Lucian stands like a statue at the docks. He'd heard some kind of major explosion in the town, and had not gone to investigate because Lucian is not a fool.

The Anarch Movement is likely up to their tricks again, and he would not be moved from his precious docks, where they could strike next, if it was left undefended.

The Anarch Movement had never once harrassed Lucian. Their rage seemed targeted specifically at Prince Modius, and why not? The Prince is the very symbol of everything that the Anarchs live to fight against. In truth, Lucian could not really blame them. There is no way for a vampire to progress except to take what he wants by force or guile. There is no ladder to climb, so those who have nothing will have nothing forever, unless they change that through politics or force. The Anarchs are generally Kindred whose blood is weaker than that of the Elders. Individually attempting to take from any Elder, therefore, would be suicide.

So they have banded together and have expressed their mutual discontent by blowing things up. He actually feels a little sorry for them and understands their position. But as an Elder without any political power, he can neither help nor hinder them, and so he chooses to just stay out of it, as Lucian chooses to stay out of all politics if he can.

His role is clear. To protect Kindred going in and out of the region by providing for their safe transport and arrival of both themselves, and their worldly possessions. It had been half a century of this, and unlike many other Kindred who grew bored or dispassionate, Lucian was neither. He was happy as long as he had his docks to mind over. And that is why he liked Modius being in power. With Modius here as prince, Lucian would not be bothered or tampered with in any way.

But for Lucian, who stands on these docks almost every night of the week, one thing he knows is when the wind is clearly changing. It is about to.

The workers roll the coffin off the boat. As is the custom, they leave it on the dock near Lucian's position and then go about the rest of their business as if this was simply ordinary. They are good men. Lucian pays them very well, but he knows that even money would not keep an ordinary person from spreading rumors about this. So he'd pulled them all in. They knew what the deal was. It was not a breaking of the Masquerade, it was a keeping of it, by containing it to the people who were involved.

They'd known Lucian for years and when he revealed his true nature to them, they were at first horrified, of course. Just the knowledge that a vampire exists is earth-shattering for any person. If vampires exist, then what else? Werewolves, ghosts, wizards, faeries, demons? And then what about Heaven and Hell? And what about aliens from space?

You see proof of one supernatural creature, you basically see proof of all of the rest. Earth shattering, which is why Lucian had revealed his true nature to them when they were all on a boat at sea together.

Some of the men, as expected, had thrown themselves overboard in a fit of hysteria. Others had attacked him. He knew they would. He also knew if he'd even seriously injured one of them, that the rest would turn on him and he would be tossed overboard. That wouldn't kill him, but it sure would be a long walk back to Gary. Lucian estimated it would be a seventeen year walk, mostly blind and deaf, eating only fish vitae.

And that is if the men didn't find some way to cut his head off first.

He'd only blocked their attacks, defended himself, refused to harm a single one. All the while, he talked to them in a soothing voice, telling them that their preconceptions from books and movies was wrong. That he was, like them, just a simple man who happened to have been transformed into this new kind of animal. He'd continue to use the word animal, to make it sound natural. He knew better himself, but they didn't need to. 

After about ten hours the men were too exhausted to fight him. None of them had gotten so much as a broken bone, though almost all had a couple of bruises, either from Lucian or each other. Lucian had been both surprised and pleased that after the fourth hour, a full quarter of the men defended him, seeing that he hadn't harmed them in any way.

And then he shared his wealth with them. It was the concession. He'd saved that money for a long time, but this was as good a use to put it to as any he could have thought of. The men liked being flush with cash for the first time in their lives.

Lucian had promised them there would be more, much more. And for awhile there had been. Many Kindred preferred to travel by sea than by air. And traveling in the bottom of a boat instead of a car or truck was safer for longer distances. The sun could not penetrate the hull of a ship. But then Modius had to go fooling with politics, had tried to take control of Chicago. He'd been forced out by Lodin and his Ventrue brood, and had declared himself Prince of Gary. It was a joke now, but back then Gary was the center of the entire steel industry. Taking it over was a coup. Combined with being the power behind the socialist movement, Modius actually prospered for quite a while.

That had been good for Lucian and the docks as well. But when the Ventrue had collapsed the entire U.S. steel industry just to destroy Modius' power base, and had then come in force when Balthazar had betrayed his own sire as well as Modius for the money and power the Ventrue could give him, Gary's downfall had been sealed.

The Ventrue had pushed Gary down and had kept it down. And now there were more scum and criminals in Gary then there were decent people. The dockworkers had even moved out and lived in neighboring towns. Lucian had worked an agreement with Juggler that kept the criminal element off the docks, but every now and again some punks not under the Brujah's control would try to lift something. Lucian had long ago lost his patience and the dock workers didn't mind when he instantly murdered such people.

They felt protected. And that is why night after night Lucian stood here, looking out at the sea, even when there were no Kindred coming in. And there hadn't been for a time. Money was getting tight. So when Mr. Confetti had approached him and they had worked out a multi-million dollar deal for his Elders to come in, it had been a glorious, unexpected shift in positive momentum for Lucian and the dockworkers.

The workers had thrown an impromptu party when he told them. And Lucian had let them have their fun, right there on his docks. Liquor and dancing with their wives and families. A few whores had gotten wind of it and showed up, and nobody seemed to mind that either. For the first time in ages, there had been a light at the end of the tunnel.

Within a few days the police massacre had occurred, and the media, obviously controlled by Peterson, had blamed the street toughs controlled by Juggler. And Lucian had known that couldn't possibly be true. Even if Juggler had been well paid to betray Modius by the Ventrue or some other person seeking the throne of Chicago he wouldn't have been so obvious or so violent about it as all that.

No, it had been Confetti's people. They were taking over businesses in Gary. First a construction company, then the electric company. And the construction company suddenly drastically altered the configuration at the Gary Transfer Station. Those things had been good, Lucian had thought. Why not? But the police slaughter had been awful and put a national public spotlight on Gary so bright he was sure it had been a Sabbat assault, since only they would be so blatant about breaking the Masquerade.

But if it had been a Sabbat assault, then Modius would surely be dead now. Probably, Lucian realized, he would likely be dead too. How easy for them to corner him here, where he'd predictably be standing, alone and unprotected.

The thought suddenly shocked him to his core. He could be targeted so easily. And would be, since the Sabbat would love to get their hands on the docks. He had been so concerned with the safety of his loyal workers, that he hadn't given one thought to his own safety. But a few hours ago, something very large exploded. Exploded!

He hadn't gone to look. But what if it had been Modius' mansion? The Prince could be dead right now. He'd have to look into it. But for now, he had a coffin to open. And open it he did. He whispered calmly to the Kindred inside. "Relax. I am Lucian, elder of clan Gangrel. You are on the docks in Gary, Indiana. Your journey was successful. You are safe."

He opens the coffin lid and finds a plump, slightly dirty looking latino man inside. Mexican or South American, not Spanish, Lucian thought, from the complexion of the skin. Though Kindred became pale upon their death, there are different shades of pale, which starts with the original skin color. This man's pale was another man's normal.

As a mortal, he'd been in the sunny part of the world for most of his life. South America or Mexico, or perhaps Acapulco, Lucian decided.

Antonio Hidalgo clambers awkwardly out of the coffin. He straightens his very nice suit. Lucian reflects how odd it looks on the stocky, muscular, yet somehow clumsy looking man.

He is short too. Very short. Lucian looks down at him, and nods respectfully. "A Ventrue?" He asks plainly, mostly due to the suit. "Who do I kill?" the man responds, in a whispery, hoarse kind of voice.

Lucian is taken aback. "What?"

"Who do you need me to kill?" Antonio, who his friends, all 2 of them in the world, were allowed to call Tony, repeats. This time slightly louder. The dockworkers around them tried their best, but Lucian could see their pretense of ignoring the conversation is breaking. Lucian gestures towards the limousine parks and waiting on the bottom of the docks. "I don't need anyone...er...that car is waiting for you."

Without another word, Tony walks away, pulls his trunk towards the limousine. The driver puts it in the trunk of the vehicle, and Tony climbs in.

As they ride away Lucian sighs. One of his men looks at him. "What was that all about?" 

"I don't know. But I'm starting to think maybe I should arrange my own passage the hell out of here."

The men exchanged glances at each other. Lucian is their meal ticket and their protector. Without him, they'd all have to scatter to the four winds. But, something had exploded! Maybe that's exactly what they should do.