Back to the Docks - 05

[TheUdjat]

Sam, Grey-

Spotting the lurking figures, Sam and Grey launch into action, quickly taking the car over and around the warehouse to get to the proper street. They move without headlights, the crunch of alley debris under the tires the only noise, trying to stay as quiet as one can with a big car. But thank goodness they only come in black.

As the pair rounds the corner, they find themselves on a small lane adjacent to the wooden docks themselves, narrow but thankfully clear of any detritus of people. Faint light from streetlights casts the area in a sullen glow, allow Grey and Sam some illumination to work with—and up ahead they can still catch the shadowy outlines of their friends, and the less visible figures of those following them. Further, beyond them, a workboat with brighter lights and squat Asian men at work getting things loaded.

Their friends are withdrawing from the scene—directly towards the shadowy figures that certainly wait to ambush them.

---

Everyone-

Satisfied with another disconnected clue, Tommy, William, and Thurman leave the scene at the Ivory Wind, heading back towards the warehouse and their allies waiting in the car. They mull over the meaning of these events, of the Penhew Foundation’s strange late night shipping, of the strange contraptions and statues, and of Ho Fong Shipping. The mystery continues to get bigger and bigger, with less questions being answered.

Just then, a set of headlights erupts from the darkness ahead, and all three men are momentarily blinded by the suddenness of it. A car horn blares through the still night as well, and the three can perceive Grey’s voice shouting to them just behind it—no names said aloud, just something to get their attention.

As their vision fades in and the car roars closer, the trio realizes that there are two other lean, foreign men crouched nearby, also shielding their eyes, though they bear long, slim knives in their hands. The severity of the situation becomes clear—these two were planning to attack in mere seconds, before Grey and Sam appeared in the car. A close call.

The vehicle rolls up to the three men, a door thrown open, and Grey’s voice calling out. “Quick, get in the car!” Neither man is inclined to hesitate, even though the two stalkers are already scattering for cover to hide from these assailants and their car. The car doesn’t really stop moving throughout the incident, and in moments all five men are bouncing along the little lane, darting onto a side street and preparing to evade a possible pursuer.

No such pursuer appears. The shadowy figures apparently were confined to foot travel, or else are too slow in claiming their own vehicle to give chase. Minutes pass, and the group slows to a reasonable, inconspicuous speed, rolling through London’s streets, breath slowing after the brief incident. No shots fired, no one harmed—a success. But had Grey and Sam not been so vigilant, it could have quickly met a lethal end...





List of clues (I know, it really needs an update. )

[VemuKhaham]

Sweat had been pouring down Grey's forehead and his hands were almost too wet to handle the wheel properly, all out of a healthy but immense concern for his friends' lives, but the moment it became more apparent that they would arrive on time to save them from the armed figures, Sam could clearly notice a glimmer of exitement in the colonel's eyes. He did not slow down, rather quickening his pace and watching as his friends hurried toward the car, but when finally they were all safely inside and Grey could turn his car to drive off, he looked one last time at the stalking figures and smiled triumphantly.

It appeared the rusty ex-colonel was getting back into the swing of things after a long time of little action and after having laid aside his reservations against their more or less illegal activities.

When they were well on their way to safety and inside the city proper, the colonel said, some irony obvious in his voice: "This is becoming a bad habit, my friends; sneaking into dark places and escaping dark figures armed with knives. Tell me please that it has been worth the danger!"8

[Japic]

Heart still racing after the close call Thurman finally calms himself and thanks the vigilant duo. "Well done gents, I'd hate to think of what would have happened if they'd gotten to us first." His mind flashes to the grizly scene they'd come across, the death place of Joe the boxer and his voice becomes thoughtful, "yes, not a moment too soon."

"As for worth it, I'm not so sure this time. We've got more questions than answers I'm afraid." He explains to them the contents of the warehouse and the boxes, the squat men and their bizarre language. He will ask Tommy to see what he swiped to get a better look at it, and share around as necessary. (I dont' even remember what was taken)

[TheUdjat]

[Since nobody from the warehouse has repsonded, I'll fill in the information acquired:

• 1. The crates from Penhew contained both old statues of a strange nature, and things resembling parts of a machine. The latter most definitely not what one would expect of the Penhew Foundation.
  
• 2. The crates were addressed to Ho Fong Shipping, out of Shanghai. A connection to China (and the photograph of Chinese ships, and the matchbox from Shanghai).
  
• 3. The ship these crates were taken to (by asian men) was labeled the 'Ivory Wind', which is unfortunately not the ship seen in the photograph retrieved from Jackson Elias's hotel.

These are pretty much the major clues gained in this venture. Proceed as you like--and don't forget that investigating the spice dealer (Tewfik al-Sayed) revealed:

• 1. A robe and stole with the symbol attributed to the Brotherhood of the Black Pharoah, the cult the Jackson Elias credited with the Egyptian Murders. This is also the cult mentioned in the book Life as a God, which was retrieved from Roger Carlyle's safe in New York. So there is a connection between Carlyle, the murders, the Brotherhood, Egypt, and Tewfik (though what precisely it means is unclear).
  
• 2. Tewfik's hidden drawer also contained money, several strange sandstone vials (nobody has been able to deduce what the contents are yet), and a curved, decorative knife (likely a ritual knife, but Thurman and Dr. Grey's guess).
  
• 3. Tewfik's flat also contained a glass shelf of statuettes (Egyptian), an elegant mirror, and other decorative paraphernelia (a hookah, a copy of the Koran, etc.). Whether these have any significance or not is debatable (though Tommy wanted to steal the mirror).
  
• 4. The group knows that Tewfik regularly patronizes the Blue Pyramid Club, where it is said that trucks are occasionally seen leaving, and where many of the victims also regularly appeared. The cycles that the trucks appear in is fairly regular, and through your source's info (Yalesha the Dancer) and some research, it was discovered that this occurs once monthly (on the same day), and again every month on the New Moon--which will be in a few days.

That's what you've got to work with, as I remember it. Let me know if there are more questions.]

[MaestroXC]

Sam's mouth twists into a frown as he listens to the account of Thurman, Tommy, and McGregor. The trip from Tewfik's apartment to this warehouse had only added more threads to the confusing snarl they were faced with. And yet more danger.

"It seems we have reached a fork in the road, as it were. The artifacts at the spice dealer's were, at least to us, confirmation of his involvement with a malignant cult. Indeed, the very Cult of the Black Pharoah described in Carlyle's books, is that not right, Thurman? Surely we have enough information to link him with the disappearances, though Inspector Barrington of course will require more...legitimately acquired evidence.

And yet these items in the warehouse seem to be of a completely different sort. We know Jackson Elias travelled to Hong Kong, and it would seem, from the workers and the ship we saw tonight, that that is where the Penhew Foundation's hidden involvement is. Nothing pointing to Egypt at all..."

Sam pauses.

"More worryingly, at each place we were followed, and at the warehouse I must say, we were very lucky to leave without violence. Though it cannot be certain that our pursuers are associated, it does not give me much reassurance that we may have TWO separate groups searching for us rather than one.

I suggest that we focus our efforts in one direction; particularly the disappearances and Tewfik. We will not get such assistance from the authorities in the Penhew matter yet, and if we can actually arrange for a successful apprehension of the spice merchant and his partners, we can actually strike a blow against this dark cult, and put an end to these killings. After what happened to Jackson, I feel this is the course we should take."

[VemuKhaham]

Grey nods. "Very well, you're reasoning makes sense to me. If we are to do that, we will need to keep a watch on Tewfik, especially when he leaves his shop after closing it. We will need to make photographs as evidence of any illicit activities, and we will need to be doubly on the ready on the day when it is likely that the trucks will leave the Blue Pyramid.

Meanwhile, I could try to inquire among my colleages of the National Geographic Society to find out more about our operations in Sjanghai. Perhaps I could even contact someone in the region to do some prior investigation, such as whether a ship called the Ivory Wind will arrive there, or check on Ho Fong shipping. Sadly, I can make no guarantees on success, nor do I know if my friends of the Society will be willing to help me in this cause, especially since I shall have to keep silent on my motives, but I can try nonetheless."

[Japic]

Nodding at the oters' words Thurman speaks slowly. "We must do what we can; the Inspector leaves us little choice in the matter. Either we sit idle while he forbids our travel, or we solve what we can and earn his trust and our freedom." He rubs the heels of his hands into his eyes and lets out a sigh, it had been a long night and he needed time to digest the new information. Time to see if it all fit into the puzzle somehow. "For now lets get a few hours of sleep, we'll need to begin looking into our new leads before long."

Thurman is feeling exhausted, both mentally and physically, and wonders how long this mystery will continue. Remembering back to the bloody alley they found Joe in, he can only believe it will end when they all shared his fate. Custists, it seems, were not the most congenial of folk.

[Yakumo]

"This is what I hate about the police, all of the evidence needs to be obtained legally. If it was just a matter of proving we are right it would be no problem. The books we have tell about an Egyptian cult that kills its victims in a very specific way, specifically how these people are being killed here. Tewfik had hidden in his house robes, symbols and ritual killing tools all of which are associated with this same cult." Tommy sighs and lights a cigarette. "The cops aren't even thinking about the time of deaths, they are just thinking about when they found the bodies, and if they found all of them in the Thames, of course it's going to appear random, the damn river could be holding dozens of bodies still."

Turning to Sam when he presents his idea on two separate groups after them, Tommy laughs. "Don't you see! It's all one group! Well at least here that is, I'm sure the NYC cult is a different group or at least only barely connected, but they are not following us anymore. But here, all of the players are the same, the Brotherhood of the Black Pharoah, the chinamen, the Penhew foundation! They are all in on it. think about it, we keep finding links to this shipping company in China, its obviously a front to get illegal artifacts into and out of the country. The Penhew foundation and Gavigan fund it, hell I bet Gavigan is hording all the good stuff for himself....probably some sort of cultist himself, I can tell it from the way they talk. You said it yourselves, the things that were 'major finds' from Egypt were actually garbage, and he tried to hide the existence of the Black Pharaoh, I bet he hid the real artifacts that Penhew sent back. I mean a man of that acclaim doesn't often fail in his digs I bet." Tommy's paranoia and conspiracy theories seem to get more elaborate every time he mentions them - and so few people seem to be left out of the title 'bad guy'.

Tommy takes out a few of the machine parts and the ritual knife, "It's all connected. I can tell..." he gets quiet and seems to be talking to himself at this point, reciting facts from his journals as if they were poetry, but really they are dates of the Carlyle massacre, Elias' death, Jackhammer Joe's and the Kid's death.

When Thurman mentions not being able to leave Tommy snaps back to reality. "We can leave any time we want." He pauses for a moment, "The inspector isn't watching us or anything, otherwise we would have been picked up for breaking and entering. It seems like they've almost given up on the murders here too, so it's not like we'll get picked up at the boats trying to leave like we did in NYC. It would certainly help if we could get him on our side and to see things our way though....."

Tommy's eyes light up, "Photographs. It's so obvious, we'll just show him photographs of all of the paraphernalia, I'll explain to him how the things are related to the cult and to the murders. I'll explain my theory about the bodies, and the corresponding trucks that the dancer told us about. The fact that it is coming from the Blue Pyramid, which is heavily frequented by the Cultist Tewfik on the same nights and on the new moon will have to warrant at the very least a follow-up with them. Maybe the inspector will even help us tail the truck."

"I'll go tomorrow after we rest, I'll need those photos developed though. I feel that in the face of overwhelming evidence, even the Inspector can't blame me for bending the laws."

[Rojito]

Alvin sighs and says, "Little enough sleep for me then. I'll get right on the photos. Drop me off at my place, all my equipment is there."