Endangered Ch. 09

"Is this it?" Lisa asked as they came across a heavy door marked B1.

Michelle squeezed the little polished rock surreptitiously and felt the pulse of its brother coming from deeper below them. She shook her head to Lisa and they continued down. Patty and Richard shared nervous glances when Michelle waved them past the next level too.

"This is it, open the door," Michelle said when they came upon the B3 landing.

Things were much more utilitarian down here. The floors were a blueish grey linoleum which came halfway up the walls. The lights were fluorescent tubing, which flicked into life as a sensor detected their movement. One of the elevators serviced this level but the little lobby was completely barren. A pair of thick double doors led off into the unknown, wide corridor. It looked like a hospital. Michelle realised that was exactly the right comparison to make. The floor and even the walls were constructed to be easily washed. What exactly were they going to find? Her heart fluttered, and adrenaline began circulating her system as anticipation mounted.

"I can't open those doors," Richard supplied quietly, sensing the tension in the three women.

"Blow them," Michelle said, eliciting an excited little yip from Kat who quickly snuck forward to facilitate. It might be nice to have Lillian simply rip them off their hinges, perhaps after the Revelation such a thing might be possible.

"Can't I just call whoever's in there on the intercom and ask them to let us in?" Richard asked reasonably.

"No," Michelle said. "I don't want anyone thinking they can dispose of evidence."

Kat hadn't had a chance to do anything like this since she'd completed her infantry training. It was exciting but a training course in IED disposal helped steady her hands as she unrolled the thick tape. The red, sticky side was covered with explosive warning symbols. She applied it face down to one of the doors near where it met the wall, covering from ceiling to floor in a continuous strip. She cut the length off with a knife and began again on the other door. With any luck, the charge-tape would simply shear the heavy door off at the hinges.

She looked back to see Lisa covering her, the more experienced woman seemed indulgently disapproving at her obvious excitement. This job was way better than sitting around on base keeping track of inventory, she was going to enjoy it. With delicate care, Kat paired two wireless detonators for simultaneous explosion and pushed the sharp little teeth into the middle of each strip of tape. She did a quick double check, making sure the detonators were holding in place and the tape was sticking as it was supposed to. Secured, they both retreated into the stairwell with Michelle and the others.

"You get me the best toys!" Kat thanked Michelle happily as they took cover behind the concrete wall of the stairwell.

"There's something wrong with this one," Lisa smiled as they put plugs in their ears or in the case of Richard and Patricia, fingers.

Kat was ready with her trigger device, awaiting Michelle's order.

"I doubt we're going to come across resistance at this stage but just remember that our 'comrade' will be going in fast so be extra careful of friendly fire," Michelle looked at each of her new team members meaningfully. "Do it."

The dull thump and back blast of fleeing air were only just registering with the human's senses as Lillian sprung forward from her concealed position and brushed passed Michelle. She leapt headfirst into the billowing dust cloud of shattered concrete. It clogged her senses and cut her vision unpleasantly but she pushed forward. One of the doors was crookedly blocking part of the corridor where it had fallen. She flicked it aside contemptuously with her telekinetic power, making it bounce and clatter further down the corridor.

Above, five abused fire sprinklers spluttered into life in a chain, their delicate trigger mechanisms shattered in the small blast. Chilly water rained down on her, washing the dust from the air and partially off her face. She ran, desperate to catch a scent which would guide her to him. Behind, Lisa and Kat were only just coming out of the stairwell as she used her undead strength to boost her forward.

Out of the thinning dust, another set of doors just like the last loomed in front of her. She could not wait for the others clear the obstacle. Surprise was lost, she must act. Even as she charged invisibly forward she formed her gift into a sharp telekinetic wedge, reinforcing and holding it steady barely a foot in front of her. Her gift would be the knife, her body provided the momentum.

The screeching wrench of buckling steel echoing up the corridor was all Michelle and the others heard as Lillian popped the reinforced doors like a can of tomatoes. Beyond, the vampire streaked through a white corridor, scenting the air as she passed. Through windows on each side of the hallway, she caught glimpses of various laboratories. Some were occupied by a few lab-coat-wearing scientists, others dark, abandoned. Ahead, the corridor ended in a blank wall.

A whiff of cinnamon in the air. It brought her up short, skidding to a halt. It was very faint but she backtracked, shutting her eyes to focus entirely on catching another trace of him. Her legs guided her automatically until she bumped clumsily into a wall. Vengeance burned hot inside as her eyes snapped open. She was up against the glass of one of dark laboratory rooms.

Up and down the corridor, doors began opening as curious, worried humans poked their heads out to see what the commotion was. Lillian only had eyes for her target, but the door was stubbornly locked and reinforced. It was risky now that she had an audience but she trusted her invisibility charm to keep her hidden. She stepped to the right and swung her fist directly at the locking mechanism of the reinforced door with all her considerable might. Even using her telekinesis as a protective layer, she felt several of her extra strong bones crack in the resounding impact. The door was shaken but stubborn. She gritted her teeth and punched again. This time the door frame buckled satisfyingly under the incredible impact but white-hot pain lanced up her arm in response.

Lillian cradled her shattered wrist, taking measured breaths against the pain as she slunk forward, unstoppable in her resolve. The pain served to fuel her hunting instinct, her rage at the perpetrators of this injustice. Not only had they nearly killed her, they were trying to foist him away. Even now, her wounded tissues were re-knitting, siphoning from the rich pool of life energy she'd slurped from the dragon's neck in their last encounter. In minutes, she would be as good as new. Besides, she had endured far, far worse than this.

Her enhanced vision let her easily see that the dark laboratory was completely deserted. Still, his scent was stronger here and growing thicker as she approached a sliding door at the rear of the room. What's more, her attentive hearing began detecting muffled noises, the hum of machines?

Her good hand slid the door gently aside, revealing a small space dominated by several expensive looking microscopes draped in transparent dust covers. Yet another door stood in front of her, blocking her way at the other end of the little room. A quiet growl of exasperation escaped her throat. With only a small space to gain momentum, she would have to punch or kick her way through this one as well. That didn't sit right with her, sustaining further injury would leave her ill prepared to face whatever waited on the other side. On the off chance, she tried the door handle.

To her happy surprise, it depressed easily and swung inward. Over-warm air washed across her, thick with the smell of him. The telltale scents of other Beings registered with her subconsciously but were disregarded as irrelevant for the moment.

What she saw set every tiny hair on her skin bristling. An involuntary shudder of goose-flesh rolled down her back. This was exactly the reason Beings feared humans and their Revelation.

Two short rows of naked bodies, trapped, sedated in clinical-looking metal frames. She could only assume they were Beings, half-standing listlessly in their restraints. They looked unconscious, she couldn't scent the death notes of any corpses. Various tubes snaked over their skin, hooking multiple IV bags into their circulatory systems at the arms and neck.

Other cables connected various pads and sensors to sophisticated monitoring equipment. Each harness boasted a large screen to display vital information in detail all but the most well-equipped hospital would find worthy of envy. Thick stainless-steel bands locked around their limbs, head, and chest at strategic points. The harness held them completely captive in an almost standing position, tilted just slightly backwards so they didn't slump down.

Even had they been conscious to protest their treatment, only the most physically enhanced or magically inventive Being would have a chance of escaping that cage. Lillian doubted that she could manage it, she would barely be able to wriggle. The poor souls were even fitted with catheters and bags to collect their waste, showing that their captors had no plans to let them free in the near future.

Her eyes quickly found the bulky form of Chris at the end of one of the rows and relief washed through her.

Movement behind him stirred her from her shock. She dove forward, pouncing like a big cat with an enraged snarl on her lips. She dropped her invisibility charm as she flew forward, wanting to see her prey's fear before she ended their pitiful existence.

She was too late. Even as she rounded his body she saw the greying woman in a lab coat pushing the plunger of a syringe to completion in the muscular tissue of his sculpted, unconscious butt.

Lillian's good hand closed on the old woman's throat, lifting her effortlessly, slamming her into a nearby bank of storage cupboards and pinning her. Glassware fell from a nearby shelf at the impact, shattering musically on the laboratory floor. Her other fist raised back automatically, ready to end the woman's life with a slash of her vicious black claws. Instead of fear, Lillian saw defiance in the woman's blue eyes, she even managed to smile manically down at the vampire who was throttling her.

Lillian cursed, recognising that look. She let the woman slide down, so her feet touched the ground.

"What have you done to him!" she demanded, letting her grip loosen so the woman could breathe.

Instead of answering, the woman began laughing.

Lillian set a steely grip on her raging vampire instincts, retracting claws and fangs. There were simply some people out there who didn't respond to intimidation. You came across them occasionally, especially in her line of work. The tough nuts that didn't crack. Why? Because they were literally nuts. Insane, psychopathic, whatever. She had grown to recognise it in her five hundred years and this older woman oozed it. Laughing was not the healthy, terrified response humans and even Beings should display when confronted with the might of a vampire.

Her eyes narrowed, sweeping up and down the woman's body. If she had to guess, the woman was in her early sixties. Her face was beginning to truly wrinkle yet her relatively tall body still clung to a certain lean, spritely strength that Lillian instantly knew was maintained with rigorous exercise.

She turned the woman forcibly into the wall and began searching her pockets and patting her down. The last thing Lillian needed was a poke with a mystery syringe. Her search yielded a phone, wallet, ID card, keys. Nothing nefarious.

She held the now chuckling woman by the back of her neck in an unyielding grip as she began rifling the contents of the woman's wallet.

"Dr. Emilia Mayer," Lillian stated with false calm, attempting put aside her simmering anger. "Would you be so kind as to explain what you've injected into this man?"

She manhandled the doctor like a kitten, by the scruff of her neck. They turned to see the syringe still impaled in Chris' rump, drooping down now that only the thick needle was holding it in. It looked painful. The doctor didn't resist, composing herself as best she could.

"Ah, yes. What a truly marvellous specimen. I take it you know young Chris?" She asked almost conversationally, as if nothing was wrong.

"I... Yes," Lillian didn't bother trying to lie. She also noted the traces of a European accent, long overwritten by years living in the States.

"Quite intimately by your reaction, I suspect," the doctor continued. Lillian was silent, watching and listening. Sometimes it was best to just let the nuts talk, let them assume they had some control and see how things played out while watching them like a hawk. "You'll be relieved to hear he's in no immediate danger. I heard the commotion outside and put my little insurance policy into play. I warned Patrick that attempting to capture him was a mistake, but the man is just too greedy to see reason."

"Insurance policy?" Lillian accused.

"Well of course, dear," the doctor said almost maternally. "I knew it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for Chris. We might have gotten away with the others but as soon as I began running my tests I knew you couldn't just snatch someone so powerful off the street and expect to get away with it."

"Actually, he volunteered to be handed over to your lackeys in order to lead us to you," Lillian attempted to put the woman off balance. "Your first attempt to capture him was a disaster. We caught the remaining members of the team and turned them to find you."

"Hmm," Emilia cocked her head as much as she could in the vampires grasp as if assessing Chris' caged body in a new light. "Valiant. I have injected him with a toxin-antitoxin cocktail. The toxin is long lasting but the body breaks down the antitoxin in just a few days. He will require regular injections of the antitoxin and blood dialysis for up to a month until the poison clears his system. At least a human would."

"Clever," Lillian admitted, reaching out to gently pull the hanging syringe out before it caused too much bruising. "What do you want?"

"My life," she said matter-of-factly.

"Of course."

"And one other thing, I want in. My eyes have been opened to new and exciting possibilities, I cannot simply go back now that I know of your world."

Lillian thought on that for a moment, her mind blocking out the hum of machines and monitoring equipment. This was a little unexpected. She had expected the human to ask for absolution and freedom. Instead she wanted further down the rabbit hole. It was situations exactly like this one where memory read and erase had proved invaluable in the past. She smiled ruefully. Intelligent, driven, and ruthless, the doctor would have made an excellent vampire.

"It's ironic, you know," Lillian spat. "You've just poisoned the only Being I know who might have the inclination, compassion, and power to offer you clemency and protection."

That shook the scientist, Lillian watched her eyes widen for a moment before she regained what composure the situation allowed.

"That's unfortunate. May I ask your name, vampire?" Emilia asked as Lillian glared down at her.

"Lillian."

"Okay, Lillian. I simply ask that you think about this rationally. I did not do this intentionally to harm him. I have no desire to see any of these people hurt, I just want to continue my experiments. I have uncovered an entirely new branch of medical science just from examining their cells. The morphing capabilities of the were-species is fascinating. Young Chris has incredible innate regenerative abilities and at this very moment, that machine over there is testing his cells against the most virulent pathogens known to man. I have no doubt his immune cells will fight them off without trouble. Ha! I assume you know this but he produces the most intoxicating pheromones. A few hours after he was delivered, I couldn't figure out why I was getting uncontrollably hot under the collar. I'll admit to finding him attractive but never had I found myself so helpless against such feelings of desire. It was a delightful puzzle which I solved with the help of my trusty mass spectrometer. I have discovered more in the last month studying these people than in my previous lifetime devoted to research. Sorry, I'm getting side-tracked. I say these things to show you that I don't intend you people harm. I chose Chris to carry out my insurance policy simply because he is obviously the most valuable, the best chance for getting the deal I want. It isn't personal."

"It's always personal to someone," Lillian said coldly as she heard the approaching footsteps of Michelle and her team. "Not only did you poison my lover, you have already kidnapped other Beings to carry out your experiments. Do you think they would willingly submit to this existence for the sake of your discoveries? You are a sociopath at the very least. And all this in a delicate time when we are trying to peacefully merge our worlds. If what you have done here becomes public knowledge in our world it would spark a powder keg."

"Politics," Emilia shook her head distastefully as Lisa emerged from the darkness at the other end of the room followed by Kat, focused intently on clearing the room. "I don't care about any of that. I have kidnapped no one, that's the work of our illustrious executive staff. I would just as soon perform my tests on willing, cooperative subjects if they were available to me. They are not. I am not the mastermind of some evil conspiracy against you. I'm simply a brilliant scientist who had the wool pulled from my eyes and didn't let an opportunity for discovery slip through my fingers."

"Maybe," Lillian admitted. "But you're also a remorseless bitch of the highest calibre."

"Things must look nice and clear-cut from up on that high horse, vampire," the doctor smiled cautiously. "I suppose your kind is blameless of atrocity?"

Lillian glowered but remained silent as a bedraggled, damp Michelle entered the room behind the professional sweep performed by Lisa and Kat. The damaged sprinklers were obviously still trying their best to extinguish a non-existent fire out in the corridor. She paused inside the threshold, wiping damp, dark hair from her face as she assessed the room and its occupants. Her eyes hovered on Lillian, Chris, and the mysterious older woman. Her shoulders slumped, relieving a titanic load of tension she'd barely been aware of carrying.

"Oh, shit," Richard murmured behind her, catching sight of the unconscious figures held in futuristic restraints. Up until then, he hadn't believed the agent's claims could be possible.

Michelle spun on her heels to face the astonished head of security and police liaison.

"Okay," She spoke almost tenderly to soothe their reeling minds. "Please secure the corridor and keep the other scientists calm. We'll take it from here."

"I didn't... I have to call this in, my superiors..." Patty's eyes looked a little glazed over as she reached for her radio to call in the disturbing scene in front of her, acting in some sort of dazed autopilot.

"No, this needs to remain discreet," Michelle said more firmly, stopping the policewoman's hand and turning her away from the unsettling scene of the caged, lifeless-looking bodies. She ended up guiding both Patty and Richard back through the dark laboratory and out into the corridor. "Neither of you have the clearance to get any further involved and trust me, you wouldn't want to. I'm going to make some calls and get a few more of our people flown in but we can handle it until then. If you want to help, start evacuating the building and sending the other employees home. We've found what we came for."