Damage Control

by Eric Alan Williams

 

  Xairin put his black cellphone into his front pocket.

  He waited in line until he reached the doorman. Pleasantly it was a face he had seen a few times around the Mansion. Han Yosief was standing there scanning Identification cards and looked up to see Xairin standing there. The man's Ukrainian accent was still hinting. "Ah Xaiwren, how are you?"

  Xairin rolled his eyes in a friendly manner. "It's Xairin... So, when did you start?"

  Han looked at him. His blond hair blowing in the warm breeze that began descending on the line waiting to enter. "Ethan asked if a few of us looking for work would consider working here. After your ex showed himself, Ethan wanted to make sure your mortal friends were well looked after."

  Xairin twitched his nose. "Ethan did say he would make sure they were okay. I guess I didn't expect him to have you all working here, but hey, that's great."

  The man seemed to stall as he looked at Xairin's profile and that he received a free VIP pass. "Can I go in? Or are you going to stand there?" Xairin asked playfully.

  Han chuckled. "Ah, yes, go on in."

  Xairin walked down the dimly lit hallway, and then into the main floor. He was surprised to see how busy it was tonight. He had to fight his way across the floor to reach the bar. He could smell food cooking, which surprised him. He looked over and saw a handsome man flipping burgers as if he was showing off to compete with a woman serving drinks and making a display of her drink-mixing skills. She seemed a bit overwhelmed. She was flocked. Lucretia was working the bar too. This was a sight Xairin rarely got to see. He finally made it over. "You're bartending?"

  Lucretia nodded. "Baxter called in again tonight, and Topher hasn't been here all week, so It's up to me I guess." She looked at the girl with the green hair mixing drinks. "I'm just glad the new girl, Nina shows for work."

  "Where's Toph?"

  Lucretia shrugged as she handed a thick man a drink. "No clue. He met some guy, and all I get are text messages as of late saying you're the manager, do what you want."

  "Topher met someone?" Xairin's voice lost his deep quality and transitioned to something sounding almost like a late teen whose voice was changing. He sounded squeaky. "Topher? Met someone?"

  Lucretia nodded. "Sure as hell did. He's been soaking it up ever since."

  Being a little on the protective side, he had to know. "Who is he? What's his name?"

  Lucretia shook her head. "Honestly Xairin I don't remember, I met the guy once."

  "Okay, well, have you seen Rory?"

  Lucretia shook her head again. "No but brace yourself on that one. Rory moved out of his grandmother's house, bought that house next door to her, and apparently is wanting to adopt some vampire boy at the new center he works at part-time."

  Xairin looked surprised. "He sent me a text saying something about it but didn't go into details. He has a new part-time job?"

  Lucretia tossed him a snarky look. "Same company, they just moved to a new location is my understanding. He's actually getting paid for it now."

  "He's still working at the cloning facility though, right?"

  She nodded. "As far as I know. Rory was in here in a lab coat two nights ago."

  Lucretia looked at the digital clock above the bar. It was twenty minutes after ten. "Great that new queen is running late." She looked at Xairin. "You used to do some bartending for Topher before, right?"

  Xairin shrugged. "Yeah, for like a couple of weekends when he and I dated, he insisted on it, why?"

  "I hired a new queen to perform on Thursday and Saturday nights. Can you take over for a moment? She's not on stage."

  "Hey, I haven't…"

  Lucretia rolled her eyes. "Just get behind the bar."

  Xairin walked around and lifted the metal door upward and came behind the bar. He could see a digital display screen just under the glass. Lucretia pointed at it. "Your basic touch screens. Find the drink they ask for; it will show you what to mix." She pointed behind him. "There's the draft, there is the cooler. Simple as that. The screen will even prompt the prices. No guesswork."

  Xairin felt a little overwhelmed but agreed. "Okay fine, but don't be gone long. I didn't expect to be doing this."

  Lucretia walked off.

  A young twink, a thinly built man that looked as if he needed to be force fed a cheeseburger twice a day for a week just to gain a pound, approached. "Can I get a deadly passion?"

  Xairin looked at the young man standing there shirtless and sporting green and purple dyed hair. "Can I see the top of your hands?"

  He had the proper laser brand.

  Xairin went to the touch screen and saw the drink list. A Deadly Passion was near the top. He pressed it. The ingredients were simple, two ounces of whiskey, a full shot of absinthe, a shot of triple sec, and a shot of vodka. Xairin started looking for the ingredients behind him. He found a mixing glass and began adding everything on the list. Shook it up and poured it over ice in a glass he had waiting. He looked at the pricing schedule. "It will be nine currency."

  The man handed Xairin his I.D. Card, he scanned it on the register and gave it back. He only had one account to draw from. "There ya go."

  Xairin noticed the house was full of what they called twinks, thin young gay men, and tonight, the club was full of them. It kind of reminded him of that jerk he made shit all over the prejudice douche bag. He wasn't going to judge them all based on just that one.

  Xairin remembered Albert quite well.

  Xairin served a few more drinks while his mind put his body on autopilot. His mind raced. He remembered putting his blood into that drink and making Albert do what he did to the man who called Xairin a race traitor. After what happened while he was in combat, being forced to remember what happened to him, Xairin decided it was time…

  Xairin was handing out drinks left and right, moving with vampiric speed to be more efficient. Some were a little nervous, while others in awe. He made every drink down to every detail, with just one change. He used a claw, to add a single droplet of blood in every drink he was offering. He concealed his actions well with his vampiric speed on his side. With each drink he handed into the hands of the unsuspecting humans, he thought about what Ethan said, what he called them. "Biological surveillance cameras."

  Lucretia had been gone an hour. In that time Xairin had placed fifty drops of his blood in fifty separate drinks. What he was doing could risk his delta status, but Xairin didn't care. It wasn't the lure of being powerful for the sheer desire of it. For Xairin, it was being strong enough to defend himself, and go hunting. If he evolved, then so be it!

  Finally, his drag queen friend in the glittering ruby red dress made her way back over to the bar. She had watched Xairin move as if he were a blur. That gave her ideas. "Maybe we need a vampire to bartend? You fended off that crowd as if you were kicking ass and taking names. I'm impressed. Sure, you don't want to trade up jobs and give up massaging people?"

  Xairin shrugged as he tossed her a smile. "I love what I do, plus I'm a sentinel now, remember?"

  "Speaking of, how's that going?"

  "I killed a bunch of bad guys, fought a powerful vampire, and even helped take out those marsupial monsters you've been reading about in the news."

  "No, shit?" She asked.

  Xairin grinned as he leaned against the bar. "No poop."

  "Still trying not to cuss, huh?" She asked him.

  Xairin sighed. "Since this whole vampire existence, I have to admit my tongue has been off the leash more than I like, so now that I'm back in town. I'm trying to tame it back down."

  Lucretia grinned. "That is one thing I have always liked about you."

  "One thing I've always liked about you to Lu. I always hate it when drag queens get up there and get all raunchy with their language."

  Lucretia agreed. She agreed so in an excited manner. "I always prefer class, over Vulgaris trash." She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, all these younger queens are all about
the vulgar approach so you may want to cover your ears. The queen I reluctantly hired to help me out, is, well, let's just say, a wild one."

  "What's their stage name?" He asked.

  She pointed to the stage right as an alarm went off that sounded like a siren one would expect if a nuclear meltdown was about to happen. Purple lights began to swirl all over the stage and a holographic display, shot purple flames into the air, swirling, forming the words. "Prepare yourselves ladies and gents, for HELL-IN BED!"

  "Hellin Bed?" Xairin asked.

  Lucretia shrugged with a snarky look. "What can I say, she draws a large crowd."

  On the stage, a drag queen with a blond curly wig, fashioned perfectly to her head emerged from holographic purple flames. She was dressed in a green skimpy halter top, a green skirt, and green stiletto heels.

  Six men, naked, and well built, came out of additional purple flames. They laid down around her, lying on their sides, flaunting their goods.

  "How are all you sexy motherfuckers doing tonight!?" She asked into a headset mostly hidden by her wig. The crowd yelled as they gathered.

  "I thought tonight I would bring back a classic from the 20s. Get yourselves, ready bitches!"

  Hell-in Bed smiled as she adjusted her headset. "Tonight, we are going to pay a motherfucking tribute to a drag queen that never got the respect she truly deserved. Tonight, you sexy bitches, are going to get a taste of a true artist, a blast from the mother fucking past."

  A person in the crowd yelled. "HURRY UP, BITCH!"

  Hell-in smirked. "Listen here, honey, you don't ever tell a queen to hurry the fuck up." She looked out into the crowd. "Tonight, we honor the magnificent, Willem Belli! With one of her greatest hits, Love you like a big Shlong!"

  Holographic purple flames swirled. Above the stage, the name of a song appeared. "LOVE YOU LIKE A BIG SHLONG."

  A highly amped techno theme began thumping. She walked, strutting herself around a man that stood up, dragging her fingers along his chest, leading downward. "I like dick a ton."

  Xairin looked over at Lucretia. "Are you serious?"

  "IT is a funny song." She said.

  Xairin turned his head back, seeing her rubbing up on the next man while saying the next part of the lyrics. "I, I love you like a big schlong baby

  I, I love you like a big schlong baby

  I, I love you like a big schlong baby

  And I keep makin' it skeet skeet skeet skeet skeet skeet."

  She strutted to the next man, rubbing all over him, sensually. "No shade, no tea

  I'm a size queen looking for 23, Want your whole enchilada inside of me.

  With no queso, please

  Dick cheese makes me wheeze

  And I also like the BBC."

  Three men stood up and lifted the queen upon their shoulders. She continued singing. "Cause I want you to go down there."

  Xairin rolled his eyes. "Well, it is a catchy tune."

  The queen turned her head, looking out into the crowd roaring with cheering. Xairin's eyes zoomed in. The drag queen had pitch black eyes that flashed back to green. "Holy shit, she's a vampire."

  She hit the next set of lyrics as the naked dancers sat her down. The music was playing on a mixed-up loop, bringing back a repeat of some lyrics. "Give me that Big Black Cock, please

  If you don't get down

  Brothers gather round.

  What can do for you, fuck me boo, hell bring your crew?

  So fun, let me spit my gum.

  Go ahead and stare

  I'll suck 'em all

  While taking pics on my phone.

  Dickpig from the start, sperm-laden sharts

  Oops, I 'ma change my thong!

  "I, I love you like a big schlong baby

  I, I love you like a big schlong baby

  I, I love you like a big schlong baby

  And I keep makin' it skeet skeet skeet skeet skeet skeet."

  Xairin sighed.

  Hell-in Bed took a bow. The currency counter in tips had reached over a thousand. Lucretia was tossing snarky glares. "Well, fuck me running!"

  "Lucretia!" He said.

  "Well at least someone's going home with some decent tips tonight." She said sarcastically.

  Xairin looked at her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You're still my favorite."

  "Well, thank you." She said while looking at the stage.

  "Well, I guess I'm going to head out, and see if I can't find Rory." Xairin looked at his phone, so far neither Topher, Rory, nor even Ezra had responded. No one he had contacted had yet seen the texts, none of them were marked read. "See you later?"

  "Of course, doll." She kissed him on the cheek. "Here, honey, take a bottle of blood on the house."

  Xairin took the forty-ounce bottle of cloned pigs’ blood. "Thanks!"

  Xairin chugged half of it. Then the other half he consumed once he made it across the dance floor. Once he was outside, he walked over to a recycling kiosk, placed the bottle in the rounded tube, and then swiped his Identification card to get the one-dollar currency loaded to his primary checking.

  Xairin made it to his jeep. Looked at his phone, so far nothing. He was putting it in his pocket when it started to ring. He looked at it. It said, "Bastion City Interpol Unit."

  He picked up. "Hello?"

  "May I speak to Xurwan Thunder?"

  Xairin's cheeks puffed out as he exhaled. "This is Xairin."

  "Hello Mr. Thunder, this is Detective Hannibal Quessenberry, one of the agents working with Detective Huxley and Evans. How are you doing tonight, sir?"

  "Fine," Xairin said as he continued to stand there with an annoyed look on his face, after having his name mispronounced. "Just fine, can I help you?"

  "Actually Mr. Thunder, we were hoping you could? You see, we need you to hopefully come in and identify someone."

  Xairin's heart raced. "Someone from my case?"

  "We are hoping so Mr. Thunder."

  "Why isn't Ezra calling me? I thought he was the lead on this case?"

  Hannibal grew quiet for a moment. "Agent Huxley is currently on an undercover assignment, as is Detective Evans. Agent Grace Tomlin and I are working your case until they're back from their new assignments."

  "Okay, fine, meet you at the precinct?"

  "Yes, that would be fine."

  "I can be there in twenty minutes, less if air traffic isn't bad." Xairin offered.

  "Perfect. The same floor, we will be looking for you."

  Xairin hung up. His heart was pounding. He couldn't believe it. Finally, a break in his case, or at least a possible one. He had to admit he was a little upset about that. He was hoping to have found the assholes himself and played a game of cat and mouse with them, or as he joked out loud. "More like Bat and prey."

  _____

  Precinct Seven

  Xairin made the two block trip in fifteen minutes. He decided to go into land mode instead of using the air fans and go airborne.

  He arrived in the parking garage on the bottom floor. Xairin got out and passed several K-15 units along with several officers as he made his way to the elevator. Once inside, it took less than twenty seconds for the doors to open on Ezra's floor. He got out and walked to a waiting area and signed in on the kiosk.

  It didn't take long for a geeky looking detective with brown hair, and a scruffy face to come looking for him. "Xurwin Thunder?"

  "It is pronounced Z-air-in."

  "My mistake. "Xairin. Come this way, please."

  Hannibal led Xairin past the desks where Ezra and Marine sat. He led Xairin to another elevator on the far end. This made the vampire curious. "Where are we going?"

  "I will be honest, Mr. Thunder. We are going to the precinct's morgue. There is a body that we think may be the remains of one of your attackers."

  "Remains?"

  A youthful blond woman approached carrying a twelve-inch tablet like she would a clipboard, hugging it to her chest. She was like Hannibal, both dressed in black a
nd white suits. "You must be Mr. Thunder?"

  "And you are?" He asked.

  "She held the tablet with her left hand while extending her right. "My name is Grace Tomlin, one of the new detectives helping Miss Evans and Agent Huxley."

  "So I am here to identify remains?"

  Grace looked surprised at Hannibal. "Not exactly protocol Agent Quessenberry."

  She pointed to the elevator. "Well, let's get this over with."

  Xairin stepped inside first. The two agents stood in front of him and pressed the button for the third floor.