My life, my life makes me wanna run away
There's no place to go, no place to go
All the confusion it's an illusion like a movie
Got nowhere to go, nowhere to run and hide no matter how hard I try
-Lyrics to 'My Life' performed by Adam Levine, 50 Cent and Eminem
Crimson Bonds Part 52
Isabel had Fiona on her lap as she brushed the smaller Vampire's hair. As the oldest Chang daughter, the beautiful brunette had worked alongside her Aunt Midi to fill as much of the void that her Mom's absence had left as she could for her younger siblings.
As the weeks rolled on by without any real word of progress in the search, the kids were beginning to grow more and more distant due to their growing fears. Smiles and laughter were hard to find amidst even the youngest. But that never deterred their big sister from trying to put them at ease.
Rosshe's family could not have been more accommodating in providing everything their guests could possibly need or want. Like 'little mothers,' Midi and Isabel, they all did what they could to lift the children's spirits... all the while understanding that nothing would be truly right for them until their mother was back home with them.
Spread throughout the living room, the kids were occupying themselves with everything from coloring books to hand-held videogames to books and whatever else that could keep their minds distracted.
Lowering the brush that she had been using, Isabel watched Ian as he lay on his stomach on the floor a few feet away from her while he maneuvered the animated car on his game console through a twisting, turning maze. Unconsciously separating and twining Fiona's hair into a pair of braids from instinct, the brunette considered him and his predicament with the Hunter who had taken their Mom and Uncle Duo.
And something that had been bothering her bubbled back to the surface of her foremost thoughts.
"Ian?" Isabel called softly. When her brother's head lifted so that their gold-ringed eyes could lock, she asked, "How did you ever manage to get away from that woman when she trapped you? When John tracked what had happened, he said that you were pinned down and about to be captured yourself when you managed to fight back."
Blinking in surprise, the boy shifted to sit up as he answered nervously, "Well... I did something to surprise her." Fiona's head snapped around to take him, her own eyes widened. And something about the exchange between them took their eldest sister aback.
Carefully lowering her charge from her lap, Isabel remained fixated on Ian as she leaned towards him. "What did you do?" she pressed. "I'm just now realizing how next to impossible it would have been for you to get away from that close of an encounter with someone who was clearly a skilled Hunter."
With a small smile, the youngling that was the center of attention faced his twin for help. "It's okay," Fiona smiled. "I have a power, too. If I knew you had one, I would'a said something sooner."
"Power?" their older sister frowned, now all the more confused. Shaking her head, she frowned deeply, "What are you talking about?" From the other half of the room, Carol, Solo and the rest of the hoard began to slowly move in so that they could be closer to the conversation.
Feeling all of the gazes remaining on him, Ian took courage at his twin's reassurance. He pushed himself up onto his feet, head high, shoulders rolling back as he took a deep breath. And then he vanished from sight.
Gasping and crying out in shock, the younglings stared in disbelief at the space that had been occupied by the dark-haired Infected.
When she felt a weight settle on her shoulders, Isabel nearly jumped out of her skin. Peering back at her were her brother's eyes while he kept himself pitched forward from his straddling the back of her neck.
Nearly falling over from her start, the oldest sister breathed, "H-how...?"
A brilliant smile spreading across his face, Cai raised his hand, cheering, "I have a power, too!"
Laughing and holding up their own hands, each of the kids followed in suit with elated cries of 'Me, too!' and 'I've got one!' Her jaw dropping all the more as she scanned each young face, Isabel slowly came around to her pixie-haired, next-born sister.
Her head ducking with a sheepish grin, Carol shrugged and slowly lifted her hand as she said quietly, "Yea... I have one, too."
Finally coming down from her shock, Isabel sighed, "Oh thank God. I thought I was the only one."
* * * * * *
"Ready to do this?" John asked as he eyed the sprawling, Orlando estate belonging to the person at the top of the list of contacts provided to them.
Completely taken by the grandeur of the white-walled mansion that lay on its own stretch of beach for miles, it took Charles a moment to realize that his brother had spoken to him. Meeting the onyx-and-gold eyes watching him, he nodded firmly, "Yea. Ready."
Walking side-by-side to the main gates in broad daylight, the pair hoped to give off the air that they were not coming to be of any harm to the owner of such a wealthy chunk of reality. A hand raising for the pager fastened to the closed off door rails, the siblings waited patiently while the buzz of a video camera on the high arch of the gazes filled the air as it set its lens onto them.
Then, over the com, a woman's voice greeted, "Who is it?"
Clearing his throat, Charles pressed the pager and spoke into it as he replied, "Uh... we're here to speak with Cynthia Marx... I think you might have a person of interest in common with us that we... um... would like to discuss."
"Smooth, bro," Charles snorted under his breath with a roll of his eyes. "You might as well just come out and say, 'Hi, we're here to ask you some uncomfortable questions.' That would have been a lot better than not being able to finish a clear sentence without stumbling over yourself."
Growling, the redheaded Infected spun to face him as he snapped, "I'm nervous, alright?! I doubt you would have done much better, smart ass."
The woman's voice returned with a soft giggle. "I've been expecting you," she announced, her amusement carrying over. "Come in. My staff will bring you into my office so we can talk." At that, the click of the gate latch coming undone sounded and the double gated door swung slightly inward.
Both Vampires exchanged wide-eyed glances before Charles stepped forward to lead the way inside. Then, as if their surroundings came to life, armed guards that they had not at all detected came out of their disguised hiding places as they lowered their guns and other weapons to their sides.
Gasping, John whispered, "H-holy shit. They could have taken us out before we even knew they were around." His older brother swallowed roughly with a shallow nod as one of the lookouts walked briskly towards them.
"I'll be taking you in," the sand-color-clad living informed. Turning on his heels, he requested, "This way, please." Not needing to be told twice, the Vampires followed close behind, mentally shuddering at how many faces were actually standing by that had gone unnoticed by them.
Of course, no one present knew that they were in the presence of two Vampires due to the lack of both tracking bands on their arms and gold rings around the visitors' irises thanks to the contact lenses they wore.
Perhaps their potential threats would have been taken care of by Charles and John if there had been an altercation... but not without a couple of close calls on their end of the ambush.
Keeping their mouths closed and their steps fast, the brothers remained right behind their guide while they couldn't not help staring around the high-ceilinged estate they entered. Led through the many twists and turns of stairs and hallways, they were brought to one of the more private corridors on the top floor.
Through a pair of glass doors, the younglings found a surprisingly young woman peering up from her typing away at her laptop as she sat behind her sleek and modern desk of white marble. Smiling at the new arrivals, she gestured for her guard to continue forward just as the glass literally melted away before them.
Falling back a couple of paces in surprise, the brothers blinked in disbelief. With a warm giggle, the brunette brushed back her shoulder-length hair and rounded her station as she said, "I must admit that I enjoy making my own entrance, even in my own home."
Black high heels clicking along her tiled floor and a form-fitting red business suit tapered by a black skirt that accentuated her healthy physique, the hostess offered, "Please come in. "When he received a short nod from his employer, the guard fell aside to give the hesitant guests a moment to collect themselves again.
That was when Charles's onyx eyes met a brilliant pair of brown and everything else around them disappeared. Only then did the living give any sign of pause as she gazed back with the same wonder.
John's head snapped from one captivated face to the other as the realization of what had just transpired sank in immediately for him. After all, he had been on the receiving end of the connection that was passing between the two sharing the office space with him.
"U-uh pardon me," the young woman stammered. Smiling widely to the taller creature before her, she held out a hand as she introduced, "I'm Hillary Twain. Marcellus called to advise me that I should expect company. And you are...?"
Bending at the waist in a deep bow, the Infected grinned, "Charles. Charles Chang." Their hands meeting for a firm shake, neither moved to break the contact too soon.
Completely missed by the intended soul mates, John murmured, "H-holy shit."
* * * * * *
The day began as any other for Broderick after he had checked in on Emma to confirm that she was comfortable and safe. Along his way to the lab, he treaded carefully to avoid the chance of encountering Lucie Aisley by taking the longer stretch of catwalks that were nowhere near her living quarters.
It had been a blissful couple of days without so much as hide nor hair of her to be spotted on account of their opposing shifts on duty. A blessing, really. Though when they did meet she would likely be doing everything in her power to make up for the lost time.
Once he was safely away and inside the holding area to stay secluded with the prisoners for most of the duration of his watch, Dawson was able to breathe easily. And so he spent his hours posting himself around Anna's cell in such a way that the video cameras wouldn't pick up his mouth so that he could talk freely with the captives.
For a Hunter to find solace in the company of a Vampire, a pair of Hybrids and a Companion was a little more than ironic, but these particular beings had become something akin to friends, creatures whom he felt more comfortable around than most other livings... and that was especially in the case of the humans that he had once worked alongside.
"So what will you do when and if we're able to escape from here?" Celeste asked towards the end of their time together. Frowning, she commented, "I don't see how you could possibly go back to Hunting Vampires after all of this."
Just the thought of doing such a thing caused a shudder to run up Broderick's back. "No," he responded without so much as a hint regret or doubt. "I have no intention of ever returning to that way of life."
After his father's death, all that Dawson had ever known was Hunting... removing the world of every Vampire that he could best. He had worked his way up the ranks of his kind, the most vicious of the mortals who shared his cause. and here he was- denouncing everything that he had been and all that he believed.
Originally, he thought that such a profound moment should have come with some kind of earth-shattering bolt that wracked every bit of his being. Instead, he felt more at peace than he ever had in his life. Never before had he felt any better about the course that he had set himself upon, as unknown as that future may be.
"I honestly have no idea where to go from here," Broderick snickered as he ran a hand through his short hair. "I never considered being anything but a Hunter ever since I was very young." Clearing his throat, he shrugged, "My father had disappeared not long after I was born. It's going to be an adjustment to find my way once all of this is over."
Pushing herself up from her side where she had been curled up atop her bed, Anna stated, "I always wondered how it was you came to be a Hunter in the first place. You never struck me as one. Most are cold and unforgiving enough of my kind that we would have never had a single conversation between us."
As she sat upright, the redhead's hand fell unconsciously over her swelling belly where the babies growing inside were turning and kicking away. "Is it alright to ask what made you hate Vampires enough to become an enemy as early in life as you just said?" she inquired softly.
Dawson turned around to take her in while seeing past her into his dark memories. "My father vanished when I was only five months old," he said distantly. "He worked late one night, went to go to his car and he just... disappeared. There were no cameras in place over where he had parked, so there is no evidence to what had happened after he reached the back of the lot."
Captivated by the telling, Duo, Celeste and even Solo craned their heads to watch their friend. Keeping still, their eyes all took on a keen interest as well as a sincere sympathy for him.
With a shake of his head, the mortal went on, "There wasn't so much as a hair of my father to be found and there was also no trace of foul play. Without a body or a motive for anyone he knew to possibly harm him, the case went cold within a couple of weeks. The officers investigating it passed him off as a man running off and who didn't want to be found."
There was a long pause before Broderick continued, "My mother and I had always been convinced that a Vampire must have killed him, considering how there was nothing to go on. I was sure that only an Infected could be capable of removing a human without drawing any attention to themselves or what they had done."
Drawing a deep breath, he managed to pull enough strength to say, "My mother fell into the bottle to drink away her pain. Eventually, it caught up with her when she was driving home from a tavern one night." He swallowed back a lump in his throat and murmured, "At the time I was only-"
"Ten," a whispered voice concluded for him.
Broken from his daze, the living rocked back on his heels to finally focus back on his surroundings... namely the shell-shocked, Irish immortal before him. Frozen where she sat, Anna was the one to now have a far-off look behind the shimmer in her eyes.
"You would have been ten years old," she breathed. "I should have known how I've felt like I knew you all this time, but I couldn't place it until now."
Forgetting about the direct line of the cameras, the Hunter stepped towards her. "H-how did you know how old I was? How do you know who I am when I never told anyone beyond Septum about my past?" he asked.
A growing panic took hold of Duo as he centered in on his sister. There was a light tremor that coursed its way through her at the inquiry as the tears in her blue-and-gold eyes spilled over, only adding to his worries. Shaking his head, he tried to get her to stop whatever it was she had to say out of concern that it might upset their only real ally.
But Anna was locked onto the mortal trained on her. "Your father was killed by a Vampire named Vladimir Akulov," she answered. "He was responsible for the deaths of more than two hundred livings over the course of his existence."
The air seemed to be sucked out of the room at the admission.
Celeste slapped a hand over her mouth to stop the sharp gasp that bubbled from her while Solo fell back a step with wide eyes. Biting his lip, Maxwell gulped hard at having what he had feared to be the Irish Vampire's realization. Now all of the focus was back on the stunned Hunter once again.
"It was a Vampire?" Dawson started out softly as it grew into a low growl. His face reddening more and more with each passing second, he hissed, "You mean that I was right all along in hating your kind for ruining my life?!"
Rising to her feet to close the distance between them, Anna fell curled up on her knees in a physical request to allow her to speak as she cried, "Not all of us are monsters, Broderick! I've never denied that there are bad Vampires just as there are bad humans! We take every measure that we can to put an end to threats like Vladimir and other Rogues by destroying them ourselves!"
To the raised, silver highlighted eyebrows that gave her an opening to explain, the redhead rushed out, "There's an organization of us... our own law enforcement, if you will.... the Preventers. My family all serve as agents to go out on missions to remove those who turn to attacking humans."
Never before had Broderick ever thought that such a thing was possible to go undiscovered. It was enough to keep him silent as his thoughts mulled over everything.
That left the window open for his charge to go on, "Vladimir was one of our toughest cases, always slipping through the cracks. We knew from the missing person reports that had been building up that an Infected was responsible, but he was incredibly efficient in leaving nothing behind for us to go on. Not even the most experienced of trackers could pick up on anything from him until he finally did slip up... not long after your father had become one of his last victims..."
A sharp sob breaking her hasty words, she pulled in a deep breath and struggled to find her voice with her next couple of attempts until she forced out brokenly, "About twenty-three years ago, my husband and my brother were called on what was thought to be a routine 'clean up' of a Rogue who had been caught in the act not far from our home."
Whimpering, she concluded in a muttered, "Just to give them a hand, Carl Darlian went with them."
Every bit of color draining from his face, Duo 's jaw fell away when he breathed, "Oh... my... God..." Already having worked the timeframe out in his head, he knew exactly where this was going... filling in another piece of the puzzle to his family's history.
"Congresswoman Relena Peacecraft-Darlain's husband?" Broderick frowned. "But...he died in a car accident around that time." Even as the comment left is lips, his eyes grew as a chilling thought came to him.
Anna shook her head, sniffling, "That was what Treize and his family had to call it. It was Vladimir who had killed him. He was the last to lose his life to that demon. In the process, Heero nearly been killed in the struggle as well. If it hadn't been for Wufei swooping in to shield him with his scales..."
There was no way she could continue on with what that would have meant for her beloved brother the way she nearly fell apart at going that far.
Numb from head-to-toe, Dawson could only find it within himself to push, "This Vladimir is dead, then?"
Without hesitating, the Infected nodded enthusiastically. "He was torn to pieces and burned to finish him off as thoroughly as he did the poor souls he claimed. Such a monster had no right to resonate in the world in any possible way."
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he asked, "And the gifts that would be left at my father's grave site for me? The funds for my scholarship and so on?"
"Gifts that were pooled together by the Preventers to give you some kind of start in life," the Siren responded. "We do the same for the children and loved ones of those killed by our own as the least that we can do without coming out and revealing the truth of what happened. If word very spread that there ever were dangerous Vampires out there-" Her whole body shaking, she shook her head weakly.
So that was it...
...The answers to everything Broderick had ever wanted to know about his father's disappearance and the past that he could never run from no matter how hard he tried. And the revelations came with the earth-shattering jolt that he had expected from his choice to leave Hunting behind him.
Only it was so much stronger than earth-shattering. It was as if all of his senses had shut down.
Not aware that he had commanded his feet to move until he noticed he was stepping through the holding room's main entrance, he only processed a sharp sob from Anna as the doors closed behind him.
TBC...
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