Zero

by R. E. Carr

  “You know what? Let’s get this over with. I’ll talk to him. If he tries anything, eat Georgia,” Gail growled. Steve glared at her.

  “You won’t—” Steve started.

  “You’re in no place to make demands, señor,” Javier snarled. Javier leaned over and gave Gail a quick kiss. “Be safe, mi amor.”

  Georgia made a move to stop them both, but Steve waved her away. “Need a moment, Sweetheart,” he said.

  “Sweetheart?” Gail asked, once they finally made it to the landing out back. “Are you back together? I mean, after all I heard—”

  “Yes and no,” Steve muttered. “Yes, she still hates my guts, especially after I made Ren-Arthur forget her, but my dad and the Jaeger made us get married, so, yeah—”

  “You’re married?” Gail asked. “Like vampire married, or—”

  Steve shuffled to the end of the porch. “So, you and the Azarola guy?” he asked, ducking her question.

  “Jealous?” Gail asked.

  “Look, I wasn’t kidding when I said we had a fling, nothing more,” Steve said. “I was an asshole and dazzled you with bullshit, and you eventually saw through me. We had a good time, but then you met this guy who was better than me, a human guy, and the sheriff told me that I needed to stop fooling around; so I kissed you goodnight one night, and you never looked back. I’m sorry, but I didn’t think you’d miss me.”

  “I didn’t,” Gail sighed. “I hate you for wiping my mind over and over. I was just some experiment—”

  “Look, it’s just how we explained. I used my gifts a few times at the bar because we were trying to set it up so Mr. Lambley would rush in and be the hero, that’s all—” Steve started.

  “The bar?” Gail snapped. “This isn’t about some night at a bar. This is about all the times after that, when you let them torture me and then wiped the memories. This is about everything you did with that damned Kevin!”

  “Kevin?” Steve asked. “You don’t mean that asshole, Kevin Vasquez, do you?”

  “Of course . . . I think. He’s the one that works with the sheriff.”

  “I never work with him, not if I don’t have to. He’s a thug, even by Jaeger standards,” Steve said. “I don’t know what Project Lethe is, other than you keep mentioning it. Listen, Gail, I took you to Texas after the incident with Mr. Lambley; and yeah, I schmoozed you and made you forget. I mean, you loved the thought of a vampire romance, but the sheriff said you needed to start a new, normal life down there. I had no idea that she was going to . . . oh god . . .”

  “So, she has another vampire that can do the same thing you do?” Gail asked suspiciously. “Isn’t that convenient?”

  “I can’t be everywhere at once. I mean the sheriff helped train me, helped me learn my abilities when I was starting out. Hell, for all I know, she has the same ones. Lord knows, most people think she’s a witch. Gail, I swear, I honestly thought you were fine . . . that you were being hidden away in some witness protection program.”

  “How fucking naïve can you possibly be? You worked for the sheriff.”

  “Yeah, but she was nice enough. I mean she was strict, but humans weren’t really worth her time. You helped save a vampire and you had skills she said she could use, so, I guess, I took her at her word that you were just going to be a happy little servant in the middle of nowhere. Oh god, did Kevin—?”

  “A lot was done to me, but all Javier could taste in my blood was you, so you’ll excuse me if I’m still suspicious.” Gail let out a deep sigh. “All right, if you want to help make it up to me - tell me about your sister.”

  “Minerva was just raised as my sister. It turns out that I’m actually a Lung, so I’m really a poor judge of parentage. I’ve had quite a few surprises lately - not the least of which being an adoptive niece who is also my ex, of sorts. Look, Minnie plays her own games, but are you sure she wanted to make a baby vampire just to cure the kiss of nothingness?”

  “Well . . . she also apparently needed to get it out so she could get hot and heavy with her new boyfriend, according to Javier. Minerva was certain that if you mixed vampiric stem cells with people who had been exposed to certain abilities, then the resulting vampire baby blood could be used to develop an antidote to that particular ability. I guess Team Arthur is sick of you being able to rain on their parade.”

  “She wants it for herself, dammit! She wants to undo the memories I took from her and from the man she loved. Minerva was always strong, so I could only remove a few things, and she knows I erased Ren’s memories.”

  “Ren . . . again,” Gail said, leaning against the shack. She saw the vast array of potential splinters and nervously jerked back to her feet. “Does the entire universe revolve around Reiko Nakano’s son?”

  “Maybe,” Steve said, not entirely kidding. “Gail, Arthur is in the body of Ren, a body with a lot of repressed pain and loss. I don’t know what would happen if she does make a cure. If he starts to remember everything that Claudia . . . everything that our whole family did to him . . . He is already powerful and a little bit unhinged. Heaven help us, if it works and all that he’s repressed comes back to haunt us.”

  “That does not sound good.”

  “Yeah, and I also would avoid him on general principles, Gail. He still thinks that you sold him out to the Jaeger, thanks to Minerva. God knows what she’s told him, and he didn’t seem to remember you from before that night in the bar.”

  “He barely knew me. I stayed out of his way and hid as long as I could - according to his mother,” Gail whispered. She then bared her fangs and glared at Steve. “Goddamn it, you’ve really screwed us all up, haven’t you?”

  “If it works, he’s also going to remember Georgia, love of his life Georgia – the Georgia who is apparently a dead ringer for the Guinevere in his mind, Georgia. Might I also add, this is the same Georgia that I’m currently married to!” Steve said.

  Gail buried her face in her palm. Her shoulders shook. Steve took a tentative step toward her but balked as he heard the giggles. Gail finally peeked through her fingertips. She let out a full guffaw.

  “Sucks to be you, Steve! It sucks to be you.”

  And with that, Gail sauntered back into the basement. She plopped into her chair and went back to her notes. Javier gave her a quick look of concern, but she cheered him with a kiss.

  “So, what have I missed?” she asked Kyle. “Anything good?”

  “I need markers and a whole lot of paper,” Kyle said, looking over to Paige. “I think it’s time for CSI: Nashville. Right, Little Bit?”

  Paige yawned. “I think it’s time for showers and hotel. I don’t think I can take the smell of all of you trapped down here any longer,” she said.

  “Fine, let’s find a place to hunker down, make a Wal-Mart run, and be back at sunset,” Kyle sighed. “Who’s on luggage patrol?”

  Nadia grabbed the bag without saying a word. Javier motioned to the air mattress. “I suppose we will stay here and guard the fort,” he offered. “We can try to figure out what this obnoxious Blaine is up to, among other things once we are alone.”

  “Oh yeah, that guy.” Gail scowled. “We still have to take care of that guy.”

  22

  Paige rubbed her eyes as she stared at the array of paper now taped on the walls of Lorcan’s Nashville bunker. Kyle and Gail sat with Javier and Kayleigh, sketching and arguing back and forth in between sharing screens. Finally, the din grew so loud that Paige let out a mighty bark. She blinked as even the bloodsuckers fell quiet.

  “The short, short version, please,” Paige growled. “You guys have been at this for three days, and all I see are confused scribbles and take-out containers.”

  Kyle and Gail stepped over to the wall of paper. Gail motioned to Javier who fired up the projector. Toy got excited for a moment as she saw the opening credits for The Notebook start, but it was quickly quashed as Javier figured out the inputs.

  “The fate of vampires and werewolves, reduced to a PowerPoint prese
ntation,” Toy sighed. The female werewolf crew nodded in agreement.

  “OK, quick background just to get everyone on the same page,” Gail said in a surprisingly corporate voice. The slide read “The Pendragon Family” behind her. A clip art of a little wizard with a long beard and a pointy hat danced across the screen. Brows were raised all around.

  “So, this is the best representation we could get of Merlin without paying for an image,” Gail said. The figure moved to the top of the screen. “Merlin had four kids each by different vampires.”

  “He always was a slut,” Javier added from the peanut gallery. More clip art – clearly from a Dungeons and Dragons themed pack moved to take their places under Merlin. The first one made Steve and Georgia giggle, as a stern looking warrior all in black scowled at them - then came a thief girl in a hood, a red-headed barbarian, followed by a dark-skinned, sultry enchantress. Little animated name cards popped up with “Brynjulf”, “Su Min”, “Arthur”, and “Meenakshi”.

  “Kayleigh, did you do this?” Paige growled.

  The redhead smiled innocently. “I needed something to do while my program does the heavy lifting,” she sighed. Paige made a move-along gesture.

  “Each of Merlin’s kids had a special gift, but two of them – Su Min and Arthur – were considered exceptionally gifted; so, in an act of Egyptian-mythology-level incestuous inspiration, Merlin actually bred two of his kids together,” Kyle added. A chorus of “Eww” echoed in the room.

  “Arthur and Morgana, right?” Georgia added. “I’m guessing Su Min had a million names like every other vampire out there - and that produced Mordred.”

  “Ten points to Gryffindor,” Kyle said. He winced as Paige glared at him. “Yes, they made Mordred, but something went wrong and Mordred’s human host didn’t die. He became an Undying - and the rest is history, or mythology . . . however you want to put it.”

  “From all the notes we could decipher, both Arthur and Mordred shared the ability to enter a state of cryptobiosis,” Gail added. She gauged the blank stares in the room and continued, “… which means they secrete a type of disordered protein mixed with trehalose that can form a sort of armor around their internal structures, and protect them even without a host.”

  “They can enter a state of suspended animation, allowing the vampire to survive even if the host takes great damage,” Kyle added. “On a related note, we finally know why Lorcan loved ice cream so much.”

  “They are like frickin’ tardigrades . . . you know, water bears,” Gail said. Paige nodded at the reference. “That seems to be how Arthur survived the slow death once.”

  “And how Merlin was able to transfer Mordred into a new body and make Lorcan,” Kyle said. A new figure, a druid in a green robe ran around the screen, until he and Arthur’s chibi caricatures stabbed each other. “Everyone got this so far?”

  “Arthur never had a second son, it was all a bunch of PR,” Georgia exclaimed. She leaned over to Steve. “Yeah, you’re right, Mr. Lambley is never gonna get over this.”

  “As far as Kyle and I could tell, using the late Dr. Pang’s notes, the cryptobiotic form of Lorcan should still be intact. Limited exposure to air, moisture, and sunlight will keep him in a state of suspended animation,” Gail said, as the slide now showed a duffel bag.

  “The more pressing problem is what to do about Arthur,” Nadia said. “No one could resist his commands.”

  “Except Georgia,” Paige added.

  “I’m sorry, but one human is no match for an ancient bloodsucker,” Nadia fired back.

  “All the historical records say the same thing – Mordred alone was resistant to Arthur’s command. He was supposed to balance his father’s rule,” Javier added. “Obviously, it did not end well.”

  “It seems that whatever factor gave Mordred the resistance is genetic,” Kyle said. “And it’s not absolute. While Georgia is completely immune, Morgan only seemed to be able to fight back—”

  “And Steve did too,” Georgia added. “Arthur had to inject Steve with his blood to command him.”

  “Older vampires can resist Arthur according to Pops, but the longer you are around him, the more persuasive he gets,” Steve said. “Even the Jaeger is afraid of his little bro, so I think we all should be too.”

  “This brings us to Project Zero,” Gail went on, as the slide flipped. “You witnessed it firsthand in Long Beach, when Merlin and his cohorts used it to reconstitute Arthur and put him into Ren.”

  “Are you saying that we’re supposed to kill six people to bring back Lorcan?” Paige asked, her voice dropping into her werewolf register. “Because he wouldn’t want that.”

  “Arthur had been dried out for millennia; and, as smart as Merlin is, he can be a bit old-fashioned. While it’s true that we will need extra blood for the transfer, the quantity isn’t as important as the quality,” Kyle said.

  “RH negative, fresh, and healthy – preferably of mixed types,” Gail postulated. She paused to lick her lips. “What’s even more important is the new host’s compatibility.”

  The slide flipped to some bullet points. Gail motioned to number one, while Kyle read the notes off his phone. “Genetic similarity is important. This procedure has only worked with two related parties, no matter how distant,” Kyle said.

  “But it didn’t work with Morgan,” Paige interjected.

  “Point two,” Gail piped up. “The body has to be physically weakened, near to the point of death. Lorcan’s new body was dying on the battlefield, and apparently Ren had been sickened and poisoned for months, if not years, before he was beaten within an inch of his life.”

  Georgia turned pale, but remained deathly quiet. Kyle gave Paige a sad look.

  “We didn’t know we had to almost kill Morgan. Lorcan’s body had been to war for months even before this battle. We need someone who has taken a hell of a beating,” Kyle said.

  “Point three – exposure to vampire blood,” Gail read. “Both Lancelot-turned-Lorcan and Ren-turned-Arthur had drunk vampire blood, specifically Pendragon blood before being turned.”

  “And last but not least, what Merlin calls the ‘magic of the mind’,” Kyle sighed. “He really believes that the mindset of the host is critical for a successful turning. Without fear, anger, hatred, and despair, he feels that vampires do not turn properly. He claims that the secret to conversion is a single-minded sense of hopelessness. Lancelot had lost everything, his home, his family, and was rotting on a battlefield.”

  “Ren was a slave,” Steve said, giving a pained look at the still stone-faced Georgia. “He gave up everyone he loved . . . to save them.”

  “There might be more to this than Merlin’s so-called magic,” Kyle explained. “A vampire has to connect to the host’s brain quickly. By altering the levels of adrenaline and neurotransmitters, it might be easier to be successful.”

  “So, what you’re saying is, we need a relative of Lorcan’s with severe depression that’s been beaten within an inch of his life, and then shove a bag into him with a bunch of blood?” Paige asked. “How the hell is that gonna happen?”

  “Project Zero,” Gail said. “I think the sheriff has a vested interest in keeping Lorcan alive, as crazy as it sounds. She stole these notes to save Lord Pendragon—”

  “It worked. Arthur is back!” Paige barked.

  “No, she stole the notes that brought back Arthur to save her Lord Pendragon,” Javier corrected. “She also has asked us to do anything possible to bring Lorcan back. She called it drastic measures, and she is working with outside parties.”

  “The Jaeger said it was up to our outside help,” Steve added. “The sheriff is the only one I’d know with the power to pull this off. That would mean she’s been working with Pops—”

  “—Su Min Lung,” Paige blurted out at the same time as her great-grandfather. Steve jumped to his feet. “Oh my god - it’s too obvious now! The sheriff is working with us because she is Su Min Lung!”

  Everyone stared at the DeMarcos. Ste
ve continued with, “Lady Lung is a shapeshifter, like Bam-Bam, but way better. She also has the same ability I have. She’s the one who made you forget, Gail. She’s behind all of this! I mean she’s Lorcan’s mom . . . and mine. That’s why she’s always let me off the hook.”

  Kyle darted over and added a few more lines onto the pages on the wall. He added the note of “WTF?” in quite a few places. Georgia, on the other hand, got to her feet.

  “So, we now have a supposedly long-dead vampire who is really just a shapeshifter who can make you forget things? Oh, she’s also my mother-in-law now. This is just great,” she said flatly.

  “Georgia?” Steve asked, concerned.

  “Clearly, we need a depressed individual who’s had vampire blood, and been beaten within an inch of his or her life. Just let me know if I have to start getting the shit kicked out of me even more, or if you all have a plan B,” Georgia said.

  Paige eased to her feet as well. “Look, if the sheriff is on our side, then great. In the meantime, what is our next step? Other than beating up Georgia and making her depressed vampire bait,” she said.

  “We need more information and medical equipment,” Kyle said, looking pointedly at Paige.

  “And the sheriff is actively involved with Biogenesys Laboratories – a front company for vampire activities,” Gail added. “There happens to be a small branch in Nashville.”

  “They can always use a new cleaning guy,” Javier said.

  “And I might still have access to the system,” Gail added.

  “Once we find a way in we can set up shop and actually test some of these theories,” Kyle said, still sneaking looks at Paige. “Hopefully we can get blood and supplies stocked up, should the sheriff have someone for us.”

  “I mean, if you need blood, I know a lot of chefs in Nashville; farmers too,” Maria offered. “It would be pigs’ blood, but it would probably attract less attention than human blood going missing with three vampires to feed.”

  “I’ll keep trying to get in contact with the boys out west. With Freckles here, it’ll be easier to get all hands on deck,” Toy said, getting in the spirit of things.