Notes Taken by Samantha and Alastair Beadle.
Akula, Mother Bear and Napalm are in the Park in Nakhimovskiy Prospekt... Ludmilla is phoning the Guardians for help regarding Anushka, the cursing doll behind the latest epidemic of bad luck.
"Hello. This is Guardians," says a voice in perfect Russian when the call is taken.
"Hello Guardians, this is the Moscow Super Heroes speaking. We have a problem and we would like to ask your help," replies Mother Bear.
"Its the Psychic Death Dolly!" slurs Napalm loudly from in the background.
"To whom am I speaking?" asks Ludmilla.
"This is Debbie. I'm the receptionist here. How may I assist you?"
"You may assist me by putting me in touch with someone who knows about curses..." says Mother Bear.
"It's the psychic death dolly!" chips in Napalm.
"I'm afraid that the Magus is on a mission at the moment," says Debbie. "Can I take a message?"
"Err, yes, I suppose so. Thank you. May your benighted country have a revolution soon," says Mother Bear.
"Oh no, that will never happen," says Debbie. "Thank you for your call. Have a nice day!" She rings off.
So much for that idea. It is decided that, in the absence of The Magus, that we should call Professor Agafia at Moscow State University Parapsychology Department. Akula, having met her before, phones the Professor.
At the University, Professor Agafia is running a few tests on one of her subjects - Laika, the beagle. Laika has electrodes stuck on her and is being run through a sequence of psychic experiments, particularly focussing on her telekinetic powers. As the experiments come to an end, the phone rings, and the Professor goes to answer it, navigating adroitly around the lab despite her blindness. "Hello?" she says.
On the other end of the line, Akula asks to meet the Professor immediately to discuss their recent findings. Professor Agafia agrees to this proposal, and invites us to the Parapsychology department. Akula rings off.
Then Akula and Ludmilla catch the electric trolley-bus along Nakhimovskiy Prospekt to the University. Akula defies the honour system upon which the bus ticketing is run, and does not pay his fare. No one bothers him about this. Ludmilla, in civilian guise, pays her fare and has nothing to do with Akula during the bus journey.
Napalm flies off to the University. Not surprisingly, she arrives there first.
Napalm finds some maps of the University site, and attempts to follow them to the Parapsychology Department. After getting lost a few times a thought suddenly occurs that she has seen Natasha before. She saw her with a couple who were presumably her parents outside the Moscow State Circus just before Egor got run over...
She finally finds the department, tucked away inside a basement close to the Psychology and Pharmacology departments. She enters it into the small lounge/coffee area, finds the coffee machine and helps herself. She also sees a bag of dog biscuits in one corner. She is thinking of helping herself to these too when Professor Agafia enters, with a small beagle-type dog following at her heels (Laika).
The Professor and Napalm introduce each other. Laika is also introduced by the Professor. Napalm feeds the dog some biscuits, eating a few herself as she does so. The Professor offers Napalm a cigarette, which she accepts. She also gives a cigarette to Laika, who smokes it quite happily.
Napalm tells the Professor the basic facts about the 'psychic death dolly.' The Professor asks many questions and Napalm provides answers. The dog sits patiently and watches the two of them, apparently not scared of the flaming Napalm. In fact, she is helping the Professor, feeding her additional questions telepathically.
Ludmilla and Akula's bus arrives at the University. As they de-bus, there is a snapping noise from overhead and one of the overhead power lines which runs the trolley-bus breaks and falls towards Akula. Akula leaps aside and is just missed by the cable as it smashes into the pavement, sparks flying everywhere. Strangely, as it randomly twists and writhes on the pavement, the cable appears to be attempting to follow Akula, but cannot reach that far. The driver comes to assist and calls for the power to be cut off. This is quickly done, and the cable stops moving.
The two of them, moving with more haste now, enter the University, Ludmilla keeping her distance from Akula to maintain her secret identity but changing into her Mother Bear costume before entering the Parapsychology Department.
Akula bursts in, calling for the Professor. They find Napalm, the Professor and Laika smoking in the department common room. Akula is slightly taken aback by the smoking dog. Napalm offers him a dog biscuit, which he declines.
They discuss methods of counteracting the doll.
The Professor is interested in whether it is the doll or Natasha who decides what to do, and who to curse. We cannot provide an answer to this.
The Professor mentions various legends concerning Guardian Dolls - animated dolls that can grow to human size to protect their child owners from harm. Natasha's doll appears to be different from that, but may have been made to the same end. The Professor goes on to describe legends of witches and wizards placing curses on their enemies.
"Perhaps exorcism would be the best approach to try," suggests the Professor.
"I think we should destroy the doll," suggests Akula.
The Professor says that destroying the source often - but not always - nullifies curses, at least so the legends say.
Napalm suggests blessing Akula to nullify the spell and then going to destroy the doll.
Mother Bear is concerned that if we attack the doll then it will fatally curse all those involved.
The Professor has a list of priests that have performed (or claimed to have performed) exorcisms in the past. She goes to retrieve the list, putting Laika gently down on the floor as she gets up.
The Professor quickly returns with the list. The name at the top of the list is one Father Brencis Svanthpolk, a priest at The Monastery of the Sign. The monastery is near the Kremlin, on Ulitsa Varvarka. The party, still not decided on a course of action, nevertheless agrees that having priestly backup may well be helpful.
In the course of the final discussions Napalm reveals to the Professor that she sold her soul to the Tibetan monks.
The Professor looks a little concerned, and suggests that she returns at a later date to discuss this. She then telepathically suggests to Laika that she might wish to follow the others, as it might be interesting and useful to do so. Laika agrees to go along with them for now.
Napalm and Akula head off for the Monastery of the Sign, Napalm considerately turning off the flames on her arms to carry Akula as she flies out of a basement window and away. Laika uses her telekinesis to close the window after her; to Mother Bear the window just shuts itself...
Mother Bear herself bids the Professor goodbye and leaves to return to the Massov's apartment, and Natasha. She ducks into a toilet to change back into her civilian identity. The Professor's beagle follows. Mother Bear looks down at the dog. "You are a very strange little dog," she says to it.
"You are a pretty strange human!" says a voice in Mother Bear's head. Mother Bear looks around in confusion and then at the dog. "Come on, hurry up, I thought we were going to investigate this child," comes the voice again.
"Dog! Are you speaking to me? Are you speaking into my head?" demands Mother Bear.
"Da! Comrade Laika, of the University of Moscow!" comes the reply.
"Err... Well... I am pleased to meet you Laika. Are you coming with me?"
Laika nods, and explains that she was listening in to the whole conversation with the Professor, and occasionally telepathically posing questions to us through the Professor. She wants to come along to help investigate.
Mother Bear changes back into Ludmilla, Laika observing this but being sworn to keep the secret of her true identity. They leave the University campus and the catch the bus back to Nakhimovskiy Prospekt, Ludmilla carrying Laika.
On the bus Laika explains her history. Including the fact that she was the first living thing on the Moon as part of the Soviet space programme, over forty years ago! [The real-world Laika was the first living thing in space, but the history of the London Champions and Moscow Superheroes world is different enough for that not to be possible, so Laika was first to the Moon instead...]
Elsewhere, close to Red Square, Napalm and Akula arrive at the Monastery of the Sign, which is one of two historically significant buildings in the large turning circle of the rather ugly 1960's Rossiya Hotel. The monastery mainly consists of a partially restored, attractive red brick Cathedral with four smaller black domes surrounding a larger golden dome standing in a small monastery compound. They land in the compound.
The monks turn and stare, and one of them comes over to them. They ask for Father Brencis. The monk leads them off towards the cathedral. Not wanting to ignite anything, Napalm offers to remain outside the cathedral, hovering off the ground in the compound. That being so, Akula goes in alone.
Ludmilla and Laika travel back towards Nakhimovskiy Prospekt on the bus. They talk as they go, by Ludmilla talking and Laika thinking back to her. This one-sided conversation with a dog attracts some attention to Ludmilla from the other passengers! Laika also demonstrates an ability to take over Ludmilla's mind and talk through her. This disconcerts Ludmilla and she lets Laika know it.
On arrival Ludmilla and Laika go to the front door of Building 50, where the Massov's live. Ludmilla buzzes the Massov's apartment.
"Hello" says Marina over the intercom. Ludmilla asks to come up and talk to them again. Marina agrees to this and buzzes them into Building 50.
As they, enter the concierge, Varinka, peers out of her office to see what is going on and spies Laika. "Oi! No dogs allowed!" she shouts.
Ludmilla convinces her that it will only be temporary as they are going to cheer up the little girl, and not bring the dog to live here. Varinka reluctantly lets them pass. They head up the stairs.
Inside the Cathedral of the Monastery of the Sign, Akula sees that lots of restoration work is taking place. It appears as if the cathedral is being turned from a concert hall back into a cathedral. A stage is being removed and an altar installed, and off-white paint is being carefully removed from the walls and pillars to reveal religious frescos underneath. An iconostasis is being built too.
The monk guiding Akula talks to one of the other monks working inside, and is pointed to a figure on top of a high and rickety set of scaffolding who appears to be restoring frescos. The man shouts up to the figure, who climbs down and comes over to them. Father Brencis turns out to be in his forties, with short greying hair and a muscular build, who carries himself like a soldier.
Akula explains the situation to Father Brencis, and their need for protection from, and possibly exorcism of, the malign force from the doll. He asks the father to accompany him immediately.
Father Brencis considers this, then nods and leads Akula off to get some supplies before they go. They talk on the way. From what he says, the father has never exorcised anything like a doll before, but he has exorcised spells and curses.
Akula asks him to examine him for the curse he thinks he has. Father Brencis agrees to do this.
Out in the Monastery compound, a few monks have gathered to gawk at Napalm. A young, rather nervous-looking monk offers her a glass of tea. She accepts this, and drinks it.
Akula sits in Father Brencis' Spartan, stone-walled cell while he rummages through cupboards. Herbs, crucifixes, holy water, a bible and so on are brought out. The father lights a censer, then walks around Akula enshrouding him in strange-smelling smoke from the censer while he reads from the bible in what sounds like very archaic Russian - too archaic for Akula to understand, anyway. passages are read from a book. After a while he stops, and extinguishes the censer.
"Yes, you have definitely been cursed," he tells Akula. Damn. However, Father Brencis is pessimistic about what he can do to remove it, and to even try to remove the curse will take several hours anyway.
Akula considers this, and asks him to accompany them to the scene. He agrees to do this. Father Brencis places a blessing on Akula and hands him a small bag of what smells like herbs to hang around his neck that may protect him and bring him good luck.
They go back out to the monastery compound. Father Brencis and Napalm are introduced, and she agrees to carry them off to the source of the problem. Akula takes hold of Father Brencis and Napalm carries him (significantly more slower than before) off towards the Massov's apartment.
Flying in as subtly as they can, they land in a coppice nearby...
Ludmilla and Laika are admitted to the Massov's apartment by Marina. Ludmilla explains to Marina why they are there, and she then leads them through to see Natasha, who is reading again with Anushka on the bed beside her. Laika immediately picks up the 'strangeness' of the doll.
Natasha is pleased to see Laika, and begins making friends with her right away. They talk to Natasha again, including about dolls and dogs in general. Natasha says she would like a dog, but they are not allowed here. They apparently had a dog back in the village, but they had to leave him behind when they came here. Marina nods.
Laika is given some water, then Ludmilla gets to business when she has the attention of both Natasha and her mother. "What is concerning me is that since I came visiting you some bad things have started happening to me," she says.
Natasha nods solemnly.
"I thought we were friends!"
"We are, but Anushka get worried," says Natasha.
"Well can you ask her to stop it?"
"Well, I tell her to be good, but she doesn't always listen to me."
At this point Akula, Father Brencis and Napalm arrive on the roof overhead. Akula goes to spy on Natasha by entering the building's pipe system again. Napalm and the Father wait on the roof.
"This is a bad thing if Anushka is attacking your friends," says Ludmilla.
Marina agrees with Natasha that Anushka does things of her own accord, sometimes to the regret of its owner, and has never been observed to take back the curses it gives people. Marina, while concerned about it, doesn't see a huge problem with this as Anushka does not hurt Natasha.
On the roof Father Brencis checks Napalm for curses with the aid of censer and bible. After a few minutes he announces that he has found one. One that originates from the same source as Akula's...
Downstairs, Ludmilla tries to convince Marina that the doll is harming Natasha indirectly as well as society directly. She goes on to try and convince Natasha to leave Anushka.
At this stage Akula returns via the Building 50 plumbing system to Napalm and Father Brencis on the roof. He tells them that the plan to convince Natasha to give up Anushka is not working.
Father Brencis gives Napalm a token (another small bag of herbs to wear around her neck) to protect her. The plan is for Akula to return to the Massov's apartment and then phone Napalm. When he uses the keyword 'Now!' she will attack Anushka from the balcony.
He moves back into the Building 50 water system...
Back in the Massov's apartment, the negotiations continue. When Ludmilla questions Marina she tells her that she left Anushka - or Anushka left her - when she was about thirteen. "I just knew it was time," she says.
In the apartment's bathroom, out of sight, Akula stealthily leaves the pipes and phones Napalm before listening through the door to what is going on.
From what she says, it appears that Natasha wants to return to the village, something that they cannot do, as there is no work for her parents there.
Ludmilla proposes that Natasha tries to leave Anushka now, while they all go down to the park along Nakhimovskiy Prospekt. Natasha considers this, then puts Anushka down on the chair, takes Ludmilla and Marina's hands and they all put on their coats and leave the apartment...
When he hears the door shut Akula waits two minutes for them to get well away from the apartment and then comes out of the bathroom and opens the door from the living room out onto the balcony. That done, he speaks the code-word into the phone. "Now!"
Napalm dives off the roof and bursts into the living room from the balcony, quickly identifies Anushka on one of the room's armchairs, and gives her the full force of her fire-blast. The largely plastic chair instantly melts and combusts in a cloud of toxic fumes. The doll is slightly singed. Akula senses the doll 'doing its thing' at Napalm.
He warns Napalm but despite this she grabs the doll and flies off out of the window, leaving a cloud of smoke and toxic fumes in the apartment.
Napalm zooms off as fast as she can to one of Moscow's nearby parks, Bittsevskiy Lesopark, on the southern edge of the city. She is going as fast as she can to a park because there is less chance of any bystanders being hurt if anything goes wrong. En-route she tries to tear the doll apart with her superhuman strength, but quickly finds that despite its apparently being made out rags, she can't! Upon arrival at the Bittsevskiy Lesopark she secures it in the top of the tallest tree there using the rope belt from her greatcoat and then returns to the Massov's apartment. As she flies back she can feels that her flame is a bit more intense and unstable than normal and she is not feeling well...
Meanwhile Akula returns to the roof to see Father Brencis. He tells him about events in the Massov's apartment. Unfortunately the priest appears to have no real ideas on how to destroy the doll.
At this point Napalm returns and asks what we are going to do. She mentions the problem with her powers, and her feeling unwell. At this point her protective token bursts into flame, and it does burn her slightly, even though she is normally fireproof. However, once, the token stops burning she feels a little better...
Akula suggests they take Father Brencis to have a look at the doll. They agree with this idea, and the three of them fly off southwards to Bittsevskiy Lesopark.
They quickly arrive at the park to discover that Anushka has 'escaped' from being tied up at the top of the tallest tree, and is now lying in the snow and slush at the bottom of the tree.
Arriving in the Nakhimovskiy Prospekt park, Ludmilla throws a stick for Laika.
Laika gives her a dirty look but then trots off to retrieve it. The group then goes off to walk around the park, Laika obviously not being a great fan of stick-based entertainment.
Back in the Bittsevskiy Lesopark, Father Brencis brings out his bible and censer and starts wafting strange smelling smoke around the doll.
Other park users are giving the group some funny looks. A group of children gather some way off and watch.
As Father Brencis does his work, there is a large creaking, cracking noise from overhead and a large branch falls from the tree towards Napalm. She dodges away and blasts the tree branch into ashes. As she does so her token bursts into flames again.
Akula asks the Father how much longer it will take.
"Not too much longer, I hope" he replies.
A few moments later he returns to Akula and Napalm. He tells them that cannot destroy the doll, and he is not even sure he can contain it. Akula phones Ludmilla to tell her the news.
As the phone rings, another tree branch falls towards Napalm. She burns this one to ashes, too.
Akula concludes that the time has come for drastic measures. He goes over to the doll, grabs it and holds it in front of him. "Right! Listen to me, little doll - stop this immediately or I shall kill Natasha myself!"
Not that he doesn't have a very serious code against killing, but Anushka doesn't know that...