For people in the eastern part of town the wails from the
sirens of fireengines can be heard heading towards the Golden Sands Road area.
 The expected messages across the police, firedepartment and ambulance
radiobands talking about fires in several buildings at North Golden Sands Road
can be picked up by those with the appropriate equipment."
------------------------------------------------------------------
Along the western side of North Golden Sands Road three neighboring houses are
ablaze, the one furthest south apparently having been on fire longer judging
by the amount of flames. A fireengine has already arrived, the firemen setting
up their equipment. The second house is fairly bad as well with fire in both
first and second floor windows, while the last one is only burning on the
second floor yet.

A glowing figure, hovering about 10 feet off the ground, makes her way
southwards down the road, muttering, "Where the heck did they have that Circle
K built.." She hears the radio and looks around, cursing to herself,
"Brilliant, Joey. Only _you_ can fly right into fires, without seein' them."

Mindwalker flies in and looks around for the locaton of the sirens and trouble

Guardian runs in, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, following the sounds of the
sirens. Once she locates the source of trouble, she leaps off the rooftop,
flying down towards the burning buildings, avoiding the rising heat and smoke.

Joey is hovering abut 10 feet off the ground, her force field glowing, as she
looks around at the state of things, "Hmm. Lotta fire isn't so good." she
makes her way over to the emergency personnel, "Anyone need some help? I can
try t'rescue people if they're trapped." she offers.

SilverDragon flys in and survays the scene to see where she might be needed...

Mindwalker flies in and looks around for the locaton of the sirens and trouble
seeing the flames...and that the buildings are burning in a direction she goes
toward where the house was burnt the less and look for anyone in trouble or
hurt

Eaglet spots the trouble from the air, and hurtles toward it at full speed. He
becomes intangible and plunges in to the conflagrations, searching for people
in trouble, swifter than fire can burn, ghostly and determined.

Guardian tries to stay out of the way of the scurrying firemen, looking for
the one who appears to be 'in charge'.

One older fireman is obviously the one in charge, directing his men with the
authority of an experienced firefighter and getting the hoses set up in a
quick and efficient manner.

Joey makes her way over to the older fireman, repeating her offer to help, "My
services are at y'disposal."

Guardian calmly approaches the older fireman and says, "Sir, my name is
Guardian. Is there any way I can help you?"

The man looks at Goardian, the look on his face one of patient annoyance with
being bothered while he's working, "'less yer fireproof, can breathe smoke or
fire high-pressure blasts of water, I think ya better let th' pros deal with
this, lady."

Guardian says, "I can do the first two, or lift your truck if necessary."

Joey gets to the older fireman, repeating the offer to help, then adds, "I can
be fireproof long enough to help get out someone who's trapped. Any idea if
anyone's stuck?"

The man looks at Guardian, "Er... No, leave th' truck right here!... Now, what
I need is someone to get in there and check fer people. We dunno if there's
anyone there yet, but these are residences, so th' chances fer that are high,
and I ain't got enough smokedivers t' cover all th' houses."

Guardian says, "Yes sir. Which house should I check?"

Joey nods to the man, looks at Guardian, then takes a deep breath while
waiting for instructions.

SilverDragon floows down slowly and just listen to the banter for instructions
from the older fireman.

Mindwalker after she has flown to the second floor window and use her tk fine
control on the bundle she saw on the floor and tries to bring it toward her at
the window to get the bundle to safety

"Let th' pros handle th' worst one, lady. That's what we're trained fer. Take
th' last or middle one." As the senior firefighter speaks a team of
smokedivers are already on their way towards the first house as other
firefighters clear a path for them into the building by hosing it down.

Joey responds to Guardian with a quick, "Affirm." and follows the Starguard
hero, placing her goggles over her face as she flies.

Mindwalker gently brings the limp bundle the size of a human toward her making ready to
get the body through the window and to safety...a beam from her head reaches
out and encompassing the bundle as she does

SilverDragon heads to the house left to go in and sweep for people.

A limp bundle is pulled out through the shattered window by the beam from
Mindwalker's head. The thing is blackened and charred.

Eaglet begins to quest, trained and drilled in paramedic procedures from the
time he could walk. He searches by sight first, then progresses to touch,
turning tangible but keeping Astral enough to be immune to the need to breathe
or fear of heat.

Guardian leaps up to the windowsill where the small bundle emerged, grabbing
it. She yells down to Mindwalker, "I've got him!"
Guardian gasps visibly, once she examines what she has. She screams for a
medic, knowing it is already far too late.

Joey takes another deep breath, makes a face and then enters the middle house
through a window and begins her search for anyone who might be still inside.

SilverDragon flys to the house no one else is checking heads in and looks for
people the old fashionway.
SilverDragon thinks . o O (I hope I do not find dead people....more dead might
mean...do not think about, look and look carefully, do not forget children
tend to hide....)

Mindwalker calls out on looking at the house...."Watchout! There is a
dangerous being around these houses...All Three houses but strongest in the
less burnt one!!....mindscans for live people..
Mindwalker yells loud as she can..."There are two people in this last house in
the farend...very scared on the second floor!!"

Eaglet keeps up his slow search, ignorant of much of what goes on, starting by
going toward the hotspot intent on spiraling out, shifting to intangibility
when needed to go through walls or doors. His hope is finding victims to
rescue, but if along the way he spots ways he can help the firemen he knows
will come: a vent feeding the fire he can block, a tv he can unplug -- a
firefighter told him on a previous rescue that hitting a live tv with water is
every fireman's worst fear -- he will do his bit. He goes intangible, and
heads for the heat source, once he has done the standard procedure on the room
he came in through. At twelve, he's too new to this to be original. He goes by
the training his masters have drilled into him.
Eaglet thinks . o O (There's no saving this one. *sob* Must go on. Must not
let more people down.)

Guardian drops carefully to the ground, showing great respect for the burden
she bears. She gently sets it down, looking at Mindwalker, and soberly shaking
her head 'no'.

SilverDragon thinks . o O (probley only dead and too much smoke in that house
for me to be useful...maybe better help there....)

Eaglet's compulsion to investigate keeps him going, keeps him looking for
clues along the way to looking for lives to save. He wishes he could
understand this, make sense of it. He can't. All he can do is press on. He
searches, and then heads to the next room, like a ghostly tourist.

<> Joey calls over, "This is Bolt. I'm still checking the middle house.
It's pretty bad, but I don't wanna take the chance of missing someone. Anyone
got that last house?"

<> Joey calls over, "This is Bolt, again..no survivors, so far, but
there's something odd. A human-shaped burn spot on the wall. Looks like this
'dangerous' thing walks through houses, if y'ask me. Be careful, guys."

Mindwalker flies toward where she found those frightened minds full out
calling out a new since no one is coming..."I have live people still in the
last building...can anyone help me? And watchout for the terrible being!!"

SilverDragon says, "Help is on the way mindwalker, feel free to commue with
me, just irnore Argent's nasty comments."

Guardian looks up at the window from which she had just departed. In a
confident, commanding voice, she calls out to those inside the house, "Hold
on, help is on the way!"

Mindwalker calls out loud shaking...but firm.."The walking malignancy is
near!"

As Mindwalker opens the door the rush of oxygen fans the flames behind it,
causing a gout of fire to spew out of the doorway. Fortunately she noticed it
just in time. 

Mindwalker dodges to oneside JUST in time fire licking just by if her hair was
unbound would be singed off her....nearly a toasted mentalist

Guardian leaps back up towards, and through, the open window into the house,
concentrating on looking for the people - and the possible threat - that are
supposed to be inside.

SilverDragon heads in to look for Mindwalker and the people."Mindwalker keep
talking" hoping to follow the Voice to mindwalker's area.

Mindwalker calls out as loud as she can....watching closely as she does her
surroundings...."I am on the second floor...so is what is I think hunting the
people!"

Guardian points towards the last door in the hallway. "In there!" she calls to
Mindwalker over the sound of the flames.

SilverDragon rushes up the stairs making no effort to be quiet. "where are
they?!"

Eaglet mentally kicks himself, though for the wrong thing. o O (Don't forget
the call.) He forgot to count off to six, then call out for survivors. He
yells, "This is Eaglet. I am in what looks like the bedroom. I am here to
help. Call back if you need help!" . o O (1 Mississippi. 2 Mississippi.) His
voice may only carry within a few rooms distance, but by what he's seen so
far, a response is a faint hope.

Mindwalker points to the bedroom in back "Back bedroom! Watch out for the
being!"

SilverDragon says, "Create the path so you can grab them out?"

Eaglet believes he hears a noise under the bed, but by the incredible heat in
here can't believe it's a survivor. He pops his head through the mattress to
look for the source of the sound, intangibly.
Eaglet says, "Hello?"
Eaglet thinks . o O (Omigosh!)
Eaglet drops to the floor as fast as he can, solidifying once free of the
material he's passed through. Holding his breath, he reaches for the bundle
and prepares to teleport straight up into the relative safety, for him, of the
night sky with his living survivor.

<> Joey calls over, "Bolt reporting in. Still looking for survivors.."
She searches as quickly, yet carefully, as possible. o O (I have to make sure
it's all clear here. Plus, they got a couple of armor types. They shouldn't
miss a half-baked hero like me.)

Mindwalker calls to SilverDragon.."Go ahead and open the door. But watch out
for trouble!"...flies to be able to see them once the door is open but dodges
the flames..

SilverDragon thinks . o O (Great, I am cover....)

<> Joey calls, "I got someone, may need CPR! Coming out."
She lifts the woman out of bed and will fly out the nearest window.

Guardian thinks . o O (Out of the frying pan, into the fire.)
Guardian flies forward through the conflagration, pausing momentarily when she
reaches the door, before shoulder-ramming her way through it and into the room
beyond.

The door smashes into dozens of splinters as the armored heroine slams through
it like it wasn't even there! Inside the room is an overturned bed, now
burning merrily, a couple of nightstands, a closed walk-in closet and a
vaguely humanoid shaped and sized scorchmark on the wall out to the back yard.

Mindwalker calls out..."Check the closet, and the overturned bed as she grabs
the closet door..."And the thing is out the back!"

The door slides open... And the empty air where a person would have stood had
they opened it personally is viciously attacked by a broom wielded by a
screaming woman!

Guardian calls to the woman, "We're here to rescue you."
SilverDragon flys to room, looks over the room briefly, and heads out the
scorchmark after the thing

SilverDragon takes a deep breath and heads striaght thru the window to
pursue....
SilverDragon thinks . o O (Great I will be brushing shard of glass out of my
hair for days.)

Mindwalker calls to Guardian..."There might still be another in here I hope!
Let's also try the overturned bed."

Eaglet's teleport carries him and his rescuee 80 yards almost straight up,
where he knows the air will be clear of obstacles and smoke, as his wings
fully unfurl and he begins CPR on the young victim. He simultaneously looks
about for what else is going on, naturally. The shock of cold night air after
the numb of the Astral plane is an odd sensation.

Huddled behind the berserker woman in the closet is a small boy, maybe four
years old or so.

Eaglet's patient stirs a little under his ministrations, breathing more
regularly, stronger.

Guardian steps forward slightly, so the woman can get a clear look at her. She
calls out to the woman, "Calm down ma'am, I'm here to get you two out of the
fire."

Mindwalker thinks . o O (I want to stop what did this so badly but this lady
and son need my help...this is getting like the four horsemen of horror! Got
to get to talking to a group or organization or someone with what I
know...this is only getting worse.")

The words seem to get through the haze of fear clouding the woman's mind,
"H... H... Help?" She lowers the broom slowly, her arms shaking so bad she can
barely hold it anyway.

Guardian steps into the closet, stooping down to scoop up the child, tucking
him safely under one arm, and picking the woman up gracefully in the other.
"Hold on tight" she says softly, comfortingly to them.

Joey holds the woman in her arms and then takes flight, moving faster than
most people normally see her move. She bursts out through the nearest window,
making a beeline for the closest ambulance, shouting "MEDIC!! CPR!" and lands
to hand over the poor victim.

The woman in Guardian's arms breaks down in tears, while the kid looks at the
armored heroine and pokes her helmet experimentally, then states, "I gotta
helmet too. Issa footballhelmet, 'cause daddy teached me to play football when
I was little, but I'm big now."

A pair of paramedics rush to the old woman in Joey's arms and start working on
her immediately, shouting things like "Smoke inhalation" and various medical
terms as they get to work.

Joey takes in some deep breaths of air once she's outside, then looks back at
the burning buildings.

SilverDragon looks about carefully as she stops and hovers near the last trace
of the being.
SilverDragon thinks . o O (need more training almost usless outside of a fight
or breaking and entering...)
SilverDragon heads back and quietly offers her help at anything need to the
head guy, noting she can lift alot, and does not mind hard work.
Mindwalker flies with Gurdian out of here and breaths deeply to recover
herself then scans again for survivors

Eaglet is over two hundred and fifty feet above the street, performing CPR,
getting his bearings, looking all around. Continuing to care for the victim,
searching a place to set down with her, he looks for what to do next after
that. Three houses in a row, what about the fourth?

Mindwalker calls out to the others..."I can't find anyother minds but the
firefighters and us."

Joey calls back, "From all three houses?!!?"

The firedepartment seem to be getting the blaze under control, more or less.
The houses next to the ones on fire have been drenched to prevent fire from
taking hold of them, and the fire in the three damaged houses is slowly
starting to fall under their control.

Mindwalker says, "That I can scan for yes!"

Eaglet thinks . o O (Minds?)

Joey places her hands on her knees and bends a bit, breathing some more.
"Swell..and..*huff* that dangerous thing?"

Mindwalker flies to help cleanup then goes to the heroes here....Joey and
Guardian and Eaglet and Silver Dragon..."I need to talk to you please!"

SilverDragon heads over to Mindwalker..."Well it vanished into the ground,
come look at its trail real quick....

The old woman Joey brought out eventually recovers, the CPR bringing her back
to life, while the mother and her son are taken care of by the paramedics.

Guardian carries the woman and boy out of the burning building, taking them to
the nearest ambulance for treatment. Once they are seen to, she locates the
body she carried down earlier, shows one of the firemen, so that proper
procedures can be followed.

Mindwalker nods and follows SD but looks at the others and motions them to
follow

Eaglet hands over his rescuee to someone who can care for her better than he,
and listens to the adult heroes.

Joey seems extremely relieved that the woman is saved. She hovers over to
where Mindwalker indicates.

The kitten Eaglet found is recovering nicely, and even licks the face of the
paramedic who takes it off the hero's hands.

Guardian looks at the kitten, and ruffles Eaglet's hair.

Mindwalker tears are in her eyes as she searches for the trail of the great
malignant being...then looks at the others a very worried hero

SilverDragon points out the scorched footsteps and then the larger scorch
where the trail ends...."Lost it..so not step on the marks the cops might get
something out of it."

Eaglet aw shuckses, and listens.

Joey frowns and looks at the prints, "The thing apparently can just walk
through walls, burnin' them as it goes, y'know?"

SilverDragon nods with a slight frettful look. "Why these buildings, how does
it tranport itself, and did it run from us or the hoses.

Mindwalker looks at Joey..."I have his psychic signature and the other two as
well. I think they are all related and I hope that there is not a fourth!"

Eaglet says, "I found a guy in the first house inna bedroom. He's, um, I think
it might've been a guy. There was only bones an' ashes."

Guardian looks at Joey, and shrugs slightly. "It's not unheard of."

Joey stands a bit more proudly, "Ran from us, of course. I mean..You'd run if
y'saw the invincible Bolt on the scene, right?"

Eaglet thinks . o O (A fire spirit? Shamans teach about those, but...?)

Mindwalker says, "Please lisen to me...please. There might be another attack
soon of a different type...I think they are of a group...two worked together
and they had a like but different psychic signature.""

SilverDragon rumbles something about hoping they are not elementals or demons
under her breath.

Joey tilts her head, the strawberry-blonde shag swishing to the left, and asks
Mindwalker, "How do y'mean, same signature? What's up?"

Guardian says, "What are you talking about?"

SilverDragon says, "Supers, or constructs? I am hoping supers,,,"

Eaglet says, "A group? I don't understand. Different?"

Eaglet looks up and down the streets, even while listening to the assembled
heroes, his neural senses letting him do both without distraction.

Mindwalker looks at all of them and tries to talk calmly..."I have been on
this from almost the beginning trying to find first the grey-skinned murderrer
that causes massive heartattacks by touch. Then this week I cam accros a young
lady that survived an attack of two monsters...one of the heart attack type
another who caused the body to degrade and turn wormy on death and now
this...I feel psychic signatures and the three I have spoken of are alike but
different as in an individual."

Guardian says, "So what does that mean? They're like, brothers or something?"

Joey scratches her head, "A heart attack and a decayed thing..and now fire.
How could these be related?" she asks the cowled mentalist.

Mindwalker says, "There is a subtle difference but they are of like
feelings...great evil malignancy..."

Eaglet blinks. "But, then it isn't a sea spirit summoned from a sword?" He
seems to have an inkling of what Mindwalker is saying, though is as surprised
as any by her information.

Joey jokes, in a less than merry tone, "If y'had four, it could be the Four
Bikers of the Apocalypse.."

SilverDragon says, "Please no biblical referances...."

Joey raises an eyebrow, "That's Biblical?"

Guardian says, "You know, neither of you two are making any sense."

Mindwalker says, "You ask me how I know....the survivor allowed me to see and
feel her memories of that night two peopl she knew died....the two worked
together and there was only a slight difference in their signature.""

Eaglet says, "But then, what about the Crimson Khans? The police men? Mr.
Vagrant. All near the sea. It's more than one person?"

SilverDragon says, "Four horsemen of the apocolypse is christen belief from
revelation...and well alot of storyies often have some basis in fact...we just
cover them in belief and stories to make them easier to swollow."

Eaglet says, "What horses?"

Joey regards SilverDragon warily, "Oooookay, so we got spiritual and mental
mumbo-jumbo. Can y'put it into layhero's terms, please?"

Mindwalker says, "I don't know whether it is biblical or not...all I remember
is that the one monster told the other they deserved death."

Guardian says, "Okay, suppose it is. The four are War, Death, Famine, and
Pestilence. Where exactly does 'fire' fit into that?"

Eaglet says, "The sentence is death?"

Mindwalker nods

Joey shakes her head, "Nah, fire doesn't fit at all, it seems."

Eaglet says, "Then... why here? It's close enough to the sea, I suppose. What
makes these houses, this street, special?"

Mindwalker says, "That is the term...'The sentence is death'."

Joey tells Eaglet, "Hopefully, with the survivor's help and a little research,
we can find out the common threads."

SilverDragon says, "Viglantes?"

Mindwalker says, "Killing cops is vigilante work?"

Joey asks Mindwalker, "All the victims so far have been cops?"

SilverDragon says, "Well it depends on the cop, or you could have a twisted
power belief system for your umm badguys."

Guardian says, "Killing cops is a fast trip to jail. Or the morgue. Most
stories say the police aren't real concerned with bringing in cop killers
alive."

Mindwalker tries to think then says...."No, Mia said..the crime was life. The
sentence is death.

Eaglet thinks aloud. "Fire is a mark of war, sometimes. Heart attacks is
death. Decay, that's, like, pestilence? I seen the maggots." He asks, "Is it
always one week apart?"

SilverDragon says, "Well revenge, ...or gathering energy to fuel thier
movement...I do not know just odd it is..."

Mindwalker says, "So far yes.....and he hissed as he talked."
Mindwalker says, "Stresses the sssss's"

Joey rubs her hands together, "Well, have no fear," she tells the others,
"Bolt is on the case. I'm sure that together, we'll stop these death critters.
Right?" She looks around at the group for confirmation.

Guardian says, "Why do you think there's another?"

Eaglet says, "Well, the fire guys -- you said there were three? -- They
clearly can ignore solid walls, and likely teleport, or turn invisible and
fly. Hrm. One the first week. Two the next. Three the third. Give 'em a year,
and we're in trouble."

Mindwalker nods but is sad as she then looks to the lost ones."
Mindwalker says, "I thought there was only 2 after this week till today. I
have been searching everywhere I can since this started!""

Eaglet asserts. "It started with one. One of the Crimson Khans, likely. He got
something from the sword. It's death touch got transferred to him by their
ceremony." He looks to MindWalker for confirmation that this theory might be
possible. "And he's been recruiting. He has something that lets him find,
or... make? new ones like him. That's why their psychic signature's the same.
It's the same source. Could that be right?

SilverDragon says, "Well we need some break to find a way to trace or
contian...."

Joey shakes her head, pleading with Eaglet, "Whoa, whoa..what's a Khan?"

SilverDragon looks at Eagle, "Crimson Khans?"

Mindwalker nods slowly..."It could very well be possible....all I have had to
go on I have let you know."

Guardian says, "Which isn't much but speculation. Did you actually spot three
here tonight?"

Mindwalker says, "These deaths are initiations to a group of demon-like?"

Eaglet says, "Ms. Aurora tol' me 'bout 'em. They was a street gang. Most o'
them died doin' a ceremony on a broken sword. I wish I knew 'bout the others,
an' if one's missin'."

Mindwalker says, "And I felt only one of them in this building."

Joey makes a face, as if trying to comprehend the strangeness, "Ceremony on a
sword? What, like a voodoo thing?"

Eaglet tells Joey, "Starguard gots photos of it. But this one felt the same as
the other two? Maybe they're watching? Nearby. Still within range?

Guardian says to herself, "I need to talk to Aurora then."

Joey nods, "I can ask Jimmy when we go out."

Eaglet instinctively looks toward the coast.

Mindwalker says, "My range is not that good so far...I wish it was.""
                                            
SilverDragon passes a small cards to Mindwalker and the others from her pouch,
"If you need to contact me...I have business to attend to." and flys off.

Eaglet pops back from the group, though he's looking East to the sea, and
reappears levitated over the track of the small-footed firey trail.

Mindwalker takes the card that SD gave her and puts it in her belt pouch

Joey pockets the card, then looks towards the ocean, "Something out there,
little guy?" she asks Eaglet.

Eaglet tells Joey. "I dunno. Just the other deaths, either were by the sea, or
pointed to it somehow. How easy could it be for a grey-skinned person who's
touch kills to hide in a city like this? Maybe they got a boat?"

Mindwalker looks at the others and pulls out an e-mail address card to one and
all..."f you need me send me an e-mail."

Guardian thinks . o O (Business cards?)

Joey snorts at Eaglet, "In this city of supers? Real easy to hide."

Mindwalker says, "Could they be hidden on a freighter or some like?""

Joey's eyebrows raise, "Y'mean they could be on a boat at the marina?"

Mindwalker says, "Or at the docks....it seems possible....or from the island.
Just a thought....I seem to remember a sailor but don't remember why."

Guardian shakes her head slightly. She says, "You can contact StarGuard if you
need help, or want to crosscheck their information. It's getting late for me.
Good night."

Eaglet says, "Well, if you need to find me, look for someone patrollin' over
the coast, an' stuff."

Joey pockets yet another card, telling the others, "Well, everyone knows how
to reach me. I'm not hard t'find.." she thinks a bit, "Sailors, death, fire,
decay..weird mind and spirit things, gangers and a sword..It all fits
together!"
Joey mutters, "How, I don't know.." then says louder, "Y'all take care out
there."

Eaglet says, "Or ask Captain Thunder. She can find me."
Eaglet thinks . o O (Someone wants to kill four people in six days and 20
hours, and all I know is, I don't know a thing.)

Guardian eventually walks off, taking flight, and sailing off quietly into the
night.

Mindwalker flies up and waves solemnly to the others..and flies off after
saying"I have to go, but please call me on this or any other thing you need
help with."

Eaglet turns invisible, and stays behind, snooping for long hours.

Joey stays to help the emergency personnel where they need it, and later goes
home.

Eaglet thinks . o O (The weak one asked "What crime did they commit?" The
leader said, "The crime is life. The sentence is death." The weak one gave in,
got carried away, killed the girl to copy the leader. Now it's a tradition.
Get into the gang, kill someone.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who has died so far:

Bobby Chiun, age 15. Heartattack. Crimson Khans gangmember
Fong Li, age 19. Heartattack. Crimson Khans gangmember.
Sheng Bao, Age 17. Heartattack. Crimson Khans gangmember
Joe Tien. age 18. Heartattack. Crimson Khans gangmember.
Charlie Hung, age 15. Heartattack. Crimson Khans gangmember.
Officer Phillip Orville Bachman, age 28. Heartattack. CBPD.
Officer Margo Allen, age 27. Heartattack. CBPD.
Linus Hibbert, age unknown. Heartattack. Homeless transient.
Robert Redding, AKA Bobby Red, age 30. Heartattack. Smalltime criminal and pimp.
Anne Gruenwald, AKA Sheena, age 20. Rapid aging and physical decay. Prostitute, smalltime thief.
Gary Arlen, age 65. Burned to death. Retired.
Thaddeus Walker, age 32. Burned to death. Corporate executive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The survivors of the fire were Maria Goldman, a 74 year old widow who had been
a housewife most of her life. She was dead for a couple of minutes due to
smoke inhalation, but was revived. The other survivors were Linda Walker and
her son Mark. Linda is an assistant in a local lawfirm. The people in the fire
had never, as far as you can determine, met any of the previous victims. The
gangers all knew eachother, and might have known the cops, or Bobby and his
girls. And the cops might have known both the gangers and Bobby. The homeless
person probably didn't know anyone. The gangers were killed in one of their
hangouts on Ming Street. The cops and the homeless person were killed in an
alley near the docks, as was Bobby and Sheena, but a different alley. There is
no "Crimson Khan" as far as any cops know, but it is known that the Khans
claim to worship some demon called the Great Khan. They are more superstitious
than most CB gangs. Looking up the library systems reveals that Ghengis Khan
is occasionally referred to as the Great Khan. There are also references in
police records to asian gangmembers who were arrested during the Yakuza/Triad
war in 2000 mentioning a "Khan" who was going to give them power undreamed of.
Wandering the docks reveals nothing. The gangers all had criminal records, as
did Bobby and Sheena.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your research into the heart attacks does not leave you with much information.
There _are_ some references in a tome penned by a French sorcerer by the name
ofArmand DuLac who specialized in dimensional magic a few centuries ago.
Unfortunately the poor fellow was utterly out of his skull by the time he
wrote the book, but a couple of pages in the book, rambling and incoherent as
they may be, seem to describe a world he visited once in another dimension.
This world, he claims, was one where all life had been extinguished, from the
smallest living organism to the greatest creatures that ever walked the earth.
There was not a living thing left, but the dead were far from restful and
quiet. And ruling this world of death and destruction were the four beings who
had killed their world. He does not name them in his tome, but refers to them
as the four who uphold the law in a world where life itself is the ultimate
crime. His description of them indicates there is one who is the first among
the four. The leader to whom the othersall defer, and whom DuLac only refers
to as "death come to life". All three areunrelenting in their hatred of all
that is alive, and they are each extremely powerful in their own right,
immortal (or rather undead) and imbued with sorcerous abilities to move and
slay as they please. Their leader is described as looking much like a zombie,
its skin dead and greenish-gray. A gaunt, helmeted figure clad in black with
long, clawed hands and a permanent rictus grin on its unholy face. The second
is but a human skeleton with the skull of some domesticated animal like a
horse for its head. Like the leader this being is garbed in similar clothing
of black. The third is like the shadows having taken the form of a living
nightmare, its body hidden in a shadowy, black cloak and its head hidden
underneat a great, black batwinged helm. Finally the last one is a human
figure scoured by the raging fire fueled by its own body, gaunt and skeletal,
most of the flesh burned away and what remains being little more than charred
bits of coal, its skull blackened and utterly devoid of fleshy tissues at
all.According to DuLac the touch of the leader would stop the heart of a man
as surely as a knife plunged into it would, yet there would be no mark left
behind on the body. At this point of the book the rambling becomes wholly
incoherent, going into what can only be described as written mutterings about
death, decay, utter terror and the fires of hell. The man was obviously
completely mad, probably as a result of his travels and research, and who
knows how much is mere fantasy from a sick mind and how much is true.As for
what might keep a woman's heart beating for months after she should be dead,
you can't find anything specific on that, though if there is then it's
probably necromantic in nature as some necromantic spells and rituals are in
the same general "area" of magic.
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The name Crimson Khans in Colonial Bay is synonymous with a streetgang
composed solely of youths of Asian, primarily Chinese, descent which has over
the last decade managed to become the most powerful gang in the Asian district
of the city. They are known to have ties to the Triads in Colonial Bay. There
is no record of any being called "the Khan" in Colonial Bay, neither
superhuman or otherwise. The only reference to any "Khan" is the belief of the
Crimson Khans in the return to the world of what they describe as "The Great
Khan", a "demon god" they claim to worship. According to what little
information is available the legends of the Crimson Khan goes back to around
the time of the Mongolian conquest of China. These stories, which claim that
Ghengis Khan was a man posessed by a demon are however considered nothing more
than fairytales and just a description given by enemies and victims who
suffered under his ambition.
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The lab reports on the murders are as follows: The heartattacks are just that.
Heartattacks. However, in most of the cases the victims should never have
suffered heart attacks in the first case, having no obvious heartdefects or
unusual buildup of cholesterol in their veins. It is simply as if the heart
merely stopped for no good reason. As for the burn victims, they died from the
burns, not smoke inhalation. What is remarkable about these is that the heat
must have been far more intense than even that which could reasonably have
been produced by the fire. In fact, the bodies have been so evenly and
thoroughly incinerated that even solid steel would have reached a liquid state
in less than a minute. The only reason there are remains left at all rather
than merely dust is that the burning seems to have taken place only over a few
seconds. Other irregularities are the long-dead scraps of flesh and skin found
under the fingernails of some victims. Examinations have shown it to be from
someone else, and the state of decay points to months, maybe even years since
who or what it came from having died.
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****************************************************************************
 (Paris, France)
The body of professor Gerard DuLac was found Friday morning in his office by
the cleaning staff at the Sorbonne University of Paris. Professor DuLac, a
noted authority in areas such as history and mythology was determined by a
coroner to have suffered from a fatal heart attack the evening before and was
scheduled to hold a guest lecture at UCLA next month on the subject of
"Factual history in mythology". Professor DuLac was 37 years old and leaves
behind a wife and one son. A funeral is expected to be held sometime this
week.
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In any case, according to the legwork the two of you went to France some time
ago to check Dulac's files due to the way he died.

The authorities, and Dulac's widow, agreed, though they saw little point in
it, seeing as the man merely died of a heart attack. Looking through his notes
and computer files you found that most of it was bone-dry, boring as hell,
completely uninteresting information to anyone but the most geeky historian
There were, however, a few things of interest. Everything, of course, had to
be translated from French.

FILE FOUND ON DULAC'S COMPUTER:
I've come across things that indicate my ancestor may not have been as crazy
as his writings indicate. Must investigate this further. Could he truly have
encountered a group of early superhumans posing as some kind of death deities?

FILE 2:
Was contacted by a Doctor Barrett. He said he had some information concerning
my investications into my ancestor's writings. I do not trust him, however.
From what I hear Dr. Barrett is a maverick in the scientific community, and
there are those who say he has ties to criminal communities. If he knows
something though...

FILE 3:
Barrett is... a very disturbing man. The things he told me and showed me
however... Amazing. My forefather may indeed have been telling the truth in
his writings. As amazing as it may seem Barret claims these... things he wrote
about were otherdimensional beings. In fact, Barrett himself claims to have
encountered them and barely escaped with his life. That would make them
hundreds of years old. Fortunately they cannot, again according to Barrett,
cross the dimensions without assistance, and I do not intend to travel to
_their_ home to study them, so I have decided to end this line of research as
it seems to lead me no further.

There is something else that is bothering me however. Doctor Barrett had an
ulterior motive for telling me what he did. He apparently wish to secure my
services for an organization he referred to as The Sovereign. From my, granted
limited, knowledge of such things this is an international crime cartel. I
refused, of course.
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