See disclaimers at the beginning…
***
Rushing through sterile white corridors, barely glancing at the cells that housed an astonishing variety of demons, Charles and Doyle wound their way through the massive underground complex toward their designated meeting place.
Slowing his steps slightly, Charles spared his watch a glance before turning his reluctant attention back to his friend.
"… She was really attractive, wasn't she?" Doyle asked for the third time.
"Yes!" Exasperated, Charles turned to his friend, "How many times are you gonna ask me the same question, Doyle?" Not giving Doyle a chance to answer, he continued, "Sure, she was a honey, I'll give you that. I have to tell ya though, most women are looking to be swept off their feet, man- not knocked on their asses. It's a fine line, I'll grant you…" he mocked, but the remainder of the insult was quickly forgotten as the duo rounded a corner and caught sight of the chaos unfolding below.
In an enclosed observation area, nicknamed the "Pit," located near the center of the main chamber, three men in white lab coats could be seen attempting to control an enormous vampire.
Taking in the rapidly unraveling scenario below, Doyle found himself reverting to Gaelic to vent his frustrations for the second time that day, "Chac sé ar na huibheacha!"
"Whatever you just said, Irish," Gunn tossed to his companion, "I'm willing to go out on a limb and second it." Shaking his head, he watched with mounting disquiet as the team of men wrestled with the increasingly agitated demon.
"This is a disaster in the making," Doyle grumbled, "and it's got Drexel's bloody paw prints all over it! It took our squad over twenty minutes to subdue that hostile, and now he's sent three of his little science goons in with it--untrained and unarmed to boot! Let's go get them out before things get any uglier."
Both men rushed down a landing towards the sunken observation room. Reaching the enclosure, Charles keyed the five-digit access code into the security panel by the door as Doyle yanked on the door handle. The door didn't budge. They both stared at the panel, neither man believing what he saw. Red letters flashed a message: 'Access Denied.'
"You punched in the wrong code!" Doyle accused.
"No, I didn't!" Charles vehemently denied.
"Well, if ya didn't the door would be opening, wouldn't it?"
Frustrated, Doyle pushed Charles aside, entered the access code himself, and pulled expectantly on the door handle. To his dismay, the door still didn't budge. The flashing red letters continued their mockery as both men gaped disbelievingly at the offending panel.
"What the f…"
The sentence died on his lips as Charles saw the vampire hurl one of the scientists across the room. The young man's body hit the clear wall of the enclosure near the door; unconscious, he slid to the floor. Blood oozed from his head at the point of impact. In the center of the room, the vampire battled the two remaining scientists.
"Shit! We need to get in there! Now!"
Doyle tried the access code again while Charles ran over to intercom at the base of the stairs. Jamming down the button, he spoke tersely into the box.
"Agent Gunn requesting assistance in the Pit. We have an urgent situation. Send the nearest available Ops members and medical personnel immediately. Over."
Not waiting for a response, he sprinted back to the enclosure as an electronic voice echoed throughout the building.
"Code 32. Operations and medical units required in the Pit."
Inside the sealed room, the enraged vampire delivered a vicious kick to the midsection of the advancing scientist and shook off the grip of the other. Even as his attacker went down, the vampire spun around with lightning speed to face the man who had been attempting to hold him back. He grabbed onto the collar of the man's lab coat and yanked him closer.
Fighting for his life, the man threw a right uppercut and connected with the vampire's shoulder. Stumbling back a step from the blow, the vamp tripped over the prone body of the first scientist, fell, and hit his head on ground with some force. As the demon lay there, momentarily stunned, the scientist rushed over to an examination table in the far corner of the room. Sifting frantically through the instruments there, he looked for a weapon of some kind. Tossing aside a mountain of useless medical equipment, he latched onto a scalpel and turned to face the demon.
Still trying without success to open the door to the enclosure, Doyle and Gunn waited helplessly for back up to arrive while watching the struggle inside. It was like watching a silent horror movie come to life before their eyes--the thick polycarbonate walls of the enclosure, in addition to being nearly impenetrable, silenced the sounds of struggle from within. Unable to do more than look on in dismay, they saw the scientist spin around, clutching something in his right hand. Even as he turned to fight, the vampire was upon him.
Delivering a backhand that sent the small man reeling, the demon advanced. Pinning the dazed man's arms together with one of his own, he used his free hand to jerk the man's head to the side, baring his neck. Without hesitation, he sank his fangs into the man's throat and began to drink as back-up personnel arrived outside.
From an entryway to the left of the enclosed observation room, Riley Finn and another man, both clad in sweaty workout clothes and brandishing crossbows, ran into the Pit. Taking stock of the situation as they sprinted over, the first man to arrive shouted at Gunn and Doyle.
"What the hell is going on here? Get those men out of there!"
Turning to look at the newcomer, Doyle quickly filled him in as Riley reached them.
"We've tried! The damn access code isn't working!"
As Doyle again keyed in the access code, the new arrivals prepared to storm the room. When the door failed to open, they both looked at the security panel and saw the response. 'Access Denied.'
"Dammit!" Riley cursed and turned to the man beside him. Assessing the slightly shorter man, he questioned, "Do you have an override code?"
Shaking his head, the dark haired man responded in disgust, "No. Drexel won't share anything other than the most basic information with us."
"And that, Agent Connelly, is how it's going to stay," a voice from behind them spoke. "Your operations teams will continue to have as little access to my information as possible!"
As a group, the four men turned to face the head researcher. Gesturing towards the room, Riley spoke up.
"Drexel, open the damn door so we can get in there and get them out!"
With a shake of his head, Dr. Drexel gazed into the room in time to see the vampire drop the lifeless body of the man he'd been drinking from. He watched dispassionately as it advanced toward the door.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. We're testing a new drug on this HST. It's designed to suppress his reflexes and eventually knock him out. We have to know how long it takes for it to become effective."
Even as the last word left his mouth, Drexel felt himself shoved up against the wall, his arm twisted painfully behind his back and a large arm applying pressure to the back of his neck.
"You sonofabitch!" Connelly raged, increasing the pressure he was applying to the man's arm, forcing him tighter against the safety glass.
"Take a good look at what's going on in there! Those men, YOUR MEN, are dying! Whatever potion you've concocted this time IS NOT WORKING! Now open this door!"
"No, we have to know how long…" Drexel choked out even as Connelly spun him around and slammed his back against the wall, this time applying the pressure to his throat.
"Tell. Me. The. Code." Eyes flashing dangerously, Connelly ground out the words as he increased the pressure on the doctor's throat. The doctor clawed at the hand on his throat even as his vision began to dim. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound escaped.
Connelly kept up the pressure even as Doyle's hand on his arm broke through his murderous haze.
"Angel! ANGEL! Let up before you kill 'im, man!"
***
TBC…
***
Rushing through sterile white corridors, barely glancing at the cells that housed an astonishing variety of demons, Charles and Doyle wound their way through the massive underground complex toward their designated meeting place.
Slowing his steps slightly, Charles spared his watch a glance before turning his reluctant attention back to his friend.
"… She was really attractive, wasn't she?" Doyle asked for the third time.
"Yes!" Exasperated, Charles turned to his friend, "How many times are you gonna ask me the same question, Doyle?" Not giving Doyle a chance to answer, he continued, "Sure, she was a honey, I'll give you that. I have to tell ya though, most women are looking to be swept off their feet, man- not knocked on their asses. It's a fine line, I'll grant you…" he mocked, but the remainder of the insult was quickly forgotten as the duo rounded a corner and caught sight of the chaos unfolding below.
In an enclosed observation area, nicknamed the "Pit," located near the center of the main chamber, three men in white lab coats could be seen attempting to control an enormous vampire.
Taking in the rapidly unraveling scenario below, Doyle found himself reverting to Gaelic to vent his frustrations for the second time that day, "Chac sé ar na huibheacha!"
"Whatever you just said, Irish," Gunn tossed to his companion, "I'm willing to go out on a limb and second it." Shaking his head, he watched with mounting disquiet as the team of men wrestled with the increasingly agitated demon.
"This is a disaster in the making," Doyle grumbled, "and it's got Drexel's bloody paw prints all over it! It took our squad over twenty minutes to subdue that hostile, and now he's sent three of his little science goons in with it--untrained and unarmed to boot! Let's go get them out before things get any uglier."
Both men rushed down a landing towards the sunken observation room. Reaching the enclosure, Charles keyed the five-digit access code into the security panel by the door as Doyle yanked on the door handle. The door didn't budge. They both stared at the panel, neither man believing what he saw. Red letters flashed a message: 'Access Denied.'
"You punched in the wrong code!" Doyle accused.
"No, I didn't!" Charles vehemently denied.
"Well, if ya didn't the door would be opening, wouldn't it?"
Frustrated, Doyle pushed Charles aside, entered the access code himself, and pulled expectantly on the door handle. To his dismay, the door still didn't budge. The flashing red letters continued their mockery as both men gaped disbelievingly at the offending panel.
"What the f…"
The sentence died on his lips as Charles saw the vampire hurl one of the scientists across the room. The young man's body hit the clear wall of the enclosure near the door; unconscious, he slid to the floor. Blood oozed from his head at the point of impact. In the center of the room, the vampire battled the two remaining scientists.
"Shit! We need to get in there! Now!"
Doyle tried the access code again while Charles ran over to intercom at the base of the stairs. Jamming down the button, he spoke tersely into the box.
"Agent Gunn requesting assistance in the Pit. We have an urgent situation. Send the nearest available Ops members and medical personnel immediately. Over."
Not waiting for a response, he sprinted back to the enclosure as an electronic voice echoed throughout the building.
"Code 32. Operations and medical units required in the Pit."
Inside the sealed room, the enraged vampire delivered a vicious kick to the midsection of the advancing scientist and shook off the grip of the other. Even as his attacker went down, the vampire spun around with lightning speed to face the man who had been attempting to hold him back. He grabbed onto the collar of the man's lab coat and yanked him closer.
Fighting for his life, the man threw a right uppercut and connected with the vampire's shoulder. Stumbling back a step from the blow, the vamp tripped over the prone body of the first scientist, fell, and hit his head on ground with some force. As the demon lay there, momentarily stunned, the scientist rushed over to an examination table in the far corner of the room. Sifting frantically through the instruments there, he looked for a weapon of some kind. Tossing aside a mountain of useless medical equipment, he latched onto a scalpel and turned to face the demon.
Still trying without success to open the door to the enclosure, Doyle and Gunn waited helplessly for back up to arrive while watching the struggle inside. It was like watching a silent horror movie come to life before their eyes--the thick polycarbonate walls of the enclosure, in addition to being nearly impenetrable, silenced the sounds of struggle from within. Unable to do more than look on in dismay, they saw the scientist spin around, clutching something in his right hand. Even as he turned to fight, the vampire was upon him.
Delivering a backhand that sent the small man reeling, the demon advanced. Pinning the dazed man's arms together with one of his own, he used his free hand to jerk the man's head to the side, baring his neck. Without hesitation, he sank his fangs into the man's throat and began to drink as back-up personnel arrived outside.
From an entryway to the left of the enclosed observation room, Riley Finn and another man, both clad in sweaty workout clothes and brandishing crossbows, ran into the Pit. Taking stock of the situation as they sprinted over, the first man to arrive shouted at Gunn and Doyle.
"What the hell is going on here? Get those men out of there!"
Turning to look at the newcomer, Doyle quickly filled him in as Riley reached them.
"We've tried! The damn access code isn't working!"
As Doyle again keyed in the access code, the new arrivals prepared to storm the room. When the door failed to open, they both looked at the security panel and saw the response. 'Access Denied.'
"Dammit!" Riley cursed and turned to the man beside him. Assessing the slightly shorter man, he questioned, "Do you have an override code?"
Shaking his head, the dark haired man responded in disgust, "No. Drexel won't share anything other than the most basic information with us."
"And that, Agent Connelly, is how it's going to stay," a voice from behind them spoke. "Your operations teams will continue to have as little access to my information as possible!"
As a group, the four men turned to face the head researcher. Gesturing towards the room, Riley spoke up.
"Drexel, open the damn door so we can get in there and get them out!"
With a shake of his head, Dr. Drexel gazed into the room in time to see the vampire drop the lifeless body of the man he'd been drinking from. He watched dispassionately as it advanced toward the door.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. We're testing a new drug on this HST. It's designed to suppress his reflexes and eventually knock him out. We have to know how long it takes for it to become effective."
Even as the last word left his mouth, Drexel felt himself shoved up against the wall, his arm twisted painfully behind his back and a large arm applying pressure to the back of his neck.
"You sonofabitch!" Connelly raged, increasing the pressure he was applying to the man's arm, forcing him tighter against the safety glass.
"Take a good look at what's going on in there! Those men, YOUR MEN, are dying! Whatever potion you've concocted this time IS NOT WORKING! Now open this door!"
"No, we have to know how long…" Drexel choked out even as Connelly spun him around and slammed his back against the wall, this time applying the pressure to his throat.
"Tell. Me. The. Code." Eyes flashing dangerously, Connelly ground out the words as he increased the pressure on the doctor's throat. The doctor clawed at the hand on his throat even as his vision began to dim. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound escaped.
Connelly kept up the pressure even as Doyle's hand on his arm broke through his murderous haze.
"Angel! ANGEL! Let up before you kill 'im, man!"
***
TBC…