I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG!!! I've been experiencing large family difficulties and needed some time without distraction, but now I think I need some time with distraction, so...story!
As Harry hurried through New York, led by Diana, he wondered, horribly, whether or not any of the soldiers, or any security measures for that matter, had gotten a good look at Diana. If they had, then they were both probably walking into a trap.
They were going to run into trouble again before the night was through. Of this, Harry was sure. How much trouble, though, still remained to be seen.
Diana was limping. "Are you doing okay?" Harry asked.
"I'll survive," she replied.
Harry devoutly hoped so.
It wasn't long before Harry smelled trouble. Literally. "Hold," he said, motioning for the limping Diana to halt.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Vampires," Harry said. He unslung the Sword of Gryffindor from his back. No surprise attacks this time. He was ready for it.
The first vampire leapt out of an alley on their left. It wore a trim business suit, a bit tattered, and currently pulled tight as the vamp flew. Harry caught the ill thought out leap with his sword, and severed the vampire's head. It turned to dust.
"Come on," Harry said. "We have to move faster, if they're tracking us."
There were more around them. Harry was sure of it. However, telling Diana that wouldn't help her; it would only serve to panic her.
"Harry, what happens when we get to my house?" Diana asked.
"We get the hell out of this city," Harry said. "Find a retreat where they'd be least likely to look, and consider our next move from there."
A minute later (Harry kept careful track of their vampire pursuers; they were keeping their distance, which worried him greatly), Diana spoke again. "I have a question," she said. "Why did Mr. Onde kill all those people who left?"
"He's a perfectionist, don't forget," Harry said. "As soon as they were out of his apartments, they were no longer under his control. He couldn't let them get away."
Diana paled. "He won't let us get away either, will he?"
"Maybe not," Harry said. "Maybe I won't give him the chance."
After another minute of walking, Harry had finally had it. He stopped and turned to Diana. Poor girl. She was getting winded. "Find some cover," he said. "We're not alone here."
Diana paled. She hurried and settled herself as far back against a wall as she could. As soon as he was sure that Diana was out of harm's way, Harry entered the alley.
"Come on, then," he said to the dark, misty alley. "Show yourselves."
Slowly, four vampires immerged from the mist. The lead vampire addressed Harry: "We have no quarrel with you. Leave us the girl and we'll allow you to go."
Harry though suddenly of it, leaving Diana and saving his own skin. But Diana and the Fisher's had given Harry a purpose in life...well, in death...and he had an obligation to them.
"Sorry," Harry said. "Looks like you're stuck with me." Harry lunged forward.
As he got closer, Harry became aware of the fact that the four vampires carried weapons. This wouldn't be as quick as he'd hoped, then. Oh, well. His vampiric side needed a good long fight, anyway.
Harry slashed downward with the Sword of Gryffindor. The lead vampire threw up a battle axe to protect itself, turning aside the gleaming sword's blow. The vampire then slashed forward at Harry, but Harry sidestepped the blow and used the butt end of the hilt of his sword to drive the off-balance vampire forward. It sprawled forward, reeling from the force of the blow.
The others attacked immediately. One of the vampires swung an enormous ball and chain at Harry, intending to remove his head. Harry did a split to avoid the blow and drove the Sword of Gryffindor up and forward, slicing into the vampire's neck. Blood spurted everywhere, covering Harry, but he had the presence of mind to cut sideways. Headless, the vampire turned to dust.
Another vampire swung a short sword down towards Harry's head. Harry brought the Sword of Gryffindor up to block the blow, still in a split. The clash of metal on metal caused a shower of sparks that, in the dim light, was blinding. Harry stayed exactly like that, trying to hold back the vampire's sword, which it was pressing down slowly towards Harry's head.
The final vampire saw its opportunity to strike. It raised its pike and charged. Harry saw the chance - the only chance - a moment before it came. His muscles reacted instantly to the need.
As the vampire with the pike came in low to skewer Harry about the midsection, Harry twisted his body. At the same instant, using one of Craig's old capoiera moves, swung his legs out from under him. Harry ceased to hold the Sword of Gryffindor up against the other vampires' attack.
The result was that the pike vampire missed Harry completely and was hit by the sword vampire's falling sword, removing pike vamp's head and dusting him. The vampire holding the sword was so surprised that he didn't even put up a defence as Harry came up off the ground with a big swipe of the Sword of Gryffindor, removing the vamp's head.
Harry scanned the alley with his eyes and his nose. There was nothing else there. He turned and headed back to Diana. She looked up at him, and he could tell that she was enormously frightened.
"We have to move faster," he said.
She got up and they set off at an even faster pace then before. "Was that...was that all of them?" Diana asked, obviously afraid of the answer.
"For now, yes," Harry said. "There aren't any more tracking us. But they must know where we're headed by now."
"Is everything going to be okay, Harry?" Diana asked.
Harry considered that for a moment. He decided that to answer would be too difficult. "Keep moving, Diana," he said.
Her only reply was a whimper.
Harry had begun to hope when they came within sight of the Fishers' home and he still couldn't smell any more vampires. Diana had certainly perked up. She was almost smiling.
"We're going to do it," she whispered to herself. "We're going to -"
She was cut off by the explosion of her home - and her parents.
Two minutes later, the invasion of New York City by Onde's elite guard began. Those two minutes were inefficient, wasted...those responsible for the wasted time would have to pay. They would pay. All would pay...in time.
"MOM!" Diana yelled, hysterically trying to shake free of Harry, who held her firmly from running to a sure death. "DAD!"
"We have to go!" Harry said, burying his own grief in order to survive. "Diana, there are going to be more of Onde's agents here soon. We have to go now!"
"But my mother," Diana whimpered. "My father...we have to get them before we go..."
"They're dead, Diana," Harry said. "We will be too if we stick around."
Diana's voice lowered to a whisper, and she stared at the burning building as though she wasn't really seeing it. "Mom, dad..." she muttered. She reached a hand out.
Harry was in the process of deciding whether or not to pick her up and carry her out of the city when his senses alerted him to the approach of more people. That clinched it. Before she could figure out what was going on, Diana was in Harry's arms and was being whisked away, out of New York City.
She never fought him, or did much of anything the rest of the night; mostly, she just reached out and murmured.
By morning, New York City was in flames. Surprisingly, the incident was completely contained. The rest of the world never found out about Onde's revolution in New York. Two shadowy figures could be seen, walking the streets of New York the night after the incident. One looked to the other. They both knew that their target had been here, and that he had instigated this. They would find him. No matter the cost.
Phew. G'night for now, folks. See ya' next time.
As Harry hurried through New York, led by Diana, he wondered, horribly, whether or not any of the soldiers, or any security measures for that matter, had gotten a good look at Diana. If they had, then they were both probably walking into a trap.
They were going to run into trouble again before the night was through. Of this, Harry was sure. How much trouble, though, still remained to be seen.
Diana was limping. "Are you doing okay?" Harry asked.
"I'll survive," she replied.
Harry devoutly hoped so.
It wasn't long before Harry smelled trouble. Literally. "Hold," he said, motioning for the limping Diana to halt.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Vampires," Harry said. He unslung the Sword of Gryffindor from his back. No surprise attacks this time. He was ready for it.
The first vampire leapt out of an alley on their left. It wore a trim business suit, a bit tattered, and currently pulled tight as the vamp flew. Harry caught the ill thought out leap with his sword, and severed the vampire's head. It turned to dust.
"Come on," Harry said. "We have to move faster, if they're tracking us."
There were more around them. Harry was sure of it. However, telling Diana that wouldn't help her; it would only serve to panic her.
"Harry, what happens when we get to my house?" Diana asked.
"We get the hell out of this city," Harry said. "Find a retreat where they'd be least likely to look, and consider our next move from there."
A minute later (Harry kept careful track of their vampire pursuers; they were keeping their distance, which worried him greatly), Diana spoke again. "I have a question," she said. "Why did Mr. Onde kill all those people who left?"
"He's a perfectionist, don't forget," Harry said. "As soon as they were out of his apartments, they were no longer under his control. He couldn't let them get away."
Diana paled. "He won't let us get away either, will he?"
"Maybe not," Harry said. "Maybe I won't give him the chance."
After another minute of walking, Harry had finally had it. He stopped and turned to Diana. Poor girl. She was getting winded. "Find some cover," he said. "We're not alone here."
Diana paled. She hurried and settled herself as far back against a wall as she could. As soon as he was sure that Diana was out of harm's way, Harry entered the alley.
"Come on, then," he said to the dark, misty alley. "Show yourselves."
Slowly, four vampires immerged from the mist. The lead vampire addressed Harry: "We have no quarrel with you. Leave us the girl and we'll allow you to go."
Harry though suddenly of it, leaving Diana and saving his own skin. But Diana and the Fisher's had given Harry a purpose in life...well, in death...and he had an obligation to them.
"Sorry," Harry said. "Looks like you're stuck with me." Harry lunged forward.
As he got closer, Harry became aware of the fact that the four vampires carried weapons. This wouldn't be as quick as he'd hoped, then. Oh, well. His vampiric side needed a good long fight, anyway.
Harry slashed downward with the Sword of Gryffindor. The lead vampire threw up a battle axe to protect itself, turning aside the gleaming sword's blow. The vampire then slashed forward at Harry, but Harry sidestepped the blow and used the butt end of the hilt of his sword to drive the off-balance vampire forward. It sprawled forward, reeling from the force of the blow.
The others attacked immediately. One of the vampires swung an enormous ball and chain at Harry, intending to remove his head. Harry did a split to avoid the blow and drove the Sword of Gryffindor up and forward, slicing into the vampire's neck. Blood spurted everywhere, covering Harry, but he had the presence of mind to cut sideways. Headless, the vampire turned to dust.
Another vampire swung a short sword down towards Harry's head. Harry brought the Sword of Gryffindor up to block the blow, still in a split. The clash of metal on metal caused a shower of sparks that, in the dim light, was blinding. Harry stayed exactly like that, trying to hold back the vampire's sword, which it was pressing down slowly towards Harry's head.
The final vampire saw its opportunity to strike. It raised its pike and charged. Harry saw the chance - the only chance - a moment before it came. His muscles reacted instantly to the need.
As the vampire with the pike came in low to skewer Harry about the midsection, Harry twisted his body. At the same instant, using one of Craig's old capoiera moves, swung his legs out from under him. Harry ceased to hold the Sword of Gryffindor up against the other vampires' attack.
The result was that the pike vampire missed Harry completely and was hit by the sword vampire's falling sword, removing pike vamp's head and dusting him. The vampire holding the sword was so surprised that he didn't even put up a defence as Harry came up off the ground with a big swipe of the Sword of Gryffindor, removing the vamp's head.
Harry scanned the alley with his eyes and his nose. There was nothing else there. He turned and headed back to Diana. She looked up at him, and he could tell that she was enormously frightened.
"We have to move faster," he said.
She got up and they set off at an even faster pace then before. "Was that...was that all of them?" Diana asked, obviously afraid of the answer.
"For now, yes," Harry said. "There aren't any more tracking us. But they must know where we're headed by now."
"Is everything going to be okay, Harry?" Diana asked.
Harry considered that for a moment. He decided that to answer would be too difficult. "Keep moving, Diana," he said.
Her only reply was a whimper.
Harry had begun to hope when they came within sight of the Fishers' home and he still couldn't smell any more vampires. Diana had certainly perked up. She was almost smiling.
"We're going to do it," she whispered to herself. "We're going to -"
She was cut off by the explosion of her home - and her parents.
Two minutes later, the invasion of New York City by Onde's elite guard began. Those two minutes were inefficient, wasted...those responsible for the wasted time would have to pay. They would pay. All would pay...in time.
"MOM!" Diana yelled, hysterically trying to shake free of Harry, who held her firmly from running to a sure death. "DAD!"
"We have to go!" Harry said, burying his own grief in order to survive. "Diana, there are going to be more of Onde's agents here soon. We have to go now!"
"But my mother," Diana whimpered. "My father...we have to get them before we go..."
"They're dead, Diana," Harry said. "We will be too if we stick around."
Diana's voice lowered to a whisper, and she stared at the burning building as though she wasn't really seeing it. "Mom, dad..." she muttered. She reached a hand out.
Harry was in the process of deciding whether or not to pick her up and carry her out of the city when his senses alerted him to the approach of more people. That clinched it. Before she could figure out what was going on, Diana was in Harry's arms and was being whisked away, out of New York City.
She never fought him, or did much of anything the rest of the night; mostly, she just reached out and murmured.
By morning, New York City was in flames. Surprisingly, the incident was completely contained. The rest of the world never found out about Onde's revolution in New York. Two shadowy figures could be seen, walking the streets of New York the night after the incident. One looked to the other. They both knew that their target had been here, and that he had instigated this. They would find him. No matter the cost.
Phew. G'night for now, folks. See ya' next time.