Parallel Field Operations

Smith and Stevens remain in Alliance to continue processing the Ridgeway homicide scene and limiting further dissemination of the hypergeometric sequence.

Dellaroche and Anderson travel to Columbia University to investigate Michael Wei's academic life and personal residence.

Alliance Investigation

Stevens begins a canvass of neighbouring properties alongside FBI Agent Gant, searching for surveillance footage from digital doorbells.

One nearby resident claims to have heard nothing during the murders, explaining that he had been watching Heat at the time and believed any loud noises originated from his television.

Recovered Footage

He willingly provides footage captured by his Ring doorbell. The recording captures Michael Ridgeway fleeing the property before stumbling onto the pavement.

Michael Wei follows at a calm walking pace, making no attempt to hurry.

The wounded teenager backs away, visibly pleading for his life, before the recording briefly interrupts - reason unknown.

When the footage resumes, Wei executes Michael with a single shotgun blast before pausing for a few seconds and turning the weapon upon himself.

Standard Procedure

Following standard FBI questioning by Agent Gant, no connection is established between the witness and either Wei or the Ridgeway family.

Recognising the continued risk of the exposed hypergeometric sequence, Stevens removes a bedsheet from the Ridgeway residence and conceals the painted numbers on the pavement.

Managing the Narrative

Following the live interview, Smith continues discussions with Channel 6 reporter Enrico Save.

Smith constructs a broader national security narrative, suggesting that unrestricted discussion of the recovered sequence could compromise government systems and interfere with an ongoing federal investigation.

He further implies that hostile actors within government may seek to exploit the information, reinforcing the need for operational secrecy.

Save accepts the explanation and agrees to coordinate future reporting directly with federal authorities . During the conversation, Smith inadvertently reveals the involvement of the CIA within the wider investigation.

Smith subsequently requests that arriving State Troopers remain involved only at a superficial level of the investigation, ensuring that knowledge of the sequence does not spread further.

Before leaving the scene, Smith requests immediate access to both Wei's personal belongings and the Ridgewayfamily's recovered possessions while asking that Dr Comox report directly to either himself or Stevens upon arrival.

Columbia University

Arriving at John Jay Hall, Dellaroche and Anderson encounter security measures preventing direct access to the student accommodation. After several unsuccessful attempts to gain entry through civilian cooperation, Anderson elects to climb the security barriers himself, citing an urgent need for bathroom facilities.

Dellaroche successfully reinforces the explanation to nearby students before securing legitimate assistance from maintenance supervisor Sandy Beeman. After verifying Dellaroche's credentials, Beeman escorts the investigation to Room 1104, Michael Wei's dormitory.

At Dellaroche's instruction, all scheduled cleaning of the room is suspended until further notice to preserve potential evidence.

Examination of Room 1104

Wei's accommodation displays all the hallmarks of an individual consumed by obsession.

Books concerning higher mathematics lie open across almost every available surface, accompanied by loose calculations, annotated photocopies and handwritten notes.

Dellaroche conducts a systematic search whilst Anderson examines Wei's computer.

Details in the Numbers

Several recurring numerical values appear throughout the handwritten calculations. Two in particular ( 40.796901 and -73.968158) have been written and pinned prominently to a corkboard above the desk.

When informed of these decimal values, Smith identifies them as the latitude and longitude of a bus stop in New York.

The hypergeometric sequence is also present, split across two separate Post-it notes.

Upon removing the notes from the corkboard, Dellaroche discovers additional numbers written on their reverse: 10, 13, 2019, 10, 45, 29. These initially appear arbitrary before being recognised as the current date and time.

Digital Evidence

Review of recent activity on Wei's computer identifies an email sent at 08:00 on 12th October 2019 to a mailing list hosted by ListBrain, using the address mathgeeks@listbrain.com.

The subject line reads: THE LAQUEUS SOLUTION

The body of the email consists of advanced mathematical notation culminating in the hypergeometric sequence. More equations follow after the sequence, including various other numbers of varying lengths and decimal values.

Email Attachments

Attached to the email are twenty-one photocopied pages from a textbook titled Libre Plures Admiratio, extensively annotated in Wei's handwriting.

The final three pages differ dramatically from the preceding material. The first contains the hypergeometric sequence.

The second contains Anderson's Social Security Number, his age and the precise coordinates of his residence.

The final page contains only a single handwritten word: HELLO

A second attachment contains the same photograph of Marcus Dellaroche anonymously transmitted to Anderson prior to activation.

Dellaroche steps out the room momentarily to make a phone call. Whilst alone, Anderson forwards the email onto his own personal email.

Analyst Note: Investigation into possible leaks within the Organisation. Operationally sensitive information found in the field. No satisfactory explanation identified.

Recent Computer Activity

Review of Wei's browser history identifies recent research into Mersenne prime numbers.

Wei's recent viewing activity reveals to have been a viewing of Heat, paused during its concluding act.

The Mailing List

Examination of Wei's correspondence identifies thirteen recipients of THE LAQUEUS SOLUTION.

Most appear to be academics or private individuals with no immediately apparent significance.

Two names stand apart. One belongs to Professor Elaine Wilcox, Wei's doctoral supervisor. The other belongs to: BFMcGill@gmail.com.

The discovery visibly unsettles Dellaroche due to the connection with a previous Organisation operation.

Dellaroche immediately informs operation handler Linus A. Jackson, who takes over responsibility for identifying the remaining recipients while directing the field team to locate Professor Wilcox promptly.

Analyst Note: Investigation into connection to previous Organisation operation codenamed FULMINATE. Only current known similarity is Dellaroche, previously codenamed Agent Paxton.

Psychological Evaluations

Standard agency procedure to track how operations are impacting agents in the field.

Jackie Stevens – Continues to demonstrate sound investigative instincts and effective interaction with civilian witnesses. Performed practical containment measures without prompting. No concerns identified.

Malcolm Smith – Successfully maintains operational authority whilst balancing multiple federal agencies and media scrutiny. Increasing reliance upon improvised cover stories observed, though current effectiveness remains satisfactory.

Marcus Dellaroche – Continues to exhibit measured judgement when assessing anomalous evidence. Personal reaction to one recovered name was noted but did not materially impact operational performance. Continued observation recommended.

Thomas A. Anderson – Continues to perform effectively as a controlled disinformation asset. Demonstrates a consistent willingness to publish sanitised operational details through established conspiracy channels. Current compartmentalisation protocols remain appropriate.