Vampire: The Masquerade
Stolen
2.07
The Last Hope
Beck
Robin
Vince
Robin takes the driver to the hospital and leaves him to be found, sneaking away unnoticed. He calls Beck.
“What?”
“Did you get the scroll?”
“Yes, it’s safe. I, ah, may need some more help tonight.”
“What about Vince?”
“Not his help.”
“... What do I get out of it?”
“We can discuss that in person. My superiors can offer more than I can.”
--
Beck looks around the church, pausing at Alice, pressed against the wall so she can see the door.
Mother Melise lays the scroll out on the altar, presses a finger into a fang to draw blood and places it to a faded red mark in one corner. Blank areas on the scroll start to fill with writing in blood.
--
“Where are you?”
“Hey, uh, Beck tried to fuck me over.”
“Not the way he tells it.”
“I’m on my way to the University. I don’t trust the Church with the scroll.”
Robin considers his options, decides first of all to heal. He sneaks into another hospital building to quietly drink from a sleeping patient, pausing to check recovery status first.
--
Beck looks around the back of his car for something of Vince’s. Some of his hair from when he jumped in. He takes a black silk cord from his bag and ties it around the hair, using the Blood Sorcery he has learned from the Church of Caine to ‘bind the accusing tongue’.
“Not a word from you, scoundrel. I don’t want a single thing trailing back to me...”
--
Robin reaches the church and knocks on the door.
Laurence looks out, blocking the way.
Beck nods to let Robin enter.
Robin sees Alice huddled in a pew, both hands around a cup of tea. Colette sitting with her. Mother Melise speaking with her assistant Joy and regarding him with suspicion.
He feels like he recognises more of these faces than he should.
“So, this is about more than a stolen scroll.”
“A little,” Alice mumbles.
“It seems we are now in the time of prophecy.” Beck leads the way to the altar, and the scroll.
Melise reads. “An older translation than I’ve seen before. It speaks of a final battle, the City Gehenna, a reign of ancients. And ‘the last daughter of Eve’.” She looks to Alice. “And you will not know this child, save for the mark of the Moon on her,”
Alice turns and pushes away her hair, revealing a pale crescent moon birthmark at the nape of her neck.
“And she will face treachery, hatred, and pain. But in her is the last hope.”
The red letters dry and flake away. Melise carefully rolls the scroll back up.
“We have reached the point where the future is not written.”
“So, how can I help?” Robin asks. Still suspicious. Maybe more suspicious.
“First, I need sustenance.” Beck looks to Mother Melise, who suggests one of the church’s charity centres, a shelter for the homeless. “Safer with company.”
“I see. And... in return, I want another shot at my sire.”
“I thought you had her cornered.”
“I did.”
“We can consider this an extension of our bargain. What else?”
“Maybe the world not ending?” Colette asks with a pointed look.
“But first a drink to clear my head. We may need it.” Beck nods to a side door, and Robin follows.
--
Vince reaches Imperial College and sees Smith, Dr. Rhodes’s mortal assistant, who blanches as he approaches. “Can I - can I help you?”
“Rhodes. Now.”
Smith nods and makes a call. After a moment, he lets Vince pass.
Rhodes is in his office. “It seems we have business. And what can we help you with this morning?”
Astor looks up from the visitor’s seat.
“I would prefer to keep the matter confidential,” Vince says.
“Hm.”
“I can wait.” Astor rises and steps out, with a sidelong look at Vince.
Vince takes the vacated seat, and starts to explain. When he gets to the point of mentioning Beck, he hesitates, has to clear his throat... remembers Beck’s command... pushes on. “Beck had your scroll stolen. Used an anarch thief to get it. And if we could find her it might stop someone helping him.”
“I can arrange that, though if we could recover the scroll tonight that would be ideal. Especially if we could also find the girl.”
“I might be able to help you there.”
--
Astor falls in behind Vince as he leaves. “I’ll drive.”
“Bring your car around.” Vince nods nonchalantly, then steps away.
He calls Robin. “Can we talk?”
“What about?”
“Beck. He’s setting himself against some powerful people. Do you know where he is?”
Robin looks down the hall of the shelter to Beck examining the sleeping homeless. “I could probably find him.”
--
Beck returns, looking queasy but a little less pale.
“So are we done for the night?” Robin asks.
“I don’t think you quite grasp the gravity of the situation.”
“You’ve told me nothing. Some talk about the world ending, really?”
“Come back to the car, away from eavesdroppers.”
Robin slowly follows Beck out.
“So?”
“We have the pyramid against us, and if we are correct, this could be the end of us. And not just us, everyone we love. Life as we know it. Cities will be battlefields and the Hunger will turn on anyone.”
“You really believe that?”
“I do. And if we’re wrong... Rhodes will still kill Alice.”
“... Fine.” Robin gets in.
--
Astor drives in silence. Vince checks his phone.
“You don’t believe him, do you?”
Astor glances over at him. “Seems to me every generation thinks the world’s going to end with them. Can’t imagine the world going on without them. But anyway, Rhodes doesn’t care about the scroll, just the girl.”
“And you don’t believe in his plan either?”
“Our house and clan came from someone trying to become immortal without becoming a vampire. And he thinks he can do better?”
“So why are you helping him?”
“So he doesn’t kill me.”
--
Beck finds the cord has come untied from the strands of Vince’s hair and grimaces. “That conniving...”
Robin rubs the bridge of his nose. “So, what is the actual plan for Alice? I mean, we want her to be safe, but will she? Ever? Can you guarantee that?”
“We are past any certainty now. But I have faith.”
Beck and Robin return to the church.
And Robin notices more cars here than before.
Strategically placed on the street by the church, and one by the nearby Underground station.
“Were you expecting more guests?”
“Mother Melise might have called for allies. Or, well, this is London. Parking is terrible anyway.”
“Let me out.”
Beck has his driver Jorge park at the church door, and gets out first to cover Robin, who steps away and disappears.
--
Vince and Astor arrive and see the cordon as well.
--
The passenger door of the nearest car opens, and Darvell steps out. “Reverend.”
“Sheriff.”
“I would advise you to step away from this.”
“I’m simply here to help.”
“You know as well as I this is none of your business. Two Tremere fighting over a page from an old book.”
“Does the Queen know about this?”
“She thinks that what is fated to happen will happen.”
“Then who am I to step away?”
“I see you’ve made your decision - ” Darvell draws a gun and fires.
Robin appears as he grabs Beck and pulls him out of the firing line, towards the church door.
--
The shot is silenced, but Astor and Vince see the flash.
“Fuck this!” Astor starts to reverse.
Vince dives out and starts running, keeping low, towards the church’s back door.
--
Laurence opens the door and Beck and Robin run inside.
“We’re surrounded,” Beck says.
“Yeah, but now they’re shooting? That could bring the police.”
“It’s Darvell.”
“Fuck.”
Robin looks back, confused. “He can get to the cops?”
“They probably are the cops.” Laurence blocks the door with a pew.
Inside, some of the other Kindred of the Church and their most trusted mortal assistants have assembled. And are arguing over what to do.
Alice behind Melise and Colette as some of the others sound like they might hand her over.
“It’s me they want. You’ll be safe if I go.”
“Is there another way out of here?” Robin asks.
“They’ll be at the back door but if we can get out through the windows at the side?” Melise asks.
“And I can distract them...” Beck says, looking to the main door.
Robin takes the Bloodstone he created to track his sire and never got to plant on her, and gives it to Alice. “So I can find you.”
--
Vince reaches the back door, and finds three men in purposefully nondescript black clothes by it. One has a one-man police battering ram, and another is listening for a signal on a walkie-talkie.
He uses his Chimerstry to make the listener hear “Now!”
The listener signals and the man with the ram swings it to smash through the door.
--
Robin hears the crash.
Laurence runs at unnatural speed to intercept.
He doesn’t see Vince pass him as he tells the three men to get out.
--
Robin opens a window and helps Alice out. Melise goes with them.
Other members of the Church head for the front.
--
Beck uses a candle and lamp oil to set the pew by the door on fire. He hesitates, steels himself and remembers the Church’s rituals for overcoming fire, opens the door and pushes the burning pew out. It slides down the steps and breaks up, fire spreading
Darvell and some of the others with him recoil.
Beck steps out, into the flames, his clothes smouldering and catching light, making himself heal as he burns.
--
Vince hears the crash and flames and looks out. Sees Beck stepping out and burning.
He considers this and runs back out.
--
Beck looks down at Darvell. “This is the power you wish to squander.”
Darvell gestures for his men to raise their guns.
Vince reaches Beck’s car, and jumps up to sit on the roof. “Reverend.”
Beck looks up and he catches eye.
“I would like you to kneel. So you can take it. See what happens when you cross me.”
Beck sinks to his knees, then snarls. “Join me.”
Vince feels himself start to step down. He screams and runs the other way.
One of Darvell’s men fires after him.
The rest open fire on Beck.
--
Alice stops as she hears the echoes of suppressed gunfire.
Melise looks back. “I will have words with our Sheriff.”
Robin takes Alice’s hand and gets her to start running again.
--
Beck rises and rushes to his car, throwing himself inside. “Drive!”
He curls up, putting out the flames, starting to force the bullets out of his body. Listening to more slam into the car as Jorge floors the accelerator.
More of the Church Kindred push out, forcing Darvell’s men back. Stopping them getting to their cars and giving chase.
--
Darvell stalks into the church.
“Is there a problem, officer?” Colette asks, sitting on the altar.
--
Robin and Alice reach the next Underground station, heading through it to where Robin parked.
And suddenly Burke is standing in front of them.
“That way,” he says, and as they turn the way he pointed he’s gone.
--
Fire engines roar past as Jorge drives Beck away, shivering as his body starts to mend itself.
--
Vince keeps running, not looking back.
--
Robin gets Alice to his car and drives away.
Heading out of the city.
She lies back and drifts off to sleep as he drives.
--
Ask for forever when the end is in sight
Showing what you want to
We’re looking for light inside an ocean of night
But will we ever see it through?
And I need you to know I’m not asking for a miracle
But if love is enough, could you let it show?
If you feel it, could you let me know?
--
Expect to see this on RPGnet soon, title maybe changed back to Dominion, some SPCs renamed for recycling purposes...
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