Interview Log

Interview Purpose: Confirm cause of death; confirm perpetrator for followup observation.

Interviewer: Agent Sam Denton, Agent Jim McDowell

Interviewee: Michael Stahlmeyer, Senior at Calvin University

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Agent Denton: Good afternoon, Michael. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the death of one of your teammates if you're alright with that?

Stahlmeyer: I don't like to think about it, but alright.

Agent Denton: Do you know why so many of your teammates have been drowning in your school pool?

Stahlmeyer looks visibly uncomfortable.

Stahlmeyer: Look, college sports are…they're like a giant business these days. There's so much pressure. Maybe they're overworking themselves? Maybe they…cracked.

Stahlmeyer visibly breaks eye contact with Agent Denton

Agent Denton: Right. And it doesn't help when one of their teammates kills them, right?

Stahlmeyer shudders

Stahlmeyer: Excuse me? Are you implying I had something to do with █████'s death?

Agent McDowell: Not implying. Accusing, and asserting. You poisoned your teammate with a tiny bit of botulism and GHB, then dumped him in the pool. The drugs burned out of his system before the autopsy.

Stahlmeyer: Fuck you, man, how fucking dare you!? I want my lawyer, I know my rights.

Agent McDowell leans across the table

Agent McDowell: We're not the cops, kid. We're not the feds either. You have no rights with us, and you're not going anywhere until you explain why you did it. I don't know if you realize this, but your bullshit is what's killing all of your friends on the team still.

Stahlmeyer leans back, shaken

Stahlmeyer: What?! What the hell are you talking about?

Agent McDowell: You didn't think it was strange that after you drowned your buddy, everyone started dying?

Agent Denton: See, Jim and I can't figure it out. He wasn't getting better grades than you. You were ahead of him in every category on the leaderboards. Hell, you were getting laid with half the cheerleading team, so it wasn't a girl. So why?

Stahlmeyer bursts into tears, and his voice begins to shake

Stahlmeyer: You don't understand, how much pressure we're under. How hard they push us. There's so much to perform, to get better, to do more.

Agent Denton: Rrrrright. Yes. But you were ahead of him by a decent amount. He wasn't even on the first string.

Stahlmeyer: Didn't you see his times when he joined the team? He's getting so much better, so much…faster. In a couple years, he would have been a serious Olympic contender. He would have jeopardized my chances of going to the Olympics.

Agent McDowell: So let me get this straight. You killed your teammate, and unleashed a highly dangerous anomaly…because you were scared someone might work hard and become as good as, or better than you?

Stahlmeyer: Anomaly? What? I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but yes, sure, I did it. I admit it. I don't care anymore, I can't handle the fucking guilt, just take me to jail or whatever.

Agent McDowell scoffs

Agent McDowell: Kid, we're not the cops. You get to live with the guilt of getting away with murdering your teammate. Have fun with that.

Stahlmeyer reacts with visible shock.

Stahlmeyer: Wait, you're just… no, but…

Agent Denton: Oh, and you get to live with the fact that because of you, six other people are dead. Have fun with the guilt, buddy.

Both agents leave the room. Stahlmeyer begins sobbing. Foundation agents return Stahlmeyer to the edge of Calvin University's campus several hours later. Targeted amnestics were administered to remove any knowledge of anomalous activity, or the Foundation. Memories of the murder, and knowledge of responsibility of the six murders, were unaffected.

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