Better The Devil You Know: Haven Profile (Howard)

Date: 10/15/2012 (updated 1/29/13)
Subject Name: Agent Howard
DOB: Unknown
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, appears to be early to mid 40s 1/29/13: but may be assumed to be significantly older, based on identical appearance in 1955 as Sarah Vernon's commanding officer
Place of Examination: Data compiled at Chandler/Hammett Investigations offices
Occupation: Supposedly FBI supervisory agent. 1/29/13: Also supposedly military officer, rank unknown though suspected captain or colonel. Current data suggests that subject's true occupation is to be the barn's avatar/spokesperson.
Marital Status: Though wearing a wedding ring, no references to spouse have ever been made. Considering subject's unique status in relation to IN-####, such evidence should be taken as unsubstantiated.
Race: Unknown, presumed Troubled.
Classification: AG-####

Presents with: Subject is in many ways the motivating force behind certain aspects of Haven; there is no indication that either he or subject IN-#### designation Audrey Parker even existed prior to the resurgence of the Troubles (see file SK-##) and all attempts to turn up personal information through employment records lead to their doubles. As with most subjects under investigation in this case, he is fond of and prone to doublespeak. Subject displays capability with manipulation and some basic management techniques common to those used to being in charge, but nothing specific to his supposed profession. Dialectical and behavioral patterns indicate substantial schooling, either formal or otherwise, though not to such an extent that subject lacks social skills. Does not assume authority so much as is authority, regardless of the situation, including giving orders which subject IN-#### more or less followed after she was no longer his employee. 

Updated 1/29/13: Subject has been confirmed as non-human or meta-human, as demonstrated by the reaction to shots fired by subject PT-TR-####; subsequent identical reactions from the barn indicate that they may be connected by origin or protracted contamination. Subject continues to demonstrate proficiency in verbal and attitudinal management techniques, as well as maneuvering all conversations away from what may be non-sanctioned solutions to Haven's difficulties. The source of Haven's difficulties and Haven's existence also remain obfuscated due to subject's manipulations, though there is less evidence to suggest that the subject is the only individual or creature in possession of those details. Subject demonstrated preference instead to IN-####'s weaknesses in a blatant attempt to manipulate her into continuing the pattern. Due to the nature of this pattern, including when subject seems capable of appearing outside the barn, this pressure was effective since further delaying tactics on IN-####'s part would have led to the destruction of Haven. According to currently available data, subject is linked closely enough to the barn that he cannot leave it frequently or without good cause; he has stated that he appears three times: to provide IN-#### with a reason to enter Haven despite her implanted memories, to provide impetus for IN-#### to remain in Haven despite it conflicting with the duties those memories would indicate, and to reacquire her for the barn. We have no evidence which contradicts this information at this time, though as with all data given by subject we must expect some degree of inaccuracy.

Subject has stated that the barn acts as an amplifier and is tied to IN-#### and her ability to love. This is implied to be an eros-type love at several points, though it is apparent that subject XX-#### believed a filios-type love would suit the barn's needs as well. Subject has further stated that the way to end the Troubles for good is for subject IN-#### to kill someone she loves; however, subject has notably not stated what form "ending the Troubles" would take. It is well within the scope of probability that such a solution would entail the deaths of all Troubled individuals (see also subject ST-BD-#### and Crocker family ties to subject IN-####) or indeed the destruction of Haven. While a more large-scale benevolent effect is possible, given that subject IN-#### has consistently demonstrated that self-sacrificial agape-type love is of greatest benefit, we consider this only a 25% probability, with that probability likely to decrease if we learn the origins of the Troubles. This information appears to be something subject vehemently prefers that IN-#### designation Audrey Parker and her allies do not possess, possibly in response to IN-#### designation Lucy Ripley's response to reputedly learning that information prior to her entering the barn last cycle.

We consider it an 80% probability that whatever subject may have been prior to his prolonged association with the barn, he is now wholly motivated to serve an identical purpose to that of the barn, making the two beings separate more in form than in function. Further data on the source of Haven's difficulties and existence will, we expect, yield far more information on the subject's own origins than we currently possess.

Observations: Subject appears extremely capable of lying with the truth. Current evidence classes him as AG, though that may change to SR should further information become available. Subject's work with Garland Wuornos (see file WR-TR-####) would indicate a longer presence and deeper ties to the local community than we have evidence to corroborate at this time. Despite having been in a situation where he might, as a supposed LEO, be expected to actively participate in his own rescue, subject did no such thing. There are several possibilities for this. One is that the subject believes that he would give away his lack of training to subject IN-#### should he act in a law enforcement capacity rather than a managerial one. Another is that he is in some way physically incapable of carrying out such a role, though he has no clear physical cues to indicate that this is the case. A third is that taking a more active role in his rescue would contaminate the results from the potential experiment of interrogating and observing subject IN-####, which it appeared he was attempting to do. Subject is trained either professionally or experientially in the ability to blend in with his surroundings - no mean feat for an African-American man in rural Maine.

Subject has demonstrated familiarity with the Troubles as well as with Haven and its surroundings. He is not only not above intricate schemes designed to manipulate people (in this case, IN-####, though I wouldn't rule out manipulation of WR-TR-####) into performing as desired, he considers them a first resort. His motivations have yet to be established, though he has expressed interest in controlling the Troubles he may well be emphasizing containment over amelioration. If subject fits with similar patterns, it is likely that he has others (UNSUBS) under his command and will be addressing the Troubles from several directions at once. Given recent developments as well, it would be worth monitoring Unsub: Bolt Gun's movements for signs that that unsub is connected to subject Howard, though it is likely that his devolving behavioral patterns are not of the subject's devising or instruction. Based on prior patterns of the Troubles, he may be the person either tasked with or who has taken on the role of the one to prevent the Troubles from spreading geographically. This may be a role similar to IN-####, where the subject appears when needed and otherwise keeps to himself, or it may be a role passed from mentor to student, either biological or experiential. Regardless, subject knows more than most about the situation and IN-####'s role within it, and we would do well to keep an eye out for his return. 

Updated 1/29/13: At this time, subject's status is unknown. When last seen, he and the barn developed cracks as a result of GSWs sustained at PT-TR-####'s hand, which revealed white light underneath akin to the diffuse white lighting apparent in the interior of the barn. They then imploded/disappeared together, along with subjects IN-####, ST-BD-####, SR-BD-#### (deceased), XX-#### (deceased, taken into the barn to heal), and presumably TR-BD-#### (two GSWs, possibly deceased). Given the number of variables in place, we cannot at this time engage in fact-based speculation about subject's future. What we can engage in, however, is speculation regarding his past, along with that of the barn.

We have no past history for the subject that would indicate that he himself was ever anything other than a vector for the building itself; indeed, all records indicate that he has been linked to the barn and to subject IN-####'s arrival in and departure from Haven (and thus the apex and cessation of the Troubles) for all known incarnations. The evidence for this dates back no further than 1955, though given the space-time fluctuations within Haven all numerical dates must be taken as unconfirmed at best. At this time, we believe that the origin of the Troubles in their present cyclical form dates back several more generations, possibly as early as the colonial period of the 1600s though more likely the mid-to-late 1700s.

Setting aside the subject's appearance in his current form, lack of aging, and whether or not that form has changed over prior cycles, we would like to mention the barn itself, as it seems highly probable (as previously mentioned) that the barn and the subject are one and the same for all practical purposes. The structure as seen from the outside is a somewhat dilapidated barn, appearing on the island Kick 'Em Jenny Neck (see case file GL-SKHV, cross-reference file GL-DR##) at intervals that supposedly correlate to IN-####'s readiness to leave her work in Haven. The interior, as we might expect from a genius loci, is larger and presented to subject IN-#### as empty white corridors, which may be a reflection of the sterility of certain aspects of her implanted memories (specifically, having been a ward of the state) or may be inherent in some way to the genius loci. It appears to store all of subject IN-####'s memories from her time spent in Haven; it is safe to assume that it also stores some portion of her implanted memories or that the memories of her time in Haven are influenced by same. The genius loci appears to have a strong connection with subject IN-#### and responds to her emotions and thoughts in some manner, but it also appears that the subject is capable of manipulating what the genius loci is permitted to show others. This speaks to some degree of separation between the two, though based on recent events that may be a question solely of motivation rather than ability for one to survive without the other.

Given the prevalence of genius loci as protective and often imprisoning devices for harmful/malevolent forces, particularly when they take on any form at all, we must consider the likelihood that the barn was designed to contain something or someone. Several people have referred to Haven "becoming a true haven," which suggests that the Troubles were not always confined to a 27 year cycle. The subject's response to IN-####'s interrogative about this being her punishment for something she no longer remembers doing was ambiguous at best. As the subject frequently evades lines of questioning that strike too near a (presumably) unsanctioned solution to Haven's Troubles, we consider it plausible that the barn was created to contain the subject, not IN-####, and that this is his punishment rather than hers. This additionally correlates with the data on subject IN-#### as self-sacrificial and loving; it would follow that in her original incarnation she chose to enter the barn and take on the messianic duties she now fulfills. Following from that, we can stipulate that it is something the subject did which caused the Troubles to become unmanageable in the first place, and thus the solution of the cycles came into existence. The only unanswered question in this (admittedly purely speculative) theory is how the Crocker family ties into the origins of the Troubles; one possibility is that subject IN-#### designation original was of that family line and, like the Petrellis and Novellis, that line split into creative and destructive methods for ending the Troubles at some point. This leads us to believe that the subject attempted to alter the Troubles, possibly in a way that would end them, and succeeded to enough of a degree that the mitigating solution of the cycles necessitated from that. Thus, the genius loci acts a prison for the subject, until such time as the Troubles are ended or he is no longer considered a threat.

Again, this is pure speculation, and we must wait for further data before we may even determine a percentage probability that the above scenario is in whole or in part accurate.

History (Clinical): Subject has not yet been contacted for an interview. It is considered likely that he will turn down any such requests, probably using his FBI credentials as leverage. Updated 1/29/13: We do not recommend attempting to contact subject for an interview, though if occasion should arise to make such feasible we highly recommend some combination of Connor, Ifans, Hammett, and/or Chandler in the interrogation room.
History (Family): No confirmed family; wedding ring indicates a spouse but may also indicate a widower, a divorcé, or a liar. If there is a spouse, possibility of children (living or dead) rises to 27%. Updated 1/29/13: We must also take into account the possibility that subject's wedding ring dates to the origin of the Troubles, though without further data this is a weak possibility at best.
History (Medical): None known for sure; if subject was ever trained in the FBI or similar organizations then presumably he has undergone at a minimum major stress in the field, at a maximum several hospitalizations for injuries incurred in the line of duty. If subject's duties are more along the lines of shepherding the appropriate incarnation of IN-#### to Haven to oversee the Troubles, then he has undergone stresses beyond what we can estimate at this time. Unfortunately, all of this is purest speculation. Updated 1/29/13: Subject sustained multiple GSWs. Blood was seen on first impact, though subsequent reaction to the GSWs was abnormal and mirrored by the barn. Based on subject's reaction to being threatened, we place the chances of his having sustained significant injury in the past ~81 years to be minimal.
Recommended Action: Shift to Thomas for surveillance and observation if he resurfaces. Not to be trusted.
Recommended Action 1/29/13: Shift to Sam for surveillance and observation. NOT TO BE TRUSTED. Assume all actions involve lies of omission unless concrete evidence to the contrary is available.