Number of fucks given in this post: 8
text messages:
Alexander to Jack: Derek, Pettit and I are on the hunt of some Mages. Or at least some heavily armed Kine who has kidnapped someone, probably a ghoul. Could do with some backup if you’re up for it.
Jack to Alexander: You guys are fucking insane. When are you doing this?
Alexander to Jack: Well it kind of just happened, I hacked the police database and got footage of them messing my ghoul’s memory up. The Tremere have this ritual to find someone with a picture of their face, so now we’re outside some construction site and have confirmed 4 well armed kine are inside. We’re going to act soon and if I could get some backup that would be cool.
Jack: …. I’m on my way. Don’t do anything until I get there!
While waiting for Jack, the Tremere Derek Feldman and John Pettitt and Brujah Alexander, have a look at the area. From where they are standing, they can see that the construction site, located near the docklands on the south side, is made up of a tall tenement-style building and two smaller buildings that look like offices. The buildings are surrounded by a tall wire fence. The buildings look to be mostly completed on the outside but there is signs that construction is still in progress.
Alexander pulls out two handguns from inside his leather jacket and starts to move towards the fence.
Feldman quietly whispers to Alexander: “Guns? We don’t want to attract attention.”
Alexander turns to say, “Easier to kill humans with though. I won’t use them unless I need to.”
Pausing, he puts one of the guns away and pulls out a machete instead. Looking to Pettitt, the Brujah asks, “Which building are they in?”
“The smallest of them.”
Alexander starts looking for a way through the fence, “Can we get around the fence or
should I start slashing?”
Feldman answers, “There are two approaches that I can see – through this fence and straight across, or through that tenement. It’s more covered and brings us
closer. The first approach is riskier but quicker.”
Alexander asks, “Wanna split up and I go one way and you two go through the tenement?”
“A two-pronged attack?” says Pettitt, looking for clarification.
“Very well.” agrees Feldman.
Alexander starts to open a hole in the fence using his machete. The fence rattles with each chopping blow and he pushes himself through the gap. Once through, and in contrast to his passing through the fence, he crouches out of view and moves silently and carefully between construction equipment and machinery, making his way towards the buildings.
Feldman and Pettitt move towards the tenement, looking around cautiously.
Pettitt reports, “Doesn’t seem to be anything magical linked to the entrances of the tenement.”
As the two Tremere start to move in, they hear the roar of a speeding motorbike, and then a loud screech as it comes violently to a stop. Feldman reaches a hand inside
his jacket to the pistol he brought with him but when he realises who it is he turns back and tries to open the tenement door.
Jack has pulled up beside where Alexander had parked his bike. She dismounts and pulls a machete out a sheath on the bike and replaces it into the sheath under her coat. She mutters, “Fucks sake,” when she sees a lack of any kindred by their vehicles.
Back at the tenement, Pettitt looks up to check that he is out of view of any cameras and then draws his sword, waiting to enter the building.
Alexander looks over in Jack’s direction and sends her a text, “Nice stealth, bro.”
She replies with another message, “Where the fuck are you?”
Alexander sends another message with his location. Looking about, Jack also spots Feldman over by the tenement. She replies back, “You aren’t with the others?”
Alexander sighs as he types into his phone, “Hitting them from two directions.”
“Shit, you want me with you? Not sure I can skip the cameras that way.” She replies.
“Just follow a different way. I’m distracting the kine so the tremere can surprise them.”
Jack has a closer look at the building site security, “Yeah, I can see the cameras
right at you!”
Following Alexander’s instructions, she steps through the fence. Jack attempts to keep low and move quietly towards the two Tremere standing at the door of the tenement but the ground is rough and uneven and the gravel grinds under her feet. She arrives at Feldman and Pettitt to see them examining the lock of the door.
“Jesus Christ, you guys!” she says, shaking her head. She checks her pockets, searching for something.
Feldman asks the Brujah, “Got a key, Jack?”
Jack pulls a screwdriver out a coat packet. Laughing and waving the tool she says, “I have a little key…” Then she grins and makes a fist and says, “and a big key.”
Feldman sighs.
Her phone buzzes as Alexander sends another message, this time to the group, “The cameras spotted me. Gonna move quickly.”
Alexander flicks the bird to the cameras, stands up and runs towards the building.
Feldman looks up after checking his own phone, “Shit. Perhaps the big key.”
“Okay,” Jack says, “big key.”
Pettitt nods his agreement, so she boots the door and it cracks and swings open.
Jack heads through the door, drawing a wicked looking machete. Feldman quickly scans inside the corridor, then follows, with Pettitt coming up closely behind.
Turning ’round, Jack can see that Feldman is looking into a mirror that he is holding in one hand. His other hand is inside his jacket. “Which way?” she asks.
With a wave of his hand, Feldman indicates a small corridoor which leads
past what looks to be open apartments. Jack moves first along the route, following Feldman’s directions. The two Tremere follow closely behind her. Eventually, they arrive at a fire exit.
Jack asks, “Where we going once we go through this door?”
Pettitt replies, “Into the small building – smallest of the three.”
Feldman corrects him, saying, “Beside the building. 10 feet
from the door.”
Jack instructs, “I’m gonna run for it. If nothin’ happens, you come after me.”
“Oh, we will be behind you… don’t worry!” says Pettitt.
Jack opens the fire door and begins to run. Noticing the building right in front of her she slows down. Suddenly, there is the ringing clang followed by another from the side of the small building.
“Keep going.” says Pettitt as he heads out the fire door, “Let’s go Feldman.”
There is another loud clang, like something hitting a large metal object with a lot of force, as Feldman follows the other Tremere. Jack starts swearing and starts back into a run, this time moving towards the sound towards the front of the building.
There is massive whump noise that sounds similar to a grenade, then a keening noise of an alarm. A bright white light comes from the side of the building.
Pettitt and Feldman follow behind Jack, albeit with less alacrity. At the sound of the alarm, Derek pulls a piece of metal from his pocket and starts murmuring some kind of incantation under his breath.
Jack turns the corner to the front of the building and can see Alexander on the floor, just outside the doorwat, holding his head and complaining about the world being upside down. There was a door, but it is no longer on its hinges.
“Alexander, you alright?”
Automatic gunfire stutters out the doorway over Alexanders head. Feldman completes his incantation and the noise is replaced with a clack-clack-clack of sophisticated mechanisms jamming.
Jack moves closer to carefully look around the edge of the doorway.
“Jack, I have disabled their weapons.” states Feldman, “Yours as well, but it can’t be
helped.”
Pettitt elaborates, “Feldman can hold the guns so they can’t fire. Anything mechanical is now useless so it’s hand to hand. I’m going in with you as well.”
The Tremere draws his sword and Jack grins back at him, whirling her machete. Alexander starts to get back on his feet and gestures to a ghoul, who has just emerged from behind a crate with vomit down the front of his jacket, to stay near the door as lookout.
Jack turns back and enters through the gaping doorway. Alexander puts his gun away and adjusts his grip on his own machete. Feldman passes his clanmate the small mirror while still maintaining absolute concentration on the small piece of rusted metal he is holding. As Pettitt moves up to take his own look around the corner into the room Alexander rushes by in a blur of speed.
Jack is toe-to-toe with 2 guards. She attempts to disarm the one armed with a knife but is stabbed in the ribs as he fights back. The other guards smashes his baton into the side of her head. She then side-steps the first guard who tries to stab her again before struggling with him and pinning him up against the wall.
With a flurry of movement, Alexander swings around his machete at the guard with the baton. The man turns his back to catch the blow on his vest but the blade still makes a long gash through it. The guard screams as blood spurts out the wound. Realising his mistake, the man turns back to the Brujah to get in close but Alexander gets him into a headlock and pulls him in. The guard squirms and struggles and fights back in all the dirty ways he can, just managing to break free of his grip.
“Surrender if you want to live through this.” Jack warns, her face inches from the much larger man she has pushed up against the wall.
Pettitt starts to move towards her but she commands, “Stay until we’ve got them both.”
Alexander drops to a crouch and cuts the calf of the guard who just broke free of him. The guard screams again and falls to the floor.
Again Pettitt starts to enter the room, but this time Feldman interrupts, “Wait, there!” He indicates outside.
“Gunmen! Outside! Four of them!” Feldman continues, “They’re running!”
Jack maintains her pressure on the guard against the wall, who struggles but can’t break free. “What, this way?” she asks Feldman.
“Escaping!”
Alexander pounces on the guard on the floor and they struggle. Pettitt runs back towards the other Tremere.
“If we go after them, we can’t leave these guys behind us.” Jack says with a voice both cold and tense with suppressed violence.
Behind her, Alexander extends his fangs and sinks them into the guard’s shoulder. The guards screams, then moans in pleasure. Wriggling erotically he makes slight wimpers. Then the man, now looking sickly pale, huffs and falls unconscious as Alexander withdraws and licks the wound closed.
With a warning tone to Feldman as she keeps her focus on the guard in front of her, “Without firepower it’ll get messy… and public.”
He replies, “This is messy and public already! I’ll drop the ritual!”
Pettit exits the building and sees four guards running away in the direction of the wire fence.
Jack asks the remaining Tremere, “You want us to go after them?”
“Should we chase?” says Alexander as he bounces foot to foot, waiting for instruction.
“Yes!” demands Feldman, “We must control the witnesses!”
Alexander runs outside, pulling out his Glocks and judging the distance to the running men.
Jack’s face goes blank and she reaches to break the neck of the guard she’s holding, pulling his head right off in a sickening rip and a gush of blood and gore. Then she picks up one of the guards guns and checks it as she follows Alexander out the door
Outside, Pettitt shouts, “GET THEM!!! DONT LET THEM ESCAPE!”
He points to the running guards and one screams and falls to his knees. Two others help him to his feet. Feldman fires his pistol and hits one in the leg. The fourth
guard turns to see his friend fall and begins firing at the approaching threat. Bullets slam into Feldman.
“Get the one that went to his knees! That’s the mage!” shouts Pettitt.
The guards are heading directly for the perimeter fence but there are crates and some breeze blocks in their path. Jack, now out the building, aims some shots at the crates hoping to slow the guards down. Alexander and Feldman shoot at them but their shots hit their armoured vests. The guards help their injured colleague back up and they continue their rush for the fence.
Alexander breaks into a sprint, blurring slightly. Internally, Jack curses him for an idiot as he is using his powers in full view of anyone in sight of the compound. Until then, it could be shrugged off as a gang shootout. Jack runs after him, restraining herself from catching up.
Feldman shoots again, hitting the one identified as the mage and his success is indicated by a spray of blood. Alexander slows slightly as he fires his gun at a guard and Jack races past him as she swaps from handgun to machete. Behind her, a running Pettitt holds his hand out and a gout of blood shoots from one of the guards to him.
Jack swears to herself in frustration at the sight of the blood flowing past her through the air; anyone seeing this has full confirmation that something unnatural is happening here!
The guards reach the fence. The one who was the mage vanishes. Stunned and astonished, the remaining men turn towards the rapidly approaching vampires and bring up their guns.
“Fuckit,” Jack thinks, “Might as well go for it and take these guys out. We’ve fucked the Masquerade now. Only way out is making sure nobody mortal escapes.”
Jack focuses on her blood and moves so fast to close the gap between her and the guards that she virtually disappears for a few seconds.
All the guards take aim at the group of kindred and Alexander and Pettitt aim back, but instead of firing there is the sound of “clack clack clack” as all the guns jam; Feldman has re-instated his ritual to stop the guns.
Again, Jack curses to herself thinking that the kindred can take a bullet better than the guards can, even with their vests, and Feldman has now just rendered Pettitt and Alexander useless. It’s up to her to finish this. With a powerful blow, she swings her machete, connecting with the nearest guard who looks terrified for the fraction of a moment he has before Jack sends his head sailing over the fence. The other 2 guards are showered in blood, dropping their guns they back up with their hands up.
Alexander says, “Some people just can’t keep their heads about them.”
Pettitt continues running for the fence and starts to climb. He shouts, “With me, one of you!”
Jack growls and points at the two guards with her bloody machete, “Back to the building.”
Half-way up the fence, Pettitt stops climbing and says, “He’s too fast.”
Looking to Alexander, Feldman says, “Perhaps this is the time to call the sheriff and the seneschal.”
Responding angrily, Jack says, “Perhaps this is the time to get back in the fucking building and removing any footage. Before the police fucking get here.”
“Indeed” says Feldman as he moves off to examine the security cameras.
Pettitt jumps down the last few feet and quickly moves past the other Tremere to head for the main building.
Jack starts to push the two remaining guards after him, “You two fucking move.”
They start to move but the one that is shot in the leg limps slowly – more slowly than the wound would warrant. Still, Jack can see that he is still bleeding so, annoyed, she rips off a wide strip of cloth from his shirt and roughly bandages it.
Alexander can’t help himself and says “I don’t think we have enough bandages to help these guys with their neck problems Jack”.
Jack stares at Alexander. Her face and clothes are splattered with the blood of the men she has killed. She clenches her fist and a muscle twitches in her jaw but, after a very long moment, she turns away to pick up some nearby rope.
As she cuts the rope to size with her machete to tie the hands of the two guards, she delivers terse commands in a half-growled tone.
“Pettit. Look for accelerant in case we can’t find where the cameras were transmitting their images or we need to torch any other evidence. Alexander, Feldman, search the buildings. Everyone, lose your cars once the prisoners have been transferred in case anyone in the nearby buildings is noting license plates. I can help you with that, if needed. Once we’re done here. Split up and meet me in 1 hour at the empty lot on Buccleugh Avenue in Hillington Park Industrial Estate.”
Lights start coming on from buildings a few streets away.
Jack looks up at the lights, “The police will be here soon but they’ll wait until they know the gunfire has stopped.”
Then Jack turns her back on them and marches the two men back towards the smaller building. She takes off her head scarf and wraps it around her face to cover her features.
Wisely, Alexander holds back a phoney salute after the last joke didn’t go down so well. He rushes to his bike to get his laptop while his ghoul heads straight to the third building to make sure it is safe.
Petite heads to some of the steel drums and barrels. It looks like they could be fuel for construction vehicles but they are too heavy for him to move so he goes to check the engine of a van parked nearby. The van belonged to either the mages or their guards but one look and the Tremere can tell that it’s never going work again after he had blasted it with his magic before Jack had arrived.
Feldman enters the largest building and finds cables running from the direction of the cameras. Tracing these he finds they head into the ground, presumably out into the yard by the angle of the trunking they are concealed in. He cuts the cables to the cameras and goes outside to destroy the cameras themselves. As they are too high to reach by hand and with the Police already notified of gunshots, Feldman pops a few well aimed shots, knocking one camera to the floor and from the looks of it, completely destroying the other.
Jack reaches the smaller building with the two guards and takes them in with her. She barely has time to register the round barrel of the machine gun pointed at her from the man Alexander had left behind, now conscious, before he opens fire. Rapid fire bullets spray into Jack and the guards. Already angry, Jack has no hope of holding back her beast as it rips through her feeble defenses and rips into the humans who have dared to try to hurt her.
Outside, the others hear the automatic machine-gun fire and agonised and terrified screams. A guard, soaked in blood, attempts to claw his way out the doorway before he is pulled with inhuman strength back into the building. There is a satisfied growl as his death screams echo across the yard.
Alexander changes his direction and sprints towards the doorway. He has both his pistols out and is about to fire when he pauses. Petitt races from the van to get to the smaller building seconds after Alexander.
Inside the hallway of the smaller building can only be described as a charnel house. The ruined bodies of the guards are strewn at impossible angles, limbs torn from them, large tears in their throats and the sickly sweet smell of blood assaults the senses. The walls are slick with it and the floor is streaked with the signs of struggle. No one is alive, except the solitary figure of Jack.
Jack gently puts down the forearm of the last guard, silently and in what seems to be respect for an enemy fighting for their life. At the noise of Alexander and Petit entering the building she turns towards the door, fangs on show and a snarl on her face, ready to attack those prowling upon her.
The Brujah’s eyes are no longer human, they radiate hate and pain; deep wells of anguish which promise terror and death to all those unfortunate to cross her path. From head to toe Jack is covered in blood, it drips from her face, her hands and her clothing. Jack’s torso is riddled with bullet holes, tearing her jacket and her shirt so that they hang limply around her.
Sensing that Alexander and Petit are not her enemy, but still with great effort, Jack turns her head from them so that her beast can’t see them. Speaking softly, she says “Get back to searching that building. And bring me fuel to torch this place.” The tone alone commands obedience and has a level of expectance in it.
Jack then removes her head scarf without waiting to see if her orders have been followed and begins to wipe the gore from her face and hands, stuffing it in a pocket as she heads towards the exit.
Alexander and Petit back out of the building as she approaches them, agreeing that they should go find fuel. Jack picks up the battered security door on her way out.
Alexander’s ghoul had wandered over to see what the trouble was and after a look at Jack starts to walk away but she apprehends him and tells him to get ready to burn down the building when the fuel is brought over.
Between Petit and Alexander, they make a good show of rolling some barrels of fuel towards the building, while Feldman does a circuit of the 3rd building.
The third building has two doors and no windows and looks like it is has mostly been built to house computers and the like for the workers. There are bullet holes scattered along one wall where stray shots have impacted. The door is not hard to break open, and there are several computers and monitors, one set looks to be turned on and hooked up to a VCR / CD writer which currently has a tape in it.
Feldman uses machine blitz on this and removes the tape. Instead of breaking it and leaving a trace of evidence, he returns to the task at hand and begins systematically removing hard drives from their casing, quite violently.
Jack stalks to her bike, tries the ignition, after a few splutters it turns on. She goes to the van and lifts the bonnet, which shows some cables have been toasted and one of the oil lines has completely disintegrated.
Alexander and Petit manage to roll a second barrel of fuel to the smallest building while Alexanders ghoul douses the corridor with the first barrel. It is noxious and the ghoul has to come out for fresh air several times.
There is the noise of sirens, at least three sets that they can make out. There are voices and shouting from the other side of the fence “Haw, haw you! Whit yea think yer dee’in? Haw get oot a’there, the pohlice are comin!”
With hurried orders Jack shouts to burn the place and run, meeting up in an hour. Ditching the security door near the chantry car for the Tremere to pick up, she gets on her bike.
Alexander races to his bike, Petit and Feldman towards the chantry car.
So I run… not just from the threat of the police but from what happened there. The sound of the screams and the gunfire have faded but their echos continue in my head and I can still taste their fear-drenched blood and smell it on my clothes and in my hair.
Everything feels too-bright and fragile and I have to pretend everything is fine so that I can deal with the practicalities of calling my ghoul to bring the van and bringing me a change of clothes. I put my bike in the van in case it was seen leaving and I make a few phonecalls to permanently get rid of it, or at least change the plates and VIN.
He drops me off a few blocks away my haven and I tell him to wait there. I’m now wearing an oversized hoodie and jogging bottoms and I’ve wiped my face and hands with the remnants of my clothes as best I can. Maybe I’m in a good mental state to be on my own but I still can’t risk my ghouls knowing where I sleep.
My plan is to get to my haven and have a quick shower then head to our meeting but I haven’t accounted for the splash of the hot water on my face feeling like their blood as I relive ripping into them; their hearts pumping out their last, terrified moments. Liquid blurs my vision but it’s from the tears I’m shedding not the water from the shower. The images are in my head… not in any kind of order but still in vivid clarity and with a soundtrack of my beast’s horrific joyous rage. I try to smash the images out and my own blood mixes with the shards of broken tiles at the bottom of the shower tray and the blood of the dead men washed from my skin. Eventually, the realness of the pain drags me screaming out of the memory and I collapse, exhausted. The life I stole from these innocent bystanders, caught in a world they could never have imagined, wipes away my wounds as if none of it had ever happened.
