Hillman Compound
[COLOR=Red]Located in the industrial district, along the waterfront were 2 miles of nothing but warehouses. Some of the larger warehouses were fifty thousand square feet of storage and some were filled to capacity. On the south end, standing pristine and new, was Hillman compound, known formerly as Hillman, Inc. This is where the multi-millionaire stored his luxury items, docked his yachts and kept his precious things hidden away.
The warehouse itself was made of concrete and boasted security guards around its surrounding electrical fence. No one could come within 500 feet of Hillman, Inc without being thoroughly accosted by a gruff looking security guard with bad breath.
State of the art security and fifty cameras surveyed the premises. There were four check points and one main entrance. The surrounding warehouses have been bought and cleared out by Hillman, Inc and not a soul interrupted whatever went on down on the south end of the docks.[/COLOR]
"Odd time you've picked for a strip tease. Don't you think?"
Watching her put the two pieces together in order to form a bag, he smiled and shook his head. Scientists, as a rule, had an odd sense of what was valuable. This was made evident by her demanding glass slides and tossing in books while leaving behind expensive equipment. He would admit the stuff was likely heavy but then so was a sack of literature.
He eyed the two strangers in contemplation as well as keeping a wary watch over them. Jan did not think either himself or Nova was the kind to kill them in cold blood but according to the Cajun voice in his ear they had 14 minutes or so to get out of the place before it blew sky high.
"You might want to hurry that along. Help her out will you? We need to be going."
The scientists looked at him in confusion a moment more, startled at the requests from both burglars for their assistance. They shared a look between them and it seemed neither decided being a belligerent hero was a wise course of action. Without any words spoken, they silently began helping fill Nova's impromptu bag.
Jan kept an eye on the situation and also listened to the sounds of coming from the rest of the building as well as the voices confirming their exit from the area. It did not take long for the three of them to fill up the sweater to near bursting, seeing that it would be difficult to stuff anything more in, Jan gestured with his knives towards the door.
"Let's be going, you two lead the way, quick-like. This place is going to be rubble in a few minutes and I don't plan to be under it."
Hopefully given that news the scientists would be motivated to lead them towards the quickest exist. Jan narrowed his eyes at Nova and then gave her a quick shove towards the door.
"Come along, little Jenny, this toy store is about to blow."
She considered taking pity on him and just draining him, but that would take longer than she had and would involve a bit of vomiting on her part. After all he was a very big man. She shrugged and spoke into the air.
"Ok kiddies, listen up. In approximately eleven minutes I will be depressing this little button in my hand. The charges set will begin to go off three seconds later. They will begin on the lower most level and work their way up in three second intervals. You have this time to make your way out and find shelter.
My van will hold ten comfortably and fifteen uncomfortably. There is a Duibne warehouse directly west of my position that provides an underground staff room. I placed blankets and other emergency supplies in there."
She looked down at her watch as it gave off its little "beep beep beep." "You now have ten minutes until sunrise. Waiting for your mark Simon. Ginnie out."
She stood slowly, wincing at the ripping of her newly mending muscles. Ginnie limped to the front of the van and depressed a little button on the dash. Thick black shades began to descend on all of the windows, including the windshield and back doors. She limped back to her chair and depressed the button on the side of the shade of the window she had been looking out of and it raised slowly back up the tinted glass.
Now that he wasn't engaged in a life-or-death struggle with some chemical monster.Mathias had a moment to reflect on that and other things. Carol had to be wrong,mistaken somehow. He knew Ellis and the Ellis he knew would not betray Tacharan. Tacharan was all for her - she prized loyalty to the clan above all. No,there must be some other explanation for this - and Mathias would find out what it is.
Ellis deserved that.
But for now his attention needed to be on pulling out of here and making sure others were capable of doing so. 13 minutes till sunrise...time was not on their side.
"Ready to assist evacuation,need a direction please"
For a brief moment he allowed himself to think about Shay. Mathias knew he needed to keep his attention on the here and now,but he knew Shay would be worried about him until she heard from him. Going home wasn't possible,not with the little amount of time left till sunrise and Mathias didn't exactly have an alternate plan ready.
Her fangs looked larger than life and her eyes were huge green pools as she fed, one by one, on the men. The screams turned to gurgling and that's when Kyle could not take it anymore. The hallway T'd and he passed Ellis and guards, trying to find his way out. Blindly he fell into another hallway and saw a door.
Pushing through the door he hoped for a bathroom but instead it turned into a large storage room. He stood, looking up at all the equipment and boxes stacked. Blinking his eyes zeroed in on a curious word.
Explosives.
'Oh...' Kyle started just when someone grabbed him from behind and shoved him to the floor. A strong hand turned him over and suddenly there was a tall man coming at him.
Correction, this man had fangs. Kyle finished his thought.
'....SHIT!'
Bombs, guns, weaponary of all tastes and sizes. This was a storage room...in about the dumbest place ever. An explosion from this room alone would collaspe the entire facility. Simon closed his eyes and sighed. With the rest of the explosives in place, there would be no doubt that this would be one huge sink hole after it was all over. The trick was to not to let it happen before he wanted it to.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of gunfire and screaming. Raising his gun, he turned back towards the door as it suddenly started to open.
'Holy cow,' Carol murmued quietly in his ear. 'She's really going to town.'
Carol must've been watching Ellis attacking whatever that was down the hall from him. He couldn't ask what was coming in the door in the room he was in without letting whoever it was know he was there. He side stepped and stood behind the door as it opened.
A human walked in. Tall, black hair and covered in blood. It wasn't one of his. The human walked in and stood quietly looking at the equipment, probably making the same assumptions he was.
Simon slowly nudged the door closed with the barrel of his gun.
'Oh...' the human started.
Simon tucked his guns back into their hip holsters and he bared his fangs. The tingle was starting again, his blood lust yearning for this one's blood.
He always liked the quiet ones.
Quickly he lunged at the man, pushing him to the ground. As roughly as he could, he turned the shoulder of the man.
'SHIT!!!!!'
Pushing the man's jaw up, exposing his neck, Simon bared his fangs and lunged at the man's throat.
'SIMON...NO!!!!!!!' Carol yelled loudly in his ear. He jerked to a stop at the sound of her voice and listened.
Her face twisted into a puckered squint. 'Holy cow. She's really going to town.' Her eyes were staring so intently on Ellis' carnage that she did not notice Kyle pass by the camera and into the storage room that Simon had just entered.
One of the merc's whistled. 'Did you see that? That one just stabbed her in the chest and she didn't even flinch.'
The other replied, 'Can you imagine? All that blood, she's probably healing like a motherfucker.'
Carol snorted, 'Seriously.' She flicked her eyes over at the sudden movement of another screen and watched Simon holster his guns. She looked back at Ellis and then blinked.
Suddenly she lurched forward in her chair. Simon jumped onto Kyle and pushed his jaw back, ready to bleed him.
'SIMON! NO!!!' She yelled and then covered her mouth.
Simon stopped immediately and froze. Poor Kyle had started to blabber.
'Wait, WAIT! GOOD GUY HERE. GOOD GUY!!!' He wailed and then suddenly the vampire did stop.
Slowly his assailant eased his grip on Kyle. He watched him, turning his head to the side and looking off, like he was listening to someone. He held his breath and in the quiet of the room, he heard a small tinny voice.
An ear piece.
Well whoever it was had called this big fucker off him.
'The woman, Ellis...she's in there.' Kyle pointed his finger out the door, quickly throwing the woman under the bus.
The other man knelt back, completely off Kyle and onto one knee. He finally looked up into Kyle's face and gave him a look.
Scooting back, Kyle backed up as far as he could. Both men sat on the ground looking at each other.
'Want not,' Ellis cooed as she strolled leisurely into the room. There they were...the bane of her existence and her ticket to a higher one. She rubbed her tummy slowly, feeling the tautness of the skin. She had fed. A lot. Ellis could feel the last of the damage repairing itself as she took her time closing the distance between her, the beast and Hillman.
'Terrance...Terrance, Terrance, Terrance. You've been a bad boy.' She clucked her tongue. Her mouth was covered in blood, but her hair swayed softly on her cheeks. Silk, smooth strands had replaced the burnt crispy pieces. Ellis ran her hands down her back, feeling the smooth skin where there had once been steel metal and open flesh. She stopped about 20 feet away from him.
Looking down at her nails, she noticed the slivers of steel still in her forearms and wrists from the metal chair melting into her. Ellis reached in with a fresh nail and dug a long silver out that was just beneath her skin. She giggled at the sensation. The bit of metal clanked on the floor. Flexing her hand tightly a few more smaller pieces pierced through her skin and dropped to the floor.
'Well now,' she said softly, looking up. 'I believe you have something that belongs to me.'
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and shrugged. 'You would've done the same thing, Ellis.' Terrance grinned. He wasn't afraid of her, but was in awe of her. They didn't make them like Ellis anymore. That necessary kind of evil that made life worth living.
He stepped closer to the beast. 'You could've made another one easily. Why did you go through all the trouble?'
Trouble. Indeed. He had betrayed her, stolen from her and killed her. Well, he tried to, at least. He looked at her now, clothes torn but skin radiant and her hair so black it was blue. She had such a beautiful and alluring smile. Part of him knew that he'd try to take what was her's when they first met. And she had to known he'd try. Really, why all the trouble for a machine that holds more value in principle than in actual worth? A ton of chrome and a bit of plastic. He was indeed curious.
'I was bored.'
They stood there like that for a few moments, like old friends catching up. She rested her chin on the metal and Terrance leaned in closer. Two friends sharing a funny joke.
'I assume you have a deal?' Terrance chuckled. 'Come on Terry, you gotta own up. You cut me deep.' She shrugged, pushing off the machine and standing even closer to him. Ellis looked into his eyes and gave him a small simper. 'Give me one reason why I shouldn't leave you here, disembowled and bled dry?'
The whole point of this raid wasn't to get the beast back. It was the principle. Someone took something of her's and that would simply not do. She had spent the better part of seventeen hundred years learning how to hold a grudge and not having to worry about the wrinkles. Ellis was always open to a good excuse though. He'd have to make it quick, unfortunately. If her estimations were correct, the place was about to blow any minute now.
Her eyes went wide, 'Dazzle me, but make it quick. I got somewheres I gotta be, love.'
'Kyle Evans,' he said out loud. 'Carol has requested I not kill you.' He stood and looked down at the human. 'I hope you can keep up. I'd hate to disappoint her.'
Turning, Simon walked out the door and back into the hallway. Turning the corner that Kyle had come from, he came upon the scattered bodies in the hallway. He paused, looking at the faces of the humans. Pale, bloodless. Her blood lust must have been reaching epic proportions. He had never seen her feed on so many, so quickly. She'd be strong right now, but he didn't know for how much longer. Her blood lust could linger for several hours. Would the heightened ability and amount of damage she's had to have her body repair slow her down quicker? He dismissed his thoughts and headed down the corridor to the beast's lair.
He could hear them, chatting quietly.
'I assume you have a deal?'
Simon had begun to draw his guns but instead he let his hands fall to the side.
'Give me one reason why I shouldn't leave you here, disembowled and bled dry?'
Simon stepped into the room and watched the two of them standing closely. Not mortal enemies, but more like lovers. He lowered his eyes and stood in the shadows, as he always had done. Feeling his fists clench tight enough to have his fingernails cut into his palms. Even after everything he had decided, her wanton flirting still made his blood simmer.
'Dazzle me, but make it quick. I got somewheres I gotta be, love.'
'Ellis.' She turned and looked at him. Her smile large and happy. 'It's time to leave.' His hand slipped into his pocket and his fingers felt the cold cylindrical device. He had something he had to show her first.
Again Terrance shrugged at Ellis. 'I've given all I can give, E. But as I see it, you're in no position to bargain.' He knew he was right, her being here broke every single rule in the vampire world.
'YOU made the deal to betray your clan. YOU came to me with the beast. YOU made the beast and had every intention on using your own people as cash cows. YOU broke about a thousand clan rules bringing your clan here and killing god knows how many humans. YOU are bringing attention to the vampire nation. Your elders would sooner have you dead than alive and on your knees, Ellis.'
He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. 'Why don't YOU...dazzle ME.'
Ellis looked over at Simon and with a small smile said, 'Simon love, do you have a pen? I've seem to have lost mine.'
Simon had reached into his pocket and was holding something. Slowly, he pulled it out.
A pen.
She looked back at Terrance. 'Tell you what. Why don't I write you a little note. Let's call it...a will? A living will, of course.' She smiled, baring her fangs. 'I'll write up a little something that says you can have it all if I die.'
Without looking, Ellis reached out and caught the stylus from Simon who had tossed it lightly into the air. She reached into Hillman's jacket and looked around for something to write with. She pulled out his business card holder and slid out a heavy stock paper card.
She began to write. 'I, Ellis Duban, being of sound mind and judgement, bequeath all that is dear to me to my beloved partner in crime, Terrance Hillman.' She still had an arm wrapped around his as she wrote on the card. Ellis squeezed, causing a gasp from Hillman. 'I'll throw some xx's and oo's for prosperity sakes?'
Ellis clicked the pen and it made a soft humming noise. She showed him the card and then she pressed her lips against the whiteness of it, leaving a bloody kiss print. With the card in her hand, she straightened his jacket, buttoning it back up. Ellis tilted her head to the side for a moment, before she took the pen and rammed it into Terrance's heart.
Terrance felt the pen enter his heart with such force, that it sucked all the air out of him and propelled him off his feet, back into the wall next to the beast. He hung there, on the pen, his feet jerking with the last bit of his brain reacting to the sudden pain.
He looked up to see Ellis looking at him with those beautiful green eyes. Suddenly she was in his face, fangs bared and lip curled back.
'You took what was mine, Terrance. What's mine is mine and will stay...mine. What's yours...yours will be a burning pile of fucking ash when I'm done with it.'
It is true, what people say about death. That time seems to float and there's a light...a hugely bright light and then nothing.
Or it was just the pen bomb in his heart going off.
((Terrance out and very dead. Exits...stage right.))
'Simon...you just...that bomb is going to...EVERYBODY OUT WHO ISN'T OUT.' Carol yelled into her microphone. 'Simon it's sunrise.'
The merc's in the room had since left and she was alone in the control room. Streaks of sunlight were peeking through the boarded up windows.
'Everyone pull back, Simon's making the extraction and he's incoming with Ellis and a human.' She took a final look at Hillman as the others left in the compound made their exit. 'When that bomb goes off, it's going to set off the explosives in the next storage room. Everyone stand by.'
She knew it wouldn't matter now when Ginnie and the others set off their explosives. Carol hoped Simon would live long enough for her to ask him why he gave her the pen bomb. But part of her knew why.
Only one of them were coming out.
Carol covered her mouth and watched.
Current time - 5:20am
Time for pen bomb to go off - 1 minute.
With extreme speed, she packed up the stock and then bolted for Ginnie’s van praying the girl was one hell of a driver and could get them out safe. She’d come back for her own car later. Deciding there wasn’t time to stand on ceremony she quickly climbed into the waiting vehicle. Unable to come up with anything clever or witty to say she just smiled at Ginnie.
“Well they’re all set.”
"Should I detonate, Carol? These things won't explode on their own, even when on fire."
Well the ones around the foundation of the warehouse would, but the fire had to get to them first. The door opened behind her, she hadn't seen anyone approach, but then again, her mind was trying not to have a melt down, as she had not heard from Alec in over ten minutes and was just about to loose it.
She spun and her heart sank into her stomach when Valentine climbed in.
"Well they're all set."
"Ok, thanks. Find a place to sit, you did a good job."
She lowered the shade to protect her occupants, the blonde Merc had taken refuge in the back of the van and contented himself by staring at her. It really was unnerving. She limped to the driver's seat awaiting orders and Alec.
" Mathias reporting in - am out and away "
He waited for the boom
A small fridge in the corner of the room held a carousal of test tubes filled with blue fluid and she blew a few minutes breaking cold gel packs to, with any luck, keep them at a safe temperature.
By this point Jan was waving his knives around and herding them toward the door and she spared one more look over her shoulder before following the scientist’s and Jan’s lead. They made their way out into the hallways and began working up to ground level, but when they took a turn even Nova recognized as wrong she shouted up ahead.
“Hey! Quit dicking us around and get us out of here!”
One of the scientists turned around, a frightened expression on his face, and shook his head in denial of the accusation.
‘This way is shorter, it’s direct from the lab to the sewer exit.’
Nova threw up her hands and shot Jan a look just as Carol shouted in the ear piece to get out.
“Crap…”
They were in too deep not to trust the scientists, though they could quite easily be leading them into the street or just suiciding and taking herself and Jan with them, and so the four ran through the hallways as the seconds ticked away.
“Me and Jan are on our way out, no worries here…”