DISCLAIMER: The characters of Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster are the property of Spelling Productions and were created by Constance M. Burge. The character of Randolph Carter and all Cthulhu Mythos characters are the property of the estate of H.P. Lovecraft.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story makes references to events in the H.P. Lovecraft story The Dunwich Horror and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Previously, on the Rex and Hannah Chronicles...
"So I guess my theories were right," Hannah said. "That whole The Esoteric Order Of Dagon thing, the Deep Ones, and all that. It was an attempt to bring back the Old Ones."
"Yes, it would seem so," Rex said as he picked up the statue. "I have to wonder, did Obed Marsh and his followers really know what was going on, or were they just dupes. I suppose we'll never know for sure. Still, it was a good thing that Olmstead chap happened by and exposed them before it was too late."
"You know, Rex, I've been thinking about that," Hannah said. "I mean did Olmstead just happen to be there at the right time. Or..."
"What are you getting at, Hannah?"
"I'm wondering if, in fact, Robert Olmstead was sent to Innsmouth, to gather intelligence about what was going on there."
"He was," a new voice said. Rex and Hannah looked up to see Randolph Carter standing in the door of the study.
"Why, Mr. Carter, I didn't hear you come in," Rex said.
"Sorry about that, but I think it's time you two met some people. Some you already know," Randolph said. He stood aside and a group of men entered the study. Some Rex and Hannah did know, such as Dean Richard Pickman, Robert Howard, the Mayor of Arkham, and Joseph Philip, the Chief of the Arkham Police. The other men were complete strangers.
"Rex, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, Hannah, I am," Rex replied and then addressed the group of men facing them. "The Inner Circle, I presume..."
OOOOOOOOOO
And now...
"Yes, Rex, that's right. We're the Inner Circle," Randolph said. "Well done."
"What do I win?" Rex asked.
"I meant that you did a good job in figuring out who we are," Randolph replied.
"Actually, Mr. Carter, while I only recently figured out what you lot called yourselves, I did suspect that something was going on from the moment I arrived here in your town," Rex said.
"How so?"
"Well, for one thing, this new job as Miskatonic University that Dean Pickman so graciously offered me," Rex said. "Head of the Ancient Languages Department. Surely, there must have been others who live closer to Arkham just as qualified, yet you wanted someone from the other side of the country."
"The job is real, Rex," Pickman said. "It's yours if you still want it."
"Of course, since I did accept it, after all," Rex replied. "However, the reason I accepted the job was because I suspected that there was more to it than what I was told. And it seems that I was right all along."
"Then there was this nice house," Hannah added. "Which you practically gave to us to sweeten the deal."
"Yes, it seems you lot went through a great deal of trouble to get Hannah and I here to your little town," Rex said. "Now, I would like to what this is all about."
"Well, I guess you can say it starts with me, or rather my family," Randolph said. "I was born here in Arkham, on October 31st, 1992."
"Halloween," Hannah said.
"Yes, and that has made me more sensitive to spiritual matter and such, the barriers between worlds being weaker on that day. I guess it's kind of fitting."
"Fascinating," Rex said. "However, Mr. Carter, you seem rather young to be leading this Inner Circle."
"That's because I inherited it when my father died, four years ago," Randolph said. "My ancestor, Sir Randolph Carter, whom I was named after, had always been interested in the supernatural and felt that there was much more to our world, and the worlds beyond, than what was commonly known at the time. In 1680, he left England and travelled around the world, visiting places few, if any, Europeans had ever gone before."
"The world being a much bigger and more mysterious place back then," Hannah said.
"Exactly," Randolph said and continued. "During his travels to those mysterious places, my ancestor learned much about the Old Ones and collected ancient and forbidden books, much like the ones you have here, Rex."
"Seems your ancestor and I have much in common," Rex replied.
"Yeah, I guess you have," Randolph said. "Anyway, after twelve years of travel, my ancestor came here to America. He felt that this New World would be open to new ideas. Unfortunately, his timing could not have been worse."
"1692. The Salem Witch trials," Rex said grimly.
"Yes," Randolph replied. "Needless to say, Sir Randolph felt it would be best to lie low, rather than risk being hanged or crushed between two rocks. He came her to Arkham, and found people more open to his ideas. Mind you, they still had to keep their heads down, for fear of being denounced as witches. That's why, in 1695, a secret group, the Inner Circle, was first chartered, with Sir Randolph as its head. By then, he had married, and when his first born son, Edmund, came of age, he was told about the Inner Circle. In time, Edmund inherited leadership of the Circle, as would his son, and so on."
"Right up to you," Rex said. "Right, so what is it you lot are all about?"
"We suspect you stopped the Old Ones from coming back a couple of times in the 1920's" Hannah added.
"That's part of it, yes," Randolph replied. "However, our main purpose is simply to gather and study information about things and concepts that the mainstream world doesn't believe in or know about. Yes, that includes the Old Ones. Over the centuries, we have encountered people who want to bring them back. On those occasions, we were forced to act."
"Like in Dunwich, in 1928," Hannah said.
"Yes, Professors Armitage, Rice, and Morgan were members of the Circle back then," Dean Pickman said. "When we learned what the Whateley family had done, what they had summoned into our world, we had to act. We sent Armitage, Rice, and Morgan to Dunwich, and they put an end to the creature that the Whateley family had summoned. As you both no doubt know, the Whateley family themselves perished that day, due to whatever thing they had brought into our world, so we didn't have to worry about them anymore."
"Then there was Innsmouth, in the late 1920's," Hannah said. "Robert Olmstead worked for you? He was a member of your group?"
"Yes, he was," Randolph said. "When the Circle heard rumours about Innsmouth, they sent him there to confirm those rumours."
"That Obed Marsh had made contact with the Deep Ones, decades before, and brought them to Innsmouth," Rex said. "Where he founded The Esoteric Order Of Dagon."
"Not to mention forcing the women of Innsmouth to mate with the Deep Ones, creating those hybrid creatures," Hannah added.
"Yes, and when Olmstead returned and reported what he had seen, the Circle acted," Randolph said.
"By arranging the government raid," Rex said. "You lot accomplished quite a feat for a secret group."
"Oh, it was no problem," Randolph said. "While the Circle itself is based here in Arkham, we have made friends in other locals over the centuries, including Washington, D.C. A few Congressmen here, a few Senators there, even a President or two. I would tell you who they were, but they swore us to secrecy, a vow we take very seriously."
"So you thought that perhaps The Esoteric Order Of Dagon was planning on eventually summoning the Old Ones," Rex said.
"Yes, and we couldn't risk that happening. I don't have to tell you both why."
"No, you don't," Hannah said. "Still, I would like to know what happened to the Innsmouth hybrids that the government arrested. Surely they weren't killed."
"No, Hannah, we're not that cruel," Randolph said. "The Innsmouth hybrids were treated humanely, although they had to be sequestered from the rest of humanity for the rest of their lives. For their own protection as anyone else's."
"Well, considering that was an era in which one could be considered less than human because of their ethnic origins, or even the colour of their skin, that does seem wise," Rex said.
"Yeah, I agree with that," Hannah said. "Considering the Innsmouth hybrids were not wholly human."
"And then there was that Martense family that you two ran into, back in June," Randolph said. "However, it seems that you both took care of that problem without us."
"They gave us no choice," Hannah replied grimly.
"Anyway, now comes the big question." Rex said. "As I said, you went go through all that trouble to get Hannah and myself here to Arkham. I want to know why?"
"Because we need your talent, Rex," Randolph said as he gestured to the books and scrolls around them in Rex's study. "You have a knack for translating old and obscure languages that few others have. I first noticed it when I met you, last fall, during that business with the black stone in Vermont. Our trip to Antarctica soon after only reinforced my conviction that you were the one we were looking for."
"Therefore, you got in touch with Dean Pickman and instructed him to offer me the job of Head of the Ancient Languages Department at Miskatonic University, an incentive to get me to Arkham. As an added bonus, you acquired this nice house for Hannah and I to live in," Rex said, folding his arms.
"Yes, Rex, that's pretty much it," Randolph said. "Then we were going to watch you for a while, and assess just when it would be the right time to approach you."
"However, Miss Webster and her curiosity forced us to speed up our timetable," Philip said, looking at Hannah with anger in his eyes. "You know the trouble you stirred up when that article you wrote was published in the Arkham Gazette."
"Hey, it wasn't my fault that you guys left so many clues around. I mean if you know where to look, they just jump out at you," Hannah said.
"I guess we've gotten a little sloppy," Randolph said, smiling. "We'll have to remedy that in the future."
"I'll say," Hannah replied as she looked around the group. "By the way, I don't see any women in your Circle."
"That's because women are not permitted to join the Inner Circle," Philip replied.
"I'm sorry, but what century is this again?" Hannah said with sarcasm.
"Hannah, not now, please," Rex said and then turned back to Randolph. "I assume that the reason you lot have come here now is to offer me membership in the Inner Circle."
"Yes, Rex, that's it," Randolph said. "As I said, your knack with translating languages would be a big asset to us, plus your unique background as well."
"Our unique background?" Rex asked, exchanging a glance with Hannah.
At that point, another member of the Circle stepped forward. "My name is Bill Turquotte," he said. "When Master Carter first brought you to our attention, I asked my son, Vincent, to look into your background. He's a Private Investigator in Boston. Although not a member of the Circle, he does do the occasional job for us. What he found was very interesting, Mr. Buckland. Seems that, at the end of the 1990's, you and Miss Webster were running an auction house in San Francisco, an auction house that did not, in fact, belong to you."
'Well, I don't deny that," Rex said. "And, before any of you ask, Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster ARE our real names. Those other two people we replaced just had the misfortune to have the same names as we do. Although Hannah and I had nothing to do with their murders."
Well, not directly at least, Hannah thought. The Source's assassin, Shax, did that deed.
"That is neither here nor there, as far as we're concerned," Turquotte replied. "What was interesting, is that, after some scandal involving a tiara, you and Miss Webster dropped right off the radar. For almost ten years, there was no trace of either of you, and then, lo and behold, you're teaching a course about ancient cultures and languages at Stanford. That's quite a career change, Mr. Buckland. So, the question was, what were you two doing in the ten years between that auction house and Stanford?"
"That's a complicated question," Rex said.
"Yes, but not too complicated for a former Warlock to answer," Randolph said. "As I explained, we have access to old books and scrolls just like you do. When we couldn't find out what you two were up to in the decade you were out of sight, we consulted said books and scrolls. They revealed much about you two, such as your revolt against Demonic rule, how you led your fellow Warlocks to freedom. Quite an impressive task."
"We did what was necessary," Rex replied. "However, you no doubt already know that, Mr. Carter. You've known about us for quite some time, I'm guessing."
"Yes, we have," Randolph said. "That's another reason why we want you to join the Inner Circle, Rex. Your background with the forces of magic, both good and evil, would also be beneficial to us."
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Hannah said as she folded her arms. "I was there when all that went down too."
"Clearly we're going to have to reassess our charter," Randolph said. "Hannah can be just as valuable an addition to the Circle as Rex will be."
"Gee, you think!?" Hannah said, rolling her eyes.
"Master Carter, surely you don't mean..." Brother Philip began.
"Yes, I do mean it," Randolph said. "However, now is not the time to discuss this."
"Well, Mr. Carter, you do make a compelling case," Rex said, before things could escalate any further. "However, could you give Hannah and I time to talk this over amongst ourselves."
"Of course we will. We'll see ourselves out," With that, Randolph and the rest of the Inner Circle turned and left the room. Soon Rex and Hannah heard the noise of cars starting up outside, as the Inner Circle members departed.
"Well, this was quite a lot of information dumped on us in one day," Rex said as he sat down at his desk.
"Yeah, but we were right, Rex. Something was going on from the moment we got her to Arkham, and the Inner Circle was behind it all," Hannah said.
"Yes, and now they want me to join them," Rex said.
"And what about me?" Hannah asked. "If those guys think that I'm going to sit around and make coffee while..."
"No, Hannah, I don't think it will come to that. Mr. Carter seemed quite flexible to admitted you into the Circle as well."
"Yeah, but what about his cronies?" Hannah asked. "Some of them didn't look too thrilled when he brought it up. Mr. Philip seemed very against the idea."
"Hannah, you must remember what Mr. Carter told us. The Inner Circle was founded more than three hundred years ago. This was long before women obtained the rights and status they currently enjoy. Even now, in 2015, there are some fraternal organizations that won't admit women."
"Yeah, it's hard to believe that his 'Me Tarzan, you Jane, now get into the kitchen and rattle those pots and pans' attitude still exists in the 21st Century," Hannah replied.
"Still, I don't believe this will be the case here," Rex said. "After all, Hannah, it was your research that caused the Inner Circle to finally reveal themselves to us. They know that you can be a valuable addition to the team."
"So, we're going to join them, Rex?"
"Well, I think we'll need to discuss this first," Rex said. "However, as I said, they do make a good case for themselves."
OOOOOOOOOO
THE NEXT DAY...
Hannah was in the Burger Bar, the Arkham diner that she and Rex now often frequented, working on her laptop, when Staci Clarke, the young server, approached the booth she was sitting in. "Would you like some more coffee, Hannah?"
"Sure, Staci, that will be great," Hannah replied.
"Are you working on a new article for the newspaper. I really liked your Arkham Oddities one," Staci said as she refreshed Hannah's cup.
"No, this is private research. However, I'm glad you liked my article, Staci. Some here in Arkham were not to thrilled when it came out."
"Really? Why is that?" Staci asked.
"Let's just say that this town of yours has some interesting history and leave it at that," Hannah said. She had decided, for now at least, not to write any articles about the Inner Circle. Tempting as that might be, she thought.
"Yeah, I know. I've lived here all my life, and I've heard about some of the things you wrote about. Anyway, Hannah, if you want more coffee, let me know," With that, Staci headed off to check on the other patrons of the diner.
Why can't all of Arkham be as nice as her, Hannah thought as she returned to her laptop and continued her work. She had not gotten far, when she heard someone sit down in the booth opposite her. She looked up and found herself face to face with Joseph Philip. "Something I can do for you, Chief?"
"I just want you to know that I oppose the idea of letting you into the Inner Circle," Philip said.
"And why is that?" Hannah asked, already knowing the answer.
"You're a woman!"
"Oh really, I hadn't noticed," Hannah replied sarcastically.
"Don't make fun of me, Webster. My patience with you is growing thinner by the moment," Philip said with menace in his voice.
"Are you threatening me?" Hannah said, getting slightly angry.
"It's not a threat, it's a statement," Philip replied. "I had to tolerate you sniffing around, digging up skeletons, but I'm damned if I'm going to allow you into the Circle."
"Now you listen to me, Mr. Philip. You already know the backgrounds of Rex and myself. I've fought against powerful Demons. If you think you can frighten me with your tough talk, you better think again." Hannah said defiantly.
"Well, then, I'll have to resort to other matters," With that, Philip rose and left the booth.
And so ends the testosterone festival, Hannah thought to herself.
"What was that all about?" Staci asked as she watched Philips storm out of the diner.
"I told you that some here in Arkham didn't like my article," Hannah replied. "He was one of them. Don't worry about it, Staci. Oh, I'll have another cup of coffee now."
OOOOOOOOOO
About an hour later, Hannah was walking home. The sun was going down and Hannah was enjoying the late summer evening. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the car bearing down on her until it was too late. She had just enough time to see Joseph Philip behind the steering wheel, before the car hit her and everything went black.
OOOOOOOOOO
Not long after, back at the house, Rex was in his study, when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"
"Is this Rex Buckland," an unfamiliar voice asked.
"Yes, I'm Rex Buckland. Who are you?"
"I'm Doctor Arthur Kent, at Arkham Community Hospital," the voice said. "I'm calling you because you're listed as the emergency contact of a Miss Hannah Webster."
"Hannah?" Rex said, nearly dropping the phone. "What's happened to her!?"
"She was the victim of a hit and run," Kent said. "I really can't say any more over the phone."
"You won't have to, Dr. Kent. I'm coming there right away!"
OOOOOOOOOO
Dr. Kent was waiting when Rex arrived at the hospital, some ten minutes later. "How is she?" Rex asked.
"Honestly, Mr. Buckland, she's lucky to be alive. Both her legs are broken in several places. A couple of her ribs are also broken, and she has a severe concussion. To make matters worse, her spleen was badly ruptured and there is significant internal bleeding," Kent said. "Right now, they're prepping her for surgery. I'll be performing the operation myself. I just thought I should let you know personally."
Rex felt as if someone had punched him hard in the solar plexus as he took the news. Oh my God! Hannah! he thought.
"There is a room in which you can wait, if you want to," Kent said.
"Thank you, Dr. Kent. I will," Rex said slowly.
OOOOOOOOOO
In the waiting room, time seemed to stand still. Rex tried reading some of the magazines there. However, the stories they contained, the latest celebrity scandal and such, seemed so far removed from the current crisis, that he lost all patience with them. Many times, Rex fought the urge to get up and go ask for a progress report on Hannah's surgery. Instead, his thoughts turned towards what Dr. Kent had told him on the phone. A hit and run. Someone did this deliberately, Rex thought. If Hannah dies, whomever did this had better run far and fast, because there will be NO place on this planet where they'll be able to hide from me! After what seemed an eternity, Dr. Kent entered the room. "Well?" Rex asked, jumping to his feet.
"The operation was successful," Kent said. "Although her spleen was a total loss, and we had to remove it. That means she'll be more vulnerable to infections such as pneumonia. However, they are medications for that, and I'll write up a list of them, but that's not an immediate crisis. Right now, she faces a long road back, Mr. Buckland. She's going to be in the hospital for at least six weeks. She's going to need physiotherapy and lots of it, both here at the hospital, and when she's released. I'll give you the number of a physiotherapist who'll be happy to help you once Hannah gets home."
"Yet, she is going to live, that's the main part," Rex said hopefully.
"Yes, it is," Kent replied. "She's still in Recovery right now. You can see her tomorrow morning."
"I plan to do just that," Rex said with determination.
OOOOOOOOOO
The next morning, Rex was shown into the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. Seeing Hannah lying there in casts and bandages, with dozens of tubes and monitors hooked up to her, almost drove Rex to tears. Very quietly, Rex sat down beside Hannah's bed. "Hannah? It's me, Rex. I'm here," he said softly.
"R... Rex?" Hannah said weakly as she opened her eyes. "Whe... Where am I?"
"You're in the ICU of Arkham Community Hospital," Rex replied. "They told me that someone hit you with a car."
"Philip. It was Joseph Philip," Hannah said, her voice a little more lucid now. "I saw him behind the wheel, just before the car hit me. He... He..."
"He wanted to kill you," Rex said, putting the pieces together. "Well, he's just made a big mistake."
"He threatened me... He..." Hannah said and winced with pain.
At that point, a nurse entered the room. "She really needs to rest, Mr. Buckland. Perhaps you can come back later."
"She's told me what I needed to know," Rex said, his eyes blazing with rage. Without another word to the nurse, he left the room.
OOOOOOOOOO
Finding Joseph Philip's house was not that hard and soon Rex was storming in the front door like a Sherman tank. "Philip! Where are you, Philip!?" Rex shouted.
"I'm right here, Buckland," Philip said as he emerged from the shadows, holding a gun that he pointed at Rex. "Although, I prefer that my guests knock first."
"Don't play games with me, Philip. You know damned well why I'm here."
"I sympathize with your loss," Philip said in a mocking voice.
"You mean you don't know?" Rex said. "For a Police Chief, you sure are very sloppy. Hannah survived your attempt on her life. She has a long recovery ahead of her, but she's alive."
"Well, I guess I'll have to try again."
"You'd go that far?" Rex asked. "Just to keep her out of the Inner Circle? Why?"
"Because I believe in keeping the Circle the way it's supposed to be. No women, period!" Philip stated. "It's tradition."
"Mr. Carter seems to disagree with that," Rex replied.
"Carter is a young, naive, idiot. He's not fit to run the Circle. It's only because of his damned family that he leads us. I would dearly love to change that."
"Well, I imagine he's not going to be too thrilled about your little stunt here," Rex said.
"I can handle him. The question is, what am I going to do about you, Buckland. You know I can't possibly allow you to live now."
"No, I guess you can't," Rex said.
"And I know what I'll say. In misguided rage, you thought I had attempted to kill Hannah Webster, and came her to kill me in retaliation. In self defense, I shot you dead," Philip smiled. "Yes, that will work just fine."
"Yes, but you forgot one thing," Rex said.
"And that is?"
"I'm magic, remember," With that, Rex went into a trance and his astral self appeared behind Philip. "Over here," Astral Rex whispered.
"What?" Philip said as he whirled around.
At that point, Rex came out of the trance and sprang at the distracted Philip. He quickly knocked the gun out of Philip's hand. In no time, the renegade Police Chief was on the floor, with Rex covering him with Philip's own gun.
"Go on, kill me," Philip said. "That is what I would do if I were you."
"Well, Mr. Philip, there was a time that I would have shot you, and not had a second thought. However, that time is long gone. Tempting as it may be to shoot you, if I did that, I would be no better than you," Rex said as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Consider this a Citizen's Arrest."
OOOOOOOOOO
"I never thought Brother Philip would go to such lengths," Mayor Howard said. He, Rex, and Randolph Carter were outside Philip's house, watching as Philip was shoved into the back of a police car.
"I guess some of you lot are not as progressive as others," Rex said.
"Rex, I am so sorry," Randolph said. "If there is anything I can do to help, just ask."
"Thanks for the offer, Mr. Carter. However, right now, I just want to get back to Hannah," Rex said. "She has quite a recovery ahead of her."
OOOOOOOOOO
SEVERAL WEEKS LATER...
Hannah had left the ICU and was now in a regular hospital room. Rex was visiting her, as he had done every day. "I hear the casts are coming off tomorrow," he said. "However, they do seem to have picked up quite a few autographs." Both Hannah's casts were covered with names of those that had signed their names on them. Rex saw his own name, among those of Randolph Carter, Staci Clarke, Kira the Seer, Cole Turner, and the Halliwell family. Hannah had said that she intended to keep the casts as souvenirs, because of all those signatures.
"Yeah, and that means physiotherapy," Hannah said, wincing. "From what I hear, somebody better call Amnesty International."
"Cheer up, Hannah, you'll make it," Rex said.
"Yeah, I will. Even if it won't be fun," Hannah then changed the subject. "I hear that Joseph Philip is having problems finding a lawyer willing to defend him in court,"
"Yes, that's true," Rex replied. "I suspect that the Inner Circle has something to do with that situation."
"It does," Randolph said as he entered Hannah's room. "Many of the lawyers and their families around here are longtime supporters of the Inner Circle. Joseph Philip will have to go far from Arkham to find any lawyer willing to defend him. It pays to have friends in the right places. Speaking of which, I called in a few favours from those friends. You two won't have to worry about the hospital bills. It's been taken care of."
"Mr. Carter, you really shouldn't have," Rex said.
"Yes, I had to, Rex," Randolph said. "It was one of our own that caused this, so it was only fitting that we help make remunerations towards Hannah's recovery."
"Well, then, thank you very much," Rex said.
"Aren't you worried that Philip might spill the beans about the Inner Circle?" Hannah asked. "He's got nothing to lose now."
"He won't say anything about us. Not if he knows what's good for him," Randolph said in a voice that told Rex and Hannah that this was not the first time the Circle had to deal with a member that had gone rogue. Rex and Hannah both quietly decided not to pursue the matter.
"I see," Rex said and looked at his watch. "I hate to cut this visit short, Hannah, but I have to get to work."
"Yes, this is your first day at Miskatonic University," Hannah said. "Good luck, Rex, I'm sure you'll knock them dead."
"Thanks, Hannah," Rex said and then turned to Randolph. "Mr. Carter, not too long ago, you offered membership of the Inner Circle to Hannah and myself. We've finally reached a decision. We accept your invitation."
"Thank you both," the grateful Randolph replied. "Of course, there is an official ceremony to welcome new members, but that can wait until Hannah gets out of the hospital. Still, let me say this: Rex Buckland, Hannah Webster, welcome to the Inner Circle."
REX AND HANNAH WILL RETURN IN OCTOBER!