Eternal Service (17 page)

Ben leaned closer to Raymond. “Yeah, but what did her hair smell like?”

Raymond closed his eyes, took a deep breath. As his chest slowly expanded and contracted, he quietly said, “Honey almond.”

Alex walked trance–like down the hallway to Dixon’s office. She refused to allow her feelings for Raymond to interfere with her accepting the best promotion she had ever been offered.

Her thoughts bounced back and forth as she struggled with her ethics. The adage “You never fish off the company pier,” came to mind. The week passed and she meant to ask about the ring on his finger. He claimed to be a widower, so he must be recently widowed if he wasn’t ready to remove the ring. Great, she was going to be the new director and Miss Rebound? No. The price wasn’t worth the headache to start a relationship.

Speaking of headaches, two of them were walking up to her.

“Can we have a word, Captain?” Brandon asked.

She didn’t think she could say ‘never’ and just run away. “I’m going into a meeting with Dixon right now.”

“This will only take a moment,” Matt reassured her.

Before she could even say, “Straitjacket for two”, she was whisked away to their office. She found herself in the middle of what she would have considered paranoid central if it weren’t for the last week of her own world being torn apart.

“Raul Medina was a prisoner down in questioning a week ago. He was involved with some drug smuggling,” Matt began.

“That’s right. Then Mr. Teal Eyes came in with Mr. Seventies Hair, and things got weird.” Brandon unlocked his computer and showed her a video feed. “This is from the hallway of the interrogation cells. The original video has been erased, but a single frame exists where you can see the two men as they stand at the security check. The man standing with them is Lt. Gallendar. The Lt’s name is on the roster followed by two other names, which are fake. At least, we can’t find any agents with their names.”

“Wait a second,” Alex said, looking at the single frame which showed Raymond and the profile of the other man she didn’t know, but guessed was a Colony member. She scanned the time stamp, it was just before she was introduced to the Colony. She advanced the video and watched the time stamp jump.

“They’re all over the place, but they’re also not,” Matt said.

Alex put one hand on her mouth to hide her shocked expression. “OK, fast forward.”

Brandon clicked on the keyboard and stopped the video once more. “Here is a frame showing the left hand of a man at the door of the Medina’s interrogation room. We compared the ring to the ring worn by Mr. Teal Eyes. They match.”

Alex took a good look at the ring. It was the one Raymond wore.

“Obviously, these two were entering the room,” Matt chimed in.

Brandon slapped his hands together, startling Alex. “And BAM! The time stamp jumps a good five minutes.” He paused the video, pointed at the time stamp, and looked at her like the cat that ate the canary.

“And the lieutenant who escorted the two doesn’t even remember being anywhere near this room at this time,” Matt added.

Alex noticed Brandon rubbing his temple and Matt squinting at the lights. Memory wipes. These two may act like idiots, but they saw, and suspected, a lot more than they should. “Is there any more of this video?”

“They visited two more holding cells. In each case, the video has been tampered with. In one of the rooms, you see their shadows in several of the frames.” Matt was about to queue up the other videos when Alex stopped him.

“I have to meet with Dixon. Don’t show this to anyone just yet. I’ll be back to talk to you about this.”

Alex’s head swarmed with thoughts as she continued down the corridor to Dixon’s office. She needed to warn him of Brandon and Matt’s findings. She had already made up her mind; she wanted to know more about vampires and the Colony. She didn’t want to be left in the dark like Matt and Brandon.

She was running late now. After just one tap on the closed door, Dixon welcomed her into his office. It surprised her to find another lady, whom she did not know, present. She looked not much more than a child, perhaps eighteen to twenty years old. The woman had a short, professional haircut, which framed her apple–shaped face. She held a coffee mug in one hand, and wore a classic, cream colored tweed, double–breasted, two–piece suit. The long sleeved outfit was fastened with mother–of–pearl buttons for accents. Whoever she was, she had taste.

Alex took a seat next to the woman.

“Have you made a decision?” Dixon asked without introducing the other woman.

“I’ve decided to accept the position.” Alex smiled at Dixon and the woman.

“I’m glad.” Dixon gestured over to the woman, “This is Sulie. She is a member of the Colony.”

“So nice to meet you, Captain Brennan,” Sulie said.

Another vampire. Alex studied the young blond and remembered that Raymond had mentioned his sister’s name was Sulie. Of course, there would be females in the group, and good Lord they could pass as human. “Likewise,” she said in a cracked voice as she shook the woman’s hand. The hand was ‘coffee cup’ warmed. “Is Sulie going to help with the next step of my orientation?” Alex asked as she turned to face Dixon.

“No. Her services this morning are not needed. She was just leaving.” Dixon walked Sulie out the door. Alex noticed a brief pause as Sulie smiled at Dixon and he gave her a slight nod before the door closed.

Once they were alone in the office, Alex asked, “What services?”

“Excuse me?” he said, closing the office door.

“You said her services were no longer needed. What services?”

Dixon cleared his throat. “She was here to wipe your memory if you elected not to take the position.”

Alex’s face blanched. “I see.” Alex felt uneasy as she shifted in her seat. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.”

“Don’t let the precaution disturb you.” Dixon suggested in a reassuring voice.

Alex shook her head. “It’s fine. I was told ahead of time what the consequences were.” Remembering her conversation with Matt and Brandon, she added, “By the way, Matt and Brandon have some video of Raymond that needs to be addressed.”

He reached for his phone. “The process is called a cleanup. I’ll text Raymond to come by and talk with the two of them.” As he quickly texted he added, “This sort of thing happens a lot with those two.”

Alex pursed her lips, understanding what happened during a cleanup. “OK, then. I’m glad I mentioned it.”

Taking his seat, Dixon began the briefing. “BTW, your security clearance was confirmed this morning.”

Alex smiled knowing exactly what that meant. She had been cleared to talk directly to the President. There was nothing hindering her clearance, but it still was good to know the hurdle had been jumped.

“We have to discuss security measures now that we are alone.” Dixon looked grave. “I’ve known the members of the Colony for decades. All have been working with the government for longer than I’ve had my career. At no time have any of them ever shown any weakness or signs of treason to this country.” He reached into his drawer and pulled out a long thin box. He carefully opened the box and placed its contents in front of Alex. “The members of the Colony can never know about this security measure. Here is a dagger for you to carry with you at all times.”

Alex inspected the dagger and admired the beautifully crafted detail. The light from above glinted off the blade and she caught her reflection in it. “And the Colony is not to know I have a dagger?”

“You will be issued your weapons today, but this dagger is for you to carry always. It is to be hidden on your person without their knowledge.”

Alex was confused. “They can compel me. How am I supposed to keep a secret from them?”

“All Colony members are required to take an oath not to compel you,” Dixon explained. He then took a deep breath. “Actually, the oath doesn’t matter because they won’t be able to compel you.”

She glanced up from the dagger. Her heart skipped a beat. “I’m human,” she said in a hushed tone. “Why won’t they be able to compel me?”

“As the Director of the team your mind will be altered to not allow any compelling.”

Her eyes went wide. “What?”

He took the dagger from her hands. “It sounds worse than it really is. A subroutine, so to speak, will be implanted in your subconscious mind. If any vampire tries to compel you, the subroutine will be triggered. You see, you can be compelled by more than one vampire at a time. But with a subroutine only the one who places it in your mind can ever compel you. This way you’ll be safe when you’re out in the field.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw locked–in place. “A subroutine. In my mind?”

“It’s for your own protection as the director of the team.”

Alex thought about the possibilities. “Does this mean the President and the cabinet all have subroutines?”

He shook his head. “No. No member of the Colony is allowed to compel, or alter the mind of the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, and now the Director of Homeland Security.”

“So. All other cabinet positions are just up for grabs?” she said defiantly.

Dixon tone grew harsher. “No. Of course not. The Colony Director is the only human to be altered.”

“Uh, huh. For my own protection.”

“Yes. Like it or not, you are dealing with another species. You, not the President, will be working closely with them. You are the one human that must be the liaison between the President and this team.”

Her stance softened. “I see.” She took the dagger from Dixon’s hand and mindlessly ran her fingers down the hilt. “So the President doesn’t actually deal with the team directly.”

“He does, if he chooses to do so. The duties vary from president to president, and that is why it is so important the director of the Colony be a human. The last President was too scared to deal directly with them.” He pointed to the picture of the President that hung on his wall. “This one likes the team. He doesn’t see them as a threat. He actually likes to hang out with Sterling and Ben at times.”

“The director is always human then,” she stated, letting fact sink in.

“Always.”

She played with the dagger, not really focusing on the tiny weapon. “So, this subroutine. What exactly is it?”

“It’s a compelling to not be compelled. The only compelling the team is allowed to do to you.”

She studied his face. “You …”

He met her gaze. “Yes. Me. All the directors before me. All the directors to come.”

Alex remained staring at him. “The procedure is not painful,” he added. You won’t even feel that it’s in place. Raymond will connect with your mind and reprogram your brain so you can’t be compelled once it’s in place.”

She stopped staring and momentarily looked down at the dagger she played with in her hands. “How?” she finally asked.

He shrugged. “How the hell should I know? Raymond is the only one who can do it, or undo it.”

Her head jerked back up. “Raymond? Why?”

“He’s the only one capable of placing the subroutine. That fact is in his records, which you’ll be privileged to.”

She hated not knowing, but knew she’d be able to find out. She began playing with the dagger again, careful not to cut herself, as she gathered her thoughts. “Has a vampire ever tried to compel you?”

“Yes.” He moved his hand to his temple. “To me it feels like eating ice cream too fast – you get a brain freeze. Some directors say it feels like a sharp headache. You’re not compelled though. Either you will hear everything the vampire is saying, you just won’t care to follow his commands — or, what they’re saying won’t make sense to you. The interpretation varies from director to director.” He then added, “You can postpone the procedure until I officially retire, but eventually you will need to undergo the procedure. Of course, you could still decline the position.”

“No,” she said quickly. “I’ll still take the job.” Now that she knew about vampires, it was nice to know that she could protect herself from being compelled. She felt that she could trust Raymond. “I understand. And, it is reassuring. I think I’ll wait then.” She held up the dagger, realizing she had been playing with it. “The dagger is for my protection then,” she said to change the subject.

“Yes. In case one of them ever goes rogue.”

Alex stared in disbelief. “Have there been any team members who have done so?”

“Never.”

That was comforting. Alex studied the dagger, understanding its exact purpose. “This is so I can kill a rogue if needed.”

“No. Even with your strong physique it's doubtful you’d be able to kill a vampire – at least not without help. It would take a vampire to kill another vampire since they can only die with excessive blood loss. Their bodies are incapable of producing new blood cells, and yet their very lifeline is blood. Did Raymond explain to you their aging process?”

Alex thought back to all the information she received in the past few days. The intel was sizable. “Yes. The more blood consumed the younger they appear.”

“Exactly. The less blood they have, the older they appear. If their system has no blood, they age rapidly and turn to dust. So if they were beheaded, they would die due to massive blood loss. Or if they were stabbed in the heart and bled out they would also die.”