The Hydra with Many Faces

Number one evil

On December 11th, at 9:11PM, eleven minutes after promised, a phone call comes into the home of a labor manager. The labor manager answers the phone with police listening in, only to hear the muffled, inaudible voice of the monster. No further calls come in that evening. Earlier that day on December 11th, a sketch of the station wagon driver from November 14th is released by police. On the 15th of December, a letter arrives at a home. 'On December 24th, you will throw twenty million dollars in cash from the rooftop of the department store Darkwoods city at two o'clock.' The man consulted with the police and decided to ignore the request. Read in part, an article published on December 15th, by the Galveston County Daily News reads, 'Headline: Poison plotter frustrate Aster City police.'

The case known in Aster City as the man with many faces is a sinister reprise of the Tylenol affair in the United States in which seven people died from cyanide placed in bottles of the pain-killing drug. No one is known to have actually been poisoned in Aster City but the motive, extortion, is the same. It also has proved his puzzling for the authorities here as was the Tylenol case which remains unresolved. The case, however, has enthralled the Aster City public and especially experts on criminal behavior. "They have attracted the most number of policemen as much as a fifth of the state's entire police force. They are the first ones to fully utilize the effects of mass media. Making a fool out of police for repeated blunders," a professor of criminology said in an interview. Some theorists say the gang's careful planning and apparent grasp of police operations suggests radical leftists, others envision ties to the violence-prone gang or mafia. And still others speculate that the culprits are disgruntled former employees of the companies.'

December 17th, a letter to the head of the Darkwoods city police is sent to Weazel News. 'We knew from before that you were fools, but why did you show our secret letter? Now everyone knows we're fans of the police. Are you so scared of us? We understand your feelings. You thought no one would believe the police after we sent the letter to mass media. You don't need to worry about that. No one believes the police anyway. I'll tell you something good. On the 9th of December we took a hundred million from the company in Aster City. We won't use this money for a month. If you find us before the 15th of January, you'll get all the money. It is made so that you don't know which company it is even if you get the money. Enjoy your New Year's eve. It'll get busy after the 15th of January. We have to give New Year's money to the House Foods. Someone from our group says that we should throw out dynamite from the helicopter. But we promised House to contact them again. We're thinking of either destroying House or taking the money. What are those Sugary Saccharine Company fools thinking? We thought about forgiving Sugary Saccharine Company if they give us two hundred million and if they rehire the part-time ladies. Neither Sugary Saccharine Company or police are romantic. We have to attack Sugary Saccharine Company again, the mass media revealed the police's true intentions. Mass media told the police that suspects won't use the same technique. You shouldn't scold the police that much. We knew the police's intentions from the start. Mass media can't say such self-important things. They had agreement on coverage but what is this? In Aster City, media can say anything but this became a suicide. Who are we? Sometimes we are extremists. Sometimes we are car racers. Sometimes we are truck drivers. Our true identity is Hydra with Many Faces.'

Postmarked in Darkwoods two days prior between 8AM and noon. The line "We have to give New Year's money to House Foods" refers to a Aster City tradition of giving money to children on the New Years. The following day on December 18th, another letter arrives at Aster City headquarters of Weazel newspapers. 'To the State Police Agency, we'll get killed when we get caught, right? This case won't get adapted by a comic book if we get a death sentence. But the police department isn't necessarily a scary place, it's a democratic police that people love. We like you. We made a new hiding place so we'll greet you. Police look like they have time so we're giving you a case. We are kind. Other police departments also look like they're free. On the 9th of December we took one hundred million. Do your best Aster City police. There's an empty can on the west side of the road a hundred meters from the white flag, the upper part of the can is crushed. S police you have no work, do you? Kick the can and play with it. We took the paper out. We'll tell you our hiding place, Darkwoods police and State Police Agency It's in every city. Don't play around. Who are we? Sometimes we are CIA agents. Sometimes we are guard men. Sometimes we are water inspectors. Sometimes we are pro boxers. Sometimes we are big company agents. Sometimes we are journalists but our true identity is Hydra with Many Faces.'