"How do we know that we haven't captured or killed the GW17? This could all be over now." Darby pleaded.
"Genetically, we will always be dissimilar to any beings that would be created from a progenitor. We are unique. The virus is a mutation. We also carry nanites which make us glow under special cameras that Chadron invented as another measure of safety."
"How are we covering up all of the deaths?" I moved to the kitchen to get me some blood.
"A wild fire is now consuming parts of the country side ten miles out from the base. The military is helping the forest service, police and fire departments maintain the perimeter under the guise of keeping onlookers, home owners who were evacuated and possible looters away. This allows us to ensnarl the wolf as long as the beast stays within the ring of fire."
I drank a bit before I returned to my seat. "What about school?"
"Chadron exerted its muscle to have the local school boards to close all of the local schools with thirty miles for the duration of the fire. The boards were convinced that the fire may spread which could cause toxic fumes if the fuels were detonated."
"Convincing," I quipped.
Veronica hopped from the floor and looked herself over. "I need to get cleaned up and you two need to get fed and well rested because tonight we will hunt. The transport will be here at eight pm."
Chapter 47
The man that Veronica had identified as Leslie Smith stood in the middle of the street surrounded by human soldiers and the two vampire teams used to integrate into the schools. The group was full of whispers and worry.
A few hours earlier, a currier had delivered black military fatigues that matched those worn by the soldiers on the base. I assumed that the others had received the same until we had arrived to receive our orders. The males were all wearing similar military garb, but the females, with the exception of Veronica, were dressed in their normal attire. Veronica wore a full body suit of a shiny black material that displayed every amazing curve. Upon her hip was a holster and ammunition belt. Inside the holster was a custom designed military grade prototype of a semi-automatic pistol. She was in her element and fit the role she was trying to cultivate. Veronica looked powerful and ready for anything.
The group hushed when Leslie began to talk. "As most of you know by now, we have a threat to our role as caretakers of the American dream. There is a rouge wolf. A new generation different than those with which you are familiar. This wolf is twice as fast and when shifted from human into canine form, he is stronger than any of the GV16 who will go out with us tonight. Bravo and Charlie teams will be joined tonight with three of the Vs. No one should take on the wolf alone. Report any contact and wait for help. Remember, no one tries to be a hero and good luck."
I had listened to him detail what was planned, but my eyes never left Veronica. I hated her, but I also admired her. There was no one I would rather go into battle with than her. Now that he was finished and our detail was waiting for transport, I thought I might be able to get an opportunity to talk to her alone. The opportunity never came.
After Leslie dismissed us to our duties, we were grouped together with human soldiers to wait for the APCs. The soldiers were jovial and bantering with each other as well as the GVs. It was refreshing that the soldiers who were traveling with us treated the GVs as just another soldier. I wanted to believe that the elevated stress levels were because of our assignment and not because they feared us. It could have been the professionalism of each that allowed them to mask any hatred for our kind, or it could have been that our human contingent was heavily armed. The humans were wearing from head to toe a newly commissioned organic body armor that was ten times stronger and flexible than Kevlar. The squad was twenty-one strong before the addition of Veronica, Liam and I. Each vampire was to search with a smaller group of seven as backup. Tonight would not be the night for a private conversation.
The APCs arrived and Veronica led the way. She stood at the entrance ushering the men inside. It was then that I noticed the blackened silver eagle upon her chest. As the men loaded, I tried to figure out if there was a reason for the design. Searching my mind for meaning, it registered when Sergeant Hayes saluted her. “Everyone except the GVs aboard and ready for the mission Colonel."
She was firm in her reply. "Thank you Sergeant. Let's go Logan and Ethan, we have a wolf to find."
It was surprising to see her ranked and treated as a high ranking military official. She smiled at me as I loaded the armored personnel carrier. Pushing Logan in, I stopped. "Colonel, do Logan and I not get a weapon?" Pointing at the one adorning her hip.
She looked down, then back to me. "Last I was informed by your group leader, neither of you had received proper instruction on how to fire and maintain your weapon." Veronica smiled at me.
I frowned and headed inside to find a seat, taking the last one available at the front end of the vehicle.
Veronica entered and shut the door behind her. "Let's go driver to the designated location for drop off one."
The APC fired up, and we were on our way to hunt down the rogue wolf. "We will be at drop number one, Colonel, in thirty."
The ride was smooth and quiet. Every one of the soldiers was trying to stay loose for the mission. There were multitudes of ways the humans occupied themselves. For the three vampires on the mission, it was nervously watching the preparations. Ten minutes into the journey, I closed my eyes and thought of seeing Sunnie again. I wanted to see her in the worst way for a lot of reasons. The most bothersome of which was the worry if I should tell her about what transpired with Veronica. Quickly, I brushed away the thoughts of Veronica and concentrated on the details of Sunnie's face. Fondly, I thought of our last precious moments together. The memories of the moments all were shattered when the sad reality hit me that those could have been the last I would ever spend with her. There was a real possibility that all of the members of the squad being sent into the field could die, including me. Worse still, the prospects that I could survive and the beast escape our trap to infect or kill Sunnie. The countless combinations bounced around in my head until it began to hurt.
I wasn't sure if vampires could get headaches, but mine was being to throb intensely. There was a sharp pain in my side that made me partially rise from my seat. I clutched at my side as secretly as possible. Fighting back the urge to cry out, I tried to discretely double over. I hid my discomfort under the ruse of checking the lacing on my combat boots. The pain did not subside. My blood felt as if it was on fire. The blood inside of me was screaming out. I knew what was happening, but there was no way I could quench my thirst for fresh blood at that moment. Desperately, I sought Veronica's attention without giving away that I was fighting back the desire to rip open the man's throat that was sitting next to me to taste the sweetness of his coppery flow.
At the other end of the APC sat Veronica who turned to me. "Just hold on," She mouthed. I nodded that I understood in response.
Closing my eyes, I initially fought the hunger by concentrating on thoughts of Sunnie, but those became nightmarish, twisted visions of my murdering her and her family. The mental images horrified me as time and time again I envisioned tearing out her tender throat. I was awakened from my hell by the stopping of the APC.
The corporal that was driving called, "First drop Colonel." Sergeant Hayes was already up and opening the door. His six troops and Logan exited silently. When Logan bugged out, Hayes followed. I could hear the group dispersing throughout the woods.
Veronica moved into position at the door, pulling it closed. She addressed the remaining troops. "Working on our recent intelligence information, there has been a heat signature detected at the next drop in the past hour. We lost contact with the Rangers in the area soon after. The plan is to deploy the last two groups at the next location. We will spread out in groups of two. Ethan and I will drive down the middle. Hayes and his guys will push from the South. We hope to squeeze the wolf into a kill zone past the woods in the open field on the other side
. Any questions?"
She waited then said, "Be careful out there."
The driver said, "Five minutes."
The time was filled with a flurry of activity. Weapons were primed and sensing equipment checked. The group became tense. All the men sat at the ready with a minute to spare.
Veronica opened the door and evacuated the APC before the driver had stopped fully. The soldiers did not care. They were trained for combat though this enemy was vastly different that any they would encounter. When the last man exited the vehicle, Veronica reentered and locked the rear entrance.
The driver and auxiliary driver were dead within seconds. The scene was ghastly. Arterial spray coated the driver's compartment from the gapping wounds that had been their throats. Veronica tore the driver loose and laid him in my lap, "Drink! We will need the fresh to survive." She fed on the auxiliary driver who was still seated.
"Dammit, they were our people. These were good men who were following your orders. Why did you do this Veronica? These soldiers didn't have to die." The driver was still twitching in my lap. The smell of his blood had already caused me to phase, but I fought the want to feed upon his flesh, even though my body was wrecked with pain.
Veronica turned to me her face awash in blood; small wet streams were running down her chin. "Drink the fucking blood Ethan. If you were concerned about their deaths, then you would be sure not to let them die in vain. Their blood is our strength. Now drink!" She scooped at the driver's throat that was across my lap, coating her hand in his blood then smearing it upon my lips.
I started lapping at her fingers which I held in place savoring every morsel of the blood. She growled as she returned to feeding upon her human meal. Letting go of her hand, I brought the broken flesh of the driver to my mouth. His blood was strong with a twinge of iron aftertaste. I drank my fill in seconds. His body now a dried husk, I discarded him. Veronica was finishing her meal as well.
Disgusted with myself, I looked away from the driver lying at my feet as I asked, "What about the bodies? This is evidently a vampire attack and not the work of a wolf."
She produced moist towels from a compartment within her clothes. Veronica gave me a handful as she proceeded to clean her face and hands of blood. I copied her actions, cleaned myself and tossed the blood covered wipes upon the floor.
She checked herself then inspected my face for signs of blood, allowing her finger tips to linger a little too long across my face. There were a few remnants along her neck. Instead of cleaning them from her, I motioned to her.
"Did I get all of it?" She asked.
I responded, "Yeah. Did I?" Veronica moved in close to inspect my face again. This time I stood and removed her hand. "We need to get going."
She reached into a compartment running along the wall of the APC producing two gray spherical objects. Veronica ran her thumbs over the top of the devices simultaneously. A digital countdown began inside each object which would have been inaudible for the human ear. I knew that this must have been her plan to get rid of the evidence of what we had done, though how would she explain away the destruction of the APC. "Run!" She yelled as she pitched the two bombs into the driver's compartment.
We burst through the door and into the woods putting distance between us and the APC which was destined for destruction. The ticking of the device was loud in my ears as we fled deep into the forest. At the last click, I could hear two seconds transpired then the APC erupted in a huge ball of fire that knocked Veronica and me both to the ground, even though we were seventy yards away.
Small debris fell upon us as we shielded ourselves from the explosion. We were peppered with rocks, plant matter and tree bark. When we felt it was safe, Veronica and I both rolled over to watch the small trees rock from side to side from the concussion of the blast. The devastated hull of the APC sat burning as a tribute to the brutality of being forced to survive on the blood of others.
"So what will you tell the soldiers when they ask?" I inquired.
Veronica stood and dusted herself off. "The wolf will receive the blame."
I should have known that she would have an answer. She offered her hand to help me from the ground, but I hopped up without accepting.
She grabbed me by the arm. "What the hell is wrong? I thought the other night meant something?"
I got within an inch of her face. "Maybe it would have if you hadn't done that trick with your scent and memorizing me. Don't worry Veronica, I know that you imitated her to get what you wanted?"
"Is that a bad thing?!" She blasted back at me. She turned slightly. I could see her expression change as her face balled up. She started to say something, stopped, then spoke quieter. "You..." she paused again, obviously rethinking what she was about to tell me. Veronica turned back to me and stepped toward me. "You ... were created for me. He made you FOR me."
The words caught me off guard.
"We were supposed to be together. You are unlike the others, can you not see that. I am not like the others. You were made to be mine. Mine, not... not hers." she said the word 'hers' as if she were disgusted. Tears began to crawl down her face.
"How on earth would I know any of that? How would I know that I am different? I am still trying to figure out what the hell is going on! I get here, I am thrust into this life and everyone just expected me to know everything about being a vampire from a fucking manual. Every fucking day is something different and the only sane thing was Sunnie." I replied, still was dazed from the revelation.
She had a frightened expression upon her face. "Never mind. We need to find the others so we can finish her mission." Her words sounded jumbled.
We were going to finish this once and for all. I wrapped my arms around her and held her firmly in place. She went slack in my arms. "Veronica, you have to tell me the entire truth. Why was I created?" I fought the urge to shake her until she answered. Instead, I remained calm.
Veronica put her forehead in the middle of my chest. "Let me go, and I will tell you only if you promise to understand one thing. I love you and I would never want to purposely hurt you."
"Okay," I answered. "Okay." I let her go. She stepped back. We stared at each other as we waited to see what was about to happen. Veronica seemed to be stalling or searching for something. I knew we didn't have time. Hell, we both knew. Sooner or later we would have to resolve what she had done. The truth that had escaped was something I was unprepared for.
"Ethan, I will give you the abridged version, but what I have to tell you is a closely guarded secret, and if the wrong person found out it could mean your death. I will refuse to tell you if you cannot promise me that this secret stays between us." Veronica leaned against a tree that was behind her as she awaited my answer.
"If I agree, will you tell me the truth?"
"I will." She shifted her radio communicator from her ear to her shoulder. "The soldiers have not spotted the wolf at this time. This needs to be fast. Whatever I leave out, we can talk through later."
I nodded in agreement.
"This program was started from behind the scenes by my dad and his brother in the 1960s. They used their influence and money to get the U.S. government to back a program to create a super soldier. We were still in the Cold War and the U.S. needed an advance weapon system that could influence the outcome of a war in Europe if one were to arise. So, the Farm was purchased and testing began. There were years of nothing. The program and the family dream was about to be shelved when my father and uncle emerged from the shadows with under the guise of the Chadron Corporation. They decided to take it upon themselves to advance the research and hopefully bring a potential new direction for the floundering program. The reality of a super soldier program was the furthest thing from the truth. "
I watched Veronica as she struggled with what to put in and what to take out of the story. It was obvious there was something in the details that made her reconsider that there was a possibility that she divulging too much information. She was momentarily distracted by
a squawk from the ear piece and an invisible object on the ground before her chin came up and her eyes found mine. "It may be hard to comprehend that my kind could grow to love something, but my family has. We have been here for centuries and heavily invested in the survival of the U.S. We have become great patriots, but we three are alone in the world. The virus that created us had long since grown dormant, so the plan was twofold. We would try to regrow our numbers while supplying the U.S. with needed weapons. After years of some success, more advanced technologies were developed. These technologies allowed the creation of the first generation of human replicates, vampires, which like us, were able to mimic the human population and blend in with the culture."
I was shocked. There a million questions though that was the only one that I could utter. "How old are you?"
"Ethan, for Pete's sake, is that really important?" She asked.
"It must be if I asked you. Now tell me how old are you?"
"I am four hundred thirty nine years old this past May. My father and uncle are much older. They are both well over two thousand years old."
"Does your family also live on the base?" I asked.
A half laugh escaped her then she became serious again. "Actually no. They lead amazingly human lives and have homes outside of the Farm. The interaction level needed to sustain our cover in a world of complex technology is difficult to relate to for someone who hasn't lived it. You are getting just a small taste. That is why we were granted the right to leave the base. It is another step into your assimilation into culture, or as my uncle calls the course, learning to be a vampire: the basics."
It was too horrifically fantastic to believe.
"The generation sixteens are my new family, but though they are closely similar to my DNA, they are not perfect. You were the closet match to our sequence that we had ever seen when you were delivered to us after your death. Taking the virus we had created, the hope was that finally I would have an equal. You were supposed to be a mate to continue the line for real and not just another creation that is an abomination of what vampires are actually. We are Gods, my family and you. The gift you have been given separates you from the others, makes you part of me. We have spent our whole lives being hunted and hated. I have had to watch my whole family die at the hands of people who were afraid of us and persecuted us for being different. Now in the U.S. and around the world, we are no longer vilified. We are revered. The world is finally on the verge of accepting us. Still there is a ton of work to be finished before we can live comfortably within society.
Created (Book 1 of the Created) Page 27