The Master walked towards the new vampire that wished to join his ranks. Packard seemed unafraid of him, which was unlike any of the other vampires he had seen since his resurrection. "And how is it you think you can help me with this...problem?" The Master asked.

"I work for them," Packard answered. "Damien approached me a few weeks ago to be their little spy in the underground."

"You work for them?" The Master sounded unsure. "Why, then, should I trust you?"

Packard laughed. "I knew about your resurrection long before I ever told them about it. In fact, I kept it a secret right up until it was happening."

"So it was you who brought them to my lair?" The Master accused.

Packard shook his head. "No. I don't know how they found that out. I just told him that it was happening."

"And why did you do even that, I wonder?"

"Well," Packard said. "How would it look for them to find out and I never said a word. My cover would be blown."

The Master nodded to Xavier. "And what is your opinion, Xavier?"

"Packard is a lot of things, but I feel he can be trusted, master," Xavier answered.

"So it seems," The Master expressed his agreement. "Well, Packard, why don't you tell me about this Damien Thatcher and his friends."

Damien looked at his face in the mirror. His nose was still swollen and the bandage across it was uncomfortable as all hell. But at least he could talk somewhat normal now.

"Still hurts?" he heard Montoya say from the doorway. He glanced at her in the mirror.

"I'll get used to it," he told her.

Montoya gave him a soft smile. "Damien, I think I need to talk to you about something."

Just then Network entered the room. "Hey guys," he greeted. "How's the face, Damien?"

"About as good as it looks," Damien answered. "What's up?"

Network shook his head. "Nothing. I hate to say it but I think we might have to wait until The Master makes another move before we can do anything."

"Damn it!" Damien cursed. "I hate being reactive. Maybe Packard can find out something."

"Maybe. But I don't think The Master is going to be a real threat for a while. We might be able to take a breather and actually work up some tactics for the next time we face him."

Damien said, "Paul said he has a tactics program. Run it by him and see what he can come up with." He glanced at Montoya, finally remembering that she wanted to tell him something. "I'm sorry, Montoya. You were saying?"

Montoya shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing important. It'll wait until we stop The Master."

The woman screamed. She had never seen anything so hideous in her life. She wasn't sure what she was looking at but she knew without a doubt that it had to be a monster. But monsters weren't real, were they?

Even so, what else would you call this thing? It stood an easy six feet tall. It's skin was green. It's face elongated, stretched out like some sort of dragon. Tentacles hanged from its head and arms, and a prehensile tail from its back. It stood on two long legs, and when it opened its mouth, its lips folded back to show two very distinct rows of sharp teeth.

Again the woman screamed. She had no where to run. She was trapped. Oh, why had she thought to walk down this alley? Of all the mistakes to make, why is it always the stupidest one that costs you your life.

"Tiesilead?" a feminine voice said from behind the monster.

The demon turned an saw a young female, obviously a vampire. "What do you want, vampire?" the demon growled. "Can't you see I'm eating?"

The vampire smiled. "An old friend would like to see you again," the female bloodsucker told the demon. "A very old friend."

The demon snorted then turned back to the woman he had cornered. In a flash, his upper body stretched and his mouth opened wide, completely covering the woman's upper torso. With a snap, the demon Tiesilead bit the woman in half and gulped what he had taken down. His body slowly returned to its normal size.

"Alright, vampire," it said, its voice as rough as sandpaper. "Lead the way."