2006, 7th February

Miami, USA

Ksenia had not called the coven to meet tonight which meant Ruby had more time to herself to attend to her own projects.

The one she was currently interested in sat in the base of a ferry she had singled out for her own purposes.

But something was wrong tonight, even though Ruby couldn’t precisely put her finger on it.

The one masterpiece that Dr. Bradley Hunter had come up with, a mutation Ruby had never managed to replicate, now lying dead in the base of the ferry.

Unlike the other specimens that Ruby herself had worked to mutate with her own blood, that had undergone neural atrophy, this particular specimen underwent hypertrophy with an accompanied increase in intracranial hypertension, and had subsequently died within a matter of days.

But like a beheaded viper, the specimens’ synapses refused to stop firing, and the results had been fairly extraordinary.

The specimen had managed a watered down version of the vampires’ powers of domination, which it displayed even now.

The silvery forms of aquatic life shone in the moonlight, sticking up through the surface of the water, attracted by the psychic call of the corpse presently decomposing at the base of the ferry.

Ruby wrinkled her nose as she got to the base of the ferry; It didn’t take an enhanced sense of smell to catch the unpleasant scent of decay, which was why she had left her ferry far from shore.

She made her way below, to her most successful, yet failed experiment.

And then the boat began to rock.

The weather was relatively calm, if uncharacteristically cold, and the waters were still.

And yet, the boat was unsteady.

Ruby rushed back onto the deck, looking out onto the pitch black water below, now devoid of all silver, glittering life.

Then a pale, putrescent hand shot from the depths.

And another.

And another.

Water-bloated animated corpses, wearing neon fluorescent raincoats, crowded the thrashing depths, completely surrounding the boat, glassy eyes looking up at Ruby as salt water spilled from open mouths that never spoke, nor made a sound.

And slowly but surely, they began to scale the hull.

Without missing a beat, Ruby drew her revolver, and shot the one that had led the climb twice, exposing the brain matter to air.

Soundlessly it fell into the water, then was pulled underneath by even more thrashing hands.

These creatures seemed far quicker than any human as far as Ruby could see, but not nearly as quick as her.

She was not threatened, despite their numbers, and she ripped a part of the metal bannister free, and took her stance in the centre of the deck.

As they rose, she crushed their skulls with whistling blows of her improvised weapon, conserving the four remaining shots from her revolver when she needed to clear some space.

And doing so, she noticed they weren’t focussed on her at all, only trying to get around her and below the deck to where her experiment lay in wait.

Had that thing managed to call these creatures with its psychic activity, or had they been sent here- by someone, or something- to retrieve it.

Either way, Ruby did not give ground, even as her sneakers began to slip on the surface of the deck, now slick with blood and sea-spray.

Eventually, the tide of bodies began to thin, but Ruby felt foreboding instead of relief, her brow furrowing as she felt a new, ominous presence on the horizon, and the water beneath the hull began to swell.

Then something rammed into the ferry, the hull splitting with a screech of metal, and the vessel began to take on water.

Ruby took this opportunity to coax her stilled heart to beat once more, her limbs flushing with heat as she dove into the water.

And in the black depths she saw it; a monstrous creature the like of which she had never seen before, even in myths and fiction, its form protean, ever-shifting, a mass of flesh with thorny protrusions that had split the ferry’s metallic hull apart.

Pulling a burst of energy from her blood, she shot through the inky water, even as the gutted remains of the ferry, as well as the several corpses, began to sink, obscuring the unnatural mass of flesh from view.

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The reservoirs of blood running through Ruby’s circulatory system began to dry, as she supplied increased power to her limbs, enabling her to cut through the waters at increased velocity to outrun the horde of drowned dead.

The colossal creature made no attempt to follow, apparently having got whatever it came for, and Ruby did not spare a backward glance.

Dragging herself to shore, she spit out lungfuls of water, nose cutting through the scent of salt water to seek the blood she so desperately needed.

Which she found in a passerby, who saw nothing but a woman dragging herself from the chill water, unsteady on her feet.

He hadn’t even decided whether he should walk forward and see if she needed help, or write her off as a junkie beyond help, when she surged forward, fangs flashing, and tore into the man’s throat.

Ruby purred in satisfaction as she withdrew from the stranger’s now lifeless body, war blood running over her tongue and dispersing through her gastrointestinal tract to her circulatory system, her limbs running hot for a split second before returning to the cool death like tranquillity.

And then she made her way home, soaked clothes striking uncomfortably to her body.

She knew there was no point asking Dr. Hunter about what she had seen; brilliant though the man was, she knew she was the more experienced one when it came to matters like this.

The internet would be no help unless she wanted to waste time trawling through sensationalist articles about the Loch Ness monster.

So she changed out of her outfit, and made her way to Ksenia’s home, to ask for aid from her coven.

2006, 7th February

Los Angeles, USA

When Jason Ortega made his call, he did so with a trembling hand, though whether it was fear, starvation, or both, he could not tell.

His master picked it up on the second ring.

I heard, was all he said.

“Master… I was the only one who survived… All the rest of them-”

You were left alive to lead whatever attacked you right back to me. Where is it you’re calling from?

“A public payphone.”

Cover your tracks when you’re done with it, and don’t even think about using any of the other hidden transit lines to make your way back.

Something cold settled in the pit of Jason’s stomach.

“Am I… being cut loose?”

Hmm? No… No, you’re too deeply entrenched in this to throw you away so casually. Whatever attacked you did well to keep the most valuable target alive.

Jason swallowed; the fact that he was the leader of that group would be fairly apparent to anyone that took the time to observe.

How long had that creature been watching them without his awareness?

Could it be that he was being watched even now?

Go to the Ulfhednar.

“What?”

We have an agreement. They’ll keep you safe, and bring you back here to make your report.

Dropping the receiver, Jason followed up with a few calls to dead end numbers, then left to find the office where the White Mambas conducted their business.

Jason never liked to deal with the Ulfhednar; their overwhelming stature alone was a glaring and constant reminder of how mortal he truly still was.

But they were reliable, relentless warriors; his master employed their services frequently, and Ortega had never seen a more efficient fighting force.

He knew where the White Mamba’s offices were; he visited them frequently enough, and he mostly kept to the well lit routes, glancing over his shoulder at every shadow, until he finally made it to his destination intact.

The office was small, but well maintained, a clear sign of how well the mercenaries were paid for their services.

Jason knew his way around, and he soon made his way to Astrid’s office.

Astrid was a larger woman than any he had ever seen, covered in burn scars from head to toe, which only added to the intimidation of her appearance.

And this time, there was another in her office, a man, silver haired and just as large; likely an Ulfhednar he had not crossed paths with before.

Astrid spotted him, and paused mid conversation to beckon him over.

The other one looked his way, and a flash of irritation passed his expression, to be replaced by tranquil neutrality a moment later.

“I suspect you were involved in that little incident with the old prohibition tunnels collapsing in on themselves yesterday? Lots of fatalities there.”

“Why did you assume that?”

“Those were your blood couriers found among the bodies, weren’t they?”

“The police work fast..”

“We work faster. A single body went missing during the cleanup. One assumes you didn’t want your partner ending up under a microscope somewhere.”

“...Much obliged.”

“We’ll add it to your bill. I’m guessing you need an escort back to Washington? This assignment will set you back a bit more, but your master should be good for it.”

“Why the extra charges?”

“You know why. It must have taken an impressive creature to collapse the tunnels on your little party last night. I know you’re not capable of such a thing,” Astrid shot the silver haired stranger a look, “We might be, if we’re really motivated, right, Magnus?”

The stranger, apparently named Magnus, grunted, “There aren’t many things that would motivate me enough to do something like that.”

Jason frowned for some reason he did not yet fully understand.

“This… isn’t going to be a problem, is it,” he asked, his eyes fixed on Magnus, who returned an irritated frown of his own.

“Magnus is strong,” Astrid smoothly stepped in, “And you’re going to need all the help you can get to survive a second encounter with whatever you ran into yesterday. And when we reach Washington, we’ll need numbers on our side.”

“What?”

“Your master called ahead, barely minutes before you got here. Apparently, the local blood witch coven he employs has uncovered evidence of the encroachment of a Pure Blood vampire. He’s calling in the cavalry from all corners of the states,” Astrid bared her teeth, halfway between a grin and a snarl, “A worthy hunt, Magnus, wouldn’t you agree.”

Magnus leaned forward and stared intently at Astrid.

“Soldiers from all over the states, you say? A worthy hunt indeed,” he said.