Title: New lives: Chapter Two

Author: Stormhawk

0101010

"Get in here!"

Cain looked over at Two, and then they looked up at the door to Mero's office.

One of the main rules of the chateaux was to go quickly when the boss yelled.

The ghost and werewolf ran into the office. The Merovingian, red-faced and very pissed off, looked up at them. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry boss," they mumbled in unison.

"Where are your brothers?"

Two smirked and looked to Cain who shook his head. "They're getting my Playstation," the ghost replied, "sorry boss, but we were bored."

Mero swivelled his flat panel monitor and showed the bodyguards a grisly image.

"Tell me, in your highly-valued opinion," he started in a sarcastic voice, "what could have done that."

The pair leant closer and looked at the mangled remains of a corpse and on the wall behind it were the words 'new power'.

"Well," Two said, "maybe if you could tell us what it was before it become a pile of guts we could help boss."

"Guys, we've got the…" Abel said as he stuck his head in the door. "Oh…we're working?"

"Just get over here," Mero said as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"What the hell is that?" One asked.

"It's a corpse, and I have no idea what killed it."

010101

There was a short scream, a tearing of flesh, the sound of a creature eating, and then nothing.

Grimoires walked out of the room, and sat near his servant, Motoki.

"Master," Motoki asked, "what are you trying to accomplish by picking off these henchmen one by one?"

"Your old employer…I am playing by his rules, not that I want to, but I have the distinct feeling that it will make more of an impression that way."

"How so?"

Grimoires gave his servant a lingering look and slowly yawned, all in all, just reminding her that he was in possession of an unequalled set of teeth.

Teeth that he did not need much provocation to use.

His old pack, his servants in the old world, had not asked him questions to such a degree, or indeed at all.

So long as they were fed, they had been content.

He had sensed their minds before escaping with Vincent Greer, reeling and tormented by the confusion around them.

He was glad to be rid of them, they were unparalleled hunters but in this new world, it was brains that were needed, not brawn.

And brains was another area where he excelled.

"Master?"

Grimoires blinked slowly and looked up at Motoki. As a servant she was adequate, her fighting skills were formidable, at least by this world's standards.

Her weapons were unconventional, two pairs of scissors, with blades as sharp as razors.

Physically, she was beautiful, by human standards – not by his.

He did enjoy beauty, as most intelligent beings did. His opinion of beauty, however, was radically different and didn't involve the physical characteristics of either gender.

His idea of beauty was fighting prowess, the clarity that is the mind of a hunter, the gracefulness of a perfect kill.

"Motoki, my previous servants were not this bothersome."

"Master, you previous servants were animals."

Grimoires leapt from his satin pillow, a being of coiled muscle and predatory intent, and knocked Motoki to the floor. His huge clawed paw was at her throat, but he hadn't cut her.

"Animals?" he hissed as he brought his cat-like face toward hers, appraising her as a cat does a mouse. "If they were just animals, what does that make me?"

"I meant no disrespect master," the Japanese exile whispered as she felt his claws at her throat. "I never said you were an animal."

"Oh but I am," he purred, "before I became this, I was nothing more than a housecat."

"And I was a system governor!" Motoki cried. "But we aren't those things anymore, are we?"

"I'm going to ask you a question," the beast stated, "and you only get one chance to answer it. If you answer it incorrectly, I will take you in there."

He looked across to the room were he killed most of his prey, the ones that came under the category of 'food' anyway.

"I understand."

"Good. I was an animal, what am I now?"

Motoki was quiet for a good long moment, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stared up at the golden-eyed cat-lizard. "You are my master."

"Good answer," the monster said with a none-too-comforting smile.

Motoki watched as his form shifted and changed, and less than a minute later, he was in the form of a man he had killed and whose life he had stolen. The man's life was convenient, and suited his purposes.

The man was tall, had white hair despite his relative young age, and had sinewy muscles, though Motoki suspected that they were Grimoires' own embellishment.

And despite his change of form, he had the same smile.

"Are you ready to go to work?" he asked as he fluidly stood.

Motoki got to her feet and placed her scissors in her sheaths, "I'm always ready," she replied with a smile.

010101

Vin walked into the gym, idly surveying the other recruits. It was odd, from what Jones had told him, he hadn't exactly been popular before he had…died. Now the other recruits couldn't seem to take their eyes off him.

Not that he minded, he liked the attention.

Some were a little frightened of him, some were intimidated – knowing he was much stronger than they were. He saw curiosity in their expressions, but none of them had spoken to him yet to ask him anything serious – but there was plenty of time for Q&A – he was immortal now.

He had gained so much by this change, and didn't appear to have lost anything. According to most sets of rules, that didn't make sense – there was always a price.

An equal and opposite price.

But maybe that only applied in the real world, after all, this was the Matrix. Things ran off a different set of rules than in the decaying corpse that was the real world.

Casting aside his jacket and tie, he required himself into the training uniform.

"Hey Greer, why are you training?" Ken called out, "it's not like you need to anymore."

"There's a difference between need and want: Vin replied as he started a kata. His movements were more precise and powerful than they had ever been before. "I bet even Brown trains."

"True."

"But you do not realise the extent of your new power."

Vin's midnight eyes turned toward the door of the gym and saw Stef standing there. "You trying to be mystical with me Obi-Wan?"

She shook her head, mindful that there were recruits around. She didn't want to give them anymore reason to suspect that she was like Greer. "No, but you're a lot more powerful than you were as a human."

"How much more powerful?" he asked as she flexed his muscles and stretched his arms.

"You are stronger than any recruit in this room."

"How about agent-vs-agent?"

She smirked, "you're just a newborn. But you can try."

"So you wanna fight?"

"Don't expect to win," she said as she walked over, "and I'll go easy on you."

"You're going to fight in your suit?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. He indicated to the rest of the people in the gym, "join the club."

"If you insist," she said as she required herself into her training uniform. She was acutely aware that most of the recruits did a double take – this was the first time they had seen her like this.

Or any agent for that matter, as Vin didn't count.

"Much better," he said with a grin and a wink.

They squared off, and walked around the edge of the training mat, appraising each other and looking for any weaknesses to exploit, any drop in defence that would give them the opportunity for the first attack.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the recruits chanted. They had seen agent-vs-recruit, but never agent-vs-agent, and especially not when they were treating it like they were.

Vin winked at Stef and then ran across the mat, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye. He punched wide and she ducked it easily, but instead of ducking to safety, she ducked into his other fist.

Her head snapped back, and she used the movement to flip backward, kicking him before righting herself.

He crouched low, and propelled himself at her, knocking her to the ground. She rolled, swiping his feet from out from under him.

Vin swung his leg over and smashed it down on her chest, knocking the wind from her.

He stood and offered a hand down to her, "I guess round one goes to the newborn."

"I was holding back," she replied nonchalantly, "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Well don't," he said as he punched at her.

She ducked, and brought her elbow back and rammed it into his head, snapping his head to the side. Extending her arm, she wrapped it around his neck and pushed him to the ground.

He grabbed her waist as they fell, pulling her down on top of him as he landed.

They both jumped to their feet and intensified their attacks, punching and kicking faster than what their audience could follow.

The second round ended as Vin kicked Stef across the gym and into the wall.

"You're still going easy on me," he commented as he pulled her out of the wall, "aren't you?"

"That I will let you decide for yourself," she said as she shot her arms out and snapped his neck.

The recruits went quiet as he disappeared and reappeared.

"Ow…" he mumbled as he cracked his neck, "that was overkill don't you think?"

"When the purpose is to win a fight, the method doesn't matter."

"You killed me."

"And yet, here you are, stop stressing. Want to go another round?"

"Nah, there's a couple of other things I need to do first. I might need your help though."

"Ok," she said as she required herself back into her uniform.

"Sorry guys," Vin said to the recruits, "but I'll be back later." He required himself into some casual clothes and walked out of the gym with Stef.

"So what do you need my help with?"

"I want to see my body."

She giggled and poked him in the arm, "your visual subroutines not working?"

He turned to her with no humour whatsoever in his expression, "my dead body. I want to see my corpse."

"Oh…"

"Is it still around somewhere or has it been, I dunno, incinerated?"

"You know, that's one question I never thought to ask Jones. Don't know why, I guess maybe the morbid factor, or maybe I just didn't want to know."

"Did you see yours?"

"No. I was having enough trouble handling what I was without that on my mind as well. But if you want to see yours, I'll see what I can do. Jones will know…"

He grabbed her arm, "could we not involve Jones in this?"

"Sure, I guess, why?"

"Please."

"No problem Greer."

"Vin."

"Vin…I'm not sure if it fits you."

He smiled, "I'm sure I'll grow into it."

"Well, er, Vin, you can let go of my arm now."

He gave her an imploring look, "do I have to?"

"If you want to find your corpse, then ye, and yes on principal anyway."

"But I'm just a newborn, I need something to hold onto."

She required a rattle and shook it in front of his nose, "how about this instead?"

"I think I prefer my first option better," he said but released her arm anyway. "So who else besides Jones will know?"

"The doctor of course."

"Lead on Watson."

She gave him a withering look, "I am no one's sidekick."