Log:Pandora's Box, Scene 3
From Champions MUSH
| Advances Plot: | |
| Pandora's Box | |
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| Scene 2 | Scene 4 |
| Contains Appearances by: | |
| Amy, Dancing Coyote, Eleven, Karl Sonneborn, Ed Davies, Linda Davies, Lisa Davies | |
| Log Date: | |
Dancing Coyote explains to Jack that he's obtained a phone number for Ed and Linda Davies [Karl Sonneborn's daughter] and would appreciate another listener in case he misses something.
Dancing Coyote places the call.
Eleven nods to DC. "Here make the call."
It's about six rings before a tired-sounding woman's voice picks up. "Hello?"
Dancing Coyote says, "Hello? Is this Mrs. Davies?"
"Yes - who is this?" Her voice has an air of annoyance.
Dancing Coyote says, "My name is Dancing Coyote," completely failing to remember about timezones, "I was hoping I could speak with your father, if he's available.""
Eleven waits patiently as he listens in on the coversation.
"You're not another reporter, are you? I've told you before, my father is not talking to anyone, and this is nothing to do with him! Why can't you leave us in peace?"
Eleven rolls his eyes as he hears that.
Dancing Coyote says, "I'm sorry... no, I'm not a reporter, and there appears to be some misunderstanding... I'm not quite certain what it is you're talking about. I was hoping he could shed some light on some incidents from his youth that have a bearing on a... well, I suppose you would say a case I'm involved with. I'm a healer. And on occassion a superhero, I suppose. I assure you, I mean no harm to you or your family, I was just hoping for some assistance."
"It has NOTHING to do with my father or what happened in his youth!" she shouts, and hangs up.
Dancing Coyote blinks, staring at the phone.
Dancing Coyote looks up at Jack. "Did that make any more sense to you than it did to me?"
Eleven shakes his head. "I have no idea what that is about. But apparently other people are on the same trail. We need to figure out who contacted her."
Dancing Coyote nods. "Um... Eel once mentioned something about being able to monitor phone calls." He shrugs. "Perhaps Yutaka can do that?"
Dancing Coyote says, "I'm not quite sure where Altoona is... if we can get there, perhaps some investigation on the ground would be called for."
Eleven says, "I see."
Eleven tells DC. "I did ask Yutaka to look into the matter,He hasn't gotten back to me about it yet though."
Dancing Coyote nods. "Yes, I spoke to him the other night." He hrms. "Can you get us to Pennsylvania?"
Eleven nods to Dancing Coyote, "I can borrow Rolph's car."
Dancing Coyote nods. "I suspect we may have more success speaking to them in person." He thinks a moment. "Well, actually, I suspect _I_ may have more success speaking to them in person. But I do need the ride."
Eleven grins, "I gotcha, Come on, Tell me what Yu told you on the ride over."
Dancing Coyote gets in the car with Jack, having absolutely no idea how long this ride is going to take. "Actually, he had no new information yet. He just mentioned that you'd raised the subject with him."
Eleven nods to DC, "Ok, man he's a slow worker. I guess that's how the higher circles work." He starts up Rolph's car and starts driving.
Eleven asks DC, "So how are things with you and.. you know.. david?"
Dancing Coyote seems surprised by the question. "Things are fine... it's been rather nice having some personal time, the last few weeks."
Eleven nods to DC. He takes out his PDA and offers it to the shaman. "Can you give AMy a call and let her know where we are going? Give eel a buzz too. He might know some things."
Eleven is driving DC around.
Eleven is driving an old car, (no hover) down the street. DC is in the passenger seat.
Dancing Coyote looks up from the phone. "Eel has some concerns about his parole constraints"
Eleven snaps his fingers, "I need to talk to his parole officer.."
Eleven says, "Ok, call Amy, DC. Let her know what we are up to.."
Dancing Coyote nods and calls Amy, filling her in on the current state of things.
Amy says, "Oh, yeah? I guess I might come except I'm really busy today and I've got to value stuff for someone and everything...."
Dancing Coyote nods, not that Amy can see him. "All right... that's fine. Just figured I would let you know."
Eleven nudges DC. "Tell her I'm with you."
Amy says, "Ok, thanks!"
Dancing Coyote hands Jack the phone.
Eleven takes the phone. "Hey amy?"
Amy says, "Oh! Hey Jack!"
Eleven asks Amy on the phone, "Anything you want us to get you in Penn?"
Amy says, "Oh, um - what do they have there?"
Eleven shrugs while driving. "I dunno. Anything you want us to keep an eye out for?"
Eleven gets onto rt 9 and starts going faster.
Amy says, "Um, no I'm good - oh, I have a customer! Got to go!"
Dancing Coyote adds, after the call is over, "So how are you and Amy?"
Eleven puts his PDA away. "Doing alright. She's very supportive."
Dancing Coyote smiles. "She would have to be."
Eleven adds, "Not as moody as Cate. Amy's a great person. When I first met her, we didn't get along. But I find that we've learned to accept each other and be supportive. I hope I don't get soft."
Dancing Coyote smiles a bit more genuinely. "Somehow, I don't think that's something you'll have to worry about for a while. I'm happy for you both." He hesitates. "So... has the situation with Yutaka been resolved, then? You seemed unusually tense for some time."
Eleven nods to DC. "Yeah. I think so. Unless there's something he's not telling me."
Dancing Coyote nods. "I'm glad to hear it. And no, I don't think there is... he and Laura seem happy enough. Well, apparently the situation with Zinth is causing some tension, but that's another issue."
Eleven nods and grins. "HEh, that's some situation." Jack seems to enjoy it.
Dancing Coyote smiles. "Yes. But I'm sure it will be fine... they are all relatively mature adults. And Yutaka is not one to, er, take undue advantage of the situation."
Eleven chuckles. "Yeah, I guess one would have to worry if it was me who had Zinth as a servant. Lucky bastard."
Eleven asks DC, "You know how to drive?"
Dancing Coyote shakes his head. "Not a car, no."
Eleven smiles, "Want to learn?"
Eleven pulls over and tells DC to get into the drivers side.
After a moderately uneventful though surprisingly long car ride, our heroes arrive at the Davies residence?
Altoona is built largely on a grid, so it's not hard to find the house whose address you have.
It looks like a pleasant - or unpleasant, depending on taste - middle class suburban are. Houses all set well back from the road, nice front lawns, picket fences, the works.
Dancing Coyote takes a deep breath on arrival and briefly contemplates a shapeshifted or sneaky approach. Eventually he decides against it... he will need these people's trust before he's done, no sense in poisoning the well now. Besides, in his current garb she'll know he's not "another reporter."
Dancing Coyote walks up to the front door and rings the doorbell.
A man, perhaps in his mid-forties, comes to the door. He has salt-and-pepper hair, is dressed in a suit, and projects the air of a respectable businessman. He seems rather taken aback to see you on his doorstep. "Can I help you?" he asks, a bit gruffly.
Dancing Coyote nods. "I hope so, sir. My name is Dancing Coyote... I'm afraid I rather upset your wife earlier today, unintentionally. Please, hear me out... I understand you're going through some kind of crisis at the moment, but that has nothing to do with my reason for being here, which is to speak with your father-in-law. Still, if I can be of any assistance in whatever it is, I'd be happy to.
The man hesitates for a moment, and then, looking around past you a bit (nervously?), says, "You'd better come in."
Dancing Coyote nods. "Thank you." He follows the man inside.
Dancing Coyote looks around the house quickly, including looking through walls to find living things and anomalies...
Eleven glacnes around the outside of the house wondering if there are anything out of place/clues ect.
Dancing Coyote doesn't see much of interest, except the 4 inhabitans. There's an old man in a chair sitting in a room at the back of the house. Upstairs, there's a girl of 14 or 15 talking on the phone. In the living room there's a plumpish woman of maybe 40.
There is a singular lack of things out of place. This place is immaculately kept. It's almost *too* "normal" for the neighbourhood. Except..... Eleven's experienced eye cansee where there window was recently forced. And the footmarks of trampling investigation. Also the twitchy curtains of the neighbours.
Dancing Coyote says, "Well, as I said, sir, I'm primarily here to speak to Karl. But that can wait, if I can be of some assistance here. I infer from your wife's comments this morning that you've been being... er... harassed, shall we say?"
"You mean to say you don't know about that?"
Dancing Coyote nods, emphatically. "As I tried to explain to your wife, I have no idea what she was talking about. Although it is clearly a source of some concern for her, and I gather for you as well."
Eleven turns off the radio and goes to look at the neighbors house.
He relaxes a bit. "Sorry. We had a break-in here a couple of days back and everyone's using it as an excuse to pry into our affairs, digging up dirt where there's no dirt to find.... Well, then, what can I do for you?"
Eleven tries to be stealthy as he spies on the neighbors.
The curtain in the house Eleven approaches cointinues twitching as he gets closer. :)
Eleven tries to figure out why there's continuous twiching in the curtains...He takes a closer look.
Dancing Coyote looks concerned. "I'm sorry to hear it. As it happens, I'm here because of a break-in as well, back in Colonial Bay. An artifact was stolen from a recently deceased gentleman, (name) Ferguson... or, rather, from his estate. I gather your father-in-law was a friend of Mr. Ferguson's, I was hoping he might provide some useful background information. Do you mind if I speak to him?"
He frowns. "You need to understand that my father-in-law is... not what he was, and I think you'll understand he's had enough excitement the past couple of days."
The curtain has a woman behind it, who is most obviously spying on next door.
Dancing Coyote nods, doing his best to project a calm, reassuring manner. "Of course. And, I must admit, the events I need to ask him about may be somewhat unpleasant to remember. However, I am not without experience in such matters, and I assure you I will make the experience as unstressful as I possibly can." He pauses. "I realize this sounds melodramatic, but this may be a matter of some urgency. The thieves who stole this artifact also attempted arson and may be working their way up to more extreme activities... stopping them may become a matter of life and death."
"I'm sure it has nothing to do with this family," he responds curtly. The teenaged girl has appeared at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping.
Dancing Coyote nods. "Indeed not. As I say, the matter relates to a friend of your father-in-law's from his youth... I'm just hoping he can provide some background information."
The plumpish woman comes out and joins the man. "I'm afraid my husband's right - my father's had enough excitement today. And in any case, surely something so long ago can't be relevant?"
Eleven lays low for now.
Dancing Coyote shakes his head. "I'm afraid it might be extremely relevant, ma'am. That's why I came down here from Virginia to speak to him. Whatever happened then, it appears to be related to at least a burglary and an attempted arson that occured a few days ago. I don't understand the details myself, but _someone_ clearly retains an interest in the matter." He hesitates. "Please. I assure you, I will not place your father in any danger. I am primarily a healer... if talking to me will unduly stress his physical or mental well-being I will leave him alone. I merely ask for the opportunity to render that judgement, and to ask him some questions if his health permits it."
Eleven returns to the car stealth-like and goes to listen to the game again.
The woman glances at her husband and they are clearly not in agreement. They excuse themselves and withdraw to another room - clearly they are arguing.
Dancing Coyote takes the opportunity to look around more carefully... including through the neighbors' walls.
Eleven can't hear what the woman is saying so he relays this to DC.
Eleven hides under the window area instead of going back to the car.
Eleven goes back to the car to listen to the game.
The two come back. "Very well, you can talk to my father, but please keep it short. He needs his rest."
Dancing Coyote nods. "Of course. Thank you both." He remembers to let them lead him to Karl.
Eleven sits back in the car and listens to the game.
"It's this way." Linda Davies shows you through to the room at the back of the house. The old man is slumped there in his chair, seemingly dozing. She wakes him quietly with a hand on his arm, and he looks up at her. She whispers that he has a visitor, and he looks blankly at Dancing Coyote. "Good evening," he says at last. He looks like he's trying to place your face.
Dancing Coyote smiles and crouches down so he's at the same level as the old man. "Good evening, Karl. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. My name is Dancing Coyote... we've never met, but I'm an acquaintance of (name) Ferguson's son Brian." He pauses, gauging Karl's reaction.
The reaction is quite striking. He looks suddenly afraid. "They took it - I had it safe and they took it....." He starts struggling ot get up out of his chair.
Dancing Coyote puts out a calming hand. "Everything is perfectly fine, sir. There's no cause for alarm, the situation is under control." he says, as convincingly as he can.
For all that doesn't seem to relax, though he collapses back into the chair. "You don't understand..... can't understand... going to let it
Dancing Coyote says, "I do understand, sir. We are going to retrieve the chest and ensure that its contents are kept undisturbed. I assure you, it's all right. You can relax.""
"The chest... yes, it's safe without the chest... chest, key, and word.... I kept the key safe.... It was in my mattress, but not here, I told them I wanted ny old bed but no.... It should be in my mattress!" He struggles up again, toward his bed.
Dancing Coyote tries to keep him from exerting himself without actually struggling. "It's all right, Karl. I'll get the key for you. Will you wait for me to get it?"
"Do you know where it is? They took it, and I told the police but they said I didn't know what I was talking about...." He gives his daughter a less than friendly look at that. "But I know. I know, me and Fergie and Harold.... But they're dead now.... Only me...."
Dancing Coyote seems a bit relieved as Karl relaxes a little. He smiles, encouragingly. "You do know, Karl. You know things most people don't think about. It's all right... I understand. I'll do what I can to retrieve the key. In the meantime, I'd like to hear more about you and Fergie and Harold, if you have some time?" DC tries to look relaxed and interested... he's never met an old man yet who doesn't want to talk about his youth to anyone who will listen.
The daughter looks a bit worried by this questioning. But more, you sense, about whether her husband will hear than anything, from the way she keep looking to the door.
Dancing Coyote turns to the daughter. "Ma'am... would you mind doing me a favor? My associate is out in the car, waiting for me... if you could let him know that I may be a few moments more, I would be greatly appreciative."
Karl however seems to be that man. He shakes his head, wincing at something. "We never should have.... it was Harold's idea, but - Lord help me, I never should....." Linda has to put her hand on him again to keep him calm. Her look answers the question - she's not leaving you here with him.
Dancing Coyote nods. "I know, Karl. It was a foolish thing to do, but you were young, and it was a long time ago. And you paid the price, then... you don't have to keep reliving it. Whatever the sins of your youth were, they are forgiven."
Eleven notices he's being watched from the upstairs window of the house by teenaged girl.
Eleven makes faces at the girl.
Dancing Coyote grins, for no obvious reason.
"I did my best, tried to atone... We locked it up, kept the secret safe, you know..."
Eleven makes a big L sign on his forehead with his hand to the girl, as if calling her a big 'Loser'.
Dancing Coyote nods to Karl. "Yes, you did. What happened wasn't your fault." He hesitates and decides to take a chance. "Harold talked you into it, right? Both of you. What did he tell you, Karl? What did he tempt you with?" His voice is kind and gentle, that of a patient priest with a penitent.
The girl makes some sort of funny sign back at Jack. There's a sudden bright flash of light just in front of him! The girl grins.'.
"It was his idea... but I was young, foolish. Power... it's always power, or wealth or love, I suppose... He said we could control it... we had the ability and he had the knowlege.... He said..."
Eleven blinks but luckily has his polarized lens on. He thinks and bit and looks for a flash light in the car. He shines it over towards the girl.
Eleven thinks . o O (Maybe that's why the neighbors are so nosy..)
Dancing Coyote nods. "But it proved uncontrollable... and Fergie paid the price, and you never looked back. But, as I said, it was all long ago. Tell me... what, exactly, was it that Harold tried to control?"
Eleven hrms and puts the flash light away. Jack gives the girl the finger to see what happens.
"You don't know? It's was... it was terrible, as soon as we saw it, we knew we couldn't.... we shut it away..."
Eleven has a playful smile on his face as he does this.
Dancing Coyote nods. "Did Harold name the beast?"
Eleven has the sense of his hair being pulled.
Eleven pats his hair and waves for the girl to come over.
The name... I can't remember, horrible to pronounce... But we were too weak, even with the name.... We couldn't send it back, just lock it away...
The girl shrugs, still standing in the window.
Eleven gets out a chocolate bar and offers it to the girl.
Dancing Coyote nods. "And you _did_ lock it away, Karl. You should be proud of that." He hesitates. "Karl... this is important. I know you and Harold did not stay in contact much after that night, but if there's anything you can think of that would help us find him, that would do a great deal of good."
The girl points downwards significantly.
Eleven points to himself and points up.
"Dead... he died... ten years ago? I forget.... But someone else has the word, must have the word...."
Dancing Coyote nods slowly, takes a deep breath, decides to try a bluff. He turns to the daughter, making sure her husband and daughter are out of earshot. "Ma'am... I hope you don't mind my asking, but... well, how long have you known?"
She looks puzzled. "Known what?"
Eleven starts climbing up towards where the girl is, trying to be sneaky at the same time. Damn neighbors and people inside..
Dancing Coyote gives her a disappointed look, shakes his head, sighs. "Is your daughter on friendly terms with your father?"
"You leave the girls out of this!"
Dancing Coyote thinks . o O (Girls?)
Eleven manages to climb up to where the girl is at. He looks inside.
Dancing Coyote frowns. "I'm sorry, ma'am... truly I am. But the situation is apparently more complicated than I had previously thought." He sighs. "Do you know about the events your father refers to?"
"I never told her...." says the old man, and she too shakes her head. "I always knew there was something... and that he believed in all this.... but...."
Dancing Coyote says, "But?"
"I never really knew what exactly...."
Eleven smiles to the girl. "Hey. You got some nifty tricks there. You want a chocolate bar?"
Eleven climbs through the window and looks around.
Dancing Coyote nods. "And the theft he refers to... the 'key' he had in his mattress... you're familiar with the item?" DC is fishing more or less at random here... she obviously knows _something_, but thus far he has no idea what.
The girl says, "Oh - sure! Hey, waht are you two, superheroes or something?"
Eleven chuckles and gives the candy bar over. "Yeah something like that. Didn't your mom ever tell you not to take candy from strangers?"
Linda shakes her head. "He had so much of this rubbish - I didn't know what was actually valuable or dangerous and what, well..." Karl seems to be less lucid again and trying to get at his mattress.
Dancing Coyote looks the mattress over carefully from where he stands.
"Didn't yours ever tell you you could get in trouble climbing in the windows of underaged girls?" she retorts.
Eleven shakes his head. "Hey, I was getting bored down there. You like basketball? The knicks are killing the nets."
Dancing Coyote sighs, discouraged. "Well... thank you both for your time and cooperation." He chitchats a little longer and then returns to the car.
Karl unfortunately does not become as lucid again, so DC learns no more.
She shakes her head. "Not really my game. So how come you're sitting around outside?"
Eleven tells the girl, "Keeping an eye out on things. Like your nosy neighbor there. Plus I tend to piss people off. Don't want to upset your grandpa and parents. My buddy there is better with words."
"I guess he must be, to get past dad! He likes to pretend this is a perfectly normal family....."
Eleven asks, "Oh, its not?" Jack pulls out some corn nuts to munch on.
"I think your friend only got invited in because he has scared of the neighbours seeing him on the doorstep - duh! I do magic, didn't you see? Just like Grandpa and Vicky and I think maybe Mom once too though she won't admit it."
Eleven asks, "Vicky? who's that?" Jack smiles. "Magic huh? I don't know anything about magic. How did you learn magic? By the way, you can call me Eleven."
She laughs. "That's a funny name."
Eleven grins. "You like it?"
Nobody says, "You didn't have ten older brothers or somehting, did you?"
"You didn't have ten older brothers or somehting, did you?"
Eleven shakes his head, "Nah, Nothing like that. If you guess why, I'll tell you a secret. Anyways.. Who's Vicki and how did you learn magic?"
"Oh, from grandpa of course. You know, before he - he used to be very bright. Vicky's my sister - she's at college. She's really good at magic, but then she's a bookworm anyway."
Eleven nods to the girl. "And what's your name?" Jack glances around again.
"Lisa. So what superpowers do you have?"
Eleven tells Lisa, "Well, see that's a secret. If you guess why I'm called eleven.. Maybe I can tell you." Jack grins. "Plus I don't want the bad guys to know my weaknesses."
"So how come you're here anyway?"
Eleven tells Lisa, "Well We are here to try to help your grandpa. He seems to be missing something."
"So it *was* something of his that was stolen! I thought so....."
Eleven says, "What happened? Can you tell me about it?"
She shrugs. "Not much, just a little break-in when we were all asleep. i slept right through it! A few valualbe were stolen but I always thoguht it was for something of grandpa's.... Of couse, the neighbours always thoguht we were weird despite dad's efforts so the local papers really blew it out of proportion and everything so they could do more snooping...."
Eleven nods to Lisa, "Interesting.. Can you tell me more about it?"
"About the break-in? Not much.... Dad lied about what stuff was taken, I'm pretty sure. They broek into the dining room and went from there.... What do you want to know?"
Eleven chuckles. "You seem awful trusting. How come? I just want to know who broke in. My buddy and I want to catch them."
"How come? I mean, how did superheroes get involved in this?"
Eleven explains, "Its got to do with this magic stuff. My buddies good with magic."
"Ooh, cool.... Too bad grandpa's not really, you know, with it any more, I bet he could tell you everything...."
Eleven nods to Lisa, "Yeah, well that's what my buddy's trying to do. Does your sister or mom know much about your grandpa's stuff?'
"I think Mum used to maybe, but she never talks about it. I guess Vicky does - I know a lot too!"
Eleven grins. "Oh really? I don't know.. you are pretty young.. I mean, you don't go to college or anything.. "
"But I learnt a lot from grandpa! And magic runs in the family - that's how grandpa got to be a magician in the first place! Someone found him because he had, like, lots of potential!"
Eleven says, "Wow really? Who found him anyways? Your grandpa must of told a lot of neat stories."
"It was some funny name, Swedish or something? Engstrom! Harry Engstrom, I think."
Eleven nods. "Oh cool. So how does this story end?"
"It's funny, i don't know. I know grandpa didn't do magic for a while, though he studied a lot about it.... But he said since we had potential we should learn about it too...."
Eleven comments, "Your room is sure neat."
She looks about. "Is it?"
Eleven nods. "Its very immaculate."
"Habit, I guess. Anyway, I need to make sure dad doesn't find the magic stuff."
Eleven says, "How come? Your dad doesn't like it or something?"
"Yeah, like I said, he wants everyone to think we're a normal family. Afraid it'll be bad for business or something I guess otherwise."
"Oh! You friend is back in the car...."
Eleven nods. "Yeah, I suppose so. Hey how can I get in contact with your sister Vicky?" He looks out the window and grins. "He can wait a little. I waited for him all night anyways."
"Um, I forget her address at college - I can give you her email, I guess."
Eleven nods to Lisa, "Thanks, Is she as cute as you?"
Eleven teases, of course.
"Uh-uh, I'm the cute one," she grins.
Eleven enters her email in his PDA. "Thanks a bunch. Hey here's my PDA number. Give me a call if anything comes up with your grandpa. Don't want anything bad to happen to him. Plus if you think of why I'm called eleven send me a call too. I'll give you something cool."
"Ok, sure!"
Eleven looks out the window. "I guess I should get back to my friend. Thanks for chatting with me, Lisa."
Eleven tries to climb back down.
Eleven just barely manages.
Abner gets to hear about strange men climbing out of Lisa's window. :)
Eleven decides to stay in Penn. for another day and calls Amy to let her know what's up and asks if she can go over to help feed Avenger. They have some leads and need to check it out. He checks himself and DC into a cheap motel.
Amy says she'll look after Avenger.
