A man called Wednesday is cornered by an alien. The alien tells him to give up as his plans for world domination ends here. Wednesday however isn’t phased and summarises that his pursuer is alone with no weapons, backup and his superiors don’t know where he is. The alien meekly demands once more he surrender, but Wednesday simply shoots his enemy and orders an underling to move the body into a display where he’ll deal with it later. Right now, he has preparations to change the world…
Litefoot is hard at work in the mortuary. Jago arrives and is shocked to see the body of a dead woman on Litefoot’s slab. Litefoot explains the poor woman died from trauma to the back of the head. Jago asks if there are any peculiarities such as claw marks or any sign of extra-terrestrial interference. Litefoot assures him that she died from no alien monster. Jago’s presence does begin to annoy Litefoot and he asks what he is doing here. Jago explains that Inspector Quick sent him a message asking to meet him at the police station. As if on cue, Inspector Quick enters the mortuary and is glad to have both men in the room. He explains that the woman’s body does in fact have peculiar circumstances surrounding her death and asks the men to accompany him outside the station as he has something to show them…
Litefoot isn’t particularly thrilled about standing in the streets in his bloodstained apron. Quick asks the Infernal Investigators to look around and tell him what they see. Jago notices that there are several small groups of people congregating together, but not talking or doing anything. They’re just standing and staring blankly. Quick confirms this to be the oddity in question as the police have received several reports of people leaving their homes and families without as much a word to join these strange groups and stand about. While these groups aren’t doing anything wrong at the moment, Quick explains that any attempt to disperse these groups results in the groups getting violently defensive, and they’ve injured several officers who have tried. Jago becomes worried when he notices one group staring at them. Quick quietly decides that the three of them should step back inside…
Inside the mortuary, Litefoot deduces that the unfortunate woman on his slab was a member of one of the congregations outside. He notices a rather unusual feature, her arms and legs contort backwards unnaturally, her eyes have slowly shrunk and two indentations in the back of her head have formed. Quick asks Jago to search the woman’s belongings for clues. He finds a ticket for a show called ‘Mr. Wednesday’s World of Weird Wonders’. Jago is familiar with the name and explains it’s a show full of seemingly exotic exhibits based in an old hall. It opened to the public two weeks ago. Quick notes that this is around the time when the first gang of loiterers started appearing. Jago and Litefoot offer to go undercover to investigate this strange show, but Quick suggests that they bring along a female companion to make themselves inconspicuous.
That evening, Jago and Litefoot head to Mr. Wednesday’s World of Weird Wonders with Ellie. Ellie isn’t aware of the true reason for their night out, even when she mentions that she can never seem to go anywhere without monsters showing up. The host Mr. Wednesday is drawing in crowds with a colourful pitch telling of strange creatures and things that only the brave can stomach. Jago isn’t impressed by his lack of finesse, but Wednesday quickly charms Jago into buying tickets by referring to him as Ellie’s father and Litefoot as her grandfather (much to Litefoot’s chagrin).
Inside the show, Ellie is amazed by all the strange curiosities on display. Jago and Litefoot aren’t fooled in the slightest and trace the body parts back to their original creatures (such as a unicorn’s horn belong to a narwhal). Jago notices what appears to be a claw-like hand sticking out from underneath a cabinet. While the crowd isn’t looking, the trio rush over to investigate. They discover what appears to be a bipedal reptile the size of a man. Litefoot confirms that it’s not a curiosity for the show, as it’s not full of stuffing and its body is comprised of muscle and fat. They discover a bullet wound in its chest that Litefoot deduces was only fired recently. Litefoot decides to wrap the lizard-man up in a carpet and take it back to the mortuary for a proper autopsy. He instructs Jago and Ellie to stay at the show to investigate…
Not long after Litefoot leaves the show, Mr. Wednesday proclaims to have an exhibit that will astound and re-evaluate how humanity sees the universe. He opens a doorway to a room called the Far-Seeing Room. It’s filled with devices that Mr. Wednesday claims allows one to look into other dimensions at creatures going about their daily lives. Jago explains to Ellie that he’s simply got a bunch of peep-show machines. While Ellie is eager to look at the strange machines, Jago decides to take a more passive approach and wait to see what happens next…
Litefoot has managed to get the reptilian creature back to the mortuary with help from Inspector Quick. Quick doesn’t hide his unease of the creature, but Litefoot is keen to perform an autopsy. He proceeds to strip back the reptile’s skin and discovers a mouldy, black substance inside the creature. Quick becomes sickened by the sight and excuses himself from the mortuary. Once Litefoot is alone, he hears a voice speak: “Ah! That’s better!”…its seems that Litefoot isn’t alone in the mortuary…
Ellie is begging Jago to let her look at Mr. Wednesday’s Far-Seeing Machines, but Jago isn’t budging. They notice some of the patrons leaving the Far-Seeing Room with a rather blank, dazed expression on their faces. Jago flags down one patron and asks him what he saw. The man with a rather unnaturally dopey sounding voice describes the scenes as orange skies, blue grass and blue trees, but strange of all were the creatures he saw. He describes them as having flat faces and looking as if they were walking backwards. Jago isn’t satisfied by the man’s description, but nonetheless he suggests he and Ellie follow him…
Outside the show, Jago and Ellie observe a group of patrons leaving the show with the same despondent face as the man they spoke to. A group of them start to congregate together and stare at one another. Ellie becomes nervous as she spots a specific group seemingly staring at them…even though they’re facing away from them. She becomes even more unnerved when she moves away and Jago watches the group turn their heads to track Ellie as if they have eyes in the back of their heads! The spooky group then slowly approach Jago and Ellie making a sinister sound like a cow’s mooing. Jago and Ellie decide it best to run while they can...
Litefoot hears the voice, but the voice tells him not to bother looking for the source…as it is coming from within his head. The voice explains that when Litefoot dug his hand into the black substance inside the reptilian creature, it telepathically bonded with him through skin contact and entered his mind. The voice introduces itself as Arioch, an investigator from another world whose race symbiotically live in harmony with a race of lizard creatures. Arioch explains that he must find another host body soon otherwise he will die, as he was only able to transfer a smaller portion of his power into Litefoot while maintaining a weak telepathic link with the substance in the reptile. He asks Litefoot to allow him to fully transfer his conscience into his mind temporarily. Litefoot is understandably reluctant to do so as he is not sure if Arioch is hostile and asks what is in it for him. Arioch explains that time is of the essence and that the future of humanity is depending on him. He states that when his mission is through, he will contact his race to send him a new host body. Arioch allows Litefoot to consider his decision and leaves his mind to revert to his black, powdery form. Litefoot darkly considers just washing Arioch’s powdery state down the drain…but he quickly gives into his good nature and picks up Arioch in his hand and allows him inside his head once more…
Jago and Ellie manage to outrun and lose the sinister gang of patrons. She checks to see if the coast is clear before walking the streets again. Ellie sees the gang just loitering together at the crossroads seemingly lost. She decides they should tell Inspector Quick what happened.
Arioch completes the transfer and is thankful to Litefoot, commending his compassion. Arioch explains that his mission on Earth is to find and hunt a criminal who has dominated countless worlds by infiltrating the minds of the natives and changing their bodies into a grotesque alien form. He reveals that the criminal in question has disguised himself as a man called Mr. Wednesday. He and Brontach (the reptile’s real name) had tracked him to Earth and discovered Mr. Wednesday had already converted a few humans to his macabre creations. They got into a confrontation with the villain and his minions, but unfortunately Brontach was killed.
Jago and Ellie meet with Inspector Quick and recount the events involving the sinister gang of roaming loiterers. With their testimony, Quick now has reason to possibly link the loitering gangs to Mr. Wednesday’s World of Weird Wonders. But without conclusive evidence, the police can’t do anything to shutdown his show. Quick mentions how he did send a telegram to Litefoot to meet with him. Strangely for a man of punctuality he hasn’t bothered to show up…
Litefoot is showing Arioch the local restaurant’s selection of meat pies as the symbiotic creature was craving sustenance and can’t seem to concentrate until he’s had his fill of food. Once he’s eaten, he promises to refocus his efforts on battling Mr. Wednesday.
Inspector Quick assumes that the link between the gangs and Mr Wednesday are his Far-Seeing machines as they seem to have a profound effect on his patrons. From his own investigations, Quick tells Jago and Ellie that Mr Wednesday has been trying to sell some of these machines to businessmen and entrepreneurs across London. Ellie suggests that Jago pose as a prospective buyer to get hold of one of his machines and then take it apart. The trio decide to write a cover story to convince Wednesday to sell some of his machines…
Litefoot and Arioch are drinking wines. He tries to get Arioch to discuss more about Mr. Wednesday, but he is hardly interested. To loosen his tongue, Litefoot tries to order some champagne, only to be denied by the waiter as he tells Litefoot he has had too much to drink and has been talking to himself for the past hour. Litefoot drunkenly refuses to see reason, but the waiter quietly tells him to leave or be thrown out. Arioch quickly instructs Litefoot to invite some women over to his table to cover himself as they converse…
At the New Regency Theatre, Jago has a meeting with Mr. Wednesday. Jago immediately gets down to brass-tacks and demands a price for his Far-Seeing Machines. Mr. Wednesday notes that Jago didn’t look through any of his machines when he was at his show, so how can he describe to his patrons what they’ll be seeing if he doesn’t see for himself? Mr. Wednesday isn’t fazed however and offers a free sample to Jago. He calls out to two figures to bring in a Far-Seeing Machine. Jago is horrified to see that his hideous hired help are not just walking backwards, they have eyes in the back of their heads through the mass of hair, hair growing down their arms and making a disturbing cow-like mooing sound. Mr. Wednesday insists Jago take a look into the Far-Seeing Machine to see what his patrons will become…
Litefoot drunkenly asks for more food to be delivered to the table. The waiter informs Litefoot that he is the only customer left in the restaurant as it is closing time. His female companions abandoned him as he was more interested in talking to himself. Arioch isn’t satisfied and wants to take in a show. Litefoot tells him he knows a place run by a friend…
Jago is defiant against Mr. Wednesday’s order to look inside his machine, but he asks why is he targeting him in particular? Mr. Wednesday tells him he noticed Jago and his friends were asking questions and investigating areas where he shouldn’t have gone at his show. Plus the body of Brontach went missing as well and he assumes someone associated with Jago stole it. Jago asks why he is transforming people into these ‘dumb creatures’. Mr. Wednesday simply laughs and explains that these creatures are called ‘The Kine’. On their home world, they were the pinnacle of evolution and incredibly intelligent. So intelligent in fact that their predators naturally died out, plus there was no such thing as war, theft or hatred. The species looked after their own…until Mr. Wednesday happened to discover the planet. He explains that he purchased the planet and opened it up to game hunters to wipe The Kind from existence simply for profit. Realising the error of his mistake, Mr. Wednesday sought to rebirth the race into the universe…by transforming others into The Kine. His machines contain microscopic eye worms that enter the subject’s eyes and transform them into The Kine from within. So far, he’s dominated eight worlds, transformed their denizens and Earth is next. Mr. Wednesday laughs darkly about how he profits from this immensely. He instructs his Kine to secure Jago to the machine. Jago struggles against the creatures and manages to destroy the machine in the process, greatly annoying Mr. Wednesday. He instructs his Kine to take Jago to the World of Weird Wonders and they’ll use a machine there…
Quick manages to find Litefoot. Quick explains that he’s been looking for Jago and found signs of a struggle in his office, which suggests Mr. Wednesday got hold of him. Litefoot comes to his senses and tells Quick he will go straight to Wednesday’s show to rescue Jago while Quick will gather a squad of police to assist. Once Quick leaves, Litefoot reprimands Arioch for wasting his time, but Arioch defends himself by stating they were exchanging information for their confrontation with Wednesday, but Litefoot doesn’t believe it, but he soon realises why…he’s scared. Arioch explains that his former host Brontach was the brave one doing the fighting while he was merely a symbiotic spectator…and he does admit he’s scared to lose another host. He refuses to allow Litefoot to risk his life and states he has the power to erase his memories of the former conversation that started him on this trail of thoughts. Litefoot isn’t deterred and poses a simple question, if Arioch had died instead of Brontach, what would he have done? Arioch simply hopes that he would have avenged him…realising he fell into Litefoot’s ploy, he agrees to help. But there’s somewhere they need to go first.
Mr Wednesday instructs his Kine to clear out the Far-Seeing room so he can prepare a private viewing for Jago. Jago questions Mr. Wednesday if wiping out humanity for the Kine would make up for his mistake and make him happy? Mr. Wednesday refuses to listen and orders his Kine to strap Jago to the machine. Jago makes one last request and asks why the Kine walk backwards. Mr. Wednesday explains that his eye worms transform their victims into the Kine in the best possible way they can with what they have to work with. The fact that they disjoint the limbs is a part of the process when converting humans.
Litefoot and Arioch arrive at the World of Weird Wonders and discover a whole herd of Kine roaming outside the building. Arioch has a plan, Litefoot must replicate a call the Kine use to significate that one of them has found a watering hole. It should lead them away from the building and give Litefoot entry.
Mr. Wednesday pushes Jago’s head into the visor and straps him in. He turns on the machine and urges him to look into the world of the Kine before he destroyed it. Jago marvels at the sights in the projector, his voice becomes slurred as the eye worms begin to enter his head. Suddenly, the Kine in the room start to leave in a hurry as they make sounds like a cow mooing. Jago tells Mr. Wednesday that his friends have come to save him. But Mr. Wednesday assures him there won’t be anything left to save…
Litefoot is surprised to see their plan worked and they watch as the Kine shuffle away in droves. With their entry clear, Litefoot and Arioch barge into the Far-Seeing Room and demand Mr. Wednesday release Jago. Arioch using Litefoot’s voice identifies himself as the investigator that has been following him across the universe. Mr Wednesday realises that he up against a symbiote and relishes in killing it again. But Litefoot/Arioch holds Mr. Wednesday at gunpoint with a weapon not from Earth. Mr. Wednesday relents and does turn off the machine but tells him that there’s nothing left of Jago. Arioch instructs Litefoot to place his hand on Jago’s neck so he can transfer a part of himself inside Jago’s mind to cleanse him of the eye worms. He explains that they act as memory parasites, so he should be able to wipe them out. As Arioch works on cleansing Jago, Litefoot holds Mr. Wednesday at gunpoint and threatens to kill him should he try anything (neither he nor Arioch can claim who promised such violence). Mr. Wednesday however refuses to be captured like a criminal and places himself inside a Far-Seeing Machine and accelerates the process, which ruptures his cellular structure, reducing him to a pile of slop instantly.
Inspector Quick arrives on the scene, but Jago instructs Quick to not send his men inside lest they want to have nightmares. Quick stands his men down, but he notices Litefoot sitting far way from them.
Litefoot converses with Arioch in his head. With Mr. Wednesday dead, they still have the large number of Kine still wandering the streets. Arioch suggests they use the water hole call to lure all the Kine to a pipe and let them drink from it. Each drop will contain a small part of Arioch’s essence, who will then combat the eye worms and revert the humans back to normal in a few weeks, but the cost is that Arioch will never be able to completely reassemble. Arioch explains that this would be the best way for him to atone for his cowardice and gladly accepts his fate.
A few days later, Litefoot visits Jago at the New Regency Theatre. Litefoot confirms that Jago is slowly on the mend, but not completely yet as his voice is still slightly slurred. He also confirms that all the Kine have reverted to humans again, and Inspector Quick has overseen the destruction of Mr. Wednesday’s Far Seeing Machines. With the world safe once more, Litefoot invites Jago to dinner in the evening. Jago is surprised by his friend’s initiative and asks what’s on his mind…to which Litefoot states that he has nothing on his mind…not anymore…
