World War II - Kitten Issue #1

"Joanna? Wake up!"

"Oh papa! Look! Joanna is coming around!"

Joanna Van Der Berg opened her eyes. Around her, the home she'd lived in with her husband, Thomas. His parents and sister were around the bed, and before anything else, Joanna remembered the pain. Of loss, of grief, of separation. Thomas was dead. Word had gotten to the family where they lived in Oxford. Thomas had been on the way back from their native Holland having been on a business trip and to visit relatives there. Joanna had continued her training as a nurse, and hadn't gone with her husband, as she'd done in the past.

His boat had sunk. An accident, they said. After the Athenia several weeks ago, no one could be sure any more. U-Boats prowled the oceans and sunk any who came into their clutches, despite Nazi claims otherwise. Joanna knew her husband had died because of the Nazis, but she'd never prove it. Cycling to the large family home she shared with members of Thomas' family, who moved here when his shoe making business had taken off in Britain, she'd fallen off her bike and been found in a ditch.

Now a week later, she was awake.

And something had changed. As the family fussed around her, she felt as if she were not alone - not outwardly, but inside. As tears misted her eyes, Joanna wondered if, somehow, her husband was somehow with her, little knowing that from that moment on, her life was changed...

OOC Powers are 1 level of Shrinking, 1 level of Strength, 1 level of Martial Arts. How much - or little - you want Joanna to take part in the game (as opposed to Kylie jumping in and becoming the hero we know she is) is up to you. You are currently in a sleepy village in Oxfordshire in the large family home.

"You gave us quite a scare, my dear," her father-in-law said, handing over his handkerchief so that she may dry her eyes. His simple act of kindness only drew more tears. Even though her husband was no longer with her, they still considered her part of the family and it was obvious that they were not ready to lose another one this soon. Their expressions of concern were gradually changing to ones of joy and relief upon seeing her recovering.

"My head. Everything's still kind of foggy," Joanna tried to explain. She knew everyone in the room, but yet it almost felt like she was meeting them for the first time.

"I'll go get the doctor. We're so glad that you're awake, Joanna," Thomas's sister said, leaning over the bed to kiss her on the cheek before running off on her errand. It seemed to take longer than it should to remember her name. Fiona Even more disturbing was the way that her own name didn't sound right to her. Joanna. Part of her was almost protesting that it should be something else.

"What happened? How long...." Joanna asked anxiously, her own concern growing in response to the way that they were doting over her and her inability to think clearly.

"Shhhh. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay," her mother-in-law quietly interrupted as she sat down next to her on the bed and gently cradled her in her arms.

-----

Kylie Robertson was frightened. Not long ago, she had allowed the Dark Queen to take control of her body which left her an observer as she carried out her terrible acts. Just when she thought that she had evicted her and regained control, Kylie was once again a disembodied observer in some other woman's body. I want to go home. she pleaded, but in a weird way, this place felt like it was her home. What happened to the others -- Frostbite? Lionheart? Putty? Stormwarden? Even though they had got her into this mess, they might be the only ones that had the key to get her back home.

Kitten

Thoughts whirled unbidden through Joannas' mind, as well as the confusing underlying idea that she should be somewhere else, BE someone else. She heard the door open downstairs, and the family welcome someone in. Sagging back on the bed, she wiped her tears and turned to the side, catching only parts of the conversation. "..was quick Doctor. You're not our usual..." "...passing and was told there may be a need to..." "...that case, come right this way. Would you care for tea...?" "...but no, I'll see the young lady right away if I..."

The tramp of feet on stairs and the opening of the door revealed the Doctor, a man Joanna didn't recognise but the world was changing at such a rate it wasn't a surprise anyway. Joannas' world had more or less collapsed...

A man in brown suit, immaculately turned out, stepped into the room, hanging his hat up and taking off his coat. "Changeable weather in these parts" he said, tight lipped smile as Joannas' mother in law left.

The newcomer turned. "Mrs Van Den Berg, I'm Henry carter, a specialist in cases like yours. I've been called in to see how we can help you. First..." he said, reaching into his case and turning "Just a small jab." He held up a syringe and pulled the stopper off the needle, moving towards the bed.

'The shadows darken around this one!' screamed an insistent voice in Joannas' mind!

Joanna gasped upon hearing the voice in her mind. It sounded like an urgent warning but the message wasn't clear without the context to understand it. The doctor had already given her an uneasy feeling with his lack of bedside manner. She had been around doctors enough during her nursing training to know that this situation didn't feel right. The timing of this warning only increaded those feelings.

"Don't let him stick the needle in you!" Another voice in her head -- a different one than the one that warned her earlier. Feminine, young, British, and yet strangely familiar.

---

Kylie heard the same warning about the shadows darkening. She immediately knew what it meant, having first-hand experience and contact with that world. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like her host appreciated the amount of danger that she was in. How much trouble we both are in. Kylie realized, not knowing how she would be affected if Joanna was harmed. Kylie felt helpless and tried desperately to get her attention.

OOC: Although she is warning Joanna of the threat, Kylie is tying to gain dominance over their shared body so that she could use her martial arts skills to defend themselves.

Kitten

The Doctor smiled. Joanna caught - what was that? A hint of red in his eyes? A trick of the light, surely, no doctor would... he closed in with the syringe. "This won't take a moment my dear, then all will be well. You won't have to worry about anything any more." Even the mans smile was cold, creepy.

Joanna rolled out of the other side of the bed eliciting an instant reaction from the Doctor. He hissed, and seemed to flow like water, becoming a vast gelatinous bulk! "I told them you wouldn't go so easy! They said you were newest, the least experienced, and I told them you would be troublesome!"




He resembled nothing of the man he'd been moments before! Even the syringe seemed forgotten as the... the thing moved forwards to throttle Joanna!

Joanna screamed in terror. Even the horrible sights that one might encounter while tending to the injured could not compare to what she had just witnessed. She could not rationalize this away as being an after-effect from whatever had put her into the comatose state. It was all too real.

Suddenly, a wave of self-confidence reassured her. It was like she had tapped into some long forgotten memories where she knew how to defend herself and how to fight back. As to where this may have come from, she had no idea. Joanna had been taught that fighting was something best left for the boys.

However, she wanted no part of having to touch this monster. It reminded her of tar and she feared that it would cling to her if she were to make contact with it.

OOC: If there are objects which can be thrown to drive off the creature, she would probably do so at this point. Joanna's primary objective is to escape. With the bed currently separating them, I'm not sure which one has the most direct path to the door. Perhaps this might be a time for the Shrinking power to activate and give her an unexpected escape route.
Although she would welcome some help right now, Joanna will not let this thing hurt her extended family. If the creature turns on them, she will fight to regain its attention and try to lure it away from them if she is the actual target like it had originally claimed.

Kitten


Suddenly the world grew around Joanna - quite literally! The dressing table she'd backed up to towered over her, the bed was seemingly hundreds of feet high, the creature which threatened her was thousands of feet high and... looking around. "What? Where are you? You cannot hide from me! They never said you could become invisible..." The thing spent some minutes ransacking the room, swinging wildly with its arms, hoping to catch some edge of the young woman with a fist and hear her cry out. It never thought to look down!

OOC Shrinking activated as a defence mechanism...

Finally, the creature moved to the window and slid it open. The night air beckoned. With a scowl, it turned and 'slooped' it's way out, slithering like a slug down the wall... Joanna looked up - the window ledge was so far above her it would need a plane to get her that high! What had happened?

Just then she heard a sound... a pair of eyes under the bed glared at her... and the scrat of feet on the floorboards suggested the arrival of a new threat - a rat!

OOC You have an opportunity to follow the Doctor, but are 6" high which is an all new challenge to Joanna in itself, rat not withstanding... your call

There were no voices speaking in her head to warn her about the rat. Either they didn't think that rats were a threat or they didn't realize how large it now was in comparison to her. "What did that monster do to me?!!" she whimpered. As bad as this was, the injection may have been even worse! Joanna wanted to follow the meltling man as he probably had the only way to return her back to normal. However, she had a much larger problem at the moment (or at least it seemed that way to her.)

"Nice rat," Joanna said diplomatically as she slowly backed away to give it space. If she didn't challenge it, maybe it wouldn't consider her a threat. As far as she was concerned, it could have the whole floor as long as she could get to the safety of some place higher. However, everything in the room towered over her. It was going to take a lot of climbing, but until somebody came to help her, what other choice did she have?

OOC: Joanna would like to go after the creature, but she has the rat to deal with. If she has an escape route, she'll take it, including trying to climb up to the top of the bed from any hanging bedsheets. If the rat corners her, she'll have no choice but to fight. If there's any way to make it out the window, she'll try to follow the monster despite her tiny size. But if she can just figure out how to return to normal size, that solves most of the big problems except satisfying her curiosity about the melting monster.

Kitten

And just like that, Joanna grew again! She wasn't quite how she'd done it, only that she wanted to figure out how she'd gone so small and how to get back again! The rat suddenly turned tail and sped back under the bed - that would have to be something she sorted out before going to sleep tonight - Kitten spun. Looking out the window she scanned about... nothing! Who would believe her either except...

...now she was small again! The Rat was long gone, having learnt there were certain kinds of prey it shouldn't go after. Simply thinking about becoming large was enough to send Joanna back to her normal size! Looking back out the window, it seemed clear the creature - for such it was - had gone down the drains. No way to follow for a normal person, but for one who could shrink...?

As she considered her next move, she saw the lights of a car coming down the lane heading to the house. Now what?

OOC The slime creature made good it's escape down the drains. Kitten can follow it, but it has a head start and now you have more visitors...

Joanna pulled her dressing gown around her. Something about what had happened should have surprised her, terrified her, been a shock to the system at least. And her clothes had shrunk with her, as if whatever process allowed her to shrink allowed that which was in contact to shrink with her too.

As she peered from her window two smartly dressed men in suits and bowler hats stepped out of the car. One looked at a piece of paper, confirming the address, and the other nodded. He adjusted something dark and metallic inside his jacket, straightened himself down and move to knock at the front door. The other looked about the place - when he looked up Joanna moved from the window. Peering back, she saw the two enter the house...



and



There was conversation from downstairs, then a voice called out...

"Joanna? You have visitors. Two men, from the Government, they say. They wish to ask you some questions..."

"I seem to be very popular today," Joanna said to herself. However, because her last encounter with an unexpected visitor didn't seem to go very well, she was understandably hesitant to see any one else. It was very likely that the melting monster had come back with his friends that he had mentioned.

Joanna walked to the door and called out. "I'll be down in a minute! Please make our guests feel welcome!" She was going to use that time to get dressed into something more appropriate to be seen by visitors. Also, if it turned out that these two gentlemen were also monsters, she would feel more comfortable fleeing their home (or maybe even fighting back) if she was in something other than her sleepwear.

What am I going to tell the family if they ask about the doctor? That he decided to leave through the window? she wondered. It would have been a comical image except they hadn't seen the way that it had oozed its way out instead of climbing out like a man. She hoped that it could wait until after their new visitors had departed.

Even though her life was potentially at stake, she couldn't escape some vanity about her appearance and tried to prepare herself to look as acceptable as possible despite having been in a coma not that long ago, just in case these people were legitimately with the government.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Joanna greeted them upon her arrival downstairs. "I understand that you have some questions for me..."

OOC: Joanna will ty to keep some distance between herself and the new visitors. If possible, she will sit/stand in a location that would prevent her from being cornered and allow her to flee if they don't turn out to be who they said they were.

Kitten

"Ma'am" said one of the agents, removing his hat, followed a second later by the other. Joanna's mother in law came in with a tray complete with cups, saucers, teapot, milk and sugar. "I'll leave you gentlemen to it, but please, the poor dear has been through a lot recently, and the shock of what happened..." she put a hand to her mouth, eyes filling up, and left.

"Ah quite. Sorry to hear about your loss Mrs Van Den Berg. We understand from our enquires that you recently lost your husband. Our condolences, ma'am. Also we understand you suffered from a... seizure of some kind that left you in a coma. We're investigating several incidents that bear a remarkable similarity to your own."

"Oh, dear?" asked Joannas mother in law. "What about Doctor Carter? Will he require refreshment too, or has he left? I didn't see him go, is all..."

Jo turned to see the newcomers start visibly. One of them started to reach for the inner pocket of his jacket, but the other waved him down. "Ah, is the Doctor still about? We most certainly would like to speak to Doctor Carter. He would be VERY helpful to our enquiries."

One of the men got up to reach for the teapot, then stood Ah, excuse me, ma'am, the bathroom? May I use it?"

Joannas' mother in law smiled, and led the way upstairs. Joanna wasn't fooled - the man would check for trace of the Doctor, and anything else suspicious.

She and the other agent were left alone. "So... Mrs Van Den Berg. Notice anything... odd in the last day or so since you woke up? Anything... unusual? Also, I must ask that you come with us to speak about Dr Carter. I have my suspicions that the fellow is not whom he seems..."

Anything unusual? That was a major understatement. Hearing two sets of voices in my head, being visited by a melting monster pretending to be a doctor, shrinking to the size of a doll, getting a visit from government agents. Just a typical evening at the Van der Berg house.

Joanna leaned in to speak quietly to the agent left behind with her, just in case her in-laws would suddenly walk in and interrupt their conversation. This might not be something that she wanted to burden them with as they were also still trying to get over the loss of their son.

"You're correct. Dr Carter isn't what he seems, but your colleague isn't going to find him upstairs. He had to step out..." she stated, pausing for emphasis as to how unusual he was. "...out the window."

"You obviously have some idea as to who he is. Before I go anywhere with you, I want you to tell me something about him," Joanna demanded.

"Please. I just awoke from what my family said was a coma and I'm not sure that I'm well yet. I can't trust my perceptions about this Dr. Carter because... they didn't make any sense," she confided to the agent. "If your story matches mine, I'll go with you and tell you what little I know."

Kitten

The agent looked pained, and raised his hands gently to calm Mrs Van Den Berg should she become hysterical. "Alright, but you've just recovered from a mystery illness. That Carter escaped from your ... window doesn't surprise me. You see... ah, this is hard to explain to a civilian. He has visited a number of people, like you, recovering from what appears to be an illness no conventional Doctor can understand. As you know, we are now in a state of war with Nazi Germany. We believe he is some kind of German spy, or a traitor in any case. The strangest part is, we have confirmed reports that this very day, a man matching Dr Carters' description has visited at least two other people, and possibly a third, though the gentleman in question is a rough, tough old sort of bird and doesn't suffer fools - or anyone else for that matter - gladly, so getting information out of him will prove... difficult. We need you to come with us, run a few tests and go over what happened. After that, you should be free to leave."

'The others are gathering at Bletchley Park Manor' said the inner voice.

Joanna nearly jumped when the mysterious voice interrupted the conversation. This was the voice that had warned her about Dr. Carter. For that reason alone, she felt that she should seriously consider whatever it had to say. Perhaps the 'others' that it had mentioned were the same people that had also received a visit from Dr. Carter.

If they were not connected or if they were not going to Bletchley Park Manor, Joanna still felt compelled to accompany these agents if this man was a Nazi spy. She had to do something because the Nazis killed her husband (killed her father!) -- the two thoughts overlapped in her mind, confusing her momentarily as to which one it actually was.

"If this man was a Nazi spy, I'll do whatever I can to help," she declared. "Can I tell my family anything before we go? They're going to be concerned about me leaving so soon after finally waking up."

Kitten

Before the man could answer, he and Joanna both heard a voice in the entrance hallway. "Oh, Doctor! You're back! Why I didn't see you... urrrrk!" Joannas' mother in law was silenced by ... something!

THUD!

The man in the bowler hat started in alarm, pulling a gun from his inside pocket! "Mrs Van Den Berg, may I suggest that..."

CRASH! The door flew inwards, and the oozing nightmare that was Doctor Carter - his disguise having served its purpose and therefore in the process of being dropped made him look like he was made of wax, oozing and flowing to the floor!

"What in gods name...?" muttered the agent. All the training in the world couldn't prepare him for this! What good was a gun... against that!

"Mrs Van Den Berg!" he shouted. "Get behind me! Run! Go for help! I'll try to slow him..."

SMECK!

A long streak of oozing sludge thrust out from the vile creature that had called itself Carter. It slammed into the chest of the agent and picked him up, crashing him against the far wall with a painful sounding thud! Elsewhere in the house the other occupants were realising something was very, very wrong! The creature turned its red eyes on Joanna... "Now... Princess... you WILL die..."

OOC Initiative... Heroes 7, Bad guys 1. 3 frames for Kitten then the Oozing monstrosities' actions...

It was never a good sign when the government agent sent to protect you asked you to get help. If he can't stop it, then who else could? she realized after she couldn't think of where else she could go other than maybe Bletchley Park Manor, but she'd never make it with this creature chasing after her.

You need to fight it! The voice of the young British woman returned to Joanna's head, followed by the awareness as to how one is trained to fight. Joanna wasn't sure that going after this hideous monster intending to kill her was the best choice of an opponent for her first attempt at hand-to-hand combat, but she didn't have many other options at the moment.

OOC: Frame 1, Run up to Dr. Carter. Frame 2, Attempt to hit Dr. Carter with Martial Arts Kick. Frame 3, Run Away (out of the house, if possible)

Kitten

Joanna sprinted up to the creature, delivering a SMECK! to the vile things face!

OOC Roll 15, Hit. 7 damage, +15 bonus, 22 overall. Reduced by creatures' dividers.

Knocking the thing over, then seeing it oozed its way back to its feet, Joanna considered her options. Clearly, it had come for her. To stay would put her family and these newcomers in bowler hats in danger! With that, she sprinted over to the window, whipped it open and climbed through! The creature staggered to its feet and gave chase!

Despite her head start she could see the creature was fast and would catch her. Joanna got to the end of the path down the front garden leading onto the country lane where she lived. A few metres away was parked the car the two newcomers had arrived in. Behind her, only metres away, the creature came at her, having lost all pretence at being the Doctor!

As she reached the from gate set in the dry stone wall lining the garden, Joanna heard a voice from the house - she looked across, then up... The other agent, upstairs and hanging out of the window! "Get behind the wall Mrs Van Den Berg!" he shouted. He appeared to have something in his hand - a ball?

No... a grenade!

OOC The creature has used it's frames to catch up to Joanna. She has one frame left - either to attack this thing or duck behind the wall for cover!

Although Joanna appeared to have some success in striking the monster, the speed at which it had recovered to resume chasing her had convinced her that she was not going to be able to do this on her own. She was in favor of making it explode -- just as long as she was nowhere near it at the time!

Joanna did as she was instructed and dove behind the wall, having faith that the agent knew what he was doing and had the accuracy to do so. If not, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be caught in the explosion. That seemed like a quicker way to go than being torn apart by that creature.

Kitten

Joanna leapt behind the wall, just as the creature reared to strike at her...

There was a smash of.. .not glass, but something similar - ceramic of some kind? Joanna risked a glance over the wall and saw the creature striding towards her... slower and slower! It was changing colour, becoming darker, stiffer with every step, until finally it froze to the spot, inches away, icicles hanging from its limbs!

The breathless agent ran out from the house. "Thank.. god..." he gasped, looking at the thing with alarm. "Those are prototypes... the army wouldn't approve them after testing saw them go off in peoples hands, whilst being carried about, or not at all. I really wasn't sure if that nitrogen grenade would work! How are you? Alright I hope? We'll get this cleaned up, and we'll get people to debrief your family. Then, we'll get you to our base to have a good chat." he stopped to look at the frozen creature. "No idea if it's dead, or simply frozen and will thaw out. Does your family have a meat cellar?"

Minutes later, aided by Joanna (though the agent would be the first to admit that he was, perhaps, aiding her) the creature was shifted into the meat cellar under the house. Whilst it wouldn't help in freezing the thing, it would slow down the thawing process. Up close, it was like nothing the pair had every seen before. They were joined by the other agent who was looking rather bruised and battered despite his best attempts to look presentable. "I've made sure your family is alright. Your mother in law wasn't badly hurt, simply shaken up. I've spun them a yarn about the Carter fellow being a nutter escaped from the loony bin, and we'll take him into custody, and get a statement from you. I've just phoned our lot. You two get on your way, I'll stay and watch this thing." he placed two nitrogen grenades - very carefully - on the ground and hugged the cup of tea Joannas' father in law had made him. "Damn thing. I broke my pipe when it tossed me across the room" he harrumphed...

=========

Having said her goodbyes, Joanna had a lonely, quiet ride in the back of the car. The windows were blacked out, and the partition to the front was the same. There was no way to see out but she knew - somehow - she was going to meet up with others like her. She could sense it.

Joanna knew that from now on, her life would never be the same...

OOC If there's anything else you'd like to add before I drop you into the cauldron that is Vanguard @ Bletchley Park, feel free.

Agent Joanna Van Den Berg
Codename: Kitten

Joanna looked out of the window of the train. Mostly it was full of screaming laughing children, off on what they thought to be some great adventure with their new lives in the countryside. Joanna couldn't help but think they wouldn't see their parents in the cities and owns again, and her eyes misted at the thought, her own loss - a double loss though the first one was vague in her memory, as if someone else had lived in her body before she had it. Crazy. She glanced at the two bowler hatted agents reading newspapers. One sat next to her, another sat opposite. They were in 1st class, on their way to Glasgow. Joanna recalled all the training she'd gone through and flicked open the German phrasebook. Though more proficient that she'd been, she knew she'd have a hard time passing off as a German on a mission abroad, so DICE had instead sent her to check out a munitions factory in Glasgow. The place has a contract to supply firing pins for British Rifles, but the last few batches had been faulty, resulting in accidents and misfires - no good for front line duty. Now the phone lines had gone down in storms and DICE, on a hunch, had sent Joanna and two Peelers to investigate the factory, that of McHardy and Brendoone, on the outskirts of Glasgow. Clearly, they suspected sabotage.

Joanna poked into her coat pocket, pulling out the sample pin she'd been given, one of a dozen or so. It 'looked' normal, functional, fine to all intents and purposes. She flexed ultra strong muscles and snapped the thing in half. It broke into a dozen pieces, highlighting the problem the DICE boffins had uncovered. The pin had in fact been engineered to shatter in multiple places, and it had been done in such a way to make it seem defective. They'd managed to track down two batches of the things after a number of training ground accidents at barracks across the country. It stank of foul play, but to send in the police or MPs would simply tip their hand and scare off whomever had sorted this mess out. So they sent Joanna, in her role as 'Miss Julie Avery, secretary to the minster of war' to see Mr Donald Brendoone about the defective items. Sending a woman, reasoned Dawson and Forbes, would be a fine way of getting the enemy - if they were in fact behind this plot to sabotage weapons - to underestimate DICE and her agents.

And one thing was for sure - Forbes and Dawson knew what Van Den Berg could do. Someone would underestimate her at their peril! She recalled bench pressing a ton of weight, shrinking to become near invisible, and dispatching a dozen skilled hand to hand combatants in training exercises. It had been a test, as Forbes was unsure of her combat or mission readiness. Instead, he'd been amazed at how well she'd taken to it, and finally had to admit that she was more than ready, and that she could prove to be one of the best assets the British Intelligence service had, if she could master the foreign languages.

The train slowed as it came towards Glasgow. Joanna checked through her inventory in her minds eye, to make sure she had what she needed...

OOC If you wish to take any equipment feel free to make a list. You have the weight of the British Intelligence Service behind you. Once that's done we'll get you into investigating the mystery of these firing pins... Needless to say I intend to make it somewhat more interesting that simply having a dodgy pin making machine that gets put right

Julie Avery, Secretary to the Minister of War
a.k.a Agent Joanna Van der Berg, Code Name: Kitten

The special equipment that would get the most use would be the tiny camera secretly hidden in the jewelry worn around her neck. It was optimized to work even under poor lighting conditions which would hamper most normal cameras. She planned to use it to snap shots while touring the facility, discreetly capturing images of people, processes, and materials, and then leave the film at a designated drop zone to be recovered by other agents who would take it to be developed and reviewed to see if they could recognize anybody that shouldn't have been there or doing something that was affecting the quality of the firing pins.

Joanna stashed away the German phrasebook that she had been reading. If there were German agents on site, it might help her to recognize what they were saying. However, she didn't want to have them accidentally come across it among her belongings and reveal that the British Intelligence was on to them. Also, there could be a case of mistaken identity where she might be mistaken for the German spy if the book was found instead by one of the loyal factoryworkers.

When the train had come to a stop, Joanna gathered her belongings and followed the two Peeler agents into the station. She felt reassured by their presence, knowing that she could count on their experience to offset her inexperience for her first mission out in the field.

Julie Avery, Secretary to the Minister of War
a.k.a Agent Joanna Van der Berg, Code Name: Kitten

The Peeler shook the umbrella as 'Julie' stepped into the reception area of McHardy and Brendoone Ltd. The short cab ride from the station had been without incident and Joanna was surprised to see life as normal up in Scotland - clearly they thought Germany would consider bombing Scotland only after flattening England. The receptionist behind the desk seemed pleasant enough, fetching tea whilst they waited.



A man looking rather well dressed and having ideas considerably above his station entered. "Ah yes. Miss Avery. Delighted to meet you." he said, without warmth. Joanna shook hands with him, noting that his hand seemed rather cold, like his demeanour. He was wearing an expensive suit. The business of war appeared to be paying off...

"There really was no need for you and your associates to come all the way up here." he said. "It was simply a faulty batch of firing pins and we've sent more to replace them. We've given a generous discount to the War Department as well for their trouble."

He paused, as if expecting his brush off to send Joanna and the Peelers packing.

'The Shadows darken near here. Be wary.' said a voice inside Joannas' head.

Julie Avery, Secretary to the Minister of War
a.k.a. Agent Joanna Van der Berg, Code Name: Kitten

Joanna froze momentarily, remembering that this was the same voice that had warned her about the melting monster hidden within the form of the man calling himself Dr. Carter. She was a lot more confident about handling herself in these situations since that day thanks to her training.

"Mr. Brendoone," Joanna said, concentrating so as not to accidentally slip into her Dutch accent (though she wouldn't be aware of it, the speech pattern actually reflected Kylie's voice.) "As you have pointed out, the War Department wouldn't have sent us all this way if they didn't have their concerns." She spoke confidently, projecting an equal amount of authority to put him on the defensive and not rush them away without an explanation.

"Any manufacturing error, even a small one, can be more costly than one might imagine these days. You must be familiar with the proverb -- For want of a nail....?"

"The kingdom was lost all for the want of a nail. Today, in our time, it might be for want of a properly-built firing pin," Joanna explained.

"Please. Do us the honor of showing us your facility and your quality control procedures so that we can compile our report to make our bosses happy and then everything can go back to normal." Joanna finished with a subtle threat to convince him to comply with their request. "We'd hate to see them withdraw your contract over a tiny misunderstanding."

Julie Avery, Secretary to the Minister of War
a.k.a. Agent Joanna Van der Berg, Code Name: Kitten

There was a pause, then Brendoone gave a theatrical sigh and a look of mild annoyance. "The man in charge of quality control, Martin McMahon, has been... fired. I can assure you Miss Avery, there will be no further problems with quality or supply."

It seemed he expected the reply to appease Julie and the Peelers, but one of the bowler hatted men stepped forward. "Mr Brendoone, far be it from me to put words in Miss Averys' mouth, but the good lady has the power to shut this plant - and you down - I suggest you do as she says whilst her patience and good will remain in place."

Brendoone looked more annoyed, with flared nostrils, than threatened, but finally nodded and sighed. "Very well. This way. Be aware that this is an industrial complex. I would advise you not to put your hands where moving machinery is at work. Follow me."

Walking past the secretary at the desk and down a hallway, the three people 'from the ministry' glanced about, taking things in. Side offices, frosted glass windows in the doors, people busily working away behind them. So far, so normal. Brendoone led them down steps and stopped at a solid bound door where he fished for two keys, one to release a low lock, the other high. "We take security seriously." he muttered.

When the door opened the groups senses were assaulted by the roar and clatter of machines working. Grinding of metal, clanging of heavy machinery, tinkling of metal shards and clack clack of conveyors all served to near drown Brendoone out as he stepped onto a metal walkway overlooking a vast complex, several times the size of a football field. Workers busied themselves below, including some young men, but mostly women. Seeing the looks on the Peelers faces, Brendoone shouted "We are a protected industry. Our male employees are exempt from conscription! Follow me." He walked along the metal grid walkway and down metal steps to the workshop floor where people walked about, carting loads of components to and fro. "As you know." shouted Brendoone as he led the trio between twenty and thirty foot high machines that roared with activity "We make parts for the Lee-Enfield rifle amongst others. It all began when..."

Luckily for Julie his annoying whiny voice was mostly drowned out as he gave a long and self important history lesson of the company as the group toured the vast hall. Occasionally he would stop, reach into a tub of completed components and hand them out to Julie and the Peelers before moving on.

=========

An hour and a half later...

Having seen nothing that could be classed as 'out of the ordinary', Julie glanced about. There were a number of service doors locked and labelled 'private' off from the main work area, but this in itself was not unusual. She glanced at the firing pin in her hand, another example handed out by Brendoone. It seemed to be 'up to scratch' but she dared not use any of her superhuman strength to test it! One Peeler tipped in to whisper (though it was harder to hear over the roar of machines) "Looks like this is a dead end. Everything seems to be sorted out now Miss Avery. This self important swine has a smug look on his face that I'd love to wipe off, but other than that, I've seen nothing here to suggest foul play." The other Peeler walked over. "Clean as a whistle. Wouldn't want to work here though. What a bloody racket, eh? One day there will be a health and safety regulatory body that makes guidelines for this sort of place, mark my words!"

The other Peeler snorted in derision, as if the suggestion was absurd. "Health and Safety? What next? A woman Prime Minister?" Both laughed at that, then glanced at Julie. "Sorry, Ma'am, just our little jape. Looks like we're done here, Brendoone is coming back."

Brendoone came back, checking a pocket watch. "Much as this has been enjoyable and educational, I have several meetings to attend to, with suppliers and shipping companies. It seems my time is precious. Follow me. I will show you out."

The party walked back through the hall. Much as she hated to admit it, it really looked as if this pompous ass was on the level. The factory was operating efficiently and the items it turned out were of the quality required. In fact, they put to shame several other components used in the manufacture of the rifles! There were other sections of the factory that turned out different parts, some for grenades, others for handguns and some for vehicles. It seemed the model of -noisy- efficiency.

Back in the reception, Brendoone turned to the small party. "Well, I hope this has been as much of a ...pleasure... for you as it has for me. Please assure your people at the ministry of war of my companies continued commitment to excellence. Now, unless there are further questions, I bid you good day."

OOC Whilst this looks to be a 'dead end' there is in fact an avenue of investigation you can look into. What Julie and the others saw of the factory suggests it's 'clean' and on the level, which makes her somewhat puzzled by the voice warning in her head - it had been on the level last time after all. So. Back to London, or check something else out?

Julie Avery, Secretary to the Minister of War
a.k.a. Agent Joanna Van der Berg, Code Name: Kitten

It would be several hours until the next train would return them to London so Joanna and the two Peeler agents filled part of that time by surveying the local culture -- which meant paying a visit to the nearest pub. The excuse was that they were hoping to uncover some background information which might help fill in all of the empty space in the report that they would need to submit upon their return. The visit to the factory had not revealed anything suspicious.

As she sat at the table reviewing her meager notes, Joanna reflected as to why she had received the warning that never materialized. The shadows darken near here. That warning saved her life the last time that she received it. She didn't think that the presence of the agents scared away the threat. Those creatures had been bold enough to attack them at the DICE headquarters. Maybe we missed something, Joanna wondered.

"Gentlemen, I think I need to have another look at the factory," she informed them privately. "In secret so that anyone who's still there would have a hard time noticing me sneaking around in my special little way. I can't really explain why. I've got a feeling that something still isn't right over there. You'll just have to trust me on this."

Before they could protest, she continued her plan. "Why don't you guys work the pub? Buy the boys a few drinks and see if that loosens up a few tongues. Maybe we can get lucky and find somebody that might have a grudge against the company or against the war. We still might be able to find our saboteur and make our trip worthwhile."

"If I'm not back in a few hours, then you can charge in like the cavalry and rescue me," she offered.