In the Deep, Deep Dark (SS: Trouble in the Deep. Closed)

[Prudence]

Unlike Levi, Prudence could play nice with others. Anyone who knew the fiery red head could vouche for that. From her early days as a bounty hunter; from killing a target, to giving people a cut of the earnings, to some group she was going to start with Sophia Moretti (who vanished off the face of the earth), to some group called Daughters of something or another, to Black Heart. Her team working skills probably surpassed most people, and vampires, but Prudence understood and realized that many people with many skills and abilities made a group successful. Probably due to her human family life, of growing up in a traveling carnival that moved all around Canada. The thought, while slightly nostalgic in nature also brought Prudence a small grimace when she thought about Macro-vamp and how short his time was as a vampire.

The lanky female killer made her move from around the machinery when her eyes made contact with Levi's frame, gun still high in a defensive position, as to not leave caution to the wind anymore tonight. A bullet to the brain, tagged along with a death threat sort of snapped someone's **** together. Especially in the mind of this red head. Her automatic gun was recollected in the process and replaced around the shoulder it had been on. Bodies of the other guys were either stepped over, or stepped around as she approached her partner in crime for the night, eyes on the other figure that also decided these guys were a target for whatever reason. In the end she didn't care, or didn't matter, so long as they were more or less on the same page. Kill these guys and not each other.

With eyes on the unidentified individual that was among their ranks, Prudence's lips parted as she finally made her way over to Levi. “So, yeah. That was fun.” There was a subtle tone of sarcasm to her voice as she finally glanced over at Levi, for just a second, before her eyes were back on the other guy. She stayed near Levi, as to not appear threatening to the other guy, but her gun remained at half stance, raised, but pointed at the ground somewhere near the other guy, at just around his feet area. “So, I want a cut of what the **** ever is in this place. Even if it's some gold ******* paper clips. Doubtful since they're guarding this ***** as if it's fort ******* Knox, but that's my price. A cut of the booty.” She found that more than fair, after all she didn't say how much of a cut, just a cut. Ideally, a third would be nice, because there were three of them, but as long as she had enough to buy some blood packs, and bullets to replace what she lost tonight, Prudence was pretty easily appeased.

With her expectation plainly stated, indicating that Levi should agree in some regard before they progress, Prudence turned her attention to the other guy that sort of looked shady. Well, maybe not so much as shady, as more like someone who seemed to know what he was getting into and had done this a time or two, judging by the way he dressed. “I'm Prudence. Pru works.” She stated, not offering a hand or anything, just looking at the guy. “So, we're going in there and I'm guessing you are too. Want a cut of the profit?” It probably wasn't her place to offer such a thing because Levi had invited her, but she knew people weren't going to go through this **** to walk away empty handed and figured Levi would recognize that too. So, best to cut right to the chase in her mind and see what the guy's price was and if he was willing to divulge in just what was in this place.

[Stonehouse]

Although the identities of the sharp-suited shooter and his fiery female companion were of great interest to Stonehouse, his priority was to take cover and attend to the injury on his arm. Granted, it was only a flesh wound, but a weakened shoulder would definitely limit his strength, not to mention the fact that it was stinging like crazy. Fortunately, the shot had struck him in his less dominant left arm, but it still required a little tender loving care.

Pushing his back up against a neatly stacked pile of wooden pallets containing concrete breezeblocks, Stonehouse crouched down on his haunches and eyed up the oozing hole through the ripped material of his overalls. He tore into the cotton to fully expose the gash, happy that the solid grey slabs behind him were acting as a reasonable barricade. The skin was reddened by the hit, but the blood was a smoky black substance, indicating to anyone in the know that Stonehouse was a vampire, not a human. Many vampires still bled good old-fashioned crimson liquid, but some, such as Stonehouse, seemed to be filled with a shadowy juice.

This was not the time to take a trip to the local hospital for an underpaid and overworked junior doctor to stitch up the weeping wound. There was a much quicker method of healing pesky injuries, one that Stonehouse had learned over time through mystical concentration. Like a small child trying to read the lingerie section of his mother’s clothing catalogue, hoping not to get caught in the act, Stonehouse huddled down into a ball behind the breezeblock barrier. Pressing his right hand upon the bloody bullet-wound, Stonehouse closed his eyes and focused all his inner energy, imagining that the bullet had been expelled and the entry hole completely sealed, with no lasting scar of course.

As his eyelids reopened, and his hand was removed, the chasm had been closed, leaving perfectly smooth skin and a metal slug between Stonehouse’s dextrous fingers. He placed the offending bullet in a pocket, a souvenir of the game. They say that there’s a bullet with your name on it. Stonehouse intended to copyright all of those bullets: Grant Stonehouse ™.

Turning his attention once more to the battlefield that was the courtyard, the healthy Englishman checked that his sub-machine gun was fully loaded, ready to rejoin the fray. However, an eerie silence had swept across the dusty parade ground. The gunfire had ceased. Surely all the guards hadn’t been eliminated so quickly? If so, it would appear that Bonnie and Clyde were rather effective, and not quite the reckless numpties that Stonehouse had initially thought them to be.

It was time to find out exactly who the pair were, as approaching like a flaming torch was the redhead, closely followed by the Italian looking man, who appeared to have caught a bullet in the leg. Actually, it also looked like the woman had copped a blow to the face; either that or she’d had a nightmare applying her make-up.

She wasted no time with her introduction, getting straight to the point with a brief mention of her name, Prudence, and a rather comical proposition. Did he want a cut of the profit? The last time Stonehouse checked, it was he who had come up with the plan to breach the gatehouse and open the pathway to storm the castle. These two late-comers had simply gatecrashed the party. However, the intricacies of any deal could be thrashed out later. First, Stonehouse needed to respond to the redhead’s opening gambit.

“Nice to meet you, Prudence,” said Stonehouse, “I’m Grant. Please forgive me if we don’t exchange backstories just yet, but there appears to be a little scuffle going on.”

Stonehouse scanned the area, counting twelve dead bodies: the two sentries by the steel gate, and ten more guards scattered around the dirty floor of the complex. He returned his attention to the woman.

“I’ll assume that you and these poor chaps weren’t on each other’s Christmas card lists?” he added, before looking at her male companion.

“That’s a lovely suit,” continued Stonehouse. “Is it Italian, or a cheap Canadian knock off?”

[Levi DAmico]

The Italian didn’t react much when he saw a flash of red advancing on him. It was almost impossibly easy to know that it was Prudence from even as something as small as a peripheral glance. He’d paused a moment to allow her to catch up, but also to reload Hope – it was always good practice to keep a weapon fully loaded after all. Maybe it was too early to tell if they needed to use excessive force on their new friend, but, it was always better to be safe rather than sorry in his opinion. Levi figured it was probably about time they confronted their guest and, wasting no more time about it, he and Prudence came slowly and steadily around the corner to where the guy had last been tracked. Their guns were still drawn, but their advance hadn’t been hostile in anyway. Levi could have walked up, gun pointed at the man’s face really, but first impressions were all important. It was ironic somehow that Levi had met both his sire, CC, and his grandsire, Prudence, in equally fucked up scenarios. Funnily enough, he’d died with each encounter too – probably because they’d clashed like thunder against such similar personalities. The ladies had certainly given Levi something to remember them by, and it didn’t matter a toss whether that **** was in the past, he wasn’t about to forget the way they’d treated him in a hurry. He’d hold that against them for the rest of eternity.

When Prudence’s sarcastic comment hit his ears though, Levi allowed for a small smile to creep through his otherwise trademark gloomy demeanour. He didn’t say anything though, no need and no time, as he listened to her griping about getting paid. Well, obviously she had a cut in this mission; he hadn’t exactly agreed on a contract, but he wouldn’t cut her out entirely. They weren’t quite equals though, not in his eyes. As far as Levi was concerned, he’d done all the work so far and she’d kinda just shown up and made herself an easy target. She’d provided some bullets and her own body as a distraction, sure, and that had its uses, but Levi was hoping that Prudence would up her game as the night went on, or at least not let it drop any further. Still, he was feeling more comfortable with the tempestuous redhead at his side than he was with being face to face with their unknown company. At least Prudence was fairly predictable and manageable, and she would indeed be compensated for her efforts tonight, but this other guy – they knew jack **** about this other guy and that made Levi very nervous.

Having given the Englishman the once over and finding his blood pressure rising with each silent second that passed between them as Prudence talked, Levi realised that he had to avert his concentration before he said something terribly ******* stupid. Because, despite his advanced intelligence and wisdom, Levi had a habit of forgetting all of that and running his mouth without really thinking through the consequences. Adopting a poker face, umber eyes gazed into the distance as he tried to breathe subtly through his rage. Maybe it wasn’t fair to say he adopted a poker face in times like this though, because the only expression the Italian ever carried consistently was one of slow-smouldering wrath. Still, face set and detached from the threesome, Levi focused inward. He could already feel the rage curling in his stomach like some kind of fiery Deamon, his peripherals growing dark to sharpen his focus, his head pounding, his ribs closing in on his lungs to pop them like balloons if he didn’t do something soon to release the pressure. Levi even heard that voice in his head telling him he was an idiot for ever believing Prudence would just fall in line like a good dog and let him lead the pack. Because despite being the one that was effectively in charge of their assault on the Hebigumo operation, Prudence had decided that she had the right to start inviting others along to their party.

Maybe it wasn’t a completely horrible idea to pick up an extra set of hands, but, it felt too impromptu for the Italian’s liking. They didn’t know anything about this punk other than the fact that he was skilled enough to take out four guards, but not necessarily skilled enough to dodge bullets. It also wasn’t difficult to notice the wound on the other Vampiro, nor how his blood spooled out of him in wispy black threads – so they could pin-point just what kind of Vampiro he was. Levi had to guess about the man’s motivations though, and he figured that if anybody was here, it wasn’t because they were naïve little fools who had wandered vicariously into the building site. The guy was here for a purpose, hell, Levi had seen him decisively break into the ******* place, but the fact that he was visibly alone was what really concerned the Italian. The Englishman was either confident – but most likely arrogant – or he was isolated, having no one to call on. Both of these circumstances were unsettling because it meant that the Englishman would be a difficult one to work with.

Trust wasn’t the issue – Levi didn’t trust anyone any longer – the problem was that Levi didn’t know enough to ensure this man’s loyalty to their cause. They had a mutual interest, as Prudence had so effortlessly pointed out, but having that didn’t automatically make people friends or allies. Not in his experience anyway. In Levi’s world, the only reason people joined together was because it was better for them – at this precise moment in time – to be united rather than separated. The minute it was no longer profitable to be loyal, they would turn on each other like sharks and devour their former allies. Malavita was a turbulent world and Levi was used to swimming with the currents, saving his energy for the larger waves such as William and Gino, the type of waves that could come crashing down on you out of nowhere. Those pissants were worse than tsunamis really, because despite one being his flesh and blood father and the other being the man who had brought him up for near enough twenty years, both were playing their own power games and wouldn’t bat an eyelash at turning on Levi. So sure, it was difficult for the Italian to accept that he was supposed to consent to the assistance of some stranger based solely on their word.

When Levi combed a hand through his hair shortly after turning away from the pair, he realised he was trembling a little bit. He needed a cigarette and maybe a stiff drink, but he almost certainly needed to punch someone repeatedly in the head until they were little more than a red splat. Preferably someone he knew and despised, someone who was immortal so he could repeat the process later on too. Levi could settle on having just one of those three things for now though. Ordinarily the Italian stored a pack of cigarettes in his jacket pocket, but he was meticulous enough to keep an emergency stash on him. The Italian felt like ******* Rambo tonight with the small armoury he had strapped to him, and although he certainly preferred the disassociation afforded by firearms over hand-to-hand combat, he kept a small Glock knife on him at all times. It was in there, tucked away in the small sheath on his belt, that Levi had managed to stash a couple of cigarettes and matches. And he thought nothing about putting away his high-powered pistol in order to focus on equipping himself with a cigarette. One might say that Levi was trading one danger for another in that moment, but, who could say if a Vampiro could still fall victim to cancer and end up in the Shadow Realm? Or worse, what if the cancer just kept reforming after it naturally healed, like a never-ending sickness? Sometimes having a brain that over-complicated every single ******* thing felt like having a disease…

Umber eyes returned to the scene a little too quickly when he heard the man’s voice again and a name along with it. Grant, he’d called himself, but it could just have well have been a ruse. Levi generally gave his name, not caring to pretend to be anyone else because in his mind, there was no one better to be. Yes, ladies and gentleman, the Italian really was that ******* arrogant. So when Grant made a comment about the suit, one eyebrow lifted just barely from those cold, dark orbs, changing the Vampiro's face from gloomy to a look that was a little more on the agitated side.

“If you need to ask, then we don’t need to talk about it,” Levi said rather matter of factly and, true to his word, changed the subject. “But I’ll give credit where it’s due. Thanks for opening the doors, Grant. It saved us a bit of work. Though, I kinda figure we've still got more work to get done down there.” A casual gesture toward the elevator with his left, non-cigarette holding, hand added context to the Italian's words. "So... fancy explaining why you're here? Ya know, since we're all being nice and open and all that other ****?"

Ok, so much for being civil, but at least everyone was wearing their blood still mostly on the inside!

[Prudence]

The first thing that came to the giant red head's mind was, 'Sweet Jesus ****. Please don't let this other guy be an Allurist.' Prudence had had her fill of Allurists to last her a life time, minus DD. About the only ******* Allurist she would ever tolerate, because DD only got her kicks off banging Prudence's best friend (but didn't talk about it) and kicking some teeth down some scum bag's throat. Really, DD should be a killer in Prudence's mind, but whatever powers that be decided a different course for the woman that was another one of Prudence's great-mini-vamps. Funny how she was 'closer' to them, than her own mini's these nights...well, at least when it came to shooting or stabbing things. People could bond over bloodshed, couldn't they? She thought so.

There was a very small subtle twitch of her lips at the mention of Christmas cards, only because Prudence was watching and listening to both men, who seemed to be having some sort of dick measuring contest. And by that, Prudence meant a show of personalities and the whole alpha male ordeal, when in reality, if Prudence possessed a dick, she was pretty sure she would have the biggest of the three. But, she was playing nice, because there was something here, and by something, it was not just something. It was probably a mother load of all SOMETHINGS. No one put this much man power and fire power in protecting or guarding something shitty, so it had to be worth a lot of money. More money than the bullets she would shell out today.

So, while Grant was being funny and somewhat cocky, Levi decided to sing a different tune, more along the lines of 'I'm a little tea pot, short and stout.' And by short and stout, the woman really didn't mean his dick, but so much his ability to converse. Short and to the point. He wasn't in a jovial mood, which he never was, but she and Levi could at least toss a few insults at the other and be amused. She knew Levi enough to know that he wasn't amused in this scenario. Levi quite honestly had hackles up like any wolf that was protecting his territory or meal ticket.

“What can I say? I was a bad girl last year and they didn't feel the need to reward me with false sentiments, Grant.” She said without any tone of humor in her voice, the red head's eyes swerving around their proximity. She wasn't about to let her guard down while they sat here and chattered on with dicks exposed. “Now, since we all seem to be on the naughty list...” Prudence looked at Levi's wound and then tossed a look at Grant's, before she went on. “I think we can assume, rather safely that they don't like us, and I sure the **** don't like them. I'm betting neither does Mr. Grumpymitts here, even though he won't say so, so we have a common enemy for now. The problem is, while Mr. Grumpymitts can be a real drag and buzz kill, he's with me and I'm with him and ya can bet your *** that well, we'll be working together...so that leaves you...where?” Prudence laid it out, quite bluntly for Grant right then and there, the semi-raised hand gun still remaining in its stance it had been when she approached the guy.

[Stonehouse]

There was an old saying about the enemy of my enemy being my friend. There was certainly some logic to the phrase, as two parties held united views on at least one subject. However, there were also a huge number of assumptions to be made. This so-called “friend” could turn out to be an even bigger pain in the arse than the original enemy. Unfortunately for Stonehouse, a situation had unfolded that meant that assumptions were taking a leading role.

Trust had to be earned, but there had been zero opportunity for the gang of gunslingers to build up that bond. The fact that neither the Italian nor the redhead had, as of yet, turned their weapons on Stonehouse was a small step in the right direction. Add to that the fact that they had demonstrated a reasonable amount of talent with their firearms against the guards, and there were at least a few buds of respect beginning to develop. This was hardly a high-powered business meeting in a lavishly decorated boardroom, but the potential for a mutually beneficial deal was most definitely on the table.

There was also another factor for Stonehouse to carefully consider while deciding whether or not to join forces with Bonnie and Clyde: there were two of them and only one of him. In many ways, the odds didn’t really frighten or intimidate the outnumbered Englishman. He’d recently had a run in with a bunch of clueless fuckwits, ten of them to be precise, and come out relatively unscathed. Apparently, the ****-for-brains circus had been in town, but the ten clumsy clowns had failed to take down the solitary ringmaster. Ten of Harper Rock’s “finest” self-proclaimed hunters versus one lowly businessman; quite laughable really. Diving back into the sagely book of wise old phrases, they say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Perhaps Stonehouse should congratulate the clowns for bestowing a sense of invincibility upon him?

Despite his survival in that particular tussle, Stonehouse still kept his feet firmly on the ground, well, one of them at least. He may have simply got lucky before, and therefore he still needed to proceed with caution when dealing with this new, relatively unknown, pairing. This was, perhaps, not the time for wisecracks and sarcasm, so a more sensible approach was required.

“I’ll assume that we are all here for similar purposes,” said Stonehouse, addressing the couple, “to see what’s going on inside there?”

Stonehouse jutted out a finger, pointing in the direction of the central concrete bunker. He then slowly shifted his arm, moving the aim of his finger towards the recently arrived truck.

“But first things first,” he continued. “We need to deal with the truck driver.”

In all the commotion of the fire-fight, the collective eye of the threesome had been diverted away from the wagon, and in particular its driver, who was currently cowering underneath the chassis, taking cover behind one of its chunky tyres.

“As much as I’d love to chat, fill you both in with my motives and what not, I figure we have anything between twenty and forty minutes until the next truck arrives, and probably less than ten minutes until the driver of that other truck reappears from inside the bunker.”

Stonehouse pointed to the second truck that had already been parked up when he’d arrived, before reverting to his role of school teacher, dishing out his informative lecture.

“I’ve been monitoring the compound all evening, so I know the drill here,” added Stonehouse, letting the couple know that he’d been a good boy and done his homework. “Sort the driver out first, then we discuss the nitty-gritty, agreed?”

Stonehouse was happy to throw the ball back into Bonnie and Clyde’s court, fully aware that they pretty much had to agree with is plan.

[Levi DAmico]

It was true, Levi wasn’t much for conversation. He said what needed to be said and left the rest to speculation. As far as he was concerned, this wasn’t a social visit. They weren’t here to call in on their friends at the Hebigumo or have a ******* tea party in amongst the Vampiri still standing. Though, to be fair, he doubted his companions for the night had such motivations either. He could hardly imagine Prudence sitting down to such a function, lifting a delicate porcelain tea cup to her lips – pinkie out. Though, when he did imagine it, he did smirk to himself. Not merely because the image was absurd in itself – he certainly couldn’t imagine the redhead donning one of those 1930s petticoat dresses or anything like that – but because, in his mind, she was dressed in her usual torn jeans and a casual t-shirt, was covered in grime and blood, and was sat there at a tea party surrounded by life-less dolls like she was eleven years old again. Evidently Levi didn’t think Prudence particularly capable of acquiring friends – not that he was any better at that – so she was therefore surrounded by stuffed animals and china dolls in his vision. He had to hide his mirth before either one of them question why Mr Grumpymitts was suddenly Mr Smirkymitts, and he did quite well at hiding it in a cloud of cigarette smoke.

It was just as well that Levi wasn’t much of a talker too, because the pair seemed to be doing enough chatting for him. At least what they had to say was conducive to their overall plan. It was something of a relief that Prudence had declared her loyalty to the Italian – not that he wholly believed that – and it was good to know that their shady friend Grant had been patrolling the area all night. Frankly, it seemed like the guy had been paying far more attention to what had been going down here tonight at the construction site than Levi had, but the Vampiro chalked that one up to circumstance and opportunity. Just like how certain people had been turned earlier than Levi and yet weren’t any better off for it. There were dozens of examples of that dotted about the city; Vampiri that were years ahead of him, hell, people that were years ahead of him, but not nearly as successful as he had been. It was probably just a matter of wanting it more though. Levi was competitive, saw every moment of life as an opportunity to improve, so he didn’t really rest on his laurels like a lot of the self-entitled gasbags on the planet. Umber eyes looked keenly at Grant in that moment too, thinking that perhaps he wasn’t quite as alone as it seemed…

“Fine, go ahead and sort out the driver,” Levi said, dropping his spent cigarette to the ground and stomping out its cherry light. When he looked back up, he was actually directly looking at Prudence. “We don’t want any stragglers or witnesses. So either both of you go, or Pru… This one’s all yours.”

Speaking of witnesses, it would probably be a good idea to take out any CCTV in the area. A construction site like this wouldn’t be a natural spot to set up cameras, but this wasn’t really all that natural, was it. You don’t tend to mix bulldozers and submachine guns unless there’s something worth guarding, and if that something is so important to warrant armed protection, then you can bet your arse that there were cameras dotted about to keep an eye on things too. Levi had to hope that there wasn’t a live feed going back to the source, because that meant they were already ******* screwed. It probably wasn’t even worth investigating though. Grant had said it himself, they didn’t have too much time to waste screwing about because maybe the next truck that was coming in wouldn’t be so empty, but filled with more of those super soldiers. Either way, it was imperative they secure the elevator and Levi didn’t waste any time making his way over – those two could bicker amongst themselves. Grant could either accompany Levi or he could follow the redhead. Choices, choices.

“Just move your ***,” Levi added. “Clock’s ticking.”

[Prudence]

The driver!

In all the blazing gun fire that went down in the last five to six minutes or so, Prudence hadn't necessarily forgotten about the guy, she just more or less assumed he was dead already. Either by stray fire; friendly or not, or by Grant himself. Levi seemed content on smoking his cigarette, which was something she didn't think she ever noticed about the guy. Why did vampires smoke? Prudence never understood the appeal when she was a human, and understood it even less now that they were dead and really had no reason for the habit. But, the woman also knew old habits died hard, and Levi was old. Well, a lot older than she was.

Grant seemed fine with Levi or Prudence getting rid of the guy who was cowering like a baby behind a large tyre, and it seemed Levi was fine with Prudence or Grant getting rid of the guy. In the end, she was in each scenario, so Prudence took it upon herself to do them both the favor and get rid of the guy. “Allow me.” She said before she spun on her heels and made a move towards the truck. Each step in her Timberland black women's low heel boot was placed on the ground carefully as the woman progressed to the truck, making sure she didn't kick any larger stones as to alert the guy she was on her way to him.

The gun that was in her hands found a secure place back around the waist of the red head as she moved quietly, but quickly to the target who was oblivious to her advancing on him. It seemed that if he believed he sat there, cowering away, with his hands over his head, that they would either not see him, or forget about him. Much like a toddler or young kid. The logic, if I can't see them, they can't see me. It was quite pitiful, and as ridiculous as it was sad.

When Prudence got a few feet from the tyre closest to her, and opposite of where the guy was hiding, the woman raised both of her hands high above her head, leaned forward and soon replaced the high hands that reached for the sky with high legs, as the acrobatic woman performed a front flip, that lead into a somersault. This would take Prudence right under the frame of the metal truck and right behind the guard, who only knew she was there because she miscalculated by a smidgen and the heel of her boot lightly kissed the lower back of the male. “Well, hi!” Prudence waved her fingers at the guy as his hands dropped from his head and he turned to look at the woman. One hand instantly moved to some sort of weapon, but Prudence quickly extended her leg and jabbed the guy in the throat with her booted toes. “Bit of a situation that needs your help. Be a pal and help a lady out?” Prudence spoke as both his hands went to his neck as he struggled for air. She moved so that Prudence was in his lap, a leg on each side of his legs, knees in the dirt before Prudence yanked the guy by his shirt and sank her always visible fangs right into his neck. When the woman was done taking what she needed, her hands found a home on both his cheeks and chin, before she yanked his head to the left and let go once she heard the sick, satisfying pop of his neck, and the lifeless look in his eyes. The woman trailed her left middle finger down her chin, where a few drops of blood nestled after sliding her way out from under the chassis of the truck. “Ya happy now, Mr. Grumpymitts?” Prudence called at Levi as she started making her way back to the two men that seemed to at least be tolerating the other. Only because they were both standing and not dead.

[Stonehouse]

With the truck driver taken out of the equation, it was time to move on and attempt to solve the bigger problem, starting with the gaping hole in front of the concrete bunker. It appeared to be an open mineshaft at first glance, but the shadows of the bunker made it fairly unclear. A mineshaft leading to where was the burning question raging through Stonehouse’s inquisitive mind. The explorers needed to investigate.

There were, of course, numerous other mysteries that required attention, not least those centred around his two new accomplices. Just who, exactly, were they? It was a fair assumption to make that the Italian man and his redheaded partner were thinking precisely the same thoughts about their new best buddy.

Glancing over his shoulder to confirm that the feisty female was on her way to the bunker having dispatched the lorry driver in her own special way, Stonehouse focused his attention on the suited shooter walking beside him, trying to weigh him up. The Italian had steely eyes, clearly focussed on the task at hand. Stonehouse’s first impression was that the smartly dressed foreigner wasn’t much of a talker, that charisma wasn’t his secret weapon. His persona was one of a man who would cut to the chase and didn’t suffer fools gladly, traits that Stonehouse could relate to. There was no point engaging in small talk with this man, as he didn’t seem to be the kind of chap to be concerned about the state of the weather. It was time for Stonehouse to get straight to the point with the man currently known as “Mr Grumpymitts”.

“I’ll be honest with you,” announced Stonehouse, “I’ve held an interest in the Hebigumo Foundation for quite a while, an interest in their work, an interest in their business dealings.”

It was a bold move for Stonehouse to show his hand so soon, but time wasn’t on the side of the trespassers, so elaborate bluffs were off the agenda.

“When this compound suddenly sprang up, I just had to take a look, find out what they were up to. There’s clearly more to this place than meets the eye, as we’ve already found out.”

The pair reached the bunker entrance as Stonehouse continued to open up to his counterpart.

“There have also been rumours circulating…,” said Stonehouse pausing, “about the Sirens…”

He deliberately left the sentence open, dangling, hoping that the mention of the Sirens would grab the attention of the Italian. The suited gunman could, of course, have no idea about the mysterious faction, and simply be here for financial gain, but it was worth tossing out the bait to see if he would bite.

Not waiting for the man to respond, Stonehouse peered into the entrance of the concrete hut. The hole was surrounded by a metal frame, an elevator shaft that housed a carriage, a car that was probably large enough to carry a dozen or so men at once. There was no sign of the other driver, the one who came in with the first wagon, and very little else inside the central hub. It looked like its sole purpose was to accommodate the lift shaft.

Gazing downwards, Stonehouse was unable to see the bottom of the mine. It simply vanished into the darkness below, appearing to go much deeper than the local sewer network. He looked back at the Italian, noticing that the redhead had drawn up alongside his shoulder.

“Do you fancy going on a journey to the centre of the Earth?” asked Stonehouse.

[Levi DAmico]

As they went their separate ways, Levi was reminded of the Fox-Chicken-Grain puzzle. It was a pretty simple brain teaser. As a farmer, you had to get your stock – in this case, a fox, a chicken and a sack of grain – over a river in a boat. Stepping around the more interesting puzzle of why a farmer was taking a fox to the ******* market in the first place, the real problem centred on the fact that you could only take one stock item across the river at one time; the boat having apparently been whittled by your good-for-nothing stable hand or someone equally useless. Left unsupervised, the chicken would eat the grain, or the fox would eat the chicken. However, the fox wouldn't try to eat the grain, and neither would the fox or the chicken wander off at any point. Apparently livestock and wild animals will remain glued to the spot if left unsupervised for however long it took to take a boat across a river – or maybe they were tied up? Anyway, regardless of all the vagueness, the point of the riddle was this: what's the quickest way to get everything across the river in one piece?

Levi was reminded of the puzzle, not simply because it was an absurd situation with too many unaccountable variables – like the one they were in now – but because he felt like their new friend Grant needed someone’s supervision at all times too. Levi couldn’t leave the Englishman to check up on their missing driver alone, so he’d advised Prudence to go along with him. The driver did need to be sorted out sooner rather than later too, so they couldn’t leave him unsupervised for much longer either. Levi also couldn’t leave the Englishman to go adventuring on his own, or leave the elevator unattended should the previous driver make his return. So it was very much like that brain teaser with Grant playing the role of Fox, and the elevator and their missing driver playing the other roles. Fortunately, Levi had enough resources to avoid taking just the one boat tonight, and had hired an extra set of hands. So he would take the fox across the water first to see to their grain, and leave Prudence to deal with the chicken at large. It was all well and good to make several trips across that river if you had the luxury of time, but, the Vampiri didn’t.

There was a moment on their walk back to the elevator that Levi thought about those cameras again. He wasn’t really the technological type, but he knew a guy who was. Shiro could probably hack into their systems with relative ease and do that thing he did so well – planting viruses, stealing valuable information, and selling it to the highest bidder. Levi didn’t know the details of hacking – hell, he barely knew how his smartphone worked – so there was a lot of truth to be found in letting people work to their strengths. Levi had informed the Shark just where he would be tonight and should he have the time, Shiro should probably dig a little deeper into the Hebigumo Foundation, but Levi hadn’t divulged any other details. This had warranted a weary glance from the Japanese man, but Levi was used to shrugging off Shiro’s suspicions. It was just… better to keep Shiro out of these affairs – there was already at least one too many Humans that knew just exactly what Levi was. If it had been anyone else other than Gino Valachi, then Levi wouldn’t have hesitated to make them disappear, but you can’t very well do that to a guy with unlimited connections…

Levi was checking his cell phone for service coverage as they were came upon the elevator shaft, finding that not only had they stolen the Italian’s good luck charm, but they’d stolen his cell phone’s reception. Grant was talking at this point, and the Italian made little to no effort to engage – not because he wasn’t interested in what the man had to say, but, because it was always better not to look that way. If he was happy enough to play Mr Grumpymitts, you can bet your *** that he didn’t mind being thought of as a common thief with no ulterior motive. The relative ease with which the Englishman gave up his knowledge struck Levi as more than a little suspicious too, but then Grant was baiting, wasn’t he. Give up a little vague, fairly common information with a grain of truth to it and most people will start to trust you’re a straight-up guy. Or he could just be trying to pass the truths off as a lie; wasn’t that exactly how a double-bluff worked? Give them truths so they think you’re selling them **** and then they won’t take you up – win, win. Levi hadn’t made up his mind about this stranger on the scene, so, he was happy to keep his cards close to his chest – committing to nothing just yet.

When Prudence came up alongside them, Levi put his phone away finally and sneered at her comment. “You know me, I’m always ******* happy when you’re around.”

And he was obviously just being his charming, cheery self again with that sarcastic tone of voice. That was how Prudence and Levi interacted with another, though. For the most part, it was harmless because despite everything, Levi couldn’t entirely be bothered to waste time on petty vengeance. Still, the aloof nature of their bond was evidenced in the nature of their mock-quarrels. They were almost like tiger cubs testing out their hunting skills on one another – those claws were sheathed and their temperaments were playful, still, they were learning from each other, establishing a hierarchy. Levi never really had been a guy who respected his elders – not seriously. Sure, they might have been on this giant spinning ball of muck a little longer than he had, but that didn’t warrant ******* respect. It was circumstance, that was all, respect was something you earned over time, not something that was simply granted. Yet, he didn’t think that Prudence was completely without her merits. She was stubborn, which could be both a blessing and a curse in certain circumstances, but overall it showed fortitude, strength. A person who lacked conviction was as spineless as spit, and Levi really had no time for people who needed validation from others in order to live their lives.

And that was when Levi looked back to Grant – that and the man had made a comment about going on a journey into the centre of the Earth. There was a book about that, wasn’t there – there was most certainly a movie – and despite the fact that the Italian preferred his novels in non-fiction format and pretty much regarded TV as brain-rotting, he was still certain he knew the storyline of that particular fable. Some mineralogist, and a few other nameless fellows that likely end up dead, descend into the subterranean world beneath the earth's crust. After descending into a crater, the travellers set off into the bowels of the Earth, encountering many strange phenomena and great dangers. All this before they disappear down another unfathomable pit before being spat out onto the surface. It turned out they went right through the planet’s core, and while Levi rather doubted that they were going to embark on a journey quite like that one, he fully expected for there to be plenty of dangers and strange phenomena to be found. The Italian didn’t really like the look of the mine shaft in itself, never mind about how long it dropped and what was waiting for them when they’d get there. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had a body to throw down there in order to test the drop? Levi could think of a few people that were little more than paperweights anyway, people he doubted would cause anyone to fret if they disappeared permanently…

“We ain’t going anywhere without that elevator,” Levi declared after a few moments, sounding rather bored. “I don’t reckon they got a stairs option.”

As far as those umber eyes could make out, there was an elevator shaft and there was a conveyer belt that brought the rubble up from the depths and into those loading trucks. Their missing driver had most likely taken the elevator down, which was what they were going to have to do unless they fancied taking the shoot. Incidentally, it was during this phase of reflection that the belt on the elevator started to whirr into life, sending the car back into the dark, suggesting that their missing party was on his way back to the surface.

“Well, that’s kinda convenient,” he muttered, finally sounding somewhat amused. “I guess now we play rock, paper, scissors over who gets to welcome our next new friend.”

[Prudence]

Getting to where they were required no stealth of subtly, as everyone seemed to be dead on this level. Prudence listened for voices or any sort of hurried motions from the bunker the males were approaching but didn't hear anything. Whatever happened up top and outside, didn't seem to register inside or down below. It was nice to catch a break every once in a while, especially after taking a bullet to her shoulder and to her skull. The shoulder wound remained unscathed because Prudence wanted to use her healing vambrance; the thing around her wrist in a leather braiding of sorts, wisely. Who knew what the **** waited for them inside the place the men were gathered around?

Prudence meandered on up to them, not really saying anything, just listening. She came around the time Grant extended an invitation to Levi, her eyes not focused on them anymore, but on the lift that came into her view. Great, they were going into something potentially bad and shitty, the woman thought to herself. They actually had no idea what was in store for them, so she preferred to look at it in a more negative approach. Guards, guns, swords and a bunch of other fuckery. This potentially required the job of her beloved automatic gun, so Prudence moved her back pack to the front of her body, unzipped it and then rummaged around for another string of large ammunition. When she found it (which took maybe three seconds tops), Prudence yanked it out, dropped the pack to the ground and pushed a new magazine into the large beast of a gun.

Levi was talking some more, and honestly Prudence paid him no mind until he stated a billion dollar statemen. The red head gave Grant a dead stare at the question, because Grant was an outsider in their little group and so if anyone should go and meet a pile of fuckery, in Prudence's mind, it should be him. However, she didn't know his capabilities and if he fucked up, then it would roll over to be their **** up, so the initial thought was pushed aside as Prudence started thinking on the question in a more serious manner. “Hmmm.” Was all Prudence said as her eyes moved off Grant and to the lift and the problem they currently faced. "I don't think team implies solo work, Grumpymitts."

“Welp, we could take it a couple ways if we're willing to show each other's deck so to speak. I imagine you both can sneak around a little and so can I...but that only lasts so long and hate to be wasting resources if we get down there and are met with **** all.” Prudence shrugged her shoulders as her left hand moved to her chin and the woman tapped at it with her middle finger. “I don't reckon they'd take too kindly to seeing three animals pop down the chute, if either of ya can even do that little trick.” Prudence was thinking of a plan out loud before she dropped her hand from off her face and gave her fingers a quick snap. “What if we look like the guys from out here? I can alter my appearance a little bit...but I am wearing chick clothes...” And none of the guards that Prudence took out had been female, so that left her with a bit of a conundrum. “Or, we just go down there like we are now and see what the **** we have to deal with. I'm out of options really. Sneak down somehow, but how is the biggest mystery of them all. I'm good with going down however, but I'll leave it up to you gentleman to sort out the details.” The red head had stated her mind and opinion, she was up for whatever, they just needed to all agree. Their first attempt at a united front.