Chad ignores the calls of his pursuer as he rushes
forward around the lifeboats. Jumping over the railing to the Promenade Deck 20
feet below. Stopping Isaac in his tracks. But Mira up and over the railing
herself, bound and determined in pursuit. Till a stumbling man crosses her
path. The crowd erupting in panic and screams as Mira raises her arms with
flame-pistols belching a stream of fire at the man now ablaze.
The walking
fireman stumbles to the railing falling overboard, splashing into the seas 80 feet
below. For it was only Mira who saw the man’s skin flopping on his arm…surely a
serpent-man in disguise. Now Isaac calling out directions from above, guiding
Mira to a crew door. Kicking it open, she soon accepts she has lost the man in
the dark bowels of the ship.
Meanwhile, the sleuths Cliff and Astor come upon a
distraught Dr. Soong, “Someone stole my book out of my cabin safe. Most rare
and valuable. The Red Jade.” Magnifying glasses suddenly appear
in the sleuths’ hands as they inspect the safe, “Most strange indeed. No
tampering on the outside but looks as if the lock was disassembled from the
inside. Another disappearing act from the inside. Like that Chad fellow just
disappearing from his clothing.” Soong taking interest and offering drags from
his hooka, “My man-servant Wang Ma is also missing; he rooms in 3rd
class steerage. My book has ancient knowledge about such mystic things.
Specters and spirits; how to fast-track their reanimation. Do you suppose
someone wants to bring something to life?”
Meanwhile, Paulo finally excuses himself from the table
to give pursuit, running into Isaac. Too far behind. And lost as they find themselves
on Deck C steerage for the 3rd class passengers. Where Paulo meets
Bunny Detoli, a fellow Dolomite-brother-in-arms from the Great War. “Paulo,
what brings you aboard ship? Pipe Organ?! Shhh. Why do you ask? I have a
midnight meeting with my boss, Senor Diego Almacon, who owns the thing.
Yesterday he had me fetch a music teacher, Ms. Phillis Barnes from 2nd
class. Took her to the cargo area. No idea what tonight’s meeting is about.”
Paulo asks Bunny for a job, “We saw all the guards around the thing. Can you
put in a good word for us to your Senor?” Isaac sweetens the request with 3
bottles of vino.
And that’s when Mira arrives. Paulo whispering about the
Almacon connection. Mira joins in the liquoring-up of Bunny. Which is about the
time Cliff and Astor stumble into the steerage quarters. All prim, proper,
high-brow, and out of place. Paulo trying to distance himself from the sleuths,
trying not to make Bunny suspicious. The sleuths on the hunt for Wang Ma. Astor
swinging his riding-crop to clear the crowd, “Out of the way, your filthy
maggots.” Cliff wise enough to realize the brushoff by his teammates as he
whispers, “I say Watson, game’s afoot. Let’s hang back and follow.”
Meanwhile, the dinner crowd thins as passengers retire to
their rooms, the bars, or the dance hall. Time for Oded and Porter to slip
away. Back to cargo deck D2 where they finally find their personal belongs.
Retrieving all weapons and gear for the team. Continuing below deck searching
for the mysterious green crate. Deck E hold 4 is ballast tanks. “Strange that
the lid is open.” Climbing to inspect, they are assaulted by a foul gas.
Covering their noses, they peer inside: the body of a woman. Drained of blood.
Casual clothing and room 227 key.
They turn forward to Deck E hold 7: chained and
padlocked. Master key doesn’t fit. But a fire-axe does. Inside: tall-narrow
crates of portraits, crates filled with marble and bronze statues, timber from
Indian, large glass containers labeled “Hydrochloric Acid”, another smaller
crate filled with papers and diagrams. And in the back, a large green box that
contains a fully assembled pipe organ. No guards in sights. Locking things back
up (best they can; they did use an axe-key), they climb the stairs to deck D.
Stopping as they hear faint music. “Is someone playing that organ?”
Oded and Porter return to hold E7, sneaking a peek inside
to see the back of a man dressed in rob and cowl. The organist turning, “Ah,
the men who opened my organ. I’m Senor Diego Almacon. I’ve been taking lessons
from Ms. Barnes aboard ship. This is my practice time. So, what do you think?
Isn’t it grand? The wood from all over the world, the metal piping from Tibet.
Any who see it will never forget.” Porter extends his hand in greeting but
really to get a psychometry reading: creepy crawlies. The desire to say
goodbyes, “I look forward to seeing you in concert.”
Almost Midnight:
the bewitching hour. Bunny realizing he’s late. The others offering escort to
the stumbling drunk. As Bunny opens the C1 cargo door, campfire smoke spills
out. With the distinctive odor of opium. Children surround a campfire…until
eyes adjust to the flickering lighting. Not children – but Tcho-Tcho who
recognize Bunny but lean their heads sideways quizzically at Paulo and Isaac
who also entered. Leaving Mira alone outside the hold. Except for the sleuths
(Cliff and Astor) still in hiding nearby.
Mira hears someone approaching. Turning, she is surprised
to see Chad who pushes past her despite her attempts at conversation. Which
draws Astor from his hiding, “Chad, where have you been? Virginia is
frightfully worried what with your suicide note. What do you mean you just
needed time to think?” Mira giving Cliff an elbow nudge, “That ain’t Chad. He’s
a meat-suit. Did you hear; a meat-suit.”
Chad ignores those outside and enters the hold, “Bunny,
what are these 2 doing here? Well, they can help. The master needs you to bring
him that woman. She’s bugged him enough.” Paulo has had enough and levels his
lazer-staff, “ZZZAP!” Hoping to cripple the man by shearing off a foot. Instead,
Chad’s entire body collapses into a pile of skittering bugs that dash for the
corners and shadows. “What the Hell?!”
Mira already inside torching the corners with her
flame-pistols. The Tcho-Tcho calmly watching the unfolding scene till they hear
another voice speaking their language. Oded appearing from opposite stairs. Tcho-Tcho
recognition of a friend. Oded explaining to his allies, “Apparently the Senor
uses them to dispose of… shall we say loose ends. I just suggested they curb
their cannibal appetites for a while. Make do with the livestock. They plan to
start another colony in Brazil. Oh, and by the way, here’s your weapons we
found in the personal hold. I suggest we go back to our table for a midnight
snack before turning in. Deal with the Senor in the morning.”
The same Soda Shop on the Boat Deck stern. Recap and
nightcap till Mira screams out. A Hunting Horror swoops from the
moonless night hell-bent on attacking Mira. The Senor obviously intent on
getting his woman. A tail-smack (20 damage) sends Mira flying across the deck,
leaving a trail of fire as she simultaneously fires her flame-pistols. Melee
swings by her allies: Oded’s calvary sword, Paulo’s dagger, Porter’s machete.
The beast howling from Isaac casting ‘Shrivel’. And Cliff unloading both of his
45 pistols. The beast collapsing across the railing before its tail drags it
overboard. “I suggest we leave before the crew comes to investigate all the
shooting.”
Cliff leads all to his 1st class cabin. Where
Cliff inspects the documents and diagrams Oded and Porter found. “Looks like a
blueprint for the pipe organ.” Isaac reading notes in the margins, “Says it
requires the blood of 3 people. So that explains the blood-drained music teacher
you found. Then there’s the Chief Purser and probably the man-servant Wang Ma
also missing. So, did it really need Mira or did her charming personality grate
on his nerves?”
Mira speaks up, “From your description of the Red Jade
book, I’d guess it occult spells to open a gate to reach out to the planet
Yuggoth to possibly summon Migo insects or Star Vampires. Forget sleep; we need
to stop the Senor now!”
Distant organ sounds as they descend the stairs to Deck E
hold 7. And that’s when Oded passes out [POW failure]. Mira handing out
tampons, “Use these to plug your ears.” Paulo carries Oded as they continue to
the hold door which Cliff opens. Revealing Bunny holding a tommy-gun. Cliff
faster, pumping both 45 pistols into the obliterated threat. The organ stops as
Senor Diego Almacon turns, “How nice of you to join me.” All efforts to attack
are met with mental POW blasts.
Mira’s Red Mist insanity turned on
all those threatening statues. Her flame pistols laying a swath of flames. A
bronze Michelangelo neutered as his dick-n-balls melt away.
Paulo dumps Oded to grab his lazer staff to attack the
organ but his Insanity becomes a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. “Deal with it,
peasants. I’ll be at the Captain’s table.”
Porter charges in, only to insanely desire to climb the
organ to then jump off in a wrestling move to pile-drive an elbow into it.
Isaac able to suppress the mental assault, sprays with
his tommy-gun. Resulting in a few dead bugs flaking off Senor Diego.
The already Insane Cliff quick-draws his pistols but the
bullets plink off the senor. Cliff suddenly sucking in his gut from the punch
of an invisible ‘Fist of Yog Sothoth’ that propels him across the hold,
slamming into the metal bulkhead.
Cliff lifting himself up, activating his jetpack to fly
back with his own flame-pistols drawn. Concentrated flames before slamming into
Diego and the pipe organ. With little effect other than his own throbbing
headache.
And that’s when Oded finally enters the scene, rolling a
glass barrel of the Hydrochloric Acid he steers toward the organ.
Backing up to draw his rifle and shoot. An explosion and cloud of acid
scattered everywhere. Senor Diego Almacon dissipates. Mira and Porter suffer a
few droplets of acid. But Cliff, having collided with the senor, is ground-zero
of the explosion. Somehow, he emerges, sporting fangs. [Another near-death
injury accelerating his transformation into a serpent person.]
EPILOGUE: The first-class
stewards cannot control their laughter at the sight of Paulo sitting at the
captain’s table with female products stuck in his ears. His hubbub and
balderdash too annoying for others. Until the captain arrives having heard too
many complaints from real first-class passengers. “Mr. Regitoni isn’t it? Won’t
you please join me in my quarters for a personal drink?” Whispering to the
stewards, “Have the ship doctor meet me in my cabin. To get this nut-job off my
hands.”
It doesn’t take long before the captain has to deal with
another outbreak. By Mr. Astor, “I hold you personally responsible for the destruction
of my art collection. Irreplaceable!”
 |
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BACKGROUND: Senor Diego Almacon
(aka the Crawling One) constructed the organ as a medium to summon a Star
Vampire into the world. Except, his design was imperfect. He would have only
succeeded in summoning a giant Nautilus that would have attacked and sunk the
ship.
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