Busy, busy, busy

Let's just put it this way. We've run across a lot of problems.

Where to begin?

OK, first off, we've done some further digging into the last couple of months. We finally decided to do a line-by-line check of all the code in our computers again. Everything came up clean, no viruses or anything. Then we checked the PATCH, just for good measure.

The PATCH's operating system has been corrupted from the day it was activated. How it happened, we're not sure. It makes sense now. The PATCH was occasionally unresponsive, or didn't listen to certain commands over the last couple of months, and upon closer inspection, everything it was giving us was intentionally falsified in small ways. So, after some close looks at pretty much everything on the PATCH, we made a bit of a breakthrough regarding our stolen finances. The PATCH had access to all of the bank accounts our division uses, so it makes some sense.

All the money's been getting funneled into three different bank accounts. In regards to the first account, we're not absolutely certain who it belongs to, but it hasn't been touched for over half a year. There was a large payment to a private security company from the second account right around the time of the attack on our hideout. We're conducting research on the names involved as I type this.

The third seems untouched recently, but the important part is who it belongs to. It was made right around the time the PATCH came online, and it's been confirmed to belong to Specter's public alias. Our search for Specter's taken on a new aspect. We need him to sort out what's going on with this whole financial issue. We're not sure how Specter is linked to the PATCH's data corruption, but there's a few possibilities. None of them are pleasant.

Regarding our search for Specter, our interrogation of our transcript-leaking buddy has turned up some interesting facts. After a week of on-and-off interrogation/torture, he finally let slip a few details. He's Indoctrinated. Says his name is Kevin Hound, and he's most certainly not a kid. Looks to be in his mid-twenties. After a bit more effort, he eventually gave us his 'friend's' location, as well as Specter's. No name. Says he doesn't know it. From the way he said it, I got the impression he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with the guy. If nothing else, it gave us a few more questions to answer. Like we didn't have enough to answer already, right?

We've already dispatched two teams to the locations he's given us. They should be arriving right about now. It's part of why we didn't want to talk about this publicly until today. Might have tipped some people off we were coming.

If this doesn't answer any of our questions, I'll eat my gas mask. Oh, and our Friend left a little encouragement over on Specter's Blog.

-B2

Fun little offer for you guys.

Hey, gang. Goggles here.

B2 and his Military Department buddies have been having a few interviews with the guy they found. I'm gonna shorten this to the basics as much as I possibly can. We've got more leads to follow up on, thanks to the interrogation. But more importantly, we think this is the guy who's been fucking with us this whole time by leaking transcripts and classified information. The guy you people keep telling us about.

The reason we think this is because he's been making a lot of comments about random details only someone in the PTC would know, and we've checked all employee personnel records. He's not in any of them. Sure, the dimensional bleeding might raise the red flag there, but I've got a gut feeling this guy's the real deal and B2 shares my concerns. I mean it. I honestly think we have our man. For once.

B2 said to put this offer up. Hell if I know why, but if anyone wants us to ask him certain questions, feel free to post in the Comments section. We'll be taking requests for the next two days, and getting some of our own questions answered in the meantime.

In other news, the team we sent to capture Mr. Reed, Collector's good friend, finally caught him. We've already done everything in our power to make him and any mention of him disappear off the face of the Earth, drained all of his assets from his bank account under our 'battlefield salvage' policy, and brought him in for a little chat. As soon as we got any information we deemed necessary out of him, B2 had him lined up against the wall and had him shot. No new information about our other, more relevant concerns, but Reed's dead and we've got a few bills paid thanks to his generous donation.

We're going to be pursuing the leads turned up by the interrogation, but we've noticed a few more things.

B2 and I were looking further back through the financial records, looking for any further discrepancies and the first time it seemed to happen is as far back as two months ago.

Specter knew about this financial record problem and didn't say a word.

-Goggles

That was weird.

Our internet connection cut out for a while. A long while. It's come back on for now. I don't trust it to last long enough for an extended post. With any luck, we'll be getting our findings up by sometime in the late afternoon. That's American Eastern Standard Time.

-Goggles

Financial records aren't adding up

Goggles here.

There's been a few other developments regarding our investigation into Specter's abduction, but I'll be posting about those later today. Right now, me and B2 just noticed something.

We were looking through a couple of the SMD's budget reports. Me and B2 have been splitting the paperwork that the Head Executive would normally handle until we can find Specter, and we're noticing a lot of stuff that's not making sense. A lot of funds have been transferred from our general maintenance fund to the science department, all with Specter's 'consent and permission.' I didn't request any of these financial transfers, we didn't get the money for any of the supplies they say they're for, and we didn't get the supplies themselves. I wasn't even informed of any of this, and it says I made the request, and then Specter gave the green light. Some of these financial transfers have gone through within the last two weeks...which isn't possible, because he hasn't been here the last two weeks. B2's noticed the same problem regarding military supplies. Funding for ammunition, training dummies, spare sets of NVGs and thermal goggles, etc. None of it was requested by him, and Specter apparently said it was alright, despite him not being here.

Someone's stealing our cash, so we've got the PATCH tracing where all the money's going. The transfers all appear to have happened at consistent, regular intervals, so we should be able to figure out who's doing this if we just trace where it goes during the next 'scheduled' transfer.

We'll be posting later tonight with further findings regarding our search for Specter. We think we've got the guy who knows where Specter is.

-Goggles

fraud

i refuse to tolerate this

do you understand me?

i will not be denied

i will not be touched

my attempts to keep them trapped by their own inactions have failed

and now they are after me

i will not be denied

Getting some results.

Relocation's complete. That's one small blessing.

We did as our mysterious informant asked. One guy we have no connection to, dead and buried. We've been looking into his history after we got his name. So far, nothing notable. By all appearances, he was a fairly random, off-the-street kind of guy. Worked as an accountant. In return for killing him, we've been given a lead on the location of a guy who might know where Specter is. A team's been dispatched already, and they've been ordered to take this man alive. As for our informant buddy, we're considering tracking him down, too. There's too many questions and not enough answers. If we can get everyone in the same room, we might be able to get the air cleared a bit, if only to get back to our main job. I don't doubt this whole mess is Slender Man-related. It's just a matter of when we come face to lack-of-face with it again.

Our team tracking Collector's made it to Shreveport. They've been settling in for the last week and are trying to track him down. Overall command of all operations within Shreveport has been handed off to the squad leader. He's officially in charge down there until this whole mess with Collector's done.

I just hope that none of this is some big mistake.

Goggles has taken to a pet project. Nice to see someone on-task, here.

Kind of wondering if I'm going nuts from not being out in the field for so long.

-B2

The Rendezvous, and other developments

The rendezvous was with a guy matching the description of the guy looking for Specter. He doesn't have Specter, but he works for someone who might know where he is. Or, at least, that's what he claims. It was worked out as a very simple agreement. The PTC makes a guy he wants gone disappear, we get Specter back. Internal Affairs wants to kill him, possibly kill Specter if necessary, and keep the SMD out of the equation altogether. We're thinking of agreeing to the terms of his offer. We asked him if he was responsible for killing Specter's bodyguards, and he said that he wasn't personally responsible, but he knows what did it.

Those exact words: What did it, not who. So, of course, we're on our toes now.
No word from the team pursuing Collector, but I doubt he's managed to take them down. Last reported location was Baton Rouge. It's likely they're closing in on Shreveport, by now. Relocation's more or less complete. We finished putting the PATCH back together at the new safehouse. A few more days and we'll be able to write this place off.

Oh, and for those who heard of my Katamari problem, I forced that guy into a shower at gunpoint. And told him to stay the fuck out of my office.

-B2