A/N: I was teetering on a few ideas of how I wanted to portray Daud. I hope this was the good choice...

Chapter 2

"Please stop! No, get away from me!" A man yelled out as he struggled against his restraints. The cold sweat that rolled down his brow glistened in the dim light of the room. My shadow was casted partially over him as I stood by his side with a small vial. "I'll tell you who sent me! Just please stop!" His eyes were wild with fear while he let his limbs fall slack. He realized that there was no use struggling anymore. It was futile, yet he felt a spark of hope from trying to appease me. How terribly wrong he was. A cruel smirk snaked its way across my lips from behind my mask. "His name is Daud-ACK!" The man writhed under me as I shoved the vial down his throat. His eyes bulged as he choked on the tiny bottle being forced into his esophagus. He flopped under his restraints as he let out horrendous choking noises. Warm bile seeped from between the glass object when I removed my hand. I inspected my work closely before playfully slapping his cheek a few times.

"Why waste your time with these guys when you know exactly who sent them?" Geoff questioned. I glanced at him. The man was currently leaning against a table with his arms folded and eyes closed. A frown creased his lips with dissatisfaction. He opened his eyes to meet my gaze.

"This time is different Geoff." I said turning around fully. Within a blink of an eye I was just a few inches away from him. Geoff blinked dully a few times before shrugging me off. "This time I'm calling the Whaler out." He raised a brow before pushing off the table. This news certainly intrigued him.

"Oi, ya can't be serious Doc." James said getting up from his spot near the door. It was unusual for him to be quiet and quite frankly I had almost forgotten that he was in the room. Something must be wrong. My suspicions were correct when James stepped into the dim light. Half his face was covered in purple blotches and his right eye was swollen shut. "I ain't gettin' into another scrape with those fuckers!" His face flushed with rage as he balled his hands into tight fists. "I barely survived this last attack…" He stared at me with the best hardened gaze he could muster. It was almost painful to watch him under the minimal light, which created harsh shadows along the newly formed contours of his face.

"That's why I must do this." I replied tilting my head to one side, "So that something like this no longer happens."

"You cannot possibly think that righting a wrong with a wrong is correct." Geoff said frowning even deeper. He let out an annoyed breath as he messaged the bridge of his nose. "Someone else will just take his place."

"I did not ask for your opinion." I seethed glaring at him. The man stiffened sensing my hostility. He looked away and concentrated on a random object in the room. I turned my attention back to James.

"Why don't we make a deal with him?" Bohr inquired coming into the light. "It would be more beneficial to have the bastard on our side." The room had fallen silent save for the sound of rats scurrying about. I mulled the option over. It was certainly a favorable one. The Whaler was a better asset alive than dead. I gave a nod of approval.

"Dump the body in the flooded district." I said melting into the shadows. Once I was outside crouched on my usual perch, I removed my mask. The cold air assaulted my warm face making me feel refreshed once more. Darkness swept across the city as dusk gave way to night. A crescent moon hung among the fabric of navy dotted with gold that blanketed the sky. The lack of moonlight made it almost impossible for any normal being to see more than three feet in front of them. A chill ran down my spine as I sensed the ever familiar presence of the Outsider. He crept from the obscurity. His long fingers reached out and caressed my cheek.

"Did you find my gift intriguing?" He murmured in my ear. I knitted my brows together out of confusion. What gift was he speaking of? I never came across the gift he had mentioned. Instead I found a man who I presumed was the raven. "Confused? Of course you are my dear…I believe that you will figure it out sooner or later…" Those were his parting words as he vanished into the night. I let out a breath that I hadn't realized that I had been holding. His riddle remained a conundrum.

The next evening I towered above the corpse of a wolfhound. It was gutted in the most gruesome fashion with its' fetid organs spewed out into the street. A small puddle of blood pooled beneath it still steaming from the freshness of the kill. I looked to the brick building that the body was leaning against. Scrawled in blood on the wall was a message:

12:00

The witching hour was a suiting time for this meeting; a time where demons came out to play. Licking my lips I anticipated the hour that we'd finally meet. Suddenly I burst into a conspiracy of ravens flying to the rendezvous point. Once I was there I roosted on one of the many fearsome gargoyles that perched on the roof of the building. A chilling breeze swept over me as the wind began to pick up. My familiars and I scattered upon the sounding of the twelfth hour. As if on cue a tall man materialized in front of the building. I gathered myself and became whole again in a flurry of darkness. Black lithe feathers drifted listlessly around me. The man standing before me was undisputedly The Whaler. He had short light brown hair that was slicked back. His face was marred in several places including a prominent scar going from his right brow and down his cheek. The uniform he wore matched the one that his masked portraits posted around the city wore.

"We meet at last Plague Doctor…" Daud drawled unimpressed. He folded his arms and gave me a curious look. I tilted my head to one side while holding my hands up in a prayer position.

"Indeed," I replied smoothly. The assassin raised a brow. A small smirk played across his lips.

"Never could I have fancied the thought that you were a woman." He said with a hint of mirth in his tone. Despite his jesting I remained stoic. He would need to do a lot better to get under my skin. "But that would mean that I could…" Instantly he had me pinned to the wall. "…Overpower you…" Daud was quick to make do with my mask. He inspected my face closely with a smug smirk plastered on his face. With gloved hands he grabbed my jaw and moved it around before removing one of his hands from my face. That free hand roamed down my body, feeling my bosom and sailing over the curves of my hips. Without warning he rammed his hips into mine. I let out a shaky breath from the sudden impact. A low chuckled rumbled from his throat as he tossed my hat away and pulled back my hood. Spilling from its prison my hair fell into tendrils over my shoulders. Daud grabbed a fistful of hair and proceeded to take in its scent.

"Are you not now satisfied that you have proven that I am a woman?" I questioned. The Whaler gave me a sideways glance.

"We have a truce for now." He said taking in a nose full of hair. "Things just became interesting for me…"Daud suddenly disappeared leaving me to fix myself up. I stuffed my hair back into the tight hood before bending over to retrieve my hat and mask. Darkness seeped from the cracks of the building caressing my figure. The feeling was gone as fast as it came. I shook it off and diffused into an unkindness of ravens.

I was back at the old whiskey distillery once more. Like usual Slackjaw was in his office working on something important. From the peeved look on his face and the journals sprawled out on his desk. I could only assume that something was wrong. Crowley was seated in a chair holding a steak to his left eye. He ignored my presence as I stepped further into the room. Slackjaw looked up from his papers to glare at me.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Slackjaw barked grabbing the collar of my coat. He lifted me off the ground as he continued to glare me down.

"I was taking care of something." I said calmly. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated what to do next. Instantly he released me before turning his back to me. The man pulled out a cigar, clipped the end of it, lit it and proceeded to smoke it. He let out a few puffs.

"Does the name Hollering Holly sound familiar to you?" He asked suddenly whipping around.

"Aye, she runs a gang up north." I replied with a nod. Slackjaw smirked as he leaned against his desk.

"The bitch has been creeping up on my territory." He said fingering the cleaver strapped to his waist with his free hand. "I want her to learn her place, though I wouldn't mind having that whore's throat slit!" The gangster leaned back and snatched up a piece of paper. He held it up for me to take, which I did.

"The pleasure would be all mine…" I said with a tip of my hat and a slight bow. Slowly I began to melt into the darkness that clung to the walls of the room. When I straightened back up I was on the street outside of the distillery. A few of the thugs posted outside backed away startled. One pulled a flask from his pocket, took a few swigs before putting it away. He mumbled a few curses before resuming his task of guarding. I casually walked away without bothering to say a word while holding the note in my hand up to my face. When I memorized the address I crumpled it up and burned it within my left hand. The ashes were spirited away by the wind.

After I had zigzagged my way through the city, I had finally made it to the Lady Luck Pub. The building looked like any other in the area with its brick façade and decaying exterior. In front of the establishment was a faded sign with the namesake on it. Posted at the front door was one bouncer. He was only armed with the standard pistol and sword. Telling from his build it appeared that he wasn't in top physical shape being slightly overweight. I was a little baffled to see a man as portly as he was in hard times like these. It was almost comical to watch this poor fellow stand there scratching his stomach. I flicked my wrist to reveal several small knives. In one swift motion I released a knife from my hold impaling the man in the neck. He let out a low gurgle before falling to ashes. In a flash I was crouched on the pubs' roof. The aging tile shingles creaked beneath my feet as I moved around to find the best entry point. I slipped through a hole in the roof large enough for me to fit. The upper floors were dark and abandoned with the only living traces being the rats. Silently I stuck to the shadows as I skulked my way to the first floor. I reached a door where faint pub noises could be heard. A few shouts here and there along with the occasional shrill laugh from a whore. I peered through the keyhole of the door to see a fairly average looking pub. Off to the far right was a piano and the left was the bar. A few men were seated at the tables directly in front of the door.

"A toast to another job well done boys!" A woman-which I assumed was Holly-exclaimed holding up a frosted mug of beer. The men held up their glasses and toasted her. Everyone took a big gulp from their drinks. Holly was very different looking than the plain men that she worked with. She had fiery red hair and two different eye colors. One eye was a frosty blue while the other was a deep emerald.

I took in a deep breath before time slowed when I opened the door. All the people in the room were frozen in place. I pulled out my small hidden knives and tossed them at the various men and women in the room. Nonchalantly I walked up to Holly waiting for time to return to normal. Slowly time shifted back to its regular speed and everyone in the room fell over lifelessly. Holly's eyes bugged when I firmly clasped my left hand around her throat. The glass she held in her hand fell to the ground shattering and releasing whatever liquid remained in it. She let out a horrid gasp as she latched onto my arm. With the best strength she could muster she tried to force me off her.

"I know who you are!" She sputtered hoarsely. "Just kill me already!" At that moment the woman had ceased her struggling, falling limp within my hold.

"That's no fun…" I taunted with a pout in my tone. Before I had time to see what was coming my way, Holly cracked a huge grin. A shot rang out. I looked down relinquishing my grip on the woman. A warm sensation came over me as blood seeped from the wound in my chest. The bullet had gone through and through. Such a clean hit for a dirty shot. I fell to my knees placing a hand to the wound. When I pulled my hand back my palm was coated in crimson liquid. I guess this was how it was going to end? What a terrible fate.

"Did you think that you'd be able to kill me that easily?!" Holly laughed with her hands on her hips. She landed a swift kick to my chest sending me flying back. "Pathetic! All those rumors about you were bullshit!" Her grating laugh filled the room once more as she made her way over to me. I rolled onto my back and watched as the woman towered over me with a sadistic grin. She was about to stomp on my chest when a shadow came up behind her and slit her throat. Blood sprayed from her wound before she turned to ash. I tried to blink away the blurriness in my eyes, but I was losing blood fast. Before I blacked out from blood loss I saw that familiar mask of death.

"Am I dead?" I questioned looking into the vastness of the Void. Several broken islands lazily floated around. Some had portions of structures on them while others were barren.

"Quite the opposite," The Outsider answered appearing next to me. "I guess I favored you in the end. That woman Holly was becoming a bore." He gave a casual shrug as if gambling with mortal lives was no big deal.

"I should have died." I said with a frown as I pulled a strand of hair from my face. I paused realizing that I wasn't in my usual attire. It was strange to be without it since I wore it every day. Instead I was dressed in a simple blouse with a vest. The other half of me wore black fitting slacks topped off with knee high boots.

"I control your fate mortal." He replied emotionless. "You best remember that." The dark haired man turned and walked away with his arms crossed. I watched as he retreated to the further reaches of his realm.

I returned my attention to the endless horizon to contemplate what had happened at the Lady Luck Pub. Somehow I miscalculated at one point, unless that man wasn't even in the room. There was a possibility that I forgot to check in the other rooms with my Dark Vision. Damn it, what a rookie mistake! I should be dead! But, then he came. The man in that abhorred mask. He saved me…