The shot heard 'round the city [Impact thread]

[Mordechai]

Mordechai, rose from his sleep, dressed and headed out of Veil. Stepping outside, he let his senses expand, taking in the night air, then headed towards the parking garage to retrieve his Judge. The moon was a sliver but his obsidian orbs easily caught every sight, tracked every motion no matter how small, till at last he swung astride his bike. His massive frame easily fired up the engine with just one kick of the starter. Heading first over to Newborough he made short work of the offices there, slipping in and out unnoticed a few source codes richer with each stop. Then it was over to southern River Rock’s warehouses to gather a few items for his forging friends. He slipped out of the last one and stood off to the side listening to the approaching sirens as the smoke from one of his military grade smoke bombs billowed out of the windows as the five guards lay choking and rolling on the ground. With a slow smile he thought of the old days when a simple well placed knife thrust took care of nosy guards that got too close. Still grinning he swung astride his trusty steed once more and with a smooth rumble headed north towards his offices in Riverwood Market. As he rode slowly through the darkened streets he wondered which of the mayoral candidates was most likely to fix all the broken street lights in the industrial complexes. Politics had never been a big part of his life. In the USA presidents came and presidents left. His skills and job were always in demand no matter who was in power but now, in this little city….. it looked like whoever was the next mayor might be having a big impact on his new life and lifestyle. This would require some deeper thought. Mordie had been reading all he could find on the web, eavesdropping on the streets, and talking with a few of his acquaintances but so far all he knew for sure was that Mikhaila Spencer could not be allowed to win. She was tied to the hated encantados and jorgomos.

Rolling quietly into the Market he turned right finally pulling to a stop in front of the ordinary looking brick building with a small brass placard next to the door. ‘’Midknight Armaments’’ was his first business. Standing, he easily lifted the six-hundred sixty pound bike onto its center stand then slipping keys from his inner coat pocket. He opened the front door as he slid off his helmet. Walking thru the showroom he let his eyes rove with pride over the excellent specimens on display. Unlike many other so called ‘gunshops’, midknight armaments only dealt in the best; the best of the best. You would find no ‘’saturday night specials’’, no cheap imitation knockoffs, only real top quality weapons. Browning, Ruger, Barret, Sig-Sauer, Benelli, Colt, Franchi, and Fabrique Nationale amongst others of the elite armorers of the world. Making his way to the back the tall killer placed his palm on the biometric scanner. Following the click he entered his office though the custom eight foot tall two inch thick steel door. Bypassing the massive mahogany desk he reached another steel door placed in the back wall. Raising his hand to yet another scanner, this time there was no click just a green light came on. Leaning forward he placed his eye over a small tube and held still while an optic scanner slowly passes over his iris. The scanner made 3 passes then there was a long slow hiss like that of a snake in dry leaves as the ten thirty millimeter hardened rods withdrew into their cavities and the vacuum seal was released. Opening the vault door he stepped in. Motion sensing L.E.D’s flicked on to display his own private collection. Each of the weapons was on its own display and lighted by two mini-spots. Each was pristine and lovingly cared for. Cleaned and oiled quarterly once the door was shut and hermetically sealed, then all of the oxygen and moisture drawn out.

Walking to the far back corner, he lifted a 60 by 14 by 4 inch aluminum case from its stand and brought it out to his office, reverently placing it on his desk, before his leather chair. Reentering the vault, he opened a drawer, and removed two small but heavy boxes. Placing them next to the aluminum case on his desk, he closed the door, and hit a small button next to the palm scanner, listening as the pumps activated, resealing the vault. Walking slowly around the office, his mind still wandered, correlating all he had heard up to this point, on policies and promises, then slowly lowered his bulk into the deep firm padding of the chair, and rolled it up to the desk. Closing his eyes, Mordechai took a deep cleansing breath, as unneeded as it was, it was habit, and placed his spread open hands on the aluminum case. His long thick fingers pressed lightly against the firm side of the case, as his mind slowly but surely went blank.

The images slowly came. When he turned seven, his grandfather had given him a Daisy BB gun and a task, keep the birds from the cherry trees. At ten, he opened a long box on his birthday, a Sheridan Blue Streak 5mm pellet rifle. It was single shot, so he practiced and practiced, as the first shot had to count. Soon there were no birds to eat the cherries. Turning twelve, he was given a new job, and new tool. A New England Arms break action .22 long rifle, and the task of making sure no rats got into the grain bins. Fourteen brought a Winchester model 70 Coyote in .243, as he was pointed to the surrounding woods and told there was a freezer to fill, but ammunition now cost more, so therefore he must still make sure to use only one shot per kill.

Graduating school at 18, brought the young marksman to a crossroads. Go on to college, leave town to find another job, or stay on with the family farm. Sitting on a hedgerow one night, waiting to see if the small pack of coyotes that he had heard singing in the late night silence would come his way, he had a small radio in his pocket, playing quietly into one earplug. One song finished, but before another started, a man’s voice came on. It asked him if he wanted to learn to walk with honor. If he wanted to gain the wisdom to command with decisive resolve. Did he want to take his place amongst the most elite warriors on earth. In closing, would he like to be one of the Few, the Proud, the Marines. The commercial replayed in his head as he waited a few more hours before finally heading into bed.

Mordechai woke with the sun, did his chores, then headed in to town. The old 1938 indian motorcycle that he had spent 2 years reassembling wasn't the fastest, but it was clean, reliable and it was his. Pulling up at the diner he saw a poster in the window of the next door shop. ‘’ the Few, the Proud, the Marines’’. Food forgotten, he walked inside, talked, signed, and rode home to tell his grandfather.

The first 13 weeks were spent on a small island in South Carolina, the next 52 days in the woods near a place called Fort Geiger. Someone along the way had spotted something about him, and shortly after he received an invitation to spend 10 weeks in a place called Quantico, at a scout/sniper school. When he arrived, he was called a PIG(Professionally Instructed Gunman)… and he was given a rifle, they called it a m-40a3, in 7.62x51, but he knew it was a Remington with a few modifications. Later he was given a an m82a1. He did well, very well. It was like being on the farm and hunting, sneak up on your prey, or conceal your self at a distance in a blind, and take one shot. When he left, he was told that he was now a HoG(Hunter of Gunman).

The visions flashing thru his mind sped up, his first assignment, and the HoGs tooth necklace he made, guaranteeing immortality, as he now had the bullet with his name on it. Then another mission, and another. Faster and faster the images flew. The incursions, the successes, one after another he remembered them all. The men in suits that took him aside, their missions and then after twelve years, working for the suits fulltime where he was given another rifle, this one the first he had ever owned not made in the United States. It was made in Britain, by a company called Accuracy International, the Arctic Warfare Magnum model, in a Finnish calibre. .338 Lapua. He had heard of it, and sometimes wished he had one, after reading the charts, tables and anecdotes regarding it. Now he had one, in a custom Aluminum case. The Schmit & Bender scope was exchanged for a Leupold Mark 4 LR/T 8.5-25x50mm with the M1 Illuminated Reticle and a Barrett BORS integral ballistic computer. Some things were still best if made in the USA. As the last of the visions faded, the last of his victims relegated back into his past, the massive killer opened his eyes and his thumbs brushed the latches. Dual clicks sounded as he opened the case. It seemed one more must die.

Mordechai slid his hands lovingly along the muted tones of the synthetic black stock before lifting the rifle from its fitted case. Opening the bipod, the killer stood it up on his desk, letting his eyes run over it end to end. Lifting it to his shoulder he held it for a moment considering the feel, then lowered it to the desk once more as he began to push buttons on the butt stock, tiny *snicks* sounding as he extended the length of pull and raised the comb to accommodate his new size. The adjustments had been set for a six foot two inch human….the person he had been the last time he laid behind this piece of art, the night he had met Scorpia. Now configured to nest comfortably in the hands of a seven foot, three hundred pound behemoth, Mordechai raised it once more to his shoulder. Staring at a spot on the wall he swung it up in one fluid motion achieving a solid cheekweld as the scope centered before his eye. The crosshairs rested about three-quarters of an inch above the spot, right where they should be at this distance. The thought crossed his mind that the governments of the world should be hiring vampires. The lack of heartbeat, lack of breathing, took away the last of human error for a trained sniper.

Slipping the rifle back into its case, he adjusted the foam blocks to hold it securely in place. Carefully lowering the lid, Mordechai closed his eyes in thought, he would need a spotter, a partner, someone trustworthy. A spotter was more than another set of eyes, it was a force multiplier. While the sniper concentrated on the target, the spotter fed him information, kept their eyes on the surroundings, protected both of them from surprises. There was only one in the city that Mordechai would trust for this task. Reaching out to her mind, even though he knew she hated it Mordie called out to Pru, this mission was too sensitive for electronic communications, and nothing would be put on paper, the only trail would be the one left purposefully for the authorities. ’’ Pru. I am in my office in Riverwood. I know we have had some arguments recently….but…..I need you’’

As the tall killer waited for an answer, or the appearance of his friend, he wandered the shop collecting a few more items they would need. A Leica rangefinder went in to the heavy nylon duffle he carried, three boxes of Black Hills National Match .308 rounds for Pru, and a Springfield Armory M1-A SOCOM .308 Rifle with a Leupold mark 4 M1 4.5x14x50 scope on it. Nodding his head at the choice, he laid it to the side to take, it would allow fast accurate cover fire if needed. He knew she would like it. The girl could use any weapon, but she loved her firearms, and the SOCOM was one of the best for its intended use. A shooters mat went into the bag next followed by a ghillie blanket. Ghillie suits didn't come in 5x-large x-talls, but once he was prone, the blanket would suffice. A suit for Pru, both in urban colors, these would break up their outlines, hide any reflective items on them, and as a bonus because midknight armaments only dealt in the best, they were lined with an infrared reflective layer, that would hide their heat signatures. More useful for humans then vampires, it was best to leave nothing to chance. Slowly scanning the showroom as he zipped the bag shut he nodded to himself. This was all they would need. He wasn't planning a long insertion, just an in, fire, and out. Setting the bag next to his desk and the Socom on it, he walked around and sat once more in his chair. Pulling one of the small boxes he had taken from the vault towards him, Mordechai read the handwriting on the side as he opened it.

‘’.338 Lapua loaded Sept 8 2013.
Bullet: Berger Tactical Bullets 308 Diameter 230 Grain Hybrid Open Tip VLD
Powder: IMR 7828 81.0 Grains
Sabot: Hornady match grade
Primer: CCI Magnum Rifle Primer

These would work perfectly for the upcoming job. Slipping one out of its case he looked it over. The combination of powder, primer, and a VLD (very low drag) bullet launched at 2752 fps would keep the round supersonic for over 1800 yards, negating the turbulent effects caused as a bullet slowed below the speed of sound. The .308 bullet, fired in a .338 rifle, centered and stabilized by a plastic sabot, would show no rifling. It would look totally pristine till it struck its intended target, no rifling marks, no signature at all. But on impact it would open up, petals spreading, creating the deadliest mushroom in Harper Rock City. The plastic sabot would land hundreds of feet from where the shot was fired, the rifling marks smeared and partially melted. Totally unusable for ballistic evidence and identification, if it could be found.

Slipping the cartridge back into its box, he closed it up and set the box next to its twin. Leaning back Mordechai closed his eyes, lost in thought for a moment. Suddenly sitting upright he opend a drawer taking a small case from it and setting it on the desk before him. Opening it he reached up to his left eye, pinched, then placed an obsidian disc into the case. A few blinks took away the dryness. It had been years since anyone had seen him like this, but for the upcoming events, it was not worth a chance that the plastic disc would foul the shot. Turning to the keyboard at his side, he quickly typed a few commands to activate the webcam program. As the window opened on the screen, the killer stared at the image, right iris black as coal, left, a brilliant cerulean blue. He had worn the cosmetic contact for so long, that even he had forgot how brilliantly his left orb glowed. Pru would see him, maybe others, but any chance of failure must be eliminated.

[Prudence]

Prudence stared at the paper that sat on her lab table, her pencil tapping at the black colored top as she looked over the experiment and what her and her partner needed to do. Usually, she could focus better than she normally was , but something was off with her lately. Prudence had come to a point in her life that she needed to make some decisions about a lot of things; things that she neglected over the last couple of months, or last couple of years. Decisions about her future, which might mean leaving behind the things she was familiar with, the things she loved, or once loved.

“This shouldn’t take too long. I did something like this in advance chem in high school.” Prudence stopped tapping the pencil as a “whu?” escaped her lips. “It’s just an experiment with oxidation and reduction. We can do it in half an hour, tops.” The purple haired goth girl said as she popped her gum in her mouth, something Prudence hated and always told her dumb pet not to do. “Oh.” was all the redhead said before she nodded her head and looked at the list of ingredients needed for the experiment.

“I’ll go get the hydrochloric acid and aluminum.” Prudence stated as she pushed back on the metal chair, and stretched her arms out as she looked up at the ceiling. Half an hour. Then they could go on their way. While it was nice the girl she was partnered up with knew a lot of things, Prudence couldn’t stand the way she let everyone know just how smart she was. Maybe she should show her just how good she was with a gun or sword. Wouldn’t that shut her big, know-it-all mouth!?

The woman grabbed the things she needed, and then a few extra pieces of aluminum, just for good measure. What was the worst that could happen? She was dead already. Granted, her lab partner wasn’t, but, she should know how much to add if she already did the experiment, right? Pru set the beaker, flask, the acid, the aluminum, and tubing down on the table in front of her partner, than languidly took her seat back with a sigh. Her mind couldn’t be a million miles away from this experiment, but it needed to get done. Deadline was tomorrow at 11:59 a.m. and that was the time she would be dead asleep.

“Alright, I’ll let you pour the acid in the flask. Remember to measure the amount of acid in the beaker.” Prudence looked at the girl as she grabbed the acid, and started pouring it in the beaker. That was when she heard someone’s thoughts in her head, taking away everything she had been thinking about and focusing on with the oh, so easy experiment. “Sonofabitch!” Pru hissed when she realized who it was, and not because she had spilled acid on her hand when she jerked from the mind raping invasion of the week.

“You have to go to the station.” She barely heard her lab partner say as Mordie finished his thoughts off. He needed her. Her. No one else. Her. At least that was how it seemed, which was good enough for the red head. “What? No, no. I’m fine. I’m good.” Prudence waved the hand around, focused on healing the bubbled flesh and then showed it off to her lab partner. “See?” She slammed the chemistry book closed and then pulled out her phone and pretended to read a text message. “Got an emergency. Family. Can you share your notes? I owe ya big time.” Prudence didn’t wait to hear what her lab partner Desiree said before she bolted from the room and headed to the nearest train station.

----

“Yo, Mordie. Best be good, cause ya know I hate that mind ******* ****.” Prudence belted out as she pushed open his door to his business and looked around for the guy. “Mooooooordie?” Prudence threw her backpack on the ground and kicked it to the side as she went further inside, to where she suspected was his office. “Yo, what’s up?” Prudence shoved the door open and let her eyes fall on the killer. “Holy ****. What the **** did ya get yourself in ta?” She said as she saw the male completely focused on the firearm on his desk, so much he hadn’t even heard her come in. “Ya said something about needing help? Who the **** we killing tonight?”

[Mordechai]

Turning from the screen Mordechai looked up at Prudence. She was the one that had taught him what it meant to be a vampire. She had spent weeks with him in training at the old abandoned docks in Coastside, spending night after night sparing, and teaching him the ways of the sword. Firearms, they were cake, but he had never used a sword before Pru taught him. Looking straight at her, he asked ‘’have you been listening to the news, and reading the flyers? that one candidate...spencer...she is hooked up with those damn encantados, and jorgo’s. I am sure of it’’ Pausing to see if his eyes had had any affect on her, or if she just accepted him for who he was, he continued ‘’and when i stopped at the bank tonight to make a deposit, tomorrows papers were already on the stand’’

Mikhaila Spencer Calls for Manhunt
Municipal Candidate Demands Full Scale Search for the 'Algonquin Ripper' in Wake of Latest Killing.

‘’I looked into that...the name is what the humans have given to a suspect serial killer. But. ‘’ softly stroking the aluminum case he looked down, gathering his thoughts before again looking back to the tall redhead’s face, capturing her eyes with his. ’’It is not a serial killer, they are bodies left by rogue vampires. She is trying to expose us. She wants the humans to do the dirty work of ridding the city of vampires for the fae. She cannot be allowed to win. ‘’ Pushing back his chair he stood to his full seven foot height, rolling his shoulders he tipped his head, tendons cracking and snapping as they realigned. ‘’She is too high profile to take out, unfortunately. I have a plan though, I just need a partner, and I am hoping it can be you’’

[Prudence]

As he talked, Prudence took her leather, form fitted, coat off and let it rest on the back of the chair she sat in that chair a second or two later. Her arms crossed at her chest as she sunk down in the chair, hiding the words, “**** Everything, Kill Brands.” Her legs crossed at her knees as her eyes met his, noticing something for the first time. Two different colors of eyes.

She didn’t say anything about his eyes, but her eyes didn’t leave his, letting Mordie know that she noticed the differences. She figured if he wanted to talk about it, he would; as in, if someone did that to them and what they were going to do about it. After he talked, she uncrossed her arms and sat forward, thinking out loud for the both of them.

“I don’t really like politics,” Prudence started out as she kept thinking what to say. Was she going to turn him down? Hell, no! Here he was, finally asking for her help. It had been a long time since he asked her for her help, because truth was, Mordie surpassed her in every physical manner possible. But, finally, they were getting past all the stupid **** of everyone else, CC, Zo, DD and anyone else and getting back to where they were. Cool as ****. “But if ya got plans ta kill her, then I’m in.” She ran both her hands over her long red hair, pushing it off her face as she leaned back in the chair. “Probably won’t be easy, being who she is, so you’ll need all the help ya can get, old man.” Prudence cackled before she looked around. “Wish ya would have told me we would need some guns. Just came from school. Kinda a gun free zone. Lameo, I know.” Prudence snorted as she shook her head, eyes back on his two different colored ones. “Anyways, count me in. What do ya need and when do ya need it?”

[Mordechai]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--
-

Mordechai: Mordecai rose to his feet, picking up the M1a as he did. Holding it out to her he said '' Guns are covered, this one is for you. Ammo is in the bag. Figured we could take a run out by that deserted castle south of town. The one the Whites used to hang out at, and put a couple rounds thru them to double check the sights.'' Shouldering the duffel then picking up the aluminum case he turned towards the door ''We can discuss the plan out there. ''

Prudence Prudence looked at the gun he offered then at him, "Well, ya know I'm a little partial to my Scarlett, or even Layla." Prudence started out, but grabbed the offered gun anyways. "She looks nice though. Or is it a he?" Pru moved the gun from one hand to the other, checking out the weight of it and getting used to it. "Castle White? I know where that is." A small, sly smile pulled on the corners of her lips. "Cya there." And with that, the redhead gave him a salute, then vanished quicker than she came in. Much quicker. When he made his presence known, she would be sitting on a tree stump, pulling apart the bigger pieces of the gun, inspecting it better.

Mordechai: '' It's a she. but no where near as temperamental as most females. Layla and Scarlett ARE nice, but they are for close in work. this one will let you reach out and touch someone up to 1000 yards away, tho it is best from 100-600 yards'' As he finished speaking, she disappeared. Shaking his head he took the case and duffel outside, and with a burst of celerity, stopped close to where the titian haired beauty sat field stripping the rifle. ''It is based off the old m-14, very reliable, but semi auto only. These are often used in competitions, they are very accurate.'' Setting down the pack and case, he pulled silhouette targets from the duffel and took off down the open lane, setting one target at two hundred meters, one at five hundred meters, another at one thousand meters, and the final at two thousand meters. Another burst of speed brought him back to her. '' Try a few shots at each of the first three, see how it feels.'' Turning he laid out the shooters mat and began to open the case.

Prudence "Well, let's see what she's got then." Prudence said after standing up from the stump. "From this practice, I take it we ain't getting close, and it won't look like vamps did it either." Prudence liked how it seemed to appear. Clean and well prepared. She hated doing things half-assed. "We going after the big lady herself? She might not be the outgoing sorts. Got that figured out, or are we tailing her for a coupla nights?" Pru lifted the gun up, focused on the first target through the sight and let off one shot. A loud, single bang was heard before she pulled the trigger again, allowing another bang to go off, this one closer to the heart than the last one, before she decided to try and see if a head shot was easier to come by then Scarlett. Scarlett used to be good at them, but these nights, it didn't seem to be the case. The woman nicked the side of the cut-out head and gave a whistle. "Damn, she's real nice, Mordie." Prudence said before she focused on the target that was five hundred meters away, opting to put a few bullets in the chest area, which was larger than the head, until Pru got more comfortable with the semi-automatic.

Mordechai: Lifting the Arctic Warfare Magnum from the case, Mordechai flipped open the bipod legs and settled it carefully on the shooting mat. ''No, we aren't going anywhere near her.'' Removing a sound suppressor from the case next he carefully threaded it on to the barrel, increase the length of the large rifle to a full sixty-four inches. ''this wont silence it, as the bullet will stay supersonic, but it will make it both easier on us, and impossible to tell the direction of the shot, by sound'' Taking a box of the special ammunition out, he pulled on a pair of thin leather gloves, then loaded three rounds into the guns magazine. '' We are going to take out the puppet's campaign manager.'' The bolt closed smooth as silk. Smiling a true smile Mordechai lowered his massive frame to the ground snuggling the rifle like a lover, as his cheek settled into place and he flipped up the protective caps on the Leupold. ''Then we are going to leave trace evidence'' sighting in directly on the five hundred yard target, Mordechai steadily and smoothly fired, cycled, fired,cycled, fired. Each brass case caught in his hand and slipped into his pocket. Eye to the scope he counted the one inch squares on the target two and half inches to the outside edge of the grouping. One half minute of angle at five hundred yards, it appeared neither the rifle nor Mordie had lost their touch. '' That incriminates her and her backers''.

Prudence She watched Mordie, and listened. While she was pretty good with guns, Pru didn't have a vast knowledge of how they worked and a lot of neat add-ons outside of scopes. "Wicked cool." She said, commenting about how they would be untraceable with their weapons. When he talked about what they were going to do, Pru focused on him and not the gun anymore. "No ****?" There was excitement in her voice as her eyes bounced from him to the gun. As he revealed more of his plan, her eyes only grew wider and lighter. "Good. Let's squash the fae *****. When do we start? And whaddya need me for? Sounds like ya got everything planned out. Ya sure ya need me?"

Mordechai: Listening to Pru with a smile, his brain calculated, ''166.5 inches of drop from 500 to 1000, 16.5 MOA, 66 clicks'' reaching to the elevation knob he rotated it up counting silently. " Yes I am sure I need you. I need someone i can trust, to watch over me and protect me. Another set of eyes, looking for danger. Someone that can either open fire accurately, or jet off and summons me.'' Lowering his head, Mordechai methodically released three more bullets down range. A moments studying revealed a six inch grouping, The grouping had expanded, but was still under the industry standard of one minute of angle. ''You are the only one I trust to do that, to have my back. when I lock on target, I lose the rest of the world. There is only me, and them. I need you''

Prudence Prudence nodded her head as she agreed with him. Even in their heated disagreements, if he needed her, she would do what he needed. Mordie was her family and you didn't always see eye to eye on everything, but that's what families consisted of. Fighting, bitching and making up. They hadn't quite gotten that far, the pair of them both stubborn as **** about their ideals and what they would and wouldn't back down on, but in her eyes, this was making some headway to that making up point. "Alright, let's do it. I'm your girl, Mordie." Her eyes moved to the targets. "I won't let ya down."

[Prudence]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--


Mordechai: Loading three more, he settled into place. Slowly his mind cleared step by step he shut down all thought, till he heard nothing, and saw nothing, except the mil-dots on the cross-hairs, and the silhouette at two thousand meters. Shaking his head, he raised it and flicked on the BORS clicking the range to 2000, sight in to 1000, and resettled behind the scope. As the world slipped away his finger gently caressed the trigger. The motion that made kennedy moan, made the AWM quietly bark. Like an automaton, he cycled the bolt and fired again, and again. Sighting down the scope, he let his eyes drift slightly into the form of a harpy eagle's easily picking out the three holes in the target, the three holes in a five inch circle. The three holes that by the laws of trigonometry, were two times as close together as the first group had been. Raising his head the killer smiled at Prudence ''We do this. the .338 does not have the cold bore gremlins that haunt the big Barretts. It is ready, and with you at my side, I am ready.''

Prudence Watching Mordie handle the large gun made her smile in appreciation. It was beautiful when someone knew understood how to work and maneuver a gun. Mordie was one of those people, not that seeing him tonight surprised her. He'd always been good with guns. Better than her even. "Where is this gonna go down?" Her eyes looked past the targets and into the nearby woods, where she heard a faint rustle of leaves, followed by the light scurry of a quick animal.

Mordechai: ''There is a rally scheduled in two days. When Bancroft comes out, we take down his campaign manager. I saved two fangs from the last demi-fae invasion, we can get DNA material from the roots. I also kept one of the silver pens i found in the sec wing, it will have their prints on it, as well as Hebigumo imprint on it.'' That should be enough to cast suspicion with a election poster or two thrown in'' Standing the killer scooped up the Arctic Warfare Magnum and spun off the suppressor, placing both in the case. Counting the empties in his pocket he found all nine, but surveilled the ground anyways. there would be no common hunter around here using a Lapua. Attention to detail is a must on an operation like they were undertaking. ''I will try to answer any question at the office while we clean these. Even with the suppressor we made noise, best to go now.'' Scooping the duffel and case Mordechai blurred into action with a grace that belied his bulk as with a grin, he was gone.

Prudence When he darted off, she stayed around, making sure that it was -only- a small animal and nothing else. No heavy footsteps, nothing breaking under the weight of a human or the sound of a heart, beating at sixty to a hundred beats a minute. When the redhead was satisfied, she gave a nod, focused on the office of Mordie and was chasing after him. She wouldn't catch up to him, as he was probably there before she even thought of taking off. She walked through the store, to the back room where his office was. "Ya know, that ain't a half bad plan." She said as she waltzed in and took a seat. Ya ain't worried about that Gilbert chick? She says she's gonna close down the QZ or some ****. Probably the mausoleum too, if she ever finds out about it." Prudence plopped back down on the seat she had occupied a little while ago, and looked around the room, then finally rested her eyes on him. "Would suck if she managed that. Hard to find anything to train on these nights." Prudence groaned a little as she rest the gun on her thighs. "Fadebeasts are getting harder and harder to find. Could find one once a week. Seems they've gone into hiding. Right after that ginormous one." Prudence shrugged, it was all speculation on her end.

Mordechai: Opening the case on his desk he took out theArctic Warfare Magnum and set it up on his desk. He considered her words as he reached for a cleaning kit. ''Well'' opening a bottle, the sickly sweet scent of Hoppe's No.9 drifted thru the air as he continued, '' I don't know much about her except she seems fully human. Bancroft is a puppet. A puppet of someone strong, very strong. Mikala is a fae....the fae has to lose. We will have to deal with whatever comes of the other two when it gets here.'' Shrugging he slipped the bolt from the AWM and worked a swap of Hoppe's into the bore. ''That is all I know for fact about the situation.'' pausing he looked at her '' what is your opinion on the situation?''

Prudence: She shrugged her shoulders. "Not much. Just what I hear when I walk around town. I don't really do the politics things. Always marched to the beat of my own drum." She cackled as Prudence started dismantling the gun, one piece at a time, taking her time as she did it. "But I guess a human is better than a fae. If we manage to get the manager of what's his face, shouldn't be too hard to get to the human if needed. And if the puppet wins, same thing. Just a human. And humans crush pretty easy. Thralled or not." She smiled wide, wondering if they would be right here again in a few months time. "Guess most of me don't really care, because I've always been pretty careful anyways. And any human that tries to stop me will get dealt with."

Mordechai: Nodding thoughtfully to her words, as he thoroughly cleaned his rifle then wiped it down and re-cased it, He watched her skilled fingers intuitively disassemble, clean, and reassemble the Springfield SOCOM. ''I agree. I have a few things left to prepare, but we can meet back here tomorrow night. and finalize our plan, and get it in motion. I know you hate me talking straight to you but i don't trust electronics, for the sensitivity of this mission. Do you mind for now, if it pertains to this, if i do?''

Prudence: Prudence stared at him after his request about talking in her mind and after weighing out the severity for secrecy, she nodded her head. "Yuh, that's alright. If it's about that. Don't want to be hearing anything else or seeing anything else. There's this one vamp who is going around sending weird thoughts to people about mushrooms and **** like that. But if it's business, then that's alright. Maybe give a heads up first? Dunno if it's possible, but the whole being in my head without being me thinking it is weird!" She slowly put the pieces back together after they were cleaned, then set the gun on the desk in front of him. "She's mighty nice. Take care of her til the big show." Pru stood up and gave him a salute. "Just lemme know when is a good time for ya tomorrow. I'll keep my night open." Pru rolled her eyes at the thought. Most her nights were open, besides running the bar and being annoyed by a brainless thrall, or a know-it-all lab partner.

[Mordechai]

Mordechai waited till Pru had left, then put away the gear. It most likely wasn't necessary, but this close to completion, there was no reason to chance someone entering his office, and asking questions about the specialized equipment. Once it was all set away he again listened to the pumps sealing off his vault, then wandered through the showroom checking doors and windows, making sure all was locked and the building empty. Returning to his windowless office Mordechai settled into his chair, letting it swivel in a three-sixty once, before drawing it up to his desk. Leaning back, Mordie closed his eyes and expanded his conscience letting it stream out through the ether until he found an unsecure node to access. Entering it the killer quickly streamed online, surfing along public pages, creating a random history, then slowly zeroed in on the Hebigumo Foundation’s public site. Flicking through the pages until he found a page detailing some of the lesser personnel, Mordie downloaded their pictures to a drive he held in his hand.

Leaving the site he surfed thru a few other charitable organization following the same pattern to diffuse anyone that thought to try and trail him across the webz. There was no way they could trace him, but at least it would help to allay suspicion. Leaving the node completely the expert hacker traced down another node in a different part of the world and slipped into it. Accessing crownet he silently scanned through his regularly read forums.

The information you've found indicates that the Hebigumo Foundation CEOs recently met with a Middle Eastern businessperson who has ties with mercenary groups,

Finding the the above info posted up by a distant acquaintance, he felt even more assured that his plan was right. ‘’Middle East’’, and ‘’mercenary’’ were never good terms when used together to describe action in North America. Years of his life had been spent there, honing his formidable shooting skills on just such people. ‘’Not in my backyard’’ he whispered softly to the empty room ‘’Not in my backyard, on my watch’’ Rapidly scanning through the pages he caught other snippets about the other candidates, but nothing was anywhere near as damning as the evidence so fat against Spencer. Even the tidbit he had heard about the Gilbert ****** was almost good news, not something to be upset about. Less humans out at night meant less chance of discovery. With so many ‘vegan vamps’ around now, sucking on rats and chickens and ****, like that diluted crap blood could possibly replace what was gathered from a warm human. A slight shudder passed over him as he smilingly faked emotion.

Once more Mordechai slipped out of the node he was in, and searched out yet a third. This time he aimed for Bancroft’s public site confirming where and when the press conference would be held. It was still on, and still at City Hall. A little presumptuous but it was his campaign, and Mordechai could make this work anywhere in the city. The basic plan was simple, and necessary details were easy to add in, it was almost like a form letter. The massive killer had always subscribed to the KISS method of planning missions. Keep It Simple Stupid. Too many extraneous details created too many things to go wrong. Come up with the easiest, safest plan that accomplishes the objectives sought. Realize that no matter how good a plan is, no battle plan remains totally intact once the enemy is engaged. The two rules he sought to live by when it came to missions such as this.

Slowly his eyes opened as he drew himself back, leaving behind no physical trail that could be followed. Turning to the legal style file cabinets against the back wall Mordechai flipped through a few files, before withdrawing a large scale map of the city. Pulling out another file he turned and set both the map and file on his desk using four de-mil-ed 20mm incendiary shells as weights on the four corners to hold it flat. Opening the folder he slid out the newest satellite images of the city. Shaking his head, he thought about how easy it was now, Google Earth. What he wouldn't have given to have this kind of material available thirteen years ago. Life would have been so much easier, instant images, instead of waiting days for satellites to be repositioned, images scanned and censored, then passed on two - four days after the request. Locating the close ups of the Wiickbridge, Gullsbourough and Bullwood areas, he placed them together and positioned one big finger on City Hall. One black, and one blue iris traveled ever increasing concentric circles around that central point. Taking up a sharpie in his other hand the male made six dots. Three office skyscrapers, two tall apartment complexes, and the old abandoned apartments near the eastern dock, across from the Quarantine Zone. Taking a straight edge from the desk drawer, he traced out the line of sights. One of the skyscrapers couldn't see the steps, and the abandoned apartments were too close to guarantee retreat unaccosted, so that was two out. Settling down he studied the map closer, triangulating heights and distances. The other four were quite similar, other than Beta towers was starting to stretch the range for a sure kill. So now down to three. Ranges and angles of depression were almost the same, there was little to make one stand out from the other. All three had easy access, all three were far enough that the suppressor would conceal the direction of the shot, and the suppressor would contain the muzzle flash, though at these distances, it wouldn't be noticeable anyways. Only one major difference, from two of the last three choices the shot would cross part of the river. There was the slightest chance that the difference in temperature between the river and the air would create a thermal, and affect the shot. Also the humidity caused by the flowing water changed the density of the air over the river, depending on the altitude of the bullet path as it travelled across the river to its final destination that could have an effect, and at these distances, the smallest ripple, could create a tsunami of trouble.

Alpha Towers it was. Rest now, then wake early in the eve while the sun was still up. He would transform and do a flyby of the roof then. Make an actual check of the sightlines, and security. Everything had to be in order. There could be no mistakes. Mordechai knew that Prudence would be spot on, she always was. So it was up to him to make sure there were no mistakes on his end, either with the planning or the actual mission. Humans werent perfect...but then he was no longer human. There could be no excuses, this had to work. The city and vampires, would never survive a demi-fae mayor, and the more he learned, he didn't think they would survive Bancroft either.

[Prudence]

She stood outside the large corporate office, eyes scaling the size of it and guessing how many floors there were. In the low twenties, she calculated at a quick glance. Mordie might have assumed Prudence went home after their meeting, but she hadn’t. Instead, she wanted to get to know more about this company and who actually worked for it. And borrow a face for the night of the big show. While she could opt to hide in shadows, any quick movement or sound (intentional or not) might make the redhead lose control over the shadows and IF there were any cameras, cops or security around that pegged them from wherever they were shooting from, no way was she wanting her face plastered all over the news and in police stations.

The loose strands of her red hair whipped in the night air, something she took note of. Since Prudence couldn’t feel the weather change anymore, the temperature and weather usually went unnoticed by the young woman. However, it was something to realize when it came to shooting a target at a long distance, like Mordie planned on. She was sure he might have recognized this, but just in case, she grabbed her phone from her coat pocket and sent a text his way. Something really nondescript, but he would hopefully get what she was saying. Why the **** else would she care about the weather? Or more so, why would HE care? ”It’s cold. Best to bundle up this time of year. Sweater weather to keep the cold winds off ya.

Pru moved closer to the building, to a small cement wall around some grass and a couple of trees. Even a bench. But she didn’t sit on it. That might look weird because it was the middle of the night. Who just sits at a bench? No, instead she sat on the lip of the cement barrier that was no taller than her calf and pretended to look like she was playing a game on her phone while being lazy. Maybe even waiting for someone. In the meantime, she was sizing people that came and went from the building. Mostly those in suits. They more than likely worked for the company.

The men that came and went, went ignored as she played around with her phone. Trying to take the face of a man would be pointless. Not with the contours of her body. Finally, after an hour or so of sitting, a woman with brownish-red hair, a couple inches shorter than her (at most), left the building, ear pressed against a cellphone as she talked away about a presentation she had to give tomorrow at nine a.m. and all the things she still needed to do. Pru stood, pulled her phone up a little and took a side shot of the woman as she walked across the street and down it, to the bus station. while their hair color wasn’t exactly the same, it would hopefully be too dark to notice the difference. Perfect. Her *** would be covered as best as it could be the night her and Mordie set some **** in motion.

With that done, Pru headed back to her sanctuary for now. Where only one person, who never stopped by there knew she lived. Where she could have her space without any interruption. She set the keys to the house down on a small espresso colored table by the door, grabbed a ponytail from the same table and put her hair up in a quick ponytail and headed to the master bedroom where she started digging around for one of those lame *** outfits Sophia got her. For business. Pru had rolled her eyes then, but now? Now she was glad Sophia got her this ****. Prudence pulled out a suit ensemble, black and some black designer heels. She kept the business suit on the hanger and hung it from the top of the door, the shoes on the floor in front of the door. Once it was placed so it wouldn’t fall, Prudence moved to a dresser drawer where she had a variety of things. But she was looking for something specific. Black gloves. After digging under some pantyhose (compliments of Sophia), a few pairs of panties, finally, she found the gloves. Overkill? Maybe. But her *** wasn’t getting nailed with an assassination crime.

[Mordechai]

Calculations done, Mordechai leaned back in the chair, a quick check showed no new emails and and no reported problems with either business. Closing his eyes he laid back as the lethargy of daytime crept up on him. It didn't really slow him down much, but it was enough to throw little curve balls at times. A silent vibration came from his phone. An incoming text. Clicking to the inbox, the killer scanned the message from Pru. For a moment a puzzled look crossed his dark, impassive features, then a small grin broke out. Leaning back again his thoughts drift off as he made a mental note that he would have to be sure of temp and wind come the day of the shot. At last his mind blanked, respirations and heart beat stopped Mordechai rested.

A heartbeat, pause, another. A breath. As his internal alarm went off Mordechai woke on schedule, to the minute. His heart and lungs automatically mimicking a human. Rising, a roll of the neck and shrug of shoulders set all to rights, as he headed to the door. Two hours to sunset. Slipping outside he went to the back of the shop, away from prying eyes, and with a graceful leap transformed. Winging out over the city the huge harpy eagle spiraled higher, offsetting his size with distance before heading across the river and over Bullwood. Two lazy circles around City Hall then drifting south Mordechai lit upon the roof of Groom Center. Though he wouldn't actually call him a friend, he had become working acquaintances with the owner Wendell Groom. Perched on the parapet several stories up, his eagle’s eyes easily picked out details as his analytical mind filed and processed. When he had learned as much as possible, another leap sent him skyward again. Although harpies were often nocturnal hunters, The killer wanted to do this session of recon by daylight, to be sure nothing was missed,

Heading west the massive bird floated the thermals along the rivershore reconfirming his thoughts on trying the mission cross river. Rising higher yet, he counted floors to confirm the research, twenty floors, perfect. A lazy circle over the rooftop showed up no sec cameras. It appeared as tho there was only one access and that the rest of the ‘’buildings’’ on the roof were HVAC units, and ventilation for the plumbing and utility rooms. A widening loop brought him out over the river, and close to his old perch on the smokestack of the abandoned power plant. A flick of his tail brought him over it and he settled into a soft landing. Fluffing up his feathers, he preened for a moment before settling down. Combining the predators patience with an eagles eye sight, he watched, and watched. Minutes turned into hours and still nothing moved on the rooftop of Alpha Apartments. The sun set, and the moon began to rise as once more he leaped skyward, air rushing under the long powerful wings as Mordechai powered high over the river before dropping into a shallow dive. Crossing the parapet the eagle flared, almost like a helicopter coming in for a landing, and shimmered as it turned once more into a man.

A quick walk around the perimeter, then more careful inspection of the interior structures showed that his first impressions had been right, there was no visible security up here, Closing his eyes he let his mind wander out into the ether, easily hacking into the buildings systems control site and confirming. Backing carefully from the system, he moved closer to the eastern parapet wall. The wall was only about six inches high, just enough to control rainwater buildup. Laying down, the massive killer assumed the position arms extended, the mental image so strong he could almost feel the overmolded stock pressed to his cheek as he looked down towards where the target would be, the steps of City Hall. Making small adjustments in his position Mordechai made notice of the amount of movement needed to hit each corner of the target area. Because of the range, the angle of attack adjustments were very small. With just minor wrist flexing he would be able to cover all of the possible areas that he would need to be able to strike. Five blocks, two main streets. A little quick math backed up by his expert appraisal figured the range at…..twelve hundred yards give or take a little. But that wasn’t accurate enough for what was about to go down. Pulling his Leica Rangemaster CRF 1600-B from his pack he carefully sighted in on the center of the stairs and tapped the activation button. Reading the number, he took four more readings all were within three yards of each other. Eleven hundred fifty eight yards. A difficult shot, but by no means beyond the abilities of the shooter or the equipment. As a human he had often practiced on twelve hundred and fifteen hundred yard ranges. As a vampire he had only gotten better. More time to practice and no need to breath or time his heartbeat. The killer would just turn those functions off with a thought. Slipping the Leicas away, Mordechai once more rose, backing from the edge before he rose to his full seven foot height. Walking to the center of the roof the male accessed a local cell tower, popping a text off to Pru, ‘’incoming’’ then counting in his head to ten he shot his thoughts softly but directly into the ginger’s mind ‘’Pru, initial recon complete. Message me ‘free’ when you are, and meet me out by Whites again.’’ Running forward three steps the arguably largest vampire in the city leapt with the grace of a gazelle, morphing into the inarguably largest bird in the city, and winged his way upwards until he would only be seen as a speck from the ground in daylight, invisible at night before turning southwest and heading towards Riverwood Markets. Moments later the giant eagle dropped into a dive, flaring at the last moment to land a man, behind midknight armaments. First checking on his Judge, Mordechai opened the lock and silently entered his storefront closing the door behind him as he headed back to his office, all senses on alert, lights off. Slipping into his chair he leaned back and sent his mind wandering again looking for any new snippets of news that he could find on the candidates as he waited for the text from Pru.

[Prudence]

She didn’t have much planned for tonight. She knew Mordie and her were going to get together later tonight, so after her one class, Prudence dropped her backpack on the couch in the house, and climbed back in bed. Usually, Prudence didn’t have very many lazy nights; or any, really, but tonight, she was going to stay close to home and wait for him to let her know when he needed them to meet up again. She propped herself up against the headboard of the bed, grabbed the remote for the television and flicked the thing on. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, just something to pass the time.

Re-runs, news and some shows she didn’t know what they were passed by as Prudence flicked through channel after channel. She sighed and stopped on the discovery channel where there was something about African Animals. It was better than rotting her brains with infomercials, and reruns of **** from the nineties.

Her phone that had been placed on the bedside table after Prudence stripped off her jeans and climbed into the bed, went off. She shoved the comforter off her legs and snatched the phone up to see the words “incoming.” She smiled at that. He was doing what she asked. He listened to her. It was a rare thing for someone to actually listen to the redhead and do what she asked of them.

Pru stood, grabbed her pants from the floor, wormed her way into them and zipped up the zipper as his thoughts came into her head. This time his thoughts didn’t piss her off, because Prudence didn’t find them to be violating her privacy. After his thoughts went silent, Prudence grabbed her phone and sent him a text. Be there in twenty tops. The redhead hit send, moved to the closet and grabbed a light brown, short-sleeved sweater to put over her black tank top. Then, she grabbed her hair, twisted it, and tacked it in place with a clip from the top of her dresser. She grabbed Layla, put it behind her back and in the waist of her jeans, made sure the sweater kept it concealed and then was off to Castle White. The small firearm wasn’t for Mordie or for any reservations that he might do something to her, it was more for the possibility that she might come across some trouble on the way there or back. Now that there was a manhunt going around for some serial killer, Prudence didn’t want to take a chance with leaving any vampire evidence anywhere. Guns were just guns and humans used them just as much as vampires did, so it would look like someone was shot. Not that someone had been ripped apart by claws, or dained of their blood from a set of puncture marks.

The young, redheaded woman decided to take the train as far as it would take her to get to her final destination, instead of using any of her abilities. She wanted to conserve all her magical abilities for the big shot tomorrow. Pru would need to spend time and energy to alter her appearance, then zip away at an abnormal speed only possessed by vampires, before anyone knew where the shooter was at, and summon Mordie to her. That was only IF everything went smoothly. No, tonight she would conserve her strengths for tomorrow night.

When Prudence arrived at Castle White, she surveyed her surroundings, then called out for Moride as her back claimed the side of the castle’s walls. While she waited for him, her thoughts drifted to a lot of things, but mostly about how unawkward it was being around him, even though they had a lot of difference of opinions lately. It was nice, refreshing evening. Maybe there was hope for them and their friendship. Maybe it could go back to where it once was before. Prudence thought about how nice that would be as she waited for Mordie to make his appearance.