Chapter Text
The air is harsh and biting. Winter is coming and frost nips at the blades of grass on the field, on the tips of the leaves on the trees that still cling there. The cold chills the end of the soldier's nose uncomfortably.
The soldier sneezes and is treated to a warning flash of brown eyes from a diminutive looking girl, who appears to be around twenty years old. "Shh," hisses the girl. "They're close, if they hear us…"
"I know, I know," whispers the soldier, wrinkling their nose, lifting an arm to rub it vigorously, lessening the itch. "Can you see them?"
The girl lifts her chin, pale skin oddly bright when touched by the moonlight. "I can smell them," she answers.
Well.
The two of them are hidden rather clumsily, behind a small cluster of trees with a clear vantage point of the grassy plain. They are both rather small in stature, and both sets of eyes are quick and aware, but that is where their outward similarities end for the most part.
The soldier looks like exactly that – military, focused and deadly. They crouch low to the ground, clutching a serious looking gun and wearing top of the line combat equipment, from bullet proof vest to heavy boots. A professional in their prime – forty five, seasoned and experienced. Red hair chopped short in a crew cut is streaked through with grey now, but age hasn't dulled the soldier's senses, rather given them vital experience.
The girl, on the other hand, looks more like a feral child than anything else. Her hair is pulled back in a sleek, no nonsense style, but there is dirt on her cheeks, and where the soldier wears sensible military gear, the girl is clad in nothing but a thin dark blue sweater, and plain black pants. There is a wild fierceness in her expression; something that would send a shiver down any man's spine. She carries no weapon. She does not need one.
As Lafontaine watches, Laura's upper lip pulls back, and her fangs glint in the moonlight. "What?" asks the soldier warily.
The vampire doesn't answer right away, but simply nods out into the field. There are two figures there, moving slowly.
Lafontaine lifts the gun silently, and squeezes one eye shut, the crosshairs trained on one of the targets' chest with expert precision. "Just say when."
Now Laura smiles even wider, and she has to spit the word around her fangs. "When."
The recoil of the gun is paired with the soft whoosh as Laf's companion shoots from her hiding place in the grass, supernatural speed racing with the bullet that has been fired. The seasoned soldier leans forward to watch one of the figures in the plain fall – killed by the shot.
The other figure is already on the ground, being drained by the thirsty vampire.
Standing and stretching aching legs, Lafontaine pulls a black communicator from their belt. "Targets down. Minimal combat, no casualities."
There is only a short pause before a voice replies back. "Roger. Clean up required?"
Lafontaine's eyesight is only human, and thus limited, but the field is bright with moonlight, and the sight of a tiny vampire digging in to the second lifeless body isn't hard to make out. "No," Laf answers. "No clean up required."
xxx
Danny is restless, but what else is new.
She sits sprawled on a black leather armchair in an office, watching an older (at least in appearance) woman typing away at computer. A soft ping sound comes from the speakers, and Danny sits up, alert. "Who –"
But Perry doesn't even wait for Danny to finish her sentence, nor does she look up from her computer screen. "That was Team Two," she answers, no nonsense tone clipped and abrupt. "They've checked in at base, both targets down, no casualties.
And Danny slumps back into her chair. "Team Two…" she grumbles dismissively. There is an elongated pause where the only sound is Perry's fingers on her keyboard. "I hope Laura ate something at least." Danny adds after a moment.
The tapping stops, and Perry leans around her computer screen to fix Danny with a stern look. "You'd do best to leave that sort of thing to those who understand it," she says, her tone a bit scolding.
Danny shrugs, examining her own fingernails. "She's been hungry lately, that's all I'm saying. You don't have to live in her section, she gets irritable."
Before Perry can answer, another soft alert sounds from her computer. Looking at it briefly, she sighs, shaking her head. "It's your lucky day, Danny. Front door, Blue Scout has checked in at base." Perry's eyes flash over the report on her screen and she clucks her tongue disapprovingly. "Checked in very sarcastically, I might add."
But Danny is already on her feet, grin on her face. "Front door?"
Perry looks around her computer screen with a frown, watching the lanky girl vault straight over the back of the leather armchair she had been sprawled in. "Be careful, the both of you! Just because you look like teenagers doesn't mean you have to act like it!"
The sound of Danny's footsteps change as she leaves Perry's office and takes the outside route to the front of the station. As soon as her feet hit the cold dirt, they change, morph. And the cadence of two feet becomes the rapid pattern of four, and the moonlight shines down on deep red fur as the wolf inside the girl runs with unabashed glee.
xxx
Carmilla pushes the medic away, scowling. "Did you not read my file, princess?" she spits at the woman holding gauze and tape. "I'm a vampire, I'll heal on my own." Her eyes search the crowd of people in front of her. "Does no one do their paperwork anymore? I requested a commanding officer, or did everyone just decide I'd be happy with a band aid instead?"
A gruff laugh sounds from a corner and Carmilla rolls her eyes. "Finally," she groans, and pushes through the small crowd of people to see the six foot plus man leaning against a wall. He was always big, but age and military rank suits Kirsch, and his presence is truly commanding now, in his mid forties.
Carmilla still sees a thick headed nineteen year old frat boy, though, despite everything. She temporarily takes some pleasure in fixing every single errant medic with a bone chilling glare before they all scurry away, leaving the hallway clear but for Kirsch and herself.
She turns to look up at the hulking Lieutenant. "Did you read my report?"
The big man nods, scratching at the half inch or so of stubble on his square jaw. "I read your report," he says. "Seemed clear to me, what's the deal?"
Carmilla meets his eyes for a moment before abruptly moving forward and grabbing him by the arm, unceremoniously pulling him into an empty meeting room across the hall. The lights flicker on automatically as the two of them enter. Carmilla locks the door behind them.
Kirsch is the senior officer here, and although he has known Carmilla for over twenty years, you don't just yank your senior officer around like a rag doll. Needless to say, he is more than a little miffed. "Okay Scout, what the hell?"
The vampire fixes Kirsch with a piercing stare for only a moment before pulling the strap of the canvas bag she has slung over her shoulder so it falls open onto the floor. She bends down and starts rooting through it as she speaks. "I got to the site. Nothing wrong, typical recon, whatever. There were a few hostiles, took em out."
Kirsch is frowning, not hearing an explanation. "I know, I did say I read your report, if you were listening to me at all. You got in, you were looking for strategy plans, you looked around, you found nothing."
Carmilla finds what she was looking for in her bag and pulls it out – it's a sweater, very large and faded blue. It's wrapped around something the approximate size of a bowling ball. "I lied in my report," Carmilla says bluntly. "I did find something, but it's sure as hell not strategy plans." She unravels the sweater.
Nope, definitely not strategy plans.
"It's an egg," says Kirsch, staring at it.
Carmilla fights the urge to roll her eyes with extreme difficulty – helped by the fact that the urge to get some damn answers is much stronger at the moment. "I know it's an egg," she hisses, practically spitting her words and taking a step closer to her senior officer. "It's very egg-like, it's round, it's an oval – I know it's a shocker but I actually do possess the ability to determine things like this despite the fact that I'm only a Scout - "
"Okay, okay!" says Kirsch quickly, before Carmilla's rather famed temper can fly even more off the handle. "I understand. And if I'm getting your meaning right, which I'm pretty sure I am…"
"It's a supernatural egg," says the vampire, a little bit of fire fading from her voice but her eyes still blazing. "It's bright green, it's actually glowing and I found it in some fifteenth tier base of the establishment that's trying to wipe all supernatural creatures out, not hatch more. And, cherry on top, I've never seen anything like this in my entire life, which is saying something." She pauses for one very heated, very poignant moment. "Why did the Purity Foundation have this, Kirsch?"
He holds her gaze, his ability to do so one of the many things that make him such a damn good Lieutenant. "I don't know," he says after a moment. "But you can sure as hell bet that I'm not going to rest until I find out." He looks down at the egg. "Wrap that thing up again – I'll take it upstairs."
There is one long moment where Carmilla hesitates and considers just yelling at him again for a few minutes to make herself feel better. She resists though, and slowly wraps up the egg. "You'll keep me in the loop, I'm assuming."
He raises an eyebrow. "That's against regulations. Of course I will."
The corners of Carmilla's mouth twitch as she hands the egg over. "Good." She rolls her shoulders reflexively, looking a bit on edge even still.
Kirsch raises an eyebrow as he leads the vampire out of the room, back into the hallway. "What's wrong, Blue? Not a fan of running recon solo today? And here I thought you were such an edgy, brooding loner."
Carmilla shoots him a biting look. "I'm a fan of playful banter while I work," she says finally. "And it's my dear partner's own fault for getting benched, anyway."
Kirsch laughs quietly, egg held under his arm like a basketball. "Red was getting a mandatory physical."
Carmilla snorts. "Mandatory is such a funny word. I prefer to pronounce it – 'I'll do it if I goddamn want to.'"
"Remind me to book you an entire week with the medics, I'm beginning to suspect you've actually never let one of them touch you," says Kirsch, shaking his head. And then he looks just over Carmilla's shoulder at a softly blipping light above the door, flashing yellow. "Although maybe not just yet, looks like we've got an incoming supernatural being." He smiles. "You broadcast your check in message direct to Perry's office, didn't you?"
For the first time tonight, Carmilla's grin is free of any snark, and her eyes glint with a certain childish delight that almost makes her look like a normal eighteen year old. "You know how I like to be thorough with my paperwork." She nods briefly at the bundle under Kirsch's arm. "Keep me updated."
He nods seriously, once. "I will." And then he smiles wide as he hears honest to god scratching at the door of the compound. "Now for god's sakes Carmilla, go take your dog for a walk."
She's out the door before he can even blink.
xxx