“Things weren’t supposed to work out this way.” It was the first loud and clear sentence to come from the Rogue. Heavy with remorse and regret, it was the voice of someone who had lost a great deal in a short amount of time. It eerily reminded Persephonii of Harker, speaking about his own events.
“I loved her... loved them.” The declaration was added softly but no less clearly. Going down memory lane was a bad idea given his obvious flights of rage. Persephonii could tell from the grumbling over the ear buds that everyone else thought so too, and urged Davis to tactfully switch topics.
"Bryce...”Agent Davis needed to get him back from the edge of whatever cliff he was hanging off of and moved toward reason.
"Not Bryce..Hawke. Bryce is dead, he died a long time ago.” Another chair flew through the opening, this time followed by a few other objects, none of which she could make out as they sailed by.
"Hawke you need to calm down..." It was a reactionary statement, something one says without truly thinking. For Hawke, it was the match that ignited the explosives.
"Calm down....CALM DOWN!" A blur of motion, the crash and pounding of a room being torn apart from the inside.
Persephonii shook her head, as a negotiator, Davis was new, and was trying to navigate an uphill slope, and getting bad results. Quick sentences were exchanged between the team, but Persephonii couldn't make them out over the sirens coming through the ear buds, or the tornado that was Hawke's tantrum.
Hawke was clearly done talking, but that left the team within reach of his anger. The sirens meant back up and hopefully they would dive right in. Between Sebastian and his team and the human Hunters, two of which had been assigned to the warehouse teams, Persephonii would bet on the Vampyres being the ones to engage. Who better to hunt down and incapacitate a vampyre than one of their own. But this attack wouldn’t be as quickly solved as the rest, the others had been newbies, weak from the experiments, more human than most Vampyres. Their rage and strength had been in large part a result from the psychotic breaks. Hawke was more than a decade old, combine that with whatever had been done to him during the experiments and they could have a real problem on their hands, Hunters or not.
The Anti-Para media often portrayed the H.V.V. and its result, Vampyres, as monster's something more and yet less than human, over run by instinct and hunger. In moments like this, Persephonii often thought that they were delusional, both naive and overtly obtuse. They clung to superstition and myth because the truth was even more terrifying in its closeness, its immediacy.
Vampyre's embodied the best and worst of humanity. The fierce rages and hungers, the need for companionship, to stave of loneliness and create families, more of their own kind. An apex predator, with all the guile, and the intellect humanity could muster behind them. But somewhere along with it came the strength, the control, the proud demeanor, decades, century's worth of becoming who and what they truly were. Not just the top of the food change, but a living memory of times long past. It was an interesting balance, but Hawke was far from the refined Vampyre he had crafted himself to be. This was all instinct and rage wrapped in speed and strength.
Bryce Hawk had not lived long in light of the scope of his fellows. Really no more than a Chylde himself, Persephonii could see the struggle, the years that weighed upon him. Still so human in his frustrations and fears. In there too, was his insanity. Whatever unstable thoughts, emotional scaring he had before becoming a Vampyre, they were now immortalized and made ten times, a hundred times worse, from the experiments. As the others had been Turned, so human in their new Vampyre lives, so too had the process changed Hawke.
His aura was wild, flared wide and angry. The pure chaos, the confusion, as if he couldn't control his emotions. His thoughts rolled in like waves pounding the shore during a storm. Anger and sadness in equal turns, churned his aura, spikes of red and blue pierced the air as the layers closest to his skin were mottled like a fresh bruise. Persephonii had never seen anything like it, the fierce colors sweeping in so quickly waves mixing. It made her nauseated just watching it. Hawke was far more dangerous than even she had guessed. The other's had thought he could be impartial to the deaths of his Chyldren, mere fodder for the machine that was his experiments. Their numbers had spoken of a lack of personal connections, but she could see he had internalized every death. They had been more than just test subjects.
As he came within a few feet, in his wide aura Persephonii could see glimpses of the past, flashes of a life so similar and yet so different from her own. Loneliness, stemming from being different without knowing why or how to rise above it. She too had spent so many years of her childhood dealing with powers, with events around her that couldn't quite be explained away. Seeing more than any other, the Truth, the lies. They had missed out on so much, because they couldn't make it past who they were and who they were not. But in the end, she'd had her family and their support. Hawke was still looking for his, trying to create something that couldn't be forced. And now he had lost even that.
As he made his way toward the front of the building and the main doors, Persephonii eased back toward the side entrance. Chase and Agent King were in the next room down the hall, where they had retreated to stay out of the path of his anger. Almost sure she had gone unnoticed thanks to the sirens and noise coming from outside, she was surprised when she felt a vice like grip land on her left shoulder, where it grabbed from the side and flung her back toward the main hallway. As she was jerked off her feet she could see Chase's shocked expression, landing on her back as she slid along the waxed floor she heard gun fire. Hawke's body jerked from the impact of the bullets, both Chase and Agent King opening fire high on his body, but it did little to slow him down.
Hawke came for her, fast. So fast she barely had time to move her head back, his claws cutting a path down her shoulder, missing her head and eyes. Pain radiated down her body, but her vest had stopped a large part of the damage to her shoulder. The top of her arm was gouged and bleeding, but she had little time to stop to survey the damage. Instead, she kicked out, catching him in the chest area and rolled as he recoiled from her unexpected show of strength. The taser had been knocked from her hand, her arm going numb from the impact with the floor. Spotting it from the corner of her eye, she rolled back the opposite direction as he came at her again, this time nearly on top of her.
Hawke was quickly changing tactics, she put on a burst of speed herself, feeling the energy drain like a cold chill down her spine, snatching the taser from the floor. Pulling off her glasses, she tried to focus on his aura as she gathered energy into her hands, ready to lay down wards and fire the taser with the other. They would need to be fast, and wouldn’t last long but perhaps she could cage him. Thinking back to her last case, and a rather intense time in a large cave system tracking a Lamia, she knew she could place enough of them to slow him down. Perhaps enough to buy her some time to come up with an escape route, or help to arrive. Sebastian had to be close by now, the agents had stopped firing with the two of them in such close quarters. If she could hold on and outsmart him, she could make it.
Chapter 26: Wards:
Created from manipulating energies, they are metaphysical delineations in physical space. Often described like weaving, energies are 'woven' together to form lines that demark spaces, anywhere from a single area like a safe, to a whole building or even large area like a hunting ground. Individuals gifted with the ability to ward are rare. Wards are primarily used as deterrents, becoming a physical barrier when activated.
Outside Hawke's Office: Port District. Cape Meares, WA. 1:37am PST.
Outside of the office building, the scene looked relatively calm to those surrounding it, until a desk flew through the front doors. The large metal behemoth from years past landed hard, twisting and compressing from the force of impact. It slid along the asphalt, sparks flying as it glided to a stop. It came to a halt a foot away from the police cruiser parked diagonally from the front doors. Impressive at any other time, the officers were ready to
open fire, if it hadn't been for the fact that a few of their own were still inside.
Sebastian and his Kiss had arrived in enough time to witness a flash grenade detonate and head to the side entrance, hoping to come up behind the raging Hawke. As leader, he had been calm and in control of the situation until he had seen Persephonii scrambling on the floor, hands slick with her own blood trying to get up. Then he hadn't been quite as calm or collected as he had expected himself to be.
Inside Hawke's Office: Port District. Cape Meares, WA. 1:58am PST.
Persephonii had been using her blood, of all things, to help lay down the wards. She was getting enough of it everywhere from her arm wound that it would make the temporary wards that much stronger. Her efforts were draining her strength and speed, but Chase had distracted Hawke enough by throwing a flash grenade, that he had temporarily turned his attention back to the forces waiting outside. At another time she might have teased Chase about Vampyres with A.D.D but this close, she was sure Hawke could hear the voices over the ear buds, if he had cared to listen.
One moment he had been turning back toward her ready to attack, but she too had laid enough power down that she felt she could knock him out for a few hours at least. He was coming for her, when a blur hit him from the shadows, both large shapes tumbled to the side, making rubble of the nearest wall. Covering her eyes while trying not to choke on dust, Persephonii looked up to see Sebastian pummeling Hawke. Movement from the corner of her eye brought her focus to two other figures down the hall. Miklos and Gavrail stood nearer to the side door, expressions of shock on their faces. Apparently attacking Hawke and trying to beat the life out of him hadn't been the original plan.
Impressed that Sebastian was holding his own, she now had to reevaluate her plan. Previously her idea had been to activate enough of the wards to hold Hawke in place, dowse him with the silver water, enough that he had a liberal coat of water about him, then taser him into unconsciousness. But the silver water would do damage to Sebastian too, and the wards weren't advanced enough to identify hostile vampyre from rescuing vampyre. The area she had laid the wards in, was right inside the beginning of the longer, farthest hallway, where the walls had been solid enough to be reinforced by the wards. Farther down was more glass and interior windows, but now one of her walls had a Sebastian sized hole in it.
The two landed close to her feet, startling her from her thoughts. Sebastian was still hammering away at Hawke, but he looked to be slowing. Hawke seemed ready for a few more rounds. Though normal human sight wouldn't have been able to tell what was happening, as the two would have looked like mere blurs to human bystanders. As it was, Persephonii had a front row seat to the fight. So close, the snarling and inhuman sounds were pretty intense. So much so that Persephonii wondered if the ear buds were picking any of it up. And if so, could she get a recording of them to add to the Coda. Perhaps not the most on topic thought, but she was tired, cold through her layers, bleeding and now worried about her Vampyre Investigator.
There seemed to be a pause in the beatings, because one second they were at it like gangbusters and the next Hawke was looking at her with murder in his eyes. Sebastian had been thrown clear to the opposite side, nearly through the opening in the destroyed wall. As Hawke made an attempt to rise and leap for her, he slipped in her blood. While he was trying to find purchase, Sebastian knocked him down and landed against Persephonii. The breath was knocked out of her, as her whole body made contact with the wall she'd been propped against. A sliver stake ready in her hand, she gripped Sebastian's hand hard enough that he got the idea and took the sliver from her.
Feeling Sebastian start to drag her one way, she took the separation of the two Vampyres as an opportunity. Instead of allowing him to pull them furtherer down the hall, she shifted her weight and pulled Sebastian out into the hall hub, and back towards the front doors. They rolled by Hawke, close enough that Sebastian slammed the stake into his thigh, effectively pinning it to the floor. As he cleared the warded area, Persephonii let loose the gathered energies, feeling the wards raise as Hawke tried to pursue them.
The blood made them strong enough that the hair on the back of her neck raised with the wards. Coming to stop beneath Sebastian she looked up to see his dazed face, as if he wasn't quite sure what had happened or how they had gotten there. Both of their heads turned to see Hawke lunge at the wards. His strength was as present as ever, and would break the wards in a few more tries. Laying under Sebastian as the others finally approached the downed Rogue, Persephonii slid her left arm up along the floor taser in hand, already on its highest setting and pulled the trigger.
Outside Hawke's Office: Port District. Cape Meares, WA. 3:39am PST.
It had surprised Persephonii to learn that they had only been in the office a little over an hour. Time had definitely slowed to a crawl and she would have guessed two hours at least had gone by before Sebastian's arrival. Sitting in the back of the ambulance as E.M.Ts bandaged her shoulder, and urged her to go the E.R to get it looked at, she watched the hustle and bustle of those around her.
Chase was sitting on the open back of Agent King's S.U.V as another medic dabbed at his scrapes. Both he and Agent King...Rebecca had received a good pelting from glass and debris during Hawke's tantrum as Persephonii was calling it. But other than a few bruises on Sebastian, she was the only one truly 'wounded' from the confrontation. The other four Agents had retreated towards defendable positions and had apparently been taking aim at Hawke should he give them the chance to fire. Her being in close proximity to Hawke throughout the majority of the altercation, hadn't left them any room to fire. Persephonii had been shot during a rather trying case a few years back and didn't want to repeat the incident. She had openly thanked the Agents for their caution.
Finished with his patch job, the E.M.T, a Mr. Rosier nearly pleaded with her once again to go to the hospital. She gave her thanks and was about to head over toward her congregating team, who appeared to be waiting for the E.M.T to finish before they accosted her. When Sebastian appeared at her side, close enough she could see the damage his clothes had sustained in the fight. She was interested to hear what the other two teams had found, but more so to make sure he..they were okay. Which seemed to be the reason why he was standing so close to her as well.
"You are gravely injured?" His deep, rich voice was solemn, quite in light of his concern.
"No, 'tis but a flesh wound.." she wanted to laugh at the joke, but she was looking up to see his reaction. It was obvious by his expression that the Vampyre Investigator was too cultured for Monty Python. Still... it was a good line.
At her elbow the whole walk to the group, he seemed both ready to catch her should she stumble, unsure if she was about to pass out or succumb to her wounds, and proud of her role in the take down. It was sweet.
"Well... you look better than I imagined going face to face with a raging vampyre." Chase sounded impressed with her as if to say 'yes that's my partner for you'. There were murmurs of agreement around the group, now crowded at the back of the S.U.V.
"How's the shoulder?" Colton had arrived behind Sebastian, as part of his team they'd been the closest group to the office building and had driven straight from the warehouse when they received her text.
"She says it is but a flesh wound." At his solemn reply, the group sniggered. Though there was clearly something he was missing, he reminded himself to ask Persephonii later what the abated laughter meant; he was still worried about her well being.
They were in the middle of exchanging their account of events, when a group of dark blue automobiles arrived. Familiar in color, the vehicles were part of the Waters Inc. resources and had been appropriated by Lykos and the Reveers when he had taken over the mismanaged group.
"You. Are. Late." It was said teasingly as Lykos and his team excited their cars, and made a line straight for Percy.
"We had a bit of a...a thing. You know." His hair was longer than she had seen it in a while, not since his rocker phase
when she had been a teenager. That, along with the three day old beard that covered his cleft chin, said that the 'thing' had been pretty serious. It had to be to hold them back nearly two months, especially given that the danger was basically in Persephonii's back yard.
"A thing? What? Traffic?" Persephonii felt like giving her brother a hard time, but she was also losing steam.
"Had to have been a pretty big ...thing." Chase said while he came to stand beside Percy. Lykos was giving Chase a hand shake, while hugging Percy with the other arm. For a few short minutes he was the big brother making sure his sister was alright. But soon, too soon, it was back to Lykos Waters, Leader of the Reveers.
With the inclusion of the Reveers, the tale of the last few week's events, leading up to the last few hours, was rehashed, this time for all the authorities involved. In the time it had taken to move Persephonii out to the waiting ambulance, followed by Chase and the other Agents, Phelps and Alvarez had offered to stay and shoot Hawke if he so much as moved. But the Rogue was down for a few hours at least. And no one would want to be present given the next steps of the Hunt. Those present agreed that the Investigator should complete his role in the Hunt, especially in light of Hawke's increased speed and strength. So, while the Vampyre was unconscious, he unknowingly met his end. Persephonii could feel the release of energy, of anger the moment the deed was done. If he had any new, unaccounted Chyldren they likely would have died with him, when the Maker-Chylde bond was severed.
The expression on the faces of the agents and surrounding officers was of relief, greens and a few purples of disbelief colored the night. The explanation of wards and what, exactly, she had done, had become so multifarious, and recurring that she merely started replying 'read my report' for those who questioned her on the specifics. Noticing that Percy was well passed exhaustion, Chase offered to take her home. But she refused, telling him to go home instead and that she would catch a ride with Sebastian as they were headed to the same place.
At First Sight (Persephonii Waters Book 1) Page 28