47 Months Later [[Open]]

[CharlotteC]

Though it had been a few weeks since Charlie had opened her eyes and found herself in the silence of her apartment with a hunger that almost killed both Rhett and Wilber when she had summoned them to her, she still couldn't quite get what was going on. Once she had fed the first thing she did was use her powers to connect to the net (as she was still a bit weak from her nearly 4 years asleep). What she found out and saw was quite enough to make her wonder if she should just close her eyes again and let the world pass her by.

From what she could tell, Elliot was in the same boat as her as she could not sense him at all. Nor did he answer when she called out to him. She wouldn't summon him unless he had answered. He didn't. Eventually though, with help from Rhett, she did find herself out of bed. She started with something easy, she hacked a network or two and found herself with information that she couldn't pass up. Information that led her to a new relic. With that she felt more up to trying something with a little more opportunity. A raid and one that she could easily do because she wouldn't be alone. She was with a team.

Most of the people she met up with were those she knew, even a few she could trust. There were one or two new people. But she soon learned she could trust them too.

Now, standing near the café across from her apartment, she took in what was her new surroundings. Soldiers were everywhere with their guns. Guns that she smirked at because even though she had been sleeping for years, she had made better. Cops had itchier trigger fingers. And then there was this micro-chipping ******** that she had recently heard about. What were they? Dogs? Apparently that is something that had been put into action while she slept. Vampires were given even fewer rights than even animals had. It was almost enough to make her turn into her hyena form and just live the rest of her lift at the zoo.

Now though, she was watching the soldiers and how they seemed to be eyeing everyone. She was glad that by some stroke of luck she did not radiate the same dangerous aura that other vampires did. Charlie could stand right next to a soldier or a cop and neither of them would notice anything about her other than maybe she was a little paler than others. The good thing was, it was Canada. Being pale literally came with the territory. She moved over to a table and began to do a little more hacking as it was something that was just so simple for her that she did it without even noticing that she was doing it until she was selling the files to someone else.

A waitress came out to her and asked her if she wanted anything. One cop glanced her way, but with a soft smile on her face, she turned to the woman and asked for a Peppermint hot chocolate and some poutine. The lady walked off with a smile and nod and went to get Charlie her food and drink. The cop glanced away again, clearly convinced that she was human since she had ordered food that wasn't laced with blood or bleeding in some way shape or form. Charlie returned to her hacking while she waited on her order and just let her chocolet eyes wander around the area, people watching while she worked.

[Zodiac]

She hated this.

She rarely entered the more congested areas of the town now. Too many questioning eyes watching her. Too many police and soldiers paying close attention. But, some special items were required to finish a project for a well paying customer, and since none of her mortal assistants were available…

She had lived under the eye of biased scrutiny all her life being a Romany, but this was worse. Her forged ID had stood up the couple times she had been stopped, but that was more a matter of expedience rather than a careful check of who they had.

Just one older mirror would turn the convo totally south.

As the shopkeeper assembled her order, the gypsy watched out the window as the people on the street made their way about. So strange that people did not mind living under so intense a microscope as what was happening now. The real fun would come once the vampire ‘menace’ was done with, but the checkpoints remained. Government never liked letting go of control. The ‘hunt’ would go on for things real or imagined. Just to be sure. Make sure all the right people are safe.

’They fled here so my parents and I did not have to endure such horrors.’ she thought to herself. Well, they tried. It was hard not to overlay what happened during World War 2 over the current situation especially if it had been part of your family’s heritage.

Odd. She peered closer at one individual that sat at the café. She seemed somewhat familiar, but she could not be sure. Her attention returned to the shop owner as she paid for her items. The bag was packed carefully into a shoulder bag and hidden under a spare shirt. She stepped out once she was sure her slim disguise was in place. Instinct said get your *** home, but curiosity pulled her attention back across the street.

She crossed the street and went to the counter, bypassing the woman. She ordered a small hot chocolate with extra whipped crème. The crème was essential for her purposes. As she waited, she took a look from a new point of view at the familiar one. An eyebrow raised behind her tinted glasses in pure surprise. She had originally concluded this one had moved on to bigger and better things. Long gone from Podunk Harper Rock never to be seen again, but one might have read about her exploits in the news. Perhaps she would have been involved in all the fun America had in it’s last major election.

’I should get her a MAGA hat.’ she thought as she paid for her drink. Charlie would probably shred the thing, but the gypsy was sure she’d get the joke. Cup in hand, she approached the table and took a seat opposite the woman. The hoodie and glasses obscured her face enough for the moment. Once seated, she took a ‘drink’ from her cup, only to leave a large smear of whipped crème on her nose as she planned.

’And here I thought you was in the genius category of vampires, Charlie.’ She whispered in the woman’s head as she wiped her nose clean. ’Over two years and not a peep, and you show up in the middle of this **** show we have going on now? Is you a special kind of stupid or what, girlfriend?’

The mystic smiled as she lowered her glasses enough to reveal her crystal blue eyes and give the woman a wink. She then picked up her cup and pretended to sip it through the straw. ’But enough about you. How’s Ginny’s kid doing?’

[CharlotteC]

The movement caught Charlie's attention but instead of faltering from what she was hacking, she basically did a split screen able to do both at once. She smiled softly, while Zo's features were pretty well masked, it was the soft voice in her mind and the way she held herself that she in an instant recognized Zo. With the last file dealt with, she turned her attention fully on Zo and smirked ever so softly.

'Hello to you too old friend.' She replied in the same way that Zo spoke. Mostly so she didn't draw too much attention to them. To others, it was simple could have been construed as two women staring at one another for what ever reason. 'To tell you the truth, I don't know what it was that woke me this time. It's not like I have much to call to me other than a few friends and Morpheus. And he's doing well, if not a little mad at me that I slept for as long as I did this time.' She continued and then glanced around the area they were in.

The waitress chose that moment to come with what she had ordered and set it in front of Charlie. She smiled and nodded to the waitress before turning her attention back on her friend. 'I'm starting to think that maybe my IQ isn't as high as it once used to be when I was mortal. The people around here are nuts. What happened while I slept?' She sussed out that the soldiers were basically keeping vampires in or perhaps trying to keep any who had left out. She couldn't quite make up which way they fell in that respect.

Rhett and Wilmer had told her some rumors they heard, but they pretty much stuck to themselves. Each sticking to the slums where they could steal, con, lie, cheat what ever they could to get money. And from what she could tell they were doing pretty good at it because she had woken with quite a fun to work with. As she glanced between Zo and the guards and cops for a moment, she picked up her drink and blew into it, not that she would feel the burn of the hot cocoa, but of course she had to play the part in public.

[Zodiac]

She smiled as Charlie’s thoughts touched hers. Charlie was one of a few individuals Zodiac simply liked. Not romantically or any other serious purpose or reason. She just felt comfortable around the hacker and had enjoyed the bits of time they had spent chatting in the past.

Sadly, this was a suck subject for any kind of reunion thing.

”Well,” Her hands began to sign while she continued speaking to Charlie’s thoughts. On the chance anyone watching could read sign language she kept the conversation with her hands more mundane in nature. They had done this before in the past, and it kept the living from wondering why the conversation was one sided. ”I can give you the abridged version for now. A few of our kind finally pushed too damn hard. There was a situation involving one of our kind who had survived all the stuff we was told in the past. Way older and far more powerful than even to so-called ancients that are now taking extended naps.” she paused to take another ‘sip’ from her cup.

”Those vampire geniuses let the damn thing loose and it’s effect on the town had driven the living to the point of real fear. The Nexus or portal above the town for the Shadow Realm? Now larger and more powerful. New monsters keep escaping and we even had our own ‘Walking Dead’ plague. Zombies and monsters rising up all over the place. A lot of people of all ages ended up as lunch for them so now we are getting the blame for it. The living are afraid and I can’t blame them for that.”

She glanced around. So far no one was paying any serious attention to them, but that could change in a heartbeat.

”Yes, the government is putting laws into play to take away our rights and try to reduce us to second class citizens. Want to be able to ID us and keep track of our whereabouts. Some of these checkpoints are crazy. Scanners and mirrors to see who is or is not living. Rumor has it that it will get worse. Impounding our property, freezing our bank accounts and assets. The whole basic arguments is-‘Hey, if they ain’t alive, then rights the living have do not apply to them’.”

A serious look crossed her face now, as if a great sadness had settled into her being. She stretched and debated lighting up a smoke, but decided against it. All they needed was one mortal to scream about someone smoking and suddenly there would be all kinds of unwanted attentions.

”I have been seriously considering getting the hell out of here. Sell it all and make my way down to Mexico or even South America. This is all starting to look like Nazi Germany to me and I will not be taken out like my great grandparents were back then.” her mental voice took on a lower, more serious tone now. ”Some of our kind are trying to figure away around all of this, but considering how ‘organized’ a group of us can manage to be, I ain’t getting my hopes up.”

Absently, she reached across the table and gave Charlie’s hand a reassuring squeeze as she smiled. ”On the bright side, I am happy to see you are still 'alive'. I have missed your company.”

[CharlotteC]

Charlie sat there for a moment, listening to what it was that Zo was telling her. There were some things that she had heard, at least, in passing, before Elliot had vanished into thin air. And it was pretty much a vanish, she remembered that he had been cured, he was no longer a vampire. That in itself was something that left her mind blown out of the water, but what Zo was telling her now, about the elder vamp that was older than even the ancients that had 'founded' the newer form of the city it gave her a moment of pause. A task in itself since her mind processed most things with the power of a super computer. She also remembered the uptick in zombies and a run in she had with what she referred to as the mooncalf from hell. That was not a fight she cared to remember. She did though. In gruesome detail.

Her chocolate eyes glanced around at the same time of Zo's, she too watching those that were around them. Thankfully, Zo's ASL was pretty convincing. Charlie ever so often nodded or shook her head, using less than perfect forms of communicating with someone who was deaf. She would even mumble softly in return. If anyone did look, they would assume that Charlie was able to hear and speak just fine, but that she chose to respond to Zo with words. Which if she remembered correctly, Zo was more than able to read lips as well as hear, she just didn't speak. That said, she didn't respond to what Zo was really telling her. Not just yet. She knew that there was more that the pretty Mystic had to say. And she was right.

The government and those stupid laws. Though Charlie didn't agree with the 'second class' part. Charlie knew pets and wild animals that had more freedom than vampires had now. It was insane. She even for a moment here or there thought that she no longer wanted to live in the light (so to speak). Perhaps they had been right to have the Masquerade. As much as she hated that idea. Though, there was no going back and hindsight was 2020. There was no putting the cat in the bag. Vampires were out. Now she just had to figure out how to organize it so that they could be classed as 'human' once more, not the monsters that they were currently.

The though of Zo leaving actually hurt Charlie more than she first would have thought. Yes, they were friends, yes she enjoyed being around Zo, but it was shocking how much it hurt at the idea of her leaving. The logical part of her mind told her it was because she had already lost Elliot not only to being classed as mortal again, but he was no where in the city as far as she could tell. The not so logical part of her freaked for a moment, that is until Zo placed her hand on top of hers. It was as if she knew before she knew. Of course, the lady ran a psychic shop so if anything could prove to Charlie that Zo was indeed psychic, it would have been that one sign of affection.

'I have to agree with you, none of us can organize worth a damn. I had started too but then I just grew tired of it all. Perhaps though I will start 'blasting' some of my blogs again. See if I can organize without giving it away that I am trying to do so. I don't know how well it will go over or if it will even work. It may even get me in trouble again. However, I can't sit back and let them take away what little rights we still have. The fact that you can see the correlation between here and Nazi Germany is just proof that if we don't take the right turn soon we all will be in a room with a glass roof waiting to burn in the sun.' The idea made her skin crawl. She had got caught a time or too by the rays of the sun and it wasn't fun. However, she knew that there were some that the sun irritated but didn't burn outright. Killian (that ***) came to mind and vanished just as quick as hear appeared.

As she spoke she was already drafting her next blog in her mind. One side keeping full connection to Zo while the other seemed to be processing what she was going to say in that blog. 'I have missed you as well Zo, there is a comfort I feel around you that I only feel around a select few. You, and Alex pretty much. And Rhett and Wilber, but I mean they would jump off a bridge if I commanded it so.' She said in her mind as she smirked knowingly to Zo.

[Zodiac]

Her smile expanded at Charlie’s words. It was nice to hear things like that, but did terrible times always have to be the motivation to say them? Charlie’s last words inspired the imp within. ’Jump off a bridge? Beginner! Didn’t you say to me once something like I could make a squad of Mounties walk off a cliff with just a look? Something like that?’ Her mouth opened as her laughter was projected into Charlie’s mind. ’Oh my, I’d suggest a contest but I doubt the locals would find it amusing.’

It felt good to just genuinely laugh with someone again.

’I swear, I had a Star Wars moment a couple weeks back. A group of these checkpoint clowns came into the Marketplace doing a sweep. I had went out to get some air and was heading back to my shop when one of them stepped in front of me. Demanding my ID and acting like Elliot Ness had just cornered John Dillenger.’ She paused and tapped the frames of her tinted glasses.

’I gave him ‘The Eye’. I am not a person of interest. My ID checks out. I can go back to my business.’ her laughter grew louder. ’Swear to God, he stood their parroting what I said to his mind, then told the others I was good to go. Now, being in a Star Wars movie would be awesome, but I thought I was way cuter than Obi Wan.’ The solider in question was too easy. The gypsy could tell within 2 seconds of the encounter what type of mind she was dealing with. Her mesmerism only worked on the weak minded or the distracted and in his case, he was too busy following a script to establish dominance to see her attack coming.

Once she stopped laughing, she took another ‘sip’ from her cup and glanced around. So far so good. ’Getting serious for a moment, I can take you to a person who is making some great fake ID’s now. Is a bit pricey, but you can consider it a welcome back present. Gets you into the system as well, so when one of these clowns demands it, it passes the portable scan. So far mine has not failed me, but I would still avoid serious checkpoints. Those guys go the distance and try to test if you are human or otherwise, so the card won’t save you there. As far as a glass box to hold us all till sunrise? Nothing that elaborate, but I heard rumors of making us our own ‘Jew Zone’ Try and cram all of us in the QZ and keep us there till they figure out what to do with us next. How they can imagine they could keep us all under control in a situation like this is beyond me. Only way that would work is to have a purge first in my view. The survivors too scared to put up any resistance afterwards. After that? Slave labor? Experimentation? ’

She sat back and looked at Charlie. This was quite the heady subject to be discussing in the open like this, and the longer they sat still the more glances they were getting. The majority of the living did not stay in one place too long-especially after dark. ’Suggestion? Let’s take a walk. Blend in with the norms a bit. Find a different spot to camp out at for a time. ‘ She could imagine the gears already turning in Charlie’s head. (or were they microprocessors?) She was plotting something now. Perhaps this would be the hardest thing of all in dealing with this situation. How could one lobby and protest without eventually revealing themselves to a government more interested in destroying you rather than work with you. ’Besides, if the *** can’t endure it, it messes with the brain trying to work and my *** has endured enough for the moment. Mine is telling me get up and move.’

[CharlotteC]

Sorry this took so long... I've been trapped in the matrix >.>

Charlie chuckled a little as she shook her head, yeah the Mounties would be a fun challenge, in fact she was even tempted to do it, even if what Zo said about the locals not being happy about it was true. Though, rather then going for the Mounties, she was tempted, so very tempted, to start with all the soldiers. 'Starting with the one right over there...' her eyes darted to the solider as as she projected her thoughts to Zo. Still, she wasn't about to try something right now with a good set of onlookers sitting around them.

Zo spoke of her own little meet up with some of the soldiers and the whole Star Wars set up, it was amusing to say the least and as she spoke, Charlie almost wished that she had spent more time learning how to work with blades rather than guns, because she would totally build the woman in front of her a lightsaber with purple glow and all. The image of her in a brown robe, holding a purple lightaber and waving her hand around to tell the soldiers to just walk into her blade would be more than amusing and just as she mentioned, cute.

When she mentioned that she knew a guy that would get her into the system and make it good, she nodded, took a long drink of her hot coco and then picked up the basket that was holding her poutine. Thankfully, the basket was one of those card stock disposable kind so she could just take it on the go as they headed to wherever they were to be going. 'I would appreciate that Zo. I have fallen out of contact with my own contacts outside of my thralls and even they have let things go a little since I was gone.' She said to her within her mind while signing with just one hand that currently had fingers coated in brown gravy that basically said that she wanted to see the knew kittens. 'I just can't believe just how bad things have gotten, but at the same time, I could have seen it coming. History is always doomed to repeat because of the fact that we are currently surrounded by idiots. And I don't just mean the humans. Granted, they are a good portion of them, but they aren't the only ones. You know, before I left I really wanted to try to fix things, even if some of my more extra-curricular activities included robbing and raiding.' She said with a smile and continued to nom on her fries, standing, pretending to stretch a little before she looked to Zo with a soft smile.

The fact that she was eating and drinking usually had the tendency to throw off most human gazes, but the soldiers seemed to be anal mother-FRs. 'One thing though that I will always fight against though is those that love to refer to us as monsters. Humans have monsters too, they just don't look like some of us do. I mean look at Jeffery Dahmer or Jeffery Epstine, look at BTK and Son of Sam...' She trailed off, knowing that she was in fact preaching to the choir at this point. 'Sorry, I'm rambling now... so take me to your leader...' She said with a wink to her friend and hoping that she could get this done with sooner rather than later.

[Zodiac]

’Yes, people with half a brain could see it coming, but precious few of us bothered to try and stop it.’ all the joy and light heartedness vanished from her mindspeak now. ’Too many of us kept doing the same stupid things like hamsters pressing the feeder bar expecting a snack. Then when things went totally South?’

Her laugh was sarcastic. ’Suddenly a whole new song was being played, and how it’s more important to fix this problem ALL OF US made rather than lynching the ones that caused the problems to begin with. I agree, in part. Once the problem is solved? Lynching! People think I am crazy for trusting what I find in the cards and other methods of divination, but I saw things and tried to warn people but my words were discarded like tabloid trash. Hell, to some people I am tabloid trash. I heard tale some of the ‘experts’ are holding meetings to try and find a solution, but after years of scorn a big part of me is more interested in what kind of hole do I have to hide in till all this is finally settled.’

She continued to listen as she stood up and dropped her cup in the trash. Zodiac then stuffed a few dollars in the tip jar and gave the server a thumbs up and a smile.

’Oh, I agree totally, but fair is fair.’ she continued speaking with Charlie. ’ Yes, humans have their share of monsters, but so do we. Some of us who were turned were monsters while alive and continue to be one still. Others turned into monsters after being turned. No matter what side of the line we occupy we have our own Dahmar’s and Bundy’s and Speck’s and Gacys and Son of Sam’s. Does our monsters rate special treatment because they are like us?. Ours get a free pass while the human ones get life without parole? Another thing their monsters and ours have in common? They prefer human prey, so I can half understand their concern, but to say ‘all vampires’ is the same as ‘all Mexicans’ or ‘all blacks’ and so on. Racist as ****!’

As she got ready to leave, she pulled her phone out and began to text.

The divine Mz Zo: hey dude, you around? (7:43 PM)

Mr H: for you? Always. What’s up? (7:45 PM)

The divine Mz Zo: gotta friend that needs a new pair of slippers. You available? (7:45 PM)

Mr H: totally. You know where to find me. Just be sure they are good. (7:46 PM)

The divine Mz Zo: no worries. (7:46 PM)

She held the phone up so Charlie could read it. ’We need to head to the slimy part of town. Cops and troops too busy being on the take to worry about us too much down there. My ‘friend’ there knows what palms to grease, keeps a low profile and they leave him alone. God bless Capitalism and the sleazy twats who worship it. And no worries about H. He has done his share of dirty business with me over the last couple years, so I doubt he will mention us to anyone unless he wants to get slammed in return.‘ Zodiac pocketed her phone and stepped outside the outdoor dining area and lit a smoke as she waited for Charlie.

’Money makes the world go around, the world go around,’ she sang softly as they fell into step together. ’We need to take the transit to Newborough. Is a short walk from there.’

As they walked, she looked up at the woman and finally smiled. It was good to be in familiar company again. A rare moment when if she squinted her eyes and mind, everything seemed to be alright again. It was an illusion, of course, but the bulk of her existence dealt with illusions. As long as she did not delude herself, she was fine. ’So, if we all manage to survive this mess, what you got planned for the future? Me? I am still giving South America some serious consideration for now. What I’d really love to do is tour Europe. See the ruins, Stonehenge, go to Romania where my grandparents came from. Things like that.’