The Loners

It's good to know that I still have a following, despite the strap on escapade. I also have to applaud everyone for sticking around for this long. I'll be honest, this story has gotten much larger then what I had originally intended. I must also thank everyone for their comments and votes, be it good or bad.

I know a couple were against having Alan turned, but honestly, if it was me, I'd want to be turned. Again, though, that's just me. I've also enjoyed the 'Alan for Dracula' campaign that's been going on. It's too bad I can't say anything on that subject without giving everything away ;).

One last point, and that is the way these next two chapters unfold. They will be somewhat short compared to some of the larger chapters that I have written to this point. I did this for two reasons. One, to be a butt munch. You'll see what I mean at the end of the chapters. Two, I didn't want to mash the two chapters together to make one extremely large chapter, and the way this is broken up was the best option possible.

Anyway, that's enough of me. Enjoy!

*****

Rachel's breathing was heavy, but was now more under control, and she could speak.

"It...was your life force." Rachel breathed out, causing perplexed stares from Alan and Katie.

"When you drank from the blood bag, your life force grew exponentially, and Katie and I, in a sense, got drunk from it. Probably because it was so sudden and neither of us were expecting it."

"B-but, I can't sense any sort of life force..." Katie answered.

"Not on a conscience level, true. But, a part of you could feel it, and that's what mattered. I'm sure you've experienced it before, a sudden attraction to someone that you can't explain? It's the same thing. The things referred to as instinct or one's inner subconscious, all of that is tied to the life force in some way. It also helped that you and I were attracted to him to begin with." Rachel explained, her breathing now returning to normal

"But, what does this say about my life force?" Alan asked.

"It means that you are strong, stronger than myself."

'Stronger than Rachel?' Alan thought to himself. Just how strong was he? It's not like he's had the chance to compare himself to anything else, maybe...

"Don't start getting full of yourself. You may be strong, but you're not stronger than the Lords." Rachel said quickly, seeing what Alan was thinking.

Rachel then blinked suddenly, and turned upwards toward the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked.

Rachel's eyes scanned the ceiling, as though looking for something.

"I...I'm not sure." Rachel answered after a few moments. She then lowered her eyes to Alan and Katie. "I thought that I sensed something, but it might have just been my imagination. We haven't been down here for that long, so I don't think anyone has caught on to this place yet. But, given the circumstances, I'd rather be cautious. Let's get dressed first though."

Once dressed, they headed downstairs, and after a few moments, heard someone knocking on the front door. Katie answered it, finding Benny standing there.

"So...it's not you. Then it must be the other one." Benny uttered.

"Yeah, I just turned Alan a little while ago." Rachel confirmed as Katie let Benny in.

Benny took a long hard look at Alan, who returned the stare.

"You've created a first rate vampire, that's for sure." Benny said finally. "I had sensed the change, and I wanted to see the newborn myself." He explained.

All of them had sat down in the living room. "Benny, do you have any weapons down here?" Rachel asked.

Benny shook his head. "Not the standard kind. Ghosts can't use them, and our fragile bodies can't handle weapons with powerful recoils. The same goes for edge weapons. We only carry light pistols and remote explosives."

Rachel sighed. "Guess we have to go back to the car to get the swords."

"So, does that mean that you guys intend to fight now?" Benny asked.

"Yeah." Alan answered.

*****

Lord Hector remained alone as he and his men scoured the forest. He knew that like hunting any other talented prey, his search was going to take time and effort. He could still feel the rather strong presence below him, and Lord Hector found himself looking forward to the coming fight, if that's how it plays out.

A call on his phone interrupted his concentration, although curiosity drove him to answer it once he saw the number.

"Lord Constantine, how can I help you?" He said pleasantly, although he did not like Lord Constantine. In his eyes, Lord Constantine was one of the most dishonest individuals that had ever walked the earth.

"Well, I was just thinking that, we never really figured out a search pattern to try and find the renegades. I figured that it would be faster if we at least split the responsibilities among us rather than have all nine of us search for them separately."

There may not be a need for that, Lord Hector thought to himself. However, it was best if he waited until he caught or killed the renegades himself before he said anything. They were his prey at the moment. Besides, he wasn't sure that was the real reason Lord Constantine was calling.

"Shouldn't we work out such details in another video conference?" Lord Hector asked.

"Well, with everyone out and about, it's getting difficult to arrange such a conference. I myself have been quite busy, and this is my first real break since the last conference that I've had a chance to sit quietly and think."

"I suppose I can understand that. I myself am currently on quite the nature hike."

"Nature hike? Whatever for?"

"I happened to stumble across some place called Blackwood National Forest in my own search, and I found it is a rather pleasant place."

*****

Lord Constantine went on full alert.

"Blackwood huh? Sounds like quite the place." The name Blackwood caught both Liz and Benjamin's attention.

"If I remember, you grew up around this area in your youth, have you ever visited this place?"

"Nah, I'd rather leave nature to itself." What the fuck was Lord Hector doing there!? Has the camp been compromised?

"A pity. You really should, it's a very nice place. In any case, I must get going. Kindly let me know if you arrange another conference, and I'll shall do my best to attend. Hopefully, we'll have some good news by then."

"Of course." Both parties hung up.

"FUCK!!" Lord Constantine shouted. "He has to be on to something, there's no way that it's a coincidence."

"What do you wish to do, my Lord?" Liz asked.

"The only thing I can do at the moment." He spat, frustrated, as he speed dialed Benny's number.

Lord Constantine couldn't risk exposing his own involvement with the renegades, and most likely, he himself could not beat Lord Hector in a direct confrontation. That meant that he himself could not go to Blackwood to try and assist the renegades or the camp. Hopefully, Lord Hector has not found the entrance yet. The game will end once he does.

*****

"Yes Lord Constantine?" Benny answered as Alan, Rachel, and Katie leaned in close.

"You may be compromised. Lord Hector and his men are on the surface above you."

"What!?"

"I don't know how or why, but I do know it's not a coincidence, have the renegades done something to attract attention?"

"I'm with them right now, and no, they haven't...of course! The newborn!" Benny exclaimed.

"The newborn? You mean one of the renegades has been turned? But that shouldn't matter, you're deep underground. The newborn would have to be strong for those on the surface to be able to sense it...just how strong is the newborn?"

"I'm not sure, but he his strong. He probably could match the elites among the Greaters."

"You said you're with the renegades now, right? Put Rachel on the phone."

Benny handed the phone over to Rachel. "It's Lord Constantine. He says we may be compromised, and that Lord Hector is currently directly above us."

This caused all three of them to blink hard at this, although this did answer Rachel's bad feeling earlier as she took the phone.

"Yes Lord Constantine?" Rachel answered.

"The newborn, is he strong enough to put up a fight against a Lord?"

"What!? He-he's just been turned! He can't possibly win..."

"I didn't say that. I asked if he's strong enough to put up a fight."

Rachel glanced at Alan. "...maybe."

"Well, both of you are going to have to if you want to live." Lord Constantine responded, forming a plan in his mind. It just may work, if Lord Constantine understood Lord Hector's personality correctly.

"Both of us? What do you-"

"Listen carefully. You know you can't escape. If you jump, he is close enough that he'll be able to accurately pin your exit. From there he'll easily track you down, and you'll tire out and be on your own. No, you're best chance is to sit there and wait for him to come to you. Listen carefully, because I have an idea on how this might play out, and we can use that to our advantage, only if both you and the newborn can play your roles."

*****

"I was hoping that someone else wanted to try and oust Lord Caleb, I actually intended to do so myself if the opportunity presented itself." Lady Helen said, who was currently sitting with both of the other Ladies, Lady Francine, and Lady Pandora.

Lady Helen, Lord of Western Europe, was of German descent. Her pale white skin, long blonde hair that reached a little past her shoulder blades, and her sparkling blue eyes was everything her father, who was in the S.S., had wanted in his superior Aryan child. Unfortunately for him, the Nazi ideals had not survived, and she was left as an orphan when both her parents were killed during the final days of the Third Reich.

She had been trapped in what would be later known as East Berlin, and was turned by a fool who had joined the Red Army as a part of a conquering force, trying to take advantage of the spoils of war.

Unfortunately for that fool, Helen refused to accept her bondage, and freed herself by killing her creator. From there, she worked her way into the intelligence community, and acted as a double agent against the Soviets. She had used her wits, her stunning beauty, and especially her very generous chest, to survive in the intelligence community on both sides of the Iron Curtain until it finally fell. In doing so, she fulfilled her goal of uniting her once proud nation, as well as make a name for herself in the underground world.

After the fall of the Soviets, she next strove to become a Lord in her own right, until she finally succeeded when she fought and killed the previous Lord of Western Europe, shortly before the new millennia had begun.

Once she became a Lord, one of her first acts was to declare war against Lord Caleb after discovering that he was trying to undermine both her and the other Ladies shortly after she had ascended. Although they had not succeeded in ousting Lord Caleb at the time, it has been Lady Helen's new goal for the past decade.

She was here alone, never really getting close to anyone in her life, she had learned to keep many at arms distance. However this did not stop her from getting close to her own targets if the need arises. She was also careful on who her clan turned, making them focus on those who were most likely to have a stronger loyalty, and that was the poor and unfortunate of the world.

Lady Francine, Lord of Asia, also had a harsh history, for she had both been a victim and turned during the rape of Nanking. Because of that, she was untrusting of the Europeans and Americans, who didn't truly intervene in the conflict until Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor, quite a few years after Japan had invaded China.

During her early years, she had been an avid Mao Zedong supporter, and spent most of her early vampire years assisting the Communists in helping establish the People's Republic of China as it is known today, along with being a soldier of the Communists in both the Korean and Vietnamese Wars.

After Vietnam, however, she became more of a moderate individual. Though she still supported many of the ideals brought about in Communism, she didn't necessarily hate Democracy as she had in the past, before the realities of Communism had dawned on her in later years.

In fact, when she became Lord of Asia, it had been Lady Francine who had helped China open itself up to the world and loosen the tight reign of the hard line Communists.

Lady Francine was also a very attractive woman. Her freckles seemed to belong on her creamy white skin, along with piercing brown eyes. She had short jet black hair that went no farther than her neck, but her best feature was her overall figure. Both her chest and ass were a bit on the smaller side, though noticeable if she wore tight fitting outfits.

However, since Lady Francine herself was small in stature, the smaller sizes matched her figure well, and she knew just how to bend, twist, and even walk in ways that drew many eyes.

Lady Francine's two main lovers/husbands had accompanied her to this meeting, though they were not present in the room at the moment, and were waiting outside along with Jessica.

Lady Pandora found herself fantasizing about these two on regular occasions, and now, seeing both of them face to face for the first time in a long time, she remembered why. Oh, how she wished that these Ladies swung both ways. Unfortunately, one, they were mostly interested in men, and two, they were here for business. Sex among Lords was a rare affair, since most Lords would attempt to use sex as a form of influence and a power play.

"I'm not sure the overall plan is a good idea. Lord Caleb has already drawn enough negative attention to us with his acts. For us to go through with this could cause quite an ugly period of destabilization." Lady Francine responded.

"You also said that Lord Constantine would be assisting us, why is he not present? Not only that, do you know if he has contacted Lord Richter to assist in this plan? I have already lost to Lord Caleb once, I do not intend to do so again." Lady Helen added.

"He had informed me a short while ago that yes, Lord Richter will be on our side, though he wants complete access to the drug trade of the Eastern United States when it is all over. As for Lord Constantine himself, he told me he had business to take care of and could not be present." Lady Pandora responded.

"Lord Constantine is a crafty one, he could be setting us up and intend to watch everything from the shadows until everything dies down and then move in to strengthen his own power base." Lady Helen said.

"True, but not in this case. His animosity towards Lord Caleb is valid, and it was him that dreamed up of this little scheme. On top of that, he is going to make the first move, but he won't do so unless we agree to cooperate with him." Lady Pandora explained.

"What of Lord Hector, Lord Issac and Lord Christian?" Lady Helen asked

"Lord Hector and Lord Christian are currently out west, hunting for the renegades. Lord Issac, however, is on his way here to the east, claiming that he's going to wait for the renegades to attack Lord Caleb if that's what they decided to do." Lady Francine reported.

"Not surprising. He already suspects war, and he's taking precautions against it." Lady Helen mused out loud.

"It doesn't matter, if we're fast and efficient enough, none of the other Lords will be able to take action until it is too late. Both Lord Constantine and I believe that the other Lords will do nothing once Lord Caleb is dead, especially if he is replaced by a more favorable Lord." Lady Pandora stated.

"I won't agree to anything just yet, not until I speak to Lord Constantine himself, face to face." Lady Helen announced.

"If Lord Constantine is indeed the trigger, you'll have my support when the time comes." Lady Francine replied.

"Just when do you plan on striking anyway?" Lady Helen asked.

"As soon as possible, before our window closes."

"Fine. Although I still wish to speak to Lord Constantine first, if you guys do make your move, I will assist as well."

*****

Lord Caleb stood outside of his current headquarters, which was due to relocate in two days.

He was currently standing outside and waiting with several of his Greaters for the arrival of his guest, who was currently on his way here.

Lord Caleb didn't have to wait long, and his guest pulled up in a rather nice limo.

Lord Caleb watched as Lord Issac, along with Joseph and Jacob stepped out of the limo. Although Lord Caleb hated Jews, he knew that he was going to need Lord Issac's assistance should something happen.

"Greetings, Lord Issac." Lord Caleb said pleasantly, though Lord Issac didn't buy it.

"Let's get something straight, we both know that we're not friends. And we both know that I'm here only to preserve the balance and prevent another war, not to protect you."

"Fair enough, that means I can stop pretending to be nice." Lord Caleb responded.

"Do you know where the other Lords are?" Lord Issac asked as all four of them stepped inside.

"From what I understand, Lord Constantine, Lady Helen, Lady Francine, Lady Pandora, and Lord Richter are all here in the eastern United States, though scattered about last I heard. Lord Hector and Lord Christian are both hunting the renegades in the west."

"I see. I assume you've been changing locations to prevent others from tracking you down?"

"Yes, we're due to move in two days."

"Very well. From here on, I will be waiting here in Boston under the pretense that I'm waiting for the renegades. In the meantime, we'll also be searching for any evidence of devious intentions. My hope is that we get this situation over with as quickly as possible and everyone goes back to their normal business."

*****

"B-but..." Rachel was stunned. The plan was far fetched, outrageous!

"You know there is no other choice. If you don't like it, you're welcome to battle Lord Hector as you see fit. Remember, I have my own interests to keep in mind, and protecting you three isn't one of them. Nor will I compromise myself to protect the camp if they find it." Lord Constantine responded coldly.

Rachel remained silent.

"Just what does he want us to do anyway?" Alan finally asked, not liking Rachel's reactions to whatever it was that Lord Constantine was telling her.

Rachel turned to him. "He wants us to fight Lord Hector."

"What!?" Katie exclaimed.

"F-fight a Lord? You two?" Benny followed.

Alan, however, remained calm. He acknowledged that he was going to have to fight a Lord at some point, so what if it wasn't Lord Caleb just yet. That meant he had even more of a reason to survive and fight this battle.

"That's fine."

"Don't be stupid! You're a newborn, you can't possibly go up against-"

"You said that time was a luxury that we don't have, right? What better way is there to get stronger than to fight someone strong?"

"You idiot! This isn't like your animes that you love so much! This is real life, you aren't going to magically win because you want to!"

"Hah! Go ahead and tell that to the figures of history who have gone against insurmountable odds and came out on top. Besides, it's not like we're completely alone, doesn't Lord Constantine have some sort of plan other than just telling us to fight?"

"Oh? The newborn seems quite brave and confident from what I'm hearing. I may come to like him." Rachel heard from the phone.

"In any case, I suggest you make a decision quickly. I must go, I have other business to attend to and I can't be hanging around on the phone for you to decide. I hope that the next call I receive from your group will be a favorable one." Rachel heard, followed by the line being disconnected.

Feeling a sense of defeat, Rachel slowly pulled the phone away from her ear and shut it, handing it back to Benny.