The Halfbreed Threat

Part 3

Vincent quickly discarded the feeling something was happening and moved to ask both their helpers:

"So guys, do you think if someone has lived for 800 years, like Peter here, he could be considered old?"

"Definitely! Man the things you must have seen and done!" Manny said, admiration and enthusiasm both clear in his eyes.

"I guess it depends." Was Kyra's answer, obviously not sure what to say and trying to avoid upsetting her boss.

"See Peter, you are old!"

"I am not!" He said, showing the first signs of exasperation.

"But since you brought it up, I'd like to know how old YOU are Vincent. As I recall you were already a council member of the Keepers when I first became one. I tried to ask my Guide about the council and the members." Peter said.

"What answer did you get?" Vincent asked him.

"He said I wasn't ready for the answer. So I'm still curious."

"You won't like my answer either." Vincent said.

"Well try me!" Peter replied.

"I do not think you are ready for the answer."

"What? I'm 800 years old, and I've been with the order for the last 760!" he said with an incredulous look on his face.

"Did you just admit to being old?" Vincent said, going for a low blow to distract him from the question.

"Wait, whaaat? No, I... ok fine. I'm old." He said admitting defeat.

"Don't worry about it my friend; you are only as old as you feel. I for one feel like thirty and you should have heard Miss Collins, my receptionist. Just this morning she scolded me like I was a school boy still." Vincent replied trying to cheer him up.

"So Peter, what do you think about the recent attacks?" Manny and Kyra both took that as a queue to return to their posts.

"To be honest, I'm baffled. The way it acts would suggest vampire or vampire related but at the same time, the symptomatology - and I mean to say there are no fatalities – which indicates that genetically it has our traits." Peter said pensively.

"You are referring here to its – let's assume and hope for – inability to kill and the fact there are no marks left on the victims?"

"Indeed. So definitely not vampire. Those have been eradicated millennia ago anyway. I'm ashamed to think we have a common creator." Peter said.

"Maybe a hybrid of some sort? Remember the creator was just a very good geneticist who stumbled upon that gene and the activating process. His mistake was in choosing to make his findings public, hoping in his naivety the greater good would be served. An idealist, just like most of the human scientists today.

Then there was choice. Some, inebriated by the newfound power, decided to act and/or be reckless, wild and cruel. Their choices altered their genome in time and so the first vampires appeared. Some went to reject the find completely and a few saw the true potential. Those few funded, supported and developed the process towards a peaceful existence, adapting to the environment, hiding in plain sight, fighting the vampires from the shadows and keeping the other races from finding out. The Keepers were chosen for that task – to keep our kind safe and fight our battles our way."

*Author's Note

Many thanks for the reads, comments and votes (hopefully :D ).