The Palladium - 1992

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladium_(New_York_City)

Palles wasn't certain why he was here. Well okay he knew why he was here, just not why his boss was here at this club, there was a meeting or something. Palles was just protection, but looking around he knew that something was not right about this club.

It didn't take him long to realize what, almost nobody was looking at him, almost nobody was noticing the giant. If there was one thing he had learned about being a massive man, it was that only people who knew who he was, or supernaturals, didn't stare. It didn't take long to realize that most of the patrons tonight were kindred.

"What are we here for?" He finally asked the man he was following, a short man, even compared to normal people, he looked like a child next to Palles. The man stopped turning and looking up at him.

"I don't pay you to care where we are."

"You do pay me to keep you alive, and considering that I thought we were going to a mortal dance club, but this place is so full of fangs that I am starting to think that the walls might be full of blood, I thought that I might need to know a bit more about what was going on."

The little man rolled his eyes, "Fine, we're going to be watching some big reveal, the owner of this place invited vampires from across the world to show off something, it's all hush hush, but whatever. We're just here to watch, and then leave. Find somewhere to sit, I will be up by the stage, just keep an eye on me and stay out of the way."

This job was getting really annoying. But Palles did as he was told, turning and heading to the back of the room and finding a wall to lean against. The few tables and booths looked way too small to accomdate him. He looked around as he stood there, and then he was gone.

He would stumble through the crowd. The girl on his arm nearly as bad. Her neck slightly bleeding as he hadn't licked the wound close. Now and then he would lean in and suckle a bit more from her neck. Moaning softly as he would move through the crowd. His eyes on the large man before he faded away. A large smile on his lips. "Gargoyle! Oh Gargoyle!"

A few steps and then he was done. Dropping heavily into a chair, his head swaying. Oh...far, far too much drunk and high hooker. But then again...when wanted to party. His hand reaching in to pull out a small vial of cocaine and offered it up to the girl who took in a hard snort.

"Gargoyle! Oh Gargoyle!" The words rang out through the room, a few heads turned and Palles sighed his eyes lifting to look at where the words had come from. He disapeared all the same as Styphathal basically fell into a seat. Images flashed through Palles mind, of him reaching out and throw the girl across the room, picking up Styph and throwing him after her.

Instead he stayed put, did his job.

The lights suddenly dimmed, and the stage at the front of the dance club lit up, two men walked out and as they did Palles noticed that all of the doors closed, and were locked. The two men were smiling, and waving to the crowd. What the hell was this?

"Hello, hello, how is everybody today?" Said the blonde man on the stage, the other had dark hair and skin, in fact he looked so dark skinned that he almost drank the light up around him. Assamite. The blonde one looked familiar too, tension seemed to be building as others also realized just what Palles had, that these were not the people that had invited everyone to this gathering.

"Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking 'Oh fuck, an Assamite and a fucking Lasombra are standing up there on stage, we thought this was a happy go lucky camarilla gathering or some shit.' Well you thought fucking wrong, and to be honest that is exactly what we wanted you to think. But worry not, we are not planning to murder and rape all of you, maybe a few, but let's see what happens first!" The man sounded like he spoke publicly a lot, and that was when Palles realized who it was, he'd seen him on TV. Not recently mind you, no way back in the past.

He couldn't recall the man's name, some actor who had died spectacularly in the 80's. Apparently that was not quite the truth though. He looked around, his ward was sitting calmly at a table a little ways off still, Palles didn't like this though, he had a feeling that his boss knew what was up. He shifted slowly, ducking down and moving to where the Toreador was, his hand resting on the wall, he knew every way in and out of the building, could feel every person in it. And there were more people in it than there were in this room. And he noted more people in this room than he could see with his eyes.

"Styph. This is a trap. Sober the fuck up," he whispered.

Blah blah blah....as he would turn in his seat to look up at the stage. He could hear something or other. His eyes blinking a bit as he would squint. Looking up at the men. A frown on his lips. Something was wrong, that guy didn't look like he was much of a party type.

He tried to focus...."Styph. This is a trap. Sober the fuck up"...he knew that voice as he would look around with his ice blue eyes. A frown as he would just snort. Whispering himself, "I...am completely sober..." His hand moving to rest on the table, and slipped a bit...his body slumping forward as his face hit the wood.

Why had he come here again? He hated the Camarilla. They were a bunch of pussies. Arguing and hiding. The Sabbat were no better though. Monsters wanting to suck on anything that moved. But they threw parties. Parties with hookers and blow. What more could he want? A hand reaching up to rub at his forehead. He would blink once more as he looked around him. There had to be a way out. He ran...that's how he survived...he wasn't a fighter...he was a fucker...no that wasn't right...he was a runner...that was it.

She was there in the club, sitting in a shadowed corner, watching, observant of all that was going on around her. Honestly, she didn’t know why she was here; these types of gatherings were usually beneath her. But, this night was a rare instance where she had wanted to see and experience things firsthand rather than hear from one of her many connections about what was going on among her clan…among her kind.

Despite the fact that she was sitting out of the way, letting the shadows cover her like a veil, her beauty still drew attention. In fact, many men seemed drawn to her, both by the beauty as well as the danger that they felt lurking beneath the surface. Things never changed.

She noticed both Palles and Styphathal before her gaze wandered to the little spectacle that was taking place on stage. This was not right; she knew it even before she heard Palles’ words to Stephathal. Without waiting to hear more she quietly gathered her small bag from the table and kept the shadows around her so she would not draw so much attention to herself as she moved.

Passing by both Palles and Styphathal she let her ice blue eyes flicker towards them and nodded briefly before she continued on her way. Even with the shadows moving around her, hiding most of her from view, she painted an enticing picture in her black high heels and form fitting black dress that dipped enticingly low in the back, her long ebony locks swaying gently against her pale skin. Though her movements were graceful, hips softly swaying to the beat of her heels on the concrete floor, she moved quickly towards one of the lesser known exits of the club.

"You see, the thing is, we ... brought you all here to witness something. Something amazing, fantastic even." As the man spoke something behind him began to move, and the wall behind him slid away to the side, behind him stood a dozen men. Well men was a bit of a stretch. They were all deformed, changed ... augmented perhaps? They marched forward in unison, then turned to each other, their hands reaching out and then seeming to mesh together.

"Run, RUN bitches." The man on stage began to cackle as whatever the hell was on stage began to form. Panick erupted in the crowd, as people began to do just that, but all the doors were locked, and kindred were begining to pile up at the doorways. A few brujah were at one wall, trying to punch their way through.

Palles knew that none of it would work, the walls were reinforced, the doors were reinforced. He searched the building in his mind, the ceiling, there was a weak point that led to the ducts. It would be a tight fit for him, luckily for him he didn't need it. "Styph, if you don't flush your system of whatever the fuck you're on, you're going to die. I don't know why I care, but you fucking owe me. In a minute I am going to make you a way out of here, in the ceiling. Get in the fucking hole and head south, there is a fork take the left path, follow it until you have to go up or down. Go down, you'll come out in the basement. I'll be waiting there for you."

Palles gave Styph a moment to take it all in, then he was up, he launched himself at the ceiling and hit the right place, hard (potence) the ceiling crumbled and the opening was clear. Palles then turned and ran for a wall, diving into it he came out the other side, then headed for his own path to the basement.

His eyes would look around. The voice was somewhat recognizable...."Styph, if you don't flush your system of whatever the fuck you're on, you're going to die. I don't know why I care, but you fucking owe me. In a minute I am going to make you a way out of here, in the ceiling. Get in the fucking hole and head south, there is a fork take the left path, follow it until you have to go up or down. Go down, you'll come out in the basement. I'll be waiting there for you." Ceiling. Hole....south.

His eyes would move. The pale woman. He remembered her from somewhere. He would reach up...rubbing at his head. He had to get out. He knew that much. From the voice not only in his head but in his ear. He'd watch her walking towards the exit. Maybe she had a key? No...that was silly....she didn't send the invites...and he doubted she owned the place. His head turning as the panic started. Watching people trying to smash against the walls.

He was up...moving over to the woman...He knew her...he knew that much...maybe he fucked her at some point in time....right now...it didn't matter....she woudl feel his hand on her hip as he would whisper in her ear. "Come now....they wouldn't set a trap and let you just walk out any of the exits....you should know them better then that..." A smile....as he would point his finger up to the hole the Gargoyle has created..."Not that I know how the old boy thinks we are going to get up there."

Ice blue eyes would look around....before he pointed to a bit of sectioning rope...."There...." He would move....grabbing it and tossing it upward...his eyes on her...slowly moving up and down. "You able to climb in that?"

She stopped as she felt Styphathal’s hand on her hip. “I was hoping to make a graceful exit before the party really begun,” she said softly, calmly, as if she was speaking of a garden party rather than the chaotic carnage that was beginning around them. “From what I recall you said you always did like a good party, but I really doubt either of us would enjoy these festivities.” Her eyes followed his as he looked around and as he pointed out the hole she was about to make a rope out of shadows when he pulled at one that already existed for them to use.

The corner of her lips twitched ever so slightly as he looked her over. Some things never changed. When he asked if she could climb in the dress she simply took the fabric in hand, ripping it along the seams from her knees to her hips, exposing the pale flesh of her thighs before she looked at him and simply said, “I believe I can manage.”

She looked around at the chaos and simply pursed her lips, “I do not believe that they will let us leave that easily. Stay close and I will try to keep us from view.” She took the rope in hand and without a by-your-leave she started to climb, using her abilities (Obtenebration) to wrap them in shadows, which was comforting to her, but felt like death’s embrace, in attempt to hide them from the view of those who were leading the attack.

The monster that formed was tearing through the room, vampires were attacking it but to little avail, most of the kindred in the room seemed to be not very martial minded, and some of the vampires in the room were attacking each other. Block ups at each doorway were forming, a few brujah were by one wall trying to bust their way through, but as Palles had discovered earlier, the walls were very thick, and well reinforced.

The monster was just reaching the hole in the ceiling by the time that Styph and his companion had thrown up the rope and were trying to get it to attach to something up there.

Palles was moving through the building, slipping through walls when need be as he made his way to where he'd said he'd meet Styph.

"Yes, well...the party just grew a bit too exciting I think." Watching as Margot would tear at her dress. A smile as she started to climb, tilting his head slightly to enjoy the view of her panties for a moment before he would start to climb up after her. Ice blue eyes would turn to look at the monster and the few kindred attacking it. Even as it seemed to be rushing towards them. "Move...faster!"

He would look up...watching as the shadows wrapped around them, not really sure how affective it would be against...who the hell even knows what that was, he was no hero....he was barely a fighter as he would reach up...a hand on Margots ass to shove her up faster....to make her climb through the hole. "Fuck...." The snap from the rope....even as his hands would wrap around whatever he could of Margot...foot, ankle, leg, dress...he didn't fucking care as his eyes looked down as the rope fell.

She sighed and shook her head at how he joked about the situation. Rather typical of him. She almost rolled her eyes at the grin on his lips when he watched her tear at her dress. The man never changed, though he didn’t seem to remember her. He was obviously high. She didn’t need to be prompted to move faster already moving for the rope and calling for the shadows. She felt him grab at her ankle as the rope gave out, but she never let the shadows falter and kept them wrapped around them. In fact, just as she felt them start to go into free fall she called on the shadows to solidify in a way that they were actually being lifted up by them, up through the whole. It was draining, but she did it…and Styph was going to owe her big after this. Bastard.

They made it just past the whole when the monster reached it and she was stumbling, drained for a moment by the effort of pulling them out. It was hard to do for herself, much less two people. But, calling on the last of her strength she started to run, her high heels having falling away long ago. “Run!” She knew that whatever it was was intent on getting all of them and would probably follow if it could.