Chapter 12: The creepy shell

Mira followed Hunter into the ASP Building, veering off to the side of the main lobby. Down a long hallway there was three investigation room and a hallway that led to a wide set of stairs. They turned to go up the stairs, barely glancing at the other agents they passed. Down another hall were the team leaders and Shadow's office. They stopped at his shut door, Hunter letting Mira catch up before they pounded on Shadow's door.

"Come!"

"Oh hell, he sounds grumpy."

"Mira, honey, do me a favor and grow a set would you?"

"I'll grow you a few," she growled under her breath while Hunter opened the door and held it for her. "Sir?"

"Hunter, Mirage, it's about damn time." Shadow got up and went to a counter next to his desk. He picked up a vile of bright orange liquid. "Do either of you know what this is?"

"Some kind of crazy orange soda?" Mirage asked. She shrugged her shoulders when Hunter glared at her. "He asked?"

"Okay, now if you two are done being comedians..." Shadow waited until the both nodded and then he sat the vial in a stand on his desk. "This is what the shell sucked out of Mistress Melody."

"Vampire poison is not orange," Hunter said. He picked up the vial, tipping it back and forth in his hand. "There's some kind of black pulp in here."

"Yes, that black pulp is the normal vampire poison but somehow it's thick, chunky ... It's the orange liquid that has our labs shaking their heads. We have no idea what it is or where it comes from. But to me, it looks as if Braxton found a new way to make Vampires even more powerful. We've still got tests being run. But from what results we've had come in, this orange liquid makes vampires almost impenetrable. None of the usual weapons work. We've tried sunlight, UV light, silver, crosses and Holy water. Nothing hurt the test subject. If Braxton is handing out this liquid, we could have a big problem on our hands."

"Oh hell," Hunter said softly. "Super supernaturals. This could really put a crimp on a weekend."

"Yes, which is why I've recalled Dianna and Beast. It will be your job to find out who is making the orange liquid and giving it to the vampire world. When you find him, you bring him to me, understand?"

Mirage started to nod her head and then she stopped. "What about the Braxtons? The vampire that did this to Mistress Melody was in his employ."

"Then you've got your starting point for your investigation. Don't let me down on this, it could be the most important case in your life."

"Is Mistress Melody okay? She didn't seem quite normal after the shell attacked her."

"She's been sleeping since then and hasn't woken up yet. I'll be sure to keep you in the loop if the orange liquid has done anything else to her."

They got up and Hunter and Mira headed for the door. "I think I've seen this movie," Mira quipped. "Doesn't it start with a doctor letting loose some bug in the lab and then some girl wakes up and has to fight off all the zombies that were created by this super bug?"

"I hate zombies," Hunter said with a shudder. "We come up on any vampire zombies, Beast gets to go first."

"Like that hairy, walking rug would have the balls to go up against vampiric zombies," Mirage scoffed, stepping into the elevator. She'd give Shadow back his blaster and now she was heading down to the gym to collect her own. "I'd be more afraid of super Vampires that don't understand the concept of lying down and dying."

"Yeah, but isn't that the same thing?"

Mirage laughed, feeling his hands coming out to tug her back and into his arms. He nuzzled his nose in her neck and she felt the tips of his teeth. "Oh help me, help me," she said in a fake falsetto whisper. "The big, bad zombie vampire wants to suck my blood and eat my brain. Help me."

Hunter started laughing. "I think you'll be okay when it comes to the eating brains part." He grunted as she shoved an elbow into his ribs and held up his hands in surrender when she turned, her fists coming up.

"You know, that's almost grounds for a challenge. This time I wouldn't have to take it easy on you for fear of making you insane."

"Taking it easy on me? When did that happen?"

The both glanced up when the door to the elevator opened. Dianna and Beast were standing in the opening, waiting for them. "Come on, you two. We're going to have to have a talk about you guys playing cowboy when we're on our three days off." Dianna wiggled her fingers. "I've got an SUV already gassed up and ready to go."

"Give me ten," Mira said. "My blaster is in my locker."

"Meet us in the garage. I want you to take me to that place where you rescued the girls."

Mirage nodded and took off at a jog, weaving around people without touching one of them. She retrieved her weapon and then headed out, almost getting to the SUV before they did. Taking her normal seat behind Hunter and next to Dianna, she reached into a small compartment in the back of Hunter's seat and pulled out a soft white cloth. She quickly disassembled her blaster, cleaning each part as she put it back together. When she finally clicked in the power cell, the blaster hummed to life and the light on the top turned green.

"Locked and loaded," she said to Dianna, stroking her hand over the smooth contour of the blaster. "She's ready to make some vampires into nothing but orange splats against the wall."

Dianna nodded, then pulled her own blaster, clinking it against Mira's like they were sipping champagne at a toast. "Here's to bright orange splats. Now I know Shadow brought you up to date about the shells. Whatever was in that orange liquid turned that shell vicious. If Hunter hadn't pulled the damn thing free, it probably would have killed her and everyone else that touched it."

Mira shuddered. "I hate those damn things. Who could ever stand having tentacles push into your veins and devour your blood? I'd rather go up against super vampires."

"Well, the way it looks, you'll have your chance. Shadow had the girls you rescued taken down to the med lab and all of them are infected with the orange goop. It would take more than one vampire to infect all of them."

"What's going to happen to them? Shadow can't use the shells to clean their blood; he'd end up with an entire army of killer shells." Hunter glanced back at them from his rearview mirror.

"He's using a human devise," Dianna said. "When open heart surgery is done, they use a heart/lung machine to simulate the functions of your heart and lungs. Shadow has figured out a way to strain out the orange liquid by hooking up the victims to one of those machines. It's not pleasant and one girl almost died, she'd been bitten more than any of the others. But it does seem to be working."

"So he just strains them?" Mirage tried to picture that but the only thing that kept coming to mind was straining orange juice to get out the pulp.

"So, if we find any more victims, the quicker we can get them back to ASP the better. Shadow has a van as well as medical personnel waiting for our call. But the first and most important thing to find is the lab that is creating this stuff and destroying it and any notes made. So, where do we start?"

"Braxton's home. Kit and her team went through it but I don't think they knew what they were looking for. I think there's more to that place than what meets the eye."

"How long, Hunter?"

"ETA about five minutes, Di. I say we start in the basement and see what we can find. That place has to be riddled with tunnels and hidden rooms. Have you ever seen a creepy old mansion that didn't have them?"

"Well, let's hope you're right, or this could be an awfully long shift." Beast yowled his agreement, then settled down in his seat, searching the tree line with his incredibly gentle eyes.

When he suddenly sat up again, yowling loudly and reaching for the steering wheel, he startled all of them. Hunter slammed on the brakes, letting Beast pull the car to the side of the road. "Dammit, fur boy, do you have to do that? You give me a freaking heart attack every time you do."

But Beast wasn't listening. He'd jumped from the SUV and was racing into the bushes at the side of the road. He bent over and then stood, lifting a girl into his arms. She was scantily dressed, a pair of ripped jeans barely covering her legs. A white buttoned down shirt was ripped down the front, and Mira caught a glimpse of heavy, pale breasts. She got out of the truck, giving Beast room to lay the woman down in the back seat. Mira could see the bite marks, pieces of flesh had been ripped from her bones. Her heart was barely beating and she tried to look up at the four ASP agents.

"I got away," she said defiantly. "They tried to get me to go into one of the coffins, but I got away when no one was looking."

Dianna stroked the girl's hair, gently pushing the tangled mass off her forehead. "What's your name?"

"T-Trixie Delong. They were going to hurt me more, but I got away. I got away." She repeated the words as if they were her victory cry.

"Who was going to hurt you, Trixie?" Hunter asked from the front seat.

"T-the men. Do you have any w-water?"

Hunter pulled open the small refrigerator that was between the front seats and pulled out a cold bottle. He twisted the cap off and handed it to Dianna. "Lift her head, Beast."

The Wendigo carefully lifted her head, holding her gently as Dianna let her drink her fill. In the light from the overhead, he could see just how badly she was injured. Yowling softly to Dianna, he waited for an answer.

"Yes, we'll call Shadow right away, Beast. She needs to be taken back and have her blood cleaned." Dianna dipped her finger into a trail of blood that moved sluggishly down Trixie's body. Holding her finger up to the light, she gaped at the strange color. It wasn't red, not the bright red of good oxygenated blood. It was dull, thick, a tinge of orange appearing on her skin.

"She hasn't just been bitten," Mira said slowly. "She's been given the orange liquid. It's running through her blood now."

Hunter reached for the microphone. "Beta team to base, come in base."

"Base to Beta team, we read you."

"Base, we have a victim of the orange liquid. We think she was dosed with it. We need the van here now and also let Priority One know what we're sending it."

"Beta team, we have you on Old River Road. Is that your twenty?"

"Old River Road, almost to the Braxton estates, Base. We'll be waiting here for the van."

"Ten-four, Beta team, Base out."

"W-who are you p-people?" Trixie asked, her eyes going from Dianna's gentle gaze to the hairy guy that held her so tenderly.