Campus Vigilantes

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Oh yeah, you got shot. We can take a look at it when we get back. I know a bit of first aid, and maybe Vishaka here will be willing to stitch you up if needed."

[-Sentinel-]

" Do we have some sort of med kit on the base? i'd really like to stop this bleeding you now..."

"I... really appreciate how you risked your life for me," said Vishakha, her tone earnest, "but stitching that injury would take time I'm not sure we have right now."

"We'll discuss what to do about Karen, the vamp chick, and my research subject once we're there. Any objections?"

"Hell yes, I object!" exclaimed Vishakha. "What's there to discuss about, and why can't we do it here? Maria's in there, and Karen likely is too. Every minute we wait, Maria might get away, or... hurt Karen. She's getting desperate, and that makes her unpredictable."

"I can get us inside the nightclub," Christian assured. "I have my police badge, remember. I'll tell the agents outside that you're witnesses, here to show me how and where the shooting happened. As long as there's not too many of us, they'll believe me. Just Matt and Leon, let's say? You know the place better than us. The three of us should be enough to take care of Maria."

"I'm coming too," said Vishakha fiercely. It appeared to have become personal now that she knew more about what was going on.


OOC:

Spoiler

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Really, really sorry if it looks like I'm railroading you, but we are very close to the end of the story and there are practically no obstacles left before the final showdown . At this point, going back to base is like stopping for tea time on the slopes of Mount Doom.

Of course, if you have an excellent reason to do so, I'm not excluding the possibility out of hand. You just need to convince your NPC allies, especially Vishakha. You can also suggest alternate plans; Christian's idea may not be the only possibility.

As for healing, I'm afraid the rules (p.61) are too inconvenient right now. The characters just don't have the time or tools to make a significant difference. However, let's say it has been 15 minutes already since the fight, so you may each remove one point of bashing damage thanks to natural healing.

The damage is now:

Matthew: 3 lethal
Leon: 2 bashing
Christian: 3 bashing
Vishakha: 1 bashing
Lillian: 1 bashing

The others are fine.

[Misaat]

" All right then... Someone pass me their cellphone... i gotta plan..."

Matthew says stretching one of his hands towards his teammates.

[-Sentinel-]

Christian handed Matthew his phone, a look of keen interest on his face.

[Misaat]

Matthew presses his own numbers on Christian's cellphone.

[-Sentinel-]

This time it took a little while for Maria to answer.

"Yes?"

Matthew had expected her tone to be cold, but she sounded neutral.

[Misaat]

Matthew tries to hear closely at the background noise from where Maria's speaking... if should be kinda loud if she had reached the Bar already...

" Maria. I was afraid you might have thrown my phone away... So... that could have gone better...Now what? You hunt us down and then we hunt you guys down... and you kill some of us and we kill some of you and so on and so forth? Does that sound fine to you? "

[-Sentinel-]

Matthew could hear no background noise. Then again, the bar was closed and under police investigation.

"I never wanted to kill anyone," said Maria, her voice chilling again. "You're the ones who started the killing. You think my kind will let you get away with not only what you know, but also this affront? No way. I tried to do it the nice way, but... you blew your chance. Even if I wanted to give you another, I somehow doubt my superiors will. What do you want now?"

[Misaat]

"The "Nice" Way? Kidnapping and drugging people then taking them as hostages are NOT "Nice" Things! We want what we wanted from the beginning. We want Karen back. That's the only thing we ever wanted from you guys..."

[-Sentinel-]

Brief silence on the other end of the line.

"She'll be freed soon enough, alive and... mostly unharmed. You want her now? Then come and get her."

[Misaat]

" I'm sorry. I really believe you when you say you don't wanna hurt her... But we are not gonna play by "your" rules... Here's the thing though. Now we have YOUR friend... Who you might not honestly care about... But that's irrelevant you see... He is a Vampire too... I wonder how this whole masquerade you guys wanna keep will hold out if i make my friend dissect him and then then upload the videos of his skin suddenly closing up and turning to dust at the touch of sunlight to every University in the state hell in the WORLD. New station Forums Humor Sites Youtube comment sections. How many minds can you wipe out in a night? Because that's the beauty of it you know it doesn't matter if 99% Of the people watching it believe it to be Fake... That other 1% are gonna be thousands of people wondering the streets looking for people like you guys... Now... Ask yourself... How does that fare against the word and knowledge of a mere high-school junkie girl? "

[-Sentinel-]

Spoiler

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I must say I'm quite impressed with Matthew's proposal here... That may be worth extra XP when this story is over, very soon. Also, I'm realizing that a whole new series of possibilities are opening up for the climax of the story.

When Maria answered, her tone was suddenly incertain. "We can have the lot of you identified and silenced within hours. The Prince has men everywhere. And if you upload such a video and manage to hide, which is unlikely... then it's your families we'll hurt."

That last threat sounded a bit desperate, as if Maria was out of arguments. She remained silent for a long moment. Matthew could picture her thinking furiously. When she spoke again, her tone was a bit more polite, as if she was finally willing to admit that she did not hold the advantage.

"Of course, I don't want to be the one to ask the Prince to clean up behind me, so I'm willing to negotiate. So what are you suggesting? Karen against Gregory's body, is that it?"

[Misaat]

Matthew looks at the rest of the Team (specially at Vishaka) as he repeats.

"A simple exchange then... You get Gregory's back... We get Karen back...that's the first thing then we need to talk... i really want to work this out you know... Where should we meet for the exchange?"

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon blanches slightly at Matt's proposal, but holds his peace for the moment.

[-Sentinel-]

"Where should we meet for the exchange?"

"There's an underground parking garage at the corner of Adams and Goldstein," said Maria. "It should be empty at this time of the night. Get there in a car at exactly midnight. Not a van, not an SUV, just a car. There's only one way in for cars, and it will be watched by one of my men. If a second car goes in, or if you're not there on time, or if you try any sort of trick, I'll personally slit Karen's throat. Understood?"


OOC:

Spoiler

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Midnight is in about half an hour. You have just the time to get a car, put Gregory's body in it and drive to Adams/Goldstein.

[Misaat]

" Got it... the same goes for you "

After saying goodbye Matthew returns Leon's phone.

" All right... we can get Karen back now..."

Matthew explains briefly to the group about the conversation he just had with Maria.

" We found some Key's on this guy right? Think we can find his car around here? "

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"It's probably behind the bar, in the employees' parking lot. So, we're meeting her in a secluded place, at midnight, just the six of us so she can bring overwhelming force to bear, and oh yeah, YOU'RE GIVING AWAY MY RESEARCH SUBJECT!"

[Misaat]

" As opposed to... meeting them at their base where they would outnumber us and still have us cornered? This might be the only chance we have of retrieving Karen without it turning into a bloodshed..."

He looks at the rest of the group again.

" Does anyone else have a problem with this approach? "

[-Sentinel-]

" Does anyone else have a problem with this approach? "

"I have none," said Christian. "Anyway, I was never too happy about the whole Unit 731 thing, vampires or not. Sorry, Leon."

Using the smart key found on Gregory, they quickly identified his car — a brand new, spotlessly clean, bright-red Lexus IS 350 with tinted windows. It was parked right in front of the Rasputin Bar, but not in the employees' parking lot; as Leon now remembered, Gregory had been only a VIP customer.

Spoiler

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"So... Five people max, I guess," said Vishakha. "Only one car allowed, remember. I'm going for sure."

"Me too," said Christian. "I'm the one Karen trusted to find her if she didn't come back. Matt, Leon, you're the ones Maria knows best... She might find it suspicious if you're not there too. Who else is in?"

"I'm coming," said Maxwell eagerly. "Since I'm clearly the very best fighter of you all, the most handsome, and obviously the hero of this story."

Lillian rolled her eyes. Still, she did not insist to be included, and neither did Neil for that matter. "Stay in touch. The minute you're out of there with Karen, call us. I don't trust that bitch Maria."

Spoiler

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If you have anything to do or say before going, now is the time. I'll then fast-forward to midnight.

Leon and Christian each heal 2 bashing damage, since 30 minutes elapse between this moment and the meeting. Matthew has lethal damage, so there's no healing for him.

[Misaat]

" Max you have a Car too Right? Can you give Lily the keys? It would be nice to have another set on wheels on stand by "

Matthew says as he gets on the back of the car.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon waves dismissively. "Bah! It's not even really the autopsy I'm disappointed about, it's that I know she'll get him back up again. Vampires always need some special ritual to fully destroy. You know, cut off the head, fill mouth with holy wafers, burn the body and scatter the ashes at a crossroad, that sort of thing. We haven't done any of that, and we're just going to give him back, so we'll have two vampires on our tails again. Speaking of which, how do we know this isn't a trap?"

[Misaat]

" That's why it's called a hostage exchange they wont pay much for a cup of ashes. If my plan works we wont have anyone of them on our tails. Of course this could be a trap... That's why we must keep an eye out at all times... at the first weird thing we see. We hightail out of there... "

[-Sentinel-]

" Max you have a Car too Right? Can you give Lily the keys? It would be nice to have another set on wheels on stand by "

“Sure.” Max handed Lillian his keys. “You and Neil don't get in unless we call you, got it? We don't want to get Karen killed.”

Christian sat at the wheel, Max called shotgun, and Leon, Matt and Vishakha squeezed on the back seat. Their first stop was the closed Starbucks where the last confrontation had taken place. The building had been cordoned off by the police and was now under investigation by a dozen agents. Neil's suggestion to hide the body in another dumpster a hundred yards away turned out to be a good call: it would have been next to impossible to get it back unnoticed from right under the cops' noses. They retrieved Gregory's body as surreptitiously as they could, carried it back to the Lexus and shoved it into the trunk. Then they were off to the meeting place.

---

1

Midnight

As Maria had said, the underground parking lot on Adams/Goldstein had only one entrance, and a narrow one at that. There would be no easy getaway for either side if things went south. Next to the entrance stood a thin, bald man that Matt recognized as the bartender of the Rasputin Bar. The man acknowledged them with a quick nod.

Christian brought his cellphone to his ear. “Lillian? Neil? We're going in.”

“Ten-four. We'll park one block behind.”

“Ten-four? Seriously? This isn't a SWAT operation, Lillian.”

“Sorry, always wanted to say that.”

Christian rolled his eyes and drove the car into the parking lot. It was a narrow, claustrophobic place, with a low ceiling, pockmarked concrete columns and graffiti-covered walls. Dying neon tubes basked the entire room in a faint orange glow. Only one other vehicle was there, parked on the opposite end, facing them; a black Ford Escape.

Three people stood by it.

One was Maria. Having apparently decided to get serious, she now carried a three-foot-long machete. Another was her third (and, Leon and Matt hoped, last) bouncer, the one who had been checking people's IDs at the door of the Rasputin Bar earlier tonight. Built like a football player, he had short-cropped black hair, tattooed arms and a bandage across his broken nose. His right hand held a baseball bat, while his left rested on the shoulder of the third person.

The third was an athletic-looking girl with shoulder-length brown hair, a biker's leather jacket and well-worn blue jeans. She had her hands behind her back. She held her face down and did not oppose any resistance.

“Karen!” hissed Vishakha, squirming to get a better look from the back seat.

Maria stepped forward and motioned Christian to stop his vehicle right there. Christian obeyed and brought the Lexus to a halt some thirty yards away from the Ford Escape. He opened his window to allow communication.

“Get out of the car, all of you,” Maria ordered. “Close the doors, throw me your car keys and put your hands on the roof where I can see them. I got your goods, now I need to make sure you got mine.”

[Misaat]

"Easy..."

Matthew said getting out of the car and putting his hands on the roof.

" Everything's fine he's in the trunk. Come with me and we'll let him out... i'd really appreciate if you let Karen and Vishaka here have a quick talk over there..."

He points to a place away from both the Lexus and the Escape.


"Just to make sure she is fine.If it makes you feel better you can have that guy close to them as they speak... but then you would have to accept to have Max close to them as well "

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon gets out of the car and does as he was ordered. "I lost a test subject, we've been outmaneuvered, and I'm really beginning to think I need something better than a knife for this job. I just want this night over with."

[-Sentinel-]

With extreme reluctance, Maxwell stepped out of the car without his rapier, as there was no way he could keep it hidden on his person, and closed the door. Christian kept his pistol inside his jacket, but otherwise obeyed; he threw the smart key to Maria and put his hands on the roof.

" Everything's fine he's in the trunk. Come with me and we'll let him out... i'd really appreciate if you let Karen and Vishaka here have a quick talk over there..."

"Sounds fair," Maria agreed. "But you, kid, you don't move an inch. Karen, go over there." She pointed at a column on the left side of the parking lot, about an equal distance from the two cars. Karen complied. "Yes, perfect, not one more step. You... um... Vishakha, is that it? You may talk to Karen."

Vishakha blew out a breath of relief, ran to Karen and caught her in a fierce hug. Karen could not hug her in return, as her hands were still behind her back. Vishakha talked to her in a quiet, soothing voice. Matt and Leon could not hear what was being said, but Karen did not appear to share her roommate's relief. She just stood stiffly, face down, like a shellshocked soldier.

Ignoring the exchange, Maria pressed a button of the smart key, opening the trunk of the Lexus; then another button, locking all the doors. Maxwell cursed under his breath... His rapier was now much harder to access if things went wrong.

"Vic, make sure the body's in the trunk," Maria told her goon.

Vic nodded and walked over to the back of the Lexus, keeping an eye on Christian and the others to make sure no one tried to pull a weapon. He took one glance inside the open trunk

"Yeah, it's in there alright," he rumbled.

"Get it out."

"Sure, ma'am."

The big man pulled Gregory's limp body out of the trunk with a single hand and dumped it rather unceremoniously on the floor of the parking lot. He then turned his attention back to the vigilantes, his steady gaze watchful but expressionless. Leon found him too close for comfort.

Maria smiled, though the smile did not quite reach her eyes. "Well, I'm glad we're all settled. I'll try nothing more against you, as you're more trouble than you're worth. This said, I'm afraid I can't guarantee your safety from the rest of my kind if they learn about you... and they will, sooner or later. Karen, you go with them. The rest of you, you can take your hands off the roof."

Vishakha gently took Karen by the shoulder and led her back to the Lexus, still whispering to her. Only then did Matt notice how bad Karen looked when seen from up close. Although she kept staring at the floor, her blackened eye and swollen lower lip were easily noticeable. There was dried blood on her leather jacket, especially around the neckline. She must have put up quite a fight last night, when she was captured... She was an amateur boxer, Matt remembered from his Internet research. Perhaps it explained Vic's bandaged nose.

[Misaat]

Matthew made a small frown when he saw Karen's lip swollen... he turned to Maria.

" About that... Remember i said we needed to talk over the phone? "

He made a gesture with his hand pointing at the place where Vishaka and Karen had been talking before.

"Mind if we chat for a bit? "

[-Sentinel-]

Irritation flickered through Maria's eyes, but she nodded and walked over to the designated spot.

"Make it quick."

[Misaat]

" Do you hate humans? "

[-Sentinel-]

Maria took a moment to consider the question. She looked like she had never really thought about it before.

"I was one, once. I can't hate them, as I still understand them... and pity them for their weakness and ignorance. But how I feel about them makes no difference to the beast in me. We all do what we must to survive, and survival will always trump emotions, good or bad. I'm not expecting you to stop protecting your friends and family from my kind, any more than you should expect me to stop feeding."