Investigation

[Black Philip]

Reserved for Alex.

Jake McCloud sat in his office. He was in a bad mood this evening. Just one night ago, an interview between Jake and another vampire named Samuel had caused the Oligarch one hell of a headache. Firstly, Jake found Samuel to be very sensitive. He knew he wasn\'t the most \'comforting\' of vampires, but he also knew by the standerds of some vampires\' he was way too nice. Jake thought about what Samuel would have done in front of a Camarilla panel, and decided he was better off not knowing. They were the ruthless bastards. Jake saw himself as pushy at best.

There was nothing on his desk, save for one manila file folder, with a single piece of paper inside of it. A heavy, black pen sat at the desk\'s edge; waiting for it\'s master to put it to use. Jake had worn a black button-up and jeans. His hair was combed to the side, and his eyes looked glassy and cold. He hadn\'t fed that evening. At anytime he could have ordered a large glass of hot blood, but he\'d put it off. He was waiting for Conner to come before he dinned.

Samuel\'s annoying sensitivity was not the only reason Jake felt edgy. He\'d also not gotten the information he wanted last night. Now, unless he spied, he\'d probably never get it. Vomas and Samuel were up to something, and Jake wanted answers. Then again, the night hadn\'t been a total loss, for Samuel had told Jake something useful. A human named Gene, who belonged to a vampire named Orias, had been under some sort of a spell. Samuel had been unable to elaborate, but it had been enough to strike Jake\'s fancy.

The word \'spell\' was a dangerous one for vampires. Jake hated witches more than he hated demons. A cult of well trained witches could easily deal with even a powerful vampire. Jake remembered the days of the witch wars in europe, and although the Camarilla had all but destroyed the magical men and women, they hadn\'t succeeded in killing them all. Jake only knew of a few, select people in the city who practiced magic. The first was Saint Sabrina, a truly benevolent being. Jake owed this powerful witch his thanks, and even his loyalty. She was an exception.  Then there was Conner. His blood mage majordomo had become quite an asset. Jake trusted Conner with his life and the lives of his family. Conner was another exception. However, most witches were simply power hungry fools in Jake\'s eyes. If there really were witches casting in the city, Jake would see to it that they were stopped.

The Ventrue had been waiting to long. Conner was never this late for a meeting. Jake thought he\'d expressed the matter\'s urgency, but was afraid by Conner\'s tardiness that he\'d failed to do so. He only hoped the mage showed up soon. Jake was beginning to feel very hungry.

[realworldweirdo]

Conner stalked through the entryways to the Chambers in an irritable fugue. He\'d been dealing with a small group of demons bent on taking over a human bar and making it their own exclusive hangout spot. The fact of the matter was that he didn\'t care, except that they\'d failed to make their attempt quiet in any way. The resulting chaos of the night had left him thirsty and tired, after having to fight fire with fire quite literally and then mind-wipe the witnesses. He was mentally forming a report to Zeus in a nasty mental tone when he realized he\'d passed all the security checkpoints, and was opening the door to Jake\'s office without even the courtesy of knocking first.

Well, he\'d come this far; the door was slightly ajar and holding still, as he\'d paused when realizing what he was doing. Never one to let a bad temper go to waste, he went with it and stalked in with all the offended dignity of a drenched cat. He reeked of smoke and there was a scent of blood from demons, humans, and vampires on him. His battered old leather jacket had a new burn mark, fortunately not very large, on the chest near the center. He had it unzipped, showing a tight-fitting dark gray knit cotton polo shirt with a splatter of vampire blood on the front hem at the bottom. His straight-leg black jeans had a number of scorch marks and blood spatters on them, and his black combat boots were equally decorated with ashes, blood, scuffs, and scorch marks. Conner\'s hair was in disarray, but was relatively clean.

"Those vampires were part of a demon gang, in case you were wondering," he announced as he glared around the room to check for anyone other than Jake. "I\'ll have to make a report to Zeus now. Also, only about half of this blood is mine, thank you for your concern. Got any blood handy?"

He knew damn well that Jake hadn\'t known there would be that many demons, or that the situation would escalate like that, but that didn\'t keep him from being snappish. There was a level of comfort and casualness with Jake that Conner secretly cherished, though blatant disrespect and a razor-edged tongue was usually how he took advantage of it. In return, Jake had Conner\'s intense loyalty and confidence. At least he had the good sense to not behave in that manner in front of others, thanks to some very terse conversations with Scott on the matter, but they were alone now.

The odors of smoke, cigarette and other, were starting to carry around the room while Conner plunked himself unceremoniously into a chair and finally let his exhaustion show, drooping and then holding still as only a tired vampire could.

[Black Philip]

If anyone other than Conner had bursted into his office unannounced, Jake would have had them whipped. However, it was Conner who\'d burst into the office in a fit of anger and then sat down at his desk. Jake\'s mind completely left the matter of Gene, and he turned his attention to his literally smoking sherif.

"You look like shit," Jake said. He mentally contacted his aids, and two glasses of hot blood would soon be brought in for their consumption.

"Blood\'s on the way," Jake assured. He turned his mind to Conner\'s current state.

"What the fuck happened?" Jake asked, concern in his tone. "The intelligence said it was just a group of dumb ass fangers trying to make a human bar their haven. The word demon wasn\'t on any of the reports. I sent you there to scare them not kill them."

Jake had totally forgotten he\'d put Conner on assignment tonight. He\'d ordered the raid about a week ago, and had gotten distracted since then. His mind turned to the recently fired Brianna. He hadn\'t really stopped to consider what it meant. Seeing as how the bitch sucked at her job, Jake was rather enjoying the vacancy.

"This is fucking Brianna\'s fault," Jake raged. "If she wasn\'t fired, I\'d fucking fire her!"

[realworldweirdo]

"The vampires composed most of the group. The demons were the ringleaders, it seems. They kept their human guises very well, until they started throwing fireballs. The vampires were doing all the dirty work, and they were young. Under a century at best. I\'ll have a full report on your desk tomorrow evening at dusk. You should probably copy it to Zeus, but that kind of thing is your job, not mine. I called for reinforcements for cleanup and detainment; I didn\'t kill anyone, but some of them are pretty badly hurt."

Truth be told, Conner had been hurt himself in several serious ways that had only just healed. If not for his supernatural regeneration, he would have been dead. Some of them still pained him, and probably would until he got blood.

"What was it you needed to talk to me about?" he asked in a more respectful tone, taking out a cigarette and worrying it between his fingers. He knew better than to light it in the building, but it made him feel better just to mess with it.

[Black Philip]

Jake was not pleased. This was all he needed.  Demon species slaughter was bound to send a hornet up Jake\'s ass. Zues seemed like the sort of demon that was  a real comrade for comrade type. If a vampire killed a demon, it was wrong no matter what. Then again, Jake was the same way with vampires.

"You\'ll write your report to Zues, not me," Jake instructed. "Since this turned out to be a demon ran organization, let him deal with the backlash. Besides I could probably make it seem like the vampires were under demon control and clear both our names altogether.

At this moment a light tap was heard on the door. Jake shot Conner a look that begged for silence and hot, delicious blood was brought in. Jake gestured for Conner to drink at his leisure and dismissed his aid.    

"Before I move on, I have a suggestion for you," Jake began. "Have you ever considered working for the Oligarchy in a more permanent fashion?"

[realworldweirdo]

Conner tucked his unlit cigarette back in his pack as the blood was brought and accepted his gratefully. At Jake\'s permission, he sipped to avoid gulping. He wasn\'t an animal; not anymore, anyway. He tried to leave the savage, unsocialized part of his history behind him, locked in the vault with the other scars of his past. Things like not allowing himself to guzzle his meal were ways he could make the change to being a civilized person again more permanent.

He considered Jake\'s words carefully as he let the blood restore some of his strength, but felt forced to reply when the silence began to stretch for a moment after he\'d swallowed.

"You\'re aware of my.... history with political organizations," he began. Jake would, hopefully, be aware of the fiasco with the Tremere and the ensuing punishment. "You saw, experienced I dare say, my reasons for avoiding such ties. Before we continue, maybe you should think back to those memories for a moment. Then you can explain why this might be a wise decision."

In short, hell no and fuck you. Conner\'s leg was vibrating rapidly, his right heel beating a rapid, neurotic rhythm against the floor. Ripples ran across the surface of the blood as he raised it to his lips to take another cautious drink, eyes fixed somewhere just behind Jake\'s head at a nonexistent point. Had he been paying attention to his social graces, he would have been quite pleased with the way he\'d approached the issue. Being with Scott had a number of fringe benefits, one of which was he was learning to deal with people civilly.

[Black Philip]

"I know very well your reasons for being reluctant," Jake said. "Banishment and torture are two very strong motivators."

Jake considered dropping the issue, but decided to give it one last go. Conner was talented, and Jake needed him more than he knew.  

"However shy to the issue you may be," Jake said politely, "I\'m asking, as a personal favor to me, if you\'ll consider applying to be in charge of Oligarchy intelligence. You\'re more than qualified, would take to the job, we\'d be able to put a few of our \'projects\' on the books, and it pays damn well."

Before Conner could object, Jake added, "It\'s not an order, just do me the favor and consider it. Unless you have anything to add, perhaps now would be a good time to move on."

Jake knew Conner didn\'t like to be pushed. In the early days of their friendship, Jake could have easily met a fireball for such arrogance. Jake hoped to high hell Conner had calmed down since then.

[realworldweirdo]

Something deep and dark, long hidden away, twitched inside Conner\'s psyche and he immediately began the process of locking it away again.

Why are we having this conversation in his office instead of his apartment? Are there demons waiting just outside the door? What will happen if I say no? This is bad, I can\'t escape if he doesn\'t want me to. I trust him, I do, I\'ve seen inside his mind, that was another age with another organization. The Oligarchy has never given me a reason to distrust them or shown a ruthless side. Jake is not Hesiod, the Oligarchy is not the Tremere ruling council, this is 2011 not 1802, and I haven\'t done anything to anger anyone.

Managing to calm his very visible agitation after a moment, he shook his head emphatically. "No, Jake. If you\'re willing to keep me as your personal agent, our arrangement is working well for me right now. Continuing it would be best, I think. I won\'t.... can\'t.... become part of the Oligarchy. I\'d be living in fear of.... my past. Every day, I\'d be terrified of the same thing happening again. I know it\'s probably irrational, but please."

He took another drink of blood, quickly, almost birdlike in its rapidity, and continued before Jake could start again.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

[Black Philip]

Jake was relieved Conner had handled his request so well. Conner had learned a lot about society since coming out of exile, and Jake was proud he\'d been around long enough to witness it. Jake decided it would be best to bury the issue... for now.

"Yes Conner there is," Jake said. "Do you know a vampire by the name of Orias?"

[realworldweirdo]

Conner paused in his fidgeting and cocked his head, almost as though listening to his own mental archives being rifled through as he searched for a recollection of the name. Yes, there was something, but it had been some time ago.

"I think I did some work for him a while ago," he stated uncertainly. "I\'d have to check my records. It might be in the reports I give to your aide, I think they get entered into the computers. Why do you ask?"

[Black Philip]

"He has a human named Gene," Jake said. "I\'ve recently been informed this Gene may be under some form of magic. You know the computer is not my forte. I forgot to have an aid run their names."

Jake took a sip of blood. Maybe mentioning Gene would spark his sheriff\'s memory. Jake was also writing a mental email to one of his aids to run both names in the database.

[realworldweirdo]

The gears continued to turn, now with the additional information. Not many people in the city used magic, though supernatural powers abounded. Proper magic, the crafting of supernatural energies with willpower and conscious technique, was uncommon at best. Odds were, considering, that this had been one of his little side jobs. The names together helped to trigger the recollection, after his consideration that it almost certainly wasn\'t someone else\'s doing.

"I seem to recall giving a command to a human a couple of years ago," he said after a long pause and several drinks of blood. His glass was getting low, and he was beginning to feel much better. "It was an unsanctioned pet situation, I believe. The vampire had no mental ability, so he hired me to command the human to keep our secret. I think I used my usual method, forbidding him to speak of it but with the exception that he could if he knew that the people around him were aware of us. Has there been a problem?"

[Black Philip]

Awe so this was Conner\'s doing. Jake turned over the thought in his brain. Then it was okay. The fear of a cult of witches left his mind, and Jake found himself much more relaxed. He let a visible amount of tension leave his body.

"No,no," Jake said. "I just wanted to make sure someone wasn\'t practicing magic without Oligarchy knowledge. Think how disastrous a witch with an itch would become if left unchecked?"

He took the file folder and placed it in the top door of his desk.

[realworldweirdo]

"Hmm," Conner agreed noncommittally. Frankly, he\'d like to be able to fraternize with some other practitioners without Jake\'s knowledge or consent, even if just to know that he was. There was a certain freedom he\'d felt he was lacking in having other magic users around, as he didn\'t get along very well with the Oligarchy staff that maintained the wards around the premises; they didn\'t particularly care for him, he didn\'t want to be drawn into their hierarchy. Still, Jake did have a point in that people with magical skills could be troublesome; there were very good reasons for the strict controls of most disciplines.

"Did someone say something to bring up the topic of making me.... official?" he asked tentatively. He had no idea what Vomas thought of him, and the opinion of Jake\'s counterpart carried weight; vampires far outnumbered any other supernatural race in the city. As far as the Oligarchy in general, he was aware he had something of a reputation in certain circles for being disruptive, mostly among the security agents at the checkpoints and the aides of various officials he dealt with on occasion. Maybe Kerr had brought it up.

He quailed at the thought of being noticed by the Luminary. Kerr certainly seemed fair and stable enough, surprisingly so for someone in his position, but the thought of the individual in the post as a faceless icon of authority made his bones feel rubbery. Avoiding falling under someone else\'s jurisdiction was his primary motivation for his arrangement with Jake; becoming part of the Oligarchy put him at risk for that. Vomas, Jake, and Kerr all had the power to simply command him to sign on or to be banished from the city, or worse. He began to wonder how much choice he had in the matter after all, mimic demons or no.

The thousand yard stare was beginning to creep into his eyes, but he didn\'t really notice as he kept turning over sinister scenarios in his head.

[Black Philip]

Jake narrowed his eyes. He knew Conner well. In fact, he knew Conner best in the world. They had gone on a once in a lifetime (even for vampires) journey together. Jake had seen Conner\'s most painful and precious memories, and as a result considered himself an authority on the subject. Conner was nervous, and not his usual brand. Jake began to consider that he was the cause for his friends altered state. What was the poor mage thinking?

"No," Jake said. "It\'s just their\'s an open position that you\'re more than qualified to fill. Although I\'m sure you\'d hate the idea, I\'m also recommending Benny."

Perhaps Jake could turn Conner\'s paranoia into annoyance. Jake knew full well Conner hated Benny.