The forest is dark, and quiet. You dare not leave the small clearing where you have set up camp. You and your six fellow scientists are deep in an unknown country, on a mission to discover the last unicorn and unlock its healing powers for your allies. However, there are some who don’t want the good powers of the unicorn to be unlocked. 

One such organization caught wind of this top secret quest. They sent a traitor into your midst to sabotage you, and to make sure this mission never succeeds. This traitor is their top agent, skilled, elusive, and deadly. Their codename is Mafia. 

However, there is hope. There is a medic among you, one of the very best. They know that there will undoubtedly be an enemy agent in this expedition, so they keep their skills secret. They alone can prevent the damage the Mafia will cause. 

Finally, there is one more member of this expedition with a secret. Another agent- this one on the side of good. The good organization discovered the plot of the Mafia, and put their best detective on the case. Will the Detective and Medic be enough to stop the Mafia? Or will the enemy succeed in their destruction? Well, I suppose that's up to you. 

Go to sleep.

Night One

The Mafia: 

The Mafia stirred. It's dark. They stepped out of their tent quietly. Flipping their hood up over their head, they surveyed the camp. Everyone was asleep. Who will they choose to kill this night? They’re thinking. What would the most strategic choice be? 

They need to hurry up. 

They smirked. Their decision had been made. They nodded their head and darted over to the tent of their chosen target. As silent as a shadow, they slipped inside. Unsheathing a knife, they stabbed their victim. The scientist’s eyes open wide, and he takes one final gasping breath. The Mafia was already gone. 

The Medic:

The Medic rose from their sleeping mat. They blinked and looked around. Slowly, silently, they crawled out of their tent. Who are they going to save? 

The Medic looked around quietly. Their eyes rested on each tent, and they pictured the person inside it. This early in the expedition they could not guess who the Mafia would target. So it was up to chance. Instead of choosing someone at random, the Medic chose to help someone they really didn’t want to die. 

Target chosen, they walked over to the right tent. They leaned at the side of their patient. It was too dark to see much, but the medic still had five other senses to use. They didn't smell any blood, but poison was still an option. They first felt for a pulse. The rhythmic beating of the heart was a sure sign of life. But the patient's neck was hot. The Medic frowned and felt the patient’s forehead. Fever. 

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Something easily fixed. The Medic slipped a pill into their mouth, and the patient swallowed it in their sleep. The fever would break before the night ended, whether it was natural or caused by poison. Work done, the Medic silently darted back to their tent and quickly fell asleep. 

The Detective:

The Detective woke up. They rose hesitantly and left their tent. Standing in the middle of the camp, they scratched their chin and wondered who to investigate. They looked around at each tent, carefully determining their options. 

Finally, they decided. They snuck into their target’s tent, checking papers and bags. No evidence. This person was not the Mafia. Just another member of the expedition. Disappointed, the Detective returned to sleep, just before sunrise. 

Morning: 

The sun rose, and everybody crawled out of their tents. Well- almost everybody. A scream rose from Pat’s tent. All the scientists rushed to look. They entered the tent in a flurry, only to see a pale faced Diane standing over a cold, dead body. 

“No!” AJ moaned. “Not Pat!” They were good friends. 

“This is terrible,” Lucy said. 

“Who do you think did it?” said Terry, looking at each of the five other remaining scientists suspiciously. Lucy bit her lip and looked around. 

“Let's get out of this tent,” Diane said. AJ nodded in agreement. Solemnly, they all moved to the center of camp and sat in a circle. Larry, the oldest of them, looked around the group. 

“So now what do we do?” he asked. 

“Now we try and figure out who killed Pat,” Alma said quietly. She ducked her head when everyone looked at her and rubbed her arm. “I have no idea who did it,” she added in a small voice. Everyone was quiet. 

“Well I think it was AJ,” Terry announced. 

“What?!” AJ exclaimed. “Pat was my best friend!” 

“Exactly,” Terry argued. “You would have killed him so he didn’t realize it was you!” 

“No,” Diane, who was AJ’s sister, said. “He would have killed me first. I’m more likely to call him out. Trust me. I know my brother. It isn’t him.” 

“Well maybe you don't know him as well as you think,” Terry responded. 

“Guys,” Larry said. “Calm down. Getting mad at each other won’t help anyone. And, I’m pretty sure it's not AJ,” he added. 

“Lucy’s being quiet,” Diane pointed out. “Maybe it’s her.” Lucy shook her head. 

“No way, it’s not me,” she protested. 

“Yeah,” Alma agreed. “Lucy’s too nice to kill Pat. I don’t think it's her.” 

“Well then who do you think it is?” Terry asked. Alma rubbed her cheek and looked at each of the scientists. 

“I don’t know,” she said after a moment. Larry crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. A minute passed with no more comments. 

“Well,” Diane said. “No offense Lucy, but I vote for you.” Lucy shrugged. 

“Non taken,” she said. “But it’s not me.” 

“I vote with my sister,” AJ said. 

“I guess I'll vote for Lucy too,” Larry said. Alma shook her head. 

“I just don’t know,” she said. “I’m not going to vote.” 

“I’m voting for AJ,” Terry said. 

“Me too,” Lucy said after a minute. “Terry has a good point about Pat figuring out AJ’s secret identity.” It was quiet for a moment. Lucy had three votes, and AJ only had two. 

“Sorry Lucy,” Larry said. An hour later she was tied to a tree log that was floating down a river. The river eventually led to the waterfall. The group watched as Lucy disappeared over the edge. 

“How do we know if she was the Mafia?” Larry asked as they walked back to camp. 

“We’ll know tonight,” Diane responded.