Seeing the employee rush in, Victor exclaims:
Ah, well, you're finally here! These men were opening our baggage, then took a swing at us!
Victor swings a fist at the lizard-men.
Seeing the employee rush in, Victor exclaims:
Ah, well, you're finally here! These men were opening our baggage, then took a swing at us!
[dice=Brawling]2d6+1
Victor swings a fist at the lizard-men.
George chuckles to a degree and says, "My two associates here who have had the general disadvantage being colonial lesser citizens of the British, here to my left of the Raj and to the right from the Dominion up north. He tries hard though. These men shan't be allowed to rummage through my things, I won't stand for it. As it were, is that a Krag?"
Psychology
Evelyn nods "Perhaps that would be prudent" she says, replacing her small pistol in her handbag and following Morroway out the door.
Victor continues trying to land a punch, even as the others have lowered their weapons, but pulls something in his side, leaving him doubled over instead.
The kid with the rifle waves it among the brawlers, then stammers, "The engineer's stopping a-at the next station, and we've telegrammed ahead for the police. Th-they'll be sorting this out. In the meantime, you'd better all surrender you're weapons, or-or... else."
George smiles and says, "No problem, son." and with that George jumps on his trunk and then taps some snuff between his thumb and pointer finger and takes a snort.
He proffers some to the rifle bearing kid.
"Partake?"
|
David, leaving the man with a nasty broken nose turns to meet the gaze of the young rifle-toting man. David, listens as he doesn't want to take a bullet to this head, despite the young man seem to be a complete novice at firearms training.
Fine, but if one of these goons does anything stupid, I am NOT gonna stay nice!
With that, he lowers his fists, but steps behind the goons so none of them can try anything stupid.
Hey, who ya calling lesser?!
Finally registering that the kid has the right pointed towards them Victor quiets down.
Van Winkle laughs as the faux British accent is dropped from Hoadley repartee when he says 'ya' and says, "You seem a fine enough fellow, however, in the eyes of your monarch, facts are facts and although your family may have originally come from the British Isles, your status is lesser. I do so hate to be the bearer of bad news."
He then turns to the boy, "Would you perchance happen to know when the train should reach the next stop. I could use a rye. But please make it a Pennsylvania rye."
The kid with the rifle waves away the offered snuff. He then answers Van Winkle's question. "We're stopping in Bedford in 20 minutes; the sheriff should be meeting us there."
By now, an older man in a railroad uniform has also arrived, brandishing a pistol. The boy looks relieved to have backup.
The two thugs glower, but don't say anything.
Morroway approaches from behind and sees the situation before him. "Is there a problem here, son?" he asks, noting the boy with the rifle. "My name is Silas Morroway, founder and owner of Morroway Safeties. I heard some commotion. Perhaps I can be of service?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Nothing you need to worry about, sir."
The train soon pulls in to the Bedford station, and the pugilists are ushered off with their luggage. Waiting on the platform is a portly, middle-aged sheriff, and a wiry deputy perhaps in his 30s. They watch coolly as the men shuffle off onto the platform, and instruct a porter to load everyone's luggage onto a horse-drawn wagon.
"Just have the one wagon," the sheriff notes. "The one that's shot gets to ride. The rest have to walk to the station. Only about a mile though. Doctor's there."
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George says, "Sheriff, I am so glad you could help us. These men were trying to burgle my trunk. We tried to stop them."
"Thieves, eh?" the sheriff drawls as he helps the injured man into the wagon. "Seems a bit excessive to start shooting at them on the train. Good way to get innocent people hurt. But we'll sort this out once we get to the station."
The sheriff leads the horse forward, while the deputy follows behind the group, hand on his pistol.
"So tell me, boys, what's so important in this luggage that you got into such a big fight over it?"
Morroway helps Evelyn off the train and keeps an eye on their companions. "Those men are key witnesses. We can't let anything happen to them. I'm going to telephone my assistant in New York. We need ideas."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Why thank you" Evelyn says to Morroway as she lets him help her onto the platform Yes, we do need to do something. Perhaps we should see whether we can secure our cargo as well?
We could tell them it's evidence for a crime? They'd ask to inspect it though...
George says, "Honor sir, if you were to see someone rummaging through your things whom you did not know and after asking them to not do it, you would jump into action. They came at us and we defended ourselves. This is all upsetting and I have a meeting with the president upon our arrival in Washington. I am going to be late. Drats. Do you think this will take long before we can be on our way?"
"They have a long-distance phone in the telegraph office, Mr. Morroway, two doors down from the station. You're welcome to use it, but it'll cost you."
"A meeting with Roosevelt, you say? Apologies if I suspect you're fibbin' a bit. Personally, I don't imagine packing anything in my luggage that's worth getting into a gunfight over. Come to think of it, if I weren't a sheriff, I doubt I'd wear my gun on the train in the first place. So I'll ask again: you mind to tell me the truth of what's going on here?"
Van Winkle crinkles his brow and says, "President Roosevelt and I are old war buddies, we served together in Cuba. I was a company commander in his regiment and well we could give him a call on the telephone. The only fib in my story is that the meeting is planned."
He then whispers and says,"You are a clever man, in my steamer trunk which is obviously mine and is a family heirloom by the by, is proof of a scientific discovery that the President is most definitely interested in. Sure, had Mckinley, god rest his soul, been still in office he probably would tell me to pound sand but President Roosevelt is an inquisitive person. Every time I am in Washington, the White House is open to me."
Psychology
Well, he's good at talking.
"Well then, I'm sure you won't mind if we take a peek inside that trunk, and see if you're telling the truth about the rest of it, will you?"
Van Winkle says, "By all means but be extremely careful, the contents are fragile. Should we do it here?"
The sheriff opens the steamer trunk, revealing that it contains a large quantity of ice fragments, and a good two inches of water sloshing in the bottom around a blackened object in the rough proportions of a man. The sheriff reaches out to touch it, and it collapses into dust, swirling in the turbid water.
"Ash on ice, eh? I'm no scientist, so maybe you can fill me in on the significance here."
Ash already, huh? Victor struggles for the right words. This persons body... rots far too quickly. Quicker than what is natural. Quicker than what is human
When the group arrives at the sheriff's office, a middle-aged woman is waiting with a doctor's bag, her sleeves rolled up. She sees the state of the thug who had been shot twice and kicked in the face, and immediately moves into action. However, the man digs into his own wounds with his fingers, pulls out the two bullets with a grunt, and puts them down on the sheriff's desk. "Just stitch me up, doc."
The woman looks taken aback, but she sets to work on his wound. Once she finishes, she moves on to address Harry's injury as well.
After the contents of the trunk are revealed, the sheriff wipes his brow with a handkerchief. "We're going to have to sort this out. I think we'd better separate the groups here and talk to you separately, so maybe we can get to the bottom of this. You two fellas haven't said much, so I'll start with you. Join me in the back room."
The doctor nods in agreement, indicating that she has finished treating the wounds, and the men follow the sheriff to the back, where he closes the door.
Harry nudges Victor and whispers to him.
"Might not be good to leave the Sheriff alone with those two. See if the deputy will go with him and the doctor can watch us."
Van Winkle says, "Deputy, you ought to be ready, those men are freakish. Did you see how he just ripped those bullets from his body without a shout. Son, those are .45 caliber bullets there is something dicey goin on here."
The deputy looks a bit on edge, but tries to act casual. "He'll be alright. They wouldn't try anything here, right? So what is all this business anyway? Is this, you know, spy business or something?"
George says, "Those two were trying to rummage through my steamer trunk, luckily we got there before they ruined it. We asked them to leave my things alone and then they attacked. Normally thieves when confronted in a public place like a train would run. But they attacked us. I tried to knock them out. Then I pulled out the Colt. I shot that bastard twice which should have put him down on the ground but did you not notice how he ripped those slugs out of his own body without a sound. In the war, I have seen some tough men and I took two Spanish bullets trust me when they were removed I needed to scream. I fear for your boss."
Morroway watches the others depart with concern, but keeps his focus on the lady with him. He walks her into the station.
Once inside, he locates the telephone and places a call to his assistant in New York.
"Franklin? This is Silas."
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Victor whispers Bloddy Hell! without a sound....
"Deputy I do fear for your Sheriff. You should go and check on him...we will not leave. The good doctor can watch us, and I give you my word no of us will exit this room while you are gone."
Harry, while not as eloquent as some of the others, attempts to get the deputy to see the threat these men possess.
Just as Harry expresses his concern, a loud thud sounds from the back room, followed by the shattering of glass. The deputy draws his gun and rushes in, to find the sheriff sprawled on the ground, dazed but alive. The back window is broken open, and no sign remains of the two strange men.
Van Winkle rushes in and sees the calamity and says, "Doc, you ought to patch up the sheriff!!"
He then turns to the Deputy, thinking quickly, and says, "How many constables do you have in town and do you have access to a telegraph or telephone? If so, contact every station between here and Washington, New York and Pittsburgh and all points in between with the descriptions of those men."
He turns to the others and says, "Yeah Mr. Hoadley, say what you are going to say and let's make sure the trunk is secured and find the others and make our way."
Yeah Mr. Hoadley, say what you are going to say
Victor grins at George's remark, despite the situation. Bloody Hell! He walks to the back window leans out. Looking left and right for footprints, or any sign of the two strange men.
Victor rushes to the window, but there is no sign of the men beyond the broken glass. The town of Bedford is small, but it has a few nice resorts, so it is heavily traveled.
The Deputy stammers a bit, but the Sheriff picks himself up off the ground, steadying himself against the wall. "Son, we're not launching a nationwide manhunt for a pair of petty thieves. Based on your story and them bolting, I'm inclined to say you were defending yourselves, so you're free to go if you don't want to press charges on the attempted theft. I'll phone the train station and the hotels though, and try to track them back down. I'd better not find you lot trying to hunt them though."
George says, "Sheriff, those two just assaulted you a sworn officer of the court and all I ask is for you to have the other law enforcement agencies keep an eye out for them. You may have insinuated that I may be a fibber, well, sir, that in actuality wasn't the case. My companions and I need to get to the capitol and I suspect those two brigands shall further make attempt."
He then turns and says, "Messrs Hoadley and Jaisimh lets find the others and get on our way."
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Morroway's voice was stern but calm, all business. "Franklin, there's been an incident. The good senator--yes, him-- he was an imposter of some kind. We were attacked by local law enforcement, and now some of my fellow party goers are in a pinch of legal trouble. See if you can reach the sheriff's office and get them out. I'll need them as witnesses."
The phone mumbled from the other end, then Morroway continued. "That won't be necessary. He was killed in an accident. But we don't know who else he might've been working with. Also, we're being pursued. Someone who knew the guest list. They don't want this secret out, but we're taking it straight to Washington. Try to get the office of the Secretary. Yes, of war. Yes, it's that serious. And Franklin, I'm getting on the next train, with our without those witnesses. Get me some men at the D.C. station. Have them being an armoured car and at least two vests or jackets. Yes, for me and my--" he pauses, looking at Evelyn. "A friend. And men you trust, Franklin. We might even have them working for us."
Morroway hung up the phone, a look of concern hardening his features. "Don't let me down, Franklin."
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Harry shakes his head at this lost opportunity to question the men, but life was like that. Sometimes you won, and other times you lost.
Heading back out of the Sheriff's office he looks back towards the train station.
"We should get back on the train and keep moving. I would hate to get caught out in the open by agents of those we are trying to oppose."
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David, heads into the other room. He takes a deep breath, and as he opens his mouth to talk, he hears the loud crash fro the other room. He rushes in, to see the deputy on the ground, and the window busted. He sees Victor try to gauge where they went, and he looks to him,
So, see where they went?
When he hears the grim news, David curses under his breath,
Son of a,,
He looks to Harry, Yeah, lets get the hell outta here before things really get ugly. I would have liked to know how and why they were connected to everything that happened?
He looks to the sky, then the ground, then a thought crosses his mind,
IS it possible, that those guys from the train that just ran, could be like the senator?
Van Winkle gives Trufant a befuddled look, after hearing some foul language and then says, "Taking into consideration the display of intestinal fortitude the one of them had shown, it would be justifiable to presume your aforementioned hypothesis may have merit."
Well, one of them ripped a bullet out of himself with out uttering a sound. Ye think that's human?
"Yes, Mr. Van Winkle, we'll do our best to catch them, but I don't have the authority to shut down the railroad unless there's a corpse, and even then it would take some persuading." The sheriff turns to his deputy. "Odds are, that one tore his stitches leaping out the window. Check with the hospital, and then the veterinarian. I'll ring up Stephen and have him check the resorts, then I'll take a look down at the train station."
Franklin hurriedly agrees to Morroway's instructions. He seems to be a bit shocked and nervous.