Second Genesis

by Eric Williams

  Walking the halls of site 8 was Lillian. She had changed into a new business suit, this one was white with black trimmings. She loved skirts and high heels, she seemed formidable yet alluring. Her black and white high heel shoes could be heard a few feet away as she approached Aaron peeking in on the wolfman. She was carrying a metal briefcase with her which she seemed to hold tightly too when she spoke. “Doctor Battle?”

  Aaron looked up, he wasn’t surprised. He had figured she would linger around. She had been asking too many questions among his staff to think otherwise. “How much longer will you be staying at site 8?”

  Lillian stood beside him and glared at the black furry beast adjusting in its man sized fetal position. “Another day or two.” She smiled. “Seeing humans work alongside my kind has been a blessing. That and I’m not finished training some of your Immortium and Aeonian staff members in combat. I thought for sure it was more inherent to be natural warriors, perhaps these new originals need more time for that to develop.”

  He began to walk off. He seemed a little annoyed. Lillian grinned and followed behind him. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing.”

  They reached an elevator that opened. They both stepped inside the white metal doors and waited until the door closed. It was just them. Aaron pressed floor seven, while she leaned up against the chrome colored walls. “What’s the matter...?”

  “Nervous?” She asked.

  Aaron shook his head. “Not of you.”

  Lillian leaned forward and placed her hand softly to his face. She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Oh Aries. I will give you credit, you’ve hidden well. Giving up your military prowess for medicine, I’m impressed. But your name, Aaron Battle? Don’t you think that's a little obvious?”

  Aaron stepped back and crossed his arms. He had figured she knew. All it took was looking an immortal in the eyes and recognizing their ocular patterns once you've scanned them before. They had a little history, a disagreement that had taken place centuries ago which prompted a little spar to say the least. Aries lost. He looked at her and scoffed. “And Lillian isn't?”

  She laughed. “I was actually thinking about Amanda or Sasha, but Trevor had already picked out the name, so I decided to roll with it.” She smirked. “Why medicine anyhow?”

  Aaron kept his strong composure. “Call it redemption on my part. Besides I’m still fighting wars Ninlil. Fighting a virus or bacteria is unique in every patient. There’s no monotony in the art. I’m saving people now instead of destroying them.”

  She nodded. “That you are. I have to hand it to you though, I never thought you’d leave the Tribunal.”

  Aaron smirked. “They lost their way years ago.”

  Lillian shrugged. “So where do we go from here? Do you really think the humans will maintain peace?”

  Aaron sighed. “Most of them are more evolved than Rhymes if that’s what you’re getting at. I’m just worried some idiot immortal will ruin it for the rest of us. It's why I’ve chosen to stay, hidden in plain sight.”

  He looked at Lillian and tilted his head. “What about you? You’re not exactly the innocent either. Do you think your Society of Night can last?”

  She put her hands behind her and leaned back. She had a serious look about her. “I really want the same thing. It's easier living out in the open. But... I do worry given we’ve been declared not being human, just a subspecies. Humans and their lack of equality still amaze me. I met Jori Manning last month, he seems to be fighting hard to assure equal rights.” Her right eyebrow raised. “I saw on one of those live feeds just yesterday about a story of an apartment building in Boston evicting Immortium. Civil rights… You’d think they'd evolve more than that.”

  Aaron scoffed. “Some are very evolved, some haven't come that far yet. You could say the same about us.”

  Lillian rolled her eyes. “I hear your sister Aphrodite leads the Tribunal now. I never had the chance to say I was sorry to hear about your father.”

  Aaron smirked. “Let's not talk about him. As for my sister, I admit, I never saw that one coming either. I guess all immortals can still hold a surprise or two. Hera never saw her as a threat either until she ripped her heart out and ate it.”

  “Seriously?” Lillian inquired.

  Aaron shrugged. “Like I said, surprised all of us.”

  “Does she have any leads on who’s leading the conclave?”

  He shrugged again. “No. Just rumors, but nothing concrete. A few rumored angelic names, a titan or two, but nothing else is standing out yet.”

  “Titans? I hadn't heard them joining the conclave.”

  “Ninlil, you went to sleep sometime in the 1990s. Right after Jaxalon died. A few Titans moved in on the angelic movements. But... Now that we know there’s nothing magical about our origins, it's shaken everyone up. Look, if I hear anything, I will tell you. Just keep my name out of it? I do enjoy this life. I’m not ready to be outed yet.”

  They both looked forward when the door opened. She smiled. “Don’t worry, it's not my style to out anyone.”

  Aaron looked down and saw the metal briefcase she was clinging too. He had an idea of what was in it. “Please tell me that’s not Grand Alpha blood in that case.”

  Lillian smirked, “Oh, I can’t get anything past you, can I?”

  He growled at her, “Where’s the trust?”

  She scoffed, “Aaron, Aries, my dear. Trust has been established, I am simply making sure those that decline to pledge to an Alpha, do indeed pledge to an Alpha so we don’t end up with more Grand Alphas morphing to cause possible threats to our way of life. So, since we are on the subject, what is the security code to the water filtration room?” She smiled, “I’ve seen copies of the schematics for each of your facilities Aaron. I know that each containment room houses the different species, keeping them segregated. So, if you will just give me the code, so I can add a simple pint of a Grand Alpha’s blood to the water reservoir for that containment room, you and I both can rest easier at night knowing we both worked together to keep further immortal conflicts from potential spewing into the mortal fray. If you give me the code I won't have to use a mortal to accomplish my task.”

  “I can’t let you do that Lilith.” He said huffing.

  She leaned into the wall and glared into his eyes. “How many wars have we seen Aries? Four? Five? Immortal wars? What do you think is going to happen when some of our original Alphas that have emerged start to undergo Grand Alpha Morphology? You and I both have lived far too long for either of us to wish seeing history go into repetition. I am simply wishing to control grand Alpha morphology, that's it. Besides, I only plan to put it in the water supply should our fledgling immortals refuse a blood pact. Think of it as a safety net. I give you my word.”

  She smirked. “Unless of course you want some other immortal faction to come in and do the same. You know it's being plotted already.”

  Aaron knew she was right and hated to admit it. “Fine, but this is just one facility Lil, one. There are hundreds more housing my kind and yours...”

  She smiled, “Oh I know. My operatives are already on it at the other locations. Now I can simply do what the others are doing by mind controlling a few mortals to do it for us, or you can give me the code and I will do it myself. Either way, you said it yourself, you’re a neutral. Do you want the balance to shift to the Conclave? Or even your sister?”

  He sighed. “Whose blood is in the box?”

  She grinned while her eyes turned black. “Mine, Argosh, the pack leader of the Sasquatch tribe, Rendale, the minotaur, Heva the weretiger, your uncle Poseidon of course. Mohem the wererat and Erissa the Gargoyle and I even managed to sway the Valkyrie, Greggor to the cause.” She smirked. “Hey, I could have enlisted Anubis and Bast but they’re both on the fence about a council seat.” She grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t expose the water supply unless too many immortals refuse the blood pacts to be offered in the classes I requested.

  Aaron looked a
t her, clearly, he hadn’t looked at her request yet.

  “OH Aaron, read your emails, will you? Otherwise I must resort to such actions…”

  “God damnit!” He said. He rolled his eyes and looked off to the side. Finally, he relented. “A-908-B-71-774 FOX.”

  “Now see, that wasn’t so hard now was it? You and I both know we can’t afford another immortal war and too many grand Alphas running around would spur such a thing. You did the right thing Aaron.”

  She smirked. “Check your email darling. I need those clearances for several Alpha’s so that they can begin conducting Society 101 classes... I will re-forward the list of names, so you can clear them. It’s far easier if our emerging immortals join a house, next, pride or pack to assure they’re properly acclimated. I want to make sure these new immortals are both well versed in what we are striving for and additional chances at assuring blood pacts being performed.”

  Aaron had a defeated look in his eyes but knew she was right. An immortal war would benefit no one, nor the humans for that matter. He had seen this in the past and knew just how bad it could get for them being caught in the cross fires. He nodded. “Email it to me again and I will see what I can do.”

  She walked off, leaving him to his thoughts.

  Chapter 8

  The dotted line.

  Xairin was in a large room that looked like a high school gym but without the basketball court decor. There were hundreds of bunk beds set up in this wing. The room was a metallic gray in color, along with its fittings. It had an open shower that both genders had to share which made Xairin a little uncomfortable over the past few days. One end had a walk-in cooler, filled with hundreds of bags filled with cloned blood that was stocked every morning when most of them were sleeping. Most of the ones here had survived being bitten and transformed two months prior. Looking up you could see some of them hanging from bars that had been installed, they hung just like bats with their elongated clawed toes that could morph at will between batlike feet and human ones.

  Xairin slept on the bottom bunk to bed 206. He had green sheets, and a small slide out drawer on the side of his bunk. He had only been given a few essentials, grooming products.

  The center of the room had a doorway that slid up into the ceiling, each one present had access. Beyond that door, was a gym set up for both Immortium and Aeonian physical testing. Most of the equipment had to be specially crafted to meet their unique physiology so that the test could confirm just how strong they were. It was like a modern YMCA, filled with machines, free weights, and a track that was built above the room and fitted with laser sensors to pick up just how fast they could run.

  All Xairin really went for was the small swimming pool down the next flight of steps. He didn’t care for lifting weights with the other men. All the amounts of unnecessary grunting going on, made him feel like he was trapped in a gay porno flick gone horribly wrong given the way some of the men sounded.

  _____

  He was resting on his bunk bed reading his kindle app on a tablet that had been provided. He had tried to contact K2 and check in with him, but no reply as of yet had been transmitted. Xairin was starting to worry about his mechanical family member. On top of that, Xairin was worried his pal had been reclaimed by some government division. Ownership of property, such as housing, transportations, droids, and even jobs were becoming a growing concern. Four new arrivals had been evicted from a rental home in Boston, while rumors of other issues regarding equal rights were surfacing. Xairin just tried to be optimistic.

  Xairin had made two friends. A woman named Ramira Gomez. She was forty-seven when she was bitten on her back porch while putting up clothing to air dry by way of an older art most didn’t use anymore. Her grandson heard the screams when the bat attacked the woman, biting her right arm, and then fleeing when her grandson came out shooting at it. Ramira now looked like she was 25. Her salt and pepper hair had regained its solid black luster, that conformed to her Hispanic features given it was shoulder length. She was short, 5’6, perfected by ASV5, the vampiric strain.

  His second friend he had made was Ernie Hoffler. Ernie was a certified proud self-proclaimed computer nerd. The young blonde man was working late at his Tech Firm. The blue-eyed man was working at his cubicle, answering the phones, and doing his best to give elaborate walkthroughs to customers calling in with complaints about their computers not working. Ernie was a tall thin guy, often dressed in a t-shirt, and thick glasses. His headset prevented his knowledge of the glass breaking behind him when a bat struck the side of his building and broke into the work floor. IT bit seven others, before sneaking up on Ernie. It it wasn't for a security droid, he might not still be here.

  One vampire most thought too highly of was Thomas Harris. Thomas was one of the resident Alphas. A jock head by all accounts in Xairin’s book. The man was a personal trainer that would go on and on in his constant rants about how he saved some of his students one night when a bat managed to get into his gym. He managed to electrocute the creature, right after it bit him. He was already nice too look at before he was bitten, now he looked like he could compete in bodybuilding pageants. He was blonde haired, brown eyed, and an asshole by all accounts in the way he treated others. Given his line of work, and how he portrayed himself, he was one of the largest proponents in why Xairin avoided working out with the others.

  The next vampire most seemed to avoid was Calvin Trejo. Trejo was like Thomas in some regards, a bodybuilder who could put Thomas to shame. Trejo was an Alpha as well. The Hispanic man kept to himself and had a look about him that was forewarning. The rumor was, he used to be a car thief and was recently out of prison for his third offense. Now the man worked on cars, his specialty was dronemobiles. Xairin would look at him, hoping the long-haired man wouldn’t see him staring, but often, he would catch Xairin glaring.

  Parker Roark was another vampire Xairin tried to avoid due to the way he hung around Thomas. Parker was a martial arts instructor at a local dojo that came under siege by the same albino bat that bit Xairin. Parker had a short high top styled haircut, hiding his hair’s darker tone. He was tall, lean, and often a joker, but also a harsh man to deal with. He delighted in showing off to the point it came across as arrogance. Needless to say, he got along well with Thomas Harris as the two were constantly competing in the gym against one another.

  For Xairin that day, he was lounging on his bunk bed reading on a kindle that had been provided. Xairin loved to read when the chance arose. Today was Tuesday, Tuesday’s were days Xairin often dreaded. Each caste of immortal would be called into large theater styled rooms to watch boring videos on a movie theater sized screen. The videos were painfully corny. Xairin equated them to what he would expect to see when starting a new job. The movies played were an hour or longer, the last one lasted five. They gave information that had been sourced from the Society of Night, making sure each caste of each species of immortal knew the up and up.

  They always called the Alpha’s first. The Betas next, and then the Deltas and Omegas got to go together. There were also what the society was calling, converts, those that had yet to enter the embryonic phase. They got called last. Xairin noticed more and more of them seemed to be showing up due to the bat bites. The last time he was in a coop event with some of the resident weredogs, the same rumor was flying amongst them as well, more and more converts pouring in.

  “ALL Alpha VAMPIRES REPORT TO ROOM 11!” A woman's voice called out over the intercom. “ALL Alpha THROPES, CANINE, REPORT TO ROOM 5. ALL Alpha FELINES, PLEASE REPORT TO ROOM 22. ALL Alpha MER, PLEASE REPORT TO ROOM 609. Alpha GORGONS, REPORT TO ROOM 15.”

  “Here we go again. “Xairin mumbled. His mumbling got the attention of a newer vampire named Urio. Urio was Caucasian, with an odd accent Xairin never could place. He was slender, toned with immortal definitions, and not that well-groomed. His brown wavy hair was always all over the place. Xairin surmised he was a grown man, living with a relative the way he carried himself. He was also quite th
e busy body.

  Urio had a nasally voice, one of those voices that got on your nerves as fast as you heard him laugh. Xairin tried his best to be nice to the man, but his bold busy body approach was wearing Xairin thin. “Xairin? What do you think the vids will be today?”

  Xairin didn’t look up but was polite in his reply. “How would I know Urio? I’m sure it's just another Aeonian 101 segment.”

  The man walked off while Xairin remained immersed in the book he was reading. Xairin chuckled a little bit, smirking the words. “Sparkling vampires?”

  He heard them announce for the Betas next. After that he knew the Deltas and Omegas would be called for. Xairin wasn’t really sure which one he was, he honestly didn’t want to know to be honest. He had heard so many rules being enforced on those that had assimilation glands, that Xairin hoped he stayed at the bottom for as long as possible.