Alistair Duncan |
Axel raises an eyebrow for a moment, then simply smiles. "Can't say I know what you mean. This shop has the best Mexican Hot Chocolate in the city." Axel gestures at the half-empty glass of cooling Hot Chocolate, and hits a button his iPhone, darkening the screen. "You new in town? Names Axel." Axel reaches across with his left hand, an opportunity to shake hands.
Alistair automatically shakes Axel's hand, "Alistair, Alistair Duncan, from Connecticut." He sits down at the table. "It's just that you were here when I went in to see Dr. Rasmussen and you're still here and so much weird shit is going on and you're glowing, too, and I just assumed you were following me. Sorry. You have any idea what's going on?"
Edit: I got bleeped. LOL
Axel 'Ace' Arandorn |
Alistair automatically shakes Axel's hand, "Alistair, Alistair Duncan, from Connecticut." He sits down at the table. "It's just that you were here when I went in to see Dr. Rasmussen and you're still here and so much weird s#+~ is going on and you're glowing, too, and I just assumed you were following me. Sorry. You have any idea what's going on?"
Axel chuckled. "Now I've heard of pregnant women glowing, but I'm not sure what you mean." Axel takes a sip of his hot chocolate. Axel lowers his voice. "Why did you see the doctor, out of curiousity? He helping your eyesight?"
Elise Quartermaine |
After pacing around the room for a few minutes, she picked up the phone and dialed Mrs. Newcastle. Everyone knew she was the biggest gossip ever, so of course she'd know if there were anything untoward going on at the Scott house.
"Hello? Beatrice? It's Ellen. Yes, I'm doing better. I don't know if Bob told you, but I'm in New York to consult a specialist....Well, I think I'm going to have to be here a while....Yes, you're right of course. Doctors do love to run tests.....Hmmm, yes, I'm sorry to hear that, Beatrice. I hate to ask, but I can't seem to get a hold of Bob. He probably forgot to charge his phone. I wanted to check and make sure he hadn't forgotten the kids schedule. Do you know if he arranged for Caleb to get a ride to soccer practice? Well, you know everyone, so I figured if anyone would be able to set my mind at ease, it's you....What, really? Are you sure? All week?....No, no, I'm sure it's nothing, Beatrice. They probably didn't want to worry me.....No, it's fine, I'll talk to Bob this eve.......Really? You're sure?.....I see.....Thank you for being honest with me, Beatrice. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it. ...Yes, you too. Take care."
She sat down on the bed and took a minute to just breathe and try to calm down before dialing the phone again.
"Hello? Missy? So help me god, Missy, if you hang up that phone right now I will ground you until you're thirty! It doesn't matter what I look like, I'm still your mother! I just talked to Mrs. Newcastle. And now you're going to tell me why Caleb hasn't been to school since I left and where is your father?"
Alistair Duncan |
Axel chuckled. "Now I've heard of pregnant women glowing, but I'm not sure what you mean." Axel takes a sip of his hot chocolate. Axel lowers his voice. "Why did you see the doctor, out of curiousity? He helping your eyesight?"
"Doctor Rassmussen said that a lot of people have been changed by what he calls a 'pulse' of some sort. It seems that I can tell, somehow, who's been affected. We glow. Yours is golden, kinda, and bright. I've seen others that were reddish, green or brown." Alistair took a gulp of his latte. "I figured since you were sitting here such a long time, maybe you were following me. Just nervous, I guess. Never mind, sorry to bother you." He stands up, getting read to leave.
Axel 'Ace' Arandorn |
"Doctor Rassmussen said that a lot of people have been changed by what he calls a 'pulse' of some sort. It seems that I can tell, somehow, who's been affected. We glow. Yours is golden, kinda, and bright. I've seen others that were reddish, green or brown." Alistair took a gulp of his latte. "I figured since you were sitting here such a long time, maybe you were following me. Just nervous, I guess. Never mind, sorry to bother you." He stands up, getting read to leave.
Axel drains the last of his hot chocolate before standing up as well. He swipes a napkin off the table, and scrawls his cell number on it. "Here. If you have any questions or need some help, let me know. The city can be pretty unforgiving, and I can't imagine it being anymore so with whatever is going on now." He hands Alistair the napkin before leaving a five on the table, and heading toward the Doctor's office.
Draconian Narrator |
Wanted to see if the others were good to go, but I'm gonna move it on now.
During the night a new conversation starts online, and it seems strangely ominous.
Moonkin: Hey, anyone able to contact Doc Ras? Was talking in-chat about setting up an appointment, and then all I got was "Doc Ras is typing..." for the past hour.
Aftershock211: He's old, ain't he? Maybe he just fell asleep
the_bleak: are you sure? he didn't look tired when I saw him, and it was late then...
Elise Quartermaine |
She poured some kitten chow onto a paper plate for Portia and curled up on the bed as she watched the kitten eagerly eat her breakfast. It was early and she didn't want to disturb her host so she pulled out her ipad to check the messageboard. She needed to go look for a job today too. She yawned. She hadn't exactly slept well after yesterday's revelations. She frowned as she read the conversation about Dr. Rasmussen. She hoped he was okay. She bit her lip. Just one more thing that left her feeling powerless.
Feliks |
Feliks laughed a bit to himself at the suggestion that he grew enough to smack his head on the beam in his basement. People don't grow that fast; what a quack! Trying to ignore the little voice inside that admitted that sudden growth would fit all the details, Feliks turned in early for the night.p/i]
[i]But the next morning when he got up, he found that his footboard had been kicked or pried away from the rest of his bed, the end of which now rested on the ground. No. Way. There has to be some other explanation. Feliks stared at his broken footboard (he could see where the mounting hardware had been torn free from the wood) for a full five minutes trying to think of another explanation. Finally he just shook his head and decided to ignore anything weird today. He put on his uniform, such as it was, and headed to the city for work.
Draconian Narrator |
She frowned as she read the conversation about Dr. Rasmussen. She hoped he was okay. She bit her lip. Just one more thing that left her feeling powerless.
"You okay, Mrs. Q?" Gerald asks sleepily as comes out of his room and heads straight for the refrigerator. "Want some juice or something?
Draconian Narrator |
Ace wakes up early, eating some cereal before heading downtown to Doctor Rasmussen's office. It takes a bit to walk to the office, and he arrives at around 9:30.
It's a nice day, albeit a bit cloudy. Upon arriving at the office building Dr. Rasmussen works at, Axel overhears a bit of conversation from some of the other people in the building.
"Strange for him to have a patient so early."
"The door is closed?"
"Been closed since before I got here at six."
"That is strange. Aren't his hours 8 AM to 10 PM?"
Elise Quartermaine |
Elise Quartermaine wrote:She frowned as she read the conversation about Dr. Rasmussen. She hoped he was okay. She bit her lip. Just one more thing that left her feeling powerless."You okay, Mrs. Q?" Gerald asks sleepily as comes out of his room and heads straight for the refrigerator. "Want some juice or something?
"Hmm? Oh, thanks. Umm....this is maybe an odd question, but does Dr. Rasmussen have a habit of disappearing for short periods of time? There's some odd chatter on the board and I don't want to worry if this is normal behavior."
Elise Quartermaine |
Elise Quartermaine wrote:"He stopped posting mid-conversation and no one has heard from him since...well, hopefully it's nothing. Maybe his internet just went down for a bit.""Maybe. I got some time to spare if you want me to go check."
"Only if it won't make you late for school. I should probably just go check myself. I mean, it's not like I have anything planned for the day other than job-hunting."
Feliks |
Riding the subway, increasingly worried about what might be happening to him, Feliks decides to call in late to work and instead stays on the subway until he gets off at a stop near Dr. Rasmussen's office. Walking quickly, Feliks arrives at Dr. Rasmussen's office just in time to see one of two men standing outside reach out and turn the knob. Good morning. Are you gents here to see Dr. Rasmussen as well?
Feliks |
Feliks looks just a little uncomfortable at the question, Uh, yeah. Something like that. Probably just making an appointment since I don't have one yet. You know how doctors are. I was just more or less in the area and... Realizing that he is starting to ramble, Feliks lets his voice trail off and offers a weak smile.
Alistair Duncan |
Alistair woke the next morning hoping everything would be back to normal. One look in the mirror served to dash his hopes. If anything, he thought he might be even shorter and hairier. He tried to call Dr. Rasmussen but no one answered the phone, not even an answering service.
Strange, he thought, he seemed so excited and focused yesterday, wonder where he is today? Alistair decided to visit
Rasmussen's office again and try to get some answers.
He turned down two taxis because he didn't like the color of the drivers' auras but finally found one that didn't glow. He tried not to see all the glowing people on the streets but it seemed like there were more than before. At Rasmussen's office several men were gathered outside his door, including Axel, the man he accosted in the coffee shop after his first visit to the doctor. All the men were glowing, different colors.
"Hey, Axel, what's going on? I tried to call Dr. Rasmussen but nobody answered."
Elise Quartermaine |
Elise ate some breakfast, got dressed in her least sloppy looking outfit, including the crochet cap she always wore to hide her ears, and left the apartment heading for Dr. Rasmussen's office. She'd meant to leave Portia behind, but somehow the kitten had ended up tucked inside her purse. She felt a bit uneasy about that, but she couldn't seem bring herself to go back. When she got there she found a crowd outside the doctor's door.
"Is something going on? Is Dr. Rasmussen okay?" she asked, worried. Her hair changed to a deep shade of blue from this morning's light teal as she spoke.
Feliks |
Feliks turns to the newcomer, Dunno, he doesn't seem to be here. Apparently he was acting oddly on a discussion forum or something last night. Feliks holds out his hand with a smile, Name's Feliks. What's yous?
Draconian Narrator |
The instant Axel opens the door, it's clear why Dr. Rassmussen stopped messaging last night: he's dead.
His chest has a large hole in it, and his shirt around it is soaked with blood and some black liquid that has long since dried. The office is in a state of disarray like it was torn apart in the search for something.
Written on the wall in large, lopsided black letters is a chilling warning.
"ALL WHO WOULD STOP THE POWER WILL DIE!"
Axel 'Ace' Arandorn |
Axel takes in the scene for a few moments before firmly closing the door to the office. He looks to the others, including the (even shorter) man he met yesterday. "I'm going to need you all to stay here so the police can get statements from us."
Axel pulls out his work phone, an older model cell phone that flips open, and hits '1' on the speed dial to call in to his precinct. "Hey Gary, I need a full crew down at the office of a Dr. Rassmussen. I have the scene sealed, and we need some statements taken."
Heh. I didn't think I'd get to do the full Police thing in this campaign.
Elise Quartermaine |
Feliks turns to the newcomer, Dunno, he doesn't seem to be here. Apparently he was acting oddly on a discussion forum or something last night. Feliks holds out his hand with a smile, Name's Feliks. What's yous?
She hesitated a moment then shook his hand. "I'm Elise....err....sort of. Long story."
"That doesn't....smell right."
She caught a brief glimpse of the horror that was Dr. Rasmussen's office before Axel slammed the door.
"Oh. My. God."
"Why? Why would anyone do this?" she asked, not sure if she was going to cry or be sick. Or both.
Draconian Narrator |
Axel pulls out his work phone, an older model cell phone that flips open, and hits '1' on the speed dial to call in to his precinct. "Hey Gary, I need a full crew down at the office of a Dr. Rassmussen. I have the scene sealed, and we need some statements taken."
"The crew is on the way."
Within minutes, a team from Axel's precint enters the building and goes into the doctor's room to process the scene. One officer steps aside to get statements from Elise, Feliks, Burne, and Alistiar.
Tried Googling how cops take statments, and I couldn't find anything. Just give the reason you came here, what you think the writing on the wall means, and if you have any information about anything strange happening around the office on any of your visits.
Elise Quartermaine |
Elise's statement:
"Well, I'm a patient of Dr. Rasmussen. Was. Was a patient. I ...oh, god, I just talked with him yesterday...I'm sorry. It's just a shock." *deep breath* "Okay. There's a...sort of an online support group. Dr. Rasmussen was working with a bunch of us there. He was in a private chat online with a member of that group last night and suddenly stopped mid-conversation. I decided to stop by and check to see if everything was okay since I was near here anyways. Obviously things were not okay....No, I didn't notice anything strange yesterday. I came here for an appointment. Actually it was my first in person appointment with him. Everything seemed very normal. He was very professional and helpful. I saw him in the afternoon and I know he had at least one more appointment after mine. The writing....it's about the...the support group I mentioned? Yeah, ummm...it's called Unknown Power. It's...most of us just want to get our lives back to normal. I guess someone really didn't. Maybe they thought that what Dr. Rasmussen was doing wasn't really helping? I don't know. I wish I had something more useful to tell you. I really hope you catch the sick person who did this soon. He was a good person. He deserved better than...I'm sorry....I just....it's hard to believe anyone could even do that, you know?"