"Okay," Michael hissed under his breath. Of the Lycans they had rescued, only a handful had come. Among them were Lukan, Catarina, and two others Michael hadn't introduced himself properly to. Raze was crouched beside him, gun cocked over one shoulder, a light grenade ready to activate in the other. It was a sparse group, but one Michael was proud to be a part of. He wasn't used to being asked for instructions, least of all when it involved weapons and breaking and entering. Selene should really have been the one in charge while he had gone in, Still, the reasoning had been that a regular Vampire wouldn't stand a chance against him in a rage and Selene was the more believable capture. He tried to resist the urge to take up the pacing where Selene had left off. Something about the plan agitated him even more than the fact she was in there. Some hidden instinct. He glanced at Raze, who for once was still and calm as a rock. His unblinking gaze was fixed on the gates, where they were waiting for Xanatos to give the signal and let them in. Catarina was busy opening duffel bags and distributing ammunition. They wouldn't go in empty-handed.
Selene winced as Xanatos dumped her at Marcus' feet. The overlord of all Vampires, a man she had seen only one before during his hundred year reign, was more hideous than she had expected. She managed to appear unruffled as he leaned down and put his face to hers. His skin was fiery-red, wrinkled and etched with violet spots in places. His eyes were black as midnight, empty with the absence of light. His breath was sticky and smelled of death, his wide mouth full of pointed teeth twisted into a pleased and awful smile. "You have done well Xanatos," he stated smoothly. He looked at the guards, who shuffled awkwardly. They had refused to admit Xanatos. He had elbowed them aside and walked right in. "Leave us!" His voice boomed and echoed madly around the hollow room. Xanatos walked out with them, looking meaningfully after him. Selene had hauled herself to her knees, still bound. Blood seeped from the hole in her perfectly good leather corset. Her hair was bedraggled. She looked as though she had been to hell and back. She was perfectly convincing. Satisfied, he busied himself with slipping away unnoticed. "You are charged with slaying a Vampire Lord, fleeing the mansion, and consorting with Lycans. The penalty for these charges is death. You will not be tried or spared. However," he said almost gently, "Viktor loved you like a daughter. If you tell me what has happened to me, I will make your death mercifully swift." He got right in her face. "If you don't, your death will be so slow, you'll be begging to tell me. Either way, I will know. So, start talking." Selene sucked the breath between her teeth. She needed to make her explanation last a good while. With careful contemplation, she began the retelling of how she met Michael Corvin.
Xanatos met an almost immediate hitch as he was confronted by Erika and her Death Dealers. This new regime, all totally loyal to her, were unlikely to let him off without a good fight. He tried as inconspicuously as possible to draw and take the safety off his gun as she advanced toward him. "I bring orders from Marcus," he said.
"You took my glory," she hissed. "What is it Marcus wants?"
"We have located the last Lycan den. He wants you to have the honor of finishing them." Erika glared at him, sizing him up.
"That's right. We'll bring them all in. Marcus will be so pleased he'll forget all about Selene."
"I'm sure he will," Xanatos said tauntingly.
"Let's move!" She said, not taking her eyes off of Xanatos. "We'll let you lead," she said suddenly. Xanatos froze.
"I wouldn't want you to lose any of the credit," Xanatos said. "Here, take my computer. It has a complete map." Xanatos held out the technology at arm's length. One of the Death Dealers snatched it at a nod.
"I'll deal with you when I get back," she threatened.
"I'll be waiting," he replied, smiling knowingly. She whirled after her men, sliding into the open car door nearest her. The two carloads of Vampires sent gravel a few into the air as they pealed out. Sighing with relief, Xanatos waited until they were out of view.
"They're on the hunt," Raze reported. "They'll be backtracking. We need to be quick." Michael saw the wave from Xanatos. The sizzling remains of the front gate camera were clasped in his right hand. Michael waved his companions forward. Catarina was at their head, ready for a fight. Michael couldn't help but admire her spirit as she landed gracefully beside Xanatos. The camera would be discovered any moment, for the alarm system had been tripped and the entire building was undergoing lockdown procedures. Normally, the house would be swarming with Death Dealers, but most had left with Erika to oversee the dissolving of the den. Only a few were left, and they were quickly silenced. It was the dogs that became a problem, Raze let out a howl that carried eerily on the cold night air, and the other four Lycans brayed a response as they shifted. The dogs leapt at them, and a mixture of barks and yelps filled the night. Michael let them deal with the dogs. He felt a sudden sense of urgency to find Selene. Xanatos was beside him, shooting at anyone that approached. Michael scarce felt the round that ripped into his torso as the full effect of the change gripped him and he sank to all fours. His shirt rent itself to make room for his quickly-expanding shoulders. The disc of the full moon was reflected in his eager eye for a moment before he plunged through the front door, which rocked on its twisted hinges like some sort of amusing toy. The few Vampires that made up the wealthy part of the Coven stared in shocked silence as the Lycan-Vampire mix crossed the length of the floor and leapt half of the staircase that led below. The Lycans had caught up to Xanatos and were pointing their guns at the well-dressed upper class. None of them were the fighters that Selene and the old regime of Death Dealers had been. Still, their teeth were bared at the sight of the hated Lycans within the Coven's home.
Michael's distincitive roar interrupted Selene's speech. It was a guttural, otherworldy sound, one that sent Marcus' hackles on end. It was a challenge. He picked Selene up by the ropes that laced across her back and dangled her a few inches above the floor, moving forward effortlessly into what had once been the resting place of the Ancient Lords. The sound itself stopped everything. Lycans and Vampires alike froze in expectation as the sound reached them in the lab. As Xanatos and the Lycans burst in, loaded guns at hand, the whole congregation was looking down the length of the compound in rapy fascination. Even Xanatos hesitated. He had never seen two so different, yet so alike foes. The very genetic makeup was what made the pair so incredibly fascinating. Selene was thrust aside like a sack of potatoes, sliding head-first into a wall. Her cry of pain raised Michael's gall to an even higher level. He bared his teeth and flexed his claws. Marcus leapt at him furiously. The two ancestors of Corvinus faced off admirably. "What are we?" Marcus snarled. "Tell me!"
"The product of the Corvinus genetics gone mad," Michael hissed. "My name is Michael Corvin, Marcus. I have come to claim freedom for the Lycans as well as the Vampires. I have come to claim you." With that, there was no more breath wasted on talk. They threw themselves at one another, slashing at one another in a motion so similar it was like looking through a mirror. Selene managed to drag herself to her knees. Her eyes began searching the area furiously for something to cut her bonds. Her breath was extremely labored, her head was pounding from the impact, and there as always, worse then ever, was the stinging pain in her abdomen. She bit her lip as she slithered clumsily for the first sharp thing she could find; a decorative spike that lined the wall. The fight raged back and forth until Michael slammed against the wall full force only a few inches in front of her. The hole he left in the reinforced concrete was a full two feet deep. He glanced at her, his eyes softening for a brief moment.
"I'm fine. Get him!" Selene raised her eyebrows meaningfully. Michael hesitated only a moment longer before plunging back into battle. Marcus had used the hesitation to his advantage, hurrying up to meet him. Michael ducked at the last second. The gears were turning in the Lord's mind. He fell into a crouch, circling until he was between Michael and Selene. He reached out and took her by the throat, holding a dangerously sharp, claw-like nail against her throat.
"Move, and she dies." Michael's face contorted in indecision. Selene shook her head as he went to change form. "Yes, I knew you had a soft spot for this...Vampire. No sudden moves, my boy." He got a better grip on her throat. Selene shook her head almost imperceptibly. Michael knew she would die for the cause. If he lived, she'd berate him for a coward. Steeling himself, he threw himself at Marcus. The older Hybrid tossed Selene aside like a stray bowling pin as he hit the wall. She slid until she landed at Xanatos' feet. He slashed her bonds in one sweep, helping her to her feet. She glared at the assembled Vampires and Lycans with contempt.
"Let there be peace between our species, even if for this one cause. Marcus is a tyrant. He is half of each of you, as is Michael. In a few minutes, the Death Dealers will return full force and invade this place. They'll kill indescriminately. Work together to fight them off, and we can win. We are all spawned from one bloodline. Like it or not, the blood of Corvinus runs through all of our veins in some form. Fight together!" The Lycans behind Raze began the task of freeing their comrades. Selene, now freed of her bonds, took the wrapped bundle she had begged Raze to bring. She unwrapped it slowly, reverently. Inside was the sword of Viktor, the very sword she had sued to slay her untruthful Sire fifty years ago. The Vampires and their once torture-victim Lycan charges moved like a silent, graceful wave away from the fray. One of the Lycans gave Selene an empathetic look as she passed. It was Catarina, Selene realized.
For the first time, she noticed she was bleeding at the throat. It was a mere surface scratch, not deep enough to do any damage. Her muscles were seizing from being tied in an uncomfortable postion for too long. Her head and chest ached. She forced these miserable thoughts aside when she saw Michael, who was putting up a valiant front, even though it was quite clear that Marcus held the upper hand at that moment, He'd had the advantage of restful nights, and the experience of ruling over a very deceitful race for hundreds of years. Selene knew if she interfered with the two heightened with lust, she'd surely die. Once again, the sword was in her hands. Once again she had to make a split-second choice. This time it was different. She had another life to think about. After a long and silent internal battle, Selene made her decision. She would die for certain if Marcus overtook Michael. With her mouth set in grim determination, the fighting blood she was famed for running through her like a tidal wave, Selene moved steadily toward the Hybrids. Neither seemed to notice her, too focused on their own matters. She was a fly on the wall, a mere trivial onlooker. She could be dealt with after the final blow had decided things. Selene recalled one very vital part of her training; never let your lust for blood or feud take over, or your judgment is sorely hindered. It was so with Marcus, when the stinging-hot hiss of metal caressed the pulsing artery in his throat. The sword left Selene's trembling hands and clanged off the wall. In a fit of anger, his final burst of energy was used in lunging for her throat, the momentum hurtling her against the brick. Without Michael's incredible immunity to pain, the world went unforgivingly dark.