Chapter 5 - Making The Call
by P.J. Serrano
Sylvia Jade, Washington D.C., January 17th, 1994
Case files. Nothing but… case files.
Ever since I agreed to take this position as Acting Deputy Director, all I seem to do is assign case files.
I longed to feel the adrenaline rush of working in the field again. The thrill of the hunt, they say.
Well, I wasn’t suited to be caged in an office, chained to my desk, assigning… case files.
I’m a Valkyrie, my wings were made to soar.
However, there was an interesting cold case that came up on my desk. This one, I may have to investigate myself.
There've been a couple of murders recently in Chicago that have the same M.O. as some cold cases several years ago. These look like they could be connected.
If so, this could end up being a supernatural investigation.
Shit!
The last thing we needed were rogue vampires running around leaving bodies behind.
If left unchecked, the body count could rise quickly.
I didn’t use FBI resources for these cases. I had outsourced this with the Mulo Prastlo organization.
The ancient organization we called The MP, was created to help protect humans and the supernatural alike.
These days they allocate their resources on finding the human-born vampires who were prophesied every 300 to 400 years after their predecessors.
The MP’s intel states the humans were born around 1974. This would make our candidates 20 years old, which is the age their transcendence begins.
With vast resources, over the years, we have been able to track over 100 leads. We have narrowed it down, but verifying more than twenty possibilities is daunting.
This put me in a bind because I needed agents on the case in Chicago. However, I was not allowed to move any agents who were assigned to vampire prospects.
I would’ve liked to put Thomas Malice on the Chicago case, but he was in Florida shadowing his human candidate.
However, I knew Malice had an agent I could use. I needed to give him a call regardless.
All I needed was a capable agent to accompany me. We go in, investigate, solve said crime, dish out justice, go home, done.
The problem was, I couldn’t afford to have anyone green. I needed experienced agents, and we were in short supply.
I hated being in this position. However, once we found our human vampires, things would progress, and I would no longer be required to be a plant inside the FBI.
I could resume my true purpose at The MP and be the shadowguard for the new vampire queen.
But until that much-awaited day came, here I sat, assigning these damned case files.
Groaning, I propped my elbows on the desk and buried my face in my hands as I tried to focus.
Hearing the phone ring, I wondered who in the hell was calling me this late at night?
"Deputy Director Jade."
"Sylvie darling, how are you doing these days?"
"Who is this?"
"Don't you recognize an old friend?"
"Wha- Mabel?"
As Acting Deputy Director of the FBI, I did not have time for random bullshit calls. However, receiving a call from an old adversary warranted my attention.
"Yes, indeed, how are you?" She was using her nicest tone. Not a good omen.
"What do you want?"
"Is that any way to talk to an old friend, shuga?"
"An old friend?" I couldn't help but laugh. "What do you want, Mabel?"
"I found your girl." Mabel's voice was serious.
There was no way. "What are you talking about? What girl?"
"I'm sure you're tracking Gabrielle Sanders."
My heart dropped to my stomach at the name.
"So, I'll cut to the chase here, Sylvie. Your girl ended up on my beachfront today. I'm calling you as a courtesy to let you know that she is the chosen one!"
"What makes you so sure?" There was no use denying we were watching the Florida State student as one of our prospects.
"I had to help her. I'm not sure what the hell you guys were waiting for, but she was not right in the head. She was damn near broken!"
The FBI knew the Sanders girl had suffered some serious trauma, but we hadn't been able to help her at the time.
Then all the chips fell. This was Mabel I was talking to. The Mabel Johnson.
Shit.
"What. Did. You. Do?" I growled as fear suddenly gripped me.
"Sylvie darling, I didn't put any 'voodoo shit' on her, if that’s what you’re worried about."
I could almost hear the quotations around the words.
"But I nudged her a bit to help her open up to me. She was in a bad place, so I cast some healing spells to get her to cope and heal without relapsing."
Ha. To heal her… More like to help yourself.
"Is that right? So, what's your price, Mabel? You don't do anything for free."
"No charge."
"Wait, what? Why?"
Mabel's laughter came from the other side of the line. "No charge. I would never charge to help The One."
That, again.
"What makes you think she is the one?"
"Because, Sylvie darling, I saw her aura."
I took a deep breath.
My mind was reeling with everything I knew about Gabrielle Sanders and what needed to happen next, trying to connect the dots.
Could it be true? Could this be the link we needed?
I had to be 100 percent sure.
The last seven years of work were on the line.
"Can you give me anything concrete to move forward?"
"Better than that, she told me that she met a guy today at school. She was crazy in love with him already, ring any bells? But she was a mess, mired in her own self-deprecation. I’m a doctor of Psychiatry, first and foremost, so my first instinct was to help heal her."
The bell was tolling loud and clear.
Sitting in my office chair, an icepick seemed to be going to town behind my left eye, so I pinched my nose as I closed my eyes and bowed my head.
"Did you get a name?"
"Max Thorne."
That icepick turned into a pneumatic hammer as all the blood ran to my feet.
Max Thorne. Malice's marked candidate.
He was our most promising lead.
If Mabel was telling the truth, and that was a big if, knowing Gabrielle had established contact of some kind, and had an emotional reaction, could lend us the confirmation we needed.
"Why are you helping us? Last we saw each other, we were enemies on a very tentative truce. We vowed never to interfere with each other's business. What changed? Or better yet, what's your angle?"
"I have no angle, Sylvie darling."
Mabel's voice lost the jovial tone and turned serious again. "I got a glimpse of her true nature. This child is the light the supernatural world needs. She has the power to unite all supers and inspire them to a peaceful existence."
Her voice quieted. "This is it. The prophecy is coming to be."
The silence that followed made me wonder if Mabel was weighing in her next words.
"Sylvie. She is the kind of leader I would be willing to follow."
I was at a loss for words.
Mabel Johnson was one of the most powerful witches I'd ever encountered. She was independent of any coven.
She refused to play by anyone else’s rules but her own.
This was massive.
"Mabel, I think we need to meet for lunch. It's time we worked together. If you're willing?"
"Sure thing, shuga."
We agreed on a time and place to go over intel on both Gabrielle and Max and disconnected the call.
Holy crap. Could this be real?
If Mabel was right, with our combined efforts, we might save weeks, if not months, off our expected extraction time.
Time was of the essence.
The toughest part in all this was making sure the prophecy was followed to the letter.
There could be no mistakes, no interference.
Getting up from my desk, I went to my locked safe and pulled out the manuscript files from the Mulo Prastlo.
Thumbing through the files, I found the pages I was looking for.
The order of the rite of passage
Only when these required steps are followed in their entirety, can the destined couple become King and Queen.
My eyes drank in every word. Words I knew by heart, but I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
However, there can be no outside interference. Both humans need to seek each other out of their own volition.
This meant we couldn’t risk interference and extract them before time was just right.
And that was a major problem. Because this was the most dangerous time. When they were the most vulnerable.
I kept reading, drinking in all the details I had learned years ago.
Once contact is made, comes the second step. Their attraction toward each other becomes a strong bond. They will be required to consummate their bond by sharing their blood.
Once their DNA merges, their bond becomes permanent. It is expected that, at this point, they'll start accumulating some of their inherited vampire strengths.
As the exchange is completed, their transformation into their true selves will begin. This will be followed by the third step.
The deep sleep.
In blood, they'll fall into a long-lasting sleep as their metamorphosis takes place. This status lasts anywhere from 4 to 6 months.
As they wake from their slumber, the fourth and last step is needed to complete the ascension to King and Queen.
Both need to recite the Blood Oath.
When the last word is uttered by both vampires, their ascension will be complete.
Then, and only then, will their bond be unbreakable.
Mabel said the couple had met, and the girl's attraction had been instant.
Could it be true? Could step one have already happened?
Putting the files away, I looked out the window of my office at the J. Edgar Hoover building.
The illuminated skyline of Washington D.C. lay below me.
It was nearly 11 pm, and it had been a long day.
Time to head home, grab some strong coffee on the way and prepare for tomorrow's debriefing.
Our efforts to secure the two humans had to double now.
I made a mental note to contact Malice, confirm the intel from Mabel, and explain that she would be joining the team.
Having one of the most powerful witches on our team wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The question was, could we trust her?
* * * * *
Thomas Malice, Tallahassee Florida,
January 26th, 1994
“Malice here.”
“Malice, Deputy Director Jade is trying to make contact, what’s your 20?”
“South of Jefferson St., behind the Hooters.”
“Please acknowledge as I put you through.”
“Negative. Rogue on the run. In pursuit.”
Grabbing the short vampire by the neck, I pinned him up against the wall.
“Sorry, Malice, patching you through right now.”
I looked at the scrawny long tooth, with feet dangling, grabbing at my wrist.
The vampire couldn’t believe I was strong enough to pin him.
“Malice, this is Jade, come in.”
“What do you want, sexy? I’m a little busy here.”
“I need you in D.C., asap. We have confirmation.”
I couldn’t believe what she said. “Jade, repeat.”
“I said… we have confirmation. Get your sorry ass to D.C. for an 0-800 at Langley this Friday.”
The vampire was like a feral pussycat, trying to squirm his way out and nip at my hand.
I lifted him off the ground and slammed his head back against the brick wall of the restaurant.
He was out cold.
Focusing more on the call, I began repeating what Jade had just told me.
“So, we have confirmation on our two vamps?”
“Yes.”
“How did you verify intel?”
“A reliable source. Get your ass to D.C., and you’ll be briefed on the full report.”
“Roger that. I got a situation to finish up here. See you in D.C.”
“Wait. I need one more thing, Malice.”
“What now?”
“I need a reliable agent to accompany me to Chicago tomorrow morning. Who can you spare?”
I noticed movement from the shadows heading my way.
Vampires.
“What do you need, Jade? Investigation, Assassination, or Extraction?”
“Investigation, Malice, I’m not in the business of killing for the sake of killing.”
I looked around and noticed eight moving shadows. Time to get serious.
“You make a boring Valkyrie. Ever think about retirement?”
“Fuck you!”
“Your place or mine?”
“Asshole!”
I laughed out loud as I answered back, “Drake. He’s free.”
The first of the vampires appeared out of the dark.
Hmmm, Interesting!
“Allister Drake? He’s back on payroll?”
“Yeah, he’s back from deep cover. I’ll send him a communique. He’ll be at your house at 0-500 tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, Malice. Enjoy your play time.”
“Roger that, double-D. You never answered, your place or mine?”
“Fuck Off! …Mine.”
I knew Sylvia couldn’t resist my charm.
Now let’s get back to the problem at hand.
Surveying the parking lot, I now counted thirteen vampires altogether.
Their arrogance in not killing me when I was on the phone would be a tough lesson for them.
I grabbed my cane and walked in the middle of their circle, giving them a false sense of upper hand.
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
“Double-D? Hmmm, when we get done with you, human, we’ll have to pay your big-breasted friend on the phone a visit.”
“Out of that entire conversation, all you managed to focus on was tit size?”
I laughed out loud. Oh boy.
“Hey genius, Double-D stands for Deputy Director. If you wish to stare at her tits, though, I can call her over here?”
“Would you now?”
The other vampires were unsure what to make of me. Their muscles tightening, waiting for the command to attack. But they were having second thoughts.
“Sure, but you should be careful about pissing off a Valkyrie, they don’t like it very much.”
Now it was his turn to laugh and mock me.
“Valkyries are not real.”
“Yeah, just like there’s no such thing as vampires.”
“You’re no super, I don’t smell anything on you.”
“Yeah, genius. Your scrawny little friend thought the same thing.”
They all looked at the first vampire I knocked out while I was on the phone.
“You think a normal human can do that to a vampire?”
“What are you?”
“Your Reaper if you don’t stop your stupidity with your feeding habits. Your idiot friend tried to rape a human while taking blood. If they’re not willing donors, then back off. Otherwise, we come and take care of the problem.”
“I’ll ask you again, what are you?”
I couldn’t believe the balls on this guy. Probably thought being a baby vamp made him feel invincible.
“A Viking Drengr. I also have the blood of a Dragon Princess and a Vampire Queen running through my veins.”
“Well, Dragon boy, tonight you die.”
Shaking my head, I knew this wasn’t going to end well for them.
“I warned you.”
The lead vampire made it too easy as he leapt in front of me. Pulling the hidden sword out of my cane, I moved in one swift motion, and their ringleader fell to the floor, headless.
His head bounced on the pavement a couple of times before resting by the feet of one of the female vamps. Blood pouring out.
“Anyone else?”
The sweet scent of copper filled the air as the remaining twelve vampires stared at me, eyes wide and a few mouths ajar.
I pulled out several business cards, “I tell you what. Go to this place tonight. It’s in Jacksonville. Tell them Thomas Malice sent you.
“Are you The ROG?”
“No, but if I was, you'd be dead. Now, you are to be new recruits for the Mulo Prastlo. You will be safe. However, they will utilize your skillsets and train you to work for them.”
“You sure you’re not just going to kill us?”
“If I wanted to do that, I would have killed you already. I’m offering you a chance at a better life. The King and Queen are coming soon, we need to get things in order.”
Surprised as I was to see everyone grab a card, I was also relieved.
We needed to keep the peace, keep people in line without fear of death. Killing wasn’t our job, we weren’t The ROG.
However, from time to time, we had to flex our muscles.
* * * * *