Chapter 1: The Emergence
A/N: First, let me start off by saying that this fic is nearly three years in the making. The Blade trilogy has been among my favorites since I was really young. Wesley Snipes absolutely bodied the role of Blade and it's never once left my mind even after all these years. There's something truly magical and tantalizing about the character and I just needed to write a fanfic about it. Truthfully, I was going to wait until the Blade remake was released but I'm not sure if that's still happening at this point so I just said whatever. This first chapter is basically laying the groundwork while the second one will be heavily focused on character dynamics. Anyway, I really hope everyone enjoys it!
Downtown Warehouse District - 1:27 A.M
Chicago, Illinois
October 18, 1998
Kaia Emerson laid her tools on the surface of the lab table once more, hands flexing to relieve themselves of stiff joints.
She rubbed over her eyes to will the sleep and heaviness away. She can't count how many times she'd yawned in the last hour. She'd been up for nearly three days by this point and it was starting to negatively wear on her. Not to mention, her focus had already drifted several times.
Since she'd been operating off so little sleep, it was taking longer to make the necessary modifications to the host of weapons in their inventory. It certainly wasn't a walk in the park, dealing with high-powered machinery that is. For anyone, it takes time, skill, and energy, the latter of which she was severely lacking at the moment.
Having spent countless hours making a number of alterations on the Benelli M3 shotgun for the purpose of supporting silver hollow point bullets was no easy feat but she made it happen. She carefully placed the weapon back into the armory that contained several rifles and handguns.
Fortunately, the work she was engaged in provided enough stimulation to where it wasn't mind numbingly boring. She'd been at it for hours now and she still wasn't anywhere near done.
Oddly enough, this is how she spends most of her nights. If someone had told her a year ago that she would be making weapons for a vampire hunting sect instead of living a normal life, she thought that they were in need of some mental assistance. However, she would soon come to learn that in life nothing can truly be outside the realm of possibility.
The lab was filled with power supplies, centrifuges, computers, auto and scrap parts. An old western was playing on a small television set nearby, providing background noise to an otherwise quiet atmosphere.
Abraham Whistler, a man of decent morality happened to like listening to the sounds of old westerns as opposed to watching them while he worked. Like her, he'd been tinkering with a few of his own gadgets.
Naturally, she and Whistler typically work on separate projects at their own individual work spaces.
With her extensive knowledge in mechanical and chemical engineering and his intellectual understanding of both mechanical and biological engineering the two of them made for quite a practical team. Not only that but the two of them have shared ideas and created a number of useful inventions and weapons to aid in their cause.
Due to her personal preference for order and cleanliness while she worked, she and Whistler were frequently at odds about his messiness and how he often left equipment strewn haphazardly about the workshop. From her perspective, there wasn't any need to make it any more cluttered than it already was but according to him, everything was in its rightful place. At the very least, they both could understand the other's sentiments and while it still caused many arguments between the two of them, the pair managed to compromise and work peacefully afterwards.
However, even with both of them working quietly alongside one another in companionable silence, the old man could tell when she was distracted.
When someone finds out that something like a vampire actually exists, they sort of question everything about life and she was no different. When the impossible suddenly becomes possible, there wasn't much that really mattered anymore. Questioning everything landed her in a makeshift workshop creating high-tech weaponry for the purpose of hunting vampires.
As far as she was concerned she'd always been determined to make a difference in the world, it didn't matter how that was achieved. But as of late, the female engineer felt incredibly pensive.
After having been shown the truth, Kaia feels as though she'd been watching the world through a filter. Had she kept on living normally in spite of what she'd learned, she likely would've lived an unremarkable life and that wasn't what she wanted. Once she aligned herself with the vampire hunting pair, she immediately found herself on a quest to become a part of something bigger than herself.
Instead of continuing on with her life normally, she chose to become a part of something bigger.
Besides, the woman loved what she did and fortunately there was genuine need for her expertise.
"You're distracted." The older male noted voice low and gravely.
She quickly averted her gaze towards him.
He had on his standard denim pants and worn pullover. Face marred by wrinkles he still maintained a relaxed demeanor as he hobbled forward, left leg encased in a metal brace. His age showing in his slightly unkempt shoulder-length hair and white beard.
Their dynamic was an unconventional one - since she could be considered an ally to their cause. The odd pair only saw her as an asset due to her expertise.
Even in his old age, the seasoned vampire hunter retained his perceptiveness as his keen blue eyes studied her for a moment.
"I'm just a little tired."
Given that her late grandfather was an auto mechanic who used to teach her how cars worked, his reasoning being that she wouldn't have to rely on anyone if she ever had car trouble. In a lot of ways, Whistler definitely reminded her of her grandfather. Both men and old men set in their ways but ultimately meant well in the grand scheme of things.
"It won't do you any good waiting for him."
Now it was her time to turn on him.
"Who said I was waiting for him?" She irritatingly shot back.
His thin lips spread into a small smirk. "No one. Not exactly the type of thing that needs to be said when it's obvious."
"Why would I ever stay up for someone like him?" She quietly mused, fiddling with her hands.
Whistler snorted derisively.
"He's a hard-ass…keeps to himself mostly. But he's got a good heart." He speaks in a soft, raspy voice.
She scoffs, not wanting to engage on the topic any further. "Just what do you know, old man?"
Amusement sparked in the elder's eyes at her reaction and he barely let the appearance of faint smirk cross his lips. Despite him being a mostly hardened old man, it was relatively easy to forget that underneath there was also a playful, teasing side that came with a special kind of humor.
"I know enough." He murmured.
Regardless, the old man clamped his hand on her shoulder gently. "You should get some rest, start fresh in the morning."
Considering the man's words, she supposed he was right. She was practically running on fumes on this point and could really benefit from some sleep.
Without another word, the tired woman stood from the chairs, reaching over to turn off her small desk lamp before walking towards the stairs.
Slowly and carefully, Kaia made her way up the creaking steel steps to the upper level where the individual living quarters were.
Given that there were a number of rooms on the landing her designated quarters reminded her of a loft style bedroom; it's as nice as a makeshift bedroom could possibly be that's located in an old, worn warehouse. It consisted of a slightly elevated mattress situated on a wooden crate.
Even with all so many industrial features, the most she could do was try decorating it to her liking and make it more comfortable. With the high ceiling, exposed brick walls, metal beams and concrete floors, it definitely wasn't the typical bedroom. Nonetheless, she admired the large fixed windows that let in generous amounts of moonlight and sunlight.
The call of her bed was just too overwhelming to ignore and she found that she was way too tired to do her twenty minute night routine before bed. Kaia lifted her t-shirt above her head before reaching into the nearby drawer to retrieve a spaghetti strap shirt to sleep in. After changing shirts, the woman proceeded to gather her waist-length braids back and wrap a scarf around her head.
Following this, she climbed into the softness of her bed, sighing at the relief it brought before settling on her side facing away from the window. She lay there for a while, eyes closed and waiting for sleep to find her.
Oddly enough, even if a person's body was exhausted, that didn't necessarily mean that their brain would allow them to fall asleep so easily. At times like these she usually allowed her mind to run endlessly and there was one particular memory she tended to reminisce on. The memory of her first encounter with the undead and the man who regularly roams the streets to hunt them…
Six months earlier…
Even as a young child, Kaia had always wanted to know how the world worked. As a young child who used to take apart her toys just to put them back together again, she'd say that the desire to learn had manifested quite early. Having obtained her mechanical engineering degree and relocating to Chicago to take an offered position several months ago, Kaia considered it her first professional job since college.
Apart from a much older woman that worked in Human Resources, Kaia was the only other female who worked at her company. Due to that fact, she was often met with unwanted attention from her male counterparts or wasn't truly taken seriously in her position. For her, it can be incredibly frustrating and daunting at times to have to manage that.
Considering that the engineering field was overwhelmingly male-dominated, she wasn't shocked that as a black woman she hadn't yet found her place within it. Through her life, she's faced a variety of social and cultural difficulties so to feel so out of place with her chosen career field was peculiar.
For a while, the senior engineers were not all that welcoming or helpful to any newcomers, believing that beginners needed to prove themselves beforehand. Given that she wasn't in the business of begging or kissing anyone's ass, there would be no 'proving herself' to anyone. She was capable of finding her own way and learning by experience. Adversely, this stubborn, self-assured mindset had still left her feeling somewhat isolated within the workplace.
She just hoped that in the near future, the field expanded to include a fully diversified range of people.
Unfortunately, tonight was a night she ended up working late due to a missed deadline. The project wasn't exactly something she could put off. In fact, if she did then she would fall behind and at the risk of that happening, she needed to finish it as soon as possible. By the end of everything, she'd acquired over four hours of overtime in the process but she still managed to finish by eleven.
After gathering her belongings, she headed out of the office building for the night, giving a nod to the building security guard Rob on the way out.
The night air was fairly cool by normal fall standards, the temperature often drifting between the high fifties and low sixties as stepped into it, subsequently burying her hands in her coat pockets as walked. From where she currently was, it was a ten minute walk to the subway station.
Following her shift, she typically commutes on the train for about twenty minutes then walks back home the remaining fifteen minutes. The underlying danger that comes from simply walking home at night as a lone woman was ever-present. Quite frankly, the young woman hadn't lived in the city long enough to get used to its inner workings. There was no telling what could take place in the nocturnal city streets of Chicago.
The streets are mostly empty save for the occasional passerby or lady of the night hanging about the corners looking for clients.
Realistically, her chances of getting robbed or attacked were high just based on her being a woman. Because of this, she made sure to keep a steady pace and avoid areas without the proper overhead lighting since it was among the safest options she could muster aside from carrying self-defense items.
The easily recognizable rustle of leaves scattering along the ground, faint arguing voices, and accelerating cars passing by reached her ears in typical fashion.
Eventually, Kaia reached the underground subway station, carefully descending the concrete steps one by one.
Additionally, riding the subway so late at night came with its own set of hazards. Despite there being significantly less people riding the subway at this time of night, that didn't necessarily mean that sketchy characters weren't lurking about. Frankly, she still held mixed feelings about commuting but being left without a vehicle made things really complicated.
Luckily, there were only a handful of people waiting for the coming train, standing in relative silence. Nevertheless, she walked a few cars down, hoping to enter one alone.
The first ten minutes spent on the train were unremarkable and tranquil as a train ride could be. That is until she could feel a person's gaze practically burning into her person.
After a while, she began to feel a strange sensation dancing along her senses but she ignored it. The innate sense that knows when a person is watching them was deeply ingrained somewhere in human evolutionary neuroscience. Some might even consider it a powerful intuition that makes one hyper aware.
She thought she might just be imagining it, until she looks up and her gaze lands on another pair of eyes some distance away.
The man stares unapologetically, not at all bothered that she'd caught him doing so. Strangely, the male wasn't ashamed that he'd been caught, in fact, he appeared rather delighted that she'd noticed his scrutiny. As a matter of fact, he chose to smile at her, flashing a set of unusually sharp canine teeth.
He wasn't necessarily doing anything out of place, he was simply staring - staring directly at her. And he wasn't covert about it either. Not only that but there was something highly unusual about his eyes that only heightened the unease she felt.
As a result, the woman merely opted to avert her gaze and avoid further eye contact.
The remainder of the train ride is decidedly tense. Once the train slows to a stop, Kaia wastes little time getting up from her seat and exiting the car. From there, she continues on toward her apartment complex some blocks away.
While walking, it didn't take her long to realize that another set of footsteps had begun to overlap her own. Judging by the sound of footsteps from behind her, it was clear that she wasn't alone. By this point, her situational awareness had kicked into overdrive.
In any circumstance, the woman remains aware of her surroundings and on high alert for potential threats. No matter what there was always an inherent risk. Curious, the woman glanced behind her for a moment, only to see the very same man walking in the same direction as her. He'd clearly exited the train when she did.
Could it be that he was simply traveling in the same direction as her before eventually heading off elsewhere?
Even though the anxious woman desperately wanted to give them the benefit of doubt in the moment, the malice in his eyes on the train spoke of nothing but questionable intent.
Fear and paranoia can be powerful and misleading emotions and she briefly considered the possibility that she may be overanalyzing everything. Regardless of the circumstances, Kaia trusted her gut more than anything and it was currently telling her that she was being followed.
With that realization, Kaia's heart slammed in her chest, a sliver of adrenaline starting to coarse through her veins despite attempting to remain outwardly calm. She didn't know what the man's intentions were but she wasn't looking to find out.
Truthfully, the female technologist would prefer to get to a safe place rather than confront the creep but the former might not be achievable at this juncture.
In order to gauge his exact position, she occasionally chanced a look over her shoulder to ensure that he wasn't getting too close. As the sound of his footsteps grew louder, Kaia gripped the small canister of mace in her coat pocket, silently wishing that her taser wasn't so deep in her bag. An attempt to try and fish it out would only make her pursuer aware, putting her in an even more vulnerable position.
On top of that, she didn't want to risk inadvertently leading him to the apartment building where she lived. The very thought of him knowing where she lived was terrifying enough. At this juncture, she knew her options were limited. Being followed was an extremely frightening scenario for anyone to be in. It took less than a second to realize that her even pace had shifted into a brisk power walk, eyes darting warily to search for a possible escape route to deter the male from further pursuing her.
Kaia then proceeded to a well-lit area where she could possibly be spotted by another person. She tried everything, from turning on multiple corners and crossing the street. The man continued following in similar fashion, obviously aware that she was onto him.
A snicker echoed along the alleyway, practically off its walls and into her ears in alarming fashion.
Pushing down the mode of fear that gripped her, Kaia quickly turned around to the perceived danger, fingers ready to apply pressure to the tiny spray nozzle. Thoroughly prepared to make the lowlife sorely regret that he decided to pursue her in the first place only to be shocked to find an empty backstreet facing back at her - the man seemingly nowhere in sight.
An eerie silence and leaves blowing along the pavement was the only sound that reached her ears this time. It made her question whether or not the man following her had been a figment of her tired brain and imagination. And if that were the case, she desperately needed to go home and get some rest.
Intending to continue on her normal path and turned around only to find the man now standing in front of her. Kaia immediately jumped back at the sight of him.
"It's pretty late for a lady to be walking around by herself…need someone to walk you home?" He drawled sweetly.
"No, I'm fine."
"Aww don't be like that. It's not safe, lots of dangerous people are out tonight."
"You mean people like you?" She said as she took up a defensive posture.
He left out a booming laugh in response.
The man then paused, lips pulling back to reveal sharp, elongated canines. The length of his teeth certainly weren't normal by any standards. More than ever, every single physical aspect about the stranger appeared glaringly abnormal.
Sheer panic gripped her.
Taking a hesitant step backwards, Kaia could feel the fear she deliberately concealed to confront him suddenly came rushing back.
Everything shifted in a split second.
The man moved too fast for her eyes to follow - his hand shot out to wrap tightly around the delicate portion of her neck and slammed her into the nearby concrete wall. Mouth agape, Kaia struggled to take in air, her heartbeat accelerating at a rapid pace. She wasn't sure if she even possessed the capacity to scream the way his fingers were squeezing her throat. With the lack of oxygen, her ability to fight was rapidly depleting.
As a last resort, Kaia brought the mace up and sprayed it directly into his face.
By a stroke of luck, her actions seemed to have the desired effect, whether or not it was efficient or not was still up for debate.
The second the mist hit his face, her attacker let out an agonized snarl before violently retreating and throwing her off to the side. She landed hard on the pavement, trying not to cry out at the pain of falling directly on her hip.
His hands rose to cover his no doubt burning face for a few moments before he leveled his attention back towards her downed form. This time, the man looked absolutely feral, once again flashing elongated canines at her.
Kaia briefly considered taking off but running four blocks to her apartment didn't seem plausible at this stage. Not only that but the woman had to take into account that she probably wouldn't be able to outrun him. It was an extremely delicate situation she found herself in - her very life was at stake.
Just before he was posed to go after her, the man suddenly lifts his head, frantically sniffing the air.
Puzzled by the behavior, Kaia stares in confusion as his head snaps to the side, attention now shifted towards something within the darkness of the alleyway, completely halting any further assault on her person. Following his line of sight, Kaia glanced over to where he was currently looking, seeing nothing until it was clear that something was moving in the murky passageway. Rather unexpectedly, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching reached her ears.
Eyes wide with fear, Kaia watches as the dark silhouette finally steps into view - the figure turns out to be a man and a chilling sensation shoots up her spine at that moment. The newcomer's sudden presence instantly cast a menacing shroud over the entire atmosphere within the alleyway.
Even in her terror, she immediately took note of his usual appearance.
He was a man of imposing height and remarkable build; the sheer size and scale of him made the other man appear short-statured.
Although his eyes were concealed by the dark lens of his shades, she could tell that they leveled on her and the other man intensely.
He wore a sort of body armor that consisted of a thick Kevlar vest, and other tactical gear. An arsenal of questionable weapons strapped in various places on his body - including a bandoleer of what looked to be silver stakes. Over his shoulders was a long, black trench coat and his hair was cut and styled into a flat top. The back and sides of his head seemed to be covered in tribal pattern like tattoos.
He looked like something out of a top secret organization, possibly FBI related. But that didn't explain him skulking around at night and happening upon her in this manner.
Faster than her eyes could follow, her assailant lunged at the man, growling and hissing. The snarling man charged forward with the intent of attacking the man but as it turned out, the latter was much quicker, dodging every wild blow before countering with a few of his own. He quickly engaged her attacker with vicious physicality, moving dexterously and employing brutal blows with profound efficiency.
For a moment, Kaia thought that the stranger would retrieve the scary looking firearm from the holster at his waist. Shockingly, the armed individual smoothly attained one of the blunt silver spikes from the combat harness around his thigh. In a flash, the stake is implanted directly into the man's chest, right where the heart would be.
Her attacker subsequently screamed out, convulsing violently as he spontaneously combusted into flames before quickly dissolving into ash that hit the ground.
Kaia drew back, instinctively knowing that she'd just witnessed something abnormal.
She stood unmoving, eyes wide and unblinking. Although she could do no more than stare in horror and confusion, relief swiftly overrode her senses when she realized that the threat on her life was now extinguished.
Thoroughly disturbed, the woman slowly stood on unsteady legs, suddenly remembering to breathe. Her mind was reeling and she attempted to gather her thoughts.
Without a single word, the man turned with a soft flap of his coat and started to walk away, startling Kaia out of her reverie.
"Wait- where are you going?"
The man didn't acknowledge her plea, he just kept walking back in the opposite direction where he came. Clearly, the man wasn't all that keen on addressing her concerns.
"Wait!" She called out, gaze settled on his retreating back. "Please wait."
The man paused, appearing to hesitate as he glanced back towards her from over his broad shoulder.
"What was that just now?"
Truth be told, the shaken woman wasn't even capable of putting into words what she'd just witnessed. Her mind frantically shimmed over various scenarios based on what she deemed as fact. What else could explain a person dissolving into ash after they'd been shot?
The thick silence extended for a few more seconds before the male regarded her with a hard, uncompromising stare.
"You were attacked by a vampire and survived. Consider yourself lucky." He coldly specified, voice is low and deep enough to where it almost sounds like a growl.
She tilted her head in question.
A vampire? She'd been targeted and attacked by a vampire? He surely had to be joking but the utter seriousness in his tone made that highly unlikely. Considering that now was certainly not the time for humor, she wouldn't appreciate it either way. Frankly, it wasn't for her to question and deny the man's admission and its plausibility. She was just grateful that the man showed up when he did.
In spite of the man committing an act that was by definition considered murder, he maintained a cool-headed demeanor.
"Hold on…what's your name?"
Given her predicament, she wasn't exactly in the position to question anything he told her. Still, she didn't appreciate her words and questions going unacknowledged.
"Go home." He said levelly, before continuing on his way.
A dozen sensations washed over her as she watched her leather clad savior disappear into the shadows.
Even after a couple of days passed and Kaia was left to continue on with her life like nothing had happened, she couldn't shake the events of that night. Due to the nature of it, she couldn't view it as just a passing occurrence. By the fifth day, the entire ordeal completely consumed her thoughts almost to the point of obsession. The stranger's haunting words replayed on an endless loop within her unsettled mind to the point where the fixation had begun to bleed over into her daily life, leaving her distracted and unfocused.
In a bid to satisfy her restlessness, she'd taken to extensively searching on any and everything related to vampires. It was about more than quelling an itch, she'd reached a point where she was unable and unwilling to ignore it any further. Truthfully, the woman wasn't sure what she expected to find. In recent times, the interest stemmed from Bram Stoker's famous novel and works of literature by author Anne Rice.
Over the course of her research, all she succeeds in finding on the subject is folklore, fiction, and plenty of internet forums that claim their authenticity. But overall, there was nothing concrete - not a single thing confirmed or disproved the man's explanation. However, she knew that people just didn't turn to ash when they'd just been run through with a sharp blunt object.
Frankly, Kaia just wanted an explanation based in reality or an answer that didn't involve mythical creatures. As open-minded as she normally would be, she failed to understand how something like a vampire could even exist in human society.
For a vast majority of the human population, vampires were considered an entirely fictitious concept. To her knowledge, there's been no solid evidence regarding the existence of vampires and until tonight she had no reason to base any truth in the notion.
But if that were the case, then why was it so easy to believe that she'd been attacked by a vampire as opposed to a simple lowlife who wanted to cause her harm.
But what else could possibly explain what she witnessed that night?
Although, Kaia had no real basis to go on - she was not one to dismiss anything but there was no other explanation for it.
That nagging curiosity led her to purchase a handful of books related to the subject. But still, as was in her inquisitive nature, if vampires were real then she desperately needed to know.
It only takes a short time for her to become deeply invested in something but once she was in there was no letting up. The sheer amount of hours put into researching was incredibly excessive even by normal standards. For the time being, placing focus on the matter allowed her to explore something outside of her normal life.
On top of that, she seemed to have developed a staunch fascination and curiosity about the mysterious, armed hunter that skulled around in the dead of night. To be fair, she didn't know what else to call him. For all intents and purposes, he certainly looked like a hunter. She'd inadvertently made it her mission to investigate and find out the identity of her savior.
If there were answers she sought then she was sure that he could provide them.
Present day…
Now uncomfortable in her current position, Kaia turned over onto her side.
Releasing a congested sigh, she peered up at one of the many large windows in the complex building where the night sky was clearly visible. Only thought occurred to her at that moment - was that he'd be out late again, likely not returning until dawn.
That was his established routine…leaving at nightfall and returning just as the sun peaked from the horizon. Going solely off what Whistler explained to her, for that last couple of few weeks, he'd been primarily focused on rooting out the known vampire dens that always seemed to be constantly multiplying. So far he'd been successful seeing as the vampires he was hunting were constantly relocating to congregate without his inference.
According to him, his work was never done - not until none of them were left.
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