Play@YSDC

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:53 am**

The following morning Tobias takes Julie as close to the compound as possible.

Ray and Nat take the car and drive into the desert. They are looking for a good place in range of the wire's transmitter, where they can set up camp. They settle on the area to the west of the Temple's compound, where the desert is peppered with sizable rock boulders. They stop the car behind one that's enough to cover it from the side of the compound.

It is only 10 in the morning, but the temperature is already rising. The air vibrates. Luckily, this time the Investigators are prepared: there is plenty of water and food in their car. They are ready for a long stake-out.

Nat tunes the receiver. Right now, the wire is only picking up the rustling of Julie's clothes. There is also a faint, rhythmic thumping - Julie's quickening heartbeat?

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:34 am**

The transmission starts coming in.

"Hello!" Julie calls out loudly.

There is a long pause, then finally an answer: "Hi! Can I... help you with anything?" It's a woman's voice. Judging by the volume, she is standing a couple of steps away from Julie.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:02 pm**

"Well, she's got there okay. And we're picking her up loud and clear." Nat listens to the transission. "Hey Boss, what do we do if it sounds like she's getting into trouble?"

Posted: **Wed Jun 20, 2018 5:24 am**

Ray shifts where he is sitting trying to be in the shade as much as possible, but unable to get entirely comfortable. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." He smiles trying to assure Nat that it won't, "but if we were to hear something worrying then it'd be up to us to rush over there."

Posted: **Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:10 pm**

Nat fiddles with the dials, trying to hit the optimum gain.

Posted: **Mon Jun 25, 2018 8:36 am**

Nat hears Julie. "Hi! I'm looking for Elizabeth Sandoval. Do you know where I might find her?"

And after a pause, an answer: "Elizabeth... Oh you mean Eli? She's around here, yes."

Another pause...

"I think she is resting. Why are you looking for her?"

Posted: **Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:15 am**

Over the wire, you here Julie explaining the reason of her visit: "I'm her friend Julie. I haven't seen her in a long time, so I thought I'd drop in and visit her."

The other woman voice answers: "I see. I don't want to wake her up if she is asleep. But..." there's a mid-sentence pause here. "...let's go and check."

The sound of footsteps follows, then the woman speaks: "Just wait here, okay? I don't want to wake the others."

---

Nat is focusing on the gear, Ray and Tobias hang around, sticking to the shadows in the growing heat. They notice dust rising in the distance, possibly caused by a vehicle. It is to the West, so not from the side of the compound. Ray checks with his binoculars, and sees a slowly moving jeep, headed in their general direction. It will pass by in the vicinity of the Investigators' outpost in about a minute.

Posted: **Tue Jun 26, 2018 12:06 pm**

Nat looks up from the radio, "Hey, sounds like Elizebeth is there, that's great! She's sleeping; bit odd for this time of day, don't you think?" He keeps listening, "Julie's gone inside...waiting for her."

Posted: **Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:31 pm**

Nat hears a creaky door opening and closing, then there's a long pause...

Ray and Tobias warn Nat about the incoming vehicle.

Posted: **Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:23 am**

Ray tries to make the group's vehicle look like one of the broke down and abandoned cars that tend to dot more highly populated roads, and sticks out of sight of the road.

Posted: **Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:50 am**

The place you are at is off-roads, in the desert. The road is miles away.

Ray and the rest of the Investigators can easily hide from the passing jeep by ducking, laying low.

The sounds draws nearer. Then it stops! Ray sneaks a peak, and sees that the other vehicle came to a halt hundred yards away from the Investigators, next to a cluster of boulders. The drive cuts the engine, and gets out of the car. From the distance, the driver seems to be a tall woman. Her clothes are khaki, blending with the desert, and she is wearing a Stetson hat. She walks over to the rocks she stopped next to, and starts examining them? Or maybe she is looking for something on the ground?

She doesn't seem to notice or care about the Investiagtors at this point.

---

In the meantime, while laying low, Nat continues to listen in on Julie.

There is a pause after Julie agrees to "wait here". Then Nat hears the sound of a door opening.

"Eli, this girl says she is here to see you," the unknown woman says.

A new voice joins, and simply says "Hi"... Is that Elizabeth?

There's a shuffling sound as Julie moves forward, and some crackle as her clothes brush against the microphone. "It's good to see you, Lizzie! I've really missed you. How have you been? I can see you've lost some weight," Julie says.

"It's good to see you too," Elizabeth answers.

"I'll let you two catch up," the first woman says.

"I'm working a lot. Working on myself," Elizabeth answers Julie's question.

Posted: **Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:50 am**

Ray will stay out of sight, but keep an eye on the tall woman. Do her khakis seem to be a uniform or is she just dressed practically for working outside?

Posted: **Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:23 am**

Nat hears Julie conversing with Elizabeth.

"Working on yourself?" asks Julie. "What do you mean by that?"

"I want to help others. You know that. But I cannot help others if I cannot help myself. I have to become stronger. I know, I know, I don't look strong. But this is just a stage," Elizabeth answers.

---

Cotton wrote:Ray will stay out of sight, but keep an eye on the tall woman. Do her khakis seem to be a uniform or is she just dressed practically for working outside?

The khakis seem to be for practical reasons. However, Ray does notice a logo painted on the door of the jeep. It is faded and partially obscured by dust, but through the binoculars Ray makes out the word "university" written next to the image of a book and a star -- the emblem of the University of California.

The woman picks up something from the ground, examines it, and drops it. She heads back to the car and starts the engine. The vehicle backs up a bit, then turns, and comes right towards your location!

Posted: **Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:20 pm**

"Cripes." Mutters Nat. "Elizebeth sounds just like that woman Sy; totally bonkers. He shuffles round to hide the equipment with his body as much as possible whilst still listening in. "They're not coming this way are they?" He looks up in the direction of the other car.

Posted: **Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:44 am**

aine wrote:
"Working on yourself?" asks Julie. "What do you mean by that?"

"I want to help others. You know that. But I cannot help others if I cannot help myself. I have to become stronger. I know, I know, I don't look strong. But this is just a stage," Elizabeth answers.
"Cripes." Mutters Nat. "Elizebeth sounds just like that woman Sy; totally bonkers.

The following answers are even more bonkers...

"A stage towards what? What's supposed to happen next?" Julie asks.

"My rebirth," Elizabeth says. "But I cannot talk about this, I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"I don't understand," says Julie. "Why can't you talk about it?"

"Well, exactly, you wouldn't understand!" Elizabeth snaps, then reverts to the dreamy state she was in before. "At that stage, words fail us. Words cannot describe what's to come."

---

aine wrote:Nat shuffles round to hide the equipment with his body as much as possible whilst still listening in. "They're not coming this way are they?" He looks up in the direction of the other car.

Nat positions himself to hide the equipment. Hopefully, to a casual observer it will look the young man is just listening to some hot grooves on the radio.

---

The car stops a dozen yards short of the Investigators. The woman gets out from the drivers seat, and starts walking towards you.

She is tall, broad-shouldered, sinewy. Her skin is suntanned. With the khakis and the darker skin tone, she looks like she was created from the very soil... the only contrast is provided by the red kerchief that's tied around her neck.

She is in her fifties, with wavy locks of grey hair showing from under her hat. She is carrying a toolbox. She is also wearing a tool-belt, with an assortment of chisels, small hammers, brushes hooked on it.

She stops a few steps away.

"Good morning," she says casually. Her voice is raspy, sore, weak. "Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to take a couple of samples from that rock." She points at the huge boulder you are parked next to.

Posted: **Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:48 pm**

Nat sits in the car with the radio on his lap. He looks up briefly at the woman, thinking it's blooming typical timing turning up right now; but dismisses her as a Science-type - much more up Ray's street. And goes back to tuning the radio.

Posted: **Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:36 pm**

"Apologies, miss, but this do seem a tad random, perchance you mind explaining why that particular boulder? You could just as well take a sample form any other source, I assume?" Tobias, the old detective, said, looking at the scientist. He was sitting in the back, and shook his head as he carried on.

OOC: Alright, sorry for dropping out so abruptly. I'm back now.

Posted: **Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:20 am**

HelplessBystander wrote:"Apologies, miss, but this do seem a tad random, perchance you mind explaining why that particular boulder? You could just as well take a sample form any other source, I assume?" Tobias, the old detective, said, looking at the scientist. He was sitting in the back, and shook his head as he carried on.

The woman clenches her fist. You can see her take a deep breath and count to ten. Finally, she just raises an eyebrow.

"I'm looking for certain types of sedimentary rocks," she explains slowly, pronouncing each word separately. She still struggles with anger.

---

Nat continues listening to the conversation between Julie and Elizabeth.

"I want to understand, Liz. Could you show me, walk me through it?" asks Julie.

"No. I'm sorry, but I cannot. There are steps... stages... one cannot be revealed without the other," Elizabeth answers, then breaks out in coughing. "I need some water. Do you, uh, want something? I can't really offer you anything, really. Water. Maybe there is some coffee."

"Sure, thanks," says Julie. "Coffee would really hit the spot."

Then there's a prolonged pause, as the two enter a building, and start fiddling around with things.

Posted: **Fri Jul 06, 2018 12:49 pm**

evil_scientist wrote:
HelplessBystander wrote:"Apologies, miss, but this do seem a tad random, perchance you mind explaining why that particular boulder? You could just as well take a sample form any other source, I assume?" Tobias, the old detective, said, looking at the scientist. He was sitting in the back, and shook his head as he carried on.
The woman clenches her fist. You can see her take a deep breath and count to ten. Finally, she just raises an eyebrow.

"I'm looking for certain types of sedimentary rocks," she explains slowly, pronouncing each word separately. She still struggles with anger.

“Is that right? Well, apologies, then, we were...animalspotting, I suppose. Tobias Jerkins, Private Investigator and ex-attorney at law, I take it that you wouldn’t be so impolite as to fail to reciprocate the introduction, then?” Tobias said, observing the woman’s tense body language and stepped off out of the car, ready to de-escalate the situation should it get violent and to observe her reactions; as far as he knows, the woman could be lying. “I leave my friend to their own introductions.”

Tobias smiled at the woman.

Posted: **Fri Jul 06, 2018 1:15 pm**

Nat waves his hand vaguely in the direction of the woman and smiles but concentrates on listening to the radio.

Posted: **Mon Jul 09, 2018 5:37 am**

Ray steps out of the car as well, straightening his clothes as he does so. He smiles and says, "Nice to meet you ma'am, my name's Ray Tovar. Apologies for my friend, he can get mighty testy in the heat like this. I don't see why there'd be any reason you couldn't take some samples, after all its not like we own the rock. But do you think it would take very long though?" As he speaks, Ray's two companions may notice that he stresses his southern accent more than usual, a trick he employs when he wants people to underestimate him.

Posted: **Mon Jul 09, 2018 7:10 am**

Tobias nodded, and stepped behind Ray.

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2018 10:38 am**

"Okay, okay. No offence taken. Thank you. I'm Dr. Corman," she says. The name rings a bell: the owner of your motel mentioned it in connection with the Kane Springs exhibition hall.

Dr. Corman walks over to the boulder, and starts working on it with a set of chisels and a small hammer.

---

The conversation between Elizabeth and Julie continues. Nat listens.

"Here, let me help you get the fire going. Don't they ever clean up around here? There are insects all over the table, eating the leftover food there," Julie says. Her voice is coming over crisp and clean.

"The fridge isn't working anyways," comes Elizabeth's faint answer.

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2018 11:19 am**

Nat grimaces as he listens in, "That's no way to run a place." He thinks, sitting up straighter now that the woman has moved over to the rock. "Hey, Boss, I can't hear anyone else down there; just Julie and Elizebeth at the moment. Sounds like a right dive; why anyone would want to stay there, I don't know."

Posted: **Tue Jul 10, 2018 12:42 pm**

“Pleasure to meet you, doc. Eh, you connected to the Kane Springs exhibition hall, by any chance? Because I remember there’s a guided tour for Dino fossils and rocks back there, so you happen to be that tour guide?” Tobias said, looking at the woman.

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:17 am**

Dr. Corman places some rock fragments in a plastic baggie and seals it shut. Then turns to Tobias.

"First and foremost, I'm a researcher with the University of California," she explains. "Secondly, I curate the exhibit at Kane Springs. And occasionally do guided tours. Outreach and popularization of scientific knowledge, that's the pretty name for that torture.

"There are no Dinos, though. Our most interesting finds are Devonian."

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:20 am**

"Ah, an alumnae of the University of California and a museum curator as well? It is an impressive track record, Dr. Corman. I'm not sure what Devonians necessarily are, but I suppose I'll have the chance find out the next I visit the museum." Tobias said, eyeing the radio receiver that Nat was holding.

Posted: **Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:02 am**

Ray leans back into the car to talk to Nat, "You can't hear anyone else meaning there aren't many people around? Or that there's something up with the equipment?" He hopes that the poor conditions of the compound are a result of there being only a small number of believers there, but part of Ray worries that the place may be "too quiet".

Posted: **Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:50 pm**

HelplessBystander wrote:"Ah, an alumnae of the University of California and a museum curator as well? It is an impressive track record, Dr. Corman. I'm not sure what Devonians necessarily are, but I suppose I'll have the chance find out the next I visit the museum." Tobias said, eyeing the radio receiver that Nat was holding.

"The Devonian is a period in the geographical history of our Earth," Dr. Corman explains in a much calmer voice than before. "To put it simple, the dinosaurs are 60 to 200 million years ago, the Devonian is even earlier: about 350-400 millions of years ago. Unfortunately, the creatures of the Devonian are not as marketable and cute as the dinosaurs.

"I offered the exhibition hall directorate to put the Eurypterus on mugs or t-shirts, but they weren't into that."

---

Nat hears through the wire:

"Are you okay? You touched the metal part of the kettle. Did you burn your fingers?" Julie asks of Elizabeth.

"Oh! It happened too fast, probably. I didn't even feel the pain," Elizabeth answers.

Cotton wrote:Ray leans back into the car to talk to Nat, "You can't hear anyone else meaning there aren't many people around? Or that there's something up with the equipment?" He hopes that the poor conditions of the compound are a result of there being only a small number of believers there, but part of Ray worries that the place may be "too quiet".

The microphone's range is limited. It only picks up sounds clearly in the vicinity.

But Ray is right about how the Temple of Concordance seems to be a very small outfit.

Posted: **Sat Jul 14, 2018 2:39 pm**

"Well, why not? They managed to sell raptors and those T-rex things to the kids; I'm sure they can spin any horrific natural beastie into something marketable. Mugs and t-shirts sounds lovely!" Tobias crowed, "I truly think that's a brilliant idea, doctor, it's such a shame that the museum staffers can't see eye-to-eye with you on that."

Posted: **Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:29 pm**

HelplessBystander wrote:"Well, why not? They managed to sell raptors and those T-rex things to the kids; I'm sure they can spin any horrific natural beastie into something marketable. Mugs and t-shirts sounds lovely!" Tobias crowed, "I truly think that's a brilliant idea, doctor, it's such a shame that the museum staffers can't see eye-to-eye with you on that."

"I'm not sure anymore. I just hate it that the true significance of our work and this place is not recognized. I've spent almost a decade now studying the Kane Springs area. Sure, there are many other Devon sites all over the US of A, but this one here," she waves her hands around, "is special. There are many idiosyncrasies that differentiate it from your typical Devonian picture. The flora, the fauna, the landscape - it was changed by something. So I'm taking extra samples, trying all sorts of methodologies and technologies to learn more about just what went on around here 400 million years ago!"

She stops to catch her breath. The talking is putting a strain on her voice, you can hear that.

"It's fascinating. Annoying, too. Lack of funding... Lack of support... Lack of access to certain areas, due to them being private property or whatnot. Seriously, why would you want to set up out here in the desert?"

Posted: **Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:24 am**

“Well, from what we gathered, the people on the compound aren’t up to anything good; that’s...sorta the reason why we’re tagging them. Truly, it’s a pity that you aren’t being taken seriously.” Tobias sighed. “This might surprise you, miss, but despite how old I look; I have no idea what went on 400 million years ago! I’m afraid there’s little us PIs and ex-blue boys can do in ways of scientific help that could aid you, as much as we would like to.”

Posted: **Wed Jul 18, 2018 7:25 am**

Dr. Corman is not paying much attention to Tobias at first - she is busy labeling samples. But then Tobias starts talking about PIs and other matters...

"Hold it, hold it! You are PIs? Staking out those folks at the compound?"

She stares with disbelief.

"That is indeed one of the places I cannot get samples from... But what's your interest in them?"

Posted: **Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:56 am**

“Can’t say much about the why regarding that, client confidentiality and all that. However, with all due respect, they’re driving dingy abominations that are an insult to cars right alongside the fancy Fords and stuff. You think there would be something legit about a compound in the desert with wealthy, shiny cars parked next to hunks of tin an’ copper barely held together by & prayer, miss?” Tobias said, jabbing his thumb toward the general direction of compound with a look of slight disdain.

Posted: **Wed Jul 18, 2018 2:42 pm**

Nat whispers to Ray, "No, it sounds empty to me. Just the two girls. Elizebeth has jus burnt herself; she sounds ill or drugged; not good anyhow. Maybe this would be a good time to bring her out?"

Posted: **Thu Jul 19, 2018 9:07 am**

HelplessBystander wrote:“Can’t say much about the why regarding that, client confidentiality and all that. However, with all due respect, they’re driving dingy abominations that are an insult to cars right alongside the fancy Fords and stuff. You think there would be something legit about a compound in the desert with wealthy, shiny cars parked next to hunks of tin an’ copper barely held together by & prayer, miss?” Tobias said, jabbing his thumb toward the general direction of compound with a look of slight disdain.

"I don't care about cars. I just hope they didn't destroy any of the rocks on their property. Before the area was fenced off, a colleague of mine, Dr. Villar, surveyed the area, noted some irregularities in the rock formations. I really wanted to examine them myself, but wasn't let inside the compound. I know they did some construction works... So there is a possibility they simply destroyed the boulders."

---

Nat continues listening to the radio while discussing plans with Ray.

"So... are you, uh, staying in town?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yeah, I am," says Julie. "I'm here for a while yet. I haven't seen you in so long, and I want to spend more time with you, like we used to. How are things here? Is everything all right?"

"Like we used to..." Elizabeth echoes. "Those times... it wasn't that long ago. But it seems to me that it was all a dream. I was... not aware of myself. I was just drifting. Without purpose. Pointlessly wandering in a faceless crowd. I needed an anchor. I live a simple life here. I think you would find it boring. Work, meditation, prayer. Sometimes alone, sometimes together... Communion. We learn."

Posted: **Thu Jul 19, 2018 9:36 am**

"Wow!" mouths Nat to Ray and he circles his index finger at his forehead, "She's a looney!"

Posted: **Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:50 am**

"Yeah, well, would you mind if you leave some contact details for your colleague 'Dr. Villar'? We would like to follow up with him regarding hat he saw there." Tobias enquired, his ears perked up the minute another name of interested was uttered by the woman.

Posted: **Sun Jul 22, 2018 5:40 pm**

HelplessBystander wrote:"Yeah, well, would you mind if you leave some contact details for your colleague 'Dr. Villar'? We would like to follow up with him regarding hat he saw there." Tobias enquired, his ears perked up the minute another name of interested was uttered by the woman.

"Mount Hope Cemetery, plot 629/A..." Dr. Corman says and averts her face. "Dr. Villar passed away last year."

There is an awkward pause.

"But his survey documentation is back in my office at Kane Springs. I'm not sure what could you possibly learn from them, though. There are some photos and sketches, but mostly technical details, sample analysis, scientific data."

---

Nat hears the following conversation:

"It's never boring when you're around, Liz," says Julie.

"Thanks. You are always so nice to me... I miss that, sometimes. The other people here are nice, too. But everybody is tired to be friendly. We have a connection, but it is not about friendship."

Posted: **Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:23 am**

“I’m sorry for your loss. Perhaps another time, then.” Tobias said, trying to sound sympathetic.

Posted: **Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:32 am**

HelplessBystander wrote:“I’m sorry for your loss. Perhaps another time, then.” Tobias said, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Thanks. Feel free to come around to the Exhibition hall anyways. I can show you his papers and the fossils from the area, if you are interested. Give you a little guided tour."

She gives Tobias a business card.

"I'll be there tomorrow, sorting out some documents. Give me a call if you decide to swing by."

Posted: **Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:24 am**

Tobias nodded, and took her business card with grace while he pulled out his own business card. “And if you have a job offer for a Private Eye with experience: call me.”

Posted: **Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:23 pm**

Nat continues to give a summary to Ray, "They're still having a cosy chat; Julie seems to getting Elizebeth's confidence but Elizebeth seems quite content there; she's not rushing for an excuse to leave the compound or anything. What do we do if she doesn't want to leave?"

Posted: **Fri Jul 27, 2018 6:18 pm**

HelplessBystander wrote:Tobias nodded, and took her business card with grace while he pulled out his own business card. “And if you have a job offer for a Private Eye with experience: call me.”

"I don't see that happening anytime soon... But sure, thanks for the offer. See you around."

The scientist waves, and returns to the rock, starts taking more samples.

---

Nat continues eavesdropping:

"You're welcome," says Julie. Then, after a short pause: "Sounds like someone's coming back. I wonder who it is."

"Oh! It must be---" Is Elizabeth making a pause here? Or is it just a glitch in the transmission? Nat doesn't hear the name. "Our teacher, the leader of our community," she explains. Then stops and hesitates. "You know, it's been some time since we've had any visitors. We welcome everybody, of course, but I'm not sure... But maybe it's alright that you are here..."

Posted: **Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:08 pm**

Nat looks up from the radio, "Hey Boss, is there a car approaching the compound? Elizebeth says there's someone coming now!"

Posted: **Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:47 am**

Ray looks out in the direction of the compound. If there’s was another car coming the same direction as them surely they’d have noticed it.

Posted: **Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:31 am**

Tobias walks back to Ray, "So, what do you think?"

Posted: **Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:11 pm**

"Man, that girl is going loopy in there; she sounds as bad as that woman Sy that I spoke to. She's either drugged up or...well...something like it. Julie's not getting much sense out of her anyhow. They've been on their own but now someone's coming - from somewhere." Nat gives Tobias his summary.

Posted: **Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:25 am**

"Well, then maybe it's high time we wrap things up for now. I wanna be back before dinnertime, and I'm sure that Julie isn't exactly going to get everything out in one go." Tobias said, "We shouldn't elicit suspicion as of yet; prudence is key in our line of work. Perhaps we should tell her to come back."

Posted: **Thu Aug 02, 2018 3:58 pm**

Ray directs his binoculars towards the compound, and notices the red car returning. It wasn't visible beforehand, as some low mounds cover the dirt road that's connecting the compound to the state road. It stops in the middle of the enclosed area. A person gets out. Another person approaches from the side of one building, and two more people exit another building.

---

Nat listens carefully to the sounds coming through the wiretap. There are some mild disturbances, outside noises, which weren't there before. The voices fade in and out, some words are cut out.

Elizabeth talks: "--- some trouble, you know, some time ago. Had a moment of weakness... Lost faith in myself and my path. Called my parents. It was stupid. I just had to get through a rough patch, and everything was back to --- punished me or anything, but I'm still afraid a bit, that you being here will get me into trouble."

She hesitates, then finally says: "Okay, let's go. I will introduce you. After all, nobody said I'm not allowed to have guests. Just let me talk to --- first."

The name is skipped once again!! Is it because of atmospheric disturbances?

Then there is a pause, as, presumably, Elizabeth exits the house, and leaves Julie behind.

---

Tobias remembers that the wire only provides one-way communication: they can listen to Julie, but Julie cannot hear them.

Posted: **Fri Aug 03, 2018 11:09 am**

"Uh-oh. Too late, Amigoes, Julie's about to meet the rest of the clan. I couldn't get the name; there's a sudden increase in static. Let hope she can talk her way out and meet us back here - although won't they think it's odd; her walking out into the desert by herself?" Nat fiddles with the radio hoping to improve the connection.

Posted: **Sat Aug 04, 2018 3:58 am**

"It's a one-way signal, at this rate, it'll be quite dangerous for her to stick out on her own. What do we do?" Tobias said, slightly panicked, and deferred judgement to Ray as he realised that he has no idea how to 'solve' the situation.

Posted: **Sat Aug 04, 2018 9:55 pm**

Ray says, "If things are going to go bad it's most likely to be now when she's meeting the leader, so we should be ready just in case. If things go well then we keep playing things by ear. Her story is she hitchhiked so walking out of the compound wouldn't be that strange." He also goes ahead and climbs back into the driver's seat so as to be as ready as possible.

Posted: **Sun Aug 05, 2018 1:04 pm**

The Investigators get ready to intervene. Perhaps in their heads they imagine a scene, with Ray crashing through the vehicle through the fence, Nat getting into fisticuffs with hooded, knife-toting cultists, Tobias cutting through the ropes that restrain Elizabeth and Julie... But life is not a pulp story and the dialog seeping through the wires is strangely and disquietingly mundane and calm...

Nat fiddles with the switches and dials but comes to the conclusion that the disturbance must be on the other side, or in the atmosphere the signal is traveling through.

And the crackle only increases. It's like a radio show when the DJ is gradually fading in a track, while still introducing the band. Only instead of a hot new summer hit, it's a layer of hiss and noise, drowning out the speech.

Julie introduces herself, and then a man starts to speak. His voice is deep and calm, pleasent, but his sentences are truncated by the disturbances.

"Hello, Julie. I'm --- nice to meet you. A friend of --- is always welcome. Do you need a place to crash? --- some food -------- join us, we usually eat after sunset, when it's not so hot."

Posted: **Sun Aug 05, 2018 8:12 pm**

In the meantime, Julie and the man continue their garbled conversation:

Julie: "----We've got a lot of catching up to do --- call her Eli for short? She's always been -----"

The man elaborates: "To you, yes. And Elizabeth ------ Eli - to herself. Names are strange creatures. ----, and the name-giver. Naming yourself gives you strength, I think. But I'm sure----- opinion. And your own reason to call her -----"

The soothing, almost hypnotic quality of his voice is felt even with all the hiatuses and distortion.

"In any case, you two will have plenty of time to catch up. We will only whisk her away from you ------ hour ---when we have our prayer and meditation ----n."

Posted: **Mon Aug 06, 2018 3:41 pm**

The noise in the headphones becomes almost unbearable, and Nat struggles to make out anything! Julie asks something - is she looking for the toilet? She gets a distorted answer "---outside---"... Then, finally, the noise goes away! Nat hears footsteps and the rustling of clothes against the microphone.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:55 am**

After some more shuffling, Julie's voice comes through, loud and clear. She found a place whereshe can be alone (judging from the other noises: the toilet...) and she is reporting directly to her fellow Investigators.

"I got a weird vibe from Malcolm," she says. "When I first saw him, it was like I couldn't see his face, but then it became clear a few seconds later. He's very slick and smooth, but also a bit scary at first. The wire got warm when I was talking to him for some reason. I hope there's nothing wrong with it, and that it doesn't get unbearably hot or anything. Talk to you later."

Posted: **Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:32 pm**

Nat pulls the earphones off, rubs his ears and then puts them back on, somewhat reluctantly. "That's some crazy distortion coming from that Malcolm guy; do you think he may have a jamming device on him?" Nat seems doubtful though. "Man, I feel sleepy just listening to him from here, it's amazing Julie's still okay and had the nounce to head somewhere quiet to report in. She said she couldn't see the guy's face to start with- how weird is that? He seems okay with her being there but I dunno if he'll let her leave that easily."

Posted: **Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:59 pm**

"Someone moved Malcolm's red car while I was in the outhouse. I'm going into the old house now, where Elizabeth and the others went." Julie reports. The microphone picks up the sound of her footsteps, the opening of a door, then a fragment of Malcolm's voice: "...like a beacon of life in the midst of the city of blank faceless crowds. And even if he doesn't change or save the world... Well, he already, himself, is a complete universe."

Posted: **Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:23 pm**

Posted: **Thu Aug 16, 2018 6:28 am**

Believing that Julie is not in any immediate danger, and seeing that Nat needs a break from the headset, Ray asks Dr. Corman how she would feel about taking himself and Nat back to her office to take a look at her late colleague's notes. He asks Tobias if he would mind staying behind to continue manning the equipment, promising to return to relieve him should the stakeout continue into the evening.

Posted: **Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:00 am**

"Yeah, great idea - my head's going a bit loopy and I could do with a cold beer." Says Nat handing over the headphones. "Sounds like Julie's gonna stay for a while and she doesn't seem to be in any danger at the mooment; she's got her head screwed on, that girl."

Posted: **Thu Aug 16, 2018 4:39 pm**

Tobias stays behind in the Investigators' main car, takes his turn at the equipment. Nat and Ray take Tobias' car and follow Dr. Corman back to Kane Spring. They stop at the Exhibition Hall: a large, single storey building, with a couple of ads and information signs on the front wall, announcing various exhibits.

A teenage boy is manning the ticket office at the entrance. He greets Dr. Corman with a smile. They exchange a few words... No visitors today, so far. Maybe later, after lunch?..

Dr. Corman leads Ray and Nat to a second entrance (Personnel only!). She then invites them into her office. It's a medium sized room, filled to the brim with papers, boxes, files... There's also some equipment, various microscopes and other impoements Ray or Nat don't recognize. Despite the huge quantities of stuff, everything seems neatly organized. The scientist offers them chairs, then quickly takes off a couple of files from the shelves.

"These are Dr. Vilard's survey notes from the area..."

She spreads out the papers. There are photos, too: rocks, boulders, stones, layers of ground; overviews, various angles, close-ups, sections... The documents are densely typed walls of text, data, sample references. Luckily, Dr. Corman shuffles through the pile and points out the main points of interest.

"In 1969, the compound was abandoned, without a fence. Dr. Villar took many samples and photos. Unfortunately, the photo stock he used was either low quality or got exposed to light: I couldn't get any pictures out of them. All I have is the one you see here which were originally developed by him, before the film deteriorated.

"This boulder with a huge fissure in it is located, according to my reading, somewhere under that new hangar. Or, rather, it was located there... Construction workers usually just dynamite rocks to free up space. Then use the fragments as filling material.

"As you see, Dr. Villar took samples from around the fissure,and found that they were slightly radioactive. Don't worry, it's not dangerous. Traces. According to the calculations of our radiologist collegues, the source of radioation was of course significantly stronger 350 millions of years ago. Which is exactly the period that interests me. Could be the answer to some of the fossil anomalies. Or just a random coincidence. Either way, it merits a cross check." [/color]

Posted: **Sat Aug 18, 2018 6:27 pm**

Nat looks at the photos. 'You wonder why they didn't just build a bit further away to avoid that rock. But then I guess any excuse to blow stuff up. I don't remember seeing much rock debris in the compound though and the buildings are mostly old clapboard and tin. I wonder what they did with it all."
He looks at all the kit. "You sure have a big project going on here, what 're you hoping to find?'

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 12:45 pm**

aine wrote:Nat looks at the photos. 'You wonder why they didn't just build a bit further away to avoid that rock. But then I guess any excuse to blow stuff up. I don't remember seeing much rock debris in the compound though and the buildings are mostly old clapboard and tin. I wonder what they did with it all."

"One can always hope that the boulder is intact and just obscured by the buildings. I wasn't let in there, when I was around. If I get into trouble (for intruding on private property), I might lose what little funding I get."

aine wrote:He looks at all the kit. "You sure have a big project going on here, what 're you hoping to find?'

"Unfortunately, this isn't much. You should see some of the real big projects. Right now, the Kane Springs Area Survey is just me, and sometimes a couple of students interning. I do preliminary sample analysis here, then take the promising pieces back to San Diego. The university lab is of course equipped much better.

"But it's a pity that this area doesn't get more attention. Look, let me explain quickly. We have a pretty good general picture of the wider region in the Devonian and the transitional period to the Carboniferous. But what we have here, in this small area, in the Salton Sea area, is different. Recognizable, but different. And a couple of new taxonomical groups, too, but the evidence is fragmentary. Something happened here, which caused a significant change in the landscape, the rocks, the flora and fauna. Hence my interest in the radiation traces. Perhaps some sort of cosmic event? An impact?

"Just none of that Chariots of the Gods or Velikovsky scam! I think this is all explainable in the realms of academic science."

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 1:51 pm**

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 9:56 pm**

"Did you mean that the animals and plants are different round there too? Like two headed jackanapes and stuff? Man, that's too wierd! The people in that compound are pretty loopy too; maybe they're all eating the same space lettuce!" Nat looks at Ray"s expression, "Sorry, Boss. But it is odd." He grins at Dr. Corman.

Posted: **Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:14 pm**

"No, no!" Dr. Corman interrupts sharply, shakes her head, mumbles something like "godddd, I'm so bad at public outreach", then tries again: "No, sorry, nothing so dramatic! What I'm referring to was hundreds of millions years in the past. Nowadays, as far as I understand, there are no such distortions or anomalies. The traces of radioactivity that Dr. Villar measured at the boulder were minuscule. Those hippies are loopy on their own accord..."

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:30 am**

Ray nods, "That's certainly true." Since seeing the boulder in the picture, Ray's been racking his mind for any reason the cult may have picked this spot. Knowing Cavendish's leaning towards Christianity, he comes up with two Old Testament stories; Moses drawing water from the rock and the binding of Isaac. Without more information, however, that's not much to go on. "Dr. do you happen to know anything about the relatively more recent history of the area? Perhaps they only chose this spot because it was cheap and a way from everyone else, but sometimes group's like this pick a spot because it somehow reinforces what they believe." He shrugs, "really anything could help."

Posted: **Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:56 am**

Cotton wrote:Ray nods, "That's certainly true." Since seeing the boulder in the picture, Ray's been racking his mind for any reason the cult may have picked this spot. Knowing Cavendish's leaning towards Christianity, he comes up with two Old Testament stories; Moses drawing water from the rock and the binding of Isaac. Without more information, however, that's not much to go on.

While Dr. Corman is talking about all thing geological, Ray's racking his mind for all things theological...

He had some time to listen to the tapes with Cavendish sermons he purchased back in San Diego. Now, thinking about rocks, he does remember something. Perhaps not a connection... who knows... But there was this moment, which now seems more significant.

There was one sermon, recorded at the laying of the foundations of the new church building in Alameda County, his earlier megaproject. Reverend Cavendish talked about the Exodus a lot (after all, this was the moment when he was bringing a group of his followers to a new land), and one of the pivotal points was the story of Moses drawing water. Cavendish quoted God's words: "I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink."

Ray now recalls Cavendish talking about the rock as something that's present during the sermon. Ray now puts it into context, and thinks that it's possible that this reference was not just a figure of speech, but that Cavendish was delivering the sermon either standing next to an actual rock or stone. He compared it to a source of knowledge, a fountain of pure, untainted water, an altar where God is present.

Ray also recalls the "Foundation Stone" in Jerusalem, but is not sure whether it's of any significance.

Cotton wrote:"Dr. do you happen to know anything about the relatively more recent history of the area? Perhaps they only chose this spot because it was cheap and a way from everyone else, but sometimes group's like this pick a spot because it somehow reinforces what they believe." He shrugs, "really anything could help."

"There used to be a ranch. I think the older buildings are from the 1910s. But it's been abandoned for many decades. I... I have little interest in anything more recent than the Cretaceous..."

Dr. Corman smiles, awkwardly. Then she points to a shelf in the back.

"There are some books on local history. Feel free to peruse them."

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2018 6:56 pm**

Nat eyes the books with reluctance. His stomach gurgles loudly.

Posted: **Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:05 pm**

The only book Nat finds is on local cuisine.

Posted: **Sun Aug 26, 2018 9:40 pm**

"Man, I'm hungry. Look, Cajun Cooking." He holds up a book. "This is about my level of reading. I'm no good with books, Ma'am, but I could help in other ways."

Posted: **Mon Aug 27, 2018 12:00 pm**

aine wrote:"Man, I'm hungry. Look, Cajun Cooking." He holds up a book. "This is about my level of reading. I'm no good with books, Ma'am, but I could help in other ways."

"Well, there isn't much you can help me with. Unless you plan to invade the compound and get me samples. But my funding doesn't cover clandestine operations."
Ray delves into the small collection of local history.

At first he is drawn to a volume of the myths and folklore of the Cahuilla tribes that inhabit the region. The creation myth is quite interesting. It all begins with the birth of two twin brothers, Mukat and Temayawet, from the union of twin balls of lightning. Mukat created the Cahuilla people, while Temayawet became the ruler of the land of the dead. What Ray finds fascinating, is that unlike Native cultures in the rest of North America, the Cahuilla tribes of southeast California and southwestern Arizona do not consider their Creator to be a benevolent spirit or a friend to humankind. Mukat was capricious and dangerous, made the life of the ancients miserable, drove away their protector Moon, and was eventually slain by his own creations.

A detail catches Ray's attention, mostly because it lines up nicely with what he was already thinking about. Is about the creation of a certain staff of power. The twin gods try to erect this staff, but struggle, so they first create a foundation: And he also finds a quite "Moses-like" use for this staff of power in a later passage: "I like the part about the gods being born from lightning," Dr. Corman muses. "It reminds me of the 'primordial soup' theory. Do you know it? That life on Earth emerged from a mass of organic molecules interacting? One of the possible catalysts of this is, in theory at least, atmospheric electricity. Lightning. There were even some experiments in the 1950s to reproduce this process."

Posted: **Mon Aug 27, 2018 12:40 pm**

Headphones - only for Tobias (and the others when they get back),After Julie sits down with the Temple members and tells them about herself, Cavendish says [i]"Roller derby? Must be a great way to release tension, and to..."[/i] But his sentence is interrupted by an awfully loud distorted sound! Then there is the sound of commotion and coughing. [i]"Oh! That looks bad. You should see a doctor,"[/i] Julie says to someone. She sounds quite calm. [i]"Must have eaten something bad... Happened to Ria too a couple of days ago... We should really stop getting food from the dumpsters, go back to shoplifting,"[/i] comes an answer from the side. [i]"Do, Eli, please, help Sy. Take her back to her room, get her some water. I will bring around some pills soon,"[/i] Cavendish says.[i] "Me and 'N will clean up here."[/i] There is some movement and shuffling. Then Julie says: [i]"Here, I'll help you with her."[/i] Pause. [i]"Those are some bad burns on your skin. How did you get them?"[/i] Julie asks of somebody. [i] "It's alright, Sy. You just need some rest,"[/i] you hear Elizabeth say, quite close to the microphone. [i]"I'm sensitive to the sun... it's only getting worse, I get these rashes lately, they itch..."[/i] the girl, presumably Sy, answers. She continues mumbling: [i]"...shouldn't work in the sun... but I want the plants to grow..." [/i] Sounds of walking, then a door creeking. [i]"...Eli, wake me up later... I don't want to miss anything..." [/i] Julie asks, concerned: [i]"I know what you mean, Sy. With my red hair, I turn into a lobster in the sun, so I always wear suntan lotion. I've seen my share of sunburns, and this doesn't look like that. It looks like descriptions I've heard of radiation burns. Is there an old nuclear test site out this way or something?"[/i] Elizabeth answers instead of Sy: [i] "Radiation burns? Nuclear test site? No... no, I don't think so. I thought they were from, you know... bad hygiene," she says. "Like some of the people had at the shelter. But they do look a bit different. Still... radiation?"[/i] The door opens once more, and a low mechanic hum begins in the background. [i]"Here you go, Sy, drink this up. How are you doing, sister?"[/i] you hear Cavendish say. [i]"What are those pills?"[/i] asks Julie. [i]"Just some painkillers,"[/i] Cavendish says. [i]"And some activated charcoal."[/i]

Posted: **Tue Aug 28, 2018 5:49 am**

Ray smiles at Dr. Corman, "I had not heard that before. Its always interesting to me how ancient people made legends to explain the world around them, and how you run into similar stories across very different cultures. Like certain parts of this remind me of a story in the Bible where Moses draws water from a rock by striking it with his staff. I suppose in this instance the myth makers were referring to the Salton Sea?"

Posted: **Tue Aug 28, 2018 9:05 am**

Cotton wrote:Ray smiles at Dr. Corman, "I had not heard that before. Its always interesting to me how ancient people made legends to explain the world around them, and how you run into similar stories across very different cultures. Like certain parts of this remind me of a story in the Bible where Moses draws water from a rock by striking it with his staff. I suppose in this instance the myth makers were referring to the Salton Sea?"

"There are also some hot springs around, which might be referenced in myth.

"But, you know, another interesting thing: there used to be a much bigger lake here. The Salton Sea is recent. And, judging by its current state, it won't last long. But the original Lake Cahuilla covered the whole valley. We are in the basin of a prehistoric water mass!

"I'm not sure how this might aid you with your, uh, mission? Stake-out? Well, the thing you do out there."

Posted: **Wed Aug 29, 2018 1:03 am**

Tobias is still manning the car and on listening duty, he wondered for a brief moment whether he should head back. It's getting a bit late.

Posted: **Wed Aug 29, 2018 1:31 pm**

The time is passing. Nat and Ray should be going back to Tobias and the radio.

Posted: **Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:45 pm**

Nat's stomach gurgles loudly. 'Man.' He groans. 'Shouldn't we be getting back to the old man? Maybe get something to eat on the way? Ma'am, if I did happen to get some samples, what would they be exactly?"

Posted: **Fri Aug 31, 2018 5:08 am**

Ray nods his assent and stands up, but waits to hear Dr. Corman's reply.

Posted: **Fri Aug 31, 2018 10:03 am**

aine wrote:Nat's stomach gurgles loudly. 'Man.' He groans. 'Shouldn't we be getting back to the old man? Maybe get something to eat on the way? Ma'am, if I did happen to get some samples, what would they be exactly?"

"For starters, just try to chip off small fragments. If the split boulder still exists, concentrate on the area of the fissure."

Dr. Corman shows a couple of samples as an example.

"Well, see you around, folks! Wish you luck."

Nat and Ray get back to their car, pick up some food on the road, and drive back to their stake-out place.

They find Tobias still manning the equipment. He shares what he's heard so far...

Posted: **Fri Aug 31, 2018 10:11 am**

Copying the full transcript, so you don't have to look back + adding an update:

Full transcript,The wire tap continues transmitting: [i]"Hi! "Nice to meet everyone. I'm Julie. Don't feel you need to stop on my account,"[/i] Julie says, entering a building. There is some incomprehensible stage murmur in reaction. Judging from it, there at least 5 other people in the room. Tobias sort of recognizes one of the voices, which introduces herself as 'N - the girl he met a few days back at the parking lot. [i]"We were just wrapping up, Julie. Take a seat! Why don't you tell us more about yourself?"[/i] Malcolm says. Some rustling noises, as Julie supposedly takes a seat. A slow, pulsating hum is heard in the background. [i]"Sure,"[/i] says Julie. [i]"Liz and I have been best friends since we were little. We grew up together in San Diego. She's always been the smart one. Me, I was never very good in school, but I've always been athletic, and a bit of a tomboy. My favorite sport is roller derby, and I'm pretty good at it."[/i] After Julie sits down with the Temple members and tells them about herself, Cavendish says [i]"Roller derby? Must be a great way to release tension, and to..."[/i] But his sentence is interrupted by an awfully loud distorted sound! Then there is the sound of commotion and coughing. [i]"Oh! That looks bad. You should see a doctor,"[/i] Julie says to someone. She sounds quite calm. [i]"Must have eaten something bad... Happened to Ria too a couple of days ago... We should really stop getting food from the dumpsters, go back to shoplifting,"[/i] comes an answer from the side. [i]"Do, Eli, please, help Sy. Take her back to her room, get her some water. I will bring around some pills soon,"[/i] Cavendish says.[i] "Me and 'N will clean up here."[/i] There is some movement and shuffling. Then Julie says: [i]"Here, I'll help you with her."[/i] Pause. [i]"Those are some bad burns on your skin. How did you get them?"[/i] Julie asks of somebody. [i] "It's alright, Sy. You just need some rest,"[/i] you hear Elizabeth say, quite close to the microphone. [i]"I'm sensitive to the sun... it's only getting worse, I get these rashes lately, they itch..."[/i] the girl, presumably Sy, answers. She continues mumbling: [i]"...shouldn't work in the sun... but I want the plants to grow..." [/i] Sounds of walking, then a door creeking. [i]"...Eli, wake me up later... I don't want to miss anything..." [/i] Julie asks, concerned: [i]"I know what you mean, Sy. With my red hair, I turn into a lobster in the sun, so I always wear suntan lotion. I've seen my share of sunburns, and this doesn't look like that. It looks like descriptions I've heard of radiation burns. Is there an old nuclear test site out this way or something?"[/i] Elizabeth answers instead of Sy: [i] "Radiation burns? Nuclear test site? No... no, I don't think so. I thought they were from, you know... bad hygiene," she says. "Like some of the people had at the shelter. But they do look a bit different. Still... radiation?"[/i] The door opens once more, and a low mechanic hum begins in the background. [i]"Here you go, Sy, drink this up. How are you doing, sister?"[/i] you hear Cavendish say. [i]"What are those pills?"[/i] asks Julie. [i]"Just some painkillers,"[/i] Cavendish says. [i]"And some activated charcoal."[/i] [i]"Oh,"[/i] says Julie. [i]"What's the charcoal for?"[/i] [i]"They say it's good against toxins, absorbs them in the stomach,"[/i] Cavendish explains. [i]"I don't know anything better. But I'm sure Sy's body will overcome this all. She is a strong young woman."[/i] [i]"That makes sense,"[/i] says Julie. [i]"You sure know a lot about medicine. A lot more than me, anyway. Where did you learn about it?"[/i] [i]"From manuals, and a first aid course I did back when... well, a long time ago. I have to take care of my flock,"[/i] Cavendish smiles.[i] "Let's go outside, Sy needs to rest."[/i] [i]"...wake me up later... don't want to miss anything..."[/i] the sick girl mumbles.

Posted: **Fri Aug 31, 2018 12:07 pm**

Nat finishes his cold fries and warm beer. "Now I feel human again! That Sy woman should be in hospital. If it is radiation then that ties in with what Dr. Corman thinks. I don't mind trying to get some samples when it's darker. I think I might be able to get under the fence round the back; it's a bit broken in places."

Posted: **Sat Sep 01, 2018 12:40 pm**

There are sounds of a door creeking, and some static, and a constant hum in the headphones. But overall, the dialogue between Julie and Elizabeth comes through clear:
"What is it Sy doesn't want to miss?" Julie asks.
"Our prayer and meditation session. We hold one every other evening," Elizabeth explains.

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:00 am**

Ray shakes his head. "No, no according to the doctor, even with long term exposure, there shouldn't be enough radiation emitted from anything out here to do that. I think we should definitely get some samples to take back to her."

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2018 5:07 pm**

evil_scientist wrote:There are sounds of a door creeking, and some static, and a constant hum in the headphones. But overall, the dialogue between Julie and Elizabeth comes through clear:
"What is it Sy doesn't want to miss?" Julie asks.
"Our prayer and meditation session. We hold one every other evening," Elizabeth explains.

On the other side of the wire, Julie continues asking Elizabeth about their evening plans:

"That does sound interesting. I wouldn't mind seeing that myself," says Julie.

"I'm not... I'm not sure that's possible," says Elizabeth.

There is some crackle, then Cavendish speaks:

".....a communal effort. But, unlike the gardening, cooking, cleaning, or repairs, it is not something anybody can attend to straight away. There are stages you have to complete first. You are free to stay on the compound as long as you wish. Perhaps you'll grow to like our way of living, work together with us. Work on yourself."

"Oh, okay," says Julie. "I might just stay here a while longer. It's be good to be with my best friend again and make up for lost time."

"See you later, Eli!" Cavendish says.

After a short pause, Elizabeth says:
"I'm tired. I want to catch some sleep. Maybe you should rest too? It gets awfully hot out here."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It is hot, and it's been a long day. Where does everyone sleep around here?" Julie asks.

"Most of us sleep in the little house. I share a room with Ria. Sy lives in the trailer. 'N is in the big house, Do too. Some people keep changing places. So you can just pick any place you want. Did you bring any stuff with you?"

"Yeah, I've got a bag of stuff," says Julie. "Which room is yours? I'd like one nearby."

Judging by the sounds, they enter a building.

"This is me here. The next room is empty, you can sleep there if you want. Or sleep on Ria's mattress for a few hours, she isn't around right now and she won't mind," Elizabeth offers.

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:19 pm**

"Sounds like they're all turning in for the night. Shall we give them an hour to settle before I head over? In which case I might grab a nap myself." Nat looks at the darkening sky to gauge timings and moonlight tonight.

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:27 pm**

They are settling for a "siesta". It's currently around 4 PM. They plan to wake up later for the meditation/prayer session, which will take place sometime in the evening.

The moon is in its waxing crescent phase, so it won't be too light tonight.

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:26 am**

"Well, that would be a good time to head over." Tobias said, after giving them the details on the radio transmissions.

OOC: Sorry about almost dropping off the radar again!

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:07 pm**

Nat lies sprawled on the back seat, asleep.

Posted: **Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:18 am**

Ray offers to take over on the headset for Tobias. "Do you need to head back into town for any reason? Now's probably the time for it. Might be a good idea to get more food and water either way."

OOC: Happens to us all

Posted: **Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:36 am**

Posted: **Thu Sep 06, 2018 3:15 am**

"Excellent idea, I need to have a wee lil' chat with me wife about tonight's plans anyways, or else something other than my wine flask is going to be tippy toppy. It's...complicated, having a family and all that." Tobias said, as he shrugged.

Posted: **Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:45 am**

Posted: **Fri Sep 07, 2018 6:32 pm**

Nat wakes up and then snoozes until nearly dark. Then he gets ready to make a plan for sneaking in when Tobias is back.

Posted: **Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:09 am**

OOC: Ray certainly will be sneaking in with Nat.

Posted: **Sun Sep 09, 2018 10:52 am**

At one point, there is a whispered message from Julie, that she is going to rest a bit, switch off the microphone (to save battery life), then wake up later when Elizabeth goes to the prayer session.

After this, the wire stops transmitting.

Hopefully, the Temple members don't pick this exact moment to abduct Julie and sacrifice her!

Posted: **Sun Sep 09, 2018 1:25 pm**

Tobias headed back to the hotel, feeling significantly more sober in a slightly less awful mood than when he had left. Feeling slightly apologetic for his unannounced absence, he picked up some vegan curry and a figurine for his daughter on the way there from a nice little supermarket. Entering the hotel room, he smiled as widely as he can and held up his spoils of war, "Honey, I'm back."

Posted: **Sun Sep 09, 2018 10:36 pm**

Tobias finds his family lounging in the motel room, Charlie's Angels on the TV.

Rachel (Tobias' daughter) looks at the figurine, then at her father.

"You know I'm 14, right?" she asks, then takes the curry. "But at least this doesn't have meat. I've decided to go vegetarian."

"Where have you been? You know what? I don't really care. And why are you encouraging this hippie vegetarian non-sense?" his wife, Heidi, asks. "Where did she even get this idea?" she shakes her head.

"'N told me meat is murder," Rachel murmurs, inaudible to her mother.

Posted: **Mon Sep 10, 2018 12:26 am**

"Well...Whatever makes you happy, sweetheart." Tobias made a quick, but slightly strained smile at Rachael before placing all the food into individual bowls. He turned to his wife and whispered, "Rachael's found some 'friends' who lives here, I think they might be...hippies." Shuddering slightly for added effect..

"I found an old acquaintance who had picked up a job, I'm gonna tag along for a day or two, nothing serious that detracts from our vacay and anyways, there's probably a quick buck for two days' work in it." He announced over the small, cheap dinner table. Sharing dinner with his, uh, immediate family for the first time in a long while.

Posted: **Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:26 am**

"Stop saying hippies! They are not hippies. They just don't want to live like you do," Rachel concurs. "And I just want to have my own life," she says, stands up from the table, runs to her room, and slams the door behind herself.

Heidi looks at Tobias.

"Just... just go. I will try to speak with her later."

Posted: **Mon Sep 10, 2018 1:06 pm**

Tobias looked like he had just been slapped on the face, with a sigh of dejection, he wrote a quick letter of apology and slid it under Rachael's bedroom door, "This was supposed to be a holiday...where we could, you know, bond together a bit more. I'm going to go for a walk."

He exited the hotel to meet up with the group, feeling significantly worse for wear, brooding over the events that happened over dinner.

Posted: **Mon Sep 10, 2018 1:42 pm**

On the way back, Tobias is tortured by the thoughts of her daughter's possibly still on-going connection with the very cult he is investigating. He understands, that it could easily be Rachel in Elizabeth's place!

He makes it back to the stake-out position and joins the others.

Darkness is slowly moving in.

Here, in the desert, where there are no street lamps in miles, the night feels strange. Alien. A black substance, covering everything. The faint light of the moon is not enough to disperse it...

Posted: **Tue Sep 11, 2018 4:28 am**

OOC: I cant recall whether or not we got a set of walkie talkies in addition to the wire we set Julie up with. If we did then I think Nat and Ray should have one and Tobias should stay behind with the other. If not I think we should have someone to keep monitoring the wiretap anyway. Also would it be possible for Ray to have a pistol he can conceal on himself?

Posted: **Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:05 pm**

Posted: **Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:17 pm**

"Alright, so what are we going to do? What's the big plan?" Tobias said in a gravelly voice, as he blew a cloud of smoke out of his mouth using the pipe in his hands. Smoking the old-fashioned way.

Posted: **Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:06 pm**

HelplessBystander wrote:"Alright, so what are we going to do? What's the big plan?" Tobias said in a gravelly voice, as he blew a cloud of smoke out of his mouth using the pipe in his hands. Smoking the old-fashioned way.

Posted: **Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:17 pm**

Nat is refreshed from his nap and feels ready for anything. He looks at Ray's outline. "You're the boss, what do you want to do? I reckon we can find a gap in the fence, especially on the far side where I was before. That's the closest to the hanger too. Do we just feel around for some rocks and then scram?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 13, 2018 3:11 am**

“Hmm...I feel like that takes an unwarranted risk. How can we be certain that we can make a clean getaway? We need to have someone observe the situation from the outside and be in close contact.” Tobias proposed.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 7:06 am**

Ray says, "Tobias, my thought was that you would be able to stay with the car and drive over if you heard some kind of commotion through Julie's mic. I think we'll have a better chance driving than outrunning the cult if needed, but I don't think we could move the car closer than it is now. Nat if the cult isn't in that hangar at the time we're over there then I'd like to look inside to see if any part of that boulder Dr. Corman told us about is still around. Otherwise we might just have to grab what we can and beat feet. If there's something in the area that's giving off enough radiation to give people radiation sickness, and we can prove that, we might be able to get the Temple of Concordance kicked off the land. Something like that could be enough to break up the whole group, and be just the wake up call Elizabeth needs."

Spoiler:

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 7:23 am**

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 7:10 pm**

"Wow Boss" Nat says watching Ray checking the pistol, "You're thinking you might need that? Okay, well if it all hits the fan we'll high-tail it out of the main gate and the oldster can pick us up in the car."

Posted: **Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:01 pm**

With some hiss and crackle, the radio comes alive. Julie's wire starts transmitting again. One of the Investigators quickly picks up the headphones and catches Julie reporting to them. Looks like she's found a place where she can safely speak, without fear of being overheard.

"...took a nap to save the battery, but I'm back now. I guess I've got about fourteen hours of battery life left. I'm really concerned that that girl Sy has been exposed to radiation. If you haven't already, you should try to find out if there was some nuclear testing or something done in this area, or if there's a nuclear power plant that could be leaking. I seriously doubt they could be hiding a nuclear reactor here. There's some sort of prayer and meditation session about to start. I'm not allowed in, being new here, but I'm going to go try and listen in, and I hope you'll be able to hear it too. If I ever need you guys to pull me out, I'll say the word 'fiddlesticks.' If you ever hear me say that word again, it means I'm in big trouble and you should come get me. Wish me luck."

Posted: **Mon Sep 17, 2018 7:55 am**

Ray shakes his head, "I don't think I'll need it, but better to hope for the best and prepare for the worst than vice versa." And upon hearing what Julie has to say, "Elizabeth is lucky to have a friend like her. Let's make sure we're all on our toes so we can fulfill our end of things, and maybe help those other people out too. Let's wait until we hear they're about to start and then move in."

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 2:34 am**

Cotton wrote:

Ray says, "Tobias, my thought was that you would be able to stay with the car and drive over if you heard some kind of commotion through Julie's mic. I think we'll have a better chance driving than outrunning the cult if needed, but I don't think we could move the car closer than it is now. Nat if the cult isn't in that hangar at the time we're over there then I'd like to look inside to see if any part of that boulder Dr. Corman told us about is still around. Otherwise we might just have to grab what we can and beat feet. If there's something in the area that's giving off enough radiation to give people radiation sickness, and we can prove that, we might be able to get the Temple of Concordance kicked off the land. Something like that could be enough to break up the whole group, and be just the wake up call Elizabeth needs."

Spoiler:
[dice]212038:0[/dice]

[dice]212038:1[/dice]

Just the pistol then I think.

"Sure, no worries." Tobias said, shrugging.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:50 pm**

Darkness sets in. The stars are blinking as the earth gives off the heat it gathered during the day. The thin sickly moon is too weak to shed light on the desert.

The Investigators carefully (with the lights off) move the car closer to the compound. Now they are parked behind a rock, some 300 yards from the fence.

Tobias stays behind, monitoring Julie's wire. Tobias watches Nat and Ray melt into the night...

OOC: I'm keeping you in this topic, but putting stuff under spoilers! Please, put your actions under spoilers too!

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 7:07 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:41 am**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:33 am**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Fri Sep 21, 2018 11:13 am**

Posted: **Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:10 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:41 am**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:44 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:51 pm**

Ray,After a quick, whispered conversation with his assistant, [b]Ray[/b] moves out of cover and is now standing before the hangar entrance. He is overcome with a strange sensation: there was somebody here, perhaps just a split second ago, but is now gone... But maybe it's just his overwrought mind playing tricks. Both sides of the double doors are shut, but not tightly. An open padlock hangs on the right hinge. Ray takes a peek inside through the crack between the doors. A weak light is illuminating the interior, but not much can be discerned, because heavy curtains close off the space a few steps after the entrance. Possibly they muffle the voices. They seem to be decorated with dense "oriental" patterns. From this position, [b]Ray[/b] is able to make out some of what's inside. A single male voice, speaking in a strange, half-chanting tone. A long mantra, repeating the same verse over and over. There is also a constant drone: Ray now thinks it might be the members of the congregation humming in unison, and not a generator. [color=#800080][i]"...he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. He found him in a desert land...."[/i][/color] Ray recognizes it as an Old Testament verse. [ooc]Yes, the Luck rules are in play! You burn three points to get a success.[/ooc]

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:03 am**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:55 am**

Posted: **Fri Sep 28, 2018 9:50 am**

OOC: Ray and Nat, please head over to the topic of Chapter 5!

Tobias, please, stay here! I will continue posting the wire tape updates for you in this topic.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:58 am**

Posted: **Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:11 pm**

Posted: **Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:36 am**

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:44 pm**

Posted: **Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:41 am**

Play@YSDC

Chapter 4b: Listening in (Ray, Nat, Tobias)

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