Chapter 1 - A Whole New World

I sighed again.....

I've been here a week. The garou pack still seem to be at odds with what to do with me. There's nothing much I can do from inside my dark cell, nothing that wouldn't get me killed pretty much straight away anyways.

I'd never been one for deceit or outwitting people; an ineptitude that even my captors found pitiful and contemptuous. My mind the only thing to keep me company in here, and it wasn't entirely my best friend. Behind me was a life I'd left in an entirely different world, this world, the world I'm in right now, was a world without Vampires.

Quite interesting, no Vampires, especially for a renegade Salubri like myself. Made moving around easier as I didn't have to worry about being spotted. Well, until I got captured that is.

I'd come to this world to find the state of mind known as Golconda.

Heh ... Bullshit.

The fabled existence, to conquer the beast within?

What good would come of that for me? Just to clear the name and reputation of one who had trusted and believed in me. I'd let Colt down. His trust, everything I betrayed without a second thought as to what I was doing. I'm a vampire, alright. I didn't really care what I was doing. I don't even care now. It's just the way a vampire works. We don't have feelings, we have the memories of them. I learnt that quickly and I now know that, if I chose to, I could simply stop caring about him and the world. Live only for the feeling of feeding and do whatever takes my ideas at the time.

That's a vampire for you.

But I'm also the memory of the person before; the kindness, the love, the suffering and the knowledge. I let him make me a vampire because I thought I could overcome the emptiness with my kindness. I wanted to succeed where he had failed. I didn't realise I used to have an arrogant streak, looks like it followed me and cost me.

I don't care unless I want to. Guess what. Yeah, I want to.

So that's why I'm in this cell. It's quiet, very plain. Used to be a decent prison judging by how little disrepair I could see. Smooth-ish white walls, a single bed, a sink, a toilet and bars. That's it. Nothing more. Boring as hell.

Oh, hang on. Here comes my jailer. Pretty cute to be honest.

Oh yeah, I'm a guy, yeah, I'm as straight as a boomerang. Quite a kick for other vamps, they seem to like the novelty of a queerboy in this day and age. At least, that's how they looked at it over in my world. They don't have vamps here in this world. It was quite a shock to discover this on my part. The garou didn't have a fucking clue what I was, they would have been nicer to me, but I'm dead and they knew that was bad. A little bit of digging and they discovered that I'd come across from a different dimension, same one as the ones who blew up half of New Orleans. Whoops, looks like my friends were busy around here, hasn't made for warm reception. Although it's rather a nice change not to worry about other vampires, but if I got here, there's bound to be others filtering across. What a nightmare THAT will turn out to be.

So yeah, I'm looking up at my jailer. He's about 6ft 1", striking green eyes with swept back hair that's been cut short to show off the stubborn jaw and proud nose. It's pretty obvious why he's the 'interrogator' when you meet him. He's got those piercing eyes that see into your soul, combined with an icy demeanour that puts me on edge thinking about the shit I'd heard the Assamites could pull when you didn't tell them what they wanted. Well, at least other thoughts about him had been a welcome distraction, however we're here again and I'm betting we're about to have the same round of questions yet again. Same answers and me sitting bored out of my freaking mind because goddammit I can't even flirt without getting stares that I've only ever seen on pissed Toredor elders...

Oh well, can at least make myself look decent. I stand up and brush myself down, patting off a little dust that seemed to have settled. I'm not bad looking as guys go, I'm a little over 6ft, broadish shoulders, long brown hair that comes down the back of my shoulders. My eyes are blue, I've got a decent build, nice body structure if I do say so myself. I've been told that my eyes are the most striking part of me, they're a deep blue that you don't find very often. Granted the more striking aspect of that being I actually have 3 of them. Yup, one right in the centre of my forehead. Not that you'd notice straight away. I try to keep it closed the majority of the time, it's also obscured by the ornate tattoo I have across my forehead. I loved my tattoo, just sucked that most of the time I was using hats or my hair to hide it and my third eye from being seen. It basically was a tribal motif with flowing black lines that spiked out like scorpion's legs. Hurt like a bastard when I got it done. Then I died and had to start hiding it. Oh well. Apart from that, there's nothing really extraordinary about me, looks wise.

He steps into view through the door at the end of the cell row. Moving down to my cell, I feel my eyebrow raise in surprise, he seems to have gone for the topless and sexy but fucking scary look. His chest has a criss-cross of lines, definitely claw marks. I recognise those kind from the time I accidently upset Colt. But damn if the look wasn't quite a nice view, maybe he's trying to lure me into a false sense of security so that I reveal all the dirty secrets he wants. Kinda makes me wish I actually had some to tell him. Half out of boredom, half out of apparently the memory of how much fun those muscles would be to run my hands over...

Shit... Another reason I miss Colt. Great

"Awake again I see...." Growls his jailor

"Usually am in the night Silverlight..." I reply, watching him flinch as I call him by his name. Seriously, they know I can hear them, they know I'm intelligent and they know that I'm unnatural, you'd have thought me paying attention to his goddamn name would be the LEAST worrying thing about me.

"We want to talk with you some more"

"Ask away...."

"What are you...?"

"Oh for fuck sake...." I cuss softly and then sigh, better to just start telling them again. However as I go to repeat myself yet again, the door is slammed back and 3 more garou pour in. A howl and shouts go up in the crowd.

"BLACK SPIRALS! They're attacking!"

Well fuck, Black Spirals, total nutjobs that are the antithesis of werewolves, that's not good. Those fuckers are batshit crazy and I'm in a locked cell. I get the sinking feeling that although this isn't going to be like any other night, I'm not going to like this turn of events, but at least it makes a damn change. I frown a bit wondering what to do about this when the scent of singed flesh hits my nostrils.

The garou hoist in their leader, his face a mass of burns, his body looking like it had been dragged through an acid bath. I focus upon the leader, reading his aura and his health, he's alive.... Barely....

The leader is dropped halfway down the cells and I watch as a black streak barrels into the room and one of the two carrying the leader. Silverlight whirls and slashes at the blackness, it seems to engulf his claws and he rears back with a scream of pain.

Well fuck, this is getting worse and worse. But these guys haven't been too bad to me, maybe if I lend a hand here, we could see about a new set of questions or something. Or at least I won't be stuck with the crazies.

I wait beside the bars, keeping as still as stone, waiting for the blackness to get a little closer. As it passes I thrust my hands through the bars and grasp flesh. Drawing on the power of my blood I slam down his sense and anesthetise the creature. It hits the floor, still breathing but unmoving.

"Wha.... What.... What did you do?" Gasps Silverlight

"Knocked it out for now, don't talk; I can see from here you've had a lung punctured... That wound isn't going to heal on its own..."

Silverlight growls "You're just.... Saying that..... To get out of that.... Cell....."

I roll my eyes "I could be, but your alpha is dying and the two who carried him in aren't in any shape to help either.... Don't you have someone who can heal you guys?"

Silverlight pants, holding his chest in pain as he drips blood onto the floor, that wound is going to bleed him to death at this rate.

"Oh for fuck sake. I can't just watch you bleed to death.... Dammit, I was hoping I wouldn't have to start using my powers like this...." I manage to touch the tip of alpha's foot through the bars. Silverlight tries to move, but I can't stop to pay attention to him, just pray as I continue to feel the power of my blood racing through the alpha's body, healing his wounds. A moment later the alpha sits bolt upright, looking healed and pissed.

The alpha looks around, I look back, my 3rdeye just closing. He looks to the unconscious Black Spiral, the badly hurt pack members and then down at his now healed body.

"Shit, Silverlight, report."

Silverlight takes a deep shuddering breath and manages to pant out what happened.

"So this 'vampire' healed me?"

Silverlight manages to nod.

"Seriously, you're going to talk him to death, please just either let me out or let me touch him, I can't stand here and watch him die if there was something I can do...." I look pleadingly at the alpha.

He looks back at me scowling. "You try anything, you're dead for real!"

Then he reaches out and smashes the door of my cell open with a clawed hand. I don't stop to thank him because I don't think that Silverlight has that kind of time. Annoyingly I had visions of getting my hands on this guy's body, but I certainly didn't think it'd be like this.

"Amazing...." He whispers as I repeat my little trick, but I can't gloat at the moment, this is starting to take its toll on me. I'm going to need to feed soon.

"Hardly, however you 'are' still under attack and all this healing comes at a price, I'm afraid you're about to see a very unpleasant side of me and you guys kept me locked up for nearly a week... I'm kinda hungry....." I say, moving between the other two garou and using my power to get them up and running.

"Hrmph... So you're helping us now, why?" says the alpha.

"Because you're at least reasonable, last I checked Black Spirals are lunatics that like to destroy everything.... Dunno about you, but I'm pretty partial about some things existing.... Let's go see how bad the damage is shall we?" I turn and stride towards the opened door.

"Where the hell are you going?" snarls the alpha behind me.

I sigh softly "Look, you've got two choices, kill me or let me do my thing and pray that you guys get out of this alive. I realise that statement is kinda redundant for myself but I'm trying to help you dammit."

As I finish my statement I peer around the door and immediately regret it.

"Fuck"

I didn't need to see that. The walls and floor were smeared crimson. Pieces of meat were strewn around the floor like an explosion in the butchers, only the head of the garou laying upon the floor in the hall gives me any indication what the meat used to be. This is awful. How can someone or something do that to a creature? I lean back against the wall besides the door, the alpha now looking at me curiously.

"Ten years of this crap and I still have problems with things like this, some badass vampire I'm getting to be." I mutter

"I thought you said you feed on blood, so there's a bit out there, what's the problem?"

I glare at the alpha "You know the damn problem! That's a living creature that's been reduce to nothing more than offal and meat! You just DON'T do that to living creatures! You just don't!"

The alpha is looking at me as if he'd never seen me before. I can't deal with this shit right now. There's too many lives at stake in here, I have to do something. There's sounds of snarling and general ruckus coming from further down the hall, it's pretty obvious where the majority of fighting is still taking place. I shift my ass swiftly down the corridor, hearing the garou following behind me.

As I approach the end of the corridor, I hear voices as well as the sounds of the battle. I flatten myself to the wall and peer around the door frame. Two more Black Spirals, looming over a crawling garou, taunting and jesting as to what they were going to do with him. What bastards and me without a freaking gun or such 'sigh'. I motion backwards at the others to halt, I had an idea.

I listen to the two for a few moments more, thinking a silent thank you to Svelte, before using the little trick she taught me. Speaking into the air and mimicking as best I can, I throw my voice behind the first of the Black Spirals.

"Maybe you should take him as your mate, I know how you love the wyld ones"

The effect is almost immediate, the other Black Spiral turns on the first, snarling and demanding that he repeats that to his face. I grin and wait a moment, the second Black Spiral dips his head for a second and I seize my chance.

"Well at least I'm not still sucking my ma's tits!"

The first Black Spiral goes berserk and tears into the second, they roll around the room, snarling and biting at each other, their blood painting the floor black, I slip in behind them and smirk softly as I move unnoticed behind the battling pair.

The first spiral manages to tear the throat of the other one out and raises its muzzle in a victory howl; I don't let it have its joy. My fangs pierce its throat, tearing into the windpipe then with a twitch of the head, the howl and its life is torn from it.

I spit out the chunk of flesh and turn my attention to the crippled garou upon the floor.

"Dammit, I'm running low, I can't heal you as much as I have the others... But at least let's get you back on your feet..."

I curse in my head profusely, this is getting me into the danger zone really quickly, I'm really low on blood and in the middle of a fight. I can't keep doing this and actually get out of here without draining someone. I kneel down over the prone garou who almost whimpers in fear. I smile reassuringly and very gently place my hand on him. I concentrate, its harder this time, the low level of blood in my system screams how bad an idea this is to me. I hear the alpha walks towards the garou upon the floor, I can feel his gaze, but I can't shift my focus, I keep pushing the healing into the hurt garou until I can do no more.

I stagger to my feet, my body responding like a leaden doll, deep within I feel the hunger, the burning need to restore myself. I quash it with all my will, but I feel its toll on me still as I sag against the wall for support.

"Something wrong?" Says the alpha.

"Yeah... I'm really low on blood and it's becoming one hell of a fight just to keep going and not go berserk...."

"So, you feed on blood?"

"Yes... I'm sure we covered this on the first night sweetheart..."

"You're not my sweetheart dead one and why not feed now?"

"Because they're dead and I can't drink from the dead, plus before you ask I won't feed whilst fighting, because I can't drink from someone who's unwilling to feed me... I'd like you to note this is a very unusual thing for my kind ok? Normally we all don't have a problem, it's just me..."

"Seems like one hell of a weakness to admit to..."

"Yeah, I get that a lot, but since I don't think any of you would like being raped, which I know for certain that 'I' don't.... Then it leaves me with little choice in the matter."

"Rape? How on earth can draining someone's blood be the same as rape?"

The will power alone required moving my body makes me groan as I force myself away from the wall

"Let's move and talk, tonight is becoming more dangerous the longer we stay still..."

The alpha eyes me warily and follows as we enter yet another corridor, heading further into the complex and the trail of destruction. However I note that this entire fucking place looks the goddamn same to me, so making a run for it isn't going to be happening anytime soon.

"When I bite someone, if I'm feeding, the sensations are ecstatic, euphoric.... It's like some of the best sex you've ever had. " there's a snort from Silverlight.

"If that's a snort towards males not being able to pleasure males as well as females, you can sod off, I'm very good at it, even without my bite..."

The alpha lets out a deep growl of a laugh besides me.

"You're the crazy bastard here dead one. You've just walked through corridors of blood, killed servants of evil itself and yet you're getting a bug up your ass that we might be homophobic?"

"You're right, that was childish of me... Sorry... My world is very different when it comes to handling sexuality, very different..."

The alpha shakes his head "Seriously, your priorities are well skewed..."

The lightning bolt known as 'what the fuck did you just say?' rifles through me and I stop dead in my tracks, my head turned to the alpha as my jaw seems to be attempting to grind along the floor.

"Wha.... What did you say?" I somehow manage to whimper out.

"Your priorities are well skewed...?" says the alpha again, his expression of unease turning to confusion.

"Well bollocks.... Looks like you guys are the ones who I was supposed to run into over here.... This is going fucking well today...." I groan.

The alpha rolls his eyes and snorts "Come on cock sucker, we've got to see how many of my pack have actually survived, as well as find out how the fuck this mess all started before we get back on how to deal with you...."

I wince, I'd hoped that he'd at least be a bit more amiable towards me, but oh well, I'm out of the cell for now, if not just a bit fucked on the fact that the last bout of healing pretty much sealed my fate for tomorrow night.

Another corridor, these fucking prisons certainly want to make sure you don't want to feel awkward if you have to change cells or something. But finally! A new room, it's big, it must be the recreation area. Right now it appears to be the final holding place of the remaining garou. They're all chained up, silver glinting from their wrists as there appears to be 5 more BS's watching over them. I don't get a chance to take any more stock of the situation because one of the BS's notices us and snarls a warning to the others, all bar 1 close in fast.

Screw this. I thought, hopping back and frowning. I can't feed from the black fuckers, so I'm almost totally useless right now. My last trick ain't gonna be much use right now as I won't be able to do it fast enough to them all. I need to wait and watch because if I don't, I'm going to be dead for real...

Oh bollocks, looks like my last patient is having some issues with that one. I see the most recently healed garou struggling to actually hold his own against the black ball of madness. I'd better see if I can sway the balance of power here.

By some stroke of luck I manage to slip up behind the BS and manage to snag his tail. He looks at me and his eyes roll back into his head as he hits the deck snoring big ones for a second or two before my previous patient relieves him of his burden of breathing with a swipe of his claws.

Urgh, this isn't going well, the others aren't handling themselves like the fighters I'm used to. Shit, I'm comparing them all to Colt and they ain't stacking up to him. This could be REALLY bad, just how many have they lost and why are we still losing? Also why the fuck is that other one just stood at the back of the room... Looking like he's about to cry? The fuck?! I hope that's not a crazy ass ritual.

I don't have any more time to pay attention as my patient just went flat on his back in a 2 on 1 fight with Silverlight against a BS. Shit, these fuckers must be strong, no wonder they're getting their arses kicked.

I'm forced to delicately put the next one out with a right hook, combining it with the anaesthetic touch and putting this one down before Silverlight finishes it off, giving me a nod of appreciation (I hope), he spears BS number 3 from behind with a charge as I glance over my patient. He's getting stiffly to his feet but it looks like it was his pride that was hurt more than he was. Good job too, at this rate, I'm beginning to wonder if I couldn't have just fought for my own freedom.

Number 3's face detaches itself almost as neat as a surgeon's scalpel cut as the alpha's claws flash out. I wonder if the fuckers just got lucky with the alpha or if they took him out first on purpose. Well at least that leaves number 4 and the crying bugger at the back. I'd better head over to him and see what the fuck he's actually up to. Really could do without anymore bullshit raining down on us tonight.

It looks in pain, torn, like it should do something, but its frozen in place. I frown, that's not normal behaviour for a BS, the hell is this thing doing? It's not making any moves, it's shivering like a cub that's... lost... its... mother... You have got to be fucking kidding me. I look into its face and eyes, I search the expression and I recognise it. I've seen it before, it's pure fear, it's lost.

So... We have a pack getting hated on by black spirals, a black spiral terrified and crying for its mother like a child and a vampire who can't be a decent vampire. Someone better be writing this as a script for a fucking play or something because shit like this just doesn't happen by co-incidence...

I frown some more, this thing is dead once the others. My thought is cut off as there's a sickening crunch sound behind me a spray of blood hits the floor besides me. The last BS's eyes widen and it starts to whimper more, the tears flowing from its eyes like a river.

Shit, time is up.... I'd better do something cos I'm gonna go with my 'feelings' on this one and say that it's not beyond saving. Here's hoping.

"Well, just you and me mate, you want to tangle or you gonna give me a good reason not to kill ya?"

The BS looks at me in shock and puts his hands on his head "Please! I don't want to do this! I don't want to!! I, I!!" he cries out and I watch his body shudder "It burns my mind! Please! PLEASE STOP IT!"

That has my complete attention. I don't know exactly how I'm going to make this stop, but I need time, time I didn't have. Looks like I've got to do something now, time for the last trick in my book.

"Look at me right now!" I shout at the BS

His eyes snap open and looks at me immediately.

"I'll help you, but you must trust me and let go, I will push out some of the corruption, but if you resist then they will destroy you, do you understand?"

He nods rapidly and I recognise the new look in his eyes, he is totally trusting me. I wince inwardly, the last time I saw that look, I failed Colt, I have to make the stand right here, right now. There MUST be a chance!

My 3rd eye opens and glows brightly, I feel and hear the other garou moving up beside me hesitantly, the final BS looking right at me with open maw as I reach out, reach out and pull his soul from his body.

I can only imagine what the other garou think of the situation as a ghostly image of a 16 year old boy is pulled from within the BS and is swept up into my 3rd eye.

"Nrgh.... Don't... Don't hurt him.... I've... I've got his soul for now... His body is under my control, look. Black Spiral, get into the cell." The BS's body automatically stands and walks into the nearest cell.

The garou as one turn and snarl at me... Well cock...

"Oh come on! I've just helped you lot out of this shit and you're getting pissed that I stopped you killing? That Black Spiral didn't even TRY to fight you! It didn't want to die, he didn't want the shit of being a BS and you're condemning him for it?! Back the fuck off right now! I've already sacrificed my own life tonight, to save your asses, don't make this mistake I'm begging you!"

The pack glances towards their alpha who seems to be thinking over what I've just said.

"So it shed a few crocodile tears, so what? It's a wyrm riddled abomination.... It needs to be put out of its misery..."

"Look, I've saved you guys on the principal of knowing a garou in my world whom I believed in to be the best man I ever met and on top of that, he told me that you guys are the good guys. Hands down, you are the ones who are working to keep the really bad shit from hitting the fan. He believed in me and believed that there was a way that the wyrm that sort of tainted me, wasn't right and I could be a good guy. I fucked up, badly... I came to this world to find a way to prove his belief and even though tonight will be my last, I can use this time to break a chunk of the wyrm's hold on this one. Please, I saved you guys, let me do this. I'm begging you."

The alpha growls some more, his head shaking before he suddenly frowns.

"Wait, rewind. What do you mean tonight is your last night and you've sacrificed yourself?"

I cough a little "Well, I've sorta over done it tonight.... My blood is so low, when I die tonight... I won't get back up again until I have some more blood. Which is kinda not likely as I ain't going to take any tainted blood from these bastards, even if they were willing. But now I only have tonight unless I find someone who'll let me take some blood from them... Which I'm kinda not able to physically do now. So I'm making the choice which might be a little selfish, but i'm going to try my best dammit."

"So what you're saying is, you're fucked unless you get blood"

"Yeah."

"Well done. You'd better get started with that one then. If you can do it, congrats, if not, he'll join you and his buddies first thing in the morning."

".... Thanks I guess..."

The alpha snorts and starts barking commands to the other garou. I catch the words 'clean up' and decide to leave them to it. If I sit against the side of the cell, I can rest and concentrate on keeping my beast repressed and letting my powers do the work on the BS. He's only a kid for fuck sake, what the hell do these creatures go through to become these abominations. Even vampires recoil from most kids, but of course there are some who relish it.

The very thought brings a shudder to my body as I remember the rumours Lawrence had once spoke to me of, the child like assassins who's body never ages, but the mind of an ancient killer.

"Cold?"

My eyes spring open and I look up at a rather handsome blonde gentleman, standing over me.