31

Even if it weren't for your acute sense of time and the tint of the sky, you can always tell it's growing closer to first light by the flow and energy of the city's people. The early risers purchasing coffee, the middle-aged wage-slaves grumbling about work under their breath, shops that were closed overnight showing signs of rumbling back to life. Sunrise will soon be upon you, and you should return to your haven before reporting to Corliss, which will be understandable given the lateness of her request.

You're still a few minutes' walk away from the proper back-alley sewer entrance when a commotion erupts several blocks to the north—a rumbling followed by screams, and finally gunfire. Past a squat office building, you can see a faint wisp of smoke rising toward the heavens. There's no way to be certain, but you think that's the police station—Sheriff Qui's center of influence. There's no way to be certain who is attacking the building, be it an act of terror or a Kindred affair, but an assault the night after the Anarch raid is unlikely to be a coincidence, especially after Qui took a prisoner. If Ward was willing to blow up the factory last night to throw Ottawa's Camarilla off his scent, it's not much of a leap to think he'd go this far to rescue an ally—or silence a wagging tongue. You're close enough to the commotion that you may be able to make a difference and help if Ward is involved.

You've devoted countless hours to memorizing each and every twisting alley and shortcut that Ottawa has to offer, and as usual, your studies and persistence pay off. You plot the optimal course in a matter of seconds before taking off like a shot down a nearby alley. After several blocks and a half-dozen twists and turns, you spot a figure running in your direction, looking over his shoulder for signs of pursuit. It's Qui's prisoner. You duck low and stop in the shadow of a reeking dumpster, waiting as the vampire's footsteps near your position. In a small shard of a broken mirror, you catch sight of another running figure, this one coming in even faster as it pursues the fugitive.