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.... Eric Cole let out a fatigued grunt and tried to focus on entering the newly compiled data into the Networks main files...
" Newly compiled data" Cole thought angrily to himself, shaking his head to clear the swimming spots as he banged the keys of his computer " same exact results as last time...a big fat nothing"
He leaned back from his desk rubbing his eyes, he'd been in charge of Project 66...project "Hellsgate" for a year now, and even now...he still wasn't sure what it was the Network hoped to accomplish..well...other than opening this " portal" this doorway into another realm.
Hell if Cole was to believe half of the gathered inteligence about what was on the other side ...he'd just as soon that " doorway" stay shut...permenatly.., the Lycans the Network had interogated a year ago had , under great direst, told stories of a " Vampire world"...a world that even then would occasionaly open up...spilling nameless horrors into this world...the Lycans had warned the agents who'd questioned them not to delve into attempting to " cross over"...and that's exactly what the Network turned around and did..
..Oh..there had been objections, Kraub himself had protested vehemently against , as he put it, " Inviting the devil into ones home"...but the Network heads had pushed it forward...and now here he was...on an isolated moutain..trying to do god knew what.
Cole didn't know for sure if there was a " vampire world" behind this...doorway...but there were surely Blood drinkers there...and powerful ones.
The Networks first attempt at opening the "gates" had resulted in...something...killing a dozen Djinn...and killing the so rapidly that even though Cole himself had reviewed the video over a hundred times...even frame by frame...the creature which had come out of that portal was still just a blur...a pale fanged shape...moving to fast for the eye to see..
Cole sighed again and returned to his keyboard...his unease growing..." Yeah.." he whispered as he typed " Network sanctioned or not...this is probably a really fething bad idea.."
He finished entering the results of the nights testing and lifted himself from his seat...staring out of his window again he muttered to himself once more..." Really bad idea.."

Upon opening the door , exhausted Florence falls to the floor.

A red veil covers his eyes. ARRGGGHHH he yells as he punches his fist through the floor.

Dam it. Lost control…

Looking around he takes in the apartment ounce again. Bare walls with the plaster falling off. A sofa that has springs sticking out of and a moldy old mattress with a steel suitcase at its head.

“Fething beautiful” he says.

Going over and sitting down on the mattress he opens the suitcase. Inside it is stocked with bags of morphine several bags of heroin and marijuana and finally underneath it all a picture.

A simple photo with himself and a young women in some sort of studio. The background was fuzzy but the two of the perfectly in focus. Her long black hair and his red. Her standing tall yet barley reaching his shoulder. Her pale white skin glowing with an unnatural iridescent beauty. The short red dress she was wearing and the tux clearly stretched over his massive frame. Her green eyes.

Putting the photo back in the case and closing it, Florence notices that he is crying.

“Who is that women?”
“Where did she come from?”
“What is going on?”

Curling up in a ball Florence falls into a fitful sleep haunted by those green eyes.

It had taken ten minutes for a ghoul to run out into the now blowing snow to tell Andy that he could send the slaves back into their homes for the day. The cold wind bit into him as he held his coat around him, he could see the slaves shoveling snow from the fields surrounding the house. He saw a figure standing near two sitting ones and decided to walk over to them to ask where he could find Andy, upon approach he saw that the two men that were sitting had their hands under their arm pits while the other one stood watch over them, a balaclava covering most of his face. The standing man wasn't shivering like the others, or even like how the ghoul was, "Slave, where's Bruss?" he said loudly to get his attention. The man turned and pulled the bottom of the mask below his mouth, "You're speaking to him."

The ghoul looked at the man and wondered how he could stand the cold, "Well are you just going to stand there and waste my time?" Andy asked the ghoul who remembered what he was supposed to say.

"Claudius says that you can take the slaves back in." he said before looking at the two sitting men, "Why aren't they doing anything?"

"Beginning to get frostbite, gloves not made for cold." Andy replied before turning away and pulling out a walkies-talkie, "Frederich, tell field three and four to go home. I'll tell fields one and two.".





Minutes later Andy was sitting in his house, jacket, balaclava, and boots off and hanging above the tub to let the snow drip off. He sat in front of the TV watching some news while drinking coffee, sure enough they were talking about a blizzard hitting the area and Andy shook his head. Wendy sat next to him, her head on his shoulder also watching the same thing. "So that was something different, she told you to get out there and here you are... what happened?"

"She was wrong," Andy said, "Gregory and Philipe got frostbite because she had to put her nose somewhere it doesn't belong. She thinks she owns us already.".

"Doesn't she kind of own us though?" Wendy asked.

"feth no," Andy said as he rubbed Wendy's arm, "she doesn't own us until Claudius is gone, and until then I'll follow his rules.". Andy readjusted himself, "To tell the truth, this is a pretty easy gig.".

Wendy looked at him, she could tell that he didn't love what was going on now, but she did now that he was willing to accept it as long as Claudius gave them everything he offered and seeing as though neither of them had eaten any of their kids it was a good sign. The first week they were there Claudius had made Andy head of the field slaves and put full responsibility of their results in his hands and Andy had performed incredibly well, not only meeting the goals given to him for the day but finishing weekly jobs one or two days early depending on how hard he wanted to work them. Andy had easily acclimated to his new line of work, but he felt that there was something missing, that something was true freedom. He wanted to be completely free, but that meant putting his family in greater harm.

"Do you really feel that way still?" Wendy asked him, "You get whipped every month for doing things before you were a slave.".

"It keeps us safe Wendy." Andy said with a smile as he set the coffee on an end table and sat up straight, "Besides, I'm doing the same thing I did for the network so I don't have to change my talents at all.".

"Smalls said that he liked working for Pontius and them, is that what you're saying?" Wendy asked with a small smile.

"You keep saying that, Smalls was a little bastard who did it for gold, and his own personal gain. Hopefully he's eating gak in hell as we speak!" Andy said loudly, Wendy enjoyed riling him up for some reason it made him seem tougher and more appealing to her. Ever since she had been turned she enjoyed seeing him angry and he knew it and enjoyed going along with it like a game. However Andy had gotten a little carried away and soon crying could be heard coming from their room, "gak, woke them up." Andy said as Wendy stood up and began to walk towards their room. "Don't worry Andy, we'll carry on with this later tonight." she said with a wink before disappearing into the room and then reappearing with the twins in the doorway. "Which one do you want, Vegas or Sven?" she asked.

"I guess Sven," Andy said as Wendy handed the infant over to him, "this isn't creepy right?"

"What, naming your son after the guy who killed his vampire mom or naming your daughter after the werewolf who turned you into one?" Wendy asked.

"Well," Andy began, "they..."

"I know they did a lot for us, and yeah its kind of weird because we knew them, but its a nice thing I think."

"Well, that's why they have middle names I guess." Andy said with a shrug and sat back down as Wendy got some bottles from the fridge to warm them up on the stove in a pot of water. It was still early in the morning, but they had already made their plans for the night and Andy looked down at his son with a smile. "You're going to be a little trouble maker aren't you?" he asked, "That's what your mom says anyways, but I think that might be because you're named after a certain someone.". The child blew a spit bubble seemingly in acknowledgement, Andy chuckled before being handed a warmed bottle. Carefully he shifted little Sven to his right arm and held the bottle with his left as the child greedily sucked down the liquid within. They never had any trouble eating and to Andy and Wendy it was a small blessing, they were good kids so far and it was a shame they were already slaves too.

As slender charles walked into his house,his wife walked up and kissed him. “you need to stop these walks,one day somethings gonna happen dear.” he gave a laugh.

“oh dear,you dont need to worry. Hows sophie and dany?” he asked as he walked into the living room and sat down,fixing his tie.

“asleep. And why you dressed so fancy dear? Seems odd to take a walk dressed like that.” luckily slender knew how to answer this.

With a smile,he said” I have a presentation tomorrow,so I must have just been thinking about it.” he turned on the TV,charles liked TV a lot. His wife brianna came over and started giving him a massage. Humans. Why so physical?

“oh dear,im sure you'll do fine. It cant be that hard to sell meat.” well its fun to try. he thought,a smile coming to his lips. It gave him an odd giddy feeling. “your kinda tense dear.” she leaned down and kissed his cheek. “im sure I can help with that.” slender had an inner conflict. Charles would gladly do it,but slender found the act vile. He thought of an excuse.

“try asking me once this presentation is done and off my mind.” his wife sighed,and let go,a faint smile on her lips.

“thats my charles,always trying to do his best,worrying he wont when he knows he will.” turning,she started walking off. “good night dear.”

“good night.” as she left,charles sighed. too close. Way too close. he thought,biting his lower lip. Mouths,so odd. After an hour or so,he took out his booklet and went over his plans. If it was accepted, meat man corps. Would become the only meat in las vega,and become a meat empire within 5 years. He smiled. His work,charles work. But charles wasn’t so smart. He didn’t have 300 years behind him like slender von maun. After sitting still for several hours,slender stood up. Showtime. Heading out the door,he gave a smile. He would enjoy this house,he hadn’t been a family guy in over 10 years.

As he arrived at work,he was greeted with nods and hellos. He gave some back. Entering the meeting room,he said his good mornings to all the hot shots sitting down.

“well then,lets get started.” he smiled. As he talked, he saw them gain more and more interest. As he talked about packaging and cheaper,more affective feed, he saw them smile,saw them growing hungry for the money this would bring. He felt their greed growing like a fire being fed. It was amazing just how greedy humans were. 310 years and he still didnt understand it. “and so, not only will you drive out any and all competition,but you will see a 40-56% increase in profit.” clapping erupted,people stood,and others shook his hand. Funny,3 hours of just talking made so many happy. “thank you.” he said to one of the hand touchy men. As he left the room,he straightened his tie. He loved his work. Seeing humans made him happy. Seeing how they react,how they think. So much more interesting than his damn kindred brothers. Their petty war with the wolves only got in slenders way. He had had to quit experiments many a time to slip away noticed,and it drove him mad. After a quick meal of a hobo,and a burning of the corpse,he entered his home. 2 preteen girls tackled him with love,throwing him to the ground.

“hi dad!” blond. Blond was sophie.

“hi sophie,hi dany!” he kissed both their heads,as was charles way.” guess what? Daddys getting a raise,a big raise.”

London: England
The rain pounded down onto the street as figures hurried about, A few stopped and went about their business. Carr headlights cut through the murk as vehicles passed.
One Large, Military looking vehicle, reminiscent of a Humvee painted in dark camouflage colors passed.
Not many people knew that a ‘crime’ was being committed only a few feet away and inside the van.
Inside the van was a veritable paramilitary fortress, in the back, several boxes of ammunition were stacked, as was a small cot with a bound and gagged man tied to it. The man was of a medium build with blonde hair and a black suit and tie, he had been relived of a miniature pistol which was now pointed at his head.
“That’s the second time this month. The Leeches are getting persistent.” Said the man who had the gun to the prisoner’s head, a short Hispanic fellow with a bit of a new Yorker’s accent.
“I know, we gotta bug outta here.” Said the man in the drivers seat. he looked fairly young, jus out of his teens, these features were covered at the moment by a wide-brimmed fedora. His eyes were glued to the road.
“aright, fine. but this time we have to cover our tracks, I don’t want that business in Singapore to happened all over again.”
The driver waved a hand vaguely, “Don’t worry, we have most of the contingencies covered.”
The Hispanic man looked unsure. “That’s what you said last time.”
The roads turned into country lanes and grasslands, farms dotting the rainy night. “Well who would have thought they would have set a morlock on us? Not me.”
The other glanced at the terrified man in the cot and gave him a kick. “I guess.” He muttered.
After a while of driving, the vehicle pulled into a windswept moor and stopped some miles off of the road.
The back door opened and the man in the cot was shoved roughly out by his captors.
The driver pulled a pistol from the fold s of his coat and shoved it against the prisoner’s head, he removed the gag.
“Say ‘Aaaah’” said the gunman.
The prisoner opened his mouth and a light was shined inside.
After a moment of inspection the gunman shook his head in disgust. “Ghoul.” He said.
“That’s all?” asked the Hispanic man, pulling his coat tighter around him to keep out the rain. “Pitiful.” he muttered as he walked back to the car and rummaged around in the trunk.
“Any last words?” asked the gunman.
The terrified ghoul was stuck mute with terror; it merely stared at the pistol.
“I’ll take that as a no.” said the gunman, and pulled the trigger. With a bang and a flash, the victim ragdolled into the air and crashed down into the mud, the gunman turned away from the corpse at his feet, pulled the fedora lower over his eyes and called out to the Hispanic man. “Ruiz, you got what we need?”
“Yeah.” Muttered the Hispanic man, several chain links, some chicken wire and a cinderblock in his hands as he carried them over.
It took a few minutes to truss the corpse up and wrap it I the wire, tie the cinderblock to it’s feet and drag it toward a nearby river.
One splash later, the pair of men reentered the car and drove off towards the city again.

Mwahaha! I don't need to be first to be awesome!

Player: The Kaiser
Character Name: Atlas Mirage
Age: Unknown, but looks around 20.
Appearance: Almost exactly like Dez, but a little darker. He still has the charm, but he doesn’t have the spark on his face, or the aura of goodness, for people always know when they see him, that he has had a rough ride.
Personality: Very easy to change at the slightest notice. Can be very serious, and mainly goes around looking after number 1, but he definitely knows the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong.
Equipment: SPAS 12, regenerative aid potions, Desert Eagle.
Backstory: Atlas only now knows his true life story. He never belonged to this world; he was in another when he was born. In the other world, Vampires rule supreme, and he was born in secret, to a small pack of wolves, who just tried to live, unknown to the Vampire community. Eventually these wolves were found, and wiped them off the face of the earth. Atlas however, ran in the battle, for he was only a young pup, and would have made no difference to the battle. He ran, as far away as he could, on the run from the Vampires who had murdered his pack. One day they caught up, but he doesn’t remember anything else, except from a dark light consisting of shadows, and a thousand deaths in hell.
Other: He is the Crooked World version of Dez, but has only just found that out. Extremely versatile fighter.

Major NPC: Valentin Rusmanov
Age: ??? He estimates around 1900
Appearance: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?q=Russian+businessman&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1024&bih=673&tbm=isch&tbnid=ygzURSDGqPaXeM:&imgrefurl=http://rt.com/news/businessman-stars/&docid=WO4PLA9Y3fiEYM&w=370&h=277&ei=xyyHTsq7Ec208QP749VC&zoom=1
Personality: Cold, arrogant, does not care about any other life than his own, he only saves somebody if he sees it will benefit him to.
Equipment: The Ripper(sword infused with dark magic’s), various magic potions.
Backstory: Valentin has had many different lives, but is most famously known (by those who know) for living the life of Jack the Ripper. Truth be told, he only did it because he was bored.
He is feared, and sometimes respected among many different people, but everybody knows his goals are certain, but his means are confused by many.
He lives in a town entirely populated by Vampires, and he owns it all, but most recently he has been called for help against his most annoying foe, the wolf Natasha, by somebody called Dez…
Other: Very intimidating (in battle)

Name: Dez Blue
Age: 20
Race/Affiliation: Werewolf/Lunar Brotherhood
Physical Description: Tall, handsome, spiky blonde hair, serious.
Equipment: Possesses a Desert Eagle and a SCAR-H Assault Rifle. Has a Vampire talisman. A silver cross pendant left from his father.
Backstory: His parents were killed when he was 10 years old by "unknown forces" when he was out with a friend. He mourned for ages. And he was left to live with his uncle. His uncle taught him about the Werewolves and Vampires that roam this world when he came of age, and was ready to learn about the harsh truths, and that it was his duty to defend the city against them. He accepted this duty with great pride. One day, he found a young homeless woman on the street, and fell for her. Her name was Rachel. He brought her into his home, and she followed him to be a Hunter.
When he was called to aid the Hunters in Empire City, his life fell into pieces. When the Vampires attacked the Hunter farm when he was not around, they killed his dear Uncle, who was his only piece of family he had left. Then, later on, when he was helping Vegas in a fight against some Werewolves, one managed to bite him in the leg, and he was turned. Vegas didn't have the heart to kill him. He hopes that Vegas had told Rachel he was dead, as he didn't want her to know what he had now become.
Then he met Carl Johnson, the leader of the Lunar Brotherhood. They are a small collection of Werewolves who refuse to believe they are destined to be creatures of evil, and instead try to rid the world of evil forces, such as other Wolves, and Vampires. They are not allowed to harm humans of any kind, apart from corrupted and evil people, who they can feed on. He has now joined them, and he hopes for a better life. Though he cannot forget the events in Empire City.
In Prague, he learnt that Carl was actually his father, and also a Pureblood, which struck him hard. He fought many hard battles, lost Rachel, his father, and the Brotherhood was almost completely destroyed. He also found an mysterious ally in a wolf called Atlas, who he has only just found out is his Crooked World version. All this has happened, yet he fights on.
He goes on, only for one goal.
He must kill Natasha.
Other: Atlas’ double in the real world, but much lighter.

BIC:………..Light in the Darkness: part 1………………..

The raging waves battered against the unmoving rocks. Continuing the eon long struggle between earth and water. No emotion, no reason. Only the relentless battering of two opposites under an eternal night sky. On top of the centuries old land stood a long weathered tower. It seemed unnatural compared to the rest of the empty region. Grey moss thriving in the dark moist corners. The white and red bricks showing what it was used for a long time ago. A lighthouse. A beacon of hope for the men at sea. But no light had shone from the top since the darkness fell. Nevertheless, if one would have stood on the damp stones that very moment, they could have seen a small bright red dot hovering in the air.

Vegas leaned against the rusted leaning. Inhaling the precious smoke of the burning tobacco. The smoke burned in her weary lungs. Vegas was a young woman. In earlier times people would have said that she still had her whole life ahead of her. She would just have finished law school at Harvard. And would have a bright future with her desired partner. Her father and sister lovingly by her side. But if you glanced at her tattered clothes, her unwashed skinny body, brown hair sticking together and some even defying gravity. Then you would see that this wasn’t the future for her. No, long ago the Vampirii stole the future right out of everyone’s hands. The only future you had, was seeing how long you could survive.

Hot smoke slowly circled away from her dry lips, disappearing into the night. Vegas rubbed her pale hands together trying to reheat her numb fingers. The light had been gone for so long, that most of the people didn’t even remembered how it used to be. Too see vibrant colours jumping through breathtaking forests. To see wildlife stalking through the grass, playing by the rules of nature. Now, everything was dark, grey and brown. People were as pale as worms. Forests were no more than burial places of organic compounds. The few remaining animals as hungry as their owners. The world was a destroyed lifeless dessert, inhabited by things of fairytales and incomprehensible madness. There was no point in remembering how it used to be. There was no solution to be found in history. But Vegas liked to imagine the past, no matter how much pain she felt when her eyes opened once again.

And sometimes she would dream about things that didn’t happened. These dreams started happening a year ago. Ever since James had fished her out of the sea. At first they were weird and scarce. There was no coherent line in these dreams, just bits and pieces. Like a small infant throwing all his toys trough the room. But as the time carried on they became clearer and regular. She saw thing that weren’t real, and could never had happened. She discarded these dreams, thinking she was slowly going mad. And she wouldn’t be the first. Flashes of an old man beating his skull against a concrete wall, rampaged her memories. Constantly repeating the same thing. “there is always light in the darkness.” Vegas inhaled the last of the small cigarette, throwing the remains into the depth. Her dreams showed her a world of light, were people still laughed and danced. But they were just dreams, and the old man was wrong. Light had abandoned this world long ago. And soon the tobacco would follow, Vegas sorely thought as she glanced at her two remaining cigarettes.

The sound of static filled the air, destroying the soothing sound of the waves and wind. Vegas pulled the horn of the radio, this was what she had been waiting for. “Monk for Vegas….Please come in.” the voice said, barely hearable above the static. “Vegas, here.” She replied. “The train just left town.” Vegas smiled as she placed the horn back. “Matt, get ready to move out!” she shouted. A head appeared, hanging down from the roof. His scruffy cap falling onto the floor. “Did we receive the Call?” Matt asked, a soft smile lingering from his lips. Vegas regretted the fact that he was here. People who could smile where so rare these days. But he was the only one that knew something about radios. It was the only reason she hadn’t send him back, when they had met a few months back.

They found him cornered by two ghouls, Matt trying to defend himself with nothing but a brick clutched in his hands. His backpack thrown on the ground, transistors and wires scattered everywhere. He begged Vegas to take him in her group. He wanted to help, and his skills were convenient. Although Vegas wasn’t sure if she kept him around, just for his smile. A memory of what could have been.

Matt placed his cap back on his head, blond hair peeking out. His eyes filled with excitement. He placed the antenna, he had been holding up for the past two hours in its compartment. No complaint came over his tongue. He did everything, as long as he could help. The radio also quickly disappeared in his bloated backpack. “Ready.” He stated. “Well, lets get moving then.” She commanded as they started their run towards the rendez-vous point. Leaving the Lighthouse behind, to continue his lonely watch over the sea.

Hey, FITZZ! So, I had some spare time, and made an alternate Blood Moon Logo using Photoshop. Hopefully you like it.

@Chowder

That looks great.

edit: But you forgot to add: 'The' before 'Wages of sin'

Working on a post...

... got 837 words so far...

1 year, eh? That’s a lot of time to cover…

… oh well, I’ll try…

6 Months Ago

Atlas walked down a cold street, in the village of London, rain battering down on him. He pulled his coat across him to keep him covered; he didn’t really like the rain, which was absolutely perfect, him being In England.
He cursed quietly, but continued to walk down the road, away from his flat, and towards the outskirts of the city, to meet somebody. The guy’s name was Steve, and his research had shown him to be connected with Natasha, and that he used to be in her pack, but went rogue, and apparently she cared a lot. He must have been important for her to care so much.

Of course, all this information was from the Necromancer archives. Those damned people seem to know everything, but at least they shared it all, whereas Dez, he liked to keep quiet now, and kept to himself in his office, constantly searching for places where Natasha may be, and his research, coupled with the Necromancer archives, showed there to be a link to her here, in London. So they sent him to find out as much as he could, look around, find Steve, and that is what he had been doing. And this night, he’d finally be able to talk to him.

He cursed again, but kept on walking through the rain.

**************************************************************************************

“I said hold on, dammit! I’m almost there!” Steve moaned as he undid all the latches on his door, but hearing more banging, and returning angrily.

He was a rather plump man, with an unshaven face, and he was also going bald, but he was also rather muscular, although he never needed the muscles.

“Aww, feth you! Be patient you ass! I’m almost- Jesus!”

A gun had been put to his forehead as soon as the door had swung open, and he immediately regretted all that he had said.

“What? Are you MI5 or something!? Please! Just tell me what I did, I didn’t do anything! Promise! I promise!”

“Are you Steve Bachel?” the man in the black coat asked, almost without emotion.

“Uhh, yes. But I haven’t done anything wrong! I swear!” Steve answered, sweat dripping down his face.

The man put away the gun in his jacket immediately, and shook Steve’s hand, leaving him utterly shocked. He could see his face clearly now, and he was a rather handsome young man, blonde hair, spiked at the front, but also with a slightly darker presence, which Steve just could not quite place.

“Pleased to meet you, my name’s Atlas Mirage, we need to have a chat.”

Steve stood still, speechless, before returning to reality, and leading Atlas into the living room. He made them both a cup of tea, and sat down with Atlas, waiting for him to talk.

“Okay, Steve, before we start I would like to say that if you try any funny business, I’ll pull out my gun on you as fast as I put it in, you understand?” he asked, deadly serious.

“Yeah, of course,” Steve said, nodding his head in agreement.

“Good, I just wanted to establish that,” Atlas said, taking a cautious cup of his tea. “Now, I’m gonna ask you some questions, and I want you to answer truthfully. First, are you a Werewolf?”

Steve opened his mouth, aghast, before shaking out of it, literally, and replying.

“Um, yes. How do you know this?”

“I know a lot of things. Secondly, did you used to work for someone called Natasha? The Queen?”

“Yes, I was in her pack,” Steve answered, utterly confused. “But I don’t think she would like to see me again after I left. I was quite important at that time.”

“Good, good,” Atlas said coolly, giving himself time to take another sip of his tea. “And, thirdly, do you know where she is at the time?”

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t.”

“Then,” Atlas sighed, taking a huge gulp of his tea before standing up, and going to leave. “I am wasting my time here. Good day.”

“Wait!” Steve called, turning around, to look at him. “I want that bitch Queen to suffer as much as possible, that’s why I left, because she was a crazy bitch. If you are trying to get to her, I want to help as much as possible. I don’t know where She is, but I know somebody who probably will.”

“Probably?” Atlas asked, turning back.

“If she doesn’t, nobody does,” Steve admitted.

Atlas paused for a second, regarding what was just said, before smiling a dark smile.

“Excellent, let’s go.”

************************************************************************************

Atlas let Steve go to fetch his car, so he could bring it round the front of the house, to pick him up.
It was rather dark now, must’ve been around 12 at night, and Atlas was tired, but his instincts were still highly active.

“You know I can smell you Valentin, the pills don’t affect my senses you know,” he said loudly.

A figure appeared to his right, a man who looked to be in his late twenties, with a long black leather coat, and a Russian officer’s cap.

“Well, I suppose I can try,” he said with a slight Russian accent. “I thought about what would happen if I snuck up on you while I was mist, and the results were fantastic. Shame it didn’t work in real life, I suppose I should have just stayed as far back as possible.”

“So, Dez has got you spying on me now had he?”

“You can’t really blame him. These days are ones filled with treachery and betrayal, and he’s been through enough of it already.”

“As justified as it may be, I don’t appreciate it; I would rather you just stayed with me in person, not mist. Anyway, I could use the help and intimidation you offer.”

“Of course, you ask for my help and so I shall give it. As long as we reach the goal I desire,” Valentin said, moving forward, to stand right beside Atlas.

“We all share you goal, Valentin. You should have no worry of that.”

Then, as soon as the last word came out of Atlas’ mouth, a car appeared from beside the house, and came around to stop In front of them both. It wasn’t anything special, just a normal Honda which wasn’t too bad, but it would serve the purpose.
The window wound down, and Steve leant over to talk through it.

“Atlas, we’re ready to go, step in,” he said calmly, before noticing Valentin standing beside the young man. “And who’s this?”

“A friend,” Atlas replied, opening the door, and taking a seat in the car. “Let’s move.”

Heh, I was wondering exactly how you'd work out a Vampire/wolf alliance there Kais....not bad...not bad at all, seems they're less " friends" and more " we have a common enemy".

removed

( Natasha...before losing her eye)

... She had returned to the Keep barely 20 minutes ago and had been greeted by Mercer and a contingent of The Black Claw upon her arrival...
Mercer had voiced his concerns about her going off into the forest with out escort, but the Queen quickly dismissed his comments " If I am unable to venture out alone in my own territories Mercer...then I would be unfit to lead " She had replied.
The Black Claw officer had nodded, knowing that the Queen was more than a match for even a whole kill squad of leeches...after all...had she not lived for a thousand years?...and had she not spent most of that times locked in battle against the cursed blood suckers.

She now moved casualy through the keeps lower levels, frowning slightly at the sterility of the walls around her...though far more imppenatrable than any of her mansions, the fortress lacked any...personality...yes, that was the word...
It was simply a cold...impersonal facility...a structure of steel and thick concrette ...nothing more than a sprawling fortress against the multitude of dangers that lurked beyond the walls...
Natasha frowned...she was growing weary of playing a defensive game, for a year now...her people had remained cautious...striking out against the enemies of her kind ferociously on occasion..but by and large relying more on stealth than on claw..she admitted to her self that she would much prefer a full on fight...but for the protection of her kin and kind...she would continue to bide her time...continue to use her great cunning as well as her savegery to ensure her peoples existance..and eventual dominance ...she knew that now was the time for cunning...but oh...how she longed to once again face the king leech...to tear his arrogant heart from his cold dead body.

... She entered her personal chambers, smiling slightly at the more comfortable surroundings...slipping from her clothing she cast an eye toward Mia and Mya,, her twin consorts who lay dozing in the huge master bed..
" Time for ...enjoyments later" she thought as she moved to seat herself behind a huge antique oaken desk, delicately bringing her computer to life...
She still marveled at this technological wonder...why, with the stroke of a few keys...she could have access to information and knowledge that only a scant hundred years ago would have been almost unheard off for most..
The Queen smirked, " Stupid Cattle" she thought " They truly have no grasp off the world around them...so pathetic...so..self involved and short sighted"...she shook her head as her elegant fingers danced across the keys, pulling up her personal files...smiling at the reports she was reciving from those loyal to her from around the world...most of the dispatched traitor Carl's foolish " Brotherhood" had been hunted into oblivion...one last minor annoyance for her to concern herself with...which pleased her...as she had no time to bother swating at gnats when dealing with real enemies must be her primary concern...

She finished reading the reports and stood, stretching her muscular form and sighing,...again her gaze fell to the slumbering pair on her bed and...with a decadent smile...she slipped between the cool sheets.

EDIT:...And just because I know someone...sooner or later will ask...here are Mia and Mya...

Meh, not crazy about the photo, but it's the closest I could find ...if I come across anything more fitting I'll swap it out.

FITZZ wrote: Meh, not crazy about the photo, but it's the closest I could find ...if I come across anything more fitting I'll swap it out.

Yeah I wondered about that...I just tried to imagine the first pic of Natasha with an eyepatch or some sort of cloth around that eye...

do it in photoshop?

WARORK93 wrote:

FITZZ wrote: Meh, not crazy about the photo, but it's the closest I could find ...if I come across anything more fitting I'll swap it out.

Yeah I wondered about that...I just tried to imagine the first pic of Natasha with an eyepatch or some sort of cloth around that eye...

Something sort of like this...

FITZZ wrote:

Something sort of like this...

*gasp* natasha is a broken image! id never guess that!

lord commissar klimino wrote:

FITZZ wrote:

Something sort of like this...

*gasp* natasha is a broken image! id never guess that!

Hmm, The image shows up on my computer.

just open the image in a new tab.

works decently.

ineptus astartes wrote:just open the image in a new tab.

works decently.

did just that. dont like the look,but thats just my opinion.

EDIT: ah,he fixed it.

Player- Mordoskul
Character- Pontius of House Brutii
Race- Brutii (Dyybuk)
Coven- Court of the Crimson King
Physical Description- Pontius, like the rest of his race, is pale and attractive, with short dark hair. He has a strong Roman nose, and smells of oil.
Equipment- Pontius carries a gladius made of iron on his person at all times, as well as a garnet ring given to him by Cain himself shortly before his disappearance.
Backstory- Shortly after the reign of Caesar, Pontius was Embraced by the reborn Brutus himself, making him his Childe. After Brutus left this world for the World Tree, Pontius became a noble in what is today Germany, later fighting in the Crusades. During the Great War, Pontius fled to Africa, with many of his 'children', where he encountered the Obayifo, the Vampires of Africa. Pontius kept himself hidden for decades, gathering followers and assets in the American metropolis of Empire City. Bending the Kindred within the city to his will, Pontius became Empire City's Prince, ruling with an iron fist, executing those Vampires foolish enough to leave evidence of their meals. When the local lycanthropes began murdering the citizenry, Pontius took note, and began preparing for the inevitable conflict. Meeting in secret with Nero the Mad, the Roman planned his next move, gathering dark forces to his side for a brutal, but subtle war. Learning from his fellow Ancient that Rasputin the Sage was being held in the farm country surrounding Empire City, Pontius made haste to the small farmhouse. Questioning the Russian mystic, Pontius learned that the Sage had lied to him on the subject of Cain's return. In a legendary fury, Pontius dragged the sorcerer outside, where he was crucified on a post used for hanging scarecrows. Being of the Kindred, Rasputin would be unable to survive long in the glare of the sun, save for the fact that he wore the Amulet of Osiris, an artifact that regenerated flesh in the blink of an eye. Pontius intended for the Sage to suffer for weeks as his meat melted and swirled back together, eternally in a flux of gristle and bone. Leaving the farmhouse and taking the two Opriknikki guards with him, Pontius returned to his lair to plot. Later, one of his carriers was intercepted by the Cattle, forcing Pontius to retrieve the artifact she carried himself. Already hot from Rasputin's lies, the Ancient stalked into the Police Office, his choler up. The Roman tore the officer at the desk in twain, but fell short of retrieving the item he came for, returning to his sanctum smoldering with rage. For hours, the Roman dismembered thralls with his bare hands, drinking deep of their Vitae before creating gory works of art with their innards, which were later framed and hung with care. As a city-wide manhunt began for the murderers, Pontius called for Oliver Lane, the famed Blade of the Covens, who stole away into the Police Office and murdered the carrier and retrieved what his master had sought; the Blade of Ages, a kris forged by a race far older than the Humanii made to kill those of the blood of Cain. Days later, Detective Pinkerton came across the crucified form of Rasputin, whose screams caused one of the officers to madness. Pinkerton impaled the mewling man-meat with a spear of wood, placed him in the car, and drove off in search of his new allies. The allies in question were agents from the Network, sent to investigate the bizarre murders, which they correctly thought to by the work of werewolves. In the days that followed, a careless lycanthrope was caught on camera making a kill, the tape falling into the hands of Matthew Crossman, a reporter with no morality, who planned to sell the tape to the highest bidder. During what was later known as the Center, a four-way battle between werewolves, Network agents, police officers, and the servants of Pontius, each of whom sought to see the tape destroyed. In the end, the tape was destroyed, as werewolves led by Musatei tore Crossman apart. In the end, nearly all of the officers, both federal and state, lie dead or dying, with the animus of Pontius controlling Federal Agent Nash like a puppet of meat and bone. In the days that followed, Oliver killed over seven officers in the safety of their own homes, even going so far as to stroll into Pinkerton's house, leaving subtle clues to the intrusion. Later, the young lycanthrope known only as 'Atlas' killed Musatei in a bloody duel that saw them both dead, but left the Pack without an Alpha. Elsewhere, Lillith began to make her way to Empire City, an event that caused Pontius no small amount of worry. Competition was the last thing he needed at a time like this. As the days flowed on, the Ancient Longinus Embraced Pinkerton, trussed him like a prize hog, and dumped him in the front of the Police Station as a warning. Pontius was livid when this was revealed to him, and desperately attempted to pin the blame on the Network as Nash. The attempt failed, but bought Pontius enough time to prepare for the coming storm. Thanks to the actions of the Gladiator, the Cattle knew that the Kindred existed, something Pontius could not allow. Sending Oliver and the Opriknikki to execute the Ancient, the Roman was forced to quit the body of Nash when the Network stepped into the station with Vampire-slaying relics, returning to his base in the Ordo Dracul Chapter House. Longinus was killed, but at the cost of Oliver being sent into Slumber, nearly having his neck severed by the Gladiator's fangs. As the final pieces came together, Pontius ordered thralls to incite riots and start great fires, drowning Empire City in a tide of violence. Releasing a horde of Larvae onto the streets, the city soon became a slaughter house, with hundreds dead in the course of several days. However, Pontius and his servants were nowhere to be seen, having left North America for Prague, where they took residence in the reality-warping Crooked House, where the witch Black Anise showed them to an ornate room filled with the trappings of royalty. Seated on a great throne made of minute images of shrieking and fearful Humanii was non-other than Cain, Father of the Race of Vampyre. Working quickly to establish himself over the rest of the Kindred, Cain called for the ironic crucifixion of Judas Iscariot, who had ruled in his stead for over a thousand years, yet had abused his power and drove off Cain's supporters. Sending forth Tommy Rawhead to cause panic and terror, allowing Kindred agents to take control of Prague and the surrounding territory. However, Pontius was not the only one to flee to Prague, and Natasha, the Bitch Queen, and her ilk had already laid claim to the benighted city. Beyond the cursed lupines, the Network had arrived, along with Pontius' old enemy, Andy Bruss. Seeking to punish him for the damage he caused in Empire City, Pontius sent Smalls to capture his wife Wendy, and her unborn child. Oliver later contacted Andy, taunting him with their captive. Andy agreed to perform several Unspeakable Tasks in return for Wendy, the first of which was the crippling of the Lunar Brotherhood, a band of werewolves working in Humanity's best interests. The slaughter was tremendous, and many lupines were felled by silver rounds and blades. However, Miranda, the cell leader, was killed in the conflict, thus fulfilling the Second Task which called for her death. Satisfied, Oliver told Andy that the final task was at hand, and he was to take his cell to the Crooked House that night. Andy obliged, and that night, he stepped into the cursed place with his companions. The final task was simple enough, the removal of Andy's left hand. Severing the limb upon a white altar in Pontius' study, Andy witnessed his wife step from behind an alcove. Pontius had Embraced her, his final and most painful trick upon the mortal. The golem had been created just for this purpose, and as Wendy sank her fangs into the simulacra, it was destroyed, and Andy wailed in pain the psychic connection was severed. Pontius screamed in rage at the breaking of the deal, and entered a frenzy, charging downstairs to kill the damned Humanii. In the battle that followed, Pontius was slain, and his ashes interred within an urn. However, his mind remained very much alive. Within a day, Pontius had become a Dyybuk, a Kindred spirit that feeds off dreams. Possessing Father Nakizy, he led the Six Fingered Hand on a crusade against the Network, seeking to finally kill Bruss. As the boat bearing Bruss and his companions sailed into the distance, a powerful force slammed into Pontius, who was very nearly driven from the priest's body. The force was Sven, a powerful mage who perished in the Crooked House, and sought to avenge himself upon the Prince. The battle inside Nakizy's head was fierce, and Pontius was forced to flee or be destroyed. Now, he floats among the dreams of mortals, waiting for the chance to be born again.
Location/Resources- Pontius currently dwells within the Crooked House.
Virtue- Industria, Pontius plans in advance, ensuring that every factor is accounted for.
Vice- Superbia, Pontius vastly underestimates the Cattle, seeing them as far beneath his attention, a trait that may prove to be his downfall.
Other info- Pontius despises werewolves as degenerate savages, fit only for a bit of sport before disposing of them.
Spells- Master's Lure, Crimson Mist, Dyybuk abilities

as charles tucked in blond sophie and brown haired dany,he gave them a kiss on the head,as was charles way. Slender smile inside, having already learned a lot from this experiment. What he still didn’t understand,was that thing humans had. Love. As he walked out of the kids room,closing the door behind him,he kept thinking,trying to discover an explanation for it,but could find none. Sitting on the couch,he stared at the screen,which suddenly turned off. Suddenly,charles wife brianna sat next to him,and as he turned to look at her,she kissed him. It last about a minute. As she pulled away,she grabbed his arm and started leading him away against his will.

Slender layed there,thinking,with briannas arm around him and her breath hitting his neck. As he mentally saw it was time for work,he slipped out of the bed and got dressed. making sure his shoulders were dusted and his tie was straight,he headed out. He had plans for today. Flipping out charles phone,he called in saying he wouldn’t be at work today. Unsurprisingly they said it was fine. As he headed for his warehouse sweet warehouse, something caught his eye. A couple was kissing down the street. He watched,taking mental notes. When they stopped,he nodded and walked into the alley.

As he sat down in his chair,he said to nothing “physical. That’s what love is. They love to be physical and this 'love' allows them to touch.” nodding,he flipped open his booklet and scratches love off the mystery list. After checking over a few more note, he looked over his list. He had time,but the sooner he chose his next business life,the better. After some thought he shrugged and put up his booklet, and grabbed the portable DVD played next to him. As he was about to turn it on,he heard something outside. He listened. 3 men,one women. Hoodlum,was the name that came to mind. Outcasts, pests,etc. He didn’t care about them,but he didn’t want them around his home either. Stepping out of a window,he landed in front of them,which seemed to shock them...all except the female.

Bowing,he said “hello. Please leave of ill eat you.” they all stared at him,then laughed...except the female.

“no way dude,we claim this land for the 3s gang.” the punk guy pulled out a knife,and the other 2 picked up heavy blunt poles. “now scram suit.” now,slender didn’t get angry by much,but assaulting his suit was a bad idea. He lost his composer,eye showing his anger as he charged. One second he was a good 10 feet away,the next his hands were in the middle guys chest,sucking out his innards. He didn’t replace charles skin though,he still had experimenting to do with charles. As the guy fell over drained,the other 2 dropped their poles and ran screaming.

“wow! That was cool! What are you? How did you do that?” he turned. The female grabbed his hand and started examining it. Slender was dumb struck. Humans had never been happy when they saw what he was,they always either tried running in fear or tried to kill him. is this girl a kindred? he though,but quickly pushed the idea away. She would’ve killed him by now if she was. Pulling his hand away from her,he straightened his tie.

“im a totenmaske, hated by everything and loved by even less.” he turned,and started walking back inside,carrying his victim to burn. After trowing the remain in the furnace and sitting down,he looked up only to get the girls face an inch from his. He blinked. She smiled.

“your cool! Whats your name.” he sat for a minute. She was harmless,but odd.

Straightening his tie,he said “slender von maun,but currently charles. Now,may I ask why your still here and not running in fear?” he was really getting curious about this woman who showed no human thought process.

“cause why would I fear you? If you were going to kill me id be dead. Im sarah by the way.” slender smiled. He got an idea. An experiment. This girl was odd,and cold be useful to him.

“good to meet you sarah. Say,how would you like to learn about the underworld?” her eyes gleamed.

“id love too!”

Waking up the next morning was hell on earth. With aches all over his body and the haze returning to his eyes he knew he had to feed. Yet with the sun up this was not the best idea. Realizing that he was still soaked in the blood of his kill from two nights ago he decided to take a shower. Walking down the hall toward the communal shower in the abandon apartments he again marveled at the place. With the plaster that ounce might have been a sky blue going a sickly gak green and the floorboards all threatening to give out at any moment, he realized just how alone he truly was. He could go to the top of the building and do a nose dive into the cement and he doubted that anyone would find him. Consumed in this thoughts he was about to open the door to the, what ounce would have been a communal bathroom, when he heard a noise behind the door. Dropping to a crouch he silently stood, listening.

“Whoa man!!! There are unicorns on the ceiling man!!” Said the voice behind the door.

Slowly bending down further he put his eye to the keyhole and looked through. There on the floor of HIS bathroom sat some punk ass kid surrounded by needles and half empty bags of shrooms. With his unkempt black hair wearing nothing but a wife beater and pants, he lay against the bathtub making goggle eyes at the ceiling.

With a wicked grin Florence slowly opened the door and stepped into the bathroom.

“Whoa Man a Vampire riding a unicorn… this is one fethed up trip.” Could be heard through the door as it swung shut.

Click went the door as it closed. Then the tearing of human flesh and the spray of blood cascading out of a body was barley heard over the tortured screams of pain coming fro this boy. Then a sharp crack and all went silent ounce again.

FITZZ wrote: Heh, I was wondering exactly how you'd work out a Vampire/wolf alliance there Kais....not bad...not bad at all, seems they're less " friends" and more " we have a common enemy".

Why, thank you kind sir, I do try...

... so yeah, they may have a joke with eachother, but they are not really friends, just allies, as they do not particularly like eachother, they just feel as if there can be advantages of working together to take down Natasha...

Alex grumbled to himself as he started the car. It wasn't that he was unhappy, not really, he just had a neutral outlook when it came to things like this, it didn't help that Harlow tried to turn these missions into field trips, acting as if the entire thing was all for sport. Alex stopped himself there as the convoy rolled out into the streets. He realized, not for the first or last time, that Harlow did view these missions as sport, as fun, Alex found that unprofessional but the man's track record spoke for itself. That didn't mean Alex had to like it and he usually did let Harlow know how he felt when he did speak. But it was no matter, the older wolf treated it like another game.

That train of thought made Alex think about his and Harlow's own working relationship, his life hadn't been the same since he'd met Harlow a year ago. No, ever since then it had been something more than it had been before, and in the end, that's all Alex really wanted. So what if he was stoic? That was just who he was. Alex smirked a bit as he remembered one of the things the older wolf liked to tell him.

"You remind me a lot of myself before I met ya; wound up, uptight, overly paranoid. Loosen up, this is the only life ya got, live it."

Of course Harlow was a man of few words himself but Alex rarely spoke and he really didn't see a problem with that. It was then that Harlow's last words echoed in his mind

"How's it feel to have finished something you started?"

He sighed and looked to the heavy briefcase sitting next to him in the passenger seat of his Mustang. The case was still locked, just like the day he'd found it, he thought it astounding that no being had yet been able to open the thing yet, it was unpickable, nigh on indestructible, anything that would be powerful enough to open it without the key or whatever was needed to unlock it would undoubtedly destroy its contents which Alex had no idea what was inside it. He knew it had to be important though, he knew it had to be deadly important, dozens of men had fought over it, more had died. Hell, it was the first time he'd seen the thing in a year...

-------------------

Chicago, a year earlier...

Harlow had been moving around a lot, ever since he had joined Natasha's private army he'd been busy and that wasn't something he disliked. It had been a pleasant surprise to learn that after the battle at the mansion, the queen's resources were still nearly unlimited which Harlow figured shouldn't come as a surprise but it was still good to know he was batting for a team that had things going for it. The past couple of weeks had been spent gathering intel and doing general shadow work, something Harlow excelled at because of his past experience in it. Because of that specialty, Harlow had carved his own niche into the Queen's forces, becoming the director of her eyes and ears so to speak...

And today, or should he say tonight as the sun had already fallen, he and a pack of the Queen's men had been dispatched to investigate a tip from an informant about a possible gathering of Kindred or at least some of their ghoul stooges. Harlow throttled his bike and the SUV followed him down the brightly lit streets of the city where people still walked along the sides. The rendezvous point was a bar in the housing district across the city, Harlow supposed it would be quiet enough around those parts this late at night but he knew if things went ass end up his team would have to make a quick getaway and he expected them to go that way because he had good sources that told him what he was dealing with. He looked around the city as he drove through it; he realized that this was the first time he'd been in the city since that one visit with a man named Alexander more than a hundred years ago. Man how time flew was all he could think...

He had the team park the vehicles in a lot behind the bar so as not to raise suspicion. As soon as all five of them had gathered together, weapons in hand, Harlow told them what was going to happen.

"Easy stuff, go in, kill anything that smells like death, clean up, leave, questions?" He asked sternly.

"How do you know who's in there?" One of the wolves asked.

"Intel, got a tip from an informant." Harlow replied.

"Yeah, and where'd the informant get the intel eh?" Another wolf asked. Harlow scowled, he had been here for just a few weeks and he was leading this gig. Needless to say, some of the wolves under Natasha who had been here for years and were now subject to his command were a bit miffed...

Let em suck it up was Harlow's opinion. Harlow lowered his head and bared his teeth ever so slightly, his own personal way to show displeasure or thinly veiled anger.

"Do I need to tell her majesty that you refused to do her bidding?" He asked lowly, that shut up the naysayers quickly. Harlow spat in satisfaction. "Right then, you two take the back entrance, the rest go in the front, lets shake it." Harlow said and turned to go into the bar.

The two teams split up, Harlow approached the front door of the small brick building with his hand on his revolver as he reached the door he looked about a bit...and hesitated. He had the most curious sense of deja vu, finally with a look at the building in front of him it came to him. This used to be the exact lot were Alexander's old apartment building was. The city had obviously shifted and moved through the years but Harlow was certain this was it. As he looked off into space, the wolf next to him tapped him on the shoulder and Harlow was snapped from his reverie. He pulled out one of his revolvers and nodded to one of the other wolves who whispered something into a headset and kicked the door to the bar in. The bar room was empty and dark except for a single light bulb that hung down from the ceiling and cast an eerie glow on the bar room. The bar had obviously been closed and Harlow knew something was immediately wrong when they had entered to find nobody. Faintly, Harlow heard the other team entering the back door and could see flashlights dancing around the backroom as the other two wolves swept the building. It quickly became apparent that the building was empty though and Harlow scowled, whoever this informant had been, he had been way off and that pissed Harlow off. He angrily sent the other wolves around the building to make sure nobody was here and went over to the bar. He had sat behind many bars in many countries in his life and this one was no different. Alcohol bottles lined the walls and taps could be found at the center, he was just so frustrated---

A tap? A creak? What had that noise been? Harlow's gun was out and he scanned the bar for something to point it at. He sniffed and to his surprise got a snort of a slight lycan presence that was not his own or any of his men's, he had been expecting the deathly smell of kindred or ghoul. Harlow's eyes darted and he slowly leaned over the bar to see if anyone was hiding behind it. As he was concentrating on the bar, something drove gently into the small of his back. Harlow slowly stood back up and put his pistol on the bar and put his hands on his head.

"Good, now turn around slowly." The voice said. Harlow now smelled the scent fairly strongly, how had this wolf gotten by him and four other wolves? Harlow knew how bad a position he was in but he didn't dare show it on his face as he turned to face the intruder who prodded him with a gleaming nickle plated pistol. The wolf reached forward and took Harlow's pistol from his holster and put it on the table next to him. He then looked back at Harlow who had to try hard not to laugh at his haircut and general appearance, the guy looked like a Native American who had tried to pull off the biker look. By this time the other wolves had noticed what was going on and had moved in, forming a circle around the man pointing the gun at Harlow. The two never unlocked their eyes.

"I just want to talk." The wolf in front of Harlow said. Harlow raised an eyebrow.

"Is that why your holding me at gunpoint?" He asked. The other wolf smirked, it seemed like an unnatural gesture for that face.

"Just wanted to make sure I wouldn't die before I got to say what I wanted to say." The man slowly put his pistol on the table next to Harlow's pistol. "I'm going to put this down--" He began before one of the encircling wolves dropped hiw weapon from his aim and lunged for the man with claws outstretched. Harlow was about to try and separate the two but the stranger was far quicker. He dodged around the attack with a spin and in the same fluid motion brought a wickedly curved silver knife up to his throat after getting behind the attacking wolf in a move that made Harlow blink in amazement. He'd seen quick wolves in his time but that display of reflexes was like nothing he'd ever seen, the attacking wolf nust not have seen it either because he froze where he was ant the mood became quite more tense, the other wolves looking around, not knowing what to do.

"As I was saying..." The stranger said as he held his silver knife at the wolf's throat. "I'm going to put my weapons away and then I'm going to talk to Syd Harlow, understand?" The stranger asked and looked every wolf in the eye, when they nodded one by one, he looked at Harlow who hesitated but nodded, filled with a sense of curiosity. The stranger let the wolf go and as the group got back together and left the two alone in the main bar room under Harlow's orders, Harlow spoke.

"You were the informant weren't you?" He asked pacing with his arms folded, the stranger nodded as he sat at a table and put a duffel bag he had been carrying in front of him. He unzipped the bag and then leaned back nodding at Harlow.

"Alright then, why the hell am I here? Spill it." Harlow commanded, obviously short on patience, he would have shot the wolf already but he had to admit, the wolf's ability to outsmart five other wolves was something that interested Harlow. Who was this guy? Who did he work for? The man pulled out a thick folder and put it on the table in front of Harlow. Harlow picked it up and flipped through it and was surprised to find it was full of files on him and pictures of him in several places around the world. He looked at it dumbstruck for a few moments. For a long time Harlow had been off the radar, how had this man gotten so much information about him?

"Just so I'm clear, you are Syd Harlow right?" The man asked evenly. Harlow nodded, putting the folder back on the table.

"Who the hell are you?" Harlow asked looking at the man displeased. The man hesitated before sighing and pushing his hand through his tight mohawk.

"My name is Alex Whitlow and you're the only man who can help me."

At the mention of the name, Harlow bolted for his pistol on the table and aimed it at Alex who was just as fast and picked up his own pistol and aimed it at Harlow. The two hesitated before Alex spoke.

"If I was here to kill you I would have done it at the bar." Alex said not lowering his gun. Harlow didn't budge, a look of barely controlled intent on his face.

"I buried that name over a hundred years ago." He said almost at a growl. "I don't care what kind of grudge you have against me for your grandfather but he got what he deserved."

There was a moment of silence between the two and then Alex put his gun on the table and chuckled, his chuckle became a short laugh, Harlow scowled at him, he didn't see what was so damned funny.

"You think I'm here to avenge my grandfather?" Alex asked seriously. "I'm here to meet my great grandfather." Harlow glared at him, he couldn't tell if Alex was being serious or not in that implication.

"Your telling me you're related to me?" Harlow asked, almost laughing at the improbability. "Son, I've heard some stories in my time...why don't you tell me what I'm really here for and quit playing before I need to scratch this trigger finger?"

Alex looked at Harlow with a straight face for a moment before standing up and drawing both of his pistols and placing them on the table on their sides, each barrel was engraved in a flowery, stylized pattern that Harlow immediately ecognized because he too owned tow pistols with the same design etched into them. As curious as that was Harlow still didn't buy Alex's story.

"You're going to have to find something better than that." He said. Alex immediately holstered his pistols at his sides and went through his duffel bag until he found a small leather bound book. He flipped through it for a moment before looking back at Harlow.

"You killed Cody Whitlow did you not? Tore his guts out on your first full moon in the town of Dry Creek?" he asked. Harlow's eyes widened at the mention of the place and time, bloody, sketchy memories filtered back to him. He nodded grimly. Alex flipped through the pages some more and stopped again.

"And later you engaged in a relationship with one Katherine Whitlow--" Alex began before being cut off by Harlow who bolted upright.

"How in hell's name do you know---" He stopped mid sentence. "Wait...Katherine...Whitlow?" Harlow asked dumbstruck. Alex nodded slowly and raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't know who she was?" He asked.

"I...we...didn't know each other for that long...last names didn't come up before we left...I just..." Harlow stammered as he sank into his seat, he then grabbed the book out of Alex's hands. "What is this?" Harlow asked as Alex sat back down.

"A journal she kept, I happened on it by accident when I was trying to find you, opened my eyes, read it." Alex said sitting back in his chair.

Harlow did just that. He started where she talked about their time together and moved into after she left him, the pages were filled with regret and remorse, she confessed to being alone like he was and wandering aimlessly. Harlow felt a well up of emotion in him as he read that he had not felt often before. The final entry in the book was her suspicion that she was pregnant and a final lament that she had left what had made her happy. Harlow closed the book and rubbed his nose with his fingers.

"She didn't keep the boy she had." Alex said out of the blue. "She couldn't, I looked up the records, he went to adoption and grew up and married and had kids of his own and...well...here I am." He said slightly sad.

"If I could have just..." Harlow began before trailing off. He looked back at Alex. "Do you know what happened to her, where she went? Where she is?" He asked only to have Alex shake his head.

"I know this is a big deal for you but the only reason I'm here is because you're the only person who can help me." Alex said as he went back to the duffel bag. Harlow sat back and folded his arms.

"Sorry, you can't have a kidney." He said with a chuckle. As Alex came back around with a large briefcase in hand, Harlow grabbed his chin forcefully and held his eyes up to the light until Alex swatted his hand away from his face annoyed. "Yeah, you're her blood alright, got her eyes." Harlow said simply as he sat back. Alex scowled at him but held his tongue.

"I got this after a contract of mine went bad, in the past two months I've almost been killed by both vampires and hunters for it but even I'm not lucky enough to dodge them forever." Alex said simply.

"What's in it?" Harlow asked.

"That's just it, I don't know, its important enough that the Kindred and the Network will sacrifice lives to get it though so it must be valuable, it has some sort of lock on it that nobody one either side or me has been able to break." Alex tapped the case. "It's made out of some kind of metal that's almost indestructible."

Harlow gave him a disbelieving look but considering a few minutes ago he hadn't had any family and now he was speaking to his great grandson, he was willing to humor the guy.

"Not trying to be cold Alex but what does that have to do with me or my...associates?" He asked. Alex leaned forwards and spoke lowly knowing what he was about to say would be important

"I tried to figure out exactly what this was, I don't know what it is still but I do know that the top of the Kindred wants it personally, and I know that the Network wants it, specifically a division of them called "Project 66." Harlow's eyes widened, he had only gotten rumors and scant few facts about the Network's new division and what he knew about it all pointed to the same thing; They were a force dedicated to finding a way into a dimension that Harlow knew little about but the one thing he did know was that on the other side there supposedly resided an army of vampires and their cronies. This news was grim indeed.

"I have it all right here in this bag, we can--" Alex broke off at the sound of a car door shutting outside in front, both he and Harlow looked out the front door to see a black car with several figures coming out of it. Wordlessly, Alex dove behind a table and was quickly followed by Harlow as shots slammed through the windows and shattered them spraying the bar and flinging wood chips everywhere. After the burst stopped, Alex scrambled for the back door.

"My car's in a lot behind the bar, c'mon!" He yelled. Harlow nodded, thanking the powers that be that that was also where his vehicle was. The two ran into the back room where the other wolves were and who were now brandishing their weapons.

"Its a fething trap, this fether set us up!" One of the wolves yelled, grabbing Alex, Harlow pushed him away.

"We don't have time for this, everybody get to the car, we have to give these guys the slip!" Harlow ordered and pushed everyone out the back as more gunfire exploded in the front. Thee group ran out into the street to get to the lot, Harlow and Alex at the back of the group with Alex gripping both the bag and the case that he had retrieved before they left. A truck slammed around the street corner and came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road. Dark figures jumped out with weapons and began firing at the group as it ran across the street.

Alex grunted and went down as a shot slammed into his leg and hissed as it passed through, he snarled as the silver bit into his thigh. Harlow jumped back and grabbed him as he went down. The case fell from his grasp and tumbled down the street cartwheeling some distance away from them. The figures advanced quickly, coming for the case and the two wolves, Alex tried to lunge for the case but Harlow stopped him and shook his head.

"They'll waste you, we have to go!" The last word was punctuated by a shot that hit him in the shoulder, Harlow yelled in pain as his own group of wolves opened fire from their spot across the street. Alex nodded through gritted teeth.

"Help me up." He said as he drew his pistol and fired on their pursuers. Harlow did likewise with his own and they both ran for cover, firing shots that they hoped kept their heads down long enough. the two made it to the lot where the other wolves were held up just as one of them took a bullet to the chest as the fire continued to criss cross across the street. Harlow knew they were outnumbered and outgunned and now they were surrounded, dark figures approaching both from down the street and front in front of the bar.

"How are we getting out of this?" One of the wolves who was trying to resuscitate his fallen friend asked. Harlow's mind raced.

"Leave that to me." He said and turned to Alex. "Can you still drive?" He asked. He could see the man was in pain, so was Harlow but he nodded.

"Alright then, lets clear a path through these feths."

-----------------

Dimitri went forwards as the wolves retreated, smiling to himself as he grabbed the case, his men had the wolves surrounded now, there would be no escape, he would see them all dead before the night was over. He grabbed the briefcase and went back over towards his men, raising his radio to his mouth as he did so.

"I've got the package, now waste these dogs!" He growled into the mic and was pleased to see more than a dozen of his coven move in towards the lot with weapons forward.

A loud revving noise could be heard from the back of the to, then another, this time much throatier. Dimitri watched as two vehicles came down the lane at his men, one was a motorcycle, the other a muscle car. Dimitri's eyes widened as he watched the bike and car pick up speed, charging towards his men who began to open fire on them. Dimitri laughed, the wolves were cornered so they would have one last fruitless stand before they went down, they were soe predictable.

The smile on Dimitri's face faded as the one on the bike produced a weapon of some sort and aimed it at the kindred line, the wolf fired his weapon with a loud thumping noise and sent a projectile into the vampire's midst, it exploded in a brilliant white light that seared Dimitri's cornea's and made him look away with a yelp. He heard his brothers scream as they were disintegrated and burned. The motorcycle took advantage of the chaos the UV grenade had caused and ran through the blockade unmolested, followed by the muscle car who, as he passed the disoriented kindred who were still alive, tossed two small round objects from his window and followed the bike down the street. Two more blinding white flashes plumed up, causing the remaining kindred to duck for cover as even more of their comrades were obliterated. All firing ceased as a black SUV followed the two cars with its windows rolled down. The passengers of the vehicle fired their weapons as they passed and went down the street after the other two who were now speeding up exponentially as they made their escape.

Dimitri growled in anger, the wolves would not get away that easily, he grabbed the briefcase and ordered his remaining men back to the truck only to find that the tires had been shot out. As Dimitri watched the wolf vehicles disappear he shouted in rage and tossed the radio on the ground, breaking it into pieces.

----------------------

The next day, Harlow and the group were at the Chicago airport, waiting for their flight, Alex was with them but he was inconsolable and unresponsive as he went with Harlow and the others. As they sat, waiting to be boarded, Harlow leaned over to Alex and spoke.

"Well, you're still here, you coming with us?"

Alex thought about that for a few moments, he had found his only family in the world and the two did have a common cause, but he had lost what needed help with the night before, he reasoned he could just walk away now and forget about the entire thing...No, he was too deep in it now to forget, he needed to see this through and he knew even though he was unsure about Harlow, that the only way he would be able to do that now would be to be working together. So Alex nodded and Harlow gave him a smirk.

"Alright then, I'd better run this by Natasha when we get back then." Harlow said satisfied.

"Who's Natasha and where are we going?" Alex asked curiously.

"My employer and somewhere safe, trust me." Harlow said although he didn't expect that Alex would trust him for some time, he just didn't seem like the the easy trusting type. "I'll tell you about it on the plane."

There was a few moments of silence before Harlow spoke again, as if he was reading Alex's mind.

"Don't worry about the case, we'll get it back. " He said as their flight was called and the group boarded the plane.

OOC: Whew...long one...

The Gypsy pulled up outside a London hotel, it was a decent place, ‘high class’ as it were, with terraces and balconies. The occupants of the climbed out of the Gypsy as soon as it had pulled up to the front. The rain was coming down harder than ever,
The one in the trench coat looked up as something bounced off of his hat.

“Oh joy oh rapture. Hail.”

Ruiz came out next, he handed an envelope to the one under the trenchcoat and checked the safety on his pistol. It was off. Good.
“Lets get inside Derrick, with all this hail I feel like I’m back in Bosnia.” Said Ruiz, jamming a finger up at the cloudy night.
Derrick nodded. “Yeah, I need to wash all that freak’s brains off my clothes.”
Ruiz smirked, “You better think of a good explanation to that receptionist chick.”
“Okay, by the way, you know what time it is?” Muttered Derrick as the two splashed across the fancy parking lot.
“Hal-past twelve.” Said Ruiz, glancing at his watch.
Derrick did not have a watch, he was one of those people who never had a watch, when he did, it was broken, he had lousy luck with watches. He was just ‘that type of guy’
The big double doors were opened, as the entryway was under an awning. The two walked in, Derrick paused for a moment and shook himself, twisting his torso this way and that, dislodging water from his coat.
Ruiz glared at him, his voice saying. just wave a sign over your head, huh? ‘I am a dog-man’ you could shout to total strangers.
Derrick sheepishly shrigged and walked up to the desk.
“Keyes to room twelve, tee, please.” He said, showing the lady his card.
“Certainly sir-what is wrong with you clothes?”
Derrick glanced down, the ghoul had left brain and blood spattered all over his coat.
“Err.” He said. “I…checked on a friend of mine in a slaughter house.”
“What were they using to slaughter the animals, hand grenades?”
“No, but…I slipped and fell onto…the processing line.”
An eyebrow was raised. Derrick really did not have time for this, he sighed, and grinned.
Derrick was a champion grinner, there was something about it when he was feeling stressed, something in his smile that made all things monkey-shaped feel the urge to climb up a tee, it spoke of dark caves and a feral freedom, of moonlight nights and primordial fears. Many called Derrick’s grin ‘Predatory’ which was an apt title. The clerk could swear she heard a growl to he right, when she turned, all she saw was a Hispanic man who was leaning against a pillar, he nodded amiably to her.
The clerk nodded and handed Derrick the keys.
“Thank you for your time, ma’am.” Said Derrick.
The two walked over to an elevator, the lift opened the moment they arrived.
Stepping in, Derrick picked at the specks of viscera on his coat.
Ruiz glanced sideways at him, “Do you actually have a date for us to bug out?” he asked.
“Yeah, tomorrow, early morning we catch a plane to the States.
“Plane? Why not take Abdi’s ship?”
“That would take too long, and we need to know where we are headed and when we need to be there by.” Said Derrick, glancing at the floor counter, they were now on the seventh floor.
“Why you so jittery about getting there?” asked Ruiz, taking off his hat.
“Maybe the fact that we need to make a good first impression on one of the most powerful figures’ in the world?”
“Oh. That.”
The elevator stopped, leading into a red-carpeted hallway, at the end of which was an open door.
“Uh-oh.” Muttered Ruiz, reaching for his belt.
Derrick drew his Sig and fitted a silencer from a side pocket onto the tip. He jerked his head in the direction of the door, Ruiz produced a fire hatchet with a silver head and a wooden spike and walked nearer to the door as well.
The door was slightly open, as if someone had picked the lock. Derrick pulled the slide on the Sig back and slowly opened the door. no one was in the room as far as he could see…
“Hold it!” he whispered, there was a sound coming from the bathroom,
Derrick heard Ruiz enter the room. “hold on,” he hissed, “Wait outside, if you hear me screaming, I will need backup.”
Ruiz looked uncertain but walked outside, on the way out, he opened a closet and took a long black case from it.
Derrick reached out for the knob of the door, he aimed his pistol at chest height while using his left arm to open the door, shielding him from any incoming bullets.
As he slowly tune the knob, he heard what sounded like talking.
Derrick forcefully turned the knob, slammed open the door and raised his pistol.
No one.
Derrick as suddenly very wary, he looked everywhere, presently, he heard a small sound. That talking again.
Opening the drawer, Derrick removed a small raido.
The thing was looping on. ‘Turn around.’ Derrick sighed, dropped he pistol and raised his hands.
“Now, turn around.” Came a harsh voice from behind. Derrick slowly turned, there was a dhampyre, it’s hand clutching mini-uzi and it’s other hand outstretched. “The case.” The leech asked.
Derrick scowled and reached into the folds of his trench coat, he brought the case out and held it out.
“Thank you,” sniggered the pseudoleech, “You are being ever so cooperative, your death will be swift.”
Derrick grimaced. “You’re all heart, aren’t you.” He griped.
The dhampyre was silent for a few seconds. It opened it’s mouth and gurgled.
“What?” asked Derrick.
A small trickle of blood dribbled out of a corner of the leech’s mouth.
“Bastard…” it groaned, and fell over.
Ruiz stood behind it, the wooden spike of the axe was covered in the dhampyre’s foul blood.
Ruiz glared at Derrick. “That is the last straw.” He said. “We. Are. Leaving.”
Derrick retrieved the briefcase from the corpse and flipped through it,
“everything seems to be in order…” muttered the man.
Ruiz dragged the corpse to a bed and raised his hatchet. Derrick looked up. “What are you-” the hatchet came down, neatly severing the head of the vampire.
“-Oh.” Said Derrick, as Ruiz picked the sheets up and deposit the bleeding headless corpse into the bathtub. He flung the head into a wastebasket and wiped he spike off on the dead creature’s shoulder.
He pointed at Derrick’s pocket. “you got the tickets?”
“Yes, but they are not until 6:AM.”
“Well…feth.”
“Don’t worry, I have an idea of where to hole up for a few hours.” Said Derrick.
Ruiz nodded. “Just lemme clean this up fist.” He said, turning on the water in the bath and dumping shampoo into it.
“Done, now lets go.”

Shas'ui T'au Kais wrote:

FITZZ wrote: Heh, I was wondering exactly how you'd work out a Vampire/wolf alliance there Kais....not bad...not bad at all, seems they're less " friends" and more " we have a common enemy".

Why, thank you kind sir, I do try...

... so yeah, they may have a joke with eachother, but they are not really friends, just allies, as they do not particularly like eachother, they just feel as if there can be advantages of working together to take down Natasha...

It's nicely done...kudos man..
...Now..of course you do realize that by Dez and Atlas working with Vampires, it will only confirm Natasha's view of them as traitors to Lycan Kind.

FITZZ wrote:

Shas'ui T'au Kais wrote:

FITZZ wrote: Heh, I was wondering exactly how you'd work out a Vampire/wolf alliance there Kais....not bad...not bad at all, seems they're less " friends" and more " we have a common enemy".

Why, thank you kind sir, I do try...

... so yeah, they may have a joke with eachother, but they are not really friends, just allies, as they do not particularly like eachother, they just feel as if there can be advantages of working together to take down Natasha...

It's nicely done...kudos man..
...Now..of course you do realize that by Dez and Atlas working with Vampires, it will only confirm Natasha's view of them as traitors to Lycan Kind.

According to Natasha, Atlas is a pile of bones allonsige Musatie's on a rooftop in Empire City...

... thanks again, I tried to think about what would happen if a typical Werewolf and Vampire met, and didn't want to rip eachother apart...

... either way, you will soon find out Atlas is playing his own little game...

... all will be revealed at some point...