13. The Master

Complete story — includes the ending

Having escaped the pawn shop, Eph, Setrakian and Fet regroup. They deduce that the Master needs his damaged coffin repaired and is nesting nearby. Eph and Fet set out on a recon mission leading them to Gabriel Bolivar's renovated theater. Using his exterminator skills and historical knowledge of the area, Fet infiltrates the theater through an underground passage connected by the rain sewers to a nearby building. Inside they discover the Master's coffin and surmise he is close by. Before retreating, Fet removes a street manhole cover, flooding the sewer with sunlight to block any strigoi passing through. Meanwhile, Palmer is angry that the Master only restored his health rather than bestowing immortality. Eichhorst assures Palmer he will be rewarded once he completes the Master's work. Fitzwilliam, convinced Palmer has gone too far, leaves his boss' employ. Later, Palmer and Eichhorst confront Secretary of Health and Human Services Margaret Pierson and CDC Director Everett Barnes, who plan to quarantine the entire city. Palmer tosses Pierson over a balcony, making it look like suicide, then he and Eichhorst coerce Barnes into joining them. Elsewhere, Eph, Fet, Setrakian, Nora, and Dutch Velders prepare to attack the theater. Nora suggests bringing Zach when Eph is reluctant to leave him behind, unprotected from Kelly. In the tunnels beneath the theater, Fet dynamites a mob of strigoi. The group enters the theater and fights more strigoi, including Bolivar and Eichhorst. Upstairs, Setrakian and Eph confront the Master and drive him into daylight where he is severely burned, but escapes. Eichhorst, wounded, also escapes, along with Bolivar and other strigoi. Setrakian and the others are stunned that sunlight failed to kill the Master. As they retreat, Zach feigns an asthma attack to trick them into stopping at Kelly's house for his medication. Zach instead retrieves a family photo album. Kelly, now a fully turned strigoi, appears, calling Zach. Eph restrains him while shooting at Kelly, wounding her before she escapes. Setrakian warns Eph that the Master will use Kelly to track the group. Meanwhile, Vaun tells Gus that the Master is one of an ancient group of strigoi who has broken a truce amongst them. Needing a human to help slay the Master, the Ancients recruit Gus, who wants to avenge his family.