The team stood outside the sewer outfall and watched as an aether flyer of notable design lifting from the city and flying into the overcast sky.
After a quick stop at the hotel to freshen up and get some un-sewered clothes, the team converged on the Echte warehouse where they suspected the Venusian Death Flowers were being stored before being smuggled to Earth.
Arriving at the Warehouse they observed that the entrances were guarded by what looked suspiciously like Brotherhood thugs. Copperfield made a recce around the warehouse and discovered that although there were no entrances other than those at the front (a personel door and a larger roll-up door in the loading dock) there was a rather dubious metal ladder up to the roof. Procuring a length of rope that was obviously not needed by the owner, the team ascended the rusty ladder and made their way onto the moss-encrusted roof as a fine rain began to fall.
Though the roof was treacherously slippery, by using themselves to counterbalance each other with the rope stretched across the warehouse roof they were able to remove one of the skylights and lower themselves in. Sadly, the slimy rope proved an unreliable mode of entrance and both Copperfield and Waldmont fell. By god fortune each had his fall broken by the pile of wooden crates, which obligingly split and splintered under repeated assault by plunging bodies.
Pulling apart one of the broken crates, the team found a curious opaque glass tank with a very workmanlike sealing arrangement. They surmized that this must contain one or more Venusian Death Flowers and that it would be a very bad idea to open the wel-screwed-down lid.
Unfortunately, their climbing had been observed by a guard, who followed them to the roof and observed them through the removed skylight. He raised the alarm and the other guards rushed in through the front door.
Battle ensued.
Copperfield made short work of the thug on the roof, and the others made telling shots at the others, but soon the air was full of flying bullets missing the intended targets and hitting ... the crates.
Now a new sound was heard, the sound of shattering glass, and a thug cried out and fell convulsing to the floor. Seeing this, the remaining three thugs ran for the office, firing their pistols wildly, with predictable results.
The intrepid adventurers made a dash for the front door as the thugs donned the gas masks hung in the office. Forsyth missed his footing and fell, and for a brief moment was aware of a captivating scent, almost irresistable. Almost. Thank heavens he was able to shake of the insidious effects and make his way to the door with the others. Emerging into the Vensian drizzle they were brough up short by a force of Venusstadt militia, to whom the team surrendered.
As they told their story to the commanding officer, an investigating militiaman was overcome with the Death Flower scent and fell convulsing to the floor, where he died. Immediately special troops were deployed to contain the dread vapours before the entire town was killed.
Our brave adventurers were taken to a stone building where they were hald incommunicado for some time and interrogated by first a sergeant and then later by someone who seemed more important, a man who gave the obviously false name of "Schmidt".
After much verbal fencing with this man, a representative of the Foreign Office arrived and spirited them away, telling them that they were now unwelcome in Venusstadt and indeed on Venus as a whole. In Fort Collingswood their names were unmentionable. Fortunatetly, each adventurer had favours they could trade upon to help repair their damaged reputations, but it would be along time before anyone would invite any of them to a dinner party.
The team were informed that Echte/Coeus had escaped by aether flyer, and that documents retrieved from the bank had spoken of "Dispersal devices" being manufactured on Earth by one "Crius". In addition, large sums of money had been funneled to Cairo Munitions, Denver Colorado.
Grabbing their things the team were boarded on a rather ill-appointed aether flyer, a diplomatic courier, and were ferried back to Denver post haste, a trip of some five weeks thanks to two rough passages through aether wakes.
The adventurers spent a small amount of time re-aquiring a suitable wardrobe, then went looking for information. They discovered that Dirk Cairo had his firm headquartered in New Jersey but also had many properties here in Colorado. In Denver was the Cairo Munitions showroom and main office. In Boulder there was a warehouse. In Golden there was a compound, and a casino Dirk Cairo frequented. And near Castle Rock there was a ranch.
A visit to the main office led to an encounter with the ebulient Bruce Badger, who had heard of Waldmont and his adventures, and was eager to show off his wares. While Waldmont and Copperfield distracted Badger, Forsyth took inventory of the desk and documents to be found on and in it. These told a story of deliveries to the warehouse from Venus.
Working the streets a little later, Copperfield discovered that shipments were also delivered to the ranch, indeed, lately that more deliveries went there than to the warehouse.
The team decided to visit Boulder by train and recce the warehouse, which was guarded round the clock and was of substantial construction. A plan formed. Perhaps a fake delivery would be one way to get the guards to open the doors of the warehouse so that a clandestine inspection could be made?
