He stood up, licking the rest of the venison grease from his fingers, and refilled his cup. The red-eyed man was standing against the wall, a filled cup in hand, and a bored look in his eyes. Banes didn’t feel the need to say anything, but leaned back on the wall beside him.
The man was a fair bit shorter then he was, and even with their diet and exercise, his skin was still sallow, and the dark shadows under his eyes had not lifted. After a while of silently drinking, while the barn was filled with increasingly loud shouts and cheers of people getting drunk, Banes felt the need to talk to him, but had no idea how to start a conversation with him. They had spent two weeks together, but the man had barely said a word to anyone. The alcohol was slowing his brain down.
‘I don’t suppose you have a cigarette, do you?’ the man said, and for the first time, Banes noticed that he had a Scottish accent.
‘I couldn’t bring any with me,’ Banes said.
‘Goddamn,’ he said, taking another gulp. ‘This is the worst party I’ve ever been to.’
Banes laughed. ‘I’ve been to worse. Have you ever been to a really formal party?’
‘How formal are we talking?’
‘Dance card formal,’ Banes said, ‘white glove formal. Master of ceremonies formal.’
‘Fuck me,’ he said. ‘No, never.’
‘Then you won’t understand why this isn’t the worst party that I have ever been to,’ Banes said, ‘not by a long shot.’
‘Well, my bar isn’t set too high either,’ he said, taking a drink. ‘You’re Intuneric, right?’
‘Call me Banes,’ he said. ‘And you?’
‘Robin. Robin Taggart.’
They lapsed into silence as they refilled their cups. Everything began to blur around the edges.
‘So,’ Robin said slowly,’ what enticed you to join Rebirth?’
‘For the amazing conversations I would be having.’
‘And seriously?’
Banes shrugged, ‘I didn’t want to be left out. You?’
‘Because I’ve been around humans now for long enough to realise that with them in control of the world, we’re all doomed. If we don’t do something soon, then we’ll all go extinct.’
‘That’s a good point,’ Banes said.
‘And what people like him,’ Robin jerked his head towards Brooks, ‘and every other person here don’t seem to realise, is that we need them. If humans die, then we die too. We’re not a superior species; this is about ensuring that our food chain doesn’t fail, and we don’t all starve to death.’
‘That’s so refreshing to hear,’ Banes said. ‘Everyone else here seems to be on a goddamn ego trip.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Robin said.
They lapsed into silence again, drinking and looking around at the barn. The flames of the fire were hot against his skin, the smell of smoke and burnt venison mixing with the alcohol. Everyone, at this point, was mostly gathered around the fire and too drunk to notice them.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ Banes said, welcoming the sense of time unravelling, his sight starting to become disjointed. ‘C’mon, let’s go for a walk.’
‘Where to?’ Robin asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Banes said, ‘just, away from here.’
Robin took a long sip of his drink. ‘Yeah, alright then.’
They refilled their cups and headed off out of the barn. The drink had warmed in the barrel and mixed with the chilling, early morning air. The sky above was just turning the deepest shade of dark turquoise; they probably had two hours left before it became too bright. He began to enjoy the walk, the night-time air clearing his lungs and the stretch in his legs, as the bank lead on to steeper, rockier ground, before the rise, which marked the very edge of Rebirth’s territory.
‘Do you think that we’re anywhere near where you’re from?’ Banes asked.
‘Meaning?’ Robin said, with a raised eyebrow.
‘You’re from Scotland, and we’re in Scotland.’
‘How the fuck should I know that?’ Robin said. ‘I don’t have a single clue where we are.’
‘Well, we’re somewhere in the Highlands,’ Banes said, ‘are you from the Highlands?’
‘What do you want? My mother’s maiden name and the family tree?’
Banes shrugged. ‘My mother’s maiden name was Venenum.’
‘Fascinating,’ Robin said, ‘but you’ll get nothing out of me.’
The rise in the earth gave way to another valley of raw, rugged terrain of rolling, stony moorland, before another peak of mountains in the distance. Banes ran his fingers through the end of Robin’s ponytail. Robin brushed him away.
‘What are you doing?’ he said. ‘You’re drunk.’
‘So are you,’ Banes said, dropping his fingers off Robin’s shoulders. Despite the condition his skin was in, he smelt great. He began to kiss down his neck and along his shoulder, breathing in his clear, rainwater smell.
‘Hey,’ Robin said, not moving, ‘it’s not that I don’t appreciate the attention, but I’m not sure how you expect me to return the affection.’
‘Why, are you straight?’
‘No, I’m asexual. There’s a word for that now.’
Banes pulled back. ‘Sorry.’
Robin shrugged. ‘Don’t be. If I wasn’t then I would probably be into you.’
Banes laughed, as his eyes came to rest on a solid shape against the rocky backdrop of the mountains.
‘What’s that?’
Robin shrugged. ‘Looks like a warehouse.’
‘Yeah, and what’s it doing all the way out here?’ Banes said.
‘No idea,’ Robin said. ‘It probably belongs to Rebirth. Fancy taking a look?’
Banes drained the very last of his cup. ‘Yeah, alright. Won’t we get in trouble if we’re seen, or something?’
‘Then let’s not get caught,’ Robin said.
They stumbled down the side of the hill towards the warehouse; Banes noticed a newly paved road running back to the training base. Underneath the alcohol, something stirred within him. As they got closer, he could see through the murk of the early dawn that it wasn’t just one building, but two; both giant warehouses, painted dark greyish green, ringed with a barbed wire fence and a checkpoint. He put his arm out to stop Robin from walking any further.
‘We’re close enough,’ he said.
‘It’s probably just storage,’ Robin said.
‘But what’s inside it?’
Banes stood there, something prickling inside him. There was a heavy, metallic clang, then the grating sound of one of the large bay doors pulling back. Banes yanked Robin down onto the ground, lying flat against the side of the hill, and crawled behind a rocky mount. There was a brief flood of light as a Jeep rolled out. Behind that, Banes could see rows of heavy vehicles. In the glimpse he had, he saw Humvees, and then as the light settled, water cannons, against a backdrop of lines of armoured vehicles.
‘It looks like military equipment,’ he said, his mouth dry. ‘Lots of military equipment.’
‘Fuck,’ Robin said. ‘It is.’
‘Who is financing them?’ Banes asked.
‘Them?’
‘Rebirth,’ Banes said. ‘Let alone the financial cost of all of this…how many people know about this? The politicians, military figures, the intelligence services…’
Robin nodded. ‘Well, Marr did say that Rebirth have already worked their way into human establishments in this country.’
‘Yeah,’ Banes said, ‘but this is…quite something.’
They watched the Jeep drive away, pressing themselves close down against the side of the mount. Banes felt the haze of alcohol evaporate from inside him. It was a miracle that he and the hunter weren’t dead already.
A deep feeling of unease settled in his stomach, a nervous dread flexing down his spine to the tips of his fingers and the soles of his feet, as he silently gestured for Robin to join him in beginning his ascent back.
Chapter Nine
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Weird Eyes And A Shit-Eating Grin
The hunter had been reluctant to come out to meet him, but he didn’t want to talk openly on the phone.
They met in a café beside Russell Square; he found the air in his apartment stifling. The walk to the café was refreshing despite the pouring rain, and he found the edge of his anxiousness softening against gentle splashes and drips of water. He bought himself a cup of tea and waited, before the hunter slumped down into the chair opposite him with a large black coffee. There were heavy dark circles under her eyes, and her tied-back hair was lank.
‘You look rough,’ he said. She shook her head.
‘I’m fine.’
He raised an eyebrow and sipped his tea. ‘Really?’
‘Really,’ she said. ‘So, how was it?’
He recounted his training, and the excess of human meat and the warehouses full of military gear. Her face barely changed throughout, except for her brows slowly drawing closer together, her lips becoming tauter.
‘Sweetheart,’ Banes said, ‘it is really fucking stupid to continue with this, now.’
‘But we knew this already,’ she said. ‘Not the true extent, but we knew that Rebirth had infiltrated human establishments.’
‘I thought that Tycho and Cecilia were maybe talking about a backbencher they’d managed to persuade to join them, or maybe had a Superintendent to look the other way,’ he said. ‘Not this entire clusterfuck of a conspiracy. And we still don’t know the true extent of their reach. Look, I’m telling you that if you want to survive, you should quit while you’re still ahead.’
She sighed. ‘You know why I’m doing this, Banes, and I’m not going to stop.’
‘Sweetheart,’ he said, lowering his voice, ‘you are severely underestimating them at this point.’
‘This isn’t going to stop me, Banes,’ she said. ‘If anything, I now want to destroy them even more.’
He sighed, taking a sip of his tea. ‘I know, but this is really fucking stupid.’
‘Are you scared?’ she asked.
‘Of course, I’m scared,’ he said. ‘This is terrifying; Tycho and Cecilia Marr have an army, and for all we know, the Prime Minister’s involved too. What’s not to be scared of?’
‘Well, unless you confront this, then you’re always going to be scared,’ she said.
Banes scoffed. ‘I’d rather be scared than dead, sweetheart.’
‘So, you’re a coward?’
‘A living coward,’ he said. ‘Look, I’ve lived for a long time, and I’ve met a lot of hero types who believed in nobility, bravery and sacrifice, and all of these grand principles. It sounds great, but they let themselves be robbed. When you come down to it, the only thing you really have is your own life. That’s it. A brief flash of light and warmth, in between infinite slabs of the void. And people are willing give it up, and for what?’
‘To protect their loved ones,’ the hunter said, cutting across him, ‘to make a stand, to try and better the world. For some people, there isn’t a choice in the matter; it’s just something that has to be done.’
‘Jesus Christ,’ Banes said, taking a long drink of tea, ‘this isn’t about individual sacrifice, but more the fact that we’re both about to be crushed by a giant organisation with secret government backing and its own paramilitary group.’
‘I’ve still got to try,’ she said. ‘If I just let this go and watch the consequences without opposing it, then I won’t be living. I’ll just be existing.’
‘Fuck,’ he said, covering his face with his hand. ‘I’ve lived through two World Wars, so trust me when I say that this is how you get yourself killed. You want to know what really makes a martyr? It’s only if people give a fuck. No-one’s looking, sweetheart.’
Her eyes burned into his. ‘I’m doing this, Banes, and you can’t change my mind on the matter.’
‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘I’ve come to expect that from you, and you’re going to get us both fucking killed for it.’
‘I don’t care,’ she said. ‘Tomorrow you’re going to start working there, and you’re going to tell me everything; the names of people, who they are, what their role is, where the base is…everything you can think of.’
‘And you’ll look into whatever’s in Bexhill?’ he asked.
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘We’re trying to get an audience with the Shield of Scarlet…’
‘Who will already know about Rebirth by now,’ Banes said, ‘and will more than likely have their own spies.’
‘We’re still going to try,’ she said. ‘We’re going to try everything.’
‘And then, what happens when you’ve tried everything?’ he said.
‘Then it’ll be the end,’ she said.
Banes sighed into his tea. ‘I’m pretty sure there was a point in time where you’d have been burnt as a witch,’ he said. ‘You’re far too difficult.’
* * *
Banes had had no assumptions about what Rebirth’s base would be; he was neither surprised, nor expecting to find himself in front of one of the grand, anonymous buildings down a side street in St James, a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly. There was a dark-panelled pub one street across, with shining stained-glass windows and a hoard of smokers standing outside, the smoke streaming in the foggy evening. Not wanting to attract their attention, he swiftly paced up to the front.
The front double doors were highly polished, and open. He walked into a nondescript reception; a sterile, white room, decorated with tall glasses, vases, microphotography of green plants on the walls, and a few chairs. A woman with sleek hair in a ponytail sat behind a white desk.
‘Do you have an appointment?’ she asked. For a second, his mind went blank, and he forgot what he was meant to say.
‘Yes, um, I’m Banes Intuneric and I’m with – ’
She nodded and cut him off before he could finish, gesturing to a door. ‘Yes, it’s right down there, Mr Intuneric.’
He waved his hand in thanks and set off walking towards the door, heat rising to his face. The door lead to a single corridor. He passed through another door and down a short flight of stairs, to a large room, which housed a security selection, with three x-ray machines facing a large, metal door, and a row of metal detectors. The air was cooler here, and smelled slightly of dust. The lights were dimmed so that he could remove his sunglasses. One person was sat behind a desk with several computers on it; another was standing by a set of lockers that took up the length of the wall.
‘Name?’ the man behind the desk asked in a bored voice, saturated in Cockney. Banes caught a glimpse of his fangs.
‘Banes Intuneric.’
There was the hammering of types on the keyboard. ‘Division?’
‘Assets requirement?’
‘I’ll ask you to surrender your bag, phone and any personal belongings over, please sir,’ he said. ‘Standard procedure ‘ere.’
He had expected something like this, and passed over his mobile and satchel to the woman standing next to the lockers, who sealed it shut. The man behind the desk handed him a lanyard with a laminated card on it; Banes saw that it had on it the photograph taken during his training.
‘This is for you,’ he explained. ‘Shows that you’re cleared to enter. Return it when you leave so we can return your items.’
Banes nodded, and as he passed through the metal detector, the light flashed to red. He turned back to face the guard.
‘You still got your protection amulet on you?’ he said.
Banes nodded again, drawing it up from under his top. The guard rolled his eyes.
‘Typical,’ he said, grabbing a hand-held detector from the desk. ‘Gimme a sec.’
He waved the detector over Banes; it buzzed when it reached his earrings, amulet and belt buckle. ‘Try not to wear so much metal next time you come through ‘ere. Off you go.’
Banes turned to head through to the next door as he heard someone else enter the room, greeting the guards, as he pushed it open. He came to
another staircase; whatever set-up the rest of the building had was lost here. The walls and stairs were bare, unpainted cement, the smell of dust and the indistinct, faded scents of dozens of vampires lingering in the air. His footsteps echoed faintly as he walked down and found another metal door, this time with the crimson phoenix sprayed painted onto it. With a slight apprehension, he pushed open the door into Rebirth’s true base.
He found himself in a long, wide tunnel, which, to human eyes, he was sure would be pitch black. It had the grimy, worn smell he associated with the Underground, accompanied by a gentle breeze of stale air. The walls and ceiling were made of rough, uneven cement, with a few loose wires protruding from it.
‘If you’re wondering why it looks like shit, that’s because we ran out of money,’ a somewhat tart, female voice said behind him.
He turned around to see a young woman grinning at him, a cup of coffee in her hand. There was a shifting energy to her; everything about her movements was fluid and quick. She was small, deathly pale, and skinny, with narrow features. Her shoulder-length, dishevelled, ash blonde hair seemed washed of colour, the only part of her appearance standing out being her light grey eyes, which had a wild spark to them. Her pale appearance was only accentuated by her dark clothes; a faded, dark flannel top, black fingerless gloves, ripped, tartan jeans, and heavy, black boots. He noticed that she was also wearing black nail varnish.
‘Who are you?’ he asked.
‘Rosemary May,’ she said. ‘I spoke to Charlie back there, and he said you’re new in assets requirement.’
Banes nodded. ‘Yep.’
‘Good – you’re with me, then,’ she said.
‘You work assets requirement, then?’ Banes asked.
She nodded. ‘I run it; I’m the reason this place got off the ground in the first place, and I’m still the key benefactor. My father left practically everything to me, including the majority of shares in his company. It’s worth billions. I still send a proxy to board meetings and everything. Everyone there assumes that I’m a sixty-something-year-old woman who likes living in England. Occasionally, I’ll attend the odd event or dinner party in prosthetic makeup to keep the illusion going.’
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