Vampire the Masquerade – V5 – Solo Session – ‘The Mithras Seal’ – Part Two

Having evaded the guards, and bypassed the exterior locks, Daniel has managed to enter the main building of The Circulatory System's 'Farm' without being detected.

The office he found himself in was luxuriously decorated, containing a single desk, chairs for customers and a sofa against one wall for additional guests to use. The only other exit was a door in one corner with a single round window in it's upper section. There didn't appear to be a lock on this side. The only decorations were a landscape painting of Los Angeles viewed from the water and a plant on the desk, which looked to be a Venus-fly trap. There was also a closed laptop on the desk.

Marcelina Black - Ventrue Director of the L.A. Farm

Daniel recalled that on the coteries previous visit, Marcelina had opened the side door without leaving her desk. Presumably there was therefore some way of opening it near where she had been seated. He utilised the various scanning devices he'd acquired from Marius's armoury and located a signal emanating from the desk, which seemed to be synched to the door.

Beneath the desk he found a single button. After debating with himself about the possibility of it alerting every guard in the building, he decided his options were to try it, or abandon the mission. He was therefore very relieved when a small keypad slid from the front of the desk, rather than the room flooding with guards. The keypad had a digital display on which were three buttons. They were labelled 'Access', 'Seal' and 'Alert'.

After first checking that there were no guards in the other room, he made an educated guess and pressed the button marked 'access', and heard a satisfying click as the door unlocked.

On the other side of the door was a small antechamber with a set of double doors on the opposite side. Several locked filing cabinets were to the right, in addition to a pair of fridges to the left, alongside a counter on which was a wine rack. Daniel wasn't exactly a connoisseur of the vintages created by the Blood Sommeliers of the 'Elite' of kindred society, but he imagined that these were probably good ones, perhaps even Marcelina's own stock.

The filing cabinets were sorted alphabetically, but were also quite empty. Possibly they were part of an early filing system that had been modernised, computerised or moved. The fridges contained blood bags, carefully labelled by blood type. Several of these were quite rare. Less than one percent of the population had AB Negative blood, yet this stockpile contained several bags of it.

Daniel resisted the urge to help himself. The less items he disturbed, the less likely he was to leave any clues to his presence there.

Jane 'Mannequin' Doe - Gangrel Childe of Marius Walker

If Victoria was surprised to find two Marius's sitting in his living room, she didn't show it. Ignoring the one on the sofa, she instead walked directly to the one standing nearby. 

"Just because you fooled Farouk for an hour or two, doesn't mean that you're tricks work on me..." began Victoria. "...and I believe you have a task to perform?"

Jane Doe, occasionally known as 'Mannequin', second youngest of Marius childer, allowed her cloak of obfuscation to drop, and simultaneously used her powers of Vicissitude to restore her original appearance, or the default one at least. Within moments, Victoria stood opposite a woman who was average in every way, with features designed to be instantly forgotten.

"My 'Marius' is apparently better than my 'Victoria'..." Janes voice, like her appearance, was equally forgettable. "...as it fooled Mr Matthews, and Yukio..."

Victoria conceded the point. "Well we're here now, so you can continue with your previous assignment, if you'd be so kind?"

Marius's eldest ghoul had a way of phrasing requests, that made them feel like orders, and in a way they were. All his childer knew that Victoria Anezka had access to all the keys to the kingdom. A word from her, to all intents and purposes, was an order from him. Nevertheless, on principle, Jane waited for Marius's nod before leaving.

"I may need to reinforce my authority with that one..." stated Victoria, once the two of them were alone once more.

"Like you did with Florence?" replied Marius. Victoria paused for a moment, not sure if the question was for confirmation, or an admonishment.

"Not quite. Something a little more creative will be in order for Miss Doe."

Marius didn't ask, though he decided to have a quiet word with his childe about the level of deference she should show to his most loyal follower. If she didn't listen, then the consequences would be on her own head.

The Circulatory System - Cell Block

The corridor beyond the doors was flanked on both sides by cells, each had a heavy duty door, with only a small viewing window in the centre. Each door was protected by a keypad entry system.

In each cell, an unfortunate man or woman, and one girl barely out of her teens, had been fitted with a device attached to their wrist which seemed to be for the extraction of blood.

Evidently these were 'stock' rather than subjects provided for 'lease'. Their cells contained a bed, a chair, and some scattered belongings, though judging from the remnants on the plates in several cells, the occupants were well fed. Each had a vacant facial expression, that might indicate that they had been drugged, or more likely have been dominated into subservience, by a powerful kindred mind.

Vitae Extraction Tool

As Daniel carefully navigated the corridor he had a closer look at the 'vessels', and decided that they hadn't been drugged. He knew that any chemicals in the victims bloodstreams would effect the drinker. In fact there were many kindred who fed exclusively from drug addicts so as to experience highs not available to them in any other way.

He also made certain conclusions about the food and drink.

The drinks appeared to be pomegranate juice, the foods were fatty fishes and leafy greens, all of which were regarded as being good for blood flow and circulation. The rest of the meals provided were rich in iron, another staple of good blood health. If Daniel had hated the Circulatory System before, the feelings reached new heights now. Keeping humans as brain dead cattle, albeit well fed ones, made Daniel very angry indeed. The fact that he could do nothing about it without compromising his mission, made it even worse. Despite these provocations, he forced the Beast within back down using tricks learned from the Bahari during his brief stay with them.

'Mary', 'The Mother' - Gangrel Bahari, The Chosen of Ennoia

He had been given tuition in their methods by Lia, one of the childer of Mary, known as 'Mother' and high priestess of L.A.'s Bahari, as a favour to Marius, who was Mary's sire. Daniel had been grateful for the teachings, but certainly didn't consider himself one of them. In many ways they were as worthy of judgement as The Circulatory System, but at least they were honest about it.

A double door at the opposite end was the only other way in or out of this area.

Sure that there would be security nearby, Daniel extended his preternatural senses and listened for anything that might give him a clue to what was ahead.

There were at least four men inside, having a discussion about how boring their night shifts were, what an asshole their boss was and how they weren't paid enough. then, a far more commanding voice cut the rest off and began issuing orders.

"Seth. Go check on the vessels in 'economy', Reid. Go make sure the other guest is still behaving himself. And for fucks sake don't go inside whatever you do. You saw what was left of Ellis, right? Bastard didn't even try to escape, just turned him inside, fucking out..."

A moment later the door opened and a guard, presumably 'Seth' entered the corridor. the door had a mechanism that began to slowly close the door a moment after it was released by the guard. realising that he might not get another opportunity, he slipped through the gap a moment before the door slammed shut.

Fancy but Impractical

The room Daniel now found himself within, contained a console area with security screens, one observing each cell and another pointing down the corridor itself. A guard was sitting behind a desk in the opposite corner with one foot resting on the top. He had a coffee in one hand and was idly playing with a combat knife with his other. In Daniel's opinion the knife was completely impractical, though he had to admit it wasn't bad to look at.

 A weapons cabinet mounted on the wall behind him contained assault rifles, submachine guns and shotguns. All except the shotguns were fitted with suppressers. Presumably any actions within the facility were expected to be done quietly.

There was another door opposite, and a third on the left. Daniel made a brief mental assessment of the buildings dimensions and concluded that the third door likely led to the heavily guarded door he had observed from the outside of the complex.

The guard observing the security screens turned to the other man, presumably his superior and pointed out something on one of the screens. Then checked a list on a tablet to his right. "Hey Luke. The kid...Haylee? hasn't eaten again. We might have to have her force fed again..."

The Circulatory System - Security Room

Luke didn't seem particularly interested, but replied anyway. "Let 'days' know during the handover, they can deal with it..." He then returned his attention to his coffee.

Daniel was once again frustrated by the fact that executing them all wasn't an option currently available to him.

This area was broadly similar to the cell block described as 'Economy' by the guards, though the rooms were much larger and considerably more luxurious. However a cage was still a cage, no matter how expensively decorated it might be.

Of the four rooms within, only one was occupied. It contained a neatly groomed Bangladeshi man in 

his late thirties. He was sitting at a desk, sketching something, he appeared oblivious to Daniel's presence. Considering he had apparently recently sliced to pieces one of the guards, presumably in this very room, the Banu Haqim could see no evidence of the act within his cell. 

The outside of the room however revealed to him several signs of what had been done. A spot of blood here and there had escaped the cleaning efforts, and given their locations, Daniel could only imagine that the unfortunate Ellis had ended up in a lot of pieces.

Daniel could see that the picture was an anatomical study of a man sliced into sections and had been expertly and vividly drawn. To the doctors expert eye, it was anatomically correct and indicated a detailed knowledge of anatomy, or possibly, based on the fate of Ellis, a very good memory. As he observed, Daniel heard the man speak and it was clear that he was addressing him.  "Are you a new interrogator, or a representative of Marcelina's with a better offer?"

Daniel was an expert at obfuscation, so the casual way that his shields had been bypassed, was somewhat disturbing.

The prisoner, seemed to be patiently waiting for a reply.

Victoria had given Farouk access to a well equipped and secure set of rooms, blood dolls when he requested them, and his movements around the 'guest' areas of Hallowbrook were fairly unrestricted. As hosts went, Marius's hospitality couldn't be faulted, though at his prices, one expected a certain level of service.

He had been informed that Daniel had began his infiltration of the Circulatory system 'Farm' and Victoria was confident of his chances of success. She too was of the opinion that is was only matters of morality that limited this individuals chances of success, and he had no such feelings about these traders in vessels.

Dr Daniel Matthews intrigued him. He had successfully convinced the majority of the cities Brujah that he was one of them, even gaining membership to the Brujah exclusive fight clubs of Spicilus, or 'Ike' as he currently went by. This showed a considerable talent for subterfuge, impersonation and infiltration that matched, or in some cases exceeded, that of Farouk's own agents.

Edward Kaya - Banu Haqim Sire of Dr Daniel Matthews

Daniel's sire was another matter. Farouk didn't use the term 'traitor' lightly, but Edward Kaya had put his own needs above those of his clan, and Ur-Shulgi himself had ordered Farouk's Silsila's to ensure that the clans judges were without reproach. It was the Eldest's intention that the Path of Blood, and the teachings of Haqim, be the sole religion of the Banu Haqim. Word had also reached Farouk that Kaya had had dealings with the demon worshipping kindred bloodline known as The Baali. He had kept this information from Daniel, as it was currently unconfirmed, but given what else he had learned about Edwards activities, he wouldn't be surprised to discover that it was the truth.

If Daniel succeeded in retrieving the Mithras Seal, then Farouk would keep his word, and sever the clans ties to Edward Kaya. Daniel's sire would certainly seek revenge against his childe for his part in this, and Farouk was interested to see who would emerge victorious. If Daniel survived then he might be worthy of serving his Clan in a more significant matter.

His musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Marius would like to know if you'd be interested in another training session?"

Farouk confirmed that he would. It would occupy the next few hours at least.

"Perhaps if I knew who you were, I might be able to answer your question..." stated Daniel, though he was reasonably sure he knew exactly to whom he was talking.

Doctor Henry Banerjee - Hecate Surgeon and Psychopath

"I am Doctor Henry Banerjee, formerly of London, now a humble traveller selling my skills when and where they are required. Currently I am a guest of Marcelina Black and the pretty new girl, to whom I'm yet to be formerly introduced."

Something about his tone bothered Daniel. He was a little bit too calm, too friendly, as if his outward personality was an disguise behind which his true nature hid. Daniel decided that he might as well be honest. Concealing his true purpose would gain him nothing at this point.

"I'm looking for an item, a seal that once belonged to a kindred of importance. I'm informed that it is in this place, in your possession in fact. Though in all honesty, I expected you to be on the other side of one of those cells." replied Daniel. It seemed that Dr Banerjee had also decided to get straight to the point.

"I have the item. The price offered was insultingly low considering it's unique nature, and so Miss Black has now resorted to less hospitable tactics. Quite impolite of her considering the many services I've provided for The Circulatory System on a freelance basis over the last decade, and directly while in their employ over the last year." he then continued.

"I currently find myself in a poor negotiating position and, apologies if this sounds petty, I'm inclined to take a considerable loss on this deal just to inconvenience Miss Black. Of course, my freedom would be an integral part of any arrangement..."

Daniel had figured as much, though he wasn't about to free what was quite probably a psychotic mass murderer, without proof some proof that they could hold up their part of the bargain.

A small disc of pure darkness appeared in the centre of the doctors hand and a moment later it was replaced by an ornate seal, like those used on old documents and letters. "Not often one gets to handle something owned by a god?" stated Banerjee. A moment later the process was reversed and the seal disappeared back into the Abyss. "The item for my freedom. Transfer to be completed once I'm out of this complex and somewhere that would be objectively considered to be safe...do we have an accord?"

Daniel reluctantly agreed, though he had taken some time to consider the consequences. "I presume that the guards in the next room will be alerted the moment that cell door opens?"

The prisoner shrugged, though whether this indicated that he didn't know, or didn't care, wasn't immediately apparent.

"The code to my cell is 1876. A fact revealed to me by the unfortunate Mr Ellis, a few nights previously. It needs to be entered in that tiny little box on my cell door, It is warded against my abilities so I'm unable to activate it remotely, and I have no access to it from within my confinement..."

Daniel drew one of his pistols, deactivated the safety, and ensured that it was fully loaded and ready to go. Then he carefully typed the number into the keypad. He heard several heavy locks disnegage, then the door slowly opened. His heightened senses immediately heard the sound of an alarm coming from the security room. Apparently the doctors escape had indeed been noticed.

A moment later the doors flew open and three of the four guards from the ante room entered the two doctors location. Without hesitation they raised their weapons. At the same time Daniel noticed the room growing darker despite being well lit and the the few shadows within grew darker and began to spread like oil across the walls and floor. Two of the guards pointed their weapons at Dr Banerjee, the last pointed his assault rifle at Daniel. 

One Shot, One Kill - Unerring Aim

Before the guard targeting Daniel could even pull the trigger, the Banu Haqim had put a 10mm round through their forehead.

Murky tentacles had emerged from those shadows that hadn't existed a moment before, and the two remaining guards find themselves constricted in their grasp. Henry was quite still, his eyes as black as the Abyss, he stretched out one hand and began to slowly close it into a fist. As he did so, the tentacles wrapped tighter around their victims, slowly suffocating them. Within moments they lost consciousness, alive but incapacitated. The doctor then produced a scalpel from somewhere within his clothing and walked towards the incapacitated men.

Had Daniel been unsure about the guards morality then he might have interfered, but he had heard these bastards talk about their prisoners and so had no sympathy for their fates. The first guard received a cut along the femoral artery that would result in death within minutes, the second had the blade slipped beneath his body armour, convulsed, then died instantly.

"They were very unpleasant..." he explained, as if this was sufficient reason for their deaths. "Shall we depart before the others arrive?"

Daniel mentally added Dr Banerjee to his list of kindred who the world would be better without, before heading to the security door. As he stepped over one of the dead guards he noticed that they had a security pass on a lanyard around their neck and he ripped it free, just in case it was needed to get through any of the doors between them and the way out.

Trying to both look ahead, and keep an eye on the former prisoner, he headed back through the cell blocks towards the office.

Farouk made no attempt to block the last few blows as slowing their momentum would have been almost impossible. Marius was wielding a two-handed weapon almost nonchalantly in one hand, and Farouk had been forced to elevate his level of effort considerably from their previously encounter.

He had modified his technique to compensate for the level of power he was facing, and an almost equivalent increase in ability with the blade. Farouk knew he was still the superior swordsman, but on this occasion he was actually having to use more of that skill. Marius apparently wasn't simply playing anymore. This was a real test between two warriors. Farouk decided that it was time to show this Gangrel who he was really up against.

Farouk's Ornate Curved Blade

Farouk moved at supernatural speed, and attacked Marius from the side, forcing his opponent into a defensive posture with a weapon poorly designed for such manoeuvres.

The great-sword moved in a figure of eight and Farouk appreciated how the 'Fixer' wielded his weapon so as to leave little gap for an opposing blade to slip through. The Banu Haqim however had centuries more experience than his foe, and knew exactly what to do next.

The master swordsman found the tiniest gap in his opponents defence, and slipped his blade through. As Marius tried to deflect the attack, Farouk twisted the blade in such a way that Marius had to switch back to a singlehanded grip, and the assassin sliced into the Gangrel's wrist forcing him to drop the heavy weapon. 

Gangrel - Feral Claws

Moving from a low attack to a high one, he aimed for the neck of his host.

Farouk found himself slammed against a wall, Marius's good hand was at his throat, claws digging into the flesh. The Banu Haqim's blade meanwhile rested upon the edge of his enemies neck. Farouk was somewhat surprised to find that Marius released his grip first. After a moments pause he lowered his own blade.

"Thank-you for the lesson..." said Marius, as he repaired the damage to his wrist with a thought. "...it seems that I need to practice a little more before meeting one of your skill on equal terms. Perhaps I can offer you some sustenance while we wait for Daniel to return?..."

Farouk had learned something too. If he ever did decide to have Marius assassinated, he would have it done from a good safe distance.

Celia Monroe - Malkavian The Circulatory System, 'Recruiter'

In the office ahead, Daniel and Henry discovered a pretty young lady, possibly in her late teens when embraced, the security chief Daniel had encountered earlier was at her feet mumbling incoherently to himself.

"I think we should talk, before the thirty-five heavily armed gentlemen outside enter here and shoot you both to pieces...if you'd please take a seat?"

Daniels curiosity had been aroused, so he took the seat as offered. Dr Banerjee meanwhile had remained standing, his bloody scalpel held lightly in one hand.

"The way I see it, I have two potential courses of action..." began Celia "...One. I foil your escape attempt, and gain favour with Marcelina Black, who will in turn use the item you possess to enhance her own position considerably. Or two. I help you to escape, embarrassing Miss Black who has promised the item to several very important kindred who do not reward failure, an act for which I cannot be held responsible as I'm definitely not here. You have two minutes to convince me that the second course is preferable to the first..."

Seeing little alternative, Daniel began.

"I'm no friend of the system, nor have I any interest in its politics or power-plays, but I see no benefit to you should Marcelina's position become more secure, unless perhaps she gets promoted out of this job, and you take her place. That however will take time, and you don't strike me as a particularly patient individual as indicated by your presence here..."

Celia's expression remained impassive, so Daniel continued.

Mithras - Ventrue Methuselah, The Prince of Light

"...but should Miss Black be suitably embarrassed by her failure, then that will effect her reputation indefinitely, and make any moves by yourself to undermine her seem less like internal politics, and more like further incompetence by Marcelina. The fact that the kindred ultimately involved are so powerful and well known should make that impact upon her reputation even worse..." Daniel then played a hunch. "...but this is all just another power-play isn't it? You'd already made your decision..."

Celia smiled, but Daniel could see that there was nothing genuine about it. Over the years he'd encountered many kindred who manipulated others, and who enjoyed watching their victims dance to their particular tune, and Celia was certainly such an individual. He wondered if The Circulatory System sought out kindred such as this, or if the very nature of their trade attracted them to it.

"You're correct of course..." replied Celia. "...I just wanted to see what you'd say. If it's any consolation, you were quite convincing. Not that Doctor Banerjee seems to be listening..." The surgeon had been occupying himself with the incoherent security guard, and the unfortunate mortal was now bleeding profusely from a dozen incisions, and would likely be dead within a few more minutes of the surgeons attentions.

Celia moves to the wall on which the landscape had been placed, and traced her hand along the skyline. A section of the wall then silently moved backwards revealing a stairway behind.

Incendiary Device

"The tunnel emerges about fifty metres outside of this complex. There's an incendiary device on the exit hatch so be careful on your way out. Needless to say this Postern will be rendered useless as soon as you've left so don't be silly rabbits and try to come back in this way..."

Seemingly bored with his 'game', the doctor finished off the doomed guard with a single scalpel thrust, and joined Daniel.

The tunnel was exactly as Celia had described, and the device was easy enough to deactivate, from this side of the exit at least. Soon the pair found themselves out in the open.

--------------------

Once free, the doctor handed Daniel the Seal, with only the merest moment of hesitation. "Tell Farouk, that I'll be in Hollywood should he have any questions on that particular artefact. I think it's time that I joined the family reunion..." With that he stepped backwards into the shadows and was gone.

Worryingly, Daniel didn't recall mentioning Farouk at all.

Daniel handed over the innocuous, yet ornate item to Farouk, who examined it briefly before slipping it into a velvet pouch and placing it within his jacket.

"Dr Banerjee asked me to inform you that he'll be in Hollywood, with the rest of the Hecate, should you wish to meet with him. I didn't mention your name, so he must have already been aware of you." said Daniel.

Marius Walker - Gangrel Pack Leader of 'The Oratory'

Farouk gave his thanks for the item, and the information, and confirmed his intention to fulfil his promises to Daniel regarding the status of his sire. Then, without further comment he was escorted out of Marius's quarters by Victoria.

Daniel noticed that Marius didn't seem particularly pleased.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Daniel, somewhat more aggressively than he'd intended.

"If I was actually Marius, it's likely that your tone would have got you into trouble." replied the individual, who Daniel now realised must be Jane Doe. "But as your asking, the reason I'm slightly perturbed is that if I was to compile a list of kindred whose attentions I'd like to avoid, then Mithras and Ur-Shulgi would be high on it and now we're apparently involved with both. Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

The sudden change of subject threw Daniel for a moment, and Jane spoke before he had a chance to reply. "Do you ever wonder how easily you could have become like Banerjee?"

Well that went remarkably well considering how much could have gone horrendously wrong. It also now nicely lines up the inevitable future confrontation between Daniel and his sire. As the players characters grow in power and influence, It makes sense that their activities will come to the attention of more significant power-players within the World of Darkness.

Even if they don't turn up, it gives the players something to worry about, and I'd hate for unlife to get boring for them...

Also, the quote in the header is from the following song, should any-one be interested.

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