Hunted

Chapter II

Amidst the bluish haze of the city, one building stood; A glowing beacon for the vast sea that was New York. A yellow vision that inspired both awe and fear for those who lived around it. The buildings blackened white brick had slowly become a mere shadow of its previous self, relying more on its monolithic, imposing nature than its artificial beauty.

The rain continued to pelt down upon the large, indifferent windows, the consistent rattling becoming just a white noise for those situated inside, droning on and on... Slowly worming inside their brains with an eternally innocent motive that only nature could provide. Brief flashes of lightning illuminated the barren wasteland this once great city had become... Towering buildings now reduced to decaying husks that the homeless slept in. The brief flashes created an air of subtle indifference for the city, capturing a split second of total serenity before life continued and the world began again its final death throes.

Inside King House, President Judson sat at his relatively comfortable office chair, tapping away at the bright computer that glared into his unwilling eyes. The figures scrolled through, incomprehensible white figures placed on a contrasting black background. His aching fingers grasped at the enticing glass of water situated next to the small screen.

He furrowed his brow as he took a swig of the bitter water. When he had placed the water down, he sat forward and prepared to engage on another hour of boredom entering and reviewing new data. Just as he was about to open a new file, his secretary walked in.  "Judson? Tau Jin wishes to speak with you." She spoke with a calm, measured voice. One that could calm the angriest of people. She stared at him with her dull brown eyes.

Judson looked up at her, an air of surprised bemusement plastered on his thin, pale face. Upon hearing what she had said,  he smiled at her dreamily. "What does he want?" he asked curiously - requests from him came rarely. 

His secretary cracked one of her rare smiles and chucked to herself. "He did not state his intention, but I gather from his voice and body language that he is annoyed about something..." she stated in a humorous fashion. She stepped closer to him, and shot him a fleeting glance as she looked at his computer screen.

Judson looked back down at his computer before replying. "Well send the feed through!" he said sharply.

She stared at him for a second before walking out of the room, leaving the thick wooden door open. Outside the office, rows and rows of computers sat there, the seats assigned to them lying empty... She then looked back round from her desk and looked at him. "The feed should be going through now..." she told him with a sarcastic smile.

Judson sneered at her briefly before tapping a key on his keyboard. On the screen a long, moody face appeared, his cold blue eyes crawled across his face as if he was studying him. "President Judson..." - - he spoke with a clear and harsh voice that only occasionally grated - "Profits are decreasing... The people will not stand for this." he stared at him hatefully.

Judson simply nodded at him as if he was taking this news in. "Tau Jin, I assure you - we are doing our best..." he paused for a breath, all the while looking at Tau Jin with a disinterest. The rain continued to batter the windows, causing Tau Jin to try and look behind him.

He then smiled at Judson. "You have two weeks... Or I shall have you replaced." he spoke with a vile menace, causing Judson to begin to shiver. "Goodbye."

Judson looked up just as he said this. "Before you go... There is something you should know..."

Tau Jin looked up at him curiosity sparkling in his eye, he opened his mouth to speak, a smile beginning to form across his angular face. Behind Judson, a factory was reactivated, a large plumes of smoke billowing up to the atmosphere, adding to the already bad problem of acidic rain.

"What is it?" asked Tau Jin, his smile rapidly growing. On his side of the screen, a small woman crossed, and handed him a small piece of paper, her eyes briefly looking into Judson's. Tau Jin looked at the paper before casting it aside. "Spit it out... I have a meeting with the conglomerate in a minute."

Judson sneered at him before telling him. "One of my informants speaks of a woman living in the slums, a woman who could change the tide of the war for us - a woman who could help us crush this rebellion!" he cried, his patriotic side beginning to take over.

Tau Jin looked at him, disbelief plastered across his face. "What is so special about this woman?" he asked, his interest suddenly peaked at this news. He leant forward, eager to hear his reply.

"They say she is not human... They say she is a... Vampire." he said the last word with a special emphasis considering that it sounded absurd. "I have assigned half of my military resources to locating this woman..." he paused for breath whilst he stood up and walked over to the window. "I have also issued a bounty on this creature - a large one."

Tau Jin smiled appreciatively at him, his cold eyes calculating furiously. Probably on how he could make money from this situation. "Inform me when you capture it." he said sternly. His face blinked from the screen, the lasting image of his calculating eyes burned into Judson's mind.

He pondered over this for a moment before turning back to his monitor.

Back to work.