Page 48
Run by
Steve Beer
Chapter 1 – The Ferry
Oakland, March 1922
For the end of March the weather had been unseasonably cold. Snow flurries and freezing fog had been the predominant feature of the past few days, and the dozen or so hardy souls waiting for the last ferry from Oakland to San Francisco had every reason to doubt why they were there that night. How little did they know...
Amongst those who quickly moved into the barely heated cabin of the ‘Stanford’ were:
Shortly after clearing the docks of Oakland Mole a thick fog enveloped the Stanford. Within seconds the occupants heard and felt the engines suddenly stop and the ferry slowed to a standstill. Strangely the crew didn’t seem to react to the situation over than to draw their coats a little closer. The Steward insisted that everything would be okay once the fog had lifted, the Captain continued to sip at his whisky bottle and the engineers started a game of cards. Several of the passengers checked the engine but could not find any reason why it wasn’t working and failed in their attempts to restart it.
Minutes became hours until finally the outline of another boat became visible through the dense fog. It was not another ferry or rescue boat though: instead the passengers beheld a Chinese junk, ravaged by storms, its mainmast broken and sails in tatters. The junk had drifted within 50 yards of the ferry, and although some passengers entertained the idea of rowing over to the junk to claim it as salvage no action was taken.
Again the passengers and crew waited for the situation to change. The eerie silence was broken by the sound of oars cutting through the water beyond the junk. Peering through the gloom the spectators were amazed to see three shadowy figures climb aboard the junk and head below decks. Over the next few minutes the raiders removed 5 crates from the hold and after lowering each to their rowboat they departed through the fog.
This incident provided Andrew and Jimmy the encouragement they needed to head over to the junk. Accompanied by a local businessman they had met on board they lowered a lifeboat (surprisingly with no protestations from the crew) a rowed over to investigate. Boarding the vessel there was no sign of life on the deck though it was clear that the wheel had been lashed. Andrew and Jimmy entered what they believed would be the Captain’s cabin and searched for any clues regarding the identity of the mysterious unmarked vessel. The businessman ventured down into the main cabin. Almost immediately his panicked scream reverberated across the water as he leapt back on to the deck crying "They’re all dead. All of them". Andrew and Jimmy attempted to calm him but perhaps wisely declined his offer to take a look, and resumed their search of the rear cabin.
But all was not well. Muttering about betrayal and the treachery of his compatriots the businessman climbed into the lifeboat and started to row away. Simultaneously the junk was rocked by a heavy impact from under the hull. Front the Stanford the observers were well aware of what was happening. Something had rammed the junk from below. Something huge! Something alive!
Within seconds the leviathan again breached the surface, this time crushing the lifeboat and its sole passenger, before turning its malevolent attention back to the junk. Realising that the battered vessel would not last long under this assault Andrew and Jimmy jumped clear and began swimming for the Ferry. Some of the passengers lowered a second lifeboat to attempt a rescue, which proved successful. As everyone climbed back on board the Stanford they witnessed the final destruction of the junk by the creature, which, its task seemingly completed, slowly sank below the surface thankfully not to return.
Stunned and disturbed by what they had witnessed the passengers barely noticed the fog stating to lift and the engines restart. The Stanford quickly completed the rest of the journey and shortly after 5.30AM it docked, its forty minute journey haven taken over five hours. As the cold, confused and bedraggled passengers quietly made their way over the procession of jetties to dry-land it was not surprising that only a few of them noticed the ornate limousine parked across the street, and the cold eyes watching their arrival from between velvet curtains.
Chapter 2 – The Gala * NEW
*
The characters carry on with their lives but coincidently (!) all end up attending a gala party following the opening night of 'Beauty & the Beast'
(except Andrew, who is away on business). Everyone is individually abducted and eventually taken to meet with Cho Lin Fat who questions them regarding the ferry
and then lets them all go.
Richard joins the Inner Brotherhood of Magicians and quickly progresses to level 2 within the organisation. The theatre is damaged in an apparent arson attack causing a temporary closure of the show.
Throughout the city incidents of opium addicts going mad start to filter through the medical community and the group is assaulted by one such individual who gibbers the word 'Leng'. Which is funny because everyone except Bryn has had dreams of a barren plain called Leng with a dark faceless figure standing alone. Spooky! (Bryn actually did have the dream but only after Charles has shown him his drawing of it).
Chapter 3 – Agent Smith *
NEW *
With Jimmy away on business, and Richard discovering a new magic trick, the remaining characters realise they are being followed, though there is some confusion
about who is following them.
Freddie is visited in his hotel and questioned by 'detectives' and 'tells them everything!! ' Andrew receives a telegram from Agent Smith of Pinketons asking for a meeting that evening in a disused warehouse.
After contactin g Pinkertons most of the group decide not to attend the meeting and instead find a busy restaurant aka alibi. All except Freddie who initially intends to film the night-time meeting but once at the warehouse rigs petrol-bombs at the entrance, and then sets them off burning down the wooden building and killing 4 (or is it 3!) Pinkerton agents.
Witnessed escaping, Freddie accidentally runs down but fails to kill the night-watchman and is arrested in the morning and charged with multiple counts of murder. With his fingerprints on the detonator (and being German) he stands very little chance of escaping justice and the noose.
Chapter 4 – Magic * NEW *
Felicity, Andrew, Bryn and Charles spend a week being questioned by police regarding the 'Pinkerton Massacre' but thanks to their alibi and Andrew's lawyers are
not charged with conspiracy to murder.
Instead a couple of weeks later they are approached by Howard Horne who is concerned that Richard has vanished and another magician has stolen his act. Following the trail to the Inner Brotherhood of Magicians Andrew and Charles are able to pass the audition and join the club; Bryn's attempt while memorable is less successful.
Searching the club while the members set up for a charity event they discover that the club is a front for a cult dedicated to summoning something nasty that very night!
Felicity, Andrew and Charles eventually manage to smuggle in a couple of guns and as the event reaches its climax are able to shoot the bad guy (on the 6th attempt?), which breaks the summoning spell and releases the burning body of Richard who had been imprisoned within the gateway.
The stone arch explodes incapacitating many of the cultists and injuring Bryn but with Felicity having lowered the curtain most of the innocent bystanders are spared injury (and San rolls!).
Bryn and Richard go to hospital but will recover while Felicity, Andrew and Charles slip away in the ensuing panic.
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