Vampire Bund, Tokyo, Japan, 2011.
I checked my MP5 and other weapons while my unit, VGS soldiers, and I were driving to a warehouse to conduct a raid on a gang of vampires. After Yuki was cleared, my orders were to keep an eye on any suspicious activity inside the Bund and assist Akira whenever it was necessary. As the days passed, I received word that something important had been stolen from our labs and we had tracked the suspects down to a warehouse where we were about to conduct a raid. We arrived at the warehouse and got out, moving silently to surprise the suspects and were suddenly taking fire.
"Enemy contact! Take cover and return fire!" I ordered in alarm as we all rushed into cover and shot at the vampires who were trying to kill us.
I took down one hostile with a single shot to the eye and he turned to ash as I killed another hostile with two shots to the heart. We were about to move in when vampires opened fire with automatic weapons and I signaled my unit to fall back. We moved quickly to different cover as a few VGS soldiers were killed and the military transport vehicle fired its gun, the rounds tearing the vampires apart. I peered out from behind the humvee to see a vampire with long hair and dressed in black running to a semi-trailer.
"We have a runner! Take him out!" I ordered as we chased after him.
My unit, VGS soldiers, and I shot the man multiple times which caused him to turn to ash as he dropped something large. When I saw that the object was a bomb, my eyes widened in horror.
"Bomb! Fall back and take cover!" I ordered urgently as we all frantically left the warehouse and were sent flying from the explosion.
I crashed into a humvee and bounced off it, hitting the ground in a heap and I staggered to my feet in pain. I shook off the dizziness and saw a few VGS soldiers howling in agony while they were covered in burns and missing an arm or leg.
"Shit! Somebody call in medivacs!" I shouted while my unit regrouped with me, looking worse for wear.
"You good, Captain?" Sergeant Williams asked in concern.
"I'm good..." I muttered as I took off my helmet and mask.
I stared at the warehouse that was currently in flames and I just knew that this wasn't over.
After putting in my report of the botched raid, I was given permission to take a week off to spend some time with Yuki. As I woke up the next day and prepared for my morning jog, Akira wanted to join and I agreed. We were outside on one of the roads that led out of the city when I spotted something nearby that looked like two people hiding under the first-floor balcony of a house.
"Akira...you see that? What the hell are they doing?" I wondered as we went to investigate, looking under the balcony to see a man and a woman huddled up together.
From what I could see, the man had dark skin and black messy hair while the woman was Caucasian with long blonde hair...I saw the man was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers, and the woman had a brown cloak covering her.
"Hey, you two. What the hell are you doing under there?" I questioned as the man held up a hand in defense.
"Wait! Don't hurt us! We can explain why we're under here!" the man exclaimed in panic.
"Whoa! Calm down! We're not going to hurt you, but you need to come with us quickly since it's not safe to be out here in the daylight," Akira placated while holding his hands up.
The man and woman covered themselves up with the cloak and we quickly led them to an entrance that went into the underground city of the Bund.
"We see...so you're newborn vampires? Well, that's understandable, but vampires seclude themselves underground during the daytime. Sometimes, newborns miss the entrance and are locked out. In here, quickly," Akira instructed as he put in the code to the elevator and the doors opened for us to head inside.
After a small silence, the man asked, "Are you guys, vampires?"
"Negative..." I replied stoically.
"Okay? So...if you two aren't vampires, then what are normal humans doing inside the Bund?" the man wondered in confusion.
"That's classified...all I can divulge to you is that we aren't considered normal by human standards," I replied calmly while the man and woman looked at me in confusion.
"Sorry if I'm being rude, but is your friend always like this?" the man asked Akira, who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Yeah...sorry about him...he has trust issues and that's all I can say," Akira explained just as the elevator stopped.
We went into the main area of the underground city and the two vampires looked around in shock.
"Here we are...tell us the address you've been assigned to and we'll escort you there," I stated.
"Ah, well...how should I put this?" the man muttered in embarrassment and Akira nodded in understanding.
"I see...so you two aren't registered? Then let's go to the Entrance Island Management because you won't be able to do anything if you don't undergo the island's entrance investigation," Akira stated while we headed to our destination.
After a while, we made it and I could see the newborns looking at Mina on the TV that was above the Island Management Department.
"Is that the Vampire Princess? She looks cute," the man commented and I looked at them.
"Don't be fooled by her appearance, because she shows no mercy to anyone who threatens the Bund and its citizens. Keep that in mind while you two are living here. As long as you follow the rules and don't cause any trouble, you'll do just fine," I warned gruffly while we entered the Island Management Department.
As I waited for Akira to finish talking to the man, I took out my phone and called Yuki.
"Hello?" I heard Yuki say.
"Hey Yuki, it's me," I said.
"David? Where are you? I expected you home by now," Yuki pointed out.
"Sorry about that...Akira and I just stumbled into two newborn vampires so we're busy getting them registered right now. I figured you should know since it could take a while and I didn't want you to get worried," I explained.
"Okay, so I'll see you when you come home then?" Yuki asked.
"Sure...listen, I need to go so I'll see you later then?" I offered.
"Of course," Yuki agreed and we said our goodbyes.
I hung up and met up with Akira and the newborns, who were putting down their names down on paper.
"Your name is Akira?" Akira wondered as he looked at the form.
"Eh?" the man made a noise of confusion and Akira grinned at the coincidence.
"Ah, nothing...it's just that my name is Akira as well," Akira informed him and the man laughed a little.
"What a bizarre coincidence, isn't it?" the man remarked.
"Yeah," Akira agreed as we headed to the front desk.
"After this, you have to file a report at the counter, then both of you will be public members of the Bund's society," I explain crisply with an expression of stone.
"Then we'll be given food and a place to live? Seems like the Bund's Administration takes care of everything," the man commented while we reached the front desk and the Newborns turned in their papers.
"Mr. Akira Garcia Fujisaki...is your Nationality Japanese?" the woman at the front desk asked.
"No, I'm Brasilian," Garcia clarified.
"Any blood illness, genetic disease, or anything else that needs to be reported?" the woman questioned.
"No," Garcia replied.
"Did any relatives came with you onto this island?" the woman inquired.
"I am alone," Garcia stated but I caught a slight hesitance in his voice which caused me to narrow my eyes in suspicion.
After Garcia was done, the female Newborn approached with her papers.
"Is...this okay?" the woman asked us nervously.
"Hmm...let me see," I said and she handed the form to me. I looked through it and my eyes widened when I saw something abnormal on it.
"Hold on, when did you get turned into a Newborn?!" I demanded as I looked at Garcia, who looked taken aback at the harsh interrogation.
"Yesterday around 8 PM...I think. Why?" Garcia inquired hesitantly.
"Shit...why the fuck did you not inform us about that earlier?! Listen, there may be a way to change you two back to normal," I notified Garcia and the woman as Akira went to take out his phone.
Akira spoke on the phone for a while and I looked at Garcia and the woman thoughtfully just as he was done speaking.
"Sorry. So, let's continue where David left off earlier," Akira suggested after hanging up and the Newborns nodded.
"Vampires through viral infection are increasing since it's a retrovirus species which rewrites the human genetic code," I explained calmly and the woman placed a hand on her abdomen.
"Is it possible that something like that exists in our bodies?" the woman wondered quietly with a nervous expression.
"Because of the Umbrella Corporation, they were able to create viral strains and other bioweapons that would alter a person's genetic code like the vampire pathogen, but we have the vaccine for the vampire infection so you'll be inoculated," I assured them and they widened their eyes at the good news.
"Seriously?! There is actually a vaccine?!" Garcia questioned in shock.
"Cured...we'll be cured?!" the woman exclaimed in pure relief.
"Yes, but there is an incubation period to the infection where it takes approximately 72 hours for the viral infection to alter the human genetic code. You two are quite lucky to discover it that early," Akira stated.
"Three days? Isn't that rather long for a viral infection?" Garcia asked in confusion.
"Negative, because the time the vaccine needs to inoculate an infected host is about 48 hours. If you don't receive the vaccine during that time, then the infection progresses to the point where it won't work on the infected host," I warned as Akira looked at the clock on the wall.
"Currently, it's 8 PM so we have 30 hours to get you inoculated," Akira informed them.
"But, we'll be fine?" the woman asked and I nodded.
"Yes, because you'll be given the vaccine and will be returned home tomorrow," I stated stoically.
"Thank Kami...that's great right?" the woman asked Garcia, who looked uncertain.
"Ye...yes," Garcia muttered and I could tell that he was hiding something.
"Concerning the vaccine, where will we receive the shot?" the woman asked.
"Earlier, I asked someone to get it so she should be here soon," Akira informed them.
"Akira," a familiar voice spoke up behind us, and we turned around to see MIna standing above us on a balcony.
"Ma'am!" I said loudly as I stood at attention and saluted.
"Shit, where the hell have you been?" Akira wondered while resting his hands on his hips.
"Huh? Why are you complaining? If I were neglecting my duties, then Vera will never let me hear the end of it," Mina stated with a huff while the Newborns stared at her in shock.
"Excuse me...but are you really Princess..." Garcia trailed off in awe at seeing the Ruler of the Vampires.
"Indeed, Mina Tepes has arrived so at your service," Mina declared while every vampire in the area knelt into a bow.
"Asking the Princess for a favor...who the hell are you two?!" the woman demanded in shock.
"That's classified. All I can divulge is that we work closely with her. Ma'am, is the vaccine on location yet?" I asked Mina, who looked pensive after clearing the crowd.
"Ah...about that, we have a serious problem. There are no vaccines," Mina notified us.
"What the fuck?! Didn't we have plenty of them stored for emergencies?!" Akira exclaimed in disbelief while the newborns were rendered silent.
"Currently, there are no emergency vaccines left inside the Bund since we just found an abnormality. Someone mixed in a foreign substance during the manufacturing process and the production lines are at a standstill. We're currently investigating the source of this but we might not discover it anytime soon. Frankly, we're suffering due to the current situation. Since we have some reserves overseas, we've ordered someone to retrieve them. Finally, our labs were raided and the vaccine was stolen by unknown individuals so I had Captain Temple and his unit perform a raid on the criminals with VGS operatives, but the mission went horribly wrong and we suffered casualties because of it," Mina explained while she gestured at me.
I narrowed my eyes when I saw Garcia looking stunned, and he slumped to his knees with an expression of sheer guilt.
"I..." Garcia trailed off with a gasp.
"Are you okay?" Akira asked in concern.
"Oh, meu Deus...what the fuck did I do?" Garcia whimpered in horror.
"I see...were you the only one involved and do you know where the leader is?" Mina questioned while I shot him a cold glare.
"I don't know...everyone...everyone is fucking dead," Garcia replied and Mina looked at Vera, who was standing nearby.
"Vera, take Beowulf with you and thoroughly investigate the bar where the leader of the terrorists was at. I want to be informed about everything you find," MIna instructed.
"Yes, my Lady," Vera agreed.
"Ma'am, what are your orders? Should I take Mr. Fujisaki into custody?" I inquired while standing at attention.
"He might be the only suspect, but...we should consider that he was acting under duress at the time since he was being ordered by a high-class vampire. Even if he did commit a crime, he shouldn't be punished for the actions of others," Mina stated, causing Garcia to look at her.
"Huh?" was all Garcia could say in response.
"The vampire giving you orders was a high-class one and you couldn't refuse, correct?" Mina asked, and Garcia nodded.
"Yes...it was like I was in a dream and my body couldn't respond to my commands," Garcia responded while looking disturbed.
"When a gun is used for a crime, it's only the person who makes the choice to use it. And that gun, doesn't it punish the person too? As it is...you carry that burden so that understanding won't go away yet," Mina told him wisely and Garcia looked dumbstruck.
While Garcia was comforting the female newborn, I thought about Mina's words and compared them to my life along with the choices I made as a ruthless killer who worked for chump change.
"What would have my future been like...if Umbrella hadn't stolen my life from me?" I thought as Akira was conversing with Mina, and he reached into a pocket just as Garcia's eyes widened in realization.
"Wait, there's still some of the vaccine left!" Garcia notified us, causing everyone to whip their heads at him.
"What?! What do you mean by that?!" Mina demanded.
"My friend snatched some of them during the confusion! I don't know how many, but I'm sure that he put some in his pocket!" Garcia explained.
"So, where is he now?" Mina asked.
"I don't know, because I don't know where we can find him...this is our chance to become human again," Garcia said the last part to the female newborn.
"Then it's settled! Let's find out this person's location!" Mina declared while hitting a palm with her fist.
"Ma'am, are you sure that this is the right call? You're still recovering from your experience with the nanomachines so are you certain that you want to provide assistance on this mission?" I asked and Mina looked at me.
"I appreciate the concern Captain, but this incident happened inside my Bund so of course I'm coming along. Besides, things are different and something is occurring behind the scenes. Young man, go with my secretary since you are the only one who knows your friend better than the rest of us! Make sure to also examine the surveillance systems because that's also part of the plan," Mina instructed and Garcia looked surprised.
"So, where are we going?" Akira asked and Garcia looked at him.
"Wait, you're going to help us?" Garcia asked in confusion.
"Hime-san has a good judge of character so she wants to help you two, and find the person responsible for this shitshow," Akira stated.
"Thank you..." Garcia trailed off with a look of gratitude.
"First of all, we must locate that person," Mina said as we went to leave the area.
"Person? What person?" Akira inquired.
"The first person who came to this island. In spite of illegality, this person still owes me a favor so perhaps he'll know how to find the trail of the one we seek. The time limit is 30 hours and this island is a labyrinth. Even though we are already lost, we will find a way out together!" MIna declared in determination.
"Your name...I've never heard your name," Garcia spoke to the female newborn and she looked at him.
"I'm Ruri," Ruri introduced.
"Let's go, because we will undoubtedly become humans again!" Garcia stated while we went to search for his friend.
A/N Sorry for taking so long to update, I was busy working on other stories so I didn't have the time. Anyway, time to get started on the spin-off manga Dive in the Vampire Bund and then I'll also eventually put in Memories of Sledgehammer. I can't wait to see Sledgehammer and the deadly Grim Reaper team up to wage war against the vampire hunters since you can bet that things will get messy with those two mercenaries working together. Anyway, I'm also planning on putting in crossovers of Rosaro + Vampire, Outlast series, the Evil Within series, and GATE in this story so you can most certainly expect a lot to happen. Anyway, what do you all think about the chapter and the crossovers I have planned for this story? Let me know by putting down a review, and stay tuned.