Abel Nightroad was not the only one that heard about the bladed office attack. A man with disheveled green hair and cold eyes looked at the picture upside down in the newspaper. He had to "bribe" the guard to even get the paper. "Frankie, buddy, you gotta give me some kind of a reason not to kill you the next time I give you guys vacation time." He said. He also found out about Frankie's affair and 'promised' to keep quiet about it if he looked the other way. 'Promise' was a relative word.

Twenty-three people died in the attack. This guy, whoever it was, had potential. This many people had not died since, well, since the last time he got out. It would be fun to play with the Bat again. There was one thing he didn't like about the attack. The number was acceptable. The axes and blades were an absolutely killer idea, and the trench coats and gas masks were a nice touch. It was just that the execution left something to be desired. It was great to kill by knife – the thing was that if you wanted to do it right, it had to be savored. He was sure that it had been pretty difficult to savor those twenty deaths in a crowded office building. Yes. This guy had potential – he just needed to be shown how to really enjoy himself. Yes. This was going to be fun. A low chuckle escaped his throat.

XXXXXXXX

Abel recovered from his gunshot wound over the next several days, though he was quite thirsty by the end of it. He stayed mostly out of sight because he was hunted by the local police on account of him injuring several officers. It had not been easy, but he had managed to acquire some extra clothing – a torn hoodie and a dirty scarf. Unfortunately the police would easily be able to identify a blue-eyed silver-haired man. His British accent singled him out as well.

He looked for Esther at the local shelters. Unfortunately, the owners of the second shelter he searched identified him, and he escaped out the window of a bathroom. His brush with the police had been a close call, and he avoided the shelters thereafter.

He also visited the scene of the crimes to look for clues for the whereabouts of Dietrich, Isaak and the methuselah, but the detectives had scoured the crime scenes. The office building where the autojaeger attack took place had been another harrowing adventure. He broke in at night, but somebody saw his flashlight in the building and reported the break in. He escaped by opening the window, walked around the side of the building, and then jumped to the next building.

He also concluded that he needed information on all the crimes related to the Rosencreutz's activity. It was crucial that he stop them before they screwed up this timeline, but he struggled to find information not significantly distorted by the local papers. Unfortunately, the police would have the best records available.

Suddenly the idea hit him and he cursed himself for his stupidity. He could not go to the police, but he could bring their records to him. The internet was new during this time, and network security was bound to be weak. He eventually identified a target computer after a night or two of prowling. The computer belonged to a young college aged student with a penchant for partying out every night.

He waited until the young man disappeared from the apartment, then he made his way to the apartment door with a practiced ease avoid suspicion and quickly picked the lock. He settled down at the desk to the ancient looking machine. This was going to be too easy. He opened the terminal window on the computer and his fingers flew across the keyboard. Within minutes he hacked into the police database and was sifting through the reports from the crime scenes.

The police really didn't have a clue, and New York – no, Gotham was going to be in serious trouble if he didn't stop Dietrich and Isaak. This made him pause. The Gothamites reported the activities of only Dietrich and another Methuselah. Where was everybody else including Esther? She would undoubtedly try to interfere with Rosencreutz's activities. Perhaps Isaak hid himself? It was also unusual for Dietrich to have revealed himself in the office attack. Usually he operated behind the scenes. He started rapidly sifting through more police reports to uncover additional clues to the puzzle.

He uncovered a document referencing BVI fuel, and his heart jumped into his throat. Was this THE BVI? His eyes frantically searched the document. A group called the Two-face stole the fuel. Was it related to the Rosencreutz? His stomach tightened as he frantically scanned for more information. Just as he reached the bottom of the document he noticed that the police linked the Two-face to black market weapons dealing at the city port. He would head to the – a faint click sounded in the background. Blast it! The partygoer had returned early!

He hastily executed the program he wrote when he initially accessed the computer. It would eliminate any traces of his activity on the police server. Within seconds he was out the window and casually walking down the alleyway with his hoodie pulled up and a scarf concealing his features.

His next target was clear and a sense of urgency permeated him. He would visit the docks to see if this Two-face group would lead him to either the Rosencreutz or the BVI fuel.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Esther heard the stories of cloaked figures in gas masks – autojaegers. Unfortunately, her duties at the church demanded so much of her that she had little time to puzzle out the newspaper or go out to investigate. Apparently, learning the language had the unfortunate effect of increasing her workload.

Still, she felt responsible for finding a way to stop or slow the Rosencreutz down. On top of stopping the Rosencreutz, she needed to figure out how to get back home. She also needed to find Nightroad. She was worried that he had not turned up yet. Then again, the city was huge – it wouldn't be hard to miss somebody.

Her lack of success in finding the original methuselah drove her to investigate the scene of the office attack. Several days passed before she finally had time to investigate the autojaeger incident. By the time she left the church, darkness covered the city. The first part of her trip required her to walk through the well-lit college district; however the laughter soon faded behind her as she neared her destination. She walked on quickly and projected confidence while staying on alert. A figure appeared in front of her. She immediately turned to a side alley and found herself confronted by three more figures advancing towards her. She turned on her heel and retreated back passing under a lamp.

She was suddenly snatched from behind. Yelping she threw an elbow behind her and was gratified by a groan. She opened her mouth to yell, but the cold touch of a blade on her throat silenced her. "Quiet girlie" somebody breathed into her ear. There were four men in front of her now. She knew what was coming. She sagged in the man's grip and whimpered. "That's right, girlie" the man breathed in her ear. She whimpered again and felt the blade withdraw from her neck. She snapped her arm up suddenly knocking the knife out of the man's hand and driving her elbow into his side yelling as she did so. The other men hesitated, and she used that moment to knock one back with a kick to the side. Rough hands grabbed her arm as her foot connected with another man's crotch.

Something struck her head hard, and she saw bright lights. She tried to move forward but one of the men held her from behind. Her side exploded in pain as she was struck in the side. She sagged in the man's grip tasting blood in her mouth. She hung there for a second trying to orient herself. A hand cupped her jaw forcing her to look forward "that was a bad idea, girlie." The man's face swam before her eyes, her vision red. She tried to snap at his fingers, but her effort was met with another blow to her jaw. She spiraled into a dizzying world of pain, and she dimly felt hands unbuttoning her pants. She tried to muster the effort to fight, but her heavy limbs would not respond to her commands. She steeled herself and vowed to live through what they would do to her. She hit the ground, but dimly realized that the intrusive hands left her. As she slowly processed this information, the screams of the men around her escalated her pulsing headache and echoed through her brain.

XXXXXXXXXX

Abel noticed as a busty, diminutive woman crossed the path far in front of him. She held herself like she could command the world. It was not safe for somebody like her in this place. He crossed her path and looked down after her. She was gone. He strode forward to his new destination. He should not interfere in the business of this timeline. A yelp gave him pause and he turned around. Trouble? That woman? He battled internally for a moment, but then decided for his conscience that he should help. There was a time in which he would have just walked on.

He turned back down the alley trying to pinpoint its location. There was a scuffle somewhere and he increased his pace trying to pin-point the scuffle. There was a yell and he whipped around to his right, but he saw nobody. The sounds must have bounced off the buildings distorting the location. He paused and listened for the sounds of the scuffle again and carefully tried to pinpoint its location. After a moment, he took off at a run.

He rounded the corner and found four men standing around the crumpled form of a woman while the fifth struggled with her clothing. A rage ignited in him and something within him stirred. Teach them a lesson...make them feel pain…. punish them for their sins. The mantra pounded through his head as he pulsed momentarily with rage. He was usually not so susceptible to them, and promptly attributed it to his hunger as his fangs start to grow and his vision heightened. The terrans… no, humans would not sate his hunger, but they would sate his desire for destruction. "Leave. Now." he said in a low, almost gravelly voice as he strained to hold himself back.

"You leave, and we won't kill you." The squatting man flicked his wrist and a blade glinted in the darkness. Two more blades glinted as the others drew them. "I don't know man; his, his eyes are kinda red…." One of the men said taking a step backwards.

"Don't puss out Mike." One of the others snapped. They advanced. It wasn't really a fair fight for them. More than once Abel felt the fiery tongue of one of their blades on his skin. More than once, there was the distinct crack of bone, though fortunately not his bones. The real fight was with himself to keep the Krusnik in check. After a few minutes, it was all over. The men lay on the ground, some groaning, some silent, but all were breathing. They would be fine with some medical attention, which was a victory for him.

During the fight, the woman managed to drag herself over to the side of the alley. She had balled up trying to protect herself. Good girl. He froze. She had red hair. He knelt over her and talked softly and soothingly before he touched her. She looked up at his touch – it was Esther! One of her eyes was swollen shut, and blood dribbled out of her mouth. "Esther, are you alright?" He said softly in Latin. She just blinked, and looked at him dazedly. He scooped her up gently and headed back to his "apartment" hoping that nobody had moved in. It would probably be bad to show up with a battered woman in tow.

XXXXXXXXXX

Esther couldn't really tell what was happening. Her head felt like an echo chamber and her entire field of vision was a hazy red that swam before her. Her head and side were on fire. When the men had stopped messing with her clothes, she tried to crawl away. There was a lot of shouting and it was really disorienting. She was so dizzy and tired, and the ground was cool and inviting. She felt a soft touch on her arm and looked up, but couldn't make out the concealed figure. Sounds rumbled through her head and stopped and she felt herself being lifted. The man's pace was quick and the cadence enhanced the allure of sleep. She fought against it and gradually strung her thoughts together. This person had saved her, but could she trust him? Apprehension started to build in her, and she assessed her condition for an escape. If he had beaten off all those men, what chance did she stand? Her vision in her good eye gradually cleared. It hurt to draw breath, and she hoped her ribs were only bruised. She felt weak and exhausted from the shock. She decided to bide her time and watch for an escape opportunity.

They arrived at the man's "apartment." This guy must have been really, really poor. There wasn't even a proper bed. There was just a mattress in the floor with some blankets strewn across it. He set her down and knelt next to her. Intense blue eyes peered out from the concealing scarf. "Esther?" His eyes widened in understanding and she hesitantly pulled back the scarf. "Sorry, I forgot that that was on." He muttered.

Father Nightroad!? Esther's heart pounded hard in surprise. She breathed hard and painfully. The shock was just too much – getting beaten and then nearly raped only to be saved by the Father. The edges of her vision flickered and she felt dizzy. A hand supported her. "Esther are you ok?" the Father asked. "Yes…. Sorry, I didn't know it was you." Esther breathed.

"Clearly. Let me get you some water." The Father walked away. Esther looked around quickly. He didn't seem to be doing so well. But then she reflected – neither was she. Esther drank gratefully. "What were you doing back there?" the Father asked. Esther was taken aback. She knew what she was doing, but it hit her – just what could she do? She was only one person. She wasn't a scientist or a warrior. She couldn't stop all of them nor could she reinvent the device to take her back home. The Father suddenly looked embarrassed and then smiled patting her on the shoulder. "Nevermind. I understand. Doing something is better than nothing."

Esther got up and cleaned the blood and dirt off her face. "So where have you been staying?" the Father asked. She looked into the mirror and somebody that had been through hell stared back at her. "Oh, I've been staying at St. Michael's church. I work as a nun's assistant there."

"Dammit, I looked for you there!" the Father exclaimed.

"You did?" Esther asked, surprised.

"They must have thought I looked suspicious" the Father muttered.

"Why would you look suspicious?" Esther queried. The Father looked bewildered and embarrassed. "Well, that's a long story. How about I fill you in tomorrow?" Somehow, Esther was not surprised. It might also explain his current residence if he was considered suspicious. Everything was finally going to be "normal" again and she suddenly felt very tired. It must have shown on her face. "Esther, stay here for the night, it's late and we can talk more tomorrow." Esther reluctantly agreed. She settled down on the far end of the mattress to leave room for the Father. It was improper, but what else was there to do? It wasn't long before sleep took her.

She awoke the next day blanketed in the Father's cassock. Her side and the side of her face pulsed in pain. She rolled her head to the side and saw the Father curled up on the floor next to the bed using the edge of the mattress as a pillow. Apparently she wasn't the only one who felt awkward about sleeping in the same bed. Good. She got up and cleaned the sleep from her face and returned to find the father rummaging through the pockets of his cassock. He finally produced a small metallic object. "Esther, you wouldn't happen to have found something that looks like this?" He turned around and showed her the object."

"No. What is it?" She answered.

"Well, I think it is a part of the machine that sent us to this time and place. If you look at the rounded gold edge here and the wires in the back it makes sense. Also it was found near where I was originally transported in this timeline." the Father explained as he handed her the part. "If we can find the other pieces, we have a good chance of figuring out how to get back." The Father continued.

Esther's heart fell. "I got lost the same day I arrived, and I couldn't make my way back to the place I arrived. I didn't see any parts like that either." She explained disheartedly.

"We will figure it out Esther" Abel reassured patting her on the shoulder.

Together Esther and the Father discussed their somewhat precarious situation. The Father explained to Esther the necessity of keeping a low profile in order to keep from contaminating this timeline, because the consequences could be devastating. The Father also described what he had been able to learn about Dietrich and the female homicides due to the rouge methuselah. Esther didn't have anything to add, so they concluded together that Dietrich and at least one other Methuselah were causing problems. That also brought up the question of Isaak's or the other methuselah's whereabouts.

The Father's face suddenly took on a thoughtful expression "How long have you been here, Esther?" he inquired.

"Almost one month" Esther replied.

"Well, I only arrived a couple weeks ago" the Father said. "And the first Methuselah attack occurred before you arrived. Maybe we are all arriving at different points in time, so Isaak and the rest of the Rosenkreutz have not arrived yet" the Father hypothesized.

Both the Father and Esther agreed that they needed to stop Dietrich and the other methuselah before they changed the timeline and before Isaak arrived. Even though the Father had the data cube and the machine part, he didn't know much about the program or the device itself. It was likely that Isaak would know the most, but there were no clues as to his whereabouts – it was likely he had not arrived yet their guesses about the timeline were correct.

Esther and the Father also decided that it was unlikely that they could stop Dietrich in a single night, but if they could take out the autojaegers and piece together his plan, Dietrich could be captured before he gained too much of a foothold in the city. It was unlikely that they could hold him hostage, but it seemed that the city was at least somewhat equipped to hold criminals with unusual abilities or talents. The Father had discovered that several of these unusual criminals being held in a place called "Arkham," which was as good of a place as any to hold Dietrich until they figured out how to return to their own timeline.

As Esther and the Father were finishing their discussion, Esther reluctantly agreed to return to the church. She understood that it was dangerous for her, but she didn't like that the Father was doing all the work. He had a tendency to get himself into sticky situations. He should have somebody watching his back. If she was not helping, she felt like deadweight to the team. It was still good to stick with the church. She could "borrow" some items for him and help him out. She felt uncomfortable about it, but then if Dietrich and Isaak won, many more might suffer.

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