Play@YSDC

Dunwich Beach - Dunwich, England
3:40 PM - Thursday, September 5, 1985

Raymond MacIntyre, who stood by the Land Rover, smiled when he saw Elliot Webb, Valerie Soames, and Dr. Valerie Kirby approaching from the north. "Dr. Kirby, thank goodness you're all right!" he said. "It's good to see you two as well. I'm glad you managed to rescue her."

Dr. Kirby smiled back weakly. "Thank you," she said. "I'm so glad to see you too. Where are the others?"

"Dr. Shields is in the shack with one of our prisoners. We've got the other one trussed up in the back of the Land Rover. It's...it's like nothing I've ever seen before, and I've seen a lot. The others still haven't come out of that cave."

Dr. Kirby noticed the wound in his side. "Oh, my! You're hurt!"

"Yes, that creature poked me with a spear, but I managed to shoot it down before it could finish me off, and Dr. Shields already saw to my wound."

Raymond went over to the shack and poked his head inside. "Elliot and Mrs. Soames are back with Dr. Kirby," he told Salem.

Horsham, who was tied to a support post, raised an eyebrow when Raymond mentioned Mrs. Soames.

Elliot finally lets out a sigh of release, feeling much better with more team members around. Elliot pokes his head into the shack to see if he can be of any help. "Good to see you guys too."

With his hands still deep in searching Horsham's pockets, Salem continues to search meticulously as Elliot walks in, "Webbs! I'm glad we finally have good news for once." Salem gives pause and looks up to Elliot, "What's the SITREP lookin' outside? Are we compromised?"

Salem's search of Horsham's pockets turned up a half-full pack of cigarettes, a lighter, some pocket change, and a ring of keys.

OOC,Whoops, I'm sorry! I forgot that you said you were searching him.

"Clear out here, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the locals coming soon. It's not like we got Dr. Kirby out without being seen. We ended up turning around and doubling back. I'm not sure why they would think to come this way, but then that model T we were driving doesn't blend in real well either." Elliot says. "Whats going on with these guys?"

Salem glances between Elliot and the tied up Horsham, "We needed to gain entrance to the cave by that cliff," as Salem points in the direction of the window. "However, the entrance is underwater and we've seized this fishing shack and commandeered the boats. The fishing shack is temporarily our safe-house for the time being, although..." Salem nods towards the Land Rover parked outside, "Ray got attacked by one of those amphibious creatures just moments ago, and we've captured it."

Elliot thinks back to the fish guys he saw at the house, "The manor Dr. Kirby was at was crawling with them. Just gills in the neck, or are these guys worse?" He shivers for a second thinking back to the people he saw.

Kneeling beside Horsham, Salem rises up slowly as his eyes were fixed on Elliot, "It's a lot worse then you imagine." Salem shuffles towards Elliot, "I'm not sure what you've seen, but our captive in the car has more... pronounced features. It's crossed between a fish, frog, and a turtle. Eight feet muscular figure, bipedal including limbs with digits as well." Salem gives pause, "The creature lunged a spear at Ray outside." Looking out towards the window, Salem's eyes light up and smiles as he sees Dr.Kirby safe, "Are we prepared for extraction Elliot? Or does Dr.Kirby have a request?"

"Not that I'm aware. My plan was get her out of there and to safety. I don't think we are safe yet, but its a start. I think getting the team back together and extraction at this point might be the best plan." Elliot looks out towards the water, "What about the strangers with the box? We can't just leave them with these," he pauses for a second looking for the right word. "Creatures."

"I see, well good work Elliot," as Salem pats Elliot's shoulder in an encouraging manner. "Whatever you see useful here is yours, I'll speak with Dr.Kirby and soon will contact HQ." Salem exits the door and waves enthusiastically at Dr.Kirby, grinning in joy, "Dr. Kirby!"

"So how long have the others been gone? What is the contingency plan with that?" Elliot asks. "I don't want to do another rescue op in that house if I don't have to."

In that awkward social suspense that Salem forgot to address Elliot, time felt like it slowed down as he looked over his shoulder to see Elliot, caught in that awkward moment. Caught up with the feeling of relief that Dr.Kirby is alive, Elliot's concern reminded Salem of the soldiers back at the base and when he had to go through bootcamp.

"The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday"

Still waving at Dr.Kirby enthusiastically, Salem checked his watch and noticed that the rest of the team have been gone for about an hour since they've departed.

Valerie's face wrinkles in distaste. "I think that we need to be aware that our main purpose is to extract Dr Kirby which we have done ... if at least partially. I would suggest that we take her as far away as we can from here, as quickly as possible. But there are protocols that we have to follow and we have to await further instruction regarding these ... these ... 'things.' Does anyone agree?"

Salem looks over towards Valerie, "We are aware of our objective and your concern is appreciated ma'am." Salem nods toward the Land Rover, "Extraction will arrive ETA tomorrow morning and will CASEVAC our prisoners to a containment facility. I've already informed HQ of these creatures, however, details are unspecified regarding our mode of transportation."

Shuffling his feet together and squaring his posture towards Valerie, Salem says, "Did you obtain any intel infiltrating the Lake Manor?"

Dr. Valerie Kirby grinned back at Salem. "It's good to see you too, Dr. Shields," she said. "We'll never hold this position until morning, that's for certain. Our best bet is to gather everyone together and evacuate back to HQ with our prisoners. I don't think there should be any unnecessary delay before I brief the Brigadier on the threat. I've discovered a bit before my abduction, and I know something about these creatures. UNIT have run into them before. We call them the Sea Devils. Back in the seventies, there were some encounters with them in the North Sea. But I've discovered something about them we never knew then. They're..." She shuddered. "They're genetically compatible with humans, and can interbreed. That's where the hybrid creatures you'll find in Dunwich come from. They appear normal throughout childhood, but as they reach maturity they gradually take on the phenotype of Sea Devils, whose genes are dominant."

Elliot can't help but smile when Dr. Kirby speaks. As bad as everything went on that part of the mission with no equipment and we had still pulled it off. Maybe a medal or promotion he thought privately to himself. "I only heard a couple names Bertie and Victoria Lake that run the place. Dr. Kirby has the real intel. I agree, there are too many, we can't hold out here till morning."

"Should we take the safer option and head out of Dunwich then ... I for one would rather not see these so-called hybrids or sea devils or whatever they are unless I absolutely have to. From what I have seen so far, we are outnumbered and whilst they can be injured and presumably killed by bullets, it may take ore than we have available to us. Valerie draws herself up to her full height, which isn't very much, and looks Salem straight in the eye.

"Regarding Lake Manor ... Mr Lake we never actually saw, but his cook Mrs Blodgett and the gardener are definitely batting for the other side as it were so it would be safe to assume that others are too. There were two other men in the manor but Elliot and myself managed to get away with Dr Kirby, injuring some of the men - fish in the process. Mr Lake goes around in the place in a silver Rolls Royce with tinted windows, which may mean something or nothing at all. He drove out the village at speed just before we got here, we thought he was chasing us at the time.If he was then I feel we need to protect our 'prize asset' and make sure we avoid him and his allies. As Dr Kirby states, we are at a major disadvantage here in Dunwich and I stress again the need to get out of Dodge with all available speed."

"Thank you," said Dr. Kirby, "I quite agree. I have seen Bertie Lake-" She shivered again. "Be glad you haven't. He's almost completely transformed. There's very little human left in him. His father was the late Captain Josiah Lake, who by all accounts was fully human. His mother must have been a Sea Devil."

"But we can't leave the others behind either. We need to procure more transportation. The Humvee will only hold so many, and as much as I love the old T, we need something a bit faster." Elliot speaks up. "Maybe Val and I can go back into town and procure a couple more cars? Is there a rental place around here? Maybe for motorcycles?" Elliot is trying to remember if he saw any large vans while driving around.

"I had my own car," said Dr. Kirby, "and I tried to get away in it when they grabbed me. I didn't see it in the car park, though, so they must have hidden it. There's no rental place in Dunwich. How many people are we talking about extracting? The Land Rover holds seven, and the Model T can seat five in a pinch, plus two on the running boards. Is that not enough?"

Salem points over towards the Land Rover, "Dr.Kirby, we've managed to capture a Sea Devil and restrained it in the backseat of the car. HQ says we should bring it back to base so we may examine it." Salem thinks to himself for a moment and looks over in the direction of the underwater cave, "Did you know anything about that cave over there Dr.Kirby?"

Valerie looks down to the sand trying to remember the layout of the village. Finally she calls out "When we went into the manor I'm sure there was a carriage house on the drive. I remember hiding behind behind it when Elliott and I saw the gardener. I had almost forgotten about him. Anyway, I wonder if your car was being held there Dr Kirby?"

"That's likely where they've hidden it," said Dr. Kirby as she made her way over to the Land Rover. "I wouldn't want to risk going back there to look for it, though. I did see the cave entrance from the beach around here, but I never ventured inside." She looked into the back of the vehicle and screamed in terror when she saw the creature. Trembling, she gripped the door handle and shivered for a minute until she calmed down. "Actually, that one's not as bad as Bertie Lake. There are still enough bits of him that you can tell he was once human, and that makes it worse."

OOC,Everyone who is outside, please roll Spot Hidden.

Valerie looks around and notices something that is not quite right (54%/70%)

When Dr. Kirby screams, Elliot will come out to make sure she is ok. "Everyone ok here?".

spot hidden,target = 60 [dice]0[/dice]

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Then noticing something odd, "What the heck is that?"

Salem looks around to clue in, only to mindlessly blind himself when he stared at the sun and rubs his eyes profusely.

Spot Hidden 80%,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4421814/]Fumble! 100%[/url]

Raymond was inside the shack, keeping an eye on Horsham.

Elliot Webb/Valerie Soames,[b]Elliot[/b] and [b]Valerie[/b] happened to glance to the north. Off in the distance, three men were walking in their direction, all of them wearing constables' uniforms. [b]Dr. Kirby[/b] [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4421858/]noticed them too[/url].

Valerie looks Northward and watches as the figures come closer. Before they get too close she says to Elliott; "Elliott, we may need to make a decision now - have you seen these three supposed policemen heading our way? They may or may not be friendlies, but I think it would be better to bolt if needed, don't you agree dear boy? Salem, I'd suggest we leave and leave now. Dr Kirby, if you would be so good as to get in the car please, we may have to leave in a hurry."

Elliot sizes the constables walking towards them. Then to the ones inside, "We got company. Doctor Kirby do you know if the police are in with these..." he stops at a loss of words. "Whatever they are. What if I go talk to them see what they want? I'm not sure running from the police is the right thing to do. Maybe they can be allies."

"It wouldn't surprise me if they're in on it," said Dr. Kirby. "It's hard to imagine how all this could be going on without their knowledge. Be careful." She got into the Land Rover.

Elliot discreetly hands his pistol over to Val. "Just in case. Get the truck started. I'll go see what our friends want. Your job is to get Dr. Kirby out of here if things go bad."
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Elliot walks up the beach till he is about 20 feet from the 3 men. He looks for anything out of place. Do they have the right uniforms, badges, etc... Are they carrying any firearms? Do they have gills? If anything looks fishy he is going to bolt back down the beach.

spot hidden,just in case target = 60: [dice]0[/dice]

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If everything looks good and they don't seem aggressive, "Afternoon constables, can I help you?"

Raymond stuck his head out of the shack. "I don't think we can bring ths guy outside with company on the way," he said quietly to Salem and Valerie Soames as Elliot headed north up the beach.

Elliot Webb,[b]Elliot[/b] walked closer to the constables, who did not seem to be paying him any particular attention. Their uniforms and badges looked normal, and they did not seem to have firearms, though each of them had a baton on his belt. The one in the middle had sergeant's stripes on his sleeves. When he got to within about twenty feet, [b]Elliot[/b] could see that all three of them had big fishy eyes and gills. [spoiler][b]Elliot[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d4. You may then act freely, but you should roll Idea before you do so.[/spoiler]

Valerie gets into the land rover and starts it up. She casts her eyes about and looks for the easiest route off the beach, hopefully being able to take as many of the 'group' as possible. At least Dr Kirby is in the car.

"Are you alright dear ... we'll do our best to ensure your safety."

"I am now, thanks to you and Elliot," said Dr. Kirby. "If you hadn't gotten me out of there..." She shivered.

Valerie Soames could see that the only way to get the Land Rover off the beach was to drive north, past the police. The beach ended here at the cliff base, and there was no way the vehicle could scale the sheer heights or sail out to sea, which were the only other apparent ways off the beach.

Sanity,target = 60: [dice]0[/dice] . idea roll target = 80: [dice]1[/dice] . Holy crap double crit successes.

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Elliot swallows down the repulsive feeling in his stomach. "Officers, I saw three people jump out of that model T and run into the hotel. They looked dangerous. My friends and I were afraid to go back up there."

"Thank you, sir," said the sergeant. "We'll deal with that just as soon as we've resolved the situation here. Please stay back." He led the other two constables past Ellliot, in the direction of Horsham's shack.

Elliot Webb,[b]Elliot[/b] was sure these were actual constables, but they carried the taint of Dunwich and were no doubt corrupted and on [b]Lake[/b]'s payroll. They also seemed to know that something was going on at [b]Horsham[/b]'s. Could [b]Salem[/b] or [b]Raymond[/b] have made a phone call to UNIT from the shack? If so, the local operator could easily have eavesdropped on the conversation and then reported it, which would explain how the police would know.

"Absolutely sirs." Elliot says. After they pass and their backs are to me, he will flash a sign to Val that things are not good, and to be prepared to fight.

Noting Elliott's gesturing as the disgustingly deformed policemen approach, I am now torn between fight or flight. Her head says let's get the package out of here, but her heart, her gut instinct is that she should stay and help her fellow agents. "If you can drive I want you to get out and drive away from this hell-hole for all you are worth Doctor - I cannot leave my colleagues behind in this situation - it's just not the British way now is it? You need to get off the beach to the North, which unfortunately will take you past those revolting policemen."

"You can drive Dr Kirby?" I ask as I watch the distorted features of the police get closer.

"I can manage if I have to," said Dr. Kirby, "but I'd feel a lot better if you came with me and drove."

My heart is shouting at me to stand by the rest of the cell, my colleagues, but my head screams and screams at me get Dr Kirby out of here safely. I look over to Elliott to try and read some sort of guidance in his face. Do I stay or do I go with the package like my first instincts? I bite my lower lip in confusion and consternation. I have never been placed in doubt in this way before.

Elliot follows the constables about 15-20 feet back. When they are not looking, I pull my knife and I make sure Val sees me do it. As they approach Val and the car, he yells out, "Don't worry auntie, they will check out the hotel as soon as they are done here."

"Oh boy," Salem mutters to himself, watching the constables make their slow approach as he scratches his head, wondering how to get out of this pickle.

Dr. Kirby ducked down so that the constables wouldn't see her as they approached, while Raymond went back into the shack and shut the door. One of the constables pointed at the Land Rover and led the way, followed by the sergeant, with the other constable bringing up the rear. That one moved with great difficulty and slowness, even moreso than Valerie Soames herself did. As they got to within ten yards, she could confirm that they were in fact carrying the Dunwich look, with bulging eyes and gills.

I close my eyes and look heavenward.

Please God, guide me in this

Taking a deep breath she opens here eyes and sees the policemen are getting closer.

"In the car Dr Kirby - I need to get you out of here and get you out now." I spin round and make for the driver's door and slide in. I give Elliott a sorrowful look as I enter the car and mouth the word 'Sorry!' to him.

"We'll have to leave the boys to sort themselves out I'm afraid. I'm sure they can all manage just fine, and anyway what's a not-so-young girl such as myself going to be able to bring to this particular party?" I gun the engine and drive off once myself and Dr Kirby are both in. "Now we need to be getting out of here pretty darn quick." I spin the car round and head past / through the policemen if they try to get in the way, or should that be don't get out the way in time.

OOC:   I'll try to take the most 'agile' one out as I pass if possible - though not enough to damage the car too much.

As Valerie Soames got behind the wheel and pulled out, the policemen quickened their pace. "Halt!" shouted the one in the lead. Then a loud, distant crack was heard - a gunshot!

OOC,[b]Valerie[/b], please roll Drive Auto. Also, everyone please roll Listen and Spot Hidden.

ooc rolls,Listen target = 50%: [dice]0[/dice] spot hidden target = 60%: [dice]1[/dice]

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Elliot sees where the shots came from. As the constables start to chase the car, Elliot tries to catch the last one by surprise with a knife to the back.
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attack,knife 25%: [dice]2[/dice]

More used to driving on road than on the beaches Valerie struggles to control the car successfully.(85/35%)

When the mysterious shot rang out, Raymond fired at the sergeant through the window, but the bullet went wide. Elliot tried to stab the policeman bringing up the rear in the back, but he turned aside at the last second. Then Raymond heard something and turned.

Valerie Soames tried to run down the constable in front, but he easily moved out of the way. As the Land Rover went past, he tried to grab onto a door handle, but it slipped from his grasp.

Dr. Kirby heard nothing, but she glanced out the rear window and saw something.

OOC,You cannot see where the shot came from even if you passed your Spot Hidden roll. I can't reveal what you see yet, as it depends on what happens in the other thread, and I'm waiting for someone to post there before I can be certain what it is. [b]Valerie[/b], you may roll Listen and Spot Hidden as well. [b]Salem[/b], it is your turn to act now. Then I can finish out the rest of the round.

Raymond MacIntyre,[b]Raymond[/b] could tell that the first gunshot had come from the cliffs above. Then he heard a sound behind him. Somehow, [b]Horsham[/b] had gotten free of the ropes, which he had discarded on the floor. He vanished through the door at the rear of the shop before [b]Raymond[/b] could take a shot at him.

Valerie, shaken a little by having to control the careering land rover just manages to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye and looks quickly in that direction. By concentrating on this she fails to hear over the noise of the engine.

"Oh dear, this is exciting isn't it dear!" I exclaim merrily. "Just wait till I tell the girls at the knitting club about his one," I laugh, trying to keep Dr. Kirby's spirits up, possibly to mask my own fear as well - you might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment!

"We'll soon have you out of here dearie." I add cheerfully.

Salem tries to run up and tackle the policemen closest to him, but misses him in the middle of the scuffle.

Grapple 25%,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4442129/]Failure 77%[/url]

Salem tried to grab the lead constable, but he effortlessly eluded his grasp. The sergeant also tried to grab hold of the Land Rover as it went past him, but he too could not maintain a grip. "Stop that vehicle!" he commanded. Raymond fired a second shot at him, hitting this time and wounding him badly. His eyes went wide as he glimpsed a startling sight.

Behind them, to the south, everyone saw a Sea Devil gripping a spear and a net run to the edge of the cliffs above the area where the cave entrance was and leap off, making a graceful dive and landing in the water with a splash, where it submerged and vanished from sight. Raymond remained calm, used to these things by now. Dr. Kirby went pale as a sheet and quivered in terror. "Thank you," she managed, her voice cracking. "I just hope we get the chance to tell them!"

The slowest constable tried to grab onto the Land Rover when it drove by him, but he tripped and fell in a heap at Elliot's feet. Then the Land Rover was past him, with nothing but empty beach between it and escape.

Raymond fired another shot at the sergeant, but this one whizzed by him.

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b] and [b]Valerie[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d6. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, please roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. Otherwise, you may act freely. [b]Salem[/b] does not need to roll, as he already lost 6 points for seeing one of these. [b]Elliot[/b], it is your turn to act now.

Elliot watches the strange creature dive into the sea. He can't believe what just jumped into the water.
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sanity check,target = 60: [dice]0[/dice]

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He knew he was in for a strange encounters here, but this is getting ridiculous. And he has had about enough of this.
With a fish man prone on the ground in front of him. He decided enough is enough. He drives his dagger down into the creature.
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knife attack:,25%(not sure if I get a bonus for them being prone in front of me,oh I wish I had my gun.) [dice]1[/dice]

Elliot misjudges the fish fellow falling at his feet and trips over him as he goes to stab him.

Valerie is slightly shaken - (33/49%) by the grisly sight but manages to maintain a calm exterior as she leaves the beach and is once more on the road.

"There, there Dr Kirby you will be alright now ... once we are clear of the village that is." I reach out behind me and give her hand a comforting squeeze. "Do you want to come and sit up front dear? Quickly now." I add, not giving her the option, as I stop the car out of sight of those on the beach.

OOC,[b]Valerie[/b], you are moving to the thread linked below.

The Two Valeries

OOC,Everyone else is moving to the thread linked below.

I Fought the Law