(On the Hunt) Arson Junkyard

**Yumyumcrow** · Jul 13th, 2018 04:34 AM

The Old Maitland Junkyard was a scar on the landscape. Squat walls of corrugated metal; tottering towers of scrap and decaying car bodies rising to the sky like towers or perhaps piles of sacrificial bodies. The gates were still open, barred only by fraying yellow tape. Further in and a burned out hulk of an SUV marked where part of the fight had taken place. To the right of the gate there was the burned out remains of a wooden building - an office or house of some kind.

The wind was too low to moan through the twisted piles of scrap; the void was filled by a still worse sound - the ambient creak of metal and the high pitched flapping of plastic. And silence. Beyond the street lights there was only darkness.

There is a brand new "For Sale" sign near the gate. Not even this can escape the forlorn finality of the area - someone has already been at it with a spray can.

This is for Rebecca Simmons Matrixchild John Davis JonReeves with a shout to Travisc06489 Lawrence Taft

Jul 13th, 2018 03:25 PM

Tonight was not a night for fun and socializing. It was a night to investigate. She wore a simple button-up shirt and jeans, reserved in comparison to her usual taste. Over that was a long black jacket with high collars.
Underneath it all she wore a kevlar vest, concealed by the bagginess of the shirt and the jacket. Upon her face sat a look of total seriousness. This was no time for games or witty banter, merely discovery.

She stepped out of her simple Honda Civic, tucking her sheathed knife into her back pocket. She didn't know what she might need, so in her trunk was her shotgun along with multiple vials for the collection of samples. Hopefully they could learn even more after the proper analysis. She opened the trunk, tucking vials into her pocket, but leaving the shotgun in the trunk, for now.

She was not new to being places she ought not be, so she made sure to keep an eye out for anyone who was staking out the place. She didn't want their investigation disturbed. After a scan of the area, once she confirmed no threats, she made her way towards the yellow tape.

2 successes for Tatemae, 2 suxx for Perception

Kevlar Vest, Shotgun, vials for sample collection, her car, Knife, cell phone

Jul 13th, 2018 10:15 PM

His beast didn't want to come. Meeting the Doc here could be an elaborate trick. He would put nothing past her. However, she was of the First Estate, he was still a member of The Line and oath bound to answer the call of any Invictus, even her.

Dressed in his thick black duster and leather hat, Davis steps up to a horseless carriage that had already arrived. Simmons he presumed. Davis scanned the area.

1 success

For Sale? Indeed a prized piece of real estate. Davis made a note of the contact information. He would inquire, he recently got into the salvage operations so to speak and this place could come in handy.

1 success

Davis attempts to tread lightly in his boots.

failure

Despite his efforts, gravel and loose pavement shift beneath his heels. Only the deaf and hard of hearing would have failed to hear his approach.

Seeing Simmons head toward the entrance of the junkyard, Davis prepares for anything she might do, touches his weapons and wills them into nonexistence, despite already being concealed beneath his clothing. He may not be so hidden but at least they would be.

5 successes

1 success

failure

3 successes

Reinforced Clothing (Thick Leather Duster), Two Colt Revolvers, a Derringer, Bowie Knife, cell phone

Jul 17th, 2018 10:59 AM

Rebecca's eyes shifted this way and that, only for her senses to be interrupted by the sound of loose gravel. She turned deliberately towards the noise, no sign of surprise on her face. "Mr. Davis. Thank you for joining me." Her eyes looked behind the man, curious if Lawrence Taft would be joining them. They were alone. Her Catalyst knew his beast was stronger. It feared what he would do, but Rebecca did not share the sentiment. It would be foolish for the man to attack now, especially since the whole group knew they were meeting. If she were to fail to return there would only be one suspect of foul play. She stilled her inner turmoil and focused on the task instead.

"Shall we go in?" she suggested before stepping under the yellow tape herself. She had no idea what intelligence or knowledge the man had. To her he was merely backup for her research, though maybe he would come in handy. Even if he just pointed her towards something she missed and could analyze it would have been worth him coming.

She first started with the wooden husk of a building. Gingerly she stepped through the remains. "Be careful not to disturb the scene," she said bluntly, no implication in her tone. She felt her senses grow and strengthen. Her eyes grew sharper and focused on minute detail. Her sense of smell sought out clues among the charred remains. Chemical reactions always had their tells, but she wondered what she would find this time?

4 total successes over 4 rolls

She then stepped over to burned remains of the SUV and examined it closer as well. What could the two areas show her? What answers would they provide?

4 total successes over 4 rolls

I imagine if need be she could investigate further once she isolates areas of focus with both the SUV and Building.

Jul 17th, 2018 12:08 PM

Simmons had noticed his approach. Davis stopped and simply tipped his hat in response to her address and invitation. He would refrain from too much gab while on duty. This was not a social matter. Being silent was rare for the fast-talking Davea, but not impossible.

Davis followed Simmons, ducking under the yellow tape. Taking the effort to match her footsteps precisely. Then she warns him not to disturb the scene. I wasn't embraced yesterday. He thought. Oh, that's right. "I am no one of note anyways." Davis suppressed the urge led by his beast to put a bullet (or 12) into the base of her skull.

Davis chose instead to stand back and let the Doc do her work. He would stand guard and fulfill his oath.

9 success

While remaining silent and alert, Davis ponders the scene surrounding them. Fire. Burned wagon. Efficient. It was the same method he had used to dispose of his indiscretion last month.

Then it dawned on him. How did the kine handle this scene? What evidence did they uncover? Take possession of? He would wait for the Doc to complete her nitpicking before bringing up these questions.

Jul 18th, 2018 09:53 AM

Bonus Dice: 8 additional successes to Investigate Wooden Structure (12 in total over 4 rolls)

Bonus Dice: 4 additional successes to Investigate SUV (8 in total over 4 rolls)

**Yumyumcrow** · Jul 19th, 2018 04:31 AM

The summer's night is short, but feels long. Long as Simmons moves carefully and with purpose among the ruins. Fortunately, no one passes near the Junkyard and the pair are undisturbed.

Simmons first impression of the vehicle is that it was caught in a murderous cross fire. Closer inspection reveals it wasn't just caught in a fire fight, but was used as cover in a savage close combat as well. She has no idea what the police forensic team would have made of that - which was probably why the hulk was left in situ. The vehicle was burned, eventually: a fire started in the cabin is her best guess from what few clues remain in the time contaminated scene.

The building had been thoroughly burned. Burned to the point of collapse and beyond. Simmons is a scientist - and a chemist at that. The building is all kinds of exciting fun: the heat from the fire must have been intense and sustained to create the damage she sees; scratch that - the damage was caused by an explosion. She changes tack and turns her attention to the signs left behind as she attempts to mentally create the same conditions in her head for this was no ordinary gas leak. She takes samples for further analysis. The explosion had its genesis in the building's small cellar and there is a hole in the floor leading to service tunnels or sewers beneath that. The fire has scoured away any coverings that had hidden that entrance - and it was from here that the hunter's had most likely slipped into the building before lighting it up.

By the time Simmons has finished her sweep, the Lord can say (with more or less certainty) that the SUV was used as a battering ram and then a strong point. Whether or not the position was overwhelmed or the hunters withdrew is hard to say, but the vehicle was deliberately burned out at some point. The building was... sabotaged. A gas explosion was most likely the cause of the fire, but this particular explosion had been carefully crafted - it was no accident and any Kindred inside the building or in close proximity would have been ash, one way or another.

The hunters had made a two pronged attack. The Brood would have been focussing on the car when the second wave slipped into the Junk Yard. They would only have become aware when their nest exploded in a fireball.

Jul 19th, 2018 08:05 AM

Davis watches Simmons work, staying a safe distance not to interfere. As she examines the burned out shell of a building, Davis notices the hole in the ground. The deep hole and what looks to be an entrance to an underground passageway.

Careful to remain attentive to his surroundings and while Simmons is distracted with her investigation, Davis pulls a folded piece of yellow paper from his duster pocket. Unfolds the paper revealing an old Sanborn map of Sacramento with scribbled notations all over it.

Finding their current location on the map, Davis takes a black charcoal pencil from another pocket and makes a small x indicating the junkyard. The task done, he places everything back.

1 success

Fearing that Simmons may have seen him, Davis mentally focuses on making the map disappear.

1 success

Davis then goes back to guarding the Doc.

Jul 19th, 2018 11:34 AM

Rebecca moved around the scene, analyzing and constructing the event in her mind. She turned to tell Davis what she had found, only to see the man hastily scribble on a yellow piece of paper before it disappeared. Clara had stated Rebecca could trust the man to protect her, and yet he was clearly distracted with other matters. She did not comment though, leaving the information to remain in her mind for when it was needed most.

Looking between the man and the scene she laid it out for him. "From what I can gather the hunters divided and conquered. The building acted as the Brood's nest, a focal point of some sorts." She stepped out from the remains to stand between the building and the SUV. "The vehicle rammed the entrance and then they used it to maintain a point of attack."

She moved closer to the SUV. "You can see bullet holes confirming the shoot out, but the fire that engulfed the SUV started at the building." She glanced towards Davis as she spoke to confirm he was still paying attention and not distracted again.

"Now, it looks as if while the Brood attacked the SUV," she said, walking back into the remains of the wooden structure, making her way to the exposed entrance, "a separate group of hunters came through the underground and started a fire." She crouched down, smelling the area and looking at the ashes. "It was a gas fire--an explosion to be percise--that started in the cellar. Completely deliberate. Sophisticated."

She thought over the amount of chemical reactions that must of happened to destroy the structure and Rebecca became...excited. Her face was serious, but inside she was finding great pleasure while shifting through the remnants of the hunter's 'science experiment'. It was so meticulous and tactical. Like a beautiful orchestra of science and death. She wanted to know what gas was used. Hydrogen? Methane? Propane? Oh how she wished that she had been here to see the explosion. Her Catalyst would have hated it but she craved the sight. A shudder run down her spine at the thought of the scene. Focus. She was brought back. This was work. She had to leave thoughts of pleasure for later, when she could get her samples to her lab and confirm her suspicions.

She turned to give her full attention to Davis. "It's not clear if the hunters had to withdraw or if they decimated the Brood. At this point we now know what happened, more or less; the Brood lost. I wonder what you think would be the next course of action?" she said, tilting her head slightly as she stared at the man. She held in her thoughts about the tunnel, curious if he would suggest to go in them. She of course would not enter them without her shotgun.

3 successes

Yumyumcrow does Rebecca see the graffiti symbol Clara mentioned?

Jul 19th, 2018 12:31 PM

Appearing to be done, Simmons turned her attention to Davis. He held comment until she was finished explaining.

Then the pent-up dam of conversation burst. "A most thorough explanation. Does this match the assessment of the local authorities? Has the owner of this vehicular transport been identified? Who was the former slash current owner of this yard? Are they alive? Can we reach them at the number on the sign and are they connected to this "Brood?" Davis didn't want to bombard the Doc with questions that she herself most likely considered.

Pointing to the hole in the ground. "I'm no Indian tracker but the easiest and most immediate trail to follow appears to be there." Davis had spent time in the Sacramento underground. He knew it was vast and not all tunnels connected. His own tunnel map was isolated to a 10 block area. The x he just placed on the map was outside that but the two areas could be connected.

"Despite my family's disposition for their looks, I'm not afraid to get dirty and put holes in my shirt." Davis paused only briefly to reflect on that. Actually, he hated getting his hands dirty and his shirts were expensive. "Should you care to investigate, I will continue to fulfill my oath. Likewise, if you would rather pursue the origins and owners of that," Davis points to the burned out SUV, "I will assist to the end of my abilities. Or we can go to the nearest marshal's office and see what additional information can be gleaned. Surely their work was far less successful than yours in determining the particulars." Davis pondered his words to follow.

"That tunnel poses the greatest risks. You can get lost down there without a map. But knowing where it leads could bring us closer to finding our firebugs."

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2018-07-13 15:13:21	Rebecca Simmons rolls 5 to Perception (Wit+Comp) (10 Again)	2, 2, 4, 8, 8	2 successes
2018-07-13 15:08:05	Rebecca Simmons rolls 5 to Tatemae (Man+Exp+Kamen) (10 Again)	9, 3, 5, 3, 10, 1	2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-13 21:51:20		John Davis rolls 5 to Perception (Wits 2 + Comp 3 = 5) (10 Again)		5, 4, 6, 4, 8		1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-13 22:07:56		John Davis rolls 5 to Remember For Sale info (Int + Comp= 5) (10 Again)		6, 7, 7, 4, 10, 6		1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-13 22:03:32		John Davis rolls 2 to Approach the entrance quietly (Dex + Stealth) (10 Again)		3, 1		failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-13 21:52:54		John Davis rolls 5 to TOS Colt Revolver no 1 (Wits 2 + Larceny 2 + Obfuscate 1) (10 Again)		10, 8, 9, 6, 6, 10, 9		5 successes

(On the Hunt) Arson Junkyard

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