City of the Damned

The City, a wonderful place and a hell hole as well.  It all depended on who you were, or what you were.  Things had changed over the years, what once was hidden from mankind was now revealed and those of myth, that had been hunted once now ruled.  Vampires ruled and lycans were their soldiers and protectors during the day.  For the past one hundred years, after the last war, The City had been ruled by the Vampires.  The rest of the world seemed to have fallen off the face of the planet.  There was no contact with other major cities or from other countries.  

Around The City there were communities of humans that were the food source of both vampires and lycans.  Not easy to find, they were hunted for the sport of hunting and for the kill as well.  With in the city there were humans that lived under the rule of the vampires.  Even there they were hunted as well for sport.  If a human made it outside the walls of the city, they were left to live and be hunted another day.  Most humans served their masters in many ways  Some were even favorites of the vampires and treated well, until another gained that favor.  

As always theough, there were those that wished to be in charge.  Plots, counter plots were always going on.  There was always the need for someone that knew how to kill a vampire and was willing to do so.  Though those of that kind was few in number and their price was usually very high indeed and of course their identities, faces kept secret.

Nick was one of those, but he was not quite human either.  Not vampire, and not lycan, but immortal.  Some sort of quirk of nature, fate, or perhaps some sort of experimentation when the humans ruled the world.  He had the speed, strength, agility, and healing properties of the vampires but could stand the light of the sun and not have to feed on the blood of others.  With the right, slight makeup he could pass as a vampire.

He had a place on the west side of the city.  He had a contract offer and so decided to check it out.  She was a powerful, beautiful, and seductive vampiress.  But one of the others wanted her gone.  Her tower was in the middle of the city with the more influencial vampires.  He knew the tower well and certain things about it that the present owner had no clue of.  He made his way through the tower to her chambers.

((me again, infecting your stories ~grin~.  you can delete if you want x))

Whisper stared out at the city with a soft sigh of pleasure.  Sure, she couldn't see the lights, nor the people below milling around as their habit, but she could feel them.  Gotham had a pulse, it lived and breathed through the people that spent their lives there and she could feel that pulse run through her.  She could hear everything going on from her balcony and she smiled as she picked out various happenings below.  Drug buys and busts, whore plying their trade, men and women of business vying for the best price.  Since the war, of which she remembered very clearly, Gotham had become a churning and vibrant hellhole in which anyone, literally anyone, could make their dreams come true.  It made her smile that she had played a big part in that.  If she had warned the elders that the hunters were coming, this city, this small empire would never have been.  Whisper smiled distantly at that, knowing that their arrogance had cost so much to them and put her in the perfect place to fill the void they would leave behind.

However, it wasn't just her that then took over Gotham.  Several of her generation managed to survive and began to build their own small empires within the city.  In the end, Whisper controlled only a small part of it, but she was fine with that.  It was rare that the others bothered her, for they knew what she was capable of.  In the years after the war, there was much vying and in fighting for the various towers, but Whisper's had always been right in the centre.  And there she had remained, despite them all.  Many attempts had been made to dethrone her so to speak, but all had failed.  It didn't matter who or what they sent after her, she had always outwitted them.  Her highly sensitive hearing had picked them off from miles away and her even more sensitive nose and had smelled them long before they were close enough to attack.  Usually, her hound Demon had dealt with them, eating his fill and leaving the remains to be displayed as a warning to the rest.  Only one had ever got close enough to actually pick a real fight and despite her lack of sight, she had dispatched him with even more venom than Demon had done.  Her skills with a blade were as deadly as any hunter and she had sent pieces of the attacker to every corner of the city, reminding all who really was the victor.

Now, as she stood taking in the smells and sounds of the city, she felt safe in the knowledge that she was all but untouchable now.  At least for a while.  It had been ten years since the last attempt, so it was inevitable really that another would be planned and executed with precision.  After all, Whisper was a threat to the other vampire lords, she always had been ever since her childhood.  She had spent her entire life fighting twice as hard for only a fraction of the respect she deserved and they despised her for it.  As her ice white eyes opened, revealing the true extent of her blindness, she turned from the balcony and moved inside where Demon waited obediently for her on the rug near her bed.

The hound lifted his head and half whined, half growled his pleasure as Whisper passed him and scratched his ear affectionately.  "Ahh, my dear friend and companion."  She sighed softly, her voice barely above her namesake.  "Such a lively night in the city.  I feel it could one day give me a headache."  In response, the hound growled again and licked at her passing fingers.  "Your affection has always been a great comfort to me."  The hem of her delicate white satin nightgown brushed against the hound and he began to follow it and her to the bed.  "You're right, Demon, it is time to sleep a while."

Going to her bed, Whisper eased herself under the smooth Egyptian cotton sheets and closed her eyes.  She sighed again softly as she moved to be more comfortable and then pushed her head back into the soft pillows.  At the foot of the large canopied bed, Demon settled down on another plush rug and snorted his comfort before falling into his usual light sleep.  Whisper smiled as she began to drift.  As she did so, one of her slaves entered and quietly closed the voile curtains around her bed and then left again in silence.  Whisper rarely spoke to her slaves, not even to order their presence or service.

It was late into the early hours when something woke Whisper.  There was movement not far from her bedroom.  It was quiet, almost silent, but no matter how quiet one stepped, it was rare that one could hide their heartbeat or breathing.  Listening closely, Whisper focused her mind onto the sound closing in.  It was not coming from the hallway outside her room, nor from the back corridor of which her slaves used.  She turned her head slightly on the pillow and calmed her breathing to almost nothing.  The sound was coming from within the walls!  Whisper restored her breathing and relaxed further.  It had taken ten years, but they had sent another to attempt her life.  She wondered briefly who it might be this time, but it wasn't important.  What was important was that this particular assassin had inside knowledge of her home that had not been mentioned to her previously.  This angered her, but she would remain calm.

Remaining silent and keeping her breathing regular and soft, she resumed the appearance of sleeping and even turned slightly to make it appear that she was deep in dream.  Soon enough, the scent of her attacker came to her.  A man.  An immortal man, but with a heartbeat.  Perhaps a born vampire?  After some time, Demon finally realised someone was there and he lifted his head with a small growl before looking to Whisper.  He knew she already knew someone was there and no doubt she was already planning on how to deal with the intruder.  That being the case, he put his head back down, but kept his eyes open, scanning every inch of the room.  he would see what his mistress did first.

Finally, she heard the almost inaudible sound of a secret door and she remained as she was, giving the impression she had heard nothing and was still deep in her dreams.  She would attack at the opportune moment.......

Nick had settled in for some time with in the walls of the upper floors of the tower. He knew the place well for it had been his home and work place for a number of years before the war and during it. It had been the home of many people, all that worked for the government and supported the special unit that Nick had been a part of. Even then he had been different then his friends and co workers. He had no idea of how he had become what he was but then again he had never really knew his real parents. He had been raised in a foster home.

The unit he had worked in was a military one. They had the job of entering the most guarded places of the world and eliminating threats, rescuing people or gathering intel. The lower floors of the tower had been living quarters for the unit and their families and that of the support staff that made their job a bit easier to do. The top floors were the offices of the brass, the training centers, tech labs and other areas that gave them the skills, weapons and such to do their job.

He had learned that these areas, which now were occupied by the vampire he was to kill had been heavily monitored by security cameras to insure no one leaked sensitive information. He now tapped into that system that was no longer monitored all the equipment to do so had been removed to make it living space. But with a bit of power through the cable and a hand held monitor he was able to access it and scan the rooms till he found hers. From with in the wall he looked at the monitor and saw her on the bed. At the foot of the bed lay a large hound that he had information on as well. He did not want to tangle with it nor kill it. He had a fondness for animals. Only if he had to would he kill them.

He saw her move on the bed and watched her carefully. A slight movement of the head was all it took to know she was awake. She was good at faking it but he had noticed. He noticed as well the movement of the hounds head and it putting it down. He was well trained, and he smiled. She was going to be a chaleange that was for sure. He opened the panel slightly and set down a small remote control device that held a can of airasol sleep spray. He would need to put the hound to sleep first if possible

His mind went back at least fifty years when his unit was still active and alive. It was during the war when the vampires first revealed themselves. They relished the war, using it as a way to feed and to begin taking control. His unit had become hunters of sorts, trying to eliminate the leaders but it seemed when one was taken out another stepped in to take its place. They had developed weapons to kill them fast and efficently. The vampire slayer blades were good for close quarters and the UV bullets were good for ranged attacks. One round to the head and it was over, take the head off wit the blade and they were done for as well.

Those days were past now. He was the last of his unit alive. Mostly due to him out living their life spans. A hundred years was a long time. The little toy car moved silently across the floor towards the hound, His finger was on the buttlon to release the spray.

Demon wasn't the first to notice the strange thing coming across the floor, though he was indeed the first to see it.  Without lifting his head, he eyed it carefully, watching it move across the floor with caution and he let out a low dangerous growl.  On the bed, Whisper turned her head again.  There was no such thing as silent to her.  She followed the path of the remote controlled car along the floor in her mind.  She didn't know what it contained, but where it stopped, she imagined it was something to remove Demon from his job.  Perhaps a toxin that would kill him.  This angered her further and she realised then that her would be assassin knew she wasn't sleeping.  Time for another tact, she thought.  Clearly, this one was different, more highly skilled and much more astute than the average mercenary and he clearly had some knowledge that she wold need later on, like how he knew where Demon was lying if he was still secreted within the walls.  She had heard the door click closed, so he had to have something that enabled him to see without emerging from his hiding place.

The room was well aired, her balcony doors were still wide open, allowing the air to circulate, but the proximity of the car meant Demon could still be killed and she was very fond of him.  Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing the disturbing white emptiness of them.  If he could indeed see her, he would see this.  "Demon."  She called, her voice once again barely above that of her name.  "What is it?"  The huge hound instantly got to his feet and backed up from the thing on the floor and he went around quickly to his mistress.  She had a plan.  Whisper carefully reached out, letting him come to her hand and he knew then what she was doing.  After all, there was no such thing as a blind vampire, right?

Once Demon had taken his place at her side, she pulled the sheets aside and carefully swung her legs out.  She tested the floor first as though to make sure it really was there and then carefully stood up.  Demon never once faltered in his duty and he lifted his head as she stood up as though to guide her so she didn't knock anything.  From within the wall, her attacker would see that his growl had alerted her to something strange and he was taking her away from it to protect her.

In their mock play, Demon began to lead Whisper from the bed and away from the car on the floor and she followed him dutifully towards the balcony.  Out there, there was only one escape for him, but she had many.  Soon enough, her regular guard would see this in the security feed.  She wondered if they would see the car, but they would come anyway. It was rare that she woke midsleep like this.  They would know something had to be wrong.  It was merely a matter of waiting out the assassin and she wondered how much of her ploy he believed.  Would he take the bait and make himself known in confusion, or would he think her blindness was false?  Either way, she would know this attacker by dawn......

Nick raised a brow as the hound raised its head and looked at the toy car. It did not move, not until it's master made like she had just awoke and called out to it. The hound got up and moved and Nick bought the car to a stop. Nick was no fool, he knew all about her and what she was capable of. He had heard about her and had found all the documents he needed to get a good idea of what he would be up against.

He had been surprised that her acute hearing had not heard him earlier or that she had not smelled him some time before. Perhaps it was the material that the upper floors had been built with. Every thing had been made to keep sounds in and not let anyone easedrop no matter what equipment they had. Then again his tight fitting outfit might be keeping his scent in.

Changing his monitor to a split screen he watched her and then the hallways leading to her rooms. The guards were making their way there. Lycans in human form for the moment. "Another time perhaps he whispered." then he was moving to the ladder that would take him to the shaft that lead to the roof. There his para glider. No one looked to the roof tops at night. Especially the towers. It had been the easy way in. In a few minutes as the guards came bursting in, he was on the roof strapping into the harness of the para glider.

Meanwhile a hunt had begun. Several humans had been found and herded some distance away from the hunters. Three vampire lords were now on the hunt seeking the delicious prey. Fear, exertion to bring out the adrenilan made the prey much more tasty.

Whisper smiled as she heard her guards coming and then smiled wider as she heard movement overhead.  This assassin was most certainly different than the rest.  The slight swoosh over the wings of the paraglider made her turn her head upwards towards the sound.  The smile became completely full and she openly waved to him, beginning to laugh.  Just as she finished her wave, her guards came rushing in and she turned to face them.  The leader stepped forward and bowed his head in respect.  Whisper moved to him and turned her head slightly away.  "You have failed me."  She told him in her usual way.
"Lady, forgive me."  The general said back somewhat louder.  "We had no idea someone had infiltrated the tower.  We don't know how they got in, I swear."
Whisper blinked slowly and stepped past him towards the wall containing the secret door.  She pushed and it opened.  "He was hiding in here."  She told the general.  "He came in from the roof.  From what I could hear, it was a paraglider."
The general shot forward and inspected the secret corridor.  "I..."  He stammered, "I had no knowledge of this, Lady, I swear to you."
Whisper moved from the secret door back to him, once again, turning her head slightly away.  "Tell me something, General."  She said, "Why did I employ your protection?"
The general swallowed hard and lowered his head, "For my history in the Gotham Special Forces."  He said quietly.
"And?"  She whispered.
The general swallowed harder, feeling his blood run even colder than normal, "I was based in this tower."
"And yet, you knew not of these tunnels?"
"They must have been classified, Lady."  The general offered, "Only the top brass would have known about them, or select operatives working with them.  I was never that high up the food chain, Lady.  I swear to you, if I had known, I would have made them clear to you from the beginning."

Whisper finally turned her head and looked at him squarely.  She couldn't see him and she knew this disturbed him, as her eyes disturbed many in and out of her employ.  Without a word, she rammed her hand into his chest and wrapped her fingers around his heart.  The general spluttered and shuddered with pain and shock and was unable to move from her as he stared down at her slight frame.  She kept her blind gaze at him and quickly pulled her hand from his chest, taking his heart with it.  She watched the general cough once and then fall to his knees.  Then, with his heart still in her hand, she moved forward to the next in line.  "You have been promoted."  She said icily.  The new general gulped down, but nodded.  Whisper dropped the heart in his hands and then wiped her hands down his uniform.  "Locate and seal off every last tunnel, corridor, stairwell and secret door in the entire building."  She demanded quietly.  "Track the glider." 
The new general nodded quickly as he stared at the still beating heart.  "Immediately, Lady."  He gulped.
"And find me the one that hired him."  She said as a last note.  "I would like to see them both again very soon."  Just then, a faint scent of a hunt wafted through the window and she turned her head sharply to it.  "Send in my slaves.  I shall enjoy some of the city."
"Yes Lady, right away."  The new general said and he quickly shot from the room, the rest of the guards with him.

Half an hour later, Whisper, with Demon and one slave appeared at the main doors of the tower and stepped out into the street.  Many passing immediately backed up to give the vampire room and she smiled at their fear.  They all reeked of it.  The shock was also clear to feel in them, for it was rare they had a chance to actually see her.  Smiling down at Demon, she petted his ears and he brushed against her legs.  "Let us have some fun, Demon."  She said lovingly to him and then snapped her fingers at her vampire slave.  The large male lifted his head, sporting the collar proudly of his owner and the trio made their way to the smell of the hunt......

Nick flew over the city in his para glider. He had circled the tower and saw his target there waving at him. The roof acces and more then likely the secret pathways in the tower would now be useless to him. He imagined that the vampire would not be to pleased that some one had gotten into her tower unobserved and that close to her without setting off alarms or being seen.

As he flew over the city like a giant bat he looked down at the streets. The once great city was devoide of humans in the streets. Only around the towers in the central part of the city was there movement and that was the vampires. There were humans in the city, several thousand he knew. But they kept to the buildings or underground, especially during the night. In the day they would hunt and gather food. Things that were eatable. Some beasts roamed the city. They had been zoo animals once but now breed in the wild and had become numerous. Only in the central area of the city was it clear of them. A wall built between buildings to block the streets had been built. The Vampires liked to have a nice and tended area to live in.

The rest of the city was begining to be overgrown with weeds, trees, and grass along with creeper vines that was slowly destroying the concrete structures. Old cars still filled the streets, rusting and not useable. Outside the city limits it was unknown. With out people keeping the growth of plants back, nature had reclaimed it. The various weapons used against the vampires as they rose to power had also changed things out there. Strange new creatures had arisen, hybirds, mutated creatures and the like.

He finally crossed above where the hunt was. He saw the humans running and a bit of distance away the vampires running as well. The moon was up and half full so he had light to see by. If it was one thing he did not like, it was the vampire's hunt. Oh they said if those that made it out of the city would not be followed and hunted. But they didn't tell them that their lycan guards was there to see that they didn't. He looked for a tall building he could land on and still catch the wind to continue his return trip home. A lone tower far to the eastern part of the city. Finding one in the route of the hunt he sat down and anchored his glider.

Unstrapping the rifle case from the framework, he set it down and opened it. Pulling out the parts to the rifle he assembled it and took out a few rounds of the UV ammunition. It had been designed by his unit's support people. When it hit, it expelled a ultra violet light made from some liquid substance. That was enough to do some real damage to the vampires, usually killing them if it hit their hearts or heads.

He sat himself up on the top of the building and pointed the barrel down towards the street where the hunted and hunters would be coming. The humans passed below him. One fell and two others grabbed him and helped him to his feet. He could see they would not last to the end of the city. They would be dead before they got there. The leading vampire was some distance in front of the others when he came into view. Nick looked down, through the night scope and saw him. Lining up the shot he slowly squeezed the trigger. Only a slight Pffft was heard as the bullet emerged from the barrel and went speeding to the vampire's head. It virtually exploded with the UV bullet. He brought the bolt back to eject the casing and pushed it forward to slide another round into the chamber, as the body fell to the ground.

He smiled as they came on. They slowed as they saw the body and then began to look around nervously. A second one dropped and now they became aware that the hunters had become the hunted. They tried to scatter but one by one he brought them down. Then he saw something else. Three figures walking. A large human male, a hound and his original target. Could it be that easy? Take out the target and get paid. He brought the rifle up and put her in his crosshairs. His finger was on the triggeer and he was ready to complete his contract. At the last moment he moved the rifle to the side and the round went hissing by her head to strike the building next to her.

"Now why the hell did you do that?" he asked himself. He stood up and looked down at her, holding the rifle in his hands. He sighed and then moved back to the glider and strapped the rifle to it and himself into the harness and moved to the edge of the building. Before he launched himself, he gave her a mock salute and then he was airborne again and heading home.

Whisper made it to the hunting grounds and listened with care as the humans ran past.  They were all injured, she could smell the blood and dirt on them and she knew they would never reach the city limits.  Thought he understanding was that any who did during a hunt would be left alone, there hadn't been a single human that had ever made it, at least not to her knowledge.  What the vampires missed, the lycans made short work of and that was how business was done in Gotham, and had been for more than a century.

As the fleeing humans passed her by, one of the hunting vampires went down, then another and soon enough, those that scattered followed suit.  The humans slowed to look at what was happening and when they saw Whisper, they saw only a blind woman with a large dog guarding her.  The large vampire with her looked more like an escort, showing that perhaps she was an owned pet more than anything.  They paid her no mind and she liked it that way.  This was her secret weapon and she used it cleverly and wisely.  Hearing the falling vampires, Whisper turned her head slightly, witnessing in her mind's eye what was happening not fifty feet from her.  She knew of only one weapon that could bring down a vampire and kill it with one shot.  The one hunting these vampires had UV bullets.  She heard the rifle, though neither Demon, nor her 'escort' did.  And then she found that familiar scent and she turned her head up and to the right.  Her white eyes opened and she took a deep breath.  "Found you."  She whispered.

Whisper held no fear of her assassin, not a single ounce of it and she made it clear as she held her arms out slightly at her side and kept her blind eyes plainly on the immortal with the long range rifle.  She didn't move an inch and even lifted her chin.  "Take your shot, Assassin."  She whispered and a millisecond before she felt it, she heard the push of air that preceded the bullet.  Oddly then that he missed?  Whisper furrowed her brow and dropped her arms to her side in slight confusion.  At this point, her slave shot forward and stood blocking any further view of his mistress.  Demon on the other hand, didn't move a muscle.  "Now why would he miss?"  She asked carefully, "He took down five without a single stray and yet, he missed me, standing still with no intention of running.  How curious."  She pushed her slave aside and turned her head to listen.  The assassin had gone, taken back to the air on his glider.  "Slave."  She said, "Bring me back one of those humans.  I hunger."  The male bowed his head and ran off after the meal.  With a smile, Whisper then left the scene without a word, Demon at her side as always.

Moving back into the central part of the city, Whisper walked proudly down the main street in full view of both enemy and friend.  She heard many mocking her for her disability.  Vampires were always striving to be physically perfect in every way and Whisper showed no intention to do the same.  That had made her an outcast her entire life.  Had her mother been more of a coward, she would have had Whisper killed at birth, but as it stood, such a small thing had gained her much in life.  The other vampire lords feared her, they feared what she could do and how she could do it.  They could never predict her movement or thought, for nothing of her showed her intentions until the very last minute and it was often their undoing in testing her.  And they were testing her again.  Perhaps they thought a decade of decadence and finery had put her into a false sense of security.  Her stride down the main street with Demon now showed otherwise.

As of yet, she didn't know which of them had ordered her death, but she was patient.  For now, she wanted to know more about this assassin.  Clearly, he was immortal, a skilled hunter and had deep knowledge of the towers, in particular, hers.  He was military, or a historical version at the very least.  Had she disturbed him?  Was that why he missed?  No, such man would never be so distracted.  But something had definitely affected his judgement in that single moment.

Slowly, Whisper crossed through the city, taking in the sounds and smells of the people cowering away and around her.  Demon happily strolled at her side, unleashed and at a mere snap of a finger, a deadly tool and both highly alert to the presence of that assassin.  So much attuned to him was Whisper that she found herself entering a place she had no right to, according to the vampire code.  Yet another wise use of her blindness.

The bar was clean, that was a comfort, and filled with men that wouldn't look at Whisper more than once.  Well, most of them.  It was here that she found that scent again.  Another patron offered her a glass of wine and she took it, though she had no intention of drinking it, and placed herself neatly by the bar to wait and see what would happen........

Nick made it back to his tower. It was one that looked unappealing to the vampires as it was far from the center of the city and not as grand as those there. He lived on the top floor of it as did many of the vampires. But the rooms below were empty and silent. Left to the way they had been for now a hundred years. Only in the upper floors was there any changes. He had made it into his home and fortress. Only one elevator worked and it went from the top of the building to the subbasement. One needed a keyed access card to use it and he had the only one.

Landing on the roof, he stowed the glider in a shed he had assembled there and then went inside to clean up and change clothes. He was still bothered by his inability to kill his target. Why had he moved the rifle ever so slightly so he would miss. He looked at himself in the mirror and shook his head. He could not find the answer in his head what so ever. Once changed in to a black silk shirt and nice black pants with knee high boots and a black leather coat he decended to the subbasement and took out one of the only working motorcycles in the city. He checked his 9 mill in its shoulder holster and made sure he had two full clips of each ammo. Two UV clips and two filled with silver bullets. One never knew what they would come up against would happen.

After the day he needed a drink. He thanked the powers that be that the vampires needed food and drink to live as well as blood. It had been found that it was some sort of virus that created the vampires. Weather it had been man made or if it had come from some deep dark recess in the earth or perhaps from a meator that fell to earth, it really din't matter. It changed humans into vampires. It produced retractable fangs with small holes in them that were connected to veins. When the vampire sucked the blood from their victims it went directly into the blood supply of the body, much like an IV. The old blood, drained of everything in it was discarded in the same manner as normal food.

Some say that the vampires had no heart beat, that the heart was dead within them. But it only beat a lot slower then normal. The Tech boys and scientists that supported his unit had studied them at length. He had wondered how he had come to have all their good points and not their bad ones. Some where in his past was the answer to that. Who ever his parents had been would have known. But he had never known them. Only that they had given him over to foster parents and then disapeared. That had been three hundred years ago.

The motorcycle roared through the empty streets, moving around the rusting hulks of cars and trucks. Finally he was at the center of the city where there was a sembalance of life. He had put on the makeup to give him a paler look so when he parked his bike and entered the bar he looked like one of the vampires that was there. It was a place for lycans and vampires. It served normal food along with blood and human flesh.

He sat down and ordered a drink and tried to relax. To all in the bar he was one of them. Even his smell was like them, so the lycans would not eve notice. Then she showed up. Now that was just damn freaky. First the hunt and now the bar. Something was not right about all of this. The way she looked and sniffed the air, he knew she had his scent. It would have been all over the passage in the tower.

Taking his drink he went and sat next to her at the bar. He looked down at the hound that was growling. "I do not want to kill your hound. I have a love for animals and will not kill them unless I have to. I can see that he is a very loyal and probably loved hound. One like him if given the right love will do anything for its master. I am much faster and stronger then he is, so please call him off."

Whisper's patience, it seemed, had worked out almost perfectly.  She didn't look at him as he sat down, but she knew he was there long before he actually reached her.  She listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat and smelled the altered scent that hid him from the rest of the immortal community.  So, he wasn't a vampire, but he disguised himself like one.  Did he have human coloured skin and hide that too?  As he sat, she could feel a slight warmth from him, confirming her suspicion.  Next, she scented the leather he was wearing and by the smell of gasoline around him, she figured it was a jacket.  he rode a motorcycle.  Now that was a rarity.  She had heard it approaching, but hadn't quite believed it.  Next, she scented the gun oil from the pistol secreted about him.  He was armed as well.  A wise and dangerous man.  For that, she felt a small iota of admiration for him.

Though she had done much to scent and listen to him, she had spent this time wisely, taking only perhaps a few seconds to know this man's metal, or at least some of it.  Only his physical self eluded her now.  From the angle that his voice came to her, he was taller than her, but then, most were taller than Whisper.  His voice was deep and commanding, but quiet, almost respectful, especially when he spoke of Demon.  he was a strong man, probably outside as well as in, though his efforts with a glider showed he was fit if nothing else.

Sipping the cheap wine, she took her time in answering and when she did, she was honest about it.  "You are right."  She whispered softly, "Demon is a very loyal and caring companion and he will do anything I ask of him, but I am hardly his master, more... his companion also.  We have a bond that many would envy in even their lovers."  She sipped her wine once more and then put the glass down with some disdain.  As Demon growled once more, he then sniffed and snorted at the assassin before moving around to Whisper's other side.  "As you can see, I need not order him to do anything."  She moved the wine back as far as she dared, not quite knowing where the edge of the bar was and then half turned on her stool.  She opened her eyes and seemed to look at her would be attacker.  "Seeing as we are being such a civil pair for the moment, perhaps you would tell me whom of my kin has foolishly wasted so much money?"  She asked with some mirth.  "I can only assume that such a skilled and stealthy hunter such as yourself must fetch a very high price for your services."  It didn't matter if he didn't name his employer, she would find out anyway.  She just felt like making some small talk with him to gauge him better.........

He smiled as the hound moved to the other side of her. "Now you know I can't do that. If I give out who employs me, I would never get another contract. Besides you know, its a client/contract prevlige thing." he sipped her drink. "Though from what I have heard, many would be very happy to see that you are no longer with the living."

He looked her over and shook his head. How a blind vampire had risen in their ranks was something else. But that just told him more about her then what some report would tell. Her being blind, made it a bit easier for him to talk to her. She would not be able to inform anyone on his discription, and it is hard to discribe a scent.

"They fear you, so why have you not eliminated the competition and made yourself the leader. I think that is why they wish you gone. They fear they will lose their power over others if they let one they feel is beneath them hold and gain power." He chuckled. Her beneath them? More the reverse. With her heightened senses she was alot better then them. One could always deceive the eyes, but not the senses when heightened like hers. "You knew I was here when you came in and those here have no clue that I am not one of you."

He ordered another drink and finished the one he had. "So what do we do now?" he asked her. He knew she was wanting to have him captured to find out who hired him and also get him off the streets so she would not have to worry about him again. He of course was not going to let that happen. "Do you have some of your so called guards coming?" he chuckled. "I can not believe that you would be out here by yourself. Especially knowing someone has hired me to take you out, which means they may have hired others, just in case." He had spotted a couple vampires across the bar. Bugles in their coats told him they were carring, and they were watching her. The way they talked, leaning close to each other's ears, meant they knew of her hearing and only talked in whispers with the sounds in the bar masking their conversation. "Not sure why I care to do this, but there are two of your fellow vamps across the room that probably have taken the contract as well. Probably for a lot lower price as well." He got up off the bar stool and said, "Been nice talking, but I should go." With that he got up and walked to the door. As he got there, he drew his gun with a silincer, and using his coat to cover his action, he fired twice hitting the two vamps. They basickly exploded, causing everyone in the room to panic. He chuckled as he made it to his bike and started it up. Vamps and lycans were running out the door and then in every direction.

Whisper gave a soft, almost silent snort of laughter, but her smile was unmistakable.  Of course, he wouldn't give his employer's name.  Still, it didn't matter much and she settled herself on the stool to continue listening to him, but also to everything around them.  There were two vampires near to her right that were talking about their slaves and how they used them.  One was angry that he'd had to kill a female.  She hadn't cleaned her body well enough from her secret lover.  The other one was sharing a similar experience.  Whisper smiled again and shook her head discretely.  Such mundane and futile things.  To her left, there were four that were joking about their latest hunt with a lycan.  It had been successful.  Further back to her left, was another two vampires.  They were not talking as one would expect.  They kept their voices as low as possible, hoping that the ambient noise would shield their words.  Whisper heard everything.  They were contractors for a vampire lord called Lucius.  Whisper honed her ears.  She knew the vampire well, had even gone to bed with him in the past.  So he wanted her dead also.  This point was made ever more valid as her would-be assassin asked her why she had waited and not taken the power already.

It was this then, that made her answer his question.  "I have not taken power, Assassin, simply because, I don't have to."  She turned her head to him fully and 'looked' him straight in the eye.  "Knowing they fear me is plenty enough, especially as I'm considered flawed in their eyes."  She laughed at that, "For eternity, they have strived for perfection and yet, they still find themselves in want.  And then look at me.  I am far from perfect to them and yet, I have outsmarted them almost from the very beginning.  Have you ever known something was to happen and there was nothing you could do about it?  Have you ever felt that dread deep in your gut that tells you everything is about to fall apart?"  She smiled almost icily, "It is this that I inspire in so many of my kin.  They try to be rid of me, but they inevitably fail and they know that some day, perhaps soon, perhaps not, that I will take my vengeance on them.  They cannot predict me, Assassin, nor can they control me and that is my power."

She closed her eyes then and turned her face away from him as she continued to listen to the secret conversation while the man kept talking.  At the mention of her guards, she laughed again quietly, "They do not guard me."  She said quietly, but plainly, "They guard what is mine. And I am not here alone.  Demon is my ever companion.  I am hardly naïve or foolish enough to think myself invincible, but I am hardly an easy target either, as you have partially seen for yourself."  He then mentioned the two assassins she had already been listening to for quite a while.  Not that he should care.  "Well, of course, why should you care?  It is perhaps the bounty on my head, that you have simply removed the competition and if they took such a low price, they hardly deserve such a prize, do they."  Her smile deepened and darkened, "I do hope however, that Lucius has not already paid them.  Such a waste of good money."  It was then that she felt him leave, but not before causing panic in the bar and Whisper laughed openly again.

Tilting her head to one side, she sighed softly, "We shall be seeing each other again, very soon."  She whispered and then calmly got off her stool.  She waited until the last of the vampires and lycans fled the bar and then exited in a breeze of grace and gentile.  She could hear the bike over the noise and it made her smile.  "She's running a little lean."  She offered as she breezed past him, "You should perhaps refine your gasoline a little better."  She moved closer to him.  "Might I perhaps know your touch and name before you make your second attempt on my life?"  She asked, wondering if he heard her whisperings over the noise of his machine.....

She was there before he took off and he laughed when she asked his name. "Most know me just as the angel of death. But you can call me Nick." he told her as he gently tapped her on the nose. "As for Lucius, he may have been the one paying them, but not the same one that will pay me for the job. I have not fully committed to taking it yet. Tonight was just to find out more about you." he chuckled and then roared off on his bike.

What she had said about the feeling of dread about something falling apart, brought back the memory of the last mission when everything had. His whole team, fifteen men and women had been massacured. From the first flare he knew that their mission was blown and it was not going to end well. It had ended much, much worse then he could have thought. Bad intel or a leak, something had doomed them from the start. He never knew which. He would live with that memory for the rest of his life. Their deaths were on his hands. He had been their commander.

Back at his tower and up in his penthouse he looked out over the city as dawn was breaking. Time to grab a few hours sleep and then get in touch with the contractor. They mystry vampire. that even he didn't know who it was. Messages sent over old laptops that was connected by an old web server somewhere in the city, that was still active. Only a small range of communication was going on on the web, and only for short times. No one wanted to be pin pointed if any still had that capability.

Proping his head up on a pillow his arms behind his head he wondered about the one they called Whisper. All the humans wanted the vampires and lycans dead but were to scared and underarmed to do anything about it. They sure were not going to get any outside help. Nick had flown at night for miles beyond the city and found only forests, grasslands and ruins. Fires had burned entire towns and communities of houses. Now nature was reclaiming that. Only wild animals and perhaps some scattered bands of humans lived out there. What lay beyond that he didn't know. So she didn't want to take over, just hold them in fear of her. Well in a way that was a good thing. But he had a feeling this other one that was wanting to hire him was wanting a lot more.

"Well Miss Whisper, what should I do. Take the contract or say no?" he said out loud.

Whisper laughed again and then turned her head as he sped away on his bike.  Either he was a very good liar, or he didn't know he'd just contradicted himself.  He hadn't been in her bedroom with that remote controlled car just to watch her and he hadn't taken the potshot at her just to know her.  Everything he'd done previous to their conversation had been an attempt on her life.  No, there had to be more to this.  "Come Demon."  She said to her beloved companion, "It is time we returned.  I hunger and tire."

Back at her tower, she had much information to hand to her guards.  Lucius was one who wished her demise.  Her guards were to watch discretely for a few hours until she decided what to do with him.  "Also, find me all the information and chatter about a hunter named The Angel of Death."  She told her new general.
"The what?"  He asked back carefully.
"Angel of Death, General.  Are you deaf?"  She snapped quietly.
He quickly shook his head, "No, not at all Lady."  he replied quickly, "I already know if this hunter."
"Then pray tell."  She demanded as she began walking to her bedroom.  The general followed.
"He has never failed in taking down his target."  The general said quickly, "Very high paid, incredibly high skilled.  The Lords themselves employ him to remove high risk targets.  He is very careful, rarely seen in public and no-one knows his real name."
"Nicholas."  Whisper said quickly, "His real name is Nicholas."
"Lady?"  The General asked with confusion.
"He told me his name."  She replied smoothly as she entered her bedroom and began disrobing.  The general instantly turned around to face the door.  "I tracked him to a tavern in the city and we had a quiet chat.  Despites his attempts already, he stated that he had not decided whether or not to take the contract on me.  He wanted to know me better first, but I imagined he already knows quite a lot, more than he should for certain."  She laughed as she slipped on her night gown and crawled into her bed.  "He removed two hunters sent by Lucius for me.  I know not his face yet, but I can tell you much about his person.  He is never unarmed and he hides his scent with that of a vampire.  He hides his face also."
"He's human?"  The general asked, turning to face his mistress.
"No, he's immortal."  She replied as she laid down.  "Perhaps a hybrid or half breed, or perhaps the virus did not take full effect in him.  He rides a motorcycle, a Harley if my ears are correct, but he is not refining his gasoline well enough so it makes more noise than usual."  She closed her eyes and sighed.  "He is well built and muscular and wears a strong smelling leather jacket.  He is quietly spoken, but his voice is distinct and commanding."
"I shall pass on the information to your scouts, Lady."  The general said and quickly left.

A few hours later, Whisper woke refreshed and ready for her game with Lucius.  In yet another strange fluke of her birth, she was able to withstand sunlight.  This little trick, she really did keep firmly to herself, with the exception of Demon, of course.  Not even her own guards knew about her daytrips.  She smiled, feeling the warmth on her skin and went to her window with a wide yawn.  She pulled the curtain back and smiled as she felt the warmth cover her.  A few minutes later, she was dressed and had left the tower.

Lucius was one of the remaining older vampire lords and he used his power fully to make sure he stayed that way.  Whisper had been a thorn in his side since the war and as much as he tried in the past to put her under his control, she had outwitted him and turned it against him before he'd even known it.  This had never sat well with the younger ones, let alone the lords and it had led to many attempted take-overs.  Hell, he'd even tried to bargain with her and woo her, but despite every attempt, she humiliated him and he only figured it out after the fact.  After ten years of memories, he'd had enough.  He'd sent out two of the best hunters he could find, but offered only low pay for her bounty should they fail like others before them.  Shortly before dawn, he received the news that indeed, they had failed, but not by her hand.  Another had taken their lives, leaving her to stroll home in her own time.  This was too much and Lucius truly began to fear now the ramifications of his actions.  Fear was always Whisper's biggest tool and with good reason.  She never forgot those that wronged her, no matter how they might try and make amends.

As the dawn rose, he was forced into his specially confined room and there he waited for sleep to claim him.  He didn't know that he was about to have a visitor that would be his last.  The attack was brutal, but precise and utterly silent to the guards of his tower.  Whisper had come and gone as quietly as death itself and left no trace at all of how she got in and out.  She did however, leave plenty behind to say that she had been there.  After all, it was this that led to the fear that kept the others awake during the day.  No vampire could walk in the day, so how could she have killed him?  What did she know that they didn't?  It wasn't one of her guard, or a hired assassin, so how could she have done it?  Like many of the towers, Lucius was a maze of dead ends and false doors before getting to the heart of the nest.  How could she know where to go without seeing?  So many questions that she would never answer, leaving them all in fear of what she would do next.

By early afternoon, the entire tower was in chaos as the rotating guards found their master's body.  Sliced and diced with only his head intact, sat on the floor in the centre of the room with his cock placed neatly on the top of his head for presentation.  The door and surrounding walls held his body parts in neat order around his head.  The word was sent out immediately of the attack and the ensuing panic, Whisper listened to from her bed with a distant smile as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep, ready for her slave to come at dusk and open her curtains once again.......

There was a large envelope on the pillow as Whisper prepared to retire once more.  In the time that she had been gone the new general had the lower level where all the old furniture to include file cabinets had been tossed.  He went through file after file that bore the first name Nicholas.  He had finally found what he had been looking for and took the file up and read it in his new office.

He knew his mistress would not be able to read the file so he took out one of the old recording devices and began talking.  "Nicholas Night.  Member of the Elite Unit Shadow.  Highly trained In all manner of weapons, expert sniper and expert with what is known as the Vampire Slayer Blade, a short but letheal sword with an edge that could cut through metal. "

The Unit Shadow was a special unit that was used to get to impossible targets for liquidation.  During the War they were used to kill a number of the more powerful vampire lords.  Their last mission to take out a powerful Lord resulted in the death of all the unit but him.  It was thought that at the time there had been a traitor in the support element."

"The unit was housed in the Tower.  Captain Nicholas Night the commander of the unit Shadow must have been very knowledgeable of the Tower and it's secret passages. "

There is no indication that his immortality was nver known about.  It is possible this was how he survived the teams last mission.  Also the spray can that was found on the toy car was a sleeping agent.  A very strong one.

At his tower he awoke and turned on the lap top and scanned what was going on.  It was all over the web about the death of Lucius and he laughted.  Seems he was not the only one that was good at getting to an impossible target.

He then began to punch in a few codes when he opened the link to his contractor.  Something that his tech friends way back had taught him.  They were all dead now, either from the war or from old age.  When his contrator came on line so did the webcam built into the monitor of the laptop.  He saw the Vampire Lord that was trying to hire him.  

He sat back as he turned on the voice chat mode.  "Well now, looks like one of your friends tried and failed.  He has paid the price for that failure as well.  You sure you want to try and kill her?  You might wind up the way Lucius did."

"He was a fool and an weakling.  So have you decided?"  the vampire asked.  There was something about this one.  He did not look like any of the others.  He looked older.  His eyes told him that.  How old he didn't know.  Also he had seen many of the lords and he didn't look like any of them.  

"Well from what I have seen she is a hard target to get to.  Just why do you wish her dead anyways.  I would think one like her would be an asset if approached the right way."

"Lets just say I do not like defective vampires.  She should have been destroyed at birth.  But the reason is that she will stand in my way of taking control of this city."  the old vampire said.

"Well I thought the offer over and decided not to take it.  Nice price and all but I like the way things are.  I would probably be out of a job if I take her out."  he chuckled and cut the feed before it could be traced.  He took a deep breath and shook his head.  Well that was new.  He had never turned down a contract.  What now he thought. Plus he probably just pissed the vampire off and that was not a good thing as well. But what was troubling him was why did he do it.

Nick had no real love for vampires or lycans. Because of them the world it seemed had gone to shit. Yeah the world before was not perfect but at least it was a world where one could travel about see new things and meet new people. Now he was stuck here in the city, surrounded by forests, wild animals, many that were dangerous and deadly. The furthest he had gone out was about five miles, to the old refinery where there was still oil. There he refined a bit for the gas for his motorcycle. Also was a nice storage place for other things he had taken from the tower before the Vampires took control.

Now he had a blind vampire that was a lot more then what one would expect for that and a really pissed off vampire that was probably really old and dangerous.

At first, Whisper did not notice the envelope on her pillow, it was on the wrong side of the bed and nearly 100% of the time, she never considered it and the only smell that didn't belong was her new general, but even that could be explained.  He'd been in there earlier, along with the rest of her personal guard.  As it happened, after a few hours of sleep, she turned over and her hand brushed against the pillow.  It felt different.  It had been moved, if only a centimetre at the most.  This woke her instantly and she felt around.  She found the envelope and carefully opened it, sniffing carefully every few seconds in case it was something nasty.  A little dust and decay and the faint scent of lithium?  The item dropped onto the sheet and she felt it.  An old digital recorder!  She felt around it, but couldn't distinguish which buttons were which.  "Demon, my sweet."  She said quietly.  The hound instantly came to her, "I need your eyes."  She then moved her fingers carefully and slowly along the buttons.  He gave a low bark on the middle button and she pressed it.  She heard the general's voice giving her a full account of everything he had found on her assassin.  "Clever boy."  She said with mirth.  The old general would have simply waited until she was awake to give his report.

Whisper listened to the recording with a smile, deciding she liked her general a lot more.  Also, the information was incredibly detailed and useful.  Her mind stored away every last syllable and then she found the rewind button and listened to it all over again for anything she might have missed the first time.  After listening again, she stopped the recorder and put it down on her nightstand.  "How very interesting."  She mused, then reached to her right and pulled her bell chord.  A few seconds later, her male slave arrived with the meal that he had caught for her the night before.  He brought the frightened boy to her and made him kneel before Whisper.

Now, when it came to feeding, Whisper did things a lot different than the rest of her kin.  She rarely used her fangs, for they were what delivered the venomous virus that created a vampire, activated by the pressure of the bite.  To her, there were already more than enough of those in Gotham.  Instead, she took a small silver blade and cut her victims, feeding from them until they died.  Sure, there was waste and vampires hated waste, but it was a small price to pay for keeping her stock limited.  when she had taken her fill, the slave picked up the body and removed it from the room before returning.  Revived and flushed with colour again, Whisper stood up and lifted her arms out.  Her nightgown was of course sodden with blood.  The slave measured his breathing and carefully removed the nightgown.

After disposing of the gown, Whisper walked into her bathroom, her slave following closely and she stepped into the shower.  The slave waited then with a towel until she stepped out again, cleaned and smelling of exotic fruits.  She held her arms out and he dried her down carefully before applying her routine moisturisers and such.  She then made to walk past him, but stopped just shy of doing so.  She turned her head slightly towards him and opened her eyes before touching him lightly on the shoulder.  He knew what she wanted and went back into the bedroom.

An hour later and dusk had taken the day into night, Whisper stood out on her balcony while her slave made his exit politely, and scented the evening air.  Tonight, she had no doubt there would be many things happening.  She could already hear the commotion down below about a dead vampire being found in his vault and the rumours of what had been done to him.  It made her smile darkly.  "One down."  She said to Demon as he too sniffed between the balustrades of stonework.  He sneezed and shook and then looked up at his mistress.  "One to go.  I wonder whom it could be, Demon.  I wonder who would need me gone so badly, they would employ Nicholas Night, the Angel of Death.  Who do we know that desperate now?"  She smiled and leaned over onto the edge with her elbows, putting her hand on the heels of her hands.  "Which one has outlived the fear?"  She gave a soft sigh and closed her eyes, "And I wonder when Mr Night will once again grace my presence.  Such a curious immortal, my beloved companion.  I must know him more.".....

Later on he again checked the laptop and found a couple more requests for contracts. The two were vampire lords and from what he could see the two wanting them dead were next in line so to speak should their lords die. Always the same, the vampires were greedy and power hungry. But the two could wait just a bit. He speed out of the city on his bike to the old refinery and tanked up his bike and then checked the next batch of gas he was refining. This one he decided to leave a bit longer so as to fix the problem that had been pointed out to him.

While there he restocked his UV and silver bullets form the cash he had hidden there. While he was looking through some things, he came upon a sealed bag. It was vacuum sealed and held a large bone treat. Why it was there he had no idea, but he found a few more and chuckled. Taking one he wrapped it up and put a bow on it and then something else caught his eye. It had probably been one of the female support staffs, but he took it as well. A bottle of what had been a real expensive perfume. He put it in a box and stuffed it with cotten and sealed it up, putting a bow on it.

Later he took to the air again and with an expert toss threw it into the open balcony door and flew up onto the roof. Again he had no idea of why he was doing this. He was suppose to be killing the vampires, especially the dangerous ones. Those wanting to take the place of the Vampire Lords were weak and to afraid to do it themselves. Soon they would be fighting themselves for power and hopefully kill themselves off. Whisper was a very dangerous one but there was something about her that made him hesitate and do things he should not.

Once on the roof he secured the glider and took a lounge chair, like one found in a garden of the old days and opened it and sat down in it. Pulling out a flask of good old Jim Beam he took a swig and watched the roof access door.

Whisper had been lost in her reverie for almost half an hour when Demon's growling broke her thoughts and she looked up to find that swoosh hitting her ears again.  Then something was dropped and Demon quickly pulled Whisper to the side of the balcony as though to protect her.  Something clunked and then rolled into the bedroom, coming to a stop just before her nightstand.  "Nicholas!"  She said with shock and returned to the room.  Demon was instantly there, sniffing at the package and he began to bark loudly to bring the guards in.  They arrived in seconds and Whisper stood slightly back as they began to examine the package.

After a few minutes, Whisper heard them tearing off paper and something else that was then brought to her.  The paper felt smooth, almost waxed and foil-like.  The next thing was a length of ribbon.  "A gift?"  She asked.
"Yes."  The guard said.  "There are two things in the package.  Both are packed tight and wrapped in the same fashion."
"Give them to me."  She said, "And then secure the roof.  He has landed."
The general immediately nodded to his commander and the rest of them left to do as bade.  "Are you sure you wish to open them?"  He asked Whisper, "They could be dangerous."
"Then he will be dead before he leaves this place."  She said quietly and carefully felt the first item.  It was solid and when she sniffed it, it smelled of old cured meat and marrow.  "A bone for Demon."  She said, sniffing it again, "It's clean."  She handed the package to Demon, who instantly went off somewhere with it and she heard ripping and gnawing.  With a smile, she opened the second and felt the item carefully.  The sound of liquid caught her ears and when she felt around for the lid, she smiled again.  "And perfume."  She mused.  Removing the lid, she scented it carefully and smiled once more.  "A very old perfume.  Antique almost."  She sniffed it more deeply, "It smells like passion fruit.  How delicious."  Without another word, she put the stopper back, upended the bottle, removed the stopper again and spread it lightly over her neckline.  "I must thank him in person for this."
"As you wish, Lady."  The general said and then heard his commander speak up on the roof.  "The hunter is secure."  He told her.

No sooner had Nick set up his chair, the roof door swung open wide and no less than twenty guards came rushing out to surround him.  All had their guns drawn and pointed at him.  "Stay as you are."  The commander ordered loudly.  He looked over the glider with care, noting the lightweight frame that made the apparatus move so effortlessly and he offered a small nod in appreciation.  A few minutes after that, Whisper breezed through the door with her general and moved to the commander with a waft of that delicious fruit scent.
"Stand down, Commander."  The general said and he did so, lowering his weapon.  The others quickly followed suit, allowing Whisper to move to Nick.

The scent of the perfume was easily carried to him by the direction of the wind and she moved to him with an easy grace that said she knew every inch of this rooftop.  She came to a stop just out of his reach and tilted her head to one side as she slowly opened her eyes.  "Either you are very brave, Nicholas, or you are incredibly stupid.  It is not often that one delivers gifts to those he should be hunting and killing."  her soft white dress bellowed around her bare feet as he hair kicked up around her waist and shoulders, taking it over the right side of her face and then the entire mass blew over her right shoulder and sat neatly down her front, covering her right to her hip.......

As the door flew open and the guards emerged, Nick laughed and just sat there sipping on the contents of his flask. "Well now what a nice reception. Glad you boys could make it up here." he looked at his watch, "Slow, very slow. You should have been here fourty five seconds ago." he shook his head and waited.

When Whisper showed up and the guns were lowered he smiled. The smell of the perfume came to him and he chuckled. "Well I hope neither. Just thought a social visit was in order, but if you are not in the mood, I can always leave."

He took another sip, "Ah this is good vintage stuff. Will hate it when it runs out. Thought you should know, I turned the contract on you down. Don't think he was to happy about that." he looked over at the guards, "You really think all of these are necessary. If I was here to kill you the job would have been done and there wouldn't have been any gifts."

He then sat forward. "Now that there is no client privlage I can tell you about the one that wants you dead. That is if you are still intrested." before she could answer he continued. "Don't know his name, but he is old, I can tell that by his eyes and his manner. Don't know of any one that old in the city. Perhaps you know him." he gave a discription of the vampire to her and then leaned back again.

Whisper laughed quietly as he began his reverie so to speak.  More like goading, but Whisper would give him the benefit of the doubt for now.  Eventually though, she knew she had to answer, so she did.  "I told you before."  She said to him as she blinked slowly, "They do not guard me, they guard only what is mine.  This is my tower and it contains my belongings.  And by all means, make another attempt on my life, if you should feel the need to do so."  She smiled coldly at him, "You see, if you do, either you die at my hands, or should you be that bit faster, you die with me, so either way, Gotham would be one less hunter."  She gave half a shrug and grinned at him.  "But then, what would the fun be in that?" 

Moving around him, she began to walk to the edge of the building, stopping only just inches from the ledge before she turned around and faced him.  The wind kicked up her hair and dress again, blowing it back from her shoulders and she closed her eyes with a smile.  The idea of knowing the second vampire made her smile and she came back to him.  "Perhaps I might."  She said quietly and then listened to the description.  The smile widened and she stepped back once more.  Oh, she knew him alright, knew him almost as well as she knew her own family.  Though how he was quite so alive, she wasn't sure yet.  His name had been among those thought dead from the last major attack and that had been more than a century ago.  "So the old bastard deceived me."  She began to laugh quietly and shake her head.  Should she tell him? 

Whisper continued to laugh as she began to wander to the other edge of the tower, turning her head every so often to hear if he was following her.  But then, if he wanted to hear what she had to say, he would have to, for her voice would never carry far enough to be understood.  "I'll tell you what."  She said as she turned and started walking backwards.  her manner was light and almost jovial with him now.  "You bring me a bottle of that delicious smelling liquor, Jim Bean, I believe, and I will share with you things you could only dream about.  I might even consider employing you myself."  Her smile said something cunning and risqué, but her blind eyes said something much more dangerous.  Added to that, she then flicked her eyebrow at him and grinned, still walking backwards.......

Nick thought the offer over and shugged his shoulders. "Well we will have to see." he grinned, "Now should I return am I going to be greeted with such an honor guard?" he asked her. "As for the Jim Beam....." I have only a case of it left, but I think I can spare a bottle. I am sure somewhere in this city there is a stock pile of it to be had." He got up and folded up the lounge chair, then unfolded it and put it back down. "I'll leave this in case you desire to relax up here."

He looked at the guards as he made his way slowly to the glider to see what she would do. As he strapped himself in he laughed. "You know by tommorow I think that all these vampire lords are going to be scrambling and trying to tighten their security. I am sure that they will know that we have had a talk." he chuckled. "I would not doubt that some will be calling on you to curry your favor."

He moved to the edge of the roof. "You know I still have no idea why I didn't shoot you when you were at the Hunt and then taking out those two in the bar." he shook his head, "Then on top of that I refused a contract. Now that is strange and bothers me." he then launched himself from the roof and circled the tower once and then headed off into the distance.

"Sinister, alluring, beautiful and dangerous." What are you getting yourself into Nick." he talked to himself. On his way home he quickly dispatched one of the Vampire Lords. He landed on the roof of one of the other towers and with his sniper rifle he shot through the window, taking him out. The next one would have to wait until later. He wondered if they determined where the shot came from if they would blame the Vampire Lord of the tower he had been on.

Whisper laughed quietly and turned her head towards where her guards were stood, "Of course you will."  She told him coyly, "My tower is an Aladins cave of treasure and valuable information.  Do you honestly think they would allow you to roam freely after what you did in those secret tunnels you knew so well?"  She then turned her head back to him as he mentioned the liquor and bowed her head in thanks.  She then laughed about the lounge chair.

As he made for his glider, she followed, reaching out to touch the tip tenderly and she smiled once more.  What he said next really did make her smile, "Oh, I'm counting on it."  She said with mirth.  She then backed up and let him take off.  The rest of his words were stored away for later leverage and she would definitely use it wisely.  Once he had gone, Whisper let out a soft sigh and wandered back to the door.

By the time she made it back to her rooms, the calls were already coming in.  It seemed that another Lord had been killed and now the remaining six were in a panic to save their own skins.  Whisper order her general to give them all the same answer.  It was simple, blunt and utterly terrifying.  "You have nothing I want and nothing I value."  In other words, "Not on your life!"  As this was sent out, she could imagine the fear and lapped it up like a drug as she laid on her bed and 'stared' at the ceiling.  By the bottom of the bed, Demon was still chewing hungrily on his bone and Whisper smiled.  Nick might have made a friend there, well, almost, she thought.

Ahh yes, Nicholas Night.  Precise, deadly, but also brash and utterly uncouth.  He knew he was worth his name and Whisper knew she would be a fool to ignore that.  He had earned his arrogance and she respected him for it.  However, only time would tell if he really did deserve his reputation.  With what she knew already and what she had learned tonight, it was made clear he would be an intense and highly enjoyable conquest.  She began to wonder just how much he thought she knew now and how much he would give up during their game.  She smiled and closed her eyes to enjoy the growing feeling of pleasure radiating from her......

Once back home he contacted the one minor vampire lord. He was about to not give Nick what he wanted until it was suggested that perhaps he would be the next target. Then the vampire complied and Nick was ready to settle in for a nice easy day. Easy day indeed. Two hours of exersise, another two hours of martial art practice and then a lite dinner and a shower.

When he finally did settle himself down he closed his eyes and his mind began to drift. It went back to the time of the war and his team. The bright and melody laughter of Serenity filled his head and then he sat up his eyes forward. She had been a memory that he had burried along time ago. It had taken some time but he had done so.

She had been part of the team, even though she had been blind. Her other senses made up for it and no matter where anyone was she seemed to know it. The two of them had been a thing back then. Was that why he he had done what he had done. Serenity was nothing like Whisper, except she had been deadly as well as beautiful. But that is where it stopped. Whisper was one that would use people as she saw fit. So what was he hoping to gain by being nice to her. Was he wanting something more. Something he once had. He was immortal or to a point he guessed. He had tried the short term relationship and he didn't like having his love die of old age, leaving him with the memories only.

He was unique. He was imortal, having all the traits of a vampire except the fangs, virus, not being able to be out in the sun and the hunger for blood. There was no other like him, the closet was the vampires. He shook his head and leaned back again.

He fell asleep on the couch and when morning came he grabbed a bottle of Jim Beam and drove into the center of the city. Again he masked his scent and looks to blend in and approached her tower. As he walked that way he heard the buzz going on about the slayings and that the Angel of Death had struck again and it was rumored that he had visited Whisper's tower. How all the vampire Lords were now uneasy, thinking they were the next target.

This made him smile as he walked up to the main doors leading into the tower on the ground floor. Here he was stopped by two lycan guards. "Inform Whisper that I have her bottle of Jim Beam if she still wants it." One left to page the penthouse with the information.

Whisper slept peacefully for most of the day, enjoying her dark dreams and pleasures.  Her human slaves went about their chores in silence as was beaten into them and she remained, for the most part, undisturbed.  One of the lycans took Demon for his daily walk, the humans being unable to control him firmly enough not to be pulled over and after that, the huge dog spent the rest of the day snoozing at the foot of Whisper's bed.  Afternoon soon turned to evening and almost the very second the sun went down, Whisper opened her eyes and smiled.  A full day's sleep, finally, she thought.  At the same time, she heard a small knock at the door and her general entered.

After finding what he had in the old storeroom, the general had found himself to be playing detective.  His duties were passed around while he went digging in the rest of the old files.  And there were many.  It took several hours, but he eventually found everything on the unit that Night had been a part of and several personnel files.  Night's team.  These, he sat down to read in greater detail and what he found not only made him smile, but unnerved him also.  It was these that he eventually took upstairs.

Knocking quietly, the general entered and bowed his head to Whisper.  It looked as though she had not long woken and was still in her bed.  "Forgive my intrusion, Lady."  He offered respectfully.
"What is it, General?"  Whisper asked as she sat up proper in the bed and pulled her hair over her shoulder.
"After finding the file on Night, I thought I'd do a little more digging, Lady."  He said as he came forward.  He stood at the foot of the bed, next to Demon and smiled down at the large hound.
"Playing detective, General?"  Whisper asked, looking directly at him.
The general cleared his throat and turned his eyes away.  Like many, he too was unnerved by the empty whiteness.  "Uh, yes Lady."  He said and carefully put the files down on the bottom of the bed.  "I discovered the files of Night's unit."  He began, "It made for very interesting reading."
"Do share."  Whisper said, intrigued.
Coughing into his hand, he leaned over and opened the first file.  "There were six in the team.  Five men and one woman.  Captain, Alex Reed, Major David Harris, Major Benjamin Howes, Sergeant James Farmer and Major Serenity Daniels."
"Continue."  Whisper offered.
The general coughed again, "The four other men aren't all that much.  Distinguished in various campaigns during the war, but the woman, Serenity.  She's the really interesting one.  It says here that she was primarily in intelligence.  Very hush hush.  her career spans more than twenty years from start to finish and she was present during the last campaign with Night."
"Ok."  Whisper said, holding up a finger, "But how is that more interesting than the others?"
"She was blind, lady."  The general said, "A congenital birth defect.  It appears that despite her blindness, she climbed the ranks quickly due to her other senses being enhanced.  Like you, Lady, her hearing and sense of smell were akin to a hunting dog.  That was what peeked my interest, Lady."
"Indeed!"  Whisper said with a raised brow, "What was Nicholas' relationship with Major Daniels?"
"Personnel reports say they spent an inordinate amount of time together."  The general stated, turning a few pages in the file.  "It lends a notion to them being lovers."
"I see."  Whisper said quietly as she leaned back against the smooth wooden headboard.  "How did she die?"
"In the final assault on the vampire lords."  The general told her, "It appears that one of the commanders handling the team made an error in judgement that Night never picked up on.  Only he survived.  Daniels died in combat, gun shot to the abdomen.  She died in his arms, it seems."
Whisper narrowed her eyes, showing that the cogs were turning upstairs.  "I see."  She mused. 

Just then, another knock came to the door and the general turned to face it.  "Come!"  He called and another guard entered, bowing his head.
"General, the hunter is back."  He said with his head still down.  "He has with him a bottle of antique liquor."
Whisper's smile widened and she nodded, "Let him in."  She said quietly, "Allow him entry to my rooms.  I will speak with him."
"Is that wise, Lady?"  The general asked.  "Being on the roof is one thing, but to allow him access to your private quarters?"
"I will be fine."  She replied smoothly, "He is not here for a fight.  Not yet."
"As you wish, Lady."  The general said and nodded to the other guard.  "I shall leave you to your guest.  What do you wish I do with the files?"
"Take them with you."  Whisper ordered, "Do not let him see you with them.  What has been said is strictly between us, understand?  Send in my slave to dress me."
"Of course, Lady."  The general bowed his head again, collected the paperwork and left.

Downstairs, the lycan returned and nodded to Nick.  "Follow me."  He said sharply and went to the elevator.  He pushed the button for the penthouse and then stood in silence, staring at Nick with caution.  The ride was only a moment or so and with a soft chime of a bell, the doors opened again and he stepped out.  He then stood by the elevator door for Nick to leave and then re-entered.  He hit the ground floor button and the doors closed once again.  Waiting for him and file free, the general eyed Nick with suspicion, but offered a small bow with his hand towards Whisper's private door.  "My Lady is expecting you."  He said, then led Nick to the door.

The door opened to find the room pretty much empty.  Whisper was being dressed while another slave made the bed.  The human woman dropped her head right down, "Sir."  She said, believing him to be another vampire lord like her mistress.  "Lady will be out shortly, Sir."  She said with reverence.  With the bed made, she collected the laundry and left quickly.  Another moment later, Whisper arrived from her dressing room in a pale amethyst coloured gown.  The straps over her shoulders were made of the gems and it followed a ahem all the way around the front and down the back.  Her back was bare to the hip while the front was low cut and flattering.  The dress showed her curves, but completely covered her bare feet.  Her touch being so sensitive, she never wore them, preferring to feel the floor and the vibration of everything around her.  As she breezed into the room, her slave also appeared with her nightgown.  His head was down, but his member stood with pride.  With Whisper, it was simply impossible for him to hide such things.  He pressed the nightgown to his hips, pushing down his desires and left the room with his head down.

Whisper went to a chaise lounge and placed herself comfortably by the window as the warm evening breeze changed the air in the room.  "I see you managed to find a bottle."  She told him softly, "How very kind of you, Nicholas."  She smiled softly at him as Demon rose from his plush rug and went to sit with her.  "And Demon thanks you for the bone.  he found it very much to his satisfaction.".......

He noticed the guard's look of suspision and smiled. One could not blame them for the way they felt. He just hoped they kept their mouths shut on what he looked like. Now there was another thing, he had let her know what he looked like and some of her guards as well. He had never done that before. He was breaking all sorts or rules or what ever one wanted to call it.

Once at the penthouse level he left the elevator and proceeded across the living area to the bedchamber where he knew she would be. He saw the male slave come out and his condition. He took care of more then her clothing and such. A favored slave, until she grew tired of him and disposed of him. Well that was not his concern. Her clothing showed him she enjoyed the finer things in life and wanted to show it off and try to impress others. Nick liked the simpler things in life. He didn't like it when people tried to show how much they owned or how wealthy they were. Yeah he asked a lot for his skills and to eliminate someone, but that was to make it hard on them. He really didn't need the money, for all it did in the city. He had supplies, he had what he needed. for now.

As she moved to the lounge chair by the window he placed the bottle on a table and walked over to the window and looked out at the city. The night was warm and he remembered the nights long ago looling out like that with Serenity in his arms. He shook his head and clenched his hands forcing the memory away. Some memories he needed to forget. "Well the talk on the streets is all about how you snubed the offers of the vampire lords and how they are afraid they will be the next to die." he said with no mirth in his voice or words.

He turned and looked down at Demon, "Yes you are welcome. If you are a good boy I may bring you another" The hounds ears picked up and he licked his chops. Then he saw the red dot on Whispers head and he didn't hesitate or waste time for a warning, but pushed the chase lounge over, dumping Whisper onto the floor, as he dove over it onto the floor to cover her with his body. Two UV rounds exploded on the chase lounge under side, and a third just beyond them.

The guards rushed in and he yelled to them to keep away from the window. But one fool ignored his warning and took a silver bullet in the chest and went down. The General was not so dumb and heeded the warning and moved along the wall out of sight of the window. Moving off of Whisper he moved to the edge of the chase lounge and peered around quickly as he drew his guin. He saw the other end of the laser sight in a window from the tower just across the way. Another guard rushed in and the sniper fired again giving Nick the opportunity he needed. He brought the gun up and aimed at the red light and fired. The distance across was a good one and he had no idea that he would be able to hit the target with a pistol. But the UV round exploded and the light jerked upward and he saw it no more.

He immediately got up and picked Whisper up and moved her to the wall next to the window, handing her over to the General as he peered around to look out again. That is when he felt the pain in his shoulder and felt the blood seeping from a wound caused by a piece of wood that had been splintered off the chase lounge when the UV bullets hit.

"Damn." he whispered and looked at where the bullets had hit. He felt his shoulder and it came away bloody. "UV rounds, not possible. I am the only one that have those." He had cleaned the tower out of them when it had been evacuated as the war had turned against them. Well some one had them and the tower the sniper was in had been the one he had just killed its Lord. The cowardly vampire that was to take his place would never have dared do something like this. It could only be the old one that had tried to hire him. "Looks like he found another killer."