Session 3. The Past Leads the Way

Previously Detective Simmons ignited C4 during a battle with the Scars, killing himself and incapacitating the rest of the pack. His son, also sharing the name David Simmons, escaped the incident unscathed. The Healing Scars wake up to find that they've been spending the last few weeks at the Lodge of the Hunt receiving medical attention. This is a direct violation of Rids-the-Pain's ban and consequences occur; Rids has been captured by the Ethros spirit clan. Rids-the-Pain's loyalty and sacrifice to the pack obligates them to undo what wrongs they've created. Strikes tells them that their best chance is to seek out an old Bone Shadow called Helo, also known as Shadow Wind. Helo is the authority on the wild realms of Shadow. Unfortunately, their mentor doesn't know exactly where the old man is hiding, perhaps somewhere in London. Marcus meets with Lindsey who is worried sick about him. She tells him that Chelsea is doing fine. Marcus hints that he may be leaving again. She is considerably angry and tells him that he needs to stop living in denial and accept responsibility for the girl. Marcus leaves and promises to return shortly. Knowing that the pack may be gone for some time, Marcus calls Kay, the internal affairs detective, and schedules an appointment to talk to her the following day. He wants to warn Kay about the possible dangers that might befall Hyde Park when the Pure arrive. Meanwhile, Nails has his first conversation with Thane Dakuth, the new spirit in his fetish. Thane Dakuth is a spirit of cunning, a Lune. Thane was one of the choirs that danced at Mary Higgins's deathbed. Dakuth tells him that the Uratha known as Simmons must die. The spirit offers him great powers to fulfill this task, and even more once the deed is granted. The spirit will not confess why it wants him dead. Lunes as fetishes can be incredibly dangerous; they often make a Werewolf go crazy. Nails accepts the spirit's offer and the fetish Crashing Halt is born. Sky undergoes a mission to find the location of the Bone Shadow they desperately need to contact. At the park Eric convinces a local tree spirit, named Whispering Roots, to reveal the whereabouts of the Uratha named Helo. In return, the spirit is granted a small pool of essence from the locus at Diana's Fountain. The spirits tells Sky that a crazy old Uratha by that name lives in a large locus under a church nearby. Later that night, Eric, Nails, and Marcus all experience a different dream/vision. It is said that when an entire pack dreams in unison it is a sort of blessing or curse. Marcus Blair dreams that he is back at the trial, the one where Gerard is found guilty. It is 2004. The prosecutor's name is Benjamin Durbin. Ben and Marcus are meeting behind closed chambers, directly before the start of the murder trial. Durbin informs Marcus that his client should plead manslaughter because his "air-tight" alibi is blown. Ben shows Marcus a security camera picture of Gerard entering the building where his wife was killed. The security tape is 30 min before the murder. Ben sneers and confesses that the picture is really a fake, but that it will still hold up in court. Mr. Durbin is the worst kind of lawyer scum; he's been warping the law his entire life. Durbin hasn't lost a case, and he's hell-bent on keeping said record. Even in light of this Marcus isn't intimidated. The truth will shine through, and he will do everything in his power to see Gerard's side of the story is heard. Durbin leaves the conference, warning that he's through "playing nice." Gerard is escorted into the room by several officers in cuffs. Marcus relays the recent conversation to him. Gerard is furious and wildly denies the allegations. The man sticks to his story: he was at home with his daughter Chelsea. Marcus is interrupted by his secretary, Lindsey. She consoles him and tells him that this case is going to cost him everything he's got. Marcus doesn't care. He knows that this is the right thing to do. Fade to darkness. Eric Sky dreams about his first encounter with the dead. It is 1990. Eric grew up on a small house off the coast of Lancaster. He is around ten; he's playing a game with his good friend, Tonya. Tonya is a bit of a loner and has few friends. Sam, Eric's brother, picks on the girl quite a bit. Today, she is even more depressed than usual as she rambles on about learning the word karma. Tonya says that karma is the good things that happen to the good guys, like she and Eric, later on and the bad guys, like Sam, will get what they deserve eventually. The two are playing their favorite game; one waits on the railroad tracks while a train steadily approaches. The other counts off to see who can break the record of staying on the tracks the longest. It's incredibly dangerous, and ten-year-olds don't always use the best judgment. It is Tonya's turn. The latest record is 115 seconds. This time Tonya is desperately trying to break the record. Eric counts all the way to 115. 116. 117. 118. Eric screams for her to move as the train speeds dangerously close. Although she broke the record, Tonya won't budge. He screams again, but it is too late. The train makes no effort to slow. Tonya is killed instantly, but Eric doesn't see her die. In fact, Eric sees her ghost and doesn't even realize that she is dead. Tonya, like many ghosts, doesn't fully understand what has happened to her. Confused, they both go back to Eric's house. His mother greets Eric, who tells him that his brother has been up to trouble again. Eric tries to explain to her that Tonya is right beside him, but of course his mother cannot see the ghost. Sam enters Eric's room with the usual conversation, making fun of him. Sam has the ability to manipulate and control spirits, while Eric can see and speak to them. They get into a fight, but something different happens. Sam manipulates Tonya's ghost and Tonya attacks Eric. Ashamed of what she's done, she leaves the house and returns to the scene of her death. Eric follows closely behind. The railroad tracks have become her anchor and she is unable to leave. Eric tries to console her. Tonya asks him to protect her. Before he has time to answer, a form of shadow slips upward from the tracks and whisks the girl away. It materializes and looks at Eric with a penetrating stare and utters a single word, "Remember." Fade to darkness. Nails dreams of being tortured by the Destroyer Wolf. The entity reinforces that this Simmons must be destroyed at all costs. The pain is like nothing he has felt before, and in a strange way becomes intoxicating. Nails is the perfect man for the job. He has no attachments, nothing binding him one way or the other. Destroyer tells him that there is indeed a vast difference between evil and destruction, warning him never to confuse the two. He tells him that the werewolf can, in time, become the manifestation of the destroyer. If the Uratha can break his bonds and escape this madness, he will be accepted by the stranger. Nails accepts the proposal, by breaking through a set of spiritual bindings in an awesome feat of strength. Fade to darkness. The next day, the pack briefly discusses their visions at Marcus's flat. As Eric and Marcus ponder over the meaning of last night's events, Nails shuffles about the apartment. While he is rummaging through the fridge, Marcus informs him that the money is "stashed" elsewhere. Nails finally finds his intended target: a bowl filled with various fruits. The other two continue their conversation only to be interupted by a long belch. Nails has apparently devoured the entire stash of produce. Marcus asks him if he has anything intelligent to add to the discussion. Nails smirks and tells them that, in his haste, he thinks he might have eaten a sticker. Typical smart-ass Nails. The coversation regrading visions will have to continue later, perhaps when Nails is full. Marcus meets Kay at the police station and does his best to vaguely warn her of the events to come. She mentions to him that a blood sample was found at the explosion, but the lab results are still pending. Marcus tries to ask her out and inadvertently uses the phrase "stick it in" way out of context. Kay laughs and marvels at the thought of how, even after all of man's technological progress, boys still act like big dummies when asking girls out. He returns to the flat, and the Healing Scars all set out to find Shadow Wind. Shadow Wind's lair is indeed under a church. The vicinity of this area is a large archeological dig swarming with dozens of Uratha. None of them will divulge what they are digging for, but one finally agrees to take them to Helo. The funny thing about the character is that when Marcus used a spiritual gift to learn his name, it failed. It's almost as if he doesn't exist. The strange Uratha leads them to the heart of the dig. The locus there is enormous, more powerful than anything the pack has seen. They step sideways and encounter the Uratha Helo, a.k.a. Shadow Wind. Helo is easily in his eighties. He is in poor health, his wrinkled skin stretches thin across his frail body like sandpaper. Regardless of appearance, Shadow Wind projects an awesome sense of spirit within the Shadow. Even the chair at which he rests appears to be made entirely of mystical energy. He greets the pack and is very interested in the spiritual bond forming between the members and their new visions. To Marcus, he stammers about the pain he is causing everyone, even himself, because of his denial. He will have a chance to prove his worth, when the time is right. But certain events must be recollected first. Eric Sky has gained some insight into his ghostly powers. Protecting a life is not noble or just; it is tedious, hard, and painful. Sky now has a pack strong enough to help him bear this task. Helo doesn't much care for Nails; it also seems that Nails agrees that the feeling is mutual. Nonetheless, he recommends the Healing Scars first go to Lancaster and attempt to solve their individual problems as a whole. The rite Helo must perform to find the Ethros will not prove effective in the pack's current state. He also decrees that Marcus Blair is to be the pack Alpha, a title his must prove in order to hold. He gives them train tickets to Lancaster. Helo always appears to be one step ahead of the pack in this manner; the tickets even have their names and are dated for the next day. The pack leaves and prepares for the journey. Marcus is having a difficult time balancing his loyalties to the pack and his child. His secretary agrees to watch Chelsea but is at her wits end, threatening to walk out. She also asks him when he's going to start working again. Their funds won't last forever. She understands that he's got some deep stuff to work out. She lets him know that his taking care of Chelsea is definitely a step in the right direction. He needs to eventually confront Ben Durbin, and settle this thing once and for all. She upset and asks him when he's going to stop living in denial. Marcus is tired of everyone being so vague and demands to know what the hell he's in denial about. She tells him that this "false" image he gave himself is growing old. Marcus is still confused. But the truth starts to flood Marcus's brain, as Lindsey explains how he's been deceiving himself for over a year. Apparently Marcus has been masking his true self and claiming that he is a good and noble man. Marcus encountered a lawyer, Ben Durbin, and stole his personality. Then he took everything he didn't like about himself (prosecutor, cheat, lair, and deceiver) and switched things around. Marcus was never a defense attorney. Instead he has been a prosecutor all his life, and the worst kind of lawyer sum imaginable. The defense attorney he thought to be himself was really Ben Durbin; everything is backwards. He didn't take Chelsea out of responsibility, he did it out shame. He was the one who framed Gerard, and eventually sentenced him to death. Marcus killed her father. He somehow hoped that by taking Chelsea he could mend the wrongs he had brought upon Gerard. He thought he could make up for his sins. Not much later, hopelessness crept in. Marcus felt he was in over his head, with raising Chelsea and with trying to do the right thing for the first time. He tried to kill himself, but he went through the First Change instead. The Uratha form soaked the bullet and saved his life. Since the attempted suicide, he's been living in denial and pretending to be something he's not. Lindsey claims she has told him the truth several times, but he always goes back to forgetting. Marcus cannot express how sorry he is to her. He promises to make things right. She leaves and tells him that this is his last chance. That night the Healing Scars sleep, all except for a guilt-ridden Marcus. No one experiences any strange visions. The next morning the pack is ready to travel to Eric's hometown of Lancaster, England. The tube allows them to ride to Lancaster and the trip should only take about 5 hours. About a half hour from their destination a locus appears inside the train. As Eric is attempting to cross the gauntlet, something truly weird occurs. He steps sideways and finds himself on a different train. The rest of the pack follows him across the gauntlet. There is no doubt about it; this is an entirely different train. Also it appears that the whole pack can see into the physical world, much like the werewolf gift Two World Eyes. The physical reflection of the spirit matches this different train. This suggests that, by stepping sideways, the Healing Scars have somehow left their train and traveled somewhere else. Something is not right. Upon further investigation, Eric Sky notices the date on one of the passenger's newspaper: 1990. Sky is confused, claiming that travel through time with a locus is impossible. Nails thoughts immediately shift to the werewolf, David Simmons. If it is truly 1990, then he can intercept David as a child and easily kill him. Nails is consumed by this notion and leaps from the moving train, not even informing the rest of the Scars. He runs, at full speed, back to London. Meanwhile, the passengers are growing a bit anxious, the train is speeding up and they appear to have passed Wakefield, this train's supposed destination. Eventually, they make their way to the engine room and confront the engineer, who appears to be spirit-ridden. It looks deep at Sky and utters the phrase from his vision, "Remember." The spirit is known as Reckless-Hate to the minions of the underworld. Combat ensues. During the battle, Hate uses manipulation powers against Marcus and Eric, but is unable to control the two. In his frustration he smashes the controls to the train, as it continues to gain speed. Eric remembers Tonya's unfortunate death by train and desperately battles the shadowed figure, hoping to solve this time puzzle. Marcus uses his sub par technology skills to try to salvage the console. After some time he manages a vicious hack on the wires, bringing the train to a halt. Marcus joins the battle and the two easily best the spirit. Reckless-Hate slinks back into the darkness before the two can steal his energy. Hate curses the pack and vows to find them later. With their Two World Eyes vision Eric and Marcus witness an interesting scene outside the train. Several feet in front of the train on the tracks, a young girl named Tonya is standing. Next to her is a 10 year old boy named Eric Sky. It appears the train didn't kill her, this time at least. The surrounding area begins to loose focus. Reality slips apart as their vision ceases. Nails, using his incredibly stamina, sprints for countless hours until he reaches his destination. He eventually manages to sniff out David's house. He reduces the front door to splinters and finds a baby's room. Before he can find the child, Nails is interrupted by laughter. In the corner of the room, a figure emerges from the shadows. It is David Simmons, all grown up. He tells Nails that he had a feeling he might try something like this, and that it is useless to try to defeat him. The house begins to burn as they battle. David seems distracted but still manages to fight hard. The Crashing Halt fetish is activated; it turns black as the stop sign's blade forms jagged razor-sharp edges. David presents his weapon, a massive klaive quite comparable to a buster sword. Simmons and Nails duel for what seems an eternity. David final makes a critical error, temporarily lowering his guard. Nails acts quickly, and lands a severing blow to his right arm. Both the arm and klaive fall to the floor. David oddly seems uninterested. He gathers his appendage, telling Nails that a simultaneous engagement elsewhere demands his full attention. He is gone. Through Nail's eyes the burning room begins to fade. His vision ends. The Healing Scars awaken at the train station. 10 hours have passed. The ticket attendant tells them that this is the end of the line. They have been on this exact car all day long and their way right back to London. All the pack's battle wounds remain as evidence that the last 10 hours may have not been entirely a dream. Helo is waiting for them when they return to his lair. The old wolf inquires towards their quest; adding later that he wants their tickets back. Shadow Wind informs them that Tonya is alive and well; he is now ready to help them find the Ethros realm. Finding the realm will be incredibly difficult, and Shadow-Wind will only show the Healing Scars the path. The pack must navigate to a specific point in the wilds surrounded with essence of order or balance. Marcus, being an Elodoth, will serve as a perfect host for the locator rite. Shadow-Wind performs the ritual on the pack's Alpha. A spiritual map is imprinted on Marcus's back, only visible in the Shadow. Helo directs Eric Sky with the proper instructions to begin the rite. He warns them that many will sense the essence of the ritual needed to open the portal. They might have to hold off a barrage of nasty spirits until the ritual is complete and the doorway is opened. The Scars step sideways and, using the map, pinpoint the location where the portal must be opened. After hours of sifting through Shadow, they are led to the site of an old courthouse. Eric prepares the location for the ritual. Marcus must remain stationary for the rite to be effective; the spiritual carvings on his flesh are the key. They tactically position themselves so approaching spirits will be forced to attack from one location, creating a bottleneck of sorts. With Marcus and Eric both preoccupied, the brunt of the battle rest on Nails's shoulders. Nails doesn't seem to mind that much; the Crashing Halt is clenched in his hands as he prepares for battle. Sky begins the rite. Spirits begin to crawl and slip from the underbelly of the city. The surge of essence has caught their eyes; they are all hungry for a taste. Nails wields them off using the stop sign as an extension of his body. A much larger and stronger spirit enters the fray. It is Reckless-Hate, and he's had 15 years to prepare for this encounter. Dozens of spider hosts leak from his form. They surround Nails and begin to drain his spirit. He swats them away as if they were mere rodents. Hate is considerably pissed. As Nails and the vile spirit trade blows, Marcus focuses and takes great aim with his firearms. An incredible barrage of bullets twist and rip into the target, in fact so much damage is inflicted that Reckless Hate becomes incorporeal. As his body of spiders and ripped flesh slowly begins to reform, Eric shouts that the ritual is complete. A door of light makes its presence known. The portal is 30 feet directly above, attached to the side of the courthouse. They will have to climb to reach he door. Claws pierce into the courthouse structure as they make their way to the top. Reckless-Hate has reformed, but the Healing Scars beat him to the portal. As the white light dissipates Hate curses the pack once again. The portal leads them on a rollercoaster ride through the Shadow. Everyone's senses are muddled as they twist and turn through the spiritual maze at immeasurable speed. The portal dumps them in a cold and unfamiliar place. The air is stale and hazy. They are standing in front of an enormous structure, a skyscraper towering as high as their vision allows. They have succeeded. The Healing Scars have made their way into the realm of the Ethros.