Life Goes On
Sarah's life resume. The unstoppable flow of work and classes takes
her mind off horrific children eviscerating her or Ghouls tearing at
her flesh. The weeks fly by. Work invades Sarah's free time, but soon
she is caught up and a little ahead. She also asks the department for
help with her classes in the future in light of her planned trip to
Asia.
A mere day before the e-mail shows up announcing the trip to Kathmandu,
the department coordinator leads in a stranger. He's built solidly and
he radiates a presence and energy that is almost tangible. He smiles
widely and says "Hello, I'm Dr. Gertner, but everyone calls me
Jake." The department coordinator smiles and winks at Sarah as
she steps out. Sarah looks a little confused as if asking why the man
is here and he answers her unspoken question. "I was just brought
onto the faculty here, I'm supposed to help you out with your classes.
Your going on a trip or something as I understand it?"
Sarah snaps into understanding and replies, "Oh yes, lovely. That's
just grand. I had started to wonder if they had selective hearing on
that point. I am relieved that you are here and I'm glad to have someone
else to share the burden with." Sarah notices the rugged, well
worn nature of his clothing and the beaten sport watch "Do a lot
of field work?"
"Oh." Jake looks down at his clothes. "Yeah, is it that
obvious?"
"Don't be embarrassed, it's nice to have a real anthropologist
to talk to. I think the closest the faculty around here have come to
a dig is when they walk past the F&E fellas planting a tree."
Sarah smiles and Jake laughs while looking around to see if there are
eavesdroppers.
"Well, we all have our different ways. If they didn't have the
dedication to pore over dusty old tomes, I'd be out of a job. I have
no patience for books, and it's a failing of mine. I just love the digs
so much. If it's there, I'll find it, but that makes me more of a skilled
grave robber than a scholar. Fortunately it's worked out so far."
As he talks, Sarah notices details of his appearance. He is well tanned
and his faces shows premature weathering of his skin. His dark, sandy
blonde hair is medium length and stops just below his collar, being
parted off to the side. His eyes are a deep brown with black flecks.
At first glance they don't look unusual, but as you look closer . .
.
Jake notices you looking into his eyes. "Oh wow, is something
on my face?" He starts reflexively rubbing the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, no. I was just looking at your eyes. There's something fascinating
about those little flecks."
Jake seems a little surprised by the frankness of Sarah's comment.
"Um yeah, my iris's coloration changes as my pupils dilate and
contract. It's interesting to look at, but I got used to it after the
first ten years or so." Jake laughs to himself.
Sarah laughs as well. "Aye, I do hope you'll forgive me for staring
like that. We investigators are a little rude sometimes."
Gun nods and smiles. He launches into questions about your accent,
schooling, and so on. The day disappears as you get to know each other
well. He's going to need to be prepped very well to challenge your class,
but it looks like that's the kind of experience he needs and he knows
it.
The week flies by. You put the Kathmandu trip out of your mind after
getting the e-mail, but work more intensely to get Jake prepped. The
day of the trip rolls around and you are called in to a meeting with
Steve and John.
|
Lycan Report 3
Steve calls Sarah and John into the small meeting room. He makes no
introduction nor offers a prelude. He looks tired and concerned, sipping
from a cup of coffee as if a junkie in withdrawal. "Because of
the timing of things, I don't think your team should address this. We
will watch over Daryl until your team returns. He has no record of episodes
yet, so perhaps he will be safe. I hate to drop this on you, but I feel
it is important to keep the two of you as informed as our operational
procedures allow. Let me know if you have any questions."
|
Project Lycan Report 3
Date: Monday, 18SEP2000
Subject: Results of further investigation of remaining Project
Lycan subjects and Agent Simms.
We have conclusively found that none of the remaining surviving
patients that we can locate have the Lycan marker. Given this
data, we conclude that Daryl Maynard is a form of Lycanthrope.
We recommend continual surveillance for the following reasons:
1) Daryl's safety from himself and SAVE
2) To evaluate the progress of the condition
3) We believe that if Daryl does undergo changes he will contact
agent Johnson
4) This is a unique chance to evaluate if the Lycan condition
corrupts the afflicted.
We have determined from genetic analysis that Agent Simms
was in fact infected with Lycan in some way. The marker is present,
but it is very different in structure and activity. A renowned
seer of the Unknown detects faint levels of the Unknown in the
tissue of Agent Simms, which does not agree with the autopsies
of Agent Simms' Lycan positive victims, which all possessed the
marker but generated no trace of the Unknown. The rapid degradation
of Agent Simms' body is unnatural and inconsistent with that of
the other bodies. Some markers were viable due to the quick delivery
of Agent Simms' body to the facility, allowing further tests with
living cells. We conclude:
1) Agent Simms was transformed into a Lycan by an unknown
process which may have involved active manipulation by a Creature.
2) Agent Simms' physical being shows signs of corruption from
the Unknown.
Agent Simms' body show biological indicators that suggest
the change occurred within the last few months and progressed
faster than the marker progresses in culture samples. The greatest
changes in Agent Simms' physiology may have coincided with the
peak of his killing spree. Combined with other cases from other
cells, we put forth the working hypothesis that acts of evil,
such as cold-blooded murder affect humans physiologically with
respect to the Unknown. It attracts the Unknown, attracts Creatures,
and/or infects the human with the Unknown. We do not believe that
this can be harnessed for good at this time as the process clearly
degrades the victim's humanity as well. We recommend testing Simms'
markers in the presence of a culture generated by Daryl Maynard's
tissue. A standard blood test sample would be adequate for initial
inquiries.
|
|
Sarah Gets Enlightened
After a brief discussion with the team, you split off and head to the
temple that seemed to feel unusually comfortable to you, the Temple
of the Ancestors. When you arrive, you are admitted without comment.
You are told of the meditation room. The monk that let you in seems
to almost disappear into the shadows when you look away for a moment.
You step into the main room and see the patterns that seem to be of
various ancestors providing counsel and protection to their descendants.
At the end of the room is a small, simple shrine that consists of a
daisho on a short stone slab which is flanked by two braziers. The basins
of the braziers seem to float in mid air, but closer inspection reveals
that they are supported by short pillars that have a texture like stone,
but they seem to absorb all light that shines upon them.
You head up to the library and find a collection of shamanistic items
scattered about the rooms. The items include many beliefs systems and
a little less than a fourth of them suggest a Native American influence.
A large portion of what you do see seems to be totems and other religious
icons. Shelves along one wall contain various scrolls and texts. Those
that you can read seem to concern spirituality, astral projection, channeling,
and the like. You grab a book on seances and turn to investigate the
room further. The last thing you discover is a stockpile of incense,
hallucinogenics, body hooks, and similar items related to trances and
meditation. You recognize a piece of peyote, the naturally occurring
hallucinogenic commonly used by the Amerindians and take a piece as
you head over to the only table in the room. There is another person
sitting there, quietly reading a book. You inquire about the pillar
downstairs and the monk acts as though you should already understand
it. You slump into your incorporeal form and glide down. You can see
patterns that were invisible to your corporeal body. They do not make
complete sense, but you are sure of how to open the secret door that
leads down to the basement. You return to your body and sit upright
again.
You ask, "How can I open the door without leaving my body."
He answers, "Simple, you must look into the realm of spirit without
leaving your body."
Surprised that such a thing is even possible, you ask him to show you.
He leads you down to the pillar. You gather from the way that he walks
that he is probably blind. He reaches forward and touches a few protrusions
on the pillar and it opens. He leads you down the narrow stairs. At
the bottom, he moves into the pitch black room and lights the braziers.
The walls, floor and ceiling of this room are disorienting. They are
covered completely with images of black rolling clouds, accented by
some bas relief carvings that accentuate the crests of the clouds. As
the flames flicker, their light seems to animate the clouds. The slab
of stone is also black and covered with similar images. You actually
can't make it out clearly until you are closer. There is a small black
pillow on the slab. The monk gestures for you to lay on the slab. You
hesitate for a few seconds before laying down.
The slab is surprisingly comfortable. You stare up at the ceiling and
surprisingly quickly, you fall into a meditative state. With quiet,
laconic, commands from the monk, you are taken through a series of exercises,
slipping in and out of your incorporeal state. You focus on the transition.
The day slips by and you feel you have learned little. The monk says
only, "Such things do not come quickly."
Over the next few days, you continue the exercises. In conversation
over breakfast, you mention your desire to speak Chinese and the monk
begins speaking in Chinese exclusively. He occasionally speaks English
in order to translate when you are having an unusually difficult time.
However, there is some strange, otherworldly connection that helps you
understand the essence of his meaning even when the words seem confusing.
By the end of the second day, you are able to slow the transition of
various parts of your body into your incorporeal form. By the third
day, you are able to keep a single part of your body trapped in corporeal
form while the rest of your form floats like an incorporeal anchored
boat. The fourth day is when it finally happens. For a brief moment,
you manage to make your eyes shift into an incorporeal state while keeping
the rest of your body corporeal. You perfect this on the fifth day.
"You have done well, and while you were mastering that, you have
become more in touch with the spirit realm. Your gift for Seance will
benefit from this. Now use your eyes." You step off the
slab and look at the monk, his features still obscured beneath his robe.
The room appears brightly lit although the braziers have burned out.
You can only guess that spiritual energy must provide the illumination
you now see. The monk walks out of the room and up the stairs. You follow
him. Moving your physical body at the same time is a little difficult,
but you manage. The monk continues up the stairs and you follow him.
He leads you to the main room and, like the basement, although it seemed
so very shadowy before, it now appears to be brightly lit with spiritual
energy. The images on the ceiling and walls glow brightly. The longer
blade of the daisho, a katana, has a bright undulating glow about it
and you sense a life of sorts in the the blade.
The monk gives you a few minutes to walk about and take in your new
sense, then speaks, "Your spirit eyes will allow you to
see the aura of beings. This will allow you to penetrate the veil of
all but the most powerful deceptions. Your physical eyes are a weakness,
they hinder your true sight. In time you will come to accept that."
At that point, you notice that all of the monks have assembled in the
entrance of the room. They have pulled back their hoods and all of them
stare at you with sightless eyes. Some have white on white eyes, some
have no eyes at all, and some wear glasses so dark that the wearer must
be blind. After a few moments, they raise their hoods back over their
heads and leave the room.
The monk finishes by saying, "You have much to consider. I leave
you now with your thoughts."
|