Steel Coast United

==Gathering the Gang==
Another ordinary night. Salvatore made himself presentable, at least as presentable as he usually makes himself, before making preparations to go out for the evening. However, before he could make it to his beat-up pick-up, he heard a voice call out to him, "Excuse me, sir, my master would like to have a word with you." Instinctively, Salvatore looked around, not thinking the person was calling to him. Nevertheless, he looked around and found his normally empty street as barren as normal, with the exception of a man standing in front of a black stretch limo. "O good, yes, please come here, my master must have a word with you." Salvatore, muttering to himself, move over to the black vehicle covered in highly polished chrome accessories.
"What do you want? I have a busy night planned, so make it snappy," Salvatore half-lied.
"If you would please get into the vehicle, my master will make his intentions clear once we reach his place of business," the man wearing a dark suit and matching patent-leather shoes gestured towards the open limo door. Only the red fez seemed kind of out of place with the whole ensemble.
"Why should I? Can't you just explain what I need to know and we can get on with the night," Salvatore barked impatiently.
"While I would love to expedite this process, unfortunately my master has not instructed me about the details of this evening's conversation. Although, he told me to inform you it would be a lucrative venture should you elect to participate," the driver reassured Salvatore.
"Who is this master you keep speaking of, why should I trust him?" Salvatore queried cautiously.
"Master Hayworth St. Clair-Cowles, and trust me, he is a highly reputable man," the driver responded.
Salvatore had heard the name mentioned in passing. He was some reclusive CEO who worked out of a large office building Midcity, but really not much else. While he did not like not knowing much about the person he was about to go see, rumors of his vast fortune proved too alluring and Salvatore begrudgingly climbed into the back of the limo.
The limo sped off, quickly leaving the almost suburbanite region of the city but not in the direction of Midcity. Salvatore perused the stocked wet bar while keeping an eye on their direction. Soon he found a high-end whiskey and poured himself a glass. They soon reached a high-rise apartment complex and the limo came to a stop. Salvatore watched the driver try to buzz one of the apartments and then wait. After a long while, he looked down at his wristwatch, shook his head and returned to the limo. Without any further ceremony, they were off once more.
In decent time, the limo sped through the city, continually further away from the Midcity portion which Salvatore expected the limo to go. Soon he found himself in a rather seedy portion of town, in front of an establishment he knew well. While most places were nearing closing - or at least emptying - the strip club owned by Chartreuse O'Reid was just beginning to heat up. The driver found a spot to park, though blocked a fire lane with the long vehicle extending well beyond the designated spot, and got out of the limo. Not wanting to miss seeing the proper gentleman interacting within the club, Salvatore hopped out and accompanied him.
A muscular man in a tight black shirt stood in the doorway, barely looking up from the clipboard he held when the driver approached. "Can I help you?" he asked without any intent of actually doing anything. At least until he saw the wad of hundreds the driver produced from his suit jacket pocket.
"I would like to obtain entry, do you know if the owner has arrived yet?" the driver said, prying four hundreds from the stack and holding them out expectantly.
Now Joe, the bouncer, had seen people try to pay for entry before, but rarely ever dropping a fifty at the door. With the prospect of matching what he made in a week at his day job, he took the money. "No, I don't think she is in yet," he replied while moving out of the way. After the driver entered, Salvatore nodded to the man and entered as well. The pair made their way to the bar, ordering a drink and waiting.
Fashionably late, Chartreuse arrived and quickly looked over her club. The well-dressed gentleman sitting at the bar instantly popped out from the club regulars, and sitting next to Salvatore, quickly drew her to him.
"My master requests an audience with you this evening," the man informed her.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking between the driver and Salvatore.
"Looks like we're getting the gang back together," Salvatore explained.
"O, okay," she said shakily, not really knowing what to make of this.
"We should make haste, our ride is currently illegally parked. This way," the man put down his barely touched drink and began for the door. Salvatore quickly downed both his and the driver's drink, then nodded to the confused club own. After quickly making provisions with the manager for the evening, they both followed him out and hopped in the back of the limo. Before Salvatore could explain anything, the came across Adriana walking down the street.
Only a few minutes down the road, they nearly an angry-looking woman, muttering about each person which looked at her odd. A few times she turned around and attempted to confront the people walking down the street. Invariably, they continued on their way, not wanting to engage this fiery woman. Adriana was in her normal form and surprised when the limo not only stopped and rolled down its window, but called out to her, "Mistress, if I could have but a moment of your time. My master is requesting an audience with you this evening."
She started to walk by before the rear window rolled down and she heard a familiar voice yell out, "Yo, bitch, get your ass in here." The door swung open and Chartreuse was smiling at her employee.
"I'm good? You don't need me at the club?" the angry woman asked.
From inside the limo the other called out, "Nah, we're good. I already made arrangements. Get your ass in here." Without further prodding, Adriana entered the limo.
Salvatore finally noticed them moving in the direction of Midcity. While not really in on many details, he explained what he knew while continuing to drink his glass of whiskey. The limo navigated the neon-lit streets before eventually reaching a tall building. Salvatore downed the remainder of the drink while the limo pulled into an alley and then into a basement parking garage. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in a spot marked "CEO Usage Only - All other vehicles will be crushed." Salvatore put the glass down and grabbed the decanter filled with dark amber liquid.
==A Meeting with Mr. St. Clair-Cowles==
The line of company vehicles stretched down both sides of the parking deck, not that the group had to go by many of them. The limo had parked in the space closest to the elevator. The driver opened the door for the group and lead them to the spacious metal chamber. Everyone, including Adriana after she stopped hyperventilating for a moment, entered and the well-dressed man hit the penthouse button. The ride was slow, climbing floor after floor. The group traded whispers, unsure what lay before them. After what felt to be a nice slice of their eternity, the bell finally rung at the 103rd floor. The door opened.
"This way," the well-dressed man bowed slightly and moved in arm in a gesture to usher them out of the elevator. He led them out onto the thick-pile, scarlet carpet of the hallway. Each side of the hallway was lined with wood paneling going halfway up, terminating at a chrome border etched in an art deco style. Heavy oaken doors interrupt the paneling at fairly regular intervals, between them landscape and pastoral painting surrounded by gilded, baroque frames. The exposed walls were a light, sky blue and the ceiling white, holding small, chandelier-like lights for illumination. The group marched down the hall, finally reaching the end, where their driver turned the brass handle.
The corner office looked like something out of a later Victorian manor. The one wall lined with old, leather-bound tomes, many lacking any form of writing on the spine. The only interruption to the bookshelf was a fireplace, carved in beautiful marble. Above the fireplace hung a large painting of an older gentleman, with salt-and-pepper hair in a smoking jacket framed in a similar gilded and baroque manor to those in the hallway. Two high-back leather chairs sat on either side of the lit fireplace with a small table between them. Atop the table sat a brass bucket filled with ice and a decanter containing a crimson liquid. The remaining two walls gave an open view of Midcity below, still bustling with locals going about their lives and tourists trying to cram every possible experience into the brief trip into New Covenant. Sitting centered in front of the far wall was a heavy wooden desk, a typewriter, brass lamp and dip pen the few visible items upon the otherwise desolate surface. Currently, the high-back, leather chair faced away from the group, looking out over the neon-lit valley below. A man in a fine, designer suit stood beside the chair, watching the group enter the chamber.
"Very good, Jeeves. That will be all for the moment, but do not go far," the voice from behind the chair called out. Slowly the chair rotated, revealing the salt-and-pepper man from the portrait.
Doing a double take of the portrait, Adriana could not help but mutter, "Well, looks like someone has a goddamn, fucking ego." A wry grin crossed the mouth of the man behind the desk as a wave of submissiveness unfamiliar to the anarch crashed over her. Trying to follow up her statement, she founded, frustratingly, her mind could do nothing but issue an apology for her rude behavior.
"Welcome, come closer. I heard word of your previous exploits and I think you would prove a vital tool for trying to understand certain happenings in the city. I can assure you, while working with me, you will find the experience to be quite lucrative," the man now addressed the group while Jeeves exited and closed the door behind himself.
Not quite willing to drop her crass manners, Adriana tried to spew more bile in the direction of the seated man. Yet all that came out was, "I do apologize profusely for disrespecting your fine portrait." Unhappily, she decided to not address him, instead turning to Salvatore, "What the goddamn fuck is going is fucking happening, you fucking twat?" With this she found herself slightly relieved, but turned to the seated man, apologetically. "Do excuse my outburst." She almost vomited from her behavior.
"Well, we seem to be one short. Not wonderful but I think with the proper leadership, you should be able to handle my task without issue," he said, looking over the group.
"Well, we're short Louie," Salvatore noted.
"Him also. Regrettably, a string out out-of-town engagements has him indisposed. While normally I would not be in a rush, I fear the current situation must be handled with the utmost haste," the seated man informed everyone.
"So, who are you?" Salvatore asked hoping for a bit of clarity.
"I do apologize, where are my manners? I am Hayworth St. Clair-Cowles, and this," he pointed to the younger man next to him, "is my new protégé, Gideon. He will be accompanying you this evening. I hope he can learn a few things from you since he is very new."
"Pleased," Chartreuse responded extending a hand.
"Quite," he replied, limply responding with his own hand. "So, enough pleasantries and down to business. We have been tracking the recent moves of an international holding company, Romeo Holdings, and watching while they have been absorbing a series of lots throughout Temperance. Their latest acquisition is an abandoned factory along the bay adjacent to the port. I would like you to go in there and gather evidence about the new owner, who I think are linked to the Giovanni, those incestuous wastes of unlife."
"Well, I see what you're getting out of this," Salvatore took the lead, "but what do we get?"
Mr. St. Clair-Cowles sighed. "Take whatever you like from the facility. It has been abandoned for some time, but I am sure you will find something of value while rummaging through the factory. Gideon has been briefed further on the matter and can assist in providing further details. Is there anything else?"
"I spotted some blood on the table on the way in. You mind if we drink some? You did kind of interrupt our normal feeding," Adriana entreated.
With another, longer sigh, Mr. St. Clair-Cowles clapped his hands. Promptly the door opened and Jeeves appeared. "Please bring in some glasses for us and our guests." Then the door closed and a few moments later, Jeeves came in with a silver tray, atop which sat a series of fine crystal rock glasses. Jeeves made his way to the small table and filled the glasses. Once filled, he lifted the tray and made his way to the desk, offering Mr. St. Clair-Cowles a glass first, then Gideon second before placing the tray with the three remaining glasses on the desk. Jeeves gave a slight bow to the guests before making his way out the door once more.
After everyone got their glasses, Mr. St. Clair-Cowles stood, lifting his glass in a toast. "Here is to your successful endeavor." And once everyone else lifted their glasses he brought the glass to his lips and drained it, the slightest glimpse of his fangs visible through the cut crystal. Gideon, Chartreuse and Salvatore quickly joined in while Adriana made sure he drank before she imbibed.
"Now is Jeeves bringing us?" Salvatore started.
"O no, Gideon here has arranged for other means of transportation, but he will lead you out. Have I forgotten anything else?" Mr. St. Clair-Cowles clarified. The deafening silence answered his question. Clapping once again brought Jeeves to the door, "They are ready to be seen out." So the group with Gideon in tow moved through the hallway and into the elevator. On the way down, Gideon made a call while the others talked amongst themselves. Once the doors finally opened back up into the parking garage, the group watched as a luxury sedan pulled into one of the spots and a man, also very well dressed, emerged.
"Sir, this way," he said while Jeeves vanished back into the elevator. He led the group to a large black SUV with tinted windows. He opened the front passenger door for Gideon then the rear for the remainder. Salvatore climbed in while Adriana made a point of moving into the third row seating with Chartreuse.
==Into Temperance==
Traffic moving into the borough proved to be rather light since it was already a bit after midnight. The truck maneuvered its way through roads filled with potholes large enough to eat a subcompact whole until it finally found the poorly lit road it looked for. They stopped in front of a large gate through which the abandoned refinery for Steel Coast United could be seen. Flanking the gate were wall eight to ten foot high topped with two windings of barbed wire. Adriana quickly looked the facility over noting cameras both on the far corners, recording what appeared to be everything on premise as well as a pair of smaller cameras built into the concrete walls overlooking the front gate. While everyone else appraised the facility, Gideon went to the rear of the SUV and grabbed a small bag.
"So, what's the best way to get into this place?" Salvatore said returning to the SUV.
Looking over to the driver, Gideon ordered, "We are going to need you to drive around for an hour or so, just in case of a highly unlikely patrol car coming through - we don't need to be answering unnecessary questions." The driver nodded and made his way into the SUV. Gideon then addressed Salvatore, knowing of two ways to get in. The easier, but definitely more repugnant would be to find a manhole cover and made their way into the facility through the large sewage system. While workable, Gideon found this method to be below him, and so opted for the second way he had found into the facility: cut the electric. Having read through the schematics, he knew the nearby substation controlled the power in the area, with one transformer specifically for just the lot on which Steel Coast sat. What do you say we cut the power, then the gate should open right up? And as a bonus, it will also cut the cameras." Adriana overheard the comment and could not help but smile at the thought of wanton destruction, even on a fairly small scale. "Well, if no one has any other ideas, the transformer sits over there," Gideon pointed toward the end of the lot.
Making their way to the edge of the property, they found a smaller, fenced in property. The chain-link topped with barbed-wire was covered in various warnings and high voltage signs. Through the links, the harbor could be seen faintly in the distance under the sliver of moonlight. While the group began looking over their new target, Gideon opened his small duffle bag and produced a set of bolt cutters. After a try or two, he managed to clip the padlock securing the gate and the group made their way inside. Gideon led the way to transformer 13407-C which Salvatore opened with surprising ease due to a lack of locks. With a few tools borrowed from Gideon's bag, Salvatore managed to quickly blow both that transformer then a few of the ones around it, trying to mask their targets. To further cover their tracks, Adriana whipped out a couple cans of spray paint and began tagging a few demon's markings around. Once Salvatore finished, his fingers still a bit tingly from perhaps being a bit too close, the group notes the lights dimmed over the harbor and were completely out on the Steel Coast site.
Once again in front of the gate, it slid open without issue. Salvatore, noting the particularly dark night and lack of any other light sources, began to heighten his senses, his eyes starting to glow a fierce red. Despite being a bit unsettled, Gideon recognized this must be one of Salvatore's powers, which he covered up by borrowing a pair of sunglasses from Adriana. The lot had weeds growing through the cracks and patches of rust on the signs. A series of dilapidated company vehicles sat along the edge of the lot, their tires flat and dry rot, obvious rust forming along the bottom of the body. "I doubt anyone's been here in a while," Salvatore noted to the rest of the group.
Eventually they made it across the long parking lot and to the front of the building. Two dried up fountains ran the length, small pockets of grass now grew in the cracked concrete which stored the remnants of the previous weeks' rain. A small set of steps rose to a set of double sliding doors, which now slid open along their runners. Large windows covered most of the front side of the building, with one exception about fifty foot down where a sheet of plywood seemed to be covering a broken window. "Okay, where to?" Adriana barked to everyone in general but Gideon in particular.
"Well, the front of the building has three floors. Below us is the maintenance area, boiler rooms, tool storage, that kind of stuff. This floor was primarily reception and things like human resources. The upper floor was where the site manager offices were. The rear two-thirds of the building was the actual plant," Gideon recalled from the blueprints he studied.
Taking out her phone for light as they reached the reception desk, Adriana quickly began looking for clues. A clipboard once used for signing in still sat on the circular desk, the last entry from an environmental inspection over three years prior. "We'll look down here," Adriana volunteered. Shrugging to each other, Gideon and Salvatore made their way to the far end of the building to the stairway. Oddly, the first thing of note everyone found was there was no layer of dust, the carpets were vacuumed and even the windows appeared to have been recently cleaned.
Adriana and Chartreuse continued looking over the desk, but found little of interest. Moving the printer aside, Chartreuse did manage to find a nice knife but little else of use. They then moved to the offices, one contained a series of payment and shipping records, another employee complaints and on-the-job accident reports, and finally one with numerous proposals from environmental remediation companies totaling in the millions to fix various issues with the plant. Despite a thorough search, the only useful item they found was contained in a hidden bottom of a desk of the human resource office, a six-shooter which still had four slugs left in it. Adriana opted to give it to Chartreuse, should they need to protect themselves.
Salvatore and Gideon made their way to the top floor and quickly down the hall to the door of the biggest office. Unlike everything else, they found this door to be locked. They contemplated going through one of the windows which flanked the door but decided against given away their position that much. Instead they opted to search the other two offices on the floor.
The other offices were mirror images of each other, each containing a wall of filing cabinets, a large, solid-wood desk and a glass wall with sliding door leading out to a balcony overlooking the plant proper. To aide his sight, Gideon took out a flashlight from his bag. While looking for a key or evidence, they found neither. Walking back to the door, they looked at each other. "I could make this little problem disappear," Salvatore offered.
"What confidence do you have that the girls are not making a racket downstairs?" Gideon wondered aloud, debating the best method in.
"None. No, next to none. If you could tell, they're not exactly the subtle type," Salvatore appraised them.
Gideon ran off, leaping down the stairs, and called out, "Chartreuse! Adriana! Hurry up here, we might be on to something." With little else to look through, the girls moved up the stairs and the group reassembled in front of the office. With a tight grip, Salvatore grabbed the handle. For a moment the muscles in his neck bulged and his bicep rippled. Then a loud crack echoed down the hallway and Salvatore found himself with the brass knob in his hand. A few seconds later the thud of the other side hitting the carpeting could be heard.
Pushing open the door, they entered what appeared to have been a secretarial area with a set of glass doors and dividers separating this antechamber with the room proper. Unfortunately, with the blinds shut closed, they needed to go into the office in order to look. Quickly they crossed through the sliding doors and descended on the office. Like the other offices, thick carpet covered the floor and filing cabinets lined the walls. The only obvious change was everything appeared to be slightly nicer than the other offices: slightly larger, slight more expensive, slightly heavier. Gideon and Salvatore rifled through the large, mahogany desk with Gideon finding the one drawer was actually a false front, revealing a safe behind it. Everyone hastily began trying to find what the code could be, with Gideon eventually realizing one of the painters was slightly off. Flipping over the painting reveal the numbers thirty-six, nineteen, twenty-eight, which Gideon read aloud as Salvatore entered them. A click sounded through the room to the relief of everyone since it had taken some time to find that combination, then banging began downstairs.
"O fuck, I think we have company," Salvatore informed everyone thanks to his enhanced hearing. Gideon whipped out his phone and took pictures of the reports in the various file folders before grabbing the heavy tome at the bottom of the safe and closing everything up. Salvatore and the girls had already begun looking for a way out, eventually entering the diamond-plate landing of the balcony which stretched the length of the factory. Like lightning, the group raced down the industrial-style ladder and out onto the floor of the plant. Finding one of the old railcar doors ajar, the group made their way out and around the building before dashing across the parking lot and out onto the street of the city.
Out of breathe, panic almost set in before they looked down the street and saw the tinted SUV waiting. It pulled up and everyone hopped in. "What's going on, I just saw three vans race from out of nowhere and go into the lot you just came out of?"
"Not right now," panted Gideon, not quite accustomed to so much physical activity, despite his increased power in his new vampiric form. "Later on I will explain. I am still not quite sure myself what has transpired." And so the ride proceeds without issue and soon enough, they find themselves back in the now familiar parking deck, waiting for the elevator to descend. Gideon uses the time to examine the pictures and the tome he lifted. The only clues he could find were the reported values in the reports were much lower than those included in the tome.
==Farewell, For Now==
Eventually the elevator reaches the lowest floor and then methodically begins climbing once again. Soon enough, they find themselves in the same, warm office space, Mr. St. Clair-Cowles looking expectantly at the group. With a wry smile, Adriana again finds herself unable to fully control herself, this time before even being able to hurl her first insult. Gideon hands over his phone and the tome for inspection. "Quite interesting, yes indeed. It looks like they over-priced their inventory by millions.
"And what about him?" Gideon pried, flipping open the tome to the front page and pointing to a beautifully written name, Augustus Romeo Giovanni.
After a few minutes of deep thought, he finally responded, "Not sure, likely an unannounced member of our society. Something I will bring to the Prince's attention once we are done here. Should you be so interested, upon confirmation of both the arrival and status of this Augustus Romeo Giovanni, a bloodhunt will likely be called." With the word bloodhunt being uttered, something truly animalistic filled Salvatore's eyes.
"Look, I do apologize for being a bit forward, but there is still the matter of payment. We got what you wanted, but found ourselves chased out before we managed to loot anything. Perhaps you could find some way of rectifying this?" Salvatore beseeched, still with a bit of baser need filling his eyes.
"I do so apologize, is what he saying true Gideon, were you chased out before you had a chance to fully explore the facility?" Mr. St. Clair-Cowles directed his question to his clansman.
Gideon nodded. "Salvatore heard some commotion downstairs and we fled before we found out who was there. We did not really care if it were police or Kindred, we were not looking to answer questions tonight."
"Fair. Well, so be it," the older gentleman proclaimed and clapped his hands. Jeeves opened the door just as Mr. St. Clair-Cowles called out, "Please find a suitable reward for these fine people, if you could." And then the door closed. After a few minutes, Jeeves returned with the silver plate again, but this time covered with a polished silver lid. He crossed the room while allowing the door to close behind him, placed it on the desk, removed the lid and found an inconspicuous space in the corner of the room. Revealed was three large stacks of wrapped hundred-dollar bills. "Please, take one each, this most assuredly makes up for any possible harm which may have come your way." With a mutter of thanks, each grabbed their wad and found five grand in their hands. Adriana, not wanting to let the opportunity slip away muttered, "I could have made more at the club." Replacing the lid, Jeeves escorts the group back to the basement and drives them to their respective corners of the city. During the trip, Salvatore rings Louie to tell him of the happenings and the possibility of an upcoming bloodhunt.