realsorien (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
realsorien) wrote2010-05-12 03:22 pm
realsorien) wrote2010-05-12 03:22 pm
Entry tags:
Holy Crap!
Wow. I started with just barely more than four pages of notes; it's become this monster of just over fourteen pages! Anyway, enjoy. :)
In our last episode, our young heroes had managed through luck and little actual action of their own to recover the missing Ariel, who had gone missing (and unnoticed in the confusion) the night before. She had gone on her own initiative to scout the house where Frau Schodt and her allies had gone to ground, and where things nearly came to a head in a conflict that would have placed the heroes in the position of confronting the legal authorities. Regardless, with her recovery it was learned that Frau Schodt had left Arkham that very night, and that she wasn’t the attractive redhead that people had encountered several times before- instead, the redhead is an unknown quantity, with motivations uncertain to any but herself. And more than that- she may well be Jackie’s sister...
We return to the story the next morning at about 6 AM. Cameron Dane, the elder Poulte and the remaining mercenaries took their leave, following the lead provided by Ariel to continue the hunt for Frau Schodt the night before, leaving only Thomas Black Cloud and the potentially-dotty and definitely unpredictable Aunt Agatha as guardians for the housemates.
With the coming of the morning the various parties still housed within the Dane Manor get up and attend to their varied activities. Bill gets his homework out of the way, then starts a new project- researching the history of Arkham itself. His idea is simple- if he can learn more about what has gone on in the past of the bizarre and eerie town, perhaps he and his compatriots can start to anticipate what might come against them in the future. Knowing what they face will increase their chances of survival vastly.
He’s not the only one starting a new project. Jackie has her own researches to attend, but hers are more inwardly-directed- she’s looking into her own history, to see if she can discover anything about her supposed ‘sister’, the mysterious redhead. The problem is, she really doesn’t have much in the line of resources. State adoption records are generally sealed, unable to be retrieved by the child without a great deal of difficulty- this mostly to protect the privacy of the birth parent.
Worse, Jackie is having trouble with her memories. This is a disconcerting situation for an individual blessed with what is usually near-perfect recollection. Even concentrating, she’s even having trouble dredging up things that she SHOULD recall easily about how she grew up, like the name of the orphanage she was in.
FInally, it comes back to her: Sister Clarence Discipline’s Home For Wayward Youth. With that she starts to recall a few details. The aged brick walls, a solid-but decrepit wrought iron gate. She remembers going to Catholic elementary school with its emphasis on religious teachings, and leaving the in-house education for a local parochial high school.
She gets on the computer and starts digging, quickly getting a website for the orphanage-and-school. There is a lot of information, most of it a somewhat sanitized and attractive description of the orphanage and its school, attractive pictures of the buildings and their grounds, that sort of thing. However, very little if anything on the chilren who might have attended the facility. She does come across the picture of one of the nuns who was there while she was- Sister Mary. But... It doesn’t help bring anything further to mind.
In the library, Greg is meditating, or trying to. He’s trying to find that lovely Zen spot of balance and quietude within himself. As he does, a peaceful image builds within him piece by piece- the gurgling of cool river-water, the shussing of rushes and native rice at the edges. A gentle breeze, and the strangest birdcall... A loon? He soon realizes that these aren’t HIS images. Shifting his concentration a bit, he tries to focus upon the images he’s receiving; soon the imagery changes- scenes of brooding, somehow foreboding old-brick buildings, oppressive in their bulk. He catches a glimpse of a name above a gate- Sister Clarence... Something. He can’t quite make out the rest. One of the structures, perhaps the original structure seems more careworn and decidedly older. He catches view of another sign, this time its ‘Sister Brutus’ Parochial Elementary School’.
He moves his perspective in the presented panorama forward, into the scene. Everything seems to be moving around him in high speed, students and staff of the facility swirling around him as they pass in and out of hallways. Just as he loses the connection to this odd imagery, he catches a glimpse of Jackie- she’s one of the students.
He takes a moment to rebalance himself, the seeming reality of the mental ‘world’ fading quickly from his mind. Thereafter, he makes his way up to Jackie’s room. When he reaches her door he knocks lightly, then sings a verse from ‘Its A Hard Knock Life’ from the Broadway play Annie. Bill, being just down the hall hears this and pops his head out of his door.
“What’s going on?”
Greg grins to him. “That’s what I’m trying to find out!”
Jackie lets him in. As she does, Greg says, “So we’re going to Minnesota?” She explains what she was trying to do, Greg hassling her good-naturedly as she does. Realizing that she’d been projecting to him, she apologizes. He accepts this, and asks a question.
“Have you considered hacking their computers?”
“No... But that’s a thought. But... Not from here on the estate.”
They talk a bit longer, then gather together with Bill and Roy, who for all this time has been vegetating in front of the television downstairs. Bill for one is not really in favor of a trip to Minnesota- he’s appreciative of the relative safety that the Dane Estate provides. However, he’ll go if his friends decide on the trip. Better to remain as a group after all. Greg decides to ask Ariel if she wants to come. He goes to her room, and she’s not inside; this triggers a panic in him, partly because she’s his daughter and partly because she’d vanished similarly just a day before. A search begins, and fairly quickly Greg and Roy find her outside behind the house, talking to Black Cloud.
The pair talk quietly, deciding not to interrupt the conversation that they’re seeing take place, Roy trying to essentially counsel Greg.
“You really need to relax, you know.”
“I can’t!”
“That’s because you’re a dad.”
“I know that, Roy.”
“You have to remember that you’re the big meditative guy. Focus past it.”
“... I can’t. Every time that I try to meditate, she (he gestures roughly towards Jackie’s room) gets into my head!”
Roy gives more, similar unsolicited suggestions, and Greg replies that he’ll try. He’s willing to try anything once, at least. As return to watching Ariel and Black Cloud, Ariel says something to the shaman. He nods and gestures, brilliantly-colored raw power appearing in his hands- the forces roil between his hands for a time, then flicker out. Greg and Roy are suitably impressed.
Greg walks over to the pair, the conversation apparently now ended.
“Sir? We’re considering a trip to Minnesota. I’d like your advice- is this a bad idea?”
The shaman considers the question. “What is holding you here?”
“... Not much, really.”
“Then what prevents your going? I am surprised you’ve not taken a trip before this.”
Greg takes this in, then turns to his daughter.
“Ariel? It looks like we’re going to be taking a road trip to Minnesota. Do you want to come along?”
“Is Roy going?”
“Yes.”
She thinks for a moment, a slight frown on her face. “I... Think I’ll stay here.”
Greg is a bit surprised with her answer. “You sure?”
“Yes. Black Cloud will keep me busy.”
“... Are you considering... With Black Cloud?”
“While he WOULD be a good addition to the the gene-pool, no.”
They talk a bit more, then Greg goes back inside. Ariel grins at Roy, and with a look that should have made his clothes spontaneously burst into flame she leads him up to her room- the pair won’t be seen again for some time.
Bill approaches Greg. “Okay, so we’re going. Does your van have smuggler compartments?”
“... No, why?”
“Oh. I guess I won’t bring the assault rifle then.”
“You don’t have an assault rifle!”
“Yeah I do. The one your dad gave me.”
Greg blinks. “Dad would NOT give a gun to someone who didn’t know how to use it.”
Bill gets an annoyed look, and leads Greg up to his room. He gets the case out and shows Greg the weapon, whose eyebrows nearly leave his head at the sight. Bill then demonstrates that he knows EXACTLY what he’s doing with the gun by rapidly assembling and disassembling it with rapid, professional motions.
“... That is NOT normal.”
“What isn’t? I’ve been handling firearms for years. Back home it was mostly shotguns and rifles. Christ, you’ve SEEN me shoot.”
Greg accepts the fact like he’s swallowing broken glass. He still thinks there’s something funny going on, but he doesn’t know what. “So why do you need the smuggling compartments? Can’t you just put the thing in the coat?”
“I don’t think it’ll fit. Besides, I still feel all the weight of the stuff I put into that weird pocket.”
“Have you tried?”
Bill grunts- he hasn’t.
“So what’s the deal with this coat, anyway? You got it from your brother last I heard.”
Bill shakes his head. “I thought he’d sent it. One of my friends from back home forwarded it to me. It belonged to Onyx.”
“How do you know?”
“Because my brother never wore Exotique #4 perfume. Onyx did.” While he talks, Bill reassembles the assault rifle, then tries putting the weapon in the pocket. Despite being too wide for the opening, the weapon easily disappears inside. The talk goes for a while more, touching on the fact that Bill feels a fair amount of guilt that Onyx died. Greg needles him about Onyx being his girlfriend, but when Bill says, “You really want to back off on this subject right about now,” he desists. Eventually everyone ends up in bed... Though for Roy, who was in bed far earlier than anyone else for reasons that had nothing to do with sleep, the night is a lot more active...
The next day dawns with the housemates all getting up at 5 AM, as they want to get an early start. They all pile downstairs for the usual massive spread of food that Aunt Agatha prepares and dig in, but after the second cup of coffee they realize that Roy isn’t there.
Everyone sort-of glances upwards, and a bad feeling rolls through the group. “I’ll go check,” Greg says, and heads upstairs. He reaches Roy’s room and knocks. There’s no answer, so he opens the door. The room is empty and the bed hasn’t been slept in. With a quiet sigh he goes to Ariel’s door, knocking as he did at Roy’s door. Once again there’s no answer, so he opens the door.
For most people the scene would be horrific; Greg has seen the like before however, and has actually been in the scenario before him: Roy is spread-eagled on the bed, naked. He’s out cold and looking pale, and there are tiny red dots covering his entire form. Ariel is there as well- she’s perched in a partial crouch on the headboard, looking over Roy’s body towards Greg, every fibre of her form screaming ‘predator at the kill’.
Greg enters the room VERY slowly and carefully.
“Ariel... Did you eat him?”
She licks her lips, not looking all that human as she does so. “I might have gotten carried away a little.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes... He tasted so good...”
“I think you should clean up, sweetie.”
“Okay, Daddy.” With that, she hops down with inhuman grace and goes into the bathroom.
Greg goes over to the bed, and with a little time and effort manages to wake Roy. He’s fairly out of it, and has definitely been drained of more blood than he should have been. Bill hollers up from downstairs.
“What’s the situation?”
“Roy’s pretty messed up.”
Bill sighs. “Transfusion time?”
“... Yeah.”
Bill gathers what he’ll need for the transfusion. As he’s O+, he’s designated donor. In the meantime Greg chats with Ariel in the bathroom while she cleans up, until Bill gets upstairs. Roy has come around a bit more, and wakes a bit more when Bill misses the vein on his first try to set up the transfusion. He gets it right on the second try, and time passes while Roy gets his tank topped off. When the transfusion is sufficient by Bill’s estimation, he disconnects everything and goes to get orange juice for himself and Roy.
Ariel comes out of the bathroom just as Bill leaves, and takes Roy into the bathroom. She helps him clean up, dresses him and then packs his things for the trip, not that he’ll be bringing all that much.
When he’s finally properly mobile, Roy gets away from the general crowd and calls ‘work’, or MIB headquarters. He tries to get a travel voucher so that things will be clear when he’s gone off to Minneapolis with his roommates. As it turns out, he’s scheduled to work security at the gun show. THAT gun show. Its the upcoming weekend, starting on Friday. He returns to the others.
“I’m sorry, I have to work this weekend at Wal-Mart. I can’t go.”
They all look at him funny. “You don’t work at Wal-Mart,” says Jackie.”
“Well, I have to work. I can’t go.”
Bill is getting pretty fed up with the pointless (to him) evasion. “We KNOW you’re with the MIB, Roy. Why do you keep pretending otherwise?”
Roy continues his dissembling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
However... Both Bill and Jackie suddenly realize what the date is. Bill dashes upstairs and gets the flyer from the previous year. “Crap. Its THIS WEEKEND.” Of course the trip is now off. This is too good a possibility for the roommates to miss. They ALL want to attend, of course, but with Roy being obtuse they have to seek other options. Unfortunately, they don’t have any.
Except Bill realizes that there IS one possibility. He calls Mad Akbars. Gabriel, sounding bored and utterly unenthused, answers.
“Mad Akbar’s.”
“Hey Gabriel. Got a question for you.”
“Bill. What can I do for you.”
“Will you be at the gun show this weekend?”
“What gun show?”
“The 401st Annual Firearms and Weapons Extravaganza.”
“... Oh. Crap. Is that this weekend?”
“Yeah.”
The conversation goes for a bit longer, with Gabriel’s lack of enthusiasm (from the possibility that he’ll be trapped as the store’s new proprietor-for-eternity) showing the progress. Bill manages to get one of the passes that Gabriel has by volunteering to be a ‘booth monkey’ for the show- not something that he’d mind at all, really. But there’s one more pass... And Jackie wants it, saying so in a shout so that Gabriel hears.
Gabriel’s smirk is nearly audible. “Ask her what she’s offering,” he says to Bill. Bill relays the message as well as a few more verbal volleys, then Jackie gets the phone away from him. Jackie steps a bit away from her friends and starts having what is quite obviously a VERY explicit, and from her stoplight-bright blush, embarrassing conversation.
While this goes on, Greg starts explaining more of the details of Ariel and her relatives to Roy. Right when he’s getting into the nitty-gritty details of Anasazi mating, he suddenly starts getting... Aroused. But not like a male- he’s getting the sensations of Jackie’s arousal once again! He freaks, and starts trying to prevent the feelings and imagery, but is having a LOT of trouble. Eventually Jackie hangs up. Bill has been laughing, and when Greg says “guys aren’t sposed to feel a vagina from the receiving end!” he laughs even harder! Finally things wind down- Bill and Jackie have passes. Jackie’s likely costing a significantly larger amount than Bill’s. Greg is still without a pass, but Bill has hopes of finding a way.
Greg really wants to get away from things, especially his embarrassment.
“I’m going to the dojo.”
Jackie pipes up. “Can you drop me off at the radio station?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Roy also asks for a lift. The trio head off, everyone once again forgetting the general results of people separating. Greg lets Roy and Jackie off at their respective stops and makes his way to the dojo.
He enters the building, taking off his shoes as he does so. He hears a sound from Master Gung Dok’s office, and starts to move into the dojo proper. As he does, he hears something behind him- he whirls, perfectly blocking the beanbags that were hurtling towards him. More follow from different directions, all of which he properly blocks. He hears another sound, and this time his Sensei shows himself.
“Master.”
“It is good that you were finally able to return... And that your absence has not lessened your skills.”
“Thank you, Sensei.”
WIth that, the pair move onto the mats.
In the meantime, Bill is doing yardwork. It’s rather Zen for Bill, letting him relax somewhat as well as giving him the satisfaction of being able to pay for the repairs to Onyx’ Porsche, if not instantly.
At the dojo, Greg is practicing blade-deflection. As Master Gung Dok strikes at him, he parries the blows with skill. However, he suddenly gets a lance of psychic agony- its Jackie, shouting for help! He freezes in place stunned by the impact of the call. His Master stops a blow just as it would land, seeing that something has affected his student.
Greg shakes off the effect, then bows. “I am sorry. Jackie is in danger; I have to go.”
Gung Dok returns the bow. “We will continue when you return.” Greg hurries out to his van and starts driving, calling the Mansion as he goes.
“Dane estate, may I ask who’s calling”
“Aunt Agatha? I need to talk to Bill. Jackie’s in trouble.”
“Alright dear, just a moment.”
Bill is raking away in the back yard when Aunt Agatha comes out of the door. “WIlliam? Gregory is on the phone- something about Jackie being in trouble.”
Bill blinks, then takes the phone. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know- I got a psychic scream. She was at Joe Oracle’s. Meet me there!”
Bill hands the phone back to Agatha. “I’m sorry, I’ll have to finish this later...”
“Nonsense, its alright. You run along.”
Bill does so, grabbing his coat and heading to the porsche. Its banged up, but there’s nothing wrong with it mechanically. He heads out to KNOW as fast as he thinks he can get away with... Which is legal street speeds. A banged up jet-black porsche driven by a teen WILL draw attention.
In the meantime, Greg is NOT driving slowly. He’s going as fast as he can get away with, and unfortunately draws attention. Its a police cruiser, and he gets pulled over about six blocks before reaching the radio station. The officer takes his sweet time, writing something in his car before finally approaching Greg’s vehicle.
“Where’s the fire?” Greg stares for just a moment- its Death once again! He knows this isn’t good, especially since the entity is decidedly not happy with Jackie at the moment.
“A few blocks from here.”
“License and registration please.”
Greg hands the documentation over and stews, knowing that he really doesn’t have time to waste with this traffic stop. Once again Officer Death takes his time, and after a while Greg sees Bill go by in the porsche! Bill sees Greg’s situation too, but knows that if he stops or tries to draw the cop away they’ll just be hurting their chances to help Jackie. He swallows his trepidation and continues to the station.
Once there, he goes to the door. Normally, its a card-access door; Bill is about to knock when he notices that it’s been broken in and is only lightly closed and unlatched. He pushes the door open, drawing out his pistol. He doesn’t hear anything other than the music playing on the station speakers, so he moves up the stairway carefully. He can see the glass of the broadcast booth and just barely the breakroom area.
Nobody is in the booth- its running on tape.
Now a bit more worried, he puts the pistol away and switches to the assault rifle. Still moving carefully, he looks into the breakroom. Joe and the Intern are there, both deeply asleep but unharmed as far as Bill can tell. He tries to wake Joe with no luck. Only two doors remain to check- one he’s never been past and the restroom. The restroom proves empty, and he’s approaching the remaining door... He jumps nearly a foot into the air as his celphone rings!
He pulls it out. “WHAT?”
While Bill was exploring the radio station, Greg was doing a lot of waiting on Officer Death. Finally, the ‘officer’ returns to him.
“Well Mr. Poulte. It seems that you have a... Colorful driving record here in Arkham. But it seems you’ve been keeping clean of late, so I’m letting you off with a warning.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh... And by the way, your friend Ms. Tall is in a TON of trouble.”
“I know, sir, its why I was in a hurry... Do you know where she is?”
The ‘officer’ raises an eyebrow. “Wait here.” he returns to his squad, and Greg calls Bill- leading to Bill’s startlement.
“Bill- I was stopped by the police... It was Death. He might be getting me information on where she is.”
“Gotcha. I’m at the station- she’s not here, Joe and the Intern seem out cold and I can’t wake them. I’ve one more door to check. Meet me here.” With that, Bill hangs up and moves to the last door.
He carefully opens it, and it turns out to be Joe’s bedroom. He returns to the sleeping pair in the lounge, puzzling on how to wake them. The first aid kit is too basic to have smelling salts... But Bill gets an odd idea- looking at the massive bulk of Joe, he decides to try something- he gets a Twinkie pack from the vending machine, opens it and waves it under Joe’s nose. Sure enough, Joe comes to with a yawn a moment later.
“Ughn... Bill? What are you doing here?”
“Where’s Jackie?”
“I don’t know?”
“She came here to see you. Your door is broken- I’ve walked through the station, she’s not here and the station is running on tape.”
“I know that- we do that when we’re on break.” Joe gets up. He goes down the stairs and checks the door, then heads for the door of the studio. he notices his bedroom door is open, and Bill explains that he checked- she’s not there. He goes into the studio, then tries to use his psi... Nothing.
He comes back out to Bill. “I can’t get anything on her.”
“Can’t you sense anything at all?”
“What do you think I just did? My abilities don’t work without the focus.”
“Okay. You’ve got my number?”
“I believe so.”
Bill writes it down anyway to make sure. “Call me if you get anything. We’re going to try and track her down.” With that, Bill jogs back down the stairs and heads to his car. Greg, who’s just gotten loose of ‘Officer Death’, pulls up just before Bill gets in.
“She’s not here; I managed to wake Joe, and he doesn’t recall her getting here and can’t get anything with his abilities, but the door was broken... So she WAS here, and taken from here.”
Greg nods. “Death clued me in while delaying me, and even gave me a map- she’s in Hinckley, Minnesota.”
Bill raises an eyebrow at that! “... Right. I’ll meet you at the mansion; I’m going over to Akbar’s- I’ve an idea.”
The pair get into their respective vehicles and drive off.
When Bill gets to Akbar’s, Gabriel is listlessly sitting at the counter; the shop is otherwise empty of people. “Hi Bill, what can I do for you...” Gabriel is obviously bored nearly to tears.
Bill explains the situation, getting at least a raised brow from Gabriel, but not much reaction other than that. “I was wondering if there was something that could get us there and back again essentially instantly.”
Gabriel hardly hesitates. “$2000 each.”
Bill hesitates, but only for a moment. “I need to make a call.” He calls Greg, explaining what he can get, and how much it’ll cost. “I’ve got a grand.”
“You expect ME to cover this?”
“Dude... Where the hell else can I go?”
Greg snorts his frustration, not liking the situation at all. “Damn it. You know he’s going to jack the price if I show up.”
Gabriel, obviously hearing Greg drawls, “Price is fixed...” Which Bill passes on.
“... I’ll be right there.”
Greg hits the bank for the cash, then meets Bill at Akbar’s. Three stones are purchased for $6000, and the pair return to the mansion.
Roy is at MIB headquarters at his cubicle, going through the daily email and reports- most of the email, as usual is just coworker crap and spam, but as he goes through things he has an inspiration- maybe, given that he’s working at the gun show, he’ll have complimentary passes available to him! He digs up the assignment paperwork, and finds that yes, he CAN get some, if he fills out a certain form... Which has a cutoff time of 15 minutes hence!
He aims to get the forms, but that familiar feeling of an oncoming headache starts to build, and he needs more Mountain dew- the vending machine is on the far side of the complex from the window he needs to go to get the form, and he’s about in the middle. He goes after the form first. He gets to the window, gets the proper form and notices that the woman there is drinking... Something. It MIGHT be coffee, but from the grimace she makes it must be insanely strong and bitter. He noticed a coffeemaker on his way over, so he stops and gets a cup on his way back to the desk.
It ain’t coffee. Whatever it is, it DOES have caffeine, and he chokes down sip after sip. He gets the form done with five minutes to spare, only to find that he needs to submit form 104657-C to submit the form he needs to submit! Yay bureaucracy! He’s running out of time... And gets saved by his coworker when he asks to borrow a pen- He gets three passes!
He knows that he needs to let Greg know at least. Celphones are blocked in most of the facility for security purposes, so he walks over to one of the celphone-enabled areas and calls.
“Greg? I thought I should let you know- If you three want to take a tour of the store warehouse,” (he emphasizes that heavily) “Its been arranged.”
“Really? Cool... But I’ve some bad news. Jackie’s in Minnesota, and we’re going to go after her.”
“Wait. I thought we weren’t going to Minnesota?”
“Things... Changed. We’ll be waiting...” And the phones go dead. Actually, the power through the entire MIB facility goes out! Emergency lights flicker on, and Roy goes to the Situation Room to see what’s going on.
As it turns out its an alien invasion! Not that Z or anyone else seems particularly worried. “Okay. With the power out I don’t need about half of you here, so I’ll send you home...”
“I’ll go!” Says Roy.
“Taking one for the team, eh? Nice initiative. You’ll have to take the stairs out though.”
“I know. Thank you, sir.”
Roy, as well as a fair mob of other MIB personnel head for the stairwells. Now, Roy is not a physical powerhouse by any stretch, and the HQ is easily several thousand feet underground. he starts slogging his way upstairs, and is soon drenched in sweat- and being passes by nearly everyone else who’re leaving.
Bill and Greg get back to the mansion and start preparing for the planned rescue. Greg realizes that they’ve forgotten something- They need some way to track Jackie’s exact location. They head back over to Akbar’s and get a locator stone, Gabriel apparently expecting them and still utterly listless.
“Dude, you okay?” Bill asks.
“To think I could have been outside of here with a girl and some bacardi. Or with several girls... Can you arrange girls and booze?”
“Maybe the booze...”
“Needs to be the whole package.”
“You could call the cheerleading squad...”
Gabriel just gives Bill a look.
“Well, Greg did do the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders...”
Gabriel sits up a bit straighter at that, looking at Greg. “You did?”
“Yup.”
“... I really hate you. You suck.”
Bill grins. “I think that was the Cheerleaders.” Having gotten the stone, they once again return to the mansion.
Roy has made it about halfway up the stairs when he starts running into people going back down. He overhears someone saying, “... With the power back on Z has called everyone back in...” He looks up, then down... And turns around to head back. Eventually he reaches bottom and stops, panting.
He tries goes to make another call to the mansion, but gets the answering machine; before he can leave a message, sirens start to sound and lights flash- a fire drill?
To nobody in particular he mutters, “You can’t be serious.”
Z is right there somehow. “Nope! Federal monthly test. Everyone out!”
Back to the stairwell, and Roy is perhaps facing his own mortality.
Greg bitches a bit with Bill- he thinks that Bill messed up by not getting enough stones to transport all of them. Bill’s plan was to get there, find her, then one of them would travel home in a more normal fashion- perhaps not the best-laid plan. Bill tries to defend himself, and he can at least say he didn’t forget... But he didn’t quite plan things as well as he should have. He ends up heading back to Akbar’s to get a one-way stone- Apparently one-way is a lot cheaper: $59.95.
Roy at long last reaches the top of the stairs, and fortunately for him it’s the end of his workday! He waits a while to take the elevator down so he can punch out, then asks a coworker to punch him out. They agree to do so, and he calls Greg to be picked up. Finally, the three are at the manor. Greg fills Roy in on the details while Bill gathers a few things- a can of Mach 6 for him and Greg both- He doesn’t get one for Roy, mostly considering Roy’s massive caffeine addiction. Roy is a little offended, but when Bill offers to get him a can as well, ONLY to be used in emergencies (the same admonishment he gives Greg), he turns the offer down.
Roy cleans up a bit and loads up on Mountain Dew, and knowing that the wards on the mansion grounds probably won’t be happy with a teleport leaving from within, they walk out past the gates to a secluded spot.
Greg holds up the map. “Okay, this is how it works. Take the stone (he hands them out), touch the map here (he points to where), and say ‘I want to be there’. Bill does so, and vanishes- Roy is a little stunned by Bill disappearing, but Greg admonishes him to do as Bill did. He vanishes, closely followed by Greg.
The three find themselves deep in a woods, one that looks to have little familiarity with the hands of man. Before them is a massive crater, raw earth scooped or blasted away in a vast dish that extends before them. In the center of this wound in the earth... Is a portal, its edge flickering with otherworldly light. Through the portal there is another woods, unknown and dangerous.
And we continue the tale next time- Unless things go wrong (and they usually do) this will be the fourth of the five run set- the last will possibly be the return to the Gun Show!
In our last episode, our young heroes had managed through luck and little actual action of their own to recover the missing Ariel, who had gone missing (and unnoticed in the confusion) the night before. She had gone on her own initiative to scout the house where Frau Schodt and her allies had gone to ground, and where things nearly came to a head in a conflict that would have placed the heroes in the position of confronting the legal authorities. Regardless, with her recovery it was learned that Frau Schodt had left Arkham that very night, and that she wasn’t the attractive redhead that people had encountered several times before- instead, the redhead is an unknown quantity, with motivations uncertain to any but herself. And more than that- she may well be Jackie’s sister...
We return to the story the next morning at about 6 AM. Cameron Dane, the elder Poulte and the remaining mercenaries took their leave, following the lead provided by Ariel to continue the hunt for Frau Schodt the night before, leaving only Thomas Black Cloud and the potentially-dotty and definitely unpredictable Aunt Agatha as guardians for the housemates.
With the coming of the morning the various parties still housed within the Dane Manor get up and attend to their varied activities. Bill gets his homework out of the way, then starts a new project- researching the history of Arkham itself. His idea is simple- if he can learn more about what has gone on in the past of the bizarre and eerie town, perhaps he and his compatriots can start to anticipate what might come against them in the future. Knowing what they face will increase their chances of survival vastly.
He’s not the only one starting a new project. Jackie has her own researches to attend, but hers are more inwardly-directed- she’s looking into her own history, to see if she can discover anything about her supposed ‘sister’, the mysterious redhead. The problem is, she really doesn’t have much in the line of resources. State adoption records are generally sealed, unable to be retrieved by the child without a great deal of difficulty- this mostly to protect the privacy of the birth parent.
Worse, Jackie is having trouble with her memories. This is a disconcerting situation for an individual blessed with what is usually near-perfect recollection. Even concentrating, she’s even having trouble dredging up things that she SHOULD recall easily about how she grew up, like the name of the orphanage she was in.
FInally, it comes back to her: Sister Clarence Discipline’s Home For Wayward Youth. With that she starts to recall a few details. The aged brick walls, a solid-but decrepit wrought iron gate. She remembers going to Catholic elementary school with its emphasis on religious teachings, and leaving the in-house education for a local parochial high school.
She gets on the computer and starts digging, quickly getting a website for the orphanage-and-school. There is a lot of information, most of it a somewhat sanitized and attractive description of the orphanage and its school, attractive pictures of the buildings and their grounds, that sort of thing. However, very little if anything on the chilren who might have attended the facility. She does come across the picture of one of the nuns who was there while she was- Sister Mary. But... It doesn’t help bring anything further to mind.
In the library, Greg is meditating, or trying to. He’s trying to find that lovely Zen spot of balance and quietude within himself. As he does, a peaceful image builds within him piece by piece- the gurgling of cool river-water, the shussing of rushes and native rice at the edges. A gentle breeze, and the strangest birdcall... A loon? He soon realizes that these aren’t HIS images. Shifting his concentration a bit, he tries to focus upon the images he’s receiving; soon the imagery changes- scenes of brooding, somehow foreboding old-brick buildings, oppressive in their bulk. He catches a glimpse of a name above a gate- Sister Clarence... Something. He can’t quite make out the rest. One of the structures, perhaps the original structure seems more careworn and decidedly older. He catches view of another sign, this time its ‘Sister Brutus’ Parochial Elementary School’.
He moves his perspective in the presented panorama forward, into the scene. Everything seems to be moving around him in high speed, students and staff of the facility swirling around him as they pass in and out of hallways. Just as he loses the connection to this odd imagery, he catches a glimpse of Jackie- she’s one of the students.
He takes a moment to rebalance himself, the seeming reality of the mental ‘world’ fading quickly from his mind. Thereafter, he makes his way up to Jackie’s room. When he reaches her door he knocks lightly, then sings a verse from ‘Its A Hard Knock Life’ from the Broadway play Annie. Bill, being just down the hall hears this and pops his head out of his door.
“What’s going on?”
Greg grins to him. “That’s what I’m trying to find out!”
Jackie lets him in. As she does, Greg says, “So we’re going to Minnesota?” She explains what she was trying to do, Greg hassling her good-naturedly as she does. Realizing that she’d been projecting to him, she apologizes. He accepts this, and asks a question.
“Have you considered hacking their computers?”
“No... But that’s a thought. But... Not from here on the estate.”
They talk a bit longer, then gather together with Bill and Roy, who for all this time has been vegetating in front of the television downstairs. Bill for one is not really in favor of a trip to Minnesota- he’s appreciative of the relative safety that the Dane Estate provides. However, he’ll go if his friends decide on the trip. Better to remain as a group after all. Greg decides to ask Ariel if she wants to come. He goes to her room, and she’s not inside; this triggers a panic in him, partly because she’s his daughter and partly because she’d vanished similarly just a day before. A search begins, and fairly quickly Greg and Roy find her outside behind the house, talking to Black Cloud.
The pair talk quietly, deciding not to interrupt the conversation that they’re seeing take place, Roy trying to essentially counsel Greg.
“You really need to relax, you know.”
“I can’t!”
“That’s because you’re a dad.”
“I know that, Roy.”
“You have to remember that you’re the big meditative guy. Focus past it.”
“... I can’t. Every time that I try to meditate, she (he gestures roughly towards Jackie’s room) gets into my head!”
Roy gives more, similar unsolicited suggestions, and Greg replies that he’ll try. He’s willing to try anything once, at least. As return to watching Ariel and Black Cloud, Ariel says something to the shaman. He nods and gestures, brilliantly-colored raw power appearing in his hands- the forces roil between his hands for a time, then flicker out. Greg and Roy are suitably impressed.
Greg walks over to the pair, the conversation apparently now ended.
“Sir? We’re considering a trip to Minnesota. I’d like your advice- is this a bad idea?”
The shaman considers the question. “What is holding you here?”
“... Not much, really.”
“Then what prevents your going? I am surprised you’ve not taken a trip before this.”
Greg takes this in, then turns to his daughter.
“Ariel? It looks like we’re going to be taking a road trip to Minnesota. Do you want to come along?”
“Is Roy going?”
“Yes.”
She thinks for a moment, a slight frown on her face. “I... Think I’ll stay here.”
Greg is a bit surprised with her answer. “You sure?”
“Yes. Black Cloud will keep me busy.”
“... Are you considering... With Black Cloud?”
“While he WOULD be a good addition to the the gene-pool, no.”
They talk a bit more, then Greg goes back inside. Ariel grins at Roy, and with a look that should have made his clothes spontaneously burst into flame she leads him up to her room- the pair won’t be seen again for some time.
Bill approaches Greg. “Okay, so we’re going. Does your van have smuggler compartments?”
“... No, why?”
“Oh. I guess I won’t bring the assault rifle then.”
“You don’t have an assault rifle!”
“Yeah I do. The one your dad gave me.”
Greg blinks. “Dad would NOT give a gun to someone who didn’t know how to use it.”
Bill gets an annoyed look, and leads Greg up to his room. He gets the case out and shows Greg the weapon, whose eyebrows nearly leave his head at the sight. Bill then demonstrates that he knows EXACTLY what he’s doing with the gun by rapidly assembling and disassembling it with rapid, professional motions.
“... That is NOT normal.”
“What isn’t? I’ve been handling firearms for years. Back home it was mostly shotguns and rifles. Christ, you’ve SEEN me shoot.”
Greg accepts the fact like he’s swallowing broken glass. He still thinks there’s something funny going on, but he doesn’t know what. “So why do you need the smuggling compartments? Can’t you just put the thing in the coat?”
“I don’t think it’ll fit. Besides, I still feel all the weight of the stuff I put into that weird pocket.”
“Have you tried?”
Bill grunts- he hasn’t.
“So what’s the deal with this coat, anyway? You got it from your brother last I heard.”
Bill shakes his head. “I thought he’d sent it. One of my friends from back home forwarded it to me. It belonged to Onyx.”
“How do you know?”
“Because my brother never wore Exotique #4 perfume. Onyx did.” While he talks, Bill reassembles the assault rifle, then tries putting the weapon in the pocket. Despite being too wide for the opening, the weapon easily disappears inside. The talk goes for a while more, touching on the fact that Bill feels a fair amount of guilt that Onyx died. Greg needles him about Onyx being his girlfriend, but when Bill says, “You really want to back off on this subject right about now,” he desists. Eventually everyone ends up in bed... Though for Roy, who was in bed far earlier than anyone else for reasons that had nothing to do with sleep, the night is a lot more active...
The next day dawns with the housemates all getting up at 5 AM, as they want to get an early start. They all pile downstairs for the usual massive spread of food that Aunt Agatha prepares and dig in, but after the second cup of coffee they realize that Roy isn’t there.
Everyone sort-of glances upwards, and a bad feeling rolls through the group. “I’ll go check,” Greg says, and heads upstairs. He reaches Roy’s room and knocks. There’s no answer, so he opens the door. The room is empty and the bed hasn’t been slept in. With a quiet sigh he goes to Ariel’s door, knocking as he did at Roy’s door. Once again there’s no answer, so he opens the door.
For most people the scene would be horrific; Greg has seen the like before however, and has actually been in the scenario before him: Roy is spread-eagled on the bed, naked. He’s out cold and looking pale, and there are tiny red dots covering his entire form. Ariel is there as well- she’s perched in a partial crouch on the headboard, looking over Roy’s body towards Greg, every fibre of her form screaming ‘predator at the kill’.
Greg enters the room VERY slowly and carefully.
“Ariel... Did you eat him?”
She licks her lips, not looking all that human as she does so. “I might have gotten carried away a little.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes... He tasted so good...”
“I think you should clean up, sweetie.”
“Okay, Daddy.” With that, she hops down with inhuman grace and goes into the bathroom.
Greg goes over to the bed, and with a little time and effort manages to wake Roy. He’s fairly out of it, and has definitely been drained of more blood than he should have been. Bill hollers up from downstairs.
“What’s the situation?”
“Roy’s pretty messed up.”
Bill sighs. “Transfusion time?”
“... Yeah.”
Bill gathers what he’ll need for the transfusion. As he’s O+, he’s designated donor. In the meantime Greg chats with Ariel in the bathroom while she cleans up, until Bill gets upstairs. Roy has come around a bit more, and wakes a bit more when Bill misses the vein on his first try to set up the transfusion. He gets it right on the second try, and time passes while Roy gets his tank topped off. When the transfusion is sufficient by Bill’s estimation, he disconnects everything and goes to get orange juice for himself and Roy.
Ariel comes out of the bathroom just as Bill leaves, and takes Roy into the bathroom. She helps him clean up, dresses him and then packs his things for the trip, not that he’ll be bringing all that much.
When he’s finally properly mobile, Roy gets away from the general crowd and calls ‘work’, or MIB headquarters. He tries to get a travel voucher so that things will be clear when he’s gone off to Minneapolis with his roommates. As it turns out, he’s scheduled to work security at the gun show. THAT gun show. Its the upcoming weekend, starting on Friday. He returns to the others.
“I’m sorry, I have to work this weekend at Wal-Mart. I can’t go.”
They all look at him funny. “You don’t work at Wal-Mart,” says Jackie.”
“Well, I have to work. I can’t go.”
Bill is getting pretty fed up with the pointless (to him) evasion. “We KNOW you’re with the MIB, Roy. Why do you keep pretending otherwise?”
Roy continues his dissembling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
However... Both Bill and Jackie suddenly realize what the date is. Bill dashes upstairs and gets the flyer from the previous year. “Crap. Its THIS WEEKEND.” Of course the trip is now off. This is too good a possibility for the roommates to miss. They ALL want to attend, of course, but with Roy being obtuse they have to seek other options. Unfortunately, they don’t have any.
Except Bill realizes that there IS one possibility. He calls Mad Akbars. Gabriel, sounding bored and utterly unenthused, answers.
“Mad Akbar’s.”
“Hey Gabriel. Got a question for you.”
“Bill. What can I do for you.”
“Will you be at the gun show this weekend?”
“What gun show?”
“The 401st Annual Firearms and Weapons Extravaganza.”
“... Oh. Crap. Is that this weekend?”
“Yeah.”
The conversation goes for a bit longer, with Gabriel’s lack of enthusiasm (from the possibility that he’ll be trapped as the store’s new proprietor-for-eternity) showing the progress. Bill manages to get one of the passes that Gabriel has by volunteering to be a ‘booth monkey’ for the show- not something that he’d mind at all, really. But there’s one more pass... And Jackie wants it, saying so in a shout so that Gabriel hears.
Gabriel’s smirk is nearly audible. “Ask her what she’s offering,” he says to Bill. Bill relays the message as well as a few more verbal volleys, then Jackie gets the phone away from him. Jackie steps a bit away from her friends and starts having what is quite obviously a VERY explicit, and from her stoplight-bright blush, embarrassing conversation.
While this goes on, Greg starts explaining more of the details of Ariel and her relatives to Roy. Right when he’s getting into the nitty-gritty details of Anasazi mating, he suddenly starts getting... Aroused. But not like a male- he’s getting the sensations of Jackie’s arousal once again! He freaks, and starts trying to prevent the feelings and imagery, but is having a LOT of trouble. Eventually Jackie hangs up. Bill has been laughing, and when Greg says “guys aren’t sposed to feel a vagina from the receiving end!” he laughs even harder! Finally things wind down- Bill and Jackie have passes. Jackie’s likely costing a significantly larger amount than Bill’s. Greg is still without a pass, but Bill has hopes of finding a way.
Greg really wants to get away from things, especially his embarrassment.
“I’m going to the dojo.”
Jackie pipes up. “Can you drop me off at the radio station?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Roy also asks for a lift. The trio head off, everyone once again forgetting the general results of people separating. Greg lets Roy and Jackie off at their respective stops and makes his way to the dojo.
He enters the building, taking off his shoes as he does so. He hears a sound from Master Gung Dok’s office, and starts to move into the dojo proper. As he does, he hears something behind him- he whirls, perfectly blocking the beanbags that were hurtling towards him. More follow from different directions, all of which he properly blocks. He hears another sound, and this time his Sensei shows himself.
“Master.”
“It is good that you were finally able to return... And that your absence has not lessened your skills.”
“Thank you, Sensei.”
WIth that, the pair move onto the mats.
In the meantime, Bill is doing yardwork. It’s rather Zen for Bill, letting him relax somewhat as well as giving him the satisfaction of being able to pay for the repairs to Onyx’ Porsche, if not instantly.
At the dojo, Greg is practicing blade-deflection. As Master Gung Dok strikes at him, he parries the blows with skill. However, he suddenly gets a lance of psychic agony- its Jackie, shouting for help! He freezes in place stunned by the impact of the call. His Master stops a blow just as it would land, seeing that something has affected his student.
Greg shakes off the effect, then bows. “I am sorry. Jackie is in danger; I have to go.”
Gung Dok returns the bow. “We will continue when you return.” Greg hurries out to his van and starts driving, calling the Mansion as he goes.
“Dane estate, may I ask who’s calling”
“Aunt Agatha? I need to talk to Bill. Jackie’s in trouble.”
“Alright dear, just a moment.”
Bill is raking away in the back yard when Aunt Agatha comes out of the door. “WIlliam? Gregory is on the phone- something about Jackie being in trouble.”
Bill blinks, then takes the phone. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know- I got a psychic scream. She was at Joe Oracle’s. Meet me there!”
Bill hands the phone back to Agatha. “I’m sorry, I’ll have to finish this later...”
“Nonsense, its alright. You run along.”
Bill does so, grabbing his coat and heading to the porsche. Its banged up, but there’s nothing wrong with it mechanically. He heads out to KNOW as fast as he thinks he can get away with... Which is legal street speeds. A banged up jet-black porsche driven by a teen WILL draw attention.
In the meantime, Greg is NOT driving slowly. He’s going as fast as he can get away with, and unfortunately draws attention. Its a police cruiser, and he gets pulled over about six blocks before reaching the radio station. The officer takes his sweet time, writing something in his car before finally approaching Greg’s vehicle.
“Where’s the fire?” Greg stares for just a moment- its Death once again! He knows this isn’t good, especially since the entity is decidedly not happy with Jackie at the moment.
“A few blocks from here.”
“License and registration please.”
Greg hands the documentation over and stews, knowing that he really doesn’t have time to waste with this traffic stop. Once again Officer Death takes his time, and after a while Greg sees Bill go by in the porsche! Bill sees Greg’s situation too, but knows that if he stops or tries to draw the cop away they’ll just be hurting their chances to help Jackie. He swallows his trepidation and continues to the station.
Once there, he goes to the door. Normally, its a card-access door; Bill is about to knock when he notices that it’s been broken in and is only lightly closed and unlatched. He pushes the door open, drawing out his pistol. He doesn’t hear anything other than the music playing on the station speakers, so he moves up the stairway carefully. He can see the glass of the broadcast booth and just barely the breakroom area.
Nobody is in the booth- its running on tape.
Now a bit more worried, he puts the pistol away and switches to the assault rifle. Still moving carefully, he looks into the breakroom. Joe and the Intern are there, both deeply asleep but unharmed as far as Bill can tell. He tries to wake Joe with no luck. Only two doors remain to check- one he’s never been past and the restroom. The restroom proves empty, and he’s approaching the remaining door... He jumps nearly a foot into the air as his celphone rings!
He pulls it out. “WHAT?”
While Bill was exploring the radio station, Greg was doing a lot of waiting on Officer Death. Finally, the ‘officer’ returns to him.
“Well Mr. Poulte. It seems that you have a... Colorful driving record here in Arkham. But it seems you’ve been keeping clean of late, so I’m letting you off with a warning.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh... And by the way, your friend Ms. Tall is in a TON of trouble.”
“I know, sir, its why I was in a hurry... Do you know where she is?”
The ‘officer’ raises an eyebrow. “Wait here.” he returns to his squad, and Greg calls Bill- leading to Bill’s startlement.
“Bill- I was stopped by the police... It was Death. He might be getting me information on where she is.”
“Gotcha. I’m at the station- she’s not here, Joe and the Intern seem out cold and I can’t wake them. I’ve one more door to check. Meet me here.” With that, Bill hangs up and moves to the last door.
He carefully opens it, and it turns out to be Joe’s bedroom. He returns to the sleeping pair in the lounge, puzzling on how to wake them. The first aid kit is too basic to have smelling salts... But Bill gets an odd idea- looking at the massive bulk of Joe, he decides to try something- he gets a Twinkie pack from the vending machine, opens it and waves it under Joe’s nose. Sure enough, Joe comes to with a yawn a moment later.
“Ughn... Bill? What are you doing here?”
“Where’s Jackie?”
“I don’t know?”
“She came here to see you. Your door is broken- I’ve walked through the station, she’s not here and the station is running on tape.”
“I know that- we do that when we’re on break.” Joe gets up. He goes down the stairs and checks the door, then heads for the door of the studio. he notices his bedroom door is open, and Bill explains that he checked- she’s not there. He goes into the studio, then tries to use his psi... Nothing.
He comes back out to Bill. “I can’t get anything on her.”
“Can’t you sense anything at all?”
“What do you think I just did? My abilities don’t work without the focus.”
“Okay. You’ve got my number?”
“I believe so.”
Bill writes it down anyway to make sure. “Call me if you get anything. We’re going to try and track her down.” With that, Bill jogs back down the stairs and heads to his car. Greg, who’s just gotten loose of ‘Officer Death’, pulls up just before Bill gets in.
“She’s not here; I managed to wake Joe, and he doesn’t recall her getting here and can’t get anything with his abilities, but the door was broken... So she WAS here, and taken from here.”
Greg nods. “Death clued me in while delaying me, and even gave me a map- she’s in Hinckley, Minnesota.”
Bill raises an eyebrow at that! “... Right. I’ll meet you at the mansion; I’m going over to Akbar’s- I’ve an idea.”
The pair get into their respective vehicles and drive off.
When Bill gets to Akbar’s, Gabriel is listlessly sitting at the counter; the shop is otherwise empty of people. “Hi Bill, what can I do for you...” Gabriel is obviously bored nearly to tears.
Bill explains the situation, getting at least a raised brow from Gabriel, but not much reaction other than that. “I was wondering if there was something that could get us there and back again essentially instantly.”
Gabriel hardly hesitates. “$2000 each.”
Bill hesitates, but only for a moment. “I need to make a call.” He calls Greg, explaining what he can get, and how much it’ll cost. “I’ve got a grand.”
“You expect ME to cover this?”
“Dude... Where the hell else can I go?”
Greg snorts his frustration, not liking the situation at all. “Damn it. You know he’s going to jack the price if I show up.”
Gabriel, obviously hearing Greg drawls, “Price is fixed...” Which Bill passes on.
“... I’ll be right there.”
Greg hits the bank for the cash, then meets Bill at Akbar’s. Three stones are purchased for $6000, and the pair return to the mansion.
Roy is at MIB headquarters at his cubicle, going through the daily email and reports- most of the email, as usual is just coworker crap and spam, but as he goes through things he has an inspiration- maybe, given that he’s working at the gun show, he’ll have complimentary passes available to him! He digs up the assignment paperwork, and finds that yes, he CAN get some, if he fills out a certain form... Which has a cutoff time of 15 minutes hence!
He aims to get the forms, but that familiar feeling of an oncoming headache starts to build, and he needs more Mountain dew- the vending machine is on the far side of the complex from the window he needs to go to get the form, and he’s about in the middle. He goes after the form first. He gets to the window, gets the proper form and notices that the woman there is drinking... Something. It MIGHT be coffee, but from the grimace she makes it must be insanely strong and bitter. He noticed a coffeemaker on his way over, so he stops and gets a cup on his way back to the desk.
It ain’t coffee. Whatever it is, it DOES have caffeine, and he chokes down sip after sip. He gets the form done with five minutes to spare, only to find that he needs to submit form 104657-C to submit the form he needs to submit! Yay bureaucracy! He’s running out of time... And gets saved by his coworker when he asks to borrow a pen- He gets three passes!
He knows that he needs to let Greg know at least. Celphones are blocked in most of the facility for security purposes, so he walks over to one of the celphone-enabled areas and calls.
“Greg? I thought I should let you know- If you three want to take a tour of the store warehouse,” (he emphasizes that heavily) “Its been arranged.”
“Really? Cool... But I’ve some bad news. Jackie’s in Minnesota, and we’re going to go after her.”
“Wait. I thought we weren’t going to Minnesota?”
“Things... Changed. We’ll be waiting...” And the phones go dead. Actually, the power through the entire MIB facility goes out! Emergency lights flicker on, and Roy goes to the Situation Room to see what’s going on.
As it turns out its an alien invasion! Not that Z or anyone else seems particularly worried. “Okay. With the power out I don’t need about half of you here, so I’ll send you home...”
“I’ll go!” Says Roy.
“Taking one for the team, eh? Nice initiative. You’ll have to take the stairs out though.”
“I know. Thank you, sir.”
Roy, as well as a fair mob of other MIB personnel head for the stairwells. Now, Roy is not a physical powerhouse by any stretch, and the HQ is easily several thousand feet underground. he starts slogging his way upstairs, and is soon drenched in sweat- and being passes by nearly everyone else who’re leaving.
Bill and Greg get back to the mansion and start preparing for the planned rescue. Greg realizes that they’ve forgotten something- They need some way to track Jackie’s exact location. They head back over to Akbar’s and get a locator stone, Gabriel apparently expecting them and still utterly listless.
“Dude, you okay?” Bill asks.
“To think I could have been outside of here with a girl and some bacardi. Or with several girls... Can you arrange girls and booze?”
“Maybe the booze...”
“Needs to be the whole package.”
“You could call the cheerleading squad...”
Gabriel just gives Bill a look.
“Well, Greg did do the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders...”
Gabriel sits up a bit straighter at that, looking at Greg. “You did?”
“Yup.”
“... I really hate you. You suck.”
Bill grins. “I think that was the Cheerleaders.” Having gotten the stone, they once again return to the mansion.
Roy has made it about halfway up the stairs when he starts running into people going back down. He overhears someone saying, “... With the power back on Z has called everyone back in...” He looks up, then down... And turns around to head back. Eventually he reaches bottom and stops, panting.
He tries goes to make another call to the mansion, but gets the answering machine; before he can leave a message, sirens start to sound and lights flash- a fire drill?
To nobody in particular he mutters, “You can’t be serious.”
Z is right there somehow. “Nope! Federal monthly test. Everyone out!”
Back to the stairwell, and Roy is perhaps facing his own mortality.
Greg bitches a bit with Bill- he thinks that Bill messed up by not getting enough stones to transport all of them. Bill’s plan was to get there, find her, then one of them would travel home in a more normal fashion- perhaps not the best-laid plan. Bill tries to defend himself, and he can at least say he didn’t forget... But he didn’t quite plan things as well as he should have. He ends up heading back to Akbar’s to get a one-way stone- Apparently one-way is a lot cheaper: $59.95.
Roy at long last reaches the top of the stairs, and fortunately for him it’s the end of his workday! He waits a while to take the elevator down so he can punch out, then asks a coworker to punch him out. They agree to do so, and he calls Greg to be picked up. Finally, the three are at the manor. Greg fills Roy in on the details while Bill gathers a few things- a can of Mach 6 for him and Greg both- He doesn’t get one for Roy, mostly considering Roy’s massive caffeine addiction. Roy is a little offended, but when Bill offers to get him a can as well, ONLY to be used in emergencies (the same admonishment he gives Greg), he turns the offer down.
Roy cleans up a bit and loads up on Mountain Dew, and knowing that the wards on the mansion grounds probably won’t be happy with a teleport leaving from within, they walk out past the gates to a secluded spot.
Greg holds up the map. “Okay, this is how it works. Take the stone (he hands them out), touch the map here (he points to where), and say ‘I want to be there’. Bill does so, and vanishes- Roy is a little stunned by Bill disappearing, but Greg admonishes him to do as Bill did. He vanishes, closely followed by Greg.
The three find themselves deep in a woods, one that looks to have little familiarity with the hands of man. Before them is a massive crater, raw earth scooped or blasted away in a vast dish that extends before them. In the center of this wound in the earth... Is a portal, its edge flickering with otherworldly light. Through the portal there is another woods, unknown and dangerous.
And we continue the tale next time- Unless things go wrong (and they usually do) this will be the fourth of the five run set- the last will possibly be the return to the Gun Show!