"Gentlemen!" Bishop bellows as Hegeman, Atlee, and their fellow council members open their coffins and sit up. The coffins have been placed upon pallets in the garage of the funeral home, in front of Bishop's desk so he could keep an eye on them until sunset when he would need to play the affable host.
"Can I get you anyth- " Bishop begins, cut off by Hegeman reaching wordlessly for the pitcher of blood that has been pre-positioned on Bishop's desk. "Of course, of course, here you are," Bishop says as he hands the pitcher over to the plainly dressed vampire. The Dutch pass around the pitcher until it's empty, and finally Hegeman gestures to Bishop that he may speak.
"Thank you, Hegeman. I wanted to personally welcome you back to Boston after so long a time underground. How long has it been?" Bishop asks enthusiastically.
"Eighty years," Hegeman replies, already bored by Bishop's maudlin antics.
Sensing the unreceptiveness of his audience, Bishop gestures to Aidan and Marcus, who have been waiting just outside the door for Bishop's cue.
"Well, time does fly. You remember Aidan, and this is –" Bishop begins, again cut off by Hegeman.
"Ah yes, Aidan, your finest soldier, if memory serves," Hegeman says with pride in his eyes, as if he were the one who turned Aidan himself.
"Yes, the very finest," Bishop agrees, giving Aidan a sidelong glance as a warning to remain silent. "And this is Marcus," Bishop adds, almost as a side note, gesturing to the tall man, whom the Dutch ignore as they climb out of their coffins.
"Well, gentlemen, I've arranged a tour of the city to show you some of the changes that have been made since your last visit." Bishop gestures to the funeral home's large van, but the Dutch walk past the vehicles and down the driveway, maintaining the upper hand by not looking back at Bishop, forcing him to follow their lead.
"No, we don't use your technology. We will walk," Hegeman says as Bishop approaches with Aidan and Marcus trailing behind. And so the motley crew of seven vampires, four in modest Amish attire, set out on the darkening streets of Boston's North End.
"You have indeed made some advancements since our last visit," Atlee says to Bishop as they walk past a Jewish deli and the fourth Italian restaurant on the same block. Bishop starts to accept the praise, but Hegeman cuts him off. "But as for your plan to create an army, I must tell you that we do not approve."
Bishop looks at Aidan as if he expected this, and runs through his prepared arguments in his head, ready to start his sales pitch. "Well, if I could lay out the plan in more detail, perhaps you may approve of the overall –"
"No, you have explained enough," Hegeman says decisively, turning his head slightly to look at Bishop over his shoulder. "You will cull two thirds of your new soldiers, and we will overlook your impudence in acting without our permission." Hegeman waits for a reaction from Bishop and, getting none, stops walking and turns to face the now startled vampire. "Do I make myself clear, Bishop?"
"Yes, um, uh, yes sir," Bishop manages, nodding, the light gone out of his eyes as he looks dejectedly at the ground. Composing himself a bit, Bishop gestures forward and leads the group down an alley, turning around to walk backwards like a tour guide. "And now, gentlemen, we come to the final stop on our tour," Bishop says almost seductively, leading the vampires through a nondescript metal door and into a room with six small rooms partitioned off with curtains. A beautiful woman clad in club wear stands in front of each door, and one woman comes forward to stand next to Bishop as the vampires enter.
"This is one of our greatest additions since your last visit," Bishop says, placing an arm around the woman's small waist. "Choose any woman, and she will feed you. It is only a donation, mind you, not a sacrifice, but I must say the restraint is worth the company," Bishop adds, sizing up the woman on his arm and gently tracing his fingers on her back.
"We do not accept donations," Atlee says, spitting out the last word as if it were poison. "We have no need for restraint; we are not human."
"Yes, but –" Bishop begins, reaching out to stop the four Amish vampires who are now approaching the women menacingly.
"Things have indeed changed, Bishop," Hegeman says, turning back to regard Bishop with his arm around the woman. "You have forgotten what you are, what you are capable of. You are consorting with humans," Hegeman says with considerable disgust, turning back to the cowering woman and stalking forward with Atlee and the others, his eyes black and his fangs out like a panther about to strike.