Episode 14 - Lakeshore, Part 1

[00:00:01] Speaker A: You're listening to the All Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queens Court Games. [00:00:39] Speaker B: So that's two problems solved for now. You've milked what information you can out of your Si agent friend and your. [00:00:50] Speaker A: Friend in quotation marks, question mark. [00:00:54] Speaker B: Nosferatu friend Michaela has done the best that she can for you through no fault of her own. That appears to not be enough, but at the very least, you have a lead. Lakeshore Hospital. It's pretty common knowledge in the city of Chicago that the hospital was closed after a decades long string of patient abuse. There are rumors that someone else will buy the property and try to open a new facility, but that's a tomorrow problem. That's a later problem. What you know for now is, according to Maya, it's being used by the Gary Coterie as a extraction point, as a rendezvous on the subject of things that have been said that you might not believe, at least so far as the Si agent was concerned, they didn't have an operation running in that area. He seemed pretty adamant that the refinery ambush was the thing they came to do. [00:01:51] Speaker C: Fair enough. But that doesn't mean that there isn't something else waiting for us there. Best exercise caution as we approach Lakeshore. [00:01:59] Speaker D: I don't want to walk into this place and have another situation like the one yesterday. I'm already beat up enough as it is. [00:02:07] Speaker E: I can only lose so many shoes. However, it may be good to scout or learn anything about the area before we head in. [00:02:15] Speaker C: Hey, in our case, we've got eyes in the sky. [00:02:18] Speaker D: It's true. I was also considering maybe trying to get some building schematics, but that's a whole nother detour. It would, however, give us the quickest route in and out. [00:02:30] Speaker B: Well, the hospital was constructed sort of in the late 1940s. It was originally going to be a residential development, and then in the middle, the person ran out of money or got bored. It's kind of unclear, but they got the shell up and then abandoned the property. The city ended up seizing it in the mid 1950s, and then, with the help of some federal grant money, established a hospital, I believe, in 1964. It has been remodeled since then. Most recently, they put a nicer facade on it, but the original building plans are almost certainly lost. There's no way those permits from this random dude deciding to build a building are still around. [00:03:15] Speaker E: Not even a city hall ordinance or request. [00:03:19] Speaker B: You might find records of permits, but the requirement for developments to have blueprints on file is actually fairly modern. [00:03:29] Speaker D: I assume in that case, that it is up to some sort of code. And based on that assumption, I can pretty much figure out exits and entrances and other little tidbits about it. [00:03:40] Speaker B: From that, it is a hospital officially, which means, yes, it has to meet certain requirements for the widths of hallways and doors have to be able to open from both directions, that kind of thing. It's ada compliant. [00:03:53] Speaker E: My assumption is if Lakeshore is up to code and we can't find any records of sewers or entrances that way, a quick scout should be fine. [00:04:03] Speaker C: What about the area? [00:04:05] Speaker B: It's located in uptown, which is nice so far, as most Chicago neighborhoods go. The property sits just across Lakeshore Avenue from a fairly large, fairly popular public park. And then if you cross the park. [00:04:20] Speaker A: Even further and head directly to the. [00:04:22] Speaker B: Lake, there's a beach incomes in the area. It's slowly gentrifying, like all the neighborhoods that are adjacent Chicago's core. So I would not call it poor or dangerous, but at the same time it's not so rich that there's white people calling the cops on strangers, that kind of thing. Most of the residences in the area are four story walk up apartment buildings, although it's dotted here and there with condos, larger towers. [00:04:51] Speaker E: The other thing is, I assume Michaela knows where she and Zion were going to meet when they got to the hospital. So I feel like she can just tell us. [00:05:00] Speaker B: Yes, she was just told go to the hospital. And at that point, if someone's waiting for them, they can make themselves known. The hospital is abandoned, so there shouldn't be anyone else inside. You could follow the noises, look around, that kind of thing. [00:05:17] Speaker C: Right. Only so many places in a hospital that a couple of vampires can hide. It'll just be a matter of finding the place. [00:05:25] Speaker E: And let's say I'm incredibly paranoid and think that maybe someone is after us who might have some power in the city. Lakeshore. That area isn't owned by anyone, is it? [00:05:36] Speaker C: It has to be someone's domain. Depends if they're involved. [00:05:40] Speaker B: Not necessarily. I mean, there are plenty of parts of Chicago that haven't been given to anyone. In that case, it defaults to the prince, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's know. But if you want an answer to that question can start out with an intelligence and politics role. Intelligence to test your memory and politics being the local kindred scene who are the movers and shakers? [00:06:08] Speaker F: That would be one success. [00:06:11] Speaker B: Whether Maya wasn't paying attention in her Losambra Chicago orientation class or whether it's just not information that came up, who knows? But in either case, you don't recall. [00:06:24] Speaker E: It's been a long night. [00:06:26] Speaker D: It's nothing to be ashamed of, not paying attention to that class. [00:06:30] Speaker G: I don't know that I'd agree. [00:06:32] Speaker B: But Ivy, you have a certain degree of knowledge on these things, do you not? [00:06:40] Speaker G: I do. My mother made it very clear that it was very important to know these things. [00:06:49] Speaker B: Well, Miss Le Roux, if you would like to roll intelligence and politics, that's for successes. Well, you know, once upon a time, for a very long time, it belonged to Maureen O'Leary, a very famous Chicago figure and longtime primogen of clan Malkavian. Miss O'Leary disappeared prior to the werewolf invasion, at which point the territory was essentially abandoned. It was restored to the Malkavian primogen when a new one was selected. Which means it is now currently the sole and exclusive domain of Son Newberry. [00:07:33] Speaker C: I was worried about that shit. [00:07:37] Speaker B: Now, we should remember that just because he's in control of the territory doesn't mean he's in control of the territory, right? Someone might be squatting. They might not have his permission. There are plenty of reasons why he wouldn't know what's going on. There are also plenty of reasons he would know what's going on. [00:07:56] Speaker E: I'm sorry, isn't the Malkavian thing foresight? [00:08:00] Speaker C: Fair enough. And considering how vocally opposed he was to the lasombur's entry into the Camarilla, it just seems like something he wouldn't want to miss out on. [00:08:12] Speaker B: In the police procedural world, we call that circumstantial evidence. Still, it's obviously enough to raise your collective hackles. That creates a problem of sorts. If it is your presumption that he is involved, you can't exactly go and ask him about it, right? The best case scenario, he just lies to your face. The worst case scenario, he tries to kill you right there. On the other hand, if he's not involved, one would think he has an interest in seeing these squatters removed and would offer his assistance. [00:08:50] Speaker C: Fair enough. I think we need to get a good view of the situation before we even think to include him. Especially this Zion character who they were hired by. If his name points to Newberry, we've got a suspect. No. Even a main mean. [00:09:08] Speaker G: Yeah, because here's the thing. I don't trust Newberry farther than I can throw him. Based on his reaction the night of the sacrifice, all the things that he was saying, the way he was acting, the way he was posturing about how all the Malkavian felt the exact same way about things, whether, regardless of what he says, I won't trust it. [00:09:31] Speaker B: So that is the situation. As it stands. [00:09:35] Speaker E: The idea of now having to go after somebody who's one of his clan's main traits is being able to tell the future is going to be a problem. [00:09:48] Speaker B: It is a bit of a predicament. [00:09:51] Speaker G: Yeah, but being able to tell the future. But you've got the mask of Malkavian madness about it, right? [00:09:59] Speaker C: Precisely. [00:10:01] Speaker E: Does Newberry seem terribly mad to you? [00:10:05] Speaker G: Oh, incredibly. [00:10:07] Speaker E: The irony, by the way, of him residing in Lakeshore is delicious. Or using lakeshore is delicious. [00:10:15] Speaker B: Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. But more to your question, every Malkavian has a madness about them. If you can't see it, it just means they've done a good job of hiding it. Bronwyn seemed very well put together when you encountered her, but there's no escaping your blood curse. [00:10:34] Speaker C: Really depends on how bad it is behind closed doors. If it's out there, at least you know what you're dealing with. But that's a whole new unknown factor. [00:10:43] Speaker E: The current best case scenario is that Newberry is being dumb and didn't realize that he let Gary vampires into his domain. The worst case scenario is that he's organized this whole conspiracy the whole time and is harboring basically terrorists. [00:11:01] Speaker D: I'd rather it wasn't that option. [00:11:04] Speaker E: I don't want to discount it. [00:11:06] Speaker B: If not Newberry, it has to be somebody powerful, right? Who else can pull that many strings? [00:11:12] Speaker F: I wish it was disabled. [00:11:16] Speaker G: I bet you do. [00:11:19] Speaker B: I mean, that said, I think Ivy also wishes it was disabled for different reasons. [00:11:24] Speaker G: But here's the thing. If it is, that makes the whole clan look bad. Taking disabled down is fine, but not to the detriment of the entire clan. [00:11:35] Speaker E: This doesn't look bad on the Malkavians. [00:11:38] Speaker G: I don't give a fuck how it looks for the Malkavians. Why would that matter to me at all? I'm a Tremere. I care about how my clan looks. [00:11:49] Speaker B: Okay, well, you can relate to mm hmm. [00:11:55] Speaker E: As it stands, we at least have a direction to move. It would look bad on Newberry if he stopped us from sneaking around his areas anyway, because isn't he supposed to be helping our investigation? [00:12:05] Speaker C: Right? Interfering with justice. But we'll see when we take flight. [00:12:10] Speaker G: I mean, I don't think he's supposed to be helping with anything. [00:12:15] Speaker E: Barring us from investigating would be suspect. [00:12:17] Speaker B: Though, at the moment. Last you heard from the prince, he was making quiet contact with the Primigen. Prince Jackson wasn't super clear on what that actually meant, so far as it applied to your vampire subpoena powers, we'll call them. So it could be the case that Newberry knows if he sees you, he knows why you're there. He might be suspicious as about why you're investigating in his turf, but should be cooperative. It's also possible that the prince just said, hey, there's a fire. Don't get worked up about it. I'm on it, and left you all out. [00:12:58] Speaker D: Still, even if it's quiet contact with the Primigen, if Newberry blocked us from looking into this, I think we'd be able to tell the prince, hey, Newberry's not letting us investigate, and that might give us a little leeway piss Newberry off. But he already doesn't like us. [00:13:17] Speaker B: Yeah, well, then let me ask you these questions first. Do you intend to get in contact with Mr. Newberry ahead of time? You know what they say, easier to ask forgiveness than permission. [00:13:29] Speaker E: But I'm inclined not to let a suspect know what we're up to. [00:13:34] Speaker D: I'd also really rather not like giving him a heads up first. I don't like the potential of the backlash. [00:13:41] Speaker C: My thoughts exactly. And if he is involved, we're giving him a heads up to hide whatever he needs to. So going in and figuring out what we can from Zion might be the best option. [00:13:53] Speaker E: We have a slight advantage in that we were attacked by the Si. Nobody knows we're alive yet, so to speak. [00:14:00] Speaker D: That is a good point. [00:14:01] Speaker B: Well, if you do not intend to announce yourself to Sun Newberry. The next question is when are you going? Are you heading out tonight? Are there other people who you want to bring in on this? Other things that you still feel like you need to know before you make a move? [00:14:18] Speaker D: I'll be honest. I could use a knight. I'm still beat up. I need food. [00:14:23] Speaker C: Exactly. If we're heading into another ambush, we need to be in top form. And knowing Newberry, if he does take our entry badly, we need to be prepared for the worst. [00:14:35] Speaker E: I don't like wasting any time though. [00:14:38] Speaker G: I'm with Maya on this, but I also don't want to force anybody to go if they just are beat to shit. [00:14:48] Speaker E: I also assume that Michaela isn't going to want to hang out with us that long. [00:14:52] Speaker B: Well, she didn't want to hang out with you in the first place, but she's also low on options. [00:14:57] Speaker E: I was going to say she doesn't get much of a choice. [00:15:00] Speaker G: Beggars can't be choosers. [00:15:03] Speaker D: We considered giving her to Damien for safekeeping, correct? Did we still want to go ahead with that or let her just hide out in my container? [00:15:12] Speaker E: Do you mind letting her hide with. [00:15:13] Speaker F: You a little longer? [00:15:15] Speaker D: I don't mind. But if anything happens to the computer, I am going to seek divine retribution on all of you. [00:15:22] Speaker E: I guess we can turn her over to the Prince. I just don't want to turn her over and then take that as the excuse as the final. [00:15:30] Speaker C: That was my fear too. I don't think she'll touch your computer schmendric. [00:15:35] Speaker D: You guys make good points. If we do decide to give her to the prince, however, I would suggest not giving him the details quite yet. Just say this is a suspect, she knows stuff, and not immediately admit to her starting a fire. [00:15:50] Speaker B: You suppose you can keep that secret from him? [00:15:53] Speaker D: Not forever. [00:15:55] Speaker C: He is event true. I don't exactly believe that anyone can keep secrets around them for long. [00:16:01] Speaker B: Well, I will tell you that given the urgency of the investigation, the Prince is more likely to cooperate with strange requests than not. But he's also under a great amount of pressure to have this problem solved and being able to tell interested parties that we have a lead. We're getting closer. My guys are on. It would benefit him politically. [00:16:26] Speaker E: Why don't we instead see if we can turn Michaela over to Damien or another hound? That way the prince has her but isn't going to use her, and less people know. Specifically newberry doesn't know we're onto him. [00:16:44] Speaker B: It's your intention then, to give Michaela over to Damien and then hope Damien keeps it a secret. [00:16:50] Speaker E: Is Damien in someone's pocket other than the Princes? [00:16:54] Speaker C: I think he was hired specifically because he wasn't. [00:16:57] Speaker B: But that is true. Damien didn't want to be sheriff. Prince Jackson wanted Damien to be sheriff specifically because he wasn't tied up in any schemes or scams or political nonsense. [00:17:13] Speaker E: Then I think you'll understand this. [00:17:15] Speaker B: At the very least, you can make your case. But if that's the direction that we're going to head, you'll have to make contact with him. [00:17:22] Speaker D: Assuming nobody has an issue with that, I will go and make a call to set up a meeting with Damien. [00:17:29] Speaker B: As prior, you find yourself in contact with one of Prince Jackson's ghouls. If Damien has any ghouls, you don't have their number anymore. It's a very polite young man. Yes. Can I ask the nature of your business this evening? [00:17:46] Speaker D: Hey, I want to get in touch with Damien. Can you put me through to him or set up a meeting? [00:17:52] Speaker B: And may I inquire as to the nature of your request? [00:17:55] Speaker D: We have some leads on the case we're investigating. [00:17:59] Speaker B: Yes, I see. Very well. One moment, please. [00:18:02] Speaker D: I wait patiently. [00:18:04] Speaker B: He comes off hold. Do you have access to reliable transport? [00:18:10] Speaker D: Yeah, we do. [00:18:11] Speaker B: We do very well and gives you an address and a time. [00:18:17] Speaker D: How many hours from now is this time? [00:18:19] Speaker B: Less than one. [00:18:21] Speaker D: Okay, so soon. All right. Thank you very much. [00:18:25] Speaker B: Enjoy your evening. [00:18:27] Speaker D: You as well. And with that, I'll hang up. And to Maya's question, yes, we do have a car. There's mine, which did not explode or get shot up, unlike yours. And there's Bob's, I guess if we want to steal his truck. [00:18:42] Speaker B: I mean, five people in a Volkswagen is going to be a tight squeeze. [00:18:47] Speaker D: Shotgun. [00:18:48] Speaker C: Not the first time you've been in a tight squeeze. [00:18:52] Speaker E: If you're going by Dresden rules, the Volkswagen is at least not subject to my problems. [00:18:57] Speaker B: That's true. You could probably drive it. It's only fair. After all, Schmendrick drove your car, turned about his fair play. [00:19:05] Speaker E: I think I'll let Schmendrick drive anyway. It's been a couple years. [00:19:10] Speaker B: Ivy can't drive because they'll ask for her ID, and then it'll go really bad. [00:19:14] Speaker D: Be fair. I'm in the same boat with Ivy. I just drive anyways. I imagine actually, this is the same way that Michaela got pulled over, is just obviously driving a car as an osferatu. [00:19:26] Speaker B: Yeah, DWN it's a big problem. Well, in that kerfuffle there, I heard Ivy make a very quick call of shotgun with Schmedric in the front seat, Ivy in the passenger. That means three other ladies will be in the back. [00:19:44] Speaker D: Apologies. It's not as cozy as Maya's car was. [00:19:49] Speaker C: It gets the job done. And there's not a hawk back here now. And I give Maya a wink. [00:19:55] Speaker E: I look down at my borrowed Care Bear shirt and boxers, and nothing about this is ever going to be comfortable again. [00:20:05] Speaker B: Before we get too far down that road, literally and metaphorically, what are you telling Michaela? Someone has to go back to the shipping container and get her and then tell her to come get in the. [00:20:18] Speaker C: Car before I get in the car. Of course. We need our important guest. So I'll head over to her storage container and fetch her. [00:20:27] Speaker B: Well, Michaela's, where you left her sitting on Schmendric's bed, twiddling her thumbs for lack of more entertaining things to do. The door opening, she looks up. [00:20:38] Speaker C: Hey there. Michaela, right? [00:20:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:41] Speaker C: You know that difficult to keep track of faces nowadays. We're going to take you to some friends. They're going to keep you safe. Nothing bad's going to happen with it. [00:20:51] Speaker B: Thought that was your job. That was the promise you all made, right? Keep me safe? [00:20:56] Speaker C: Well, yeah, we're taking you somewhere safer than this place. It's a pullover of sorts. Don't get me wrong, Schmenrick's got a nice set up here, but not exactly bursting with security, if you catch my drift. [00:21:09] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, sure, whatever. Just get hauled around, I guess. Lead the way. [00:21:16] Speaker C: Walk out, look over my shoulder. [00:21:20] Speaker A: So Rebecca takes the lead in directing the Coterie to Schmendrick's waiting Volkswagen. It's a bit crowded with Michaela on board, but she won't be here for long. Information travels up and down the network of ghouls and burner phones and you get instructions to deliver your quarry to another Otolis. It's always an otolis. Damien asks no questions as he takes her into custody, giving only assurances that she will be safe and kept in one piece until the prince requires her for what Damien assumes is an imminent trial. It's not too long then, until you've offloaded your cargo. That means that's rude. She's not cargo, she's a witness. And now she's in Damien's capable hands, being kept safe from all the vagaries of kindred's gaming. I wish we could say the same for you. You have just enough information to know the kind of trouble you're getting yourself into. Lakeshore Hospital is squarely within the exclusive domain of Son Newberry. We know one of two things can be true. Either he's aware that the Gary Coterie is in his territory, in which case he is complicit, or he is unaware, in which case you are sailing dangerously close to making some very inappropriate allegations. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to answer those questions from this distance. How does it go, Ivy? We have to get huh a lot closer. A lot closer. So, with Schmendrick behind the wheel of her Volkswagen, ivy in the passenger seat, rebecca and Maya sitting in the rear, it's only six or seven minutes up lakeshore Drive to that part of town. The hospital sits adjacent. Lakeshore right next to a park, right next to the beach. What do we do now? [00:23:26] Speaker C: Regardless if Si are here or not, we need to make sure we're not walking in blindly. And in our case, as I said earlier, he's got a pair of eyes in the sky. [00:23:37] Speaker A: I'll call upon Yaka, your faithful friend, your avian amiga managed to make it back from the refinery. Will you roll manipulation and animal ken for me? [00:23:49] Speaker C: Can do one success. [00:23:54] Speaker A: Yucca is possessed of a staggering amount of bravery for a hawk, but that's a fairly low bar to fly over. With the experience of the refinery that vivid in her memory, you feel the hesitation pushing back against your thoughts. She remembers what happened last time you asked her to do something like this. Charitably you can say that she's not cooperating fully because she's trying to protect you less. Charitably you can say she's not interested because of purely selfish means, but she's circling a bit higher than you would find useful, much less willing to sail down the trees and peer into windows. And the information that you are able to glean from her avian mind is not a complete tactical picture. There are cars parked on the streets. Of course there are. There's lightfoot traffic. Of course there is. [00:24:58] Speaker C: As I relate as much to the group, I realize Yucca's not in any shape to be flying so soon. I believe the term is flighty. I'll dismiss her for now, but there's not much more we can get from that. [00:25:13] Speaker D: Well, since that didn't work, given my knowledge of building codes, and considering any scraps of knowledge I got from Lady Green on the subject, I try to bot out a decent enough route in and out the place. If there's an ambush, I would like to know how to most efficiently get away. [00:25:32] Speaker A: You are fortunate the hospital does not want for exits. Hospital design is a curious thing when you're dealing with life and death circumstances. Travel time is a luxury your patients do not have. So hospitals are designed so that you can get into them from as many ways as possible. The places that patients will need to use the most are located centrally. You put radiology next to surgery and emergency, that kind of thing. Psychiatric hospitals are not so well laid out, but the same basic principles apply. You have plenty of entrance and exit points. [00:26:12] Speaker D: Okay, so that's actually interesting, because that would probably pit the group of Michaela's friends, Zion, and all them in the center most areas, because of what they might require to do their jobs, what they might know. Computer access, lighting. I don't know if they're using fridges or anything like that. [00:26:39] Speaker C: Good point. I thought it was a lot more sinister. [00:26:42] Speaker A: A great many of the building's windows are boarded. Not all of them, but where the glass is exposed, you don't see light pouring out. And a cursory examination from the shadows doesn't show security on the premises. There's a chain link fence to keep out unmotivated vandals, but aside from that, the site looks still. [00:27:06] Speaker D: Well, information is information. [00:27:09] Speaker F: What about your ratch Vendrick? Can they glean anything? [00:27:13] Speaker D: I decided to give him a break from today. Besides, my connection with him is strong, but I do not have the ability to direct as well as you might think. And if I told them to find us a way in, the way in may just be a very small rat sized opening. [00:27:34] Speaker A: Animal brains are fickle like that. [00:27:37] Speaker F: Any Tremere tricks? [00:27:39] Speaker G: Not that I have. [00:27:42] Speaker D: If all else fails, I can head in and scout, potentially unseen. [00:27:50] Speaker F: I can use shadow perspective to look around if we need to. [00:27:54] Speaker A: You'll be limited in the sense that you can only project your senses into shadows. You can see from where you're standing, but that's still more information than you have otherwise. [00:28:04] Speaker F: Is it just arouse? [00:28:07] Speaker B: Yes. [00:28:08] Speaker A: But I'll need to know where you. [00:28:09] Speaker F: Are looking from a safe vantage point, either across the street or hopefully from the car. I will find a window that seems. [00:28:19] Speaker E: Like it's got a good view of. [00:28:20] Speaker F: The space and use shadow perspective to peek inside. [00:28:25] Speaker A: Arousing success, if that matters, matters a great deal. You've learned quite recently the difficulties that arise when you can't control your hunger. But in this case, the beast makes no demands. Your eyes roll back till not but white remains and you cast your senses into the shadow. Building is five stories tall. Which one are you peering into? [00:28:53] Speaker F: Schmendrick said that they would be closer to the center of the building. [00:28:58] Speaker E: I would feel like it's safe to. [00:28:59] Speaker F: Assume that most common areas that are larger would be towards the lower floors. Let's go with maybe the second floor. [00:29:09] Speaker A: You find yourself located in a dormitory room of sorts. There are two beds, both of them made a very thin wool blanket. Military surplus comes to mind. The beds sit on large concrete blocks. Perched at the top, a little teddy bear, one on each bed. Looking to the right, you see the bathroom. Plain block, steel fixtures, nothing to trip, hang or cut yourself on. It looks like it was abandoned in the middle of a normal day and not so long ago that someone's had an opportunity to come in and trash the place. No signs of motion, no signs of inhabitants. [00:29:57] Speaker F: There are teddy bears still on the bed. [00:29:59] Speaker A: One pink, one blue. [00:30:02] Speaker F: Interesting thing to leave. Well, it looks quiet from here. May I slip into another shadow? [00:30:14] Speaker A: You're welcome to change your perspective, but. [00:30:16] Speaker B: You'Ll have to rouse. [00:30:17] Speaker A: Every time. [00:30:18] Speaker F: I'll rouse once more to check the floor below me, another rousing success. [00:30:25] Speaker A: First floor is likewise still clean. The floors aren't polished, but they've been mopped fairly recently. You're staring at an intake center. [00:30:37] Speaker B: A large open plan, circular reception desk. [00:30:41] Speaker A: One hallway cuts off to the north, another to the west. Offices, administrative nooks records rooms lining each of them, down to the double doors on either side. [00:30:53] Speaker F: First floor is clean, too. OD, considering. How long has this place been abandoned? [00:30:59] Speaker A: The hospital was closed in 2020, so just over a year. [00:31:05] Speaker F: Slightly more believable that it's clean, then. It looks like there's no one around. [00:31:10] Speaker C: Not even our people of interest. [00:31:13] Speaker F: I can't check that far. It would be very convenient if they were just standing by a window, now, wouldn't it? [00:31:18] Speaker C: Fair and I doubt we'd be standing near any windows if we were in their shoes. [00:31:23] Speaker G: Well, see, that's what I'm curious about. Why would they be anywhere where there would be windows? [00:31:32] Speaker A: The important part is that you don't see guards, you don't see security, you don't see people sitting inside the front entrance watching the doors. [00:31:43] Speaker C: Exactly. Free for a group of vampires to walk in and take their survey. Perfect. [00:31:51] Speaker F: Well, let's get going then. Enterprising urban explorers. That we are. [00:31:56] Speaker D: You guys like? I can still give the place a bit of a scout beforehand, but I mean, sounds like we're in the clear for the most part. [00:32:04] Speaker E: I'm pretty confident at least the first. [00:32:06] Speaker F: Two floors are empty. Let's go in. [00:32:09] Speaker D: Sounds good, right? [00:32:11] Speaker C: No time like the present. And I'll hop out of the car and lead the way. [00:32:15] Speaker A: Well, as Maya has told you, the first floor is as expected. No bodies, living or otherwise. No lights, no sound. It's clean, though. And I say it like that. It's weirdly clean. Rebecca you know how the world has a way of sneaking into open surfaces? You can't leave anything undetended without some level of dust accumulating, of course. [00:32:45] Speaker C: And that doesn't even go without the marks of other urban explorers. It just it seems maintained. Yeah. [00:32:53] Speaker D: That means someone with money is actually taking care to preserve this place to some degree. [00:33:00] Speaker F: It's not boating well for someone who might be controlling the territory. [00:33:04] Speaker C: Unless they're the ones doing it. But that's neither here nor now. [00:33:09] Speaker A: Hushed Whispers that's all that's here. [00:33:11] Speaker C: Despite being a person who lives in an abandoned building. I think this is the first time I've been unnerved by being in one of these places. It's too clean. It's too sterile. With only our voices here, it's something's not right. [00:33:27] Speaker A: Oh, come on. What's scary about an abandoned hospital? [00:33:31] Speaker C: I look over to Maya and raise an eyebrow. You saw absolutely nothing. No one. [00:33:37] Speaker F: Nothing but clean rooms and silence. [00:33:43] Speaker C: It's a big place. We should start looking. [00:33:46] Speaker F: Isn't tracking something you're quite good at? [00:33:49] Speaker C: Oh, it is. I mean, in a place like this. And I'll look around at the frighteningly clean space. If there's any life here, I should be able to find it. So, prowling down the wink hallways, is there any sign of life here? Activity? Or has it all been swept away? [00:34:05] Speaker A: For that, will you make a wits and survival role for me? [00:34:09] Speaker C: Two successes. [00:34:11] Speaker A: Well, the floors aren't as clean as you were led to believe. When you're out in the wild, you look for the footprints in the mud, in the dirt, right. You look for the places that the human touch has disturbed nature. This is the same, almost. It's just in reverse. This place has been professionally cleaned, but that makes it easier to find the boot prints here and there. [00:34:39] Speaker C: Not as clean as we thought. Indeed. They lead anywhere? [00:34:42] Speaker A: Well, that depends. Which set of tracks are you. Talking about? [00:34:46] Speaker C: There are multiple. What do these tracks look like? Where are they leading? [00:34:51] Speaker A: As best you can tell on two successes, there are three to seven, maybe. They cross over each other a lot. The tracks aren't really good enough for you to get a clear sense of how big a shoe size is or if the soles are different. Nothing that would allow you to differentiate between individuals passing. [00:35:13] Speaker F: Would an investigation work here or show us where they're headed? Or show us the largest amount of. [00:35:20] Speaker B: The direction is actually quite easy to. [00:35:21] Speaker A: Ascertain numerous and indecipherable as they may be, the path of traffic very clearly goes to the stairwell just off the main lobby and up from there. [00:35:34] Speaker C: Up the stairs. Seems like they're making a high nest up here. [00:35:39] Speaker A: So the coterie proceeds slowly, cautiously, ears tuned to the sounds just outside the wind. Every single footstep sounds so loud compared to the deafening background silence. Rebecca, you're in front. Right? [00:35:57] Speaker C: Of course. I'm our well explorer. Not urban, but close enough. [00:36:04] Speaker A: And who's behind you? Schmendrick and schmendric, who's behind you? [00:36:11] Speaker G: Maya, because I don't trust her, so I would be bringing up the rear. [00:36:15] Speaker F: Wow. [00:36:16] Speaker A: It's weird that she hates you so much. She would rather be the one in the back, vulnerable to being picked off. [00:36:23] Speaker F: Well, if she gets picked off, we'll hear the screaming, I assume. [00:36:27] Speaker A: Well, on the topic of hearing things, rebecca, will you make a wits and awareness roll for me? [00:36:33] Speaker C: Oh, boy. Sure thing. Two successes. [00:36:38] Speaker A: Nothing on the second floor. [00:36:41] Speaker C: Right. And place doesn't seem populated, except for well and I'll motion towards those footprints. [00:36:49] Speaker F: We don't even need to actually enter the floor. If I can just get into the doorway and peek around again. [00:36:56] Speaker C: Right. The shadow thing seems like a good course of action at the very least. If someone is waiting for us in there. [00:37:02] Speaker A: You'll spot them creeping upward, creeping onward, step by step into the unknown. In the core of the building, light is hard to come by. You catch the occasional glimmer of the moon shining down. But inside, the actual stairwell is close to pitch dark. You're left alone with your ears and your imagination. You can see the person ahead of you. But aside from that, it's the creeping sensation that anything could be lurking in this building. [00:37:38] Speaker G: Can I activate? Sense the unseen? Maybe there's something. It just feels like a thing that I want to do. [00:37:46] Speaker A: Sure. It's free. Right here into the umbra. See what you can see. [00:37:52] Speaker G: No ghosts or anything haunting this place. [00:37:55] Speaker A: It's going to depend entirely on your wits and auspec's role. [00:38:00] Speaker G: Five successes. [00:38:02] Speaker A: No, it's emotionally stale. There's nothing here. At least that is what you believe until you reach the fourth floor. At this point, Rebecca doesn't need to roll wits and awareness. You can hear it coming from down the hallway as you approach that half landing before turning right up. Another half set of concrete stairs. It's quiet, not whispered, muffled, you'd say a kind of moaning, maybe a whimpering, possibly a muttering. [00:38:40] Speaker C: Normally that wouldn't be out of place in a hospital, but it isn't right here. Is it distinguishable in any way? [00:38:48] Speaker A: No. Is it one voice? Is it ten voices? [00:38:51] Speaker B: Is it just outside the door? [00:38:53] Speaker A: Is it at the end of the hall? [00:38:56] Speaker F: If we can open the door quietly and just a crack so I can see, I can look again, be my. [00:39:03] Speaker C: Guest, because my eyes are going to make a lot of noise. [00:39:07] Speaker F: One more shadow perspective. [00:39:09] Speaker A: Sure. [00:39:11] Speaker F: It's a hunger game. [00:39:13] Speaker A: Well, it's a bit worse than that, isn't it? Anytime that you roll a one on a rouse check when using oblivion, you reach into the umbra and some of it reaches back. [00:39:25] Speaker F: This is fine. [00:39:27] Speaker A: Mechanically, that means you take a stain. The umbra is morally dead. It is the plane of oblivion whence your power gets its name. But more than that, it is empty, cold, void and dead and making any kind of psychic connection with a plane of pure, utter darkness. There's no amount of humanity that can survive that touch. So you throw your senses into the shadow, surrounded as they are, by those things that lurk and tug from just behind the curtain. In the reality that you cannot see, you do not understand, but nevertheless tempt with your presence. You're looking down a long hallway, 100ft lined on other side with individual rooms, not the kind that you saw on the second floor. The doors are too close together cells. Every single door left and right is shut. There's a small slot in the bottom where a tray could be inserted, and a small window near eye level, portholeish in shape. Those you cannot see into, but the length of the hallway is clear of any. [00:40:46] Speaker F: Hmm, I don't love that. But apparently I don't care anymore. [00:40:54] Speaker C: It's clear. [00:40:56] Speaker F: I'll let the coterie know. [00:40:59] Speaker G: Well, that certainly sounds like a place where you'd keep somebody if you needed to make sure that they weren't going to go anywhere. [00:41:06] Speaker F: I'll look to the coterie when I get back into my body. Patient isolation rooms. I don't know if the doors are locked, but they are definitely closed. [00:41:16] Speaker A: Back in your body? [00:41:18] Speaker F: Most of me. [00:41:19] Speaker D: Well, if we have reason to believe we should open them, I can pick the locks, provided that they are locked. [00:41:27] Speaker F: I think the idea is that these are sort of unopenable from the inside. Which means I think it might be safe to at least enter the hall. [00:41:36] Speaker A: Who's going first? [00:41:38] Speaker C: I'll take the lead once more. If something is going to attack our coterie, I want it to face me first. [00:41:45] Speaker D: I'll follow up. No need to change the marching order on my account. [00:41:49] Speaker C: Where's that moaning coming from? First of all, these cells, they could hold anything. But let's deal with the most apparent problem first. [00:41:56] Speaker B: Everywhere. [00:41:59] Speaker C: Everywhere. Like no source peering into any of the cells. If they have windows, there are the little feeding holes. Is there anyone? Anything? [00:42:08] Speaker A: Which cell do you look in? [00:42:10] Speaker C: Front left? Let's start from the beginning. [00:42:13] Speaker A: Creep up forward. Eyes of the predator activated. Peering into the darkness. You've seen what they call the rubber rooms in movies. It's much more unsettling in person. A four foot by four foot square, padded on every side. Not enough room for your average human to stretch their arms tip to tip. They can stand. Could they lie down? No, not comfortably. There are no toilet facilities here. You crane your neck up to look down. Is there a food tray or anything? And then bam. A face against the glass. [00:42:54] Speaker C: That actually made me jump. Out of character. [00:42:56] Speaker G: But it made me jump too. Goddamn it. [00:42:59] Speaker A: A pale cheek, reddened with a kind of bed rash. The jaw slack, the tongue hanging loose in the mouth, smearing almost. It gives the impression of a jellyfish against aquarium glass. And then a hand next to it pawing impotently. And now you can hear the moan quite clearly. [00:43:26] Speaker C: That's where it's from. As soon as the urge to fight her fully leaves. Is this person alive? Am I? Someone else has to be seeing this. I'll wave the coterie over. Flesh and blood. [00:43:39] Speaker A: It has all the familiar symptoms of human. [00:43:42] Speaker C: I assume that it might not be the best method of communication, but does tapping on the glass get their attention? [00:43:49] Speaker A: In a matter of speaking, this creature it feels inappropriate to call it a person. Not in the state that it's being kept in, but a mind left to its own devices like this, isolated for God knows it's agitated now. Face turns to you. It must have been a young woman at some point. You can see the softness in her features. Her hair is thinner than it should be. Malnutrition does that to a body. Her eyes are sunken, sleep deprived, emaciated. It's hard to tell. She's just staring now. A stillness in her entire person as she continues with the same unbroken pace, just pawing, fingertips gently against the glass. [00:44:46] Speaker D: My brain has immediately gone to is this where Bronwyn keeps some of her rejects? But I'm not sure. [00:44:52] Speaker C: In as gentle a tone as I can manage, I'll say, hey, you okay? Obviously she's not. But it has to count for something. For being treated as human. [00:45:03] Speaker A: Her voice, her personhood, her speech is broken. If she's capable of normal speech, she does not demonstrate that skill. In this moment. [00:45:12] Speaker F: We don't even know if she's kindred or not. [00:45:15] Speaker G: Can try and find out before we. [00:45:19] Speaker C: Let her out of any cells. Are the others occupied? [00:45:22] Speaker F: We're not letting her out of a cell. [00:45:26] Speaker G: I literally just need to taste a drop of her blood. And I can tell you if she's human, mortal, ghoul kindred, or some other supernatural creature. [00:45:34] Speaker F: Hopefully you want to put that in. [00:45:36] Speaker C: Your mouth, looking at her. It's a little disturbing that there's just one person here. There are places like this they keep. [00:45:44] Speaker A: Who said there's only one person? [00:45:46] Speaker C: That's what I want to check. Is there someone else? Are any of the cells occupied? [00:45:51] Speaker A: If you can dare peel your eyes away from this. Every single room is occupied. One after the other, left and right. All of them filled with something that was once human until some kind of unimaginable cruelty was inflicted upon them. [00:46:11] Speaker D: I'm getting angry at this point as I kind of trail behind Rebecca. I know what this is. I don't know if an enemy of mine is behind it or not, but I also know that I'm rather impotent in solving this. I can't just let them out and have everything be good. No, this needs to be reported. People with actual medical skills need to come in here, and if these are human, they need to help these people. So I think, personally, I would leave them in here for the moment, right? [00:46:43] Speaker C: For their own safety. [00:46:44] Speaker G: Do you guys want me to verify whether or not one of them is human? Because I can do that. [00:46:50] Speaker F: We simply don't have the time right now. [00:46:53] Speaker C: Yeah, because I imagine taking one of them out of the cells wouldn't be good. [00:46:57] Speaker A: Well, one of them, you know, is kindred. [00:47:00] Speaker G: Charles? [00:47:02] Speaker A: Good guess. Wrong. Zion, you've seen his face on how many cameras? Dozens at this point, right? Mug shots, the tapes from the hotel, the tape from Horatio Ballard's chemical company, even Michaela's description. [00:47:22] Speaker D: So this has turned into a jail for vampires now or something? [00:47:27] Speaker F: How present does he seem? [00:47:30] Speaker A: I don't know. Maybe your imagination knows better. What does it look like when someone has been subjected to the worst kinds of physical and psychological torture for a week, a month? [00:47:45] Speaker C: In any case, we need to treat him gently. He's been through a lot. Obviously. We'll start off small. Does picking any show of our appearance get any reaction out of him? [00:47:56] Speaker A: Well, the whole floor is pretty agitated now that they know there are people here. They're all expressing their excitement or displeasure in different ways. [00:48:07] Speaker C: Hey, Zion. Come on in. Come on, buddy. There must be something. [00:48:15] Speaker F: Does he look violent? [00:48:17] Speaker A: No. None of them do. [00:48:19] Speaker F: Maybe we can let him out of the cell. [00:48:22] Speaker C: Schmender, think you can do something about this? [00:48:29] Speaker A: They're not locked. I mean, the doors are such that you can open them from the outside and not from the inside, so you don't need to lock the outside. [00:48:36] Speaker D: I don't tell them this, and I just kind of walk up and open it and go lock it's. [00:48:43] Speaker A: Remarkable what Schmendrick can do. No lock escapes her fingers. [00:48:47] Speaker D: I'm the master. How does he react to the door opening, though? [00:48:51] Speaker A: As the door swings open, Zion recoils. He flees as far as the room will allow him to cowering in the corner. [00:49:00] Speaker D: Hey, whoa, whoa, buddy. [00:49:02] Speaker A: Michaela sent us reaching up with his hands guarding his face, his legs scrambling backwards. [00:49:10] Speaker B: Maybe if he tries hard enough, he. [00:49:11] Speaker A: Can push himself through the wall to get away from you. Before you get any further, there's something about the room that leaps out at your attention. It is covered, every inch of it, in a scribbled kind of drawing. The man doesn't have a pen. It's very obviously vita that he has used to create his art. It's the same face over and over and over again. A younger looking gentleman, slick back hair, thin nose, tiny, pursed lips. [00:49:52] Speaker D: I happen to remember Newberry looking a little similar. [00:49:56] Speaker A: You know, it does bear an interesting resemblance, doesn't it? [00:50:00] Speaker C: What could be more fitting than locking up a malkavian's prisoner here? He's pretty out of it. It might be a case of outlander to outlander. I'll deactivate eyes of the predator. Hold out a hand to him. Come on. We're friends. Miguela sent us. [00:50:16] Speaker A: Oh, the motion of your hand sends him shrieking shrill and loud and terrified. It is not communication. It is visceral, animal like protest. [00:50:31] Speaker F: Anyone have a camera? [00:50:32] Speaker D: Not on me, no. I haven't got a new phone yet. Me either. [00:50:37] Speaker F: Well, we know this is here, which at least is some evidence. [00:50:42] Speaker G: You aren't honestly suggesting we leave him, right? [00:50:46] Speaker F: I'm not. [00:50:48] Speaker G: Are we still working under the assumption that he was hired by sun to do everything that he's done? Because if that's the case, why is he locked up here? [00:50:58] Speaker D: I assume Son is getting rid of any potential problems, loose ends and all. [00:51:05] Speaker C: Poor thing. [00:51:06] Speaker G: Does he react positively to any of us at all? [00:51:11] Speaker A: The only positive reaction, if it can be called that, is when you retreat. The level of terror and anxiety seems to decrease in a pretty linear way with your distance from him out the door. [00:51:27] Speaker D: This is officially bigger than us. We need to get help in on this. [00:51:32] Speaker F: This is not formal evidence that Son is behind it. Although one could maybe draw a conclusion that because he is keeping Zion locked up and Zion's faces are on the recordings we have, he is at least keeping evidence from Sierra. [00:51:52] Speaker G: More importantly, the prince. [00:51:55] Speaker F: Oh, yeah, that too. [00:51:57] Speaker A: Everyone has different chains of command. It's okay. [00:52:01] Speaker F: My assertion being that he's either obstructing justice by not telling us he has this, or he's obstructing justice by doing the thing. [00:52:12] Speaker C: Think it's about time we call in bigger guns. [00:52:15] Speaker A: Who do you know? [00:52:17] Speaker F: The question for me is, is this enough evidence to start pointing fingers at. [00:52:23] Speaker G: The beginning of this? The prince just needed something. He needed a name. He needed enough to go on. We don't have all the information we need. We don't have all the players involved in this, but we can at least point the Prince in this direction. [00:52:39] Speaker C: Yeah, we've got more than a name. We've got faces at this point. [00:52:45] Speaker A: Well, one face, even. [00:52:47] Speaker D: So, if this is new, bear's facility. He is holding other kindred. I'm sure the Prince is going to want to know. [00:52:55] Speaker F: Does the Prince care what the primogen of a clan does with their underlings? [00:53:00] Speaker A: Depends on the prince. [00:53:02] Speaker D: Some of these underlings may not be his underlings. They might be someone else's. [00:53:07] Speaker F: As it is, this is evidence, and whether or not the art is also evidence remains to be seen. But you're right, we did finish our job. [00:53:19] Speaker G: What's really confusing me about all of this right now is that the fire was less than a week ago. So there's no way that he could have been here for more than four or five days. This is a lot of damage in a very short amount of time. [00:53:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:42] Speaker G: So I turn to the group and have just a hint of a grin. I think that we actually have a little more to go on with this newberry angle than we're thinking about. As I'm sure we all know, Malkavians mess with people's heads. They call it dementation. And that could be what we're dealing with here, with all of these people, with Zion specifically. [00:54:11] Speaker C: No better way to silence him, keep him up here, make him incomprehensible. So in the case that he is found, just broke him like he was nothing. [00:54:22] Speaker G: Very, very broken. [00:54:24] Speaker A: Well, would you like to apply a bit of the scientific method to your hypothesis? [00:54:31] Speaker G: I would. In fact, I would like to reach into my occult knowledge and see if I can figure out if this is exactly what we're dealing with or not. [00:54:40] Speaker A: That would be intelligence and occult. [00:54:43] Speaker G: That is four successes. [00:54:46] Speaker A: The particulars of dementation do evade you. You know the inputs and you know the outcome, those kind of things. You can study the exact mechanism that part. You haven't taken that class yet. You know that it's a slightly advanced power that allows the Malkavian to inflict madness upon others. More common is the ability to inflict visions upon someone, to distort their senses. Given the amount of time that Zion has been here and what you know about Newberry, this is likely a lesser version of that effect, the kind of thing that would wear off with time or could be counteracted. [00:55:34] Speaker G: Do I have enough knowledge to know what kind of abilities would counteract it? [00:55:40] Speaker A: A proper application of dominate, removing harmful memories would work. High enough levels of auspecs would allow you to reach into the brain and find the parts you're looking for. It's not a curative, but it would give you the information that you needed. Absent that, most people can only recover given enough time and will. Part of what is going on here, at least this is your hypothesis is that by keeping the humans hungry, dehydrated, scared, keeping the kindred deprived of vita but short of frenzy, he can create a circumstance where they don't have enough will to break their way out. Human blood. That would take some time, but put him on the path to recovery. Appropriately strong vita would do the trick a lot faster. [00:56:38] Speaker G: Appropriately strong like me, or appropriately strong, like Rebecca. [00:56:47] Speaker A: You know there's no way to be 100% sure. Given enough time, you could try vita at each level, carefully document the results, and then come up with a theory of your own in an urgent situation. Probably best to just go with the. [00:57:05] Speaker B: Best stuff you got. [00:57:07] Speaker G: Knowing this, I turn my head, lock eyes with Rebecca. I don't say anything yet. I just watch her for a second. [00:57:20] Speaker C: I'm already concerned for this man. If he's broken like Ivy said, then she has to know some way to fix him, right? I return her gaze. I wouldn't say pleading, but I'm looking for something. [00:57:37] Speaker G: Rebecca, do you want to help this man? Do you want to help this kindred? [00:57:42] Speaker C: Of course. [00:57:43] Speaker G: That's good to hear. And I go and I grab her arm, and I look up in her eyes, and I say, are you sure you want to help him? You're sure? I need to be sure. This might hurt. [00:57:58] Speaker C: Once I get over the sudden contact, and the realization of what Ivy is asking hits me, and that responsibility is bearing on my shoulders. If I could, I'd take a deep breath. Ivy, you know what happens if I help him like that, right? [00:58:16] Speaker G: If I thought that my blood would be just as good as yours, you know I would do it. Because blood bonds aren't a thing that I have to worry about anymore. I just know that the best chance that he's got is a little bit of the good stuff. The better stuff. [00:58:37] Speaker A: You can help this man, sure. But the words thrall and regnant come to mind. The blood bond is impure, slavish devotion. [00:58:51] Speaker C: I don't want that. I'm not a monster. I'm not going to make this man my slave. But is it fair to leave him locked in here in his own mind? [00:59:01] Speaker G: Look, if you don't want to do it, I can. The process is longer. [00:59:09] Speaker D: If I might interject, ladies, I don't think we have a whole lot of time. There's got to be a warden. Someone's probably going to come by eventually. [00:59:17] Speaker A: It falls to you, then. Rebecca son, newberry has already broken this man's mind, has done something dysfunctional, abusive, and perverse, but kindred. Say the same thing about the blood bond. [00:59:32] Speaker C: But I'm not doing it for that reason. I'm trying to help him. I'll take my arm from Ivy. I'll do it. And I'll walk into the cell. Good girl. [00:59:52] Speaker A: You hold out your arm, drawing a talon across the cold, waxy flesh that makes up your body deep, dark, crimson oozing. Vita willed to the surface. You don't bleed. Vampires don't in general. But someone of your age, especially, it more oozes. And it requires not a physical effort in any normal sense, but intent all the same to make it flow properly. Zion still trembling. Can smell on the air. He lacks the hunger that would drive a kindred to frenzy, but he has been deprived of life nevertheless. And like a scared animal, the same fear mixed with need that you saw on the sheep when you held out an ear of corn all those years ago. He drinks. He takes the essence of your age inside of himself. Eventually, you will be forced to pull your hand away. He does not pursue. But even as he leans back against the wall, licking your ancient blood from his lips, you can see that slightest hint of clarity, a fog gently lifting from his eyes. [01:01:18] Speaker C: It's worth it, then. Zion? [01:01:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:01:28] Speaker A: That's my name. That's my name. I'm Zion. [01:01:35] Speaker C: Yes, you are. I'm Rebecca. I point over over my shoulder. That's Ivy. That's schmendric. That's Maya. We're friends of Michaela. We're here to get you out. [01:01:47] Speaker A: I'm Zion. [01:01:49] Speaker C: You always were, Zion. [01:01:51] Speaker A: Where's Michaela? I know Michaela. [01:01:56] Speaker C: Michaela is with some of our friends. She's safe. [01:02:00] Speaker A: You're Rebecca. I'm Zion. I'm and you can see it. Clarity upon clarity. He's coming together, putting the pieces of his brain back in order, piecing his psyche together like so many shards of broken glass. He killed them. He was going to he's going to kill me. [01:02:27] Speaker C: Hey, slow down. Who's going to kill you? Who killed them? [01:02:34] Speaker A: The man with the thin face and the voice. I don't want to think about his voice. [01:02:43] Speaker C: Well, you don't have to. Right now, we're going to go away, and you can think about whatever you need to right now. I just need you to think about coming with us, keeping calm. Can you do that for me, Zion? [01:02:57] Speaker A: I can try. But he's going to come, and he'll know he was supposed to. He kept telling me that he couldn't wait to taste my soul like the others. [01:03:12] Speaker B: Like. [01:03:15] Speaker A: I can't see his face, but he was my friend. No, I can't remember his face, but I had to watch. And then he said that he was going to drink my soul, too. He's getting agitated as he starts to. [01:03:40] Speaker C: Get into that range. I just want to put two hands on his shoulders and say, zion, look at me. Look at me. He's not here. He's not going to drink your soul. It's just us. And you're not going to be around him. We're going to get you out of here. [01:03:56] Speaker D: Let's talk about this in the car. [01:03:59] Speaker G: Guess we can add Diablori to Son. [01:04:01] Speaker F: Newberry's list of crimes, provided it is actually Son newberry. [01:04:07] Speaker A: But while Rebecca, you find it remarkably easy to persuade this man to follow your instructions, in fact, it's physically impossible for him not to follow your instructions, a point which you cannot shake from your brain as you lead him out of the cell and back to the stairwell. [01:04:31] Speaker C: I'm sorry, Silas. [01:04:33] Speaker G: As we walk and I see Rebecca handling all of this, I put a hand on her shoulder just walking in step with her. I know that can't have been easy for you. I know how you feel about all of this. Just I appreciate you doing it a lot. [01:04:55] Speaker C: If I could still cry, my eyes would be full of tears right now. But I look back at Ivy, I just want it to be worth it in the end. [01:05:05] Speaker A: Was it worth it? I believe you when you say it was. I really do. And what in the world so far hasn't required a sacrifice? This began with a sacrifice. Malinkov was a sacrifice. If this doesn't go according to plan, Maya will be a sacrifice. Charles was a sacrifice. Michaela was a sacrifice. The four of you were meant to be sacrifices. Everywhere you look, there's someone being put out on a limb. Their well being, their life, their unlife risked for someone else's gain. But that is the story of the night, isn't it? That is the world that you belong to. Everybody has to give up a piece of themselves to make the great dance move, Rebecca. At least you feel badly about it. Maybe that'll count for something in the long run. [01:06:10] Speaker B: In the meantime, congratulations are due all around. You've located Zion with his information. You have a purported link now between the diamond Yama fire and the Malkavian primogen. [01:06:23] Speaker A: Son newberry. [01:06:26] Speaker B: That doesn't necessarily mean the case is closed. At the moment, it's the word of four new to Chicago kindred and a pair of Gary terrorists against an otherwise. [01:06:39] Speaker A: Esteemed member of the prince's court. [01:06:43] Speaker B: But there's still time. There's still time to secure the evidence you need. [01:06:48] Speaker A: Make your case as tightly sealed as possible. [01:06:52] Speaker B: What else is on the agenda so far as ensuring this Malkavian snake does not escape? [01:06:58] Speaker A: Justice is concerned. [01:07:01] Speaker D: Well, unfortunately for all others involved, I came to the epiphany that we need to get these people out now rather than later. I am willing to bet 100% that if Son's goons come here and see Zion missing, all the other evidence is going to go away. These people are going to go away, the Vita paintings are going to go away. And everything else that we could possibly tell the prince about son's misdeeds here and Blatant Masquerade violations. [01:07:31] Speaker B: Not an unreasonable suspicion. [01:07:34] Speaker F: Speaking of Vita paintings and the lack of credibility we seem to have, I really wish someone had thought to bring a camera to this. What is anyone going to do when we present them with photographic evidence? Accuse a la Sambra of photoshop? [01:07:50] Speaker D: I wish I still had my phone. I haven't had time to get a new one yet. [01:07:55] Speaker B: In fairness, not entirely your fault. There were extenuating circumstances. [01:08:02] Speaker C: There were complications with our communications. Definitely. Thanks, Si. [01:08:09] Speaker B: It's not to say the problem can't be resolved. You're in Chicago 24 hours. Gas stations all over the place. You could go buy a camera. Maybe they sell single use smartphones. I don't know, but it's possible. Or, hey, if you're short on time and money. Everyone has a smartphone these days. [01:08:26] Speaker F: How likely is it that someone has a disposable camera with them or is. [01:08:31] Speaker B: Selling one nearby carrying them? I would put those odds somewhere below zero, but anything's possible at a 24 hours gas station on the North Side. [01:08:43] Speaker D: I don't believe disposable cameras have hit the digital age yet, so we'd have to wait for those photos to develop. And we need to see the Prince tonight. [01:08:54] Speaker F: In that case, let's go find a gas station and a teenager. [01:08:58] Speaker B: Dare I ask what the teenager is for? [01:09:01] Speaker F: I assume they're attached to their phone. [01:09:04] Speaker G: Children these days. [01:09:07] Speaker B: So you want to find a gas station, because at the gas station, you will find a zoomer, and with that zoomer, you will find a phone. [01:09:14] Speaker F: I need a person who can touch a touch screen without the whole thing exploding. Any tourists on the street before I start looking for a gas station? [01:09:25] Speaker B: Your ODS of tracking someone down are going to depend on a couple things, right? You're going to want to find someone who's alone. That narrows it down. You're going to find someone who's not paying that close attention. It's nighttime in Chicago. Even on the North Side, people do not appreciate being confronted by strangers in the middle of the night. That said, I would take manipulation and street wise. Or wits and street wise. [01:09:56] Speaker F: Bold of you to assume I have street wise. [01:09:58] Speaker B: Oh, I didn't say you had to do it. [01:10:00] Speaker C: Oh, true. [01:10:02] Speaker B: Maya made it through all those years of business school and didn't learn how to delegate. [01:10:07] Speaker F: Schmendric, is there any way you could find me someone who has a phone? [01:10:11] Speaker D: I smile at Maya. Everyone has a phone these days. But, yeah, I can scout to see who's got a good one. [01:10:21] Speaker G: See, schmendric, you say that, but literally none of us, and I motion to the whole group, have a currently working phone. [01:10:29] Speaker D: So sad. [01:10:31] Speaker G: It's really unfortunate. [01:10:33] Speaker B: All right, so everyone who hasn't recently been shot at by federal agents has a phone. Is that fair? [01:10:40] Speaker G: Yes, I would agree with that. [01:10:42] Speaker D: Yes, that works for me. So what sort of street wise role do you want me to make? [01:10:48] Speaker A: Well, I'll leave it to you. [01:10:50] Speaker B: Tell me your approach, and we'll go from there. You descend the hospital down to Lakeshore Boulevard. There's a park across the street. There's a busy residential neighborhood behind you. What's your move? [01:11:02] Speaker D: I feel like a busy residential street is probably better for me to just either spot or pickpocket off of someone. [01:11:11] Speaker B: Ah, stealing one. Well, you certainly have the skills for that. We can start with identifying your target. Will you make a wits and streetwise roll for me? [01:11:21] Speaker D: Of course. So that is four successes. [01:11:27] Speaker B: Excellent observation skills. You spent countless years lurking on New York streets, being among people, but unnoticed for them. In this case, you identify someone walking alone, air pods in their ears. It's a medium height gentleman. He's wearing a light windbreaker jacket to fight off the evening chill. A slight hipster vibe to him. Curly red hair on the top of his head, but the sides are shaved down. It's vaguely model looking, although his cheeks are a bit too full, his jaw a bit too soft. [01:12:04] Speaker D: Where does he keep his phone? [01:12:06] Speaker B: Well, he's not holding it in his hands. It's his hands in his pockets. Based on the fact that he has earbuds in, it has to be somewhere on his person. You watch for a while, you can see which pocket he's keeping it in. [01:12:20] Speaker D: I love that he's wearing air pods, because that means I can take the phone and get a distance away before the noise will cut out and before he'll even notice that his phone is gone. But at the same time, if his hands are in there, that makes it a little bit more difficult. I will look to Maya and say, that guy might be a good choice for a phone. [01:12:41] Speaker C: Perfect. [01:12:43] Speaker F: I will walk right up to him and simply compel him at this point. Give me your phone. [01:12:52] Speaker B: Few things in the world more ominous than Lasambra departing the shadows. So with Shmendrick's assistance, you ambush your target and let slip that vampiric willpower replacing his thoughts with your own. Go ahead and make your compel roll. [01:13:09] Speaker F: That'll be three successes. [01:13:11] Speaker B: He's surprised. He's shocked. [01:13:14] Speaker A: He's a zoomer. [01:13:15] Speaker B: So you know that capitalism has ground down whatever willpower he normally has. He is unthinking in his obedience as he wraps his fingers around this very fancy, very new phone and holds it. [01:13:27] Speaker A: Out in your direction. [01:13:29] Speaker F: I'll take it from him and ruffle his hair and walk away with Schwendric. [01:13:33] Speaker B: Are you sure you want to touch it? [01:13:35] Speaker F: I'm not using it. I'm just holding it. [01:13:37] Speaker B: Okay. [01:13:39] Speaker D: Even so, once you get close to me, there's this kind of nail biting nervousness to me as I take it from you and hold it close like is it? [01:13:50] Speaker B: AW. You're coddling the telephone like it was your little electronic baby. [01:13:55] Speaker D: Someone has to protect it from the Lasambra. No offense, Maya, but you're going to hurt it. [01:14:02] Speaker F: I would never. [01:14:04] Speaker B: Yes, the telephone. Chicago. The camarilla. What? Couldn't you say that sentence about aggressive? [01:14:11] Speaker G: Not untrue, just aggressive, not incorrect at all. [01:14:16] Speaker B: Well, while our Nosferatu and La Sombre friend are securing a documentary aid, what are Ivy and Rebecca doing on the. [01:14:25] Speaker A: Top floor of Lakeshore Hospital? [01:14:27] Speaker C: Schmendrich mentioned wanting to get these people out, and considering the state that the one lady I was speaking to was in, I don't think letting any of them out is a good idea. I can't. Exactly. Well, I can, but I don't want to make ghouls out of them just for the sake of laying them out their cages a little early. And I've already done enough of that tonight. Don't want to do it anymore. [01:14:53] Speaker D: Honestly, right now it's probably not in our best interest to fix them. Because then we'll have to explain the whole vampirism why they've been tortured in cells for the last little while. Better to leave them a little crazy. [01:15:08] Speaker B: Schmender raises a good point. All of that cajoling is good and well, but what are you doing, Zion? [01:15:15] Speaker C: From what we've gotten from him so far, he has information that could help us already. He's given us something that's enough to break this case. But when else does he know? Hey, Zion. [01:15:29] Speaker B: Yes? [01:15:29] Speaker C: Yeah, gosh, the eagerness. I don't like it. I just wanted to talk to you about a few things. [01:15:39] Speaker B: Oh, sure, of course. Yeah, whatever you want. Anything for you. [01:15:44] Speaker C: With more than a little discomfort, I opened my mouth. Do you remember how you got here? Were you supposed to meet someone? Michaela mentioned that. Right. [01:15:55] Speaker B: You see him? Looking back into the corner of his brain. It's obvious the memories are there. He's just doing the slow work of piecing them together. Yeah. When we were done with the hotel, we were supposed to lay lay low for a few days, and then everyone was supposed to meet here. Meet here to meet him. And I made it. And Sydney made it. Elijah made it, but Michaela didn't make it. [01:16:40] Speaker C: Don't worry. She's with us. But did you see what happened to your friend Sydney? Elijah? [01:16:48] Speaker B: I did. I didn't want to. I did. But I don't want to remember that. [01:16:56] Speaker C: Oh, I feel awful. [01:17:01] Speaker B: It is painful. Whatever Son did has reduced him to a childlike intellect. At least for now. At least until his brain has a chance to put itself together. Maybe you hope it's unclear whether he. [01:17:17] Speaker A: Will ever recover from this. [01:17:20] Speaker E: Oh, God. [01:17:20] Speaker C: That doesn't bode well for getting him off the blood bond. But I'm not going to push him to remember that. At the very least, the prince might be able to in a less painful manner. I'm not going to exploit what I've done to him for that. [01:17:35] Speaker B: Also an amount of restraint that many. [01:17:37] Speaker A: Other kindred wouldn't show. [01:17:38] Speaker B: So you can pat yourself on the back at least. [01:17:43] Speaker C: You don't have to remember that, Zion. It's just that people are going to have questions later, and you have to do your best to answer them. All right? [01:17:50] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I can answer questions. [01:17:55] Speaker C: I know you can. But about him. If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to answer me. But did he ever give his orders to you directly? How did he get the job? [01:18:07] Speaker B: What job? [01:18:09] Speaker C: The diamond. Yama. Burning it down, setting up Charles, the nosferatu that Michaela was pretending to be. [01:18:16] Speaker B: Oh, the fire. Yeah. No, we set the fire. [01:18:21] Speaker G: Because he told you to, right? [01:18:24] Speaker B: Yeah. He came to Gary, and he met with me and my friends. With me and with Sydney and with Elijah and with Michaela. And he told us that if we helped him, he would give us a place to live. And that we would be really important in Chicago. [01:18:50] Speaker C: He offered you a Boone then? And a pretty sizable one. [01:18:53] Speaker B: At and I, you know, me and my friends, it wasn't a lot of fun living in Gary, so I said, yeah, we would help him. [01:19:06] Speaker G: Did he ever come to you with any other kindred? Any friends of his? [01:19:14] Speaker B: Oh, no. He was very strict that we didn't tell anybody and that we would only talk to him. It's a really big secret, because if the Kevin Jackson person found out, we would all be in a lot of trouble. [01:19:40] Speaker C: Well, he was right about one thing. He's going to be in trouble. But not you, Zion. Not any of your friends. I don't know this for sure, but I don't want him to feel in danger, because really, we're going to try to keep them out of trouble. Zion, you're going to be fine. You're not going to be in trouble. I promise. [01:20:01] Speaker B: Oh, no, of course not, because you're here, and I will do anything that you need to keep us safe. [01:20:12] Speaker C: Question can vampires shudder? Because I would shudder. It's just this guilt raking down my back at this point. I wanted to help him. I really did. And this was the best way to go about it. But what's going to happen to him after? [01:20:29] Speaker G: Don't forget, blood bonds are not forever. They require upkeep. [01:20:35] Speaker C: That's true, but the state he's in, is it going to be more dangerous to take him off it? [01:20:41] Speaker G: I don't know. It's like imprinting on a duck, isn't it? Eventually it'll grow up and go its own way, right? [01:20:49] Speaker C: I hope so. I really hope so, for his sake. [01:20:53] Speaker B: I don't know that Rebecca would know this. Silas never asked her to submit to the blood bond or vice versa. But, Ivy, your background naturally has a lot to say about it. You know that it doesn't last forever. It has to be reinforced. Save for mystical means. Breaking the blood bond only requires that you keep the thrall and the regnant separate for a period of time. It can be as little as a month if you only shared a few drops of your blood on one occasion. [01:21:29] Speaker G: So we're just really lucky that it's just once. And Rebecca doesn't really have a desire to continue doing this, so it'll be fine. [01:21:38] Speaker C: So, Michaela, she was pretending to be someone else, right? Zion? [01:21:43] Speaker B: Yeah. That was a very important part of the plan. [01:21:48] Speaker C: His name is Charles. Do you know what happened to him? [01:21:52] Speaker B: Oh, is Charles missing? [01:21:55] Speaker C: Nobody has seen him. We checked his haven. We looked everywhere, and we thought we got a call from him, but it was from well, Michaela. [01:22:04] Speaker G: Have you seen him? [01:22:06] Speaker B: I saw him once. We had to watch him so that Michaela and the potion would work, but we didn't see him after that. [01:22:19] Speaker C: What about this potion? [01:22:22] Speaker B: Oh, it's really neat, because you know how usually there's certain things that you can do, but there's other things that other people can do, but you can't do. [01:22:36] Speaker G: Yes. [01:22:39] Speaker B: Right. Well, he told us that if there was a potion and if you drank that potion, then you could borrow that power for a little bit. Like, if you had a friend who was really, really fast and you wanted to be really, really fast, you could just drink some of the potion that was made from someone who was really, really fast, and then you'd get to be fast, too. But Michaela, it wasn't so she would go fast, it was so she could look like Charles. [01:23:13] Speaker C: So he needed essence from someone else who could do that to look like Charles. [01:23:20] Speaker B: I don't know. I didn't drink it. And he didn't tell us where he got it from because the whole thing was supposed to be really secret. [01:23:30] Speaker G: You guys have done a really good job of keeping this a secret, Zion. [01:23:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Nobody knows. Can I go see Michaela now? [01:23:41] Speaker G: We just have to wait for our friends to get back and then we can go take you to see Michaela. [01:23:46] Speaker B: He's turning away from Ivy at this moment, looking directly at Rebecca. You're a really good person. You would take me to see Michaela right now, right? Like, we could go, you and me. [01:23:58] Speaker C: Zion, we just have to wait for a few more minutes, all right? Then we can go and see Michaela. We're just waiting on our friends to come back. [01:24:05] Speaker B: Okay, well, can you tell them to hurry? Because I miss Michaela. I haven't seen her in a long time. [01:24:14] Speaker C: I know she's important to you, but I promise they're going to be back here as soon as possible. You just have to wait a few more minutes, okay? [01:24:23] Speaker B: Okay, fine. Well, as you're wrapping up your conversation with Zion, who at this point is clinging very close to your side, schmendric and Maya return from their larceny. I suppose it was a mugging, really, but another case, you have a phone. [01:24:44] Speaker F: If we can document everyone who is here, as well as the erasable parts that sun might clean up afterwards, that would be great. [01:24:54] Speaker D: Yeah. When I look at the phone, am I able to crack it open with ease? I assume there's, like, a fingerprint of which direction the key lock goes, and I can just do that and get right in? [01:25:06] Speaker B: You have a billion dice and wits and technology. That's no trouble at all. [01:25:10] Speaker D: All right, so once I have the phone open, ready to go, I'll hand it to Ivy and say, you're good with documenting or books. Could you do this for me? I'm going to go steal Bob's truck. [01:25:27] Speaker G: Okay. Wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask. What's the truck for? [01:25:34] Speaker D: The people. [01:25:36] Speaker F: If you haven't noticed, Sun's going to get back at some point and notice. [01:25:41] Speaker C: Zion's gone, and that doesn't bode well for the rest of the humans here. [01:25:45] Speaker F: He'll want to get rid of evidence. [01:25:48] Speaker G: We're gonna take, like, three dozen humans out of here in the middle of the night and get them all into the back of a giant moving truck, and nobody's going to notice. [01:25:56] Speaker D: It's either that or let them vanish into Newberry's sick, twisted little schemes. [01:26:03] Speaker F: I mean, if you would like Son to clean up after his own mean. [01:26:08] Speaker G: It'S less work for me. [01:26:10] Speaker B: In fairness, you're asking Ivy to care for approximately three dozen more humans than she has ever cared for since she became a vampire. [01:26:18] Speaker F: I'm not asking her to care about the humans. I'm asking her to care about the evidence. [01:26:22] Speaker D: Yeah, to be fair, I gave her the phone and told her to document, not care for the humans. I know what I was doing when I gave her that order. [01:26:29] Speaker B: Smart. I speak fluent Ivy, although it's not entirely selfless. Right, Ivy? You're doing the prince a favor. You're defending the masquerade of your own volition with your own initiative. [01:26:42] Speaker G: Yes, of course. Oh, my God. I can't possibly say that without sounding disgusted. [01:26:49] Speaker C: As I say, it just dripping with venom. [01:26:54] Speaker G: But I drop my shoulders, tilt my head side to side as if I'm trying to crack my neck, and let out a little bit of a sigh. Sure. I will document all of this, every single bit of evidence that we can use against sun. Not a problem. [01:27:12] Speaker D: Okay. I figure it's safer if all three of you are here. I'm going to try and be as fast as possible. [01:27:19] Speaker C: Sure thing. Things won't get out of hand here. [01:27:22] Speaker G: Well, you be careful out there. If sun has eyes on this place at. Just just be careful, please. [01:27:32] Speaker D: Given that I know approximately how long it'll take me to get to Bob's and back, I will give them all a time to expect me and to have the people ready, because I'm going to drive the van right in, and we're going to unload the people. So be a small amount of time to get those done without running into trouble. [01:27:52] Speaker A: Indeed. [01:27:54] Speaker B: Well, I will ask this first of all shmendrick. Can you make a wits and drive check? [01:28:00] Speaker D: I can try. One. [01:28:03] Speaker C: Success. [01:28:04] Speaker B: Okay. Keep that in your pocket for now. As for the remainder of you, Ivy. [01:28:09] Speaker A: It'S going to take you the bulk. [01:28:12] Speaker B: Of the 15 or 20 minutes that Schmendrick suggests to document this area thoroughly. Maya. Rebecca. It's not like you can help her. So what is it you do in that time? [01:28:26] Speaker C: I was going to look around to see if or keep watch, I guess. [01:28:30] Speaker E: But Same, I was going to use. [01:28:31] Speaker F: This time to scout around. [01:28:34] Speaker C: Newberry is paranoid, even for Malkabian. There's no way that he doesn't have eyes or some kind of security on this place. I'm going to keep an eye out for that, watch him right back. [01:28:47] Speaker B: Well, without moving Zion around. And at this point, it's become clear that separating yourself from him will cause no small amount of alarm. The best you'd be able to do is to watch out the window at the end of this hallway, looking down over the parking lot behind the hospital. Maya, you have freer rain. Are you making a patrol of the place? [01:29:13] Speaker F: Yeah, I'm going to spend this time throwing myself into shadows all over the place to see if I can see anything untoward. [01:29:22] Speaker B: Aside from the horror hospital, that is. [01:29:25] Speaker C: Yes, aside from the obvious horror hospital. [01:29:30] Speaker B: Very well. Well, will the both of you roll wits and awareness for me? [01:29:34] Speaker C: Can do that's. Five successes. Messy, critical. [01:29:41] Speaker B: I thought we were done with that. You took the time to go eat. Rebecca this kind of thing shouldn't be happening. [01:29:48] Speaker C: It shouldn't? I purposely be determined that the beast was satisfied before I went out tonight. [01:29:54] Speaker B: Oh. But is the beast ever truly satisfied? [01:29:57] Speaker C: Not unless you do some dark, dark things, and I am not that kind of. [01:30:03] Speaker B: Hmm. And, Maya, your result? Three successes schmendric on one success. You are having difficulty navigating traffic. You do live on this side of town, but you're used to driving the Volkswagen around. Now you're in a truck, and there are all kinds of one way roads you can't go down, bridges you can't drive under, weight restrictions that you have to detour around. It's going to take you a bit longer than expected to make it back to the hospital. [01:30:38] Speaker D: That sucks. But that'll give them more time to be ready to move the people out. So I'm okay with this in a way. [01:30:47] Speaker B: I mean, we can hope that they're spending their time preparing for your arrival, right? [01:30:51] Speaker D: We can hope, indeed. [01:30:53] Speaker B: You gave them pretty clear instructions. Unfortunately, they're not abiding by them. Maya with three successes, you notice two things. One right after the other. First, into the parking lot, the rear of the building, a private security patrol car. There are two officers in the front, a woman who is driving, a man seated next to her. They are both wearing the appropriate uniforms. It looks legit. [01:31:22] Speaker F: Well, that's fun. [01:31:24] Speaker B: You also notice Rebecca, or at least a Rebecca shaped blur. [01:31:31] Speaker C: Oh, no. [01:31:33] Speaker B: Because the predator is not content to wait up here. The predator is not going to sit in a hallway that only has one exit, five stories up in the air, with nowhere else to go. If nothing else, it demands a better view of the situation. Ivy as you're documenting, you hear Rebecca opening up the window on this floor, jumping out onto the small lip of roof that lines this floor of the building and the crunch of her feet as she carefully but quickly navigates to. [01:32:07] Speaker A: The edge of the roof. [01:32:08] Speaker B: Rebecca's taking a perch, ready to jump. Now, we've established that her beast is. [01:32:15] Speaker A: Quite impatient, and given the goings on of the last few nights, I don't think she has the self control to. [01:32:22] Speaker B: Keep herself from adding another few humans. [01:32:25] Speaker A: To her list of victims. Maybe these are ordinary security guards with. [01:32:30] Speaker B: No business beyond checking to make sure. [01:32:32] Speaker A: There are no teenagers smoking in the lobby. Maybe these are the goons that Maya. [01:32:37] Speaker B: Has been worried about coming to make rounds of their employer's territory. [01:32:42] Speaker A: Or worse, maybe they were called on purpose. [01:32:45] Speaker B: Maybe you tripped an alarm. Maybe you were spotted. [01:32:50] Speaker A: Will Rebecca be able to contain herself? Will Maya be able to defuse the situation? Will Schmendrick arrive to find her victims. [01:32:59] Speaker B: Lined up and ready for transport? Or arrive in the middle of a vicious crossfire? [01:33:05] Speaker A: That question, unfortunately, is a story for another night. [01:33:13] Speaker B: You've been listening to the All Night Society, an actual play podcast brought to you by Queens Court Games. 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