Pisky's ATS Story

A wonderful chapter Pisky!!! You got my atitude and reaction perfect. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!! ~_< *

Chapter 53 - Many unhappy returns

Coleman watched intently from the Gatehouse window as the elite personnel helicopter touched down. Large enough to hold eight passengers plus a crew of two, it was used primarily to transport high ranking corporate members and their aides. This particular aircraft was emblazoned with a strange seal that the blacksmith had never seen before, although the chopper itself was of standard make. Quickly Coleman checked that the microphone was on and settled his earphones snugly onto his head. With a tankard of 'Best Pixyland' on the table beside him, he was set up for the long haul.

As the sound of the engines died, the door to the passenger section of the helicopter opened. A dark garbed figure alighted, bent down and released the steps. Except for the sub-machine gun in his hand and large dagger strapped to his side, the man looked like a modern version of a mediaeval monk. Coleman watched as four similarly dressed characters followed suit, stepping slowly down the steps before moving aside, their faces hidden within black cowls.
The blacksmith shivered visibly as a smallish woman appeared in the doorway, her face reflecting white in the moonlight, short dark hair bouncing slightly as she left the aircraft. There was something unholy about this woman, but nothing as palpabably evil as the man following her down the steps. This man was truly demonic, his eyes glinting redly as he took in the scene before him. Neither he nor the woman were dressed like the other five. The man, tall and stately with a severe expression on his face was garbed completely in black leather. The cloak that stretched from shoulder to ankles was of the same material and he had neither cowl nor head to cover his shaven head. His companion was dressed in a similar manner, albeit in what appeared to be a softer material. Her cloak reached only to her calves and a scabbarded sword was visible strapped to her left side.
"I see our guest has already arrived", said the man sarcastically. His voice was hard yet had a sibillant timbre which almost sounded as if it was coming from an echo chamber. The woman nodded and gestured to one of the cowled attendants who strode purposefully to where Isis stood, arms folded, eyes piercing the gloom.
The attendant bowed to the Priestess and reached to take her hand. Angrily she waved him off and after waiting for a moment walked slowly towards the newcomers.

"Good evening, Priestess Isis", the tall man said with a sardonic smile on his face. He stretched out his hand, which Isis took daintily. It was cold as ice and she visibly flinched then swayed slightly as she looked into those eyes that seemed to reflect the fires of Hell itself. Once released from that icy grasp her hand flew involuntarily to her throat and it seemed to take all her strength not to turn and flee from that hellish glare. But she was a Priestess of the Temple and no matter what tricks this man used, she would not let him see her as weak.
He reached out with his left hand and cupped her cheek. Moving her head slightly off centre, he gazed at the soft skin of her throat, the pulse of her veins. Blinking, she pulled away, rubbing her face as if it had been soiled.
The man let his hand drop to his belt. To the watching Coleman it seemed stiff, as if the shoulder bone had been damaged sometime in the past and the joint dislocated. Nevertheless it was certainly interesting to see Isis's reaction to the newcomers; Still haughty but with a twinge of uncertainty in her voice.
The door behind Coleman opened and Loki entered, a tankard in his hand, his pistols strapped to his sides. Coleman removed the earpiece and turned to his companion.
"Feck knows who these lot are", he said, picking up his own tankard, "But they're a spooky pair of feckers, I'll tell you that for nothing. That tall bastard with the gammy arm looks a right nutter"
Loki moved to the window, careful not to let himself be seen. He peered through the centuries-old glass. Saw the man, the woman, the symbol on the fuselage of the helicopter.
"Oh fecking Hell !!!", he exclaimed and rushed out of the room.

"Are you sure ?" Tobias asked gravely.
"Yes", Loki replied, his breath coming in gasps after running down the stairs and into the courtyard, "Its definitely them"
"Bastards !", Tobias muttered angrily.
Fingal stood beside Sarah and Pantha, his eyes closed. "I could really do with some of the black stuff right now", he said.
"I could do with something a lot stronger, believe me", Loki said.
"OK", Pantha said softly, hoping to calm the storm threatening to burst. "What do you know about them ? If you remember, I was left to hold the fort the first time, and Sarah wasn't even here"
Tobias nodded. It seemed that a hundred years had past since that night on South Tower but he remembered it as if it had been yesterday. The night that led to Erisian's rescue and Arthur's death. The druid's voice echoed through the mists of time, almost as if he was standing beside them. Tobias faced them all and began to speak.

Neither Pisky nor Tobias had been able to sleep, and so had joined Arthur for his morning ritual to the sun. Afterwards, he had held his sword in his calloused hands, the blade glinting in the sunlight. "I need to tell you buggers something", he said seriously. Pisky stood from where he had been leaning against the battlements and regarded Arthur with respect. The old druid had been in more fights than Pisky had eaten cornish pasties, and yet still had managed to keep his sanity and humanity. "A few things about those black-hearted Azraelite bastards ... and they're not pretty". Tobias leaned against the battlements and crossed his arms, listening intently. "As you already know, they're obsessed with death. They believe that the more souls they send to 'Azrael', the more he will reward them when they eventually visit him personally.
"Nice group of people. I must be sure to invite them to my next birthday party", interrupted Pisky sarcastically.
"Let me guess", Tobias said, remembering the time he experienced their 'hospitality' for himself, "They like to send other people to their god, but don't really fancy meeting him themselves until they really have to. They want to wait a bit longer before turning up at his door and introducing themselves".
"True", Arthur replied, "The longer they live, the more souls they can send to Azrael. That's their story anyway"
"Sounds like a group of fecking hypocrites to me", replied Pisky. If there was one thing he hated, it was a hypocrite.
Arthur nodded his head. "They're like an openly Satanic version of the Templars", he continued. "Their Grand Master is one Gilles de Mornay, a Frenchman. Evil # who makes Darth Vader look like a newborn baby. His wife, Zara, runs the female side of things. Yes, there are women Azraelites", Arthur pointed out, seeing the shocked looks on their faces. "Zara de Mornay has the same mindset. Scary bastards, the pair of them. Both worked for the late British Government before disappearing - most likely setting up the COA underground, ready to step in at the right time".
"So we need to watch out for them then ?"
"They live just outside London", Arthur replied, "And usually control things from there, but with this high-profile execution they'll be taking direct charge. De Mornay will want to do the sacrifice himself, which is planned for Sunday night. We should be in and out before they even get to Warwick, but it's best to be prepared though, just in case".
"I fecking hate Sundays", grumbled Pisky, following the declaration with a series of crude Cornish oaths.
"Right". Arthur said, slipping Excalibur into its scabbard and opening the door to the stairway, "Time for something to eat. We've got a long day in front of us".
"We've had a long fecking week, muttered Pisky, following the old druid down the stairs to the hall.

Pantha shivered as Tobias completed his tale. They all knew what had happened later on. They had succeeded in saving Erisian from the Azraelite grasp at the cost of Arthur's own life. Few knew the rest; That the pixy had returned to Warwick to perform the old druid's last wish, slaying him cleanly with an arrow rather than allowing his soul to be given into the hands of Azrael. Pisky had then left, but not before giving De Mornay something to remember him by - an arrow in the shoulder which, from Coleman's description, was still causing him problems.
Tobias took charge. "Sarah, tell Coleman to keep watching. Stay with him. Any change - anything at all and I want you back here with the info. Loki - you've got fire duty. Loki grinned - Whereas 'fire duty' for anyone else was an order to put fires out, for Loki it meant prepare to burn as many of the enemy as possible. With a salute he ran across the courtyard towards his partly rebuilt laboratory.

Sarah opened the door to the upper rooms of the Gatehouse and settled down beside Coleman. The blacksmith gazed into the darkness, and although it was now almost impossible to see the enemy massing at the gates, their voices were easily audible through his earphones.
"My dear", said De Mornay, turning to his wife, "Would you be so good as to direct Priestess Isis to where she will get the best view of the proceedings ? - And make sure she isn't left alone."
Zara de Mornay nodded and with a gesture indicated that Isis should follow. They walked rapidly to where a soldier stood beside an old stone wall that once had been part of a barn just outside the castle. "The Grand Master requests that you keep Priestess Isis entertained until the festivities begin", she said coldly. The soldier, dressed in the uniform of the British Army, nodded then scowled as Zara strode away.
"Festivities", he growled to himself, shaking his head in disgust.
"Am I to assume that you are not enamoured of your superiors ?", Isis asked once Zara was out of earshot.
"I follow my orders and keep my nose clean", said the soldier, his accent lacking the normal British nuances; "I don't meddle in things that aren't my business".
Isis shook her head. "But you didn't answer my question"
"It's not a fair question. If I say 'No', I'm not happy with them, then I risk the glasshouse or worse. If I say 'Yes', I look like a toady and they are definitely not the type to appreciate 'yes' men. So I'm fecked either way"
Isis nodded, a smile playing across her face. "You're not British, that's obvious. What are you ? - American ?"
"Canadian. I was seconded to the Brits just before the Corporate takeover. I've been here ever since".
"And your name ?"
"MacKiller. But my friends call me Mac"
Isis smiled again; "And what do your enemies call you ?"
"That's definitely not for a lady's ears."
Isis laughed. "So how is it that the 'Grand Master' found this place ?", she asked, gesturing towards the castle,"It's not exactly easy to find is it ?"
Mac leaned closer, his head almost touching that of the priestess. "Looks like they made a bad mistake", he said, then explained what had happened.

Sarah ran down the stairs into the courtyard to where Tobias stood with Pantha beside one of the tables. Breathlessly she explained what Coleman had heard through the directional microphone and Tobias closed his eyes, the painful memories playing on the screen of his mind. Warwick castle, the cultist base. Erisian's rescue, Arthur's last stand and the capture of an Azraelite helicopter ...

"Pretty good flying", complemented Tobias as he entered the co-ordinated for Stokesay into the chopper's onboard computer. Erisian smiled wanly, her face white with shock and pain.
Warwick had been left far behind and the adrenaline rush that she had experienced was over. She felt tired and drained. They all did. Inside the bay, Pisky was muttering abuse while KayEm sat against the bulkhead with her eyes closed. Loki looked out of the open bay doors just watching the countryside speed by, illuminated by the aircraft's arc-lights. "Do you mind taking over for a while?", Erisian asked, her voice sounding weak beside the noise of the rotors.
"You must be kidding", Tobias replied, "I only had a couple of lessons and never in something like this".
"I don't think you have much of a choice", Erisian whispered. Then her eyes flickered and she slipped into a faint.
Pilotless, the helicopter lurched and spun sideways, hurling Pisky through the air to land beside KayEm. "What the fecking hell ???". Loki just managed to grab the doorframe and avoid being catapulted out into space as the aircraft bucked and bounced through the sky. "What the feck is going on ??", Pisky yelled, "Can't you bastards drive ???"
The helicopter shuddered once more as Tobias regained some semblance of control, before rapidly starting to descend. Pisky muttered imprecations as he watched as the ground came closer and closer. "Pull up for fex sake !!!", yelled Loki towards the door leading to the cockpit.
"I'm trying !!!" came the anguished reply. Tobias was not happy. Pulling at the joystick in an attempt to gain some height, he desperately tried to remember the few hours training he had some years ago. Erisian flopped in her seat, completely out of it, while the chopper continued its downward spiral. "Now which sodding pedal is it ???".

Loki held for grim death as the chopper spun towards the ground. Suddenly it lurched, shook and with a scream of engines began to straighten out. This was accompanied by a shriek of jubilation from Tobias and an "About time too" from the somewhat annoyed Pisky.
"I'm going to try to set her down", Tobias yelled from the cockpit. Loki concurred, peering out of the doorway to see if there was anywhere safe to land. The ground rushed past, the darkness obliterated by the massively powerful arc-lights below the aircraft. A trio of horses, abandoned by their owner during the plague, scattered below the low flying helicopter. Birds flew shrieking from the nearby trees as the gust from the rotors threatened to blow their nests apart. Tobias dropped the craft lower, seeking a safe place to land. It was going to be hairy whatever he did. He pulled hard on the stick to avoid a small copse of trees, but the rotors still struck the farthest branches, shattering them noisily and hurling a mass of leaves into the bay.
"Hold on !!!" Tobias yelled. They needed no second bidding. Pisky grabbed Excalibur and jammed himself between a couple of jump seats. KayEm hung on to the bulkead while Loki lay flat on the floor, feet against the same bulkhead, hands clasped around the empty machine-gun mounting.
With a resounding crunch and scream of engines, the aircraft hit the ground, bounced once and shifted sideways. The rotors, still spinning at maximum, slammed into the ground and sheared off, shooting pieces of shattered metal into the air. The fuselage slid along, spun slightly and came to a stop beside a battered old tree with pieces of rotor embedded into its trunk.
Pisky stood up, stuck his head out of the doorway which now comprised the roof, and looked around. KayEm joined him, followed by Loki who was muttering about 'crap driving' and 'Old gits needing to lose their licences'. Swifty, Pisky hauled himself out of the stricken aircraft and dropped to the grass. The cockpit door swung open and Tobias crawled out, dragging Erisian with him, who he lay on the ground. KayEm rushed over to help, while Loki passed various pieces of kit over to Pisky. It was obvious that this whirlybird wasn't going anywhere ever again.
"Did you get a fix as to where we are ?", Loki asked Tobias as he leaped out of the helicopter and began walking over to the fuel tank.
"We've got about ten miles to go - that way", he gestured Northwest.
"I saw some horses out there about half a mile away", Loki replied, nodding his head back the way they came and cracking open the fuel cap.
Pisky leaned Excalibur against a tree "I'll go", he said, "There's feck all else we can do here anyway, and I don't really fancy walking to Camelot. Loki, give me your webbing".
Loki removed his remaining kit and handed the webbing to Pisky before turning back to the fuel can. Pisky grinned and grabbed Excalibur. He knew what to expect from Loki and wanted to be as far away from the explosion as possible.

"So they managed to find the co-ordinates from that chopper even after Loki torched the bloody thing", Tobias said despondantly. "I should known. I should have made sure. Changed the co-ordinates at least. Feck !!!!"
Pantha lay her hand on his arm.
"It's my fecking fault !!!", he ranted, brushing Pantha away and kicking at the table. Wooden splinters flew into the air, propelled by Tobias's boot while Pantha tried desperately to calm his rage. "We need you now !", she said, grabbing Tobias and spinning him around to face her. "Save your anger for those bastards out there !!!"
Tobias went quiet. He had never heard Pantha swear before. She stood breathing deeply, her eyes on his. "Remember what you were going to tell Eris ?", she asked, "Unless you take control, you won't have the chance".
Tobias nodded, then took a deep breath, tightened his belt from which 'Excalibur' hung, and strode away towards the curtain wall, grim determination in his face.

Coleman watched through the window. The voices had ceased. Only a slight wind could be heard through the directional microphone. Outside, clouds covered the moon. Coleman blinked. Something darker than the surrounding area was standing at the other side of the moat. A shape. The blacksmith peered into the darkness, straining his eyes to make out what or who stood there as still as death itself.
The clouds moved slowly away; The shape took form; A slight body with a snow white face. Coleman shivered as he recognised the woman, and moved slowly away from the window; She couldn't get across the moat, but could certainly shoot Coleman if he showed himself. He lifted his hands to remove the earphones, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the window. He couldn't see the woman from this new angle but was loath to move closer in case he put himself back in her range of fire.

Then the window exploded and Coleman screamed.

My friends call me Mac...

Brilliant!

Wonderful!

"And what do your enemies call you ?"
"That's definitely not for a lady's ears."

Hmmmmmmmmmm.....curious.....
And we need to kick that little womans butt again...
Good one again Pisky! keep em comin!

[edit on 20-1-2005 by I_s_i_s]

haha.. not for a ladies ears...

Another stupentabulous chapter!!!

Mooooorrrrre please

* Pacing around wondering where the next chapter is *

OMG i go away on vacation, and come back and WOW all heck is breaking loose, I can't wait to see what happens next!!!! Awesome writing pisky. I love the addition of the new characters!! and can't wait to see us kick some corporate butt!!!!
.......... lara...

Chapter 54 - Darkness Falls

The scream that rent the air was one of utter terror. It lasted a mere second then once again all was quiet.
Tobias unsheathed Excalibur and raced towards the source. Pantha followed, weapon at the ready.
They had just reached the stables when a dark shape seemed to flow out of the Gatehouse and through the small alleyway leading to the drawbridge. The two guards lifted their pistols and fired, the muzzle flashes outlining the attacker. By the time Tobias had reached the Gatehouse itself, the two were dead, torn apart as if by some wild animal. Light shone from the door leading to the drawbridge controls as with a loud creak the bridge itself began to slowly drop, making a span across the moat.
The soldier charged into the room, sword raised, to see the dark figure of Zara De Mornay standing at the controls. Her white face covered with blood which dripped from her mouth like an open wound. She turned and smiled, displaying long animal-like fangs in her infernal maw of a mouth. Tobias hesitated for a moment, then with a roar he swung Excalibur.
The speed with which De Mornay moved was beyond belief and the sharp sword embedded itself into the wooden walls as the woman ducked and dived away. Laughing maniacally, she leaped over Tobias through the door and into the entrance hall of the gatehouse, only to be slammed to the ground by a stream of bullets from Pantha's gun. She lay unmoving, the only sound that of the lowering drawbridge and the ranting of Tobias as he tried to raise it again. Pantha walked slowly towards the fallen enemy, gun lowered at the unbreathing form. She lifted her foot and nudged the still body, only to find herself grasped tightly by a cold hand that felt as if it was made of iron.
De Mornay lifted her head, a grin of pure malice crossing her face. A yelp of pain came from Pantha as the demonspawn squeezed her ankle, her fiery eyes boring into Pantha's very soul. With a yell of pain and anger Pantha aimed her gun and emptied the clip into those demonic red eyes.

"Piece of fecking # !!!", Tobias yelled as the drawbridge controls refused to answer to his commands. Slowly, inexorably, the bridge lowered while Tobias tore Excalibur from the wall and headed through the door. Pantha stood shaking her head. The drawbridge was almost fully down. Of Zara de Mornay there was no sign.
"I emptied a full clip into her !", Pantha said breathlessly as Tobias dragged her into the courtyard, "How did ...?"
"Feck knows !", Tobias muttered before yelling at the top of his lungs.
The castle was under attack.

The first few Corporate mercenaries to enter over the drawbridge fell to Pantha's bullets before she was pinned down behind the stable block. Behind her, on the North curtain wall could be heard the scraping of metal against stone as Corporate forces attempted to stretch expandable ladders across the moat. There was a muttered curse as one of the mercenaries was struck in the shoulder with an arrow fired from the roof by the grinning Cpr12r. The curse turned into a scream as the soldier slipped off the ladder and fell into the moat to be impaled by one of the deadly stakes hidden just below the water.
An explosion echoed through the courtyard, followed by a series of screams issuing from behind the wall adjoining South Tower. Loki grinned as flames became visible, shooting into the air on the other side of the wall. "Home made napalm !", he shouted to Annie who hung out of the Solar window, her bow strung for action.
A mercenary, taking cover in the lee of the gatehouse block moved rapidly to the opposite side. His plan was to use one of the tables as cover and guide his companions safely into the courtyard. A series of bullets from LC and Asala put paid to that idea and the man turned back, only to meet the sword wielding Tobias who was far from happy. The mercenary was rapidly despatched and his firearm appropriated before yet another wannabe corporate hero came tearing through the gatehouse, firing as he went. A well placed arrow to the throat from Annie helped him on his way to Hell.

Outside the castle, Gilles de Mornay stood watching the 'proceedings' as he was wont to call them. Beside him, Isis crossed her arms, her white gown making the dark cloak of de Mornay appear even more like a hole in the fabric of space than ever. Beside her MacKiller followed the attack, relived that until now only Corporate forces had been ordered into the fray.
"I assume you appreciate our little show", De Mornay asked in his hard yet sibillant voice as he turned to look at Isis.
The priestess shivered inwardly but refused to give in to the illogical fear that threatened to overwhelm her. "I will report to the High Priestess as ordered", she said, "Whether you win through or fail, you can be assured that the Temple of Isis will be made aware".
De Mornay laughed; "Failure is not in my dictionary", he said.
"Then you really should get a better copy", Isis replied cuttingly, "Your version has pages missing"
De Mornay glared and strode towards the castle.
"What is the hold up ?", he asked a black-garbed Corporate mercenary.
"We're holed up just over the drawbridge", came the reply, "We've lost five men already"
"That many ?", De Mornay said sarcastically, "How terrible" and with that he pushed the mercenary aside and walked purposefully across the drawbridge.

"There !", Asala said, pointing to where the gatehouse joined the courtyard. The bodies of three Corporate mercenaries lay where they had dropped, but it wasn't them that Asala was gesturing towards - it was the tall dark cloaked man striding out of the gatehouse as if he hadn't got a care in the world.
Gilles De Mornay stopped just inside the courtyard. Hands on hips he surveyed the castle as if it was his own. Tobias moved towards him, Excalibur in his hands. On the South curtain wall Erisian put her hand to her mouth and moaned.
"Now !!!", shouted LadyCool from the windows of North Tower, and a hail of bullets slammed into De Mornay's body. These were accompanied by two arrows, which embedded themselves in his chest. De Mornay looked down at his mangled clothes and deliberately reached up, grabbed one of the arrows and tore it from his body.
Then he grinned, and his red eyes glimmered in the moonlight.
"Oh # !", LC muttered from the tower, "He's a fecking vampire !"

"Why would he want to be a vampire ?", Asala asked as she followed LC down the stairs of North Tower. "That's obviously why he wanted Isabella, but why ???
"No idea", LC said, leaping the last few steps and racing towards the doorway, pistol in one hand, parasol jammed through her belt. "And I bet his bitch of a wife is one as well !" A bullet ricochetted from the stone doorway as LC moved towards the courtyard. She dropped to her knees and fired back. Asala ducked back into the hall and shattered one of the windows with the butt of her pistol, then took up position to cover her friend.

Tobias charged forward, sword upraised as De Mornay removed the second arrow and smiled arrogantly.
"I want thirteen !!!", he shouted to the corporate forces as they rushed into the courtyard, "The others are yours to do with as you see fit". He spun rapidly, his sword came up and Tobias grunted as steel crashed into steel.
"Vectis", he hissed, gesturing with his sword, then deflecting another of Tobias's attacks with a parry that was so fast it became a blur. Tobias grimaced and thrust with Excalibur. This time De Mornay did not even bother to move. The sword slipped effortlessly through the leather of his jacket, into his body and out of his back. He looked down and smiled. Tobias stood stunned. A heart shot. Excalibur had gone straight through the man's heart and yet here he stood smiling. Gilles de Mornay sighed, plucked the sword from his chest and held it out towards Tobias. The soldier just stood there shaking his head. Then his training kicked in and so did he. Grabbing Excalibur, he lashed out with his foot, kicking De Mornay off his feet, then with a roar of anger, lifted the sword above his head. "Say hello to Azrael for me !!!", he said angrily as the blade flew towards De Mornay's unprotected neck.
A clash of metal upon metal. Tobias's arms shook. Zara de Mornay stood beside her husband, her own sword having deflected Excalibur's killing sweep.
"Thank you my dear", De Mornay said, getting onto his feet and smiling. Zara nodded, grinned evilly at Tobias and walked away.

Corporate mercenaries were everywhere. And everywhere could be heard the sounds of battle. From guns to swords and everything in between if something could be used as a weapon it was. One mercenary screamed in agony as Phoebe leaped from the hallway to sink her fangs into his buttocks. LC took down another who was menacing the dog with a long dagger. Pantha, no longer trapped beside the stables ran below the wall into the smithy and took up position behind Angover's massive anvil. Cpr12r and Annie made short work of any Corporate unfortunate enough to get with range of their longbows while Erisian and Ravenna crouched on the South curtain wall, picking off anyone even considering trying to cross the moat.
Everywhere there was the stench of blood and the cries of the dying. Many members of the Stokesay contingent hadn't fought for many years and were easy targets for the Corporate mercenaries. Others made up for lack of skill with pure determination and Sarah grinned as she saw Damien trip up a mercenary while Rhiannon smacked him in the head with a hammer filched from the smithy.
A black shape flickered just inside Sarah's field of vision and she turned quickly, swallowing nervously as she recognised the blood spattered figure of Zara de Mornay.
De Mornay smiled. Gesturing to Sarah's sword she mouthed its name. Then lifted up her own blade "Mannin"
she said, the blood on her mouth making her look even more demonic than ever. Suddenly she lashed out and a flash of light flickered along the swords as Sarah's 'Caledonia' parried effortlessly. De Mornay grinned and slashed again, aiming at Sarah's throat. Once more Caledonia deflected the blow. Another. And another. De Mornay glared. Sarah fought a smile, concentrating on the matter on hand. Without warning the vampire turned, spun around and with a yell kicked Sarah into the air. Caledonia flew from her hand and she landed, winded, on the grass. De Mornay smiled, moving slowly and languidly towards her prey. Sarah's eyes blurred and she felt as if she had been hit with a tree trunk. De Mornay leaned towards her, the red vampire eyes seeking those of Sarah. The cold blade of De Mornay's sword touched the side of Sarah's neck and she winced.
"Hey, bat breath !!!"
De Mornay spun around. LC stood behind her, pistol in one hand, parasol in the other.
De Mornay laughed coldly and shook her head. Bullets couldn't harm one of the undead. Surely this strange blue-haired woman knew that. De Mornay grinned and stretched out her arms arrogantly, inviting LC to fire.
LadyCool grinned and struck.
With a groan Zara de Mornay toppled sideways, the sharp wooden end of LC's parasol embedded in her chest.
"Give me that sword", LC said, grabbing the demonspawn's fallen weapon. "I fecking hate vampires !", she said, and in a single blow detached De Mornay's head from her body, sending her black soul into the outer darkness for eternity.
LadyCool glared at the corpse then bent to help Sarah to her feet. "Thank y..." Sarah's face went white and her mouth opened in shock and disbelief.
"Now what the ... ?" LC turned around. "Bugger" she muttered as she saw the two mercenaries, weapons aimed, faces like thunder, standing mere feet away.
"Drop the sword", came the command.
Given the alternative, LC decided to comply.

It was all over bar the shouting as LadyCool's Northern ancestors would have said. Bodies lay around, both corporate and insurgent. Saved by his wife from Tobias's rage, De Mornay had called for Corporate support, which came in the form of seven burly mercenaries. Two were now dead, victims of Excalibur, one more would never father children, and the remaining four now stood guard on Tobias who sat on a table with a dejected look on his face.
Sarah and LC leaned against the wall of the Great Hall, disarmed and with an escort of mercenaries. The same went for Erisian, Ravenna and Fingal. Asala and Pantha had been placed in the now empty stables alongside Annie. Cpr12r had held out the longest on the roof but he too had surrended when the corporates threatened to kill his new found friends.
He and Loki had been locked away in the toilet block with the obligatory mercenary guard.
Sarah had had to force herself not to sob when the Corporates began clearing up the bodies, for alongside those of her enemies were many people She had got to know over her time in Stokesay. Rhiannon lay beside the well, looking for all the world as if she was asleep except for the small hole above her heart where the bullet had entered. Damien, seeing his mother fall, had ran shouting towards her only to be cut down by crossfire. And when the mercenaries brought the body of Coleman from the Gatehouse, his throat a tattered mess, Sarah moaned in horror.

Gilles de Mornay stood above the body of her wife, a look of rage on his face. Turning his head, he scanned the courtyard. "I should have you all killed right now for this outrage !!!", he shrieked, his red eyes shining in the light of the sinking moon, "But your time will come. And it will come at a time of my choosing"
He gestured to two of the mercenaries to remove the body before striding towards the gatehouse where a soldier wearing the uniform of the British Army escorted a dark haired woman in an irridescent white gown.
"I wonder who she is ?", LC asked quietly.
Sarah shook her head. "No idea", she replied,"But she doesn't seem very happy"
"She wouldn't bollock him like that if she knew he's a vampire", LC said, watching as the woman gestured angrily beyond the gatehouse.
"You will stay with us until I say otherwise !" De Mornay's voice carried in the strengthening wind. And after a word with the soldier, he strode through the gatehouse, over the drawbridge and into his helicopter. Within minutes it was in the air heading westwards.
"Sun's coming up", LC said as a faint glimmer of light appeared in the east. "Drac's probably off for a nap"
"Probably", replied Sarah morosely. "I wonder what they're going to do with us now ?"
"We'll soon find out", LC said pointing to where a group of mercenaries were prodding Erisian, Ravenna and Fingal to their feet. And within ten minutes or so, all those who remained of the Stokesay contingency were in the Great Hall, guarded by mercenaries and without even a drop of 'Best Pixyland' to aid them through the trials to come.

%#@#$ They capture me....... If only they didn't capture you guys then i would have kept mowing them down with volley after volley of arrow fire.... Great chapter

oh no!!!!!!!!!!!! defeat isn't an option! i wonder what is in store for us next, and thanks LC for saving my backside!!!!

Another great chapter Pisky!

Here's a treat.

This was right near Queens center mall, NY. The cornish pixie has invaded NY!!!

And as if by Pixy magic ....



Thanks, Isis

[edit on 26-1-2005 by Pisky]

Wow pisky must be able to teleport that could've came in handy in the last chapter then you could have teleported to where we are kill a few of the cooporates and the azrealite dude and bamo we win....... Thanks for telling us now

Hey ya we need some pisky action in stokesay! Come back...this is abondonment! NOT FAIR!

Fear not, for Pixyness will soon appear once again on the horizon.
And after that ...

Very cool, very cool

Yay he shall retu rn and save us all or get the guards drunk and we can get them while they are laughing and having a merry time...... hmmmm snipers.......

*sprinkles some pixy dust on the monitor waiting for the next chapter to magically appear*