[CM]: We left Riker and Benny in the Carla's trashed room, staring at her wrecked leg brace. Francis is behind the wheel of the 4x4, hoping they come back out...
Riker grimaces. "Sonofabitch.  Benny, who was this girl?"
Benny moves to pick it up, but decides otherwise.  He just stares blankly at it.
[CM]: A bloody smear mars the wall.
Benny stays silent for a while, just taking it all in.
[Benny]: "Call the cops, Riker."
Riker walks over, pulling a glassine packet and disposable scalpel out of his pocket. Takes a scraping. "You really this this's something cops can handle?"
[Benny]: "I just want them to catch whomever did this. I think he was very human."
[CM]: As Riker scrapes the blood, the temperature suddenly drops.
[Benny]: "Or maybe not."
Riker steps back, mutters, "Shit."
[CM]: A crimson drop runs down the wall.
[Benny]: "What the Hell?"
[CM]: More follow as plasma seems to ooze out of the plaster, spelling bloody words.
[Riker]: "Stanley Kubrick, eatcher heart out." He doesn't seem particularly jolly, despite the joke.
[CM]: FEAR Rolls please
[Benny]: "No I won't. I'm staying and seeing this through. YOU HEAR ME?!!"
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 35 ]
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 59 ]
DICE for CM: (1d10) = [ 3 ]
DICE for CM: (1d10) = [ 1 ]
[CM]: Benny loses 1 WPR, Riker loses 3
[CM]: The letters cling to the wall, glistening, then run down the wall and vanish.
Benny kicks the wall and flips it the bird, almost to tears.
Benny looks almost ludicrous.
Riker shivers for a moment. "Benny, man...go wait in the truck, all right?  I'll dig up what I can."
[Benny]: "I better talk to the girl in the front.  See what you can dig up."
[Riker]: "Yeah, you do that, man. I'll meet you back at the truck in ten. Tell Francis what's going on."
[Benny]: "Yeah..."
(Riker whispered to CM): Riker's going to gather what evidence he can - fingerprints, things of that nature.  It likely won't be much, but...
(CM whispered to Riker): Investigation roll
(To CM) DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 39 ]
Riker continues going over the wreckage, slowly, carefully.
(CM whispered to Riker): Not bad. You collect some fibres and print, and also some odd stuff on the bathroom window frame. It's almost like skin, but it's dry and wafer thin.
(Riker whispered to CM): Collect it, bag it.  A nice lab'll do work on it, or Francis might know someone.  After Riker gets the sample, check under, beneath, inside everything one more time, then go to where that window opens on to.
(CM whispered to Riker): Window opens out over the parking lot. Sheer drop, straight down.
(Riker whispered to Receptionist): Check it anyways.  People tend to lose blood, after scraping up themselves on a window.
(Receptionist whispered to Riker): There's nothing else there.
Riker emerges from the room, and walks over to his vehicle, stripping a pair of latex gloves from his hands and stuffing them in a handy plastic baggie.
Francis jumps as if shocked
[Francis]: "Oh, er, what is it?"
[Riker]: "The chick's gone and it looks like she put up a fight. Found this by the window." He shows Francis the skin flakes. "Know anywhere we might get this looked at?"
[Francis]: "Well, of course, there's the lab at... oh, no, that won't do, will it?"
Francis thinks for a moment.
[Francis]: "I've got some friends at Harvard who might take a look."
[Riker]: "That's better than nothing."
Benny walks to the front desk trying to regain his composure. He rings the bell until he gets service.
[Receptionist]: "Can I help you? Oh, Mr Fitzpatrick! How are you tonight?"
[Benny]: "Not good. Who went in and out today?"
[Receptionist]: "I'm sorry?"
[Benny]: "Did you see anyone strange coming in or out of the hotel today? Or a black limousine?
[Receptionist]: "Strange sir? Well, no-one strange..."
[Benny]: "Who then?"
[Receptionist]: "This is a hotel sir, people come and go all the time."
[Benny]: "Is there a camera?"
[Receptionist]: "A security camera? Of course, but only here at the desk. Is there a problem?"
[Benny]: "Yes, I'll tell you all about it in a sec..."
[Benny]: "Did you see Miss Wilkinson at any time? Or hear from her? Hear anything strange?"
[Receptionist]: "Why yes. She called down for someone to go to the pharmacy for her just after I got on shift."
[Benny]: "When was this?"
[Receptionist]: "I gave her her medicine personally. She was fine then. What's wrong?"
[Benny]: "When was this?"
[Receptionist]: "It was about an hour ago."
[Benny]: "An hour ago!!"
[Receptionist]: "Yes. Is she alright?"
[Benny]: "What did she ask for? How long were you out? Was someone else here while you were out?"
[Receptionist]: "Immodium. She was experiencing...stomach problems. I took the medicine up to her, but Harry our bell boy went out and bought it for her."
[Benny]: "And you saw her?"
[Receptionist]: "Yes. She seemed fine. Why?"
[Benny]: "Come with me."
[Receptionist]: "Just let me get someone to cover for me..."
The receptionist calls out behind to reception area for someone to cover her, then turns back to Benny.
[Receptionist]: "Okay."
Benny starts walking to Carla's room.
The receptionist trots along behind.
[Benny]: Once there he says, "we found it like this a minute ago when we came in."
Benny then waits until the Receptionist reacts.
The receptionist scans the trashed room in stunned silence. Then she  freaks.
[Receptionist]: "Oh my God! Oh my God!"
[Benny]: "You know what to do, don't you?"
[Receptionist]: "We must call the police."
[Benny]: "Very good. Here is my card. I imagine they will want to talk to me. I'll be around."
Benny gives her one of his busines cards, which he got in one of those machines at shopping malls.
[Receptionist]: "You can't leave! They'll want to talk to you, take a statement! Wait here."
The receptionist runs off to make the call
[Benny]: "Oh well."
Benny walks to the pickup.
[Benny]: "Riker, anything?"
Riker is leaning aginst the outside of the truck, talking to Francis.  He looks over.  "Some of that blood, stuff that might be skin.  No prints, nothin'."
[Benny]: "I thought so. So, how many sides do you think we are dealing with here? There's us..."
[Riker]: "At least three.  Maybe more, you factor real people into the equation."
[Benny]: "Then there's the the apocryphal angels..."
[CM]: Sirens begin howling in the distance...
[Benny]: "Those guys at the diner." Who else? Where did Blackwell fit?"
[Riker]: "There's the question of who's infiltrated SAVE."
[Benny]: "We must find the limousine and it's driver. Francis, where can we find him?"
Riker seems to have lost his street-level accent, for some reason.  "Limo, right."
[Benny]: "What was his name again? Bubba something?"
[Francis]: "Bubba.  Bubba Rodriguez.  I can look up his home address... though I don't know that he'd be there."
[Benny]: "We can try. Of course, after the cops play tough with us for a second. Should be over in no time..."
[Riker]: "I think I can help with that..."
[Benny]: "You do your stuff. So Francis, do you remember anything about Bubba?"
[Francis]: "Bubba... Smarter than he looked. I believe he once played football. Quite well if I recall correctly. Mr. Rodriguez was close friends with Ellsworth Smythe."
Francis looks expectantly at them, as if they should recognize the name.
[Benny]: "Who?"
Francis looks surprised
[Francis]: "You don't know him?  He's our vampire expert. I don't know him personally, of course, but his work is phenomenal."
[Benny]: "Why should I know him?"
[Francis]: "Well, I just thought ... I mean... well his work is simply... non pariel."
[Benny]: "Lend me a copy then, will you?"
Francis pats the laptop
[Francis]: "I have the abstracts in my database, but I'm sure that I could roust up the full reports for you, given time."
[Benny]: "Please do, Francis."
[CM]: A pair of black and whites pull into the parking lot, and the receptionist runs out to meet them.
[Benny]: "What exactly did you do?"
[Francis]: "Pardon...?"
[Benny]: "For SAVE I mean. Analyse what?"
[Francis]: "Data. Trends. They'd send us blind reports and we'd piece the details into a larger picture. Manuscript translation... It's really quite fascinating."
[Riker]: "Data synthesis. Psychohistorical amalgamation. Huh.  High end stuff."
[Francis]: "Exactly correct, Mr. Riker."
[Riker]: "Knew a guy down in Texas, did the same thing. Spooky li'l sonofabitch."
Francis eyes Riker warily, as if he's not sure how he should respond.
[CM]: The cops look over to you, then two go with the receptionist and two wander over to you
[Sargeant McDowell]: "Which one of you guys is Mr Fitzpatrick?"
[Benny]: "I am officer."
[Sargeant McDowell]: "I'd like to see some ID sir."
[Benny]: "Sure."
Benny pulls out something useful with which the good cop can recognize him
Sargeant McDowell examines the ID, then hands it back.
[Sargeant McDowell]: "I understand you were travelling with the missing woman, is that right?"
[Benny]: "Yep."
[Sargeant McDowell]: "What's your business in these parts?"
[Benny]: "I'm a journalist. Following up on the crash and other events."
Benny shows his credentials.
Francis sits very still, hoping he won't be asked anything
[Sargeant McDowell]: "And Ms Wilkinson?"
[Benny]: "She's a preacher. We met when I got here."
[Sargeant McDowell]: "The receptionist says you booked in together, with another man, correct?"
[Benny]: "Yep.  Ishamael something. Met him when I got here too. We rode in from the airport together."
[Sargeant McDowell]: "So you all booked in together, but you only met here?" McDowell scribbles something in his notepad.
[Benny]: "We met at the airport and since we all were here for the same situations we decided to stick together and help each other out. It's not like we were picking out curtains or anything."
Sargeant McDowell squints at Riker.
[Benny]: "Ish is a PI."
[Sargeant McDowell]: "Do I know you?"
[Riker]: "Probably. I'm down at the station house sometimes. Alan Riker. Private investigator." He flashes his license.
Sergeant McDowell nods. "What you doin' down here?"
[Riker]: "Helpin' these guys out, McDowell. Fitzpatrick's a friend of mine. Go easy on him, huh? He's had a rough day."
Sergeant McDowell glares at Francis. "What about you, four-eyes? What's your story?"
[Francis]: "Who, me?  Driving the car, officer, sir."
Francis looks terrified
Benny smiles.
[Riker]: "Frank here is my research assistant."
Sergeant McDowell looks skeptical.
[Francis]: "Er, yes, exactly. That's quite right. Research assistant." He smiles hopefully.
[Benny]: "He's great with analysis. Or so I'm told."
[Riker]: "Hey, do I look like I like cracking the books, McDowell?"
Sergeant McDowell grins at Riker
[Sergeant McDowell]: "Everyones a comedian these days. Damn Seinfeld...Okay Mr Fitzpatrick, if you'll step over to the car I'll take your statement..."
[Benny]: "Sure. Be back in a sec guys. Research and analyse, please."
Riker shrugs, slightly, and leans back against the body of the 4x4.  "Mm-hmm.  Okay, Benny."
Francis fidgets.
[Riker]: "Francis, calm down. We ain't in serious trouble. All routine."
[CM]: McDowell talks to Benny for about an hour, asking gentle but probing questions. Eventually he seems satisfied, and he tells you that they'll do what they can to find Carla. He suggests that you find a nicer hotel though, and let them know where you're staying. You are advised not to leave town. You get the feeling he's being gentle with you.
Francis whispers "I've never been in trouble with the police..."
[Benny]: "I won't be out of town for a while, I can assure you of that. I think we'll be in touch."
[CM]: McDowell wanders over with Benny after he's finished questioning him and taking his statement.
McDowell gestures to Riker.
Benny nods, and walks to Riker.
Riker walks over.  "Yeah, McDowell?"
[McDowell]: "Take him somewhere decent to stay. He's pretty freaked out. We'll do what we can, but to be honest, she's probably dead, just like all the others this summer. Take care of him though, seems like a nice guy."
McDowell shakes Riker's hand, and heads back to the black & white.
Riker nods. "Will do. This's just a bad town, McDowell. I haven't seen anything like this since Dick Donovan got his ticket punched."
[Benny]: "So, where were we? Francis, what else can you recall about Bubba?"
[Francis]: "Not much, other than his association with Mr. Smythe."
Riker wanders back over to the 4x4. "Ready, gentlemen?"
[Benny]: "Give me a moment to check out of this hell hole. Need to pick my stuff."
[Riker]: "Get it, and let's go. I wanna get somewhere I can put my back to a wall. Maybe one with the proper angle to it, so no damn dogs come out..."
Benny goes to the front desk and does the transaction that needs be done and is out with his things. Benny throws his stuff in the back and waits for Francis to get in first.
[CM]: Benny, as you pack up your gear and check out, thoughts of Carla and Ishy drift through your mind. What can have happened to them? You remember Ishy fighting the Spider cultists beside you and Blake... Now Ishy may be dead. What are you doing now?
Francis scrambles out from behind the wheel, whacking his knee on the steering wheel and his head on the door frame.
Riker slips in behind the wheel. "Right. I'll set you guys up in my place, since I've got most of a triple decker to myself."
[Benny]: When we start moving Benny will concentrate.
Francis squeezes in so Benny can get in.
Riker starts the 4x4 rolling. Heading for the office to make some calls.
(Benny whispered to CM): send a little thought to Ishy;  Are you ok?  Where? Friend.
(CM whispered to Benny): Make the roll.
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 15 ]
DICE for CM: (2d10) : 2d10=1,7  = [ 8 ]
(CM whispered to Benny): 8 WPR.
[CM]: Evening begins to set in as you head back to Riker's office.
(Benny whispered to CM): same thing for Carla; Looking for you. Where? Friend.
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 97 ]
DICE for Benny: (2d10) : 2d10=7,7  = [ 14 ]
(CM whispered to Benny): 14 WPR
Riker pulls into the customary parking space, and ushers everyone up to the office.
(CM whispered to Benny): For a moment there is nothing, then there are flashes of distorted images. Pain, claustrophobia, darkness. The sense of being smothered and drowning in the dark.
(CM whispered to Benny): FEAR Roll
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 24 ]
[CM]: Benny seems slightly out of it
(CM whispered to Benny): No WPR loss
Benny has sweat in his brow and looks worse for wear.
[Francis]: <To Riker, quietly> "Er... is he all right?"
[Benny]: "They are in big trouble. But I think, alive."
Riker shrugs.  Not unconcerned, just...doesn't know. "I got no idea.  C'mon, Benny my man...onto the couch. You want some coffee?"
[Benny]: "I see things and hear things. I won't sleep well tonight.  Perhaps the next, but this one I won't."
[Riker]: "Talk."
[Benny]: "That's all I'm saying, for now."
Francis goes over to the coffee pot and starts expertly making coffee
[Benny]: "Tomorrow, with luck, I'll know more."
[Riker]: "Oh, for chrissakes, Benny, spit it out.  Don't go all Delphic oracle on me, man."
[Benny]: "I wish I could explain. I can't, man. I can't. Don't know how.  I just see things in my head. Images and things."
[Riker]: "Is it the Art you're usin', then?"
[Benny]: "Yes. I think it is."
[Francis]: "How awful..."
Francis takes off his glasses and wipes them with his tie
[Riker]: "Super. Psychics. Still, it beats agents of the divine running around with bombs, right?"
[Benny]: "I'm not a psychic. I just see things. When I sleep. But before I go to sleep we should talk more. We have to organize what we have."
[Riker]: "Psychic. Same damn thing. Oracular dreams, remote sensing. Donovan used to talk about it all the time. He knew this college kid that could do it."
[Francis]: "There's a great deal of fairly credible research on the subject...the Art has been a tool of SAVE's for decades."
[Benny]: "I know some psychics. Those guys are something else."
[Riker]: "Right. What've we got? Two guys claiming to be angels. Two factions, possibly. Something else. Bad guys, maybe also two factions. Blackwell. Smythe. Bubba."
[Benny]: "Uriel, an observer, or so she claimed. I have a tendency to believe her."
[CM]: Riker's attention is briefly caught by his desk calendar, given to him by a new age friend. The calendar has a different saying for every day. Today's reads "Every bad day can get worse"
Riker reaches over and slaps the calendar face down. "I'd ask how, Aoife, but I'm afraid t'find out." He shakes his head. "So, we've got a supernatural turf war on our hands."
[Benny]: "Jophiel the psychopath angel."
[Riker]: "Not psychopathic.  Just...programmed. Jophiel ain't meant to be here on earth, I think. Outsider. And that makes him dangerous as the bad guys...maybe more."
[Francis]: "May I use your phone line?  If I can get into the research database at the University, I could probably get more information on Uriel and Jophiel. I have this nagging notion about some kind of divine conflict."
[Benny]: "The wino and bikers. No idea on who they were or why there wer after us.  I believe they were after Blackwell. Why?"
[Riker]: "He knew something, saw something. Go ahead, Francis. ISDN, right over there."
[Benny]: "That's psychopathic in my book. No proper sense of what is good or bad. Just his own concepts or his God's."
[Riker]: "Sociopathic, actually. Distorted sense of moral worth. Four factions, plus us. Wino was an independent, working for someone else. Same with the bikers. Two bad guys going at it."
Francis connects the computer to the phone line and happily sets to..
[Benny]: "Bubba and Smythe, possibly?"
[Riker]: "Smythe's the vampire expert, right?"
[Francis]: "Quite."
[Benny]: "Yep, we must know more about him. I don't like the idea of vampires."
[Francis]: "Who does?"
[Riker]: "And Bubba, his flunky."
[Benny]: "Or Blackwell's?"
[Riker]: "That makes four.  But why'd Smythe sell SAVE out?"
[Benny]: "Is there a fifth side here?"
[Benny]: "We should find something on the guy from the jewelry store too.  Might be nothing, but still..."
[CM]: Outside, the sun is setting...
(CM whispered to Francis): Computer roll...
(To CM) DICE for Francis: (1d100) = [ 52 ]
(CM whispered to Francis): So, what are you looking up?
(Francis whispered to CM): Uriel and Jophiel, and their specific places in the heirarchy.  Their portfolios, so to speak...
(Francis whispered to CM): Okay, bios downloaded to the laptop on Bubba & Smythe.  Start downloading Smythe's papers, but I imagine that will be a while as a background task.
[Benny]: "How can this day get worse..."
(CM whispered to Francis): Smythe's papers and files are on the SAVE Boston Server. You said you were connecting to the University...
[Riker]: "Well, there could be vampires.  It's getting dark out."
[Benny]: "Jophiel said he was just going for the guy from the jewelry and saw our predicament. Was that coincidence?"
[Riker]: "Hell no.  If Jophiel's an angel, it wasn't.  The celestial spheres are supposed to run like clockwork. Place for everything, everything in its place."
[Benny]: "Of course."
Benny nods, then looks over at Francis.
[Benny]: "Frank?  What are you doing?"
[Francis]: "Something that would give me an idea how to fit the pieces together."
(CM whispered to Francis): Make another computer use roll
Francis is typing madly, completely engrossed in what he's doing
[Benny]: "Why don't you check this part while I check the other."
Benny divides the papers and starts going over them.
[Riker]: "Well, let's dig through 'em...might not get another chance.  Several somebodies wanted this stuff bad enough to off Blackwell."
Riker digs in as well, using his cellphone to call for takeout.  "Thai all right with you guys?"
[Benny]: "Sure."
[Riker]: "Cool."
Riker orders some Thai from a nearby restauraunt.  They are, after all, near Chinatown.
(To CM) DICE for Francis: (1d100) = [ 8 ]
[Benny]: "Maybe there is something in here." He waves the folder he recovered from Blackwell.
(CM whispered to Francis): Your search recovers a file on Jophiel and one on Uriel.
[Francis]: "Oh...my. I don't believe this is good."
Riker looks up. "Talk to me, Francis."
[Francis]: "Well, our friend Jophiel is the one who volunteered to drive Adam and Eve out of the garden. Seems he argued against free will for humans."
Riker mutters, "Super."
[Francis]: "I don't believe we should consider him friendly..."
[Riker]: "Not exactly the friend of man type. Gnostic heresy stuff, too. The Metatron, all that."
[Francis]: "Uriel's charge is to observe humanity in times of catastrophe and weigh their souls... Not much help likely there, even if we will get sympathy."
[Riker]: "Su-per...and she or he is the harbinger of bad shit, too."
[Francis]: "Well, only by association."
[Benny]: "Still, there is more going on here."
(CM whispered to Francis): make another computer roll.
(To CM) DICE for Francis: (1d100) = [ 71 ]
[Benny]: "It seemed like she helped us, although she might just have been watching over us."
[Riker]: "We still haven't figured out the angle. Why're these guys here?"
[Benny]: "Riker and I should be deep fried and we are not."
[Riker]: "Exactly. So she's breaking protocol."
[Benny]: "If she is the mythical Uriel."
{CM whispered to Francis): Following a hunch, you find another file.
[Francis]: "Hmmm..."
[Benny]: "What?"
Riker peers at the screen.
[Francis]: "Oh, just a footnote I followed..."
[Riker]: "So, we've also got the Church of White Fire here...and fire is something our boy Jophiel seems to be pretty proud of. Fires of creation from a blind, idiot god. How Lovecraftian, except it's a force for order, not chaos."
[Francis]: "Yes, that... interesting, what?"
[Riker]: "A bad kinda interesting, you ask me. In for a penny, in for a pound, though."
[Francis]: "The animating spirit for angels, as opposed to the soul that man is given."
[Benny]: "If this is so, then what are we doing here? Who are we fighting?"
[Riker]: "Mindless force, instead of will. Who are we fighting?  Hell, if you believe the Gnostics, the keepers of the truth, who've decided we need to be blind so we can be lorded over. But I could be wrong. It still sounds like a supernatural gang war. 'Allah akbar'.  My god's bigger than your god, and it has more tentacles."
[Benny]: "At least we have some immediate goals. We have to look for Carla and Ishy."
[Riker]: "Yeah...Who's Ishy?"
[Benny]: "The other guy in our team. Ex-cop who disappeared before Carla. Apparently got into a black limousine and I don't know from him since. He is, or was, one of us."
[Riker]: "With Smythe. Damn."
[Benny]: "Francis, where can we find Bubba or Smythe?"
[Francis]: "I'm looking..."
[Riker]: "Get me an address, I can get in."
[Benny]: "I'll get back to this." Benny starts leafing through the folder he brought with him from Leo's.
[CM]: The folder simply contains SAVE personnel descriptions of Benny, Ishy and Carla. They're the same psych evaluation things they make you fill out after every assignment.
(CM whispered to Francis): Still going to connect to the SAVE Boston Server?
(Francis whispered to CM): Yes
(CM whispered to Francis): Make your roll.
(To CM) DICE for Francis: (1d100) = [ 52 ]
(CM whispered to Francis): You know you've done all the right things, but you can't connect. It's almost as if it isn't there...
[Francis]: "Oh."
Francis takes off his glasses, wipes them with his tie, blinking, and puts them back on.
[Francis]: "It's as though the server is...gone."
[Riker]: "What, Francis?  What d'you mean, gone?"
[Francis]: "I can't connect to the server. It's down."
[Riker]: "Where is it?"
[Francis]: "The modem doesn't pick up..."
[Riker]: "Where is it, Francis, physically?"
[Francis]: "Well, at HQ, of course."
[Riker]: "Lovely.  Hang on."
(Francis whispered to CM): Where would the offsite backup tapes be?
Riker picks up the office phone.  Checking for dialtone.  Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness.
(CM whispered to Francis): Need to know security - you never needed to know...
(CM whispered to Francis): HQ is a large georgian mansion in Brookline, near Fenway Park.
[Francis]: It's in Brookline, near Fenway Park
[Riker]: "I know where SAVE's set up. All right, like it or not, we're gonna have to go there. Damn. My peanut sauce's gonna get cold...and it never reheats right."
[Francis]: "We can certainly wait until after dinner..."
[Benny]: "You mean tonight?"
[Riker]: "Yeah."
[Benny]: "I believe you are right."
[CM]: Your ridiculously spicy Thai food arrives, escorted by a young gentleman who obviously doesn't get enough exercise, judging from the patina of sweat on his brow.
Riker fishes out some cash, along with a tip, and waves for Benny to come get the food.
(Riker whispered to CM): Riker's keeping his other hand on the gun tucked behind his belt. Can't ever be too paranoid.
Francis pulls out his wallet and pulls out some money
Benny walks over there.
[Francis]: "What do I owe you?"
[Riker]: "Nothin', man. It's covered."
[Benny]: "Thank you."
[Francis]: "Thanks. I'll pick up the next lot..."
[Riker]: "Works for me."
[CM]: The delivery guy accepts the cash and the tip, wishes you a good evening, and departs, blissfully unaware of what kind of world he lives in...
[Riker]: "Thanks, Benny.  Back's been bugging me since earlier..."  He pulls his pistol from where it was tucked in under his jacket.  "Oh, look, here's the problem.  Heavy metal deposits."
Francis looks at the gun, eyes large, and is a little alarmed.
[CM]: The food is hot, delicious and - as promised - spicey.
[Benny]: "So..." <chomp> "...what do you think we'll find at HQ?"
Riker cracks out a trio of cold beers from the minifridge, and digs in. "Ten bucks says we get attacked before we get to the pot stickers." <crunch, romf> "Bad shit, like usual. Smythe, maybe. Or some of his flunkies. Vampires."
Francis eats expertly with chopsticks, enthusiastically but fastidiously.
[Francis]: "Er... Smythe is an expert, but I don't believe he keeps vampires..."
[Benny]: "I really don't like that thought. Do you think the folklore about vampires is true?"
[Riker]: "Guess we'll find out, huh?"
[Benny]: "I hope not."
[Francis]: "Which folklore?  There are more kinds of vampire than you can shake a chopstick at."
Francis waves away the beer.
[Benny]: "I know. But the classic, the one who can't stand the sun, water, garlic the works."
[Francis]: "According to the reports that cross my desk, that would be the Common Carpathian."
[Riker]: "Sodas in the fridge, too, Francis."
Benny takes both his and Francis' beer.
Riker snags a juicy bit of pork, chews. "Fire. Fire usually works pretty well. Good all around supernatural killer, fire is."
[Benny]: "Do you carry any flamethrowers, perchance?"
[Riker]: "Sure, got one in the closet. Jesus, Benny, this's an office, not an armory. I got some guns. Flamethrower...that'd take some doing."
[Benny]: "Can't you take a joke?" <slurp>
[Riker]: "Dinner conversation's a lost art, Benny. Just doing my bit to see it's buried."
[Francis]: "The standard routine would be a stake through the heart to immobilize them, then cut off the head. Burning the body certainly wouldn't hurt... and you don't want to meet their gaze."
[Benny]: "Hm... we certainly sound like experts."
[Francis]: "Well, of course, I've read a great many field reports."
[Benny]: "I'll bet this carpathian fellow will have us for lunch easy."
[Riker]: "Field reports ain't experience. We need to maybe pick up some gear." <chomp> "Lemme think, what could we get, easily?  Francis, fill me in on substances common to warding off evil."
[Benny]: "Oh my. Here we go."
[Francis]: "Garlic, holy water, salt... holy objects - anything blessed by someone of great faith...Faith generally seems to be an important component."
[Riker]: "Well, I'm screwed.  Any God that'd make Jophiel ain't a friend of mine."
[Francis]: "Wolfsbane for werewolves."
Francis pauses, then swallows.
[Francis]: "Oh, dear. I hope there won't be any of those."
[Riker]: "What about silver?"
[Riker]: "Salt I think we can do a bit on. Sea salt, right?"
[Francis]: "Demons are much more difficult - you'll need some kind of protective circle-- oh, werewolves?  Most are vulnerable to silver, yes. Er, except those that arent."
[CM]: It starts to rain, the drops pattering lightly againsts the window.
[Francis]: "Any salt, according to what I've read.  The key is keeping an unbroken line of salt. Poppy seeds. Some kinds of vampires have to stop and count them, every one. The trick, I suppose, is knowing exactly which sort you're up against."
[Riker]: "Scrap silver's cheap, four bucks a pound. Fits shotgun shells real nicely. Same for salt. And it's fennel seeds."
[Benny]: "That is good! I'll find some poppy seeds."
[Riker]: "Or a collander. I know a little."
[Francis]: "No, poppy seeds. I'm quite certain it's poppy seeds. The literature is most specific."
(CM whispered to Riker): PCN roll
(To CM) DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 45 ]
(CM whispered to Riker): That's not rain...
[Francis]: "Salt is a ward. They can't cross it. Some can't cross running water under their own volition, either."
[Riker]: <chomp, crunch> "Fennel, man. No kidding. Saw it in Murnau and Schreck's 'Nosferatu'. Francis, Benny, get down. NOW."
Francis looks around, puzzled, not following the instruction.
Riker snags the pistol, and starts to roll sideways, for cover.
Benny hits the floor quickly.
[Riker]: "FRANCIS! GET DOWN!"
Benny hits Francis in the legs.
[Francis]: "Huh? What seems to be the --oof!"
Francis hits the deck.
Riker keeps his eyes on the window. Whatever it is, he's trying to be ready for it.
[CM]: A thick, dark fluid is rythmically spattering against the window.
Riker hisses, "C'mon, c''mon...enough games, you bastard. Show yourself." Louder -- "Benny, keep an eye on the doors."
[Benny]: "What the fuck!!??"
[Riker]: "Rain of blood. Crap. We've been made."
Francis reaches up and pulls his laptop down to safety.
[Francis]: "I beg your pardon?"
Benny tries reaching the phone without standing up.
[CM]: The spurts get weaker as you watch, and eventually stop. It's definately blood.
[Riker]: "That's blood on the windows, Francis.  Jesus."
[Riker]: "Benny, get the goddamned shotgun, and cover me."
[Benny]: "Are you sure about that?"
(Francis whispered to CM): voluntary fear check...
(To CM) DICE for Francis: (1d100) = [ 70 ]
[CM]: Fear rolls people.
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 2 ]
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 79 ]
(Francis whispered to CM): My money is on fainting dead away...
Riker hunch-walks over to the window, flipping the latch. "Hell no.  But I've gotta do something..."
[Francis]: There's a thud followed by a clunk as first Francis, then the computer hit the floor. He's fainted dead away
[Benny]: "Damn it. We can't leave him here."
[Riker]: "We're not gonna."
[Benny]: "Good."
[Riker]: "Drag his nappy ass in front of the desk. I'm gonna take a look see outside."
DICE for CM: (3d10) : 3d10=1,1,8  = [ 10 ]
[Benny]: "Don't go far."
[CM]: Francis loses 10 wpr
Riker slowly starts to open the window.
Benny drags Francis.
[CM]: Riker is stoically unaffected
[Riker]: You better believe it, bunky. He's tired of these guys.  The window gets opened, for a quick look up and down.
DICE for CM: (3d10) : 3d10=4,8,2  = [ 14 ]
[CM]: Benny loses 14 WPR
[CM]: As Riker looks up, a few drops hit him in the face...
Riker scowls, wiping them away. Up, then.
[CM]: Dangling from the window cleaning rig is a corpse, pale and limp. The cause of death is probably related to the severe lack of a head.
Riker curses, softly.  How'd it get up there?  "Oh, goddammit..."
[CM]: PCN roll
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 74 ]
[Riker]: "Ewwww."
[CM]: Francis stirs...
[Francis]: "Ohhhhh..."
[Benny]: "Welcome back."
[Riker]: "Dead body. No head. Don't come up yet."
Francis sits up, rubbing the back of his head
[Francis]: "What happened?"
[Benny]: "We have a corpse out of our window."
[Francis]: "Oh...dear."
[Benny]: "What is he wearing?"
Francis looks a little green, as if the Thai food is on it's way back...
(CM whispered to Riker): The corpse appears to be wearing a smart dark suit.
Francis picks up the computer, examining it carefully for damage
[Benny]: "Riker, the clothes."
[Riker]: "Dark suit. Can't see him too well."
(Riker whispered to CM): How's he strung up?
[Benny]: "Like the one Blackwell used?"
(CM whispered to Riker): Difficult to tell. You'd get a better view on the roof.
[Riker]: "Shit." He pulls back inside, wiping at his face. "I'm going up." He closes the window. "You two wanna cover my back?"
[Benny]: "Sure."
[Francis]: "How?"
[Benny]: "We follow him and if he hits shit we help him out."
[Francis]: "All right..."
Francis does not sound at all confident
[Benny]: "It's not THAT hard..."
[Riker]: "C'mon, Francis. You wanna be alone when whatever jacked that guy up hits here?"
Francis gives Riker a "who, me?" look
Benny tries to sound confident even if he is really wanting to crawl up somwhere nice and sleep.
[Francis]: "Er, no. No. Definitely not."
[Riker]: "Then c'mon."
[Benny]: "Right behind you."
Riker starts out for the roof. Why, yes, his pistol is out.
Benny holds the shotgun hoping he won't get to use it.
[CM]: From the roof you get a nice view of Boston's lit up skyline. It would be pleasent if it weren't for the knowledge of what is happening around you...
[Riker]: No kidding. Go see how the poor bastard's strung up, then haul him onto the roof.
Riker looks down over the edge.
[CM]: The body is tied by one ankle to the window cleaning rig, dangling like an over-used GI Joe.
Riker begins hauling the guy up, one-handed.
[CM]: STR roll
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 58 ]
[CM]: You need help.
Benny helps
[Riker]: "Thanks, Benny...guess the calendar was right."
[CM]: The two of you manage to haul the corpse onto the roof.
[Benny]: "Day ain't over yet..."
[CM]: PCN roll Benny
[Riker]: "Cover me.  Gonna check his pockets."
Riker pulls on a pair of latex gloves.
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 79 ]
[Francis]: "Er...  should we be disturbing evidence, gentlemen?"
[Riker]: "Why d'you think I'm wearing gloves?"
[CM]: PCN roll Riker
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 67 ]
[Francis]: "But... but... moving the body..."
[Riker]: "You want him to drip on somebody on the street, Francis?"
Francis looks a little green again.
[Benny]: "We'll put him back, don't worry."
[CM]: The head wasn't cut off...
Riker checks the wound. Oh, boy...unpleasant revelation. Ripped?  Bitten? Regenerating?
[CM]: Chewed.
[Benny]: "Oh boy.  Another faction shows it's mark."
Riker grimaces, looking a bit green himself.  "Yeah.  Lovely."
Riker checks the wound for teeth that might've broken off. Human necks is stringy.
[CM]: Investigation roll...
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 2 ]
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 4 ]
Francis gulps, then turns and runs for the far side of the roof, where the sound of retching can be heard.
[CM]: No teeth, but there are bite marks that look disturbingly human.
[CM]: While you're examining the neck....
[Riker]: "Great. See this, Benny? Flats, with incisor marks."
[CM]: ...the body twitches...
[Benny]: "FUCK!!"
[CM]: ...and sits up.
[Benny]: "PUSH IT!! PUSH IT!!"
Francis turns around to see what Benny is shouting about.
Riker stands, quickly. Whee, look! The red laser dot still shows up, right over the heart. "FUCK!" He kicks out, hard.
[CM]: FEAR rolls, please.
Benny kicks at the thing hard.
DICE for Francis: (1d100) = [ 39 ]
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 17 ]
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 55 ]
DICE for CM: (3d10) : 3d10=6,9,5  = [ 20 ]
[CM]: Riker loses 20 WPR.
DICE for CM: (1d10) = [ 10 ]
[CM]: Francis loses 5 WPR.
DICE for CM: (1d10) = [ 5 ]
[CM]: Benny loses 3 WPR.
Riker tries to aim the gun through the film of sweat sprung up, suddenly, on his face.  Steady, steady, ignore the shaking...
Benny fires the shotgun at the thing.
Riker tries to punch a couple bullets through its heart.
Francis looks horrified.
DICE for Benny: (1d100) = [ 29 ]
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 1 ]
DICE for Riker: (1d100) = [ 33 ]
[Riker]: Boom, baby.  The pistol in Riker's hand blasts off two hollow point rounds, right into its heart and its center of mass.
[CM]: You both blow the chest of the corpse open with a percussive roar. It flies off the roof and tumbles downwards. As it reaches the end of the rope, the tension snaps its foot off and the body tumbles into the street below.
Riker bolts forward, to see where it lands.
[CM]: With a meaty thud, the corpse hits the sidewalk and bursts, spilling it's innards onto the street. Several passersby are standing in shock, gaping at the body. One of them looks up and sees you.
[Riker]: "Downstairs!  Move!"
[Bystander]: "Looks! there's the guy that did it!"
[Riker]: "Fuck! Move! Move! Down!"
Riker turns, and starts running for the stairs.

Session ends

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