Blood Squad

Blood Squad

by Rae Monet, Inc.

Published by Rae Monet, Inc. at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Rae Monet, Inc.

Cover design copyright © 2011 Rae Monet, Inc.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

Blood Squad, first story of the Blood Squad Series

At a time when humans and vampires have signed a forced truce, a multiple murder will upset the balance of their world. One human and one vampire hold the key to keeping the peace.

The year is 2075, and FBI Special Agent Killian Gray has a secret. She can see the psychic signature of vampires. This power comes with a price, a debilitating disease pushing Killian toward her own destruction. When her federal homicide team, dubbed The Blood Squad, is called to solve a heinous crime, the case takes them into the dark underworld of the Sangerian Vampire clan. Suddenly, Killian’s abilities become useful. Instead of working with her own squad, Killian is forced to team up with the vampire clan Chief of Security, Dacon Sangerian.

Dacon Sangerian’s people have been providing protection for the Sangerian Clan since its formation. Bred from a long line of warriors, Dacon toes the line of the blood clan laws and takes his responsibilities seriously. Clan regulations dominate his life. In the 21st century, vampires no longer require human blood to survive, but some vampires choose to follow the old ways. Humans listed in the Book of Willing Donors are welcome into the clan; and so they have become a necessary annoyance for Dacon to manage. The first blood rule of the Sangerian Clan is simple: turning an unwilling human into a vampire is punishable by death. It is Dacon’s job to ensure this rule is followed.

As Killian and Dacon work to solve a case that could start another war between humans and vampires, they battle with forces of evil that could destroy them both.

Blood Squad

by Rae Monet, Inc.

Glossary of Terms for the Year 2075

AIGU=Artificial Intelligence Gathering Unit, a mechanical unit that assists in evidence gathering.

Android=Mechanical android programmed in whatever capacity they are needed.

Anime Rockers=A fad for young people like the Goth period.

AP=Auto Piloted Vehicle=A vehicle piloted by an android.

Auto-blaster=A laser that can shoot in a successive blast.

Blaster=A laser that can be shot one trigger pull at a time.

Blood injects= Blood synthetics produced in the Sangerian lab that supplement a vampires need for blood.

Chief of Security-Commander=The position that runs security for the Sangerians, the person is this position is addressed as Commander.

Class A, Falen=A helo powered jet, like a helicopter.

Comm=Like a cellular phone, used as a communication device.

Crazik=A new drug like Crank but way worse.

Directional locator=Think GPS.

Enora Silk=Brand name like Armani.

F-211’s=The Air Force’s Newest jet, like an F-16.

FBI San Francisco Violent Crime Specialized Homicide Unit=The unit Killian leads for the FBI.

G-Profile=The name for a vampire’s DNA profile.

Halmo Wrestler=Like a Sumo wrestler.

Holo-simulator=A room that produces holographic images, think Star Trek.

Imagegraphs=Like a photograph.

Imagegraphers=A position in the FBI, think Crime Scene Tech who handles taking all the pictures and sketching the crime scene.

L-500 laser blasters=A laser blaster issued only to Law Enforcement Officers.

Laser knives=A knife that cuts with a laser charge.

Laser-proof armor=Armor resistant to laser fire.

Light radar (L-Radar)=A new form of radar that uses light technology.

LEO issued Blaster=Blaster only issued to Law Enforcement Officers.

LNA, Leave Nothing Alive=A weapon Dacon had made especially for him.

Mexican Republic=R. Mexico=A Republic formed by Mexico where most illegal activity is run through.

Nacrilian=A substance harder than steel.

Neurontin=Pain killer that numbs the nerves.

No Fangs Allowed=NFA=Thirty-story glass building where all the vampire hunters are housed.

Organics=Vegetables grown without pesticides.

Panera RT-7 sports model=Fastest car on the market.

P-55 missile=An illegal missile with an intricately guided warhead.

P-9500=Think Palm.

PO, Personal Organizer=Think Palm.

Ph.D. in Hematology=A new degree program that focuses on the study of blood.

PV=Piloted Vehicle=Basically a car which has a driver.

Raz tracker=A tracker designed to track a vehicle by transmitting a signal to the satellite.

Realm of Human Hunters-NFA=A group of humans who have dedicated their lives to hunting vampires.

San Francisco Quakes logo=The new City of San Francisco Football Team.

Silver laser-guided exploding bullets=Silver bullets that explode upon impact.

The Book of Willing and Select Donors=The book that holds the names of all the humans who donate their blood to the Sangerians.

Treaty of the Vampire-Human Factions=Signed into agreement February 12, 2060 the treaty negotiated between the Human Hunters and vampires over 15 years ago to stop the fighting. Also referred to as the Vamp war treaty of the factions.

Sangerian Coven=The Coven of Vampires, over 2000 people strong, housed underground.

Vampire Liaison=Position held by Byron Sangerian, as described by the signature page of the Treaty of the Vampire-Human Factions.

VECTRO=A virus developed by the Human Hunters to kill vampires.

Sangerian Coven Blood Rules Descriptive Handbook=Book that has instructions and interpretations of the Sangerian Coven Blood Rules.

Vamp war treaty of the factions=The treaty negotiated between the Human Hunters and vampires over 15 years ago to stop the fighting. Also referred to Treaty of the Vampire-Human Factions of 2060.

ZAT lift=The underground lifts that run the length of the underground Coven caverns. Think simple subway.

Prologue

Signature page from the Treaty of the Vampire-Human factions, year 2060.

This full document stands as the final agreement between the Sangerian Vampire clan and the Human Hunters. Both factions will be represented by their appointed leader, known throughout the course of this document for the Sangerian Vampire clan as Clan Leader, Roman Sangerian, and for the Human Hunters, Queen, Adella Manning. Notwithstanding a violation of this agreement, this treaty will remain without expiration. At such time a violation of this agreement occurs, the treaty will be considered null and void. One vampire agent is allowed occupation on the surface to monitor treaty activities and act as a liaison with the Human Hunters. All other surface visits must be approved per the treaty, page 95, paragraph 6.1.3(a). The Human Hunters have accepted the Sangerian Vampire Coven Blood Rules in their entirety, as attached. Changes to the accepted Vampire Coven Blood Rules must be approved by the Human Hunters. This agreement will stand in effect and is considered binding even in the circumstances of leadership changes to either and or both factions.

By signing below, I approve and accept the treaty for my faction in its entirety.

Signed Coven Leader

Roman Sangerian

February 12, 2060

Signed Queen

Adella Manning

February 12, 2060

Chapter One

Sangerian Coven Blood Rule number one: Turning a human who is not within the Book of the Select Willing Donors is punishable by death.

She had wondered how long it would take before she could actually hear them speaking to each other…her mother had warned her that eventually the lesions would dig deep enough, grind themselves so far into her brain that it would happen.

Now it had.

Her ears rang with the deep chatter of their kind, the vampires, and it nearly drove her crazy. Nothing concrete, just a constant buzz. Like it wasn’t enough to see their psychic trail light up like the annual Christmas tree in New York City or have her neurons constantly screaming at her, there’s one, there’s another one. No, now she had to hear them too.

She shook her head. Christ.

Killian Gray shut the door to her autopiloted vehicle and took in the scent of industrial Oakland, oil mixed with ocean, a strange combination. She could see the edge of the port in her limited vision and beyond that she knew the Bay Bridge led to the Golden Gate. Every once in a while, the blast of an outgoing turbo-freighter’s horn echoed across the area.

She popped a couple of Neurontin nerve pain killers into her mouth like they were breath mints. Twelve hundred milligrams could knock out a Halmo Wrestler, but these days even that prescription teetered on ineffective. Still, the drug would dim the voices and her pain to a dull roar and give enough relief to get her through this crime scene without her head exploding.

The biggest problem right now was the sunrise peeking over the horizon.

The light bothered her optic nerves, so she came to work in the dark and left in the dark. Made the other agents think she was mysterious, but to her, it was the perfect persona to maintain for the leader of the FBI San Francisco violent crime specialized homicide unit.

She picked up Wana’s harness and pressed her knee to the furry body to indicate it was okay to move forward. Wana complied.

Okay, girl, with only one good eye left, I’m relying on you to get me through the day and keep me out from under the next flying vehicle, she joked. Wana gave a ruff and trotted forward.

The breeders had said Wana wasn’t calm or pure enough to be a guide dog for the partially blind. Guide dogs were no longer needed, they told her. Why not purchase an artificial companion to help? Killian had laughed and bought her anyway, then had Wana trained specifically for her needs. She didn’t want any stupid synthetic idiot as her buddy, no thanks, her driver was bad enough. She wanted something alive and a little wild; like Wana.

Dr. Gray, shall I remain here? Her android chauffeur’s mechanical voice stopped her. Where else does he think I would have him go? She gritted her teeth. This is why she had Wana.

Yes, that’s fine. She acknowledged his request. He was a driver, nothing else, no emotional chips or interactive programs. The only data he held in his wires and neutronic syntax was the streets. She liked it that way. She didn’t have to chatter with him. Besides, he wasn’t the fastest processor. He was on sale, a bargain credit purchase. The federal government always went for top-of-the-line—not.

From the outside, the industrial park district was a clean place. The average law-abiding civilian had no idea what was really going on behind the closed doors of these big buildings, crazik narcotics labs, turbo chop operations; name the crime and she could guarantee it was happening here. The city never seemed to grow up from its dark past, leaving a cesspool of criminal elements remaining. The local policeman guarding the crime scene glared at her until she eased out the FBI badge hanging around her neck and displayed it.

Special Agent Killian Gray. I’m here to process this crime scene per your request, she leaned down and read his tag, Officer Riggs.

Oh, yes, Agent Gray from the Blood Squad. Thanks for coming down so quickly. We appreciate your help. This is beyond us, a real weird one. They say it’s your area of expertise.

Riggs raised the yellow do not cross force field high enough for her and Wana to walk through. He sent up a single brow and his forehead wrinkled as he stared from her to Wana. Killian didn’t need two perfect eyes to know skepticism filled his face. She could tell he didn’t think a half-blind woman and her scruffy dog could process a crime scene. Ignoring his silent criticism, she walked into the building.

Welcome to crimson hell. Never seen anything like this. Following her in, the officer gestured at the bloody carnage in the warehouse.

Yeah, I’d say, Killian responded without thinking about it, her mind mapping the crime scene; the vastness of the empty building with its peeling, gray-painted walls, the abandoned, scattered industrial machinery and overflowing garbage bins.

Nothing left but the vampire bodies and plenty of vampire leavings, way more than she’d ever witnessed before; a no-no in the vamp world. Vampires weren’t supposed to exist to normal humans, yet here they were, fourteen bodies lying in one perfect row. Each with a severed head placed carefully above the neck, showing at least a six-inch space in between it and what was left of the body. Of course, the police officer couldn’t recognize what they were. Officer Riggs saw normal dead bodies. Except for their teeth, dead vampires appeared the same as dead humans and right now she didn’t see any of them with their mouths wide open.

Killian was going to have to talk to Byron, the vampire liaison she’d formed a relationship with several years ago after the murder of one of his own. Usually, they cleaned up their messes. And this was a mess. Surrounding the row of bodies, blood and body parts were thrown all over. Obviously the vamps had fought hard to live prior to this neat display as evidenced by the chunks of torn flesh, pools of blood and dark, vertical wall spatter. Then they were simply laid out on the bare concrete warehouse floor like slabs of disposable meat. The murderer or murderers had worked at this exhibit. She just wasn’t sure what else their plans entailed.

She hadn’t seen so many murdered vampires in one place since the vamp wars and only a hunter would have those unpleasant memories. It was going to take hours to weed through this crap. Despite the warmth, cold wrapped around her and she rubbed her hands together.

Her thoughts traveled back in time, remembering the butchery of the daylight runs her mother would force upon her. The blood, so much blood, and the mindless slaying. She shook her head, refusing to think about her former life as she shifted her attention back to the crime scene before her.

Would you be kind enough to grab my tactical on-scene kits from my APV, Officer Riggs? The yellow and gray ones? She gave him a sweet, sugared-down, sloppy smile she knew would bring action. She was attractive and she recognized it, even with her dark sunglasses, so she didn’t hesitate to use her femininity. With her health waning, every advantage she could get was important.

He gave her a toothy grin. You bet. Be right back. He jogged off toward her APV.

She wiped away her smile as she tried to track the vampire blood with her optic ability, but the rivers of red bled into each other, causing signatures to mix and blur.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was going to be a long night. Killian glanced up at the windows of the building and the coming daylight. In four hours, the sun would begin deteriorating the lining surrounding her optic nerves, blinding her in the left eye even more. It was like dimming a light bulb. It was warm, the June heat beating down on her. Another harmful factor for her disease, it never ended. She couldn’t let the frustration of her physical limitations get to her. Time to get to work.

Here you are, Agent Gray. Riggs set down several of her evidence kits.

Thanks so much. Now, if you would secure the crime scene again and let me do what I do best, I would greatly appreciate it. No one enters unless I authorize them. The Feds have this one now. Understand?

Understood. He saluted with an open-handed wave to his forehead and pivoted back to the building entrance.

Killian surveyed the mess. The smell of death hung in the air like a morgue. While she unhooked Wana, she grimaced at the headache lurking behind her temples, preparing to make its appearance. Death. Blood. Another day at the office. Will I ever get used to this? She hoped she didn’t, then she’d really be in trouble.

Go relax, girl. You can’t help me here right now.

Wana sank down. Resting her head between her paws, she waited close by, ready to help if needed. Killian recognized, as she always did, that Wana would shadow her through the next few hours and make sure she didn’t misstep. Wana was her savior. The guide dog let out a huge sneeze and shook her head.

I know, girl, smells icky, doesn’t it? Killian wrinkled her nose.

What have you vamps been up to now? Killian murmured. I need to talk to Byron about proper maintenance on the vampire-killing field. But first, I have to get these bodies to the morgue. She flipped her comm open and touched a button.

Blood Squad, she said, and voice recognition dialed for her.

Knight here. Sie Knight’s somber voice answered on the other end.

Sie, I need you to call the squad. Meet me at Embers and Seventh, industrial park, Oakland. We’ll have to page up the Imagegraphers as well as the Coroner, everyone. You know the drill. We’ve got a live one. Well, more than one. She grinned at her own internal joke. Sometimes injecting humor into the most gruesome of circumstances made it not so horrific.

Right, boss, I’ll page them up.

And have Jinx contact my vamp source, Byron Sangerian. I want to meet with him tonight—midnight, the usual place.

Got it, boss, see ya in twenty.

Thanks, Sie.

She reached down to feel for the Braille on her evidence kit, then placed her thumb on the pad next to the catch. A mechanical puff of air told her the kit was functioning. With her left eye, she watched the front slide open.

Good evening, Dr. Gray. Please identify your requirement and I will assist you.

Well, it’s actually daytime, AIGU. AIGU was the Artificial Intelligence Gathering Unit that assisted her in evidence collection. Basically a high-tech computer that could see. At night she needed AIGU more, because she couldn’t make things out as well. She reached in and gathered her latex spray, covering her hands and feet. Wouldn’t do her any good to leave her own trace evidence.

Time to get to work, AIGU. Stand by.

Yes, Dr. Gray. Standing by.

Vampires, who needs them?

Chapter Two

Sangerian Coven Blood Rule number fifty-five: The Security of the Coven will be commanded by a Sangerian blood relative, passed down throughout the test of time.

Dacon faced his adversary, a muscle-bound human outfitted in standard leather armor. Battle-tried, the warrior stood over seven feet high, a good twelve inches taller than Dacon.

He would be difficult to beat. Dacon hoped so. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. This opponent might be worthy.

The hard dirt battlefield was familiar; sporadic screams from Dacon’s fighting comrades-in-arms reassured him they were enjoying the clash as much as he. Dacon charged at the giant. Surprisingly fast, his adversary danced away. Dacon’s incisors lengthened with the challenge of the kill. The hunt energized him.

Is that the best you can do, Dacon Sangerian? I thought you were one of the greatest vampire warriors on this battlefield?

The arrogant taunt made Dacon grunt and lower his head for the charge. In a flash of silver, his challenger drew a sword from his back and lunged forward, striking out. Honing his focus, Dacon sidestepped. The warrior tumbled forward. Dacon kicked him in the ass, landing him on his face. His sword clattered to the ground. The man flipped onto his back, jumped into an arch and was on his feet in seconds.

Not fast enough.

Dacon slammed his fist into the human’s stunned face. The crunch of bones was satisfying as red oozed from his clearly broken nose. The scent of first blood exhilarated Dacon, strengthening his resolve to end this fight swiftly and take what he’d been craving.

That’s going to cost you. The human scooped his sword off the dirt and charged Dacon like an enraged bear.

Dacon twisted to the side, reached out and plucked the sword out of his opponent’s hands. The man unleashed a thunderous yell. Dacon followed the turn and swiped his sword into his challenger’s Achilles tendon, severing it through.

His opponent crumpled, landing in a heap on the ground. Blood surrounded his twitching limb, pooling under him in a mantle of red. Grabbing his leg, he cried out, I surrender.

Dacon dropped his weapon and swept down. Seizing the man’s hair, Dacon arched his head back. His enemy’s ear-piercing howl echoed across the field. Dacon lowered his eyelids, savoring the sound of impending death, the surrender to fate at his hands.

Smiling, he released his hunger and let the craving consume him as he prepared for the final bite that would take the man’s lifeblood. The power to kill felt so good, easing through him like a best friend coming home. Man, how he loved the sensation, missed it.

A growl came from deep in his chest. He hissed and sprang forward, plunging his teeth deep into the human’s throat. The man gurgled his protest as Dacon sucked in his first taste of blood.

Dacon’s body hardened, his heart pounding, a light behind his eyes exploded in pleasure. The body twitched, the last ounce of fight leaving the human. At the same instant, a blast from the overhead speaker arrested Dacon’s enjoyment.

Dacon, your presence is required in Roman’s office. Immediately.

Dacon eased back from the man’s throat in regret.

Computer, end program.

The human and the battlefield disappeared. The black and white walls of the holo-simulator came into focus. His silver, formfitting holo-sim suit glistened red where the computer had given him actual blood.

Computer, store program A-619, Commander Dacon Sangerian.

Complying now, Commander Sangerian.

Hauling himself off the floor, Dacon made his