Angelique Ashur, Jonathan Valerius Baksheesh, Maynard “Alex” Hamilton, & Sergei Romanova
June, 18th, 2001, 11:30 pm
54.5 Hours Since Kidnapping
3510 South Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60653
When the PCs get back to the Waking World, they immediately tackle the problem before them – the kidnapping of young Jackson Van Dorian the V. Before they can start a package is delivered to them, addressed to Alex. Inside is a videotape and the left pinkie toe of a small child… When they play the video a man in a robe speaks warning them that time is growing short, and if they don’t get him what he wants he’ll cut of more than a toe (which he holds up). And then proceeds to carve up the young heir, scaring his face with cuts over the tops of both eyes, and giving the child a Glasgow smile. To his credit, the book makes no sound and stares defiant before spitting saliva and blood into the face of his captor. The tape ends after that, and the police station becomes a hive of busyness. Jestinius leaves to go check up on Victor Halusko (who experienced a break-in at SDI, which they repelled, though it knocked out their communications network for a while). Meanwhile, the PCs begin going back over old data – Angelique uses her psychic sensitivity to “reread” the impressions from the crystal shard and try to make the Finder work, while Alex and the others go through files. Over five hours later, they come to the same conclusion – the Black Sun purchased the rights to an 18th century military fort on Lake Michigan. The fort itself was abandoned after three different groups of soldiers disappeared without a trace. Deciding the trip overland is too long, Alex manages to requisition an old Cutter from the ‘40s to get them there quicker. Angelique gets in contact with Victor and explains the situation; he then sends her a security force to meet her at Calamut docks.
Angelique Ashur, Jonathan Valerius Baksheesh, Maynard “Alex” Hamilton, & Sergei Romanova
June, 18th, 2001, 12:00 am
55 Hours Since Kidnapping
Calamut Harbor, Chicago, IL, 60633
Once at the docks, the SDI security team is there, led by none other than Sarge himself. They get on the old boat as Angelique finishes a ritual that summons wind and fog into the city and then pushes it outward towards their destination to provide cover and additional speed, however, small. With Jonathan at the helm, they arrive at their location fairly quickly. Sergei offers to go in first, and Sarge hands him a pneumatic ascender (that way no one has to actually climb and the device itself is quiet), he then scrabbles up the small cliff face, attaches the device, and kills the eight guards atop the parapet in less than the space it takes for a single breath. The rest of the PCs and security team climb up and look down below.
Angelique Ashur, Jonathan Valerius Baksheesh, Maynard “Alex” Hamilton, & Sergei Romanova
June, 19th, 2001, 12:15 am
55.25 Hours Since Kidnapping
In the courtyard below, they see young Van Dorian strapped to a stone slab and the crystal shard at his head, inserted strangely into the stone – almost as if it were a part of the slab itself. Around him are six other children, three girls and three boys, trussed up like turkeys. Angelique “links up” the security team and the other PCs and as one, they spring into action. Sarge uses a crossbow to launch a pneumatic piston into the far wall, creating a zipline. Alex, Sergei, and Jonathan rapidly attach harnesses to the line and then slid down (Sergei just slides down the line using his sword hilt). Below, in the courtyard, the hooded figures that were helping the leader of the Black Sun drop as one as the security teams put bullets in their heads. This startles the rest of the cult-members and Jonathan, and Alex begin attaching the quick harnesses to the kids. From the ledge above, Sarge activates some sort of onboard motor in each harness, and the kids are pulled upward and back towards the ledge. In a matter of seconds, all the kids are to safety except Jackson on the stone slab – which begins to levitate and quickly ascends nearly 20 feet and Angelique, her eyes glowing bright blue comes down from the sky like an angry god. Sergei looks to her to make sure it’s okay, and as she gives a slight nod, the ninja draws his other blade and in movements to quickly to see, he proceeds to cut the Black Sun’s leader to shreds. Putting his weapons away, he looks at the other fifty or so cult members, and they all take a step back. Sarge shouts for them to put their hands on their heads, or he’s going to have his men start shooting. With their leader obviously dead they do as they’re told and Alex calls in the standby HRT and SWAT teams which come to mop up the miss. The elder Van Dorian is with them as is Thomas Mandor and the two elderly men embrace their grandchild, carrying them and the other survivors off to be checked out.
Angelique Ashur, Jonathan Valerius Baksheesh, Maynard “Alex” Hamilton, & Sergei Romanova
June, 19th, 2001, 1:00 am
56 Hours Since Kidnapping