Chapter 2 - Maserati Ride
Author's Note
The Hungarian language names use the Eastern name order: surname first and given name last. It was the same as the Chinese and Hungarians are thus being mocked as non-Europeans for a reason. Michael Corvin's native Hungarian name should be "Corvin Mihály". In order to avoid confusion, native Hungarian names will be highlighted in italic font.
Budapest
6th March, 2004
9:00 am
On the next day's morning, a Maserati 3200 GT slowly approached the checkpoint of Budapest. This Italian automobile was a brand new one from the temporary safe house and also one of Selene's favorites. German machinery may be great but Italian engines just had an unique style that you could never resist. The proud sons of The Eternal City never faltered for their superior aesthetic philosophy. Selene was the driver while Michael was in the passenger seat. The vampiress wore the tight black turtle neck sweater that her mate chose for her yesterday. While Michael was in his usual jacket, he tied up his hair and put on some makeup to disguise himself from his picture on the police wanted list.
Due to the operation of The Purge, all the exits of Budapest were heavily guarded by the elite Hungarian Infected Persons Units 24/7. Although there are no travel restrictions, every person needed to receive a quick vampire/lycan test by liquid silver spray and UV light scan. Michael talked to his beloved vampiress, "Alright Selene, this is our first checkpoint. If they ask something strange, Let me do the talking, ok?"
"Fine."
"Just stay polite and no need to talk unless it's necessary."
"I know, this is already the fifth time you remind me in an hour."
"You can never be so sure, you know?"
Selene groaned in annoyance for her mate's overprotectiveness. She was 620 years old while he was only 28. Selene was 592 years older than Michael. How dare he treated her, a veteran death dealer, like a nervous daughter on her first trip crossing the custom checkpoint?
Just as Selene wanted to rebuttal, some Infected Persons Units troops approached their car and gestured to them to stop the car. They were a squad of 4, all armed with AK-63, presumably with silver nitrate bullets. AK-63 was the standard infantry weapon for the Hungarian military since 1977 and also one of Selene's favorite assault rifles. Even though the vampiress was no longer a Hungarian nationalist, she still had a bias favoritism to any local Hungarian weaponry, except her twin modified Beretta 92FS and twin modified Walther P99. None of Infected Persons Units troopers carried UV flashlights or weaponry with ultraviolet ammunition because no vampire could walk in day time. There was thus no need to carry extra weapons that only caused extra weight. Each trooper also had a bottle of silver nitrate spray.
Selene carefully observed the squad with her sharp eyes, already planning backup plans if anything went wrong. The soldiers stopped by and surrounded the car. Their leader, a sergeant knocked the car door window, gestured to Selene to lower the window. She complied and the sergeant spoke, "Good day citizens, this is a simple lycan test according to standard protocol. It will only take a few moments. I hope you understand."
"No problem.", Selene answered with her usual cold tone.
The sergeant nodded. He took his bottle of silver nitrate spray and sprayed them right in Selene's and Michael's face like no tomorrow. The couple of course took it like no happened since silver nitrate will never affect them even one bit. After a 10 second silent wait, the sergeant said satisfied, "Thank you for your cooperation, citizens. You are clear and please carry on your journey-"
"Sergeant! We have a situation here!", a trooper suddenly shouted.
The sergeant instantly ordered the couple, "Stay down and protect yourself!", and instantly rushed to a suspected car behind them.
Selene and Michael saw 10 troopers surround the car. The 2 passengers kept coughing from the silver nitrate spray. The troopers all aimed their AK-63 assault rifle at the passengers, standing by for firing orders. It took a total of 5 seconds, the 2 passengers screamed in agony and started shifting into a werewolf-like form.
"Lycans! Open fire!", the sergeant ordered loudly and the squad instantly shot without mercy. AK-63's 7.62×39mm cartridge penetrated the car metal with ease. These death squad shot the 2 lycans like a firing squad. It was an utter overkill as they spilled bullets like volcanic eruption until the bodies were completely mutilated by silver nitrate rounds. Then, a trooper bought a flamethrower to incinerate the car and corpses.
Michael was shocked to the core by the sheer over the top brutality, "Jesus Christ… These guys make Navy Seals look like pacifists.".
Selene said nothing because she had seen and done atrocities far worse than this: mental and physical torture, inhuman scientific experiments and corpses mutilation were all her specialist. Her lycan victims ranged from women and children, the old and weak. She never even spared newborn babies. The Infected Persons Units was actually the definition of mercy in her old eyes. At least shot their enemies right on the spot without question. However, with Michael by her side, her old cruel and heartless mindset was no longer suitable. Her mate was still young and naive. She had to protect him at all cost and she would never let anyone hear him. She thus placed her palm on Michael's hand, grabbing it tightly and comforted him softly, "As long as we are together, we will be safe."
Michael turned to look at Selene, only to find her staring at him right in the eye as well. There was only love, care and pure determination in her beautiful hazel orbs.
Just as Michael started to reply, the sergeant returned and knocked the the car window, "Hostiles had been naturalized! You are safe now, citizens. Please carry on your journey"
"Thank you.", Michael answered and gave the sergeant a thumbs up gesture.
As the Maserati 3200 GT moved on, the hybrid could only mumbled sarcastically, "Well, at least he is friendly… to us".
After 3 hours of driving, Selene and Michael arrived at the Hungarian-Romanian border checkpoint at the outskirts of town Gyula. It was also guarded by the elite Hungarian Infected Persons Units.
As they stopped at the checkpoint, Michael reminded Selene, "Now, dear, this is our moment of fate. A final showdown. We will be safe once we cross it. Again, if they ask something strange-"
"Let you do the talking. And yes, I remember it.", the vampiress was clearly irritated.
"Sorry, I am just too nervous.", Michael apologized with a heavy sigh.
"I know. Just stay cool and everything will be fine.", Selene said in a straight face but giggled internally after seeing his sad puppy look.
Puffy wolfy doggy. You look adorable even when you are sad, Michael.
Then, a squad of 4 Infected Persons Units troopers approached the couple's car. Selene followed all their instructions and the couple took the silver nitrate spraying test again, passing it without any allergy symptoms. The only difference was the troops actually took a quick search under their cars and scanned their bags with a metal detector. Luckily, Selene already prepared for this as all the bags were made of advanced insulation material which made most current metal detectors and x-ray machines obsolete.
The squad sergeant then checks both the ID card and passport of Selene and Michael. They were obviously forged as all vampires and lycans had different identities in order to blend in modern society. It said that Selene was born in 1980. Selene always giggled when she saw her fake age on her fake ID card.
I am only "23" years old when Michael is 28, so I am technically the "younger" mate for him, even "younger" than Samantha… Hum… I take it as a victory.
Then the squad sergeant asked them simple questions according to standard custom protocols, "What are you two planning to do in Romania?"
Michael simply answered, "Holiday travel, should last about a week."
The sergeant nodded in understanding but his attention turned to Selene. Normally, he would assume the two in the car were a couple but the black hair beauty had an unusually cold aura and felt extremely distant from her companion. Her skin tone was also too pale compared to any ordinary human. It was highly suspicious and something just didn't feel right. The sergeant decided to dig in a little, he asked Selene, "And you? What's your relationship with him?"
"Mate.", the vampiress answered with a blank face.
Mate of eternity, to be precious.
"What? Mate?", the sergeant was clearly confused.
"Problem?", Selene asked like she just stated the most obvious fact in the world.
Michael cringed instantly and interrupted, "She actually means boyfriend! Haha! You see she loves roleplay-"
"Oh! I get it! You are those kuudere goth girls, right? That's why your skin is so pale!. I also thought you are some kind of enhanced vampire!", the sergeant's sudden enthusiasm made him look like every kid who received a PlayStation 2 as a birthday gift from their parents. He then returned the ID card, passport to the couple and gave Michael a huge thumbs up, "You are such a lucky man, pal! Anyway, you are clear to go. Enjoy your privacy with your… mate."
Even though the sergeant had a military mask, Michael swore he could see the sly "I know it" smile underneath. He could do nothing for his remark and sighed in both defeat and annoyance.
As Selene closed the car window, retarted the Maserati 3200 GT and drove into Romanian territory of Bihor County, Michael said in both relief and amusement, "Well, that ended well. That officer's vampire skin joke almost got me."
"He mentioned something called 'kuudere', what is that?"
"It's a type of anime character who is calm, emotionless and never panics. They basically hide their true feelings deep down."
Hum… kinda like me.
"Anime? Isn't that some kind of cartoon?"
"You are gonna get a lot of hate for saying this. I once made the same mistake and I will never forget the consequences."
"Why?"
"Samantha… was a hardcore anime fan. When I said the term, she was pissed and forced me to watch all 26 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion in a row with constant explanations. All those anime facts and tropes are engraved in my mind."
"Do you like it?"
"Not really. I just don't enjoy the trope of "teenager saving the world". I prefer older and more mature characters."
Older and more mature? Then I am perfect for you. I am 592 years older than you and a veteran of countless combat, my dear Michael.
"Hum… if I recall correctly, there was a movie called "The End of Evangelion" in every Budapest cinema back in 1997. It seemed to be very popular."
"It does even till nowadays. Did you watch it?"
"No. The art style is too childish for me. I prefer war films."
"Wo! Never expect that! I always think you like gothic horror."
"Your stereotype for vampires is beyond measurable."
"Haha! Nice one there. Any war films that you like?"
"Top Gun, Stalingrad, Saving Private Ryan, Enemy at the Gates and Black Hawk Down. There was just something magical when the earth shook under artillery bombardment, the sky roared with fighter planes and the air filled with blood and gore"
"Oh my… timeless classics among classics. You surely got great taste in movies.", Michael then thought for a few seconds and responded, "Hum.. They are completely opposite from your usual covert death dealer operations of the Vampire-Lycan War. While they are both wars, the scale and time was completely different."
"Precise observation, Michael. The Vampire-Lycan War is only a secret conflict and were at most skirmish in scale. Also as an ordinary vampire in the past, I can only fight night battles but never once in full on massive-scale open warfare under broad daylight. These war movies are just far too refreshing from my usual night operations."
"A soldier's mindset, always longing for combat."
"Yes but not anymore."
"Why?"
"Since I am now a renegade, there will be no more supplies. We are solely on our own and we need to avoid combat at all cost if we want to stay hidden in plain sight. Every combat encounter will expose us in full attention and further drain out our already low ammunition reserves."
"A fugitive mindset then."
"Precisely."
After a few minutes of silent driving, "By the way, can you please stop using the term 'mate' when others ask about our relationship? It gives people a very wrong impression."
"Like what?"
"Like we are some kind… some kind of kinky couple…"
"I don't see the problem. I am just stating the truth. There is nothing kinky about being honest."
"Errr…", Michael groaned irritatedly and mumbled, "You are hopeless…"
"What was that?"
"Nothing, just appreciating your extraordinary truthfulness."
"So it seems."
Michael sighed in defeat. He then loosened his dirty blonde hair into his usual form and used tissue paper to clean away his disguising makeup. Hungarian police warrant was no longer in effect since they were already deep within Romanian territory.
After another 30 minutes of silent driving, Michael asked her girlfriend again, "Selene?"
"Yes?"
"I wonder… What is your surname?... You know… it has been 4 months since we are together but I still don't know your full name. It would be a disaster if a partner didn't even know such basic information-"
Selene's instantly hardened. Her usual blank face turned into a scowling look. Michael knew that he just stepped on a landmine, "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine-"
"Kovács.", the vampiress hissed.
"Huh?"
"My surname, Kovács."
"Oh, so Kovács Selene then-"
"It is Kovács Anasztázia."
"Wait, What?"
"Kovács Anasztázia, that's my real name."
Normally Michael would stop talking or even breathing when Selene looked angry. Yet, he was taken by complete surprise from the sudden revelation and he decided to dig for more answers without a second thought, "Holy Jesus! Kovács Anasztázia? Really? Why didn't you tell me earlier? And what does Selene mean if that is not your real name?"
"...I have not used my real name for 601 years. When Viktor massacred my family and found me, he not only turned me into a vampire but also gave me a new identity - Selene. The name of the ancient Greek Moon goddess that stalked her prey by the moonlight. I know that Selene was strong and would rise like a phoenix to avenge her family. From that day on, I completely forsaken my past identity as Kovács Anasztázia and fully embraced my new self as Selene."
"But you don't need to hide it anymore, you know? You can be Anasztázia again-"
"No!", Selene suddenly shouted angrily, "On the day that my family was massacred, a part of me died. There is no more Anasztázia as I am reborn as Selene. Anasztázia was pathetic that she could not save her family. I hate her and I will never be that weakling again!"
"But Viktor is dead now. You slew him and avenged your family. You are clean from your guilt now. You can be your real self again. Why still torture yourself by using the identity given by your most hated foe?"
"Because I am ashamed of my inability, Michael. For 6 centuries I served the Vampire Covens as a loyal soldier, in the end, what do I get? I am nothing but a pawn! Every blood I spill, every battle in the Vampire Coven's name, all of it manipulated by a bloodthirsty monster that pretended to be my foster father! All my glory lies!..."
Selene then took a deep breath and calmed down a little from her outburst. She looked at Michael and spoke in her usual cold tone, but full of immeasurable sorrow this time, "There is nothing left to change… I cannot return to my older self. I am no longer Kovács Anasztázia the human, for she was weak; I am Selene the vampire, for I am strong. The name may be given by Viktor but it reminds me that I am far superior than him."
"You are just being too harsh to yourself. No matter how many centuries you suffer, no matter how many nightmares you endure, no matter how you name change, you are still Kovács Anasztázia in the end. This is the real name that your father gave you. Refusing it is like forsaking your father's memories."
"I avoid associating with my human past because I still cannot forgive myself for trusting a monster that butcher my family. For this, I... I am not worthy to bear my father's memories… The name Kovács Anasztázia just reminds me of too much pain… too much guilt… that I can never let go… Selene is strong, for she gives me a reason to stay strong and move on. For this reason alone, I don't plan to change my name back."
"I understand… but you do know you cannot stay like this forever, right? One day you have to forgive yourself and accept who you truthly are."
"I know… just… just not now… at least not at the moment."
"You just need time. I was exactly the same when Samantha passed away. I could not forgive myself and became an obscure loner. I thus came to Hungary for further self isolation. Then, it turns out that the long sorrow eventually paid off."
"How?"
"Because of you."
"Me?"
"Yes, only because of you. I fell in love again. It gives me the courage to move on, to face my inner demons and guilt, to face challenges and most importantly… forgive myself and be my true self again."
"I don't know how long it will take for my case."
"Selene, you can take eternity for all I care. We are both immortal so it doesn't matter how long you need. Just remember I will always be here for you, no matter what happens. Be it internal trauma or external threat, we will go through thick and thin together."
"Thank you Michael. I will keep that in mind. Your words meant the world to me."
After a few minutes of silence, Selene spoke again in an unusual soft tone, "Michael?"
"Yes?", Michael turned his head to face his lover.
"I love you.", Selene said as she gave a quick light kiss on Michael's lip. She then swiftly turned to focus on driving in a clumsy and embarrassed manner, with a bright red blush that almost resembled a fresh apple.
Michael was too stunned to give any response.
Oh my god! Did Selene just kiss me and said "I love you"? Holy moly! Finally, the three magic words! That's the first time she takes the initiative! Oh my god! This feels even better than we are having sex together!
During the rest of the journey, the couple stayed in awkward silence. Eventually, the quiet torture came to an end when they reached Zlatna, a town in Alba County, central Transylvania, Romania. Selene stopped her Maserati 3200 GT under the mountainous country park of Cheile Caprei. She checked the clock in the car, it was 4:15 pm.
She turned to her beloved mate and said, "Alright, this is it Michael. The safe house should be somewhere up in that mountain. Now sit tight."
"Sit tight? It isn't going to be any dangerous-" Michael said as he looked outside the car window, "Oh no."
All he could see was a near primal unpaved road, with countless steeps, rocks, silt and potholes. "Poorly maintained" was a luxurious understatement because the "road" was so uneven that it would definitely make the car swing and shake like a roller coaster during the upcoming ride. Not a good sign for motion perception, stomach and pelvis.
Michael died inside and asked Selene, "Can we walk?"
"No.", Selene continued with an invisible smirk, "Deal with it."
