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Story Hour
Modern/Delta Green - The Beginning of the End (COMPLETED)
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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4048418" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p><strong>The End of Paradise: Part 2 – The Basement</strong></p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean crept down the steps, flashlight in one hand and pistol in the other. He swung it around the room. </p><p></p><p>The basement was a large open space that was once quite beautiful, but had long since fallen into moldy ruin. There was still an old bar, with some ratty couches and chairs. At some point after the theater closed, it was apparent one of the exit doors had been jimmied open. The walls were covered in graffiti, and the carpet smelled of urine.</p><p></p><p>Metro hadn’t done much except get the furnace working and reroute the electrical wiring to new boxes elsewhere in the building. The old circuit board was a big wooden slab about eight feet tall by six feet wide, covered with large throw switches and dials—it looked like it came straight from Frankenstein’s lab. </p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean focused the flashlight’s beam on the bar again. Sure enough, he made out the faint impression of a door behind the bar, plastered and painted over. </p><p></p><p>“Hello, mates? I think I’ve found a door.”</p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean listened. Nobody responded.</p><p></p><p>“Right, got to do it myself, then.” </p><p></p><p>Using a multi-tool at his belt, he cut open the plaster and forced the door open.</p><p></p><p>“Anyone? Team?” Nothing but silence.</p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean shrugged and stepped into the room. </p><p></p><p>Decades of dust filtered down through the ceiling boards, coating the area in a fine gray powder. The door opened into a small area blocked off by what Jim-Bean at first took to be mist. They were actually three fabric screens that stretched from floor to ceiling. They were made of a thin, gauzy material and were stretched taut. </p><p></p><p>As soon as he stepped inside, Jim-Bean felt a slight shift beneath his feet. He had triggered a pressure plate. Jim-Bean froze. The last time he triggered a pressure plate, a blade nearly cut his legs off at the knees.</p><p></p><p>A loud whirring sound started up as three old sixteen-millimeter projectors began operating. Suddenly, there were moving images on the three fabric screens, projected from behind. The imagines in grainy black-and-white depicted a crowd of men dressed in suits, all wearing masks of blank faces with no eyes or mouth. They were standing in the same basement; clearly, three cameras rolling simultaneously in the doorway shot the footage. </p><p></p><p>The men simply stood there, staring at Jim-Bean. Projected, they formed a nearly continuous image with only a slight stutter that betrayed the loop.</p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean noticed gaps between the three screens and slipped between them. He saw the three projectors first; each placed some distance behind its corresponding screen. All had power cables running up into the ceiling. The images they projected appeared on the backsides of the screens as well, since they were translucent.</p><p></p><p>The three projectors were mounted on top of massive wooden thrones, covered in gold leaf and blanketed by dust. Each was elevated on a dais about eight inches high. A mural showing the night sky as seen from the roof of the Paradise covered all the walls and ceiling.</p><p></p><p>The floor was decorated with a forty-foot-diameter circle of inlaid marble, within which were a number of twisted sigils. The floor was stained in numerous places. </p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean kept his pistol at the ready. “Great. This is the part where the creepy movie ghosts come out of the film and eat me.”</p><p></p><p>He moved around to the backs of the thrones. There was a latch.</p><p></p><p>Undoing each latch in turn, they yawned open to reveal a small alcove beneath the seat. Each contained a human skull, a candle, and a trumpet. The central throne also contained a handwritten book. </p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean holstered his pistol and flipped the book open with one hand, the other focusing the flashlight beam. It seemed to contain rituals and prayers to a deity known as The All in One and the Key and the Gate.</p><p></p><p>“<span style="font-family: 'Impact'">When thou would call forth The All In One, thou must waite until the Sun is in the Fifth House with Saturn in trine</span>,” Jim-Bean read aloud. “<span style="font-family: 'Impact'">Then enter within the stones and draw about thee the Circle of evocation tracing the figurines with the mystic scimitar of Barzai. Circumambulate thrice widdershins and turning thy face to the South intone the conjuration that openeth the Gate…</span>” He looked up as the projectors ground to a stop. </p><p></p><p>The images on the screens inexplicably persisted for another few seconds. Just as they faded away, all the men in the crowd lowered their masks. </p><p></p><p>A wretched scream from upstairs pierced the gloom. It sounded like Guppy.</p><p></p><p>Jim-Bean ran out of the room.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 4048418, member: 3285"] [b]The End of Paradise: Part 2 – The Basement[/b] Jim-Bean crept down the steps, flashlight in one hand and pistol in the other. He swung it around the room. The basement was a large open space that was once quite beautiful, but had long since fallen into moldy ruin. There was still an old bar, with some ratty couches and chairs. At some point after the theater closed, it was apparent one of the exit doors had been jimmied open. The walls were covered in graffiti, and the carpet smelled of urine. Metro hadn’t done much except get the furnace working and reroute the electrical wiring to new boxes elsewhere in the building. The old circuit board was a big wooden slab about eight feet tall by six feet wide, covered with large throw switches and dials—it looked like it came straight from Frankenstein’s lab. Jim-Bean focused the flashlight’s beam on the bar again. Sure enough, he made out the faint impression of a door behind the bar, plastered and painted over. “Hello, mates? I think I’ve found a door.” Jim-Bean listened. Nobody responded. “Right, got to do it myself, then.” Using a multi-tool at his belt, he cut open the plaster and forced the door open. “Anyone? Team?” Nothing but silence. Jim-Bean shrugged and stepped into the room. Decades of dust filtered down through the ceiling boards, coating the area in a fine gray powder. The door opened into a small area blocked off by what Jim-Bean at first took to be mist. They were actually three fabric screens that stretched from floor to ceiling. They were made of a thin, gauzy material and were stretched taut. As soon as he stepped inside, Jim-Bean felt a slight shift beneath his feet. He had triggered a pressure plate. Jim-Bean froze. The last time he triggered a pressure plate, a blade nearly cut his legs off at the knees. A loud whirring sound started up as three old sixteen-millimeter projectors began operating. Suddenly, there were moving images on the three fabric screens, projected from behind. The imagines in grainy black-and-white depicted a crowd of men dressed in suits, all wearing masks of blank faces with no eyes or mouth. They were standing in the same basement; clearly, three cameras rolling simultaneously in the doorway shot the footage. The men simply stood there, staring at Jim-Bean. Projected, they formed a nearly continuous image with only a slight stutter that betrayed the loop. Jim-Bean noticed gaps between the three screens and slipped between them. He saw the three projectors first; each placed some distance behind its corresponding screen. All had power cables running up into the ceiling. The images they projected appeared on the backsides of the screens as well, since they were translucent. The three projectors were mounted on top of massive wooden thrones, covered in gold leaf and blanketed by dust. Each was elevated on a dais about eight inches high. A mural showing the night sky as seen from the roof of the Paradise covered all the walls and ceiling. The floor was decorated with a forty-foot-diameter circle of inlaid marble, within which were a number of twisted sigils. The floor was stained in numerous places. Jim-Bean kept his pistol at the ready. “Great. This is the part where the creepy movie ghosts come out of the film and eat me.” He moved around to the backs of the thrones. There was a latch. Undoing each latch in turn, they yawned open to reveal a small alcove beneath the seat. Each contained a human skull, a candle, and a trumpet. The central throne also contained a handwritten book. Jim-Bean holstered his pistol and flipped the book open with one hand, the other focusing the flashlight beam. It seemed to contain rituals and prayers to a deity known as The All in One and the Key and the Gate. “[FONT=Impact]When thou would call forth The All In One, thou must waite until the Sun is in the Fifth House with Saturn in trine[/FONT],” Jim-Bean read aloud. “[FONT=Impact]Then enter within the stones and draw about thee the Circle of evocation tracing the figurines with the mystic scimitar of Barzai. Circumambulate thrice widdershins and turning thy face to the South intone the conjuration that openeth the Gate…[/FONT]” He looked up as the projectors ground to a stop. The images on the screens inexplicably persisted for another few seconds. Just as they faded away, all the men in the crowd lowered their masks. A wretched scream from upstairs pierced the gloom. It sounded like Guppy. Jim-Bean ran out of the room. [/QUOTE]
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Modern/Delta Green - The Beginning of the End (COMPLETED)
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