by P. S. Power
On the handy side he held the other man at bay while Lenore came out, calling the police. Actually, she got in touch with Althea Sims, directly. The woman was the Chief of Police for the city, and also a rather old and powerful Vampire. No one knew that yet, and it was clear that Lenore was trying to keep it that way. It was one thing for them to be known, but if people realized that there were Vampires all over the place, holding real jobs that affected their lives, they might panic. People were sheep, in the main.
It only helped a little bit though, when the cops got there.
Again, because they all kept looking at Edom funny. Like the guy in the thousand dollar suit was going to be the one making problems for them? It was annoying, but for his part Ed acted like it was perfectly normal, and just answered questions when asked. Politely, which given how jazzed up he had to be, would be hard. Eve tried to match that though, and not take a bit of retribution against the shooter.
“So… This guy tried to kill you?” The officer, who looked fit, was white and over six feet tall. He was also clearly freaked out by having not one, but three Vampires right there with him. On the good side, after the first bit he really did figure out that Ed wasn’t the threat, and had helped to handcuff the shooter. Dwaine. It was such a hick name that Eve had almost not thought it was real when it had been given at first.
Her maker nodded.
“That’s right. I moved out of the way, which left this woman exposed. I would have just taken the hit otherwise. Luckily my daughter saw it happening, and got there in time.” He gestured toward her, as if no one else would see the clear family resemblance. It took her off-guard though, since he’d never called her that before. A lot of Vampires did, with the people they brought over, but it was a first for him.
She pointed at the marks on her clothing. They were black, and almost on cue one of the bullets worked its way to the surface and fell to the floor. The light clattering got a lot of people, including some with camera phones, to pay attention.
So, yay, she was famous now.
“He owes me a shirt.” She sounded truly pissed, and like she meant it, but the cop grinned and looked away.
“Yeah, he does. Well, let’s get this all taken care of. There’s paperwork to do. There always is with a firearms charge.” He did not sound thrilled by it, but Eve got him and his fifteen buddies that came settled inside and made some coffee for them. It was just the regular kind and not all that fancy, but they had lots of cream and sugar for it.
In all the scene was boring though, and took hours to get done. It was nearly seven when the men in blue were all finally gone, and Eve felt a bit lost, like she didn’t know how to get through the next day. It was Friday though, so she knew what to do. It just took a while to click into her brainpan.
“Oh, right. We need to get to the club. Or I do. I guess we should open up, right?” It wasn’t her call, but she also didn’t know if she was supposed to do anything in particular either. Blinking, she held up a hand and made a call, just running to the phone. She dialed from memory, her fingers flying as she did it.
It was picked up almost instantly.
“Troy Lopez, what can I do for you?”
“Troy? This is Eve. I have Ed and Lenore here. You’re up on everything, but not all the peeps at the club will be. What’s the plan there?” He could have one, after all.
There was no particular hesitation either.
“We’re opening like normal. It isn’t snowing out, and while a bit cold, there’s no reason for us not to. Are you and Barb not coming in? I can schedule around that, if I need to. Explain to the others, if it’s a problem?” He didn’t seem to think it would be, for some reason. Then, he knew all about them and had for years.
Vampires being real wasn’t exactly a big shock to his system was it? Really, it might not be to a lot of people. Especially the kind that liked to go clubbing.
Plus, in Vancouver there was only the one place, at least that was any good, so if T2LA didn’t open, a bunch of people would be stuck, floundering for things to do and not getting lucky that night. It was practically their civic duty to prevent that.
Eve looked at Edom, since it was his call. The man looked around, but finally gave a single nod.
“Barb will be there. You too, Eve. I’ll check in if there’s a problem. Eve you’re up for security. Get with Kevin to set that up. He’s solid. I’m not sure about all the others though. Some of them might have a problem with this.”
Eve felt her mouth working before she could even think to stop it, which was all right, since it was just repeating the plan. Troy couldn’t hear Ed or anything.
“We’re both in. I need to be on security, too, along with restroom duty. I also need to change first. Some asshole shot me a few hours ago. Ruined my lavender pullover. We don’t know why yet, but I’m thinking it was something to do with him having a small wiener?” She had no reason to say that in particular, but it got a low laugh.
“Are you all right? I really can get someone else to take your place, if I hurry.”
“Nah, I’m good. I’ll be there directly. Almost.” She needed to get with Marissa from the Council too, because her calling in only made sense, didn’t it?
She was probably the newest Vampire in the whole world, or at least one of the ten youngest, so of course the seat of power should be taking her calls. It was still needed though, since Marissa was the person actually running the animal blood project for them. In that she was doing all the real work. Eve had the idea, and the formula for the good tasting anti-coagulant they used, as well as her special spice blends to make them unique and tastier. It was the Council member that had purchased the farms they needed and hired people to do the work for them.
They weren’t up yet on production or distribution, but if they were all coming out, they really did need to have food available to everyone. People that had been cheating a bit and using their Human friends for that kind of thing might just have to cool it for a while. Possibly not, but if they didn’t have an option, they couldn’t, even if it was going to be what they wanted to do.
Still, Eve didn’t really expect the phone to pick up, and especially didn’t think it would in the middle of a meeting with everyone else being there. At least on the phone. She could tell the difference in how everyone sounded. No one else was in the room with Marissa. Not directly. That probably meant they were all staying away from each other, suspecting treachery and back stabbing. They were all Vampires, so it was probably the right call.
“Good evening? This is the Council. We’re all listening.” That was spoken in a mild tenor, but a warning if Eve had ever heard one. Polite, but with a hint of steal underneath, just in case she was getting ready to call in and use a bunch of foul language with the hermaphrodite?
She nearly froze, but simply took a breath and tried not to act like she was being caught off guard.
“Eve Benson, here. I was calling to suggest that we pick up production on our project. I don’t know what’s needed though, so wanted to get with you.”
There was muttering in the background, coming from a youthful sounding voice. Gene. The one person she knew for sure sort of wanted her dead. That he was in charge like he was wasn’t a great thing for her, but so far he hadn’t actually tried anything. At the moment he didn’t even whine about her annoying him.
No, he was a lot more suspicious about her than that.
“Probably being sent in to spy on us.” Every one heard it, too. It was right there, out in the open, in front of the whole Vampire world, practically. Edom was fighting a laugh, and Lenore covered her mouth, as if it were charming and funny that one of the Council didn’t like her already.
She sighed, forcing it to be loud enough it was clearly fake.
“Yep, that’s right. Sent in to make sure that… Um, sorry, what is it I’d be spying on again? The animal blood production? That’s clever of me. Notice how I got in right at the start, and keep pushing for it too? I must be the bestest spy ever.
I’m in place to know everything about that one!” She grinned, but went on, because being a bitch to a person that could just order her dead was stupid. “Anyway, on a more serious note, that was all I had. I just wanted to pass that along in case there was anything we could do about it. I’ll try to get distribution going. U.S. first?” That was for Marissa, but she didn’t get to speak, since Harland, the Manthori, interjected.
He seemed a bit bossy that way. Eve had noticed that before.
“That seems like a good idea to me, if possible? Also, I hear that you’re the one slated to dispose of Mr. Swerlin, if that becomes needed? Other tasks as well, if they come up? It will be good to be able to have more than one way to deal with serious issues. Bey has been speaking most highly of you to us all. We should, perhaps, meet soon?”
There was a snort from the background, but the words were louder this time.
Gene spoke, his voice sounding out of place. Too young by far to be an ancient being of power. He was though, and forgetting that might well have her dead if she wasn’t careful.
“Stop flirting with the girl, Harland. We have a crisis on our hands, perhaps the most serious this body has ever faced, and you’re trying to get laid? We need to act quickly, or else we’ll lose control of the situation. What are we doing to prevent the destruction of our kind, and the death of millions of Humans, that’s what’s important here. How do we handle the press for instance? We have no experience in doing that, as a group. In the past if a reporter got too close, we simply wiped the idea from their minds. I doubt that will work in this case however. Things have gone too far, far more quickly than they should have. We were caught off guard and need to find our feet, but I fear we may not have that chance.” He sounded calm, but stern. Like a school teacher that was going to brook no misbehavior from his students.
Eve spoke then, because she was a moron.
“Pick a face to do the talking for us? That’s what the big corporations do. The government, too. Actually get two of them. An older looking man, and a hot chic. That way we can send different messages to the public. When we want woman and housewives, or conservative men, to listen, send the guy, everyone else gets the woman. Then each day we put out talking points in memos to all our people, so that a single message will be going out. Out to all the embassies and anywhere else where there are Vampires that might have to talk to the public. That way we don’t have people in one area saying one thing, and someone else going on about the exact opposite in a different location. To start with, I think we should hit the fact that we mainly all love Jesus, apple pie, and America, and then point out how much we do in secret in regards public service. You know, all those food banks and the secret Santa shit we do each year?” Which she didn’t think they did, but the people on the Council were all smart enough to get the idea.
Harland made a soft hissing sound. It was all the rows of fang teeth that did it. It was probably just him sighing.
“So, do you have recommendations for those roles? You could serve as the female component, could you not?”
It was Bey who chuckled then.
“She is most comely. Is that your intent, Miss Benson?”
“No.” She actually sounded a bit panicked at the idea. “God no. I have too foul a mouth, for one thing. Besides, we don’t want someone too good looking. Then it will seem phony, and they won’t be taken seriously. We want good looking, but not movie star quality.” She paused, then shrugged, “And yes, I know how that sounds. I think… honestly that we could use Lenore Hawthorn in a pinch, but if we can get her, Maggie Sims would be my first choice. She’s as stable a Vampire as I’ve ever seen, and if she isn’t the best actress I’ve ever heard of it’s because I know too many Greater Demons.” Looking up she saw a strained expression on Lenore’s face.
She was fighting a smile though.
Eve tilted her head. Okay, she had just implied that she was better looking than the other woman was, and it was true, if only a little bit.
Honestly though, it was probably about her telling all of this to the Council, which did seem funny, once she stopped to think about it. Who was she after all? Except that she’d grown up watching television and had hung out around Greater Demons, who had taught her some of these things over the years.
“For men… I have no clue. All the Vampire men that I’ve met look too young. We can deal with that if we have to, but if someone knows a guy that looks about fifty or so, who can talk without inserting a foot in his mouth every third line, that would be best. I can keep an eye open, but no one is leaping to mind here.” She looked at Edom, but a hot black man wasn’t going to work yet.
Even if it should. He was too young looking though.
Some names were called out, including female ones, though finally Harland cleared his throat.
“Thank you for the suggestions Miss Benson. May we call on you later? This will probably go on most of the night, and I’m sure you have other things to do?”
She laughed a bit, nodding.
“I do have some restrooms to clean, actually. If possible you should have an announcement for the public tomorrow. Basically just telling them that we’ve always been here, and that the only difference now is that we can spread our love and goodwill openly. That kind of thing?”
Gene snorted.
“You mean we should lie to them?”
“That’s the one, yep. Lie so well that everyone thinks we’re freaking Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny rolled into one.”
She was able to get off the line after that, and expected a nice beating for what she’d just said. She winced, but smiling at her, and nodding, both Ed and Lenore started hitting her. It hurt, but she didn’t do more than cover her head. They weren’t trying to rip her apart, and neither one of them acted mad, they just did it. Striking until she started to apologize.
“Sorry. Sorry! I know, I shouldn’t run my mouth. Ouch.” The both stopped then, and Ed moved in, giving her a little hug.
“All right, no need to belabor the point then. That was over reaching on a level that, well, to tell the truth, they should have shut down instantly. I think that they were just so lost that they really didn’t think about it properly. Now you’re in for it, too. They all know who you are. That’s insane, you do realize that, don’t you? It was bad enough that Bey and Marissa have plans for you. You probably won’t survive it, if they all take an interest.”
He didn’t explain why, and she honestly didn’t know what the reason would be, but she nodded, since saying she didn’t get it would probably have her beaten again. Okay, hit a bit. There was a difference.
“I understand. I’ll do better. Right now I should run? It’s about twenty miles, and I want a shower before work.” She had time, if she moved fast enough, but getting out of there seemed like a sweet idea, she realized.
That got her a pat on the back from her maker. It was a gentle thing, his large, strong hand comforting, even after having just hit her. That was a sign of good mental health on her part, wasn’t it? Going from being punished to cuddling with the guy in less than a minute?
“Head on out. Get with me at the first sign of trouble. I don’t want my club fire bombed again.” That event had happened years before, but she’d heard about it, because Barb had been around for it.
She nodded, then focused as hard as she could manage.
Moving fast was different than she’d ever imagined it being, and didn’t require her to mimic running really. It was more about being willing to suffer horrible pain. Exhaling fully, she pushed so deeply into the fire that was fast movement that even the other Vampires seemed to be holding still at the moment as she worked her way around them and walked out of the room. Then she fought to do even more of it as she ran through the city. Hiding when headlights of cars might hit her. Using the world around her to push and pull herself to greater speed. Bouncing off of walls and trying to move like Bey did.
She failed, of course. He was probably three or four times faster than she was stil
l. That wasn’t a reason not to try. No, if she had it right, her lack of being able to do what he did, or possibly even more, was mental in nature. Eve was being wimpy, failing to take the pain that she had to, in order to do what was needed.
Doing what she was hurt a lot more than the few punches that the others had just given her. She moved faster anyway, knowing that the suffering was the cost of her new abilities. It would never go away, but she could become strong enough to take it and not let it stop her, couldn’t she?
She was back to Ed’s, showered, changed, and wearing a light coating of make-up, five minutes later. She’d never done that for work before. Not since she’d died. There was no reason for it in particular, she just felt like being pretty that night. It was probably a mistake, since there would be guys hitting on her the whole time, but it made her feel better. Like she fit in.
When she got to the club, wearing her blue jacket with the name Terran 2 LA on the back, she paused in front of Kevin, who was already out front, managing the line. There were only about ten people in it, which was about right, since the doors wouldn’t open for an hour or so.
If you weren’t that great looking, you could sometimes get in anyway, just by being first. The people in line all looked to be nicely enough dressed, so it would probably work for all of them. Later, as the night wore on it would be a lot harder to make the cut.
“Hey Kev. I’m supposed to be working with you tonight.” She grinned, and spread her hands. Then spoke a little more loudly. “Security, but cleaning up, too. So you know, same old thing as always?”
The man looked at her, his broad shoulders a bit slumped. He had a blue jacket on, which was slightly shiny and warmer looking than her own was.
For a second she thought that he was going to make a comment about her being undead, but while he had a concern, it was different than that.
“We’re a man down for the night. Brian got in a car accident earlier. He’s pretty busted up, it sounds like. He called, but has a broken arm, and some cracked ribs. That gives us a team of four bodies, if I have you too, but you’re a bit small for the work.” It was all considering, and true, so she didn’t take offense at it. She also didn’t let him know that, being a Vampire, she could handle it.