Vampire Agent (English Version)

Chapter 18

Widow

I stared at the brown-haired woman who had just presented me with a plan I could only laugh at.
The facts: New York was in the difficult situation that our race was multiplying.
Naturally, this caused greater tension between the clans, which could be clearly felt on the streets. Also: more vampires meant more victims for the humans, logically.
Because newborn vampires can rarely control their thirst for blood. I myself had only managed to go completely without blood for four weeks. When I then heard that there were vampires who were able to do that for a year, I can only take my hat off and ask which drugs helped.
The one and only positive thing, if you don't ever tasted a drop of blood after the 'awakening', as we call it, was, that it does not affect our health in a bad way - we wouldn't starve. In small quantities even normal food intake is still possible. But from the moment we gave in to our instincts, we were dependent on blood.
Back to the point. The high society here assumes that a clan was behind it. Not so far-fetched.
In fact, very likely, to be exact. The idea to infiltrate the big clans to get information, also good. But not well thought out.
The decision they made because of my presence was the stupidest gibberish I've heard in a long time.
"You can forget it," I said, snorting in amusement. They looked at me expectantly.
"May we know why?", Wanted to know probably the chairman, that is the "elder" or what to call him.
"Do you know how clans work?", I then asked after a short hesitation.
"I think you'll teach us better anyway, so please do," Jonas said, leaning back with his arms crossed.
"The big clans are like the mafias. Only worse. Infiltrate? Good idea. Through me? 'N bunch of..."
"Choice of words.", Jonas interrupted me and I sparkled at him for a few seconds.
"First of all, joining a clan is a matter of years," I then continued, my gaze fixed on Jonas, "They have an admissions process for that. That's a consensual test on just about everything you can test on a living being. Now let's assume I'm that good and the dickhea..."
"Widow.",
"... That I can convince them to initiate a fast track procedure, for which I would need reasons as serious as the Holocaust in WWII. I would commit myself to cutting off contact with all mortals. Apart from that, I will be strictly supervised for the first time. But all that will never happen anyway, because they wouldn't even invite me to an interview," I explained grumpily.
"It all sounds a bit exaggerated," said the elder.
If they weren't going to introduce themselves, the guy was going to have to live with that nickname from now on.
"Not really, most clans are really radical. There are actually more disadvantages to living in a clan than there are goddam-"
"I'd like to know why they wouldn't receive you", Jonas cut me off for the third time now during a curse.
"... I fucked up a few years ago," I admitted, leaning back again.
"What were you doing? Hunting in their territory?", Jonas asked me amused. The chairmen seemed to leave it to him to question me.
"Primitive, but apt. One have to make requests when a missions overlaps with their territories. However, there were some problems and I had to do the job in a different place than it was originally planned. And coincidentally, they had just expanded their territories. Unfortunately, it was the same morning that the job took place. Managed to get my neck out of the noose, but.... I must have offended them somehow."
"Just one clan or all of them?" asked Jonas.
"All the existing clans of vampires and... the clan leader, of the largest clan in the U.S., personally," I admitted hesitantly.
"Why does that not surprise me much?", Jonas shook his head and continued to think aloud, "So, how do we get to the major clans?"
"I don't think we need to deal with those clans. But we can narrow down the choices, since there is only one main clan on each continent and the whole thing just doesn't look like their signature."
"But if one of the major clans isn't behind what's happening, then who is?" the elder asked, narrowing his eyes skeptically.
"There are still the subgroups that could be targeted. You can basically compare the salad to religions. There are the main religions, and then there are the... Others. Rather small sects. If I were you, I would turn my gaze away from the big ones and deal with the vermin. You'd never catch the main clans, first of all, and secondly, they'd never make such an ill-conceived, public sh..." I interrupted myself with a glance at Jonas, ".... Number. They have means to cover up something like that and usually do."
"Then we'll have to think of something else," said the woman with the short hair and the others nodded in agreement.
However, they all fell silent and there was no more exchange of words. I raised my eyebrows after a few minutes.
"Sounds like a good plan, let's do it that way.", I then said and stood up to stretch.
"Excuse me? We didn't say anything.", stated the brown haired woman.
"Exactly," I said, "This looks like a botched job. The vampires responsible for this are rank beginners in the field. They're probably a bunch of idiots following some idealistic delusion. And such people are predictable. You just have to wait for them to make a mistake," I continued and walked to the door, but turned back to them.
"If you ever have to deal with one of the great clans anyway... You would do well not to mention my name."
With these words I left the room and went downstairs to wait for Jonas. They would not have spoken another word in my presence.
There were certainly still enough things that needed to be talked over by them without a shady person being present.
I went down to the entrance area and leaned against a wall to wait for Jonas.
He was making quite a wait, and my gaze kept sliding to the big, ugly clock in the entryway.
6 p.m.
It was about time he got here... Ah.
I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs and tried not to look too bored. He turned the corner and searched me with his gaze.
"What are you thinking just marching out of the conversation?!" he snapped at me when he spotted me, "Do you know what kind of light this has shed on me?!"
"You think I care? You're the one who dragged me here. Besides, I didn't agree to behave myself, nor do I have any interest in making you look in a good light," I said, putting my hands in my pants pockets in annoyance.
"I would have guessed that you had the foresight that you said people lack."
"You overestimate me Jonas. I never said I had it. "
"I can see that," deprecatingly he let his gaze slide over me, "We're flying back to New York tomorrow. Then you leave the country and shoot your shit somewhere else. I don't want to see you in my state anymore.", He said coldly and left the building.
"Interesting.", I muttered and followed him. Actually, I had accomplished about what I had initially wanted to accomplish. But I felt kind of dirty about it. A guilty conscience?
That I did not laugh... Since approx. 150 years this had not announced itself. But I knew better, this wasn't a guilty conscience. Rather, it was a feeling I had grown up with. This shitty feeling of not being good enough.
Great, now I was pissed off, too. Silently and with my eyebrows drawn together I followed him. We drove back to the house and Jonas ordered himself something to eat. The whole time we didn't exchange a single word. At some point I mumbled something about going out for cigarettes. He didn't bother to stop me and ignored me as much as possible. I almost laughed. Kid's shit.
I looked for a kiosk, got two packs of cigarettes and a lighter. Then I went to a phone booth, from where I called my employer again. However, this one did not have good news for me.
"There are a few people who have seen him. No obvious connections. He's been in contact with a few vampires from the Noctur clan and the usual gun dealers. But he's been seen, and that alone is concerning, considering he's been listed as deceased in our files since 1842."
"Noctur Clan?", I inquired, lighting a cigarette.
They were new to me, which didn't bode well, since the activity in New York was also pretty fresh.
Could be related.
"They officially registered less than two weeks ago. No idea how long they've been active in the shadows. Seem to have a lot in common with the Sanctuaryans, remember them?" he asked me.
"Yeah, a bunch of weirdos. Was a pretty good job though.", I looked down the street and thought for a moment, "Do you have any info on the clan's orientation? Goals or beliefs?"
"Nothing yet."
I sighed and nodded slowly.
"Okay, thanks. Helped me out already. I owe you one," I muttered. He acknowledged this and hung up. With another sigh, I left the cell and headed back to hit the sack. I so desperately needed a decent night's sleep, but I doubted I would get it that night.
When I entered the house, the lights were already off and the door to the room Jonas had slept in last night was locked. Annoyed, I went upstairs and made my way to the small room with the sofa. This atmosphere sucked, especially considering that I actually had some info that could tell us-.
I paused in thought for a moment. No, that could probably help them. I didn't know if Jonas was asleep yet. Nevertheless, I went to the piano and tried to play a song that was hazily haunting my memory. It had been my sister's favorite song. I had not heard or played it once since her death. I lost myself at the thought of the circumstances of her passing and paused with clenched teeth.
Enough was enough. I had thought enough about my past in the last few days. Grumpily I folded down the lid and lay down to sleep.
It worked relatively well.
At least until I woke up a few hours later, restless.
Awakened by my instinct.