Stage Two – Diversification
~ Miami ~
Speed startled, lifting his hands in surrender. "Mac? Come on! It's me here!"
Taylor growled low in his throat. He had no idea what he was facing, but it wasn't a Vampire. "Don't lie to me! Who the fuck are you?"
Having gotten tired of waiting for his Mate, Danny was headed to go find Mac himself, thinking he'd been distracted by a phone call or something, when he felt a sudden tension curl into his stomach through the Bond. He quickened his pace, hurrying down the halls until he walked in on the strange sight of Mac holding Speed at gunpoint.
Then he heard what they were saying.
Reaching for his cell, he sent a quick, discreet text message to Riddick.
9-1-1 Lab
He then pulled his own gun and moved in closer.
"Mac, really you've been working too hard…"
"I can smell you." Mac glanced over at his Mate, acknowledging his presence. "Tell me now what you did with Timothy Speedle."
Speed turned and grinned at Danny. "Would you two calm down..? This is nuts!"
"Whoever the fuck you are, you're not my brother!" he growled, slamming his fist into the creature's jaw once he was close enough.
When 'Speed' swung back, Danny easily dodged it, before kicking out and knocking the guy to the ground. "Definitely not my brother. You fight like a fucking girl!"
Speed actually grinned, like a great game was about to be played, then he too kicked out, using both feet, knocking Danny's legs out from under him in a move that was as graceful as it was agile.
The he was up and gone down the hall in a flash, moving faster than a human being ever could.
Danny jumped up and gave chase.
Mac lowered his gun in frustration, glaring at his Mate, who never even saw his ire. "Seriously need to teach that boy to stop jumping into the middle of things without thinking," he grumbled.
He grabbed his phone and called Riddick, as he moved down the stairs toward the parking lot. "We have a situation here."
'What type?' Riddick demanded, already heading for the lab.
"Speed walked into tonight, but it wasn't Speed."
'Exactly how wasn't it Speed?'
"Heartbeat." Mac answered, just as he got to his Hummer.
Despite two years of life in Miami he was still not used to driving it.
"Strange smell," he continued. "Weird."
Hearing a crash of glass, he looked up to see Danny on the roof not too far over his head, looking down.
Taylor followed his line of sight to where a Patrolman was getting into a vehicle parked in the back of the lot. "Pickup Danny and follow my GPS. I'm in pursuit."
He hung up the phone and leapt into his vehicle, grabbing the radio as he sped away.
Giving his identification to Dispatch, he ordered back up. "Put an APB out on a black Mercedes, license plate Apple One Six Tango Delta Frank."
When Riddick reached the lab, he slowed just long enough for Messer to get into the passenger seat beside him, before heading in the direction Mac Taylor had taken.
He tossed Danny his phone. "You can explain to Horatio what the hell is going on."
The Hunter stared at the phone for a second and grimaced. "Do I have to?"
Riddick growled.
He rolled his eyes and dialed the Clan's Head of Security.
It never even rang, it just got picked up that fast.
'Don't tell me you have no idea what the fuck is going on!? I felt Speed go down and now you're telling me Mac is chasing him!'
Danny grimaced. Horatio was more than a tiny bit pissed off. "Hey, it's Danny. It wasn't Speed."
'What wasn't Speed!' Horatio demanded, his voice low and deadly. 'I want answers, Messer. NOW!'
"We don't know. Someone who looked like Speed showed up at the lab. But he smelled wrong, and he had a heartbeat. And then he changed. It. It changed. We're in pursuit now."
'Where is Speed?'
"We don't know," Danny answered, trying to hold back his own fears.
The person he'd been chasing through the building had just, morphed.
Yeah, that was the word for it.
Morphed.
Into another person.
Right in front of his goggling eyes.
Riddick reached over and snagged the phone back, keeping a watchful eye on the GPS readout secured to the dash of his car. "Eric and Calleigh are on their way to the Orient to find out what's going on. Eric will call you directly as soon as he knows something."
'Find this thing and bring it to me!' Horatio growled, before ending the call.
"Whatever this thing is, it seriously pissed off the wrong Vampire," Danny muttered, as he tracked the GPS. "It's heading into the club district. Fuck!"
"You said it smelled wrong." Riddick glanced over at him, a small frown creasing his forehead. "Explain that. And why you said 'it'."
"Just wrong. Like it wasn't human, yet it was. Like one of those bad protein mixtures when you mix stuff that shouldn't be." Danny really had a hard time trying to explain it. "It had a primitive smell." He shrugged. "I'm not sure what it was."
Mac parked the Hummer in one of the small lots situated just before reaching the clubs of South Beach.
It would be all too easy for his target to hide within the swarming masses of people all enjoying a good night out, and he was deeply concerned for public safety at that point.
His eyes scanned the crowd, taking in all the tiny details on everyone he could see in the immediate scope of his senses.
Searching faces, clothes, body language…
Then a hint of that particular smell.
It was highly distinctive.
He pulled his gun and started across the street.
Horns blared as he held up his hand showing his badge.
Mac stepped onto the curb, forcing his senses further, searching again.
There.
His bright blue eyes locked onto a small boy.
But his mind refused to accept what he saw, so he shut down rational thought, and let his instincts take over.
He raised his gun.
The kid frowned then ran off.
He gave chase, trying to keep his focus on the boy, only to see him dive into one of the many clubs, scooting between people's legs.
Mac pulled out his phone and dialed Danny.
'Found the Hummer. Where are you?'
"Outside Dameons." He flashed his badge and walked into the pulsating club. The music moved around him like a living thing, pulsating through his bones. "Don't Hunt by sight, go by smell."
'Got it. Twins coming in from the South. Riddick and I are coming from the North.'
"Cover exits."
Mac hung up the phone and settled his senses to Hunt down that one particular smell again.
The music dulled in his ears, his eyes caught every trace of movement, his sense of smell heightened as he concentrated on seeking that one peculiar thing that should never have been there.
He moved with ease through the press of bodies.
Searching.
Sensing.
Men and women moved against him.
Pheromones danced around him.
Mac felt a warm body slide lithely up his back.
With a quick turn on one heel, he gripped the young woman's wrist, his fist clenched like a vice.
"Oh, man! You're hurting me."
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, squeezing tighter.
"Stop! You're hurting me! Help!!" she screamed.
He shoved her through the dancers on the floor, slamming her back against the bar.
When a couple of jocks pushed towards them, all too eager to be heroes, Mac pulled his badge. "Back off! This is a serious terrorist threat."
She used the distraction against him.
Reaching over, she grabbed a half empty beer bottle someone had left behind, and swung it at Mac, who let go of her and ducked.
She kicked out knocking him back.
Mac easily dodged her foot, grabbing it and bringing her down to the floor with him.
It evened the odds.
Barely.
He rolled away from the second kick, then in struggling to stand, stumbled yet again when another hero tried to be helpful.
The young woman stood up and morphed right in front of him, taking on the shape and image of his Mate.
It had to qualify as the most spooky-ass thing he'd ever seen in his life.
And that was saying something, considering how he'd spent his life.
"Mac? What?" 'Danny' asked, the tone of voice as utterly perfect as his appearance, save for that distinctive and off-putting smell.
Mac slammed his right fist into the creature's jaw.
'Danny' snickered, pushed Mac into the bar again, then ran through the club, thrusting people out of his way left and right.
He stopped when he came face to face with a pair of identical twins.
"What exactly are you?" Jack asked, grinning.
"This way we can catalog it for when we kill you." Kyla continued her sister's thought, as though they were out shopping, not Hunting.
'Danny' stepped back a pace.
"Yo! Bitch!!" Messer called, hiding his surprise at seeing himself stood there, he pulled his gun out as he ran up the street.
The suspect jumped, grabbed the railing of the overhead, and flipped gymnastically over the twins, changing body shape again, becoming once more the cute blonde woman from the club.
Quickly scooting crossing the street, she ripped the keys to a Porsche 911 straight out of the hands of the Valet, and slid behind the wheel in one fluid movement.
The car took off down the highway, a split second later.
Jack turned to her sister, a slight smirk on her face.
They hadn't seen a challenge quite like that one a while.
Mac skidded to a stop next to them.
He nodded at the Twins. "Follow. Use the rooftops."
They used the same railing the creature had put to good use, and with a nod they both flipped upward onto the roof, taking off on lightly bounding feet in the direction of the Porsche.
Mac grabbed the unfortunate Valet by the lapels, flashing his badge. "I'm taking this!"
He settled into a very convenient Mercedes convertible, and headed out in pursuit, leaving rubber on the road as he pulled away from the curb.
Danny shook his head, noting that he should have a word with his Mate later, about running into situations he had no knowledge of.
Pulling his own badge, he stopped some kid on a bike. "Borrowing this."
"You can't do that!" He yelled and shrieked in pubescent horror, as Danny pushed him off and left him sprawled on the asphalt.
"Watch me!"
He looked down at the bike he'd commandeered, then sighed.
Speed would kill him.
It was Yamaha.
But at least it was yellow!
Danny gunned it, and sped after his Mate.
Mac maneuvered around cars, chasing down the Porsche that was flying through Miami's streets with seeming reckless abandon, but heading straight for the MacArthur Causeway.
He could hear the sound of the high-speed bike following close behind.
The Porsche made a hard right onto 5th, causing Mac to down shift suddenly.
Tires squealing, he made the tight turn, pulling up against the Porsche.
He reached for his gun, getting off a few good clear shots before his car was rammed.
The gun dropped into the passenger foot well as Mac grabbed the wheel to stop from flying into oncoming traffic.
Hitting the brakes he slammed in back behind the Porsche.
The bike screamed past him only to get cut off.
Danny swerved violently across the Causeway.
Horns blared.
Tires left puffs of smoke across the water.
The Porsche turned right again, then sped for the Port of Miami.
Mac was the barest second behind it.
He felt the smoothly powerful climb of the Mercedes V12, as he slammed his foot down on the peddle and pushed the vehicle to its limit.
He jerked the front of his car into the back wheel arch of the Porsche, in a move that traffic cops often made to stop such high speed chases.
It worked.
The Porsche spun out through the parking lot off Caribbean Way.
Anticlockwise.
Kicking up dust.
Before it even came to a stop, he applied the brakes, astonished that the Mercedes had stayed in a straight line, shooting past the other careening vehicle.
He took a deep breath and patted the wheel.
Then grabbing his gun, he jumped out of the car taking shots wherever possible, at the creature that ran with astonishing speed from the car to the idling helicopter, sat waiting in the wide open space of the International Seaplane Base.
He emptied the clip, hearing bullets ting off the metal airframe, but he was forced to watch helplessly as the chopper lifted away with its strangely malevolent passenger.
The suddenly very blue, and very inhuman creature gave him a small, cheeky wave as it pulled on a set of headphones, winking at him from bright red eyes.
He flipped his phone open, dialing the MDPD connection to the Coast Guard.
"I want the Helicopter that just lifted from Watson Island tracked! Right now!!"
'What helicopter?'
"The one that just left!" Mac growled, as Danny skipped off his bike and walked toward him, waving mutely at the twins, who had lost their quarry on 5th when crossing the water.
'There's nothing on our radar.'
Mac hung up the phone, and was seriously tempted to throw it down and stomp on it.
He felt Danny's hand on his shoulder, and his emotion slowly calmed.
"What was that?" Jack asked, her eyes tracking the helicopter as it headed inland.
"I want to Hunt it some more," Kyra said quickly. "I've never seen anything like that."
"What the hell, Mac?" Danny looked at his Mate. "No one has ever mentioned shape shifters!"
Mac shook his head.
He truly had no idea.
He flipped open his phone again as it buzzed. "Give me good news, Riddick."
'Speed's gone.'
~ Sylum Manor - Next Morning ~
The door to the Conference Room slammed violently into the wall.
Thomas cringed at the hole it was likely to leave.
Hillary laid a hand on his Mate's shoulder, giving it a squeeze before going back into the kitchen to see to dinner.
Despite the chaos that surrounded them all, there were still normal things that had to be done. He took comfort in the normal things.
"Someone want to explain to me what the fuck is going on?" Nicolaus demanded.
He had been in the city most of the morning, having hoped for a nice quiet breakfast with Warrick, who actually spent the time bitching about his latest cases nonstop, and how despite Horatio running the lab and getting things to a far better standard than they had been, they still battled daily with internal politics that were almost worse than being in Vegas.
It seriously reminded him why he was still playing stay-at-home-grandpa.
And why he was meant to be enjoying it.
"All we know is that this creature came in as Speed," Mac answered.
"What do you mean by 'came in as'?" Nico leaned against the conference table and stared at the video screen.
"It was Speed in every aspect, look, build, the lot. But it smelled all wrong and had a heart that was very definitely beating," Danny answered.
"Does this have anything to do with House calling me yesterday morning?" Horatio asked, from his seat at the table, where he had his laptop up, downloading security camera from the Miami lab and it's local streets.
He turned the computer around to show Tony and Nicolaus what he'd found. "It does look like Speed. I have to say that."
Tony pulled the computer closer and studied it intently. "Mannerism are way off. I mean at first glance, yeah its Speed for sure. But within seconds, besides the heartbeat like you said Mac, we'd know this isn't him. Is it a descendant?"
"Unknown," Danny shrugged. "Unless Speed's got some kind of weird mutant thing happening that no one knows about."
A joke formed in Tony's mind, but a single glare from his Papa was enough to leave it stillborn.
"What is this about House?" Mac asked Horatio, concerned at hearing there might be something else going on that he was unaware of.
"He called me around dawn, asking where Speed was located at that exact moment. He refused to tell me what was going on. Hannibal said that McCoy had a bug up his ass, which promptly lead to a phone call from Lamont Cranston, telling me not to worry and go back to sleep." The redhead gave his Clan Leader a wary glance.
"There are Council Hunters in my territory and I don't know about it?" Nico's eyebrows shot up.
"Ooohh! Can we watch Dad yell at Imenand?" Tony grinned, then sobered quickly, an uncomfortable thought running through his head. "If this is Council and it's connected to Speed, why haven't we been notified?"
"Wait, it gets better." Mac sighed. "This thing that looked Speed, kept changing shapes all the time. A child. A young woman. Even Danny. Then when we chased her to the docks…"
"But what about Speed?" Tony demanded, sensing Horatio ready to rip something to shreds.
He would prefer it if blood wasn't spilled on his new suit.
"Eric and Calleigh found a blood pool in his suite at the Orient," Riddick answered, stepping into the video frame.
"They shot him?" Nico was confused.
The whole thing felt seriously off, and he wasn't quite getting his head wrapped around it.
"Looks like a chest shot. There was a lot of blood," Riddick confirmed.
"That I knew already!" Horatio snarked, rubbing his own chest even as he sounded like he was channeling his Mate. "The question is, why shoot him and take the body? Why not leave it?"
"They know he's a Vampire?" Tony asked. "Easier to subdue him?"
"A tranquilizer dart would take a Vampire longer to overcome than a gunshot," Nico pointed out. "Unless they didn't know that. And Speed never does well with drugs in his system."
Tony glanced at his Sire. "Yeah, but they obviously don't know jack shit about him, or that's what they would've done and there'd be no blood left behind."
"So why take him at all?" Horatio bit back his frustration.
He could barely feel his Mate through their Bond. It was faint and distanced, like it was stretched out down a very long tunnel. His Mate was getting further and further from him, and he was stuck sitting around talking about some science fiction shapeshifting shit.
"Eric is questioning the hotel staff, checking to see if this could be related to the earlier shooting," Mac added.
"Earlier shooting?" Nico asked calmly.
Mac glanced at Horatio, who tried really hard not to bang his head on the table. "Speed was shot earlier and woke up on Quincy's autopsy table."
"What the holy fuck!" Tony leapt to his feet, his chair falling backward with a crash. "And we're just now hearing about it? Seriously? Are you kidding me here?"
"It looked like nothing more than a bad mugging attempt. A carjacking gone wrong." Danny defended their actions, taking a step back despite Nick and Tony being over a thousand miles away.
"Except Speed said the person who shot him mentioned 'getting it right this time'." Horatio pinched the bridge of his nose. "So what? He rises from the dead, again, and they go after him, again? What is this? Groundhog Day?"
Nicolaus paused, suddenly starting to see a much bigger picture. "This creature that changed shape? Did you see it's real form? At all?"
"Blue skin. Scales. Red eyes and hair. Beautiful. Graceful. Incredibly strong. Very fast. Very deadly." Mac rattled off his conclusion like he was in court giving testimony.
"And it smelled like the weirdest thing ever," Danny added for good measure.
Nico stormed out of the Conference Room without another word.
"We missed something." Tony nodded at Horatio, his eyebrows somewhere near his hair line.
"I'm coming to Miami." Horatio grabbed his laptop, slamming the lid down decisively.
"No, you're not." Mac glared at him. "There is nothing you can do here to be useful, that we don't already have covered. It's highly unlikely at this point that Speed is even still in the city. Let us do our job. We'll give you all the information we can at regular intervals. You do your job. This isn't your city anymore H. I'm sorry."
Horatio snarled, and promptly followed the same path Nick had taken.
Tony sighed, rolling his eyes at all the dramatic flouncing around that was happening lately. "Anything else?"
"Yeah."
The Clan's Second in Command just sat back down in his quickly righted chair, and leaned forward. "Lay it on me. I'm good."
"Two members of Knight Clan living in the city, were also taken last night around the same time Speed went missing."
"Ah, fuck!"
~ Nico's Office ~
There was in the world, only one person he knew of who could possibly shed light on the situation.
And if he was right, then they had a much bigger mess on their hands than a missing Clan Advisor.
What the hell was it with his family getting their sorry asses kidnapped all the damn time?
Nicolaus stepped into his office and stopped short, staring openly at the two unexpected visitors who were waiting for him.
He hadn't seen them in years.
Katsumoto had kept him up to date on what they were doing, but he hadn't spoken to Kermit Griffin or Peter Caine personally in quite a while.
Peter looked good.
Strong.
Healthy.
He had clearly grown into his Vampire skin.
Kermit looked much the same.
Distant.
Yet with such a warm smile.
He grinned at the two of them. "It's good to see you! What brings you two back to the States?" He offered Kermit a strong embrace, then did the same for Peter. "Tell me you haven't pissed off some Dictator and need a safe place to hide?"
"Well, that was only once." Kermit smirked at him. "We just felt it was time to come home."
Nico sat down in his chair, motioning for them to take the two seats in front of the desk. "I'm happy to see you. But this isn't a good moment to talk."
"Is something wrong?" Kermit asked, catching the note of concern in his voice.
"Trouble in Miami," Sylum's Clan Leader answered simply. Until he knew exactly what was going on with Speed he was going to play everything close to the chest. "I do have to make some phone calls…"
"It's okay." Peter stood up. "We did kinda drop in without announcing our…"
"I have news." Kermit interrupted his Mate, refusing to budge. "Sorry Peter. It's just… This is important and it's why we're here."
Nico leaned back in his chair, despite the iron in his spine. Something was wrong. Again. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.
"Most everyone knows that your kidnapping wasn't random, Nick. I've heard things from Rogues we were Hunting…"
"You and Peter are Hunters?" He looked from one to the other of them. Katsumoto hadn't mentioned that to him.
Kermit shook his head quickly. "No. Just, well… You know I have connections to some not so savory characters."
Peter rolled his eyes. "That's one way to put it."
Nick smirked over at the youngest Caine. There was a distant connection way back there to Ireland and the Caine line somewhere, more than a few generations ago, but no one quite knew what, where, when or how. Still, he had a little something of Horatio's redheaded temper, even if he lacked the red hair.
"What have you guys heard?"
"You've got a spy in your Clan," Kermit told him seriously. "This has been heavy on my heart, my friend. To know someone you care about has betrayed you? I could not sit back any longer without coming and talking with you. Neither of us could."
Nicolaus sighed heavily. "I know."
"You do?" Kermit asked, surprised to hear him say so.
He nodded. "It's been on my mind since I returned. Do you have any information on who it might be?"
"It's why we came back." He glanced over at Peter. "We talked about it, and figured we're something known, yet unknown around here. We can check things out without older members growing suspicious, while the newer ones get to know us better. And since we've been away from the Manor for a while, it gives us a fresh perspective to the whole situation. We can ask lots of questions."
Sylum's Clan Leader nodded. "That's very true. Do you have suspicions?"
"Yes." But that was all Peter would give him. "Saying so right now, would be a little premature."
Nicolaus could certainly understand that sentiment.
He them a quick nod. "Do what you need to do. But keep me informed. I mean it. I want everything."
"Of course. It's good to see you Nick." Kermit smiled at him generously. "When I returned from the jungles to hear of your kidnapping…" He shook his head.
"It's been almost two years. It's something I've learned put behind me." Nico tried to steer the conversation away from that time. It wasn't something he enjoyed talking about. "Now I do apologize, but I need to make those phone calls."
Peter moved next to his Mate. "Understood. Should we find Thomas and get rooms set up?"
"Right this way gentlemen. I already have them arranged." Thomas stood discreetly at the office door.
"Damn he's good." Peter's eyes grew wide.
"Too good." Nico laughed as he picked up his phone.
He didn't need to check the number he was dialing.
He gave the two Vampires a quick wave as they headed out of his office, and he wondered for a moment if their arrival was as fortuitous as it seemed.
'Nico? And what can I do for you this day?'
"Lamont!" he growled. "Why the hell are your spies causing havoc in my territory? And why am I not hearing about it from you?"
'If I told you that, they wouldn't be very good spies. Besides, it was deemed 'need to know'.'
"I need to know. Speed's missing." Nico's voice dropped low and dangerous. "So you will tell me what is going on. Now!"
Jethro followed Horatio into his office, closing the door behind them as not to disturb the kids.
He watched as the redhead paced the office for a moment, before turning to glare at him.
"How much of this do we have to take?" he asked, tired and exasperated. "Why does every fucking bad guy out there think, 'Oh I know, let's attack someone from Sylum! Oh hell, why not just mess with the Meridius family line. It's too much fun not to!'."
Jethro bit back a smirk. "You need to stop hanging out with House."
Horatio chuckled without any humor whatsoever, then slumped down in his chair. "Yes. Yes I do. I let my guard down."
"No." Jethro pulled a chair out and turned it around before straddling it. "The security in this house, and all other Clan locations have been massively upgraded since That Night. Between you and that Vatican Inspector, no one is getting into the Manor."
"Much good it did. My Mate is missing. Again."
"We don't know what's going on. Right now, let the Hunters do what they are good at, then we'll do what we're good at."
"Which is?" the redhead asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Finding our troublemaker Mates and tying them to the nearest bed." Jethro growled, sensing the frustration that was rife. "I swear, I've never met such troublemakers before. It's like a family curse."
A small, honest smile broke out on Horatio's face. "Why Speed? Why now?"
"I honestly don't know. This doesn't feel like the situation with Nick. Something else is going on here," Jethro answered.
"You feel it too."
"Hell, yeah. This is just going to get weirder before the day is done."
~ Library ~
Willow sat on the desk and looked at her Mate. "What's going on?"
Giles tossed his glasses on to the desk. "Speed's missing."
"What?" She stared at him. "How? When..?"
"I don't have all the details." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The Manor is on high alert." Giles looked up and frowned slightly, before grabbing and slipping on his glasses again. "Kermit?"
"Hey, Giles!" He walked into the library, grinned, and promptly grabbed a chair from by main desk before sitting down. "You got a few moments?"
"Sure!" The Librarian hesitated, unaware that anyone unexpected had returned home.
Kermit glanced over at Willow. "I remember you. You're Mated to Giles here, right?"
"Yes, we met briefly at the Swearing In Ceremony." She smiled at him sweetly, then leaned over and kissed Giles on the forehead. "Keep me up to date on what's going on." Jumping off the desk, she headed for the door. "I can give Xander a call, see if he knows anything about what's what in Miami."
Giles nodded, then turned back to Kermit. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"I need some information…"
~ Council Room ~
Tony watched as everyone came trooping back into the room.
He hadn't actually left. Instead he'd used his time, going through all the reports he had at hand, and a few he'd literally had to shout at people to get.
Something was bothering him about the whole situation.
According to Horatio's notes there were no known enemies currently operating in the Miami area, who might want Speed, or anyone else in the Clan for that matter.
And the photos from the 'mugging/carjacking' were off.
Quincy had clearly stated that the shots which felled Speed, went straight through the heart. Perfect aim. No mugger was that good, no matter their background.
Add on the frantic calls and hushed whispers from New York.
Something was definitely going on.
And he didn't like it.
"Whatever this is, New York is connected to it," Tony stated, as Nicolaus sat down next to him. His Sire's eyebrows went up just slightly as he spoke. "Don't look at me, I have my own connections y'know."
"Well, you're right," Nico answered. "Lamont just informed me that one of his operatives was shot in New York."
"And what does that have to do with Speed?" Jethro asked.
"He looks just like him," their Clan Leader replied. "Theory is running to whoever shot this particular operative in New York, most likely going on to do business down in Miami, and being more than a bit surprised to see their victim alive and still walking around."
"Wait." Tony leaned forward on the table. "I thought Lucas was Tim's only descendant?"
"Yeah. Well it seems our dear Timothy has some explaining to do, according to Lamont, who thinks he already knows about this operative with his face. House contacted Speed about a Vampire who turned up in the NYPD Morgue, as everyone thought it was him, when it actually wasn't. He's now in hospital in Jersey, and seems to be recovering his wits, albeit slowly. But head shots will do that."
Horatio was going to smack his Mate when he saw him again. "Did anyone know about Speed having another descendant?"
"Just Lamont and his merry men." Nicolaus sighed. "I've got re-enforcements on their way here to watch the twins. We'll be leaving for New York tomorrow." He held up his hand to stop Horatio from arguing. "I'm just as worried about my Childe, as you are for your Mate. But he would hurt us both if we didn't leave the twins protected."
After Nico's kidnapping, Speed and Horatio had set certain ground rules, the most important of which, was that if anything should ever happen to either of them, the children would be first priority, no matter the scenario.
And of course, it would figure that at such as necessary moment, all the Hunters were actually gone.
Gerard had a huge case land on his desk, and needed all his best men to focus their attention on it. Jimmy and Noah were therefore working with the Winchesters, bringing in their fugitives. Plural. While Gabriel and Constantine were in Los Angeles working with Bauer on information concerning Balthazar.
No one had thought anything of either set of Hunters being gone.
Speed was meant to be on nothing more strenuous than a simple trip to DC, and that had clearly not worked out too well.
Tony glanced over at his Mate. "Make a note to glue Noah and Jimmy to Dad and the sibling."
Nicolaus glared at his oldest Childe. "Jimmy, Noah and the Winchesters are on their way to New York. I've ordered Riddick to stay in Miami. He'll be hunting down information there. His Twins are doing their own investigation and will get back to us through him."
"So who is coming in?" Horatio asked.
Nico smiled at him. "Dino and Terry. Their Uncles were thrilled to come play bodyguard."
~ Sylum Manor - Next Day ~
Dino walked straight into the Nursery and picked up his Niece. "Ah, there's my little girl!"
Terry just eyed him from the doorway. "You didn't say hello to anyone as you ran by them, mate."
"I had priorities." He held Elizabeth close as he sat down on the floor in front of Sean. "Whatcha you got there, big man?"
Sean smiled and held up the big plastic toy, waving it in the air. "Truck," he said proudly.
Terry snickered as he sat down on the floor next to the young toddler. He was very much a Caine, in that he said exactly what he meant, and nothing more.
He pulled a small stuffed animal from his pants pocket. "Look what Uncle Terry brought you!"
"Kola." Sean grinned and grabbed for the small, grey bear.
"What do you say?" Horatio asked from the doorway.
Sean stood up and hugged his Uncle very properly, before plopping back down and playing with his new toy, trying to stuff it into the truck. "Go raibh maith agat."
Terry and Dino looked over at H.
He just shrugged. "Gaelic. Speed speaks to them in a few languages. Elizabeth chatted with Dean on the phone and slipped in a few Spanish words the other day."
Dino looked at the little girl in his arms. "How's my girl?" he asked in Spanish. She just laid her head on his shoulder.
The younger Caine looked at his half-brother, eyes questioning.
"She's picking up the tension, she knows Papa is missing."
"Papa?" She blinked over at Horatio, holding her hands out for a hug.
He reached for his daughter, and held her close before sitting her back down next to Sean. The small family watched them intently as her brother handed her the new toy, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"They are too precious, mate." Terry stood up and patted Horatio on the shoulder. "We've got your six. Okay? Now go find that brother-in-law of mine and get him home for dinner."
"We're flying up to New Jersey to meet up with McCoy and La Croix first," Horatio informed them.
More information had started to pour in overnight.
Three other Clansmen were also missing, all taken at around the same time. Mac had sent reports from the home invasion in Miami, where two Knight members and La Croix's Clan Researcher had apparently been snatched.
Finding two dead bodies on the floor, certainly appeared to indicate that whoever had attacked them, met with some serious resistance. When they discovered just who it was had been grabbed, Horatio actually seemed surprised there wasn't more blood spilt.
Eric had come back from Speed's crime scene, with their Clan Advisor's GPS tracker in an evidence bag. H hadn't been at all shocked at that one, since he hadn't been able to pull up the signal once they heard about the kidnapping. There was just no way to be sure if had gotten damaged along the way, or had been physically removed and then disabled.
The only lead they had after all that, was from what the Twins had discovered.
They had found the helicopter on the other side of Miami, and after questioning the goons who were left behind inside, half dead - and definitely dead by the time they were dealt with and thanked for their efforts - Jack and Kyra had been able to determine that the 'packages' they were set to deliver, had been headed ultimately to New York.
It was all connected, as far as any of them could see. But how and why, and to what end, remained a mystery as yet.
Dino looked up from his spot on the floor, where he was playing with the kids. "What does that stick up his arse prat have to do with all of this?"
H grinned at his brother. "Two of his own went missing same night Speed did."
"Jeez! What is going on?" Terry asked.
"That's what we're going to find out," Horatio replied, turning to head for the door.
He needed to finish packing, and contact the Winchesters. They were on their way to New York too, but the last fugitive they had been working to retrieve with Jimmy and Noah had done something massively stupid. Or at least that was what Dean had said as he hung up on him the last time they'd spoken.
As Dino stood up, and brushed off his pants, he spied a black and white photo over on the dresser, and it made his heart lurch weirdly. It was a picture of someone he thought he would never see again.
He walked across to it and picked it up, turning to Horatio, holding the picture outward to him, a frown on his face.
"That's Ellis." Horatio answered his silent question.
"How do you know her?" Dino asked.
"Speed practically raised her. She was Niece to Thomas, and carried the Soul of Speed's Sister from Ireland." Horatio eyed his brother's strange expression a little closer. "Dean? What?"
He looked down at the picture, touching it with a fondness that was totally unexpected, then he set it on the dresser again, where it belonged. "I knew her," he said quietly. "We had a fling back in England. Right before I went to Brazil to find Terry and all that shit went down." He sighed.
His Mate shook his head, finally understanding what he was sensing through their Bond. "What are the odds that you would have an affair with your brother-in-law's sister? I mean, seriously?"
"She's a good gal. I liked her a lot. After everything went down, I just figured best if she thought I was dead." Dino shrugged then looked at Horatio, hoping he might at least try and set the record straight for her, as she'd obviously known about Vampires all along. "Where is she now? She should know I'm okay. And things worked out."
"She died. It was a little over two years ago."
Dino closed his eyes. "Fuck," he whispered. "I didn't know. How?"
"Long story. One I don't have time for." Horatio shook his head. "You two take care of my kids." He pointed at Dino deliberately. "We'll talk when I get home."
~ New Jersey - Next Day ~
Warrick stood next to his Mate, and peered into the hospital room at Yevgeny Tsipin.
He really was a very Russian version of their kid.
Having come home from work, to a Manor filled with tension and quiet whispers in the corner, it hadn't taken long for him to get the full story.
He too was getting seriously tired of the bullshit being thrown at his Clan.
"So the theory is, this person. Wait. This thing that changed forms, shot this Yev guy, then saw Speed and figured somehow he had escaped serious injury, so shot him, and when they realized he was still not dead, just turned around and took him instead?" Warrick's head hurt just thinking about it.
"Sounds like it," Nicolaus answered.
"And this is connected to Dexter and the Conners going missing?" Warrick clarified.
Nico looked at his Mate, frowning deeply. "I have no idea how it all connects."
"So what does Horatio think?" he asked, as they turned from the hospital room and made their way to the big conference suite that their Head of Security had promptly stolen from the hospital.
"He's been working with Tony and Jethro on figuring how Speed connects with Dexter and Sarah Conner." Nico paused when he saw La Croix stepping out of the elevator.
"There is no way in this universe there's a connection between Dexter and Speed," Warrick muttered as the Knight Clan Leader stepped up to them, his own two Hunters and small team of colleagues just behind him.
"Full cooperation between the Clans?" Lucien eyed Sylum's Leadership.
Nico nodded. "Do you know who would snag Dexter?"
"No one in their right mind," Claudio commented sourly, from his Mate's side.
"Especially if they go after Sarah and her son," La Croix added.
"What is the connection between them? Sarah and John stay off the map, despite having a Clan protecting them. Why go to that much effort?" Nicolaus asked.
It was something he had always been confused by.
Sarah had been on the run with her son since John was six years old. It reminded him a lot of the situation with the Winchesters, except Sarah was actually a Vampire herself, and no one knew who, or even what, she was running from.
"She stopped running six months ago." Lucien nodded significantly at Nico. "Shall we walk?"
Warrick gave his Mate's shoulder a quick squeeze, then stepped away, pulling Claudio in the direction of the Conference Room. "You're in luck. Alexx sent cookies."
The two Clan Leaders walked side by side, down the hallway away from the bustle of the Hospital and other Clan Members who might be running around. Somewhere in the last few years, they had each moved past being rivals and enemies, and though they still hadn't settled into the kind of easy friendship that Nicolaus had with other Clan Leaders, they were at least able to talk to one another without wanting to kill, smack or otherwise mutilate one another in the process.
They had actually met on a number of occasions since Egypt, cordially discussing border issues between Clans, territorial problems, Rogues and that ever touchy subject of Vampire Ethics.
Though such moments usually involved several heavily armed Hunters.
"So why was she running?" Nico asked. "This could matter here. A lot."
"Ex-Husband." La Croix rolled his eyes dramatically. "Typical story. He was an abusive asshole. She took John and ran. I still haven't gotten the story out of her about how she became a Vampire, but she stayed hidden all those years. Fear is a powerful motivator, and she was terrified he might try and take John from her."
"So how does Dexter fall into this? I mean what's a known serial killer doing with a woman and her kid? Are they related?"
"They're Mates."
Nico stopped, and stared with slackened jaw at Knight Clan's Leader. "Well… Fuck!"
"Nicely put," Lucien mocked. "Neither have any intention of ever Mating, but they do protect each other, and they do it very well. She told him about her personal situation…" He paused and looked at Nicolaus. "Well, you can figure out what Dexter did to take care of such a problem."
It did flash through both their minds pretty easily.
The hunt for an abusive ex-husband.
A quick jab to the neck.
Waking up in a damp and dirty warehouse far away from everyone.
Screams never heard.
"So she's been staying with Dexter since then?" Nico continued, walking down the hallway.
"Indeed. Her son John, for some reason, gets along with Dexter very well." He held his hand up to stop the instantly flowing questions he knew where coming at him. "Just don't ask. Anyway, he was attending the local high school, and Sarah was working at a Security Firm."
"So why the hell have they've been taken?"
La Croix looked at him with arched eyebrows and tightened lips. "That, my dear Nicolaus, is a very good question indeed."
Craig sat on the edge of the bed that night, and looked down at his Mate.
He was physically healing, the damage the bullet had done, reduced by then to still visible scarring that was steadily and surely fading away. It proved to be his memories and thought processes however, that were somewhat patchy and ill-defined; the most specific of which was the very obvious fact that he was still speaking Russian.
And he seemed not to realize.
He also refused to let anyone near him.
Including his Doctors.
When Craig had first arrived, it was House who filled him in on what was happening, but only after checking him over and assessing his wounds first, and making him feed and rest up for a while too.
Much growling had ensued.
House had ignored it all, even at his own peril, for as far as he was concerned, no one was going anywhere while they were in that much pain, and suffering that much difficulty even standing upright. No amount of persuasion would get Craig to admit how he came by his injuries though, and it was only with the most stubborn determination that he even allowed himself to be treated at all. His was a vocation that demanded much in the way of patience.
Much like that practiced by House.
"Yevgeny?" Craig took the other man's hand, holding it fiercely so he couldn't pull away. It was miracle enough that he'd even gotten into the room without a tirade of angry and anxious shouting. "Do you remember me? I'm your Mate. You can trust me."
"Then why do I not feel the Bond?" he demanded, scowling fiercely. "You lie!"
"We never Bonded," Craig replied. "We never took that final step."
"Why?"
Good question.
Their arguments had been perfectly sound when they first discovered they were Mates.
They were both Spies.
They were both embroiled in dangerous, demanding lives that required the utmost commitment without distraction from any direction.
If one of them should die, the other would still live and be able to continue their work.
They were dedicated solely to the causes they fought for.
There had seemed no true place for anything else…
"We were stupid." It was the only response he could truly find, and it came from the heart.
Yev sat up in the bed, struggling for a moment with the pillows, his hand still held firmly.
He blinked, looking his Mate in the eyes.
Flashes of memory flitted through his mind.
Nights of passion.
Firm touches.
Strong kisses.
Bare flesh.
Certainty.
There was certainty.
Something real.
Something so real it hurt.
He reached out and pulled the blond to him.
He ran his fingers through the shaggy blonde hair.
There was nothing but sincerity in those startling eyes that fixed him so plainly.
He kissed him.
Suddenly.
Deeply.
Craig leaned into it, pushing his Mate down onto the bed, devouring his mouth.
No more.
No more needing.
No more waiting.
No more longing.
Tonight Yev would be his.
His Mate.
He nibbled down the Russian's sensitive neck, eliciting a small shiver of pleasure from his efforts.
"Eddie told us to fuck and get it over with," he muttered, his lips brushing against Yev's right ear even as his tongue explored its curves. "Your kid is very persuasive."
"Sometimes the crazy son of a bitch has a good idea," came the slightly husky reply.
Craig couldn't agree more as he shifted slightly, and slid his body against Yev's, the two of them pushing sheets and clothing out of their way, desperate to feel hot skin under their fingers.
"Ah, damn it! Get a fucking room!"
Craig yanked the gun from under his jacket, and pulled it up, moving fast and smooth.
House just glared at him.
He gave the Doctor a small, knowing smile. "Got one. Now leave."
House tutted slightly and rolled his eyes as he stalked over to the curtains around the bed, pulling them closed. "You do realize most of the Vampires in this area are a bunch of perverts, so try and keep the show a bit more private, hmm?" He flicked his wrist, screening them off from the world, then opening the door, he took a hospital issue, standard grey sock out of his pocket and slipped it on the handle. "Have fun boys. Just try and keep the screaming down. There are some really sick people here after all, and I don't just mean the Vampires."
Yev chuckled darkly, opening Craig's collar and pulling him down into a searing kiss that would leave bruises by the time they were done. "Make me scream."
"Oh, I plan on it."
~ Unknown Location ~
The room was well lit despite there being no windows in the small, ten by ten cell.
Speed was shackled standing up, secured to the far wall by cuffs at the wrist, and a tight length of chain that kept his arms up over his head.
His only view was that of the cell door.
He was getting weaker, the Vampire within him rising inexorably to the surface as the demand to feed grew ever stronger.
There were three other prisoners close at hand from what he could hear.
He already knew Dexter was across the hall. The quietly infamous killer was calmly listing out everything he intended doing to their captors once he was freed, and Speed was actually looking forward to watching him act out each and every one of his threats.
There was also someone in the cell next to his. He couldn't tell much about him, except for the fact that he was male, and his heart rate was even and steady, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could hear the guy take regular breaths, almost as if he was deliberately working to stay in control and not panic over the situation.
Which was good, since the last thing Timothy really needed was having to deal with panicked prisoners if he was going to get himself out of whatever the hell kind of mess it was that he found himself in. He had been racking his brain for the past few hours anyway, trying to figure out why he had been taken.
There was no reason.
None.
He and Dexter had no connections, besides a few slightly unsavory incidents in Miami that happened way before he finally got around to telling Horatio about his Vampire lifestyle. Other than that, they were in different Clans, held different positions, were more often than not on different sides of the law.
There was no reason for him to have been taken.
The few guards outside his door weren't Vampires. Their heartbeats were loud compared to the silence in the cells.
Footsteps echoed along the halls.
Heartbeats pounded in sync.
There was no doubt in Timothy Speedle's mind that they were dealing with humans.
The cell door opened with neither a rattling of keys nor the slide of a pass card, which seemed a little odd, but there was no time to dwell on the implications as an older gentleman walked into the room, bearing about himself a higher degree of self-importance than the moment probably should have allowed for.
He held up his hand and flicked his fingers in the air without so much as a word, and Speed's wrists were shoved solidly, not to mention invisibly, back against the wall.
He squirmed, but already knew he was too weak from the blood loss incurred after being shot again, to actually break the hold that was pinning him.
"Welcome. My name is Magneto."
Speed's eyebrows went up, and a sneer formed on his lips before he could even think to stop himself. "Really? That's your name? What are you, five?"
Okay, so maybe his blood sugar was a little lower than he'd thought.
His nose twitched as he got a whiff of a very familiar scent, and he realized who it was - Mac Taylor.
He rolled his eyes.
"Did you try that little game with my friends?" Speed motioned with his head at the obviously fake 'Mac' who stood in the doorway. "If you did, it failed miserably."
Right before his narrowing eyes, 'Mac' morphed into a woman. She was beautiful, elegant, curvaceous, and would have been highly attractive indeed if it weren't for the blue skin and scales. Speed's eyebrows shot upward most significantly. At least he knew by then just what it was he found himself dealing with, and it wasn't humans.
It wasn't Vampires either.
Most people in his experience, didn't naturally come in blue.
That alone, made her a whole lot more than merely natural.
But as far as he knew there were only a select few people in the world who knew the whole truth about Vampires, and he doubted these particular guys were in Charles Xavier's good graces, so they weren't really sure what he himself was.
Suddenly he realized what that might mean.
And he nearly groaned out loud at the ridiculousness of it.
"Y'know, I normally go for the redheads," he snarked, "but that whole neon look, you got going on, just doesn't do it for me."
Magneto actually cracked a smile. "Mystique and I, are here to offer you an opportunity." He stood in front of him, effectively blocking his view of the doorway. "You have the ability to regenerate. Not many have that extraordinary talent."
"Yeah, well if that bitch shoots me one more time, I'm not going to be happy." Speed growled at him.
"How did you get down to Miami so fast from New York?" Mystique demanded.
Speed just smirked. "It's called a jet plane, sweetie. Maybe you've heard of it? Modern invention and all that. Fascinating world we live in now"
"Your ability to regenerate after a head shot is extraordinary. I've only seen one other before who could do that, but then Logan had extra protection." Magneto watched his prisoner closely, ignoring the snarky comments. "Who is your contact at Crimson Moon?"
Timothy just stared back at him.
It was obviously a good time to keep his mouth shut and learn as much as he could, primarily because every instinct he possessed was screaming at him by then, that whatever this Magneto character was planning, it could affect more than just Mutants.
"Whatever they are paying you, Frankenstein will pay more. And he welcomes Mutants among his number."
Well, fuck!
Frankenstein?
Now that was name he hadn't heard in decades.
But what the hell was Victor doing with Mutants…?
And why?
Speed closed his eyes as the answer crossed his mind.
Fuck, wasn't really a strong enough word for his conclusions.
He opened his eyes and looked directly at Magneto. "I'm not a Mutant."
Magneto patted his cheek in return, almost fondly, like a father with a rebellious child. "Do not deny who you are. Look inside yourself and see the truth. No one judges a fellow Mutant here. Come work with us. We will not suffocate you in normality."
"Really. I'm not a Mutant."
"Very well then. Have it your way. But I offered you a choice. You merely chose ill." He gave Speed a quick nod, then turned and left the cell, Mystique right behind him.
The door banged shut.
Speed listened until the footsteps faded.
"Dexter?" He yelled the other Vampire's name out, knowing full well he could easily be heard with just a whisper, but he wanted the guards to understand their fate.
"Timothy?"
"Remember the agreement we had? The one about not slicing and dicing innocents…"
"Yes."
He could hear the sly smile that he knew was creeping even then, onto Dexter's face.
When he had first learned the other man was residing in Miami, Speed had hunted him down and had a small chat about discretion being the better part of valor, concluding that this fellow Vampire would be allowed to stay in the city, as long as the only killings he participated in, were for the removal of criminals. "These aren't innocents."
There was a small laugh at his comment. "I know."
Speed smirked when he heard the guards' collective heartbeats rise loudly.
~ Crimson Moon - Board Meeting ~
Frankenstein looked through the reports he had been present with, as the Members of his Board argued tirelessly back and forth.
He was half ignoring them, or trying to, letting them have their pissing contests if it meant they'd calm down a little and be less likely to kill one another. Really, it was like watching chimps in a laboratory experiment, all eager to win daddy's favor or draw some attention to themselves.
He closed the last of the folders, having added his signature to a disgusting number of forms, authorizations and proposals, then he leaned back in his chair and studied the group arrayed around him.
His gaze settled on Vondoome.
The only one on the Board he really worried about.
He couldn't read the man.
Victor knew he was hiding something, planning something behind his back, but had not been able to obtain a single clue as to what that something was. He had even sent in Victoria to bed the man for a little pillow talk, and whilst she'd certainly not hesitated in doing as she was told, she'd gotten nothing more than a wild night in the sack for her efforts.
It seemed Fitzgerald was droning on again about Sonny Sassone.
That particular idiot was a menace, having screwed up two of his plans by just being a moron. It was time to do the only decent thing you could, for a rabid dog.
Put it down.
"Do we know where Sonny is?" Frankenstein spoke up, and everyone instantly stopped arguing amongst themselves, to turn instead and look at him.
"New York." Fitzgerald rolled his eyes. "Got it from one of my sources that he's plotting again."
"Let me guess…" Victoria tapped her nail file on the table top as if to make her point. "He's going to kidnap that blonde chickie poo, and Messer will run back to New York to save her."
"Pretty much." Fitzgerald nodded. "He's at least smart enough not to go down to Miami after him."
"Why?" Don Jon asked. "Why won't he go to Miami?"
"Riddick, and his two psycho brats." Rowan Chase spoke up, sounding bored. "They're down there, protecting Messer personally."
"And he thinks they won't come with him, if he goes up to New York to hunt down a Rogue who's taken a close personal friend of his?" Jon demanded, eyebrows raised in astonishment.
"No one ever said he was that smart." Rowan shrugged.
"Speaking of the Messers." Frankenstein stared pointedly at Edward Vogler. "I want my money."
Biting back a seething retort, the slightly sweaty black man, pulled a packet of information from his briefcase. "I knew you'd ask. We're sending down the lawyers now."
Lips pursed, Frankenstein watched Royce slip discreetly into the room and head straight for him.
His Personal Assistant was yet one more enigma in his life, for while there were times in which he seemed to have no control whatsoever over the young Vampire, there were others when he held him in complete submission.
Royce leaned over his shoulder and whispered privately, "They have the Conner boy. Him and his mother have already been sent up to the lab."
Frankenstein nodded. "That's good news! Did everything go alright?"
"Apparently there was someone with them. He's been sent to the Detention Center. He took out three of Magneto's men before they could get him under control," Royce informed him.
Magneto had in fact, contacted him personally, stating that whilst they had secured the woman and her son, they had lost men in trying to subdue the individual with them in the house. Whoever he was, he seemed from all description to be highly trained, highly dangerous, and highly alert.
Frankenstein had informed neither Magneto nor any of the other Mutants, about what, and whom they were dealing with exactly, so as a consequence they had no idea about the existence of Vampires, their strength, or even their ferociousness if they felt their family was being harmed.
Intel hadn't mentioned Sarah being Mated though, or her having any attachment to a particular Clan.
"Who was with her?" Frankenstein demanded.
"No idea. He's not talking." Royce stood back up with a shrug.
"Is he one of us?"
"It took three tranquilizer darts to take him down, so the assumption would be, yes. Though if he's not a Vampire, God help us if he ever becomes one," Royce answered, before turning and heading back out the door. "Shall I contact Stillson about his upcoming Press Conference?"
"Yes. And for God's sake, tell him to look a little smart and sophisticated. He's coming across like some traveling Bible salesman."
Frankenstein grabbed the rest of his folders and stood up.
He glanced along the table at Stane. "Your plans to attack Tracy Island have been approved. Just make sure this time, you actually get the job done."
He patted Royce on the cheek as he brushed out the door, handing him the paperwork. "Get these filed would you?"
~ New Jersey - Next Morning ~
Nicolaus stepped into the Hospital Conference room, watching quietly as everyone prepared to head out to the Detention Center.
Yev had gotten out of bed and hunted Nico down in person, once he discovered that Speed had gone missing. Their resulting conversation had been more than a tiny bit of an eye-opener, the two of them having talked for a good few hours, trying to piece together a time line of events, while postulating on what exactly might still be going on to have initiated the kidnapping of Sarah and her son. It didn't surprise Nicolaus in the slightest that his son's descendant was as much of a smart mouth in English as he was in Russian. Nor did it shock him that Yevgeny was exceptionally smart. As a general rule, Lamont didn't actively choose to employ idiots after all.
But when everything else was said and done, Nico found himself deeply frustrated with half-disclosed nuggets of vaguely alluded truth, slices of selective information, and the whole idea that he wasn't meant to ask too much for fear of hearing too much. It was all typical 'spy' bullshit, and he was seriously starting to lose his self-control when Yev's phone went off.
Thankfully, Quincy had rescued what evidence he could find from the initial shooting, and had seen fit to get it to Janet as fast as possible.
It was a simple text message alert that arrived seemingly out of the proverbial blue.
The location of a Detention Center.
Barely a couple of hours later, they were gearing up and ready to head out.
Jimmy and Noah, who had just gotten in a short while before, sorted and loaded their weapons, working with quiet intent, but utter determination. They knew from hearing what the Twins reported about events in Miami, that they weren't dealing with Vampires.
It was a Mercenary group, by the name of Black Moon Security.
Private Security.
Highly trained bullies with assault rifles.
Answerable to nobody but a pay check.
Nicolaus has passed that juicy little tip onto Javert at Interpol.
Black Moon were making an increasing nuisance of themselves in more than one place at a time.
"Where the hell are Sam and Dean?" Billy asked them, having imagined after all that went down in Egypt, he'd suddenly be getting chance to work with them again.
"Dealing with an idiot who decided that instead of surrendering, he should go take a bank hostage," Noah snarled. "They're with Gerard. He's pissed. I mean, really pissed."
Horatio looked up as he strapped on his own weapons. "So that was what Dean was cursing about when I talked to him."
"Yeah, Sammy was in the bank asking the guy's ex-girlfriend some questions, when the dude just walked in and took the place hostage." Jimmy smirked, ever so slightly. "I'm kinda sorry I'm going to miss what Dean intends doing to the bastard."
"We'll make sure to get you video feed later." Warrick shook his head, wondering what the odds were of their suspect getting out of it alive.
"Okay, listen up people!" Nicolaus called to them from the doorway, gaining their attention instantly. "We have very little real intel on this location. We do know that those inside, and those guarding it, are likely to be well armed and seriously dangerous individuals. We are not dealing with Rogues or Vampires of any kind. These are Mercenaries. Humans. I would prefer if we didn't rack up a body count." He deliberately glared at Billy and Garret, who had arrived as part of La Croix's entourage, and refused to be left out of the proceedings given that their Clan was involved in the situation with the disappearance of Sarah Conner and her son. "But as some of us know from working in Law Enforcement there are times when force is needed and should be used. Be cautious. Be safe."
Horatio clicked his laptop open, and a digital map was projected up onto the wall from the overhead display system. "All we know with certainty, is that there are guards at each entrance, and sets of guards patrolling at each level. There are cells in the lowest level, where we know them to be holding at least Dexter. Consider the possibility of others. Numbers unknown."
"How do we know Speed is there?" Jimmy asked.
Yev spoke up from the back of the room. "The informant who passed us this information, knows only that Black Moon Mercenaries were sent into Miami for the extrication of Sarah and her son John. Dexter was a surprise. He was removed to this Detention Center. There was no information from his end, about a fourth person being taken. If Speed is there, then so be it. If not, then we start again. Make sure to hunt for information sources. Do not randomly destroy computers or filed materials. Such should be assessed, or removed for later intelligence assessment." He spoke smoothly, with the practiced, toneless attitude of a man who was accustomed to considering every situation, every possibility, with an emotionless and calculated clarity.
"You have to understand that we are working with very little information here. The theory at this time, is that those who were sent to Miami to extradite the Conners, were the also the ones who were sent to take out Yevgeny. When they stumbled upon your man Speed, they assumed that he had somehow survived what was in fact, Yev's shooting, and that misconception lead them to adjust their plans, ultimately taking Timothy along with the others." Craig spoke up from where he stood, close to his Mate, secure in the shadows. "But even that is supposition at this point. Take nothing for granted."
"Then they know about Vampires," Noah stated.
"Not exactly." Yev glanced over at Nico.
"From the description that Mac supplied, after chasing down a suspect in Miami, she could best be referred to as a Mutant." Nicolaus had already figured that it was probably best to just plunge headlong into the explanations, rather than try a diplomatic angle on such a startling concept. "She has the ability to change both shape and form, sex, height, coloring. Everything. Her natural state is that of having a bright blue, scale or feather type skin. I believe the correct term for her Mutation is Metamorph."
The Hunters paused and each one looked at their respective Clan Leader.
It was all brand new information for them, something none of them had ever heard of, or run into before.
They weren't the only ones though.
"Mutants?" Tony barked, his voice questioning yet underpinned by anger. "I seriously do not remember us having this conversation."
"Nor do I," Horatio added, backing him up. "As Head of Security…"
La Croix rolled his eyes. "Need to know basis. You didn't need to know."
"Wait." DiNozzo stood up and pointed at Knight Clan's Leader. "He knew before I did? What is wrong with that picture?"
"All the Clan Leaders knew before you did," Lucien said simply. "Considering you weren't interested in running a Clan until your Papa was…"
"Fuck off La Croix!" Tony glared at him, balling his hand into a fist.
"Antonio!" Nico stepped in front of his Childe. "Such secrecy was requested by those whom we were protecting. If it wasn't for the fact that this Metamorph attacked one of our own, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The Clan Leaders, all of us, we swore an oath to protect this information and only reveal if it ever proved absolutely necessary. Right now, is that moment."
"So only Clan Leaders know about these Mutants?" Horatio asked, his eyes shifting to where Warrick stood. The old Pirate didn't seem at all shocked by what he was hearing, so it seemed safe to say that such information had been revealed to their Clan Leaders' Bond Mates too.
"There are two other Clan Members who both knew of the situation. Their knowledge was meant for use in case an emergency were to arrive," Lucien added. "You're a smart boy, you should be able to figure out who one of them is."
"Speed." Jimmy shook his head. "So they think he's a Mutant not a Vampire? Do these Mutants even know about Vampires at all?"
"Smart and pretty." Claudio blew a kiss over to the gunfighter, who in turn balled a leather clad fist, and shot him a look that would've dropped any one else at a hundred yards.
"What these individuals do or do not know, cannot be agreed upon at this moment," Nico continued, interrupting them before a fight broke out. "That they are operating outside their own socially acceptable rules and laws is more than obvious. But as Yevgeny pointed out, we need their own intelligence. Use this as an opportunity for gathering that information."
"Then Speed knew, only because of his little friend over there," Tony commented, nodding at the Russian. "I'd say that's probably one more thing you failed to mention."
Yev stared at him without so much as a blink. "The sum total of what you currently don't know about life outside of Sylum, would probably stun a buffalo dead in it's tracks," he replied.
"You're the one at fault for getting Speed into this," Tony retorted.
"Children!" Warrick cautioned. "This is not the time for lengthy discussions about who knew what, did what, said what, or hid what. Right now, we need to get our boy home. And seriously, someone needs to put a GPS chip in Speed's ass."
Tony nodded, but looked deliberately at his Sire. He was seriously getting sick and tired of finding out vital information he should've had from the start, right in the middle of a goddamned crisis. He pulled his own weapons, checked them, then slid them into his shoulder holsters, sensing his Mate through the Bond, fiercely supportive but always a steadying presence.
"Billy, Garret, you are teamed with Jimmy and Noah. I want you to take the North Entrance to the Center, and make sure the guard stations are taken care of." Nicolaus turned his attention to the cross sections on the map. "Horatio, you're with Jethro and Tony. Head down into the cell area and free all the prisoners you can find. Lucien and I are going to check out the communications room, and see if we can find any information where they're most likely to have their servers or other computer gear."
Billy and Jimmy started yelling at the same time.
Indignant, angry accusations resulting from them having to try and work together.
Both Clan Leaders ignored them.
"Warrick will be flying us in, and Claudio is going to cover our own communications. Apparently he's learned some stuff from Egypt. We should be thanking Jim Sandecker." He'd not really wanted to ask about anything more than that, but strange things had come from his time in the desert, and he was willing to go with it if it meant he'd get Speed back safe and sound. "Janet and House will be on standby for medical emergencies," he continued. "We leave in thirty minutes."
~ Detention Center ~
The shrill scream of shrieking sirens, ripped through the Detention Center.
Security Breach.
Condition Red.
Knowing there was no time to spare, Magneto didn't waste any.
He sent Pyro with Mystique to prepare the helicopter, and stalked into the lab even as the technicians were busying themselves destroying paperwork, manuals, computer terminals and all the other valuable equipment they were more accustomed to prizing than knocking on the floor.
"Give it to me," he snarled.
The leading researcher shook his head. "It isn't safe. Hell, I'm not sure it will even work! You only gave me half the notes and information we required. The specimen you provided, was so small, and I have no idea where it had came from. I could nothing! Proper tests under safe parameters have been impossible in this timeframe!" The Doctor tried to reason it all out, as Magneto stalked through the laboratory, heading for the heavily locked, and securely stationed refrigerator.
"Then we'll just have to test it, won't we." Magneto curled up an outstretched fist, and the entire door to the cold room simply crumpled like a wadded paper ball.
He tossed it aside with a flick of the wrist, just as easily.
"But this is outrageous! We are under attack and you want to test the serum before anything is even agreed?"
Magneto ignored his whining.
He merely pulled out the precious syringe from it's rack on the middle shelf, and stalked away with an imperious air about him, as though nothing untoward whatsoever was going on around him.
He nodded backward to the guard waiting anxiously at the main door to the research area.
The sound of a gunshot followed swiftly, but it was muffled by then as he moved to the elevator.
He had a plan in mind.
And there was just enough time to see it through.
Once down in the cells, he dismissed the guards, who were all far too eager in his opinion, to go join in the fight that was brewing upstairs.
At the door to Speed's cell, he paused only momentarily, allowing sufficient time to flick his fingers at the security lock.
Raising his hand as he had before, he pushed against the metal chains to which his prisoner remained safely secured, and continued on into the small space.
Severely weakened from lack of blood, panting and glaring at the Mutant who stood before him, Speed knew there was very little he could do to break free or even defend himself.
"You're going to regret this," he muttered, but his threats bore no real weight, and Magneto knew it.
"Then you may consider this your lucky day." He uncapped the syringe, and discarded the plastic safety protector. "You deny your own uniqueness, so this should be a blessing." He jammed the needle into Speed's neck and hit the plunger with vicious force. "You can thank me later of course. If the serum doesn't kill you first that is."
Tossing the syringe onto the floor, cracking the glass very slightly, he gave a self-satisfied smile, then spun round and walked out.
There was only one further stop he needed to make while he was on that level, and he opened the cell door as easily as he had the last, tossing in a concussion grenade he'd been carrying in his pocket for that very purpose.
Then he ran up the nearest walkway and out through an emergency exit, dashing toward the waiting chopper, it's rotors already kicking up dust and leaves.
In his haste, he never even noticed the third cell door was already open; a pool of blood flowing from it.
Speed knew he was in serious shit.
Slumping in his chains, his eyes rolled back in his head.
And he was lost to the world in a wash of pain.