[Hunter] Dark Web Chronicle

[SidheLives]

For a brief moment the hairs on the back of Arthur's neck stand at attention. It passes however and after a few minutes the moment is all but forgotten.


[Perception roll failed]

 

[Vaneheart]

What an odd feeling. I must really be on edge. Arthur took a calming breath, then noticed the crowds. Lots of people out tonight, especially for a Wednesday night to Thursday morning. Must be a holiday I've forgotten about. Arthur carefully drove along the New York streets, as he patiently waited for each mob of party-goers to shuffle on past. He was mindful not to get too antsy in his haste to get to the West's place. He felt that a sudden accident or incident with a hapless pedestrian wouldn't help him get there any faster.

 

[SidheLives]

The traffic didn't let up until Arthur reached the edge of Jamaica and had nearly doubled his travel time. But once he reached the middle class neighborhood the streets were quiet and empty. Not a headlight or pedestrian to be seen on the streets.


Unless you counted the car following behind Arthur about a block and a half back which, were you a former police detective, you probably would.

 

[Vaneheart]

Arthur glanced in his rearview mirror and finally noticed the car tailing him. Surprise and more than a bit of urgency gripped him. A tail? Over this case? Or something else? Numerous possibilities crossed his mind, yet he dismissed most of them as unlikely.


He continued driving down the street a few blocks just to confirm the tail, and quickly tried to memorize the details of the vehicle, especially the make, model, occupants, and license plate. Once he felt he had the details, Arthur focused on the task of losing the tail. No point in letting this continue, or inadvertently leading them to, or endangering the Watt's. While he felt it was unlikely that he could lose them in his old cobalt blue 1979 Chevy Malibu, he also felt it was worth a try.

 

[SidheLives]

The car following Arthur appears to be a dark colored town car of some kind with darkly tinted windows and New York plates that begin with 7 followed by either P or B. While moving in the dark the exact color and make of the vehicle isn't determinable, nor can Arthur make out more of the plate. The vehicle is driven by a nondescript man of African American descent and there appears to be a similarly nondescript fair colored white man.


Arthur's try to lose the following vehicle was indeed worth it as soon after the town car seems to vanish from sight. Though Arthur is left with the sneaking suspicion that his crack driving skills were only partially responsible for this.

 

[Vaneheart]

​

Arthur continued driving along, taking various side streets for a few minutes to ensure that he had lost the tail. Losing a tail isn't like in the movies. You generally have a few simple rules to obey. Don't over accelerate or compromise your car, retain control of your car, know where you are and head for a public and populated place, watch out for dead ends, don't get on the highway, ignore red lights and stop signs if you can (especially if you want to attract police attention), and be willing to trade distance for their control. Mobility and distance are your only defenses on the road. The end goal is usually to find friends, allies, or a cop to help you. The high speed "Fast and Furious" chases you see in movies just usually end up with you in a dead car (or worse), which makes catching you easy.


Once he was certain they had given up pursuit, Arthur found a driveway to pull into for a few moments, and pulled out his pen and notepad. His hands were shaking from the adrenaline. He quickly jotted down what he could remember. Lets see here, it was 7B...X? Or was it a P instead of a B? Damn. It was too dark to make out the color...dark black or dark blue probably though. Two fairly nondescript men in a town car. Arthur sighed. Well, this isn't much to go on. It's not even worth running it by the DMV later. I was too caught up in the pursuit.


As he put the notepad away and pulled out of the driveway, Arthur was troubled by this turn of events. They gave up the chase fairly easily. Who were those men? Were the West's involved in something more than they let on? Arthur pulled out the green thermos and drank some coffee, while he tried to steady his hands a bit. He definitely had more than a few questions to ask Randolph West once he found him.


Arthur continued on to the West's residence.

 

[Skerz1]

"Leroy, Leroy get the fuck up!" Jed whispered, shaking a comatose Leroy after the sound of crunching gravel slowed to a stop a little too close for his liking. Fucking addicts, he thought to himself as he considered ways out of the run down death trap they currently occupied. Two off the roof, one the floor below, and not a fucking one out the back. pulling together the supplies that they had managed to scrape up, Jed shook his head nothing of great use, not even as a distraction. Leroy awakens in a hazy state, "finally" Jed says under his breath. " Hurry up, get the shotgun, we have to get out now!" Leroy slowly slides into his dingy clothes keeping an eye on the door. "they inside yet, boss?" "I have no fucking idea, but the vehicle stopped 5 or 6 minutes ago and I haven't heard a damn thing since." Leroy nods slowly letting it sink in, while checking his .9 mm to be sure it had a round chambered. Jed checked the shotgun, even though he knew it was ready. "well boss, looks like we have two options....." a loud crash rings out cutting him off. "shit that was on this floor! side door, now! Leroy cracks the door and peers into the hallway for a few seconds, silence had returned but the two men hunkered in the room couldn't help being on edge. Another minute goes by, Leroy looks over to Jed with a "better go now" look in his eyes. he pushes the wide open and they bolt to the other end of the hallway only to find the stairwell blocked by destroyed furnishings that may have once been used in the rooms before the business died out. Leroy pulls his gun, spinning on his heels to dash to the other end when another crash splits the air. Jed looks to Leroy as leroy does the same and says " well my friend only one way out now..."

 

[Delphina]

"Look out your window", the words echoed in Delphina's mind and her skin tingled with the supernatural feeling slipping away. She smoothed her arm hairs down and shook her head, feeling La Mama giving her a warning. She knew that when trouble hit, to go to The City. She didn't know who those cloaked men were who killed La Mama and it was up to her to find out.


Looking out the Jeep windshield, humid night air rose and became thicker with mystery and night happenings. Perhaps there was a bar, a voodoo shop, something open and a place for her to find answers. The cloaked men were silent assassins, their true target the young boy they had captured and taken with them, it was just La Mama and I were in their way. Now it was my time to track them like the predators they were and find answers.

 

[Dwerth]

The mist intensified, lowering the visibility even further as a slight man flipped up the collar on his coat. Gloved hands holding onto the grey gabardine fabric, holding fast against the wind and damp. He pulls a roll type suitcase, battered, worn, but still serviceable in his left hand, shoes grating on the cement sidewalk. Above, the single working streetlight throws a gloomy pool of light on the ground. Ahead of him is the train station, small and shabby in these more automotive focused times.


The inside of the train station was nearly as deserted at this hour as one might expect from a small town. A bored representative sat in the ticket booth watching the night janitor swabbing the floors and the heavyset officer flirting badly with her looked up when the outside door opened. The slight man moved to the ticket window, ignoring the cop. "One ticket to Grand Central, please."

 

[Javabee]

Sydney awoke in the middle of the night with a start. She was drenched in cold sweat and her mind was spinning. She couldn't remember her dream, but it gave her a bad taste in her mouth. She laid in bed a while longer, looking up at the ceiling of her gloomy room.


"I need to get out of here. I can't breathe!" Sydney stumbled out of bed and fumbled for a jacket, .45 and a pair of boots. In ten minutes she was out of her apartment and into downtown New York a mile from Hell's Kitchen. She entered the first grimy bar she came across (one of her old haunts). It was always open to those with troubled minds and enough pocket money. She needed some time to think.

 

[Antba]

Living in New York is cheap and easy if you can go low enough if you can find the right cracks. I came here looking for a man named Arthur,


The first few weeks in a new city are usually spent just getting to know it from the underside up, learning to move means knowing which subways you can hop and which always have a cop, where you can always find a driver and the spots you have to go alone. Which gangs move what and whose turf is under the thumb or growing fast. The names and faces changes but the cracks are always there, every city has them.


Parking the truck is the hard part, Alberto wants a safe place to stash the truck – and the big guns – where it won't look out of place and be left largely alone. Something under an overpass and good enough pedestrian access, preferably with a cargo container to work out of and live in. 24 hour construction sites have security already, plenty of vehicles come and go making deliveries and have lots of valid reasons for having explosives which is always a handy albeit. When it comes time to pour a foundation there is always that chance to bury something best forgotten under whatever is being built. East coast construction and organized crime have a long history, something should be made to work out.


In a city with this may people somebody has to know more about what lurks in the darkness. Just like any other talent search it comes down to legwork and persistence. Today Alberto wants to find the kind people who help people with things from the darkness, people who have seen something looking back and chose to hunt.

 

[SidheLives]

@Skerz1


In the silence that followed Leroy's words a chittering sound erupts from the other end of the hallway where the discarded and broken furnishings block the way. A small black face appears in the space between two destroyed armchairs and the raccoon chittered again. A few topples and crashes can be heard as another raccoon climbs over the top of the pile clearly unconcerned with the racket it's creating. Both animals stare down the hallway at the two armed men then vanish back over and through the refuse, another crash ringing out as an end table is dislodged by their movement.


In that moment Jed's ears catch the barest edge of another sound which can very faintly be heard from the front of the motel, almost too quiet to be made out.


[Listen Check = Wits + Composure + 1 bonus dice]

 

[SidheLives]

@Delphina


As the sun sinks lower in the sky bathing the street around her in shades of purple and orange Delphina has the distinct feeling of eyes on her which sends a shiver down her spine.


[Perception Check = Wits + Composure + 1 bonus dice]

 

[SidheLives]

@Dwerth


The young man behind the ticket window was slow to react. He looks the small man up and down with a look of bored confusion in his eyes before he speaks. "Grand Central?" He uses one hand to rub his eyes quickly and comes out of the motion looking more alert than before. Clearly he was not used to customers at this hour, or at all. "You mean New York?" The conversation between the janitor and the officer lulled for a moment as the man entered and they heard his intended destination, then with a poor joke to quiet to be heard the officer continues his ineffective flirting and the woman resumes mopping and doing her best to ignore him while still being polite.

 

[SidheLives]

@Javabee


As Syndey entered the dimly lit dive the bartender and a few patrons looked up at that door. After observing the new face for a moment the regulars turn back to their drinks and the grimy TVs with their blocking closed captioning. The bartender though seemed to recognise her and gave her a friendly wave, gesturing to an empty bar stool with one elbow as he picked up another glass and began wiping it down with a rag held in his other hand.

 

[Dwerth]

Guiseppe opens his coat, retrieves a pocket watch, and opens its cover. Speaking to the agent, reading his name badge: "Jones is it? The only current Grand Central is indeed in New York. The one in Chicago was demolished last century. If the trains are running on schedule, I believe there should be a train in 82 minutes - train 898. One ticket, one way please."


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[Javabee]

@Javabee
As Syndey entered the dimly lit dive the bartender and a few patrons looked up at that door. After observing the new face for a moment the regulars turn back to their drinks and the grimy TVs with their blocking closed captioning. The bartender though seemed to recognise her and gave her a friendly wave, gesturing to an empty bar stool with one elbow as he picked up another glass and began wiping it down with a rag held in his other hand.

Sydney slumped into the empty stool, perching like a tired bird of prey.


"The usual." She grunted not too gruffly. This bartender always gave her a slight discount on drinks.

 

[SidheLives]

@Vaneheart


The street the home of the West's rested on was deserted this late. The houses were older, from the sixties at least, but many had clearly been renovated and remodeled over the decades. It wasn't the richest looking street in the world but it sat comfortably on the cozy shelf of middle class. Cars were parked in driveways or pulled into garages, only one or two parked on the street itself. Trash bins or perhaps recycling (it was hard to tell in the dark as there were no street lamps in this area) were set out on the curb ready for the truck which would come in fewer hours that Arthur probably would have liked. Not a single light seemed to be on anywhere on the block.


821 Warren Avenue sat middle-ish on the block. It had a small but comfortable porch and a one car garage to one side. There was a good bit of distance between it and the houses on either side, but his was due entirely to the other houses spacious yards and, in one case, a wrap around porch which looked to have been added recently. It looked like the West home sat on a smaller lot than the homes around it, which made the house itself look warmer somehow. It had shuttered windows in bad need of a cleaning and it looked as if the weeds had gotten ahead of the garden. A nice house in a bit of disrepair overall.

 

[Vaneheart]

Arthur parked his car and looked at the West's residence. It wasn't what he had pictured in his mind when he first got the case. Not a bad looking place. A bit of wear here and there, but still... Certainly too nice to be haunted. Right? He thought that last bit to reassure himself. Still could have squatters though.


A thought crossed his mind, and he looked about carefully, checking to see if the towncar tail from earlier had followed him. After that, he pulled out his pocket binoculars, flipped the caps off, and scanned the yard, the windows, and the house in general, looking for movement or something suspicious, while hoping the Wests had made it to the motel.

 

[SidheLives]

@Dwerth


Jones looked down at his own name tag when the customer did, forgetting for a moment that it was there. "Yeah... I mean, yes sir," his head snapped back up. It seems like he may have been napping before Guiseppe's entrance and was still in the process of waking up fully. "Just a moment sir." He starting clicking away at the ancient computer in from of him.


"Yes sir, Train 898 - The Northeast Star to New York, and it is running on time." He looked up from the computer to Guiseppe. "Do you want a coach seat, a business seat , a roomette, or a bedroom?" He took a breath then cocked his head.


"Did Chicago really have a Grand Central, like you said?"

 

[SidheLives]

@Javabee


The bartender gave Sydney a pert nod and dropped the rag he was using and pulled a bottle of Old Crow from the well in front of him. At the same time the glass already in his hand went into the ice cooler then whiskey met ice as he poured the woman a double shot on ice. It wasn't good whiskey by any means, it was crap, but it was cheap and strong. The bartender was cute and dressed well in the 'this guy may or may not be gay' kind of way.


"Jeeze Syd," he said, setting the glass down in front of her (he always called her Syd). "You look like hell...no offence."

 

[Javabee]

@Javabee
The bartender gave Sydney a pert nod and dropped the rag he was using and pulled a bottle of Old Crow from the well in front of him. At the same time the glass already in his hand went into the ice cooler then whiskey met ice as he poured the woman a double shot on ice. It wasn't good whiskey by any means, it was crap, but it was cheap and strong. The bartender was cute and dressed well in the 'this guy may or may not be gay' kind of way.


"Jeeze Syd," he said, setting the glass down in front of her (he always called her Syd). "You look like hell...no offence."

Sydney took in a deep sigh.


"It's been a long night." She grumbled. It hadn't exactly been a long night. She took the double shot and downed it in three seconds flat. The bartender was not surprised. Sydney always took the first one quick before nursing the second. The bartender also knew not to take the empty glass of ice. She liked the chew that liquor-soaked ice. It helped clear her mind, in some odd way. She knew she would get some stares as she crunched loudly while her second drink was being made. Sydney didn't just chew ice to contemplate. The faces that would turn quizzically in her direction meant they were knew to the bar, and turning to look at her gave her time to memorize their faces out of the corner of her eye.

 

[Delphina]

@Delphina
As the sun sinks lower in the sky bathing the street around her in shades of purple and orange Delphina has the distinct feeling of eyes on her which sends a shiver down her spine.


[Perception Check = Wits + Composure + 1 bonus dice]

Delphina pulled her coat tighter, increasingly secure in knowledge that her knife hilt was pressing into her and ready. She took a deep breath. She needed information from someone about who the cultists in black were and where she could track them down. There seemed to be eyes watching, were they malicious or just as weary of her as she was of the world?


Perhaps it would be best to pull over soon and find a Voodoo shop or bar to find the answers she seeks.

 

[Skerz1]

"Damn, this shit got me messed up" said as Jed lit up a smoke. His thought briefly returning to night they fled to the safety of these decaying walls. "a couple damn critters, and your up in arms!" he silently scolded himself. Leroy had contented himself at the fact their paranoia wasn't a fevered delusion and was in the mist of trying to put together a trap from the shattered pieces of the discarded furnishings. "Leroy, come on man lets move. We've been here too long." "Ok boss, where to?" "I don't know man, lets go to the roof and check our options." Jed's companion stopped constructing and started for their room, clearly ready to move on from this place. " we need a place to make a quick batch, make some cash, and get the fuck out of here."


Twenty mins later the two armed men again stand in front of the wall of discarded decorum, however this time to clear the path to the stairs. Hard labor was something Leroy had become accustom to from a young age and in no time cleared a narrow path between the dilapidated furnishings and door to the stairwell. As the two men worked to pry open the door leading to the stairwell, Jed noted that the noises from the foraging creatures had died away."We probably scared the hell out of them" Jed half laughed to himself. after what seemed like ages the door finally gives way to to a debris covered stairway."well boss, up doesn't look like its going to happen." says Leroy as the two men look at the wreckage on the floors above. "Damn, where does this stairwell lead to Leroy?" asks Jed trying to think of how to get themselves out of this place and back to making money. "This stairwell leads out back to the alley and vacant lot." replies his companion.


Moments later the two armed men are kneeling just inside the doorway checking their gear and weapons. A faint crunch of gravel alerts the travelers, carefully they open the door enough to peer into the alleyway. Across the alley a stray dog searches for scrapes around an abandoned trash container. Both men let out a trembling breath, not wanting to speak out loud just in case they were wrong about the sound. "Ok Leroy, go across the lot and get us a vehicle, truck, car doesn't mat......" before Jed can finish Leroy has vanished across the alley and over the small chain link fence to the lot behind the motel. "Damn it, he must need another hit of the junk" Jed thought to himself as he rounded the corner to check the front of the motel and surrounding ruins of what may have been a fine neighborhood back in its prime. The gleam of metallic paint stopped him dead in his tracks, "Cops!" Is all he can think before returning to the stairs to think about his next move. "Shit, where can I go, back to the room, No too obvious. Out the back lot, No too far. How do I signal Leroy to come back." As Jed starts to panic he decides to hold tight for the moment, and wait until Leroy comes back with the car.

 

[SidheLives]

@Vaneheart


Arthur's observation of the street revealed that one of the few cars parked on the street, about fifty feet up from the West's home, was an out of place looking black towncar. It wasn't clear if it was the same one that had been tailing him since he hadn't had that good a look at it, but he could see that it was empty.


The house on the other hand looked strangely occupied.


It was the details that gave the detective this feeling. The windows being open on the bottom floor for one, the Wests would have closed them if they'd left wouldn't they? The slight movement of the curtains inside the windows, it could be a breeze but the air seemed so still outside.


The yard seemed unusually empty once Arthur put his focus on it. In fact, with the binoculars he could see evidence that things had been removed recently: what looked like the base of a birdbath and what could have been a metal bench. Dry grass and bare earth indicates something had been there, but now whatever items had occupied the yard were gone.