Night and Day (Book 2): Bleeding Sky (17 page)

He
tapped the mic again. “Okay, let me drop the ramp and you’re up.”

We
watched as he walked to the hatch and pulled out a recessed ramp from
beneath it. I’d seen similar ramps on trucks. He latched the ramp to the
trailer and turned to us. “This way,” he said.

I
followed Takeda and Clay up the ramp. On the other side of the hatch, it was
cool, and compared to the square, dark. I could hear the hum of the air
conditioner as we turned to the left and walked down a short carpeted hall,
lit by pin lights in the ceiling.

I
remembered Martinez’s question. “What’s this thing made of,
captain?”

“Steel,”
he said. “Fiberglass.” He paused. “I guess you’re asking how secure it
is.”

I
nodded.

“Specs
say that it will stop a bullet, even an armor piercing round. A LAW, RPG, or
something bigger would do some damage.”

“I
guess we’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I said.

The
short hall ended in another one, on the far side of the trailer. Clay went
around the corner to the right and we followed. “First level is mostly
business,” he said. “Ambassador’s living room, where he meets guests, galley
and offices at the far end. Personal quarters are on the second
level.”

Ahead,
I could see the bottom of a spiral staircase that apparently led up to the
personal quarters he was talking about.

“And
here we are,” he said, pausing at an open door on the right. He stuck his
head through the door. “Miss Takeda and Mr. Welles, sir.”

“Bring
them in, Ronald,” I heard a man say from inside.

“You
heard him,” Clay said. He gestured at the open doorway.

Takeda
nodded and went through the open door. I was right behind her.

It
was, as Clay said, a living room, a big one. On the far wall, which backed
up to the wall facing the hatch, was a large flat screen television. In
front of it, some chairs and a couple of couches in a conversation grouping
around a coffee table.

Between
that and the door, a tall man with blond hair and pale blue eyes, stood
waiting, hands clasped behind his back, watching us. Next to him was a girl
with light-brown pigtails framing her face. She looked like she was maybe
twelve or thirteen years old, if that. She wore a white blouse and a loose
checked skirt that went nearly to her ankles.

“Come
in, please,” the man said in unaccented American English. “I am Konrad
Heymann.”

As
we approached, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Takeda wasn’t
looking at the ambassador. Her attention was on the girl.

The
girl leaned up and whispered something to Heymann. He nodded
slowly.

“And
this my associate, Anna Thodberg.”

We
stopped in front of him and Takeda bowed, a full bow from the waist.
“Tiffany Takeda, your Excellency. Commander, Administrative Area Three
Security Force.”

“A
pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Takeda,” he said.

“Hello,”
the young girl said.

Takeda
stared at her. Her face showed even less emotion than usual. It seemed
almost frozen. “Miss Thodberg,” she said softly.

“Please,”
the girl said. “Call me Anna.” She had a slight English accent.

Takeda
didn’t look like she wanted to call her anything but gone.

Heymann
turned to me. “Charlie Welles, Mr. Ambassador,” I said. I held out my hand
and he took it.

“A
pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Welles.”

“Hello,”
Anna said. She held out a seemingly-frail arm and I clasped her hand. She
squeezed. Hard. Bone-crushing hard.

She
smiled as I took back my hand. Then she winked. I don’t think the ambassador
could see it. Takeda obviously did. Of course Takeda had eyes only for the
girl.

“I’m
afraid I can only give you a small bit of my time,” Heymann said. “I
understand there is a municipal delegation waiting, and frankly, my staff
and I are exhausted. It was a very long trip.” He turned to the chairs and
couches under the TV screen. “But please, sit for a moment.”

We
followed Heymann and Anna to the other side of the room. Heymann dropped
into a leather armchair, while Anna perched on the edge of the couch next to
his chair. “Miss Takeda,” she said, patting the couch beside her. “Sit with
me please.”

Takeda
was moving stiffly, like she was walking into a headwind. When Anna spoke,
she stopped.

“How
about I sit with you, Anna,” I said quickly.

I
didn’t want to sit with her. No telling where her strong little hand might
go next. But Takeda was having problems. I didn’t know what was going on in
her head or what she might do. And she did have that sword under her
arm.

Anna
looked at me. “If you like, Mr. Welles,” she said with a smile.

“Please,”
I said as I sat down next to her. But not too close. “Call me
Charlie.”

“All
right, Charlie,” she said.

Takeda
stared at us, then lurched across the room and dropped into a chair on
Heymann’s other side.

“So
I presume that Miss Takeda will be responsible for my protection in the
evening time, and Mr. Welles during the daylight hours.”

Takeda
cleared her throat, and turned to the ambassador. “Yes, your Excellency,”
she said slowly.

“Dr.
Heymann is sufficient, Miss Takeda,” he said with a soft laugh. “I am no
longer an ambassador. Merely a diplomat with the German Foreign
Office.”

“But
maybe an ambassador again one day,” I said, leaning forward. “If your
fact-finding mission is successful.”

Looking
past him, I could see Takeda staring at me. She moved her head slightly from
side to side. I couldn’t tell if she had the shakes or if she was trying to
wave me off.

I
leaned back on the couch. Screw her. If Bain wasn’t going to give me any
details, I’d go right to the source.

“That
is possible,” Heymann said. “Of course, it is much too early to come to any
conclusion about the final results of this trip.”

“Sure,”
I said. “But certainly there has to be at least an interest in exploring the
possibility. I mean, the German government has gone to a lot of trouble and
expense to send you here, with all this?” I waved my arm around the
room.

“There
is an interest, Mr. Welles. Within my government and within the entire
European Union. Even under current conditions, the United States is one of
the most powerful countries in the world. Militarily, of course, and in the
economic sphere as well.” He was silent for a moment. “We have our
differences, of course, and the existing situation in your country is not
ideal. But certainly we can meet and talk in the diplomatic
arena.”

I
felt Anna’s cold little hand close over mine. “Your hands are so warm,
Charlie,” she said with a little laugh.

“Anna!”
Heymann said sharply. “You are making our guests uncomfortable.” He paused.
“I believe my need for you this evening has ended. You may return to your
room and sleep.”

She
stood. “As you wish, Konrad.”

She
looked from Takeda to me, then back to Takeda. “It was lovely meeting the
both of you. I hope to spend more time with you while I’m here.” She smiled.
“Especially you, Miss Takeda. I am curious about the lives of my brothers
and sisters on this side of the ocean.” Then she curtsied and walked out of
the room without a backward glance.

“My
apologies,” Heymann said. “Anna is bored by this assignment, and so she
likes to play her little games, especially with the new people she meets.
Once you know her, you’ll find she’s actually quite sweet.”

“Assignment?”
I asked.

He
nodded. “She is employed as a sentinel by the EU. Though she volunteered for
this trip, I don’t think she understood its nature. I think she thought she
would have more freedom of movement. Unfortunately that’s impossible under
the terms of our agreement with the Governor General’s Office.”

“I
don’t know what a sentinel is.”

“We
will discuss it another time,” he said with a heavy sigh. “For now, I must
meet with your municipal delegation and then get some sleep myself. Would
you please be here at nine o’clock tomorrow morning and we’ll discuss my
itinerary for this visit.”

He
turned to Takeda. “If that’s all right with you, of course. I am told that
you are in overall command of the security here.”

Takeda
was quickly returning regaining her composure now that Anna was gone. “Mr.
Welles has my full confidence,” she said. “He will consult with me if he has
any questions or issues.” She stood and so did I.

“Good,”
Heymann said. “Miss Takeda, Mr. Welles, thank you for coming. I’m sure we
will have a pleasant and safe visit here thanks to your efforts.”

“Dr.
Heymann,” she said with another deep bow.

“I’ll
see you in the morning, sir,” I said.

“Ronald!”
he called.

A
moment later, Clay was at the open door. “Dr. Heymann?”

“Escort
Miss Takeda and Mr. Welles out, then bring in the municipal delegation.” He
paused. “Is it a large delegation?”

“Around
six,” he said. “Police, and of course, Mayor Cobb.”

“I’ve
been warned about Mayor Cobb,” he said with a smile. “He is very...what is
the English word...gregarious, or so I’m told.”

“I’ll
let them know that you’re tired, sir,” Clay said. “Maybe speed things
up.”

“Thank
you, Ronald.”

Clay
waved us forward and we followed him out of the room. As we stepped into the
hall, I spotted Anna sitting on the spiral staircase, watching.

When
we made the turn into the short hallway that led to the hatch, Clay said,
“So Heymann kicked Anna out of your meet-and-greet. She giving you folks a
hard time?”

Takeda
didn’t reply.

“She’s
certainly a frisky little thing,” I said.

“She
does like to yank chains,” he said. “But she’s okay, especially considering
what she is. Smart, too. Speaks eight languages fluently, can read another
three.”

“Impressive,”
I said as he opened the hatch.

A
Security Force trooper stood at the foot of the ramp, a brown paper bag in
his hand. Takeda went down the ramp to him, exchanged a few words, and took
the bag. When Clay and I reached her, she held out the bag. “Your
cigarettes, captain.”

He
took it greedily and looked inside. “Hot damn,” he said. “You know, if I
have any left over when I get back to Patch, I’m gonna be the most popular
man in town. What do I owe you?”

“Courtesy
of the Area Governor’s Office,” she said. “Enjoy them.”

“Appreciate
it, Miss Takeda,” he said. “You’re okay yourself, for a vampire.” He looked
past her. “Shit, here they come now.”

The
mayor and his party were slowly heading in our direction.

“We’ll
get out of your hair,” I said. “Ambassador wants to see me at nine tomorrow
morning, so I guess I’ll see you then.”

“You
will,” he said.

“Captain
Clay,” Takeda said with a quick bow of her head. Then she was in motion,
heading for the command trailer. I followed.

Once
inside the trailer, she went down the hall to the office at the end. The two
Security Force officers at desks in the outer office, one male, one female,
murmured “Commander” as she passed. She didn’t acknowledge them.

When
we were in the office, she moved behind the desk and sat. “Close the door,”
she ordered.

I
did as she asked, then turned and braced myself for the ass-chewing I
figured was coming. She hadn’t liked the questions I was asking Heymann
about his trip, and I figured it was time to hear about that from
her.

Instead,
she said, “I am deeply ashamed of my behavior, Mr. Welles. And I cannot
explain it.”

I
didn’t speak for a moment, then said, “I’m aware there are things you can’t
talk about. So I won’t pry.”

She
shook her head. “You misunderstand. I have no explanation. It was an intense
physical and psychological reaction to Anna Thodberg’s presence. I was
fascinated and I was repelled.” She stared past me. “When I was a child in
California, a large octopus washed up on the beach near where I lived. A
group of children, myself included, went to look at it. The creature was
partially decomposed, covered with flies. I recall being disgusted and
frightened, but still I could not look away.” She paused. “I am no longer
that person, but the memory remains. What I experienced with Anna Thodberg
was that and more.”

“What
was it about her that triggered it?”

“Nothing
tangible,” she replied. “Not her appearance, not what she said, not her
actions. It was...” She shook her head. “I do not have the words to explain.
I am not sure there are words to explain.”

I
was silent for a moment, then said, “Okay, what about this. Heymann said she
liked to play games with new people she met.” And she’d certainly enjoyed
toying with me. “Is it possible that European vampires have some...power, or
something that you don’t have? Something mental, like telepathy, that let
her get inside your head and fuck with you?”