Henry glanced worriedly at the girl in the passenger's seat. In his opinion she was much too young for this. That was the point though, wasn't it? They needed someone young and pretty for this job and Gaela had all but jumped at the opportunity. It was another chance to prove herself. The kid had been so subjugated in her past that now she was looking for every opportunity to assert her independence and power. She'd graduated from the program and she was officially part of The Force now. A rookie yes, but a part of it. And now it was time for this rookie to do her duty.

"Okay," Henry put the car in park. "Are you ready?" He asked. "Remember, don't take any unnecessary risks. We aren't there yet. We need intel. That's your job. Get intel."

She waved a hand at him impatiently, "Yeah, yeah, Henry I know. You guys briefed me on it, like a million and ten times."

"Three times," said Henry exasperated. "We had three different meetings to discuss three different aspects of your mission. And you have to remember that you're…"

"The youngest person to be put on the field this quickly after graduation. Yes, I know. I get it."

"We usually like to introduce the rookies slowly ya know? Doing paperwork, making coffee, just observing. We like to mess with em' a bit before we release them into the wild."

"Henry, I've known you since I started training. You know that I would kick anyone's ass who tried to treat me the way you're talking about."

"That why we picked you for this kid," Henry put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"Of course I am," she replied. She stepped out of the car and he watched her as she moved down the sidewalk and turned the corner. She was wearing black jeans and a skin tight silver blouse. Her high-heel boots gave her a height she didn't normally have and her bright red lip-stick made her face pop in a crowd. Mix those with her curly brown hair and turquoise eyes and you had one stunning young lady. She'd be a hit in nest. It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it.

"Good luck kid," he said before he settled in to await her return.

Gaela rapped on the door to the "bar" in the pattern that served as the password to get in. They'd been able to observe that much from a building across the street. A lot of important people and vamps came in and out that door and looking from afar was no longer enough. It was time for someone to go in and that someone was her.

She heard the lock click so she turned the knob and pushed. It swung open and she stepped inside. The air felt hazy, yellow, and green. It was the absence of red which had her wondering if the place really was what they thought it was. She walked a little farther into the room and saw the people all lounging around. There were a few playing a game at a table in the corner. Some were at the bar drinking, while others were just standing. Every person's pupils were blown wide and eyes completely glazed over. She was in the right place. She kept moving, trying to adopt the lackadaisical posture of everyone inside. She went to the bar and ordered a drink. The man sitting next to her offered her a hit of whatever was in his joint and she nodded. She placed it at her lips and breathed in. She gave the appearance of inhaling completely but let the smoke rest inside her cheeks before she blew out. She coughed a little for show and smiled stupidly when she handed back the joint.

"Thanks," she said slowly. The man nodded and went back to whatever he was drinking. He wasn't there to hit on her. He was there to enjoy and share, just like every other person was. The bartender came by and handed her the whisky she'd ordered. She threw it back and wandered away. She'd noticed some stairs in the far corner of the room and headed towards them. She was taken to a second floor of much the same design but this time there were people sitting in rows to be shot up with heroin. She had to stifle a grimace. If there was one thing she hated about this job, it was the fact that it came with a very intimate knowledge of drug culture. It was something that always made her uncomfortable. Violence she could handle but she couldn't comprehend giving yourself over to something so completely with the knowledge that it would kill you. She had known pain and she had known despair but nothing could have driven her to a needle.

The stairs kept going and she continued to follow them. She was on the third and last floor when she found red. It took all of her training to not flinch visibly. She kept her cool and lazily moved her eyes around to find the source. And there he was; chatting with someone in the corner. She could only see the side of his face and his salt and pepper colored hair; he was mostly turned away from her. But she could feel him. He exuded pulsing heat and stolen life. He was red. He was wearing tight black pants and a blue button up. He had a drink in one hand and the other was in his pocket. She quickly took in the rest of her surroundings. It seemed like just some sort of lounge. People were reclining in pricey chairs and sprawled out on couches. There were two different televisions playing some form of sports on each. It looked very normal. It figured. It figured that the last floor looked the most normal but was holding the reason for all of the corruption below.

She walked over to one of the chairs and sat down; tried to look inebriated in some way. That's what this place was about. The vamps lured in people of all kinds, people they wanted, people from the streets, business men and women, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. It was a drug house; a free one. You were dependent on the drugs they handed out and in return you gave them your blood. Most of the time people didn't survive this place. Sure, they were allowed to leave but everyone always came back and you can only come back so many times before your body gives out from all the harm you've caused it. The place itself was addicting and toxic. The vamps manipulated you so much that even getting bit brought on a sick kind of high. She wondered where the rest of the vamps were. It was night and there were plenty of people there. A nest usually held all of the sire's children. Nests were families, not random groups of vamps thrown together. You had to get permission from the sire if you were keen on leaving to start your own. She knew the man in the corner was the sire here but she didn't know where his kids were.

The girl in the seat next to her smiled, "You're new here."

"Uh yeah, yeah I am," Gaela replied.

"It's been awhile since we've had a new one. Who recruited you?"

"Um…" She hadn't even thought about that. She didn't know names. What was she supposed to say? "He did." She pointed to the sire.

The girl's eyes widened. "What?" She was obviously shocked. "He rarely leaves the nest."

"Well, he uh, he found me." She struggled to find a story that might sound like the truth. "We met at a bar on Fourth Street."

"Wow," the girl whistled dryly, "You must be something special."

"Um, yeah, yeah I guess. Would you please excuse me? I've gotta head back downstairs." Suddenly, she felt the need to escape quickly. She needed to culminate a more solid story since she'd just made such a dangerous decision. She rose from her seat to signal the end of the conversation.

"Oh yeah, I'll probably go back down soon too." The girl said as Gaela was leaving. "They should be coming out again soon. Our turn next."

Abby smiled a nervously and fled down the stairs. It was time for her to leave. It wasn't gonna be her turn for anything that's for sure. She knew they'd make her come back but for now she'd done her job. She had plenty to tell them. She knew her superiors would especially be excited to hear about the sire.