Orion Regional Office – San Francisco

Written by Pete Betts, John Black, Chris Crawshaw and Dave McAlister

Background

Following a spate of incidents in the San Francisco area that appeared to be Web backed, Orion sent a team in to try and assess the level at which Web was operating. The subsequent report suggested that Web influence in San Francisco was high and recommended that a Regional Office be set up in the city. That was in November 1997. In January 1998, a second team was sent to San Francisco with the aim of setting up a regional office and a system of safe houses. This team, obviously comprising more than its fair share of practical jokers, decided against the usual practice of setting up a new office for the GeoTech Corporation and instead opened a shop! Their level of humour was further revealed when they called it “Spies ‘R’ Us”; and decided that it would stock all manner of spying equipment. When Dr Matheson (the Capricorn Bureau Section Director) was first made aware of this, he promptly broke his pipe! He immediately ordered that the shop be closed and an office of the GeoTech Corporation be opened in San Francisco for use as the Regional Office. However, in the short space of time that the shop had been open it started to make a profit. This point was quickly put to Dr Matheson along with a case to keep the shop open. The argument was accepted and the shop was given a reprieve. Additionally, three apartments (in varying locations in and around San Francisco) and a dilapidated aircraft hanger (at San Francisco International Airport) were also purchased, although Dr Matheson ordered that the deeds to these properties be in the name of the GeoTech Corporation. During the programme to modernise the aircraft hanger an area beneath the hanger was excavated and converted into an armoury.

Once the Regional Office set-up had been established the decision was taken as to who should staff it. Due to the nature of the cover identity – a shop – it was decided that Mike Jenkins, an accountant from the New York office, should become Regional Director. Additionally, it was decided that those members of the second team should stay on to head up the individual teams. Hence, Zak McClusky, Dexter Blain Remmick and John Walker were assigned to the newly created San Francisco Regional Office.

Recent events though, have had a major impact on operations at the San Francisco Regional Office. First, while undertaking a routine undercover mission, Dexter Blain Remmick murdered a member of a White Supremacist Group whilst pretending to be the victim’s lawyer during an interview at a local police station. Unfortunately for Dexter, his attack was caught on CCTV and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Dexter found out about the warrant before Orion and quickly disappeared. A couple of hours later he was Disavowed! What followed was beyond comprehension. Zak, obviously feeling the loss of a good friend, flipped out and went round to Mike Jenkins’ apartment in Oakland. As soon as the door was opened, Zak pulled out a shotgun and promptly shot Jenkins in both kneecaps. Obviously, Zak has also been Disavowed! Mike Jenkins is recovering in hospital, although he will never walk again.

Regional Office Staff

Where skills and attribute are not available, treat NPCs as generic cop, with abilities as appropriate.

Regional Director: Mike Jenkins
Rapid Reaction Team: Clarissa Petal (Head), Simon Johnson (Deputy), Karen Phillips, Jason Clock, Steve Webber, and Ian Salisbury
Operations Team: Dave Bowman (Head), Jim Cunningham (Acting Deputy), Sven Olson, Stewart Money, Natasha Valenko, and Claire McQuillan
Transportation Team: John Walker (Head), Charlie Cross (Deputy), Natalie Richardson, CJ Shaw, Callum Fraser, and Dean Wright

Spies ‘R’ Us Shop

This shop is based on the ground floor of the Embarcadero Centre, in the Financial District of San Francisco. The shop itself is only open during normal shopping hours, although the Operations Room at the back is manned 24 hours a day.
Shop Area: This part of the shop is similar to any other shop. Shelves line the walls and there is a counter in the corner with a cash register on it. Obvious security is provided by two close circuit television (CCTV) cameras that are installed here. Additionally, in each corner of the room are modulated projection electric eyes. These are switched on when the shop shuts. The door leading from the shop area to the stockroom is protected by two different security systems. A valid Orion identity card has to be swiped through the credit card reader beside the cash register and a retinal scan is taken by looking through the (fake) keyhole. In addition to this, both a variable magnetic field tape eraser and a x-ray film fogger have been installed in the doorframe.
Stockroom: The stockroom is basically, just that. However, in addition to the normal array of items that the shop sells, Orion agents can obtain other items that may be useful to them during their missions. There is one CCTV camera in this room.
Regional Director’s Office: This office is very sparse. It contains only a desk, chair and a bookcase. The bookcase is full of all manner of accounting and budgetary books, while the desk invariably has the shops ledgers open on it. It is here that the Regional Director spends most of his time. There is one CCTV camera in this room, although if the Regional Director is working in here it always faces the door leading into the corridor.
Operations Room: This room is manned 24 hours a day by 2 members of the Operations Team. On the east wall is a bank of 15 monitors which are connected to the various CCTV installed in all the Orion buildings situated in the San Francisco area. There are an additional 5 monitors which are connected to the Embarcadero Centre’s security and CCTV network. This room also contains a microlab/FXR transistor detector. This detector is constantly on to ensure that there are bugs within the reinforced wall area of the offices. Finally, it is the Operations Room that ensures that the telephone lines in all Orion buildings in the San Francisco area are secure. This is achieved by fitting telephone scramblers, tap detectors and tap analysers to each telephone in each Orion building.
Crew Room: This room is where any agents on duty, but not actually required to do anything, can rest and relax. A pool table and some chairs are the only furniture. Two doors lead off into washing facilities, one each for males and females. There is one CCTV camera in the crew room.
Corridor: This corridor has a CCTV camera at each end pointing at each other. Additionally, the exit door in the north has the same security protection as the door leading from the shop area to the stockroom.
Loading Area: The sliding gates to this area are always locked (unless someone is entering or leaving). An Orion vehicle is permanently parked here as will the Regional Director’s if he is in the office.

Apartments

Although the apartments are in different locations (one is in Western Addition, another in Pacific Heights and the last in Oakland) each has the same level of security. That is, there is a CCTV camera monitoring the front door to each apartment and each is equipped with a microlab/FXR transistor detector.

Aircraft Hanger

Now that the hanger has been modernised, it is state of the art. Every tool required to repair and service aircraft is readily available, as is the space to store the aircraft that the San Francisco office has access to (a Gates Learjet 35-A, a Cessna T-210R and a Bell Long Ranger II). There are two CCTV cameras covering the hanger.

As previously mentioned, an armoury was created beneath the hanger. Access is gained by swiping an Orion identity card through the credit card reader of the pay phone situated inside the hanger. A retinal scan is taken by looking into a screw head on the base of the phone handset. This will open a well-hidden trapdoor. Although the armoury is mainly stocked with pistols, ammunition and tear gas grenades, there is a small supply of other weapons. There is a CCTV camera in operation in the armoury.