Bitemarks 3.8

Bitemarks 3.8

"Well there we go." said Caroline as she finished styling Ed's hair. The dye had taken about twenty minutes to work and now Ed was looking at himself in the mirror, sporting a short blond mohican style cut. Caroline had even dyed his eyebrows.
"You'll have to shave regularly." she told him, "Or your stubble will betray you. Oh and here."
She produced a small plastic case and opened it to reveal multiple pairs of blue contact lenses.
"One a day." she told him and proceeded to show him how to put them in. Ed did so and checked himself out again.
"I look stupid." he said.
"Perhaps. But you certainly don't look anything like you did before. A quick change of clothes and you're good to go." She showed him a pile on one of the tables. Baggy blue camo pants, a white vest-style t shirt, a short black leather jacket and a studded leather wristband.
"You might as well keep your trainers. They're a common enough style. I'll leave you to change."
Ed looked again at the outlandish hairstyle and his new blue eyes.
"Yeah... thanks."


Just a short while later Ed pushed open the door of Briefing Room 5 and went in.
"What a change." said Alf, clearly surprised. "I can barely tell it's you."
Ed shrugged.
"It feels weird, but I'll get used to it."
"Hopefully it won't be for too long." said Alf.
"So Beauclair?"
"Yes. I'd better fill you in hadn't I? Beauclair was already on his way over when I called him. He came to give you this."
Alf held up a silver metal device, not much bigger than a usb flash drive and with a similar look.
"He said it would let you into the vault at his place."
"How is he?" asked Ed, taking the device.
"Not good I'm afraid. He asked to see you when you were ready."
"Let's go."

Beauclair was laid out still on the gurney. He looked up weakly as Ed and Alf entered the room.
"Ed." he managed with a smile.
"You look terrible." said Ed.
"Too many... bullets." Beauclair replied. "It has been too long since I... fed. Rescuing you took... all I had..."
"He's dying, Ed." said Alf, "He needs to feed to heal."
Ed shook his head.
"I hope you're not suggesting..."
Beauclair shook his head and coughed. The movement of his body caused more blood to drip from the bullet holes in his chest and arms.
"No... All these years I... never broke my promise..."
"Well I appreciate the rescue." said Ed then held up the silver device. "What's this?"
Beauclair's eyes shone.
"I came to... bring you that... The Mother... she'll want what's in the... vault. She..." He broke out in a fresh fit of coughing.
"Beauclair told us of something called the Thrall, Ed." said Alf, taking over, "A form of brief mind control used by the vampires. He thinks this Mother will find his house and if she does he'd be unable to resist. She'd make him open the vault and help herself to whatever's inside."
"What's inside?"
"He wouldn't say. I don't think he trusts the Bureau, as an entity to keep whatever is in there a secret."
"And what if she finds me there?"
"You resisted Crowley's mind control before. Beauclair thinks you might be more resilient than most. Certainly more than he is."
"She will work fast." said Beauclair, "She may already... have been there. I disabled all the security... That key is the... only way in... use it on the retina scan..." He coughed violently again and lay back on the gurney, breathing shallowly.
Alf took Ed aside.
"He probably doesn't have long left but he gave us what information he could before he decided to rescue you from the army convoy. Modern weapons are useless against the vampires. The velocity of bullets is just too high. The bullet goes in, pierces whatever organs and exits again and the wound just closes up behind, assuming of course that the vampire has fed recently and we can be pretty sure she has. What intel we got about the Arctic base suggests the soldiers unloaded full magazines from assault rifles into her." he looked over at the dying vampire, "Just like they've done to Beauclair. But she's still out there walking around. Even if a bullet strikes bone or gets embedded somehow it will work its way out. The only thing they can't heal is an object embedded in the heart itself. Seems that way back in the past a well placed arrow or a brave stab with a knife could take them down but not easily."
"So those are my options?" asked Ed, "Cut off her head or shoot her with a longbow? There has to be something else."
Alf hesitated a moment.
"Beauclair said we could experiment... when he passes. There's a small chance, Ed, just a small one that we could find something that attacks his specific genetic makeup."
"Like a vampire virus?"
"Sort of. Vampires are immune to disease, from the common cold through to cancer and AIDS. But it's just possible that some substance or bacteria that we're immune to could prove deadly to them. Kind of like how a healthy human is immune to pneumocystis pneumonia but someone with HIV isn't. Their immune systems are so strong but hopefully we can find something they're weak to and an effective delivery method."
"Sounds like a long shot."
"That's because it is. In the meantime we got you something to take with you. Hopefully you won't run into her at Beauclair's place but if you do..."
Alf went over to a nearby table.
"A crossbow?" said Ed.
"The design is modern, small, handheld. I had RnD find a way to slow down the velocity of the bolt and alter the design." He held up one of the crossbow bolts. It was an unusual shape with spiked sections.
"It might just lodge itself if you get a clear shot off."
"Then let's not waste any time." said Ed. "I want to be there and back before the Mother even knows where Beauclair's place is."