Trav has been distracted in getting the cart ready. She pokes her head up and pulls up her goggles - her transformed hat - and says, "Always running off, now I have to keep track of two of them! Stanley, where did they go?"

The Call was well.. calling. The humming, the singing, who would want to run away from that? Besides, didn't the Sorceress need answers, and this was the way to get answers. She turned to Smoke Alarm, and though she wasn't full-on catted-out, she grinned at Smoke.

"Take Vinsen to the Sorceress who likes to travel. Find out answers her Magick-way. I find them the way of my people."

OOC: Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

'What? By blapping there and back like a Hunter or kitling?' Smoke asked worrywartedly, unbolded by the idea. Wasn't Kalath an enemy of the Cheetahs? 'You don't know where you're outgoing. It could be space. It's too hazardous.' she warned.

"If they haven't disappeared, they should be somewhere around Maintenance Stores Hut Five." Stanley says. "At least that is where they were headed. Hoping to meet our mysterious guest."

This prompts Trav to glance at the map and the readings from her scanning field, and she gulps at what has developed while she has been otherwise occupied.  If the map of disappearance sites was reminiscent of ripples slowly dispersing over the surface of a pond, the readings centered atop Maintenance Stores Hut Five are a huge iridescent soap bubble drifting in the air, hanging in that pregnant moment before the inevitable POP.

She just grinned at Smoke.

"Oh come now. Isn't this why you travel with Her? To explore new worlds, to find out everything you can? Just sitting and reading books isn't the answer, but this, this might be!"

She then howled, and sung along to the song in her head, willing it to take her wherever it wanted. To explore, to find answers in practical experience! She no longer had to protect her people, so any chance to explore was almost like an aphrodisiac to the not-exactly-former-Hunter.

Kalath's words made Smoke feel brave and bold as a Kang should be, ready-steady to go and run and jump into the dark as she'd done afore so many times. Yet Sereth's sense of sponsibility rose in the way and stop-signed her. No ball games, no fly-posts, no leaving anyone behind. 'But it's not just me now. I have to get this one sound-and-safe to Trav and the others.' Smoke Alarm show-and-telled, 'waring the bigger needs here, however reluctantly.

She eyespied Kalath closely, saying in farewell. 'No ball games, no fly-posts, no outgoing where you can't track back from. Build high for happiness!' She put her fists on top of each other in the traditional gesture, then snatched Vinsen's hand, footing out with him at all-speed.

Smoke Alarm splashes out into the driving rain with the bigger Vinsen dragging behind.  They're barely to the next hut when she feels a dizzying

POP

that seems to pull them backward, momentarily.

But then it's over, and there's just the pelting, dizzy-smelling rain and the wind.  She knows without having to look back, that whatever it is Kalath was planning on and where she meant to go, she's gone and there now.

But Smoke Alarm outlooked back anyhow, to make sure-as-eggs that the whole building hadn't been made gone too, and that Kalath hadn't tracked back with her after all. She hadn't, she was gone. 'Build high for happiness.' she wished her.

Footing on, she led Vinsen thru the driving cleaning fluid rain. 'This way! 'Ware the rain, it's not water. And the mud is a slip hazard.' she urged him as she tracked back to the main domes and the airlock, rememorising the way back to the brainquarters.

Over the phone is Trav's voice.

"Smoke, are you alright? I can't see Kalath's signal. Did she bloop out?"
She toggles, trying to ring Kalath as she runs. "Kalath, Kalath, can you hear me?"

This message was last edited by the player at 14:35, Thu 06 Dec 2018.

Trav starts running madly to where her companions are, protection be damned. If they disappear, she'll disappear with them.

"It is not..." Before Stanley can finish his sentence, Trav is gone. The only thing stopping him from following her is that the only thing keeping them safe is the machinery in this room. He understands wanting to check if Smoke and Kalath are okay, especially now that it appears that Kalath has disappeared, but if everyone disappeared... he doesn't like to think about it, but Trav has prepared for situations like this. He would probably be able to go back home if he could get to the TARDIS. He looks at the people still in the room with him. They would have to come with him to 21st century Earth. He shakes his head. Trav and Smoke weren't gone yet and if anyone could come back it was Kalath with her unusual power.

He claps his hands to get everyone's attention and points at the portable generator. "Is that thing ready? We need to get to them, but with the field protecting us."

Ominously, Trav's phone is displaying her thumbnail for Kalath and giving an accusing buzzing noise, displaying the message Out Of Service.  That shouldn't happen if Kalath's phone remains functional throughout most of space and time.

OOC: Trav and Smoke Alarm can run into each other without major issues.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Fri 07 Dec 2018.

OOC: Give me a Presence + Convince to gauge your ability to get the others to follow your lead.  Voice of Authority applies, as does Reliable.

Smoke Alarm snatched out her ringing talkiphone, 'earing Trav's voice over the splattering rain. 'I'm sound-and-safe and tracking back with a visitor. But Kalath chose to stay and be taken. She was cat-curious to eyespy where she'd comeout.' she reported swiftly. Meanwhile, she made it back to the airlock, hit the Open button, and waved Vinsen inside.

OOC: 22:46, Today: Stanley Newton rolled 20 using 2d6+10 with rolls of 5,5.  Presence (3) +Convince (3) + VoA (2)+Reliable(2). Convincing the people in the room.

The station personnel are taken aback by Trav's frantic and speedy departure from the control room -- Murcheson perhaps moreso, Sokolov perhaps less -- but Stanley's assured manner focuses them again.  Perhaps it's the way he appears completely unfazed by Trav's behavior, like this is just the way she is and Stanley has seen it all before.

In any event, they respond with brisk agreement.  Dr. Makoro gathers up a satchel that she has been quietly filling with gear and ration packs while the others have been working.  Sokolov gives the field projector a final once-over and starts to maneuver it toward the exit where Stanley and the others originally.  "After you, Dr. Newton," the phlegmatic physicist says.

OOC: With your result, this group is going to be taking their lead from Stanley in particular for some time, even after they have reassembled with the other characters.

"Good, then let's get going." Stanley says and starts walking. He only briefly looks back to check if the others are following him and more importantly that they are bringing the machine.

"Oh Darling, thank goodness you haven't disappeared." She tags on her phone where Smoke Alarm is. She couldn't be mad at Kalath for running off like that, but she was intensely worried. There was a piece of her in all the cheetahs, just like there was a very tiny piece of cheetah in her. "Do you know where she disappeared at?"

Smoke Alarm jumped thru the airlock, pulled a bewildered Vinsen in after her, and kerchunked it closed again. Footing off down the carrydoor, they soon ran into Traveller as she cameout to meet them. 'Right in the middle of Maintenance Stores Hut Five, where he lost-and-found the visitor. She was howling.' she show-and-telled, made unbold by the sound she'd heard.

'This one is Vinsen. He's from... some place else. He can show-and-tell you about it.'

Stanley leads the group back to the TARDIS, Sokolov and Murcheson steering the field projector between them.  There's a bit of consternation when Murcheson thinks they ought to be headed for the airlock, but they quickly follow Stanley's lead anyway.

Judging by the readings on the sonic screwdriver by the time the group arrives back at the TARDIS, Stanley can tell that they've made it with time to spare.  He realizes, though, that the others are all sharing a second collective double-take when they get their first look at the blue call box.

"This is your ship?" Makoro asks quizzically.  "It's... snug. no?"

Right, the TARDIS didn't look like it could fit four people and all the stuff you need in a spaceship. Stanley is used to just walking through that doorway and into the space beyond, he completely forgot that that wasn't normal for everyone.

"Actually, there is more room..." Stanley pauses. He could tell them that the TARDIS was bigger on the inside, but he couldn't explain it. At least, not in a way that would pre-empt their questions. He uses his key. "Maybe it would be easier to just show you."

Despite the unusual size of the TARDIS, and the evident skepticism of the station personnel, Stanley is able to coax them inside.  The varying reactions of the trio are interesting.

"This -- this is impossible!" Murcheson splutters.

Makoro says nothing, but looks around in fascination.  She moves out from the door cautiously, with a hand held up and outstretched as if she expects that she's going to contact a barrier behind whatever projection or trick is giving the perception of depth and space.

Sokolov only mutters, "Hmph," and steers the field projector inside.  He starts to circle the console at a discreet distance, hands held behind him but plainly curious about the instrumentation.

"And this, this ship is able to get us out of here?" Mucheson asks.

In the rain, Trav smiles to the newcomer. "Hello, I'm The Traveller. Yes, I'd like to know about this whole thing. We're here to help. If you want, come back to my ship, we can get you something warm to drink and into some fresh clothes. By now my comrade Dr Newton should have your colleagues there by now. Please, can you explain what you know? And just one moment."

Trav calls the TARDIS console. A holo pops up with her profile. "Hello Stanley! I presume you and everyone else made it to Sweet Boy allright. Smoke Alarm and I have a Mr Vinsen with us. I am sure his colleagues will be delighted that he's returned."

Stanley has to admit he enjoys seeing their reactions.



"Yes." Stanley says confidently. Getting away from this place wouldn't be the difficult part. Telling them they wouldn't be able to go home... he wasn't looking forward to that conversation.  "Once we are sure there's no one left, we'll depart. Until then we should be safe here."



"Trav..." Stanley tries to keep the surprise from his voice. "And thankfully, I am not talking to a recording. Great that you found another survivor," he looks at the little group in the TARDIS. "We made it here without any problems."

He hesitates. "And Kalath? Any sign of her?"