FicWad

Chapter 10



Jean-Claude went back to the files, and he began to pour over places where Vlad-if it was Vlad-could be hiding his operations, knowing that he just had to go back and get more information. He found a few spots in Upper Manhattan and figured that it would be a good look. He then said, "I'm going fishing for information. Anyone care to join me?"

Anjou and Karin were both up for it, as was Ryuu and Chiyuki. For her, it was more of a matter of breaking up the monotony. For Ryuu, it was more to try to keep his mind off Ai. Jean-Claude suited up and went to the armory. When he arrived, Tony was all happy, "Hey, boss! One of the special items came in today. Take a look at this beauty!"

He presented Jean-Claude with a Heckler and Koch 417. It was an assault rifle set in an M-4 configuration, but that can fire the standard 7.62x51mm NATO rounds. He smiled and said, "Now this is sweet! I guess I can break it in tonight! Have you already prepped it?"

"Hey, pizan-would Ibe doin' my job if I didn't have everything ready the second I got it?" said Tony, in his typical New York Italian accent.

Jean-Claude just smiled and said, "I wouldn't expect any less from you! Was this the only one?"

"Nah," he said,"They all came in."

With that, the sisters pulled out one each for themselves, after which Jean-Claude said, "What about the other order?"

"Oh that?" he said,"That'll be a few more days. Considerin' what you want, dats a little bit harder to get, but it's on its way."

"Good," responded Jean-Claude, "Because, if we go where I expect, I am going to need the firepower."

The other two looked at him, and he said, "It's a surprise."

He then turned back to Tony and said, "How about the G-11?"

"Almost impossible," responded Tony, "There are only so many prototypes of dat, and besides, dey ain't sure it's all that reliable yet."

"How about the AK-103s: how close are you to getting those?"

"Those already came in," he said.

"I'll test them out tomorrow on the range," responded Jean-Claude, and asked for the garlic rounds, saying, "and I want to be sure they fragment and stick, and they don't pass straight through."

As they were getting ready to leave, Tony asked, "Hey, Chi-you want some firepower? Maybe you can use the AKs?"

She just gave him that look, and he just sighed. He handed both she and Ryuu over their katana,(as the girls and Jean-Claude already had their blades,) and he said, "You know, they say you don' take a knife to a gunfight. One of these days, you gonna wish you brought a bit a firepower there."

She just gave him acoquettish look and said, "That would make it too easy! Besides, you would ruin all the fun!"

Tony had always wanted to ask her what she considered "fun," but thought better of it every time, and just let it go. As they were leaving, Anjou said, "Don't you think the rest of the Hand should be in on this?"

"We already have asizeable group," said Jean-Claude, "We don't want to draw more attention on us than we are already doing now. It is not going to be easy to conceal those rifles, but then again, if the police ask, we can always erase their memories."

When Tony heard that, he said, "Oh, I almost forgot. My friend in NYPD gave me this. I asked him about it when you said it would be handy."

He tossed them all badges of New York's Finest, and he said, "That should be good on the civilians, considering that a quick flash is all you need, and it helps that it's actually a New York badge."

"Thanks, Tony, and I'll see you later tonight," said Jean-Claude as the posse went out.



As they headed out, they were spotted by Romulus and Remus in their rental car under their new aliases, and they made sure to tail them without detection. They saw the weapons with which they were armed, and they were stunned again at the firepower to which this Clan had access. They stayed in the mix of traffic as to stay out of sight. Because of the mix of smells in the city, there was no way they would be detected...at least at that point. As they went further north, they city began to look more middle class, then more of the nicer of the apartments, and then more into the poorer areas of the island. At first, the police did question them, but every time it happened, the police suddenly seemed flummoxed, and just let them pass with no issue. Soon, they were in gang territory, and it got interesting then. About nine came up and approached the group, looking tough, but they then saw what they were carrying, and just the sight of Jean-Claude, and they quickly backed off. They had seen similar rifles to that, but not quite the same. However, the fact that they had the guts to tote such things openly, and due to the fact that they also were gutsy enough to carry those blades, they knew better than to press their luck and see if they were going to use them at all. Then, one gang did approach, and there were about 17 of them. They quickly found themselves surrounded, and two of the biggest of them approached, acting as if they were in charge. They matched Jean-Claude in size, but the Romulus and Remus were both not certain if that would even matter. Their hearing could detect parts of the conversation mixed in with the sounds of the city and music of the area, and it was obvious that they were trying to intimidate Jean-Claude. They were too close for the rifles to be of any effect, but it did not seem that they would be needed. One of them grabbed Jean-Claude's trench coat, and that was as far as he got. While that was going on, the other went up to Chiyuki and tried to threaten her. For both of them, it was about to be a bad night. With lightning speed, the two of them had the pair hard against the wall before they knew what had hit them, and the others were wading through the others like they were school children. They were not only using Bruce Lee's techniques, but it was mixed in with everything else they had learned, and matched the system of close quarters combat that many allied forces used to clean up the crime ridden streets of Shanghai, and make life bad for the Axis. This began to gather a crowd, but they all flashed badges, telling them they were on a special detail. Once they saw that, they began to back off, but they were then approached by five youths from around the corner. They also looked tough, but the way they carried themselves said that they only looked the part, but were more able to handle themselves in asituation than any average gangster. When they spotted the posse, they then told the now beaten and bruised pile of humanity that they had better leave if they knew what was good for them. They did not have to be told twice! They cleared out, and the situation became more social than before. In the mix of sounds, the five began to do a bit of hand jive with Jean-Claude and the others, and act like old friends that had not seen each other in ages. This warranted more investigation, so the two parked the car and secured it. They didn't worry about thieves, because they knew that, with their keen senses, they could easily track down the thieves and make them wish their fathers had never met their mothers!



The bunch went and sat down on a stoop, and the other two got in as close as they needed to be able to hear the conversation, which was far enough not to be seen. The one that seemed in charge said, "Hey, how y'all been?"

"Oh, you know us, Curtis" said Karin, "Never a dull moment!"

"I heard that,"responded Curtis, "I'd expect that. I never knew I would ever meet actual superheroes."

Anjou then said,"You should be glad we got you five out of that Cathong mess you were in."

"Hey, we would have been vamp burgers by this point," said Curtis, "I couldn't have gotten out of there without your help. Anyway, what brings you guys here?"

"This," said Jean-Claude, and he said, "Have you seen this tagged anywhere, or anyone with this mark on their flesh?"

He looked it over for a minute, and he said, "You know, come to think of it, there was a small gang that was trying to get into this area and make a mark, and a few did have that on them."

"What happened to them?" said Chiyuki in a way that said she had a good guess as to what had happened.

"Well, they went missing one day," responded Curtis, "But other gangs have told stories of them being attacked, and a few of their friends being hauled off. One or two were found with their throats ripped out, but a few never turned up."

That caught their collective attention, and Jean-Claude said, "Where were they last seen?"

Curtis then said,"About 40 blocks north, but, are they what I think?"

"Yes," he said,"and it would be best if you five went back to your cribs for tonight and lay out the garlic. Yet, if I have my way about it, this will be the last night you have to worry about it. Come on, guys, let's get on it. Peace, guys, and stay out of trouble."

"Word up," answered Curtis, who signaled for the others to go with him, and they said, "Hotline still the same if we see anything?"

"You bet," he said,"But don't be slow. If there were any plants here, they would want you out of the way for helping me. I'll let you know when it's safe."

With that, they were on their way, and the Beowulfs got to their car and began to follow again.



The arrived in the area, and as they approached it, it became darker and more eerie as they went. It almost seemed that, whoever lived there, they wanted people as scared and as disoriented as could be possible. However, this would not be an issue for the group there, for this was something that was common to them, and nothing that had ever scared them away before. They then began to feel the hackles on their necks raise up, and they knew that trouble was coming. They began to hear tapping and banging on the ground of things metallic in a rhythmic fashion, and voices echoing, saying, "Looks like we have the great prize here tonight! You made a grave mistake coming here! You are not leaving!"

Immediately, Chiyuki and Ryuu drew and Ryuu laughed, saying, "Either you are delusional or ignorant; I am betting on the latter!"

Out of the darkness came about 20 gang bangers, but it was obvious that they were not human anymore. They either had swords, pipes, or AK-47, and they were coming from all directions. The three with firearms did not even wait. They opened up on full automatic, and each one took a direction, while the other two just jumped into the fray. Two bullets ripped through Ryuu's leg, but he ignored it, and it was suddenly as if the wounds had not been there. The gangsters were shocked at this, in that, they were armed with rounds that would have dropped any normal vampire. That would have been finding had these been normal vampires. They had no chance to scream when the pair tore into them with their renowned speed, and had that sector wrapped up in moments. Meanwhile, those with guns were using a "spray-and-pray" method at first, but the other three were showing their discipline by controlling themselves and picking their targets one by one. The power behind the three's rounds were greater because they had the full rifle rounds, being in the standard NATO configuration for 7.62mm, while the gangsters had the intermediate rounds. Because of that, and because of the fact that their spraying hit colleagues in an unintended crossfire, they had to move and adjust their shots. Yet, in that moment of time, the other three took advantage of this momentary lapse and closed quarters, now spraying themselves. Once they closed, in a flash, they had their weapons slung to their backs and their blades out, making short work of their assailants. They were completely unprepared to take on what was now essentially and elite paramilitary unit. However, once they came together in the square, there was applause and the laughter of a female voice. "Splendid!" she laughed evilly,"You are far better than I expected, but don't think it's over!"



Once they began to gain a feel for their surroundings, out of the darkness came a very pale woman with raven black hair and two spots on her face that were blood red where eyes normally were. They indeed were her eyes, but there was nothing there to indicate pupils and such. Her long fangs and pointed ears lent them the feeling that this woman was being powered by something demonic. Ryuu caught her scent, and he realized who stood there. "It's one of his concubines," said Ryuu, "He's onto things here!"

That confirmed what they all feared: Dracula was real, and this was one of his top minions. She began to approach, but Jean-Claude whipped around his 417 and said, "That's far enough. If you can talk, then speak from there. Who are you and what is your business?"

She just smiled, and again he asked, "Who are you?"

"Maria," The woman said in a Transylvania accent.

Chiyuki drew her sword, "Take one more step and your head will be my new soccer ball."

Maria laughed and said, "That is highly doubtful."

Jean-Claude spoke before Chiyuki could react. "What do you want? Who do you work for?" responded Jean-Claude in the Vampire tongue: one he rarely used. It was a mix of Romanian, Creole, and proper French.

"I am one of the brides of Lord Dracula," Maria said, "I find the use of 'concubine' so demeaning."

"You're still his whore," snapped Chiyuki, who was not impressed, "That's enough for me, can Ikill her now?"

"I advise against it," responded Maria, now pointing to the windows around. There were about 15 more, and they were armed with AK-47s as well, yet, because of their cover and elevation, the group there would be riddled with bullets before they knew what hit them. They may not die, but they would be so incapacitated that they would be dead before anyone could blink. Chiyuki was not intimidated by that and said, "Why so? I'm not afraid of angering the big bad vampire."

Jean-Claude raised his hand, saying, "I hate to say it, sis, but she's probably more powerful than you. The best I could do is one volley of the garlic bullets and a hope that Ihit. After that, I have no guarantees."

"Doubt it: she was trained in sex, I was trained in fighting," said Chiyuki snidely, which caused Maria to scowl.

Jean-Claude looked at her and said in the Vampire tongue, "Then I would guess that you know well what I am."

"Yes, that's true,"Maria said to Jean-Claude and ignoring Chiyuki, "and you can speak English you know, it is much easier."

"You would deal with a dhampir then?" asked Jean-Claude.

Chiyuki glared at Jean-Claude, pointed her sword at the vampire, and kept eye-contact with her, saying, "Why bother talking to her? You know she is going to try to slaughter us any minute now."

She was very much irritated and anxious to fight. Chiyuki's eye twitched, her bloody massacre face coming on. Maria paid it no mind, and said, "I have no worries about dealing with you. Know this, however: he'd send his army to stop you if you provoke him. He knows you wish for humans and vampires to live together in harmony. Humans are the prey; they are a vampire's food. It's like a lion befriending a gazelle!"

Chiyuki turned the full effect of her face on the newcomer vampire and angrily shouted, "Look, just shut up!"

"Hold up!" he said,"The only reason why he would want this is because he knows that what he is, and what he propagates are not like true vampires, of which stock I am. The undead know that their kingdoms are threatened by this union because they know that we don't need to kill people in order to survive. We have not lost our humanity as they-or he! Besides, why are you warning us? My sister here is itching for a fight, and I am half willing to let her go if you mean us harm. Nothing is going to stand in the way of what was fated anyway. This was prophesied long ago. Those kids are more powerful than any other vampire on the planet, and that army may not survive if they ever decided to unleash their full power. I don't think he's ever faced Golconda before-not like them, anyway."

Chiyuki grinned, speaking as if the other conversation was not going on, "Don't even try to silence me!"

"He is the oldest of the vampires; he is the devil's son," Maria said smirking, "And he is slowly learning the secrets of your little group. He is also learning your weaknesses..."

Chiyuki cackled, cutting into Maria's diatribe, "How arrogant can you be, I know the Devil's son, Ikilled his mother!"

"He's the oldest?" Jean-Claude said with a smirk, addressing the age issue, "Um, Ihate to break the news to you, but we have someone with us who makes the same claims of both age and lineage. Besides all that, we wacked his succubus mother, so you'd better weigh your words about weaknesses. We may have some, but don't think he doesn't have any to exploit. Again, why are you telling me this?"

"Because its fun to watch you squirm," Maria said, an evil smile growing on her face, "Watch out for the dark tree that's hiding in your forest."

Chiyuki yawned, saying,"This is relevant...how?" not impressed by her witticism. Jean-Claude went further and ignored it completely, shouting, "ANSWER MY QUESTION! Tell us what you want with us or you're a pile of ash!"

Chiyuki was now looking at Ryuu, wondering how he was taking all this. Ryuu was there, blinking and tilting his head to the side, like a cat, leaving Chiyuki to wonder if he ever got fully over being a cat for a thousand years. Maria then responded, "I just told you, I want to watch you squirm. You really don't listen well and your temper is too short."

That was it for Jean-Claude, who said, "You are about to find out how it got so short, and why people fear ticking me off!"

He was getting ready to fight, but a loud report rang out from one of the windows, followed by, "Don't even think about it, ladies!"

Karin and Anjou were hoping to sneak off and try to hit the snipers while the heated discussion was going on, hoping that they were too distracted to notice. Maria then said,"It's been fun, but I think it is time this ended now. You are beginning to bore me, and my lover wants you dead anyway. Ta-ta..."

Yet, just as they were about to raise up and fire, another loud report rang out from another direction in rapid succession and took out one row of snipers, followed by,"YOU ARE GOING BACK TO YOUR LOVER IN AN URN!"



Maria wheeled around to see the last thing she wanted to see. She knew well of the princess'elite eight, and she also well knew who was coming. "NO!" she said, "YOU TRAITOROUS MANGY MUTTS!"

The others didn't need to be told twice as they sprang into action. They used the distraction to get the jump on their assailants and they were turning to ash rather quickly. Maria took the hint and started to retreat in the confusion, but she wheeled around to run right into Chiyuki and Rue. "And now we get to find out if your arrogant mouth has your money put behind it!"

Yet, before they could react, she laughed, and the laugh got deeper and deeper as she transformed right there before them. She now had the form of a large two-legged cross between a bird and iguana standing about eight feet tall. She snarled, "I hardly doubt that you can fight me like this!"

The truth was that they could, but because of the shock of the sight, they were a split second behind in reacting, but before she could move, she stepped back in horror. Ryuu and Chiyuki turned around to see, also standing eight feet tall and massive, were a pair of what she had to assume were werewolves by their appearance. She had always known that, in their combative form, werewolves were normally large, but this was beyond anything she had ever seen! They started to move, and the two vampires took that moment to turn back around and hamstring their opponent. Because the blades were not silver, it did not kill her, but it hobbled her. She let out a screech, but before she could fall down, the wolves were on her. Once they pinned her down, Romulus smashed his hand into her chest and ripped out her heart. That, and the vampire witch, turned to ash in a flash. Once that was done, they reverted back to their normal forms, but they were naked due to the change ripping off their clothes. They had also laid aside their AK-103s because of this, but before they could go back for them, Jean-Claude and Anjou both had their silver-steel alloy blades at the throats of the pair, to which Jean-Claude said, "Lucy, you got some 'splainin to do!"

This was going south fast, and the pair said, "Um...we surrender?"