-Chapter 22: Hammer and Anvil-
Angela let out a breath as she suddenly appeared out of thin air, setting Henry down on the couch that was bolted to the side of the plane and heading across the aisle to sit next to me. The Amazons watched the human girl with fascination, their thoughts flitting over the ease at which Angela carried a man twice her size with minimal effort.
Demetri finally climbed aboard, followed by two human pilots who quickly took their spots in the closed-off cockpit. The hatch to the outside was closed and the plane slowly backed up, taxiing to the runway. The takeoff was swift and without any questions or problems – like metal detectors – and I mentally applauded Demetri's effectiveness in acquiring transportation for us so quickly.
Angela's anxiety and fear spiked, causing my head to turn toward her on its own. Her hands gripped the armrests tightly, causing the metal to dent slightly under the superhuman pressure. I pushed a wave of calm and serenity toward her and her shoulders drooped significantly while her grip relaxed.
"So, it's not just flying on my back that you're opposed to," I mused aloud. Angela huffed out a nervous laugh.
"Nope. I'm actually very afraid of heights, so any sort of off-the-ground travel makes me anxious," she turned toward me and took a breath. "I guess it's a good thing I still can't see very well; I'm sure it would be worse if I could tell how high we are right now."
"You're welcome, I suppose," I smirked and glanced out of the window to my right, completely at ease with our altitude, even with my superior vision.
"Emily," Angela said my name softly and I turned back to her. "What are we going to do after this is all over? With the Volturi and these attacks?"
"Look at you, with your complete confidence," I laughed lowly and wiggled my eyebrows at her. "So, you're already thinking past the beat down we're going to give the Italian assholes?" She smiled back at the jest, but I could tell she was serious. "What do you want to do, Angela? It's not like you're going to run out of time; you have, essentially, an unlimited amount to play with."
"Well, what are you going to do?" Angela questioned and I shrugged immediately.
"I don't really like to think that far ahead," I told her honestly, though it was ironic considering my situation. "I'll probably re-acquire my company – or buy a new one – and continue with my work in chemistry."
"I should have finished my first semester of college by now," Angela whispered, as the mention of the field of science triggered a memory. A light tear sprung from her right eye, which she quickly wiped away as she ducked her head. I sighed at the unfortunate timing of waterworks, but did my best to placate her.
"Look, Angela, I'm not so good at giving heartfelt advice or any of that other psychology stuff," I paused. "But I'm pretty good at making promises and keeping them – when I have to, at least." I rolled my eyes. "And I can promise we'll kill the ones who were behind your boyfriend's death." I paused again. "And as for what happens after, well, that's up to you. Go to college or take time off; take a trip around the world if it pleases you."
"What should I tell my family?" Angela asked. "What can I tell them?" She felt troubled and I detected the faintest hint of regret slithering about her.
"Once again, that's up to you," I shrugged. "I'm not sure telling them about vampires and shape shifters would be the smartest thing, but it's not like you have to worry about the Volturi coming for you – they already are." A bit of color drained from her face at the reminder, even though we had been discussing it.
"I meant…about me?" Angela pursed her lips and wrung her hands. "About what I can do…and what I did to myself?" I leaned back in my seat and sighed.
"Being a meta-human is nothing to be ashamed of," I shook my head. "But it's not anything to flaunt around, either; I'm sure you've watched enough television to know how much of a hard-on the government would get to study you?" Angela nodded. "And as for the HLV2, my only restriction is that you wait until you are no longer contagious before explaining it to them. I have to keep it contained." My eyes flitted to Henry's immobile form, snoozing on the couch.
"Emily?" Angela asked again. I turned back to her. "Why are they so different than you are?" She gestured with her head to the Amazons; in her head, I could see Demetri and other faceless red-eyed vampires. "You're pale and your skin is cold like them, but in the sunlight you look completely different."
"I'm just a little strange," I shrugged. Angela rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Come on, I am serious," she breathed. "Are the Cullens like them or like you?"
"There's no one like me," I grinned. Angela's heartbeat spiked at the sight of my teeth, but I didn't turn down the wattage.
"Is it a secret or something?" Angela frowned. "I'll just…don't worry about it if you can't tell me; I was just curious." I shook my head.
"No, that's not it," I chuckled under my breath. "But what I did to get this way…well, I don't really think you'd want to be around me if you knew."
"You're a killer, I know," Angela pursed her lips as a mild wave of revulsion rolled off her. "I don't approve and I never will, but I still want to know why you don't sparkle in the sun." I cracked a small smile.
I was hesitant to tell Angela – her especially, considering her recent imprisonment. The way she thought of me now was acceptable, from my point of view. She hated that I killed people, but she wasn't afraid of me like I knew she would be if she was aware how similar the vampires who locked her up were to me.
Angela's thoughts were resolute; she wanted to know the whole story. I internally sighed and rolled my shoulders back. I supposed this could be the practice round for when I would be forced to explain to my brother how I was back from the dead. There was no question he would demand answers from me – miraculous resurrection was cause for inquiry.
"Alright," I held out my hand. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She hesitated for only a moment with her hand halfway extended before grabbing hold.
"Nice of you to show up," I said over my shoulder as I took out the tray out of the furnace, the red-hot metal gleaming. "Did you see any packages downstairs?"
"Sorry I'm late," a deep voice replied back quickly; I could imagine the look of anxiety painted on his face. "And no; no packages that I saw. What were you expecting?"
"Nosy," I chided, setting the tray down on the rack and stripping the gloves off. "But if you must know, I'm expecting some Platinum ore today; we're running low on Osmium."
"I just don't understand why you can't just order the damn Osmium, rather than go to all the trouble of smelting it yourself," his voice shifted into the smallest integer of confidence as he realized I wasn't upset at him for being a half-hour late. I turned around and gave him a look, which he rolled his eyes at, shedding his jacket and hanging it on a nearby chair. "Right, right, I forgot your obsession with purity."
"It's called dedication," I corrected.
"Of course, Miss Emily, whatever you prefer."
"Dr. Stein, would you kindly make sure the liquid Helium is prepared?" the good doctor let out a sigh, waves of disgust rolling off of him as he nodded.
"Again?" he asked. I nodded.
"Again."
Virgil wheeled in the tank carefully, setting it down near the entrance to my 'special' room, where he was not allowed. Jolts of regret and thoughts of the poor girl he had operated on hit me in waves, but I shook them off as best I could. It was foolish – but humane, I supposed – to shoulder part of the blame. Even though he had been under my orders and hadn't really harmed her at all, he loathed himself, I could tell.
"Will that be all, Ms. Emily?" Virgil's eyes were downcast.
"Yes," I nodded. "That will be all; thank you."
Virgil nodded and left, moving swiftly as he worked to put thoughts of the teenager in the other room out of his mind. I grabbed the tank and wheeled it inside the smaller room after Virgil had left, securing a hose to one of the valves. My eyes wondered over to the dead girl on the slab.
And she was dead; clinically, at least. Her skin was cool to the touch and the heartbeat monitor hooked up beside her was running a dim, silenced flatline. But despite this, she would live.
I wasn't one to gamble, so when the Volturi ran away after the confrontation, I knew the odds were good that they would come for me. I couldn't know what form they would use and I wouldn't rely on Alice's gift – there were too many ways around it that Aro knew about. No, this was my little secret – my pet project and contingency plan.
The girl's skin was pale now, and the bulging, purple bruises that had circled her neck were gone from the severe break. She looked healthier, too, and the sickly thinness from exsanguination was gone. Her heart didn't beat and she wasn't aware of anything, but she would wake in six hours or so if I were to leave her here.
I cleared the side table off, carefully removing one of the spare pumps and setting it inside the cabinet that held the others. I pulled on the protective suit that was hanging on the rack near the door and zipped it up, shuffling over to the control panel and turning on the air locks for the vacuum chamber. Once it had hummed to life, I lifted the dead girl with telekinesis and set her inside the coffin-like casing, sealing the door and turning to the dial on the wall.
I punched the button and turned the heat setting up to the correct level, taking several steps back as the insides of the chamber were super heated. Waves of hot air rolled off the machine like a bonfire as it hummed steadily. Once it winded down I went back over to the Helium Virgil had brought me, dragging it over to the chamber and extending the hose.
The harness latched over the hose and I cranked the tank's lever to the open position, letting the insanely-cold liquid flow into the chamber. Frost began to build on the walls of the chamber and the room temperature plummeted past normal and nosedived into a deep chill. I turned the lever back to the shut position and pressed the eject button, keeping my distance as the single digit Kelvin temperatures that were inside the chamber leaked outward.
I drew my knife and clutched it above the body, which was covered in ice crystals and gave off a bluish hue. The thick gloves on my hands stiffened at the frozen air that clung to the inside of the chamber and the cold bit into my skin, even through the protective layers. With a mighty thrust, I impaled the girl's chest with the knife, releasing it immediately as the Divinium frosted over.
The body cracked apart like glass, deep spider-web cracks traveling down her limbs and widening until pieces rended completely apart with a tinkling sound. I mentally pulled the pieces away from each other, the inside slices revealing solidified blood and venom.
The larger chunks shattered into tiny shards as I applied mental pressure, breaking down into large granules of metal, blood, and venom. I pulled out the knife with telekinesis and levitated it over to the work bench next to the cabinet full of pumps, immediately causing the room-temperature metal of the cabinet to shriek and groan as the frozen blade came into contact with it.
I hit the button on the control panel again and the chamber closed and retracted again. I pressed the 'incinerate' button and the furnace roared, shooting flames inside the closed-off case. Once the chamber ejected, there was nothing left but ash.
"Vampire venom isn't as mystical as you might think," I told Angela as I released her hand. Her eyes were still foggy as she processed what I had shown her. "I was able to create a variant that was capable of bonding completely with a less-potent form of Divinium.
"But the recipe was hard to gauge correctly and was difficult to synchronize with my implants, which is why I had so many experiments," I shook my head. "What I am – what those girls were turning into – it is difficult to undo. Vampires are similar to stone: they are hard and cold, but can still break apart and shatter. I am like metal."
"That's why you sort of…reflect light instead of sparkling?" Angela's eyebrows mashed together as she tried to follow. I nodded.
"Yes," I answered. "My cellular structure is not crystalline, like a regular vampire, but is instead metalloid."
"And your eyes?" Angela continued.
"An accident," I shrugged. "In regular vampires, the blood in their system turns their eyes red – animal blood is less compatible, and isn't strong enough to turn the iris crimson. The Divinium in my system rendered this phenomenon void; the physical components are still present in my body, but chemically, they are inert."
"But…you can still die?" Angela whispered, the girl in the chamber igniting playing out in her mind.
"Not easily," I amended. "Anything that is born can inevitably be killed – true immortality is impossible in the physical realm. My body is not purely Divinium; if it were, I would be unable to move at all, as the alloy is absolutely rigid. It still reacts to temperature like a metal, though, and therein lies my only weakness.
"If my body is superheated and then rapidly cooled, my cells become brittle: marginally weaker than a vampire's flesh. At that point, I can be pulled apart. My venom burns like anything else, so if it were to be exposed I would be vulnerable." I gave her a long look. "I'm only telling you this because the likelihood of me being killed, now, is practically zero. Don't think a little dip in a fire pit will end me." Angela nodded almost imperceptibly, eyeing my chest.
"Are the…implants? Are they still in there?" Angela blushed at the personal question, but I honestly didn't mind.
"Some," I shrugged. "I could dig them out if I really wanted to, but cutting into my skin would dull a Divinium blade; I'm fine leaving them in since they don't really bother me."
"But how did they even work?" Angela asked, mentally trying and failing to imagine how a small pump could revive me.
"They kept me alive, but just barely," I rubbed the spot on my chest where the scar used to be. "The pump kept my blood circulating slowly so the venom could spread and low-power electrodes kept my brain charged. A small tank implant kept Oxygen in my system as well, but that was really all there was. The implants didn't really revive me, they just kept me alive enough for the venom to take hold." Angela nodded and thought for a moment.
"How many?" Angela asked. I gave her a questioning look. "How many girls did you kill?" I leaned back in my seat and broke eye contact.
"Three," I answered. Angela nodded robotically and turned away from me, sinking into her seat and curling up into a ball. Her mind flashed with random, incoherent slips of memories, and I attempted to tune out to give her some mental privacy. I got up out of my seat and maneuvered over to Demetri and the Amazons, near the front of the plane.
"You should call and warn them," Zafrina supplied as I sat down amongst the three vampires near the front of the plane. "They need to know?" Her red eyes flitted only once to Angela.
"The wolves?" I asked.
"And the Cullens," Zafrina added. "They are attached to the tribe of shape shifters and would want to know of an attack."
"We don't even know for sure if there is going to be an attack," I corrected.
"This is not true," Zafrina shook her head. "If you were so unsure of your premonition, you would not have rushed to get to Washington as you did." She gave me a penetrating look with her deep burgundy eyes. "It is cruel to keep your survival from your family – especially your brother. Why haven't you let them know you are alive?"
My gaze met the floor as Zafrina chastised me. It was true, calling Ryan should have been one of the first things I did once I learned the Volturi was out to kill my family regardless, but I didn't. I felt a strange sort of shame at being killed. Objectively, I knew Ryan would be ecstatic that I was still alive – albeit a vampire – but the primitive part of my brain wanted to hide from him. I hated that I was bested by a single vampire – and it wasn't even a vampire; it was a hybrid.
"Turnabout is fair play," I chimed back, using the excuse I had rationalized to myself. "Ryan could have called me when he was changed to be in Victoria's newborn army, after all."
"So you understand how it feels to lose a sibling," Zafrina's eyes narrowed. "And you would still make your brother grieve for you?" Senna hissed in agreement.
"Yes," I met her stare, not willing to back down. "Now, do you have a phone I can use?"
"Here," Demetri drew my attention to his outstretched hand that held a small black flip phone. "Don't worry; it's approved for use during flights." I nodded and took the phone without comment, quickly typing out a quick message for the Cullens before I punched in the number for Billy's house.
"Hello?" a tired voice answered after several rings. I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced at the time: 5:02 AM. It was even earlier in Washington.
"Billy Black?" I replied into the receiver. "This is Emily Ambrose." There was a pause.
"It's good to hear that you're OK, Emily," Billy's voice came through the phone softly. "But since it's so damn early, I'm guessing this isn't a social call?" I smiled into the phone and huffed at his dry remark.
"You're right, it isn't," I affirmed. "Another newborn army is coming your way soon, Billy, and this time the target is the tribe."
"What?" Billy's voice was instantly alert, void of the sleepy quality it held before. "Why?"
"It's a long story that can't really be covered over the phone, but I'll be there soon with some friends to help out."
"The Cullens-" Billy started.
"Already know," I interrupted. "I sent them a text before I called you, so they should be leaving soon. I just wanted you to know that I'll be coming onto your land, so put a leash on Paul or something."
"What about…" Billy cleared his throat. "Is it safe for the tribe for you to be here?"
"I have control now, Billy," I told him honestly. I checked Billy's mental signature, realizing we were only a couple hours away from landing in Seattle. "Give the council and the pack the heads up and I'll see you later today."
"OK," Billy sighed and grunted as the sounds of the phone shifting position came out of the speaker. "We'll be ready."
The call ended with a click and I handed the phone back to Demetri, who pocketed it and sat back down. I closed my eyes and concentrated, opening the pathways to allow a vision to pass through.
I saw Ryan sitting in a room with the Denali clan and the rest of the Cullens, discussing the text I had sent. They were worried about the Volturi takeover, which they had found out about already, and Ryan's future flickered out of existence as he decided to go into the kitchen. I switched from subject to subject, sampling each individual's future as I struggled to see around the dim blind spots that the wolves and Renesmee created.
There were two others with the group that hadn't been there before. In some futures – brief flickers that barely existed at all – Ryan will try to kill them. He never succeeds, but the intent is clear. The two vampires came into focus for a moment before I pulled out of the vision.
"What did you see?" Zafrina asked as I opened my eyes. I looked at Demetri.
"Two of the Volturi have joined the rest of the Cullens: Renata and Heidi," Demetri's lips twitched minutely, though I could tell he was excited by the news. "Carlisle got the text and they will plan on heading back to Forks – they will leave soon; probably in an hour or two." I concentrated on Ryan's mental signature and found it with the others in Alaska.
"They are still in Alaska," Demetri confirmed with a nod. "We should arrive several hours before they do."
"What if I breathe on them or something?" Angela exclaimed as the car I had 'borrowed' pulled up to her house in Forks. I could hear the thumping of a heartbeat inside and noticed the curtain over the window pull back. "What if I infect them?"
"You'll be fine," I reassured her for what must have been the third time. "Just stay away from sharp objects and don't bleed on them and you'll be perfectly fine – the infection is on its way out anyway, so the odds that they would catch it are very low."
"Alright," Angela sighed, opening the car door and stepping onto the rundown sidewalk. "Pick me up in a few hours, though; don't even think of leaving me out of the fight!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," I rolled my eyes and leaned over to shut the passenger side door, giving her a wave goodbye as I pulled away from the curb and headed for the highway out of town. When there weren't any other cars within sight, I pulled over and got out of the vehicle, blurring into the forest and following the mental trail toward Demetri and the Amazons.
"Angela was reunited with her parents?" Zafrina asked as I came into the clearing they were in, about a mile away from the Quileute border.
"Only one parent was home," I told her. "But yes, she made it there." I turned to Demetri, who had his hands folded behind his back as he stood off to the side. "Any problems with Henry?"
"No, Emily," Demetri shook his head. "I gave him the sleeping aid and placed him in the hotel room as requested; he should be out for some time." I nodded and cocked my head, taking in the scents and sounds of the forest.
"Shall we go?" I asked, eliciting three nods of the head. "Follow me, then."
The trip to the border was short, and I followed the scent trail that acted as a warning barrier around the territory. Eventually, a howl rang out through the dense forest, followed by the deep thudding of large heartbeats and the pounding of paws on bracken. The four of us halted and allowed the wolves to come to us, the putrid smell growing stronger as the wind shifted and blew their stink toward us.
I recognized Sam and Paul immediately, the two of them leading the pack of four wolves that slunk toward us cautiously. The ones behind them seemed slightly smaller, though not by much. The bigger of the two looked much like Jacob's wolf form, but its fur had more of a brown color to it. The second was a washed-out brown – almost grey – color, and had lighter fur near his paws.
"Sam," I nodded, who gave a mental greeting in return.
Emily, Sam thought to me, obviously knowing I was able to read thoughts. The elders are waiting for us with the rest of the pack; we will escort you there.
The Obsidian wolf gave an Alpha command to the smaller wolves, Collin and Brady, to patrol the area while the meeting took place. Sam turned and darted into the trees, the four of us following him while Paul brought up the rear. I could hear his mental whining about the leech scent he had to put up with as he trailed behind, but he wouldn't trust us enough to have his back to us like Sam did.
Our group went swiftly through the darkening forest, toward the scent of saltwater and the sound of rippling waves. A bonfire came into sight through the thick limbs, burning brightly on the rocky beach. The sun was fading over the water, glowing nearly the same color of orange as the flames the various pack members and tribe leaders were gathered around.
Unease was the emotion of choice on both sides as the ones around the fire took notice of us. Sam and Paul shifted quickly and pulled on shorts, leading Demetri, Senna, Zafrina, and I toward the fire. The Amazons' gait changed perceptively, shifting into a cautious, tense stride that made Demetri look calm and collected. He wasn't, though; beneath the composed façade, he studied every muscle twitch and slight movement as he glided along.
"Welcome back, Emily," Billy clasped my smaller hand in his larger one. My throat blazed at the pumping blood so nearby and the warmth of his skin made warmer from the heat the fire radiated.
"It is good to be back," I replied with a smile, swallowing the venom that sloshed against my tongue.
I took a seat on an empty log that nobody sat near – others were on their own logs, chairs, or forwent comfort and sat on the rocky ground. Zafrina and Senna sat on the other end, hip to hip, and Demetri stood quietly behind us. It didn't slip my mind that the ex-guard tended to treat me like his master, always revolving around me and following my orders without question – even subtly guarding me, like he was now.
My eyes widened in awe as I scanned the gathered crowd, who watched us as we watched them. I had long since grown accustomed to filtering out sensory data that I didn't require, like my Synesthesia often supplied me with, but the intensity of what I was seeing could not be pushed aside. Marcus' ability manifested itself brightly in those surrounding the fire.
Threads of transient light connected every one of the wolves together; Sam was at the center of the 'web,' but other branches wove in and around the others. The connections were impressive, no doubt, but they were mere string compared to the chains between each wolf and their imprint. Jared was linked to Kim so absolutely, so concretely, that it was easy to consider them a single unit and Sam and the woman who sat next to him, the other Emily, were bonded just as tightly.
I was…baffled. I had seen this all before as a meta-human since I still was human when I acquired the ability from the Volturi leader, but it was different now for some reason. My gaze shifted to Sue Clearwater, who was nestled next to the old, wrinkled Quil; even her bond could be seen, though the other end didn't lead to anyone around the fire. I smirked; it must still be Charlie she's seeing.
"So," Billy began as he took his seat, speaking with authority in his voice. "You say there are vampires coming for the tribe?"
"Yes," I nodded. "The Volturi are coming here to kill you and the rest of the tribe."
"We've stopped them before; we can do it again!" Paul boasted. I shook my head and gazed at the embers burning hot in the fire.
"Not like this."
End notes: Oh wow, I am so sorry it's been so long.
To the kind reviewer, I believe I answered your two questions but I'll put them here as well in case you suddenly forgot what you read and need to be refreshed. Yes, Emily can still be killed even though she is super-hard to kill. Powers that work on her are a little iffy, but it's not quite time to get into that (some work on her, some don't). She's made of a more 'biologically friendly' type of Divinium that is less dense than her knife and allows her to have the same mobility and flexibility of normal vampires.
Stay classy.