《Convergence of Night》


 Chapter One

    Don''t you just hate it when you''re just relaxing one lazy afternoon, wasting the hours away in front of the TV when suddenly you find yourself in the middle of god-knows-where, chained up to some wall?


    Never had that happen to you? Well shit like this happens to me too damn often.


    So how does your average, cynical, and highly paranoid 26 year old laboratory researcher end up in this kind of a mess? Well, I was an researcher before my boss fired me when I didn''t show up to work for 3 weeks, but that was hardly my fault. Don''t ask me why, it''s a long story. But anyway, I think that way back when, God or whatever deity that created this world hated my guts, ''cause I have this unique ¨C and unwanted ¨C gift of teleportation, or simply porting as I call it.


    Now at first glance you might think, how can that possibly be an unwanted gift? The ability to go wherever you want would be a dream come true for a lot of folks, and you would be right, if it weren¡¯t for one little set back. Although I can freely teleport from location to location, I''m limited to about a 20 meter radius, and only to a location that I can see... with the exception to this rule breaking the sweet looking deal. See, my little ¡°gift¡± from the beings above would sometimes send me to places that I would usually have no right to be in ¨C and often times wouldn''t want to be in ¨C and of course I don''t get warned ahead of time. Hence my current predicament.


    Oh, and of course the places I end up are never pleasant, because that would be too fair.


    I often wonder why it''s me who has to deal with escaping from secret military bases, or getting out of zombie infested testing grounds. Hell, I''m amazed that I''m still alive right now, if it wasn''t for sheer dumb luck the first few times I''d have already become zombie food. And although I did pick up a few things from these strange encounters over the years, whether that be lock-picking, or the cardio needed to outrun hoards of the undead (not the Romero ones either), I would still rather be an average everyday guy. Did I mention that I absolutely hate zombies?


    But I digress; what I mean to say is that you''d be surprised at how scarce the times when my skills, teleporting included, comes in handy; I can''t exactly poof out of nowhere and reappear some distance later in front of people. The only times I had a chance to experiment with my powers was when my life was in danger or when it was 2 in the morning, alone in some abandoned park.


    Either way, nothing I can do will help much for my situation right now. I''m chained to a wall by some incredibly uncomfortable medieval style manacles, trapped inside what I can only make out to be a solid stone room with a big, heavy looking metal door blocking the only exit. The air in here has the consistency of jelly and it felt like a boiler room; the tiny holes drilled on the walls to allow for air circulation was about as useful as water to a drowning man. And before someone asks, I cant teleport out of here for several reasons. One: I don''t have a clear view out of this room, and two: just as my clothes don''t disappear when I use my ability, neither will the manacles welded to the wall. In other words, I''m stuck, waiting for whomever brought me here to finish me off, or whatever it is they want.


    As for how I got here? Well, the last thing I remember was watching some T.V. - some infomercials I believe ¨C and poof, I ported to somewhere. I guess I should have been more alert when it happened, but the second I reoriented myself someone knocked me out, and here I am now, stuck in some hole. Talking about myself in the third person. Lovely.


    Just another day for Francis Morgan.


    Well, the good thing is that I didn''t have to wait chained up for too long, because about five minutes later, two large, heavily muscled men dressed in military uniforms. One had curly brown hair and the other had black hair, but other than that they might as well have been twins. They looked like some top end bouncers or bodyguards, dressed in cheap looking grey suit that barely fit their hulking mass. They were obviously meant to intimidate, but for me, they looked quite lack-luster. After all, once you''re used to seeing horribly mutated gorilla monsters and hoards of the undead on a regular basis, a couple of local bouncers might as well be two old grannies.


    I waited until they unchained me from the wall before I struck. As soon as I felt the restraints hook free from my wrist, I ported behind curly hair and took him out with a heavy blow to the back of the head, and before his dumbfounded buddy could respond, I did the same for him too.


    I saw that the guards standing outside the door noticed the action inside, and before they could respond with those nasty looking stun guns, I ported behind them and made a mad dash for the exit. Pointless to try to fight them all when escaping was so much easier.


    Too bad dashing for it turned out to be a mistake, because unlike the vision of freedom I imagined, all I saw outside was more walls and locked doors. It appears that whomever brought me here took some pretty hefty precautions.


    I had to make a decision: I could give up and allow these people to bring me to whatever undoubtedly dreadful situation that awaits... or fight. And seeing as how fleeing was no longer an option, I took the obvious course of action. I immediately went on the somewhat shocked looking man charging towards me and took him out with a quick kick to the crotch ¨C not the most elegant way of fighting, but it gets the job done. I immediately ported to the next person and threw a jab aiming for the jaws, and although I felt the blow hit, it did not connect with the force I intended. It was pretty clear that this guy realized what I could do and was ready for it, as evident when I felt his fists dig into my kidney. On instinct I retreated to a relatively safe spot, assessing the situation.


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    Now although I can hold my own in a fight, I was never trained in combat. I usually relied on the element of surprise to do the brunt of my work, and with that gone now, I was in deep trouble. I could probably take one of two of these guards out myself, but constrained in such a tight area with so many skilled individuals, I didn''t stand a chance. I still tried my best though, ''cause if I was going down, I''m sure as hell gonna take a whole lot of people with me!


    I quickly ported back to the guy who got me in the kidney and threw a feint. As soon as he went  to block the hit, I ported to the opposite side of him and threw a low kick at his feet, knocking him off balance. I planned to finish the job with a quick blow to the side of the head but someone grabbed me from behind. Good thing for me, because if he''d have just attacked me I would have been done for. Instead, I ported behind him ¨C as he was not directly touching me, only my clothes ¨C and did what he should have done in the first place and knocked him out.


    But with those minor victories I knew that the situation was hopeless, because before that guard could fall down, four more fully armed men entered the corridor. I was ready to take more of these bastards down when an all too familiar voice filled my head, stronger than every before. It felt like my brain had melted and turned to lava in my skull, and it took all my will power to stay upright.


    I closed my eyes and dropped to my knees, as a cacophony of visions filled my scorching eyes.


    That was something new.


    What I saw was myself in the same corridor, yet it wasn''t fully me; there was something else there, guiding my actions. I saw it/me calmly walk towards the dozens of guards, and as each one passed us, a stream of blood and entrails gushed forwards.


    We could taste the sweet metallic tinge of their life force draining beneath our touch. The screams of the dying, their useless pleas for help and mercy was pure ecstasy. We danced from person to person, and they all fell before our hands. We could feel the consciousness escape from each individual, as their miserable existence was extinguished with but the slightest of efforts. Oh, they tried to flee, but the same narrow hallway that once constricted our movements were now stopping their escape. They''ve already doomed themselves by being here, by trying to defy us! We sealed their fates by shutting the exits with a tendril of our will.


    Stop...


    We shall take back what is rightfully ours! End them...


    No!


    This wasn''t me, and I had to fight to regain my sense of individuality. My brain ached with the effort, but eventually the visions resided and I saw the world as it was again, although I was still thoroughly rattled.


    It had never been that strong before.


    My mind still ached, strained with things that it was never meant to handle, but the visions were gone. I tried to get up and defend myself, but before I could even try, I felt a hot surge of electricity rack through my torso. It seemed that in the time it took me to force the visions out, someone with half a brain realized that they could use those stun guns they carried. I didn''t try to fight it, and to be honest, I was a little glad of the pain; it firmly grounded me in reality. Someone eventually came to put me out of my misery, and for the second time in one day I passed out on the cold concrete.


    *	*	*


    I regained consciousness feeling better than I ought to have felt, which immediately made me worry; how long was I out for? With the damage I must have sustained through the earlier skirmish I shouldn''t even be able to move... which made me worry some more. What if I ended up being a quadriplegic? Was I dead? Well, only one way to find out.


    I tentatively opened my eyes, fearing the worst, but what greeted me was a very ordinary looking medical room. Cliche even, with the classic bland egg-shell white walls and those cheap looking plastic curtains separating the beds. And seeing as I am obviously still alive, for this place was way too tacky even for hell, I tried to get up. And found out I couldn''t. It seemed that I was strapped down and handcuffed to one of those uncomfortable hospital beds. Porting was immediately out of the question, as someone apparently figured out the limitations of my ability, as they directly bound the tight leather restraints against my skin.


    Well, at least they''ve tended to my wounds.


    With one last ditch effort, I tried to wiggle out of my restraints, which made a whole lot of noise but not much else. Apparently my struggles alerted someone, because after about a minute, a team of medical staff came (along with a dozen or so armed guards, guess they''ve learned) to roll me away. I say roll me away because they took me along with the bed I was strapped to. Heck, you''d think they were dragging away Hannibal Lecter with all the precautions they''ve taken.


    After we zig zagged past a whole labyrinth of hallways and corridors, the medical staff and guards eventually brought me to a halt outside what looks to be an office. To my surprise, they unchained me from the bed and roughly shoved me inside the room, before promptly ¨C if not a bit hurriedly ¨C shutting the door behind them.

 Chapter Two

    ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Francis Morgan.¡± greeted a calm, but commanding voice. It belonged to a woman who was slightly older than I was, but her weathered appearance suggested that she''s seen and experienced things way beyond her years. She had short, raven black hair that extended to her shoulders, and wore a white dress shirt beneath her black blazer, with matching dress pants to complete her office attire. She wasn''t beautiful, although her petite face would say otherwise, but rather handsome. Even under her clothes I could see the outline of toned muscles, and though she dressed like any other employee, the aura of power that surrounded her was impossible to miss: this was someone of rank.


    ¡°Now before you over-think the situation,¡± she continued, ¡°please hear me out.¡±


    I nodded, still a little unsure about the whole thing. I knew that I could probably take her now that I''m no longer chained down, but something about her made me second guess that idea. And plus, I still wasn''t feeling 100%, especially after earlier events, so attacking was probably not the smartest idea. I had to think of something else.


    ¡°Good, please have a seat, I just want to talk.¡± she said, pointing at the chair across from her desk. I took it and allowed her to continue. ¡°I apologize about the way you were treated, and we really do mean you no harm, but after seeing your... unique characteristics, you can understand that we cannot take any liberties about detaining you. In fact, we''re actually quite curious about your abilities, and where you came to acquire them.¡±


    I simply nodded again, still trying to figure out a means of escape.


    ¡°Ah, before you get any ideas about assaulting myself and my staff,¡± she said, evidently noticing that I was edgy, ¡°or leaving preemptively, I should inform you that my best men are tracking your every move as we speak, and if we deem it necessary, my staff and I can and will find and forcibly stop your actions in a rather... unpleasant manor. Like I said, we can''t afford to take chances.¡±


    Now that got my attention, and I can probably guess how just how unpleasant that ¡°unpleasant manor¡± would be. That put any plans of escape out of my head. I guess I had to see what this person wanted.


    ¡°Like I said, we apologize, but it seems that your earlier behaviours have made that step necessary, although if you cooperate with us this precaution will not be necessary.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess, if I don''t cooperate you''ll just keep me here as a prisoner until I comply? Wait until I''m half starved and dying of dehydration so I don¡¯t have a choice?¡±


    ¡°I guess I can skip the chit-chat with you.¡± she said with a sigh, ¡°No, Mr. Morgan, if you do not cooperate with us we will be forced to resort to immediate termination.¡±


    That statement shut me up pretty well, and I could tell she wasn''t joking around either.


    ¡°Uh, yeah... wouldn''t want that, would we?¡± I said, half jokingly.


    ¡°No, Mr. Morgan, it would be unprofitable for both parties. But those are your options: you can either work with us or be executed; you have been deemed too dangerous to leave alive.¡± Nothing in her demeanour changed, no smiles or frowns, no shift in her seating, nothing. Just the same business face she''s worn since I''ve entered the office. It was as if the thought of having to execute someone was a daily occurrence, but more importantly, something that is entirely within her powers. Which got me wondering just how big an organization this is...


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I exclaimed, feeling a little more than panicky ¡°So it''s either I die or I let your scientists or whatever it is dissect me to see what makes me tick?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course not! Although we are curious about the origins or your unique ability, it would ultimately do us no good to ¡°dissect¡± you, so to speak. No, we want you to work for us, as a fellow agent.¡±


    ¡°Ok, just to clear things up, who exactly is this ¡°we¡± you keep on mentioning? I don''t know who you are or where I am, and to be honest, I don''t really trust everything you''re telling me. For all I know you could just be savouring the moment before you and your lot finish me off.¡±


    ¡°Ah! My sincerest apologies, I forget myself sometimes. My name is Sarah Fortune, the director of the Supernatural Investigations Department of North America, or SIDNA for short, and you are currently 600 meters underground, at the heart of our department. We are responsible for all things... out of the ordinary, if you will. Things that are outside the realms of comfort for the general public; I''m sure that you would understand. And Mr. Morgan, if we wanted you dead, you wouldn''t be here right now.¡± She said as she looked straight into my eyes. I broke eye contact almost immediately, the intensity of her stare was chilling, and it told me that this wasn''t someone that I wanted to piss off.


    But what she said made sense, or at least as much sense as anything else I''ve ever witnessed. With my close encounters with the strange and bizarre, it only made sense that there was some organization somewhere dealing with it all, otherwise the supernatural would run rampant. Who know what chaos they can bring to the world? I''ve seen first hand the destruction that can unfold, and it was pretty obvious that my brushes with the supernatural were pretty tame.


    I could tell that they were but appetizers when compared to the real stuff because ever since I realized that I could port, I''ve always felt an all encompassing malaise radiating from somewhere deep underground. Something that shouldn''t be there, an entity trapped and waiting, exerting its influence through the cracks in the Earth. So far, every supernatural being I''ve come across bares a feint, undeniable stain on its being that resonates from that thing.


    But what frightens me the most is that I can hear it calling to me, offering me things...  And that thought chilled me to the core, because I know that I''d lose myself to it, warped and twisted into something that I am not... And I''ve seen earlier just how bad that can be. So far I''ve been able to ignore It completely, but I didn''t know how long that would last. Sometimes I just think that I''ve finally gone insane, that it''s not real, but there''s no denying the truth, no denying that it wanted me.


    And what''s worse is that sometimes, just sometimes, I could feel myself wanting it too.


    But that earlier encounter was strange. Lately, the whisperings have decreased, almost stopped, as if that Thing was changing strategies. It must have been months since the last time it directly influenced me like that, filling my head with those disgusting images... those... wondrous things...


    I caught myself there, and shuddered. That wasn''t right. I making a conscious effort to bury that memory deep in my mind, hoping to forget it for good. I had to figure out what was going on, and I''ve been wandering in the dark for too long. Now, however, I may finally have some answers, maybe this unfortunate turn of events isn''t all bad, ''cause if anyone can give me details on whatever it is that''s lurking beneath our feet, it''s Sarah Fortune and her bunch.


    ¡°Ok,¡± I continued, shaking my head a little as I took in all the implications, ¡°let''s assume I said yes to this deal, what would be expected from me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, glad to see you''re becoming interested in what we do.¡± she replied, smiling for the first time, ¡°We would require you to be one of our regular field agents, in other words, you''ll be responsible for the hands on work. You will, of course, be briefed about what the details, should you accept, but for now just think of it as assisting the various communities that are plagued with the supernatural. Things can be as mundane as investigating possible paranormal activities, to to more lively cases that involve stopping rogue vampires or exorcizing unruly spirits. Of course you will not be working alone, all field agents operate in pairs, and each of our agents are... gifted like you are, in one way or another. Your partner will naturally offer you guidance during your first few missions.¡±


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    Wait, did she just say that all field agents had special gifts like I do? I''ve always thought that other people like me were out there, but I never thought I''d meet any. Maybe they could give me more insight on the thing dwelling beneath the Earth, or why my abilities exist. ¡°Are you saying that there are other people besides me? I mean, other people who can do stuff like teleport?¡±


    ¡°There are other individuals like yourself, but sadly, you are currently the only one with such an ability, or even something that comes close to it. In some ways, your teleportation is in a category all on its own. And although our agents do not share your talents, they are gifted in other aspects.¡± She said, shifting from her chair, ¡°Some of the more common abilities include the power to manipulate the elements, or unnatural enhancements in a person''s physical attributes, but each person is unique in his or her own way. Explaining them all would take more time than we have, but if you are still curious, I would suggest that you check out the many different talents here in SIDNA headquarters. That is assuming you accept our offer, of course.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I just have a couple more questions before I make a decision.¡±


    ¡°I understand, please ask away.¡± A bigger smile appeared on her face, and for the first time I saw a change in her unmoving character, she must have realized that I''ve grown interested in her organization. That or she knows fully well that I can''t decline. You know, she''d be pretty good looking if it wasn''t for that stone-cold exterior.


    ¡°Well, since I wont be allowed to leave, what am I supposed to do? Live here and just disappear from society?¡±


    ¡°Well, in some aspects you would be correct.¡± she answered, ¡°Although you will be allowed to live where you choose once we are certain of your loyalty to our organization, you are right in assuming that you will not be permitted to leave immediately. As such, we have taken the liberty of setting up a temporary residence for you to stay here in SINDA, and should you accept, we will supply you with everything you will need.


    ¡°Mr. Morgan, you will find that many agents and workers alike willingly choose to set up a permanent residence here in headquarters, and the option is naturally extended to you as well. This facility was initially designed to house the general populace in case of a nuclear war and the subsequent fall-out, and you will find that it is fully equipped for long term stay. As such, SIDNA headquarters is fully self-reliant and will accept all major forms of currency, and until you start your job as a field agent any expenses you require will be provided to you. As for your situation back on the surface, our team has already taken care of all the necessary actions to remedy any enquiries about your sudden disappearance.¡±


    ¡°Wow... you guys sure thought ahead, eh?¡± I said, a little taken back at how any of that was even possible given how little time I was actually here.


    ¡°Of course, Mr. Morgan. You will see that our resources are more than sufficient.¡±


    I could see that this SIDNA was a pretty powerful organization ¨C probably drains a nice chunk of our tax dollars ¨C but still, something didn''t add up. It must have taken them days, if not months to set up all of this, and there was no way I was unconscious for that long. You cant just cover up disappearances without any warning. Either they have people employed who can see into the future, or they''ve been monitoring my activities closer than I thought, and at that moment I really wasn''t sure which one of those possibilities seemed more likely. Everything was too planned out, and it was clear that they were hiding things from me. Not that I''m all that surprised, being a secret organization and all, but it made me curious nonetheless.


    ¡°So I guess that''s it, with an offer like that I can''t exactly say no. So yeah, I''m on board if you''ll have me.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Sarah Fortune, the director of SIDNA, finally said. With that she reached in a drawer for what looked like one of those new touch screen phones. With it she dialled a number and called for an associate, and almost immediately a short blonde woman holding two plastic bags walked in. She wore the same thing that her boss did, but with the way she presented herself, the two outfits looked worlds apart.


    ¡°This is Kelley McMuller,¡± Fortune said, ¡°she''ll be responsible for helping you with any issues that may arise, as well as taking care of the matter of your residence.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so good to finally meet you, Mr. Francis Morgan, or can I call you Frank? I know that this is a workplace and all, and that I''ve just met you, but calling you Mr. Morgan all the time sounds so stuffy, and business politeness can only get you so far in life! Well, I''m assigned to help you with anything that you need, so just tell me anything that''s bugging you or ask me any questions you might have.¡± She scrunched her face and continued, ¡°Oh, here I am telling you something you already know, silly me for mentioning it again but just to be on the safe side, if there''s anything that you''re worried or curious about, do let me know. I''m sure you''re pretty shocked and all about this whole situation, heck, anyone would be if they were in your shoes ¨C I''d be just about ready to faint if I were you ¨C so you might be a little shy, but don''t hesitate! Oh gosh, I hope you''re not about to pass out, although it would be totally understandable if you do, and I have some ice packs in the back that I can grab for you, if that''ll be of any help. Oh, and here, I brought you some cream puffs as a welcoming gift, I just hope-¡± She reached into one of the little bags she was carrying and pulled a little plastic container out. She really did bring cream puffs, delicious looking ones as well.


    I just stared, jaw gaping wide, at the 5''2 bundle of sunshine, unable to comprehend her behaviour after talking with her boss for so long. If Sarah Fortune had the personality of an ice burg, Kelley McMuller was the Sahara Desert. She even looked like someone who was all parts nice, with long blonde hair held in a ponytail, a round, rosy face with a petite nose and lips curled in an eternal smile, showing a row of perfect white teeth. She must have taken notice of me staring, because she stopped talking and that big smile she wore started to fade along with her dimples. She fidgeted with her fingers, looking genuinely concerned.


    ¡°I uh, yeah. You can uh, yeah you can call me Frank, and cream puffs sound great.¡± I said, as that was all I could manage, still wondering if such a person could possibly exist.


    ¡°Oh, wonderful! I hope you don''t mind the lemon filled ones, they were they only ones I could find in such a short notice. I personally love them, but you know, if you don''t I''m sure I can find you something else. You just wont believe what you can find here! Oh, but if you''re still not feeling well I can go grab those ice packs for you. I''m sure that you''ll be fine but just on the safe side-¡±


    ¡°Although your enthusiasm is much appreciated, Kelley, I do have work to do, and I assure you that Mr. Morgan is fine. Now if you wouldn''t mind showing Mr. Morgan to his room...¡± interrupted Sarah, looking a little more than annoyed.


    ¡°Oh, here I am blabbering on again! If you''ll follow me, Frank, I''ll show you to your room. Oh you''ll just love it!¡± she said, giving her boss a little bow before leaving the room, with me following close behind.

 Chapter Three

    We went through a maze of unassuming corridors and hallways, passing some very pissed off looking guards (I recognized a bunch of them, I just hope that they didn''t take anything I did personally), until eventually we went through one of those huge military style doors, the ones that are remotely operated and were air tight. Just a little past that was a row of white doors, and it was here that Kelley stopped us.


    I looked around, trying to find any hidden cameras or recording devices that could be lurking around. However, this particular hallway looked like all the others, although I guess it was slightly wider than the ones we passed though earlier. Still a bland shade of grey though; you''d think such a massive organization could afford to paint their hallways. Or maybe it was going for that whole ¡°brutalist¡± style of architecture, I''ve never understood it. On the far left side of the hallway was a large wooden door that had a sign which read ¡°General Affairs Sector¡± and to the right was the metal door we passed earlier, the door had huge red letters plastered on its surface that read: ¡°AUTHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY, DO NOT ENTER¡±. I could see nothing out of place, no cameras, no ominous men in black observing every movement, just a nicely swept hallway... but that could just mean that things are well hidden. I guess I was still a little paranoid about the whole experience, but after the stuff I''ve lived through, there''s always a reason to be extra careful. You''ll never know when and where a ravenous hoard of zombies will pop up!


    God I hate zombies.


    I turned back to the spot we stopped at and saw Kelley pull out a little crumpled piece of paper from her pockets, she checked the rows of scribbles on it and slowly led us to one of the white doors: number 1032.


    ¡°Ok Frank,¡± Kelley said, picking up and reaching into one of the plastic bags she held until she found a little key card and opening the door, ¡°this is going to be your new place for a while! I was the one who picked out the furniture and layout, and I think I over did myself this time!¡± With that she opened the door wide and stepped inside, obviously overjoyed with her job.


    I peeked my head into the door, scouting around a bit. And you know what? The place actually looked pretty damned good. Immediately to my left was a pretty modern washroom, and what appears to be a jacuzzi in the corner. As for the room itself, there was a sophisticated queen sized bed snuggled into the corner of the room, equipped with delicate silk blankets and a set of fluffy red pillows ¨C my ex would have probably called them ¡°velvet pillows¡±, because having ovaries could apparently make you distinguish fifteen shades of the same colour. Next to the bed was a very fancy looking oak (or mahogany, or redwood, or pine; I have no idea really) dresser,  a matching night stand, with one of those Victorian style lamps sitting on top of it, and a big standing mirror off to the side to top it all off.


    On the other side of the room was a massive wooden table ¨C holding a gold candelabra at its centre ¨C and a chair that looked more like a throne tucked to the table''s side. Beside the desk was a pair of bookshelves that dug into the walls, shelving literature from Shakespeare to Darwin, all old looking and obviously expensive. The room was topped off with some red and white floral wallpaper, an exquisite Persian rug under the wood floor boards and, of course, a chandelier. And even though the room itself was no larger than a standard living room, the furniture made the space seem huge. It was kinda hard to believe that I was going to live here.


    I stood there speechless for the who-knows-how-many-times that day, stunned that so much money was put into the room for someone who was just entered the organization ¨C and not even by choice. But still, who am I to complain about company benefits?


    ¡°You know what? I think you really did out do yourself this time. This room is... exquisite! You have my thanks, Ms. McMuller.¡± I said as I entered the room, immediately finding the bed and plopping down on the warm, velvet blankets. After the hell I''ve suffered through, the bed felt like I was lying on top of the clouds. I could definitely get used to this.


    ¡°Just Kelley is fine, I never did like my last name, and calling me Ms. McMuller just makes me sound so old! But never mind that, I''ve only just gotten to the good part! Wait till you see what comes with the room!¡± With that Kelley opened the dresser, shoved me out of bed and towards that general direction. I staggered a little and glanced in. What I saw was a row of clean, newly ironed clothing; everything from business suits to plain white t-shirts were neatly hanged, along with an array of pants and shorts.


    ¡°We weren''t sure what size you were so you''ll find a little bit of everything in there. You can sort out which clothes fit and whatnot later, just put the ones that don''t fit or the ones that you don¡¯t like in that¡± she said, pointing to a little basket beneath the clothes, ¡°and one of our lovely housekeepers will replace it with something more to your size and liking. You can just call them when you''ve sorted everything out.¡±


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    ¡°Um, Ms. - err I mean Kelley, I don''t have my cellphone on me anymore, I pretty sure one of your guys took it when I was knocked out. So how exactly am I supposed to call anyone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do apologize for earlier, but the guards were just doing their jobs. Seeing a couple of them after your little skirmish tells me that you''re a lot better off than they were! And don''t worry, we got you covered on communication as well! You''ll love this.¡± she replied, taking something else from one of the plastic bags and handing it over to me, ¡°It''s sort of like a cellphone, but it probably works a little bit differently from the ones you''re used to. Since we''re kinda deep underground and all, your average cellphone wont get any kind of reception, so the higher ups had the brilliant idea of installing our own cellphone tower. It comes with internet ¨C fastest thing you''ll find too! 20 GB of storage, voice command, and a little panic button on the side in case of... certain emergencies. Well, I''m sure you''ll never have to use it, but if you do you''ll get help within 2 minutes. Just press and hold the red button for 15 seconds and that should do it, but remember, emergencies only. Oh boy, I wouldn''t want to be the poor sap who pressed that little button without a good reason, the higher ups take that kind of thing pretty seriously ¨C a little too seriously if you ask me, it''s all work and no play for them, and that can do horrors to the brain!


    ¡°Ah, here I am blabbering on again, you really do have to stop me when I do that, I know it''s kind of rude to be the only one talking all the time, and it''s a habit that I''m really trying to fix, but it still slips by every now and then. I''m sure you know how it is. Oh, and before I forget, I''ve taken the liberty of putting all the contact information you''ll need in your phone. I''m sure that some of the people I''ve added might be new to you, but you''ll find out who they are eventually, so I thought to myself, why not save you the trouble of adding them later when I could just do it now? I''m sure that you can figure out the rest of the phone''s functions yourself, but just to be sure, do you have any questions?¡±


    ¡°No, I think I''m pretty good now,¡± I said, smiling at the 5''2 condensed ball of happiness despite the rough day I''ve had, ¡°thanks again for the cream puffs and the room, but I think I can handle everything else by myself.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful! I''m sure you''ve had a tough 24 hours, so feel free to just relax and check out SIDNA HQ when you''re feeling up to it, it really is a lovely place and I''m sure you''ll make a friend or two! Now you''ll find a wallet with some spending cash in the drawer over there¡± she said, pointing to the huge wooden desk, ¡°and there''s also a spare set of key-cards. And remember, Frank, if anything''s bothering you, anything at all, do give me a call, I''ll be more than happy to help you out. Oh, and one more little thing I forgot to mention, we generally don''t use our um... abilities outside unless it is absolutely necessary, it''s just to keep the peace and all, but do remember it.¡±


    With that and a huge smile on Kelley McMuller''s face, she gave me a little hug (standing on tippy toes) and left, closing the door behind her as she went.


    I chuckled at myself, thinking back on everything that''s happened; never in my entire life would I have foreseen this kind of situation, even taking into consideration the strange situations I''ve been through since I found out about my ability to teleport. But you know what? This isn''t so bad, the company''s got really great perks, and I can only imagine how the pay is ¨C probably a whole lot better than my dull lab job. Stipend pay is basically the same as legal slave labour if you ask me, and anything''s better than pipetting hundreds of samples mindlessly.


    I closed the closet behind me and went to fetch the wallet that Kelley pointed out earlier, I hadn''t even noticed that I didn''t have mine on me until she mentioned. Well, it wasn''t like there was a whole lot in it ever since I got fired from my job. I opened the top drawer of the desk to find an unassuming black leather wallet, and inside was a thick pile of bills. I pulled them out and counted: ten 20 dollar bills, five 50 dollar bills and five 100 dollar bills in all, a nice sum of $950 dollars. That was more money than I would see from a month''s worth of work with my old job. You know what? This deal is beginning to sound better and better.


    I put the wallet back in the drawer, and finding nothing better to do, I jumped back on the bed and decided to take a nap. It felt like forever since I''ve last slept comfortably and without worry, and to be honest, it felt weird. I felt kind of empty, the usual pieces of doubt and concern boggled down in my mind weren''t there, and I had no idea how to react to it. After who knows how long, I managed to fall into a deep slumber; the fatigue finally taken over.

 Chapter Four

    I jolted awake, cold sweat dripping off my body. I dreamt about that damn vision I had from earlier, but this time I was enjoying it... I pushed the thought out of my head and I got out of bed, ignoring the blankets spilled on the ground. I checked the time: 10:38am. It was still pretty early, ''casue ever since I was fired from my job a normal ¡°morning¡± for me would begin at 2pm, but I got up anyway and washed my face. I wasn''t likely to have fallen asleep again after that dream, and I definitely don¡¯t think I would want to. But after a few minutes, I managed to calm down and shake the last remaining wisps of the dream aside.


    With the last of the dread purged from my body, I realized that I was really damn hungry. When was the last time I ate anything? With food in mind, I grabbed the wallet and key card from the drawer, and left my new home.


    Looking around the hallway, I could only surmise that food lay in the direction of the sign that said ¡°General Affair''s Sector¡±. I passed through the door and was awestruck by what lay ahead of me. When Sarah Fortune said that this place was made for long term say, she wasn''t joking around. The area before me was absolutely massive, I couldn''t see the end of the general affair''s sector from my position and the high ceiling extended dozens of meters above me. There were multicoloured structures everywhere I looked, each with vibrant neon signs and the ample amounts of street lamps lit the whole sector in a dim glow. The entire scene looked liked a busy city street situated in an all consuming twilight; it was night life incarnate. And there was absolutely no lack of people, although it wasn''t quite as busy as say, the LA street life. There were people walking around talking, people drinking beers with their buds at a local pub, and busy business-like people making important phone calls; all in all, it wasn''t too unlike the outside world.


    Speaking of my own world, when was the last time I''ve ever just walked around like this? If I didn''t have something to do I''d just waste the days away in front of the TV or computer, dredging through the day. It felt nice stretching the legs for once, just seeing the sights without anything to worry about. I felt like a ghost, wandering the streets without a care in the world, just aimlessly passing through the crowds, stopping occasionally at whatever happened to interest me. I was just another faceless individual, I didn''t have to run for my life, or struggle to escape some hellhole. I felt... normal.


    It wasn''t until I noticed the spicy aroma of something cooking that my stomach brought my attention to the matter at hand: I was still hungry. I headed towards the source of the smell and after a short stroll, I was standing outside an unassuming pub named ¡°The Hungry Boar¡±. What did catch my attention, however, was the huge sign that read ¡°Ability Neutral Zone¡± conveniently positioned beside the door. I could probably guess just exactly what that meant, and that got me curious, because even from my earlier stroll I haven''t seen a single ability outside the norm. Guess people really do adhere to the general rules of this place.


    I walked into the bar, and despite my enthusiasm to see something spectacular, the pub was pretty average. Nothing out of the ordinary at all; the lighting was dim and moody like every other bar I''ve ever seen, at the front displayed several sets of flat screen T.V.''s, and hovering around it were a couple of guys laughing and watching a soccer game. There were waitresses (their uniforms showing ample cleavage) running around taking orders, and a general sense of movement. All in all, there was nothing that would distinguish this bar from the thousands of other ones not housed in an underground supernatural facility.


    The smell of food soon drowned my disappointment and I quickly grabbed an empty seat near the bar. The bartender, apparently named Eugene by his warn out name tag, was anything but what his name suggests. This person, if you can even call him that, was an absolute hulk of a man; he had forearms the size of my waist, a chest that looked like it was carved out of granite, and a demeanour to match the look. I started to wonder if maybe this was some sort of supernatural power, ''cause I''m pretty sure no person could grow to be so huge. He could probably bench-press 10 of me.


    Evidently my gawking caught his attention, he came over to my corner and gave me a look that borders interest and I-wanna-kill-you, but eventually he grunted and handed me a menu.


    ¡°Thanks um, Eugene, glad to see someone''s friendly around here.¡± I said sarcastically before I could think ¨C I tend to do that a lot recently. Good thing he didn''t reply to my stupidity. Or ground my bones into dust.


    I looked down at the menu, trying to figure out what exactly was causing that delicious aroma I smelled earlier. I flipped through the pages, and for the life of me I couldn''t find anything that could remotely be of that scent. Before I could ask Eugene for exactly what that smell was, a soft, velvet voice spoke into my ears.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it, hun.¡± the voice hymned, ¡°The dish you''re looking for isn''t listed in the menu, it''s called the Galder Kolmon, just ask the big softie over there and he''ll whip you up some.¡±


    I turned around and almost fell off my chair at what I saw ¨C the owner of that melodic voice was absolutely stunning. And I mean that quite literally, because I couldn''t have moved my gaze off her even if I wanted to. She had radiant golden hair that flowed with each movement she made, and aqua blue eyes that dared the viewer to peer ever deeper into them. Below her high cheek bones and slender nose was lips that would tempt even the purest of saints into sin; it took all my will power to stop myself from grabbing her and kissing them right there. She wore a flowing red gown that barely covered her graceful body, leaving the imagination to wonder if the perfection continued underneath the fragile fabric. She was neither thin like those fashion models you saw on magazines, nor plump enough to be called chubby. She was... perfect, that was the only thing I could call her. Perfect.


    I couldn''t bring myself to look away from her.


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    She leaned forward, and I could just feel my gaze lowering to where the neck of her dress parted from her chest, parting to show those delicate breasts of hers, but the fabric swayed ever so slightly to obscure the view.


    ¡°But I''m not here to talk about food,¡± she said, ¡°and as much as I wish that we could just relax and chat the hours away, fate has other plans. I''m here to warn you, Francis Morgan, so listen carefully: in less than 24 hours from now something monstrous will come here for you, and you absolutely must be with the woman Kelley at that time if you wish to have a chance to survive. I wish I could do more, but this is the extent that I am allowed to intervene, so until next time, I shall pray for your safety. Remember Frank, 24 hours.¡±


    Wait, did she call me by my name? My brain was mush at that point, but I''m sure I didn''t tell her anything ¨C in fact, I''m pretty sure that even if I tried nothing sensible would come out ¨C and unless she has some kind of telepathy or works for Ms. Fortune, she wouldn''t have known it.


    I shook my head a little, clearing my thoughts, and before I could even ask this mysterious lady in red a thing, she was gone. Just gone; she didn''t walk out of the bar, because I must have taken my eyes off her boobs ¨C err I mean her figure for a second at most and it was impossible to not notice her leave. In fact, looking around the bar now I realized that it seemed like no one noticed her being there in the first place. I mean, how can any guy with eyes not notice her walking around, and there were plenty of guys in here.


    Was she just a part of my imagination? Maybe the creepy voice in the ground was actually a smoking hot seductress. Unlikely, of course, but still, she seemed too real to be just a part of my imagination. Hell, I doubt I could even dream up a girl that stunning!


    I was going to dismiss the event as some sort of hallucination until I realized that she said something to me before the creepy warning. I was still a little sceptical, but if she wasn''t a figment of my imagination, I dearly want to meet her again.


    I flagged the bar tender and told him I was ready to order.


    ¡°I''ll have a cup of coffee, black, and a, uh...¡± What did she say the dish was? Galder Coleslaw? Kollman? Oh right! ¡°and a serving of Galder Kolmon, if you don''t mind.¡±


    The bar tender game me a weird look, and for a moment there I thought I made a fool out of myself and I asked him for a dish that most likely didn''t exist. However, he grunted what I can only imagine is an ¡°okay¡± and left the table... which means that the dish actually existed! And that either means that meaning that sexy lady in red was real, or I had latent psychic powers that I didn''t know about. I''m hoping for the first option.


    But how she could have possibly gotten in and out of the bar without people noticing, and how it could be that she knew my name before hand? Since this is a place filled with the supernatural, she could have been a spirit or ghost of some sort, but she was way too real for that to make sense. Maybe she had the ability to become invisible? But that wouldn''t explain how I saw her or how no one else heard her talking to me (or at least I''m pretty sure no one else noticed her, my focus was... elsewhere). As I continued to contemplate the possibilities, Eugene got me my coffee and a short time later he handed me my beautiful Galdar Kolmon. Oh what a sweet sight that was to my empty stomach. The aroma of the food was more than sufficient to snuff out all other interests I had at the time and I quickly wolfed down the platter.


    I finished the food in under five minutes, and was tempted to order a second plate when another thought wandered into my awareness: if the girl in red wasn''t just a part of my unconscious delusions, then her warning could be very real indeed. I was pretty sure that the SIDNA headquarters was a pretty secure place, and I doubt that anything can get past the security of this fortress, but after all the weird shit that  I''ve gone through, nothing is out of the realms of possibility.


    I called Eugene over again and paid my bill, adding a hefty tip for his services (it wasn''t my money anyway), and left the establishment.


    Even lost in thought, the sight of the place still took my breathe away; just how can such a huge place be hidden underground anyway? The intricate network of tunnels and streets that littered the underground metropolis must have taken decades, if not centuries to construct, and the huge buildings that stretch across the horizon seem almost unreal. And yet here I was, one of countless individuals that crowd this ersatz city, it almost made me feel like I was on the surface again, in my old life. But there''s no time to worry about that now, my life isn''t what it was a week ago, and I had more pressing matters to attend to.


    First thing''s first, I needed more information about this place. I asked a passerby about where I would be able to find a place that I could enquire about information on the supernatural and he politely pointed to a far off dome-like structure. I said my thank-you''s and started a brisk jog to the place, all the while thinking about the lady in red.


    I wondered about who she was, how she knew my name, and what exactly it was that I needed to be weary about. Heck, she even knew what I wanted to eat. And more often than not, I wondered what was under that tight, red dress...


    With so many things juggled in my mind I barely registered that I arrived at my destination. I don''t know how I managed to almost miss the place, since it was the size of a small village. The structure must have been at least 12 stories high, with it''s outer walls zig-zagging out quite a distance away. But other than its sheer size, there was nothing too interesting about the place other than the enormous dome like roof.


    I looked around a bit, and eventually found the front entrance to the place (or at least I thought it was the front). Not sure what else to do, I pushed open the huge wooden doors and went inside.

 Chapter Five

    The interior was as massive as the outside suggests, with high ceilings and an overall Gothic cathedral style going for it. There was rows of dimly lit torches hanging off the walls and where there wasn''t torches there were huge bookshelves lining every inch of the exposed stone. I was planing on marvelling the place further when an old, raspy voice pierced the silence.


    On instinct I ported several feet away from where I stood, ready to take on whatever it was that planned to assault me. That is, until logic returned to my brain and I realized that the voice probably belonged to someone who worked here. I returned to where I stood and saw that the person who spoke was an old, robed figure that reminded me quite a lot of Gandalf. He had the long white beard and the ancient, knowledge filled eyes that could only belong to a stereotypical mage or scholar in some medieval fantasy novel. Heck, I didn''t think someone could possibly fit the cliche of an old scholar more!


    ¡°My apologies for startling you, my boy,¡± he said, ¡°it''s just that it''s so rare to have an unannounced visitor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry,¡± I said, still a little antsy, ¡°I''m used to being startled, and it was kinda my fault for reacting like that. But uh, was I supposed to make an appointment or something before coming here? I just opened the door and thought that anyone was allowed to walk in...¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, no worries, no worries! The only people who still announce their arrival are kooks older than I am! Why, it''s been decades since someone new has come to this establishment, and as such, I welcome you to the Library. I am Atticus, the head Librarian; well, to be fair, I''m the only librarian. Quite sad, but alas, this is how it has come to be.¡±


    ¡°You mean you maintain this whole place by yourself?¡± I asked, a little taken back that anyone in their right mind would leave this old man so understaffed. And hell, although Sarah Fortune wasn''t exactly Mother Teresa, she seemed competent enough to understand that such a huge library needed more than one librarian to keep it functional.


    ¡°Well, once upon a time it wasn''t always like this.¡± He said.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened I guess. Why, I still remember this library at its peak, when scholars from around the world would come to visit. Why, it got so busy at one point that me and my colleagues would work 15 hour shifts just to keep things in working order. We would scurry around like rats, every one of us, running around tending to whatever needs arose; whether it be reshuffling, or tending to the more worn books, we were always kept busy. Well... those were the good days.¡± The smile on the Head Librarian''s face began to fade and he continued, ¡°But good times never last forever, and over the years the people stopped coming, for one reason or another. And with the decrease in scholars, the need for librarians naturally went down with it. One by one my colleagues left; some got married and started a family, others left for more profitable work. Even my lovely Alexis...Well, suffice to say, the only one remaining is me.


    ¡°But enough of an old man''s ramblings, sit down and make yourself comfortable.¡± The old librarian said, sitting down himself and gesturing at the seat adjacent from him, ¡°My apologies for boring you like that, you probably wern''t here to like to the tale of an old man like me. As I''ve said, it''s rare to have visitors. Now is there anything in particular that I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°No worries, you weren¡¯t boring me at all¡± I responded, feeling a little bit of pity for the gold guy, ¡°But I was wondering if you guys ¨C well, not ¡°guys¡± plural I guess, since it''s just you ¨C but uh, do you have any books or information about the supernatural.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but of course. We have 148 338 volumes on the subject, as well and 78 942 individual books available at the moment, shall I lead you to them?.¡± He said, his voice and tone returning to what it was before the story.


    ¡°You''re going to lead me to 200 000 books?¡±


    ¡°Well of course not!¡± He said with a laugh, ¡°It was a joke of sorts. I used to tell bad ones quite often, and I guess old habits die hard. Why, even in a place as large as this, storing that many books is impossible. It''s all in databases and what not nowadays, although we still keep several of the more popular or rare volumes on hand. With the advent of the internet and digital storage, I''m afraid to say my job has become more or less obsolete.


    ¡°But don''t worry, my boy. There''s still one thing that I can do better than even the smartest computers, and that''s summarizing information. I believe they tried that one before, some program or another called ¡°Cuil¡± if I''m not mistaken. And if my memory serves, that turned out to be quite the disaster, albeit a funny one. But even so, your topic of interest is indeed a broad one, and unless you plan on staying for a week or two I would recommend narrowing down your search.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, right. I guess anyone, computer or otherwise, would have a hard time condensing 200 000 some odd volumes of information down to a manageable size.¡± I said, a little embarrassed that I asked such a broad topic in the first place. I mean, what was I expecting, a short 15 minute lecture on the entire history of the supernatural? I''ve only been in SIDNA for a little over a day and I can''t even begin counting the amount of times I''ve been left speechless or have done something stupid. Frank my man, you gotta step up your game, put that university education to some use for once!


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I said, sounding confidant for the first time, ¡°but I guess I should start from the basics ¨C and please bare with me if these questions sound dumb,  I''m just getting used to this whole ¡°new world view¡± thing. What I want to ask about is magic, for the lack of a better term. Like my ability to teleport, and whatever else people can do. Where does it come from? And how come the majority of the world is so hellbent on thinking it doesn''t exist? I mean, you can''t just keep something like that a secret.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a very good question, my boy! But to call it magic is fundamentally wrong with its current English definition. Your abilities and the ones that other people possess are not created from some arbitrary, nonexistent entity, and what you would call the ¡°supernatural¡± are things that are quite natural indeed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I don''t see how my ability to spontaneously disappear from one location and reappear somewhere else can, in any way, fit in the natural world. And things like zombies don''t exactly seem natural to me either.¡±


    ¡°But that''s where you''re wrong! And that way of thinking is precisely why all of the so-called supernatural beings and phenomenon can be dismissed so easy by the general public. But think about it, nothing that is being done is breaking the laws of the universe. Indeed, even your ability to ''spontaneously disappear and reappear''-¡±


    ¡°How?¡± I interrupted, ¡°What you are implying is that I can somehow materialize ¨C faster than light speed at that ¨C every particle in my body from one spatial location to another. If that''s not the very definition of impossible I don''t know what is.¡±


    ¡°Let me finish, my boy, let me finish.¡± he said, his voice still calm, ¡°I can see that you are well versed in your physics and relativity, but the way you are thinking is very three dimensional. Can it not be possible to transcend the third dimension, and in doing so affect the lower dimensions in a seemingly impossible manor?¡±


    ¡°So wormholes; you''re basically saying I have the ability to create a wormhole that I travel through to get to location to location. While theoretically possible, Hawking stated-¡±


    ¡°I know what he said, and trust me, you are not breaking any laws of physics. But yes, what you are essentially doing is creating trillions upon trillions of tiny wormholes for the atoms that make up your body to travel through. And before you correct me on the matter of energy and stability, just know that that is exactly what the so-called notion of ¡°magic¡± is! It''s the ability to manipulate the fundamental energies of the universe to suit the person''s needs.¡±


    ¡°But where does the energy come from? Surely we cannot just create it out of nothing.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, just as we cannot create matter from nothing, likewise we cannot create energy from nothing. We simply take what is already there and condenses it to a useable form.¡±


    ¡°If what you''re saying is true, than what''s to prevent me from, say, teleporting myself to the ends of universe? Or taking the energy from someone else to power my ability? And what''s holding the wormholes open long enough to let my atoms through?¡±


    ¡°That, my boy, is something that even I do not know. There have been theories proposed by various scholars over the years, but the subject has remained impossible to test. Alas, I lack an answer for you.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but even assuming that I have the power to somehow manipulate, and not to mention maintain stability, of the energies of the universe, how come I''m limited to just teleportation?¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t always like that, my boy.¡± the Librarian said, his voice sounding as if he was reminiscing happier times.


    ¡°What happened then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s a long story, my boy, I doubt you''ll have the patience to hear it out.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m not going anywhere, I have time to spare.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, my boy, if you say so.¡± Atticus said, and with a sigh he began.

 Chapter Six

    ¡°Back in a long forgotten time, humans were able to freely control every aspect of the natural world, and they coexisted with what we now label as the supernatural community, or the Others, as they were called then. The Others are very much like the ones that you know of today, consisting of goblins and mermaids and vampires and the like, the ones who were different were humans. You see, the people of the time had powers that rivalled the gods. And as such, the basic human aspects of greed and lust grew over time, fed by that immense power. Eventually the humans craved so much more that they demanded the fidelity of every other race. You can say that they were drunk off their powers and the superiority they they thought they possessed over the other races. They thought it fit to rule over them, to control every aspect of the Earth''s populace to what the humans deemed correct.


    ¡°As you might have imagined, the Others were not very supportive of this decision, and soon every other race ¨C the vampires and trolls, dwarfs and elves and everything in between ¨C banded together to fight a common enemy: humanity. The battle that ensued was far from pleasant. And although the humans were still few in numbers, the sheer power that they had made it easy to snuff out all resistance, and thus the humans had once again enslave the majority of the world''s populace. Through the generations, the Others suffered through the seemingly unending tyranny of the humans, devoid of hope.


    ¡°That is, until one being appeared. No one is quite sure about where he came from, or what his name was, but his arrival heralded a new dawn for the other races. He was only known as the Hero ¨C or the Devil, depending on which books you''ve read. This Hero had powers that surpassed the might of the humans, possessing the ability to both manipulate and more importantly disperse the energies of the universe. In theory, he could negate the entirety of the human''s might. It was through him that many a victory was won against their common foe. He toppled human regimes and soon, it was clear to the humans that they had to concentrate their full might on this one being. This realization came after brutal losses, for even in defeat the human''s pride prevented them from from acting sooner.


    ¡°It is said that at the height of his success, when he faced the remaining human resistance, he possessed an army that encompassed every non-human species on Earth. Legend goes that the Hero gave a part of himself, a piece of his very essence, to each individual soldier. How much of this is fact or symbolism remains unknown, but it was through him that the rule of Man was toppled. But even victory came with suffering. Both sides suffered irreversible losses, and even the oldest of records do not detail the final battle between the Hero and the humans.


    ¡°What is known in the end is that even with the combined might of the Hero''s army, he was unable to fully crush the humans. In fact, the Hero himself was almost defeated. Some say that his lover betrayed him on the night of the final battle, slipping poison into his drink, or that his powers were beginning to weaken from giving his essence away, but either way the end result was the loss of the majority of the Hero''s army.


    ¡°Thus some would say that the end result was a victory for humanity, for he captured, although not killed. Yet others would claim that it was a victory for the Others. You see, my boy, the humans found that they were unable to kill this being, this Hero, and thus opted to imprison him for all eternity. Before he was completely sealed away, the Hero shouted one last curse for all the heavens to hear ¨C he vowed that for as long as he lives, he will have his revenge on the humans for all the cruelty that they had inflicted. Some say that the very universe heard his cry, because shortly thereafter, the humans started to lose their powers; those very powers that they had abused.


    ¡°It was a gradual event, but the outcome was the same. They could no longer completely control the Others. The humans knew that the powers they once had was fading, and instead of taking the higher path and allowing the Others to live once again in peace, they opted to drive them off, to eradicate as many of the Others as possible out of pure spite and hatred. In one last, desperate attempt to appease their wrath, they sought to erase the Others from the history books. I''m sure you can figure out what came after that.


    ¡°Nowadays, the ability to control the energies of the universe is but a tiny fragment of what it once was, reduced to what you see now. Why, the majority of the populace are unable to even notice the energies around them, and the rare few who can are limited to just one variant of power. It''s a sad fate, but it''s the one we are forced to live with.¡±


    ¡°I... see. So I guess we were the bad guys then, huh?¡± I said as I tried to take the whole story in.


    ¡°That''s one way of putting it, my boy.¡± Atticus smiled, ¡°but that was a long time ago. How much of it is truth is unknown, but it is ultimately up to you to decide on what you trust and believe, for morality is based on the views of the individual, so who is to say that we were truly the ''bad guys'' of the story?¡±


    ¡°Assuming that the story you told is correct, it''s safe to say that the supernatural beings that are here today are the remains of the Others from long ago. But why don''t they attack humanity for revenge? I mean, we slaughtered and enslaved their ancestors for years and when we were finally taken down a few notches we erase them from the history books and bury their Hero. If I were them I''d be hellbent on revenge, even after all of these years. Hell, if it were me I''d slaughter every human in sight, no, simple revenge wouldn''t be good enough, I''d want to ravage their cities for what they''ve done, kill every family member, kill-¡± What was I saying? I didn''t know where these emotions were coming from, and I felt like I could relate more to the Others than my own race. We were the ones who wronged yet they are the ones to suffer for it? It just... wasn''t right.


    ¡°I mean...¡± I said, forcing my pulse to lower, ¡°why don''t they fight back?¡±


    ¡°But they do, my boy, they do. It''s just that their efforts are, for the main part, squelched by what remaining might the humans still have. Even without that, the number of Others have not regained significantly enough for them to overtake humanity, especially without a leader to organize their actions. And even today they are largely under the shackles of humanity, living in the fringes of society, feared and misunderstood. However, I am beginning to doubt that the supernatural community will continue to take the abuse so meekly. I am sure you have noticed the recent increase in supernatural activity. It is clear that something has changed, and only time will tell if the consequences  will be of concern.¡±


    ¡°You know, Atticus, I actually feel kinda bad for the Others. I mean, no matter how you look at it, they''re the ones who are suffering just because we humans are in charge. They get the short end of the stick ''cause we were stronger. We were greedier. They belong to the Earth just as much as well do. And it''s not just the Others as well, it''s every other living being on Earth, we''ve been tearing down rainforests and polluting the waters, enslaving countless species for our own benefit. If any species deserves to be wiped out, it should be humans!¡± I felt like I was betraying my own kind thinking like that, but that was how I felt nonetheless. ¡°Is that way of thinking... bad? I mean, they''re my own kind, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    I looked up at the face of the head librarian, and saw him smiling. The gesture wasn''t something  worth noting, but to me it looked oddly eerie and uncharacteristic of the old man.


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    ¡°Your feelings on the subject is your own, neither right nor wrong. However I would strongly advise you to keep that particular opinion to yourself when you are in the presence of Sarah Fortune and her people. They are, shall I say, more closed minded than you or I.¡± He sighed, ¡°The only advice an old man like me can give is to see the world for yourself and base your judgements then. Unfortunately, as much as I love the company after so many years, I''m afraid that it''s getting late, and I have some urgent matters to attend to at this moment. Do feel free to drop back anytime.¡±


    With that, the Head Librarian lead me to the door and with some final hand shakes and enquiries about when I''d be back, I left the place.


    I took out my new phone to check the map of the SIDNA HQ, trying to find something to do for the remainder of the day. I was about to click the map app that Kelley thankfully added (I would have been all kinds of lost if I explored this place without one), when something caught my eye: the time. According to the phone, it was 9:48pm, which was impossible. I remember waking up at 10:30 in the morning, left the house at maybe 11, and I couldn''t have gotten out of the Raging Boar before noon at the latest. Where did all that extra time go? I was with Atticus for a half hour at most, and as much as I liked the old guy even I wouldn''t have lasted 9 hours listening to him.


    Maybe I got knocked over the head a little too hard earlier. Hell, I was seeing ghosts this morning and now my day just went off and disappeared. I just needed some sleep, I''ll feel better the next day.


    I followed the map back to my home ¨C or would it be called a dorm given the size and location ? No, home would be a better word, the place Kelley prepared for me was infinitely better than that shit-hole I lived in when I was a broke student.


    The walk back was relaxing, and for the first time since I''ve been forced to work here I got to enjoy the view without being pestered with hunger or uncertainties. The narrow streets and monolithic structures that honeycombed the city was absolutely beautiful. Even despite the missing time, I was lost gazing at the huge stone structures which looked like behemoths gazing down at the inhabitants below.


    As I kept walking, I started to really enjoy the eternally dim lit streets of the underground city. Ever since I was fired from my old job, I''ve been sleeping more and more during the day, and the dusk was refreshing. No, I guess I was always a night person, even before losing my job, all of the happy memories from my childhood and adolescence were basked in darkness, and I found that I was more comfortable in the dusk than I ever was in the morning. Despite all the hellish places I''ve been warped to and all of the crap that I had to deal with ''cause of it, I still found the dark eerily calming.


    Maybe I have gone completely insane.


    I arrived home at a quarter past 10, and with nothing better to do I decided to sweep out the room to see if there were any hidden cameras or voice recorders. Like I''ve said, you can never be too careful with stuff like that. After about an hour, the only thing out of place that I found was some oddly coloured dust and a standard looking remote for a T.V. I couldn''t for the life of me find anything that even looks like a television in the room, but I was wrong. I pressed the ¡°on¡± button and a huge portion of the wall opposite to the bed lit up and noise echoed through the walls around me.


    Damn! Kelley really did spare no expenses. The screen must have been at least 80 inches wide, and it spanned almost the whole wall high, add to it the surround sound and the whole set up was definitely not cheap. Can''t say I minded too much though.


    I flipped through the channels while plopping the pillows on my bed into a makeshift chair. There were cartoons on, some documentary, some commercials about ¡°super absorbent towels¡± - probably a sham though, if the name is any indication ¨C and overall, there was nothing at all interesting on. I flipped to a news channel, seeing nothing better and just idly watched, half listening and half thinking about my current situation.


    ¡°... the liberal party has given...¡± I found my thoughts going back to the old Librarian''s story, about the Hero and the Others, and for the life of me I couldn''t get it out of my head. ¡°...with the threat of a coalition looming, the Prime Minister has officially stated that...¡± Why was it still in my mind? It was just another fairy tale, was it not? But that was what I thought about vampires, and zombies, and I''d be damned if I think they''re nothing but myths now. But even if what happened before was unjust, why did I feel so strongly about it? I didn''t feel like this about the Jews under Hitler''s rule, and that didn''t take place thousands of years ago. ¡°... and in other news, the death of 26 year old Francis York Morgan of...¡± I just couldn''t understand-


    Wait, what? The death of whom?!


    I removed all of my lingering thoughts and stared at the TV screen. Impossibly, I saw the faces of my parents, crying their eyes out.


    ¡°He was such a good boy,¡± my mother said in between sobs, ¡°He would never have turned to suicide!¡± Turn to what? I couldn''t believe my eyes, let alone my ears. ¡°But I saw it, his...¡± my mom broke down into unintelligible tears at that point, and after a few moments she regained some of her posture to continue, ¡°I saw it, his body.¡± She saw my what? ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t go on.¡± she said, holding back tears, ¡°My little boy, how could he? Why didn''t he tell us something was wrong? Why would he shoot himself?¡± I did what? I couldn''t make sense of any of it.


    The screen shifted back to the reporter, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Morgan; we at CP25 mourn for the loss of your son, now back to you Stephanie.¡± The screen turned black for a split second and the camera pointed back to the original reporter. ¡°The death of young Francis Morgan has shaken the small community of Brightsville, and serves a grim reminder that suicide and depression are a real issue in the world. His funeral will be held next Sunday.¡±


    I was at a loss for words, I picked up the phone and immediately dialled for Kelley. After a few rings she picked up, ¡°Hello, Kelley speaking, how may I help you?¡± said a bright voice on the other end.


    ¡°Hi, it''s me, Frank, I got a, uh, little problem here.¡± I replied, trying my best to sound less shaken and confused than I was.


    ¡°Oh, sorry Frank, I''m a little busy right now-¡± I heard some other voices in the back ground, all of them seeming very stressed, ¡°Yes, I''ll be right there Bill, just give me a moment!¡± I heard Kelley shout, her voice a little distorted no doubt because she was holding the receiver away from her, ¡°Um, sorry about that Frank, I''m in the middle of something urgent, can this wait?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, sure, but this is something that I really need to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Ok, can you wait until tomorrow? I''m so sorry about this, how about we go for some coffee? I know this great place near-¡± I heard more shouting and buzzing noises in the background, ¡°uh, I have to go, how about 12? I''ll meet you at your place.¡±


    ¡°Sure that sounds-¡± I said, but before I could finish I heard the dull click of the phone and the line was dead. Kelley must have been really busy with something.


    With nothing better to do, and TV seeming less pleasing than ever, I went back to bed, lied down and closed my eyes, hoping that tomorrow would come sooner.

 Chapter Seven

    I woke up the next morning to the sound of knocking, they were quick little knocks, barely audible, but still loud enough to wake me up. I reluctantly got up, quickly sloshed out of my clothes and put on new ones ¨C just a pair of jeans and a plain dress shirt, and turned my attention to the door.


    ¡°Tis some visitor,¡± I muttered, ¡°tapping at my chamber door; only this, and nothing more.¡±


    Apparently Kelley heard me, because she replied, ¡°Open up, Mr. Poe, it''s your sweet Lanore!¡±


    Here I opened wide the door, but instead of darkness there, a little ball of sunshine wearing a checkered skirt and low cut t-shirt greeted me.


    ¡°A fan of Poe, I presume?¡± asked Kelley as she made herself into the room.


    ¡°I love his work, absolutely mesmerizing.¡± I said, shaking her outstretched hand. ¡°I''ve always had a thing for the dark and macabre.¡±


    ¡°Same here! I''m surprised that you''re into literature, with being a scientist before this and all. I mean, a lot of people think that the two subjects are polar opposites, and no scientist would ever touch a book that''s not all scientificy and what not, but those are just stereotypes, and although I tell myself all the time to avoid stereotypes, I still get into the habit of using them. Oh, but it''s a pleasant surprise, Frank, I was an English Major before SIDNA, and there''s few people who can talk about a good classic nowadays.¡± the smile on Kelley''s face seemed to have grown exponentially, her little face barely able to contain the expression.


    ¡°I know the feeling.¡± I said, feeling a smile start to grow on my own face.


    ¡°Oh right, I''m so sorry about yesterday, I was busy with some security issue, it''s probably one of the interns messing around with the system; why, I was an absolute mess when I first started here, and it''s quite a common thing at that! Oh, but that doesn''t mean that you will be! I mean, it''s not that your work is any easier, what I mean is that-¡±


    ¡°I know what you''re saying, Kelley.¡± I said with a laugh, it was impossible to not laugh when talking with her, it was like her happiness was contagious, ¡°Now what was that you said about coffee? I, for one, am in dire need of one.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, if you would follow me, Mr. Poe, I''ll take you to a great place! And don''t worry, I wont be checking the floor boards for dead bodies or beating hearts either!¡± I was starting to like Kelley more and more.


    We chatted about literature and what not for the entire 20 minutes or so that it took us to get to the coffee shop Kelley mentioned earlier, aptly named ¡°Ye Olde Coffee¡±. The interior of the place was really cozy, almost like a mountain chalet, with the entire thing made out of timber. It had a big warm fireplace at one end and little wooden coffee tables and comfy looking chairs littering the space, topped off with big logs that made up the counter where the servers were. The place was oddly quiet, with just two more customers by the fireplace, happily drinking from their cups and making small talk, and the ambient jazz that was played in the background was beautiful.


    Kelley ordered a hot chocolate, while I got a huge cup of coffee, topped off with whipped cream and a mint flavour shot (the whipped cream and flavour shot was something that I never get with coffee, I found it too costly for what it''s worth, but seeing as how I''m not actually spending my own money, I''m all for caking on the expensive toppings!). We brought out mugs over to a table besides the window and made ourselves comfortable.


    ¡°You know what?¡± I said wigging around in the seat, ¡°I''m really starting to like this here SIDNA, I gotta hand it to Ms. Fortune for taking care of the place. Although she should probably hire more librarians, I don''t see how one guy can manage such a huge place by himself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Our library''s pretty well staffed.¡± Kelley said curiously, ¡°If I recall our we have 50 full time staff members, and more volunteers to boot, are you sure you didn''t go to maybe a locally owned library?¡±


    ¡°No... I''m pretty sure it was the main library, unless you guys have one bigger than that place.¡± My eyebrows shot up in confusion, ¡°Uh, the head librarian''s name was Atticus, he''s old, got the big white beard, spectacles and everything; seemed like a real nice guy.¡±


    ¡°I''m almost positive that our head librarian''s still Brain, and he certainly doesn''t fit that description! He might have retired... I''m not too sure though, I might have forgotten.¡± Kelley answered, taking a sip of her hot chocolate and looking a little puzzled, ¡°Oh, and before I forget, what was it that you wanted to ask me?¡±


    ¡°Oh right!¡± I had almost completely forgotten why I was here in the first place, lost in all the talk about various authors and works of literature with Kelley. My smile quickly faded as I said, ¡°I saw the weirdest thing on TV yesterday, according to the news ¨C and my own mother ¨C it appears that I''m dead. Suicide it seems, shot in the head by my own hands. Apparently, there was absolutely nothing else your people could think up of than my death!¡± I could hear my own voice rising, ¡°Do you even understand that? I''m sure you guys all know the health condition of my mom, since you seem to know everything about me, I''m sure you realize that she''s had a weak heart, I''m sure you know about the  state she''s in ever since my brother died. How do you think she''ll react now? Care to explain?¡±


    At that point I was shouting, I didn''t mean to do any of that, and I wasn''t even that angry. I didn''t understand why I reacted that way, but it felt oddly... good. Like I was relieving all of that pent up stress, and focusing it on one target. I felt like I had to blame someone for all the trouble I''ve faced lately, and Kelley was the first thing that came to mind.


    Kelley''s face turned two shades darker and her smile faded, ¡°Oh gosh, they never told you, did they? Oh my god, I''m so sorry Frank, I really am, It''s just that- I thought that- I thought Ms. Fortune told you everything... It''s usually not like this, but you were a special case, they had to make sure that your life on the surface was removed, and, and I tried to see if there was a better way, but given your situation, how you were fired from work and whatnot... I thought you knew...¡± Her face was absolutely pale, and there wasn''t a single spark of her usual flare left.


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    ¡°What do you mean you thought she''d have told me? She hasn''t told me shit all! And you think it''s ok to just erase someone''s life without their permission? You ever think about how that person feels, to have their whole fucking life taken away from them? Do you even think at all?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry Frank... I... I didn''t...¡±


    ¡°You didn''t do anything, that''s what you did!¡± I shouted, furious, ¡°You didn''t care about what happened to me. Fuck, you''re only here because Sarah told you to, so stop pretending to be sorry about it. You''ve already stripped me of my freedom, I''m going to be stuck at SIDNA for the rest of my life because you''ve already killed me!¡±


    Before I could continue Kelley burst into tears.


    What was I doing!? I get invited to coffee by the first decent, intelligent girl in months and the first thing I say made her cry. Smooth, Frank, smooth. And now everyone in the room was looking at us, I could feel their cold stares stab into my back. They were probably thinking that I was this huge asshole, picking on the little 5''2 ball of joy. Or what''s left of it.


    ¡°No, Kelley, I didn''t mean-¡± I was cut off again.


    ¡°I really did my best to find a better solution,¡± she was sobbing now, looking down on the table as if meeting my eyes would end the world; I saw a couple of tear drops fall into her hot chocolate, dispersing the now flat foam, ¡°I tried, Frank, I tried, but they wont listen to me. It''s all up to the higher ups. They couldn''t afford to lose you, you were- you were special, Frank. I don''t know why, but they had to make sure that you had nothing left to go back to, on the surface. It was the only way to keep you here. It wasn''t fair, I know it wasn''t fair. And, and I tried... you have to believe me. I thought you knew that, so I tried to cheer you up. I even bought you those cream puffs, thinking that they would help, but how could they? I mean, we practically kidnapped you! Did I really think cream puffs would make everything ok? I''m such an idiot! I know we ruined your life, Frank, there''s no other way of putting it. I''m so sorry, so sorry... I thought... I¡± She was sobbing more than ever, her composure completely gone. All I could hear now was her repeating the words ¡°sorry¡± over and over again, as if she was the sole reason why I was here.


    ¡°Kelley, don''t cry like that.¡± I said, my voice wavering. I honestly didn''t know how to comfort her, she looked absolutely lost. ¡°It''s not your fault, I know that, and I''m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn''t have blamed you, you had nothing to do with it. I''m the one who should be sorry for shouting at you like that. I''m the asshole, not you.¡± I got out of my chair and gave her an awkward hug, ¡°Look, see? I''m ok, I''m not mad, you got that?¡± I even gave her a little smile to show her I was fine.


    She looked up weakly, her eyes puffy and red, and slowly nodded. All of her usual cheer and glee was gone. Just seeing her like that made my gut wrench in self-loathing. Why did I have to open my big mouth before thinking?


    ¡°Kelley, I really didn''t mean what I said. It''s just... just all the stress, all the build up, and I guess I vented it out on you. I just don''t like loosing my... freedom I guess, like the feeling of not being in control. But it''s not your fault, you had nothing to do with it, and heck, I wasn''t even that close to my family anyway. I hardly had a life back then in the first place, so it''s not like I''ve lost anything.¡± Kelley just nodded again. ¡°Look, you''re probably hungry, I''ll treat you to some food, ok? I found this great pub yesterday, best meal on the planet. Think of it as me paying you back for those cream puffs; they were delicious by the way.¡± Another nod.


    Kelley took one last sip from her near full cup and we quickly left the coffee shop ¨C I could almost feel the icy glare from the other people in the establishment. They thought I was scum, and they''re right. No, I''m probably worse than what they think.


    When we arrived at the Angry Boar Kelley was starting to look more like her usual self, although that ever-present smile was still lacking its usual luster. We didn''t exchange so much as a word on our way there, and to be honest I was thankful of that. After what I''ve said to her I doubt that we''ll have the same kind of insightful conversations as before. We entered the place and grabbed a spot near the front of the bar. Eugene was manning the place ¨C he was probably the only person who worked there ¨C and his expression was the same sepulchral gloom. The guy had the personality of a tombstone.


    ¡°Hey, can I get two orders of the Galdar Kolmon?¡± I asked with smile. He looked at me, and then at Kelley, and with a nod and a grunt.


    ¡°And a beer for me.¡± said Kelley with a weak smile.


    To my absolute amazement, Eugene actually responded with a ¡°ok¡± before going to the back to get the food.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, a little awkwardly, ¡°I didn''t think he could actually talk.¡±


    ¡°He''s... very taciturn, not very good at dealing with people. More shy than anything else really, but I''ve known him for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you guys grow up with each other or something?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡±


    There was still a palpable awkwardness between Kelley and I; I could see that she was trying to forgive me for my earlier lash out, but the damage was already done. I wanted this situation to end, but even so, I couldn''t just leave without making up for my idiotic mouth.


    I tried to steer the conversation in a happier direction, but before I could utter a single word a huge popping sound echoed through the room ¨C almost like the sound of bubbles being released underwater, but only louder ¨C followed by the screams of dozens of people.


    I jumped out of my seat, and turned my head towards the windows to where the noise originated. What I saw was absolute mayhem, sort of like a scene from an action movie where aliens were invading the city. There were people in disarray, running from something that I couldn''t make out, there was dust was flying everywhere and a general sense of pandemonium. How could so much chaos be created in such a sort amount of time?

 Chapter Eight

    By this point the people in the bar were starting to panic, one man in his late 30''s rushed towards the exit, but before he could make it out I saw his whole body split in two, right down the middle. I almost threw up, and I''ve seen a lot of disturbing things in my life. My revulsion quickly turned into fear when I saw what caused the scene.


    The thing that caused the carnage was some kind of huge blubbery insect looking creature, it was blotchy green and yellow, with way too many limbs to make anatomical sense. The top two appendages were shaped like giant, organic knives, the blades glistening a sickly red from the blood of the poor guy who tried to get out. But what disturbed me was not its praying mantis limbs, but the rest of its body. It had dozens of sickeningly human arms that littered its torso; each arm was reaching outwards, as if it was grasping at some unknown object. Its head was simply a pulsating blob of flesh, half human and half insect, with no eyes or any other discernible feature other than its huge, gaping mouth. The whole creature was at least 8 feet long, and some 6 feet tall, it crawled on hundreds of tiny legs, like some kind of mutated centipede.


    Before I could even react, the whole bar exploded into action, some people ran for cover, hiding behind tables and getting as far away as possible from the thing. A few brave patrons tried to fight, but they were quickly cut down.


    ¡°Kelley,¡± I said hysterically, ¡°we gotta get out of here...¡±


    There was no response.


    I turned to where Kelley was sitting a minute ago and saw that she was gone. Before I could even question the situation I heard a sickening skittering approach me. I turned towards the noise, only to see a pair of huge scythe arms swinging down at me. I felt its arms slice into my chest and I immediately ported a few feet back on instinct, only to realize that I was placing myself in a corner. The creature, apparently unfazed by my sudden disappearance, continued to crawl towards me, it''s top limbs looking ready to cleave my body into pieces.


    In panic, I tried to port towards the door, but the second that I reappeared someone crashed into me and I fell harshly to the ground. Damn, karma''s a bitch! I was rattled from the fall long enough for the creature to pounce.  Before I could right myself it slid one scythe arms into my shoulder blades, and with another quick motion it tossed me aside like a rag doll. The fall thoroughly winded me, and I could only stare in dread as it crawled towards me, ready cleave me in two. I felt it''s tiny legs dig painfully into my stomach as it mounted me, I tried to shove its bulk off my body but it was futile. The only thing I could do was stare into its putrid face, waiting for my end. It raised its scythe arms, and I closed my eyes.


    I guess I had a good life, and this would have happened to me eventually, and by all means it should have happened sooner. I waited for the moment where my head would leave its body.


    *	*	*


    ¡°Frank, we have to go!¡± A voice said.


    Was I already dead? The voice was sweet enough to be an Angel''s.


    ¡°Come on Frank! Get up!¡±


    But why does it sound so familiar?


    ¡°Up Frank, up!¡±


    I felt the Angel lift my body up, and as she did it I felt pure agony.


    My eyes creaked open from the pain, and in my blurry confusion I saw a familiar face. 	¡°Kelley?¡± I asked weakly.


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    ¡°Yes Frank, it''s me, come on, we have to go!¡±


    I tried to stand up on my own, but found that my limbs refused to respond, I looked down at my body and saw a huge gash on my chest, along with dozens of little holes from where the thing''s legs pierced me. My clothes were stained red and I could barely feel my legs.


    ¡°You lost a lot of blood, but you have to come with me. We''ll get you some help. And don''t you dare lose consciousness! I can''t do this with you passed out.¡±


    Between the bouts of pain and fatigue I felt, staying conscious was not something I wanted to do. I tried to focus my attention, to work my mind as best I could to stay awake, and it was only then did I notice something strange. The whole bar and everything in it was in monochrome. What''s more, the people, the dust, the debris, and more importantly, those creatures were all frozen in place.


    ¡°What''s going on...?¡± I asked, still staring around the room.


    ¡°It''s my ability, I''ve stopped the time around us, but I can''t keep this up for too long, and I can''t include you in it if you''re not conscious. I''ll explain everything later, but we have to go. Now!¡±


    I barely registered what she said, and only nodded in response. I leaned on Kelley and we made the long trek towards my dorm. I knew the walk should take 15 minutes at most, but this time it felt like an eternity. As we walked I couldn''t help but notice that there were hundreds of those monsters in the streets, and just as many people who would die moments later, all frozen in time. The whole scene was almost calming.


    ¡°Why arn''t you saving the rest of the people?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I can''t,¡± replied Kelley, I could see that she was sweating profusely, her features strained as if she was in deep concentration, ¡°it''s taking everything I have to include you in the time slip.¡±


    ¡°Why me then?¡± I coughed, ¡°There are thousands of people better suited to be saved!¡± I couldn''t stand it, being rescued by the person I so painfully bashed earlier on. I didn''t feel like I deserved to be saved, especially by her.


    ¡°It has to be you, Frank. You don''t get it yet, but it has to be you!¡± replied Kelley.


    And she was right, I didn''t understand her. I wanted to question her further I found that my mouth wasn''t functioning at all, and the numbness was starting to spread throughout my body. I looked up at Kelley one last time and saw that there was concern in her eyes, ¡°Come on Frank, stay with me, we''re almost there!¡±


    I saw the ¡°ATHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY¡± doors, but I could feel the last bit of my will power leaving me.


    ¡°Kelley,¡± I muttered with the last of my strength, ¡°I''m sorry about before, you''re actually one of the nicest people I''ve ever met, I really didn''t mean to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°I know Frank, I know, and I forgive you, so stay with me. Common, we''ll get you help; you''ll be better in no time. And... and we can have some coffee again, make up for today, ok?¡± she said, her eyes watery, ¡°Frank? Frank!? Stay way me Frank, just a little more, you hear me? Come on! Please stay with me!¡± You know what? Tears really don''t belong on such a sweet face like hers, especially tears shed for an idiot like me.

 Chapter Nine

    I found myself standing in a small clearing in the middle of a forest, the trees towering over me held crimson red leaves that swayed in an invisible breeze. All around me the sweet aroma of a crisp spring day loomed in the air, and the evening sun basked the scene in a warm, orange glow. In the middle of the clearing was a small wooden table and two chairs, the furniture would have been strange given its location, yet they seemed to fit into the space perfectly. The leaves that fell like rain seemed to drift away from that spot, as if a gentle wind was constantly pushing the leaves away. And on the table was a small golden key, and I found myself involuntarily gravitating towards the it. I reached out to grab the key, but a hand stopped me.


    ¡°My, if it isn''t Francis Morgan. It''s quite a surprise to see you here.¡± I knew that voice. It was impossible to forget it.


    I looked up and saw the lascivious lady in red, the same one I saw at the bar. Her dress flowed with the leaves, its colour an exact match with the background. It was like she belonged here as much as the trees. No, looking closer it seemed like the background was a part of her. Like she was what made the place what is was.


    ¡°Quite a surprise indeed, but a pleasant one, of course. Do sit down though, I''m sure you''re  tired.¡± she said with a sly smile. I grabbed the nearest chair and sat down.


    ¡°It''s good to see you again, but who are you?¡± I said, and to my surprise I found myself thinking crisp and clear, very unlike the last time I saw her.


    ¡°Who am I?¡± she said curiously, ¡°Well, Frank, you can say that I am just simply... me.¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Do I, Frank? Maybe I don''t know who I am.¡±


    ¡°You have to know who you are though,¡± I said, staring into those perfect, sapphire eyes. ¡°everyone knows who they are.¡±


    ¡°Then let me ask you this: do you know who you are, Frank?


    ¡°Of course I know who I am, I''m Frank Morgan-¡±


    ¡°No Frank, that is your name, that is what they call you. A person''s name is not who they are. You are not the Francis Morgan who is the father of three in Toronto, nor are you the same Francis Morgan in Oregon who is getting over a tough divorce. Or the dozens of others out there. Let me ask again: do you know who you are.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, I''m... I''m...¡± I thought about the question. I was... I am... who am I? It seemed like everything I know about myself was categorical in nature, there was no essence to it, no life to what I knew. I can name a million different attributes and abilities that I had, yet these same traits can be found in anyone. It wasn''t who made me... me.


    Was I the same person who naively believed that the supernatural was fiction? The same lab worker who was pissed off when his coworkers got results and he didn''t? Or the same teenager who hadn''t a care in the world, who thought that his whole life was a head of him? Was I the same kid who cried when his father left him? Maybe I really didn''t know who I was.


    All I managed to say was, ¡°I... I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°Only a lucky few will ever find out who they truly are, and even then it has taken them a lifetime. But as for me, you may call me Rose, as many have before you. I quite enjoy the look of that particular flower.¡±


    I looked at her, at Rose, and I couldn''t help to feel like she knew much more than she let on. After all, she knew what transpired earlier today. I wanted to ask her something ¨C anything, but I couldn''t put my confusion into words. She clearly did not want to tell me who she was, and even though I knew nothing about her, I still found myself trusting her. Trusting her just felt... right.


    The only thing I could ask was, ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you can say this place that you have stumbled upon is my home. It wasn''t quite as lovely as it is now when I first... moved in,¡± she said, pacing around the space, ¡°but as you can see I''ve spiced up the place a bit. I was always one for the great outdoors. But enough about that, I am quite curious about how you managed to come upon such a... remote location. There are only a few possibilities.¡±


    How did I end up here? The last thing I remember was...


    ¡°I... I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°That is quite troubling, Frank. This isn''t a place that you should be at, and although I do enjoy the company, I''m afraid that we must reschedule our little date.¡± she said, ¡°You must leave, while you still can.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Getting out is... a challenge, a risk for both myself and you.¡± she said with a frown, ¡°The price of freedom is a steep one. Do you still wish to leave?¡±


    A steep price? What does she mean steep price? My gut feeling told me to just relax and stay here with her, forever... That would be nice, just staying here. I wouldn''t have to worry about Sarah''s lot and whatever it is that they were planning... I wouldn''t have to deal with how big of an asshole I was when I talked to Kelly, and most of all, I wouldn''t have to actually do anything here. Yeah. Maybe I should just stay here.


    ¡°Ah, and before I forget to tell you, my dear Frank.¡± Rose said, noticing my hesitation, ¡°If you do stay here, your mind will eventually degrade and disappear. This place is not meant for one such as yourself.¡±


    Right... I never wanted to stay here anyway! I mean, I had to fix my mistakes outside, and I had to make sure that things were fine. That''s definitely why I should leave this place, and not at all because I would eventually turn into a vegetable.


    ¡°Of course I want to leave.¡± I finally said, ¡°I can''t stay here, not with the shit still happening in SIDNA. I don''t care what the price is, just let me go back... and I do want to keep my mind intact.¡±


    ¡°Good, then you will enter into a sort of... contract with me.¡±


    ¡°A contract?¡± I muttered, not sure if I liked the sound of that, ¡°I''ve already signed on to one before, what are the conditions for this one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no conditions like the kind that you know from your world.¡± Rose answered with a wry smile, ¡°I won''t ask you to do anything for me really.¡±


    ¡°I find that really hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°It''s just something that has to be done. In order for you to leave here, I have to... get to know you a little more. I have to give you something to remember me by, so to speak. After all, if you are not somehow connected to me, you won''t be able to leave this particular place.¡±


    ¡°So what''s the plan?¡±


    ¡°I want you to become a champion of sorts for me.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°A champion.¡± She answered, shaking her head at my question, ¡°Like a champion for a King or a Queen during the olden times. Just a simple representative.¡±


    ¡°Right... and you expect absolutely nothing out of me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± She smiled, ¡°But you will be, technically, my representative; I simply require nothing out of you.¡±


    I thought about it for a while longer, trying to figure out if the woman in front of me had some kind of alterior motives, but after considering it, I realized that I didn''t care if she did. I mean, the alternative for not agreeing is to turn into a braindead human doll, and if she says she doesn''t require anything, then I''m inclined to believe it, Damned be the consequences.


    ¡°Ok.¡± I answered, ¡°I''m game.¡±


    Rose didn''t answer, but instead she leaned forwards and pressed her lips onto mine. I felt something go into me through those lips, something that tasted of raspberries, and a hint of... a hint of something; something distinctly metallic, dark and oh so familiar. It entered my body and fused with me, as if this new object belonged to me all the time. It felt comfortable, like a nice warmth that was coming from my core.


    But that heat started to increase, slightly at first... but the heat quickly escalated into pain. A searing, hot burn that radiated from my chest.


    ¡°What did you...¡±


    I fell to the ground, hands grasping at my chest. I looked around me, trying to locate Rose, but what I saw was the room spiralling around in entropy, the crimson red leaves became a disorienting cascade of motion. I tried to find some way of making the pain dissipate, but I found that I could not muster any strength at all. I tumbled on the ground, with my face up towards that surreal sky. The azure scenery above me grew darker and darker until it faded into oblivion, and before I could speak another word, the all encompassing darkness engulfed me.


    *	*	*


    ¡°His condition is stabilizing¡± Pain, that was all I felt ¡°Someone get the doctors¡±


    ¡°Impossible ¨C just a moment ago he was-¡± My head was drowning in it, ¡°look, he''s starting to move!¡±


    I tried to open my eyes, but the lights were blinding. ¡°Get out of the way, let me see him,¡± it hurt so much. I wanted it to end.


    ¡°We''re losing him again! Get the-¡± It would be so easy to just give it up... ¡°Clear!¡±


    I felt a hot jolt of electricity course through my chest, forcing my heart to work once more.


    I coughed.


    ¡°Fuck... that really hurt¡± I muttered.


    I felt myself getting better by the minute, the pain started to recede, and I opened my eyes. I felt better... no, I felt different. I couldn''t pinpoint what it was, but I felt like something changed. Was it because of my injuries? I wiggled a finger, then an arm and I they felt fine, so I couldn''t have been hurt too badly. What was it then? Was I forgetting something important?


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    I cleared my head and looked around, it was the same egg shell white hospital room from, but there was a lot more people in it. In front of me were a bunch of people wearing white, their faces looking shocked and amazed. I scanned the room around me and saw that it was filled to the brim with injured people, and then I remembered. Those... those creature. Those disgusting things that rampaged SIDNA, what happened to them? I tried to get up but an arm stopped me.


    ¡°Sir, you really shouldn''t do that, you''ve lost a lot of blood and just a moment ago your heart stopped-¡± I didn''t let him finish, I shoved the man aside and rushed to the exit. I could hear the medical staff urging me to stop, but I ignored them.


    ¡°Sir, please listen to me! You cant just leave-¡±


    Once I exited from the corridor I realized that it was the same hospital room from before. I still recalled the general location of Ms. Fortune''s office from a couple days ago, and finding no other options, I decided to go ask her about the situation. She must know what caused those... things to attack everyone. And why so many people died. I walked through the labyrinth of corridors, my steps guided by a strange instinctive sense of direction, like I''ve been in this hallway everyday of my life. It seemed that Sarah''s office was guarded by two bulky looking individuals when I arrived. She must have upped the security after what happened. Either way, I paid them no heed, but they stopped me before I could open the door.


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± I spat, I was so tired of being stopped, so tired of being told what to do, so tired of being helpless. For the past few days I''ve been dropped into the middle of nowhere, had my life taken away from me, I''ve lashed out at the one person trying to help me, was attacked by some fucked up abomination only to be saved by that very same person, all while I helplessly watched countless people before me die. I wasn''t about to let a couple of guards stop me.


    ¡°I said: get out of my way!¡±


    The two guards'' faces turning ashen with that comment, and they backed off a little as if frightened, I don''t know what they saw in me but they quickly turning their gaze aside but I took the chance to make my way inside unhindered.


    There were a lot of security people hovering around Ms. Fortune''s desk, all speaking at once, each more obnoxious than the previous, acting as if their boss would listen to them more if they spoke louder. They were handing her various paperwork to be signed and looked at, and it was clear that no one in the room noticed my entrance.


    I walked up close enough to see that the lean face of the director of SIDNA was oddly calm compared to the expressions on the rest of the people, but the dark rings under her eyes and the added wrinkles was a clear indication that she was as stressed as everyone else.  It wasn''t until I shoved through the first series of people that my prescience was noted.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing here? Who let you in?¡± One rather plump man said, his amble gut bounced beneath his cheap suit with each word. ¡°Someone call the guards and get the idiot out of here!¡± I was about to forcefully remove him from my path when Sarah Fortune intervened.


    ¡°That will not be necessary, David.¡± she said, getting out of her seat and ignoring her obviously troubled employee before turning her attention to me, ¡°I was just about to call someone to check up on you, Mr. Morgan, and you coming here just saves me time. We have a lot to discuss.¡±


    ¡°That has to wait, Director; we have more pressing issues at hand!¡± Another man interrupted, shoving a stack of papers in Sarah''s face, ¡°As you can see here, the status of Sector 2 and 3 have been-¡±


    ¡°No, this cannot wait, and need I remind you of who''s in charge?¡± The glare she gave the guy sent shivers down my spine, and it wasn''t even directed towards me, ¡°Now gentlemen, Mr. Morgan and I have some rather urgent matters to discuss in private, so if you wouldn''t mind showing yourselves out of my office...¡±


    ¡°But Director, we have-¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± she spat. Sarah waved a hand at the doors and they slammed themselves open, as if pushed by some unseen force. Damn, she''d make an amazing Jedi.


    ¡°Of.. of course.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± she said, and when the last of the men left she closed the door with another wave of her hand, ¡°Now then, Mr. Morgan, I''m sure you have a lot of questions about the situation, given that you were unconscious for the past three days.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I was out for three days?¡± I said as confusion replacing any anger I previously felt.


    ¡°Of course, although I must say that it''s surprising to see you recover so well in such a short amount of time. You were quite lucky to have been with Kelley during the initial invasion, and even more so to be alive. Our physicians were... rather unsure about your condition when you first arrived, but seeing as how you are walking around with ease ¨C and undoubtedly worrying everyone around you by doing so ¨C I can assume that you are well rested and recovered.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel pretty good. Heck, I feel better than I''ve ever felt now that I think about it.¡± I said, flexing a few muscles to make sure that everything was in fact working properly, ¡°Was I really in that bad of a shape? I mean, nothing''s aching or hurting or anything.¡±


    ¡°I was not present when you were first brought in, but our doctors insisted that your condition was critical. Although you look a little different, you don''t seem to have had any form of life threatening injuries, so obviously that is not the case. I''ll have a word with the physicians later. But enough about your health, we must discuss the current  matter plaguing our headquarters, and how you can assist us on alleviating this predicament. I''m sure that you have undoubtedly noticed the Scathe invasion.¡±


    ¡°I''m assuming that these ¡°Scathes¡± are the monsters that attacked earlier?¡±


    ¡°You are correct. Those ¡°monsters¡±, as you call them, are the product of a particularly gruesome mix of science and necromancy; strictly outlawed. The product is the creatures that you have previously encountered, a hardened mass of organic matter made for combat, all remotely controlled by whatever group created them. An excellent weapon by all accounts, if, of course, the raw materials needed was not so... difficult to prepare.¡±


    ¡°I... see. I''m ready to help fend them off.¡± I said, feeling my blood boil from the thought of going out there to get my revenge on those monsters. I didn''t want to sit around helpless any more.


    ¡°Although your enthusiasm is appreciated, your particular set of skills are ill suited for that task.¡± I felt my face drop from that comment, but when she saw it she only smiled and said, ¡°No, Mr. Morgan, what I need you to do is more paramount. My team has already contained the majority of the Scathes within the General Affair''s Sector, but even now we are unable to stop them from reinforcing their numbers. We have issued numerous strike teams to try to remedy this situations, but all efforts of stopping the core of the corruption has failed thus far. We have, however, located the portal that our enemy uses to send in their forces, and derived a means of stopping it. This is where you come in, Mr. Morgan.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you want me to do something that you guys couldn''t? What the hell do you expect me to achieve?¡± And as I said that I finally realized just powerless I actually was, ¡°My ability is next to worthless in a fight against those things, and I couldn''t even protect myself with it, let alone anyone else. I mean, I wouldn''t  be alive if it wasn''t for Kelley.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but your so called ¡°worthless¡± ability is precisely why I need you for this task. Our efforts to stop the portal has failed because we were unable to reach the object itself. Unfortunately, the portal is protected by some sort of barrier or force field, and every method that we have attempted to break through it with sheer force has yielded little results. Given enough time our research department could  figure how this particular barrier works, and thus produce a means of breaching it, but I''m afraid that we simply cannot afford that kind of time without continued casualties. Therefore, what I need you to do, Mr. Morgan, is to simply teleport past the barrier and enter it. By doing so you should reach the people responsible for this outbreak. From there your task is to simply escape to somewhere safe and provide us with their location. However,  although your task is not to end the assault, I need not remind you that this mission is dangerous. You have the right to refuse if you wish.¡±


    ¡°No, let me do this. I don''t care how dangerous it is; I can''t just stand here helpless again, I''m sick and tired of being left on the sidelines.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! Now if you''ll follow me, I''ll have you briefed on your mission and properly equipped.¡± Sarah said, as she lead me away from her office and towards the quarantined General Affair''s Sector.

 Chapter Ten

    We got to the portal in a little under 30 minutes of walking, and although several Scathes attempted to stop us, Sarah Fortune took short work of them. She was like some sort of Jedi master with the Force, and she even did a little Darth Vader thing where she Force choked the thing, but instead of squeezing,  Sarah Fortune kind of made the Scathe''s head explode from the pressure. Yeah.... I really gotta make sure to never get on her bad side.


    The portal itself was pretty impressive, it was a swirling mass of green, purple and black, like a galaxy plopped to the side, and it was absolutely massive. Like, 6 plus stories high and just as wide. The barrier protecting the thing was barely visible, like a thin sheet of glass. I didn''t even notice it until Sarah pointed it out. After seeing the whole thing I was starting to feeling a little sceptical about my decision, to say the very least, especially when the only thing she gave me for my mission was my cellphone, some money, and a jacket.


    ¡°Ok,¡± I said, ¡°I know you said that I''m not gonna mount an assault on their base or anything, but shouldn''t you have give me some kind of weapon, you know, just in case?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, Mr. Morgan, you are not licensed to use any of the firearms that are powerful enough to make an impact on Scathes, and even if you were, I would not have handed you one. I will not remind you again, but your job is to simply get in and broadcast their location. Therefore the only thing you will need is the cellphone to track your location, and the money so you can stay somewhere safe while we get you. You are to wait while we pin-point your coordinates, and you will, by no means, engage on to any hostiles. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I replied, not daring to question her further after that whole ¡°exploding Scathe¡± thing, ¡°get in, get out, and hide like a little girl.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now then, whenever you are ready, Mr. Morgan.¡±


    ¡°Right, here I go then...¡± I said, taking one final look at SIDNA HQ before I teleported past the barrier and stepped into the swirling mass...


    And immediately feel face first into concrete with a sickening sound of cracked glass. Wait, cracked glass?


    I sat up, checked my surroundings ¨C seemed like I was in some sort of underground bunker, an all too familiar sight ¨C smeared the blood off my nose and looked at the shattered remains of my new phone.


    ¡°Wonderful, god fucking wonderful.¡± I muttered to myself, ¡°of course the portal would drop me face first in some shitty underground bunker, and of course I''d break my phone while I''m at it.¡± I just hope Ms. Fortune had some back-up plan in case I did that, else I''ll be stuck on the other side of the portal for a long time.


    I sighed and started picking up the bits of broken phone, and was rudely interrupted by someone pointing a gun at me ¨C right, picking up pieces of phone when you''ve been dropped loudly in some unknown, hostile place was probably not the smartest thing I could have done.


    ¡°God damn it, it''s another escapee,¡± a burly man in his mid 30''s said, ¡°should we just shoot ''em like last time?¡± The guy talked like he had an IQ lower than his age.


    ¡°Nah man, you saw how mad the boss was,¡± said another man, his southern accent palpable, hell this guy looked even dumber than the first if that was even possible, ¡°just round it up and report it, it''s more fun like that anyways, you know how much they like to mess with them escapees.¡±


    I was about to knock these two idiots out when I remembered Sarah''s specific instructions ¨C ''avoid hostiles'' I think it was. I already screwed up enough as it is, I didn''t want to risk pissing her off any more, and knowing my luck I''ll probably get killed even if I tried. Although I really didn''t want to, I raised up my hands and decided to play it safe and just let them catch me, I could most likely port out after in any case.


    ¡°Yeah that''s right, get yer ass back in yer cage,¡± Muscles 1 said, dragging me off the ground painfully by the hair, ¡°thinking ya could escape, did ya? Oh, I can''t wait till I see yer screaming little face when them scientists get to ya.¡±


    The two lead me a short distance away into a room with several metal, barred cages, each the size of a small room, what was inside of them was sickening. Inside each cage were two or three sickly looking people, each crawling back in fear when they saw the jailers. I saw one girl that was no older than 25 shackled to the ground, with a bloody, misshapen bulge where her hands should be, next to her was an older gentleman with hollow cheeks and a pair of glazed over, lifeless eyes. Every cage was the same story: torture.


    It took every bit of will power I had to stop myself from attacking the two guys dragging me, and it wasn''t until they shoved me into one of the cages and left that I could even begin to calm down a little.


    When the rage subsided I saw that there was only one other person in the cage I was in, and the figure was slumped in a corner, unmoving. It was pretty clear what I had to do: get him and everyone else here out, and more importantly, make these assholes pay.


    *	*	*


    I started to survey the room in more detail when I heard the last of Muscles 1 and 2''s footsteps vanish. The cages themselves were made out of steel and it would be a simple task to get out of, but there was no way in hell I was leaving without these people. There was also no way around the heavy  doors without the key, and looking around the room I couldn''t see anything that could force them off either. This pretty much means that I had to wait for someone to come get me. At this point I didn''t care what Sarah said about avoiding confrontation; if the only way to get these people out was to take out those scum, not even an order from god would stop me from doing it.


    I leaned back on the metal bars and sighed; why do I always find myself in these kinds of situations? But this time it''s not just my life on the lines, but all of these people. These people need me. I won''t let the past repeat and doom everyone again. Maybe this was my chance to redeem myself. Either way, this wasn''t the time to mope around.


    I got up and walked towards the figure in the corner, still unsure if he was alive or not. Upon closer inspection I saw shallow breathing under the tattered clothing he was using as a blanket. Good, still alive.


    ¡°Uh, hello there?¡± I said tentatively.


    No response.


    I leaned in close to the figure and gently turned him around on his back. Apparently it wasn''t a he, but a she. The girl, who looked to be in her early or mid 20s, had the tell tale signs of malnutrition and abuse, and was covered in dirt and grime. Her lips were busted and her left cheek was badly swollen, but even covered in bruises it wasn''t hard to tell that she was stunning. Her hair was kept short but its colour was impossible to tell under the dirt. She was wearing a mouldy Nirvana t-shirt and what appears to be blue jeans, or at least what''s left of it.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Um, are you ok...?¡± I said, nudging her a little. There was still no response.


    I propped her head up and went to check her pulse, but when my hands closed in on her neck she popped open her eyes ¨C a mesmerizing ruby red - and with inhuman she speed lunged for my throat, mouth open and showing a long set of sharp canines.


    Ah shit, a vampire. Had to be a vampire.


    I fell backwards and before I could port away she was on me. She was impossibly strong even in her weakened state, and I could do nothing to stop her from sinking her teeth into my forearm. I felt the blood draining from me, but just when I was sure that I was done for the pressure from my arms faded. Taking advantage of this strange opportunity, I shoved the girl off me and crawled away, still unsure as to what exactly happened.


    ¡°I''m... I''m so sorry!¡± the girl said, looking a lot more human than she did a minute ago, ¡°It''s just... I was so hungry...  I ¨C I didn''t mean to, oh god, I''m so sorry!¡±


    ¡°Uh, it''s fine, don''t worry about it.¡± I said, and although she did attack me it seemed like it wasn''t on purpose, and plus, she''s suffered enough, ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry for attacking you,¡± she said, ignoring my question, ¡°I mean, you smelled just like one of them.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, don''t worry about it, I''m just glad I could help I guess.¡± And you know what? I actually was glad that she was ok, despite the fact that I almost died ¨C hell, as sad as it is to say, I was already used to almost dying. ¡°But seeing as you''re fine, can you tell me what''s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don''t know?¡± she said, blushing a little, ¡°I guess that means that they just got you, huh? Explains the clean clothes ¨C those don''t last long here... And you sure that you''re ok with what I did earlier?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I think that anyone would have made that uh... mistake in your shoes. No hard feelings, I swear.¡±


    ¡°You really mean that? You''re not going to be angry or anything? I mean, I broke one of the biggest taboos, oh god! Look, I''ll do anything to make up for that, you sure I don''t have to do... something?¡± the girl said, leaning towards me.


    The message was pretty clear.


    ¡°No, uh I''m fine, really.¡± I felt my cheeks turn four shades redder, shifting my eyes I said, ¡°And we have bigger problems to deal with right now, like getting everyone out of here.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± she said, and if my ego was even a tad bit bigger I might have thought that she looked a little disappointed. ¡°but there is no escape from here, I''ve seen how they treat the people who''ve tried.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that, the two guards that got me should be easy enough to deal with. When they come back I can take them out quick and get you guys out of here.¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand, we can''t touch them. We wouldn''t be here if we could. We tried... and well, I''m sure you can see how that turned out.¡± the girl said, her lonely eyes gazing outwards the other prisoners, ¡°I''m saying this for your own good, but there''s this thing on them ¨C maybe an enchantment or something ¨C and it weakens us if we even get close. So it doesn''t matter if we''re faster or stronger, because we can''t touch them. I''ve seen too many of us die, so please don''t try... I ¨C I just, I really don''t...¡±


    My male hormones must have been kicking in overdrive because I hugged the poor girl and held her there without thinking, because vampire or not, no one deserved this kind of treatment. I couldn''t ¨C let alone want to ¨C imagine just how much she must have suffered in this place, all by herself.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m not going anywhere, but I''m not gonna leave everyone to die a slow death here either. I think I''ll be able to get through their enchantment, just trust me, ok? I''m a little different than everyone else.¡±


    She clenched onto me harder, shivering.


    ¡°I know you don''t believe me, but... just... everything''ll be all right, ok?¡±


    ¡°They always say that, you know.¡± she said, letting me go and sitting a few feet back, ¡°''Everything will be all right'', like those words would turn back time and magically make thing ok. If everyone who''s ever said that was right, no one would be in this shit hole. No one would be tured into fucking monsters, and everything will be all rainbows and unicorns.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I realize you''re not gonna buying it,¡± I said, sighing, ¡°so how about we make this more interesting? Let''s make a bet: if we get out of here alive, you''ll treat me to a good dinner, anything I want, plus I get full ''I-told-you-so'' rights ¨C finger pointing and all. However, in the slight chance that  things go wrong, and you were right all along.... well, I guess I''ll owe you dinner or something. ¡±


    She actually laughed a little, ¡°Hey, that''s not fair, you''re better off no matter what with those conditions, ''cause if I''m right then... well, never mind that. I think that we need to rework these terms, I demand some changes!¡±


    I couldn''t help but smile, ¡°Oh yeah? What changes?¡±


    ¡°If you win then I''ll treat you to dinner... but you''ll take me out somewhere nice after. And don¡¯t worry, you''ll still get to brag about it, I wouldn''t want to hurt your delicate male ego.¡±


    ¡°You strike a hard bargain, but you know what? I''ll accept your terms.¡± I chucked, shaking her hand, ¡°It''s a deal.¡±


    She shook my hands and said, ¡°May the best woman win.¡±


    Her smile was lovely.


    ¡°Oh right,¡± I said, forgetting that I didn''t even know her name, ¡°I''m Frank by the way.¡±


    ¡°It''s Sable.¡± she said, ¡°And I would say that it''s nice to meet you, but given the circumstances, it''d have been better if we hadn''t met at all.¡±


    ¡°Dessert.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she said, tilting her head a little.


    ¡°I said dessert, I want dessert as well for that last comment.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± a little of her smile returned, ¡°if we make it out in one piece you can have whatever the hell you want.¡±


    I was about to ask Sable something else but stopped when I saw her whole body tense up with fear. I looked around the room and saw that everyone did the same. A few seconds later I heard faint footsteps approaching us and an all too familiar voice.

 Chapter Eleven

    Looks like Muscles 1 and 2 came back for me. By the way they were chatting they were going to take me away to whatever hellish place they go to torture their victims. I could only hear 2 sets of footsteps, so it didn''t look like they came with anyone else, and if it really was the same two guards then taking them out would be easy.


    ¡°They''re coming to take you away, aren''t they?¡± Sable said, her ruby eyes staring into me with uncertainty.


    ¡°Yes, but they won''t take me.¡± I knew she wouldn''t believe me, but there was one sure way of making her trust me, and that was to do what I said I would.


    I turned my body away from her and towards the sound of the noise. I waited until I got a clear view of the two guards before I ported behind them and struck. I probably could have taken them out quickly, but I didn''t. They''ve done too much to deserve such kindness.


    I kicked out the legs of Muscles 1, grabbed his head with one hand and put all of my weight into his falling body. There was a delightful sound of gushing blood and bone when his face met concrete, and before his buddy could do something I ported directly on the space a few feet above that guy''s head. I used gravity to my advantage as I fell knee first on Muscles 2. He landed harshly on the ground with a shout, his hands fighting uselessly to get me off of him. I punched him on the face once, and while he was dazed I pinned his arms to the ground with my legs. Once he was fully locked down I punched his face, using all the energy and force that I could muster up, I punched him again, and again, and again, and again.


    I only stopped when my hands started to get sore, and by that time his face was a bloody mass of tissue; his features unrecognisable. I stared into the mess I created, stunned.


    I hadn''t realize how angry I was, and I knew that I should have felt... disgust, or guilt, or something for doing that to another human being; just anything but what I actually felt: pure,  joyful contempt. But he deserved it. I wasn''t in the wrong, that bastard deserved so much more for the things he''s undoubtedly done to innocent people, so much worse. I wished that he was still alive so I could beat the shit out of him again for all he''s done.


    I whipped the blood off my hands with Muscle 2''s shirt, and took the keys out of his belt. I calmly walked up to the cage where Sable was and unlocked the door. The look on her face was something, that''s for sure. She was two parts surprised and one part overjoyed, and when the cage door finally opened wide she leaped at me, arms open. I didn''t need to avoid her like I did last time. She wrapped her arms around my neck, she was close enough that I could smell the dark, metallic scent of her breath ¨C delicious.


    ¡°How... how did you do that?¡± She asked, never letting go of me as she spoke.


    ¡°Well, I told you I would get us out of here, and I do keep my promises.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I meant! I mean, how did you just vanish and then... you were... just how?¡±


    ¡°Well... I''m not actually a v-¡± I said, stopping mid-sentence when I saw the look of concern and fear on Sable''s face.


    ¡°Frank, watch out!¡± was all I heard before the loud sound of gunshot filled my ears and a sharp pain echoed up the side of my stomach. I staggered backwards and saw what got me.


    Shit, it was Muscles 1, and even though he was bleeding profusely from his head he was still alive and kicking. It was also probably due to his head trauma that he missed the next couple of shots, and how I avoided a lethal hit in the first place.


    I pushed the worried Sable off of me and ported directly in front of the bleeding guard, knocking the gun out of his hands. I put both hands on his neck and squeezed with all my might, ignoring his nails digging into my arms as he desperately tried to free himself. I held steady and squeezed, my muscles fuelled off the anger of being shot, of being helpless for all this time, and from all the suffering that he''s ever caused. I could feel his pulse slow down with each passing second, and I waited until it grew weaker and weaker before finally coming to a stop. It was only then did I reluctantly let go, letting his useless body fall to the ground.


    ¡°Oh god, Frank, are you ok? You''ve... you''ve been shot. We have to stop the bleeding!¡± Sable said, ripping a piece of her shirt off and wrapping it around my waist, ¡°You have to lie down, maybe we can get the bullet out...¡±


    ¡°That''ll have to wait,¡± I said, tightening the makeshift bandage, ¡°those gun shots probably alerted the entire compound. We gotta get everyone out of here, and fast. Can you get the keys from that guy and help me get these people out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ok, just... don''t over exert yourself.¡±


    I picked up the keys that I dropped and went on to unlock the next cage, and it wasn''t until then that I noticed the looks on everyone''s face. Where fear and hopelessness once filled their features, something akin to hope now stood, and I was the one responsible for it. It felt great seeing these people freed. Once the last of the doors opened I saw that several of the more injured prisoners were not getting out.


    ¡°Common guys, we''re getting out of here, you''re free now.¡± I said, dragging the elderly gentleman that I noticed earlier off the ground, ¡°None of you guys are getting left behind, you got that?¡±


    The old man just placed one hand on my shoulders and shook his head.


    ¡°Common, I''ll carry you if I have to!¡± I said, confused.


    ¡°Frank...¡± I turned my head towards the voice, and saw tears filled in Sable''s eyes.


    ¡°Oh, you can help them out as well!¡±


    ¡°Frank! Look at them, you know they can''t make it any more!¡±


    I looked at the people on the ground and a feeling of hopelessness washed over me. The people there were badly bruised and beaten. Beside the thin old man was a young lad with hollowed cheeks and four stumps where his limbs should be. Next to him was a girl that was missing an eye and had a huge red stain on the side of her dirty brown shirt. They were all on the edge of death, but even so they smiled at me. Why are they smiling? I didn''t deserve it!


    ¡°I... I know they''re too weak to get out, Sable, I know that!¡± I said between sobs, ¡°But I cant... I cant just leave them behind. I can''t do it Sable! These are people too! I''ll get them out, you hear me?¡±


    I nudged her aside and tried to put the old man on my back, only to collapse from the pain and effort. I got up again, panting with the effort, but the old guy just gave me a frown and a look of understanding. I could tell that he wanted me to leave him behind ¨C leave all of the behind. I couldn''t do that! I wouldn''t be like those fucking people who would treat the injured and old like dirt. I wouldn''t be like those humans that enslaved everything. I wouldn''t be like these people.


    ¡°Frank,¡± Sable said, dragging me off the ground and hugging me, ¡°just look at yourself. You know that they cant make it, and neither will the rest of us if you continue being this idiotic!  I know what you''re feeling, we all feel it, but you have to face reality. They''re in no condition to move, and they''re not blind to that either. Trust me, they''re thankful what you''ve done, but they have their pride as well, so let them go doing something noble.¡±


    I knew she was right. I wanted to save everyone here, to not repeat the same failures that I''ve done before, but the facts were there. I couldn''t let my idiotic ideals cost the rest of the people their lives.


    With one final look at the few that stayed behind, I lead the survivors out.  When we left the room I realized that escaping might be harder than I first thought. Without knowing where we''re going, there was no way anyone was going to get out alive, especially when I had no idea just how large the complex truly was ¨C for all I knew it could be the size of SIDNA.


    ¡°Shit...¡± I muttered to myself before turning my attention to the dozen or so people following behind me, ¡°Does anyone here know the way out of this damn place?¡±


    For a second the band of dishevelled vampires just looked at each other, each one unsure but checking with their neighbours to see if anyone else knew the way out. I was about to curse some more when a little 11 or 12 year old boy came up to me, tugging at my shirt. I hadn''t expected a child to be here... I didn''t think that anyone would have been monstrous enough to put a kid in a place like this. I was disgusted.


    ¡°Hey, what''s your name, kid?¡± I said, putting on a fake smile.


    ¡°It''s... it''s Thomas.¡± the little guy said nervously.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Thomas. Do you know the way out of here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I-I remember the way they brought me here. I th-think I can take you.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± I said, as a real smile spread on my face, ¡°Do you think you can lead the way?¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡± I could tell that Thomas was afraid, it must have taken everything he had just to speak up in the first place.


    ¡°Don''t worry, everyone''ll be right behind you, and I''ll take care of any bad guys that comes along. I promise you that I wont let anyone hurt you again, ok? So do you think you can be the hero and take everyone out of here?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Thomas nodded, pointed at a direction and started to walk, looking back every few steps to make sure that we were still there. I felt bad for putting such a big task on such a young guy, but I didn''t have a choice, everyone''s safety depended on a swift escape.


    After maybe 10 minutes the path began to become wider and wider, and at the end of that final hallway was a large metal door. On the other side I could see dim moonlight, and even from here I could smell the sweet outdoors; we finally reached the exit! The excitement of the ex-prisoners was palpable, and they started to run towards the exit, some shouting with joy. I was glad that we were able to make it out without encountering any guards, it was almost too easy.


    I froze as a cold realization struck me. Why were there no guards? It was impossible to ignore the gun shots, and it wasn''t like the security here was light, so why did no one try to stop us? Shit!


    ¡°Guys, we gotta stop!¡± I shouted, ¡°Stop, it''s an ambush!¡±


    No one heard me.


    I tried to forcefully stop them, but even in their weakened state the vampires were much stronger than I was. I was powerless; I could only stand back and watch as the first wave of bullets struck the escapees.


    *	*	*


    A bullet passed through a young woman, piercing her skull and splattering her brains all over the cold, dark concrete.


    It''s my fault.


    The screams of a middle aged man echoed through the compound, stopping only when he fell to the ground from the holes littering his body.


    I couldn''t save anyone, I let them all die.


    Thomas was crying, but the sobbing stopped when a guard smashed the butt of his gun into the boy''s head, and as the tiny body toppled over, a single bullet was shot, ending a life.


    And there was Sable, panic stricken, trying to shield a fallen comrade from the heavy blows of a soldier, but her struggles were cut short when a man pulled the trigger and blood erupted from her side.


    Why...? Why does this always happen to me? Why can''t I do anything right? I fell to ground, legs spayed, staring into the carnage before me. It was just like the time I fucked everything up in High School, and lost all my friends because I thought I was doing the right thing. Just like in University where my ex broke up with me because I just couldn''t keep myself from acting like a retard. And just when I thought I could just settle down in a little lab position, wasting my days away, I had to get this useless fucking ability! I just want things to stop!


    Time stopped, just like it did back at SIDNA, but I just knew that I couldn''t stop what was happening. I was going to be useless again.


    I cried. I cried for all those that died needlessly here, for all those could have been saved if I was just thinking a bit harder. I cried for Thomas, for bring the hopes of everyone up just so they could die a useless death inches away from freedom. I cried for Sable, the one girl who believed in my abilities, but I''ve let her down as I did Kelley.


    ¡°You can save them still, Frank.¡± A familiar, female whisper said. Rose?


    I turned around, and I saw the same beautiful face that I saw earlier. But she was not greeting me with a smile this time. Her face was etched in melancholy. I could feel what she felt, and she could likewise feel what I felt.


    ¡°Do you want to save them still?¡±


    ¡°I... I can''t do it.¡± I said, ¡°I''m hopeless, useless! Everything I do ends in failure.¡±


    Rose glided towards me, and embraced me. I could feel her warmth and comfort, and her touch alone made my spirits rise. I grabbed her and cried.


    ¡°What can I do...?¡±


    ¡°You can do anything, Francis Morgan. I chose you to be my champion for a reason.¡± she said, her voice warm and motherly, ¡°The potential is there, and I will always be by your side. Wish it and I can end your suffering, I can give you the strength to overthrow humanity''s cruelty. All you have to do is choose. There are risks however...¡±


    ¡°Fuck the risks! I''m tired of always fucking things up. Do it... I don''t care what happens to me after.¡± I said, knowing full well that the request could cost me everything, ¡°Just do it.¡±


    Rose smiled a dark smile, and with a cold hand she forced my head up and stared into my eyes. Her gaze was mesmerizing, and they told me things, unfathomable things. I felt a piece of me break then, and from its death something else start to grow. Something dark, something with purpose, something that will undoubtedly take over when the day comes. But I didn''t care.


    Rose was gone when I looked up again, but I knew that she was still with me, buried deep down in my own subconscious. I looked around and found that my mind was pristine, as if a thick veil was lifted from my head. I saw in crystalline clarity for the first time. I saw the subtle energies around everything, dancing like the wind, just waiting to be used, to be harnessed. I finally realized just how much I could do.


    I heard another bang and knew that I had to get rid of those guns. It was that those guns that gave those disgusting monsters their power, their ego. They thought that they could rule over everything because they had the means, because they were bigger and stronger, yet they knew nothing. They were just school yard bullies, like those little shits that used to pick on me because I was pale and weak. I''ve always wanted to take my revenge, to make them understand even half the suffering they''ve caused. They needed to be taken them down a few notches, and I could do it.


    With a wave of my hands I took away their guns. Haha, why didn''t I think about this earlier? I wasn''t confined to just teleporting myself, I could exert my power onto others as well! The weapons simply disappeared from their grasps, appearing before my feet. I picked one up and studied it, it was just another piece of plastic and metal, so fragile, yet dangerous. I squeezed my hands, wrapping the radiating energies around my arms, and saw the little toy contorted with my grip, twisting and turning before finally breaking apart. I tossed the lump of metal to the side and surveyed the monsters who dared harm my people. They were surprised, still trying to figure out what happened, but I didn''t give them the time to think.


    I ported in front of a group of guards, and raised my hands, pointing to the sky. The two guards closest to me vanished, I knew they would reappear and dropped off some two thousand meters above the ground from that spot. It was a pity that I was indoors and couldn''t see them fall. One guard started to run away, a foolish decision. I looked around the corridor, saw a particularly heavy looking desk in a little room off to the side and dropped it on the fleeing guard.


    By now the remain guards started to panic.


    ¡°You... you monster!¡± One of them said. They call me the monster? Was I the one who thoughtlessly slaughtered these people? That tortured young children for their own desires? Killed countless innocents just to get a pay check? Experimented on beings just because they were a little different?


    I laughed.


    I ported in front of them, and struck a solid blow into the gut of one guard. He flew back a dozen feet and crashed into the wall with a thud, leaving a messy smear of blood. I finished off the others, quickly and efficiently, leaving only one guard remaining. I wanted to take my time with them, but I had people to free.


    ¡°Tell your boss, whoever it is that you work with,¡± I spat, ¡°that I will hunt him. I will shut this place down, and any like it. Tell him that his end wont be pretty, and I swear it on every god out there that this will be true! Now go.¡± And as laughably cliche as my little speech was, the guard only nodded before he bolted as far away from me as he cold.


    I went to check on the conditions of the prisoners on the ground, it wasn''t good. From the 13 that made it out of the cages there were only a handful alive now. There was still one person that I didn''t check though, and my heart went into overdrive when I approached the figure. I feared the worst.


    ¡°Sable... I''m so sorry...¡± I said, bending down and feeling her pulse. I was hoping for deja vu now, and I would gladly be attacked if it meant that she was ok. I did feel a pulse, and it filled my body with relief, but the the pulse was light, and getting dimmer by the second. I picked her up, turned my attention to the door blocking the exit and with a flick of my fingers the heavy metal door disappeared, appearing a few feet away.


    ¡°Are you guys able to walk?¡± I said, addressing the other four.


    ¡°We''re... we should be fine.¡± A deathly thin man responded, leaning heavily on to one of the other three.


    I nodded and with Sable in hand, I left the compound.

 Chapter Twelve

    The night air was crisp and clear, the full moon blanketed the forest scenery before me like a thin, silk sheet, covering every inch in elegant silver. I could hear the crisp crackling of the leaves and twigs beneath my feet and the soft whispers of the wind as I carried the dying body of Sable away from that hellish compound. I could feel the sweat coursing down my body, and a sharp pain from my lower abdomen now replaced the dull ache that was once there.


    I found a clearing a few feet away, far enough to not be spotted if any chose to pursue us, and signalled the other four to rest up. I gently slid Sable off my body and propped her on a tree. Her breathing was shallow and irregular, and her pulse was getting weaker. She was alive, but I feared that that won''t be the case for long.


    ¡°Please... please don''t die on me.¡± I grabbed her and pulled her body to my chest, ¡°You still owe me dinner, you hear me?¡±


    Sable didn''t answer. I rolled up my sleeves, and with wild savagery I dug my nails into my wrists, drawing a deep well of blood. I held my bleeding arm up to her lips, urging her to drink, but the crimson liquid simply spilled out of her mouth.


    ¡°You have to drink, Sable, you''ll get better like before, ok?¡± I said, still holding my arm uselessly to her mouth, ¡°I didn''t bring you out here just so you could die! So drink, damn it, please drink!¡±


    I knew that it was no use, I could see that, but I didn''t except it. I just help my arm there before succumbing to the fatigue and blood loss. I didn''t care if I was to die, but my only regret was that I died a useless death doing nothing.


    * * *


    I regained consciousness and realized I wasn''t dead. No, it''d be too easy if that were the case. I guess whatever creator out there enjoys seeing my suffering and torment, and no matter how badly I fail I''ll be pulled back up to entertain again. I don''t even know how many times I''ve ended up unconscious lately.


    A man greeted me when I awoke. He looked to be in his mid 50''s and was wearing a well fitting black suit, and even in his advanced age the air of power and authority that he gave was unmistakeable. He smiled a thin smile, and from the looks of his teeth he was another vampire ¨C a powerful one at that.


    ¡°Greetings, my lord,¡± he said, his voice a deep tenor with a trace of a slight British accent, ¡°I am glad to see you well.¡±


    I sat up ¨C shocked that I wasn''t in any pain ¨C and checked the wound on my side. It was bandaged up, with just a little splotch of red dying the spot where the gunshot wound was.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I muttered, trying to figure out the situation, ¡°where am I? And who are you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, forgive my rudeness;¡± he said, bowing, ¡°my name is Robert Innsworth, and you are currently housed in my manor, just west of the town of Cinderford. I hope everything is to your liking.¡±


    ¡°Cinderford? Where''s that?¡±


    ¡°It is a small town west of Gloucester, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Gloucester... as in the one in the UK?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he answered, looking rather puzzled, ¡°is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°No... nothing.¡± Shit, I guess that portal has taken me to England.


    ¡°Of course, my lord. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Why do you call me that?¡±


    ¡°Call you what, my lord?¡± He said, arching an eyebrow.


    ¡°That! The ¡°my lord¡± bit.¡±


    ¡°Because you are the lord of our race, it would be rude to address you in any other way.¡±


    ¡°I''m the what?¡± This whole experience is getting to be more and more confusing. Yet somehow, the title seemed to fit me. It felt natural, as if it belonged to me all along.


    ¡°Ah, perhaps you are confused as to why I know?¡± Robert said, still standing a respectable distance away from me.


    I went with the flow and said, ¡°Yes, how do you know?¡±


    ¡°My apologies for saying this, but the aura you emit is unmistakeable ¨C I know not of any other being that can give off such a dominating presence. Of course the survivors also documented your actions at the human facility, and if their words are to be believed then you are one who possesses the power to manipulate the energies of the Earth. If that is true then you can not be anything but our lord. Forgive me for asking, but was it your intention to hide your true nature?¡±


    ¡°Er, yeah, I was hoping to keep it a secret... for uh, personal reasons.¡± I said, hoping the excuse was good enough. I didn''t want to attract any attention until I could figure out the situation I was in, however, it seemed that being the Vampire Lord or whatever was a sure way of keeping safe. Plus, I wasn''t going to give up the chance to have that kick ass title, even if it wasn''t true. I''ll figure a way out of this mess later, but for now, I had to make sure that I''m not dead.


    ¡°Unfortunately, my lord, the majority of the residents of this manor already know. I also suspect that some of the survivors who have left may be suspicious of your identity, but with no means of confirming their suspicions they would not have told anyone else. If you wish it I will keep my lips shut and tell the others to do so as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do that.¡± I said, ¡°And as for the survivors...¡±


    Shit, Sable! I forgot about Sable! I bolted upright and flung the sheets off me.


    ¡°Where''s Sable?¡± I asked, the panic in my voice made Robert back off a few feet, ¡°She was with me when I left the compound. Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the young brown haired girl?¡±


    ¡°Yes, her. Is she ok?¡±


    ¡°She was in critical condition when she first arrived, but she is now well fed and will heal in a couple of days. If you wish it I can take you to see her.¡±


    ¡°Good, take me there.¡± I grabbed my ruined shirt hanging from a chair and gestured Robert to lead the way.


    ¡°That shirt does not befit your status, my lord. I have many more suitable attires that can fit you at this moment, and I can arrange for a tailor to come and-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I interrupted, ¡°this shirt is fine for now. Just take me to Sable, and remember, I''m supposed to be a normal guy.¡±


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Robert said, nodding, ¡°what should I call you when we are around the ones who do not know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just call me Frank, it''s my name.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord Frank. Now then, if you''ll follow me.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Robert lead me through a couple stunningly decorated hallways and down a set of giant marble stairs. I must have passed a dozen servants and rich, important looking people along the way, and even in my haste to see Sable I couldn''t help but marvel at the beauty of the mansion ¨C this baby must have cost millions! The entire place was filled with expensive paintings and decorative objects of all sizes. This Robert Innsworth person must be really rich, and probably more powerful then I initially imagined. Was he perhaps some vampire noble or something?


    But despite the beauty of the mansion I found that something was ascetically off. I only realized after arriving by the front door that the strange thing about the place was the lack of windows. The only one I saw was a boarded up window by the front door, and even that was tiny. Of course, this was a place for the supernatural, so the place was probably built to keep the sunlight out.


    When we got to a little door in the east wing of the home, Robert said, ¡°This is where we are keeping Sable, she is still recovering from her wounds and is unlikely to be conscious. If I may advice, my lord, it would be unwise to disturb her from her rest.¡±


    I walked into the room and saw Sable lying down on the bed. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her well. Looking closer I saw that her colour was a lot better, the wounds on her face was all but gone and Sable''s breathing was stronger and more regular. Apparently someone cleaned her up a bit too, because the dirt and grime were all gone and her once dirt brown hair now shone under the lights. She looked a lot better.


    It was just a few days ago that she was trapped in that hellish compound, fighting for her life. I remembered how she was when I first saw her, broken and beaten. Now she looked absolutely healthy. Her lips were full and pink instead of cracked and purple, the bruise on her cheek was gone, and now that her hair was cleaned I could see that it was indeed a brown colour. She looked lovely, and I would even go so far as call her beautiful. She didn''t look like she''s been through all that now, she almost seemed... delicate.


    ¡°If it isn''t too rude to ask, my lord, but is she someone of importance to you?¡± The voice of Robert broke my trance.


    ¡°You can say that... but we''ve only just met.¡± I said, still staring at her, ¡°Can you tell me if she''s better?¡±


    ¡°I shall have a servant notify you immediately.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, ¡°and are the others fine as well?¡±


    ¡°The other survivors are faring better, and many are meeting back up with their families as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, leaving the room with Robert, ¡°but not good enough. We have to get the rest of the people ¨C no, the rest of our people out.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I am currently in the middle of organizing a party of skilled individuals to look into the matter, and with you leading them I have no doubt that we can rescue the remaining prisoners.¡±


    ¡°When can you get these people ready?¡± In truth I wanted to go right that instant, but going in without a plan or any backup was suicide. It was because of my inability to plan ahead that got all those people killed in the first place... I wasn''t going to make the same mistake again.


    ¡°It shall take some time to convince the necessary authorities... but if I tell them that you, our lord, is the one taking the charge then they will listen. If the reports are to be believed, then it is clear that the problem with the barrier preventing a frontal assault is no longer a threat with you here, so things should be fine now that you are here. If things go well this should take no longer than a weeks, a month at the latest.¡±


    ¡°Good, tell them whatever you need. Just get it done.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord. If I may I excuse myself, I have to get back to the matter at hand.¡±


    ¡°Of course, and you really don''t have to be that polite to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but it would be anathema to treat you any differently. Of course, in public I will change my way of speaking, since you are hiding your identity. And if I may say, it would be wise to get more rest, for you are not yet fully healed. Your quarters is located upstairs, the room that you stayed at before. Do you need me to guide you back?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m fine. I can go back myself and get some sleep, but uh, do you have any food? I''m pretty hungry.¡±


    ¡°I shall send someone to your room immediately. And if you wish I can ask for someone to guide you around town on the morrow, there is quite a wait until things are prepared and it would do my lord good to enjoy the night.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate the company outside, thanks.¡±


    ¡°I shall arrange it, and if there is anything you need please ask anyone in this manor, and you can always call for me if anything arises. Now then, my lord, I shall be off.¡± Robert bowed one more time and left.


    I walked back up the stairs, and I gotta say that it was pretty awkward to see everyone that I passed by bowing at my presence. It was unnerving, yet despite all that I was kind of happy, like I was finally getting the treatment I deserved. I opened the intricate double doors to my new room, and for the first time I realized just how exquisite the place was. It almost looked like my old place back at SIDNA HQ, but about 10 times bigger.


    I took off my ragged shirt and dove onto the bed, almost falling asleep before gentle knocks pierced my daze. Was it Robert again?


    ¡°Yeah, come in.¡± I said.


    The door gently opened and it definitely wasn''t Robert that came in. It was a girl so beautiful that it was almost breath taking ¨C almost, because the only person who ever took my breath away was Rose... I shook my head from thoughts of her and looked closer at the girl. She couldn''t have been older than 16 at most, she had beautiful flowing locks of gold and crisp blue eyes. She was wearing, well, she wasn''t wearing anything. There was nothing to hide that figure.


    ¡°Hi?¡± I said, confused.


    ¡°Good evening, my lord,¡± she said, bowing deeply, ¡°I am Elizabeth and I sent here for your entertainment and nourishment. I shall be responsible for your well being from now on.¡±


    Nourishment...? Oh shit! They thought I was a vampire, so when I asked for food... Shit, shit, shit! I didn''t think this through!

 Chapter Thirteen

    ¡°I, uh... see,¡± was all I managed to say, ¡°are you here against your will...?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! My family and I have served the Innsworth household for generations, and it is my great honour to tend to the Lord of the Night. It is an honour few ever receive. I am well trained in all aspects, and I hope to be of your liking.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, it hadn''t occurred to me that people would willingly serve vampires. I had to think of a way out of this... ¡°But uh, are you trustworthy, uh, loyal and all that?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Master Innsworth has provided shelter and income for my family and I, and he is more than generous to his servants. Many have volunteered for this position, and I have been chosen because of the great assets that I bring. I would never think to betray the master.¡± Well there goes my plans to say no because she was here against her will. Ok, time for plan B... whatever the hell that is.


    ¡°How many others are there? I mean, humans that live here.¡±


    ¡°Including myself there are 15 others who reside here permanently, and about 30 or so who come and go seasonally... Am I... am I not to your liking?¡± She asked, the look of disappointment was pretty darn clear.


    ¡°Oh no no, you''re lovely!¡± I said, desperately thinking of a way out of this situation, ¡°But I can''t um, I mean I won''t feast on you.¡±


    ¡°I knew it, I''m not good enough.¡± the girl said, her voice wavering as tears began to well up in her eyes, ¡°I am sorry to have disturbed you, I shall take my leave.¡±


    ¡°No! Look, I can''t because I uh...¡± Come on brain, think of something! ¡°I''m on a... a new diet right now. I''m uh, trying out human food, I heard it was pretty good so I''d have a go at it.¡±


    I was bullshitting out of my teeth, but I hope she bought it. With an excuse that ludicrous I would be amazed that anyone in the world with half a brain would.


    ¡°But I thought my lord and his kind could only attain nourishment out of blood, was I mistaken?¡± Elizabeth said, looking somewhat better.


    ¡°Oh no, of course not. You''re right, but I''m kind of different, I go against conventional wisdom and what not, being the Lord of the Night or what not. But don''t tell the others about it, I don''t want to stand out.¡± ... and I would probably die if Robert and his people found out that I wasn''t a vampire, but I left that bit out.


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said, looking a lot better, ¡°should I go and get you something else to eat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that would be lovely. Nothing fancy, I''d take anything right now!¡±


    It took Elizabeth a few minutes to come back with a couple of sandwiches, a slice of apple pie and a cup that smelled of coffee. The stuff looked delicious!


    ¡°I''m sorry, my lord, this was all I could come up with in such short notice... If my lord wants I can ask the cooks to make something better.¡± Elizabeth said. She was wearing a thin silk nightgown now, but that just accentuated her figure more than anything else.


    ¡°Oh no, this is fine. And no need to be so formal, just call me Frank.¡±


    I took the platter from Elizabeth and started to wolf down the food, taking a few sips of coffee along the way.


    ¡°Oh no, my lord, that would be too discourteous.¡± she said, staring at the floor.


    ¡°Please just call me Frank, it''ll make me feel more at ease.¡±


    ¡°If that is what my lord wants.¡±


    I sighed and rubbed my temples with my fingers, ¡°Look, I''m sure we''re going to see each other a lot more from now on, so it would be much appreciated if you can just drop the formalities and just act like yourself. I''m not going to get angry or anything, ok?¡±


    ¡°I... I understand.¡± the girl said, finally lifting her gaze from the ground and on to the food.


    ¡°Oh, do you want some of this?¡± I said, pointing at the food.


    ¡°Oh no! Of course not, my l- I mean Frank,¡± she said, blushing, ¡°I was just surprised to see someone like yourself eat so much human food. I''m sorry, it was rude of me to stare.¡±


    I laughed, and a bit of pie came out of my mouth, ¡°Don''t worry about it. I guess it must be strange, eh?¡± I dusted some of the crumbs off the bed and continued, ¡°But this food''s pretty good, especially the pie. I''ve paid for pie that tasted less delicious, who made it anyway?¡±


    ¡°I did, my lord.¡±


    I looked at her and forced a little cough.


    ¡°I mean, I did, Frank.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, ¡°you''re pretty good. You gotta teach me sometime.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± she said, ¡°When I''m not tending to the masters I help out at the kitchen. But Frank, someone of your status shouldn''t be seen cooking.¡±


    I sighed again, I guess being seen as someone of power puts a lot of restraints on the person. And even though I''m telling Elizabeth to act normally she hasn''t changed much aside from dropping the ¡°my lord¡± bit. Do these kinds of problems plague all of the nobility?


    ¡°Ah, never mind.¡± I sighed again.


    ¡°Is something the matter? You''ve been signing a lot...¡± Elizabeth said, inching a bit forward with concern on her face.


    ¡°No, it''s nothing. I just need to head to bed is all.¡± I couldn''t exactly tell her that I was sighing because of the way she''s acting.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, blushing, ¡°I am ready.¡±


    Elizabeth moved to a few inches away from where I sat on the bed and removed her silk gown. The thin fabric slid off her lovely figure with serpentine grace, revealing the pale skin underneath. She held her wavering arms across her chest, and even in the dim light I could see her shaking.


    ¡°Oh!¡± I said, inching a little bit back, ¡°No, I''m fine, really. You don''t have to do that. I''m uh, still wounded from the earlier, so uh, let''s just call it a day?¡±


    ¡°If m''lord wishes...¡±


    She bowed again and quickly left the room. I could see that she was relieved, but I knew that I had damaged her pride by rejecting her invitation like that. I put the dishes on the night-stand and buried myself in the blankets; should I have just accepted her there? I mean, she was more then willing, and drop-dead gorgeous to boot... but I knew that I couldn''t have taken advantage of a kid like that. Stupid, stupid morals.


    *	*	*


    I hadn''t realized that I had fallen to sleep, but apparently I did. Without a window or a clock I had no idea what time it was, but by the dim bustling of activity I heard I could see that it wasn''t too late or early. I changed out of my ragged pants and checked the closet for something fresh. I found some clothes that looked like it would fit ¨C a new pair of dress pants and a white shirt ¨C and put them on. With nothing else to do I left the room, but was stopped by a maid almost immediately.


    ¡°I''m sorry to disturb you, sir,¡± she said, ¡°but the Master has instructed me to get you when you awoke.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ok.¡± I said dozily, ¡°Do you know what time it is?¡±


    ¡°It is about a quarter past 8, sir.¡±


    ¡°8 AM?¡±


    ¡°PM, sir¡±


    ¡°Of course...¡± I muttered, ¡°Yeah, just take me to Robert.¡±


    The maid led me to the west wing and into a large office, I saw Robert immediately. He was wearing his usual black suit and sat behind a rather expensive looking desk. There were papers littered everywhere and maps of various places stuck to the walls, whatever he did in there looked pretty important.


    Besides Robert stood a young, rugged looking man. He was maybe 5''11, with blonde hair and a regal face, and a figure that I''m sure many women would idolize. He was wearing casual looking clothing and looked a little more than agitated upon seeing me.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Ah, Frank! I do apologize for sending someone to get you, ¡° the man said, getting up from his seat, ¡°but I knew not when you would awake.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± I said.


    The young man beside Robert stared me down, and spat, ¡°Watch your tone when you''re addressing the Master.¡±


    ¡°That''s quite all right, Phil, he is a guest. Now then!¡± Robert said, guiding the other man to me, ¡°I have asked Phil here to guide you around town. He comes from a respectable family and is loyal to me; he is additionally well versed with the town''s history and will thus make an excellent guide.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Phil mumbled. Apparently he wasn''t too keen on the idea of guiding me around.


    ¡°Now then, Phil, if you would be so kind as to prepare the car for departure?¡± Robert said, his tone indicating that it wasn''t a request.


    ¡°Of course, Master Innsworth.¡± the young man bowed to Robert, then glanced back at me with eyes filled with venom before leaving.


    ¡°He seems like a nice guy.¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°I must apologize, my lord,¡± said Robert, ¡°but he is still young and keen to spouts of jealousy. Phil lives outside the manor and is thus unaware of your status, as per your instructions, but I assure you that he will do as I bid without question. And, as per your request, I have not informed him of your true nature, but rather, that you are a being who is a valued guest.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but he sure don''t seem to like me though, what''s his deal?¡±


    ¡°Ah, he seems to think that you are a new member of the family, freshly turned, and that I am favouring you over my other vessels. I would imagine that he finds it disgraceful for him to have to escort my lord around. Sadly, I had not thought this through.¡± the man said, frowning ¡°I apologize for acting without your input, but I thought it wise to have your guide be someone who knows the town well and someone who does not know of your status. If my lord wishes I can send someone else.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± I said, ¡°I''m kind of getting tired of everyone treating me like nobility anyway, this change of pace would be nice.¡±


    A felt a dark grin on my face as I turned away.


    ¡°After all,¡± I added, ¡°this could be fun.¡±


    I left Robert to his work and got in his car with Phil. The trip to town took only 10 minutes, but Phil and I didn''t exchange a single word during the trip. We found a parking spot on the outskirts and the silence was finally broken.


    ¡°They said your name is Frank, eh?¡± Phil said.


    ¡°Yeah, it''s Frank Morgan. It''s nice to meet you.¡± I said smiling, extending my hand.


    He ignored it and said, ¡°Don''t think that just because you''re getting special treatment from the Master that you''re special yourself. Master Innsworth''s always nice to his servants, but that doesn''t mean that the rest of us are.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t think of it!¡± I said, still smiling.


    ¡°And for the record, I don''t like you.¡± he spat, ¡°Some fucking fledgling like yourself don''t last long around here, so I''d watch my back if I were you.¡±


    ¡°Really? My goodness, you not liking me? I''d never have guessed!¡± I was thoroughly enjoying myself, and I hoped he heard the thick sarcasm in my voice, ¡°What could I have ever done to upset a barbarian like yourself?¡±


    ¡°Fucking jokers like you, think your big stuff now that you''re one of us!¡± he moved with inhuman speed and grabbed my collar, ¡°Think you''re better than me just ''cause the master fancies you a bit? You better watch that mouth.¡±


    I saw the anger in his face, but I also knew that he couldn''t take me in a fight. Just something about pissing this Phil guy off made me chuckle inside. I guess this was one way of relieving the stress I''ve had from the days prior, and you know what? I don''t like this ¡°joker¡± either. I''ve seen his kind all my life now, always taking advantage of others because they feel like they''re entitled to the world, but no one ever bothers to bring them back to reality because they have the protection of their daddies and mommys. Just like my boss who would make me work for hours on end without pay, or those damn snobs who took my well earned position because they know the right people. But fuck that now. If these people think that I''m the Lord of the Night or whatever, then I''ll damned well act like it.


    ¡°Oh my! I''m just shivering in my shoes!¡± I said, letting the sarcasm drip from my mouth, ¡°Whatever shall I do? Well, I just hope Master Innsworth doesn''t hear about this! I mean, you are assigned to be my guide after all. Could you be a good dear and take me somewhere nice?¡±


    ¡°You little fucking prick! You think you can hide behind the Master''s name?¡± Phil said, his eyes almost bulging out with rage, ¡°If I break your fucking teeth in do you think that you could still tell the Master?¡±


    ¡°I''d like to see you try,¡± I said, patting him on the cheeks with my free hand, ¡°big boy.¡±


    ¡°You''re fucking dead!¡±


    I cleared my mind and saw the subtle energies shift as Phil tried to throw me to the ground. Instead of letting myself hit the ground like he wanted, I did a series of miniature ports in mid-air so that it looked like I landed safely from an impossible angle.


    ¡°Oh goodness, you almost dirtied my shirt!¡± I said, laughing a little. I haven''t had this much fun in ages! Just looking at Phil''s dumbfounded face made the night a thousand times brighter.


    The idiot composed himself slightly and made a mad charge at me. He was going at me like a truck, and at the same speed as well. What surprised me, however, was that even though I knew that he was heading towards me at a breakneck speed, I perceived everything nice and slow. It seemed like I had all the time in the world to react. I''m going to have to wonder how I was able to do that later, but I wasn''t going to let a good thing pass. Thinking for a bit, I realized that I simply had to shift a few inches to the side and extend a leg to block his trajectory. He tripped like I predicted and landed face first on the ground.


    I laughed harder.


    ¡°Yeah, you think that''s funny, huh?¡± he said, spitting out some dirt, ¡°Think you''re so cleaver because you can dodge? You wont find it funny when I pound your face in!¡±


    His face was contorted in rage and his once regal looking face was unrecognisable. It was funny, seeing this idiot get so worked up. I didn''t even pity the fool.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I teased, ¡°you might want to get your blood pressure checked. You look awfully red!¡±


    I could see that I really got his blood boiling, so to speak, because he went and picked the car up. Like, right over his head. I could see his feet sink into the ground from the weight, and I actually was surprised that he was that strong.


    ¡°Not laughing now, are ya?¡± he shouted, and even from this distance I could see the veins on his neck bulging from the effort.


    He moved a few steps and threw the car at my direction. He was right, that action did surprise me. I was surprised at how strong he was, sure, but I never could have imagined that he was dumber than he was strong! I was at least a good several dozen feet away, and there was no possible way for him to aim; I didn''t even need to move to get out of the way of the car. I stood still and watched the hunk of metal fly past me to slide a few feet to my right.


    ¡°Oh, was that supposed to hit?¡± I said, feigning ignorance, ¡°And you''ve destroyed our ride home! If I let this continue, you''ll wreck the whole town, so I guess I should take the initiative now, eh?¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    I smiled, and began a series of short distance ports to force myself to run faster than I ever thought possible, faster even than Phil. In the blink of an eye I was in front of the man, and shifting all the energy into my upper body I grabbed his arm and crushed it. I felt his bone fracture, and break as I squeezed with all my might. Strange, I''m pretty sure that the density of bone was pretty darn strong, and there was no possible way that I could ever exert enough strength to break bone...


    Ah whatever, I''ll just chalk it up to another one of the benefits of my new, enhanced ability. After all, I did feel a lot better ever since I got out of that compound. What happened at the end was still a blur, but what I do remember was that I was able to use my ability like never before. Porting that quickly and that precisely was not possible before, and I was certainly not this strong. I shrugged, and kept squeezing. I wasn''t sure if he even felt the pain because he tried to punch me with his free hand. I intercepted it with my left and broke that too. I think he felt that one though, because the scream he gave was beautiful.


    ¡°Ugh, must you be so loud?¡± I said, groaning, ¡°I mean, it''s the middle of the night! You''ll wake up the neighbours!¡±


    I couldn''t help laughing. I felt my heart beat faster, felt every nerve in me scream with joy, like I wasn''t alive until that moment. I still saw the hatred in his eyes, they weren''t filled with fear yet. I had to fix that. I had to show him the same fear that he made others feel because of his selfish, arrogant attitude.


    I shoved the man down and with a heavy stomp I crushed his left leg.


    ¡°Fuck! Stop... stop!¡± he pleaded. Ah, there''s the fear I was after! But not enough.


    ¡°Hm... Why should I again?¡± I destroyed his right leg as well, ¡°Wasn''t it you who attacked me?¡±


    ¡°I''m... I''m sorry! Look, I was wrong, ok? Please... please stop!¡± There was tears in his eyes now. The anger and stubbornness that once marked his face was all but gone, replaced with absolute hopelessness and terror.


    ¡°Ah, well I suppose I can stop... but you seemed to have destroyed our ride home!¡± I said, putting on a deep frown, ¡°But no worries, I''m a kind guy. I won''t leave you here to die. I''ll take you back myself!¡±


    I grabbed the broken Phil by the hair and dragged him along the road. Walking back would take a while, but I was quite enjoying the fresh air.


    ¡°He won''t forgive you, you know.¡± a thin smile appeared on Phil''s face, ¡°He''s one of our leaders, you know. He doesn''t forgive anyone who touches his servants, and I''ve been in the family for 8 years!¡±


    ¡°Oh, we''ll just have to see about that!¡±


    The trip back took a good half hour, but I barely noticed the time pass. When I reached the front I kicked the doors open and ignored the gawking people inside. I calmly strode ¨C  all the while dragging Phil ¨C  to Roberts office. I slammed the door open and threw Phil inside, scattering some papers.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Robert said. I guess the man can lose his cool.


    Before I could even respond Phil crawled towards Robert and said, ¡°He attacked me, sir! I was just joking around and he attacked me!¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± I responded, ¡°weren''t you the first to strike?¡±


    ¡°Phil, is this true?¡± Robert said, his face unreadable.


    ¡°I... I was just joking around! I grabbed him a little, thought I''d scare him and show him his place. I didn''t mean to actually attack! I swear!¡±


    I didn''t expect Robert''s next move, because he exploded in anger and kicked Phil so fiercely that the papers in his room were sent aflutter. Phil crashed into the wall outside of the office with a heavy thud.


    ¡°Master...?¡± Phil said pathetically. He wasn''t dead somehow, so he must be pretty sturdy, I''ll give him that.


    ¡°Do you know what you''ve done? Do you know how how great an offence this is?¡± Robert roared, I''ve never seen the man so angry before.


    He leaped outside and kicked the downed Phil in the stomach again.


    ¡°I... I don''t...¡±


    ¡°You dared attack the Lord of the Night!? The Lord of our people!? You... you...¡± He kicked the downed man again.


    Phil coughed up blood, ¡°Lord? Bu-but he doesn''t exist! I thought he was a rumour... please, I didn''t know!¡±


    ¡°I think you should stop there, Robert.¡± I interjected, stopping the the angered old man from continuing his assault, ¡°You''re scaring the servants.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry my lord, but this offence is unforgivable! As the sire of this fool I am responsible as well; I shall accept any punishment that you see fit.¡± He knelt down before me, face to the ground.


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that. You didn''t do anything wrong, and to be fair I was playing around too much with the guy.¡± I said, pulling Robert back up.


    The master reluctantly nodded. He faced his stunned servants and shouted, ¡°Someone take this disgrace and lock him up. I want full security on him 24/7, and this place cleaned up. I''ll see to him after.¡±


    I saw a flurry of action and a couple of the bigger butlers went to pick up the bloodied and bruised man from the ground, dragging him away. Phil looked to be unconscious at this point, and I can only imagine what kind of treatment he was going to receive after this. Maybe Robert''s place had an underground dungeon or something to put people like him away; it would certainly fit the whole vampire thing.


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    ¡°So,¡± I said, ¡°what''s gonna happen to him?¡±


    ¡°He shall await a trail, and then executed for his offence, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that a little harsh...?¡± I said, feeling a little pang of guilt, ¡°I did provoke him back there.¡±


    ¡°It matters not, my lord.¡± he said with a deep frown, ¡°He has disgraced us all with his actions. There is no compromise. I thank you for following regulations and not killing him off right.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me there for the trial thing?¡±


    ¡°If that is possible it would be best, my lord, but your presence is not strictly required.¡± said Robert,  before turning around,¡°If you''ll excuse me, my lord, I have to deal with the implications of that fool''s actions.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I said, nodding.


    ¡°Before I forget,¡± he added, turning back, ¡°If you wish, my lord, you may ask any of the servants to guide you around town. They will not fail as Phil has.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure, thanks. But Phil kind of threw your car at me.¡±


    The master brought a hand to his face and sighed, ¡°My apologies, my lord... I''ll have another car ready for you at the front.¡±


    He mumbled something else under his breath and left.


    I looked at the gawking onlookers and noticed that Elizabeth was among them. I gave her a little wave and casually walked up to her. When she saw me she froze up, and her whole body tensed up. She gave me an awkward wave back, and when I approached the other servants quickly fled around us. I could see that she was more frightened than usual, the fear in her eyes were clear. Good. She, at least, knew to fear the predator.


    What was I thinking? Why did I...


    Excruciating pain erupted in my brain, blocking off any thoughts I had; I put my hands to my head, rubbing my temples. I shook my head, forcing the pain to subside... what was I thinking before? I felt like I was forgetting something...


    Rose?


    ¡°Um...¡± the sweet, quivering voice of Elizabeth said, ¡°d-do you need me for something, my lord?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± I said with a wry smile, ignoring the feeling of unease I had earlier, ¡°you are to guide me around town tonight, if that is not too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord.¡± she answered, ¡°I-It shall be an honour.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid, Elizabeth?¡± I asked, placing a hand on her delicate cheeks.


    Her eyes lit up like a frightened animal with that question, I saw her lips waver and her body shake. Her beautiful eyes locked onto mine, and I could see that she wanted to escape me at all costs, but she won''t disobey me. If I wanted to, I could do anything to her, and no one would stop me. I could take her, right here and now, and no one would bat an eye, and if I wanted, I could rip her throat out just as easily. She was my property, completely and utterly mine. At that I chuckled and grabbed her hands gently, leading her away from the crowd of onlookers.


    ¡°You should get dressed,¡± I said, ¡°it''s awfully cold out there and I wouldn''t want something... bad to happen to you.¡±


    Her only response was a slight nod.


    The visit to town was rather uneventful, and my guide was more reserved than usual. Elizabeth and I went to eat at a 24 hour burger joint and all the while she kept to a respectable distance from me, I didn''t mind it as much. After that was some sight seeing, although there wasn''t much to see in the little town of Cinderford. By the time we got back to the manor it was almost dawn.


    I retired to my bedroom and bid her a good night, and only then did I realize that she has stopped calling me by my name and returned to using my title. Why have I not noticed ¨C or stopped her ¨C earlier? I didn''t ponder on the subject for long, and eventually sleep took over.


    That night I was plagued by nightmares of death and desolation. I saw in that land of dreams a sea of uncontrollable chaos, pure and untamed. I saw mutilated bodies uniformed ghouls drag a body down into the void, all the while the face of a crying, broken being haunted my vision. The landscape before me was blinding, painful. Yet in that chaos I laughed. I laughed a terrible, terrible laugh that pierced the very fabric of reality.


    I awoke from that laughter, my head pounding with the worst headache I''ve ever had. I rushed to the washroom and threw up.


    ¡°Fuck...¡± I muttered.


    I dragged myself downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, chugging it down in 2 gulps. What the hell is wrong with me?


    ¡°Is my lord alright?¡± said a voice, I turned around and saw Robert standing over the kitchen table.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, ¡°just feeling a bit sluggish I guess.¡±


    ¡°Shall I get my lord some nourishment and send for Elizabeth?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered; just thinking about her made my head throb, ¡°I''ll be better in no time, don''t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± he said, ¡°Oh yes, the lady Sable is now awake; she was instructed to rest in her room until you saw to her. She seems to be doing well.¡±


    My eyes lit up upon hearing that, and I immediately dismissed Robert and rushed to Sable''s room. Sable! I almost forgot about her, but just hearing that she was alive and well made me feel better. After everything that''s happened she was the one thing that made me feel... human.  I knocked on her door and upon hearing a response, went in.

 Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°Frank?¡± she said, getting up from where she was lying and approaching closer, ¡°It is you!¡±


    She was looking a lot better, even when compared to how she was when I last saw her unconscious in the bed. Her colour was more pink, and her beautiful brown hair was neatly brushed and groomed. Her ruby eyes seemed to shine more brightly than ever, and her small, cute lips were perked into a fierce smile. And instead of her dirty t-shirt and jeans, Sable was wearing a silk nightgown that was just opaque enough to not show what was under the cloth, but transparent enough to allow a bit of pink to show through. Seeing her out of those raggedy clothes made me realize that her figure was pretty impressive. She didn''t have the perfect body proportions of some supermodel, but she looked more toned and lean, almost like a skilled gymnast. She wasn''t obviously curvy, but it seemed to fit her overall appeal instead of detract from it.


    After I stared at her (for a bit too long), I rushed over and gave the girl a hug, completely ignoring my aching head. I felt my spirits soar just seeing her alive and well.


    ¡°I''m glad you''re well!¡± she continued, pulling me closer, ¡°I mean, they said you were fine when I woke up, but even so...¡±


    ¡°And I''m glad to see you''re doing better too,¡± I said, showing a sly smile, ¡°I thought you''ve cheated your way out of a losing bet for a second there.¡±


    Sable gave me a friendly knock on the side before breaking the hug, ¡°Well, I am good for my word, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and before I forget,¡± I said, feeling my grin getting bigger, ¡°I told you so!¡±


    She only laughed and said, ¡°My goodness, you weren''t joking when you mentioned about those bragging rights! Well I dearly hope your male ego is appeased now.¡±


    ¡°It is, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°But seriously, Frank,¡± she continued, ¡°I''m glad to see you well. I''m still amazed that anyone''s alive, but then again we were saved by the Robert B. Innsworth! The legend himself!¡±


    ¡°Legend?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! The read deal!¡± Sable exclaimed, sounding as if she were talking about a famous idol.


    ¡°Is he really that great?¡± I asked, ¡°I know he''s important and all but he doesn''t look that amazing...¡±


    ¡°You really don''t know about him?¡±


    ¡°Not too much,¡± I admitted, ¡°other than him being the owner of this place.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you don''t get out much, eh?¡±


    I shrugged.


    ¡°Anyway, he''s only one of the biggest figures in our race! One of the four Elders, second only to High Elder Vladimir ¨C and also to the Lord of the Night I guess, if he actually exists ¨C oh, and Master Innsworth is said to be the nicest of them all, following every council regulation to the tee. He''s said to treat everyone equally, even the humans that serve him! After meeting him myself I can say that that parts true, but apparently he has quite the temper if you cross him. Dunno if that''s true though. And as for his achievements... well the stuff he''s done is practically legend at this point ¨C like how he lead a small team of specialists into hostile territories to rescue prisoners back in World War II, or how he single-


    handedly stopped the waring tribes back in the 1800''s! My god, Frank, the man is amazing!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, a little taken back, ¡°I guess we''re pretty honoured to be here with him.¡±


    ¡°You''ve no idea!¡± Sable said, ¡°The Robert Innsworth...¡±


    ¡°You really seem to like the guy,¡± I said, feeling a bit jealous. ¡°But what about the Lord of the Night, what do you think about him?¡±


    ¡°I think he''s a load of rubbish.¡± she answered, rolling her eyes, ¡°I mean, the Lord of the Night is said to be the ruler of us all, the supreme being of the night who''s said to herald a new era for the suppressed races and end the rule of the Humans. He''s this perfect being; he''s nice and brave and kind and noble, and courageous and blah blah blah. The stuff they say about him is just ridiculous, and there''s no one, not even the Lord of the Night, who can be that perfect. I sure wouldn''t look up to someone like that! And plus, most people don''t think he really exists anyway, but apparently the higher ups say he''s real ¨C they''re always so sentimental about traditions like there.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe they''re just exaggerating his personality a bit...?¡±


    ¡°Exaggerating is an understatement! The rumours about him are absolutely ridiculous! They range from things like him being over 10 000 years old, to absolutely insane crap like how he can make any woman tremble with lust with just a glance, or how he can pass through walls, and read minds, and turn invisible, and shoot fire from his hands. The rumours are so out there that I''m surprised that anyone would believe them. It''s all bullshit if you ask me, but every source seems to agree on one thing: he''s said to he possess the power to manipulate energy or some crap. Sort of like the humans.¡±


    ¡°So I guess he''s not all that great, eh?¡±


    ¡°More like he''s not all that existent!¡± she answered with a little laugh, ¡°I''d go for Master Innsworth any day.¡±


    I couldn''t hide the look of disappointment from my face. I knew that I wasn''t the real Lord of the Night, but being treated like him for the past few days made me genuinely believe it. Maybe I even wanted to believe it. But even so being told that he''s made up was almost like Sable was unknowingly mocking me.


    ¡°Oh, don''t be like that!¡± she said, apparently noticing my frown, ¡°I might admire the old man, but he''s not my type. I mean, he''s probably 200 years older than me! And you, Frank, you personally saved me.¡±


    With that she closed the gap around us and pulled me on to the bed. I felt bits of soft anatomy brush into me in a way that couldn''t have been accidental, and a look in her eyes that suggests that more was to come. She straddled me and leaned forward, her face just a few tender inches away from mine. I could feel her warm breath caress my lips, and the same metallic scent of her breath filled my thoughts. Just a little closer and...


    ¡°Excuse me, Miss Sable,¡± interrupted a voice, ¡°I''ve brought you your...¡±


    Sable and I stopped what we did and she immediately got off me. I felt a jolt of embarrassment pass through me, and from Sable''s blush I could see that she felt the same.


    ¡°Oh!¡± exclaimed the intruder. It was a maid, ¡°The door was open and I thought...¡±


    Shit! I didn''t close the damn door! Why didn''t I close the god damn door?


    Sable cleared her throat and said, ¡°It''s ok. Um, what were you saying?¡±


    ¡°I brought you a new set of clothes... I''ll just leave it on the table. I''m sorry to have disturbed you!¡±


    She set the clothes on the nightstand and left quickly, closing the blasted door behind her.


    ¡°Well...¡± I said awkwardly.


    ¡°Right...¡± said a rather red looking Sable, ¡°Seeing as how I have something to wear, how about we go for that dinner I owe you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good idea!¡± I said, forcing my voice to sound confidant, but ultimately failing, ¡°I''ll, uh, wait outside for you to get changed.¡±


    I quickly left the room and cursed my stupidity for leaving the door opened. If only that maid came a few minutes after! I probably wouldn''t have had to wait outside for her to change if that were the case...


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    I sighed. Seeing nothing better to do, I called a servant and told him to get a car and driver for me and Sable, ready as quickly as possible. The servant nodded, told me that a car would be waiting at the front, and with that I slouched down adjacent Sable''s door and waited... and waited and waited. How can someone take so long just getting changed? I never understood that aspect of women, do they have some kind of obscure ritual that needs to be done every time they have to change or go to the washroom? I almost dozed off from waiting.


    Eventually I heard the door open a and turned to that direction. I was greeted by a beautiful girl in a flowing white dress. Her autumn brown hair was neatly braided to one said, accenting her delicate, slender face. She didn''t wear any make up, not that she needed it. To be honest I preferred her in that silk nightgown...


    ¡°Not really my style,¡± the girl said, pointing to the dress, ¡°I''m more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal. This thing''s too hard to move in.¡±


    ¡°You look great though, Sable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°but don''t get used to it. I hate dresses.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t dream of it!¡± I said, holding out my hand, ¡°Shall we get going?¡±


    I lead her to the front door where the car should be, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn''t a car that greeted me, but a limo.


    ¡°Oh wow, Frank,¡± Sable said, gawking at the vehicle, ¡°How did you...?¡±


    ¡°I asked for a car, but I guess they gave me a limo instead.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure we can use it?¡± she said, tentatively stepping into the back seat, ¡°I mean, we''re Master Innsworth''s guests and all...¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry about it.¡± I said, smiling to myself, ¡°He is known to be generous, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°I guess you''re right...¡±


    I told the driver to take us to the edge of town, and in that short 15 minute drive Sable and I made small talk and just enjoyed each others presence. I didn''t even notice the beautiful scenery that was beyond those tinted windows. It was just me and her. And it was nice, the way we could just chat about nothing in particular without a bit of awkwardness between us. I couldn''t remember the last time I simply enjoyed myself like that.


    ¡°Since it''s my treat,¡± Sable said as we stepped out of the limo, ¡°You can wait here while I get us something nice.¡±


    Get me something to eat...? Oh god damn it! I tried to stop her, but she left in a blur of motion before I could say so much as a word. I was left waiting beside the curb, only the cool night air for company as our ride rolled away to the distance. I sighed, how am I supposed to talk Sable out of this one? I''m no vampire, and I wouldn''t want anyone to die ''cause of me.


    I looked up at the old buildings around me, shivering a little from the cool wind. There were practically no one around this time of night; the only motion were from the eerie shadows cast from the street lights, and the only voice were from the crickets. But before too long Sable ¨C her dress ruffled up a little bit ¨C returned with an unconscious man on her back. He maybe 20 something with black hair and wore a simple jacket and blue jeans. I wasn''t sure what Sable did but he was out cold when she dumped the poor guy off her shoulders and on to the floor.


    ¡°God I hate this dress! Absolutely impossible to move in it¡± she mumbled, ¡°And sorry about the quality, this was the best I could find in short notice.¡±


    ¡°Oh... uh, no problem...¡± I said nervously.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± I lied, not daring to blow my cover, ¡°It''s just that, uh, I''m not very hungry is all.¡±


    She gave me a strange look, and I expected her to question me more about my unwillingness to drink, but instead she simply picked the poor sap off the ground, bent his head to a side and took a bite. I could only stare in awe as crimson liquid spilled down Sable''s pale, subtle jaws, collecting near the bottom and dripping onto her white dress. The scene was eerily beautiful.


    She dropped the body and approached me, her ruby eyes glistening in the dim light. She smiled a devilish smile, blood still dripping down her mouth, and caressed my hair, bringing her face closer. Her lips closer.


    She kissed me.


    I felt her tongue explore my mouth, and that intoxicating taste of blood seeped through the kiss. It was dark and sweet, like the most delicately made chocolate. But it was more than just a taste, it was as if every sense and feeling in my body responded. I could feel the liquid slide into my throat, smell it''s taint on the body of Sable, and I could even hear it dancing in my mouth. It was an experience that was impossible to forget. As the last few drops of the life substance entered my throat I broke off our kiss and stared at the unconscious body. I saw the wound left open by Sable, and I felt my mouth drool with need.


    I walked over to the unconscious man. I grabbed him by the hair, pulling him up and studied the figure. I could feel the subtle energies surround his body, and in my heightened vision I saw veins pump with beautiful fluid. I pulled myself closer to the wound, I felt my lips tremble. I could have that delicious blood if I wanted. I could taste pure bliss once more, and all I had to do was succumb to that primal urge, to give in. Deep down, buried in my subconscious, I knew that I should be disgusted with such thoughts, that to drink the blood of another man was a sin that was unforgivable, not to mention that I was pretty sure that it was impossible for me to do what she did. But the need I felt then was impossible to ignore, and soon I found myself giving in to the temptation.


    I saw the open wound on his neck, and I gave in. I didn''t grow fangs like Sable did, but I was able to squeeze the blood out of the man''s body.ashed over me. I felt every nerve of my body dance with pleasure. I''ve never felt so alive before! I never felt so energized before. I felt bits of fatigue and injury that I never even knew existed fade away, and every muscle and neuron in my body was honed and revitalized. I dropped the man and turned to Sable. She was smiling at me with those lovely lips. I moved to her side with inhuman speed, faster than I''ve ever travelled before, and kissed her.


    When I kissed the girl, my confusion and fear at what just happened melted away, and all I was left with was a feeling of happiness. Joy that I hadn''t felt in years.


    ¡°I guess you were more hungry then you thought, huh?¡± she said with a smile, breaking off our embrace.


    I laughed. ¡°I guess I was.¡±


    ¡°Well I''m glad you''ve enjoyed yourself,¡± she said, grabbing my arm, ¡°but I hope you still remember the second part of our little bet.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t dare of it!¡± I chuckled, ¡°Although I''m not sure what there is around here.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have a good 6 hours until dawn, we can think of something. You can show me around town, and maybe we can get that dessert you wanted as well. But let''s not take too long, there''s more things that we can do at home.¡±


    ¡°Shall we get going, then?¡±


    She held out a hand and said, ¡°After you.¡±

 Chapter Sixteen

    I woke up before Sable did, and not wanting to disturb her sleep I quietly got out of bed and dressed. I looked at the lovely sleeping figure of the girl lying on my bed, and remembered that the last time she was unconscious she was fighting for her life. I went over to her and kissed her on the cheeks, she grumbled a little in her sleep, and not wanting to bother her more I went to wash up. By the time I stepped out of the washroom Sable was up.


    ¡°Enjoy your sleep?¡± she asked as she put on a shirt.


    ¡°I enjoyed what little I had.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess I''ll just let you have your sleep next time.¡±


    I went over and embraced her, feeling her bare skin.


    ¡°Well, I''ve always been a happy insomniac.¡±


    ¡°I''ve noticed.¡± she said, turning around a giving me a short peck on the lips. ¡°Oh right, I have to go back home for a bit tonight, gotta report back to my sire and all that. The Family probably thinks I''m dead, and they''ll have a fit when they hear where I''ve been!¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± I said, ¡°should I come with you?¡±


    ¡°Probably not a good idea,¡± she said with a frown, ¡°not everyone''s as nice as Master Innsworth when it comes with meeting people. Master Browning ¨C my sire ¨C likes to keep things within the family. Not a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, would he be angry if you''re with me?¡±


    ¡°Well... sort of?¡± she said, ¡°But I''ve always been a free spirit, so it''s not like he''ll force me to stay away, and if I tell him that Master Innsworth needs me back here I can probably come back pretty soon.¡±


    I frowned.


    ¡°Don''t worry too much, Frank,¡± she said, ¡°I won''t be away for long, I''ll probably be back before tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°When do you have to go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Probably now, I''ve been gone too long already. I''ll find something to eat first and then head off.¡±


    I led her down to the entrance, and asked her if she needed a ride back or if she wanted me to come with her even part of the way. She said she was fine, and that she''s already bothered Robert enough, but she did accept some money for the bus. With a final kiss she was off and I was left by myself in the manor again.


    ¡°My lord...?¡± said a shy voice.


    I turned around and saw Elizabeth standing beside the door, she was holding a plate of food and a glass of coffee.


    ¡°Oh, Elizabeth, hey. And call me Frank, remember?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Um, Frank, I brought you your food.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks!¡± I took the plate of food ¨C bacon and eggs ¨C and ate some. I frowned at the taste. It wasn''t like I couldn''t eat it, but more like the taste was all wrong. Everything wasted like... plain oatmeal or something.


    ¡°Did you change the way the food''s cooked or something?¡± I said, grabbing a glass of coffee and drinking a large gulp.


    The coffee tasted flat, but survicable.


    ¡°I didn''t, my lord.¡± Elizabeth said, voice wavering.


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah... I can make you something else if you want.¡±


    ¡°Don''t bother..¡± I said with a frown, ¡°I''m not hungry.¡±


    I stared at the food; it smelled delicious, looked fine. Was something wrong with my taste buds? I''ve always liked bacon and eggs, and during my broke university days I''ve even eaten expired eggs before, but I''ve never had food that tasted like... nothing before. I left Elizabeth and went to the kitchen.


    I ignored the cooks working, and grabbed a glass of water. I chugged that down, and was thankful that it still tasted fine. Was it just Elizabeth''s food? I opened the fridge and sampled everything I could, but all of the food I tried ended in similar results: they weren''t good.


    What is wrong with me?


    I pushed the thought out of my head and headed towards Robert''s quarters. Maybe that man could tell me something more about this so called Lord of the Night. I opened his office door without knocking, and saw that he was another man beside him. Robert himself was standing over to the side, and in his seat sat a very noble looking man. He was wearing a elegantly made silk attire, with neat silver grey hair brushed to one side. He looked to be older than Robert, but where Robert aged like a saint this man was all rough angles and hard edges.


    The man sitting in Robert''s desk spoke first, ¡°Robert, do your servants know no respect? I''ve known that you were kind to your subjects, but this is what happens when you do not discipline them at all.¡±


    ¡°Was I intruding on something?¡± I asked, feeling a little small before this intimidating man.


    ¡°Yes, child.¡± he said, getting up from Robert''s chair and staring me down. His gaze was intense.


    ¡°Sorry about that...¡± I said, ¡°I just needed to talk to Robert.¡±


    ¡°Such insolence!¡± he said.


    I felt the pressure of his aura grow stronger, trying to drown me out. He dares challenge me?! I cleared my mind and saw the sheer amount of energy that was being sent my way, all radiating out of that one man. It was almost too much to bare. I immediately wrapped some of the spare energy around me into a veil, forcing his aura to dissipate into tiny portals that I made. I felt some of the suffocating aura disappear from it, and then I thought of something. Since I was sucking his energy into my portal... when couldn''t I release it back with another one? I tried it out, and with marvellous results. With a final bit of will I released all of the force that I had sucked up, and it exploded outwards, dispersing all of the energy that the man created. A heard a boom of energy released, and the three stepped back a few feet from the shock wave.


    ¡°Oops,¡± I said, ¡°didn''t mean to do that.¡±


    The man in the middle looked at me in shock and surprise, as if he wasn''t sure what he''d just witnessed. I could see that he certainly wasn''t expecting that. Good, because he should understand what happens when people challenge me. I wasn''t going to back down, and I will never admit defeat.


    ¡°As I was saying, High Elder Vladimir,¡± Robert said, breaking the silence, ¡°the Lord will lead our forces, and you have just met him.¡±


    ¡°I doubted you, Robert, when you first informed me of your discovery, but there is no mistake now.¡± the other man said, before turning his attention to me, ¡°I was foolish to have addressed you in such a manor. Forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± I said.


    ¡°I did not expect the title to go to someone who looks so... young.¡±


    ¡°Were you expecting someone more menacing?¡±


    The man didn''t crack so much as a grin, ¡°What need did you have with Robert?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask a few questions, but it can wait.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± he said, before turning back to Robert, ¡°And now that I have confirmed your claims, Robert, I shall arrange everything that you will need. The team will be ready to you by tomorrow. I shall make the necessary calls now.¡±


    Vladimir left the room, giving me a tiny bow as he passed me, and walked away without saying another word. With him out of the room I felt myself returning back to normal... normal? I hadn''t done anything, so how could I have changed back to normal? I shook my head, and looked at Robert.


    ¡°I apologize, my lord,¡± he said, wiping off a bit of sweat from his forehead, ¡°but I did not think that you would have come here so quickly.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. But that Vladimir guy doesn''t seem too pleased.¡±


    ¡°You were not what he was expecting, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°He was expecting someone who looks more... wise and and aged, but it matters not now, he has recognized you.¡±


    ¡°Lovely.¡±


    ¡°And my lord Frank,¡± said Robert, ¡°Do you perchance know where the lady Sable went?¡±


    ¡°Huh? She said she''s going back to report back to her sire. She just left, so she''s probably still in town looking for a quite bite to eat if you''re looking for her.¡±


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    ¡°Report back to her sire?¡± Robert said, sighing, ¡°That means I have to send for someone to get her back...¡±


    ¡°Do you need her for something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, it''s just that the High Elder says that the surrounding area has been patrolled by the army ¨C news of your escape must have reached the human government. I am informing everyone in the household to remain indoors until things blow over.¡±


    ¡°Shit! I''ll go look for her.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, my lord, I''m sure that she is still safe, and that would be too much trouble for you. I can call for someone else.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, she''s someone important and I''ve got nothing better to do anyway. The night''s still young, and I feel like some exercise.¡±


    ¡°Shall I send for a car?¡±


    ¡°No need, she went by foot, I''ll probably catch up to her soon. Easier to avoid any patrols that way as well.¡±


    ¡°If that is what my lord wishes.¡± said Robert, ¡°Please be careful.¡±


    I said my farewells, and grabbing my jacket I headed out.


    I stepped outside to the cool autumn air; purely refreshing! I started to jog at a brisk pace, but increased my speed when I found that I wasn''t getting tired. Was I still feeling energized from last night? I started to run faster and faster, until the trees became a blur of motion and the wind started to sting my eyes. Yet I still ran ¨C I felt so free! Nothing in the world could cage me any more!


    I started to port around as well, going to places that I couldn''t reach fast enough on foot. The speed and freedom was blissful. I went atop trees, jumping off and free falling until I was only a few inches from touching the floor before I would port to another tree. I felt like I was flying! I arrived at the small town in a matter of minutes, I ran around the small two story housing blocks aimlessly, going down one avenue or another with no real purpose in mind. The suburb was pretty typical looking, with identical looking houses placed neatly in rows; everyone''s front lawns were mowed and looking prim and proper.


    I gathered more energy around me and ran, I followed street after street and it didn''t take long to find Sable, the gunshots and cries were a dead giveaway. Looks like Robert was right about the patrols. I ported towards the sound, covering more ground than I ever could by running, and before long I saw what was causing the commotion.


    There were around 20 or so soldiers, they were all dressed in standard military uniform, weapons drawn and pointed at the lone girl covering behind some cars. They shot at her every minute or so, a constant stream of bullets that made short work of her hiding spot, yet even though they were obviously outnumbering and out-gunning the girl, they kept their distance. No, it was more like they were afraid. By the looks of the dozen or so bodies on the ground I can see that they had a reason to be so frightened; Sable was fighting back.


    I started to run towards her, and that certainly got the attention of several soldiers.


    ¡°Sir!¡± one of them said, ¡°Evacuate the parameter immediately.¡±


    I ignored him, ported to his side and broke his neck instead. Now that really got their attentions. They looked at me, confused, but it only took a couple of seconds for the first sensible man to fire towards my direction. I tried to dodge the bullets, idiotically thinking that my heightened senses would be fast enough to avoid speeding pieces of metal. I was wrong, and was greeted with a hole in my left shoulder; at the very least I avoided a fatal wound.


    I cursed under my breath and ported in the direction of Sable. While the soldiers were trying to figure out where I''ve gone I grabbed Sable by the wrist and ran towards some poor sap''s driveway, using their SUV as cover. Hope he had insurance.


    ¡°Frank!¡± Sable said, ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Here to take you back, I heard from Robert that this place isn''t safe. Somebody got wind of our escape, and well, this is what they did.¡±


    ¡°Shit! I can''t go back yet Frank, I have to report back!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you have to report back? This place is patrolled harder than the US ¨C Mexico boarder! It''s only a short distance back to Robert''s place, we can make it if we run.¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand,¡± she said, her face solemn, ¡°Frank... It''s important.¡±


    I wanted to force her back with me, but seeing her like that made me decide against it. She seemed desperate to go back, even if that meant putting her life on the line. I was about to say something else when a blast of bullets slammed into the SUV, shattering glass and metal, thankfully nothing serious hit the two of us. Sable hissed under her breath, and wiped some broken glass of herself. I inched back a little and nudged Sable away from the shrapnel.


    ¡°Look, if you''re hellbent on going, then I''ll go with you,¡± I said, ¡°there''s no way I''m going to leave you in this kind of mess.¡±


    ¡°Frank... I''m sorry about this.¡±


    ¡°No worries, it''s probably important if you''re willing to risk hell to get there. I think you''ll owe me another dinner for this. You think we can make it if we run?¡±


    ¡°Thanks Frank... I mean it.¡± she answered, ¡°But we''re not likely to get out if we just run, they''ve probably got this whole area covered by now. They all came streaming this way after I killed the first three. The second we try to escape we''ll be as good as dead. Why don''t you just take me and do that teleporting thing you did before?¡±


    ¡°Can''t,¡± I answered with a frown, ¡°I can''t port when I''m with someone else.¡±


    Another wave of fire bombarded us, followed by stern footsteps closing in around us. There were maybe 5 or 6 soldiers gathering around, and who knows how many more waiting as backup. It doesn''t look like there was any more time to think.


    ¡°Shit!¡± I muttered, ¡°Ok, Sable, I''m gonna try to do something. Get out and run when I say so.¡±


    Without hearing her answer I focused on one of the cars parked a few feet away, I allowed my mind to clear and I concentrated on that vehicle, remembering the feeling I had back in the compound. I remembered the feeling of absolute freedom and control, of the power I held. I felt my mind strain with effort as I willed the car to escape the laws of physics and disappear from this reality. I give the idea a final mental nudge and the car before me simply ceased to be; a few seconds later I heard a loud crashing sound from behind me, followed by screams of agony.


    It worked!


    ¡°Now Sable!¡± I screamed, ¡°Run!¡±


    On cue she bolted from her hiding spot. I ran after her, trying to port as much as I could, and although the soldiers closest to us were down, the rest of them were still up and about. They shot at us as soon as the dust cleared, and thankfully none of them was able to hit us. I cursed under my breath and kept running. There was nothing close by that we could use as cover, and the stray bullets were finding their target. I tried my best to get in the way of any shots that looked like it would hit Sable, and grunted as the shots grazed and dug into my skin. I just hoped that that they didn''t hit anything vital. It was clear that we couldn''t afford to be out in the open for much longer. It was hard for them to hit us, but there were a lot of them and someone only needs to get lucky once. Luckily we were able to escape the location where the majority of the guards were without taking any critical injuries.


    ¡°Sable!¡± I grunted,¡°We gotta take cover somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± she shouted back.


    ¡°Go in that house at the end of the street.¡± I said, pointing to a two story home down the road.

 Chapter Seventeen

    I ported past Sable and broke the 2nd story window with my fists. I ignored the pain as the glass bit into my skin, and beckoned Sable to get in. We were far enough away from the soldiers that they probably didn''t see us enter the house, but given the broken glass on the road they''ll figure things out soon. I closed the curtains as soon as Sable got in, and surveyed the room. Given the pink wallpaper and stuffed animals laying around I could see that it was a girl''s bedroom.


    It took me a while to notice that Sable and I weren''t alone in the room. There was a girl, a little over 16 perhaps, cowering in the corner. She was holding on to a lamp, using it as a weapon to distance herself from us, and it was clear that she was scared out of her mind. The girl was scared, her brown eyes dilating crazily and searching for an escape route. The scent of sweat mixed with a trace bit of urine told me that she was easy game. She was just what we needed after having sustained so many injuries, and I indicated to Sable that the girl was prey. Sable understood without having to say anything.


    Sable''s ruby eyes flared up and she pounced, knocking the useless lamp aside and biting into the other girl''s neck. I saw Sable''s wounds heal almost instantly, and she ate with such savagery that it almost made me forget about our earlier encounter. It was bestial, brutal, but so natural. The colour drained from the other girl, and at the same time the energies surrounding Sable seemed to have intensified. It grew in Sable and wrapped her in its protective aura, healing her wounds and fatigue with the life force of another.


    After a minute or two Sable let the other girl go, her mouth stained red. The girl was still alive, she was drained but she would not die from it. I saw the wound and felt a familiar urge rise up. I moved automatically towards the girl, and bit into her already wounded neck. I drank, squeezing ever last drop of blood out of her, and only stopped when I felt her heart beat for the very last time. As I let go of the cold corpse I felt that the bullet wound on my shoulder closed up, no longer aching, and the cuts on my hands were all gone.


    ¡°You ready to move again?¡± Sable asked, whipping her mouth with a piece of bed sheet.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I''m good, but let me scout out the area around here first. I can take out any soldiers patrolling quickly.¡±


    I saw that she wanted to argue, to come with me, but instead she only agreed. She knew that it was safer for both of us that way. She gave me a short kiss before I left.


    I ported between rooftops, trying to stay low and out of sight for the most part. I noticed that there were several soldiers out checking the surrounding area, all in little groups of three. I doubled around the block, checking the locations of all the scouting groups, and made a mental note of their positions. There was four groups of three in total.


    I waited until one of the groups were outside the vision range of the others before I struck. The work was fast and simple. I would wait until they seemed distracted with something, port behind one guard, quickly snap his neck, and do the same for the other two. All four groups met their fates in similar fashions, caught off guard by my ability. The work was dirty and quick, but necessary. I only wished that I had the time to give them the slow, painful death that they deserved for raising a hand to Sable and I. They were scum, and they didn''t deserve such merciful deaths.


    When that was done I made my way back to Sable, entering from the same window. I noticed that there were two other bodies in the bedroom now, an old man and woman. I could still hear breathing from the two, and judging by their heartbeats they were only unconscious, not injured.


    ¡°Area''s clear,¡± I said, ¡°And who''re those two?¡±


    ¡°Probably the girl''s parents,¡± she answered, ¡°must have heard the noise and came upstairs. Don''t worry though, I''ve put them to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Let''s just kill them and get out.¡± I said, porting between the two unconscious bodies.


    I grabbed the man by the neck and ripped his throat out, and with a heavy stomp I crushed the sternum of the woman on the ground. I threw the man''s body away, near his daughter and it landed in a way that looked like he was hugging her. Good, let the prey rest together.


    Sable looked at me strangely then, backing off a little, as if I something I did didn''t quite click with her. Was it a look of concern? A look of... fear? No, that wasn''t possible, there''s no way she would be afraid of me. I''d do anything for her, anything. And she loves me.


    She had to.


    ¡°Why did you kill them...¡± she said, her voice strained, ¡°Frank?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean why I killed them? I did it because... because...¡±


    Why would I do that? Kill innocent people? I''m not like that...


    ¡°Because...¡±


    Because they are weak! They represent all that is wrong with the world, they have oppressed our people for centuries.


    ¡°Frank...?¡± Sable said, leaning against me, her face filled with concern, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    I''m just not thinking straight... this situation is too stressful. Have to get out. Have to relax, think things through, then everything''ll make sense again. Yeah, gotta deal with what''s going on right now first.


    ¡°N-nothing, I''m fine.¡± I said, rubbing my head, ¡°Let''s get out before someone finds us.¡±


    She gave me another look but didn''t press the issue, and I was thankful for it; I just needed some time to think, some time to cool off my head, to work out the details. I didn''t give the three bodies on the ground another look when I left.


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    We glided silently through the streets, avoid any of the main streets and going as fast as possible. I didn''t see or hear any other soldiers, which probably meant that they weren''t searching this area yet. They''re probably scouring every house and hiding place imaginable, so I can''t imagine that they could travel as fast as us. It only took Sable and I took just a little under an hour to get out of the town, but all along the way she remained quiet. Whether it was to avoid making noise or because she knew I needed some space, I didn''t know. She looked worried, remorseful even. Why?


    ¡°Sable,¡± I said, breaking the silence, ¡°What is it? Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Why did you kill those two?¡±


    ¡°They were a treat.¡±


    ¡°They were unconscious, Frank!¡± she said, grabbing my shoulders, ¡°They weren''t a treat to anyone!¡±


    ¡°They... they''re humans. They''ll become a threat later anyway.¡± Why was there uncertainty in my voice? ¡°And who cares what happens to them! You''ve killed them before! They''re nothing but food.¡±


    ¡°Nothing but food? Are you hearing yourself, Frank?¡± Sable said, her face twisting, ¡°Sure I feed on them, but I''ve certainly never killed one out of cold blood like that! Frank... They''re alive as well, and the thing you did back there was... it was cruel!¡±


    ¡°Me, cruel?¡± I spat, ¡°I''m not the cruel one! They''re the ones who abused their powers and enslaved the entity of our race! They do not deserve to live, every single one of those fucking pieces of trash should be killed off. The world would be better without them!¡±


    Sable backed off, as if she was in... fear? As if she was disgusted by what I said, as if she was frightened of what I''ve done. I''ve only done what should have been done thousands of years ago, done what my ancestor couldn''t do. He gave them a second chance, and what did he get in return? Imprisonment for all eternity! I will not make the same mistake again. I''ll succeed where he failed, and I''ll become...


    I''ll become what?


    ¡°Frank!¡± Sable again, why can''t she just leave me alone? ¡°I know that we''ve only just met, but even I can see that you''re not like this. I know that you''ve suffered because of the humans, we all have, but that doesn''t mean that they should all die. They''re not all evil, Frank. Surely, surely you''ve met at least one who''ve treated you nicely at the very least.¡±


    There was one person, wasn''t there? What was his ¨C no, it was a her... what was her name again?


    She is worthless!


    She did something... no, she saved me. Saved me from what though?


    There''s nothing that can harm me!


    I remember... crying? Not my tears, hers. Why was she crying, and why was I feeling... guilty?	The tears of the slaughtered!


    It felt important, yet why couldn''t I remember?


    ¡°I''m... I''m sorry Sable,¡± I managed to say, ¡°I''m not feeling like myself lately. Just... just give me some time, and stop me if I''m doing something crazy like that.¡±


    ¡°I will, Frank, but I''m worried about you, I really am.¡± she said, ¡°If you have something you need to say just say it to me. You do mean a lot to me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sable...¡±


    She looked at me, and without asking she ran up to me and gave me a hug, I could tell that she was concerned. When was the last time someone was this worried about me? Robert was only kind because I was his Lord, and the rest of his servants were more afraid of me than kind. But Sable... she''s different. She reminded me of... of... Kelley. Yes, that''s who she reminded me of.


    I wondered how she was doing.


    ¡°Sorry...¡± I muttered, ¡°I''ve been feeling a little strange lately. Maybe the whole thing''s finally getting to me.¡±


    Sable gave me a caring look, and nodded, ¡°I know what you mean, Frank. It''s been hard on everyone, but don''t let it get you like that. Don''t... don''t become like those humans, Frank, please.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I smiled, ¡°I know. The streets should be cleared right now, let''s head back to Innsworth''s place.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, the big boss Vladimir is there; they''ve already told your sire about the situation, and it''s safer than trying to move with all the humans around.¡±


    ¡°Ok...¡±


    I looked back on the three people that I... murdered, and tried to feel the guilt that I knew that I should have felt. But I found nothing. I knew, logically, that what I had done was inexcusable, vile and evil even. That it should have made me feel terrible, awful, but no matter how much I tried to make myself feel those emotions, I felt nothing. And it disturbed me.


    Was I incapable of feeling anything anymore? But that''s not true, because I knew that if anything happened to Sable, I''d go balistic. Just imagining it made me feel uneasy. Then what was it? Why can''t I seem to care about these humans? No... these people? Am I still like them? I am, right...?


    ¡°Frank, are you ok?¡±


    I looked at Sable, and gave her a weak nod, ¡°Yeah, I''m fine... just thinking about something. Don''t worry, let''s get going.¡±


    I just hope that I can figure things out soon. But right now is not the time, I still had to get Sable back in time, and I had to make sure that nothing like what Sable went through ever happened again. I finally had the ability to make a difference, and I was sure as hell going to make those people pay for what they''ve done.

 Chapter Eighteen

    The way back to Robert''s place was relatively safe. After being fully topped off, Sable and I could run pretty darn fast, and the few people that did discover us were quickly dispatched by myself. I found it a little strange that they didn''t increase patrols after the first bunch were killed off, especially since it must have been a few hours since Sable had engaged them. Given how close their base was, I felt that something was definitely off, and I voiced my concern to Sable.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Sable muttered as we ran at full speed, ¡°I didn''t think about that. Maybe there''s just not enough men around to reinforce this place?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that''s the case. I mean, they sure as hell didn''t give that impression that they lacked people when we got out of that place, not to mention how damn huge that prison was.¡±


    ¡°Actually, now that you mention it, Frank, there was something bothering me about those guards. You recognize any of those soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no? I''ve been in that base for like, 5 minutes before we broke out.¡±


    ¡°True, but I didn''t recognize any of them either, and I''ve never seen that uniform around.¡±


    ¡°So you''re thinking that they belong to another organization?¡±


    ¡°Could be, or they''re from a different part of the base, and that''s just the uniform that they use to patrol the area outside.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn''t explain why they wouldn''t send more troops here after we did so much damage.¡± I answered, ¡°Ah well, there''s no point wondering about it more. Let''s just count our luck and hope that no one else shows up.¡±


    Sable smiled, ¡°Agreed.¡±


    *	*	*


    When we reached Robert''s place, I finally understood exactly why the patrols in town were so lax. The main forces were at work bombarding Robert''s mansion. I''m quite amazed that Robert was even able to maintain his ground, given that there must have been at least a few dozen fully armed combat personal laying waste to his beautiful manor. I saw a few vampires defend the base with the best of their ability, but this was pretty much a one sided slaughter.


    Sable looked on in horror, and I could feel her body tense up as she was about to go rush in to help out. Before she could get up, I grabbed her arm to stop her.


    ¡°Frank, we can''t just leave them!¡± She half-screamed.


    ¡°And if you go rushing in it''s the same as suicide.¡±


    She stopped to think about the situation, and frowned, ¡°Then what are we supposed to do? We can''t just leave them!¡±


    I surveyed the scene before me again, and realized that Robert must have had a plan in case something like this happened. And plus, the amount of people defending the ground was definitely less than the amount of people that I saw actually inside of the place. The only logical guess is that a lot of people had already escaped... or died. I was hoping that it was the former.


    ¡°Look, Sable.¡± I said firmly, ¡°There''s no way Robert wouldn''t have thought of something to deal with this, not after how much you hyped him up to be this awesome hero, right?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    I cut her off and continued, ¡°And look, the human forces aren''t stupid, so why are they attacking the place in the middle of the night, when everyone''s still active?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Because they''re probably forced to act right now.¡± I answered for her, ¡°Which means that Robert''s done something to make them attack immediately. So don''t worry, your friends are safe.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Frank.¡± She said sincerely, ¡°That was probably stupid of me.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I''m going to check out the situation.¡±


    ¡°Let me go with you!¡±


    ¡°You know that you can''t, Sable. I can''t use my ability on more than one person feasibly, and without it, no one will get inside Robert''s place safely.¡±


    Sable pleaded, ¡°I know! But I can''t just watch you go in there!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± I answered, hoping that my voice sounded firm, ¡°I''ll be going in and out. No one''ll see me.¡±


    ¡°Frank...¡±


    I knew that trying to talk to Sable any longer wouldn''t get her to calm down, and I knew that nothing that I would do would make her less inclined to stop me. So instead, I bent over, and gave her a deep kiss. She kissed me back, and after we broke off our embrace, she started to say something to me, but before I could hear her, I ported away.


    Once I was free from Sable, I realized that I had no idea how I was actually going to get into manor. Like I''ve said before; without a good, clear line of sight into the house, I won''t be able to port in, and given the confusion of the ensuing battle, I doubt that I can just calmly walk inside either. Still, it seems that no one had noticed me yet, so I had the element of surprise.


    I circled around the place a few times, trying to find a point where I could casually sneak by. Unfortunately, life wasn''t as easy as I wanted it to be. I found that the entire mansion was surrounded by people, and the ones who were not actively shooting were standing on guard. It looks like I have to do this the risky way. I took a deep breath, and ported right in the middle of the thinnest bunch of soldiers.


    I didn''t give anyone time to react, because the second I landed, I took the nearest guard and threw him towards the others. Before his buddies had the opportunity to open fire, I was already out of there. I hoped that the confusion and the cover of night helped hide where I was, because although teleporting was fast, I still couldn''t go very far. I landed a few hundred feet away from where the other guards were, and thankfully I wasn''t shot at. These guys are better trained than that, I guess.


    From my current location, I made a few more small ports until I found myself sticking to the side of Robert''s roof. I thought that since I couldn''t stroll through the front door without being attacked by everyone around, I could just make my own entrance from above. I gathered the new strength that I had, and punched down on the roof. I hope Robert doesn''t mind having a huge hole through his ceiling.


    To my surprise, the roof didn''t break like I had hoped it did. In fact, the only thing that my punch did was make an ungodly amount of noise. It wasn''t that I lacked the strength, but rather, Robert''s roof seems to be reinforced with steel. Wonderful. Before I could even think about my next plans, I felt a dull pain enter my shoulder, and on instinct, I ported away from my location.


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    Porting on instinct was never as accurate as porting normally, and I found myself appearing a few feet off the ground as a result. I crashed onto the grass, cursed under my breath. I wanted to orient myself, but I realized that I was in the middle of four heavily armed men. I cursed out loud this time, and struck at the nearest person. Unfortunately, unlike the first bunch that I attack, these guys had more than enough time to prepare themselves for my assault. The man I tried to attack easily dodged my punch, even though I was moving faster than their reaction speed should have allowed them to react.


    I felt a rush of air to my side, and without thinking, I made a series of small ports to dodge whatever it was that the other people did. It was a good thing that that''s what I did, because what I dodged was a giant fireball.


    Wait, a fireball? How could these guys shoot one of those out? They didn''t have anything like a flame-thrower around. My question was quickly answered, because I saw one of the armoured men point their fists at me, and another massive ball of fire was shot in my direction, followed by automatic gun fire by the guys around him. Ah crap!


    I made several more ports so that I was as far away as possible from where I was before. Fuck! Even though I did my best to avoid their fire, I realized that these guys could aim, and if it wasn''t because of my porting away, I would have certainly died. My jacket was also scorched from the residual heat. Thankfully I was faster than the four guys chasing after me, and I was able to escape without difficulty.


    I looked at the wound on my side, and saw that the bullet only grazed my skin. There was fresh blood leaking out, but otherwise, the injury wasn''t too bad. The burnt skin on my arm, however, was another story. It felt as if I had placed my arm on a stove, and just moving around made my skin throb in pain. After making sure that no one around knew of my location, I sighed and started to make my way back to where Sable was. I guess trying to get in the standard way wasn''t going to cut it.


    When Sable saw me approaching, she looked like she was about to strangled me alive. However, when she noticed that I was hurt, she just sighed, and told me how idiotic I was. I agreed for once.


    ¡°Damn it Frank!¡± Sable shouted for the fifth time that minute, ¡°This is why you should listen to what I say! I swear I am not letting you go kill yourself any more!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡±


    ¡°And what the hell even happened?¡±


    ¡°Some asshole threw a fireball at me.¡± I muttered in response, rubbing my injured arm.


    Sable shook her head, and forced me to stop rubbing the wound. She ripped some fabric off her shirt, and wrapped it on my arm, where the burn marks were. I griminess at the pain, but otherwise didn''t say a word.¡±


    ¡°What? Like a flame-thrower or something?¡± She said when she was done turning my arm into a mummy.


    ¡°No, he threw a fireball out of his hand. Like, what I can do, but with fire.¡±


    Sable frowned, and said, ¡°But there shouldn''t be any ability users in the compound...¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°100%¡± She answered, ¡°I mean, everyone knows that there''s only one human organization that has people like that.¡±


    I finally realized what was happening, and muttered under my breath, ¡°SIDNA...¡±


    Sable heard me, and said, ¡°Yeah, it has to be those guys! Damn it, why are they here at a time like this?¡±


    I think I know why they''re here. After all, I probably lead them to this location, but I kept that information to myself. I should have known that something like this would happen! But why are they attacking Robert and his people? Shouldn''t they be keeping the peace in the supernatural community instead of committing mindless slaughter?


    Sable broke my train of thought, and said ¡°Um, Frank. Did you manage to get inside?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡±


    ¡°I don''t blame you, with those guys here and all. Ugh! Why are SIDNA in a backwater place like this! What should we do now then? I mean, we can''t just leave everyone there, can we?¡±


    I thought for a while, and said, ¡°Did you try calling them?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a phone with me, and I don''t know anyone''s phone number even if I did.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    ¡°So if we can''t contact them, then we fight our way in. Maybe there''s a spot where they''re not as heavily guarded or something...¡±


    I shook my head, and said, ¡°That''s impossible, Sable.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I''ve scouted the area, there''s no way the two of us can make it inside without being killed. There''s too many guards around.¡±


    Sable grunted, and said, ¡°So we just wait?¡±


    ¡°There''s no other choice. Robert said that we were going to raid that human compound soon, so we can wait around there until dawn, and if we don''t find them near there, we can come back here. I''m sure Robert will find a way to find us by then, and if things don''t get any better by the second day...¡±


    ¡°Then we go in and do something about it.¡± Sable finished.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let''s get out of here, Frank.¡± She continued, ¡°I can''t stand this place any more.¡±


    *	*	*


    We made our way towards the compound where I first met Sable, and although there were a few guards stationed at the entrance ¨C they got a new door apparently ¨C it was relatively safe. The guards stationed at the entrance looked nervous and unease, which made sense given all the chaos that has happened lately.


    Sable turned around when she saw the guards and said, ¡°I knew it! Their uniforms are different, so those other guys had to be from SIDNA.¡±


    I nodded in agreement, and said, ¡°Any sign of Robert and the gang?¡±


    ¡°Nothing so far... Do we just wait it out?¡±


    ¡°I guess so...¡±

 Chapter Nineteen

    Sable and I spent the rest of the night and most of the next night waiting for Robert to show up. We found some shelter in some old abandoned car during the day light hours, and although trying to sleep huddled down in the back seat wasn''t exactly comfortable, especially given the fact that we had to cover all the windows with paint. But hey, when you live as a starving, unemployed man being chased by hoards of the undead, it wasn''t the most uncomfortable night that I''ve ever had. I can''t say the same for Sable though. I could tell that my partner was getting anxious, and to be honest, I wasn''t feeling that much better. I didn''t tell her that though; I figured that one of us had to seem like they''re in control.


    By the end of the second night, I could tell that Sable really couldn''t wait much longer, and I had no idea how I was going to prevent her from committing a very loud and messy suicide when she inevitably decides to storm into the compound herself. Thankfully, Robert and a few fellow vampires showed up before that.


    It was Sable who first noticed the gang, and when I saw them myself I wasn''t feeling too great about our prospects. Robert''s forces looked warn down and haggard, to put it nicely. Even from a distance I could tell that Robert''s men were skittish, worried, and no matter how well Robert himself hid his fears, I could tell that he was more worn out than he looked. I wasn''t sure what he was going to do with a measly force of only a half dozen vampires, but I didn''t give them enough time to try whatever it was that he planned to do. I ported close to the man.


    My sudden appearance made the already frightened vampires flare up with alarm, but their training forced them to not immediately act on instinct. Robert quickly told his men down, and greeted me politely. Up close, he looked a lot worse than before. Where the normal, regal man used to be, was a man who showed his age. The winkles on his face seemed more profound now, and even his usual neat clothing seemed more aged.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, nodding to Sable as she made her way towards us.


    ¡°Information about our home seemed to have leaked to the damned humans.¡± Cursed one of Robert''s men, ¡°They sent the whole fucking army after us.¡±


    Robert glanced at the man in disdain, but just sighed, and added, ¡°I don''t know what happened, but we were attacked in our own homes. Thankfully we managed to evacuate most of the family, but the ones that stayed behind to buy the rest of us time...¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Sable muttered, holding Robert''s hand.


    ¡°It matters not.¡± He said coolly, ¡°What''s important is that we get the rest of our family free, and if things get any worse, we must speed up our plans for the humans.¡±


    ¡°Plans?¡± I asked, ¡°What plans?¡±


    ¡°I''ll explain it later, Lord.¡±


    Sable gave Robert an inquisitive look, and asked, ¡°Lord? What''s that about?¡±


    ¡°I''ll explain that later as well.¡± I answered.


    ¡°But it''s good to see you here,¡± Robert continued, ¡°Breaking into the compound will be easier with your abilities, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, what gives?.¡±


    ¡°Right now really isn''t the time, Sable.¡± Robert interrupted, ¡°The more time we waste here, the more time the enemy has to mobilize against us. The news that my sources have been telling me is not good. It seems like this attack is just the beginning of something big.¡±


    Sable looked at Robert with unease, and said, ¡°Then shouldn''t you be helping out the other heads? I mean, I know that saving the people in the cells'' important and all, but you don''t have to come personally, right?¡±


    Robert laughed, and said, ¡°Of course I have to come personally. This is something that the Lord has asked, and doing any less would be an insult.¡±


    ¡°Again with that Lord business. What is that about?¡±


    ¡°Do you truly not know? The man you call Frank is none other than the Lord of the Night.¡±


    Sable stared at me wide eyed. ¡°What?¡±


    I sighed, and muttered, ¡°I''ll explain later. We rescue the prisoners first.¡±


    Sable pouted and answered, ¡°You better have a good explanation.¡±


    ¡°Right, let''s get going then.¡±


    *	*	*


    Thanks to my abilities, the gang and I were able to make it into the compound without much difficulties. Sable led the way to where most of the other prisoners were being kept, and the few guards that were did meet were dealt with easily enough by Robert. I have to admit, after seeing Robert''s strength, that Sable''s stories about him might all be true. The man moved like a human bullet when he noticed any opposition, and the ease and fluidity of his movements showed that he was more than used to fighting. He incapacitated the soldiers with a blur of his hand, and even had the decency to remove the body before we passed them, and all of this took less than a fraction of a second to accomplish. Heck, it didn''t even look like it exerted him in the lead to do all that. The man is really darn scary. I really wouldn''t want to be this guy''s foe.


    By the time we got to the inner parts of the compound where the cells were, we only encountered a dozen or so guards; not surprising if my guesses were right. The people working at this compound were probably having their own share of problems dealing with SIDNA. Thanks to that though, we were able to free the all of the prisoners in record time, and our escape from the facility was just as carefree as our entrance. Outside of the facility, Robert ordered his men to move the ex-prisoners to safety.


    ¡°So how''s everyone holding up, Robert?¡± I asked, ¡°And what is that plan you were talking about before?¡±


    When Robert confirmed that the last of the freed prisoners were gone, he turned towards me and answered, ¡°To be honest, things are not going well right now, my Lord. The human army took us by surprise, and we were inadequately prepared for their arrival. Something, or someone, must have informed them about our location. We are losing our forces rapidly, and if this continues, then the elders will be forced to take the first step and wage a full on war against the humans.¡±


    ¡°A war?¡± Sable asked.


    ¡°Yes, a war. Our agents hidden within the major human governments will start a new world war, and while the humans are weakened by the chaos and infighting, we will strike.¡±


    I looked at Robert in shock, ¡°You guys want to start World War III.¡±


    ¡°We will, if there is no other option.¡±


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    ¡°Do you even know what that will mean? It''s not going to be trench warfare or chlorine gas anymore, we have nukes and fucking bio-weapons. Humanity will destroy not only themselves if this happens, but when the nukes go off then there''ll be nothing left!¡±


    ¡°I realize.¡± Robert sighed, ¡°But if they continue like this, then our entire race will parish. A world war will not be pleasant, but we have made the necessary preparations in case of a nuclear war. We are prepared to deal with the fallout, as well as ensure that our species will continue to live on.¡±


    ¡°And what about the other supernatural parties? I''m going to guess that they won''t be happy about this.¡±


    ¡°They are in on the plan, and I assume are equipped to deal with the necessary risks involved.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I know, my Lord. But the plans are not set in stone. There still might be something that we can do to prevent a worse case scenario.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to stop them. How long do you think we have until things are dead set?¡±


    ¡°We have already organized most of the major figures in Vladimir''s estate from Europe, and more emissaries from other communities are arriving from around the world every hour. When the last of them arrives, then the meeting will begin, and from that period on, we will have only a few days at most. Overall, I''d say we have maybe a week to work.¡±


    Sable cut in, and asked, ¡°And what exactly do we have to do in order for the plans to be cancelled? I don''t think the three of us will be able to fend off all the human pressure now that they''ve mobilized against us.¡±


    Robert shook his head and sighed, ¡°You''re right. This is what we have feared the most. With the humans so set on ending us, we have no real hope of fighting back. Our numbers are too small and too scattered, and that is why we devised such an unfavourable last resort in the first place. We can only hope to negotiate with the human leaders for a compromise.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll go talk with them.¡± I answered, ¡°I am... acquainted with the higher ups at SIDNA, and I can at the very least attempt to reason with them.¡±


    ¡°You cant!¡± Sable half-screamed, she was clearly not happy with that decision. I wasn''t blaming her, if I were in her shoes and she wanted to do what I did, then I''d protest just as hard. But there was no other way, or at least none that I can think of.


    ¡°I agree with Sable.¡± Robert added, ¡°You''ll be needed at the hearings as well.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t matter.¡± I shook my head, ¡°It''s the only real hope that we have.¡±


    ¡°Then at least let me go with you, Frank!¡±


    ¡°You know that you can''t, Sable. I can get in because the people at SIDNA are at least a little familiar with me, but you''ll stick out. And plus, if worse comes to worst, I can just port out. You can''t. Stay with Robert and help out here.¡±


    ¡°Frank...¡± Sable answered, half muttering. I can tell that she was still unhappy with the plan, but Sable was smart enough to realize that there really was not alternative. She also knew that staying here and defending her family was the best course of action for her.


    ¡°There''s no problems with you then, Robert?¡±


    ¡°Although I am not happy with your course of action, and would rather see you remain here,¡± Robert said reluctantly, ¡°I know that cannot stop you. Even I do not like the prospect of a nuclear war, and you are our only hope of an alternative, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s set.¡±


    I nodded to Robert, and gave Sable a quick peck on the lips before porting away. I was never really good with good-byes, and I really couldn''t drag things out, especially when I was fighting the clock. Plus, I''m not sure if I can get back into SIDNA, what with all the changes that I''ve gone though, much less make Sarah Fortune look at things in my point of view. I just hope that things go for the best... but when has that ever happened.


    With no clear location in mind, I just retraced my steps back to the town where I first encountered the soldiers. I ported for a bit of it, but realized that the people at SIDNA would probably not take my appearing out of nowhere kindly. Thankfully my new constitution greatly improved my stamina, and I was able to jog at a reasonable speed towards the town. I just hope that they didn''t connect the dots and realize that the vampires that were terrorizing their forces a few days prior was me.


    Without any kind of identification, I had no idea if just going up to one of the poor slobs and asking to see Sarah would actually worked. I know that if some stranger asked me to do that, I sure as hell wouldn''t just show them in. I''d have called the damn cops, or just have the lunatic the boot. Unfortunately, without any other way of doing things, it''s exactly what I did when I saw the first bunch of armed soldiers.


    When I approached, the SIDNA guys tried to brush me aside ¨C with a little too much force for my liking ¨C but when I explained my situation to them, they didn''t immediately threaten to open fire on me. Now that was surprising. Instead, one uniformed dude muttered something incomprehensible into his mouthpiece, and a few moments later another uniformed man came out. The new guy was carrying some kind of scanner or something, sort of like those you see in airports or cop shows, and give me a quick run over with the thing. Apparently, I checked out, because the told another soldier stationed near-by to take me to headquarters.


    I guess the big boss didn''t leave me out to dry when she dropped me into a portal leading to who-knows-where. I dread to think what would have happened if I somehow didn''t check out with the scanner though.


    As it was, however, I was kindly lead to an unassuming car, and after a brief drive, I was shown into a rather unassuming building. It looked grey and ugly, like every other office building I''ve ever seen, but after winding around the place a bit, and passing a good array of security, I saw something that was certainly not unassuming: a portal. It was more or less identical to the one I went through originally, but this time I''m betting that this particular portal leads back to a place that I wasn''t entirely sure I wanted to go back to. I''m not sure how well people like take to hearing about my recent activities, and I wasn''t entirely sure that I can lie to Sarah.


    Still, if I didn''t want the world to get nuked into oblivion, so I''d better get this over with.

 Chapter Twenty

    When I got out of the portal I was greeted by a few guards stationed in a building. I was assured that they would inform the boss about my arrival, and that I was to wait around until they called me. They gave me a new phone, some pocket money, and hurried me out of the door. When I made it past the door I was bathed in the same dim glow of perpetual orange street lights. I must have only been with Robert''s people for no longer than a weeks, so I really shouldn''t be that surprised by revisiting SIDNA, but I felt a pang of nostalgia when I set foot in here again. I felt comfortable, at peace here ¨C not that I didn''t feel those things at Robert''s place, but it was a different feeling of calm.


    Well, thankfully most of the damage has been repaired, or at least the debris was swept out of the streets. Business wasn''t exactly booming, but the tension that I felt before leaving wasn''t there either. It was like the calm before the storm. Everyone knew that things weren''t exactly peachy right now, but nobody wanted to ruin the facade of tranquillity that was present.


    I wandered around the familiar sights, finally taking the time to really see what kind of damage the last assault did to the place. The Hungry Boar seemed to have repaired itself pretty nicely, and I decided to grab a bite to eat while I waited for Sarah to call. There weren''t as many patrons around, but it certainly wasn''t empty. I didn''t bother to order the house special this time, I wasn''t sure that Eugene could even make one given how things are around here, but I did settle for a sandwich. It wasn''t until my meal arrived that I started to wonder if I could actually eat it.


    Last time I tried actual, human food, I barely had the stomach to keep the stuff down. I looked at the sandwich, and although it looked pretty good, I had make sure that I could still eat. That I was still human. I took a tentative bite, and was surprised that the thing was serviceable. The flavour was muted, but it was there. I guess that''s an improvement.


    I ate my sandwich listlessly, just because I could, and started to really think about everything that happened lately. So much has happened in such a short time that I really didn''t know what to make of anything anymore. Now I''m apparently heralded as the Lord of the Night, I got a war to stop, and I have these strange, inhuman quarks growing daily. I guess it all really started after I left that compound with Sable the first time, but for the life of me I couldn''t remember exactly happened during that time. It was like a piece of my memory was gone, and I knew that I was forgetting something important.


    Thankfully I didn''t have to dwell on my problems for much longer, since my new phone rang.


    I answered, and a stern, but familiar voice answered me, ¡°Morgan, come back to my office. There''s a lot that happened since you left, and I''ll need your report on things.¡±


    Before I can even answer back, Sarah Fortune hung up. Well, I guess that was just her style, and she didn''t even ask me if I knew how to get to her office from where I was. For all she knew, I could have been dropped on the other side of SIDNA HQ. Thankfully I wasn''t lost, or else she probably would have crushed my head into paste.


    *	*	*


    ¡°You''re late.¡± Was the only greeting I got when Sarah saw me enter her office. The woman looked a little haggard, but otherwise the same.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, ¡°I ran into a bit of trouble on the other side.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. It''s good to have you back though, Mr. Morgan. As you might have already seen, a lot has happened since your departure.¡± Sarah sat down on her chair, and gestured for me to do the same, ¡°Thanks to you, we were able to track down the organization that was responsible for sending us their pet monsters, and although we have yet to fully deal with the root of the problem, we did find some interesting information in one of their compounds. It seems that this this particular organization has extensive records on the vampires, including the hideout of three of their leaders. We''ve launched an initial response team to test out the vampires resistance, and so far it seems that we have greatly over-estimated their combat potential. The vampires are disorganized, and are in prime position to be wiped out.¡±


    ¡°So you''re just going to destroy the whole lot of them?¡± I asked, really struggling to keep my voice even and calm.


    ¡°No,¡± Sarah answered, ¡°But we are culling their numbers down. If we can take out the heads of the vampires, even one or two, it will greatly lessen the power and influence the vampires will have.¡±


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    ¡°Don''t you think that''s a little... cruel?¡± I muttered.


    Sarah laughed, ¡°These are blood thirsty monsters, Mr. Morgan. They do not have cause for sympathy, and they have caused my own organization no shortage of losses. So no, Mr. Morgan, I do not think it is cruel.¡±


    Realizing that sympathy wouldn''t work on her, I tried for a more logical approach, ¡°You know that there''s no way that the vampires will just let you kill them all. They must have some kind of back up plan if shit hits the fan like it has. For all you know they have people in high places, ready to make things hell for everyone.¡±


    The smile on Sarah''s face never wavered, ¡°Oh I''m sure they do. In fact, I know they do, and my agents are already out on the field getting rid of the defectors. This is all thanks to you, of course, we wouldn''t have known so many vampire defectors if it wasn''t for that compound we raided. My company and I have always been weary about starting an all out war with the vampires, since their contingency plan was something that we have yet to crack, but I guess fortune is finally on our side.¡±


    God damn it! I screwed up again! I tried my hardest to keep myself calm, to not show any of the torrent of emotions that I was feeling right now. But it was hard. I tried to think of the bright side of things. After all, I didn''t have to worry about a nuclear holocaust any longer. Now I just had to worry about Robert and the rest of them being ground to dust by Fortune and her gang. I had to go back and warn them. I don''t think Sarah noticed any change in my expression, and she has no reason to question my loyalty after what I''ve done.


    ¡°Can I go now?¡± I said, my voice straining to stay calm.


    Sarah gave me a hard stare, as if she could see my internal struggle, but after a while, she simply said, ¡°Of course, Mr. Morgan. I''ll have someone call you when you''re needed again. I apologize for having you go through your first assignment without a partner, but know that your contribution today has been a great help to the entire orginization.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I muttered, before making my way out of the compound.


    Now then, I guess my next course of action is to get back to Robert, which means I have to sneak back to the portal that Sarah and her researchers made. I was all but ready to port away when a familiar voice stopped me.


    ¡°Frank, is that you?¡± The voice said. I turned around to that familiar, dimpled face, and the second she recognized that I was, indeed, myself, she all but tackled me.


    ¡°Oh my god, it is you!¡± She continued, still gripping me with her death-hug, ¡°You have no idea how worried I was! I checked up on you so many times, but the doctors said that they weren''t sure if you would make it. I thought that I was too late in helping you, and, and I was beating myself up for not being there earlier. Oh my god, I''ve never been so angry about passing out before! Well, maybe that one time I was talked into drinking a bottle of wine, but that''s not the same.¡± She paused a second to catch a breath, ¡°Oh, then I heard you did get better, but Sarah sent you on some stupid mission by yourself. And you just got here as well! I tried calling as well, but no one would pick up. I thought you were dead, Frank! Oh god I thought she sent you on a suicide mission, especially with you being injured and all. You don''t know how good it is to see you!¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± I managed to say, ¡°It''s good to see you too, Kelley.¡±


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? You sure your ok? I mean, you weren''t looking so good when I last saw you, and I don''t know what happened after you left for that stupid mission, but there''s no way you could be fine. Do you need to sit down somewhere? Here, let me help you to your room, I''ll get you some food ¨C did you eat already?¡±


    ¡°No, look, I''m fine. Completely fine, really.¡±


    ¡°There''s no way that you are! I saw what those monsters did to you, and it''s only been a few weeks. Don''t try to play the tough guy, it might work with Sarah, but it won''t with me!¡± She gave me a stern look that really seems out of place on a girl as perky as she is. It doesn''t look like I''ll be able to talk her out of this one.


    ¡°Ok, maybe I could use a drink.¡±