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Ceramic Dm (final judgement posted, New Champion announced!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Morpheus" data-source="post: 1624253" data-attributes="member: 612"><p><strong>Summer Ceramic DM 2004 Round 1, Match 2 MacBeth vs. Morpheus</strong></p><p></p><p>The Third Degree by Morpheus</p><p></p><p> Delta Green Eyes Only</p><p> <<< Top Secret>>></p><p></p><p> USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)</p><p> Yokosuka Navy Base, Japan</p><p></p><p> Subject: Debriefing record of sole survivor of Timanii raid in Hong Kong </p><p></p><p> 1. What follows is a transcription of the debriefing of Corporal John West, USMC</p><p> by Commander Eric C. Walters, USN of the events of 23-24May04 at the</p><p> Timanii building in Hong Kong.</p><p> 2. Op Dead Zone was an investigation by the NCIS to find a heroin smuggling </p><p> ring that was using US tourists in Hong Kong.</p><p> 3. Op Dead Zone had been ongoing for 5 months when a tip was received that</p><p> the main distribution center was located in the Timanii office building. The</p><p> following day, surveillance of the building noted a large number of armed</p><p> persons.</p><p> 4. On 23May04 at 2350 hrs, Lt. Barton Jones and his Force Recon platoon entered</p><p> the building and began a systematic search. Approximately 0005 on 24May04,</p><p> the building caught on fire. All lives were lost except for Corporal West.</p><p> 5. This interview is to record the sequence of events and to determine if further</p><p> action is necessary.</p><p></p><p> </p><p> Eric C. Walters</p><p> Commander, USN</p><p> NCIS</p><p></p><p></p><p> The door to the cabin opened and a corpsman pushed a man in a wheelchair in. An IV bag was attached to the wheelchair and it looked like it had just been started. The corpsman set the wheelchair in front of the desk and then left, closing the door behind him.</p><p> The man in the wheelchair looked to be about in his mid-40s and seemed to have an unfocused look about him. Commander Walters had to check the file to make sure this was Corporal West. The picture matched, but Corporal West definitely did not look the same. The file said he was 21.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Corporal West, my name is Commander Walters and I’m going to ask you some questions about the events on the 23rd and 24th of May. Do you remember the events leading up to the raid on the Timanii building?</p><p></p><p> West’s eyes, which were unfocused and looking somewhere behind Walters’ desk, suddenly became clear at the mention of the Timanii building. His breath became more labored, as he seemed to struggle to speak.</p><p></p><p>West: I…remember. Oh god, do I remember.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Take your time. I’m going to ask you some questions and I want you to give me your honest-to-god answers. No matter how crazy it may seem, everything you say will be held in the strictest of confidence.</p><p></p><p> Walters looked into his briefcase and grabbed an unmarked folder that had a small green triangle in the upper left corner. He opened it up and took out 2 pictures. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14744" target="_blank">Pic1</a> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14746" target="_blank">Pic2</a> There was no need to show the pictures to West.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Corporal, what can you tell me about the events on the 23rd of May when you were briefed on your mission?</p><p></p><p> West paused and seemed to search inward for some inner strength that would allow him to speak.</p><p></p><p>West: Well…I…don’t remember everything. I guess I was on the ‘Okie’ (Note: Corporal West was stationed aboard the USS Okinawa which was in Hong Kong at the time) when my platoon sergeant, ‘Gunny’ Thomas, told us we had a platoon meeting at 1600 hrs in the briefing room. Yeah, that’s when I found out. Lt. Smith told us that there was a situation in Hong Kong where some Americans were being held and since were we close by, we were going to rescue them. I thought, “Hot damn! Some real action!” If I knew then, what I know now…</p><p></p><p>Walters: So, Lt. Smith briefed you on the mission. What happened next?</p><p></p><p>West: Well, the platoon was dismissed except for the squad leaders who had to meet to come up with an OpPlan. We went back to our cabins pretty excited.</p><p></p><p>Walters: When did you find out about the OpPlan?</p><p></p><p>West: My squad leader, Sgt. Harris, briefed us at 1830. He said that 2 squads would enter the building and 1 squad would stay in reserve outside. My squad was one of the squads that would be going in. I remember being pretty stoked at the time.</p><p></p><p> West sat for a bit, seemingly sorting out things in his mind. His eyes got glazed over as if he was struggling with a thought so terrible, he had to retreat within himself to avoid it.</p><p></p><p>Walters: What happened next?</p><p></p><p>West: Well, we were going to chopper out at 2330 hrs, so Sgt. Harris told us to get some shut-eye. I had trouble sleeping; I guess…it was because I was so excited. I had never been on a mission before. And there was the strange dream…</p><p></p><p>Walters: Strange dream? Tell me about it.</p><p></p><p>West: Not much to tell. I can’t really…remember it much. I think it was a wall. But the wall wasn’t made of wood or brick. It was made of…Jesus, this sounds stupid.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Please continue. Anything you say will be held in the strictest confidence.</p><p></p><p>West: Well, the wall was made up of…masks. You know, like the African tribal masks. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14745" target="_blank">Masks Dream</a> and…and…one of the masks looked like…it was speaking…</p><p></p><p>Walters: Speaking? Do you know what it said? This could be very important.</p><p></p><p>West: I…I…don’t know. If I did know, I can’t remember now.</p><p></p><p>Walters: That’s ok, Corporal. Maybe it will come to you later. Let’s pick it up from when you left the Okinawa.</p><p></p><p> The 3 UH-60 Blackhawks lifted off the deck of the USS Okinawa at precisely 2330 hours. The flight to the Timanii building was low. So low, that West thought they might crash into a boat or something. The mission called for 3rd squad to land about a block away on an abandoned warehouse and then make their way to the building and take up positions around the perimeter. The other 2 squads would fast rope down onto the roof and enter the building. Standard rules of engagement were in effect. No shooting unless shot at.</p><p> The crew chief held up his finger.</p><p> “One minute!”</p><p> West tightened his grip on his M-16. He thought he was going to throw up. This is it, he thought; time to become a real Marine.</p><p> The Blackhawk slowed to a hover and 4 ropes were pushed out. West stepped out and using his hands and feet, slid down the rope…</p><p></p><p>West: Ugghhh!</p><p></p><p>Walters: Corporal West, what is it? What happened?</p><p></p><p>West: I forgot to brake properly. I hit the roof too fast and twisted my ankle.</p><p></p><p> West rolled onto his side, clutching his ankle.</p><p> “West, are you alright? Can you walk?”</p><p> “Yeah, I’ll try.”</p><p> PFC Williams helped West up and he put some weight on the ankle. It hurt like hell, but there was no way he was going to fall out now.</p><p> “I’m alright! Let’s go!”</p><p> The roof of the 4-story building had various air-conditioning ducts and vents, but only one door. There were fire escapes on the north and south sides of the building. 1st squad would go down the south fire escape and 2nd squad would go through the door.</p><p></p><p>Walters: And you were in 2nd squad?</p><p></p><p>West: Yeah, that’s right. We were going through the door.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Was there any light?</p><p></p><p>West: Nope, not a single light. We just flipped on our NVGs and went in.</p><p></p><p> Smith jerked the door open and Williams went in. West could hear his heart beating for what seemed like an eternity.</p><p> “Clear!”</p><p> West and the others hurried into the room, which was little more than a landing with steps leading down. Williams took the point followed by West and the others. It’s damn quiet, West thought, as the Marines made their way silently down the steps. They came to a landing with a door.</p><p> Sgt. Harris motioned for Williams to open the door as the rest of the squad took up firing positions. Williams jerked the door open. Nothing. The squad entered and broke up into their fire teams.</p><p></p><p>Walters: So you found nothing on the 4th floor?</p><p></p><p>West: Not a damn thing. Not even furniture.</p><p></p><p>Walters: What about the 3rd floor?</p><p></p><p>West: The same. Nada. It didn’t even look like the building was occupied. That was, until we reached the 2nd floor.</p><p></p><p> Williams opened the door and the stench hit them immediately. It reminded West of the time when he had gone hunting with his Dad and they came upon a dead deer that had been dead for weeks. Only this was a thousand times stronger.</p><p> Williams and West were the first to enter. West, trying to breathe through his mouth, took the right side of the door and Williams, the left. A quick scan showed that the entire floor was one big room and there were crates and boxes everywhere. No sign of where the smell was coming from, though. It just seemed to be everywhere.</p><p> Sgt. Harris and the rest of the squad rushed past him and took up positions behind the nearest crates. Just as he turned to look for some cover, he heard shots.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Were they shots from your squad?</p><p></p><p>West: No, they came from down below. It was just a few, at first, and then it seemed as if the whole platoon had opened up. Sgt. Harris was talking on the radio when….</p><p></p><p>Walters: When what, Corporal? What happened then?</p><p></p><p> The ground started to shake. Or, more like, the whole building shook. West grabbed a hold of a post that was next to him. Sgt. Harris wasn’t as lucky; he fell down and was hit by some falling debris. It was then that West heard it.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Heard what, Corporal? What was it that you heard?</p><p></p><p>West: I don’t know if I can put it to words. It was like a scream…a roar…of a thousand people all at once. It seemed like it was behind me, in front of me, underneath me, all around. Williams and some of the others dropped to the floor and just grabbed their ears. I just tied to yell louder than it.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Did you ever find out what caused the smell?</p><p></p><p> West stopped yelling. His voice was raw and his eardrums pounded. Williams was rolling on the ground curled up in a ball. West ran over to him and kicked him.</p><p> “Get up, Marine! We can’t be wetting our pants now! We have a mission to finish!”</p><p> The shooting from below had stopped, but now was replaced by a different sound. West wasn’t sure, but he thought he could here some people crying out. It was then that West saw them.</p><p></p><p>Walters: What did you see? The source of the smell? What was it, Corporal?</p><p></p><p> Lying in the middle of the room behind some crates were about 20 people. Or, at least, West thought they were people. He couldn’t really tell, but it seemed that chunks and pieces of the bodies had been torn away. The top halves of all their heads were gone. He went over and kicked a body. The missing pieces looked like bite marks. And they sure in the hell weren’t Americans.</p><p> It looked to West like these people had been eaten. West turned and threw up. Jesus, this is about the worst thing I have ever seen.</p><p></p><p>West: Imagine that, Commander. People being eaten. Not just one or two, but like a couple dozen. You know what’s worse than that? I saw what did the eating! I saw it!</p><p></p><p>Walters: Corporal! Settle down! Relax for few minutes before we continue.</p><p></p><p> West just turned his head and closed his eyes. He seemed to be reliving the whole thing again. Walters made a few notes in his folder.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Can you continue now?</p><p></p><p>West: Yeah, I think so. </p><p></p><p> West turned and ran. He wasn’t a coward, but this wasn’t in the playbook. He ran past Williams who was still on the ground; Sgt. Harris who was struggling to get out from under the debris; and he ran out the door and down the steps. He ran down to the 1st floor and then he wished he had never lived.</p><p></p><p>West: I…can’t. I…just…can’t.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Corporal West, you have to tell me what you saw. It might mean the difference of saving others’ lives. What is it that you saw?</p><p></p><p> The 1st floor was entirely empty except for a big box in the middle. Standing next to the box was something out of his darkest nightmares, except his nightmares weren’t real. At first, West thought it was a trick played by his NVGs. Prolonged wearing of NVGs causes eyestrain. This wasn’t eyestrain.</p><p> It was a woman. A Chinese woman and she looked familiar, if that was possible. She was holding a fan in front of her and seemed to be talking to another Marine. Except, she really wasn’t a woman. She looked to be about 7 feet tall and where she should have had arms, she had tentacles. All about her body were smaller tentacles and they were in the process of tearing a Marine to shreds. West just stood there.</p><p></p><p>Walters: What happened next, Corporal? What did you do next?</p><p></p><p>West: I really don’t remember. I…kind of remember a bright flash of light like a flare or something. Next thing I know I woke up in a bed.</p><p></p><p>Walters: Are you sure that’s all you can remember? It’s very important that you tell me everything.</p><p></p><p>West: You mean aside from the fact that she had friggin’ tentacles for arms!?! Or that she looked like the mask that was talking in my dream!?! What more do you want me to tell you?</p><p></p><p>Walters: Any little detail could be very important. Just think.</p><p></p><p>West: I can’t think anymore, goddammit! Just…just…leave me alone.</p><p></p><p> West then lowered his head and began to sob. This debriefing is over, thought Walters. Maybe he’ll remember some more later. Walters buzzed the corpsman who entered the cabin and started to wheel West away.</p><p> “Just tell me one thing, Commander. This thing, whatever it was, was destroyed in the fire. It’s gone, right?”</p><p> “Of course. You and your platoon did their jobs. Thank you for all the help you have given.”</p><p> Poor SOB, thought Walters. How could I tell him that we found no trace of anything, including his platoon, except for a pair of hands <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14747" target="_blank">Hands</a> that did not go up in the fire.</p><p></p><p>Addendum: It is my recommendation that Corporal West be committed to a secure psychiatric unit to receive the care that he needs. Also, upon further investigation of the description that West had given me, I found this passage from Von Junzt’s Unaussprechlichen Kulten entitled “Goddess of the Black Fan” that seems to match the description given by West:</p><p> </p><p> Behind the black fan</p><p> The soul-twister simpers,</p><p> Snake-armed and slickened,</p><p> Inflated with blood fat.</p><p> The dragon-toothed feaster</p><p> Gluts down gray lilies, the</p><p> Gracious donation</p><p> Of children left twitching…</p><p></p><p> The passage refers to a particularly loathsome aspect of Nyarlathotep called the Bloated Woman. This particular aspect likes to eat the brains of live sacrifices. I can only hope that I am wrong about this. God help me if I’m not. God help us all.</p><p></p><p> </p><p> Eric C. Walters</p><p> Commander USN</p><p> NCIS</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Morpheus, post: 1624253, member: 612"] [b]Summer Ceramic DM 2004 Round 1, Match 2 MacBeth vs. Morpheus[/b] The Third Degree by Morpheus Delta Green Eyes Only <<< Top Secret>>> USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) Yokosuka Navy Base, Japan Subject: Debriefing record of sole survivor of Timanii raid in Hong Kong 1. What follows is a transcription of the debriefing of Corporal John West, USMC by Commander Eric C. Walters, USN of the events of 23-24May04 at the Timanii building in Hong Kong. 2. Op Dead Zone was an investigation by the NCIS to find a heroin smuggling ring that was using US tourists in Hong Kong. 3. Op Dead Zone had been ongoing for 5 months when a tip was received that the main distribution center was located in the Timanii office building. The following day, surveillance of the building noted a large number of armed persons. 4. On 23May04 at 2350 hrs, Lt. Barton Jones and his Force Recon platoon entered the building and began a systematic search. Approximately 0005 on 24May04, the building caught on fire. All lives were lost except for Corporal West. 5. This interview is to record the sequence of events and to determine if further action is necessary. Eric C. Walters Commander, USN NCIS The door to the cabin opened and a corpsman pushed a man in a wheelchair in. An IV bag was attached to the wheelchair and it looked like it had just been started. The corpsman set the wheelchair in front of the desk and then left, closing the door behind him. The man in the wheelchair looked to be about in his mid-40s and seemed to have an unfocused look about him. Commander Walters had to check the file to make sure this was Corporal West. The picture matched, but Corporal West definitely did not look the same. The file said he was 21. Walters: Corporal West, my name is Commander Walters and I’m going to ask you some questions about the events on the 23rd and 24th of May. Do you remember the events leading up to the raid on the Timanii building? West’s eyes, which were unfocused and looking somewhere behind Walters’ desk, suddenly became clear at the mention of the Timanii building. His breath became more labored, as he seemed to struggle to speak. West: I…remember. Oh god, do I remember. Walters: Take your time. I’m going to ask you some questions and I want you to give me your honest-to-god answers. No matter how crazy it may seem, everything you say will be held in the strictest of confidence. Walters looked into his briefcase and grabbed an unmarked folder that had a small green triangle in the upper left corner. He opened it up and took out 2 pictures. [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14744]Pic1[/URL] [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14746]Pic2[/URL] There was no need to show the pictures to West. Walters: Corporal, what can you tell me about the events on the 23rd of May when you were briefed on your mission? West paused and seemed to search inward for some inner strength that would allow him to speak. West: Well…I…don’t remember everything. I guess I was on the ‘Okie’ (Note: Corporal West was stationed aboard the USS Okinawa which was in Hong Kong at the time) when my platoon sergeant, ‘Gunny’ Thomas, told us we had a platoon meeting at 1600 hrs in the briefing room. Yeah, that’s when I found out. Lt. Smith told us that there was a situation in Hong Kong where some Americans were being held and since were we close by, we were going to rescue them. I thought, “Hot damn! Some real action!” If I knew then, what I know now… Walters: So, Lt. Smith briefed you on the mission. What happened next? West: Well, the platoon was dismissed except for the squad leaders who had to meet to come up with an OpPlan. We went back to our cabins pretty excited. Walters: When did you find out about the OpPlan? West: My squad leader, Sgt. Harris, briefed us at 1830. He said that 2 squads would enter the building and 1 squad would stay in reserve outside. My squad was one of the squads that would be going in. I remember being pretty stoked at the time. West sat for a bit, seemingly sorting out things in his mind. His eyes got glazed over as if he was struggling with a thought so terrible, he had to retreat within himself to avoid it. Walters: What happened next? West: Well, we were going to chopper out at 2330 hrs, so Sgt. Harris told us to get some shut-eye. I had trouble sleeping; I guess…it was because I was so excited. I had never been on a mission before. And there was the strange dream… Walters: Strange dream? Tell me about it. West: Not much to tell. I can’t really…remember it much. I think it was a wall. But the wall wasn’t made of wood or brick. It was made of…Jesus, this sounds stupid. Walters: Please continue. Anything you say will be held in the strictest confidence. West: Well, the wall was made up of…masks. You know, like the African tribal masks. [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14745]Masks Dream[/URL] and…and…one of the masks looked like…it was speaking… Walters: Speaking? Do you know what it said? This could be very important. West: I…I…don’t know. If I did know, I can’t remember now. Walters: That’s ok, Corporal. Maybe it will come to you later. Let’s pick it up from when you left the Okinawa. The 3 UH-60 Blackhawks lifted off the deck of the USS Okinawa at precisely 2330 hours. The flight to the Timanii building was low. So low, that West thought they might crash into a boat or something. The mission called for 3rd squad to land about a block away on an abandoned warehouse and then make their way to the building and take up positions around the perimeter. The other 2 squads would fast rope down onto the roof and enter the building. Standard rules of engagement were in effect. No shooting unless shot at. The crew chief held up his finger. “One minute!” West tightened his grip on his M-16. He thought he was going to throw up. This is it, he thought; time to become a real Marine. The Blackhawk slowed to a hover and 4 ropes were pushed out. West stepped out and using his hands and feet, slid down the rope… West: Ugghhh! Walters: Corporal West, what is it? What happened? West: I forgot to brake properly. I hit the roof too fast and twisted my ankle. West rolled onto his side, clutching his ankle. “West, are you alright? Can you walk?” “Yeah, I’ll try.” PFC Williams helped West up and he put some weight on the ankle. It hurt like hell, but there was no way he was going to fall out now. “I’m alright! Let’s go!” The roof of the 4-story building had various air-conditioning ducts and vents, but only one door. There were fire escapes on the north and south sides of the building. 1st squad would go down the south fire escape and 2nd squad would go through the door. Walters: And you were in 2nd squad? West: Yeah, that’s right. We were going through the door. Walters: Was there any light? West: Nope, not a single light. We just flipped on our NVGs and went in. Smith jerked the door open and Williams went in. West could hear his heart beating for what seemed like an eternity. “Clear!” West and the others hurried into the room, which was little more than a landing with steps leading down. Williams took the point followed by West and the others. It’s damn quiet, West thought, as the Marines made their way silently down the steps. They came to a landing with a door. Sgt. Harris motioned for Williams to open the door as the rest of the squad took up firing positions. Williams jerked the door open. Nothing. The squad entered and broke up into their fire teams. Walters: So you found nothing on the 4th floor? West: Not a damn thing. Not even furniture. Walters: What about the 3rd floor? West: The same. Nada. It didn’t even look like the building was occupied. That was, until we reached the 2nd floor. Williams opened the door and the stench hit them immediately. It reminded West of the time when he had gone hunting with his Dad and they came upon a dead deer that had been dead for weeks. Only this was a thousand times stronger. Williams and West were the first to enter. West, trying to breathe through his mouth, took the right side of the door and Williams, the left. A quick scan showed that the entire floor was one big room and there were crates and boxes everywhere. No sign of where the smell was coming from, though. It just seemed to be everywhere. Sgt. Harris and the rest of the squad rushed past him and took up positions behind the nearest crates. Just as he turned to look for some cover, he heard shots. Walters: Were they shots from your squad? West: No, they came from down below. It was just a few, at first, and then it seemed as if the whole platoon had opened up. Sgt. Harris was talking on the radio when…. Walters: When what, Corporal? What happened then? The ground started to shake. Or, more like, the whole building shook. West grabbed a hold of a post that was next to him. Sgt. Harris wasn’t as lucky; he fell down and was hit by some falling debris. It was then that West heard it. Walters: Heard what, Corporal? What was it that you heard? West: I don’t know if I can put it to words. It was like a scream…a roar…of a thousand people all at once. It seemed like it was behind me, in front of me, underneath me, all around. Williams and some of the others dropped to the floor and just grabbed their ears. I just tied to yell louder than it. Walters: Did you ever find out what caused the smell? West stopped yelling. His voice was raw and his eardrums pounded. Williams was rolling on the ground curled up in a ball. West ran over to him and kicked him. “Get up, Marine! We can’t be wetting our pants now! We have a mission to finish!” The shooting from below had stopped, but now was replaced by a different sound. West wasn’t sure, but he thought he could here some people crying out. It was then that West saw them. Walters: What did you see? The source of the smell? What was it, Corporal? Lying in the middle of the room behind some crates were about 20 people. Or, at least, West thought they were people. He couldn’t really tell, but it seemed that chunks and pieces of the bodies had been torn away. The top halves of all their heads were gone. He went over and kicked a body. The missing pieces looked like bite marks. And they sure in the hell weren’t Americans. It looked to West like these people had been eaten. West turned and threw up. Jesus, this is about the worst thing I have ever seen. West: Imagine that, Commander. People being eaten. Not just one or two, but like a couple dozen. You know what’s worse than that? I saw what did the eating! I saw it! Walters: Corporal! Settle down! Relax for few minutes before we continue. West just turned his head and closed his eyes. He seemed to be reliving the whole thing again. Walters made a few notes in his folder. Walters: Can you continue now? West: Yeah, I think so. West turned and ran. He wasn’t a coward, but this wasn’t in the playbook. He ran past Williams who was still on the ground; Sgt. Harris who was struggling to get out from under the debris; and he ran out the door and down the steps. He ran down to the 1st floor and then he wished he had never lived. West: I…can’t. I…just…can’t. Walters: Corporal West, you have to tell me what you saw. It might mean the difference of saving others’ lives. What is it that you saw? The 1st floor was entirely empty except for a big box in the middle. Standing next to the box was something out of his darkest nightmares, except his nightmares weren’t real. At first, West thought it was a trick played by his NVGs. Prolonged wearing of NVGs causes eyestrain. This wasn’t eyestrain. It was a woman. A Chinese woman and she looked familiar, if that was possible. She was holding a fan in front of her and seemed to be talking to another Marine. Except, she really wasn’t a woman. She looked to be about 7 feet tall and where she should have had arms, she had tentacles. All about her body were smaller tentacles and they were in the process of tearing a Marine to shreds. West just stood there. Walters: What happened next, Corporal? What did you do next? West: I really don’t remember. I…kind of remember a bright flash of light like a flare or something. Next thing I know I woke up in a bed. Walters: Are you sure that’s all you can remember? It’s very important that you tell me everything. West: You mean aside from the fact that she had friggin’ tentacles for arms!?! Or that she looked like the mask that was talking in my dream!?! What more do you want me to tell you? Walters: Any little detail could be very important. Just think. West: I can’t think anymore, goddammit! Just…just…leave me alone. West then lowered his head and began to sob. This debriefing is over, thought Walters. Maybe he’ll remember some more later. Walters buzzed the corpsman who entered the cabin and started to wheel West away. “Just tell me one thing, Commander. This thing, whatever it was, was destroyed in the fire. It’s gone, right?” “Of course. You and your platoon did their jobs. Thank you for all the help you have given.” Poor SOB, thought Walters. How could I tell him that we found no trace of anything, including his platoon, except for a pair of hands [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14747]Hands[/URL] that did not go up in the fire. Addendum: It is my recommendation that Corporal West be committed to a secure psychiatric unit to receive the care that he needs. Also, upon further investigation of the description that West had given me, I found this passage from Von Junzt’s Unaussprechlichen Kulten entitled “Goddess of the Black Fan” that seems to match the description given by West: Behind the black fan The soul-twister simpers, Snake-armed and slickened, Inflated with blood fat. The dragon-toothed feaster Gluts down gray lilies, the Gracious donation Of children left twitching… The passage refers to a particularly loathsome aspect of Nyarlathotep called the Bloated Woman. This particular aspect likes to eat the brains of live sacrifices. I can only hope that I am wrong about this. God help me if I’m not. God help us all. Eric C. Walters Commander USN NCIS [/QUOTE]
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