Act 1 – The Artifact (“Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit outa my hat!” )
Our story opens in the Army-Navy store of Buck Mayfair. Thann is looking through the various display cases while Buck rambles on about what he calls Dark-Tek. One item in particular catches Thann’s attention, and he cries out in surprise for the others to join him. Wil, Baboon, Meeho, Enise, SaraLynn and Ecco gather around the case and gaze in wonderment at the piece of technology sitting in the center of the case. To an Imperial Scout like Thann or Wil, the item is so common, that Thann almost missed it entirely. The item is a small, hand-held device, approximately eight inches long, three inches wide, and one inch high. It has a row of keys and a small video monitor. The device could have been a normal Terran television remote control unit if not for the logo: the silhouette of an eight-legged lizard with mounted rider…the logo of the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service.
WIL: “Thann! Is that…”
THANN: “You bet it is. That is a Scout-issue Inertial Locator.”
Thann activates the device and asks for the readout to return to the starting point:
Bearing: 352.32 °
Distance: 57.93 km
THANN: “Okay guys, get the van loaded up. We have a ship to find!”
Jay is still out on his little mission for Buck, and so is not present when the party pulls out of town and heads north.
Neal (rolling dice): “I try projecting a thought to Jay that we’re leaving.”
GM (viewing the roll): “You fail.”
Neal: “Can I try again?”
GM: “Do you have Luck skill?”
Neal: “No. How can I get it?”
GM: “You can’t.”
Kristen: “I guess you just can’t get lucky.”
It doesn’t take long to backtrack the inertial locator’s path to the small town of Houma, Louisiana. They reach ground zero just outside a small general store.
ENISE: “So where’s the ship?”
THANN: “I don’t know. But this is where the locator was last reset. Maybe someone inside knows more about it.”
A bell jingles as they open the front door and enter the relatively cool darkness of the store. The only light filters in through the dirty plate-glass windows in front. In the back of the store, a young man wearing an apron sweeps the floor. An old woman sits behind the counter reading a tattered paperback novel in the gloom. She looks up as the party enters.
RUTH: “Can I help you?”
SARALYNN: “Maybe. We are looking for the owner of a certain item. Perhaps you could tell us something about it.”
Thann hands the Inertial Locator over to the old woman.
RUTH: “Hey Ed, they brought back you TV Remote.”
Ed leans his broom against the back wall and walks up to the party. He takes the locator from Ruth and turns it over in his hands.
ED: “Oh. This thing doesn’t work. That’s why I sold it in the city.”
THANN: “Actually, it does work.”
ED: “No it doesn’t.” As if to prove the point, Ed points the Inertial Locator at a silent television mounted in the corner of the store and begins pressing buttons at random. “See?” As he presses the buttons, Thann hears the sound of the locator going through the reset sequence.
THANN: “Damn! This kid reset it.”
ENISE: “But where did he get it from?”
ENISE: “Do you think you could remember where you found it?”
ED: “Oh sure. Morty gave it to me for delivering his groceries last week.”
WIL: “Who is Morty?”
RUTH: “Morty is our resident scavenger. He’s a natural pack-rat, but other than that, he’s harmless.”
THANN: “Where can we find, this Morty?”
ED: “I think he’s doin’ some work out at the Simpson place.”
SARALYNN: “Good, how do we get to the Simpson place.”
ED: “Oh. that’s easy. You follow the road out of town, and then take a left at the old tree that was struck by lightning last year. Then you take another left at the Jacoby place. Take the first right after the rebuilt stone bridge and go about another mile. You can’t miss it.”
THANN: “Um…I don’t suppose I could get you to show us?”
ED: “Sure.”
It turned out to have been a good idea to enlist Ed’s help in finding the Simpson place. The tree which was their first landmark turned was little more than a blackened stump barely visible through the high grass. The Jacoby place was an unmarked gray stone wall lining the roadway. And the turnoff for the Simpson’s place turned out to be before the stone bridge, rather than after. The last mile of road was little more than a gravel path traveling along a barb-wire enclosed pasture. Several cows could be seen grazing in the high grass. As the Simpson house came into view, Ed called out and pointed through a broken section of fence. A man could be seen walking through the tall grass, trying to hitch something up to the back of a tractor.
ED: “There’s Morty!”
The van pulls to a stop next to the collapsed section of the barbed wire. Morty looks up from his work and waves uncertainly at the group. With Ed leading the way, the group steps over the fallen fence and moves toward Morty. As they approach, they can see that there is a dead cow at his feet, which he has managed to wrap a canvas sling around and hitched to the back of the tractor. Enise, sensing a medical situation, bends down over the cow. The cow had been killed by a large predator of some kind. In addition to the gaping hole in the chest cavity where the creature (or creatures) had fed, there were great gaping slash marks all over the body. The wounds on the cow looked strangely familiar to Enise. It wasn’t until she realized that they matched the scars on her own chest that she felt the first twinge of fear.
ENISE: “Thann, these wounds were made by the same kind of Vargr-things that hijacked the TJ.”
Morty tells the party that the Simpson’s cows have been attacked nightly since last week some time. Always the pattern is the same…a section of torn down fence, a mutilated cow and a bunch of really big dog-tracks. Morty also mentions that the Simpson’s are long overdue to return from their trip. When asked if this is unusual, he adds that not only is it strange that the Simpson’s are missing, but he thinks something might be wrong out at the Douglas place. He can occasionally hear the sounds of the Douglas cows moaning…as if they haven’t been milked in a number of days. The party decides to split up:
Kevin …drives Ed back to town. While there, he calls Buck Mayfair, to see if Jay is back yet. Jay hasn’t returned yet, but Baboon leaves a message for him, explaining where they are, and telling him to join them as soon as possible. Then he drives the van back to join the others.
Becky, Wil, Ecco and SaraLynn … go off to check on the Douglas place. The Douglas barn is padlocked shut, and the cows are locked inside. The front door to the house looks as if it was ripped from its hinges. The house is dark and quiet inside, and they step cautiously onto the brown splotch-patterned carpeting of the living room. Moving from room to room, the four adventurers search for some sign of life. Finding no one on the main floor, or upstairs, they move to the cellar door. The stench of rotting meat billows up toward them as they unseal the basement door. Moving downstairs, they find the body of a dog that has had one of its hind legs ripped off. The missing leg is halfway up the steps in a dried pool of blood. Wil rushes upstairs for a closer look at the carpeting. His suspicions are born out as he realizes that the brown splotches on the carpeting are not a part of a natural pattern. They are the dried bloody footprints of at least a dozen creatures. Isolating a single clean print in the corner, they recognize the pattern:
WIL: “Those look like the footprints of those Droyne-things we found in the cave where we misjumped.”
Before returning, to the Simpson place, Enise and Ecco break into the barn and relieve the milk-bloated cows.
John and Meeho …stick with Morty and try to figure out where he got the Inertial Locator.
MORTY: “Well, I don’t remember where I got it from.”
THANN: “Will a little money help refresh your memory?”
MORTY: “Mister, there ain’t any amount of money in the world that’s going to get me to go back to that barn.”
THANN: “You found it in a barn?”
MORTY: “That’s right, and there’s no way I’m going back there.”
THANN: “Why not?”
MORTY: “Let’s just say there are some things best left alone.”
THANN: “We aren’t asking you to take us there. Just tell us where you got it!”
MORTY: “I don’t want to think about it!”
THANN: “Damn it! Tell me where!”
MORTY: “All right Mister. I found it in the Jacoby’s barn. But if you’re smart, you’ll forget you ever heard me say that.”
Act 2 – The Ambush ( “See, I told you it was a trap!” )
The Jacoby property is surrounded by a six-foot high gray stone wall. The wall has but a single opening, in the form of an iron gate next to the road. Over the top of the wall, the party can make out a large main house, a large barn, a smaller garage, a tool shed and an outhouse. Except for the gravel driveway, the land is covered with two-foot deep scrub grass. Since the barn is their objective, the party moves to the west side of the wall. There is a section of the wall that cannot be seen from the house, due to the proximity of the barn. They select this area to begin their assault…
SARALYNN: “Doesn’t this seem a little too obvious?”
THANN: “So if it’s a trap, we’ll be ready for it.”
MEEHO: “I’m staying out here…to um…cover your escape.”
ENISE: “I’ll stay too. Be careful in there.”
Ecco leads the way as Thann, Baboon, Wil and SaraLynn follow her over the wall and toward the barn.
SARALYNN: “I have a bad feeling about this.”
WIL: “If you’re so sure it’s a trap, wait on the other side of the wall.”
SARALYNN: “No. I’m coming with you. Somebody has to make sure you guys don’t get into any trouble.”
The party stands against the barn wall, and slowly works their way around to the only entrance…a single large sliding door on the side facing the house. Fortunately, the overhanging roof is casting a shadow across the door, so they feel fairly confident that they can remain relatively hidden by the shadow. Wil grabs hold of the door handle and slides the massive door open. The door creaks loudly on its track, causing everyone to freeze for a moment, hoping no response comes from the sound. After a minute of waiting, they breath a collective sigh of relief and slip into the darkness.
The barn interior (see reference map) is very dark. The only light filters in through the spaces between the planks that make up the walls, and a large hayloft window on the north side of the barn. There are a number of stalls situated around the ground floor and a long ladder climbing into the loft. Near the south wall of the barn is a large 50-gallon oil-drum which is being used as a garbage can. The group heads toward this and inspects its contents. There is a busted up chair shoved in the barrel. It looks like an acceleration couch from a starship. They also find a torn and bloody uniform. The uniform is identical to the ones worn by the mercenary-types who stormed the TJ after the vargr-things tried to take over. The collar of the uniform has been burned off, and the pattern of blood running down the chest and back of the uniform would correspond with a wound sustained by someone who’s head had been blown off at the neck.
THANN: “That’s right! Those guys were wearing those exploding collars.”
BABOON: “Now what?”
THANN: “Well, how about if you and I check out the hayloft, while the others search the main floor. There might be something else here, we can use.”
Thann and Baboon climb the ladder into the loft. The window extends all the way to the floor and has a boom of some kind overhanging the window. There are a number of stalls lining both the east and west walls. Each stall has a closed door sealing it. Thann is starting to get a little antsy. He draws his gun and points it at the center door. Then he slowly creeps forward and throws the door open.
The gargoyle inside the stall lunges at Thann without hesitation. Thann quickly recovers from the initial shock of the stall’s contents, and fires point blank at the charging gargoyle. The stall doors on either side of the center one burst open and two more gargoyles emerge. Even as Baboon is bringing his AKM to bear on the right-most gargoyle, he hears the stall doors behind him banging open as well. At almost the same moment, Thann feels a sharp sting in the back of his neck. He ignores the pain and redirects his fire at the gargoyle on the left. It appears to be holding a short metal tube up to its beaked mouth. The gargoyle exhales, and Thann feels the rush of air past his cheek as the dart barely misses him.
John: “Hey! These things didn’t shoot anything at us last time!”
GM: “It’s a Dark World.”
Paula: “But they’re only animals…they can’t possibly…”
GM: “You keep using that argument. When have you ever been right about that?”
Thann whirls around to try to defend his back. The entire room seems to spin wildly out of his control.
John: “Great! The darts are drugged.”
As his world tilts wildly to one side, he sees Baboon slump to the floor. The effect of the drug washes over him and all goes dark.
Wil hears the sudden commotion from the loft area and begins to climb the ladder. Ecco is next in line, followed by SaraLynn. Both women are waiting for Wil to get up the ladder before climbing after him. A moment later, they have their own problems to worry about as several of the stalls around them suddenly disgorge several gargoyles.
Paula: “It’s a trap! I told you it was a trap!”
Neal: “Shut up and shoot something!”
Wil makes it up the ladder in time to be blocked by a gargoyle standing right at the top. Wil draws forth Excalibur.
GM: “You do realize that you’re at the top of a ladder, firing explosive bullets at point-blank range…don’t you?”
Neal: “Yes.”
John: “Why not…for all he knows these bullets he got from Buck may not even work.”
GM: “Be quiet. You’re asleep.”
Wil fires the gun. The bullet blows the lower abdominal region clear out of the gargoyle. The concussion throws him backward. With a titanic effort, he tries to regain his hold on the ladder, barely latching onto a rung as he begins to fall. Wil is dazed and just barely hanging on. Below him, Ecco and SaraLynn are firing wildly at the gargoyles around them. SaraLynn is hit with a dart. Ecco tries to get up the ladder to assist Wil, and then she is hit by a dart as well.
Wil looks above him and sees at least two gargoyles peering down at him. He looks below and sees two more closing in on SaraLynn at the bottom of the ladder. Suddenly, he just wishes he were somewhere else…
Wil looks around. He is standing on the plain of the Prometheus proto-dimension. Behind him is the dark rend of an open dimension-walk portal…
SaraLynn looks up through the hazy, dizzying effect of the drug. It looks as if Wil has just disappeared off the ladder, leaving a dark smear floating in the air. SaraLynn tries to move toward the ladder, but is losing control of her limbs. She sees Ecco, still clinging to the ladder. Ecco appears to be having similar difficulties controlling her limbs. As SaraLynn hits the ground, she sees the small dart sticking out of Ecco’s leg. She thrusts out her hand and knocks the dart out of Ecco’s leg…
Peering back through the dark smear of the portal, Wil sees Ecco struggling against the effects of drug, and SaraLynn collapse to the ground. He reaches back through, grabs Ecco’s arms, and hauls her through the portal. He lays Ecco on the ground and turns back to grab SaraLynn. Unfortunately, he is too late. The portal has sealed itself. His cry of frustration is answered by the shriek of metal vultures…
Ecco moans and struggles to sit up. Already, the backward time-flow of the dimension is reversing the effect of the drug.
WIL: “Are you strong enough to stand? We have to go back.”
ECCO: “I think so.”
Wil concentrates, trying to duplicate the process that created the portal in the first place. Slowly a rift opens before him, spreading like a dark stain on the air. He takes Ecco’s hand, and together they leap through…into the front yard of the Simpson place!
WIL: “Dang…”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, Enise and Meeho hear the gunfire erupt, and the surprised cries of the others.
MEEHO: “SaraLynn was right. It’s a trap.”
ENISE: “We’ve got to go help them.”
MEEHO: “It might be better to go for help…”
Throwing a look of contempt in his direction, Enise scales the wall and heads toward the north side of the barn. Meeho watches her disappear over the wall, and listens to the sound of her feet rustling through the tall grass on the other side. It suddenly dawns on him that he is all alone on this side of the wall. A moment later, he scampers over the wall and runs after the doctor.
Enise reaches the barn first, and looks up into the open hayloft window. Four gargoyles stand in the window, looking expectantly down at her. Meeho finally catches up behind her and gasps at the figures in the window.
MEEHO: “I think it’s time for a strategic withdrawal.”
ENISE: “We’re not leaving them.”
MEEHO: “There may not be anyone to leave. Do you hear any more shooting?”
ENISE: “But they just might be hurt…”
MEEHO: “Enise, our best fighters went in there, and the enemy is still standing. What chance do we have?”
Enise is obviously torn between her desire to help and Meeho’s logic. Suddenly a small object plinks into the ground next to her feet. She looks up and sees two of the gargoyles aiming blow-guns at her.
ENISE: “Fine…we’ll go back to the Simpson place. But we will come back for our people.”
Act 3 – The Cage ( “Did I mention, there is no cure?” )
Thann awoke with a start. As his vision cleared, he realized that he was no longer in the barn. He was sitting on a short, dirty cot in the corner of an even dirtier cell. There was no window in the room, but the barred doorway afforded him a view into a larger, open area. That area, for the moment was shrouded in darkness. Through the gloom, he could see the wall on the right side of the room, and it appeared to be lined with cell doors just like his own. Although he could tell the room extended further to the left, he could see nothing in that direction. He stood slowly to his feet, and took a tentative step toward the door. His right foot felt as if it weighed a ton, but he slid it forward anyway. Halfway across the room, he discovered that his right ankle was firmly latched into an iron manacle, which in turn was attached to a six foot chain that was bolted to a wall-ring at the foot of the cot. He couldn’t quite reach the door. He squatted down and tried to pry the manacle apart. It looked as if it had been welded shut by his jailer…whoever that was. The chain was dull and dirty, but showed no signs of rust. The ring as was thick and strong as well, and judging from the size of the bolts holding the ring plate against the wall, he was stuck until somebody with a laser, hacksaw, blowtorch, or all three decided to release him.
THANN: “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”
From somewhere outside his line of sight, he heard a heavy grunt and the sound of a chain dragging across the stone floor. The creature making the sound must have been quite large, because he could hear it exhale a huge gurgling breath. It emitted a long grunt, paused, and then grunted again. The sound of the chain rattling on the stones became more prominent and the grunts more insistent.
THANN: “Hello?”
BABOON: “…Th…Thann?”
THANN: “Baboon! Where are you?”
BABOON: “I don’t know…it looks like a cell of some kind. I’m chained to the wall by an anklet.”
THANN: “Me too. Can you reach the cell door?”
BABOON: “No. The chain isn’t long enough.”
THANN: “What can you see?”
BABOON: “I don’t know, a large room. A tall cabinet, a metal table, and a small computer of some kind.”
Suddenly Thann heard a sound like a big metal door being unlatched and grating open. The room outside the cells filled with bright light as big overhead fluorescents flickered to life.
BABOON: “Hey, you in the robe! Hey!”
Thann lies down on the floor, stretching his body toward the bars, so he can get a better vantage point on the room. There are two guys in hooded robes. They’re carrying a woman into the room. It looks like SaraLynn, and she’s unconscious.”
BABOON: “Hey Asshole! I’m talking to you!”
The two figures drag her toward the table and lay her out on it.
BABOON: “Hey! Robe-guy! Leave her alone. Let us out of here! Well gee…it’s about time you notice me. Yeah, come on over here and open this door.”
Thann hears the rattling of a key in a lock and the squeak of the cell door hinges.
BABOON: “This chain is too…Hey! What’s with the stick?”
*ZAP!*
John: “Damn. These guys have stun sticks too.”
After a few minutes, Thann finally hears another voice. It sounds as if it is approaching from a far distance, echoing off the stone walls of a hallway. Eventually the voice is loud enough for Thann to be able to make out the words…
JACOBY: “…No! Get back to the main hall and finish cleaning. We must be ready for his arrival. Go. Now!”
He hears small shuffling footsteps enter the outer chamber, although he cannot see the entrance.
JACOBY: “Ah, very good, you have the next one ready for treatment. Hand me that syringe please. Thank you.” Thann can only sit and listen as the newcomer makes comment after comment…”Good. Good strong heartbeat, it’s filling up nicely. Okay, now listen carefully. Take this to the cooler and code this one as sample 17-J. Do you understand?” There is a another long pause while sounds of someone shuffling small surgical appliances around on a tray. “Okay, you two…put her in that cell over there.”
The robed figures do not speak as they carry SaraLynn’s unconscious form. They place her in one of the cells along the wall to Thann’s right. After they disappear inside the cell, he hears the sound of a chain being dragged. Moments later the brilliant blue-white light of an arc-welder lights SaraLynn’s cell. The two figures exit the cell and walk briskly back to the left. He hears shuffling footsteps, and then a man in a dark gray lab coat is standing in front of Thann’s cell door. The man is completely bald, and peers and Thann over the top of his spectacles.
JOCOBY: “I see you are awake.”
Thann merely nods.
JACOBY: “And you can hold your tongue as well. That isn’t necessary, we will be working very closely together over the next few days, I feel communication is important.”
THANN: “What am I doing here?”
JACOBY: “I should ask you that. What are you doing snooping around my home?”
THANN: “We were looking for something that belonged to us.”
JACOBY: “Are you in the habit of looking for your property in other people’s homes?”
THANN: “We were told it was in your barn.”
JACOBY: “Really…who sent you?”
THANN: “Nobody. We are looking for something.”
JACOBY: “And what made you think you’d find that something in my barn?”
THANN: “Because that is where the Inertial Locator lead us.”
JACOBY: (surprised) “Inertial locator! Well, I’ll be damned. The trap worked after all. Sebastian will be pleased.”
SARALYNN: “Hello? Hello?”
THANN: “It’s me, Thann. Baboon’s here too. He may still be unconscious…they zapped him with something.”
SARALYNN: “Oh.”
THANN: “Listen, when they brought you in, I think they gave you a shot, or possibly drew some blood.”
SARALYNN: “Huh…oh yeah, I guess they drew blood, there’s a definite needle hole on my arm. It’s bruising up pretty good, apparently they weren’t very gentle about it.”
THANN: (looking down at his own arm, at the bruised needle mark) “No, I guess they weren’t. I didn’t notice it myself until a little while after talking to our host.”
SaraLynn decides to attempt a trance-state to contact Wil. She musters up her empathic powers and cries out to Wil. She gets the impression that no one is listening. Just then, another robed figure walks in, pushing a wheeled cart which held trays of food. He worked his way around the room, sliding the trays into each of their cells. The trays contain bowls of steaming gruel, as well as bowls of milk. He then left the room.
THANN: “Well, at least they aren’t going to starve us.”
SARALYNN: “I want to try astral travel to look around the cell block.”
GM: “Hmm…you’re pretty hungry. If you ate something, you’d have a better chance of success.”
The large creature in the cell across from SaraLynn’s began making serious slurping and smacking sounds as it too, was apparently being fed. It grunted occasionally as it hungrily devoured the contents of its tray.
BABOON: “I hate oatmeal.”
THANN: “Nice of them to give us spoons. This mash is too hot to eat without one.”
SARALYNN: “Pour the milk over it. That’ll cool it off.”
They ate the rest of the meal in silence, and then pushed the trays under their cots. If their captors wanted the dishes back, they were going to have to open the cages to get them.
Paula: “Okay, NOW I’ll try the astral travel.”
GM: “Okay, but you suddenly feel really tired.”
Paula: “Come on!”
GM: “You weren’t feeling this tired a second ago, but now you feel EXTREMELY fatigued.”
John: “Am I getting tired too?”
GM: “Yep!”
John: “I knew it. The food was drugged.”
SaraLynn attempted to keep herself awake with bio-feedback techniques, but eventually, the tranquilizer overcame her. Thann also fought against the effect of the drug, but to no avail. Before he even realized it, he felt hands on his arms, and looked up into the blackened hood of one of the guards. The guard was forcing him to lie back on the cot, and his drugged body was unable to put up even token resistance. Thann summoned all of his will and managed to force his hand up to the hood over the guard’s head. The hood dropped away revealing the sharp-beaked face, and blood-shot yellow eyes of a gargoyle. The creature’s hands reached up and forced his hand back down to his side.
JACOBY: “There’s no use struggling. You will not break Raymond’s grip. I am allowed a great deal of latitude in the course of my experiments. I’ve been curious about alternate uses for Sebastian’s virus. You’ve struck me as a rather rational individual. It would be a shame to have to destroy your mind. But, seeing as I am pressed for test subjects, I still must try to gain some knowledge from you. Perhaps you will manage to survive the experiment with your sanity intact. In any case, the results should be very intriguing.”
Thann felt the sharp prick of a needle on his shoulder and whatever tentative hold he had on consciousness was stripped unceremoniously away.
SARALYNN: “Thann! Wake up!”
Thann heard Baboon and SaraLynn from very far away. Too tired…need more sleep.
SARALYNN: “Thann! Wake up! Pull the needle out!”
Thann tried to ignore her. He wanted to sleep.
SARALYNN: “Thann! You’ve got to wake up. The IV drip is keeping you sedated. Pull it out!”
He looked down at his arm. Sure enough, there was an IV drip bag hanging on a hook above the cot. A tube ran down and into his arm. He grabbed the needle and, after pulling off the tape holding it in place, ripped it from his arm.
THANN: “Ow!”
SARALYNN: “Any idea what he pumped into us?”
THANN: “Before I went under, he said something to me…something about a virus. He wants to see what it will do to us.”
There was a long silence from the other two. SaraLynn was the first to utter a sound, but the one she chose to begin with came out more as a choked sob. “Oh god.”
BABOON: “How do you guys feel?”
SARALYNN: “I think I’m going to throw up.”
BABOON: “Maybe he’s playing with our minds. I feel just fine.”
Doctor Jacoby was asking questions about how they felt, and marking down responses on a chart, when one of the robed gargoyles came in and whispered something into his ear.
JACOBY: “He’s here? Excellent.”
And the two of them left. For some reason, this statement gave Thann a terrible feeling in his stomach. He didn’t even hear the cell-block door open. He didn’t hear footsteps. He didn’t even notice the shadow fall across the floor outside his cell. He did hear the voice,
SEBASTIAN: “Well, we meet again. I guess this is a small planet after all.”
THANN: “Sebastian…”
SEBASTIAN: “My master was most displeased when your meddlesome crew managed to escape the Volaris base. That I should have found you again with so simple a trap, is too ironic. I am going to enjoy seeing you added to my…collection.”
THANN: “Look. All we want is to go home.”
SEBASTIAN: “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. My master tells me that your party plays an important part in the final battle. For my part, I will content myself with making sure that as few of you as possible live to enter that conflict.”
THANN: “What battle are you talking about?”
SEBASTIAN: “Why the culmination of the epic struggle between good and evil, of course! It is closer than any of you realize.” Again Sebastian smiled. “We win, of course.”
THANN: “Of course. What if I just promise not to fight you?”
SEBASTIAN: “You’ve no doubt wondered about the injection Dr. Jocoby has given you.”
THANN: “Wasn’t even going to ask…”
SEBASTIAN: “A small virus…quite undetectable by your medical techniques. I created it myself, you know. Dr. Jocoby has been referring to it as ‘Sebastians Virus’.” He frowns. “Rather a bland name don’t you think?”
THANN: “Oh, I don’t know, egomaniacs like you always like naming things after themselves.”
SEBASTIAN: “You are most amusing Thann. Perhaps I will allow you to attend me in my palace. Perhaps as court jester.”
THANN: (shrugging) “Whatever.”
SEBASTIAN (turning to SaraLynn) “I believe your friends in the Talamasca would classify it as an Empathic Mutagen. I find that name a little too stiff.”
SARALYNN: “So, what do you call it?”
SEBASTIAN: “Well now, that depends on what I’m using it for, I suppose. Let’s think of a name for it, then shall we? Let’s see. It is untreatable. It lies dormant in the victims bloodstream until it is activated by a simple mental command from me. The effects of the virus depend on the strain that Dr. Jocoby has given you. The only thing all of the strains have in common…is that the pain they produce…is exquisite. It is the kind of pain that profoundly changes a person. If the pain alone doesn’t drive you mad, the effects of the mutagen undoubtedly will.” Sebastian’s lips tightened into a smile. “Did I mention that there is no cure?”
SARALYNN: (voice cracking slightly) “Yes…you did.”
SEBASTIAN: “Oh dear, we still haven’t thought of a name. Well, I have an idea SaraLynn. I’ll let you name it.”
THANN: “That really isn’t necessary…”
SEBASTIAN: “Oh, but it is, Thann. Tell you what. I’ll just leave you to think on it for a while. I’m sure you’ll think of a great many names over the course of the next forty-eight hours.” Sebastian closed his eyes, and suddenly the unseen heavy breather began to yowl furiously. Sebastian’s eyes closed again and Baboon began screaming as well. Sebastian turned on SaraLynn.
Paula: “I try to shield myself…”
SaraLynn is engulfed by an agony so intense that she has no thought for anything but the pain. At the sound of her agonized scream, Sebastian’s smile spread across his entire face. The cacophony of sound was now reaching deafening proportions.
SEBASTIAN: “Beg me Thann. Get on your knees and beg me to make it stop.”
The screams were still continuous. Thann couldn’t imagine how they could keep their vocal chords from ripping at that level. He attempts to brace himself for the pain.
THANN: “I don’t beg.”
And suddenly Thann’s body erupted in agony. It felt like his blood was boiling out through every pour in his body. Every nerve ending in his body was alight with pain. The only positive aspect was that he no longer had to listen to the others screaming. His own screams drowned them out completely.
Act 4 – The Return ( “Welcome to the Fun-House!” )
Early the next morning, a rental car pulls up outside the Simpson place. Jay gets out and walks up to the front door. He has two normal hands, and is carrying a small duffel bag.
ENISE: “What’s in the bag?”
JAY: “Chainsaw.”
ENISE: “Cool!”
Enise, Jay, Wil, Ecco, and Meeho drive the panel van back to the Jacoby place. Parking the van outside the main gate, they check to see if this obvious entryway has been locked. The gate is unlocked, so Enise leads the group across the field toward the barn.
MEEHO: “We’ve been to the barn. What if there’s another trap.”
ENISE: “We have to start looking somewhere.”
MEEHO: “I’ll guard the back-side of the barn. It’s the least likely place that an attack will come from.”
ENISE: “Get that gun away from my head.”
Jay and Wil slide the large barn door open and look into the dimly-lit barn. They stand in the doorway, looking for Gargoyle sign.
JAY: “There are at least two in the loft, one down on the left, and one on the right.
WIL: “How can you tell? Can you see infrared?”
JAY: “No. Movement Sensors are picking up the clouds of dust they kicked up trying to hide.”
Wil looks down at the dry straw littering the floor of the barn. Next he digs his fingernail into the wood of the barn wall. He grins.
WIL: “We don’t have to go in. It will burn.”
While Wil runs back to the van for a super-soaker, the others decide to check out possible entrances to the house. The storm cellar door is apparently unlocked, and seems like a likely entryway. They see Wil start spraying gasoline onto the outer walls of the barn.
Neal: “Let’s open the door and hit-the-hay.”
Wil finishes his flambeau preparations by running a ten-foot gasoline fuse toward the outhouse and hitting it with a Zippo. The flames shoot across dry lawn and immediately catch on the bone-dry wood. The party stands poised on the brink of entering the cellar, watching the barn. As the smoke thickens, several Gargoyles are seen bolting out the front door, and gliding out of the hayloft.
JAY: “That’s it. We go in.”
The first room in the basement is more than large enough for the entire party to occupy. It has three closed-doors on the three interior walls. As Jay enters, he spots a barred door that is hinged into the ceiling. It is set up so once someone shuts the basement door, the bars will swing down and latch into place over the only exit.
JAY: “Watch it you guys. There’s a trap in here.”
Jay leads the way to the door on the left. Wil is close on his heels. Jay grabs the door handle, and deftly steps aside while opening it, effectively leaving Wil in plain view of anything in the room. The washer and dryer therefore have clean shots at Wil! However, since they are unarmed, they do not fire. The laundry room contains a chest-style freezer and a water heater, but otherwise appears to contain nothing of interest.
Jay and Wil line up again on the right-hand door. Jay throws it open and hides behind it. Wil hides against the other side of the door frame leaving Enise in plain sight. As the door in front of her swings open, she sees a door on the opposite side of the next room swing shut.
ENISE: “Being a little cautious, aren’t you Jay?”
Enise sprints forward and throws the door open. Standing before her is a seven-foot tall werewolf, which reaches out and slashes her across the chest.
Becky: “Damn it, I need those!”
She reaches into her med-kit, pulls out a hypo-spray and injects a large dose of tranquilizers into the werewolf. She then turns and sprints back toward the rest of the party. Fortunately for Enise, Jay’s tracking system spots the second werewolf as it lunges at her from the doorway on her left. He lunges forward with the chainsaw revving. Enise and Jay deal swift damage to the werewolf, who turns to run back the way he came. Jay, never one to leave an opponent standing, rushes after the wolf. Wil, never one to miss out on using Excalibur, sprints after him.
MEEHO: “I’ll just stand here next to the open basement door…and guard our escape route.”
Enise walks back into the first room, gives Meeho a look of contempt, and flings open the third door. Standing right in front of her is Sebastian Gailbraith.
Becky: “Waaaah!”
SEBASTIAN: “Welcome to the Fun-House!”
Before Enise or Ecco can even react, Sebastian disappears, accompanied by a strong blast of wind. The wind, catches the basement door, and swings it violently shut. The door catches Meeho squarely across the chest and flings him backward out of the house. The barred gate swings down and latches in place. Wil, returning from watching Jay rip the legs off the fleeing wolf looks with interest at the sprung trap.
WIL: “Way to go.”
ENISE: “Wil! I just saw Sebastian!”
Jay engages Tactical-Mode to look for secret doors in the room. His visual sensors tell reveal nothing, and so he returns to the rest of the group. He sees the sprung trap and shakes his head in disbelief.
JAY: “I warned you about that!”
Ecco is trying to talk to Meeho through own of the small basement windows.
MEEHO: “I’ll just go over to Morty’s and look for a blowtorch or something.”
Enise, in the mean time has begun exploring the room in which Sebastian appeared. One by one, Wil, Jay and finally Ecco walk into the room. Suddenly they see an image of SaraLynn reflected in one of the mirrors. The image of SaraLynn suddenly grabs the sides of her head and screams blood-curdlingly. The image then vanishes.
JAY: “That mirror we just saw her in…it’s a door.”
The mirror swings aside, revealing the entrance to a long perpendicular hallway that apparently runs the entire length of the house. There are numerous shut doors in both directions. Ecco walks down the hall to the left, Jay walks down the hall to the right, Enise follows Jay but stops at the next door, and Wil backtracks to the room where the werewolf was killed. He decides that maybe a physical examination of that wall will bear some fruit. After all, that wolf thought he was running somewhere… He finds a trap-door under the carpet in the corner. He looks down into the dank sewer tunnel, lined with cobwebs and the occasional scurrying cockroach and moans in disgust.
Ecco opens the door at the end of the hall. It opens into a store-room filled with cardboard boxes.
Enise opens the door before her and finds herself face-to-muzzle with another werewolf.”
Becky: “Oh no! Not again!”
She quickly slams the door shut and backs away, drawing her gun.
Becky: “I’m ready for him.”
Jay has reached the end of the hallway, ignoring any doors he has passed. The end of the hall has been bricked up, from floor-to-ceiling. The word “Exit” has been spray-painted across the bricks. Jay presses one of the bricks inward and feels resistance, as if something is pressing back. He pushes the brick all the way through and suddenly finds himself caught in a torrential flood of water pouring through the hole! The force of the water brings the rest of the bricks crashing down around him, revealing a single leaky water pipe, and the real basement wall emblazoned with the word “Not!”
Enise continues to cover the werewolf door.
ENISE: “Where the hell is it? Why hasn’t it come out yet?”
Ecco notes Enise’s vigilant stance and goes back to find Wil. She and Wil venture down into the tunnel.
Jay has opened the first door at the end of the hall. The room has a row of clotheslines against one wall, and a number of bed sheets hanging from them. There is also an overturned box with an 8mm movie projector set upon it and pointing at the make-shift movie screen/bed sheet. A lone chair sits in the center of the room.
JAY: “Cool. Entertainment.”
As soon a Jay sits down, the movie projector starts up and begins displaying a series of images. They show a scientist-type guy injecting a human with a yellowish fluid. Then it shows the person sitting in a cell, obviously quite frightened. Next it shows the person suddenly begin screaming and thrashing about the cage. The scene then shifts to a large cocoon in the center of the cell floor. The last scene shows the scientist helping a werewolf come out of the cocoon. The camera then stops, frozen on a single frame of Sebastian Gailbraith, wearing an Uncle-Sam hat, and pointing his finger at the audience.
JAY: “I get it. It’s like ‘Sebastian wants you.'”
SEBASTIAN: “Why yes. I do.”
Jay, suddenly startled by the voice behind him, whirls around to face Sebastian.
SEBASTIAN: “Yes. I could use someone like you in my organization. Join me.”
JAY: “Forget it.”
SEBASTIAN: “As you wish….” and then disappears.
Jay takes the film reel off the camera and heads out into the hall again.
The sudden distant sound of gunshots outside attracts Enise’s attention, and she goes to the window to see if it has anything to do with Meeho. Unfortunately, she can’t see anything.
Under the basement, Wil and Ecco carefully pick their way along the sewer. They eventually come to another trapdoor. This one, however doesn’t have a ladder going up. They manage to pull the spring-loaded door down and look up into a 9x9ft padded cell. The trapdoor is in the center 3×3 padded-tile of the floor.
WIL: “Forget this, we continue down the hall.
Jay checks the door across from the screening room and finds a fully-stocked bar.
Ben: “Is there any tequila?
GM: “Yeah…the really good kind with the worm in the bottle.”
Ben: “I take a shot of the tequila to steady my nerves…but I do NOT swallow the worm…I’ve seen Poltergeist 2.”
Enise decides to head back for the werewolf door and manages to meet up with Jay, just as he arrives there.
JAY: “I don’t get why this thing hasn’t attacked us yet…”
Jay opens the door, revealing once again the tall werewolf. The creature lunges forward, presses it’s mouth against the glass pane which separates him from the party and exhales, creating a wolfie-blowfish effect. Behind the wolf is an obvious spiral staircase going up to the next floor.
Wil and Ecco come up to another ladder. They climb it, and to their shock, find themselves right where they started in the room with the dead werewolf.
WIL: “What the hell….”
Jay steps back and hits the glass divider with the revving chainsaw. He manages to grind a small imperfection into the glass, but fails to shatter it. He then makes a series of attempts to break through the glass by throwing his shoulder against it. These attempts also fail.
Ben: “What are these walls made of?”
GM: “Plaster-board.”
Ben: (exasperated) Then what am I wasting my time for…”
The chainsaw revs….
Wil tries marking the right side of the tunnel with X’s as he travels back toward the padded cell room. Immediately after passing it, he sees the same X’s appearing on the left side of the tunnel. He has somehow been turned around again! In frustration, the two of them climb up into the padded cell, but as soon as they step on one of the other eight tiles, they are all revealed to be trapdoors down into similar tunnels.
WIL: “Forget this, let’s go back to the others.”
Jay is back in the projection room, about to try cutting through the wall into the stairwell. There is a new reel of film on the projector, so Jay flips it on. The film shows Jay himself, flinging himself at the glass divider. He then pulls out his gun and shoots the glass. The point of contact erupts into a lightning bolt which blasts the film-Jay in the chest. The scene then fades out.
JAY: “I don’t care anymore. I’m getting through this wall.”
After cutting a big “H” in the wall, Jay flings himself full force at the wall. Plaster flies in every direction. This time he is successful and finds himself in the stairway. Although the expects to find the wolf here, all he finds is Wil and Ecco, waiting for him. They had walked right through the doorway, unhindered by the now-missing sheet of glass.
ECCO: “Where do these stairs go?”
ENISE: “They go up.”
Act 5 – The Dinner Party ( “Green Gargoyles, and Ham” )
Jay pauses at the closed door at the top of the stairs. Taking a deep breath and brandishing the chainsaw, Jay throws the door open and bursts into the room above. The room is FULL of gargoyles, and every one of them is active. Some gargoyles bustle by carrying trays of crystal. Others hurry passed with trays of food or bottles of wine. There are gargoyles sweeping the floors, and gargoyles dusting. In fact, if you were to name any household chore, chances are, one of these gargoyles was busily tackling the task. There is a large dining room table heaped high with food. Through the windows beyond the table, the party can see the barn, merrily burning to the ground. Despite the huge clouds of white smoke belching into the afternoon sky, the gargoyles continue unperturbed.
Neal: “We’ve just walked into a Dr. Seuss book…”
Every gargoyle seems to have a specific task to perform. All that is, except one who stands in the center of the room directing the flow of activity. This gargoyle, dressed in a tuxedo, of all things, sees the party emerge from the basement, and hurries over to them. The gargoyle stops in front of Jay, places its hand firmly against Jay’s chest and plants it’s feet on the floor. Then, making some small grumbling sounds, it bows to the party, and with a flourish, points toward a nearby bathroom door.
JAY: “What the hell?”
The gargoyle seems intent on the party going to the washroom. It even pantomimes washing its hands and face. It then points toward the door again.
JAY: “No way.”
GARGOYLE(pointing): *Grunt*
JAY: “NO!”
GARGOYLE: *GRUNT*
Jay pushes the gargoyle aside and walks into the kitchen. The kitchen is like the dining area…full of busy gargoyles. Here, gargoyle chefs stand over mixing bowls and steaming pots, cooking away to their hearts content. Dazed and confused, Jay returns to the dining room and is once again confronted by the little gargoyle.
JAY: “All right already! I’ll go wash up!”
The washroom is spotless. The gleaming sink has a small soapdish at one end. On a series of racks surrounding the room are a set of monogrammed, matching towels. The towels each bear a name in colorful script:
“Enise”, “Wil”, “Ecco”, “Jay” and “Joshua”.
ENISE: “This is too weird.”
ECCO: “How did they know our names?”
WIL: “Who the hell is Joshua?”
The doctor turns to see Jay’s reaction to all this, but he is no longer standing in the room. She sees him running down the hall, and then turns to flee down the basement steps. Enise signals for the others to follow, and together they chase after Jay. When they find him, Jay is all the way back by the barred exit in the basement. He is sitting in the corner of the room, hugging his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth and making small moaning sounds.
This turn of events seems to galvanize Enise into action. She walks purposefully toward the end of the long hallway where the brick wall was. She reaches up and tries to unlatch the high basement window. The window slides open without hesitation. The Wil and Ecco help Jay to his feet and half-carry him after Enise. The three of them boost Jay up and out of the basement. Then, one-by-one, they help each other through the window and out onto the side lawn.
Then, single-file, the party walks straight toward the front gate. This path brings them passed a gargoyle, who is sitting on a rock next to the burning barn. He has a long twig, and a bag a small white cylinders. The gargoyle has placed one of the cylinders on the end of the twig, and is holding it over a section of flames. Ignoring this, they continue on, now passing in view of the front door of the house. Jay snaps out of his stupor and looks up at the house again…
JAY: “We never tried walking in the front door.”
Wil (shaking his head in resignation): “Sure. Why not?”
ENISE: “At this point, I don’t care anymore.”
Jay climbs the front steps and presses the doorbell button. The door opens without hesitation, revealing the tuxedo-clad gargoyle with the cleanliness fetish. He bows to the party and bids them enter. Jay walks straight to the washroom, scrubs his face and hands and uses the towel with his name on it. Enise, Wil and Ecco do the same.
Ben: “Joshua’s towel. Has it been used?”
GM: “No.”
Ben: (With a sigh of relief): “Good.”
WIL: “Jay, who is Joshua?”
JAY: “Joshua…” he pauses, searching for the words, “…Joshua is an old friend…who died.”
The gargoyle leads the group to the dining room and helps each one of them into a seat. The chairs at the head and foot of the table are left empty.
SEBASTIAN: “Welcome to my home.”
At the sound of his voice, everyone turns toward the head of the table, to find their host already seated.
Neal: “Yeah…kind of figured.”
SEBASTIAN: “I am so happy that you chose to accept my invitation after all. I have had an exceptional menu prepared. Don’t be shy about asking for seconds on anything.”
Sebastian removes the fan-folded cloth napkin from his crystal goblet and lays it in his lap. A gargoyle standing against the wall behind him steps forward and fills the goblet with ice-water. Sebastian looks expectantly at the party members until they repeat the napkin maneuver and have filled goblets before them. The first course is then served, bowls of steaming soup are placed before everyone. Sebastian immediately begins to eat, pausing between spoonfuls to speak.
SEBASTIAN: “You can’t imagine how difficult you people have been to track down.”
WIL: “Maybe we didn’t want to be found.”
SEBASTIAN: “Ah but Wil…may I call you Wil? If it wasn’t for you, I might never have found any of you at all.”
WIL: “Me?”
SEBASTIAN: “Why yes! You have served as a veritable psychic beacon for me. Ever since you discovered your powers, you’ve been quite…how shall I put this…indiscreet in your utilization of them.”
Sebastian finishes his soup and the gargoyles step forward and clear the soup bowls. Nobody else has even touched their soup. Sebastian turns toward Jay as the salad plates are served.
SEBASTIAN: “Mr. Novachek. I do hope you will reconsider my offer. I could truly use someone with your abilities. I am sure you would find the assignments…most rewarding. Join me, and I will answer all of your questions.”
JAY: “My answer still stands.”
SEBASTIAN (frowning): “Now what would Joshua have to say about that?”
JAY: “…You don’t know anything about…”
SEBASTIAN: “Come come Jay. You will find that there is very little I do not know about.”
Once again, the plates of uneaten food are removed and another course is laid before them. Sebastian turns toward Enise.
SEBASTIAN: “How can you bear to work under these conditions? The hospitals here are primitive by your standards. It will be decades before their equipment matches your sophisticated tastes. I mean, you don’t even have the facilities to treat a simple head-wound.”
Enise doesn’t even reply to the obvious barb. She simply stands, tosses her napkin into her dinner, turns, and walks toward the front door.
SEBASTIAN: “Now, Now Doctor. We mustn’t be rude.”
Enise continues to ignore him and steps out onto the front porch. Sebastian seems genuinely reluctant to address the situation. With obvious resignation, he sighs and gestures to the tuxedo-clad gargoyle.
SEBASTIAN: “Raymond. The dogs.”
Raymond steps to the front door and presses a small remote-control unit on the wall. The sound of an automatic garage-door opener engaging can be heard.
Enise walks purposefully down the driveway toward the front gate. She can see the garage door on her left sliding open, but continues moving. Eight large werewolves come loping out of the open maw of the garage. They form a ring of snarling, muscular, furred bodies around Enise. Since she can no longer move, she sits calmly on the ground and sulks. The wolves, as if mocking her, sit down around her. From the front gate, she hears the sound of the van’s driver-side door opening and closing. Moments later, the engine roars to life. In a cloud of spitting gravel, Meeho starts the engine of the van and turns it back toward the Simpson place. The werewolves around her twitch their long ears expectantly in the direction of the retreating van, but remain seated. Within a moment, the dust on the road has settled, and the peaceful afternoon silence resumes.
Meanwhile, back at the dinner table, Sebastian has finished his salad and holds his plate out to one of the servants. The gargoyle loads the plate slabs of meat from the roast pig in the center serving tray.
WIL: “Where are our people?”
SEBASTIAN: “Hmm? Oh yes, your friends. I believe they’re in the lab with Doctor Jacoby. He mentioned something about needing their help with one of his experiments. Not to worry, you’ll see them soon.”, he looks down at the empty dinner plates around him. “You haven’t touched your food! Now you’ve hurt my feelings.”
JAY: “Why are you doing this? Why are you being so nice when we just torched a bunch of your gargoyles?”
SEBASTIAN: “Torched? Oh…the barn? Why Jay, you haven’t hurt any of the gargoyles.” He gestures toward a line of gargoyles against the west wall. They give the gargoyle equivalent of a grin and obligingly wave at Jay. “You see?”
ECCO(clearly frustrated): “What do you want with us?”
Sebastian ignores her question and finishes the last mouthful of food from his plate. As he puts the fork down, the gargoyles swoop in and clear the dinner dishes.
SEBASTIAN: “Would any of you care for dessert?…coffee?…anything?”
Once again, the group stares back in silence. That silence is broken by the sound of the basement door opening. Sebastian turns to look over Jay’s head at the far end of the room. A man in a white lab coat walks in and sits at the foot of the table.
JACOBY: “Excuse me Sebastian. I’m sorry I’m late.”
SEBASTIAN: “Nonsense Doctor! You are just in time. Raymond! Have the dogs bring the doctor back inside. It is time for our tour to begin.”
Sebastian and Jacoby lead the party down the basement steps. They take a left down to the end of the long hallway, and then turn right, going through the only door nobody bothered to check earlier.
Neal: “Oh now there’s a surprise.”
Another long hallway stretches out before them, and then turns sharply to the right. From somewhere up ahead, they can hear the sounds of shrieking. At the end of this hallway, there is a door in the right-hand wall. The screaming is coming from behind this door. Doctor Jacoby opens the door, and both he and Sebastian stand aside, motioning for the rest of the party to go on inside.
They enter a large square room with three of the walls lines with barred cells. Four of these cells contain writhing, shapeless mounds on the floor, which are the source of the screams.
ENISE: “You said you’d take us to our friends.”
SEBASTIAN: “But I have, Doctor.”, he gestures toward the cells. “I told you they were assisting Doctor Jacoby in the lab.”
Enise shuffles numbly toward the nearest shrieking mound. Whatever is in the cell, bears no resemblance to a human being. If anything, it looks like some form of chrysalis. She moves on to the next cell. Whatever is in this cell is similarly cocooned. She whirls back toward Sebastian, her fists clenching at her sides. Her anger bursts out:
ENISE: “What have you done to them!”
SEBASTIAN: “Just a little…redecorating.”
ECCO: “You’re sick! How could you do…this?”
SEBASTIAN: “You know…I don’t even know who you are! As a matter of fact, I have no use for you, either.”
Sebastian gestures to the gargoyle who had followed them downstairs.
SEBASTIAN: “Raymond! Kindly cage this one.”
The gargoyle steps forward and grabs Ecco’s shoulder. Despite his size, he is clearly, quite strong, and easily pushes her toward a nearby cell.
Ben: “That’s it. I shoot at Jacoby.”
GM: “Why would you do that?”
Ben: “Because I know HE can be killed.”
GM: “Okay…roll.”
Ben: “19. Shit.”
Jay pulls out a gun and fires at Jacoby. The shot goes wide. A clean miss. Taking his cue, the others draw their weapons and begin firing at Jacoby as well.
Neal: “Then I shoot! I got a *roll*roll*roll* 17.”
Becky: “Me too. 20…damn!”
Ben: “I try again. *roll* Miss.”
Neal: “Shit!”
Kristen: “I miss too.”
SEBASTIAN: “Tsk tsk…no shooting the good doctor…”
Becky: “This sucks. You aren’t even letting us shoot this asshole.”
GM: “Me?!!! You are the guys rolling the dice.”
Becky: “I pull out the hypo and inject Sebastian with Tranquilizer.”
GM (shocked): “…that…was…very good.”
Enise reaches into her satchel and pulls out her hypo-spray. Sebastian is too busy watching Jacoby dodge bullets to even notice her. A moment later, the hypo spray hisses against his neck. Sebastian suddenly stiffens and turns back toward the Doctor. She feels a sudden pressure on her mind, as if she is being mentally crushed by Sebastian’s stare. Then, as quickly as it began, the pressure eases off. Sebastian slumps down onto his knees. The look of fury in his eyes melts into amusement.
SEBASTIAN: “Bravo, doctor. I…salute you.”
The grin spreads furthur across his face, and he begins to chuckly softly. He has a very contented look on his face as he falls backward onto the floor. Jacoby and the gargoyle bolt from the room. Sebastian is just laying immobile on his back, laughing deliriously. Jay lurches toward Sebastian’s inert form, the chainsaw on his hand revving to life.
JAY: “Stop laughing, you bastard!”
He jumps onto Sebastian’s chest and brings the whirring blade across his neck. As his head is separated from his body, a bright light issues forth from the open neck. The light, resembling a glowing white cloud drifts out of the body and hovers over them. The sound of Sebastian’s laughter is now louder, resonating from the cloud itself. Then with a gale-force wind, the cloud bursts though the hall door…and is gone.
JAY: “I think I got him.”
WIL: “I think you let him go.”
Act 6 – Lab Rats ( “Okay…what am I?” )
The group members are utterly stunned…as if they are in shock.
Becky: “This is hopeless. We’re trapped down here.”
GM: “The door isn’t locked.”
Ben: “There’s a house full of gargoyles up there!”
Neal: “We’re fucked.”
GM: “Maybe you should send someone upstairs to verify that.”
Becky: “No. I’m just going to sit right here and wait.”
The group sits in the center of the cellblock. Around them, the shriek of the things in the cages continue. It is really starting to get annoying. Finally, Enise opens the nearest cell door, and moves toward the writhing mass. She pulls a scalpel out of her medical kit, and cuts into the skin of the cocoon. Despite the stench within, she manages to open the cocoon, and get a good look at the pupae inside. What she sees, is a shiny, pink fetus-like creature, that resembles…to a certain extent…Baboon. She moves to the next cell, and repeats the operation on the next cocoon. To her shock, this one looks very similar to the first…resembling Baboon as well. The next two cocoons are different. These pupae looks more like SaraLynn than anything else.
ENISE: “Two Baboons, and two SaraLynns. Where the hell is Thann?”
Ultimately, Jay’s curiosity gets the better of him and he sneaks upstairs to reconnoiter. The basement appears deserted, as does the main floor of the house. In fact, there isn’t a person, gargoyle, or werewolf to be seen anywhere. The smoldering bonfire that was the barn remains visible through the dining room windows. The remains of Sebastian’s dinner party are still on the dining room table. He steps out onto the front porch. There is an eerie silence out here, as if there isn’t a living creature around for miles. Then, he hears a sound. It is a low hum, that keeps changing pitch…getting higher, then shifting back down again. Soon the hum grows to a roar, and is accompanied by the sound of rusty springs being jarred by too many bumps. He sees the cloud of dust being thrown up on the other side of the wall, traveling along the road toward the front gate. The cloud takes a sharp turn to the right and the group’s panel van crashes through the wrought-iron gate. The van careens wildly down the driveway, and squeals to a sudden stop next to the front porch. Now, Jay can see the driver…a frantic, and wild-eyed Meeho.
By the time Meeho and Jay return to the Prison level, Enise has found Doctor Jacoby’s lab notebook. This she is reading with great interest. She has determined that the notes hold the key to understanding the metamorphoses occurring in the cells, but needs time to find the appropriate information. She figures out that whatever is happening, will take 48 hours to reach its conclusion. And, since the screams are driving her insane, she administers a tranquilizer to the four creatures.
Over the course of the next day, the group essentially takes up residence in the house, waiting for the experiment downstairs to end. As time passes, one of the Baboon-things begins to look more like Baboon. The other starts to take on the characteristic look of a gargoyle. At the same time, one of the SaraLynn-things begins to look more like SaraLynn. The other starts to look more like a werewolf. At last, the four transformations end, and Enise allows each of them to awaken.
Subject J14: Baboon is the first to awaken. He looks wildly around the cell, cries out in surprise, and then cries out again, apparently shocked by his own voice. He completely ignores all attempts of Enise’s to communicate with him, and seems completely unconcerned with the fact that he is stark naked. Every time she tries to get near him, he just thrashes his arms wildly, until she backs off again. In the end he just curls up in the corner of the cell whimpering.
Subject J15: The gargoyle wakes up next. It sees Enise standing on the other side of the bars and rushes toward her. As it’s clawed hand reaches out through the bars, it pauses. It stands there for a moment, staring at it’s own hand with large yellow eyes. Next it looks down at its body and jumps backward in the cell. It looks up at her with a look of confusion…if not pity. It makes a series of raspy croaking sounds, and then whisper-croaks out a single word: “No”.
Subject J17: The werewolf awakens next. It’s agonized howl of shock forces Enise to abandon the gargoyle for the moment. The werewolf doesn’t seem to be able to speak, but is clearly upset with its situation.
Subject J16: Enise hears SaraLynn moan softly in the cell, and moves to look in at her. SaraLynn sits up and sees Enise almost immediately
John: “I can’t stand the suspense. Which one am I?”
Thann had no idea how long the pain lasted. It seemed as if he had been screaming forever. As time passed, the degree of pain did not so much diminish, as he developed a warped kind of immunity to it. He couldn’t open his eyes…as a matter of fact, he couldn’t move a muscle of his body at all. He could discern no external feeling whatsoever. All he had was his pain. It was the only thing he had to assure him that he was still alive. Eventually, he realized that the decrease in the degree of pain was due to it actually diminishing. The virus was running its course. After the pain had subsided, he continued to lay there. His body was slowly regaining a semblance of normal sensation. His skin felt cold and tingly, and there was a distinct ringing in his ears. He tried to call out to the others,
THANN: “Baboon?”
His voice sounded strange in his head, it sounded higher, and the dryness in his throat didn’t help. He cleared his throat and tried again,
THANN: “Baboon? SaraLynn?”
Still, there was no response. On top of that, his voice still didn’t sound right. He supposed that all the screaming had done some damage to his vocal chords. He looked up and saw Enise staring in at him through the bars of the cell. He tried to stand, and immediately had to lean his hand against the wall as the resulting head-rush blurred his vision. He stood there, with his head down, waiting for his vision to clear. The first thing he saw as focus returned was that he was naked. This realization was immediately superseded by a more pressing one. He had the body of a woman!
ENISE: “SaraLynn! Are you okay?”
THANN: “I’m not SaraLynn…I’m Thann.”
Enise regarded her patient with amusement.
ENISE: “Well, you might be Thann on the inside…but you are definitely SaraLynn on the outside. And we’d better get some clothes on you before the others get down here.”
It didn’t take long after that to figure out who was who after that. The werewolf was the real SaraLynn. The gargoyle…was Baboon. The Baboon, wasn’t anyone…but some animal that Jacoby had administered the virus to. Between the things Thann had been able to learn from Jacoby and Sebastian, and the things Enise had learned from the lab notes, they were able to piece the puzzle together. The Mutagen virus is impregnated with a DNA strand of the pattern you wish to create. Once activated, the virus seeks out every cell in the body, transforming it in favor of the new DNA coding. Enise had been taking blood samples from each of them all through the transformation, and was able to verify that the virus had left their system once it completed its task.
THANN: “So all we need to do is find the blood sample Jacoby originally took from us, and create a new virus strain with that DNA.”
The blood samples, were eventually found in the freezer in the laundry room. Enise spent the next two days trying to replicate the new virus’ in Jacoby’s genetics lab. Once that was accomplished, the appropriate injections were given to Thann, SaraLynn and Baboon.
ENISE: “Now what?”
THANN: “Now we find Sebastian and make him activate the virus.”
MEEHO: “I’m not real comfortable with this plan.”
WIL: “You said it was empathic? Maybe I can activate it.”
The next day was spent with Wil attempting to activate the virus. He had to rest between attempts, and so everyone was really getting on edge by the time he finally succeeded. It was too bad that the first reaction his three friends had upon his success was to begin shrieking in agony. Fortunately, Enise was on hand with sedatives. In two short days, all was right with the world.
THANN: “You know something? Sebastian kept telling me how we were fated to take part in the final battle against him. And up until he sprung his little trap on us, he was dead wrong. But now, he’s sealed that fate. I want this guy brought down. Now it’s personal.”
To be continued…
This adventure originally took place on May 16, 1994.