Chapter 2
Ecaterina forced her eyes open through sheer force of will, the night had brightened, the smell of dawn approaching filled her senses, lending desperate strength to her weary body. Lying in front of her, her newest childe was absolutely still, his unseeing eyes staring blankly at her, a thin trail of dried blood marking his chin. Turning her head, she saw Wilhem on his back, obviously in deep torpor. Slowly, she forced herself to her feet; swaying unsteadily she reached into the folds of her robe and drew forth a small flask of vitae. Ecaterina had long ago learned to plan for the worst, and she made a point of always keeping a supply of elder blood, her own blood, for emergencies. ~This qualified~ she decided, before tipping back the flask and drinking the life-giving liquid quickly, savoring its taste.
Feeling her preternatural strength return to her limbs, she dropped the container and lifted Harper effortlessly over her shoulder, before grabbing Wilhem and securing him under her arm, she set off for her haven. Fortunately, it was not far, and she made it with perhaps an hour to spare. Leaving the two blood-brothers in safety, she turned and quickly left to hunt.
Finding prey was simple that night, several Kine were wondering the early hours, she drained one completely, replenishing her own dwindling blood- supply. Choosing a pair of Human girls, twins in fact, she easily mesmerized them and brought them to her sleeping childer.
Deciding not to take anymore risks with Harper, she awoke Wilhem first and, dodging his frenzied attacks with little effort, led him to the first of the twins, whom he drained without hesitation. His hunger diminished sufficiently for his thoughts to reassert itself, he looked around for a moment, before turning to his sire.
"What happened?" His well-modulated accent was barely noticeable
"I am afraid I do not know exactly. This one was different from any Kine I have ever embraced; a single taste of my blood was enough to kindle the direst bloodlust in him while he was still mortal. He drained me completely, and almost diabolised you, I am not sure what he will become." Ecaterina was tired, the suns were beginning their' ascent.
"Perhaps it might be better if we were too." Wilhem indicated the door, obviously reluctant to make such a suggestion.
"No. We.I brought him into this, I embraced him without fully understanding the consequences. I will not abandon him now."
"Then I suggest that we awaken the newest Brujah and feed him immediately. Though I would prefer a day's rest before any undertaking, the chance that he might awaken while we slumber is not worth taking." Wilhem accepted his sire's decision unhesitatingly.
"You are correct, childe. Very well, I shall awaken him, fetch the other Kine." Wilhem moved to obey. Ecaterina placed her hand over Harper's motionless body, before whispering a few words and striking him with a sharp slap across the face.
Harper's corpse stirred slightly, he blinked sluggishly, a pair of fangs dug into his lower lip, almost drawing blood. He looked about slowly, his eyes coming to rest on Ecaterina. It took him a moment to connect the woman with the vampire that had attacked him earlier.
Ecaterina was far more wary of Harper than she had been previously, as a mortal he had very nearly ended her immortal existence, as a hungry Kindred, she shuddered almost imperceptibly. She backed away slowly, ready to defend herself if he made the slightest threatening gesture.
As it turned out, she didn't receive a warning.
One instant she was primed and ready to strike, and the next she was dangling by her throat, her head cracked hard against a concrete wall several feet away. Ecaterina's vision swam for a moment, before she focussed on Harper's snarling visage as he effortlessly supported her weight with a single hand.
"What.Did.You.Do.To.Me?" He ground out, relaxing his grip around her larynx so that she could answer. Ecaterina could see the visible effort that Harper was expending in order to keep control of the overwhelming bloodlust; understanding that she could not match him physically, she did not even try. Instead, she avoided his eyes and, keeping her voice as calm as possible, spoke in soft, reassuring tones.
"You must eat, childe, before you surrender to the beast." Ecaterina gestured vaguely towards Wilhem as he brought in the unconscious body of a pretty blonde. Harper released his sire and moved to grab the Human. He was so hungry that he felt sure he would starve to death. He could hear the girl's heartbeat slamming his ears; he could almost see the blood rushing beneath her veins.
Wilhem released the girl into Harper's grasp, he appeared momentarily confused over what he was supposed to do; then another wave of hunger tore through him and he reflexively pulled her close and sank his fangs into her carotid artery. Once he had punctured the delicate vessel, his canines retracted into his gums and her sweet vitae flowed freely down his throat. Once again, he was on fire as the ecstasy of the blood fell upon him in a tsunami of sensation. One gulp, the red haze began to lift from his vision, control became easier. Two gulps, he began to realize what was happening, he half-considered stopping, but knew that he couldn't even if he tried.
Seconds stretched into hours as the hot warmth caressed his body from the inside, he began to feel full, but certainly not sated, he heard her heartbeat slow, understanding that he was killing her, he tried to stop, tried to save her. By the time his body obeyed his command, she was both dead and quite empty of blood. He released her still-warm body and she fell to the floor with a thump.
Harper looked down at his, what was she? His lover? His supplier? His victim?
Slowly, he raised his head, feeling hot tears fall down his cheeks, and fixed his eyes on Ecaterina, who was still trying to appear as non- threatening as possible. She stared at him, even with blood tears streaked his face he was hauntingly beautiful. The gift of Cain often enhanced a person physically, a stout vampire was nearly unheard of, but rarely within the Brujah bloodline was the transformation so radically apparent.
Harper had gained several inches in height, now standing six feet tall; his hair was still untamed, yet it was now black in color. However, the main difference lay in his eyes. No longer a clear, sky blue that reflected his feelings for the world to see. His eyes were now a shining golden hue, they seemed to burn with a luminescence. Combined with his once again extended fangs and ten razor-like claws protruding from his long, strong fingers, he looked positively demonic.
Harper looked incredulously at his hands; his fingernails were each two inches long and sharp. He ran his tongue over his teeth, unnaturally lengthened, his blood was still boiling, but there was no longer any physical pain, just a feeling of subsumed violence. A barely controlled rage that threatened to wrest control away from him, he fixed Ecaterina with an icy stare.
"Answer my question. What did you do to me?" Carefully pronouncing his syllables over his unfamiliar dental equipment. Ecaterina hesitated for a moment, before looking him directly in the eyes and speaking with her customary precisely controlled voice.
"I have embraced you, childe. I released you from your mortality."
"You.embraced me?" Although Harper was having trouble concentrating and the terminology was unfamiliar, he was beginning to connect the dots. Fangs, claws, blood. He hoped that he was wrong, but knew that he was not.
"I given you the gist of Cain, you now a Kindred, an immortal."
"A vampire? You turned me into a vampire?" Harper knew that he should be angry, but the shock of becoming another species overnight.over day.whatever, was too much. Harper's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted.
Wilhem and Ecaterina watched with surprise as the single strangest Kindred they had ever seen passed out.
Harper awoke a few minutes later; he slowly stood and backed away into a corner, his teeth and claws still extended, his eyes still burning gold.
"Why? Why would you do that to me?" He sank into the corner, red tears running down his face as he hugged himself and rocked slowly back and forth. Ecaterina was an Elder, a old vampire who could barely remember her own fleeting mortal existence, yet watching her newest childe suffer so hurt her deeply. She motioned for Wilhem to leave them alone, which he did with some trepidation. She moved slowly to him, standing before him and viewing the surreal dichotomy of the scene before her.
A Kindred sat before her, he was barely a fledgling, less than a day old, he was one of her blood, and he was powerful beyond any expectation. She was reasonably sure that if he seriously chose to visit upon her final death, he would stand a good chance of succeeding. His eyes burned with the most savage of beasts barely contained behind a fragile wall of humanity, his hands were adorned with the most deadly weapons and his body held deceptive power. And yet, looking at his sobbing, broken form before her, she was astonished to feel a tear traverse her face. She knelt before him, reached out she placed her hand as gently as possible over his.
When Kindred are embraced, the body dies first, later, soon after the first feeding, their' morality abandons them, it is ripped from their' souls with such violence that some minds do not survive, they are left momentarily hollow beyond description, a void which they each constantly strove to fill. Those strong of character soon learn to cope, they find fulfillment in many ways, but that moment leaves a scar that never fades. Ecaterina was certain that this Human had an unsurpassed strength of character, she was confidant that he would survive, but would he trust her afterwards?
"You are now one of the Kindred, I know that your blood feels like it's boiling in your veins, but I promise you will survive this. I will leave now, give your Brujah blood time to cool. Do not leave this place, it is daylight outside and your body can no longer tolerate the hated sun." Ecaterina watched him calmly for a second, but was again surprised as the boy's face twisted into an unholy grimace and a scream of pain wrenched itself from his lips. Immediately she moved to the boy's side and held him as the last vestiges of his humanity died, while he screamed in agony. This usually didn't happen so quickly, but Ecaterina had seen the dying of mortality in a fledgling before but this was very painful for her
And not just because the child had latched onto her wrist with his clawed hands and was squeezing so tightly she could feel her bones being ground together. By far the worst aspect was the sound Harper was emitting...a keening howl that she had never heard before and hoped never to hear again.
Ecaterina held her until it was over and then when the boy was too weak to do anything but sleep, she set his form down carefully, turned and left the room, wiping the tears from her eyes as she did.
It had been a long night for all, she felt it would not be the last in a long while.
*
Dylan groaned and turned over in his bed, what was that bothersome noise? He carefully opened one of his eyes, the room was cool and dark, but not silent.
"Captain Hunt. Captain Hunt please respond." After listening to this for a few moments, Dylan decided that whoever they were would not just go away, must to his consternation, so he reluctantly got out of bed, threw on a robe and padded in front of the view-screen.
"Hunt here. What is it." He tried to be diplomatic, tried to keep his voice as civil as possible.
"Praxis communications net here. Sorry to bother you at this hour, sir. But we have an urgent message from a miss 'Trance Gemini' who insists that it cannot wait. Shall I patch her through?" Dylan was quickly awake, if Trance was under the impression that something was wrong, something usually was.
"Yes"
"Standby" The previously blank screen brightened to display the gold alien, on board Andromeda's command deck, wearing a robe and looking more than slightly distressed.
"Trance. What is it?" Trance looked infinitely relieved to see that she had finally established contact.
"Dylan. Where is Harper?"
"Harper? He should be in bed, why?"
"Are you absolutely positive? Have you actually seen him?"
"Well, no. As diplomats, the hotel management insisted on giving us separate rooms, but I could contact registration and ask when he came in last night. What's happened?"
"I don't know, let's just say I had a nightmare about Harper and I need to see if he's okay before I can get back to sleep." Dylan could tell that Trance was bothered about more than a nightmare, but accustomed as he was to her vagueness he decided to just cooperate.
"Stay connected, I'll call down now. Hang on." Dyaln cut the communications link and recalled the hotel management.
"Good evening, Captain Hunt. What can we do for you?"
"I need to know if all my crew have checked in tonight."
"Very well, I'll check. Here we go. We have you, a Ms Valentine, and an AI named Rommie. Is that correct?"
"No. Was there a Mr. Harper? Human, male, short?"
"I'm afraid not. Was he a part of your crew?" Dylan was beginning to worry, so he closed that channel. Hitting his comms, he asked.
"Harper? Harper where are you? Damn it. Beka, Rommie come in." The Beautiful AI responded instantly.
"Dylan, is something wrong?"
"Rommie. Where is Harper? He hasn't checked into the hotel and he's not responding on his comms. Wake Beka, tell her that Harper's missing and have her come here." He turned back to the view screen and opened up a channel to the Andromeda.
"Trance? It seems your 'hunch' might be more than a nightmare. Harper's missing, no one has seen or heard from him since last night." Stricken, Trance looked like she might collapse.
"Oh Dylan. This is very, very bad. I think Harper might be hurt or worse. We have to find him. I'll ask Rommie to run a sensor sweep, try to find Harper's commlink."
"Good. I'll get the other's to the Maru and alert the planetary authorities to the situation. Trance, we'll find him, he probably got drunk in a bar or something, he'll be alright." The Andromeda's main view screen went blank. Androemeda's internal sensors barely made out Trance's whispered words.
"He's not alright. Not at all." She was terrified.
Ecaterina forced her eyes open through sheer force of will, the night had brightened, the smell of dawn approaching filled her senses, lending desperate strength to her weary body. Lying in front of her, her newest childe was absolutely still, his unseeing eyes staring blankly at her, a thin trail of dried blood marking his chin. Turning her head, she saw Wilhem on his back, obviously in deep torpor. Slowly, she forced herself to her feet; swaying unsteadily she reached into the folds of her robe and drew forth a small flask of vitae. Ecaterina had long ago learned to plan for the worst, and she made a point of always keeping a supply of elder blood, her own blood, for emergencies. ~This qualified~ she decided, before tipping back the flask and drinking the life-giving liquid quickly, savoring its taste.
Feeling her preternatural strength return to her limbs, she dropped the container and lifted Harper effortlessly over her shoulder, before grabbing Wilhem and securing him under her arm, she set off for her haven. Fortunately, it was not far, and she made it with perhaps an hour to spare. Leaving the two blood-brothers in safety, she turned and quickly left to hunt.
Finding prey was simple that night, several Kine were wondering the early hours, she drained one completely, replenishing her own dwindling blood- supply. Choosing a pair of Human girls, twins in fact, she easily mesmerized them and brought them to her sleeping childer.
Deciding not to take anymore risks with Harper, she awoke Wilhem first and, dodging his frenzied attacks with little effort, led him to the first of the twins, whom he drained without hesitation. His hunger diminished sufficiently for his thoughts to reassert itself, he looked around for a moment, before turning to his sire.
"What happened?" His well-modulated accent was barely noticeable
"I am afraid I do not know exactly. This one was different from any Kine I have ever embraced; a single taste of my blood was enough to kindle the direst bloodlust in him while he was still mortal. He drained me completely, and almost diabolised you, I am not sure what he will become." Ecaterina was tired, the suns were beginning their' ascent.
"Perhaps it might be better if we were too." Wilhem indicated the door, obviously reluctant to make such a suggestion.
"No. We.I brought him into this, I embraced him without fully understanding the consequences. I will not abandon him now."
"Then I suggest that we awaken the newest Brujah and feed him immediately. Though I would prefer a day's rest before any undertaking, the chance that he might awaken while we slumber is not worth taking." Wilhem accepted his sire's decision unhesitatingly.
"You are correct, childe. Very well, I shall awaken him, fetch the other Kine." Wilhem moved to obey. Ecaterina placed her hand over Harper's motionless body, before whispering a few words and striking him with a sharp slap across the face.
Harper's corpse stirred slightly, he blinked sluggishly, a pair of fangs dug into his lower lip, almost drawing blood. He looked about slowly, his eyes coming to rest on Ecaterina. It took him a moment to connect the woman with the vampire that had attacked him earlier.
Ecaterina was far more wary of Harper than she had been previously, as a mortal he had very nearly ended her immortal existence, as a hungry Kindred, she shuddered almost imperceptibly. She backed away slowly, ready to defend herself if he made the slightest threatening gesture.
As it turned out, she didn't receive a warning.
One instant she was primed and ready to strike, and the next she was dangling by her throat, her head cracked hard against a concrete wall several feet away. Ecaterina's vision swam for a moment, before she focussed on Harper's snarling visage as he effortlessly supported her weight with a single hand.
"What.Did.You.Do.To.Me?" He ground out, relaxing his grip around her larynx so that she could answer. Ecaterina could see the visible effort that Harper was expending in order to keep control of the overwhelming bloodlust; understanding that she could not match him physically, she did not even try. Instead, she avoided his eyes and, keeping her voice as calm as possible, spoke in soft, reassuring tones.
"You must eat, childe, before you surrender to the beast." Ecaterina gestured vaguely towards Wilhem as he brought in the unconscious body of a pretty blonde. Harper released his sire and moved to grab the Human. He was so hungry that he felt sure he would starve to death. He could hear the girl's heartbeat slamming his ears; he could almost see the blood rushing beneath her veins.
Wilhem released the girl into Harper's grasp, he appeared momentarily confused over what he was supposed to do; then another wave of hunger tore through him and he reflexively pulled her close and sank his fangs into her carotid artery. Once he had punctured the delicate vessel, his canines retracted into his gums and her sweet vitae flowed freely down his throat. Once again, he was on fire as the ecstasy of the blood fell upon him in a tsunami of sensation. One gulp, the red haze began to lift from his vision, control became easier. Two gulps, he began to realize what was happening, he half-considered stopping, but knew that he couldn't even if he tried.
Seconds stretched into hours as the hot warmth caressed his body from the inside, he began to feel full, but certainly not sated, he heard her heartbeat slow, understanding that he was killing her, he tried to stop, tried to save her. By the time his body obeyed his command, she was both dead and quite empty of blood. He released her still-warm body and she fell to the floor with a thump.
Harper looked down at his, what was she? His lover? His supplier? His victim?
Slowly, he raised his head, feeling hot tears fall down his cheeks, and fixed his eyes on Ecaterina, who was still trying to appear as non- threatening as possible. She stared at him, even with blood tears streaked his face he was hauntingly beautiful. The gift of Cain often enhanced a person physically, a stout vampire was nearly unheard of, but rarely within the Brujah bloodline was the transformation so radically apparent.
Harper had gained several inches in height, now standing six feet tall; his hair was still untamed, yet it was now black in color. However, the main difference lay in his eyes. No longer a clear, sky blue that reflected his feelings for the world to see. His eyes were now a shining golden hue, they seemed to burn with a luminescence. Combined with his once again extended fangs and ten razor-like claws protruding from his long, strong fingers, he looked positively demonic.
Harper looked incredulously at his hands; his fingernails were each two inches long and sharp. He ran his tongue over his teeth, unnaturally lengthened, his blood was still boiling, but there was no longer any physical pain, just a feeling of subsumed violence. A barely controlled rage that threatened to wrest control away from him, he fixed Ecaterina with an icy stare.
"Answer my question. What did you do to me?" Carefully pronouncing his syllables over his unfamiliar dental equipment. Ecaterina hesitated for a moment, before looking him directly in the eyes and speaking with her customary precisely controlled voice.
"I have embraced you, childe. I released you from your mortality."
"You.embraced me?" Although Harper was having trouble concentrating and the terminology was unfamiliar, he was beginning to connect the dots. Fangs, claws, blood. He hoped that he was wrong, but knew that he was not.
"I given you the gist of Cain, you now a Kindred, an immortal."
"A vampire? You turned me into a vampire?" Harper knew that he should be angry, but the shock of becoming another species overnight.over day.whatever, was too much. Harper's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted.
Wilhem and Ecaterina watched with surprise as the single strangest Kindred they had ever seen passed out.
Harper awoke a few minutes later; he slowly stood and backed away into a corner, his teeth and claws still extended, his eyes still burning gold.
"Why? Why would you do that to me?" He sank into the corner, red tears running down his face as he hugged himself and rocked slowly back and forth. Ecaterina was an Elder, a old vampire who could barely remember her own fleeting mortal existence, yet watching her newest childe suffer so hurt her deeply. She motioned for Wilhem to leave them alone, which he did with some trepidation. She moved slowly to him, standing before him and viewing the surreal dichotomy of the scene before her.
A Kindred sat before her, he was barely a fledgling, less than a day old, he was one of her blood, and he was powerful beyond any expectation. She was reasonably sure that if he seriously chose to visit upon her final death, he would stand a good chance of succeeding. His eyes burned with the most savage of beasts barely contained behind a fragile wall of humanity, his hands were adorned with the most deadly weapons and his body held deceptive power. And yet, looking at his sobbing, broken form before her, she was astonished to feel a tear traverse her face. She knelt before him, reached out she placed her hand as gently as possible over his.
When Kindred are embraced, the body dies first, later, soon after the first feeding, their' morality abandons them, it is ripped from their' souls with such violence that some minds do not survive, they are left momentarily hollow beyond description, a void which they each constantly strove to fill. Those strong of character soon learn to cope, they find fulfillment in many ways, but that moment leaves a scar that never fades. Ecaterina was certain that this Human had an unsurpassed strength of character, she was confidant that he would survive, but would he trust her afterwards?
"You are now one of the Kindred, I know that your blood feels like it's boiling in your veins, but I promise you will survive this. I will leave now, give your Brujah blood time to cool. Do not leave this place, it is daylight outside and your body can no longer tolerate the hated sun." Ecaterina watched him calmly for a second, but was again surprised as the boy's face twisted into an unholy grimace and a scream of pain wrenched itself from his lips. Immediately she moved to the boy's side and held him as the last vestiges of his humanity died, while he screamed in agony. This usually didn't happen so quickly, but Ecaterina had seen the dying of mortality in a fledgling before but this was very painful for her
And not just because the child had latched onto her wrist with his clawed hands and was squeezing so tightly she could feel her bones being ground together. By far the worst aspect was the sound Harper was emitting...a keening howl that she had never heard before and hoped never to hear again.
Ecaterina held her until it was over and then when the boy was too weak to do anything but sleep, she set his form down carefully, turned and left the room, wiping the tears from her eyes as she did.
It had been a long night for all, she felt it would not be the last in a long while.
*
Dylan groaned and turned over in his bed, what was that bothersome noise? He carefully opened one of his eyes, the room was cool and dark, but not silent.
"Captain Hunt. Captain Hunt please respond." After listening to this for a few moments, Dylan decided that whoever they were would not just go away, must to his consternation, so he reluctantly got out of bed, threw on a robe and padded in front of the view-screen.
"Hunt here. What is it." He tried to be diplomatic, tried to keep his voice as civil as possible.
"Praxis communications net here. Sorry to bother you at this hour, sir. But we have an urgent message from a miss 'Trance Gemini' who insists that it cannot wait. Shall I patch her through?" Dylan was quickly awake, if Trance was under the impression that something was wrong, something usually was.
"Yes"
"Standby" The previously blank screen brightened to display the gold alien, on board Andromeda's command deck, wearing a robe and looking more than slightly distressed.
"Trance. What is it?" Trance looked infinitely relieved to see that she had finally established contact.
"Dylan. Where is Harper?"
"Harper? He should be in bed, why?"
"Are you absolutely positive? Have you actually seen him?"
"Well, no. As diplomats, the hotel management insisted on giving us separate rooms, but I could contact registration and ask when he came in last night. What's happened?"
"I don't know, let's just say I had a nightmare about Harper and I need to see if he's okay before I can get back to sleep." Dylan could tell that Trance was bothered about more than a nightmare, but accustomed as he was to her vagueness he decided to just cooperate.
"Stay connected, I'll call down now. Hang on." Dyaln cut the communications link and recalled the hotel management.
"Good evening, Captain Hunt. What can we do for you?"
"I need to know if all my crew have checked in tonight."
"Very well, I'll check. Here we go. We have you, a Ms Valentine, and an AI named Rommie. Is that correct?"
"No. Was there a Mr. Harper? Human, male, short?"
"I'm afraid not. Was he a part of your crew?" Dylan was beginning to worry, so he closed that channel. Hitting his comms, he asked.
"Harper? Harper where are you? Damn it. Beka, Rommie come in." The Beautiful AI responded instantly.
"Dylan, is something wrong?"
"Rommie. Where is Harper? He hasn't checked into the hotel and he's not responding on his comms. Wake Beka, tell her that Harper's missing and have her come here." He turned back to the view screen and opened up a channel to the Andromeda.
"Trance? It seems your 'hunch' might be more than a nightmare. Harper's missing, no one has seen or heard from him since last night." Stricken, Trance looked like she might collapse.
"Oh Dylan. This is very, very bad. I think Harper might be hurt or worse. We have to find him. I'll ask Rommie to run a sensor sweep, try to find Harper's commlink."
"Good. I'll get the other's to the Maru and alert the planetary authorities to the situation. Trance, we'll find him, he probably got drunk in a bar or something, he'll be alright." The Andromeda's main view screen went blank. Androemeda's internal sensors barely made out Trance's whispered words.
"He's not alright. Not at all." She was terrified.