Post by Rae-Star Berii on Nov 27, 2012 15:26:59 GMT -5
He’d been all over the internet. The guy from the diner; Craig. Some sort of science thing. She hadn’t read the information, but she had seen the picture and the name and it had reminded Rae of a friend she had made. She was in America at the moment, New York to be exact for her experiment. She seemed to be jetting back and forth far too often than was good for her, but it was worth it. The information she was getting from the bats was more than useful. Currently sat in a bar she was clicking away on her laptop and had happened to stumble across the pages with Craig’s picture.
For a moment she had paused; then she went about a side-project. While her information from her micro-cameras downloaded she began searching the internet for Craig Jamerson. It didn’t take her long to find out a lot about him; Rae was a whiz with this sort of thing. Her fingers tapping over the keys like lightening, fast, light to the touch as she triangulated the information she could find and set up a quick loophole in the matrix universe. It was easy, it was basic, but it would do for the moment.
The loop she placed on his laptop allowed her to log into his computer, remaining in the background like a spy; she watched as his mouse moved around the screen, she watched as he opened files. Files full of information she was not sure she understood.
From the distance of miles and miles across America, Rae took control of his mouse, moving it away from his control. He would see it on the screen, he would be stuck watching helplessly as his mouse moved in her control. She moved it away from the file he was working on, bringing it down to open a note document. There, with a smile on her face as she controlled him remotely, she typed him a quick message.
On his screen it appeared, pink;
Well haven’t you been very, very busy? I have something you might be interested in…
Then she set him file; keeping her location and email unknown she sent it through the digital waves so that it appeared on his desktop. It was footage from her latest bat-upload. Night-vision, green images of a vampire in an alley way, murdering and destroying a teenage girl, drunk on a night out.
Rae sat back against the booth of the bar seat, sipped her rum and coke, and grinned to herself. It was time to see what the brainbox made of that.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Nov 27, 2012 17:24:55 GMT -5
Craig was astonished at just how effective the splicing had turned out in the end. The inclusion of the separate introns had not resulted in an extending or reducing in the length of the mRNA code and no mutations had occurred throughout the entirety of the logged process. The board was impressed and a couple of magazines had requested an interview. Those weren't due for another two weeks, though, and now, Craig was working at the lab he'd decided to stay with in Reno. He'd gotten a decent funding boost towards his department and things were looking up. Somehow, all this insanity had worked out beautifully in the end. End game: find a compatible blood sequence for Dragon blood's splicing and compare Draconian blood with Human for differences and potential intron insertion points.
This is what Craig was typing out on his laptop at 4:30 PM at the Sierra Sciences lab in Reno, Nevada. Equations streaked across the page looking rather much like the workings of a mad computer. He sat solemnly in his leather chair, scanning over the words on the screen. Dragons' blood didn't seem monstrously dissimilar from reptilian sequences, though he hadn't gone over all of his options yet and predicted that bird species would function well in a splicing as well.
Suddenly, his mouse started moving around and moved to open his notepad document and pink letters appeared on his screen. Craig was feeling rather threatened at this point, not liking his computer being accessed by someone, God! It could be anyone! The words puzzled him, making him wonder what they meant. Did they have a blood sample for him? He waited to see what the person meant. A file appeared and he clicked to open it. A grisly scene played on his computer in which a person seemed to be shredding a young girl to bits.
Craig was both intrigued and horrified by the footage unraveling before him. It was clearly real and the person seemed to be taking pleasure with biting the victim cruelly, ripping flesh off in chunks at a time. It could be another case of bath salts; those had been in the news lately. Or it could be something more dark, a monstrous non-Human taking sadistic pleasure in the slaying of the vulnerable. Craig had seen it before and could attest that there were some nasty things out there. Things that had strong, potentially violent opinions that they were very happy to tell you in a brutish way. Whatever happened to a good, old-fashioned e-mail to threaten someone to stop? No, there were crazy folk about and this video could surelybe of one that was not quite Human. The being was imposing in size compared to the girl and it's motions swift and lethal, taking the best angles possible to attack the girl next.
Craig's eyes closed and shortly reopened them before typing out into the notepade file, This has nothing to do with me, leave me out of it. He tended to doubt that the person would leave him alone, but he was getting tired of so many scrapes with death. He already had the material to make him famous for the next 20 years, why push his luck? He hoped against odds that this person would just leave it alone and with any luck, they wouldn't know what the words on his screen meant. Craig's eyes lifted wider, watching the screen portray the mind of the other.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Nov 27, 2012 17:36:37 GMT -5
Rae watched as the words appeared in the notebook, in her miniature version of his screen that displayed in the top left corner of hers. She entered the passcode into her keyboard and once against activated the loop that allowed her control of his laptop. She moved the little arrow to the next line on the page and typed. The letters appearing quickly this time, and the little scroll-tool seemed unable to keep up.
I’m not threatening you, dumbass. I want your help. You know who I am.
She didn’t normally like pranks but this one seemed a little bit too much fun. She paused for a second, then hovered the mouse over his SKYPE icon, clicking it open she overrode his need to enter a password and signed into his account. For a moment the arrow danced about, before finally she manoeuvred it to the ‘add new’ icon. Typing in her own email address she added herself to his account and opened a call between the two of them.
It was a juvenile thing to do, but she’d spent the last three days totally on her own, it seemed like she had the allowance to stretch the social confines.
As the window opened and the blue boxes whirled a picture of her appeared on his screen. Rae was wearing smokey make-up, a pencil was stuck behind her ear and her hair was scooped up into an artistic bun like the day she first met him.
Popping a headphone bud into her ear, she continued to type. This time the words appeared in the chat box.
How much did you shit your pants?
She teased, and a bright, naughty smirk lined her lips as she looked down the micro-camera installed into the top of her laptop, and straight at him. Her eyes dancing playfully.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Nov 27, 2012 17:52:13 GMT -5
Letters flashed rapidly on the screen forming small, pink words.
I’m not threatening you, dumbass. I want your help. You know who I am.
The mouse cursor opened Skype and Craig couldn't resist raising his eyebrow as the other person managed to bypass the password requirement for his account. Impressive, he thought for a flash before reading the e-mail that was typed into the add contact area, intending to memorize it. A new conversation opened up and the Skype call conversation opened up, revealing the hacker that had overpowered his computer.
Her. An expression of mild irritation cross Craig's face as he looked at the attractive skittle-haired girl. She was clearly intelligent. Not in the same way Craig was, but she was clearly intelligent enough in her own way. She put some music in her ear and typed out on her keypad. He had to wait a moment before he watched more words form on the Skype message bar.
How much did you shit your pants?
Craig's expression changed to one of annoyance. He extended his arms and typed quickly, fingers in loose form,
Is there a reason you're contacting me about some murdering psychopath? I'm rather preoccupied.
He looked her dead in the eye and the corner of his lip twitched upward briefly. What an interesting girl.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Nov 28, 2012 14:32:23 GMT -5
She looked to the side for a moment, showing him a profile of her face as the barmaid came over. Through his screen he would see her lips moving as she spoke the girl, but here nothing.
Rae ordered another drink, and as always she was asked for her identification. Being on 18, Rae wasn’t old enough to drink alcohol in America; fortunately, she had a fake idea. She’d had it done a little after their last meeting. The picture was of her; pink haired and recently taken, but the name the date of birth was completely changed. Maria Jenkins. 23. Not Rachael Berii. 18. She ordered another Rum and Coke and watched as the woman walked away. T
Then Rae pocketed the ID and turned back to the screen, fingers drumming on the table as she read his reply in a second. Once more her fingers itched and she typed out a response having to go back and delete a string of profanity and vulgar curses at his inability to observe the obvious. And he called himself a scientist. Well…the internet did.
Watch the video again- all the way to the end
She made it really easy for him. Taking over his mouse she re-assigned the loop, re-opened the clip and after the horror and destruction of the woman she paused it. Rae used his mouse to circle a section of the video, and there amongst the green footage was a white circle, an oval shape that the vampire took from within the girl’s cloak.
Rae gave him command of his screen again, sending him a message.
Dragon Egg. I want the vampire. Help me get him and I’ll let you keep the egg
She typed, before sitting back against the booth leather and watching the SKYPE screen for a response.
[/size]
Last Edit: Nov 28, 2012 14:32:55 GMT -5 by Rae-Star Berii
Post by Craig Jamerson on Nov 29, 2012 13:22:36 GMT -5
Craig's annoyance rose a little further when the mouse took over from him again. He needed a better security program. He couldn't have this sort of thing happening. Shrugging it off, he watched past the gorish scene as she motioned around a white prolate spheroid with the pointer. Pastel text appeared on his screen accusing the object of being a Dragon's Egg and Craig froze. He'd encountered Dragons before and they were not something Craig was interested in trifling with. Craig typed out his reply:
No game. Have you ever seen a Dragon? I don't want to piss one off by being caught with it's egg. Besides, even if I don't get Godzilla chasing me down, what do I do with a Dragon? Only Draconians--
Craig stopped typing briefly. He couldn't get the gnawing thought out of his mind: he had Draconian blood. He could test the sample and discover what it was that gave them the ability to befriend Dragons. If so, he might even be able to associate with one after a slight modification... Craig's mind wandered.
No. It was crazy. He couldn't get all that done by himself in any reasonable amount of time. How was he supposed to keep a Dragon healthy and alive, anyways? How do you potty train Dragons? What if your Dragon eats your neighbor? No, this was insane in every single possible way and there was no way he was going after it.
But he could. And if this creature was a "Vampire", he could get a blood sample while doing it. Craig smacked his forehead. Vampires, too! God, what else was real?? Bigfoot?! Craig raised his head and lowered his hand to quickly type out the last of his message.
--have the ability to tame Dragons and befriend them. You should rethink this. This "Vampire" just ripped that girl like nothing. No.
Craig hesitated and added, "But if you do go after him anyways, do try and get me a sample of the Vampyre's blood or a body part."
Craig hit enter and watched his message appear on the computer's screen. Biting his lip, he opened the right drawer of his desk and pulled out an unopened pack of Marlboros. He hadn't been a smoking man but one every now and then helped with all the mounting pressure and insane scenarios he'd been placed in lately. There was a lot of stress in knowing about Dragons and their riders. Or Shapeshifters and the wagings of some Hunters. Or raging Demons and their unholy parents. Or Vampires. Ripping apart some Draconian girl like it was no matter.
What was she talking about!? Chasing murderers, if nothing else!! Craig lifted the cigarette and placed it behind his ear. He needed a smoke break. He grabbed his cell phone from the desktop and opened his Skype application as he stood to walk outside.
Last Edit: Nov 29, 2012 13:24:54 GMT -5 by Craig Jamerson
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 5, 2012 16:06:13 GMT -5
She saw the annoyance flicker on his face, the tightening of his lips as they pressed together the furrow of his dark eyebrows. He looked different on the screen. He didn’t look frightened, or worn down by a car explosion, but he looked comfortable and confident in his little lab. She could see some of the things going on behind him, boards of information pinned to the walls and a cage; rats she assumed. Just by watching him she was learning so much about him- like the fact he did not like her taking over his computer.
Rae got the reaction she expected. A negative one, of course, from the comfortable and cosy scientist who didn’t need to get his hands dirty, but the request had been a long shot, there was more she wanted from him than that and it was currently downloading onto her computer. All the time they were connected on SKYPE she was downloading the files he had been looking back to her back-up driver.
She barely flinched at reading his reply, though she twitched a sculpted eyebrow at the words and looked straight down the camera for a moment. Rae wet her lips and shrugged, sitting forwards and leaning her elbows on the table-top she watched as a secondary message appeared. Her chin rested on her palm as she watched the words appearing, watching him smacking his forehead. He was clearly considering something difficult, something that was a conclusion worth jumping too.
She smiled into the camera and shrugged again, distracted for a moment as her drink was delivered. When she looked back the picture was gone but he remained signed in. She checked her download. Damn…it had been interrupted. She had only half a document, nothing more than she hadn’t already begun to read. Sighing to herself, she unhooked the headphone and left it resting on her shoulder as she finally typed a reply.
Whether you like it or not your investigations into this world mean you are part of it now. Step up to the plate, science-boy, or they will hunt you down and they will kill you. There are a lot worse things in the world than Tyrant Creed.
She paused, tapping the table thoughtfully before sending a second message.
There’s a ticket in your name waiting for you at the airport. You’re plane is 11:15 this evening. It’s business class. I’ll be there to pick you up, if you’re coming, if you’re not, friend I would serious consider writing your will and testament.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 7, 2012 11:42:27 GMT -5
Craig walked out of his office into the main floor of the lab, where people bustled away frenzily. He scanned the heads briefly and pulled a sharp left into the stairwell, making his way down them quickly and out through a side door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Marlboros. They were the first pack of cigarettes he'd bought and he couldn't help smiling as he remembered when he went to buy them. He'd been overwhelmed by the wall of tobacco products and wasn't sure what he was looking for at all. Fortunately, he could cross out chewing tobacco, he didn't want that stuff in his mouth. Cigars were unwieldy and inconvenient. All that remained were cigarettes, but there were so many! Ultimately, he went with Marlboro because of some funny ads he'd seen in the past. It didn't really matter to him, anyways.
His phone dinged at him, alerting him he had a new Skype message and snapping him from his thought. Groaning, he pushed the cigarette firmly between his lips and pulled out his matches, striking one quickly to light his cigarette before he would look at the phone.
It was, of course, Rae. "Whether you like it or not your investigations into this world mean you are part of it now. Step up to the plate, science-boy, or they will hunt you down and they will kill you. There are a lot worse things in the world than Tyrant Creed." Craig snorted at the paragraph. How something could be worse than a being that went around killing large groups of people for no reason at all? The creature they'd encountered at the Diner hadn't even used pleasure or amusement as an excuse. It simply destroyed for the sake of it's own chaotic impulses and not even for some end goal or satisfaction it may have aroused in that dark, twisted soul.
He took another drag from his cigarette and went on to read the second message. "There’s a ticket in your name waiting for you at the airport. You’re plane is 11:15 this evening. It’s business class. I’ll be there to pick you up, if you’re coming, if you’re not, friend I would serious consider writing your will and testament."
Craig rolled his eyes at the will and testament part, but something in him told him that maybe he should go with it. If it was this big of a deal that she already bought a ticket, she must really want his help. He paused for another drag.
If she really wanted his help, this may be big. Sure, he'd pulled through at the diner there at the end, but if it hadn't been for her, he probably wouldn't have made it as far as he had. All those ominous men that converged like that, Craig reminisced with a shudder. She'd definitely pulled through for him back then.
Craig groaned. He could see where this was going.
-----------------------------------------
JFK was busy. He'd been before, but it still astounded him just how many people there were crammed in this airport. He looked around hopelessly, wondering where the girl could be. Her bright hair was what he was looking for, hoping that he'd be able to pick it out in the flurry of colors all about him. It ultimately proved futile and Craig ended up outside the airport, looking at the cars and people out there for that flash of skittled hair.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 7, 2012 16:25:37 GMT -5
After typing;
There’s a ticket in your name waiting for you at the airport. You’re plane is 11:15 this evening. It’s business class. I’ll be there to pick you up, if you’re coming, if you’re not, friend I would serious consider writing your will and testament.
Rae had shut down her laptop lid. She did not need to wait for a reply, it was not the sort of thing that demanded a reply. It had not been a question, but an implication of instructions she wished him to follow. It was also for his own good, considering the damage he had caused himself before. If she remembered rightly, and somewhat fondly, Craig had a mouth on him; he said things he did not understand and got himself into more trouble than would be considered ‘average’.
She rose from the booth, finished her rum and coke and put the laptop back in her bag. Looking back at the table for a moment the usual illustrated napkin lay behind, and Rae grinned to herself, merrily. Wasn’t that how all of this had even started? And now, what? Was she babysitting him again, getting him out of trouble for a second time? Perhaps….perhaps it would be the other way around.
Quickly escaping the bar, without paying up her tab she moved out onto the street. Sat there, in the snow and ice with a very sad expression on his beautifully puppy face was Eli. The brown and white mutt that followed Rae around now had his own pet-passport and literally came everywhere with her. Heck, she was a little lonely without the dumb mutt these days. Kneeling beside him she fussed him lovingly, kissing the top of his furry little head as she tried to lick the last bit of the club-sandwiches she had for lunch off her fingers.
Then, with her side-kick on tow she set about picking up their ride for the evening.
**
A light blue Chevrolet Cruze pulled up to the taxi-only rank. Rae had spotted him as he came out of the airport doors and onto the tarmac. She had been reading, in fact, the front seat of the car was covered in books and papers that she had been studying by streetlamp. It was dark, a little after midnight New York time and she had been cramming to keep herself awake.
She pulled up to the curb and wound down the electric window on her side. “For a moment there, I thought you weren’t going to show.” She told him. In the back seat of the car, Eli whined unhappy because of the sudden burst of cold air into the vehicle. “Come on, get it.” She offered him, shifting the papers and books onto the back seat with the dog.
Rae was wearing a warm blue jumper and her skittle hair was tied up on the top of her head in a messy bun, wrapped with a ribbon of a similar blue. She looked a lot healthier than when he had first met her. While still small in stature she had colour in her cheeks and didn’t look like a travelling, dirty, starving child. There was even a gentle smudge of make-up shadowing her stunning, chocolate eyes.
“Nice flight?” she teased, knowing the ticket had been business class and it damn well should have been a comfortable journey.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 8, 2012 16:41:41 GMT -5
Craig spotted her in a light blue car and began making his way over to the vehicle. "What took you so long?" Craig asked only half-seriously. He lifted his small duffel bag over the floor's edge and plopped himself into the passenger seat, black laptop bag resting on his lap. "For a minute there I thought I WAS coming," he said seriously, eyes locked on hers. "I guess I was wrong all the other minutes, because it sure looks like JFK to me." Craig looked around as if studying the environment before turning back to her with a big smile. "The flight was great except nobody had arranged for refreshments. How have you been, Rae?" He asked, leaning to kiss either cheek. He turned to address the dog. "Remember me?" He patted the dogs head, earning a lick on his hand. He turned back to Rae, all business. "So, what exactly do you expect me to do here?"
((Sorry for the crap post, my laptop battery is about to die ))
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 9, 2012 4:25:44 GMT -5
As he closed the door of the car behind him, Rae watched him with an interested and curious smile. He came, that meant his natural curiosity as a scientist had answered her call; in turn she could use him help granted but right now she was more interested in what information she could get out of him about his research. Her memory continued to place the photograph of equations in her mind, and Rae had no way of decoding it. Still, that wasn’t a conversation one had before the cursory ‘hellos’ and ‘how are you’; Rae had manners after all, she’d been private schooled.
He tossed his duffle bag towards Eli who grunted and then came forwards, pressing his head between to the two seats and licked Craig merrily. The dog liked people, that was sure, but he seemed to remember Craig and seemed happy to greet him again.
It was when he leant forwards and kissed her cheeks in greeting that Rae flinched, her teeth becoming tight in her jaw. She turned her attention sharply to the car, hoping he wouldn’t have noticed her whole being becoming tense as he leant close to her. Rae put the car in gear, glanced into the mirror and pulled out into the airport traffic; following a transport-link bus towards the exit. Why had she flinched? Rae wasn’t sure. She didn’t as a rule like human contact, it made her anxious after everything that had be-fallen her. But with Craig she had once felt comfortable; she had held his hand, sought comfort from him…perhaps it was the situation that helped her settle…perhaps the feel of protecting him made her forget?
She didn’t say anything for a long moment, wet her lips calmly and pulled out onto the highway, heading back towards the centre of New York; traffic, fortunately for them wasn’t too bad; but perhaps that had something to do with the hour.
How have you been, Rae?
Her eyes glittered under the glow of the street lamps and to look at her she looked well. She wasn’t a scrawny girl any longer, but had found a rhythm in this difficult life. She was eating properly, had a roof over her head instead of sleeping in an alley way or a doorway, and her clothes looked clean and dry. While she still chose to wear her oversized jumpers that covered her bum, and her skinny black jeans, she looked more like she belonged in those clothes.
“I’m good.” She told him, honestly, and despite the travelling she had been doing, she still sounded amazingly British, retaining her beautiful upper-class London docile tones. “We’ve been busy haven’t we, Eli?” The dog gave a wag of his tail and a bark, stood now on the back seat, half ready to jump into the front for a fuss. “You’ve been busy too it would seem-“ and she pointed to a magazine on the dashboard; a page folded down with an interview with him inside. The date of the magazine was for three days’ time, it hadn’t been released to the general public yet, but Rae had her ways, and she had obtained the magazine with such ease. It had been easier than the car, in retrospect.
So, what exactly do you expect me to do here?
Distracted for a moment by the road, the eighteen year old changed lanes to take over a slow driver and let the car cruise in the fast line for a moment. The question was a difficult one to answer, it needed more than a quick conversation but she gave him just the titbits of details.
“I meant what I said before; you can’t investigate into this world without ending up on someone’s hit list.” She told him, glancing over her shoulder before pulling back into the inside lane. “These people like to remain a secret.”
“The vampire, in the video…” She gave him a second to remember, slowly as they came into the city now and the traffic got heavier. Still, it gave them time to talk. “He’s killed twenty people recently, not just in New York, but across America…and all of them have been scientists, all of them have been on the brink of some discovery. As soon as your research hit the media you’d have been next.”
Rae wasn’t about to beat around the bush. He wanted to know the truth…she was going to tell him.
Pulling the car into a dimly lit street she parked up; the area looked rough, in fact it was. Downtown New York was a dangerous world, after all. And as she pulled the car into a spot several of the tramps huddled around a burning trash can watched them. But Rae had been renting a place here, it was cheap, and she wasn’t afraid of humans. There were worse things in the world. “Grab your stuff.” She told him; leaning over the seat to get her bag, before getting out of the car and letting Eli out.
Even the dog quietened. He knew the drill, his ears were pricked, listening intently and the wag was gone from his tail as he kept close to Rae’s side.
She locked the car when they were all out, putting the keys in the pocket of her jeans, and headed towards the green door of one of the apartments. Waiting for Craig, she led him up the stairs, dodging sick and piss respectively, to the fifth floor. Here she paused, un-hooked the key from around Eli’s neck, and let them all into the small flat. Flicking on the lights, she let him look around. The place was clean, but cold, several folders and files lay out on the kitchen table and on the coffee table. There were a stack of empty beer bottles next to the sink, but other than that, it looked as well kept as a dingy, cheap apartment in downtown New York could. The yellowing wallpaper and the stains in the carpet belonged to the previous owner.
“Make yourself at home-“ She told him, pointing to the slightly sagging couch.
Eli, of course, ran for his food bowl, sniffing it he whined sadly at Rae; who chuckled to herself and went to the fridge. Taking down the can of dog food, she fed him what remained there, before returning from the little kitchenette to where Craig was; handing him a bottle of beer. Legally, Rae wasn’t old enough to drink in America, but that wasn’t going to stop her, as she opened her own and swigged from it.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 9, 2012 8:31:40 GMT -5
At “I meant what I said before; you can’t investigate into this world without ending up on someone’s hit list. These people like to remain a secret", he turned his full attention to her. Finally, the matter at heart.
“The vampire, in the video…” she started, but paused before continuing, “He’s killed twenty people recently, not just in New York, but across America…and all of them have been scientists, all of them have been on the brink of some discovery. As soon as your research hit the media you’d have been next.” As soon as the word 'brink' came out of her mouth, his eyes darted to the magazine on her dashboard against his will. Wonderful.
Craig thought in silence, not really saying much to Rae even as they pulled into a back-alley. He was far too busy trying to figure out what a Vampire would want to kill brilliant scientists for. Why not someone less docile? Scientists in general were one of few groups who were trying to move civilization forward and now they have to live in fear of some raging hemonymphomaniac. He opened his door and stood from the car after gathering his bags and followed Rae up to where he imagined they would be staying.
As the door opened, Craig couldn't help but feel a small pang of disappointment. With yellowing wallpaper and stains on the floor that Craig probably couldn't even identify, it was a far cry from the home he had back in Reno. Still, it was clean and free of litter. That was what Craig needed more than anything so it would do. He looked around casually until Rae came back and handed him a beer. He accepted her offer and headed to the couch she'd pointed at earlier as they'd walked in, picking the cushion that looked least soiled to sit on. From the far left cushion of the couch, Craig spoke to Rae. "So, I'm dead in three days is what you're saying." He paused and looked at her before asking, "That is what you're saying, right?"
He took a swig of the bottle she'd handed him and peered out contemplatively. Vampires. What a crazy fucking idea. Real Vampires and they were after him. What were they vulnerable to? What were they like compared to Demons? Craig turned to Rae. "Do you have anything on these guys? Vulnerabilities, comparative strength, how they'll attack, all that good stuff?" He was going to need everything he could in the coming three days to prepare for what may very well be the worst. This was a little better than the diner he'd met the skittle-haired girl at so long ago (this time he saw it coming and would have some time to prepare), but having Vampires after you was never a great thing.
"Also, I'll need you to bring that video up again. I could really use some paper and a pencil here, while we're at it, too. Also, I need a blueprint of your house, though a quick, approximate sketch will do, and details about the other 19 murders it has committed. I need all of that information." Craig paused, weighing his options before electing to say, "And I'm going to need a blanket. I'm used to Nevada, not New York." Craig pulled his pack of cigarettes out. "Mind if I smoke in your lovely home?" he asked half-jokingly.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 9, 2012 9:11:18 GMT -5
Eli jumped up on the couch next to Craig, putting his head on the man’s knee and breathing his warm doggy breath all over him. Rae however, took a space on the floor, kneeling and beginning to collect up some of the papers she had scattered everywhere. She was learning to enjoy her job, it was beginning to be more like a puzzle; and puzzles were things that interested Rae; like chess or poker, the best way to survive was to get the upper hand, to be the most thoughtful and considered player, it wasn’t about strength, it was about cunning.
"So, I'm dead in three days is what you're saying…right?”
She gave him a small smile, and a gentle nod. Essentially that is what he had, there was no point sugar coating it. She had got him out of his comfort zone and brought him to New York, because it was the first measure of safety, it was the first thing she could do for him to ensure he would survive this. Rae wasn’t sure why she was bothered, perhaps it was the closest she had come to having an actual friendship with someone in nearly three years. She wet her lips, about to interject when he continued to talk, wittering off demands and requests so fast that Rae had a job keeping up. She couldn’t help but chuckled to herself as he seemingly went into business mode, and sipped from her bottle, coming to sit now on the couch and scratching Eli’s back. The dog snuffled happily and removed himself from Craig, jumping at her. She half-listened to the man’s request as she played tug with the dog, then fed him a piece of chicken from the fridge.
Rae leant on the counter; the divide between the kitchen and the living area when he finished speaking. “You’re a woman sometimes, did you know?” She teased a light smirk on her cherry lips. “Do you seriously think I’d have gone through all this trouble to get you to ‘sunny’ New York if I didn’t know what I was doing? You spend far too long in your lab, Craig, and not enough time in the real world.” Then, as her eidetic memory played back his requests she dealt with them one at a time.
"Do you have anything on these guys? Vulnerabilities, comparative strength, how they'll attack, all that good stuff?"
“I have a lot on ‘these guys’.” She told him calmly, coming around the counter and kneeling at the coffee table once more. “Vampires were my father’s speciality, luckily for you I have inherited that from him.”
"Also, I'll need you to bring that video up again. I could really use some paper and a pencil here, while we're at it, too. Also, I need a blueprint of your house, though a quick, approximate sketch will do, and details about the other 19 murders it has committed. I need all of that information."
“I want to help you, dumbass.” She called him the same name as she had typed onto his desktop several hours ago. “I wouldn’t have put my neck out on the line to get you from your little home town to here otherwise, but you need to slow down and quit with your demands. If you were such a genius you wouldn’t have got into this mess in the first place. So hush you’re trap and listen okay?”
"Mind if I smoke in your lovely home?"
Rae laughed. “I don’t live here.” She told him gently, shaking her head and fetching him a lighter from a bowl on the kitchen counter. “This is my drop in base, it’s where I set up my operations, I live in London.” She smiled, wondering if he still considered her a naive teenager. In this instance the roles had revered severely. He might be a brain box, but she had the field knowledge that was going to keep him alive. “A smoke sounds good.” She nodded, finally, sparking up her own white cancer stick and exhaling the dancing smoke into the air.
Drawing on the smoke for a second she put it down on a little foil tray and took her laptop from her backpack, loading a portal screen, she showed him data page;
Vampire Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person/being. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, and may go back to "prehistoric times”, the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe, although local variants were also known by different names, such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism.
Feeding happens every ten days, approximately, and Vampires are particularly weak before their feeds, or if they have not fed in some time. When a Vampire bites another supernatural being with this venom, there is a chance of them transferring their curse. Vampires cannot be reflected in mirrors, pools of water or other socially accepted reflective surfaces. They do not cast a shadow and cannot come in contact with direct sunlight or mirrored sunlight without suffering extreme burns from the ultraviolet rays. Silver is toxic to Vampires and wooden stakes can cause them harm that cannot be healed until the wood is fully extracted. It is an urban myth that they are deterred by religious memorabilia.
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Last Edit: Dec 9, 2012 10:15:07 GMT -5 by Rae-Star Berii
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 9, 2012 11:00:54 GMT -5
Craig lit his own cigarette and puffed on it infrequently between sips of his beer as he read. His brow would furrow intermittently and once or twice he looked off into the distance. When he'd finished, he sat back into the sofa. "They're basically exactly the same things of folklore and fables. I mean, the only real difference is that they aren't vulnerable to religious symbols, but that makes sense. The church tangled itself into a lot of things back then." He leaned forward, eyes on the screen as he took another drag from his cigarette.
"This second part is the most useful for our purposes... I don't think this guy's gonna sit down and have a chat with us, after all. Every ten days..." Craig stopped to ponder. They could trap it, maybe, but that was highly dangerous... though... also ideal. Imagining a live specimen to study was tempting, but no, Craig needed to survive; not mess around with this thing that was more powerful than and trying to kill him.
"I think our best bet is UV rays. We have all kinds of stuff that's UV back at the lab and I could easily get some more UV bulbs over there in a hurry. I think we should get some silver jewelry for me to wear... something that looks typical but will also be semi protective in case this thing reaches me. Perhaps a silver necklace, couple rings, watch..." Craig stopped talking. While a silver necklace was a nice thought and all, he doubted that it would keep him alive if this thing made it to him. "No, we'll rely on UV. Leave the lab unlocked, bars over the windows, once it enters, you keep the door shut from outside and watch in case it throws itself through a wall after I flip the lights on. At which point, it'd be severely wounded and you could kill it on the spot or follow it to find out where it's staying." Craig looked over at Rae for the first time in several minutes to determine her reaction as he supplemented, "We may be able to find out more about them from there for you," having picked up on her Dad being involved in all of this somehow and Vampires being his 'specialty'. "If nothing else, we should be able to figure out why he's killing all these scientists... what breakthrough he's seeking to prevent. Maybe cash in on it or something. Hell, I might even be able to make a Vampire-special poison after it's all said and done."
Craig took a good swig from his mostly-empty beer and a drag from his low-burning cigarette. "Regardless, I think our best bet is out there where we know he knows where I am. We need to go back to Reno to prepare the lab for this. That's the only way we'll be able to choose the battlefield; by staying at the lab. That way, we'll have the advantage."
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 9, 2012 11:26:11 GMT -5
He’d gone into planning mode that was for sure. Rae was certain she had never heard him talk so much and this conversation was a little one sided. She crouched on the floor, her elbows on her knees and listened to what he had to say. “That’s great.” She said, but there was hesitation in her voice. He made it sound simple, too easy; he wasn’t considering the basic facts, but assuming it was going to go his way. “You’ll have to live in that one room for the next three days, and of course you’re assuming that he will go to the lab straight away, he may go after your family, friends…anyone else first…if he can’t get to you.” She cautioned him, sitting on the floor and finishing her smoke before stubbing it out on the little foil tray.
She rose from her perch on the floor and went to the kitchen counter, humming to herself momentarily before bringing him a small ring bound folder. He had asked to see the other murders; she had footage of several of them, but had written a log of the rest. Passing him the folder it gave the gory details of the scientists, women and men alike, had been killed outside of bars, clubs and pubs; they all had their throats ripped open, but there was never blood at the scenes…always they had been drained clean. The kills happened erratically; and each one came with a sketch of the scene- Rae was something of an artist after all. “We’ve got nothing to say he’ll even come into the building.” She warned him, softly.
“More overly, he’s here in New York- the video I sent you was his last kill, a woman here; Beverly Grey… a genesis working on a mutated strand of dragons blood.” Hence, the egg that had been taken from the body… Rae sighed, and unpinned the locket she wore. Inside it was pictures of her father and mother, of her brother Caleb, but she had no wish to tell him that. It was made of rose silver, practically the purest on this earth and she looped it around his throat. A necklace, regardless of its seeming pointlessness would protect his throat…the main artery that vampires found so delicious. She fastened it, and stepped back. “It will do for now until I can find you something better.” She told him, quietened again as she bent to stroke Eli’s ears.
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