Shadows of Mr Black

Scene 7

**Scene 7: The Past Resurfaces**

**Location:** FBI Field Office, Command Center. 
**Time:** Early Morning, the day after Mr. Black’s last video.

**[The air in the command center is thick with frustration and exhaustion. Agents have been working around the clock, sifting through countless case files and historical records, trying to decipher Mr. Black’s cryptic clue. The mood is grim; the agents are running out of leads, and the pressure is mounting.]**

**[Sarah Coleman, bleary-eyed from a sleepless night, is hunched over a stack of documents, flipping through pages of old case files. Around her, other agents are similarly engrossed, their desks cluttered with papers, old photographs, and computer screens displaying endless lists of data.]**

**Agent Sarah Coleman:** 
*"We’ve combed through every major case from the past fifty years. Serial killers, terrorists, even domestic bombers... nothing ties back to Mr. Black or this ‘clue’ he mentioned."*

**Agent Daniel Briggs:** 
*"What about international cases? Maybe there’s something from our global operations that connects? We've worked with Interpol and other agencies on countless missions—there’s got to be something."*

**[Section Chief Mercer, looking haggard but determined, paces at the front of the room. He’s been fielding calls from higher-ups all night, and it shows. He stops and turns to address the team, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and frustration.]**

**Section Chief Mercer:** 
*"I’ve been in contact with Quantico and every field office across the country. Everyone is drawing blanks, just like us. But we can’t afford to miss anything. If Mr. Black wants us to look into our history, then we need to dig deeper—think outside the box. Focus on patterns, anomalies, anything that stands out."*

**[Suddenly, the large screen at the front of the room flickers, and an incoming transmission alert appears. It’s from FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mercer quickly answers, and the face of the FBI Director appears, his expression severe.]**

**FBI Director (on screen):** 
*"Mercer, we’ve just received intel from our counterparts in Russia. There’s been a credible sighting of Mr. Black in Moscow."*

**[The room goes still as the news sinks in. Sarah’s heart skips a beat—this could be the breakthrough they’ve been waiting for.]**

**FBI Director (on screen):** 
*"Russian intelligence has been tracking a series of unusual activities that match Mr. Black’s MO. They believe he’s connected to a radical group with historical ties to World War II. Given his recent taunt, we think this might be the connection we’ve been missing."*

**[Mercer turns to his team, his eyes sharp.]**

**Section Chief Mercer:** 
*"You heard the Director. I want all files related to World War II pulled—particularly anything connected to the Nazis, Hitler, and post-war movements. This might be where Mr. Black is drawing his inspiration. Sarah, Daniel, get on it."*

**[Sarah immediately starts typing on her keyboard, pulling up the FBI’s digital archives. A flood of documents appears on her screen, each one detailing operations, intelligence reports, and classified missions related to the aftermath of World War II. Briggs does the same, accessing files on international war criminals and Nazi hunters.]**

**Agent Daniel Briggs:** 
*"We’re looking for anything that ties back to Russia—Stalin’s era, the Cold War... hell, even the KGB’s black operations. If Mr. Black is playing this deep of a game, he might be drawing parallels to historical events or figures."*

**[As they dig through the records, a pattern begins to emerge—references to a secret Nazi project rumored to have continued in the Soviet Union after the war. Sarah’s eyes widen as she pieces it together.]**

**Agent Sarah Coleman:** 
*"Wait... look at this. During the final days of World War II, there were reports of Nazi scientists defecting to Russia, taking with them plans for advanced weaponry and psychological warfare. The Soviets were obsessed with the idea of controlling mass populations through fear. Could Mr. Black be drawing from this history?"*

**[Mercer leans over her shoulder, studying the documents. His face grows darker as he sees the implications.]**

**Section Chief Mercer:** 
*"It makes sense. If Mr. Black is emulating these tactics, he’s not just a terrorist—he’s a psychological strategist. He’s using history as a blueprint for modern-day terror."*

**[As they continue to piece the puzzle together, an alert pops up on Sarah’s computer. A newly decrypted file from Russian intelligence has just been uploaded to their server. It’s labeled ‘Project Ahnenerbe.’]**

**Agent Sarah Coleman:** 
*"Project Ahnenerbe... this was supposedly a secret Nazi program dedicated to uncovering ancient knowledge to use for the war effort. But look—there’s a connection here to a post-war Soviet project under the same name. They were trying to harness ancient fear-based psychological techniques to manipulate and control populations. This has to be it."*

**[Just as the team starts to dive deeper, the screen flickers again, signaling an incoming video. Everyone in the room freezes—the sender is Mr. Black.]**

**[The video opens with a shot of a dark, snow-covered street in Moscow. The camera pans slowly, revealing Mr. Black, standing in the middle of Red Square, the Kremlin looming ominously behind him. He’s dressed in his usual attire, but this time, his mask is a grotesque, twisted version of a Nazi gas mask.]**

**Mr. Black (on screen):** 
*"Ah, the Motherland... a place steeped in history, much like your precious FBI. I see you’ve started to understand the game, but let me assure you, this is only the beginning. There are no bombs, no immediate threats—just a little reminder of how the past never truly dies. Did you enjoy my little scavenger hunt?"*

**[He chuckles, the sound distorted and menacing through the mask.]**

**Mr. Black (on screen):** 
*"You’ve dug up your old files, unearthed your dirty little secrets... but have you really learned anything? Or are you just playing catch-up? Remember, the past holds many secrets, and some are best left buried. But since you’re so eager to play, here’s a clue for the next round: ‘In the land of the rising sun, the shadows are the longest.’ Think on that, my dear friends. Time is ticking... and the game is far from over."*

**[The video cuts out abruptly, leaving the room in stunned silence. The agents exchange uneasy glances, the weight of Mr. Black’s words settling over them.]**

**Agent Daniel Briggs:** 
*"The land of the rising sun... Japan? Is he planning something there? Or is it another misdirection?"*

**Section Chief Mercer:** 
*"We can’t take any chances. I want all our intel on Japan reviewed immediately. This man is weaving history into his attacks—we need to stay two steps ahead of him."*