by P. T. Hylton
Alex frowned. She’d suspected as much based on what she’d seen in prison. “Have you or the other vampires here ever been Ferals?”
“No,” he answered quickly, almost as if the question offended him. “Let me ask you something. Do you know how the vampires overtook humanity so suddenly?”
Alex shrugged. “They’re stronger and faster than us. And we’re very tasty, apparently.”
A hint of annoyance crept into Jaden’s eyes. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to keep humanity alive.”
Now Alex frowned. “Okay, so tell me. Only one of us was there.”
“That I was. In fact, I’m over one thousand years old.”
She watched him for a long moment, trying to tell if he was joking. “Bullshit.”
“It’s not. The reason vampires never overran humanity prior to the infestation is due to a curiosity of our genetics. A vampire has complete control over any human they induct into the vampire race.”
“Wait, like mind control?”
“Of a sort. It fades over time, but for the first one hundred years or so, the new vampire is under the complete control of its master. I look at it as a defense mechanism built into our species. It prevents overpopulation. No young vampire can create a new vampire of his own unless his master allows it. We managed to keep the vampire population to exactly one hundred for centuries, only allowing a new one to be inducted when another died.”
“So how did it go wrong? How did it go from one hundred to eleven billion?”
Jaden considered that a moment. “That’s a very long story and it includes many small errors by many people, including me. And one massive error committed by someone I trusted.” He looked up, meeting her eye. “I’ll tell you sometime, but not now. Not while I’m day sick. The important thing to know is that if a Feral turns a human, it will be under that complete control of that Feral.”
“Holy hell.” Alex considered the ramifications. “So if you were to turn me right now, you could make me radio New Haven, have them send a transport into a trap, give them false information, anything.”
Jaden nodded. “Now you know the real danger of humans coming to the surface. That was why we made the silvermail part of the protocol for ground missions. We wanted to make sure no human could be turned. It wasn’t just to protect the GMT members. It was to protect everyone else on New Haven.”
An image flashed in Alex’s mind: Hope burning alive, her skin smoking under the silvermail.
“There were leaders on your ship with all of this information, and in a few generations, you have all but forgotten your lessons. It’s insane. The good news is the Ferals have been starving for so long there is almost no chance they would have the restraint to turn a human. It’s much more likely they’d drink them dry and leave them dead. Turning a human is difficult for any vampire; you have to fight the instinct to drain them fully.” He said it flippantly, as casually as a human might talk about the weather.
In that moment, Alex could no longer ignore what he was. In a thousand years of life, how many humans had he killed? Hundreds? Thousands?
He looked at Alex, seeing the disgust on her face. “You are so very young, but I like you. Your heart is in this thing, I can tell. I am your ally in this mission to save the human race. Now take this information back to New Haven, and make your leaders see. I need to sleep."
13
“You wouldn’t believe it. It’s like they’ve had this technology so long, they don’t even realize how incredible it is. It’s like if someone from a city without electric lights came to New Haven and we were like ‘yeah, electric lights, no big deal.’”
“Yeah, Jessica, sounds fascinating.” Alex looked at Owl and the two exchanged a glance, confirming Jessica’s monologue about Agartha’s use of electromagnetics was going over both their heads.
They were on their way back to New Haven, and Jessica was talking a mile a minute, beyond excited about the things she’d seen in Agartha. The three of them were crammed into the cockpit, Owl in the pilot’s seat, Alex in the copilot’s seat, and Jessica in the rarely used jump seat that was normally folded into the wall.
“The electromagnetic elements they use for railguns have so many other uses,” Jessica said. “The fact that they haven’t considered how it could be used to increase the efficiency of motor relay systems is just silly.” She let out a laugh, as if she couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of it all.
“Yeah, it’s so obvious,” Owl said.
Jessica didn’t seem to notice her sarcasm.
Owl tapped Alex on the arm. “Hey, you okay? You’ve been staring off into space for twenty minutes.”
Alex looked up and forced a smile onto her face. In truth, she’d been lost in thought, only partly paying attention to Jessica’s techno-babble. “I’m fine.”
For a moment, it seemed like Owl was going to accept that answer. Then she said, “No you’re not. What did Jaden tell you?”
“A lot, actually.” She gave them a summary of what she’d learned about the vampires’ mental connection, the way Ferals return to humanlike form, and the way masters could control the humans they turned.
“Damn,” Owl said when Alex had finished. “That all sounds like information that would have been good to know before we went on our first mission to the surface.”
Jessica chuckled. “Would you still have joined the GMT?”
“And risk being some vampire’s mind-controlled puppet?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I certainly would have more seriously considered my mother’s recommendation of going into agriculture.”
Alex forced a laugh.
“We have to tell Fleming,” Jessica said. “We can make him understand.”
Alex shook her head. “We should try, but I’m not hopeful. Fleming sees himself as this great savior of humanity. We can throw all the facts at him we want, but he’s still going to go forward with Resettlement. We can’t trust him to stop it. It’s up to us.”
Owl glanced at Alex nervously. “How the hell are we supposed to do that?”
“CB and I have a plan, but we have to play our cards right. The two of you are going to be key to pulling this off.”
Two hours later, Alex, CB, and Jessica sat down in Fleming’s office in the Hub for Jessica’s debriefing. They were seated around a large round table.
It took all of Alex’s willpower to not let out a laugh when CB took the seat next to Jessica.
“Should we get started?” CB asked.
“Not yet,” Fleming said. “We’re waiting for one more.”
Alex and CB exchanged a curious glance, both wondering who it might be.
A moment later, the door opened, and Firefly walked in.
“Sorry I’m late.” He nodded hello to Alex and CB.
For the second time in a minute, Alex stifled the urge to laugh. This was the first time she’d seen Firefly since his promotion. The captain’s uniform looked odd on him, and he had an air of formality that didn’t seem to fit with the man she knew.
“How you been, Firefly?” Alex asked.
He glanced awkwardly at Fleming before answering. “I’ve been good. But I’m, uh, not going by Firefly anymore. Call me Garrett.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Garrett?”
He smiled weakly. “That’s my first name.”
“Huh.”
Fleming rapped a knuckle on the table. “As fascinating as this all is, I’d prefer we spend our time talking about the city of intelligent vampires. Jessica, give us the rundown. What did you learn in Agartha?”
Jessica smiled. “A lot. Agartha has an electromagnetic component they’re using for weapons. I believe we could use the same technology to improve the efficiency of our motors up to twenty percent. And that’s just the start. The agricultural techniques they use could allow us to increase our crop output and actually use less resources and square footage.”
As she spoke, Fleming’s face darkened. “I’m sorry, maybe I didn’t st
ate my question clearly. I’m glad you learned about some new technologies, but that’s not what I was asking. In case you hadn’t noticed, our focus isn’t on improving the ship; it’s on getting off it. What did you learn about our potential enemies?”
Jessica blinked hard, taken aback. “I am telling you what I learned. And you might think of them as enemies, but they don’t see us that way. They were happy to share.”
“How very naive of them,” Fleming commented.
“Regardless, we should learn everything we can. We have to get Brian down there as soon as possible. It would blow his mind. He might never sleep again, he’d be so excited.”
“I don’t think we should put the greatest mind in our community at risk by sending him to a foreign and possibly hostile city.”
Jessica’s face reddened. “Yes, but you’ll gladly send your top engineer.”
Fleming paused, gathered himself. “I apologize, Jessica. I didn’t mean to imply you are expendable.”
“That’s okay,” Jessica replied. “I didn’t mean to imply fuck you.”
CB cleared his throat. “Okay, let’s all focus on why we’re here.”
“Yes, let’s.” If Fleming was thrown by the comment, he didn’t let it show. He’d lost control of the conversation for a moment, and it had clearly rattled him. But he was back now. “I don’t mean to diminish the engineering marvels, but what other, non-technological information did you learn? Tell us about the city.”
Jessica hesitated, her face still flushed with anger.
Alex tried unsuccessfully to catch her eye, willing her to keep things civil. They needed to keep the peace with Fleming. At least on the surface.
After a moment, the engineer spoke. “The people in the city seem happy. They interact with the vampires as much as their conflicting sleep schedules allow. The vampires feed off blood donated by humans, never directly from the people.”
Firefly leaned forward. “Did they give any indication of their feelings toward New Haven?”
“No, they didn’t reveal any secret plans to attack us, Firefly,” she snapped.
“It’s Garrett,” he reminded her. “Do you really think they have our best interests in mind?”
Fleming held up a hand, stopping his captain. “No need to speculate. If they were planning something, they wouldn’t be dumb enough to share it with someone from New Haven. What I’m more curious about is their defenses.”
Jessica hesitated again, but not as long this time. “Their security is insane.”
“Care to be more specific?” he asked.
“Sure. Fifty-caliber railguns around the perimeter. Cameras everywhere. The place is built into the side of a mountain. And if you somehow did manage to get inside, you’d have one hundred intelligent vampires waiting to rip out your throat.”
Alex looked at Fleming. “Tell me you’re not considering an assault on Agartha.”
“Of course not, but it is smart to be prepared for all possibilities.”
CB turned to Jessica. “What’s your gut feeling on the city?”
“It’s filled with people just trying to get through the day. People with families. People with dreams. All of them doing whatever they can not to think about the horrors that live outside their city. In other words, they’re just like us.”
Fleming thought a moment. “Their head vampire, this Jaden, he contacted me last night.”
CB and Alex exchanged a surprised glance.
“I spoke to him briefly. It was fascinating. He sounded almost like a real person.”
“What did he want?” CB asked.
“He had the ridiculous idea that one of their people should come spend time on New Haven the same way Jessica spent time in their city.”
“What did you tell him?” Jessica asked.
“I said I’d think about it. Needless to say, that’s one call I won’t be returning. They may be dumb enough to let a spy into their midst, but we are not.”
Aaron hadn’t known what to expect when Jaden told him he and Mark would be starting their new jobs that night. He’d imagined it would involve venturing out of the city to gather supplies. Or to hunt. But he certainly hadn’t expected this.
They stood in a storeroom the size of a football field (ah, football, how he missed watching it on Sundays), surrounded by large shelving units filled with carefully labeled crates.
If Mark’s crossed arms and dour expression were any indication, he was just as unhappy about their current situation as Aaron was.
Jaden and Robert stood in front of them, along with a vampire whose name Aaron couldn’t quite remember. Toby? Tommy? Something like that.
“Your training begins tonight,” Jaden told them. “Every human and every vampire in Agartha needs to earn his or her keep. You two are no exception. You will be expected to pull your weight, and that starts now.”
“In the storeroom?” Mark asked.
Jaden nodded. “As vampires, you fall under my jurisdiction. So your duty is whatever I say it is. Be happy I don’t have you scrubbing toilets.” His tone softened a little. “Do what’s asked of you without complaint. Earn our trust. If you can manage that, you’ll move on to more fulfilling tasks in time. You’re immortal—be patient.”
Robert then explained their duties. They’d be performing maintenance in the storeroom, as well as moving and cataloging the supplies that came in and out. Toby would train them, and eventually, he’d move on, leaving them in charge of the storeroom.
“Lucky us,” Mark muttered.
Thankfully, neither Jaden nor Robert seemed to notice the comment.
“Like Jaden said, work hard and you will be rewarded,” Robert told them. “Any questions?”
“Yeah.” Mark turned to Jaden. “What’s the long-term plan here?”
Jaden glanced at his watch as he answered. “What long term plan are you referring to?”
“I’m talking about the Feral vampires suffering right outside your door.” There was a hint of anger creeping into Mark’s voice now. “When are you going to help them? What’s the plan to rebuild society?”
Jaden regarded Mark for a long moment before answering. “Let me ask you a question. Do you like your accommodations? Do you like having a regular supply of blood delivered to your door every night just after sunset?”
Aaron answered before Mark could. “Yes. We do.”
“Good. You need to understand that these things are only possible because of the careful balance we’re maintaining. We’ve kept that balance for one hundred and fifty years, and it’s kept both the vampires and the humans alive and well fed.”
“Some of the vampires,” Mark clarified.
“Sure. But you have to remember we’re playing the long game here. For now, you can either choose to be part of this city and assist in its operation, or you can go try your luck elsewhere.”
“We’re staying,” Aaron said quickly. He wanted to hit Mark. As much as he agreed with the other vampire’s sentiments, there was no need to say it out loud. Not when he knew it would piss off their benefactor.
“Okay then,” Jaden said. “We’ve already upset the balance by adding two more vampires to the mix. Don’t make me regret it.”
“You won’t,” Aaron assured him. “We’re going to be great assets to Agartha. Thank you for the opportunity.”
Eight hours later, they finished up their work and Toby escorted them back to their shared quarters.
“You did well,” Toby told them once they reached the solid steel door. “You’re going to like it here. Keep up the good work.”
After they were inside and Toby left, Mark said, “Yeah, we did well, but not so well that they aren’t going to keep locking us up every day. This place is bullshit.”
Aaron walked to his bed and sat down, saying nothing. Morning was fast approaching, and he wanted to sleep.
“We have to do something,” Mark continued. “Doesn’t it drive you crazy thinking of all those poor starving bastards outside the city?”
“Of course it does,” Aaron snapped. “You think I don’t want to help them?”
Mark plopped down on his own bed. “I wouldn’t have known it by the way you clammed up in front of Jaden. You could have had my back.”
Aaron leaned forward and looked Mark in the eye. “You really think pissing off the ancient asshole who runs this city is the best way to help the other vampires out there?”
“You have something better in mind?”
A sly smile crept across Aaron’s face. “We need to do exactly what Jaden told us to do. We need to earn their trust. We’re going to be the best little worker bees Agartha has ever seen.”
Mark nodded slowly, starting to understand. “Get them to let their guard down.”
“Exactly. Then, once we have a plan and have their trust, we make our move. Then and only then.”
“I like it. You know, I’m glad we happened to bite the same guy.”
Aaron chuckled. “Think about it, though. This city could be the first step in rebuilding the vampire race for the long haul. We already have a nice food supply. If we cultivate it, breed them, we can expand. But step one is getting access to other parts of the city.”
“And that requires Jaden’s trust,” Mark repeated.
“You got it. That means no more of this mouthing off like you did tonight. You need to be respectful to Jaden and the others.”
“I can do that,” Mark said. “I’ll happily kiss ass and wait for our moment. But I do have one request.”
“What’s that?”
“When we take over, I want to throw Jaden in a cage and let him starve for a couple centuries. I want him to know firsthand the hell he’s let every Feral vampire experience. Then I want to bring him back and do it all over again.”
Alex waited until the wee hours of the morning to make her move. Of course, in New Haven, the wee hours were just as bright as any other time. There were far fewer people awake, though. Even in a city that was always in sunlight, people observed day and night.
As soon as she reached the Hub, she scurried up the first fire escape she saw. The buildings in the Hub were all built to be a uniform height, which made traveling from rooftop to rooftop an ideal way to get to the city council headquarters without being noticed.
