Play@YSDC

Maxwell's Sanitarium - London, England
8:00 AM - Tuesday, September 10, 1940

Story, Elizabeth, Brook, and Phyllis made their way up the stairs to the top floor and soon found Dr. Abner Stoddard's office, which was indicated by a nameplate with his name and the title "Administrator." The secretary in the outer office ushered them into the inner office. Dr. Stoddard was a thin, white-haired man in his sixties. "Good morning," he said to them. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chairs facing his desk, behind which he sat. "Would you like some tea? Biscuits? Megan can get bring them in. I understand you are acquainted with Catherine Exeter."

"Tea and biscuits would be lovely, thank you." Says Phyllis, cheering up. She looks at Elizabeth and Brooke as they are the once with the acquaintance.

"Yes," says Elizabeth, smiling. "My colleagues and I have known the Exeter family for some years now," she says, nodding towards Story and Brook as she speaks. "Obviously we are extremely concerned about what has happened to Catherine. We want to make sure that she is well looked after. It is alarming that she has escaped once already, which put her at further danger. How will she be looked after safely now?"

"Rest assured, Miss," said Dr. Stoddard, "we shall do everything within our power to make sure she is well cared for. The employee responsible for watching over her when she escaped was immediately sacked. She has been placed under sedation, and once she recovers we will transfer her to a padded cell and kept in a strait-jacket to prevent her from escaping or causing harm to herself. Naturally, when the air raid sirens go off, she will be brought down to the shelter in the basement with all the other patients to ensure her safety."

"Didn't she escape from there last time?" asked Brook.

Dr. Stoddard cleared his throat. "Well, yes, but that was due to one former employee's negligence. There will not be a repeat, I promise you." He pressed a button on the intercom. "Megan, please bring in tea and biscuits for our visitors."

Shortly thereafter, the secretary, apparently Megan, brought in a tray with tea and biscuits, allowing the guests to partake.

Phyllis dunks a biscuit into her tea in a fastidious manner. "Well I hope you take extra care; you should see what she did to poor Eugene who has just been admitted to the hospital. He is quite rattled. And has rather an alarming rash. I think, if you don't mind, I'd better see how he is. After my tea. And the young lady is quite right, I'm not sure the tube is a safe place for Mrs Exeter. Don't you have cellars here she can stay in? It's much better she is isolated, I would say."

"Oh, we don't take our patients to the Tube," said Dr. Stoddard. "You're right, that would be unsafe. We do have our own cellar, and that is where our shelter is."

OOC,[b]Phyllis[/b], please let me know if you have any followup questions, or if you'd like to leave now.

Story taking in the director's office finally speaks, "As I told the receptionist downstairs, we had been under the unfortunate assumption that she passed not long after her husband. As you can imagine it was a shock to find our otherwise. Not a disconcerting shock mind you, but a rather a sad one in light of her condition." He rubs his chin and continues, "Would it be possible to see her one last time? Now that she's in a safe place and all."

"Yes, of course," said Dr. Stoddard. "She should be finished with intake by now. Megan can take you to see her. Is there anything else you'd like to ask me before you go?"

"Not from me, though I thank you for asking. You've satisfied my concerns about her safety." Story extends his hand and continues, "It was good to meet you."

"Dr Stoddard, we rather felt that Mrs Exeter's daughter and her husband, Major Steadman, had helped her to escape. You must take care when they come to visit." Phyllis is ready to go with the others to see the old woman.

"Likewise," said Dr. Stoddard, returning Story's handshake. He looked alarmed when Phyllis speaks. "What makes you think that? How could they possibly have helped her escape? They weren't even here when it happened. You must be very careful about saying things like that. Major Steadman is an officer in the RAF and highly respected."

Phyllis stands her ground. "So why didnt he report her escape and bring her back? It's for her own safety after all. No, I'm afraid however heroic the major has been in the past, he's up to no good now; a rotten apple. And I've seen a few in my time; I've been a lot of places with my charity work and seen an awful lot of unfortunates; I knows a bad one when I sees one."
She nods.

"Well, I'd be wary of making statements like that without evidence," said Dr. Stoddard, who did not sound convinced. "We were the ones who told him about her escape, and how could he bring her back if he didn't know where she was? If he gets wind of what you're saying, he could sue you for slander. Regardless of the truth of the matter, a one-legged RAF officer will garner a lot of sympathy in court. I think that will be all. Megan will show you to Mrs. Exeter now." He buzzed her on the intercom, and she came back in. "Megan, please show our guests to Mrs. Exeter."

"Yes, Dr. Stoddard," said the secretary. "This way, please." She led Phyllis, Story, and his companions down the hall and down one flight of stairs, then down another hall to an operating theater. Catherine Exeter lay on one of the beds in a hospital gown. Her eyes were closed, and her shoulder was bandaged. A blonde nurse was checking on her. "These people are here to see Mrs. Exeter," Megan told her before leaving the room.

"She's recovering nicely," said the nurse. "She had a slight injury to her shoulder from what appears to be a sharp object, perhaps a small knife, but I've patched her up."

OOC,Everyone may roll Spot Hidden.

Story enters the room and sees Mrs Exeter laying on the bed.

SPECTACULAR FAILURE,Spot Hidden - 38% [dice]0[/dice]

Elizabeth looks around with interest as they enter the room.

Rolling Spot Hidden,stat 48% [dice]0[/dice]

Spot hidden,50[dice]0[/dice]

Phyllis follows the others into the room and looks around, "She just looks like a normal old lady now." She thinks.

"I think she's awake, not fully asleep," says Elizabeth, looking at Catherine. "Can you hear us?" she asks.

Her task complete, Megan left and went back upstairs.

Catherine's eyes fluttered open and focused on Elizabeth. "Elizabeth Young," she said. "You always were too clever by half. You've certainly aged well." She turned her basilisk's gaze on Phyllis. "And you, watch who you're calling an old lady! You're old enough to be my mother." Then she looked at Story and Brook. "And of course you're here too. Time has been far kinder to you than it has to me. Where's that Italian chap, the one who nearly killed me?"

Story looks at Catherine for a brief moment a storm flashed in his eyes before calming, then he says, "You don't need to worry about Lucius. Worry about yourself. Apparently you can't keep in your lane, first it was Nephren-Ka, the Black Pharaoh, and now the Jaegerschreck! Are you really surprised we returned to stop you?"

"You are the one who should 'keep in your lane,'" said Catherine, glaring at Story. "Yes, I should have expected you to interfere again. You have no idea the damage your meddling does. I am trying to protect this country. We face the imminent threat of Nazi invasion, and that must be prevented at all costs! We could lose this war because of you!"

Phyllis finds a chair to sit on; her bunions are beginning to gripe, and listens with some confusion. Nephron-Ka sounded Egyptian; maybe they had all met there before. She sits quietly for a bit.

Story shakes his head in disbelief at the delusion Catherine is spewing. He then says, "The Nazis, as horrible and evil as they are, pale in comparison to the horrors you and your deceased husband wish to bring upon the innocents of this country! Do not presume to think I'm not aware of what my involvement in the moments I step into bring." He looks away for a moment and failing to contain himself he spins around, looking at her with piercing anger he begins to walk towards the bed. In a rather uncharacteristic burst of rage laced with venom he says, "It's the likes of you which make the rest of the galaxy see humanity as primitive apes deserving to be crushed under the boot!"

The nurse, startled, backed carefully away.

Catherine, however, met Story's gaze with her steely eyes. "Easy for you to say," she said. "You killed my husband! You left my little girl to be raised by others! My sister wouldn't even let her visit me. I didn't see her again until she turned eighteen. Look in a mirror, for you are the real monster!"

"No, he's not!" snapped Brook, leaping to Story's defense. "Anyway, you don't need to worry about the Nazis. They're not going to win this war. We will!"

Catherine looked back at her. "Your patriotism and confidence, while admirable, is misplaced. You can't possibly know that. The situation is quite grim, and I don't see how we can win without my efforts."

Story shakes his head, pauses for a moment and looks around the room as the rage subsides. Finally he says, "It's a shame really... your plan to defeat the Nazis using the Jaegerschreck has already led to the death of British subjects. Surely that doesn't help win the war." Runs his hand through his hair and continues, "That's the problem with delusional individuals engaging in things they're not meant to, it backfires. It starts out with some seemingly virtuous reason for it, but in short order the real reason comes to light. What's the real reason you ask? Simple, the need for power...especially when the person has none to begin with." He finally looks at Catherine once more, "I wish you had learned from your husband's mistakes and reformed yourself by becoming an agent of good, fighting against the darkness. Sadly you've chosen to call forth the darkness and in the process you've deceived yourself into thinking that you can remain in control, when the reality is that in the end you too my dear will be devoured... one way or another." He briefly looks at the nurse before returning his attention to Catherine and concludes, "At least you're back in the arms of medical professions who will insure your safety, and everyone elses."

Story turns around and looks at the nurse, he says to her, "I apologizes if I startled you at any point. Though on the surface Mrs Exeter appears to have her mental faculties, sadly I'm afraid they have become impaired to the point of no return. As you overheard, I had to speak to her in a way that she would understand. I'm afraid her husband Winston, prior to his death, corrupted her mind with all sorts of ancient Egyptian gobbledegook... and his death only further shattered what was left of her already fragile mind." He quickly glances back at the bed and says, "I thank you for helping her find some measure of rest from the torments that afflict her."

"You're the one who killed him!" Catherine spat back.

"She's getting agitated," said the nurse. "Perhaps you had better go."

Phyllis makes to rise, she hasn't really understood the conversation but it seems Mrs Exeter is definitely in the right place now.

"Keep her under close watch," says Elizabeth to the nurse, as she prepares to leave. "She's potentially dangerous. Don't let her escape again, please."

"Would it be possible to see Eugene now?" Phyllis asks the nurse.

"Don't worry, we'll look after her," said nurse as they left. "I'm not sure who Eugene is, but if you'd like to visit another patient, you should ask at the reception desk in the lobby.

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below:

Commitment