thoughtformed | [Open Log] - The Change is upon us...

Lin's fury had subsided to a simmering rage beneath an icy surface, her calm little more than a thin veneer - a porcelain mask over the monster. Harkness had done an excellent job constructing the cell. For all her supernatural strength, she had been unable to do more than crack the thick Plexiglas. The walls had held. The joints of the structure were solid. Everything was hermetically sealed - even the circulation system was airtight. She had made the rounds of psychological testing as well, and her captors held firm. They hadn't even unsealed the door long enough to release food for her.

She could sense others held here. Wolves, like a restless, migrating itch she could never quite scratch - base-born curs, worth nothing and more frustrating than fleas, they destroyed everything they touched and turned the kine into more of them, leaving little to none left for the vampires to feed on.

Hunger was a constant presence, nearly palpable in its intensity by this point, pulling her skin taut against her bones and exhausting her if she paced too long. So instead she stood motionless, conserving her energy, thinking of other options to try. Ever since she realized she would be unable to escape this place under her own considerable power, she had been reaching out to her eldest child. Her most trustworthy and competent scion. And the most dangerous. If he had any ambitions to take her down and step into her shoes, this would be the most effective method for him to do so while keeping his hands spotlessly clean.

She had considered the notion and deemed it a risk worth taking. Itsuki was intelligent. Ruthless. And though he occasionally chaffed under her control, he didn't fight her nearly as hard or as often as he could have. He might be ambitious. Not that ambitious. He would come. And she would be waiting.

Koizumi had been keeping his distance from Lin since the previous evening, as it was clear there was something she didn't want him to know about. He respected that, even if she really could have just told him. He had no reason to be suspicious, or to pry. He would leave her to her secret.

He'd been getting all sorts of emotions from her the previous evening, but they hadn't been directed at him, so he'd gone about his business. Tonight, she had been suspiciously still and quiet, but he was still only peripherally paying attention to it. It was almost time to feed Aqua... his head turned instantly to face the warehouse district, eyes sharp and shadows flaring angrily around him, as he felt a distress call from his sire.

Though his instinct was to run for her immediately, he resisted. There were only a few reasons she'd send him that call. Running through the options quickly in his head, he concluded she must have been captured - it was an urgent call, but there was no immediate, impending danger.

He glanced briefly toward three other spots in the city, considering gathering his spawn... but he didn't know enough, and if something was strong enough to capture Lin, the others would probably make little difference. This wouldn't be a brute force sort of mission, unless all else failed. If it came to it, he would wait for the dark hour and blast his way out. He sent her a message back, conveying both confidence and patience. He would be there. But he would take his time, and do it right.

He took half an hour to check in with his spawn and make sure they were all managing, and took precautions for them, in case he should fail to return. After that, he took to the sky, honing in on his connection to Lin and following the path it drew for him. He landed soundlessly on the roof of the New Brew, eyes narrowing. Harkness.

He closed his eyes and slowly melded with the shadows around him, spreading out and melting down through the ventilation system until he reached the secret part of the warehouse. There, he made a cursory sweep of the place, noting security and exits. Harkness was in the building too. Then, he raced invisibly through the corridors until he found the prison. There were many cells, mostly filled with werewolves, and therefore of no consequence. There was only one he cared about.

A figure made out of writhing shadows condensed quietly in front of her cell. After a moment, Koizumi stepped out of the mass of whirling shadow, immediately going to one knee and bowing his head - the remaining shadows fell, spreading on the floor behind him like a cloak. There, he waited, still and silent.

Edited 2013-11-10 21:55 (UTC)

Lin felt him arrive, felt him sweep the place, felt him come to her. The sense of him solidified, and she could almost see him emblazoned against her eyelids as she waited for his decision. He knelt before her and a low, predatory laugh echoed in her mind. He was hers.

Her eyes flashed open, dark irises in her pale face. Her chin rose and she paused, watching him. Her first and greatest creation. With whom she was well-pleased. She extended a hand as though to offer it to him, gesturing languidly for him to stand and reaching out to touch his mind.

Rise.

She tilts her head toward the door to her cell, the overhead light catching on the sharp bones of her face.

Koizumi remained perfectly still until he received her command, though his shadows still flowed and rippled around him. On command, he rose and faced her, expression still, though hunger and devotion warred in his eyes as he repressed a shiver at the pride and satisfaction and sheer possessiveness flowing into him through their bond. She tilted her head toward the door, and he smiled.

He held up one hand, and the shadows began to swirl and and spiral around and out from it, flowing freely into the locks. He made a subtle twisting motion with his hand, and as one they clicked open. He took two steps closer, and casually lifted each lock off the door and dropped it, whereupon it floated gently to the ground and was shrouded in shadow. Then he opened the door and walked to her, reverently taking her hand and kissing it as if she were royalty, inclining her head and looking up at her. "Sire."

Edited 2013-11-12 05:35 (UTC)

Perfect. He had clearly been honing his skills. Lin gently disengaged her hand and delicately drew sharp nails along his temple and down the curve of his cheek. "Itsuki. You've done well. Come. I'll think of a suitable... reward for you once we're clear."

She was not yet weak enough to need help moving, and flowed past her servant, squeezing his shoulder in a token of affection as she stepped out onto the main floor. She hadn't had a chance to explore, and nor did she have time for it now, as much as she would like to go through and systematically destroy everything that screamed of usefulness or sentimentality. Still, she didn't have the energy to spare to leave the way Koizumi had entered. They needed an exit.

Jack had been in his room reading a book, having been satisfied with his progress for the day and deciding it was time to turn in for bed. Apparently he had decided on that a little early. He placed his bookmark when he heard the creak of something large and metallic. Immediately, his gaze had fallen to the newly-placed security feed of the cell area he'd had installed in his room. Can't leave everything to Tim, after all. Even from his place on the bed he could see that something had changed. Jack grabbed his gun, checked for bullets and slinked toward his bedroom door, sliding it open as quietly and slowly as he could manage and slipping out, keeping a keen ear open for any telltale auditory cues that might give him some sort of cue to his guest inside the closed walls of Torchwood: New Moore.

Koizumi shivers, eyelids fluttering in unbridled ecstasy as she says his name and draws a nail down his cheek. The strength of their connection surges as she rests a hand on his shoulder, and he focuses through the delirium, aware of the danger in their current situation. More than that, the ecstasy was not why he was doing this. Besides, Lin was vulnerable, not strong enough to take insubstantial form, and it wouldn't take anyone watching long to notice the door was open.

He takes a deep breath, then tightens his control on the shadows around them, and spreads his awareness out through them, focusing on any movement. ...There! That must be Harkness.

He follows Lin out of the room - quickly taking the lead, given that he knew the layout and she did not. "The back exit is this way. It's the easiest and the closest way out. Be wary - Harkness knows you're out, and he is on his way." He glances back, then pauses to turn and press his hands lightly on either side of her head, closing his eyes and sending her the quickest route to the exit - thoughts were much harder to convey than emotions, but not impossible, given their proximity and the strength of their bond.

He speaks as he's doing this, words fast and determined. "Here's what we will do. Harkness will catch up with us soon. Leave him to me, and follow this path out of the building. Once you're out, let me know, and I will follow the faster way." He speaks confidently, not shy about the fact he was giving orders to his sire. She does have a power over him, and he may defer to her even beyond that, and acknowledge the nature of their relationship - but this is his rescue. He has the knowledge, the strength, and the plan - any delay would be costly, and they can't afford to have him run everything by her first.

Beyond which, it really was the only plan that made sense. He would hold Harkness off as she escaped, and once she was clear, he would be free to simply melt into the shadows.

Edited 2013-11-12 10:58 (UTC)

Lin almost snaps a fist into his breastbone at the sudden touch, but recognizes a split second before what it is he's doing. She gives way, helping him to place the route in her mind. It's not far, if one knows the way. She shifts her weight to head that direction when he speaks again.

For a moment, rage flares in her - how dare Koizumi give her orders like that? - but it dies almost instantly, replaced by humor. Perhaps she'd taught him a little too well. He is in far better shape than she is, and she needs to eat. It's a good plan, and they don't have time to argue. "I'll see you outside."

The floor may have been concrete, but she made no noise, ghosting over it, and had just reached the door to the next room when the hunger roared. Blood. The pulse of it against the air, the warmth of it. If she had not been so hungry, she might not have noticed it, but now... A soft hiss escaped her, fangs lengthening, as she tasted the air like a cat. Life. A return to strength... No. It was probably Harkness. It took a supreme effort, but she mastered the hunger and stepped back into the shrouding shadows.

Jack goes over and over in his mind about how she could have possibly escaped. Had he not made the seal airtight? What sort of powers does she have, anyway? He knows at least from spending his day watching her that cameras would be no use in catching her, so he would have to rely on his own senses and pray that his shot would be good enough to slow her down. He can't have her getting out. Not when she could hurt someone like this. Perhaps if he can stall her until daybreak...

Jack turns and heads straight for the cell block, pausing almost immediately and raising his weapon, aiming for the intruder's head. "Freeze!" He calls. "Place your weapons on the floor and your hands into the air!" The darkness inside the facility makes it difficult to see who might be there. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Koizumi stands casually, head tilted down and hands in his pockets, in the middle of the hallway - blocking Jack's only path to the exit Lin will soon be escaping from. The room is darker than it should be - vague, impossible shadows splaying from him in all directions. They begin to lengthen, slowly, growing gradually closer to the older man.

He raises his hands, slow and unconcerned. He smiles chillingly and responds, voice cool and smooth. "I brought no weapons." Nothing but his fangs, anyway - the shadows were already here to do his bidding. "Oh, I may have slipped through the cracks. This place is not nearly as secure as you might think."

Though he appears to be unconcerned, his enhanced senses - natural and supernatural - are all focused tightly on the finger Jack holds on the trigger. Even he could be hurt by bullets, and it would do him little good to rescue his sire only to be captured himself. In order to dodge any bullets, he has to be in motion the instant the trigger is pulled - he is faster than the man, but not the gun.

It is Harkness. And he's close now. So closssse... She can almost taste it. Lin allows herself one silent snarl. Koizumi is drawing his focus. Once she has a clear shot, she'll slip across and outside. Of course, the longer she stays here, the less likely it is that she'll be able to resist taking a swipe at her captor, but for now she lies in wait..

Jack squints and takes one step closer to Koizumi, struggling to recognise him in the dark. He only vaguely notices the movement of the shadows, concerning himself much more with the figure before him.

"On your knees and place your hands on your head." He shakes his head. "You come into my home and start sneaking around? Anyone else might just call the police, but I don't take kindly to intruders. How did you get in?"

The shadows continue to creep, a couple tendrils subtly reaching toward the gun, and a great mass of it darkening behind him - providing Lin the cover she would need to escape. In a few moments, Jack wouldn't see anything in the corridor behind him.

Koizumi looks down at the floor as if contemplating it. "I don't know, the floor looks ever so uncomfortable. I think I really would prefer to remain standing." He speaks calmly and cheerfully, as if that were a perfectly reasonable response in this situation. "I came through the ventilation system. And I resent that accusation - whatever made you think I was sneaking? I've been very open about my movements - why, I knew you were coming and I didn't even try to hide!

I understand not wanting intruders, though - truly, I do - and to be honest I'd rather not be here myself. However, if you wanted to truly be left alone, there are some things you've done recently that are... shall we say, incautious and counterproductive."

A slight smirk pulls at Lin's lips. Good. A moment to allow the shadows to full settle into place, and she slips out to catfoot quickly across the open space behind that shield. She can't use her superior speed without exhausting herself and risking faltering at an untimely point, but that doesn't preclude her natural stealth.

Jack clearly isn't pleased with Koizumi's answer, and pulls back the hammer of his pistol. Something about his shadow is just... it's wrong. Even that particular corner is never that dark. He aims the gun down at the floor at Koizumi's feet, fires a warning shot, the bullet skipping off the concrete and embedding itself in shreds in the wall somewhere behind him. "I said, 'on the floor'. Now! The next one goes into your leg."

He feels Lin pass behind him and make her way out of the building; she is almost certainly be in the clear now, but he wants to give her a minute or two more to make sure - he doesn't want Harkness following her to the safe-house he has set up, or wherever she winds up going tonight. The mass of shadows slowly lessens, now it's served its purpose, and Koizumi takes something of a sharp breath, a little winded. Such brute force methods come with a price.

Now he has less to focus on, however, the tendrils reaching for the gun grow a little faster and a little larger, working their way inside and feeling around - all he needs them to do is sever the striker, and the gun will be rendered harmless. However, he isn't quite fast enough, and the shadows scream and run from the muzzle flare as Jack fires.

He glances idly down at the bullet, very obviously unimpressed - he hadn't moved or visibly tensed at the gunshot. He raises an eyebrow at Jack, and says, dryly: "How very intimidating. You'll have to forgive me if I fail to cower in fear." The shadows return to the gun once more, and Koizumi extends his awareness more strongly to the shadows surrounding him.

Lin may be a vampire, but she has been an officer far longer. She doesn't need enhanced hearing to catch the report of the gun, and it's instinct to wheel and head for the sound, adrenalin, fury and fear flaring seconds later. Koizumi was in trouble! But that faded almost instantly, the human alarm overwhelmed by the vampire. No one fires shots at her children and gets away with it. The door has shut, and locked of course but she can exert herself if necessary. She has enough left for that.

But Koizumi isn't in pain. Or even really upset. Determined and distracted, but he hasn't been hit. She seethes, but it's still going to plan. The sooner she leaves, the sooner he can get out of there. Resisting the temptation, trusting her subordinate to take care of himself, she sets off on a winding route to distance herself and lead any followers on a difficult chase.

Koizumi will have to handle Harkness alone.

Jack hears the door to the back exit open and shut, the alarm on the door catching his attention immediately. What the hell was going on? Jack snarls and pulls the trigger once more, finding that the gun was not going to fire, and that something strange had taken hold of it. Startled, he drops the weapon and in the second that he had taken to investigate his weapon... Koizumi had disappeared. Still.. the door was a problem.. If someone had escaped, and he didn't really have to wonder who it might be, they'd be back out on the streets, threatening the city. "Shit."

He gives a satisfied smirk when the alarm goes off and the shadows sever the striker, but he still retreats into the shadows around him when Jack pulls the trigger - there was no need to get careless and take chances with things like that.

He flows unnoticed among the shifting shadows in the hall and reforms silently a ways behind the older man. Now that he doesn't have his gun, he is a much easier target - and after all that exertion, Koizumi is starting to get a little hungry. Although, to be honest - however much Koizumi knows he shouldn't play with his food - it is far too amusing to see him off balance like this.

He leans casually against the wall, looking bored and examining his nails, not even glancing at Jack. "I hope that gun of your wasn't too expensive. I'd feel bad about ruining it if you hadn't threatened to shoot me first.

Still, you must be worried - an escaped prisoner? That sounds serious."

Jack turns quickly at the sound of a voice somewhere behind him. He sounds far too casual about the encounter, and now that he's without his weapon for the time being, he feels suddenly very, very vulnerable. "You let her out. You know how serious this is!"

Now that Jack is able to get a closer look at his intruder, he recognises him rather quickly. Well, so much for calling the police. He studies his face intensely, but only for a moment, trusting his impeccable memory for later. He shakes his head and instead of heading toward Koizumi, he retreats backward and into the hall to begin his pursuit of Lin. She's seen too much and knows too much. He can't let her escape while this vulnerable.

"I let her out. You kidnapped her in the first place. We are both, from our own perspectives, doing the right thing. I'd say that makes us even." Koizumi turns to shadow once more and flies past Jack, less subtly this time, reforming out of the darkness in front of the door. He continues speaking as if he'd never stopped, very deliberately blocking the man's path. "Except there is no even, not really, and just what do you think you're doing? I'm hurt - leaving before we've even gotten to know each other?" He grins then, a hungry, wild thing. "I'm not finished with you yet."

"It's for the good of the city.." Jack says as slowly as will help his voice keep steady. "She's going to hurt people... possibly even kill some of them... Make them like her... Like you." Of course he's one of hers... how else would he have gotten in?

He shakes his head. "You can't hurt me. Not for long. I'm more stubborn than most people, and I don't go down that easily." Jack doesn't like the way that Koizumi is eyeballing him like a snack. But luckily, with enough time and stories behind him, Jack isn't exactly unprepared. He fishes his hand into his pocket, where since this whole thing had started, he'd been keeping a couple of items. One was a heavier item that he would use against an escaped werewolf if need be, and the other was smaller, and hopefully enough of a distraction.

Not taking his eyes off Koizumi, he pulls his hand out. A small plastic bag filled with rice, which he opened, and flung at the predator. Not deadly, in any particular way, but depending on the kind of vampire he was, might just be enough to keep him busy.

"I'm afraid we probably have a different definition of 'good' - yours is naive and includes us leaving everyone alone. She is merely going to assert the natural order of things - make them right.

And I tell you once again that she is not your concern right now. I'm afraid you have other worries." He stalks silently forward, making his way unconcernedly toward Jack. He tenses when Jack flung something at him, but a moment later he relaxes again, only glancing at the rice before shifting his focus back. He raises his eyebrows at Jack in a smirk. "...you're adorable."

Then he surges forward, fangs bared - he's no longer playing.

[Open Log] - The Change is upon us...

Lin and Koizumi - Without an honest heart as compass

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