AN: At the moment I'm proof reading my stuff alone, as my usual helper (my Mum) is too busy. So if there are any mistakes, I apologise, if you point them out I'll remember to change them.

Two

Mercy was ruthless, she cared not for the pain Sam was enduring, her only concern was that he made it through the tunnel and didn’t die on the way. Lugging his body back to her apartment was an easy task; his body was out cold, having not yet reached the stage of withering pain. In sleep he almost looked peaceful, it was an emotion that Mercy was not accustomed to and for a short while she allowed herself to feel jealous.

There was something different about Sam, something that had Mercy wanting to keep more than the normal distance away from him. It was as though her mind was rebelling against her and wished no ill harm befall Sam. Her mind it seemed wanted to protect Sam. That in itself was a terribly unnerving thought for Mercy had no notion of protection for anyone except herself. Why should she suddenly begin to care for another now, especially one who in her eyes was terribly insignificant.

However, she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering all over the stiff body of Sam, taking in the little marks upon his skin that made up his own personality. The human race was a peculiar sort, always relying on things of little importance and getting always getting paranoid about things that didn’t bare thinking about. Mercy wondered if Sam was the same. Truthfully Mercy hadn’t afforded the same courtesy that she had afforded other prey in her hunts. She had not bothered to learn about Sam beyond the basic facts. Usually learning about ones prey helped to add ground to the chase, making it more defined and personal, however with Sam, Mercy noticed that she had not been as personally involved as she should have been.

She put it down to her changing mind and not knowing when danger would strike. She tried in vain to block out the annoyingly frightful voice of her brother echoing in her mind, telling her what a disappointment her chase had been.

‘The more personal the better Mercy’ growled her brother.

‘How so?’ she replied.

‘The more you know about a person the more interesting you can make the game. If they have family, hold them hostage, if they have a secret, blackmail them. Countless possibilities await those who make it more personal’ he said.

‘What’s the point of dragging it out so much when it could be ended in a matter of seconds?’ she asked.

He roared loud and earth shattering, ‘The game is not meant to be over quickly, and the art is in how long the game can be made. It is simply not enough for a game to be just that, it has to be something more’.

Still Mercy did not understand fully, she could see the excitement with adding extra parts to the game but didn’t deem it necessary.

Thayer looked at Mercy with dislike, ‘Get out of my sight, looking at you too long disgusts me’.

Mercy returned from the memory a little unnerved; her brother wasn’t someone you messed with. Even now, she followed the rules he’d taught her, the thought of being free of her brother was daunting and she wondered if she’d ever get there.

Sam moved in his unconscious state and started to reach out, moaning as he did. He received no comfort, there was no one to hold his hand and tell him that it was all going to be ok. Mercy looked on with disinterest; he was of no use until he awoke. There were different types of Vampires, Class A, B and C. Only those with royal blood like Mercy found themselves in Class A. It was more of a reference than a given title, Vampires didn’t go around calling each other by their class, but it was a useful system. Class B contained most other Vampires, whether born or made. It was Class C that was deemed dangerous, it was originally full of the Vampires who had turned insane and managed to escape death but since Thayer had started to rule, it also included Vampires who had been banished.

Mercy was on the lookout for those Class C banished Vampires. While Sam continued to sleep, Mercy had not sat idly; her mind had been formulating a journey to take her around the world in search of these lost Vampires. The first point of call from New York was to get to San Francisco; from there they would head to Alaska. It would be a long journey but one that Mercy was completely determined to for time did not matter when the death of her brother lay on the horizon.

It was little after the sun had risen that Sam entered the final stages, his moans had weakened and his body was no longer twitching around. Mercy stood so still she looked as though she was carved from rock. She had been hoping for a nice clean transition with plenty of time to submerge her objectives into Sam before he regained control of his own mind and emotions. However it looked as though luck was not on Mercy’s side this morning as the same sickly sweet smell invaded her nostrils signaling the arrival of something uninvited.

Mercy cracked her bones harshly and prepared herself for battle, she guessed Sam was about two or three moments away from waking up. Though Mercy was not worried about what was to come, she couldn’t say she was overly pleased at the prospect of fighting those that leave no survivors behind. Mercy knew her best chance was when Sam awoke for there was nothing more terrifying than a newborn Vampire, where their strength is unparalleled to anything, where their mind is not their own and where their eyes see nothing but red.

Sam awoke amidst a blaze of fury; the world seemed a disoriented blur around him. He saw through eyes of red but nothing made sense, he couldn’t remember why he was there, who he was or what he was called. Then a voice penetrated his hazy state, ‘Sam, Sam’ it whispered, Sam though lacking a sense of direction tried in vain to follow the sound of the voice, ‘Sam I need you’ said the voice, ‘Sam come here’, ‘Sam help me’ it sang.

As Sam’s vision began to clear he saw the threat that had entered the room. To him he didn’t identify the others as the Vampire Assassins, he just saw two vicious people intent on removing the one with the beautiful voice. In Sam’s mind that was something that wasn’t allowed to happen, so rather than thinking first and attacking later, Sam’s mind was set on attacking first. The whispered words of that beautiful voice spurred him on as he ran full pelt at the vicious vampires before him.

Sam had no sense of what he was doing; he was running off adrenaline and instinct. He ripped and tore away at the intruders, as skin collected under his finger nails he showed no signs of giving up. The intruders put up a good fight, they were trained to be the best but Sam was better, he was newer, he was not himself.

He caught the smell of blood in the air and marveled at the way it lingered, as if tempting him to do what he wanted. The battered bodies lay before him still attempting to fight some more but Sam had grown tired, he was strong yet but his belly was empty and it needed filling. The smell was stronger as Sam bent down close to the bodies. He breathed a heavy sigh, the tantalizing flavors washing onto his mouth. Sam gave no resistance to his needs, he delved straight in, drinking from the blood offered before him. When he’d sated himself, there was not much left of the intruders before him, their bodies lay in parts all over the flat and their blood dried on various objects.

Poor Sam was not in his right mind as the transition from human to Vampire is taxing and takes a long time. While Sam’s body had made it through, his mind was still resting, not fully having made the transition to the other side. He was running on thoughts fed to him by Mercy. It was Mercy who had wanted the intruders to be dealt with, Mercy who wanted them dead and Mercy who told him to feed from them. When the time came for Sam’s mind to return, the consequences of Mercy’s mind meddling could go either way.

The road from New York was harder than Mercy had anticipated; Sam was still not in his own mind. He was driven by need and want; it was hard for Mercy to restrain him. Mercy was not accustomed to making Vampires and a small part of her that still acknowledged her brother wished that he had taught her more about it. However, she could understand why he would not. The power she had now unlocked would not be a good omen for her brother in any way.

The journey from New York to San Francisco was long and tiring, a week they had been travelling for now, for Mercy was hesitant to travel by human means or out in the open. She suspected that having not heard back from the assassins, an extra guard would have been sent out to see what had happened. It was a guess of course but Mercy assumed that her brother would want to deal with her as quickly as possible and without causing a scene, thus time would be of the essence and silence from the assassins would be most worrying for Thayer.

As they travelled, Mercy observed Sam as one would observe and animal or small child. His facial features were stronger now that he was a vampire. His hair seemed fuller and brighter, his hands long and slender, his eyes ever growing with a red pulsing need. The bodies of three dead tramps lay forgotten in the corners that Sam had found them in, their skin wrinkled and their body devoid of all blood. Some part of Mercy was thrilled to see Sam behave as such, to see his pleasure in feeding.

Feeding was not for the faint hearted and indeed Mercy knew of many a vampire that had died from a desire not to feast in this manner. There was no alternative; it was human blood or a slow excruciating death. A vampire could not survive on the blood of something other than a human, as other substances didn’t have the same vitamins that a vampire desired to stay healthy and sated.

They stood now, atop a tall wall overlooking the vast city of San Francisco, they had travelled quicker than expected and would continue that way until Sam’s mind had returned and he had gotten used to this new way of life. As Sam showed no signs of moving, waiting as if for orders from his master, Mercy had her eyes closed, body still, searching out what she needed.

Mercy’s life had taught her to be cautious, she had talents if you will that would aide her on her journey. It was uncommon for talents beyond that included in the accelerated traits of vampires generally. Mercy put it down to a lifetime of searching for something more, some escape away from the hand she’d been dealt. If her will was strong enough she could roughly pinpoint the location of that she desired. So as she stood atop the wall she sent her mind out searching for any vampire that was living hidden within the city. She searched for the tortured souls, the ones with regret and anger. She had been expecting great numbers but could only seek out one. Nevertheless it could be one that would help her.

Just as she moved her foot to leap from the wall, she heard a deep sigh. Turning she looked over at Sam, who was no longer stiff and still but had fallen to his knees clutching tightly to them with his hands. Mercy ignored the desire to roll her eyes, she knew that she had successfully planted the ideas she wanted within him i.e. the traits she wanted in a leader, the skills she wanted him to have and loyalty to her. However, she was new at this having never done it before and was anxious to see her attempts had stuck and not fallen on deaf ears.

‘You changed me’ he murmured.

‘Yes’ she replied curtly.

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘You are of use to me’ she said.

‘Of use’ he muttered, ‘you’ve destroyed my life’ he said.

‘I’ve made it better’ she argued, ‘your life was nothing before’.

‘My life was my own’ he growled.

‘It wasn’t’ she replied.

‘You made me feel things I did not feel’.

‘I simply made you more aware of things’ she replied.

‘I did not want this life’ he said.

‘It is the hand you’ve been dealt’ she replied coolly.

‘I would kill you’ he said.

‘But you can’t’ she replied, growing bored of the conversation.

‘A force stops me’ he said and Mercy was thankful that her ideas and notions had been successfully planted.

‘This is your life Sam’ she said.

‘For now’ he whispered but she heard him.

‘We go this way’ she said motioning to the right.

She started to walk, refusing to look back though she knew that he was following. It couldn’t walk away from his creator this early after the change anyhow, and couldn’t walk from the messages planted in his head. Mercy could practically feel the anger rolling off him but she paid it no heed, his suffering was his own. If he chose to be angry at her then that was his bidding but he was wrong to do so. His future had been changed now it was his choice as to where it went.

Mercy had followed the road her mind had told her to be correct, with every step that took her closer the smell of the banished vampire invaded her nostrils a little more and a little stronger. There was a story here she could tell. Her mind’s eye and scent of smell lead her to a tall building that housed flats of meager living. The building itself looked close to falling down and Mercy was shocked that any kind of vampire would willingly seek refuge here. It disgusted her that one of her own was living here like common vermin. Mercy’s upper lip curled in anger, her fangs glinting in the darkness.

‘What are we doing here’ asked Sam – not too quietly.

Mercy glared at him, ‘I seek someone here’ she replied.

‘Going to turn him as well’ said Sam bitterly.

Mercy growled, ‘Your whining does you no favors’.

‘I want no favors from you’ he replied.

‘Then you will shut up until it is time for you to do your job’ she hissed.

He glared at her for a fraction of a second as if contemplating rebellion but realizing that the only rebellion he could manage was one of words. He obtained a defensive stance, one much like Mercy’s and waited for instruction, his natural instinct helping where his mind was baffled.

Mercy assessed the building, her mind told her it was the third floor that she wanted, and there was an open window with a light shining through. A climb that would have been impossible for a human and difficult for a cat was easy for Mercy (and by extent Sam). She made short work of scaling the building, and making for the open window. When pursuing someone who might see you as a threat, always take the route that offers you up as a surprise. Mercy would never think to use the front door, where the other vampire could prepare and launch an attack on her unprepared, Mercy must always be able to retain the upper hand (a lesson drilled into her by her dear brother), for if caught unawares it could only be a few shorts seconds before your head was ripped from your body and you lay dead on the ground.

Mercy landed light on her feet on the other side of the window, Sam followed close behind her. The room though it seemed bright from the outside was dimly light and void of a lot of furniture, it seemed only items deemed necessary were included in the room. Mercy did not move from her attacking stance and Sam did not move from his defensive one. Mercy’s eyes scanned the room, the other windows, doors and possible exits before coming to rest on the occupant before her.

Her eyes swept over the vampire, narrowing as they took in the disheveled appearance, unwashed clothes and rabid face.

‘You need to eat’ she said.

‘And you should not be here misericordia’ he spat.

Mercy growled as he used the Latin version of her name, it was improper to call her such but a small price to pay knowing that he actually recognized her.

‘Your name’ requested Mercy.

‘Grifel’ he replied solemnly.

‘I do not know you’ she replied.

‘You wouldn’t, I am not welcome in the court of your brother’ he growled.

‘Well we are not in the court of my brother, so you better talk…fast’ she replied.

Grifel eyed her suspiciously, contemplating her demand. He was wise to assumed that Mercy was dangerous, one wrong move could end his life, but at the same time he wanted to act stubborn and remain quiet, after all, it was her who had sought out him.

‘I was, in our world, a blacksmith. Our army was practically nothing when they weren’t wearing armor made by me or carrying the weapons I’d prepared. You know it was a good trade to have, and it served me well under the rule of your parents but then that fateful day arrived and the King and Queen of centuries passed were suddenly no more. It was a time of uncertainty for our land, for the option of which brother to choose was a difficult one’.

‘I only have one brother’ growled Mercy.

‘Aye, you do now. You had another, he vanished in the lead up to coronation, and he was to be the new King. Obviously that didn’t sit well with someone and he was disposed of. Pity, he was a good vampire. Anyway, your brother Thayer took over the crown and for a short period of time we were blessed with peace and prosperity but these things don’t last forever. It quickly became apparent that we were not safe under the care of King Thayer’.

‘It started suddenly, rumors spread about torture of villager who’d done wrong in the eyes of the King, people started going missing almost like your brother was picking them off one by one. Anyone he didn’t like or anyone that wouldn’t follow his command was removed. His reputation for torture grew, people fled to any world they could find. The doors were sealed after that to anyone by King Thayer and his royal guard. I knew it was only a matter of time before he came to me’.

Grifel chanced a glance at Mercy but her stiff stance and expressionless face gave nothing away.

‘Your brother has plans Mercy; some believe he isn’t right in the head. He came to me one dusky evening, demanding a special kind of armor and weapons for near on five thousand men. The special armor and weapons had been something I was working on with your father, the late King, as a backup precaution if we were ever to find ourselves threatened; it was to be used as a last resort only. However, your brother had other plans for it. He wanted to take over the worlds that lay beyond the doors, he felt us to be the superior race and he wants to rule everything’.

‘Perhaps it was foolish of me but I denied him. No sense comes from fighting the other worlds; the inhabitants of half those worlds are still unknown to us. The plans he had for this planet were most startling, without this planet we would be hard pressed to survive but to turn it into the farm he wanted, this planet would have died in a matter of years. When I refused your brother was enraged, even then he wasn’t used to people saying no. He banished me to this world before I could even blink my eye. He said he was doing me a kindness that I should feel honored, but reminded me not to get too comfortable for the royal guard would be checking up on me. I’ve been banished here these last fifty years, living quite pathetically in fear of what could happen should the royal guard find me’.

‘But it’s only been...’ muttered Mercy.

‘Ten years for you, fifty for me’ he replied.

Mercy unwillingly let an emotion cross her face, confusion.

‘Time spans differently between worlds, one year in our world equals five years in this human world’ he said.

His words reminded Mercy of another unknown fact, ‘They’re other doors besides the one leading here?’ she asked.

‘You didn’t know?’

‘Clearly’ she replied coolly.

‘Yes there are more doors, originally it was only members of the royal family that were privy to this fact but since your brother took to the throne, he hasn’t exactly been quiet in his endeavors. Your brother may well be a tyrant and intelligent to boot but he loves a boast’.

‘I know my brother well, I bear no illusions to how he plays the game’ said Mercy.

‘The game?’

‘Of life generally, whatever Thayer may be, he taught me well. His life will end at the hands of his own creation, me’ she said.

‘You intend to kill him, your own brother’.

‘The term brother doesn’t fit Thayer but yes I intend to kill him, you think I cannot do it?’ she smirked.

‘Alone perhaps not’.

‘Who said I was alone?’

‘There are others?’ he asked.

‘Yes’ she replied, smiling evilly and letting her fangs show, ‘You’.