Chapter 12 – Sabbat Intercept

September 28, 2004 = Tuesday

The walk back to Bertram's tank was quiet. He didn't say much, except to congratulate me on a successful attack. My only thoughts settled decisively on my upcoming meeting with Lacroix. My first and only direct contact with him was when he was going to behead me, then again by email when I secured the werewolf blood before it could be tested. I still hadn't heard back from him. Had I done something wrong?

At Bertram's, we climbed the ladder to find Brian waiting on us with a bag in hand.

"Miss Flores," he said, handing me the bag. "You've been requested downtown."

I bet. I took the bag, finding the clothes that Sharron had bought me. I glanced around Bertram's makeshift home, and after finding no place to hide while I changed, glanced at Bertram.

"You've got nothing I want, Fledgling," Bertram said, his face as stoic as ever. I looked back around the makeshift home, finally deciding that the only place for privacy would be back down in the tunnel. I lowered myself back down to the ladder, climbing with the bag hanging on an arm. Back down in the tunnel, I stripped off my clothes off, and put on the skinny jeans and halter top that Sharron had sent me. The motorcycle boots made me feel more butch than I wanted to display, but they were a class better than the cheap things I got from Simeon. I really needed to buy a better grade of shoe.

Once dressed, I put my near ruined clothes in the bag, hung the bag back on my arm, and climbed back up to the tank. Brian was still waiting for me, but Bertram was sitting to a computer, not paying any attention to me. I handed my bags off to Brian, then led him out to the gate. A limo was waiting for me, a uniformed chauffeur waiting by the passenger door. Upon seeing me, he opened the door.

"Brian, get with Sharron tomorrow and have her pick out some more clothes. Use the money in my bag to pay for anything she finds. Try to steer her into something with a little more class. Alright?"

Brian nodded, and I sat myself into the plush leather seat of the limo. The driver closed the door behind me, and I couldn't help but shudder at the sensation of finality. In moments, the driver had circled around and was at the wheel, driving me to my destination.

The ride itself was boring, as I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to enjoy it. I didn't really take notice of where we were until it was too late. The sound of screeching metal woke me out of my reverie, then everything went bottoms up as it rolled. Once the limo ground to a stop, I used my Potence ability to rip the door free and rolled out.

Facing me, about twenty feet away, were three men, their clothes as rough as their faces. The one on the right held a large weapon, which I guess was some kind of grenade launcher. Just effing great. The three then rushed me, with one dropping to his front hands to run like an animal on his elongated arms. I turned and sprinted down the road, glad for once I wasn't in high heels as they would have kept me pinned.

I still didn't make it more than a dozen steps before I was tackled by the hand running one. I let the strength flow through my arms as I fought back, trying to get away but my grip of iron was overpowered by his, shocking me. Just how strong could we get? With hand boy fighting me, his stronger Potence ability overpowering mine, he forced me flat. The others quickly ringed us, the one on top of me shifted to my left, while another held me on the right. Any hope of escape left me. They didn't know it was me that blew up the warehouse, right?

"Let's drain her," the one on my right said.

"Let's stake it and leave her for the sunrise,' the one on my left offered.

The last one knelt over me, almost sitting on my stomach. "We're going to have a lot of fun with this one. Think you could blow up our warehouse and get with it?" he shouted into my face. "Huh, Lick?"

I briefly thought about trying to overpower these guys again, but then a new thought hit me. Potence wasn't my only Dark Gift. I smiled, then yanked on the shadows. I tried to use the shadows to make a group of tentacles, but it fell apart before it could form. Just great. Not only am I about to die, but my powers decide to quit working so epically that these three stiffs don't even notice my

"Let's pull out her eyes and her tongue and her teeth," long arms said from my left.

"I want her teeth," the one said as he leaned forward to get right in my face. I frantically began to wonder what happens to a Kindred who had their fangs pulled when a gunshot rang out. The Sabbat sitting on my stomach was suddenly gone, and I could hear him sputter. I found him at my feet, nursing a bleeding head. The other two vampires looked to someone behind me, and they were worried. I didn't know who had joined the fight, but he was enough to worry the Sabbat holding me down.

"Leave," a very strong, male voice said. The power on it had them nervous and I wondered who could make three Sabbat Kindred that nervous.

"There's three of us, Rodriguez," the one who had been shot declared, rising to stand in defiance. "What are you going to do? Shoot us?"

I didn't get to see the response but the Sabbat guys backed up, releasing my arms. I rolled free to see the brawler guy from my Trial, the one who made the Prince rethink my execution. On his belt was a grenade, and I guess that was what made them nervous. Made me nervous too, thinking about how deadly I'd heard they could be. The Sabbat were slinking away, but the one who had been shot decided to get one last parting word in.

"This ain't over! We'll find you, Flores. You too, Rodriguez. No one messes with the Sabbat and lives!"

Rodriguez held his ground, finally lowering it once the last one had slunk into the shadows. I went over to thank him, while Rodriguez locked eyes with me. I was just about to speak when he brought his gun up real fast, and I barely had time to register that the leader of the pack had just got caught trying to jump him while his guard was down, but he just pulled the trigger. Rodriguez shook his head as the Sabbat vampire crumbled into ash, and then he eyed me again.

"Trouble sure seems to like you. Name's Nines." He had a rich, deep voice that resonated within me.

"Eliza Flores. Thanks for the help."

"Should've been more careful, newbie. This ain't the burbs."

"I'll remember that. Didn't think they'd be on to me so fast. I just blew up their warehouse a few hours ago."

Nines looked around, then at the cheep plastic watch on his wrist. "You do that, kid. I got things to deal with. Why don't you pay me a visit tomorrow night at the Last Round. I don't know what you heard so far, but it's time you heard the real story about the Camarilla. This is a mean existence. Stay out of trouble, kid."

"I'll see you there," I said as I watched him start at a jog, then disappear as he ran faster than my eye could follow to look like a blur. Wow, Brujah, least I think he was Brujah from Tung's earlier statement about pumping up the rabble, sure seemed to match.

Looking at the twisted wreck that was the limo, I figured I needed a cab. Damn Sabbat, anyway.