Mateo and I looked at each other. My helmet covered my face, but Mateo’s frozen expression hinted at the same dread I felt.
Not letting Working Man wait, Mateo took the call, “Blue Mask here. Are you okay?”
In a hoarse voice, Working Man said, “We’re alright. What’s your situation? Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 60
Mateo began to open his mouth, but he didn’t get to say anything. Vincent started shouting at the retreating vampires.
“Hey, you guys are going to call off the cops and everybody, right? Because if I go back to Unity Base and find that we’re still under siege, you and I are going to have words.”
Barrington turned around and gave him a bow, “Your wish is my command, largest of hamsters.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 59
Looking over at us and then turning back to the king, Bobby said, “I love love. I love blood. Blood and love.”
There might, I thought to myself, be something wrong with Bobby.
Barrington nodded, “That’s another one of my councilors against a fight, but still a major change of course. I need a moment to think. I’d like some silence while I consider the situation. I’m going to go over to the corner. Don’t start fighting while I’m gone.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 58
If we were imagining the hypothetical boy band that the vampires were members of, Barrington would be the conventionally attractive guy, Lhust, the manly guy, and Loremaster, the geeky guy. Maybe those aren’t really boy band tropes, but I don’t listen to boy bands.
Anyway, that left the other two.
Barrington smiled at us, “I think we can be friends, but since we’re introducing everyone, I shouldn’t skip Leo and Bobby.”
He nodded at each of them as he said their names. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 57
Frowning, Amy twisted her head in the vampires’ direction. Turning back to Mateo, she said, “I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. The earliest Bloodmaidens, the ones I know the best, fought the Elder and it was near thing. It might be easier right now because the sun’s dawning, but not much. The Elder mated with humans. They were both undead and alive at once and they knew how to use magic.”
Looking at Mateo, she said, “What do you think?”
Not hesitating, Mateo said, “Kill them.” Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 56
Amy laughed, “Of all the books to be based on reality…”
Vincent muttered, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
One of the sparkling vampires stepped out in front of the group. He had short, black hair, a pale face, and wore black armor with silver rivets. The shape of the armor either emphasized or created the illusion of a lean, muscular physique.
In short, someone cared enough to pay for a suit of brigandine that had some style. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 55
Of course, frying bacon smelled good. While I couldn’t smell through the suit, I did notice that Amy’s lips curling in what I assumed to be disgust. So maybe it didn’t smell like bacon frying unless it was the smell of rotting bacon.
I’d ask Amy later, or maybe never.
Either way, I didn’t feel much of an urge to open my facemask and find out for sure. Plus, I had another responsibility—making sure there was nowhere for the vamps to hide. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 54
Strictly speaking, all the vampires I’d seen when I’d decided to face the xosk weren’t coming. The implant volunteered that bit of information. It had counted them earlier and counted them again once I turned away from the xosk’s hopefully dead body.
Mateo and Vincent had taken the number of them down from 41 to 23—which was pretty impressive. How they’d done it became obvious as I looked the scene over. Ball bearings were scattered across the floor and as vampires came across them they stopped to count. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 53
Then I felt pinpricks of pain as needles pierced my skin. I had a sudden vision of mini-tentacles with bone tips and suspected that I’d made a good guess.
But could they control me through my feet? It didn’t seem likely, but bearing in mind that I was an engineer, not a xenobiologist, I had no idea.
It became a moot point as I felt more pinpricks of pain further up my leg. Could it reach my brain given time? Yes. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 52
Of course, the xosk wasn’t under any obligation to let me punch a hole in its body, and however much the tentacles had a mind of their own, they might have had an inkling that if the body lost everyone lost.
That’s my best theory why, after shrinking away from me as I charged the xosk, they got it into their minds to surround me and try to grapple me as I reached the body. It was at the same time not too bad and terrifying. The tentacles were everywhere around me and pulling me in toward the mouths. Continue reading Motor City Intern: Part 51