William Birkin was draped over the aged map of Nosgoth in an attempt to commit the locations to memory when Moebius approached him. Birkin's ignoring of the Time Streamer was not as intentional as it had been with the Team B scientists and Mortanius. Birkin totally immersed himself in his work to the point he would often cut off from reality, which was often what made his such a great scientist, but such a poor human being social-wise: People thought h was just ignorant and uncaring. It was ironic, because possibly the reason why Birkin could be so bitter to other people was because of the indifferent way they often treated him, which was because of something they believed was true about Birkin but really wasn't. I could see through all this, naturally but most couldn't.

"Doctor Birkin." Moebius addressed him, and he span around, unsure what to expect. "I can only assume your men are ready for their first mission?"

"At what point did we agree you were giving the orders?" Birkin replied coldly, folding his arms defensively across his chest. Moebius chuckled warmly in this throat, his posture far less intimidating. A willowy old man holding a staff with his free arm by his side, chest held out with a grin upon his dry lips. . . it wasn't a threatening style of body language, infact it was quite the opposite.

"My boy, if we are to get anywhere in these matters, then you need someone to tell you where to look; the vampires are a wiely race and even now they often elude us."

William turned back to the map. "That's why I'm studying this effigy of Nosgoth."

Moebius again chuckled, and William was beginning to grasp that he was really hated that sound. "That map is nearly as old as I am. How much of the real Nosgoth do you believe is on there? Every century, something happens that greatly changes the face of the land in some areas, and if you truly are in search of scientific wonders, then travelling through the ages is something that you would need to consider."

"You can provide us with time travel then?" Birkin asked, looking over his shoulder at the Time Streamer.

Moebius approached Birkin closer until he was almost breathing down his neck, staff clacking on the stone flooring with each lengthy step he took. "I wouldn't be much of a Time Guardian if I couldn't."

Birkin swallowed a sickening lump in his throat. He didn't trust Moebius, Mortanius, Malek - heck – anyone from this world. They all seemed to want to help them steal vampires too much. Not so long ago in the day, he would probably have taken the help without question but something had happened in the day that made him change his mind about Nosgoth.

Shortly after I disappeared on my walk while waiting for the set-up of the camps to finished, Birkin had wandered the stronghold himself and had accidentally found a window that was not being guarded by a Sarafan patrol which looked out over a secret, mountainous path heading to the Pillars of Nosgoth. He would never forget how he felt as he regarded the land. There was something about this world that ached his soul, like a melancholic, ethereal music he couldn't hear in the human sense, but felt in his heart instead. He fell quiet as he listened to the non-existent music, permeated with a sense of ancient history all over the green land moving gently in the subtle breeze, spots of pollen lifting into the air like tiny dancing souls of the ancient inhabitants of this world. At that moment Birkin was certain that life had existed on Nosgoth for aeons longer than it had on Earth and it still existed, not in substantial form but as something else that infused everything about Nosgoth. Birkin inhaled the air and was certain he could smell its tint in the air, like a subtle odour one couldn't put their finger on. It was all very eerie, stirring Birkin's soul for the first time; at least it was the first time he was stirred by nature when it wasn't killing people. –

- But just as his heart was at its most vulnerable, a terrible streaking noise cut through the mystic aura like a knife sliding through hot butter. It shook Birkin up, but looking to the source of the noise, an unusually sense of dread befell him. The shriek had come from a single crow perched in a tree several meters off to his front-left. It scraped its beak on the tree and continued regarding him with a lazy yet spiteful look in its yellow eyes. It was hunched over like an old man, its feathers grey with a mouldy greenish hint to them that was an unusual colour for a crow or a raven or whatever it was. It was a large bird, somewhat bigger than the crows back on the Spencer Estate. The crows inside the art gallery in the Spencer Estate were an experiment. They had been enhanced with T-virus both physically and mentally, and were attack trained to kill when the metal bar they perched on had an electric charge go through it activated by a wrong choice on the art gallery puzzle. They went for the face, scratching and clawing at the eyes until the victim fell and proceeded to mercilessly claw at every point of skin and cloth the came across like a thousand cutting knives. This crow was bigger that even their bioweapon crows and regarded him with a more intelligent malice in its eyes rather than the mindless waiting of the Spencer Estate crows. It was only then that he noticed that this crow had company. His blood turned to ice as he slowly realised that every tree he could see was filled with there grey grows all watching and stronghold patiently with a kind of brooding anger deep inside them. Gradually and without making any sudden movements, he very slowly stood up from his slouched leaning on the windowsill and pulled the shutters to close. Once they were locked tight, he let out a puff of relief from his damp lips. He hadn't felt quite that alarmed in a great while.

"I'd rather not go outside just yet." Commented Birkin, still learning over the old map with his shoulders hunched.

"If it unnerves you to take a selection of your men into Nosgoth alone then I will be happy to loan you a few of my finest soldiers."

Birkin arrogantly snorted. "I doubt that would be of much comfort to them." Moebius swallowed back his anger at Doctor Birkin's impudence and didn't allow it to show upon his wrinkled features.

"The vampires of this age most commonly reside within a mansion deep inside the Black Forest of Termagent."-

-"A Mansion in the middle of a forest. . ..Suddenly I'm getting a sense of deja vu." Of course Birkin was referring to the Spencer Estate, at which he had worked in for a while, yet Moebius gave him an irritated look, but because Birkin's back was facing him, he didn't see it.

Moebius continued. "As I was saying, the Black Forest is residence to currently the most powerful vampire in all of Nosgoth. Of course I require you to return him once you're done. . ."

"Are that any vampires we could take that you don't care if we keep or not?" Birkin asked sarcastically but though he believed he was being shrewd and was asking Moebius an irritating question, this was precisely the opportunity the Time Guardian was waiting for.

"There is one. . . Quite possibly the most powerful animal you could ever come to possess is the vampire Kain."

"Somehow I doubt it."

Moebius gritted his teeth, but then persisted. "No matter what your company has developed it cannot come close to the incredible power of this creature. I want to get rid of him, you want the best specimen you can get your hands on. You cannot obtain a better creature for your research."

Birkin turned around, his icy blue eyes meeting the Time Streamers'. "Though at first I didn't share Doctor Howe's suspicions against you and your over-zealous operation, Moebius, your sudden enthusiasm to palm off some vampire off on me is sending alarm bells ringing. Before I just simply believed you were keen, but now I'm becoming doubtful."

"Come now William." Moebius said, his voice oozing with a fragile defencelessness that went astoundingly well with his elderly form as he seemingly tenderly approached the scientist. "It should be clear to a learned man like you that I want to get rid of Kain and I don't care how it is done, so long as he won't come back."

William nodded to himself. "Your right to guess that would happen. Some of the things we want to do to the samples. . . We plan that from Raccoon to Nosgoth, it's only a one way journey."

"Consider my offer of a voyage to The Black Forest as a trial then, and that if you can bring back the Vampire Vorador, then I'll give you a means to abduct Kain when he is at his most vulnerable."

"If he's at his most vulnerable, then why don't you just kill him?"

"The passage of time has impeded me from doing so. I cannot directly kill Kain myself, only hope to manipulate the Hylden Messiah, Raziel into eliminating Kain further down the Time Stream."

"Why him?"

"Because he has Freewill, something which no other creature on this world has." Right up until that point Moebius had William's honest attention and went back to examining his map. "Do not make the mistake of ignoring me, Birkin." Moebius warned, his 'wise, helpful old man' impersonation melting into menacing growl. "Your has a Time Stream that may operate differently from ours, but in this world, Freewill is an illusion and you could not possibly be talking to a greater expert on the matter: I know what I'm talking about. You and your men are foreign elements in the Time Stream meaning you can do things that no other creature can. Eliminating Kain for me is one of them."

"'For you'?" Repeating William sarcastically. "And I thought you had all of Nosgoth's interests at heart."

"I do." Moebius half barked. He squeezed shut his eyes in a cringe; such an outburst of untamed emotion wasn't like him. As he dealt with the flood of researchers and maintenance men, Moebius often felt as if he was acting without a script. He was very used to using his omniscience and now that he had to work without it, he began to comprehend that his manipulations were very dependant on it. He decided to see this as a learning experience, and if he got it right, then he wouldn't even have to bother with Raziel and his potential elimination of Kain. It would save him a great deal of hassle and he could deal with whatever negative outcomes came of removing Kain. Those men didn't have a clue about this world, no matter how much they were regarded as geniuses back on their world. They were utter beginners concerning forces of Nosgoth, and because of a lack of magical capacity in their world, they arrogantly assumed it didn't exist. Moebius could be certain that before their operation ended, their minds would have changed.

But though the researchers provided Moebius with a gigantic shortcut in his plans, he first decided he must be absolutely sure they were as capable as they liked to make out and chose to analyse their abilities by getting them to retrieve Vorador from Termagent Forest. He would be enough keep those scientists happy for a time until Moebius was confident as to how he would proceed with his strategy.

It had crossed his mind that Mortanius would try to stop him, but the Necromancer was not nearly as cunning as the thought he was. On the surface those scientists must have believed them to be allies, but that wasn't always the case. They both played out necessary roles in the early stages of each-others' plans, it was just in the later stages of the game that they would begin to really impede each other. Because of their apparent alliance, the men would doubt that anything Mortanius said was any different from what he said, and thus most likely ignore him. Moebius was pleased to see this was the case when he had caught sight of Mortanius trying to talk to a number of men white coats draped across the map earlier and wound up being totally shunned by them.

Moebius continued with Birkin, realising him to be the clear leader of the scientists and his main playing piece in this stage of the game. He couldn't afford to mess this up: The opportunity was too tempting.

"Vorador is currently the human born vampire that has existed for the longest duration of time that is within your grasp. He is nothing compared to Kain at his stage of vampiric development, yet he is more powerful than any other vampire that has come to exist other than Kain."

"You couldn't get hold of a vampire who was born vampire could you?"

"That is not a possibility." Moebius lied. They could take Janos Audron, who was the last remaining ancient vampire and alive in this time period, but that wouldn't do to serve Moebiuses plot. "The Black Forest is home to all manner of savage monsters other than vampires. I would recommend it as the starting point in your"-

-Someone's abruptly shriek of a laugh knifed through the tense atmosphere and into the hearts of both the scientist and the Time Streamer. They both span around in furious anger to the one behind them who had so annoyingly burst out laughing to see that it was Bill Rabbitson.

"Black Forest!" He cried out through his manic laughter. "That just sounds so wrong!"

Birkin placed his cupped hands slowly and deliberately onto his face in sheer frustrated embarrassment and moaned into them. Moebius scowled and shook his head, finding it difficult to believe just such a man could be on the same level as the other scientists.

"Do you find something about that amusing?" Snapped Moebius. After a number of moments, Rabbitson laughter spluttered down into a cheeky smirk.

"I didn't think a guy as old as you would get what I'm talking about! It's probably been centuries since you saw a black forest!"

Birkin rushed past Moebius and snagged Rabbitson violently by the arm with an air of suppressed rage about him. "You utter bastard!" He kept his voice low so Moebius couldn't hear what he was exactly saying. "I was just about to get somewhere with him and then you come along with you big mouth and your immature sense of humour and sour the deal!"

"Shit- I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were talking about collecting specimens."

"There're a lot of things you don't seem to realise!" Hissed Birkin. "Like how close you are to getting kicked off this project!"

-"That wont be necessary." Interrupted Moebius. "The expedition would be quite perilous." Moebius explained. "I understand if you wanted to send researchers of a lower level of skill to do the job, but they still need a high skilled researcher to lead the expedition. . ."

Birkin understood that he was talking about Rabbitson.

"I doubt this moron could find his ass with a map." Commented William, glaring down at Rabbitson who was peering pitifully up at Birkin like a scared, trapped rabbit.

"He would not have been chosen to come here in the first place if he wasn't sufficiently skilled."

William nodded and beamed down at Rabbitson, cheerfully. That smile would have seemed warm and friendly if it weren't for what had just been said. Birkin now appreciated what I had to put up with by hanging out with Rabbitson and my other two friends from the Arklay Labs, Steve Keller and Henry Sarton. A cunning plan was forming in Birkin's mind. He'd shake up those three idiots - who though they may be gifted scientists, totally lacked a sensible attitude – by sending them off to Termagent with the backup of equipment and an Umbrella S.W.A.T unit or two and see what turned up.