|
'2007: Another day, another brawler' And then everything changed. Again. It was a muggy June night. The heat and humidity were oppressive in the way that made every breath short and tempers even shorter. That suited Kyle just fine. He was at a Killswitch Engage concert at a local concert venue, the Masquerade. It wasn't until much later that the irony of the name occurred to him. He was in the mosh pit working on his anger issues when his favorite song, The End of Heartache, came on. This distance This disillusion I cling to memories While falling Sleep brings release And the hope of a new day Waking the misery Of being without youSome little Barbie Badass, maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, tattooed and mascaraed and every bit as angry as Kyle got into the pit. She didn't make it a single song before some skinny skinhead slammed into her. She didn't even see it coming and dropped like a stone. Blood started pooling out of her forehead... it was too much like his parents' death. Coming out of nowhere. Helplessness. The blood. The red. All he could see was the red. Kyle beat the skinhead. And then he beat the skinhead some more. And some more until finally security pulled Kyle off of him. He came back to himself when he heard sirens. His heart was pounding and the taste of copper was in his mouth. He was hyper aware of the slow drip of blood down his knuckles. His shoulders burned from where two bouncers tried to restrain him, holding his arms behind his back. Then everything snapped into perfect clarity. Kyle spit a mouthful of blood in the eyes of the one on the left and the one on the right was not prepared for his desperate, bloody strength. Everything was a blur as he fled the scene. Adrenaline and fear reduced everything to desperate, fevered impressions. Pushing people aside that didn't get out of his way fast enough. Half running and half falling down the stairs outside. Slowing to a normal walk so as not to stick out in the mass of pedestrians out at night. Profound relief when a patrol car sped back towards the club without stopping. Moving on the balls of his feet to lessen the impact of his steps. Taking turn after turn to break the line of sight in case anyone was following. Abject terror as sirens started getting closer. And closer. Ducking in to an abandoned house. Pulling lock picks out of his wallet with trembling fingers, trying to remember his lessons from breaking into the OIT office and quickly raking the lock open. Slamming the door close and collapsing to the floor, gasping for breath. "Well look at you," a gravelly voice seemed to come out of nowhere. "Having quite the night aren't we?" "H-hey," Kyle leapt to his feet and looked around. "I didn't know anyone was here." "No one is here. I'm just the voice in your head. I mean, you can't see me can you?" When he heard sirens coming closer again, Kyle kept quiet and moved deeper into the house, trying to make out anything in the darkness. "Don't believe me? Think about what you just did. You're having a psychotic break." Kyle still refused to answer. Instead he fought the urge to look back at the road and the sirens that were quickly getting louder. "What's the matter?" The voice was mocking now. "Cat got your tongue?" Kyle backed up so that his back was against the wall and then closed his eyes and concentrated on his hearing. There was a hint of reproach in the voice now. "This is going to be boring if it's a one sided conversation." He couldn't hear any movement in the room so he finally spoke. "My mother always told me not to talk to strangers." "Bad news, my boy." The voice sounded like it was just in front of him. "Your mommy isn't here and things are only going to get stranger." "Who the hell are you? You don't want to push at me man. Not with the night I'm having." "Yes, I saw. Very nice. A lovely show at the show." A chuckle sounded in the shadows and the voice took on a more interested tone. "I see you're wearing a SPITech shirt." "You have a problem with my s-shirt?" Kyle's voice stuttered and his voice lowered when he heard boot steps on the street. "Your terrible fashion sense isn't the issue here. That's not the kind of shirt you buy off the shelf. You work at SPITech?" "Yeah, so what?" "They're a security firm." "I'll be sure to tell the marketing department they're doing a good job." "You do that." "You have a way out?" "Oh yes." The voice was sly now. "The cops will never find you if you come with me." "Well that sure sounds safe." The sound from boot steps pounded in his ears and he ducked behind a wall when he saw a flashlight shining in one of the dirty windows. "Do you really want them to find you? From what I saw tonight, I'm betting you have a record. What's it gonna be? Them or me?" Kyle was too paralyzed to answered. "Tick, tock, boy. Decide now." "...fine. I choose you. Now let's go." "You'll do very nicely, my boy. Very nicely indeed." The voice was at odds with the words, almost sounding sad and in that moment Kyle knew he had made a tremendous mistake. That's when Kyle felt the stabbing pain in his neck. After that, for the second time that night, all he saw was red.
'2007: Becoming'
The transformation took weeks.
In between bursts of searing agony and stabbing pains, his sire, Lucius, introduced Kyle to his new reality. Lucius generously filled the room with mirrors so that Kyle could watch his transformation. Hair fell out as Lucius told him so many new things like. What a sire was and, more importantly, what a childe's responsibilities were.
His mouth felt like it was on fire as teeth grew and warped. One fang even grew out to be the size of two digits. Lucius told him about the Beast and it wasn't just about how he looked.
His skin changed color--adopted a darker pallor--and hardened in random places. A small voice in the back of Kyle's mind whispered of how it was fitting. He could feel the light dimming inside him. He could feel his heart hardening. The Traditions were drilled into his head over and over again.
An irregular ridge of growths bisected his face while he learned about the clans. He learned that his clan, Nosferatu, and his clan alone suffered the curse of these disfigurements.
The skin grew taut on his left side and loose on his right leaving his face looking like half melted wax. He sat through lectures about the all important Masquerade that allowed his clan to safely hide in the darkness.
The worst, though, the worst pain was with his ears. His right ear grew into itself making it difficult to hear anything. His left ear stretched out, elongated into some parody of a dog's ear as if to compensate. Every moment of that transformation was filled with endless, unescapable pain.
He learned about the world of darkness.
'2007 - 2016 : Into the Shadows'
Those first days were not pleasant. The ones that came after were even less so.
Kyle tried not to move and spark another round of agony while he listened to Lucius explain that he was an ancillae. He had a growing list of responsibilities and he needed help fulfilling them--thus Kyle's embrace. He told Kyle he possessed a mentality and skill set that would be very useful to the clan.
Kyle didn't exactly get a long adjustment period before Lucius put him to work. It was mostly running errands at first. Picking things up. Dropping things off. Kyle was never sure whether or not it was just to save Lucius' time or they were meetings Lucius didn't feel safe taking but he kept his head down and obeyed. After all, who else did he have aside from his sire?
'2007: You Never Forget Your First'
Kyle was sitting in a corner of the warren, leaning despondently against the wall when Lucius appeared out of nowhere and dropped a squealing bundle into his lap.
Kyle started and yelped, "What the hell is that?"
"It's a rat." When Kyle started to throw the bundle away in disgust, Lucius continued, "No, no--don't let it get away!"
Kyle grimaced but, conditioned to obey his sire, held the rat up by the scruff of its neck. "Why am I holding a rat?"
"Because you holding a rat is more interesting than you leaning hopelessly against a wall."
"Sure." Kyle watched as the rat continued to struggle and squeal. He stared at the rat for another moment, mouth puckered in distaste before commenting, "Totally makes sense then."
"Don't get snippy with me, childe. It's time for you to learn something new."
"Alright." Kyle perked up. Learning new things was always a good distraction for him. It also seemed like a worthwhile investment of his time in terms of not experiencing a terrible death. "Hit me."
"Don't tempt me," Lucius' tone was wry. "Now bite your finger. And don't be a baby about it. Draw blood."
Kyle grimaced again but did as he was told.
"Well don't just sit there." Lucius gestured impatiently. "Feed it to the rat."
Kyle looked at his sire skeptically but obeyed once more. After the first few seconds the rat squeaked excitedly and began to suckle at the finger. "So why are we making a vampire rat?"
"We're not making a vampire rat. We're making a ghoul rat."
"A ghoul?"
"A servant. Your blood will bind it to you. Make it stronger. Smarter. With some training, it will make a fine little spy for you."
"I'll call him Whiskers," Kyle said as he stroked the little rat's head tentatively.
"Whiskers," Lucius said flatly.
"Yeah, Whiskers. Is that a problem?"
Lucius shook his head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Intelligence doesn't equal creative."
"So how do we train him?"
"We don't train it. You train it. Reward it when it does something right and smack it around when it doesn't."
"Why don't you ever just tell me what you want me to know? I know there's more going on with it. I've seen what you do with the rats around here." When Lucius stared at him and exhaled heavily through his nose, Kyle relented. "Alright, alright..."
"Gotta crawl before you walk, kid. But I'll indulge you this time. You can at least learn how it works. Start practicing on your own. Pick it up and look it in the eyes."
Kyle picked up his new friend, this time in the crook of his arm instead of by the neck, and said, "Now what?"
"Now give him a little kiss."
Kyle looked up at his sire in annoyance. "You're funny."
Lucius chuckled before saying, "At least you make up for your lack of creativity with a lack of gullibility."
"Thanks?"
"Look it in the eyes and focus your intent. Give it a command."
"Whiskers, I want you to--"
"You don't have to speak out loud. And even if you did, the rat wouldn't speak English."
Kyle stared into the rat's eyes and then set it down. Hesitantly at first but then with more confidence, Whiskers skittered over to stand at Lucius' feet. It looked up at him and twitched it's rodent whiskers before biting into Lucius' foot.
"Son of a-" Lucius shouted and stomped on the rat.
Kyle started to see red again and shouted, "You killed him!"
He stood up and prepared to pounce at his sire when Lucius stared him in the eyes and he felt his anger start draining away. With his wrath deserting him, he sank back down onto the floor.
"Well then I guess you learned two things tonight. Relax, fledgling. It's just a rat."
Later that night Kyle started training Whiskers II.
'2009: Lets Not Be Friends'
A pretty girl with a golden clutch tucked into the crook of her arm gracefully made her way down the sewer ladder. Kyle stayed in the comfortable shadows and watched her graceful movements and quickly amended his opinion of her. A beautiful girl. Then he looked at her sequined dress and changed his opinion again. A beautiful, stupid girl. Who dresses like they're going to the club on a trip to the underground?
She quickly got her bearings and walked over to him. He took another look at her and guessed that she couldn't have been more than sixteen when she was Embraced.
"Are you Sera?"
She nodded brusquely and said, "Do you have it?"
It didn't escape Kyle that she failed to introduce herself or ask his name. Naturally, he decided to rectify that situation. "Pleasure," he put a slight emphasis on the word, "to meet you Sera." He walked up to her and reached out to shake her hand.
"Charmed, I'm sure." The venom in her voice made him smile. "I was told you'd have something for me."
"Were you now? And what's that?"
"Don't play games with me, rat. Do you have any idea who my sire is?" When he didn't respond she continued haughtily. "Now, do you have it?"
"No, I came just for the sterling conversation." Kyle sneered at her. "Do you have our payment?"
"No, I wandered down to the sewers because I wanted to ruin my Pradas."
Kyle chuckled and said, "You Toreador. You're always so concerned with the appearance. They're just clothes."
"These boots are probably worth more than your payment so you'll forgive me if I don't love having to come down into this filth."
"Careful now. This is our home you're talking about."
She took a breath and smiled charmingly before saying, "I'll have to put you in touch with my decorator."
<insults her style>
She spat at him and threw an envelope in the muck at his feet. "Just give it to me."
"Don't worry, darling." Kyle threw a USB drive in the sewage her feet in return. "It's water proof."
"I'd call you a piece of shit but you'd probably take that as a compliment."
"Stop, you're hurting my feelings." Kyle laughed at her again. "You know, I expected a little more wit from a Toreador."
"You have feelings?" She fired back. "Look at you. When was the last time you looked in the mirror? Your face looks like it's half melted off. You're covered in... what are those, warts? I didn't know we could even get warts. I'd say you have a face only a mother could love, but what mother could ever love some... thing like you."
Anger darkened Kyle's face at the mention of his mother. "Go to hell, degenerate bitch."
"Face it, fledgling. There's a reason you're down here in the sewers. It's where you belong."
Kyle remained silent as she built up speed.
"Nobody wants to see you. Or smell you. You're never going to know the touch of a woman." She sneered again. "At least one that isn't horrified and cringing. You're never going to have a friend that isn't terrified of what secrets you've stolen from them. Stay down here in the filth where you belong."
He watched her stalk over to the ladder and climb into the light. He watched the ladder long after she was gone.
'2011: The Shadows Are Our Friends'
Kyle became withdrawn after that. His anger had isolated him for years, keeping friends and the few girls that had ever shown an interest in him at bay. Now it was even worse. Weeks passed where he didn't speak to anyone aside from Whiskers II. He refused to leave the warrens, not even wanting to look at the downtrodden homeless population, and fed entirely on rats and other bottom dwellers.
He maintained his brooding silence until Lucius was unable to ignore it any longer.
"Enough. I appreciate the enthusiasm you're showing towards the art of stealth and quiet but this is absurd. What's bothering you now?"
It took Kyle a while to finally put it into words. "It was something that Toreador girl said. How I was never going to have a friend or a girl."
"For the love of--listen fledgling. She's half right and all wrong. You may not be meeting people for drinks at the pub... at least not for a while. But that doesn't mean you don't have friends." Lucius put his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "I'm your friend."
"She acted like we're the monsters."
"The Toreador are obsessed with appearance. She's never going to be able to see past someone's looks. No matter how many sycophants she surrounds herself with, she's always going to be alone. What could be more terrible and monstrous than that?"
Kyle laughed and it was only half bitter this time. "That's about the truth of it. I may be... a little abrasive sometimes but you're not so bad."
"That's why I'm worried about you, childe. This withdrawn... depression... I told you about the Beast. Just like you have to fight the Beast, you have to nurture your humanity. If you keep slipping into the darkness like this... your humanity fades. The Beast wins."
Kyle grunted and said, "Makes sense. But how do I keep from being withdrawn? It's not like I can run topside and make some friends."
"Find what makes you happy. What do you enjoy? What makes you laugh or smile?"
"Whiskers. And I always enjoy a good challenge. Hacking a tough system. Learning a new skill."
"Well I've got something that will put you on your face then. Let me tell you about the Cloak of Shadows. It should keep you busy for a while..."
'2012: By The Prickling Of My Thumbs'
Whiskers II silently padded down the hall. To him they were just a pair of towering shadows but he could feel danger rolling off them. They felt like predators. He wanted to flee. To go back to his delicious, loving father. But his father wanted him follow. Closely. But not too closely. Whiskers sniffed and smelled food. But no, father wanted him to follow.
Kyle and Lucius sat in the van, listening to the tiny microphone attached to Whiskers' neck.
"I don't like this." Kyle fidgeted with the growths on his knuckles.
"What's not to like? Your little rat--"
"Whiskers. Whiskers II since you killed the first one."
"And if this one dies, I'm sure there will be a Whiskers III."
"That's a cheery thought, Lucius."
"You think losing a rat is hard? Try losing a mother. A father. A sister. Try growing up with the lash. Please."
"Yes. Please tell me what it's like to lose your parents. Whiskers is--"
"Quiet!"
Lucius hunched over the speaker as if he could get closer to the conversation.
A rich, cultured baritone came into focus. "--need to be careful. The Prince is dangerous, Serena."
A swish and a thud sounded through the mic.
The same baritone voice sounded shocked and said, "What the hell was that?"
"A rat." A soft, velvet voice somehow made it sound intimate.
"And you threw a knife through it?" The male was incredulous.
Kyle tensed and hissed. Lucius put a hand on his shoulder.
"Look at where we are, Timothy. When was the last time you saw a rat in this part of town?"
Kyle could hear the frown in Timothy's voice. "I don't believe I've ever seen a rat here."
"Exactly. The Nosferatu use them as spies. And sometimes the Gangrel. We don't want the furry little bastard reporting anything back to its master."
"If this gets back to the Prince--"
"Don't worry about the Prince, my dear. I've got him eating out of the palm of my hand."
"Yes well...the chief of police is in my pocket now. We've got--"
Lucius slapped Kyle on the back in satisfaction. "This is perfect. Telling the Prince about how he's getting played... or blackmailing that Toreador bitch... perfect."
Kyle grunted noncommittally.
"You've done good work here, childe. Plans we've been working on for decades are finally coming to fruition now."
The clench of Kyle's jaw and that angry, distant stare… his eyes may have been pointed at the speaker but he was staring into nothingness. The weight of that silence grew until Lucius shifted uncomfortably.
"So… Whiskers III?"
Kyle just growled and slammed the van door as he stormed out of the van. As much as a one can slam a van door that is.
For months Kyle's new hobby was sending a rats to follow Timothy and Serena. He lost count of how many knives they went through.
Kyle was sitting in a warehouse chuckling to himself, watching as Timothy walked outside to a dumpster, gingerly holding a dead rat by two fingers. He jumped when Lucius faded into existence. "Another rat gone?"
"They're just rats." Kyle's voice sounded sullen, even to him.
Lucius just shook his head. "You're worrying me, boy."
"It's not like they can be traced back to me. I don't exactly tag them before sending them out."
"That's not what worries me. Are you familiar with the teachings of Marcus Aurelius?"
"The Caesar?"
"Yes, that Aurelius."
"Vaguely. He was in a movie I saw once."
"Perfect. Practically an expert then.” Lucius snorted. "You hackers... you all have handles, right? Well, your new handle is Aurelius."
"What? Why?"
"Because I want you to be like him."
"I'm not sure how much I have in common with an emperor, Lucius."
"Marcus Aurelius was more than a ruler, boy. He was a great philosopher."
"Sure. If you say so." Skepticism weighed heavily in Kyle's voice.
"Don't take that tone with me. This is important." Lucius' tone was sharp at first but then softened. "The stoics believed a lot of things about virtue that are mostly useless but they also believed in rigorous logic and reason. They believed in self-control as a means to overcome destructive emotions."
"Well good for them. What exactly are you getting at?"
"This petty revenge... it isn't productive. It's a slippery slope on a dangerous road, boy. You're giving in to the Beast one step at a time."
Lucius handed Kyle an old, leather bound volume. Kyle looked down and read the title--Meditations. When he looked up Lucius was gone.
"Read it. And then read it again." Lucius' voice came out of nowhere. "And again. Until you truly understand it. And start training Whiskers III. You need to get over that fear of losing a ghoul."
'2015: The Trial' "You've been doing good work for a while now, childe." "I'm not sure I like where this is going." Lucius laughed and said, "What's the matter? Can't take a compliment?" "It's not the compliment that worries me. It's whatever comes after it." "You wound me, my boy." "Somehow I feel that out of the two of us, I'm the more likely to acquire wounds in the near to immediate future. What do you want?" "Well... since you're offering--" Lucius paused at Kyle's rather loud snort before continuing, "--since you're offering, there is work and I think you're ready to handle it. If you want to that is." "Go on." "There's a pack of shovelheads sniffing around town." "Shovelheads?" "The Sabbat I told you about. We think they might be scouts." "Well good for them. What do we care? It's not like they're ever going to find us down here." "Do you really think that an attack up above won't trickle down to us? Don't be naive." "So... I'd like to go back to what I was saying earlier. You know, about how I don't like where this is going." "See, I knew you were smart when I picked you." "Two compliments in one night. Now I'm really worried." "That's a fair reaction." Lucius nodded. "Unfortunately, the world is seldom fair and this isn't one of those rare exceptions." "Fantastic." The silence drew out until Kyle nodded and sighed. "So where do I come into all this?" "Ordinarily I wouldn't put a fledgling up against a pack of shovelheads but like I said, you've been doing good work for a while now. You know how to handle yourself under pressure and I could use the backup." He patted Kyle on the shoulder and said, "After all, you're not totally useless." "You say the sweetest things." "Plus, I brought you a present." "Is it shiny?" "As a matter of fact, it is." Lucius handed Kyle a hardened, tactical grey box with a bright red bow on it. "Christmas already?" Kyle held the box up to his ear and shook it. "Don't--" Kyle pulled the bow off and put it on his shoulder and then popped the latches on the box. "--shake it like that." He carefully opened the lid and look in. "You got me a gun?" "It's a 1911. 45 caliber. Guns are mostly useless against Kindred but at least that has some stopping power. You ever use a gun before?" Kyle laughed and said, "I'm from the South, aren't I? My father used to take me shooting back in the woods." "I thought your father was a teacher." Lucius cocked an eyebrow. "Of religion." "And he sure as hell taught me how to shoot. The wages of sin are death." "Yeah, but I don't think Christ had anything to do with your eternal life."
Kyle and Lucius sat in the van in silence. Neither were taking any chances and they were both wrapped in shadows, obfuscated to any passers by. The Kindred they were watching sat propped against a herd of motorcycles outside of a dive bar. Kyle broke the silence and said, "How'd you find them?" "Called out to a whole host of pigeons. Told them to keep an eye out." Lucius' voice was wry, "Turns out we can do a lot more than make pets out of rats. Who knew..." "How'd they know these were Kindred?" "Some Kindred, like us, are good with animals. The Gangrel are maybe even better at it than we are if I'm being honest. Most Kindred though... animals can tell there's something off about them. The Sabbat aren't subtle. I figured there'd be at least one or two out of the pack that rubbed the birds the wrong way. Turns out I was right." "So what are we doing here?" Kyle nervously fidgeted with the handle of his gun. "We're not doing that," Lucius nodded at the gun before continuing, "if that's what you're worrying about. We're just here for intel." "Right. Gotcha." "Honestly fledgling, if they just wanted them dead, we wouldn't be the ones doing it. So keep that holstered. You're only to fire if things go totally to hell. Now wait here." Lucius strolled out of the back of the van and when he walked back into Kyle's view he looked like some rocker--a rocker who had seen too much of life. Scarred face, bags under his eyes, unkept and unshaven. Worn shoes and dirty clothes. Something inside of Kyle twinged and in some back part of his mind, he wished he could look that put together. Lucius-as-a-rocker walked into the bar without stopping by the bikers. Several minutes later he walked back out drinking a beer. He casually leaned against a wall and lit a cigarette. He took his time on the cigarette and finished his beer. After he was done, he threw the bottle into the parking lot and walked back to the van. Before the door opened, Kyle heard the sound of retching and a small splash. When Lucius climbed back in he was still wiping his mouth on his arm. He noticed Kyle's look and grunted, "Could never manage to hold anything down after my Embrace." "Sure. What the hell was that?" Lucius chuckled before answering, "I thought you'd like that." "What. Was. It?" "We call it the Mask of a Thousand Faces. Instead of just fading away, you change everyone's perception of you entirely." "How do I do it?" "It's a fairly advanced discipline fledgling. You may not be ready for that yet." "Only one way to find out. How do I do it?" "Do well here and maybe I'll teach you," Lucius teased his childe. "Don't get too excited though. It's not perfect. Most of the time you can't fool a camera." "Most?" Lucius shrugged. "Some people can fool a camera but I've never managed it. Not just that, it's entirely possible for some Kindred to see through it. Anyone gifted with Auspex or Obfuscate stands a pretty good chance of seeing through it." "That's fine. We can just use something like a directional microphone to avoid getting seen next time. I still want to learn it." "We'll see. Getting back on target here, they're a pack and there here from Texas." "How do you know they're from Texas?" "Texas plates." "They could be stolen." "Now you're just trying to be combative. They probably were but they were all stolen from the same place. Some of the plate numbers are very similar." Kyle remained in an expectant silence. "License plates are issued sequentially. That they're only a few digits off in some places makes it likely that..." Lucius trails off expectantly. "...that they were stolen from a place that got a lot of plates at the same time. A dealership." "Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner." "Ok, so why don't you always walk around like that?" "Fledgling. Sooner or later you're going to get it. It isn't scabby skin and random lumps that makes us ugly. Living a life cloaked in illusion... it's living a lie. The Nosferatu deal in truth. Especially with ourselves." He snorted. "Now we may not always tell the truth. That's an entirely different can of worms. But we always seek the truth." "So now what?" "So now we wait and see where they're going. We'll follow them and see what they're up to. If we can separate one from the pack, maybe we'll ask him some questions." "Why not just have a bird follow them?" "Because while the odds say at least one of them won't be good with animals, the odds are also pretty decent that one of the pack will be good with them. Plus have you ever seen a pigeon try to keep up with a motorcycle? No. We'll follow them and see what we can learn. Maybe fade in there and see if we can steal a phone or something." "To hell with that." Kyle smiled with barely disguised glee. "I have a better idea." "Oh, this should be good.” Lucius smiled back, relieved to finally see a smile on his childe's face. Kyle didn't speak. Instead he pulled out his laptop, plastered with a thousand stickers, and a pelican case. "What are you doing?" Lucius asked quietly. "Just keep an eye on them for now." Kyle opened his pelican case and removed a mess of of wireless equipment and a USB hub. He hummed happily as he plugged everything in. "I say again, what are you doing?" "Technology--a lot faster than a pigeon. Harder to outrun and all that." Lucius managed to wait a few minutes before asking, "Third time better be the charm. What are you doing?" "Firstly, I'm using the wireless equipment to hop on to a nearby network. Anndd... done." He hit enter with a flourish. "Now I'm hopping on the local traffic camera network. Networks really. There are two. The first, TrafficLand, is nationwide but not as good. Mostly stills. I'm writing a script to query each camera constantly in order to get rapid updates from each camera." Lucius grunted and asked, "Like a flip book. What's the second?" "The second is Georgia's department of transportation website. You can freely access their web streams. I'm building a map of the traffic cams surrounding their current location. We won't know exactly where they are but we'll have a very tight area." "It's a good idea, but we need to know more than the general area that they're in." "I'm going to couple that with the feeds from the police and fire dispatch. If there are any problems in the area they're in, we'll know." "Still not enough, kid." Lucius smiled. "What else you got?" "Daylight." "Explain." "They have to sleep somewhere. Send ghouls during the day. Separate one from the pack. Hard." "That's pretty brutal." Lucius smiled. "Ruthless even." "The Sabbat are like drunk drivers. They're random and chaotic and they don't care about who they hurt." "I'll call for the ghouls." '2016: Graduation'
True to his word, Lucius spent the next few months working with Kyle on the mask of a thousand faces. They started testing the water by moving amongst the homeless population. When Kyle could hold a generic face while having a conversation with them, they moved on to dive bars. Places with poor visibility, poor judgment and people with worse memories.
Lucius didn't tell him it was a test but when Kyle was able to go into a department store and purchase a new suit, he knew it was time.
The party was at the High Museum of Art. It was well after midnight when Kyle walked in with as much confidence as he could muster. He was wearing his new face with brand new clothes. Lucius didn't bother with any pretense. He was wearing his usual filthy clothes. At least he wiped his feet off before walking in though.
It was about what Kyle expected. Kindred clustered and mingled pleasantly. Just not with Kyle. Lucius stayed with him though.
"Oh good," Kyle said as he stared at the stylish young woman that strolled in. "Sera is here."
"Her sire too. I'm sure you remember the fair Serena." Lucius snorted and said, "Don't let them intimidate you, Kyle. Remember what we know about them. And remember to keep your voice down. Some of these people can hear more than you would think."
"I don't know why we even had to come here...why we had to have a party to present me to the Prince."
"It's not the norm," Lucius agreed with a frown. "Any excuse to throw a party for these Toreador, I guess."
"How much longer do we have to stay?"
"Well it would probably be considered rude to leave before the presentation," Lucius laughed. "You being the presentee and all."
"As hard as they're trying not to see us, I'm not sure that some of them would notice if I wasn't there."
Lucius nodded at the Kindred gathering in the front of the gallery. "Looks like it's time, fledgling."
"Hurray..."
The Prince stood in front of the room with Serena and Sera. "Lucius Freeman, step forward and speak your purpose."
Lucius actually managed to adopt an air of gravitas as he walked to the front of the gallery. "My Prince, we come here tonight to welcome my childe, Kyle." He motioned Kyle forward with a rare smile and continued speaking. "He has learned and upheld the Traditions. He has gained basic mastery over his disciplines. He has exceeded all the expectations of his clan. Most recently he was instrumental in driving off a Sabbat incursion. In the short time he's been amongst us, he's done more than some Kindred many times his age. For these reasons I submit that he is ready to stand as a neophyte in his own right."
If Kyle sniffled slightly, no one commented on it. That's when Serena started clapping. It was the must unfriendly applause Kyle could remember hearing.
Serena stepped forward to speak. "Well said, Lucius. Well said, indeed."
Lucius half-growled as anger at the interruption slowly blossomed on his face, "...thanks."
"I would like to personally welcome, Kyle." Serena continued, "I've heard your mastery of animalism is particularly impressive. I especially like your work with rats. How very fitting."
The Prince frowned at Serena's snub and added quietly, "I'm sure we're all eager to see Kyle's achievements moving forward."
"Welcome to your new family, sewer rat," Sera chimed in brightly. "Try to take better care of this one than your last one."
Serena didn't even try to hide her laugh and the look on Kyle's face spoke of a losing battle with his Beast.
Lucius said as he stepped between Kyle and the Toreador primogen, "Your subtlety continues to impress, Serena."
"Oh don't be like that, Lucius." Kyle stepped forward to look Serena straight in the eye. "I thought she was perfectly subtle when she was plotting with little Timmy over there." He took another step towards her and his mask flickered and faded, revealing his twisted features. "What was it you said, Serena? When you were telling Timmy how you didn't have to worry about the Prince?" His voice continued to rise until he was shouting. "How you had him eating out of the palm of your hand?!"
The Prince's voice was perfectly calm, "What's he talking about, Serena?"
"I'm sure I don't know." Her voice was like ice.
"Oh you remember--how you ghouled the chief of police to take control of the police department?"
"Enough." Lucius' voice was as cold as the Prince's. "We're going now. Thank you for having us."
The assembled Kindred watched the scandal unfold with glee and even clapped as Kyle and Lucius left. Some of it may actually have been sincere.
Before they left, Kyle couldn't resist saying, "It's true what they say. The Toreador do throw the best parties! Thanks for a lovely time."
Needless to say, Lucius was not pleased when they got back to the haven.
'London, United Kingdom, 2016 - Present : You can run but you cant... no, actually hiding is good too'
"Do you have any idea what you just did?"
"I refused to be talked down to by those poseur scum."
"Boy," Lucius practically spat the words as he spoke. "That was an important tidbit you just gave away. For free. To everyone."
"So--"
"That information was going to be used elsewhere! In plans that my elders have been working on for decades!"
That was enough to silence Kyle.
"I--Listen, I'm sorry, OK?"
"You're sorry." Lucius slammed Kyle up against the wall so hard it broke bones. "You're my first childe. Not only have you jeopardized my elders' long range plans, you've made me look the fool in doing so." Lucius' fist slammed into the wall next to Kyle's head, leaving a deep impression.
With a visible effort he pushed himself back from the brink of a frenzy and stalked away. Kyle reflexively tried to wrap himself into the shadows.
"Do you really think you can hide from me like that, boy?" Lucius chuckled malevolently.
"I'm sorry, Lucius. I really am. How much trouble am I in?"
"Enough," Lucius muttered, "more than enough."
There was silence for a time until Kyle asked, "Now what?"
"There's no telling how all that is going to play out now. One way or another it's going to be bad." Lucius' voice trailed off to a mumble as he started thinking out loud. "As for how bad... it will come down to whether or not the Prince believes you. If Serena convinces him you were lying, trying to play him... and no matter what, I'd watch my back around Serena and her brood from now on."
"Are you going to be alright?" Kyle asked quietly.
"I'll manage. You though... you have to get out of town. It isn't going to be safe for you here. Not for a long time."
"When?"
"Tonight. Now."
Kyle started grabbing things almost at random from around the warren and throwing them in his backpack. His laptop. Some of his hacking gear. A crowbar. Some bolt cutters. His copy of Meditations and the 1911.
"Wait. Where should I go?"
"London," said Lucius without hesitation.
"London? Why London?"
"Lots of reasons. It's a major city so it will be easy to hide. It's old so the underground will be well developed. It's all the way across an ocean so it will be tougher for them to get anyone out there. Plus Serena is strictly New World. We don't know of any connections she might have to the Old World. Doesn't mean there aren't any. It just means that it's less likely. There's a Nosferatu Prince--"
"--Really?"
"Yes, really. He might be able to help you out. More importantly, you might be able to help him out. Word is that they need some more ugly over there."
"Well hopefully my introduction to that Prince will go better than my presentation here."
Lucius started roaring in laughter at that. It went on for almost a minute. "Well, I'd be impressed if you managed to make it go worse." Lucius laughed again, more to himself this time. "Childe... I'm actually going to miss you. It's been decades since I've laughed like that."
"I'm sure I'll miss your cheery disposition as well," Kyle paused before continuing, "How am I getting to London?"
"I'll arrange for you to get on a plane."
"How will--"
"Don't get too excited. You won't be in first class--you'll be in the cargo hold."
"Alright..." Kyle began, "I'm sorry for making trouble, sir. And thanks for getting me out of here."
"Bah. Like I said, you're my first childe. I'm not going to let some Toreador take your head."
Kyle finished packing before they headed to the airport. When they got there Lucius wrapped them both in shadows and they walked out to a plane that was still loading luggage.
Kyle hesitated before walking up and embracing his sire. Lucius hugged him back with a little hesitation of his own and jumped back at the sound of a little squeak. Whiskers III poked his head out of Kyle's vest and squeaked angrily before retreating back into the safety of his master’s body.
Kyle glared at Lucius' look and said, "Well it's not like you would take care of him! I still remember what happened to the original Whiskers."
Lucius chuckled again and left him with a few final words, "We may live in the shadows, with all the filth and the rats and the other low beasts. But that doesn't make us beasts. You have to be stronger than your Beast, fledg--neophyte. You can't afford to lose control like that again."
"A little on the nose, don't you think? Do you want another hug now?" Kyle joked at him.
Lucius tried to glare at his childe but broke out laughing instead.
"I'll be careful."
"Give it fifty years or so. Things might have died down by then."
He then put Kyle in a body bag to "protect him from any stray sunlight" and loaded him in the belly of the plane. The message was not lost on Kyle. He spent the long hours of the flight thinking about his sire's last advice and the unspoken message that followed it.
|