Judgment Has Fallen

by Justin Sloan

  “Okay, now that that’s settled,” Sandra said, happy to move on, “what do we do about this whole Cammie and Royland on the prowl thing?”

  They looked at her, confused.

  “I mean, we have Weres and vampires in the city, but before they were somewhat in hiding. Now it’s like a swarm of bees out for blood out there.”

  “Do bees go for blood?” Diego asked.

  “Can we focus on the task at hand and not my crappy metaphors?” she said in almost a growl.

  “I’m not sure there is much we can do,” Donnoly said. “I have my men on it, doing their best to help while also creating stories to cover what’s going on. It’s not tough, since it’s also true—there’s an underground terrorist cell, and we’re trying to flush them out.”

  “And while the hunt goes on?” Sandra asked again. “We can’t just sit here sitting on our thumbs.”

  “As great as that would feel, you’re right,” Diego said with a wink. “That’s why,” he paused, looking to Donnoly for confirmation, and then went on, “I’ve got something to show you.”

  She wasn’t sure what he meant, but the sparkle in his eye told her enough. “Diego, I’m not in the mood for a date right now, this isn’t the time.”

  “It might be the perfect time,” Donnoly said. “When we find something, or the enemy shows their heads, it’ll be time for action. For now, it might be best to rest, relax, and spend some quality time with your loved ones.”

  They blushed, and he quickly added, “Oh, I wasn’t implying that you two, well, you know… the big L…”

  “Sir,” Diego held up his hands like he was praying, “please, just stop.”

  “Er, yes. What I meant to say is, my wife is bringing the kids over, and I mean to have a bit of my own quality time with them. In times like these, we can’t pretend like our lives have already stopped. We can’t do that to people we love. Or like a lot. Or… lust after?”

  Sandra bit her lip and then laughed. “Oh my God, let’s just, yeah. Let’s say like a lot.” Diego glanced over and she took his hand, adding, “A whole hell of a lot.”

  “Agreed,” Diego said.

  “Well, I’d say The War Room has been put to good use then,” Donnoly said with a laugh. “Everyone, on standby until further notice. Dismissed.”

  He stood and was the first to leave the room.

  “A bit eager, huh?” Diego said. He stood and held out a hand for her. “But I get it, come on.”

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked, but took his hand and was already getting pulled away.

  “You’ll see soon enough,” he said, and at the elevator he pressed up.

  “If you’re just taking me to the room to show me your special friend again—”

  “No, nothing like that,” he said, laughing. “Special friend,” he shook his head. “That was funny though.”

  “Not especially.”

  He shrugged as the elevator doors opened, and then pulled her in and pressed the button for the roof. “I’m not saying he won’t come out to play later, if you play your cards right. Just that isn’t the point of this little excursion.”

  “Well we’ll just see then,” she said, taking his arm in hers. “I can’t imagine what you’d be taking me to the roof for though. We already missed the sunrise thanks to your newfound love of sleeping in.”

  The elevator dinged and let them out one floor below the roof, so that they had to take the stairs the last bit. When he opened up the doors for her, she didn’t see anything special at first, but when he pulled her around to the other side of the roof, she gasped.

  “Our guys out at Strake’s old fortress found some money,” he said. “So… I figured some of it could be put toward good use.”

  Wooden boxes were set up with dirt inside, and metal arches were in the dirt, rising up so that they were high enough to stand under. He’d even set up little white benches under the arches, and put up a couple of signs that said, “Grapes.”

  “You planted grapes?” she asked.

  “Well, okay, not yet.” He blushed, but then went over and gestured. “But right here, I’m going to plant white, and over there, red. The captain of the blimp, he said he can make it happen, no problem. So I put out several orders, figuring it won’t hurt to have extras in case pirates intervene or whatever. And when he gets back, I’m growing you a vineyard, specifically for making wine.”

  “You remembered,” she said, amazed, looking at the arches and white benches and back to him. “I mean, I knew you were listening, but I didn’t know you were actually listening.”

  “Are you kidding?” He put his arms around her neck and kissed her, and she kissed him back, passionately. “I’d do anything to make you happy.”

  Looking at him smiling at her, the sun highlighting his olive skin and the joy in his eyes, she pressed herself against his body and went in for another kiss, then nibbled on his ear as she whispered, “Maybe it’s time for that special friend to come play.”

  He laughed, and kissed her back, but was too excited as he said, “But there’s more!”

  “More?”

  “I might have had some of the guys go find us a corner of a building to rent, where we can set up with a cheese shop and get a wine press going. They said they think they can find the machinery in some of these old factories, and…” He stopped, narrowed his eyes in confusion and pulled back to get a better view of her face, “Are you crying?”

  She hadn’t realized it, but now that he mentioned it, she wiped a tear away and then hit him. “Why are you so amazing?”

  “Maybe I more than just super like you?”

  “Shut up. You barely know me.”

  He shrugged and his voice went just a little hoarse. “So, doesn’t change how I feel.”

  She leaned in, head on his shoulder, arms around him and pulling him tight as if the wind could blow him away. “Well I more than super like you too.”

  “So we’re doing it?” he asked.

  She pulled back, feeling the beat of her heart quicken. “Oh my god, of course. I mean, to bring wine here, and cheese? I mean, we have to focus on the little things like medical supplies and homes for everyone and all that, and, Ahhh! I can do it all, I know I can.”

  He laughed. “I know you can too… but I was referring to the other thing.”

  She hit him, and then bit her lip and smiled. She pulled him over to the bench and sat him down, then straddled him. At the moment, she was way too excited to wait for the elevator, and it wasn’t like there was anyone else up here anyway.

  When you are on the top of the highest building anywhere nearby, it is privacy at it’s finest.

  Especially if the Were you are with would hear anyone who might be coming up to spoil the fun.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Northern Old Manhattan, Along the Wall

  Valerie woke with a start, glancing around to find she was still in the bank.

  It was silent. Completely still, without even the sound of the metros or the dull whirr of police pods flying about. How weird it was, such a drastic change only a day’s walk away from the heart of the city.

  The sunlight was gone, replaced with an almost purple red, and she figured it must be sunset outside.

  With a quick look around to make sure no one was with her, sitting silently in the dark, all creepy like—as she often felt people would be doing—she stood, put on her jacket and strapped on her sword, and then stretched with a big yawn. The action reminded her of Diego, when he was in puma form, and she hoped he and Sandra were doing okay.

  She envied those two in that they were able to be together without worrying about what the city would think. Just being friends with her put them in danger, sure, but being with each other helped them be that much safer.

  The gate was lower than she remembered, or maybe she was just feeling stiff from sleeping on the bank floor, but either way she had to strain herself to go under it. With another yawn, she again set off, heading toward the setting s
un in the west.

  Soon it was dark, and again she was feeling like this journey was a waste of energy and time.

  She almost wanted to turn around and just say screw this. How hard would it be to head out into the Fallen Lands with all of her crew and just go on a rampage until she found the CEOs?

  Pretty damn hard, she thought as she considered it. Add skirmishes with other groups, nomads, and whackos and it probably wouldn’t be worth it. Even if they were out there, insane or whatever they were, she hated the idea of killing when they didn’t deserve it.

  So she pushed herself on. She was saving her energy in case she’d need it when she reached the place, but the walk was taking longer than she had expected.

  Out here, much of the city was in ruins and dark. She wasn’t sure if it was that way because there were no people, or if electricity just didn’t reach this far.

  At one spot she paused, listening to bottles clank in the darkness, and when she went to investigate she spotted a group of teens gathered around a fire. While they could have been trouble, the longer she listened in to their conversation, the more she was sure they were just some stupid teens out being rebellious.

  If they had any idea what sort of monsters might come across them out here, she was sure they would never dare.

  “You kidding?” one of the boys was saying. “I could totally make it across the fire.”

  She frowned as he undid his pants, pulled it out, and tried to piss from where he stood to the other side of the fire. It hissed pitifully in the fire, and never made it farther than that.

  “Gross,” one of the girls said. “Put that little thing away before it gets burned.”

  “Shut up, skank,” he said, but did as she asked.

  Valerie was about to move on, when the guy backhanded the girl and called her another name, one that Valerie had never heard before, but was pretty sure wasn’t good. The others stood and started yelling at him, but he stepped forward to hit her again, and the others weren’t moving in to stop him.

  With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Valerie stepped out of hiding and said, “Enough.”

  The boy turned to her with a crazed look in his eyes, and she knew he’d had a bit more to influence him that night than the bottle of beer in his hand.

  “Enforcers are gone,” he said, flipping her off. “Since that means you ain’t one, and you ain’t my mom, go to hell.”

  Valerie shook her head and kept walking toward them. “Are you okay?” she asked the girl.

  With the distraction, the girl was standing, holding her cheek. She shrugged.

  The others stared at Valerie, some with anger, some worry.

  “Why didn’t any of you step in when he hit her?” Valerie asked.

  No one said anything, so the guy laughed and said, “Because they know their place around me.”

  “That so?”

  He turned from her and said, “Get lost, bitch.”

  “Apologize to the girl first,” Valerie said. “And then to me. You need to learn some respect.”

  “Her?” The boy stepped up to the girl and grabbed her by the hair. “Hmm, I think I have a better idea. I slap you next, and then—”

  Valerie considered pushing out with the fear, something she was realizing she could do. More than anything she wanted to slap this boy silly, but she was worried her strength would be too much, or she’d enjoy it and go overboard. She wasn’t here to kill or maim teenage idiots like this, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t teach him a lesson.

  So in a flash, she had him up by his leather jacket and shirt, then casually walked to a wall and hung him on one of several rusty rods sticking out of the half-constructed building.

  The group gasped as she drew her sword, its long steel, reflecting in the moonlight. The boy’s eyes went wide and his pants darkened where he pissed himself.

  But that wasn’t enough.

  She lifted the sword, ignoring their cries, and struck—

  The tip of her sword sliced right through his belt, and his pants fell to his ankles so that he hung, there, flailing and completely exposed. The girl had been right—nothing impressive here.

  And a perfect lesson in humility.

  “Going commando in times like these?” she said with a look of mock pity. “Not smart at all.”

  The shrieks from a moment before were gone, replaced by stunned silence, only interrupted by the boy as he shouted and struggled to reach the metal rod behind him.

  “Get me down from here!” he yelled.

  Valerie turned to the girl and said, “Your call.”

  The girl looked at her with confusion, then back to the boy, and started laughing. The others joined in, and their laughter continued as Valerie stepped back into the shadows.

  “Remember,” she said, and they all stopped laughing. “Justice comes in all forms. Learn some respect, or next time you might find yourself facing worse than a bit of embarrassment. Now, say it.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he yelled. “Please, just get me down from here!”

  “Your friends can choose to, or not,” she said, and then turned and walked away, smiling at the sound of more laughter.

  After a bit she started to wonder if she had been too harsh, but then she shrugged and said, “Screw him.” Any guy that thinks he needs to show off by hitting a woman deserves far worse than she’d given him, that was for sure. He’d only gotten off easy because he wasn’t a real man yet, as all the others had seen.

  She walked past more partially constructed, dark buildings, then turned up a hill that had less obstructing it than the other roads. There was a buzz on the wind. When she came to the top, she froze, smiling in disbelief.

  There was a tent before her, and what looked like several rows of more tents leading down into a bit of a valley, where flickering candlelight and the murmur of voices told her this was likely the bazaar she’d been searching for.

  The cool breeze, brought with it scents of cinnamon, burnt vanilla, and… cherry incense? She breathed in deep, trying to remember where she’d smelled that combination of aromas before. It brought fleeting memories of a life from long ago.

  Looking down at herself, that purple coat, the sword at her side, she realized that these were becoming her trademarks. If she was hoping to fit in, to go unrecognized, she’d have to rethink her look.

  A glance around showed mostly abandoned buildings, several people bundled up and standing around a fire down a side-street, and, when she paused long enough, she was pretty sure she heard the moans of a couple going at it from the opposite direction.

  They’d be distracted. Maybe have tossed some clothes aside.

  As much as she hated to do it, she needed to go unrecognized here, so she went in that direction, cautious, moving quick and stepping through the shadows. Luckily for her, it was all shadows out here.

  As she grew closer, she saw them, off to the side of the street, but very much out in the open. The woman was on top, mostly clothed except for her left breast which was exposed as the man reached up and groped it awkwardly.

  Valerie cringed at the sight, thinking that if this was how most people made love, or whatever they wanted to call it, they were living some damn miserable lives.

  But she wasn’t here to serve on the love making judge panel, she was here to find a new look.

  Her first thought was that it wasn’t going to work out—they were still clothed, after all. But suddenly the man rolled the woman over and the dynamic completely changed. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside then pulled her up and had her against the wall, taking her from behind and pulling her shirt off too.

  “Someone will see!” the woman hissed.

  “Ain’t no one around but hobos and bums,” he said. “Let ‘em get a show, bring some joy to their lives.”

  “You sick fuck,” the woman said, but then moaned, getting into it.

  Valerie wanted to look away—this was getting a bit much. But she was looking at the man’s discarded shi
rt and noticed it had fallen on a thick coat that she hadn’t seen before.

  That would do.

  As quick as her vampire powers would let her move while staying silent, she darted forward, snagged the coat, and was away before the smell of sex had enough time to bother her too much. Still, she wanted to gag at the thought of those two, but it was almost enough to make her laugh, and a small part of the whole experience made her even think of Jackson.

  Not that they’d ever been so animalistic, but still. She missed the warmth of his hand in hers and the gentle press of his lips.

  Damn.

  She’d told herself this wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t like they had exactly called it off or anything, just realized that he and the city would be in danger if they stayed together.

  Maybe she could sneak back there at night, like a night-time crusader with one goal in mind—her holy grail, if she understood the stories correctly. Or his holy grail, she thought to herself with a laugh.

  She cut through the alleys and to one of the abandoned buildings, then moved to a back corner and found an old stairwell with an open spot beneath. Most would only see pure darkness here, but with her vampire sight, she could make out what would work well as a bit of a hiding spot.

  With a deep sigh, she pushed the thought of Jackson from her mind, for now. She’d go back for him, there was no way she couldn’t. Even as a vampire, a woman had needs. Emotional and physical.

  So she bit her lip, ignored the tingling that went up her spine, and took off the purple coat she’d come to love. At first she had planned on just stashing it here, but an idea hit her. Instead of taking the risk, she knelt down and kicked out a section of the wall and then, pausing to make sure no one had heard that, put the old jacket inside the wall.

  Next she drew her sword and undid the belt that held it, and stashed them inside the wall as well. Bending over like this, her breasts that, yes, had definitely grown since Michael had given her his blood, pressed against her arms in a way that brought back thoughts of Jackson.

  “Dammit,” she muttered to herself. “Pull yourself together.”