Lyden examined the chip the demon had given him turning it over and over in his hands. He'd been starring silently at it for hours, not hearing anything. He hadn't moved once. Finally he stood up and glanced at Enne she'd fallen asleep after failing to catch his attention. He looked around, they were still in the Italian restaurant after seeing them with the demons the waiters had given them a wide berth.
He quickly scratched a one line note on a napkin,
Wait here. And placed it next to Enne. He quickly speed off outside, glancing up at the early morning sky.
Must be about four by now...
After about fifteen minutes he found what he was looking for, a RaidoShack. After performing his breaking and entering ritual he carefully loaded up his bags with supplies and hurried back to the restaurant.
On the same napkin that Lyden had written his small note, Enne had scratched a single word:
Shower. Meaning that she'd gone back up to Nyx's appartment, she knew she needn't worry about Lyden, he was probably off robbing an electronics store or hacking important files somewhere for all she knew.
Lyden stood with his arms full of stolen goods and scowled at Enne's reply to his note. She sleeps for hours and wakes up and leaves during the half hour he's gone. He rolled his eyes, then, muttering, began to lug his prize up to the loft.
He sat at a table, all but oblivious to the shower running in the next room as he began to lay out his toys.
Enne finally turned off the steaming water and climbed out of the shower, she toweled off and dressed in something simple that she'd pulled out of Nyx's closet, not really caring to try and continue wearing her old clothes, which had grown quite tattered in the past few days.
She now wore a pair of black jeans that fit her amazingly well and a simple, corset-style black and red shirt. She ran her fingers through her damp hair to straighten it out and then exited the bathroom.
Lyden carefully connected a few wires to his partially built invention. He gently lifted the device and moved across the room to the protective casing he'd built. It was then that Enne walked in, catching site of her he dropped the device, it hit the floor a few seconds after his jaw.
Enne blinked, giving a small, startled noise before realizing that Lyden was in the loft, she blushed, "W-what?" She asked softly at his expression.
"I-it's nothing." Stammered Lyden, "You just surprised me that's all." He kicked the broken device aside and picked up the protective case, he walked back over to his working table. "This is why I always build two." He muttered to himself as he inserted the pieces in their slots. Occasionally stealing glances at Enne's outfit.
Enne made her way over to his working table as well, sitting down in an empty chair, "Sorry you broke the first one though..." She said.
"Hey don't worry about it hun, it wasn't your fault." He snapped the black chip into place and closed the lid. "Done."
"That's good." Enne said with a smile.
Two trails of blood lead out of a now-empty office building. Ending at two bodies. Two bodies being dragged by two brothers. One body a lifeless corpse, the other barely clinging to consciousness.
"Dude! I told you. Take it alive." Shade scolded his brother. "They're no good to ua dead. How are we supposed to make the others come to us, if they have no reason to come?"
"Calm down, man," Replied Shyne, hoisting the body up into his arms. "They don't have to know he's dead. Didn't you ever see Weekend At Bernies?" He kicked the corpses legs one after the other, making a futile attempt to mimic walking. "See? Soup-simple." He lifted it's arm in a limp wave, and moved it's jaw, speaking out of the corner of his mouth, "Look at me! I'm a big bad-ass Covenant Lieutenant. I can kick anybody's ass, 'cause I have an inflatable big toe!"
"Will you cut that the hell out? It's not funny." Shade said, trying to stifle his laughter, unsuccessfully
. He lifted his own prize up and kicked it's still-living legs into walking. He grabbed the jaw and spoke for it, "Oh yeah, tough guy? Well, I'm a Lieutenant, too, and I bet my daddy could beat up your daddy!"
Shyne ad-libbed for his 'dummy', "OH YEAH! Bring it on!"
The brothers grabbed the wrists of their respective "captives" and begang battling the bodies in a mock sissy fight, lifeless palms smacking lifeless palms. Both brothers erupted in hysterical laughter, until Shade had the presence of mind to call an end to the game.
"Ok, ok... That's enough. We have more work to do."
A few moments earlier...
Two dark figures, approached an office building that appeared to be empty, with the exception of two lit windows on separate floors.
"You take the high road, I'll take the low road." Shade said, as he and Shyne divided into an attack pattern.
"Alirighty then. See ya in a few." Shyne sped to the side of the building, where he quickly scaled the facade and ducked into an open window one floor below his mark.
Shade, being the more polite of the two, simply walked inside and pressed the elevator button. He pressed the number of the floor he was going to, and stood content as the doors closed and the box lifted him into the upper tiers of the building.
A small tremmor rocked the elevator on his way up. "Dirty bastard started the party without me. Oh well, atleast he'll have 'em warmed up when I get there."
Shyne had ducked into the window and started toward the stairs when two guards, who had apparently noticed him climbing the side of their so-called hide-out, and began raining bullets on him. "You guys can't aim for shit!" Shyne yelled. The two were easily taken care of. A shot here, a shot there, and two bloodied bodies revealed themselves from the cloud of debris hanging in the air. "Wow, I hope the rest are this simple." The wish was instantly dashed as an RPG burst in the air mere seconds before he turned the corner to climb the stairs. "Ha ha! You popped your load too quick!" He jumped up the steps and cleanly cleaved the head of the shooter in two. He heard the "ding" of an elevator as the dust cleared and his ears stopped ringing, "Who the hell would be on an... Ofcourse. Who else." He cleared the last few steps and rushed through the door onto the next floor.
Shades elevator came to a slow halt at his destination. Several guards armed with AK-47's were waiting for him. A "welcom wagon" of sorts. They stared at the doors as they slowly opened. As soon as there was enough space to wedge a penny through, they opened fire, riddling the entire box full of lead, and filling the air with the haze of burnt gunpowder, debris and shrapnel from the obliterated cavity in the wall. The dust hadn't even settled from the air, before the cieling caved in and all the guards were sliced into bite-size chunks one after another in matter of seconds. When the air finally cleared of debris, one figure stood alone, as the emergency door dropped down from the top of the elevator compartment with a slight creek and it swung from it's damaged hinges. "Well hell boys.. I was expecting more resistance than that." He continued down the hallway to his quarry.
Shyne made his way down the hall on his own floor, gunning down guards and shredding survivors.
The two brothers found their ways to two doors on their respective floors at the same time. Both turning doorknobs simultaniously, almost like it were scripted and staged. Shade entered into a room dimly lit with not more than a few candles. Shyne entering a room brightly lit by an unseen source.
Shade stepped into the room, his blade, Shadow, clutched in hand. It's blade lending a slight blue shimmer to the already low light.
"There are no more guards beyond those doors, Michael." Stated a sillouette at the far end of the room.
"Well, I suppose that saves half of the intro, Mr..."
"Majeki." Said the sillouette, "Aldorian Majeki."
"Wonderful. It'll look real pretty chiseled into granet."
"You really think you're capable of neccessitating my headstone?"
"Nah... I don't think I am." Shade smirked, "I know I am."
Appaled by Shades arrogance, Majeki charged forward drawing a skillfully crafted katana and wakizashi. Shade blocked the first wave of blows dealt by the Lieutenant, and readied himself for the next. "Any day now... You can pour some gas on it, and challenge me... But take your time, I have all day."
The next blows came faster and stronger that the first, leaving Shade with no alternative but to parry. Blocking, pivoting, and making a horizontal counter slash, he skimmed the demon's robe. "I hope you're wearing something under that. I don't wanna fight a naked demon."
"Fight a... You insolent piece of..." It was well know that Majeki thought himself a "great gift to an undeserving world" and any hint of insubordination from anyone he considered lower than himself enfuriated him greatly. Enraged by Shade's apparent lack of "respect" Majeki Charged once again, this time narrowly piercing Shade's coat.
"Hey hey hey! This is new! Watch it bub!" Shade parried the blow once again and this time brought his blade down on the demon's head. At the last possible millisecond, he flipped it to the flat side and knocked his opponent to the ground. A dazed Majeki looked up in horror as Shade knealt beside him and whispered, "Game Over. Please insert twenty-five cents to continue." And sank his razor-like fangs into the demon's shoulder, draining him of life and power, bringing him to the brink of death, leaving him hanging on a narrow precipice of conciousness. Envigorated by the new power, Shade made his way to the elvators again.
Shyne found Lieutenant Daniel Robertson just inside the room he was stepping into. "Come, David. Have a seat, share a drink with me."
"Hey! You know my name! Are you Miss Cleo?" Shyne joked, trying to stir up his opponent early. "So, who are you then?" Niether brother had revealed that they already knew the names of their marks from the list provided to them by Marcus.
"I am Daniel Robertson," he answered, offering Shyne a seat in front of his desk. "Please, sit. Lets talk for a moment. Get to know eachother before we destroy my office in an attempt to kill one another. Have a drink. Not a fan of fighting with a buzz? Have some soda." He poured a glass of cola and set it on the desk, and poured himself a small glass of scotch. "Being a demon has it's perks. Drunkeness doesn't happen on one glass of whiskey. More like a few kegs, but who has the time to drink that much?"
Shyne sat, and took the cola, "Well, since we're having some civilized conversation... I suppose you know why we're here?"
"I have a fairly well educated guess," said Robertson, sitting down in his own high-backed chair. "You are here to stop us from unleashing our greatest weapon upon the humans. Am I close?"
"Right on the money. Say, you really are Miss Cleo," Shyne chuckled and took another sip.
"I do enjoy your sense of humor, David. It's a shame I'll be trying to beat it out of you momentarily."
"Please, call me Dave. There's no need to be so formal, is there?"
"I suppose not, Dave. I prefer to be called Dan, myself." He sipped at his scotch, and continued, "Why do you find it necessary to try and put an end to our plans? A world withou humanity..."
"Is a world without structure. Imagine if you will, Dan: Your plans go through, and humanity is irradicated. Demons, Vampires... creatures that feed on humans... left without a food source. In this world, Demons rule. But who will support it? Surely no Demon would demean himself enough to do so much grunt work. Whether you like to admit it or not, humans are a vital part of your livelyhood. Why on earth would you want to be rid of your food and labor source?" Shyne tried to explain in terms that a Demon could understand, putting aside the ethical and moral values that he knew wouldn't matter in this particular conversation.
"...Is a world, as I was saying, devoid of mistake, of confusion. A world without free humans is a world where politics only matter in terms of real power. A world..."
"Wait... 'free humans'?" Shyne had been caught off guard by the phrase.
"Ofcourse. As you so aptly put it, 'Why would we rid ourselves of our food and labor source?" A cruel grin crossed Robertson's face. "Simply put: select humans would have to remain, to be farmed and integrated into slavery. Tapped for energy, life, blood, and in some cases, emotion,in for 'food', and bred in captivity as slaves to build our new empire."
"That sounds all well and good... But have your bosses thought of all that?" Shyne caught the nearly incomprehensible twitch in Robertson's expression before the man turned around and glared at him.
As James stepped out of the hole in the wall his foot was seized by a great clawed hand. With a roar the thousand pound beast grabbed his other leg and let go of the building, biting it's fangs through the meat into the bone.
James glared down at the beast darkly, "Release me you foul thing." He said, allowing flames to spout from his fingers and ignite the thing's fur.
The beast laughed as it's fur burned off and the fire failed to ignite it's leathery hide. It cursed James in a foul guteral tongue. Another beast leaped from the building and latched onto James, trying to pull him down.
Marcus watched the display with mild interest, Wolves, bastards always come in packs of six, so that means.. He ducked, the creatures claws sliced the air above his head. The second creature had charged at the same instant the first struck, it hit him in the knees. It's momentum carried them both out the window.
Rather than fly Marcus allowed himself to fall, turning himself in midair, he used his blade to cushion his attackers fall, and his attacker to cushion his. He quickly wrenched the blade and bisected the beast. He looked up at James.
"Fine." James replied coldly, shoving the barrel of his beretta into the lower beast's mouth and firing directly into its body. He watched as blood flowed to the surface of the wolf's mouth before kicking him loose and turned his attention to the one still latched to his body.
He reached up with the beretta, which was knocked loose from his grasp, and instead shoved his hand against the wolf's muzzle, sending fire tearing through the beast's body.
As Marcus looked up he barely had time to dodge before his first attacker nearly landed on his head. James's attacker landed on it's feet, coughed and spat out a bullet and large chunks of flesh that had already been replaced. It laughed and tried to flank Marcus with the aid of it's ally.
Marcus spun his blade and readied for the attack, he yelled into the sky. "James! They're like walking Kevlar suits, bullets are fuck to them, you've got to cut them up or blow off every limb!" The werewolves struck, Marcus twirled and sliced of a hand, then a muzzle, then a head.
James shrugged, "I was just trying to get it off." He replied, brushing ashes from his shoulders, "But, since it's decided that it is ready for more, guess I'll have to bring out my knives."
The last wolf on the ground roared in rage at the death of it's brother and charged him on all fours. Marcus back flipped over it and reached out with his mind.
"I read about this attack, I've been wanting to try it thanks for the opportunity!"
He extended his arm and opened his hand, palm up. The beast's arms spread out in the position of the crucification. It lifted up as Marcus raised his hand. He closed his fist and the beast's body imploded, bones were driven into organs and it's eyes shot out of their sockets. He opened his hand and the body exploded outwards, every drop of blood flew from the body and it dropped limp.
Yet another roar came from behind him and Marcus turned to see the Alpha standing in the street, it's eyes glowing red, the Beta male beside him.
The Beta leaped into the air at James, the Alpha swung a large crude blade at Marcus.
James quickly dodged backwards, narrowly missing having his head removed from his shoulders. "Jeez...." He muttered, "These things never quit, do they?" He struck its muzzle with one of his knives, burying the blade down through his jaw as well, practically wiring the beast's mouth closed.
"Will you hurry up and kill that thing so we can move on!?" Yelled Marcus, ducking. He swung his blade at the Alpha's head, it's Kevlar like skin stopped the blade, it healed around the sword, holding it.
The Alpha lifted it's head and ripped the sword from Marcus hands. Fuck! Marcus dropped down low and, formed a blade of shadows from his forearm, which he jambed into the Alpha's abdomen. It laughed and grabbed him, tossing him effortlessly back, into a parked car. The car swung around with the impact of Marcus's body.
Marcus stood up, "You son of a ..." He transmuted halfway, now seven feet tall he was still a full foot shorter than the Alpha.
"Galrock nacor zantori!" It cursed. "I don't speak animal."
Marcus sidestepped it's charged and ripped off the beastkings right arm, he smacked it over the head with the limb.
James shrugged and faced the beta who had finally ripped the knife from its jaw and healed itself. It snarled and gave James a hard bat with its paw, sending him careening towards the pavement. He quickly caught himself and shook off the daze brought on by the hit before leaping up at it again, ignoring the trickle of blood that ran into his eye. His knives flashed, and with that he spilled the wolf's innards upon the pavement, and he continued cutting and hacking at the beast, a wild grin crossing his lips as the blood flowed over his form.
Marcus began to laugh wildly has he dodged the wounded beast and continued to beat it with it's own arm.
"Caltari..." Marcus shut it up by shoving it's arm in it's mouth and kicking him backwards through the air.
"Well, it's been fun bitch." Marcus whistled. The Alpha struggled to it's feet, wobbling it spat out it's ruined limb, already regrowing it's new one. There was an earsplitting howl, the beast looked in the direction it came from. From behind it a red and black blur struck it hard in the legs, it flipped into the air. It was slammed by a second blur before it hit the ground.
It landed and let out a scream of pain as three more of Marcus's pet hellhounds tore at it's flesh. After a few seconds all that could be heard was the crunching of bone.
James was momentarily distracted by the death of the alpha, as was the beta who howled in rage and charged James. James turned his attention back to it coldly, "You've lost your amusment." He said, slicing it's throat and shoving his hand deep into the wound.
His hand grew hot, and soon the beta's flesh was beginning to boil, it's eyes were the first to melt away, leaving gooey trails as though mimicking tears.
The wound in its stomach had not yet fully healed, and as such, flames spewed openly from it, occasionally falling with a half grown organ. James didn't move, nor did he wince when the beast let out a piercing howl.
Within seconds it was over, the burning carcass slid off of James' hand and he watched as it landed and its body scattered across the pavement, "Are we done here?" He said, landing near Marcus.
Moving so fast as to be almost invisible the hell hounds set upon the bodies. "In a moment." He whistled again. The hounds came to him at once. He laughed and scratched under the chin of the largest one. "Good girl Abraxis, good girl. Heh." His amusement turned to rage when he realized only five of his seven hounds were present, the two youngest were gone. He snarled "Those Covenant bastards!!"
James shrugged, "Nothing you can do about it here."
Marcus fumed and the hounds salivated at the hatred radiating from their master. "Come on, let's catch up with those two idiots."
"Fine." James replied.
"Well," Said Lyden, "Ready to test our frequency disruptor?"
"Sure thing." Enne replied with a nod, "Gonna test it here, or are we gonna go somewhere else?"
"Here should be fine, don't try to phase or anything, I don't know how this will effect your powers. Try something with your scythe." He pressed a button, a blue light came on at the top of the domed device. There was a high pitched sound that quickly grew into the ultrasonic. He nodded at Enne, "Alright, when you're ready, the range should be atleast a hundred feet, if we're lucky."
"Alright." Enne nodded and hefted the scythe into her grasp, it felt almost heavy, her gaze was mildly confused, but she shook it off.
Enne set the spearhead of the scythe against the floor and gave it a slight push. When nothing happened she frowned and tried again. After a moment she finally nodded, "I think that it... most definately works." She said.
"Alright! This is great!" Laughing he moved over and touched a button on the device. There was a loud crack and a flash, with a groan Lyden was blasted across the room while acride smoke wafted from the device.
"Lyden!" Enne exclaimed, moving quickly to his side in worry, "Lyden, are you alright?" She was kneeling beside him now.
Lyden's eyes were open wide, he twitched.
"Oh, come on now, tell me you didn't go and get yourself killed..." Enne huffed, worried as she pressed her fingers to his throat.
Lyden coughed, "Note to self: Red to red not blue."
"Don't do that to me!" Enne scolded, "Scared the hell out of me..."
"Sorry." Lyden kissed her.
Enne blinked in surprise, but couldn't resist kissing him back, "Don't let it happen again..." She said softly.
"Well, if waking up was always gonna be this much fun I just might not have a choice." He grinned wickedly.
Enne raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
"Yep!" He grinned wider, and kicked up off the ground, landing on his feet. He grabbed her by the arm and gave her a twirl, giggling madly.
Enne blinked in surprise, "What did that thing do to you? Where'd all this energy and giggling come from?"
"It must be my adrenal amplifyers." He kissed her again. "Fun isn't it?"
"Oh? Well, seems fun." She chuckled.
"Hell yeah!!" He kissed her with tongue this time, then did a backflip.
Talking very fast he said, "That shock must have fried my regulators, I had a basic lifesupport system installed inside myself by a doctor friend of mine, my own design of course, I mean, who else would be able to do that eh? But that's neither here not there, what is here, or, maybe it's there, is that they system seems to be fucked to hell, my natural adrenal functions are maxed out, 20cc of eppi must have gotten loose, also my hormone levels are SHOT TO HELL BABY!! Seritonan, Hemoglobin reproduction, and..." He looked down and grinned ath her. "And testosterone. Hehehehehehhehehehehehehehehehehe...." He "hehed" till he was out of breath, then gasped.
Enne blinked, almost having to struggle to keep up with the speed of his speech, "Oh really now?" She couldn't resist another small laugh.
"Oh come on, is that all you've got to say? And why are you saying it so damn slow?! Are you on something?" He paced the room, tripping over a chair, without missing a beat he caught himself on his hands and began to walk on them.
He paced like that somemore then jumped up to her, grinning wildly he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "For god's sake Enne! Knock me out or something!"
"I'm not talking slow, you're talking fast." Enne corrected, "And it's fun watching you like this." She giggled.
He shook her harder, lifting her off her feet. "Well it's not fun!" He said while laughing histericly. "If I don't burn this off quick the overdose will fry my brain, I'll end up a vegetable!" He laughed. "That reminds me of a joke about carrots, I'll tell you later, the point is, er...what was I saying? Oh right carrots, no, umm, oh yeah, coma....help me..." He twitched.
"Not that I can do much when I don't have my feet on the ground." Enne replied, shaking her head and lifting her hand to ruffle his hair playfully.
"Oh right sorry about that." He smoothed his hair, still holding her up with one hand. He staired around, his eyes glazing.
"You're hopeless." Enne murmured, a smile quirking her lips as she trailed her fingers along his arm lightly, kissing his forehead she spoke again, "Now, can I stand on my own two feet again?"
"Nope." He flung her over his shoulder and carried her to Nyx's bed. "You're moving far to slowly young lady, you need rest, you must be sick." He deposited her on the bed.
"I'm not sick!" Enne replied, shaking her head, "I'm just not the one with the high adrenaline source right now apparently."
"You shouldn't do drugs Enne, they make you think things." He began to undo her pants, "You need out of these, we need to speed you back up, maybe it's a curse..."
"Drugs? I said I'm not on them!" Enne pouted, a small blush coloring her face.
"Sure sure sure, we beleive that but look at you, your face is flushed and everything, you're drunk, bad girl." He playfully swated at her.
"Hey now!" Enne snaked her hand out and dragged him onto the bed beside her, "What, you think a poor girl like me can even afford to be on anything?"
"Poor girl!? Baby," He kissed her. "I" Kiss. "Gave you a few grand the other night re" Kiss. "Member?"
She giggled softly, "And have I had the chance to spend any of that money?" She replied.
"Hell I don't know, umm, I feel funny..."
"How so?" Enne asked.
"Well I..." He kissed her neck.
"You what?" Enne asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.
"I..one-zero-zero-zero-one-one-one-one..." He gave a weak laugh, then kissed her again.
"The hell- you need to get rid of all that extra energy." Enne laughed and shook her head, giving his lip a playful nip.
Lyden nipped back. "Actually, I should probably be using it.." His eyes drifted to his computer.
"That's what I meant- use it... How else would you get rid of it?" Enne questioned.
He slowly raised his eyebrow then slowly smiled, atleast, to him it seemed slow, so to Enne he looked like a cartoon doing double take.
"What?" Enne questioned, "What is that look for?"
He kissed her impatiently. "Well duh, I'm wired on hormones, which you do to me normally.."
"Do I?" She murmured, blushing again before wrapping her arms around his shoulders loosely and kissing him back.
"Well yeah." He returned her embrace. "You don't know binary do you?" He looked a little nervous.
"No, I don't." Enne shook her head, "Those numbers you were spewing out a minute ago?"
"Yeah..." He settled down on the pillows. "Maybe we should leave that unclarified."
"Why? I want to know what it meant..." Enne said with a small pout.
"Ummm..." He blushed crimson even through the adrenaline.
"Come on, tell me." Enne begged.
"Well, it's like this." He nipped her ear, then whispered the answer in it.
"Oh? That's what it means?" She smiled, shivering slightly, "Well, I love you too..."
Nyx waited at her second home. She had attempted to go to her loft only to find those things using her bed again, and the Girl, Enne wearing some ofher clothes. As she waited a shimmer appeared,it was one of Marcus' messengers. It told her that he would be late. Typical, she tapped in to the the subconcious net.
What she found was that Marcus, James, Shade, and Shyne had begun to pick off the Covenant's upper classes. She decided to wait fo them to come to her.
Marcus stopped, "You, keep killing. I'm gonna check on the rest of the plan." Marcus took up into the air in the direction of the loft.
Nyx waited patiently as she felt Marcus comming toward her. She flashed an evil grin and sent him a coy mental message. I don't play with toys I break them.......Wanna play?
Try it. Laughed Marcus to Nyx. After assertaining that the humans were at the loft he located Nyx and landed beside her.
"What's your chosen level of pain endurance..love?" Nyx smiled her smirk
"Still assuming you can hurt me I see." He leaned against the wall, "Anything fun to report?"
"I have no interest in hurting you right now, just torturing. They're doing their assigned tasks..
"Now that you're good at..." He sighed. "Everybody's taking their fill of fun on my head..." He looked at her for a moment.
She stood thinking about his comment. She made no comment of her own but tood adjusting her clothes.
Still silent Marcus offered her a cigarete, while stairing at the sky.
She accepted the cigarete and lit it with her lighter. She continued to fidget with her clothes.
Lighting his own cigarete he looked over at her adjusting his clothes, rolling his eyes he reached over and straightened her shirt. "You wouldn't think I'd find the time to be bored in the middle of a Revolution would you?"
She glared at him. "This shirt hates me."she screamed and birds flew."Board in the middle of Revolution? I've gotten this way for centuries." She stared at the sky smoking
"Guess the shirt has bad taste, get a new one." He took a drag and snapping his fingers, conjured a fire ball into his hand. He tossed it up and down slowly, smiling to himself.
She simply took the shirt off exposing her bare arms and shoulders. The shirt underneath it was a bright red cami with very thin straps. She laughed and took the fire ball from him and lit the shirt it was gone almost instantly... "So what now ... Darling?
He smirked and made another fire ball. "I haven't the faintest clue..." He opened his mouth then shuddered and closed it again. "Want to find something entertaining to do?"
"Sure."
He incinerated a trash can that was nearby. "Any ideas, love?"
"Torture, sex, drinking, torture."
"Depending on who you wanted to do those with and too, you could probably kill that whole flock with one stone."
"Oh really. I can think of a few of people I can do all of those with. Konner, Logan, Sali, you..."
"Well just so your know, I don't think I have enough alcohol stashed up for that many people, so someone would have to be sober. I don't want that job mind you, I'm in the mood for a buzz."
"Then go find one."
He smirked at her, "I'm looking at the best one I've found."
"Don't antagonize me."
"Antagonize, compliment, you have some strang synonims." He laughed softly.
"Call it what you want...I'm hungry..."
"Yeah me too, but probably for different things." He shrugged.
Nyx rolled her eyes and jumped off of the building. She began to walk down the alley, looking for something to eat.
Marcus followed her nonchalantly.
She made a left turn and the two rights bringing her back to the secret place. She walked into the park. Hoping to catch a mugger or something substantial.
"Well this is boring" Marcus said over loudly.
"No one ever told you that you had to stalk me. You didn't have to come with me. Did you want something?" She turned to face him glaring.
"Yeah." He stepped up into her face, "I want you to shut up and stop acting like you're important, you worthless blood sucking tramp."
"I'm only as important as you are." She turned to walk away,then turned back. "I was a Tramp in 1362, not in this decade. Have a nice life. Get out of mine." And like that she was gone.
"A tramp you were and a tramp you are." He muttered after she left. He turned and moved off into the night, he really needed to kill a large number of vampires right now.
She hadn't gone far. Kill my Vampires, or so he thinks. She'd put a stop to that right away.
Continuing in his apathetic mood Marcus paused to enjoy the night sky with a smoke.
Nyx walked silently up behind him and laced her arms around him. "Even thinking about killing Vampires is mean, are you that pissed at me?"
Without answering he extinquished his cigarret on her bare arm.
She didn't even react. "Was that supposed to be my answer?" She waited.
Afte a while he said, "Humans are a virus, they corrupt this world, destory the physical. But that's nothing compared to what they can do to your mind, your soul. They corrupt it, polute it, ruin it. The longer you're in contact with them, the worse the damage, and once you've sunk so far as to throw in your lot with them....it really changes you. And not in a good way either, you become like them, in the mose weakening ways.
"I use them for food. Does that make me weak?" Nyx walked around until she was facing him
"You're more human than you want to admit Nyx." He shrugged and leaned back, looking at some of the constilations in the Demonic Zodiac.
"Whatever." She turned and began walking away. "If I'm more human that I admit, what's that make you love?"
He muttered his answer so quietly that even she couldn't hear.
She stoped and turned. "If I knew you were going to think so highly of my breeding I wouldn't have bothered." scarcasim dripped from her voice.
"Wasn't an insult Nyx." He met her eyes.
She locked her gaze with his. "Then what was it?"
"It was....humph, nothing" He turned his back on her and sighed.
Like a flash she was infront of him. She whispered "Tell me."
"I'll show you." And he kissed her.
She fell into his arms and kissed back.
He broke the kiss and looked at her. "See what I mean by them being a virus? We're working with them for less than twelve hours, and I've already realized I've been in love with you."
Nyx smiled. "Such a vicious thing that.."
He laughed and offered her a drink from his flask. "Mark my words, I hang around them too long and I'll be downright obsessive." He laughed loudly and winked.
She grined and took a drink "Come on, this way."
He capped his flask and followed her with a quizzical look on his face. "Where too?"
She grined even wider. With a coy silver laugh she said "You'll see."
He shrugged, then decided on another shot before putting the flask away. "Alright, show me."
She walked through the winding streets to the old victorian part of the city. She stoped at a run down house and waited for something.
Marcus gave a theatrical yawn. "Well?"
She turned to him. "I'm not so sure I wnat to do this anymore. Bring you in here that is..." She turned back to the house.
"Hey wait." He grabbed her shoulder, but gently. "What's gotten into you lately Nyx?"
She shuddered. "Emotions, Emotions...So many DAMNED emotions. How could you wake me up after all of these years?" She shook violently.
"Nyx!" He grabbed her and tried to stop her shaking. Looking around for a surprise attack. "Nyx!?"
She went silent and limp in his arms. Tears rolled down her face.
"Hey...Nyx.." The very confused Marcus did something that surprised even him, he hugged her. "Wha...what's wrong?"
The tears stopped and she looked at him. "Do you want to see the monster you fell in 'love' with? It's all in this house my entire life in one area...all of it......." her voice trailed off.
"Nyx, I'm a demon, I'm the definition of monster. But, if you wish, show me."
"It isn't a matter of if I want you...Do you want to I have to know if I'm going to do this...don't define monster by
comparison."......
"Well, whatever's in there wont make me think less of you, show me. Please"
She shook her head and grasping his hand led him up the decrepet stairs to the front door. She stopped and pulled a key from a chain around her neck and put it in the lock. A deep booming sound was her from deep in the house. She turned to look at him and put a hand on the doorknob.
Marcus subconsciously flexed his fingers, feeling the energy of his hidden sword flowing between them. He met her gaze, "Whenever you're ready."
She opened the door and they were swept to a place in the past. The surroundings were dulled in color and sometimes had blured edges. They were standing in a field in the dead of night. Nyx waited for something unseen.
"A Kashyan portal, amazing, I've never seen one...Where are we? It looks, almost familiar..but I don't think I was ever here..."
Nyx still looked out to the west. "I'm not sure if you've been here or not, to tell you the truth I don't know where here is, this is before my time...my begining." Nyx pointed to the edge of the trees and a raidant and beautiful woman walked out into the field right toward them.
"You're, beginning?" Marcus looked at the approching woman. "Nyx is that..." His voice trailed off.
She was silent but nodded and pointed in the other direction. A young man of about 28 came jogging in to the field. The woman brightened as the man came over to her. Nyx could only watch as they embraced and then ran to a cottage behind the two unseen figures.
"Why are we here Nyx?"
"To show you...Hang on, we're about to move."
"Swirling shadows in the river of eternal life we poor sparkling droplets live." He muttered.
They were inside a house ina bed room. The woman was sitting infront of a mirror, it reflected her true self, the monster that she truly was. On their side of the mirror the woman was pregnant, and brushing her hair. The man came into the room, but did not look into the mirror, it was blank to him. The woman stood and the man kissed her.
Nyx shuddered. She pointed to the woman..." Me..."
Marcus watched the shadows of the past in silence, waiting for Nyx.
The woman gave a sudden shreak. She began throwing things at the man. "Inarena, please.."he ducked a chair "What is it....my love please you're going to harm the baby." he was unable to dodge the next item and was knocked unconscious. She picked him up and lay him on the bed. the love in her every move was evident. Again she shreaked and began laying blankets and pillows onto the floor.
Marcus subconsciously put his arm around Nyx's waist. He watched the woman with interest, thinking.
Nyx cringed as there were sounds of ripping ang tearing flesh, and sounds of blood. Nyx couldn't watch she knew that her mother was in her true form, giving birth to a screaming baby girl. She looked up to see her mother, scales, fangs, wings, and gore holding her tiny figure. Her father sat on the bed, tied to it, watching with unbelieving eyes.
"After this she kept him locked in a room. not seeing the day, or any other human except me...I did this....It's all because of me..." she began to cry. "look at her...I'm a monster...we're moving." Nxy wiped her face.
"But, you had no control over any of this." Marcus protested as the world around them swirled and blended.
"Control has noting to do with it. In that case I had controll over this." Nyx waved a hand carelessly at the focusing picture.
There were two children playing infront of a forest village. The small girl, about 5 sat with her tattered dress spread out as she was playing in the sand, the small boy was playing cautiously and then threw dirt into the little girl's hair. She stood, her eyes flashing with the rage of something that she shouldn't know. In three deft moves the little boy lay open and bleeding dead in the sand. The small child sat back down and begain building something in the blood wet sand. A small smile playing on her unrealy beautiful lips.
A woman came around one of the houses adn began screaming, Nyx's mother picked her up with a bag of their belongings and began running.
"We're moving again." was all Nyx said to him.
"Nyx, these things, they're just a part of who you are."
"Exactly, ho I am, what I am...."
They were on a battle field, it was littered with bodies. there she was proped against a fence post, a man sat near her speaking slowly so that her dieing ears could hear. She nodded and her leaned in. It looked as if he was kissing her. Her body gave a shudder and she looked pale and lifeless. Suddenly like skipping a beat she gasped in air and looked around confused. being turned made her only even more enchanting than she already was.
Nyx smiled." Deacon, he is ...was my sire, he saved me from my wreckless end, I probably wouldn't have died anyway, but I could have and that made it all the more worthwhile to do. I was always trying to get myself killed.
There are still a few more images, me killing more people, being a slave, drinking blood....Waht am I...I've been able to seal off and kill my heart and now you've awoken me, What am I now? What do you see?" Nyx stood before him and gave a pleading look.
He touched her face. "I see I was right, I do love you." He kissed her. Breaking the kiss he said. "I see someone that grew strong through adversity, became a light in the dark." He laughed softly and looked away. Nice...could you be more pathetic Marcus? Oh shut up, who needs an inner voice anyway? I know what I want...
Nyx smirked " I know what you want too..." she raised her right hand and said "Kashyan portnikeitan opreinadta" and a door apeared. They exited the past and emerged on to the rickety porch. Nyx closed a locked the door and plaed the key back around her neck.
"Do you really?" He gave her a long, hopeless look.
She smirked "Maybe you should tell me then."
He gave a weak smile. "I want you, but can I ever really have you? The real you..."
"Find the real me Marcus, and maybe, just maybe I'll let you keep me. I've lost me...I'm so cold, lost and alone." She looked forelorn and scared
He pulled her close and held her, more tenderly than he'd ever imagined holding anyone. "You're not alone, you're not lost, all you have to do, is let me in." He kissed her. "I love you."
She leaned in and kissed him and held herself to him. "I've never let anyone get close to me... I think I love you, I've never felt love before..not to my knowledge. I'll try, shall we go somewhere?"
He chuckled softly. "Yeah, like I'm such an expert. Alright Nyx, tonight is our last night of peace, where to?"
She smiled "Where ever you take me."
He gave her a long hard look. "This calls for pie.'
"Cherry pie?" nyx smiled
Marcus muttered something that sounded like Not for.. and a large method of counting years. Then winked at her.
"Care to repeat that? I missed some of it." she shot him a sly look.
"Not unless you're tied up, tightly." He smirked.
"Oh?" She looked at him intently.
He smirked silently.
"What no comment dear?" She poked his arm...She steped infront of him and looked him in the eyes.
He looked steadily into her eyes a surreptitiously ran a silk rope through his hands.
"Well, Tie me up..." She gave a coy taunting smmile.
Marcus looped the rope around the back of her neck. He pulled her close and smirked.
"What will you do with me now?" She bit his neck.
"Whatever I damn well please." He forced her mouth from his neck and returned a bite of his own.
"Mmhmm." She shivered and leaned into him. "Are you going to hurt me or are we going to go some where...Public isn't my style this century...love."
He smiled. "Going shy Nyx darling? Oh well, do you know a place...to your liking?"
"I'm never shy darling. Where would you like to go. I chose last time." She nipped his neck.
He looked out past the city skyline. "We're not to far from the ocean, it's been to long..."
"The sea...Sex in the sea? I had a child once...She loved the sea. Sounds wonderful.. Shall we?" Nyx began to pull away.
Marcus quickly tied the rope at her neck, he tugged on her makeshift leash and collar and said. "This time, I'll lead."
"As you wish..." Nyx followed obediently...
Laughing Marcus took off into the air, with Nyx trailing. He flew until he smelled the fresh salt air.
"You're going to give me bruises love..I'll look like I've been hung." She smiled at him.
"They'll bring out the color of your eyes." He pulled her up and together they tumbled into the surf.
The water hit them surprisingly warm, neither let go. Nyx moved her hands over him, and began kissing his neck..
Marcus kissed her flesh, buffeted by the softly breaking waves. The sea making her taste like tears.
She stilled allowing him to make some well wanted movements.
He moved as fluidly as the water around them, pulling off her clothes and letting them floating away. He kissed her lips.
She kissed him saveagly. But looked toward her floating clothes..She'd miss those, oh well. The water felt like silk around her body.
He continued his kisses, becoming more passionate. Feeling every molecule of the sea connecting him to her.
She enjoyed the feeling of his body on hers. She began to pull them under. After all the depths were more suited for this kind of thing anyway.
His hearts racing now, Marcus noticed the temperature of the water around them increasing as they moved.
She began to expiriment with feelings of her own, kissing here, scratching there, and a bite everyonce in a place. She was reveling in this feeling, probably a little to much, it had been centuries since she'd been this open to touch.
Marcus thrashed around in the water with her, then moved to enter her, biting her neck, letting her blood mix with the water.
Nyx gasped as her blood stained the water around them. She leaned into him and smiled. Now they were getting somewhere.
Marcus laughed inside himself, it echoed thought out the water. He bite harder as sensations of power overwhelmed him.
Nyx began to set the motion, power and lust eminating from her she scratched Marcus' back and bit him hard.
The water reached the boiling point, bubbles swirling around them, a bed of air and water for their passions.
"I could get used to this."
"Then do it love."
"Nothing lasts forever love. Except me."
"You make it sound like only forever is enough..."
"Could it be??"
"When all you want is one word, a kiss is forever in an instant." He kissed her.
She kissed himfor a few minutes adn then broke apart. "One word?"
He smiled "Maybe a few more..."
She nipped his neck "How many more, and what kind?
He nipped back then caught her with a surprise thrust. "I'll let you figure out those.
She moaned. "How about I want you???
He smiled softy. "I can kinda tell that already."
"Oh, the how bout.....hum...I don't think I've said this in at least three centuries......I love you."
"I l..." BOOM! A loud explosion took place about twelve blocks from them, the night sky flashed bright orange.
Nyx watched as the sky was alight with the explosion. "Damn, always just when it was getting good. Have any idea if we should be worried?"
Marcus, grinning like a kid yelled. "Fuck no! Looks like a party! Come on baby, let's dance!"
Nyx flashed a rare seen amile and went along with his idea.
Quickly arriving at the scene of the explosion Marcus put on dark sunglasses which reflected the river of fire in front of him. A gasoline tanker had apparently exploded, a flood of hell was pouring down the street. "Er...are we late? Where's the band?"
Nyx finnished pulling the shirt around her body and looked around for anyone "I don't see one baby, did we miss the fun?"
He sniffed the air, "Well, this is disappointing." He raised his voice over the screaming as people poured out of the nearby apartment complex. "It was a bomb, just...a human bomb." He grumbled.
Nyx looked around trying to spot something to eat.
BOOM! "What the fuc..." boom...BOOM! Three more explosions, the second very distant from them occured in rapid succession. "Ooook, sounds like someone's having fun." Marcus muttered, confused.
Nyx gave up the search, and ran toward the explosions. "Comming love?"
"Always."
Three miles from the gasoline tanker inferno, Dal Mandor tossed aside three cell phones rigged together and smirked. He began humming as he wired some permacord explosives around a telephone pole, humming as he worked....
Nyx stoped and watched as a man wired explosives to a pole. She waited.
Marcus stood behind Nyx watching the humming man. "You're off key."
He jerked his head up, although his hands still wound a small battery to the end of the cord. He chuckled, "Sorry, I whistle better than I hum." He pressed a small button on the battery's housing. A high pitched whistle issued from the device. He quickly picked up a bag at his feet and scurried off past Marcus and Nyx. "I'd duck if I were you folks." He had a British accent.
Nyx smirked and put on a pair of sunglasses and followed the crazy Brit.
The whistling stopped abruptly. Dal spun around quizzically, he quickly brushed past Nyx back to the telephone pole. Muttering to himself he stooped and picked up a stone from the ground. He threw it at the blast cord, it had no effect. The street light flickered then slowly dimmed and died.
"Electric.." Muttered Marcus, he grabbed Nyx's arm and pulled her farther away from Dal. Not a moment too soon for next second the ground erupted. Great chunks of the street were blasted back, but not by an explosion. The side walk caved into the sewers below. Dal uttered a strangled yell of surprise as he slid into darkness. There was a quick scream of terror and pain that was cut short by a loud sickening crunch.
A second later a beast rose up from the murky blackness of the sewers, effortlessly it lifted it's massive bulk onto the street. Casually it snapped the lopsided telephone pole with a backhand of it's massive clawed hand. Transformed into it's aggressive state, it's giant mouth gapping in an obscene grin of freshly bloodied fangs. The Cal'Turn advanced.
"Pardon me?" Robertson asked, clearly off guard now.
"I said... Has the Covenant been enlightened to your little delusion of grandeur?" Shyne replied. It was obvious to him now that he was gaining an advantage, and the time to kick off their little party would be here any second.
Pulling himself together, Robertson began, "No, actually. They don't. I was cast out of the proceedings when I suggested some humans be allowed to live. Those bigots think that because they're so powerful, they can get lower level demons to do their dirty laundry for them. But soon, when their world begins to crumble around them, they'll see I was right. I'll be made a very big man, that day. A big man indeed." Robertson, had started pacing behind his desk, waving his glass of scotch around as he gestured wildly, illustrating his point, and plans. He continued, "You see Dave, I've already begun preparations. I've stashed away a select group of humans, whom I believe will be good pets in the future. Good, well bred, beasts of burden. I've scuttled them away into a dark corner of reality where the Covenant wont be able to reach them. That is to say, until they find themselves needing them, anyway."
"Dan, Dan, Dan. Good ol' Danny boy. You just don't get it, do ya bub?" Shyne rose from his seat, strode across the room, and made himself comfortable on the window sill. "You work for these guys. I expected better from you. Of all people, you should best understand that no matter what preparations you've made, these guys are not about to go back on their plans. They're way too cocky for that shit. Even when their world does crumble, it's low level bums like yourself that'll be left to clean up the mess. Like the last Kings of Egypt, they'll sit on their pedestals, and make you grunts do all the work, until they've bled their resources dry." Shyne waited patiently for a reply.
He was quickly rewarded when Robertson spoke up, "Bum? Grunt? Just who the hell do you think you're talking to?!"
Robertson hefted a large blade into his grip and brandished it menacingly at Shyne.
“Finally. God damn, I thought you’d never get fired up. Can we kick this shin-dig off now?” Shyne was growing steadily more irritated by Robertson’s incessant rambling about plans and preparations. He thought it was high time he did what he came to do.
“Fine, have it your way,” and with that, Robertson leapt over the desk bringing his blade down in a graceful arc. It was blocked immediately by Shyne’s own SaberStaff, a two bladed weapon that works on the same principal as a bo staff. A blade on both ends, turning it into what might be called a double-ended sword. But for the moment the blades were still sheathed. Now was the time for defense, in order to study his opponent.
“Not a bad lead, Danny boy. Not bad at all. But maybe a little too aggressive,” Shyne chuckled more to himself as he saw the critique stab Robertson’s ego. Now it was time to drive it all home. “Say, Danny boy... That’s a mighty big blade ya got there. That wouldn’t happen to be compensation for anything would it?” The laugh that rolled out of Shyne could’ve cracked glass.
He’d hit a nerve. Robertson was flying at him with no concentration at all, swinging his blade carelessly an all directions.
“Easy there, little buddy, you might hurt somebody,” only stoking the fire, Shyne wasn’t about to end his assault on Robertson’s ego. Hell, he was only just getting warmed up.
I wonder which angle I should play next... Shyne thought as he dodged and blocked blow after blow, not actually taking any damage himself.
Then, with no hesitation or warning, Robertson stopped cold. He tilted his head to one side, and listened. Shyne focused on any trace of noise he could, but couldn’t hear what Robertson was listening to.
“You hear that, Dave?”
“I guess you got me at a disadvantage Danny boy, I can’t hear a thing.” Shyne shrugged.
A cruel smile played across Robertson’s face, “That’s just the point, Davey. Nothing. Not a peep,” he paused, waiting for it to click. Waiting... waiting... Finally noticing the blank stare on Shyne’s face, he continued, “It means your brother is already finished. That freak Majeki tuned him up something good by now I bet. Never quite liked the man myself, but he’s good in combat.”
Shyne laughed, “Yeah, ok. And I’m supposed to believe that why?”
“No one said you had to believe it. But it’s most likely true.”
“C’mon, Danny boy. You can’t expect me to be that dumb. Look out the window on your office door.” Shyne poked a thumb over his shoulder at the door, indicating where to look.
“What the hell?” Robertson, dumbfounded, stared in disbelief as Shade strolled past his office door with the paralyzed body of Majeki in tow.
“Looks like your boy Majeki ain’t much more than a rag doll, now.” Shyne laughed, and turned back to Robertson. He didn’t like what he saw. From the look on Robertson’s face, he was up to something.
“That may be true, Dave. That may very well be true. But I see something you don’t see.”
“A gay proctologist?”
“No you childish idiot. Not a ga... Why do I even try?” Robertson massaged his forehead. “I see that once again, you’ve been outdone by big brother. While you’ve been squatting here babbling on with me, dear Shade has gotten down to business, once again, and done the job at hand without distraction. Tell me,” another cruel grin, “how does that make you feel?”
“Uhm... like I’ve been upstaged by my big brother. So what? It happens all the time.” Shyne was at a loss as to why Robertson would use such a tactic, when he didn’t even know the brothers all that well.
“All the time?”
“That is what I said, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, it is,” Robertson was clearly up to something now, driving to some point Shyne couldn’t see yet, “But tell me, Dave. If it happens all the time, doesn’t it get old? Doesn’t it get tiresome?”
“Yeah. So?” Shyne couldn’t make a bit of sense out of what Robertson was getting at. “In case you’ve been outta the loop, I’ve had about ten years of me-time, while Mikey was out of town. All in all, I’m pretty well ready to be little bro again.”
“So then... you’ll intentionally set yourself back to number two, now that Shade has just miraculously appeared out of nowhere to reclaim a life he abandoned, and left you to clean up?”
Oh, that’s what he’s going for...
“You fuck nut. I ain’t no number two to nobody. Not even Mikey.”
“Pardon an outside observation, but that’s sure as hell what it looks like.” Robertson was a good tactician, for sure. But a very poor researcher. He was digging his own grave. If he’d just done his homework like a good boy, he’d have known that the brothers are powered by rage. This senseless tactic to get Shyne to lose control by pissing him off, can only end in disaster.
“YOU DICKLESS FUCK!” Shyne roared, and charged Robertson, slinging off both sheaths of the blades on his SaberStaff as he ran. He leapt into the air, spun once, and used the momentum to land a reeling blow to Robertson.
Operating solely on reflex, Robertson managed to block the attack in time. But not without consequence. His blade had been fractured. Not broken yet, but it couldn’t handle another hit like that without shattering.
The hit came all to soon for Robertson’s taste. Now back on the ground, Shyne whirled the bladed staff behind his back and again used the momentum of the circular movement to add power to his next strike. Raising the weapon over his head, he brought down a hit onto Robertson’s waiting blade that finished what the first had started.
Shattered into a thousand pieces, like so many grains of sand, Robertson threw the remains of his once trusted weapon to the wayside and began running for his life. Fear coursed through his veins as he realized what monster he’d brought to the surface.
The world vanished around Shyne, Replaced by one thing and one thing alone. The death inevitable death of his foe. Skin, snow white. Eyes, raging blue orbs. And tattoos glowing an un-earthly arctic blue iridescence.
It didn’t take long to catch up to Robertson, who hadn’t even made it as far as the door of his office. Only paces away from the hallway, and possible escape, it was in an instant that he felt the searing, white-hot sensation of being impaled. Not pain... Relief. It was all over now. The Covenant was no longer his problem. What plans they made. The flaws of those plans. They simply didn’t matter now. I feel... cold... And Robertson’s world faded to black in front of his eyes.
Still blind with rage, Shyne hefted the skewered body into the air and slammed it into the wall once... twice.. three.. five times, before slinging it off the end of his blade into the hallway, ripping the door off it’s hinges with the impact.
In the hallway, Shyne speared the corpse through the head, and like a catapult, whipped the body into the stairwell. Once in the stairwell, Shyne gripped the cadaver by the throat and hurled Robertson’s remains to the ground floor, then jumped the banister and following suit, landed with a dull thud beside his prey. “Who’s number two now, you fucking piece of shit?”
He gripped the head, using the gaping wound as a handle and made his way to the lobby, where he met Shade.
Put on a happy face Dave. Mikey never has to know.
Two trails of blood lead out of a now-empty office building. Ending at two bodies. Two bodies being dragged by two brothers. One body a lifeless corpse, the other barely clinging to consciousness.
Nyx rolled her eyes at the advancing Cal'Turn. She steadied herself so as to be ready whatever they decided to do. She didn't like these things she never had and that wasn't aout to change in this century. Her eyes darted to Marcus to obsreve his tactics.
Marcus stared wide eyed at the Demon god. He'd been expecting them, but not so soon. He didn't have any of the necessary supplies.
She waited, trying to fake the sense of calm she was known for.
Trying not to move his lips Marcus said..."Nyx...When I need you to do exactly as I say.."
Nyx nodded barely moving her head. She would be ready, for what ever he had in mind. These things were one of the things she hated the most.
Marcus lept into action, he pulled out his double barreled sawnoff and fired both rounds at the beast's eye. "Run!" He yelled as he fired.
Nyx turned and darted away only turning slightly to see if he was following. Not expecting the shots to actually kill the beast.
The Cal'turn didn't even blink as the shot bounced harmlessly off it's eye. Marcus dived to the side, barely dodging a swing from it's massive arm. He was pelted with sharp fragments of stone but he paid no notice.
Sliding under it's underbelly Marcus drew his blade and thrust it upwards with all his power behind it. It glanced harmlessly off to the side. The Cal'turn gave a bark that might have been laughter and moving with an unexpected speed and grace grabbed Marcus' arm and lifted him off he ground.
The beast brought him up to it's face, giving him a shake that made him drop his sword. It glared.
Nyx stopped and watched as the beast toyed with Marcus. She sifted her extensive memory trying to remember the beast's weaknesses.
"Gold! Use go-" SNAP. The beast snapped his arm with another shake, his demonic bones, stronger than steel sustained their second ever break, in one day. "You son of a..Ahhh!" It flung him so hard his arm was ripped from it's socket. He flew through the air and crashed into a building, shattering bricks. He fell to the ground, gurgling blood from his mouth. He started to choke on it before he passed out.
The Cal'Turn dropped Marcus's arm thirty feet from it's owner and turned to grin at Nyx as Marcus's life quickly ebbed from his body.
Nyx smirked. She'd remembered something special..... She walked within eighty feet of the Cal'Turn. It stood there watching her grinning. "Priori tariunm Covect naughtmn, overmairn tombran`taclmact.deprivon." the Cal'Turn froze. Nyx rushed over to Marcus and tried to breath life into him. She knelt down beside him and breathed the words: "In Death I give Life, to Life I give Death. Into me this Sin repent. To you I give life and the power you need to survive." She placed her hand on his chest. A silver purple like light flowed into Marcus' body.
Marcus woke up, and gaged on his blood. He cried out in pain for a second befor there was a tremendous crash as the Cal'turn freed itself from Nyx's spell. Roaring it lept through the air and lashed out at Nyx, wraping it's giant paw around her entire body. Marcus half fainted again.
Nyx lashed out and began fighting with the beast. She looked over at Marcus.
The Cal'Turn backhanded her feircly while she was distracted, sending her into a nearby wall. Whatever Nyx had done to him it had put some of the fight back into him. Marcus struggled to rise with one arm.
Nyx shook the dust from the wall from her hair and got up enraged. She began spewing ancient dialect at teh Cal'Turn, trying to find the right words Why can't I remember them? She evaded another swipe of the beast's massive hand.
Marcus stumbled to his feet, his stump bleeding less as he had less to give. Wobbly he tried to work his way to get behind the beast but he kept collapsing.
The Cal'Turn gripped the broken telephone pole and swung it at Nyx like a club.
Nyx jumped over the pole and darted behind the beast.
Marcus collapsed on the ground before his target. He quickly pulled the bag the British man had dropped. He fumbled opening it one handed, grinding his teeth in pain. Opening it he pulled out an electronic device and began to fumble numbly with it.
Nyx was losing patience with the beast. None of her spells had been the right ones. Why can't I remember those words?
"Nine...Seven....Four...Fuck! It's metric!?" Marcus growled in pain and rage and smashed the device down onto the bag of explosives, something beeped and whistled. "Oh...great.." Marcus climbed up shakily, throwing the bag over his shoulder, he ran at the Cal'Turn, still distractedly swinging it's makeshift club at Nyx. With all the strength he had he vaulted up on the beasts back. Griping the beasts back with his legs. It instinctively roared and reared up to it's full height. Marcus jambed the whistling bag as deep down it's gullet as he could. He more fell than jumped away.
nyx caught Marcus after he fell. She was pissed and bleeding from a gash in her arm. She ran in the opposite direction of the Cal'Turn.
Marcus mustered the strength to give the finger at the gaging Cal'Turn. The gaging abruptly became a loud blast. "Heh, not....too...bright." He gasped, before slipping into unconsciousness.
Nyx carried Marcus all the way back to her loft and laid him on the sofa. She gave his unconscious body a liquid that would re-grow his arm before he woke. She went to take a shower, being sure to close all of her black satin drapes.
Marcus rolled off the sofa. He grunted in pain from his arm, something was wrong with it. He stood up, dizzy he looked around. "Nyx?"
She turned on the water adn allowed it to heat up just the way she liked it. She took off her ruined clothes and threw them into a hamper in the corner of her black marble bathroom. She was surrounded by the cool dark stone, her outline shone from very surface. She stepped into the shower. It's black marble floor adntwo walls. the shower set in the back corner and the other two sides were made of clear quatrz crystal. The fixtures were 88% silver and 11% nickel. The water was scalding as she stepped into it and it cascaded over her.
Marcus finally recognized Nyx's loft. "Nyx!?" There was an odd ringing in his ear, he guessed it must have been punctured. With a click almost his mind snapped bad from confusion. Roaring he yelled. "Where is that overgrown ape!? I'll rip HIS limbs off and shove them up it's ass!" He smashed a table with his good arm.
Nyx herd a slight noise and decided that if he'd broken something, he'd just have to buy her a new one, and continued with her relaxing shower.
Marcus's eyes widened as they fell on the injured demon's holy grail, a full liqueur cabinet. He quickly went over too it and drained her whiskey, before checking her scotch for a good year. He turned his good ear to the shower and recognized that it was running.
Nyx herd the clinking of her liqueur cabinet being emptied. She was glad that there was a full celler under the building.
Marcus grinned, thanking the dark gods for his ability to drink. Kicking aside four empty bottles he wobbled towards the shower, full bottle in hand. It took a shear act of will to get him drunk, but it was his way after a battle.
Nyx finnished washing her hair. She was finally clean, no more of that muck and grime from battle. She gently turned off the water and stepped out into the bathroom grabbing a towel from the seemingly invisable towle rack.
Marcus leaned against the now open door, watching Nyx. "Up for a drink baby?" He asked, offering her her own scotch.
Nyx laughed wrapping the towle around herself and grabbed the bottle. Turning it up she drained half of the bottle and handed it back to him.
"Mmm, thanks for saving me some." He drained it dry. "Now, please, would you be so kind as to tell me..WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN MY CITY!? It's more fucked up than I anti...antici..planned."
She laughed one of her silvery laughs and started drying her hair. "And what exactly had you planned? Did you plan the Crazy Brit blowign things up? Fate, that's what happened to your city .....When did it become your city ?
"When I over through the Covenant and crowned us as....er..no wait, that hasn't happened yet. Pish, it's still my home. Love your laugh by the way." He grinned, and wobbled slightly.
Nyx laughed again and turned to him brushing her hair. "What did you break and when are you going to give me a new one?"
"Breash? I didn't break nutin' you weren't no vir-hic-un when I mets ya.." He wobbled again and knocked over a vase. Staring wide eyed at her he asked, "How the bloody hell did you know that was gon" He hiccuped again.
Nyx laughed and shook her head. "I know the sounds of my home, and the sounds of you blundering through it." She flashed a smile. "Go take a shower, you'll feel better." She turned back to the vanity and studied her reflection, still brushing her hair.
"Depends, this thing spout whiskey?" He asked, examining the shower.
"If you use your imagination it will. Otherwise it's gonna spout cold water to sober you up." Nyx began braiding her hair.
"No thanks, too much work. So, whash we gonna do now?"
Nyx laughed again. "I have no Idea. You're the ringleader remember?" She walked over the the armor and began picking out the day's outfit.
"I say we..." The alcohol burned out of his system. "Fuck!" He said annoyed.
Nxy turned to him holding a deep purple velvet top. "What? Losse your fix?"
"Hmm? What? Oh, right, no no, well yeah, but that would have been my idea anyway." He stretched, "Well, lets get to work. We." His cell phone rang. Answring it he said "Yeah, uh huh, uh huh, alright good...what? Yeah yeah do whatever you want with her. Yeah you too babe."
"Who was that? What are you babbeling about?" Nyx turned fully dressed.
"You're not the only one with illicit connections. The cowards are ready for war."
Nyx rolled her eyes at him. "War is bloody. War is fun. I've been in many, are your people really ready for a war of this magnitude?"
"Hun my people consists of two breeding humans, Abbot and Costello and my vampire lover. We're not ready for a playground scrap let alone this war. So I guess we should get fighting then eh?"
Nyx giggled. "Sounds like it's going to be fun."
"Always, but for the record I meant the Covenant is ready for war. Slightly less optimistic news. Everyone not dead is in the tower, they can't be scared, so it's obviously a trap."
"Yup. We going in?"
"We going in."
Nyx looked at him.
He didn't respond and instead called Shade on his phone. He rolled his eyes as he was forced to listen to some stupid song about an insane cartoon superhero while he waited."
Nyx laughed at the face he made. Knowign it had to be Shade's call waiting song.
Shades phone rang in his pocket. He waited for the song to end before he checked the caller ID, "Son of a... Dave, it's for you."
Dave took the phone, "You've reached the Taliban palace of love. One hump or two?"
Nyx herd the comment and laughed again
Marcus muttered before saying "David, it looks to be time, come to the loft, and smack your brother."
Shyne landed a dull thud to the back of his brother's head, "From Marcus, first class delivery."
"More like no-class," Shade muttered under his breath. "And shouldn't he be dead?"
"Who? Marcus? I should hope not."
"No, you schmuck. The guy you skewered like a kabob."
Shyne looked down at the flinching body of Robertson and noticed shallow breathing, "Well, I'll be damed. He's still kickin'," Shyne gave the body a quick shot to the ribs to shut it up. "Either way, Marcus wants us to meet him back at the loft."
Nyx laughed at the boys on the other end of the phone and went to find someone to drain.
Marcus disconnected, annoyed. "If the three stooges had tried to take over the world....they'd have made short work of those two."
"Relax. It's how they keep reality in check" Nyx said walking away.
"Lectured on reality by a vampire, nice one babe." He pulled out his double shotgun and winced. It was covered in his blood and was dented slightly. "Damn Cal'turn, fucked up my finish." He pulled out a small kit and began to clean it.
"Do you never remember that I did live once?" She spottedd a very lovely milkchocolate looking teenager. he looked to be about 19 and he was just what she needed. She watched him from the opposite corner of the street turning on her charm.
"Mmmhmmm, yeah." Marcus muttered, totally engrossed in cleaning his favorite gun. There was a loud scraping sound as he manipulated the metal to remove the dents.
Nyx eyed her prey. The boy caught her glance and made his way over to her.
Marcus snapped in some fresh rounds and smiling, rubbed off a smudge. He eyed the boy curiously. "Hey Nyx?"
Nyx rolled her eyes and smiled at her prey. She raised one slinder finger to the boy and he nodded, waiting. She turned to Marcus. "What?"
Marcus emptied both barrels into the boy, he dropped in a heap. "I needed to test it, sorry." He turned away from her, half smirking.
Nyx glared at him and grabbed his arm. "Then you can find me something suitable to eat."
Marcus toed the dead man, "Not fresh enough?"
"You know as well as I do that I don't eat things unless I'm the thing that stops their heart. I'd like something young, fresh, pale." She pulled a smile.
"Well.." He pulled out his sword and began to polish it too. "Better hurry then."
Nyx shot him a piercing look and began scouting for something to eat. Take my meal and then make me find and new one. if he wasn't....If I didn't...Oh I'll kill him one of these days.
"Easy Nyx, you're thinking out loud." He said with amusement.
Nyx turned to him, dripping rage. She put on a fake cheery air and said with a big smile. "All the better then, you won't have to wonder."
Wordlessly Marcus flicked his polished blade and cut off part of Nyx's top. "Yep, still sharp."
"I cn see it now. If you ever get power I'll hve to kill you. You hae to know that I'm going to have to kill you. No matter how much I seem to love you." She tied her shirt back together and turned from him.
"Gee, I was kinda hopping that wouldn't exactly be Plan A..."
"It's not, but it is inevitable." She caught sight of a young blond boy sitting on a stoop smoking, what smelled like and winston cigarett.
Marcus pointedly snapped a clip of HE rounds into his only other gun, a Desert Eagle.
Before he could kill this meal Nyx walked over and caught the boy by surprise. She sliped a hand around his throat and squeezed him into silence as she snak her white fangs into the transparent skin of his neck bathing them in his crimson blood. He tasted warm and slightly sweet. She relished the feel of his heart pump his blood into her waiting mouth. He had no clue that he was being drained. The only thing he felt was extacy.
Marcus calmly fiddled with the Eagle's sites, waiting for Nyx to finish.
Nyx let the limp body fall over on the stoop and wiped the trickel of blood from her face. She rejoined Marcus and waited.
"Good, now that you've eaten. Find me someone to shoot."
Nyx smirked and pointed to a couple that had just rounded the corner. "How about them?"
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"How 'bout now?"
"No."
"Now?"
"NO! Damn it Dave. Shut the hell up. I can only take so many hours of that." Shade was starting to regret not just ditching his brother and making a straight shot for the loft, but Marcus wanted them both, and Dave didn't know the way. So, naturally, they ended up walking. "Now that I think about it, I should've taken the car, instead of leaving it with Beth."
"Aw c'mon, Mikey, what's wrong with a little quality time?"
"The quality." Shade turned down another ally to avoid more passerby. Nine times out of ten, he wouldn't worry about dragging a body down the street, but a half-dead Covenant Lieutenant might raise some eyebrows. Attention he didn't really want at the moment.
"Speaking of quality, I'm beat. I should've asked that room of yours for a boost. Can we stop and rest for a sec?"
"Not yet, the loft isn't far. And good bloody luck getting anything more than a cheerio outta that room now."
Dave looked confused, "Huh? Why?"
"It's got next to nothing left. It took a hell of a long time to put that much energy into that room, but it was still only enough for two or three uses. And only strong enough to produce material things. With all three of us gearing up for this little field trip, I'd be surprised if so much as a piece of bubble gum was left in there."
"Damn. So what are we supposed to do about our arsenal when it's kick-off time?" Dave started to look a tad worried.
"Well, A, I was hoping Marcus would have a few ideas, and B, That's why I grabbed these." Shade pulled out his two hellfire semi-auto's, "No physical rounds. They run on my own energy. Store some juice in 'em and it's like loading a fresh magazine. It drains me a bit, but it's worth it."
"I see. Well, either way, lets get to the loft, I'm hungry."
Nyx waited patiently for Marcus to answer her....He seamed vexed by something, but she wasn't stupid enough to try and read his mind.
"I should just shoot you my dear, save myself the annoyance."
Nyx smiles and laughed. "Where is the fun in just shooting me? You enjoy the annoyance."
Marcus shot her in the leg.
Nyx frowned. "Well" She looked at her leg. "That tweaks a bit. Hadn't we better get going?"
"Lead the way then." He said, making a mental note to pick up some HE ammo.
She shook her head. "No after you I insist."
The brothers turned the corner and the loft loomed into view.
"We're here, Dave. You can cut off your damn pouting, now."
"It's about fucking time. My shoulder's killing me from dragging this jackass halfway across the city. How the hell can someone so damn small, weigh so damn much?"
"Quit complaining. At least he's not dragging you. We're gonna take the back entrance. I think the ground floor is a restaurant or something, people are trying to have a peaceful meal in there. We don't need to be dragging bodies through the lobby." Shade led his still-nagging brother down the alley beside the building to the service entrance in the back. They opened the door and started up the stairs.
"Sounds quiet. We must be the first ones back."
"Check the door first. If there's anything worse than walking into an ambush, it's walking in on somebody gett'n their nasty on."
"Sometimes I wonder if you're retarded..."
cotc characters
call of the covenant
cotc chapter 2
cotc chapter 3
cotc chapter 4
cotc chapter 5
cotc chapter 6
cotc chapter 7
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