Chapter Two of Devastation: Attn Chris, Dave, Professor Stevens, Liam

As MTG leaves the hotel, the sound of bodies falling onto hardwood floors sounds. Instantaneously, Liam, Professor Stevens, Dr. Hollandale and Dave arrive precisely where they had fallen unconscious two hours before. The doctor sat up, remaining seated on the ground for a beat as she struggles to deduct where she was. Confused, she shakily regains her footing before Dave, who has returned to the world in his hotel bed.

For the Professor and Liam, they recall the frightening ordeal where they hid within Bookman's library, watching in quiet fear as their hiding place was being literally pecked apart. The Doctor had chosen to depart from the group earlier to tend the wounded. Now her clothing is flecked with blood and the smell of stale sweat rises from her.

The travelers note with alarm the small signs of their time in the Other Place- the grains of sand that fall out of their shoes. The Professor finds an odd, scratched card in his pocket- the payment from Bookman, he recalls after a moment. Liam is startled to discover the mead notebook laid across his chest. Susan's account has aged, the yellowed pages now turning up at the corners. The most important aspect was that the writing was still legible.

Across the hall, Chris had been escorted out of MTG's room moments before.

After making sure that the writing in the book is still legible, Liam looks for any mentions of places in present day Detroit in the book. He tries to flip the pages as carefully as possible because the thing was like an ancient artifact now.

The first mention of present day Detroit would be the initial pages that Liam had already read. After a moment of reviewing, he found that Susan had written that she had recently moved to Detroit to join her friend Doug. Liam noted that Doug had told Susan a great deal about the hunt that he had been on before they had entered the bubble- a hunt involving a woman named Emma whose cell had staked out a bar in Detroit, Shy's Kill.
In skimming the next entry, Liam was intrigued to read further.

Doug has been worried about Emma's cell. Or maybe more about Emma. She had gone off the grid for about as long as he has been. Is she somewhere like we are, alone? We need to get home. Doug likes to talk about what to do when we get home. 1 - Go to Shy's Bar. Find that door 2 - Evade the grey man and the thorny place. *No walking through doors*.


Donnie dissapeared again tonight. We went to sleep and then he was gone when we woke up. We packed his gear up and went out to meet Dimak. It's time to head to Pittsburgh (which is what I think 'Pitt' is supposed to be). The scale of the map matches up, more or less. A bit worried about why its supposed to take seven days to get there.

Doug's been having dreams about it- about the bubble home being there. So there we'll go. I'm getting worried about Doug's 'dreams'. Once, he stared off into space for like five minutes. Then he starts saying that some redhaired guy with a beard and another man who hobbles was asking about us at Denmark's booth. We check it out and no one has ever seen these people. Doug's still convinced its happened. Or is going to happen.

The last part scares me a little. Maybe Doug's been alone out here for too long.

Liam reads more about about this hunt involving Emma. Especially, anything which had information on what exactly was going on at Shy's Kill. He pays little attention to the others as he is completely engrossed in the journal.

Liam recognized that 'Emma' had been mentioned when he first began his reading. Picking his way back, he found the specific section he was looking for.
[excerpt]
Thankfully, I stayed here. I woke up about an hour later and started going through Doug's journal. Nothing really relevant about -ol' Detroit- mostly about Emma's cell. Some letters between her and a contact, a smarter Hunter from the looks of it. Most of these letters are just bits and pieces, but I guess that Emma's cell were investigating Shy's Bar.

There was a door that no one ever came through- but that some guy -Robert “Bob” Nikolaidis-would walk through- change- and then not come back out. He vanished for like a week while they set up surveillance. The cell got excited when he came out- I guess half of them followed him while Susan went in to take readings by the door. When she got into the car to head towards where the cell was- as the cell had told her they were at the park- her cell phone call ended and she heard on the news that there had been fatalities. The letter isn't very clear, but it sounds like her friends were executed. She assumes it was this Nikolaidis. The guy she's writing to sounds smart, wish there were some full letters here. Need to find her addy, see if we can find some stuff at her place.

Back to our situation, Doug is pretty sure that we're not in the same place that Nikolaidis went to at the bar. For one, the sky is green here and they never saw that. Two, there's no thorn bushes around like at the door of the bar.

There were some observations about Ol' Detroit after that, mostly detailing how Susan's cell was earning credit. Liam picked his way further in the journal, finally finding something on page four.

Emma:

Regarding our 'hunt' for Emma, we have decided that she's not here. Our clothing and mannerisms seem to stick out to the locals. They delight in telling us how 'odd' we are. We learned to stop asking so many questions; they stopped telling us to hydrate. If she was here, they would have mentioned it by now.

We've decided that the doorway must function like our dreams- transporting us to somewhere else. We haven't been able to bring Doug's notes and discovery through to this side, so Doug's tried to recreate the timeline,

1: Emma's cell observes Shy's Bar
2. Observe Nikolaidas entering (changing, becoming grey...)
3. Niko creature comes out. One of the cell acts like a scout, following immediately. Emma and the cell investigate the door, taking readings. (What sort of readings? Need to find this.)
4. The rest of Emma's cell goes to join with the scout, who has phoned that Niko is meeting someone at the park.
5. Emma finishes taking readings and departs for the park. On the radio, she hears about the ambulance at the park. The cell members who had left her were executed, the camera equipment was destroyed. Emma left the scout in the car as she identified the bodies and was questioned by the police.
6. When she returned to the car, she found her last cell mate with her neck snapped- in the locked car.

Notes reference living off the grid. Heavy paranoia. No outside contact except with the person she wrote to. Can't remember his name! Donnie said he'd check if he ever manages to stay awake long enough to look over the material at my apartment.

He's afraid to sleep. Afraid to come back to us? I don't really blame him. I hate him a little, that he can go back and take a shower, touch Doug's notes. I'm starting to crave Phish Food ice cream and my strawberries and cream lotion. Everything here is coarse and hand made....

The journal begins to resemble less a documentary of Emma and becomes more a list of complaints.

Spoiler:

"I'll be in the room, if anyone needs me." Liam goes back inside the hotel room with the journal. He reads the first three pages, seeing as he had all the information he needed for the moment.

Page One
My name is Susan. I live at 4565 Chestnut Ave. in Detroit. I had just moved in three days ago. I was trying to find my friend Doug when all of this began. I'm documenting this as though it's just another hunt, but to be honest, I'm not sure if we're hunting or just desperately trying to get back home.

Doug had been AWOL for about three days when we checked out his hotel room. We found stuff that looked like he was in the middle of a hunt- this girl Emma had vanished, apparently from some thing that walked through a door at Shy's Bar and walked into a world of thorns. I was looking at Doug's journal- some scary pictures of Arizona, it looked like. But there were these odd grey creatures that didn't look right. I was reading about how Doug had lifted this packet off of a vampire that had tried to jump him when I heard it. A thump.

I looked down and Donnie and Matt were on the floor, unconscious. I leaned over to wake them when my hand passed through them- and they just vanished. Gone! I felt around in case they were invisible, but they were really just gone. I started to feel really sleepy, so I grabbed Doug's journal and took off.

I made it to my place before I passed out. Thankfully, I stayed here. I woke up about an hour later and started going through Doug's journal. Nothing really relevant about -ol' Detroit- mostly about Emma's cell. Some letters between her and a contact, a smarter Hunter from the looks of it. Most of these letters are just bits and pieces, but I guess that Emma's cell were investigating Shy's Bar.

There was a door that no one ever came through- but that some guy -Robert “Bob” Nikolaidis-would walk through- change- and then not come back out. He vanished for like a week while they set up surveillance. The cell got excited when he came out- I guess half of them followed him while Susan went in to take readings by the door. When she got into the car to head towards where the cell was- as the cell had told her they were at the park- her cell phone call ended and she heard on the news that there had been fatalities. The letter isn't very clear, but it sounds like her friends were executed. She assumes it was this Nikolaidis. The guy she's writing to sounds smart, wish there were some full letters here. Need to find her addy, see if we can find some stuff at her place.

Back to our situation, Doug is pretty sure that we're not in the same place that Nikolaidis went to at the bar. For one, the sky is green here and they never saw that. Two, there's no thorn bushes around like at the door of the bar.
Doug's been here for three days straight. He's gathered that its some post apoc. place. The year is 2051. The people are deathly afraid of 'the Paola - Paulda? Paol - something' virus, the virus that wiped out half the planet's population about fifty years ago. The scary thing is, Doug thinks thats around *our* time, 2010. People here don't mark years very well any more, so its' hard to be specific.
Talk to Weyland 'Bookman'. He's like the town's librarian, educator and academic researcher all in one. He doesn't know about where we came from, but he did tell us about the Virus and showed us the timeline. He'll also pay you to make parchment and run his booth in town. *Earning credit is very important*. We had to buy new clothes for the desert, water, and lodging at the tents.

Hang on, someone's screaming at the gate. Raid?

Page Two
Last night was terrifying. The sky started to scream. Literally, the sky started to scream. The wind picked up and the sand blew over the gate, blinding us. I see why every one wears these wraps around thier heads now. Weyland pulled us into his 'library'. We hid with Miro, Miriam and Miriam's grand daughter Jaiden all night.

In the morning, any thing left in the market had been taken. We found these creepy slithering marks in the sand, as though snakes had been through town.

No one found the suffocated man until we returned to our tent and found the body, People say he suffocated from the sand, but it looked to me like he'd been attacked by a boa constrictor. What the hell is going on here? Sand snakes? We left the tents, paid Weyland the money to let us sleep in the front room. The tents aren't safe.


Page Three
Doug has been worried about Emma's cell. Or maybe more about Emma. She had gone off the grid for about as long as he has been. Is she somewhere like we are, alone? We need to get home. Doug likes to talk about what to do when we get home. 1 - Go to Shy's Bar. Find that door 2 - Evade the grey man and the thorny place. *No walking through doors*.


Donnie dissapeared again tonight. We went to sleep and then he was gone when we woke up. We packed his gear up and went out to meet Dimak. It's time to head to Pittsburgh (which is what I think 'Pitt' is supposed to be). The scale of the map matches up, more or less. A bit worried about why its supposed to take seven days to get there.

Doug's been having dreams about it- about the bubble home being there. So there we'll go. I'm getting worried about Doug's 'dreams'. Once, he stared off into space for like five minutes. Then he starts saying that some redhaired guy with a beard and another man who hobbles was asking about us at Denmark's booth. We check it out and no one has ever seen these people. Doug's still convinced its happened. Or is going to happen.

The last part scares me a little. Maybe Doug's been alone out here for too long.

Spoiler:

The Professor followed Liam into his room, eager to get a closer look at the pages. As his colleague read one and put it down, the Professor read the upside-down text, studying each line with great interest.

"Seems we should have asked Bookman a few more questions than we d.." The Professor paused towards the end of the third page.

"Some redhaired guy with a beard and another man who hobbles..." The Professor said, a note of eagerness in his voice.

"I learned to affect a limp while carrying my canesword... too well in fact because I now limp unconsciously whether I have it or not... a psychosomatic affliction but anyway... We were asking Bookman about other people... but this implies we were asking specifically. If we infer this hasn't happened yet, then I'm definitely going to make another jump..."

Samuel beamed delightedly, rummaging in the backpack he kept his laptop in for a pen and notepad. "My cane and backpack didn't come with me - I could have dropped them admittedly - but if I copy down any relevant information and leave the pages in an inside pocket, I should take that with me next time I jump. Thanks to these pages, we now know what to investigate and where to head should we get pulled back into the other world."

Liam smirks. "You've been faking that limp this whole time? That's really something."

"Maybe the limp was faked the best part of a decade ago... now it may as well be real considering I can't walk without doing so." The Professor admitted. "A small irony perhaps, but a useful one."

Liam is sitting in the hotel room, reading Susan's journal and planning his next move. He flips between the pages that mention locations. He tries to memorize the address of the woman's apartment and the name of the bar as well as the strange man which brought that girl's cell to the bar in the first place.
The morning had began ordinarily enough, the new contact Chris had explained his idea about 'dissapearing'. Yet as soon as he had, Liam and the Professor, along with Dr. Hollandale, had vanished to 'Desperation', another Detroit in another time. They had returned to find that four hours had passed. Luckily, Liam had found the notebook of another hunter who had become trapped. he and the Professor had looked it over..

The Professor was still copying down any relevant text from the pages of the journal onto paper.

Dave is out for the count. Dude hasn't slept in forever.


Storyteller: Dr. Hollandale enters the room, fresh from a shower. Her face is a myriad of bruises, the brutality she'd suffered during thier pit stop still healing. "That was bracing." She declared, settling next to Liam. "Any idea on what is happening?"


The Professor: "No." The Professor stated. "Though if I've interpreted this journal correctly, we can expect myself and Liam to jump again in the near future and we now have an idea on what to do there when it happens again."


Dave wakes up, bleary eyed.

"Sleeping Beuaty," Dr. Hollandale says dryly to Dave. She falls silent, digesting what the Professor had said.

"The woman writing this journal seems to believe she can stop this if she makes it to Pittsburg."

Dr Hollandale: "Pittsburgh? That place is a dump now. What could fifty years have improved?"
The doctor faces the television in the hotel room, using the remote to turn it on. An attractive brunnette woman was talking. "- has stated that it will unveil its new product in five days..." "- still without describing exactly what the drug is going to treat. The buzz about this is high." Her co anchor slips ins moothly.

Seryna : The doctor faces the television in the hotel room, using the remote to turn it on. An attractive brunnette woman was talking. "- has stated that it will unveil its new product in five days..." "- still without describing exactly what the drug is going to treat. The buzz about this is high." Her co anchor slips ins moothly.

"Least its the same day-" The Doctor begins, when there is a sound at the door to the hall way.
The Professor looked up as someone made a noise at the door.

"Did any one lock..." The Doctor began, but that's all that she could get out. A man began to shout. "Let me in! I have to talk to you! It's about Ol' Detroit..."

[13:01:57] cobrawax : Liam mouths "What the fuck." as he flips through the pictures in the journal. He sets down the journal. And goes up to the door. "Who is it?"
"Donnie~" The voice comes back. It sounds strained, almost maniac.

[13:04:01] cobrawax : "Alright, calm down. How did you find us?"

[13:04:50] Seryna : "Doug. He had a dream, man, about the red haired guy and the one who hobbles. Said you were here- that you were going to be there on D-Day,"

[13:05:52] AeonThePhoenix : The Professor gathered up the journal and the notes on it, stashing them in his pocket.

[13:06:03] cobrawax : Liam recognized the name, so he opened the door. "D-day?"

[13:07:30] Seryna : "Yeah. D Day. The Day that devastation starts." Looking at the speaker, you recognize him. he is in the journal, photographed with Susan, Doug and the fourth cell member. He is wearing loose, light colored desert garb. His face is sun burned, his lips bloodied in a way that makes you imagine a rough scuffle. He looks panicked.

[13:08:14] cobrawax : Liam nods. "Are you talking about the disease?"

[13:09:41] Seryna : "Yes. Paula is starting this year. Maybe soon..." He suddenly pauses, staring at the TV. "Thank you Vicky!" The man smiles. "We now take you to the headquarters-" The feed changes, going live to a corproate head quarters. Donnie brushes by you, entering the hotel room. He gapes at the Television. "Oh shit."

[13:10:24] AeonThePhoenix : "What is it?" The Professor asked.

[13:11:02] cobrawax : A chill runs down Liam's spine. "Maybe it's one of the signs." he says quietly.

[13:11:26] Seryna : "CODA." He points at the television, becoming agitated. "That is CODA! The fuckers that start everything. The fuckers that vaccinated every one, took every one in and put chips in the kids head. Fucking experimented on the kids. " He is pointing to the headquarters building. "They're here. "

[13:12:31] cobrawax : "Shit, so what do we do?" Liam reached for his bagpack.

[13:14:37] Seryna : "Doug said- Doug said to tell you. How it works..." Donnie rubs the back of his neck. "OK. Donnie and Matt and I come back when we sleep. We go back when we fall asleep here. Doug thinks its a dreamscape, susan thinks that is bullshit. He says- he says we can stop it. The virus."
[13:15:24] AeonThePhoenix : "How?"

[13:16:27] Seryna : "I don't know, man. This traveling shit, it's stressful. They're in the Woods... and there are these things that make you go to them, fed you your own insides..." He shivers, sitting on the bed.

[13:18:03] cobrawax : "Right. There was something about getting to Pitt. " said Liam in his calm voice.

[13:18:29] AeonThePhoenix : "And warnings of 'sand snakes' as well." The Professor added

[13:19:47] Seryna : "Yeah, we're heading to Pitt now." Donnie nods his head vigoriously. "Yeah, sand snakes. That was what got Mack..."

[13:20:56] cobrawax : "I'm sorry for your loss. So, should we drive to Pittsburg, because I heard Pitt is present day Pittsburg."

[13:22:01] Seryna : "Um. " Donnie buried his face in his hands for a minute. "I donnu. i mean, thats where the bubble is. In our time, in Ol' detroit. But- but you- you're at D-Day. So D Day should be here. In real Detroit."

[13:23:56] cobrawax : Liam sighed. "Alright, so we'll stay in Detroit. What do we do? Sleep?"

[13:24:31] Seryna : "Sleep moves you." Donnie stated quickly, jerkily.

[13:25:41] cobrawax : "So...is that a yes?" asked Liam with a little frustration.

[13:25:43] AeonThePhoenix : "Handy to know..." The Professor stated.

[13:28:20] Seryna : "Yeah." Donnie nods vigoriously. "But- tie things to you when you sleep, so it goes with you.." His eyelids flutter. He rubs his face, fighting to stay awake. "You- You have to find us. So we can see if you can stop the disease.."
[13:34:50] Seryna : Donnie jerks awake, sitting up straighter. "Yeah. Thanks. Oh! I need to give you something." he reaches into his pocet and carefully pulls out brittle aged papers. "These are about our Hunt. Before we were taken. It- it might be related. We don't know."

[13:35:37] AeonThePhoenix : The Professor carefully took the old papers, gently studying what was written upon them.

https://2img.net/h/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/fanaticofyou/Hunter%20the%20Vigil/Emma01.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/fanaticofyou/Hunter%20the%20Vigil/Emma02.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/fanaticofyou/Hunter%20the%20Vigil/Emma03.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/fanaticofyou/Hunter%20the%20Vigil/Emma04.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/fanaticofyou/Hunter%20the%20Vigil/Emma05.jpg

[13:17:33] Seryna : Donnie stares at you with bleary eyes. You realize that his face is rough and looks as though

it'd be sandpaper - y to the touch. Pairing that with the bloody lip, you wonder at what exactly the other cell has

been up to. Donnie has been adamant that you should join with his cell, but the woods where they are seem very

dangerous. Donnie's head bobs and he suddenly leaps to his feet, shaking his head. As he does s, you hear many

objects in his pocket jingling,

[13:18:01] Seryna : (As he does so** done)

[13:21:21] cobrawax : "So, what is it we need to do? I mean, I'm not going to risk going back there unless I know

what the hell I'm doing."

[13:22:41] Seryna : "Can't fall asleep." He mutters, his voice hoarse. " He reaches into his pocket and draws out a

plastic water botle, drinking deeply. "You need to pack some water if you go back." Donnie advises in a distracted

way, holding his bottle and glancing around the room. "Do you have a sink?" His preoccupation seems to be with

replenshing his water.

[13:23:03] AeonThePhoenix : "Through there." The Professor gestured.

[13:24:18] Seryna : Donnie hurries in the direction that the Professor indicated. You hear him hurriedly flll his

bottle and he carefully tucks it back in his pocket. Donnie wets his hands, briskly washing his face and hands with

quick, despaerate air.

[13:27:53] Seryna : Donnie returns to the room, dripping wet and unbothered by this. "Doug says that you're at D-

Day. That you also come over to Devastation. Since only you do that, you are the only ones who can stop

Devastation. Susan and Doug can't even come back until we find the bubble..."

[13:28:42] cobrawax : "And this bubble is somewhere in Pitt?" asked Liam

[13:29:31] Seryna : "Yeah. We found this little black recorder thing that shows the strength of the bubble. It

keeps getting stronger every day that we travel towards Pitt." Donnie licks his lips nervously and takes a seat on

the bed.

[13:32:33] cobrawax : Liam stroked his chin, "Interesting. Do you know how we can stop devestation?"

[13:33:35] AeonThePhoenix : "Is there any way to get to Pitt quicker?

[13:36:30] Seryna : "Susan and Doug can't come back in thier sleep.." Donnie says. "So they have to travel by foot,

through the Badlands and the Moaning Woods. It's dangerous and lengthy, supposed to take seven days and we've been

traveling for three." He looks to Liam. "We spend all our time running from bandits, sand snakes and banshees. We

haven't really had time to work out how you do it- you just do it. You need to... or else thats humanity. Being

butchered."

[13:40:41] cobrawax : "Alright." said Liam as he grit his teeth. "So, is there any way we can find out what we need

to do? Because. if we don't know what we're doing, this thing is simply a suicide mission."

[13:45:13] Seryna : "You need to talk to Susan." Donnie says. "She sees things. How they're going to be. Hey-

you're still in Ol Detroit, right? You need to look at Bookmans old timline. It was what showed us that this year

is the year it all starts. Maybe you can figure out how to stop it from the subsequent events. And look into that

newscast, see when they re launching. Maybe we need to prevent it."

[13:47:31] cobrawax : Liam relaxes a little. "And where is Susan?"

[13:48:10] Seryna : "WEll, with us. I said that like six times, man. But she's leaving you notes underneath the

pyramids on the trail. Come and find them."

[13:49:45] cobrawax : "Guess we'll need to follow the trail."

[13:52:01] Seryna : "Yeah. Bookman will give you the map. We have the guides, though. You should get together with

another group, two of you will get massacred. Head to the center of town, by the Town Crier board, Groups looking

for hire always are there. Be sure you hire-" His eyes flutter. He pitches forward and slumps onto the ground,

unmoving.

[13:52:30] AeonThePhoenix has joined the chat on Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:52 pm

[13:53:09] cobrawax : "Goddamn it!" Liam gives Donnie a kick as he lies on the floor.

[13:53:29] cobrawax : *when he falls to the floor*

[13:53:39] cobrawax : (eh, you get the idea.)

[13:54:02] Seryna : Donni gives a grunt- and and he rolls over, he becomes less tangiable. He suddenly vanishes.

One moment there, the next *elsewhere*.

[13:55:23] cobrawax : "Shit!: Liam turns to the Professor. "Well, I guess we have a better idea of what we're

doing. We need to research whatever that coorperation is doing."

[13:56:40] cobrawax : "CODA. Apparently they got some kind of revolutionary new thing."

[14:01:00] Seryna : DR. Hollandale speaks from her perch in the breakfast nook. "He seems very adamant that you two are needed to save... the world?" She gives a short laugh. "It seems so Ghostbusters."

[14:02:23] cobrawax : Liam smirked "I love movie." He grabbed the Professor's laptop and searched the internet for anything about CODA and their new product.

[14:02:37] cobrawax : *I love that movie*

[14:03:53] cobrawax : Liam rolled 3 dice to "Computer research" 9,3,5 (1 successes)

[14:03:56] Seryna : CODA quickly came up with a slick new web site, talking about how they give to the community. There is a large invitation on the front page to attend the unveiling or wach the reel of it in three days time, at the CODA headquarters in Detroit.

[14:07:30] Seryna : [do you guys need a break?]

[14:07:31] AeonThePhoenix has been disconnected the Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:07 pm (session timeout)

[14:07:42] cobrawax : Liam looks at the address of their headquarters. "I guess heading to their headquarters might be the only way to find out for sure."

[14:09:10] Seryna : "I'll call a ollegue." Dr Hollandale proposed. "It seems to be a medical group, I'll check thier reputation and expectation in the medical community."

[14:10:33] cobrawax : Liam shrugged. "Alright, you could give that a try. I'm not sure what we'd do once we got there."

[14:11:52] Seryna : "Well, Donnie had advice on what to do after we sleep... and travel back..." Dr Hollandale leaned over to check the date on the web site. "That isn't until tomorrow. Can we stay awake al night?"

[14:13:33] cobrawax : Liam nodded. " I'll delay going back there as long as I can."

[14:14:21] Seryna : "All right. We'll have to try and keep each other awake... how far are we going to go with this? We could use caffiene and No - doz."

[14:14:23] cobrawax : "But you're right. We should probably get some water like he said."

[14:15:39] Seryna : The doctor nodded and picked up the phone. "I'll call concierge, get some things up here. Do you remember how long this reservation was for? I'd hate to think the we're living off a vampire's credit card."

Liam shrugged. "I don't know how long the reservation was for. Three days or something like that." Liam ran another search on CODA using the Professor's laptop.
Liam rolled 3 dice to "Computer research" 5,5,1 (0 successes)

"Damn. Nothing."

He decided to run another search, since it was the only thing he could think of doing.

Liam rolled 3 dice to "Computer research" 1,6,8 (1 successes)

Liam learns little more than he already knew- CODA had been around since the 90's. They had opened a new office in Detroit that provided jobs in the slumping economy. The news was full of the 'big announcement'. There was hype surrounding CODA, but you could not pick out exactly what was promised. The new product was vague, for a revolutionary health vaccine.

The press conference would occur tomorrow at 1 PM and it was presently 5 PM. You are feeling fine now, but can't imagine how sharp you will be then...

" I found something." says Liam excitedly. "The new product is a type of vaccine. Wonder what could go wrong with a vaccine."

"Plenty." Dr. Hollandale replied. "Vaccines need a great deal of testing - I wonder how long this has been prepared, or if they're rushing a batch." She checks her watch. "I ordered some caffeinated beverages, but we're going to have to be careful not to crash. Where is the Professor?"

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Liam shrugged. "Maybe he's getting a cup of tea. I'm guessing it isn't easy to get tea in Old Detroit or whatever they were calling that place. I guess I'd better make use of the time and do the stuff that the journal said we should do: get a lot of water and a weapon that doesn't need any bullets." Liam wracked his memory trying to think of any places he saw where he could get these things.

Liam was able to locate several shops that would suit his purposes with a little creativity. As he entered the closest one, a Big 5, he noted that the sports section featured several sturdy looking sports equipment that could be adapted for his needs.

Liam takes the sturdiest looking baseball bat he can find, but he also keeps his eyes open for anything else that could be used as a weapon or anything that could be used for traveling through a desert wasteland.

Liam selects his baseball bat. He spots other athletic equipment including pads and other spots gear such as hockey sticks and golf clubs. He also can see an outdoor area that sported canteens and miscellaneous items for camping, such as portable first aid kits and camping gear.

Liam takes a golf club, a hockey stick, the pads, the first aid kit, three canteens, and some other camping gear to go along with the bat. He figured there was no need to be stingy, since it was a dead guy's money.

Liam pays for his gear from a wad of some of the money that Dave had turned over. He burns through sixty dollars worth, leaving him another 80 dollars to his name.

He manages to leave the store with his cumbersome packages, which would be annoying to carry very far. Liam discovers that he's spent half an hour in the store. The group still has several hours to kill before the conference tomorrow afternoon.

ST:
Liam pays for his gear from a wad of some of the money that Dave had turned over. He burns through sixty dollars worth, leaving him another 80 dollars to his name.


He manages to leave the store with his cumbersome packages, which would be annoying to carry very far. Liam discovers that he's spent half an hour in the store. The group still has several hours to kill before the conference tomorrow afternoon.

Liam:
[19:19:34] cobrawax : Liam looks over all the new things. He figured he'd better get a duffel bag or something, so he could carry it better before heading back to the hotel.

ST: Liam locates a general store, where he purchases his duffel bag for sixteen dollars. He notices a man eyeing his varied sports equipment before he turned to study a display of miniature back packs.
Liam tries to ignore the man and head out.

Seryna : The man does not bother you as you exit,although you notice him speak into a walkie talkie as you depart the store. You head towards the hotel unaccosted. That in itself was beginning to become a luxury. As you approach your floor, you note a tall, dark haired man enter the room that Chris had been so adamant about earlier.

cobrawax : Liam aproaches the man. "Hey. You left your typewriter behind."

Seryna : "What?" The man turned, looking startled. he is studying you with an expression of wariness, giving you the opportunity to do the same. He is Caucasian with dark coloring- eyes chocolate brown, hair of such a deep brown that it is nearly black. He wears a modern moderately priced suit in dark grey with a blue striped tie. He is holding a black tape recorder in one hand. "I haven't left anything behind. I'm just coming back from the Company."

"The company? What company?" said Liam with a smirk.
"Who are you?" The man frowns, stepping away from you and closer to his hotel room.

[19:56:47] cobrawax : Liam raises an eyebrow. "I'm just the guy in the room across. Just surprised to see you back is all." Liam heads towards his own room.

[19:57:32] Seryna : "Do you know Chris?" The man asks pointedly, staring at you directly. "I've seen him come out of that room." He looks behind you to your hotel room. "I also know that you're not Cirino, the man whose credit card was billed for that room. I'm curious if hotel management is aware of your flexible use of another's credit."

[20:00:07] cobrawax : Liam frowns. "What? Who's Cirino? You're being weird." Liam rolled 4 dice to "Subterrfuge" 6,2,5,10,2 (1 successes)

[20:00:48] Seryna : MTG flashes a small print out from his pocket, showing a copy of Cirino's liscense that you had scrutinized earlier. "It's prudent to know whose in the room across the hall. " He steps forward, closing the distance to you. "What are *you* up to?"

[20:02:47] cobrawax : Liam couldn't help but tremble when he saw the liscense. "Why do you care?"

[20:03:32] cobrawax : (Crap, I spelled license wrong.)

[20:03:57] cobrawax : (Oh wait, no I didn't)

[20:04:13] Seryna : "You're moinitoring my comings and goings." The man gestured up the hall. "Your friend came into my hotel room and laid out some very interesting accusations. I had to see what I'm dealing with, and you don't appear to be con artist. Are you a conspiracy nut like Chris, as well?"

[20:06:41] cobrawax : Liam rubs the back of his neck. "Well, not a friend. More of an acquaintance of an acquaintance of a friend. But, no, I don't consider myself a conspiracy nut."

[20:09:11] Seryna : "So what are you doing here?" The man appears to be on the erge of saying more, when the door to his hotel room opens. A strawberry blonde with short cropped hair wearing an odd containment suit, similiar to a Hazmat suit, peers out into the hall. MTG expresses annoyance at her presence. "Damn it, JJ, how long have you been back?" "You'd know if you were on stand by like you're supposed to be." The woman replied scathingly, fixing you with a sharp look. "Whose the civilian?"

[20:13:28] cobrawax : Liam smiles at the woman. "Hey, I'm Liam. What's that suit for?" Then a chill ran Liam's spine when he remembered what day it was.

[20:16:20] Seryna : "Liam?" The woman's eyes widen for a fraction of a second and she steps out, gripping MTG's arm. She pulls him aside, whispering something to him hurriedly. When she finished, they both turn and eyed you with an odd expression. "You know someone named Riley and Chris? They claimed to be in that room. Perhaps you should get your friends and come over to our place."

Place holder - will edit this after the storm



Seryna : As Dave nosed out of the motel door, he spotted Liam speaking to two others. the other people stood by the doorway of the room across the hall. One was a Caucasin woman with strawberry blonde hair, chopped short, who was wearing some adapted HazMat suit. The man is Caucasian with dark coloring- eyes chocolate brown, hair of such a deep brown that it is nearly black. He wears a modern moderately priced suit in dark grey with a blue striped tie.
Professor Stevens : The Professor exited the bathroom, having had to make quick use of the facilities, including a vigorous face wash with the hotel's flannels to try and keep him awake. If the coffee in the room had run dry he would have to go downstairs and find some more to ensure nobody fell asleep.

Liam : Liam nodded "Alright, so where is this place."

Seryna : "Which place would that be?" 'JJ' asked, glancing between you and MTG. "What does he know?"

Dave: Dave wanders over to them all, doing a double-take at the hazmat. "What place?"

Seryna : Doctor Hollandale peers out around Dave. She has spent the time that Liam was out organizing a modified medical kit. The kit now remains in her black bag on the bed, abanddoned at the new event of new people. "The conference?" She proposes.

Seryna : MTG frowns behind Liam at the appearance of new people. "Where's Chris?" He asks in a quarrelsome voice. "He seemed to have a clue as to what was going on. Are you all going to the conference about the new vaccine?" As he mentions the conference, the blonde's eyes widen. "That's today?" She directs her question to MTG. "Tomorrow." MTG tells her, curtly.

Professor Stevens : The Professor appeared behind Doctor Hollandale, a styrofoam tray of highly potent coffees in one hand.

Dave: Dave scratches his head and drags his pack over to Liam and Hazmat. "What's with the suit?"

Liam : Liam turns to Dave. "I know right. These guys never tell me anything."

Seryna : "Its a containment suit." The strawberry blonde replies. "I can't beleive that your friends entered Devastation without one."
Dave: "That's nice, but what's with the suit?"

Seryna : The doctor opts for quiet, plucking one of the coffees up from the Professor's tray and giving it a tentative sip.

Seryna : "Are you all operating so uninformed?" JJ wonders. "Your friends who came over to Devastation - well, I tried to get them back before I was chased off by the natives. I'm guessing that they made it back. As it happens, the suit was unneccessary. There is no radiation in the otherworld. That's rare, though." She adds, looking at you. "Are we heading back to Devastation tonight? There's a commotion in the town. The Webero creature has carried off some of the local children from the town."


Liam : "Devastation? Otherworld? What? Yeah, I guess I'm pretty uninformed. I don't seem to know anything"

Dave: "Yeah, start making sense. I'm running out of patience here."

Seryna : "You were in the Otherworld, also known as Devastation. Your friends met JJ there." MTG indicates the woman. "Your friend Chris found me when he returned, frantic that he didn't want to return. He says that you had travelled back, so I gave him some information on when you would return. Its undoccumented that you would travel by sleep, howeer. JJ here has to rely on her natural ability to find a bubble." he looks past you at the tray that the Professor was holding. "I take it that you are preventing a return.

Liam : Liam nodded. "Right. That place that looks like Arizona."

Professor Stevens has been disconnected the Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:49 pm (session timeout)

Dave: "Where's here?" Dave hefted his sack up.

Professor Stevens has joined the chat on Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:50 pm

Seryna : "Here? Detroit, present day." MTG replied. He looked towards Liama nd the Professor. "Your friend seems confused. Perhaps you could explain it to him while I record JJ's findings. Shall we met in our hotel room in about twenty minutes?"

Liam : Liam shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Dave: Dave glowered. "No. Who the fuck are you people?"

Seryna : "All right then. See you in a few minutes." The two scientists ignore Dave's objections, nodding towards Liam. "He'll explain everything. We have some documentation to verify." With that, the two move into thier hotel room and close the door.

Seryna : Doctor Hollandale frowns after them. "They are rather rude, aren't they. " She turns to Liam and the Professor. "You never told me what happened to you when we split up. I think Dave could stand to hear it too." She moves back into the motel room, sitting on the bed.

Liam : Liam sighs in relief once they leave. "They're a bunch of pricks working for some company. Also, they're blackmailing us. And they seem to understand that whole thing were we end up in that Arizona like place."

Dave: "Yeah, they're some pricks alright. They have dirt on us? "

Liam : Liam nods. "Yeah, they know we paid for this room using Cirino's credit card."

Seryna : "They seem rather civil for expecting us of credit card fruad." Doctor Hollandale remarks.

Seryna : [expecting=suspecting. Diu]

Dave: Dave frowned, looking angrier by the minute. "What are they asking for?"

Liam : Liam shrugged. "Information probably."

Professor Stevens has been disconnected the Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:05 pm (session timeout)

Seryna : "Information about where we went?" The Doctor asked Liam.

Professor Stevens has joined the chat on Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:07 pm

Liam : Liam shrugged. "I don't know. They just keep asking all these questions. They never tell me anything. A lot of it seems to have to do with Chris and Riley."

Dave: "What proof do they have?"

Liam : Liam frowned. "They somehow got a hold of Cirino's driver's liscense."

Seryna : "Well, I'm not sure what informtion they'd want to hear from me. The man the locals took me too was suffering from extremem dehydration and had lost 4 pints of blood- likely from the bite to the man's neck. It appeared to be one very brazen vampire attack. I did what I could, but the man died." She shook her head, regrettful. "The others didn't even seem surprised, like they expected him to die." The doctor's wounds were healing nicely, but a painful looking splotch of a cruise remained on her face.

Liam : "I think that they think that we're working for the same people or something. They were like surprised that I wasn't in on this whole thing."

Dave: "Why don't we take it off them then?"

Seryna : The doctor stood, moving to stand next to the Professor. "Thank you for the cofee." She told him, lifting the cup to her lips once more. "Although we may be jittery, we'll definitely be at the conference."

Professor Stevens : "No problem. I think given the alternative a few jitters is a small price to pay." He smiled.

Liam : Liam turned to Dave. "That's the only evidence they showed me. It might not be the only evidence they have. But if you think it's a good idea, I'm not stopping you. "

Seryna : "Take the drivers liscense off of them?" The doctor asked Dave. "I think they intend to go to the conference, as well. It may be hard to avoid them there if they're accusing us of theft."

Dave: "We could stop them going to the conference. I really can't be doing with all this mystery prick BS. I say we grab them when they come back and get to the bottom of this."

Seryna : "About the conference- do we know what we're doing there?" The doctor wondered. "Donnie said this is the day that it all begins. But - how are we going to stop it?"

Liam : "If we go back and look at the timeline we might be able to figure out a way." Liam suggested with some hesitation.

"Find out where it all went wrong."
Doctor Hollandale: "Grab them? And do what?" The doctor frowned. "We're in a hotel with a security staff and I assume security cameras. If they dissapear, we're likely going to look suspicious." The doctor looked towards Liam with interest. "Donnie did tell us to look at the timeline- and it was mentioned in the journal. But we'd be stuck there for 6 hours."

@ Dean : "They don't know who we are, right?"

Professor Stevens : "Could we maintain a presence in both worlds..." The Professor thought out-loud

Liam: "They seemed to recognize my name as well as Chris and Riley."
[14:30:27] Seryna : "What do you mean?" Chrissy asked the Professor. "A few of us go back and a few of us stay here?"

[14:30:38] @ Dean : "Wait. Couldn't we use this two worlds mess to get out of this bind? Take them there and find out what we need to know from them?"

[14:31:59] AeonThePhoenix : "Well we need to do something here but we need to check the other world's timeline to figure out what to do... seems splitting up is a neccessity." The Professor stated.

[14:35:45] Seryna : "And then do what?" Chrissy asked Dave. She glances towards the Professor, wondering if splitting up was a good idea- and who would want to go back...

[14:36:24] AeonThePhoenix : "Also the journal mentions two people whose vague descriptions match myself and Liam talking to Bookman again. Coincidence or perhaps the path towards the clue we're looking for."
[14:41:05] cobrawax : "Maybe it's already happened." Liam suggested

[14:41:58] @ Dean : Dave looks at Chrissy like she's just not getting it. "What does it matter, so long as we can get away from them?"

[14:44:31] Seryna : "All right..." Chrissy says slowly, glancing around the room. "I made a med kit.. Liam, what's in the duffel? Is it for when we go back?"

[14:46:44] cobrawax : Liam nods. "I got some sports equipment, camping equipment, and medical equipment."

[14:48:00] Seryna : "You have the journal still?" The doctor turned and gae the Professor a searching look. "Are we set for going back?"

[14:48:06] Seryna : [gave*]

[14:51:38] AeonThePhoenix has been disconnected the Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:51 pm (session timeout)

[14:51:41] AeonThePhoenix has joined the chat on Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:51 pm

[14:52:00] AeonThePhoenix : The Professor patted his pocket. "I have the journal and a shorthand copy of everything in it as well just in case." he said, picking up the book from the bed. Samuel gave a sad look at his cane, wishing the book had mentioned having that on him. Unfortunately he would again have to depart to the other world without it.

[14:55:48] Seryna : [hey guys, a thunders torm rolled in. im going to shut off the computer]

[14:56:18] Seryna : [ill do n im chain when things calm down for the next scene planning]

The group had departed from the scientists and convened in thier room for the last ten minutes. While they had agreed to meeting the odd scientists in thier room across the hall momentarily, together the hunters had hatched a plan to rid them of the scientists and thier odd knowledge of Liam's tryst with identity theft. Earlier in teh day, preparations had been made to return to the primitive world known as 'Devastation'. Unfourtanately, it meant returning to the primal and odd creatures that populated the wasted planet. You recall the child's voice fearing the Webero, the odd giant bird with the red eye that had pecked at your hiding place...

In the words of the sleep deprived Donnie, 'sleep moves you'. How would they use their sleep to catch the scientists?


[13:29:17] The Professor: "How much longer until our rendevous with those scientists?" The Professor asked.

[13:30:13] Liam : Liam got out his cell phone and looked at the time. "Bout ten minutes."

[13:31:34] Storyteller : The doctor returned to the bed, plucking up her black medical case. She appeared nervous, licking her lips repeatedly. She touched her collarbone gingerly, where the cuts from her abductor remained beneath her clothing. Wordlessly, she moved to stand beside the Professor.

[13:32:59] Liam : "So...does that laptop have minesweeper on it?" Liam asked while pointing to the Professor's laptop.

[13:36:04] The Professor: "Solitaire and Freecell as well." The Professor responded, thinking.

[13:37:36] Liam : "Right then. Guess I'll play a game if you don't mind." said Liam as he picked up the laptop and opened up the minesweeper window.

[13:37:42] Storyteller : There is no sign of the scientists as they continue whatever clandestine meeting they'd excluded you from.

[13:39:49] Liam : "I wonder if anything in any of those myths about giant birds would apply there." said Liam while he tried to kill ten minutes.

[13:40:30] The Professor: "What myths?" The Professor asked.

[13:41:05] Storyteller : The door across the hall opens and the two- minus the odd suit on the woman- cross the hall. They knock loudly on the door. You can hear them talking to each other in low voices. They appear to be arguing. What did secretive other dimension traveling scientists argue about?

[13:42:38] The Professor: The Professor quietly moves closer to the door to see if he can overhear anything of what they are saying.

[13:42:43] Liam : "Oh you know. The Arabian one. There's probably more." said Liam as he made his way towards the door. He picks up his bagpack and tries to keep it close by him.

[13:44:10] Liam : Liam backed away from the door and shut his mouth and listened in as well.

[13:45:33] Storyteller : Most of the words are muffled, but you can hear several words punctuated by JJ.s abrasive tone. "I don't have time to be babysitting you. There's important work to be done there. I told you, there was just a breach in the town. The natives are very ...." Her voice fades.

[13:53:50] The Professor: The Professor looks at Liam for a moment, shrugs and opens the door to the two whispering scientists.



[13:54:51] Storyteller : "Hello." MTG greets, sweeping into the room. JJ enters after a beat, peering at you distrustfully. "You say you travelled without entering a bubble?" She starts in without preamble.

[13:56:26] Liam : "Bubble? Like a reality bubble? Isn't the closest one in Pittsburg?"

[13:57:43] Storyteller : "J.J." MTG chastises her, seeming annoyed by her assertiveness. The blonde ignores him, focussing on Liam's question. "Bubbles expire. You can think of it as one popping, and then another one is blown somewhere else. But only I can access Devastation from here." "Obviously, that's untrue." MTG replied snidely.

[13:58:43] The Professor: "Clearly you're playing with something you don't fully understand or control." The Professor stated.

[13:59:22] Storyteller : "Coming from someone who doesn't even know where the bubble is, that's a lot of hot air." J.J. chirps.

[14:00:52] The Professor: "Says someone who deosn't know why or how we can travel without one." The Professor pointed out.

[14:03:37] Storyteller : "You never answered my question." J.J.'s voice is shrill with indignation. "How did you enter Devastation? Did you follow me?" She turns to MTG. "I bet they did. You were too busy being inept to watch for interopers." The blonde woman's voice is heated with anger. MTG spread his hands, trying to diffuse her anger. "I was collating the reports you send. It's all that I'm authorized to do." The last point was delivered with a surly expression on his face.

[14:05:16] Liam : "I was hoping you knew the answer to that." said Liam dissapointedly.

[14:05:49] Storyteller : "Perhaps if you would walk us through how you first entered Devastation?" MTG proposed.
[14:06:32] The Professor: "Perhaps you would also share hw you started entering it via this bubble as well?" The Professor suggested.

[14:10:09] Storyteller : "Unaurthorized access." J.J. mutters. "The company couldn't have authorized such unqualified- " "J.J.," MTG was more stern now. Oddly, it quieted J.J.'s mutterings. "She is a Extradimensional Researcher with a very rare ability to locate bubbles." MTG explained. "It would appear that you and your friends also possess the ability to locate bubbles naturally."

[14:13:26] Liam : "But we didn't enter it on purpose, we blacked out and woke up there."

[14:15:37] Storyteller : "Even more proof that you have the leanings of an extra dimensional researcher." MTG stated. "It often manifests that way for children. Its more unusual to reach adulthood without discovering-" "It's the proximity." J.J. cut in, her mood tinged with emotions you couldn't identify. "You would have been drawn to it when i crossed over."

[14:16:57] The Professor: "Interesting." The Professor commented

[14:19:16] Storyteller : The blonde suddenly turned her head, distracted. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" MTG wondered, looking annoyed at the distraction. "There's something..." The blonde murmered, moving over to the wall. You are no longer paying attention, because you are now hearing something as well. The Professor and Liam recognize it at once. The bells from the town in Devastation. The bells that had sounded when the webero bird attacked. Yet why were you hearing--- Your thoughts hung as the answer immediately presented itself. One minute you were standing in the hotel room. The next, you were standing in a cramped, darkened space. You recognize it immediately- the back room where Bookman had hidden you.

[14:20:26] Liam : "Fuck." exclaimed Liam. "I should've drunk more coffee."