By nine AM, Stryker only felt more like he never asked for it.

He had managed to get a few hours of sleep, and had woken up feeling refreshed. When he walked into the squad room, however, he realized he still was not ready for what Ramirez asked. The room was packed wall-to-wall, with several plainclothes officers he recognized from homicide and vice, uniformed officers from the affected districts, and two or three captains and deputy chiefs. He looked up at the front of the room, and saw Ramirez standing by the podium, speaking to one of the deputy chiefs. He looked as if he hadn't slept since Stryker had last saw him; he needed a shave and his normally crisp and pressed suit was rumpled.

Stryker looked around, shrugged, and took the only available seat he saw, somewhere towards the back.

As he watched, Ramirez straightened up, and stood up at the podium. He adjusted the microphone, and cleared his throat. The quiet chatter in the room died down at the Ramirez's amplified voice.

``All right, everyone, let's get this started,'' he said.

A few seconds later, the officers had gone silent, giving Ramirez their full attention. He nodded, and continued. ``As you all know, before last night, we had four murders attributed to the `Dracula Killer'. We had two additional murders last night, and we have learned new information.

``Now, before I go on, it's critical you know that some of this information is news that the press does not have, and the top brass have decided that it's best that we sit on this information as long as possible, to avoid a public panic.'' As Ramirez picked up a remote, a couple of the deputy chiefs nodded in approval.

Ramirez pressed a button, and the projector on the ceiling flared to life. On the screen, two pictures appeared; Stryker recognized them as post-mortem pictures of the victims from the previous night.

``On the left is Dorothy Simmons, a known prostitute. On the right, we have Eileen Price, a stripper who worked at the Black Orchid. Both were killed by the `Dracula Killer' last night, as you can see by the wounds to the neck. However, we now have evidence that we're dealing with more than one killer.''

``Wait, more than one?'' one of the officers in the second row asked. A low murmur had developed among the assembled officers.

``Yes, more than one,'' Ramirez answered. He pressed the remote again, and the projector changed images. This time, a police sketch appeared, showing a young man with short blond hair and a handsome face. ``This sketch was taken from descriptions given by a bartender and two managers at the Black Orchid. We believe him to be the one who killed Ms. Price. However, we have a much bigger problem, and this is why we want to keep the press out of the loop for now.''

Ramirez took a deep breath. ``The suspect who killed Ms. Simmons was caught in the act by officers Stryker and Hunt, who were following up on a tip. They confronted the suspect and fought him, and he was killed attempting to escape. Officer Hunt is still in the hospital with a shattered forearm. As for the suspect...''

Ramirez clicked the remote again, and another post-mortem shot came up. Stryker winced as he saw the image of the vampire-thing he killed the night before come up. In the glare of the morgue, it was obvious the flesh had been cauterized where the portal had bisected him. The assembled officers reacted in revulsion at seeing the body, and then a couple yelled in surprise when they noticed the large bat-like wing on the back.

``As you can tell, the body suffered from some damage,'' Ramirez said over the din. Now that's an understatement, Stryker thought wryly. ``However, as you can tell by the wing, the suspect is not human. Officer Stryker stopped him as he was fleeing into a portal.''

``Wait, hold on,'' another officer piped up. He turned around to stare at Stryker. ``You mean like from the invasion?''

``Exactly like that,'' Ramirez replied. He then looked over at Stryker. ``I've asked Stryker to join us to give us the benefit of his expertise. Officer, would you mind explaining what you saw?''

All eyes turned to Stryker at that point. Feeling a little self-conscious, Stryker stood and spoke up. ``Yeah, what Ramirez said is true. The vampire-thing had a jewel around its neck that it used to generate a portal. One of my shots hit the jewel and caused the portal to close, leaving... that.''

``Do you think it came from... what was it called...'' one of the deputy chiefs, McGurk, asked.

``Outworld.'' Stryker shrugged. ``No idea. From what I saw Outworld's forces were made up of more than one race, but we never saw anything like those during the invasion.''

``We've asked the Federal government for assistance,'' Ramirez said. ``The military has a department dedicated solely to invaders from other worlds, and we should be hearing from them soon. In the meantime, we need to catch the other Dracula Killer as soon as we can.

``We're going to be dividing into groups doing sweeps of the known locations the Dracula Killers have hit. SWAT will be standing by in case one of you do make a hit. Keep this in mind,'' Ramirez spoke louder at this point. ``If what we think is right, the perp will be able to escape even if you have him in a corner. Do not rush in without backup unless a life is on the line.''

``One other thing,'' Stryker said loudly. The officers turned to him again, and he felt another twinge of self-consciousness. ``The one Hunt and I stopped looked normal until he decided to flee. Somehow he can disguise the wings. Don't go assuming he'll be walking around like a gargoyle.''

Ramirez nodded in agreement. ``Listen to the man. Now, you have your assignments. Meet with your shift captains and get to it.''

Everyone stood up, gathering into groups, talking amongst themselves as they began to file out of the squad room. Stryker walked around them, making his way to the front of the room, where Ramirez was putting some papers into his briefcase.

``Nice briefing,'' Stryker said. ``You think we can nail this guy?''

``I hope so,'' Ramirez replied, closing the briefcase and picking it up. ``Last thing we need is more deaths.''

``I know,'' Stryker sighed. ``Did the feds say when OIA would get back with you?''

Ramirez shook his head. Stryker grunted, as he and Ramirez stepped out of the squad room. ``Hope it's soon,'' Stryker muttered. It was a large city, with a lot of ground to cover, and Stryker knew that the more assistance the OIA could give, the better.

*

Gabe poured another vodka and water, and handed it to the man in front of him.

``Thanks, Gabe,'' the man said, smiling. Gabe nodded, and went back to his work.

Gabe had been working at the Dragon's Fire pub for a couple of years, and had gotten to know the regulars. The man he had just passed a drink to was one such person; he came in every day hoping to get lucky. Gabe didn't blame him; considering his wife had left him six months earlier and took the kids with her, Chris needed something to go right.

As he dried a glass with a towel, he noticed the pub's door open, and a young woman walked in. She was tall, with dark auburn hair, green eyes, a noble nose, and curvy, wearing a white shirt, black leather skirt, and black boots. She stepped over to the bar, and slid onto a bar stool in front of Gabe. He smiled.

``What'll you have?'' he asked.

She smiled, and spoke in a faintly accented voice, ``I would like a... bloody mary, please.''

``You got it,'' Gabe replied. As he turned to the wall of bottles to pick out a vodka, he saw Chris slide over next to the young woman, and begin a conversation. He grinned to himself, hoping that maybe this time the woman would show interest. Normally the girls at the pub didn't show much interest in a 45 year old man, especially if he was slightly out of shape and balding.

Gabe finished putting the tomato juice and Tabasco sauce in, popped a hunk of celery on top, and turned back to the two. He placed the drink on the bar in front of the woman. Chris raised his hand slightly. ``Put it on my tab.''

``Sure thing,'' Gabe replied, and turned away to step over to the register. He snuck a peek through the mirror in front of him, noting that the young woman was laughing softly and hanging onto Chris's words. He turned back to speak to another customer.

A minute later, though, he realized Chris was trying to flag him down. Gabe turned, and saw Chris was motioning for the tab. He nodded, and went over to the register. Quickly totaling up the bill, he handed it over to Chris. Chris signed it; as he did, Gabe couldn't help but notice the young woman was leaning against him.

``I'll catch you later, Gabe,'' Chris said with a smile. The woman slid off the bar stool, placing her arm around Chris's waist.

``Enjoy yourself,'' Gabe grinned. He watched the two walk out of the pub, his arm around her shoulder. Chuckling to himself, he turned to another customer, asking if he needed anything else. The man shook his head, and Gabe nodded, turning to go clean another couple of glasses.

The relative quiet of the pub was suddenly broken by a man's scream outside. Gabe swung around instantly; everyone else had stopped talking and were looking around. Rufus, the bouncer, had already run outside to check it out. Gabe stood frozen, then started walking to the door, thinking he might need to give Rufus a little backup.

``What the...'' he heard Rufus shout. Gabe broke into a run, reaching the doors and slamming through them. He didn't know what was wrong, but it sounded like Rufus needed help. He reached into his back pocket, getting hold of the switchblade he normally kept on him. He stepped onto the sidewalk, and then turned into the alley next to the pub where the scream originated from.

He skidded to a stop. Rufus stood there, staring. Gabe stepped around Rufus's considerable bulk, to see what he was looking at. A man lay crumpled on the floor, unmoving. Gabe quickly knelt down by the man, to see if he could help. The first thing Gabe noticed was that the man's throat was torn out. Only then did Gabe see the man's face. It was Chris, with a look of terror frozen in death.

Gabe quickly stood up, and looked around. The woman he was with was nowhere to be seen. He turned to Rufus, and said, ``I don't believe this shit...''

Rufus looked back at him. ``You think that chick did it?''

Gabe didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

*

Stryker stepped under the yellow police tape and into the alleyway. In front of him, he saw the body of the latest victim being loaded onto the gurney, to be taken to the morgue. To one side, he saw Ramirez speaking to a tall man wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The man looked pale and shaken. He sighed, and stepped to one side so the gurney could come by.

Ramirez stepped away from the man, turned, and saw Stryker. He walked over to Stryker, shaking his head.

``This is the second murder since we had our meeting, and what do we have?'' Ramirez grumbled. ``Nothing. A big fat zero.''

Stryker nodded. ``So I heard. I was checking on Hunt after I finished my shift when I heard about this.''

Ramirez sighed. ``Things are just getting worse, Kurtis. Get this. According to the bartender, the victim left in the company of a young woman. Assuming she wasn't a victim too, that means we have a third Dracula Killer.''

``A third?'' Stryker raised his eyebrows.

``Yeah, and whoever these are are two steps ahead of us,'' Ramirez replied. He grumbled, kicking at a can. ``By the time we get to the crime scene they're long gone, and we don't even know how they're escaping us. We can't even track down their base of operations.''

``Their what?'' Stryker looked up. ``I told you. They're using portals.''

Ramirez looked at him, and sighed. He walked away slowly, then leaned against the alley wall opposite. Stryker knew this look; it was the look that meant Ramirez had something he needed to say but didn't want to say it.

``All right, out with it,'' Stryker said. ``What's going on?''

Ramirez took a deep breath. ``I was going to tell you tomorrow, but I guess now's a good a time as any. We heard from the OIA. According to them, whatever it is we're facing has to be local. They say there hasn't been any portal activity at all.''

``WHAT?'' Stryker was livid. ``What the hell? I saw that one vampire create a damn portal! How else did they think it died?!''

Ramirez shrugged. ``They're saying that it was probably some other spell that you interrupted. They claim that their sensors can detect any portal activity across the globe, so whatever you saw couldn't have been a portal.''

Stryker snorted. ``Damn it, I know what I saw. Did you tell them I was the one who saw it?''

``Yeah,'' Ramirez nodded. ``Problem is, to those guys we cops don't know our asses from a hole in the ground. The top brass are going with them on it, so the portal angle's being dropped.''

I don't believe this shit, Stryker thought to himself. Aloud, he said, ``So, what happens now?''

Ramirez shrugged. ``Well, top brass may want the main taskforce to continue searching, but they probably won't notice me giving you a special assignment.''

``Special assignment?'' Stryker was confused.

``Yeah,'' Ramirez said. ``I believe you, and your portal theory makes the most sense. See if you can convince them otherwise.''

*

``What do you mean they're on assignment?'' Stryker growled into the phone. ``Listen, just tell them Kurtis Stryker needs to talk to them. Surely you've got a way to reach them.''

He leaned back in the desk chair, looking around the busy squad room. He looked at Ramirez, who sat opposite him, giving him a mild look. Stryker had been trying to reach Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs at the OIA for a couple of hours now, with no luck.

He listened to the reply from the other end of the line. ``Fine, then,'' he growled. ``Tell them when they get back that Kurtis Stryker called, needing their help. If they don't remember, tell them they met me during the Outworld invasion.''

He slammed the phone down on the receiver. ``No luck?'' Ramirez asked.

``Nope,'' Stryker replied. ``According to that paperpusher Sonya and Jax are on assignment and can't be reached.''

Ramirez nodded. ``Think they would have helped?''

``Considering they founded the damn OIA, they probably would have gotten us a more helpful ear than whoever it was McGurk called,'' Stryker muttered. He leaned forward on the desk, tapping his pencil, lost in thought.

``So, where do we go from here?'' Ramirez asked.

Stryker sighed. ``Well, from what I know, there are only three kinds of people who have experience with portals: the military, magicians, and gods. We can strike off the military.''

Ramirez raised an eyebrow. ``This isn't the time for jokes, Kurtis.''

``I'm not joking,'' Stryker replied. He raised up, and looked at Ramirez expressionlessly. ``Getting a magician will be a big problem. The only one I know who's friendly is Nightwolf.''

``Nightwolf,'' Ramirez repeated. ``Isn't he the shaman over at the big reservation near here?''

Stryker nodded. ``Yeah. You know him?''

``Yeah, had to speak to him once or twice because of cases over there, where I had to coordinate with the reservation police,'' Ramirez said. ``Nice guy. You seriously think he's a magician?''

``Yeah, seen it myself during the invasion,'' Stryker replied. ``I've kept in contact with him afterwards. Problem is that when we last spoke a week ago he said he was going on a vision quest and would be gone for a month or so. I've got no way to reach him.''

``Damn,'' Ramirez swore softly. ``What about the unfriendly ones? We could pull one in.''

Stryker looked up at Ramirez. ``You're taking me seriously now?''

Ramirez sighed and leaned back. ``We've got a dead vampire, two more committing murders, and they're all vanishing into thin air. It's not any weirder than anything else.''

``Yeah,'' Stryker said. ``Well, the answer to that is no. The only other magician I know is Shang Tsung, and if he's still alive, he's back in Outworld.''

``So... gods?'' Ramirez asked. ``You were serious about that too, right?''

Stryker nodded. ``I've met one. His name is Raiden, and he's the protector of our realm. Problem is, I don't know how to reach him. I mean, I know he's close to a couple of guys, but they're in China and I have no way of getting hold of them.''

``Shit,'' Ramirez said. ``So, we're back to square one?''

``I guess,'' Stryker said softly. He had hoped that he could have gotten hold of Sonya or Jax, because they represented his best chance of getting the advice of an expert who would actually listen to him. Now he was stuck with hoping to actually catch the vampires in the act.

As he thought, his eyes scanned the desk, and came to rest on a newspaper. The woman who normally sat at this desk liked to read the celebrity section of the paper, and a face jumped out at Stryker on the front. He grinned.

``Maybe not,'' he said. ``I think I found ourselves someone else close to Raiden.''

Ramirez looked at Stryker with a puzzled look on his face. In response, Stryker lifted up the paper to show him. The majority of the page showed a picture of a man in a nice suit wearing sunglasses. The headline above read, ``JOHNNY CAGE TO ATTEND LOCAL GALA.''

Author : Scott Bishop

Creation date: 2011-5-27-9-50

Modification date: 2011-5-27-9-55