American Blood: A Vampire's Story (17 page)

Ryan reached down, grasped her hand, and held it as he spoke. “I can’t answer that, but someone needs to keep an eye on you—or should I say?—a mind on you.”

“Then it is done,” the Director said. “Siri, you will bring his vaccinations up to date and assist her with the preparatory materials.” The Director held up a folder and patiently waited for Siri to walk over and take it. “There are many photos and names that she must memorize.” Then he turned toward Calida. “There are also photographs of the daughter you shall be replacing. I want to see how convincing you can make yourself appear. You are both of similar height and weight.”

“What is to become of this daughter?” Calida asked.

“You know the answer to that question. You must make sure, however, that the body is not discovered. This is critical for your survival and I am not speaking about what the Pashtuns might do if you are discovered.”

“Now an innocent girl has to die?” Ryan said. “No, you should have told me this before.” Ryan started to rub his hand on his pants then stopped. “I won’t be involved in the murder of some poor girl.”

I won’t kill her.

Ryan gave Calida a quick glance and she raised an eyebrow.

“Then I must bring in—”

“No,” Ryan cut him off. “It’s okay, I’m going with her.”

“Very well,” the Director said. “Now you must return to the lab. I will need a new tracking sensor prepared for implantation tomorrow. We must change to a new frequency as requested by covert elements in the area.”

“Why use the sensors at all?” Siri asked. “Ryan will be mind-locked with her at all times.”

“This is a dangerous area,” the Director said. “What if something should befall our good Doctor Ryan? There are IEDs, mines, and many other ways to die. The sensors are backup.”

“What about the ongoing research?” Ryan asked.

“Oh, I’m sure your capable assistant and Professor Balken can handle things until you return.”

“Great,” Ryan said. The thought of giving up control of his lab to the Professor bothered him more than he would admit.

“We all understand our roles, yes? Very good, now we must not waste any time. We have three days to prepare and then you two must be ready to leave.” The Director pushed himself up to his feet and tapped the ashes out of his pipe. “American dignity rests in your hands,” he said and smiled at Calida. “The hands of a vampire. Do not allow yourself to fail.” The Director made a gentleman’s bow toward Calida and Siri and left the cell.

“Well, he opened the door and I walked right through it,” Ryan said.

“We both did,” Siri agreed.

“Why are you willing to help me?” Calida asked. “After you saw what happened to Christopher?”

Siri looked at Calida. “Because you’re not responsible, are you?”

Ryan watched Calida shake her head and look away from Siri.

“All right,” he said. “I have to get to the lab. I just hope it’s still in one piece when we get back.” He reached down and lifted Calida’s chin. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “You were trying to talk to me last night and I didn’t listen. There’s a monster at this place and it’s not you.”

R
yan returned to his laboratory and was immediately assaulted by one of his assistant’s loud hip-hop mixes. He walked over to the computer Henry used for his music and turned the volume down.

“You don’t mind?” Ryan shouted toward the back of the lab where Henry was assisting Professor Balken with a piece of equipment.

“Sorry, but you weren’t here,” Henry shouted back. “And the Professor said it was okay.”

“Of course, my young lad,” Professor Balken said. “Music has always provided inspiration to scientific endeavors.”

“Just keep it down, please,” Ryan said.

Henry finished assisting Professor Balken and walked up to where Ryan was preparing to sit down in front of his main workstation. “So she actually came here into the lab?” he asked.

“Yeah, too bad you missed it,” Ryan said. “She looked great.”

“She can just walk around the grounds now whenever she wants? Is that safe?”

Ryan shrugged. “Where are we with the last sequencing runs?”

Henry pointed at the display. “The last one completed ten minutes ago. Just bring it up and take a look.”

Ryan started the sequencing control program and opened up the latest batch file. He looked at the results for a moment and let out a long breath. “We now have confirmation that she really does age for seven days and gets a fresh start . . . she’s amazing.”

Thank you.

“Stop it.”

“Um, stop what?” Henry asked.

Ryan closed his eyes. “Nothing, I was just thinking out loud.”

“How about I leave you and your senior moments alone for a few minutes?” Henry asked. “I’ll go listen to Manic’s tribute mix and you can let me know when you’re ready.”

“Who’s tribute?”

“One of the west coast’s music producers was killed over the weekend.”

“When you say west coast you’re talking about California?”

“How many west coasts does this country have?”

“What happened to him?”

“His yacht blew up while he was on it. They recovered his body and the crews, but there’s still a woman missing. They’ll probably never find her. Shame really, people from Manic’s club said she was a real beauty.”

“And this yacht just exploded for no reason?”

“The reports are starting to say it was about heroin and gang war crap.”

Ryan connected the dots and decided to move on. “I want you to prepare another one of those coated two-way implant transmitters,” he instructed Henry.

“I’ll give you the frequency to set it at, but I’m also going to program it to change frequencies with a special command.”

“Don’t you want me to finish up with those last blood samples first?”

“No, this takes precedence.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll be taking a little trip.”

“Where?”

“To a place with lots of sand and sunshine.”

“That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

“For the moment. Just let me know when you have the sensor setup so I can make the programming changes.”

“Uh, no problem,” Henry said and disappeared through a door to one of the storage rooms.

Ryan turned back to his workstation and began to make some editing changes to his main search program. After just a few minutes he noticed Henry emerge from the storage room and walk toward him.

“What did you do with sensors four and five?” he asked.

Ryan looked at the small plastic case Henry was holding. “Nothing,” he replied as he peered inside the open case and noticed that four of the five compartments were empty. Only one of the miniaturized sensors was nestled in the case’s foam. “I thought only two had been used so far.”

“That’s right,” Henry said. “I logged the date and time they were handed over to those ballistics wackos. We should have three more left but there’s only one . . . sensor three.”

“You sure it’s number three?”

“Four and five have that end bulge to accommodate the increased payload and electronics.”

“You’re right. So where are four and five?”

“They’re not in the case.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Ryan said. “I guess there’s nothing we can do about it right now. I only need one prepped for tracking, but it’s odd though, don’t you think?”

“We spent weeks getting that special coating to stand up to the pressures and shock of a bullet impact on the ballistics gel. And then you made me shoot them into that nasty pig carcass.”

“I’m really not senile, Henry. I remember how much effort went into these things. The last two that we constructed had the small proximity charges installed inside the casing.”

“Right, the first three were merely for tracking, but the last two followed the updated specification request from ballistics and had that ultrasonic proximity alert installed.”

“I still don’t get why that was part of the spec.” Ryan rubbed his chin. “And how about those five millimeter power units they gave us to run the things?”

“I felt like ‘Q’ when putting them together.”

“We know that the first two tracking sensors are still inside Calida. I even saw a couple x-rays where they were clearly visible. But what’s the purpose for units four and five? Why would you track and then blow the charge while it’s inside the body?”

“Maybe it’s so after an agent shoots a vampire he has time to ask questions before setting the thing off,” Henry said grinning.

“I doubt it.”

“Well, I’ll get the remaining tracking sensor ready for you,” Henry said. “Maybe the other two will turn up.”

“I don’t like it that we don’t know where they are. Each one could blow your hand off so be careful where you look.” Ryan turned back to his workstation and continued with his programming changes. But there was something about the missing sensors that bothered him. The only way they could have gone missing is if someone had removed them from the case.

T
he Director leaned back in his chair as he looked out the window behind his desk and continued with the telephone conversation.

“Everything is in place?”

“Yes, Mister Vice President.”

“Then you have the green light to proceed with the operation.”

The Director turned back toward his desk and put his pipe down. “They leave for the target area in three days.”

“And what if the meeting with this
Amir
takes place during the day?”

“She is a creature of survival—and to survive she knows she must not fail. She will find a way.”

“I’ll require daily reports on her progress.”

“Of course.”

There was a long pause on the other end.

“Now about this Doctor Ryan, is he dependable?”

“Dependable? I haven’t given that much thought. But he certainly is expendable.”

“And yet he is your lead scientist.”

“Oh yes, so he is, but the research has taken a new, and possibly, more rewarding direction.”

“How so?”

“Doctor Ryan has made exceptional progress in understanding the subject’s genetic and biochemical mechanisms. He has identified the process that has given her this great longevity.”

“Yes, I read today’s report, remarkable.”

“There appears to be a quicker way to gain these abilities of hers.”

“This new element called—what is it?—untrihexium.”

“Doctor Ryan has given it a more formal name. It is now officially called Vampirenium.”

“Scientists always think they’re clever.”

“Yes, Mister Vice President.” The Director chuckled. “I believe that we must recover this stone.”

“I shall pass your recommendation along to the president. The immediate goal must be the elimination of the target.”

“That is the goal.”

“So our Doctor Ryan’s usefulness is nearing the end?”

“That would be my opinion.”

“It’s a dangerous place where he is going.”

“Very dangerous to be sure.”

“And what about Doctor Lei?”

“I feel she can still be helpful in finding where these caves might be. She knows the historical evidence better than anyone at this time.”

“And her loyalty?”

“Possibly shaken of late, but I am confident I can persuade her to get back on track with the agency.”

“Very well, that is all for now.”

“I will keep you informed of any new developments.”

The phone call ended and the Director reached for his smoldering pipe.

Firebase Maholic, Afghanistan

T
he C-17 transport made a rough landing at Kandahar Air Base. Ryan feared the plane was going to crash into the middle of a black nowhere when a row of brilliant blue-white lights passed just below the right wing followed by the wheels touching down on the hard runway with a jolt. Calida, of course, tolerated the long flight from Andrews far better than he did. When the plane came to a stop it took Ryan a moment to get his legs working again. Calida, he observed, quickly stood up and headed toward the back of the plane looking as fresh as when she got on.

As soon as they grabbed their gear and walked down the large, steel ramp that extended from the open rear of the plane, they were hurried inside a military transport bus. The driver noisily found first gear and the vehicle rumbled along a road next to the runway called Warrior Way that led them out of the main gate.

“What is that?” Ryan asked a few minutes into their trip as two white streaks flashed across the night sky.

The Army Ranger sitting across from him glanced out the window. “107s,” he replied and returned to the magazine he was reading using a small flashlight.

“What are those?”

“Rockets.”

Ryan suddenly placed both hands on the half-opened window. “They look like they’re going toward the airfield.”

The soldier again looked up. “Yeah, so?”

“Does it happen every night?” Calida asked.

The soldier put down his magazine. “Not every night, Ma’am, maybe two or three times a week. The Taliban have been firing the rockets at us more frequently of late.”

“Maybe they shouldn’t keep the runway lit up like that.”

“Don’t worry Mister, they almost never hit anything.”

“Almost never?”

“Even these clowns get lucky once in a while.”

“Don’t pay him any attention, soldier,” Calida said. “He worries too much.”

“Call me Sergeant Bob, Ma’am.”

“I like that.”

“Special Ops soldiers aren’t allowed to reveal their real names.” The soldier looked at Ryan and frowned. “Your friend there doesn’t look like he’s seen much action.”

“Her friend hasn’t.”

“And what about me?”

“You look just fine, Ma’am.”

“You’re very nice, Sergeant Bob.”

“These eyes see only the truth.”

Ryan rubbed his temples for a moment. “So where are we going right now?”

“You’ll be staging out of Camp Maholic, which is the main Special Forces base here in southern Afghanistan.”

“Why is it called Camp Maholic?” Calida asked.

“It’s named after a master sergeant who was killed in a firefight against the Taliban two years ago during a rescue mission. We lost two and the enemy over a hundred. Still wasn’t an even trade.”

“Is the base just for special forces?”

“It’s mostly Green Berets, Ma’am, but there are some other units like us Rangers who train and conduct covert ops out of the base.”

“I’m sure it’s a great place,” Ryan said.

“Sure is. We get top notch grub from the cafeteria that has a fireplace and on the main court there’s a fountain with our three catfish.” He then looked at Calida and smiled. “We even have a swimming pool.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I don’t get paid to have a sense of humor, Mister. But the base was the main compound of the Taliban’s supreme leader until his lease expired in 2002.”

“You’re right. You don’t have a sense of humor.”

“Do you get many women visitors?”

“Sure do, just last month we had three Hooter’s calendar girls visit. They were real lookers, but you’re at least as pretty, Ma’am.”

“I might have to take you up on that swim.”

“It’s almost freezing,” Ryan said.

“The pool is heated.”

“You’re kid . . . never mind.” Ryan knew he was being outmaneuvered.

“We do a tough job here so our commanders make sure we know how much they appreciate our efforts.”

“Sorry Sergeant, I’ve just always had a mental image of you guys sneaking around in and out of caves.”

“Cave hopping is our specialty, Mister.” The sergeant broadly smiled. “But don’t sweat it—you’ll get your chance to see caves first hand.”

“So you know why we’re here?”

“I know where you need to be, Ma’am,” he replied. “I’ll be heading up your insertion team.”

“You do a lot of insertions?” Ryan asked.

Calida and Sergeant Bob looked at each other, shook their heads, and laughed.

“Never mind,” Ryan said and he began to wonder if Calida’s greatest ability was being able to instantly blend into any situation. He made the only choice available and ignored them for the rest of the ride.

Camp Maholic was a sprawling compound that was far more luxurious then would be expected for a firebase. It was originally built in 1996 to be used as the presidential palace for the Taliban’s supreme leader. But for the last seven years it had served as a US and coalition staging base to hunt out those very same militants. The irony between what the compound was originally built for and its current use wasn’t lost on Ryan who, as soon as the bus stopped, grabbed his gear and hopped out.

“You’ll need to take us to our quarters,” Ryan said. “I believe you have special instructions on that, correct?”

“Thank you,” Calida said as Sergeant Bob took her hand and helped her off the bus’s high final step.

“It’s all taken care of . . . you two will be staying down in the bunker.”

“Great.” Ryan looked at his watch. “Let’s see . . . sunrise will be here in about—”

“Four hours,” Calida said.

Sergeant Bob glanced at his own watch and then looked at Calida’s wrists. “Right on the money, Ma’am. Some people just have a great sense of time.”

“Unbelievable.” Ryan shook his head and he fell in behind Calida and her escort. The base itself was marginally lit and as they walked around some of the structures, Ryan noticed that a crest with skulls and crossed arrows had been painted on the exterior walls all over the compound. As they passed the entrance to one of the larger buildings, Ryan paused for a moment to look at another painted skull that had devilish red eyes and wore a red and green turban.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sergeant Bob called back to Ryan.  “It isn’t going to bite you.”

“If you only knew how funny you sound,” Ryan said, too softly for the soldier to hear, although Calida looked back at him.

The entrance to the bunker was marked by a crater made when coalition forces had dropped a two thousand pound precision guided bomb during the early days of the war against the Taliban. There was no door just a black opening in the side of the crater. Ryan and Calida were led through the entrance and down a hallway that made a ninety degree right turn and ended at a metal stairway that took them forty feet down into the bunker’s lower levels. Blast damage was still evident although repairs had been made.

“I was told to give you separate rooms so Mister, you take the first room and Ma’am, allow me to carry your things to the next one.”

Ryan walked through the open door and noticed that the ceiling was bowed downward from blast pressure. In the middle of the room a steel support column had been placed. The room was small, but had working lights and a large military-rated power strip to plug electronic equipment into. Off to the right against the wall was a serviceable green cot. Ryan put his gear down and sat on the edge of the cot. He could hear Calida talking and laughing in the room next to him for several minutes.

Sergeant Bob stuck his head in Ryan’s room. “There will be a briefing at 1300 tomorrow down here in the conference room which is the last door on the right.”

“Anything to eat?”

“There’s a refrigerator there with drinks and sandwiches if you get hungry. You’re also welcome to come up to the cafeteria at any time. There’s always something good to eat twenty-four seven.”

“Thanks,” Ryan said. “I think I’ll stay here and get some rest.”

Sergeant Bob nodded and left. A minute later Calida came in and sat down on the floor next to his cot. “I can feel him,” she said.

“Even down here?”

“Yes . . . he’s asleep.”

“Can you read anything?”

“No, he’s asleep.”

“Sorry, I’m just tired.”

“Then you should get some rest.”

“Yeah,” Ryan sighed. “In a little while I might just do that.”

Calida looked away from him. “Is it because I’m down here with you?”

“Not exactly . . . but when will you need to feed?”

“I can hold out for a day, perhaps.” Calida leaned back and stretched out her legs. “I really filled up before we left.”

“How many donors?”

“Three.”

“Good thing I did a check out on the machine. The pumps probably need new motors after that.”

“Funny.” Calida raised an eyebrow. “So are you going to join me for a swim?”

“You’re not serious?”

“Why not?”

“It’s . . . it’s too cold.”

Calida stood up and stepped toward him so that her legs were between his. Ryan felt the weariness of his body and mind vanish as he stared into her liquid eyes.

“We may never get another chance,” Calida said. “One of us could be killed over here.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that—with you.”

“Maybe you don’t think you can enjoy being with me.”

Ryan shook his head and swallowed. “I don’t think that would be a problem, Calida.”

“Then is it because I’m a vampire?”

Ryan forced himself to look away from her. “It has a lot to do with it.  I haven’t forgotten that you wanted to . . . .” He cleared his throat. “You know . . . when we first met.”

Calida gave Ryan a slightly wicked look that turned into a soft, warm smile. “Just because I tried to eat you that night, and I still occasionally think about it, doesn’t mean I will.”

Ryan’s pulse quickened. “You seriously think about it?”

“Hmm mm. But I wouldn’t. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Why me? I’m just a researcher. Why do you like me?”

Calida pushed a wavy lock from her face. “You’re so secure about being a scientist, but when being just a man you’re the opposite.” Calida bent forward and placed a hand over Ryan’s heart. “You’re brave when it counts and aren’t ashamed of being kind.”

“Where’s the shame in being kind?”

“You have pity for me, for what I am. But you don’t want me to see it.”

“You can see inside me, it gives you an unfair advantage.”

“Perhaps.”

“And what am I thinking now?”

Calida moistened her lips. “Will I bite.”

“Would you?”

“Probably.”

“I . . . I don’t understand.”

Calida straddled Ryan’s legs and sat down on his lap facing him. She placed her hands behind his head and now their faces were inches apart. She parted her lips. The same lips, Ryan reminded himself, which long ago had touched the blood seeping from the sores of dying lepers.

“These are for feeding,” she said, and gave Ryan an intimate close up of her upper and lower fangs. “No, relax, it’s okay. I want to show you these so you’re not afraid.”

“Not working, they’re worse up close.”

Calida took Ryan’s hand and pulled it up to her mouth. “You can stop trembling . . . I want you to touch them.”

“Uh, all right.” Ryan’s heart raced, but he took a finger and gently touched one of her upper fangs. It had a slight inward curve and he could feel serrations along the sides, although he couldn’t see them. “Is—is this some kind of vampire foreplay?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Calida answered. “Now watch.” Calida’s upper and lower fangs began to retract. The lowers stopped and now looked like normal, albeit sharp, human canines. But the uppers disappeared completely and another pair of very slender fangs slid into their place. “These are for when I want to be close to someone . . . you may touch them.”

“They’re smooth and not as long.” Ryan began to relax. “And they’re more delicate even pretty and . . . o
uch
, needle sharp at the point.”

“You asked me if I always bite, remember?”

“Yes.”

“And I told you that I almost always bite, but I don’t always bite to kill. That’s what these are for, and they won’t leave any mark on you.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“That’s why I’m showing you now . . . so you can understand. With these I can only taste blood and they also release something that heals the wound.”

Ryan felt her breath on his face; it was sweet and pleasing. “These are only used when you’re being intimate?”

“Yes, although there is a danger.”

“With you there always is.”

Calida cradled the back of Ryan’s head and tilted his face up so they again looked into each other’s eyes. “Here’s the danger, the danger for you. The first bite with these on a female turns her, but on a male the first leaves you the same.”

“Must be something at the genetic level—”

“Can you listen and stop with your science for a moment?” Calida asked. “It is a second bite that might turn you. And I don’t want that to happen. I want you to stay the way you are.”

“Are you saying we can only be intimate . . . once?”

“I don’t know why a second bite might turn a male, it doesn’t always happen. There’s no way of knowing until it’s too late. It’s a difficult risk . . . for both of us.”

“Is it possible to be with you and—and not be bitten?”

Calida’s eyes, which had been giving off a soft violet glow, returned to their normal color. “I can’t make that promise with you.”

“So you can’t control the urge to bite?”

“Two things are difficult for me to control and both can make me bite. The desire for blood is one.”

“What is the other?”

“The desire for love.”

“A vampire can love?”

“This one can . . . but the desire for love is even harder to stop once awakened . . . I want it to be your choice.”

“I’m sorry Calida, I—I can’t decide that. Not now. Not here.”

Calida took her hands away from Ryan’s head and placed them on his shoulders. “I’m sorry too.”

“There are things I need to consider, to think about. I don’t know what else to say to you.”

Calida took her eyes away from his. “It’s because of Christopher.”