Author's Note: Well… this didn't take very long did it? Now don't get me wrong… I have a lot of other projects on the go, namely Ghosts of Old, Above & Beyond and one that… I'm not talking about that, lol. Anyway, my copious thanks to Nightslash, though he was the one who urged me into writing another story, lol. But the idea was too juicy and well… ::in best Skinner voice:: I guess you'll find out… won't you?
The moon shines down on twenty-first century America, the wan light providing enough illumination for us to make out tall buildings and spiralling towers. There is little activity, though lights blink and flicker in the night. There is a howl, long and seemingly lonely, from a dog down an alleyway.
It has been over one hundred years…
We hear a growl, see at the very top of a tower the boots of a man, all dressed in black. We can make out very little else about him. He is simply standing, looking down in an almost melancholy fashion at the streets below, his cloth duster blowing in the breeze around his ankles as the wind whips at his hair.
And suddenly, he jumps off the roof, sailing down through the air with practised grace, to come to an agile landing on the ground below, in an alleyway, bowing down in an almost catlike crouch for just a moment, eyes fixed on something we cannot see, behind us. We can see him now, in the streetlight that penetrates the darkness of the alley. He has blonde, somewhat unruly hair that hangs around his brow, ears and neck at the back, slightly curled into tousled locks. He stares fixatedly with a grim expression, his green eyes never wavering. As we saw before, he is entirely clad in black.
Without warning, a second figure drops down beside him. It is a woman, beautiful, with fiery, blonde-streaked hair just above her shoulders. She too is clad entirely in black, wearing a duster that flutters around her calves. She glances only momentarily to the first figure, and then her piercing blue eyes lock onto the secret target.
A third figure lands gracefully behind and to the right of the woman, rolling his shoulders and closing his eyes for a moment. He opens them, revealing brown orbs that would normally be soothing, were it not for the hard edge behind them. He has black, loosely curled hair, down around his face, and he is youthful and handsome, like the first man.
And finally, a fourth figure drops, bowing down like the first. He brings up his head to reveal shadowed dark eyes, and dark brown hair, whipping about his head and face. He has a scar running down his right cheek, from beside his eye, down to his bottom jaw, as though a terrible fight robbed him of some title. With a narrowed-eyed gaze at the back of the blonde man's head, he also fixes his eyes on the target behind us.
We have seen these people before, and they have not aged a day, not in over one hundred years. They are lycanthropes… werewolves.
They are Exuro, Falx, Lacertus and Gladius.
Without signal, the four simultaneously tear out twin pistols from inside the concealment of their dusters, Exuro and Falx with silver weapons, and Lacertus and Gladius with black. There is a momentary pause, and then they open fire, letting off alternate shots, perfectly in time with one another as though literally linked… connected. Their faces are stern, nonchalant almost, as they fire bullet after bullet.
The guns click on empty, and the four immediately drop the weapons to the ground, knowing them to be useless. We revolve around them now, seeing what it is they were staring at, and have fired upon.
Vampires… many of them, almost a dozen, to be precise, and many are now wounded, nursing bleeding holes in their bodies, trying not to show their discomfort, though they will most definitely heal. They start to growl, the sound building to a deafening crescendo. One is brave enough to take a challenging step forward.
We spin back to our four dark figures, and they rid themselves of their dusters, swiftly and without hesitation, before the cracking of bones can be heard, and they turn their heads to the sky, closing their eyes as they begin to shift and transform. The sight is astounding, Lacertus and Gladius dropping to all fours, the former brown in skin colouration with a stunted snout, and the latter covered in shaggy grey hair and muscular limbs.
Exuro and Falx remain on two limbs, the latter all gangly and with a very definite canine head, whereas the former is awe-inspiring. He is towering, nearly eight feet, all black hair, silver eyes, and claws… not to mention fangs. He lets loose a roar, the cacophony building as the three other werewolves join in the warning.
The vampires charge, shouting and screaming, and the four wolves leap forward. As they collide, the screen explodes in white, and there is sudden silence, the roaring and growling completely gone.
The screen slowly fades into a scene, though our vision is slightly clouded, as though we are reliving a memory. Captain Nemo paces slowly towards something off screen, with a harpoon gun in his hands, eyes fixed intently on something. We switch to what he is focused on, and see Exuro, in wolf form, tearing the throat from one of Nemo's men. Suddenly, the silver eyes rise, the head following, and a snarl rumbles in his throat. Nemo raises the gun, even as Exuro leaps forward.
Nemo miscalculates, misses his shot… and Exuro ploughs into him, slamming him back and to the ground with bone-shattering force. There is a scream, and a crunch.
Suddenly we are thrown back into the present, and we see a woman sitting at a desk, her head in her hands. Her chocolate hair is in disarray; as though sleep has escaped her for days, and when she raises her head, her eyes are filled with unshed tears. We know this woman… like the four from the beginning, she has not aged, but the evidence of her trials is shown in her grave expression, her face hauntingly attractive. It is Anise Delacroix.
Behind her are two more figures. One is a woman we would recognise anywhere, though her hair is a little shorter now, just below the shoulders with a subtle flick. She looks down sympathetically at Anise, and frowns. The second is a large, muscular man, with kindness in his expression. Though he looks daunting, he is a gentle soul, caring and compassionate.
Wilhelmina Harker, and Dmitri.
Mina (VO): In over one hundred years… you still mourn for his death.
We see a flash of Tom Sawyer thrashing against restraints, fighting chains and leather straps to try and free himself. The action slows, even as a second voice filters over the top;
Anise (VO): He is not dead… he is simply lost. He can be found again.
We see Exuro, melting out of the shadows, an eerie silver glint in his eye for just a moment, as he looks left and right, and then presses on. The others are not far behind, in formation. Little do they know they are being watched.
Lightning flashes on the rooftops, revealing three figures. Two men and one woman.
Mina (VO): I may know of someone who can help…
We lock on the middle figure's face. He appears young, no older than thirty, with wild, unruly brown hair, and dark, mysterious eyes, with an angular face and strong jaw set in determination. He is muscular, but lithe, and his eyes narrow ever so slightly. Beside him is a brunette woman, beautiful but dark in her own way, and a tall man with jaw-length, dirty blonde hair, dark eyes ever watchful, like a hunter.
Mina: Ezekiel. I knew you would come.
We see the wild-haired man from the rooftop, shaking Mina's hand. There is an air of awkwardness. These two know each other, and there is more than meets the eye, clearly.
Ezekiel: Did I really have a choice?
Mina: You always had a choice.
We flash away from this scene, and cut to a man climbing out of what seems to be an army truck, removing a pair of sunglasses. Climbing out behind him is another man, with a weathered but not aged face, and a grim expression. This is Donovan Masters. The first man is older, and it is clear in his eyes. He has an air of military about him, and he looks to Donovan, and nods. This is Robert Larson.
But when the safety of two species is on the line…
We see Larson in a room, with two large containers. Donovan is by his side, smiling crookedly, triumphant, a gun slung over his shoulder, an old hunting rifle from the looks of it. He looks to Larson, and laughs quietly, as we hear the growling from one of the containers, and the bellowing inside the other. The second container rocks dangerously, and men step back.
We see flashes of plans and DNA samples, laboratories and scientists working uninterrupted to find something. Larson is overlooking the project from a balcony, with Donovan forever at his side.
Can the world's best assassins trust in the very team hired to stop them… in order to save their own?
There are rapid flashes of images, disorganised and seemingly chaotic. For a moment, we can make nothing out, and it is almost blinding, until they start to slow down, thundering along with the heavy guitar rhythm of the music that accompanies the montage.
We see Exuro leaping a huge gap between two buildings, landing in a predetermined roll, and whipping around, two silver Colt pistols blazing, his face set in a grimace.
Falx and Exuro are lying on a bed, the latter looming over the former, his hair in disarray. They are enticingly close, before he leans down to her and kisses her passionately.
A scene of apparent conflict between Gladius and Exuro, the former seething with bestial rage, his eyes glowing green in a feral manner. He releases a growl, and starts to transform.
Anise turns her head to come face to face with Falx. Instead of striking out – though she seems less than willing – Falx extends a hand in a truce. Dmitri, Gladius and Lacertus are in the background.
Ezekiel and the woman, Illyria, are locked in combat, the former wielding a beautiful sword with unbelievable ease, the latter relying on her feet and hands to protect her. They appear to be fighting soldiers.
The third figure from the rooftops, John Zariel, as he sheds his outer clothing, and starts to twist and change shape. There is a bright flash, and a light-haired werewolf stands in its eerie glory in his place, growling threateningly.
Sworn enemies must unite in order to save their very existence.
A man with greying hair is sitting in a conference room with many important individuals, all wearing suits and ties. Without being admitted, Mina and the two werewolves stride into the room, and right up to the man at the head of the table. It is less than comfortable. This is Samuel Woods… leader of the American government. He stands and turns to face Mina.
Woods: We've lost control…
Mina: ::sarcastically:: How shocking…
Woods: I need you to lead a team –
Mina: No need for that. Perhaps we can help each other.
But with a hidden agenda…
We see Anise, Mina and Dmitri, along with Zariel, Illyria and Ezekiel planning and plotting over a large table, with surveillance-like photographs of Exuro, a.k.a. Tom Sawyer, all across the surface. Anise cannot take her eyes off them, and she lifts one longingly.
Mina: We will get him back.
Anise: We have to. This has lasted long enough.
Is trust really within their grasp?
Once again, we are thrown into a fast paced, montage, this time more in the style of a crescendo, with the music building to a deafening volume as we progress.
Donovan aims a gun, and lets off two shots in rapid succession, carrying the hunting rifle we saw earlier.
Mina and Exuro in a heated battle, both in human, non-demonic forms, angry but carrying an undertone of reluctance.
Anise and Falx face each other off in a warehouse, the others in their 'team' standing close by, only able to watch.
Larson lifts a set of results from a tabletop, and smiles, patting a scientist on the back.
Exuro and Mina, caged, under heavy guard. They both look pale and worn, as though they have been forced into submission.
Our unwilling team of unlikely allies running with all their speed through a building, guns blazing all around. Finally, all but Ezekiel and Illyria tear free of their human visages and break into lycanthropic form.
Two test tubes side by side in a rack, filled with blood, labelled with a simple V or W. Hands lift the two apart, and take them out of shot, as a loud growl is heard.
Shane West
We see Exuro bursting out of the shadows, landing in a roll and coming up onto one knee, firing two silver pistols in opposite directions.
Peta Wilson
Mina grabs a man by the shoulders, and pulls him to her, driving her fangs down into his neck hungrily.
Sasha Barrese
Anise pulls out twin pistols, and aims them directly at someone; we spin around her swiftly and see…
Milla Jovovich
… Falx, mirroring her exactly, growling furiously as though she has never been more insulted in her life.
Orlando Bloom
Lacertus leaps off a rooftop, and we follow his descent, even as he starts to shift as he drops, landing in full lycanthropic form.
Christian Bale
Gladius is looming out of the shadows, his eyes green and narrowed, and his lips curl into a sinister smile.
Stephen Dorff
Ezekiel pulls his sword from a scabbard and twirls it deftly and swiftly in all directions, before plunging it into a man's heart.
Gary Sinise
We see Larson ushering soldiers out of a building, before he looks over his shoulder into the darkness.
Alan Rickman
Samuel Woods shakes hands with Mina, and looks less than happy about whatever they have just agreed upon.
Daniel Cudmore
Dmitri embraces Anise comfortingly, and there is sadness in his dark eyes.
Hugh Jackman
Donovan Masters slams the butt of his gun into someone's face, before spinning it on another person, and blasting him backwards.
Scott Speedman
John Zariel is standing on a rooftop, his eyes closed, before he hears a noise, and when his eyes open, they are pitch black.
Patricia Velasquez
Illyria grabs Ezekiel firmly, and pulls him to her, kissing him with a shocking passion, tears running down her cheeks.
Suddenly, all of the scenes we have witnessed are shown in reverse, so fast that it is painful to watch.
And then… we are thrown back into silence, and we are once again on the rooftop, watching Exuro as he stares out over the rooftops of New York, clad in black, his duster blowing around him, and a secret pain and longing hidden in his eyes. As he closes them a single tear falls down his cheek, and he hangs his head.
The howl is heard again, as we roll up to see the moon in its entirety. The moon slowly fades, and we are left with a black screen. Slowly, white letters fade in eerily, revealing;
ETERNAL MIDNIGHT
They fade away, even as more melt in to replace them;
COMING SOON…
Blackout...