COMMENTARY
-Almost 400km between Mexico City and Leon, and Molly literally moved the distance in seconds.
That is very impressive tracking and coordination.
And genuinely makes me wonder how good Red Court tracking is by comparison.
Certainly justifies my caution about Rampire institutional sensing capabilities, and our need for Black Mirror.
-That said, this cell appears to be suicidal.
A Rampire so powerful that you can actively feel it at a distance as a half-Red is throwing around more power than an Ick, and Fellowship members are terrified of Icks.
You dont confront such a thing in public, or try to engage such a thing with handguns or PDWs in an airport at close quarters
Not to mention that, given who trains them and applies their tattoos, they should be aware that there's a lot more shit out there than Reds. I mean, there's almost certainly naagloshii in Mexico as well as the US; more than 40 native American tribes have territories that cross the border.
-I dont see how they would think that a Red would be less willing to resort to violence than a St Giles team either.
Its explicitly canon in Changes that, south of the border, the Red Court WILL commit open, public atrocities, even against govt offices or law enforcement and pin them on a rebel movement, drug cartel or the other.
Hence Agent Tilly's reaction to the strike on the Chicago FBI Field Office by the Eebs.
-Team of at least four half-Reds.
Maybe as many as six; twos and sixes is a recurring motif IIRC for both the Red Court and the White Council combat teams, and I can see smaller groups copying it.
-I do smell opportunity here; a wayward St Giles team is one to take in hand
That said, we're burning power, and the more power we burn the less we have for the night's festivities proper.
-Note that the Fellowship was canonically penetrated by Martin, who is a Red Court triple agent and deep cover mole, and allegedly the oldest operational agent and on the Fellowship inner circle for more than a hundred years.
It was a plot point in Changes.
"Please excuse me, my lord," Martin murmured, giving a slight bow of his head to the Red King. "Drop it," he said in a flat voice to Susan. He twisted his body more, bending her painfully, and pressing the machete's edge against her throat even harder, until Susan's fingers opened and Amoracchius fell to the floor, its light slowly dying.
"A trick," said the Red King. Anger began to pour off of him. "A charlatan's trick." His eyes moved from Susan up to Martin. "And you have revealed yourself."
"I beg your forgiveness, my lord," Martin said. "It seemed the proper time. On my initiative, strike teams began removing Fellowship personnel and safe houses two hours ago. By this time tomorrow, there won't be an operative left alive south of the United States. And our financial division will have taken or destroyed well over ninety percent of their accounts."
"You son of a bitch," Susan said, her voice overflowing with pain. "You fucking traitor."
Martin's expression flickered at her words. But his eyes never left the Red King. "I give you the Fellowship of St. Giles, my lord," he said. "And I beg you to grant me my reward."
"Reward," Susan said, loading more contempt and hate into the word than should have been possible. "What could they possibly give you, Martin, to make it worth what you've done?"
The Red King stared at Susan and said, "Explain it to her."
"You misunderstand," Martin said calmly. "I have not betrayed the Fellowship, Susan. This was the plan from the moment I joined it. Think. You've known me for less than a decade and you've seen how near some of our scrapes have been. Did you truly believe I had survived a hundred and fifty years of battle against the Red Court, outlived every other operative ever to serve the Fellowship on my own merits?" He shook his head. "No. Escapes were provided. As were targets. It took me fifty years and I had to personally kill two of my fellows and friends working much as I was, to win the trust of the Fellowship. Once they admitted me to the inner circle, their time had come. Trust is a poison, Susan. It took another century to ferret out their secrets, but it is finally done. And our people will finish removing the Fellowship, in every meaningful sense, by tomorrow. It is over."
Susan's eyes flickered over to me, and Maggie continued to weep quietly, huddling in on herself. Susan's face was twisted with pain. There were furious tears in her eyes as she looked at me.
And I couldn't even speak to her.
"And what do you get?" Susan asked her, voice shaking.
"Ascension," said the Red King. "I have no interest in admitting bloodthirsty lunatics to the nobility of my Court. Martin has proven himself—his dedication, his self-control, and, most important, his competence, over the course of decades. He was a priest for fifty years before he was even permitted to attempt this service."
"Honestly, Susan," Martin said. "I told you many times that you can never let emotion interfere with your duties. If you had listened to me, I'm certain you would have caught on. I would have been forced to kill you, as I have several others who were too wise for their own good, but you would have known."
"A trick," said the Red King. Anger began to pour off of him. "A charlatan's trick." His eyes moved from Susan up to Martin. "And you have revealed yourself."
"I beg your forgiveness, my lord," Martin said. "It seemed the proper time. On my initiative, strike teams began removing Fellowship personnel and safe houses two hours ago. By this time tomorrow, there won't be an operative left alive south of the United States. And our financial division will have taken or destroyed well over ninety percent of their accounts."
"You son of a bitch," Susan said, her voice overflowing with pain. "You fucking traitor."
Martin's expression flickered at her words. But his eyes never left the Red King. "I give you the Fellowship of St. Giles, my lord," he said. "And I beg you to grant me my reward."
"Reward," Susan said, loading more contempt and hate into the word than should have been possible. "What could they possibly give you, Martin, to make it worth what you've done?"
The Red King stared at Susan and said, "Explain it to her."
"You misunderstand," Martin said calmly. "I have not betrayed the Fellowship, Susan. This was the plan from the moment I joined it. Think. You've known me for less than a decade and you've seen how near some of our scrapes have been. Did you truly believe I had survived a hundred and fifty years of battle against the Red Court, outlived every other operative ever to serve the Fellowship on my own merits?" He shook his head. "No. Escapes were provided. As were targets. It took me fifty years and I had to personally kill two of my fellows and friends working much as I was, to win the trust of the Fellowship. Once they admitted me to the inner circle, their time had come. Trust is a poison, Susan. It took another century to ferret out their secrets, but it is finally done. And our people will finish removing the Fellowship, in every meaningful sense, by tomorrow. It is over."
Susan's eyes flickered over to me, and Maggie continued to weep quietly, huddling in on herself. Susan's face was twisted with pain. There were furious tears in her eyes as she looked at me.
And I couldn't even speak to her.
"And what do you get?" Susan asked her, voice shaking.
"Ascension," said the Red King. "I have no interest in admitting bloodthirsty lunatics to the nobility of my Court. Martin has proven himself—his dedication, his self-control, and, most important, his competence, over the course of decades. He was a priest for fifty years before he was even permitted to attempt this service."
"Honestly, Susan," Martin said. "I told you many times that you can never let emotion interfere with your duties. If you had listened to me, I'm certain you would have caught on. I would have been forced to kill you, as I have several others who were too wise for their own good, but you would have known."
And he wasnt the only such double agent working to penetrate the Fellowship, just the most successful one.
There's a very real risk that whatever we say is going to get back to Red Court high command.
And yes, Martin is at least two hundred and twenty years old.
