Journal
Page 16
Tom put his arm round her and kissed her temple.
"I just wish this was all over," said Sharon, and she sighed.
***
Location: London
Monday, 25 January 2027
Sunrise: 07:49
Sunset: 16:37
The Defence Secretary stood before an image of Katie displayed on the large screen in the briefing room.
"The image of the woman you see behind me was taken in the vicinity of Old Compton Street on Saturday night, and it's evident from footage we have of that night's events that she is a member of the non-peaceful Resistance movement that we need to quash," said the Defence Secretary.
"Her name is Katherine Preston, but she prefers to be called Katie. Until she was reported missing in 2026, she worked at Pixxell Inc.
"It transpires that this woman is a dhampir. We are aware that an investigation was done on her, led by Dr Patel of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and that she escaped from the secure unit where she was being held. We've urgently requested the results of Dr Patel's investigation for perusal."
The Defence Secretary paused as she briefly examined her audience, before continuing, "And we urgently need to find Katie."
***
Pinpoints of morning sun had just begun to pattern the thin white fabric of the closed blind in Dr Patel's lab when he had received Malcolm's call. Malcolm had been at the pre-dawn Cabinet Office meeting that had just taken place and he wanted to forewarn Dr Patel about the request for his investigation results. Dr Patel hadn't yet been aware of the request, but he had immediately understood the ulterior, sinister motive behind it. After all, it had come from the vampire Defence Secretary herself.
Dr Patel had hurriedly extracted all relevant electronically stored data, before getting the hell out of the building, taking with him the vials containing Katie's blood samples and the trial antidote. He had only just exited his workplace and crossed the road when two military vehicles had drawn up alongside the kerb at its entrance, and several soldiers had rushed into the building. Dr Patel hadn't lingered a moment longer; he had continued walking onwards at a brisk pace, only hailing a taxi when he was some distance away.
And now that the taxi driver had dropped him off at his destination, he followed the curve of the shelter's street level pill-box facade round towards its entrance. When he finally stood at the entrance, he pressed the intercom buzzer.
"Hello?"
"Hi, I'm here to see Ed," said Dr Patel. He was shivering conspicuously; he hadn't put on his coat in his hurry to leave his workplace.
"Is he expecting you?"
"He isn't, but don't waste my time with your bloody questions. My name is Dr Patel, Ed knows me and I need to get into the shelter, and fast."
A couple of minutes later, the door slid open a small way. Dr Patel slipped inside and the door shut behind him. Once beyond the second door, he walked awkwardly down the ancient stairway, guided by the eerie white haze cast on the stairs by the overhead lights. He was relieved to see Ed waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.
"Dr Patel!" said Ed, "I get the strangest feeling from all the things you're carrying that something significant has happened. I'm so sorry; I should really have come up to the entrance to help you carry things, but those monitors always make things look so much smaller than they really are."
"That's okay, Ed. I've managed to make it down those interminable stairs without breaking my neck, in spite of the load I brought with me. You're right, by the way: the Defence Secretary has demanded sight of all our investigation results. Not only that, she wants Katie to be found. I think it may have something to do with the positive outcome of recent tests. I don't think the Defence Secretary expected us to ever come up with anything of any real significance, which could be why she didn't interfere with our research until now. Or maybe she just wasn't previously fully briefed on exactly what it was that we were doing; after all, she had been away undergoing her vampire transformation at the time that Katie was first brought to the research facility for testing. Think about it, there's no way she would have allowed us to keep a captured vampire in captivity; she can't have known the full details of our research."
Ed had cocked his head as he had stood listening to Dr Patel. "What do you mean by 'positive outcome'?" he now asked.
"You know we've been hoping to find some kind of antidote using Katie's blood that could somehow make humans immune to vampire attacks?" said Dr Patel. "Well, I think we're onto something. Only late yesterday afternoon I briefed my superior about this latest outcome."
"That's really great news," said Ed. "Do you think it'll work?"
"Ed, I don't merely think it will work. I know it will. We've already tested the antidote using primates and when we put the last one in the cell of our captured vampire, she wasn't able to drink the primate's blood, in spite of being ravenous. She left it unharmed. That was three days ago."
***
Brian had been initiated into the world of vampire hedonism when he had experienced exquisite nightly doses of it in the form of Michelle after she had corralled him at the government shelter and brought him into Nikolas's clutches, and he couldn't shake off the constant, nagging urge to experience more of the same. He had been ostracised by the other humans at the shelter - even his brother was wary of him - and he spent much of his time isolated. He felt as though he was a prisoner in the shelter. Ed didn't trust him; he feared that Brian would provide Nikolas with insider information about his crew if he was allowed to come and go as he pleased, and he had insisted that no one give Brian the door code under any circumstances.
Brian had taken to walking alone in the shelter's long tunnels, smoking roll-ups and muttering incoherently to himself. He began to make a nightly habit of ambling through the Oldham sub-shelter, his memories of Michelle resurfacing as he looked longingly at Helmut's female coveners.
Tonight as he exited Oldham, he got the feeling he was being followed. He stopped and turned around. Helmut's covener Aria was close behind him, the emerald hue of her irises accentuated by the bright strip lights above them.
"We've been told not to associate with any of the humans in the shelter," she said.
"I've been told pretty much the same thing about you vampires," said Brian.
"And yet you break this rule on a nightly basis by walking through our tunnel," said Aria.
Brian despondently shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing.
"Your longing is so strong, Brian, that I can feel it even when you're asleep on the upper level," Aria continued. "The only reason I'm going against the rule they've imposed on us and am talking to you now is because I can also feel the strength of your loneliness. I know that if you don't have any reprieve from your isolation soon, you will lose your mind."
Aria gently wiped a tear from Brian's cheek and leant forward to kiss him.
Brian hadn't even realised that he was crying.
***
Location: London
Saturday, 30 January 2027
Sunrise: 07:42
Sunset: 16:46
It seemed ironic to Dr Patel that his lab was located in Inglefield sub-shelter, one hundred or so metres from the Oldham and Parry sub-shelters, where more than thirty vampires lived. After all, his mission was to expedite the mass production of an antidote that would render humans unpalatable to vampires. Not that this would adversely affect Helmut and his coveners; they didn't rely on human prey for their survival. But James and Charlotte did feed on humans, even if they no longer killed them, and Katie and Martin depended on James for their survival.
Because Dr Patel had been using Katie's dhampir blood as the antidote blueprint, when James and Charlotte didn't return from the other night's attack in Soho, he began work on an alternative antidote. If James didn't return to the shelter, then Katie would not be able to survive, and Dr Patel wouldn't be able to continue producing the antidote using her blood unless she remained alive. Brian and Aria were now lovers, and Helmu
t had made Brian a dhampir to stop Aria from turning him. During the past few days that James and Charlotte had been absent from the shelter, Dr Patel had used Brian's dhampir blood to create an alternative back-up antidote.
But James and Charlotte had returned in the early hours of this morning, bringing Martin safely home with them, and Dr Patel had now - after only having administered it to Sharon - abandoned the Brian antidote and returned his focus to producing the Katie antidote.
As Dr Patel opened the box of supplies Ed had just brought him, he thought about the conversation they had had. Ed was worried that there might be an increased threat to the shelter's survival now that Dr Patel was there. The Defence Secretary would likely be aware that Dr Patel had never disclosed how he had made contact with Katie when she had originally gone to his lab for tests back in November. And now the Defence Secretary had reviewed CCTV footage from the clash the other night between Nikolas's army and Ed's crew in Soho, and had been informed of Katie's identity and, having seen her in these CCTV images, had made the obvious connection between her and Ed's crew. And, no doubt, Nikolas had fully briefed the Defence Secretary about the shelter, where the vampire slayers lived.
Ed wanted Dr Patel and the vampires to use the secret entrance to the shelter from now on, via a train platform in Clapham South Underground station. Apart from Alex, none of the crew even knew about it. The entrance was well disguised on the train platform; with its shabby metal doors, it looked like no more than the entrance to some kind of storage area. And as a deterrent to the curious, a sign had been affixed to both sides of the code operated door within the shelter, just beyond this secret entrance, that read:
DANGER
HAZARD AREA
DO NOT ENTER
If he could avoid it, Dr Patel didn't want to leave the shelter anyway. But there were major drawbacks to working alone in this subterranean tunnel below the city. He could no longer rely on the expertise of his dedicated colleagues. And he was concerned about breaching medical ethics. The long-term effects of the antidote were as yet unknown. There had only been one successful animal study of the antidote's efficacy and there had been no Regulatory Agency approval. He was at risk of ruining his career if his work alone on the antidote ever came to light. He had only just arrived at the shelter, but had already begun administering the antidote to people there.
He recalled his team's dehumanising disrespect of Katie, simply because she was a dhampir, when she had originally agreed for tests to be carried out on her in his lab; how the soldier had held her head against her will so that he could examine the interior of her eyes; how Katie had passed out because of the trauma caused by the pain when he had taken blood from her. Worse yet, he and Ed had covertly agreed that he would incarcerate her in a secure unit for as long as was necessary in the name of scientific research and progress. And yet she really couldn't survive without James. He felt remorseful; his behaviour had been totally out of character. He was amazed that Katie had been good naturedly allowing him to take blood from her since he had come to live at the shelter; at least now, though, he was anaesthetising her beforehand. But when Katie had grown weak without James's sustenance, Dr Patel had turned his attention to Brian and the creation of the alternative antidote.
Dr Patel shook his head in frustration. He had two choices: to either stop what he was doing for the sake of his career or to continue working unethically in the hope that he could help stem the tide of encroaching vampire domination.
***
Location: London
Thursday, 4 February 2027
Sunrise: 07:34
Sunset: 16:55
"We will attack tomorrow at midday, when they are at their most vulnerable. Similar attacks will take place consecutively in all countries in all regions sharing the same time zones. It is imperative that we destroy the sire of the coven in each instance."
As the Chief of the Defence Staff spoke, those listening to him around the central planning table, its top an illuminated, digitized map of London, were subdued and the atmosphere in the room was intensely oppressive. This would be the first time since the state of emergency had been declared that the United Kingdom and other countries would actually be carrying out a coordinated attack against the vampire threat, not simply patrolling the streets and occasionally shooting a vampire or two. They were in a race against time and feared for the retaliatory consequences of their actions, now that the vampires were known to have infiltrated the upper echelons of government and were concurrently trying to withdraw the military presence from London's streets.
"There has been a change to the plan."
Everyone present diverted their attention away from the planning table to observe the newcomer to the meeting. They had not heard him enter the room.
"I'm sorry, are you authorised to attend this meeting?" the Chief of the Defence Staff asked the newcomer with instinctive suspicion.
The unknown man showed him proof of his authority and his identification papers, before handing him a sealed envelope.
"We've just received new information," he said, once the Chief of the Defence Staff had broken the envelope's seal and read the document it contained. "It transpires that we've been focusing on the wrong targets and we are to take no action for the time being. This order is to supersede all other orders with immediate effect. Please, advise your foreign allies without delay."
The man exited the early evening Cabinet Office meeting as swiftly and silently as he had entered it, and soon took off from outside the building in a chauffeur-driven black limousine with tinted windows. Inside the vehicle, he removed green contact lenses as his consort pulled off his dark wig, loosening his tightly bound purple hair so that it fell across his shoulders. He flicked his hair provocatively from side to side as he favourably considered his cameo performance in the Briefing Room.
He pushed his consort roughly so that she landed on a long, luxurious black-cushioned chair, a short distance from him. She laughed, stretching and arching her lithe body, and as the slim limousine made its sleek way through London, he lowered himself onto all fours to the floor and began moving towards her with feline, predator-like fluidity. When he reached her, his hand tightened round her throat in licentious domination.
"It does help to have contacts in the Ministry of Defence, my love," he whispered to her. "At least we have now thwarted the humans' plans. What they intended to inflict on us, we are now obliged to mete out unto them."
***
Location: London
Friday, 5 February 2027
Sunrise: 07:33
Sunset: 16:57
The government shelter was full to overflowing tonight, the close proximity of bodies leaving some people feeling claustrophobic. Most of the young children had just been put to bed and the soft murmur of adult conversation soon replaced their energetic chatter.
When 22:00 hours eventually struck, as was customary the lights were dimmed and everyone became gradually inanimate as they edged towards sleep.
Unnoticed at first, darkly robed silhouettes began to dart quietly amongst them, their numbers increasing from an initial trickle until they surged, avalanche-like, throughout the entire place. By then, most of the humans were lost in the refuge of sweet dreams, oblivious of the ominous presence amongst them, but slowly those still awake began to notice the intruders and to feel that apprehension that wells up with the dawning of understanding of the presence of something preternatural. Some of these humans slipped stealthily beneath their beds, if they were fortunate enough to be sleeping on a lower bunk, and lay on the floor, inert, their chests tight, waiting.
A chorus of hissing began and built up until it hung over the entire place like an acoustic web, and all the humans present had been brought out of their sleep into a heightened state of wakefulness. The humans watched, confused and afraid, wondering what was happening. Some of them even thought that this may simply be an unpleasant continuation of their dreams until, suddenly, the dark shapes amongst them threw ba
ck their black hoods, revealing their twisted features, their red eyes and their fangs, and simultaneously swooped down upon their human prey.
The vampire rule is to only transform an attractive human in the prime of his or her adult life, and those at the government shelter who fell into this category were quickly separated from the rest, whose screams echoed in unison as the truly evil intention of the creatures they now faced dawned on them.
***
Location: London
Monday, 8 February 2027
Sunrise: 07:28
Sunset: 17:02
"Good to see you again!" said Tom as he fist-bumped Gareth.
Gareth watched the prison gradually fade from view through the van's side mirror before he said, "I'm glad to see you guys again."
"So, what's it like in prison?" asked Jonathan as he drove.
"Great."
"Now that you're out, are you planning on making any more anti-vampire statements in public places?" Tom joked.
Gareth laughed. "Hell, no!" His face took on a serious aspect as he said, "I heard about the attacks on the government shelters on Friday. What exactly happened?"
"We'll talk about it later," said Tom. Of late, he had become increasingly wary of the possibility of the vans being bugged.
They continued their journey in silence until they reached Brompton Cemetery. Jonathan parked the van alongside the kerb, not far from the cemetery's entrance.
"Trust you to choose a cemetery, Jonathan," said Tom when the three of them were walking down one of the cemetery's paths.
"There isn't much chance of our conversation here being overheard," said Jonathan, "so long as we avoid the catacombs and Nikolas's human guards hanging around outside them."