A Cloud of Smoke (Leslie, Mike K, Thomas, Rezin)

A Cloud of Smoke (Leslie, Mike K, Thomas, Rezin)

Wednesday, Dec 31, 1986: With mom and dad off to a New Year’s party, Frank invites the other kids over to play with his trainset that is obviously a birthday present for next week.

Frank, 13yo Computer Geek (Thomas): spent the morning in his room, scanning his computer network and found a backdoor access to the University of California’s servers. He hoped to find computer games to download for his own play. Afterwards, he went bike riding with Gylin and Johnny.

Lisa, 14yo Bookworm (Leslie): spent the morning working with her father at his appliance repair shop (his second career after quitting the Loop). But mom stayed on at the Loop as an accountant. After work, Lisa rode off to hassle Gylin at the Dream Shop Video Store.

Johnny Fire, 14yo Rocker (Mike K): with parts bought over the months from Radio Shack, Johnny called Frank to help build “my soundboard so I can record my own guitar rips. Once I get good enough, I plan to form my own band.”

Gylin, 13yo Weirdo (Rezin): arrived early for his part-time work at the video store helping 17yo Ellen Wood stock the shelves. They closed up by noon which gave Gylin time to bike ride with Frank and Johnny before supper. Once again, alone in his house since his parents were once again working late at the Loop. Couldn’t/wouldn’t they at least find time for him?!

5pm: Frank keyed the walkie-talkie, “Hey guys, wanna come over later to play with the train set my mom got me for my birthday?” Johnny puzzled, “I thought your birthday wasn’t till the middle of January?” A playful laugh leaked out as Frank admitted, “Well, mom didn’t hide it so well. I thought we could give it a pre-test.”

With Mr. and Mrs. Stone already gone to the New Year’s Eve party, Frank had the old O-gauge train setup on the formal (never used) dining room table. Lisa inspected each piece, “Any stamps of the manufacturer or date?” She found a “TM” stamp on the undercarriage which clued her to her readings, “I seem to remember a German toy maker, Theodore Marklin, as introducing the first sectional track and figure-eight layout. He’s credited with producing Europe’s first electric train set. This could be a late 1890s set; you sure you want to play with this antique?”

Her words were drowned out by the sputter of the train when Frank flipped the transformer switch. Smoke began to puff from the smokestack where Gylin had squirted a few drops of liquid from the bottle included with the set. Suddenly the room became a dark-blue haze which gave the kids headaches. Almost as if they were dreaming, they realized the “Clickity-clack, clickity-clack” repetition was real and synchronized with vibrations they felt from the bench they were sitting on! “We’re, we’re on a REAL train!”

Passengers dressed in the Roaring 20s outfits stared at these out-of-time kids, “Where did you come from? Where are your parents?” Frank picked up on their English accent and mimicked his best memory of that old Tale of Two Cities dialect, “E’lo gov-na. These be pajamas; war orphans ya know. The gov’na put us on the train.” The passenger across the aisle interceded, “Are you actors in a play? I see the lad’s guitar; might you be performing a concert for tomorrow’s dedication of the Waterloo Station grand opening? Queen Mary herself is coming to perform the dedication. Myself and other members of the London Train Spotter’s Association plan to attend.”

As the other passengers walked away, Henry Stanley continued talking, “I can’t quite place your accent son, but sounds like your friends are American. Did you know American trains use a 1600mm gauge track while Britian and most of Europe use a 1435mm gauge system? This particular electric train uses a 600 DC 3^rd rail to provide the power. Don’t be stepping on those tracks!” Henry would have talked their ears off if they let him.

Lisa was busy trying to get her bearings. She studied the map on the wall while noting passing station signs to realize they were in southern London heading northeast as they just passed the Oval Station. She noticed Henry’s chain watch read 2pm and his newspaper was dated March 20, 1922. Which meant her 1980s American coins were worthless. [Investigate 3] Gylin nudged the others, “Don’t look now but here comes the ticket agent!” Someone thought to dig in the bench seats for used tickets. Frank handed the agent his crumpled ticket that just happened to have used gum pinched inside. [Charm 1] Gylin spit on his ticket stub to smear the ink as he presented his. Between gum and a wet ticket, the agent left them alone as he wiped his hands on his sleeve as he walked away.

Henry smiled, “Quick thinking lads and lass. I remember my youth stealing rides. Don’t press your luck though. As for me, I’m hurrying home up in Camberwell. Got a package being delivered. I switch to a coal train at the Liverpool Station. You kids be safe. I hope to see you perform at the concert.”

As warned, they exited the train at the Elephant & Castle Station. “Now what? We’ve got no money or place to stay; why are we here?” Gylin locked onto the Waterloo station as their potential destination. Lisa surmised, “Surely they had hostels back in the 1920s. But how do we pay?” And that’s when Johnny noticed the street urchins playing “Penny Pitch” along a wall. Frank declined, “Don’t look at me; my specialty is computers.” Gylin and Johnny stepped to the line and offered their coins. The urchins mocked, “We play for real money, not that dump. Tell ya what… lose and give up that fancy shirt. Better yet, them fancy shoes.” [Sneak for fine dexterity] Gylin lost the first round as his tossed coin not the closest to the line. He begged for a second chance, which he won. Timmy (urchin leader) scoffed, “Only luck. How bout double or nothing.” The other urchins stepped to the line to get a piece of the action and a chance for new shoes and shirts.

Johnny picked up Gylin’s winnings as Gylin saluted goodbye to the urchins, “And once again, America bested the Brits.” At least they had enough coins to rent a room in a hostel.

Next Morning: Breakfast was tea and crumpets, not that they could afford more. A discarded morning paper caught their eyes. “Henry Stanley disappeared! A model train set found at the scene.” Frank almost choked at the thought, “That means Henry is standing in my parent’s dining room! They’re going to kill me nor let me play with Lisa anymore.” Gylin was just as shocked, “I wanna go home.” They all soon came to the same conclusion: the train set has something to do with it. Gylin still wanted to go to the Waterloo station, “That was the last thing Henry said.” Frank focused on the Camden shop where the toy train was bought. Lisa went to the front desk and searched the phone directory, “Here it is. London Train Spotter’s Association at #5 Acarier Road, Camberwell. He said he was a member; they should know his address or hopefully something about the train set.”

#5 Acarier Road: They walked in circles looking for the building without success. Till Frank noticed the little placard in the window of a regular house. Arthur Butters answered their knock. “You knew Henry? Oh, same train yesterday? Would you like to come in?” Every inch of the house was an honorarium for trains: an actual train-station bench stretched under a train schedule board displayed on the wall. The Livingroom had three layers of train-tracks that circled the room on ledges with various gauge trains in operation. “Henry was one of our founding fathers. He donated that train set. You can imagine his excitement when he spotted that train set in the Camden shop window. 

A replica of the 1897 London to Liverpool derailment. He has a scrapbook dedicated to it around her someplace.”

The kids listened politely till Arthur mentioned, “The police called me to his apartment. Damnedest thing… soot everywhere, Parallel black streaks across the floor as if Henry painted railroad tracks. A long wide smudge of black streaked across the ceiling above the tracks. The police suspect the toy shorted out and burned poor old Henry to a crisp even though they didn’t find anything. I have the set in the basement to check it out for the police. You want to see?”

[Calculate] Frank inspected the transformer’s voltage in thought it generated the 600 DC volt Henry mentioned. Nope, it was the same transformer that powered the trainset they played with on the dining table. Anxious to get home, Gylin checked out the train to confirm it was the exact set they had played with. Arthur excused himself to answer the doorbell, leaving the kids to ponder, “Well, should we start it up?”

Once again, Gylin squirted a few drops of liquid from the bottle. Smoke rose from the stack as the train moved along the figure-eight track. But this time: they felt the rumble of the floor and shake of the walls and heard the toot of a distant train rumbling closer. They realized the house was far away from real train tracks outside. And that’s when they felt a train station platform rise under their feet and witnessed a set of tracks appearing before them. 

The wall to their right seemed to open to a void from which came a train rumbling forward. Its wheel squealed and sparked as the train slowed. The engine and coal tender passed by as the first coach stopped before them.

Victorian era passengers disembarked, “What's the delay? Where's the conductor? When will we reach Liverpool?” Lisa and Johnny stood speechless as the passengers surrounded Gylin and Frank and whisked them aboard the train! The toot of the train whistle drowned out the grating of the spinning wheel trying to gain traction. The train lurched forward. Bewildered, Lisa paused before running toward the carriage door to follow her friends. Johnny was right behind her.

They boarded the train and entered the first carriage where they saw both Frank and Gylin also in Victorina garb [only they had touched the toy train]. 

But most alarming was the passengers (turned into ghouls) attacking them! [Empathy- all passed fear] Gylin flicked his yoyo in the face of one while Frank grabbed a cane and fought his assailant off, “Back you fiends from hell!” Lisa used her magnifying glass [Iconic Item] to aim light reflection from the overhead electric lights into the face of one turned to face the new arrivals, still in their original clothing. Johnny powered up his Infinite-Aux robot [Iconic Item] to aim a laser light at another.

Four ghouls separated the two groups of kids while another 2 ghouls stood between Frank & Gylin and the back of the carriage. Frank used the cane to break a window hoping to exit… he stared into a black void as ethereal wind buffeted him. But worse: as he looked to the front of the train, he witnessed tracks just appearing before the engine. To the rear… the tracks vanished like airplane contrails in the sky. He ducked back inside. Thankfully the ghouls moved slowly… time was on their side. Frank called out to Lisa, “Go forward to the engine and stop the train!”

Lisa and Johnny were just about to run for the engine when they heard someone call from the back of the carriage, “This way if you want to live!!” A stranger in Victorian garb (holding a pistol) beckoned them toward the 2^nd carriage. Frank joined Gylin in a fighting withdrawal to the rear: his cane tripped one ghoul as Gylin smacked another with his yoyo. Lisa and Johnny crouched low to crawl under the bench seats. At least they were out of the line of fire when a shot range out and a ghoul staggered backwards.

They all reached the rear of the carriage and walked the platform between the carriages as the ethereal wind buffeted them from the surrounding black void. Lisa noticed etchings carved into the door frame as they entered the 2^nd carriage. “Those look like protective spells from our DnD game. What’s going on?!”

Locking and barring the door behind them, Randall Alexis introduced himself. [Inappropriate laughter and comments… The man QUITE INSANE!] “Welcome to the 9:15 to Liverpool… although we are currently…um… running a bit late. Speaking of time, by my calculations, I’d gather it is the year 1911, correct? Most surprising to have another passenger so soon.” He led them through the sleeping carriage to the first berth where Henry Stanley sat on the bench in a fetal position. His legs pulled tight to his chest as he whimpered, “I don’t like trains anymore.”

[Empathy 3] As Gylin coached him on shallow breathing, Lisa held Henry’s hand, “You’ll be OK. You are the train guy. You got this. We’re depending on you.” At least Henry relaxed enough to explain what he knew, “This is the missing cars from the 1897 wreck.” Randolph interrupted, “It wasn’t a wreck… just a miscalculation on my part. How was I to know static electricity buildup from the wheels would trigger the black stone.” In unison the kids questioned, “BLACK STONE?!”

SHOWDOWN/CLIMAX

Randolph had to speak up over the pounding of the ghouls at the door, “Don’t worry, my protective runes keep them at bay.” He opened his gutted pocket-watch to display the black stone. “I was bringing this to my associate scientist in Liverpool so we could analyze it. I left the other stone hidden in my son’s toy train, stuffed inside the engine compartment. There is no static electricity on these tracks; so, I’m trying to figure out another way to activate the stone. Follow me and I’ll show you what I have so far.”

They stood in the 3^rd gutted berth where Randolph had created a track out of the wood scavenged from the benches. “I plan to use this stone in my pocket-watch as the train but so far, nothing happens.” Frank offered, “Perhaps you could tell us what NOT to do. I’m thinking we throw the stone in the train engine to warm it up.” Someone suggested just throwing it out the window. “Oh dear, no. Then we’d be trapped for eternity.” Lisa asked Henry, “Where was the original 1897 crash site? Maybe we could try to stop at the exact spot.” Randolph laughed manically, “Silly girl, the void… how could we tell just where we are?”

And that’s when they heard a crash from the front of the carriage and heard the guttural wail of ghouls. And the plodding clamor of footsteps along the top of the carriage.

• Gylin raced to the front of the carriage where he found the viewport window smashed and a ghoul reaching in trying to dislodge the bar brace. [Force 1, plus Luck 0, plus Pride 1 (I like the weird) = 2] With his yoyo wrapped around the arm stretched through the window, Gylin smiled wickedly as he gave it a yank, severing the arm. The arm fell to the floor and the hand started inching toward his feet.
• Frank suggested Johnny “play something to sooth the savage beasts.” As Johnny walked through the sleeper car, he saw a ghoul trying to break the 2^nd berth window from the outside. [ Charm 1, plus Luck 2, plus Pride 1 (no one calls me chicken) = 4] Johnny inserted a CD into his Infinite Aux robot that sent musical reverberations through the carriage. The ghoul at the window lost his grip and was carried away by the ethereal winds. Footsteps above on the roof also suddenly stopped as if that ghoul lost his grip and was carried away into the void.
• Lisa remembered the etching on the door frame and tried to recreate more to ward off the ghouls. [Comprehend 2, plus Pride 1 (I read everything) = 3] She stepped around Frank to get to the 3^rd berth window and began carving new runes. Just in time as another ghoul clawed at the window!
• Frank pondered the problem laid out before him. He used his Tandy computer to help solve the dilemma. [Program 2, plus Luck 2, plus Luck 1, plus Pride 1 (I can find a new use for anything) = 6] Frank realized Randolph’s setup lacked an overpass at the figure-eight junction. He used extra wood from the dismantled bench to add the needed trestle. As Frank placed Randolph’s watch on the track and began moving it along the track in its figure-eight, Henry provided the train sounds, “Choo, choo, chugga, chugga, choo, choo.”

Johnny and Lisa noticed the outside void begin to dissipate as a green landscape began to materialize. Trees rushed past the windows, and the clickity-click sound of the wheels echoed from real tracks.

Gylin stared at the ghoul’s face peering through the carriage door window, when it began to turn black and crumble into dust. Even the hand clawing at his feet turned to dust.

They all could feel the train starting to stop as they heard the wheels grinding to a halt.

In unison the kids huffed a sigh of relief. “Are we home?” It was Henry looking out the window who noticed, “That’s the lone tree and the bridge where the original train wreck occurred. We are right back where it disappeared.” But his observations was joined by the loud shrill of another train’s whistle!

Bailout: All realized an imminent collision was seconds away! Their train had appeared out of the void in front of another train!

Round 1:

• With an exit in front of him, Gylin chose to aid his friends. [Move 0] He turned to rush back toward them but caught his pantlegs on the corner railing.
• Johnny already had a broken window in front of him. [Move 2] He bailed out and rolled down the embankment unharmed.
• Lisa rushed to the back door to force it open with the aid of Frank’s borrowed cane. [Force 2] She stepped onto the platform behind the carriage.
• Where Lisa turned right to exit, Randolph and Henry turned left as they stood on the platform.
• Never the athlete, Frank calmly packed his computer away before walking behind the others. It was a logjam anyway.

Round 2:

• Having seen his friends exit out the back door, Gylin turned back to his front door, exited and jumped. [Move 0] Gylin limped away from the tracks with bulging eyes at the sight of the 2^nd train bearing down on them.
• [Move 1] Lisa tucked as she jumped and rolled safely down the embankment.
• Johnny delayed as he looked to aid his nearest friend.
• With the sound of the closing train reaching a crescendo, Frank squeezed past the adults standing at the rear door. [Sneak 0] He got past them and jumped to his right but sprained his ankle in the process.
• [Investigate 3] And that’s when Johnny called to his friends, “This way, there’s a culvert to hide in!”

The sound of the collision was ear shattering with them so close. The shockwave washed over their culvert. But more surprising was the pulse that emanated from Randolph’s pocket-watch Frank still carried. A blue veil surrounded them, momentarily blinding them.

EPILOGUE

They woke standing next to the dining room table in Frank’s house. Black soot coated everything. It was already 11pm… 2 hours before his parents were to return!

Frank choreographed the action, “Someone grab my chemistry set from my room while I start cleaning.” Gylin helped pack up the toy train but in the process noticed the engine was buckled as if bloated. They dismantled it: where Randolph had said he hid a similar small stone, they found a stone twice as large. Realization, “Both pieces must have joined from the energy released by that train collision.”

They pondered what to do. Frank offered, “I’ll just hide it and sneak it into the Loop ‘lost and found’ bind.” Gylin pleaded, “You know I collect thinks. Let me take it home.” Lisa did what she could to help cleanup before she announced, “I promised mom I’d be home before midnight.” Johnny also departed, leaving Gylin to shrug his shoulders, “It’s not like anyone is home to miss me. The least I can do is stay till your parents arrive. Where’s your rags?”

Lisa: greeted her parents returning late from their party. She offered, “Go on to bed and I’ll make breakfast in the morning.” AS her father climbed the stairs, he leaned over the railing, “Sweetheart, would you mind opening the shop tomorrow and let me sleep in a little longer?” Lisa smiled as she noted this was something to hold over them.

Johnny: climbed the outside stairs to their 2nd floor apartment above the Talking Leaves bookstore. Come morning, he was already testing out his new soundboard: just a few licks… nothing even close to the sound of trains!

Gylin: sat in his bedroom studying the stone: its warm, weird texture. Come morning, he was at the public library to research. He logged onto the public computer’s bulletin-board. [Investigate 1, plus Luck 0, plus 2 Conditions (Upset & Exhausted)] At closing, the librarian came to kick him out: all she found was the computer still running along with a walkie-talkie turned off. [While Gylin had found reference to a secret Loop file titled Eclipse, he had somehow triggered the stone!]

Frank: his parents entered the house to discover the chemistry disaster he’d created to cover up the true mess. “Francis Alexander Stone, what did you do?!” Frank shrugged his shoulders, “You bought me the chemistry kit and told me to experiment. I guess I left my glasses upstairs and misread the labels I was mixing.” Dad couldn’t believe the mess. Frank smiled, “Don’t worry dad, I found the fire-extinguisher in time.”

It was 10am Thursday morning, when Frank came downstairs for breakfast and overheard his parents in his mother’s office whispering, “It’s not there I tell you. The engine compartment is empty; I didn’t take it out. Well, no, I didn’t check it before I left the Loop facility; I assumed it was still there. What am I going to do? What am I going to tell my boss?!” His father’s voice added, “Honey, I told you never to talk office work home.”

Frank rushed upstairs to call the others over the walkie-talkie. While Lisa and Johnny responded, Gylin didn’t answer. It was panic mode as they rushed to his house. No answer. Should they tell someone? Who would believe them? The kids scoured the neighborhood in search of Gylin. It wasn’t till Friday evening when Gylin appeared at Frank’s door, “You’ll never believe where I’ve been!” Frank interrupted him, “Tell me later. First, I need the stone back before my mom gets in real trouble.”

BACKGROUND

Original Title: Call of Cthulhu (DOOM TRAIN)… optional intro from HOtOE

In 1897, London scientist Randolph Alexis found two marble-size pieces of the Eclipse (the heart of today’s Loop project). He began experimenting on one piece. He boarded the London-Liverpool train with one piece to show to another scientist in Liverpool. But the electrical buildups on the tracks triggered the Eclipse piece and opened a portal that sucked in the front of the train, to include the passengers and Randolph. The only thing left behind in London was the other piece of the Eclipse he had hidden in the engine compartment of his 8-year-old son Albert’s toy trainset.

Albert painted the letters 2LCV on the engine as a commemoration of his father’s demise. Sadly, Albert died years later of TB. His grieving and penniless mother sold everything from the estate, including the trainset which only reminded her of her son. The trainset passed through the hands of various collectors till that fateful day in 1922 when Henry Stanley saw it in the London antiquarian shop window. An avid train enthusiast, Henry bought the set. But unlike collectors who only displayed the trainset, Henry HAD to actually play with it which opened a portal that brought forth the Doom Train and its passengers which included Randolph with the other Eclipse piece.

Flash forward to 1986: American DARPA agents in London managed to discover the trainset emitted Eclipse neutrino signatures and brought it back to Boulder for further study. Dr. Stone (Frank’s mother) was the lead scientist on the project. While prior Loop experiments have proven the Eclipse can cause dimensional rifts (Monster in the Mist and A Snowball’s Chance), the kids’ action is the first hint that the Eclipse has the potential for time travel.

CALL OF CTHULHU VERSION

Randolph Alexis was an occultist practicing a Gate-spell while on the Liverpool bound train when his casting went horribly wrong, sucking the front half of the train into the void. Years later, his son Albert found his dad’s spell book and tried to recall his father. Thinking the train related, he commissioned a replica of the train, etched runes on its underbelly, and started the train in its loops around the figure-eight track as he cast. Meaning, using his father’s notes, he too miscast and witnessed the arrival of the Doom Train that whisked him aboard. His father rescued him from the ghouls only to eat him himself! “He was family; better me eat him than those ghouls.”

Randolph used his son’s intestines to make the figure-eight track and was using his son’s carved out heart as the engine. What he missed in his setup was the overpass where the tracks overlapped. The PCs needed to figure out using Albert’s ribcage would suffice. Then Randolph could chant as one of the PCs ran the heart-train around the track. Yeah, just what I’m going to ask kids to do. Thus, I added stones from the Eclipse which is the heart of the Loop operations.