Track 7:San Francisco-Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair

[jp1885]

Though somewhat dismayed, Tony complies and allows himself to be pushed away.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

There is no response to Tony's inquiry. After Zara enters the main door, it slams shut behind her. A loud whirring noise is heard from within, which slowly decreases in volume, then grows silent.

Nothing interferes with the other investigators as they help the family into the vehicle. The two adults seem nervous but healthy, and obviously relieved to be free. Upon inquiry, they can only state that they were kept in comfortable, even luxurious, accommodations, and it was only their loss of freedom that upset them. They never saw the person that the investigators know as the Doctor, but only several brutish-looking but completely servile workers who saw to their needs.

Little Tommy Baxter, on the other hand, seems to be in a state of happy excitement. Looking over some of Liz's gadgets, he says "This stuff is pretty cool, but, boy, you shoulda seen the inside of that place. Those guys were, like, monsters, but friendly ones. This one guy had, like, big fangs and hair all over his body. He didn't say much, but we played tag all over this big maze of tunnels. Oh, and there were, like, these TV-like things, but you could play all kinds of games with 'em."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Zara,In total darkness, you feel yourself descending at a high velocity for several minutes. When the trip stops, the doors open and reveal a wide corridor, softly lit, leading to what might be the master suite at the most expensive hotel in town. It has a full kitchen, and all manner of supplies needed for an extended stay. The same non-distinct voice heard outside, coming from no particular place, says "Please make yourself comfortable."

[jp1885]

“Sounds like quite the den. Hair and fangs you say?” he turns to Lew and Liz. “The good Doctor collects oddities; we should watch out...”

Not wishing to upset the lad, he takes the parents aside.

“I’m afraid your dog is a gonner. Was he attacked by your kidnappers? Do you remember anything?”

[Mr. Handy]

"That does sound cool," says Liz, taking out a pencil and a piece of paper. "Do you think you could draw a map of the place and tell me what was in each room?"

[SunlessNick]

Vicki,Zara assumes she's still being watched, so she keeps acting woozy. She stumbles to the nearest soft surface and curls up - after a few minutes she gets some water and looks around.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

“Sounds like quite the den. Hair and fangs you say?” he turns to Lew and Liz. “The good Doctor collects oddities; we should watch out...”

Not wishing to upset the lad, he takes the parents aside.

“I’m afraid your dog is a goner. Was he attacked by your kidnappers? Do you remember anything?”

Mrs Baxter grows pale, and exchanges uneasy glances with her husband. She waits until Tommy is completely out of earshot, then leans close to Tony and whispers.

"That was the really horrible thing. The thugs who kidnapped us -- three of them, all big men completely disguised with ski masks and heavy black clothing -- killed Prince right before our eyes. Thank God Tommy was upstairs asleep. Then they . . ." She has trouble continuing.

"They cut him up and ate part of his body," Mr Baxter adds. "Shoved it right under their masks and swallowed it down, like wild animals. None of them could speak very well, but they made it clear we had to go with them, and take Tommy along, if we didn't want to get hurt. I'm just glad he doesn't completely realize how bad things really were."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"That does sound cool," says Liz, taking out a pencil and a piece of paper. "Do you think you could draw a map of the place and tell me what was in each room?"

Spoiler:

Let's test Tommy intelligence. INT = 9[dice]0[/dice] Hmm. Right on the border.

"Gee, maybe not everything, but some of it, I guess. Let's see; there was this big elevator that went down a real long way, which led to this fancy hotel room. The room full of the game machine things was down the hall a little ways. There were always a bunch of guys with guns standing around, like private eyes on TV. The rest of the place was a big maze, full of dark corridors, so I don't really know where everything was. A lot of the friendly monster guys lived in little rooms inside the maze, and a bunch of rooms that were locked. Some of the detective guys took us into the big elevator and sent it back up here. The elevator didn't have any buttons, so I don't know if it went anywhere else. I guess a big building like this has to have a bunch of floors, huh?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Vicki,Zara assumes she's still being watched, so she keeps acting woozy. She stumbles to the nearest soft surface and curls up - after a few minutes she gets some water and looks around.

Zara,There is a luxurious bathroom, with a large whirlpool bathtub and all sorts of toiletries. The kitchen is very well stocked, but it is noticeable that there are no knives, only spoons and forks with blunt edges. The drink vessels and dishes are all unbreakable plastic. There is a small electric stove and a few pots and pans. The pantry and refrigerator are full of supplies, but there is no meat or alcohol to be found. The bed is large and quite comfortable. A living room/den contains a round table, chairs, a bookshelf full of hardcover editions, most of which seem quite old, a telephone of the so-called Princess kind, although it has no dial, and, discreetly hidden behind cabinet doors, a large television set lacking controls save for an ON/OFF switch. There is a closet full of clothing and shoes made to fit someone of Kitten's size, and a dresser full of undergarments and the like. Everything seems to suggest an extended stay.

[jp1885]

Tony ponders upon this information.

“Hmm, I’d say some raw meat, suitably drugged, is in order. I will make some calls - no doubt our Slavic chums can provide the goods. Lew, reckon you could obtain some plans of the building? I doubt they’ll be marked ‘secret underground lair here’, but maybe we can infer some information from what isn’t shown. Liz my dearest, have you got a lock on Zara?”

[Starspawn338]

Lew nods. "We'll need to get to a pay phone but I can make some calls and see what I can find out." He will also take a quick tour around the Columbus Tower to see if there are any abandoned or closed buildings adjacent which would allow underground work to be done unnoticed.

Once at the phone, Lew will phone a friend at the San Francisco Building Records Unit to see if he can't get a copy of the Columbus Tower blueprint made available. He will also inquire as to any modifications which have been done or other construction permits which may conceal the building of this underground base beneath the Columbus Tower. He will also ask for records of any construction permits for any of the likely abandoned buildings around the Columbus Tower.

[Mr. Handy]

"Cheers," says Liz to Tommy. "You've been a great help." She nods to Tony. "Let me check on the tracker." She fiddles with the little screen, focusing on the little blip that represents Zara's tracker. "Even if she hasn't moved very far in length or breadth, I should be able to tell how deep underground she is based on how long it takes the signal to reach us. It travels at the speed of light, which is a known constant, so all I need to do is measure the time it takes and divide to get the depth.'

[SunlessNick]

Zara,There is a luxurious bathroom, with a large whirlpool bathtub and all sorts of toiletries. The kitchen is very well stocked, but it is noticeable that there are no knives, only spoons and forks with blunt edges. The drink vessels and dishes are all unbreakable plastic. There is a small electric stove and a few pots and pans. The pantry and refrigerator are full of supplies, but there is no meat or alcohol to be found. The bed is large and quite comfortable. A living room/den contains a round table, chairs, a bookshelf full of hardcover editions, most of which seem quite old, a telephone of the so-called Princess kind, although it has no dial, and, discreetly hidden behind cabinet doors, a large television set lacking controls save for an ON/OFF switch. There is a closet full of clothing and shoes made to fit someone of Kitten's size, and a dresser full of undergarments and the like. Everything seems to suggest an extended stay.

Vicki,Zara figures there's not going to be anyone she wants to talk to on the far end of the phone. She drinks some water and eats something that doesn't need any cooking. In the bathroom, she smooths down the evening gown and applies some makeup if there is any, trying for an elegant look. When she's done, she returns to the den and sits herself down on the most comfortable looking chair - trying to hide her shaking - before saying out loud in Kitten's accent, "[color=#004000]If I'm your 'chosen one,' then come and tell me what you want.[/color]"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Tony ponders upon this information.

“Hmm, I’d say some raw meat, suitably drugged, is in order. I will make some calls - no doubt our Slavic chums can provide the goods. Lew, reckon you could obtain some plans of the building? I doubt they’ll be marked ‘secret underground lair here’, but maybe we can infer some information from what isn’t shown. Liz my dearest, have you got a lock on Zara?”

Given, more or less, carte blanche with the Yugoslavian consulate, thanks to the co-operation of Miss Dubrovna, Tony is able to obtain beef, chicken, and fish, laced with sedatives, and kept fresh in insulated containers filled with ice. The process does, of course, require some time and the working out of logistics.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Lew nods. "We'll need to get to a pay phone but I can make some calls and see what I can find out." He will also take a quick tour around the Columbus Tower to see if there are any abandoned or closed buildings adjacent which would allow underground work to be done unnoticed.

Once at the phone, Lew will phone a friend at the San Francisco Building Records Unit to see if he can't get a copy of the Columbus Tower blueprint made available. He will also inquire as to any modifications which have been done or other construction permits which may conceal the building of this underground base beneath the Columbus Tower. He will also ask for records of any construction permits for any of the likely abandoned buildings around the Columbus Tower.

All of this detective work requires quite a bit of time, but yields useful information.

The neighboring area has been in decline since the Kingston Trio stopped recording there earlier this year. There are a couple of recently closed small buildings next to it; a coffee shop and a bar.

The blueprints reveal nothing unusual. There is no indication that there is anything below the recording studio, not currently in use. If any construction has been going on during the last year or so, there are no official records of it.

It is notable that, during the last few months, there have been small tremors recorded by seismographs, with an epicenter near this area, but not of such a size as to cause any damage.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Cheers," says Liz to Tommy. "You've been a great help." She nods to Tony. "Let me check on the tracker." She fiddles with the little screen, focusing on the little blip that represents Zara's tracker. "Even if she hasn't moved very far in length or breadth, I should be able to tell how deep underground she is based on how long it takes the signal to reach us. It travels at the speed of light, which is a known constant, so all I need to do is measure the time it takes and divide to get the depth.'

The time it takes for the signal to travel back and forth from the monitor to the tracker is incredibly small, so it is difficult to determine an exact distance. However, it is clear that Zara is presently some few hundred meters below the surface of the ground.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Vicki,Zara figures there's not going to be anyone she wants to talk to on the far end of the phone. She drinks some water and eats something that doesn't need any cooking. In the bathroom, she smooths down the evening gown and applies some makeup if there is any, trying for an elegant look. When she's done, she returns to the den and sits herself down on the most comfortable looking chair - trying to hide her shaking - before saying out loud in Kitten's accent, "[color=#004000]If I'm your 'chosen one,' then come and tell me what you want.[/color]"

Zara,This statement causes the TV set to come on, revealing the image of a man you have not seen before. He is a heavy-set fellow, balding, in late middle age. "Welcome," he says, in an upper class British accent. "I trust you are comfortable. I have persuaded my esteemed colleague that there is no need to subject you to the distasteful procedure he initially suggested for our mutual project. Rather, you will undergo a brief surgical procedure. I assure that I am highly skilled with the knife, and that there will be no pain, merely a small scar on the lower abdomen and a slight amount of post-surgical discomfort of a minor nature. This should prevent the stubborn beast flesh from emerging in my creations, as it has done in the past. But I will not bore you with technical details. When you have rested, you will transported to a hospital room, where you must fast for several hours, for your own safety. Once the procedure is completed, you will be released. You will, of course, say nothing of this to anyone. My colleague has many eyes and ears, and the consequences of speaking out of turn would be most unfortunate." The TV fades out.

[SunlessNick]

Vicki,Thinking back to the picture she picture she drew, Zara figures this means they want to take out her ovaries - or rather Kitten's. That thought scares her almost as much as the fate the British guy says he saved her from. On the other hand, she also figures they'll realise she's not Kitten if it gets that far. She wonders if this means they can put a baby into someone else. And if that's what they had planned for Mo. And if that's what they'll decide for Zara when they figure out who she is. The train of thought leaves her shaking more than she can hide. But if they're going to need her to fast, then about all she can do to play for time is eat, so she makes for the kitchen to cook up something elaborate.

[jp1885]

Once Tony has the drugged meat ready for transportation (taking the opportunity to flirt with Dubrovna if she's around), he meets up with the others, to see how they're progressing.

[Mr. Handy]

"She's a few hundred metres underground," says Liz. "The only way I know of that we can get that far down quickly is the elevator. We don't have time to dig a new hole that deep."