The vampire awakes, utterly without memory. She wanders into the dark city, alone and without defense. She begins thieving but finds little before a thief attacks. Luckily, the roving Brujah Hercule finds her and opens fire on the thief, who runs off, scared shitless.
Red Lonewolf, university teacher, scholar, and lore master had an appointment with Navidson, a high ranking member of the Isatru, a prominent Tremere cult. His driver, Jimmy, takes him there only for him to find that Navidson is occupied, and he must deal with Persephone, a far lower ranking member of the sect, but a clever and watchful one nonetheless. At Navidson's bidding, Persephone takes Red to the great library in the compound. Although this was not Red's original intent, he now decides that the restricted section of the library is where he needs to be. However, his best efforts to escape Persephone's gaze yielded little, and only his quick wit and quicker tongue saved him until Navidson arrived and invited them both to his office.
Meanwhile, Hercule takes the vampire, whom he has dubbed the Rat after a great deliberation, to the head quarters of the West Side Killaz, the Brujah gang to which Hercule belongs. They find the highest up member of the gang, Smith-Comma-Jones. Hercule introduces the Rat to him and he decides, after taking the money she stole, to make her a part of the gang, as they had luckily found him in a good mood, as he had just been beating someone senseless. (That will always put a Brujah in a good mood).
What is sure to put him in a bad mood, however, is when swarms of rival gang members attack, as Hercule and the Rat are soon to discover. A concussion grenade flies in to shatter every window, through which the enemy vampires now pour, firing weapons wildly. Hercule is instantly in action, firing away with twin pistols, picking off vamp after vamp. The Rat has less success, rushing into the fray, in which she does not recognize friend from foe, and in a display of ultimate foolishness proceeds to strike Smith-Comma-Jones in the back with a pipe.
The affray is sharp and the rivals begin to retreat, but not before lobbing a great deal of explosive grenades into the room. Hercule and the Rat escape into the alley behind, even as Smith-Comma-Jones is blown apart into unrecognizable pieces. But Hercule and the Rat face a new peril as they are attacked by a particularly powerful, sword wielding member of the rival gang. Hercule is rendered bloody and unconscious and things aren't looking good for the Rat until someone in the distance opens fire with automatics and the sword wielder is fended off.
Red Lonewolf, Persephone, and Navidson begin their meeting in Navidson's office. After some wheeling and dealing, in which Red and Navidson discuss trading information, a ghoul enters to tell Navidson that another diablerie has occurred. Navidson then tells Red and Persephone of their mission. They are to go to the Elysium where Alabaster is prince. Persephone must deliver a message about the diablerie, and Red must steal information from the mainframe.
Red and Persephone go and reach the Elysium after some small difficulty with Jimmy. They are bidden entrance to a cubical chamber with but one door to the outside, and another leading into the Elysium. They are met by Bismarck, the Sheriff, who tells them to wait while he informs the prince of their arrival. As he speaks with them, Windfall, the wielder of automatic weapons who saved the Rat's ass, enters with the Rat, both of them dragging Hercule.
There, the four are left to wait as Bismarck and Windfall go to find Alabaster.
A tour which gives them a fair idea of Alabaster's paranoia, and his skill with security systems, as they learn that much of the Elysium is underground and well defended. With a bit of cajoling with the less-than-intelligent (though certainly good-hearted) Windfall, they make their way into the first of two basements, the second quite off limits. Hercule is pleased to be allowed to drink his fill at the blood bank, and Red Lonewolf is particularly pleased at managing to sneak off and evade Windfall's gaze, with a little help from our resident trouble-making Brujah, as he makes his way into a small comptuer room. There, suddenly, Red Lonewolf, who seems to have rarely, if ever, used a computer before in his life, becomes a superhacker for half an hour! He retrieves a great deal of information that will doubtless be of use in dealing with Navidson.
Meanwhile, Persephone is in a rather sticky situation. She is quickly beginning to regret her dishonorable attack on the eight foot tall sheriff who brandishes a pistol in one hand and a grenade launcher in the other. He "interrogates" her, thoroughly, with the help of Little Guy and Big Guy. Luckily, Persephone only feels the bite of Little Guy, before Bismarck is satisfied and leaves her to be worked over by one of his blundering deputies.
The Rat is in a situation that, though certainly better than Persephone's, she would likely be very pleased to extricate herself from, as Alabaster leads her back into his bedchamber. However, amidst Alabaster's thoughtul (even for a Malkavian) ramblings about the Rat, frequently referring to her as the Third Child Of Time, it becomes clear that he means her no harm, and in fact deeply values her existence in a way that the Rat does not understand in the least. Confusion only mounts as Alabaster works his voodoo to peer deeply into her mind, in unseen caverns of thought and life that the Rat does not even understand of herself. All that she is able to gather from Alabaster is that she is indeed the Third Child Of Time, that she is alike too someone named Gold Dust, and that it is rather important that she not die... How useful.
Red Lonewolf, having accidentally fried the computer he hacked into, is caught by none other than Gold Dust, the most beautiful, most pure vampire he has ever met. After a long converstion between Red and Gold Dust, some information is discerned, but little more useful than that which the Rat learned from Alabaster. However, Gold Dust makes a request of Red that he feels quite unable to refuse, and that is to take her out of the Elysium.
Then, as Persephone scorches the blundering deputy,
And as the Rat watches Alabaster write in his journal,
And as Windfall and Hercule search for Red Lonewolf,
And as Red and Gold Dust speak,
All the lights go out.
Meanwhile, Gold Dust cleaves to Red Lonewolf, timid despite the incredulous power that must be inside of her for Alabaster to value her so. Together, they venture into the all consuming black. Windfall and Hercule make a similar venture, though with slightly better chances of success, as Windfall can see perfectly with his Gangrel eyes. The pairs simply search for something� anything. All they seem to find for the time being, however, is the same ill omen that foretold the destruction of so many up above. A deep, raspy breathing. They were not alone.
Persephone and the Rat meet in one of the rooms on the main level and are forced to think as Alabaster might, delving into the wondrous world of symmetry to find the only currently available exit that would not lead to certain death. After great deliberation they decide indeed to open the hatch and start down the ladder, climbing dozens upon dozens of feet through perfect blackness, as up above, they can hear a Garou that has found their route and is quickly following. Luckily, they manage to make their way to the bottom and close the hatch just in time to stop the Garou from pursuing them. Then, they too start off into the darkness.
Our party convenes in the dark tunnels, which are now being sporadically lit as the lights flicker on and off. Together, they make some attempt to get their bearings, but soon realize that whatever has been stalking them is now deathly close. They focus on the sound, which is now stationary, watching and waiting with weapons at the ready until finally the lights come on completely� and they are attacked from behind. The Garou tackles into them and the group, after a short and ineffective defense, splits. Persephone and Hercule flee in one direction as Windfall, the Rat, Red Lonewolf, and Gold Dust run off in another. They seem to have little chance of either fighting or escaping the werewolf, who throws them about and is only mildly put off by the shots upon shots from Windfall�s SMGs. Finally, however, through a great stroke of luck, they manage their way into a room with a very, very helpful door, and the Garou is killed. NO ONE THINKS TO DRINK ITS BLOOD.
Hercule and Persephone grope their way through corridors which, thanks to Windfall�s efforts, are now, once again, pitch black. They manage to find the blood bank and Persephone is quick to fill up before they return to their wandering and discussions on the great possibilities (or lack thereof) for anarchy. As they wander, they begin to hear sounds of battle. Screams and gun shots and a small explosion roll through the place like thunder and shake the floor beneath their feet. Hercule and Persephone separate after great argument, but their plight will differ little.
Red Lonewolf, the Rat, Windfall, and Gold Dust venture out into the corridors once again. Windfall can see, but it helps little as he has no idea where they are. It is up to Red Lonewolf to be their blind guide. He leads them, his Auspex put fully to use, his ultra-keen perception stretched to its limits as he seems almost to reach out with psychic tendrils of perception to make find their path. In the distance, in the darkness, voices can be heard. Voices of vampires on a mission, not simply seeking to escape. Conversing with strange accents, searching for �that bitch�. Luckily, the group manages to find the computer room they sought, just before�
The security system activates. Cruel and merciless gun turrets are heard extending from the walls, and zealously acute motion sensors sweep through the darkness to detect any sign of life or unlife� and destroy it. Both Hercule and Persephone begin to dodge lasers and bullets as the entire compound seems to have become their enemy. Finally, Persephone settles into pleasant hiding, but Hercule is far too aggressive for such things. Nevertheless, he manages to dodge the lasers and bullets and resulting electrical fires long enough to reach a Garou that seems to have been nearly killed with explosives. He decides, of course, that it is time for a drink.
Hercule falls into a quick swoon as everything around him begins to slow and blur. The electrical fires have become dozens of individual tongues of light dancing about with an agonizing slowness. Low voices are heard in the distance, and finally, the vampires round corners and attack with rifles. This is one Brujah they never expected. Full of a power he was never meant to posess, he flies into a frenzy, thinking not to escape, nor to use his firearm, and hardly even to dodge, but merely strike, and strike quick and hard. He hacks one vamp apart with such a strength as to break his combat knife. The rest, he handles with his bare hands, striking and crushing and mauling as plaster and drywall hangs in the air from bullet strikes, as bodies soar for what feels like minutes before finally crumpling to the ground, until finally, they are all dead, and Hercule is left once again to his swoon, and the dance of the fire, and the darkness which, unlike his foes, simply refuses to die.
Nothing between the group and the werewolf but empty hallway, no corners to hide around, no great weapons to use. Nothing to prevent destruction. The Rat wishes only to get out of the werewolf's sight, to cut off it's perception of her, to escape it's blood-thirsty gaze... and it is done. What was once a continuing corridor is now a dead end, a perfect wall between the werewolf and the vampires. In the next few moments, as the Rat comes to the realization that she has done this, they must again run, as the werewolf breaks through and gives them chase. Luckily, in a panicked few seconds, a grenade projectile is launched and blows the already wounded werewolf into pieces. Somehow... Windfall too has fallen. And as he disintegrates into ash, Bismarck approaches.
After some persuading and cajoling, Bismarck relinquishes the code to open the elevator, which is now functional. He leaves them and the now slightly smaller party heads off for their escape.
Before reaching it, they find Persephone and Hercule... who seem remarkably willing to just do whatever the hell they're told for the moment... almost as if whatever minds they operated with had departed for the moment... how odd...
The battered vampires reach the hallway leading to the elevator, but it is guarded by a werewolf. An excellent plan is devised, and Red proceeds down the pitch black hallway, toting a grenade, waiting for Persephone to light a fire by which the werewolf will be able to see and thus be lured forth by the illusionary visage of another garou. Although he must push through the torments of his own thoughts before hand, wading through the imagined bodies of those he killed, his wife's bloody face staring him down, he manages to throw the explosive, and eliminate their foe.
Without further incident, the group manages an escape from Alabaster's compound, into the sewers, and finally, out onto the streets of Chicago. There, they find themselves (luckily) still covered by darkness. And happily, it is not the impermeable, garou filled darkness that they faced in the depths of Alabaster's Elysium, but merely the familiar curtain of night. But now, even that darkness seems more dangerous than ever before.
Dawn is coming.
Return To The Main Vampire Page
Return To The Paint It Black Page