Human Purity Alliance (Hypernaturals 4)

Come On Over

Jessica looked as surprised as any of us. As a medical doctor, she understood the rather significant implications of Mom's statement. She asked, "Mom: Are you saying you can turn any human into a Vampire?"

Mom squinched up her face a bit and backtracked slightly "Well, not exactly, dear one. It is your idea, after all, Doctor. I have given it much thought since you mentioned the concept. I am fairly certain we can change the odds of being turned to be far more favorable to the Vampire infectious mechanism taking hold."

Jessica waited. We all did. When it became clear to Mom we expected her to not just stop talking, she said "Sorry: Did you want me to go into that right now?"

"Mom! Seriously?" I exclaimed

Jessica looked at me sternly. She did not like me addressing my mom like that. She asked politely "Yes Mom: Please. It does have a bearing here."

Mom looked at Dad, who grinned at her "Go on dear. I think it might work."

"Fine. I was talking about this with your Dad one night after Jessica mentioned her general idea. The whole thing about how not only would our children outlive us but one of them is going to far outlive us. That turned to a conversation about whether or not we would choose to become Vampires if we could." Mom started off.

Jessica inserted "If you were going to turn, you would have when we bit you, months ago."

My parents have already been exposed to the organisms that create Vampires. When we told my parents about Vampires, we bit and injected them with the 'Juice': a hypnotic our bodies create. Normally it is how we erase human memory of ever being bitten in the first place, but it is a general-purpose hypnotic. In this case, we inserted a hypnotic 'checkpoint' in their memory, so that we can use the 'Juice' to erase their memories in the future if need be. There is a risk from being bitten they would turn, but it is hugely small for Dad, and about one in twenty-five hundred for Mom, according to Vampire thinking. Not like we have written data to look at. Maybe we should ask the MiB what the actual odds are.

Morgan's mother is a Vampire, and Morgan turned the same day I laid my fangs into her. Succumbing to the genetic rewrite that makes a human into a Vampire seems to be about genetic susceptibility. Women are far more likely to turn than men, so it is sex-linked as well. Vulnerability to the bite with its Vampiric micro-creators should run in families to some degree. It certainly did in Morgan's case. I injected Morgan with every bit of hypnotic in my body to get her brain unwound from the Siren Song, so she received a pretty good dose.

Mom gave Jessica a tentative smile. Mom has nothing but respect for Jessica as a Doctor. Jessica has been a Doctor for decades. For all that, I could see and hear in Mom's voice a slight bit of something. A gotcha. A hint of 'Yeah, but...'. Mom pointed out in gently "Yes: if we were going to be turned the normal way. You are neglecting my dear that Vampires do not actually try to bring humans over. You actively avoid biting women because we turn so much more easily than men. Your world discourages recruitment, often on pain of death. It is a matriarchy. Care and compassion are at its core, no matter how cruel the enforcement."

"Yes... But multiple bites, therefore exposures, to the same individual do not seem to increase the odds of Vampiric Morphism. That is the problem with my idea." Jessica pointed out. The two Doctors talking shop. The rest of us listening.

"What if the individual has a cold? The Flu? More seriously, something like AIDS?" Mom asked.

Jessica shrugged "They are not likely to be bitten if they are sick. Drinking is often about having sex with the human, and a Vampire is unlikely to choose someone who is ill."

Mom went on "If the chances are one in millions for a male, how strongly have you tracked the stats for what multiple bites do? Does one in fourteen million become one is seven million on the second exposure? Have Vampires ever kept records? Have Vampires got data to track things at that level of accuracy?"