17:50 - DR. EDMUND BASSETT - THE ENGINE ROOM

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

∆§Indea§∆

The heavy doors swung closed behind you with a wet slurp. You'd have to descend three steps into ankle deep water. A corridor led on, and you saw no signs of the detectives. They must have continued on into the dark end of the hall, or gone in one of these several doors. Doors? You hadn't been given any instruction other than to go downstairs.

[∆§Indea§∆]

Shit. Double shit. They had said nothing about there being water to walk through. Nothing. I would have brought galoshes or something. We all would have. This was a serious lack of information. I looked behind me to see if anyone was coming after me. This all better be worth it. I cringed inwardly as I eyed the watery layout.

I begrudgingly trode into the water towards the doors. I knocked on the first one.


Edmund-

"Hello? Butcher? Colt??"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

The door felt like solid steel under your knuckles, no sense that there was any space behind it. The water wicked up your socks instantly, leaving you slogging around in your nice shoes. An echo still hung in the air-- a strange metallic hum like a giant spinning coin. Must be some weird machinery...

You heard a muffled ringtone. The same one you had. Seemed like it was coming from behind one of the doors.

[∆§Indea§∆]

How strange. My phone was at the police station. I put my ear on each door in turn looking for the one with the ringtone. I hoped that's where Butcher and Colt were waiting. Perhaps one of them had a phone? This was just unreasonable, it was meant to be an easy walk to the engine room. How had they got it so wrong. I was feeling pretty put out.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

You were pretty positive it was behind the third door. It was ringing, and clattering-- like a phone juttering over a metal table. This door opened easily, it looked metal on the outside, but seemed be constructed out of normal wood like you'd find in a house. Shouldn't it be totally rotten?

There were no lights inside, as was usual for the rest of the ship, but you easily saw the blue glow of a smartphone on a desk. Looked just like your phone...

Something had happened to the screen though, it was distorted, and the colors were lined up all wrong like on a bad comic strip print. Maybe it got wet... It was still ringing, but you couldn't see who was calling.

[∆§Indea§∆]

Edmund-

What the hell? What's going on? BUTCHER??? COLT??"

I moved towards the desk quickly to pick up the phone. Was this some kind of weird prank? Why would they leave us like this and what was with this room? None of it made sense and I was feeling very put out as I answered it. Had someone snuck in a phone? My bet was on the lawyer.


Edmund-

"Hello? Who is this? Who's phone is this?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

PHONE:
"Edmund...? Where are you? ̨I ͠nee̴d͏ yo͠u-̡-̡ ͠I͝ ̢feel so ̢b͡ad́..̷."҉

It had to be Diane, but the line was breaking up badly. How were you even getting signal down here? As you glanced around, it seemed that you were in your hotel room. The drapes were drawn tightly, and the room was unlit save for your flashlight and the light of the phone-- but those same strange lamps, and the oversized bed... The same as this morning only with four inches of water on the ground.

[∆§Indea§∆]

Edmund-

”Diane? What is this? It’s not right at all. I’m supposed to be in the engine room with Mills to help him through the retelling of his crimes and get matriel for my novel.”

Perhaps I was dreaming? Was this some kind of strange anxiety manifestation? I pinched myself hard.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

It was no dream-- that pinch hurt! If you glanced out the door you came-- you saw that same waterlogged hallway. Somehow, this was just one of the rooms in the downstairs of a decommissioned coal freighter.

PHONE-
"̶I̕'m̵ ͞so̴ ̶sor̡r͟y, ̢Ed̛.͞ Í'҉m̛ ̀l̢ost.̕.͝. I ͡tr͘ied ̕t͠o ̢f҉in͏d y͟o̢u
҉b̴ut ͡Ì̴ ͘d̸o̡͝n̵'̧̕͝t҉͘ ̨̨̕k̕̕n̶o͘̕w̸͟ ͏͝ẃ͘͟he҉̶r̛e̶͢͟ ̶̛I̸ ͘a̢̧͡m̡.̧͟͞.͢͠.̀"̴ "

The audio seemed scrambled somehow, you struggled to make sense of it. This wasn't just normal interference, more like multiple babbling voices were trying to cover it up.

((Perhaps a good time to roll 2d10+Willpower to Keep it Together? Hold off on rationalizing for now tho...))

[∆§Indea§∆]

Edmund-

"Can you describe where you are Diane? I uh.. seem to be in the ship but also in my hotel room... Not sure what's going on right now.."

Not dreaming? What the hell. I felt like that was going to be a catch phrase tonight. Someone better have a good explanation ready.


29KYCdyq++2·

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

You're able to stay calm and focus on your task, no problem. All of the rest of... this... can wait.

Diane-
"T̨he͜r̴e͜ ́i͞s͝ ͠thi̵s̴ ͢re̶d li͟g͝ht ev͠e̛r̀y̵w͞her͘e-̷- ͟it͠'̡s ͠killi̢nģ ͟me... ̀
Th͏e̕r̶e͢'͝s a ̕d͠oo̧r͢ but̴..͡,  i̛t͢ cut m̶e̴! ̨I̷t ḑo̵e̢sn͘'͢t̸ make ̀se͞n̵śe͞!
I͠'̀m͢ ͠dis҉a̧s͠s̀oci͝atinǵ,̕ ar̀en'͠t͘ ҉I?͏ Ẃh͢at͡ d͏o͏ ̡I ͠do҉?"͟

[∆§Indea§∆]

Edmund-

"Is there anything else in the room? You need to focus on what's real. Focus on my voice. I'm real. I'm here and I can hear you. What do you remember before the red?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Diane-
"̛I̕ do͞n̢'͝t͜ ̛r̴e̢me̴mbe͝r,̀ I͜ ẃas̕ jus̷t ̵dri̢v̢ing͘ an͞d ͠t̕h̢e͟n̶.͏.̵.͝ ͏
M̨ayb͝e ̴thís̷ i̶sn't̛ ͘me͘. M̷aybe th͘i͢s ̴i̴s̴ ̀͏s̢o̵m̵̀e̛͏o̢͘n̕e̸ ̨̛è̕ļ̛͠s͏͡e̷͢?̀ ̕
Oḩ͡ ̴͝E̵̛͝d.̧̨͜..̕̕"҉́

Something about the light shifted-- red light was coming from behind the 'hotel's' curtains. The signal on the phone clicked a few times, almost as though someone was popping out one tape and putting in the other.

Gisselle-
"Hello? Honey? Were you talking to someone?"

The line was crystal clear now.

[∆§Indea§∆]

Edmund-

" I thought I was talking to a client. What is going on? It's good to hear your voice. I uh I'm not sure what's going on. Wait I said that. Is it really you, Gis? God I hope it is. I think I need help."

I moved towards the hallway. I had to get out. I kept the phone to my ear like some kind of anchor to reality. Perhaps one of these doors would open to the real world.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

You stepped back into the corridor. It led on into darkness, and there were two other doors you could try, besides the solid door and the one you'd just gone through. One on the left, and one on the right.

Gisselle-
"Of course it's me! What's going on? Wow, the line is a bit fuzzy, huh."