Night's Black Agents: The Endgame

Yesterday was Night's Black Agents, and normally I'd be running Blades in the Dark about now, but illness laid one of my players low, so we're dark this week, alas.

Anyway, last time, the characters took out Vilmos Hajnal, probably the most powerful crime boss in Europe. This time, as they hide out in their safe house in Munich, they monitor the fallout - and it's considerable.

Known criminals all over the continent are being arrested or killed as police call in old debts and favors and generally cover their asses. Nikita Utkin, the head of Rus-Bel Air (the Belarus-based airline that Hajnal and the conspiracy used), is assassinated barely 12 hours after news of Hajnal's death breaks. The conspiracy's criminal end is breaking down as the characters watch...and that means they need to act fast, because the last two remaining vampires are probably going to go to ground.

The IFEA's website has been scrubbed, and someone (the characters determine with a bit of hacking) has been gradually emptying their accounts. Since there's no known connection between Hajnal's organization and the IFEA, those assets aren't frozen, but the withdrawals are large enough to raise eyebrows. A bit more hacking, and the characters confirm it's Ioan Koltay who's been pulling out the cash, in Budapest.

Doing a bit of investigation and a bit of social engineering, the agents determine which of the bank branches Koltay is going to visit next. Carlsson has a buddy who runs security for this bank, and calls him up for a favor. If Koltay comes into the bank, he's to delay him.

The agents head to Budapest and stake out the bank. Koltay enters, and is delayed long enough for the characters to get there. Parker, watching from a nearby bus stop, notes two SUVs in the parking lot and some goons waiting outside the bank - Koltay has a bit of hired muscle.

Unfortunately, money talks, and Firinci has some handy. He does some quick digging and finds that these guys answer to Ormos Valka, a local mid-level gangster, and buys off the goons. He has them just act normal for now. Koltay gets his money, gets in the SUV, and they all head back to a parking garage, whereupon he tells one of the goons to go to his flat, grab his bags, and come back down. Apparently Koltay is leaving town.

Firinci has the goons wait until Koltay is in the SUV, and then try to subdue him (this lets the agents get in place, too). When they make their move, though, the SUV shakes a moment, and the Koltay kicks out the back down and runs, covered in blood.

Parker shoots him in the back of the knee, staggering him, and MacAteer tackles him. Koltay, predictably, unleashes his tentacles and stabs MacAteer twice, draining a lot of blood, but Carlsson runs up and swings and ax at him. Koltay lashes out and knocks Carlsson away. The other goons see this and most of them panic and run, but one shoots at Koltay, as do Parker and Firinci.

Carlsson drags MacAteer back and he passes out, and Parker hits Koltay in the spine with an ax. He falls, and the agents shoot him some more, and then take off his leg. He's not going anywhere.

But the police are on their way! The agents split up, taking Koltay with them, and drive off. The police pursue, but the agents escape, and Firinci calls Valka for a safe location for interrogation. He sends them to a meat parking house. Firinci apologizes for the men who died and offers to make restitution, and Valka (who, while he might not know about the conspiracy, knows that everything is in flux and he's best off not making too many waves) accepts this.

They string Koltay up by his feet (well, foot), and Parker questions him. Koltay reveals that Tesla is in Belgrade, but scheduled to fly out to the US soon. He was meant to meet Tesla with the money. He also reveals that all of this is "apotheosis," and apotheosis has stages - Tesla was one, the vampires like Koltay and Sas were another, the vampires like Kingsilver were a third...and MacAteer is the newest. He reveals that MacAteer is changing, but even he doesn't know into what...though he'd like to find out.

Parker asks why Koltay betrayed Sedillo, and he responds that he didn't, one of the agents did (that was Gambone, you'll recall). Parker acknowledges this, and asks Koltay if he'd like to go fast or slow. Koltay says "fast," and Parker shoots him in the head.

The agents know where they're going, and they have one final vampire to go. Of course, that vampire is the original, and they don't know what to expect.