Ophelia led Charity into Smiling Jacks, Charity felt like it was the first day in a new school, nerves mixed with anticipation and excitement. " Hello" said Malcolm, with a warm smile, " I'm Malcolm Toombs."
" Charity Li" said Charity, shaking Malcolm's hand.
" How much did Ophelia tell you last night?" asked Malcolm.
" She could have recited the Guinness Book of World Records to me and I wouldn't have remembered a thing" said Charity, " all I know is that all the stuff that bumps in the night is real and nasty."
" Well then follow me and you will learn more than you will ever want to learn" said Malcolm.
Malcolm led Charity and Ophelia into the back where after quick introductions to both John and Jack, who quickly went back to their game of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the three sat down in Jack's workshop. " We are members of a group called the Chosen" said Malcolm, " for centuries our organization has fought the creatures of darkness. No one outside the organization knows we exist; far too many questions will arise if they did, but we do get help from outside at high levels. This isn't the easiest of lives to lead but if you still wish to help us we could use your skills to great benefit with vamps and others using the Internet to further their ends."
" I'm yours, lock stock and barrel" said Charity, " I have no family, a dead end job and hell I just watched a girl blow somebody in half and they kept coming, there is no way I could go back to my old life and ever feel safe ever again."
" Well then Charity, welcome to the Chosen" said Malcolm.
" Cool, so what do you do now?" asked Charity.
" Well I for one would like to know why you were targeted by Lord Dante" said Malcolm.
" Who?" asked Charity.
" Lord Dante is the king of the vampires in Los Angeles" said Malcolm, " he came to power almost 14 years ago after he killed the previous lord, Lord Andrew. He is possibly the most paranoid vampire ever to run this city."
" He is in constant fear of the vampire lords of Las Vegas and San Francisco and this makes him unstable" said Ophelia, " he also controls several of the most vicious killers in the country and he likes to use them frequently."
" Why didn't he use them on me?" asked Charity.
" He has advisors that try to keep him in line" said Malcolm, " but I am curious why he put so much thought into trying to eliminating you."
" What did your roommate do for a living?" asked Ophelia.
" Besides being lazy?" asked Charity, " he drove a delivery truck for some medical supply company."
" Where?" asked Malcolm.
" Glendale someplace" said Charity, " the guy drives stuff from warehouses to hospitals."
" Could you find out what and where was his last delivery?" asked Malcolm.
" Yah, can I ask why?" asked Charity.
" A hunch" said Malcolm, " looks like somebody wanted to burn their trail."
Charity got up and sat down in front of the computer in the workshop. She started typing with a master's hand, " He delivered blood supplies to 85175 North Burk Avenue" said Charity.
" I think this warrants us looking into it" said Malcolm, " John up a scenic tour of Van Nuys?"
" Scenic and Van Nuys don't go together" said John, " but why not."

Lord Dante was not in a good mood, but then again he was never in a really good mood. Devlin walked into the den where Dante was sitting, brooding. Devlin also saw Cassandra who looked like a cat that was caught dragging dead mice into her master's slippers and of course the hulking figure of Alonzo, who was always at his master's side. " Devlin" said Dante, " good to know you still know where my estate is."
Devlin didn't speak, it was getting harder and harder to stomach this pompous ass. Devlin stepped back as the door flung open and possibly a bigger ass strutted in. Melinda Cossetti was the official ambassador from the vampires in San Francisco and was nearly impossible to be around. " So my dear Dante" she said in a whiny high pitched New York accent, " I'm here to relay a message from my lord, he request you control those biker gangs that dwell within your city, they are starting to wreck havoc with our territory."
" What makes you think that I have any control of those roving thugs?" asked Dante.
" Because everyone knows you use them as your silent killers" said Melinda, " well not exactly silent, those loud motorcycles they love to ride make more noise than your ghouls."
Melinda tapped her foot over the large rectangular tile on the floor of the den, she knew what Dante kept beneath the den, his personal five ghouls. Ghouls were living beings poisoned with vampiric blood but not fully embraced and allowed to die an agonizing death. Their bodies twisted and grew into monstrous shapes, their brains dissolved into the most primitive desires, eating, mating, and killing. Many highly placed vampires like to use ghouls like Jabba the Hutt used the Rancor, as the ultimate punishment to those that displeased them, for their victims to be slowly retched limp from limp and then devoured.
" I believe we can teach them a lesson" said Dante.
" Excellent" said Melinda, " it has been nice to visit you."
Melinda sauntered out and the door closed behind her. " Devlin" said Dante, trying to control his rage, " follow that slut, the bitch is up to something and I want you to find out."
Devlin nodded and left, " Alonzo" said Dante, " take some of your men, go to Venice and teach the Storm Troopers not to bother the vamps up north until I tell them too."
Alonzo nodded, he probably had a three word vocabulary, but Dante didn't keep him for his conversational skills, he kept him around because he was 6'5" and 270lbs of brawn. Alonzo stalked off, " Is my farm complete?" asked Dante.
" Yes and the delivery boy is dead" said Cassandra.
" Good" said Dante, " I want the first batch ready within a week."
" It is a large request" said Cassandra.
" I don't care, take more cattle if you need to" said Dante.

85175 North Burke Avenue was nestled among dozens of other tan stucco warehouses. " Beautiful neighborhood" said John.
" It has that old world charm to it" said Ophelia.
" And has several armed guards" said Malcolm, " I think we've stumbled on something."
" Let's go bust them up" said Ophelia.
" Hey, hey Gung-Ho" said John, patting Ophelia on the head, " we first need to know what is going on, we don't want to stumble into some meeting of the nastiest vampire's club."
" John's right, and I think he just volunteered for the first watch" said Malcolm.
John grumbled something and nodded. Malcolm and Ophelia were picked up by Jack twenty minutes later leaving John to keep an eye on the warehouse.
" So what do you think is in there?" asked Ophelia, as they drove back.
" I'm thinking it is a farm" said Malcolm.
" A what?" asked Ophelia.
" You'll know it when you see it" said Malcolm.

Jenna and Melinda were sitting at their desks filing out reports over the Van Nuys shootout and the death of Tyler Reynolds when Captain James McCloud walked over, " How goes it?" he asked.
" Slow and full of dead ends" said Jenna.
" Lets close it down quickly" said James, " got the word from upstairs."
" The chiefs want this hushed up?" asked Melinda.
" I think it is best to talk about this in my office" said James, " shall we?"
The three walked into the office and the door closed. " The chiefs don't want the press getting wind of this" said James, " they agree with your assessment that it was done by the vigilantes and think your efforts will be used better elsewhere."
" You're saying the chiefs are telling us the case is closed?" asked Jenna.
" I've been on the force 18 years and if I can pass on one lesson is that when the chiefs drop subtle hints it is in everybody's best interests to follow them. So le's put this one to bed and you two go back on rotation."
" Okay" said Jenna, " seeing that we're free Mel, how about lunch?"
" Okay" said Melinda.

" This stinks" said Jenna as the pair drove out of Parker Center, headquarters of the LAPD, " it is like the chiefs are protecting these vigilantes."
" Don't start or you'll end up like Milton" said Melinda.
" What if Milton wasn't crazy?" asked Jenna, " and all his bizarre conspiracy theories were all true?"
" Then Milton would still be on the force instead of working as a security guard at Universal Studios" said Melinda, " all his theories got him was early retirement without a pension. I somehow don't think you really want to get booted after everything you've been through."
" I still think it sucks" said Jenna, " we have tomorrow off, Mike is still going to be at that teaching conference, how bout we visit Milton and just say hi?"
" Jen, if I say yes I know we are going to end up in some half-assed X-Files episode with an equally crappy ending" said Melinda, " but if talking to Milton and seeing that he is nuts will make you happy, who am I to say no."
" Thanks Mel" said Jenna, " I just want to make sure that Big Brother isn't randomly killing thugs in tenements."

Alonzo stopped the car and he and his three best enforcers stepped out. They were across the street from the Satan's Storm Troopers' headquarters in a Venice dive called ironically Blood Baths. They walked across the street and down the steps towards the bar. " Hey guys" said one of the Satan's Storm Troopers, " fuck off this is a private party."
Alonzo slammed his giant fist into the biker's face hearing a loud crackling of bones, and then the groans of the biker as he lay on the floor. The four stepped over the biker and strode inside. The bar was extremely dark lit by a few neon bar signs and the lights from the jukebox, heavy metal music filled the room at a deafen level. Inside the members of the Satan's Storm Troopers were living it hard and enjoying themselves and their biker bimbos. The entrance of the four stopped the partying good times. " Hey" said Kyle 'Nails' Cliff, the leader of the gang, " does Dante want to see us?"
Nails got up and strode over to Alonzo, " Have a beer, have a bitch" said Nails.
Alonzo grabbed Nails and flung the large muscular man across the bar and slamming his back into the pool table. One of the bikers tried to grab Alonzo but one of his enforcers grabbed him and slammed him head first into the jukebox silencing the ridiculously loud music. " Listen up" said Alonzo, " the boss is telling you to stop bothering the vamps up north. If he wants you to give them grief then he will tell you, you are his instruments."
" Fuck you" said Nails.
Alonzo grabbed a pool cue and smashed it across Nail's face. " Maybe I wasn't completely clear, San Francisco is off limits until further notice."
Alonzo slammed the broken end of the pool cue through Nail's hand. " The next one of you bastards that rides past Santa Barbara will be hacked into little bits and fed the ghouls" said Alonzo, " you have been warned."
Alonzo turned and left with his men. They were climbing into the car when Alonzo stopped cold. He could see a figure on the rooftop of the Winchell's Doughnuts across the street. He was wrapped in a black cloak. Alonzo watched as he slowly disappeared behind the large yellow neon sign. " What?" asked one of his enforcers.
" Nothing" said Alonzo, " absolutely nothing."

Devlin slipped over the wall and into the yard, the house was dark and silent, hopefully Melinda was off sampling the local surfers at the beach. Devlin silently slipped across the lawn and up onto the concrete around the swimming pool. Devlin slid the sliding glass door back and went inside.
The house was cool, true it was May in LA but this was cooler than most houses were. Devlin had been here before, several times to be honest. He slipped through the almost never used kitchen, down the hall, and into the study. Melinda was a complete mess of a person, the study looked like somebody had just set off a bomb under a mountain of paper. Devlin slowly shook his head, he thought after five years of seeing this he would understand how anyone could find anything in this, let alone in almost totally darkness with a rather short window of opportunity. But he was Devlin D'Valaria, and he was the best. Devlin walked over to the desk and began to look for anything. Credit card statements, Cosmo and Elle magazines, household bills, and coded reports from Lord Dan filled the desk to the point of overflowing onto the floor. Lord Dan, why didn't he keep his full name and would be Lord Danforth? Thought Devlin, no one is afraid of Lord Dan, sounds like a race horse more than a vampire lord.
Devlin stopped when he heard movement above his head, just his luck she was actually home. He listened as she crossed from one room to the next upstairs, her awful nasally laughter echoing through the house. Devlin was going to call it quit when something caught his eye, a locked drawer. Devlin carefully picked the lock and slid the drawer open. Inside was a folder, neatly placed by itself in the drawer. Devlin took the folder out and opened it. Inside was a photograph of the same man in the black cloak with the white mask that Devlin had seen several nights back. Devlin flipped to a piece of paper behind the photograph. Taken 05-02-04 by operative 10 in Beverly Hills, request you send more operative to investigate sighting. Interfeci ab intemptesta nox.
Devlin put the folder back and locked the drawer. He slipped out of the house and down the wash behind the house until he knew he was safely away. He needed to think.

Celestine was enjoying a drink from Tara when her cell phone rang its tune. Celestine cut her drink short and grabbed her phone from the floor. " We need to talk" said Devlin.
" Give me ten" said Celestine.
Celestine tucked Tara in and gave her a warm kiss on the cheek. Tara smiled in her sleep as Celestine dressed. She quickly drove up to 10050 Cielo and found Devlin sitting on the fence. " Something wrong?" asked Celestine.
" I was doing some digging in Melinda Cosetti's house when I came across a photo of the man we're looking for" said Devlin, " it had an odd postscript, Interfeci ab intemptesta nox."
" Murder by the Dead of Night?" asked Celestine, " a death warrant?"
" Possibly a name" said Devlin, " tomorrow I want you to pay a visit to the Vault, see if he knows anything."
" No problem, you think San Francisco is behind this?" asked Celestine.
" Possibly" said Devlin, " I really am getting a bad feeling about this."