Roll of the Dice Follow-Up Notes

Spectrum - 

Spectrum is contacted by Cyclops.  He's a bit nervous.  He says, "Suzanne, this is Scott Summers, you might recall we've met a couple times."  After the formalities, he launches  into "I really would appreciate you keeping this secret - from Eliot in particular of course.  You see, I'm sure we have a traitor in our midst here at the New School.  The professor refuses to believe it, or, more accurately, he calls it all "part of a greater plan than we can appreciate."  But I'm not going to go up against this again.  Last time we met with Magneto, we were supposed to take him by surprise, giving us the chance we'd need as he's simply more powerful.  Instead he was prepared, at least at the last minute, for us.  Suzanne, we really need your help, and you're the only one I can think to turn to.  Nobody knows this, but I'd like you to secretly scan the minds of those of us associated with the X-Men.  I have to know who is betraying us.  But you have to do this without Jean knowing.  Don't worry, you don't have to scan her, I'm not worried about her, but no one can know."

Spectrum consents and schedules some time in New York so she has more of a cover to make a "side trip" to Boston and, since she's in the area, visit the X-Men.  She asks Scott to ensure that Professor X isn't around and tells him she won't do any deep scans.  It has to be surface-level only, thought that is likely all she expects will be needed if the general subject of Magneto is broached around the guilty party.  Besides, Suzanne is eager to get away from the bad vibes she's getting from Sihn.

Just as she picks up the phone to call Nightshade of the Outsiders, she's surprised to hear him on the other end as his call completes.  He was looking to get with her as well.  Her trip to New York unites them for a date, a much needed romantic escape in Suzanne's hectic life.  A dinner with Nightshade, who remains in his heroic identity, shows his interest in the law and he lets out that in his secret ID he has a more professional interest.  He's very polite and even charming, dropping his "darkness" demeanor.  Something about him is a bit intimidating though, it seems he has his own secret(s) like Spectrum.  He generally avoids talk about "the life", mostly chatting about his tasteful art collection (mostly Soho artists but a couple originals by Lichtenstein and Goya), politics (he's tough-on-crime but otherwise moderate), and whatever else comes up.  Suzanne opens up a bit as well and soon they begin discussing their private lives more, each learning the other is a lawyer, and each others' secret identities (he is Jeremiah Dark, a well-known New York attorney and city councilman).  As dinner ends, Jeremiah nervously approaches the topic of where to go next - his place or patrolling.  He posits the choice rapidly, putting no emphasis on either.  Suzanne replies they can go patrolling - and then see.  She is struck out on patrol that while he at one point seems to peer into a man's soul and turn him white with mysterious power, he is still refreshingly dashing and heroic compared to the Justice Squad.  The evening is singularly uneventful, with just petty hoods apprehended.  Neither of them are terribly tired but are a bit keyed up as they end up at Jeremiah's place...

In Winchester, outside Boston, Suzanne visits the New School.  Scott gives her a thorough "tour" as an excuse to get her near everyone.  She finds out there's a few more X-Men (or as Jean and Ororo insist, "X-People") than the ones they've seen so far, others are in training or reserve. Sample thoughts picked up:

Scott uncomfortably encourages Spectrum to read his mind while he thinks about Magneto, just to be above board.  She picks up, "Can't think about sex, think about Magneto, Magneto, I coulda killed him when he hit Jean, should she really be involved in this at all?  She's too fragile, Jean and Suzanne, now there's, THINK BASEBALL, baseball, no Magneto, Magneto bad, has a mole in the organization somewhere, keep thinking about how bad Magneto is..."  Spectrum doesn't let him squirm too long.  Soon she's headed back home, and Cyclops is no closer to identifying an internal leak.

Neumann - 

Neumann travels the underground mutant clubs where he feels he is most likely to find leads on others like him or directly on his creator.  In the clubs, they are remarkably accepting of Neumann, not really looking/gawking at him, although occasionally someone chats with him of course.  A man with a big snout instead of a nose comes up to him and asks if him if he wants a "job".

"Greetings.  I do not require a job... I simply help people.  Who are you?" asks Neumann with his head tilted slightly, his large eye dimly glowing red.

"Eeeeh, everyone calls me Porky.  You'd be helpin' me out - and I'd be glad to owe you a favor in return if you ain't the money type - if you would deliver a rather heavy package from the docks to a particular location.  It's somethin' humans ain't supposed to be around much and you look like the type who ain't all too human - no offense, okay?  This is one of those "silence is golden" kinda jobs.  Comprende?"

"Very well... I shall help.  Provide me with the details and I shall be there," replies Neumann.  He leans back against the seat and sprays hot steam on the vinyl causing it to bubble ever so slightly.  As usual, he appears to be completely unaware of any such effect on his surroundings.  The arrangements are made for a pick-up a month out.

Another evening in one of the seedier clubs, a somewhat drunken man comes up to Neumann, saying, "Hey you're a robot, right?  I hear you're looking for your creator.  Well, I'm a scientist.  Built a few robots. I'm not famous like Mr. Fancy-Pants Magnus, but I've done my work.  You know who I design gadgets for? [his voice quiets a bit]  The Flaming Carrot.  Dr. Heller's the name."  He chats up Neumann a bit and eventually invites him to come to his shop, where he is willing to tinker with him in order to see what he can figure out about who might have made him.  

Neumann releases some steam and tilts his head to the right.  "You will not attempt anything malignant," he says almost as a query.  

Heller is indeed reassuring, saying, "Oh maaaaan, ain't no way, I'm one of the good guys.  If you don't believe me, I got newspaper clippings to prove it."  He pulls out one from his wallet, a picture of him with the Flaming Carrot in the newspaper.

"I have heard of this Flaming Carrot.  He is a sentient vegetable?  Very well... lead the way... fshhh"

As Heller drives up to a large iron fence which surrounds the whole area, a mechanical being on wheels rushes out and greets him, stating in a grating whirring synthesized voice, "He-he-hello Dr. He-he-heller.  You may ent-ent-ent-enter."  Heller repies, "Hey fency, how's it hangin'?"  "Fency" doesn't reply, this apparently being a rhetorical question, and opens the gate, drawing open one side of the two large gates with two long mechanical arms.

Neumann:  "_File: Although this Heller appears to be a frivolous and disorganized human, at least his "creations" appear to be more logical..._", notes Neumann.  Occasionally he vocalizes such "thoughts" without realizing it... this being one of those occasions.  The faulty speech pattern of Fency goes unnoticed.

A short drive into the dump probably surprises Neumann; at least 3 other robots are busily at work, each with flashlight-helmets on (it's 2 AM by now), moving and welding giant scraps of metal.  Heller says, "Oh, don't mind the mess, just having some work done on the place.  You know, there's an old Chinese proverb, when the house is done that's when you're done living.  So I keep working on it.  Want to meet the crew?"

Neumann tilts his head as the big eye pulses with reddish life.  Deciding that the question is rhetorical, he remains silent but attentive.

Heller introduces Neumann to "Red-eye," apparently a sort of foreman among robots, who appropriately enough has two extremely bulbous, toy-like completely red "eyes" (visual sensors).  Otherwise he's generally red-hued, though sort of rusty-looking.  His general outline is human-like (mechanical arms, legs, torso) but everything is squared off, including his large square head.  Red-eye's voice is unusually loud, and in a deep human-like baritone, only betrayed as non-human by its lack of inflection and sometimes incorrect pronunciations (but would-be correct pronunciations if English were phonetically consistent).  Red-eye seems to have a friendly disposition, asking Neumann, "What are you made of?  I am mostly tin.  I tear easy, so I am careful.  Perhaps one day Dr. Heller will make me a steel case."  Dr. Heller groans.

"Greetings, Red-eye, you are most logical to be careful.  I am constructed of a reinforced steel alloy with portions of iron.  I too have my weak spots though."  To demonstrate, Neumann flings out a mess of anachronistic wires and hoses, and then promptly withdraws them. [note: that's part of his entangle attack]

"Blowtorch" (Heller seems rather deficient in the naming department) has one arm which is essentially a torch (and looks like it may do other things) and another which is claw-like, made to grasp basic elements of metal and rotate 360 degrees.  His "legs" are awkward-looking as they do not appear to have the equivalents of knees; instead they have rollers on the bottom.  His body is smoother-looking than Red-eye's, and appears to be of stouter stuff.  It is all charred-looking, as if he his whole body has been burnt several times.  Blowtorch just says in a very high-pitched feedback-like voice, "Heeeelllloooooo Newwwwwwwwwwwwmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.  I ammmmmmmmm bizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."  And returns to work. Heller says, "Don't blame him, he's programmed that way.  He's pretty talkative in his off-hours, though."  Heller then takes a swig from a flask in his pocket, and walks Neumann over to "Cruncher".

Neumann tilts his head with a loud metallic squeak.

Cruncher is sparkling-clean and contrasts markedly from the others.  His "body" is much more sophisticated, with eight appendages in a circular fashion around a combined brain/torso area.  He appears to be able to use his "arms" to rotate or walk and hold many things.  He is very short normally, his central unit just 6 inches off the ground, but his appendages apparently can each extend up to 30 feet.  He is made of something unusually tough it appears.  Cruncher pauses and says in a deep halting heavily synthesized/mechanistic voice, "Neu mann nice to meet you I am Crun cher we should have a smoke."  Cruncher adds, "This is a work break phrase we will sit down now and we will talk a bout the man doc tor hell er is a slave driv er how a bout your boss?"  Heller just grins.

Neumann's eye pulses red in apparent puzzlement.

Once inside, there are many whirring and grating mechanisms.  While the technology is undoubtedly more modern than Neumann's, it is similarly made "on the cheap" for functionality rather than aesthetics.  Heller puzzles over Neumann a bit after opening him up and finally says, "Ah-ha!"  He takes a celebratory swig (only the second since arriving, he's not over-indulging) and proclaims, "Neumann, I've found where I can hook you to an auxiliary power source.  This may feel  a bit funny, so brace yourself but don't worry.  See, I'd like you to be conscious the whole time I work on you but I've got to depower some of the circuits.  This way I can keep you up and runnin' the whole time with only select pieces shut down."

A tilt of the head and pulsing of his eye demonstrates silent comprehension... 

With that he proceeds, talking as he looks through Neumann.  He says, "You are most peculiar, fella.  You are some piece of work, and I mean that in a "hootchie mama" kinda way, like real crazy, y'know?  I mean good, son, real good.  See, your inventor was crazy like a fox, as they say, 'cause he made sure you are so convoluted that you can't be easily duplicated and you can't be easily messed with.  Well, not without just about destroyin' ya, which no sane or likely even insane evil genius would ever do.  So you're kinda safe that way.

"But I have to say I never seen anything like this.  Don't despair, though. Ya see, I'm not like these fancy inventors like yer Gere-luce guy or nutty Magnus.  That means I KNOW parts; I don't just order top of the line stuff 'cause somebody says it's gold-plated.  I KNOW a USX-82 tube when I see one. They were manufactured from WW II up through 1950, which is just plain peculiar.because they were just that plain good.  Nobody with money would buy one - 'cause they were CHEAP.  DIRT cheap.  Why, I still got a whole supply of these things, you could mail order these things from second-hand places up through 1995, and you can still get 'em if you look around.  Now a tube like this, of this voltage I mean, was around $10,000, in 1950 dollars no less.  But the USX-82 was only $100 - no kidding - in 1950.  By 1975 they were literally $1 while their expensive cousins were around $3,000.  I don't make this stuff up, son.

"Anyway, there's a point to this.  The point is, the USX-82s in you are all stamped 1947 and aren't stamped as "for resale by law", at which time all sales of these types of tubes were tracked - by law.  The "for resale by law" stamp was applied after 1948 when they were deregulated.  That means whoever made you either stole these, very possible, or there's a record of sale.  The original manufacturer was a very small company, really, 'cause this is the only thing they made.  They went out of business in 1950 but the guy who did this lives in Florida, retired.  His name is Nate Bellows, hang on, I'll get his address," as he putters around, looking for it, he continues, "now Nate ain't no big-time inventor, no way he made you.  But the thing is that if he sold any of those things in 1947 or 1948 before they were deregulated to anybody he might still have the records, or if he doesn't the government might, though you gotta have some kinda "in" with those guys to ever find out their records."  He hands Neumann the address. 

"It's a long shot, guy, but I do wish you luck.  I really gotta get some sleep, you can rest here or make your way back if you like."  Whichever way it goes, Heller says upon departing, "Neumann, anytime you need somethin', look me up.  I'm always glad to help a robot down on his luck."

"Neumann thanks Dr. Heller.  You are most resourceful and kind."  And with that Neumann leaves Heller's compound, his thoughts on USX-82s.

Neuman picks up a few other facts throughout his studies and journies.  The company that manufactured some sort of robotics in the late 1930s through 40s was DeVilbiss (http://www.devilbiss.com/aboF.html).  Boeing also did robotics work back then.  Stark Industries as such did not exist until the 1960s, ABC started earlier in the 1950s but is not known to have done anything with robotics until the 60s.  The other robots around the US that Newman has heard of but hasn't caught up with include Tinker Toy in Memphis, Shatter Clatter in Dallas, and EEK! in Seattle, with a villainous reputation (but nothing specific, main references, "Oh, he's a tough dude, watch out for him man!" and "I hear he's
a mercenary, I dunno, just what I hear.").

Rodin - 

Lucy Coe is interested in going out more with Hamlet though she's unhappy about the newspaper coverage.  Laughton is unhappy about the coverage as well.  He discusses with Lucy providing them with some disguises.  It might be necessary to pull a string or two with his newspaper contacts, but he understands that being world famous does make him a media target.  Lucy is willing to go in disguise; she is reserved in consenting but Laughton gathers it excites her a bit to do so.

The prosecutors against Fisk have contacted Laughton and are spending time going over testimony with him.  They want him to discuss how he came into the situation and what his involvement is.  They "hint" that they want him  to say he just followed the Justice Squad at their request or that he just  followed them out of interest.  If anyone can demonstrate that Laughton is lying, that he knew more or otherwise was more actively involved (which of course he was), he could be in substantial trouble, including jail time.  It isn't likely, except for the unowned status of whatever surveillance Kingpin or his surrogates for some period Fox Force Five might have.  If the prosecution has that, even if it is illegal, it could be used against him ultimately.  So it's a risk.  Of course he can plead the fifth, which is what the Kingpin's team wants - anything that adds uncertainty and doubt on those who found his bunker.  It's considered legally a certainty that Kingpin will serve time in a federal facility - it's just a question of how long and what for.  Anything the prosecution can do to plea-bargain and chisel away at which counts the jury agrees with will help minimize that.  There's no personal or other repercussions for Laughton on taking the fifth; it is de facto applied to all of the "known" metahumans involved (the remainder of the Justice Squad) and that is why they are not appearing/why no metahuman vigilantes typically appear in courts.

Laughton's main goal in just about everything is plausible deniability.  With this in mind, and the fact that he is willing to go to great risks to keep Kingpin in prison as long as possible, he will work with the Prosecution to the best of his ability, using both his knowledge of Law, and his powers of persuasion.  Laughton offers his services (billable hours are his second goal) to do some quality detective work to find the extent and scope of what Kingpin's legal team is up to.  As all the security tapes from the hotel were all confiscated as evidence, Laughton reviews them to see how far he can go and maintain his separation from Rodin.

The prosecution can't pay him to investigate and use him as a witness, but oddly enough an offer comes from a man in black to do some investigative work in a  "highly classified" and "federally protected" manner.  It doesn't take long (thankfully as it's nearly time for the trial) to find out the defense has multiple illegally obtained but probably usable material showing Laughton  traveling with Justice Squad members prior to leaving Detroit for New York.  The tapes could be used to demonstrate at least the unlikelihood that Laughton is "merely" working with them tangentially on this.  At worst, some of the material could be released to enemies as it shows various detailed combats (from multiple angles!) against Bogeyman's crew in the ritzy mall as well as (surprisingly) in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula, and the battle with Medusa, Shooter, then Dr. Normal, and finally the battle in Canada with Fox Force Five and those mutants.  The material is not obtainable immediately (possibly with further effort but little doubt copies exist) but slides demonstrate they have it.  They seemed to have left it somewhat easy for Laughton to find.  He's fairly sure that he was intended to find it in fact.  It doesn't take more than seconds to deduce that Kingpin's lawyers want Laughton to take the fifth, or the material will be circulated.  It doesn't really show Laughton turning into Rodin at any one point, though the implication is there.  The risk is not to any secret IDs or such but rather moreso just the display of Justice Squad powers and combat arrangements.  Laughton is paid well for his work.

The prosecution wants Hamlet to maintain he didn't know anything substantive beforehand about the Justice Squad's plans against Kingpin.  The reason for this is 2-fold:  1 - it makes it look like Hamlet really fell into it and is at least somewhat unbiased in his testimony (of course the defense will have Hamlet mention his past, well-known association with the Justice Squad and paint him as so friendly with them that he believes anything they say and is biased no matter what, but the prosecution wants some appearance of objectivity); and 2 - the troublesome issue will be that if Hamlet knew that the JS was going to go after Kingpin in the way that they did, then he can be tried for the vigilante nature; normally this doesn't happen, BUT in this case Kingpin has an army of highly-paid lawyers and has contacts out the wazoo in the judicial system, so it's likely that at the least as a nuisance Hamlet would be brought up on charges; how successful these would be depends a lot on the depth of what can be dredged on what he knew/when he knew it; it is doubtful that this would result in a guilty verdict, but possible. So if Hamlet goes the way the feds are hinting, he essentially has to perjure himself.  The Kingpin tapes at least present enough for a grand jury to indict on a perjury count, again it is questionable (though not as risky as the vigilante activity-related charges) if it would result in a guilty verdict.  At the least he'd have a clear strong past relationship demonstrated to be extremely close, as close as that of people who work together regularly.  By pleading the fifth on the earlier details surrounding the assault on Kingpin, Hamlet is protected from any suits.  It keeps t he jury a bit suspicious of his testimony, though.  In any scenario Hamlet's testimony is not make-or-break, it's not all hinging on what he does.  The Kingpin lawyers just want to wedge every edge they can.  The prosecution does not even consider that Kingpin could or should mention any involvement with federal officials.

Laughton plans to do a bit of further digging to actually find a copy of the tapes.  He realizes the source of the multi-angle shots are from the days of surveillance by Fox Force Five, when they were in Kingpin's employ.   

Laughton sets into motion an investigation on Femme Force 5, and find out what their game plan is, or at least how much they have involvement with the Blue Moon agency.   Hamlet needs more information before going further against the likes of FF5.  He starts from within the Blue Moon agency.  There's nothing written, even per a Hell-directed ransacking both in Detroit and the LA home office (this takes a couple weeks).  The investigators (his top 3 of course, Manny, Pagliacchi, and Hell) are sure from observations that it's a personally-driven deal between Caruthers and them.  But they're sure someone must have arranged it for Caruthers as there's no way he'd have the appropriate contacts.  Maddy is suspected as she's a big celebrity and would have the high society contacts.

Laughton has an 8" stack of information on Caruthers still.  He could certainly make the man's life more than interesting again, and entertains continuing the vendetta against him, and is amused at the thought.

Otherwise the main point of contact/info not available before is Laughton's government contacts.  Among them he finds not a whole lot more except:

Laughton plans to look into the possibility hiring FF5 for a counter investigation.  He examines how close a tie they allow their clients to have.  He finds they do allow their clients to have close ties but they are known for not divulging things "unfairly" (i.e., using the client relationship to expose things - it's a tightrope walk).  It isn't out of the question that they would discuss some sort of case with the Justice Squad directly since Kingpin is going to jail anyway and he's a former client on bad terms.  They probably don't care about the link between Laughton Agency and Justice Squad as organizations, despite their knowledge that the agency is basically the JS HQ.  There's no clues from everything uncovered that their sabotage of Laughton Agency's business is related to the Justice Squad.  So Laughton considers coming up with a dummy corporation and talking to Eliot about using Sihntek's resources.  He thinks that a lucrative contract of investigation parallel to what the FF5 are currently doing, but in the other direction (that is not in the direction of the Justice Squad, but  something that Justice Squad would be able to have some benefit).  Of course there would have to be a lot of set up on this to keep the ties closed to FF5's investigations as well.  Laughton would like to think that his investigative and obfuscative techniques are better than theirs.  After all he was able to find Lefty in a matter of hours the last time the Justice Squad faced them.

Laughton follows up on Carter's tips on Dr. 13, using disguise as appropriate and attempting to first locate where the guy might be.  Within moments of going out in disguise, Laughton runs across a homeless person with rag-like clothing that resembles a toga, as Carter referred to.  As soon as he attempts surveillance the character disappears.  Each time he attempts surveillance it fails (tapes show nothing, character disappears, equipment fails), but each night he goes out to look for him he finds him immediately.  Clearly, the fellow is more than he appears.  Laughton approaches the man after about a week of surveillance attempts.  He is cautious, but not  overly so, ie he has all his gear with him, but does not involve the other  members of the JS.  "I was told you are the connection to the one I seek."

The man changes, as does the scenery.  Laughton and the man stand now in the desert; nothing felt like it changed other than the scene so it is hard for Laughton to determine if he has been teleported with the man or if the man is exercising some sort of mind control.  The desert is very hot, the sun is beating down, there is no wind.  Laughton's keen hearing can pick up a  rattlesnake rattle far away.  The man now appears very different, he is in a brown trench coat with matching clothes (brown pants, white shirt, black tie) and a proper fedora (brown with a black band).  The man's face is difficult to see; he's standing with the sun to his back so it shines in Laughton's eyes, and the rim is pulled down.  He replies, "It took you some time to come forward.  Your belief is weak.  I am Dr. 13.  I give answers.  Be specific in what you want to know - I don't have much time - nor do you.  I can't give cures - but I can give dreams." 

Laughton is not nonplussed by the rapid change of scenery, in fact he was expecting something like it to happen as soon as he made his move.  "My belief has little to do with my caution.  I am a cautious man, some might even call me paranoid.  To them I say, they lack perception.  A pleasure to meet you Dr. 13, I am Hamlet Laughton, though I suspect you already know that.  I will get directly to the point, sir.  I seek from you a way to reverse or alter the effects you helped to create in Andrea d'Ennui, now called Medusa by many.  I can appreciate the irony of your 'Genie of the lamp' logic, but as you say, we don't have much time. I can respect your work, Doctor.  I hope that we can come to some mutually acceptable agreement."

"Hmph, you make it sound like it's a simple thing.  Do you understand the concept of "destiny", Mr. Laughton?  Or may I call you Hamlet?"  Receiving an affirmative reply, he continues, "I help people fulfill their dream destiny, not their delirious whimsy and not even their deep-rooted desires, though of course those are linked to destiny.  I walk a certain path, and it demands a certain, I suppose you would call it, legal approach.  In other words, I don't make the rules."  As Hamlet presses, he responds, "I appreciate your insistence.  May I ask you a simple question:  would you rather liberate (as you call it, not I) Medusa (as I prefer to call her) from her destiny or embrace your own?  I assure you I am no "genie"-like figure.  There are no tricks, no bafflements here.  I resent the implication that, however tragic, Medusa's course should be altered, even if by your own compassionate pleas.  If it is in her destiny to change back, dream-destiny or otherwise, it will happen.  I could give you that answer - but I can only give so many answers without perilous cost.  To my offer, I offer you the secret of your own nature - the "who" part of your question of life.  After all, you have found me and that is what I am here for.  But you can instead spare yourself the truth, the answer to your riddle, and you can trade it in for a shift in Medusa's fate by my hand - and in fact forever trade in the chance to know who you are.  I am not sure what you would accomplish for her, though.  It is as noble as it is selfish of you to seek me out to "rescue" her from her dilemma.  But I assure you her dilemma is what she truly wants, and the answer to it is something she should, if I may voice an opinion, come to on her own.

"Instead, your own questions, your own self-dreamt destiny, is what I would prefer to offer you.  I realize that you have spoken to some of those who have appeared to have suffered from my work, and the offer may repel you. But if you reflect, as I would imagine you should understand they were led only inasmuch as they chose to follow.  And of course some have benefited, such as the ever-enlightened Mr. Carter.  What about you?

"Of course the third alternative is I can simply leave you, neither answering your own question nor trading your destiny for Medusa's."

Hamlet's curiosity is whetted by the offer.  As they discuss, the scene changes again, to a strange sort of bazaar.  Dr. 13 now appears as a sharp-looking woman, whose name he/she gives as Rose.  Around him Hamlet notices the people are generally of smaller frame than regular humans and have pointed ears.  Laughton asks where they are.  Rose explains this is Harvest Fair, and sometimes the best place to discuss secrets is in the most crowded and loud of places, this being one of them.  His question not quite answered, Laughton rephrases, and Rose realizes this dimension is unknown to him.  She tells him it is Faerie, and warns him not to make trade with the folk unless assisted by her nor to eat anything, though the food is delicious, as he will then be stuck there forever.  A confused, for a change, Laughton consents.

Then she tells him that he is from Sigma 6 and his name is T'suara.  And again the scene changes but Laughton feels everything change dramatically.  He can no longer exactly see things, but can sense where they are and their relative position.  He cannot feel anything physically.  Rose, turning back to Dr. 13, chats with him, takes a picture to show him what he looks like, and then senses his confusion, saying, "Oh, you can't exactly see details can you?  Yes, that's one of the things about your people.  Just think about being Laughton again."  And Laughton is back to human form, looking at the picture the camera produced of a strange ethereal desolid set of lights that is the "real him."  He has more questions, but Dr. 13 assures him he will figure them out, including who his brother is.  Laughton asks after him where his brother is, as Dr. 13 says he must go.  The strange mystic replies, "You'll find him.  After all, you are this world's greatest detective.  Not the universe's, at least not yet, but this world's.  Don't worry, he's here, on this planet."  And then Dr. 13 is gone.

[Game Mechanics - Points Awarded...

Totals:

Neumann  2 XP
Spectrum  1 XP
Rodin  2 XP
Troll (for the Sihn journal entry)  1 XP

Totals to Date:

Neumann 132 RPs, 23.05 XPs
Rodin 1065.875 RPs, 100.45 XPs
Sammy the Slime 1000.625 RPs, 96.3125 XPs
Spectrum 883.5 RPs, 91.625 XPs
Troll 1036.625 RPs, 106 XPs]