The Chosen

[dragonrazor]

Draken cleared the upper levels with ease, and then climbed out through a window. He spoke in his native tongue to his partner, telling her to meet him at a certain area. He jumped down from the second floor, and dropped down on top of a large black car. He jumped down off the car, and looked around, unaware that people were inside the car.

 

[lil_squirter]

"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."
"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.

"There's a list of people who've tried to dispatch me." "I'm still here." "What's different this time?"

"I know."

Simple response, not letting those eyes veer back toward him, she'd followed his hunt of Rosewater and the degenerates he'd herded. She'd been the one to tell the others this was a private fight and to stay clear of it. Eric had brought his own destruction down upon himself and his collective. She might not have been able to stop the murder of his parents but she could allow him the vengeance that was his by right. It was a code even their own kind should respect.

"You still hate us, all of us. We are not all creatures as you been shown, just like any breed there are the exceptional, the banal and the undesirable. Of course it isn't in the Brotherhoods best interest to tell you that is it? To show you that you and I are not so very different. What is it your think you are doing? Wiping out the existence of my kind? And to what end?"

Small twitch of her lip, she'd seen enough horrors on both sides to know better then buying into the propaganda. She could have gone into a triad on the murders and atrocities committed by the Brotherhood. But her people were just as guilty in some respects, and that was not the way to get through to him.

"Just what does the Brotherhood do with all the seized items from your kills? Millions in currency, art, history, land... Have you ever seen an equitable pay out to those who've suffered made with it? You call us leeches, but who deals in blood money?"

Before she could get more deeply involved in bashing his people, she knew that would only steel him against her, she could only give enough to make him think. He was smart, quite so in fact. He'd grown from a child of promise to a man of ideals. His mind would show him the truth of things if he was allowed to come to it in his own time.

"They are never just dreams, Bart. You are more then you know. Or perhaps you do know and that is what frightens you. I could show you, you know our abilities to gaze into another's mind. I could have done so, or tried at any time. But I would not without asking. So I make this offer. Allow me to help you see the entirety of things. The more you know the less danger you are in. The ones hunting you now are those who live for the hunt and the kill. It is what they do. They are not common or petty they are artists of death."

 

[Mephistophelily]

Lucy glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow at the rats comment. She knew he could be weird sometimes, but....
'Um... Alright then, Gabe."
She stepped aside so Vincent could catch up to Emily, smirking as Gabe came nearer. "Talking to... rats?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Gabe, we need to get you some other friends..." She laughed a little, though frowned again when he explained what Draken was doing up there. "Your stuff- He's going to destroy everything you had in there!"

 

[FenixZero]

Gabriel nodded grimly, "Aye I know it Luce. But we've no time, more Brothers are on their way and even with yer help we can't fight them fer long. It mean I'm gonna have to buy the White Albulm again but other then that, it's just things. Nothin last forever"

Well most things didn't last forever. The four walking through the underground passageway were not some of those things.

Casting a look behind him, Gabriel could've sworn he heard a low frequency hum, like a tiny motor or something similar. The echos of the tunnel made it impossible to be sure it wasn't just a loose wire or water going through pipes, but still...

"Ye hear it Lucy?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

Lucy gave a light giggle at his comments on the albums, shaking her head. Even with all this, he was managing to crack a few jokes. She hoped that Draken took caution with what he was doing up top- If he made too much commotion, wouldn't the brotherhood investigate into it? "Gabe? What about-"

She cut short as he asked her about a noise, glancing around as she listened, then gave a nod. "What IS that?"

 

[musicankane]

Vince listened to the sounds of the sewer. "That sound isn't normal. LEt's pick up the pace and leave these Brotherhood punks guess." HE said, stepping on the gas and walking faster. He navigated the tunnels like second nature and zigzaged around every corner like he saw it coming ahead of time.

 

[FenixZero]

The sound was familiar, and distinctive enough that one wouldn't normally forget it. But from so far away and with all the ambient sound, even Gabriel's vampire ears were unable to discern even the direction of the approching buzz.

Suddenly his eye widened. Brotherhood Seekers. They had sent seekers out to flush out the tunnels. A small spherical shaped machine, built from divine technology but forged by human hands, the small orb shaped hunters hummed through the air, seeking out the unique signature from a vampire's body.

"And now we run" Gabriel sighed as he saw the first of the orbs rounding a corner, the meger light of the tunnels reflecting off the surface of the Seeker. The machines internal computer immediataly recognized it's target, as a moving human form without any body temperature or detectable life signs. The machine prepared it's primary weapon, a single strob of intense UV light, designed to reduce a vampire to ash in seconds.

Gabriel hesitated for only an instant before grabbing Lucy's arm and breaking into a full sprint.

 

[Hikari]

"And now we run"

Emily had heard the weird noise too and before she knew it they we're running.

"What's happening?"


She was running faster than she ever had in her life but the others were still moving a bit faster than she. Still she kept pushing herself as she sensed them drawing closer and closer. Although she didn't know why she found herself calling him for help.


"Vincent!!!"

 

[musicankane]

Vince never stopped moving. At one instant he was going forward, the next he launched perfectly backward to Emily's side.

He wrapped her arm around her waist and lifted her iinto his arms. "Sorry sweetheart, hold on it's gonna get quick." Then he stepped on the gas and the tunnel walls become a fast moving blur that was hard to focus on and eventually Emily had to give up or puke.

 

[dragonrazor]

Draken moved towards the van, and climbed in, then flicked a switch, detonating the demolition charges. He hoped that they wouldn't find anything in the tunnels. He heard rumours of Seekers, a sort of Seraphic hunting machine, and they didn't sound pleasant. He nodded to Thessaly, and she pulled away from the building and into a courtyard. He hoped to flush out any Brotherhood punks.

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Run? From wh-"

Lucy hadn't a chance to ask about the noises any more than that before Gabriel grabbed her arm, bolting down into one of the corridors and dragging her along behind him. She caught the blast of light behind her out of the corner of her eye, whincing as she realized what that would have done to Gabriel and Vince.

"...Oh."
Once they were in the clear, she leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath as she looked to Vincent. "So.. How far are we... from your place?"

 

[musicankane]

Vince set Emily down and stared down the dark tunnel. "About five miles still." He said. "But I have an entrance four miles from here which means we can take a scure tunnel for the last mile." He said starting up a quick pace once again.

 

[Hikari]

Vince had saved her life for the second time that day.. She had no idea how she could ever repay him for something like that. She ran once again with the others and this time she was able to keep up the pace. She'd never run this much in her life, but she figured that the difference was that she was running for her life and not for a grade in P.E.


"Tell me when we're safe... I don't know how many more surprises I can take..

 

[Mephistophelily]

Eva stood at the main doors of the Church, her arms folded as she listened to the background sounds of the monestary, the Brothers training away...
But she was listening for something else.
She eased her way down the steps, her ears alert for that sound... the buzzing, echoing beneath the streets, a sound not many could hear unless they thought to listen, tuned themselves to that glorious sound...
And then nothing.

She smiled. Another of the Damned, sent to where they belonged. She tugged the cross from inside her jacket collar, holding it in her palm as she muttered a prayer to herself as she walked back inside.

Two of the newer Brothers passed her, eyeing her over as he continued on by. "So... What eaxctly are we supposed to call her? A Holy Sister?," one asked with a laugh.

Eva scowled, her sword drawn in seconds and pressed against the back of his neck. "I am more of a Brother than you will EVER hope to become, fool." Her voice was solemn, her eyes narrowed. "Don't question me ever again... and we shall not have any issues."
She returned to the altar to pick up her guns, then continued out the back door of the church. She wanted to find the remnants of her little project....

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Five miles." Lucy frowned, giving a slight groan as the two started off once again. "Oh, sure, that was a GREAT breather, thanks..."

She gave a glance to Gabe, then sprinted after them. She hated wearing a skirt when running.. and the boots weren't helping much. She really needed to start realizing that with her usual group, running was a typical part of a day.... She would be far better off in jeans.
*Yeah. Just... keep that in mind once you finally get to go back to your dorm room.... Whenever the hell that'll be...*

 

[Armphid]

"I know."

"You still hate us, all of us. We are not all creatures as you been shown, just like any breed there are the exceptional, the banal and the undesirable. Of course it isn't in the Brotherhoods best interest to tell you that is it? To show you that you and I are not so very different. What is it your think you are doing? Wiping out the existence of my kind? And to what end?"

"Just what does the Brotherhood do with all the seized items from your kills? Millions in currency, art, history, land... Have you ever seen an equitable pay out to those who've suffered made with it? You call us leeches, but who deals in blood money?"

"They are never just dreams, Bart. You are more then you know. Or perhaps you do know and that is what frightens you. I could show you, you know our abilities to gaze into another's mind. I could have done so, or tried at any time. But I would not without asking. So I make this offer. Allow me to help you see the entirety of things. The more you know the less danger you are in. The ones hunting you now are those who live for the hunt and the kill. It is what they do. They are not common or petty they are artists of death."

Bart smirked, "To what end?" "It's very simple." "The very existence of your kind means that you will kill innocent people." "It's what you do." He almost wanted to laugh. Who the hell did she think he was? If she really knew him, she knew the things he'd seen vampires do. "It doesn't matter how high or low class a vampire is, they still drink human blood and they kill to get it." "When someone tries to kill you, you kill them right back." "That's the end." "If you stopped eating people, I'd stop killing you."

"The money the Brotherhood takes goes into research." "Do you have any idea how much it costs to find a way to make crosses that can be used as accurate and lethal throwing weapons?" "Not to mention, the land mines that release clouds of holy water." There was a kernal of truth to her words though. The Brotherhood didn't give the money to the survivors of vampiric victims. It all went into running the Brotherhood, research, and tithes to the church. "I'm not dumb enough to think that there aren't people lining their pockets, but that doesn't make the work that's done less necessary or worthwhile."

Her final offer stunned him. He was tempted to immediately refuse. Let a vampie into his head? He might as well slit his throat for her. But she did know something he needed to, she'd convinced him of that. Was it worth the risk?

Hell, what was he thinking? Why was he even considering this?

It was that smell and the feel of her presence. A memory he'd long forgotten came to him. It was the day his parents had been found. The others mourned, but he'd left the compound, stupidly. He was so lost in his grief and his anger, he wasn't thinking. He'd wandered into the hills, up under a massive tree, the stars and moon illuminating the night. He'd stared at them, feeling afraid and weak. Then there was the scent of lavender and heather, and he felt someone watching. Someone who cared. Someone who would protect him while he grieved.

"You were there that night, weren't you?" He couldn't believe what he was doing. His mind was screaming at him not to be an idiot. "If...if you can give me some kind of assurance that all you'll do is show me what you want me to see, then I'll...I'll let you in."

 

[lil_squirter]

It was that smell and the feel of her presence. A memory he'd long forgotten came to him. It was the day his parents had been found. The others mourned, but he'd left the compound, stupidly. He was so lost in his grief and his anger, he wasn't thinking. He'd wandered into the hills, up under a massive tree, the stars and moon illuminating the night. He'd stared at them, feeling afraid and weak. Then there was the scent of lavender and heather, and he felt someone watching. Someone who cared. Someone who would protect him while he grieved.

"You were there that night, weren't you?" He couldn't believe what he was doing. His mind was screaming at him not to be an idiot. "If...if you can give me some kind of assurance that all you'll do is show me what you want me to see, then I'll...I'll let you in."

"Not all of us kill, not all of us choose our suppliers indiscriminately. There are a good many among you who come to us willingly to be with us for their lives. We offer protection, security, they offer us the things which sustain us."

She was breaking protocol, too much information. He had no need to know and she should not feel compelled to justify herself to him, yet she was doing just that. Why? Why did it matter what he thought of her aside from her duties? Slowly her gaze swept back to him again, those ethereal blue eyes haunted and haunting, but not in the least bit deceptive.

He was willing to let her into his mind, willing to see that which would wake him more fully to his own nature. And all he wanted was assurance. Lila reached over, gently no sudden movements and nothing controlling in her motion. Her hand laid on his wrist and turn it palm side up. She bent the wrist and the soft sliding pop of the blade echoed in the car. The driver, a hulking brute turned immediately but Lila's free hand stayed him with merely a rising gesture.

"You hate my kind, you know as well as I how to dispatch us. I will trust you, if you trust me."

Gentle pull on his wrist, guiding that extended blade until it pressed to her chest. Small dimple in the pale freckled skin exposed in the low neckline of her dress. The chest not rising and falling as there was no need for breath in her state. He could, with hardly more then a thought, dispatch her here and now. Trust was being asked of them both now.

"You were there that night, weren't you?"

There was something, flickering of something behind her eyes, enough to make her rethink and nearly push him away, lower lips trembling before she could recover her composure. He had been so small, so fragile..Eric would have loved to add another blood feud marker to his list by killing Bart. But she had stayed watch over him, through out that night and until just before dawn, barely escaping before those golden rays could harm her. But he'd been seen to, watched over, cared for.

"Might have been, I don't recall."

Her first lie to him.

 

[FenixZero]

As the four of them made their way through the tunnels, Gabriel kept casting glances behind him, his ears searching for the telltale hum of more pursuers. Brotherhood Seekers? The pet project of...

"Eva" He growled under his breath, glancing down at Lucy as she ran alongside him. She wasn't dressed for this at all. The short skirt barely came to her mid thigh and each time she raised one of those long, elegant legs the garment rose a little higher, exposing more skin.

Matter at hand Gabriel.

If Eva was in the city and actively sending Seekers then their problems were only mounting. He needed to buy them time, he needed to draw the Seekers away. But risking Lucy was out of the question and he couldn't trust Vince to protect her. He had his own Charge to watch over, and besides...Gabriel trusted no one but himself to watch over Lucy.

Coming to a fork in the tunnels, Gabriel motioned for Lucy to follow him. "Vince, we're gonna take another route, try and confuse those robotic blood'ounds. We'll rendevous at your cave."

Without even waiting for a respone, the Irish vampire took Lucy's hand in his and began moving down the darkened tunnel.

She deserves to know about the Project. She needed to know about Eva and everything else that was happening.

As the pair rounded another corner, Gabriel pulled her into an alcove, their bodies obscured by shadow.

"Lucy...ye need to know somethin..."

 

[dragonrazor]

Draken and Thessaly drove fast away from the building that had just sort of imploded in on itself. It wouldn't do well to answer many questions to the authorities. He hoped those kids were okay, but he couldn't worry about such matters right now. He had work to do, and a lot of it. Though he was at odds with the Vampire Nation because he refused to take human life, he had to take steps to protect them. Such was the duty of the Old Ones.

OOC: I realized Draken wasn't nearly old enough, so i changed his age accordingly

 

[Armphid]

Lila reached over, gently no sudden movements and nothing controlling in her motion. Her hand laid on his wrist and turn it palm side up. She bent the wrist and the soft sliding pop of the blade echoed in the car. The driver, a hulking brute turned immediately but Lila's free hand stayed him with merely a rising gesture.

"You hate my kind, you know as well as I how to dispatch us. I will trust you, if you trust me."

Gentle pull on his wrist, guiding that extended blade until it pressed to her chest. Small dimple in the pale freckled skin exposed in the low neckline of her dress. The chest not rising and falling as there was no need for breath in her state. He could, with hardly more then a thought, dispatch her here and now. Trust was being asked of them both now.

"You were there that night, weren't you?"

"Might have been, I don't recall."

The stake was a real beauty. Hand carved from ash, polished, and fire hardened. The yellowish color of the wood clashed with the paleness of his skin where it pressed in. Bart's eyes watched it for a moment, trying not to wander to the rather tempting globes of her breasts. One little push is all it would take. So easy. His training was telling he should, he'd never get another chance like this with a vampire again. One more threat to humanity gone.

But that wouldn't get him the answers he needed. Bart's eyes flicked over to the driver, and narrowed. That one was an unknown. He seemed loyal to Lila, following her orders without question. Vampires tended towards betrayel even more than humans though. Bart shifted his left arm, positioning it behind the driver's seat. One twitch would send the other stake through the seat and the driver's heart. He doubted the seats were armormed, even if the outside of the car was.

Then he looked back at Lila. For the first time, he looked into her eyes. Blue. Possibly the bluest blue he'd ever seen. God, couldn't something about her be ugly? That would make this so much easier. Intellect and firm control looked back at him, but there was something else behind it. "All right, Lila." "I'll accept this assurance." He took a deep breath, still unsure about this. She could do anything once she was in his head. "You've surprised me again, I'm impressed."

A wry smile crossed his face, "Come on in, the mind's fine." "A little paranoid, but still perfect for a dip."

 

[lil_squirter]

"All right, Lila." "I'll accept this assurance." He took a deep breath, still unsure about this. She could do anything once she was in his head. "You've surprised me again, I'm impressed."

A wry smile crossed his face, "Come on in, the mind's fine." "A little paranoid, but still perfect for a dip."

Though it made her skin crawl to be in such proximity to an object designed to kill her, she could not deny it was one made with a certain artistry. Love and hate had gone into it, carving it perfectly, oil rubbed into it many times over to create the shine and shade. Heat of fire tempered that wood to the strength nearly that of metal. As far as instruments of death went it was lovely, that did nothing to make it more comforting.

He was tempted to kill her, she could feel that radiating off him in waves, but not only that. Hate and confusion and curiosity all roiled within him. He was correct in assuming the drivers loyalty but not his status, though he looked large, hulking and mean the driver was still human. Ten years of servitude to Lila had seen him well looked after and the fact that she'd pulled him from the depths of a heroine addiction and death in the gutter had instilled in him the loyalty he showed her.

The big man did not like Bart, not at all. In fact this hole situation sat wrong with him and he couldn't say anything. he only outward signs being the soft creak of the leather steering wheel where his hands turned white knuckled in their grip and the scowl hat creased his features.

"Not meaning to impress, please understand that I am taking no great comfort from this situation either. Over two hundred years and I still fear the finality of death."

Cold humor in that, she was however being honest in her desire to not end her existence just yet. But things were back in balance again, she could enter his mind now and unlocked what remained hidden there.

It wasn't harsh, nothing wrenching or unsettling. Her mind seeped into his, like a marble hall with many doors. Lila held the keys and looked for the memory she needed. So long ago, back to his birth, that genetic memory passed on in all progeny of her kind. She passed the rage and hatred of his adult life, some of that following like wisps of fog in her wake. Adolescent sexual fantasies...he had no lack of imagination it seemed. Childhood dreams she was getting closer..and there it was.

Her hand held out to him in this mental approximation of reality, pulling him along to her until he stood at her side. One hand laced fingers with his, the other unlocked the door.

"This is just visual of course, a way of you dealing with what you are seeing. In a moment things will be far more visceral."

She gripped his hand to offer strength and stepped through the door taking him with her. History swam and spun before him. Liquid images , thought and feeling surrounded him. Kindness, rage. Love and hate, life and death it was all here swirling about pouring knowledge into him. The history of her race and his own. The existence of the Chosen, what they meant to her kind. What he truly was. Lila leaned to whisper in his ear.

"Learn but do not lose yourself. Squeeze my hand and we leave this place."

Safety net ready, Lila let him explore as he would. There was too much to learn in one sitting, but this was the only way a man like him might believe. Words were fine and she was skilled with them, but he was not the sort to be swayed just by them, he needed to know that this was within him.

 

[Mephistophelily]

Lucy stopped running as she heard Gabe's footsteps come to a halt, turning to look at him, watching as he told Vince they'd catch up with them- but then gave an understanding nod. The letter from the Elders. She was to distract for others' safety.

She smiled as he took her hand, squeezing the cold skin beneath hers as he led her into one of the darkened corners. She looked up at him, waiting and ready for any command he might give her to help the situation...
"Lucy...ye need to know somethin..."

She gave him a confused look. "What else is there for me to know?" She paled. "You got hurt- from those things, didn't you... Let me see, Gabe, I'll do my best to help you..," She stammered out, griiping his hand and lifting up his arm to look, then ran her hands along his chest and sides, trying to feel for any burns or wounds on him.

 

[FenixZero]

Gabriel's voice caught in his throat as he felt Lucy's small hands roving across his cold skin, the soft pads of her fingertips exploring his body. Why did she have to be so warm? A slight grimace crossed his face as her hands found a patch of burned flesh, still healing from the blinding blast of artifical sunlight. She was worried, she cared. He wore only the skintight black t-shirt and the same dark pants slung low across his hips. His other clothes were now either utterly destroyed or buried beneath a mountain of rubble. And yet, not having any clothes didn't seem a problem as the lovely young girl ran her hands all over his body. Gabriel felt that same uncomfortable swelling his pants. The vampire, the predator that he was wanted her so badly it was maddening, but he was a Guardian first and foremost.

The burn wasn't serious, but it was painful. Sunlight took time and blood to heal and unfortunatly, Gabriel had neither. Lucy had been clever enough to grab a few extra blood packets, hopefully enough for him to heal his wounds and continue.

"Before I met ye, before ye were even born, I was helping a few vamps clear out a Brother'ood outpost in Copehagen. We were ambushed, and every member of me team was turned to ash before me very eyes" He spoke in hushed tones as Lucy's smooth, pale hands continued to travel along his chest, "They took me alive...such as it was...back to Rome, to the center of their power. A woman, a scientist named Eva was there and she..."

How did he tell her? How did he tell her that for almost a decade he was the Brotherhood's secret weapon? That for near 10 years he hunted down and slaughtered his fellow vampires as nothing more then a mad woman's doll.

"Well all I'll say is that torture becomes something different when ye can heal from almost any injury. For ten years they..."

His voice cut short as he felt Lucy's hand brush down at his waist line for a split second. She was being thorough.

Push her against the wall, tear he clothes off and make her scream. It's what you both want. Taste her blood!

His self-control was ebbing slightly, but he managed to continue, "This will take too long...dammit all, here" Gabriel slit his thumb on the tip of his fang, drawing out a tiny drop of blood. Holding the digit to Lucy's lips, the Guardian stared into her eyes. His memories, his thoughts, all of it were in every drop of his blood. It would be a difficult thing for her to understand, but telling her about the Program wouldn't do...she needed to be shown. She deserved the answers.

 

[Mephistophelily]

Lucy looked up at him, trying to understand as he explained, but that wound she had found made her worried that there were others. Her fingers crept along, looking up at him as she continued, glancing down only for a moment as she found some blackened marks along her hands. Burnt flesh... she had rubbed it from his back. "Gabe-"
She looked back up at him, a confused squeek coming from her as he suddenly shoved his thumb against her mouth. She licked it, tasting his blood against her tongue as she stared up at him... Only moments passed, but she saw so much from his life with just those few droplets.
But there was far more than just droplets from his memories. Years of bloodshed, caused by- him. His memories were... full of so much vampire blood... memories of a woman that frightened her to no end. She could even feel his fear of her...

A horrified gasp came from her as it all registered in, pressing her back against the opposite wall as she wiped a few remaining drops from her lips.
"...Gabriel..." She stared at the ground, shivering. "That wasn't you. That couldn't have been you. It was... them. They made you do all those terrible things..." She looked up to him. "So that's why.. Its not just because you're a vampire. You can do all those things because... of them."

 

[FenixZero]

He was suprised. Normally sharing a blood memory could be utterly overwhelming but Lucy seemed to understand everything immediatly. He didn't like putting those ugly memories into anyone else's head too, but they just didn't have time for anything else. Especially if Eva was anywhere nearby.

Leaning his head out, he craned his neck searching for the hum of more Seekers. Hearing nothing he relaxed against the wall, sinking down to the ground in a comfortable crouch.

"I'm gonna need a rest luv." He was slowing her down and that was unacceptable, but there were still hours until sunset and he was still only at half-strength. Healing the burns alone would take him time and energy he barely had. Tilting his head back to rest against the cool stone wall, Gabriel sighed and addressed the memories he had just fed Lucy.

"Those Seekers, they're another pet project of that damned woman. They're not much threat to you, fortunatly. Most o' the Brother'ood still dosen't know the Chosen exist but that fake sunlight burns pretty good"

Gabriel let a hand travel up the girl's hip, the fingertips dancing lightly across her skirt as he fished for one of the blood packets. It was absurd having to feed this many times, but the blood wasn't as strong unless it was fresh from the body and he was using alot of power for this time of day. And the brief graze of his fingers over the tight swell of her ass wasn't all that bad either.