Erasure and Affirmation (Hypernaturals 11)

Erase Us

It took a long time before we set up today's meeting. I am not sure why I am even here.

The Siren Assembly (if only in part) sitting before the Vampire Council. The first time in known history this has ever happened.

Victoria let them know who is in charge from the beginning.

"I would thank you for coming, but I gave you no choice." She opened. "I do thank Ginger for being here. It was not easy for her to get into her wheelchair and come, but she did. What happened to her is on you, the same way as what happened to Melissa is on you. The same way was your secret Bio-weapons lab is, and your attack on Adrain is. Your second attack on Adrian: Your first one being when you assaulted him with a hammer and smashed out his teeth for daring to try to heal Arnold Romney via Juice and not knowing what Arnold Romney was at the time. Arnold also did not know to compound that event. Arnold could not say 'I am Siren, do not bite.' so your pretext for that assault was facile. You gave sanctuary to a murdering, and we played by your rules to resolve that situation when by our rules we had every right to demand his release to us."

I could see flinching as the charges were rattled off. Victoria met their eyes with controlled anger in her tone and a frozen face. "Sirens are an eye-for-an-eye type of people, and you have been racking up the charges. On your side of the ledger is the ancient pogram. Some of you, for whatever reason, need to avenge what happened all those millennia ago. I am not saying it was right. I am saying it is an ancient grudge, and it is why I have stayed my hand for the infractions to date. You still carry around in your hearts that long-ago event as if it happened yesterday, and as if we, the Vampires, have not been playing in good faith since you re-announced your presence to us... By attacking Adrian as I described. You have been wondering what the repercussions of that first attack would be. Adrian, as the injured party, has been convincing me to hold our wrath in check, but you went too far this time."

The former Sirens, now brand new Vampires, looked sullen.

Victoria was having none of it. "Do not even give me looks like that, you Vampires. You are ALL Vampires now, and you are therefore under my and my Council's jurisdiction. If you do not like being Vampires, you should have thought of that before you set up a facility that let us turn you into them so easily. You have free will, however: You can choose to not remain Vampires."

At a look of sudden hope from several of the Assembly, Victoria squashed that. "No. We did not finish your anti-Vampire serum. I am told that would take decades to get right. Your choice is to live as Vampires or to die. I think I can convince at least some of the Crew to take care of it."

Victoria looked specifically at Denise, and she said nothing and gave no indication of support either way.

Helen said "Oh, for fuck's sake. It doesn't have to be Crew. I don't mind offing a few Vampires unhappy with their new lot. I know where I can get a very nice, used, extremely sharp sword. Tested. One swipe: Head off." Helen looked at Denise. I saw the corner of Denise's mouth twitch in a smile.

Welcome to my life, Denise. You have been Helen'ed.

Victoria pointed over to one end of the Assembly. "You two couples. Europe and African members of the Assembly, I am told. I congratulate you on coming here knowing what happened to the six NorthAm members. For your bravery, I will give you some assurances in a moment."

"Uhm... Thank you?" the European woman said.

"Here is the deal. This will not take long. I know where every single member of the Assembly is, or I know how to find them. I will turn them, two by two, into Vampires if I have to. You three couples are an example of our ability to do it, at will. With one hundred percent success. Three new female Vampires. Three new Male Vampires. There will be two more Sirens turned Vampire soon. Because of what you did to Ginger... To your own kind! Because of your beating and torture and rape, she is crippled. Blind. She has trouble walking. Confined at the moment to a wheelchair. For her to recover, we must turn her. Not as punishment, as it was for you six, but as the only assured way for all the damage Sirens inflicted upon her to be repaired. Her husband Wyatt, who I have come to know and find to be a lovely man, will join her. Therefore: Assembly members in North America are going to also be Vampires."