All Hell Breaks Loose
Chapter 50 : Derezzed
The rapid movement of fingers across the keys of the computer keyboard were like music to Russell's ears. He smiled as he sat back and listened while he sipped his drink. The blood had a hint of almond flavor due to the human having feasted on the nut for a few days and it was mixed with just a few drops of rich cream.
"High quality security has been added," the vampire child said before he blew a bubble with his gum. He had claimed to be one of the best hackers in the country when he was turned and he lived up to his brag. He was able to hack into that Deserve a Choice website, deleted it and started to build the site to Russell's desires.
"Are you certain no one will crack it?" Russell asked before he took another sip.
"Positive. They guard dog codes that I put up along with multiple firewalls have made it impossible to get into." He paused to chew a bit more. "Or should that be impassible?"
"I don't care what you call it. I just want to make sure that no one can get through."
"Oh trust me no one can. If they want to set up again they are going to have to find a new server, not even the host can delete this."
"Let them have their corner to cry into," Russell grumbled. Deserve a choice? That was to laugh at. Humans don't have any choice in the matter when it comes to vampire affairs. They should be pleased and honored to be given the gift of immortality.
"Your majesty might I have a word?" Ammon asked when he stuck his head in the doorway.
"My Golden boy you will always have my ear," Russell said with a smile. "You may enter."
"I have a few questions about our current state of affairs," Ammon said. "You sought to punish the Dallas wolf pack."
"That didn't work out too well," Russell reminded him.
"You have many cells of wolves as you once put it. Do you not want to have them all band together and strike out all the wolves of the state?"
"Bad idea," Russell told him. "There would still be stragglers around to round up other packs in other states and history tends to repeat itself, when the wiz kid here is done I want you to look up the story on the Alamo."
"I understand but we should not back down."
"We won't." He took another sip from his glass and left the room. He walked down many halls ignoring everyone whether they be a vampire, a werewolf or a witch or a shifted and continued to the room that was set up as the lab.
"Hey bossman," the middle aged werewolf scientist greeted him. He was wearing his lab coat and goggles.
"Doctor West?" Russell asked as he tried to remember.
"You are thinking of Doctor Wess, and no I'm James Herbert, Doctor James Herbert of course."
"How is it coming along?" Russell asked. He didn't care about the names of his chemists.
"Pretty good," Herbert said as he led Russell to a large container filled with a glowing clear liquid. He had been informed the liquid was from fairy blood that it was the essence of light. It was the key element that kept vampires from combusting at least for a certain time.
"How much longer until it's perfected?" Russell demanded. It had been weeks since that little bitch had some of her blood taken before she was released. If he knew then what he knew now then they would have not let her go.
"Not certain. One of the test subjects has been sitting out all day from sunrise to sunset to be exact but well the days are shorter and while he is not one of the newer vampires he was still less than a century old.
"We will find out tomorrow then?"
"Well no he went out again but only lasted a couple more hours."
Russell cured in Gaelic as he walked around the lab. He paused at the refrigerator that contained the blood from the other hybrids that his soldiers have captured. He paused again when he reached the centrifuge, and the other devices used to separate the fairy essence from the blood. There were the microscopes, the vials and the beakers and petridishes. There were also various magical knick knacks: mirrors, stones, branches from various trees, glyphs and runes that were drawn in.
"Please don't touch those," one of the witches said. Russell remembered her name as Meadow and preferred the term sorceress to witch. She had her mouse brown hair cut short in a boring bob style. She wore dull colored clothes that were baggy on her chubby frame. She even wore thick black framed glasses. The only detail that made her stand out was her heterochromia. One eye was a medium shade of brown while the other was blue green.
"I know how you witches like to keep all of your items in order," Russell said as he stepped away from the table and made himself dash to where he was only an inch in front of her. "But remember you are a human with a gift. Do not talk to your superiors like that again or you will be my next dinner.
"You must be careful," Meadow said. She did not flinch.
"Your majesty I hope I'm not stepping out of bounds but she is one of the best," Herbert said in a nervous tone. "She just suffers from a bit of OCD. Gets really upset if anything is out of place."
"If your and the rest like you were not useful I would have you eaten a long time ago," Russell said to the witch. He needed both to develop the sun walking elixir. The witches fused the magic with the science trying to increase the amount and helping it bond with the cells of the vampires.
"You must be careful," Meadow said again. "You will get what you want and more."
"More? Why would or should I be wary of that?"
"Because it would be more than you bargained. There have been heart beats and the breath of life. The change of color."
"The side effects," doctor Herbert said. "A few of the test subjects have experienced temporary heart beats, having to breath for a few minutes and the color of their skin has changed also briefly."
"The jolt of the sun made the hearts beat am I correct?" Russell asked and waited for the scientist to nod. "As for breathing. All vampire can breath." He inhaled deeply and exhaled. "The keyword is can and not must. We don't need to breath, but we can if we want."
"They felt like they had to breath."
"Are you certain it isn't psychological?"
"I am not certain about that, but that doesn't explain the change in pigmentation."
"You just need to work on it. Keep on improving the formula and keep testing." One way or another he will walk in the sun again.
Bon Temps.
Eric had grabbed the last of the books that were on the tallest shelves and brought them down for Anya. She had wanted to know if there were any cook books around and after hearing from Bill that there were a few she was set on finding thm.
"Oh thank you," Anya gave him a hug and grabbed his arm. "Tall and strapping Viking that is for certain."
"You are not the first that have done that," Eric said while trying to keep back a smile. "You are not the first to say that."
"First nun?"
"I have pillages across many lands that have many religious women and many of them have swooned when they laid their eyes upon me."
"Some one certainly likes to brag," Lawrence said. He was leaning against the wall and munching on an apple.
"I only speak of the truth," Eric said to the man. "Have you not any admirers?"
"I don't like to kiss and tell," Lawrence said before he took another bite.
"Not many then?"
"Sookie is right, you really are a child."
"Honestly," Anya said and shook her head. She looked through the titles of the books and blew off the dust.
"Lawrence?" Valentino approached them with his dark wavy hair slicked back. "I need to borrow your car."
"Going shopping?" Eric asked.
"I need to get more mint, peppermint since it doesn't effect Hailey. I also need to get honey, ginger, oranges and meadowsweet."
"Go on," Lawrence said as he fished his set of keys from his pocket and threw it at him.
"Thank you," Valentino said after he had caught it. "I won't be too long."
"I trust ya."
"Ah," Anya said as she held up one of the books. "Fine southern cooking."
"How long will you be with that?" Eric asked out of curiosity.
"A while," Lawrence answered. "She will take a bit of time to read it and analyze each recipe." He took another bite of his fruit and headed off towards the direction of the den.
Eric decided to follow him. Steve was still on the phone with either the AVL or the Authority and was seated on the couch. Jessica was pointing out the site that got hacked to Bill and Pam was talking to someone else. Jason kept wandering back and forth with Steve and Jessica. Ismene, Cassidy and Hailey were unpacking boxes that contained various decorations.
"On the tenth?" Steve gasped out loud. "That does not give people enough time to prepare." He paused to listen. "So you have already had those rides built and set up and they will be ready." He paused again. "Yes I will ready to fly to New York tomorrow and be on the Daily Show. I'll just go and purchase a ticket. I already have a seat purchased and waiting and you will send a limo to pick me up." He blinked. "No Tru Blood will be enough. I don't need to bite someone. I know we will talk soon."
"You are going to be on the Daily Show?" Jason asked as soon as Steve had hung up.
"Seems like," Steve said. "They want me to promote the Holiday Carnival."
"Is that going to be like the Festival of Tolerance?" Bill asked.
Eric had shuddered at the mention of the Festival and remembered what had happened the last time.
"It's like an actual carnival," Steve said. "Like a county fair but held in various cities at the same time with rides and booths. There will be aspects from the different holidays and how different countries and cultures celebrate it including us vampires."
"That sounds delightful," Ismene said as she pulled out a wreath.
"Well there will be one just outside of Shreveport," Steve said. "I have to either be at that one or the one in Dallas."
"You will be at the one in Shreveport," Pam told him before she turned to Eric. "I request that you stay behind."
"What if Sookie decides to attend this?" Eric asked.
"Then she will go," Bill said. "You don't have to be everywhere she is."
"If I'm not going then neither are you, safety reasons of course," Eric told him. "But I will let Sookie know." He will also find some way to be at that carnival. He will be with her.