Shadows Strike

by Dianne Duvall

  “So nothing new, then?” David joked.

  Smiling, Seth motioned to the dead and drooping foliage. “This all seems a bit much, don’t you think? New vampires like to test their strength, to posture and show off, but this? Really? The guards at the base would’ve seen them coming from miles away. Why give them the warning?”

  “Hubris? Overconfidence? A desire to see the soldiers shake in their boots?”

  “If they shook in their boots, the soldiers shook while filling the trees and vampires full of holes.”

  The bedraggled foliage that remained standing began to sport large holes and tears as Seth and David neared the base. Some leaves bore brownish stains that drew flies. Stains that bore the scent of the vampiric virus.

  “There seem to be more bullies on the planet today than when I was a mortal,” David observed.

  Seth snorted. “There is more of everything on the planet today than way back then.”

  Smiling, David gave Seth’s shoulder a hard shove. “These vampires were already reveling in the fear they created with their little dramatic show of strength. Even Nick, according to what Zach showed us, feared fleetingly that a monster approached.”

  “And he wasn’t wrong. It just happened to be several monsters instead of one.” Seth drew in a deep breath as he passed a particularly large splash of dried blood on a tree. “You smell that?”

  David inhaled. “Rage.”

  “Do you think it possible that they didn’t know there was a base up ahead? Could this have been a random accident?”

  “Gershom would have known if he was guiding them.”

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean he would’ve told the vampires.”

  “True.”

  They exited what was left of the forest and stood facing a tall, thick cement wall that enclosed the entire military base as far as Seth could see. Not much of a deterrent to vampires who could leap several stories into the air with little effort.

  In front of the cement wall stood two chain-link fences spaced several yards apart, each woven with razor wire. Or what remained of the fences. The vampires had chosen to plow through them instead of jumping them. Unwise, since more than one of the vampires appeared to have severed an artery in the process. The bare sand beneath the twisted remains of the fences had darkened with the color of old blood. The sand beyond bore gaping holes and craters where vampires had tripped land mines.

  Beyond that stood the wall, then . . . only smoke-blackened remains of the base itself.

  One hell of a battle had been fought here.

  “How much time have you spent on American military bases?” Seth murmured.

  “I don’t believe I have ever been on one.”

  “Nor have I. What about foreign military bases?”

  “Not since World War One. I know little about them.”

  “Perhaps it would be wise to bring someone in who does. I’m not certain I would know if something seemed out of place here, aside from the obvious damage caused by the vampires, and I want to know why this place in particular drew the attack.” Slipping his cell phone from a pocket, he motioned for David to step back into the shade of the forest with him.

  David couldn’t withstand as much exposure to sunlight as Seth, so it helped to give him a reprieve from it whenever possible.

  Seth dialed Ethan’s number.

  “Yes?”

  “I need to speak with Heather for a moment.”

  A rustling ensued as Ethan murmured, “It’s Seth. He wants to speak with you.”

  “Why?” she asked with something akin to fear. “Is it my dad?”

  “No, it isn’t,” Seth said, knowing Ethan would hear him even though the younger immortal no longer held the phone to his ear.

  “No, it isn’t,” Ethan repeated.

  More rustling.

  “Hello?” Heather said, her voice full of uncertainty.

  “Hello, Heather. Please be at ease. This does not concern your father.”

  “Oh. Okay. So . . . what’s up? What can I do for you?”

  He smiled. “From what I understand army brats, as I’ve heard Americans call children of servicemen and women, move around a lot.”

  “I know we sure did,” she said.

  “So you’ve seen a lot of military bases?”

  “Yes. Both here and abroad.”

  “Would you mind joining us, then? One of the men on Chris’s list gave us the location of the base.”

  “Oh. Good,” she said, her relief unmistakable.

  “But neither David nor I have spent much time on a military base, so we could use your help determining if there might be anything unique or off about this one in particular that would’ve made it a target.”

  “I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’d be happy to join you and point out anything that seems off.”

  “Thank you. I’m on my way.” Nodding to David, Seth mentally traced the phone signal and teleported to David’s home . . . then promptly gave the couple his back and stared at the bedroom wall. “My apologies. I should have asked if I was interrupting something when I called.” He heard material slide over flesh as Ethan drew on a pair of pants and Heather yanked the sheet up to cover her bare body. “I shall meet you both in the living room.”

  Opening the bedroom door, Seth stepped out into the hallway and closed it behind him. One of the hazards of teleportation was catching people by surprise and seeing things he really shouldn’t see.

  He shrugged it off. He’d dropped in on immortals in so many inappropriate moments over the millennia that he’d long since ceased feeling awkward about it and didn’t think he could blush if he tried.

  On his way up the stairs and out of the comfortably furnished basement, Seth retrieved his cell phone again.

  “Reordon,” a gruff voice answered.

  “Are you at home or at the network?” Seth asked.

  “Network,” Chris answered. “Why? Do you need something?”

  “Do you happen to have anyone there who is ex-military?”

  “Here right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me think . . .” A chair squeaked, and Seth imagined Chris leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I do. Adam Quinly. Ex-army. He’s the one we recruited from Donald and Nelson’s mercenary group. He’s an Iraq War vet. Good guy.”

  “I’d like him to accompany us to the base and help us identify anything unusual about it that might have drawn Gershom’s attention.”

  “When do you need him?”

  “Five minutes?”

  “He’ll be in my office in four.”

  “Excellent.”

  Seth pocketed the phone and strode down the hallway to the expansive living room. Aidan, Chaahk, and Imhotep all sat side by side on a long sofa with their backs to him and their heads tilted downward. On the floor in front of them, Adira sat, staring up at them, her pretty face somber.

  None of them seemed to know quite what to make of the other.

  “So this is what babies do?” Imhotep asked, his voice full of bewilderment. “They just sit there and stare at you until you start to wonder if you have food on your face?”

  Seth laughed.

  When the men turned to glance over their shoulders, the movement allowed Adira to catch a glimpse of Seth.

  Squealing with glee, she crawled forward and used Imhotep’s knee to help her stand.

  The big warrior immediately held his dark hands out to either side of her, ready to catch her if she fell. “What do I do? Am I doing this right?”

  “You’re doing fine,” Seth said, circling the sofa.

  Adira toddled toward Seth, touching each man’s knee on the way.

  Seth bent and scooped her into his arms, kissing her cheek, then blowing raspberries in her chubby neck rolls. Giggles filled the air as she squirmed against him, leaning back and clutching him tighter all at the same time.

  How he loved this baby girl.

  “I don’t know about you,” Chaa
hk said, “but I’m feeling a little rebuffed.”

  “Why,” Seth asked with a laugh, “because I didn’t blow raspberries in your neck?”

  Aidan and Imhotep laughed.

  Shaking his head, Chaahk motioned to Adira. “Why doesn’t she smile at us like that?”

  Seth shrugged. “I’m prettier.”

  A masculine chuckle sounded behind Seth. Turning, he found Marcus striding toward them from the kitchen. In one hand, he carried a plate with a massive sandwich stacked upon it.

  Seth settled Adira on his hip. “I wondered what she was doing up here alone with these three. Having a midday snack?”

  Marcus shook his head. “It’s for Ami. Nursing Adira leaves her perpetually hungry.”

  Seth nodded. It had been the same for his wife.

  “What are you doing here?” Marcus asked. “I thought you and David were checking out the base.”

  “I came to pick up Heather. She knows more about military bases than I do and, hopefully, can tell us if anything seems off. We’ll also drop by Chris’s office and pick up one of the vets who work for the network.”

  Adira tugged at the leather tie holding Seth’s long hair back from his face.

  “I assume you’re taking Ethan, too?”

  “I hadn’t planned on it.”

  Marcus looked over Seth’s shoulder toward the hallway. “Does he know that?”

  Seth glanced around.

  Heather strode toward them, wearing the black garb and weapons of a Second. She shrugged when the men stared at her. “Ethan insisted.”

  “Do you know how to use those?” Aidan asked, eyeing the holstered 9mms.

  “Yeah,” she said with a bit of a duh inflection. “My dad’s military.”

  Behind her, Ethan followed, his tall body encased in one of the suits the network had designed to protect immortals from sunlight when they had to venture out during the day. It reminded Seth of a scuba-diving suit, but bore an almost automobile tirelike texture that always made the immortals grumble and complain.

  Fortunately, Seth had no need of such himself. “Where are you going?” he asked Ethan.

  When Adira gave the leather tie another hard tug, Seth felt the leather loosen and release his hair.

  “With you,” Ethan responded.

  Marcus held his free arm out to Seth.

  “No, you’re not.” Seth transferred Adira to her father and took the leather tie from her plump fingers. “You’ll be a distraction and we’ll be in the sun.” Reaching back, he gathered his hair at the nape of his neck and again secured it.

  “That’s why I’m wearing the suit,” Ethan said, and held up the mask he intended to don.

  “You aren’t going,” Seth reiterated. “You have no reason to go beyond your concern for Heather. And David and I are perfectly capable of seeing to her safety ourselves.”

  Ethan opened his mouth.

  Seth raised a hand. “You’re staying here. I want no distractions. For her or for us.”

  The muscle that jumped in Ethan’s jaw as he clamped his lips closed said much about what he thought of the dictate. Turning Heather toward him, he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Be safe. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  She nodded, then delivered a kiss of her own.

  “Lucky bastard,” Aidan muttered, his face full of envy.

  The other two elders nodded.

  Seth met Heather’s gaze and raised his eyebrows. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  Seth touched her shoulder and took her to Chris Reordon’s office.

  Chris and a man garbed much like Heather waited for them.

  Chris motioned to Seth. “Adam, this is Seth, leader of the Immortal Guardians. Seth, Adam Quinly.”

  Adam thrust out a hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

  Seth smiled and shook his hand. “The honor is mine. This is Heather Lane. She will be accompanying us today.”

  Adam offered his hand to Heather. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I’ve met your father. He’s a good man.”

  Heather smiled. “Thank you.”

  Adam stepped back. “Does he, uh, . . . does he know about all of this?” he asked with hesitant curiosity.

  “No,” Seth told him. “Has Chris informed you what we will be doing this afternoon?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Have you ever teleported before?”

  “No, sir.”

  Heather thought he seemed a bit nervous, so she smiled. “It’s awesome. You’re going to love it.”

  Relaxing, the soldier grinned.

  A light breeze that carried the scent of the ocean buffeted Heather as she, Seth, and Adam appeared in a tropical jungle. David waited for them in the shade. Like Seth, he wore no protective suit, so he must be old enough to not need one. She wished Ethan didn’t either.

  Heather glanced around while Seth introduced the two men.

  “Any movement?” Seth asked David.

  “None.”

  When Seth and David strolled through the trees, Heather and Adam followed and soon stepped out into bright sunshine.

  “I thought immortals couldn’t stand exposure to sunlight,” Adam whispered to her.

  “Apparently, the older the immortal is,” she whispered back, “the more he or she can tolerate.”

  “Ah. Thanks.”

  Her first glimpse of the base shocked her.

  A single road led up to the gates. A wide swath of thick sand surrounded the base like a moat. Judging by the craters blown in it, she guessed the sand concealed buried land mines. The chain-link fences, interwoven with razor wire, that bordered the moat had been reduced to a mangled mess of modern art.

  Seth bent and scooped Heather up into his arms. “Follow my footsteps precisely,” he ordered the others, then strode forward into the sand.

  Heather couldn’t help but tense. One step in the wrong place . . .

  Seth didn’t slow his pace at all. Didn’t appear to search for signs that a mine might lay hidden in their path. He just marched forward with a few zigs and zags until he lowered her safely to her feet inside the base’s tall cement wall.

  David followed with as little care.

  Adam took his time, carefully bringing each foot down in the large boot prints left behind by Seth and David. Sweat—spawned by nerves rather than the heat, Heather thought—beaded on his forehead and formed damp patches on his shirt. When he reached the other side, he blew out a tense breath of relief.

  The eerie quiet that suffused the war-torn base as they ventured forward gave Heather the willies. It almost felt as though the place were manned by ghosts.

  Ghosts who watched their every movement and did not appreciate the intruders’ presence.

  “A helluva fight went down here,” Adam muttered, looking around.

  Heather nodded. The vampires seemed to have smashed everything they could smash, like the dumbass juvenile delinquents she occasionally heard about on the news who tore up their schools for shits and giggles. Every light. Every surveillance camera. Every window of every structure. Every vehicle. Everything had been broken or crushed or otherwise disabled.

  All four guard towers had been toppled. Trucks had been overturned, Humvees crashed.

  The bodies of the slain soldiers had been taken away, but bloodstains remained where they had fallen. Many, many bloodstains. So many it sickened her.

  The foursome approached the double doors to the largest building and found them locked and chained.

  Seth waved a hand. The padlocks popped open. The chains unwound themselves and slithered to the ground like snakes. Another clunk sounded, and the doors swung open.

  Adam stared up at the Immortal Guardians, who stood a good eight inches or so above his own six feet. “You immortals really could conquer the world, couldn’t you?”

  “Yes, we could,” Seth confirmed.

  “Easily,” David added.

  “Well, thank you for not conquering it. I
t’s a damned shame people can’t know about all of the good you do.”

  Seth stepped inside. “That you and the other members of the network appreciate it and work so hard to help us achieve it is all that matters.”

  Seeing the aftermath of the vampires’ attack affected Heather far more than she had expected. The vampires who had done this had not swept through, making clean kills. They had toyed with their victims. Tortured their victims. The evidence of it lay all around her. Bullet holes in every surface. Blood splatter on the walls and ceilings. Large circles of it on the floor, interspersed with smears left behind by boots and hands that had slipped and slid and skidded through it while soldiers struggled and clawed for purchase, trying to get away.

  These vampires had delighted in the pain and fear they had inflicted, the screams they had elicited. Screams Heather could almost hear still echoing in the hallways as she and the others searched the building.

  She and Adam took turns pointing out the purpose of each room. It was all pretty standard fare until they headed downstairs to the basement and stopped before some very thick doors with a keypad beside them.

  “These are biohazard symbols,” Adam pointed out.

  Heather’s cell phone rang. Frowning, she fumbled in her pocket and drew it out, then swore when she saw the caller. “It’s my dad,” she announced.

  Seth and David shared a look.

  “Answer it,” Seth told her.

  Heather took the call. “Hi, Dad.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” General Lane hissed, his fury flowing over the line.

  She frowned. “What?”

  “What the hell are you doing at the base? How can you even be there? That location is classified!”

  Dread and fear suffused her as she met Seth’s gaze with wide eyes, then spun in a circle, searching for surveillance cameras that had not been destroyed. Two dangled in a tangle of wires and plastic from opposite corners of the room. Aside from those . . .

  “There.” Adam pointed to a tiny dark hole in one wall near the ceiling.

  “Who are those men with you? How the hell did the four of you get there? Do you have any idea of the shitstorm this is going to create?”

  “Dad . . .” Heather looked to Seth and David, not knowing what to tell him.