the valley of fear

The title seemed relevant under the current bloody circumstances.

... so. A few days after the fact and I'm still a fucking mess. Damn it. Damn it all. Haven't slept in... no, that's not important. Though I need more cigarettes. Horrible, nasty habit. But as long as it keeps my hands from shaking, well, to each their own, no?

It's tossing convenient that Jan ended up on the Squad right before this, because it made the subsequent investigation a lot easier. And by a lot easier, I mean slightly less difficult than trying to get Ronin to read "Crime and Punishment", because whoever did this, well, to put it simply, they're good. Horrifyingly good. Barely left anything conclusive behind. In fact, most normal investigative teams wouldn't have found anything. But normal investigative teams aren't Thomas and I. So before any of the evidence decayed or was removed by unknown factors, we got straight to work.

What we found was downright disturbing.

Traces of para-aramid synthetic fiber were found on the bullets found to belong to the Knight Squad. And since we're hardly outfitted with body armour, it's obvious that it came from the aggressors. 

The reports we've gathered described... military like tactics. The Squad didn't notice they were being hunted until it was too late. They were slowly corralled into the building like animals. And once they were in position, well, it seems they didn't stand much of a chance. As we mentioned before, there is evidence of a struggle and multiple bodies being removed, but right now, it's... not looking good. 

And what we found? Barely identifiable. Morgan was shot expertly in the joints, got an artery nicked, and was apparently e-e-executed when he didn't bleed to death fast enough. Not only that, but the sniper that went after Photo and I seems to be using something like the AWM. Army gun. Bloody hell.

And as for the official status of all this? The word went out about an hour ago; the syringes are believed to not be in Moriarty's property based on eyewitness accounts, but as of now, they're... unaccounted for. Nobody has found a trace of the missing members of the Knight Squad.

To make matters worse, another proxy has turned up dead. One bullet, right in the brain. From behind. Blood splatters imply that the poor bastard didn't even see it coming.

... We're being hunted. Gargoyle is right; I've been in service for quite a long time now, and we've never seen anything like this. Killsquads that must take an incredible amount of resources and money to run. Whole teams being wiped out in one fell swoop with clinical accuracy. 

With one man seemingly behind it all.

Let me make something perfectly clear for all of you out there. Goldstein is not your friend. He is not your saviour or companion. He is not a friendly face. Fuck, I'm, I'm really only starting to realize how far his reach is, how big the scope of this all is. But, from what I've seen, he's barely even a man. Inhuman, scheming, like the spider in the centre of its web. Motionless, until it feels something get caught within it. Unseen of until it wants to be seen.

Well I see you. All your genius for the world to see. Happy with all the chaos you've created, you fucking bastard? Pleased with a job well done? You should've just stayed quiet, not bothered with games. What do you want? What do you stand to gain from this? Truly, enlighten me. Feel free. I'm bloody well FUCKING waiting!!!

... Megalomaniac prick. I... suppose I'll report back in soon. Especially if I find anything. If... If you're a proxy, I'd suggest getting to a safe place and staying put. We're still not sure of the scope of this problem, but better to miss a quota then get a bullet to the face. And Runners? Be tossing careful as well. We're not sure how friendly these people are.

Now if you don't mind, I have an investigation to get back to.