Chapter 9

Last Chance

Hotshot

The next evening Tobias said nothing as Tain and the others came barreling down the stairs from their rooms, dressed to go out. There were no words forbidding them from doing anything, or even a word regarding the ritual or what the following night's events would be.

In fact he did not even react to their presence merely muttering, "Happy hunting."

They knew better and said nothing in return, only slipped out the door and into the night. They traveled as a group until they were several blocks from their home, at which point some began to go their separate ways to go hunting.

"Be in Manhattan by midnight!" Spot yelled after them, "We have work to do!"

The group quickly disassembled around Spot as the teenagers went off by themselves or in small groups to hunt. Spot himself continued on the path to the meeting place in Manhattan. Brooklyn's nightlife on Sundays was horrible and nothing struck him. He barely recognized that he had crossed into Manhattan's territory when he found a place worth his energy. A slim blond walked right out of the restaurant in front of him, yelling back at her boss about some payment laws and how ugly his mother was. Spot couldn't help but grin. What could he say, he liked his girls feisty.

He yelled after her and chased her down the sidewalk. He caught up with her quickly, turning on the charm, and struck up a conversation. In the end he convinced her to walk with him to the meeting place. All he was thinking was that he would be there early for once and get a free meal all at the same time.

Roman approached Driu with caution. Everyone else was waiting outside to hear what he had to say. They were all hungry so he knew he had to make it fast.

"What's going on tomorrow night?" he asked.

"There will be a meeting." Driu watched him squirm.

"Will we be going as a whole again?"

"Roman, you know as well as I do that Balthazar sees teenagers as unfit to make political decisions without putting their own passions in the way."

Roman muttered something vile under his breath.

A chuckle escaped Le Croix who stood near to the leader. He caught Roman's words. If Driu caught them he made no show of hearing. He continued "Of course the teenagers are not invited. Good look in your hunting."

"Yes sir," Roman agreed. He turned and fled the room, sticking his head out the door where everyone was waiting. "We're not invited, but we have hunting to do."

"All we need to do now is decide who's going," Dutchy put in.

"Not you, that's for sure," Roman snapped, "That's why we're meeting in Manhattan tonight. You have two hours to find dinner."

Everyone disappeared almost instantly. Roman began to stroll around Queens looking for a victim, Swifty smoking a cigarette at his side. The two walked in relative silence until Swifty spotted two rather large white men standing on a street corner.

The Chinese boy sniffed the air. "Cocaine," he declared. Swifty was a bit racist and biased. He preyed on white drug dealers, that was all.

And so Roman and Swifty crossed the street together, Swifty twitching as though he needed a hit and Roman reaching into his pocket for his wallet. The two men ushered them into the alley for the deal and Swifty and Roman soon left alone.

They timed it well, reaching the meeting place in Manhattan just in time to find everyone else there. The place was dark from across the street and Roman would have assumed it were closed if it weren't for the bouncers ushering a rather large group of familiar faces inside. He got in line behind Pickpocket and Nympho, who were picking on Elijah.

A rather angry yell came from the alleyway next to the building, reaching Roman's ears, and Roman recognized it instantly as Jack's voice, and that worried him immensely. He reacted on instinct and ran to the opening of the alley. What he saw made him curse his bad luck, and run into the alley, leading several others after him.

This was bad. This was very bad.

Everyone filed past Jack and continued on down the stairs. He stood at the top of the landing and surveyed the growing amount of adult vampires scurrying around the foyer on the first floor; Leith wasn't among them which comforted him to an extent.

"Make sure they're all at the meeting place by midnight," he told Combat who only nodded in response.

After everyone had left out the back door Jack walked downstairs and tailed a single person through the foyer and into the bar.

"Draven," he whined.

"Whatever it is the answer is no," came the short reply.

"I don't need a favor, just information."

"No."

"It's not that difficult."

Draven stopped behind the bar and served himself a drink. "What do you want?"

"Are we going to be allowed at the meeting tomorrow night?"

Draven smirked, "You'll have to ask Leith yourself."

"But what if he…?" Jack made a clawing motion at the side of his neck.

Draven shrugged, "You'll live."

Jack scowled and ran back into the main building. He knocked on Leith's office door before stepping inside.

"Are we going to-"

Leith interrupted him before he completed the question, "That is not information I am going to give you Jack. However, Driu may be of some assistance."

Jack sighed with relief; Roman would provide the information tonight. For once he was not responsible. He turned to leave.

"Jack," Leith's voice pulled him back.

"Sir?"

"Five nights from now you will stay here while the others go out hunting. Eat well until then."

Jack knew what that meant and winced. "Yes, sir." Once he escaped Leith's office he found the quickest route outside and took the life of the first undesirable person he could find.

An hour later he was on his way to the small bar where their meeting was to be held. As usual he was the first one there. He swept the building as midnight approached and gave the bouncers and barkeeps specific instructions. He swept the building one last time as they began to let his friends and accomplices inside. He opened the side door to check the alley and the first thing he saw was the body.

The second was Spot.

There was not stopping to think in this situation. Vampiric instincts took hold. He let loose a yell and launched himself at Spot.

Anyone who entered the alley at that time would have found the two boys trying to tear each other apart. Roman shoved himself between them to at least delay their injuries. He yelled for help. Shock and Combat tried to pull Jack away and Race, Pickpocket and Swifty held Spot back. Spot was screaming obscenities at his opponent while Jack seemed to be spouting nonsense.

Roman could not make sense of anything the two were saying, and from the annoyed and angry looks on other faces he knew he was not alone. He quickly took a step to one side and slapped Spot hard across the face before stepping away and doing the same to Jack.

"Get them inside," he snapped. This was not what they needed, he thought. They did not need two of their leaders arguing, right as the conference was beginning.

As he began to walk inside after them he tripped over something. He turned to find the partly trampled body of a young woman. He hesitated, then looked after the group which was retreating inside. He sincerely hoped his suspicions were not correct. He waited until everyone was inside before going in himself.

Several people were holding each of the leaders back. They had resigned to glaring at each other and yelling an unkind word here or there before one of their captors shoved them.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked them both murderously, "Are you trying to attract attention? Because that is the one thing we don't need right now."

"He," Jack managed to wrench his arm out of Combat's grip and pointed accusingly at Spot, "made a kill on Manhattan soil."

Several people gasped and many froze where they were standing or sitting. That was one of the rules the teenagers had. They all killed and fed in their own boroughs.

"That's what you're upset about?" Spot yelled back at Jack, "My god, we're in the middle of this and you-" He cut himself off and went off on another tangent. "That is the dumbest rule in existence. I am fucking Spot Conlon. I will feed where and when I can!"

Jack made an attempt to launch himself at Spot again and the boys had to struggle to hold him back. Spot, not about to be outdone, made the same attempt, if in vain.

Roman knew of Jack's contempt for Spot and of Spot's dislike for Jack. Thus, he knew this was not going to be resolved tonight or any time in the near future without some sort of miracle. He knew better than to try, and he knew they had more important things to deal with.

"Stop it!" He yelled and the two paused momentarily to glance at him.

"Look," he snapped loud enough that everyone in the room could hear him, "We have more important issues to deal with tonight than damned territory disputes. But from the looks of things there will be no calm discussion tonight so I am going to tell you what I know."

All those not keeping Spot and Jack from tearing at each others throats relaxed and sat back in their chairs to hear anything important. Unlike their respective leaders at least they had the good sense to be calm.

"Driu told me that Balthazar is going to insist that we are not present at the council meetings. We are not invited but we are welcomed to hunt as we see fit. So we can get people inside and as long as we go through the passage. Does anyone have anything else to say?"

Everyone just stared silently.

"Fine. Since we're not going to get anything else done tonight I say the leaders go back to their boroughs and pick three people each to send. That is all for this meeting. Since you two look like you're about to kill one another, you'll be escorted seperately. You four take Spot back to Brooklyn. Swifty, once he's there I want you to run back here and you three get Jack back to your building and make sure he stays in. Everyone else get out of here before we attract attention. That is, if we haven't done so already."

He cut off abruptly and stalked over to the bar. As he ordered a strong drink Race, Pickpocket, Swifty, and Ian dragged a still fighting Spot out of the building.

All of Brooklyn followed the boys who were attempting to drag Spot back to their lair. It was not an easy walk. Spot was pissed and did not give the four holding him a break. He was cursing and going on about the issue.

"Why is it such a big deal, I mean, everyone does it. Are you trying to tell me Jack has never killed on Brooklyn soil?"

"No," Ian spoke up, "He hasn't. He doesn't like the idea."

"Fine." Spot shrugged his shoulders, "Will the four of you get off of me, I'm not about to run all the way back there just to teach that dumbass that he doesn't need to follow all the rules. Especially now. We've got bigger issues to deal with."

They let go of his arms and were content to walk along with him.

"But damn, I am going to rip that boy a new one if he takes a swing at me again. He-"

"Spot!" Loki snapped.

"What? He insulted me. He can't get away with that!"

She slapped him hard across the face. "Right now there are things going on that are more important than your pigheaded pride." She quickened her pace and sped away from the group, probably to feed again. The fact that Spot would not be happy once he realized she had slapped him and lectured him like a child in front of other people also may have had something to do with it.

Spot glared after her for a moment. "Ok. Race, me and Loki are going tomorrow night."

"That's a bad idea." Swifty put in. "You and Jack should stay here."

"I don't care."

"Everyone else does," Swifty snapped.

"Fine. Grock, you go and keep Loki from attempting to murder that son of a bitch, Malakai."

They reached the Brooklyn vampires' home and Spot made a big show of stepping across the threshold. He glared at Ian and Swifty.

"Satisfied?"

Swifty did not reply but merely lit a cigarette and turned and walked away. Ian glared at Spot for a moment, but followed.

"You don't get it, he killed on Manhattan soil. We made rules to keep these disputes from coming up. The situation we're in now is so dire… how could he break the pact now of all times?"

"Kelly, shut up," Swinger muttered as they took the short walk.

"Why? Everyone is going to praise Spot for this and he'll convince them all there is some valid reason for it. Well he's Spot Conlon so he's got to be right, and we couldn't possibly blame him or hold him responsible. Of course he's above all of our-"

"Jack, we're not saying we agree with what he did," David interrupted, "But don't go and blow it out of proportion like this. We have more important things to deal with right now. You know, keeping ourselves from becoming extinct."

Jack hung his head for a moment as they reached the Manhattan building. He seemed to mull the information over but then his head snapped up and he spoke again.

"That still doesn't give him the right-"

The rest of Jack's words were drowned out by protests from the rest of the teens from Manhattan. Swifty rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"I swear," he muttered to himself, "Brooklyn and Manhattan are the fucking biggest drama queens…"

"Are you talking to me?" Jack had apparently heard him, but before Swifty could respond Combat took firm hold of Jack's arm and dragged him inside.

"Don't let him go tomorrow night," Swifty instructed David.

"Tell Roman that Combat, Cora and I should be there." David replied.

David shut the door quickly, cutting off the yelling from inside.

Roman had elected himself to go to the meeting the next night, and dragged Specs and Rings with him. They met the other six at the docks just after sunset and made their way quickly to the island. All of them were armed with a few stakes and whatever other weapons they typically carried. Spot had managed to commandeer a few hand guns and rifles from an old gun shop but they would not do much good other than to stun another vampire.

As they made their way in through the tunnel they stopped by the five mysterious spaces on the wall. The word 'Chance' was scrawled over Noah's picture in an old font.

The picture was not simply carved into the wall as they had originally though but painted on as well. It was Cora who reached forward to see what the material was. When she pulled her hand away it was stained with a dark dust.

She shrugged, "Charcoal?"

"Or ashes," Rings added.

Specs shoved her roughly for bringing up the idea and Loki snapped at her.

"Noah's ashes are on the mantle in his old room."

"You sure?"

"I put them there myself."

"Maybe you should check ag-"

"Rings!" Roman grabbed hold of the girl's shoulders and steered her quickly away from the group. "Why don't you stay down here and play sentry tonight?"

"I was joking!"

"I don't particularly care, we don't need a fight, and we need someone down here to watch for anyone else who happens upon the tunnel. Consider yourself volunteered."

He left her there bitching about something or other and returned to the group who almost silently climbed up the walls to the plateau. They sat silently for more than an hour before the first of the vampires trickled in.

They were the three leaders from New York. It looked as though they were searching the place themselves. Driu sent occasional glances up to the place where the younger generation was hiding. The three of them began to speak a verse, probably some sort of spell to keep people away from the place and to halt any physical altercations during the meeting. They felt the change immediately as they could no longer distinguish one line from another by feel alone.

Next entered Balthazar tailed by Malakai and Lucivar, both looking around wearily. Their conversation was quiet, but their whispers echoed off the walls of the cavern. Nothing overly important reached their ears, only common hellos.

After a span of silence others began to enter the cavern. Some arrived alone, but others came in groups of two or three. The vampire leaders milled about and exchanged some pleasantries before Leith mounted the stage.

"Good evening, everyone," he greeted them. "As we did not have much of a chance to exchange pleasantries last night let me say that it is a great pleasure to have you all in New York…" He went on to say a few words about their meeting during which time David, Combat, and Cora were exchanging looks at how polite Leith seemed capable of being.

"… However, it is not my place to launch us into discussion. I will leave that to Balthazar who has been nominated our unofficial leader as he organized this conference."

Balthazar walked slowly to the podium and gave a brief introduction and began.

"As much as many of us care little for border disputes that a few have risen in the past decades. Perhaps we can get through them tonight and on to bigger and better things as the nights go by. Now, Soren, I believe you have been arguing with Lucivar over the Chinese border…"

A slim and older Asian man glared at Lucivar, "Each year the territory for vampires in Mongolia shrinks as the Chinese move in."

Balthazar's gaze traveled to Lucivar, "Have you anything to say to the contrary?"

Specs shook his head from where he sat. Why was Balthazar showing off who he was in such partnerships with? Then it hit him.

"China is a large territory, and I will admit that I have not kept such an eye on the vampires in the north adequately. There have been some slight problems among Japan, Thailand, and the Koreas. I offer my apologies, Soren."

Soren scowled, "Where were your apologies five years ago when I questioned you on the issue?"

"They were otherwise occupied. For that I apologize. I will send orders back to my underlings to retract the invading vampires. I assure you, by the time this meeting has concluded the borders shall be restored."

"What else can you promise as compensation?" Balthazar interrupted their argument.

Lucivar paused and stared for a moment at Balthazar. "Pardon me?"

"Well Lucivar, from the way Soren explains it you seem to have ignored this problem for decades. Simply covering it up by renewing old boundaries is not enough."

Soren eyed Balthazar warily for a moment before nodding in agreement,

"Access to the Huang He," Lucivar mentioned the name of a great river in China. It was known for travel and the abundance of people working and visiting. Access to the river was a valuable source of access to food.

Soren's eyebrow rose to an exaggerated pose. "How many miles along the shore?"

"Twenty."

"Fifty." Soren upped the amount.

"I can accept that," Lucivar agreed, though his voice and posture were strained.

"Very well," he paused, "Next, I believe there have been arguments between Cass and Ignacio over where exactly the border between Spain and France is located."

Those who were watching were obviously bored with the conversation, but they knew what was going on. Balthazar was trying to appease those whose votes could be swayed later on when more important issues were reached. He appeased Soren and Ignacio by ruling in their favor. He knew he would get no help from Cass so did not mind stepping on him to get his way. Lucivar did not like what he was forced to do but Balthazar undoubtedly planned to give him something greater in return.

The night ended quickly. It was full of small business-like matters such as changing borders and allowances. Once the spells around the cavern had been lifted and everyone had left the teenagers climbed down from their seats and back into the tunnel.

"Well, depending on how much he can sway the masses I think that we are all dead already." Grock put in, cynical as ever.

"I don't want to hear it," Roman said to her. He called out as they reached the convergence of the two tunnels, "Rings!"

There was no reply. Roman muttered something under his breath, certainly derogatory. Race began to walk down the second tunnel disappeared from their view around the corner. Moments later he reappeared leading Rings as she laughed.

She ran over to Specs, "Oh, Specsie, Racetrack has no sense of humor. You see it don't you; Balthazar buttering up the other representatives to get them to join the majority faction." She laughed loudly, "Oh, this is almost as good as the American political stunt- I mean system."

Specs pried himself out of the crazed girls grip but among them Combat began to laugh heartily. They all looked at him as though he were mad, except for Rings who laughed right along with him.

"What is so funny?" Race asked, genuinely confused.

"Balthazar is politically brilliant!" Combat announced.

"Thanks, we hadn't noticed." Loki snapped.

"The only ones more successful than the politically brilliant are the full-out psychos!"

"Make a point!" Loki shouted.

"Who do we know that is crazier than Leith." Cora said before Combat could say anything. He nodded in agreement. She continued, "Or craftier than Tobias, or smarter than Driu."

"I think they're both losing it," Race muttered.

Roman thought they might both be right,but they had to keep an eye on Balthazar and their own leaders to be sure things were going well for them. He continued to ponder the idea as they sped back across the water to New York.

"I think Combat may be on to something," he said aloud as they prepared to go their separate ways. "Dig around at the adults, see what you can find out about their plans. Combat, tell Jack to get a hold of that weapon-broker in Boston and see what he can send us. We need to know what exactly is going on."

"Who's going tomorrow night?" Loki asked.

"One from each line. The rest of us need to meet up and talk about what happened tonight, regroup and get everything organized. Let's see, have Spot send Ceja, Blink from Jack, and I'm going to send Skittery."

"Oh, that will work out well," Specs put in with heavy doubt.

"Just get back there and explain everything to him tonight," Roman nodded toward Queens.

Specs retreated to his room where he found Skittery along with Dutchy and Chaise. The latter two were talking as they all watched a movie. Dutchy was seeing Chaise and had been for nearly a decade, but he spent a great deal more time with Skittery than he spent with her. Specs dragged Skittery over to his computer and explained what Balthazar was trying to do. Skittery was not quite as knowledgeable of the political motivations, but nothing important would happen the following night, so they could afford to send him. Besides he was good at keeping information, he absorbed it like a sponge.

A/N: Well Nano is over. I said I was not going to work on this during Nano and I did nor. However, then I sort of forgot about it. But I'm back. It's the beginning of the semester again so I have some free time to write. And TSB somehow got me wanting to write. I should be able to get a few chapters out before I start getting busy again.

Umm… that's all I can think to say, so review and hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon. Night all.

Hotshot