I DO NOT OWN THE STRAIN OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS
ENJOY!
"Alright Nora, what have we got?" Shadow walked towards the dark, grounded plane as he spotted the familiar woman.
"We don't really know. Eph and I are about to go inside the plane and find out as much as we can." Nora smiled up at the considerably taller man. "How did you find out about this? It's only been on the news for five minutes at most."
"I know many things, Nora." Shadow waved over to Eph, before a man who was clearly on the opposing team and wanting the CDC out of the way as fast as possible. "Evening."
"Who is this man, Dr. Martinez? He's not one of yours or ours." After the man words, Shadow clapped slightly.
"Well done, that might be your only correctly observation this evening. Let's hope you prove me wrong." Nora handed Shadow his badge, pointing over to Jim.
"He's very helpful, that's all you need to know." She looked up at Shadow with a slight smile. "Eph and I need to go suit up to get on the plane. You go over to Jim and help survey the surroundings when we're inside."
"Team up with the hobbit, got it." Not bothering to talk for a few moments, Shadow didn't explain and simply went over to where he'd been told to go, standing beside Jim and towering the man.
Once Nora and Eph were inside the plane, Shadow kept his eyes glues to the screens, sipping on Eph's milk box without realisation. "I hope you plan on getting him another one."
"Hmm." Shadow hummed slightly, still not moving his eyes from the screen. The longer he listened and took in anything, the more doubt left his mind. The Master had indeed made his first play on the board - his first open pawn - and now it was their turn to move, no matter how slight it might be. It was a dangerous game of chess they were planning, one forming army against another. Now, it would be down to strategy and power. "The Game is on..." He whispered gently and Jim raised a brow.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Abraham, wonderful to see you again. For your age, you look incredible." Shadow walked into Abraham's Pawnshop, his eyes roaming around, despite one being covered by his jet black hair.
"Mr. Frey." Abraham greeted as Shadow smiled slightly, walking over to the desk. "What do I owe the pleasure?"
"I was in the area and decided to stop by, is all." Shadow casually shrugged, looking at the few people exploring the shop. "It's been a few years."
"I see." Abraham nodded with his statement, hearing the true meaning behind the words. He leaned forward."Go wait downstairs." He spoke in a very quiet whisper, making Shadow's mouth upturn slightly.
"Very well, but do not make me wait too long, Abraham. This is a needed conversation." Shadow walked to the wall behind, making sure that nobody was looking before he swiftly opened the wall, shutting it behind him and quickly heading down the stairs. Taking a seat, he began to observed the entire room: the many mirrors, all the weapons and silver, the mass amount of books... It was all very incredible. His eyes landed on the heart a distance behind him, his eyes softening slightly. It was very saddening indeed...
Soon enough, Abraham slowly came down the stairs. Shadow crossed one leg over the other, a slight clicking noise coming from the back of his throat, and Abraham sat down opposite the Lawyer. "I assume this is about Berlin?"Abraham asked, referring to the plane incident. Shadow nodded slowly, swallowing.
"It's happening, Abraham, we both know it. The beginning has already happened."
"The Master..." The elderly man spoke softly, sitting right back in his chair, shaking his head.
"Who else? The others do not care for such things." Shadow rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "He has already made his first move."
"How long do we have?"
"It all depends on how quickly he can regain his full strength in a perfect location within the city. It ranges from a couple of days to a week, maximum. People are easily bribed and have low morals. Easy travel."
"We must work fast. I am not sure I can withstand the entire fight... Are you ready for what is coming, Mr. Frey?" Abraham stared him straight in the mismatched eyes - since Shadow had momentarily moved his fringe, one ice blue and one green - and Shadow nodded.
"I have no choice in this, I have to be ready. With whatever there is to come, the World has to either be ready, or become ready." Shadow put his arms on the armrests, rolling his neck. "What do we have to at least try and win against him? We have weaponry and knowledge, but we need more man power." He crossed his legs the other way. "I know some people. They may not be willing at first, but they will become a large help. We need to find a way of killing the Strigoi in mass, and they're the perfect people." He stood, hearing his watch bleep. "Their names are Ephraim Goodweather and his work associate Nora Martinez. Get them on our side - along with others - and we have a very good chance of finding a way to cause mass destruction to the Strigoi." He began to climb the stairs, stopping for a moment half way up. "I'll see you soon, Abraham, keep yourself safe. If the Master is back. so is Eichhorst."
"I know, Mr. Frey. I should well worn you to be safe, you are not as strong as you believe you are." Shadow winced slightly. "Farewell for now, Mr. Frey."
"Farewell, Abraham. Alert me if me move."
Shadow strode through the cargo holdings, spotting Eph and Nora right away observing a large wooden box that was beautiful carved. "It looks a coffin, doesn't it?" Nora spoke softly, making Eph shoot her a quick, incredulous look.
"A coffin?"
"She may not be wrong." Shadow told them as he approached. "It does look like one. Ever seen a cabinet with these kind of macabre details? Not excluding any of Ed Gein's work, of course."
"Can't be a coffin. It's 9ft tall."
"Ever heard of Giantism, Eph?" This was a rhetorical question, so Shadow didn't receive an answer.
"It's old." Eph continued, putting on gloves. "It's hand carved, its not machined." Jim called some people over, but Shadow paid them no attention as they carefully put the box down on the floor. He gave a speech about 'not touching the box' and Eph nodded, looking at Shadow. Shadow gave a quick, impish grin before nodding. "Help me open it." Shadow watched as the two doors were opened wide, allowing him to see the mass amount of soil packed tightly into the box.
"Soil..." Nora commented obviously.
"Yup." Shadow said with a pop on the 'p'. "That's soil alright."
"Why would someone ship a box of soil?" Nora asked Eph, fortunately not hearing Shadow's quip. "What are the chances of someone loading this unchecked and unlisted?"
"Something this size on a flight bound for the US-" The man shook his head. Shadow didn't know his name and didn't care. "Impossible. Not in today's world."
"Jim." Eph called. "Get samples from the top, mid, bottom, plastic seal it. No one goes near this: not customs, not Home Land Security, nobody." Shadow watched Nora reach over one of the doors and lift what looked like a latch.
"Eph, look. It's a latch... Why would anyone put a latch on the inside?"
"Call Berlin." Eph told the man. "There's gotta be a record of this. Somebody put this on the plane, we just need to find out who." And that, it seemed, was Shadow's cue to leave. Turning around, he cracked his neck as he walked, a soft clicking noise coming from his throat again.
It was far later when Shadow ended up at the Laboratories. Eph had called Shadow about what Dr. Bennett had discovered on the bodies, so now Shadow was here to try and prevent what was to come. Sweet Caroline reached his ears from a distance away, spinning his sword in his hand. He stuck to the shadows, hiding from view, until it was time. Sometime later, he heard Dr. Bennett talking to his voice recorder to make sure all of his evidence got down. "... In the heart, liver and kidneys..." That was all Shadow heard from his strained hearing, but he kept his back to the wall.
A loud smash caught Shadow's attention and he put his sword in position. But, he didn't see a reanimated Strigoi, he saw a small woman who was staring down at the tray from one of the bodies she'd just dropped on the floor. Her hazel brown hair was swept up into a simple ponytail and she darted into the shadows when she saw him... Standing right beside him. "'Ello there, my lover." She whispered softly in a very thick, Somerset accent. "Fancy seein' someone else 'ere. You 'ere to stop them too, are ya?"
"Stop talking." Shadow calmly replied and she raised a brow, something sparkling in her grey eyes.
"We got ourselves a mister grumpy gills..." Another crash caught both attentions. They could see no movement from anyone, but saw Dr. Bennett rounding the corner. "Oh, I didn't know there was others 'ere too..."
"Shut. Up." Shadow put his hand over the tiny woman's mouth, but she simply bit it too make him let go.
"Almost time now, lover." She pulled a thigh long dagger from - oh yes - her thigh and silently began to cut their heads off as she walked by. "Well come on then, dear." She whispered in a louder manner to Shadow. "We ain't got long, and there's over 200 hundred of 'em. Can't get 'em all, but we can start and get that fine fellow out." She ran down the corridor, getting the ones she could on the left, whilst Shadow got the right. She reached Dr. Bennett before Shadow, ripping off his gloves and throwing away any worms that tried to get under his skin. "Come on, lover. Let's move!" The bodies were beginning to rise and Shadow grabbed them both, yanking them away to the emergency exit. The woman put her small sword away and pulled two guns from her hips, firing off at any that got too close. "Not today, Satan!"
Bursting open the emergency exit, they slammed it shut, Dr. Bennett breathing heavily as the woman took his injured hand. "You'll be alright, my dear. We'll get you a bandage over that, and you'll heal up good as new, you will."
"Who are you?" Shadow asked as the Strigoi banged on the doors, making them escape to Shadow's vehicle.
"My name is Anna Whittle, my dear. You are?" Whittle... Why did that last name ring so many bells in Shadow's brain?
"Shadow. Shadow Frey."
"Ohhh~" Anna let out, clutching Bennett in a hug. "You's the one that Abraham talks about, you is. Lovely to meet you, Shadow. Who might you be, marshmallow?" She asked Dr. Bennett, staring down with a slight smile.
"Jeff Bennett." He replied shortly, too startled to say anything else. Anna rubbed his arm gently.
"Now, my lover, don't you worry. You'll get over it, you will, and you'll be right as rain. No worries at all."
Shadow drove away, leaving the Strigoi to their devices. They weren't his focus. He needed to get to Abraham and tell him it had begun. Those Strigoi were new and disorientated, so they would be found and kill some other time. His main question was the woman in his back seat. How did she know they would be here? More importantly: was she friend or foe?
Shadow was provided to me by ShadowIkeFrey
Waddup ma Unicorns?
Hope you enjoyed this!
I thoroughly enjoyed writing it!
Review if you like it!
Follow/Favourite if you really like it!
Have a FABULOUS day dahhhliiingggssss!
0^0 Weasel!