Second Genesis

by Eric Williams

  She got up and put her hands on the table. “You see the fallen had mortal ties and used human hunters to weaken any immortal sect that challenged them. They twisted several believers of the Abrahamic religions perceptions to help them recruit. Anyways… Jaxalon kidnapped my own offspring when my guard was down, the last child I bore. Since I wouldn’t kill his enemy for him, he thought my offspring could.” She sighed. “Part of the reason I went into hibernation.”

  Lillian’s mood shifted to a thick sadness. It could be seen on her face. “I’ve lost several children over the past few thousand years over a law that was imposed by several Olympian Aeonians that had defected to the Immortal Conclave. They killed my children before they were strong enough to defend themselves. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing another child all over again, so I decided to sleep.”

  Miss Eastwick was curious, while trying to keep her thoughts guarded. “Why would they do that?”

  Lillian seemed a little tearful. “Another secret. You see, silver… Kills every immortal that’s exposed to it. All except for one… Myself…”

  Rhymes gasped.

  “Any vampire I have ever made by my bite, has a weakness to silver, but any child I’ve ever given birth too, shared my resistance. Because of this trait, other immortals feared that one of my offspring would one day have the ability to assimilate humans into silver resistant vampires and give my house a most paramount advantage. So... They killed my children one by one when it was most opportune to try. I was older, stronger, so killing me was a difficult task in itself. But my children, needed more time to come into their own. As for Jaxalon, he hoped to use my child, hoping she could make silver resistant underlings so he would have his own army. He brainwashed her… She thought he was her father. I lost her to this evil sect, one of several reasons I wanted to join with humanity and prevent their evil from prevailing once more or giving them any chance to gain a foothold in the mortal world now that our world is exposed. We have to work together if we stand a chance at subplotting them.”

  She walked around the room, pacing a little. “Killing a Grand Alpha is difficult. Even with beheading. Our brains develop a physical shape that allows them to escape when our head are severed. My own brain takes the form of a bat like creature that can flee should I be beheaded again. I simply regenerate a new body. The same is true with several other Grand Alphas. I’ve even heard of some of the older Alpha’s capable of doing such. You will need my help when they begin their attacks.”

  She sat back down teary eyed. “The majority of my children had achieved Beta. A handful had made Alpha on their own but were no match for most of the Grand Alpha’s that came calling. Which is why you will need me, and the other Grand Alpha’s that have pledged loyalty to The Society of Night.”

  Sophie questioned. “The Olympian Alphas, these Aeonians. The ones that were human from the start. Why do they lack the ability to turn others?”

  Lillian let out a friendly smirk while looking at Doctor Battle. “The research shows that primates, the humanoid form, the very genetic blueprints that make up the physical form of bipedal creatures that were already humanoid, develop differently. The aeon strain found the carrier it was programmed to hunt. If a human is infected by an animal, that's when your Beta and Alpha development comes into being so that the strain can adapt. Creating those capable of turning others. When the Aeon Strain finds the genetic codes for the physical shape it covets, it creates the stable variation of the new species. If I have read the report correctly, it's when the strain crosses the zoological order, from animal to human, that's when Alpha morphology evolves and permits a creature becoming capable of developing the glands for transmission.”

  Lillian smiled. “Genesis, creation in the aeon strain’s image.

  A woman sitting six seats down, wearing a green business suit, and her white hair pulled up into a bun, smirked and interrupted “Genesis? Please do not blaspheme.”

  Lillian eyed the brown eyed woman sitting there smirking at her. She saw the cross dangling around her neck and smiled. Lillian’s tongue was playful when she addressed Commander Loren. “Genesis is a very appropriate word. Many of your religions are rooted in either Immortium or Aeonian influences. As we speak, project genesis is underway, creating habitable moons, in mankind's image. I find it quite ironic, that while you humans have taken to creating genesis in the stars, that a second genesis of immortals has come to be on earth…”

  Commander Loren rolled her eyes.

  Lillian shifted her sight from Commander Loren, back to Aaron and then Sophie. “As far as I know, after seven thousand years of life, we have learned that the Aeonians can only reproduce the old fashion way. When an Alpha Aeonian dies their Beta, offspring stand a chance to awaken into a new Alpha but Aeonians lack the ability to convert a human. I will also add, that Alpha and Beta morphology, or as we call it, evolution, like the rest of us, this ability can occur randomly. Or when a Beta can resist the control of the Alpha responsible for their existence, that and of course the demise of the reigning Alpha.”

  Rhymes demanded, “But you’re the only one immune to silver?”

  She nodded. “Yes. And don't ask me why. I myself have never understood it. All I know, is that from when I began as an immortal, I was immune to the one thing that can kill all the others, and I alone have this immunity. Aside from my children that were taken from me. This is why. In my vengeful days, I repaid the debt on any Immortium or Aeonian that killed my sons and daughters with an eye for an eye approach.”

  Miss Eastwick spoke up, but softly. “You’re Lilith.”

  Lillian shed a tear. She wiped it away while replying. “That’s just one name I’ve gone by.” She looked around the room. “My first name was Ninlil, reason I am the leader of House Ninlil. Anyhow, there you have it. All my secrets, which I have already downloaded into your database, and what I kept to myself, I have just divulged into this room.”

  The room was quiet. Aaron was at a loss for words, while Sophie wasn't. She had to know something. “How did you become a vampire?”

  Lillian rolled her teary eyes. “In my moments of despair, I prayed for anything to save me, be it from above or below. To spare me so that I could enact my revenge on my tribe for my mistreatment. You see. I was a slave that rebelled against my… for lack of a better phrase, arranged marriage. Because I wouldn’t be the submissive wife I was demanded to be, I was tied to a tree and beaten to the brink of death. They offered me to what we believed to be a demon, a beast that lived within a cave nearby. They would feed young women in my tribe to this creature to placate it, mostly virgins, and women who wouldn't be subservient. In return, it would spare the tribe. For some reason, instead of killing me, it only bit me and left me to turn. Given what I know now, I can only conclude that the creature that passed on its legacy to me was the final evolved form of some early species of Vampire bat infected by the Aeon Strain. He was fully humanoid, with the exception of lacking true arms of course. The thing had developed massive psychic powers, giving it the ability to control the elements and even the atom to some degree. To make a long story short, once I broke free of its telepathic control, I was able to kill him on my own. This gained the attention of other immortals, but that's another story. As for the thing that bit me, he wasn’t alone. There were others like him roosting in his cave. I killed them one by one. Hoping to slay them before they could make others like myself, but they had done so already.”

  Lillian looked at each person present. “I don't remember much about the creature that bit me other than a few things. I can only surmise that these animals that are becoming humanoid, will become smarter as they continue onward into their evolution, I can’t say for sure how quickly. What I can tell you is this… They’re strong, vicious, and can barely control their need to feed. It's why we need to find and kill every last animal infected with the Aeon Strain before they can become fully humanoid and start to come into their own. Once they become intelligent, they will manifest various
psychic abilities that will make them far more difficult to eradicate. Not to mention they’ll make far too many original Immortium, many of which could be entirely new creatures all together.”

  Enthralled in the history lesson into Lilith’s past, Miss Eastwick had to know. “I know some of the Sumerian Lore in regard to Lilith, along with Jewish lore as well. Was this demon, this bat creature, was it Samael?”

  Lillian smirked, “That’s what my tribe referred to him as, other tribes called him Belial.”

  Aaron smirked, “Every Lilith legend I ever heard, depicted you as a demon, a killer of men.”

  Lillian locked eyes with Aaron. “Most legends have some truth, the rest of it is twisted to suit those who wish to spin the tale.”

  Rhymes scoffed. “So, these Olympians, were basically humans infected by the Aeon Strain and thought they were gods? I take it Zeus, and the others, that whole story real?” He scoffed again. “Next I guess you’re going to tell us that Medusa is going to attack and turn us all to stone with a single glare…”

  Lillian tilted her head. “Oh lord no Grand General. Medusa, plural by the way, can’t turn anyone to stone. They’re just highly venomous. They can secrete a paralytic toxin that causes muscle cramping and tightening until the victim becomes temporarily paralyzed and unable to move. That or if an Alpha Medusa decided to assimilate you, they have glands for that as well.”

  Everyone in the room just looked at one another while Sophie’s eyebrows raised. Eventually the Madam Supreme broke the silence in the room and asked. “So, you have killed humans then?”

  Lillian was playfully annoyed. “I wouldn’t call it killing Madam Supreme. I call it feeding in self-defense.”

  Rhymes scoffed while he nodded. “Well. we can at least agree on killing the carriers. Unfortunately, we have Amanda Galsburg to contend with.”

  Lillian seemed upset. “Contend with who? And why?”

  Rhymes blurted. “She’s the head of GNEAT. The Global Network for Ethical Animal Treatment. Maybe you were awake when PETA was a pain in the ass? She’s been overseeing Animal rights for about a decade, and she's working to protect these creatures. Setting up sanctuaries and such.”

  Lillian continued. “The animals like the one that bit me were powerful Grand General. The old ones were very hard to kill and cannot be controlled once they start manifesting abilities. Trust me, they must be destroyed.”

  Everyone in the room looked at one another.

  _____

  Room Seven.

  The council concluded and went their separate ways. Meanwhile, Xairin continued developing in what Lilith called, the rebirth phase, being reborn in Immortium Image. For some, it took as long as seven days to complete, Xairin was developing faster than the research indicated.

  Twelve hours had passed since he entered this chrysalis like state. During that time, his dreams persisted of reliving horrific moments in his past, mostly the beating he had endured, followed by the same dream of his mother fighting what looked like lizard people right after the crash. Seeing his mother’s pitch-black eyes haunted him.

  By this point, his nosferatu visage had molded back into that of a handsome version of himself. Xairin had finally acquired the form he had always coveted. His internal views would have to evolve on their own.

  His hibernated state was ending. His eyes opened. Xairin didn’t have the pitch-black eyes the others had, his eye lenses were red, a trait passed on from the albino bat that bit him.

  Xairin’s strong hands reached outward and began pulling at the inside wall of his confinement. It ripped open. Fluid gushed out on top of the table he rested on and into the floor. He slowly raised upward while tugging at the rip.

  His body was covered with a pink slimy goo.

  He looked around the white room. He was more aware of what he was. He wasn't pitying himself for being a vampire, he was actually grateful. It wasn’t the form he had that he was exploring with his wet hands that made him appreciate it. The enhancements had him in sheer awe but that wasn’t what he was thankful for the vampirism giving him. Xairin had relieved that horrific encounter over and over in that twelve-hour span of being reborn. He knew, that the only reason he was alive was all in part to that bat finding him and biting him. Otherwise he knew he would have died.

  Xairin stretched his arms and legs. He yawned.

  Primal knowledge had filtered into his mind from the bat and some from the alien, though most of that was still sleeping to some degree. He tilted his head and chattered his teeth together. His ears wiggled a little when his biosonar revealed a busy hallway outside his door. He could see outlines in his mind of the robots making their rounds, alongside human counterparts. He could make out seven hallways branching out from his location. This ability didn’t surprise him, it was natural to him. Like breathing. Testing himself, he chattered his teeth together again. Biosonar detailed his room, he felt the outline of all the medical equipment present as well as what wasn't easily seen, showing him several hidden compartments in his room that would likely open up with a verbal command. He saw the patterns in the wall, and realized weapons were in each room, blaster rifles. The wall likely slid or retracted in some way.

  He saw a shower stall in the far corner of his room, open and adjacent. He walked over and began rinsing the residue from his skin while exploring the rest of his new body. There was a mirror beside it. Xairin tried his best to not let his new physique get the better of his mind but given the fact he had abs and a broad chest and shoulders excited him. He also admired the view down below.

  He reached for a towel and dried off before putting on a set of white scrubs left for him to wear. He scratched his subtle hairy chest for a moment before putting on the top. It fit snug, almost too snug. It was a large after all. He was used to wearing XX…

  Xairin ran his fingers through his wavy short hair when the door to his room opened. He turned around to seeing Doctor Battle enter the room. “I see you’re awake...?”

  Xairin licked his lips before speaking. “Yes.”

  He looked at the doctor standing there in his blue scrubs. “You seem surprised?”

  “I'll admit, I wasn’t expecting you to emerge so soon. Most of the others take days to wake up.” He replied with a shrug.

  “What do you mean?”

  Aaron shrugged again. “Each immortal usually takes a few days to emerge. You emerged in a little over twelve hours.”

  Aaron walked over to Xairin. “Can I examine you really quick?”

  Xairin thought he was flirting and perked a grin. “Sure doc.”

  He sat down in a chair. The only thing Aaron was interested in, was putting on a pair of gloves and opened Xairin’s mouth. He felt the roof, right behind the canines. No pouches were present. “Well, you’re not a Beta or an Alpha.”

  Xairin had inherited knowledge of that aspect. “You could have asked Doctor.”

  Aaron had a stethoscope and listened to Xairin’s heart. Forty-two beats per minute. His respirations were slower than a human, six. Next, he checked his temperature, that was 103.1. Vampires and thropes tended to run higher than humans, opposing preconceived lore.

  “Am I going to live Doctor Battle?”

  Aaron leaned back. “You’re fine, everything seems to be in the norm.”

  Aaron cocked his head. “How’s your memory?”

  Xairin sighed. “If you're referring to our previous conversation, I remember what happened to me Doctor. I remember the one man’s face, but the others are still a blur. I never actually saw them, just the one.”

  He got up off the chair while Aaron turned around.” There is a detective that’s been wanting to speak to you. Now that you’re… functional, I will need to contact him, so you can give him a statement.”

  Xairin seemed hesitant. “I just got finished reliving it over and over. I’m not really sure I’m ready to do that again.”

  “I can understand your hesitation about it.. You'll have to give it sooner or later. I can give you a
few more days, but he will be paying you a visit. Until then, you'll be joining the other vampires here in quarantine.”

  Doctor Battle got up and pressed the hand print module opening the door again. “You need to acclimate yourself.”

  Xairin’s face looked curious. “What do you mean by that?”

  “You’ve been frozen for two months Xairin. It's going to take some time to get your bearings.”

  _____

  Two days later.

  Aaron was walking the halls, peeking in rooms by looking at the monitoring screens outside them alongside the entry doors. Several were coming back. He was looking in one room, standing just outside the door as the viewing screen zoomed in on the translucent hide of the protective sac. He could see a werewolf’s face, canine, twitching inside it's sheath.