The Hybrid Vampire

Lars the Goddess

Part I

Prologue

Mission Failed

Typing as quickly as possible, the young man searched OZ’s database for the information he had been sent for. After about five minutes, he located it and inserted a disk to begin the downloading. He had three minutes before it’s completion and he practically held his breath as he constantly studied his surroundings and listened carefully for anyone approaching.

Every hair on his body stood on end as he thought he heard a noise in the corridor beyond the door of the general’s office. He grabbed his gun and ducked behind the large desk as the sound, which appeared to be footsteps continued to steadily grow closer to his location. Ignoring the stench of the heavy finish that clung to the desk even after heavy use, he checked his weapon even as a thousand thoughts began to clutter his mind.

The steps stopped outside of the room as he tried to figure how someone could have been alerted to his presence. Did I set off a silent alarm? Maybe it’s just a security guard on his round and he will only look in. But why would he be chicking the building at one in the morning? His thoughts immediately scattered as he heard a key turn in the door. He sensed that the person knew that he was there and carefully aimed his gun at the door from his hiding place and waited. The door slowly opened to reveal an old guard with graying hair and an expanding belly as the dim light from the hall filtered softly into the room. The old man’s eyes roamed the room carefully, taking in the light from the computer monitor shed on the bookshelf behind the desk. Raising a curious eyebrow, the aging guard began to walk around the massive desk to investigate the reason.

The young intruder took the safety off his gun, the sound alerting the guard that danger was near. They both reacted at once, the guard pulling his gun while lunging toward an alarm switch on the desk as the young man pulled the trigger of his silenced gun, the bullet hitting home in the man’s head. His lifeless body fell, but his death was pointless as his outstretched hand set off the alarm.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he grabbed the disk that was only half done downloading. It would have to do because he couldn’t stay there now.

Jumping up from his crouch behind the desk, he rushed out the door only to hear hurried footsteps approaching from both ends of the hall. His escape routes were cut off and he was trapped, unless…there was an air vent he should fit through in the office. Quickly turning, he ran into the hard wood doow which had shut, locking him out. Tons of soldiers began to round both corners and he knew it would be impossible to pick the lock before they reached him. He was captured, mission failed.

Dropping his gun and kicking it away, he placed his hands behind his head, waiting fro the men to bind him. After all, it was better to be captured in perfect health when the odds were against him in order to escape later when the odds had improved.

The men grabbed his arms, some wincing as they came in contact with his cold flesh. He smirked inwardly as they bound his hands tightly behind him. Only he found humor in the fact that these men had just unknowingly come in contact with the only hybrid vampire in existence. However, this fact would not get him out of this situation easily, as he could still be seriously wounded. He would need help and he knew who to ask, unsure if his friends would know to come in time.

Opening his mind to the psychic waves of the world, he called to his maker to come for him. Hearing a weak response, the young vampire knew it would only be a matter of time before he was back with his four friends to continue the fight for peace.

* * *

The room showed every evidence of luxury and convenience with it’s plush, thick carpets, to the antique chairs and couches that wore thick cushions to pad the hard wood of their frames. Everything was in soft, comforting colors of pale blue and burgundy that portrayed the owners own personality. A kind and caring person, Quatre always preferred soft colors that didn’t overwhelm the senses and helped a person relax.

Quatre sat with the three other gundam pilots as they enjoyed a rare chance to just hang out. It was a shame that hteir other comrad couldn’t stay, but he had to head out on a misison earlier that morning and said he wouldn’t be back until the next morning sometime. Everyone had bid him good bye and good luck without a second thought, the boy’s task being just another mission in their eyes.

However, it was already past one in the moring and the blond only hoped that everything was going well. The group had all agreed to stay up under the pretense of watching late night movies on the big screen tv in Quatre’s den, but he had a felling that, like him, they were all waiting up for their friend to return.

Suddenly, a feeling passed over the young Arabian that told him their fried would not be returning that morning. Something blared to life in his mind, drowning out the noise from the movie as he shut his eyes to the room, concentrating on what it was. He gasped as he realized that something had gone wrong, undoubtedly, their friend had been captured.

Turning to the others in the room, he only had to say one sentence. "He’s in trouble."

Heero immediately jumped up to start typing furiously on his laptop that sat conveniently on the elegant desk that was placed in one corner of the room, the computer’s dark casing contrasting with the light golden finish on the expensive furniture. Quatre knew that even now the Japanese boy was demanding that Dr. J tell them their friends location. The other two rushed to get supplies for their self proclaimed mission as the Arabian by rose to get the car keys.

Finding the keys to a van that the boys had got for missions, he returned to look in the door to the den and wait for Heero to finish his task. He only had to stand their a few moments before the messy haired boy shut down his lap top and turned to him and the other two boys who had appeared behind him. "He’s three hours frm here, I’ll drive," he said as he followed the three boys out the door and to the waiting van.

Quatre crawled in the passenger side and tossed him the keys as Heero got in the drivers seat. Seconds later they were speeding toward the OZ base that was now holding their friend captive.

* * *

The night was dark with the strong smell of blood in the air. Angel ignored the pungent scent as he punched the demon in the face once more, causing more of the crimson liquid to splash over his ugly features. Ducking as his oponent attempted to catch him in the side of the face with his clawed hand, the vampire staggered slightly as he was distracted by a voice in his head. His offspring was in trouble, but he would have to wait until he rid himself of his current conflict.

Every evil creature had been after the soul bearing vampire lately, considering he was the only threat to their existence. It’s a pity his spawn didn’t follow his ways completely, but what do you expect from a hybrid. At least he’s fighting for the right side. A hit to his stomach brought Angel back to reality as he dodged to the side and gave a hard kick to the demon’s throat. The evil being wheeled back from the force, gasping as he tried to breathe with his crushed wind pipe. Apparently, not all demons could live without breathing.

He watched the creature slump to the ground as it continued to struggle as he listened to what his offspring was trying to tell him. As soon as he was sure he had got everything the boy was telling him, he gave a quick reply and kicked the body of his now dead enemy before rushing to where he had left his car.

As he approached the vehicle, he staightened his black silk shirt and brushed the dirt from his pants. He would head to the outskirts of the city where the hybrid vampire waited for him at an OZ base. It was about a two hour drive from his location and he wasn’t about to waste time as he jumped into his black convertible and sped off down the empty streets lit only by the occasional street lamps. He was definitely gald that he stayed close to his offspring just for reasons like this.

* * *

The gundam pilots were completely focused on their mission, keeping their eyes open for anything that looked unusual to them as they got closer to the base. They had found no sign of the motorcycle their friend had left on that morning, but hadn’t expected to, knowing that he knew to keep it well hidden for his escape. However, they had passed a car about a mile back but figured it to have just broken down and been abandoned by whoever owned it. As far as they were concerned, it had no bearing on their mission at the moment.

A half mile from the gated entrance to the compound, they pulled off the road and evacuated the van, collecting all the supplies they had brought with them. Splitting into two teams after finding their way throught he woods surrounding most of the building, it was agreed that Quatre and Heero would go in while the other two secured the perimeter and the escape route. Grabbing as many weapons as they could carry, the Arab and Japanese boy’s jumped the fence and snuck stealthily across the open area to an unguarded door.

Quickly picking the lock, Heeor checked the corridor within before gesturing for his parner to follow. He couldn’t believe how lax secureity was here considering they had just caught an intruder within their perimeter. If this is what their security was like after finding a spy, he could imagine how easy it was for their friend to get in, which made him wonder just how the boy got caught.

Their fellow pilot had more stealth and instincts when it came to breaking into places than all the other four pilots combined. Even his gundam seemed to have adopted these quatlities from it’s owner. The messy haired boy could only conclude that the capture had only been a stroke of luck for an OZ soldier who just happened by at the wrong time for the pilot.

Studying the dimly lit corridor as he and Quatre made their way into the depths of the compound, Heero looked for a computer to hack into in order to find where they would be keeping the pilot. Cautiously opening the door to a room, he chicked it thoroughly for signs of life, finding nothing but a control room with many computer terminals within. Smirking a little, he headed towards one while Quatre secured and guarded the door, neither of them wishing to have what happened to their friend repeat with them.

Booting up a computer, he frowned as he realized how slow these things were, what a pain, downloading would take forever. However, he had no need to download as he finally began to find the prison directory. Locating the newest file, he studied it intently, finding that it fit their friends description perfectly although no name had been entered. Under the category QUESTIONING, the words IN PROCESS blinked tauntingly as they reflected in the boy’s prussian blue eyes.

A look of alarm crossed his face momentarily before his features settled once more into their traditional blank expression. He had no idea what horrible things they could be doing to his fellow pilot right now. The had to act quickly, make sure they got to him before he was damaged to much to aid in his own escape.

Memorizing the room number, he jumped up and nodded to Quatre who followed quietly as they left the room. They walked for what seemed forever down one dimly lit hall after another until they stopped, hearing the sound of someone luking around the corner they stood at.

Both holding their guns out, they rounded the corner together to find a man with dark hair and wearing all black facing them in afighting stance. Realizing that he wasn’t an OZ soldier, thy were about to question him when he lunged at Quatre, knocking his weapon from his hand to skid across the floor, only stopping when it hit the wall, and punching him in the stomach.

The blond immediately began to fight back, making it impossible for Heero to shoot the man. He watched trying to get the man in his sights for a few minutes as the two exchanged punches, Quatre receiving most of the damage and reeling after almost every blow. Finally, abandoning his plan he holstered his gun and joined in the fray only to find himself thrown against the wall, his eyes wide in surprise and a bit of pain. Returning his features to their normal stoic expression, he levered himself back up and was about to rejoin the fight when he heard the man speak in a low growl.

"I won’t let you stop me from saving my friend!" he said angrily, his voice sounding dangerous as he threw the small Arabian pilot against the wall.

"Your friend?" Heero asked, causing the man to stop and look at him even as Quatre landed a hard blow to his stomach.

Completely unphased by the boy’s fist in his gut, the man replied. N "Yeah, he was captured earlier and I’m here to save him," the man said in a voice that challenged them to try and stop him.

"Well, we’re here to save a friend too. I’m guessing that he’s the same person," Quatre said, as he looked at the man with curiousity and guilt for trying to beat him up. "But, how did you know he was here?" he asked the question that was on both gundam pilot’s mind.

"He called to me. We have a mental connection," the man said, looking as if they wouldn’t believe a word he spoke. The dark haired boy who had who had spoke first didn’t look like he thought he was telling the truth.

Heero was about to call his bluff, knowing that only Quatre could do things like that as none of the other pilots having special powers. With these thoughts in mind, he was mildly surprised when his comrad spoke.

"Oh, so that’s what I heard," the blond said, causing the man to raise his eyebrows in surprise. The Japanese boy didn’t look any different, but a small change in his stance gave evidence of his feelings.

That said it, what Quatre heard wasn’t their friend, but another who had possibly come for the same thing and got caught. Someone less experienced probably. Their friend was probably at the mansion right now, wondering where everyone was as he helped himself to the leftovers from that nights dinner. However, he had to be sure that his assumption was right. After all, the description in the prison file matched their friends and it would do no good to leave one of their own in the clutches of their enemy.

"Oh, so I guess we should be working together," Heero finally said, breaking the brief silence that had fallen over the small group. He knew that questions would only delay them longer, although there were many questions that would need answered later.

"He should be down this hall," he added as he gestured with his gunthat he had retrieved from his holster. Quatre nodded silently and picked up his weapon before following the Japanese boy, the dark haired man at his side.

Proceeding further, voices began to grow louder as they approached the room. Coming to a stop outside the door, they heard questions being shouted to a person who seemed to remain silent, refusing to give in to whatever tortures were being inflicted on them.

* * *

The room was almost completely empty, containing only a table close by filled with strange gizmos, their uses unknown to all but those who use them. The young intruder couldn’t recall a time when he had been in more pain than this moment. His shoulders ached from his arms being chained above his head, just high enough that he had to stand on tip toe to relieve some of the pressure on them. His eyes remained on the cold gray concrete, his mouth pressed shut in stoic silence as an officer stood in front of him shouting questions to him repeatedly. He knew that his constant silence annoyed the man and learned of his wrath through the repeated lashings he received after refusing to answer each question.

Blood soaked his dark shirt causing it to stick to his back uncomfortably as his long hair fell carelessly over his shoulder coming losoe from its binding. The material hung in tatters and was falling off of his shoulders by what little material was left. He couldn’t help it as he groaned in pain, feeling the whip cut the cuts he already had. Finally, there was another pause.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" the man shouted at him for what seemed the thousandth time. When silence was the only response he heard, the captive saw the officers handgesture for the other soldier to continue the beatings as he once again repeated the questions.

His back was growing numb from pain and he didn’t seem to feel the lashes anymore. He continued to be silent, hoping this would end soon. If only Angel would hurry up and get there he wouldn’t have to put up with this anymore. Well, it looked like the odds were against him now.

The intruder spared a glance at the officer who seemed to realize he was getting no where as he gestured for the soldier to stop. "Very well, perhaps we can find a more effective form of torture. "Soldier, remove his shirt and fetch the electric branding iron!" he said, smirking as the bloodied boy looked at him in fear.

However, his fear was not of the branding iron, but of the silver cross he wore outside his clothes as a reminder of his mortal life. If it were to touch his skin, he would be assured unbearable pain and was not prepared to deal with it. The sound of the last threads of cloth that held his shirt on his shoulders was his last clear memory as the cross fell heavily against his pale, cold skin, searing him.

The two guards were definitely perplexed as they watched their prisoner writhe in pain for no apparent reason. However, the officer decided to take advantage of the situation, repeating the questions to the crazed boy. To his surprise, he was graced with an answer as the questions reachd the boys painfilled mind.

The vampire could only hope that if he answered the questions to their fullest the pain would stop. He shouted out his answer, unaware of the door bursting open to reveal three shocked figures.