Never Forsaken

by Michael Anderle

  Matthew turned in time to see the woman in the helicopter drop fifteen feet to the roof and then toss the woman over her shoulder. Both agents had been caught unprepared. The helicopter started flying towards the building one over and the black clad woman started running, carrying the reporter. The first agent pulled his pistol back up and fired twice before he went down, a slug through his shoulder. Matthew looked back at the helicopter; there was an agent with a rifle he would swear had a barrel opening as big as his arm staring at him and the other agent. Matthew threw his hands in the air; he didn’t want anyone to mistake him for being one of the stupid guys who were shooting. The second agent yelled over his shoulder as he started to run towards the women, trying to get a better shot. “God, you desk jockeys are a bunch of pussies.” He pulled his pistol up to fire, when he crumpled to the ground having been shot in the leg. Matthew looked back at the helicopter to see the guy with the rifle elevate it up.

  Both Matthew and the second agent watched in awe as the woman, encumbered as she was with the reporter, jump the distance between the two buildings. It had to be at least 20 feet. On the other side, she stood up after collapsing, wrapped her arms in the ladder with the reporter while the helicopter lifted, taking the women away. Matthew assumed they would drop down as soon as they were at a safe distance.

  —

  Gabrielle heard the bullet hit the helicopter. Staying there waiting for the woman to climb up the rope wasn’t going to be an option. She yelled over her shoulder and told Darrell and Scott to hold their fire, she would be right back. She then jumped down to the roof below. She grabbed the reporter, throwing her over her shoulder, pointing at the next building over, hoping Bobcat would understand. Sure enough, the Black Hawk helicopter moved in that direction.

  She checked her energy levels as she had been instructed by Bethany Anne and TOM, no time like the present to pull from them. She streaked towards the side of the building, the lady screaming as if they were heading to their deaths. She kicked off the building with everything she had, which ended up being just a bit too much. She easily cleared the other side of the building and almost hit a chimney that was rising from the other building. Fortunately, she was able to land but then her leg crumbled beneath her, she turned at the last moment so her back caught the ground, reaching up to protect the reporter. Getting back up, she pulled up the reporter and then grabbed the cable, slinging an arm through the rope. She told the reporter to put a leg in a loop. Grabbing the reporter around the waist she flicked her head up, trusting one of the guys would see it and tell Bobcat to take off. Sure enough, Shelley lifted off a few seconds later and took them away. She looked over at the reporter who was staring at her. “What is it?”

  The woman screamed her question, not realizing that Gabrielle could hear her just fine, “Why are your eyes glowing red?”

  Gabrielle was trying to come up with a suitable response for that question when the woman suddenly drew in a bunch of air, “you’re bleeding!”

  Gabrielle followed her eyes down to her leg, sure enough she had been shot, no wonder she lost her balance landing. “So I am, let’s hope I don’t faint from blood loss shall we?” Gabrielle smiled at her, as the woman realized her protector might suddenly fall. At least it got her mind off the question about her eye color.

  Bobcat located a parking lot with enough room six blocks from the building; he slowly lowered Shelley down enough for Gabrielle and Giannini to jump off the rope ladder. The ladies grabbed the rope and the both of them pulled it away from the helicopter so Bobcat could land. Both Darrell and Scott jumped off. Darrell helped Giannini to get on board and Scott handed Gabrielle a blood packet. Gabrielle ripped open the blood packet and downed the contents quickly, hoping the reporter didn’t notice.

  Gabrielle stared at Scott while she was drinking, when she finished she wiped her mouth and asked, “I thought I told you guys not to shoot?”

  Scott grinned at her, “No, you asked if we understood. That is not the same as do we agree.” Scott took the ladder from Gabrielle so he could start rolling it back up and they could jump on the helicopter. “Besides, I am not going to be the one to tell Eric we failed to get you back in one piece.” Scott turned around to jump back on the helicopter. Gabrielle took a second to ostensibly wipe any remaining blood off of her face, and the tear that was forming in her eye. Seconds later Bobcat had them back in the air going east.

  On the helicopter, Giannini was catching her breath from all of the excitement. She looked around and recognized Darrell as the man who helped her that first night. He was smiling at her right when she slapped him. “That is for pinching my butt!” Then she reached over and kissed him, “That’s for saving my life!”

  Darrell decided not to correct her for the pinching misunderstanding.

  They flew back to San Andreas Island where they made sure Giannini was safe in a nice hotel, with clothes and enough money to stay for a month. Darrell being nice enough to volunteer to take her shopping on the company’s account. Gabrielle exchanged contact information with the reporter. She liked the woman, but didn’t feel letting a reporter on the Polarus was a good idea, just yet.

  Giannini wasn’t sure what to make of the team, and the rescue. She created a journal in a secure Dropbox folder on the Internet and put all of the notes and comments she could remember. She wasn’t sure she saw the red eyes, but she absolutely noticed the way Gabrielle's leg healed so quickly. She had been lucky to meet them back in San Jose, and now, she was beyond lucky to have been introduced to them again. They hadn’t requested she not talk about them, but Giannini wasn’t going to spoil her chance at a bigger story by burning the beginning of a professional, and maybe personal, relationship too quickly.

  She sent a quick and, hopefully, untraceable message to her contact in the police department and sat back to enjoy the paid vacation for at least a day. Maybe two, she considered.

  —

  Dammit, what a cluster-fuck this turned out to be. He could hear the sirens in the distance; he turned and walked down the stairs grabbing his men who had been in the stairway. “Let’s let those jack-asses answer the questions this time.” They made it to their car before the police drove past them. Seven cops jumped out of the police cars and ran into the apartment building. Nonchalantly, Matthews group drove down the street and left the scene.

  Matthew Burnside was hot, angry and livid. When his phone call came from the Agent-In-Charge, he didn’t wait for a comment before he tore into him about bringing black operatives in on his operation with instructions to shoot to kill. His people weren’t cattle to be used and abused. The only question that made it through his tirade was a question regarding the status of the two other operatives.

  Matthew explained he didn’t know, didn’t care and wasn’t about to figure it out. Those two had unnecessarily endangered a foreign national, started a firefight with a Spec-ops team in broad daylight, been shot for their troubles and had last been seen bleeding on the top of a building with San Jose police coming in from the first floor. They were welcome to jump to the other building as he had seen the woman accomplish.

  Matthew listened to the question coming at him, “What? Yes. She jumped between the roofs while she was carrying another person. If your super-duper special agents can’t jump as far as a woman carrying someone can, they deserve to sit in jail for being pussies. Yes, I’m sure it was a woman. She dropped about fifteen feet from the helicopter, slung the reporter over her shoulder and took off in a sprint. She jumped between the buildings. I don’t know! Maybe twenty-feet or more. Look, I’m not hopped up on drugs shooting people. Your people are damned lucky they didn’t let loose with the guns on that helicopter. Your people are incompetent. Yeah, you heard my ass just fine, incompetent. … I don’t give a shit what you want! This is going up my chain and they can decide how to deal with this cluster-fuck. No, you don’t get to decide what ‘need to know’ is. When you drop in unidentified agents into what should have been a normal, and simple, reque
st to speak to someone you lost that prerogative. No, which part of ‘I-don’t-give-a-shit’ about what you think did you fail to hear? Yeah, good-fucking-bye to you too.” Matthew wished he could slam down his cell phone. He exhaled in frustration, “What a prick!”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Juan had never been the best fighter. While he could handle humans and even Weres without too much trouble, he was a very solid middle of the pack when fighting other vampires. It didn’t help he considered himself more of a lover than a fighter.

  He could see at least three Nosferatu, but they didn’t look like regular Nosferatu. These had too much intelligence to their actions and two of them were wearing what looked like shrapnel based suicide vests. These clowns hadn’t expected Stephen to go down easily, and were using up the serum. Juan didn’t know how many vials existed here in Europe, but there weren’t any more available in South America. At least, according to rumors.

  Juan hadn’t believed he would live forever. Claudia, who had been his rock, his life, his color before her sickness was unable to find any joy in her extended life. This was due to the other vampires in South America rejecting her. Oh, they thought she was attractive enough, but they shunned her non-Forsaken opinions. It had taken three months for Juan to see that if no existing vampires were ever going to accept Claudia, then he would see if Clarita would change him so he might care for his sister in un-death like she had in life. Clarita had explained that he wouldn’t truly be dead, but Juan figured without the sun, what was life? Either way, he couldn’t let it stop him from following Claudia and becoming her rock. Once Scott joined them, Juan could almost enjoy his life again. Now, Scott was dead, his body destroyed moments before, his last act trying to warn them.

  Now, now it was his turn. Juan new that if those Nosferatu made it close enough to Stephen to explode their vests, the shrapnel would tear apart his body and no one would be between his sister and these malditos. He held the pistol in his left hand, a short sword in his right. He had been crouching behind a couch, Stephen was down behind the kitchen counter. Juan admired the vampire, smiling like he was enjoying life. Maybe he could learn something in his last few seconds of existence. “Stephen!” Stephen looked over at him. “They have the special Nosferatu, do you know what those are?” Stephen nodded his head. “There are two with shrapnel vests - we can’t stop them from going off. Either they blow them, or if we kill them they automatically explode.” Stephen lost a little of his grin, recognizing a bad situation. Juan lowered his voice, “Take care of my sister and tell her I loved her, ok?” Stephen lost all of his smile and started to say something but Juan had already made his decision and was starting his personal charge towards the front of the house, three Nosferatu waiting for him. Stephen decided he would not allow Juan to attack without support, his Queen should expect nothing less from one of her subjects.

  He was barely standing up when a pair of massive explosions rocked his front chamber, debris, steel shards and ball bearings raining through the opening. Some of the ball bearings ripping through Stephen’s body, the concussion lifting him up and tossing him back against the wall, a large splinter of wood, at least a foot long impaling him in his chest, piercing his left lung. He spit up blood and left bloody streaks as he slowly slid down the wall, his legs failing to keep him standing. With that size of an explosion, Claudia’s brother had to have been killed instantly. Stephen’s pain was indescribable, more than he had felt in centuries. He stared at nothing for a minute, trying to get his mind to focus. He hoped that Ivan had been able to get into the secret room with Claudia, the future was looking pretty grim for him at the moment.

  —

  Ecaterina was wiped out, the trip and relaxation for the last couple of days on land had been what she had needed. Now if Nathan would just find a way to get back down here, life would be complete again.

  Ashur was sitting on Bethany Anne’s bed. Damn near taking the bed over he was so big. He was a beautiful dog, all white with striking blue eyes. Ecaterina was sure he understood their talking and was just ‘taking it all in’. Bethany Anne had a hand on Ashur’s back, unconsciously just petting the dog while she reviewed more information on her companies and the reports no one had realized had been coming in until the General had talked with Jeffrey, Patriarch Research’s head guy.

  Ecaterina closed her laptop, resting her eyes. Bethany Anne spoke, “Hey, why don’t you go to sleep early? I’m not going to need anything for a while and it looks like all of that sun and fun has wiped you out?”

  Ecaterina hated to admit it, but she had gone overboard just a bit. She stood up and grabbed her laptop. Closing it, she walked around her desk and opened the door to go back to her room. “Open or shut?”

  Bethany Anne looked up from her computer, “Hmm? Oh, leave it open please…Oww, FUCK!” Bethany Anne bent over in obvious pain and distress, her hand clinching Ashur.

  Ecaterina’s eyes opened wide, she quickly called over her shoulder, “JOHN, we have a problem!”

  She heard the men racing from their security area as Ecaterina dropped her laptop on a nearby chair and raced around to Bethany Anne’s side. From John’s experience, it would be safe to touch her back, but not a good idea to grab her hands. Ashur was whining slightly, whether it was from Bethany Anne squeezing his skin so hard, or a sympathetic connection she didn’t know.

  Ecaterina placed her right arm across Bethany Anne’s back, “What’s wrong!” She looked around, not seeing any blood on Bethany Anne.

  “Stephen,” she gasped out, “Stephen has been hurt. Blood, I need blood now!”

  Eric called from the door, “I’ll get it!” Eric turned around and rushed over to the small refrigerator in the meeting room, opening the bottom drawer, he grabbed three bags. He wasn’t sure how many she needed, but it was rare for her to need more than one or two. He raced back into the room.

  TOM!

  I feel it, Bethany Anne. It’s the connection we made to Stephen when you healed him. Something has seriously hurt him and we are feeling it across the Etheric.

  Is he at home?

  I can’t tell, he is supposed to be there.

  In her pain, Bethany Anne was having trouble thinking properly.

  We are going to have to go to his house; we are going to have to trans-locate there, TOM.

  I don’t know how much energy that much distance will take, Bethany Anne! We might not make it there, or we make it there and collapse. That would be bad if there is someone with just a simple pistol ups and shoots us.

  Can’t. Be. Helped. What about pulling energy through Ashur?

  There was a second’s indecision. That will increase our chance of success significantly. Pulling Etheric through him would mitigate how much you have to pull. Of course, all three of us could just disappear forever.

  TOM, I’ll never forsake Stephen. I’ve got his back.

  I’ve got your back, Bethany Anne. For better or worse, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Clamp down on this pain, ok? I can’t think.

  The pain lessened, Bethany Anne was able to take a breath. She sat up, feeling Ecaterina’s arm across her shoulder. Eric had three bags of blood and she took the first one, ripping off the top and downing the contents. “Swords and pistols, NOW!” John didn’t ask what was going on; he just turned, ran into her closet and grabbed her weapons and her protective vest. She downed the second and third packets.

  “Leather?”

  Bethany Anne hated to waste any time, but if she got there and wasn’t able to fight and protect herself it was just stupidity in action. “Give me everything.”

  John brought them in, Bethany Anne stripped right in front of them, John holding out each piece when she needed to dress. He was flicking clothes almost as fast as he could, her dressing speed short of incredible. When it came to a fight, her team was all business. “Stephen has been attacked. I’m going to try and trans-locate from here to his house. TOM says that Ashur should make it doable. If you don’t hear fro
m me in an hour, well it’s been a good ride, right?”

  She finished putting her pistols in the holsters when John reached out and grabbed her head in his two very large hands. He pulled her forehead forward and kissed it, “Come back to us boss, you got that?” She nodded, “Ashur, let’s go.” Ashur jumped off the bed. Bethany Anne grabbed a fistful of hair as he was passing by and the two of them disappeared.

  John stared at the place she had just disappeared from, “She had better be fucking alright.”

  Eric put an arm on his big friend’s shoulder.

  —

  Stephen knew this vampire coming at him, or at least knew of him. He coughed up blood as he spoke, “Terence, I’ve always heard you were a prick.”

  Terence was a little under six feet tall, with a mustache that had gone out of style in the 1970’s. “Ah, Stephen, a pleasure to speak with you, especially as this will be the only time.” Terence looked around the kitchen and living room area, “Kinda messy, Stephen. I rather expected you to have better taste.” Terence waved to another vampire who slowly walked in. Stephen turned his head to look over at the new arrival.