Mid-West Campaign
Session Forty-Three

Friday, 5 January 2001

[Timeline Note: The first part of this session (5-7 January) chronicles Jane's activities in Maine directly following the death of Apache Joe in session 40]

Jane discovers that far from being better and at home her mother is still in a sanatorium on the outskirts of Augusta called, Restful Acres. She books a flight. Dani won't go with her for fear of meeting their father. Todd says that he will accompany Jane and she is glad of the company - and Todd's professional opinion.

The pair arrive at the impressive Restful Acres and speak to Doctor Cole. Cole explains that Stella Munroe suffered a mild nervous breakdown. She is on tranquillisers (Jane checks the prescriptions) but he doesn't know when she will be allowed home.

Jane and Todd find her mother in the conservatory. She is in a fragile state and is immediately convinced that Jane and Todd are an item. She doesn't want to talk about what happened at Christmas and won't hear a word spoken about her husband. As a psychologist Todd can see what a delicate mental state Jane's mother is in, and how she is in complete denial.

Jane's father, Edward Munroe Snr, turns up for a visit. Jane tries to take him to task about what happened at Christmas and his part in it, but he doesn't see things the same way. He blames Danielle for her actions, and he considers what his son did to be a betrayal - not so much marrying a Chinese as not telling the family about it. He urges Jane to leave the FBI and take over the practice in Augusta. He rather ominously states that he is not going to live for ever and requires a "Munroe" to take over from him when he has gone.

Jane keeps her temper. She explains how the entire family (including herself) is terrified of him, and that this is what has caused mother to have a nervous breakdown. Everyone should reconcile for her sake. Jane's father respects her for being the only one with the courage to stand up to him, but he still rejects her advice. He believes that Dani and Edward will come back to him eventually. He also tells Jane that he doesn't believe Todd is simply "her friend" - why would he be here with her if that was simply the case?

Jane and Todd return to New York late in the evening. It is increasingly obvious to Todd that Jane and her father are very alike. Jane doesn't appreciate that opinion when he voices it.

Saturday, 6 January 2001

Jane spends the weekend with Dani in New York. For the most part they discuss their mother and their family and Todd feels a bit of a fifth wheel. When Jane starts seeing things from their father's point of view, they have a blazing row, but Jane quickly calms things down. Jane asks Dani if there is any chance they can meet up with Edward's wife, Linda, while she is in New York and Dani arranges a meeting.

Sunday, 7 January 2001

Jane meets her new sister-in-law, Linda, over lunch in New York. This is also the first time she sees her niece, Tse Mei. Jane likes Linda, and has a wonderful afternoon even if Linda thinks Jane and Todd are an item.

[Timeline Note: The remaining events in this session continue directly from the end of session 42.]

Monday, 22 January 2001

Agents Black, Oaxaca, Munroe and Drake reconvene in Wichita. According to the computers Chuck is owed several weeks leave and has taken a holiday. However, this is soon forgotten as Artemis reveals he has finished reading the Celeano Fragments and he has mastered a number of magical incantations: Elder Sign, Summon Lesser Fiend, Bind Lesser Fiend and Sustenance for the Void. All of which are potentially useful in certain circumstances, but sadly not the circumstances in which the agents currently find themselves.

The group are interrupted by the arrival of Brian Logan of the builder's Logan/Collier who have arrived to test the area with their collection of high-explosives. This is part of the process for creating two subterranean floors for the Wichita HQ to house the supercomputer. The lower levels are to be known as the Blackcave.

In the office, Artemis agrees that the top priority for the team has to be the Joker. It is getting so the group can't go to the toilet without being attacked by him. Artemis doesn't see how his success can be linked to the Joker killings, but he is willing to keep an open mind. They discuss Lillian Winter's role

Benedict says that Waymen's team in New Orleans is desperate for help and will let them go through the evidence and correlate information. He phones Waymen and arranges for himself and Drake to travel down there. Jane contacts the Genealogist Chris Walcott and asks for background information on all the victims of the Joker. Thinking laterally, Drake suggests that maybe the Requiem for the Broken could be used against the Joker and that maybe it has been used - which is why he is doing what he is doing. According to Milbanks, the Khedive was the driving force behind this, so maybe chasing up on the Khedive would be to their advantage.

The agents discover that the Khedive left Egypt in 1904 and returned to Turkey. However, there are no records of him in his homeland. They contact an expert in the area, Dr Perry Norton at the University of Miami, who agrees to put a research student onto the case as long as the agents finance him.

Artemis sees a more direct route to information about the Joker. He and Carol Hunter were both grandchildren of Alfred Brickman. He wants to talk to Hunter's family. If there is a link between what is happening to him and what happened to Brickman then he will find out. Benedict and Alex head to New Orleans, while Artemis and Jane go to Boston.

The agents arrive in New Orleans 1:00pm. After several hours of painstaking work playing Solitaire, Drake makes a breakthrough. All the agents who have been murdered by the Joker - including Harlow and (amazingly) the other agents that died in the New Orleans HQ - were all members of the fraternity Delta Omega Tao. This makes Benedict's blood run cold because he was also a member of this fraternity.

Prior to this chilling discovery, Artemis and Jane arrive at the Boston town-house of Carol's mother, Lydia Hunter, around 3:00pm. A widow, Lydia lives alone. Alfred Brickman was her father. She is ashamed of his arrest and incarceration, although he protested his innocence of the charges he was indicted on to the day he died. He was murdered in prison by a inmate who Brickman put away. She is happy for the agents to go through all the old papers of his that she has. They are in the loft.

Jane is a little trepidatious about entering the dark loft after her experiences at the Twin Valley farm. However, she accompanies Black. They find Brickman's papers but before they can do anything about it Brickman himself appears in the loft! This is definitely the same Brickman Jane met on Flight FB104 - putting one small mystery to rest at least.

Artemis is keen to engage Brickman in conversation to discover more, but when Jane opens her mouth Brickman declares that she must die. Brickman's skin boils away and his body is surrounded in flame. Jane dodges out of the way and kicks him, but feels terribly drained when she does so, as though Brickman is leeching away her vitality. Artemis produces the magical silver dirk given to the team by the Archangel Mike and attacks Brickman.

As Jane attempts to keep Brickman at bay with a handy hat stand, Artemis whittles away at his grandfather. Brickman is terribly shocked. "Where did you get that?" he exclaims - perhaps indicating that he recognises the dagger. Eventually Artemis prevails, although Jane is unconscious at Brickman's hands. Brickman boils away into nothingness with the killing blow. Artemis realises that he has not destroyed Brickman's spirit, but banished it back to Hell. He deduces the angel gave them the dirk for this exact purpose.

Artemis revives Jane, takes the notes and heads to the nearest motel. Jane collapses into bed while Artemis orders a giant vat of caviar and a crate of Red Bull. He doesn't intend to sleep until he has the truth about his grandfather from these documents.

Meanwhile, Benedict and Alex are flown from New Orleans to Langley, Virginia for Benedict's own safety. On the plane they research that only two other members of the FBI are from Delta Omega Tao: Edgar McLaughlin and Michael Zimmerman. These agents are contacted and also transported to Langley.

Tuesday, 23 January 2001

The following morning Benedict informs Artemis Black of the discoveries in New Orleans. In a conference call, Artemis reveals what he has discovered from Brickman's notes to his entire team.

Alfred Brickman was an unexceptional FBI agent until he met a woman called Lillian Summer. She introduced him to the high life, after which his notes become more irrational, his personality changed as he became more detached and obsessive; also his family life began to fall apart. However, he became more and more successful as time passed. Interestingly, Brickman was investigating murders in Chicago that involved ritualistic killings - quite similar to the Joker murders. Brickman even received a poison-pen letter stating "B, the game has begun."

The agents deduce that this demon strikes in each generation. In 1900 he was the Axeman. In the 1920s he was the killer Brickman investigated. Now in 2000 he is Joker. This begs the question whether there were any killings in the 1960s. Also, what is Lillian's connection to this? Lillian Winter in 2000, Lillian Summer in the 1920s. Was there also a Lillian Spring and a Lillian Autumn? If Artemis shoots the fame in 2000, and Brickman in 1925, then who shot to fame in 1900 and 1960?

The agents investigate and discover some alarming facts. In the 1960s there were a number of murders of teamsters and workers in Detroit, that was linked to the meteoric rise of the infamous, Jimmy Hoffa. The original investigators on that case were Ben Tyler and Cecil Gross. It is also noted that Hoffa associated with a dancer called Lillian Fall.

The Axeman murders in the 1890s were ritualistic killings allegedly perpetrated by the mafia in New Orleans. Many shopkeepers were scalped. Media writer Ledley rose to prominence by documenting the killings but, like Brickman, he fell from grace when he made a number of wrongful accusations at senior politicians.

All this information fairly baffles the agents. What is going on? They discover that Artemis is related to Ledley and Jimmy Hoffa as well as Brickman. But why is this bloodline so important? And what role is Lillian Winter/Summer/Fall/Spring playing in all of this? And what about the angels?

All these divine and fiendish creatures cannot attack each other directly but are using mortal pawns. Mike gave Jane the magic knife deliberately to destroy Brickman (or maybe the Joker). Lillian Winter told Harlow that she wanted him to kill someone. That someone was probably one of the angels - perhaps Gabe as even an augmented Harlow would not have stood a chance against Mike. Artemis orders all the agents back to Wichita, and instructs them all to go to church and pray for insight.

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