lady waving an ID approached him and asked him two questions.


"Mr. Lim? Andrea Schudenbacher, Associated Press. I have two questions...Will you be willing to tell me everything you know about this, and if this is as groundbreaking as it looks...Would you like to become a very rich man?"

Lim chuckled. "I was expecting a radiologist, not the press here. I'd like to see your authorisation from my bosses."

He pauses, looking at her ID.

"Well, It really depends on how rich you can make me."

Andrea tried hard not to grimace, realizing that this Mr. Lim wasn't quite the simple construction worker he appeared to be. Well, They had provided her with an ample bank account, so...

"Here's $50,000 American dollars for a start. Is this Liu's work? How damaging might this revelation be to his hero image in Southern China, former Sino? Keep talking, there's plenty more where that came from..."

Andrea wasn't used to this espionage business (Lim would probably be perterburbed by her constant need for cigarettes), and really wanted to get on with her radiology work, but...what They wanted, They got.

50 grand American! That was ten years wages for the average Chinese. Lim wiped the drool from his mouth (metaphorically speaking) and composed himself. He could be set for life if he played his card right.

"I can answer everything you want to ask. Come this way, let's chat in my office."

The office was a short walk from the construction site, and Lim was careful to keep an eye on his valuables, especially his keys once he was there (Taiwanese journalists are known to resort to "illegal" methods to get their cover stories ). He opens up his desk and pulls out a thick folder, laying it on the desk.

"Land history documents, Bonstockian council plans, and barrack records of construction activity. Of most interest however, is the dated signature on the barrack construction record. General Albert Liu. What's your price?"

50 grand American! That was ten years wages for the average Chinese. Lim wiped the drool from his mouth (metaphorically speaking) and composed himself. He could be set for life if he played his card right.

"I can answer everything you want to ask. Come this way, let's chat in my office."

The office was a short walk from the construction site, and Lim was careful to keep an eye on his valuables, especially his keys once he was there (Taiwanese journalists are known to resort to "illegal" methods to get their cover stories ). He opens up his desk and pulls out a thick folder, laying it on the desk.

"Land history documents, Bonstockian council plans, and barrack records of construction activity. Of most interest however, is the dated signature on the barrack construction record. General Albert Liu. What's your price?"

OOC: Wait, I'm a bit confused...Liu built the barracks on top of the Bonstockian corpses...? Can you explain what exactly this means?

OOC: Well no. It's just proof that Liu was actually present at the barracks at the time, and strongly hints that he was acting as the base commander.

"Hmmm...I'll need to talk to my bosses. Could you please wait a moment?"

Andrea walked out of the office, pulled out her encrypted satellite phone, and dialed a number she had memorized for this day.(the numbers shifted every day of the week)

"Welcome to Sikorsky's Laundr-o-mat. Can we help you?" answered a Russian voice.
"Da. My blue blouse was ruined by an owl vomiting on it. I need to have it cleaned with Hypo clearin."
"Hello, DISCIPLE GREEN. What is it?"

She relayed all that had happened to her, and the voice responded.

"Excellent work. We'll send over a DISCIPLE specifically trained to handle matters like these, but for now you're on your own. We can use this as leverage against the Chinese government...Perhaps even gain military aid for our...operations. But we need more information."
"I'll ask him for a list of those who served in the barracks, and their addresses. We need to get to the bottom of this, and perhaps they know something."
"Very well. Thank you for shopping at Sikorsky's Laundr-o-mat. Have a nice day!"

Andrea snapped the phone shut as the wind again messed up her brown, frizzy hair, mumbled something about straightening it, and re-entered the office.

"Mr. Lim. I would also ask a listing of all soldiers who served in that barracks, along with their current places of residence and means to contact them. For that, along with what you offered me, I'm prepared to offer an additional $75,000 along with the initial 50 grand I offered. However, this is on the condition that you speak of this to no one else, unless we let you. If you agree, I am authorized to give you access to a swiss account where the money is stored."

"Mr. Lim. I would also ask a listing of all soldiers who served in that barracks, along with their current places of residence and means to contact them. For that, along with what you offered me, I'm prepared to offer an additional $75,000 along with the initial 50 grand I offered. However, this is on the condition that you speak of this to no one else, unless we let you. If you agree, I am authorized to give you access to a swiss account where the money is stored."

"Of course, I would be happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement."

Lim took a CD from another folder nearby.

"The database from the Returned Servicemen Association's list of troops involved in Hualian. From our company's interviewing to develop radiation safety guidelines."

Andrea tried hard not to smile as she signed the necessary paperwork, and gave Mr. Lim the correct forms. She shook his hand afterward, and said,

"Nice doing business with you Mr. Lim. We'll...keep in touch."

The last part was added with a certain air of mystery and danger, like a threat, but not quite...

Soon Lim was 125,000 USQD richer, and Andrea wandered the construction site, taking photos and recording notes...

_______________________________________________________________

-Mainland China-

Several retired Chinese servicemen would find black suited "historians and reporters" knocking on their doors, asking them about their military service, plying them with compliments and, if necessary bribes. At first they would try to strike up relationships with the soldiers, and if they succeeded in forging a bond, they would come again and again, until the question was posed...

"What happened in Hualien...? I've heard rumors that Liu did some nasty things there..."

Or if the soldiers were found to be pro-Liu, the question would be posed,

"What victories did the hero Liu achieve in Hualien? I've heard he gave those Bonstock bastards what they deserved..."

The reporters would soon find that the lot of them were avoiding answering some questions, trailing off into mumbling, or having sudden attacks of diarrhea. Perhaps they were worried about being implicated themselves in whatever happened.

------------------------------------

"Have they found anything near Hualian yet? Any rumours on the tabloids?" Jonathan asked one of his advisors.

"No..."

"Dammit! Nothing at all?"

Frustrated, the "reporters" press on, but once they see that nothing will come of it, politely leave.

OOC: Check out my response in the Liu death thread.