Aftermath
The Homicide Detective made the fateful mistake of looking directly into Vito’s eyes when questioning him. But the streetwise world-bitten intensity of even the most harden cop’s stare has no impact on a vampire. Whatever it was he’d intended to inquire about disappeared from his mind completely. Instead, he sat motionless and quiet across from Vito in the interrogation room, attentively awaiting Vito’s orders. Vito, in turn, was not so patiently checking his cell phone, waiting for Donatella or Galen to send him a text indicating they’d successfully hacked into the police station and cutoff the video and audio feed to the room where he was being held. It finally came just as Vito was beginning to get uncomfortable about the silence.
“Detective Mason,” he relayed to his latest stooge. “You are going to contact the Guardian for the Southern district, and tell him you will be remanding to his custody two magic users, and a human who was helping them, as they have been involved in a gunfight. The others brought in with me are the magic users, and should be restrained with collars for transport. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” Detective Mason droned flatly, then got up and left to carry out the vampire’s orders.
Vito suspected Fehed and Tala would naturally be pretty upset about being collared, but he hoped they’d understand the gravity of the situation. Right now it could not be helped... it was the only possible way they were going to get out of this situation. He also hoped Alden was in good mood today.
___
Fehed and Tala could scarcely believe they’d been placed into restraining collars. The collars were developed in Europe to nullify the abilities of magic beings, which meant they could not transform with them on. Tala, the werewolf, stared daggers at Vittorio’s back. That slimy vampire ratted them out! Fehed, on the other hand - the were-panther - though unsure of Vittorio’s motives, was simply going along for now, hoping the vampire would not sell them out to save his own skin. Neither of them had worked with him before this mission, and up until being captured by local law enforcement, he had performed well and was extremely helpful, so far. When they got arrested, though, after the snatch-and-grab went sideways, he had told them to stay quiet and follow his lead, so they did. Now they were in custody, and being transported who-knows-where, and unable to use their abilities. Fehed thought to himself, at least the vampire is only in handcuffs, and can still use his powers.
___
Alden received a call from the 12th precinct. They had two magic users in custody responsible for a gun battle at a secluded warehouse in West Englewood outside the magic zone. They were being transported to the South Side Pysch squad precinct for processing and questioning. As the Guardian of South Side Chicago, he was the de facto Chief of the Southern Psych Squad.
Entering the precinct through the alley, Alden proceeded to interrogation room one, where the human prisoner was being held, and only took half a breath after seeing the perp before immediately covering his eyes with mirror shade sunglasses.
“Vito!,” Alden exclaimed. “Merlin’s beard, man, give me one good reason I shouldn’t throw a collar on your ass this very second!”
Alden glared at the vampire behind his shades with his wand hand ready to blast the old scoundrel.
“Alden!,” the vampire cheshired. “You look well, my good man! Please... let me explain.” Vito sheepishly raised his cuffed hands from the table in a pleading gesture.
“Drop the act, Vito,” Alden sat down across the table, keeping his hand in position.
“Ok, ok,” the ancient one’s tone admitted defeat. “I seem to have gotten myself mixed up in a bit of... international intrigue, as it were... accidentally of course,” he offered.
“Really,” Alden reacted, his face as expressionless as his expectations. “You don’t say. Do tell.”
The Guardian could hardly wait to see what Vito was cooking up to get out of hot water.
“Well it seems,” Vito leaned forward, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Your niece and nephew have dragged me in on a mission to recover a magic artifact for them.”
After he said this, the vampire sat up straight and grinned at Alden like the cat who ate the canary.
“Bastard,” Alden sighed, and, taking off the shades, he removed the cuffs from the vampire, whose intentions at this point were clearly not as malevolent as one might have thought.
“So... this is Gallian business, then, on American soil, and involving my niece and nephew,” the Guardian mused, his lips pursed. No longer fearing mesmerization, he scowled across the table.
“Just what do you expect me to do about it? Let you and the two in the holding cells walk, and write up a false report?” Alden queried, with no small tone of accusation, rubbing his tired temples. He felt a headache coming on.
“Exactly how did you get mixed up in this mess, anyways?”
“Trust me,” Vito winked back. “...the less you know, the better.”
“I have no idea what you and your niece are going to cook up to get us out of this, but I figure between the two of you, you’ll come up with something.”
___
Alden stewed in his office. He’d dispatched the psych squad members to round up any evidence left at the police station and bring it to him. He smoked a pipe and paced. His niece and nephew were on their way over with another spy, and two of Vito’s goons, as well as an unidentifed mage in tow. He knew Rhiannon and Ezra were involved in espionage for the Gallian government, but they were still family, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t occasionally asked favors of them in that capacity. The thing that really scorched his hide was how in the Sam Hell they’d somehow got involved with a gangster vampire low-life like Vittorio Gagliardi.
***These events take place directly after the events from In The Beginning from Season 9***
“Detective Mason,” he relayed to his latest stooge. “You are going to contact the Guardian for the Southern district, and tell him you will be remanding to his custody two magic users, and a human who was helping them, as they have been involved in a gunfight. The others brought in with me are the magic users, and should be restrained with collars for transport. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” Detective Mason droned flatly, then got up and left to carry out the vampire’s orders.
Vito suspected Fehed and Tala would naturally be pretty upset about being collared, but he hoped they’d understand the gravity of the situation. Right now it could not be helped... it was the only possible way they were going to get out of this situation. He also hoped Alden was in good mood today.
___
Fehed and Tala could scarcely believe they’d been placed into restraining collars. The collars were developed in Europe to nullify the abilities of magic beings, which meant they could not transform with them on. Tala, the werewolf, stared daggers at Vittorio’s back. That slimy vampire ratted them out! Fehed, on the other hand - the were-panther - though unsure of Vittorio’s motives, was simply going along for now, hoping the vampire would not sell them out to save his own skin. Neither of them had worked with him before this mission, and up until being captured by local law enforcement, he had performed well and was extremely helpful, so far. When they got arrested, though, after the snatch-and-grab went sideways, he had told them to stay quiet and follow his lead, so they did. Now they were in custody, and being transported who-knows-where, and unable to use their abilities. Fehed thought to himself, at least the vampire is only in handcuffs, and can still use his powers.
___
Alden received a call from the 12th precinct. They had two magic users in custody responsible for a gun battle at a secluded warehouse in West Englewood outside the magic zone. They were being transported to the South Side Pysch squad precinct for processing and questioning. As the Guardian of South Side Chicago, he was the de facto Chief of the Southern Psych Squad.
Entering the precinct through the alley, Alden proceeded to interrogation room one, where the human prisoner was being held, and only took half a breath after seeing the perp before immediately covering his eyes with mirror shade sunglasses.
“Vito!,” Alden exclaimed. “Merlin’s beard, man, give me one good reason I shouldn’t throw a collar on your ass this very second!”
Alden glared at the vampire behind his shades with his wand hand ready to blast the old scoundrel.
“Alden!,” the vampire cheshired. “You look well, my good man! Please... let me explain.” Vito sheepishly raised his cuffed hands from the table in a pleading gesture.
“Drop the act, Vito,” Alden sat down across the table, keeping his hand in position.
“Ok, ok,” the ancient one’s tone admitted defeat. “I seem to have gotten myself mixed up in a bit of... international intrigue, as it were... accidentally of course,” he offered.
“Really,” Alden reacted, his face as expressionless as his expectations. “You don’t say. Do tell.”
The Guardian could hardly wait to see what Vito was cooking up to get out of hot water.
“Well it seems,” Vito leaned forward, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Your niece and nephew have dragged me in on a mission to recover a magic artifact for them.”
After he said this, the vampire sat up straight and grinned at Alden like the cat who ate the canary.
“Bastard,” Alden sighed, and, taking off the shades, he removed the cuffs from the vampire, whose intentions at this point were clearly not as malevolent as one might have thought.
“So... this is Gallian business, then, on American soil, and involving my niece and nephew,” the Guardian mused, his lips pursed. No longer fearing mesmerization, he scowled across the table.
“Just what do you expect me to do about it? Let you and the two in the holding cells walk, and write up a false report?” Alden queried, with no small tone of accusation, rubbing his tired temples. He felt a headache coming on.
“Exactly how did you get mixed up in this mess, anyways?”
“Trust me,” Vito winked back. “...the less you know, the better.”
“I have no idea what you and your niece are going to cook up to get us out of this, but I figure between the two of you, you’ll come up with something.”
___
Alden stewed in his office. He’d dispatched the psych squad members to round up any evidence left at the police station and bring it to him. He smoked a pipe and paced. His niece and nephew were on their way over with another spy, and two of Vito’s goons, as well as an unidentifed mage in tow. He knew Rhiannon and Ezra were involved in espionage for the Gallian government, but they were still family, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t occasionally asked favors of them in that capacity. The thing that really scorched his hide was how in the Sam Hell they’d somehow got involved with a gangster vampire low-life like Vittorio Gagliardi.
***These events take place directly after the events from In The Beginning from Season 9***