From Flight to Fancy

The events of the following record are sparse at best. Memories fade, and we never expect that things will be forgotten when they happen. So in an attempt to inform all the new readers to the past, I am writing Chapters I-III in as much detail and as little space as possible.
 

 

San Cortia is a city on the ocean. A massive river delta opens just above it and to the south there is a fantastic bay. It has always been tied to the water and the water has always played an important part in its history. But more important than the water, Vampires have almost always lived in San Cortia, and they have played a more important part than most would ever realize, especially those who are not enlightened. But the Chinese Mafia, and Mr. Ido never realized how important the Vampires were.

Mr. Ido had controlled the Islands of San Cortia rather effectively for some time, but Vincenzo was getting the drop on him somehow. News came in that there was going to be a major hit on him sometime soon, there was a leak in Ido's ranks and he had to go into hiding. He had to protect himself and Mark Shin came with high regards. Hiring Mark as a personal Bodyguard was risky, but under the circumstances, a bit necessary. He was at least sure that Mark did not work for Vincenzo, and right now, that was all that mattered. In flight to a remote island outside of U.S. waters, Ido took with him only his closest and most trusted assistants, Mr. Song and Mr. Miwari, a handful of bodyguards, his loyal (if not occasionally misunderstood) manservant Fug, and his newest attendant (and probably biggest risk) Mark Shin. An information rat and spy named Pang Kung was hired by names unknown to track and spy on Ido, even as far as out to the island, a nice trick but one that Pang was up to.

Unfortunately, hitmen are trained to notice small details and Pang following them is a detail not to be overlooked. On the final drive to the docks where they are to board the boat to the island, Mark catches sight of Pang and in remarkably efficiency shoots him dead (or very close to dead at least). Not having the time or place to safely discard the body, they stow it aboard and trek it out to the island with them. On board and traveling around the islands of San Cortia, Ido places a call to Lady Cornelia to help them safely dispose of the body once out of US waters.

Duncan Quinn, an ex-cop turned forest ranger, is called into active duty again by an old friend from the force. It seems that someone has gotten a tip of some gang movement out on the waters around San Cortia, but being an unofficial tip, the police can't really do anything about it, so the tip is passed on to Duncan and he takes one of the ranger boats out to look around.

Boats are roaring all around the islands of San Cortia at this point, and the night is starting to drift by, all of this comes to a head after Ido has picked up Lady Cornelia and is on his way out to International Waters. Duncan, keeping a safe distance notices first that he is not the only one following the Chinese and a fight breaks out on the water as mysterious speed boats try to take out Ido's boat and Duncan, choosing a side almost at random helps Ido to get away. The night ends with Ido, et. al., on the island safely and Duncan hiding out on a nearby island.

On the island things go relatively smoothly. There is a semi-subterranean house on the island where Ido and his entourage stay during their hideout. The only difficult aspect is that there are more Vampires than you can shake a stick at, and very few mortals to lick. As far as Ido and his advisors are concerned, the guards all come down with something and are all a bit weak and sluggish. Duncan makes periodical visits to the island, trying to figure out what may be going on. Pang spends the majority of the time hanging upside down in a room by his ankles, Fug suckling off him every now and then in secret. Lady Cornelia plans on practicing a new torture method on Pang's body but takes a few days to prepare.

After a few days on the island, Pang returns from the dead (again) and, in a hectic run of events, escapes invisibly. Things degenerate on the island as Duncan mistakenly delivers a bomb to the house brought to him by his police department friend and insider, Bill Marshall. In the confusion and commotion, Fug enters a Keui-Jin frenzy and metamorphs into a ten foot demon. Duncan attacks him in fear and lays him out on the ground. To add to the confusion, a yacht crawling with Italian Mafia shows up and all hell breaks loose, quick alliances are made as both Duncan and Pang join up against the Italians in an effort to protect Ido and his assets. Fug recovers enough to stand and devour a few Italians as well.

Having fought off the Italians, Ido decides it's safe enough to return to the mainland and offers transport to Pang and Duncan. They both agree and all pack up to leave; Mark Shin, however, has gone missing in the final fights. As they travel back, Ido has time to muse over a package that traded hands many times on the way to the Island (both Fug and Lady Cornelia had some time with it) and Duncan, too late to do anything, remembers his friend Bill still out on one of the islands, asleep and unaware.

To be continued sometimes when memories become more clear and the past more visible...