Whew, new chapter :D
Thanks to Bellzanaph and wolfstar04 (since I forgot to mention that earlier) for the reviews.
Chapter 14: Bad Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, September 18th, 2016
"Stop jumping on the spot, would you?"
Vicky blushed and stopped. "Sorry. I'm just so excited. My first mission."
Heinkel sighed, suppressing a smile. She remembered her own first mission, just a low-key vampire, but she had been tense like it was the most dangerous enemy Earth ever faced and everyone relied on her. Yumie had been with her and Father Anderson. There had been no complications. Except a small explosion. But that had not even been her fault. Father Anderson had watched out for them and she would watch out for her own student. So it went round and round, generation after generation.
The club was shabby from the outside, just another building made of dirty bricks, graffiti everywhere. Door and windows were boarded up with black plastic boards or something. Not a ray of sun got in there. Not that it was incredibly sunny right now. The two women could be glad about the warm coats they were wearing. Their weapons were in the backpack Heinkel had, together with a few other useful things, wrapped safely in a plastic bag. Heinkel didn't want to admit it in front of her student, but it made her nervous having no access to her trusted Desert Eagles.
Over the entrance, the name of the club was illuminated by violet and blue neon tubes. The colors were barely recognizable in daylight under a layer of dirt. Either they wanted to make it look abandoned or they were that sloppy. Hopefully it was the first option.
"Let's go." Heinkel slowly walked away from the entrance. Here in the middle of the city nobody was really paying attention to them, it was way too crowded for that, but they shouldn't stand around for too long. Vicky hastily caught up to her. "Where are we going?"
"Preparing for the evening." They turned into a narrow side street. A fire ladder went up to the second floor. Thanks to the cold weather, the stink of the garbage cans was more or less bearable. "Come on." Heinkel climbed up the ladder until it ended. Somebody had sawed off the last part. Clever. Only few would be able to go on here. Vampires, for example. Or somebody who could see and use all the small ledges that had been edged into the side of the building. Ignoring her icy hands, she swung over to the first one. No matter how fragile it looked, it held her weight and after a moment she could rest her feet on a windowsill. The glass was blackened from the inside. "Now you." Vicky looked at her with more nervousness than Heinkel could be comfortable with, but obeyed. Reaching the roof of Ferdinant Luke's was a piece of cake in comparison to this, Heinkel knew that. Maybe it would have been better leaving Vicky on the ground. She was good at climbing, but not that good.
The girl swung over and grabbed the ledge. She acted like a professional, aiming and grabbing the stones. Then she lost her balance. For a second she hung on the tiny ledge, only on her fingertips. Heinkel managed to grab her and she fell on the windowsill, pale and trembling. "Thanks."
"No problem." Heinkel took a moment to judge if her student would be able to go on. Yes. That was why they were here. And she wouldn't stay behind anyway. "Wait here." For a moment it had seemed... but no. Victoria's training had been rigorous and successful. She was just nervous. For such a case her teacher was with her after all. The worst part was over anyway. She grabbed the upper ledge the window provided and found another one just next to the window. It was only a few meters to the roof and the ledges were easy to climb up. Once she was on top, she gestured her student to follow. Vicky tried to mimic her, not as fast, but at least without any more accidents. Eventually Heinkel could grab her arm and pull her on the roof. She gave her a few minutes to rest.
"We won't go down the same way, right?", Vicky asked with a shaky smile.
Heinkel suppressed a sigh. "No."
After a few minutes she asked: "Okay?" Vicky nodded slowly, her breathing already growing calmer again. Heinkel stood up. They had still a lot of time, but idling never did anyone any good.
"How do you do that? Aren't you afraid what happens when you fall?", Vicky asked. She had asked herself long, and her teacher's answer she gave when they met for the first time on the roof of Ferdinant Luke's didn't want to go out of her head. She just couldn't understand it. Heinkel looked genuinely surprised. "Not at all." She looked over the ledge, the asphalt a good eight or nine meters under them. "I don't fall." The words were more directed at herself.
Vicky didn't even dare to ask. Then her teacher smiled. "No, seriously, I've never fallen off anywhere," she said. "Unless I jumped, of course. Tell you what." She turned around and walked to the door leading into the building. Vicky hastily followed.
"The day I fall will be the day I die."
The door was unlocked and swung open without a sound. A musty-smelling staircase awaited them. Heinkel automatically laid her hand on the small pistol in her pocket. She hated being so vulnerable, but they didn't have a choice. Victoria held her other hand so she wouldn't bump into her and alarm anyone. The house was next to pitch black while they slowly descended the staircase winding down into the vampire's nest. A tiny green light blinked under them. The signal which marked the end of the stairs, their contact had told them. A moment later, her feet touched the wooden floor. The planks creaked slightly. It smelled of sweat and things that should better stay unimagined.
They followed the plan Heinkel had been handed and memorized on the flight. On both sides were doors with bedrooms. Somewhere here, the owners of the club were sleeping in their coffins. Jan and Luke Valentine. There had to be a woman here as well, but the contact didn't have any information on her. Heinkel wondered how the Ridgeway company could get in here anyway. They had their people everywhere, even more literally than she had imagined.
The Valentine brothers owned the whole building, although they were mere pawns to Millennium, as Maxwell had put it. A few more missing in a huge city like this didn't exactly show up in the statistics as long as they were careful.
The two women had reached the next staircase, marked by a red light. Heinkel pulled out a tiny flashlight and let it wash over the corridor. That was why she always had her sunglasses with her, despite being mocked for it sometimes. Now she could see perfectly fine while Vicky was still squinting. The corridor was empty, the seven doors closed, three on the right, four on the left. The house might have been an office in the past, judging from the arrangement of the rooms and the plastic signs next to the doors. You could put a card with a name there. And what a surprise, there was one. The most amazing Jan fucking Valentine, bitch! It read.
Lovely. She shut off the flashlight and waited for a few seconds so her eyes could readjust to the darkness. The red light was still there, although the emitter had been invisible to her in the light of the flashlight. They certainly weren't amateurs.
Vicky's hand closed around hers again and they went on. There were two top floors like this. The night club itself stretched over the ground floor and the first, the top part only a gallery with a few rooms behind it. Eventually, they reached a door leading to the gallery. Violet light shone from the crack under the door. Vicky tensed, despite knowing all her teacher knew: That at least one of the vampires, most probably the younger brother, would be sleeping in the club after another excessive night. Being a vampire might be a sin, Vicky thought, and, if not of your own choosing, even a minor one. But this? She shuddered.
The door was just as soundless as the others. There, on a luxurious divan that had definitely seen better days, lay a young man with dark skin and unruly black hair in a jogging suit. He was pierced with shimmering rings all over and seemed to be sleeping soundly. At least he snored loudly, exposing fangs and blood in his mouth. Even as a human, this would just have been bad taste. Ugh.
Heinkel, amused at her student's distaste (which she could fully understand – there had been missions in better locations before), pulled her on. They descended the stairs. The main room of the club consisted mostly of a dancing floor. There were sofas at the sides and a few tables. Left on the entrance was a bar. If everything got a good cleaning, it might even be nice.
The toilets were on the right side. They stank miserably. Once the door was closed, Heinkel put on her sunglasses and flicked on the lights. "Good work so far."
Vicky stared at her with big eyes. "Shouldn't we be quiet?", she whispered.
"Nah, the rooms are all more or less soundproof. Voices shouldn't get through." She grinned at Victoria's speechlessness. "Just wanted to check if you get the sneaky part. Good work." Despite being still flustered, Vicky swelled a little inside when she heard that. Her teacher was not exactly generous giving out praise.
"Why would they be soundproof?"
"I'm not sure I want to know." Vicky shuddered again and dropped the topic.
"So... what are we going to do?" Heinkel nudged open one of the stall doors, grimacing. She was glad she wore gloves she could get rid of after this. As expected, the toilets were old and equipped with the typical water tank. She removed the lid and stowed their weapons – waterproof in more plastic bags than necessary – away.
"We check out the vampires, maybe get a bit of info about Millennium and then eradicate them. Sounds good?" Vicky nodded after a moment's hesitation. She was almost a paladin but...
"Do I fit in here? I'm 16."
"I doubt they would care. Besides, you're tall. We're just two girls, best friends, out on a late night stroll through the clubs." She closed the stall door and looked around. Just a small dirty bathroom, nothing anyone would like to visit. Nothing remarkable, no possible emergency escape. "I'll take on the younger one – that's the guy upstairs. If anything happens, you can come to me, okay?"
"Yes, Mum," Vicky said, trying to sound ironic, and failing. All of a sudden she was getting nervous and very glad she was not alone.
"Alright then, let's go before sleeping beauty wakes up. We'll need a bit of rest before tonight." She shut off the lights and put away her sunglasses. After a moment she opened the door. Nothing had changed in the roughly five minutes they had spent preparing the evening. Jan was still snoring upstairs. Heinkel gestured Vicky to follow her take a peek behind the bar. As she had expected, a rifle had been stored there, and not a simple one. A semi-automatic machine gun. Not bad for a shabby establishment like this. She would have felt better removing it, but there was nowhere they could put it and climbing all the way to the top of the building again was too risky.
Then a man stumbled past them and tripped loudly over a neon-illuminated step, crashing to the floor. Vicky froze, but her teacher pulled her behind the bar. The last she saw was that the man's neck was bloodstained. With a grunt, the vampire over their heads woke. "What the fuck's happenin'?", he growled. The two Iscariots couldn't see what happened but the man – seemingly the most hungover person in world history – scrambled to his feet and slowly trotted away, murmuring an excuse. The door slammed and he was gone.
"Fucker!", the vampire said and went back to sleep. Vicky thought her heart must be heard in all of the room, especially by a vampire, but nothing happened. After a while Heinkel pointed at the door. They crossed the dancing floor, exited and the door fell shut behind them. The oppressive heat disappeared to be replaced by the exhaust-tainted cold fall air of a big city. Just now Vicky realized she was drenched in sweat.
Without a word they walked back to the hotel they were staying in. Vicky decided to take a shower, while Heinkel went over her plan again and checked her phone. Enrico had sent her a message that the conference was rescheduled to the 19th. They would never make it, even if the club was done for this night. So Enrico would take Lisa as his bodyguard. Fine. Anderson was still in Brazil, without any more results than putting up with human mercenaries tasked by Millennium.
Yumiko wrote an email. She just watched Kingsman and would like them to watch it together. Also she went on a lengthy description of how she helped Section X because Enrico wanted to know what Section VIII had been doing the last years. That struck Heinkel as slightly illogical. Probably Enrico just wanted to keep her busy. She ended with a blessing and the wish her partner and her student would come home unharmed.
Heinkel smiled. Yumiko could be incredibly overprotective, despite her dislike for going on such missions. She wrote back she would tell Yumiko (or Yumie) every detail once she was home, but so far, everything had gone according to plan. Vicky was holding up well. Also, she hoped her friend had fun at Section X and would love to see that movie, she heard it was really good. Maybe after the conference they could have dinner, just the three girls, and have a long chat.
They had said goodbye about twenty hours ago. So much for that. Now then, it was just past noon, she had enough time for a nap before the action started. After all, this time it was not just about taking care of herself.
"Time to wake up." Vicky shot upright immediately, despite her swimming vision and the remains of confusing dreams. All of a sudden she was very hungry. "Yes, teacher?" That was what she wanted to say. Most of the words was swallowed in a huge yawn she couldn't suppress. She rubbed her eyes and needed a moment to recognize the person standing in front of her.
Heinkel had slicked her hair back on the sides so it didn't fall in her face. The make-up was so discreet it could have been done by a professional, but enough to cover up the scars that normally were so distinctive on her cheeks. Her gray-green eyes were accentuated by a light blue shade and mascara. She wore tight black jeans with boots and an equally tight blue tank top with a black leather jacket over it. In terms of coverage it was even conservative, but holy crap the men would probably stare until their eyes fell out. If Vicky hadn't known that was the same Heinkel Wolfe, she would not have been sure.
"Whoa," she said.
Heinkel broke out laughing. "If you keep staring like that, your eyes will get stuck."
Vicky blushed and hastily scrambled out of bed. "I... I hope the clothes I brought are fitting." She definitely wouldn't look that good. Behind the male clothing and unruly hair was an attractive woman. Vicky had never realized that. Most others probably didn't either. Maybe, she thought, that was the point of the whole masquerade.
"Well, you need something you can fight in. So no high heels. Unless you prove to me that works out." Vicky shook her head. "And you?"
Her teacher laughed. "I can barely walk in those. No thanks." She rummaged through her bag and got out a lunch box. "If you're hungry, here." Vicky caught the apple in the air.
"Thanks." It was half past nine in the evening. Despite the flutter in her stomach she ate the apple down to the core. Then she dressed in what she had brought. The outfit was similar to her teacher's, but the only black thing about her were her hair and sneakers. A red shirt, blue jeans and a gray jacket. The clothes were less tight and definitely less sexy. Despite that, she felt a bit uncomfortable dressing up like this. She always had to think she wasn't even old enough to officially go clubbing. Not that she really wanted to. "Is that necessary?"
Heinkel didn't say anything, but her glance said enough. Vicky obliged and tried to put on make-up as good as she could. She was somewhat embarrassed to ask, but her teacher helped without any comment. In the end, it looked great.
Heinkel went back to their bags and put her phone in the pocket of her jacket. "You... you didn't look like the type for that," Vicky said eventually.
"I wouldn't say I'm into it. It's part of the job. Yumie and I have done a lot of weird stuff to stay undercover."
"Like what?"
"Like singing Highway to Hell and table dancing. That was Yumie, though, not me." Vicky had to grin imagining that. Heinkel checked the time and sat down to finish her apple. "Besides, sometimes it's nice to have more freedom than regular nuns, you know?" Vicky nodded. She could see the point, but her mind was on something else. It was weird how different Heinkel looked without the scars she had always known. She seemed to read her student's thoughts.
"Scars are too easy to remember afterwards." She threw the apple core into the wastebasket and stood up. "Alright then. You ready?"
Vicky suddenly needed to swallow to be able to speak. "Yes."
Heinkel smiled. "Remember, anything happens, I'm there. Oh, and don't ever, under no circumstances, accompany them anywhere without telling me. Or, not even that, don't go anywhere without me." Vicky thought she had no intention of doing so anyway. "Aside of that, try not to take a bullet." Vicky had no answer to that. Eventually, she nodded, not able to hide her shock.
"Enrico covers us up, but a bullet wound is next to impossible to explain. We were lucky the last four years. If Anderson finds out about this, we're both dead in the water, okay?"
Vicky nodded again. They left the room, exchanged a few friendly words with the tired receptionist and then went on their way. When the night club came in sight, its name shining over the door in blue and violet, Vicky felt another flutter, this time so strong she thought her legs wouldn't carry her. Get yourself together! You want to be a paladin someday, so don't screw up your first mission!
They quickened their steps. The night air was icy. Vicky tried to look as relaxed as one could be on a night out. They didn't stop before entering the Night Crawler. Just one step and they were in the middle of a raging battle.
Or rather a party, which was really not that different. The room was packed, hot and smelled of perfume, sweat, and alcohol. Vicky looked around uncomfortably until she spotted the vampire from before lingering at the bar, a drink in hand that certainly didn't look like alcohol. There were around four dozen people in the small room, the majority girls in light dresses. Hammering techno music and shouts drowned out any useful sound.
Heinkel nudged her and pointed into a different direction. A man in a white suit stood there, his back turned to them, chatting with a pretty, but heavily drunk woman. For a second Vicky had the weird impression their chief had chosen to get involved personally. The man's blond hair reached down to his buttocks. But of course the chief would never wear such a fashion (was that a fashion?) In the height of his waist the hair was bound with a creme-colored bow. How did that hold in the first place? That got to be the other Valentine, Luke. Vicky swallowed and nodded.
Her teacher gave her an encouraging nod and then went over to the bar. However she chose to get the vampire into a conversation, she would be occupied for a while. Vicky had to manage alone for now. So she took another deep breath – not a good idea. The air seemed to be sticky itself and made her dizzy. She would need a shower after this.
Vicky made her way through the crowd. How should she approach the vampire without arising suspicion? She wished she had a weapon, but except a pocket knife and her close-combat skills she was unarmed. Which, for itself, wasn't half bad if it would be a human enemy. Dancing people pushed her around without noticing. She could see a young woman in a shirt exposing only her pierced belly button drawing away a man. She buried her face in his neck. His face was a mask of pleasure and ecstasy. He didn't even seem to notice when she bit him. Great, more vampires.
Vicky reached the end of the dance floor. Now that her eyes were used to the weird lighting, she was able to make out at least a dozen vampires, most of them women dressed like, well, professionals. Vicky couldn't help a shiver.
Her teacher was leaning on the bar, a drink in hand, talking to the vampire in the black jogging suit. She somehow managed to look coquettish and sweet while ignoring his no doubt obscene remarks and predatory grin. Vicky tripped over a stair and would have gone down if she hadn't hit someone, who caught her in the last moment. When she looked up, she saw the vampire with the long hair. Behind round spectacles on the tip of his nose, green eyes looked down on her in amusement. He didn't look like his brother at all, especially with the light skin he had. Then again, the director didn't look like his sister either.
"Well, hello, young lady," he said. "All alone here and not even a drink at hand?" He had to shout to be heard over the noise. Still, Vicky couldn't help thinking he was somewhat arrogant.
"I'm with my sister," she shouted back. "We just arrived." After a moment's hesitation she added: "Hannah went off to somewhere, though. I'm bored. Does this club have anything interesting?"
"Am I not interesting for a pretty girl like you?", the vampire asked with a frown. Vicky allowed herself a mocking smile.
"We'll see. What's your name, charmer?"
"Luke Valentine. And yours?"
"Vanessa Pratt." She took his arm and her led her away from the dance floor to the stairs. Upstairs, there was the sofa Jan had slept on, now with a bucket of ice and a bottle champagne next to it. He sat down with her and poured them a glass while Vicky tried not to show her discomfort.
"You're not going out often, are you?", he asked with a smile. Vicky pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and laughed uncomfortably.
"No... not really. As I said, my sis brought me here. We don't see each other that often."
"How come? Sisters should stick together. Where is she, by the way? Can you see her?"
Vicky scanned the crowd. From up here you really had a good overview. Heinkel was still talking with Jan Valentine. She pretended to take a sip from her glass. At least Vicky guessed that she would not drink anything of it. That was one of the rules she had been taught: Don't eat or drink anything you don't know. When the vampire turned away, she poured most of it over the bar in the sink. Neither the bartender nor the vampire noticed. Vicky let her gaze wander for a while, not focusing on anyone, until she found a dark haired, already heavily drunk girl her age that seemed to be civilian. "There she is. That's my sister."
Luke nodded and pointed at the vampire at the bar. "That's Jan, my younger brother."
"Pretty exclusive up here, isn't it?", Vicky asked, looking around as if she was there for the first time. Somebody had more or less cleaned up the mess from before. Still, she would have preferred not sitting on this sofa. But Luke in his white suit didn't seem to be troubled.
"Well, that's the advantage of having an own club."
Vicky made big eyes. "That's your club? Wow, I had no idea. Well, then I'm in best company today."
Luke handed her a flute of champagne and laid an arm around her. "Of course you are. But tell me, why did you say you don't see each other often?"
Vicky sighed as if she had to tell that story for the hundredth time. "Our parents got divorced when I was a kid and Hannah a teenager. She stayed here in the US and Mum took me to Italy. I get to go over every summer holidays but that's about it. Now I finished school and I'm staying with them for a few weeks. Maybe I'll stay in the US. I still got the citizenship. It's not that my Mum is super interested in me."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but... It would be wonderful seeing you more often."
Vicky would have pulled a face but didn't dare to. What the hell? "Maybe. Tell me, Luke, what is it like to have a club like this? That must be exhausting, being up all night."
"Ah, you know, we're night owls. Always were. It's not that bad. We get to have fun, meet great people," he nodded at her, "and it makes a living."
"Sounds interesting. No girl at your side, then?"
He grinned. "Except for you, none. Might change, though." Vicky thought it appropriate to giggle. Luke leaned back and watched the crowd. "Astounding start. You know, my brother and I are... not from a good household, if you know what I mean. We ran away when I was sixteen and Jan was fifteen. Lived on the streets, got through with little frauds and all." He caught her gaze. "I'm not saying I'm proud of that. We had the choice: Eat or get eaten. Cheat or die of starvation."
She nodded. "I see. How did you get that club then?"
Luke seemed nostalgic. Either he was making up this sentimental pile of bullshit or he didn't see her as a threat. He had no reason to, for obvious reasons. "We found someone. Or rather got found by someone. His name is Max. Nobody in whose way you want to get. But he gave us a new life and... well this. We're still paying of course, but the agreement is as simple as great. He's got a vision of a better society."
Vicky had trouble to keep a straight face. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that. It was just a farce. He had a plan and she wanted to know what.
"Are you uncomfortable, dear Vanessa?"
She winced. Damn. "Uh... actually, I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but... the club has a certain reputation. My sis and I are kinda making a test of courage. Of course, the rumors are totally stupid, I mean, who believes in monsters these days?" She laughed nervously. "Vampires and stuff."
Luke smiled. "Well, I wouldn't say that." His fangs flashed. Vicky was still trying to decide how she should react, when his smile faltered. She turned around to see a tall, muscular man approach. No, she was wrong, it was a woman, not a man. When the shadows no longer concealed her body shape, the short hair couldn't deny her womanhood. She wore an outfit similar to Heinkel's with boots and a jacket over a top, but the trousers looked like they belonged to a uniform and were far too big for her. They were held in place by a belt. The right side of her face was contorted somehow, and covered in tattoos of letters and a mystic symbol. Her eye was next to black and lifeless. The other one was glowing green, even in the colorful club lights.
"Zorin, my friend," Luke tried to be friendly. He let go of Vicky and stood up. "What are you doing here?" The woman shot Vicky a glare that made her skin crawl for some reason and talked to Luke for about a minute. Then she turned around and stomped away, directly to the other Valentine who was still talking to Heinkel.
"Who was that?", Vicky asked innocently when the vampire sat back down. She had a horrible feeling. Like their cover had been blown. Had she done something wrong? No way.
"Oh, just an acquaintance. She works for Max. Don't worry. Where were we?"
"You wanted to tell me about those vampire rumors."
He grinned. "Of course. Would you like to be immortal? I mean, it's great, right?"
Vicky thought about it for a moment. "Well, yes. That really sounds great. Never aging, never dying. You got to have fun without worrying about wasted time."
"Would you like to see?"
Vicky smiled enthusiastically. "Yes!", she almost squealed, clapping her hands. Luke stood up.
"Then we should get to a more private location, don't you think?" Vicky nodded happily and followed him to the door.
Don't ever, under no circumstances, accompany them anywhere without telling me.
She didn't have an awful lot of choices, right? Refusing would only arouse suspicions. She still wasn't sure what the tattooed woman had wanted. Whatever it was, she belonged to Millennium and could become a problem. "It won't take long, right?", she asked.
"That is up to you." She didn't like the sound of this but what choice did she have but to play along? She looked a last time at the dancing floor below and met her teacher's glare. At least she had the feeling Heinkel looked at her. And she didn't seem happy. Crap.
"Are you coming?" Vicky hastily turned away and followed Luke through the door. He had flicked a light switch. Most of the doors weren't even closed, and an occasional moan or scream was audible. And not all sounded like sounds of pleasure. Luke opened the last door on the left.
The room was small, with only a chair, a bar and a huge bed coated in red sheets. There was no window. Vicky entered and Luke shut the door. Relieved, she noticed he didn't lock up.
She looked around a bit more, checking for possible weapons and trying to seem curious rather than nervous. Her teacher would kill her. Quite right, too.
Luke brushed a strand of hair from her neck.
"A vampire never dies, never ages, never gets sick. All you need is a refuge, and blood."
"Sounds messy," Vicky joked nervously.
He gently opened her jacket. "It's a tiny price compared to what you get. Drinking blood is... wonderful. Imagine the best food you ever ate and combine it with almost... sexual pleasure. And that every time."
She took a step back. "That sounds great. But it would be... mean not to share that right?"
He followed her and took her hands. "Most don't understand what it means. That it is not evil."
"Except for damning your soul to hell," Vicky slipped. A look of disapproval crossed his face, then vanished. Vicky carefully let go. "Listen, I... appreciate this. Just give me a minute, I need to powder my nose."
"That's not necessary." His hand closed like steel around her arm.
"Ow!", she protested. "Do you want my sister to storm in in the middle of action? Because that happens when she remembers she's not alone here. It was fucking embarrassing last time. I'll be right back."
"Ah, of course. No problem." He let her go and she retreated to the door. The rage in his eyes said something very different from his words. Their cover was blown. Somehow, she had managed to screw it up. Her teacher would be so pissed. So much for going on another mission after this. All Vicky could hope for was teacher didn't tell Director Maxwell about her failure. She opened the door and closed it quietly. Soundproof rooms, for fuck's sake. She ran.
Just before reaching the door to the actual club, somebody grabbed her and she spun around, barely suppressing a scream. "What the fuck were you thinking?!", Heinkel hissed at her. "I told you not to go anywhere alone!" Vicky was so relieved that she didn't have an answer for a moment. Eventually, she managed: "Our cover is blown."
"I know. That woman. Let's get our weapons before the shit hits the fan." Heinkel dragged her to the door and they entered the club. The crowd had grown smaller all of a sudden. Some of the civilians had left. They don't want any witnesses.
They casually strolled to the bathroom. When the door closed, the music was cut off with a pang. Heinkel didn't bother to lock the door. A vampire could easily get in anyway. With Vicky standing there like a beat puppy, she retrieved the package with their weapons. Not a splash of water on them. Vicky hesitatingly got her weapons and began putting on the belt. Just like her teacher, she preferred holsters strapped to a belt and her thighs.
"Never do that again," Heinkel said plainly.
They didn't have time to argue, but Vicky tried to defend herself nevertheless. "I didn't have a choice, I thought I might get out what-" She caught a gray-green glare and broke off, staring at her feet. "I'm sorry."
"Don't say you're sorry, say you'll never do it again."
"I'll never do it again."
"Good." The straps were fastened with a satisfying click. Vicky eyed her teacher, wondering what she had to do to become such a good paladin one day. A paladin, who now ruffled her hair until the blond strands fell in her face again. The holsters and guns were almost invisible against the black fabric she wore. She could be a secret agent in a movie. But of course she wasn't. She was a lot cooler than that.
"The moment we step out of here, we're going to be surrounded," Heinkel remarked casually. "So be ready."
Vicky snapped out of her thoughts. "Why aren't they attacking?"
"They have superior numbers and we have only one possibility to get out. There's no need to rush."
Heinkel saw Vicky's sullen face and chuckled. "They don't know who they're up against. The two of us are more than enough to take them out. Just don't take a bullet, okay?"
Vicky nodded and checked her spare clips. Around fifteen vampires, the Valentines included. That should be enough ammo to take out twice as many enemies if she was a good shooter. Besides, her teacher was there as well. No need to worry.
"Shoot at everything that moves. Except for me, please." Vicky gulped and smiled shakily. It was time. Her first fight. She had trained for this. So she wouldn't be one of those who didn't survive their first mission. A student of Iscariot's wolf wouldn't be such a disgrace.
"Ready?" They moved to the door, Vicky behind her teacher.
"Yes."
Heinkel swung open the door. For a second there was nothing. Then the air seemed to explode in a hail of bullets. They shattered the tiled wall behind them, the stalls, the toilets. Dirty water spilled on the equally dirty floor. The two women pressed themselves against the wall right next to the door, the bullets flying past them without actually hitting.
"OKAY, OKAY, STOP IT FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" That was the voice of the younger Valentine. The fire finally ceased. Vicky's ears were ringing. All she heard was the thud-thud-thud of her hammering heart. "They're mincemeat by now. No need to waste ammo."
"Shut up, you idiot. You think they waited in the door frame? Iscariot's agents aren't that stupid." The older Valentine. How did they know we were Iscariots?
"We know you're there, so come out, you sweet little birds," the younger brother mocked them. "Or we have to come in and get you. Then you're fucked in more than the one sense I'm planning."
Vicky was too tense to pay attention to his words, despite one part of her shivering in disgust.
A short tapping on her arm told her it was time. Her teacher jumped out of their cover, rolled over the floor and opened fire. With her Desert Eagles she should have a disadvantage against the automatic rifles, but the vampires had not anticipated an attack. At least half a dozen fell in these first few seconds. Then Vicky was too busy to continue watching, jumping, rolling, covering the opposite direction and trying to manage clean head shots like she had trained.
Her quota was not as good, but she managed to take out a few vampires, before they even thought of returning fire. Until then, she had fled behind the bar and the bullets didn't reach her. The mirror above her shattered and splinters rained down on her. Hopefully, she didn't get cut. In this barn she'd probably get tetanus. And how should we explain that to Father Anderson?
Someone shrieked in pain. That sounded like the younger Valentine, judging from the curses that followed. Vicky would have liked to know what had happened. It was silent except for him. The fire had stopped. Vicky wondered if her teacher was okay. Hopefully. How many enemies were left? A dozen? More?
"Vell, vat have ve here?" She felt a hand on her shoulder and wanted to spin around, but her body didn't obey her anymore. Pictures flooded her mind, the vampire was doing something to her, if she didn't fight, she would die. She struggled with all she had and couldn't do anything. Her vision went black. Teacher! Help me...
Florence, Italy, 2011
Vicky was woken when she heard her parents scream. She was out of bed in a split second, barely staying on her feet dizzy as she was. It had suddenly gone quiet again, but it was a dreadful silence that scared her more than she wanted to admit. She didn't like this house, she didn't like Italy as a whole, even after four years. They should have just stayed in the US like Mum wanted to. But Dad wanted to go back to his beloved Italy and she followed him. First Rome, now, only three days ago, they had come here, farther in the north and again without anyone Vicky knew.
Some part of her hated them for it.
There was a metallic smell in the air and weird noises, as if somebody was eating loudly. Vicky carefully opened the door and sneaked down the corridor. Lacking any better occupation, by now she knew perfectly well which parts of the floor creaked and which didn't. The noises were coming from the living room. Vicky felt sick because of the stink. Mum and Dad always were so tidy, she couldn't imagine they had left food to spoil, but that was how it smelled like.
The door to the living room stood ajar. Vicky noiselessly slipped inside and got down on all fours. She couldn't be seen, because the back of the sofa was faced to the door. She crawled to the edge and peeked around. The next moment she wished she hadn't.
Her parents were lying in a pool of blood. There were men, two of them, and a woman, bent over them and drinking their blood. Vicky jerked back like having been slapped and pressed her hand on her mouth to keep in any sound. She couldn't even whimper, despite having to vomit badly.
She didn't dare to move anymore. What if they heard her? But she couldn't stay either. So she carefully tried to crawl back to the door, but it slammed in a gust of wind. Vicky couldn't suppress a startled squeak. She froze, her whole body trembling, tasting salt on her face.
"What was that?", the woman asked. She spoke Italian.
"Forget about it. The wind. Let's get going before we get busted." The man had a rough voice, unlike the one that answered him.
"But first let's finish off these. Their blood is way too delicious to leave behind."
"You're a glutton, Massimo! Now hurry up." The noises continued. The woman laughed. She had a shrill laugh. Vicky thought she would have to vomit or would just pass out if she had to listen to this any longer. But after a while they stopped. The window was opened. There was a swoosh, and another one, and a third one. Then it was silent.
Vicky managed to get out of her paralysis. She shakily got to her feet. Her parents were lying there, their throats ripped open. Most of the blood was gone. Vicky had to hold on to the armrests of the sofa to stand. She made a step forward, and another one. She didn't know what she would do once she had reached them.
Then her father stirred and got up. Her mother did, too, and wanted to grab her.
Vicky screamed and fell on her buttocks. Her parents stumbled towards her. Their fingernails had turned into claws and teeth to fangs. The torn flesh looked gray. Vicky stared into their glowing red eyes, unable to move. And the worst thing, in the groans she thought to hear her own name.
"Vi-cky... Dar-ling..."
She couldn't stand up, her legs wouldn't carry her, but she crawled back. "Go away! Don't touch me!", she shrieked. The hands were extended towards her, to seize her, to eat her, to make her like they were. Then a bullet took off one of the clawed hands. There was little blood left to be spilled, only flesh to splatter in all directions. Vicky could see the bones of the wrist.
Somebody came through the window, a man in a long black coat. She got to her feet and ran.
"Hey, wait!", the man called after her. There was a curse and more shots. Two shots. Then it was silent. Vicky didn't pay attention. She ran as if the devil himself was after her. Out of the living room, down the hallway, out of the flat, then the house. She sprinted along the next to silent road, only lighted by the occasional lantern. Some people on a late night stroll looked after her in confusion. A young girl, just a child, in pajamas shouldn't run around in the middle of the night alone.
She was found, taken to the police, who didn't believe one word, she came into an orphanage, where she was labeled traumatized and hallucinating, then went to court where she didn't even try to tell the truth anymore. Her aunt in the US didn't want to take her in. She would stay in Italy. She was brought to their flat to pack a few things and told her parents were missing. Then they drove for a long time and she was in Ferdinant Luke's. Nobody believed her. Except...
Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 18th, 2016
"Vicky!" She hit the floor. Hard. It brought her back to her senses. Except Heinkel. For her it was no big deal. The Iscariots are used to this. Vicky scrambled up, just to see the vampire woman catch a few bullets. She was thrown against the shattered mirror, but got back up, bleeding and enraged. "Zis is not over yet!", she spat, before leaping over the bar and leaving the club in a haste. Vicky was dragged to her feet, her guns miraculously still in hand.
"Get going!", her teacher barked before leaping in the middle of the enemies, which was something nobody should ever do, according to her. Vicky exchanged the clips, just to be sure, and ran around the bar. The majority of the vampires was down or occupied. But Luke Valentine had a gun and Heinkel would be too busy to dodge or even notice before it was too late. He had a bullet wound in his face that should have taken his head off.
Vicky would have liked to help her teacher fight those masses of the undead, but the leaders were more important, right?
"Leave her alive!", Jan Valentine barked. He had dragged himself to a chair, slumping there doubled over his bleeding groin. Served him just fine, in Vicky's eyes. "Bitch shot my dick. I'm gonna show her what it can do once I'm healed." They were stronger than normal vampires. She needed a better plan.
Vicky stashed away her guns. She wasn't sure why there was a sword hanging here except for decorative purposes. She certainly hadn't seen it before. It wasn't even sharp. But it was heavy and the momentum took Luke's head right off. Blood splattered on Vicky's face. She spat it out. How disgusting.
Jan jumped up in alarm. "FUCK! YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Then he got another bullet to the groin and one in the head. The head shot didn't go through, but it rendered him almost unconscious. He lay on the floor, groaning. Vicky dropped the sword when someone stopped next to her. Heinkel was out of breath, but seemingly unharmed.
"Not bad. Where did you get that?", she asked.
"It lay around," she said absently. She turned around. The vampires were done for. As she watched, Heinkel almost casually shot one that tried to get up. Next to two dozen enemies in total.
"The woman could flee," Vicky said quietly. "I'm sorry." She still didn't know what had happened, why she had seen the death of her parents again.
"Not your fault. That bitch has some special powers. Keep everything in mind, the chief needs to hear about it. He probably knows what to make of it."
"I won't forget anything," Vicky said. Heinkel shot her a curious glance, but didn't ask. Vicky wiped her eyes. Her face was sticky with blood. "Can we end this now?"
"Sure. Go ahead. Every newcomer should make one significant kill on his first mission."
Vicky almost said she already killed the other one, but didn't in the end. She put a bullet in the vampire's head and that was it.
The club was a mess. Somebody had shut off the music. Vicky noticed it just now. Heinkel went over to the sound system and turned it up at next to full volume. The noise was painful, even after the not exactly quiet fight. Then she grabbed their coats. They hadn't got a scratch or splash of blood. It was ridiculous. Their weapons vanished under the long fabric. Heinkel gave Vicky a handkerchief.
It was a relief to leave the stuffy, hot club. The night air cooled down the blood on Vicky's face rapidly. Unfortunately, they ran directly into a nearly hysteric taxi driver.
"The hell is going on in there?", he asked. "Does somebody have a gun there?!" For a second Vicky's mind was blank in panic. Then she put on her best American accent – she had lost most of it in the five years in Italy – and snapped: "If I find that asshole, I swear to God I won't rest until he got his ass kicked!" She put the handkerchief on her face, pretending to cry. "If my nose is broken, i swear to you-"
The taxi driver went up to them. It was a middle-aged, balding man who obviously liked pizza too much. But he seemed genuinely concerned. "Can I help you, Miss? What happened?"
Vicky looked up sharply. "Some asshole tripped me down the stairs for fun," she spat. "Did you see him?"
The taxi driver thought about it for a moment. "There was a man running out a few minutes ago. Seemed to be in a hurry. That direction." He pointed down the street. "He was limping. What is going on in there?"
Vicky shrugged her shoulders in a huff. "Just some crazy stoner party. I certainly won't come here again."
"You're not from here?", he asked, just to make conversation. He was calming down. If they weren't too frightened, there was probably nothing to be concerned about.
"Nah, upstate New York."
"Nessi, we gotta go," Heinkel fell in. Vicky shrugged.
"Can I take you girls somewhere? To hospital maybe?"
"No thanks, we're staying with friends right around the corner," Vicky said friendly.
"You don't happen to know if someone in there ordered a taxi?", the man asked. He seemed to have had a bad night already.
"Not really. But hey, here. For being so nice." Vicky passed him a ten dollar bill. The man thanked them in surprise, but they had already wandered off, down the street. Once they were around the corner, Vicky scrubbed away the drying blood.
"I gotta say, that was a great job," Heinkel said suddenly. Vicky couldn't fight an enthusiastic smile.
"I didn't screw it up?"
"Not at all. You handled it like a pro. I'll certainly tell 'Rico about it. Though you still gotta learn to obey orders." She didn't seem angry, which was a big relief.
Vicky blushed and looked away. They continued to walk in silence, just two girls in the crowd of late-night strollers. An astoundingly large group for a Sunday night, Vicky wondered.
Her first mission was over. She was still alive, and unhurt, and had made a significant kill. Her teacher had said she had done a good job. So maybe the chief would be proud of her too when she brought him information about Millennium's vampires.
The beasts that had killed her parents were still out there. Should they enjoy their unlives as long as they could. Once she was a paladin, she would hunt them down. She would get the revenge she deserved. And nobody would be able to stop her.