Week Two

Sunday May 28th, 2043, 2200 hours

Having defeated the beast, everyone returned indoors to Granny's apartment. She healed those who were injured, though this seemed to make her very tired, and also talked a bit about the creature they had all just seen.

She explained that there are voodoo beasts, called In-Betweeners, who roam the earth, feeding off of human pain and misery. Each is unique, and is a being of great power and fortitude. They are neither of the Spirit World or of the Flesh World- they are "in-between", and are thus very difficult to kill.

Granny also voiced concern over the current state of the country. With all the chaos and violence in the streets, she feared the In-Betweeners would be out in great numbers, feasting on all the fear and disorder of the revolution.

After discussing the team's options, Derek placed a call to Lt. Colonel Robert Jaffrey, the commander of the AlSOF troops (Alaskan Special Operations Force) in the Free State of Alaska. After discussing the situation in the contiguous states, Jaffrey agreed to contact those militia groups and underground patriots he had knowledge of, for the purpose of consolidating their forces. He informed Derek that he would call back once the groundwork had been laid.

A short time after that discussion, Rook, apparently in the middle of a firefight, contacted the team on their G3Ks. He told them that his enclave compatriots had located scattered references in the NERCC databases to a project code-named "The Vault"; though details were sketchy, it was apparently designed to give ProPres Hammond and his Cabinet heads a safe, isolated place to retreat to in the event of a national catastrophe. Since no one, not even Shiva, had been able to locate Hammond or any of his immediate staff since "the Crash", it was assumed that they had all fled to this "Vault". Rook's group and all their allies had been unable to ascertain its location, but the word was out for everyone to keep their eyes open.

Once Rook signed off (in mid-transmission), Drake began a simple ritual which Granny had taught to her, a ritual to supposedly protect them from harm. During this, however, Drake slipped into the Dream World, and was met there by...Kiyana Dumbra, the little girl Morgan had kidnapped. She was very talkative, and happy, quite the opposite of how she had been in life. Kiyana told Drake that "they" were letting her be Drake's "spirit friend", to help her and give advice when she could. Then, just as suddenly as she had slipped in, Drake returned from her walk in the Dream World and told the rest of the team what had just happened to her.

Derek, once he finished sweeping up Drake's vever from the floor, again addressed the nation with the help of Shiva, though this time he did so as himself, not as Kermit the Frog. He told everyone listening to remember that their fight was with NERCC and ProGov, not with one another. He also said that any nerks, soldiers, or police should be allowed to join the revolution, that they should tie a piece of green cloth to their left arm to signify their loyalty to the people, and not to ProGov. A few heeded his advice, but not many...not enough. The only thing to do was wait.

Meanwhile, the team had Shiva upload a copy of the original U.S. Constitution to every terminal in the country, so that all the citizens could see the rights that had been denied them for so long. It was time to fight back, to take the country away from the tyrannical despots who had run it for so long.

Just then, however, an armored man ran past Granny's window. He tossed a grenade into the room and continued running (at more than 40 mph!) down the alleyway. A NERCC hit team had somehow found them, all the way in the Barrens.

The ensuing battle was chaotic, to say the least. Many team members were injured, though everyone survived the encounter. And then, just as the last of the NERCC agents was taken out, another creature vaulted into the room, a half human, half leopard In-Betweener. It fought viciously, almost killing Bug, but in the end five against one odds was just too much (even Granny fought it, using some sort of chicken foot talisman and a summoned shadowy imp). The party managed to defeat the beast and live to fight again.