Blood Sisters
Chapter 13

Suddenly in shadow, with a bulletinstead of air in his chest Victor felt the burn and the skullsplitting pain as his body struggled for Oxygen that was just notthere. The worst part of dying is the dying part. After that, itwasn't so bad. Sometimes the waking up from being dead could be, infact it usually was. Victor didn't dream when he slept... but he diddream when he died. At least he seemed too. There was pain, then morepain as his body vainly gasped, choking on shadowstuff. He held ontight to The Silhouette, she was trying to tell him something, and hefelt her wrap shadow tendrils around him she was running, it wasdark... Victor died.

There are colors, many colors.Colors without names. Color you can feel, you touch. The color is aweave, long spiraling ribbons of color. You pluck them, and the colorsings, other ribbons near them vibrate in chorus, a rainbow of sound.Floating through color it caresses, whisper kisses sing as theribbons flow around you, through you. You sing with the colors, yourown color blending with others confidently, harmony at firstdissonant until blending into tone. The color shifts and you movethrough ever changing song. The color sings and there are stars,shimmering in reply. You dance within the song, you dance with stars.The stars are colors. Color shines and makes light, all is blur thensharp. There is dark, the colors are quiet. Light moves, the colorpulled, you sing, color sings as you move, stars and sky. The song isjoined, colors blend, and bright, and bright, and white. All colorsthe white. The white is hushed. Silence builds to deafening. Then allis color again. You flow, you fall. You cannot hear the color-song.You are not color now. You are other, you are cold. You are breathbetween stars, you sleep. You are moment. You are wait. You are wait.

All is gray, there is no color.There is no me. There is no I. The is flows, currents of gray,the is. Lights dance in thegray, carried with the is. Theyblink, they collide. They burst into color that drains into the gray,a fading rainbow tail slowly diffusing. Outside the is, the nothingof wait. A pause. A before. Always a before.

There is light, you are is. Colorrises, swirling. There is sense. You are I. There is breath. There isthought. The other makes the me. The me alone. Always alone in theis. You cannot be color here, the colors have names. So you are dark,in the dark of the is. The dark of before.

The Silhouette stepped out ofshadow in the woods a few miles from the motel. She gently unwoundThe Dead Man from her shadow tendrils then released them into theshadow. Her moonlight eyes searched his face, there was no life. Herfingers felt the wound, there was blood, but it did not bleed. Shecould feel his body still warm, healing itself, healing the wound.The bullet being slowly pushed out from deep in the flesh, she couldfeel the pressure. Silhouette kissed him, breathing gently into hismouth, cradling him until his breath slowly returned. Not in a gasp,but in a whisper, like a slow sunrise, Victor returned to the living.The Silhouette watched in awe as he was reborn, there beside her inthe dark. She smiled and rose. Standing over him, waited for him tocome back to her.

After many long moments she couldhear his breath coming normally, she knew he was back, that he couldhear her. She took time to gaze at this face, handsome, showing apeace she guessed was never there otherwise. She felt an ache forhim. The dead man at her feet was waking.

Crossing her arms as she lookedaround the dark forest. “I never did like the outdoors much. Not anature girl, don't like bugs”. Victor groaned and clenched his facein his hands. He stayed flat on the ground, breathing in the nightdeeply, savoring it as if for the first time. “Of course...”Davos said between breaths “a dimension of infinite darkness is somuch better” he moaned and sat up, holding his head. The Silhouetteshrugged “Well, their aren't any bugs there, so yeah; better”.

Victor took a moment to examinehis wounds, which were already showing signs of healing. His woundswere not bleeding, but the they still hurt like hell. The bullet thathit his shoulder went through clean, one bullet just cut a deep gashacross his chest, the other one, the bad one, would take longer. Hecould feel the heavy lead still lodged in his muscle. But soon enoughhe would be able to just cut it out as it wormed its way slowlytowards his skin. “I need some good scotch” he muttered.

The Midnight Mistress lookedaround with an air of distaste at all the wet leaves and moss.“Where's a nice clean rock when you need one” she groused. Withan offhanded gesture, she crafted a think cushion of shadowstuff forherself and lounged on it, cocking her head over at Victor. “So howare we going to replace Michaela oh deathless one?” Victor, stillbreathing deeply replied “I still have some of her blood in mysystem, though its fading. We most likely can't communicate any more,but with some effort either of us could probably get a sense wherethe other is”. He sat still for a moment, getting his breath undercontrol. He caught himself gazing at The Silhouette, drinking in hershape and moonlight eyes. She smiled at him, and he quickly lookedaway. Something had changed.

“Iam closer then you think” came Michaela's sultry voice out of thedarkness. Silhouette jumped in her shadow-cushion, startled. Victorlooked over at her. “You missed the fun”. The vampiress justsmiled derisively and walked over to them, dangerously beautiful bythe light of the moon, her ruby eyes glinting. “So I see” shesaid coldly, glancing at the blood stains on Victor and teasing oneof her fangs with her tongue. Michaela took a deep sniff of air as ifdrinking in the night. She said “I first went to the house of MikeDallas, as he died beneath my fangs his blood told me of his patheticaddictions, his delightful perversions, his desperate loneliness, hisbitter and so sweet despair” she savored the taste of it. “Hiswife had left him but the widow returned to gather her spoils”. Shesmiled wickedly “I can appreciate that, I let her be”. Michaelaturned her scornful gaze on them “Not far from here, further intothe mountains is a hunting lodge that the late Michael Dallas sharedwith his hunting companions, though it was not his dwelling. Few knowof it”. Victor nodded “and hunting season is not for months, thatmight do for now”. “Not bad Michaela” he added. She answeredhim with nothing but scorn “I do nothing for your approval DeadMan do not forget that.You and this woman are little more then food to me. As soon as it isclear you are no further use to me, this arrangement is over”. Withnarrowly restrained fury The Silhouette spoke through gritted teeth“That can't happen a moment to soon, cabrón!”Michaela gave the dark lady a murderous smile of fangs “In that, weagree”.

Victor shook his head, looking atthe two of them and let out a long breath. Keeping his temper incheck he spoke into the tense air between them “Alright then, letsget a hold of some basic supplies, changes of clothing, that kind ofthing. I for one really need some good soap and a hot shower. Not tomention some decent food, and a well stocked bar”. He cracked hisneck and gave a quick sigh of relief, then continued “If you twodon't mind checking out the lodge to see what we need, then getting ahold of some stuff... subtlety... I need to track down a portablecomputer with a satellite uplink so I can put together...” Michaelasnorted at him “I will not be your errand girl, Davos!”.

Victor's whole body tensed up,his jaw snapped shut and he growled through his teeth. His fistsclenched and tendons flared out of his neck like steel cables.“That's it” he spat out. Snapping to his feet he glared at thevampire “You would still be rotting in your cage having your bloodmilked out of you like a diseased cow if it weren't for me! For allyour demon-queen posturing, you ended locked up just like the rest ofus. Now get -over- yourself. If you just want to go on a damn killingspree and cull the herd of humanity, you can go ahead, you don't needme for that!” Davos took a step forward and stabbed his finger ather face like a spear “I am after -BIGGER- game, and this is -MY-crew. If you think, if you -REALLY- think that you can bring down themightiest New Human the world has ever known all by your stuck upself then slit my throat now and get on with it. I will wake uptomorrow and laugh at you when I read that D-Day's pitiful amateursfound you fucking corpses in the morgue and threw your smelly deadcunt right back in the hole we just crawled out of!”.

Silhouette stared at Victor inamazement, her mouth open in surprise, she rose to her feet just asMichaela struck out and grabbed The Dead Man by the neck, snarling inhis face as she lifted him from the ground. He smiled coldly at her“Go ahead you stupid bitch. I've been killed before by far betterthen you”. There was the space of several heartbeats as the twowills dueled in silence. With a final growl Michaela hurled Davosinto a heap at her feet, then turned her back on him and TheSilhouette, looking up at the moon which made a ghost-light aroundher cold flesh. She said quietly into the night “One day, I willkill you Davos Muerte. I will replace a way to devour your soul thenwatch your body rot”. She glanced back at him over her bare blueshoulder “But for now, I relent”.

Victor exhaled, and for the firsttime felt the vampires seductive grip release him. Silhouette steppedover and helped Victor up, stepping closer then she needed so herbody lightly brushed against his. She gave him a flirting glance anda sultry smile. Victor quirked a brow at her and flashed a shark-likegrin. Then he looked over at Michaela, still framed in moonlight withher back towards them.

The vampire said “I go to gathermy share of the supplies we require”. Turning back to Victor sheadded coldly “Get the toys you need so that I can get my vengeance.I will not abide you for long”. For a tense moment she held hisgaze with narrowed eyes, then in a blur she vanished into the night.

The Silhouette let out a breathshe did not know she was holding. She sat back down on hershadow-cushion, closing her pale glowing eyes and giving her head ashake. Victor stood in the silence, taking in the sudden calm. TheSilhouette smiled up at him and enlarged the cushion of shadow,motioning for Victor to join her. Davos considered for a moment, thenhad a seat with her, thigh to thigh.

Silhouetteran a finger down his arm and asked in Spanish “Arewe really going to try and kill Miss Liberty Muerte?”He turned towards her and caught her hand with both of his, replying“Something mustbe done, Silhouette. They grow too powerful, all of them, and it getsworse and worse with every generation”The Dark Lady leaned in closer to him “But,we are the same as them...”Davos shook his head “thesame as Allison Ashton? As Goldstar? They have the power to topple acountry, they could rule by fiat. Perhaps not them, for they lack thedrive and the vision, but their will be more like them, and it is notjust a matter of random mutations anymore, they can create offspringlike themselves now. Make no mistake, there is a new, powerful racerising, and as the Aztecs or the Sioux could have told us, we mustdestroy them, or be destroyed”.

Victorfirmly pulled The Silhouette close, grasping her slender body tightagainst him as he kissed her, tasting her smoky lips. His hands foundher curves as he bent her back and his mouth ran over her exposedneck. She moaned and grabbed his head in her hands, forcing hertongue deep past his lips. Lithe and flexible she easily wrapped herlegs around him, gripping him closer to her as the passion rose.Their lips parted, a glimpse of moonlight between them. “Myname is Candelaria” shewhispered into his mouth, her luminous eyes gazing up at him.

“Youare a candle that shines all the brighter for the darkness”he said, then captured her mouth with his own, pressing her beneathhis body. Growling like a hungry wolf his hands sculpted down herback to below her waist, digging his fingers in and grinding herpelvis into his. Groaning as her body grew hot below him TheSilhouette clawed into the dark and pulled the shadows around them asshe blossomed like a Yucca in the night.

***

“You are not going to believethis Paul”. Winter Ashton spoke over the USSM comm system. “Theyare making test-tube New Human drones for God-knows-why, andapparently some of them look just like Jenny! Including the one weare after up here that is tearing up the city. Didn't they send you apicture of this girl? Why the hell didn't you tell me?” Paulcautioned her “North Star, most of the file I got was redacted, Ihad no picture. Since I didn't know what you just told me, Iapparently don't have the clearance to know it, which pisses me offto no end, but lets skip that for now. I know this is an encryptedchannel, but even so we should not discuss this further until it canbe done more securely.” Winter stewed silently.

“I have some other news.Peregrine and Broadsword tracked down The Silhouette and VictorDavos. I don't have all the details yet, but Michaela was not withthem and Broadsword was apparently injured by an angry handyman witha screwdriver...” Titan furrowed his brow, he mutely mouthed“what?” as much to himself as to Winter. Paul's voice continuedon in their earpieces “...even better then that, they moved againstthem with no back-up, no plan and no logistical support. I know thiswill come as a shock, but under the circumstances they got away.”

Titan started to rebut that D-Daywas under anesthesia for five hours, but decided now was not the timeas Winter flashed him a warning glance and put a finger to her lips.Paul kept droning on for a while about how he didn't have enoughagents, how he wanted them to have more support. He started talkingabout how the manhunt for Cricket seemed like a shot in the dark,especially how it was being run and starting giving them suggestionsabout how to pick up her trail... then they got a flash message onAgent David's PDA. Winter cut in “Hold on a second D-Day, wemight...” her eyes widened and she sent out a massive spray ofwater from her hands in front of her. Before the water hit the groundshe sucked the heat out of the air so that it coated the garage rampwith ice when it fell. A split second later she was sliding down theslick ramp, propelling herself to surprising velocity by forcingpressurized water from her body like a jet-ski.

Paul’s voice came over the comminsistently “Titan, what is going on?” Todd double checked hisPDA to make sure he read it right and then told Paul “Um... Cricketwas just seen jumping out the window of Jenny Goldstar's room at theMSCC... with Jenny.” The line went silent for what seemed likeseveral seconds. “Well, what are you waiting for Titan? Go gether!”