“Right, because we couldn’t have waited ’til morning,” she teased.
Before opening the metallic door they had stopped in front of, Dylan turned to her as if his life depended on it, “There’s something I have to know.”
Know? Know what?
Again, there was no time to ask what he meant because he opened the door before she could say anything else.
Rebecca looked around at her new surroundings. The shooting range was a wide room with a long row of booths across a hallway. It was similar to shooting ranges she had seen on TV, but being in the actual place was a different experience. Besides, she had wanted to visit it for months now and was not disappointed. The shooting range was surrounded by white, concrete walls, and a low ceiling that was well illuminated by fluorescent lights. She could perceive a metallic scent in the air and could have sworn she could still hear the echo of the guns that had shot there earlier that day.
The place looked empty, except for one person standing inside a gated room opposite the main door. Rebecca recognized the back of Thomas Fig immediately; he still wore the same plaid shirt and jeans he had worn that morning. He seemed to be working with his hands in front of a metallic table right under a grid on the wall that held many weapons of all shapes and sizes. When the weapons expert turned around, he had a small gun in his hand. He walked in their direction without saying a word. Instead of joining them, he stopped to place the gun he'd been holding on one of the booth's tables, taking a pair of plastic goggles and a set of earmuffs hanging from the wall behind the booths. Rebecca knew that was where she would learn to shoot a gun.
“Are you ready, Ms. Sawyer?” he asked after a quick nod directed at Dylan. Rebecca assumed the gun wasn't an ordinary gun. It had to be the one made especially for her, made to her specifications. “You wear the equipment before handling the weapons here, it's the rules.” Handling the goggles and earmuffs, he added. “Safety first.”
“Okay.” Once she was ready, Thomas Fig led her to the gun waiting in front of the bullseye. Rebecca looked down at the small gun. It didn't look any different from other guns she’d seen. The one she remembered the most was the one Coleen's father wore as the Chief of Police, but she had also taken glances at Dylan's own, always tucked in under his jacket in its holster.
Behind her and through the earmuffs, she heard the muffled voice of the weapons expert say, “You don’t have to be that excited, Torrence. Lady doesn’t even know how to hold a gun.”
It was true. She had no clue what she was doing. She had never held a real gun. Picking hers up from the table, she realized it was lighter than she'd expected. Taking it with one hand, she began to aim it at the bullseye in front of her. She had expected the weapon to be a little heavier than it turned out to be, but it was easy to pick up with one hand.
"Here, Ms. Sawyer," Thomas Fig stopped her, holding the arm with the gun. "You always need to take the safety off first. Also, you may want to start by holding it with both hands.“
Rebecca let the weapons expert teach her how to properly prepare and hold a gun. Then he returned it to how it was to allow her to try it herself. "It’s lighter than I thought it would be," she said
"Not really. You see, it's you who are getting stronger," explained Fig. "Now, maybe it’s a good thing you’ve never held a gun; I’ve seen most people who have struggled with their aim because of the weight difference after they go through the change. Now, you won't have that problem." He turned to Dylan, "Did you, uhm, did you know about this, boy?"
“I hadn't seen a gun until I came here, either,” Dylan said.
Glancing at him, Fig chuckled, “I bet you thought you knew what you were doing then, didn’t you, Torrence?”
“Just let her shoot,” he said.
“All right with me.”
Rebecca wasn’t sure what to think, but it was easy to know what to do. Just press the trigger, right? Feeling Fig behind her, she let him guide her as he explained the basics regarding position. That and a very important piece of advice, "Whatever you do, hold on to the gun, don’t let it drop."
It sounded like stupid advice, to tell the truth. Why would she drop the gun, she had a firm grasp on it and it was a light little thing?
When Fig backed away, Rebecca aimed until she thought she was ready to take the shot.
The ring in her ears was explosive. She was sure her eardrums had torn from the pain she felt. Sending both hands over the earmuffs to cover her ears, she let go of the gun. With incredible speed, Fig reached down to catch the gun before it reached the floor. The pain became an annoying stinging for a few seconds, and just like that, her body healed and the pain disappeared.
“That hurt,” she told her audience.
“Imagine that without the earmuffs, sweetheart, because that’s what the job’s all about,” Fig said.
Rebecca was about to comment on that when she noticed Dylan staring at the target with a smile painted on his face. “What is it?” she asked him.
It was the weapons master who realized what it was Dylan was staring at. “Well, I’ll be damned!” he exclaimed.
Turning to look at the target herself, she noticed the small little hole right in the middle of the bull’s eye.
“I did that?” she asked.
“That has to be luck,” said Fig.
“Go on, Becca, do it again,” Dylan prompted.
“Yeah, please do, Ms. Sawyer,” Fig laughed, “let’s see if it happens a second time.”
Nodding, Rebecca positioned herself the same way Fig had shown her. Again, she aimed as long as she needed –which wasn’t long – and took her second shot. Again, she wasn't able to hold on to the gun from the pain in her ears, but when she looked up, she realized the second bullet hole was almost in the same spot as the first.
“Cool,” her smile didn’t do justice to her excitement.
Behind her, he heard Thomas Fig say, “Did you know this would happen, Torrence?”
Not hearing Dylan’s reply, Rebecca turned around to ask him again, “Did you know I could do that?”
“I thought you might,” Dylan nodded; inside his chest, his heart was going a hundred beats per minute. How had he known? Rebecca wondered. “Now, first you have to work on your new sense of hearing, then your speed and accuracy. After you’ve mastered that, you need a moving target and…”
“Hold on, Torrence, hold on,” Fig stepped in. “Let your little lady savor her moment.”
Rebecca couldn’t be happier; one more time she turned to look at the target, the two holes next to one another. She now understood why she was so important. Somehow, Dylan had known she'd be able to do wonderful things. She could see how he saw a respectable werewolf hunter in her. One day she'd find out how he had known.
Dylan walked her back to her apartment after her first official training session on her path to become a real agent. All the way Rebecca couldn’t stop talking about how great it had felt to hold that gun and be able to shoot. Since Dylan looked glad to hear her speak, she kept on doing it. When they got to her door, he stood in front of her, kissed her lips and forced her to shut up.
Her face brightened, “Do you want to come inside?”
“No,” he said, “I have to work and you need to rest, it’s late.”
The way he had stopped her enthusiasm had been cruel. “It’s not that late,” or was it? It was hard to tell time underground. “Besides, I’m not sleepy.”
He was shaking his head, “Trust me, it’s better if you rest. Today was an exhausting day. You met with Lucius, Jake, and Stevens. After all that, you got your hearing and spent about an hour at the shooting range. You should go to bed unless you plan on drinking blood to renew your energy.”
"Oh, no. No, thanks," she made a face. "And you? Do you really need to work?"
"Yes, I do." He took out his device to open her door. "Your training starts soon. If I were you, I'd be using these last days to sleep in."
It was pointless to argue. Besides, he was right.
Now that she thought about it, her day had been full and she was a little tired. She also wanted him to work during the nights so he could be with her during the days. Nodding in agreement, she pouted, "Fine.”
He smiled, gave her one last kiss, and walked away.
The fourteenth floor.
The next morning, the elevator door opened to let Rebecca and Dylan out on the penultimate floor of the agency's compound. If Rebecca looked down from the hallway they were walking, she could see the park's live grass and trees surrounding the fountain. She could hear the running water and smell the wet soil, making her believe for a moment that she wasn't fourteen floors underground. It was an extraordinary place to be. Full of surprises. Looking up, she wondered what other rooms waited to be discovered in the other floors. Surely, not all floors were apartments for the vampire agents.
Rebecca had no doubt she would soon know the compound in its entirety, so she prepared to get to know the fourteenth floor, where Dylan was taking her now.
“This is where our library is,” Dylan began. Focusing on his voice once more, Rebecca diligently followed him down the hallway until they reached their destination. At the end of the hallway, a glass wall stopped them; behind it, rows and rows of bookshelves lined in rows. Just like the Blood Bank and the Convenience Store, the word Library had been carved on the glass in big capital letters.
Dylan looked at her astonished expression before continuing his explanation, “These shelves contain technical books and hard copies of old reports from before the computer age. We rarely have a need for them, but we keep them because they may still prove useful. They mostly gather dust as you can see.”
From before the computer age, she thought. “I bet some of your reports are here. Are they?”
“There are some," Dylan admitted, opening the door and welcoming her inside the library. "Anyway, if we go past these bookshelves," he pointed to them until he motioned for a door Rebecca saw behind all the reports, "we get to the I.T. department. That's where we'll find Alan."
“This place doesn’t cease to amaze me,” said Rebecca, awe in her voice.
She followed Dylan into the next room and then past tall computer towers, where data was actively being processed, until they reached another door. Her senses told her there was someone else in that room, a vampire. She knew that had to be Alan, the agent who handle everything regarding technology in the agency. Alan sat in a black chair that had seen better days. Rebecca could only see the top of his head, and in front of him, five monitors, each showing a different set of data. The vampire was so enthralled by his work he didn't seem to notice them come in even with his super sense of hearing.
“Good morning, Alan,” Dylan said loud enough to make him jump.
The tall man in the graphic t-shirt and jeans was startled, hitting the Styrofoam cup he’d been drinking from and spilling the few drops of blood still inside all over the floor. Even after a full breakfast, Rebecca’s mouth watered for these remains.
“I am so sorry, agent Torrence. I didn't hear you come in,” Alan said as he leaned over to clean up the mess with a handful of papers he took from the printer, “I just have been busy, you know?”
Dylan didn’t bother acknowledging the apology. “Alan, this is Rebecca Sawyer.”
It took Alan a while to turn his head to face them. “Just… let me… uhm, who?”
Seeing him for the first time, Rebecca appreciated how young this man was. She doubted he was over twenty years old. Knowing vampires, he was probably much older; it was hard to tell. Alan stood up, showing his towering height and lanky body.
“This is Rebecca Sawyer,” Dylan repeated, he had to look up to speak to his face, “my new partner.”
“Oh, right, right,” Alan wiped the blood from his hand on his jeans before offering it to Rebecca. “Man, you’re pretty, Ms. Sawyer.” Rebecca hadn’t expected a compliment, everyone she'd met seemed too preoccupied with their own goals to bother. Blushing, she shook the tall young man's hand. He chuckled, “Mr. Torrence is a lucky guy. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alan Brown. You can call me Alan. Everyone here calls me Alan.”
“Nice to meet you, Alan,” Rebecca said.
“Alan has been with us for four years. He handles our technology department.”
"Right," he agreed. "I had this accident and when I woke up at the hospital, I was a vampire. I still have a hard time grasping what it all means, you know?" Rebecca liked his honesty. "I mean, all this immortality and superpowers are too good to be true." He rubbed the back of his neck, perhaps thinking it hadn't been the best time to share. "They offered me a job here right away. I took it. I mean, what an opportunity, right? I had just graduated in computer science and this became the best job I could want. Nice coincidence, isn’t it?”
Of all the vampires Rebecca had met, none looked more like a civilian than Alan. "Well, this room looks very impressive. And complicated," she added. "I'm afraid I'm not a big computer person, but I'm willing to learn."
"It's complicated, yeah, it is," he looked troubled. "I haven't slept in months. I'm just that busy." Rebecca hadn't expected to hear something like that. Alan sighed, "Right now I’m upgrading the security protocols and stuff." Turning to face Dylan, he said, "I have Ms. Sawyer's accounts ready. I did that as soon as I got Jake's email. All the software is installed on her computer, too."
Dylan turned to Rebecca, “Alan is the one who plugged in your computer system in your apartment yesterday.”
Rebecca was confused. She didn't remember any computers in her apartment. “What computer system?”
“He installed it while we were meeting Lucius and the others.”
“I guess I haven’t seen the study.” That was true. Ever since that first day when she had looked around the apartment, she hadn't bothered to open the door where her office would be. She had just assumed it was still empty.
"Don't worry, Ms. Sawyer, I know how overwhelming all of this can be during the first few days. And Mr. Torrence says you're going to be a werewolf hunter," he made a face, his eyes growing wide. "That's hardcore!" He gave her a thumbs up. Looking back at Dylan, he said, "I can do her orientation whenever you tell me. I just have to plan for it, so give me a few hours notice."
“I know you’re busy, Alan,” Dylan nodded. “Maybe tomorrow? Or in the next days? It's not that urgent.”
“Could be tonight,” suggested Alan.
"It is a long orientation?" Rebecca asked.
"Well," Alan was thoughtful. "I guess it depends on you. If you say you aren't familiar with computers, it may take a while. Or not, if you're a fast learner."
Rebecca worried she would be taking too much time from Alan's busy schedule. The most she did with a computer was check her email. She didn't even own a computer at home, they were too expensive. When she needed one, she always used the studio's computer."
"She starts sessions with Jon tomorrow, but he's flexible," Dylan thought out loud. “Although, if you can fit her in your schedule tonight, we can get it over with."
"Sure thing, Mr. Torrence." It was strange watching someone talk to Dylan that way. She could tell Alan was impressed by Dylan for some reason. Perhaps because his reputation preceded him. He was supposed to be the best werewolf hunter in the agency. Alan said, "I'll message you and we'll set it up." He then turned to Rebecca, "Looking forward to our time together, Ms. Sawyer."
“Looking forward to being connected to technology,” declared Rebecca.
“I'm sure you're gonna to do great,” Alan assured her.
They left Alan to his programming and started their way to their next destination, a training room in Sublevel 12. “He’s young, isn’t he?” observed Rebecca on their way back to the elevator. “I mean, compared to everyone else here.”
“He is, both in age and physically,” he agreed. Dylan glanced at her with a funny smile, “Technically, so are you.”
“Right,” Rebecca winced.
He changed the topic before she thought too hard on
their age difference. "We've been looking for someone to help Alan for a while. It's hard to find someone willing to become a vampire and come work for our I.T. department. Alan is a genius with computers and we're lucky to have found him, but he will burn out if he doesn't get help. The previous person in charge decided it was time to go back to the real world when he came on board, now Lucius has made it a priority to hire someone else.”
“I'm guessing those three or four people who get turned accidentally each year aren't masters in the technology department.”
"Unfortunately not."
Dylan turned to look at her, “We’ll need to turn another human into a vampire to be able to handle our computer system. It’s not like we can post an ad in the newspaper.”
Rebecca gave a quick thought to what it would mean to be hired by an agency that required you to change species to come work for them. So much for the benefits package: immortality.
"We can’t force anyone to come," Dylan added, "They need to willing agree to do it. It has to be voluntarily."
"Sounds like a problem," Rebecca pointed out.
"Come on," Dylan stopped in front of the elevator again. "Let's go meet Jonathan Gonzalez."
“Tell me about Jonathan.” Rebecca was asking as they came out of the elevator to Sublevel 12.
"Jonathan Gonzalez used to be a Marine," Dylan began. "If I recall correctly, he was the last one to be turned voluntarily before you. You'll like him."
Dylan always said she would like everyone she was about to meet. "He sounds interesting. Why did he decide to do it?"
"Why did he decide to become a vampire? He begged to be turned. Jonathan was one of those humans who knew we existed as part of his job before he became a vampire. He became convinced he would be an asset to the agency and requested to be turned. Lucius denied this request."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure," he confessed. "What I do know is Jonathan sent reports, letters, manifestos... everything he could think of to persuade Lucius. It took him three years until Lucius agreed."
The Recruit Page 15