telerib | Sky Pirates, Act Two, Scene One

Act One, Scene Three, Continued
Phineas and Max teamed up to interrogate the prisoners. Phineas did an excellent job of putting the 'fear of Max' into the thugs, who readily spilled to the large bruiser. They were hired by the truck drivers, told to steal the contents of the train safe, and take it to the "Miss Betty," a ship berthed in Perth Amboy, NJ. The men were all from Albuquerque, NM and had congregated in Chicago a few days ago.

The rest of the group searched the mountainside for pieces of the flying disks. An large block of steel was recovered that Dr. Olsson confirmed was an internal combustion engine. An odd aerodynamic vane was also found, vaguely propeller-like, but not really useful as a propeller. Dr. Olsson is sure the engine is used to accelerate air over the vane at high speeds, causing the oxygen (and possibly gas fumes) to ignite and producing the fires seen from the craft.

The train fired up again, and the group headed for Perth Amboy via Philadelphia. In Philly, they stopped to let out their cargo of hoodlums. Sam Satan described for the press his heroic rescue of the train under seige.

Act Two, Scene One
The group reached the "Miss Betty" before the trucks with the loot do. Adam Archer posed as a Secret Serviceman wanting to check the vessel for bootleg liquor. Unfortunately, this was a smuggler's vessel, and the captain called for all hands to attend a shootout!

Adam put his hands in the air and did an impression of a bribable official, and hostilities ceased. (A shootout would have meant an immediate departure, without the additional cargo they would be paid handsomely to take). The bribe was handed over, and the group inspected the ship, finding an assortment of bootleg goods, smuggled tobacco and a little bit of legitimate cargo. Returning the bribe and hinting there would be more where that came from, Adam requested that the captain give him a call if he got some more stuff.

Sam Satan caused his usual media frenzy. The day after his arrival in town, his admirers included a man who was very keen on having Sam fly his seaplane. The whole group (minus Max, who'd been on self-appointed stake-out down at the docks) headed out for some novel fun. Max saw them depart, and with a sense of sudden foreboding, convinced a fishing trawler to 'follow that boat.' Intimidating the burly fishermen wasn't working, but then he promised them a meeting with Sam Satan! They immediately shoved off.

Well out from shore, the group on the boat heading for the seaplane heard a splash, then a motor. Their host had gone overboard! Seconds later, the ship lurched from an explosion belowdecks, sending Dr. Olsson over the side. It was a trap!

Sam jumped overboard to swim to Dr. Olsson; before he could get there, Phineas had thrown her a lifesaver - the only one on board their would-be executioner had missed. Reggie took a shot at the escaping man, only to hit the gas tank of his motorboat, causing it to go up in flames! Adam Archer dashed to the wireless set to tap out an SOS - and got an almost immediate reply! Max's fishing trawler was swiftly heading for them. Everyone managed a dog-paddle or better - even Adam, with his briefcase full of papers taken from the ship - and were taken aboard the trawler just as the other ship blew.

Hours later, the captain of the "Miss Betty" contacted Adam. Trucks with his newest cargo had just pulled up! Max, back to watching on the docks, saw this unfold in real time. He saw the truck drivers - jumpy, and clearly informed as to Sam Satan's involvement in matters (The Philadelphia Herald-Tribute headlines were visible on their front seat). Seeing Adam, Dr. Olsson, and Phineas approaching, he warned them off. Adam and Phineas ducked into an alley, while Dr. Olsson stepped into the Port Authority to kill some time, playing the role of a lost and confused foreign traveller. Since the town was abuzz of his "rescue of passengers of a sinking ship," they were aware of his presence in Perth Amboy - and were now sure he and whoever else was on the train that night were waiting for them. When they found the tires of their trucks slashed after stowing the cargo on the ship, their paranoia only increased.

They berated the captain for speaking to anyone on the matter, much less someone who was with the government! The captain protested that the guy was crooked, but the drivers were unconvinced, and told the captain to shove off immediately. After discovering their slashed tires, they were obviously contemplating jumping on the boat - but Adam made an appearance which split them up and got them moving down the street. Reggie, who'd been in disguise and elsewhere, encountered three. Thinking Adam had split them up so he and Max could take them out, he engaged them in a fistfight. Adam tried to get a gander at the new cargo, but the captain (now warned by the thugs), begged off, saying they had to leave immediately, sure the friendly 'corrupt inspector' would understand. He confirmed their itinerary - Boston, then Calais, France - and shoved off.