"What Lies Beneath" - Fatespinner's nWoD PbP

Game Master Fatespinner

Gabriel and Aido walk towards the policewoman, after what they witnessed, it'd better if she knew what was happening with all that disaster, the body carrying and everything else they had just seen.

"Er... Ms. Policewoman... I uh..." Gabriel was about to continue stuttering when he froze on his tracks, looking at the mess, the state in which the uniformed woman was and a pair of quite suspicious-looking men. He felt Aido by his side and Gabriel could only guess he was as surprised as himself.

"I said that you're not going anywhere. Comprende? I've got ambulances coming to help everyone, so we don't need to worry.."

She looks more then a little angry, and pretty annoyed with the whole situation, not to mention more then a bit scared about something.

"Damn! Damn!" looks at Jon. "If I get locked up Cortez will make sure I don't see sunrise. How're we gonna get outta this?"

The two police cruisers arrive on scene a moment later, one parking on each side of the street, one of them directly in front of the parking garage. Two officers pile out of each cruiser, all males. One of them, a tall black man (Garabina knows his name is Barry Matthews, a sergeant) approaches the gathered group while the other officers move to take cover and aim their weapons into the blasted museum.

"Vasquez," the black man says as he approaches. "What's the situation? What the hell happened to that guy?" He indictates the unconscious Anu being carried by Jon. "And... Jesus Christ..." he looks at the blackened corpse in the street with wide eyes, then turns back to Garabina. "What the f&!% happened here?"

"You know what Sarge? I have honestly no idea. I was responding to a domestic just down the road.. oh, the idiot who tried attacking me is still locked in there... anyway, I was just sorting that out when an unknown number of perps shot up the museum with what sounded like SMG fire. This van also drove in, seems like the getaway van, though the driver's down." Pointing to the body with the multiple stab wounds lying next to the van as she catches her breath.

"You'll have to ask these two how that happened" Indicating Hank and Jon. "I don't think they had anything to do with the crime itself, they just seemed to respond to it and shot up the van. Though when I got to the scene they took off after that guy" Pointing to Anu. "I figured it best to head into the museum rather then pursue.. there's around twenty bodies in there, some shot up, others burnt to a crisp like that guy. I also saw Julio Ferrano in there, who was just..."

She pauses a moment, trying to think what to say about what she saw in there, deciding that perhaps telling the other officers that the thug was being held in midair is not the best course of action.

"..Wrestling with one of the thugs, though when I tried to stop them, I guess one of the other perps got behind me and knocked me out. When I came through, they were gone. Next thing I knew you guys were here."

The sergeant nods, scratching his chin a moment. Then he turns and regards Jon, still carrying the unconscious Anu. "Put him down, sir." He then calls back over his shoulder. "Daniels! Get over here! We got a man that needs medical!"

A younger caucasian officer jogs over to the group, holstering his pistol. I'm going to assume Jon complies and sets Anu down. He examines the unconscious body, checking him for injuries and verifies his pulse.

"Pulse is a bit weak and he's cold... but his breathing is normal and I'm not getting an erratic heartbeat. What happened to this guy?" he glances up to the group around him. "I'm pretty sure he'll be fine... just needs to get a lot of fluids and a good meal to bring his system back up to speed. I don't see any injuries on him, sarge."

The sergeant nods and looks to the others. An ambulance approaches from the far end of the street, still a few minutes away. "Vasquez, you get some statements from these folks. I'm gonna take the boys inside and have a look around."

Anu:

Taking a deep breath to recover a little, she pulls out her notebook and pencil and turns to John, Hank, Adrian and Gabriel, ready to take statements.

Breathing slower to relax, and slowly pulling out his ID and weapons permit."Officer Vasquez, we are a part of a private security firm that was hired for the museum show tonight."
Jabs a thumb at Hank and himself.
"These thugs or terrorists attacked the museum as we were coming down to investigate the gunfire we heard from down the street. We ran back, our friend here,"
jabs a finger at Anu.
"took out one of the terrorists. We proceeded to chase another who had appeared to be carrying something, into the back alley which is when we exchanged fire with another near the museum. I believe you may have heard us call out to you at that time. He encountered the terrorist and was injured, we were bringing him to medical."
Leans down to help Anu into a sitting position as he is waking up.

Garabina:

Blinking in confusion...Anu shivers slightly as he puts a hand to his head, wincing at the migraine. Slowly he tries to sit up a bit, hoping his last meal won't soon be decorating the street.

"...ugh....what happened..?" he says glancing about at everyone...to Jon he asks, "Did she get away?"

Noticing the medics for the first time, Anu looks at them with alarm.

"How long was I out?"

Hank nods when Jon motions to him. Speaks after Jon finishes. "Yes Ma'am. Unfortunately I'm new, so I don't have any credentials as of yet. This guy" head nod to Anu "is a member of our team, who I haven't been formally introduced to, chased after one of the terrorists. When Jon and I managed to catch up to him he'd been knocked unconscious with no sign of the terrorist or whatever they stole. By the way, my name is Hank Monroe, and you are?" Hank gives Officer Vasquez a little grin.

"...ugh....what happened..?" he says glancing about at everyone...to Jon he asks, "Did she get away?"

Noticing the medics for the first time, Anu looks at them with alarm.

"How long was I out?"

Helps Anu stay steady, and kind of out of the way should he get sick."Aye, she got away. We found you in the alley out cold, and she was gone. Do you remember anything? Say your name, and tell me how many fingers I am holding up." Hold up two fingers in front of Anu's face.

Anu looks at Jon oddly and says "Two fingers, and my name is Anu. I'm feeling okay...or at least not so bad now."

"That woman...her name was Dahlia...at least thats what Ferrano called her. They were talking, just before the auction opened...hmm..."

Anu winces one more time, sitting up completely and cracking his neck suddenly. He blinks rapidly for a moment afterwards.
Turning to look towards Officer Vasquez,

"You need a statement?"

Anu winces one more time, sitting up completely and cracking his neck suddenly. He blinks rapidly for a moment afterwards.

Turning to look towards Officer Vasquez,

"You need a statement?"

Pats Anu on the back,"It's ok, Anu. I have already told the Officer what we witnessed outside. Just relax."

Staring off into space somewhat, Anu nods slowly to Jon's request.

"Dahlia and Ferrano.. Hank, would either of those names ring a bell with some of your contacts you think?"

"Dahlia and Ferrano.. Hank, would either of those names ring a bell with some of your contacts you think?"

Thinks a moment. "Dahlia, not a clue. Ferrano was the guy throwing this shindig if I recall correctly."

"Yeah...it was his finds up for Auction...he asked her not to buy it all. It seemed like they were familiar with one another."

Taking down all the details as they speak, nodding as Jon produces the ID but making sure to note down to check that he's employed with them later. She holds her finger up when Jon tells Anu that a statement isn't needed.

"Actually, when he's ready, I would need a statement from him as well.. though I can wait till he feels up to it. Just dotting the I's, crossing the T's you know. Oh, I'll need contact details from you all too, and I'd suggest not leaving the city in the next couple of days, just so we can contact you again if needed."

"The easiest way to contact us is at <XXX-XXX-XXXX>, and the address is ..." Gives the phone number and address to the main office of Adamant.
"Can we take Anu to go get checked out at the Hospital now, Officer?"

"I'm certain you can hop into one of the ambulances and take him there, sure. Just hand over the SMG and Anu's knife before you go. We'll need them for forensics"

Anu nods wearily and pulls the bloody knife out of his pocket (still folded down) and hands it over to Officer Vasquez.

...He seems to hesitate before adding, "Officer? What happened in there...?"

"Officer, would it be acceptable to you if I followed them on my bike?" Thumbs to the alley he parked it in earlier.

Slides the SMG off his shoulder, and removes the clip and lays both on the ground.

"I've no problem with that, no." Directed towards Hank as she grabs some gloves and plastic bags to put both the SMG and the knife in. "Though, if you wanted to leave it, I'll make sure an officer sticks around to watch it."

"Thanks for the offer but I'll follow the ambulance." Hank heads to the alley his bike is in.

Anu heads over to get into the ambulance.

To the paramedics he says "If you don't mind, just drop me off at the front. The emergency room isn't necessary, right? You said I just need rest and fluids? Maybe just have me get checked out at the clinic so I can go home and rest."

Anu glances over at Jon as he finishes, hoping that he has a plan, as Anu has no real intentions of going to the ER or seeing a doctor if not absolutely necessary.

The paramedics exchange glances and one shrugs. "Let me just check you out completely before we release you. There's no evidence of injury, but you've got a cold sweat and your skin feels cool. Have you been sick lately?"

The paramedic shines a penlight in Anu's eyes to check his dilation and does a quick check of reflexes and pokes his fingertips with a pen to make sure he's got full sensation. Satisfied with his responses, the paramedics let him go.

"Officer," the chief medic says to Garabina, "This man seems to be okay. No evidence of recent drug use or injury aside from a minor bruise on his right rib. My guess is he's just gotten over a fever or something and all this physical exertion has aggravated his condition." He looks at Anu. "Go home, drink as much fluid as you can stomach, and try to stay off your feet as much as possible."

The other officers begin taping off the museum with police tape and a few enter the building, some leaving quickly afterwards with a horrified expression on their faces.

Anyone sticking around for anything else? Garabina is the only one permitted to go back into the museum, but of course anyone with Stealth could try to sneak in if they really wanted. Otherwise... all we all heading to the hospital? The police department?

After the check up on Anu, Garabina turns to the three of them to speak. "Well you guys, best you stay in town next few days, incase we need to contact you. And if there's anything you remember that you didn't mention tonight, just ring me or the Miami Dade Police. I'm Officer Vasquez, by the way."

She then gives them the number by which they can reach her at work, along with the MDPD's number for good measure.

"If there's nothing else, I'll let you guys get on your way. Thanks for the assistance, citizens."

Anu nods and mumbles his thanks to Officer Vasquez and to the paramedics.

Looking at Jon and Hank he says,

"We're going?"

Hank reaches his bike, hops on, starts her up, and heads out to see if anything's changed while away for a few minutes he was gone. Before speaking, he kills his bike so people don't have to yell. "So, we still taking Anu to the hospital?" Hank get's caught up with events.

Speaks to Officer Vasquez: "Okay, so, where am I staying since I'm not allowed to go home?"

"Thank you Officer." Turns to Anu,"Yes we are going now. Hank, meet us on the fourth floor of the parking garage."

Hank rolls up to the 4th floor of the parking garage and waits for Jon and Anu to arrive. "So, what's the game plan?"

Assume that the three of you are able to meet in the parking garage without difficulty. Jon notices that the parking garage guard he had seen when he left is missing, possibly taken for questioning by the police.

Adrian kneels down near the burned corpse covering his nose over the stench. "Hey lady!" Adrian calls the officer. "Check this out!"

He indicates a jade amulet clutched in a charred skeletal claw. It seems completely unharmed by the fire.

Gabriel started to lose any hope of a decent occult-related talk when he saw Aido walking towards the corpses. His loss of hope soon became a mild amount of dread when Aido actually examined the hand of one of them and seemed to find something interesting.

"Aido, is... uh... is this really necess--"

As the young man started to stutter his question, the librarian pointed something out to the policewoman. Gabriel stood there, motionless, not sure if he wanted to look at the corpse that closely. All his fights with knives and any kind of death he had been were always mocks, training, never the actual experience. He was not enjoying himself that much right then.

Anu follows Jon up into the parking garage. As they ascend he asks,

"So...who are you exactly? And why are you helping me?"

As he waits for Jon's response, Anu begins to replay the events of the evening through his mind and he begins to get the tremors as all the adrenaline vacates his body.

"Oh...hell...I really killed that guy...didn't I?"

Garabina heads over to the rather crispy body, gagging a little as her mind is finally allowed to concentrate on what happened in the museum but just about able to keep her composure. Once there, she looks down at what Aido's pointing out.

"That's interesting.."

She moves to very gently lift the amulet from the hand with her pen, just enough to check if the skin beneath it has been burnt or in anyway damaged.

As the officer prys the amulet away from the corpse's hand, a few flakes of burned flesh crumble away, revealing the palm beneath. The skin appears to be relatively undamaged beneath aside from one of the gold-etched runes on the amulet being burned into it from the metal heating up.

Gabriel and Aido have seen the rune somewhere before... but neither of them can place it.

"That is... that is actually quite interesting. If only... You think we can make a small detour to fetch some books?" The question was half-aimed at Garabina albeit rethorical at the same time. He was going to investigate anyway.

Gabriel's interest spiked up again at the sight of the rune. The charred body being less of a matter now, he stared into the rune intently, trying to remember, yet, to no avail.

"If you two think you can be of some help in all this, by all means go get books or whatever you need."

Garabina then makes sure to wave over a police photographer, to take some snaps of the amulet and the rune that's been burnt into the man's hand.

Aido and Gabriel return to Aido's apartment in order to peruse his occult volumes while Garabina awaits the arrival of a police photographer.

Aido and Gabriel:

By the time the pair returns, the police photographer has taken the requested photo and has entered the establishment to catalog the damage to the building and victims. One of the department's explosives expert has begun his examinations to discover the source of the explosion.

Assume it's been 15 minutes or so. Jon, Anu, and Hank are more than capable of being long gone by now.

Garabina checks with Sergeant Matthews that it'd be alright to invite Aido and Gabriel into the museum, given their apparent knowledge of the stuff inside. Assuming it's given, she'd wait for them to get back and invite them inside.

"Just don't touch anything.. and I hope you guys haven't ate much recently."

Anu follows Jon up into the parking garage. As they ascend he asks,

"So...who are you exactly? And why are you helping me?"

As he waits for Jon's response, Anu begins to replay the events of the evening through his mind and he begins to get the tremors as all the adrenaline vacates his body.

"Oh...hell...I really killed that guy...didn't I?"

"My name is Jon Simon, I figured to help you because going after that guy with a knife is just awesome. You have some serious guts to take out a guy with an submachine gun with a knife. I like that. I wanted to ask you more about the woman and what you think she stole. I am hoping it will have something to do with another job I am working on. What do you know about her or the guy that was running the event at museum?"

Garabina checks with Sergeant Matthews that it'd be alright to invite Aido and Gabriel into the museum, given their apparent knowledge of the stuff inside. Assuming it's given, she'd wait for them to get back and invite them inside.

It's given.

Hank rolls up to the 4th floor of the parking garage and waits for Jon and Anu to arrive. "So, what's the game plan?"

"I am hoping that some of what happened here tonight will lead us to the people we want to talk too." Nods to Anu,"I guess it will depend on the information. Nice work back there, by the way, Hank."

"Thanks Mr. Simon. Speaking of food, I know a nice little place just a few blocks over, they should be open still." Hank checks his watch.