Lost Bloodlines Ch. 05

I shook my head. "That's really not it. I'm not just talking about some feeling I get, it's like there's someone else living in my head, telling me what to do." My shoulders hunched inwards and I shivered as I recalled her last brutal appearance. "She's terrifying."

"How do you know it's a she?" Cyri asked from the foot of the bed where she stood."

"Because I've met her. In my mind." That earned a wide collection of surprised and worried stares.

I continued, spurred on by their disbelieving looks. "When you all first transformed, did you...see anything? Like a place or a person that you didn't recognize?"

By the sharpening of eyes and hesitant nods I received, this struck a more familiar chord.

Victoria started, looking around timidly at the other monsters. "I honestly thought it was just a dream. I remember being on a mountaintop, and it was storming. I couldn't recognize the landscape, but then I felt something touch my shoulder and I woke up, and I was like...this."

Sam caught her eyes as he spoke quickly afterwards. "That's just like mine! I was on top of a mountain, but there were clouds all around me and I couldn't see off the peak. Hundreds of weird-ass eyes suddenly appeared in the clouds around me and I woke up." He lightly extended part of a wing, the stylized eyes peeking out from his feathers. "They looked just like these."

Cyrilla had been frozen since I spoke, staring directly at me. "I met someone." She spoke slowly, the feminine affectation she usually put on absent. "I remember a cave, and a dark forest outside its entrance. There was this massive wolf crouched between me and the forest, and it was growling. I tried to run past it, but it grabbed me. I woke up as soon as I felt its teeth pierce my skin." She shivered. "I haven't seen it since, and I don't ever want to."

Draco spoke up from his place against the wall. "Cave under mountain. Ssssleeping dragon. Nothing elssse."

All eyes turned to Alana and she blushed and crossed her hands over her chest. "I don't remember anything like that. One second, I was at the consulate with a Senator, and the next he was half crushed under a snake tail!"

The others started pressing Alana for more info, and the room rapidly filled with the clamor.

"My point is...!" I half-shouted, getting their attention, "My point is that we all seem to have memories and feelings that aren't our own." I spared a skeptical glance towards Alana. "Excepting Lady Kingsley. Mine just seems to be able to...talk to me more. And I've gone back to that place, this red ocean that I was trapped in before I woke up. Its always there, in the back of my mind, and it's where she seems to live."

I looked Victoria in the eyes and softened my voice. "It's where I went when I saw what happened to Aqua. I just hid there mentally, and I guess she took my place." I sighed as I prepared to suggest the horrible suspicion that had been gnawing at me since the final words of the elderly wizard. And they thought I was crazy now. "And I think I know what she is."

"Well? Are you going to tell us or just tease it?" Sam demanded after I paused.

"The man, the 'wizard' who hurt Aqua, he said that he knew me. He said that he watched me die a thousand years ago. Or, maybe not me, but this 'Lilith Firstborn'. At the time I just thought he was crazy, but...what if he was telling the truth?" I looked down, refusing to meet their incredulous eyes. "When I came up with my name, it wasn't me who picked it. At the time it was like it just appeared in my mind, and it felt so perfect that I just took the name as my own. But now I think that maybe...she suggested it."

Cyri looked at me with rising understanding in her eyes. "You think that whoever he's talking about is stuck in your head. This 'Lilith Firstborn'."

I nodded. "We've all been trying to figure out where these transformations came from, if we were science experiments gone wrong or something. But now we know that magic is real, and humans can use it. One of the guys who attacked us had a bunch of weird objects hanging all over him, and he used a succubus horn to shoot fire at me." I winced at the remembered feel of the blaze. "I didn't think about it at the time, but the horn looked...old. It was basically crumbling to pieces as he used it. There was no way he just took it off of some Turned demon like me."

Sam butted in. "And the weird reaction we had with one another! When I first looked at you, I felt this unmistakable revulsion and disgust, and honey you're stupidly gorgeous so it wasn't because of your looks. It was almost instinctual."

"Not to mention the video before all of this happened," Victoria said. When I looked over her, I saw the same spark of inspiration and curiosity in her blue eyes I saw back in my office all those days ago. "I was right! Monsters already existed! We just transformed into them somehow."

I nodded. "I think that makes the most sense. And maybe we've been, I don't know, possessed or something by them? Maybe that's why we transformed, and it's what those visions meant."

"I don't buy it." Alana retorted hotly "Come now, Lilith, you used to be a historian. You know as well as I that we would have discovered monsters by now if they really existed. Maybe those wizards transformed us into freaks for some reason, and that's why they were coming to take us all! They were all human! They turned me into a monster!" Her eyes were wild as she protested.

"Calm down Alana," Cyri rumbled as she laid a large hand on the trembling snake woman's back. "Maybe Lilith is right, maybe you are. But we'll never figure it out if we all lose our minds about it."

We all jumped as Draco spoke up from the corner. "We need to leave."

"What do you mean?" I asked the dragon.

He looked around the room silently and nodded a scaled chin at the door. "You sssaid this happened before elsssewhere. If not for you they would have taken Alana and othersss. It'sss not sssafe here for usss if they can't protect us from thessse people. We need to essscape."

I expected some sort of protest, but as I glanced at the others, heads were nodding, alternatively resolute or scared. "But they won't just let us go! And besides, what if this happens again and I'm not here to stop it?"

Victoria rose out of her seat and grabbed my shoulders, staring intensely into my eyes. "Why is that your responsibility? You didn't see yourself in there Lilith, it was horrible. You ripped those men apart and laughed as they screamed. You tore out a man's throat with your teeth and I saw you lick your lips!" She shook her head. "I don't care what you think you can do to help, nothing is worth letting that part of you out again. We have to run!"

I stared, wide-eyed and shaken as the Valkyrie let out all of her fear and anxiety directly into my face. "But..."

"She's right, Lilith." Cyri spoke. "I wanted there to be a cure here, but it's pretty clear the government as no idea what they're doing. I want to end up in a slave collar even less than I want to be a man, so I think Draco has the right idea. We need to get out of here and find our own way."

Every face was resolute, and I saw that I was rapidly outnumbered. I wanted to argue more, but I couldn't, not into Victoria's intense and tearful gaze. I looked away. I couldn't tell them that I wanted to stay so I could actually do something good with the horror that my body had become. Despite my fear at the time, looking back now, helping those soldiers and rescuing the monsters had been the first thing to truly make me feel happy with my transformation since I woke up. Yes, the sex was incredible and novel, but it wasn't worth the psychological torment my unwanted passenger put me through.

I couldn't deny their pleas, however. I would go anywhere they would. "O...Okay." I breathed. I saw Victoria visibly relax. "But what about Aqua?" Their eyes turned back to our injured companion.

"We can't leave her here." Cyri declared. "Maybe we can wait until she wakes up. Or at least until her wounds are healed."

"If they do heal," Alana morosely muttered, earning a room-full of glares that she shied away from.

"They will," I said, stroking a hand along Aqua's arm. "They have to." I looked around the room once more. "It's decided then. As soon as Aqua is well enough to move, we break out of this wretched prison ca..."

"Ms. Lilith," A voice boomed from the doorway. I froze mid-sentence and everyone twisted to look at the newcomer. Standing in the hall was a trio of suited men, with a trailing group of soldiers visible behind them. It was the leader of the Homeland Security division at the camp, I recognized him from the impromptu assembly the day before. The other two government stooges were strangers. "You need to come with me."

Immediately the other monsters around me stood and gathered in front of me, forming an impenetrable wall between me and the agents. I was touched that they would so brazenly defy our overseers for my sake, but I suppose we were just plotting to break out.

"I assure you, there is nothing to be worried over," He continued. "Please come with us."

"That's what you said before the riot," I muttered, but then I pushed past my friends and came face-to-face with the man. He wasn't particularly tall, standing only a few inches above my own modest height, but there was a certain wiry strength about him that kept me on guard. His face was pale and deeply lined, with close-cut black hair and sunken brown eyes. I would guess he would be in his late 40s.

"What do you want?" I asked, crossing my hands over my chest and letting my tail flick impatiently about my feet.

He smiled, and the grin was distinctly off-putting. "Merely to speak with you in private. We reviewed Captain Brooks' report from last night's events, and we have...questions. Questions that we believe only you can answer satisfactorily."

I looked back at Victoria and the rest of my friends. Their faces reflected the worry I felt gnawing at my stomach, but I wasn't prepared to fight back, especially with Aqua dependent on these people for recovery for the time being. I turned and planted a kiss on Victoria's cheek, whispering in her ear as I did so. "If I'm not back by dinner, get Draco to start stomping on buildings until they bring me back." She grinned wolfishly and nodded, and I turned back towards the agent.

"I'll come with you." I stated, and began to walk towards the waiting agents. They parted to let me pass, and the soldiers locked into formation around us. Off-handedly I continued as we began to walk through the hallways. "If you read Brooks' report, you know that I could butcher you all where you stand and none of you could do a thing to stop me." Despite the fact that it was a total bluff, I enjoyed watching the several of the agents miss a step and stumble as I spoke. "Just in case you thought to do something nefarious."

"Worry not, Ms. Lilith," came the voice of the leader from behind me, smooth as ever. "Your safety is guaranteed, for now." Well, that didn't sound suspicious as hell.

They took me through the winding halls of the CDC complex and out through its entrance. My eyes widened as I saw the large armored troop carrier that was parked on the curb, ramp down with several more agents waiting, this time heavily armed.

"Where the hell are you taking me in that thing?" I demanded as I looked as the formidable vehicle I was obviously being led towards.

"A more secure location," one of the subordinate agents spoke this time. "As last night's incident proved, this camp is compromised, and we relocated several important staff as well as certain...items, from the attack. We are going there now."

I eyed the vehicle skeptically, but then sighed and headed inside, ducking my head under its entrance lest my horns catch. Six suited agents and four armored soldiers joined me inside, shutting the interior windows of the APC so that the inside was lit only by an overhead light. I didn't know if their intention was to keep our destination secret from me, or keep me invisible from the outside as we left the camp, but either way it only increased my nervousness.

We traveled in silence for perhaps half an hour, the agents either staring passively at the floor or sneaking glances in my direction. I chose to ignore them and stare straight ahead, muscles tensed and ready to fight if and when they decided to spring some sort of trap on me.

The expected betrayal never came, however, and eventually the vehicle came to a stop. As the ramp lowered, I heard the slam of some large garage door. I followed the soldiers from the carrier and looked around in the new space.

We were in a cavernous garage, parked among dozens of other APCs, as well as a short line of tanks directly opposite of us. A ramp led up to a large metal door, seemingly where we had just entered, implying that this space was at least partially below-ground. Hundreds of people filled the garage, mechanics working on vehicles, soldiers patrolling (notably in standard Army camo rather than the mysterious black I was used to), and official-looking figures in dress uniform supervising various groups. It was a hive of activity, one that rapidly came to a halt as soon as I stepped out of the vehicle.

"Welcome to Fort McPherson," the lead agent said in the resultant silence, drawing even more attention to our arrival.

Hushed words filled the room as hundreds of eyes locked onto me as I stood on the ramp of the vehicle. The gazes were an odd mix of appraising, curious, suspicious, and respectful, and I fought the urge to cover myself with my wings as I was marched fully out of the vehicle and through the room of onlookers. I was thrust back to that embarrassing trip through the CDC center when I first woke up, and the dozens of lecherous gazes that had followed my every move. I had no desire to repeat the experience, and I kept the pink lustful aura bottled tight within.

As we passed the gawking mechanics, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that they weren't merely providing maintenance. Several of the APCs being worked on had bullet holes stitched along their sides, some even penetrating the thick armor. One vehicle was covered in scorch marks and had two tires entirely blown off.

Was that from the Militia or the wizards? I was deeply curious and wanted to ask, but something told me I wouldn't receive a polite or truthful response at the moment.

Eventually we passed from the garage into a hallway lit by harsh artificial lighting. We passed by more groups of soldiers, each stopping with a salute to the passing agents as they led me deeper into the facility. After a few minutes, we stopped in front of a set of closed doors. The leader of the group opened the door to my left, revealing a room eerily similar to the police interrogation rooms you might see on TV.

"After you," he said. With a final look down the hall and towards the impossible hope to avoid whatever was about to happen, I stepped through the door.

The room was lined with black sound-proofing tiles, and a rectangular table and three chairs were set up around it. A circular oriental rug of all things was in the center of the room, covering almost half of the available space and directly underneath the table and chairs. Two agents passed me, the wiry leader being one of them, and took their seats on the opposite side of the table. They looked expectantly at me from my position near the door.

I sighed, and took my place opposite from them in the other chair. This was a lot of effort to put me in a damn interrogation room. I'm sure they could have just rigged one up at the CDC center easily enough.

The lead agent cleared his throat and broke me from my affronted thoughts. "My name is Special Agent Shane Dawson, and this is my coworker Agent Elijah Kent." He nodded towards the otherwise silent agent next to him. "I am in charge of the joint task force running Camp Alpha and the supporting Army troops at this base."

"Nice to put a name to the boot that's been stomping on us."

Dawson looked disappointed at my response and shook his head. "Agent Riley told me that you would likely be uncooperative. After yesterday's events I had hoped you would have understood the need for our harsh treatment."

"Perhaps I might have if you hadn't been completely unprepared for the attack. As far as I can tell, you've done a shit job of protecting the monsters in your care. You kill or maim the ones that act up and force the rest of us to be tested by your pet scientists so you know how to capture more of us. "

The agent stared at me impassively as I finished my small rant. If I had been hoping to strike a nerve I was out of luck.

"We have done the best we can under the extraordinary circumstances," he said quietly. "The Federal Government has declared monsters a protected class of citizens, despite considerable public and political backlash. Good soldiers have died to keep the Militia out of those camps, not to mention fighting off this unknown faction in the last few days. We are truly trying to keep you safe."

I didn't respond. He was clearly trying to get at something here.

Dawson cleared his throat. "Which is what brings me to why we have brought you here today. Due in no small part to your timely intervention, Camp Alpha was the first site where we successfully pushed back these magical humans from abducting monsters. You acted of your own initiative to aid Captain Brooks and his squad, and rather seamlessly worked with trained soldiers to eliminate the threat, despite being a civilian. To put it simply, I am intrigued by your actions."

He forward in his chair and reached for a folder in the middle of the table. Opening it, he flipped through its contents before landing on a specific page.

"Charles Finch, Specimen #38571. Moniker: 'Lilith.' Species: Demon. Subspecies: Succubus. Intersex. Ranked Class 6 Supernatural Threat. Born July 21^st, 1996, in Alexandria, Virginia, to Mary and Simon Finch, both still alive. Neither of which visited you in the camp. Lived with significant other, Faith Roberts, in Aberdeen, Maryland. Graduated with a Masters in History from Washington College in 2018. Allergic to strawberries. Two childhood pets, a dog named Marvin and a cat named Whiskers. You've broken three bones, all from a fall from a tree when you were young. Two speeding tickets, no other infractions. Left-leaning politically, but not an active voter or demonstrator. Internet search history fairly innocuous, though your pornographic tastes are certainly more...unusual than most."

I blushed. Okay, maybe being constantly sexually frustrated for four years caused me to branch out into more obscure fetishes, but that was hardly the government's business.

"What I'm trying to say, Ms. Lilith," Dawson continued, "is that we know almost everything there is to know about you before you transformed. And yet you acted yesterday outside of every psych profile ever constructed for you and displayed a certain barbarity that was shocking to even a battle-hardened veteran like Captain Brooks."

I opened my mouth to protest, but the agent barged onward. "And what's more, an enemy assailant claimed to know you by name and referred to your death a thousand years ago. Given his apparently magical nature, we are ignoring the impossibility of his age in favor of more relevant questions. Like who are you really, Lilith Firstborn?" Until Dawson mentioned the elderly wizard, his companion had merely stared silently at me during his spiel, but at the twist in topic he briefly looked over to Dawson before turning his gaze back to me, a certain tightness there that wasn't present before.

I didn't think that my rather weak theory of demonic possession was going to work here, so I settled on the truth as far as I knew it.