The Unlikely Protagonist, Chapter Five
Jane nudged open the doors to Mercurio’s apartment. “Honey, I’m home.”
“Did ya waste that sons of the bitches?”
“Sorry. Dennis only.”
“Ah, that’s great. Now here comes the real problem: You have to blow up a Sabbat warehouse.”
“I again? Why?”
“This is your test, kid. Sorry, I can’t help you out much here.”
Jane sighed. “Please tell me you at least have a plan.”
“Right,” said Mercurio. “There is this guy called Tung. Bertram Tung. He can get you inside. The problem is, he’s in the hiding.”
“Therese...Therese I don’t like but can respect. Jeanette is another matter.”
“Do I even want to know?”
"Call me old-fashioned, but I don't feel right talking about this in front of a lady."
“I don’t think I’ve ever been called a lady my entire life. What, she the vamp bicycle? Into kinky stuff?”
“Yeah, that. But the big boss says your kind can’t or won’t…”
“He’s full of crap. That’s how I got into this situation in the first place.” She told him how she came to be a vampire. But she left out her clan: she wasn’t sure if he was like Jack or like that bespectacled blonde woman.
“Whoa. Talk about a date to remember.”
“For the rest of unlife.”
Jane walked into the club Asylum. She barely stepped inside when a woman dressed in clothes entirely too revealing to walk outside stopped her.
“An that do we have here. New girl, fresh like fabric or an freshly-moved Astroturf, staright from the life and into my club.”
“Er, sorry,” said Jane. “I don:t swing that way.”
The woman laughed. “Oh, is that so, duckling?” Then she pouted exaggeratedly. “Jeanette can’t make you change your mind?”
“No. Sorry. I’m sure you’re a wonderful person, but just can’t,” said Jane, slowly edging away.
The woman- Jeanette - sniffed. “Fine. Be that way. But when you cahnge your mind...I might be willing to accept if you beg for forgiveness very hard.” She winked, spun on her heel and sautered off towards a corner, wriggling her hips as she walked. She pressed something on the wall there and entered the door. Jane cocked her head a little and saw that it was an elevator.
Jeanette walked upstairs. She picked up the phone and dialled the number of Last Round.
Skelter answered. “Yeah?”
“Oh, bitter chocolate man, put me through to the vile pirate.”
“Jack! The crazy broad wants to talk to you!” he shouted.
Crazy broad? Why must poor little me be insulted by everyone tonight? She pouted, even though no one could see. The point is to always be in-character, even when there is no audience. That way, you don’t slip up.
Jack picked up the phone on the other side. “Yeah?”
“Jack! You said she’d be fun!”
“Isn’t she?”
“She insulted me! Called me…”
“Well, you always complain about nothing happening. There’s a change there, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes, there is. A challenge! She won’t be able to resist Jeanette for long! Now, I know you wish to hear more of my sweet and sexy voice, but I have to go and pick up some knock-out lingerie for my mission. Bye!”
Jack chuckled. Poor kid won’t know what hit her.
Back downstairs, Jane asked the bartender about Therese.
“She’s busy.”
“I have business to discuss.”
The man gave her an once-over. “Paint will fix that face, but not much to do without padding there.”
Jane scowled. “Watch your mouth, baldy.”
“You watch yours.”
“Hey, now, man, let’s not fight!” chimed in a voice.
Both snapped their head in the direction to see a young man, raising his hands and smiling widely.
The bartender shook his head and went back to polishing glasses.
The young man grabbed Jane’s hand and dragged her back into a corner. Startled, she followed.
“Aw, man. You’re a vampire, aren’t ya?”
Crap. thought Jane. She laughed nervously. “Look...”
“Naw, it:s okay, man, I’m a ghoul.”
“Oh. Okay then. You know anything about this Therese? Or where Bertram Tung is?”
“Sorry, can’t say anything about Tung. But Therese is probably upstairs. I saw you talking to Jeanette. You saw where she went afterwards?”
“Yeah. Thanks. Um...”
“The name’s Knox.”
“Jane.”
“You’re new here, aren’t ya?”
Jane smiled ruefully. “That obvious?”
“Nah, not that much. It’s just that I know people here. Drop by again when you’re finished with Therese. Don’t be a stranger.”
Jane smiled. “Sure, Knox. Bye.”
Jane walked to the elevator and pressed button for “up”.
When she appeared there, she heard voices squabbling behind the door. SHe stapped back and fidgeted, waiting for them to die out. A few moments after they quieted, she knocked on the door tenatively.
The bespectacled woman greeted her. She bristled a little, but soon returned to expressionless.
“Well, then. Why have you come?”
“I’d like to see if anything could be done about the Tung situation?”
“And what would you do with the sewer rat? On the other hand, I don’t want to know.”
“Er...I don’t want anything...but there are things he knows.” Then she remembered . “Prince needs some business done.”
Woman’s eyes narrowed “Is that so. well then. I will consider a ceasefire if you do an errand for me.”
Jane barely restraied herself from siging. Right. Quid pro quo. She nodded.
“There is a piece of real estate I’m interested in. Sadly, It’s haunted. I meed you to pick up a personal object that belonged to the dead whose ghoust haunts it and bring it to me so it can be undone.”
Jane sucked in a breath. Right. Ghosts. Of course. She nodded, biting her lip.
“Good. Come to me when you have it. It’s easiest to access it through the sewers. Here is the key to the grate.”
Jane accepted the key, than automatically nodded again. “Right. Good night.”
The woman inclined her head.
She let herself out.
Haunted house, huh? Sounds like an all-nighter. Better catch a nap first...
When she arrived, she saw a package wrapped in brown paper on her bed. Mercurio? Jack? Elizabeth?
She opened the package. Inside, there was a book with a piece of paper on the top of it. It read “Here’s a little light reading for tumultuous final nights.” Signed: “A friend”.
Jane felt phantom nausea even though there was nothing in her stomach. Ohmygod, he knows where I live! She sat down on the floor, head between knees. She thought emails creepy, but this was something else. This “friend” got into her house - her only safe haven - and then got out without leaving a single trace of his passage. It could have just as easily been a bomb.
But who? Jack? No, there is no need for him to play this game. The elderly gentleman? No, he seems too nice to do it. The creepy bald wizard? No, I shouldn’t think like that; he is the first who said I should be spared. But who else? The rebel guy doesn’t seem the type - not sure if he even liked me or just said that to piss the Prince off.
She got up and took a good look at the book. It was bound in dark red leather with gold intarsias and its leaves were yellow. It seemed to be very old. Shouldn’t something like this be in a museum? There was no title on the cover. She tentatively picked it up and opened it. The text was written in script unfamiliar to Jane. Russian? She went to her computer and searched for online dictionary and script glossary. After a bit of struggle, she got the title: “Ways of Sorcery”.
She blinked. Well, if blood-sucking monsters are real, why shouldn’t sorcery be? Can I do what the bald-head did, then? Did he send this after all?
She managed to get through the tedious introduction. Apparently, this was a book about sorcery tied to her old clan. It was based on elements of land. Like the sleep thing. But why? One would think we of all would be bound to blood, or maybe flesh, with all the warping that we do. Why land?
She was about to skip straight to the spells, but then she remembered herself. Do I really want to mess with magic? Let’s see if it’s doable at all first.
She spent the rest of the night translating the long and tedious first chapter on history of Sorcerers.
“Did ya waste that sons of the bitches?”
“Sorry. Dennis only.”
“Ah, that’s great. Now here comes the real problem: You have to blow up a Sabbat warehouse.”
“I again? Why?”
“This is your test, kid. Sorry, I can’t help you out much here.”
Jane sighed. “Please tell me you at least have a plan.”
“Right,” said Mercurio. “There is this guy called Tung. Bertram Tung. He can get you inside. The problem is, he’s in the hiding.”
“Therese...Therese I don’t like but can respect. Jeanette is another matter.”
“Do I even want to know?”
"Call me old-fashioned, but I don't feel right talking about this in front of a lady."
“I don’t think I’ve ever been called a lady my entire life. What, she the vamp bicycle? Into kinky stuff?”
“Yeah, that. But the big boss says your kind can’t or won’t…”
“He’s full of crap. That’s how I got into this situation in the first place.” She told him how she came to be a vampire. But she left out her clan: she wasn’t sure if he was like Jack or like that bespectacled blonde woman.
“Whoa. Talk about a date to remember.”
“For the rest of unlife.”
Jane walked into the club Asylum. She barely stepped inside when a woman dressed in clothes entirely too revealing to walk outside stopped her.
“An that do we have here. New girl, fresh like fabric or an freshly-moved Astroturf, staright from the life and into my club.”
“Er, sorry,” said Jane. “I don:t swing that way.”
The woman laughed. “Oh, is that so, duckling?” Then she pouted exaggeratedly. “Jeanette can’t make you change your mind?”
“No. Sorry. I’m sure you’re a wonderful person, but just can’t,” said Jane, slowly edging away.
The woman- Jeanette - sniffed. “Fine. Be that way. But when you cahnge your mind...I might be willing to accept if you beg for forgiveness very hard.” She winked, spun on her heel and sautered off towards a corner, wriggling her hips as she walked. She pressed something on the wall there and entered the door. Jane cocked her head a little and saw that it was an elevator.
Jeanette walked upstairs. She picked up the phone and dialled the number of Last Round.
Skelter answered. “Yeah?”
“Oh, bitter chocolate man, put me through to the vile pirate.”
“Jack! The crazy broad wants to talk to you!” he shouted.
Crazy broad? Why must poor little me be insulted by everyone tonight? She pouted, even though no one could see. The point is to always be in-character, even when there is no audience. That way, you don’t slip up.
Jack picked up the phone on the other side. “Yeah?”
“Jack! You said she’d be fun!”
“Isn’t she?”
“She insulted me! Called me…”
“Well, you always complain about nothing happening. There’s a change there, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes, there is. A challenge! She won’t be able to resist Jeanette for long! Now, I know you wish to hear more of my sweet and sexy voice, but I have to go and pick up some knock-out lingerie for my mission. Bye!”
Jack chuckled. Poor kid won’t know what hit her.
Back downstairs, Jane asked the bartender about Therese.
“She’s busy.”
“I have business to discuss.”
The man gave her an once-over. “Paint will fix that face, but not much to do without padding there.”
Jane scowled. “Watch your mouth, baldy.”
“You watch yours.”
“Hey, now, man, let’s not fight!” chimed in a voice.
Both snapped their head in the direction to see a young man, raising his hands and smiling widely.
The bartender shook his head and went back to polishing glasses.
The young man grabbed Jane’s hand and dragged her back into a corner. Startled, she followed.
“Aw, man. You’re a vampire, aren’t ya?”
Crap. thought Jane. She laughed nervously. “Look...”
“Naw, it:s okay, man, I’m a ghoul.”
“Oh. Okay then. You know anything about this Therese? Or where Bertram Tung is?”
“Sorry, can’t say anything about Tung. But Therese is probably upstairs. I saw you talking to Jeanette. You saw where she went afterwards?”
“Yeah. Thanks. Um...”
“The name’s Knox.”
“Jane.”
“You’re new here, aren’t ya?”
Jane smiled ruefully. “That obvious?”
“Nah, not that much. It’s just that I know people here. Drop by again when you’re finished with Therese. Don’t be a stranger.”
Jane smiled. “Sure, Knox. Bye.”
Jane walked to the elevator and pressed button for “up”.
When she appeared there, she heard voices squabbling behind the door. SHe stapped back and fidgeted, waiting for them to die out. A few moments after they quieted, she knocked on the door tenatively.
The bespectacled woman greeted her. She bristled a little, but soon returned to expressionless.
“Well, then. Why have you come?”
“I’d like to see if anything could be done about the Tung situation?”
“And what would you do with the sewer rat? On the other hand, I don’t want to know.”
“Er...I don’t want anything...but there are things he knows.” Then she remembered . “Prince needs some business done.”
Woman’s eyes narrowed “Is that so. well then. I will consider a ceasefire if you do an errand for me.”
Jane barely restraied herself from siging. Right. Quid pro quo. She nodded.
“There is a piece of real estate I’m interested in. Sadly, It’s haunted. I meed you to pick up a personal object that belonged to the dead whose ghoust haunts it and bring it to me so it can be undone.”
Jane sucked in a breath. Right. Ghosts. Of course. She nodded, biting her lip.
“Good. Come to me when you have it. It’s easiest to access it through the sewers. Here is the key to the grate.”
Jane accepted the key, than automatically nodded again. “Right. Good night.”
The woman inclined her head.
She let herself out.
Haunted house, huh? Sounds like an all-nighter. Better catch a nap first...
When she arrived, she saw a package wrapped in brown paper on her bed. Mercurio? Jack? Elizabeth?
She opened the package. Inside, there was a book with a piece of paper on the top of it. It read “Here’s a little light reading for tumultuous final nights.” Signed: “A friend”.
Jane felt phantom nausea even though there was nothing in her stomach. Ohmygod, he knows where I live! She sat down on the floor, head between knees. She thought emails creepy, but this was something else. This “friend” got into her house - her only safe haven - and then got out without leaving a single trace of his passage. It could have just as easily been a bomb.
But who? Jack? No, there is no need for him to play this game. The elderly gentleman? No, he seems too nice to do it. The creepy bald wizard? No, I shouldn’t think like that; he is the first who said I should be spared. But who else? The rebel guy doesn’t seem the type - not sure if he even liked me or just said that to piss the Prince off.
She got up and took a good look at the book. It was bound in dark red leather with gold intarsias and its leaves were yellow. It seemed to be very old. Shouldn’t something like this be in a museum? There was no title on the cover. She tentatively picked it up and opened it. The text was written in script unfamiliar to Jane. Russian? She went to her computer and searched for online dictionary and script glossary. After a bit of struggle, she got the title: “Ways of Sorcery”.
She blinked. Well, if blood-sucking monsters are real, why shouldn’t sorcery be? Can I do what the bald-head did, then? Did he send this after all?
She managed to get through the tedious introduction. Apparently, this was a book about sorcery tied to her old clan. It was based on elements of land. Like the sleep thing. But why? One would think we of all would be bound to blood, or maybe flesh, with all the warping that we do. Why land?
She was about to skip straight to the spells, but then she remembered herself. Do I really want to mess with magic? Let’s see if it’s doable at all first.
She spent the rest of the night translating the long and tedious first chapter on history of Sorcerers.