Mitch Gets Interviewed
Michael
Through Tuesday morning and early afternoon, Mitch submits to the final battery of tests: the psychological profiling. Personality quizzes, inkblots, tests that remind Mitch of those early-'60s high-school-age occupational aptitude tests that got sent off to be turned into punchcards and fed into an IBM somewhere; it's a dizzying array of probings into his mind. (Your decision, Jeff, of how honest or stochastically misleading Mitch wants to be on these.)
But after this, Mitch is ushered back to the SRI campus and the Project building he was in yesterday for the visual contrast sensitivity test. This time Mitch is led into a small office that's set up with a group of plastic chairs in a circle, a small coffee table with an ashtray, a side cabinet that looks kind of like a supply cabinet you'd see in a doctor's examination room, and a couple of inoffensive pieces of office art on the walls. When the secretary escorts Mitch in, saying Dr. Puthoff and Mr. Targ will be with him in a few minutes, Mitch can also see a camera tripod in the corner of the room *sans* camera, a stack of Zener cards on the cabinet, with the "Star" card on top.
Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ do indeed arrive in about five minutes. "Mr. Hearst, good to see you again," Puthoff says, shaking Mitch's head; Targ says, "MJ," with a smile, and they sit down next to each other across the coffee table from Mitch. "Can we get you anything, coffee, water? Feel free to smoke," Targ says.
Jeff
Mitch figures trying to game the psych tests will cause more harm than good; he's still a little worried about seeming interesting-but-not-too and doesn't feel he has a lot of wiggle room.
Tempting to light up without a match, as he did for Mary-Lynn. But that's dramatic and undeniable, an ace to keep in the hole a little longer. So Mitch accepts the cig and the implicit light I'm sure he's offered. "Thanks. Coffee would be great, man."
With the two of them together, doing their thing, I want to check both their auras (you never know when you'll spot a memetic demon) and Detect at them too, while I'm at it.
Michael
Yeah, absolutely, feel free to do one set of rolls for Aura Reading and one for Detect. We'll apply them to both subjects.
Jeff
Successes all around, though the MoS is only 4 and 3 on aura sight and detect, respectively (unless I'm misremembering).
Michael
(We can say you did the Aura Reading during the handshakes for the touch bonus I guess?)
Jeff
(Does the boost from physical contact apply to the analysis? If so then that boosts the MoS, otherwise no effect.)
Michael
(It's a +3 to the skill roll, not analysis, but I'm not sure if that +3 to skill brings you into critical success territory?)
(I would probably throw in a little bit of a fringe benefit for a crit on the skill roll.)
Jeff
(Yeah, actually, or close enough (GURPS being weird about the technical definition of a crit): a 6 with an effective skill of 18)
Michael
Okay. Puthoff's aura is a little less cocksure than yesterday when he was hanging out with Pat at the water cooler. He's giving off a very deliberative, very calm mood right now; when Mitch touches him, he gets a deep Diagnosis roll and senses that Hal has taken a little afternoon helper... definitely not booze, probably a hypnotic like a benzodiazepine? A mild one: it's not like he's off his tree 'luding out or anything like that.
Russ's aura, on the other hand, is effervescent. He is mentally and emotionally fizzing; no health problems other than his terrible legally-blind vision but he is tremendously excited; specifically, to finally be sitting down with Mitch.
Targ ducks his head out of the office and asks for a coffee however Mitch likes it from the office girl. He then sits back down and says, "MJ, Hal and I don't want to keep you in any suspense over this. This past weekend's test results, specifically the EEGs, showed some amazing potential that we're excited to look at a little more closely with you. If you're amenable, we'd like to offer you a place in our psychic testing and training program here at the Institute."
Jeff
"Cool, cool." Mitch takes a puff on his cigarette, nods. "I got a couple of questions. Uh, first off, what kind of time commitment are we talking about? I do have a job. My hours are more flexible than you might expect, but still."
Michael
(Oh, and no History B taint on either of them but Mitch does get that eerie very low-level "in the walls" sense from the area.)
Jeff
Mitch doesn't want to create the impression that he'll be available at their beck and call 24/7, to sleep with electrodes at their whim.
Michael
Targ hands Mitch his coffee, smiling, and says, "That was going to be the first thing to talk about with you. We're very free-form here at the lab. We've recognized from our early work with our two present main test subjects, Ingo Swann and Pat Price, that oftentimes psychic powers won't work if the subject is too locked into routines or isn't allowed to use their creativity. Now, Ingo and Pat do spend quite a few hours a week here but a lot of that is spent on research, meditation, other pursuits—Ingo is quite a painter and artist—and we'll arrange for ad hoc testing when the mood strikes them. It's kind of like a bullpen pitcher in baseball; you want them well-rested and in a decent frame of mind ready to come out of the 'pen when the time is right and the pressure is on. Short story short: you make your own schedule here, MJ. Just give us a weekly heads-up as to availability and we'll pay you by the hour you're here." Targ slides a single-sheet contract agreement to Mitch and the pay on the sheet per hour is pretty generous: the pay-rate seems to be right at the level of a contract engineer/researcher at somewhere like SRI, these would be 1973 *degreed expert* wages. CIA money. If Mitch were a civilian and did do 30-35 hours a week here reading magazines and pitching baseball cards when he wasn't doing actual testing? He could put away quite a tidy little nest egg.
Puthoff pipes up for the first time, "We do sometimes do weekend sessions that require a full Saturday or Sunday, mostly so we have the time to do location tests for remote viewing: for instance, weekend before last a couple of us drove out to a remote location to act as anchors for Pat's viewing attempt here at Menlo Park. We hit a town square in Contra Costa with some unique landmarks... what did Pat get that day, 10 out of 10 hits, Russ?"
Targ smiles. "That's right. So as you go through the first couple of weeks of orientation and initial testing and training, we'll set up protocols as we go, wherever we find your strengths. We have to of course keep as rigorous scientific controls as we can for these tests but we also realize psychic abilities require a little bit of... spontaneity and creativity."
(pause for response/questions/die rolls/etc.)
Jeff
"You guys ever make it up to Mount Shasta?" Mitch asks. "I've had some experiences there."
(Mitch's second question is going to be, what do they think the EEG data indicates, and his third is, what's the most falsifiable, independently verfiable, action-at-a-spooky-distance psi effect they've encountered, FYI. Assuming the conversation gets there... Mitch has no reason to assume he's the only telekinetic in the world, after all, but everything they've discussed has been ESP specifically, not even telepathy I don't think.)
Michael
Russell and Hal exchange a sudden amused look with each other and smile. Russ says, "Well, I've never been up there but I'm well aware of the.... mythcycle built up around Mt. Shasta." Hal also says no, he's also never been there—Mitch can tell they're both telling the truth—but Russ follows up with, "The reason why we're smiling at each other is that if you approach Pat and talk about magic mountains, the old man will talk your damn ear off about Mount Hayes in Alaska."
Hal taps out his own Winston in the ashtray. "Paddy thinks it's a base for flying saucers. He says there's a 'stargate' at the heart of the mountain that leads to another dimension and that all the UFOs that have been seen since 1947 all come from there."
Jeff
"Well, they've got to come from somewhere, right?" Mitch chuckles. "Shasta's a bit closer to home."
Michael
Russ nods. "You ever seen one? A flying saucer, I mean."
Jeff
"Nothing I'd call a flying saucer, no. Related phenomena, yes..." Mitch shakes his head, like this is going down into some weeds it's not worth pursuing at the moment. "Maybe we can do a weekend trip up to Shasta some time. Be easier than getting to Alaska."
"But that's putting the cart before the horse, right? I wanted to ask, what'd y'all think of the EEG readings? That's what got me flagged? The tech seemed to think they were peculiar, but I dunno."
Michael
"We've had our confirmed actives hooked up to EEGs while they're working," Hal says. "We tend not to do it often because the electrodes and machine scratching... it can get them out of the 'zone,' as it were. But the EEGs all show intense gamma waves coming *right* out of a meditative delta state without any kind of gradual transition, and it appeared you were able to do that while both in a restful state and sleeping. We've got a couple of early theories forming about it—perhaps the spark of psychic ability happens when a human brain goes from delta to gamma instantaneously, like a car built to handle going straight from first to fifth gear without completely destroying your transmission—but that's all they are right now, theories. You've got that ability to switch tracks effortlessly without stress on your brain and heart, and so far so do Pat, and Ingo, and Uri. And to a lesser extent the new girl, Mary-Lynn.”
(by the way, I've been secretly rolling Detect Lies with the aura bonus for everything they're saying so far, Jeff, and they're being honest and forthright and don't seem to be lying either by omission or otherwise)
(and I have a passage from the *Remote Viewers* book that should explicate your third question above that I can paste in when you're ready, saves me some typing and puts across exactly how Hal got so wrapped up in this research, it was kind of a road to Damascus moment)
Jeff
(Is Uri Geller a pop figure yet, or is he somebody Mitch wouldn't have heard of until his Carson appearance, which is in just a couple weeks apparently?)
Michael
(Mitch definitely has heard of him because he's been a big part of our pre-mission briefings; MJ-as-civilian-who's-aware-of-psychic-powers also could very believably have heard of him. He's been on TV, in magazines and in books so far.)
Jeff
"The problem with metaphors and mental models is that they become limiting, restricting your ability to understand new evidence if it doesn't fit into your existing model. Easier to throw out good data than to adjust the model to fit, sometimes. You run an experiment, you get a curve that doesn't jibe with your equation, your PI is going to want you to run the experiment again, maybe more than once, before she accepts the chemistry isn't what she assumed it'd be."
"Uh, or so I assume."
Mitch blinks, nonplussed by his own words.
Michael
Hey, at the very least you are talking the language of traditional scientific research which both these guys come from. Which leads to the third question above eerily neatly. Ready for an incoming paste job?
Jeff
You bet.
From Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies by Jim Schnabel.
Michael
(Puthoff would probably leave out the part about the grad students finding it "mundane" which might be the first lie of omission Mitch detects). End of chapter, and story from Hal. Between this and the "vibes" both Jo and Mitch have gotten off of Hal, his enthusiasm seems to be rooted in a real, deep, almost feverish ambition to prove these phenomena true.
Jeff
"Magnetometer, huh? Don't even know how you'd go about...well..." Mitch trails off, wondering what the instrument would show if he raised and lowered its internal temperature a couple of degrees, in a cycle. Second-order effects, at least.
Michael
(Mitch definitely has heard of him because he's been a big part of our pre-mission briefings; MJ-as-civilian-who's-aware-of-psychic-powers also could very believably have heard of him. He's been on TV, in magazines and in books so far.)
Jeff
(This assumes Mitch has been paying sufficiently close attention during briefings.)
"Anyway, sure. It'll be fun to--y'all are aware I'm acquainted with Mary-Lynn, right? She suggested I contact you. I assume that's not some kind of problem, why would it be? But yeah, all this sounds good. Watch what we watch and see what we see."
Michael
"No problem at all," Hal says. Again, Detect Lies shows it's not a problem but Mitch did detect a little bit of a squirm at Mitch saying he knows Mary-Lynn, likely after the chauvinistic "hot little number" thing that Pat said at the water cooler yesterday.
Russ pipes up after Hal finishes his "origin story." "Hal's story is a great transition because what we'd like to do now, MJ, is get a fuller sense of the kinds of psychic phenomena you've experienced in the past. You remember we had a chat last week about all this, but today I have a fuller checklist with me, so bear with me as I explain some of the more... esoteric phenomena. We'll start with various kinds of extra-sensory perception. Just let me know if you've ever—either actively and volitionally or otherwise!— experienced any of the following phenomena."
Targ then proceeds to ask 6 questions in a row, feel free to summarize your answers, we can expand upon them in-character if necessary, then we'll move onto PK.
Have you ever been able to detect other people's thoughts or emotions without verbal cues?
Have you ever been able to see or hear at a distance outside of normal human vision or hearing to a distance of 5 miles or less? More than 5 miles?"
Have you ever been able to see or emotionally sense the history of a person, place, or object after touching them or being in their presence?
Have you ever been able to see or emotionally sense the future of a person, place, or object after touching them or being in their presence?
Have you ever, either consciously or in dreams, communicated with or been in the presence of a person or persons you know to be dead?
Jeff
Yes; Yes, No; No; Yes; I don’t think so, no.
Michael
"All right, excellent, good. Now onto the psychokinetic effects."
Have you ever been able to consciously move or witnessed an object move on its own with no apparent physical impulsion at a distance of less than roughly 2 meters (6 feet)? More than 2 meters?
Have you ever been able to raise or lower the temperature of an object or space or experienced an object or space becoming warmer or colder ("cold spots," etc.)?
Have you ever been able to make or have you ever witnessed an object spontaneously combust?
Have you ever witnessed an unexplained electrical surge in your presence or been able to control the electrical flow of an appliance or wall socket?
Have you ever had the feeling of being able to hear or sense electromagnetic energy, for example, when near large power pylons, transformers, or electrical or phone wires?
Jeff
No, No; Yes; Yes; I don’t think so; Possibly, it depends on definitions.
Michael
"That's fine, we can get into those details later." Targ clears his throat and reads off the second page of his questionnaire. Mitch notices his aura change color from the bright yellow of conversational and scientific engagement to a slightly sickly green, tainted with a slight tinge of uncertainty and fear, as he reads off this second sheet. "These last two questions are related and open-ended—"essay questions," as it were—so feel free to answer them at length. But please try to answer with the first thing that comes into your head, as you did earlier today on the psych tests."
"First. Let's say you are given the ability to travel back in time, as an astral projection, to anywhere and any moment in human history, invisible to all witnesses and unable to affect the past. It's one ticket, one time, a single opportunity, given to you today, and you can be there for up to 24 hours. Where and when would you go... and why."
Jeff
Mitch chuckles.
He looks like he’s going to not answer with the answer that very obviously popped into his head, but then he shakes his head, like, no, might as well. “King Arthur. Get to the bottom of the Matter of Britain, you know? Seems like kind of a hinge point.”
“If that’s too vague—I mean, I couldn’t name a specific day—then I’d go Our Town and relive a day from my childhood, I guess.”
Michael
Hal smiles and takes a drag off his cig, and Russell chuckles, echoing Hal and Mitch's chuckle. "Interesting. Okay, a similar and related second question. This time, you can affect history. You go back in time bodily, with all your modern knowledge and can be seen by everyone and interact with history. Moreover, the changes, if any, that you make while back in time for 24 hours are permanent and will affect your life upon return to the present; however, you are guaranteed not to be wiped from history. Your life may experience changes, but you will be able to remember the old timeline. Where would you go and what would you do?"
Jeff
“Wow, that’s a harder one.” Mitch is surprised; this isn’t the kind of thought experiment he was expecting.
“I mean, if you kill Hitler in his crib, who’s to say somebody worse doesn’t roll in, like, Double Stalin or something. I wouldn’t want to make the Cuban Missile Crisis worse, you know? But it seems selfish to be like, let’s go back to the 50s and get Teen Me to bet on the World Series, or something like that…”
Michael
Russell and Hal just keep their gazes levelly on Mitch. Mitch can sense their auras growing... a little more intense, a little less jovial. They're watching how he works through this mentally.
Jeff
“I don’t accept that this is the best of all possible worlds, but I do think it’d be risky to shift stuff around all half-cocked. I’d need to do some research first. That’s my answer. Research first.”
“But if it was a now-or-never thing… like, the aliens or Jesus or whoever says I can do it right this second, only…”
“I’d probably try to save Bobby Kennedy.”
“Stuff hasn’t gotten better since then, you know?”
Michael
Hal nods sort of neutrally. Russ takes copious notes while saying, "Thanks for giving me your do or die answer, MJ. I appreciate it. Well, we're all done here. If you want to sign your papers, give us your information to send you your checks, and let us know when you'd like to start orientation this week, I think we can get this show on the road and get you inducted into, ha ha, the 'Invisible College' as it were."
There's a knock on the meeting-room door and without waiting for a "Come," Pat Price pops his head in. "Hey gents. Oh hey MJ, good to see you again. Hey Hal, we're gonna have to get on the road soon if we want to make that meeting au Château."
"Oh yeah, of course." Hal is slow to stand up, but he comes over and shakes Mitch's hand. "Welcome to the program, MJ." Pat Price steps out of the doorway and says, "Oh hey, congrats MJ, looking forward to working with you" and offers his meaty, too-strong alpha handshake as well.
Jeff
Let’s try aura-sighting the pig again
Michael
Ah, new set of rolls maybe I think?
That questioning was pretty thorough and Mitch might need to reset.
Jeff
Sure. MoS of 3 on the analysis, successes all around.
Michael
Great. Health-wise, I do need to remind you, this man Price has terrible arteries, horrible lungs, a pre-cirrhotic liver; it's hard not to see this first every time Mitch scans him. Only person Mitch has seen with a physical aura in this rough shape is Master Jiyu.
There is a little bit of a light twinkle of active psychic powers in Pat's aura right now. Not active remote viewing or chronomancy or anything but instead the heightened senses of a man who can open himself up to seeing other people's thoughts and feelings. First time you've seen that ability active on Price. The emotional bouquet in Price's own aura is, well, bluff heartiness which is evident from his demeanor, but underneath that alpha-dog bluster is a weird sensitivity, a tenderness even. And both the bluff braggadocio and sensitivity are pointed straight at Mitch.
Jeff
Lord only knows what he sees in Mitch. A puppet operated by another puppet, with a third puppet behind that, and on ad infinitum?
Michael
I think all we have left at this point is for Mitch to let Russ know which day this week he wants to come in for a few hours and start orientating himself. Since Hal and Paddy have an important appointment to get to, Russ will walk Mitch out.
Jeff
Despite Mitch's assertion about not being at their beck and call 24/7, he doesn't actually have a reason not to move fast on this. This is Tuesday, so, Wednesday? Or Thursday if Wednesday doesn't work.
Michael
Tomorrow is totally fine with Russell, he's gonna be here. Sounds like he handles more of the orientation stuff and Hal does the analysis and training of Ingo and Pat's experiments. Mitch still hasn't met Ingo yet, oh boy.