Dare Thorne with Dante Malebranche.
*Checking my weaponry to be sure everything is secure, I head to the garage. Patrol tonight is with Uncle Dante.
Knowing if I trip up any at all, he'll be sure to spill the beans to
Dad, I put my game face on and head to the garage. Seeing that he is
already there and waiting for me, I'm glad I'm on time.* Are we
following up on the intel that Uncle Tegan briefed us on?
Dante Malebranche *I
look at my nephew Dare, proud of his determination not to make a single
mistake on this patrol. God knows he had to plead with his father to
let him on active duty and I'm fully aware Lucan
was trusting his son security to me. Moot point. Dare is a hell of a
great warrior plus he has a sharp intellect. This patrol will be a piece
of cake.* Yes we are, Darion. Can I pull rank on you and ask you to
drive?
Dare Thorne No
problem, I can drive my car. I know where we're heading, and it'll
give me a chance to put some miles on the car. *Hitting the unlock on
the fob, the lights on my black SUV flashed.* I don't think it's a good
idea to take the sports car. Being bright
red, it sticks out like a sore thumb. *Grinning, I get in the driver's
seat after stowing my weapons. Heading out of the garage and down the
road towards the city and to the pier so we can scope out the
situation.*
Dante Malebranche Nephew,
I suppose you were briefed on the situation but I'm going to rehash it
anyway. The pier Warehouse we are going to is owned by a Xavier Zolton.
Very shady individual. He is apparently leading a small band of rogues
for unknown purposes, though we can bet
our asses they are not too pristine.... God, I'm tired of battling
rogues in warehouses, it gets old. I've been doing this since before you
were born, Dare...
Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to assume this is a repeat of an
old scenario. Lets proceed with caution, I dont want your father to take
a strip of my back if anything goes wrong... *Looking again at his
nephew* I trust you Darion. I know you are a very capable warrior and
strategist. Lets do this.
Dare Thorne *Looking
at my Uncle and nodding, I once again feel a slight stab of
irritation.* Father doesn't need to worry. I've been well trained, and
can take care of myself quite well. If we're looking for rogues, I'm
the best bet, since my gift allows me to
sense their presence. *The warehouse comes into view as I slow down,
parking a half block down to not draw attention.* Ready to saddle up?
*Grabbing my weapons from the back and quietly locking the car, I look
to my elder and nod*
Dante Malebranche *I
smile, knowing full well that Dare is irritated by his father's
overprotectiveness* You got that right, warrior. *Checking that my usual
weapons, including my trusted Malebranche blades are where I can reach
them rapidly, I get out of the car and assess
the situation.* Looks like there's nobody home but we can't be certain
until we approach and take defensive positions. *Wanting to test Dare's
exceptional strategy abilities I ask* How do you reccomend we approach?
*Before he answers I touch his arm lightly to get his attention.*
Remember, our mission objective is to gather Intel, not to engage. That
would be the last option.
Dare Thorne Agreed,
Uncle. With just the two of us, if there's a large gathering of
rogues, we would have a tough time dispatching them all. Let's get a
little closer to the warehouse. If there's any Breed at all present,
I'll sense them. *Moving with Breed stealth
and speed, coming along side the warehouse.* It looks boarded up and
abandoned, but as we both know, that means nothing. *listening
carefully for any telltale sounds, then closing my eyes and letting my
senses take over.* There's Breed present. We need to be careful.
*Knowing that Dante is a warrior that would know to listen and observe without being seen, it is needless to warn him.*
Dante Malebranche *Trusting
Darion's gift, I silently unsheath my blades and approach the side of
the building. Dare takes the other side and we move towards the back. At
one point, my nephew's gift becomes redundant as we can smell rogue
stench around the next corner. I leap
towards the building's roof and glance down. Four rogues were expecting
us to appear. Our "recon only, do not engage" orders have gone to hell
in a basket. Knowing that Dare will have my back, I leap in front of the
rogues, blades unsheathed and a big smirk on my face* Expecting
somebody, suckers?
Dare Thorne *The rogues focused on Dante,
their fetid breath tainting the air. In their midst, the drained pair
of humans were discarded like used Kleenex. Addled by bloodlust, they
had no idea I was behind them. Using that to my advantage, I quickly
slit the throat of the one nearest me, and stabbed another through the
heart.*
Dante Malebranche *Inwardly
proud of Dare's stealth, I slice the next rogue's neck cleanly avoiding
the putrid blood that sprays out of its severed arteries and veins. The
last rogue tries to run but I step in front of him using Breed speed*
Huh-huh, sucker... We want to have a
little chat with you. What is your agenda? What are you after? What does
this Zolton guy want? *The rogue bares his fangs and jumps towards me
leaving me no option but to stab his belly and move the blade upwards,
twisting it* Wrong answer, loser.
Dare Thorne *grinning as Uncle Dante
neatly dispatches the two rogues, stopping for just a second to make
certain that there are no more rogues outside. Leaning down to make
sure the humans are indeed dead, I notice something white sticking out
of the pocket of the coat that the ashed
rogue had been wearing. Picking it up and turning it over, I whisper
to Dante.* Shit. These assholes are with the Dealers of Death - the
cases Brock, Kade, and Aric
have been investigating. If I'm not mistaken, Mira and Kellan have
encountered some as well. Looks like our man Zolton may be involved.
Let's get the hell out of here before the other suckers show up and
report back so we can make a plan. *Heading back to the SUV with Dante at Breed speed, I take out my phone to notify our morgue contact about the human remains, while Dante
puts a call in to Father. Stowing the card in my pocket, I'll get with
Aric when we get back to the compound. Flooring it, we hit the road
doing upwards of 90 heading back.*
Dante Malebranche *I disconnect my call to Lucan and turn towards Dare*
Warrior, I have finished reporting the outcome of our mission to your
father and of course I made a note of commending your work in this case.
If you didnt notice, you were practically running this op
and your command was flawless. *Placing my hand on Dare's shoulder* On a
more personal note, Im very proud and impressed of the warrior you have
become. Im your Elder, but I wouldnt hesitate on following your lead or
trusting my back to you in battle, Very well done, nephew...
