Duel Nature (23 page)

The Director was caught flatfooted by my
vampiress’s knowledge, and to a lesser degree, so was I. She never
told me any of this, but then I never asked. Tanya was privy to a
great deal of Coven secrets and I never asked her questions about
them, not wanting to put her in a conflict and frankly not wanting
to expose myself to all their dark secrets.

“You’re surprised that we know?” she directed
at Stewart. “Director, my mother is older than this country and
she’s been here through most of its history, along with a great
many other vampires. My people have helped guide it through many of
its worst crisis; we do that in every country on the planet.”

“Ah, yes, can’t have the cattle killing
themselves off,” he said, still shaken at her admission.

“We live with humans and would die without
them, so yeah, we have a stake in the survival of human life on
this planet. We’re not that different, generally speaking every
vampire was once a human,” she said.

“Generally?” he asked.

“Director, do you believe in God?” Gina asked
rather suddenly, and very opportunely.

“What?” he asked, caught completely off
guard.

“Simple question. Do
you
believe in God?” she
asked again.

“Well, yeah, I mean, yes. After everything
I’ve seen and learned it would be hard to disbelieve,” he said.

“What about you?” Gina asked Benally,
surprising the were.

“Yes,” was Adine’s answer after a moment.

“You two?” Gina asked, looking at Eric and
Barb.

Both nodded, brows furrowed.

“What about demons, Director? What about the
Devil?”

“Demonic activity is fairly well known, has
been for many, many years,” he answered, looking uncomfortable with
the direction the conversation had taken.

“So will you agree that Evil exists and is
opposed by its opposite forces, call them Good, or Light?” she
asked.

“Well, I won’t deny that demons are evil, but
most evil is done by man himself,” he said.

She smiled. “Exactly. Most evil comes from
man, just as most good does as well. Vampires and weres are no
different. I think Director, that the question shouldn’t be one of
vampires versus humans or where Chris falls in that equation, but
rather which side of the line do they fall – good or evil?”

“You are asking if vampires and werewolves
are evil or good, let me remind you that they prey on humans,”
Stewart said with a surge of self-righteousness.

“Really? Ms. Benally, do you eat people?” my
grandfather asked.

Stewart’s face turned stormy. “Of course she
doesn’t!” he thundered.

“Interesting. Neither does the Pack that
lives next door, or the Pack in New York city. Tanya here preys on
just one human, but I doubt you’ll hear him complaining,” he said,
with a grin in my direction. “Vampires drink from humans;
werewolves are dangerous to humans, no question. But both groups
live amongst humans and both police themselves to avoid problems.
Vampire society frowns on killing people. They prefer willing
donors who generally live long, healthy lives. Vampires who
wantonly kill are usually killed themselves, right Tanya?”

“That’s true. Killing is bad for business and
makes donors nervous or even scarce. Our Elders forbid wanton
killing. Master vampires who allow such acts in their territories
don’t stay Masters or vampires for long,” she replied, although I
sensed she wasn’t fully comfortable with that statement.

Stewart’s angry expression relaxed a bit into
something more thoughtful.

“I think Chris’s record speaks pretty clearly
to which side he falls on. Can you say the same for the politicians
you work for, who, by the way, also ‘prey’ on people,” Gina
said.

“Oh come on, that’s hardly an apples to
apples comparison,” Stewart said.

“No? You think a person who has lost their
job, livelihood, home or freedom because of laws passed by greedy
politicians doesn’t suffer?” Gina asked.

“They’re still alive,” Stewart pointed out.
Gina held her hand out, palm down and waggled it.

“An innocent who is torn apart by a hungry
vampire suffers enormously. A person who loses a job, their home
and family, becomes homeless and hopeless and finally dies of
exposure does too. My point is that both actions create suffering,
just as both are acts of greed. Chris and Tanya are currently
assigned to police the Covens and punish those who break the rules
of vampire society, and their punishments are far swifter and more
final than anything faced by human criminals, be they serial
killers or corrupt politicians,” Gina concluded.

Stewart was quiet for a moment, his mustache
waggling as he pondered.

“The President asked my opinion of the threat
you pose,” he finally began, looking directly at me. “You killed a
bunch of federal agents, albeit ones already listed as dead in the
war and working for a black ops unit, and you blew up every loaded
weapon at that Customs station. Homeland Security freaked out, the
National Security Council freaked and the President was this close
to freaking,” he said, holding up his thumb and forefinger less
than an inch apart.

“What about General Creek?” I asked.

“General Creek was rather vehement that we
should isolate you and kill you, preferably with an airstrike,
possibly with a small tactical nuke,” Stewart replied.

I was a little shocked. I knew that General
Creek didn’t like me; thought I had too much power, but I didn’t
know he felt I should be bombed. My Grim side slid into control,
expanded my senses in ways I don’t know how to duplicate when I’m
myself, and scanned the area around us, including the airspace
around and above. Nothing.

Gina says it’s easy to tell when Grim is
there, in control. My whole demeanor changes, becomes harder,
colder and gives off an aura of danger. She says I appear coiled,
like I was ready for instant violence. Stewart and company noticed,
all of them becoming alert and tense, but with no obvious threats
Grim receded, leaving me back in control and pondering the
Director’s words.

“That is….interesting,” Stewart said, still
watching me through narrowed eyes.

Gramps snorted then gave me a direct,
questioning look.

“Nothing in the air or on the ground for
several miles,” I answered.

Stewart was fascinated. “That was your alter
ego, correct? The Grim Reaper is it?” he asked.

“Just Grim. Grim Reaper was my call sign
during the whole Loki Spawn hunt,” I answered.

“Creek told me about your Mr. Hyde. Now I’ve
seen it, twice. It’s unnerving,” he said.

“Grim is not a hidden personality in the
sense of true multiple personality disorder, Director. At least, I
don’t believe so,” Gina said. “Chris is fully aware of the
personality and controls it. It’s more like a persona, a
combination of traits and responses that excel at certain
functions. Like the business man who has a finely tuned haggling
‘face’ that he brings out during negotiations.”

“But this one’s job is fighting,” Stewart
stated, looking at Gina.

“Yes, Grim is a combat persona – an uber
combat persona. You mentioned an air strike and Grim took over to
scan for threats,” Gina said.

“And if there had been an inbound fighter, a
gunship or drone on station, then what? Evasion?” Stewart
asked.

“No, Director. Chris and Tanya could leave
the area very quickly, but the rest of us couldn’t, so Grim would
have dealt with the threat,” Gina said. She was right, but I was a
little surprised at how well she understood me, in all my
forms.

“Dealt with a fighter?” Stewart asked,
incredulous.

“Remember the drones and AC-130 incident?”
Gina asked.

His eyebrows went straight to his hairline.
“Hmm, you have a point.”

He thought about that for a moment then
turned to me.

“
And you’re sure there’s
nothing up there?” he asked, testing.

“Didn’t say that. There are
no current threats, there
is
a US satellite directly overhead as well as
another that I think might be Chinese,” I said. I didn’t tell him
about the third one that was most likely a Coven owned
unit.

“A Chinese satellite parked overhead?” he
asked. At my nod he turned to Adine who was already dialing a
number on her cell phone. She started a fast conversation with
whoever answered. Stewart distracted me by asking more
questions.

“You just guessed at the US bird?” he
ventured.

“It’s got a weird sorta metallic balloon
thingy around it,” I answered after a brief internal consult with
Grim.

Benally closed her phone and turned to the
Director, whose eyes had gotten wider at my odd description. “Sir,
he’s correct about the Chinese sat. They think it’s Yaogan 3,” she
said.

“Balloon thingy?” he questioned.

Eric leaned down and whispered in his ear,
but his words were clear to Tanya and I.

“Sir, it could be Misty. One of Misty’s
design elements is a radar deflecting stealth envelope that could
be called a balloon…thingy.”

Stewart turned back toward me and looked very
thoughtful.

“Creek is right…you’re a nightmare!” he said,
his expression indecisive. After a moment he turned to look at
Tanya.

“What about you, my dear? Do you play with
air and space craft as well?” he asked.

“With Tanya it’s all about her voice,” Gina
said, making me wince inside, hoping she didn’t mention Tanya’s
ability with sound. “When she speaks, world economics change. You
think Buffett or the Fed Chairman have clout? Who do you think
feeds them the answers?”

I heaved a big internal sigh of relief even
as Stewart looked more incredulous than at any of my
revelations.

“Oh come on! You can’t be serious? A vampire
Greenspan?” he asked.

“Let’s review. The vampires
average hundreds of years of age. Their government is the oldest on
earth. They pool their money and have the most gifted among them
invest it. They’ve been in this country before and while it was
being built. They have people everywhere, human and vampires both,
in every business, every government, everywhere. They pay their
people extremely well, protect them viciously and punish betrayers
violently. They have
all
the inside information! Hell, they disseminate
most of it themselves. And Tatiana is one of their most gifted
business minds with the favor of their ruling Elders,” Gina
said.

Stewart was pale now and his mustache
trembled as his eyes grew hooded.

“That may be the single scariest thing I’ve
ever heard. You’re saying they control the world markets? All of
them?” he asked.

Tanya answered. “We mostly
let them run themselves, but we monitor everything, feeding tips to
the appropriate agencies when participants misbehave. We
do
utilize inside
information, but we keep it subtle. Humans may not believe in
vampires and werewolves, but interestingly enough, your most
suspicious people are your stock traders and hedge fund
managers.
They
are
sensitive to the slightest misalignments in the market place,” she
said, shaking her beautiful head in wonder. “But yes, we have our
hands in the game everywhere and we protect our investments and
assets ruthlessly. And Director Stewart…We are heavily invested in
Christian!” she said, nailing him with her cerulean
stare.

“Hmmpf,” he said, clearing his throat and
jumping a little as he broke her gaze. “Your point is well
made.”

Chapter 23

Stewart told us he had enough food for
thought and then prepared to leave. I asked one final question.

“What about AIR. Gentis told me that they’ve
killed more terrorists than the rest of the government put
together. Is that true?”

“It may well be, Chris. They’ve killed a
great many high level terrorist leaders…also several hundred
innocent bystanders and US personnel,” he said. “They are utterly
ruthless and think nothing of sacrificing noncombatants and allies.
The President has ordered another smaller taskforce to hunt them
down and root them out.”

“He also has a subgroup of Taskforce 17 that
concentrates on just Chris and me,” Tanya said.

Looking at her blank faced for a minute,
Stewart shook his head. “Yes my dear he does, but I’m thinking the
whole damn Taskforce should concentrate on you two…er..three,” he
said glancing down at the loveseat-sized were grizzly on the
floor.

“Director Stewart, would you be so kind as to
give my resignation to the President?” Gina said, handing him an
envelope. She had borrowed pen, paper and envelope from Gramps.

The Director raised his bushy white eyebrows,
looking a lot like Mark Twain.

“That is a precipitous decision, my dear. Are
you certain?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. He doesn’t trust
my judgment and doesn’t listen to my advice. Also, he is correct in
assuming that I’m ‘compromised’ if he means that my loyalties lie
with Chris, Tanya and company. I know which side of the Good vs.
Evil thing
I
stand
on,” she said with conviction.

He looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded.
He turned to leave, but Gramps spoke before he got out the
door.

“What will you recommend?”

Stewart looked back at him for a long moment,
long enough that I thought he might not answer.

“The truth, Mr. Gordon, at least as I see it.
An attack on your grandson here carries more negatives than
positives in my estimation. At best it will start a war with a
nation that has penetrated every other nation on earth and can gut
the US economy at will. At worst….?,” he looked my way, eyes
narrowed, “…well, let’s just say that I’m having trouble imagining
all the bad things that could result from a failed attempt…and I
have a vivid imagination.”