by C. Gockel
“Stay frosty,” he said, not liking the feel of it either. “Keep them covered, but don’t start anything. Let’s see what this is about.”
Lephmann and Bailey stopped in the middle of the lane and surveyed things with glowing eyes. Both shifters were unarmed, but that didn’t mean much. Their bodies were their weapons. Lephmann assessed Bechtel’s men, his golden eyes locking on to each man briefly as if memorising faces, before moving on to the next. Finally, he found who he was looking for and spoke.
“Agent Barrows, a word please.”
Barrows grunted in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be recognised and wondered about it. Maybe Humber had mentioned his name. He lowered his rifle, stepping away from the protection of the van and into the middle of the lane. He stopped well back from the shifters, trying not to block his men’s field of fire in case it dropped in the pot.
Lephmann nodded to him. “What do you see happening here? Whatever it is you’ll need to rethink because I won’t let it happen.”
“Let?” Barrows said. “I don’t think you understand your position, Doctor Lephmann.”
“David or Lephmann if you prefer, not Doctor. People like you won’t let me be one anymore.”
“People like me, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Human bigots in position of authority is what it means.”
Lawrence smiled.
Barrows scowled. “You don’t know me.”
Lephmann waved a hand at all the gun-toting soldiers. “I don’t need to know you personally to know what you are. It’s obvious what you plan to do. I won’t let you kill my friend.”
“Friends like Arcadian do you no credit.”
This time it was Lephmann’s turn to scowl, but being a shifter made his expression a little different to the human norm. His eyes blazed, literally. The golden irises brightened making Barrows think of searchlights.
“Arcadian is no friend of mine. Stephen is who I meant. Stephen and anyone he calls friend. I won’t let him come to harm. Leave.”
“Heh, that’s not happening. You’re a fool to suggest it.”
“I’m not fool enough to expect common sense from any human being, but I had to make the offer.”
“Now who’s the bigot? It works both ways.”
“True, it does. You should let me and my people deal with Arcadian. Let us police our own problem children and we’ll let you leave.”
“I can’t do that.”
Lephmann nodded. “I know why you think that. Arcadian’s insane plan, the bio-weapon, the need for secrecy... you should realise that stopping him is in my people’s interests as much as yours. No one wants the attention of the White Council or the elven courts. No one wants to risk a purge or a new War of Races. I can swear any oath you care to name that Arcadian will cease to be a problem tonight, and all evidence of his mad scheme will disappear forever, but that won’t suffice. Will it?”
“No.”
“What do you see happening here? Right here, between us?”
Barrows frowned. “I will take you two into custody and proceed against Arcadian, or if you resist, my men will put you down first. It’s your choice.”
“You’re right about it being about choices. Let me give you yours. You can let us police our own, and then move in to clean up the mess we’ll leave behind. We both know none of this will be allowed to become public knowledge no matter which of us kills Arcadian. On the other hand, you can kill me, and Lawrence will kill you. Your men will then kill him, and then my friends will step in and kill everyone else before taking care of Arcadian as planned. You and your men will become another statistic on the national missing person’s database. You’ll become just another blip in a computer somewhere.”
“Big talk,” Bechtel growled. “Sir, time’s wasting.”
“Jonas!” Lephmann said. “Now please.”
Barrows tensed as eyes ignited in the dark. He turned slowly to survey the trees. There were hundreds of shifters watching from the shadows, already in beast form. Hundreds of huge coyotes, and mixed in with them were tall humanoid monsters. They crept forward to reveal themselves, growling, and eager to attack. Bechtel’s men reformed to cover all sides at once, but he could tell they were outnumbered three or four to one. He turned back to Lephmann expecting to see the man gloating, but he wasn’t. He looked… hopeful?
“Stand down, Sergeant,” Barrows said giving in to the inevitable.
He had no doubt a lot of people were only moments from death. The wrong people. Arcadian was the one who mustn’t walk away. He didn’t like it, but if Lephmann’s people could take him down, there was no need for Bechtel’s men to die here.
“But sir!”
“Stand down. We aren’t leaving, but if these... people want to do our work for us, I say we let them. No need to risk your men’s lives if we don’t need to.” He turned back to Lephmann. “You win, but we’re not leaving. I’m going to surround the area in case anyone slips by your...” he waved a hand at the monstrous creatures lurking in the shadows. “...by you.”
Lephmann nodded and turned to leave. The shifters under the trees faded back and the glowing eyes were extinguished two by two. Barrows watched them go, thinking hard, and wondering whether to call in reinforcements. He could do that; he would be expected to do that under the circumstances. He could even call in an air strike by drone if he needed to. The Arcadian operation was that crucial. He really should report in and ask for orders, but if he did, he was certain to lose control of things. It would be no skin off his nose if Lephmann and all his people died in such a strike, but he didn’t want to risk losing Arcadian. He wanted the vamp’s headless corpse at his feet. He wanted absolute verification of death, not a crater in the ground that might or might not contain Arcadian’s ashes.
“Sergeant?”
“Sir?”
“Change of plans.”
Bechtel laughed. “No kidding.”
40
Old Friends
Gavin waited impatiently for the shifters to return. David seemed the reliable sort and Stephen must think highly of him, but he had to wonder what two wolves thought they could do that he couldn’t. This Barrows person that everyone seemed to fear so much was merely human. Influencing him would be an easy matter. He watched Angelina checking her weapons and felt reassured at her obvious preparedness. She was wearing her vest again, festooned with blades of all kinds, and the machine guns that she liked so much.
“The armour is plate?” Spencer asked, also interested in Angelina’s preparations. “You don’t think they’ll use armour piercing ammo?”
Angelina snorted. “I think they’ll be loaded for monster as usual, so silver-plated blades, silver-plated bullets, and high silver content flechettes and needles. I’m wearing Kevlar not plate because of the weight not the ammo they’ll be using. I’m a giiiirl, remember?”
Spencer snorted.
“Both of you stick close to me,” Gavin said. “Our target is this false Arcadian. Rachelle, that goes for you as well. Send your people after his followers by all means, but you stay with me.”
Rachelle nodded.
Gavin turned to Edward, but before he could give orders, Edward spoke up.
“I’m going after Stephen with Andrew. Don’t try, Gavin, please. You know I can’t ignore his need even if I wanted to, which I don’t.”
That was true. Edward’s bond with Stephen would be a goad to him, assuming it was restored as everyone assumed it would be when they crossed the wards enclosing the estate. He would be useless in a fight if distracted by his need to re-join Stephen. Gavin nodded, accepting Edward’s position. He considered Stephen’s newest child for a moment and quickly dismissed him. He was so new that he wasn’t worth considering as an asset.
“Charles and Danyelle will accompany me for now,” Gavin said. “Lee and Elizabeth as well. The shifters—”
“Are mine not yours,” David called from out of the darkness.
Gavin turned to watch the two
men arrive. “Indeed. You will have them fight with us I assume?”
“No need for sarcasm. They will fight, but my priorities are saving Stephen, destroying the weapon, and removing all evidence of it. We can’t allow knowledge of this thing to leave here, and that goes for the fools who created it.”
“Good. We are of like mind regarding that at least. Barrows?”
“He’s been dealt with. He agreed to surround the area but not move in. He wants to prevent any escapes.”
Angel snorted. “Like that’s going to happen with Jonas and Leon prowling about.”
“Barrows really agreed to that?” Chris said, sounding surprised.
“Jonas and I didn’t give him a choice.”
“You will come with me, Detective,” Gavin went on. “I do not give you leave to go off on your own.”
“Oh you can count on that. I’m not letting you out of my sight until this thing is done. You owe me, and I will collect no matter how long I have to dog your heels.”
“Yes, yes, I’m well aware,” he said in annoyance at her repeated insinuations that he would try to avoid paying his debts. “This has gone on long enough, we will finish it tonight.”
With that pronouncement, Gavin led them to war once more.
He swung his sword experimentally as he stalked toward the gates, rotating and limbering his wrist. The weapon was an extension of his arm, its familiar weight a comfort, and reminder of home. It was the Lochlain sword, brought with him from his own world of Tahir. When he first arrived here on Earth, he had been horrified to discover it had come through the portal with him. His family had been dealt a terrible double blow when the ancestral blade was lost along with him when he died, but many years later, he had come to terms with his guilt over it. The ancient sword was a comfort to him now. His armour didn’t hold the same emotional attachment for him. He did care for it and kept it in good repair. It was a memento that reminded him of home and was safe on its stand in his apartment. It would remain there with other curiosities he had collected over the years. The sword though, was a part of him, and its magic remained undimmed despite its antiquity. It was many centuries older than he was. His six centuries of unlife were a mere tithe in comparison to its age.
The gates came into sight and he broke into sprint. Angelina cursed as his vampire speed made him seem to disappear to her merely human vision. He hadn’t of course. He couldn’t teleport like a wizard. Many of the stories told about his kind had an element of truth, but like the ones that said vampires could transform into bats, wolves, or mist, teleportation was another fantasy. He could move exceedingly fast, but he did travel the intervening distance despite appearances. At the last moment, he jumped, clearing the gates with ease. He landed on the far side, and darted into the gatehouse where he sensed a pair of human guards. Inept human guards as it turned out. Though armed, both men were inattentive and they quickly became inept human corpses, shorter by a head.
Literally.
He ignored the blood fountains he had created and used the gate controls to let the others into the grounds.
“Mister Gavin,” Angelina growled angrily as she re-joined him accompanied by Flex and the rest of the Angels. “Don’t do that. We can’t protect you if we can’t keep up with you!”
Spencer grinned, obviously enjoying the spectacle of Angelina scolding him. Gavin cleaned his sword on one of the bodies, not really listening to the girl. It wasn’t as if he’d been in any real danger. Two half-asleep humans had provided very little in the way of a challenge.
“Enough,” he growled when the girl threatened to keep on with her nagging. The shifters were running by outside, some of them already changing shape in anticipation of the hunt. “We risk falling behind.” They joined Rachelle and the others, and quickly chased the shifters into battle.
Gunfire shattered the night, and battle was joined. Shifters tumbled and fell to automatic weapons in the hands of AML soldiers, but most regained their feet already changing. The baying of wolves suddenly replaced howls of pain. Angel went to one knee and fired into the darkness in controlled bursts. Her crew were doing similar things. Danyelle snarled and dashed away to find something to kill. Gavin watched her ride a human to the ground and didn’t interfere or call her to heel. She fed briefly from her victim, killed him, and ran into the dark looking for another meal. He did not try to stop her. Charles watched her go with a wistful look upon his face and Gavin sighed. No plan lasted very long once battle was joined, but to abandon it this soon?
“Very well, you may join her—” Gavin broke off as Charles charged into the night in pursuit of his blood sister. Lee did not follow. He awaited the order. “Yes, yes. If you must.”
Lee sprinted away.
Elizabeth looked at him hopefully, but he couldn’t give away all of his advantages. He shook his head and her face fell. A pout appeared. Really? How old was she to act so? He sampled her aura and decided that she hadn’t yet reached triple digits. Still, she was old enough to have mastered her impulses better than this.
Rachelle laughed. “They’ll remember this night fondly for the rest of their days.”
Probably true, if they survived. Elizabeth’s pout grew more obvious still. He ignored her and reached out to feel the night. He could sense a powerful revenant in the house. There were others in there too, but this one was more powerful by far. He frowned as he tried to judge his strength and grunted in surprise. He was of a similar age and power to his own. Interesting then that this false Arcadian, if indeed this was he, had chosen to remain in the shadows, rather than openly challenge him and the established order in LA.
“He’s in the house. I will flush him out. Rachelle and Elizabeth will kill any of his brood that attempt to prevent me.”
Angelina nodded and sent her crew on ahead to engage AML and any other humans guarding the house. They smashed windows and piled inside. Guns barked and shouts of anger and pain sounded from within. Gavin charged the front doors and smashed them down. Rachelle and the others flowed inside on his heels. Bullets tore into him and Rachelle, he spun toward his attacker, but Rachelle was already moving. She ripped into the humans like a demented demon, laughing all the while. Elizabeth suddenly launched into motion, surprising him by jumping straight into the air to scramble onto the upstairs landing. Screams of fear and agony sounded from that direction, followed by blood raining down. Elizabeth laughed gaily and threw the bodies off the landing to hit the floor in front of him. She jumped down, grinning madly.
“Wipe your chin,” Gavin said. The grin vanished from her face, and she complied looking embarrassed. “You missed a spot,” he said and reached out to fix it. He chucked her under the chin. “Well done.”
She smiled happily and blushed at the praise. She had fed enough for the blush to look almost human natural. Rachelle finished her butchery and turned back for orders. He pointed the way deeper into the house and Elizabeth joined her to clear a path for him. There were a lot of humans in residence. Arcadian’s AML allies. Gavin checked and found Angelina and Spencer covering his back. The detective was keeping close, trying to cover them all. Decent of her, he thought, though he didn’t need her protection. He would take it on Angelina’s behalf.
“There!” Rachelle shouted as she dashed to follow a vampire trying to sneak away.
Elizabeth looked to Gavin uncertainly.
“Protect her!”
Elizabeth nodded and raced away.
Angelina muttered something about taking chances, and Spencer laughed. She hissed something back at him, and suddenly he was exploding out of his clothes. He was into the change. He chose his hybrid form over his wolf shape. A good choice under the circumstances. Chris muttered unhappily, but she stuck close to him.
Gavin followed his sense of where Arcadian was, leading them all through the house. A figure ducked out of a doorway ahead, and fired some kind of assault rifle. Angelina cut him in half, proving her boast that she could do that by triggering a long sustained burst from her mach
ine guns. Chris cursed at the sight. Angelina ignored her and reloaded. Spencer edged forward to sniff at the bisected corpse. He looked up abruptly, and snarled.
“Vampire, I go,” Spencer growled and entered the room. There came the sound of snarling and shattering glass.
Gavin looked into the room only moments later, but Spencer was gone. Through the shattered windows on the far side of the room by the evidence. A breeze entered through the broken window, playing with the drapes. Howls and gunfire came from that direction. Spencer was no doubt giving chase.
“That’s great,” Chris said to Gavin. “That’s just dandy. The way we’re going it will be just you and me soon.”
Angelina snorted. “I’m not going anywhere, De-tec-tive. I go where Mister Gavin goes.”
“I follow her,” Flex said definitively.
“Quiet,” Gavin whispered. “He’s close... there!”
He darted across the hall to slam a door open. He entered the dimly lit room, noting the displays of armour and weapons. A man looked up in surprise and grabbed a sword from one of the nearby exhibits.
Gavin stopped where he was in utter shock. He knew this vampire. He studied a face he had never expected to see again, and hadn’t encountered in centuries. “Francis? Can it be truly you?” Angelina and the others entered the room and arranged themselves at his back. “Do nothing. He’s mine.”
“Garvan!” Francis said gaily. “How wonderful to see you. You’re looking well. You haven’t changed a bit, haha!”
“It’s Gavin now.”
“Not much of an alias, old friend.”
“Better than the one you’re using these days. Why use that evil bastard’s name?”
“We called him evil back then, but was he really? I don’t think he was.”
“You’ve changed if you believe that. You led us to him, helped us slay him.”
Francis shrugged. “We all make mistakes. He was a unique power in the world, and his reputation makes certain things easier. It’s just a name I use, like Alexander before this; I’ll choose another when I outgrow it.”
