Catch mimic customers early before quotas slip

Official storefronts cap you at five scripted questions per customer alongside ID scans and computer checks. Treat those slots like poker chips — name, motive, corroborating ID, contradictory purchases, behavioural tells. Spending all five recklessly slows the lane; hoarding none lets monsters glide through quotas.

• Holographic sheen should shift when angled; laminated edges should not ripple like cling film.
• Barcode fonts differ subtly when characters swap digits-sequence gaps often appear when impostors guess license fields.
• Portrait lighting rarely matches storefront fluorescents-watch double chins clipped off or ears misaligned mid-smear.

Human NPCs jitter with grocery lists, impatient toe taps, apologies for coughing. Mimics imitate broad strokes but fudge micro timing-a laugh that ends half a breath late, footsteps synced too tightly to music loops, exaggerated glances toward security cameras timed for your benefit.

Yank manifests, skim loyalty databases, skim camera feeds flagged by teammates. Monsters sometimes mirror inventory that never rang through POS; cross-check SKU counts quietly while chatter keeps them distracted.

Demo builds add a countertop emotion scanner after your first shifts. It reads stress, calm, or erratic spikes from customer replies — not a verdict on its own, but a tiebreaker when ID and behaviour disagree.

• Cross-check detector output against what they said: a cheerful tone with a “panic” spike warrants a follow-up question.
• Do not burn your last prompt on the detector alone; pair it with computer records from layer three.
• Full release may tune sensitivity — note patch versions when comparing crew strats.

1. Eager commuter — overshares travel plans.
2. Hollow tourist — mispronounces highways but knows impossible detours.
3. Chatty courier — references deliveries that never synced with dispatch timestamps.
4. Performative influencer — films you while ignoring consent norms.
5. Quiet drifter — refuses eye contact except when syncing to your rotations.

Windows and chrome chip racks distort reality-perfect test beds. Slide sideways while questioning; mismatched mirrored shoulders or drifting nametags cue instant denial. Announce findings calmly so coworkers repeat them on voice proof.

Use callouts shaped like interrogation scripts: Gamma-4 repeats fuel purchase or Blue jacket mirrors cashier twice. Consistent jargon stops duplicate questioning and frees mental bandwidth.

Dedicate Caller, Recorder, Rover roles per Co-op guide; rotate after each scare so burnout stays even. Recorder logs IDs, Caller speaks, Rover handles camera banks.