Prelude to Something New

Subject: RE: Vampirism in Chicago report
Date: Sat, 13 October 2007 24:00:37
From: Syndicate Master Rurik
Reply-To: Agent Night Hawk
To: Agent Night Hawk

In regards to the report you have issued, along with the reports of Agent Phoenix, I must express my concern for your course of action in this mission. By associating so closely with Subject 150 Beta you endangered not only yourself, but your friends and colleagues as well as the hunters you were assigned to protect. You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment, and you are extremely fortunate that events did not take a worse turn than they did. I must impress upon you the seriousness of your actions during this mission, and insist that you rethink your methods for the future. Not only did you incite contact between yourself and Subject 150 Beta, whom you know better than any to be a serious threat, but you disobeyed direct orders that aforementioned Subject was to be eliminated. You and all those around you could easily have been killed or worse.

…Nevertheless, this mission has been deemed a success.

Subject 150 Beta – William Beckett – has been successfully reverted to humanity and is undergoing rehabilitation. While he is kept under constant surveillance, he is making excellent progress and we are hopeful that he will be fit for release very soon. Vampire activity has decreased by more than 40 in your area, and is continuing to do so. In addition, your report stated that one Pete Wentz was successfully treated with serum 123 and has reverted to his former human state. The Syndicate is greatly pleased with your results, although your methods need to be refined. Excellent work, Agent Night Hawk. We look forward to your next maneuver.

…I truly am very proud of you, Tanith. I may be hard on you, but it's only because I love you. I know that I forget that you are more resilient than I truly understand, but it's hard not to worry. I promised your mother and father that I would take care of you if something should happen to them. That's all I'm trying to do. I'm so proud of you…Emeline. Take care of yourself, all right?

With Love--
Syndicate Master Rurik Venator
(Uncle Rurik)

Tanith smiled as she read the e-mail her uncle had sent. She had expected him to be upset with her actions, but it was reassuring to know that in spite of that he was still proud of her. He even called her 'Emeline' again – Syndicate etiquette dictated that only family members refer to another by their born name, and then it was a sign of great affection. She glanced over her shoulder at Brendon, who was dozing on the ornate bed behind her, and smiled at him. It was three weeks since she had cured Pete, and things had changed drastically in the city. The band, including Tanith, Brendon, Émile, and Minuet, had cleared out a large percentage of the city's unwanted undead. The Dandies had disbanded for the most part, though a few stuck around with Tanith and Brendon. Those vampires that wouldn't be peaceful were either eliminated or driven out of the city. The hunters had moved into the mansion where the Dandies had resided, establishing it as their base of operations. Émile and Minuet returned to the Syndicate headquarters. The fear in the human inhabitants of the city was slowly but surely dissipating. No longer was everyone running scared in the streets, locking their homes at night and carrying crosses and garlic wherever they went; no longer were people found dead in the gutter on a regular basis. A sense of normalcy that the city hadn't known in years was returning. Those who had fled the city were starting to return. Andy, Joe, Patrick, and Pete had all been reunited with their families, all of whom were overjoyed that their sons were still alive and unhurt. Pete's parents were shocked that he was no longer a vampire, but they didn't bother asking questions. All that mattered was that they were all together again.

"This city belongs to us now," Tanith had told them. "We have to take care of it, put everything back in order again. For those vampires who want to stay, they will abide by our laws. Together we can save this city."

"Vampires and humans coexisted before," Pete had said. "We can again. It'll be different now that people know that vampires are real, but we'll still make it work. We can enforce the laws we make. We have the strength now."

Pete was right, as it turned out. Many Dandies had witnessed Pete stake William, and had spread the story around the city. Consequently the remaining vampires had decided to play nice. If Pete had been strong enough to defeat his sire, the most powerful vampire in the city, on his own, then he and his friends together were more than a force to be reckoned with. The hunters systematically met with the leaders of the vampire sects and discussed terms for living in the city. Those who reneged were dealt with immediately. But there were those who wanted to be human again, like Pete. Tanith and Émile provided for them, setting up a program for these individuals. Tanith was able to make three more doses of her antidote from the venom Émile had given her for Pete's cure, and those that had to wait for the next month were allowed to live in the mansion and were given the blood substitute that Patrick had created. It was a weird way of life, but it was a good one.

Tanith smiled and sighed as she thought about how far they had come in such a short time. She had accomplished everything she set out to do. So now what was left? Just to care of the city, like she promised? Or was there something more? She looked back at Brendon again, her smile fading. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened to William after she sent him to the Syndicate that night. She wanted to talk to him again, she how he had changed, if at all. Was he still the evil dictator he was as a vampire, or had he become the carefree, happy boy she had seen in the scrying mirror? Could he ever reclaim the innocence that was stolen from him the night he was sired, or did he even want to? Was he just acting for the Syndicate? Would he search for a vampire to sire him again when he was released? Tanith shook her head to clear it. No, she didn't believe that. She had seen the look in William's eyes when she had given him her cure. He may not have known what it was, but she knew in her heart that he would change.

"Hey, are you coming?" came Pete's voice from the doorway. "We're all going out for pizza. We'll order garlic-free," he added with a cheeky grin, which had been presenting itself more and more since he was cured.

Tanith laughed. "Yeah, lemme just finish up with my e-mails and I'll wake up Brendon and we'll join you in a few," she replied.

"All right, see ya in a few," agreed Pete, grinning still as he left. Tanith smiled after him before turning back to her computer. Moving the wireless mouse over her Phantom of the Opera mouse pad, she clicked on New to open a blank e-mail. Still smiling, she began to type:

Dear William…

-THE END-