@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@ Friday, June 13th, 1997 @==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@ THE SWARM DESCENDS (1/3) By the entire ULF Takes place after "Forever Friday Knight" A delicate buzz, the somewhat wine-sodden breathing of the woman slumped in a comfortable chair, sounded in the otherwise empty room. Her creased over-sized black silk shirt and tousled red-blonde hair evidenced she'd either been playing or working very hard. One hand rested protectively on the papers pressed to her ample bosom. Two cats lounged on the table before her, lazily grooming the dust generated by their pet's earlier activities from their fur. The peaceful scene was abruptly shattered as the door to the room was flung open. She struggled to emerge from the dream of a troop of a dozen people tramping to her bedroom, speaking loudly and dumping their stuff on the floor and tables. What...? Suddenly, she snapped fully awake, remembering that the mysterious intruders into her territory had been specifically ordered up to Toronto. By her. And what was more, this wasn't her bedroom. It was... the Hive. Her hands closed over the papers on her chest. "So, this is the place?" Illinois Jules demanded as she strode into the room. "Cool. It's a bar." She scrutinized the large room as she unzipped her leather motorcycle jacket, noting happily all the tables she could stock with honey sticks. Wendy Marie followed her in, a bit unsteady on her feet, brown hair wild. The back of Jules' bike was not what she'd had in mind when she'd said she needed a ride from the airport. Three more people tottered into the room, loaded with bags and luggage. The tall, pale woman leading the procession stopped just inside the door, looked around and said, "Damn, this place is something! I'm impressed." April turned to speak to her traveling companions when a whirlwind of a lady with curly, jaw-length auburn hair whisked by. "Where can I set up?" Maus declared immediately upon crossing the threshold. She had her laptop under one arm, a travel bag slung over her shoulder and what looked like a stuffed shark in her other hand. Sukh looked up as little Maus bore down on her. "How about over there at the bar for now... ah?" Sukh stopped, not sure who she was addressing. "Maus. Glad to meet you," the computer specialist declared, shaking Sukh's hand before moving quickly to the far end of the bar. Hearing a disturbance behind her, April spun back around, her long light brown hair swinging. This little mound of luggage walked up, then said, "Kewl knockers!" Susan dropped a bag and reached for the massive door knockers that were mounted to the front door. Before anyone could protest, Susan had raised then dropped the brass handle, which spread a resounding echo through the room, drawing a hard look from everyone. "Sorry," she stated, grinning. Looking around the room, the shortest UF member spotted Maus already pulling cords and paper out of her bag. "That's Maus for you," Susan said with a smile. "Can't wait to get that computer of hers on-line." April moved further into the room. The cathedral ceiling which dominated this part of the house, heightened the grandiose feeling that the room projected. A gently winding, open staircase rose to the second floor at the other end of the foyer, with the bar sitting nestled comfortably against the base of the stairs. As she gazed at the surroundings, April muttered to no one in particular, "Very nice, indeed." She walked up to one of the larger tables arranged near the bar and dropped her two bags in a near chair. Looking back, she noticed a walking pile of bags slowly weaving toward her. "Do you want me to carry any of those?" April asked, trying very hard to suppress a giggle. "Now, you ask!" Susan replied, dropping her armful on the floor with a loud thud and plopping into the nearest chair. The door to the room opened again and a small black wolf-like dog raced into the room and started sniffing around, wagging his stubby tail. The cats took one look and jumped up en masse onto various tables and bookshelves, radiating disgust. A short woman with *very* windblown long white hair and a bosom to rival Sukh's staggered into the room, loaded down with various bags and knapsacks. She gave them all a tired grin and started dropping bags. "Oh my God, I thought that I was *never* going to get out of customs! I thought my gun was going to be the hangup, but *try* explaining ten cases of honey with no invoices! They must have thought I was going to corner the Canadian honey market. I told them I was going to a family reunion and I was making baklava for 500. Hey, is there room in the garage for my car? I need to unhitch the trailer and unload it and get the bike off... I'm babbling, aren't I?" "Yup," said Sukh. "It's OK, relax, you made it." Jules looked out the window. "Hey Laurey, what kind of bike *is* that?" Laurey grinned. "That's a Bultaco, it's a Spanish racing bike." She paused and frowned. "Geez, I hope the Vaqs don't try and steal it. I didn't think of that. Anyway, it goes like a bat out of hell, my brother and I used to race it. It's not good for a long road trip, but it's perfect for around town. I thought the color scheme was appropriate, too." "Yeah, yellow and black." "Like ze honeybee, no?" A large Golden Retriever trotted through the door, carrying an overnight bag and looking very proud of himself. The cats cranked the disgust they were radiating up another notch, and looked for higher ground. "He's with me, I guess," Laurey said, going to the dog and taking the bag from him gently, rubbing his ears. "Thank you, sweetie. You're so good." "You *guess* he's with you?" Wendy walked into the room, sipping from a glass of mead. "You're not sure? Hey, want something to drink?" "Please! That looks great. Um, I don't own him, I picked him up in Buffalo. I think we're hanging out together for awhile. Let me introduce him. Perry, meet my fellow UFfers." Everyone stopped talking and stared at the dog. "Perry?" "No! You sure?" "Very sure. Not too many flying Goldens in the world." Perry grinned a huge doggy grin and waved his plumed tail, looking at his audience. The somewhat incredulous inspection of the dog, the first real vampire many of them had ever seen, was interrupted as Leslie and Michelle entered loudly, hampered somewhat by their reluctant companion. "...and my shoulders and neck feel as though they are solid Carrara marble..." "Julia, please," Leslie interrupted though clenched teeth, "you've made the trip from New York to here seem eons longer than the drive from California to there." "I wonder why?" Julia snapped, holding up her hands and shaking her cuffed wrists before her so-called friend's nose. Michelle rolled her eyes, easing away from them, tired of them both at this point, and questioning her judgment in accepting a ride from a gently smiling, overly "normal" looking woman in a purple van. However, being on a strict budget, she had seen no other way to get to Toronto from Los Angeles other than picking up a ride from this InSaneDiegan. "Julia, you are far too paranoid. There is no way you are going to be suddenly confronted with Lacroix. Toronto is far too large a city. This is all for your own good, anyway. You need the rest." "All for my...? Do you say that to your kids when you lock them in the closet?" "Yeah," replied Leslie, her murky green eyes puzzled. "So?" Julia gaped a bit, then muttered, "Lacroixian mommy, indeed." Then louder, "And I want a shower. A hot, hot shower with-" "Ahem!" Sukh said firmly. The arguing women ceased their noise and turned to look at her. The rest of the crowd fixed their eyes upon her and she declared, "The bar is stocked, though we'll need to make a shopping run for fresh stuff later. Get yourselves something to drink, if you haven't already, then sit down. We got things to do." There was a rush for the bar. Someone started a pot of coffee, exclamations were made over the variety of liquor. "Do you want something to drink, Susan?" April asked, rising from the table. "Milk... please," she replied sweetly as she tried to keep all her luggage under control. @==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@ THE SWARM DESCENDS (2/3) By the entire ULF Takes place after "Forever Friday Knight" Cousin Jen, crouching down rootling through the zymurgated brews in the beer fridge, hoping for some chilled tequila, suddenly rose, a large bottle in one hand. "Hey," she said with some wonderment. "This is *not* a red ale. Or even a merlot. This is..." Perry's low whine echoed eerily in the large room. Laurey decided she better feed him *real* soon. Sukh nodded. "Yep. There are even bedrooms in the center of the house with no windows to the outside. This place is set up for all *kinds* of guests." "Wow," Cuzn Jen breathed, carefully putting the bottle back. The others looked at each other with a mixture of eagerness and dread. Julia rested her head in her shackled hands. "I have a very ... bad feeling about this," she muttered. "That's because you're Russian and having a bad feeling about everything is an art form for you," replied Leslie. She set a nice glass of merlot (she'd tasted it first to make sure it wasn't the... other stuff) in front of the dark haired woman, paler now than she usually was. Settling in the chair next to her unwilling guest, she took a contented sip from her honey wheat ale. "Aaappprrriiilll?" sang through the room. "Yyeess?" "Could you pplleeaassee, bring me some chips or something to eat while you're over there," Susan pleaded, smiling as she looked around the room. "Of course, Susan. I live to serve," April cracked back. Moving behind the bar, April noticed Jules squatting in front of the beer fridge, going through all the varieties of beer that was stocked. "Hey, Jules. Long time, no see!" April exclaimed, seeing her friend. "Hey, girl. I'm glad you made it!" April was swallowed by the biggest hug you've ever seen. Leaning back, Jules smiled, then turned away. "I need a beer." "Maus, what can I get you?" April asked as Maus typed feverishly on her laptop. "Got it! Oh, ah, if there's a lemonade in there, that would be fine," she replied absently. Looking through the cold drinks available, April pulled out a milk, a soda, and an apple juice. "Here you go." She placed the apple juice near Maus, asking, "What have you got?" "I'm on-line and ready to go. Oh, thanks, April," she responded, smiling. Moving back to the table, April handed Susan her drink and settled down to wait for the briefing that would explain why they were all summoned to Toronto. Sukh sat where they could all see her, smoothing the letter on the table before her, then taking a small sip from her mead. "You're probably all wondering why I've called you here." She stopped, grinning. "I've always wanted to say that. Anyway," she went on, "I have here a letter from an anonymous ... benefactor. He, she, I don't know, has deeded this place to us, the UF, I mean." Incredulous looks and whispers were exchanged. "Why?" came the baffled question. "Let me read the letter," said Sukh, and she began. "Dear Miss: "As I write this, I do not know your full name or exact whereabouts, but this letter *will* be delivered to you at the appropriate time. Certain adjustments in my financial and familial affairs have suddenly opened the doors of many opportunities, one of which is a chance to benefit those who have benefited my family and myself. I trust you won't be offended if I consider you and your friends as a potential tool for bringing this about. Your goals and mine in this area are similar if not identical. To that end, I am deeding you and your group one of my properties. This house, which some might call a mansion, sits on extensive grounds, and has not been lived in in quite some time. Though it has been renovated to accommodate guests of all kinds. "Why have I chosen to make you this gift? You and the other nameless ones understand the deep, unbreakable bond between Lucien Lacroix and his son, Nicholas Knight. These men have become like my own family, father, brother, to me and I hope that - someday, as family should be - they will be reunited. If they should ever return to Toronto, I would like them both to consider the house as theirs: the library and the cellar are both first class-" Sukh was interrupted. "A library?" "A cellar?" "First class!?" "Yes!" Eager grins and high-fives were exchanged. Jules and Jennifer indulged in a sword fight using the tiny honey sticks, risking cinnamon flavored honey on their riding leathers. Jennifer's cat, Terror, abandoned his spot on the table in disgust, leaping across to an empty one. The two dogs, Perry and Tybalt, observed the airborne feline with interest, but unlike their pet, maintained their decorum. Even Julia's spirits seemed to lift at the concept. Though it may have been the second glass of wine. "Excuse me? If I may continue?" The excited UFfers, still grinning, calmed themselves under their leader's quelling gaze. Sukh cleared her throat pointedly and continued, "Vandalism is not a concern. For obvious reasons. The security that has been in place all these years will continue to be provided, unobtrusively, as always. "I know your regard for these men and their relationship is deep, though occasionally unusual. I can trust your actions in this matter to be honorable and discreet. Do remember who you are dealing with. "The best of luck to you." The group sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. Then Kelly said, "I don't see how having this place helps us help Nick and Lacroix." "Well, it does give them a kind of neutral spot to meet and talk and whatever," Susan opined shyly. "Well, yeah. But we're here too," Toby interjected, grinning wickedly. "Precisely," agreed Julia. "Would you want to meet us if you were them?" "What's wrong with us?" queried Leslie, as she managed to snap one of the honey sticks in half, the viscous fluid oozing out onto her fingers. She absently attempted to wipe the stuff off with a kleenex, only succeeding in adhering tatters of tissue to her sticky hands. "What indeed," sighed Julia, deftly pouring herself another glass, having become rather accustomed to the handicap of the cuffs. Tybalt leaped down from Laurey's lap and trotted over to offer his help with cleanup, trying to lick the honey and kleenex mixture off the giggling Leslie's hands. Laurey rolled her eyes. "Get over here, crumb weasel, knock that off. Look how good your new big brother is being." She took a big sip from the glass of mead Wendy had kindly brought her. "Are you sure about this, Sukh?" April asked. Sukh waved the papers. "Had it all checked out. We're copacetic." "Kewl. I've never owned a place like this before. This ought to be fun!" Susan exclaimed, her excitement lighting up her face. "The letter mentioned a library in here," said Laurey thoughtfully, looking down into her glass. "Maybe there are things in there or somewhere else in the house that will help us help *them*. We need to explore the place. But tomorrow--I am *way* too burnt." She glanced at her watch, frowned, then shook her head and took another sip of mead. @==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@ THE SWARM DESCENDS (3/3) By the entire ULF Takes place after "Forever Friday Knight" Leslie blinked sleepily, contemplated another beer, decided not in case she needed to drive some more this evening. She pulled her pocket watch out of her jeans, popped the top and peered at it. Wow. Only midnight. It felt like... Then she noticed that the second hand wasn't moving. Darn. It had never stopped before. She rapped it gently on the table top, then peered at it again. "Shoot." "What?" queried Michelle, leaning in to see if Leslie had gone so far as to have "Forever" engraved on the inside of the watch cover. "My watch stopped." Leslie pulled the stem out to fiddle with the hands, looking up at the clock behind the bar for the time. She blinked. That clock said midnight as well. "What time do you have?" Leslie asked Michelle, brow furrowing. The woman swung her long black hair back, then glanced at the Maurice Lacroix on her wrist. "Falafel!" she exclaimed, tapping on the watch face. "I prefer souvlaki," announced Julia blearily, deeply involved with her bottle of merlot. "That's because you're unsuitable, Julia," declared Kelly, looking curiously over at the perplexed women examining their watches and the wall clock. "*You* are telling *me* this, O' KoCC?" demanded Julia with some dignity. "I never said I wasn't," murmured Kelly. "What's the problem, Leslie, Michelle?" "There's a problem, Leslie?" April asked, walking over. "Both our watches have stopped. At the same time. Midnight. And the wall clock too." "Weird," said Kelly, looking at her own watch. "Well, it's exactly ... midnight..." She trailed off. They all exchanged glances. "Hey, what time is it?" Leslie hollered to the room in general. "Midnight," came the chorus. "No way," Leslie moaned, twisting her fingers into the hair at her temples. "I only had one beer. Only one." The room was silent for a moment, then came the tiny sound of many fingernails tapping on the glass faces of many watches. "Hey, maybe the place it haunted." "Bbbboooooo," Susan hooted. "Oh, cool! And if it is midnight, it's Friday the 13th!" There came a babble of laughter and exclamations. Then Maus rose. "Um, guys..." They all turned to look at her. She pointed at her laptop, which she had set up almost immediately, comforting them all by connecting an umbilicus to the Internet. "Guys, it's not just here." A flurry of questions flowed over her. "Wait, wait. Look, all over. All over the place folks are talking about clocks stopping." Sitting back down, her fingers danced over the keys. "And look, look at this. Astronomers... the stars, the moon, they aren't ... moving. I mean, you know, *we* aren't moving. The Earth." There was a rush of movement, some folks lunging for the computer, another set barreling outside to look at the moon and stars themselves. Confusion reigned for a time, how much time of course going unrecorded. The chaos finally resolved itself into one question. "What are we going to do?" "What can we do?" replied Julia, shrugging, the graceful aplomb with which she had learned to face such disasters serving them well, calming her more flighty companions. "I, for one, want a shower, a meal and clean sheets." She rose, tall and dignified, her hands still cuffed before her, presenting the very picture of stalwart endurance in the face of great suffering. She hiccuped delicately. "Um, well," said Sukh. "The kitchen isn't really stocked yet and we gotta set up the bedrooms, dust 'em and put on sheets and blankets and stuff. We got hot water, though..." "Well... I think we're going to be staying here, since there does appear to be bedrooms available," April stated, looking at Susan, who bobbed her head in agreement. "Yes, I want to stay here!" she repeated, her long, dark hair swinging as she bounced about. "I refuse to wait," Julia declared. "Leslie, take me to the Sutton Place. We can return tomorrow to assist in setting this place to rights. But I want my room service. Now." Leslie sighed, then cast a glance at Michelle, grimacing at her to indicate she'd appreciate the help with their "guest." Muttering under her breath, shaking her head, Michelle reluctantly agreed to come along. They headed for the door, calling their good-byes, while the others, rather subdued, began making their own plans for preparing for sleep. "See you... well, can't say tomorrow, can I? See you later, guys," April yelled out as they headed out the door. "See you all later," Susan said, waving bye to the trio going out the door. =\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\ Leslie looked up and down the street before swinging her van, dubbed "The Eggplant," into traffic. She glanced at Michelle, lounging in the passenger seat beside her, Pooh Bear Huny Pot safely ensconced in her lap. Then she checked the rear view mirror for Julia, securely handcuffed to the strap of the seat belt of the seat across from her. She was relieved to see her friend's Dostoevskian gloom seemed to be lifting, perhaps at the prospect of room- service. Really, Leslie didn't understand why *Julia*, rescued from her high-pressure job in New York at the Met - albeit none-too- willingly, thus the handcuffs - should be so agitated at the notion of meeting Lacroix, to the point where she'd had to drag her here in shackles. Even here in Toronto, the chances of meeting that ancient vampire were slim. He was, after all, unique, thank God. Besides, if anyone should be nervous, it should be herself. After all, she had served as a Cousin in the last War, and now she had switched her factional allegiance (though never her personal one) to the Unnamed. She found herself contemplating what Lacroix might possibly feel toward erstwhile followers and, shuddering, she attempted to divert those thoughts with the first topic of conversation that sprang to her lips. "Don't you guys think we're going a little overboard here with this honey motif? Kinda a little much, doncha think?" she babbled. Michelle cast a pointed look at Leslie. "What?" Leslie queried. The other slowly reached out and popped open the glove compartment to pull out a large, clear honey bear. Leslie blushed. "Yeah, well, I drove all the way to Toronto from southern California. Honey is... honey is a very *useful* thing. You never know when it might come in handy. Besides, I - I like it in my tea..." Her voice trailed off as Michelle's brows rose knowingly. "The lady protests too much, methinks," murmured Julia from behind them. "Indeed," murmured Michelle in reply, muttering a few bits about how Leslie was no doubt hoping to put the viscous fluid to a more JADFE-worthy use. "Besides," Julia went on with a quirking smile, "it's not like the concept of honey sprang Athena-like from the collective Unnamed brow. It had to start somewhere. Hmm..?" Leslie's blush only deepened and gripping the steering wheel, she muttered, "Which hotel was it that you wanted?" "The Sutton Place," Julia replied, "but *only* if I can get out of these you-know-what cuffs, take a nice, long, hot shower, and order room service--" She saw them all looking at her, doing their best to look pathetic. "--Oh, all right, room service all 'round, on me," she sighed, "but only if the cuffs come off." Before Leslie could open her mouth, she added quickly, "and *stay* off." Renegade Cousins could not be trusted, she reminded herself, no matter how "normal" they might look. On this point, she and Lacroix might agree, for whatever that was worth. Michelle and Leslie grinned at one another, greedy glints sparking in their eyes. Then Leslie silently wheeled the Eggplant in the proper direction, casting one worried glance upward at the full moon who had not yet budged from her midnight zenith. =\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\ Nick looked out the window of his suite, watching the moon as it shown against the dark sky. He had arrived about a week ago, after finally acknowledging to himself it was time to face some of the things that he had left unfinished. Since Toronto was the scene of the last confrontation between Lacroix and himself, then Toronto should be the place where he faced what was really between them. He had to make a decision about his family! =\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\ Lacroix looked up from his copy of _La Philosophie dans le boudoir_, blinking away a memory. His head lifted, senses alert. Something... could it be..? But no, his carefully maintained mental link to Nicholas was quiescent, undisturbed. However, something *was* awry. It took a moment of internal inspection to arrive at the source of the irritant. And when he did, he could only question his perceptions. He stood, tossed his book onto the seat of his chair and went out onto the balcony of his apartment on La Rue de la Ruche. He stared up at the stars, at the moon, observing them carefully, patiently. And indeed, they only confirmed what his internal senses had told him. They were not moving. As was not the Sun, of whose deadly, implacable dance he was always subconsciously aware. This ... impossibility confirmed, he found, suddenly, a second anomaly intruding on his mind. An urge. An urge to return to Toronto, a city he had abandoned a year ago, after he and Nicholas... Why? He could discern no purpose to this impulse. It grew stronger, no matter how rigorously he tried to dispel it from his mind. Then he *did* sense something from Nicholas. Confusion. A decision! The connection was - as he carefully maintained it - tenuous. But the pull toward Toronto was growing stronger, and now, knowing Nicholas had finally reached a decision, he allowed himself to acquiesce to that pull. Lacroix went quickly to the telephone and acquired a seat on the earliest plane going from Paris to Toronto. @==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@ Saturday, June 14th, 1997 @==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@==@ AN ARRIVAL FROM PARIS (1/1) By Leslie GrantSmith Set in Toronto, a trans-Atlantic flight after "The Swarm Descends" He stepped out of the airport terminal and glanced up at the night sky. Midnight. An eternal midnight. How ... pleasant. Lacroix's mouth curved as the mortals hustling in and out of the door stepped instinctively around him while he study the stars, musing. No doubt, eventually, an eternal night on one side of the earth and an eternal day (beastly thought) on the other, would prove troublesome to the mayflies humming around him. If the effects of ... whatever were permanent, things could get quite interesting. He ceased his woolgathering, acquired a taxi, and began to direct the driver to take him to CERK. He stopped himself, unable to discern a rational reason why he might wish to go there. The ... pull, insensible, nonsensical, tugged on him still, and he decided to go with it. Perhaps then he would find some answers. He gave the cabby the address for CERK. He stepped out of the taxi onto the sidewalk, handing the driver a bill and walking away. The mortal sputtered, but Lacroix was too intent on studying the building and its surroundings to concern himself with whether he had over- or under-paid the man. It was filled with mortals. He could hear their scurryings, their chatter and laughter. He grimaced. He recognized the sound, that of ... War. He had no real desire to involve himself, though of course, events might require him to. But not yet. He had other business to attend to. He felt the presence of other vampires as well, in the building, in the surrounding area, indeed, if he stretched his senses, the entire city. Many more, actually, than he would have expected. Toronto seemed to be recovering from its plague. Odd. Many had an almost ... familial flavor. But there came no responsive mental chord that indicated close kin, children, grand-children. One link, however, hummed with energy, though he carefully kept it muted, unobtrusive, from his side. He turned to face it, away from the CERK building, drawn by it far more strongly than the bizarre attraction to a place he had abandoned long ago. He began to move away from CERK, towards Nicholas, then stopped. It wasn't time. =\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\ End Part 1, 13-14. Continued in Part 2, 15-16