It may not be Texas, but they have Ribs

[Anita Fernandez]

"Hmmm, I dunno, do you think they even watched that thing?"

[Narrator]

Salome, dressed in a black corset and long black velvet skirt walked in and took a seat near the door.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan shrugged. "Beats me. But we're the enemy, and they'd be kind of stupid not to look at what's out there."

[Anita Fernandez]

((Is Salome wearing heavy goggles or dark glasses, and armed?))

[Narrator]

Salome smiled at the waiter and ordered a drink. It might seem unusual that she was wearing dark glasses, and hadn't removed them, even thought he restaurant was fairly dim. If either Ryan or Anita was very observant, they might notice that there was a long knife under her skirt.

[Anita Fernandez]

Seeing the 'standard vamp gear', Anita casually checks Salome out with her power, feeling all along the woman in a few moments.

She casually tucks a steak knife into her hand, up against her wrist. "Seraph. Don' turn around. Possible Vampire, armed with a cleaver at yer six."

[Narrator]

Satisfied that they'd spotted her, Salome got up and left, sauntering slowly down the street.

[Anita Fernandez]

"Looks like an ambush. Let's do it."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Damn, and I was really liking these ribs," RYan muttered, pulling out his wallet and dropping a few bills onto the table to cover their meal. "You give me a direction, I'll blind 'em."

[Narrator]

Salome continued down the street, turning down an alley when she was sure they'd seen her.

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita gets up, taking the knife with her. She says quietly, "I really hafta get em ta let me carry my guns when I'm not on mission."

"She's leadin' us somewhere. Just walked out, movin' past the window, the goth skank at my ten."

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan nodded. "I'll be the range this time, then," he murmured. "Just don't let them split us up."

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita walks out of the restaurant, and turns toward the alley the vamp walked into.

She extends her power, feeling around to see what's in there.

[Narrator]

Anita would notice that there were six vamps in the alley.

[Anita Fernandez]

"Holyee shit. There's a six pack in there. I think that might be a little much for us, even if I was armed."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Too rich for us. Grab on, we're out of her," Ryan agreed quietly, grabbing Anit around the waist.

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita grabs on, and hits her panic button for good measure. She watches and senses outward, hoping none of the vamps have guns.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan spread his wings and gave a flap, aiming to take off across the street away from the alley.

[Narrator]

Three of the vamps took flight from the alley, flapping their giant bat wings, as they beat Ryan into the air.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"I think we have a new profile for these guys," Ryan grunted, veering away from the vampires. He rolled in the air, letting out a brilliant blast of light at the airborn vamps.

[Narrator]

One of the vampires wobbled in the air as Ryan's blast hit his arm. One of the other airborn vampires pulled out a pair of pistols and shot at Ryan and Anita.

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita throws the steak knife with deadly accuracy.... or she would have if it was a throwing knife. As it is, the best she can do with a tool like that is to actually hit a vamp, still pretty impressive with a knife like that.

[Narrator]

The knife did manage to hit the vampire, but clattered to the ground harmlessly, only making a small cut in the vampire's duster.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Shit. Options?" Ryan said sharply. Not seeing any reason to hold back now, he lit up brightly. It was like he'd opened a floodgate. His eyes glowed with an inner light and he let the power course through them, blasting at the closest vamp.

[Anita Fernandez]

"Drop me, I can't dodge bullets up here."

[Narrator]

The vamp, the same one who'd taken a shot to the arm, was hit in the leg. The second flying vamp opened up with a pair of pistols, firing with deadly accuracy at Ryan and Anita.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan didn't have time to hesitate. There were three in the air, and three on the ground, and they were all armed. He couldn't fight in the air if he was carrying her, and she couldn't dodge if he was the one controlling her movements. Hating himself as he did it, he dove back down toward the ground, finding a covered spot to let her down. "Don't you dare get hurt," he said in a thick voice.

Then he was climbing again, lighting up even brighter now that he didn't have to worry about Anita being blinded in his arms. I'm not tied down this time, you bastards. Bring it. He was flying at them, now, and able to focus on his aim. He locked his eyes on the head of the closest vampire, sending out blinding bolts of searing eat at its chest.

[Narrator]

The vampire fell to the ground with a thud, flames licking at his chest, but the other two continued to close on Ryan, firing at him as they closed on him.

On the ground, the other three vamps closed on Anita, guns and knives flashing. Working as one, all three fired at her.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Don't get hurt... don't get hurt... Ryan tried not to focus on the gunshots he heard firing off beneath him. Instead, he veered after another of the airborn vamps, trying to stay between them to make firing at him dangerous for the two of them.

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita smiles as she sees the vamps line up their guns together.

If they're going to make it easy by all firing at once, that's fine by me...

She waited until she could feel them squeezing back on the triggers and then jumped up and twisted in the air, up and over the bullets. As soon as her boots touched pavement, she moved, but likely not in the direction the vamps expected. She headed in, closing with the vampires fast, unarmed for the moment.

[Barbara Chronopolis]

Both the panic button and the flashy use of Ryan's power starts to attract attention. At street level, closed-circuit cameras begin to track in on the exchange between Anita and the shooters. Overhead, a shadowy flying wing not much larger than Ryan angles for a better view of the dogfight, it's systems powering up from stealth in case additional thrust is needed.

[Narrator]

The vampires turned with inhuman speed as Anita jumped. This time, they fired one after the other as two of the vampires closed with her. Just as they were about to attack her, Salome spotted the recon drone and let out a high pitched screech of warning from her post in the alley. At this signal the two remaining winged vampire's dove, each dropping several spherical items as they did so. The flying vamps skimmed the ground, scooping up their wounded comrade and the three un-winged vampires, and then flew off into the night.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Oh fuck no you don't, Ryan thought, angling after the fleeing vampires. He focused on the wings of the closest flier, then let out another blast, strafing his energy across the sky until he hit it if necessary.

[Narrator]

The vampire managed, narrowly, to avoid the blasts, but it was obvious that his luck wouldn't last forever. In the meantime, shots rang out from the alley as Salome shot at Ryan.

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita feels her vision narrow as the gun barrels come up. She turns out of the path of the first bullet.
One

As the second vampire squeezes on the trigger she ducks low, boots skidding on the pavement. The bullet tears through her hair.
Two

Now turned away from the vamps, she feels the third vamp firing. She twists, and drops, falling to roll on the pavement as the bullet shoots over her.
Three!

Anita skids on her back toward the vamps. Oh shit... what now?

She brings up her arms to defend against the inevitable attack... and blinks in surprise as those vampires are lifted away before they can do more than menace her. She crosses herself quickly, and then rolls to her feet.

Her senses are still reaching out far, tracking the path of Salome's bullets... "Ryan look out!"

[Narrator]

Any warning that Anita might have given Ryan was drowned out as the concussion grenades that the vampires had dropped exploded all around her, shattering her eardrums and damaging her lungs.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan was just taking another shot at the escaping winged vampires, when several things happened simultaneously. First, he heard the start of a scream. Then, a bullet grazed his leg. Finally, an explosion both distracted and jolted him, all of which made to completely throw off his aim. "ANITA!" he shouted, wheeling in midair and diving at high speed back to where he'd left her.

[Anita Fernandez]

Anita goes over like a dead cow. She falls to the ground totally gracelessly, not even crying out. With her enhanced senses, the explosions took her down hard, her brain shutting down from pain overload.

After she hits, she just lies there, unconcious.

[Narrator]

The flying vampires flew off, putting as much distance between Ryan and Anita as they could. Salome fired a few more shots at Ryan and then slung the rifle onto her back, running across the rooftops to the get-away vehicle.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan skidded to a landing a little ways down from Anita, and practically dove to the sidewalk next to her. Oh god, oh god, oh god... be okay, be okay, be okay...

He gently felt for her pulse, and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding when he felt it. Hurriedly, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the school's emergency line.