Chapter 2: Flaws in the Alliance
"So you're going to go out and leave us here," Mr. Lecoq maintained a calm demeanor but he allowed the tone of his voice communicate the fact that he considered the situation a betrayal.
"You know it's necessary," John rolled his eyes, a gesture the polite man seldom made. "We need to get a grip on the situation and that means starting to work right now. We'll go out during the day and see if we can scent any lycans or bloods…"
Selene, listening to the two leaders' exchange, started at John's use of the lycans derogative term for the vampires. John came across, initially, as being a little slow-witted but he wasn't. He had a disturbing tendency to think about what he was about to say before actually saying it. As such, John must have deliberately leveled an insult at Lecoq.
"…about,' John continued. "To the best of both of our knowledge, neither of our kind has ever established a presence in Ireland. If either a lycan or a vampire has fled the mainland for this island, Dublin is the natural den. We'll wander the streets to see if we can catch a scent while we confirm that we can find Mr. Lippens where Tanis thinks he's living. Once night falls, we'll escort Tanis, Erika and whichever of your party you want to observe, to Mr. Lippens' home."
"What assurances do I have that you won't simply abandon us here?" Lecoq demanded.
"What assurances do you have in any event!" John snapped at his questioner. "It's very clear that you're trying to get some concession from me. I don't have the wit or the patience for such! Just tell me what you're trying to accomplish and we'll discuss it!"
For a long moment, Mr. Lecoq simply glared at the other immortal. Finally…
"You see through my ruse," he admitted with a pained smile. "When you are in a moment of weakness, make outrageous accusations and demands. Very well, I am genuinely concerned that my coven will be cut out of any negotiations if you catch some strays on Dublin's streets. I request that you do not make contact with any Cleaner, or any stray immortal, unless one of my representatives can be present."
"We didn't intend to in any case," John grumbled in return. "We're off now. We have our radios so you'll know what we find as soon as we find it." With that, the immortal spun on his heel and stormed out of the vampires' safe rig. Both Michael and Selene fell in step with him as he strode, angrily, across the rented hangar.
"That wasn't a very good idea," Tanis told Lecoq, once the lycan had left.
"I think it was. I just made it very clear to the lycan that we will not be cut out of the decision making process."
"You could have done it by simply telling him!" Tanis snapped back. "Instead, you insulted him!"
"You forget your place, historian!" Lecoq was usually a calm man but Tanis had managed to irk him.
"I'm perfectly aware of my place," Tanis retorted. "I'm the poor bastard who's going to get caught in the middle if this little alliance goes to hell!"
"You are a servant who will do as he's told!"
"I'm an older, wiser vampire than you who isn't going to let my entire race, including myself, die because my so-called superiors are more interested in personal status than racial survival!"
"In that case, oh wise vampire, what did I do wrong?"
"You treated your counterpart like a criminal conspirator, not like an honorable partner! When you negotiate with a slimeball, you do what you just did; you demand the impossible, insult his intentions, and work your way to something you can both accept. That elder lycan is more like a country gentleman, you give him a reasonable request, explain your concerns and come to common ground in a calm manner!"
"I've represented the New World Coven for three centuries! I'll follow my own counsel."
"I've watched our race perform both brilliantly and like a pack of imbeciles for more than twice that long! Don't you think I've learned to spot the patterns?"
For several seconds, the two vampires glared daggers at each other. Erika was honestly frightened that Lecoq would order a couple of his loyal followers to toss Tanis, and possibly her, out of the safe rig and into the hangar's inadequate protection. Finally…
"You go too far with your insolence," Lecoq hissed at Tanis, his jaw clenched with the effort of keeping his voice low. "You have the potential of being a valued advisor but you will do so in a respectful manner. Was it your insolence or your untrustworthiness that caused you to be banished?"
"Neither," Tanis replied in a similar, strained tone. "It was one of my rare forays into honesty and discretion but that isn't important right now. What's important is that you're alienating an ally that you need! For pity's sake, if you need something from him please let me handle it! You said it yourself, earlier, that I've had more peaceful contact with lycans than any vampire! Make use of that experience!"
"Very well," Lecoq snarled back. "I believe that this discussion has run its course. After the lycans locate Mr. Lippens, and you stun us all with your experience and tact, we will discus your usefulness again."
Tanis could only offer a curt nod before storming off to one of the rig's far corners. After a moment, Erika followed him, dismayed that her fellow vampires might prove more difficult that the lycans or the Cleaners.
Mark Lippens was starting to get annoyed. When he retired from his last employment, at the relatively young age of forty-six, his pension had seemed very generous. To be certain, it still was but with Dublin's economy booming, the cost of living was getting higher and higher. Mark didn't want to move out of his comfortable home in the suburbs so he was forced to contemplate picking up some part time work. Mark had no problem with hard work and long hours, his previous employment made even the roughest jobs available look like a cakewalk. The only problem Mark had was that he couldn't be honest about whom he had worked for and what he had done. This made a resume a dicey thing, at best.
Another thing that had Mark annoyed was the news he had heard from Hungary. In the past several weeks, a certain mansion had burned to the ground and a very expensive, private ship had blown up at a Budapest dock. When Mark left that certain organization, his boss forbade him from contacting them again. While Mark understood why that organization wanted to maintain absolute secrecy, he was forced to question the wisdom now.
Mark wasn't worried about his pension, the accounts that supplied the money and the managers who made sure he received it operated completely independently from the managers on the ship. The problem was that whomever or, more likely whatever had eliminated the ship probably had a major beef with those, like Mark, who had served aboard the ship in the past. With the extreme secrecy that organization maintained, Mark was unable to confirm exactly what had happened. The only thing that he knew for certain was that the official reports out of Budapest would have only the slightest resemblance to actual events.
Even the potential danger he was facing was secondary in Mark's thoughts. The people who had been aboard that ship were more than coworkers; they were comrades in arms. A man just couldn't face the things he had faced, side by side with them, and not develop feelings stronger than friendship. Those men were family beyond his own kin. At the moment the only contacts he had were with a couple of fellow retirees, and these contacts were strictly against 'company policy.' Even so, these contacts didn't have any more information than he did. The only thing any of them knew was that something very odd was taking place, the sort of thing that they used to deal with. Mark was convinced that he should be doing something but he didn't have the slightest clue what.
A knock on his door interrupted his musings. He set down the newspaper he was reading (since when did he count on Eastern European tabloids for news?) reached into his jacket pocket to make sure that his 'insurance hardware' was ready and answered the door. He found himself confronted by what appeared to be a young couple.
"Good evening, Mr. Lippens," the young man politely inclined his head. "My name is Andreas Tanis and my lovely companion is Erika."
The blonde woman (and yes, Mark had to admit that she was lovely) smiled and nodded at the introduction.
"I was hoping that you would like to have a little chat about some…interesting events happening in Hungary," the man continued. It was only after a moment that Mark realized that he had spoken in Hungarian. "We could either meet here, or a more public local. Of course, we risk being…misunderstood if we meet where we can be overheard."
"I'm interested," Mark replied. "But I'm not about to leave this house after dark and I'm not about to invite more than one person into my house."
"Understood," the man nodded. "Of course, I represent…other interests. While I applaud your caution I'd like to request that my patrons contribute to the discussion, albeit remotely."
"That makes sense. Miss Erika, I hate to turn you out on the street at night but I have a funny feeling that you're not going to run into anything rougher than you are."
The blonde woman flashed a conspiratorial, yet alluring smile his way (when would he ever outgrow his weakness for dimples?), spun on her heel and strode off into the night.
"Before you come inside, Mr. Tanis…"
"Simply Tanis will be fine. I've answered to that name for a very, very long time."
"Very well, Tanis, you need to know something," Mark angled the partially opened door so that no passers by could see and pulled the Beretta out of his pocket. "I'm a very nervous sort at this moment and this is going to be pointed at you the entire time. Now, you might be willing to pass this off as a mere annoyance so I have to be honest with you and tell you that half of the rounds contain a UV emitting chemical and the other half are silver. I don't know who, or more likely what, you happen to be but I prefer to be honest about such things."
"I see I have found the man I was looking for," Tanis offered a tight grin. "And custom demands that I respond to your honesty with some honesty of my own. I will find your silver rounds to be inconvenient but your UV rounds to be…scorching."
Mark Lippens seated his guest at the kitchen table and took the chair across the table from him. Moving slowly, Tanis pulled out his cell phone, dialed the mobile rig's number and introduced the retired Cleaner to John and Lecoq. Mr. Lecoq, being the most articulate of the conversation's immortals, explained the situation to Mark.
"So Mr. Macaro is dead," Mark grumbled. "I always respected that man and not just because he paid well. He ran a solid organization and looked out for his people, which isn't easy when you're trying to keep it secret."
"And we need you to help reform that solid organization," Tanis urged him.
"Why?" Mark's gaze was piercing as he regarded the vampire. "According to you, your sort are going on a killing rampage, slaughtering each other. I'm retired, why should I jump back into that mess?"
"If this is about the money, I can assure you that we'll…" Tanis never got the chance to finish his statement.
"This isn't a bloody ploy to get more money!" Mark snarled. "I don't work that way! If I decide to do this, I'll ask for proper compensation and I'll get it. I spent eight years in the SAS, followed by another twelve in the Cleaners. Most of my mates have similar stories. All of us have earned the right to a bit of peace! Why should we go back into a situation that, if you're telling the truth, is even worse than it was when I left?"
"These are valid concerns," John's voice agreed over the cell's speaker. "Why don't you give me a chance to answer them? First of all, I have to ask you if the time you spent in the Cleaners was just a job for you or if you really cared about what you were doing. Mr. Macaro formed his organization for a purpose. Did you just take his money and do the job or did you get to the point where you believed in what he was doing?"
"The second thing I'd have to ask you is do you have the right to make that choice for your fellow retirees, without their knowledge?" John continued, as Mark's expression became indignant over the first question. "You're one of the very few retired Cleaners we know about so you're our doorway to the others. It isn't a position you volunteered for and it isn't fair to you but right now, you're going to decide if your fellows will have a chance to take up the cause they used to believe in or if they'll remain ignorant about what's really happening."
"Finally," John persisted, blissfully unaware of Mark's darkening expression. "You'll have to ask yourself if you're willing to straighten out the mess for your fellow man. Sure, the lycans and vampires are killing each other in Eastern Europe right now but do you really think that they'll stay in Eastern Europe or that they'll be content to slaughter each other? What happens when some of them decide to run away and find themselves in a new place, out of food and surrounded by unsuspecting humans? What happens when the general population becomes aware of the parasitic immortals living in its midst?"
"You've earned your peaceful retirement, nobody can argue that," John concluded. "But how long will it remain peaceful? If the population learns that vampires and werewolves are real, it's going to start turning on its own. Think of the witch trials in the Middle Ages and you'll have a pretty good idea what will happen. I left my own, peaceful life because I don't think my life will remain peaceful unless I do something. I hope that you can reach the same conclusion or, at the very least, decide that your former comrades have the right to decide for themselves."
Tanis watched Mark struggle with the information, the former Cleaner was clearly conflicted for several minutes until finally…
"Give me a number and I'll call you tomorrow," the man grumbled.
"We don't have the time," Tanis protested. "I'm sure that you can appreciate that some of us require special transportation arrangements and we cannot reschedule at a moment's notice."
"Then it's just too bad for you," Lippens snarled back. "You'll not rush me in such a decision. Give me a way to call you and I'll do it tomorrow. If you won't give me the time to figure out if you're trying to hoodwink me, then it's pretty obvious you are. I'll call you tomorrow, during daylight, and I'll meet with this John character who gave me the big speech."
"Leave him be," Lecoq instructed Tanis. "Some of us can separate from the original group. They'll find a place to stay in Dublin and meet with him when he decides. Mr. Lippens, I hope that you choose to assist us but if you don't, please don't hinder us."
"I guess there isn't much more to say," Tanis drawled, closing the phone and handing his host a business card. "You'll be able to reach one of us at this number. Before I leave, please allow me to throw my pitch into the fray. I'm no honorable man, Mr. Lippens. This is probably why my benefactors chose me to meet with you, they weren't overly dismayed at the prospect that you would panic and eliminate me. In the past, I've played both sides in this conflict and I have no doubt that both sides have played me. However, this is the first time, in over four centuries, that I've actually taken on an altruistic role. Right now, I have no doubt that I could vanish into the Dublin streets and avoid my benefactors' wrath. This situation is so dire that I'm willing to return and face the displeasure of both lycan and vampire. I truly hope that you'll assist us so that I can go back to being a cowardly weasel again."
Mark saw his guest out then locked the door. He spent several minutes stalking through his home, making sure nobody had managed to sneak in and assuring himself that all of the windows and doors were securely locked. After that, he picked up his telephone and started to dial some numbers he wasn't supposed to know.
"You took a major chance with Mr. Lippens," Lecoq told John. The administrator had regained his composure. "What if he is angered to the point where he wants nothing to do with us?"
"I don't think so," John replied. "Have you ever led soldiers? I don't mean commanding them, I mean leading them, personally, into conflict?"
"No, I've always been an administrator. I've never been in the Death Dealer ranks."
"Let me give you a piece of information. The very best don't do it for a paycheck. They expect their pay but that isn't their primary motivation. The very best do it for something else. Sometimes it's for a flag, sometimes it's maintaining a family tradition and sometimes it's just proving something to themselves. There are so many reasons that even we can't know all of them. The simple fact is that Mr. Mark Lippens is motivated by a lot more than his paycheck. I checked the records Tanis had obtained and I knew that he was SAS before Alexander Corvinus recruited him. Either that man believed in what he was doing or he never would have stayed with the Cleaners for as long as he did."
"That's one man," Lecoq pointed out. "What about the others?"
"If I can trust Tanis, Alexander Corvinus went out of his way to recruit from the world's elite military and law enforcement organizations. These people won't simply lose interest in what they were doing when they retire. Trust me, at least a few of his fellow retirees are going to want to see the Cleaners' work continue."
"So who do you suggest stays here and waits for Mr. Lippens to call."
"I obviously have to," John shrugged. "I suggest you take all of the vampires with you and the mobile rig. I also suggest you take Selene. Any surviving Death Dealers will recognize and respect her."
"What about Michael and your pack?"
"Take all of my packmates with you," John suggested. "You'll need all of the noses you can get. Michael, on the other hand, hasn't been an immortal for very long. He's not a fool, just inexperienced. If he stays with me, I can kind of keep an eye on him." John suddenly broke out in a wide grin. "Besides that, I haven't left North America since the Second World War. He's traveled through Europe since then, so he should be able to keep me out of trouble, as well."
To say that Selene was displeased with the travel arrangements was a considerable understatement. What really shocked the former Death Dealer was how upset she was over her pending, albeit temporary, separation from Michael. Selene was no innocent little girl experiencing her first crush; in the five centuries she had walked the Earth, she had seen and experienced almost everything possible. While she had never established anything close to a long-term romantic involvement, she had taken the occasional lover. She honestly hadn't seen what the fuss had been all about. When her body needed food she became hungry and consumed. When her body was damaged she felt pain and dealt with the wound. When her body demanded intimacy she sought out a companion and made love. Not all vampires were scoundrels, like Tanis or obsessed possessives, like Kraven. Most were decent, if jaded by decades or centuries of existence. Kahn, the studious yet humorous weapon master, had been her most frequent partner.
For all that she had been very fond of him, she had to admit that she and Kahn hadn't really been lovers. The current term for the relationship they had shared would have been friends with benefits. She felt no jealousy knowing that Kahn took an occasional lover other than her and he had never shown any possessiveness over that aspect of their relationship. She had no interest in romance and he made no demands. For her, it was an excellent arrangement. Even Victor, who so many had suspected of having ulterior motives towards her person, had approved of the dalliance. The elder even occasionally asked her if she was ready to move out of her quarters in the mansion. The fact that he wanted her to be happy made his betrayal all the more hurtful.
Now, despite her age and experience, despite the fact that a couple days' separation shouldn't mean anything to someone over five centuries old, she faced the upcoming time apart with a decided lack of enthusiasm.
"I want you to realize that I do not appreciate you making these arrangements without our input!" She snapped at both Lecoq and John. In retrospect, she really should have waited a bit after returning to the hangar and hearing the news before stating her case but wisdom and caution weren't her normal methods of dealing with things.
"You forget your place," Lecoq said in a deceptively mild tone. "I speak for the coven."
"And the coven lost all claim upon me when Victor betrayed me, Kraven imprisoned me and Marcus attacked me!" She countered with a cold voice. "Let me make something abundantly clear to the two of you. I respect your age and experience. However, Michael and myself are members of neither the coven nor the pack. We will follow your decision in this case, since both of us appreciate the necessity but we are a third faction, the hybrids and you will consult with us before making such decisions."
"Too many factions mean long delays to make decisions," John pointed out, with a reasonable tone. "We need to move fast if we're going to put things back together. I know that Michael is the only true ally you have at this moment but things are a lot bigger than the two of you. He and I'll keep an eye on each other and I've told my pack that if anybody takes the opportunity for some revenge, there'll be hell to pay in the unlikely event that they survive it. With any luck, we'll get done what we need to and have the two of you reunited in a couple of days."
Selene offered a curt nod, deciding to let the two leaders believe that John had guessed the reason behind her irritation. The real answer would be too embarrassing to admit.
"Why don't you and Michael get some sleep?" The elder lycan suggested. "You have another twelve hours before we load the rig. When that happens, you will travel outside of the rig, with the pack, to make sure nothing happens to it."
"What's the itinerary?" Michael asked. "We were out renting the rooms when you made the arrangements."
"The coven has close contacts with a couple of shipping companies," Lecoq explained. "One of these firms will pick up the rig tomorrow and load it on a small freighter. The freighter will deliver the rig to Antwerp, where it will be loaded on a train and sent to Pecs. Considering the unstable situation and the fact that the coven's activities were centered in the capital, we deemed it prudent to arrive in Hungary some distance from Budapest. We will drive to the capital, judging the situation as we get closer. Once there, the vampires will investigate the coven's properties outside the mansion and the lycans will attempt to scent out both their own kind and any vampires still lingering."
"What if you can't find either immortal in the region?" Michael asked.
"Then we're going to have to make other plans," John shrugged his shoulders. "And we'll include the two of you in the planning. In any case, it seems sensible to make Budapest our center of operations, since the coven had spent centuries establishing an infrastructure centered in the city."
The coven's phone rang, interrupting the discussion. For several rings, neither vampire, lycan nor hybrid seemed to know who should answer. Finally, John picked up the phone.
"I need to talk to John," Mark Lippens' voice replied to John's hello.
"You're talking to me right now," John informed him, while Lecoq activated the telephone's speaker for everyone else's benefit.
"Rotterdam, noon tomorrow," Mark Lippens told his audience. "I'm sure you're taping this so I don't have to repeat myself." He quickly told the lycan where to meet, at the airport. "I'll handle further travel arrangements myself. Do you have any questions?"
"No, but you need to know I'll have one other with me," John answered.
"That's fair enough. See you then and there." The line went dead.
"Well, I guess that tells me where Michael and I will be tomorrow," John informed the others. "Michael, I can take care of our airline tickets. Why don't you and Selene to catch some sleep. The next few weeks are going to be hectic."
Michael seemed ready to protest but Selene, suspecting that John had guessed the real reason she had been so insubordinate with the elders, overruled him. She wasn't looking forward to the upcoming separation and was determined to make use of what little private time remained to them before the mission truly began.
A/N: I want to thank everyone for the response I received for this, my second Underworld story. As always, I welcome comments and suggestions. Thanks again and, until my next posting, best wishes:
daccu65