"Do you have any idea what the collateral damage would be on a move like that?" Jin said. "That place would turn into a meat grinder."

"I'm afraid I have to concur," Jacob said. "If Ambrose believes he's beaten, he'll scorch the earth. He's done it before."

"During the day, when the tower is under the supervision of ghouls?" Liam asked.

"He just threatened to burn the whole thing down," Liam said, gesturing at the phone. "That's what Jericho is. A promise."

"Look, maybe this isn't the answer, but we all know there's no negotiated solution here. Ambrose doesn't get to step off onto a red-eye to Argentina with a suitcase full of cash and I can't just pull another bloodless takeover out of my ass for a whole god damn city the way I managed with a self contained air base. Things are going to get bad no matter what we do."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:08, Fri 19 Nov 2021.

"Hey, that's not a no," Jin said, raising his hands. "I know this is gonna end bloody. But when every solution comes with a civilian death projection, you're gonna have to forgive me if I come at every suggestion from a place of scrutiny. It's my call, and every one of these deaths is on me. You're right, though, whatever move we make is gonna be in the day."

"The big part of that job is gonna be getting the pump truck to the sprinkler mains," Hasan said. "Even if you get me out during the day, they've got some sorta warding that can fry my illusions. Down at the waterworks, too."

"Unless there's, y'know, an actual fire," Jin said with a shrug. "As long as we're spitballing ideas that might end in a massacre."

"I think our first course of action is to get eyes in the building," Jacob interjected. "Maybe there's something we can use."

"Wouldn't take much of a fire," Liam said. "Just enough to trip the alarms. Jim could start it. I imagine they're keeping him close."

"Eyes in the Alhambra is tomorrow's job," Liam replied. "We're taking Pockets spelunking and hopefully coming back with a camera feed and the last remaining survivor of the warrens. Or at least the only one I could find."

"Good," Jacob said. "I don't know where the recent troubles leave our plans with the Alhambra Gangrel. I'm not even sure Noonian will meet with the delegation. This debacle has cost him face."

"If we manage to pull away the Nosferatu support for the Camarilla I'll consider it a win," Liam said. "By the way, how did you leave things with Augusto? I don't know what he ended up delivering in the end apart from yourselves, but my phone hasn't been blowing up for payment."

"He's spooked," Jacob said, casting a sidelong glance at Jin. "He delivered his end, but you're probably going to have to go out of your way to pay him. Give him a call from your secure line if you want to know where he went."

Liam nodded. “It can keep. Tomorrow’s job is more important, and maybe after that I can take a proper break and catch up everything else I’ve let slide.”

“It’s going to take some time to figure out our next move anyway. Even with a camera hopefully in the Alhambra by then it’s not like we’re remotely ready to push.”

"They're gonna hold this stalemate as long as they can," Jacob said.

"It won't take much convincing to get the military to hang back," Jin said. "Not after the display today."

With little else keeping him there, Liam said his goodbyes and took to the skies again. The Chantry was close enough to the Alhambra to make Liam nervous, but not so close that he ran afoul of any patrols. The Redwatch was still on high alert. The two remaining helicopters circled steadily in the distance.

The Chantry itself now looked old and disused. The windows were hollow, and the door hung slightly ajar on its hinges. Liam wondered what illusions would greet him if he stepped through the front door, but that curiosity went unsatisfied, as the secret entrance still led to Miss' proper office.

Miss was at her window, watching the helicopters circle around the Camarilla's gaudy eyesore. "My my, someone put a bee in their bonnet tonight," she mused. "Your handiwork?"

"Yes," Liam said, sinking down into one of the chairs by the fireplace. "Although they don't know the half of it yet."

"I put on something of a show a few blocks from the base of the Alhambra. Or more correctly, Nex did. It wasn't my intention, but fate had other things in mind."

"The bigger show though happened at the airbase. We took it back. Pretty cleanly from what I hear. And I don't think Ambrose knows yet."

"That's actually why I wanted to talk to you."

"We," Miss mused, nodding to herself. "Once a soldier, always a soldier, eh Liam? I suppose I should be grateful. Noonian's finished, he just doesn't know it yet. And so is the Clan Tremere. Centuries of planning and effort, only to be outdone by the kine." She stared out into the night absently.

"I had help," Liam replied. "From an unexpected place."

"Noonian had put Flynn in charge and he proved surprisingly open minded. He's defected. He's with us now. With the kine. It was a remarkable stroke of good fortune, but it also means I no longer have control over the narrative. Everything Flynn knows the kine will know too if they don't already."

"I can't conceal the existence of the Chantry. But I can tell them that you're not under the sway of the pyramid. I promised not to breath a word of it before, but I think under the circumstances you should reconsider."

Miss was silent for a moment, and considered her options. "I suppose this arrangement was never made to last," she said, looking around her office. "Do you suppose he's told them about the First Tribe yet?"

"I don't know," Liam replied. "It hardly seems like a military priority with the city under siege as it is."

"We're heading into the sewers tomorrow, but I'll have Flynn instead of Kieran. After that I expect I'll have the chance to cool off. Ambrose is content to force a stalemate for now and I don't see another move in the city yet."

"If Robyn is ready, I think that will be our opportunity. Everyone's eyes will be cast across no man's land. No one will be watching an old graveyard."

"You're right," Miss said. "Seavers is gone, Noonian is distracted, your friend holds the Tome, and I control access to the catacombs. We will never have a better opportunity. I guess all we need to figure out is who's coming with us."

"Who would you propose?" Liam asked.

"If it were up to me, I'd choose the three of us," Miss said. "This opportunity has practically been giftwrapped, and I can't see us needing much in the way of backup. But we've been working toward this for a long time, and if you have any co-conspirators left alive, they're probably not going to take kindly to being cut out of the payoff. I don't have that problem; Jacob saw to that."

"Just Kat and Wolf," Liam replied. "They're at the camp with Robyn."

"Truthfully the only other person I'd consider is Pockets. This curse has been transformative on her. She doesn't want to go back to what she was. And yet I'm not quite certain she's happy with what she is. Maybe she'd like the opportunity to go back to being mortal."

"I'm just not sure how she'd react. Perhaps that's a question for Robyn. The two have become far closer than either is to me of late. I suppose that happens when I keep finding reasons to go out night after night and their activities keep them confined on the home front."

"I had no qualms with their presence before," Miss said. "So I see no reason to deny them their due. As for your Malkavian friend, I have no issues giving her an invitation. As long as you're prepared to do what needs to be done to prevent her from talking should she oppose the plan. And if that's something you don't think you can undertake yourself, I can handle that part for you."

"I'll talk to Robyn. I have a host of things to discuss with her anyway."

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to tell you tonight. Presuming the kine want to meet with you at some point, what should I tell them?"

"Is there much to discuss?" Miss asked without a moment's hesitation. "I will not work for them, or with them. I am through being ruled, and I plan to be gone from this city with my new Chantry as soon as my business is done here. Like I said, Noonian is finished. But there's a whole world of Tremere still out there who still need killing."

"Then that is what I'll tell them," Liam said, rising to leave. "It will be a brave new world when we are through here. Goodnight, Annie. I'll see you soon."

Miss chuckled mirthlessly. "Fly away home," she said. "I guess I better start packing."

Liam banked across the city and headed for the Iron Graveyard. It has been a long night - one of the longest of his unlife, but mercifully it would soon be over. It was anyone's guess what the next night would hold.

The flight to the hideout was short enough that Liam beat the Boys back home. They arrived several minutes later, Hasan carrying a substantial ingot of metal with him. After depositing it in his forge, the two were eager to retire to their shared chambers. There was little conversation beyond the shared exchange of pleasantries. It seemed they everyone was as impatient for the night to end as Liam was.

[4 exp for the scene. +1 wp]