The Shape of Things to Come (Hypernaturals 15)

Miranda Luna and Leon

We all took a moment to look through the door to the apartment before knocking. Five glowing human shapes. One man. Two women. Two babies. The adults are seated on the floor next to a coffee table, and playing with the babies.

We already knew from the metadata in the photos that we are in the right place, so there was no discussion upon IR confirmation. Denise knocked. One of the women got up to answer. It turned out to be Miranda.

"Hello?" She asked, puzzled. Whoever she thought might be on the other side of the door, it was not the four of us.

"Hello. My name is Denise. My associates and I are private detectives. Except for her. She's a Doctor." We all displayed photo ID with credentials matching Denise's identifications. "We are looking for Leon. We know he is here. He is not in trouble, but he does have a situation that he needs to speak with us about."

"Uhmm..." Miranda, looked back into the apartment nervously.

"Miranda. He is not in trouble, and neither are you, other than your failure to pay rent recently." Denise reassured her.

"How do I know that?" Miranda asked, defiantly.

"Well. Good question. You don't. You might ask yourself why three private investigators brought a medical doctor. Run that through your mind for possibilities. If we were process servers, there would be one or two of us, and as you are the registered name on the apartment, we would be looking for you, not Leon. We would have handed you an eviction notice, and left. We are therefore only here for Leon, and the evidence you have says it is medical."

"Oh... God. Is Leon sick?" Miranda asked, suddenly stricken

"He was exposed to something. Yes. Why we have been looking for him. He may require therapy. You might have some things because of his condition." Denise said. "May we come in?"

I thought it was all perfectly true and noncommittal, and I mirrored Morgan's expression of having almost no expression other than a very slight, friendly-looking smile. That was difficult. 'Having some things' being 'babies' because the condition is 'Catalyst'. His 'therapy' being 'learn to control himself'. I really wanted to at least smile at Denise's massive understatements.

"Come in." Miranda stepped aside. I think she decided if nothing else, having four people on her porch where the others in the complex could see us is not making her comfortable.

The other two adults stood up, and we made introductions. Flashed IDs again. Leon shook our hands.

The two women are human and in a low level of sexual excitement. No active hunting/mating pheromones are in the air. Stale ones are everywhere. The women are more than likely experiencing the lingering mental aftereffects of the constant exposure to them. The knowledge they will have them again. Get another hit. Anticipation of the night to come after the kids are in bed. They are not unlike addicts, waiting for their next high. They have been getting this particular high for the better part of a year at this point.

The stale hunting scent will not affect me at all. I am the wrong target for them. Being stale, they should not overly affect Morgan, Denise, or Jessica either. They did not walk into the den of a hunting male vampire unprepared. None of them want to cycle in thirty days, and Morgan is vulnerable to pregnancy well before that from her own personal Catalyst. No blood is required.

Even without the scents and the babies, I can see that Leon is Vampire. There is much more I can sense about him with my extended abilities. His resting skin temperature is cooler than the two human women. The upper mandible is distinctive in IR for more than fangs, as some things are changed to make room for the small Juice glands. The densification of the neural matter changes the IR signature of the brain. The eyes only look different if you can tell the pupils are larger and darker because of the way the back of the eye changes.