Operation (33 page)

“This is not about me,” he said.

“You’re right, John, it’s not about you but it is about us.” She rose from the table and walked toward him. “Let’s lay it all out on the table shall we. I didn’t expect any of this to happen. When I sought you out, I had only the intention of using you to figure out what General Stone had insinuated before I killed him and discover what I could about the existence of others like me. But all of that changed when you made me feel… human again John. I haven’t felt that way for a long, long time. It enabled me to see clearly for the first time in over sixty years. I learned that my captivity was of my own choosing and that I could break it if I wanted. And I did. This unexpected surge of emotions made me think I could once again be like I was, a woman who wanted to love and be loved.”

“Was that so bad?” he asked.

“Not in its entirety,” she said, “fantasy is a wonderful thing, John. But that’s fantasy. Reality takes on a completely different light. Dimitri and I talked about things and the more I think about it the more I think he’s right.”

“About what?” Reese asked.

“Come on, John, think sensibly about this. We lead two different kinds of life, just like you say in your book.”

“In time, we could adjust to a way of life,” he said. “We can try?”

“What life? Do you think we could live happily ever after with a dog and white picket fence? A normal boring life in a suburban neighborhood? You can have tea with the neighbors at night while I hunt for food?”

“Maybe we can adjust,” he said.

“You mean change,” she said sharply. “That is what this is all about isn’t it? One of us must change and yet neither one of us can. I can’t become human and you can’t become a vampire.”

The words become a vampire shot through him like a knife being jabbed repeatedly into his abdomen. Anger, fear, and anxiety flushed through him trying to drown him. He struggled to find the words to speak but none came.

“You know I’m right about this John. I can see it in your eyes as we speak.”

“But you’ve lived with humans before,” the tone of his voice reflecting a mixture of confusion and anger.

“Yes, John, I have. There have been many like Jake over the years. I used them for their blood and protection by promising them my love and immorality. Then when they were near death, I just let them die. Is that what you want? You want to live an illusion of love and then die unfulfilled? Or would you like to end up like Jake, murdered by some agency who seeks control of my kind.”

“You can give up what we have so easily?” he asked, his voice sounding defeated.

“Easily? Oh no, John. I’ve searched so long and hard for what we have. I’m not letting go of it easily. You will agonize over what we can do until it kills you, but I’ve caused enough pain in my lifetime to not want to cause anymore.”

“I can…” he began as he grasped her hand and squeezed it.

“No, John, you can’t. Your fear of the loss of your humanity will never allow it.” She placed her hand on the side of his face. “And you’re right. Do not give up your mortal life to live in a way that defies what has been given you.”

The pain in Christina’s voice reflected the loss of their future together, “I won’t do it—not to you—not to anyone.”

She released his hand, turned, and walked away from him.

Reese stood silently in the same spot for several moments. His anger began to rise as he thought what might have happened if Dimitri had not spoken with her. Would she have come to the same decision on her own? Or was he just looking for someone else to blame for his pain?

Reese marched off to find Dimitri.

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Samantha walked into the compound’s control center. General Morris was standing next to Commander Pattoon and both of the men looked up when she entered the room. “We’ve been trying to contact you for hours,” Morris said. “We have the girls plus a bonus package.”

“I was detained on other business,” she said giving an air that it was not as important as what he had said. “This is good news, General, you are to be commended. What is this other package?”

“One of the original vampires from the Team of Darkness op,” he said beaming. “Apparently one of them escaped when Reese had thought he had killed them. By the way, have you seen Commander Reese? We have some questions for him.”

“No, I haven’t seen him. However, that is remarkable news, General. I am very grateful for your actions in restoring the two girls to captivity.”

“We wouldn’t have found them if not for Reese’s suggestion to check out a piece of property. He was right. They were right where he thought they would be.”

“Have you been able to determine how the girls escaped?” she asked.

“No, they refuse to talk. Later we’ll juice them with some of the elixir to make them a little bit more cooperative. We will find out how they did it.”

“I cannot allow that,” Samantha said firmly. “There can be no risks taken with such a valuable commodity.”

“There is no risk,” he replied. “Controlled bursts of the elixir will make them uncomfortable but…”

“No, General,” she insisted. “They are agency property and I cannot allow that. If something were to go wrong they could be irreparably harmed. Besides, I have plans to move them.”

General Morris moved closer to her. “And I can’t allow that,” he said. “My orders were to capture them and hold them here.”

“My orders supersede anything you might have been instructed to do,” said Samantha.

“Not unless your orders come through the Joint Chiefs,” he said in a voice that rumbled with authority. He turned his eyes toward the two bodyguards that were watching the exchange and they moved closer. “My last instructions were to cooperate fully with you in matters dealing with the capture of the creatures. They said nothing of removing them from this compound.”

“We waste time on technicalities,” she said. “You know that I can get the authority required.”

“Probably,” he agreed, “but until that time, the creatures stay here. I had a long conversation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Stuttgart, the other day. It appears as though there may be some changes in the making regarding these creatures as well as the agency oversight into this operation.”

“I doubt that,” Samantha said, although she wondered how Morris had achieved his new found courage. Perhaps her superiors had decided that Christina was enough and that the situation of the escape of the girls jeopardized their own sixty year secret.

They may possibly have come to a conclusion that what they had was enough. The short-sighted bureaucrats may have decided to cut their losses and run. This would not be acceptable to her plan but if she had Reese on her side as well as all the vampires, then she could move on her own.

“I’m sure that all of this will be cleared up in a short time,” she said returning to the conversation.

“Yes, I’m sure of it,” the General agreed smugly. “In the meantime, you’re welcome to attend the interrogation.”

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Dimitri was rummaging through supplies stored in the compound in the event some long ago emergency had required their usage. He heard Reese call his name and lifted his head seeing the man’s obvious agitation. He could hear his accelerated heartbeat even with the distance.

“I am here,” Dimitri said turning to Andre and the small stack of scavenged supplies. “Please take these items and move them into the other room.” Andre, as always, did as he was told and left.

“What the hell did you say to her?” asked Reese as soon as Andre left them.

“I told her what she already knew. The truth,” Dimitri said simply.

“You told her what you wanted to tell her,” Reese said with a sharp tone in his voice. “You want her to stay with you and your merry little band. That’s it isn’t it? Maybe you even think you can have a little vampire family. Why not? Now you have a wife and kids to boot! Perfect symmetry as you love to say!”

“You are not approaching this logically,” Dimitri said. “You seek what you cannot have.”

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot have?”

“I see what you do not. She does not belong with you. She is not your kind.”

“Since when have you become a damn expert on who belongs with whom?” Reese demanded. “You claim that your kind is as justified to live as any of God’s creatures but now you’re going to put restrictions upon which other of God’s creatures your kind can mingle with? For Christ’s sake, talk about being a hypocrite!”

“You take what I said out of context to suit your needs, Commander.”

“Just as you do when it suits yours,” Reese countered. “I’m tired of this bullshit, Dimitri. Why can’t I, just for once, have some damn happiness in my life? She’s special! When I’m with her I finally feel some peace.”

“You would use Christina as the source for your peace, but time will reveal that she is not what you need.”

“Oh no?” Reese said, “Then what is she?”

“She is what you fear and desire the most. She is the conundrum you will not face.”

Reese remained silent for a few seconds as if contemplating what Dimitri had said. Then he spoke firmly and answered with one word, “No.”

Dimitri eyed him curiously.

Reese continued, “I did not know she was a vampire before I fell in love with her. I thought she was human.”

“Surely you saw the signs,” Dimitri said, exaggerating the words. “You are the vampire expert. She did not eat or drink. You only saw her at night. Was she not cold to the touch? Or perhaps she was warm because she had just fed.”

The last words stung Reese as he struggled for words. “I was preoccupied with the search for the girls,” he answered haltingly. “I was looking beyond the physical and…”

“You saw only what you wanted to see, but it does not matter,” Dimitri said with a wave of his hands. “That does not change anything. She is what she is and you are what you are. You are a world apart. The only chance would be if you were to give up your humanity and become a vampire,” Dimitri said as he stared intently at Reese. “And we both know that is out of the question. You are already torn between the two worlds, human and vampire, but your fear will prevent you from giving up your humanity. As it should. You were not meant to change. I agree with your decision. It is the right one. We never had that choice. Now we must live in our respective worlds and deal with it.”

“You bastard,” Reese said, “this is all about you isn’t it? You want her to stay with you. Why? You’re a solitary group; you stay together because you were together before you became vampires. Vampires don’t make families.”

“We were made by the same master. It is the only likely solution. She wishes to leave and so do we. She can help the children adjust to their new life. We will leave together and return to the Balkans one way or another.”

“That’s it?” asked Reese. “I don’t get a say in anything concerning her? Do you have some power over her that makes her go along with what you want? Is that how you were able to turn her against me?”

“No. I have no power over her. For the first time in a long time, she makes choices of her own free will. She knows that what you seek is unobtainable. We should never have been here to begin with. This interference, in our case as well as Christina’s, was brought about by humans who sought to use us. You agree that this was wrong.”

“Yes! Yes! Of course I agreed. That’s why you are still alive, remember? I set your asses free!”

“Yes I remember,” said Dimitri, “alive and being hunted like wild animals. They’ll use you to get at us. It will never end as long as we remain here. You must see that the best thing is for us to go home where we can once again become invisible as we were for centuries.”

“You can go, I’ll find some way to help get you out,” said Reese, “but Christina stays.”

Dimitri exhaled strongly. “You are stubborn. Why do you pursue this?”

“I have to,” said Reese, as he shrugged his shoulders and offered no further explanation.

“Would you have her stay against her own will?” asked Dimitri. “Perhaps make her a prisoner, place a collar around her neck in the name of love?”

“Of course not,” Reese said. “I just want her to make her own choice. I can accept that,” he said. “If she wants to go, then she goes. But if she wants to stay, she stays. Either way, I want her to tell me so that I can see that it’s the truth. You told me once that there are always options and that the key to surviving was adapting.”

“Stop!” Dimitri cried. He stepped to within inches of Reese. “I have learned one thing about our dealing with mortal humans. They say one thing and mean another. I am going to say this only once. I will not change you!” Dimitri’s voice was firm and unwavering, “Do not ask me. I will not speak of this again.”

“You wouldn’t change me even if I begged you?” said Reese. “If I decided that this is what I really wanted, you wouldn’t do it? After all the shit you and I have been through?”

“No.” said Dimitri and offered no more explanation.

“Damn you!” Reese cried. “You and your perverted philosophy of what is right and what is wrong! You and your…”

Dimitri was upon him before he finished the sentence. He picked Reese up with one hand and carried him from the room as if he was carrying a bag of wheat tossed over his shoulder. They left the storage room and moved quickly toward the confinement area.

“Enough is enough.” Dimitri said. “I tire of this! We shall put an end to it once and for all!”

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“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” Reese shouted as he struggled against Dimitri’s hold on him.

Dimitri exclaimed, “I will end this madness of yours once and for all. I will show you up close what it means to be one of my kind!”

They entered the stockade area. Dimitri strode down the corridor between the cells with Reese over his shoulder. Only hours ago, Reese had come here with his concocted story to get Samantha to believe that he was on her side. Now only one cell was occupied; he could see Mr. Smith sitting on one of the cots. He looked completely at ease in the environment as if he was where he should be.