The Aston Martin rolled slowly to halt in front of 70 Pine Street, engine burbling with a barely suppressed growl. The city seemed to be deserted at 03:00 in the morning, but the high street lamps kept it well illuminated, just in case someone felt the need for a midnight stroll.
after all these years, Shadow was back in New York again. He thought he had left this city and all it's shit behind for good. Shadow let out a sigh and looked through the driver's side window, his eyes climbing the 67 storey skyscraper, counting the floors. It was a classy building, old in style, completed just before the end of the Great Depression. He stopped at 63.
That was it: Alucard's home. He picked up the file provided by the Seeker and flipped through the pages until he came to the art depicting the son of the Lord of Vampires. It was a sketch by some japanese video game designer. The face was androgynous, hair long and white. Shadow couldn't take it to be true. All the Jap anime characters looked like that. The other photo showed Alucard wearing a crimson suit, with a matching fedora. This was also anime. He seemed like less of a fairy in this one.
Which one would prove to be more accurate, he wondered?
The engine died as he removed the key and stepped out of the vehicle, making his way to the trunk. In it was his arsenal of weaponry. He strapped on his leather shoulder holsters which held the twin Smith & Wesson M&P45s. Would he need extra clips?
Probably. Better safe than sorry. He wrapped the ammo belt around his waist. It contained six extra magazines.
Next, he took the Katana blade: Old faithful, no ammunition required, 2000 years old. A work of art from the ancient world, and the sharpest mother-fucking blade in the west.
This he hung between his shoulder blades. Previously the Katana had been enough, but Shadow had no idea what waited beyond those doors. Seeker's report stated that the building was owned and managed by a corporation that seemed to have a penchant for blackholing information. That was ominous enough and indicated that the security would, in all likelihood, be of the undead kind.
Shadow lit a cigarette. As he stood, sucking back on the death stick, that familiar rush started to creep in. His limbs became charged, his muscles taught, his awareness heightened, his senses became honed. He clinched jaw, parted his lips and gave a Death's Head grin.
"Dying time, Fuck heads."
He had one more drag before flicking the Marlboro away. There was no need for subtlety. These cocky slut-sons would never consider escape. He suddenly broke into a run, arms pumping hard, legs blurring. He crossed the wide street in split seconds, his speed increasing. There was a wide rotating door leading to the reception area. It was flanked by large windows bearing the emblem of the building. Shadow aimed for the one on the left. At full sprint, Shadow drew his right hand pistol. The crack of gunfire ripped through the silence of the city as he pumped three rounds into the double plate glass. Shadow leapt head first, his arms coming up to shield his face, and smashed through the window. It disintegrated upon impact. Shadow curled up, twisted and landed on the other side. He rolled on his shoulder and came up to his knees, both pistols drawn. Two security guards jumped up from their seats. It seemed slow and clumsy, almost comical. They were human, half-asleep, and panicked as they fumbled for their own guns.
Shadow squeezed the triggers and the tops of their heads disappeared in a spray of blood, brains and bone.
The bodies dropped. Shadow waited.
...
...
Nothing.
He stood and walked to the elevators. He marveled at the beauty of the lobby, marble tile eveywhere: on the floors, the walls, the desks, the turnstiles. On the way he stopped to check the building directory. Alucard's floor was not listed. He moved on.
The blood from the dead guards spreading like an ink blot along the tiled floor of the reception. Shadow stepped over it, careful not to get any on his white Lacoste sneakers and vaulted the turnstiles beyond them, coming to the elevators at last.
He pushed the UP button on the control panel. The first elevator's doors opened.
And a figure stepped out. Shadow almost fired at it.
"Fucking Christ's clit Collins!"
The spirit shook his head. "You're going to need all the help you can get on this one."
"Well, where the fuck have you been?" demanded Shadow.
The spirit's face became angry. "I come and go when I please! Not when it suits you, you ungrateful little shit. And just because you don't see me, it doesn't mean I am not there. Maybe I should drop the shield I have erected around your mind and see how you do when the Vampires start frying your brain!"
Shadow shrugged. "Whatever. So far none of this has been too tough. There was so much hype in all their published shit. I expected these guys to be a bit more hardcore. Ill tell you something though, these guys really took some creative liberties. Even Lestat was a pushover compared to what I had read."
Dr. Collins nodded. "Alright. But now you're coming face to face with one who is only rivalled by the great Dracula himself. Alucard's powers are astounding, and have developed beyond merely the physical. He can exert mind-control, telekinesis, teleportation..."
"Ok, Ok, Doc." Shadow broke in. "I read the wiki. Thanks. But once again, there is so much hype and bullshit surrounding these guys, I have a hard time figuring out what's real and what isn't."
"Well all I can say is that you should expect the worst."
Shadow selected the 36th floor from the digital elevator controls. He went to the next elevator and selected 27. At the third he selected the top floor, 67, and at the last he selected Alucard's floor.
He let them go and then headed for the stairwell, leaving Collins behind.
As he pushed open the door, Collins was waiting for him on the other side.
"Cool trick." Remarked Shadow.
"Do you have a plan?" Asked the spirit.
Shadow nodded. "Kill everyone and cut Alucard's head from his shoulders."
"You call that a plan?"
Shadow ran up the first flight and said. "Kiss."
Collins followed, puzzled. "Kiss?"
"Keep It Simple Stupid."
The spirit wasn't impressed. "You're a fucking idiot."
Shadow grinned and continued to climb.
