Sylvie

“We won’t know unless we keep moving forward.”  Casey added in a concerned voice, “With him dead, the trick will be avoiding the police who might be looking over what he worked on.”

Sylvie hung her head low, “Which also means the police will find the skull.  That is a ton of exposure.”  She paused, “I don’t think we could purge all those people, it would become national news in minutes.”  She laughed, “They are bitching about a few breaks in the veil, that would certainly raise more eyebrows than either of us want.”

Casey pulled off her helm and shook out her hair. “Are you telling me we could actually kill all the officers on site, without them radioing for backup?”  She laughed, “I have heard lots of stories, but that takes the cake.  A radio is like talk and go.  We’d have the force on the road in seconds.  I doubt we could purge them like you say.”

Sylvie opened her full moon eyes wide, “I am not in the mood to prove it, but it can be done.  You’d have to turn them all to ash to do it.  No one could survive.  It would be as mysterious as the missing colony of North Carolina.  All the cars, just flashing lights and no one to be found.”  Sylvie clasped her hands under her nose, “There wouldn’t be that many on campus, the professor is the victim and it would be routine to look over his things.  So twenty-five at most?  Mostly forensic gathering.”  Sylvie pulled Casey tightly to her. “We can do amazing yet horrible things at the same time, Casey.”

Casey closed her eyes and laid her head on Sylvie’s shoulder. “It’s just hard to believe, but I guess after being on the brunt end of Brian’s magic, anything is possible.”

“Miss Miakoda…” Code spoke softly, “...There is another fact that might interest you, should you be interested.”

Grumbling softly, Casey backed away so Sylvie could focus on the little machine attached to her eyes. “Sure Cody, tell me.  I am just pondering what to do about the skull I need to find.”

“Sending query for Franco Tarsey’s skull.”  It paused, “Meanwhile, the fact to present is that Special Agent Elle Miller eliminated ‘The Cross Killer’ yesterday afternoon.  The officers down there are still performing all of the criminology gathering.”

Watching the green lights circle in her vision, Sylvie waited for Code to complete its task. “Having a tough time with the skull, Code?”

“Negative, just tracking its checkpoints from the university.  Police have his skull tagged as evidence number T-93471-PF-75-A.”  Code paused, “Taken to a guarded warehouse facility placed in box, WD-6301-K.”  Quickly pulling up the map of the area containing the warehouses, Code plotted the most undetectable means inside the facility. “This accounts for guard patrols and checkpoint call-ins.”

Rubbing her chin lightly, Sylvie pondered what she’d just learned. “Agent Miller could become a problem, since she has eyes on you, Casey.”

Casey leaned on the concrete railing overlooking the scene below her. “Not to mention she’s a hero now.  Lovely.”  She looked at Sylvie, “Possibly erase her memory?”  Casey paused for a brief moment and got a look on her face that appeared like confusion. “I really want to know how she found the killer after a few days.”  She nibbled on her lip, “I mean she was after me just before you turned me.  It’s the whole reason I am here in the first place, Sylvie.”

“Very good question, peanut butter-cup.”  Sylvie again looked down at the scene below her, “Truth is, I don’t have a clue myself…I’ve been with you the entire time.  It does sound fishy.”  Sylvie grinned wide and put Casey’s helm back on her. “I have my own question, can you actually hear ‘Code’ talking to me?  I thought it was internal because of blood.”

Casey blew her lover a kiss when she put the bike helmet back on her. “Always so protective.”  Shrugging, Casey responded, “Maybe it is our connection?  I know I can hear ‘Code’ is all…I’m not giving it much thought, love-cookie.”

Waving her hands and giggling, Sylvie shook her head. “We are getting off track.  We get that skull first.  I have a route map to the place where it’s being held.”

Jumping up and down excitedly, Casey hugged Sylvie tight. “I wannnnaaaa goooooo… this is gonna be funzies!”  She started laughing and jumped on the back of the blue-gray motorcycle. “Slowpoke, let’s go.”

Watching as Casey ran over and gingerly got on her bike, Sylvie couldn’t help herself and laughed hard enough that a couple of thin drops of blood rolled down the corner of her eyes. “It’s telling that little things excite you, Casey.”  Her eyes shifting to full moons, Sylvie picked her helm from the handlebars and put it on. Twisting slightly to look at Casey, Sylvie added, “Code has the route highlighted in my vision, This is so nifty.  Remind me to tell Kody that these contacts are handy.”

It took a few minutes of traveling in the reverse direction back into Colonial Heights and to a small junction of the highway before Sylvie thought about exactly where ‘Code’ was leading them. “Show me the entire map, Code.”

“What’s up, Sylvie?”  Casey inquired.

When the full map popped up on the HUD, Sylvie cursed lightly, “Damnit all to hell.  Why didn’t I see this coming?” She tapped the tattoo of her third eye, “Useless…you work when I don’t want you to, but fail to tell me this…”  She paused to answer Casey. “It would be my luck that the skull is being held on the base outside the city, Fort Gregg.”

“Is that the base you stole the blood from about a year ago?” Casey casually inquired before adding, “Why is it a problem, we are vampires.  It’s not like they can keep us out.  If not for the motorcycle we could just zip in or fly in.”  Attempting to calm her girlfriend, Casey squeezed and massaged Sylvie’s shoulders.

“Yep, it is where I got the uniform and the blood from.”  Sylvie gunned the bike to over one hundred miles an hour, enjoying the rush the wind gave her.  Grateful for Casey’s concern, Sylvie let out a little purr, “You’re right, we could just go in there and wreck the place.”  She paused, “That wouldn’t be the best way to keep the veil intact.  Remember we are already fixing the supposed mess that occurred back then.”  

Casey snickered, “You sound like Alan.  Didn’t you say earlier this was all his fault?”

Swerving the bike through the traffic with ease and seeing the exit ramp a half-mile ahead of them, Sylvie leaned the motorcycle and sped down the ramp and barely stopped at the yield sign where the road and highway connected. “Yeah, I said that.”  Sylvie confirmed, “The skull is a different point.  That happened because of the ‘Ripped’ attacking us.  How the hell his skull survived the holy water attack, I will never know.”  Sylvie reached back and gently patted Casey’s hand, “Thanks to you, I wasn’t a casualty…”  She swallowed hard, “...I don’t know how to thank you..to this day.”