Gizzy looked at the charts. Melody and Jack sat beside Vicki for moral support in case of bad news.

“Wish you would have said something sooner, we could have potentially corrected it. At this point it’s too far along and actually still not done developing.

“I’m getting worse?” Vicki asked.

“Well, worse... or more evolved, depending on how you look at it. You’re getting stronger and less likely to have cancer, you’re getting the ability to eat normal food back, and your health overall is perfection and getting better. The downside is that you need to consume human flesh and or blood in order to stay healthy. By the time it’s done changing you, you’ll need fresh blood daily, or you’ll weaken over about 18 hours and be dead by day two. So you’re fully dependent on it, fortunately we can just synthesize human blood in powder form, and you can make it at home. So just remember your daily shakes. Ironically, if these numbers are right, Delmarian blood would actually be better." Gizzy said, as melody sighed and shook her head.

“So we got 2 of us bitches in this house drinking fish-food goop shakes, Vinn suckin down all the milk, and her drinking blood. Dee takes down a bottle of gin per day. At what point do we just get like the feeding tubes for hamsters?” Mel asked.

“I could probably install something.” Gizzy squinted.

“No that was a joke. Please no tubes please. Thank you.” She smiled awkwardly.

The game room sat in general awe and bewilderment as Vicki explained her vampiric situation with Jack by her side.

“So you love her anyway and your bond only grew deeper, how romantic.” Mel smiled. “And this may be a bad time to announce this but… Nathan and I have decided to leave the homes.”

“What, you’re leaving…where? How?” Vinn asked.

“Well, with the tunnels and transportation opening up, they now have flights to the other cities opening. You know I have a house, right?”

“Honestly you’ve lived here so long I forgot.” Vinn pondered.

“Small ocean-view flat in Crestwave, one colony over. I’ve let my sister stay there and hold down the fort, We thought maybe moving to a more Eridani populated town would be best, and frankly this house has some toxic elements to it. Too many old flames burning too close, and we would rather part before anything became too toxic to mend. So Dee, Hyde, We forgive you, no hard feelings. Things happen, but we got a flight to leave in 2 days, and I’m going back home. We’ll visit when this has all blown over.” She smiled.

“In what…about 2 weeks?” Jack sighed jokingly.

“Sure, in about 2 weeks when it’s all over.”

“Well, we all hate to see you go.” Jack said, hugging her.

“They all gave a round of hugs, barring Hyde, who just patted them both on the back and smiled, either in a forced way or just hungry, nobody knows."

Nicole sat on the edge of her old bed with Vinn, looking confused and almost disappointed.

“Milk?” she asked.

“I know, it’s stupid.” Vinn sighed.

“Of course it’s stupid, ya big fuzzy nerd, you’ve been worrying me sick about milk? I thought you were addicted to Reptilian Crackphetamines or something. I didn’t wanna say anything because apparently all Delmarians are on drugs, and it’s not as lethal as it is for humans because you people evolved breathing brimstone and mining dust. Where's the line? I don't know, I drink and have the occasional joint hit. I'm no angel. I was so concerned, and you’re just super lactose tolerant?” she borderline yelled.

“Yep. I get the milk shakes if I don’t have my fix, it’s just weird for a Delmarian to even touch dairy.”

“It’s weird for a Delmarian to touch human ass, but you can't get your off mine, and I’m very okay with that. Who gives a shit what people think? Jack and Vicki still love you, they drink dairy, we all drink dairy. Dee doesn’t know shit about culture, she probably doesn’t know it’s even a thing... what you give a damn what HYDE thinks? He’s an asshole, you tore his head off once. He’s a narcoleptic coke head loser. For almost 2 weeks, I’ve been missing you something fierce, and you’re just getting your milk on in a hardcore way?”

“Yea sounds pretty stupid when you word it like that.”

“Vinn, you goofy bastard, you’ve been worried that I’d think less of you and Vicki’s over here eating human flesh and drinking people-shakes. You’ve seen the fucked up shit I drink, and that’s not mentioning what else I’ve put in my mouth, and you were worried that a cheese fetish was too weird?”

“Yea, I’ve missed you too. I didn’t wanna leave Vicki alone with her thing. That seemed too volatile until she got Jack involved."

“I thought me turning furry was freaking you out. I didn't know if I should wax or do an intervention. Us and our weird secrets in this house. I swear, man. At least it’s all in the open now. No hidden little side projects and weird meetings.”

Gizzy sat at her desk looking annoyed as Claybourne strolled in casually.

“You could say hi occasionally.” She huffed.

“Sorry, I’ve been distracted lately.” he yawned.

“You’ve been to the clubs haven’t you?”

“What? I…yea okay fine, you’re gonna bring up security footage if I lie anyway.” He said plopping down and looking uncomfortable.

“You dressed up like blade and ended up in a bug fight where 6 humans died.” Gizzy scolded.

“Hey, I saved a bitch, I killed like 20 bugs, and none of the dead humans were my fault.”

“I know, they were all unvaccinated and got swarmed to death, so technically the overall IQ of the moon raises slightly, so I’m not mad about that, but you snuck out in a surrogate low powered body with a damn sword and went out lookin for ass at a mostly human nightclub. Boy, you are getting too old for that shit. And did you steal my weed?”

“Mom, it’s not stealing weed if it’s family. It’s not stealing food if I grab a sandwich, is it?

“If I specifically said: don’t take my sandwich beforehand, then yes, which I specifically told you 50 damn times to get your hands off my weed, Zeph. You can have my food, you can use my card, the pool, hands of my damn weed. That is medicinal grade Delmar-Red and I have a high stress problem…partially because my son keeps stealing my weed.”

"My bad. But I am gonna head to the club again tonight, I got a date, mom. I can’t leave her hangin. She’s kinda cool, and her boyfriend is a piece of shit, she needs someone to distress with. Hence, the weed thievery.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Zephyr Claybourne Greggerious, you are NOT giving a human Delmar Red. I don’t give a shit if she’s the hybrid child of Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg, She’ll be high for a week. It’s Osirian grade."

“My bad. I’ll drop it back off before I go."

“I’m gonna weigh the bag, Zeph.”

“Okay so, I smoked one bowl already, it’s gonna be one bowl shy, I can't really do anything about that. I was playing Wesley Snipes, I HAD to be high as shit on weed, or it wouldn’t be quality cosplay.”

“Boy, I will kick your scrawny ass. Just buy regular weed. You have money. Your father gives you a shitload of money on that iridium card, I know he does, that’s why I stopped funding you. You get enough already.”

“Mkay. Sorry.”

“Can I get a hug before you leave, dipshit?” she asked.

“Yea.” He said giving her a quick hug.

“And this girl…please tell me she’s not a hooker.”

“She is not a hooker, mom. She does do porn, that's technically different."

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She sighed.

Hyde knocked on the iron door, the gate opening as his dealer smiled.

“Kraken, my boy, what’s Kraken?”

“That never gets old, Mike. It’s funnier every time you do it.” he groaned.

“It’s too tempting. You need a bump, or you got something for me?”

“Both. I may have a…fairly valuable item for sale. I’m debating on if I am ready to part with it yet, but I assure you it’s quite lucrative.”

“Well, you do get the best product. You got your tentacles in the darkest wells of these tunnels, and that’s where the good shit always is. Sorry about Hunter, by the way.”

“I don’t care about Hunter. Half the girls he brought in were trash. He was just as replaceable, they all are. But I think we have a hive queen on the loose. The body they found wasn’t intact and bitten, it was shredded and half of it missing. The other night, the club incident, 2 bodies were missing limbs. The small bugs don’t do that. There’s a queen in the tunnels. Have the men carry something heavier than pepper spray and batons.”

“You want our guys carrying illegal weapons down here and drawing attention?”

“I read the reports. Some guy dressed up as a vampire hunter walked into that club with a 28-inch blade on his back and nobody said shit. Security is a joke. Give them a roll of credits as bribe if they get into trouble and if they blow it and get caught, it’s their ass, we don’t know them" Hyde growled.

“Kraken you’re a cold motherfluffer, you get shit done. I did hear about your…pet escaping. I hate to hear it.” sighed Mike. Hyde grabbed him and slammed him to the wall, growling in his face.

“Don’t ever mention her again, Mike. Don’t you ever refer to Evee as my pet, or as anything. I let her go, of my own free will, do you understand?” he said.

“Sorry. I understand perfectly.”

“That fat gray bastard doesn’t run this underground anymore, I do. And if you ever mention her again, you’ll have a knife in your back, just like he did. I killed a council member in cold blood and walked free, I fought a god and lived, don’t ever underestimate me. And Mike… There is another Nicole wandering around these tunnels too. She is off limits and not to be touched. If any of your men forget that and so much as gently restrain her, I’ll collect their head and a few of your fingers as a reminder to keep your dogs on their leashes. She…and all of her clones…are not for sale.” He said firmly.

“Then who do you have worth top dollar" Mikey Wheezed.

“Just put out hints that we may have a celebrity auction. I’ll handle the rest.” He said grabbing a brick of coke and a briefcase, heading out angrily.

“Pleasure doing business with you Kraken.” He hollered, coughing at the end “Son of a bitch.” He muttered after the door closed. “Crazy, scary son of a bitch.”

Vicki sat in the confessional therapy whatever room, looking annoyed as Gizzy Maniacally grinned.

“You what?” Vicki asked.

“I have a job for you.” Grinned Gizzy.

“Nothing about that sounds good.” Vicki muttered nervously.”

“Opportunities arise, and I happen to be a rather avid collector of them. You are special.”

“Like Nicole?”

“No, Nicole is special for different reasons, she’s the key to understanding Menacodian DNA and endless drug research, and frankly I just like her, she’s my favorite semi-human. But she’s also soft and small…ironically, like Menace. She’s feisty and scrappy and tough for her size, but she’s no monster. She likes to think she is, but she is a cute little, harmless monster and we know it. She could be, and has been, abducted and snagged by any number of people, and frankly she’s better off in Vinn’s protection than in my services. I’ve put her at risk too many times to sleep at night…now you, on the other hand, tore a 200 pound man to shreds without a weapon and didn’t sustain a scratch. You also bit a clean chunk out of his quad muscle, drank most of his blood and the other night you walked into a room full of bugs that murdered 6 stupid men, and they didn’t touch you, you even had time for a snack.”

“Please stop reminding me, I have nightmares.”

“Do you…or do you have craving dreams? Vicki I have lost a lot of good men to this stupid plague and Jack is one of the few I have left I can trust who knows how to work. The problem is that we have a shitstorm brewing in here, and he can't infiltrate.”

“Why not?” Vicki shrugged.

“Because he’s a big tough looking man and nobody wants to fondle him. That wasn’t explained very well. Vicki there is a human trafficking problem in my damn moon and I thought we cut the head off when we elimin…uh, when Gandalf tragically was killed. Except someone just took up the torch and started it back up, and now I don’t have surveillance because we’re all underground hiding from bugs. I got human women missing and bugs out the ass, and I have to blame the missing girls on the damn bugs to keep it from blowing up, I should also point out the metal device above your head, which will be important later.

“When did that get there?”

“I installed it this morning. I have some of my best men undercover in this mess and some of my…other men I have left, also at work, but none of them are sexy redhead goth chicks who can show some leg and get into places with no weapons and still kick some ass.”

“You wanna use me as a spy?”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re not even gonna sugar coat it or lie to me?”

“No, why would I do that? I supply your blood, where do you think I get it? People die, Vicki, all the time. Now you may be enjoying a cup of young boy hit by a car, or old woman who just didn’t wanna live anymore and be cloned back, but you’ve tasted vengeance blood and evil bastard blood and tell me it wasn’t better hunting it yourself? You really want 4 day old dehydrated powder mix, or fresh on tap and still 98.6 and with a pulse? Now you could also help a lot of young ladies from getting abducted like you damn near were the other night, if we can get to the core of this. I got humans, I got a Delmarian on payroll, I do not have a cute vampire whose boyfriend has trained her to fight and shoot…or do I?” she asked.

“You have at least 3 other pitches for when I turn this down, and several of them sugar-coated and jazzed up, don’t you?” Vicki smirked.

“Yep.” She nodded. "You want the second pitch?"

“No. You’re right. I’m not like Nicole. She feels guilty for eating spiders because they’re “people too” but I hate bugs and kill spiders in my bathroom and don’t tell her. I hate the idea of drinking powdered old lady and unfortunate boy who played in the street, and what I did to that piece of shit the other day…I liked it. I didn’t feel bad for killing a rapist, I felt bad for drinking blood and feeling less human. But I’m stuck with that demon, aren’t I?” she asked.

“Unfortunately yes, embrace it...unless you wanna be euthanized, cloned back with cancer and subjected to treatments and another cloning every 4-6 years when symptoms return. You can be a fresh human clone with an ever rising body count of dead Vickis or a badass spy vampire with an ever rising body count of assholes who deserved to be euthanized by Vicki. I would say I don’t care which you decide because ultimately it’s up to you, but I do really hope you do the fun one.”

“What kinda gun do I get?” she asked.

“Depends on the mission. I assume you’ll be telling Jack.”

“I’ll be telling him I’m working for you…I don’t ask him details, I won't tell him mine. We already have that understanding, and he’s in no place to tell me I can’t.” she smiled.

“Vicki you can’t.” Jack sighed.

“Like hell I can’t, she made a damn good point.”

“And I’ve sold my soul for the greater good in her service for years…she’s a necessary evil but far from a kind and loving mother figure. Maybe to her actual kids, but not to us. We’re employees, not family. I risk my life and come home cold and dark from some of these missions"

“You come home warm and with a loving heart, Jack. I know because you curl up next to me every time. If you can risk your life and come back to me as the same Jack I love, I can do this a little while for a good cause, and come back as the woman you love. I’m already a killer, I can’t undo that. But I stopped myself from being taken, and if I can stop one other girl from that fate, I’m going to do it.” Vicki insisted.

“Vicki, you’re strong, but you’re not invincible.”

“Gizzy knew you’d say something like that. She printed me a chart. Strength, speed, reflexes, durability. I scored higher than you on everything, higher than Nicole on everything except her damn Menace reflexes, and my healing factor is higher than anyone in our little group. Jack, I’m more qualified to kill than you were before you finished your training, and you took the job.”

“Vicki, I didn’t mean you CAN’T do this, I mean I don’t want you getting hurt.” he explained.

“I don’t want you getting hurt, either. But sometimes people need to die, and sometimes to get close to someone, you need a pair of heels and a corset…luckily I design both. We got armored ones in the works. People know me already. I’m just a human girl who plays in fashion, with an affinity for black fabric and a shy personality. Nobody will see me coming.”

“You’re not going to back down, and I’m not going to stop you and be a hypocrite, so I guess the question is…what do I need to teach you to keep you safe?” he asked reluctantly, smiling and fighting his paranoia.