Tony sat in his office, a bleak room at the end of a long corridor. It was a smaller room than his last office, but that suited him just fine, as did the absence of windows or wiring or lighting. The oil lamp he kept was snuffed out, the only light coming from his ghostly aura and the crack at the bottom of the door. Oblivious to how he was drumming his fingers along his desk, he read the newspaper article for what seemed to be the tenth time. He did not like this. He did not like this at all.

The latest edition of The Ghost-Zone Times on his desk carried the headline "WALKER – ARMED AND DANGEROUS," with the subtitle "GZPD warden re-armed with new technology." The article went on to describe how Walker had new and advanced weaponry at his disposal – and it left the same signs as what Vlad had used eight years ago against the Order.

During the past eight years, Vlad had been presumed destroyed. There had been no signs of him nor his assets, and the men he had brought with him to the set-up had been taken away to Walker's prison. Central Supply and the conjoining theatre had burned down shortly after the police had left the scene. There seemed no way he could have escaped or survived. Tony had personally reported him dead to Luchesi. They had moved out as planned, business continued as usual, and all of the technology that Vlad had brought in had vanished, ensuring continued sales with no competition. Tony had been able to put his great fear aside and worry about other matters – business, security, Walker, accidents on fishing trips…what he had been used to. Compared to the turmoil that Vlad had caused him, these fears were now a comfort.

But this headline brought all that comfort to a halt.

This news – and with it, the chance of Vlad's return – had even Luchesi on his toes. And it came at a very bad time for Tony. There were signs that he would soon become consigliere. Pappi, the current man on the job, was ready for retirement. Such bad luck as this was most unwelcome. And Tony had been there first-hand when Vlad had slain Guyart. Vlad knew that Tony had been there at Central Supply to set him up. Those two thoughts together formed an image that the ghost did not wish to dwell upon.

A noise from outside his door caused the advisor to slide in his chair. Hands shaking, he reached down for the drawer where he kept refined blue ectoplasm as a relaxant. He was letting his nerves run away with him again. He needed rest. But the noise repeated itself. It occurred a third time. And a fourth.

Tony's first instinct was to hide. In his business, strange noises meant conflict, and he did not cope well with conflict. And there were very few reliable men in this corridor of the building. He was the only advisor in this hall. But the lust for a new position gave him some encouragement. He drew his ghost-gun from the holster behind his suit jacket, cracked the door open, and timidly peaked out of his room.

There was nothing that he could see. The wooden hall, lit only by antique gas lamps, were vacant, and there was no sign that anyone had come by. But before Tony had a chance to convince himself that it was just his paranoia acting up again, a loud bang and two shouts came from up where the hall turned towards the stairs. The ghost lifted his gun. He added his second gun to controlling the weapon, which shook violently.

Two hit men for the family, fat blue ghosts in nice suits, came charging up, shooting their ghost-guns back around the corner. They shouted at Tony, telling him to run, before one of them was caught in a spinning blue and white vortex and sucked back the way he had come. The remaining ghost fired off two more shots before he too was taken. The force that had captured them emerged, and Tony could not suppress a scream. The monstrous suit of armour that had served Vlad so long ago glared back at him, a horrible grin on his face and a strange thermos in his hand.

Tony thrust his hands forward and let off a shot, and it struck the shoulder pad on the hulking metal suit. This brief distraction led Tony make a mad dash for the stairs near his end of the corridor. He didn't look back and didn't waste bullets by firing over his shoulder. He needed to get to Luchesi's office. He had to warn the don. They could prepare then. Tony was sure that he recognised that suit, and he knew who it worked for. Now, whether or not this was a real attack by Vlad, they could prepare.

He hurried up one flight of stairs in a flash, and was well up the second when a real-world rope in a lasso shot up and caught on the railing at the top of the stairwell. Tony jumped back as Vlad Masters; in full Armani suit, hat, overcoat and gloves; pulled himself up from the floor and stood, blocking Tony's way to Luchesi's office.

With a yelp, Tony emptied out his gun, hoping to shoot down this newly returned threat, but to no avail. As long as Vlad was in human form, the bullets just passed right through him. The attempts clearly amused Vlad, who sneered down at the mob advisor.

"Surprised?" Vlad crowed, brushing some lint from his suit as Tony tripped down the stairs in fear. "I have a favour to repay."

A pitch-black ghost ring exploded around Vlad's middle, splitting into two rings moving in opposite directions. Tony began to sweat and shiver even more as Vlad's ghost form revealed itself. Clad in a white and black labsuit, this blue-skinned, red-eyed demonic presence was the kind of figure that Tony had seen only in his nightmares. Fangs gave Vlad's horrid grin even more menace, and his black-gloved hands were alight with hot red flame. With a grand sweep of his arms he brought the fire above his head, letting it meld into a glowing ball of energy.

Tony whirled around, ready to scramble away, but his path was blocked off by the suit of armour. He looked from the monster disrupting his escape to the figure who had haunted him for so long and had sprung back from death. He knew where his fate lied. With a last shiver and a gulp, he threw his hands over his head in a vain effort to shield his head as the last seconds of his life ticked away.

The burn lasted but a moment…then there was nothing.

---

Vlad spent no time looking over his handiwork. Becoming human once more, he turned towards the stairs and headed up. There was one last piece of business to attend to today. It didn't take him long to find the right door, and with no pretence, he threw it open.

Luchesi's office lay just his old one had eight years ago, bookshelves and desks and all. The old don himself was standing, his hat on his head and his overcoat draped over his shoulders. His white and red cape and Guyart's rapier that Vlad had given him years ago lay on top of his desk. The mob boss gave no sign of fear at Vlad's presence; he merely raised his left eyebrow.

"I thought it might be you," he said dryly, drawing an edition of The Ghost-Zone Times out from under his cape. "I cannot say I knew you were the one making the noise downstairs. But in any event, when there is noise, I am quick to leave. You are quite the resilient one, Vlad. Had you stayed with the Family you would have made a fine consigliere. Far better than Tony will make once Pappi retires."

"You may want to put out a job application," Vlad scoffed. He tossed his hat into the air and destroyed it with a blast from his eyes, and his coat and gloves burned away to reveal his Armani suit underneath. Black rings formed again, and the monster replaced the man.

This time the don raised both eyebrows.

"I suggest that you use less raw red ectoplasm," Luchesi said. "It is not wise to take in so much of it."

"Hmm," Vlad sneered. "There's that old warning again. But enough of that. I believe you know why I'm here." Vlad's grin faded, and his voice became as inhuman as his looks.

"I believe I do." Luchesi sighed sadly. With speed surprising for a man of his size and build, the don made a grab for the sword on his desk and levied the point at his former man.

Vlad stared at the blade, uninterested. His katana appeared at his side, and he readied it, as if for combat. Then, with great dash, he brought the weapon down over his knee and broke it neatly in half. He disintegrated the pieces with red flame.

That part of his life was over. He would fight like a samurai no more.

Luchesi took no notice of Vlad's actions, instead making a lunge. The half ghost duplicated himself once, and the two Vlads flew off in opposite directions from the thrust. One Vlad seized the sword and smacked Luchesi across the face. The other shot out a red blast that sent Luchesi to the floor. They re-joined over the don, poised to strike with a large blast. But Luchesi had more fight in him than Tony. He fired green blasts from his eyes, and Vlad was forced to raise a shield. He caught his prey making a run at the door. He converted the shield into a ball and threw it.

With a stoic face, Vlad watched the don of the Ghost-Zone Family disintegrate before his eyes.

Skulker came running up moments later. "We've taken the advisors and head Family members," he reported.

Inside his head, Vlad threw himself a celebration. By the end of the day, all business would be taken care of.

"Get them ready," he commanded. He watched as Skulker left before turning his attention to Luchesi's desk. The white and red cape remained where it was. Vlad picked it up and felt the material between his fingers. It was a nice, light fabric. He liked the red. And he didn't really wish to leave the labsuit his ghost-form wore looking as undignified as it did.

He used his energy to create a red spectral mirror in front of him. He whipped the cape around him, letting it fall onto his shoulders. He carefully fastened the cape, welding the metal studs to his lab wear with spectral energy. He adjusted the collar so that it didn't go up into his hair. He posed with it a bit, pulling it over his body and spreading it out like a pair of wings.

This was just the touch his appearance needed.