Dallas:Sessions:20020119

Track 1 – Cinnamon and Deathwish – January 19, 2002

GM: BobbyJ

Write-up: MaryK

GM Notes: No

Cinnamon and Deathwish

A098 Track 1 Assignment

MISSION TEAM

• Paula Baker
• Blake Drummond
• Jeremy Grant
• John Kines
• Al "Axle" Lee
• Steve McAllen
• Kefya North

Some months have passed since the mysterious explosion in Atlanta put an end to one attempt to invade Earth. The new 'White Amulet Agents' have pretty much gone their separate ways, though they have kept in touch. Never before in her life having had money, Kef has generally followed Steve's advice as to investing her 'salary'. She now owns a house (though she thinks of it as Paula's) and a nicely-furnished RV. One sunny Friday morning in January, the RV is parked at Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth while she and Paula enjoy the Stock Show. While they're strolling through the poultry barn, the Mysterious Cat appears. Kef admonishes him in no uncertain terms not to help himself to the prize chickens. Before long, the Cat begins carrying on in the way cats do when they're hungry; however, he turns up his nose at the offer of a corny dog, so Kef excuses herself from Paula as the cat leads her back to the RV. As she approaches, the back door suddenly pops open and a blond-haired man jumps out, Kef's backpack slung over one shoulder, and dashes away across the parking lot. Kef starts to chase him, but he quickly outdistances her and she gives up. The Cat has also run off, following the man. Kef is sure she had secured all the locks on the RV, and indeed finds no signs of forced entry. Inside she finds that the shower has been used and the refrigerator raided, but only a few mundane items are missing.

Kef finds Paula and tells her what happened. Paula gets a thoughtful expression when she hears that the man apparently got inside the RV without opening any windows or doors. She hints that perhaps Kef should try to sleep and see if one of her 'visions' comes to her. Kef shakes her head and says "It doesn't work that way."

Kef's now in a down mood and doesn't want to stay at the Stock Show any longer. Paula suggests they return home, then go shopping for a new backpack. By the time they get back to Dallas, Kef doesn't feel like going back out, saying she would try to take a nap. She asks Paula to buy her a new backpack.

Kef's 'vision' arrives quickly and urgently. She sees the new American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas, happy people leaving through one of the exits. Suddenly, strange creatures swoop over the crowd, moving with blurring speed. People begin screaming, blood splashes, and the moon turns blood-red. Kef realizes that this disaster will take place tonight, at midnight. She awakens, fumbles for the phone, and calls Paula....

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

Paul Harrison: Well, I guess I'll use Paul as my name for now. It doesn't seem right but it's better than nothing. Whatever I was doing before I lost my memory I think I was in way over my head. Two different groups calling themselves White and Black amulets were having some kinda dispute involving layers of double-cross. One side took me as an ally because of the unusual jewelry around my neck. Either the world I woke to is stranger than I could have guessed or the people from both sides were not locals. The White amulet group I believe is going to show me more wonders and maybe thier Enigmatic leader as they turn in thier prisoners. Something is happening I guess I'll write more soon, in case I forget again.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

Paul reappeared, this time in someone's house. There was a dark icon in the room with him. After getting himself something to eat, Paul tried to use Kef's cellphone to call Paula, but there was too much static. He stepped out the back door to try to get a better signal, and a sudden powerful wave of energy pushed him.into Blake's house, where a remarkable feat of dexterity saved him from knocking himself out against an inside wall. The same wave knocked out Blake and Cinnamon, and pushed Paula from sleep into unconsciousness. Kef alone seemed unaffected, and she saw Steve fade away before her eyes.

The news media are excitedly reporting the 'attempted' kidnapping of Cinnamon Winters, who was heroically saved by her bodyguard and taken to a safe place overnight. Cinnamon showed up at the downtown Dallas police station to give a deposition about the attempted kidnapping, and later met with the press. Executives from Millenium Eagle Records have flown in from California in support of their star.

However, Cinnamon is still being held captive at Blake's house. Kef got a good look at the 'heroically rescued' Cinnamon; the latter is an excellent actress with an extremely good makeup job.

Axl left some voice mails and emails indicating he was having problems.

Blake, using information from his contacts combined with Paul's vague recollections, told Kef and Paul approximately where Steve's safe house must be. They retrieved the icon. Kef is adamant that the icon should be destroyed. However, experiments with construction-site equipment (including pile-drivers and arc welders) had no effect on the icon. They did discover that lead shielding dampened the icon's static effect. Blake again pulled strings to obtain a lead-lined case, such as those used to transport radioactive elements. Paul and Kef returned to Blake's house with the icon in its case.

Blake continued to talk to Cinnamon, who finally began to let some information slip. There is a death metal band called Deathwish whose members all have secret powers and secret identities. The leader calls himself Necrovore.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the other side of the Metroplex... AXLEE Trucking is having its problems. One trucker is in the hospital in Jackson, MS. Another's in jail for disorderly conduct and transporting contraband (a South American rock group???). Every other truck on the road has been delayed because of one reason or another. Lee is back at the office trying to get all of his drivers to a safe place and deal with the crisis at hand.

All the cell phone circuits are busy, so Lee left a vmail and email where possible telling the group of his problem and a number of a local Diner to call; he will have people standing by to relay messages. Also, he will be at his trucking business location.

He also sent his trucker Steve to try to get a message to the group, but the AA center was roped off and there was talk of people hurt or killed at the concert.

Lee is trying to stay awake and also wondering what Kef feeds her cat; it doesn't seem to want anything that is on hand.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

Paul Harrison: Well, I'm working with the White Amulet people again. These aren't quite as strange as the last batch. They stumbled accross some kinda demon worship group based around some rock bands and singers. Cinnamon turned out to be a front for the real power DeathWish. While the group was deciding how to effectively stop this cult, a forewarning of attack came via Kef. For reasons I'm not sure of, one person took Cinnamon someplace to dispose of her and the rest of us drove around till they got hungry and we stopped for steak. While the others ate I watched over the idol. A large winged demon arrived with several smaller ones in tow. There was a hurried gun battle, where all the demons ended up dissolved with some moderate to minor injuries to the White Amulets and myself. We discovered the other who had gone off by himself had not fared as well. He lost Cinnamon's corpse to the Demons and needed assistance locating it. The corpse was found and burned (a demon herself? I wasn't told the necessity of handling her that way). The White Amulet people somehow came across what looked like a gang or drug czar hangout and decided to exorcise it. When we got inside after some bloody work we found a slaughterhouse of what appeared to be innocent victims. The corpses were fresh, too fresh. We missed saving the lives of all those people by minutes at most. Hopefully we will have a chance to avenge them and hunt down this demon cult at the same time. My own personal business will have to wait a bit longer, unfortunately.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

A dozen human beings were cruelly sacrificed in order to summon the demons that attacked us.

Kef felt that the summoning had to have drained massive amounts of energy from the members of DeathWish, enough to inactivate them for a couple of days. She thought if DeathWish could be located, they would be at their most vulnerable to attack.

Sandra Truax, aka The Sorceress, is dead. She was the woman impersonating Cinnamon Winters. Steve is shot up (again). There was quite a bit of what's euphemistically called 'collateral damage'.

The other DeathWish members have not been located.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

The group is in Los Angeles trying to track down the remaining members of DeathWish. They had gone to a music shop where one of the DeathWish members had been scheduled to make a public appearance, but it was reported that the guy had been in a minor auto accident. The music shop was under observation; a man and a woman in a car were making notes and taking pictures of the fans who had shown up.

Blake Drummond returned from DemonWorld with a nasty-looking gash on his left hand and a warning to the rest of the group: Do not tell him where the icon is. He also related that on the way back Paul Harrison, who had been unconscious, had floated away on a different trajectory.

Sometimes, if you persevere, your enemies' flaws will play into your hands. Sometimes you don't live long enough. Anyway... it seems there is a bit of dissention in DeathWish's ranks, at least to the extent that bassist/brick Karl Wozniak puts in a Personal Appearance in defiance of "Necro". He still gives the impression of looking over his shoulder a lot, even when he isn't. Also, a bunch of other guys are looking over his shoulder for him... scanning the crowd, spying on the crowd, taking pictures of the crowd... while Karl laps up the attention.

Blake continues his "Rattle Their Cages" campaign by anonymously sending a greeting card to Karl (from "Us"). Karl's cage is definitely rattled; he nearly snaps the anonymous punk kid bearer-of-greeting-card in two. By reflex Kef intervenes, thus gaining Karl's attention.

Outside the mall, Steve tries to set up in a position where he has the optimal chance of killing Wozniak. However, the situation keeps shifting around... almost as if his moves are anticipated.

A stone-faced man speaks in threatening stage whispers with Karl about "the deal". Defiant at first, Karl caves. After stone-face leaves, Karl excuses himself from Kef, picks up his guitar case (containing 'Dorothy'), and heads for the men's room. There, Blake overhears a cryptic conversation between Karl and someone in one of the stalls. Karl hands 'Dorothy' over the top of the stall and leaves. Whoever is in the stall disappears. Karl returns to the table, gives Kef his phone number and various BS lines, and leaves.

Axl does most of the driving. He's good at it.

Then some other stuff happened...

The group finds out that DeathWish's agent at RCA is Julie Alpert. By an amazing stroke of luck (Directory Assistance), they locate her house. Blake rattles her cage severely.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kef is in the basement. She senses the ghosts of Sorceress and Cinnamon in the abandoned YMCA. She performs a small ritual with her tarot cards, attempting to draw the attention of the angels. The cat scratches at the door and she lets it in.

Axl, with a shotgun, is on a sort of balcony that overlooks the gymnasium floor.

Steve is set up outside the Y with a view down onto its roof.

Blake is in his car, preparing.

Necrovore is seen to arrive with Dagger and Paige. Psitron arrives. Demolition Man arrives, noisily. They are all in the gym along with the 13 homeless people they have brought in as their 'goats', and a number of guards.

Round 1: (10:29.5) Steve detonates the building. Blake accellerates toward the front doors of the Y. Steve fires, shoots a sniper in the head. Outside the basement door Kef hears someone say "covering it."

Round 2: Steve shoots someone in the leg. Demo Man yells "Let's Party!" Axl hears Dagger and Paige running toward Necrovore. Kef opens the basement door slightly; the cat streaks out and leaps at a guard's face.

Round 3: Blake crashes through the front door and immediately swerves left toward the gym door. Steve shoots another head. Kef opens the door the rest of the way and walks out; one guard has a face full of cat, and she shoots the other in the throat. Axl peeks over the balcony.

Round 4: Guard rips cat off his face (ow!). Blake bursts into the gym and fishtails into Demo Man. Demo grabs car and takes hold of driver's side door. Kef shoots now-catless guard.

Round 5: Demo rips off the door and throws it aside. Blake straightens the car, bounces off the wall and hits a guard. Kef picks up the Glock that one of the guards dropped. Axl fires shotgun at Necro and hits Dagger. Necro dives, then rolls to his feet.

Round 6: Steve snipes, shredding one and hurting another dead. Blake scrapes the wall with the faltering car, and the car stops. Demo picks up the car door. Kef starts toward the gym. Dagger and Paige dive behind two of the 'goats'. Necro fires a burst at the balcony. Axl reloads the shotgun.

Round 7: Blake grabs a flash grenade. Demo runs toward the pentagram. Steve draws a bead on two more guys who have ducked down behind a low wall. Kef reaches the gym door.

Round 8: Blake pulls the pin on the flash grenade and tosses it. Kef pulls open the gym door and shoots one guard in the back of the neck. Axl shoots at a sound he hears and gets slammed by Whirlwind (who is invisible). Steve shoots someone in the binoculars.

Round 9: Blake rolls a disco ball across the gym floor. Psitron blinks from the flash. Demo runs to the middle of the pentagram. Whirlwind misses Axl with his airblast, blowing debris around. Dagger and Paige fire at the disco ball. Axl goes for cover. Kef shoots Psitron in the leg twice.

Round 10: Blake picks up another flash grenade. Axl aims at Whirlwind, who is cursing. A guard shoots Kef in her right foot. Someone lands on top of Blake's car right above him. Kef starts limping toward Psitron. Whirlwind moves closer but misses Axl again. Dagger and Paige keep firing at the disco ball. Demo runs toward the car, dropping the door and drawing his morning star, "Dorothy". Necro reaches the gym door.

Round 11: Demo jumps on the car's hood, killing the engine. Axl fires at Whirlwind and hits him twice. Blake pulls the pin on a stun grenade and slaps it on top of the car. Kef shoots Psitron three times (leg, arm, leg); he screams and slides down the wall.

Round 12: Steve is still watching the roof. Blake grabs a pistol and a paint gun and steps out of the car. Kef draws the Glock with her left hand and keeps limping toward Psitron. Axl struggles toward the door as Whirlwind pushes him away.

Round 13: Blake fires paint gun in Demo's face. Steve sees a rover sandwiched between two semis. Axl sprints to the door, firing two shots at Whirlwind. One guard fails his morale check and runs away. Kef keeps limping.

Round 14: Steve finishes reloading. Blake drops his paint gun and aims a real gun at Guard 1. Whirlwind misses Axl; Axl reaches the door. Guard 1 sees Blake aiming at him, fires three times and misses. Kef shoots Guard 1 in each leg.

Round 15: Kef places the muzzle of her gun between Psitron's eyes and fires. Demo (who can't see) swings Dorothy, hits Guard 8 in the chest and crushes him. Axl opens the door and heads down the steps. Blake gets back in his car, spoiling Dagger's and Paige's aim. Dagger and Paige join hands and start chanting. Guard 1 aims at Kef.

Round 16: Steve sees a guard running away from the Y and takes aim. Kef turns toward Guard 1 and aims. Blake grabs a paint grenade and pulls the pin. Axl reaches the base of the stairs.

Round 17: Steve shoots the fleeing guard in the head. Blake throws the grenade at Dagger and Paige; they unlink hands, avert their eyes, and duck down. Kef fires twice at Guard 1's head and turns toward the pentagram.

Round 18: Steve, hearing that Necrovore had fled, is looking for him. Blake moves to the back of his car so Dagger and Paige can't see him. The cat appears at one of the doors and runs toward the pentagram. Demo steps off the car, swinging Dorothy. Kef limps determinedly toward the pentagram.

Round 19: Axl reaches the hole where a door used to be, takes in the tableau on the floor, moves toward Kef. Dagger and Paige aim at Kef. Blake aims at Demo's weapon hand. Kef limps closer.

Round 20: Demo starts smashing the driver's side of the car. Blake fires three times at Demo's weapon hand; Demo lets go of Dorothy (call him 'Lefty' now). Kef limps another three yards closer. Axl's shotgun jams. The cat runs up Paige's backside and pounces on her gun hand. Dagger shoots Kef's left hand; Kef drops the Glock; Dagger's gun is now empty. Paige empties her gun but doesn't hit anything.

Round 21: Blake picks up Dorothy, which seems a little heavy but not especially so. Demo charges straight into a wall. Axl keeps moving, unjamming his shotgun. Paige has a cat fight on her hands. Dagger drops her gun and pulls a dagger. Kef aims at Dagger.

Round 22: Steve calls off Jeremy's "bombing run". Kef shoots Dagger in the head. Axl heads toward Paige. Blake swings Dorothy at Demo as he runs past. Demo turns but his back is toward Blake. (After this point we went off combat rounds.)

Kef kills Paige.

Axl warns Steve that "the invisible guy" is outside.

Axl grabs a guard's headset and listens for Necro's voice.

Steve starts fighting Whirlwind.

Kef binds her hand, then helps Axl cut the prisoners loose.

Axl performs first-aid on Kef's hand and foot.

Axl, Kef, and cat go after Necro.

Steve hits Whirlwind with paint, making him visible.

Blake gets another car and rams Demo with it, embedding Demo in a wall.

Axl sees a car starting up and fires his M16 at the tires and gas tank (critical success).

Steve shoots Whirlwind in the head.

Blake takes careful aim at Demo, who is blind and deaf.

Axl drags Necro out of the burning car; Necro was stunned but recovers quickly. Necro draws a pistol. Kef aims at Necro. Axl shoves Necro back into the car and slams the door on Necro's head.

Blake shoots Demo through the neck, then through the hole.

Necro opens the door and rushes toward Axl. Steve hits Necro in the brain (crit success).

Demolition Man dies; his armor dissolves and he is nude.

Blake's palm, where he had been marked by the demon, heals.

Paula swings by with a car and everyone hops in; Blake drives away seconds before the police arrive.

Blake phones Carothers. "This is US... There is no more Deathwish; do you want there to be no more Carothers?... Go on with your life and do something else... We killed them all."

The group reaches the airport and Jeremy flies to New York.

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steve is working on acquiring Necrovore's financial empire.

Axl has gone back to taking care of his trucking business.

Blake is either going to destroy or take over Solution Security.

Kefya, at Blake's suggestion, is looking into going to school.

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