Sky Pirates, Act Two, continued

[telerib]

I have to keep this short, as I have Real Work that must needs get done.

The stolen items headed for France; the PCs followed. After a brief jaunt through London, MI2 agents informed them that one M. Rollier in a certain French town near Calais was acting as a front man and screener for the sale.

Adam Archer contacted him and arranged for himself, Reginald, Dr. Olsson (as Reg's "fiancee") and Phineas Long to meet and greet. Rollier had never met Long but had heard of him, and the archaeologist's... flexible reputation smoothed things over. Rollier had somehow *not* heard of Mr. Smythe-Worthington, but he contacted his superiors, who had, and knew that Reg did have the required fundage.

The group was sent an invite to a posh chateau to see the item, inspect it, and make the sale. Sam Satan went disguised as the driver, and Max lurked around the grounds on his own.

Mm. Marie Deschamps greeted the party and displayed the artifact. Things went well until not too long after introductions - Deschamps recognized Long's name from the Philly papers that covered the arrest of their agents on the robbed train. Adam tried to cover with a story - that Reg had hired Phineas to steal the item, and since that failed, they were here to buy it - and Marie even believed him. Unfortunately, that was secondary to her concern that he'd seen the saucers and could now link them to this house. And he may have told the rest of them what he'd seen... So, regrettably, they'd all have to die now. She summoned armed guards, who also rounded up Sam from the car outside.

Meanwhile, Max had caught the sound of the voice of his nemesis! The man apparently entered the chateau by a back entrance, and Max sandbagged the two guards left to oversee it. Going in, he burst into a locked basement, getting a quick but thorough glance at papers on the table - papers revealing plans for nerve gas attacks on major European captials, and the location of a secret Aegean base. The party, their guards, and Deschamps came down the stairs just as "Don Bruno" entered from a side room in the basement.

Only knowing his nemesis as "the Scorpion," Don Bruno did not recognize Max, but he did know Adam and Reg, who knew him from his previous life as Alphonse Rittori. He did not appreciate the recognition, and was also quick to pick up on the fact that Reg would undoubtedly have people who'd be looking for him if he didn't return. He ordered the chateau destroyed.

Deschamps marched the whole party to an underground cave fed by a tidal river. They wer frisked and had iron balls and chains attached to their legs, and left to drown as the tide came slowly in!