Deep, Deep Haven [IC, closed]

[Skaenia]

"Esarma is now camping place for workers from the forest, and many of them are not nice people. They can rob you, or... Emm... They can do other bad things." Hiara took a deep breath and exhaled. "And also, strange things go around in the forest, and Esarma is very close to the forest."

"But we do not need to talk about bad things. What you want to do? Maybe I can help you."

"Well, I heard about all these disappearances on the island, and I thought I might try and find out what's going on. I'm a writer, and I thought this might be a nice plot for my next book, but also it seems like something you would want solved, so I thought maybe I could help you out with that?" Roxanne was starting to get flustered, hoping against hope that something she'd said would trigger a reaction in this native girl, and she would be willing to co-operate. This mystery was too enticing, and Roxanne knew if she didn't get answers soon she'd go crazy.

[Agadar]

Small, light, accurate, powerful: all accurately describe the GLOCK 27. With its comfortable dimensions and the proven advantages of the GLOCK pistol family, the G27 is popular with police, both on and off duty. That's why so many law enforcement agencies issue this subcompact pistol, in .40 caliber, as their official backup pistol.

Thomas Cookson recalled the commercial as he was sitting on his bed, the glock in his hand. The waves gently rocked the ship back and forth. Thomas had bought the weapon just four weeks ago, when his newspaper had finally decided to officially send him to Deep Haven to report on the missing persons. He felt safer with the pistol in his hands, but hoped there would be no need for him to use it on the island. Thomas was anything but a killer; in fact, the first time he had ever even fired a weapon in his life was when he was being taught to use his newly bought glock on the local firing range.

His concentration was broken when someone knocked on the door of his cabin. He instinctively hid the firearm under his blanket.

"Mister Cookson," a voice spoke from the other side of the door. "We're docking at the South Dock in twenty minutes. All passengers are requested to report on deck."

This was it, Thomas realized. Twenty minutes from now, he would be setting foot on the island. Setting foot on Deep Haven, where so many people had already mysteriously disappeared.

Where Albert had mysteriously disappeared.

"I'll be right out," Thomas replied. He checked his pistol's ammunition and the safety, just as he'd been instructed, before finally putting it back in the holster around his waist. He let out an anxious sigh, then stood up from his bed and grabbed his backpack and laptop bag.

Be alive, Albert. Be alive for Madelyn, he thought.

[Leisteria]

Hiun couldn't hold the excitement. "Thank you, mister! Thank you a lot!" He grabbed the money, jumped out of the boat and ran northwards, back home.

Reibel smiled, watching Hiun running towards his house. "So, I've just done my daily good deed" he thought. "Now I'm allowed to be a grumpy old man!"

Then, he took the South path, heading not only to Minar, but also to Ramun, the mysterious man that ruled the village.

[Great Estheria]

"Ah, yes," Timor quickly replied, nodding a bit in understanding. "But in fact, we've had no disappearances here in Kaunta. I believe Minar, the village closest to us to the west, has been protecting us simply by being located there, because many there have disappeared."

"The head of that village, Ramun, is the one who decided to call you foreigners for help. I'm still not sure if it was a good idea, and several other village heads hold the same opinion. But... You are here now, so we thank you for your help. And again, I'm sorry for this young man's rough welcome."

"It is quite alright. I do not blame him for his hostility, there is good reason behind it. However, as your village hasn't suffered from these dissapeareances, I shall travel west to Minar and speak to Ramun. I assure you I shall do whatever I can to help you, and your people. I may not know you, and you may not know me, but I don't want to see anyone get harmed."

[Ostehaar]

Mart-jan walked on. "Well, that was interesting, huh Rembrandt?" He continued to walk down the road, pushing on to Gurnam. He decided to wait and see if anyone would approach him, like in the last village.

The locals weren't thrilled to see Mart-jan entering the village. Several of them walked the main road and rushed back to their businesses elsewhere, and those who did not have something better to do simply turned back inside and closed the door. The sound of windows closing and keys turning made it clear - They wanted Mart-jan to go away.

It wasn't Mart-jan's fault - The northern communities were always more hostile towards strangers compared to the south communities.

"Well, I heard about all these disappearances on the island, and I thought I might try and find out what's going on. I'm a writer, and I thought this might be a nice plot for my next book, but also it seems like something you would want solved, so I thought maybe I could help you out with that?"

"Ah, the disappearances," Hiara said as she looked down to avoid eye contact, "so this is why you are here." She looked up again. "I do not know a lot about it, only that sometimes people go missing and never return. You should find someone who can tell you more, perhaps in the central villages such as Tunil and Minar, around the South Dock. If you keep going this road and stay to the side of the mountains, you can get to Goua-Ba, and from there they can send you to Minar or tell you more. They had many disappearances there."

"Mister Cookson," a voice spoke from the other side of the door. "We're docking at the South Dock in twenty minutes. All passengers are requested to report on deck."

In the South Dock, three local Tuomi were waiting for the boat to dock, ready to do their job and greet the foreigners. Two of them didn't speak English and were put responsible for handling the bags or equipment. The third, Tiuo, was there as a translator. "Find the journalist," his boss told him earlier, "and do whatever he says." When the boat approached, he lifed his head and tried to see the people on the deck.

"as your village hasn't suffered from these dissapeareances, I shall travel west to Minar and speak to Ramun. I assure you I shall do whatever I can to help you, and your people. I may not know you, and you may not know me, but I don't want to see anyone get harmed."

"Then you are indeed a good person," Timor said. "I wish you good luck in doing what you came here to do."

"In that case, I would like to know any details you can offer me about these events. Of the people who have disappeared, how many bodies have you found? How many people have disappeared in total, and where are these people going missing?"

Ramun nodded firmly, acknowledging Sangmin's role on the island. "You are indeed here to investigate," he said, "so please follow me."

Ramun entered his house and went straight towards a small cabin with papers and documents, written in the local language. He grabbed several pages at the top of the stack and turned back to Sangmin, flipping some of the pages randomly. "Here I have written the details about the various incidents, so I will use this to answer your question. You can sit here," he said as he laid his hand on the back rest of a large armchair. He went around the small table at the center of the room and sat at another armchair, in front of Sangmin.

"We have had thirty-four disappearances in total, and all of those gone missing were young men from the southern or northern communities." He quickly wrote the translations to the names of the villages on the page and put it on the table for Sangmin to see. The page contained a list of the number of disappearances from each village:

North villages
- Ases - 5
- Nar-Sahe - 2
- Gurnam - 4
- Kalham - 1
- Sikara - 4
South villages
- Nar-Losam - 1
- Nar-Hiote - 3
- Minar - 2
- Goua-Ba - 4
- Tunil - 2
- Fauar - 1
- Muan-Ba - 5

"As you can see," Ramun added, "no one disappeared from Ahuro, Kaunta, Serka, Nar-Nout, and Seho-Tunil."

"About bodies," Ramun sighed, "we have not found them. All we have found were personal items, and sometimes even blood stains. In a few cases we found nothing at all, but people simply did not return home for many days."

[Great Estheria]

"Then you are indeed a good person," Timor said. "I wish you good luck in doing what you came here to do."

"I shall most certainly try." Mendoza replied, before he started heading off for Minar.

[Vancouvia]

Sangmin pulled out his map and wrote down the numbers next to the villages. "I don't suppose you have any security cameras," he joked. "Or perhaps some witnesses?"

but people simply did not return home for many days.

"And my final question, Ramun, is how many people did return home after these kidnappings, and can I speak to them?"

[Jahe Davmwoem]

Mart-jan decided to just continue, muttering "I didn't want to talk to anyone anyways. He walked out of the village and went on a road that went south-west. He was heading towards a place on the map he marked as "Spot of High Interest" (which was Delta Site). He stopped just a little bit before the river, and looked forward in his binoculars to see what he could see in the immediate area.

[Ostehaar]

"And my final question, Ramun, is how many people did return home after these kidnappings, and can I speak to them?"

Ramun took a few moments to consider his words carefully. "Well," he finally said, "there's Lisu, the one responsible on operating our small hydro-electric power station up the river. He did not witness anything, if I understood him correctly, but he says a friend of his disappeared while they were walking together from Tunil back to here a few weeks ago. It was a foggy morning, and when they were attacked he fainted and didn't see a thing. That's what he says, at least."

Ramun got up, took the papers back to his cabin, and locked it tight. "I can take you to him now, if you want. Or would you rather go there alone?"

He was heading towards a place on the map he marked as "Spot of High Interest" (which was Delta Site). He stopped just a little bit before the river, and looked forward in his binoculars to see what he could see in the immediate area.

The road leading to Delta Site from Gurnam was a tough walk through a relatively dense forest, but the site itself was built high enough on a topographic dome to be seen from the area near the bridge over the river. The mountain slope west of the site was covered by fog that day, and the clouds up above indicated rain may fall on that area soon.

A few dozens of meters ahead, an abandoned off-road vehicle parked at the side of the road, its windows open.

[Vancouvia]

Ramun got up, took the papers back to his cabin, and locked it tight. "I can take you to him now, if you want. Or would you rather go there alone?"

Sangmin picked his pack off the ground and tossed it over his shoulders. "Yes, please lead the way."

[Jahe Davmwoem]

Mart-jan saw the clouds. "Bah! We are not afraid of rain, right Rembrandt?" But the vehicle did interest him. He crossed the bridge and walked to the vehicle, with his MP7 drawn towards it. With it still in his hand he looked into the window of the vehicle.

[Ostehaar]

Sangmin picked his pack off the ground and tossed it over his shoulders. "Yes, please lead the way."

"Very well."

Ramun opened the door and allowed Sangmin to exit before he exited himself and closed it behind him. He stopped and coughed a few times until he felt he could keep walking, and crossed the road to the other side. With Sangmin following, Ramun went off the road onto a trail leading downhill to the river flowing next to Minar. A small concrete structure could be seen adjacent to the river, and a short, skinny looking person stood outside looking towards the dam.

"Lisu!" called Ramun, waving his hand up. Smiling, he said a few words which could be translated as "an annoying foreigner wants to ask you some questions," and Lisu replied with a polite nod.

Lisu jumped down from where he stood and walked towards the two, reaching his hand for a shake. "Good day, mister. I am Lisu, the power man of Minar. What can I do for you?"

He crossed the bridge and walked to the vehicle, with his MP7 drawn towards it. With it still in his hand he looked into the window of the vehicle.

The vehicle smelled of rotten tissues and ammonia, and dry blood covered the messy and partially torn front seat covers. Sunglasses and several bottles of water were thrown in the back of the vehicle, along with a wallet and several more papers.

Thunder crackled in the distance as a drizzle began to smudge the road.

[Vancouvia]

Sangmin ran up towards Lisu, trying to get out of Ramun's earshot, and then spoke softly. "I am investigating this island's kidnappings. When you and your friend were attacked, how many men were there?"

Sangmin chose his words carefully, hoping Lisu would not. A light rain had begun to fall on both of their heads, and Sangmin looked for the nearest shelter.

[Ostehaar]

Sangmin ran up towards Lisu, trying to get out of Ramun's earshot, and then spoke softly. "I am investigating this island's kidnappings. When you and your friend were attacked, how many men were there?"

Lisu looked at Ramun back behind and switched between the elder and Sangmin, confused and scared. "What?" he uttered, "I heard three voices, and I think I also heard a vehicle starting when I got up, but... I don't know who they were! Really!"

A light rain had begun to fall on both of their heads, and Sangmin looked for the nearest shelter.

"Come," Lisu told the two, "get inside the station. It's comfortable inside." Lisu used the place as his living space as well. In a back room a few meters away from the station's controls, old furniture and pictures gave the place a cozy atmosphere. Lisu let Sangmin and Ramun enter and sit on the bed, while he sat in a wooden chair in front of them. "It's small, but it's nice."

[Vancouvia]

Sangmin was skeptical. He hadn't revealed that he knew that Lisu had been knocked out, but Lisu was too eager to declare that he was unconscious during the attack -- conveniently just for the full length of it.

"It's cozy," said Sangmin, dropping his backpack at his feet in front of the bed. "Can you please tell me what happened before, during, and after the attack, Lisu? Please do not leave any details out, no matter how unimportant you think they may be. I want nothing more than to help rescue your friend."

[Keomora]

This island was unnatural thought Angela. For nearly an hour they had trekked through the jungle, which was periodically interrupted by her taking pictures but one fact made this unavoidably wrong. There were no animals. Beside the odd bird she found no other animal, no insects, no frogs, no lizard, no animal that any rainforest such as this should contain.

"We should be getting close to the village," she exclaimed, a revelation that made Trevor giddy with joy. While she had the luxury of walking behind him he had the unfortunate task of clearing the brush, which was sometimes itchy and made his march somewhat of a living nightmare.

"Thank god," he muttered," this is almost worse then when my unit got trapped by the loyalist forces in Gang-Nar."
"Don't talk about that," Angela hissed, rubbing her side gingerly. It has been nearly 3 years but talking about Gang-Nar still bore physical and mental scars.

"Ah, there is the village," he said as the brush clear giving way to a view of primitive huts. "Are you ready to talk to them?"
"Maybe... it will be rough but yet's-"

"Wait." Without saying a word he grabbed into his back before pulling out a pair of binoculars which he used to spy on the village.

"Doc we have a problem," he announced after an eternity," we have incoming... four men that are armed and look hostile."
He grabbed his rifle, "I hope you can talk us out of trouble because I may not be enthusiastic about killing people I will shoot if it gets dangerous in order to protect you as I was instructed... so better think of something fast.

[Ostehaar]

"Can you please tell me what happened before, during, and after the attack, Lisu? Please do not leave any details out, no matter how unimportant you think they may be. I want nothing more than to help rescue your friend."

Lisu felt like he was being examined. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "It was several weeks ago, when I was on my way back from Tunil with a friend, Nuart, and we decided to walk on the western road and not the eastern one, which is considered more safe. I don't know why we did that. I think we were sure walking together would mean no one would try to attack us."

"About half an hour after we passed the right turn to Alpha Site, close to the river, we heard strange sounds of things moving in the bushes near the road. We stopped to listen and maybe see what it was, but we could see nothing. When we started walking again, he heard more moving, but again we could see nothing. So we decided to run the rest of the way, as much as we could."

"Nuart is much stronger and faster, so he decided to run behind me to keep me safe, and then we suddenly heard the sounds again, this time a lot closer behind us. We were very scared and started to run faster. After a few minutes I heard Nuart falling behind me, but when I turned around to look I didn't see him. He probably stopped several meters away and I didn't notice because I was busy running, and he fell there, too far for me to see because of the fog. I called to him but he didn't answer, and I heard sounds of pulling and I heard a vehicle driving far away. Then I heard the bush sounds again next to me, and when I turned back to look I was hit in the head by something and fell to the side of the road."

"After less than a minute, I think, I woke up at the same spot, and heard three people speaking and a vehicle door closing. Then the car drove away to the opposite direction."

Ramun looked at Sangmin and then back at Lisu. "Lisu," he said as he rested his gaze upon the skinny little Tuomi, "Last time we spoke you said they were two men, not three. Are you sure you are not... mistaken?"

Lisu's eyes danced around the room in stress. "I don't know. Maybe I am a bit confused. I'm sure there were two, and maybe also a third one. It was hard to tell."

"That is okay, Lisu," Ramun said calmly.

[Great Estheria]

Mendoza approached Minar. He entered the village, and looked around. He noted the residences of the villagers, and went to find Ramun.

[Ostehaar]

Mendoza approached Minar. He entered the village, and looked around. He noted the residences of the villagers, and went to find Ramun.

It was mid-day and light rain was still falling, turning the village trails into mud and sending people back into their homes. Several of them passed Mendoza by, but couldn't stop looking at him. A young boy ran towards Mendoza, shouting "more foreigner! two foreigner!" and slipped right in front of him. He quickly got up and ran to one of the local men, pulling his sleeve and speaking to him.

The man drew his hand away from the child in anger and approached Mendoza. "This boy is saying you are not the first foreigner in Minar. He says another one was already here not long ago, and went with Ramun to Lisu's house near the river. Do you know this other man?"

[Vancouvia]

Sangmin finished recording the last of the man's speech into his notebook. "Is there usually fog at that location?"

Turning to Ramun, "What is currently being done about these kidnappings? What is the state of law on this island, and has anyone else begun to investigate this situation?"

[Ostehaar]

"Is there usually fog at that location?"

"It tends to be foggy around many places not close to the coast. It's not always foggy, but a lot of the time it is."

Turning to Ramun, "What is currently being done about these kidnappings? What is the state of law on this island, and has anyone else begun to investigate this situation?"

"Well," Ramun said, "there is no actual law enforcement. We, the elders, are like the 'sheriffs' of the communities, and people come to us with problems and with stories. We try our best to use our experience and knowledge to settle disputes or to judge those who have committed crimes and were caught by people."

"Nothing is being done because we simply have no idea how to even start solving this problem. Every time we tried sending groups of scouts to the roads, nothing happened, and we always get to the attack spot too late. We have no equipment here for intelligence gathering or for field scanning and things like that, and unfortunately it took us too long to even realize this is an ongoing phenomenon."

"And to your least question," Ramun concluded, "yes, I have sent requests to many places and I know for sure that some have decided to come here. People from several nations in the region should either be on the island right now, or be on their way here."

[Great Estheria]

Mendoza approached Minar. He entered the village, and looked around. He noted the residences of the villagers, and went to find Ramun.

It was mid-day and light rain was still falling, turning the village trails into mud and sending people back into their homes. Several of them passed Mendoza by, but couldn't stop looking at him. A young boy ran towards Mendoza, shouting "more foreigner! two foreigner!" and slipped right in front of him. He quickly got up and ran to one of the local men, pulling his sleeve and speaking to him.

The man drew his hand away from the child in anger and approached Mendoza. "This boy is saying you are not the first foreigner in Minar. He says another one was already here not long ago, and went with Ramun to Lisu's house near the river. Do you know this other man?"

Mendoza calmly replied. "No, I do not know this other man, but I believe he is here to help, as am I. I am here to help with the dissapearances. If you can direct me Lisu's house, where I cna find Ramun, that would be appreciated. I promise you that no harm shall come to you from me, or my actions. I wish to keep peace here, as well as to solve these dissapearances."

[Jahe Davmwoem]

Mart-jan pocketed the wallet. He grabbed the papers and bottles. He kneeled and prayed for those who had died in this vehicle, and then continued along the path towards point delta.

[Alesini]

Ezio steered his small brown fishing boat towards the large island in the distance. The boat held everything he owned. His large military grade backpack bumped up and down every time a wave hit the side of the boat. For 6 years he had been on the run. Ever since the Marchesi collapsed. He'd been one of their best hitmen. That was why he was here, to redeem himself and start a new life.

Ezio looked up and saw it was getting dark. He steered towards a small island near a larger one. A few minutes later he arrived on the island. He pulled his boat up onto the beech and rolled out his sleeping bag. He made a small fire using some of the supplies in his backpack. He got into his sleeping bag and stared up at the starry sky. Sleep came fast.

Ezio awoke in the early hours of the day to a loud growling noise emanating from the woods. Within a few second he decided it was time to get the f*ck out of there. He got out of his sleeping bag and got his Glock 17 out of his backpack. He rolled his sleeping bag up and stuffed it into his backpack before running to boat. He jumped in and paddled as fast as he could towards the larger island. Ezio looked back at the smaller island to see a dark shadow moving out of the woods.

About 40 minutes later Ezio arrived at the mouth of a river. He could soon see a village. 'Where there are buildings there may be people' he thought. His boat pulled up on the river bank and stepped onto land.

[Polar Svalbard]

The two Svalbardians neared on the base, they sat down and scanned the area. They still had two hours left of sunlight so they would do preliminary checks. The base looked like something out of a movie like Jurassic Park, it was old and rusty and covered in vegetation. They stayed alert and started to proceed towards the research station. Every minute or so one of them switched to infrared to sweep the area. They weren't going to take any chances here.