The Chosen

[musicankane]

Vince smiled warmly. He liked being called a Guardian, already he felt better than he had in a long time. Like he had suddenly been given a sense of purpose.

"Don't worry, it takes more than a few bullets to give me a challenge. You don't live 1800 years being a wussy." He said. "Trust me to guide you into your power and protect you. I can tell you will be a force to be reckoned with." He said.

Vince flicked a strand of hair from in front of his face and glanced around. "This is your safe house?" He asked glancing at Lucy. "Tell me you guys have another place. The brotherhood attacked us not three blocks from here and I can gurantee they're close and getting closer." He assured. "Where's your guardian?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

"My guardian?" Lucy glanced behind her, seeing him hiding back. "He's... over there."

She frowned, waiting for him to come out. She could still smell that damn gun.

 

[Hikari]

"Don't worry, it takes more than a few bullets to give me a challenge. You don't live 1800 years being a wussy."

"Trust me to guide you into your power and protect you. I can tell you will be a force to be reckoned with." He said.

His last words made her blush.

"I..I.. I'll do my best.."


What was she doing? Blushing was something you did when you had a crush or were embarrassed and as far as she knew neither was the case. Then again he wasn't bad looking either..


"Emily get a hold of yourself.. You have to focus and pay attention.." she said to herself.


She watched him walk over to Lucy.. Why was she so prone to shyness? She had to make it stop..

 

[Mephistophelily]

"I'm gonna leave you two alone to talk for a few." Lucy pushed the door closed, hoping the seal stayed to keep whoever that was from trying ot get back inside. She didn't trust the guy that Emily had been talking to before....

She headed to the kitchen, reaching up into the cabinet and taking down Gabe's liquor bottle once more, pouring a glass... but this time, she intended it for herself.

 

[FenixZero]

Gabriel stepped out into the light, wearing a Chesire cat grin on his face. He hadn't expected Vince to be the Guardian. Vince was a wily old basterd, and had been active in the war since...well before Gabriel could remember.

He chuckled lightly at the thought of that. His memories didn't go back so far these days. Ah well.

"Dinna pretend ye don't see me ye old fart" Gabriel slipped his thumbs into his belt loops and assumed a comfortable slouch. He was picking up a strange feeling from Lucy. She really hadn't liked the gun buisness.

"And don't be goin sayin ugly things about me home. Yer a guest afterall"

 

[Mephistophelily]

Lucy polished off the drink in one quick gulp, whincing from the burn it left in her throat. *Damn, Gabe! What the hell WAS that?!*
Leaving the glass in the sink, she went back and sat next to him, eyeing the gun he had left out on the table. She frowned. She would have understood a helluva lot better if he had explained what he was doing... but all she got was *Sit. Stay.* Like she was a dog or something.
But damn it if she didn't listen.... even when he scared the hell out of her, when she thought he had lost his mind, she listened.... She slowly leaned back onto the couch, inching over to him and laying her head back against his arm. She trusted him. That's all there was to it. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Gabe...," She whispered softly, watching the two trying to get to know each other- even though she wanted to give Em a kick in the ass. *Speak UP, girl!*

 

[FenixZero]

His arm wrapped protectivly around Lucy's shoulder. He was suprised at that but, it just seemed so comfortable to hold her against his chest. It felt like...home?

"I didn't mean to scare ya Luce. The girl had to believe it was real, had to think I was truely gonna kill 'er" Gabriel whispered in her ear. His lips touched her hair lightly and for the second time that day, he caught a rush of her taste. A sudden, inexplicable surge of heat, like needles on his lips. He never quite got used to it.

He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her about how he couldn't have harmed the girl, about what had happened to him and why he could never miss. About Gunslinger. But more then that he wanted to tell her how good she felt, smelled...tasted. But the Guardian was the shadow, nothing more. His life was utterly unimportant when compared to his Chosen. And there was more important things to attend to. At least, thats what the Irish vampire told himself.

"The matter at hand is, we need to be gettin out of here. This place isn't secure. I 'ave a sewer exit we can use to make it to a safer location underground. Strength in numbers. Vincent, ye can get t' meet yer new Charge when we're all safe n' sound."

 

[Armphid]

"Because, Mr. Harker, continuing on it will end any hope you may hold of understanding just why your hands tremble when touching those objects of faith you hold so dear. The choice is yours of course, but before you wave your handgun around note the glass is bulletproof, you however are not."

Lila was eloquent as always, soft smokey tones of her voice hinting with just an edge of the long unused lilt of her people. Much could be conveyed in ones manner of speech, ones tone. With Lila that was confidence, cold logic and oddly..honesty. Lying to the man would accomplish nothing for her, her job was to see that he came into his own, not to see him used or dead. Her thumb slid over the call end button and the cell went silent, if he wanted answers he would be forced to come to her for them.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. All that stealth training, for this? He'd worked hard, damn hard. He knew he was good. How powerful was that...thing in the car.

Something about her voice though. He knew he'd heard it before, but it was hazy. A dream that seemed like a memory. Or a memory that seemed like a dream. He still held the cell. Was he being played? If he wasn't, why did he feel this way? He did have questions that needed answering.

"Fine." He flipped the phone open again, hitting a few buttons in a fast code. The code meant he was in the presence of the enemy, and activated a subcutaeneous tracker hidden under the skin if his right arm. "If you have to do the foolish thing, do it in as smart a way as you can." One of Van Helsing's axioms.

He had all of his personal armaments, and not a few traps on his person. Time to live dangerously.

Bart slid the gun back into its holster, walking up to the back window of the sedan. He tapped on the glass. "All right." "I'm listening." "So let's talk."

 

[lil_squirter]

Bart slid the gun back into its holster, walking up to the back window of the sedan. He tapped on the glass. "All right." "I'm listening." "So let's talk."

Soft hum, the sort of sound that expensive mechanical parts make whent hey want to be noticed for how quiet they can be. The car was elegant, that black motif carried on inside as well as out. Fine grain leather cover the plush back seat, silver and wood trim gleamed with a fine polish in what little light filtered in from the opened window.

"Please, get in. Rest assured there is no threat here."

The voice issured from beneath the wide brim of a black felt hat. Doft gossamer of a veil whisped down from that hiding the face and neck of the speaker. Black dress, shirred and fitted to a sculpted form, long sleeves tapering to thin writsts and those also covered in black gloves. A glimpse of leg, hidden away on the shadows of the far side of the back seat, crossed with a gentle bobbinb motion to one foot. High heel secured only at the toe and a thin patent leather ankle strap, this could have been a show girl or a business women, either way she was waiting for him to make his entrance.

 

[Armphid]

Soft hum, the sort of sound that expensive mechanical parts make whent hey want to be noticed for how quiet they can be. The car was elegant, that black motif carried on inside as well as out. Fine grain leather cover the plush back seat, silver and wood trim gleamed with a fine polish in what little light filtered in from the opened window.

"Please, get in. Rest assured there is no threat here."

The voice issured from beneath the wide brim of a black felt hat. Doft gossamer of a veil whisped down from that hiding the face and neck of the speaker. Black dress, shirred and fitted to a sculpted form, long sleeves tapering to thin writsts and those also covered in black gloves. A glimpse of leg, hidden away on the shadows of the far side of the back seat, crossed with a gentle bobbinb motion to one foot. High heel secured only at the toe and a thin patent leather ankle strap, this could have been a show girl or a business women, either way she was waiting for him to make his entrance.

Whoa. He couldn't see her face, but with the shape of that snug dress and her voice...

Bart actually dropped his guard for a split second, his eyes widening. His right hand tensed in just the wrong way, and the spring loaded stake in his sleeve shot out to full extension with a loud "click." He groaned inwardly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Ahh, sorry about that." He shifted his arm into another position, the weapon retracting. Well, THAT had been smooth.

Of course, maybe it was a good thing. She knew he wasn't helpless. "Thanks for the invition, Miss..." He trailed off, hoping to get her to reveal her name. It was surprising how many people would fall for that. It was just such an ingrained habit/expectation.

As he spoke, he climbed into the car. He was careful to keep his back against the door in case he needed to bail, his senses focused on her. Most of his weapons were too, as a coincidence. Mamma Harker didn't raise no dummies.

 

[lil_squirter]

Of course, maybe it was a good thing. She knew he wasn't helpless. "Thanks for the invition, Miss..." He trailed off, hoping to get her to reveal her name. It was surprising how many people would fall for that. It was just such an ingrained habit/expectation.

"McKenna, Lila McKenna. And I am well aware how armed you are, Mr. Harker. You are a member of the Brotherhood and one more capable then most. Excellent refleces, sharp vision, natural acuity for targeting and stealth. Did you ever wonder why you have such abilities?"

One gloved hand rose after the door and window were shut, the viel was pushed back to reveal a pale freckled face. Red gold waves of hair fell softly around her face and piercing blue eyes fixed on him with a casual lingering gaze.

"Your family has been in the business of erdaicating my kind for centuries now, is your heart truly devoted to the task, young Harker?"

She leaned, not close enough to offer threat, but close enough the the soft scent of lilac and heather reached him. Her voice and gaze given added weight in the subtle body language of the move.

"Or is it the dreams that distress you most?"

 

[Armphid]

"McKenna, Lila McKenna. And I am well aware how armed you are, Mr. Harker. You are a member of the Brotherhood and one more capable then most. Excellent refleces, sharp vision, natural acuity for targeting and stealth. Did you ever wonder why you have such abilities?" One gloved hand rose after the door and window were shut, the viel was pushed back to reveal a pale freckled face. Red gold waves of hair fell softly around her face and piercing blue eyes fixed on him with a casual lingering gaze.

Mercy. She was beautiful. Enough to make a bishop kick out a stained glass window. The man in him made his heart soften a little toward her, the pale loveliness making him ache. Then his training kicked in. The prettiest leech was still a leech. She'd bleed him out in a heartbeat, not that hers did. "My training was started almot before I could walk and talk." "I learned stealth and shooting when other kids were watching Barney." "That's where it comes from." "If you know the Harkers, you know that."

It wasn't entirely a lie. But it wasn't the whole truth either. He was human, just human. But he was better than a lot of other Brotherhood members who weren't. It was his training. It had to be.

"Your family has been in the business of erdaicating my kind for centuries now, is your heart truly devoted to the task, young Harker?" He would have leaned back if he could, but he was already flush against the door. The scent of lilacs and heather fulled his nose, tantalizingly familiar. Where had he smelled that mix before? "Or is it the dreams that distress you most?"

He looked at her forehead, knowing better than to look at a vampire's eyes. He had no concrete proof that she was a vampire, but he trusted his instincts. "Your kind have murdered innocent people by the hundreds of thousands, plus my parents, aunts, uncles, and several cousins." "What makes you think I wouldn't want all that to end?" "Justice must be served, everyone is accoutable." He hoped he sounded more confident about that than he felt.

"My dreams...are just dreams." "I deal with too much horror when I'm awake to worry about them." Now that, that was a lie. He did fear his dreams. Dreams of blood. Of power. Power whose source he'd dedicated himself to destroying.

 

[lil_squirter]

Then his training kicked in. The prettiest leech was still a leech. She'd bleed him out in a heartbeat, not that hers did. "My training was started almot before I could walk and talk." "I learned stealth and shooting when other kids were watching Barney." "That's where it comes from." "If you know the Harkers, you know that."


He looked at her forehead, knowing better than to look at a vampire's eyes. He had no concrete proof that she was a vampire, but he trusted his instincts. "Your kind have murdered innocent people by the hundreds of thousands, plus my parents, aunts, uncles, and several cousins." "What makes you think I wouldn't want all that to end?" "Justice must be served, everyone is accoutable." He hoped he sounded more confident about that than he felt.

"My dreams...are just dreams." "I deal with too much horror when I'm awake to worry about them." Now that, that was a lie. He did fear his dreams. Dreams of blood. Of power. Power whose source he'd dedicated himself to destroying.

"I did know your parents, and your grandparents. Just because we might have been on opposing sides does not mean I could not respect and admire their tenacity. You come from a strong and noble line, people who never gave up. You have every right to be proud of your lineage, but you need to know all of it."

She eased back from her forward lean, the overpowering nearness of his heat, the tangy iron scent of blood rushing through his veins and a certain attraction she could neither acknowledge nor deny were making this quarters a bit too close. A nervous twitch jerked her fingers so she folded them over her lap, turning to angle herself away from Bart and tot he front seat.

"There is more to your war then you've ever been told, more to your own bloodline then you could ever guess. People like me, assigned from your birth to watch over you."

Her voice lowered, something deeply emotional in the first few sounds before she smoothed it over with a cold professionalism.

"Your parents, I am deeply sorry for what happened to them, it was not supposed to have and had I known I would have stopped it. But my job was to watch over you and I never thought they would become direct targets. Too high profile for all but the most insane among us. I suppose I must accept blame for their passing, it never should have happened."

That odd confession left her wondering why she made it, it was not in her plans to say such a thing, that was not what she'd intended on talking to him about. She was off topic, she needed to direct things back to him, to this situation. She needed to regain control and quickly before he zeroed in on the moment of weakness.

"As to your dreams, they are portents Mr. Harker, they are not merely the by product of an over stimulated psyche. You are something all together different then the rest of your Brotherhood. I wanted you to come to see this in your own time but I fear that time is woefully short. Either I convince you or others will surely try and dispatch you."

 

[Hikari]

Emily decided she need to take an honest look at herself. She drifted off to the restroom and looked in mirror. Her hair was a mess, her glasses were gone since vince had tossed them aside in her dorm room. She found she actually looked better without them. Her outfit was comfortable but was horribly plain. No wonder she seemed to disappear in a crowd. She definitely needed a change. She let down her hair and tried standing up straight. She walked out there and saw them speaking.


"The matter at hand is, we need to be gettin out of here. This place isn't secure. I 'ave a sewer exit we can use to make it to a safer location underground. Strength in numbers. Vincent, ye can get t' meet yer new Charge when we're all safe n' sound."


She walked over to them..


"Umm.. Hi.."


She smiled a bit.


"So umm...When are we leaving?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

"As soon as possible." Lucy frowned. If Gabe was worried, then she was too.
"Let me just grab some things."
She took a few things from Gabe's weapon wall- after all, if we was going to be training her with them now, she would need to have a few on hand, just to be safe... A few small daggers, and a sword she could fit easily into her belt.
Blood... for these two. She realized Gabe's fridge was already running low- she had given him one of his bags already, so they'd need to find some more. Watching the two vampires feed might be a bit much for Emily right yet.

 

[musicankane]

Vince smiled warmly and nodded toward Gabe. "Good to see you ol' friend. Been a long time. If I'da known you were so close I'd of come and at least said hi."

He glanced around as he stepped into the building. "I figure if we head North we can make it to my cave under neath the mountains." Vince explained.

Turning he saw EMily coem out of the bathroom and he smiled. She had tossed her hair and tried to amke herself more presentable. She looked better now and it was obvious she tried to make herself look good. He could tell she would look great if she had a better outfit and some make-up. A true beauty that would be deadly after he was done with her.

 

[FenixZero]

"I figure if we head North we can make it to my cave under neath the mountains."

The Irish vampire nodded his agreement and rose to his feet. Lucy was behaving well, going to the wall and picking the weapons she felt the most comfortable with. The Guardian followed suit, snatching the gun from the coffee table and moving over to the wall. Selecting an identical weapon and a few extra clips, he moved towards the bedroom.

Gripping the iron frame bed and moving it aside like it weighed nothing, Gabriel revealed a manhole cover in the center of the floor. Cracking the wheel and popping the lid open, he motioned for the others to get in.

"Once we've made a good distance away, we'll make contact with members of the Vampire nation, resupply. Then we can head fer yer cave Vincent"

 

[dragonrazor]

Draken climbed in through a window, letting Thessaly do some scouting. He was in constant radio contact, of course. He had humans who could have done this, but he knew there were traitors among the vampire nation, and didn't think any human could truly handle them. He shrugged, then dropped to the floor of the safehouse. He was just in time to see one of the vampire guardians tossing a bed aside. "You may be in danger more danger than you know." It was a risk, revealing himself to them, but it had to be done. "The Brotherhood is on to you, and my information is limited on these Chosen that you mentioned. There's something very wrong going on. Thessaly's outside, she may end up trying to provide a distraction. If you intend to go into the sewers, you need someone to make sure they don't find out."

 

[musicankane]

Vince nodded. "I have weapons stored at my place, but it would be a good idea to at least report a new chosen among us." He agreed. "Show me the sewer, I'd like to examine it before we head out. I never go anywhere without knowing my way first." He said stepped up to the other vampire.

 

[Armphid]

"I did know your parents, and your grandparents. Just because we might have been on opposing sides does not mean I could not respect and admire their tenacity. You come from a strong and noble line, people who never gave up. You have every right to be proud of your lineage, but you need to know all of it."

"There is more to your war then you've ever been told, more to your own bloodline then you could ever guess. People like me, assigned from your birth to watch over you."

Her voice lowered, something deeply emotional in the first few sounds before she smoothed it over with a cold professionalism.

"Your parents, I am deeply sorry for what happened to them, it was not supposed to have and had I known I would have stopped it. But my job was to watch over you and I never thought they would become direct targets. Too high profile for all but the most insane among us. I suppose I must accept blame for their passing, it never should have happened."

Bart's eyes narrowed as he listened to her. What exactly was she trying to do? He thought her remorse was real, her words honest. Had she managed to hex him already or...did she mean it? If she meant it, what was going on? What did she know about him?

"You don't need to apologize for that." His voice was low, and he made no attempt to hide the emotions in it. "Whether you were supposed to protect them or not, you didn't kill them." "Eric Rosewater and his pack did." His hands clenched into fists as the bloody memories flowed through his mind's eye. He was fourteen when they died. "And over the next three years, I killed all of them." "That's business settled."

His body language and his voice told another story. That was a big part of why he was so determined in his path, where his rage and hate came from. Raw emotion was in his voice, so much so that it curprised him.

Bart focused his will, forcing the emotions back down. He had to stay cool, remember his training. This could still be a trap, a trick. Not the first time a leech tried to talk him into lowering his guard.

"As to your dreams, they are portents Mr. Harker, they are not merely the by product of an over stimulated psyche. You are something all together different then the rest of your Brotherhood. I wanted you to come to see this in your own time but I fear that time is woefully short. Either I convince you or others will surely try and dispatch you."

Portents? Of what? Blood, power, lust, hunger...terrible hunger. His eyes went wide, and for the first time in years he felt fear. Not that. God, let it not be that. He recovered quickly, his expression becoming relaxed once more. "I don't have the gift of prophecy, as I bet you know." "It's a nice story, but they're just dreams." He was trying to convince himself more than her.

Keep her talking, try to see what's at the bottom of all this. "There's a list of people who've tried to dispatch me." "I'm still here." "What's different this time?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

Lucy guestured to Emily to follow her as she slid down into the manhole. "Follow me down. If there does happen to be anyone lurking about down there, I think I'd be able to give them a bit more of a fight than you at the moment. You just worry about keeping yourself in one piece, right?"
She glanced to Gabe, then climbed down. She had been down here once before, when her "stepfather" had finally lost his mind and gone after her.... She didn't really remember what happened after that. Just- Gabe, keeping her safe as usual.
"Em." She looked up to her. "Its safe. C'mon." She gave her an ackward smile. "Probably not exactly how you were hoping to spend this evening..."

 

[dragonrazor]

Draken watched them descend into the manhole cover, and started setting demolition charges around the building. It was a risk, but covering up the escape of these ones was a necessity. He felt it, and couldn't explain why. So he set the charges, with the intention of bringing the entire bulding down on top of the manhole cover. Once all the charges were in place, he jumped up towards the upper levels.

 

[Hikari]

"Follow me down. If there does happen to be anyone lurking about down there, I think I'd be able to give them a bit more of a fight than you at the moment. You just worry about keeping yourself in one piece, right?"

She looked at the hole to the sewer system and she took a deep breath. Who or what could possibly be down there that would make them grab weapons. That was all she could think about.

"Em."

She broke her train of thought.

"Huh?"

"Its safe. C'mon."

"Oh okay.."

She reluctantly slid down the manhole behind her.

"Probably not exactly how you were hoping to spend this evening..."

The truth was that Lucy was right. Had none of this happened she would have been doing school work and been bored to death. Although this was far more dangerous than her regular routine, it was far more exciting. She soon climbed to the bottom and stood beside the lucy.

"This could get very interesting.."

 

[Mephistophelily]

"You have NO idea," Lucy said with a smirk. "Hey, don't worry. Between those two," she started, guesturing to the decending vampires before tapping the sword on her side. "...And me... There's nothing to be worried about."

She started to walk down the wet cement, then paused, glancing at her. "Oh. If, ah, you see any white chalk crosses in front of any passages- Don't go that way. It'll hurt like a sonuva bitch- You'll be directly beneath the church. If you haven't noticed.. Holy things aren't exactly cozy for us. That's pretty much the only thing to be worried about down here." She jumped back suddenly, then gave an annoyed grumble as a dart of fur passed by. "...Ok, And the rats. But those are just nasty."

 

[FenixZero]

"Now don't start on the rats Luce" Gabriel chided in a joking tone, "I survived for almost six months on a steady diet of rats. Clever little buggers too, they can tell ye things if yer listenin right"

Yeah, well done Gabriel. Girls are really charmed when you start talking to sewer rats.

The Irish vampire's eyes adjusted to the familiar darkness instantly, every detail and texture standing out to him clearer then day. Taking a few steps foreword, he motioned in a hushed tone.

"The strange one that came to the door was on our side after all. It looks like he's plannin on bringin the whole building down on top of us. So if ye hear a mighty bang and alot of crumbling...ye'll know what it is"

Motioning with his pistols, he waved Emily and Vince up front, keeping Lucy in the back with him. "Lead the way lad"