First commission work

Meanwhile I was engaged into the mystery of Porta Terrarum Experiment, I managed to find time for my fist commission work. Yes! It's a photography of Mr Mondrian's factory and I hope doing more commissions in the future...


I found out that I owe several week rent in Cetus Gallery, and since I'm trying to live in SL only from my SL income, that could be a problem. And besides, I need to buy some gun, in times like this one can never be too sure in Babbage... and some new steambot droids,... and some new clothes. And shoes. And makeup... well, basically, I just need to go shopping.
I've tried to do a portraiture work also, for this time it's my self-portrait, but I think some commission work in this field would be great fun...

Murder in Babbage - Epilogue

No one knows what exactly happened that day in the underground of Eliot's old theater. As far as I know, Prof. Nishi managed to convince Moriarty she is on his side (which actually confused even some of the street children, who thought Nishi is “evil”), and while he was showing her Porta Terrarum device at work, she somehow damaged it, overloaded, and caused huge explosion, which apparently killed Moriarty. The gate between worlds was closed again. The device was left broken beyond recovery, and still can be seen in the underground of the theater.

According to orphans, Moriarty confessed the fact it was him who killed Prof. Eliot, his former tutor and friend. And most probably he killed the other victims either, Mr. Canning and Mr. Reifsnider. He was mad, with no doubt, a murderer, and he deserved such an ending, but sometimes I think... he was only child, one of the orphans, when he started to help with experiments. Did Alexander Eliot noticed Moriarty's mind slowly fallen apart? And if he did, couldn't he help him? Or he just doesn't care? Could this whole madness be avoided, years ago, by saying some word to the child? We'll probably never know...
Nareth Nishi is women of lot's of mysteries. Some urchins thought she is a vampire and she destroyed Eliot's device by drinking Loki's blood. Other children says she is time traveler, some claims she is not human at all... No matter how deep her secrets are, New Babbage is bound to her for it's very existence. And maybe not only Babbage...
Porta Terrarum device is exhibited now in the theater as some attraction for visitors, calm and harmless. But some questions still remains unanswered. There is powerful masonic Lodge, with some agent in Babbage. There are remaining members of “The Thirteen” club of scientists, and I wonder – what if some of them will be able to repair the device? And there is of course Van Greed. Several days after the horror above Babbage was defeated, Bow Street police received the footage of the vortex, together with note: “To The Mayor of New Babbage – Best Regards from the Van Greed Society”. Which means some of society members must have been in Babbage at that time...


The Van Greed Footage

And there is another thing which disturbs me a little: the body of Jason Moriarty was never found...
(the end)

Murder in Babbage - Grande Finale

So it is over. At least I think so. And since all Babbage has seen it on that day, up in the skies, I feel I should try to recollect here what exactly happened. I've spoken to orphans, Myrtil, McKay and Loki, and to other people, and here is the chain of events of that day as I understood them...


There was a town meeting in the evening, as every other month, but today it was held under the Babbage square in the engine hall. And while we, citizens of Babbage, were listening Mayor's assurance the Eliot's device is kept safe and guarded in Bow Street police department, the real Eliot's device was at that very moment in the secret room under the floor of the Imperial theater. I still don't know how has Jason Moriarty found all three parts of the device, but one was given to him by McKay Beck, as an exchange for the life of Victor Wunderlich aka Ally Wunder, whom Moriarty has kidnapped. In that secret room, Moriarty plugged the device, fueled now by human blood, into the big mechanism under the theater. I was true – the Moriarty's painting in Absinthe house was really portrait of Eliot's device, connected to this big machinery and fueled by human essence. It wasn't symbolic painting, it was almost an operating instructions!


So while we were listening to Mayor, Moriarty was working, trying to open the gate and bring the old gods into our world. The Eliot's device was the most important part, but it worked only connected to the Imperial theater. Not only the big machinery in the attic floor, but all the pipes and forcers, covered by dust, all those old distribution systems everybody ignored, because Babbage is full of stuff like that, even the old projector and screen... I'm sure no one has ever seen the theater working as a theater. As a matter of fact, the whole building was designed by prof. Eliot to multiply the effect of his invention, and open the gate. Now is clear why Reifsnider and The Grand Lodge wanted to tear down the theater so bad.
The building was the gate.


And so we saw it, the monstrous vortex raising from the old theater, beam of energy of unbelievable powers. I just stood there with the others, unable to think of anything I could do to stop it. And then McKay told me Prof Nishi is inside, with Moriarty, helping him to open the gate! I couldn't believe that! She couldn't be traitor! Or could she? Was I wrong all the time about her?
But I had no time for thoughts like that. In the center of the vortex, something appeared. Something big, a monstrous cluster of tentacles... The Old Gods were coming!


People, standing on the streets, sitting on the rooftops, were in shock. Some of them tried to fight this monstrosity; Miss Frye was shooting at it, Mr. Mayo used some kind of his peculiar magic, Mr. Shepherd with his new aircraft tried to get closer... all without any result. Even worse: two other, smaller monsters appeared and begun to hunt the Babbage streets... We were doomed.

We heard Moriarty shouting at Prof. Nishi something that they can be stopped, then Prof. Nishi's voice ordered everybody leaving the theater. And then, with huge explosion from inside the theater, the vortex and the big monster disappeared.
But those two lesser monsters still hovered above Babbage streets! And again – no one was capable to defeat them, until Prof. Nishi appeared above the roof of theater. She looked... different. Like she was some creature from another world herself...

She started to fight those monsters. She used something like blasts of very powerful energy... but those creatures were though ones. And whole Babbage just stood there, breathless, and watched those unbelievable duel.
Suddenly, it was over. The monsters were gone, sky was clear again, and Prof Nishi was falling down from those height, exhausted, probably unconsciousness. She hit the pavement hard, and the crowd gathered around her. She looked dead, laying there, fragile and broken, her hair turned completely white.


But thanks God, she was alive, and her friends took her to the museum to take some rest. There were no more Old gods coming, no vortex of energy, no Moriarty.
The Babbage was safe.
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part eleven

I'm not very much in Babbage these days and I'm afraid I'm loosing touch with the latest events . It's hard to recollect what happened recently, since I know only tiny bits of the story...
Victor Wunderlich is missing, kidnapped by Jason Moriarty. It's the worst new I've heard today. Not only one part of Eliot's device is probably in the hands of Moriarty right now, but the child could be already dead, in the light of the facts I've learned recently...
Moriarty's lair in MaYifu Arcade was discovered by prof Nishi and Miss Paine, several days ago, hidden in a narrow space behind a fake wall in the back of one shop. On the walls there hanged photographs of children, together with disturbing drawing of a monster not unlike some giant octopus... I remembered notes about Old gods in all letters relating to Jason Moriarty, and one book I've red which lies in the attic above my little photographic gallery in Canals now. Old gods... if this is what Jason Moriarty really wants to bring into our world, then... then God help us all.


In the back of the room also the diary of Jason Moriarty was found, lying still there when I visited the place. While reading it, my most terrible fears was proved true. And although I felt almost sorry for him, I knew one thing: Jason Moriarty should be stopped.
He was a street child back then when he was helping Prof Eliot with his experiments, and almost like son to the old man. They were exploring some “Blood Mechanicals theory”, suggesting that manipulating with certain elements of human blood can drastically improve human abilities... and in Moriarty's case they were improved for sure, turning him into werewolf. He used orphans for his experiments, experiments with his own, smaller version of Eliot's device... And it's possible those experiments were killing them...


I still don't see the connection between Blood Mechanicals theory and Eliot's device. But one thing is for sure: it's hard to say when Jason's insanity began, but he wants to use Eliot's device to open the gate and bring the Old gods to this world, since he sees some relation between them and his lycantrophy. And he probably will need some children to do it. And I remember blood marks on the walls of the old theater, blood spilled on Jason's painting in Absinthe house... and writing on the wall here, made by blood, saying “I am ready to unveil the truth”...


(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part ten

Last night, there was another death in Babbage. In the gallery of the old Imperial theater the body of Edler Reifsnider, the old man who ordered demolition of the theater, was found, hanged, but again - knife stabbed in his back. Seems the old Opera house is safe from a demolition for a while, but, no matter how rude that old man was, it shouldn't have ended like that... Refsnider tried to hang himself before, but Mayor cut him down, saying only “he didn't want to play this way”. McKay told me about last evening, since I wasn't there at the time. There was some fighting, arguing, shouting... Three notes was found near the body, correspondence between Reifsnider and some masonic “Grand Lodge”. When I went there the other day to see the place of the murder, I found a card lying on the floor, proving Edler Reifsnider was detective of their masonic investigative department.

The letters brought some new informations. Maybe it's good moment to summarize it all, hope this will help me, since I'm getting lost again, walking in circles:

The Grand Lodge. Powerful society, they financed Elliot's experiments as a part of “The Thirteen” group of scientists. They want to find the device and destroy it. (Refsnider shouting at Prof Nishi overheard by Loki - “when it happens, and by god it will happen, no one can stop it” - seems now more like warning than threatening.) They have agents, two of them dead in Caledon already, but at least one in Babbage, woman, still unknown. Refsnider was their agent too, entrusted to arrange the demolition of the theater. Because of the paintings on the walls? Could someone learn something from them? Or is there some bigger secret hidden in the walls of the theater? I've looked there for some part of the Porta Terrarum device and found nothing, but it doesn't mean it's not there somewhere...

“The Thirteen”. Group of scientists, financed by the Grand Lodge, Prof. Eliot was one of them. They believed in pure scientific explanation of all. For them, Elliot's device was a way how to find a new unlimited materials for industry. The disaster at Sunrise probably killed some of them, but several stay hidden somewhere. They have sent Giles Canning to Babbage, to find some parts of the device, with list of people he should have contact, probably. In my opinion, they want to find the device and continue the experiments, but I don't quite believe they would be able to kill for it.

Van Greed society. Still mystery to me. Elliot was frightened of them, so is The Grand Lodge, they killed two of their agents in Caledon, maybe they are behind the murders here in Babbage. Most dangerous player here, because nothing is known of them...

Jason Moriarty. Former participator of Eliot's experiments, suffering from some sort of side effects, probably lycantrophy. He started experiments of his own, but involving mysticism and “Old Gods”, unlike “The Thirteen”, who believed in pure science and decided to get rid of him, maybe even kill him. He wants the device for his own experiments, which, in my opinion, could be extremely dangerous, if the indications about “old Gods” are true...

Prof. Nishi. Again a little mystery to me, but she seems to gather a group of people around her who are trying... what exactly are they trying to do? I don't know, but I hope they are doing the right thing. Maybe I'll have to just ask her, as she told me once... And Babbage orphans do believe her, and that's most important for me.

But, as always, everything said above could be just my speculation...

(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part nine

The week off Babbage cleared my mind a little bit. There were several things at the evening at Loki's absinthe house I almost forgot... When Victor Wunderlich arrived, Loki called him “Ally”, while Victor obviously didn't liked it very much. That means Victor Wunderlich and Ally Wunder are one and the same person, the orphan who should have delivered part of Elliot device to Caledon contact, probably to Mr. Canning. Unfortunately Victor vanished again...
Before my leave I've talked with Shay, one of the orphans who also tries to find out what's happening here. According to him the Eliot device found in Prof. Nishi's laboratory is fake, and I agree. But still – nobody hasn't seen even one part of the true Porta Terrarum device, as far as I know...


After a week of traveling, I've returned to Babbage and found the old Opera house, assigned to demolition just before my leave by some man I've never heard of, still there, open again. As I've learned from Loki whom I've met shortly after my arrival, together with Mr. Vella, Miss Rossini and Shay McDowwll, there were an incident in Opera house, when Edler Reifsnider, the same man who ordered demolition, threatened orphans and claimed he is the proper owner of the Opera house, even after mayor Sprocket denominated his documents as a forgery. There were even some fight, and if Prof. Nishi would not intervene, it may have ended rather nasty...
But one thing is bothering me: Loki heard Reifsnider shouting at Prof. Nishi “when it happens, and by god it will happen, no one can stop it”. And I'm thinking of someone wanting Elliot's device, which is probably capable to open a gate between worlds, so much that he has killed two people already. And I'm thinking about letter on the back of the Moriarty painting, speaking about old gods... And I'm afraid. Afraid that the best thing anyone can do if the Porta Terrarum device would be found is to destroy it once for all...
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part eight

What an evening! Yesterday seems to be one of that days when no matter what you do, everything is wrong... I attended art cafe party at Loki's Absinthe house yesterday, I even showcased one smaller photography of the place itself. My first mistake was my dress, I choose an old gown in deep green, thought it would be good idea for “Absinthe evening”. Sure. I haven't realized the gown was a little too old, even for those most formal events in Caledon. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe and I looked like some big green thing from the deep (especially after I fell into the canals at one moment). Only tentacles was missing...


My second mistake was letting Eggberta, editor-in chief of New Babbage Cog, to publish excerpts from my diary in her newspapers. It would do no good for my searching, it has become too popular, people were reading it as an amusement story, and of course, it has attracted attention to me. I realized it fully when I met Prof Nishi, she apparently presumes Bow Street Police has closed her workshop according to my discovery there and I wasn't able to convince her it was closed before I even had written about it... Besides, she now thinks I work for the papers. And although she invited me to her laboratory, I'm sure her behavior towards me is several degrees below zero now... So it was great evening, when I messed whatever I could.
Victor Wunderlich, a boy whose name is also on the list, appeared on the event, only for the moment, and than vanished again. He was scared of “bad man”... could it be Jason Moriarty? Jason, sending death threads to mayor Sprocket, hiding somewhere in the Arcade shops (according to urchins),... and hanging a painting on the wall of Absinthe gallery!


Yes, there was a disturbing picture, painted by Jason Moriarty, hanging just next to my photography (what an irony)... And while Prof Nishi was talking about the mystical symbols on the canvas, I was wondering if anybody else has noticed it's actually painting of Prof Eliot's device, only as a part of some bigger machinery, and with human face in place of “Babbage mark 6” part. And finally, Miss Li discovered another note, on the back of the canvas, a letter from prof Elliot to Jason! He reasons him, kindly, to stop his experiments, and his letter is so warm-hearted that Loki pointed out Prof. Eliot probably cared more for this Jason than for his own grandson... I felt sorry for the boy...
“The thirteen” seems now as some society interested in science, and Prof Elliot was one of them, that's finally one clear thing from all this mess. Jason tried to sabotage their effort, and they wanted to prevent him from doing it, probably kill him. Prof Eliot tried to warn him... And there is something about Jason's affection to the destiny and old gods...
I'm tired, and maybe a little paranoid – I see clues everywhere, but don't know their meaning. There are drawings on the walls in the Opera house attic, with the same symbols that appeared on the Jason's painting, at least one seems to be made by the same hand – Jason's hand. There is another Elliot's device, locked in the Bow Street office – looks exactly like the one at Miss Nishi's table. And for a while, I found myself staring at Miss Li's feathered hat yesterday at the event, wondering what if poor Mr. Canning wasn't true Caledon contact...
I need some rest. For the next week, I'll be mostly traveling, and I don't know If I'll be able to return to Babbage soon and continue with my searchings... but I hope so.
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part seven

I've met Loki Elliot finally, on the rooftops of Babbage, while he was building a plank walks above the roofs. The urchins are scared to walk the streets, so they'll be walking the roofs instead. Besides it's more fun I guess.
Loki didn't know his grandfather very well, he even had no idea the old man was hiding next door to him all the time... he described him as a mad scientist who didn't care about his family. Loki's father died in some accident in the distillery years ago (although Loki have never seen his body – interesting, maybe I should find more about this accident), so I understood Loki can be upset his grandfather was hiding even from him, and the boy thought he was completely alone... And, exactly as Myrtil told me, Loki have no idea of the part of the device he should be given to. He invited me to his party, which will be held in Absinthe house. Don't know if it's good idea, all urchins on one place, announced far in advance, they could be an easy target to whoever wants to harm them. I hope I'll manage to buy some firearm before the event, somehow I have the feeling going there with bare hands would be a mistake...

Later I was going through my notes again, and seems I was wrong about two things at least. First, it's not clear Prof. Elliot has actually given the part of the device to Loki. “The second part is with my grandson...” What exactly does it mean?
Second – I can't remember how did I get the idea Jason Moriarty was Prof. Eliot first assistant. From the note it's clear he was one of the volunteers, who has developed psychotic behavior and started his own experiments on urchins. And another thing – Prof. Elliot was hiding both from Van Greed society and from “The Thirteen”. Are they the same group of people?
Other I've learned from Loki: his grandfather owned not only small workshop under the attic, but whole opera house. And, no one of urchins has seen Ally Wunder for some time. Loki told me that Jason Moriarty, not a wolf, but human, was looking for him and for Ally on Sunrise...
(to be continued...)

Murder in Babbage - part six

I was in shock. The mysterious invention, separated into three parts, none of them could be find, the thing that already has caused two murders, was here, just lying on the table. What should I do? That would prove Prof. Nishi is involved into these murders, maybe she's even the killer herself! She has found the hidden part and somehow obtained second part from the Loki, and while Ally had given the last part to Mr. Cannings, she killed him... but why would she need the device? Is she in touch with “The Thirteen” or Van Greed society? She's scientist, so maybe she knows how to use the device... her name was on the list... But there seemed to be something wrong with this all. The device. It looked almost exactly like on Prof. Elliots drawing... except the small part named there as “Babbage Mark 6”. Although it's not very clear from the picture, it looks different. And whole device seemed to be too polished, too... new. But why would be Miss Nishi interested in making a new device? Does she try to repeat Elliot's experiment? I decided better not tell anyone for now, and speak with Miss Nishi first.

Walking the streets of Babbage, thinking about those mysteries, I've runned upon Mckay Beck, another urchin whose name appears on the list. Before I could talk to him, Prof Nishi appeared together with Miss Paine, and tried to learn something about those list of names from him, but he seemed to have no idea, same as Myrtil before. He apparently knows about Elliot's experiment, but told us he is not allowed to talk about it,... he was scared . But the one who seemed to be most scared was Miss Nishi. She too had no idea why her name is on the list. Later I talked to Myrtil again and I learned somebody has told Bow Street police and they discovered the device in Miss Nishi's lab and closed the place for further investigation.


I was trying to talk to Miss Nishi, but she is very distant and apparently doesn't believe anyone. No wonder. Too many people are already involved... But I'm still not sure which side she is standing on. I have to be careful...
Right now, the urchins seem to be the key to solve this mystery...
(to be continued)

Murder in Babbage - part five

I've met couple of urchins near the Babbage Townhall: Shay McDowwll, Gin Flow and finally Myrtil Igaly, a girl who was couple of days ago asking me about a man with feathered hat. Shay made some investigation himself, (seems more Babbage urchins are seeking some clues about what's happening here) but – same as me – he's come to the dead end. Myrtil had no idea why her name is on the list, and seemed to be quite scared of it – I believed her. There is still possibility (although I doubt about it) the list contains names of next victims... But what she told me was very interesting.


She met Jason Moriarty on Sunrise island couple of days before - and she described him as a werewolf! He attacked her and several her friends, than vanished, more beast than human. Could it be some result of his previous experiments?
Myrtil asked Loki already about part of the machinery in his possession, but seems the boy has forgotten his Grandfather gave him anything important or weird... so possibly the part of the device is lying in some trunk together with other old stuff or something like that. Possibly...


Finally, we spoke about Nareth E. Nishi, or Prof. Nishi, according to Myrtil. And it was then when Myrtil told us, with quiet voice, that maybe we should take a better look at the new building near the pirate store, the place where Prof. Nishi is “making stuff”. If we will sneak through the backdoor, we will be surprised...
At first I wasn't sure to do that, after all it's a private property, but thinking of all what happened in the last days I realized I had no choice. And so I soon found myself standing in the backyard of the house, first making myself sure nobody's around. I opened the door... and for the next several moments I just stood there breathless (until I've realized closing the door behind me wouldn't be such a bad idea).
On the Prof. Nishi's worktable, surrounded by papers and test-tubes, stood Prof. Elliot's Porta Terrarum Device!


(to be continued)