Risks

The bots finally attacked.

Running into floor 30, my legs on fire figuratively, as I entered the project room, the gloominess and tension palpable as everyone focused on the screen hanging up the wall, watching live feeds of the attack. They had rained down in a mass of ten at the Schreps Mall, taking human hostages, shooting and destroying properties.

"They had started operating from the start of work, passing off as humans to gain access", Lanie informed, her face gloom.

"Have they made any demands?", I asked, my eyes wide in frantic worry as the robots started segregating half vampires from humans.

"No".

"What about the police? Why aren't they doing anything?", I asked, horror coating my bones as people screamed from the television.

"They can't get in, it's being locked from the inside"

"That's not possible. A large and populous shopping mall would have more than two entrances", I cried out.

"The attack was well planned", Lanie answered, tears slipping down her cheeks as she watched the unfolding mishap on television, whispering, "My brother works there".

I hugged her as she bawled on my shoulder, "He'll be fine. They won't shoot", I assured her, hoping they wouldn't with all my heart, hoping that the Vampire Force had been dispersed.

Our assistant floor manager entered the room, and the television was switched off, our grumbles of protest falling on deaf ears as he addressed us, "Time is not on our side anymore, as they have made their first move, making themselves known to the public. We can't sit and feel comfortable as they attack and threaten the safety of everyone. I expect a report by this Friday and every Friday from here on." He left and the television was switched on again, the bots still continuing with their destruction of the whole mall, and pointing their guns at the hostages in the mall.

"This doesn't make any sense", I muttered under my breath, still holding a sniffing Lanie.

"Do you think it's a human that's doing it?", Lanie sniffed

"I don't know what to think", I answered sincerely. "Why destroy human properties if you're for their cause? If you were out for vampires, why attack a well known human establishment?"

"They aren't hurting anybody", Lanie stated, her eyes on the TV. "Maybe they just want to instill fear?"

"Maybe", I repeated, unsure.

"Have you made headway with your project?"

"My P.I. project, you mean". "Yes I have. Vanir got wind of a Senate Councilor trying to acquire a bot days ago and we spied on him that day. The deal didn't fall through though", I answered. I hadn't seen Vanir since then.

"A Senate Councilor?", Lanie whispered in dread. I nodded and she said, relaying her team findings "the bots are made from a special steel that only one industry in the whole of America produces"

"And it's right here in Moon City", I completed for her, already knowing the place she was referring to. Michaelson's Industry.

The bots escaped the mall later that morning after doing extent damage to the mall and thankfully harming no lives, further accentuating that someone in the mall had a hand in staging their attack.

I drove down to Michaelson's Industry in the afternoon during our lunch break in Claude's car, after minutes of threats and promises, without Vanir who hadn't bothered to contact me since that night, a week ago.

The Audi wound down a long lonely road to get to Michaelson's, the tall trees and green vegetation showing no signs of civilization.

I parked the car at the front of the dilapidated building, still standing strong at the edge of a high cliff, the environs empty and vacated. I held my taser tightly in my purse as I walked cautiously into the building, calling out.

My voice echoed back to me in the long, obviously empty hallway, but something wasn't sitting right with me as I walk down the hall, the place looking discarded in a hurry.

I looked around for signs of where they produced the steel, my brain clicking as I realize there must be an underground warehouse where the steel was produced.

I started to search for a door or something that could lead downstairs, coming up short, when a man appeared in front of me, his eyes black like he had no cornea, startling me into almost dropping my bag and the taser.

"May I help you?", he asked in an acidic tone, his voice sounding like the screeching of tires.

"I came to consult with Michaelson", I replied, confident but quaking with fear on the inside.

"They've moved out", the man said, his eyes searing into me like he could swallow my soul. Like he wanted to.

"Really? I hadn't known", I said as I started backing up towards the door, my heart in my throat as the man watched me.

"I'll g****e their address next time, they've always been here so I thought that would be the normal case.", I babbled, my back hitting the door. "Thank you", I said and ran out of the building, getting into the car and driving off.

Taking my first easy breath as I reached the city's main area, my mind replaying and analyzing what had just happened.

The man hadn't seemed like a vampire and he hadn't been human either, if the lack of a cornea was indication enough, so what was he? He looked dead, that was for sure. And when had the Michaelson's moved?

I parked the car in my office building's parking lot, resting my head against the headrest and breathing in deeply, calming my nerves. I took out my phone and searched Michaelson's Industry on g****e and the search brought up the same address I had just come from. Something was going on.

I walked into the office and found a very silent and livid Vanir sitted on my seat, his legs propped up on my desk, his shirt open at the collar, his delectable tanned skin on full display there.

On seeing me, his eyes went hooded and his fangs gleamed in the light as he seethed, asking, "Where have you been?"

"Nice of you to finally show up", I griped, my temper rising.

"That's not what I asked", Vanir growled, his low voice taunting.

"I went to do my job", I snapped, my mind still trying to wrap around the many thoughts prancing around in my head.

Adding, "since you've forgotten that that's what we do here".

Claude's desk was empty so I walked to it and sat, calming and clearing my head.

Vanir studied me, his fingers resting on his chin, his voice subtle as he said, "I'll ask for the last time". "Where have you been?"

Sighing and massaging my temples, foresigns of a headache showing as I wondered how I had ended up with egotistical, domineering assholes.

"I had a lead and I followed it", I finally said, looking up to see his eyes spark with anger.

"And you followed it alone?", His voice calm in contrast to the the glittering anger building in his eyes.

"Yes", I nodded. "I did".

I watched as his eyes flashed and in a split second normalize, "What was the lead?", He asked, all trace of anger gone from his demeanor.

Gathering all the information in my head, I divulged it to him, "Lanie's team found that one of the main materials in the bot's buildup was a special steel. A special steel that only one company in the whole United States of America produces and has its base right here in our city."

"Michaelson's", he breathed.

"Correct". "So I drove down to Michaelson's in Claude's car".

"Where is he by the way?", I inquired, pausing my story halfway to ask.

"He went out", Vanir informed, gesturing for me to continue what I was saying.

"Drove down to Michaelson's", I continued, "to find it empty and deserted in a hurry". "I decided to investigate further, I was searching for a way down to their warehouse or something, when a man suddenly appeared in front of me. His eyes sans cornea, his black iris staring back at me creepily,".

"Dark iris, you say?"

I nodded in affirmation, confirming his question,

"His voice sounded odd too. He didn't seem human or vampire either".

Vanir stayed quiet for a while, brooding, before he broke the silence, commanding, "Never go anywhere without me ever again"

"Even the bathroom", I teased.

"If it is going to be dangerous to you, then yes, even the fucking bathroom", Vanir ordered, snarling. "Get something fancy, we're going mingling tonight", he said and got up to leave, his demeanor giving off possessive alpha male that grated on my nerves.

"What?", I asked rushing after him. "Where?"

"I'll tell you tonight", he grinned and left. "It's a masquerade, by the way".

I got home in panic mode, dragging Lanie back home with me for help, my dad nowhere in the vicinity.

"Who the fuck gives a lady zero time to prepare for a masquerade party?", Lanie cursed down hell as she followed me up the stairs to my room. "A masquerade party for fuck's sake, not a backyard dinner. Who does that?"

"Lanie, think first, curse his ass up later. Help me", I brought out every gown in my wardrobe, my hope dwindling as Lanie said shook her head to every outfit I touched.

"You're not helping", I whined, dropping the last of the outfits I had brought out for her perusal.

"It's not my fault, there's basically nothing here", Lanie bit back, perched atop my bed, her eyes scanning the clothes on the bed.

"What do I do?"

Lanie stood and walked to my wardrobe, flicking through the gowns inside, when she shrieked,

"Wowza", bringing out a black sequin criss cross back strap dress from the drawers.

"You had this? And you made us waste precious time", She said, glaring at me.

"I can't wear that", I reputed. "It's tight"

"All the better", Lanie said, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Finished dressing, I stared myself in the mirror, admiring Lanie's handiwork on my face and hair.

"You look sexy", Lanie playfully growled, as she twirled me around.

"I can't move", I breathed, spying my curves in the mirror, my legs in transparent stiletto heels.

"You're moving just fine"

The door bell rang and my heart skipped a beat, "Wish me luck", I whispered to Lanie and went down to open the door, and Vanir exclaimed, "Holy shit".

"You clean up nice to", I breathed in awe, heady with his chocolate scent as I eyed him hungrily, his body clad in a black tuxedo.

"I could stare at you all day", Vanir said in a whisper as he led me to his car, opening the front passenger door for me and I slipped in, my heart pounding at the thought of what happened the last time I was here.

"Here", Vanir said, handing me a white lace mask with feathers.

"Where are we going?", I asked, as he drove down a long empty road.

"The senator's party", He replied grinning, the massively huge estate of Senate Councilor Andrew coming into view.

"How do you get wind of all this things?", I asked as gawked at the house, the car coming to a stop in front of it, a valet standing ready.

"I have my ways", Vanir whispered into my ear, the contact sending jolts of lust zinging through my body as we walked to the door, his hand boldly resting on my lower back, his fingers circling my skin I torment.

We walked into the surprising empty house, looking around for signs of people when a huge masked man walked up to us

"Invitations, please"

Vanir produced a glittery square card from his coat pocket and showed it to the man, who scanned it before beaming at us, "Right this way"

We followed him silently, the heels of our shoe clicking against the tiles as he led us down the hall to a tall ebony door, opening it from the outside and gesturing to us to go in.

Fear creeping up my spine as we entered cautiously, the chatter of voices reaching our ears first before the gathering of people all in masks came into our view, holding cards with printed numbers on them and a creepy logo.

"This doesn't look like a normal party", I observed, whispering to Vanir as we mingled with the crowd, our eyes alert and watching.

"I think it's an auction", Vanir whispered back, plucking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, he sniffed it before handing it over to me.

"The bots", I exclaimed. "Do you think that's what they're auctioning?"

"We'll have to wait and find out", Vanir replied, his fingers still playing with my skin.

The crowd of people began to move towards a door, and we followed, the crowd sweeping us up as we entered a strange ornery room, seats lined up against the walls facing a raised platform. We sat with the crowd and the lights went off, illuminating only the stage.

"This is creepy", I whispered, my heart rate going up.

"Shh", Vanir hissed and a man walked up to the stage, his face unrecognizable in a mask.

"We will begin the auction now at twenty thousand dollars", the man said into the microphone, his voice sounding all over the room.

"Fifteen thousand dollars", the man called and two people raised their hands, calling out $25000 at the same time. A woman raised her card and called out $40000, more hands came up and the bidding continued until a man called out one million dollars. The bidding ended and a bot was wheeled out, murmurs and gasps sounding to the crowd.

"This here is our revolution. This will put a stop to the menace called vampires. We will take back our city." The crowd cheered, quieting as the man continued, " The bot 54 is able to understand voice commands and perform human tasks, like wielding a gun and basic combats. Though limited for the moment, possession of the bots is like having your soldier to do your bidding and with it we can prove to them that we're not lackeys. We will take this city right from under their nose."

The crowd hooted and cheered and I gaped at Vanir, who was eerily calm, in horror.

"If the bot can actually do what he says, the vampire community is in trouble. We need to tell Jacob and the councillors", I whispered, frantic with worry.

Vanir kept mute, his eyes brooding and calculating.

Someone from the crowd raised his hand and stood to ask a question, "How does the bot guarantee us safety and security in a fight with newly made vampires, who as we all know are blood thirsty and vicious, how can a bot protect us?" Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd.

The man smiled from the stage, "We're working on a bullet that can stop a vampire's heart".

"I thought a vampire can't be killed by a shot to the heart", Another person exclaimed.

"This one will be able to", came the man's reply.

"Will it be able to end the King of Vampires too?", A lady asked this time, her blood red gow flowing down her body.

"Yes it will", The man spoke into the microphone and I gasped, my eyes going to Vanir who was watching the conversation, a sardonic smile on his face.

"How?", Someone from the crowd echoed.

The man opened his mouth to answer, when a security personnel burst into the room, "The vampires have breached our walls" and the whole room burst into panic, Vanir grabbed my hand and pulled me up, stealthily wading his way through the anxious crowd, running to keep up with his long strides as walked to the car park.

"I feel so disoriented right now", I commented breaking the silence as he drove back into the main city. "What do we do?"

"You make the report and submit", he answered simply.

"I can't do that, we don't have proof, we don't have names, we don't have solid backing", I countered, the fact that I should have recorded dawning on me then.

"We have proof", Vanir said and brought out his phone.

"You recorded', I screamed, my eyes lighting up with glee.

"I did, from the very beginning".

"We can submit this as proof then", I mused, my mind reeling.

"No, it's not substantial. We need to find out the man behind the mask, the factories, how they have a bullet that can kill a vampire", Vanir argued

"But we've done our job, we've gotten to know the why", I countered.

"This has gone beyond our job. Don't you want to know?"

"And take the risks?", I said, mortified.

"Risks are thrills", Vanir countered, as he parked a block away from my house this time.

"To you", I retorted, "Why not just let Jacob and the rest of the vampires figure it out?" "Hell, there's the Vampire Force for a reason".

"The Vampire Force have a lot on their plates right now with the newly made killings and now this, they don't have people to spare for an investigation", Vanir said quietly, "An investigation that you and I could do".

"Could, not should", I highlighted, getting tired of argument.

"Don't you want to get to the bottom of it?", Vanir asked, prodding me. "This is going to put a lot of people in danger, vampires and humans are all going to be in danger if a war should break out. If we don't do anything about it".

"So all we have to do is find who the man is and where the factories are?", I asked, giving in.

"And about the bullet too", Vanir added, grinning sexily.

"Then we hand over to the authorities, right?"

"Correct", he responded. I sighed and massaged my head with my fingers.

"You looked beautiful tonight", Vanir leaned down and whispered in my ear, his fingers playing with the slim straps on my back "I wish you were ending up in my bed with that dress. "I would fuck you one day with those heels on", he whispered into my ear, his teeth softly nipping on my earlobe as my sex clenched in desire. "But for now, I'll bid my time", he said, pulling away with a full blown smirk on his face that irked me to no ends.

In the spirit of revenge, I playfully led my fingers up his lap to his hard throbbing cock and gripped it tightly watching his breath hitch, his fangs elongating in hunger as I leaned and licked his ear before whispering, "We'll see".