originally posted November, 1999
((My first stabs at public fiction began with session recaps from a World of Darkness campaign I ran, Chicago by Night. I would post a description of what happened, not really trying to write a story but rather keep the players informed about what happened. This is the very first post I made to our chronicle website.))
Mallory, Casmir, Aoife, Sir Reginald, Siobhan, and Jacob fade into Dr. Thomas' living room. Set free in the time stream, they had returned to Chicago the evening of November 7, 1999, roughly three years after getting thrown violently backwards in time. For Sir Reginald, this was his first trip to the modern era. Dr. Thomas warmly welcomed her adopted granddaughter, and the others. After introducing Sir Reginald to the mysteries of modern plumbing, the group gathered in the library to discuss what had changed since their departure.
After some conversation, the group begins to disburse. Siobhan goes upstairs to her room. Staneslav, a Nosferatu elder, picks up his long lost nephew, Casmir. Samantha shows Sir Reginald to a subterranean room, carefully reconstructed to resemble the cell of a medieval monk, and Aoife to an ornately decorated and comfortable resting-place. With just Mallory, Jacob, and Samantha remaining in the library, Samantha explains the state of the secret they share, and the condition of the truce between the vampires of Chicago and the werewolves of the surrounding area.
For now, the secret that these three, along with Dr. Himmelman, played a part in Lodin's assassination remains so. Recent werewolf incursions into the city have tested the truce, but thanks to Dr. Thomas' efforts, it remains in place. The departure of the Gangrel from the Camarilla has left the local Primogen Council unbalanced, however. Some elders and anarchs have begun a bit of saber rattling to gain the support of the city's kindred. The Prince may not have the power to halt a return to open war. Dr. Thomas asks their help in uncovering the true cause of the war three years ago. She hopes to prevent it from happening again and to discover the real reasons behind that conflagration. She also believes that if she can get elevated to the open seat on the council, she might be able forestall any further conflict.
Casmir's Uncle Staneslav seems very happy to see his long absent relative. During the car ride to the elder's haven, he asks the much younger vampire about his travels and adventures. The topic eventually turns to the present. A murderer has been plaguing the Polish neighborhood of Staneslav's domain. A murderer that seems to threaten the Masquerade. Four murders have occurred in the area. The victims all died from loss of blood, blood found congealed around the corpses, oozing from two puncture wounds in their necks. Once at the haven, Staneslav gives Casmir a stack of police reports and tells him that the bodies have been moved to the UIC Medical Center, at the Prince's request. He asks Casmir if he and his new companions could look into the matter. Before retiring, Casmir agrees to bring it to the attention of his companions.
Back at Dr. Thomas' haven in Lincoln Park, Mallory goes to bed. Jacob and Samantha move to the kitchen. They talk as she prepares breakfast for her retainers. She warns him of the hostility towards werewolves in the city, and the increased hunting skills of the surviving kindred. He scoffs until she reveals to him a code word that renders him temporarily paralyzed. It had been placed there by her adopted sire, Sir Warwick, to protect his childe should the werewolf ever move against her. Sir Warwick also erased any memory of the event from Jacob's mind. Shocked by this realization, he demands Warwick visit him to undo the damage, asks Dr. Thomas to arrange a rental car for his use, and retreats to Aoife's resting place.
In the few moments they have before the sun rises, Jacob and Aoife discuss Dr. Thomas with Jacob eventually threatening the Ventrue's life. Unknown to them, Tristan and Isolde have taped this conversation against the explicit orders of their mistress. Before Aoife drifts into slumber, the two plan to meet at Union Station at nightfall to discuss the possibility of fleeing the city at a place where Samantha could not possibly spy on them. Jacob rests for a few hours then heads north in the rental car to visit the Raccoon Sept.
Jacob arrives at the log cabin built at the site of the moot that precipitated the Garou's attack on the Chicago Kindred three years before. There he meets Susan Upshaw, kinfolk, Floyd Hemlock, leader of the sept, and an unknown lupine named Wyatt. Tension hangs over the meeting. Susan blames Jacob for the death of several of her family members. Instead of calling other Garou to help attack Prince Lodin's stronghold, he attacked with a number of Vampires. Some kinfolk hostages were killed during the assault, including Susan's eleven year old son.
Floyd asks Jacob in for coffee while Wyatt and Susan wait outside. Floyd seems guarded, answering Jacob's questions in generalities. Jacob responds to Floyd's questions with equally vague answers. Floyd asks Jacob to join the sept, to get away from the Wyrm tainted leeches that infest the city. Jacob refuses and leaves. Floyd's cryptic last words, "Have you smelled yourself lately?" hang in his ears as he makes for the door.
Outside, Susan Upshaw confronts him, shocked that he would return here after revealing this sacred place to vampires three years ago. (Jacob had led a kindred negotiating party here. The effort resulted in the implementation of the current truce.) Jacob gets into his car and leaves to find a secluded spot to mediate for a few hours. He then travels to Union Station to meet with Aoife.
Mallory arises midday to the clanging of metal on metal, coming from upstairs. Upon investigating, he discovered Siobhan involved in melee training with Norna Weaver, under the watchful eye of their mentor, the Hermetic Mage Dr. Norman Jacobs. After introductions, Norna and Dr. Jacobs depart, leaving Siobhan and Mallory to clean up. After a quick lunch, the two depart for a day at the Art Institute.
Siobhan seems to pay particular attention to the security arrangements at the museum. She explains to Mallory that Dr. Jacobs asked her to look into Aaraam Security while visiting the institute. Aaraam handles security for several of Chicago's landmarks. Beyond the relatively high level of the tech involved, Siobhan doesn't notice anything unusual. After a trip to the gift shop to purchase some quartz crystals, the two go across the street to Kitty O'Shea's for pints.
Over a number of Caffrey's, Mallory and Siobhan discuss several topics. Siobhan seems particularly attached to her grandmother, Dr. Thomas. Mallory voices his skepticism that any one kindred could be any better than any other and refers to them all as bullies. The conversation ends shortly after sunset, when a call comes in from Vaclav telling of trouble with Jacob and Aoife near the train station.
After sunset, Aoife rises and meets Dr. Thomas as the Malkavian attempts to leave. Dr. Thomas offers her a cell phone, explains that they can take the car if they want to leave, and tells Aoife of the dangers facing Jacob in the city. Very wary of the Ventrue, Aoife takes the phone and uses the El to meet her lover.
As she approaches Jacob on the train platform, Aoife spies an obfuscated kindred watching him. She proceeds toward the woman, waving off Jacob. Guards begin gathering at the end of the train platform. Jacob gives them the slip, escaping into the shadow realm through the reflection cast by a darkened train car window.
The vampire introduces herself to Aoife as Anita Wainwright and asks the apparently befuddled Malkavian if she needs any help at the station. Aoife answers in the negative and begins making her way out of the building. Once outside, Jacob rejoins her, stepping through the reflection of an oily puddle.
On the way back to the rental car, Jacob notices Susan Upshaw waiting for him by the vehicle. The lovers decide that Jacob should face her alone while Aoife waits around the corner. Upon seeing him, Susan approaches Jacob and begs him to return with her to the sept. It's not too late for him. Gaia can forgive his indiscretions. Jacob refuses, asking the woman to leave. Susan continues her pleading, revealing that Floyd detected the taint of the Wyrm in him. Jacob refuses to return. He still felt there was much that needed to be accomplish in Gaia's name, here in the city. After asking her to leave, again, he turns his back on her.
Hearing Susan mutter a soft, "I'm sorry," Jacob begins to turn back just as a silver bullet rips through his side. At the sound of the shot, Aoife looks around the corner. Full of the lupine blood fed to her by Jacob, she cannot hold back the Beast and gives herself to the frenzy. Hearing the screaming Malkavian approach, Jacob shifts to crinos form to protect his kinfolk. The few people on the street flee in panic.
Calling on Gaia's gifts to quell the pain of his injury, Jacob easily wrenches the handgun from Susan. After turning back to track Aoife's approach, he sees Susan trying to pull a glaive from the pocket of her military jacket. Trying to put distance between his kin and his lover, Jacob hurls Susan across the street. Her body makes a sickening sound as it collides with concrete.
Jacob feels a dart pierce his skin as he turns to face Aoife. Almost immediately, he feels his form start to shift back to homid. Aoife tries to leap over a row of -parked cars to get at Jacob's attacker. Jacob restrains her when she trips over a windshield wiper. He tries to make a leap to the El with the squirming body in his arms, but fails. As his shifting body makes its way east on Adams, he hears the sounds of metal striking flesh, and of distant sirens. Just a few scant blocks away, moving against the panicked late night commuters, Siobhan and Mallory quickly make their way to assist Jacob.
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