Jo Checks In
Michael
Leonard, the name of your superior officer (and the de facto head of the Natural Guard during its heyday) is Army Col. Anthony Barnes Reinhardt (now retired). Since leaving the NG program, he's gone on retainer with Langley as an advisor as well as being inducted into SANDMAN after seeing some weird shit in the late days of the war. While obviously Reinhardt was always interested in supra-normal human performance and meditation and all that stuff, he wasn't clued-in into History B until like 1971. In fact, his shuffling the NG into SANDMAN and having the program basically liquidated corporate-takeover-style into SANDMAN/CIA was probably a concerted effort between all three entities: the Pentagon, CIA, and SANDMAN. Reinhardt's remit now is a sort of SANDMAN expert-without-portfolio in Weird enhancements of human physical performance … he's probably doing what the real Jim Channon did after getting back from Vietnam: hottubbing, learning macrobiotics, and listening to Alan Watts lectures.
(I'm gonna do the phone call in here because it makes sense for Jo to reach out to Reinhardt from the office at Livermore; internal SANDMAN communications. I'm going to say that his office—he probably has some kind of cover office in Silicon Valley that handles his cover identities—currently tracked him down in New Mexico and he gave you a call back late on Tuesday afternoon.)
"Jocasta! It's good to hear from you. I'm in New Mexico, there's a fascinating subculture down here, a string of communes doing work with how peyote and mescaline affect social cohesion. A couple of trained psychologists are surveying them for a paper and they allowed me to tag along and make some observations of my own. What's been happening with you?"
Leonard
"Oh, the usual, Colonel. Keeping the world safe. Sounds like you're doing some interesting research! I think some of the people on my team would be interested, myself included. I have to say, field work is rewarding, but I miss doing that kind of thing. I called to ask, though -- in your recollection, did the Guard ever have any interaction with a woman named Genevieve Abielle, or incorporate any of her work into its trainings? An author and sort of philosopher, I think. Some of her ideas seem in keeping with what we studied, although a bit more abstract. We're working a mission she might be involved with and we're trying to get a read on her. Anything you can tell me, sir?"
Michael
"No, no interaction, but I've heard the name … involved with research at MRI in Palo Alto … well, maybe not research per se as much as 'hanging out' there, occasionally contributing therapeutically on the family therapy side. Obviously SANDMAN has had its eye on MRI, not seriously, but they've had some interesting visiting scholars, some links with Esalen and other places of that ilk in Northern California. I get the impression that Abeille also writes hippie sci-fi now. But no, no formal interactions."
Leonard
"Interesting. Okay, thanks, Colonel — you know how it is, I just wanted to make sure we weren't stepping on our own toes before we proceed. I'll keep in touch, sir, and maybe I can stop out there for a visit before too long."