Boar raked his claws across the skin of his foe. The monstrous thing, whatever it was, barely flinched. Its skin was like stone or iron; Boar half-expected to see sparks when he landed his blow.
Cortez and the other warriors had already surrendered to the inevitable. Defeating these strange enemies was going to take every ounce of effort and they had already shifted to battle-form and given into frenzy. Boar fought the urge. He needed a clear head, not a berserker rage, to lead his pack through this trial.
Boar shifted to dire wolf and used his mass to knock his foe off its feet. He then retreated to the door and shifted back to wolf-man. Natasha was standing guard at the chapel entrance.
“Why are you still here?” Boar growled. “I ordered you and the other kinfolk to flee.”
“You need my help.” She replied, ignoring his anger and fear. She raised up Boar’s M933 carbine, the same gun he and his allies had used when Michael had moved on Roanoke three years ago. She let off a burst at Boar’s foe, now coming back to his feet. The bullets struck home, but had only marginally more effect than Boar’s claws.
“Best we can do is hold them off for a time. Whatever these are, they’re stronger than we are.” Natasha observed dispassionately.
Boar slammed his fist against the wooden door of the chapel in frustration. The last thing he wanted was the disgrace of being forced out of here. Taking the chapel had been their one glorious success, the one thing that had given them legitimacy and value before the other werewolf packs in the city.
But as valuable as that was, he also knew he would not have his pack die in a futile battle. He let out a mournful howl, one he hoped would piece the haze of battle frenzy that had taken hold of his strongest warriors, one that would call them all to retreat.
The warriors had been somewhat more successful in destroying several of the monstrous soldiers, but as Boar’s commanding howl reached their ears, they realized too the battle was lost. They shifted to wolf form and made for the woods.
“Come on.” Said Boar. “Now it’s our turn.” He shifted to dire wolf and Natasha climbed onto his back. Together they dashed off and left the chapel to their enemies.
---
Julian Stark walked down the hallway of Konstantin Orlov’s mansion with deliberate pace. In his hand were several handwritten documents. He walked with such haste that he barely acknowledged the two men sitting outside Orlov’s office. Instead, he charged past them and through the doors.
Orlov’s secretary quickly closed the doors behind Stark and then stood silently by the door as if guarding it. Orlov looked up at Stark from behind his desk.
“I trust you bring me good news.” Said Orlov in his Russian-accented English.
Stark was American-born and his voice carried none of his mentor’s foreign tone. “The full inventory has been secured across several warehouses around the city. If police or FBI find any one stash, they’ll only find a small portion of our stock and it’ll prove little more than a minor setback. I also have the full tally of our inventory.”
Orlov nodded for Stark to continue.
“Five hundred AK-103 assault rifles. Five hundred MP-444 handguns, all chambered for American 9mm. Two hundred fifty PP-90 submachine guns, also chambered for NATO 9mm. Fifty Dragunov SVU sniper rifles. Roughly 250,000 rounds of ammo for both the AKs and the Dragunovs. Probably the biggest haul you’ve ever brought over.”
“The ongoing chaos that has lasted now for almost a decade since the fall of the Soviets has allowed many things to get lost.” Said Orlov with a smile, clearly enjoying his good fortune. “I doubt the Russians even know their guns are gone.”
“You have enough of an arsenal to start a small war.”
“Which is precisely what I intend to do.”
“The vampires?”
“Of course. I don’t care what Ortega says about the spirit realm and all that garbage. All that matters is the opportunity these times present to us. As chaos and hysteria grips this nation and this city, it opens the door to finally finish off those blood-suckers once and for all. And my beloved Galya can finally rest in peace.” Orlov gestured to the old photograph on his desk.
Stark knew the story; he knew the reason for Orlov’s hatred of the vampires. Galya was his daughter, born in the late sixties. During a negotiation for arms here in Philadelphia during the war between the changelings and the vampires, Orlov and his family got caught in the crossfire of a vampire ambush. Konstantin and his wife survived. Little Galya did not. Ever since, Orlov had done all in his power to undermine the vampires in Philadelphia. He’d been censured by Ortega numerous times, but Orlov’s international business meant Ortega’s punitive measures carried little weight. He simply did as he pleased and, if Ortega proved too overbearing, Orlov would simply hop on a plane and disappear to another part of the world. Now he was back with murder on his mind.
Orlov looked at his secretary, who had been standing silent by the door this entire time. “Show in our guests.”
The two men Stark had largely ignored earlier now entered the office. Both were dressed in long robes more befitting those of some religious authority, but it was not clear what church they represented. One carried a brief case, presumably full of money.
“Now, how can my humble business be of service to the Church of Eternal Truth?”
---
“All I want to do is to fade into you…” David sang softly along with the music. He remembered this song, remembered the band. The Choir was an evangelical Christian group, somewhat popular in the 80s and early 90s. They had been Michael’s favorite, back when he was still a Christian, still human.
“That’s a far cry from the usual music we hear around here.” Said Andre with a smile.
David looked up at his companion. Andre was carrying a tray of food.
“You missed dinner with the rest of the monastery. Figured I’d bring you some.”
“Yeah, well…thanks.” Said David. “I guess I lost track of time.”
“I worry about you sometimes, Brother David.” Said Andre forthrightly. “I know you’ve admitted your past relationship with this creature.” He tapped the picture of Michael that lay centerline on the desk in front of David. “But obsession can be dangerous.”
“The fact that I know him personally is a huge advantage to us. He’ll be interconnected with the rest of their demonic kind. We just have to find him and he’ll lead us to the others.”
“And therein lies the problem. Why him?”
David looked sharply at Andre. “He’s our best lead.”
“No, there is also the creature that has pretended at being the archangel, the one who so convincingly tricked me for all this time. You once suggested that we use this one to lure out the angel. Why not the reverse?”
“Because we have no guarantee of when the angel will make his next appearance. We know Michael,” David paused at saying his old friend’s name, as if granting him the honor of a name was undignified, “was connected to a number of nightclubs in the Tidewater area of Virginia. It’s likely he’s kept those same habits. The angel is a mystery to us. Michael is not.”
“There are dozens of such nightclubs here in the city: Manayunk, South Street, and elsewhere. Never mind the hundreds of bars and restaurants that are similar enough in style and operation to be something he might branch out into.”
“You found him once before and nearly had him if not for the timely arrival of one of his bodyguards.”
“By pure chance.”
“Chance…or providence?” said David sternly. “Remember who we serve. God will provide.”
“In my experience, providence intervenes only when you’ve taken the right first steps.” Andre grumbled cynically.
“Oh, ye of little faith.” David turned to his laptop and gave the mouse a shake to wake the computer up from sleep. “You want a first step. Let’s try something. Both of Michael’s clubs in Tidewater were on the water. Beach clubs basically. Suppose he stuck very close to the familiar?”
“Alright, I’ll play along. You’re suggesting he’ll be found at a similar place here in the city. Philly’s not a coastal town.”
“No, but it is a river town.”
“That doesn’t narrow things down much. Manayunk is a club neighborhood on the Schuykill. There’s also Penn’s Landing and a few places down near the airport in Tinicum Township.”
“Well, let’s see what we find.” David started typing into Yahoo. He began clinking on the links that came up. “Here’s one. Taylor Avenue. They even have a website.”
“Wonderful thing, this modern technology.” Commented Andre.
“Nice design on their site.” David chuckled. “I was in computers before I began my work with the church. I don’t remember if I shared that with you. Ah, they have a photo gallery.” He clicked the link. “See anyone familiar in the photos?”
“Vampires don’t like to be found. They’re good at hiding from photographers.”
“Ever the cynic.” Said David wistfully. “Look there.”
“Well, I’ll be…” The cleric stopped before saying something blasphemous. “That is him, isn’t it?”
In the background of one photo, he could see Michael sitting at a table, speaking with a dark haired waitress. “Still think this is chance?” teased David triumphantly.
“No, I’d say providence took our first step and ran with it.”
“Interested in a night out on the town, my friend?”
---
Michael Allens did not like to lose.
He’d been a vampire now for almost 8 years. He’d climbed the ladder of the kindred hierarchy, bested numerous rivals. He’d wined and dined the pants off (literally) of hundreds of sexy women. And now, for all that success, he found himself defeated by a card game.
For all his accomplishments, the mortal that Michael had once been was still there inside of him: His fondness for science fiction, his love of writing, and his passion for games of all sorts. On a whim the night before, he’d broken out his old Magic: The Gathering cards, put some decks together and played a number of games against Sarah. Sarah, who’d never played the game before last night, promptly beat the pants off of him numerous times.
Tonight, he would avenge himself.
As the sun set, Michael and Sarah both headed out to Club CRASS. Michael was scheduled to meet with Mitch and his mage allies at 10:00pm, but that gave a good hour for Michael to redeem his bruised ego. The two of them parked themselves in Michael’s office, where Michael pulled out his deck and began shuffling cards.
Sarah shot Michael an wickedly eager grin. “Back for more punishment?” She teased.
Michael did his best to pay little heed to her taunts. Her attire was less easy to ignore. Dressed in a corset top that left her shoulders and arms bare, Sarah made sure to lean forward in such a way that Michael could have a nice view of her barely concealed breasts. As often as he’d gazed upon her, he never grew tired of viewing any part of her.
“You do realize it’s dangerous to play cards with a fortune teller who can read minds?” She taunted again. As if to demonstrate, she did a quick sleight-of-hand trick to make a card disappear.
Michael paused and glared at her balefully. Had she really been cheating this whole time?
Sarah burst out laughing at his suspicions. “Goddamn, you’re easy to make paranoid.”
“So it really was beginner’s luck?”
“That and your compassion for pathetic old me who’s never played the game before. You gave me the stronger decks, remember? Figuring if you’d beat the pants off of me I’d not want to play again.”
“Well, I suppose that worked. Here we are again. Although, tonight, I kept the good deck for myself.”
“Ah, I guess that means I’m not a beginner anymore.” She started to draw her hand to play.
The elevator dinged at that very moment. Michael glanced towards it with a bit of annoyance. It was still too early for the meeting with Mitch, although Michael had no doubts that Mitch was downstairs in the club. But it was not Mitch who emerged, but Boar and three others: Natasha, Cortez, and another woman he did not recognize.
“Boar?” Michael queried. This was unexpected.
“We have a new problem.” said Boar grimly.
“What kind of problem?”
Cortez answered for him. “Demons of flesh and bone. Skin like granite. Muscles like iron. Ugly too. Grey skin, with their bones on the outside.”
“We were attacked this morning.” Boar explained further. “By creatures like Cortez described. Led by a mage. They drove us out of the chapel.”
“We lost three of our number.” emphasized the woman. “They were almost unstoppable.”
“Probably a good thing then I’m planning to have a talk with some mages later tonight.” said Michael.
“And how do we know they aren’t the ones behind this?” snarled Cortez with suspicion.
“Well, we don’t.” answered Michael. “But everything we know so far about Zao is that he’s not likely go picking a fight with a werewolf pack. This stinks of the Brotherhood.”
“That’s my thought as well.” said Boar. “But what are these things?”
The elevator dinged again and this time, Mitch, Martin, and Anna emerged. “Saw Boar come up with a bunch of his wolves.” explained Mitch. “Figured something was up.”
The three of them had obviously been on the dance floor. Michael’s eyes lingered on Anna for a long moment. Although dressed relatively conservatively for his club, the shine of sweat on her skin made her rather alluring. Martin noticed the attention the amorous vampire was paying his girlfriend and scowled. Michael then returned his attention to the matter at hand.
“Yeah, Boar’s brought some disturbing news.”
With that, Boar explained to Mitch and the mages what had happened at the chapel that morning.
“Any idea what we’re dealing with here?” asked Michael when Boar had finished.
Anna rubbed her chin as if in thought. “Not a lot of this adds up. It’s probably some kind of spirit magic, but most spirits can’t take physical form and most aren’t quite so grotesque looking. It could be some form of possession I suppose.”
“We’re familiar with the Ridden. We encounter them with some regularity.” said the still unnamed werewolf.
“But never in numbers like this.” added Cortez.
“And therein lies the other problem.” said Anna. “The level of resources required to summon up that many spirits is considerable. The Brotherhood could do it, but it would take nearly every one of their Thyrsus mages to pull it off. Not that they lack for members of that particular path.”
“Maybe the weakening Gauntlet has something to do with this.” suggested Mitch.
“Probably.” Anna shook her head. “Honestly, I think I’d need to see one of these things up close to give you any better answers.”
“I’m not keen on meeting up with one of them again.” growled Cortez.
“We’ll figure out a way.” Boar cut him off.
“It’s a safe bet this was a trial run.” added Sarah. “They’ll be coming for us next.”
“Or the Consilium.” said Martin.
“No, not likely.” said Mitch. “Why attack that which you know is not a threat? As long as Zao is determined to be passive and hide, the Brotherhood has no need to go after us. Sarah’s probably right. The vampires who oppose the Brotherhood are next.”
“To do that,” Michael replied, “they’d have to hit the clubs here on South Street or the Carthian territory in North Philly. That’s a lot more public than a rarely-visited clearing in Fairmount Park.”
“Chaos and hysteria disrupt further the weakening Gauntlet.” said Martin. “It’s probably part of the plan. I doubt they care much for hiding from mortals.”
“Even the Brotherhood isn’t that brazen.” disagreed Anna. “The Secret Keepers, the hunter groups, someone would come after them hard if they started acting so openly.” She looked at Boar and the other werewolves. “Don’t take this personally, but they used a blunt instrument against a blunt instrument. Going after mages or vampires requires a bit more finesse.”
Boar took no offense, but was discouraged by her analysis. “So this is a werewolf problem only.” he concluded with a defeated tone.
“No,” countered Anna. “Your chapel sits upon one of the most important loci in the city. We don’t want the Brotherhood to have control of that, not if they’re planning something nefarious with their demonic master. We’ll absolutely have to dislodge them as quickly as we can. And to do that, I’ll need a good look at one of those monsters.”
“Sounds like that’s the next step.” Said Michael.
“How close of a look do you need?” Boar asked Anna anxiously.
“As close as you can manage.” She answered confidently.
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Boar grumbled. “We can try tonight, once your business with Michael is concluded.”
Anna nodded. With that, Boar turned to Michael. “We’ll be downstairs.” He and his companions made for the elevator.
“Not like Boar to be so easily intimidated.” Commented Mitch.
“Things are coming unraveled faster than I’m wanting.” Said Michael. “The Brotherhood is definitely on the move and our best allies against them are sitting on the sidelines.”
“Cowering in fear.” Growled Martin with disdain.
“Time to do something about that. What can you tell me about Zao?”
Mitch rattled off a quick summary of the Hierarch’s background: his origins, his age, the scrying of the future that was the source of his fear, all that Mitch knew. Martin and Anna filled in the blanks as they could.
“You say he hangs in Chinatown most days?” Michael requested clarification.
“Yes.” All three mages confirmed in unison. Michael smiled with a bit of mirth at that.
“I wonder…” Michael began. “…despite all his present timidity, there has been a long standing animosity between the Consilium and the Brotherhood, correct?”
“Yes.” Said Martin. “Most often the conflict is something of a cold war, but it does flare up from time to time, especially when a new mage awakens. The two sides will fight over who gets to claim them, much as they did with me.”
“Is that cold war status quo enforced by some manner of magical pact or treaty?”
“I don’t believe so. It’s more of a gentlemen’s agreement as I understand it.”
“I find it unlikely that Zao would stake his life and well-being on the promise that a bunch of a demon-worshipping infernalists will play nice as long as he does.”
“Fear of hunters keeps the Brotherhood in line.” Added Anna. “As it does all of us.”
“Perhaps,” said Michael. “But I doubt Zao is willing to stake everything on that. He’s got another angle, another barrier, another means of defense. Some place he can hide, allies who can fight for him, allies that are powerful enough to make the Brotherhood think twice about direct action.”
“I think I know where you’re going with this.” Said Mitch. “How strong are the Chinese criminal syndicates in Chinatown?”
“The Triads? Got me. I’m not an expert on the criminal underbelly of the city.” Said Martin. “But what you’re saying makes sense.”
“Even vampires, for all their physical prowess, will often surround themselves with mortal muscle. The larger your army, the less likely a rival will be willing to take you on. I’m going to guess mages aren’t all that different.”
“Doubly so when our magic tends to malfunction in the presence of Sleepers.” Said Anna. “Normal humans who don’t believe in magic.” She added as explanation.
“Mitch has told me about Unbelief and what it can do.” Said Michael. “That’s a pretty potent deterrent. Surround yourself with enough mortals and suddenly your enemy’s magic stops working.” He paused. “And what if we took it away from Zao? What if we could convince him that the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ was off and that the Brotherhood was coming for him after all?”
“He’d have no choice but to hit back.” Said Martin. “Or run away and leave control of the Consilium to Mosley.”
“Mosley?”
“The second most powerful mage in the city after Zao. She’s far more likely to be aggressive, especially if she too was convinced the Consilium was under direct attack.”
“Sounds like another plan. Time to find out all we can about the Chinatown Triads.” Michael began to smile. “And I know who to ask.”
---
The very next night, Michael sent out a summons to Damian Drake and to Kathleen. Damian arrived first.
“I was beginning to think you did not value my contributions to your cause.” Said Damian in his usual Southern drawl. “This is the first time you’ve requested my help since we came to Philadelphia.”
“You’ve been functioning quite well on your own. You used your association with me to gain permission to reside here,” countered Michael. “But since then you’ve done little to volunteer your aid to ‘my cause,’ as you put it.”
“It seemed better to pretend at some distance between us. With our good Prince focused on you, I’ve managed to gain a good bit of influence. Particularly with our friends in the government.”
“I was hoping that was the case. Time to close some of that distance. I need you help.”
“How so?”
“A good while ago, you rigged an FBI raid on my club in Virginia Beach.”
“I do remember.”
“So I’m presuming from that you still have some influence there. I’d like for you to dig up what you can on the Chinese crime syndicates here in Philadelphia and share that with me.”
“I presume this information will somehow further your quest to dethrone Prince Walsh.”
“In a roundabout fashion, yes.”
“Well, when doesn’t a vampire do something in a roundabout way?” Damian shrugged. “I can do that for you.”
“Good. Your help is appreciated.”
At that moment, the elevator door to Michael’s office parted open and Kathleen and Paul stepped out. Kathleen was dressed in a provocative outfit, a half top and mini-skirt that left little to the imagination. Paul, for his part, wore a frown on his face, obviously infuriated at Kathleen’s not-so-subtle attempts to seduce Michael yet again.
“This appears to be something I do not want to be in the middle of.” Said Damian wisely. “I will get to your request presently. Good evening, sir.”
“Michael!” squealed Kathleen as Damian passed through her and Paul on his way out. It had the same cadence and tone as Ernie when he squealed Michael’s name.
“You asked for us.” Paul said, getting to the point.
“Actually, I asked for Kathleen.” Said Michael pointedly. “I need the aid of her police contacts through the ME’s office.”
“Oooh! I can be useful!” said Kathleen. Despite her mimicry of Ernie’s insanity, there was something undeniably attractive in her demeanor. She was almost cute. Psycho cute, but cute nonetheless.
Giving her a bit of what she wanted might be worth it. But for that to happen, Michael needed to get rid of Paul for a bit.
“Yes, you can.” Said Michael. “I need to know what the Philadelphia police know about the Chinatown Triads. I’ve Damian working on the same with the FBI. I want to know what the Philly PD know.”
“Oh, I can do that.” Said Kathleen with a grin. “But there’s a price.”
“I figured as much.”
“Uh, no.” interjected Paul. “I know exactly what she’s going to ask you.”
Michael looked Kathleen up and down. “I’m afraid, my dear, there are other parties who object to what you’re asking of me. Can we find another price for your aid?”
Kathleen pouted. “I’ll think of something.” She scowled and marched toward the elevator.
“You are not fucking my girlfriend again.” Said Paul to Michael.
“Did I not just agree to that?” countered Michael. “Did I not just accept your terms?”
“She’s not in her right mind.”
“She’s a childe of Ernie. Of course, she’s not in her right mind.” Michael agreed. “I wouldn’t take advantage of her in that state.” That last bit was a lie.
“You could say the same about Sarah.” Said Paul. “And yet, you fuck her.”
“That’s different and you know it.” Said Michael. He stood up and walked over to Paul. “I’m not trying to make an enemy of you, Paul. Stop trying to make an enemy of me. Your position in this city is too fragile for you to afford that.”
“So is yours.” Growled Paul. Convinced he’d won this round, the Gangrel headed for the elevator himself.
Michael snarled to himself and sat back down. “This is what Ernie wants. All of us at each other’s throats. My whole network of allies tearing itself apart so I have to come begging to him for help.” He woke his desktop computer from sleep and was about to load up a video game to pass the time when the elevator opened again. Sarah walked out.
She walked over towards Michael’s desk with a sultry swing in her step. “So, hanging out among all those sweaty club-goers in their scanty clothing has put you in a mood again?” said Michael with a smile.
Sarah plopped down on the sofa in the middle of Michael’s office, hiking up her long skirt, and spreading her legs. “You know it.” She purred seductively.
Michael walked over and knelt before her. As he looked between her legs, he immediately noticed her shaved pubic area bore no tattoo.
“Nice try, Kathleen.”
The illusion shimmered out of existence, leaving Kathleen sitting on the sofa where Sarah had been a moment before. “How did you know?”
“I know every inch of my lover’s body. Did you really think you’d be able to fool me?”
“It was worth the try.” She flexed her thighs, drawing his eyes back down to her pantyless nethers. “Paul’s downstairs, desperately trying to find me in the crowd. Your Sarah is there as well, getting frisky off that same crowd. One or both of them could be here any moment. Now’s our chance.”
Michael locked eyes with her. “Damn you, Ernie. You know damn well how weak-willed I am when it comes to this sort of thing.” He thought to himself as he unzipped his fly.
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