we’ll nab the data, take out the developers and then we’ll move to the roof for a chopper extraction. Failing to nab the data we level the building.” I looked around at the team who were all nodding in approval.
Kate smiled, “This is going to be fun.”
Gregorvich clapped me on the shoulder with one of his massive paws, “Not bad for first mission, I’ll go tell Anton.”
He began to stand and Jason pushed him back down, “I’ll do it, Anton doesn’t need to be confused.”
He stood and left the room while Gregorvich huffed. “I think… I go to bed, see you soon, I go to the garage tomorrow, be back the day after, da?”
I smiled at him as he stood, “Alright, nice meeting you.” He got his massive grin back as he waved to me and the rest of the group while he walked out.
Kate stretched, “I better crash out, see you John, Wolfgang.” She walked out, I couldn't help but watch her leave, she walked so gracefully.
As my eyes began to drift southward she turned the corner and Wolfgang leaned in to my ear, “Now that's a sight, isn’t it?”
I jumped at the question, spun around and looked at him in what was attempted shock to mask my true shame for being caught out, “Pardon?”
He raised his hand at me, “Don’t pretend you weren’t looking, I saw you.” I cleared my throat, “Um, yeah, yeah I guess.”
Wolfgang smiled while he ran his fingers through his hair and shook it about slightly, having it fall in the exact place it was before, “So, drinks?” They had alcohol on this base? Pure genius right there, hyper strong vampires with access to a massive armoury and to top it off have them able to get drunk.
I couldn’t get over how little respect these people had for their personal safety. “Yeah, ok.”
Wolfgang stood and I followed, “Let’s head to the bar.” We walked out into the hallway and made our way left. Wolfgang looked over at me, “So, what do you think of it so far?”
I contemplated this for a moment, bizarre, shocking, feels like I should wake up any moment now, “It’s good, interesting.”
He let out a short chuckle, “Interesting, never heard it called that before.”
I looked at his scar, “How’d you get that?” He gently ran his fingers over it, “World War I, the day I was turned, I was on the… wrong side, the bad side,”
I examined him for a moment before I understood what he meant, “You were a Nazi?”
He let out a sigh and nodded, “Yep, well, I wasn't, the Nazis weren't a thing in my time, we were just members of the German army. Anyway, I was following orders, holding a trench in... I honestly can't remember. It may have been Ypres; all I know is that it was a freezing night and I was soaked in water from the rain and the blood that I was desperately trying to stop pouring from my friend who had taken a shot to the chest, he would’ve only been seventeen. I hear some trigger happy American bark that he was going to kill every last one of us Krout scum. Next thing I know someone a few feet from me screams grenade and I go deaf a second later.”
We turned into a room which I recognised as the bar, there were a few young waitresses walking around. They were carrying trays, wearing short black tops revealing their stomachs and black skirts that went a few inches above their knees. Other than those few waitresses, the suited bartender and us the bar was empty.
Wolfgang gestured to a booth in the far right corner where we began to walk to past a few long tables and stools while a pop-rock song trickled from the speakers and the digital wall clock read two p.m. in bright green numbers. We took our seats and a waitress walked over, “How can I help you boys?” She said in a sultry voice.
Wolfgang flashed her a toothy grin, “Dry scotch thanks Amanda. John?”
I took a moment to decide, “Gin and tonic on the rocks would be great thank you.” She smiled at me revealing a set of vampiric teeth.
“Coming right up.” She spun around and walked back to the bar.
I was shocked to say the least, “How many vampires are on this base?”
Wolfgang shrugged, “Dozens, maybe a hundred or so, but we four are the only real fighters, I mean there’s a few others on base that are capable in that respect. Some of them are engineer types, but the majority of the others are like Amanda over there, mostly changed since the late eighties, early nineties, had something to do with pop culture,” He shrugged, “what you gonna do?”
He chuckled as Amanda came over with a tray, our drinks rocking precariously upon it while she bent down. Making her breasts as prominent as possible and put our drinks on the coasters in front of us. “If you need anything else, just let me know.”
Wolfgang took a drink, “Will do, thanks.” She walked off, “Anyway, um... yes, I go deaf and get thrown a few feet, start blinking, next thing there’s this American on top of me with a knife drawn. He goes to stab me and I catch his wrist but he still manages to sink his blade into my neck a few millimetres, I pulled out his pistol and shot him in the head. He slumps off and drags the knife with him downward toward my chest. Naturally, I passed out, then this man in the allies is dragging me down the street. There’s blood all over me, I thought he was going to interrogate then kill me. We get to an alley and he sinks his teeth into my neck, then he spoke, in this beautiful and rich British accent, he said to me,
‘I saw you with your friend, that’s why I’ve given you this gift, you will live now, forever. But with this gift I ask you to leave this war, start a new life, don’t stay here with your friends to die.’
I felt so cold, I couldn’t speak but I nodded while he went on to say ‘Good. Stay away from sunlight as best you can, it is very dangerous, and feed when you can, make sure you kill your prey when you’re finished. With that I leave you.’ I never got to see his face, he ran off, I’m guessing to finish off the rest of my division while I stumbled into the shadows.” He polished off his glass, “Amanda, top me off?” she looked over, nodded and brought him a fresh glass, removing the first.
I couldn’t stop staring at Wolfgang. When I first heard about the World War I was still in the UK getting used to my quieter life. But I had already shown a high level of experience in battle several times in the past.
This had not gone unnoticed and someone in the higher ranks had known who I was despite my regular identity changes and employed me into a very specific squad once I had enlisted. It was at that point that I got moved around Europe faster than the Black Death.
But that fight, I knew it well, the third battle of Ypres, I remembered the crazed American who I had fought with, I remembered pulling a young German soldier to safety and I remembered turning him. I’d already turned at least a dozen people by that point. Terminally ill writers who deserved their works written, artists poisoned by the very paints they showed the world's beauty with and, of course, a soldier who could never make it home. I hadn’t thought of that day in decades.
“I was…”
Wolfgang looked up at me, “Yes?”
The one who turned you, nice and easy, “Wondering where the name Wolfgang comes from?” Why couldn’t I tell him!? It wasn’t a bad thing. I guess it was just an uncomfortable subject.
He smiled, “Please, just Wolf is fine. Well, my parent’s loved music, particularly Mozart, so I got his name.”
I smiled and nodded, “Great name, cool name.”
Wolf raised his glass to me, “Thank you very much.” I raised my glass to him and finished my drink off to reveal a small card with 7B6 written in light cursive stuck with the condensation to the base of my glass. I peeled it off and investigated it for a moment.
Wolf tried to get a look at it, “What have you got there?”
I shrugged and handed it to him, “I haven’t the slightest.” A massive, toothy grin spread across his face, “Looks like you’re already making friends, friend.”
“What is it?”
Wolf spun it in his fingers to face me, “It’s a room, block seven, room B6. And I believe I know whose it is.??
? He pointed over my shoulder and I turned to see Amanda giving me cute smile shortly before shooting me a wink.
“Yeah I think I’ll pass on that tonight.”
Wolf took on a look of confusion shortly followed by realisation, “Ooooh, you’re... you bat for the other team.”
It took me a moment to process what he meant, then I began shaking my head. “No, well, I don't think so. I just, I mean I just got here, I don’t even know my own room. I think I’d like to sleep in my own bed before sleeping in someone else’s.”
He gave me a thumbs up and a little laugh, “Alright, makes sense, I’ll take you to your room, sound good? Amanda! Can I get a bottle of scotch to go? You want anything?”
I stood up, “Uh, yeah, the same.”
We shuffled out of the booth, “Make that two thanks!” We walked over to the bar where Amanda handed us the bottles in two brown paper bags as we began to walk out.
“Aren’t we supposed to pay?” We took a right down the corridor.
“No, we get everything for free, seeing as we’re the ones risking our lives. All others on site have to pay, they get subsidised living but that’s it.”
We went down a set of stairs branching from the corridor while Wolf pulled out a scrunched piece of paper from his pocket, “Soooo, you’re in block ten, room… weird, doesn’t have a room number, we’ll door knock.”
We’d gone down five flights of stairs when we came into what appeared to be an