Dead and Everything (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 2) (20 page)

There
was nothing about how to do that though, she noticed. Probably because it was
just too new of an idea. Supernatural terrorism on a national scale? No one was
ready for that, were they?

The
answer to the question of people being ready for that kind of terrorism or not
wasn’t just no, but
fuck
no. As in, people were saying that on
television. It was a bit annoying to Bey, since it meant that there were camera
crews in Richard’s office within the hour, since no one else was going to know
about that kind of thing. The very funny thing for her was that Eve ended up
talking to a radio show host at noon, and it wasn’t even the man that had
suggested he’d be willing, grudgingly no doubt, to chat with her to make Rich
happy.

It
wasn’t even done on purpose, she’d just answered the phone, since it was Jonas’
day off, and the man didn’t really have other staff for some reason.

“Representative
Swerlin’s office. This is Eve Benson, how may I help you today?”

There
was a pause, and then a deep voice that wasn’t at all familiar came at her.
“Eve Benson? The girl in the box?”

“I
got out a whole day ago, and came to visit my new buddy first thing. I’m super
cool that way. Richard is on the other phone, may I take a message for you?”

The
voice sucked in air audibly, even for a Human listening to it, and then went
on, as if he thought that entrapping her into doing his show was actually going
to work out for him.

“You’re
on the air live right now, with the Jeff Smears Program. I don’t suppose you’d
like to comment on this latest act of terror? We were just discussing how
things like this never happened until the appearance of supernatural creatures
a few months ago. Like you, I believe? You’re a Vampire are you not?” The guy
sounded slimy when he said it. Not like a used car salesman or someone just
trying to get anal on the first date either. Like it was a real thing with him.
A part of his life that was engrained all the way down into the depths of his
being.

That,
or she was being judgmental because he was an asshole, putting her on the spot
like that.

So
she forced herself to snort, and then cleared her throat primly.

“WTF?”
She said each letter clearly, then chuckled a bit as Rich looked over at her
from inside his office, his face worried. Then he probably had the idea that
she was some kind of non-politically savvy newb that was about to start
screaming profanities over the device in her hand. It was tempting, but she
held the worst of it in. For the moment.

Bey
just watched her, clearly not getting the idea of what she was spelling out.

“You
can’t think that’s true, can you? This kind of thing has
always
gone on.
Not every time something happens, or even close to it, but now we can actually
step in and stop some innocent guy from being sent to prison for killing his
family if he didn’t do it. The world isn’t more dangerous now, it’s a lot
less
so. Now, from what I’ve seen, the Indiana situation is someone controlling a
Lesser Demon… That, well there are different kinds, but basically they’re
beings created from the thoughts and fears of different groups of people.”

She
narrowed her eyes, about to get pissed off, since Richard was glaring at her.
Like telling people that was some kind of forbidden magic? It was their fault,
dreaming things like that up, so they could learn not to do shit like that,
couldn’t they? At least once it was pointed out that it was real.

“In
this case it looks like some kind of Christian thing. So if you want to have
power over this one, get all your buddies to pray for the thing to stop doing
this and let the people go. Or, you know, really, pray to God to get it to cut
it out. If enough people do it…” She didn’t know if it would work at all. The
fact was though, that no one had stepped in to stop it and the people inside
the dry cleaners where the whole thing was taking place were dying. One by one,
slowly, and in pain.

Praying
as a group might do nothing, but it really couldn’t hurt.

The
problem there was that the Jeff Smears program was one of the few liberal ones,
which meant atheist, at least on the surface. That got Eve to grimace. Like she
was supposed to know that? The man had people calling in, to tell her off for
being as stupid as that. There was no proof of God, after all. That might be
the case, but after the third call she growled into the handset.

“Like
there’s no proof of Vampires? We didn’t just appear, you know. We’ve been
around longer than Human civilization. Shifters, Mages, the other things that
might be out there… You have no proof of them either. That isn’t the point. The
idea of a Lesser Demon is that they’re created by people, to express their
fears, and sometimes hopes and dreams. So if people do enough to stop this kind
of thing, it could work.”

The
conversation went on until the break, and the man, who’d been practically
yelling at her about how evil she was for suggesting that Christianity might be
real, suddenly became very nice.

“Hey,
Eve. Great segment. Can you hold on past the top of the hour? It isn’t everyday
that I get to have a chat with a dead girl. What do you say?”

Swerlin
actually came out and shook his head no, then spoke, his voice firm.

“The
idea isn’t a horrible one, the prayers you suggested, but we have better ways
to get that done. Tell him that we need to see to that?” The politician
tightened his mouth and looked away. “Please, I mean. I don’t have any right to
order a Council functionary around.”

Again
he seemed scared. She waved it away.

“That’s
a point. Sorry Jeff. Some other time? I’ll leave a number and we can set
something up? I was just told I have to go and play nice with someone else. You
know, one that might actually get something done?” She was playing and it came
out well enough she thought. The man didn’t hang up in anger, just asking if
she had a number he could call. She didn’t really, so gave him the one for the
Yoghurt World. She kind of worked there, after all.

After
she hung up she looked at Bey.

“I
really need to get a cell phone. I wonder if Edom will let me have one? It
would make getting in touch with me a lot easier.”

The
man tilted his head a bit, but didn’t comment, just turning to look at Richard.

“Perhaps
you should see to the next portion of this? Eve has given you the knowledge you
need to fix this, but it would be superior for all our needs if it was you who
looked to be the hero now. My helper and I should be off to our other errands
for the day.” It was very firm sounding. Almost angry, for all that it was
pretty clear that Bey really thought that having enough people pray might
actually work in this case. There was a very fleeting glance at her, and a
concerned look, but she was fine with him doing that.

After
all, he was the one that wanted fame and all that, being the first openly
Vampire House of Representatives member. She didn’t know if there had been
others, but a lot of Vampire
s kind
of thought that Lincoln had been one
of them. Killed by the Council for not toeing the line, too. That there had
been an actor handy to blame things on was just happenstance.

Bey
didn’t wait for pleasantries to be done, simply leaving with a nod, sneering a
bit at Swerlin on the way out. He didn’t speak until they walked out into the
gloomy and raining overcast day. The world there looked very gray, and formed
of concrete. There were plants and trees, but they felt wrong. Planned, and
like they weren’t all that healthy. They were getting some water though, so
that was a good thing.

They
walked, slowly, for a time, the world hitting them with a smattering of damp
drops from above. It was nearing one in the afternoon, she thought. She didn’t
know that though, since she didn’t have a clock, and if she did it would have
been three hours off. As they moved along she began to wonder if she’d really
screwed something up. No beating came, or even yelling, but there was also no
soft conversation about what to do next.

Finally,
on the steps of a big building, Bey stopped, touched her arm and grinned at
her.

“I
do not wish to constantly remove your glory or adulation. It is simply, in this
case, that Mr. Swerlin is a better foil for us than you would be. That, perhaps
sounds unkind, but you should use him as a shield, so that you may strike from
behind him if the need ever comes. Does this make any sense to you? I think I
might not be explaining it properly.”

Eve
tilted her head, but nodded.

“Yeah.
I can see it. Not that I’m worried anyway. I don’t particularly want to be
famous. Just strong enough to protect myself. I…” She stopped walking and
turned to him, feeling like she wanted to give him a hug, but knowing that it
would be out of place and weak for her to seek comfort like that. Not that she
wasn’t allowed to have some petting now and then like everyone else, but right
now wasn’t the time for it. “My goals are different than a lot of people think.
I don’t want political power directly. I don’t care if I’m the richest person
in the world, or even the toughest. I want to be safe. I know that there’s no
way to be safe from everything, but if I can narrow the list of things that can
hurt me easily, that’s close enough.” She felt miserable for a moment, since it
was the worst part of her. She knew that. It was the part that had killed her
mother. The men that had hurt her.

Oh,
they’d
deserved
it. Everyone that had ever heard her story including the
priest in confession, had agreed with that. Sure, he’d made her pray for weeks
over that, but the guy had gotten the idea. He’d even said that it didn’t mean
she was beyond redemption.

That
didn’t mean she was happy to be that being though. It was just who, and what,
she was.

Bey
shrugged, as if her confession didn’t matter at all.

“All
beings have something that drives them. All the ones of note at least. Normally
it is madness. The thought that they, and only they, are fit to rule. The
desire to hold command over all others. The idea that they are of divine blood
that makes only them fit to guide others. Simply wishing for security, and
learning to protect oneself, that is no great wrong. Knowing that is what
drives you will allow you power over it as well.” He started walking again, and
gestured at the place in front of them. “The Smithsonian, as promised. I think
you will find it educational?”

When
they got inside he discussed everything with her, the whole time. In
Russian
.
It made the words hard to follow, but she kept up with him, after a fashion.
She had to keep asking him to repeat himself, of course. It was…

Well,
the displays were fascinating. She’d always thought of museums as being boring
places where fun went to die. Often drab and showing how horrible the past had
been. This one was interesting and varied though, with enough color around to
keep things interesting. There were even displays of gems and stones, which she
liked.

“I
should learn this.” She pointed at the things, having said the words, rather
haltingly, in the language they were practicing. Bey spoke for a long time, but
seemed happy at the idea.

Like
her having a hobby might just be a good thing.

On
the way out he stopped at a little store filled with crap, which wasn’t all
that tiny, and got her a book. About geology. She smiled at it, and thanked
him, since it was a present. She also knew that she was going to memorize the
freaking thing, even if it was as dry as dust. She’d been thinking more along
the lines of gemology when she’d pointed things out, but if her friend was
going to get her a present, she’d darned well make it worth his having done it.

Then
they headed back to Swerlin’s office. The man was still there, doing damage
control, but a television had been set up, and several other men and women were
in the office with him. About fifteen. Enough so that no one particularly
noticed Bey, but did get that a girl in a t-shirt and jeans carrying an
oversized book was out of place.

That,
or incredibly hot, since an older man, who was chubby and a bit broad faced,
like a bulldog, turned and spoke to her directly.

“Why,
hello! Are you here on one of the tours?” He was polite enough about it, so she
didn’t snarl at him for being wrong. The fact was, she realized, that she
didn’t have a reason for being there, to tell the truth. The press hadn’t been
all that interested in her, had they? That was why she’d come, and once that
had been taken away there hadn’t been a lot of point to the trip at all.

She
smiled and glanced at Bey, then listened to what everyone else was saying. They
were, it seemed, trying to set up a rather massive prayer. A national one.
Still, which was slow, since people were still in that shop dying the whole
time.

That
wasn’t her job though, was it?

She
lied, her face going blank.

“Consultants.
Eve Benson and Bey Transmorguire.” Shifting the large and brightly colored book
around, she held out her right hand to shake. The man stopped, after he touched
her, his eyes going wide at how cold she was. Then, like a pro, managed to do
the same thing with Bey.

“In
that case, we should get you set up. Do you need phones, or something to eat?
Or… Drink? I don’t know what’s available that way. I hear that Rep Swerlin keeps
some animal blood around here.” He started to act a bit intimidated, so she
nodded, as if that was the polite thing to suggest.