The Name's Oliver - Ben Oliver. Ch. 159: Duty vs Ethics, Pt. II

[Schipperke]

Extra Credit?

The assignments are all completed.  Ben gathers the students together in the classroom for one last lecture.

"Congratulations to everyone on the work you've done so far.  You've all done very well!  You've all been working very hard, and I know you're tired, so I've decided to make the next and final assignment optional.  You don't have to do it in order to graduate, but those who do this assignment will receive extra credit and a higher grade."



"Anyone who doesn't want to do the extra assignment is free to leave class now."







Half the class leaves.  The remaining three students wait expectantly to hear their next assignment.







"This next assignment gives you a chance to practice a very important skill.  Here's what I want you to do ..."

[Audren]

Extra credit, hmm. I wonder what Ben may have in mind for this one... 

[RaiaDraconis]

I can safely say I have no idea what is coming. I can't wait to see this!

[Sherry]

Wait a moment, there~
I think I didn't saw Hazel do the work out assignment yet. How could this happen?
I'm sure I am remembering right. First Jasper, then Tomba, Keira, Eza, and Coline. I'm sure there is no Hazel...

[Schipperke]

Wait a moment, there~
I think I didn't saw Hazel do the work out assignment yet. How could this happen?
I'm sure I am remembering right. First Jasper, then Tomba, Keira, Eza, and Coline. I'm sure there is no Hazel...

Oops!  You're quite right, Sherry.  Sorry about that.  It's late here now, but I'll get Hazel's assignment up tomorrow for sure.  I think you'll find it was worth waiting for. 

[Swirl-Girl]

I'm sure this special student's special submission is especially worth the extra-special wait.

[Schipperke]

My apologies to readers and especially to ombradellarosa for neglecting to post Hazel's assignment report before.  I'm sorry you had to wait Hazel's report, but I think you'll agree, it was worth the wait!

Spying Strong, part VI - Hazel & ombradellarosa

Hazel's Report:

Before beginning the fifth assignment, I did some research. It seemed that being in the best mood possible and working out at the gym gave me the best chance of endurance, as well as the highest likelihood of leveling up and thus securing the 'Good Pacing' workout tone. After a good night's sleep, some Pollen Punch, doing the laundry, and taking a bubble bath (all for the moodlets), I headed off to Aleister's Elixir Consignment Shop for some Potent Invigorating Elixir and a Vial of Potent Bliss, so that I wouldn't get tired or lonely while working out. I've learned from my father's alchemy how helpful they can be.

That's when everything went--well, a little pear-shaped.

First of all, I scheduled this assignment for my day off from work, thinking that would give me plenty of time. I did not expect my preparations to take all morning. While that was a minor setback, the setbacks grew more major as I went on. At Aleister's, a woman who may or may not have been disguised as a Chinese tourist went into the same display of gastric discomfort that Mr Gobias Koffi had on a previous assignment. This time I was quite sure it was deliberate, as she had just been standing in the shop a moment before, then when she saw me, waited and went into the act.



She seemed much more keen on talking to me then she was on keeping up said act, but I was determined to keep up my cover even if she wasn't so good at keeping hers, and this time I took vindictive pleasure in it.



Having dispatched the fake-sick 'tourist', I returned to my shopping. I am sad to say that I had some difficulty in securing the needed items, but by nightfall I had them in my possession. I went to the athletic facilities and prepared to start my workout.



But fate--or, more likely, enemy spies--had a different plan.



I could not call the police from where I was, but by the time I rushed home, I was only in time to have the burglar toss me a snide compliment as he ran out the door. It made me feel dirty.



Despite my distress, I was determined, so I returned to the gym, but my heart wasn't in it. I was only able to work out for three and a half hours before I could not continue.



Summary: I feel my theory was sound. Raising all motives, getting as many positive moodlets as possible, and working out in the gym which gives a bonus to learning speed. My research supports all this as increasing the possible workout time of someone of my experience. I allowed myself to be discouraged by circumstances. It won't happen again.

[Magz from Oz]

Oh poor Hazel.  The best laid plans of mice and men...    But if she aspires to be a superspy, she needs to expect the unexpected and even plan for it.  Nicely written.

[RaiaDraconis]

Darn burglars, throwing a monkey-wrench into things. Very well handled, though. Excellent job!

[chetanhaobijam]

Great job. Hazel did what a real spy must have done. To blend in and use her cover.

[Sherry]

hmm... It seems as if the enemy spies already starting to notice her and trying to spying her 

[Swirl-Girl]

The thieves seem to enjoy our female spy's.

[Schipperke]

Supplementary Assignment:  Surveillance/Tailing

The Assignment:

One of the ways of obtaining information on a target is to conduct surveillance on him/her, including following the target to see what s/he does, where s/he goes, and who s/he talks to.

Assignment:  Go to Central Park or any Sunset Valley location where Sims congregate.  Pick any Sim who will be the target of your surveillance.  You are going to watch that Sim, follow him/her, make notes as to what s/he does and who s/he interacts with.  Try to maintain the tail for at least 4 hours, if you can.  Make a note of the time the surveillance began, the time it ended, and the reason it ended when it did.

One of the challenges of doing surveillance by yourself is that your target may notice you following him/her.  To minimize the risk of this happening, it is recommended that you change your appearance from time to time by switching outfits.  Of course, you will not talk to your target and you probably will not be close enough to overhear any conversations, but if you do happen to learn what your target is discussing with another Sim, make a note of it.

I.  Jasper & RaiaDraconis:

Operation “Undercover”

Central Park – 5:50 a.m.

I arrived shortly before dawn and immediately headed for one of the ponds. Fishing would provide me enough cover to keep from looking too conspicuous, especially in the guise of a scientist. It is fairly common knowledge that one cannot become a creature-robot cross-breeder without knowing how to bait a hook, and most serious anglers that I know seem to prefer the early morning hours.



I certainly hope that I didn’t bring too much attention to myself when I accidentally hooked my thumb. Ouch, that hurt...

The park slowly came to life as the sun rose. I was surprised to see a family with two children out at such an early hour. Perhaps they were just enjoying an early morning walk together as a family? Unfortunately none of them stayed around for long enough for me to begin any sort of serious surveillance.

7:04 a.m.

A small commotion near the west side of the park brought my attention to a rather oddly-dressed pair.



A husband and wife? Boyfriend and girlfriend? I did not know, and I was too far away to hear anything of interest. I quickly ditched the fishing gear and slipped into my disguise, then casually made my way over to one of the chess tables to practice my old standby.



I was just within earshot and overheard the two of them talking about a daughter, which meant that they were most likely married or at the very least long-time romantic partners. Both of them sounded pleasant to be sure, though it became abundantly clear that neither of them were entirely in their right mind...especially after the man swatted a fly out of mid-air and proceeded to eat it.



It was at that moment that I had to close my eyes and refocus. That had to be one of the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed.

9:36 a.m.

The pair (Gus and Doris...Dorie...something like that) finally parted ways. I chose to focus my attention on the woman, hoping to avoid any further fly-munching episodes. She made her way over to the swingset and spent a good couple of hours just swinging and having a grand time chatting...with herself.

12:23 p.m.

I was beginning to think that I had chosen poorly in keeping my attention on Dorie (yes, that was her name) as all she seemed to want to do was play. Finally around lunchtime she left the swingset and headed toward one of the picnic areas, once again out of my direct line of sight and out of earshot. I switched into a suit and tie, taking on the persona of a businessman on his lunch break, and headed to a bench on the other side of the fountain to pretend to read.



Admittedly I thought it somewhat rude that Dorie would interrupt a picnic that was already in progress, but neither of the two women she sat with seemed to mind. It was almost as if this sort of behavior was expected of her, which tells me that the townies are well aware of her personality and, for the most part, accept it for what it is.

A sudden sense of dread filled me when I noticed the gentleman (term used very loosely) from the other morning approaching the area. Surely someone as abrasive as him would have a field day with someone like Dorie.



Most of the conversation seemed to be around babies and children—not terribly shocking given that one of the women was heavily pregnant—and Jared (Mister Prickly Personality) was surprisingly polite. It was actually rather refreshing to witness what appeared to be a normal, pleasant conversation, even if Dorie’s contributions were rather off-the-wall.

3:20 p.m.

I reach the end of my surveillance of one Mrs. Dorie Hart, as the subject is now on her way to work her shift at the bookstore.

Conclusion:

Total surveillance time: 6 hours, 16 minutes.

Overall I believe that the day went well. No one so much as approached me or questioned my presence, and I was able to learn quite a bit about my subject. Keen observation and the ability to hide in plain sight are key to a successful spying operation, and I believe that this exercise has been a great learning experience on achieving both.

Jasper A. Dartwood, signing off.

---

Note from Jasper's Handler:

(An amusing side-note: as Jasper’s needs were pretty low, I sent him over to the Bistro to eat, then left the game to run while I went off to empty the dishwasher. When I came back about ten minutes later he was chatting up Blair Wainwright. Imagine my shock when I saw that they were now romantic interests! Sigh…you can’t leave a sim alone, can you? )

[Swirl-Girl]

Oh, Jasper. He did a fine job, if it weren't for the detour with Ms. Wainwright.

[chetanhaobijam]

Great job. Jasper in the surveillance assignment. And good luck to you and your romantic interest on the love life;).