Cliff's Descent

by Dianne Duvall

  A dozen mercenaries crept through the wreckage.

  Joe suddenly appeared at Cliff’s side.

  The mercenaries hadn’t noticed them yet. Smoke and dust and fragments that steadily rained down from the ground floor obscured their vision too much.

  But Cliff and Joe could see just fine.

  “Kill them,” Cliff murmured. “Quick and quiet.” The immortals battling above sure as hell weren’t taking prisoners, so Cliff felt no need to hold back.

  He and Joe flew forward.

  The first mercenaries to fall didn’t even see them coming. The rest saw them too late. The vampires might not have the blades Immortal Guardians wielded or the weaponry of the mercenaries, but a punch backed by preternatural strength could kill a man in seconds, as could a swift twist of his head.

  Another explosion rattled the floor beneath his feet as the last man collapsed.

  Worried that this level would soon collapse as well, Cliff nodded to Joe, and the two of them dropped down to sublevel 2 to evacuate more employees. They took out a few more mercenaries and shuttled multiple injured employees down to sublevel 5.

  Cliff waited while Joe handed off another wounded man to the guards at the mouth of the tunnel. “We’re both pretty banged up,” he told his friend. “Let’s stop off and get some blood before we go back.”

  Joe nodded.

  Cliff didn’t need the blood. He’d only acquired a few scrapes and bruises here and there and felt fine. But Joe was looking a little ragged. He’d suffered some gashes, two of which weren’t healing. The scent of blood was every-freaking-where. And Cliff wasn’t sure what effect killing the mercenaries might have on Joe, who’d already been struggling before the attack. Cliff worried the strain of everything would send his friend over the edge. If Joe replenished the blood he’d lost though, it might help him maintain control.

  Cliff gave Marcus a nod, unsurprised when the large warrior didn’t nod back.

  The Immortal Guardian radiated fury and looked ready to rip everyone to shreds as he stood sentinel in front of the petite redhead. Ami’s eyes were closed, her brow furrowed as if she concentrated very hard on something.

  Maybe she was an immortal with one of those cool gifts. All of the male Immortal Guardians he’d encountered had black hair. But maybe there were some redheads among the females.

  Joe made his silent way to the lab. Dr. Lipton kept a special refrigerator stocked with blood in there.

  Cliff followed. The crowd in the hallway began to thin.

  A hell of a lot of explosions continued to rumble overhead. And quite a few humans were still trapped on sublevel two, so this thing was far from over.

  A few steps inside the lab, Joe stopped short.

  Cliff bumped into his back. “What is it?”

  Joe didn’t answer.

  Cliff stepped around him and felt his heart drop into his stomach.

  The new vampire was down on the floor with Dr. Lipton in his lap, his fangs buried deep in her neck.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Cliff bellowed and rushed forward.

  Stuart raised his head and snarled something.

  Dr. Lipton lay still, eyes closed, blood trailing down her neck.

  Cliff lifted her with care, then backhanded Stuart, sending him flying across the room to shatter the already cracked Sheetrock on the far wall.

  “Dr. Lipton?” Fear filling him, he placed his hand on her neck to try to staunch the flow of blood. “Melanie?”

  Joe watched with wild eyes. “I can’t hear a heartbeat.”

  Neither could Cliff. He’d like to think it was because there was so damned much other noise going on, but…

  She was pale. And her lips held an alarming bluish tint.

  Come on, come on, come on. Don’t die. Please don’t die.

  “What happened?” Stuart asked, slumped across the room.

  Joe turned blazing eyes on the vampire. “You killed her! You fucking killed her!”

  “Wait!” Cliff shifted his warm, bloody fingers on her neck. “I-I-I think I found a pulse. She’s not dead yet.” But she was completely unresponsive.

  “Yet,” Joe repeated and backed toward the doorway.

  Cliff frowned. “Joe? What are you doing? Get help.”

  But his friend just kept moving, his head rocking back and forth. “I can’t do it.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t do this. Not without Dr. Lipton. Not without Melanie. I can’t be here.”

  “She isn’t—”

  “You know what they’ll do to us! They hate us! They’ll blame us! They’ll kill us!”

  Cliff gaped as his friend disappeared through the doorway.

  Stuart didn’t even seem to notice. His wide-eyed gaze remained fixed on Dr. Lipton. Crimson liquid trailed from the corner of his mouth. “I did that?”

  “Yes!”

  “I didn’t mean to!”

  Cliff could believe it, but… Shit! Joe was on the run. Dr. Lipton’s heartbeat was faltering. He had to do something. Fast. “If you didn’t mean it, get your ass over here.”

  Stuart scrambled forward.

  Cliff passed him Dr. Lipton and hoped like hell he was doing the right thing. “Keep pressure on her neck. I’m gonna go for help.”

  Stuart nodded. He should be flushed from feeding, but his face was pale as death.

  Cliff took one last look at Melanie, then bolted from the room. Down the hallway toward the elevator he raced, moving so fast he would probably kill a human if he bumped into one. “Bastien!” he shouted.

  Up through the roof of the elevator he jumped.

  “What?” Bastien called back from somewhere outside.

  Cliff leaped up two floors, grabbed the edge, and propelled himself up two more. “Melanie needs you! She’s hurt real bad!”

  One more leap and he ran smack into Bastien on the ground floor… or what was left of it.

  “What happened?” Bastien demanded.

  “Stuart drained her.”

  Bastien’s eyes flared with panic as he turned to the elevator shaft.

  Cliff grabbed his arm. “Joe’s gone. He saw Dr. Lipton and freaked out. I have to go after him.”

  “The sun’s coming up.”

  “He can’t be alone. He’s too close to losing it.”

  Bastien nodded and pulled him into a rough hug. “Be careful. If you don’t make it back by sunrise, I’ll find you.”

  Cliff nodded and watched Bastien drop through the opening and free-fall to the bottom, where he landed smoothly in a crouch.

  Cliff eyed the chaos around him. There was fire everywhere. Bullets whipped past. Immortals…

  He swallowed. Holy crap. No wonder Bastien’s vampire army had fallen beneath the immortals’ swords. Once again he marveled over their speed, strength, and intensity.

  Cliff’s heart began to pound. His chest felt tight. He felt exposed up here. Terrified. He hadn’t been outside by himself in over two years. Had he become agoraphobic as a result? Because his feet felt frozen to the pitted floor.

  Until a freaking missile shot past.

  Cliff ducked behind what was left of a desk. The ceiling was gone, the remains of the roof mingling with the other rubble beneath his feet.

  Where the hell was Joe?

  Smoke stung his eyes as he peered around, trying to locate the blond vampire.

  There! Diving into the trees.

  Cliff took off after him. Leaping over a pile of mercenary bodies, he dodged as many bullets as he could. The damned things flew every which way like angry bees. A blurred form sailed past, eyes flashing bright amber.

  Terror cut through him like a blade.

  Would the immortals think he was trying to escape and kill him?

  When the dark-as-midnight figure kept going, Cliff allowed himself to breathe again.

  Apparently he wasn’t their highest priority right now.

  Relieved, he head
ed for the trees, intent on finding Joe.

  Something stung his neck.

  Reaching up, he slapped at it and came away with a tranquilizer dart. His vision wavered. His knees buckled.

  The ground lurched up and hit him hard.

  A shadow fell over him.

  Cliff squinted up at two soldiers. “Ah shi—”

  Chapter Four

  Cliff’s knee bobbed up and down, nearly dislodging the elbow he’d propped on it.

  Swearing, he rose and began to pace. Agitation crawled through him like ants, making it impossible to sit still.

  “Fucking mercenaries,” he muttered.

  Fury suffused him. Curling his hands into fists, he took a deep breath and fought it back.

  A month had passed since the mercenary attack that had resulted in him and Joe being captured and tortured, the trauma of which had driven Joe to succumb to the madness entirely.

  Cliff swallowed hard as sorrow rose. He hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to his friend. He hadn’t been able to. That ate at him. But Bastien had said Joe wouldn’t have recognized him if he had. Joe had been so far gone that he hadn’t even recognized Melanie and Bastien. All he’d done when they’d tried to help him was snarl and rant and fight his restraints.

  “We tried so hard to reach him,” Melanie had told Cliff, tears coursing down her cheeks as she fought back sobs. “We tried so hard to guide him back to us.” But they’d ultimately had to admit defeat.

  Abiding by his wishes, she and Bastien had sedated Joe, then drained his blood and… let him go.

  Cliff had been oblivious to it all because whatever torture he had endured at the hands of the mercenaries had triggered his first psychotic break. He didn’t remember any of it. The torture. Being rescued. Coming back to network headquarters.

  He glanced around. Or rather to the new network headquarters. The original one hadn’t been salvageable.

  Even the days that had followed his return were a bit of a blur.

  Hell, he barely remembered the mercenary attack itself. Just little flashes here and there. Few specifics.

  His inability to recollect his actions that night troubled Cliff deeply. Vince and Joe had suffered the same selective amnesia after their psychotic breaks. Neither had recalled the rage that had gripped them or the injuries they’d inflicted upon others.

  Had Cliff injured anyone that night? The night of his break?

  He didn’t care about hurting the damned mercenaries but felt sick at the notion that he might have harmed one of the employees or guards here at the network.

  Or maybe more than one.

  Bastien and Melanie had assured him he hadn’t. They’d painted him a hero, going on and on about the lives he’d saved. But was that true? Or was it bullshit spouted with good intentions?

  They had always downplayed the violence and harm Joe and Vince had spawned during their breaks. Cliff had too, not wanting his friends to have to contend with guilt as well as the madness. So he couldn’t help but wonder if Bastien and Melanie were doing the same for him now.

  Pacing did little to calm Cliff’s mind or banish the anxiety that rode him.

  Crossing to the phone, he stared down at it a moment, shook his head, then took another deep breath and dialed the infirmary.

  “Dr. Whetsman,” a man answered.

  Biting back a curse, Cliff advised himself to remain patient. Whetsman was his least favorite doctor at the network. “It’s Cliff. I could use some exercise. Would you open my door so I can run some miles on the treadmill?” Melanie and Linda wouldn’t hesitate. They even left his door open for hours at a time now so he could roam sublevel 5 and visit Stuart. But it was lunchtime. Melanie and Linda worked the night shift. And Whetsman—

  “No. You should be resting.”

  —was a prick. Cliff ground his teeth and kept his response calm and casual. “I can’t sleep. I think I just need to get some exercise. Wear myself out a little.” He forced a light laugh. “A run should help.”

  Silence. “I think it inadvisable. You can exercise tonight.” Whetsman ended the call.

  Cliff slammed the receiver down. “Pussy.” Whetsman was so terrified of the vampires that he made damn sure he was never alone with any of them and was too stupid to realize his fear and his persistence in treating them like escaped serial killers constantly on the prowl for new victims was so fucking annoying that he actually triggered some of the vampires’ breaks.

  Cliff resumed his pacing and again found no relief. Stopping, he perused his apartment. His shoulders slumped. Looked like he’d just have to play some video games to try to—

  His doorbell rang.

  Cliff spun toward the door as someone typed a code into the pad outside it and swiped a security card. Hope rose. Had Whetsman actually manned up and changed his mind?

  A clunk sounded. The door swung inward.

  Cliff remained where he was, not wanting to spook the asshole.

  Instead of Dr. Whetsman, however, Todd—one of the guards who usually manned this floor—poked his head in. “Hey, Cliff.”

  “Hey.”

  “Mr. Reordon would like to see you in his office.”

  Shit. Had Whetsman called Reordon and complained?

  What a dick. “Okay.”

  Smiling, Todd backed away to give Cliff room to exit and join him in the hallway.

  Todd was a good guy. He had been the first guard to stop reaching for his weapon every time the vampires left their apartments. And his relaxed demeanor had gone a long way toward ending the other guards’ tendency to tense up… and had helped Cliff and the other vampires feel more comfortable in their new home.

  The guards manning the desk in front of the elevators nodded a greeting as Cliff and Todd approached them.

  “How’s it going?” Cliff asked.

  A jumble of the usual “good” or “not bad” responses ensued.

  When Cliff and Todd stepped into the elevator, five guards joined them.

  Todd swiped his security card and typed in a code.

  The doors slid closed.

  Normally Cliff would crack a joke to ease the tension, but he was too damn agitated today to come up with anything. “How’s Cynthia?”

  Todd grinned. “Out of my league.”

  One of the other guards snorted. “Way out of his league.”

  “Hell yes, she is,” another agreed.

  Unoffended, Todd shrugged. “But she loves me anyway.”

  Cliff forced a smile. “Lucky man.”

  “Damn straight.”

  As soon as the elevator reached the ground floor, the guards escorted him to a long hallway that he assumed led to Reordon’s office. Though Cliff didn’t look back to confirm it, his acute hearing told him more guards entered the hallway behind them, hands probably on their weapons.

  Cliff didn’t know what to think of it all. This was the first time he had been above ground—except for the night of the attack, that was—since he had surrendered to Seth and the Immortal Guardians. Disappointment filled him as he took in the lack of windows. It would’ve been nice to see some greenery. Some sunlight. Though he supposed it was better for him that there weren’t windows. If any sunlight touched his skin, it instantly began to burn and blister.

  Todd led him through a doorway, then paused.

  Cliff looked around. The room reminded him a little of the reception room at a high-end doctor’s office. Comfortable seating took up half the space. File cabinets and a large desk decked out with lots of computer paraphernalia occupied the rest.

  A pretty brunette woman seated behind the desk looked up at their entrance.

  A slew of guards filed past Cliff and fanned out around the edges of the room.

  But the woman paid them little heed as her hazel eyes met his.

  Cliff waited for her to tense up, pale, or make some other involuntary display of nerves.

  Instead she smiled.

  Did sh
e not know he was a vampire? Because her heartbeat didn’t even increase.

  Rising, she rounded the desk and approached him. “Hi, Cliff. I’m Kate.” She offered him her hand.

  Surprised, he took it and gave it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you.”

  Her smile broadened into a grin. “I’m so glad you’re back and that I have this chance to thank you.”

  He glanced at Todd, who just watched them with a smile. “Thank me?”

  Nodding, she patted their clasped hands. “We’ve actually met before. I don’t blame you for not recognizing me. I looked like I’d been rolling in dirt and ash and didn’t even recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.” She loosed a self-deprecating laugh that drew a smile from him. “I’m one of the employees you saved when the mercenaries attacked.”

  He stared at her in surprise. “Oh.” He had no memory of that. At all.

  “Thank you again.” After one last pat, she released his hand.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Oh screw it. I hope you don’t mind this.” Leaning in, she stunned the hell out of him by giving him a big hug. “I never would’ve survived if you hadn’t gotten me down to that escape tunnel. I was injured and barely made it to sublevel two. And mercenaries were right behind me.”

  Cliff darted the guards a wary glance and spread his arms slightly, hands open, afraid to make even the slightest move that might inspire them to tranq him.

  Though the guards he didn’t know narrowed their eyes and tensed, those who had accompanied him from sublevel 5 remained relaxed. Some even appeared amused when he just stood there, afraid to respond.

  Kate backed away and scowled at the guards. “Oh, would you guys just relax already? We’re trying to have a freaking moment.”

  Todd snorted when he tried and failed to hold back a laugh.

  Cliff didn’t expect the men to react. But damned if they didn’t immediately snap to attention, release their weapons, and shift their gazes to stare straight ahead.

  “Better,” she said with a smile, then gave Cliff another hug.

  Amusement sifted through him, dispersing some of his anxiety. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her hug.

  Out of all the things becoming a vampire had deprived him of, Cliff thought he missed human touch the most. He had gone a long damn time without it. So long that he had nearly wept the first time Melanie had hugged him.