"So the LCIT thinks that Adrian Chopkith is a century-old serial killer?" Adam grimaced, "I don't really know the guy, but he does seem a bit-"
"Fanatical?" Camilla scoffed, "you feel that way because he is. He is a pompous xenophobe who turned the old message of the Senna and perverted it for his own personal gain. He is a man who cares only about power ... but he is not a murderer."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she gritted her teeth, "you forget that I am old, New Blood. You forget that I was there when Viduus started his spree, and I was there when Lord Durg defeated him and sent him fleeing into the depths of the Living City to die in the sewers with the rest of the rats. Adrian was no more than a fledgling Undying, like myself. There was no way he could have committed those murders, nor could he have stood against the power of Lord Durg for even a moment, let alone survive."
"You know, it's possible that the real Viduus is dead," he replied slowly, "and Adrian is just copying him in a really poor attempt to place blame on anyone but himself."
"No."
"But, the LCIT think-"
"The LCIT is an organisation that vilifies Undying because of what we were before the Last Lords united us and stopped the needless bloodshed," Camilla retorted, "and while I do not agree with what Adrian Chopkith preaches to his adoring masses, it is his right to voice his opinions, no matter how horrible they may be. The LCIT are linking him to at least half a dozen murders that he did not commit, and the kidnapping of our mutual friend, just because his views are extreme."
"Okay, I get it, you two have a history," Adam rolled his eyes, "but look at the facts, Camilla! This Chopkith guy is an extremist who hates having non-Undying in the City. The Senna want to 'go back to the Old Way' and use humans as breathing blood bags! The missing and murdered Fae all spoke out against him, and the park where Grace was abducted was staged to look like a werewolf attack! You heard Onlakk: if the Undying hear that werewolves were responsible for Grace's abduction, the entire City would go nuts and-"
"and more people would flock to Adrian's ideology and vote for the Senna Party. Yes, I can follow your train of thought, New Blood!" She snapped and crossed her arms as if to signal that the discussion should have ended long ago, "I am not an idiot, and I realize that Adrian and the Senna stand to gain a great deal of power from all of this," she frowned, "but I refuse to believe that Adrian would kill anyone; that is not in his character."
"How long has it been since you last spoke with him?" Adam probed, "and all the catty, high-society crap in the Library and the Gardens doesn't count as talking."
"... why?"
"Just answer the question."
"Twenty years," Camilla sighed.
"Twenty years?!" Adam gasped, "and you don't think it's possible that he may have changed in that time? I mean, the first home computer came out only a decade ago or so, and look how much both of our cities have changed since then!"
"Everything changes ..." Camilla nodded and then strode towards him and the computer, "very well then. We will have to speak with Adrian. Give me the floppy disc Naomi gave you."
He handed it over quickly and blinked at her in confusion, "s-speak with him? Won't he kill us?!"
"He. Is not. A. Murderer!" She hissed through her teeth, inserting the floppy disc as she did so, "and if he turns out to be responsible, I'll kill him myself. I was more powerful than him twenty years ago, and I would be willing to bet that I'm more powerful than him now," she waited for the files pertaining to the confirmed-as-missing Undying to download and grumbled under her breath, "it is finished. We need to get out of here, now."
"Okay," Adam nodded and followed her out of the Vault, back across the bridge, and into the elevator. The metal doors sealed behind them and the elevator climbed upwards. He looked over at her and smiled weakly, "hey, Camilla?"
"What?" she scowled.
"Why do you call me New Blood?"
"I call you New Blood," she sniffed the air and grimaced, "because that is what you are. As an Undying you have new blood. You are untested, young, and stupid."
"You could just call me Adam."
She opened her mouth to snap at him and then closed it again.
"That's a 'no' then?"
"No."
"So it's a yes!"
"I could snap your neck like a toothpick, you know that, right?"
"Noted."
The elevator arrived at the main floor and opened with a subdued ding. They waltzed out and nodded at an LCIT agent who gave them a quizzical glance and then returned his attention to the stack of paperwork in his arms. They marched down the hallway that would lead them back to the cubicles, and eventual freedom. No one stopped them or gave them so much as a second glance as they made their way through arguably the most secure building in the entire Living City. Adam rounded a corner and saw the exit rising above the rows of cubicles like a beacon, signalling the end of their mission. He took one step into the bullpen and then froze as a heavy, furry hand landed on his shoulder.
"No sudden movements or else, Undying. Turn around, slowly."
Adam held his breath as he turned around and released it as he came face to muzzle with Officer Onlakk. Onlakk blinked in surprise at him, his jet-black fur bristling in clear discomfort. Adam smiled weakly and gave him an awkward wave. Camilla groaned and raised her hands as the LCIT officer pointed a small can of compressed verbena at their eyes.
"Adam Peaks?" He sniffed the air and his tongue flicked out between his sharp teeth, "what are you doing here? How did you get in?!"
"I, er," Adam stuffed Naomi's access card deeper into his pocket to ensure she would not be blamed, "I'm an Umbrella-"
"Umbra Aeternum, you idiot," Camilla rolled her eyes as she corrected him.
"Right, yeah," he nodded, "that. I'm a Shadow, so I just walked in behind some human guy."
"How did she get in here?" he growled, showing his fangs.
"I am an Adarbu," Camilla retorted with a smirk, "mortals cannot hope to contend with our power-"
"Invisibility," Onlakk shook his head, "you turned yourself invisible and waltzed in with him, didn't you? I've told the guards outside not to dismiss the detectors as false alarms so many times. I have only one more question for you two: why are you here?"
"... would you believe that we came to report a crime?" Adam grimaced.
"No, I would not," he replied coolly, "I followed you from the elevator. You went down to the Vault, so I will ask you one last time: why are you here?"
"W-we just want to help," Adam cracked immediately under the pressure, "the missing Undying, one of them is Camilla's friend. Her name is-"
"Shut up, New Blood!" Camilla snarled, "we-"
"-Grace Adarbu," he continued undeterred, "she and Camilla are really close, a-and the LCIT haven't done anything about the m-missing Undying! I was a-attacked by the thing that's killing people last night, and nothing's been done about it! W-we wanted to break into the Vault to see what l-leads the LCIT had and ..." he gulped as he slowly realized just how many laws they had likely broken, "and w-we just wanted to h-help."
"You just wanted to help?" Onlakk squinted at him and then lowered the can of verbena to his belt, "say that again, and look me in the eyes."
"I ... okay," Adam looked him in the eyes and heard Camilla's sharp intake of breath. He felt a violent shiver run up and down his spine as he became transfixed by Onlakk's unwavering gaze. It was like looking into two deep, dark wells that demanded him to tell them everything he knew, to divulge his darkest secrets with the willingness and naivety of a newborn. He felt his heart slow to a crawl as he looked into those dark pits and he opened his mouth, "we just want to help find her."
Onlakk regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments. He grunted and holstered his weapon, "come with me."
He grabbed them roughly by their arms and wheeled them through the cubicles, past the front reception area, and to the doors. He nodded at the guards on duty and barked something in another language at a werewolf standing by a side door. The LCIT guard shot him a quizzical look and then shrugged, opening the door without a word.
Onlakk let go and pointed at the open door, "go. Don't let me catch you anywhere near this place again. If anyone asks you, we never spoke, and I never saw you two here, understood?"
"Understood," Adam nodded, relief filling his chest, "thank you, Onlakk."
"Be careful, Mr. Peaks. Diving into the affairs of powerful people is likely to get us all killed. Now get out of here!" Onlakk shook his shaggy head and slammed the side door closed, leaving them alone in an alley.
"Oh my God, can you believe that he just let us go?!" Adam laughed, his anxiety abating for a moment.
"Yes, I can," Camilla nodded, "are you aware that he was reading your mind?"
"... excuse me?"
"You looked into his eyes, New Blood," Camilla rubbed her temple in annoyance, "werewolves are apex predators, like the Undying. They may not be able to perform magic, but they are powerful nonetheless. How do you think they held their own in the wars against our kind, through being big, tough dogs? To look into the eyes of a werewolf is to give yourself over to their will. They can paralyse you, sense your intentions, read your surface thoughts and emotions, and even go as far as to command your actions like a puppet-master," she grinned, "you're an idiot but, lucky for you, you're an honest idiot, and this Onlakk appears to be a man of honour. You told him you were trying to help while your mind was open to him and he sensed that you meant no harm, so he released us. You continue to mildly impress me from time to time, New Blood."
His heart skipped a beat, "th-thank you-"
"Quiet. We must get back to the car right away. Come along."
***
"Hey guys, how'd it go?!" Jake shouted from the clockwork car as he spied them coming down the street. He and Naomi shared a nervous glance and waited for Adam and Camilla to rejoin them.
"We got it," Adam grinned, "there were a whole bunch of files and reports about the missing Undying, and get this: the LCIT think that it's the serial killer Viduus that's been kidnapping people, not the Beast and-"
"They are making assumptions, based on the similarities between his murders and the current missing cases," Camilla interrupted, "and they have a suspect, though it is my belief that they are jumping to conclusions rather haphazardly. This Beast that attacked you and Jakob is the most likely culprit, and not the Undying they say is using it as a cover."
"Who are they looking at?" Jake asked.
"Adrian Chopkith," Adam replied solemnly, "it's all on the floppy disc, but the LCIT thinks that he's been kidnapping people who've opposed or wronged him and the Senna party, and pinning the disappearances on the Beast and werewolves!"
Jake and Naomi looked at one another again and gulped.
Camilla rolled her eyes, "well, are you going to tell us what you're worried about, or do I need to-"
"We just bumped into Chris Stout," Jake clenched his jaw, "and saw something pretty bad, Camilla."
"... what?"
"He was carrying a box," Naomi continued for him, "he got it from some crooked LCIT agent looking for money and a quick promotion-"
"Christopher Stout does not have the authority to give out LCIT orders!" She scoffed.
"No, but Adrian will, once he's Representative of the City," Jake grumbled, "listen to her, Cammy."
"Yeah Cammy," Naomi grinned in spite of the dire situation, "listen to this: the box was filled with werewolf fur and vials of blood. I can't be sure, but based on all the other werewolf stuff, I don't think the blood was human or Undying."
"Chris said that it was Adrian who ordered the box of wolfman gear," Jake nodded, "which kinda makes me think ... why would someone who hates werewolves so much got out of their way to get werewolf fur-"
"Shut up and get us out of here," Camilla growled at him as she passed the floppy disc up front, "Naomi, please take a look at this and tell us what you think."
"Me?" Naomi grabbed the floppy disc and then started fishing through her bag, "why?"
"You are mortal," Camilla grimaced, "and an LCIT agent in training. It never hurts to get multiple opinions. I want to know what you make of the reports."
"How is she supposed to look at them, Camilla?" Adam chuckled, "it's not like she has a holy shit, Naomi! Is that a Vectra?!"
Naomi grinned as she pulled the Hewlett Packard out of her bag, "yeah, standard issue for all LCIT agents. We have a guy."
"Jesus, I want a guy who can get me a laptop!"
"Too bad, LCIT only. You get to be immortal, I get to play with the latest and greatest toys," she stuck her tongue out at him with a chuckle of unrestrained glee.
Camilla shook her head, "Jake, drive us away from here, please."
"Yes ma'am!" Jake shifted into drive and took off, careening down a slender, winding road.
"Okay, give me a few minutes," Naomi loaded the floppy disc into the port on her laptop and navigated through the text files. She began reading, her eyes flying back and forth across the screen at an almost inhuman pace. After several minutes she sighed and looked up at them, "it looks like the LCIT are assuming that the person behind these disappearances is the real Viduus, or damn near close to it. The reports all say that the M.O. is so similar to the original murders that they're considering this a return, not a copycat. They think that Adrian Chopkith knew Viduus, possibly even an accomplice, and that he's decided the appearance of this Beast is the perfect time to go back to killing people."
"That is impossible," Camilla replied, "the original Viduus was cornered by Lord Thomas Durg himself and defeated. He fled into the streets, broken and bleeding. Even if he did survive Lord Durg's magic he would have succumbed to his wounds in the end. I witnessed their duel myself and trust me when I say that no Undying could have lived with the injuries he sustained."
"Did anyone see who he actually was though?" Adam asked, "did they ever find his body?"
"No," Camilla admitted, "but-"
"Actually, they did," Naomi interrupted, "or at least, the LCIT think that they found the body of Viduus. There's a report in here ..." she squinted at the words on the screen, "yeah, right here: 'body of a male Undying found in an alley near the main Courtyard. Sustained heavy injuries, likely from blood magic. Last Lord Durg confirms that the injuries appear to be the same as those inflicted to the killer known as Viduus during their altercation. Subject identified as Lorne Grandi, Fohmor, Aged 233. No charges laid against Lord Durg as he acted in the best interests of the Living City, case closed' so, they found him ... but they think he's back?"
"No, they think they caught the wrong guy," Adam mused.
"No, I agree with Camilla on this one, Adam," Naomi shook her head, "the crimes are similar, but this time around things are a little weird. The first Viduus killed a bunch of Undying and left their bodies out where people would find them. He kidnapped and tortured his victims, yeah, but he always left their remains in the open. Our Viduus is way more careful. Not a single one of the missing Undying have turned up, and other than Grace, there were almost no signs of struggling. Viduus went on a spree and tormented the entire Living City ... he wanted attention; whoever's doing it this time isn't making his presence known, and the whole thing with this Beast only comes up once in files associated with Chopkith, as a possible cover-up."
"Okay, well is there anything else about the Beast in these files, like maybe whether or not it was set loose on the City by any groups in particular?"
"Uh, nope," she frowned again, "there are only a few reports that are linked to this thing, and all of them are really recent. Like, as in a few weeks recent. They think it's something from the Tromlagg that Viduus is using as a convenient fall-guy. Man, they've been investigating a possible return of Viduus for decades!
"All I'm hearing," Adam said, "is that the guy kidnapping people all over the City is doing it quietly, methodically, and at the same time that a monster has appeared. Oh, and until Grace this Viduus hasn't shown any sort of political agenda. Now all of a sudden this murderer is kidnapping Undying royals and making it look like werewolves are doing it, and Adrian's top aide just happened to be carrying around a box of werewolf fur and blood?! I'm sorry, but it's got to be Adrian!"
Jake nodded, "every single victim was vocal in their opposition to the Senna party, right? Adrian prides himself on returning the Undying to the Old Way, and openly hates anyone who is not Undying. Adrian was alive when the Viduus killings happened. He'd know that Viduus always kidnapped his victims first. The LCIT thinks it's been him all along, but Adam's right that he might just have been inspired by what happened back then."
"He might even be leaving just enough evidence to make the LCIT assume that the real Viduus has returned ... but what he doesn't know is that the LCIT did find the original Viduus' body, and they know that these new disappearances couldn't have been done by the real deal, and now they know who was helping Viduus a century ago," Naomi grinned, "clever of him, but not clever enough."
"We should avoid jumping to conclusions," Camilla began, "Adrian is a-"
Jake slammed his hands on the steering wheel, "son of a BITCH!"
"What?!" Adam jumped.
Adam glanced out the window and felt his heart fall into his stomach. A large group of Undying were gathered in the streets, waving signs and shouting obscenities at any who refused to join them in their march. Some of the Undying were carrying makeshift weapons and tossing bottles at the feet of the LCIT agents making a last-second perimeter around them. Set up hastily in the middle of the street was a small stage and, standing proudly atop the stage in a black suit with an orange tie, was Adrian Chopkith.
Thank you for reading! Please check out all my content on the website mwjgilmour.com, YouTube.com/@MogliruStreams and Patreon.com/Mogliru