1976, South California
The Sandoval couple is worried sick: their daughter, Elizabeth, ran off and joined a cult, the Temple of Concordance. They had no contact with her until recently, when she called them, clearly in a state of distress. The call ended abruptly, without any answer from Elizabeth about her status. The police checked up on the Temple, but found everything to be in order: Elizabeth is 21, practicing her right to worship as she wishes. The Sandovals decide to take matters into their own hands...
"Okay," says Julie. "I just hope I can get Elizabeth to listen to me. She trusts me, but if she finds out why I really came here, she may see it as a betrayal. It depends how much they've gotten to her here. I'd better get back into bed before I'm missed. Is there anything else I should know before I go?"
"Just be prepared to jump if she starts squawking. I'll head back to the car now and then meet you on the other side. You know, I hope that isn't an actual earthquake starting. I'll be glad to get out of here; those wired noises are giving me the willies!" Nat grimaces and points to the hanger.
The last voice in the hangar stops. The rumbling below the earth continues for a few more seconds, then ceases too. The Investigators scatter... Julie heads back to Elizabeth's room in the smaller building (2). Ray takes cover in the storage area (1). Nat quickly runs out of the compound.
Eerie silence sets in.
Nat,Nat quickly runs out into the desert. If he takes their original entrance point, he notes once more that the current hole in the fence cannot be passed through in a hurry. So indeed the wire-cutters are in order.
The desert is warm, as the ground passes off the excess heat it gathered during the day.
It is very dark...
While running, Nat sees pairs of eyes in the darkness... Coyotes, perhaps?
Luckily, he remembers where their cars are, and finds old man [b]Tobias[/b] by the receiver. [color=#000080]"Long time no see, kid. This machine has been acting up, you know. I could hear things most of the time clearly... But then there were these noises and hums and buzzes, very strong ones, drowning out all the voices. They were fading in and out. From what I gathered, they were especially strong near the meditation place or whatever those damn hippies have there."[/color]
There are instruments in the car, including a wire cutter.
Julie,Julie runs back to the house, and lies down on the stale mattress. Pretends to sleep... She can hear her own heart pounding in the darkness. Minutes pass...
---
Make a [b]Listen[/b] check!
Ray,Ray runs over to the south-east corner of the compound. The structure here is not a proper building, just a tin roof on rows of posts. Still, it will do as a hiding place, as there is some old rusty farming equipment (ploughs etc.), and crates covered with tarps. He takes cover behind the stockpiles. From this position, he can survey most of the compound --- although in this darkness visibility is very low.
A few minutes pass.
The door of the hangar opens. Two people exit the building. One of them is supporting the other. By the faint light coming from the inside Ray sees that it is Cavendish, supported by one of the Church member girls. The girl slowly leads Cavendish towards the bigger house (4). Cavendish can barely walk...
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Nat and Tobias,Nat pulls out a warm coke and downs it in one."Those odd noises aren't interference; they are coming from inside the hanger! I couldn't make them out. The ground was trembling too, like an earthquake, did you feel it here? And Ray went inside the hanger and came out quick enough- I don't know what he saw in there but I think it upset him." He snaffles something to eat.
"So Jules is going to persuade Elizabeth to come out tonight as it seems pretty unhealthy down there. I'm gonna be back now to cut a hole in the fence on this side so they can get out quick and avoid the main gate. You need to be ready with the car to pick us up and get out of here fast.
But you know what, even if we get Elizabeth out, what about all those other poor dupes in there? Anyway, you okay with that plan Tobias? I gotta get back down there." Nat rummages in the truck's tool kit for wire cutters and pliers.
Nat and Tobias,Nat finds the tools he needs to cut the fence. He also finds at least six empty beer cans - Tobias had a quality time out here in the desert...
[color=#000080]"No, no earthquakes here. But those noises, they were like tuning the radio between the channels. Static. Creepy stuff..."[/color]
[quote="aine"]"But you know what, even if we get Elizabeth out, what about all those other poor dupes in there? Anyway, you okay with that plan Tobias?"[/quote]
[color=#000080]"That plan is all we've got, right? I think it can work... About those [i]*hic*[/i] other dupes... Maybe we can try to break them out later; but we will already have our hands full with Elizabeth. It's one thing to get her out of the cult - and it's something else to get the cult outside of her! If you've been workin' with Ray in this field, you must know that..."[/color]
Tobias is talkative - he missed the company, sitting their all evening at the creepy noisy radio receiver.
[color=#000080]"I'll be waiting for your sign, then get the car straight up to the fence as quick as [i]*hic*[/i] possible!"[/color]
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Nat and Tobias,"Man, you've collared all the beer!" Nat looks at Tobias doubtfully. "Maybe I should drive the car. If I can, I'll come back soon as I've cut a hole in the fence.
Now pack up all this mess and sit tight on that radio; ignore all the creepy stuff and listen for our signal. You need to pick us up just off the road near the compound." Nat shakes his head in frustration at the old man. He also grabs a flashlight if there is one and then prepares to jog down to the fence.
Nat,After giving the instructions to Tobias (who seems to be actually less drunk, than the six empty cans would imply - he must have a high alcohol tolerance), Nat grabs the tools and a flashlight, and jogs back to the fence.
He settles down at the part behind the storage area (1), and slowly and carefully starts working, clipping wire after wire, trying to avoid making noise. He manages to make a big enough opening.
After he climbs through, he notices [b]Ray[/b] hiding behind some crates, under the storage area's roof. Nat quickly takes cover next to him.
Ray,The two figures (the girl leading Cavendish) disappear from Ray's field of view, but quite possibly enter the house (4).
For some time, nothing happens.
But soon Ray notices a sound coming from behind him: [i]*snip, snip, snip*[/i]
He turns around, and notices a shadow by the fence - and realizes that it's [b]Nat[/b], cutting through the wires with a heavy tool, making an escape route. The young man finishes the work, than quickly runs over and takes cover next to Ray.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Julie,Julie lays still on her bed. The darkness amplifies all sounds.
She hears her own heartbeat.
She hears the ants chewing tirelessly inside the walls of the house.
She hears a creek from outside in the distance: the hangar door opens.
She waits for a few more minutes, but nobody enters the house.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Nat and Ray,Nat hunkers down next to Ray.
[color=#0000BF] "I've made a decent size hole in the fence just behind us. The only trouble is, the old man has been sipping a few beers and I don't know how capable he will be in a pinch. I'm guessing he can still drive the car but how quick?
Do you want me to go back and wait by the car? I've got a big torch here that you can have to signal me. We'll drive down and pick the three of you up just outside the fence and then on to the track."[/color] He whispers.
Last edited by aine on Thu Nov 08, 2018 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I heard the hangar door open a few minutes ago,"Julie says quietly into the microphone, "but Liz isn't back yet. I hope she's just gone to the outhouse first or something. I'll stay here for at least a little longer. If you see Ray and Nat, let them know what I said."
"I heard the hangar door open a few minutes ago,"Julie says quietly into the microphone, "but Liz isn't back yet. I hope she's just gone to the outhouse first or something. I'll stay here for at least a little longer. If you see Ray and Nat, let them know what I said."
When Julie spoke this, Nat was just wrapping up his conversation with Tobias. Tobias relayed the message to him.
OOC,Please, keep putting your actions under spoiler tags while separated! :)
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Nat and Ray,The dynamic duo is reunited behind the stacks of crates and rusting farming equipment.
[b]Nat[/b] reports Julie's words to Ray ([i]"I heard the hangar door open a few minutes ago, but Liz isn't back yet. I hope she's just gone to the outhouse first or something. I'll stay here for at least a little longer"[/i] - 'here' meaning the bedroom of the smaller house).
[b]Ray[/b] nods: this is lining up with what he saw, and he shares it with Nat:
A few minutes ago the door of the hangar opened. Two people exited the building. One of them was supporting the other. By the faint light coming from the inside Ray saw Cavendish, supported by one of the Church member girls. The girl slowly led Cavendish towards the bigger house (4). Cavendish could barely walk. Then they porbably entered that house.
A few more minutes pass.
Then once again there is movement:
The Church member girl comes out of the house (4), and heads back to the hangar. She spends some time there, than comes out again - this time she is carrying a motionless body over her shoulder! She walks with ease. She must be very strong - or perhaps the person whom she is carrying is very light... She goes to the old trailer (7), opens the door, and takes the other person inside.
Julie,Around five minutes pass, and Julie hears the creaking of the hangar door again. But nobody is coming in the direction of her house.
OOC - Cotton,Sorry, I wanted to move things along a bit, so had Ray recount what he saw!
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Julie,[color=orangered]"I heard the hangar door again,"[/color] says [b]Julie[/b] quietly into her microphone, [color=orangered]"but she's still not coming. I don't think she will. I'm on my way back down to where you're hiding. If you're not there, I'll try the hangar."[/color] She gets up and ventures outside.
Nat and Ray,Nat watches the dark shapes of the people, "Man, that girl's strong! You don't think that's Elizabeth she's got over her shoulder? And Cavendish looked beat; what the hell was going on in there, Ray?"
Julie cautiously sneaks out of the house, and immediately turns right, towards the storage area.
Ray and Nat notice her coming, and quickly make some space for her too in their hiding place. They lay low behind the stacks of crates and rusty equipment, and keep their eyes on the compound grounds.
Ray and Nat share what they've seen so far:
First, the door of the hangar opened. Two people exited the building. One of them was supporting the other. By the faint light coming from the inside Ray saw Cavendish, supported by one of the Church member girls. The girl slowly led Cavendish towards the bigger house (4). Cavendish could barely walk. Then they probably entered that house.
A few minutes later, the Church member girl came out of the house (4), and went back to the hangar. She spent some time there, than came out again - this time she was carrying a motionless body over her shoulder! Yet she walked with ease. She must be very strong - or perhaps the person whom she was carrying is very light... She went to the old trailer (7), opened the door, and took the other person inside.
Turns out, Julie was lucky: if she had exited the house a bit earlier, she would have bumped into her!
A few more minutes pass, and the Investigators see the trailer's door fling open. The girl comes out, alone. In the faint light coming from inside, Julie recognizes her as 'N. 'N swiftly head back to the hangar and goes inside.
"I feel as if my soul would be torn out of my body," she gasped. "I am being drawn into a whirlpool. What is happening? What does it mean?" - The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Ray says, "We couldn't see who she was carrying but it definitely could have been. I'm going to sneak over to the trailer and see what's going on, Julie if you see that 'N girl come back out and head towards me then try and distract her if you can."
"Ok Boss." Nat watches Ray melt into the darkness. "Gee, I hope no one sees him; otherwise we"re up the creek." He whispers to Julie. "That girl, N, would you say she's super strong?"
