Adventures in Time & Space IC

[Zelphas]

Donald realizes with a sense of distant surprise that he is supposed to be frightened by the story Edith has told him. It's a fair response, given the evidence of what he has seen that night, if he took Edith's tale as the unvarnished truth or even believed that it had some shred of truth to it; and he has no reason to disbelieve her. He almost certainly should be frightened by her tale.

And yet, a deep part of him remains utterly convinced that his death is either incredibly unlikely or simply unimportant, which means that he cannot muster up a fear of death as it seems he should. How strange; yet another thing to add to the catalogue of "Donald R. Jordan things which Don't Add Up". The list is growing rather lengthy--or it would be, if he could remember everything he had put on it. "Maybe," Donald replies with a shrug. "Souls must be rather energy-efficient, to fuel a hound of that size. I wonder--"

The professor's hand on his shoulder comes as a complete surprise, and Donald nearly jumps from his chair, spinning to look at the man. Two people who focused on him out of all the other options, and working together; this is beginning to feel like something less than coincidence. "... Very well," He says, standing. "Thank you for the information, Miss Edith; good evening." With that, he leaves the bar as well, following the professor just behind his peripheral vision.

[Ridai]

Miles Marwood

"WAH!" Miles pre-emptively spooks whatever graveyard horrors may be lying in wait, perhaps even making them pack up things in indignation at having their spook opportunity stolen from them by a telepath lady. Perhaps their version of a strongly worded letter would follow at some point.

The voice suspiciously sounding like Ms. Pavilion is still focused on keeping people safe, however. So while he is wrestling with the twin possibilities of "I have gone off the deep end" and "Telepaths are an actual thing that is real", and looking around for a sign of some sort of very elaborate prank, Miles does try to, uh, somehow answer the mind voice (or alternatively give in to his sudden onset of madness). Even if he is entirely unclear about the logistics of doing so.

So on Ms. Pavilion's end, there is a moment of nothing, then a burst of basically mental noise, eventually condensing into ~-ow do I answer- think back-~ A beat of silence, followed by a somewhat strained and staccato But. Are. You. Going. To. Be. Alright. Question Mark. of Miles trying to deliberately send things in a hopefully understandable way. As he makes his way over to the back of the church.

...Yeah, probably better to leave the axe leaning next to the door instead of taking it inside. With telepaths being potentially or most likely real, maybe a lot of other stuff might be as well, and outside of the crusades, Miles is very unclear on God's or angels stance on wood chopping axes in churches. Maybe carefully peek inside the door, if it isn't locked, just to be sure he doesn't suddenly, you know, cause a scene inside. That wouldn't help anyone.

...In retrospect, he could have handled entering the pub better.

[Dodgeson]

Now this was Birchmoor and Birchmoor was in the countryside, the sort of place where everyone knew everyone and nothing (bar the occasional beast on the moors) bad ever happened, the kind of place where people felt safe enough to leave their doors open all day. Unfortunately for Miles this didn't include the back of the church, more than likely it only opened from the inside and locked itself again once it was closed but, of course, an axe was a pretty good lockpick if he felt up to it.

An axe might be better put to use at the front of the building however as the creature failed utterly to respond to Pavillion's telepathic communication, it hadn't been able to resist her, in fact she could feel herself make contact with a strange half-mind, it just simply didn't feel the need to respond. The reason for that however would make itself clear very quickly as she removed her glasses and got a clear look at the Beast of Birchmoor. Standing there in the verdant light of cast by her alien eyes, it regarded her for a moment, its own glowing sockets set not into feral canine features but an impassive metal mask.

She didn't have much time to process this information though as the creature leapt forward trying to grapple her in its heavy paws!

Spoiler: OOC

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Okay Pavillion give me Coordination+Fighting vs (2d6+10)[18] to avoid getting grabbed! Also if you want to try and identify the Beast of Birchmoor try Ingenuity+Knowledge

"Stay on the road and keep clear of the moors" Edith warned Donald, seeming just a bit too happy with herself as her made his way towards the door and back out into the cold towards whatever was occuring up at the church.

Calico's conversational partner was far more polite offering him a raise of his glass and a smile with a "Have a good night."

[Ridai]

You know what, Miles is not going to risk the wrath of literal God over breaking a church's backdoor open, given the circumstances. There's not telling how much the New Testament was propaganda to cover up the fire and brimstone of the old one, or whether the old one was lies and slander on God's character. Nuh uh. That particular revelation can wait a long, long time, and for someone else.

So instead, he quickly circles the church to see if Ms. Pavilion needs any he-

And the beast has already pounced on her. Poor timing for an axe to have slipped out of Miles' hand and clattered to the ground.

"Wha- we didn't even do anything to you, or want to do anything to you!" Miles hectically tries to reason with the beast (for some reason), hands (palms up) just stretched out in the universal gesture of "but why?!". Evidently, this was the first thing his brain on autopilot tried. He can feel his name getting ranked very highly on the cosmic Darwin Award list right this moment.

Spoiler: Actions

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You know what! Presence 5 + Convince 5 to talk the Beast of Birchmoor down! Alternatively to confuse it or draw aggro. If, for some reason, Animal Friendship or the Charm specialty apply, please add 2 to the final result as appropriate.
(2d6+10)[15]

[davyjones]

Several steps outside, the professor pauses and thumbs on his sonic screwdriver's scanner function, seeking out artron concentrations. He expects to pick up Pavilion's trail and, hopefully, also find out something useful about this beast.

Spoiler: OOC:

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What would you like me to roll?

[Dodgeson]

Miles' pleas for peace and understanding fell on deaf ears, if the beast could even understand what he was saying, as it plowed in to Pavillion, its enormous bulk knocking the wind out of the poor girl, dulling the bright light of her glowing green eyes and sending her tumbling into darkness. He didn't have to worry about racking up any Darwin Awards just yet though as it didn't look like it was particularly bothered by his presence, picking up the unconcious girl with surprising dexterity and dumping her on its back before padding straight through the open door of the church and disappearing out of sight.

Up on the approach to the church Professor Calico pulled out that trusty tool of time travellers everywhere, the sonic probe screwdriver (do we have a description for Calico's yet?), a flick of his finger sending it buzzing in to life to take the lay of the land or at the very least the local concentration of Artron energy. Now the bad news was that Birchmoor was still soaked in the stuff but the good news is that there were two noticeable spikes. One, most likely Pavillion, was in the direction they were heading but there was another, much larger spike, coming from off in the distance up in the direction of the hills.

There would be time to ponder what this all meant later though as they neared their destination, the light at the front of the church standing out like a beacon against the surrounding darkness where Miles was still presumably standing.

[davyjones]

The professor regarded the readings on his bronze-accented gunmetal device, just below the probe blade that split into twin tines (between which the sliver of an aquamarine resonance crystal hung suspended in the isomagnetic field). Its activator switch and transaxial settings dial are ridged to satisfy its owner's love of all things tactile, and Calico has to resist the urge to smile slightly as he thumbs it back into standby mode.

"Double-time, Mr. Jordan. Looks like we're headed for the church," the Time Lord states as he returns his trusty tool to his inside pocket. He freezes momentarily, a sudden thought striking him like a Gibbs-slap to the back of the head; could the other spike be another TARDIS in distress, or in its last stage of death? Would that kind of artron saturation be possible? And would that saturation mask the presence of the TARDIS of origin? Calico wrinkles his nose as the implications drifted through his mind.

Shaking his head to clear the distraction, he waves for Jordan to follow, and he moves quickly toward the church, his eyes watchful for danger.

Spoiler: Sonic Screwdriver Detail

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Funny you should ask! The moment I had Calico deploy it, I've been thinking about what his sonic would look like. So, here's some detail for the mind's eye...

19mm-diameter by 130mm-long gunmetal primary cylinder (aka handle), accented bronze (ridged on/off/standby switch is set 80mm from base; transaxial selector dial sits at 100m from base); twin probe blades, each 3mm thick by 6mm wide by 70mm long, 4mm apart along centerline, with bridges at 10mm, 20mm, and 30mm from handle; each blade width tapered from outer edge to 1mm at crystal end; 3mm square by 25mm long ARC (aquamarine resonance crystal) emitter suspended between blades via isomagnetic field

[Ridai]

Things are just getting worse, now that the beast has... kidnapped? Ms. Pavilion, and went right into the church. Picking up the axe to prepare for the worst case, Miles spots the Professor and Jordan arriving on scene.

"Professor, the beast took Ms. Pavilion!" he calls down the road, adding a big wave towards the church, and runs inside.

[Zelphas]

Donald follows along behind the Professor, finding himself once again lost in his own thoughts. It was happening distressingly often, of late... or possibly always, but that is a bit difficult to determine. At the moment, he is wondering why it felt so correct for him to be behind and a bit away from the person rushing towards the fray--close enough to see what happens, but not too close.

Was he a coward? That would be a disappointing discovery; he hadn't had any reason to consider his own bravery or cowardice before this point, and finding out that he lacked the moral fiber to rush into danger for a good cause seemed rather insulting. But then, he was heading in the right direction for danger, and he didn't particularly feel fear; perhaps that wasn't it.

Jordan came back to himself slightly at Miles' shout. "Took...? Miles didn't seem like he waxed poetic terribly often," He said mostly to himself, picking up his pace a little more to reach the scene even faster.

[Dodgeson]

Our three heroes ran into the unremarkable vestibule where coats hung on the wall, left there by parishioners to shield them from the cold on the journey back home, and a set of stone steps lead off to one side spiraling upwards but of course that probably wasn't as important right now as the next set of doors that which lead in to the church proper.

There it was, almost, exactly what you might expect from a church. A handful of elderly worshipers sat on hard wooden pews and listened to the sermon that was coming from a balding man in a cassock standing behind a gleaming silver lectern.

"Brothers and sisters, take heart. For though all of us come to this world imperfect and broken, there is hope in the embrace of His mercy! We must all of us remember to follow His word that we shall be remade in his image, whole and complete, bright and brilliant as sterling silver!"

This was where the normalcy ended though as lying there, not six feet from the vicar, was the unconscious form of Pavillion sprawled out in front of a gleaming silver font and of course the Beast of Birchmoor hadn't gone far, its hulking form hunched by the altar and not really doing much to try and conceal its presence. None of the assembled congregation seemed to find this particularly worrisome, or at least not enough to interrupt the service.

Until now it was only Pavillion who had gotten a proper look at the creature but in the full light of the church the Beast of Birchmoor was plain to see, metal face plate and all. That might not have meant much to Miles and Donald but Professor Calico (because he mentioned them in his backstory) knew a Cybershade when he saw one. It was a crude form of the cyberconversion process applied to local wildlife, they were scouts and enforcers, not as smart or as capable as a full Cyberman but where there were Cybershades their mechanical masters couldn't be far behind!

[davyjones]

"...bright and brilliant as sterling silver!"

Now, it has been some time since Calico had attended church - he loved going to the country and finding a small village parish, just to listen and sing; there was a comfort in it, really - but he can't recall hearing a sermon like that, even from the most, well, colorfully charismatic of vicars. The revelation of the cybershade serves to connect a dozen threads together into one ominous tapestry.

The disappearances. The legend of the beast itself. A world 'remade' in silver. And Maggie. Oh, poor Maggie. What do they have in store for her that they would repair her dying body so?

"Cybermen," he spat in a low tone. It's as much a curse word as he would ever speak, saying that name out loud. Of the many marauders that roamed the galaxy, these uncaring tin cans of logic and malice are one of the worst. And always sticking their noses in Earth's business. He's grown fond of this world; he isn't going to let these self-important toasters gain a foothold on it!

The professor looks for signs of implants or other cyberware on the vicar, since he's the barker at this macabre carnival. As he does so, he quietly says to his new companions, "No sudden movements. No outbursts. Mr. Jordan, watch the beast; is it resting, or is it guarding? Mr. Marwood, look at the folks in the pews; how many do you recognize from here, and how many of those were sick recently?"

[Ridai]

Miles is hardly the most avid church-goer, but he is pretty sure the whole sterling silver bit doesn't feature in the bible. Or, uh, robot giant dogs. Or cybermen, as Professor Calico puts it. Just general confusion and concern.

Before he can go for something probably more foolish, the Professor snaps him out of it, lifting a finger to signal "give me a moment". Miles takes a closer look at the worshippers, potentially going off to the side to get a better look at them.

[Dodgeson]

Wisely Donald, Miles and the Professor were on their guard, checking their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary (well more out of the ordinary) that might give them an edge before the strange situation in front of them escalated, for Miles this was an easy task, his cinnamonroll-ness affability had easily ingratiated himself in to life in Birchmoor and out of the handful of parishioners in front of all of them were people that he recognised that suffered with some kind of affliction or malady.

Or at least they had.

Sitting on one of the pews was old Mr Reed, who had run the village library before the money had run out, very definitely not wearing is thick rimmed black glasses and across from him was Harold Gransted who was looking very ambicapable for someone who had lost arm during the War and of course sitting at the front was Maggie who looked perfectly normal but you all knew her story by now.

Over by the font, to Donald's eyes at least, the Cybershade didn't seem to be doing much of anything, squatting over by Pavilion's body and staring impassively out at them, the Beast of Birchmoor was either incredibly well trained or if its metal mask was any indicator of its true nature, waiting to receive its next order.

Lastly there was the vicar himself who, to Calico's eyes, bore none of the telltale signs of the cyberconversion process, no metallic jug handles jutting out from his head, no signs of a protruding cyberheart, not even any flashing earpieces grafted straight to his brain.

"Can we help you?" He asked the newcomers who had interrupted his sermon "You are more than welcome to take a seat."

[Ridai]

Miles quickly whispers to the Professor: "All of them used to have one malady or another. For example, Mr Reed over there used to wear glasses, Mr Gransted lost an arm in the War."

When the vicar adresses them, Miles near-automatically flashes an apologetic smile. "Oh, please excuse the late intrusion, Father Pleasance. It's just that we saw this gentleman's" He gestures to Professor Calico. "niece" He gestures to the unconscious Ms Pavilion. "get pounced on and dragged in here by, well..." His hands do a kind of palm-up waffling towards the Beast of Birchmoor.

"Sooo, we were pretty worried," Miles does a little shrug, all in all having kept things relatively conversational and aw-shucks. He also hopes this buys some time and keeps, uh, any sort of spontaneous aggressions low while someone who knows how to handle situations like these can do something.

Spoiler: Actions

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Throwing in a Presence 5 + Convince 5 (Charm) check to put people at ease and away from telling the Beast of Birchmoor to pounce on anyone
(2d6+10)[18] (Charm specialty not included, please add +2 if it does apply)

[davyjones]

Calico briefly stares wide-eyed at Miles' admission of the attack - he was hoping to avoid revealing they understood the truth of what happened, but that's a bit down current, so to speak, at this point. He quickly collects himself and clears his throat.

"Well, the crux of the matter is that she's overdue for her medication back in the T- ... the inn, and I'd like to get her back there before she causes any further trouble," the professor adds pleasantly. "My darling Pav is a bit batty, unfortunately, and while the Word of our good Teacher is always a source of comfort when one struggles, she also needs the assistance of the miracle of modern medicine to be able to understand it. Her mind certainly isn't capable of benefiting from the promise of gleaming silver."

Hopefully, these cyber-flunkies will take that as a sign Pavilion isn't going to be useful to them.

Spoiler: Cooperation Action

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Calico is taking the Cooperation action to add a +2 to Miles' Convince attempt (to raise the result to 20). (Since he's not the active character and I don't see this as a scene where being "Charming" is of use, I don't believe his Charming Trait bonus will apply.)

[Zelphas]

Donald, who had instinctively stepped to one side of the door in the shadow of the entryway when they entered, winced slightly at the Professor's mention of Ms. Pavilion's malady. These seemed like standard faith-healing cultish types, hulking metal-face monster notwithstanding. The fact that their kidnapee has a malady is an opportunity to show off, not a reason to be merciful.

He wondered how he was so sure of that, and discarded the thought as useless twaddle a moment or two later.

"The beast's either well-trained or a robot, I reckon," he said quietly to the Professor in a belated response to his query, glad that for the moment he was out of the main focus. "It doesn't seem like it's ready to do much until it's told to. Could be guarding or just watching, then, but not really resting."

[Dodgeson]

Spoiler: OOC

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With that +2 it pushes Miles up to a Good! Go team!

So far so good, Miles' words set Father Pleasance and his congregation at ease (everybody liked Miles after all), they weren't going to have to worry about fending off a horde of geriatric cultists just yet. Donald had been right to worry though, when the Professor had brought up his 'niece's' malady the vicar had turned his head towards the unconcious girl and smiled before stepping down from his lectern and facing the congregation.

"I should have known your poor niece was suffering, why else should His blessed servant have brought her unto us if not to receive His mercy? Fear not stranger for through me the blind have seen again..." He gestured towards a pew and the old librarian obligingly stood up "...and the lame have walked again." Another gesture and Maggie also rose to her feet while he moved towards the font, producing a silver bowl from behind it and dipping it in to the liquid within. "Through this sacrament I shall make her whole again, blessed and complete."

"As sterling silver." The parishioners intoned in response, they all knew how this worked, they'd all been through it themselves after all.

Luckily however at was at this moment, with Father Pleasance looming over her, that Pavilion began to stir.

[davyjones]

The professor is momentarily confused. These people are Anglicans, not some hippie revivalist cult. Even in the villages, the Church doesn't engage in such nonsense. Father Pleasance's "promise," though, is plain enough. As he sees Pavilion start to stir, he clears his throat and moves confidently down the center aisle, stopping just short of the chancel.

"Now, my good man, the Church has long been in synergy with scientific advancement," he says, trying to get the vicar to pay attention to him and not the waking Pavilion. "Even Darwin himself was buried at Westminster - my 'grandfather' was actually in attendance for his friend Charlie. I thought we were taught to use prayer to enhance the efficacy of medical science in healing?"

OOC: Not trying to win the argument...just drawing attention.

[NontheistCleric]

Pavilion's head jerks up, just in time to see the bowl of silver about to be tipped onto her.

"Sorry, Padre," she says. "But I've made this one already."

And her eyes blaze green.

Spoiler: OOC

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Possession time!

Pavilion isn't trying to possess any of the humans (?), but rather the Cybershade, to make it interpose its big body between her and the bowl of silver.

A few points to clarify: Does she have to leave her body to do this? The various sources I have on this ability (11th Doctor Player's Guide, 11th Doctor Gamemaster's Guide, 10th Doctor Aliens and Creatures and Limited Edition Player's Guide) seem to suggest that in some cases the body must be left but in others full mind-control can be done while staying within the body. The character I modeled Pavilion on, House, seemed to be capable of both versions (he left his body to possess the TARDIS but didn't need to do so to take control of his servants), and I'd prefer at least in this case that Pavilion is able to do it without leaving her body, but I'm okay if you rule that she has to.

Also, Aliens and Creatures and the Gamemaster's Guide state that Possession or the highest level of Hypnosis allows a +4 bonus to possess on the first attempt, but this isn't present in the versions given in the Player's Guides. I'll include the +4 in my roll for now, but you can just discount that if you don't want to use that version.

Now for the roll! Resolve (6) + Convince (5) + First Possession (4): (2d6+15)[21]

[Ridai]

Miles is still not exactly sure what is going on, and he really isn't looking for a fight. But Ms. Pavilion has come to! And... her eyes glow. Right.

Naturally... Miles gets ready to intercept the, uh, "sterling silver" mug if any sort of pouring actually happens. That's about the extent of his plan.

Spoiler: Actions

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Getting ready to slap/tackle the cup with the silver away so it doesn't hit Pavilion.

[Dodgeson]

Pavillion's eyes blazed a verdant green before her head fell back. Had she succumbed to unconsciousness again? Perhaps but there was clearly more than meets the eye going on here as that very same green light settled in to the sockets of the Beast of Birchmoor! Inhabiting a bio-mechanical creature like a Cybershade might have been a little strange, even for an entity as bizarre as Pavillion, but it was like shopping at supermarket you already knew but in a different country, she'd get used to it. The body was faster and stronger than the one she'd left, built for brute labour by its mechanical masters, but there was something else too. It might have been deadened by her possession and it was definitely primitive but it was there, a link, to the vicar, to the parishioners in front of them, to some other somethings elsewhere in the building and to something else looming far in the distance.

From his position by the font the vicar had a front row seat to the whole thing and regardless of anything else that was going on, it gave him pause for a moment, a single strand of shimmering liquid dripping from the bowl back into the receptacle. Still he seemed to take the whole thing in stride, a slightly sinister edge to his smile as he turned his attention back to Professor Calico.

"I think we may be beyond debating the finer points of scripture now, although there is one thing it is very clear on." He began, gesturing towards Pavilion's unmoving form with his empty hand. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch live. Brothers and sisters we have heathens in our midst! Heathens who would dare to defile His messenger! But take heart for they are nothing but a crucible on which we shall prove our faith!"

As one the parishioners who weren't already standing rose to their feet and all of them turned to face the Professor, Miles and Donald.

"Let none of them leave the church!"

Spoiler: OOC

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First off congrats on the bodyhop Pav! Here's the relevant stats for your shiny new Beast of Birchmoor! You know, just in case.

Spoiler: Beast of Birchmoor

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Attributes
Coordination 6
Strength 7

Traits
Climbing (Minor)
Networked
Fast

Also this is now an action scene! So everybody declare their action! Talking, Running, Doing or Fighting?!

[Ridai]

Things just get... even weirder. And more sinister. Somehow!

As such, much like when a Mr. Taggard was sending spittle at yelling velocity towards a (former ) colleague's face, Miles tries to de-escalate. Success rates have not been empirically examined.

"But... that commandment is barbaric. I know things have been tough for a while now and all of you have been, uh, aided, somehow. But as a people, we've moved long past this! Mr. Gransted, you've told me how horrible and senseless people fighting one another can get from your experiences in the war. This cannot sit right with you. Maggie, your husband and half the town are having a party in your honor and are waiting for you. Could you face your husband if you follow orders like these? You are all good people!" He would have liked having well-structured arguments ready, delivered with a steady voice. However, this is still Miles in startled confusion while still trying to appeal to the decency of the worshippers.

He is also quite averse to kicking elderly church-going people in the head in said church.

Spoiler: Actions

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TALKING!

I guess this is Presence 5 + Convince 5? (2d6+10)[18]

[davyjones]

As Miles is attempting to reason with his fellow villagers, Professor Calico draws out his sonic screwdriver and adjusts the setting as he leans toward Donald.

"Mr. Jordan, scoop up Pavilion when I say 'go.' We're only going to have a moment to run," he says. The professor doesn't wait for the parishioners to respond to Miles' plea, but instead raises his sonic and activates it; the tell-tale high-pitched whine is just the resonance of the effect. Loud, but not the main attraction.

The pièce de résistance, as it were, is the ultra-high frequency carrier signal that fills the room and, with any luck, will completely demolish the ability of the 'silver brigade' within the church to communicate with their cyber masters and give him and the others a couple minutes to escape.

Spoiler: DOING Something Attempt

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Calico Ingenuity + Technology (9)
(2d6+9)[14]

[Zelphas]

Donald is turning towards the doors as the Professor spoke. Just to open them, he's sure... well, fairly sure, anyways. He thought he had established earlier to his own satisfaction that he is not a coward.

Shaking his head, he turns back towards the room and gets ready to run; at least his physical body is something he's learned that he can trust in, more or less.

Spoiler: OOC

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I think scooping up Pavilion's body would be a Coordination + Athletics (7) check; does that makes sense?

If so, here's the roll: (2d6+7)[17]

[Dodgeson]

Unfortunately for Miles he was no longer simply talking to the residents of Birchmoor, the people who he had come to know in his time in the small village had come under the sway of Father Pleasance and his sinister masters. Heedless of his pleas the parishioners began to leave their pews and march towards the trio, but where words had failed a trusty sonic screwdriver prevailed!

With a low buzz the high-tech probe unleashed a pulse that froze their would be pursuers in their tracks, twitching in place and clutching at the limbs that had been so recently reinvigorated by the vicar. The head of the congregation seemed to be fairing little better in the wake of the disruption, holding either side of his head and almost doubling over as the liquid in the font began to bubble and boil.

"GET THEM! THE HEATHENS MUST NOT LEAVE THE CHURCH ALIVE!" He bellowed loud enough to be heard over his followers, his voice trailing off in to an almost electronic shriek as they all writhed helplessly, giving Donald just the opening he needed to grab Pavilion's helpless body and for all three of them to flee back in to the cold night. Whether they were going to be any safer out there than they were in the church was debatable, especially once the faithful recovered from Calico's trick, but at least now they knew what they were facing and they could begin to fight back!

[davyjones]

"This way, gentlemen; follow me," Calico says as he exits through the narthex and onto the darkened street. He adds over his shoulder, "And don't dally! We don't have much time."

The professor strides quickly along the village streets to where the red phone box-shaped dimensional interface stands, swapping his sonic out for his TARDIS key. Unlocking the door, he waves for the two men to enter. "Don't think; just go in! It's a 'secret entrance' to a hideaway! And watch her head, Mr. Jordan."

Hopefully, in the urgency of the situation, neither Miles nor Donald will recognize the absurdity of that statement...or that the K2-style phone box has opaque glass panels...

[Ridai]

People not even reacting to anything he says, just acting on command, makes Miles' stomach drop, leaving a mixture of sadness and dread.

Professor Calico does something, people doubling over, unnatural screeches and then they are running back out into the night, thankfully with Ms. Pavilion.

It's all a bit much, and scary to boot, to say the least. So Miles at the moment is busy with just running, holding his axe and the medkit, and helping guide in Ms. Pavilion's unconscious body. Followed by quickly closing the door.

Miles' brain processing the very big space and it not fitting the phone box is going to take a while. Before that, he has two other priorities:

"Is Ms. Pavilion going to be alright? And what happened to those people?" He is bringing the medkit. While he has some rudimentary first-aid training and is ready to help, he does hope someone with more expertise is present (and conscious).

[Zelphas]

Donald follows swiftly behind the Professor and Miles, carrying Pavilion easily enough in his arms. The reaction of the two conscious people nearby throws Donald off for a moment--Miles seems surprised by the sudden size of the telephone box, while the Professor seems to take it as a matter of course--so he chooses simply to breeze past any response and focus on the matter at hand. Placing Pavilion's body carefully on the floor, Donald steps away, letting Miles come forward with the medical kit.

"This qualifies as a strange night..." Donald murmurs to himself, more as a way of confirming it in his own mind than for any other reason.

[davyjones]

The professor pauses just a moment to glimpse the reactions of both men, which were interestingly muted; as a Time Lord, Calico can't help but enjoy when others encounter dimensional interfacing for the first time. The wonder, the excitement, the fear. It's a guilty pleasure, for sure, but one he gets to revel in so rarely.

Unfortunately, other things require his attention at the moment. He crosses to the console and pulls the level to close the TARDIS door, then turns toward the others.

"Pavilion should be okay, this...condition is less than life-threatening," he says to Miles. "You could say it's more self-induced than anything. That said, I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you looked at whatever bumps and bruises she may have received from her initial encounter with that cybershade."

Calico pauses a brief moment, appears to decide something, and continues, “Cybermen, they’re called. A species of humanoids - almost indistinguishable from you Terrans, once - who achieved such a level of cybernetic integration that they have become unemotional, unfeeling creatures of malevolent logic.

“They retained only their most essential organic parts, and grafted metal bodies onto them - not indestructible, mind you, but incredibly tough and enduring,” the professor continues. “They then set out for the stars to bend other worlds to their will, to remake others in their image. An image of, in the poor vicar’s words, ‘gleaming silver.’”

Leaning against his console and crossing his arms, he explains, “Your fellow villagers haven’t been cured by any divine intervention, I’m sad to say. They’ve likely had their ‘defective parts,’ so to speak, replaced by cybernetic equivalents. And the cybermen won’t stop at healing; a full conversion into those monstrosities is their final destination, if we can’t stop them in time.

“They’ll be lost; their personalities, their hopes, their dreams, their love and camaraderie will all be stripped away as their bodies are turned into monstrous tin cans.”

[Ridai]

Donald's musings are answered by an appropriately voice-cracked "Uhuh!?" given the growing pile of mental-horizon-expansion that is happening to him tonight.

"Ah..." comes out of Miles in regards to Ms. Pavilion's state. Of the, erm, self-chosen kind. Which is a thing that exists now. Yes. "I'll, uh, I'll see what I can do. Disclaimer: I'm no doctor, though."

Throughout Professor Calico's explanation, the Scotland Yard's Former Finest gets increasingly dismayed with every sentence, and he also increasingly has trouble actually looking after Ms. Pavilion. By the end, he is just staring at the Professor with an open mouth, face stuck in a confused and horrified expression.

"That's so wrong! That's so wrong! That's awful!" Once Miles' brain has caught up to a more productive level of speech again, he adds: "How do we stop those, uh, Cybermen? You made some high-pitched noise at them with your gadget, do we need radios? I don't think people will believe me if I told them. Should we get two radios? Do they, like, have a secret cyber-headquarters? Sorry, I'm rambling, I'll work on Ms. Pavilion now, sorry."

Right, right. Self-nap-time or not, that Beast of Birchmoor cybershade (adieu, grand title) really did a number on Ms. Pavilion.