The Aftermath of Booze

Here is our previous adventure, Cleaning In the Swamp is Pointless.

Friday, Febraury 8th, 1935

After the encounter with the large visitor, Marcus and Van Pelt make the decision to head to Tulane University to Talk to Gwen, and maybe get some insight on what she really thought O'Hoolahan was woorking on, maybe how it worked. After another jaw dropping first glance, the three talk, and she gives her thoughts.

First, the device is really two. The matter must go to a specific point and be reformed correctly. And, both devices must be callibrated correctly to each other. after these revelations, the boys know that they need 2 devices to have something worth anything. One device trying to transport matter would mearly turn the intended target to goo.

So, they decide to go and investigate the storage shed. When they arrive, and get inside, they find one intact device, and a letter attached to it. The letter is from O'Hoolahan, and is addresed to his wife or a good soul if they find this.

He states that he fears his new employeer so much, that he will not to say or write his name. He begs that whoever finds this device to destroy it. For the good of mankind.

Of course, that doesn't quite happen. The two men, decide that the best course of action might be to get this thing out of here before Bigelow's boys come for it. Marcus intends to head back to the university, and convince one of his students to grab their car, and drive back over to the basement o that they can load the machine up and take it back to the house. Van Pelt volunteers to stay behind to guard it.

After thirty minutes, Van Pelt has positioned himself in a concealed spot, with a clear line of sight to the door, and is ready to fire at the first sucker that comes in. The door rattles, and then the metal lock plate glows red. once it melts, the door is bashed open, and a large man frames himself in an excellent position for a sniper shot, which Van Pelt takes. Though not killed, the man is severely wounded. Two more men come down and attempt to move the big man back up the stairs. They are met with more gunfire. It takes time, but the three make it to the top of the stairs.

These men, realizing that they cannot get in without taking a bullet to the head, and still interested in aquireing the machine, attempt to negotiate. This tactic doesn't go well as Van Pelt is a bit dotty in the head. The men get tired of waiting, and light the building up using gasoline and falres.

Meanwhile, Marcus is racing at top speed to get back before anything happens and the storage basement. He urges his student to keep the accelerator down, and to use "shortcuts" . They arrive in just enough time to see three men outside burning the building, stoking the fire, and patching up the third man up, then helping him in the car. From within the car, they can see cigar smoke drifting out of a back window.

In an instant, Marcus decides to play chicken with the parked car, and begins to honk and flash his lights. The other car, and the men surrounding it, pile in, and drive away as quickly as possible.

Marcus and the student jump out, go downstairs, calling for Van Pelt. He answers, and the three of them carry the machine out of the basement to the car, they cover the device up with slightly burnt canvas, and head down the road to the house.

There, they unload it, and bring it into the house.

Saturday, February 9th, 1935

The two men are feeling a bit paranoid, and are jumping at shadows of would be gangsters that might knock down the door at any time. Van Pelt feels watched the moment he leaves the house, and he chooses to roost on the second floor, with a high powered rifle to keep him calm. Marcus finds that he is needed at the university hospital, and grudgingly goes into work, constantly looking over his shoulder. After a 12 hour shift, Marcus returns after the sun has gone down. As he enters the house, there are two loud explosions to the southwest of the city.

The blasts shake the earth, causing ground tremors, damaging windows, collapsing weaker buildings. The fire and smoke can be seen for miles. The Big Easy has an uneasy night, and there is a visible increase of police on the streets.

Sunday, February 10th, 1935

The morning paper, page one headline states: Gangland War In New Orleans.

The article talks about a new group that has made a hit against the distilleries of both the Red Sect and the Black Hand. The new player, known as Bigelow, has made quite an entrance into the world of crime after men shouting slogans against the Black hand and the Red Sect, and were also heard shouting, "This is from Bigelow", before the bar was blown apart. This reporter has discovered that Bigelow's men used dynamite strapped to animals to set off the explosion at the bar in Butte. The Distillary itself was burnt to the foundation, with no report of anyone injured.

However, sources from inside both the Red Sect and the Black Hand have eluded to a retaliation against the interloping new gang. Batten down the hatches Big Easy, a storm is coming!!

Marcus must report into work again, and Van Pelt stays near a window, armed. Close to sunset, Marcus arrives, and both men see the familiar sight of a refurbished truck along with their three absent companions. It seems that they went to Baton Rouge, and negotiated with the Midnights to set up a bigger moonshining operation than Specter was able to do alone. Toph and Clarise Midnight, along with John Specter and a adolescent dog named Adaan set up a small distillery-type operation help fund the group's rent, and maybe even have a bit of extra cash on hand.

The three newly arrived folk are surprised to find a matter transporter in the house, and listen intently to the story of how it was claimed. The three evade a lot of questions about what happened while they were gone, and where the still currently is. They claim it's safer that way.

That night, New Orleans is besieged by war. There are firefights, Bombings, fires, and fights. The police and fire houses around the city can barely contain it all. The police headquarters, and city hall are both burnt to the ground. Locals who have any ties to the underworld of the city are hunted.

Monday, February 11th, 1935

When morning breaks, New Orleans is under Martial Law. Reserves have been brought in to quell any violence, and there is a cop on every corner. A curfew has been issued, that all law abiding citizens of the city should be indoors at sundown. the only exceptions to this will be police, army, fire or medical personel.

During the day, while Marcus is at work, the rest of the group asks around, and finds a patent scientist that has some shady ties to the Black Hand. They drag their scientific loot over to the man to check out. While he cannot help them tell what the Ray Gun does, he does identify the watch, the cloth, and the ???. They have the man look at the machine, to get a gauge of how it works. He looks it over and gives them the info on what he can figure out. After, Specter puts a bullet in his skull. They loot around, and find ???, ???, ???

After mashing the body up, they get back to the house.

As the day goes on, Van Pelt still feels eyes upon him everywhere he goes. His companions accuse him of some deep paranoia. He would think so too, except for the warning from the giant man. A lucky break happens, as his vision is drawn to a metallic object on a man hangng on a wall. The man is African, and van pelt recognizes his garb from the Watotu Tribe. A wave of fear slithers down his spine, as he realizes the events of his dark past are about to catch up with him. With the help of Toph, the man is subdued on the ground, and refuses to answer questions. The man is "Tophed", and shot in the head. As this happens in broad daylight, there is a policeman running over to see who fired a gun. Toph delays the cop with a timely stone wall, and Marcus arrives to 'play doctor' to the dead man. when the cop arrives, it looks like the tribesman could have been trying to shoot the group, but the cop is smart and observant. Oops. And, Tophed. The other cops arrive, see a cop down, an armed, dead, half naked black man , and assume the worst, and the group volunteers their vehicle to transport the cop. As the cop sleeps off his Tophing, Marcus uses his supernatural abilities to speak with the dead man.

They learn that the Watotu Tribal Leader is a Witch Doctor named Ne'Va. And that he and the rest of the tribe were In a large house South of Algiers as of this morning, but that their location changes. The tribe has no firearms, but uses the natural tools and weapons of their homeland. That some of the tribesmen have learned to shapeshift, and that Ne'Va is a master of dark magiks. The whole tribe came to this land to avenge the death of their god, Hachucu. They believe that he would be reborn once the ones who killed him had benn hunted down and killed in turn.

They dead man falls to the truck bed after answering these questions, and the truck ride would be a quiet one, except andeerie glow comes from the eyes of the corpse and it begins to get up, the party beats, shoots, and magics the thing quiet again, saving the officer who has just woken up. He is now no longer suspisious of the group , and is extremely friendly, promising favors in return in the future.

The group heads back to the house to lay low for another night, hoping to figure out what to do with the large machine in the living room before someone sees it who shouldn't.

Night falls, and sleep is long in coming...

Our next adventure is called, My Friend From The Deep South