Vermain<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>mattbabyNicolae<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>Ferrinus<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>dammitwhoFerrinusdammitwho<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>mattbabydammitwhoFerrinusdammitwho<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>mattbabyFerrinus<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>Nicolaethat surpr<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>ing, really. Giving h<strong>on</strong>or to an oldcompatriot."Anatoli nods, heading back to The Car, trying to keeph<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> eyes off of Spectator in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> hopes that h<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> usualwacky grin will return.Some time passes."Dare I ask?"Dietrich takes <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> wheel. Spectator leads <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> way.Anatoli grins.Later: Dietrich, Anatoli <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> presumed Carthian aredriving downhill, into <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> western port area of Soroya;Adrian <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> at Emily's door.Knock, knock."I'm busy!""You are an American, so you will not underst<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>. TheDrag<strong>on</strong>s were very old men even before <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Embrace.Maximillian, too, was an old man. They would not leavehim." Th<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>n't exactly what Sarah believes happened,but she doesn't seem inclined to explain fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r."<str<strong>on</strong>g>It's</str<strong>on</strong>g> Adrian. D'you know where Gypsy <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>?" Khas callsthrough <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> door."As I said, a minor questi<strong>on</strong> over a relative l<strong>on</strong>g dead.Thank you for clearing it up.""Come back later, Adrian! I'm busy!" Emily's voice <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>muffled; she's clearly fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than just <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r sideof <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> door."Fair enough. Thanks for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> help, my Lady."Sarah: "By all means. Perhaps someday you can return<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> favor." Count <strong>on</strong> it."-...sure, right, sorry." Interrupting ano<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r's GreatWork <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>, of course, strictly forbidden by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Order'srules, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> top of that Adrian <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>n't particularlyinterested in inadvertently learning somethinghorrifying about <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> perpetual twelve year old. Heretreats from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> shut door.If <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y have no more to d<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>cuss, Sarah's leaving.And retreats also from intellectual curiosity, provinghimself unfit of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> title Drag<strong>on</strong> >:-)Ant<strong>on</strong>'s halfway into h<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> car.That leaves <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Gangrel stuck, of course... Elysium's ablood bath, Barbie's useless, Emily's occupied.Fortunately, when all else fails, Khas has notes tocompile <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> cross-reference.Spectator: "In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re, behind <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> warehouses - <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> smallflats."Dietrich follows Spectator, h<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> paranoia kicking inagain. Down by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> docks, great place for a body dump.No! Shut up, Dietrich's Brain!
FerrinusNicolaeVermain<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>FerrinusVermain<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>mattbaby<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>FerrinusVermainNicolae<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>Vermain<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>Nicolae<str<strong>on</strong>g>banana</str<strong>on</strong>g>VermainWhat does it sound like's going <strong>on</strong> behind <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> door,though?"What sort of ordnance did you have in mind,Spectator?"Dietrich shouldn't be worried, really, c<strong>on</strong>sideringAnatoli's following close behind, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> he's stilldouble-cocked.The area has people in it, actually - maritime workers,even though it's 2, 3 AM. The unloading <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> loading ofc<strong>on</strong>tainer vessels <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> 24 hours a day.Khas has super-hearing, after all."Nothing flammable, I am hoping?"All Khas could hear was objects being moved around.Also, breathing.Its time to head back to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Haven. Ant<strong>on</strong>'s got work todo <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> some nifty little notes to cheat from. Perfect.Spectator: "Well, now. A better questi<strong>on</strong> might be...what do you want?""Normally, people add 'within reas<strong>on</strong>' to that. Forgetit. What do you want, within or without reas<strong>on</strong>?"He takes out a small key, unlocking a door to a unitbehind <strong>on</strong>e of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> warehouses.Ant<strong>on</strong>'s off, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> I assume Sarah also. Aproductive evening has been spent!Breathing, hmm. Well, Khas doesn't want to deal with<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fallout of barging in <strong>on</strong> Emily - whatever she'sdoing - so he's going to see if he can't find anythingsubstantive <strong>on</strong> Invictus blood oaths or lupines oranything else particularly strange <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Countessmenti<strong>on</strong>ed. He'll look in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Vault if that's where hefigures such material lies, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> try Emily in a fewhours."I think, in th<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> case, excess <str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> a good idea, yes?""Hmmmm... flamethrower's out. Heavy firepower, maybe.Something that will probably incapacitate him, put himin torpor, instead of turning him to ash outright. Afew guns, maybe a really big axe... unless you havesort of gun that shoots wooden stakes.""Yes.""Is that all?""You have a gun that shoots wooden stakes?""Yes.""I would love to see that."The door opens, leading to.. an office. There are acouple of desks, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> a bunch of card catalogues <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> faxmachines.Anatoli tries to p<strong>on</strong>der <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> physics of it all, but th<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>was never h<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g> best subject. "Eh... any good p<str<strong>on</strong>g>is</str<strong>on</strong>g>tols?"