Fabulous thread, keep it up.
The water coolers are really nice. The latest canine Thing on the other hand is definitely not, in a good way. That matter coming out of its mouth makes me feel mildly queasy.
Your rules development for trust etc is an interesting idea. The Battlestar Galactica boardgame might give you a few ideas. One character secretly begins as a Cylon via similar mechanics to those as you described, with others subsequently realising that they are cylons.
The BSG rulebook is available as free download
here. It might give you some inspiration perhaps.