Rating: M

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

A/N: This chapter is not centric again.

Dark veil over mind

-

4/7/2006

Noon, clear visibility, no storms, no fogs.

Cabin, TDD-1

No one trust me anymore. But if i look at it from their view, i would not trust myself either.
Major Kalinin proposed, that i should take a vacation, or easy time at Jindai guarding Kaname, I'm considering it.

Seeing her again would be great, but i wasn't there for whole month.
I don't even know where i was, amnesia from extreme shock they say. I remember sunny island, strange old people and then only white tiled room, in that disgusting asylum.
Maybe this is another reason why i feel burning on my back, when i pass someone. They're staring at me. When i woke up at the Bohnm, i firstly thought, that it was just day or two of unconsciousness, but i felt dehydration and hunger. I was there for twenty five days, last five with my full consciousness. When they realized, that i was no longer a danger for anyone, they made a decision and released me.

But what was happening with me the whole twenty days? There are few ripped pages inside my diary, i need to ask someone. But who?

As he wrote the last word of his noon, Sousuke closed the diary. In the same time monitor switched on from screensaver, it was an e-mail. The submarine had computer inside its library and he was logged for mission information. Diary laid beside him, as he sat at the chair and opened the message, his mind searched for someone who would write to him, only few people. But this was from someone else, someone Sousuke didn't even know. The e-mail had sign by the name 'Arthur', address was somehow strange, ecnahctsal at-sing arkham dot com.

Arkham? This is not possible. His eyes scrolled down at the text.

Good morning or afternoon or anything you're in, Sgt. Sagara.
You probably want to know who i am, but this not matter, thing what matters is, why i wrote to you.
I'll put it simply, i know that someone attacked you on the Devil's Reef (that abandoned island).
It was Simon Marsh son of Sebastian Marsh, great-great son of Obed Marsh.
Simon visited the old town, by the name of Innsmouth (North of Arkham, or Bohnm if you want), and searched for something about his relatives and refinery.
I don't know why, so the thing what i want from you, is to find the thing what he searched for.
Its in your own concern...

Arthur,
your friend for now.

One more thing, i visited that town too, its not place for normal people. Not many came back.

"Innsmouth? Never heard of it." Sousuke finished his reading.

He thought about Arthur's sing. Blackmail or not?
The monitor switched off again. Door opened and he walked outside, some duties still remained, but now he had an empty time, he put his hands into the pockets and stopped in the corridor. Dreams, what entered his mind this night, haunted him. That body he had, strange, old, yet familiar language and buildings with no architecture at all, creatures surrounded him. Terrible screams and horrible visions assaulted. He fell down on his knees, head almost exploded under imaginations. Or truths? For a while, he laid on floor and felt vanishing dizziness in brain.

"Either you broke your bed tonight, or your girlfriend kicked you out." Approaching Kurz laughed and stopped above him.

"What?" Laying person didn't know, what was he talking about.

"So you're always sleeping on ground?" Kurz stopped laughing to say it.

"Just a fortuitous event." Sousuke replied.

Dizziness vanished by now, his ears caught footsteps in the corridor behind him. Someone approached. He tried to stand, but muscles were to stiff, he couldn't move.
Kurz stopped smiling, but his happy look remained. Sousukes head moved in the direction of the steps, his chin ended upwards and sight inverted. In this state, he recognized a figure of approaching crew member. However the blood, what came to brain, disabled his ability to see a little. So the mystery of who now stood above him, disturbed him. Vision blurred and it reminded him his dream. It stood above him, watching and talking, showing some manuscripts or something. Crew member kicked in him.

"Sleep in the bed." Mellisa with serious voice said, no beer probably.

"Err... yes, if its an order."

Sousuke stood and new corridor connected to the one, he laid in, opened. The time of automatically closing door, offered piece of conversation between Kurz and Mellisa. I don't want to hear it.

But still, he heard something. Only some comments over his mental health and danger he put them in, with his appearance.
This haunted Sagara as well. Why did they put him back in this place, without the psychiatrist permission. Their diagnosis was schizophrenia, right?


Sousuke chose to visit Innsmouth, but before he wanted to search for some info on it.

No big information so far, small fishing town on the coast of Massachusetts, between Newburyport and Arkham. Dates from 1643, back there it was a great trading center and famous for fishing, major seaport. However prosperity ended with war in 1812, most sailors turned on their own, or were killed in raids against British fleet. And fish started to disappear.
So the town's income fell and locals searched for some other sources, than the Manuxet River.

Most of the information on internet ended there, but Sousuke continued and found some books about Massachusetts and mysterious Arkham. He knew lot about Arkham, because he was hospitalized there, after his forgotten failure on the Devil's Reef. But Arkham wasn't his target now. The history books from Arkham, enlighten good information about Innsmouth. According to them another important figure of the town was Captain Obed Marsh, mentioned in e-mail. This Marsh made a deals with Polynesian tribes, and every time he came back to Innsmouth with gold and some jewelry made by islanders. Another important things were in 'The book of Arkham'. Written by town major in 1903, it was only record about history after 1830. It said, that not many people often came to Innsmouth for their own good. Towns near Innsmouth probably cut their bounds with it. As Sousuke laid on his bed and listed through the book, piece of paper fell from it. Written with strange handwriting and seemed to be really old.
The author probably forgot to take it out. 1846 was title.

1846

I found some great information about Innsmouth just yesterday, so ill write it down here for later.
This date is often named, as the end of Innsmouth's golden days, or start of it. Some old men here in Arkham say, that Obed Marsh started the Esoteric Order of Dagon in the year of 1840. From that date gold and fish returned. Of course not many agreed the idea of something else than Christianity, and after long six years, locked Marsh and few of his cult followers in the town jail. Then the strange things began. This year is noted in the Book of births and deaths as well: Deaths: 245, Births: None registered, Marriages: None.
This seems to be normal, but average number of deaths, in one year, in village like Innsmouth, is seven. Some people who ran away from the town that year said, they saw things in Manuxet and heard gunshots and loud knocks on their doors in the whole town, not sure if its truth or some trick. I think i will use it for my next book.

Somehow the idea of Arkham major, disturbed Sousuke. What things?
He tried hard to find map of Innsmouth, but with no luck. Not many things came from that town, so the missing map, was no surprise. Now he had problems with planning his action. Some time passed already. I need to start now. Sousuke laid all books and pieces of information, on his table and walked outside his cabin.
On his way few crew members passed him, their stares didn't surprise him much. Diary held this note already. He stopped before the door to commanding room of TDD-1 and hoped that Kalinin will be present. Door opened and few persons inside, looked in his direction. Again. Only Kalinin seemed to not recognize him.

"Major..." Sousuke tried to say.

"So do you reconsidered it?" But Kalinin cut him off.

"Yes, i request two days of unpaid vacation." Sousuke said quickly and his mind wandered in books from Arkham.

"Where too? If something happens and you will be needed." Kalinins eyes don't left the monitor on wall.

"I apologize sir, but this information is private..."

Kalinin turned to him.

"...of course i will be in contact." Sousuke expected disagreement.

"Very well then, but make sure your time of arrival will be less than two hours." Kalinin probably considered idea of vacation more important.

"Roger."

Sousuke left the commanding office and Kalinin continued in his work.

The corridors were deserted, shadows, with the approaching night, appeared. Only weak lights shined here and there. Something went wrong, engines stopped. But no alarm or anything. Before him sign 'Living quarters 3-4' hung.
He walked, heart pounded and his breath amplified. Pounding, pounding, in my head... Craziness, with its fangs, scratched him again. Behind him, something dropped. Sousuke turned immediately, nothing. Again his steps led him along. As he walked, walls, floor, everything, changed into the white color and windows with grates appeared everywhere. Gramophone played grotesque music, which doctor always set, when visited his patients. Bohnm. Why my mind is wandering there? Why! Visions were changing between themselves and then corridor of submarine remained. Sousuke turned to his right and saw two human bodies in decay. Meat almost changed into the weep, like water, substance. He stepped back and covered his nose, stench of dead fish.
Not rotting body. "What did you saw in the light Sousuke?" Strange mechanic voice said with surprising calmness. Corpse and stench disappeared, and he could hear the engines.

"What?... hell."

Then the thought entered his mind. To get to Innsmouth, i need to stop in Arkham.
Maybe this caused the accident in the corridor before. But the corpses? Thing which fell down onto the ground behind him?
So mind reacted like this, when he thought about Bohnm.

-

Tension grew on his back, as he flew to Boston. Thoughts about what waited for him in mysterious, legendary and not known Innsmouth. Sousuke explained all the weird things and rumors about this village, as Salem aftermath. And Salem was not far from that place. But blame witchery for Esoteric Order of Dagon? This was much even for that. Just some strange tales and citizens imagination. Maybe they don't like people from Innsmouth, but thats not reason to let it die. Something weird is going on here. Who's Dagon? Some forgotten god or demon?

4/8/2006

Early hours

Arkham

It's somehow strange feeling to stand here again. This town has a plenty of rumors itself and Bohnm is not welcoming place too. Many of patients died there, either from their craziness or with bad care. That five days... I managed to survive it with photo of Kaname in my hands, i have it still with me, my luck.

I am going to ask locals about some way to Innsmouth, train, bus, walk, i don't know how to get there, only thing i know is, that its to the north. My sleep on the road was restless, but I'm not planning to sleep here or there. I'm trying to avoid streets leading to Bohnm, because even the sight of it would kill me.
From map i can see bus and railway station, i think ill go to library for some info too, maybe Official Arkham Museum.

He done, as he wrote in his diary, library main doors opened. Old librarian shouted aloud and readers jumped.

"No, we don't have Necronomicon anymore, and don't come back here again!" Sousuke walked along.

"I'm talking to you!" She shouted again and pointed at Sousuke.

"Me?" He stopped and looked behind him. Necronomicon?

"Yes, you searched for that satan's book here just yesterday..." She put her glasses on.

"...but we don't have, oh." And realized her mistake.

Librarian came closer and started to apologize to Sousuke, but he had another targets than listening to some librarian. He accepted her apologies and searched through books again.
Few titles verified facts, what books from yesterday revealed, but no new information from present. Sousuke looked at his watch, half past nine.

"Excuse me miss." And disturbed librarian again.

"Is there some way, how to get to Innsmouth?" Sousuke politely asked.

"Yes, you can use bus, but think this idea twice, its not town for outsiders." Librarian watched him with strange look, as he left the library.

Sousuke got out from university, building where the library was and walked on Lower Boundary street, after some time he passed the bridge over Miskatonic River. On his left cemetery appeared. Boston street. Ugly, white building surpassed the Meadow hill. Arkham asylum known as Bohnm. Only thing Sousuke could thought about, was contamination, contamination with bugs, blood, sedatives and all terrible things, they did to him in this house. Head filled with schizophrenia again. They're staring at me, even here... Kill them. Citizens stared at twinkling person in corner of old market street.

What did you saw in the light Sousuke, something you didn't like? His mind came with the picture of bright white lighting, in the middle of some portal, but nothing else amnesia uncovered. Watch showed forty-five minutes past nine. I need to move. When the seizure left him, he walked across the market street right into the Arkham bus station office, beside the post office. Empty room with old man behind the counter. Sousuke put his hand into pocket and checked, if he had enough. Maybe.

"One to the Innsmouth, please." Sousuke handed the money to man.

"You're giving me much fella." Man gave him most of his money back. Is it that cheap?

"Innsmouth, huh? Are you serious? I heard a lot of crazy stories about that town. And you know... some of them are true." Man gave him the ticket, Arkham-Innsmouth.

"What stories?" Sousuke asked with excitement.

Old man brushed his beard with index finger and seemed to think.

"Well in 1928, ground shook here in Arkham, but it wasn't an earthquake, one time ground was calm and one time not. Then some rumors said that submarine, was firing at the surface undersea of that island one mile from Innsmouth. Then day after that, FBI rushed in the old town and took the control of it, locals even saw trucks of State Treasury department." Man stopped.

"How do you know all this?" Sousuke wondered about this, not that old man.

"Popular stories of grandfathers." Old man smiled.

"But think again about your decision fella, in Innsmouth, they 'dislike' outsiders." Man finished.

"Thanks." Sousuke wanted to get back from that town, so 'goodbye' vanished.

"One more thing, if you're serious, try to pass the Devil's Reef, only a look on it can make you crazy."

Devil's Reef is here? How could i be that stupid... Amnesia.
Sousuke sat at the bench and waited for the bus.