by N. P. Martin
"Fill me in about what?"
"Secrets and lies. It’s what makes the world go around."
"Could you be any more cryptic?"
"You go and retrieve vampire girl," he said. "I’m off to kill some people. There’s more meat here besides humans. It would be a shame to waste it."
Before I could even protest, his spirt burst out of my body, and he was gone, just like that. I stood in the foyer for another moment, trying to wrap my head around everything he had said about my mother. Was he telling the truth, or was he just trying to fuck with my head again? In any case, it didn’t matter. All that mattered now was persuading Jennifer Crow to come home.
The other stuff could wait.
11
Jennifer
I was slightly nervous when I knocked on the door to Jennifer’s penthouse suite, and not because I was turning up unannounced. I knew she would be fine with that, and had always been pleased to see me in the past when I’d dropped in. Rather, I was more nervous about what I had to say to her. While I knew Jennifer’s attitude toward her mother had softened over the years, I wasn’t sure if she would go so far as to move back to Blackham to be with her again. It could be that was a line Jennifer never intended to cross again, in which case, it was back to prison for me. Unless of course, I went on the run instead. Or stayed here in Babylon perhaps. No, I thought. My life’s in Blackham, along with the love of my life, Leona. I couldn’t just clear off, never to be seen again as I constantly looked over my shoulder. If Angela Crow didn’t hunt me down, Leona surely would for leaving her high and dry.
I cleared my throat as I heard footsteps nearing the door inside the penthouse. Then I smiled as the door opened, and Jennifer was standing there. "Surprise," I said lamely.
Jennifer froze for a moment, like she couldn’t believe who was at her door. Then she returned my smile, and ran forward to throw her arms around me, gripping me tight. "I can’t believe you’re here," she said, sounding tearful.
Neither can I, I almost said, but thought better of it. "Are you going to invite me in?"
Jennifer let go of me, and stood back and smiled. Needless to say, she hadn’t changed at all since I last saw her. Being a vampire, Jennifer didn’t age the way humans did. She was forty-six years old, but didn’t look a day over twenty-five. Her long dark hair shone under the lights of the hallway, and her slightly wet brown eyes reflected the light like dark pools. She also wore a black business suit that made her look grown up and professional. I say that because I met Jennifer when she was just fifteen and still a kid. She has tended to remain that way in my mind over the years, even though she is far from being a kid these days.
Jennifer stood aside so I could enter the penthouse, the interior of which was spacious and spotlessly clean. The complete opposite of my Sanctum back in Blackham. All the windows in the place were covered by heavy curtains, but the doorway leading to the balcony outside was open, allowing a gentle night breeze to drift in. The only slightly messy part of the penthouse was the far corner near the kitchen, which contained an easel and stacks of canvases leaning against the walls. "Still painting, I see."
"Of course," Jennifer said in a voice that was just the right side of husky. "It’s what keeps me sane, you know that."
I nodded. "I do."
A silence ensued for a moment that felt awkward, made worse when Jennifer asked, "What are you doing in Babylon, Creed?"
"I came to see you, of course."
She stared a moment, then smiled. "I know you, Creed. There’s more to it. And to be frank, you look like shit. What’s going on?"
I sighed and shook my head. "Get me a drink and I’ll explain everything."
Three drinks later and I was done explaining to Jennifer the purpose of my visit. Once I told her that her mother wanted her back in Blackham, Jennifer sat in stunned silence for a few moments. Then she got up and walked out onto the balcony. When I’d finished my drink, I put the empty glass on top of an expensive looking table, before joining Jennifer outside. Standing beside her, I was grateful for the cool breeze blowing my skin, and I stood in silence for a moment just enjoying it. It was the closest I felt to being free since…forever it seemed like.
"I knew this day would come eventually," Jennifer said after a while. "I didn’t think you would be the one to come and get me, though."
I shook my head, feeling like shit about the whole situation. "Believe me, neither did I. This was the last thing I wanted to do. I know you’re happy here, and that you probably don’t want to go back to Blackham. Why would you?"
Jennifer nodded. "Why would I indeed?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean maybe I’m not as happy here as you think."
"Really? I thought you liked it here. I thought you were content."
"I was, but things changed."
"Like what?"
"Take a look out there, Creed," she said. "Babylon is not what it was when I first came here. When I came here it was a free city, full of art and history. It had a really great vibe."
"And now?"
She shook her head. "Now the city has been taken over by the big corps. They moved in from other worlds and just took over. All but crushed the small corps that were here to begin with, and turned the city into a place of pure commerce, splitting it in two, making the gap between rich and poor even wider. Art is barely tolerated anymore, unless its being used as currency. I’m not sure I can live in a city that doesn’t tolerate art."
"You look like you’re doing okay here," I said.
"I got a job with one of the big corps after they bought over the other corp I was working for." She shrugged. "It was okay for a while. But then things got serious. Corporate espionage is a huge thing here now. It’s like an ongoing war. People die all the time, and no one blinks an eye. It’s fucking creepy, and wrong."
"Sounds like it."
She turned to look at me, her hair billowing behind her in the breeze. "And now you’re here, asking me to go back to Blackham and my mother."
"She’s changed," I said, not sure if I really believed that or not myself. "She genuinely misses you."
"It’s been thirty years. She should."
"You know what’s been happening lately back on Earth? Things have changed."
"Changed how?"
"The supernatural is no longer underground for a start. Sleepwalkers are a thing of the past."
Jennifer looked shocked for a second. "How?"
"It’s a long story," I said. "But your mother is now in charge of a group called the Council of the Gifted, if you can believe that. The Council now oversees the supernatural world."
"Of course it does," Jennifer said nodding. "And of course my mother is in charge."
"She wants you there alongside her, to help her run things. As her equal."
"Her equal? She said that?"
"More or less."
"I don’t know, Creed. Do you believe her?"
"Believe her about what?"
"Well, that she won’t try to control me like she did before."
I shrugged. "I’m sure she will, but it’s up to you to stand up to her. You’re a grown woman now, Jennifer. She has to respect that, and I’m sure she will…eventually."
"Yeah, eventually."
"Look," I said leaning my elbow on the balcony railing. "My opinion is that the Council needs someone like you to stop it from becoming just another power hungry group. It needs someone who will at least try to do the right thing. This could be good for you as well. Plus, there’s the other thing."
"What other thing?"
"Your mother wants me to make you a Daywalker."
Jennifer drew back a little in surprise. "You would do that? You’ve always said you would never make anyone else a Daywalker. That one is enough."
I nodded. "I know, and I still probably feel that way…" I trailed off for a second before speaking again. "I feel like I need to come clean about why I’m really here." I meant to explain everything to her
earlier, but when it came to it, I chickened out, thinking it would upset her too much. Now it didn’t seem to matter, given that she didn’t seem too averse to going home.
A frown came over her face. "What do you mean?"
"To cut a long story short, I’ve been possessed by a demon."
"What?" Her eyes widened. "You have a demon in you right now?"
"Well, not right now. He’s actually off…doing stuff. He’ll be back soon enough, though, you can be certain of that."
"I’ve never met a demon before. Does it control you? Like completely?"
I nodded. "When it wants to, yes. In fact, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. While the demon controlled me, it killed a number of people. As it used my body, I’m being held responsible. It was your mother who got me out of jail."
"In return for bringing me home to her," Jennifer said, then smiled and shook her head. "That sounds just like her, using desperate people to do her bidding."
"What can I say? She plays the game to win. She always will. Although, she did say she would still keep me out of jail, even if I failed to return with you, but…" I made a face. "I don’t really believe that she will. So really…"
"You have no choice," Jennifer finished, then shook her head. "That’s the sort of behavior that motivated me to leave in the first place. I was sick of her manipulating and hurting people to get her way."
She wasn’t making things easy for me, especially as she spoke the truth. "Look, I’m not saying your mother is, or ever will be, Mother Teresa. She is who she is. But the fact is, she maintains order in Blackham. Soon enough, her reach will extend across the world thanks to this new council she’s heading up. I really can’t think of anyone better suited to the job. Except you."
"What makes you think I’m a leader?" Jennifer asked.
"Because like it or not, you are your mother’s daughter, Jennifer. You’re a vampire princess, for fuck’s sake. You were born to lead. Aren’t you a leader here in the corporate world?"
"Of sorts. I’m not as ruthless as some. My morals get in the way."
"Yes," I said. "And that’s precisely why the New World Order needs you. It needs a moral center, which you can provide."
"If I go with you."
"Yes."
Jennifer stared at the city below for quite a long time, as I had all but forced her to consider her options and possibly make a life changing decision. Eventually, she turned her back on the city to lean against the balcony. "I can’t believe you’re possessed by a demon," she said with a slight look of amusement on her face. "How does that even happen to the great August Creed?"
"It was set in motion a long time ago," I said. "There was nothing I could’ve done."
"And now?"
"I’m working on it."
She nodded. "Which means working on me, right?"
I laughed. "You make it sound so…"
"Manipulative?"
"I was going to say dirty. I didn’t come here to manipulate you into anything. If you choose to stay, I’ll just find another way to save my ass. I’m usually good at that, if nothing else."
Jennifer smiled. "Like I would ever refuse you help, Creed. I’m coming with you."
I was glad to hear the words come out of her mouth, but all the same, I had to be sure. "I don’t want you doing this just because I asked you to. It has to be your decision."
"I owe you a debt that I’ve never really paid, Creed," she said as she took my hand. "I know you think I don’t owe you anything, but I do."
"You really don’t—"
In a flash of blinding speed, she put her finger on my lips to stop me from speaking further, and for a second I was reminded of how powerful a vampire Jennifer was. She was powerful enough when I first met her over thirty years ago. Time would only have increased her innate powers, especially as she was a pure blood. Royal blood no less. "I’ve made my decision," she said, an almost playful smile on her crimson lips. "It’s time I stopped hiding anyway. It’s time I embraced my true destiny."
I gently pulled her hand away. "Which is?"
Her smile widened. "I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?"
I smiled back. "I guess we will."
Jennifer went to turn away to walk back inside, but the second she did so, blood exploded from her chest as she was knocked back onto the floor.
Before I could even shout her name, a huge force hit me on the back, and I went flying forward, landing on the floor next to Jennifer, who was groaning in pain and shock. At first, I thought Max’s spirit had forced its way back into my body. But given the sharpness of the impact, and the fact that Jennifer was lying bleeding on the ground, I quickly came to the conclusion that we had both been shot by a sniper, who was probably perched on one of the buildings across the way. When I realized what had just occurred, I became thankful as fuck that I was wearing my trench coat, which as I mentioned before, is bullet proof thanks to the demon skin the coat is made out of.
Through my own pain and confusion, I saw movement inside the apartment. I counted three people dressed in black tactical gear with masks over their faces. All of them held automatic weapons. "Targets are down!" I heard one of them say.
"What the fuck is this?" I barely had time to say before two of the intruders stood over me, aiming their guns at my head.
"Say goodnight, motherfucker," one of the intruders said.
Then he pulled the trigger.
12
Astro Corp
The gun went off, and I braced myself for a bullet to the head which thankfully, didn’t come. It did however, strike the ground next to my head, sending sparks and chips of concrete stinging into my face, not to mention the bang of the shot itself, which left my left ear ringing in pain. When the shot rang out, I instinctively closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the shooter was still standing over me, but his guts were spilling out onto the floor right next to me, as if his belly had been slit open by a knife.
Which it had, in a way, because it was Jennifer’s razor sharp claws that had slit the man’s gut open, and she was now using those same claws, combined with lighting speed and supernatural strength, to decapitate one of the other hitmen. When she swiped at the guy, his head went rolling over the balcony to fall out of sight.
The last remaining intruder had by now raised his gun to fire at Jennifer. As he squeezed off a round of shots, Jennifer moved quicker than any human eye could see, dodging every one of the bullets flying at her. Then, with the same speed, she moved around behind the human, and twisted his head so far around he was almost looking at her when his neck snapped. Jennifer let the body drop to the ground, and at that moment, another sniper bullet slammed her in the chest and sent her staggering back.
All of this played out in a matter of seconds, so I was still lying on the ground at that point, as more sniper bullets zinged above my head. I knew if I didn’t do something about the sniper, that I would run the risk of being shot myself, an inconvenience I didn’t need.
"Time to give this motherfucker a taste of his own medicine," I said as I crouched on the balcony. "Jennifer? You all right?"
A groan came from Jennifer’s mouth that signaled she was in pain. "Fine," she wheezed. "Just two big fucking holes in my chest. Nothing to worry about."
"Glad to hear it."
I stood up to face the buildings across the way. Going by the trajectory of the recent bullets, I figured the shooter was in one of the apartments straight across, though I couldn’t see any sign of them, until I saw a muzzle flash coming from the window of one of the top apartments. I already had a magical shield erected in front of me, which stopped the bullet dead in mid-air.
"Let’s see how you like this, asshole," I said as I used my magic to send the bullet whizzing back along the exact trajectory it had previously travelled on, and at the same speed. If the sniper was in the same position, the bullet would travel up the barrel of the rifle to give the person a nasty shock.
When the shooting stopped, I became sa
tisfied the shooter had been taken care of. Going to Jennifer, I helped her to her feet. "We should get inside in case there are more snipers out there," I said.
Jennifer nodded as I helped her inside the penthouse, sitting her down on the red leather sofa. "Fucking Astro Corp," she said as she gingerly fingered the holes in her chest.
"Astro Corp?" I said while checking the penthouse for more intruders, and finding none.
"One of the big players. Probably the biggest. As you can tell, they aren’t averse to taking people out who are in their way…or those who have crossed them."
I walked back to the sofa. "Did you cross them?"
"Yes. It’s a long story, so don’t ask."
"Looks like I arrived here just in time. Things are dangerous here for you now."
"You could say that."
"We should go now then."
"After I’ve healed. I need blood first."
"Well," I said. "There are three blood bags out on the balcony. Take your pick."
Jennifer got up and dragged in one of the bodies from the balcony. Then she knelt down beside it and sank her fangs into the neck of the corpse. It didn’t take her long to drain the whole thing dry. When she had finished, she took a deep breath and wiped the excess blood from her mouth. "That’s better," she said, her fangs still out.
"I forgot how fierce a fighter you are," I said. "You made short work of those guys out there."
"They left me no choice."
"I’m surprised this Astro Corp didn’t send a lot more men. Surely they know what you are?"
Jennifer stood up and proceeded to remove her torn and bloody clothes, stripping down to her underwear.
Yep…she’s all woman these days.
I did the decent thing and turned away.
"I never had you down as the bashful type," she said, a note of amusement in her voice as she headed to the bedroom, presumably to get fresh clothes.
"I’m not. I’m just being a gentleman."