IC - 28 - The Big Smoke - Simon and Jocelyn

[Silver Priest]

Simon opts to go with Jocelyn, having spent more time in the investigation with her.

"I do not like that woman," He remarks about Julie Thomas. "Had we gotten me on with her I'm quite sure I could have dissuaded her of this foolish sympathy for Balfour. Perhaps after this mess is resolved-- though I'm likely to be so in demand by then I doubt I'll take her calls." He observes.

He pays close attention to the report, is there any news of how successful Balfour's motion was? "Seems as though he's still desperate to get Regina back. That could suggest he hasn't got a plan B, though I doubt we'll be quite so lucky. Most likely he wants her there with him when the end of the world kicks off. Perhaps there's a hint of doubt that she'll be alright without him."

[Mr. Handy]

"She is his firstborn," says Jocelyn. "He must believe she'll die anyway if she's not in the place he's prepared for protection, even if he finds another sacrifice. That's why he didn't go through with it a few years ago when he temporarily lost access to her. Our first order of business has to be to make sure he doesn't get his hands on her tonight. And yes, Julie Thomas is very frustrating. She keeps getting inside police information somehow. I think it has to do with her colleague who spoke to Lucy. He seems to have incredible powers of persuasion."

[Silver Priest]

"Lucy is hysterical. I believe she truly believes that Balfour has the power to call down angels or what have you." The events that occurred in that motel room are a blur to Simon, but he's sure that as with everything else there was a logical explanation to all this-- that Reverend Balfour was a fanatical terrorist who was using smoke and mirrors to sell his apocalyptic vision to his followers. "I had hoped she could help us off the books, but one look at her and I knew she would be an unreliable asset. Best she get some rest.

"You do raise an interesting point however. GNS coverage of Balfour has been uniformly positive.More than I'd expect for such a fringe figure. If we had the time I'd be interested in cross reference the church membership with people who worked there to see if we could find a connection, but that will have to wait.

"And yes, it might be worth convincing Malone to send a patrolman or two to guard social services. Personally I believe Zero was tasked with retrieving her, but we caught him before he could. Honestly, were Balfour smart the best move for him would be to hold off on his plan until Regina is back in his care, but I get the sense he's desperate and is planning to go forward regardless. That at least makes him more likely to mess up in the home stretch, which we'll be able to exploit."

[Philulhu]

Drive (26%) 1d100

Well, that’s just fucking typical.

[Mephistophilis]

The two cars head out of London on the M4 motorway. The traffic is heavy and Kris soon loses sight of Jocelyn's Mondeo among all the other vehicles.

Simon settles into the passenger seat and after listening to the repetitive coverage of the upcoming church service for twenty minutes he begins to doze, confident that there's no sign of Regina being released to the Balfours judging by the stonewalling from the police and social services. He even recognises the voice of DI Malone saying No comment when Julie Thomas accosts him outside the station. He drifts in and out of awareness, his thoughts are cosy fantasies of international success and plaudits...

It is dark, Simon looks around him, an old church, a ruin, the roof has fallen in and the pews are damaged, maybe burnt. A cross still mounted on the far wall. Moonlight filters through the ruined roof to illuminate the charred remains of a raised dais beneath the cross.

There's something familiar about this place. He just can't put his finger on what. Has he been here before?

There's a slight breeze, but not cold. Almost like a faint breath. And just a hint of noise, a slow thrumming, like the beating of wings.

It's more than familiar. He tries to picture the church before it was ruined, before it was burned. Yes, there, on the platform. A wooden altar, splintered and black. Some kind of symbol daubed on the surface - blackened, burned into the wood.

Something flitters at the edge of his vision, disappearing as he turns to try and look at it. The thrumming getting louder. The night getting darker - like the shadows are coalescing, taking on a hazy, smoky form.

He can't resolve the shape in the all encompassing gloom, but he gets the sensation of great, dark wings. And eyes, yes, eyes in the smoke, glowing red eyes.

And those eyes see him too. Looking straight at him. Seeing him.

And Simon wakes with a start. That image...the memory still fresh in his mind.

-----

Kris was following behind Jocelyn in Prisha's Range Rover but with the traffic and lights he soon loses her. Pulling onto the M25 it is practically a car park and he finds himself edging forward at a snail's pace. The lack of sleep is really starting to take it's toll and he turns on the air con and cranks up the radio to try and keep himself awake.

Eventually he turns off onto the M40 and manages to get up a bit more speed. With the sky so overcast it's getting pretty chilly and he switches the air con over to the heater and it starts to get a big more snug. The radio's playing some god awful country music and he can't find anything he can tolerate amongst Prisha's selection of CDs so he turns it off.

Kris blinks.

The brake lights of the carf in front are bright in the windscreen - but hazy and diffused by the rain that covers the glass. The vehicle in front seems to be approaching very quickly and Kris realises it has stopped in the traffic...but he's moving towards it at some speed and thinks that he's going to hit it...

OOC:   I think reaction time is going to be a DEX roll please.

[Philulhu]

DEX (50) 1d100

In a cold sweat, Kris pumps his foot on the brake, trying to stop without skidding.

[Mephistophilis]

With a squealing of brakes, the Range Rover lurches to a halt. The Anti-Lock Brake light flashes on and Kris feels it juddering through the brake pedal. As the wheels start to skid Kris turns into it - the car thumps into the curbstone at the side of the road and bumps up onto a narrow strip of pavement before coming to a complete halt inches from the vehicle ahead. The orange hazard lights are flashing and he hears the sound of car horns from nearby.

[Philulhu]

Kris smiled weakly and held up an apologetic hand to the driver of the car in front and took a deep breath. He glanced around. He needed coffee, preferably a litre of it, black, with 14 sugars…

[Mr. Handy]

"Looks like we lost Kris somewhere back there," says Jocelyn, checking her rear view mirror. "Well, he knows where we're going. At least this car is so nondescript that he couldn't spot it even having seen it before. And it does handle like a dream."

[Silver Priest]

At first, Simon says nothing in response to Jocelyn, a notable rarity in it of itself.

He's hardly a Freudian, but the dream had seemed significant in some way. He recognized basic elements; a church, fear of judgement and the eyes of the Almighty upon him, perhaps even the Passover Angel Balfour ranted about and that he and Jocelyn had once glimpsed within the sky. The vision should have been easy to dismiss as his subconscious attempting to make sense of the weirdness that had surrounded his life these past few days. But he finds himself unable to fully do so. Something alien was within him in that dream, and as he admits that he feels a chill envelop him.

"Turn up the heat, would you please." He instructs, his voice slightly shaky. Now was not the time to go to pieces. This could all be explained by science, not supernatural mumbo jumbo. He had hardly been the first person to ever be affected by an unpleasant dream. It all had to do with brain chemistry. There was nothing at all going on here that was unexplainable, and the world was not about to bloody end!

He'd keep telling himself that until he fully believed it.

[Mr. Handy]

Jocelyn cranks up the heat as Simon asks. She didn't feel the least bit cold, but she gets the impression he needs it.

[Mephistophilis]

Final hours! We're moving here.