Ninovan (Hypernaturals 10)

It Is Lonely at the Top

Victoria entered the so-called 'War Room'. I personally hate that term, but I suppose there is a panicked aspect to this that felt a little like war.

The only way we can get everything done is to split up tasks. We are going to need Victoria here to be the eye of the upcoming storm.

Denise, Carol, and DeWayne are here. Anne is on her way. Carol is going to be our primary interface to the Vampire Cleaning Crew portion of the program, and she and DeWayne are looking over a handwritten list Morgan gave them as a starting place. Carol scribbled in the margins and explaining to DeWayne about Crew Capabilities. He got some history along the way, and his comment about ten percent of the way in was about my reaction when I first learned about the Crew.

"I really have no idea what goes on in my world, do I?" DeWayne commented.

Carol paused, touched his face with a gentle touch and a loving smile. "Only what we want you to know, my love. Nothing about us could ever be known."

"I understand that. I wonder if I know you though, being honest." DeWayne told her.

"I will tell you whatever you want to know about me. It is not pretty, some of it. I am just like Denise. I have killed many people down the centuries. Not only male Vampires that did not pass Probation. The secret is everything."

"Even Adrian has killed for that. Little peace-nic that he is." DeWayne said.

"He is a hippy for sure. That is part of why we all love him. Total goof. Utterly sincere. Loving father: Like you will be. The thing you need to know about me above all else is that I love you. The same way Denise loves... you know. Everything else is details." Carol again gave Dewayne that loving smile and they got back to work.

If Victoria questioned a human, she never sanctioned being in the middle of this, she kept it to herself. I could tell for a look she gave me that having the wool pulled back from her eyes about me is showing her that I was not the only one keeping secrets from her. There is a larger orbit of people around the Sagan's that have been, including her Crew 'Trinity'. Denise, Carol, and Anne were in on it too. The most secret world had a secret world in it. Two of them, if you count Ninovan. Neither Simi nor Alexander ever fessed up either, so it is not only the Sagan's.

Morgan, Jessica, and I drew from memory a map of Ninovan, and we were discussing topics like how to de-modernize the soon to be former Ninovan campus. Truth be told, Morgan drew it, Jessica snagged the pencil and added details, and I pointed out missing or additional things, and they added them depending upon who had the pencil at the time. The result is Morgan's precision, Jessica's artistry, and my memory of odd things like where the steps on the porch were, and how many sets. We all had oddly clear, specific, and agreeing memories of the details of the water well, pump and all. Morgan and I could tell you the exact layout of the kitchen in the community center. On the other hand, Alexander's house layout is a blur for me, but Jessica knows it down to the inch. Different trauma's. I noticed many places where power was pulled to than either of them, and that was going to be important when it comes time to take it all out.

Jessica pointed at Alexander's fucking (literally) house and saying "His kitchen is on this end, but the bathroom is on this end. That means there are pipes and drains everywhere. The shower is right here. Fucker kept trying to get into it with me. Mr. Privileged Prick has the highest tech house in the community other than the Community Center, because... fucker. How to keep your fertile male happy. Best house, and all the pussy he caln poke. Fucker."

I heard Jessica's anger well enough, but I saw it register on everyone's face. Denise in particular flinched a little at it. I do not think she liked Jessica being in this kind of pain.