"But sir, what can we do, it will be day break in less than a hour." the toreador advisor told the prince.
"If we were powerless every hour the sun is up, we would not be holding this city in our grasp, we have agent that can work during the day." John Malcom answered, pulling out his cell phone.
"Is it really a good idea to send ghouls against shape shifter? I mean, event with silver bullets and vitae enhanced power, they still don't weight up against a whole pack." The advisor insisted.
"I don't care whether the lupine or the ghouls die, there is no sacrifice to great for the success of project static X, and this success involves those werewolves staying away from the DNA labs..." He finished composing the number on his cell phone "Hello, this is your prince; I've got a job for you…"
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"…and
what is project static X?" asked Cry.
There was a moment f silence; everyone was gazing intensely at Alley-Fang, who had closed his eyes and seemed to be in deep reflection.
"Come to think of it, I have no idea!" he finally admitted.
"You idiot, I'll dare you get us all stressed up about this when you don't even know what's going on!" Asenka scorned him.
"Look, I might not know the detail, but I know it involves werespiders, vampires, something about preventing the world from ever getting worse and treating the apocalypse like a natural disaster rather than a battle. There was also something about how this thing would radically drop the number of werewolves in the world. Did I also mention they were putting it in motion within 24 hours?" He explained.
"No you hadn't, but you've got me convinced, what is going on in this place is dangerous for the garou nation and must be prevented, get some food guys cause we're going right now!" Sarika said, standing up.
"Actually, I'm afraid the four of us won't be enough…" Alley-Fang admitted "…there are a bunch of armed guards in there, plus one freakishly strong werespider, several weaker ones for sure and a couple vampires." He said.
"Your suggestion?" Asneka asked.
"We go convince the rest of the sept to give us a hand, its not like they have any advantage in letting us deal with it on our own." Alley-Fang said.
"Are you sure their going to by all that? No offense, I believe you but it is quite an incredible story." Asenka said.
"This is a bone gnawer sept Asenka, they know I wouldn't kid about something so important, Sirine will take my word for it and that's all the politicking the rest will need. What I'm worried about is the rabble…" Alley-Fang admitted.
"The rabbles?" Sarika wondered.
"There are several kinds of werewolves among the bone gnawers Sarika. Those who joined either attracted by Rats philosophy of generosity, dirty fighting and survival, or because they already lived on the streets before the change or because they wanted to take part in the battle of apocalypse but wouldn't be taken by anyone else, Metis make up a lot of this last one. Whatever the reason however, once taken in, which is ridiculously easy considering all you need to do is be a werewolf, there are two paths a gnawer can take, hero or rabble.
The rabbles make up most of the bone gnawer. They are those who joined the tribe with the idea of survival a little too close at heart. This is all they do; they hang around the bawn of the sept and survive. They do not help with tending the caern, fight the Wyrm or even do anything that might gather them any renown. Most of them aren't even cliath and they are the reason why the tribe is seen as the bums of the Garou. The tribe elders do not whip them into doing something useful, they took them in, saved them from ronin status and in exchange they ask for and give nothing, let and let live if you will.
The heroic bone gnawer path is the one walked by those who wish to rise above that, to gain renown among the nation, those who follow Rat with pride and conviction, who are not ashamed to call them bone gnawers and who are out there to show the rest of the nation that the bone gnawers are just as much werewolves as the rest of them.
Needless to say, that's my path." He explained.
"Ok, so what about the rabble, why are you worried about them, you got a little carried away in your tribal patriotism there..." Asenka asked.
"There are more than enough werewolves in this sept to assault the DNA lab, but it's a matter of quality over quantity you see, half the sept are bone gnawers rabble you, I'm afraid, won't move a finger to help us." Alley-Fang grunted.
"But we're talking about potential end of the Garou race, surely they will care!" Cry shouted out.
"Any other werewolf would be whipped in a fighting shape by the very idea of a threat at a racial level, but not the rabbles. They don't care about being werewolves, they take no pride in their origin, and most of them consider it a curse. Their greatest wish is to be left out of the conflict and just survive as long as they can, living the same empty lives they had before they changed. They would defend the sept, if only because it shelters them from bigger and prouder werewolves who see them as a waste of food, but stand up and take the fight to the enemy, that's a lot to ask them." The bone gnawer said, sounding ashamed to admit that such werewolves shared his tribal totem.
"What can we do then, that would leave only a handful werewolf on our side…" Sarika said.
"That's where you come in!" The ragabash said cheerfully.
"Me?" the alpha wondered.
"Yeah, these lazy shape shifting bums need to be drilled into fighting shape quickly, who better than the highest ranking arhoun around to do it?" Alley-Fang continued.
"It's worth a try, we all know you can be an inspiring leader." said Cry-the-red-tear to the alpha.
"Just like you a skilled diplomat, my philodox friend, if Sarika's got to put some rage back into them, you've gotta try to appeal to what little honor they might have. We could also use a Galiard to put some pride and conviction, but then again, me and Sirine as fellow gnawers just might do the job." Alley-Fang explained.
"What about me, I just sit down and watch?" Asenka asked, grunting about being excluded.
"Now how useful would that be, werewolves sitting by and watching is exactly what I'm trying to prevent, aren't you following?" The ragabash said in a friendly mocking tone.
"Aaron was merely making suggestions; he knows final decisions come down to me. And of course Asenka, I know better than to keep you apart, I may be the highest ranking arhoun, but that's only because we've had no time for the proper rite yet, your achievement far surpass your rank." Sarika assured.
"Thanks, sorry I overreacted." said the youngest of them gratefully after a moment of silence, such open appreciation wasn't commonly worded by the alpha, although it was often felt.
"Well then, it's settled, let's eat, then we go convinced the rest of the sept to launch a counter static X project." The ragabash said, heading for the bathroom.
"Eating and THEN saving the world, he sure hasn't lost his sense of priority." Asenka said sarcastically.
Sarah went after Alley-Fang before he entered the bathroom, she had remained silent, listening to them and not understanding half of what was going on. "Wait Aaron…"
The werewolf turned back to her.
"…I didn't get all that, but…you're going to attack the DNA lab in force…you and several other werewolves?" she asked, uneasy.
"Our priority will be to assault the complex where they work on static X, but I can't answer for the rest of them, when they discover humans using them as test subject, they might not take this as lightly as I have…" he said, trying to sound comforting. "I know your father works there, and that most of the scientist and soldiers there believe they are doing the right thing. I will do everything in my power to minimize the losses, but mine is a prideful, violent race and I can't assure anyone's safety…" he continued, as if he had guessed her every concern. "I'm sorry…"
She remained silent for a moment.
"It's not your fault, I understand." She finally said.
On that, he entered the bathroom and she joined the rest of the pack in the kitchen. This whole situation had gone completely out of her control; she was sitting in the apartment of what she was starting to realize were four strangers with inhuman abilities and volatile tempers, listening to them planning an assault on her workplace while knowing that even if she did object, she would certainly not be listened to. And then again, they seemed to have very good reasons, even if she didn't get all the details.
She stood up, went to the window and, under the rising stress, took out her pack of cigarettes and lighter.
"You shouldn't smoke at all for that matter, but if you really can't help it, you should pick another brand that Circinus." Cry-the-red-tear told her.
"Why?" she asked, why shouldn't she take the cheapest brand and why was that any of his business?
"Wyrm tainted to the core, that's why, you'll destroy your soul as fast as your health with these, plus they are insidiously harder to drop that any others." he explained.
She looked at the pack of smoke in her hand. She wasn't a big smoker, one or two every day or so, did these things really left a spiritual taint on her? Having already though of giving up for the sake of her lungs, she threw the pack in the garbage, her soul was one thing she wasn't gambling with.
"Good decision, but keep the lighter, you never know." said Alley-Fang as he came into the kitchen.
"So anyway, what happened in there exactly?" Asenka asked Alley-Fang over a plate of eggs.
"Well, that night when I went out for my patrol shift…" the ragabash started.
But he was interrupted by a cell phone ring tone, the sound apparently coming from Sarah's pocket. She made an apologizing gesture and answered.
"Hello...oh hmm…over at a friend's apartment…yeah, I didn't feel to well so I left work early…what, he escaped, I had no…oh please that's ridiculous…he can't do that! But it's really important and…ok, I see…yeah, I get it…ok meet you there…me too, bye." she closed her cell phone, seeming disappointed. "Should have turned the damn thing off!" she said, talking about her phone.
"I'll assume it was bad news…" Alley-Fang said.
"My father, he said our boss think I helped you escape and he want's him to bring me back to the lab of my father gets fired." She said angrily.
"That's preposterous, I escaped by my own means…" said the werewolf with false consternation "…but seriously, you can't go back there, surely that eight legged bastard Leicher will use you as a human shield first chance he gets." The bone gnawer said.
"Leicher…that's our boss precisely…what about him…" she asked, worried.
"Well it's my pleasure to tell you you've been working for a spider shaper changer all that time and that the guy in question is one of the big shots behind the whole static X thing. Now, you can't go back anywhere near those labs, 'cause the reason he wants you there is as a hostage in the best of case and in the worst...well, I'd rather not think about the worst of case." He said, remembering what Leicher had done to him and Slice-The-Heart.
"But my father will get fired if I don't go…" she said, knowing this probably wasn't a good reason to them.
"Your dad won't have a boss left when I'm trough with this facility that's for sure, because Leicher is number one on my "to kill" list once I get in there." Alley-Fang added.
"Ok fine, how do I put this to my father, sorry dad, I'm not going back to work but don't worry, a bunch of werewolves are gonna break into the labs and tear Leicher to pieces anyway?" she asked.
"Preferably not, we'd like to keep some measure of surprise effect." he said.
"Then what? I'm supposed to meet him at his place in ten minutes." she replied, growing impatient.
"I'm thinking about it…" he said, seeming lost in his thoughts.
"Right… I've had enough of your insane plans for today thank you; I'll handle this my way, you, me and Cry go warn the elders, Asenka will go with Sarah." Sarika said before anyone else could add anything.
Alley-Fang raised an eyebrow, surprised. He could have sworn Sarika only mildly appreciated Sarah, enough not to let her separate the pack at least. The rest of the pack had not been oblivious to this either: "Are you sure, I can go you know…" Cry said.
"We need you to stir the rabbles." She said, ending his protest there.
"And not me?" Asenka said, growing angry again.
"No offense, but while it could be use, your help is not indispensable." The alpha replied.
"Do I event get a vote in this?" Sarah said "I can handle my father alone anyway…"
"No, for all we know this might be a trap, She's going with you to make it a point that he's not calling the shots until all threats have been removed from the DNA complex and make sure your safe, the last thing we need is that Annanasi hiding behind you." the pack alpha told her harshly.
"Your way or the highway then?" Alley-Fang asked sharply.
"Now is not the time for questioning the way of the higher, this is a time of war and as alpha my words are final!" she said with authority.
"Tyrant." The ragabash said care freely.
"Look, if you've got a better idea!" she replied angrily.
"Chill out, I'm just kidding, you're absolutely right, we'll do things this way, right guys?" he asked the two other packmates.
"Mph, fine." Asenka said while Cry nodded.
"Ok with you?" he asked Sarah.
"Doesn't seem like I have a choice, but yeah, its ok." she said, looking over at Sarika, keeping her eyes down.
"Sorry to toss you around like that, it's just we lead a dangerous life and we're trying to keep you out of harms way." He said, standing up and walking up to her. "When this whole mess is dealt with, you and I will have to talk, again." He said smiling.
"Weird to think ours longest conversation was when you were locked in a glass tank…" she added, smiling back.
"Manacled…" he added.
"Bathing in silver saturated water…"
"And naked…" he finished smirking. She blushed; the three other werewolves raised eyebrows.
"But there is a time and place for pleasant memories, and it's after the world is safe for yet another week, Sarika, Cry, you coming?" he suddenly said, his tone changing to his usual, carefree dismissing of the most dire danger as if it was just another small obstacle. Nothing ever sounded hopeless when he led the way.
They all walked outside, there separating into two groups, Cry, Sarika and Alley-Fang in one, Asenka, Sarah and, though the mortal girl had no idea, the pack totem following in the spirit realm.
"Go easy on her, ok, none of this is her fault, if you need to blame someone, blame me." the bone gnawer told his youngest packmate over the pack bond, a request that was heard only by them both and the weasel.
"Of course, blaming you sounds good." he heard back, but he knew the arhoun wouldn't really hold this against him.
"Thanks, I know it's on hell of a mess I've gotten us into, worse than that time with the dragon, but I see I can still count on you guys." He added still in her mind.
"Don't mention it, now hurry up, we've got less than twenty hours." She ordered him over the link, all the while remembering the terrible battle that had the four of them battle a dragon shaped wyrm creature all by themselves. They almost got killed but through nothing short of relentless assault, they brought the terrible beast down, earning the pack the title "dragon slayers".
And thus, the two groups parted, each in their respective direction.
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Meanwhile, very far away from there, in the DNA underground complex, a tall man with long white hair, thin facial feature hinting food and sleep depravation and cold, ever still gray eyes was working on a complex machine that consisted of a large metal beam forming a hollow spherical cage in the middle of which was a swirl of green energy. Electrical discharges coming from socket on the metallic structure stroke the strange phenomena at regular interval, making the chaotic swirl stable for brief seconds before it resumed its constant flux.
Leicher walked into the large room in which this device was operating, a room guarded by several Annanasi trained for battle, a couple armed vampires, several autonomous battle drones and, at the head of them all, a human for whom the left side of the head, both arms, a large part of the chest and the right leg where replaced by cybernetic prostheses, the man having lost his real limbs in an accident. His brain had also mostly been modified, he had very little free will and was completely loyal to Leicher's cause, just the way the werespider liked his servants.
"Mister Keeper…" the werespider hailed the man working on the device, the only person in this room actually working for that matter "…how goes the progress?"
But his interlocutor ignore the question, protesting against the name used instead: "I told you spider, several time, times and times again, it's not Mister Keeper, or Keeper or any of that, I am The Gatekeeper, you refer to me as Gatekeeper." He commanded in a deep, steady, emotionless voice.
"Forgive me Gatekeeper, it as simply been so long since we last spoke…but please, I need your update on the machine, our sponsors are expecting results for tonight." Leicher said, dropping his usual superior attitude in front of this deranged looking individual.
"The machine will work, it as been calibrated, it as been recalibrated, all calculation have been made, it's perfect, and all it need is the fuel…" he said in the same sober tone.
"All the werewolves in the facility will be at your disposal, there are over 20 being now held in hour complex, 10 of them are already set for the harvesting process." Leicher assured.
"Perfect, but we will need more, get them all ready, we might need up to fifteen of them to power the Statis-matrix." He said, looking at his machine with what seemed the pride before a life's work.
"It will be done; you make sure this device is ready to work for tonight." Leicher added.
"It is already ready to work, shape shifter, all that his stalling us his need for fuel, and the need for the right time…" the Gatekeeper said.
"Of course, I will leave you to take care of this." The Annanasi said.
"Do so, spider changer." The white haired man said.
Leicher got out of the room swearing under his breath, he was greeted by one of his assistant, Diana Clark, a fellow werespider.
"How much longer will we have to put up with that demented lunatic?" the young annanasi asked.
"He wields power that no shaper changer could ever hope to grasp. He and his machine are our only shot at static X. As long as the operation is not completed, we will need to keep him under the illusion that he his in control. The need for control and order is all that drives him to conduct this project; power has gone over his head it must seem." Leicher said.
"Like you said sir, he wields power unfit for a simple mortal." She said coldly.
"What he doesn't realize is that when he's done, no one else will ever wield such power, ever." The werespider concluded.
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"Just how far does your father lives?" said the werewolf after half an hour of following Sarah trough the city.
"Without a car, quite far, what are you complaining about anyway, you're the one who should be in better shape of us both." She replied, curious.
"I'm not tired, just bored, we've been walking far too long." The other woman replied as a man passed near her seeming extremely uneasy, probably due to the Arhoun's dormant rage.
"You'd rather been with them right? It's obvious you feel you've gotten the lesser task." Sarah said, trying to understand why Asenka, the one in Aaron's pack that seemed o appreciate her the most was so distant now.
"Yeah well, they might go around saying there is no such thing as an omega in our pack, that we're all equal under Sarika, but that's not always how it feels. I know it's important to keep you safe, it's not like I don't care, but yeah, I really wish I could have gone with them." She admitted
"It seems I've caused you guys a lot of trouble, for all its worth, I'm sorry." Sarah said.
"Nah, don't worry, you got dragged into this, it's not your fault. And beside, looking back, I would have probably protested if Sarika had no sent anyone with you, if Aaron had not first of course and then it would have only made sense to send me. It may not be obvious, but Sarika cares what happen to you." she added.
"Not obvious, I really had the feeling she hated me for a while!" Sarah said.
"No, Aaron cares and, though not in the same way, so do I…and cry probably does too, Sarika cares about us and thus, about you." she explained. "Pack dynamic is really weird sometimes."
So the werewolf alpha didn't hate her after all, if only because the rest of her pack didn't. But then again, maybe she had just been too quick a judge of character, Sarika had been under great pressure when they first met, maybe that's why she seemed so aggressive. Then again, it might have been her werewolf rage.
In fact, nothing was what it seemed lately. The GLS she though were victim of a sickness that she could explain thought science and cure with medicine, but it seemed they were in fact mystical warriors in a battle unknown to humanity. She had though that their ability to disappear was explainable, it happened to be shifting in another world, one she had never seen and never would, but somehow, since she had started to believe in it, she could almost feel it. The people she though wanted to save humanity from a plague were really monsters in disguise trying to manipulate her to their own ends.
Many thing she had accepted as face value had proven to be false. What was she, blind? Why could she not see any of this before? For all she knew now, every one who looked normal could be something more, like this guy walking behind them, keeping his distance because he's intimidated by Asenka's rage. But was it the real reason? Something about him…she couldn't really make it out, but there were definitely "bad vibes" coming from this guy.
She turned to look at him and at once couldn't believe her eyes. Overlapping the man was what seemed to be an immaterial green creature. It deserved the term "creature" because it seemed to have eyes and tentacles whirling around, otherwise its anatomy defied the scientist's comprehension. It seemed to be moving with the man, as if some part of this improbable, transparent creature was…anchored, to the man. She turned right back and looked around for someone, anyone who might have also noticed that there was a monster straight out of a mad man's nightmare walking behind her.
Silly, if anyone could it had to be the woman next to her (and strangely, no one else seemed to bother).
"Asenka, that man behind us, look at him…" she whispered.
The werewolf turned back to take a peek and looked at Sarah, confused.
"What, about him?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"What do you mean "what about him?"! Can't you see the green creature over him?" she turned around again only to see that, in fact, the man now looked normal.
Most people would have simply dismissed such claims as hallucination of insane ranting, but Asenka, unlike most people, seemed to take her seriously, frowned her brow and turned back to face the man with renewed concentration.
"Crap, your right, he's got one hell of a Wyrm taint around him, could be a vampire but seeing as though it's broad daylight, it must be a fomori…" Asenka whispered.
"A what?" she asked.
"Never mind that, stay here, I'll handle this." The werewolf said, heading straight toward the man who had been stalking them. The Wyrm tainted man didn't seem too eager to meet a werewolf face to face and took of in a nearby ally, Asenka after him.
The alley in question led to a dead end.
"I'll show you what happen to creepy stalkers…" the werewolf snarled, shifting to her Glabro form.
"I wanted to wait, dog, for my fellows to be here, but if you really must take the fight to me, beware. Beware the power a man can get from the eternal night masters, and the dark gods of hell!" the man screamed before his mouth became a gaping maw filled with pointy teeth, yellow eyes appeared all over his face and his arms turned into spiked tentacles.
Sarah, who had not listened to the young arhoun and followed her, saw all this from the corner of the alley. The man and the "thing" that was overlapping him were now one, a monstrous hybrid ready to tear Asenka apart unless…
And the werewolf had though about it long before Sarah, she had no time to take a pill, or even turn away, the transformation was already under way when she even though of it.
Asenka shifted to crinos.
But as she did, and even after she started clawing away at the monstrous creature (soundly winning the fight without any serious injuries), Sarah felt no different. Somehow, for some reason, she could look at the hulking wolf-woman in the full, terrifying glory of her war form and not freak out. She was still scared that this fight would launch Asenka in frenzy and that she would rend her apart, but without any special drugs, she was even now witnessing the action of a crinos werewolf.
As soon as Asenka was done with the beast (quite quickly) it's corpse reverted to a more human looking one, Asenka threw it in a dumpster, washed her hands on a nearby catwalk and headed back to meet Sarah, only to realize the young scientist had witnessed the whole thing.
"Shit, are you alright, did you see me in crinos…" Asenka asked, panicked that she'd have to deal with post delirium denial.
"Yeah, all of it, I remember it perfectly…and I took no pill." Sarah answered, as if trying to convince herself.
"But how, how did you know this man was possessed by a Wyrm spirit and how did you manage to resist the delirium?" the young arhoun wondered.
"I…I have no idea." She admitted. She went back to the street and looked around at the people passing. They had no idea what had just happened. They were oblivious to the supernatural conflict that had occurred under their nose. They had always been. All of them, they were just as she was before she met Alley-Fang, blind to the truth, caught in the lies of society, science and religion, denying the existence of those that really pulled the strings of their world.
But just now, she had, if only for an instant shook of her blindness, she had just seen. Seen the world as it really was, when even a werewolf had not noticed. But one question remained.
How?
Guess what guys, it's possible to kick you own butt, the proof, I wrote an 8th chapter. (Took me forever again and I've just figured out why: I happen to be lazy.) Now then, which one of asked for mages to pop out? I haven't played ascension much, but I hope all you mage fans out there appreciate. For the location transition, I've added a bar system that might make it a little less confusing, hope it works. By the way, is it obvious what my favotire Garou tribe is:)
Thanks to all reviewers, you guys are the best!
