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Activity Log, April 12, 2001
After their mixed victory the previous evening, the group met again to discuss the aftermath of their organized raid against the Sabbat. Hannah contacted the other groups of vampires who had said they would accept the temporary deputy position she had gained from Julia and listened to their reports. It seemed that all the five groups who went looking for Sabbat found them in three of the five boroughs. Dara claimed to have lost one of her allies in a fight in the Bronx; Sanchez and Slant met opposition in Brooklyn; Stanislaw battled Sabbat in the Bronx as well; and Jacob sent the Sabbat fleeing before him in Queens.
The subjects seemed quite dumbfounded to learn of the extent of the Sabbat's infiltration of the city. The group spoke at length with Jacob about the matter. Jacob told them he thought the Sabbat were most certainly organized, likely under their war-leader Fernanda Montero. Jo, the young Brujah, suggested that Jan might have made some deal with Montero, since the Sabbat were obviously staying off Manhattan. While Jacob dismissed the idea, I found his explanation of why it was impossible to be most fascinating. It seems that Jan was present at court the night the Sabbat - led by Fernanda Montero - burst into the throne room and slew all but three of those present. All who survived were brought to safety by the power of the Nosferatu. Jan was hidden by the Nosferatu for five years against the vengeance of the Sabbat, and some short time after returning to society, began to agitate for a return to New York City. It is fascinating to observe that the current situation must be the fruition of his long-term plan.
Hannah then reminded the group that she had promised to meet Julia at the Battery and explain why she had asked for the position of temporary deputy. The others agreed to accompany her, and they reported their exploits to a disturbed-looking Julia. Julia explained that while it was excellent that they had struck against the Sabbat, any organization of the neonates would create a great deal of resentment among the elders, and that using her authority that way might make it look like she (and by extension Jan) supported such an organization.
Julia suggested that if they truly wished to help her and the Prince, they might report on the activities of the other neonates, and try to determine which of them were in service to elders hostile to Jan. Cliff's immediate reaction to this was to reject the very idea in a most insulting way - I quite agreed with Julia when she slapped him hard enough to send him reeling to the ground. Children should be seen and not heard, I have always said.
The rest of the group seemed equally unwilling to comply with her most reasonable request. Julia attempted to explain to the group that by helping Jan become strong, he could then intervene in favor of the neonates and stand against his enemies among the elders. She pointed out that there were several cities whose governments were fair and reasonable to the neonates, such as St Louis and Marseille, and urged them to investigate how it had come about. Jo and Hannah seemed unwilling to take the long view. Cliff and Parker both were quite resistant for personal reasons as well, while Ethan took a more cynical view. He pointed out that Jan may have been put on the throne precisely to fail, and so he did not necessarily want to help Julia in an unwinnable battle.
Hannah asked again if she might be deputized, but Julia said that she would never deputize someone that she could not trust, and who did not share her vision for what must happen in the city. The group begged to be allowed to pursue Richard Mason, but Julia claimed that the government of the city did not regard him as a Tradition-breaker or even as an anarch. They seemed to wish to help her, but only on their own terms, which Julia could not accept. She showed extreme bitterness, though it seemed directly mostly at Cliff. She told him that she no longer needed his help and that she wished to have nothing to do with him.
Under ordinary circumstances, Cliff might have pursued Julia further, trying to find some compromise. However, Ethan intervened and led the group away to have a private discussion. He told the group that they simply had to deal with Mason immediately, whether or not Julia would permit it. Cliff seemed unwilling to participate, but perhaps his rejection by his grand-sire affected his decision, and he agreed to come along. After taking some time to prepare themselves - which Cliff and Parker used to start a bar fight at Pitt's, something Pitt seemed to enjoy immensely - the group met downtown and waited for Ethan to lead them to the spot he had prepared for Mason. (I admit I was rather surprised at their chummy attitude to Pitt, considering that Julia had mentioned Pitt had been a rather ruthless mob boss and liquor smuggler in the twenties, but perhaps they care less for such proprieties than I.)
Ethan concentrated briefly, using the power of his blood to summon Mason across the miles. He stood in the place of the pillar, while his friends Parker and Cliff waited just inside the door; Hannah took her place just outside the door with her gun. Jo was nearby as well, but not to be seen - I have not yet managed to pin my sight to her.
It was only a few minutes before Mason could be heard walking confidently down the corridor. He called ahead of him, asking why he had been summoned so soon after the last time. It seems he is not unfamiliar with the idea of being supernaturally summoned, though I cannot say who might be the one summoning him regularly.
As soon as he came near the metal door for the housing of the pillar, he spied Ethan. In the fury of his betrayal, he leaped through the steel doorway and attacked. Hannah shot him from behind and immediately took off up a ladder near her station - I was not certain why, though it was soon to be made clear. Ethan managed to twist out of the way of the attack, while both Cliff and Parker attacked Mason from behind. Unfortunately, both of them were repulsed by his supernatural strength, landing in a heap against the wall. Mason pulled a small device out of his coat and tossed it at them - it seemed to be a bomb, which would have been quite unfortunate for the both of them, had Cliff not managed to catch it in mid-air and toss it well up the shaft before it exploded. Unfortunately the resulting flame caused him to recoil in primal terror, and he rushed from the room.
While Parker and Cliff were occupied, however, Mason had not been idle. He had attacked Ethan with a knife and dropped him in his tracks, and now turned to face Parker one on one. Parker grabbed at something around his neck and stuffed it in his mouth. The crunch of glass revealed to me it was some sort of vial, likely containing potent blood, as he immediately began to move with remarkable speed. Parker and Mason feinted at each other for a few moments, neither gaining the advantage, when from behind Mason, Ethan wakened and leaped for his back. The two tussled - snapping and biting at each other most fervently - for only moments before Mason, now the victim of two well-trained fighters, went down for good.
It was not long, however, before their minds turned to questions of how and why Mason had come to attack them; the only clue they had was the business card of a woman Ethan seemed to know. After refreshing themselves on blood, he led the group to a small office in the neighborhood known as Hell's Kitchen, where Rita Cheng plied her detective trade. She recognized Ethan when he came in and seemed somewhat pleased to see him. This lasted only until he confronted her about whether she was involved with Mason.
After Parker relieved her of her weapons, and Hannah placed the barrel of a gun against her head, the woman was convinced to talk. (If only they would learn to use more subtle methods!) Cheng admitted that she had helped Mason plan the attack on their havens, but only at the orders of Senator Cypress, Ethan's mortal father. It seems that the Senator had been employing Cheng for some years, ever since he had set her up to commit murder - naturally he had videotapes and other compelling evidence, and the woman was unwilling to risk her word against that of a senator. She seemed rather upset about what she had been forced to do by the Senator, but made it rather clear that she had had no choice.
Ethan offered to make a deal with her. In return for everything she knew, he would free her of his father's influence. Cheng quickly accepted, once she was made to believe that Ethan could do such a thing. She gave them a list of names of people who had participated in the assaults on the things the group valued, and told Hannah that she had some contacts with some of Mason's allies. (It seems Hannah wished to know who had assisted Mason in assaulting her sire's haven on the night of her sire's disappearance. I shall have to inquire if there is further information on this Genevieve Greenough in our files.) Cheng agreed to meet Ethan in a few days time to deal with his end of the bargain, though I believe she would have agreed to nearly anything to have them out of her office.
After leaving Rita Cheng, the subjects discussed briefly how to deal with the consequences of their actions. Hannah wanted to know whether Oliver had been behind Ethan's father's actions, but Ethan had little insight. He did, however, have a suggestion about how they might evade the effects of their actions. The group drove to Hartford, where they obtained an interview with a Kindred who they referred to as Prince Catherine. The Prince agreed to erase the group's memory of the night's events in return for some small services from Ethan; however, Parker made sure that his dog knew the location at which Mason had been abandoned I cannot say I am certain what good such a thing would do, but it was rather amusing to watch the two communicate.
Ethan spoke briefly with the group, explaining that he was leaving for Seattle imminently. He was rather cryptic, saying it was to keep his sister safe, and that he would return soon. I do hope the rituals will persist in their efficacy across so many miles.
Transcribed and maintained Elizabeth Kent
It seems the young Toreador had engaged in quite a bit of preparation before confronting this enemy. He led his companions to a construction site in the Financial District. A long corridor led through the rubble and concrete, ending in a steel-walled room. From context, I was able to gather that this would be the foundation for one of the supporting columns of the building in some days time. Leaving Mason's body here would effectively remove him from their lives without violating the prohibitions against killing another of their kind - at least not technically. Given Jan's weak grip upon the city, though, it seems likely they will not be pursued over anything less than a flagrant breach.
Parker quickly searched Mason's body while Ethan retrieved Cliff, finding a wallet, a notebook, and a business card from a woman named Rita Cheng. He left the room and they sealed the door behind them. At a signal, Hannah and Jo activated the cement pourer they had rolled above the top of the pillar housing, and the five watched as the thick liquid splashed down, quickly obscuring the body of their vanquished foe.