First Impressions

With the situation in Verdant Falls cooling down, Skye is finally permitted to go out on the town. She follows Luc's recommendation and visits the Lantern, a local nightclub run by a Toreador autarch. She makes her way into the Kindred-only VIP section, and there she meets Pockets. Never having encountered a Malkavian before, she doesn't quite know what to make of her. Her Brujah sensibilities take over, and she nearly loses a hand when she makes a grad for Pockets' laptop.
Meanwhile, Rick has recovered, and he is busy making an inventory of the weapons they won from the hunters. Jake claims a new handgun and an assault rifle, but the more important business is to sneak into the airport and make a check at customs in order to secure his alibi.
After Hasan arrives and reunites him with Susan, Jake insists on going to see Pockets. He arrives just in time to miss Skye leaving, and encounters Pockets in an absolutely foul mood. However, the return of her partner in crime is enough to lift her spirits again.
Jake tells Pockets of his encounters in the woods, and expresses a wish to become like the Garou. Pockets offers to attempt to hack Jake's stats and try to make him a werewolf. As she works, Jake has a very powerful hallucination wherein he believes himself to be a Garou, and he becomes aware of a thick cloud of darkness bleeding over the city.
When he comes to, he describes his vision to Pockets, and is alarmed to learn that she has been aware of the phenomenon for quite some time. She refers to it as the "Bad Code" and believes that some day it will cause the entire server to crash. Jake resolves to investigate the phenomenon at its source, the ruins of the old colony of Verdant Falls, known by locals as The Graveyard. However, this is Mr. Seavers' territory, and they've been around long enough to know not to go treading there uninvited.
Instead they opt to visit Smythe & Seavers Rare Books, where they encounter Gregory Smythe, the Kiasyd's ghoul. He becomes visibly shaken when they mention the darkness, but insists he knows nothing about it. They are joined shortly by the Sabbat Cardinal, who claims to have simply been in the neighbourhood to pick up a book. She informs the pair that they are being followed by a Tremere agent.
Now fearing for their unlives, Jake calls Susan and requests a meeting with the Prince at the nearby Camarilla hangout, Nox. He informs the Prince of the strange black cloud, and of the Sabbat, and the Tremere tailing them. The Prince explains that Pockets has been under observation from the Tremere since their interview, and it had nothing to do with what he was investigating. After a quick check by Hasan, it is also discovered that Chianna was, indeed, simply in the neighbourhood to pick up a book from Smythe.
Jake feels rather embarrassed by calling up the alarm for nothing, and in his state he fails to observe that the Prince did nothing to dismiss his fears of the crawling darkness over the city.
The lecture from the prince did little to quell Jake's curiosity, and Pockets suggests they visit the head Malkavian of the city, a dangerous psychopath permanently imprisoned in the Alhambra. After picking up their weapons, they pay the Malkavian a visit.
McCullough is cryptic and nearly nonsensical, but in his ramblings there is a startling clairvoyance. He speaks of the darkness as a great maw, preparing to swallow the city whole. He welcomes the desctruction, however, and offers Jake no solution as to how to stop it. When they press the question, McCullough tries to poison Jake's mind and drive him to a frenzy, but he fails.
Finding little help in the company of madmen, Jake returns home, only to find an embossed invitation from Mr. Seavers in his mailbox. Seavers requests Jake's company in the ruins of the Chapel in the Graveyard tomorrow evening. Jake calls Mr. Smythe to RSVP, and Smythe hints that he should study etiquette before their meeting. Jake receives a crash course from the Prince's ghoul, and learns that he must bring a gift of some importance if he wishes to remain in Seavers' good books.

The Wolves' Den

Jake is rudely awakened by Rick, telling him they need to pack up and leave immediately. The car is completely snowed in, so they need to flee on foot to Taben's Ridge. Apparently, there are hunters in the area, and the Garou are n a rage over the loss of one of their pack. On the way south, they happen upon the hunters' encampment. Desipte Rick's advice to the contrary, Jake decides not to engage them and make a clean getaway. The way south beyond Taben's Ridge is inaccessible too, however, as the countryside is swarming with Tremere. Rather than take their chances with the Kindred, Jake opts to flee back into the woods.
This time around, Rick insists that they take down the hunters. The humans will kill them if they are discovered, and the best move strategically is to stage a surprise attack. For mere mortals, they show incredible resilience, and Rick is mortally wounded in the firefight. Jake feeds him his blood to keep him alive; an act witnessed by the Garou who had been drawn by the sound of gunfire.
Among them is the ranger, Jim Gordon, who reveals himself to be Garou Kinfolk. A deal is struck with the werewolves: they will allow Jake and Rick to stay in the cabin until Susan returns from California and the alibi has held through. In return, they must surrender their ammunition, and the cabin becomes Garou property after they leave.

House Guests

Things are tense in Verdant Falls. The Tremere have all but declared martial law, and Luc has decided that the younger Pack members are not to leave their apartment without an escort. This is very much a problem for Skye, who has never been much for sitting around while there's shit to disturb.
However, she is given a bit of excitement when the Tremere come calling to interrogate the Autarchs regarding the disappearance of Jonas Creed. It is only through Luc's patience and authority over the other Pack members that the interrogation does not end in bloodshed.

Gay Ex-SWAT Sniper

Jake's tedium in the cabin is broken only by a visit from an indredibly amiable yet somewhat snoopy park ranger named Jim Gordon. They are interrupted by the arrival of Hasan's flamboyant ghoul, Rick, who gives Jake an outsider's perspective of the fragile political situation Jake has found himself wound up in.

Up North

Jake awakens in the car several hours later. His burns are fully healed, and he's feeling better than he has in a long time. Hasan has taken them back into the city and back to the Alhambra. Jake stays hidden while he drops Pockets off. His absence, however, must be maintained for the safety of his sire, and so Hasan takes him to a cabin north of Taben's Ridge. Unfortunately, this is deep within werewolf country.
In order to ease Jake's anxiety, Hasan loans him a highly experimental government prototype weapon, and assures him his ghoul will be joining Jake in a few days.

The Voice in the Darkness

Hasan arrives in the warrens after two days and explains that the situation has become much worse. Susan is in California on business, and has appeased the Camarilla by claiming Jake is there with her. However, the entire city is out looking for Pockets. The Regent has arranged to interrogate Pockets in the Prince's presence, but the wounds she bears will be a dead giveaway to her involvement. The time has come for drastic measures. Hasan blindfolds them and swears them to secrecy: they are not allowed to repeat what he is about to do.
After driving for some time, and being ushered into a building, they remove their blindfolds to find themselves in a complete supernatural darkness. There is a person in the dark with Hasan and themselves, and she is trying her best to soothe their frayed nerves. As she calms Jake, he feels a gentle numbness flowing over him, and loses consciousness.

And Here My Troubles Began

Time has passed by without much incident. The auto shop has been built in the Alhambra, and Jake has enjoyed the last few months frequenting the Chantry and working on the various cars the Kindred need serviced without any questions asked. He hasn't seen Pockets since she gave him his identification, and he had not seen Hasan since the night at the bookstore. It's very strange, then, that the two walk into his shop. Hasan has put Pockets on a job, and needs a driver who won't repeat what he sees.
Pockets and Jake break into a small in dependent credit union. She manages to upload her virus without detection. However, the job quickly goes sour as they move to escape and find their getaway van in flames.
They make a quick getaway on foot before the fire department arrives, and hide out in an alley, but the figure who burned their van catches up with them. It is the Tremere, Jonas Creed, and he seems intent on killing Pockets. He offers to let Jake walk away, but Jake opts to stay and defend his friend. Creed incapacitates Pockets, and burns Jake half to death with his thaumaturgical flames before Hasan arrives and ends the fight with one decisive blow.
Hasan explains the true motivation behind this little heist was not for financial gain, but to monitor the Tremere's bank accounts for the region. This investigation is, of course, highly illegal and would most likely mean outright war if it was ever discovered. It is therefore decided that Jake and Pockets should hide out with the Nosferatu until their wounds heal. With a flame thaumaturge now missing and those two burned, it would not take long for the Regent to piece together what happened.
Jake meets with Lloyd, a Nosferatu agent, who explains that they'll need to keep a low profile in the warrens. Secrets are the Nosferatu business, and it will be hard to keep their wounds under wraps.