Underworld: Cleansing

Chapter 1

Selene and Michael had only just begun to understand the gravity of their situation...of what they had done.

All the vampire elders - Amelie, Viktor, Marcus - dead. William - the progenitor of the Lycans - dead, as well as Lucian, the one who brought the Lycans freedom. Even the founding father of them all - Alexander Corvinus, who gave Selene her newfound power in his dying breaths - dead.

The old leadership of the immortals, vampire and Lycan alike, was completely eradicated. No one, not even Selene and Michael, could predict who would fill the void. Only one thing was certain - chaos and infighting. And the only certainty that would emerge from that would be the deaths of Selene and Michael, at least if the two sat around and did nothing.

Immediately after the deaths of William and Marcus at their hands, Selene and Michael moved. They had to. They had to find shelter from the elements - even though sunlight was no longer a danger to them, they could still suffer if they stayed out in the open, if not from cold, then definitely from others trying to hunt them. Michael Corvin was still a wanted man, and after news had traveled, Selene would be equally so.

Thankfully there were survivors amongst the Cleaners, the mercenaries led by Alexander Corvinus. They eventually sent help, after learning of the death of Alexander Corvinus and the mission led by Selene to confront and eliminate Marcus and William. As they found the two sole survivors, they brought them to a Cleaner outpost where the two could plan their next move. Even without the leadership of Alexander Corvinus, they still had their overall mission - that of keeping the vampire-Lycan war from spilling into the open - to perform, and Selene was the next best thing to a clue as to how to best succeed in the mission now.

Selene and Michael were sitting alone in the room designated as the commander's quarters, and were given privacy by the commander. Both Selene and Michael had worried looks upon their faces, but Selene was the first to speak.

"Michael, as powerful as we may be, we need to find a place where we can remain hidden from both the vampires and Lycans. Even if we can defeat any vampire or Lycan we come across, even groups of them, if we stay out in the open it will only be a matter of time before they find a way to kill us. And there will be collateral damage."

"What kind of collateral damage are you talking about?" asked Michael.

"The mortal kind. You know the sway vampires and Lycans alike have over human populations. They can be turned against us, and probably already have been, aside from those loyal to Alexander Corvinus. And…" Selene sighed heavily, as the next thought weighed against her mind. "The thought of ordinary humans knowing of our existence...it can only mean bad things. That's what Alexander was trying to prevent...and I believe for good reason."

Michael immediately brought up another matter pressing against his mind. "Just how long do you think we can hide, Selene?" he asked pointedly.

"What do you mean?" replied Selene.

"In case you don't remember, we both need blood to survive. Human blood," Michael emphasized. "How long do you think we can hide before we start killing humans out of hunger?"

Selene sighed and sat down in the nearest chair, deep in thought. Michael sighed and stared upward, not having a solution of his own, being new to being immortal.

After a few moments, Selene stood up abruptly, an idea clear in her eyes. "Ziodex," she started.

"What?" asked Michael, puzzled. "What do you mean, Ziodex?"

"I thought you'd remember, but Ziodex is a corporation owned by us...by vampires."

Michael still had a puzzled look. "I do remember you mentioning it, yes, but what do they have to do with this?"

"Their latest project, which they hope to turn into a cash crop, is artificial blood. It could sustain us," said Selene with certainty.

"For how long?" replied Michael. "We'd need a steady, unending supply of it. And you just said Ziodex is run by vampires. I highly doubt they'll give you any, seeing as you just killed the vampire leadership."

"It's the only idea we have for our survival right now, unless you have a better one," Selene said. "I would say the ability to survive without the need to feed on humans should be our first priority."

"Alright," Michael said with a hint of resignation. "You're right, other priorities can come later." He stared away from Selene with worry across his face.

"Michael...what's wrong?" Selene said, softening her tone. She just realized she had been a bit harsh in speaking to him just now. She approached him with soft footsteps. "Tell me…what is bothering you?"

"It's just…" Michael began. "It's just...this whole 'immortal' thing...being a hybrid vampire Lycan whatever the hell you want to call me...I...I can't get used to it. I don't...I don't want to be one," Michael said, his facial expression and vocal tone now leaning towards despair.

Selene gripped Michael's hand in both of hers and squeezed gently. "Michael...I understand how you must feel. Being a human turned into something else is...never easy," Selene said. "When Viktor turned me, he gave me the resolve to embrace my new existence as a way of avenging my family, but when all of that turned out to be a lie, I…" Selene choked slightly, at which point Michael embraced her.

"It's not easy...for either of us," Michael stated.

Selene backed out of the embrace with a hint of resolve on her face. "If they can turn you into a hybrid," began Selene, "then I'm sure a way exists that can turn you back into a human. We will find it…" Selene turned away from Michael and continued. "But none of that will matter if our short-term survival isn't guaranteed, and it won't be as long as we don't have blood to sustain us."

Michael nodded his head in agreement. "So where can we find some of this Ziodex artificial blood?"

"There's a laboratory in the city we escaped from," answered Selene.

"How do you propose we get back into the city? After the events of a few nights ago the place will be crawling with cops and authorities, of which I'm guessing not all are human," Michael stated.

Selene looked at Michael with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "I think our friends here the Cleaners can help us with that. If they've kept vampires and Lycans out of the eyes of humans for this long, surely they can sneak us back in among them."