Play@YSDC

St. James's Church - London, England
9:00 PM - Saturday, September 7, 1940

Eddie led the way back up the stairs and outside, escorting the German prisoner Leutnant Friedrich Kurtz. Accompanying them were several people, including Story and his companions Elizabeth and Brook, Lord Rufus Colville, Seamus O'Leary, and Eugene Thomson. The bombing had tapered off and grown more distant, thought it could still be heard in the background.

Eddie did know of a nearby police station in Limehouse not far out of the way on the route to the warehouse, on Commercial Road. Seamus knew of it as well, though he had never been there before, being careful to avoid the place. Finding it in the pitch darkness with the once-familiar city disfigured by bombs might not be so simple, however.

OOC,[b]Eddie[/b] and [b]Seamus[/b], you may each roll Navigate to try to find a route to the police station. Presuming they tell the others where it is located, everyone else may also attempt a Navigate roll. [b]Brook[/b] is from another time, but the layout of the streets is largely the same. [b]Story[/b] and [b]Elizabeth[/b] are not familiar with London, but others with them are and can describe the area, so they may also try the roll.

"I hope we can find our way back in the dark," says Elizabeth to her friends, grinning wryly. "But then I'm not local to here. Hopefully our associates know the way."

Eddie knows the way back to the warehouse. "Follow me everyone. And stay close.."

Rufus looks over at Story, "Well, I hope you have some idea what to do when we discover this monster of yours is nothing but an elaborate fabrication. You'd have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool me with a story like that"

Archie pipes up in the darkness, unnoticed till now. "For preference chaps, can you take me to this poor unfortunate who's lost her life? I'd like to give her the last rites. You could go on without me and deliver the Leutnant from there perhaps."

“Shall we drop of the kraut first? I don’t trust him to come along” Eugene throws a dirty look to the German soldier.

Dice,Navigate: 20 [dice]0[/dice]

Brook answers Elisabeth with a small smile. "Well, I'm local...sort of. But I doubt that helps at the moment."

When Rufus accuses Story of lying, she turns angrily towards the man. "We haven't seen the animal, mister, just the aftermath, but anyone'd be a fool not to be careful of something that can tear someone up like that and also open and close doors!"

Archie answers Eugene, "I believe the body to be much closer than the police station, so going to the young lady first seems speedier. The less time anyone is above ground, the lower the risks. And the risks are considerable. For that matter, the Leutnant is being perfectly polite and civilised."

Story opens his mouth and the closes it before nodding his approval at Brook's comment to Rufus.

Hearing Archie's comment Story speaks up saying, "Perhaps it's best if we all stick together. Surely we all can wait as your conduct the young lady's last rites."

Eugene:
”All right, let us not waste anymore time then. We haven’t yet heard the all-clear siren.”

"Well then Professor Story and, Brook was it? If you too haven't seen it" He almost spat sarcasm, "Could Leutnant Kurtz here give us the full description? I'd like to know what we are supposed to be looking for before you claim any passing dog is your monster"

Friedrich Kurtz nodded, swallowing. "I only saw it for a moment," he said, suppressing a shudder. "It had one huge wing, like a bat's. It was very long with a tail, like a snake, almost as long as my plane . And it had sharp, nasty teeth."

Brook's eyes widen at the description. "Like a dragon?"

“Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers …”

"Ezkekiel", Benjamin adds apologetically, upon getting strange looks from some his companions. "Sorry, I have somewhat of an obsession with ancient Jewish scriptures, but I'm sure you'll indulge an old man..."

Suddenly realising Friedrich is German, Benjamin's eyes quickly dart in his direction to observe his reaction.

Friedrich did not appear to get the reference, and he seemed more nervous in Benjamin's presence than anything. "Not exactly like a dragon, but close. It was long enough to be a dragon, but not tall enough, and it only had the one wing. The thing was black, black as the night." He shuddered. "Your accent, it sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

OOC,[b]Friedrich[/b]'s Know roll (70% stat) to identify [b]Benjamin[/b]'s accent: [dice]0[/dice]

“Jesus Crist! What if he’s telling the truth!” Eugene sights at the thought. “Shouldn’t we get the army or at least some weapons before we go barging in?” Eugene rants on: “And who says we can trust this strange professor? We don’t even know his last name, Story? Story who?”

Eddie Lalor

"Now now, ladies & gents. Me boss'd have me gut for garters if he knew I were helping you out on a chase like this. But a poor girl has been murdered and to be honest, I don't know any of yer from Adam. So everybody keep their hair on. We'll get to the warehouse and take it from there. Remember, there's a bloody war on!"

Archie smiles at Benjamin, despite the grim nature of their quest.

"Bravo old boy, I do admire a scholar of the old testament ready with a nice historical quote. Although, I rather think that was a much more metaphorical dragon than the Leutnant is describing."

The smile fades from Archie's night-shadowed face then. "To be honest, this lass' death puts me in mind not of ancient Egypt but much more recent history. The recent history of Whitechapel, not so very far from where we stand."

“So you think it might be another kind of monster who did this, maybe creating a distraction to conceal his foul deed?” Eugene asks Archie.

For the time being Story ignores Eugene's rant and continues to follow, keeping an eye on the shadows.

Benjamin:

andyw666 wrote: "To be honest, this lass' death puts me in mind not of ancient Egypt but much more recent history. The recent history of Whitechapel, not so very far from where we stand."

"But surely you don't suggest there's any actual connection with the Ripper? That was quite some time ago..."

Archie shakes his head in the darkness, looking uncharacteristically serious for a moment. "No, those terrible murders took place half a century ago. I am most hopeful that culprit has long since gone to explain himself to his Maker."

"My point is rather that acts which a rational mind would attribute to a wild animal can also be committed by disturbed men."

"Only one way to find out!" Eugene responds, "Shall we?"

The group continued walking. As they got closer to the warehouse, they were treated to a front row seat of an aerial battle above, which reminded them just how dangerous their situation was. A squadron of bombers escorted by a pair of German fighters dropped their bombs somewhere in the distance ahead just as two RAF fighters came at them. One of them zoomed ahead and engaged the escorts, drawing them away. Then the other one dived on the bombers from above and opened fire, sending it spiraling out of the sky. One German fighter slipped away from the British fighter dogfighting it and came up behind the one attacking the bombers, shooting its tail and left wing, which caught fire. As the RAF fighter dodged and weaved, the other one fought off the German still engaged with it and then came up on the tail of the other German fighter, riddling it with bullets and causing it to crash. The remaining German fighter and bombers made good their escape.

Brook winces at the sight and covers her ears. "Let's hurry..."

As Eugene walks by his parked 1938 Standard Flying Eight he is happy to see that it's not yet looted!

For a while Benjamin freezes in his tracks watching the aerial battle above him unfold. Then Brook's comment snaps him out of it.
"Yes," he agrees, "Let's make haste and get out of here."

As the group neared the waehouse, the blazing RAF fighter flew over the nearby canal in the direction of the Thames. The pilot leapt out of it before the flames reached the fuselage, silk blossoming as his chute opened and slowed his descent. The wind blew him towards a flattened pile of rubble where until tonight a building had once stood in a row of warehouses that now resembled a gap-toothed grin. A pool of blood lay in the street not far from the ruined building, a trail leading from it to the ruins. It was then that Story, Elizabeth, Brook, and Eddie realized that the ruins had been the warehouse they sought. Story and his companions came to the realization that they were now trapped in the Blitz, the TARDIS buried somewhere underneath all that debris...

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below.

Prisoners of Time