Elliott explained everything. The Council’s decision, the revelation planned for Halloween night, the new world order that would emerge. He told them about the 20,000 doses of SCRT being distributed to key human leaders, and the planned establishment of a cadre of long-lived humans dependent on vampire largesse and loyal to their rule.
“The revelation will be simultaneous and coordinated globally,” Elliott explained, as if he was pitching a potential investor. “At midnight GMT on Halloween, every major news outlet will receive irrefutable proof of vampire existence consisting of live interviews, video footage, DNA evidence, and historical documentation going back centuries. Within minutes, pre-positioned agents in governments around the world will reveal themselves. Presidents, prime ministers, senators, generals, CEOs—everyone in positions of significant authority—will learn that some of their closest advisors and their most trusted allies have been vampires all along.”
He paused, letting that sink in. Natalie’s face had gone pale, her breathing shallow. Immy’s knuckles were white as he gripped his chair. Only Chiara remained composed, though her eyes tracked Elliott with intense focus.
“The shock of the unveiling will naturally paralyze the initial human response,” Elliott went on. “While their authorities are reeling and in confusion, phase two will begin. The vampires will demonstrate their control, ideally without much in the way of violence, but through displays of unmistakeable power. Imagine, for example, the President of the United States seeing his entire Secret Service detail reveal themselves as vampires. Imagine military commanders discovering that their nuclear launch codes have been changed, and learning that their most secure facilities have been compromised for decades. Every significant human power structure has already been infiltrated, weakened from within, and made dependent on systems that we control.”
“By the time humanity tries to resist in an organized manner, it will be far too late. Those who received the first wave of our SCRT doses—twenty thousand of the most influential humans on the planet—will find themselves compelled to cooperate. They’ll rationalize it as pragmatism, as making the best of a bad situation. Which, as it happens, is exactly the case. We anticipate that within a week, most major governments will have formally surrendered their national sovereignty to our Council. Those that resist…” Elliott’s voice hardened. “The Council has various contingencies. We control all of the vital system nodes. Power grids, water supplies, food distribution, internet infrastructure—all of it can be disrupted or eliminated as needed.”
As he spoke, he watched their faces. Natalie looked like she might be sick and her heart was racing as the full horror of what was coming crashed over her. But there was something else in her expression, a sense of desperate calculation; she was obviously trying to figure out how she could survive this. Immy, on the other hand… Immy’s face grew paler with every additional word, his hands gripping the arms of his chair until his knuckles went white. And his heartbeat was erratic.
“Those twenty thousand doses we created,” Immy said, his voice hollow. “They’re control mechanisms.”
“Essentially, yes,” Elliott confirmed. “Those who undergo the treatment will understand they are beholden to us. And we expect that they will prove loyal, especially if they want to continue with the maintenance protocol.”
“Which, of course, are much more necessary than you told the Journal. We’ve created the tools of our own enslavement.” Immy stood abruptly, pacing to the window, then back. “Twenty thousand doses. Twenty thousand vampire puppets.”
“Not puppets,” Elliott corrected. “Partners. Or, if you insist, collaborators. They’ll retain their free will, their freedom of choice. They’ll just find themselves naturally aligned with the new order, and most of them will do anything that permits them to retain their elite positions within it.”
“You’re using the medical miracle we created to enslave humanity!” Immy’s voice rose to nearly a shout. “And you knew it, dammit! You knew what we were making, you knew what it would be used for!”
“I knew,” Elliott admitted. “I’ve known for months.”
“Why?” Immy turned on him, and Elliott was shocked to see tears in his old friend’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you stop it?”
“Because I couldn’t. It wasn’t up to me. Believe me, Immy, I tried very, very hard to convince them there was a better way, a more equitable way. But the Council’s decision was final. The vampire world is not a democracy, Immy. The end of the Masquerade and the establishment of the Council’s authority is going to take place in two days, no matter what you, or I, or anyone else wants. My only choice was to take part in it or be destroyed by it.”
“There’s always a choice,” Immy said bitterly.
“Yes,” Elliott agreed. “You’re right. That’s exactly why I’ve summoned you here tonight. Each of you has the same choice to make.”
He explained their options to them. They could accept his protection, become part of his household, and weather the transition under his authority. As his servants, they would be safe from other vampires, they would continue their work at HemaTech, and in addition, they would be provided guaranteed access to the second round of life extension treatments themselves.
“What’s the alternative?” Immy asked, though his tone suggested he already knew.
“The alternative is that in two days, you’re on your own. You’ll be fair game for anyone, unprotected prey in a world ruled by vampires. I will certainly do my best to protect you, but I simply can’t guarantee your safety if you’re not under my authority.”
“Your authority,” Immy repeated, his voice dripping with disgust. “Listen to yourself, Elliott. You sound like a feudal lord offering to protect his serfs from bandits.”
“That’s exactly what I am,” Elliott said quietly. “And that’s what the world will become in less than 48 hours. A neo-feudalistic empire, with vampires as the aristocracy and humanity as our chattel.”
Chiara stood gracefully, moving to stand beside Elliott. “It might help to know I’ve already made my choice,” she said, pulling her hair aside to reveal the back of her neck. There, at the base, was a small tattoo—an elegant crimson design that incorporated elements of the HemaTech logo with older, more arcane symbols. She turned to show it to Natalie, then Immy. “This is Elliott’s sigil. I helped him design it. It marks me as his property and under his protection. Any vampire who sees it will know I belong to his household and will not dare to interfere with me in respect of him, and more importantly, his master, Lord Medici.”
Immy’s head jerked up. “So Medici is a vampire! Of course he is. I should have known!”
Elliott nodded. “Lorenzo is my master and therefore yours as well. We are all under his protection. He is the head of the family which controls Italy, Austria, parts of France, and the U.S. East Coast. We’re fortunate that he is extremely influential in the vampire ranks.”
Natalie was still staring at Chiara. “You knew, didn’t you. You’ve known all along.”
“My family has served House Medici for generations,” Chiara said simply. “I was raised knowing this day would come. The only question was which vampire I would choose to serve as my master. I was given the opportunity to serve Elliott, and I seized my chance without hesitation because, as you know, he is a good man with a heart for humanity.”
“You chose to be his slave?” Immy’s voice was incredulous.
“I chose my master,” Chiara said firmly, touching the back of her neck. “That is a privilege few can claim. As for this tattoo, I had it done two months ago. Protection is survival in the world that’s coming, Mr. Boschwitz. You can rage against it or you can accept it. But you cannot ignore it.”
Natalie stood slowly, her legs unsteady. “I… I suspected something was off every since you came back from Rome, Elliott. The nighttime hours, the security, the secrecy. But in my worst nightmares, I never imagined anything like this!” She looked at Elliott with a mixture of fear and disbelief. “Vampires. Actual vampires?”
“I’m really sorry, Natalie. I didn’t know anything about any of this until that trip to Rome. I genuinely thought Medici was from Blackrock! I certainly didn’t believe in vampires until they showed themselves to me.”
“And now you’re one of them. All right, Elliott. I’ll accept your protection,” the American girl said finally, her voice low, but decisive. “I don’t understand what’s going on with all these changes you’re telling us are coming, but I trust you. I don’t think you’d ever ask me to take your mark if you weren’t certain that it’s for my own good.”
Elliott inclined his head to her, his feelings a complex melange of relief, gratitude, and guilt.
Out of the Shadows is available in Kindle, KU, audibook, and hardcover editions.
I enjoy the series very much. I'm looking for to this getting to the time of Midnight's War.
"Imagine, for example, the President of the United States seeing his entire Secret Service detail reveal themselves as vampires."
If this is a hypothetical example, it works. But it can't be true for creatures allergic to sunlight. Unless the president is also a vampire.