Author's Note:
I do not own any of the Twilight characters that may appear in this world.
If you have never watched a Cesium reaction to water, give it a go. There's some wonderful videos on YouTube. If you don't care to see for yourself, take it from me. Alkali metals are scary as hell.
Also, I usually read and reread my work a few times to make sure I haven't misspelled anything or made any editorial mistakes that are too egregious, however after not publishing for more than a week (and being thoroughly reminded, thank you) I felt the need to post a hasty update. So... here you go. Be satisfied, ye heathens!
Chapter 9: Alkali
"Molotov cocktails… are you for real?" Edward scoffs as we all confer around the living room.
I roll my eyes. Honestly you would think that any idea would be open for discussion with the odds that we are facing. "Yes, but not traditional ones. I'm thinking of an alkali metal sealed in an airtight glass container, rigged to some kind of trip wire between the trees. Thoughts?"
"On a timer system, strung up high enough to where it would break and react with the water on the ground… yes the right metals would burn very intensely. Even if none of the newborns are hit directly, it would distract and disorient them for a few moments. That could buy us some time to take out the first few without being overwhelmed." Jasper looks at me again, a new appreciation growing in his eyes. I give Edward a smug smile, and Jasper a genuine one in thanks.
"If we could spread around a bit of Bella's blood on the path, we could draw the newborns right down the corridor we want as well. No need to place the traps haphazardly through the woods. We can create our own choke points with a few drops of the red stuff." I say, grinning at Bella. This had been her idea after all, though she thought that if I brought it up, Edward would be more inclined to approve.
Edward, predictably, did not like this plan. "No, no no no no!" How childish. "Bella will be nowhere near the fighting!"
Struggling to contain my exasperation, I try to explain myself further, "She doesn't have to be near the fighting Edward. Carlisle can take a few sample vials, and those of us who do not crave her blood... or faint at its smell," I give Bella a playful grin, "can spread it on the trees along our path. Easy peezy lemon squeezy!" Turning to Carlisle, I ask, "The smell will last a few days, right? And not a lot is required?"
"The smell will be rather strong in the first 24 hours, then as the blood dries it will get weaker. Still, to a newborn, the blood will be plenty fragrant for as much as a week, especially in this humid air. The only thing we will have to watch out for is rainfall, but since it is going to snow that shouldn't be an issue." came Carlisle's reply. "Even if the temperatures get much below freezing, there will still be a good odor."
"Excellent!" This is good news, I had hoped frozen blood would still smell ok to the vamps, but I wasn't sure. "Has anyone spoken to the wolves about helping out?"
"Aw Alexa, afraid we can't handle a few newborns on our own?" Emmett gave me a wounded look and a small pout. Rosalie eyed him sideways as she crossed her arms over her chest, disapproval strong in her features.
"Emmett, if you could handle this on your own, you would have done so weeks ago, by your own admission." I look to Jasper for an answer to my question, seeing as he seems to have a stronger mind for strategy. "You said the odds were two to one at this point, right?"
"And getting worse" came Jasper's reply. "Every day more people die, and the number each night is steadily increasing. If it keeps at this rate, we could have as many as twenty coming at us by the first snowfall. Having the wolves would help greatly, if we can keep them from our own throats. It would be a tenuous alliance, but the young chief seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about the idea when he found out."
"Jacob isn't the chief, Sam leads the pack" Bella whispered.
Jasper's answer comes a bit softer as well. "I'm sorry Bella, I was referring to his parentage, not his choices. The boy was born to lead, and he will one day."
"I agree." says Carlisle. "I'll arrange a meeting with the pack. Jasper, do you think you could come up with a training regimen for us and the wolves if they agree to help?"
"I'm already on it Carlisle."
"Jasper, can I have a word?" I'm nervous about being alone with the newest vegetarian, so I wave for Alice to join us from across the room. She smiles as she steps to Jasper's side as he eyes me.
"Sure Alexa, would you like to join me on the front porch?"
"That's as good a spot as any, this doesn't need to be private." comes my reply. As we exit the house, Jasper glances at Alice, unasked questions in his eyes. It is funny to watch them communicate this way, both so obviously frustrated by the blind spot that I've brought into their lives. Alice gives Jasper a small shrug in return. Poor pixie, gonna have to wait this one out, just like the rest of us.
"Jasper, how hot does something have to be to burn a vampire from the outside?" I ask with some trepidation. This has to be a pretty sensitive subject for them, after all I'm basically asking for insider information on how to best kill a vampire. "I know the venom is incredibly flammable, even to a spark. But I've seen a vampire bat away torches and jump from a burning cottage. Will this burning metal idea kill some of them?"
"It is doubtful." comes his reply. I scowl in disappointment. "But... not because the right metals wouldn't be hot enough. Your butane lighter would have done the job, although catching a vampire unaware enough to actually set him aflame with it would be next to impossible. I was surprised that you even tried." I can't help but stick my tongue out at his remark. I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever run into another red eye. "No, the problem with what you are proposing is timing and chance. We would be dependent on the exploding metal fragments to hit and stick to a vampire, and then continue to burn through their skin. Those aren't good odds, but not impossible ones either. It is still a good idea."
"What about tracer rounds? I've heard of people starting forest fires accidently with them, would they be hot enough?"
Jasper looks surprised at this thought. "Actually, yes! Most military tracer rounds burn at around 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. If we could funnel the newborns into a tight enough pattern, we might be able to catch a few of them with a tight burst of gunfire. The fastest few at least. After that the slower ones will see what is happening and probably jump over the fire line. But this is a great idea!" he eyes me with newfound appreciation.
"Thanks Jasper" I smile with more genuine appreciation than I've given him before. "Think you can get your hands on some large caliber weaponry? Military surplus maybe? You vamps have all the shady connections, right?"
"I know a guy who knows a guy, yeah." Jasper gives me a cheeky grin as he starts back into the house. I wink at Alice as she follows him inside. I was hoping that idea would hold some water. Now I have to hope the wolves would agree to help out.
"Hey Alexa!" Ugh, not again... So far, Mike had not bothered me much since the first day, but I'm betting my warming relationship with the Cullens had a lot to do with that. I'm not sure why he thinks that I'm approachable all of a sudden, but I guess I'm about to find out. "Hey," Mike says again as he skids to a halt next to my locker. "A bunch of us are going to the movies this Saturday, do you think you would like to come along? Maybe bring Bella?" Oh, he's going for the two for one special.
"I thought I had made this clear Mike." I say as I slam my locker closed. "I'm just not that into you." Turning suddenly, I start to beat a hasty retreat down the hallway.
"Hey!" Mike practically shouts as he grabs my arm. "I don't see anyone else interested..."
Seething, I slowly turn to face this... boy. "Remove. Your. Hand." I hiss through my teeth.
Mike smirks at me, his eyes and his grip growing a bit harder at the challenge. "What's the matter Lexy..."
Spinning toward his hand on my arm, I bring the textbook I have in my hand up and slam the edge directly into Mike's exposed neck. The book hits the side thankfully, a throat shot would have had a good chance of killing him. I didn't want him dead, just in a lot of pain. With the force of the blow and the awkwardness of my one handed grip, the book went flying across the hallway after impact. Mike did the same, cradling his neck in his hands as he crumpled to the ground.
"Don't you EVER grab a woman like that again, do you hear me?" I screamed as I stood over Mike, my finger shaking at him. My rage needed a vent, and Mike was going to take it all. I was about half a second from kicking the shit out of the boy, literally, when strong arms grabbed me from behind and pulled me toward the exit. I struggled to get them off me, practically feral as I scratched and clawed. It wasn't until the cold afternoon air hit me in the face that my mind cleared enough to notice that the arms holding me were the same temperature as the air. Turning my head to the side a bit, I was able to catch a glimpse of blonde hair.
"Rose?" I asked.
"Well, that was something." came her reply. "Are you calm enough now for me to release you?"
"I... I think so, yes." Honestly I wasn't sure, but Rose still had her arms tightly around my middle, and there were a lot of kids staring at us from the parking lot. It was starting to make me uncomfortable.
"If you had kicked the boy while he was down, his parents would have pressed assault charges. No matter how I feel about him grabbing you, we don't need that." Rose's grip loosens, and I turn slowly to see her carefully looking into my eyes.
"We?" I ask.
Confirming to herself that I was indeed ok, Rosalie spins on her heel and marches back into the school. "You've earned a spot in this family Alexa. Don't make me regret it." she states over her shoulder.
Well, I'll be damned...
"Mike had to be taken to the hospital, but considering the nature of the situation..." Charlie trails off as he stares at me over his desk. It wasn't surprising that the school had to get the police involved. My only regret is that now I'd have to make up my trig test. Aw gee, guess there are more pleasant ways to spend the day than struggling with math. Not that this day was exactly looking up. Charlie had a rather conspicuous file on his desk in front of him... a file that was open. The only way a cop would have an open file on his desk with a civilian in the room would be if that file was about them. Charlie had looked me up. "This isn't the first violent altercation you've been involved in, is it? Would you mind telling me about Texas?" Here we go...
"Which part?" I ask, a bit grumpy. "The part where I stopped a kid from setting another on fire, or the part where I killed a man with a hammer?"
"You what?" Charlie looks at me in shock. I guess that part wasn't in the file. Shit...
After two grueling hours spent with my parents and the chief of police, in all his glorious authority, he finally felt he had enough from me to determine that 'despite my checkered past, she does not seem to be a danger to herself or those around her' as he put it. As we were about to exit the building, Chief Swan asked me to wait for a second. With my questioning look, he assured us that he had a personal matter to discuss with me that had nothing to do with the incident at school. Feeling secure enough, I told my parents I would meet them at the house, then turned to face Charlie.
"I noticed you and Bella have become good friends." he begins as he runs his hands through the hair at the back of his head. Gone is the confident officer who had just spent his afternoon grilling me into the floor. Here now is a slightly lost looking father. "I'm sure you've met her boyfriend, Edmund."
"Edward." I correct. "Yes, I've had the pleasure." I state, making sure my voice drips sarcasm. Charlie looks up at me with a smile as we connect over our shared dislike of Bella's romantic interest.
"You'll keep an eye on him for me?" Charlie asks.
Surprised, I stare at the Chief. Then, with a grim nod, I accept his charge. Words need not be spoken, if Edward were to ever step out of line with Bella, Charlie's trust would be well placed in me. Smiling, he turns and holds his hand out toward the door, inviting me to exit his headquarters.
I take a deep breath as I step outside, turning my face up into the lightly falling snow. The forecast for tonight said we would get a dusting, not enough to accumulate or even start to stick to the sidewalks. Finally starting to feel refreshed, I make my way down the steps from the front door and start to try to find my car. There are still a few civilian vehicles dispersed here and there among the few police cruisers in the parking lot. As I make my way around the a larger police SUV with a K9 Unit sticker on the back, I come to a shocked halt. There, hidden by the large vehicle, is a red BMW, with two very wide eyed vampires leaning on the trunk lid.
As I stare from one to the other, I'm puzzled as I try to figure out why they are here. Then, as I take in their faces, I realize...
"How much did you hear?"
I love a good cliffie. Does anyone else love a good cliffie? No? Am I the only one?
I guess I'll never understand why some readers hate excellent story structure :D Aw, who am I kidding? I just like torturing you guys!
So join us next time, as we see the first wolf/vampire training session from Alexa's eyes, and hopefully come one step closer to our triumphant climax.
heh... I said climax.