Mid-West Campaign
Session One Hundred and Three

Tuesday, 23 October 2001

[Time travel on 26 October 2001 extricated Benedict Oaxaca from the past before he could defect to the Catholic Church. The success of this mission necessitates some cosmetic changes to this session synopses. Events that no longer took place in the new timeline are written in blue type. See session 106 for more details.]

Before the agents can do anything else, a rental car pulls up and Elise Steiger gets out. Jane is astonished. She only called Elise a few minutes ago, she couldn't possibly and have come all the way from Wichita in that time. Elise can't explain it either. Something has drawn her to this place, But she has the poster and the Celtic knot. Jane takes the knot, and heads back toward the house. She is going to try to retrieve McPike, and asks the rest of the agents to remain in the car.

Jane walks along the path toward the back garden. A sense of overwhelming fear comes upon her. The Celtic knot is untied and provides her with no protection. Although Jane knows intellectually that everything she is seeing and feeling is an illusion, she cannot bring herself to go any further. Standing her ground she tries to engage Andrew Crowe in conversation (she calls him Crowley), but she doesn't receive a response. Eventually she returns to the car to try and formulate a new plan.

Meanwhile, Drake has filled in Elise with what has been going on. She is intrigued. A family where the wife always dies, there are no female offspring and the pattern of father-son repeats itself over fifteen generations. Sounds a lot like her family. In fact, the more she thinks about it, the more it sounds exactly like her family. Haven't the team known that there was something supremely dodgy about Elise's family (particularly her grandfather) since Elise's death on Kahoolawe? Wasn't Elise's grandfather relieved that she was dead? Didn't Satan call her "Little Miss Eugenics"?

While Jane is weighing up the pros and cons of using the hire car as unguided missile and destroying the house, Elise walks calmly up to the front door. She feels no fear beyond her own misgivings. As she approaches the house, the front door swings open for her (and slams shut as soon as she enters). Elise is in the house and on her own.

Once inside the house, Elise is engaged in conversation by an ominous disembodied voice. This entity is called the Heart, and it knows Elise as the "Heartbreaker". She has the power to destroy the Heart and end a bargain that was struck a very long time ago. Elise doesn't know how this could be the case, fortunately the Heart is extremely forthcoming with information.

Long ago, members of three families made a bargain with a demon called Arioch to secure immortality. They were Simon Magus (and one other) from the Magus family; father and son from the Crowe family; and father and daughter from the Wilkinson family. Their souls are bound together in this house. Heart is the product of those souls. Those that made the bargain do not age, and do not die. This persists indefinitely. In exchange for immortality, the six offered their souls. However, Arioch does not yet possess their souls. They are kept safe here in this house with Heart. Should Heart be destroyed, the souls will be released, and Arioch will track down those that made the bargain - along with every surviving member of their families - kill them and take them to hell.

About two hundred years ago a man called Richard Steiger (Elise's grandfather), married the Wilkinson who made the pact. He killed the Wilkinsons, and he and his father took her place in the bargain. Therefore they now "run the line" as Heart puts it. This process took a major blood sacrifice, and Steiger arranged it to coincide with the massacre of the slaves at the end of the civil war. However, in disposing of the Wilkinsons, Richard Steiger inadvertently created a flaw in the bargain. Any girl-child of his family could act as the Heartbreaker and undo the pact. Heart remembers Rosamund Wilkinson as one such girl two hundred years ago. She was killed at age 25 by Richard Steiger Today, 25 year old Elise Steiger is the Heartbreaker.

Elise puts it all together. She has the power to end this pact, and complete screw over her evil grandfather (whom she has been nursing a horrible grudge since she returned from the dead). However, if she does so Arioch will come for her as well. Is she prepared to sacrifice her own soul - and the souls of the rest of her family?

From Heart's words it also becomes evident that the team already know Arioch. Heart says that Arioch is a vengeance demon who was recently loosed upon the world in Texas, and is currently causing mayhem in Mexico. The Cherokee activist Enrique Solomones was killed when trying to summon a vengeance demon that had already been summoned. Could Arioch be responsible for the Solomones death in case BV004, and a loose end that has been hanging for almost a year?

Setting this to one side for the moment, Elise remembers the case they doing in the here and now. She asks what she hopes are three searching questions: "Do I have any enemies here?" No. "Are my enemies on the way?" No. "Do my enemies know I am here?" No. All to the good. Heart goes onto confirm that Andrew Crowe is currently unconscious and cuffed in the back garden. It was evidently Heart itself that was keeping Jane at bay, not Crowe. As for the occult books in question, Heart says that they are in the library (upstairs to the left, and behind the 1969 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Elise realises that Heart will do anything she says. She asks him to explain the pact in more detail, which Heart does - largely confirming the theories that the team was already working with: Andrew and Algernon Crowe are "father and son eternally". Elise realises that she can take the magical texts from the library and Heart will not stop her. She wonders what other magical objects might be hidden in the house. Heart says that Crowes have been collecting such items for generations of mortal men.

Meanwhile, Jane has borrowed two ladders from the next door house, and is in the process of balancing herself over the back hedge and into the garden. She steals herself against the fear and jumps down, hurrying over to the unconscious McPike. However, she soon realises that she is not under attack from an algid fear - as at this precise moment, Elise asked Heart to allow her friends to enter the house and grounds. Jane revives McPike, who immediately goes to retrieve the unconscious body of Andrew Crowe. Jane can still not see Crowe. She watches McPike mime picking up a body and begins to lead him out of the garden, still believing him to be confounded.

Back inside the house, Elise asks Heart about himself. Where is he? "In the cellar." Does he look like a man? "Yes." Can he function as a man? Puzzled silence as Heart works out if Elise is propositioning him. Can he come upstairs? "Yes." Is he harmless? "Yes." (but only as far as Elise is concerned). What happens if the Heart is destroyed? "The house crumbles and the bloodlines are eaten."

Elise goes to the back door and gestures to Jane and McPike to join her. She can see Andrew Crowe. Drake and McCollins have also returned to the back garden and join their companions. Elise tells the other agents what is happening. Heart corroborates Elise's story. "I am the bargain," it says, "I am that which the families gave up - their souls. I can only be destroyed by the Heartbreaker giving up her soul."

Crowe begins to wake up. Elise is not very keen on the magus finding out who she is and what she can do. McPike puts his gun in Crowe's mouth and leads him slowly back to the car. Jane, Alex and James McCollins remains in the house with Elise.

The pair try to discover more of Heart's powers. It is able to manipulate the fabric of the house, and it knows all the knowledge contained in the house. Bring a book into the house and Heart and will know everything contained in the book. Here is an entity who has already read the Necronomicon and knows everything about it. Heart can leave the house, but if he does the families will know. The house cannot survive without Heart.

Jane counsels Elise not be hasty. They do not have to break this pact. Heart could be a powerful resource, and this house has all the hallmarks of a new evidence response HQ. Elise can control Heart, and could therefore focus its power and knowledge toward a beneficial goal - such as the destruction of the Brain Bug fleet. It is certainly a thought. The pair continue to pepper Heart with questions, one of which is the location of Algernon Crowe. Heart replies: "He is in the attic, casting a spell to make your blood boil." Ah.

Jane races out of the room toward the attic. Elise turns on Heart, did he lie to her? He said that she had no enemies in the house. Heart retorts that Algernon Crowe is no enemy to Elise. His magical power cannot harm the Heartbreaker, just her companions. Elise panics. Thinking Jane could use some help she commands Heart to get upstairs. As soon as she does so the entire house begins to shake. "You have broken the seal and set me loose! I am leaving and your souls will soon join with Arioch!" Heart exclaims. Oh dear.

Several important things now happen simultaneously. The horrible fear that Jane felt outside now permeates the room. Drake and McCollins flee the house (although McCollins resisted the fear and could have stayed). The freeing of Heart has a terrible effect on the families. In the attic, Algernon Crowe's spell is disrupted and he screams in pain. In the car outside, Andrew Crowe goes into spasm and then cardiac arrest. In the library, Elise's heart simply stops and she falls to the floor.

Clinging to life by her finger tips, Elise shouts for Jane who is still en route to the attic. Jane turns and sprints back toward her colleague. There is an ominous green glow rising up the stairs from the cellar as Jane struggles to get Elise's heart restarted. Fortunately she is successful. Without looking to see what is stirring below stairs, Jane picks up Elise's screaming and runs form the house, gamely smashing Elise's heard against the ornate banister.

By this time, Drake and McCollins have made it to the car to find McPike trying to attach a portable defibrillator to Andrew Crowe's nipples and knees. It doesn't seem to be working. Drake draws his taser and shoots the old magus, miraculously restarting his heart and blowing up the defibrillator in one fluid move.

The three agents look toward the house. The windows are glowing with that green light. Suddenly, the front door is kicked open and Jane runs out carrying Elise. Behind the fleeing pair the house shudder, and then begins to fold in on itself diminishing in size until it is no bigger than a golf ball. It hovers in the air for a second and then drops into the large crater where the house used to stand.

Well, there's something you don't see every day. McPike begins to work on a cunning cover story. Andrew Crowe knew the agents were coming and destroyed his own house instead of return the books he had stolen. He then resisted arrest and had to be tasered. Yes, it all fits! The other agents aren't listening to him, however, as they have descended into the crater to see what they can find.

The walls of the cellar are still intact. At the centre of them they discover an elaborate (and intact) summoning circle. McCollins think s that circle could be used for summoning and binding any demon. It is a powerful artefact. Jane suggests that they destroy it as quickly as possible. McPike says that they need to secure the area first, as all the neighbours are coming out of their houses and are understandably curious about what happened to the Crowe house.

McPike telephones the local PD and gives them his cover story. There was obviously some sort of gas explosion, he tells them. Soon the local police are on their way and erect big screens around the building. Fortunately, evidence response retain jurisdiction for the moment.

Elise attempts to hide the summoning circle by burying it, unfortunately she throws a large bush on top of it. Before McCollins can tell her that a living bush will act as a sacrifice and summon something, it acts like a sacrifice and summons something. One moment the circle is empty, and the next the Archangel Michael is standing before them.

Michael is smouldering somewhat as he has been plucked from hell. He greets the team, and admonishes Jane for giving Satan his sword and letting him out of his prison. He also mentions that Benedict Oaxaca has defected and now works for the Catholic church. Jane is glad to hear that Ben is alive, but puzzled that he never got in touch. She doesn't see the ominous overtones of Ben's actions. When he is informed later in the day, Artemis Black sees only two clearly. He vows to extract Ben from the Vatican at all costs.

Michael is, obviously, only in this position as Satan put him there. Michael would like nothing better than to strike a bargain with the agents. In return for a soul, he will perform a task for them and then he will be free.

Elise asks what happens when you sell your soul to archangel. Michael replies that when you die, you have to go to heaven. Elise is seeing this as a win win situation. Michael is more powerful than Arioch. If she sells her soul to Michael, then even if Arioch kills her, the demon will not be able to claim her soul. It wouldn't strop her dying, but it would save her from eternal torture.

Jane immediately steps in. Armed with the power of hindsight, she says that they cannot bargain with Michael. If Michael is released he will just try to lay the smack down on Satan again. He will fail and the entire Earth could be destroyed as a consequence. McPike phones Artemis Black to apprise him of the situation. As soon as he hears what is going on, Artemis is running from his Washington office to a near by helicopter. "I'll be there in an hour! Don't do anything!"

However, Elise isn't keen to do nothing and keeps talking to the Archangel. Jane keeps Artemis informed. As he boards the helicopter, Artemis has a brainwave. Why not make the bargain with Michael. Elise can sell her soul in exchange for Michael being Satan's best friend for the rest of eternity. Would it work? Michael has to agree to it, after all.

By the time Artemis descends to the scene by zip-line, talk has turned toward the Brain Bug fleet. Artemis oozes into the conversation, ignoring Michael who greets him as the Antipope. He asks Michael if his freedom is worth working with Samael? Artemis is just so damn convincing, the archangel is weakening. But what about the brain bugs if another form of words were used, could Michael take them down?

Michael ponders. Three thousand ships and three million shaggai. It would be fun! But he couldn't possibly do it for just one soul. Perhaps two. Artemis strikes a noble pose, and stands silhouetted against the setting son. He says that the time has come for him to make the ultimate sacrifice and that he would be willing to sacrifice his soul to save the world. Jane points out that this bargain simply guarantees Artemis a place in heaven. Artemis chastises Jane for ruining his moment.

However, there are others that have an interest in Artemis's soul. Suddenly Satan himself arrives. He asks James McCollins how "both of him" are. Satan immediately breaks up the deal making, he has no desire for Michael to strike a deal with anyone. As Satan talks the living shrub that helped to summon Michael in the first place begins to wither and die. There isn't much time left.

However, Satan's words have a rousing effect on the contrary Michael. He hates Satan so much he would agree to anything just to annoy him. He knows that he can't beat Satan in a fair fight (or an unfair one) but he can make the bargain Artemis suggested. "I'll do it!" he yells to Elise. Elise's soul in return for Michael becoming Satan's best mate. Satan hears the plan for the first time. He is aghast. To do such a thing would be to mess with the natural order of things. But the bargain needs to be sealed with blood.

Elise hesitates. Satan is right there. If she acts, she is worried that he will destroy her. Only seconds remain before Michael is gone for good. Jane points of that if Satan could act to stop Elise from making a bargain then he would have done so all ready. Elise does quite believe it. She draws her gun and blows off one of her fingers, spraying the ground with blood. The blood falls into the circle and deal is sealed.

Michael climbs out of the circle and walks over to Satan. He shakes him warmly by the hand. Satan screams in horror. Artemis Black smiles smugly. With the good natured Archangel Michael as Satan's best friend and confidante much of the horror that Lucifer could unleash has been stymied. In one fell swoop he has neutered the Prince of Darkness. The two supernatural entities depart (Michael singing "I know a song that will get on your nerves" into his bosom friends ear).

The Blackcopter hovers into view above the agents. Artemis reaches our his hand and takes hold of line that has descended from him. His work here is done. He puts his cigar back in his mouth and rises up into the sky.

After taking a moment to comprehend all that has happened, the remaining agents set to work destroying the summoning circle. McPike pockets the golf-ball sized remains of the house. The agents deposit Andrew Crowe at the local hospital (under police guard) and then head to Simon Magus's antiques shop to see what happened there.

It appears much the same story. The antiques shop is gone and there is a confused customer sitting in the rubble surrounded by a large crowd. The agents walk over to him. The customer says that the shop shrunk around him, and then the owner put it in his pocket and walked away. The owner left his business card. McPike takes the card. It has "I am Simon Magus" written on the reverse.

McCollins recognises this! It is a magical trap, designed to trick Arioch into think the person who holds the card is Magus. Fortunately, he has experience in how to get out of this. Running to a nearby pet-shop, McCollins buys a cute puppy called Pépé). He puts the business card in the puppy's collar and sets it loose onto the road. He assured McPike that this little trick never fails.

Almost instantly Pépé is smeared across the highway by an eighteen-wheeler. As the little puppy lies there on the road, a concerned crowd watching the tarmac seems to twitch, and then it starts to writhe. The surface of the road reshapes itself into a hand that grabs the puppy's puppy. Then a second hand comes out and it looks as though a vaguely humanoid being made of tarmac is dragging itself out of the ground. This is the demon Arioch and it knows that this puppy wasn't Simon Magus! It looks around.

The crowd turns into a screaming mob and starts running in all directions. As the agents look on, the gaze of Arioch falls upon them - or more specifically onto Elise Steiger. Drake grabs Elise and bundles her into one of the cars. He puts his foot down and roars off down the road. The tarmac monster watches them for a second, then it pursues.

Drake floors it and drives erratically down the narrow inner sitting streets. Pedestrians leap out of his way with surprising skill. Only Drake's maniacal driving keeps Arioch one step behind, but the demon is closing at every turn. The remaining agents jump into the other four-by-four and give chase. McPike can't keep pace with Drake's mania, but they can easily follow the gas down the middle of the road made by the passing demon.

Drake loses control on a corner and flies into a shopping mall. Skidding around fountains and down escalators he explodes out onto another road with Arioch in hot pursuit. The further the demon travels the larger it becomes. Elise grabs her phone and calls McPike. Jane takes the call, but at this point they can't even see where Drake is (although they can hear the screaming).

Elise telephones Artemis who is sitting back rather smugly in his helicopter. He has the aircraft turn around and heads back to Yazoo City to rescue Elise. Meanwhile, Drake has managed to insert his car into the top floor of a bookshop and is hurriedly making his way down the stairs. He erupts through the front of the door, guns the engine and heads to the freeway where he can hopefully outpace the demon.

It is a peculiar procession. The off-roader of Alex Drake shooting down the freeway at 100 mph, other road users swerving to avoid him. Next, the twenty foot tarmac monstrosity that is Arioch, churning up the ground and closing by the second. Next (and some way behind) is McPike, Jane and McCollins snaking their way around the confused traffic. And into the fray comes Artemis Black! The helicopter swoops in, overtaking the demon and keeping pace with Drake's car. Artemis orders the winch to lower the rope ladder. Elise sees salvation dangling just outside the car window, and makes a grab for it.

As Drake takes the car to even greater speeds, Elise jumps out of the window swinging out onto the freeway. Arioch is so close now that she can smell him. She holds on as the winch whirrs into life and she begins to ascend to safety. The hand of Arioch reaches out to grab her.

McPike speeds up. Why doesn't McCollins use that thigh bone, it's supposed to be magical? James McCollins leans out of the car and waves his own thigh bone at the demon, intoning a banishing spell of some sort. It has absolutely no effect, but Arioch notices the deed. As the car speeds by the demon (this was to be a drive-by banishment) the twenty foot monster grabs the vehicle and throws it at Drake's car.

The two four-by-fours hit one another and crash spectacularly. Both are destroyed. All the agents survive by virtue of their body-armour but Drake is unconscious and McPike badly dazed. Jane kicks the door open and climbs out. Fire is overtaking both cars now. McPike and McCollins head to safety. Jane realises that Drake is still in the burning car. Turning around she runs back and pulls him from the wreckage. As she is running back the car explodes throwing Jane to the ground.

Meanwhile Arioch reaches out and grabs Elise. As the helicopter flies away, the winch is ripped from it and Elise tumbles down into the demon's waiting arms. The demon begins to crush the life form Elise. Its skin is rippling with fire and she is badly burned. "You don't have my soul, and Simon Magus isn't dead!" Elise screams. "You just killed a puppy!"

The demon continues to apply the pressure as Jane and McCollins run up to see if they can help Elise - and quickly realise that they can't. Arioch demands Elise bargain for her freedom. McCollins realises what the demon is trying to do. Arioch has to hunt down one member of the pact at a time. He is hunting Simon Magus right now - Elise is just an optional extra. Arioch has no power over Elise as long as she doesn't make a bargain. It won't kill her if she doesn't break.

Elise follows James's advice and is steadfast in her resolve. Eventually Arioch gives up. It returns to the ground to continue its hunt for Magus, but not before singling out James McCollins and saying that it will remember him.

As Jane tends to Elise's wounds, the police start to arrive and McPike has to think of another cover story very quickly. He passes the buck to Artemis Black's office. McPike, Jane, McCollins, Drake and Elise are taken to hospital. In the morning papers the residents of Yazoo City will read about a strange localised earthquake that ruptured a pocket of hallucinogenic methane gas deep below the ground. Oddly, in addition to the mass hallucinations experienced by the city residents, the footage from all the local CCTV cameras has vanished.

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