JD glanced at his watch. It was not yet midnight, but he told Craig to cancel the 5am session anyway. It would take them a while to get home and they had earned the break. He and Sarah, though, would still be getting up and anyone from 7 was welcome to join them.
Before he left, Sarah caught up with Simon. “How come you’re stationed at 14 instead of here? Being a scientist, I would have thought this would be the ideal place for you.”
“They did ask me to join the scientists instead of becoming a hunter,” Simon said, “but I opted for 14 for a number of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to stay with JD. He’s the best of the best. Secondly I deal with science all day. I don’t want to do it in my free time as well. Lastly,” he said with a grin, “I enjoy the killing too much.”
————————————-∞————————————-
Despite going on a hunt the night before, most of the hunters from Sanctuary 7 went to the arena at 5am. Though they had complained a lot the previous day, they all saw the benefit in training under JD for another hour.
Over breakfast the conversation turned to the planned experiments for the day. They wanted to monitor JD while he was actually fighting. They had wireless electrodes they could attach to him and a number of people volunteered to help. Sarah would also be needed as they wanted to see the differences between JD fighting at a slower pace and the speed he used against her. She was more than happy to help out.
One of the younger female scientists was a fan of one of the vampire TV shows and wondered if drinking vampire blood really did have any effect on humans.
“Well we know a small amount doesn’t,” JD said, smiling as Sarah went a bright shade of crimson.
“And how exactly do you know that?” Patrick asked.
“Let’s just say Sarah sometimes gets carried away. And she can bite really hard.” He absent-mindedly rubbed his bottom lip as memories surfaced. “It’s a good job I heal quickly.”
“Change the subject,” she said and JD winked at her. It wasn’t often he got to make her feel uncomfortable and it felt good getting his own back.
“I hate to ask this,” Patrick said to her, ignoring her instruction, “but would you be prepared to drink a larger quantity? I would ask one of my team, but somehow I don’t think JD would be happy with that.”
“JD isn’t happy about Sarah doing it,” JD said. “How do you know it’s not harmful?”
Patrick shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”
A short while later, Sarah found herself sitting in a chair in one of labs, hooked up to various sensors. JD was pacing nervously.
“I’m not comfortable with you doing this,” he said.
“I know. You can still stop me. We kind of need your input.”
He thought for a minute, then took a knife from his pocket, slashed across his palm and held his hand over a beaker, letting his blood trickle down into it. It wasn’t a large container, but was still only half full by the time the wound on his hand healed enough to stop the flow of blood.
“Are you really sure you want to do this?” he asked as he handed her the beaker. She looked at the red liquid and pulled a face.
“I’m getting used to the taste,” she said, then raised it to her lips. She drank it all down fast before she had chance to change her mind. JD immediately handed her a can of drink, which she grabbed from his hand and gulped down, hoping it would get the taste out of her mouth.
“I am never doing that again,” she said. She then undid a bandage on her arm, where she had deliberately cut herself before entering the lab. There was no change. “I guess the TV shows lie.”
“Or it takes some time to digest,” Patrick said. “So far there’s no change in any of your vital signs, other than your increased heartbeat when you were readying yourself to drink. That’s perfectly normal under the circumstances.”
They continued to monitor her for another hour, but nothing changed.
“Keep an eye on her,” Patrick said to JD. “Unless we hear from you, we can take it for granted that vampire blood has absolutely no effect on humans. Did you get to inject a vampire with your venom by the way?”
“I did and the young lady found it rather enjoyable.”
“You can’t use that method against them then. Are you ready for some fighting in the arena? Oscar says it’s free now.” JD nodded his head and Sarah was unhooked from the monitors.
In the arena, JD started off slow. He increased his speed and intensity until his opponent was barely able to keep up, then invited another hunter to join in. This allowed him to put even more effort in and he kept up a gruelling pace until his two opponents surrendered.
Sarah and Oscar were watching from the balcony. “How do you keep up with him so well?” Oscar asked.
“Practice. And self-preservation. As you saw on Friday, he has no issue with hitting me if it will help me learn. I have the bruises to prove it.”
“Your turn Sarah,” JD called out and she slid down the pole.
Again he started off slow. Patrick had requested this so they could get a baseline reading of all of his vital signs while sparring with Sarah before he increased the pace. They needed to rule out any differences caused by her being on the arena floor with him.
As she wasn’t tied up this time, Sarah managed to get some attacks in. The fact that they had an audience and that JD was being monitored left their minds as they concentrated on the fight. JD kept increasing the pace until they were fighting the way they usually did when they were alone. Then he pushed her harder, just to see how she would cope, but he took some of the force out of his strokes so he wouldn’t hurt her too much when she failed to block.
“I give up,” she finally called out when she knew she was going to start getting hit.
JD backed away from her, but kept his sword ready just in case she planned on attacking. He told her to leave the arena and then asked Oscar to send down four of his hunters. If Patrick wanted him to go fast, fighting four of them at once was the only way to do it.
“Make sure you really work together,” he told them. “Do your best to beat me. My team can do it, so you should be able to.” He then looked up at Sarah. “Don’t beat me up too badly though or Sarah might get involved and none of us want that to happen.”
The four from 7 did as instructed, working well together. JD struggled to defend himself and his enhanced abilities were really put to the test. The four gave up before he did though.
“That’s enough,” Oscar called down. “Patrick says he has all he needs for now.”
That was what JD wanted to hear. He was breathing hard and wasn’t sure how much longer he would have been able to continue.
One of the scientists removed all of the electrodes from JD’s body, then he and Sarah retreated to their room, where he collapsed onto the bed.
“What are the plans for the rest of the day?” Sarah asked. “You don’t look like you are up to much.”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just let me lie here for a while. This afternoon we’re going to Sanctuary 12.”
“12? Why?”
“They want to find out exactly how much a vampire can see in the dark. I won’t be fighting with anyone, just describing what I can and can’t make out. They’ll strap a microphone to me and all I will have to do is walk around, describing what I can see. Hunters from 12 are setting things up so I won’t know what to expect. They need to know how clearly I can see people or if it’s just movement that I can detect.”
“Will I be coming with you?”
JD pulled her closer to him and kissed her. “What a stupid question. It’s up to you whether you enter the basement with me or watch from the monitors. You can wear night vision goggles this time if you want.”
“You think I would miss an opportunity to get you alone in the dark again?”
JD laughed as Sarah got off the bed. “Don’t forget the cameras will be on us. And we won’t be alone.”
“No, but we are now.�
� She took his hand and pulled him up. “And we both need to shower.”
“Why are you always trying to get my clothes off?”
“This time it’s because, after all that exercise, you smell.”
“You will regret saying that,” he said as he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.
After lunch JD drove to Sanctuary 12, taking a couple of the scientists with him. They were expected and Jeff led them straight to the control room, where JD was wired up while Sarah was provided with goggles.
Once the scientists confirmed everything was ready, JD took Sarah’s hand and they entered the basement. “It’s dark in here,” he said once the door had been closed.
“We know that,” a voice came over the speakers. “What can you see?”
JD and Sarah walked hand in hand throughout the entire basement, JD keeping a constant running commentary. From what he was describing, Sarah was able to confirm that she could see better with her goggles than he could without them.
He could make out shapes in each room, but couldn’t always tell what they were. He spotted every human in the basement, but, unless they moved, couldn’t always tell if they were humans or just stationery objects.
Final analysis was that vampires could see better in the dark than had previously been thought, but not as well as had been feared. While the scientists packed up their equipment, JD phoned Patrick and gave him all the details. By the time they got back to Sanctuary 7, all other Sanctuaries had been notified of the findings.
No more experiments were planned, so JD and Sarah headed home. It had been a long and exhausting weekend and they decided to spend the night at Sarah’s house so they could have some peace and quiet.
I would not like to be in your shoes later
A few weeks later, Sarah arrived at the Sanctuary to find Katie and Jonathon outside Doc’s office, listening to the argument that was taking place inside.
“What’s going on?’ she asked.
“We’re not really sure,” Katie replied. “All we know is that Doc and Silvia were yelling at Scott when we got home, then they asked JD to join them.”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders. JD would tell her later. She got changed into an outfit she could train in then ran down the stairs. She would practice some routines on her own until JD had finished in Doc’s office.
Before she reached the last step, however, Scott stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Sarah grabbed his arm as he tried to push past, spinning him around so he was facing her. “Arena, now,” she ordered.
“Why?” he snapped at her.
“Because you look like you want to hit someone and I would rather you did it in a controlled environment.”
Scott opened his mouth to argue, but she was right, so he obeyed her. “Grab a Bo,” she said as she followed him in. She closed then locked the door. JD would enter from the balcony when he was ready.
Scott threw her a Bo and then attacked. They fought in silence for a while. Sarah watched Scott’s moves carefully.
“You’re sloppy. As a very intelligent man once told me, control your anger, don’t let it control you. Stop holding back and try to hit me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Trust me. You won’t.”
He started to concentrate. His aim became more accurate and more aggressive, but Sarah still managed to block everything he threw at her.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Fair enough.” She threw another attack at him, fast, but not too fast for him to counter.
“You mean you’re not going to make me?”
“No, it’s none of my business.” Pushing him would just make him clam up.
“I want to quit uni.” This took her by surprise. She had assumed it had been something to do with him being a hunter that had caused the argument. If it was about his university course, why had JD been involved? Or had Doc and Silvia asked for his help as they thought Scott would listen to him?
Sarah pushed those thoughts aside. There was a more important question she needed to ask. “Why?”
“It’s not what I want to do anymore.” Sarah did not relax her attacks. Keeping him occupied was keeping him talking. It stopped their conversation feeling like an interrogation.
“You don’t want to be a doctor?”
“Yes, I still do I suppose.”
“Then you have to finish. Are you not enjoying it?”
She had heard the balcony door open a few moments earlier and risked taking her eye off Scott to confirm that it was JD who had entered. He was watching them both carefully, listening closely without letting Scott know he was there.
“Most of the time,” Scott said. “That’s not the problem.”
“So what is?” Scott didn’t reply.
The only way she was going to get an honest answer was for Scott to believe that she was on his side, so she decided to take a risk.
Without looking up at the balcony, she said loudly, “I know I’m going to regret saying this, but Jason, please piss off. Now is not a good time for you to be here.”
She glanced up at the balcony once more and saw him raise his eyebrows at her. He had heard enough of the conversation to see that she was getting through to Scott. She would be punished later, of that she was sure, but she hoped it was going to be worth it.
She breathed a sigh of relief when JD left without comment.
“That was either very brave or very stupid,” Scott said to her. “I would not like to be in your shoes later. You may be his girlfriend, but he’s not going to let that slide.”
“I know, so make it worth my while. Answer my question.”
He hesitated for a moment, then told her everything.
————————————-∞————————————-
JD left the arena and went to Doc’s office, where he found the Sanctuary’s leader still fuming.
“Never become a parent,” he said as JD walked in. Then he realised what he had said. “Sorry. That was unkind.”
JD shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know yet whether I can or not. It’s something Sarah and I are going to have to find out when the time is right.”
Feeling guilty for his comment, Doc quickly changed the subject. “Where’s Scott?”
“In the arena with Sarah.”
Doc misunderstood the comment. “That’s rather a cruel punishment. I hope you told her not to hurt him too badly.”
JD shook his head. “Nothing to do with me. Believe it or not, she’s calming him down. He’s actually talking to her.”
Doc looked at him in surprise. “How is she managing that? He refused to tell any of us what’s wrong.”
“Simple. She’s listening to him instead of telling him what to do.”
————————————-∞————————————-
“So let me get this straight,” Sarah said as she blocked once more. “The only reason you want to leave uni is because the girl you like is getting together with someone else.”
“No, it’s much more complicated than that.”
“Not from where I’m standing.” He was distracted so she hit just hard enough to get his attention. “If you really like this girl, go and talk to her, tell her how you feel.”
“Nothing personal Sarah,” Scott said, “but what would you know about it?”
“You saw the lengths I had to go to to get Jason to let me know how he felt. Don’t make her do the same.”
Scott put down his Bo and looked at her, trying to process what she had just said. Eventually he said, “Alright.”
“Now go and find your parents. You owe them an apology. You behaved like a brat.”
Before leaving the arena, Scott turned around. “Sarah. Thank you.”
Doc was still in his office, so Scott knocked then went in. JD couldn’t overhear what was being said, but the voices were calm, so he went to find Sarah. She was waiting in the arena
for him.
“So what is going on with Scott?” he asked as he took her in his arms. She told him everything.
“Sorry about earlier,” she said. “It was necessary.”
“I agree, but you still have to be punished.”
“I know. And it has to be public.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you later.” He kissed her once more, then told her to get her sword. Fighting with Scott didn’t let her off her one-on-one session with him.
————————————-∞————————————-
After dinner, Jonathon suggested a game of poker. Before Sarah could say anything, JD spoke for her. “Sarah can’t. She’s going to be busy.”
She groaned. During the meal, JD had told everyone what she had said so she knew her punishment would be happening that evening.
She didn’t like the way he was smiling at her. “Remind me again what it was you had to do for your Korean sword black belt grading.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Of course not. I’m not that cruel. Just the thousand cuts will do.”
She could remember how much her arms had ached the last time she had to do it. “Sometimes I really hate you.” Still he did not stop smiling.
Later that night he spent a long time massaging her back, shoulders and arms. He was going to do her legs as well, as standing for that long in one position really made the muscles hurt, but she fell asleep before he finished on her arms and he decided not to wake her. Instead he gently placed the covers over her, took her in his arms and went to sleep.
He didn’t let her off the 5 o’clock training session the next morning.
————————————-∞————————————-
Not many days later, Scott took Sarah aside. “Thank you,” he said. “For listening as well as for the advice. And I’m sorry you got punished for it.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was my fault, not yours. So how did it go?”
Scott couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “It turns out she was only flirting with the other guy to get me jealous. I’m taking her out on Friday.”
“Good for you.”
Vampire Hunters, #1 Page 34
