"I must apologize for making myself so scarce," Lazarus said as he entered the room. "Matters concerning your safety, and all of ours, demanded my attention." It was the start of a new night and Lazarus was speaking to Lizzie and Tucker, who were sitting before an open fire. Rex and Alexandra were curled together at their feet. Elita was sitting across the room, glaring at Lazarus as he spoke. Dad and Sully were playing checkers across the room, but stopped when Lazarus came in.

Lazarus walked briskly to Tucker and offered his hand. "You must be Tucker." His grip was firm and cool.

"Yep. And you must be Lazarus. The real Lazarus? I mean, the one from the Bible?"

"The same." Tucker whistled under his breath and Lazarus moved to Lizzie, who stood. "Elizabeth, what can I say? I have waited a long time."

Lizzie said nothing. She was too nervous to speak. It threatened to be an awkward moment until Lazarus broke the tension by enveloping her in his massive arms.

"I've missed you, child. Not a day passed that I did not think of you."

"Then why didn't you come get me sooner?"

He nodded gravely. "I was tempted. Sorely tempted. But Constance... your Mother thought it best to keep you far from the world of the undead for as long as possible."

"Great plan," Tucker mumbled.

"Ah, my cynical friend." He turned to face Tucker, a wry smile on his face. "How unfortunate for you to become enmeshed in our world, especially poised at the brink of such change. But how lucky you are to receive the love of Lizzie. You must agree, she is an exceptional woman."

"Yeah, I guess."

He bent over to pet Rex. "What a charming animal, already becoming close with my favorite hound."

"Careful," Tucker called, "he don't cotton much to Vampires. He might..." Rex rolled over and let Lazarus scratch his tummy.

Tucker sighed. "He might slobber all over your hand."

"I wish that this was a social visit. We could talk about old times and drink too much, stay up until dawn. But unfortunately, it is under much more regrettable circumstances."

"Regrettable?" Tucker blurted out. "We got most of the Vampires in the world chasing us. A month ago I thought all I was gonna have to worry about was someone using my toothbrush and drinking my beer and now I don't even know if I'm going to live until tomorrow, and you say it's regrettable. And I thought I was good with understatement." Lizzie elbowed him in the ribs. "What? What?"

"Mr. Tucker is right," Lazarus continued. "By my reckoning, your period will start in about two days, maybe three."

"Sometimes it's late," Lizzie said. "I mean, it's not like clockwork. I even skipped one once, and I thought I was pregnant, but I wasn't."

"Who'd you think the father was?" Tucker asked. "I mean, was this before me? Way before me?"

"Tucker, stop it. It was nobody. Well, it was somebody, but compared to you, it was nobody."

"Whether it is late or not," Lazarus interrupted, "Julius can't afford to miss it. He must have you under his control before it starts.

He will be here by tomorrow night. He may already be close. At any rate..."

"Why don't we just ask her?" Tucker said, glaring at Elita. "I'm sure she knows his plans."

She smiled lazily, infuriatingly, at Tucker.

"Elita has switched allegiances."

"Never switch horses in midstream, that's what my dad always told me."

"He also told you that approaching headlights on a dark road were giant man-eating insects called hootenhoppers," Lizzie said.

"You told her about that?" Tucker asked Dad, who nodded sheepishly in response. "Well, I never believed it. Not for long, anyways," retorted Tucker.

"From what Sully told me, Elita could have killed him and your father both," Lazarus added.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Elita said. "You'll hurt my feelings."

"As far as I'm concerned, you ain't."

"Tucker, stop it. She's one of us now. Trust me."

"It ain't you I don't trust," he said. "You didn't try to poke a hole through me." Elita eyed her fingernails circumspectly and beamed over at him. "There ain't no way I can trust her. You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

As if to emphasize his point, Rex sat up and scratched, then plopped back down beside Alexandra.

Lizzie took him by the arm. "The voices told me to trust her. So I will. End of story" He slumped his shoulders and sat down.

Lazarus pulled up a rocking chair fashioned from twisted, unfinished pine. "The voices, you say? They told you of Elita? Then I was right. I was right." He clapped his hands together in glee, looking at a confused Elita. "You see, my dear, I am right."

Elita lit a fresh smoke and now tried her best to pretend she was alone in the room.

"I don't hear no voices other than the ones that tell me I'm loco for sitting here waiting for Julius to come traipsing in and rip us all into shredded wheat. For Chrissakes, this place looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. I mean, sure, a big fence and some high-dollar machine guns on the wall, but goddamn it, in case you forgot, we're talking about Vampires here.

What the hell are we doing sitting on our thumbs and waiting?"

Lazarus grimaced, as if the seriousness of the subject pained him. "There is no safer place in the world, my friend. Don't let appearances fool you. This entire compound is built with one thing in mind, defense against the Vampire. As you already know, the entire structure is surrounded by a minefield. I understand you are familiar with the workings of thermite. The mines are thermite, with delayed delivery systems that trigger at waist height. Quite nasty. The machine guns you noticed on the turrets are laser-targeted 40-mm miniguns, firing at a rate of close to 1,000 rounds a minute. Not to be grisly, but they are capable of inflicting such damage as to be almost lethal to a Vampire. The entire perimeter area is monitored by a variant of global positioning grid technology If a leaf falls, my men know it. Speaking of men, I have quite a contingent here. Four hundred strong, well trained, and equipped with some of the finest military hardware money can buy. Incendiary, projectile, edged weapons.

You name it, we have it. Does that make you feel any better?"

"Maybe. But I don't understand why we're just laying low Don't that make us kinda like sitting ducks? Sounds like you got quite a fortress all right, maybe better than anything in the world, but it strikes me to be a mite simpler just staying ahead of Julius until her period is over. Why not put us in a plane to Tahiti or Katmandu?"

Lazarus began to respond but Lizzie interrupted him. "Julius knows where I am all the time. He can sense me. There is nowhere to hide."

"I was not aware you knew this," Lazarus said quietly.

"I have been experiencing some profound shifts in my sensory perceptions. I can sense him as well."

"Is he close?" Tucker asked. "Can you sense him right now? Is he outside listening?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, it is not very accurate yet. Only occasional whiffs, so to speak."

"Can you sense anything else? Anyone else?" Tucker asked.

"Only you."

There was a heavy silence in the room. Lazarus broke it. "It appears Tucker has imprinted on you."

"Well," said Dad from across the room, "looks like you're going to have to toe the line, boy."

There was nervous laughter, but underneath it was a mixture of fear and resignation emanating from all those present. The knowledge that Julius was aware of her exact location at all times was difficult to comprehend at this late date.

"I think I'd feel better if I could call in a friend of mine. A specialist," said Tucker.

"An Adamite?" asked Lazarus.

"Of course an Adamite. I don't have any Vampire friends." He looked at Sully. "No offense. He's a genius when it comes to weapons. Couldn't hurt to have him on our side for this."

"That's right," added Dad. "Maybe he can bring down some of the local militia. Them guys are fearless."

Lazarus shrugged. "Make the call. I can send a plane. Hell be here by morning."

"I'd appreciate that. And a cup of coffee."

"Me too," Dad chimed in, "and could you put a dollop of Jack Daniels in there?"

Lazarus nodded and spoke softly into the wall speaker. In moments, Carlos carried in a tray with drinks. He handed the coffees to the Adamites, a hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps to Lazarus, a carafe of blood to Elita, and a porcelain teapot with matching cup to Lizzie. "It's ginger tea. I overheard you complaining about a touch of indigestion."

"Carlos, that's so sweet. Thank you." She took a sip. "Do you really think he'll come?"

"Oh, he'll come," Lazarus said, wiping a bit of whipped cream from his lip. "There are a few things from the past which I should tell you about. Provide a bit of perspective, context. This is not an entirely new scenario between Julius and myself. Many years ago, a situation very nearly identical to this developed. A young woman believed to have the power was turned by Julius. Julius wanted her power then as badly as he wants yours now. I was unaware until the last minute of his plans. Had I not received word from an inside source," he shot a look at Elita that only Tucker caught, "things would be very different today."

"Who was the girl?" asked Tucker.

Lazarus sighed before responding as Elita laughed, quietly and cruelly. "She was my daughter." He cleared his throat and tried to gather his emotions. "Although, I did not know this until just before she was destroyed."

"Would it have made any difference in your actions?" asked Lizzie.

He weighed his answer carefully. "I have asked myself that question again and again. I do not believe it would have made a difference, at least, not back then. I was willing to do anything to stop him. I was impulsive because my knowledge of his plans came so late. I had little time to consider the implications of my actions. In my unfortunate zeal, I decided my only option was to sacrifice her. It is a mistake I have lived with for a long time. Now I have a chance to rectify that. With you. It is very important that I make this work for you."

"Not to be critical, but how could you have killed you own kin?" asked Dad.

"Historically, we Vampires do not recognize the bonds of family as you do. Our primary relationship is with the one who turned us. For everyone in the Vampiric world today, that is either myself or Julius. No, my mistake in killing MaryAnne was that it ultimately meant that I succumbed to Julius' view of the Vampiric world. My beliefs and those of my followers allow us only to consume Adamitic or, as necessary, Vampiric evil that threatens mortal goodness. In destroying MaryAnne, I went against my own moral precepts, and thus, Julius won. He will not win this time."

Dad said, "Seems a mite complex. I'm guessing Julius didn't exactly feel much like a winner."

"Definitely not," responded Lazarus.

They were all silent for a minute. Tucker stood up and looked at Lazarus. "I can sort of see your point of view, and I appreciate all you're doing for us, but don't ever come between me and Lizzie. This whole world ain't worth nothing to me, next to her.

There won't be any sacrifices. Not this time. Understood?"

Lazarus put down his hot chocolate and wiped the whipped-cream mustache from his lip. "Perhaps it is time to be more direct.

Lizzie, what is your decision about the power you possess?"

Without hesitating, she said, "I choose to let it pass back into the Cosmos. Unused."

"You have the strength necessary to let it pass from you? The internal strength?"

"Yes."

Lazarus continued. "I have said before that I am not wholly convinced of the literal truth of Revelations. We may in fact be dealing with a fantasy richly embroidered by Julius' mind."

"Seems too big a risk to take," said Dad.

"Spoken with the true sense of a man of the land," responded Lazarus. "Assuming the words of Revelations to be true and that this power does move in your veins, you must remember we know nothing of what is about to occur. It is new in our history.

The manifestation of this power in your blood may be very painful to you. Especially unconsumed." Lizzie nodded wordlessly

"Very well. This makes our plan somewhat simpler. Now, we must only prevent Julius from having access to you for the duration of your menses."

"I'd suggest we err on the side of caution and prevent any Vampire from having access to Lizzie during that time," Tucker drawled.

"The only ones that could use this power are Elizabeth and those Vampires who have the power to turn," responded Lazarus.

"I understand that," said Tucker, staring evenly at Lazarus.

"Tucker," snapped Lizzie, "what are you saying?"

Lazarus waved his arm, a dismissive motion. "I rather like the fact that someone is thinking completely about your safety While there is no reason for you not to trust me, I understand that the cowboy code you live by requires that such trust be earned. I can respect that. Since there will be little time to earn this respect, however, we will establish a way that Lizzie can remain isolated from anyone except those of your selection during her menses. In the meanwhile, my contingent will keep Julius at bay Frankly, I expect there to be many losses and for the battle itself to be quite brutal." He sighed. "I believe we can hold them off.

If not, we will abandon the fort and escape through the tunnel system that leads to the Indian ruins in the hills. From there, we will continue on foot to rendezvous with reinforcements who will see that we all are able to escape to a place of our choosing."

"Why will we have to run once my period is over?" asked Lizzie.

"Julius is not a gracious loser," interjected Elita before Lazarus could respond. "His power to sense Lizzie may be gone once the menses pass, but his failure will enrage him and he will unquestionably continue until he has utterly destroyed this compound and wreaked revenge upon each of us now in this room."

"And you especially" said Lazarus, looking at her. "Particularly if it occurs to him that you are the reason for his previous failure."

All eyes turned to Elita. Elita glared at Lazarus. "That was supposed to remain our secret," she hissed.

"There is no leisure left now for secrets, my dear. All cards must be on the table." He turned to face Lizzie. "Elita was the one to inform me of Julius' plans last time. She does have a heart, although she seeks to hide it. Once this is over, you will need training in order to exist in this world. I ask that you rely on Elita to help you understand your role."

"My role?"

"While you will not have the power to turn full-blooded Adamites, you will still have the power to turn, as do Julius and myself.

Thus, for better or worse, my dear, you will be assuming an important role in the world of Vampires."

"Why don't we just take it one step at a time?" suggested Lizzie. "Let's get through this battle and then we'll see who I turn to for guidance. My inclination, Lazarus, is that I would prefer to be under your tutelage." Lazarus smiled while Lizzie struggled to find the words to continue speaking. Quietly she said, "I will need some help. I have still not had my first kill." She felt embarrassed, admitting this to Lazarus and Elita. Surprisingly, Elita was the one to respond.

"You need not worry about that. It will happen of its own accord. Much like losing your virginity as an Adamite."

"Spoken like a true elder," said Lazarus, smiling. "Now, shall we move into the dining room for a meal?"

"Yes, please," said Sully, finally breaking his silence. "All this talk has left me starving." Dad smiled at Sully and slapped him on the back.

"Great idea," he said. Sully choked, fell slightly forward and then made a comical attempt at slapping Dad in return. For a moment, all eyes were on this camaraderie. Dad looked a bit embarrassed. He shrugged. "War makes strange bedfellows. But before we run off feeding Sully, I got one more question," said Dad. "How is it you can so easily send these Vampires of yours off to meet their Maker?"

Lazarus sighed. "This has been very hard. I have been honest with them all, and they know that the possibility of their demise is very high. However, my army is made up entirely of volunteers."

"Volunteers?" asked Tucker incredulously. "You sure you don't mean mercenaries?"

"No. Julius' army is made up of mercenaries and those who fight for the spoils of war. Most of them have certainly not been told they are fighting against brother Vampires. My soldiers are fully informed of all facets of this situation as well as the strength of the enemy. The truth, my friends, is that the Vampires in my army are fighting both for what they believe in as well as for the chance to feel mortality, something you Adamites take for granted. Eternity can prove to be a very lonely existence. The specter of death, as you call it, holds little fear for my men. In fact, for many of them, I suspect they view it as a long-sought-after companion."

There was a heavy silence in the room. There was little else to say and they moved toward the dining room - all except Lizzie.

She took Lazarus by the arm, holding him back. "I'd like to know why you are doing this for me."

"I truly believe that Vampires must maintain their role as the vessels of evil. Containers. Those that consume evil in order to lessen its presence in the world. That was our Original Purpose as handed down in Genesis."

"You could find some other way Continue your existence as that repository, fulfilling your philosophies in different ways, ways that would not put yourself and your followers in such danger," Lizzie charged. Lazarus did not respond. "Answer my question, Lazarus," she demanded quietly.

"I have lived an eternity, Elizabeth. And frankly, every century I exist, I become more and more puzzled by the nature of good and evil in this world. Naively, I once thought that, sooner or later, I would have all the answers, all the wisdom of God at my disposal, if only I lived long enough. Much time has passed and the only thing I know for certain is how little I know. But I do know that I loved your mother, and by extension, I love you. These feelings are the only ones that I have experienced that I know to be wholly real, to exist outside of any philosophical speculation. They are not good, they are not evil, they are the simple essence of my soul. I will do anything in the service of that love."

The room was quiet. Tears streamed down Lizzie's cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered, "I am grateful."

"Come," he said, wiping the tears away with his massive hand. "Let's join the others."

10,280 FEET OVER THE GREAT PLAINS

October 29, 2001, 3:13 A.M.

Lost in a private world of fury and dream, Julius gazed out the window, watching the lights of the Midwest give way beneath the airplane. That he missed Elita bothered him, but only mildly. What he missed most, he suspected, was merely a sounding board: a visual diversion, a habit much like the whim for a fine cigar or cigarette. He was certainly not experiencing desire for her.

Desire was something only felt as part of a quest for power, not as foolish, childlike Adamites experience it, through passion and love. Even the word "love" felt strange and distasteful in his thoughts. He took comfort in his knowledge that Adamites are fundamentally impaired in terms of intelligence. They are like children. His dominion over them would certainly relieve them of the pain of their pathetic lives. The thought of this power caused tremors in his body and he experienced something close to ecstasy as he lapsed into the thought, the fantasy, of the force that would course through his veins when he took Elizabeth's blood.

Suddenly, he felt faint, his breath came quickly and, with a start, he was reminded again of the instant he blacked out during Elizabeth's turning.

Julius shook his head fiercely forcing away the images of her during the turning, replacing them with images of her as she would be soon, legs spread wide, spilling her blood into his waiting mouth. He fiercely pinched the inside of his wrist, squeezing the fragile skin together until it tore. That brought him back quickly enough. He snapped his fingers for the steward.

"A cognac."

"Would you like it warm?"

"Yes," answered Julius, "allow it to flame, but only for an instant."

"Right away, sir," responded the young steward, "anything else?"

"As soon as I have finished the cognac, bring the girl from the back. I shall have her now. And I desire a bit of a struggle, so do not drug her or bind her in any way. Just let her wander the plane for a while. I shall entice her to me."

"Yes, sir, as you wish."

Like a spider, I shall bring the sweet thing into my web, he thought, although he realized the challenge was mostly a facade, given that she was a prostitute and would be expecting some type of aberrant behavior from him. Certainly, even her jaded nature would eventually be surprised when, in the moment of her sexual ecstasy, he drained her blood.

The idea of this pleasure gave him only temporary respite, a conscious diversion, from the darker thoughts plaguing his mind. The inexplicable blackout at the turning and now this faintness distressed him greatly. Thus far, he had thought little of it and, even now, he knew that he could not allow it to interfere with his plans. He smiled at the fact that fat Lazarus would never in a thousand years guess that the first wave of his attack was already assembled and would come during the day, when the sun was at its height. An army of dull-witted but well-armed Adamite mercenaries had been remarkably easy to assemble. With a wave of gold and cash, members from terrorist groups from around the world had willingly signed up. By noon tomorrow, they would surround the desert fortress. By nightfall, he would walk over the bodies of his enemies to reclaim Elizabeth.

The sweetness of victory, however, would be slightly lessened by what he had last seen in Lazarus' eyes. Julius sighed deeply, feeling a tinge of sadness, if it could be called that. That moment of sadness passed quickly, however, as he realized that with nothing to lose, Lazarus would be twice as dangerous.

He had seen that look on others, the look of weariness from living a life of such enormous proportions. When time has no meaning, meaning itself is slowly eroded from life. Those were the ones who walked, finally, into the sun, turning themselves to dust, leaving eternity behind for endless darkness. It was never a problem for those newly turned, but slowly, the Vampires of old, the ones who had attained a high degree of instinctive power, were simply annihilating themselves. It had to be stopped.

Where once Julius himself had ruthlessly exterminated some of those older Vampires, those who could have possibly challenged him, now, he saw that wisdom was a desired commodity.

In the end, it was this weariness that Julius was seeking to fight. He wanted to create a purpose, a reason not to desire the sun.

He had felt twinges of it himself, but more importantly, he believed it was his duty as sovereign and descendant of Susej to reenergize the world of Vampires. With the power to turn Adamites, a new chapter in the history of the world and the Vampires would be possible. A new energy to do evil would emerge.

He idly twirled the pendant between his thumb and forefinger, the pendant he had so recently taken from Elizabeth's neck. He held it up to the light to better study it. The metal felt heavier than it should, and hot, as if imbued with some hidden life. There was motion behind him, and he let the pendant fall back into his shirt, coming to rest at the end of the chain like a just-extinguished ember.

The young woman walked down the aisle, curious, in awe of the wealth of her latest trick. She was robust, with tan thighs and an ample bosom. Yes, she would do nicely for the evening, thought Julius. If Elita were here, they could enjoy this kill together as they had so many in the past. Why had she so abruptly deserted him? Or was she dead now? Ah, well, no matter. He smiled serenely at the girl. He was drawn into the rhythm of her breathing flesh, felt the beat of her heart. His mouth began to water.

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