Chapter 5.2A: To sit under a tree

Emily ignores Hank's advice. How could he know? She has to try.

"Please, where is my brother!? I need to go where he worked, I can help!" - she almost shouted

"I've already told you, Miss Hart," Mei Lin snapped, her voice laced with irritation. "And I cannot simply allow you to barge into our research facility. There are protocols in place for a reason, we deal with viruses and biological material, and I will not compromise the integrity of our work."

Emily's frustration bubbled to the surface, her voice tinged with desperation. "But Robert is my brother! He's missing, and he was working under your supervision. I need to know what happened to him."

Mei Lin's expression hardened, her jaw set in defiance. "I sympathize with your situation, but I cannot make exceptions. If you have concerns about your brother, I suggest you contact the authorities. They will handle the matter appropriately."

"Emily, let's go," Hank said, his voice firm but gentle as he placed a reassuring hand on her arm and started to pull her away.

Emily turned to him, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "But Hank, we can't just let her off the hook! Robert is out there somewhere!"

Hank shook his head, his gaze unwavering. He whispered "I know, Emily. But pushing her further won't get us anywhere. We need to regroup and figure out our next move."

Reluctantly, Emily nodded, realizing the wisdom in Hank's words. With a heavy heart, she allowed him to guide her out of the auditorium and back into the streets, until they reached the quaint coffee shop where Peter and Mercer were waiting.

As they settled into a corner booth with Peter and Mercer, Hank could see the tension slowly begin to ease from Emily's shoulders.

Once they are situated in the corner booth, Hank fills the other two in on the encounter with Dr. Lin.

To Emily, he says, "Honestly, she has a good point on contacting the authorities. You should probably make a missing persons report on your brother, just to make sure something official is on the record. On the other hand, I don't think it will actually help any, if she was the one to suggest it. Something fishy is going on, but I am clueless on where to look next."

Looking at the other two, "Any suggestions on where to look next?"

The information you really need, Emily, is who he knew at the outpost, who he chatted with, where he was last seen. . But that all means going to the outpost, and that will take some time.. But I don't know what we can get done here, before the Celestial Voyager needs to move on. ..

Hank says, "Let's at least get a few things going. Emily, do you have a recent picture of your brother? Let's go ahead and file the missing person report. Also, I want to make sure that he used the name 'Robert Hart'. I need to get access to a terminal to run some searches for him."

"Im not sure if he was completely locked in the resource facility but we could also ask around in the closest restaurants and hotels, maybe someone will recognize his picture?"

"Well, we," Hank points to Emily and himself, "are pretty much banned from the facility, anyway."

Hank tapped away on his dataslab, his fingers moving with practiced efficiency as he programmed and initiated a comprehensive search for any information regarding Robert Hart. The screen flickered to life, displaying a myriad of search options as he delved deeper into the digital realm.

As he sifted through news reports, obituaries, and public police records, his heart sank with each fruitless click.

But just as he was about to give up hope, a glimmer of promise caught his eye. A headline flashed across the screen, drawing his attention with its tantalizing possibility: "Colleague of Missing Scientist Files Official Report with Authorities."

With a renewed sense of determination, Hank clicked on the article from a small journal in a remote village near the medical research outpost, his heart pounding in anticipation. As the details unfolded before him, he felt a surge of relief mingled with apprehension.

According to the report, a colleague of Robert's had indeed filed a missing person report with the authorities two weeks ago. The colleague's name was Dr. Peng Qing, a fellow researcher at the Verdura Medical Research Institute. He had become concerned when Robert failed to show up for work for several days without explanation, prompting him to take action and alert the authorities to Robert's disappearance.

Hank's mind raced as he processed the information, his thoughts swirling with a myriad of possibilities. If Dr. Qing had filed a missing person report, it meant that Robert's disappearance was being taken seriously by the authorities. But it also raised more questions than answers. Why hadn't Emily been informed about the report? And why was there still no sign of Robert after two weeks?

With a sense of urgency, Hank continued his search, digging deeper into the digital archives in search of any additional clues. And as his program scanned through image after image, he finally came across a photograph of Robert Hart, his features frozen in a moment of time, a silent testament to the mystery that now engulfed him. There was no denying the familial resemblance—the same nose, the same hair, the same determined set to the jaw.



"Yes! That's my brother." - said Emiliy.

Hank didn't access restricted police records since that's obviously illegal, even though he probably had the skills to do so.

Does Hank find any contact information for Dr. Qing? We might wanna give that a shot immediately. After that attempt, we should have contact information for the local police department. Might as well give them a ring, too. In both cases, Emily has to do the talking, since she is the near relative. We might as well make the two call attempts. We need to do Dr. Qing first and immediately, before Dr. Lin bans us overtly.

Hank depending on the order of things, Hank will message the Captain to see if she has any local contacts in the authorities on this world. Probably not, but he'll check.

Emily's fingers trembled slightly as she dialed the number for the local police department, her heart pounding in her chest with each ring. The line clicked, and a voice answered on the other end.

"Meixian Police Department, how may I assist you?" the voice inquired.

Emily took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation ahead. "Hello, my name is Emily Hart. I'm calling to inquire about a missing person report that was filed recently."

"Of course, ma'am," the officer replied, his tone professional. "Do you have any information about the missing person in question?"

"Yes, his name is Robert Hart," Emily replied, her voice steady despite the underlying tension. "He's my brother, and I believe a colleague of his, Dr. Peng Qing, filed the report with your department."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before the officer spoke again. "I see. Let me check our records for you, ma'am. Can you hold for a moment?"

Emily nodded, her heart racing as she waited anxiously for the officer to return with information about her brother. Every passing second felt like an eternity, each moment filled with uncertainty and fear.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the officer returned to the line. "Yes, ma'am, we do have a missing person report on file for a Robert Hart. It was filed by Dr. Peng Qing two weeks ago in Lóngyùn Cūn."

Located amidst the mist-covered mountains of the south continent, Lóngyùn Cūn is known for its serene beauty and traditional charm. Despite its remote location, the village is home to a close-knit community where neighbors look out for one another.

Within the tranquil surroundings of Lóngyùn Cūn lies the local police station, a modest yet efficient hub of law enforcement.

"Thank you," she replied, her voice filled with gratitude. "Is there any additional information you can provide about the case?"

The officer hesitated for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid I can't divulge any further details over the phone. However, if you would like to come down here or another police station and provide your documentation and proof of your identity, we can discuss the matter in person."

Emily nodded, understanding the protocol. "Thank you."

Hank does a quick look-up of the closest police station. He sees that there is a small annex-style station only three blocks away and says, "Here. There appears to be a police station annex only three blocks away. Let's go over there and see if we can get more information from there. You should be able to provide your credentials there and we can try to get the rest of the information they have."On the way over, Hank says to the group, "If we can't get all or any of the information, I would contemplate hacking their system to find it, but to do that, I need physical access to a dataline or something like that. Basically, I'd need to be able to attach a 'slice' to a data line or get access to a slab or terminal. I doubt those will have any easy access. Keep your eyes open for an opportunity like that if we can't get good information from them in the conversation."

With Hank leading the way, the group set off towards the police station, the brisk pace of their footsteps echoing in the quiet streets of Meixian. Peter and Mercer walked alongside Emily, offering silent support as they made their way.

Upon entering the station, they were greeted by a uniformed officer behind the front desk. Emily stepped forward, her voice steady despite the flutter of nerves in her stomach. "My name is Emily Hart. The missing person is my brother, Robert Hart. I believe a report was filed by Dr. Peng Qing."

The officer furrowed his brow in thought before checking the database on his computer. After a moment, he looked up with a apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Ms. Hart, but it appears we didn't have your contact information on file. Dr. Peng Qing did file a report for your brother two weeks ago, but we were unable to reach any family members at the time."

Emily's heart sank at the realization. She had been so caught up in her own search that she hadn't even considered the possibility that the authorities might not have her contact information.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about the report?" Hank asked, his voice calm yet insistent.

The officer nodded, sympathetic to their plight. "I can provide you with a copy of the report and any other information we have on file. Please, follow me."

---

A couple of minutes later, the officer cleared his throat before beginning to read from the report. "According to Dr. Peng Qing's statement, Robert Hart failed to show up for work on the Monday following the weekend. Dr. Qing became concerned when Robert did not respond to calls or messages, and he informed the authorities when Robert had not returned to work by the end of the week."

Emily's brows furrowed as she listened intently, absorbing every detail. She couldn't help but feel a pang of worry at the thought of her brother missing for an entire week without anyone noticing.

The officer continued, "Dr. Qing mentioned that the last he heard from Robert was when he had left the outpost where they worked and lived, located in the forest, and had taken a gravcar to Lóngyùn Cūn in the mountains. However, there was no further communication from Robert after that."

"Is there anything else in the report?" Emily asked, her voice tinged with urgency.

The officer shook his head. "I'm afraid that's all the information we have at the moment. But I can provide you with a copy of the report, as well as any updates that come in regarding the investigation. Please leave your contact information."

While the officer talks, Hank will listen, but also pull up Lóngyùn Cūn on the dataslab to see where it is and how close it is to the lab and so forth. Hank will ask, "Has anyone gone to Lóngyùn Cūn to see what can be found? Would there be anything wrong with us going there to ask around?"

"This report is from the police station there, weeks ago, when Dr. Qing filled his missing person report. It's out of Meixian's jurisdiction, so I don't know about local conditions." - answered the police officer.

Hank also sees in his dataslab that the Verdura Medical Research Institute (VMRI) Outpost Omega-7, where Robert used to work, is a remote facility situated amidst the lush forests of Verdura's countryside. It comprises prefabricated buildings arranged around a central courtyard serving as a helipad. Equipped with modern medical facilities, living quarters and research laboratories, the outpost is dedicated to studying and treating diseases prevalent on Verdura. The nearest village is indeed Lóngyùn Cūn, 45 minutes from the outpost using a gravcar, less using a flyer or other transportation methods.

Mercer is going to listen to the concerns of the group and Emily, and then step away to make some calls, and them probably spelled the rest of the day into the evening or however long until the next morning trying to make contact with someone that may be invested in Emily's survival, someone who would like the Ventura Medical Research Facility looked into and possibly put under scrutiny, starting with those that first reported the dissapearance, then other reporters, and then going to contact any other rivals of Ventura Medical.
He will be tactful and soft when determining intent and interest, but try to create a small network for safety of Emily and anyone in it.