As Dee and Duffy strode towards the rather small-looking house in the suburbs on the southeast, Dee couldn't help but feel a tremble make its way through her body as a chill of fear began to settle in her belly. And it wasn't the growing cold that was giving her that chill. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, something that it was doing earlier and earlier in the day. Today, sunset was at 8:32 pm and already the air was getting cold enough for their breath to be visible.
A cloudy sky overhead hid both the stars and the full moon that was supposed to be hanging up there, making things even darker as the sun continued to slip out of sight. Nothing that helped settle her nerves.
No, it was the fact that they were marching into a house full of vampires which, according to her knowledge, hadn't eaten all day, that was sending the cold chill racing through her body.
"I don't know if this is such a good idea!" she muttered half to herself as they climbed the short flight of stairs leading to the house's front door. "We certainly don't want to piss these guys off."
"Considering what we'll be asking them, I highly doubt we will, as you so quaintly put it, 'piss' any of them off," Duffy reassured her with a half smile. Still, Dee could see questions of his own dancing in his rheumy eyes. Mordecai had said that the old detective hadn't enjoyed his brief sojourn with the vampires as it was. To be marching right back to the place where he had literally feared that his life would come to an end, must have taken more than a fair measure of intestinal fortitude.
Then it was Duffy that was muttering under his breath as he came to a halt in front of the house's door, his breath pluming whitely in front of him.
"I just hope they hear us out before they suck us bloody dry!"
A light tap on the storm door led immediately to movement inside the house.
"Well, at least we know they're awake," Dee commented softly as they heard someone walk almost silently towards the door. "Let's just hope they don't get grouchy like humans do when they first wake up!"
The door handle to the inside door rattled slightly before being swiftly twisted to release the catch holding the door closed. Then it was swinging out of the way, revealing the shadowed figure of a rather large man, dressed completely in black from head to toe. A man, Duffy thankfully recognized.
"Yes?" a softly accented voice hissed.
"Commander Lash, it's Duffy." Duffy stepped slightly forward and the big man crossed his arms across his chest.
"Ah, yes. The human detective. I was just about to send a team to discover your whereabouts, Mr. Duffy." The man's head turned slightly and, though his face was completely hidden in shadow, Dee could feel his eyes rake over her. "And it would appear that you have a new companion. An associate of Mordecai's no doubt, or you wouldn't have risked bringing her here."
"This is Detective Tragedy McMaster, Lash." Duffy introduced Dee with a gesture. "She and I work together with the Calgary Police Department."
"Detective." Lash bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. "You have an unusual first name. May I ask as to how you received it?"
Dee abruptly found her mouth desert dry, her throat tightening at the thought that she now had the full attention of a rather large, blood-sucking mutant.
"Uh," she began with a stammer. "It was actually my mother. She named me that because she, uh, she considered her pregnancy with me a tragedy because she didn't really like my father that much."
"I see," Lash answered, his voice oddly thoughtful. "Every child born to my people, detective, is treasured more than the finest silks, the most pure gold, or the most perfect gem stone. No vampire woman would consider a child a tragedy, but the most precious blessing." Without warning he stepped back, holding the door open wide.
"But I forget myself and my civility. You humans feel the cold's bite more deeply than my people do. Please, step inside and you can tell me why you've returned to us."
It took but a moment for Duffy to nod his thanks and the two of them to step inside. Once inside, Lash closing the door behind them, Dee wasn't that surprised to find the interior of the house almost as cold as it was outside. As Lash just said, the vampires didn't seem to feel the cold as deeply as they did. Still, it was better than standing out in the strengthening wind that was starting to blow outside.
Now standing revealed in the unfettered light cast by the naked bulb illuminating the entryway Dee and Duffy found themselves in, Dee could see that the vampire named Lash was an almost arrogantly handsome man, with dark hair, flashing green eyes and swarthy skin. It was as she made her quick assessment that she caught sight of his bemused smile, which revealed the unmistakable fangs and she swallowed hard, any sort of physical attraction gone in a flare of cold fear.
"If you would be so kind to follow me," Lash said, stepping past the two humans and into what Duffy had supposed was some kind of living room when he and Mordecai had vacated this place early that morning.
Following the big vampire into the room, they swiftly took the seats he indicated they should with a gesture, plain wooden chairs that sat in the room's center. As they sat, he took a third wooden chair and sat himself, carefully crossing his legs to assume a studied posture of casual interest, as if trying to put the humans at ease.
So demanding was the big vampire's presence, that Dee and Duffy both found it hard to make a visual survey of the plain, unfurnished room. Instead, they gazed at Lash, minds whirling.
"So, Detective Duffy." Lash smiled close-lipped to keep his fangs hidden. "I trust that Mordecai is doing much better, considering that you and him were able to leave this morning without a great deal of trouble." Then the smile was gone and he was leaning forward slightly. "But enough of the pleasantries. What brings you back into the embrace of the Qos Viran, detective? Surely you didn't enjoy our company so much during the first encounter you had with us that you desired to spend more time in the presence of vampires."
"Uh, yes, well, I do have the Qos Viran to thank for saving mine and Mordecai's life," Duffy began, fumbling with the pronunciation of the alien-sounding name. "But I've actually come with a proposal for your consideration, if you'd give me the chance to present it to you."
"Of course," Lash replied, gesturing with a hand that Duffy go on. "I'm sure it must be interesting to thrust you back willingly into the lion's mouth."
"Um, indeed. Well, at least I hope so." Duffy smiled weakly before clearing his throat and going on, knowing the big vampire wasn't the most patient of creatures. It wouldn't take much for him to lose interest in keeping the two humans alive.
"As you are aware, the Brotherhood is operating in Calgary. While this isn't any news to you, what may be interesting is the fact that we've managed to uncover a plot by the Brotherhood to initiate a series of coups that will topple world governments, enabling them to supplant them with puppet regimes of their own."
Duffy almost paused as he watched Lash suddenly go tense, his eyes narrowing as his mind churned into high gear. Instead, clearing his throat yet again, he gamely pressed on.
"Once these puppet governments are in place, the Brotherhood then plans to systematically exterminate normal Humanity, and replace them with a psionic super race."
"What??" Lash husked hoarsely, nearly coming out of his seat at that, his eyes flying wide. Duffy hastily went on before he lost his nerve in the face of an obviously upset vampire.
"The plot is called the Armageddon Project and calls for the termination of all fringe species, including werewolves and vampires, to ensure the purity of the new human race," he said the rest in a rush. No longer able to contain himself, Lash exploded out of his chair to surge across the space between the humans and him and take Duffy by the arms, staring hard into his face.
"How?" he snarled tightly. "How did you find out about this plot?" he demanded.
Shrinking away from Lash's rage, Duffy almost couldn't answer.
"In ... in the war between Mordecai and the Brotherhood!" he managed to stammer, staring into Lash's enraged face. "He pulled it from a Brotherhood database that was left unprotected after an attack." A twist on the truth, but it was enough to get the point across.
"Kadasa!" the big vampire snarled tightly as he spun away from the quaking Duffy, smashing a clenched fist into an open palm with a loud 'crack'. He hissed a tight stream in the vampires' alien-sounding language before abruptly switching back to English.
"We should've guessed that something was afoot when the Brotherhood began to draw back from its various skirmishes against the clans all over the world. But not even the Elders would have surmised it was because of this!" He glanced over his shoulder. "Your associate, the former psionic named Mordecai. He was fighting some sort of war against the Brotherhood?"
"Yes." This time it was Dee that answered, Duffy still shaking from having a very angry vampire only inches from the tip of his nose and quite unable to even speak.
Instantly Lash's cat-like eyes swung around to stab into Dee's. The tall redhead couldn't help but swallow harshly in the light of that look. Still, she had to go on.
"And, Fate willing, he hopes to continue the battle against the Brotherhood and stop them before they can put into place this plan of theirs."
"Admirable, but why would a psionic wish to fight against his own people?" Lash demanded tightly.
"Because the Brotherhood represents a radical element within the psionic ranks that wants to dominate the world, not just live in it, like most psionics do. Most are content to live behind the Shield and experience a modicum of normality, without fear of discovery by a paranoid human race. But the Brotherhood would see all that destroyed and all psionics bend the knee to them, as supreme rulers of the new human race. Hundreds, if not thousands of psionics have already died resisting them."
Lash slowly shook his head, going just as quickly from anger to stunned astonishment as the anger had arisen in the first place. He stared hard at the floor.
"We always knew the Brotherhood as a ruthlessly efficient organization bent on achieving its goals at all costs. But, by the blood of their own people?? Thanos bel lakim. Madness walks amongst us!"
Then he was looking over at first Dee, then Duffy, who had taken the pause to recover his wits.
"You said you had some sort of proposal for us, Duffy. I think now would be a good time to table it, in light of this new information you've brought us."
"Right." Still somewhat nervous despite Lash being visibly calmer, Duffy cleared his throat a third time. "My comrade here, Detective McMaster and I have uncovered the presence of several Brotherhood spies within the local police department. Logical, if the Brotherhood was to successfully remain hidden. Their moles worked to destroy evidence gathered by the police of their existence and various activities in the city, keeping them hidden from the rest of Humanity living here. This, as we've recently learned, was done in preparation for the Armageddon Project's launch which, we have also recently learned, is to be here, in Calgary."
"Here?" Lash hissed, eyes flying wide, his newfound calmness instantly evaporating. "I've brought my team here, into the middle of this madness?"
"You can't be more surprised than we were to discover that Calgary was to be ground zero for the eventual extermination of the entire normal Human Race," Dee added, a grim expression of her own on her face. "The information that Mordecai was able to retrieve gives us both times and places. Information we plan on using to stop the Brotherhood before they can actually launch the project!" She looked over at Duffy, who picked up the thread almost effortlessly, as if they had rehearsed it.
"Right. But we can't prepare ourselves and gather our resources if the very department we are working for is rife with enemy spies watching our every move."
Lash nodded, eyes narrowed once more in thought, a studied expression on his handsome face.
"So, the moles have to be removed. That much is easily apparent. But where does my team come into play?"
Duffy smiled thinly.
"Actually, it has to do with something I watched one of your team members do. The woman, the one who examined Mordecai shortly after you took out the werewolves attacking us."
"Olira?" Lash frowned. "My team's medic?"
"The very one, I believe. She was able to pass her hands over Mordecai's head and determine whether his psionic abilities were active or not."
Lash nodded again as he recalled the incident.
"My people have the ability to sense bioenergy fields, especially those generated by human bodies. It's useful in the hunt. And, as we've discovered in our long-running dispute with the psionics, it also is useful in determining whether a psionic field is active, since such fields have a negative effect on our physiology."
"Right. My question is: can you detect if a normal human's mind has been altered by psionic energies?"
Lash's mouth opened to answer, only to close a half-second later as he frowned thoughtfully.
"To be frank, Duffy, I don't know. Perhaps we should ask my resident expert on psionic energies, the very same woman that examined your friend." He turned slightly to call out in his smooth, sinuous language, the only word the two humans recognized being the proper name that Lash had mentioned before, Olira.
It took only a moment beyond the summons before a smoldering beauty appeared from the hallway, easily as lovely as Lash was handsome, her skin a pale cream in contrast to the male vampire's swarthy complexion. Yet her hair, pulled into a practical braid, was as midnight black and her eyes as brightly intense as Lash's, both Duffy and Dee feeling their heat as they swept through the room, raking over them in passing.
Then she was gazing up into Lash's face after a quick bow of her head, speaking in softly accented English for the humans' benefit.
"You need me, commander?" she asked softly in that husky voice Duffy remembered her having that still sent a thrill up his spine despite his rather high level of fear. Lash nodded, a thoughtful expression back on his face as he stroked his chin in time to the thoughts swirling around in his vampire brain.
"I do indeed, Olira." He glanced over his shoulder at Dee and Duffy. "These humans need some information and I believe you can provide it to them."
"Of course, commander. By your will." Again Olira bowed slightly, clearly subservient to the big vampire. Even more so than what either human had expected a junior team member to be in a similar human situation. But they didn't have time to consider the social dynamics of vampire culture; they were there to find out if the Qos Viran would help them take out the moles!
"The humans want to know whether or not you'd be able to sense whether a normal human's mind has been altered by psionic energies."
The Qos Viran medic was quick in her reply.
"Of course, commander," she said with a nod of her head. "Psionic energies leave a residue in living tissues, whether those tissues generated the energy or were just subject to it. If a normal human has had a psionic somehow alter their mind, then I would be able to detect the traces of psionic energies in their mind. Although I wouldn't be able to determine how recent the altering took place, or its extent. Only that it had happened."
The big Qos Viran commander looked over at Dee and Duffy, a question on his face.
"Would that be enough to suit your purposes?"
Duffy looked over at Dee for a moment, a question on his own face. Then he was back to Lash after Dee's confirming nod.
"I believe so, yes," he said, his smile broadening slightly. "We've already narrowed the list of suspects down to a relatively small number of probables. All we need to do is to confirm that they've been altered by the Brotherhood. Those that are confirmed we will simply assume are the moles we're looking for."
The smile faltered slightly at that point as the final part of the proposal went through Duffy's mind. If the Qos Viran agreed to it, he was basically signing the death warrants for those people himself, people that may not even know that they're functioning as moles for the Brotherhood. But Duffy pushed that aside though as he thought of what the Brotherhood had in store for them all.
If they didn't take out the moles, there was a good chance that the Brotherhood could discover what they were about to do, and take steps to stop them. And that could easily translate into the project going forward as planned, without Mordecai, himself and Dee able to do a thing about it! And that was simply not acceptable.
"And so, here's our proposal: using your ability to detect bioenergies, we would like members of your team to get close enough to the probable moles that we've identified to determine if Brotherhood psionics have been in their heads. If so, we'd then like you to take them out."
"Take them out?" Lash echoed, a slight smile touching his lips. "Are you proposing that we hunt your fellow humans?"
Duffy swallowed carefully and let a sigh slowly ease out between his clenched teeth before he abruptly nodded.
"If they're working for the Brotherhood, with its plans on wiping Humanity out, they're no longer our fellow humans," he replied, a little colder than he thought he'd be. "We need to take them out one way, or another. And it seems to me that your people are probably much more skilled in hunting down and removing individual humans than Detective McMaster and myself."
Both Lash and Olira chuckled softly at that.
"Yes, that would be a fair thing to say." Lash smiled, briefly showing his fangs. "But surely this won't be the limit of our involvement in this matter. By the Elders, you've revealed to me what could possibly be the greatest threat to the clans since the Moon Ridge Incident, early in our history that nearly saw us all dead! I would cloak myself in dishonor if I didn't do anything about it!"
Again Dee and Duffy quickly exchanged glances. It seemed that this little trip was paying more dividends than they had first expected! Perhaps it was a good time to put forth the proposal that Mordecai had thought of earlier that day. This time it was Dee that spoke up.
"Well, commander, we didn't want to be premature in our planning until we, uh ..."
"Could trust us to ally with you humans?" Lash smiled once again as Olira chuckled softly once more.
"Uh, right." Dee forced a smile onto her own face. "We weren't sure you'd even agree to help us with the moles. But, now that you have, we certainly have another suggestion of how your team can help us in our attack against the Brotherhood."
Lash nodded and, with a gesture, dismissed Olira before indicating that Dee go on.
"Don't keep me in suspense, detective," he urged with another smile once Olira had left the room. "Please, go on! It should be interesting to see how you humans have considered my people's part in whatever plan you have conceived for dealing with the Brotherhood!"
Dee couldn't help but chuckle herself at Lash's rather dry tone as the big vampire returned to his seat. No doubt it would be interesting: neither the vampires nor the humans have had that much success in dealing with psionics up to this point. To devise a plan that would effectively stop the Brotherhood assassins from doing their thing would have to be clever indeed!
"Actually, if the truth were to be known, it wasn't my idea to use you guys in attacking the Brotherhood directly," Dee admitted truthfully with a wry smile on her lips. "Nor was it Duffy's, although the initial concept was his. No, it was Mordecai that suggested using the vampires in what we call a ghost strike team, making a surgical strike at the assassins that would be initiating the project at an economic conference here, in Calgary in a matter of months."
"A ghost strike team?" Lash repeated, his smile replaced by a thoughtful frown, his hand once again finding his chin to stroke it.
"Right. Considering that the vampires are already well aware of the psionics, the Brotherhood and all that, we wouldn't have to worry about the Shield being in jeopardy. Additionally your increased strength and speed would compensate for the mechanisms we are fairly certain the Brotherhood's gonna have in place to counter any attempts to stop them."
"I see." Lash tapped at his lip. "I'm sure Mordecai has told you of the various weaknesses of my people along with the litany of strengths. We cannot withstand UV radiation and, therefore, cannot go out during the day. Certain metals also have a negative effect on our bodies. And psionic energies themselves have a very toxic effect on our nervous systems. A fact the Brotherhood has used very effectively against us in the past, much to our detriment."
"Mordecai did consider those things, yes," Dee said with an acknowledging nod. "And I believe he's currently working on measures that we'll be able to equip you with that'll counteract the advantages psionics have against vampires. Including tactics and strategies for you to use in the case of an all-out confrontation with Brotherhood psionics."
Lash's eyebrow slowly climbed towards his hairline in curiosity.
"Mordecai would do this?" he asked, openly astonished as his frown deepened. "Even though it may lead to jeopardy to his own people?"
Dee nodded grimly.
"This thing is bigger than the psionics and the vampires, commander. Big enough to concern the whole human race! Including its mutant children. Despite being an arrogant bastard with an opinion so high about himself, I almost think he should be walking on water instead of consorting with us mere mortals, Mordecai recognizes that. And so he's willing to put aside traditional hatreds and wars to try to work together. Only a concerted effort by all of us is going to stop these pricks from doing their thing and wiping the rest of us out!"
"I would concur, surprisingly enough," Lash admitted softly. Then he was looking up at the two humans with a look that, despite its obvious intensity, was oddly warm. As if he was finding himself looking at allies, instead of potential food. Allies in a war that could see either of them completely destroyed!
"Very well. You have my immediate agreement to assist you with this 'rodent' problem of yours." He smiled rakishly. "And while I must consult with my superiors before I agree to let my Qos Viran be your 'ghost strike team', I don't anticipate that they'll disagree, especially the Lilith that sent us all the way here from South America. I will give you my tacit alliance on that proposal as well, until I hear different."
The smile abruptly faded.
"But I expect Mordecai to provide the equipment you have outlined him preparing, and shortly before my team will make any direct moves against the Brotherhood. And, if this turns into a ruse to pull the Qos Viran out into the open so that the Brotherhood can strike directly against us, there will be blood in the streets in payment for our betrayal! That I promise you!"
Dee hastily threw up both her hands at the dangerous look that appeared on Lash's face.
"No worries there, commander!" She moved quickly to assure the big vampire. "He was working on the equipment even when Duffy and myself were leaving. Knowing how quickly he works, he should have working prototypes in the next couple of days that we'll bring by for your testing and approval."
"Very well." Lash nodded. Then, before he could say anything else, there was a muffled shriek from somewhere in the back of the house.
"What the hell ...?" Dee began, almost going for her gun at the sound, which was wretched and filled with both pain and fear.
Only to have Lash abruptly stand, an unreadable expression on his face.
"I believe it's time for you and your associate to leave, Detective Duffy," he husked softly. "It sounds like the rest of my team is up and having breakfast."
"Breakfast?" Dee stammered, head whirling around what their breakfast could be. Duffy, however, was only too familiar with what the rest of the Qos Viran were currently doing.
The wrinkled old detective fairly bounced out of his chair.
"You are quite right, of course, Lash. We were just on our way out," he rattled off so quickly that Dee thought he was mumbling. Then his hand was on her elbow in a surprisingly strong grip, pulling her out of her seat and towards the door before she could react.
"We'll contact you shortly with the prototypes for your equipment and a rough plan of attack. Until then, thank you for receiving us." And then they were through the front door, Duffy quickly closing it behind them.
"Duffy!" Dee snarled as he nearly pulled her down the stairs before she jerked her arm out of his grip. "Just what the hell was that all about?"
Dropping onto the ground from the bottom step, Duffy turned an unusually pale face back towards Dee, a look that could only be described as fearful on his jowly face.
"Just consider it for a moment, my dear Tragedy," he replied in a low, intense voice. "What do you think vampires eat? Tea and crumpets? Now, let's get us out of here before they want seconds!"
"Shit!" Dee hissed before she followed an anxious Duffy down the sidewalk to where her car was parked. "I never even thought about that!"