(Joint post between Sarbajit Jasjiv and Chase Devineaux)

Jasjiv thrashed about in his sleep while his body fought the effects of the nerve gas. In his mind he kept seeing that shadowed image of The User flash through his head over and over again. Who was he? Where did he come from? What did he have to do with ACME? What were the nature of his communications with Carmen? The questions didn't cease, and that was ultimately what brought him back to life.

His eyes snapped open and he breathed in heavily as his upper body shot upright. He panted, his eyes darting around to get a bearing of his surroundings. He was in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown. Somehow, someone became privy to his location and took him here, but who.

"Hello?" He called out to the empty room.

Every coin is different. They're microscopically uneven, they weigh slightly differently, they possess infinite minute variations; but despite the ways to mark a coin, experts mostly agree each only has two sides.

Chase Devineaux was thinking, and to pass time, he was flipping a quarter across the crevices of his knuckles. Aside from the fluid glint of round metal against light, he was motionless. His thoughts began with the desire to get a 50-cent cup of coffee, but the combination of 'caffeine' and 'hospital' reminded him of other things, and he was preoccupied ever since.

The agent stirring caught his attention and the Field Director stopped the coin as it flipped past his thumb.

"How are you feeling?" Devineaux asked, countering the detective's one-word question, "We administered Naloxone to counter the gas, if you're feeling restless, dizzy... or otherwise moody... it should pass." The emphasis on 'moody' was a reference to the Director's well known dislike for agents that go off on their own.

"I'll be fine." Jasjiv lied. Sure, he was grateful to be alive, and he knew that he'd have to answer to Chase sooner or later about his rogue behavior. Still, he had kind-of hoped he'd get some solid info on The User before he faced a discharge and possible criminal charges.

He may as well come clean while he was at it.

"Listen. I have a lead on a possible rogue entity operating out of ACME. Dr. Ivan Idea sent me to investigate. All my information is in a black portfolio I locked in an airport locker. The key is in my pants."

He took a breath. "He calls himself 'The User' and he's had some correspondence with Carmen in the past. Now he's obsessed with capturing her, and he doesn't want ACME in the way. He built the Crime Net system that Dr. Idea is integrating into the new tech at at the office, but he's built a back door he can use to access our information. That's how he got into contact with me."

He took another deep breath. "I followed a false lead here to Canada, where you found me. I knew it was a trap, but i thought the circumstances would lead him to tip his hat a little. I did, and that's how I know all this now." Jasjiv took another deep breath. The cool air in the room was feeling good to him. All the same, he knew what he was saying didn't make a lot of sense...Hell, he sounded as bad as some internet conspiracy nut. But Chase would have to further the investigation. If he didn't, the ACME detective agency could be compromised.

The kid sure sounded like a nut. Luckily, Chase was unnaturally thorough and had already discovered the black portfolio after finding a coded airport locker key in Jasjiv's possessions. Minor evidence he noted while studying the trap's gas mechanisms also indicated some truth to these claims.

While he believed the agent, the Field Director showed disapproval by remaining stoic.

"Calm down, Sarbajit," he said slowly, "All I'm hearing from you is a confession that you followed a false lead into a trap. Rewind to where Ivan is installing faulty software, how bad is this 'back door' you're talking about?"

Devineaux's only doubt was an assumption that Carmen somehow invented this 'User' character to stir things up. Jasjiv made some serious allegations -- putting Doc Ivan into all this -- and Chase wasn't about to waste resources on stopping the enemy of an enemy without a very valid security reason.

Jasjiv gave another breath and calmly began to explain. "To put it simply. Dr. Idea trusted this wacko enough to provide him with the complete source code. That means he has complete access to Crime-Net and whatever information we've put in it so far. There's a chance that everything I've been through has simply been a test of his range of action. If he had succeeded, I would have been dead, and he would have continued to exploit Crime-Net from within. Everyone's in Jeopardy here, including the Doc."

By this time, Chase's head reeled with who to contact and where he should go from here. The first person to ask would have been a senior officer, like Suhara or Dr. Weller, but that could take days. Getting a team together to solve this could take weeks, and even then, it's only to secure the base. Bringing down a criminal like that would take resources ACME couldn't fathom... unless they had external help.

That idea sounded right. Jasjiv was already working on his own, if he was attached to a government agency, and in a good position, he'd have an extra edge. Even if it took a few more years, a dependable outside source would help infinitely.
"I've read the portfolio," Chase admitted, exhaled, "As ACME, we can close our own back door, but it's not going to do much. If we want this guy, we'll need to reach further. You and I need to spread out, in terms of resources."
He looked around the room and out the window briefly.

"What if I suggest you take federal? It could take a few years, but you'll be getting clearances to things ACME can't always see. I'll hold my position here, and we'll build from there."

Jasjiv quirked an eyebrow, was Chase, his superior agent, suggesting he quit ACME all together and get together with the FBI? That was a creative way of giving a guy their walking papers. Or wait, was that his intent? No, Jasjiv could tell that Chase was taking this all from a detective's point of view. They were going to have to play all the angles if they wanted to bring this guy to justice as quickly as possible. Hopefully the feds would agree as well.

"I think I'll do that," Jasjiv agreed. "But you got to do me a favor. Dr. Idea is going to have to be arraigned on these charges, using what I've got as evidence."

After hearing what Jasjiv had to say, the detective became more confident about the plan in general. "Consider it done," he said, offering the young man a handshake, "And once we're closer to getting this guy, then we'll talk about how to reel him in. For now, not a word to anyone about tonight. Agreed?"

Jasjiv gave a slight grin. "Agreed."