"V for Vengeance"
Chapter 14
All things considered I guess I shouldn't have been surprised an hour later when the door to my apartment opened and Lash lead Molly and Mouse into my home. I had asked Molly to come alone, making an excuse of running errands to get Lash to stay in bed while we were busy with the mayhem I had planned. However, Lash was smart and had seen through our ploy. So now our group was a little larger.
Once they were together we sat down and went over the plan, updating them on the events of this morning and changes to the original plan. There were questions and some heated debate but in the end we were left with few alternatives. So we set to the work of preparing for our upcoming fight.
Lash and Carlos set to work making potions as Molly and I went out into the city to start gathering materials we'd need.
It was a little after one in the afternoon when Molly and I returned to the apartment. As we came in we were greeted by a new arrival.
"Hey Harry, long time no see." He said without looking up from cleaning and reassembling a large caliber rifle with a ridiculously long barrel.
"Kincaid, glad you could make it." I said setting the arm load of bags on the coffee table next to where he was working.
"It looks like you have a real party in the making. Lash and Carlos filled me in on what you have in mind and I have to tell you it sounds a little risky." He said with a touch of reproach in his voice.
"Well desperate times…" I said unpacking my bags as Molly set another group of bags on the floor next to me.
"It's always desperate times with you Dresden." He said with a smirk.
"True, I do toss some work your way and at your prices you shouldn't be complaining." I said smugly.
"I have expenses and provide a unique service." He said giving me a sidelong glance.
"I don't know how much work you get aside from me, but with this job and the last few, you should have a good down payment on your own private island." I said pulling on latex gloves and then organizing the materials as I unpacked them.
"Who said I don't already have one? That and we can't all just lay claims to one and make it our own, like a wizard I know." He said.
We worked in silence for a little while and then Jared set his gun aside and took note of what I was doing.
"Um, Harry… Where did you get that?" He asked nervously.
"I have connections too." I said smugly as I continued to work.
"Harry, you're doing that wrong. Just stop what you're doing and move away slowly." He said in a serious tone that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"You just take care of your equipment and I'll do mine." I said firmly.
"Harry, that isn't play-dough and this isn't time armature hour. Unless you're trying to level this building, just stop." He said in his scary serious tone.
I wasn't one to be bullied and didn't take kindly to having my skills called into question, but in this case, the instructions I had received had been hurried and this wasn't something I wanted to leave to chance. So I slowly slid the pile of materials I was working with over to Kincaid and got up to go check on Lash and Carlos. Kincaid began feverishly pulling wires loose and shaking his head as I went down into my lab.
"You should have seen it, Harry hanging upside down on the broomstick yelling at the top of his lungs as he smashed into the oak tree. Good thing he was only ten feet in the air or he'd likely have killed himself." Bob chortled as Lash and Carlos giggled.
The room went as silent as a crypt as they noticed me halfway down the stairs.
The tables in the lab were filled with every piece of potion making equipment I owned and potions were bubbling and some smoking while others were being poured into various containers for use later.
"Next we should work on the camouflage potions." Carlos said in a serious tone, his cheeks burning red.
"Yeah, so how are things progressing down here?" I asked with an unintended edge to my voice.
"We are just about done Harry." Lash said with a guilty smile.
"Bob, no more stories or I'll store you in a trunk with nothing but farmer's almanac's and technical manuals. Do we understand each other?" I said firmly.
"Completely…" Bob said with a sigh.
"Lash, can I talk to you upstairs?" I asked quietly.
I closed the door to my bedroom and turned to Lash giving her a serious look.
"Harry? Do we have time for this right now? I'm game if you are." She said giving me a come-hither smile.
"Um, no. Look Lash, you're not in any condition to be going along on this one. I won't be able to concentrate on what I have to do if I'm worried about you." I said firmly.
"I appreciate your honesty, Harry. However, I have no intention on staying at home while you and Molly rush into the jaws of danger. I won't have it! I'm going and that's final." She said folding her arms under her breasts and lifting her chin defiantly.
In that instant I had a vision of Michael and Charity Carpenter having a similar discussion. How did he get Charity to stay home? I'd have to ask him later, but I was sure it had something to do with the will of God or him something similar. There was no way I could play that card, so I had to go with the truth.
"Lash, I'm not taking you into a fight when you're not 100%. That's why I called in Kincaid. We'll be fine, I need you to trust me on this one." I said firmly.
"No. I'm going. I'm not going to risk losing either of you. If something happened and I wasn't there I'd never forgive myself." She said as her toe started to tap on the rug and her eyes becoming glassy. I'm not a push over or easily swayed from a rational point of view, but a vulnerable woman on the verge of tears… It just wasn't fair.
"Look, I know you don't like it. I'd hate it myself and would probably be saying and doing what you are right now if the shoe was on the other foot. Still, I need to know you're safe and can't risk losing you when you're hurt. You need time to rest and get better. You powers are out of whack and you took some hard hits the other night. You shouldn't be out of bed much less facing three groups of vampires." I said honestly.
"Harry…" She said quietly.
"No listen to me. I know normally you're one of the most powerful and capable wizards I've met. I'd be happy to have you at my side if you were well. Just think, if I were hurt and my power was on the blink, would you take me on this mission?" I said honestly.
"That's not fair Harry and you know it!" She said with a mix of defiance, anger and understanding in her voice, as a small silver tear streaked down her cheek.
"I know it sucks, but it is what it is. I know how hard this is for you and would be for me. Just this once, I'm asking you, please, sit this one out, for me." I said quietly.
I felt lower than whale poop for having said it and the look on her face made me feel even worse. I had hurt her pride and was asking her to go against her instincts. I was asking her to sit on her hands while we went into harm's way. I could see the hurt on her face and the anger in the muscles of her jaw as another tear threatened to escape from the other eye. This was one of the hardest things I could ask of her, but rationally we both knew it was the right choice. That didn't mean we had to like it.
Finally we came up with a compromise, Lash would sit lookout in the truck but stay out of the fight. It wasn't what either of us wanted, but it was a deal we both could agree on.
Lash, looking crestfallen, went back down stairs to the lab while I joined Molly and Kincaid at the coffee table. Molly was working with a pile of wires and equipment under the close supervision of 'The Hellhound'.
"Now attach the red wire and crimp it into place." He said in a low quiet tone, watching her closely. Molly had her hair pulled back into a bun that highlighted her high cheekbones and making her eyes look a little larger. As she worked, her gloved hands and nimble fingers moved quickly and precisely.
"I've got it." Molly said as she moved her hands away slowly looking up at Kincaid with a dazzling smile.
"Very good Miss Carpenter, you seem to have a knack for this." Kincaid said giving the device a quick once over.
"Harry, couldn't you have gotten newer equipment?" He asked with a smirk.
"I could have, but having it go haywire on us wasn't something I was willing to risk. Wizards and remote controls don't mix." I said.
"Okay, if you say so." He said shaking his head.
Another hour went by as we bottled potions, loaded rounds into clips, charged our charms and bracelets and then packed up our gear for the fight to come. Finally, we were ready to move.
Before we left I made a call to John Marcone and let him know we were moving. He assured me that his part of the plan was already in motion and Phase One should be concluded fairly shortly. I had to grin as I hung up the phone, for once John Marcone being a sneaky bastard was working for me.
Kincaid, Molly and Lash drove the truck, mostly because Kincaid wouldn't be seen dead driving the blue beetle, but also because I didn't trust him to drive it. It had its quirks and didn't have the raw power of the truck, but it was mine and it was a trusted companion. Carlos, Mouse and I puttered off into the city in the little car.
We got there with a little over three hours of daylight left. I hoped we'd be done in less than an hour or we'd attract the attention of the local authorities and have a lot of explaining to do.
We parked a few blocks away and each of us carried a bag or duffel of one sort or another as we made our way through the decaying buildings and empty parking lots. We split into two teams, to scout the building.
Molly and Kincaid simply vanished under Molly's veil and Carlos cast an impressive veil over Mouse, me and himself. We circled the building looking for any alarms, defenses or guards, hexing any surveillance cameras we saw on this or the adjacent buildings.
We didn't see any sign of movement in the building until we got to the loading docks. There were two armed guards standing just inside, keeping an eye on parking lot for any unwanted guests. They were dressed in brown jump suits and carried automatic assault rifles and large caliber side arms.
Kincaid offered to deal with them but Carlos had already thought about this situation and came prepared. He pulled a mason jar out of his duffle filled with a yellowish bubbly liquid.
"Watch this, it's my own recipe." He said as he lobbed the jar into the concrete between the two guards.
The jar exploded and a yellow vaporous cloud quickly filled the area. The guards, hearing the breaking jar turned quickly and were enveloped by the cloud and simply crumpled to the ground.
"They'll be out for at least two hours." Carlos said obviously pleased with himself.
"That's the plan?" Kincaid said with a scoff. "Look you may be a warden and have experience with vampires and wizards, but let me give you a piece of advice that's let me live as long as I have. You Never, Ever leave someone alive who can sneak up behind you when you're going into a fight like this."
"They're just paid thugs." Carlos protested.
"They're paid thugs who would gladly kill you." Kincaid countered. "They work for the Black Court. You can't honestly tell me you have any sympathy for them?"
"We'll take their weapons and radios then tie and gag them so they don't alert anyone or come up behind us later." I said reasonably.
"It's your party, but I'm telling you they pose a liability." Kincaid said coldly.
"Good, then we're agreed." I said giving Carlos a warning glance.
The vapor took a few minutes to dissipate, even with the gust of wind I sent into the building, before we could move in and bind the guards. We tied them securely and the put a large wooden crate over them to keep them out of sight. Then we slowly moved forward into the building.
The floors were thick with at least a few years worth of accumulated dust and debris. So following the path of clean floor made by foot traffic wasn't too difficult and Mouse had no difficulty following the stench of decay left by the group that had passed by some hours ago. Although the building was dark we continued on under veils from our two resident experts, just to be safe.
As we neared the center of the building mouse stopped in his tracks and lowered on his haunches. I looked around through the slight haze of Carlos's veil and at first missed the two solitary, stationary figures flanking a doorway off to our right.
The room was filled with low walled cubicles and stands that had once held office equipment. I stared at the two figures in the shadows and they didn't move at all. They didn't shift their weight from one foot to the other or even seem to hardly breathe like one would expect from hired thugs.
"Reinfields?" Carlos asked in a hushed voice.
"They could be or they might just be thralls, hard to tell until you try to talk to one." I replied in barely a whisper. A thrall is a human who's mind is controlled by the vampires, like if they were in a deep hypnotic state and given instructions, which they follow to the letter. A Renfield on the other hand is similar to a thrall but their minds have been twisted beyond repair and have greater speed and strength than a normal human. Although it is possible to restore thralls to their normal selves once the vampire controlling them is dead or out of range, Renfields are beyond help and have the personality of a feral animal only nastier.
"So how do you want to play this?" Carlos asked quietly.
I was about to open my mouth to answer when two fast quiet clicks went off to my right as a red dot moved from one figure to the other and they both crumpled to the ground silently with large gaping holes in their heads.
"What the hell was that?" I said quietly, giving Kincaid a dirty look. I couldn't see Molly or tell what her reaction to his actions was, but as a sensitive wizard she can have bad reactions to people being killed near her.
"That was bullets taking out our pair of problems." Kincaid said with a smirk. "Problem solved. We don't have a lot of time to be discussing this in front of the enemy. It's done, let's move on." He said in his all business tone of voice.
"They could have just been thralls. We could have saved them." I said feeling my anger rush into my cheeks.
"Or they could have been Renfields and made a lot of noise as they came after us, in which case we would have had to kill them anyhow. This way our prey didn't get a heads up that we're here." He said reasonably.
"Just say something before you start shooting next time. Molly may have been able to tell us what they were." I said quietly shaking my head.
"Fine, my bad, let's move on." He said getting a little snippy.
We moved quietly and quickly over to the door the two had been guarding. A quick inspection revealed a set of old double doors now permanently open, their hinges rusted and broken, the doors resting on the stairs heading down into the basement.
"Just like old times." Molly said quietly.
"Be ready, weapons out. We have a good idea what to expect, but stay sharp. These vampires don't get to be old by being stupid." I whispered back to my companions. Mouse tensed and let out a low quiet growl as he sniffed the air. I drew my blasting rod and shook my shield bracelet from the under the cuff of my duster. Carlos drew his glock and quietly released the safety. I heard rustling from where Molly must have been behind me and to the right.
"You lead." I said poking Kincaid in the shoulder. "Watch for traps."
"You do the same and try not to trip down the stairs." He said giving me a smile.
"Molly, put the first one here across the first step." I said as the others turned to take note as we started down the stairs. Molly stopped and although I didn't see her I saw a thin wire attach to the wall and pull across the step leading to a black box about the size of half a loaf of bread that was covered by paper and other debris littering the stairs. Then we proceeded down the stairs.
We moved slowly and quietly, one step at a time. I could feel Molly's hand on my back as Carlos and I followed Jared Kincaid.
Every few steps we could hear a quiet hiss as a misty spray drifted down the stair well. About half way down, the mist reflected two red laser beams making an X in the stair well. Upon closer inspection there were two boxes, smaller and neater than the one Molly had set out, but every bit as deadly.
"What happens if we hex the box?" Molly asked quietly, her voice carrying a quiver of fear in it.
"Either it goes dead or Boom!" I said in a hushed whisper.
"Or we could just sneak around the beams." Carlos said reasonably.
"This is why you hired a professional. Kincaid said quietly as he pulled his back pack off his back and pulled two small mirrors attached to metal arms from one of the pockets. "This is a common hazard in my line of work." He said.
Quietly he angled the mirrors and attached their anchors to the wall, then slowly swiveled the mirrors into place, reflecting the laser light back at the devices.
"Moving on." Kincaid whispered quietly, obviously pleased with himself.
We followed slowly and another three steps down Carlos tapped Kincaid on the shoulder and we all stopped.
"Do you feel that?" He said quietly.
I reached out with my wizard senses and could barely feel a thrum of power.
"I feel it too." Molly said quietly. "It's a guarding ward. It feels strong too."
"Can you disable it?" I asked Carlos. I can take on trolls and just about anything from the nasty side of the street with sheer brute force no problem, but when it comes to subtle magic… Well let's just say it's not my strong suit.
"I should be able to, give me a minute." He said quietly, taking a deep breath and concentrating.
"Honestly…" Molly said a little exasperated. "Let me."
I could just barely feel her drawing power as she waved her wand and mumbled something too quiet to be heard. Then I could feel something like a spider web brush across my face as the thrum simply stopped and the ward dissolved.
"Good work grasshopper." I said impressed.
I felt her hand pat my backside before returning to the small of my back. I wanted to give her a glare or make a snide comment, but the action took me so completely by surprise I just decided to let it go and talk to her about "Bad touches" later.
The shadows were thicker here and only a little light filtered through the doorway to dimly light the stairs. By the time we were three quarters of the way down it was nearly completely dark. Molly tapped me on the shoulder and pressed a tube against my neck. I took the tube and squeezed a little of the home made salve into my eyes and then passed the tube to Carlos.
I blinked a few times as the ointment dissolved in my eyes, stinging a little as it coated them. A few seconds later the stair well was much brighter, as if lit by 60 watt bulbs. It was a concoction that Lash had mixed for us. It was simple enough to make and I had jotted the recipe down in my personal alchemical notebook as I'm sure it would be handy on other occasions as well.
Kincaid simply slipped on a pair of night vision goggles and slowly made his way to the landing.
The stairs opened into a set of hallways. One hallway continued on directly in front of us and another went off to the left and right. After a few sniffs Mouse pointed us to the right. The dust was lighter down here but we could still make out faint foot prints heading down that direction.
Molly stopped to set another trap, making sure everyone was aware of where the tripwire was set as she placed the smallish box off behind the wall of the other hallway. The fine line of low test, high tech fishing wire was nearly invisible even with our enhanced vision and knowing where to look.
She also took this time to pass out our home made hand grenades, which were small pint sized mason jars filled with liquid and either tacks or ball bearings and a core of a C-4 knock off, courtesy of John Marcone and company. The pins were pop-top can rings attached to a short piece of fishing line. We estimated the fuses should give us about two seconds from the time the 'pin' was pulled until the explosive went off.
Last time we dealt with the Black Court they were very inventive and I almost lost a hand over it. This time we weren't taking any chances.
About thirty feet down the hallway we came to a cloth barrier. It was basically a set of sheets stretched over the hallway. Mouse tensed and bared his teeth as he sniffed the air. This wasn't lost on Carlos or Kincaid as we all came to a stop about six feet from the sheets.
It was clever, our veils could hide us in the open, but we'd have to move the sheets to go any further down the hallway. For all we knew there could be bells attached to the other side or a Renfield standing guard.
I closed my eyes and stretched my senses down the hallway past the sheets. I immediately got a cold sickly feeling crawling up the back of my spine. Either there was a vampire close by or a lot of them a little farther off. Either way the feeling was unmistakable and very strong.
I felt Molly draw magic from behind me. It was subtle and she only drew a very small amount and whispered nearly inaudibly and a shimmering circle three feet wide appeared in the center of the sheets.
"Good work." I whispered behind me as Carlos and Kincaid took turns peering from side to side through the veiled sheets.
"It's one way, they can't see through from the other side." Molly whispered in my ear, to calm my fears.
We could make out one vampire standing near the curtains maybe six feet from the other side and there were strings attached to cans and bottles leading from various points on the curtain. Farther down the hallway we could see a small grouping of beds with occupants in varying states of decay and a couple of honest to god coffins.
Since we were standing in pitch darkness with a curtain between us and our prey, we dropped the veils.
Kincaid motioned at us and we all readied a grenade. He used his free hand to count us down from 3 and at 0 we all pulled the pins and slid our jars down the hall under the curtain, barely moving the curtain as they went.
Things got very hectic after this. Molly backed up several steps pulling her wands as Carlos pulled his sword and blasting rod and Kincaid produced a small assault rifle from his back, leveling it and releasing the safety in one smooth motion.
I had pulled my blasting rod and moved so I had a clear line of fire with Kincaid in the front and Carlos and I flanking him with Molly about ten feet behind us. Mouse crouched next to Kincaid, ready to pounce.
As the first of the grenades went off, Kincaid opened fire on the Vampire standing guard. Carlos let loose with a blast of wind that was a narrow cone shape from the tip of his blasting rod, tearing down the curtain and pushing the vampire back against the wall and down the hallway. I mumbled Forzare and sent a bolt of energy down the hallway taking part of the curtain with it like a comet. It slammed into the coffin in the middle of the room, splintering the wood and destroying a handle and tipping it over the edge of the platform it was set on, sending it tumbling to the ground landing on the lid.
The Grenades all went off within a split second of each other sending shrapnel and a fine mist of holy water all over the room. Howls of pain and rage echoed down the hallway as the vampires were rudely awoken from their slumber.
The mist burned the vampires like acid as their dazed smoking corpses rose from their beds. Most of those we could see were no more than six months old, as their corpses were well intact and still stiff. From behind us Molly, now veiled, sent more grenades sliding down into the room at the end of the hall.
Mouse charged down the hallway with a deep rumbling growl growing from deep in his chest as he launched himself at the first of the vampires to move towards us, while Kincaid quickly fired a couple of expertly aimed shots that shattered the guard vampires spine and split its head in two, dropping it into a slump on the ground.
The first vampire in the room saw Mouse coming and with an unnatural speed and strength swung for the dog's head. Mouse twisted and ducked the claw like hand and sunk his teeth deep into the thing's bicep. Its swing carried Mouse to the side, across the vampires' body and Mouse used his considerable weight and a yank of his teeth, at the end of the swing, to pull the vampire off his feet and into the wall at the side of the hallway. Even as the Vampire was trying to push itself to its feet, Mouse had his jaws firmly locked on the back of his neck and began to shake the creature violently.
Kincaid fired in three round bursts as Vampires started to move into the hallway, taking down two in short order. Carlos was sending blobs of florescent green acid from the tip of his blasting rod onto the remaining casket, eating large holes in the wood and lighting it on fire, pouring a caustic smelling smoke into the air.
I sent another streak of force down into a vampire just rounding the corner, limping and his left arm nearly detached, smoking from holy water with tacks twisted in the skin of its face. The force bolt caught him dead center in the chest, lifting him off his feet and leaving a deep dent in his chest as he collided with the Vampire behind him, toppling them both to the ground.
Suddenly there was a burst of orange and yellow flame near the back wall. It coalesced into a large face about four feet across. The brightness of the flame and its roaring din caused the vampires to turn to take in this new threat.
"I am the Great and Powerful Wizard Winfrey! You will surrender or you will surely die!" The face roared as the flames burst up to the ceiling. The vampires in the back of the room moved forward to avoid the flames and others simply stood there staring at the huge burning face as if wondering how to attack it.
In the confusion and commotion Kincaid pulled more large mason jars from his back pack and threw them down the hallway smashing them about three to four feet from the end of the hall, covering the end of the hall and splattering the room with the dark oily substance. Mouse, having snapped the neck of the vampire he was attacking turned and leapt through over the oily mess and bounded down the hallway back towards our group. Meanwhile Carlos was lobbing jars into the room splattering coffins and most of the room with the smelly diesel fuel.
"Now!" Molly yelled as the face of flame disappeared, leaving the room and hallway in utter darkness.
We all back pedaled quickly down the hallway and just before we got to the end I yelled, "Feugio!" and a jet of white hot, yellow and orange flame about a foot in diameter shot down the hallway setting the fuel on fire. There was a loud "Woosh!" and a large fireball the expanded half way down the hallway towards us. We jumped the trip wire and the rush of hot air and smoke poured out of the hallway as we headed up the stairs, being careful not to set off our own traps.
We were almost to the loading dock as the first trap went off shaking the building violently. At first I wasn't sure if the hot air had melted the trip wire or if something actually stepped on it, but as we were half way through the parking lot the second trap went off, collapsing the roof of the building and sending a dust cloud mushrooming into the air. Fire and smoke began to lick the roof as we pulled away into city streets bathed in the late afternoon sun.
"Do you think we got 'em all?" Carlos asked once we were a few miles away.
"If we didn't get them all, I think we got enough to send a clear message." I said with a grin.
"If we were dealing with a young vampire I'd agree, but if Marva is really in town, then I'd have to say that this was too easy." Carlos replied seriously.
"Either way, I think we put a sufficient dent in their numbers to keep them from trying anything for now. We at least bought ourselves the time we need to finish this before they can regroup." I said.
Carlos just nodded in agreement as we drove through the increasing traffic of the rush hour traffic.
Molly, Lash and Kincaid were getting out of the truck in my driveway as I pulled the blue beetle up alongside and let the engine sputter to a wheezy stop. With the look I got from Kincaid I was just happy it hadn't backfired.
Mouse, Carlos and I followed them into the house. Lash and Kincaid were laughing while Molly's cheeks were burning tomato red.
"The Great and Powerful Wizard Winfrey, I kid you not!" Kincaid said laughing. "Then a bunch of them just stood there staring at it. It was all I could do to not burst out laughing on the spot. This is one for the books." He roared.
"Well I couldn't very well say 'The Great and Powerful Wizard Oprah!' now could I? Some of them are new enough to have watched day time TV in the last decade. It was the first name that popped into my head." She said somewhat defensively.
I'm not sure if it was the look on my apprentice's face or the image of the huge flaming face bursting into existence dumbfounding the vampires, but I couldn't help but chuckle.
Molly gave me an exasperated look and dropped her head as she turned and headed into the living room.
"Okay boys and girls, we survived round one. You have about ten minutes to reload, freshen up and grab the gear for the next round. We leave in fifteen minutes." I said grabbing a coke out of the ice box.
I made a quick call to Pizza 'spress and gave them instructions to leave a stack of pizzas in my back yard and then headed to the back yard to get an update from my informant.