Real Cthulhu - The Story

A fanatical, global cabal has unleashed an unspeakable new weapon here on U.S. soil. A new breed of enemy is being unleashed within our borders, and the Department of Homeland Security is trying to manage the threat – and keep the horrifying truth from the American people.

The Setting

Present day. The Department of Homeland Security, DHS, is dealing with a new, unprecedented threat from foreign terrorists. Recently, our enemies stumbled upon an ancient alien spacecraft. Inside was a collection of devices giving them an incredible new tool to use against their adversaries. The implements they recovered allow them to open small wormholes, portals, to other inhabited planets across the universe. It turns out, most of these other worlds are home to vicious, violent creatures. When these monsters cross the threshold into our world, death comes with them.

The Set-Up

The first incident was 10 months ago. DHS captured two men with terrorist connections who had made their way into the country illegally. Along with $62,000 in cash, three handguns with the serial numbers removed and burner cell phones, the agents also recovered devices which no one could identify. The composition, the foreign writing and especially the purpose was anyone's guess. After less than two weeks, the arresting agents gave up on determining the use of the items and the mysterious tools ended up in evidence labeled simply as “unidentifiable metal components.” If the agents had somehow learned their purpose earlier, they might have known what was coming. But even if they had, even if they had been told everything – they would have never believed it. It wasn't until they laid their eyes on the first of the alien creatures that they began to understand just how horrifying things had become.

The Tale

Special Agent Kurt Shore isn’t even supposed to be in the office. Michael Prescott, his partner, was killed last week and Kurt was given some time off – time off he hadn’t asked for or particularly wanted. The last thing he needs to do is sit home and relive the disastrous operation that left four fellow agents slaughtered. The moment his mind strays, it goes back to that day, so he works at keeping himself busy going through the files he and his team have amassed over the past ten months. The reality is – he isn’t going to find anything new, but it keeps his wandering mind relatively occupied. At this point, he and his fellow agents – at least the ones that are still alive – pretty much have to wait until the next event. That’s what they called them in Quantum Division – “events”.

The Quantum Division of the Department of Homeland Security is a new branch referred to as simply “QD”. This new group was thrown together just seven months ago. The first event, best they could tell, transpired three months before that, but it took a while to learn about it and quite a bit longer to grasp that the impossibility of it actually… wasn’t.

A rap on Kurt’s door brings him around to face the stranger standing before him. It’s obvious that the woman is a new agent – with security in their division the highest anywhere in DHS, it's not like they get visitors. Anyone in the Quantum offices is a Quantum agent. Period. Yet it takes him several seconds to put the pieces together. He'll tell himself later that the reason was because there aren’t any women currently on the team. There had been two so far, but both were among the losses they'd suffered in their short time operating. He just wasn't expecting to see a woman. Well, that will be his story and he’ll stick to it. More accurately, he’s probably a bit taken aback because she’s quite pretty. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, not even himself, Kurt Shore is a sucker for a pretty face... almost as much as he’s a sucker for a strong, confident, intelligent woman – and if she’s with Quantum, she must be all of the above.

Maxine Zinn steps into the room and extends a hand, introducing herself. It takes Kurt a moment more to collect himself and remember his manners. Rising to his feet, he returns her firm handshake. It turns out that she’s not only a new agent – she’s (surprise!) his new partner.

What doesn’t surprise him is that Maxine hasn't been told much about her new posting. Actually, it isn’t that she wasn't brought up to speed, but that she hadn't believed what she had been told. It would have seemed odd to Kurt that an agent transferring in would ever think that a DHS division would have some sort of hazing ritual involving wild stories about ‘monsters,’ but every new member of the team harbors the same disbelief. In fact, it’s become so expected that director Toby Tahn stopped trying to convince new recruits that he was, in fact, serious and now leaves the convincing to the other agents.

As Kurt has been through this before, he knows that just telling Max (she preferred this to Maxine) what they are up against just doesn’t get the job done. Instead, he takes her via elevator to the lowest floor dedicated to QD. Passing through yet another level of security finds them in the science and medical facilities. Kurt introduces Max to Debbie Basher, head of the medical division and, Kurt expresses, probably the smartest woman in DHS. Dr. Basher is quite eccentric, but clearly brilliant and knowledgeable about many, if not most, branches of medicine. Having been through this ritual with all the recent new recruits, the doctor escorts her guests through the lab to cold storage.

Donning heavy coats and stepping into the freezers, Dr. Basher again reiterates the nature of the monsters QD finds itself fighting. Max plays along, still convinced she's just another in a long line of new agents suffering the same playful initiation. Once in the morgue, a massive slab is uncovered and reality hits her like a truck. The body they have on ice is bizarre, frightening, alien and very much real. Although it shocks her to her core, both Kurt and Dr. Basher later praise her for handling the revelation better than most. Max is shaken up, but curiosity gets the better of her and fascination leads to an endless, eager string of questions about what exactly it is that QD is working on.

Kurt brings Max up to speed on the developments of the last seven months since the launch of QD. He reveals to her that a couple of high-profile terrorist attacks of late were actually misrepresented in the media to help keep a lid on the new and terrifying threat:

4 months ago:

Official Report: After weeks of diligent field work, QD agents converged on three terrorists in the process of activating a portal. One of the terrorists detonated a high yield explosive killing all three terrorists and four agents.

Cover Story: This story was relayed with most of the details intact, though the objective of the terrorists was changed to smuggling explosives into the country to use on American targets

2 months ago:

Official Report:A quick moving, tentacled life form invaded a campground, killing 22 campers and 2 park personal. A number of civilians escaped having witnessed the horrifying creature. The point of origin of the creature was never discovered.

Cover Story: A terrorist cell was blamed with the survivor stories being dismissed as hallucinations resulting from a nerve agent the fanatics released in the area to first incapacitate their victims.

1 week ago:

Official Report:A raid on a suspected terrorist apartment was met with hostilities. Four enemy combatants returned fire on the agents and were killed. Four of the QD team were killed, including Mike, Kurt’s partner. Portal equipment was recovered.

Cover Story:This story was relayed with most of the details intact, though the alien artifacts were omitted.

Later in the day, while Kurt is bringing Max up to speed, a call comes in. There’s been an event in the Green Mountain region of Vermont. They rush to the airport to grab a flight along with four other agents. Two of the six won’t be coming back, but far worse is the number of civilian lives that will be lost over the next four days.

Although everything possible is being done to keep the full story from the public to avoid panic, some of the information has been leaking out for several months. At this point, far too many people know the truth, or at least parts of it. Whether it’s civilians or emergency responders sworn to secrecy or even QD agents spilling information is unknown, but more and more rumors are circulating and starting to get attention. Everyone in QD knows it won’t be long until it all comes out.

The new, desperate plan is to recruit help from the outside. That’s where YOU come in. Mercenaries, private detectives, former military and other gray operators in the private sector are drafted to help defend their nation and the world from the greatest threat it has ever faced. Because along with doing your patriotic duty comes glory.. and the chance for a whole world of riches!

And this is where the Real Cthluhu adventures begins...

The Characters

Kurt Shore: Special Agent, DHS – Quantum Division. Maxine Zinn: Special Agent, DHS – Quantum Division Toby Than: Director, DHS – Quantum Division Debbie Basher: Chief Medical Director, DHS – Quantum Division Zane Carmichael: Private Investigator, freelance monster hunter

And… of course… YOU!