Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Preventers: When Vampires Attack ❯ Chapter 13

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Wufei bit back a sigh and allowed himself to sink down into his chair until he was sitting on the base of his spine. The stiff beige chair didn't offer much in the way of cushioning, but then Wufei had yet to occupy a waiting room that attempted to make its occupants comfortable. Not that he minded. The growing discomfort in his bum did its part to take his mind off the wait. He exhaled sharply, opening his eyes enough to glimpse the door that had swallowed Amy up about fifteen minutes ago. If she didn't rejoin him soon, he faced a meeting with Conan in a few minutes; not something he was looking forward to. The man seemed good enough, but- He let his eyelids slide shut again and prepared to count out the remaining minutes through slow breathwork.

"Nice to see you were concerned about me."

Wufei didn't open his eyes, instead suppressing a small smile at the sound of Amy's voice. As pleased as he was to know that the doctor had finally released her, it was even better to hear her in good humor.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd decided to donate some of your blood to that vampire." No, he knew not to worry about that. She wouldn't be that foolish. Of course not. Really.

"Blood loss and I aren't amicable companions." He could imagine her making a face to accompany her words. He opened his eyes. She was.

Amy's face smoothed a moment later as she gave the hospital waiting room a searching glance. "No Conan yet?"

Wufei stood, stretching to pop his back in a most satisfying way. Knuckling the lower curve of his spine, he sauntered across the empty room to stand before the large picture window. The last of the red was just beginning to leech out of the artificial skyscape. It had been a spectacular sunrise, yet he couldn't help but think of the old adage. "Red sky in the morning…."

"So, the doctor let you go?" He crossed his arms and casually leaned against the wall as she joined him beside the window. The glossy paint was cool against his cheek as his obsidian eyes scanned the Underground Alben skyline.

Amy scowled and gestured as though she intended to wave his question away. She should have caught his obvious evasion of the subject, but apparently he had prodded a wasps' nest of another sort. "I made the mistake of mentioning my link with Mikael. The doctor's beady little eyes lit right up and he called in two other doctors or nurses or whatever. They wanted to give me a CAT scan and at least a dozen other tests to check it out. I didn't let them, of course. But Wu, I barely escaped with my life!" She struck a dramatic pose, the effect of which only slightly lessened when she managed to smack a large potted plant behind her.

Wufei felt his mouth tighten at the mention of the vampire. She was in this too deep, and didn't seem to be putting much effort into getting herself out again. Hopefully she had not been mired so completely that he could not pull her out and send her a safe distance away. At worst, they would discover that no distance was enough to lose the vampire again. But he would not lie down and accept this disturbing turn of events. He eyed her for a moment, judiciously watched her as she scanned the rapidly brightening sky. She wasn't going to like him after this. But if he didn't put his foot down, he wouldn't particularly like himself.

"You're going home."

The fool woman jerked her head back in a flurry of brown hair, her eyes first startled but quickly thinning into stubborn slits. She fixed a tight-faced glower on him. "What?! Where did that come from?"

He turned, perching lightly on the slender windowsill and tightening his handhold on his own crossed arms. After meeting her gaze for a moment, he turned back to the window. "You're going back to headquarters, today. We've almost got this thing solved-" Well, almost…sort of… "-and you've gotten far too involved in this vampire crap."

If her eyes were hard before, they became cold granite now. "Involved? Is this about Mikael or…? Y-you're trying to coddle me, aren't you? Why? Do you think I'm too weak to handle it? Think I'll wilt and die? That I-?"

His hands lashed out to still her wild gestures. In moments, he effortlessly held her wrists, solidly squaring his body to face her. "I'm not calling you weak, woman! But you have limits." And I do not want to see them pressed. "Mikael has managed to get to you twice. If he dug his claws into you even once more, you may find that you will never be able to prize free from his grasp." He tried to catch her angry eyes with his and wished that he didn't look as upset as he felt. "If you don't bow out now, you may never be afforded the luxury again."

"Oh look who's talki-"

"Take a chill pill, you two."

Wufei caught himself as he spun to face the entrance, turning his startled motion into a casual weight shift. Or at least that's what he hoped it appeared to be. Amy's head whipped around to glare at the interlopers, but her anger melted away with recognition. Still, her grin seemed a bit forced. Whether that grin was for Stacie or Conan…well, Wufei wondered if he was better off not knowing.

Amy rested her chin on Wufei's shoulder for all of .2 seconds. "Later." Actually, she was hoping he'd somehow forget, unlikely as that may be, but she'd settle for later. She'd need the time to think up some good "logical" arguments to curb his stubborn determination. She shook off a grimace that didn't quite reach her face and made her way over to the entrance.

Stacie was holding Conan's upper arm firmly, as though she were afraid he might bolt. And from the wariness in his eyes, it seemed as though he may. Golden brown eyes darted about the room, suspiciously eyeing the reception desk and the lone woman behind it. She was the only other person in the room, but he seemed to feel the need to assure himself of her harmlessness. Even then, he looked mighty uncomfortable.

"You two." Stacie shook her head. "You need a chaperone or what? I got Conan." She tugged at his arm slightly, show and tell. "He wanted to help, but wasn't too keen on-"

"'He' is perfectly capable speaking for himself." Conan extricated himself from her grip with a throaty growl. Sticking his fingers into the pockets of his jeans, he turned his eyes to Wufei and Amy. "I don't like being out here, especially after dawn. But if it's the only way we can get to him…." He directed a sullen look at the receptionist again, as though he expected her to be eavesdropping. And perhaps to have grown a pointy tail and fangs. "What have you told them?"

Amy ducked her head slightly and leaned forward, her voice lowered to suit. "Juan Haverez knows that you're a vampire, and a friend of Damien's. He understands that you could help and right now he's trying to convince the doctors and police that you're `qualified' to negotiate with that vampire boy."

Conan nodded, but he didn't seem any too pleased. Understandably so. But it had been necessary to inform Juan, and they hadn't told him everything, of course.

Stacie studied Conan with a measuring look, ready to snatch him up if he tried to run off. After a moment, she nodded and turned her attention to Wufei. "And Duo? Is he still in there?"

"Yes. They've had him stay right beside…it." He threw a sidelong glance at Conan, but hurried on. "I don't think they're letting him release it from the…."

"Torpor." Amy shouldered in when Wufei hesitated to search for the unfamiliar word. "We're just waiting while they try to figure out how to deal with him when he wakes up. They're also waiting for Stacie to donate blood. I don't think they're planning on giving him anything from their own blood bank." Her mouth twisted in distaste. "And I've cautioned them against starting anything until tonight, of course."

"What do you plan on doing to it?" Wufei crossed his arms again, barely bothering to keep the incredulity from his tone. He eyed the early morning sunlight that peeked through the window, knowing full well that vampires weakened by day.

Conan quirked a dark eyebrow, his eyes shifting to Amy for the barest moment. When he answered, he addressed Wufei himself. "First we'll see how powerful he is. If Stacie's right, I should be able to probe at his mind a bit. If I can slip in there while he's busy healing, I'll have no problems finding out what he knows. Whether he's gone rogue, if someone is giving orders, what his role in all of this is." For the first time since he walked through the hospital doors, he appeared satisfied. The small smile slipped slightly as he glanced out the window. "That will have to be tonight, though. This morning, all I can do is try to identify him and possibly determine his age." Conan flexed his fingers slightly, as if gauging how much strength he had left after sunrise.

Amy nodded. He'd be at near-human strength now, as would the vampire boy. Meaning it would be nothing short of murder to release the boy from torpor now. Although vampires could usually continue healing themselves during the day - if they had enough blood in their veins - the boy's wound was too severe. Hell, who even called a gaping hole in the torso a `wound'? Might as well call the Grand Canyon a crack.

The door that led to the hospital rooms swung open then, admitting a weary Juan Haverez. He all but leaned on the door for support, wiping his face with one hand before trundling over to the younger people. Amy winced, focusing on his face to keep her eyes from sliding down to his leg brace. He didn't look like he was in any shape to be up and about right now.

Haverez eyed Conan, masking his suspicion relatively well and refusing to ask the question with his eyes alone. "And this is...?"

Amy quickly made the necessary introductions. Haverez and Conan shook hands with a professional nod.

"Well, they've decided that your friend can go back there. Give them the name Jordan Edwards. I've told them that he's a government psychic, tried and proven, and that his powers work best by night." Haverez glanced over shoulder as though he were afraid someone would sneak up behind him and overhear something unfortunate. "They trusted me. God knows they've known me long enough. I don't think they'll check into his supposed `file' unless you give them reason to doubt. Just tread lightly." Dark brown eyes fixed onto Conan. "I didn't know what to promise them, but I tried not to make you sound too impressive. I don't mean to underestimate you, but I can't afford to let them overestimate you. Just…do you're best, okay? I really do appreciate this."

Conan nodded again and brushed past Haverez. What a charmer. Before anyone (coffWufeicoff) could say anything else, Amy and Stacie scuttled into the corridor after him, Amy to watch the proceedings and Stacie to check up on Duo. Amy had to lead the way, as she had passed by the vampire's room on her way to her own examination. And it wasn't that hard to locate. It was the only door guarded by no less than five stationary policemen and carefully watched by each one who passed by. Officer Mercer was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully she'd been sent home to unwind.

A uniformed man stopped the group as they approached the closed door.

"I'll need identification before I can let you in." An older man, he possessed a gruff voice that somehow matched his square chin. His badge glinted coldly beneath the stark corridor lighting. Wells.

Amy fished around in her pants pocket as Stacie did the same. They both produced Preventers badges, offering them up to Officer Wells for inspection. Jordan Edwards, Jordan Edwards…. "This is Jordan Edwards, the psychic Haverez called in." Not for the first time, Amy wondered if Conan had ever had a last name of his own. It was probably one of the things that he had been forced to change throughout the centuries. Another question to ask him some rainy day.

At the mention of Haverez, Wells nodded. "He said you'd be coming through, but I thought you were due this evening." He fixed Conan with a look that said he expected a straightforward answer. And that's just what he would get. After a fashion.

"I work best by the moon, but there are a few things I can get out of the way now. I figured I should start as soon as possible."

Wells nodded and motioned for the other officers to hand the Preventers' badges back. "Lucky you were in the area." From the flat quality of his voice, it didn't sound like he believed in "luck."

Conan met the officer's eyes with a well-practiced expression of casualness and innocent openness as the women tucked their identification away.

Finally, Wells nodded, seemingly willing to accept Haverez's word on this "Jordan Edwards." He slipped a key into the doorknob and stepped aside.

The room was small and almost starkly white. A band of powder blue pinstripes bordered the top of the wall and a peaceful painting had been placed beside the door. A window, its vertical blinds shoved to one side, allowed the artificial light into the room even as a ceiling light added its own illumination. Duo was sitting at the foot of the bed, tall and rigid in a stiff wooden chair. He looked up as they entered, his violet eyes bright and fevered. A tight smile slipped over his lips when he saw Stacie. She made a soft sound in her throat and enveloped him in a snuggly hug. "Are you okay?"

He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her soft chest, a child soaking in comfort. "Yeah." His voice rasped hoarsely. "Haven't tried to do anything like this in a while. I can't imagine holding this all day…." He slipped a sidelong glance at Conan, his tired eyes entreating the vampire to somehow take the younger creature off his hands.

Shutting out everything else in the small white room, Conan made a beeline for the thin bed, his eyes locked on the seemingly small body that occupied it. The vampire boy wasn't losing any more blood, somehow. Perhaps because Duo wasn't allowing any to circulate. Amy moved to stand beside the glorified cot as Conan slipped into a chair near the boy's head. Beneath the ceiling lights, his hair looked to be more of a dirty blond than brown and his face was slack and bloodless. Blue-green eyes stared ahead sightlessly, hooded by limp eyelids and short dark eyelashes. He looked pretty much dead - as dead as a corpse can be. Well, not quite as dead as his victim had looked.

His victim. Amy firmly pressed this fact between her and her growing sympathy for the boy. He had most likely been party to that girl's death. Not that Mikael would have needed any help. She bristled visibly.

"Hold this."

She blinked as Conan pressed cool metal into her palm, curling her fingers closed around it. Cloth brushed against the doorway and Amy turned to see Wufei watching disapprovingly. Their eyes met for a moment before he looked away, reaching behind him to shut the open door with a tad more force than necessary.

Duo jerked back, his chair scraping against the linoleum floor. "-the fuck? What did you do??" Stacie tried to take his hand again, but he leaned forward, suddenly wide awake.

Conan now held the boy's head gently between his hands. The sea blue eyes were wide, the irises small motes thrown onto white orbs. His body contorted, heaving the ruined torso up into a strained arc. Blood shot from his chest, seeping into his tattered shirt and the white hospital sheets.

"Shit." The corners of Duo's eyes tightened. The flow of blood lessened. He half-fell forward, gripping the metal rods at the foot of the bed to steady himself. His knuckles turned red then white. Amy heard a faint popping sound. The boy's body fell limp, the bloodflow once again closed off from the torn arteries.

Duo groaned and rested his head against the foot of the bed. "Warn me next time you do something like that."

Amy tried to slow her own racing heart. "Do what?'

Conan neatly ignored both of them, his narrowed eyes focused on the boy before him. The boy's eyes closed gently and Conan slowly leaned forward. They looked like they were going to kiss. Amy stifled an inappropriate giggle, touching her fingers to her lips. An unexpectedly cool touch caught her attention, directing it toward the necklace she held in her hands.

Conan's necklace, which he had given to her just before he started the mind probe. She studied it curiously. The pendant was in the shape of a cross almost as long as her pinkie finger and seemingly made of one solid piece of silver. Silver or white gold. Amy reached for the necklace that Wufei had given her, intending to compare the silver chain with Conan's bauble. Before her fingers touched her neck, however, she remembered that it still lay in Mikael's possession; that it had been removed from her the second time she had been unconscious. Mikael earned himself another mental beating.

She ran a thumb over the cross. Of course the symbol had no effect on vampires, but it seemed an odd choice for Conan to make. When had he started wearing this anyway? What if it had been a gift.

A bitter streak of jealousy shot through her chest, made her tighten her lips against it. She turned her head back toward Conan to further torture her own imagination. And swallowed air down the wrong tube with an audible gulp.

The vampires were kissing! She felt her jaw go slack. The air in Amy's chest felt like a solid block of lead. Well, maybe not kissing so much as…touching lips? Conan had closed his eyes, leaning forward to lightly brush the boy's lips with his own as his hands gently cradled his head. And there they were, frozen in space.

A small belch escaped Amy's lips as the gulped air cried for release. She colored and closed her mouth, although she was pretty sure that no one was looking at her. A quick glance around proved her wrong. Conan lifted his face from the boy vampire to regard her with solemn brown eyes.

"His name is Adam, and he used to date the President's daughter."

† † † † † † † † † † † † † †

It had been a long day. After Conan had finished up with Adam, Wufei had trundled Amy off to their apartment in the hopes of shipping her home, away from Alben and away from the vampires. Fortunately, she had managed to divert his attentions. And then, of course, she had snuck out of the apartment just before nightfall, while he was still asleep. Not that she had any delusions of hiding from him. She knew him well enough to give him proper credit; he'd know where to find her.

"ID." Officer Wells wasn't in any better mood than he'd been that morning.

Amy presented the Preventers badge and photo ID, which she'd had in hand since entering the hospital, and made a face at him as soon as he focused on the ID. He only handed the ID back after scrutinizing it for what seemed like ages. Amy snorted as she swiped it from his hand. As if she'd forged a new ID after he'd seen the first one. Come to think of it, she really could use a new photo ID…. Grimacing at her current picture, she pocketed the badge.

"Where's your petulant half?" Duo greeted her as she entered the hospital room. He really did look much better today.

Stacie, or rather Selket, waved carefully, keeping an eye on the tubing that appeared to be attached to her arm. She was lying back on a second bed they had rolled in sometime after Amy and Wufei had left that morning. A nurse stood beside her, casually monitoring the flow of blood from Selket's elbow-pit to a clear bag. She kept throwing curious glances at the red wings that were folded somewhat awkwardly beneath the demoness' torso. Probably wanted to subject Stacie to as many tests as the doctors had wanted done on her brain.

Amy's eyes swept over the boy's still form-motionless beneath fresh white sheets-to fall upon the final occupant of the small room. Conan stood at the window, gently holding the vertical blinds out of the way with the back of his hand. His eyes squinted into the dark purples and pinks of the evening sky. It wasn't real, of course, but Amy knew for a fact that it matched the sunset aboveground.

"I didn't think you'd be here." Conan turned to her and offered a warm smile. The waning light reflected off the silver chain at his neck.

For a moment, Amy wondered if he and Wufei had been conspiring to get her out of here. She shoved the thought back into a dusty recess of her mind. That smile was genuine; he was pleased to see her this evening. She returned the smile.

"Can I help with anything?"

"We're pretty much ready to start." Conan turned to study the room behind him. The nurse had turned to the boy's-Adam's-bed to draw the sheets from his torso, folding them neatly at his waist. His shirt had been removed and his chest sponged off, baring the nearly bloodless wound. It looks positively surreal.

"If you would hold this again…." Conan's fingers fumbled with the clasp of his chain, as though unaccustomed to removing it. "We'll start in just a few minutes."

"Can I ask-" Amy paused to consider the pendant as Conan deposited the cool weight in her extended hand "-what this is?"

He pursed his lips at it, cocking his head slightly. "Insurance."

When he failed to continue, Amy glowered. Shooting a concerned look at the nurse, she lowered her voice to a hoarse whisper that did nothing to soften her tone. "It's silver, isn't it? Why would you want to weaken yourself when you know Mikael is out to mess you up?"

Conan blinked, calmly returning her consternated expression with a gentle knowing one. Moving closer, he murmured into her ear, "You are holding the reason Mikael hasn't already messed me up. He has underestimated me, since he has never known my true powers."

She arched an eyebrow. "And those are?"

He shook his head and pulled away. "Later." Affording the darkening sky a final glance, he released the blinds and walked around Selket's cot to stand beside Duo at the foot of Adam's. "Are we ready, then?"

The nurse tightened a third strap pinning Adam's legs to the bed, then checked the others. Satisfied that they would hold, she turned back to see to Selket. Full or not, she untied the Ace strap and covered the puncture-point with gauze before removing the fat needle from Selket's arm with the proper admonitions against removing the gauze and letting herself bleed to death.

After setting up the blood bag on Adam's IV hook, she backed off, perhaps afraid that the presence of blood would set him on a killing spree. Uncertain, she eyed askance at Conan. "Dr. Edwards?"

Everyone looked around the room for a moment, searching in confusion for a doctor who had somehow escaped earlier notice. The confused silence turned into embarrassment when Conan gestured toward the door. "Thank you. You may continue with your other patients, unless you would like to be around to help us when he awakens…."

Oooh right. Amy felt her cheeks color as she searched her memory. If she had called him Conan even once this evening, questions could arise. She felt she was safe, but….

The nurse nodded and, casting one last look at the boy's body, beat a hasty retreat.

Conan took his seat beside Adam's head as Selket swung her legs over the side of her cot on the boy's other side. Amy hovered beside Conan, dangling his necklace at him accusingly.

"Later. And for God's sake keep that thing in discretion." Conan didn't look at her, instead slowly moving to cup the boy's face in his hands. "They're monitoring this on video, but Havarez promised me there would be no audio recording. I don't know how he managed to swing that, but let's not make them wonder what they're really missing out on." And then, "Duo, release him," in the same expressionless monotone as the rest.

Curling her fingers around the necklace, Amy braced herself for another dramatic display. The flying blood, the agonizing scream, the contorting body….

But nothing happened.

Conan's hands retained their gentle, relaxed hold while his golden brown eyes all but burned into Adam's closed eyelids. Amy let her vision go soft, looking for some aura, some sign of a transfer of energy. Nothing.

"Uh, maybe you should kiss him again." Selket grinned eagerly. "I'll kiss him."

Conan's lips barely moved. "No. Patience."

Amy fidgeted, scanning the room expectantly. Duo was leaning forward, his eyes bright and interested despite the dark circles beneath them. He didn't appear to be watching anything in particular though, just staring at the wound. She eyed him passively. That expenditure of energy seemed to have taken a mighty toll on him, regardless of his clear eyes. He certainly didn't look like he was ready to stop the boy's heart again.

Sighing, Amy let her gaze travel sideways, to Adam's feet. A thick strap pinioned his calves to the bed frame. Another secured him at mid-thigh while another kept his bellybutton nice and safe. If he came back at full power, would they hold? He was pretty new, only a few weeks old, Conan said. That meant he wasn't too very much stronger than a human. That also meant he couldn't have been responsible for all of the murders. She grimaced, forcing herself to accept that they hadn't caught The Killer.

Of course, Mikael had been around when the killings had started. And he was still out there. Her head whipped up at the thought, her eyes instinctively zipping to the window. The vertical blinds were swaying. Just barely. Butt they were. And with the window closed, they shouldn't be.

Selket made a strangled sound. Curious, Amy followed her eyes to Adam's torso. And she made a strangled sound.

The wound was half the size it had been.

"The IV!" Duo hissed, half-standing to lean over the bed. He gestured quickly at the nearly empty drip bag. It shouldn't have been gone so quickly. Or wouldn't have been used as quickly by a human patient. The vampire's prone body seemed to suck it right in. As they watched, it dropped another 20 mls.

Conan's eyes were half-lidded, heavy. "Only a bit more. But it won't be enough."

Duo waved his had at Conan instead. "Why don't you give him some of your blood? You're powerful, right? It'll work fa-"

"No!" Conan growled, finally tightening his grip on the boy. "Then we'll be bound together. I can't have that."

Selket's eyes were fastened on the rapidly diminishing blood. "I'll give more. I can lose a lot in this form."

Duo grabbed her arm as she put a wrist to her mouth, wrenching it away from her face. "Like hell! You'll still get weaker. I'll do it."

"You'll kill him." Conan ignored the last of the blood that hovered in the IV tube a good 50 centimeters from the needle.

Selket shook Duo's hand off and drew a sharpened demon fang along her wrist. Blood spattered the boy's shoulder and neck before she could get it to his mouth. Pressing it between his slack lips, she looked to Conan for any helpful suggestions he might deign to offer. None were so she silently pumped her fist, feeding the blood flow to her arm.

As Amy watched, the boy's chest wound diminished, ruined organs regenerating, torn vessels and muscle repairing themselves, damaged flesh smoothing out over it all. Amazed, she leaned forward, watching as life was given back to this dead creature. The chest heaved, shuddered and heaved. Adam's throat began spasming, trying to swallow, attempting to control the blood being offered him.

Suddenly, Adam wrenched free, spasming sideways, then curling forward to spew blood into his lap. Amy flew back to hide behind Conan as Duo and Selket drew back slightly, Selket cradling her wrist in fresh gauze. The boy rocked with lung-wrenching coughs that ended in retching, then started up again immediately. The uppermost strap flopped against his heaving abdomen, broken and utterly useless.

Luckily, Conan reacted quickly, firmly collecting the boy's head between his fingertips once more to gently ease him back against the mattress. As Conan focused on the boy, his spasms passed and his chest rose and fell more rhythmically. Amy shook her head. Only the very new vampires bothered with breathing when not talking. Although he was at least three times as powerful as she was, she suddenly felt as though she were dealing with a child. A dangerous assumption.

Conan pressed closer to Adam's face, as tenderly as any lover. "Who are you?" he murmured gently.

"Adam." A cough as lungs expelled the last of the foreign blood. "Adam Deinhardt."

Conan nodded, adjusted his fingers slightly. "Do you have a Master?"

"Mikael."

"Does he set tasks for you? Do you do his bidding?"

"Tough. He…" Another cough left Conan's cheek spattered with blood. "…No. Doesn't care about me."

Conan seemed to nod. "What did you do last night?"

The wording seemed to confuse Adam. His eyes rolled behind his eyelids as though searching for the answer. "Last…night?"

Conan closed his eyes and pressed his cheek to Adam's.

"I fucked a girl and fed."

Amy felt her lips twist in disgust. Duo was shaking his head. It was one thing to know what he'd done; it was another to hear it spoken so candidly from his own lips.

"Alone?"

"Yes, and…," a pause, "no. No one was with me, but he fed through me."

Conan's eyes opened a crack, scowling in concentration. After a moment, he shook his head. Amy touched his shoulder hesitantly. "I felt a foreign presence for a moment. I think it was just a stream of Stacie's blood that he hadn't assimilated yet." He shook his head again, reorganizing his train of thought.

"You said `he' fed through you. Who is `he'?"

"Mikael. Ordered me to hunt. Told me how."

"He was teaching you?"

Adam nearly pulled his head free from Conan's grasp as he shook his head no. "Told me how to leave the body. Wanted them to match up."

Shock lanced through Amy's body, sending an electric tingle right down to her toes. Mikael had told him how to dismember the body, where to bite, where to cut, and when. Mikael wanted a trail to be left. Why? Was Mikael trying to throw guilt onto Adam, covering up for someone else? Hoping Adam would be caught and destroyed, thought to be the killer? Was Mikael covering his own tracks….

Amy leaned over Adam and concentrated on enunciating every word. "Have you done this before?"

Conan's eyes slide up to glare at her; he moved nothing else. "He cannot hear you." But he repeated Amy's question.

The answer came easily. "Once. Laura. Laaauuuraaaaa…." A thin stream of diluted blood seeped from the corner of his eye to stain the white pillowcase.

"Mikael ordered you to kill Laura Asano, the President's daughter?" Conan's tone was soft and thoughtful, as though it was not intended as a question for Adam. The boy nodded anyway.

"And who killed the others? The teenagers who died before Laura?" His voice was harsh, focused.

"Mikael."

Amy felt an elephant pirouette in the pit of her stomach. She pressed a hand to the mattress, suddenly dizzy. "Mikael was behind them?" She recalled an earlier conversation with Wufei, where she had quickly blamed the Master Vampire for the deaths. But it didn't make sense. Why would he do that? What would he gain from the intermittent murders of a handful of teenagers?

Static sounded, startling everyone in the room. Four pairs of eyes turned to the PA box above the door as a smooth voice was transmitted. "Thank you Dr. Edwards. We have the confession. Is it at all possible to extract this Mikael's location from the creature's mind?"

Conan shot to his feet, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. "You were recording…?? I thought it was understood that I do not allow my sessions to be recorded." This came in a low growl that turned the hackles on Amy's neck. He was pissed. Really really pissed.

Crackling. "It was understood perfectly. Your wishes were overridden by an order from President Asano himself. He apologizes, but feels this is the best way." A pause. "Now, if you will please procure the murderer's whereabouts."

"No!!" Selket leapt up, glaring at the transmitter in a fiery rage. Her voice broke as she shrieked, "This guy's lying! Mikael has no motive at all! Why would he- How- Why-??"

Duo silently but firmly collected his wife and pushed her back down to the cot. A dangerous electricity energized his flashing violet eyes as they passed from the PA box to Adam and back again.

"Wait." Amy fumbled with her hands before remembering to keep the cross low profile. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. Stand up for Mikael…? Why? "He could be lying." She turned to Conan. "He could be, right?"

Conan shook his head sullenly, redirecting his glare to Adam. The boy looked as though he was asleep now. "No, there is absolutely no way he could lie without me knowing when we're linked like that. If he was much, much older I might suspect trickery, but he's young, weak, and inexperienced. He told us the truth."

The voice on the loudspeaker wasn't impressed. "Where do we find Mikael? If you know, speak up or you will be arrested and charged with aiding and abetting a murderer. Even the Preventers are not above laws."

Duo wrapped an arm around Selket, who looked as though she were concentrating hard on not incinerating the PA box. "Yeah, yeah, we'll take you."

"We appreciate you're help. Once the murderer has been apprehended, you may return to your base of operations. With President Asano's gratitude."

"Who the hell-??" Selket bit off her question before she accidentally bit off the cautioning finger Duo placed before her lips.

"Who the hell are we? The Secret Service, ma'am. Your cooperation is appreciated."

Amy ground her teeth helplessly. That bastard Mikael…. What was he to her anyway? They'd capture him, destroy him, and she'd be free. No more marks and no more vampires. She glanced at Conan, who was wiping blood from his cheek. Definitely no more vampires. Wufei would be so pleased.

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