Track 10: Sympathy for the Devil

[Mr. Handy]

"A rather large person has been here," says Liz, describing her discovery and pointing out the tracks. She also looks around in the usual places for a hidden spare key.

OOC,Wisdom roll (11 + 3[Sharp Eyes] + 1[Discover Secrets] = 15) searching for a key: 0

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Despite her sharp eyes, Liz is unable to discover any key for the building's only door. What she is able to observe, however, examining the locked door closely, peering through a tiny crack between the door proper and the jamb, is that it has been bolted shut from within.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz reports what she sees. "Perhaps you could...get inside another way, Tony, and unbolt the door," she says. She distracts Jan with the pretext of showing him the tracks so that Tony can teleport inside without being observed.

[jp1885]

Tony blinks in puzzlement for a second. With all that tropical relaxing he'd completely forgotten about his strange ability!

"Oh yes, I could, um, pick the lock and such. Yes, good idea!"

Once their guide is suitably distracted, he'll teleport into the shack and unbolt the door.

[SunlessNick]

Did Zara see anything else from circling the building?

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Did Zara see anything else from circling the building?

Spoiler:

0

There does not seem to be anything of particular interest other than the tracks previously noted.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

As expected, inside the research station there is utter chaos. Books, journals, loose papers are scattered all over the floor. Equipment is smashed; bits of metal and glass lie everywhere.

Jan rushes immediately to what remains of the radio transmitter. It is, of course, beyond repair.

Approaching the unmoving figure at the table seems like an unpleasant chore, but it must be done. It may not be very surprising to discover that the person is no longer living. The corpse is several days old, it seems, completely desiccated, as if left in a desert for an extended period of time. Jan does not recognize who it is, but that may be due to the condition of the body. Given its condition, as well as heavy clothing, it's not even certain if it's a man or a woman.

[jp1885]

"Oh dear..."

Tony gingerly inspects the corpse for an kind of ID, whilst trying to ascertain the cause of death.

[SunlessNick]

Not wanting to deal with the body, Zara looks around the rest of the room, trying to discern if anything that should be there - like outdoor clothes, rifles, flashlights, or food - is missing.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz swallows her disgust and also examines the corpse, hoping her scientific eyes will reveal what killed the person.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Oh dear..."

Tony gingerly inspects the corpse for an kind of ID, whilst trying to ascertain the cause of death.

Spoiler:

0

Close examination of the dead person's clothing reveals that all the many pockets of shirt, jacket, coat, and trousers have been turned out, and are empty, as if somebody rifled through them in a hurry. During this procedure, bits of the body crumble away, like pieces of bark falling off a dead tree branch. The cause of death is not immediately obvious.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Not wanting to deal with the body, Zara looks around the rest of the room, trying to discern if anything that should be there - like outdoor clothes, rifles, flashlights, or food - is missing.

Spoiler:

0

The few firearms -- which are probably only meant for protection against the rare appearance of a polar bear; uncommon, despite the island's name -- are still securely locked away in a gun cabinet, which appears to have not been disturbed.

The area that serves as a simple kitchen and dining area has been completely ransacked, with several packages of food torn open, their contents mostly missing, although there is quite a bit of stuff spilled on the floor as well.

Jan explains that the station normally has two scientists in residence, on a rotating basis. There is no evidence of any clothing belonging to a second person anywhere around, just what the dead one is wearing.

Notably, the station's plumbing -- fresh water supplied from a simple tank on the roof, which collects rain and snow to be filtered and purified -- has been completely wrecked, pipes torn apart and thrown everywhere. Despite this, there are no pools of water of any appreciable size on the floor.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Liz swallows her disgust and also examines the corpse, hoping her scientific eyes will reveal what killed the person.

Spoiler:

0

The body's condition, with the formerly living flesh reduced to a dry, crumbly, leathery state, does not resemble any common condition with which Liz is familiar.

[jp1885]

Sighing, Tony steps away from the corpse.

“Something is amiss I’ll wager, but I don’t know if we’ll find anything useful here except maybe the rifles.”

In a last ditch effort, he checks the table the corpse is slumped over. Perhaps there’s a diary, logbook or something that could shed light on the mystery?

[Mr. Handy]

Liz searches the rest of the station, looking for any clue as to what happened or why.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Sighing, Tony steps away from the corpse.

“Something is amiss I’ll wager, but I don’t know if we’ll find anything useful here except maybe the rifles.”

In a last ditch effort, he checks the table the corpse is slumped over. Perhaps there’s a diary, logbook or something that could shed light on the mystery?

Spoiler:

0

Searching through multiple pages, many filled with scrawled and entirely illegible handwriting, Tony discovers one message, almost equally messy, but written in such large and bold letters that it is decipherable.

MUST NOT GO OUT MUST STAY HERE GOD HELP ME

(The author of these evocative words was, apparently, a native speaker of English.)

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Liz searches the rest of the station, looking for any clue as to what happened or why.

Spoiler:

0

Thinking with remarkable insight and clarity, despite -- or perhaps because of -- the disturbing situation, Liz is able to put two and two together from scattered hints. The smashed remnants of a fully equipped biological research laboratory; journals of microbiology with certain articles heavily annotated in red ink; in a dark, nearly hidden corner, the corpses of white rats with swollen heads and swollen bodies. It is possible to deduce that some sort of biological experimentation involving inoculating animals with micro-organisms was going on here, although it is clearly not part of the station's official purpose.

The search is interrupted by the familiar sound of a boat's engine. Running to one of the windows, Jan looks in the direction of the noise.

"They steal Astrid!"

He dashes outside, ready to confront the as yet unseen thief or thieves.

[jp1885]

Without pausing to let the implications of their discoveries sink in, Tony races out of the shack. Running as fast as he can in his heavy clothing, he tries to get as near to the boat as he can before attempting to teleport onto the vessel.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz also hurries in the direction of the boat, not particularly wanting to be stranded here. Being marooned on a tropical island wouldn't have been as bad, but it's too cold here for her tastes.

[SunlessNick]

Zara follows.