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Chapter Text

Amongst the supernatural creatures there was a general understanding, even if they didn't always get along with each other, the moment the human world threatened any of them, they were the closest of allies. So, when supernaturals started to disappear, in larger and larger numbers, and all signs pointed to the humans, the leaders of each of the covens and packs and so on knew that they would soon be in contact with each other.

But, before you can approach an unwritten, unspoken ally for assistance, you have to make sure you have something to offer. To approach someone for help without having anything they need is to offer someone power over you. It's important to make the deal mutual, helpful to all sides in equal measure.

So, the werewolves of Bangkok set out to find all the information they could before approaching the vampires of the city.

"Sky," Junior said, quietly, so those with human hearing wouldn't hear, but those with the supernatural hearing of werewolves could hear very clearly. "Do you have eyes on him?"

The answer took only a few seconds. "Outside Madam's window."

Junior rolled his eyes at the nickname, but didn't comment. "William? Nut? You have eyes on his guard?"

"His personal guard is turned in for the night." Nut replied. "There's only the rotation every fifteen minutes, now, just passed three minutes ago."

"Sky, Bonnie," Junior said, scanning the yard of the large manor across from the building he was perched on the roof of. "You've got ten minutes, get in, get out. Lego, whatever you've gathered is what we have, get to the cars. Tui, Hong, be ready."

Lego responded. "I think I might have a location of where they may be holding our people, but I can't tell for sure."

Junior nodded, though no one could see him. "We'll see what we can find."

As he watched the manor, a figure climbed out of a window, scaling down the side with startling ease, even for a werewolf. Lego had always been seemingly unaffected by gravity.

On the opposite side of the manor, the lights were on in an upper room, with a balcony door currently flanked by two shadows, Sky and Bonnie. As one, the shadows slipped through the doors, when they reappeared, there was another shadow, slumped over the back of Sky's larger figure.

Sky and Bonnie wasted no time in getting their cargo down from the balcony and through the yard, making their way quickly down the street to where Lego, Nut, and William were already waiting in the cars, Tui and Hong quickly putting them in drive, moving before Bonnie had even closed the door behind her.

Junior waited until they had turned the corner before he stood from his vantage point, moving towards the door to make his way down to his motorcycle waiting in the underground parking. He stopped as a figure seemed to appear in front of him.

A vampire stood there, one he had seen once, a few years before, at a meeting of the werewolves and vampires of Bangkok to negotiate official territory lines, standing to the right and a step behind the leader, Boun, with the other two of their leaders, Aun and Barcode, flanking them.

Where they stood now was neither werewolf nor vampire territory, but rather the part of the city that they left mostly empty of supernatural activity, where the human's offices of leadership were clustered together. One of those offices housed a secret task force specifically for trying to control and suppress the supernaturals of the country. The keyword being trying. Usually, failing, although it seemed they may be making progress these days, if Tay was right about the disappearances being related to that task force.

"Mark," Junior greeted him. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Mark cocked his head, somewhat eerily, but Junior had always found vampiric behavior a bit eerie, even when it shouldn't have been. "I suppose that would depend," Mark said. "Would you let me accompany you to question that person you just took captive?"

Junior studied him for a moment, and Mark said, as though sensing Junior needed assurances he had no ill-intent, "Our people are disappearing, too, Hirunkit's parents have been the cause of the surge in action taken against the supernatural community in this city, which I would assume is why you took him captive. A hope for information you would not have been able to get out of his parents."

Pursing his lips, Junior pulled out his phone, dialing New.

"What's wrong?" New asked, immediately upon answering. "Did someone get hurt?"

"No, the mission went as planned, the team is en route." Junior replied.

"Oh, good," The panic faded from New's voice. "Then what is it you're calling for, why aren't you on your way back?"

"Would you and Tay be opposed to a guest?" Junior asked, keeping his eyes locked on Mark's.

New paused. "What kind of guest?"

"A vampiric one," Junior replied. "One of the top… bats." Mark grimaced at the bat reference. Junior wasn't sure where that legend had come from. The only vampires he ever saw shapeshift were Boun and Barcode, and they shifted into different birds. But, perhaps there were some, somewhere, that shifted into bats.

In Transylvania or wherever.

New muttered to Tay in the background, far enough away that the phone's mic didn't pick up on what they were saying. Then he said, "Bring him the long way." And he hung up.

Junior slid the phone into his pocket, then began making his way to the door, again. "Alright, Mark, you've been granted permission."

Vampires ran quite cold, was what Junior thought while they made their way through the streets of Bangkok, making unnecessary turns and doubling back on their route several times. Junior had only ever had other werewolves ride on the back of his motorcycle, and werewolves historically ran much warmer than humans. But, the feeling of Mark pressed against his back made him shiver, even through his thick tactical jacket.

So, vampires must run very cold, indeed.

At some point, Mark seemed to take pity on him, and ducked his face behind Junior's back, as though to say, I'm not paying attention to where we're going, you can stop wasting so much gas trying to confuse me, it can be quite expensive these days.

Junior still took a few extra turns, but within a few minutes, they arrived in front of a rather cozy looking house.

Mark raised his eyebrows as he straightened up behind Junior. "This is where you're holding the greatest enemy of the supernaturals of Bangkok's son captive?"

Junior scoffed, nudging at Mark until the vampire slid off the back of the motorcycle, before Junior got off himself. "Where else would we hold him? An abandoned warehouse outside the city limits?"

"It would fit the vibe." Mark shrugged, and started up the front path.

Junior stared at his back, stunned. "It would fit the vibe?" He asked, in disbelief. Wasn't Mark extremely old? Was he just very good at adapting to the times? That would make sense, Junior supposed. You'd have to get good at it at some point.

"Aw, come on, Junior," Mark glanced back at him. "You don't like to be cliche sometimes?"

Junior watched, dumbfounded, as the vampire turned back around, continuing to the front door. The vampire had always struck him as an incredibly serious person, but perhaps that was only when the situation called for it.

Which this one absolutely did, by the way. Junior caught up to Mark as he reached the door. "Not when people's lives are on the line."

That sobered Mark a little, but Junior felt strangely put out by the return to seriousness. He was often the one to keep things light, but months of fruitless searches for his missing friends and family had done quite the number on his ability to keep a smile on his face in the fave of adversity.

Mark nodded, stepping out of the way so Junior could open the door. "You're right, let's go."

As they stepped inside, Nut's voice called from the kitchen, "Finally! We've been waiting forever, what took you so-" He stepped into the foyer and froze, staring at Mark. "Long."

Mark nodded his head in a slight bow. "Hello."

There was a beat as Nut's head seemed to dip in return without him telling it to. "Hi."

New appeared behind him. "You're here? Good. Welcome, Mark, to our humble home, I would tell you to take your shoes off, but as you'll be heading straight downstairs to meet with our guest, it may be best to keep them on." He waved them towards the door leading into the basement before turning back to head deeper into the house. He never had been one for the interrogation side of their operations.

"Come on, this way," Junior nudged Mark, and they made their way downstairs, where Mark whistled.

"See, now," He said, looking around at the incredibly large basement that didn't match the layout of the upstairs at all, filled with the mercenaries of the Bangkok wolfpack, walls lined in weapons. "This fits the vibe."

Though many of the wolves had jobs outside the pack, out in the human world, most preferred to work with those they trusted inherently. It was something about being pack, they worked better together. And the Bangkok wolfpack was the best in the mercenary business in Thailand. Which allowed them to be selective of what jobs they accepted.

The pack owned the whole neighborhood, about twenty-five houses, all of which had passageways leading to this bunker. It made for an easy commute, and allowed the pack to remain close together without all living in one building.

Some of the wolves tensed at the obvious presence of a vampire. Though they were allies against the humans, werewolves and vampires had never gotten along well, and in many places did not have the agreements in place that they did in Bangkok. While meetings between the two could break out into fights here, at least they weren't actively at war, like the werewolves and vampires of far too many other places.

Still, no one tried to attack, or pick a fight with Mark, partially because he was a known leader of the vampires, and had been for all of living memory of the pack, and no one needs to pick a fight with someone with that kind of power, and partially because he was walking side by side with Junior, seemingly amiably.

They made their way to a room tucked away in a far corner, and entered.

Inside, Sky crouched in front of an angry looking man tied to a chair, still in what looked to be pajamas and barefeet. Bonnie and Hong stood to one side, Tay to the other, his arms crossed.

Hirunkit glared at Junior and Mark as they entered, but said nothing.

Tay looked back, eyes scanning Junior as though checking for injuries, before he nodded to Mark. "Mark, it's been a while."

Mark smiled back, politely, almost formally. "It has, I wish I could say it was nice to see you again, but I'm afraid the circumstances don't permit."

Tay pressed his lips together, nodding. "Perhaps, we can get this all finished and meet in better times."

"I hope so," Mark said.

"Have you gotten anything out of him?" Junior asked.

Sky stood from his crouched position. "He insists he has no idea what we're talking about."

Bonnie spoke from where she leaned against the wall. "In fact, he insists he knows nothing about the existence of werewolves and vampires, at all."

"I don't," Hirunkit said, voice soft. "Honestly, you all sound completely deranged talking about creatures that do not exist."

Mark stepped forward, that eerie tilt to his head, again. "That's interesting," He mused.

"What is?" Tay asked.

Mark looked around at the others. "Can't you tell?" He asked, then seemed to think for a moment. "Or maybe because he's born, and was raised by humans, it's harder to tell for wolves."

"Tell what?" Junior asked, and Mark turned toward him, a finger to his lips.

"Shh," He said. "Just listen."

The others went quiet, except Hirunkit. "Listen for wha- hmph!" He glared at Sky as the wolf put a hand over his mouth, but quieted.

"I don't hear anything." Hong said, shaking his head.

Mark smiled, eerily. "Exactly."

Bonnie shook her head. "What?"

Junior's brow furrowed, then his eyes widened. "Because there isn't anything to hear." He looked at Mark. "No heartbeat."

Bonnie and Hong exchanged a look of surprise before moving closer to Hirunkit, who looked incredibly alarmed as Sky laid his ear against his chest, listened, then jumped to his feet. "He's- is he- is he?" He turned to Mark for answers.

Mark raised his eyebrows. "Only one way to know for sure." And, faster than even the wolves could see, he had grabbed a knife from Sky's belt and used it to pierce the wolf's palm.

"Hey!" Bonnie exclaimed, stepping towards Mark, but Tay stopped her with a shake of his head, and she stepped back, begrudgingly, watching as Mark pulled Sky's reluctant hand towards Hirunkit, who's feet scrabbled against the floor as he tried to lean back further than his bonds would let him.

But, then—

Hirunkit's eyes widened, his eyes bleeding red, and the front legs of the chair slammed back into the floor as he jerked against the rope towards Sky's hand, mouth opening just as fangs dropped into view.

Sky jerked back, and Hong quickly stepped in to staunch the bleeding, as Mark pushed Hirunkit and the chair back towards the back of the room with ease, speaking in a low, soothing tone towards the vampire.

Hirunkit was a vampire. The son of the people in the city who hated supernaturals the most, was a supernatural himself, which meant—

"He's not actually their son." Junior said.

As Hirunkit slowly calmed, blinking in confusion, Mark straightened. "Not only is he not their son, he's a born vampire." He reached into his jacket, pulling out a flask. Except for Tay, the wolves all grimaced as Mark upended the flask of blood into the open mouth of Hirunkit, who was still obviously very confused, but he swallowed it, anyways. Or perhaps he swallowed it because he was so confused. Junior couldn't imagine someone raised to believe himself human would have been amenable to drinking blood if he'd been fully aware of what was going on. "Which means they either found him abandoned, which is incredibly unlikely, as every vampire coven would kill-" Junior believed Mark meant it literally. "-to get a born vampire in their ranks, because it increases the power of the entire coven."

"Or," Tay said. "They killed or captured his parents, and then raised him as a human…"

"Wouldn't he need to… you know, drink blood?" Hong asked.

"Not necessarily," Mark said. "Vampires can generally go months without feeding on blood, but born vampires can go for years. When he was born he would have needed to drink it regularly, but he wouldn't remember that, so once he was able to retain memories…"

"They would be able to raise him on human food without him dying of thirst." Sky said, crouching in front of Hirunkit, who stared back at him in bewilderment. "Is he alright?"

Mark shook his head. "He'll be alright, but he likely hasn't drank blood in years, maybe even decades, depending on whether or not they tried to slip him some without him knowing occasionally. He's on a sort of... caffeine-like high. We don't need to feed constantly, but our senses and abilities are at their strongest freshly after feeding. He's probably getting too much input, and is going to be incredibly overstimulated for the next day or so."

Tay sighed. "Well, we weren't going to get any answers out of him, anyways, considering he didn't even know he himself was a vampire."

"Tay," Junior said, brow furrowed as he studied Hirunkit. "If they killed or captured his parents, and then raised him without knowledge of the supernatural world… if they had trained him up to be a soldier, he would be an incredible asset to them."

Sky growled, surprising everyone. "People are not assets."

Junior waved his hand. "No, they're not, that's not what I mean. I mean that if they were to raise born werewolves and vampires, or even werewolves turned at a very young age—"

"They could turn them into their own weapons against us." Tay finished, his eyes widening. "They wouldn't know they were fighting their own kind, because they would be raised and trained amongst humans, and there would be no wolves to teach them to sense the others in their pack, and no vampires to teach them to… listen for a heartbeat or whatever it is you do."

Bonnie put her hands on her hips. "Are you saying that you think the reason they're capturing our people is because they want to create their own super soldiers to use against us?"

Hong grimaced. "You don't think they're trying to force anyone to-"

"Surgeries exist that can do it for them, so the only reason they would be doing it that way is if they were needlessly cruel." Junior interrupted.

But, as they all turned to look at Hirunkit, who was curling into himself, hands clenching and unclenching, shoulders up, as though trying to cover his ears, overwhelmed by the sensation of supernatural senses at their highest ability, they couldn't help but think that the people who had raised him, without any knowledge of who or what he was, mostly cut off from a life source…

Perhaps, people who could do that, were, in fact, needlessly cruel.

One thing was for certain, they needed to find their missing as soon as possible, and then they needed to finish off this task force once and for all.

Chapter Text

Vampires weren't very... scary. At least the one Prem was in charge of wasn't. He was rather docile, especially for the big, bad leader of the Bangkok vampire coven.

Boun was centuries old, and yet he looked around like everything was new to him. It was... endearing.

Prem shook himself out of his thoughts, turning back to the security cam feeds om his screen. Boun was being kept separately from the rest of his coven, Kay had said something about coven leaders being weaker away from their people.

"What's your name?"

Prem turned at the question. "Huh?"

Leaning forward from where he sat against the wall, crossing his legs beneath him, Boun repeated, "Your name? You never said. I don't know what to call you."

"Don't call me anything," Prem said.

"Oh-hoh," Boun said. "If you don't tell me a name, I'll just make one up for you."

Prem rolled his eyes, turning back to the screens. "Sure, go ahead."

"Hmm, how about… Jim?"

Prem grimaced. Boun raised his eyebrows. "Not Jim, then. Maybe Pat?" Then the vampire tilted his head. "Or, perhaps… Prem?"

Prem jerked around. Boun smirked.

"How did you know that?" Prem asked, standing from his seat.

Boun leaned back, allowing his shoulders to slump from the pristine posture they had previously held, back into the unassuming position he had been sitting in before, and shrugged. "A good guess, I suppose?" He eyed the silver bars of the cell in distaste, and the . "While silver may serve as a barrier to my kind, it does not prevent us from using our abilities."

"I thought you could only shift forms?" Prem said, reaching for the cross around his neck.

Boun snorted. "Surely, you know vampires have a great many abilities, though who has what does depend. I, however, am a millenia old, and the leader of all of the vampires of Thailand, not to mention the creator of many. I am who gives them the abilities they have, so therefore I must have the abilities to give."

Prem clutched the cross, stepping back from the cell.

Perhaps, he thought, this vampire was a bit scary, after all.

Mark watched as Hirunkit came to his senses, slowly. Tay had ordered his wolves out of the room, then told Mark that he would allow him to get more of a sense of where the newly realized vampire stood on things, before they discussed what would be done with him.

When the boy—for he may be of age, but to Mark, he was still quite young, and though he may have been born a vampire, he was practically an infant to the reality of being one—finally focused his eyes on Mark, those eyes wide and unknowing, perhaps even fearful, Mark said, as gently as he could, "Hello, Hirunkit."

The boy swallowed, as though attempting to wet his throat, which would be fruitless. He needed more blood, but as it had clearly been quite some time since he had last had it, Mark knew he must be introduced to it slowly, lest he gorge himself, or worse, become so obsessed he went on a killing spree.

"Nani."

Mark tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"My nickname," The boy said. "Hirunkit makes me feel like I'm in trouble for something."

"Alright," Mark said. "Nani. Do you know what's happening to you?"

"I'm very… thirsty," Nani replied. "And everything is too loud. Too much." He spoke with a slight lisp, the fangs seemingly refusing to retreat now that they had been let out. Nani brow furrowed slightly, as he ran his tongue across them.

His eyes widened. "Why are my teeth so sharp?"

Mark stood from his position leaning against the wall. "Because they are fangs. Do you recall being asked about vampires or werewolves?"

Nani shook his head. "But- those aren't real."

"They are, we are," Mark said. He pointed to himself. "I am a vampire." Then, pointing to Nani, he said, "And, so are you."

Nani shook his head again. "But, don't you have to be… bitten or something to be a vampire? Don't vampires never age? Can't they not eat real human food, or- or garlic! I eat garlic all the time!"

"Yes, that one isn't an actual weakness we have, I don't know where it even came from. We eat human food and garlic with no issue." Mark replied. "And as for the other questions, to be turned into a vampire, yes, you have to be bitten, and yes, you don't age from that point on, but you, Nani, were not turned. You were born. And born vampires age into young adulthood, you'll likely stop aging soon, if you haven't already."

Nani stared at him. "So, my parents are… vampires?"

"You're birth parents are, yes, not the parents that raised you."

"Are you saying I'm adopted?" Nani asked.

"More likely kidnapped," Mark said.

There was no response, and Nani startled as the door opened. Tay stood there, studying Nani, before turning to Mark, "Let's let him process everything so far, shall we?" He turned to Nani. "If you need water or something, knock on the door. Sky will be just outside."

Mark turned to Nani for just a moment before he left. "If the thirst feels too much, tell Sky to come find me, you don't want to kill anyone in a bout of hunger."

Nani looked at him in horror. Mark followed Tay back into the hall, where Sky sat in a chair across from the entrance to the room.

Tay led him back through the bunker, towards the entrance he had come through from Tay and New's house. Mark glanced around. "This is rather impressive."

"We're pack creatures," Tay responded with a shrug. "We do better with easy access to each other. Is that not how it is with vampires?"

"We're not pack creatures," Mark replied. "We're close knit with our chosen group, sure, and we stick together for the sake of protection and comfort, but we are more social individuals than a coordinated pack, which is why I believe it took us longer to notice how many of us were going missing than it took you all."

"How many are you missing?" Tay asked.

Mark sighed, shaking his head. "Too many."

Tay pursed his lips, shaking his head. "I'm not sure how we're going to handle this, but we may have a location," He sighed. "At least, somewhere to start looking. Nani was meant to bring more information than he did."

Mark shrugged. "At the very least, we may have an idea as to what they're motive is. At least," He frowned. "That motive gives us reason to hope they're still alive."

Tay shook his head. "I'd know if anyone in my pack were dead, New would feel it."

"That's a nifty trick," Mark said.

"Yes, well, none of us are seers, like you have," Tay pointed out, then stopped turning to Mark. "Your Barcode… he can't see where they are?"

Mark sighed. "Seer is perhaps an overstatement of his gifts. He can follow a thread of connection or insight, or see a place if he knows where to look. Unfortunately, any connection he follows that should lead him to our missing disappears before he reaches the end, and he does not know where to look. Instead, he has been flying over the city tirelessly, hoping to spot some sort of clue."

"I take it he hasn't found any?"

Mark only shook his head in response.

They resumed their journey, making their way up the stairs and back into the surprisingly rowdy main house of the compound.

Nut and Hong were arguing at the kitchen counter, standing over a pan of… something, Mark wasn't entirely sure. William was sitting at the bar laughing at them, Tui at his side, shaking his head. New leaned against the wall, simply observing the chaos.

In the living room, Bonnie sat with her feet up on the coffee table, grunting when Tay shoved them off, and Lego sat with a computer in his lap, while Junior leaned against the back of the couch, studying the screen over his shoulder.

"What have you found?" Tay asked, sitting beside Lego. Mark moved to stand beside Junior behind the couch.

"It's an abandoned warehouse outside city limits," Lego replied.

Mark nudged Junior. "The vibe."

Junior shook his head, but the corner of his mouth ticked up.

"Well, then," Tay leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees. "Looks like we know where we're hitting next." He glanced around at those in the room, and at William and New standing in the doorway to the kitchen, previous levity gone from their faces.

"For now," He continued. "Everyone should get some rest. We'll reconvene in the morning to come up with a plan. Mark-" He looked at the vampire. "I have a feeling we'll be meeting quite frequently going forward, so I'm not going to worry about whether or not you know where the compound is, do you need a ride?"

Mark smiled, politely. "Thanks, but I'm faster on foot. Whether or not you need me for planning, I will be here tomorrow to check on Nani. The first few weeks are going to be particularly difficult for him, and I doubt you keep blood bags on hand."

Tay nodded. "Then we'll see you tomorrow."

Junior walked Mark to the door, then out into the fading night. Creatures of the night they were, both werewolves and vampires leaned into their nocturnal tendencies, and the moon and the stars were to them what the sun was to humankind.

"Well, Junior," Mark said, glancing over at him. "I suppose we'll be seeing more of each other." He zipped up the jacket that sat loose on his shoulders. "I hope someday soon, it will be for reasons other than war."

Junior blinked, mind slow to process what that could mean, but by the time he thought he had it figured out, Mark was long gone into the night.

Chapter Text

The interrogation room had been converted into a sort of holding cell but with more comfort. Where there had once been only a chair, there was now a chair and two cots with light blankets, and a jug of water. Nani lay flat on his back, hands resting on his chest.

Sky snorted. "For someone who didn't know he was a vampire, you sure have some of the cliche behavior down."

Nani looked over at him, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Sky pointed at his hands. "I mean the way you lie like a corpse in a casket." He snorted again, then shifted to lay in his own cot, one hand behind his head, one leg bent so his knee hung off the edge.

He heard rather than saw Nani shift, then mumble, "It's a comfortable way to sleep."

It was something in his voice that made Sky lift his head to look over at the other man. Nani had twisted onto his side, blanket pulled up around his shoulders, eyes studying the claws on his hands that had yet to retract. Though Sky could only see a glimpse of them, he could see the terror in Nani's eyes.

Sky shifted onto his side to face Nani. "I didn't mean it in a bad way," He said softly, a little surprised to find he meant it. "I just meant it was a little ironic is all. You being a little cliche without even knowing. Sleeping like that, living in your fancy manor, wearing your fancy clothes. That's all cliche vampire shit, not actual vampire shit, mind you, but what humans think of when they think of vampires."

Nani looked up at him. "It's not actually because I'm a… a vampire?" It was the first Nani had said the words himself.

Sky shook his head. "No, that's just you. I… I can't help you, not as much as Mark, because I'm not a vampire, I'm a werewolf, and though we're all creatures of the night, we're still very different. I mean, werewolves and vampires are at war in some places. Not here!" He assured Nani when his eyes widened. "But, other places. But, if you have questions… I can do my best to answer them."

Nani stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

As the sun rose up in the outside world, Nani asked question after question, and Sky gave answer after answer, until, inevitably, they both nodded off into sleep.

The museum was quiet but for the sounds of opening when Mark slipped inside. A few of the staff nodded to him as he passed them on his way to his office, but otherwise, no one spoke to him until he reached it.

Opening the door, he found Aun and Barcode already waiting inside, Aun seated in one of the armchairs, while Barcode stood at the open window, scowling into the sunrise.

"There's something, maybe, we're not sure what it is, but they're hiding something in a warehouse outside the city," Mark said, without preamble.

"I'll go-" Barcode started, but Mark cut him off.

"You will not. We're not risking anyone." He sat- or rather collapsed- into his chair. "The wolves didn't just find a location, they found a vampire."

Aun leaned forward. "One of ours?"

Mark shook his head. "No, a born vampire. One that must have been stolen when he was just a babe, as he had no idea he was one."

Barcode turned. "How would we have not known? Surely, his parents would have approached the coven for help?"

"Unless, they couldn't," Aun said, grimly.

"That's my thinking, as well," Mark said. "Whatever the case, Nani was too overwhelmed today to try to determine the story not even he is aware of, so I'll be returning to the wolves' compound tomorrow, to help him and to see if we can help the wolves with their mission to scout the warehouse."

"Nani?" Barcode asked. "The hunter's boy?"

Mark nodded. "They've raised him as their own human son, which creates so many more questions…"

"Shouldn't he be here, with other vampires?" Aun asked. "How long has it been since he's had blood?"

"I gave him some today," Mark said. "I'll bring more tomorrow. As for where he is… it may be better for his bloodthirst to be with vampires, but for his safety… I'm afraid the wolves are the best for that, and they can take care of themselves, should his bloodthirst become too strong. In times like these, when our people are disappearing as much as they are… it's best he stay in the safest place."

There was a moment of silence as they processed the situation they found themselves in, then Aun broke it, hesitantly, "We've determined the final count of our missing."

Barcode came to sit in the armchair next to Aun's, while Mark simply waited.

"Twenty-three, including Boun, Santa, Love, Emi, Ciize, and Est. Namtan is working to organize a watch system so we don't go weeks without noticing again."

Barcode hung his head. "I should have known earlier."

Aun patted his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself, they started with those on the outer edges, the ones we don't see as often, before they came for our close friends."

Mark sighed. "Still, it's a lesson for the future. We need to be checking on our people more frequently. It's not your fault, but now we know better." He sat forward. "Did you know the pack has known for months? They've been searching all this time."

Aun shook his head. "Wolves always were closer to each other than vampires."

It was then that Mark scowled. "Shit."

"What?" Barcode asked, alarm falling across his face.

"Emi and Ciize are both born vampires," Mark replied. "Santa, too."

"Right?" Barcode said.

"We think…" Mark trailed off, for a moment. "We think they may want more born vampires like Nani. And young or born wolves, too. To raise to their own gains."

"But, everyone they've taken are fully grown," Barcode pointed out. "Unless they're brainwashing, they can't really make them into their own… assets."

"But they could force them to… procreate, somehow," Aun pointed out, grimacing. "And, with Boun, they could turn their own soldiers…"

"Into vampires with added abilities." Mark finished.

Barcode could only stare at them both in horror.

On Junior's left wrist there sat two bracelets, they had belonged to his parents before they passed away. On his right wrist, were two other bracelets, they had belonged to his closest friend, Book's parents before they passed away, and then Book before he went undercover. Before he disappeared.

It took longer for them to realize Book had been taken captive because he was undercover. They were already scouring the city for some kind of clue as to where their missing pack members could be when Junior had gone to the normal drop off spot at the seemingly random time that had actually been planned out before Book ever infiltrated the supernatural task force, and found nothing.

No trace of his best friend, no information left behind, no sign someone had been there.

He had tried to tell himself it was just a mishap. Such was the nature of undercover work, sometimes you missed the drop off, because it simply couldn't be helped, but even as Junior told himself that, there was a yawning pit in his gut telling him that wasn't the case. Not this time.

And when he went to Tay, who brought him to New, who tried, with growing terror, to reach out to Book through the pack bonds, to receive a sign that he was safe back, to no avail, those fears were confirmed.

Book had been found out, and then taken captive.

The only good sign was that New could tell he was still alive.

And after learning about Nani, after determining what the task force's motive may be, Junior wasn't quite sure that could be deemed s good thing.

He sat for a long while after the others had gone to sleep on the couch, staring at the bracelets on his right wrist. He wasn't sure how much time passed before Tay returned and guided him to Sky's empty room, leaving him to stare up at the ceiling, the growing morning light blocked by dark curtains.

Junior and Book had shared a small house, and Junior had been mostly fine there alone, but when it became clear that something had gone wrong, New had decided that Junior would sleep in their house until they resolved the situation.

"For my peace of mind," New said, but Junior knew it was also because they knew Junior shouldn't be alone at a time like this.

"Why capture us?"

Prem startled awake from where he had been drooping in his seat. "What?"

"You're a part of the task force, right?" Boun said. "From what I can tell, you seem to think supernaturals are dangerous, and the world ought to be rid of us, entirely."

"You are dangerous." Prem replied.

Boun shrugged. "We can be, same as humans, but if that is the motivation. If you are trying to rid the world of the danger of our existence, then why have you captured us instead of killing us?"

And to that Prem had no answer. He hadn't really thought about it, if he was being entirely honest.

Sure, he though supernaturals were dangerous, sure he was a part of the task force, but he had never quite understood why the task force had decided to start capturing supernaturals in the last year.

The hatchdoor to the bunker opened, and Kay climbed down into it, ready for his watch shift.

Prem thought to ask Kay the same question, then thought better of it. "Careful," He said to Kay, as they traded places. "He gets inside your head."

Then he climbed up and out of the bunker, till he found himself in the woods. For a moment he paused there, after shutting the hatch, but it did not take long for him to decide not to go home and sleep, though he wanted very badly to do so. Instead, when he got into his car, he headed for Kapook's.

He hadn't seen his foster sister in years, she had never approved his joining the task force, even after what had happened to them.

Perhaps, he thought, if anyone can shed a different light on the situation, it qas Kapook.

Book groaned as he sat up from the sad pile of blankets that had served as his bed for the last month and a half, a hand to his rib that he was pretty sure he'd cracked. Or rather, they had cracked, once they'd discovered his "disease" as they referred to it.

The door to the room he had been being kept in creaked open, and Force glanced around outside once before slipping inside, a bundle in his hands.

Quickly, he knelt beside Book, pushing a sandwich into his hands, before he began unbuttoning Book's torn shirt to get to the wounds beneath it.

"Take a guy to dinner, first," Book croaked.

Force gestured to the sandwich. "That'll just have to do, for now."

"For now?" Book asked, attempting to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively and wincing instead.

"Well," Force said, pouring water onto a cloth and dabbing at the worst of Book's wounds. "Once I figure out how to get you out of here, you're going to have to take care of me, you know? They're not really going to let me come back here, hell, they might just put out a kill om sight order, so you'll have to protect me, too. If we're going to be sticking together anyways, might as well make the best of it, huh? Sorry." He said, as Book winced.

"Leave the rest," Book said. "Can't let them know someone's helping me."

Force pressed his lips together but nodded. Then he met Book's gaze, "I'm serious. I'm going to get you out of here, and once we're free and clear, I'll take you out to dinner. Promise." He pecked Book on the forehead, before gathering his things. "I've got to go."

And it was all well and good that he could never stay long because for the first few minutes he was there Book could feign a little hope, but if he stayed too long, Force would see the light had long faded from his eyes.

Chapter Text

Mark arrived at the pack house at sunset, seemingly in the blink of an eye. The door still opened before he could knock to reveal Junior, with heavy shadows under his eyes. Mark frowned. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Not much, these days," Junior replied, stepping to the side as if to allow Mark in.

Mark continued frowning, not entering. "You can't help anyone if you're too exhausted to do anything."

Junior rolled his eyes. "How much sleep do you get?"

Mark pointed at himself. "Vampire." Then he pointed at Junior. "Werewolf." He pointed back to himself. "Dead." Then back to Junior. "Living."

Junior just squinted.

Mark sighed. "Vampires don't actually need sleep unless we're healing. We just like it. Also, I can't come in unless you invite me."

Junior blinked at him, then looked down at the threshold. "Yes, you can, you literally did yesterday."

Mark sighed. "I was hoping you were too sleep deprived to remember that." Then he stepped inside.

Junior stared after him, bewildered. "You're very weird. Did you know you're very weird?"

"When you live as long as I have, you learn to embrace it, otherwise life gets too monotonous." Mark said, smiling politely at Lego and Tui who were standing over a map of the city on the coffee table.

Junior shook his head, walking past Mark while muttering something about "strange vampires" and their "weird ways."

Mark followed him down the stairs, and to the same room as the day before. Just as they arrived there was a crash from inside.

Junior yanked the door open, and Mark was just fast enough to catch Nani round the waist as he shot through it, blood on his mouth and terror in his eyes.

Inside the room, Sky sat in a heap on the floor, a hand clasping his still bleeding wrist, a grimace of pain on his face.

Mark nodded towards Sky, telling Junior, "Get the bleeding stopped, get him out of there, I'll take care of Nani."

Nani gasped in his grip. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know- I didn't mean to- want to-"

"I know," Mark said, soothingly. "It's my fault, I should have stayed with you. The first few days were bound to be bad."

As Junior hurried Sky away, Sky called to Nani, "It's okay, give me a few days, I'll be right as rain."

Nani watched after with guilt in his eyes.

Mark pulled him back to the room. "Let's go back inside, shall we?"

Nani was limp against him, still staring down the hall at where Sky had disappeared, until Mark managed to get him back in the room and shut the door, hearing as the lock clicked.

Nani collapsed onto one of the cots, staring at the blood still staining the floor. "I don't know what happened, one second everything was fine, and then everything went red."

"Bloodlust," Mark said, by way of explanation. "It happens when a vampire has been deprived of blood for long enough to have built up a tolerance for not having any, and then exposed to it." Mark sat on the cot across from Nani. "You drank blood for the first time in what was likely years yesterday. I should have known you needed more, and constant monitoring. I did know, but I left anyway. This is on me, not you. Sky won't blame you, don't blame yourself."

Nani began shaking his head in earnest. "I don't want this, I can't- I don't want to not be in control of myself. I don't want to attack people who have been nice to me. I don't want-"

"The control issue?" Mark interrupted. "It won't last. We all went through it, we all managed to get a hold of ourselves eventually, for some," He said, thinking of Aun. "It takes longer than others. But even those who have the hardest time can control themselves with time and practice. Contrary to popular belief, vampires are not inherently addicted to blood, we actually call it a "condition of willpower" if a vampire claims they can't control themselves after the initial reckoning period."

Nani stared at him. "What?"

"Sorry," Mark shook his head. "That was probably too much at once. I'll let you get your bearings-"

"No, tell me," Nani said. "I want to know."

Mark raised an eyebrow, inquisitively.

Nani nodded. "I'm serious. It's not like I can just say I don't want to be a vampire and have my wish granted. If- if I'm a vampire, then I want to know what- what the rest of my life is going to look like."

"Alright," Mark said. "If you're sure."

As Nani calmed down, blood still staining his lips, Mark told him of the life of vampires.

The life of a vampire is not so very different from that of a human, although there is one very large exception. Vampires are not actually alive.

"But, I was born a vampire?" Nani asked.

Mark nodded. "You were. The ability to conceive is something only born vampires have. The history of it is lost. We don't know how born vampires came to be, not even the oldest of all the vampires in Thailand is old enough to remember a time before. The legends say that there was a coven of vampires favored by a goddess of fertility, and she gave them the ability to conceive, and all born vampires are descended of that coven. But, again, it's just a legend, no one really knows. Only born vampires can conceive, though, that is veritable fact."

Nani pursed his lips. "So, my parents were born vampires? And they… left me? Lost me?"

Mark sighed. "We're not sure, but the likelihood they just abandoned you is not very high. We've been searching our records for some hint. We think, perhaps, you're the child of a born couple we found around the time you were born. They weren't from Bangkok, so any records wouldn't have been kept here, but we've got people looking to see if we can find where they were from. When we found them, they had been found by a human who believed they had passed away in a car crash. We've got informants that let us know when one of us passes away and is found by humans."

"Vampires can die in a car crash?" Nani asked, in disbelief.

"No," Mark replied. "There was silver in their veins, and symbols carved into their skin, right over their hearts."

A lesser known way to kill a vampire was to restart their heart. See, a vampire is dead, and cannot come back to life. Perhaps it was a failsafe the universe built in to the living dead when the first of them were created, but if a vampire tried to come back to life, to become human again, they would, for a moment, and then they would die, for good this time.

There was a set of symbols, known by very few, that, when carved into the skin above a vampires heart, would restart their heart, and make them human again. It was a sequence that had been discovered by a vampire centuries ago, who had longed to return to the sunlight.

At the time, it was even more dangerous for a vampire to interact with the human world. At the time and the place, a human was liable to stick a stake through your heart if they thought, for even a moment, you might be the living dead. And this vampire had been lonely, and sad, and had not chosen to be turned, and had ached to be human again.

It was a trickster spirit that taught the vampire the sequence, and the vampire carved those symbols into his chest, and for a brief, shining moment, the vampire was human again.

And then that moment ended.

The same trickster spirit taught the sequence to hunters, the kind that didn't kill out of fear, or to protect, but rather out of cruelty. The kind that took pleasure in gouging the symbols into a vampire, watching their face move from pain to a tentative wonder and then terror as their heart failed and they died for a second time, for good.

Nani had tears in his eyes when Mark finished the story. "Why do they hate us?"

Mark took a long look at Nani's expression of fear and sorrow. It was a sorrow for those who had died in such a terrible way. It wasn't often that a person felt so strongly for those they had never even met.

He stood slowly, moving to sit beside Nani, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Some people hate what they don't understand, others hate what they fear, and others simply hate. It's best not to give heed to those who hate an entire group of people because of things they have little to no control over. You were born a vampire, Nani, but being a vampire does not make you evil or anything else. It is simply the type of creature you are. Just like werewolves, and humans, and," he shrugged. "Giraffes. No matter what some will try to tell you, it does not change who you are in your mind or heart. No matter what some people believe."

"People like my parents," Nani said. "My… adoptive ones. Sky said they hunt supernaturals."

Mark nodded, slowly.

"Do you think they ever loved me at all?" Nani asked.

"I think," Mark said, carefully. "If they didn't care for you at least a little, they would have raised you quite differently. You would know vampires and werewolves and other supernatuals exist, and you would hate them, not knowing you were one. Or perhaps you would know, and hate yourself."

Nani looked at him, and he continued, "I think people are not so simple as good and bad, and hate and love. And I think people are capable of loving part of someone, while hating another part. I don't know how your adoptive parents feel about you, Nani, but I'd be damned a second time if they didn't care about you at all."

And, it seemed, that answer was enough for Nani, at least for now.

The infirmary around Sky looked like a horror scene, the blood that had gushed from his wrist finally hampered by the stitches Tu had done, very well, under Jimmy's watchful eye. She had only recently started working in the infirmary, after the two wolves who had been working in it under Jimmy's supervision had disappeared the same day. Tu had stepped up to fill in the very necessary role, as the mercenary business was not without injury, and hospitals didn't know how to treat werewolves properly.

Jimmy nodded, "Well, done." And then the two moved off to continue their inventory of supplies.

Junior scanned the rest of Sky, worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Never better," Sky replied, then grew more serious at Junior's expression. "I mean it. The scab from the cut yesterday opened, that's what threw Nani into the bloodlust. I didn't even get the chance to try fighting him off before he'd backed away himself." Sky leaned back. "He was way more freaked out by it than I was."

"Yeah, well, you're going to stay here and rest for a while, you lost some blood. I'm going back to check on Mark and Nani. When you're done, come find us upstairs for planning." Junior said, before turning to leave the room.

He found Mark and Nani sitting side by side on one of the cots, the blood dried around Nani's mouth, as Nani leaned toward the elder vampire, seemingly subconsciously. Junior imagined it couldn't be very easy for Nani, discovering vampires are real, and you're a vampire, and being overcome by bloodlust all in a day. Less than really.

"How are you feeling?" Junior asked, and Nani's head shot up.

"Is Sky okay?"

"He's fine," Junior assured Nani, who clearly cared less about his own state than Sky's. "He's all stitched up and getting some rest, but he's fine and doesn't blame you."

Nani looked like he might protest who was to blame but Mark cut him off. "It was my fault. I knew I should have stayed with Nani, but I was more worried about checking in at the coven."

"How are things over there?" Junior asked.

"We've got a final count for our missing, and we're establishing a watch system to hopefully prevent more." Mark replied.

Nani looked between them. "People are missing?"

Mark looked at him. "Has no one explained why you were captured?"

Nani shook his head.

Junior sighed. "Looks like you're not the only one off your game, Mark. We must have forgotten in the mess of everything else."

He sat down across from them and explained, then, to Nani, the crisis that had begun a few months before.

It was a Tuesday, a few months before, when multiple wolves didn't show up for work. Tay and Junior had checked their houses, New had checked the bonds. All they were able to ascertain was the wolves were missing but not dead. No one knew where they were. Any wolves that had been away from the compound together disappeared together, no one was ever left as witness.

Tay and New had locked down the compound after that, no one could be alone, everyone began wearing tracking devices at all times, two if they were leaving the compound. No others had disappeared since, but too many had gone missing initially.

It didn't matter their gender or their age, it seemed if they had been accessible, they had been taken.

Capturing Nani was a last resort. Every lead turned up empty, CCTVs had been broken or their recordings erased, no one in the area had ever seen anything, and none were lying either. Some wolves had friends unaware of their supernature that had reported their disappearances to local authorities, and local authorities had done nothing. Assumably, because the supernatural task force may be largely a secret, but still weilded a great deal of power in the hierarchy of governmental authorities.

Nani's brow furrowed. "So, the task force Sky told me about is kidnapping people? Why? I thought they seemed more inclined towards… death."

"They used to be," Mark said. "But, it seems they've decided to our supernatural abilities to their advantage."

Nani didn't need that explained to him.

Junior sighed. "Get some rest for now, Nani. While you're getting used to all this we're going to keep this door locked from the outside, don't worry, you won't be bothered by anyone. Mark, we're planning recon on that warehouse if you want to sit in on the meeting."

Mark turned to Nani. "Will you be alright?"

Nani nodded. Junior handed him a tissue as he and Mark made their way out of the room, gesturing to the blood.

It was meant to be a simple recon mission, and that is how it began. Lego scaled the outer wall of the warehouse, up to a window on the upper floors, he got in, planted the bug, and got out, with no issue. He met Junior at the car, then settled in to wait for the others.

Nut and Hong also met no issues, planting hidden cameras in the area around the warehouse, not inside. They returned to the vehicle soon after Lego.

Then they waited. And waited. And waited.

"Tui?" Junior said, this time into comms, as they had no idea what was inside the warehouse. "William? Report."

There was no answer. The pair had gone in to actually see if they could lay eyes on any prisoners.

Then, their comms crackled, Tui's voice clear, "Vampires, no wolves-"

"One wolf," William interrupted. "Book is here, the rest though are-" There was a crash, and then static.

Junior jerked around in the driver's seat, meeting Lego's incredibly alarmed eyed. "William? Tui?!"

For a brief moment, there was silence, and then Tui said, "They've found us, we'll do what we can from in here, get out of here." Then even the static was gone, as a sharp beeping noise indicated the destruction of both William and Tui's comms system, one after the other.

Lego moved to jump out of the car, stopped only by Nut's arm around his waist. Hong nodded to Junior, grimly. "We'll be back for them, but we have to go, now."

And, with little other choice, Junior reluctantly tore off down the street back to the compound.

Book sat up, groggily, squinting at the opening door through swollen eyes. Then he scrambled up and across the floor to the two figures heaped on the ground, as the door slammed shut.

"Liam? Tui?" He rasped, shaking William's shoulder, then he checked for injuries on both. It would be an understatement to say they were a bit bruised and bloodied, but at least they didn't seem to have any terribly broken bones. Perhaps a few cracked ribs, and Tui might have a sprained wrist if the swelling was anything to go by, but... nothing worse.

William groaned, and Tui stayed silent, unmoving. Alarmingly, terrifyingly still.

"What happened?" Book whispered, frantically.

William's eyes slit open, and he smiled at Book with a cracked lip. "We found you."