Play@YSDC

The little office contains a telegraph machine sitting on a desk by a fabric-protected window with a typewriter in the middle, some paper, and two ink stands and some lists to the right. A kettle sits on a little gas stove (unlit) on the filing cabinet in the corner. A filing cabinet stands at the other end of the long narrow room with a small key rack above it, post boxes line the back wall while policies and procedures in poster form, alongside a calendar and a clock are on the other wall. (To search the room you should really enter the appropriate thread, but may read both. To drag him out you can simply keep posting here.)

A fellow in Station Master uniform lies face down on the floor, sprawled out in the little office, one booted foot pressed up against where the base of the door had once stood. He groans a little, shifting slightly at the rush of warm air, as the room he is in was quite chilled as though it were twenty degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler in there. The air also smells strongly of rancid butter mixed with some awfully strong perfume.

Chemistry,the distinctive smell of rancid butter might actually signify Butyric acid which is a fatty acid occurring in the form of esters in animal fats. It's a medium-strong acid when undiluted that reacts with bases and strong oxidants, such as many metals. It is an oily, colorless liquid easily soluble in water, ethanol and ether and often used in food and perfume additives, and even as a fishing bait additive. Inhalation of butyric acid may result in soreness of throat, coughing, a burning sensation, and laboured breathing. Ingestion of the acid may result in abdominal pain, shock, and collapse. Physical exposure to the acid may result in pain, blistering and skin burns, while exposure to the eyes may result in pain, severe deep burns and loss of vision.

Chemistry or Medicine,While there is no guarantee that the problem is chemical in nature, should the portable gas stove be leaking gas, it would be a dangerous and scent-free gas that could easily cause collapse and unconsciousness. While there is a way to tell it is only by looking at the man's face that you could be certain. The correct procedure for dealing with such a situation is to remove everyone from the building and open all windows and doors to ventilate the property (naturally with lights off for black out purposes). The gas in question is a heavy gas unlikely to affect the second storey. It can also cause a collapse in a single breath if it becomes dense enough.

Architecture,this room is more recently refurbished than most of the others. (1-point spend available if you search the room)

Evidence Collection,this room would contain all the files needed for the Station to run. (1-point spend available if you search the room)

Artemis' face scrunched at the pungent, unsettling smell as he made his way about the room. He left the prone man to one of his fellow travelers, and began to search through the room as quickly as he could trying to stomach the terrible stench. What is that smell? It's not that familiar, but not totally unknown to me, Artemis kept trying to focus on his searching of the desk and files.

The smell of the room continued to press upon Artemis' senses. The files and papers he came across were what one would expect to find in such an office. However, one set of papers caught his attention and he folded them into his jacket pocket. These time tables could help us understand the trains passage through this place, and if nothing else when we can catch the next one to get on our way, he thought to himself. As he searched the desk, he noticed that the drawers were different or rather one drawer was odd. It was small, or rather it was shorter than the others. He focused his attention on the drawer, and away from the continual smell, and he turned his head trying to see what was different.

He pulled out the drawer and when it caught, he pulled it a bit harder. When he did, the drawer came loose and with it a flash of silver fell from the drawer, as well as a slip of paper. He grabbed the silver, and turned it about, it looked like the type of thing the others had found earlier in the waiting room.

I'm sorry. I couldn't wear it. I had to see!

The note was written by someone other than the writer of the things about the desk. Artemis shook his head, grabbed the note and headed back to the waiting room.

As he turns he sees Charlie standing there, "Another item that was supposed to protect them, there should be more throughout the station, perhaps with more letters."

"Protect them from what? And why? Artemis asked Hagan as he flashed the silver medal and the note. "You never did say what you found upstairs, so what's up there?"

"Well, all the lights are blown, one room had a bunch of torn paper with letters addressed to various people by obviously disturbed minds, another had a bloodstained mattress. As I've said, I believe these medallions were supposed to protect them from the restless dead that haunt the area. Clearly they failed."

"this just does not make any sense," Artemis spoke with an obvious level of frustration. "I think we need to go talk to the Station Master and everyone else to figure out what is going on here. With no tools, we are going to have to try breaking a window or two to get ourselves out of this place. "

Artemis turned towards the door and walked back into the Waiting Room.

Charlie exhales noisily through his nose, then follows.

Ilona moves straight towards the key rack to see if the keys to the upstairs doors are there.

The three keys sit there, as expected, as well as a spare key to the baggage room, booking office and the front door. The key for the maint. (whatever that means) is currently missing.

Ilona snatches up the keys off the rack and instead of leaving the room immediately, she goes over to the desk and has a quick look at the papers on the desk and the typewriter.

A chunk of the papers has been swept out and removed into the main hall, judging by the empty spaces. A quick glance shows nothing out of the ordinary. What did this guy do all day? Perhaps in the filing cabinet...?

She'll check the filing cabinet.
Maybe that might hold some further clue as to what's going on? Do I really want to know? Perhaps I'll find out that this is all some kind of strange military exercise and it will put my mind at ease. Not likely. Oh come on now, positive thoughts...

The filing cabinet is ... locked. And she doesn't have the key. It looks like it would be a relatively small key required to unlock the cabinet.

Charlie breezes in and goes over to the telegraph machine. He pauses, his finger hovering over the lever, and frowns.

Charlie is starting to get a headache. Light, at first, but still there.

Charlie taps out three dots followed by three dashes then 3 more dots, after a brief pause he does this again, and again, then one more before leaving the room.

The little office contains a telegraph machine sitting on a desk by a fabric-protected window with a typewriter in the middle, some paper, and two ink stands and some lists to the right. A kettle sits on a little gas stove (unlit) on the filing cabinet in the corner. A filing cabinet stands at the other end of the long narrow room with a small key rack above it (emptied), post boxes line the back wall while policies and procedures in poster form, alongside a calendar and a clock are on the other wall. The room is quite chilled as though it were twenty degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler in there. The air also smells strongly of rancid butter mixed with some awfully strong perfume.

Chemistry,the distinctive smell of rancid butter might actually signify Butyric acid which is a fatty acid occurring in the form of esters in animal fats. It's a medium-strong acid when undiluted that reacts with bases and strong oxidants, such as many metals. It is an oily, colorless liquid easily soluble in water, ethanol and ether and often used in food and perfume additives, and even as a fishing bait additive. Inhalation of butyric acid may result in soreness of throat, coughing, a burning sensation, and laboured breathing. Ingestion of the acid may result in abdominal pain, shock, and collapse. Physical exposure to the acid may result in pain, blistering and skin burns, while exposure to the eyes may result in pain, severe deep burns and loss of vision.

Chemistry or Medicine,While there is no guarantee that the problem is chemical in nature, should the portable gas stove be leaking gas, it would be a dangerous and scent-free gas that could easily cause collapse and unconsciousness. While there is a way to tell it is only by looking at the man's face that you could be certain. The correct procedure for dealing with such a situation is to remove everyone from the building and open all windows and doors to ventilate the property (naturally with lights off for black out purposes). The gas in question is a heavy gas unlikely to affect the second storey. It can also cause a collapse in a single breath if it becomes dense enough.

Architecture,this room is more recently refurbished than most of the others. (1-point spend available if you search the room)

Evidence Collection,this room would contain all the files needed for the Station to run. (1-point spend available if you search the room)

Kate heads directly to the telegraph to see if it is in working order and connected. If so, she begins to transmit a message requesting immediate assistance from the Home Guard.

The telegraph appears to be working. It's certainly connected.

Kate sends her message, indicating that murder has taken place and sabotage is suspected. While she awaits a reply, she searches the office to find tickets.

There aren't any tickets in any drawers. It appears someone must have rifled through them and taken much of the paperwork. She does notice a telephone sitting on the floor beneath the desk as she crouches down to riffle through the bottom drawer. It's still plugged in.

OOC,Sorry could I get the specifics of the message? What precisely does she say?

"any luck in there? Need any help?" Artemis yelled over his shoulder into the room where Ms. Kate had gone.

"I'm okay!" Kate calls back. "Can't find any tickets, but the telegraph appears to be working, and I found a phone too. I'm calling for outside help now!" She keys in the following message: "IMMEDIATE HOME GUARD HELP NEEDED APPLEDOWN STATION STOP MURDER AND POSSIBLE SABOTAGE STOP." Then she tries the phone to see if she can reach an operator.

There's a lot of clicks and static on the line but there seems to be something nestled within the crackle. Words, perhaps? A familiar voice? It's so hard to make it out. Then, all in a rush, she can hear the voice crystal clear with breathy gasps between some of the words. It's Ilona! "It ... hurts. Who ... whose there? Whose ... voice is ... there?"

"It's Kate Lacey!" says Kate into the microphone, relieved to hear her voice and know that she is still alive. "Ilona, where are you?"

"I - I can't...." her voice warbles in and out of hearing. "Make them stop...."

"They're...."

"Please!"

"Make who stop?" asks Kate. "I'll do my best to help you, but I need to find you first. Are you on the train?"

"The ... kitchen. They're ... my thigh ... they're cooking ... my thigh.... It's so cold. So dark. My ... they've taken my ... my everything! Don't look! Please don't come! I don't want you to see my ... my liver ... my ... my everything! Just make it stop! It shouldn't still be happening. How can it still be happening? Please ... don't ... come!"

The line blasts with static, and nothing more can be heard.

Kate hangs up the phone and leaves the office.

The little office contains a telegraph machine sitting on a desk by a fabric-protected window with a typewriter in the middle, some paper, and two ink stands and some lists to the right. A kettle sits on a little gas stove (unlit) on the filing cabinet in the corner. A filing cabinet stands at the other end of the long narrow room with a small key rack above it, post boxes line the back wall while policies and procedures in poster form, alongside a calendar and a clock are on the other wall.

**The telegraph machine is click-click-clicking as she enters.**

Chemistry,the distinctive smell of rancid butter might actually signify Butyric acid which is a fatty acid occurring in the form of esters in animal fats. It's a medium-strong acid when undiluted that reacts with bases and strong oxidants, such as many metals. It is an oily, colorless liquid easily soluble in water, ethanol and ether and often used in food and perfume additives, and even as a fishing bait additive. Inhalation of butyric acid may result in soreness of throat, coughing, a burning sensation, and laboured breathing. Ingestion of the acid may result in abdominal pain, shock, and collapse. Physical exposure to the acid may result in pain, blistering and skin burns, while exposure to the eyes may result in pain, severe deep burns and loss of vision.

Chemistry or Medicine,While there is no guarantee that the problem is chemical in nature, should the portable gas stove be leaking gas, it would be a dangerous and scent-free gas that could easily cause collapse and unconsciousness. While there is a way to tell it is only by looking at the man's face that you could be certain. The correct procedure for dealing with such a situation is to remove everyone from the building and open all windows and doors to ventilate the property (naturally with lights off for black out purposes). The gas in question is a heavy gas unlikely to affect the second storey. It can also cause a collapse in a single breath if it becomes dense enough.

Architecture,this room is more recently refurbished than most of the others. (1-point spend available if you search the room)

Evidence Collection,this room would contain all the files needed for the Station to run. (1-point spend available if you search the room)

The first thing Kate does is check the telegraph.

Thankfully there is a booklet beside the machine that explains how to decipher the message, though it is awkward to read with a gas mask on.

Ritual seeks completion STOP Efforts disrupted by ignorant locals STOP Sporadic effects only STOP enemy air assaults reduced not prevented STOP ritual seeks completion STOP

The message repeats itself.

Kate sends a telegram in response: "How can ritual be completed STOP?"

As she places her finger on the device, she feels a hand pressed coolly upon her own, though she cannot see it, she can feel it. It attempts to tap out its own question in place of her own. Does she allow it?

Kate allows the hand to tap out its question, hoping that whoever owns it knows more about what's going on than she does and figuring she can always send her own question later.

Construction completed STOP distract locals STOP permission to detain 48 hours granted STOP we are close STOP web of phobos overwhelms enemy morale STOP need 16 hours for final ritual STOP

Acknowledged STOP Protect perimeter STOP check beast book for more info on birds STOP

No sign of birds STOP will read for insight for when occurs STOP

The telegram stops and the hand dissipates.

"Okay, that was weird," says Kate, checking her watch to see what time it is now so that she knows when the 16 hours will be over. She then looks around for any light sources.

It is currently 9:31.

She finds a heavy-duty flashlight in one of the desk drawers.

Kate takes the electric torch and turns it on, using it to take a good look around the office.

There's a filing cabinet that a Bureaucracy spend might help you understand the forms they use and the purpose they may typically serve.

Kate looks through the files.

OOC,I'll spend a point of Bureaucracy.

There are some financial records that she can't make head nor tails of (Accounting required), but there's also information on a series of orders that seem to use a lot of metaphor to cover its real meaning. The filing system is somewhat unique, but with her experience wrapping her head around such bureaucratic systems, she manages to glean some connections from it. It looks like the train station was built with substantial funding and that several of the rooms actually came from other buildings and were rebuilt here.

Memorandum of Ascertainment
It has been revealed that Unit 9 in the basement is capable of reading current reality thickness and the levels to which the laws of physics applies. It may be examined by all staff during construction but must be left on-site after the structure is activated.

Memorandum of Containment
Units 1 through 6 are implanted in the ground surrounding the structure to ensure that potency is focused inwards, while units 7 - 8 are on diagonal points of the structure, ensuring that power is fed upwards to foreign bodies entering our airspace. This may prove dangerous to all minds that do not speak English as a first language and will let through any who do.

Memorandum of Revelation
Ensure White Rabbits enter on the dot, and neural wires spark to reveal the truth set here, to send into the neural network of birds on entry. Current likelihood of fireball is 12%. That sounds minimal but considering the net damage of birds on entry it would mark a substantial protective quotient. Other sources might add further percentages but be cautious as too many structures might create a level of positive feedback that could prove disastrous for Great Britain.

Mr. Handy,will you subtract it from your sheet yourself or should I? I forget which system we were using. Player editing or Keeper editing.

Kate is left with more questions than answers, and she feels more like Alice than the White Rabbit the documents imply she is. She checks the key rack next, looking in particular for a master key.

OOC,I don't remember, but I think you did it.

Ilona has already taken all of the keys. They would be where she is. Kate recalls that the maint key had been missing from the start.

Kate takes a look at the calendar and the clock to see what they indicate the date and time are.

It's 1:30, 4th September 1941.

"1941?" says Kate. "But that's impossible! I haven't been in here anywhere near that long." She gathers up the interesting documents she found and exits the office.

OOC,Was the clock running, or did it appear to be stopped?

The clock appeared to be stopped, but it was stopped the last time she was in here as well. It may have been stopped at a different time point, though, she's uncertain.

Satisfied that she's found everything there is to find here, Kate leaves the office and returns to the waiting room.