Play@YSDC

St. James's Church- London, England
7:00 AM - Monday, September 9, 1940

The all clear had sounded an hour ago, awakening Brook, Eugene and Giles Curry. Eddie had arrived soon afterwards, his shift having ended. The reverend had served breakfast to everyone, and they were just finishing it when the others arrived. Story and Elizabeth were accompanied by Archie, Phyllis, Benjamin, Seamus, and Charles. Anna wasn't with them, as she had gone to Maxwell's Sanitarium to report for work, let them know what they had learned about Catherine Exeter, and to learn what she could there.

Eugene's face was both terror-stricken and blistered. Story and Elizabeth remembered having seen Lucius and Grit Wilson in such a state in 1930.

Eugene looks up from his powdered egg and smiles weakly.

"Morning all, have a good night? Mine was, um, terrible."

He recounts how, after he and Brook followed them, he confronted the Steadmans in their warehouse lair after hearing how they murdered the girl and planned to murder more people as sacrifices in some misguided attempt to defeat the Nazis.
Shivering, he goes on to speak of the terrible magic they used to paralyse him, which emanated from a mysterious jewel Madeline Steadman held.
Then he pauses, summoning the courage to describe the horrible, half-there, half-not creature with a three-lobed eye that Catherine brought forth and how he temporarily managed to shrug off their control and scare the thing off with a burning handkerchief.
The he smiles at Brook and Eddie, telling the others how they trained a searchlight onto the beast, which drove it and the Steadmans away, enabling him to be rescued.

"The Father of all Bats they called it, or something like that. After I'd rested, Eddie and I went to the authorities and managed to persuade them that the Steadmans were dangerous spies with some kind of weapon. They said they'd send in the Home Guard, but I'm not sure what good they'll do."

"So how about you lot?"

Elizabeth hugs Brook when she sees her, and stays beside her as the terrible story unfolds.

"I'm so sorry ..." she says, after Eugene recounts his tale. "You all went through so much. I'm afraid we found very little. I'm just glad you're safe." She squeezes Brook's arm as she says this.

"I think we should first find out how did their raid go, assuming it's already done." Said Eddie "I will have report back to an ARP Post soon, maybe they'll know something. I'd have to careful not to spread the word too much, though."

Brook hugged Elizabeth back. "I'm okay, Eugene took them on by himself, he was very brave. I'm glad you're allright as well, I was worried, wth the bombing and all."

Eugene shrugs, a little embarrassed.

"I didn't feel very brave at the time... Or since for that matter." He sighs. "I just can't shake the feelng that I've sent those Home Guards chaps to their deaths."

Phyllis Cruckshank listens with all ears to Eugene's account. Some of it seems rather far fetched but it is easy to believe how the horrors of war could so easily warp a person's perception.
"Oh you poor dear! Here have another cup of tea to wash down that egg! Now it seems to me there's a job to be doing here. You can't rely on the Home Guard, stalwart fellows though they are; they have enough to be doing as it is.
She looks round the group.
"The war isn't just fought on the fronts by soldiers, it's up to normal folk like us to do our bit too. And if that means bringing in these Steadmans - and their beast then so be it. Surely there's enough of us here if we all rally together!"
Phyllis did seem as if she might be addressing an assemly at the Women's Institute.

Story walks over to Brook, "Good Lord, I'm glad you're alright..." Looks at Eugene and continues, "both of you."

Eugene gratefully accepts Phyllis' offer of tea.

"Thanks - you're a marvel Mrs. C."

He turns to Story.

"I'm sure I'll be fine - eventually..."

He frowns, unsure if her really means what he says.

"I agree with Mrs. C - we need to do our bit. Perhaps we should find out if the Home Guard raided the warehouse last night and if so, what happened. From there we can formulate a plan of action."

Charles wipes his mouth after polishing off his breakfast " Well, first off let me say how thankful we can be that you are safe, (mostly) sound, and still with us all of you who encountered these horrors last night. The jewel Mrs Steadman was carrying, it sounds probable it's the same one sold to Captain Steadman by Captain Travers a couple of years ago. As to what we should do now, I agree with Mrs Cruckshank, even if the Home Guard are successful, we should know what has happened, as Mr Lawlor suggests, and if they're not..." He trails off ominously "Well, if the authorities fail, either they send others more capable, or we'll have to do something ourselves. He thinks for a little bit "Regardless, before we do anything we need to find out more about both the jewel, and the creature, the last at least we know can be driven off by fire.

"Fire, or anything that generates light; Eddie and Brook used a searchlight. If we go after this thing, we need torches, flashlights and the like."

Eugene pauses for a moment.

"So you've discovered something about this jewel? All I know is that's it's very powerful and extremely dangerous in the hands of the Steadmans. The only other thing I remember is that Major Steadman seemed to be the least committed to their cause. Brook and I wondered if we could somehow get him on is own, we might be able to persuade him to help us."

"it's a pity that warden turned up last night and disrupted the burglary- who knows that else you might have found. I wish my husband was still alive; he was a very good shot with the rifle when it came to lions and such like. He served in Africa when he was young, you know." Phyllis sighs.

Charles looked thoughtful. "Well, if I were to suggest a course of action, and please, feel free to disagree, I can organise a shop just fine, a monster hunting expedition a little less so..., well, I'd suggest we don't be too hasty - firstly we need to find out how the Home Guard got on, which I expect our Mr Lawlor can find out, then I feel we need to know more about the jewel, we can't afford to be unprepared if it has powers like those described by Mr Lawlor, so perhaps we could get in contact with either Captain Travers, or someone who knew him around the time of either his finding, or selling the stone (OOC sorry, but I've looked and couldn't see anything to say if he was dead or not, if he is, I can edit this post, and come up with some other terrible plan of action). As for going after the beast itself, well, we can use whatever light/heat producing goods I have in my shop to help us. "

Eugene nods in agreement.

"Good idea Charles. I'll go back with Eddie to check on the Home Guard. After all it's us who sent them."

Brook gave Story a hug. "I'm fine. The air raid warden lady wasn't very happy when I turned the searchlight towards the warehouse, though." She smiled briefly.

"It's a good plan as it stands. I don't suppose anyone knows an MP? The military police would be the ones who could arrest Major Steadman. And if Mrs Exeter was back in the asylum she would stop causing trouble." Says Phyllis

"Eugene, you said it was Catherine Exeter who controlled the beast. If we can get her back to the hospital then it might be easier to kill it. That young nurse, Anna, went to the hospital to alert them but she seems rather a flighty sort to me so whether she did or not, I'm not about to guess." Says Phyllis with a harumph.