When Stahs woke, he found Bex wasn’t there at all. However the book Alto saw what had happened and alerted Stahs to Bex kidnapping. Alto stopped outside the door, his pages fluttering a bit as he cast the spell. “Okay, I have his trail. Follow me.” Alto said, tracing the residue of magical energy through the manor. Stahs nods and follows alto. Stahs headed to his room, he went to grab his coat and glasses “im tired of being pushed….and pushed and people thinking they can take what is mine” he growled.

Alto didn’t try to engage him in conversation as he led him. He knew better just from the look of him that now was not the time for talking so he simply led him deeper into the woods. Stahs kept following, his hand keeping in a flexed way as he focus his energy. Alto led him to an unpaved fire road cut through the woods, turning onto that and leading him. They were getting closer but they still had a ways to go. Stahs just kept his stride, he knew how to preserve energy. He just was fuming at the moment. Alto only spoke when the dilapidated shack came into view just off the road on the horizon. “That shack is the entrance.” Alto said.

Stahs stop and would growl. Look around and says ” that can’t be it.” He say.

“It is. There are hidden cameras all pointed at that thing. It’s actually an elevator.” Alto explained.

Stahs stares at alto “you waited….till NOW to say that.” He then growls ” do you know the code?”

Alto sighed, “Yes because the code has likely changed cause that was twenty years ago.”

“Listen, just get me in the elevator and I might be able to turn it on.” Alto said. It was dangerous to go himself considering he couldn’t regenerate in this state, but it was the only way in.

Stahs looks at the elevator and then says “what about the newer ones in the manor?” He ask. “They know?” He didn’t think alto be helpful in there.

“They should know. They came through here recently enough they may not have changed it yet.” Alto affirmed.

Stahs nods “can you send one of them here. Ill stah inthe shadows…but i feel better with one of them.”

“I can do that.” Alto agreed, thinking Varna or Indra would make suitable choices. “I’ll have them join you as soon as possible.” Stahs nods and watches the shack, hoping someone comes out. Alto floated back along the way they’d come hurriedly. They had to get to Bex as quickly as possible. Whatever the lab was doing now that they had him back he knew it wouldn’t be good.n Stahs had been waiting staringb at the shack. Growled, he wanted in, he wanted bex back. The three approached Stahs at a breakneck pace, the twins skidding to a halt near Stahs as Alto floated in place.

“Alto said you need the access code. What’s the plan?” Varna didn’t waste time on pleasantries.

Stahs looks at them “give me the code, then all of you go home.” He said sternly. “Im getting Bex back. I don’t want to worry for all of you.”

“Right.” Varna nodded, neither of the twins about to disobey the vampire. “It’s 26675634328. Got it?”

Alto watched Stahs, he wasn’t about to argue either but he hoped the vampire was prepared for what lay within.

Stahs listens and nods “got it.” He told them. He stood up “get home safe. I will be back with Bex….don’t worry. Indigo is incharge.” He told him. Then walks to the shack, he would go to open the door and enter. He go to enter the code into the elevator and wait. The twins nodded, turning back with Alto as they’d been instructed and heading back they way they came. Stahs stood in the elevator waiting as he was ever so ready to murder everyone and thing. The elevator didn’t take long to hum to life and begin its descent, the code having not yet been changed as luck would have it. When the doors open stahs walked out of the elevator livid, this lab was about to be painted red. The Intern’s head snapped up as the elevator doors opened, eyes widening as they realized the figure was definitely not lab staff.

The handful of guards in the room leveled their guns at Stahs, the one with seniority yelling, “Don’t fucking move!”

Stahs lifted his hands up and then threw them to the side to rip the blood out of the guards body. He turn to hild his hand to the interns to freeze them and then clutch his hand into a fist to try and pulls the blood out of them.

The guards blood sprayed, the intern jumping at the sight and then freezing as Stahs took control of their blood. It didn’t take much to rip the blood out of the human intern. The remaining guards opened fire in terror, though bullets weren’t much deterrent against vampiric speed.

True stahs was in full murder mode, so he move fast. Holding a hand to summon the splattered blood into a scythe and went swinging at the other guards. He move to dodge, getting nick a few times, but didn’t slow, he would go to jump a guard to bite his neck out, feed on him. The guards quickly fell one by one, most non-human guards were for vital areas of the facility. The lobby didn’t hold much importance so the human guards went down easy. Stahs stared at the massacre of corpses. He grinned, having forgotten this feeling. The rush of it all, he would walk further now to try and get into the labs. He plan to kill every last one of them.The guards in the hall were still dead, the one that was connected to Virus had cleared out already, taking up a different appearance and post somewhere else.

Mariel jolted to awakeness with a startled little scream-yelp, still dazed and trying to figure out what was going on. “Who the ||fuck|| is it now?” he slurred, voice hoarse.

Stahs walks into the room, it look like a holding cell. He roar out “Bex!” Moving to look at each cell he slash his scythe at each door to open them.

Cutting into mariel door with the blood scythe.

Mariel was an absolute mess on the floor, covered in cuts, claw marks, bruises, come, golden blood, just…everything. He looked confused and too achingly exhausted to comprehend what was happened, but as he saw that scythe his eyes widened and he immediately croaked out a strangled sound as he scrambled back on the floor to the corner of his cell. He’d read alllll about that weapon and magic.

Stahs walked in and thought Mariel a scared shapeshifter. He look around and no Bex. He growled and turned to walk out to check other cells. “Bex!”

His eyes widened…it was Stahs! Stahs saved everyone, even the worthless artificial life. His face dared to brighten with hope as he started to crawl forward, but the vampire was gone just as quickly. His hoarse voice couldn’t even call out and he was too exhausted to chase after him…and just like that he was alone once more. He didn’t save him; of course he wasn’t here for him. He was here for one of those…other things. Of course he was. As a sob caught in his throat, few more feathers blackened and tarnished.

Stahs stood there, looking figured he could cause chaos. He go and cut into each cell and yells “run go….your free. Get out of here now!” Figure it be a good distraction. Walking and stops at Mariel cell looking to see if anyone leave. He had to get them to, so they could by him time to search more. The shapeshifters looked at him with a mix of confusion and fear at first as he cut through the doors. Then as one got brave enough to bold all hell broke lose as shapeshifters poured out of their cells, most rushing for the lobby. One or two more aggressive shifters bolted deeper into the lab, more bent on revenge than freedom.

Stahs look to mariel and grab a shifter “hey don’t leave anyone behind.” he point. Then move to leave the cell block.

Mariel’s blood was boiling as he used the cell wall to get himself back up to his feet and pushed away from it, wings dragging along the floor as he plodded. Exploring the words that Gears had used, he tried to push the information that Stahs had opened the cells to Gears, though he growled and shoved away any of the shifters that may have stopped to help him.

The one Stahs grabbed nodded frantically, moving to do as instructed and pull any out of the rooms that were too afraid to leave. One of the ones that stopped to try to help Mariel only to be shoved away and so moved on to others.

“My nanites need more time to get the collar off. At least another twenty minutes if I concentrate most of the swarm there.” Gears spoke to Mariel.

“Twenty twenty,” he hissed, his words slurring as he stumbled out of the holding cell block by leaning against the wall.

“Yep. You can burn that demon to a crisp. You can’t hurt Stahs though.” Gears voice had a serious note to it.

“Stahs can go fu||ck|| himself,” Mariel panted, pausing at the doorway to peer down the cell block. His vision was disoriented though, and in the chaos all he could think about was finding Azazel; the though consumed him.

“Then that collar can stay on.” Gears said coldly as he stopped his nanites from eating away at the collar.

“Virus wants Stahs unharmed. So he will be unharmed.” Gears stated in a firm tone. “If you insist on harming Stahs I will be forced to use the swarm to incapacitate you.”

Taking a few shaky breaths he hissed under his breath. “Fffine,” Mariel acquiesced, voice dripping with loathing.

“Very well. You can have all the revenge you like against Azazel. I’ll even help you track him down. But harm Stahs and my nanites will turn your spinal cord into shreds.” Gears said as the nanites kicked back on. As the nanites cut off the angel wobbled and fell to his knees. Okay, maybe they were doing more work for him at the moment than he’d given them credit for.

Feeling the strength return to his legs he slowly pulled himself back up again and turned into the hall to start kicking down doors. He was getting more than a little pissed that everyone was so worried about this person or that person, but not a literal ||fuck||ing Messenger of the Divine over here. Weren’t they supposed to be special? Coveted? Oh, he was going to set this place on -fire-…. And he was aided by the fact that doors along the way were already busted in. Stahs was going somewhere, he just had to see if it would inadvertantly lead to Azazel. That made sense in his pain-addled mind. Gears watched Mariel carefully, he still didn’t trust that the angel wouldn’t try to harm Stahs or one of them.

Stahs moves down the hall with that scythe and goes to bust into another room looking for Bex. Shapeshifters running all around now.

Mariel pulled himself out of the cell block, heading down the hallway as he felt himself growing stronger the weaker the collar got. Just one naked, wrecked angel, wings dragging the bloody ground as he following in Stahs’ wake looking for any sign of Azazel as he plodded along like a possessed doll.

“Almost there.” He said, knowing Stahs couldn’t hear him but he said it anyway as he plodded onward as quickly as he could without jostling Stahs too much.