Session Twelve


It's a fine sunny morning. Clearly something's wrong.

Lucas is at the University, Tony's at work. Nathaniel's watching the Bargate for signs of a drug drop, his handgun under his leather jacket, sitting at a coffee shop.

Bernard's at work. He checks up on "Doctorate Mappings" data, but finds nothing significant. He works. The phone rings, and it's clearly Terry on the other end (if only from the speech patterns) saying that he holds no hard feelings, and asking if there's anything going on. Bernard innocently denies that anything unusual is currently going on. Terry tries to probe further, blathering cheerfully, but hangs up in a huff when Bernard mentions Rigziel.

Martin is hovering as a hawk, and is happy. He gets a butcher to give it some steak.

Case is taking classes. Life is good.

Zebediah is at the museum, and discovers a dead body (female) huddled outside the back door. Multiple bullet and knife wounds, looks like she fell and died there, though wasn't necessarily shot there (no bullet marks on surroundings.) He examines the body, and finds a letter and some notes. The letter reads:

My dear Sukey,

I will make this brief -- or at least as brief as I can, given the necessarily fleeting nature of all worldly bliss. Here are the notes of which I informed you in my earlier letter. Pray do not reprove me on my calligraphy, as I hardly had the leisure to give it my full attention. I trust that you will consult this Laurencian that you mention -- from what you say, his dedication may be a decisive factor. I also agree with your intention to be most careful concerning to whom you speak. We must not spread wild rumours -- that would only invite panic and concern among those whom least of all should be troubled, both the mightiest and the lowest.

But I digress. Go in the grace of Destiny, my sister, and in his most gracious service.

Eloia.

Zebediah phones Bernard for help. Bernard says he'll be over. Zebediah brings the body in, putting it on some newspaper, and covers the puddle of blood outside with garbage bags.

Tony is at work, and notes that his assistant seemed disturbed and guilty about something. He makes approaches, but she says it's nothing important.

Zebediah phones Tony and asks for help, and Tony says he'll be over. Zebediah phones Nathaniel, with the same result.

People turn up; Bernard, then Tony, then Nathaniel. They examine the body and the location. They theorise. Bernard heads to the Tether to ask some questions. Tony's camera plays a little orchestral tune as he photographs the documents. Nathaniel heads to find Case.

Zebediah phones the police.

Martin is helping out at a Linux class. Lucas finishes his morning lectures. (In which a guy called Perry is very friendly, and comments on Lucas' speed, energy, and enthusiasm.)

Tony and Zebediah handle the police. There's a Sergeant Matthewson in charge. The police leave after a lot of annoying questions, and take the body with them.

Martin, Lucas and Case meet for lunchtime coffee in the University cafeteria. Nathaniel phones Lucas to find out where they are, and joins them. They talk.

Bernard gets to the Tether, and starts various keyword searches on the documents. Abdi-bezek explains that he himself has backtracked the radio projection from the Beanie Headquarters, past the swimming pool where that thing was (see Session Ten), and notes that it crosses the old forts out in the open sea by Southsea. This might be where the thingoriginally came from. Bernard also sends a message to Rigziel that Terry's back.

Case and co study the notes. Nathaniel gets a Latin dictionary, translates "Domini Telluris" as "of the Lord of the World", finds it's a term used for Lucifer, and gets paranoid. Case finds Pleimont (in Guernsey) and the Brocken (in Germany) in the atlas. Case remembers that the Brocken was supposed to be a place where witches held their Sabbaths.

Tony ascends to Heaven, and goes to the Library, and tries to locate any reference to angels of Destiny called "Sukey" or "Eloia". The HR department (run by Elohim) tell him that Eloia was an angel of Destiny, and died (soul-killed) a couple of days ago. No Sukey known. They'll see if they can find someone who knew Eloia. Tony also wants someone to check Sheila's destiny, and that being a Soldier won't conflict with it for her. They say they'll send someone by.

Bernard considers boats. Abdi-bezek sadly states that they don't have any convenient.

The University 4 talk a lot, and advance many, many drastic theories. Case starts reading up on the Templars and Nazi Occult Stuff. Martin grabs in a second human host, and helps.

Nathaniel's about to go back to his stakeout. Lucas tries to accompany him. At that point, Bernard phones Lucas, and asks how things are going. There is talk. Nathaniel takes the phone, and talks some more.

The word "Legion" is mentioned. As in the believed-deceased Demon Prince.

Tony goes back to his office to check missing person and fight reports to see if he can ID the corpse. Nathaniel phones Tony to see if he's back yet. They compare notes.

Nathaniel and Lucas hang around the stakeout.

Bernard manages to identify the owners of the flats which have been built out on the now-disused Solent fort. They're all rented to the VILL Corporation. Said corporation is registered in Barbados.

Case and Martin realise that Zebediah was around during the Crusades, ergo near the Makatiel period. There is much DOH. Martin phones Zebediah, and Martin and Case head over to see him.

At the stakeout, Nathaniel spots a "carrier" he recognises, and Lucas spots a nervous-looking guy approaching said carrier. The two angels follow the second guy, presumably the distributor, as he heads towards a less obvious part of town. Nathaniel gets the feeling this guy knows he's being followed. He turns into a back street. The angels follow him. The guy turns halfway down the street, and six bruisers come out from hiding to roughly suround the angels. The distributor offers a bribe to Nathaniel

The fight starts.

Lucas rolls a Divine Intervention when attempting to fire his taser. The taser strikes _all_ the thugs simultaneously, and knocks them all out. The traumatised dealer confesses everything, including the fact that he works for a boss called Vanderson and a metaboss Androlo Fanzetti, promises to repent, hands over all the money and guns and drugs, and faints when Nathaniel lights up his hands and torches the drug kit. Lucas ties up the thugs, and Nathaniel makes an anonymous phone call to the police.

Bernard finds a suitable boat hire company, and negotiates for a medium large motorboat with plenty of helpful electronic gizmos.

Case and Martin arrive at Zebediah's museum. The other Martin-host stays at the dojo to keep on reading.

Tony tries pumping people at the police station for information. He gets a regular informant, Desk Sergeant Wilson, who says that the dental records on the corpse match a vagrant called Mary Snowdon from Portsmouth. No further information.

Bernard phones Tony to recruit him for the boat party, and briefs him. Tony agrees, and heads for Portsmouth police station, to get some more info first.

Case and Nathaniel talk on the phone. Case then rings Bernard and asks him to come over to the museum. Bernard does so. In fact, everyone except Tony gets to the museum. They compare notes, and the theory that Legion's still alive comes up. Bernard phones to check with Abdi-bezek for any further data. Pleinmont and Brocken are both believed witch-hangouts, and in fact the Brocken is a Tether to Fate. Esaranothiel is an angel who was under Knowledge (the Archangel Raphael who died in battle with Legion) and then Lightning, and whose files are for some reason under joint seal by Judgement and Lightning. The Liber Domini Telluris is a known sorcerous text. Abdi-bezek is given the current theory ("someone's glueing Legion and Raphael together") and comments on the lack of data. There is much discussion.

Tony gets a phone call from someone called Mr Wright, who says he's from Destiny. Eloia apparently had no known regular contacts, and her last known contact was a week ago, one Dosdi, Seraph of Destiny, at Cambridge.

Case and Bernard go to the Library-Tether and ascend. Nathaniel, Martin, and Lucas all load Bernard's equipment (of which there is a lot) onto the motorboat.

Case heads for the Groves. He observes with envy some laser-rifle testing. He finds Michael's not around, and leaves a message: "Mark 5:9." (The Biblical verse, And he asked him, "What is thy name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion: for we are many.) This done, he goes to Blandine's Tower, where he's met by two Cherubim. He explains that he wants to know if Ruritania exists in the Marches, and if so, where and how. They say that it does, but there aren't any experts currently available. Case leaves his name and mobile phone number.

Bernard sends an email to Jean. "Request audience. Matter of some urgency. Concerning Esaranothiel." He gets a reply saying, "2-minute audience in 15 minutes. J." He goes in, and Jean asks why he wants to know. Bernard explains, as well as he can, and Jean says that he'll investigate and inform Bernard of the results. Bernard leaves.

Tony arrives at Portsmouth, and checks out the police station. They let him see the Missing Persons photos, and he sees a photo of Mary Snowdon. When he shows that he knows her, they interview him. He manages to fast-talk the not-overly-experienced interviewer into blurting out that apparently she was "normal homeless" and two days ago one of her fellow homeless, a Jimmy Dalton, apparently a friend of hers, reported that she was last seen with a "Russian guy" and went missing. Tony leaves the police station, and starts walking the streets looking for Jimmy Dalton. He also rings Martin, and asks about how one can track Kyriotates, and is told that one can't.

Case and Bernard descend from Heaven to the Tether, and go to meet the others at the boat. Case and Nathaniel are now toting their weapons. Ka-chink or tschiinnnng, depending on preference.

The Boat sets off. After some discussion. (In which it turns out that none of the angels have ever driven a motorboat before.) Case takes the wheel, and manages to keep it on course. It's now evening. Nathaniel practices Latin with a dictionary (bearing in mind the Liber Domini Telluris). Bernard sets up his electronic sensors and tells Lucas to get down off the mast.

After an hor or so's sailing, the fort comes in sight, and Bernard starts getting some odd readings from it. He orders, "Stop the boat!" Case does so. Nathaniel scans the place with binoculars. Martin overflies it in a seagull, and sees a motorboat entrance and motorboat. He sees a sentry-type guy, vaguely Slavic, doing rounds. He checks for gunports/windows, but nobody seems to be deliberately watching. The entire place is laid out like a big donut, with a helipad atop the donut on one side, a flat area in the middle, and the motorboat entrance being a tunnel in the side. Bernard fails to comprehend the readings, but when Nathaniel suggests considering the effect of the Vapulan signals in combination with them, Bernard realises that the Vapulan signals stabilised the signals from the fort, and the signals from the fort themselves are very unstable. There is discussion.

An older-looking bearded guy comes out into the central area, watched by Martin, and throws bread to the seagulls, humming, "Feed, little brothers, feed." He has an unidentifiable accent that might be Slavid. Martin eats some bread -- it's home-baked.

Bernard tries getting directionals on his readings. He gets that they're coming from somewhere below sea-level, but not too far down. He picks up odd noises on his underwater microphone.

Tony phones Bernard to tell him his theory that "Sukey" was a Kyriotate, and that it's either killed or captured, and either way it'll be dissonant for damage taken to its host.

Bernard checks with an underwater camera towards the fort. He sees nothing unusual.

Case strips down to his trunks, and Lucas follows his example. Both of them put their clothes in plastic bags, Case his gun and ammo and sword too, and Lucas his taser too. They slip over the side.

Lucas fails his Swimming roll, and there is sputtering and thrashing till he is pulled back on board.

Case swims on quietly, gets in close, and sees the inattentive guard in the archway of the motorboat entrance. He swarms up out of the water, knocks out the guard, props him up, puts on his clothing and weapons, and finds a key in the guard's pocket (together with cigarettes), takes it, and sneaks in. He steals into the central open area. Martin spots him below, and flies down to join him. Case tries to resonate the patrolling guard, and fails. Martin possesses the guard, and makes him hand over his ammo and Glock. There's nothing incriminating in the guard's pockets. Martin-the-guard stays there to keep watch, while Case penetrates further in.

Lucas tries again, and manages to swim to the fort. He's met by Martin-the-guard in the central area. He realises that he left his clothes and taser behind.

Case prowls around inside the "donut" area, finds the door that the old guy came through, and sees that it's open. It has a couple of rooms off the corridor beyond, and then stairs down. He sneaks down the corridor. The first door has unidentifiable classical music coming from behind it. ("It must be Mozart!") The second door is shut and dark. Case peers in, but it just looks like living quarters. He rejoins the two others, and they send Lucas to go and get dressed in the unconscious guard's uniform. They sneak down the stairs, and come out into a corridor paralleling the circular walkway of the "donut" above.

Bernard phones Tony, having had the idea that the woman was investigating the fort. They realise that there are a lot of people with Slavonic accents around. Bernard tells the Martinhost which he has with him, and checks his readings, but they're all normal.

Case checks the corridor out, and hears slight noises from the left. He trots round to the right, and the others follow him. They start hearing some sort of singing/chanting, a male voice, ahead of them, and it sounds Eastern European to Case. They sneak further round the curving corridor and see the pigeon-feeder (who Martin recognises) carving some sort of wooden frame, and singing as he carves. They sneak around the circular corridor the other way, and as they get a better view of him, they realise that he's guarding a door. The angels decide to do a split attack; Case from one direction, the others from the other. The bearded guy turns out to be very tough, and hits Case with the Song of Ethereal Harmony. There is a fight. A blond, arrogant-looking young rawbuilt guy is coming out of the doorway to help, when Lucas rolls a Divine Intervention. The bearded guy's Song of Thunder misfires and knocks said blond guy out. The brawl continues.

Outside, a submarine rises from beyond the little angelic motorboat. Bernard detects some sort of alarm being broadcast from inside the fort.

Inside, a large guy with iron-red hair and big muscles, and a certain air of "smith" comes running out through the door, with four goons behind him carrying an unconscious and bland-looking man between them. Case tries to grab said unconscious guy. The "smith" yells that "It's all going to blow up! Everyone out!" There is more scuffle.

Bernard and Nathaniel and the other Martin bring the motorboat into the fort, and come running downwards to investigate. The "smith" Celestial Motions out along with the unconscious man -- and with Case, who's hanging on. They reappear in a small room in a submarine, where there is more fighting. Case fires his gun. It is all very confused and messy and in close quarters. Unfortunately, the blond guy and the bearded guy also appear via Cel Motion, and Case gets beaten unconscious.

The goons just run for it, and the angels let them go. The goons pile into the remaining motorboat in the tunnel, heading for the sub.

Bernard heads through the door to investigate. There's some very very odd tech in the room beyond, a mix of Nautilus-type tubes and dials, high-tech, and alchemist-type stuff. In the middle of the room is an arrangement with three tube-bubbles, two lower ones which feed into one higher one, and a bank of instruments. One of the lower bubbles is empty, the second has an unconscious and drained-looking person in it, and the higher bubble has a mass of fluxing energy. The dials suggest that the whole thing's about to blow sky high. Bernard applies his mighty brain to the situation, disconnects the feed between the occupied lower tube and the top tube, tries to turn it all off, and invokes Jean.

Jean appears. He does not look happy. He steps over to the bank of instruments, and starts using it masterfully, disconnecting and powering the whole apparatus down. He says that he'll send some Laurentians to take charge of the situation and occupy the fort. He vanishes.

Outside, the submarine begins to sink. Nathaniel has gone celestial, and flies through the fort walls and outside to see if there's a sign of Case. He gets to see Case's body being thrown out of the top trapdoor of the submarine, before it starts sinking. Case's body is carried along in the undertow. Nathaniel dives after Case, going corporeal when he gets near the body, and then managing to make it up to the surface. Martin, who has followed, brings out the motorboat to bring them in to the fort, and Case is resuscitated. (While he has brawl-type injuries, he doesn't have any fatal wounds.)

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Feather And Bone