WillGM: Okay -- last time we signed off, we were in BA's dreamscape. BA, of course, does not know this. I must admit that I goofed a little on plot -- Nicole shouldn't have been able to enter. However, it's too good a scene to pass up, so we'll play it as a freak happenstance for the moment, and carry on with aplomb. WillGM: BA, of course, knows none of this. :^) BA: Of course :) Fearless: BA just knows that he's in his workshop where Raul and Ed are teaching poodles how to fly... with armed gliders BA: Last I knew, a flight harnessed poodle was divebombing me WillGM: The rest of you, if you so desire, may play small background parts. However, you are figments in BA's dreamscape and may be subject to various kinds of control. Nicole and the Seraph Eainéa are the only ones "real." That said, off we go! WillGM: ------------------------ Game Start ---------------------- Fearless: I'll just watch the insanity... WillGM: *slaps forehead* "No, wait, that's right, she can't get i-- oh, you did make it. Good." BA grabs the pnuematic nailgun from his toolbox and starts firing ten penny nails at the offending canines Nicole blinks a bit more at the crazy scene laid out in front of her. "Err..." WillGM: *headshake* "Been too long since I ran Marches duty. Forgetting my physics." WillGM: Hmm. Wonder what a nailgun's RoF is. BA: "Damn poodles!" Fearless: 2~ WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 9 15. Fearless: at best Nicole tries to clear her head a bit more. "What's going on here?" Fearless fades in. "BA's shooting poodles." *fades out* Nicole: "Thank you for the obvious statement." BA: Roll to strike? WillGM: *to Nicole* "Your friend is being accosted by something he reacts negatively to; the dream is darkening. It is our duty to shield him from the effects of Nightmare, and return the dream to Blandine's side of the Vale." Nicole: "Okay, but *how*?" WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 10. WillGM: *to Nicole* "You can alter the dream by act of will." She shows you a palm. "Suppose I desire fire to appear." She looks at her palm, where a brief tongue of flame flickers. "It can happen. The mind is source and forge of what occurs here." WillGM: "It can be harmed here, too. That is what I wish to prevent." BA tries to snatch a poodle out of the air and nail its furry ass to the floor Nicole: "Oh...kay." WillGM: BA: Your nailgun misses one poodle and clips the wing of another. Hornetlike, they buzz about and yip angrily. WillGM: "The poodles, admittedly, are new on me.² Nicole blinks a bit more, trying to figure out what to do. BA drops the nailgun, grabs the potato gun and starts firing Persians Fearless: "Go for the eyes, BA! Go for the eyes! RASK!" BA: *meowmeowmeowmeow* Nicole: "BA...is, ummm...pretty odd." WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 15. WillGM: Persians fail to appear. BA: Then I'm firing potatoes? WillGM: Do you *have* a potato gun in your shop? BA: Yep WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 13. WillGM: Unfortunately, its not very accurate, especially when firing wildly. A spud near-misses Nicole. Nicole closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and tries to cover ground between her and BA. Nicole: "Hey! Watch where you're firing that thing!" BA: *to Nicole* "What are you doing here?! Nevermind! Grab that fire axe and start swinging!" WillGM: Eainéa shouts, ducking a poodle, "Less violence! More calmness!" BA drops the spud gun, grabs a 9 iron out of his golf bag WillGM: Eainéa attempts to grab a glider out of the air. Nicole: "That would be more likely if the things were firing water guns..." WillGM: I should roll elsewhere... tossing up a GMScreen. WillGM: 2 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (2 3d6) and gets 8 11. WillGM: mischan, but oh well. BA: "FORE!" *swing* *** Mode change "+o Dicesuke" on #gurps by Fearless Nicole: "Ummm...why poodles?" BA: "Poodles are stupid, ugly, annoying, curly-haired, Frenchy pieces of crap! Worse than Japanese cars!" WillGM: Eainéa misses her poodle; two of them go after BA with the pistols. Raúl continues to cheer them on. WillGM: BA: response? BA: *swingswingswing* WillGM: BA counterattacks as the poodles fire; one poodle hits. Nicole: "Well, okay. Maybe think of something you like, or convince them to be your evil poodle army or something?" Nicole tries odd suggestions? Nicole thinks for a second, and looks over the mess again. BA: "Damn! If only I had started that evil empire while I was still in college! Idoaho would be mine!" WillGM: BA: As far as you know, you've just been shot in the gut by a poodle. BA: "OW!" BA pulls out his .45 and starts capping poodles WillGM: "We should get them out of here, otherwise this won't stop!" Nicole: "Right! But *how*?" Nicole: "BA? You got rope around here or something?" BA: "In the closet!² Nicole rolls over to the closet, hoping like hell this'll work. BA: Gay BA hops out of the closet! ;) WillGM: Eainéa conjures up a first aid kit and dashes over to BA's side. WillGM: *to BA* "This will heal the wound and cause it to stop hurting." BA: "Who cares! Kill poodles!" Nicole hmmms. Will? A descript of the place again? BA shoots at poodles, taking time to aim WillGM: Nicole: This is BA's shop. There is a supply closet over to the side nearer the house, an open space in the middle with track for RC cars, a workbench on the side nearer the outside, and two doors, one to the house and one to an RC track outside. WillGM: BA: You smack a poodle dead center. WillGM: It, and its harness, goes down. Nicole thinks a bit more, and then heads over to the outside door to open it? WillGM: There are vaguely three or four of them still leaping about. WillGM: Nicole: What's it look like outside? WillGM: (Or, what does Nicole *expect* it to look like outside?) Nicole: A park, I guess is the best way to explain what she'd be thinking. Lots of open space. WillGM: Sunlight floods in through the open door and birds tweet in the vague distance. Meanwhile, pistol fire is heard inside. WillGM: There is a very parklike space outside -- if that were BA's real backyard, he'd be living well indeed. Nicole laughs. "Hey doggies! I see a kitty!" BA 's id greatly desires poodle genocide BA 's ego greatly deires poodle genocide BA 's super-ego greatly desires poodle jell-o with strawberry sprinkles WillGM: BA's id is muchly in control here. WillGM: *to BA* "If you're so fired up to get them, stop shooting for a moment and let me treat you!" BA: "Later! Poodles must die!" Nicole: . o O (BA, I knew you were a stubborn git, but this is beyond irrational...) WillGM: One poodle drops his harness and bounds out the door. The three others take aim at BA once again. Two of them crash into each other in midair, falling to the floor with vague "woof"s; the third fires. WillGM: BA: Response? BA: Dodge and fire Nicole: "BA! Let 'em go! Live to fight another day!" WillGM: "My poor babies!" *dashes over to help them* WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 9. [ msg¹ing snipped ] Nicole looks at this strange hispanic dude, then looks up. "Where's the freaking ASPCA when you need them?" WillGM: By the way, UHF *does* exist in the game universe. BA: :) Edward: UHF? BA: Wierd Al movie WillGM: Ed: A movie starring Weird Al Yankovic. It's where I got this scene from. Edward: Ah, that one. Nicole: Oh. WillGM: Nicole: Feel free to have an epiphany and recognize it if you'd like. :^) Nicole: I've not seen the movie. Nicole: And something tells me Nicole may not have either. BA: Use Nature's Suction Cup! Use Nature's Suction Cup! BA: :) WillGM: Okay. WillGM: BA: You take another hit; some small part of you realizes that you really should be unconscious by now. WillGM: You're not, though; and the dream darkens. Sunlight no longer comes in through the open door. Nicole groans. BA: "Gah! Not tired! Didn't get... water! Or.. a... bedtime... story!" Fearless: *facedesk* WillGM: Nicole: The park is still there, but the day is clouded. Edward pulls out his gun and fires on the still-shooting poodle. "Get help, BA, I've got this one covered.² *BLAM* *BLAM* *BLAM* BA slumps against his work bench WillGM: BA: How good a shot is Ed? Nicole groans s'more. BA: Dunno WillGM: How good a shot does BA *think* Ed is? Edward: the one time he saw me shoot I put three bullets into Xav's shoulder BA: Probably a pretty good shot Nicole: "Is there any way we can pull him out the door and away from here?" BA: Ed: Yeah. You grouped those shots nicely WillGM: BA: Eainéa takes this opportunity to apply some sort of gauze patch to your side. "There. That should feel much better." WillGM: It does, in fact, feel remarkably warm and soft and, ooh, painless. [ snip msg¹ing ] BA think's he'll let Ed handle the poodles. Feeling fuzzy and comfortable. Soooooo warm. WillGM: Oddly, three shots cluster in a poodle shoulder. Whimpering, it falls to the ground. BA: *mutter* "Die, damn poodles." *mumble* WillGM: *to Nicole* (softly) "Pull who out?" Nicole goes after one of the remaining ones? Nicole shrugs. "I was thinking BA, but maybe getting that other dude out of here might make the dogs go away?" WillGM: "Good idea. I'll keep tending to BA." Nicole rolls up behind the Hispanic guy then. "Can I talk to you?" WillGM: "Eh?" BA: "Mmm... use a transformer to step up power. Need a seriesed set of gas chambers. Arc lamp. *mumble* WillGM: Raúl pauses in throwing another poodle into the air. Nicole: "Ummm, yeah. Why are you testing these things in an enclosed space?" Nicole: "The air currents are all wrong. You won't know if they work right until you take them outside." WillGM: He ponders momentarily... "Ey, that's not a bad idea!" WillGM: "Come on, Fifi! Here Mimi!" Nicole: "I figured you'd think so. And there's a whole big open area out that door." Edward shoots Fifi out of the air. WillGM: "Stop that, mayn!" Nicole: "Ed! Cut it out! He's taking 'em outside!" Edward stops firing WillGM: The dreamscape ripples a bit... WillGM: "Let's go, ladies. We don't have to put up with this." [ snip msg¹ing ] BA tosses Raul his turtle. "Don' f'rgit yer suction cup." Nicole nods, and helps him round up his dogs so he can take them outside. WillGM: Raúl and Nicole herd the dogs outside. Everyone else stays in the shop. [ snip msg¹ing ] WillGM: Nicole: as you exit BA's immediate awareness, the surroundings and the characters fade to vague impressions. You can see the boundary of the dreamscape in front of you. Nicole: "...BA needs to quit hitting the crack right before bed..." [ snip msg¹ing ] WillGM: "They're gone now. And this should be healing up nicely... feeling better?" Edward kneels next to BA and looks at Eainea. "How's he doing?" BA: More like an anime/Wierd Al overdose :) BA: "Are we there yet, Mommy?" WillGM: "I expect he'll be fine in a few minutes." Edward: "Good." WillGM: Nicole: what are you doing at this point? Nicole takes a few deep breaths and just stays there for a second... Fearless: *WHAP!* UHF, Those Who Hunt Elves, and now Tron refs... *WHAP* Nicole then tries to reenter the garage. WillGM: You do so, and things become considerably clearer. BA: It ain't easy being fan :) Nicole closes the door after she comes back in. [ snip msg¹ing ] Edward looks up at Nicole for a second, but then turns back to Eainea and BA. WillGM: Things are much quieter in here now, as Eainéa soothes BA. [ snip msg¹ing ] Nicole just shakes her head. Edward glances at the blood on the floor and surpresses most of a smirk while trying to help Eainea WillGM: "Not bad for your first time in a dreamscape, my dear. We should be well on our way back to our Lady's side soon." [ snip msg¹ing ] Nicole nods again. "Thanks." [ snip msg¹ing ] Edward fails to suppress a blink and a most un-Ed-like scowl crosses his face. WillGM: "At this point, it's probably best if you stepped out and got some sleep on your own. It's been a busy night. You recall how to do it?" [ snip msg¹ing ] Nicole: "Uhhh...not really. It's been ...uh, wild." BA starts hearing They Might Be Giants playing in the background Fearless: o/~ Dig My Grave! o/~ [ snip msg¹ing ] BA: o/~ She's actual size o/~ WillGM: "Imagine yourself falling asleep. Let the Marches surround you. Practice daydreaming, perhaps. I'll step out in a few minutes; if you haven't fallen asleep yet, I'll try to find you. WillGM: +" [ snip msg¹ing ] Nicole: "Okay. Outside?" WillGM: "Just step through boundary." Nicole: "Okay." Edward: "Hang on, I'll come with you. Could be dangerous for someone on her own outside right now..." Nicole nods and just attempts to do just that. Nicole: "...ummm, okay." Edward casually takes hold of the wheelchair and rolls 'cole outside WillGM: The dreamscape boundary ripples open and you are through. [ snip msg¹ing ] WillGM: Nicole: as you exit the dreamscape boundary, you hear a pair of footsteps behind you. "My my," says a female voice. "Usually they dream themselves into bodies with legs." Nicole blinks? Edward ... isn't. WillGM: Something that looks like Ed for a moment, and then looks like a woman with green scales and tiny horns, bends down and grins in your face. "Boo." Nicole: "...who the fsck are you?" Edward: How badly do you need to know? WillGM: She opens her mouth, then dismisses something. "Ah, that one's so cliche." Edward: *ducks* Nicole: *groan* Fearless: quack quack Edward: Hey, as if "I'm your worst nightmare" would have been any less painful in this case. :) WillGM: Ed: That was the cliche answer she dismissed. :^) BA: "I'm the Easter Bunny. I take you'd be my cotton tail?" WillGM: She grabs the wheelchair and turns you around, pushing you toward the darker Tower. "So, you're new here, I'm guessing?" Nicole: "Ummm. I was going the other way." WillGM: "Bah, fluffy bunnies and rainbows. Who needs 'em? Seriously, where do they get off? Take your pal, for instance." Nicole: "Hey, now, I like rainbows." BA: And bunnies are good with gravy and a white wine. Nicole: Haw haw. WillGM: "I see him having a perfectly normal nightmare. I mean, blood on the floor, maybe a dog corpse somewhere, wasn't too sure about that. People gotta work out their kinks, you know? Why barge in, start rearranging everything in the man's head? That's not right." Nicole shrugs. WillGM: She pats you on the shoulder. "At least you're thinking about it. That's a good start. Don't let the glory boys feed you their propaganda, take your own life in your hands. That's the first step." Nicole: "You're telling me that it's *better* to let him suffer?" BA: Yes! Suffering's good for the soul! :) Fearless: That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger WillGM: "It's his head, babe. He has to face what's inside it." Nicole: "Then what were you doing there?" WillGM: She stops and bends over you from the back. "Hey. You know how to dream yourself legs?" BA: Actually, we don't. That's why our eyeballs face outward ;) Nicole nods in response to the last question, now that she has time to think about it. WillGM: "Good!" She dumps you unceremoniously. "Do it." Nicole scowls, and then rises. "The question stands. If he's supposed to face it on his own, what were *you* doing there?" WillGM: "I smelled somebody meddling." WillGM: She reaches out a hand toward you. A length of chain appears in it, depending from a collar about your neck! Nicole: "What the hell?" WillGM: "Right now I have two choices, and you get to pick. I can drag you to some friends of mine, who will ask you the same questions I will, and not be so nice about it. Or I can ask them here. You do prefer the second option. But you'll owe me for it. What's your choice?" Nicole groans a bit, quietly. WillGM: "I love that sound." BA: Go for the third option and blast her with the SDF-1's wave motion cannon! :) WillGM: She casually flips upside down and starts slowly orbiting about you. "Come *on*, honey, you don't have all night. And you know nothing about this place." WillGM: She laughs a little about half-trained zealot Soldiers. Nicole: "Huh?" WillGM: She yanks the chain. "Do I do the interrogation, sweetie, or do the professionals get at you? I can protect you from that -- but only if you'll be a good girl." BA: Hooker's a good cop! Nicole sighs again. Nicole: "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" WillGM: "Life's full'a tough choices. This is your last threat." WillGM: She dreams a small knife into her hand, and starts trimming her nails, waiting. Nicole sighs again. "Fine, fine. What do you want to know?" WillGM: She bends over you, looking into your eyes. WillGM: "Deal." WillGM: Nicole: You now bear a Geas/2 to an unknown Lilim of Nightmares. Nicole: I figured as much from the beginning. [ snip msg¹ing ] WillGM: She conjures up a chair and sits down in front of you. "What was the name of the angel you were with?" Nicole sighs and whispers, "Eaiena." WillGM: "How long have you been a Soldier?" Nicole: "A what?" WillGM: A foot lashes out at your head. WillGM: Response? BA: Boot To The Head! Fearless: Fearless may have already told her, at some point since he asked about the term Nicole: "Ow! I'm serious!" WillGM: "Don't play dumb with me. How long have you been working for Blandine?" Nicole: "I haven't!" WillGM: (If you stand there and take it, then take 3 Mind Hits.) Nicole: (Gonna have to, because I don't have much of a choice as far as I can see.) Fearless: try and dodge or block? WillGM: Well, there's Dodging. Nicole nods. Then let¹s go that way. WillGM: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for WillGM (3d6) and gets 14. WillGM: Well, the chain yanks you up short and the boot connects anyway. Nicole yells, and tries to pull the damn collar off. WillGM: "You were just there with her." Pause. "She was training you...." WillGM: Nicole: You feel the collar fade as you yank it off. Nicole: "Oh." WillGM: "I didn't give you permission, human!" Nicole: "I don't *need* your stinkin' permission." WillGM: The knife rematerializes in the demon's hand. "Gonna be that way, is it?" BA: Now go Mortal Kombat on her! Nicole vs Dream Bitch! FIGHT! BA: :) Nicole nods. "Yeah. I don't need you, didn't want you in the first place, and I'm going home now. Tired of this." Nicole attempts to focus on *getting* home after that. WillGM: You make the Will roll by a mile, and in your current agitated state find yourself waking up, near 3am. Nicole just holds her head in her hands, in the dark, for a long time. Nicole jumps around a bit, getting the nervous energy out. Nicole wanted to talk to Zeke before, I think that's gone double now. BA is probably in bed at this time, so he's just snoozing Fearless: BA: unless you sleep in your workshop BA: Been known to happen BA: Face-down on the work bench WillGM: BA has come out of this quite well, spending the remainder of the evening on Blandine's side of the Marches in peaceful sleep. So that mission objective was achieved, at least. :^) BA: :) BA: Drooling on a schematic... again! Fearless: his laser schematic, prolly. :) BA: heh :) WillGM: I should say that Nicole has definitely earned, besides any other XP from the session, 2 points in Lucid Dreaming. (That would put it at 18, for her, since it's based on Will.) Fearless: cool WillGM: In the meantime, I think the next order of schedule is Fearless. Nicole: Will: yeah, I'll add the good and the bad after the night's over. WillGM: *nod* Fearless: Well, right now, I'm spending a few days staking out the TCSHQ to find out the swami's schedule... [ snip msg/ing ] WillGM: How, exactly? Fearless: well, is there an alleyway nearby? WillGM: There's the one you and UL found the power boxes in. Fearless: I'm looking for places across the street from the front door WillGM: No, it's a street as busy as any city street would be. Fearless: hrrm... in that case, how tall are the roofs above the place? [ snip msg/ing ] Fearless: or, more accurately, the roofs of the surrounding buildings. WillGM thinks... WillGM checks the log to see if he described the surrounding area. One sec. WillGM: Yep -- high-rises. Typical urban street scene: office buildings above, streetfront businesses forming the first floors of many of them. Fearless: hrrm.... WillGM: The street is typical for downtown: sidewalks, two lanes, two metered parking rows. A plaza is catycorner to the TCS' building. Fearless: Okay, first day, I park in a nearby parking garage and hoof it down to the street, spending the day walking up and down the street, in and out of various shops and any diners in the area, always keeping the TCS office in sight. Call it about 14 hours of that... Fearless rings BA at some point during the day. WillGM: Okay... do that while I think up what you see. BA picks up. "Utten utten." Fearless: "Hey, BA. Anything going on?" BA: "Not thing. Had a wierd dream last night, though. Nicole was feeding poodles to a paper shredder." Nicole: *snrk* BA: "... or was it a wood chipper?" Fearless: "You and that poodle dream. You have to stop watching that movie before going to bed." BA: "Anyway, what's up?" WillGM: Repairmen come by to fix the power system. The Swami is in evidence, repeatedly going around back and returning to inside the building. Today, he is wearing a less-showy long white robe with intricately quilted patterns. That evening, the awning lights successfully. Few people come by during the day other than the workmen; a few businesspeople on lunch break. (more) Fearless: "That all depends. What condition are Rumblestrip, Speed Bump, and Patch Kit in, and are they up for a little nighttime recon of the Society?" BA: "Got all three in prime condition and armed. Recon's a go." WillGM: Early in the evening, Terrence returns. He is visible in the front office for a while, working with papers. Eventually, more people arrive, later in the evening. Groups arrive at different times, coming and going at regular intervals. WillGM: How late do you keep this up? Fearless: Well, my interest piqued when Terrence showed... Fearless: what time did he get there? WillGM: About 5pm. Fearless: "Right... Well, get them ready for some action tonight. Something tells me we'll need twenty four hour surveillance for a few days." BA: "Too bad I used up my wire taps getting Nicole set up. When do you want 'em there?" WillGM: (Good Perception roll...) As the sun sets, before other people arrive, Terrence locks the front door for about an hour. During that time, a flickering yellow light shimmers in the main room of the Society -- it's definitely fire. But it fades shortly before people start arriving. Fearless: "ASAP." BA: "I'll get there a soon as I can shut down the shop." Fearless: "Right." BA figures Fearless forgot to eat today while snooping around so picks up a pizza on the way over Fearless thinks back to some of the stuff he heard about regaining essence... Fearless: .oO(Boingo.) BA calls Fearless's cell to get directions to where he's staked out Fearless gives BA the directions to where he's currently at... under the lightpole on the corner across from the plaza the TCS office is in WillGM: Fearless: You've got the memory for it, but I'm not sure what you might have heard about Essence. What are you looking for? Fearless: when demons recharge it Fearless: not necessarily how, just when WillGM: *shrug* A reasonable, low-security thing to mention. You can recall that it happens at sunset. BA finds a parking spot two blocks down from where Fearless is at and walks down to him BA: "Hey, buddy. You order a pizza?" Fearless: "Thanks for the pizza, BA. Anyways, something interesting happened at sunset." BA: "The world ended again and I missed it?" Fearless: "Nah, the world ended in '76, remember?" BA: "True." Fearless: "There was a flicker of flame from the main room of the TCSHQ... while the door was locked, so others couldn't get in. Only people inside were Terrence and the Swami." BA: "So they were lighting candles." BA: ³Where do you want the cars?" Fearless: "Possibly... I'm not so sure anymore." BA ponders gettong a model helicoptor and rigging it with a surveillance package Fearless: "Let's keep one where we can see the front door and maybe even the main room." Fearless: "And another around the back door. I haven't had much opportunity to go back there today, there were crews back there fixing your handiwork." BA: "Right. Enjoy the pizza, I'll be down at Fleet Command." *nods toward his car* BA heads back to the car and gets the boys set to go WillGM: Around what time did you call BA, so we know what time it is now? BA: BA usually closes shop at about 6PM Fearless: around 6pm WillGM: 'k. Fearless takes a peek at the pizza, then at the TCSHQ, then heads over about half a block in the opposite direction. Fearless: prolly gonna keep an eye out for another 3-4 hours before heading back to the parking garage BA gets Rumble Strip situated under the bench/mailbox/other strategically placed concealment to watch the front door Fearless: did Terrence walk there or drive into a spot? WillGM: Fearless: Walk. BA gets Patch Kit moving around to the TCSHQ's back door after he's got Rumble Strip in place WillGM: BA: About RumbleStrip; other than being under the frame of a FedEx drop spot, he's in plain sight. This okay? WillGM: There aren't a whole lot of really concealed spaces on an urban sidewalk. BA: Should be. It's night, in's dark under there, so most people likely won't even notice it WillGM: Okay. Fearless: hrrm... what about securing him to the underside of the FedEx drop box? BA: If anyone gets smart, there's always the taser ;) WillGM: Better luck in the alley in back of the building; there's plenty of cardboard boxes, pipes, and such. Patch Kit fits snugly in a nook behind the outside part of a heat pump. BA: 'k WillGM: Fearless: About 9 o'clock, one group of people leaves and is not replaced by a similarly-sized group. BA tries to find a place where Speed Bump can look into the TCSHQ without being obvious Fearless curses BA for making it a cheese pizza... I can't taste it. BA enjoys his stromboli while watching through the cars' audio-video feeds WillGM: BA: You see the same traffic pattern as Fearless above. BA: And recording with the action to the hard drive WillGM: At no point has either of you seen Terrence leave yet. Fearless: .oO("I wonder what they're up to in there...") BA: Will: JSYK I brought spare batteries for the cars. I'll bring them back one at a time to swap out 1/2 hour before they run down WillGM: Check. Fearless risks a glance in from across the street with his binocs WillGM: You catch Terrence and the Swami, not in the main room of the building, but in the floor above. WillGM: They are apparently working on something on a computer in what looks to be a residence, though the computer is facing away from the window. Fearless: "Well, that explains where the Swami lives." BA tries to zoom in as much as possible with Speed Bump's video WillGM: BA: Hmm, I never placed Speed Bump. I wasn't sure how you were describing where you wanted to put him. Fearless tries to read the swami's and Terry's lips. Fearless: 3d6 Dicesuke throws the bones for Fearless (3d6) and gets 14. BA: Some place where it could look into the building without being seen from the street Fearless: (skill 17, +3 from Acute Vision, not sure what penalties for viewing through 5x mag binocs) WillGM: They appear to be discussing improvements to the Web site. Terrence is arguing against embedded sound files and the Swami is orating on the importance of a complete sensory environment. Fearless: "Scrap it and start from scratch, boys." WillGM: BA: Well, you've already got the front door and the back door. Any other windows are off of street level. Fearless lowers the binocs Fearless rings the Works. Fearless: .oO(Hope someone's awake) WillGM: "Erath Stone and Tile Works, Wesley King speaking." BA has Speed Bump cover the alley to the back WillGM: BA: So both Speed Bump and Patch Kit are back there? Fearless: "Wes, this is Fearless. I'm covering the Society office from across the street right now." He then explains what he saw at sunset, and who was in the building at the time. BA: Nope. Patch Kit is in the back watching the back door. Speed Bump is watching the alley that leads to the back WillGM: 'k. WillGM: "Okay?" Fearless: "Well, putting two and two together, I can confirm that yes, one of them is, in fact a 'demon'. Any news from Lightning about this Swami?" WillGM: There is a pause, followed by "Well, presumably if the Society is under investigation it's the one running it that should be worrisome." Fearless: "And the other was on Ed's list of suspects." WillGM: "I wish to caution you strongly against a rush to judgment, however. Haste is unwise in this." Fearless: "Naturally. I'm going to keep an eye on the place a little longer, and see if I can confirm anything else." WillGM: "Very well. Keep us informed." Fearless: "Will do." BA rings Fearless' cell Fearless: "Your nickel." BA: "Hey, Fearless. Want me to go cut their power line again?" Fearless: "Not tonight. Wait a day or two." Fearless: "Can you get any of them looking into the second story window?" BA: "You're no fun. The feed's good from my boys." BA: "They're cars, not hovercraft. Remind me to get a model helicoptor." Fearless: "Well, I'm gonna keep an eye on some things." Fearless looks around for alleys across from the TCS with fire escapes WillGM: At this point, Terrence walks out, zips up his jacket, and heads off. Fearless: "Have one of them follow him." BA considers having Rumble Strip tail Terrence for a bit, decides not to Fearless scans the second floor again with binocs. BA: "Roger." WillGM: The Swami locks up the front doors of the society and turns off the lights downstairs. Upstairs a light comes on in one room, and the Swami can be seen in a room with several televisions. WillGM: All, apparently, tuned to different channels. BA gets Speed Bump moving, staying 50 feet behind Terrence Fearless o_O?s at the Swami, and resumes looking for that fire escape for a better vantage point WillGM: BA: What's the range on Speed Bump's remote? BA: 30 feet for the audio. 100 feet for the video before losing resolution WillGM: No, from how far away can its remote send commands? Fearless: what about for control of the car? BA: Ah 1 mile WillGM: Okay. Terrence reaches this limit in about twenty minutes and continues. BA swings Speed Bump back to the TCS building BA: "Fearless, target 1 has left range." WillGM: You manage to bring Speed Bump back without getting him stepped on. BA pulls Speed Bump in to change batteries Fearless picks up his phone. "Roger that, BA. Target two is watching several televisions at once." BA: "Get to street level. I'll zip Speed Bump over. I'm recording as usual." Fearless: "Got one blacksploitation sitcom rerun, one true crime show, one old movie station, CNN Headline News, and a few others, it looks." BA slaps a new batt into Speed Bump and zips it over to Fearless BA: "Dy-no-mite!" [ sinp msg¹ing ] WillGM: It is now approaching midnight; the Swami has so far meditated in front of the TVs, taken notes on something, and apparently never once had to use the bathroom. Fearless takes a break from watching to find a dumpster to relieve himself behind... [ snip msg¹ing ] Fearless: after that, I find a way to the alleyways behind the TCS place... WillGM: They're open to the street. Fearless: and climb up a flight of stairs on the fire escape opposite from the TCS building, looking in with binocs if there's windows there... BA moves Speed Bump back into the alley WillGM: Fearless: The TCS takes up the entire first floor, so it has windows in the back. From your perch on the fire escape, you can see into the small rooms in the back. Two have TVs, one has a stereo system, and one has a large-screen computer. All have small cushions and rugs to seat groups of people. WillGM: The Swami's residence, however, appears to be in the front part of the building only. Fearless: 'k... Fearless looks at his watch, and rings BA. "I'm headed back to the car for a few hours shut-eye. Scatter come morning." BA: "Gotchabaguse!" WillGM: BA: About ten minutes after Fearless heads to the alley, a police cruiser pulls up to the Society building. BA rings Fearless. Fearless turns off his phone. WillGM: A pair of officers get out and head towards the alley. BA: Was there anything for Speed Bump to hide in/behind? WillGM: Yes. Both Speed Bump and Patch Kit are concealed. BA: 'k BA watches the fuzz WillGM: The officers come to the alley and shine their flashlights in, looking up. They see you, Johnny. WillGM: "Sir, could you come down off the fire escape immediately?" Fearless: "Sure." Fearless: "Evening, officers." WillGM: "You got some ID?" Fearless pulls out his driver's license, and his press pass. WillGM: "We got a call from a resident of this building² -- he points to the one opposite the alley from the TCS -- ³that someone was climbing around on their fire escape, I guess that's you. Mind telling us what you were doing up there?" Fearless: "Well, I'm keeping an eye on who goes in and out of that building over there." *points to the TCS* "I'm working on a story on the place. I'm sure there's something fishy about it, I'm just trying to find concrete evidence. Last I knew, just sitting on a fire escape while observing a public place while wasn't a crime." WillGM: "Yes, actually, it is. Fire escapes are (a) private property, and (b) not to be occupied unless in the event of an emergency." Fearless: "Oh, well consider me properly chastised, then." Fearless: "I'll keep to the ground, then." WillGM: "Also, people get nervous about strangers hanging around their houses, if you know what I mean." Fearless: "Not a problem. I was almost done for the night, anyway." Fearless: Will: any officers I might recognize? WillGM: "Right." He turns to his partner. "Anything?" His partner shrugs, and he turns back to you. "Okay. We can probably let you go, but first, would you mind opening that trench coat?" WillGM: Fearless: Nah. BA: *FLASH* ;) Fearless: "Sure." *opens it up* WillGM: Are you packing? Fearless: in the trench pocket. Fearless: conceal carry permit in the wallet, btw WillGM: The officer reaches into the pocket, pulls out the gun. "You got a permit for this?" Fearless: "Yes." *hands him the permit from the wallet, same section as the press pass WillGM: The partner calls it in to check the number while the first guy holds it. The permit is confirmed. Fearless: "Am I under arrest, officer?" WillGM: "Not unless you do something stupider than climbing a fire escape." The officer waves the permit. "This is legal, so you're okay. But this kind of thing makes people even more nervous. I don't want to hear this reported around here again, understand?" Fearless: "Understood." WillGM: "Get out of here." Fearless heads for the parking garage (I made sure to park in one of those 24-hour garages) WillGM: *nod* BA waits around WillGM: That seems like a good place to call it for the night. We'll pick up with the continuing investigation tomorrow. BA: Roit Fearless heads for the car, and drives off. WillGM: ------------------------- Session End ---------------------------