For those who suffer, and those who cry this night...(Ysabel - Secret Santa)

"Fuuuuucck."

LT looked down at his GPR (ground penetrating radar) and felt the cold seep into his trousers. He was knee deep in what he hoped was rain water about fifty feet from the surface manholes in downtown Nachton. His GPR was acting up again.

"Hang on a second," a voice chirped in his ear. "Lemme flash it again..."

"That's not going to work."

LT listened to Lewis, their COM Piper, work to fix the equipment used to map the underground sewer tunnels below the city. "Well it's better than you banging it against the tunnel walls."

Which it was, in fact, what LT was doing. He undid the straps that secured the GPR to his left forearm and knocked the equipment against the tunnel wall.

"Will you stop doing that!"

The bright blue display panel flickered and then died, leaving LT in the darkness. Lewis continued complaining about the abuse the equipment took from the Pipers out in the field when Charlie, his Sergeant, came on the line.

"You're 5 by 5, LT. Thirty meters east and you'll find another exit. Marko and Domingo are closer to you. They'll scoop you up."

"Thanks, Charlie." LT grinned as he wrapped up the GPR and tucked it into the compression pack located inside his field suit. Splashing through the water, LT easily navigated in the darkness to the exit manhole and climbed the ladder up into the street. With a slight push, he moved the three hundred pound manhole cover and peered out.

He was at the northern part of town in the older section of the city, where downtown began filtering into historic buildings, just on the edge of the commercial district. The streets were lined with bare trees casting shadows onto the street as the sun made its way behind the buildings. Pulling himself out, he replaced the cover and moved silently into the shadows between two of the historic buildings and stripped his field suit off. Underneath he wore his black diamond weave Therian weave with his boots. He turned the field suit inside out and stepped back into it. He wasn't concerned with the grime, but he at least looked clean enough to be on the streets without looking like a homeless person and attracting attention of the 'blue' variety.

Talking in a normal voice, he relayed his position back to Lewis.

"Yikes, they're stuck in traffic, LT. It'll be a few."

"That's fine. I'll start walking toward them."

"Aye, LT," Lewis said, signing off.

With a look around him, he stepped back onto the sidewalk and filtered into the throngs of people that always seemed to be milling around Nachton, despite the time of night.

Ysabel was on her way home from another night of tours. Maybe it was a little overdone, but she loved Christmas. Especially at the historical society. Their dresses and costumes always got just a little bit more festive, a little more extravagant. Ysabel was a fan of extravagant.

As she walked along the crowded streets of the Strip, just having left the buildings that were her station for the night, she tucked her hands into her white muff. Her gown was an elaborate affair consisting of numerous petticoats and hoops, with a beautiful silver chemise underneath and an overcoat of green and silver brocade. The sleeves were long and rolled at the shoulders, fitted to her wrists.

An elaborate outfit, but it cleared the street.

She hadn't gotten very far when a keening wail reached her ears. It was a sound she was very familiar with. To one who'd raised numerous generations of human children, it literally screamed "lost child."

Ysabel looked around until she saw a boy of perhaps three or four standing on the sidewalk not far from her. He clutched a little bear tightly in one hand and scrubbed a fist at his eyes with the other. Ysabel made her way to him as he opened his mouth to howl again.

Stopping in front of him she crouched and smiled. He broke off mid-breath and looked at her.

"Hello," she said with a smile. "Have you lost your family?"

LT touched the equipment underneath his field suit, fidgeting as he made his way back toward downtown. Instinctively his eyes moved left to right, surveying the area, and make mental notes on the people he passed.

The sights and smells of the city differed in every neighborhood, and this one was not unlike any other. However the older houses had traces of lead paint and old wood, but most were in fine condition. The pine oil was sleek and greasy to his senses, but none of this distracted him from the soft crying coming further down the street.

LT's eyes searched out the noise and he made a bee line for a small little boy. Poor kid was crying, holding a stuffed animal. LT turned toward the little boy, reaching him just as a young woman knelt down in front of the boy and smiled. LT hesitated, figuring the woman had it, but he couldn't just walk away.

"Is that a kid crying?" Charlie's voice chirped into his ear.

Scratching his lip, LT knelt down with the woman and nodded. "Yeah...you ok, son? Are you lost?" Looking at the woman, he was slightly taken aback but her authentic, vintage clothing.

"Hi, I'm Lothias. Did you need me to call someone?"

Ysabel looked up (and up) at he man who'd joined them. For a moment she had hoped this was the young boy's family, come to retrieve him, but no. She fought against wrinkling her nose at the smell coming from the man. They weren't horribly overpowering, just... a little ripe. Was it his shoes? Other than that he seemed to want to help... he offered to call someone, his expression honest, not giving off a particularly 'creepy' vibe, Ysabel thought.

"My name is Ysabel," she said, unable to curtsey as she was already crouched down in front of he boy. She nodded her head at Lothias though. "I wouldn't know who to call."

The little boy was staring back and forth at them with something like a mixture of terror and awe. Ysabel sighed.

"What's your name?" she looked at the little boy. "Are you here with your mommy and daddy?"

He wouldn't answer her; just stuck his thumb into his mouth and began to suck on it. Ysabel didn't know if maybe her accent was confusing to him. She looked up at Lothias and lifted her shoulders.

Glancing around she didn't see any members of the Police nearby. She was reluctant to move the boy anywhere. Lost children should stay in one place, she though. Someone would come looking for him eventually. He was clean, his clothing wasn't new but also wasn't old or torn or worn. He had family somewhere around here.

LT nodded politely murmuring, 'Ma'am," in response to her introduction. With a mirrored shrug, he lowered himself onto a knee and smiled at the boy. The lost child was already scared and LT was afraid they might be making it worse, but held his hands out to the boy and gave him his best disarming smile.

"Are you helping a lost kid?" Charlie spoke into his ear through the small receiver tucked into his ear canal. LT ignored the question, letting his interaction with the little kid explain.

"Hi. My name is Lothias," he said softly introducing himself to the boy. "This is my friend Ysabel. You're lost, huh?"

The little boy began crying fresh tears but suddenly wrinkled his nose at LT. "You smell," he uttered in a small child's voice.

"Man, I bet you do," Charlie chuckled in his ear. "Lewis notified the police, just keep the kid there. They're en route."

LT grinned at the boy and agreed. "Yeah, I was messing around playing and I was on my way home. I am stinky, huh?"

Keeping his eyes on the little boy who smiled gently through his tears, he turned his head toward Ysabel. "We should probably keep him here. Someone's gotta be looking for him."

Pulling out his cell phone, he texted Domingo and let him know the situation who responded that Lewis had informed them but they were still stuck in traffic.

"Police should be here shortly," LT said quietly. "Hey, so what's your Teddy's name?"

The little boy looked at his bear, his eyes disbelieving. "It's bear. He's not real."

"Are you sure? I swear he just smiled at me," LT said looking at his bear with an astonished face. The little boy turned his bear and looked at it incredulously.

A chorus of 'awwww's' filtered through in his ear piece, the other Pipers now listening in, gathering ammunition for later. LT cleared his throat and maintained his agreeable grin.

The man with the bright blue eyes, Lothias by way of introduction, managed to get the little boy to open up. Ah, better bonding through body odor. The hallmark of males everywhere.

"I don't think that will be difficult," Ysabel said, imagining keeping the boy where he was... she certainly hadn't planned on moving him and he didn't appear interested in wandering off.

She smiled as Lothias gave the little boy something to focus on, nodding along with him. "He definitely smiled. I saw it, too."

Glancing around the street Ysabel didn't see what she had hoped she would; mainly, a pair of frantic parents looking for their little boy. He seemed to have been cheered up somewhat by his interaction with Lothias, so Ysabel tried talking to him again.

"What is your name?" she repeated with a smile. This time she had better success.

"Danny," the little boy responded. Then he held out his bear. "This is Bear." Apparently, Bear now had a name. It wasn't the most original as names went, but it was still an upgrade.

"Do you remember where you saw your parents, Danny?" Ysabel asked.

Frowning, the little boy pointed at a store across the street, a bakery. But he didn't say anything else. Ysabel sighed.

LT reached out and gently took the bear.

'Well 'Bear' is a very nice name. Nice to meet you, Bear." He handed the toy back to the little boy and then held his hand out to Danny. "Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Danny."

"He's Mr. Bear," Danny said. "I'm just Danny. No mister."

LT chuckled and looked over at Ysabel with a wide grin. "I do apologize."

"Get it right, LT. They call him Mister Bear," his uncle's voice chimed in with the other Pipers and he heard the rest of them snickering into the microphones. At least his uncle was back to his normal self again.

Ysabel asked Danny about his parents and pointed to the bakery store across the street. LT stood slowly and did a slow 360 of the area again, looking for the tell tale signs of anxious parents, but saw none.

"Hmm," he said more for the Pipers than for Ysabel.

"I gots nothing on the police band, LT."

LT's forehead wrinkled with concern. Pointing to the bakery, he silently let Ysabel know he was going to go check it out. As he walked away from Danny and Ysabel, he inhaled deeply, tasting the scents in the air. Nothing out of the ordinary, the bakery itself smelled deliciously of baked goods. As he crossed the street, LT looked up and down the street, watching for cars when the streetlights on the next block went dark. Slowing, he turned and looked down the opposite side of the street and watched those lights extinguish as well.

"LT...."

"I see it," he said aloud as he started to back up toward Ysabel and the boy when the streetlights began to shut off one by one, closing in on them. Reaching down he picked up the boy and took Ysabel's arm gently.

"We need to leave. Right now."

Ysabel smiled back at Lothias, who apparently had a little bit of trouble with titles. She nodded when he indicated that he was going to take a look around the bakery and held her arms out to Danny, who evidently trusted her enough to move toward her.

Suddenly Ysabel watched in confusion as the lights began to die down. The street was quickly becoming dark. Lothias was backing up to them and Ysabel felt his hand close firmly around her arm.

"What's going on?" she asked in confusion as he took Danny into his arms. Rising, she looked around with alarm for any sign of trouble.

"Where are we going?"

LT winced at Ysabel's questions. Danny was already trying to choke him to death with the kid's grip around his neck so Ysabel asking questions was only going to slow them down.

"Ma'am, one second," LT said politely as he pushed them through the crowd of people who were beginning to walk out into the street in the darkness. He pulled Ysabel away from the edge of the sidewalk and street just as the screaming began.

Darkness had a way with people. An primitive fear that was innate and bred into all living humans. The darkness was not friendly. It was not warm and fuzzy. It was suffocating and influenced people, making them do very stupid things.

Like walk out into the street with oncoming cars blinding them like deers in the headlights.

Danny was beginning to cry again as LT tightened his grip and rushed them north toward downtown. The screaming began within five minutes of the total and complete darkness following the screech tires and thumps of bodies.

"We need to get out of here. Tell me it's a power grid brownout, Lewis."

"My name is Danny," the little boy replied looking at LT through his tears.

"It's a two square mile blackout - centralized and definitely forced," Lewis said typing furiously at his keyboard, so loud that LT could hear it through the earpiece. "Shit...it's following you."

His uncle voice cut into Lewis' exclamation, "Charlie, Red, and Marthinus are en route, LT. Who are you with?"

LT looked at Ysabel and Danny and held his finger up as he pushed them into a dark corner. His eyes flashed, checking the shadows and his senses signaled the all clear, for now. "One female and the boy. There are already casualties."

"Get to Domingo and Markos, LT."

"We need to keep heading downtown," he said to Ysabel. "I don't know what's out there, but whatever it is, it's following us."

Ysabel followed along in confusion. Obviously she understood something was happening, but who on Earth was Lothias talking to? He clearly had an earpiece of some sort. It was who was on the other end that had her potentially worried.

As they ran, moving from street to street, Ysabel asked, "Who are you talking to?"

Normally it was a little rude, she figured, but in this case there were exceptions to be made.

She resisted the urge to move them along faster, easily keeping pace with Lothias as he ran. If the situation became dire she could always try to shelter both the humans or get them to a safe location.

"Do they know where we'll be safe or what's happening?"

Even some fore-warning might help at this point. The sounds of thumps and blaring lights around them were disorienting. The lights in particular were hard for her to handle when they hit her straight in the eyes, causing her to flinch away. She kept her head turned into the darkness, doing her best to help people out of the way. Maybe a little too helpfully, in some cases.

LT ignored Ysabel's question as he stepped back out to the sidewalk, pulling on her brocade overcoat. Her petticoats bustled loudly and he half wanted to tear it off her. Frantically he avoided the bright headlights and scared mob of people running back and forth when she asked where somewhere safe would be.

"We're heading downtown to meet up with my friends. I can do my best to protect you both, but I honestly don't know..."

Suddenly the noise from the drivers throttling their engines whined down, the cars slowing with no control on the brakes or direction, careening into buildings and more people. The earpiece in his ear suddenly whined and then died. Reaching into his ear he pulled it out and looked at it.

"Wait...was that..." LT reached into his inside pocket and pulled his cell phone. It was completely dead. People in the street were noticing the same thing, holding their cell phones and calling out in terror to no one. Everything was black and motionless. The entire city block had stopped in its tracks, looking up into the sky, waiting for something to happen. LT took the opportunity to take Ysabel's hand and full out run.

"That was an electromagnetic pulse. Everything - the cars, clocks, cell phones, they're dead and I can't tell for how far."

LT was impressed that Ysabel kept up with him easily, encouraging him to run faster as they turned a corner leading to the main Strip that was lined with more commercial businesses that were blacked out and cars standing still in the streets. Hopefully the Pipers that were incoming were in wolf form, not using their helicopter, but as explosions began to rip through the night, he worried more and more.

They passed a large parking garage and LT dragged Danny and Ysabel across the street, cutting between the cars when he heard screaming behind him. Turning he looked up and could not believe what he was saw.

A 2003 4-door Saturn was being picked up like a piece of paper. With his bright blue eyes, LT watched as it sailed through the air...right at them.

Ysabel bristled at the idea of needing protection but she didn't let it show; six hundred years of manners were not to be broken even if Nachton was falling apart around them. Besides, bristling was a trait best left to Ambrose.

"All right. Downtown it is," she said calmly. "If anything happens, protect the child. I can watch out for myself."

It might be foolish of her to be so confident but something odd and unusual was happening around them and this was no time to be stingy and secretive about strange vampiric abilities. Ysabel would hope she wasn't forced to use them and if so, that Lothias would either write it off or have the good sense not to run screaming. After all, Ysabel was hardly planning on eating either of them.

She watched with concern as he examined his cell phone. "Well, we have an idea where they're heading at any rate. We should keep going in that direction."

They did just that as the Strip went black around them. Ysabel heard the same screams, turned at the same time as Lothias, and immediately abandoned all hope of avoiding the whole vampire mess. As the car flew toward them she shoved Lothais with both hands, off to the side away from the path of the airborne car, and forced herself into her foggy, ethereal state as the car passed right through her. She covered her head with her hands; ethereal she may be, but anyone would cringe when a car was passing through their face.

As she straightened she ignored the car as it hit the pavement in a shower of sparks and screeching metal. Running to where Lothias had ended up, huddled protectively around Danny, Ysabel took his arm in turn and hauled him along behind her as fast as they both could run. Which was, she realized as she turned to look at Lothias with wide eyes, a LOT faster than she expected your average human to be able to go.

Maybe best not to think on that now.

LT was stunned. There was no other reason for him not moving his ass when he saw the car flying toward them. He was just completely stunned. Never in his life had he seen anyone, or anything, hurl a car like it was nothing. Could he lift a car? Sure. Could he throw one like a baseball? Hell no. But something could and did. He was jerked out of his astonishment when Ysabel, the petite blond in vintage clothing that looked barely old enough to drink, shoved him so hard that he and Danny flew out of the path of the car within a second of seeing it.

Flinching against the force of her strength, LT held Danny's head, protecting it from the street as he rolled into a ball, keeping him from just crashing and possibly losing his grip on the kid. He tucked his legs and ended up on his knees, looking back at Ysabel with his back bouncing off a parked car. Grunting he put his hand forward and watched as the car crashed into the street behind her.

Behind her?

"What...?" was all he managed when she ran up to him and yanked him off the street, pulling him behind her. Even with her petticoat rustling beneath her, she ran faster than he knew any woman could. Any human woman.

"That car flew!" Danny said almost laughing. "Look, another one!"

Ysabel looked back as LT chanced a quick look over his shoulder and narrowly avoided another car, this time a Lexus. Whoever or whatever it was, it was moving up to quality cars. LT moved Danny's legs around his waist and held him against his chest as he jumped up onto an abandoned car, pounding his boots onto the hood and cracking the windshield with his weight and speed. Ysabel kept in front of him, never losing her ground as the Lexus rolled upside behind them. Broken glass flew as the hood compressed from the weight and force of its impact. As they approached another corner, he yelled up to Ysabel.

"Right. Go, right! RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT!!"

Ysabel couldn't be rude enough to ignore Lothias. Some things must be addressed and the issue of manners, for instance, couldn't be dropped entirely. "I think you know," she said as she glanced back at him. She didn't bother faking that she was breathing hard; there was no sense in that at this point.

As they hit the corner she grabbed Lothias' arm and swung him around the turn first, shielding both him and Danny from the flying shards of glass with her body and then following along behind. The pursuers followed, and a small VW Bug came flying at them. This one was much easier to handle. Ysabel had plenty of time to see it coming and shoved it away off to the side with telekinesis.

They didn't stop with cars now; almost anything big enough to hurl came flying at them.

"Who the hell is behind us?" Ysabel nearly screeched. And then she immediately clapped her hand over her mouth as they ran. "Excuse me."

FAR too long living with Amber.

LT felt Ysabel's small hands on his arm and then suddenly it was as tight as a steel vice grip. Instead of letting him take the turn himself, she felt compelled to propel him and Danny around the corner. Regaining his balance, he moved Danny to directly in front of him, blocking him from the shards of glass and more cars. They moved quickly down the street again, but LT signaled to Ysabel to turn again, zig-zagging toward the downtown area.

"You don't know? I thought you might have a better idea as to who and maybe what," he snapped as he turned down an alley and jumped up to the first landing of a fire escape, pulling himself up with one arm and then setting Danny down into it. He was still holding his teddy bear, no longer crying, but his eyes were bright and excited.

LT ignored Ysabel fairly certain she could take care of herself now and pulled the boy to him again as he triple timed it up the fire escape to the roof of the building. It was too hard to tell how far the EMP had reached, so he walked to the edges of the roof top, looking out as far as he could see.

"We're high," Danny said quietly to his bear. "It's ok Bear. Linus will protect us." LT couldn't help but smile at Danny mispronouncing his name.

"My friends call me LT. Why don't you call me that?" he said looking down at Danny and the bear. With a moment to breathe he took a deep breath and tasted the boy's scent. There was something strange about it. Leaning closer to Danny's chest, he inhaled deeply again.

LT's nose twitched and he flinched back. The smells were distinct: metal, enamel, copper. LT looked up into Danny's eyes and he smiled at him.

"Can I see Bear?"

"Ok Empty," he said.

"LT, Danny," he said correcting him as his eyes narrowed at the teddy bear.

Danny happily handed the stuffed toy over. Putting Danny back on the ground, he started to gently press his fingers along the center of the foot long bear and something hard pressed back. There was a slight charge and the smells intensified.

"Shit," LT mumbled unhappily.

Ysabel spared the time as they ran to favor Lothias with an incredulous look. "Me? With all due respect, sir, I'm not the one with the high tech secret voice devices giving me information."

She frowned. Why would Lothias think she knew what was going on? He had determined their course from the start of this escapade. Ysabel shook her head at herself as they ran up the fire escape to the building roof. It was stress. There was nothing to fear from this man. He'd been trying to help. She had no reason to think he had anything to do with this either.

"Forgive me," she said. "I don't know what's going on, I'm sorry. This is all somewhat beyond me."

This was hardly the time for conversation, really, but Ysabel fell back on what came naturally to her. She couldn't fathom what was gonig on around them and so far Lothias was the only one who seemed to have a clue.

When they stopped and Lothias let go of Danny to examine his stuffed toy Ysabel gathered the little boy close. She hardly thought he'd wander at this point, but it wasn't worth the risk.

Lothias swore and Ysabel peered over his shoulder. The man was poking at the bear, looking annoyed. "What is it? It's just a toy."

She lifted her eyes from the bear to Lothias' face. "Isn't it?"

Suddenly uncertain, Ysabel looked down at Danny.

LT flicked his eyes to Ysabel and then Danny. He was going to feel really guilty doing this, but there wasn't much of a choice. LT turned the bear over and felt for a seam, ripping it open.

"Empty, no!" Danny wailed and then began to cry again.

"I'm sorry Danny," LT said, opening the bear and spread the contents of it out and into his hands. In the bear was a thinly coiled wire over a square piece of metal - two pieces welded together and it felt hollow. On both sides of the square piece of metal was more thin wires with plastic pieces that connected to the larger coil of wires. On the opposite side of the coiled wire was another tiny metal box wrapped with mesh copper sheeting. All of this was no larger than the inside of LT's palm and weighed maybe five ounces, if that. He dismantled the three separate pieces by ripping them apart.

"This,' he said holding up the coil wire, "is a electromagnet and it's connected to the trigger...some how." The technology looked beyond him, maybe even Charlie who held several degrees in this type of technology. He pocked the magnet, now disabled, into the inside pocket of his field suit.

"The magnet is also connected to this," he held up the copper meshed box. "This is the smallest Faraday cage I have ever seen. These are simply made metal boxes that block out the disruptive waves of an EMP pulse, which is what we experienced. And it's protecting," LT used his fingernails and split the box open, "a transmitter. They're tracking the bear."

LT dropped it to the ground and lifted his boot, suddenly he lowered it back down again. Picking up the transmitter, he turned in the opposite direction of downtown and walked to the ledge. Keeping the transmitter intact, he wound up his arm and pitched the transmitter as far away as he could throw it. Turning back to Ysabel, he handed the now flaccid toy back to Danny.

"All right, let's go." Looking down at Danny, he gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Danny. And it's L T, not Empty."

Ysabel watched curiously as Lothias, LT, she corrected herself (although she was fairly certain she didn't qualify as a friend), tire open the little stuffed bear. She shushed Danny as he began to cry again, rubbing the little boy's back. "Mr. Bear will be fine," she said softly. "We can put him back together again."

She stared at LT as he explained the device inside of the bear, still not fully comprehending. This was not her forte and her comprehension was woefully inadequate.

"Why would anyone put something inside of a child's toy like this?" she wondered out loud, not really expecting an answer. "And why would someone be tracking it?"

She watched LT rid himself of the little tracking device, still completely shocked. "And you don't have any idea who 'they' might be?" she asked softly.

Ysabel looked down at Danny. "Who are you parents, Danny? Did they give Bear to you?"

The little boy just nodded in response and clutched his toy to his chest. Ysabel picked him up and settled him on her hip, more confident being the one to hang onto him while they climbed down the fire escape. If anything happened she could glide to safety with their little passenger, leaving LT free to move if needed.

She could see downtown Nachton lit up still, several blocks away, and assumed that was where they were going. So she began to climb back down toward the streets, on the alert for any further sign of their unknown pursuers.

"What just happened?" Domingo lifted his hands off the steering wheel of the Piper's SUV and looked over at the giant next to him.

Marko was quiet for a few moments as he looked around him. Touching the window switch of his passenger side door, he noted the lack of any power. "EMP," he said with complete confidence and opened the door to step out.

Domingo called out after him, "A...wait, how do you know?"

Marko circled around the car and opened Domingo's car door. "Because everything is dead." He held up his watch and showed it to Domingo. The LCD screen of his Casio Pathfinder watch was dark.

Domingo held up his watch and smiled, "Kinetic."

"Yes, very James Bond. Let's go."

Domingo stepped out of the car and began running with Marko in a slow trot toward where they were suppose to meet the LT.


~~

Charlie shot through the darkness of the alley ways in wolf form, a soft chestnut brown, but there was nothing soft about him. He was almost as big as the Commander, but lean and extremely agile in this shape. Flanking him was Red, also mammoth in wolf form, his namesake was his color, and then there was Marthinus - gifted late in life he was a graying black wolf but he held his own as they tore through the city alleys, searching out the LT.

They made it to the LT's exit point before Markos and Domingo - sniffing the area and surveying the damage. Red put his nose to the ground and immediately found the LT's scent, barking frantically at the Sergeant, getting Charlie's attention. They regrouped and moved toward the scents, following the two softer scents along with the LT's when Red suddenly reared back. There was a lingering scent along with the two softer ones, but he could not communicate his find to Charlie or Marthinus, not until he changed and he couldn't do that yet. Instead he shot off in that direction, taking point, and leading Charlie and Marthinus down the street.

As they doubled back they ran into Domingo and Markos who had stayed in human form. Red took the opportunity to change back, letting the two other men take his place and then some.

Red shivered painfully as he let his human side return, forcing back the wolf. They were all wearing their therian-weave and it rippled and reshaped to form his human body.
"There's something with them - metal, copper..."

Domingo let his change over take him and let Markos explain what they discovered. "It was an EMP, a small localized one."

"That has to be it then, but who would do that?

Marthinus bumped up against Red, sniffing at his pocket. Red pulled the item out - a long distance walkie talkie, and radioed back to Command.

Charlie barked at the two men and then jumped onto one of the abandon cars. The streets had cleared of people which did and didn't help their mission. Lifting his massive head up to the sky, he howled, long and hard.

Ysabel made it to the bottom of the fire escape, Danny secure in her arms. She jumped easily down from the last rung of the fire escape ladder and turned to look up at LT who was still descending. The streets here seemed much quieter; people had vacated the area fairly quickly.

Waiting for him to hit the ground she asked, "Where downtown were we supposed to meet your... friends?"

She wasn't sure she should be there when they did; LT had seen far too much strangeness from her. But she wanted to see the little boy safe and that meant sticking with them until they located the proper authorities.

As she waited for LT to answer her the hair on the back of her neck went up at the unmistakable sound of a wolf's howl. She remembered what Ambrose had told her a few months back about what he'd seen in the preserve... remembered Amir telling them it wasn't safe.

She turned to LT, eyes wide, and said unnecessarily, "Did you hear that?"

LT half shrugged, half nodded at Ysabel's question. "They'll find us, we just need to get out of the darkness."

She maintained her hold on Danny and that was fine with him; she was obviously able to take care of herself. LT gave Danny a smile and the little boy looked back at him with his large eyes. Reaching out, he took Ysabel's arm gently to direct her down another alley way when a long howl pierced the night.

It was Charlie.

LT urged her to move quicker as he turned them toward the howl. "I did, yes," he replied keeping his eyes open and alert as he looked up at the rooftops, searching for movement. They were moving toward the howl, but Charlie was expecting something back, at the very least to let the Pipers know where he was and that he was ok. Pursing his lips, he gave Ysabel a side look and walked a little closer to her.

"That's them. They're waiting for an answer," he said slowly.

Ysabel stared at LT, clutching Danny to her. As the man came closer she backed away quickly. "They're waiting for us?"

Was he really saying that? Did he really expect her to follow him toward them? Even suspecting, but not entirely believing, what they were, Ysabel was not inclined to do so. He must know what she was. He must suspect at least.

Ysabel shook her head as she backed slowly away. Her inclination was to go ethereal or levitate herself away. As it was, her feet left the ground and she lifted away slightly. She didn't think LT could fly; she could get away with Danny or at least levitate them out of his reach.

"No, no, no," she was murmuring softly. "Leave us alone, we didn't do anything to you."

Maybe a different 600-year-old vampire would have reacted differently. In truth, Ysabel wasn't necessarily afraid... but she was shocked and very wary of LT all of a sudden.

Shit, LT thought as she began to back away from him. No, she was floating. LT looked down at her feet or what she could see of them from her dress, but she was definitely beginning to float away. He held his hands up and stopped approaching her.

"Listen, listen. I know what you are and now you know what I am...but I promise you," LT said, emphasizing the promise, "we will not hurt you or the boy. It's not our way."

Another long howl unfortunately punctuated his statement, but then the following chorus of howls probably didn't help his argument.

"I didn't have to stay after we started running. I could have taken Danny to safety and left you, but I didn't. That has to say something."

Danny remained quiet during their discussion. LT looked at him, crushed toward Ysabel's chest, and his eyes were strangely curious, not scared at what they were talking about, but then he did only look about three or four years old.

LT kept his hands up, hoping Ysabel believed him.

Between the howling in the background and LT's comforting gestures and words, Ysabel was torn. She raised her eyebrows at him though. Well. If need be she could get away. It was true that he'd protected the boy.

Slowly, Ysabel drifted back down to the ground. "Very well, sir," she said a little bit stiffly, "but let us remember, while we're on the subject of reminders, that one of us had a car thrown through her head in the interest of keeping some of the squishier members of our little trio safe."

It was said with a little curtsey, even as she held the surprisingly calm Danny. "If you say they won't harm the child then by all means let us go."

She gestured, indicating that LT should precede her. Oh, she could only imagine what Ambrose would do if he were here. She wasn't happy at all. She wasn't scared senseless, but she wasn't comfortable. Still there was nothing to be done. Ysabel was limited by carrying Danny with her.

LT lowered his hands and half turned toward the howl but kept his eyes on Ysabel. Pointing up to the sky, he motioned toward the howls.

"I'm going to answer then," he said, taking a few steps away from her. When he put enough distance between them, LT turned away and unzipped his field suit. Stepping out of his clothes, he folded it back up and put it in the compression bag underneath his left armpit, above his kidney, letting it compress the suit flat against him. Then he pushed his wolf, letting the change overcome him as he fell forward, paws hitting the ground.

He shook out his fur as best he could with the Therian-weave on and turned back to Ysabel, looking at her with his bright blue eyes. Lifting his massive, reddish brown head, he howled back, joining the chorus of howling. The others stopped as LT finished his long howl and he tried shaking his fur out again.

LT stood on all fours, looking at Ysabel and Danny. The latter still remaining fairly calm considering he just watched LT change from man to wolf. He supposed kids were funny that way. Taking tentative steps toward Ysabel, he managed to get to about ten feet of her before he sat down on his haunches, flicking his ears forward at her.

Ysabel was torn between horror and fascination as she watched LT's skin ripple. She wanted to, but could not, turn her eyes away as his bones seemed to crack and shift, elongating in some places, shortening in others. It was hideous and amazing at once.

When he was done, LT was an enormous wolf; far bigger than any wild wolf like Ambrose had speculated. He was a red-brown color, and just - immense. Ysabel had never seen the like and thought she might never again. As LT threw his head back and howled, Ysabel felt her skin stand up in prickles. The sounds was eerie and beautiful and terrifying, even more so than the transformation itself.

LT stopped a good distance away from her; Ysabel took a deep, unnecessary breath and stepped toward him. "Can you understand me?"

The wolf nodded. Ysabel winced. That was eerie too... it was different when the wolf was a vampire. Somehow.

"Will they come to us now?"

LT squeezed his eyes shut and nodded again to her, but he didn't want to be standing out in the middle of the street. Sniffing the air, LT stood up and passed Ysabel and Danny; the boy was still quiet and nonplussed. Turning to get Ysabel's attention, he motioned toward the side of some commercial buildings and went to stand in the shadows of the alley separating them.

His ears twitched as he listened to the surrounding noises or lack thereof. The streets had deserted, even for looters, and there was no wind. Swinging his head left and then right, he sniffed into the alley and turned to watch Ysabel and Danny follow him when his ears picked up a high pitch noise. It came from his left, and the moment he turned toward the noise, something slammed into his chest, pushing him back against the brick wall of the alley with incredible force and intense pain.

Dazed, he slid down the wall when he heard clicking noises and he felt whatever hit him pierce his skin, causing him to emit such a loud and painful howl. The smell of silver engulfed his senses, making him gag and suddenly his chest was on fire, forcing his change back.

Changing back so soon and so quickly felt like being reborn, only backwards. His bones felt like they were crushing and then reassembling; his heart strained against the shift in size, damn near paralyzing him with pain. His paws shifted quickly back to hands and he reached up to tug the contraption off his chest and was rewarded with more burns.

"Oh...god...," he wailed to no one and anyone.

It was a metal spider with eight mechanical legs poking through his skin, piercing even the Therian-weave. His body crumpled against the wall, and as he struggled, he pushed his back against the wall. His elbows broke off chunks of brick as he twisted and turned, trying to push away from the machine and pull it off at the same time.

"Get it off, GET IT OFF!"

Ysabel followed LT into the alley, conscious of the fact that she was willingly entering a dark enclosed space with a... werewolf. A real werewolf. She glanced up; if blocked in she could get out.

She heard the same high-pitched noise as he did but didn't understand wha was happening for a moment. One second LT was standing there, and the next he was up against the brick wall thrashing, howling, and changing back with what, to Ysabel's ears, sounded like painful speed.

His words galvanized her into action. Werewolf or not, she couldn't stand by and listen to someone beg for mercy when it was clear they were in such pain. Just because she didn't trust him didn't mean she was cruel. She set the oddly non-plussed Danny down. "Don't move," she said. He nodded at her.

"Hold still," she said to LT. In the interest of time she held him down with one small hand and gripped the metal spider in the other. No, she would pull chunks of LT out with it that way.

Readjusting, she placed one hand on either side of the contraption and with a heave, gathered it in. Four legs in each hand, she pulled them out from LT's body as carefully and quickly as she could. Bending the legs together so she could hold them she lifted the main thorax of the thing off of him and twisted it easily. She squeezed until it crumpled and then dropped it.

"LT," she said, using the nickname he'd given the boy to use, "are you all right?"

Clearly he was not all right. But Ysabel was asking him if he would be. Odd, this concern for... a werewolf. But he'd been a decent person thus far. On the ground, the silver spider thing twitched. Ysabel picked it up again and put it into the nearest trash can just to be on the safe side.

Moving to where LT leaned against he building Ysabel held her arm out to him to lean on if he needed the support. She knew nothing about his kind. Obviously the spider had caused him pain, and he was injured. She didn't know what to do for him but wait for his friends.

LT felt his chest was on fire. The eight needle pricks in his chest radiated with silver burns and the burst of the fine silver mist made breathing hard. He was completely incapacitated and struggling to stay conscious as Ysabel took care of whatever it was that attacked him.

He reached out to her arm, trying to find something to hold onto. Opening his eyes they felt like the surfaces had been scratched, and the most certainly had been from the mist, and he leaned against her, trying to stand. Peering out, he saw Ysabel's concern and strangely enough he was perplexed by it, considering she knew what he was.

"I don't know," he struggled to answer, his sinuses on fire. His body was trying to regenerate and that pain was beginning to overwrite the pain of the damage. LT fell against Ysabel and she held him easily. "Danny..." he said, wincing.

The little boy was standing just behind Ysabel and he peered around her. "Are you hurt, Empty?"

LT pushed a grin through his grimace. "A little, Danny. And it's LT."

The wind began to move around them, but it wasn't natural, at least he knew the whip of helicopter blades when he felt it. The wind circled around them, pushing the air down but he could not hear or see the helicopter.

"Uh oh," Danny said quietly, looking up.

LT followed his gaze and instinctively reached out to pull Danny closer to them.

LT was in far worse shape than she'd thought when she had a chance to look at him more closely. Ysabel slid her arm under his, pulled his arm around her neck, and held him upright. He was bigger than she was but only by half a foot or so; It wasn't as awkward as it could have been had she been shorter or he, taller.

"Easy," she said, her own voice sounding far off to her ears. She wasn't supposed to be concerned for him. She didn't really want to hold him close like this. What he was... it was strange and wrong. And yet she realized the irony of that thought emanating as it did from her own undead, vampiric mind and perhaps that was the reason for this odd, somewhat awkward feeling of kinship.

Either way she hushed LT and used her free arm to gather in the little boy, too, as the wind picked up around them. "I've got him," she reassured the werewolf.

She looked upward anxiously, more afraid of the unknown than the strange and uncomfortable truth of the man beside her. "What is that?"

There was still no sound but a few seconds later the sky overhead lit up in a silent display of colorful sparks, showering down over the alley in which they stood. Ysabel did her best to cover LT; Danny was shielded by her skirts, but there was no need. The sparks were just sparks, and dissipated into the air long before hitting the ground.

Danny, however, seemed very concerned by them. He looked up at Ysabel and then to LT and said, "I have to go now" in a very calm, un-childlike voice.

LT looked up into the bright light in the sky and could not help but laugh. "Great, we're being abducted by aliens," he chuckled, despite his pain. It was silent, the wind still spinning around them, but he knew it wasn't the other-worldly kind - that was secret Ops if he ever saw it.

Danny turned and spoke in a clear, mature voice. Definitely not like a four year old. Holding his ribs, he pulled Ysabel away from Danny just a hair.

"It wasn't us...it was you they were after." LT shut his eyes, his lids scratching his cornea damage. "What was this?"

Ysabel glanced at LT and then up into the sky again. "I certainly hope not," she said wryly. "One revelation is enough for me for tonight."

She was willing to accept werewolves. But aliens weren't happening tonight. They could save the invasion for later, thank you very much.

Ysabel didn't resist when LT pulled her away from Danny. The little boy walked away from them a bit, turned, and gave L an answer of sorts. "It was fun."

He smiled and waved at them, his bear flopping around underneath one arm. "Thank you for playing with me."

Ysabel stared as the little boy walked off toward the end of the alley. She looked incredulously at LT, wondering if they should stop him.

Charlie was the first to snap out of the overwhelming and amazing sight. He broke out into a run toward the light, the clicking of nails suddenly thunderous behind him as the other Pipers snapped out of it as well. Once he got to fifty feet of the lights, there was an enormous roar and he and the Pipers were pushed back by what could only be a sonic wave. Their ears rang loudly, blinding them with pain and bright light...and then there was nothing.

Charlie sat up and looked down at himself. He had turned back into his human form, and twisting behind him he saw the others had as well.

"Oh my...fucking...head," Markos mumbled uncharacteristically colorful.

Red came running up behind them, quickly kneeling before each one, checking them. "What the fuck was that? What hit you?"

Charlie rubbed his head and staggered to his feet without answering. He immediately ran toward the alley, almost falling a couple times, but determined to find the LT. Turning the corner to the alley he saw LT and the female he said was with him.

Charlie went to the LT and helped him off the woman, taking her burden. "Where's the kid? What was that?"

LT felt like he should say something to Danny, but honestly he was at a loss for words as the little boy gave them a sweet smile and walked off toward the light. Ysabel seemed to think the same thing as they watched the boy leave. LT took a step back away from the kid with Ysabel still bracing him. It just didn't seem like a good idea to be close to Danny anymore, seeing how the kid didn't really need their help.

The wind that had picked up surged once and then died down. The pulse that followed pushed them both to the ground, his ears ringing loudly enough to rival even the pain in his chest. The light that had been centralized in front of them grew until that was all he could see till Charlie was there, pulling him off the ground and Ysabel. The other Pipers followed behind him; Marthinus, Markos, Domingo, and Red all worse for the wear, so to speak. Where was the kid, Charlie asked him.

"I...," LT started, looking at Ysabel as Markos stood forward and offered to help her off the ground. LT shrugged. "I have no clue."

His body was forcing the silver out, trying to regenerate, and curiously enough he started to feel better. Better enough to stand on his own two feet. Holding a hand out to Ysabel, he introduced her.

"Gentlemen...this is Ysabel. Ysabel, meet the Pipers."

There was a chorus of polite 'ma'ams' and nods.

Ysabel had no idea what happened after Danny spoke to them. All she knew was the light, already far too bright for her sensitive eyes, grew to such burning strength that she couldn't bear it; even through her arm over her eyes and something bulky on top of her the pain was too much.

When she could think again she saw nothing but flashes and spots in front of her face. The something bulky on top of her was evidently LT, who was helped off by his friends. The Pipers, he called them.

Suddenly Ysabel realized she couldn't see and was surrounded, totally vulnerable, by werewolves. She sat where she was, holding one hand out and covering her still-sensitive eyes with the other even though it didn't help. She breathed deeply for a second trying to control her fear. Going ethereal might just make matters worse. If they did anything, it would be her first response. For now she tried to compose herself while she addressed the situation at hand.

"Pleased to meet you," she said softly, the response instinctive.

"LT," she said next, in response to his voice, her own sounding pathetically meek to her own ears, "I can't see anything."

He wasn't a friend, exactly, but she certainly wasn't about to go mewling off to a strange... wolf. What a night.

Markos moved toward Ysabel and reached out slowly to her. "Ma'am," he said softly and touched her hand. He took her small hand in his and pulled on her gently, lifting her off the ground as she covered her eyes.

"I'm Markos, Miss Ysabel. I got you."

Markos blushed slightly as he held onto Ysabel. She was blond and very pretty, almost like a porcelain doll.

"You ok there, big fella?" Red grinned at Markos, the other men noticing how awkward the bigger Piper was acting.

Markos turned and looked at them, glaring.

Red held his hands up innocently and moved toward the LT. "CO is on the way. Who is she?" The LT looked at him, peering through red eyes. Red knew the glare. Didn't matter who she was, they were helping her.

"Ma'am, is there somewhere we can take you?" Red said turning back to Ysabel.

Ysabel blinked her eyes quickly, trying to regain her vision faster than it wanted to return. The spots and flashes were still there but she could see an enormous shape above her and her hand was suddenly enclosed in a massive one. Ysabel was too off-balance to correct the title the man used. It wouldn't matter anyway. She didn't intend to see much of these Pipers in the future.

Upright and on her feet, Ysabel tried to smile at the giant. "Thank you, Markos."

When another voice addressed her she spun toward it, her eyes roaming for a few moments before locating the new shape. She thought quickly. Of course they couldn't go back to Heolfor. Nor could she ask them to take her home. She didn't want them to know where she lived, or about Marie. What she really wanted was for them to go on their way and leave her be; she didn't wanted to be surrounded by them no matter how pleasant they appeared. But LT hadn't given her identity away, not yet, so perhaps he meant for her to go peacefully.

Asking to be left alone would be too unusual. So she said instead, "I have a condo uptown a little. I would be grateful for your help in getting there."

The little apartment she and Dayle had been sharing was largely vacant now since her move into her own home but Ysabel never got rid of real estate. It would be safe to go there. She gave them the address and wondered exactly what method of conveyance they used. Did werewolves drive? Of course they did. Just like vampires.

Charlie lifted LT's Therian-weave and looked at the damage. Red came up and whistled at the sight and took to the job. Red was their current field-medic and in his compression bag was various pleasantries like morphine, alcohol, sutures and the like. LT winced as Red touched up the eight little wounds.

"I think my ribs are broken," LT muttered through his teeth.

"Oh I'm sure they are," Red murmured, pulling out a long piece of cloth and wrapped it around LT's torso tightly. "You'll be fine in a little bit. No laughing or flexing your abs, please."

LT felt the sweat on his face as he glared at Red. Ysabel gave an address for them to take her to when a black SUV pulled up at the edge of the alley. Wincing, he lowered his shirt and approached the Commander as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Three to ride, the rest can make it back on...their own," LT said with a nod to his uncle.

Brig stepped out of the vehicle and took a look at his nephew. LT had his hands on his hips but was slightly bent over with marks in his Therian-weave. Whatever hit him, hit him hard. The Therian-Weave wasn't as strong as the new prototype, but it still had level 2 body armor and something pierced it like butter. He was wearing the same level of Therian-weave as well, only dark blue compared to the Piper's black.

"Ribs?" he asked.

LT nodded, his face pale and sweating from the pain.

Looking past his nephew, he saw the young lady standing with Markos. Slowly he walked up to her and smiled. "Miss Ysabel? Are you all right?"

"Her eyes, sir. The light blinded her." Markos answered for her as he held her hand, supporting her small frame.

"We have a car here, we're happy to take you wherever you'd like to go. I hope the LT was helpful?"

Ysabel looked at this newest imposing specimen. Were they all that large? She couldn't make out his features yet; her overtaxed eyes were still trying to catch up. As long as LT hadn't told them what she was she was fine for the moment.

"Yes, sir. He was more than helpful. I'm sure he saved my life. Is he all right?"

She fully intended to downplay her role in any of the night's events. Falling back into old habit, Ysabel played the role of the young, frightened ingenue. She swayed slightly on her feet as if weakened and leaned a little more heavily upon Markos' strong arm. She could certainly throw him over the SUV if she had to but she was once more incognito until danger reared its ugly head again.

"I would like to get home, please," she said softly, injecting the same thready quality as before into her voice. "I'm sure some peace and quiet are all I need."

Ambrose was hardly going to believe this, she thought as Markos helped her into the SUV. Had any vampire ever been escorted home like this? Maybe, maybe not. Friendly though they appeared to be Ysabel was on her guard.

LT sat in front passenger seat feeling better overall by the time they dropped Ysabel off at her place uptown. The police and government officials had descended on the blacked out areas by the time they made it out with absolutely no word on the light or helicopter/aircraft they all had not quite seen or heard. Lewis monitored the police bands from the Den and reported nothing out of the norm; a brownout after a power surge on the grid.

"So what happened to the boy, LT?" His uncle asked as they drove back to the Den.

LT shrugged and kept looking out the front windshield. "His ride picked him up."

His uncle was quiet for a moment before replying. "Seems kind of irresponsible that his parents would let him loose on the city."

LT scratched at the silver burns on his chest that he prayed would clear up before Carol saw them. "Someone was irresponsible, yeah."

"And the young lady?"

"She was a vampire," LT said plainly. He had no plans on telling the other Pipers and he looked at his uncle, his eyes bright and clear. "I won't swear to that, though."

His uncle nodded, quiet in his thoughts for a few moments more before he sniffed loudly. "You stink."

"Yeah," LT said with a smile. "I know."



(OOC - Pipers, Ysabel, Brig, and LT out))

Merry Christmas y'all!