IC-Ep 3-The Two Valeries(Valerie Soames only)

[Mr. Handy]

"They didn't brief you?" said Dr. Kirby. "About a week ago, a London man named Simon Armistead was found dead in his home of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Normally the police would handle this, but they found there were certain abnormalities about the corpse. You've seen the same sort of look on the locals here in Dunwich, so I take it you know what I mean. They called in UNIT, and Salem Shields and I conducted an autopsy. We confirmed that the manner of death was suicide caused by a shotgun wound, but what alarmed me were the abnormalities that had to be genetic. I decided to look into his family history to try to trace them back to their origins. His mother, Beth Armistead, was an historian who had died of breast cancer a few months back. His father, Miles Armistead, was still living in London. I interviewed him and collected some samples for analysis. He told me that Simon had taken a trip to Dunwich a couple of weeks after his mother's death, and he also remembered that Beth had gone there to do research on a book she was writing back in 1954, the year before Simon was born. He recalled that she seemed different after that, more aloof and sad, but she had never explained why to him, and she had never been the same after that. I convinced him to give me permission to exhume his late wife's body so I could run tests on her too.

"Neither Miles nor Beth had any trace of the anomalies I found in Simon, and that Beth did in fact die of cancer. However, I also found out that Miles could not have been Simon's biological father. I was able to tell that from blood types alone. Otherwise the testing would have taken weeks. I concluded that Simon was most likely conceived in Dunwich when Beth was there, so I headed to Dunwich to try to find out who his real father was...and I discovered the horrible truth."

[Cearlan]

I slow a little, as I fall in behind a combined harvester, I crane my neck to the right to check I am clear to overtake and move smoothly past the slow moving farm vehicle. After I pass it I say to Dr Kirby; "Yes we were briefed, but sometimes the briefings leave out little bits of information that could be relevant. By the 'horrible truth,' I assume you mean the changes the people of the village have gone through, if indeed that's what they still are?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes," said Dr. Kirby. "The Sea Devils...they can interbreed with humans. Their offspring start out looking like normal human children, but after they reach adulthood they start to change, taking on more of the characteristics of Sea Devils: bulging eyes, gills, webbed fingers and toes, that sort of thing. Eventually they'll turn into full Sea Devils. Bertie Lake is nearly there."

[Cearlan]

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaim. "I had not even thought of that ... I mean who would ... surely ... they must take any woman they have "interbred with" as you say, by force ... I ... I cannot imagine anything more revolting. Surely any sane woman would fight off these monsters." I shudder as I think of the slimy hand of the cook and the stench of the manor-house.

[Mr. Handy]

Valerie Kirby lowered her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "She'd certainly try, but Sea Devils are quite strong. That's what happened to poor Beth Armistead. I spoke to one of the old local fishermen, Zeke Baker. When he was younger, back in 1954, he found her washed up on the beach, naked and covered with bruises and minor injuries from claws and teeth. He managed to revive her. She had been diving, exploring the ruins of old Dunwich, but she couldn't remember what had happened to her, which is something of a mercy. It must have been so traumatic that her mind blocked it out. Zeke took her to Dr. Strong, who treated her. I spoke to him next. It took some convincing to get him to breach confidentiality, but the fact that his patient was dead and that I am also a doctor helped. In the end I had to reveal my purpose in Dunwich to get him to open up, and he confirmed that Beth had been...assaulted. One of those creatures is Simon Armistead's father.

Now Dr. Kirby did start to cry. "It almost happened to me too. It would have if you and Elliot hadn't rescued me. Bertie Lake...has a thing for me. He and his followers abducted me, probably because I was digging too deep. He told me that the Sea Devils would want to sacrifice me, but that he could convince them to let me live...if I married him. I had to pretend to agree. I needed to make sure I survived to report what I had learned one day, no matter what happened to me. The wedding was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. If you hadn't come...

She wiped her tears on the sleeve of her nightgown. "That sort of thing probably isn't the norm, though. Bertie Lake's father Josiah was fully human, but his mother was a female Sea Devil. In fact, the entire first generation of half-breeds in Dunwich were most likely the products of men mating with female Sea Devils. I find it hard to believe that any man would want to do that either, but they were promised wealth and power, and there may very well have been a degree of coercion involved. Those children would have been indoctrinated from birth into the Sea Devils' bizarre religion. By the time they grew up, many of them probably would have been willing to marry Sea Devils, and those that weren't could always marry each other."

[Cearlan]

I pull in the first lay by we come across and I take hold of the weeping Dr Kirby and hold her tight shushing her until her crying subsides. "Well it's just as well we decided to get away when we did isn't it. I only wish we had got there earlier, not just for you but for Miss Armistead as well before you. Are you alright now? I feel that we should get back to HQ sooner rather than later, but want to make sure you are alright Valerie ... I truly mean that you know." I stroke her cheek, smiling ruefully,

'So much pain for one so young.'

I purse my lips with steely determination and breathe deeply whilst looking down. "You alright now young lady?"

[Mr. Handy]

Dr. Kirby hugged Valerie Soames as she comforted the younger woman. "Thank you, Val," she said, smiling faintly. "You're a true friend, and I'm ever so grateful. Yes, I'm okay. I just needed a good sob. You're right, we need to get back to UNIT HQ fast. The sooner we report in, the sooner UNIT can put an end to the horrors of Dunwich."

[Mr. Handy]

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

Debriefing