by Brandon Hale
“Nah,” Charlotte said. “You’re an information specialist. Just sign in as yourself. You’ll have full access.”
Her statement surprised Scott. At the Norfolk facility, Scott had tried to access information about the searchers on multiple occasions. It was always restricted.
Apparently, Charlotte noticed the confusion on his face. “We’re truly self-contained here. Our database isn’t connected to any other network. Even our communication was restricted to in-person contact. That’s why you couldn’t access our information from above. But the security is the same. “
“I see,” Scott said.
“You can use my login if you’d prefer,” Charlotte offered.
“No thanks,” Scott said. “If you say I’m clear, that’s good enough for me.” He didn’t mention it, but something about Charlotte’s tone bothered him. She seemed nervous… and a little overzealous with her explanations.
She’s hiding something.
Scott was pulled from his thoughts when another researcher spoke.
“Charlotte, Wallace and Abbie are back. Thought you’d want to know.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte said. “Hopefully, they have an ETA on the rest of their people. Ask them to meet me in my office, please.” She looked at Scott. “Want to join us?”
“Nah,” Scott said, not looking up from the computer. “I’m sure they’ll fill me in on anything important. If it’s okay, I’ll stay here and play on your computer.”
“No problem,” Charlotte said. “Let me know if you have any questions.”
“Sure thing,” Scott lied. He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected she wouldn’t answer any of the questions that mattered.
Ten minutes later, Wallace and Abbie entered Charlotte’s small office. The office was really just a desk, a computer, and a few chairs set up in one of the spare rooms.
“The transmitter’s in place,” Wallace said. “It’s on the ridge about half a mile to the east. If there are any other Day Soldiers trying to reach us, we should be able to receive the transmission down here.”
“I’m still not comfortable with this,” Charlotte said. “If anybody finds that transmitter, they’ll know we’re close. It’s dangerous.”
“I agree,” Abbie said, “but it’s a necessary risk. If we don’t find more soldiers, the world is lost.”
“Many of my people,” Charlotte said, “would say the world is already lost.”
Abbie smiled coldly. “Those people would be wrong, dear.”
“If the satellites still work,” Wallace said, “we could actually make contact with soldiers overseas. That alone is worth the risk of some random werewolf stumbling across the transmitter.”
“It’s not just a random werewolf I’m worried about,” Charlotte said. “They could pick up the signal and trace it here.”
“All due respect,” Wallace said, “but this facility belongs to the Day Soldiers. It’s not some neutral research institute. You’re not trying to develop an apple-orange hybrid here. You’re part of a war effort. This is a Day Soldier installation, and I’m the highest ranking Day Soldier here.”
“My people,” Charlotte said, “aren’t soldiers. We’re scientists. And we’ve been safe for a year now—”
“Enough,” Wallace said, not bothering to hide the agitation in his voice. “You might not be warriors, but you are Day Soldiers, every damn one of you. You all took the oath to defend humanity against those bastards. Now, I’m not gonna judge you for staying hidden all this time. It’s good that you did. None of you are trained to fight these guys, but we are. And the time for hiding has passed.”
“Yes, sir,” Charlotte said quietly. “I’m sorry. I know I’m making it sound like we’re cowards.”
“Not at all,” Abbie said. “We understand what we’re doing to you. You’ve been safe here for a very long time. We’re taking that away from you.”
“We don’t like it,” Wallace said, “but we don’t really have a choice.”
“Of course,” Charlotte said. “My people will understand. I promise.”
“Here’s a bright side for you,” Wallace said. “We would prefer to find a military installation. That transmitter will help us do just that. And when we do, we’ll be heading that way. I see no reason to drag you with us. Like you said, you’re not warriors.”
Charlotte seemed to relax a bit. “Thank you, Commander. Although, I’m sure some of my people will ask to go with you. I really think I gave you an incorrect impression of my team. They are devoted to winning this war.”
“I believe you,” Wallace said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some planning to do.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Charlotte asked.
“Get the place ready for guests,” Abbie said. “The rest of our people are on the way. You’re about to have a full house.”
This made Charlotte smile. “We’re all set. I hope your people like fish, because that’s pretty much the entirety of our diet since the canned rations ran out.”
“We might be able to help you there,” Wallace said. “We’re pretty good hunters.”
“That,” Charlotte said, “will make my guys very happy.”
Scott sat in front of the monitor, reading another report. It was the fourth one he’d read and – just like the first three – it reported outright failure in regards to “the search for a GC.” Scott had been confused by the term at first, but by the second report, he realized it simply meant “a good creature.”
Each report described various searches across the globe for what could potentially be a GC. In the fourth report, they had sent a group to South Africa to pick up a medicine man from a local village. They’d apparently brought the individual back to America “for testing.”
Scott found the last part of the report especially interesting:
After four days of extensive lab tests, we have determined the subject is not a GC. He’s just a man. Another dead end. – C.P.
“Lab tests,” Scott said to nobody in particular. “They did tests on people.” Charlotte had mentioned lab tests earlier, but Scott hadn’t really considered what kinds of tests they were doing. The idea was disturbing to him.
You’re jumping at shadows, he told himself. This guy obviously volunteered for testing.
He looked at the initials at the end of the report.
C.P.
Charlotte Prince.
Scott leaned back in his chair. So far, Charlotte had been overwhelmingly open. Her explanation for computer access made perfect sense. She’d even offered to give Scott her login.
So why, Scott thought, do I feel like she’s hiding something?
“Find anything interesting?”
Startled, Scott jerked around to see Wallace standing behind him. “Actually,” Scott said, “yeah.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Well, no. Not really.” A moment later, he corrected himself again. “Maybe. I’m not sure, sir. That’s really what I’m saying here.”
Wallace chuckled and said, “Whatever. I don’t really care about this place. We won’t be here long. Right now, I have a more important job for you.”
“Sure thing, sir,” Scott said. “What do you need?”
“Do these computers have access to the overall Day Soldiers database?”
“Yes,” Scott said. “Although it seems to be a little outdated. It looks like the last full update was about three years ago. Price they pay for secrecy, I guess.”
“Three years,” Wallace said. “That should be good enough.”
“What am I looking for?” Scott asked.
“A werewolf.”
Scott pointed at Wallace. “There’s one.”
Wallace chuckled. “You’re funny. I actually need to find a specific werewolf.”
“Got a name?” Scott asked.
“Not yet,” Wallace said. “I need you to find the werewolf most likely to be the leader in America.”
“You want to know who took over after Dennis,” Scott said.
> “Yes,” Wallace said. “I’m pretty sure I know, but I’m hoping you’ll prove me wrong.”
“Who do you think?”
“I don’t want to influence your results,” Wallace said. “Just find me a name and a best guess at their current location.”
Scott turned back to the computer. “This won’t be easy on a three year old system.”
“Agreed,” Wallace said. “Start with the original council. Find the names of their heirs. Most likely, the heirs survived the little revolution Dennis apparently led. Once you have those names, it shouldn’t be hard to guess which one took over.”
“Good thinking,” Scott said. “When do you need it?”
“Done yet?” Wallace said.
Scott laughed. “Understood. Now leave me the hell alone so I can concentrate.”
Wallace gave him a solid pat on the back and said, “You’re a good man, Howler. Let me know when you find something.”
“Dammit, Ellie,” Scott groaned.
Charlotte climbed down the ladder that led to the generator room. Once safely down, she walked across the room and stopped in front of a small keypad on the far wall. She looked around nervously to make sure she was alone, then began to press individual numbers on the keypad.
After the small light above the keypad changed from red to green, Charlotte pushed open a portion of the wall, revealing a small hallway behind it. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. After a short walk, she stepped into the lab.
The lab was dark, but Charlotte didn’t bother to turn on the light. The occupants preferred the dark. Besides, Charlotte had absolutely no desire to see that room in the light. Not anymore.
“You have guests,” a whispering male voice said from the darkness, “and yet you bring us no gifts.”
“More are coming,” Charlotte said. “Many more.”
“How many?” another voice asked. This one was female, but had the same serpentine quality as the first voice.
“Almost two hundred,” Charlotte said. “And they’re not all human. From what the first arrivals told me, there are more than twenty werewolves, and over thirty channelers.”
“This is upsetting,” the male voice said.
Charlotte nodded. “These aren’t like the other visitors we’ve had. These troops are fully armed and fully trained. I think you should stay down here. There’s simply too many of them this time.”
“We can’t stay here forever,” the female voice said.
“You won’t have to,” Charlotte said. “They’ve assured me their stay is temporary. I believe them. They need a military base, not a research lab. They’ll spend a few days here and move on. Most of them, anyway. Some might stay, but their numbers would be thinned.”
“We don’t like the idea of hiding down here,” A second male voice said, “but we agree with your assessment. We should wait it out, for now.”
“You’ve done well, Charlotte,” the female said. “We’re appreciative.”
After a massive sigh of relief, Charlotte said, “Thank you. I was worried you’d be disappointed.”
“The situation is disappointing,” one of the males said. “You, on the other hand, have dealt with this excellently. “
“We trust you, Charlotte,” the female said. “We know you’ll take good care of us.”
“You’re a good friend,” one of the males added.
“Thank you,” Charlotte said. “I’ll kill them all before I let them hurt you. I promise.”
“Hopefully,” the female said, “it won’t come to that. Now, go. If you’re gone too long, it will be noticed.”
“Call me if you need me,” Charlotte said, then slipped from the lab and shut the door behind her. As she walked through the generator room, she tried to think of a way to get the soldiers to leave as soon as possible. She could think of nothing other than simply waiting it out.
As she climbed the ladder back to the main complex, she began to think about various ways to kill Wallace and his fellow intruders. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but she had to be prepared.
Just in case.
Chapter 6
Turning Travis
“I think he’s a channeler,” Natasha said. “He’s just a channeler that somehow manages to hurt himself.”
“Most likely,” Cassius said.
Travis stood in the center of the Oval Office. Natasha was again sitting at her desk.
Cassius stood directly in front of Travis. He held out his hand and said, “Touch my arm, human.”
Travis wrapped his hand around the vampire’s wrist.
Nothing happened.
“Touch me with the cross,” Cassius said.
Travis pulled the handkerchief from his pocket and unwrapped the cross. He placed the cross against Cassius’s skin.
“Fascinating,” Cassius said as he watched the skin of his own arm bubble and burn. “You can pull it away now.”
“I’m telling you,” Natasha said, “he’s just a channeler. He’s convinced himself that he’s evil, which has somehow given him the ability to hurt himself.”
“Lady,” Travis said, “I don’t even know what a channeler is. I’m damned. Plain and simple.”
“There’s no such thing as damned,” Cassius said. “Natasha’s probably right on this one, my friend.”
“Probably?” Natasha asked. “What else could it be?”
“There’s one other possibility,” Cassius said.
“I’m listening.”
“Nobody knows,” Cassius explained, “exactly how Arcas became a vampire. He used to go on about making deals with demons, but I’m pretty sure that was a load of crap. I think he just… changed. Whether it was intentional or accidental, I don’t know.”
“You think this guy is turning into a vampire?” Natasha said. “On his own?”
Cassius shrugged. “Probably not. He’s most likely a channeler, like you said. It is an interesting thought, though.”
“Are you gonna turn me or not?” Travis asked.
“How will you catch the Day Soldiers?” Cassius asked.
“If I tell you,” Travis said, “you won’t have any reason to turn me.”
“Nonsense,” Cassius said. “The best person to execute any plan is the person who created the plan. I’m going to turn you, Travis, no matter what your plan is. Frankly, I’m very curious to see what kind of vampire you’ll become.”
“I’ll trust you on that,” Travis said. “My plan for catching your soldiers is pretty simple. I’ll need three things: an aircraft of some kind, a pilot to fly it, and five humans to feed on.”
“Five?” Natasha asked. “I don’t think you understand how long a single human can feed a vampire.”
“I plan to be in the air a long time,” Travis said.
“That’s your plan?” Natasha said. “You’re going to fly around in the sky and hope you see them?”
“There’s more to it than that,” Travis said.
“Good enough for me,” Cassius said. “You can tell us the rest later. You ready to join the family?”
“Damn right, I am,” Travis said. “We doing it here?”
“Sure,” Cassius said.
“You sure it’s safe?” Natasha asked. “This is how Arcas died, you know.”
“Arcas died,” Cassius said, “because that girl tricked him. I find that absolutely hilarious, by the way. But I don’t think that’s a danger here.”
“It’s not,” Travis said. “I knew I was a vampire before I knew vampires were real.”
“Alright,” Cassius said. “Let’s do this.”
“How does it work?” Travis asked.
“Pretty simple, really,” Cassius said with a shrug. “I drain you of almost all your blood, then replace it with some of mine. Normally, transforming isn’t so extreme. The normal method is just to contaminate your blood with some of mine. Eventually you turn. But when you need to turn someone quickly, this is the best way. We call it the nuclear method.”
/> “The nuclear method,” Travis said with a grin. “That’s great.” He tilted his head to the right. “Dig in. I’m here for the nuclear method.”
“Natasha,” Cassius said as he stepped toward Travis. “Give us some dinner music.”
Natasha tapped a button on her desk and music began to filter throughout the room. Swing from the twenties.
Without another word, Cassius stepped forward and sank his teeth in Travis’s neck.
“Holy shit!” Travis screamed. He jerked away and cupped his hand over the bleeding wound on his neck. “That hurt like hell!”
“I’m not sure what you expected, there, friend,” Cassius said. “I stabbed you in the throat with my teeth, then began to drain you of blood. Typically, something like that hurts.”
“I don’t know,” Travis said. “I thought it would be more…”
“Erotic?” Natasha asked with a smirk.
“No,” Travis snapped. “Not erotic. I thought it would be like getting high or something. I don’t know.”
“I imagine there’s a bit of a high as you lose more blood,” Cassius said, “but mostly it’s just going to hurt.”
“That’s an understatement,” Travis said. “I’ve been seriously misinformed by my favorite movies.”
“Do you want to finish this or not?” Cassius asked.
“Well, yeah,” Travis said. “Of course I do. It was just a bit of a shock to the system, that’s all. Go ahead, get it over with.”
Cassius stepped forward again.
“Wait!” Travis said. “Can I get drunk first?”
“No,” Cassius said. “It’s now or never. Stop being a sissy.”
Travis took a deep, preparing breath. “Okay. Do it.”
Cassius came in a third time, but Travis took a step back. “At least let me smoke a cigarette first.”
“Suck it up, cowboy,” Cassius said as he grabbed Travis and threw him to the floor.
Natasha smiled as she watched Cassius drink the life from Travis on the floor of the Oval Office. “Travis,” she said, “we’re going to make fun of you for centuries over this.”
Travis couldn’t hear her over the sound of his own screams and curses.
