*Modern day*

Their eyes were void as they observed the man before them, watching as his trembling hands clutched tighter at the briefcase that he intended to hand towards them, the stench of mould from the abandoned office walls filling their nostrils. Over the course of almost one hundred and fifty years, their names had sent fear through the hearts of the criminal underground, from Jack the Ripper to simply Hope and Mercy Sinclair.

To the criminal world, they were a living nightmare, the pair that would kill at the slightest of wrongs and had dealings in some of the most ruthless of industries, from smuggling and prostitution to heists and drug dealings, there was no aspect that they would not deal in.

But to the world beyond their syndicate, they were an urban myth, a tale to tell children when they had misbehaved. Beware the daughters of the devil who come out at night, who feed on the rotten souls of this world. Beware the daughters who felt no love within their hearts, for if they came for you, it would surely mean your end.

Hope couldn't suppress the sadistic smile that tore across her face as she took a step towards the man, an undignified whimper passing his lips as he fought to stay where he stood. With lips pulled tight into a smile that showed nothing but teeth, eyes wide and head tilted to the side slightly, she looked truly insane. Perhaps that's what they both were?

Mercy sighed, folding her arms across her chest and allowing her sister to have the fun on this deal. They often took it in turns to goad their client's, this time just wasn't her turn.

"Hope, try to play a little nicer with dear Thomas. I'm sure that his wife and daughter would appreciate him not being a snivelling wreck when he returns home"

His eyes widened in horror, Holding the briefcase tighter to his chest as his words came out in stuttered sobs.

"H-ho-how do y-you know about them? P-please, leave my f-family out of this"

Mercy began to cackle, unable to hold back the rush she felt at the sheer amount of fear that his voice had held in that one sentence. It had been an inspired idea to suggest that, after discovering there may have been a mole amongst one of their clients, Hope should use one of her doppelgangers to trail each of the suspected snitches.

It had taken them no more than two weeks, from tailing Thomas to discovering the cushy little deal he had made with the law in exchange for his 'protection'. What good were human policemen compared to the horror that they were.

"Do you really think you can keep anything a secret from us? We have eyes and ears everywhere... You just don't realise it until it's too late. I wonder though, how would little Emily feel if she knew her daddy was a dirty politician? Using bribes to rig the votes and paying for our influence to secure what votes money couldn't buy?"

Hope was stood beside him now, leaning against the tremble man with her arm wrapped loosely around his shoulder as she snapped her finger, loving how he jumped slightly at the noise and let a strangled sob pass his lips as a little girl was lead in gently by one of Hope's clones, tears in her young eyes as she spoke.

"It's not true is it dad? You wouldn't do any of that would you?"

His knees gave out beneath him as he began begging, all reason having left his mind in favour of protecting his only child. He'd never wanted to drag her into the darker side of his work. For the love of god, she was only thirteen!

"Please, I'll do anything! Just don't hurt my daughter. If it's money you want then just name a price, police off your back, just give the word. Please, let Emily go"

With a click of her tongue, Hope leaned in a little closer, her lips ghosting along the shell as she spoke.

"We want the truth, Tommy. Have you been snitching on us?"

With a signal from Mercy, the clone forced the girl to her knees, producing a gun as it was placed harshly against her skull, a twisted smile upon its lips that made Hope feel a sense of pride at her own creation. Thomas felt his heart leap into his throat as the words fell from his lips without reserve, anything to save his little girl.

"Yes, dear god yes! They approached me after the second meeting, said they could protect my family if I helped them track you both down, they'll be gathering around the building as we speak!"

Hope sighed blissfully as she finally chose to move away from Thomas, heading leisurely towards a cabinet at the far end of the room, pulling out two machine guns and chucking one towards her sister before collecting two bullet belts and turning back to the cowering man.

"Much appreciated Mr. Maynard but, there is a few things you failed to realise in this entire situation"

With a final snap of her fingers, the visage of the little girl began to alter and shift, slowly beginning to reveal another clone of the fair haired woman. His blood ran cold in his veins as, both the sisters and the two clones turned their full attention on to him as Mercy finished her sisters sentence.

"One: We'd never use a real child in such a manner. Two: You're actions have just signed your own death warrant along with that of all the officers outside this building. And third: We're not totally human, do you really think it's going to be that easy to take us down?"

The shot rang out at the end of her words, a single bullet hole through his skull as his body hit the floor with a dull thud, and Mercy tucking the small revolver back into its hidden holster as Hope gave an irritated sigh.

"Great. So now, not only do we have to play 'exchange the bullet' with the humans, we most likely have to break the world record for the world's fastest getaway to the safe house!"

"Stop your whinging; you're only pissed off because you didn't get to shoot him"

Hope grinned slightly, noticing the fond smirk upon her sisters lips as they positioned themselves at the windows, the flashing lights of the police cars proving that Thomas hadn't been lying.

"Maybe... You ready to notch that death tally up a little more?"

Those were the final words before bullets began to rain down, both girls knowing that there would only ever be one outcome for this battle.


*Same time- Volterra, Italy*

Aro felt elation as Jane, Alec, Felix and Demetri knelt before himself and his brothers within the throne room, glimmers of triumph within their eyes as Jane spoke.

"Masters, Demetri has successfully pinpointed the Sinclair sister's location, we are ready to move this mission into the collection stages if that is your wish?"

Oh, such delightful news to hear. The Sinclair sisters had been amongst some of his greatest obsessions for the past one hundred and twenty seven years, desperate to discover how two seemingly human women could survive so long and yet remain in the visage of young girls no older than twenty. From the moment a rogue vampire had told tales of two young women gifted beyond human possibility, he had craved to possess them amongst his coven, gruesome stories of their actions only making his hunger stronger as it became clearer that they were growing in skill. But he had set aside his ambition, desire to see the fruits of their talent ripen and form into the most tantalizing of fruit.

"Yes. Have them collected and brought before myself and my brothers"

But now, the time had come and his desire could not go ignored much longer, his huger unsated. And just imagine how much more potent those deadly gifts would become when combined with the gift of the damned.