but just to bribe... the military... to look the other way. They wanted to be able to keep on making more 'thralls,' as they called them, without anybody paying close attention. Their whole goal was to just make these thousands of vampires all along, and then release them all at once."
"You're saying they've been planning to break the Treaty for years?"
"Yeah. Arachne, Louis, the other two or three main vampire leaders. They must have worked this all out way in advance. But even so, they didn't have thousands of these thralls locked away. From what I heard, it was more like five hundred or something."
McKnight tapped her fingers on her knees. "That's not good."
"No." Selah stared down at her hands. "Because it means these new vampires--thralls--are making even more vampires. If they doubled their numbers over night..."
"Then we're facing an epidemic."
They stared at each other, each working out the implications. "This didn't happen during the first war, did it?"
"No," said McKnight. "The first war was nothing like this. They stayed in hiding and would only come out to take out our top brass. It was like fighting smoke. Endless raids, endless hunts as we tried to find them during the day. A thousand of us for every one of them." McKnight shook her head. "That's what we thought would happen again when war broke out. We thought it would repeat the same pattern."
"You guys expected another war?"
McKnight grinned humorlessly, a death's head smile. "Of course. We're the military. It's our job to prepare."
"But ... you prepared for a repeat of the first war."
"Yes." The Sergeant let out a breath and shook her head. "We've refined all these methods for unearthing hidden vampires. We never expected a thousand of them to come running at us, screaming bloody murder."
"So what happens now?"
McKnight shrugged uneasily. "No idea. My guess is that we just lost California. If their numbers grow that fast, we won't be able to contain LA. They'll spread fast and we'll have to fight to contain them in the state." McKnight shook her head again. "That's if we can contain it. If it spreads? Gets past the Rockies, into the Southwest, up through Oregon?" She paused, eyes unfocused as she gazed at some internal vision. "Well. It'd slow down at that point. They won't have the numbers to infect. And I'm guessing they would have to feed as they go. But each time one of them reaches a city, we'd see a new outbreak."
Selah tried to imagine this. Vampires racing through mountain passes at night, impervious to the cold and snow. Vampires spreading out over the desert, into New Mexico, Arizona, Texas. Up through the vast grasslands of Montana and North Dakota. "But ... they can drive. Vampires are smart. What if they just jump in cars?"
McKnight snorted. "Then we're fucked. All it would take is a handful of them driving into Chicago, New York, and DC. Game over. That would be like fifty million vampires on the East Coast in under a week. But I don't think that will happen. The way they were fighting tonight. They were crazed. Like animals. Just running at us. There was no strategy there, no sign of group tactics. If that's how they're operating, I don't see them jumping in cars and driving anywhere."
"Yeah," said Selah, not sure, but wanting to believe it. "Yeah. Maybe."
"We're going to put down in 29 Palms and I'm going to do my best to get us out of there as quickly as possible. My orders are specific. I'm to get you to that research center in Colorado. People are waiting for you there."
"What? Who?"
"Friends of your General Adams, I'm guessing. I don't know."
"How are we getting there?"
"I don't know. If Mr. Warrant Officer up there doesn't throw too much of a fit, I should be able to relay my orders and commandeer a vehicle. Things are going to be insane on the ground. Hopefully, that will work in our favor."
"Thank you," Selah said before she could stop herself.
McKnight stared at her, and then looked away. Selah hugged
"You're saying they've been planning to break the Treaty for years?"
"Yeah. Arachne, Louis, the other two or three main vampire leaders. They must have worked this all out way in advance. But even so, they didn't have thousands of these thralls locked away. From what I heard, it was more like five hundred or something."
McKnight tapped her fingers on her knees. "That's not good."
"No." Selah stared down at her hands. "Because it means these new vampires--thralls--are making even more vampires. If they doubled their numbers over night..."
"Then we're facing an epidemic."
They stared at each other, each working out the implications. "This didn't happen during the first war, did it?"
"No," said McKnight. "The first war was nothing like this. They stayed in hiding and would only come out to take out our top brass. It was like fighting smoke. Endless raids, endless hunts as we tried to find them during the day. A thousand of us for every one of them." McKnight shook her head. "That's what we thought would happen again when war broke out. We thought it would repeat the same pattern."
"You guys expected another war?"
McKnight grinned humorlessly, a death's head smile. "Of course. We're the military. It's our job to prepare."
"But ... you prepared for a repeat of the first war."
"Yes." The Sergeant let out a breath and shook her head. "We've refined all these methods for unearthing hidden vampires. We never expected a thousand of them to come running at us, screaming bloody murder."
"So what happens now?"
McKnight shrugged uneasily. "No idea. My guess is that we just lost California. If their numbers grow that fast, we won't be able to contain LA. They'll spread fast and we'll have to fight to contain them in the state." McKnight shook her head again. "That's if we can contain it. If it spreads? Gets past the Rockies, into the Southwest, up through Oregon?" She paused, eyes unfocused as she gazed at some internal vision. "Well. It'd slow down at that point. They won't have the numbers to infect. And I'm guessing they would have to feed as they go. But each time one of them reaches a city, we'd see a new outbreak."
Selah tried to imagine this. Vampires racing through mountain passes at night, impervious to the cold and snow. Vampires spreading out over the desert, into New Mexico, Arizona, Texas. Up through the vast grasslands of Montana and North Dakota. "But ... they can drive. Vampires are smart. What if they just jump in cars?"
McKnight snorted. "Then we're fucked. All it would take is a handful of them driving into Chicago, New York, and DC. Game over. That would be like fifty million vampires on the East Coast in under a week. But I don't think that will happen. The way they were fighting tonight. They were crazed. Like animals. Just running at us. There was no strategy there, no sign of group tactics. If that's how they're operating, I don't see them jumping in cars and driving anywhere."
"Yeah," said Selah, not sure, but wanting to believe it. "Yeah. Maybe."
"We're going to put down in 29 Palms and I'm going to do my best to get us out of there as quickly as possible. My orders are specific. I'm to get you to that research center in Colorado. People are waiting for you there."
"What? Who?"
"Friends of your General Adams, I'm guessing. I don't know."
"How are we getting there?"
"I don't know. If Mr. Warrant Officer up there doesn't throw too much of a fit, I should be able to relay my orders and commandeer a vehicle. Things are going to be insane on the ground. Hopefully, that will work in our favor."
"Thank you," Selah said before she could stop herself.
McKnight stared at her, and then looked away. Selah hugged
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