The Heroes For Hire: A Steampunk Adventure

                             "prologue"
 The man sat in his chair, looking over his desk at a wooden and metal cog and gear covered door.
The man's name was the Treckor, the Boss of a secret organization that was designed to defeat and destroy the Vampire clan, known simply as The Masquerade.
As Treckor stared down the door, he leaned back in his chair, adjusting his black top hat and collar of his navy blue vest.
His eyes never left the door, waiting for the arrival of one of the many that worked under him, with files on people for hire.
He couldn't wait much longer, the more time lost searching for people to help destroy the masquerade, the more chaos the vampire horde could cause across the floating city of Albion.

 Treckor grew ever so anxious, unknown to him a dark evil lurked in the shadows watching the mans every move.
The evil couldn't help but have the urge to kill the man where he sat, but it to obeys it's masters orders, and spy on the man.
 And soon the door that Treckor had spent so much time watching Burst open, a man wearing multiple ringed glasses, a grey vest and a long grey straight jacket stood in the doorway; four files in his hand, he ran to Treckor exhaustedly he huffed, "Sir...I am sorry...for the wait..."

"Just hand over the files" Treckor said with impatience.
"Yes sir" the man handed over the files to his boss, who proceeded to look over the  four files in his hands.
Setting them on his desk, in a line formation, he could see them better.
All of them had red stamps marked as C.O.G., Covert Operation Guns, guns for hire.
They were practically ghosts appearing only when they wanted to, the only time you'd see them is if they allowed you to.
They were the most deadly and intellectual people that you could hire, they sounded perfect for the job.
Treckor opened the first file named "the captain", a sepia photo of the man was clipped inside the folder. His hair was gelled back, he had suspenders, under those was a vest, similar to the one Treckor was wearing, a top hat and goggles sat upon his head, his right eye covered by a mechanical eye, and above his lip, a glorious stache...


                                      [01]
                    "Sharpening her Talons..."

The sun crest over the bow of the legendary Air Ship, The Albion Doll.
It tugged it's way around the floating city of Albion.
At the wheel stood a prideful man,
He had a very gentlemen look to him, though his posh stance may say otherwise, the man stroked his gentlemen's stache, which curled up very slightly, his top hat fit perfectly on top of his head, underneath it his his black slicked/gelled back hair, he looked of someone with swagger, but his face could tell someone that he had some story's. His right eye was missing, instead replaced by a  mechanical eye made of brass and gold, his other eye was a very calming shade of blue, on his left cheek, two scars showed their damage, the man defiantly had a few story's to tell.
This mans name is Jock, but he prefers "The Captain".
The Captain took a deep breath, he loved the smell of the open air, the wind carried many different scents from all around Albion.
"Ahhh, today is a good day for the Ole Doll to stretch her wings...."
 Soon an explosion boomed beside the doll, The Captain quickly turned the doll around to face the attacker, a Masquerade Clan ship, Vampires, the worst of all creatures that haunted Albion.
"And a good day to sharpen her talons..." The Captain smiled.
Just at that moment, a Panel on the bow of the doll slid open and a ginger bearded man popped his head up, goggles hiding his eyes.
"Oy!, Cap'n what be the reason for the risky maneuvers?" The man asked his Scottish accent hollering to his captain.
 The Captain smiled and asked him a simple question, "you ready for some action, engineer?"
The man saw the enemy ship in front of them, and began to shout in excitement, "oh boy!!!, we got some targets for practice!!" The man jumped from his hole, the is man is the Dolls engineer, without him, she'd be a pile of parts in some inventors scarp bin, he stood smaller then The Captain but it was never an issue for him.
The captain was surprise to see some spring in his step, life was a bit slow for the longest time for both men.
"Well Dandy..." The Captain began to speak with his engineer, "I'm surprised to see your without a bottle in your hand, and sober at that, must be a slow day for you." The Captain chucked.
Dandy flipped him a rather impolite jester, "oh you stupid feck, I'm already drunk, now let's get rid of these bastards!"
Dandy slowly made his way to the Gatling gun near the front of the ship, and began to crack the gun, but nothing flew out of the barrel.
"Feck!!!, hey cap'n, got a problem, damn guns jammed, got to loosen the old shite." He told The Captain.
"Alright, then fix it, quickly, and please stop with all the cursing." The Captain commanded him.
 Dandy tied a rope around his waist, and turned back to Jock, "sorry cap'n, the drinks got me excited." He laughs, falling off the side of the ship, finding himself swinging, catching onto the closest net on the bottom of the ship, and monkeyed his way till he found himself under a panel to get him into the hidden compartment, the weapons keep.
He snaked his way till he found the chain belt for the gun, he could see one bullet was crooked in the belt feed, he began to climb the skeleton of the Doll, as this was happening, back on the bow The Captain found himself in a dangerous spot, the enemy ship began to expose more cannons, 20 on each side.
"Dandy!!!, hurry it up with the damn gun...we're going to need it!!!" The Captain hollered down to the busy engineer, who was banging away at the ammo belt trying to remove the dud bullet.
Then it finally fell out, loosing the belt and readying it to fire.
Dandy climbed out, and made his way back to the gun.
"Glad to see you've decided to join me Dandy" the captain spins the wheel to get a better angle.
"Come on cap'n, ram 'm!!!" Dandy commands his captain.
"Don't spout commands to me Dandy!!!" The captain spits out, sharply turning the wheel, and pulling on a chain lever.
The Dolls engines burst with a powerful force, and with a mighty gust, they charged themselves at the vampires ship, soon a dust cloud and explosion filled the air, with only one ship emerging from the cloud, The Albion Doll.
The two men cheered in joy, their ship had survived to live another day.
 "Talons appear to still be sharp old girl." The captain patted on the ship.
 The two men finally made it to their destination...SteamHelm port, they landed and quickly let their ship rest.
 As the two men stepped off of the doll, a man was standing before them, he had a Slim figure, and a mysterious vibe to him, his face was hidden behind an old plague doctors mask, and a top hat, his attire was very gothic styled, an all black suit, and vest, the only bit of color on him was his silver pocket watch, hiding in his vest pocket.
 The captain raised an eyebrow to the man, "Treckor?"
 "No , I'm afraid, but he has sent me to get you two, for a job." The man told him.
 "I see, so who are you, and wants this job?" The captain askers him.
 "Just follow me, and your questions and more will be answered"
 The two men begin to follow the man to wherever he goes.

 Meanwhile at the Marrison Estate,
  The young women kneeled before her mother, bowing to her.
 "Do you know who you are, my pupil?" Her mother asks, grabbing a sword from the shrine behind her, and placing it in front of her daughter.
 "Yes, master...I am a knight of Albion, I must heed the call of the helpless, and purge this world of the darkness which consumes it..."
The girl looks up to her smiling mother.
 "Very well then, take up your blade..." She watched as her daughter grabbed her sword,
"Now I honor thee, with the mask of warrior, and protector."
She lightly places the cracked porcelain doll mask onto her daughters emotionless face.
 "I now dub thee...The Doll of SteamHelm"
 The Doll stood up, and slid her blade into a slot inside her cane, the hilt becoming the top of her cane.
 "Now Doll, you are really...do you know where to meet him?" The Dolls mother asked.
 "Yes, master..." The Doll nods and quickly disappears into the city of SteamHelm, to meet with "Him"...

         (Continues in ...Sharping "Her" Talons)