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Chapter Text

Techno's favorite takeaway store wasn't the one that was closest to his apartment, but it was worth the walk. Whatever kitchen made their premade meals was heavy-handed with the spices and the flavor. Rows and rows of delicious meals in little aluminum dishes filled refrigerated containers organized by cuisine type.

Techno turned down the Italian aisle and smiled to himself in victory to find that the trip was a success. He opened his insulated tote and scanned each meal as he put it away, then passed his forearm over the scanner so it could read the microchip implanted there and charge his account. The cheery jingle of the bells over the door rang out as he left.

It was a nice night in FHH-004, also known as Ardcour. One of many domed cities, often referred to as “habitats” by amused humans, owned and run by a vampire for other vampires and humans to live in. Ardcour, specifically, was owned by an ancient vampire known only as the Angel. It was entering early summer. The night was pleasantly crisp after the mild heat of the day.

His route took him through Flowerfall Park. From the pond at the center, he heard the frogs and cicadas singing, while lightning bugs flashed their lights all throughout the trees lining the paths. The lightning bugs had been a controversial addition to the dome, with some worrying that the frogs would eat the toxic insects and be poisoned. Fortunately, the frogs didn't seem attracted to them at all, satisfied with the food provided by the pond. And the little bugs would sometimes even escape the confines of the park and could be seen around the trees that lined the sidewalks up and down the main street.

Up ahead was where he lived. Ardcour’s residential areas were all themed; Techno lived in the Arctic District. All this meant was that the buildings were vaguely taiga themed, with spruce facades and evergreen decor. The names, also, followed the theme; Techno turned onto Snow Fox Lane and then walked up to building 2020. He passed his forearm over the scanner, and the door read the microchip implant and let him in. Then it was just a short elevator ride up to floor 12 to scan his microchip and enter unit 1203.

His little one-bedroom was comfortable and well-maintained. In school they had been taught horror stories of the way things were before, when human corporations owned most of the housing and ran them as for-profit money machines, with financial gain as the first and only goal, and only the flimsy protection of the law standing between these “landlords” and abject misery for the tenants. They had read firsthand accounts of that time and heard humans complaining about everything from leaky ceilings and malfunctioning climate control systems, to lazy repairs and construction, and even fire hazards. And account after account complained about nothing getting repaired, sometimes ever.

Techno had never lived in an apartment like that. He and his sister had been born in a comfortable vampire-owned flat, and once he turned 20, the human age of majority, he was able to apply for a unit for himself. His own home had come pre-furnished, as all apartments did, and had windows that sealed properly and doorways that were still plumb. The walls and floors were all properly insulated so he almost never heard his neighbors. The layout was spacious and comfortable. The rent was very reasonable, as the Angel was concerned with human comfort as much as profit and was satisfied as long as the building's finances were in the black.

He put his bags on the countertop in his small kitchenette, as he had opted to save money by renting a unit without a full kitchen. That was a very popular choice. Buying premade meals was actually cheaper than buying the ingredients and cooking for himself, anyway. So all he needed was a refrigerator/freezer and a small countertop oven.

Almost as soon as the bag was down, he had his phone out and was calling the top pinned contact.

“Hey, what's up?” his sister answered almost immediately.

“So imagine my surprise,” he said as he started taking trays out of the bag, “as I perused the shelves of McPuffy’s this evening, and found a couple of a certain someone's favorite spaghetti meal.”

A gasp on the other end. “The turkey meatballs?” Niki asked breathlessly.

“The very same,” he agreed. “If you want to come over, I'll pop you one in the oven?”

“I'll be over in ten,” she said, and the line went dead.

Techno chuckled to himself and put a metal tray of spaghetti with turkey meatballs in the oven for Niki, and a chicken pot pie for himself. He hadn't even bothered to lock the door behind himself.

“Best baby brother ever,” Niki declared when she came up for air twenty minutes later.

Techno snorted. “You're older by seven minutes,” he reminded her.

“Still counts,” she retorted, as he knew she would. “And you said there were two? How much do I owe you?”

“Nah, don't worry about it,” he said. “That weird guy with the bucket hat came in again today, and he always overtips.”

“Ok,” Niki said. “We just landed a big job at work, so I'm hopefully making a pie. I'll give you a slice when it's finished.” He nodded; Niki loved baking and would often share with him. “Do you have any plans after work tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It's my day to give blood.”

“She laughed. “All the more reason to come replenish your blood sugar afterwards,” she joked.

The rules of living in a domed city run by vampires were simple. Sure, there were some laws as well, stuff like no stealing and don't physically assault other people and maybe let's put on some clothes before we go outside, the standard stuff you'd expect from a civilized society. But that was all human stuff, taken care of at the human level, and the vampires tended to let it remain there.

The highest rules, the ones that the vampires who owned the place actually gave a damn about, were as follows:

1. Do not harass any vampires, or try to harm them in any way.
2. Any human that gave a half-liter of blood every 60 days would be given a sizable credit towards their housing.
3. Any human could be claimed by a vampire at any time.

That last one freaked people out sometimes, especially since no one actually knew what happened to those claimed humans. Some humans refused to live in a city run by vampires for that reason, and it was a valid concern.

For the vast majority of humanity, the benefits far outweighed the danger of catching a vampire’s eye. Besides, it was super rare. Techno had been living in vampire-run habitats his entire life, and he didn't know a single person that had been claimed. Nor did he know anyone who knew anyone, as far as he knew. There just weren't that many vampires around to snatch up their poor, defenseless human neighbors.

The trick was to avoid the attention of a vampire. Any vampires. At all. And in that endeavor, Techno had been successful.

Sort of.

“... so I said to him, of course I know how to talk to women. Do you know how many wives I have?”

“Uhh-huh,” Techno said automatically as he put a freshly cleaned glass down on the countertop and picked up a dirty one.

“Honestly, Tubbo is my best friend, but sometimes I really think-” Tommy continued. Techno tuned him back out.

Tommy was the only vampire Techno knew, the only one with whom he had ever had more than just passing contact. And the kid was weird. Talkative and social to the extreme, and a little self-centered. Not in a selfish way, just in a way like it has never occurred to him that others may have their own thoughts and motivations.

Honestly, Techno would have never guessed that the kid was anything other than a bratty teen. But the signs were all there: a blood-red ring around the irises of his eyes that radiated out into the white sclera to make them look bloodshot, movements that were occasionally a little too fast or sharp to be human, and a general aura of a predator that even now made Techno's instincts occasionally on edge.

The especially old ones, the Ancient Ones, had wings. Big glossy feathered things. Techno didn’t know if vampires got them at some point after they had lived long enough, waking up one evening to a new set of limbs, or if they were a limited edition drop and no longer available. He just knew enough to stay away from the birdy ones.

From a young age, Techno had been taught to look for those signs and show great respect and deference to the vampires that exhibited them. That respect had lasted less than 30 seconds when he first met Tommy.

For a vampire city, there just weren't as many vampires as there were humans. There couldn't be. Techno had done the math once, and assuming his classes as a child were correct and a vampire needed to feed on human blood once every day, then a city of 100,000 humans like Ardcour could support 1,000 vampires. Statistically speaking, even if they didn't purposely try to avoid vampiric attention like Techno did, each human could only expect to personally know one to three vampires.

And Tommy was Techno's one.

Fortunately, Techno didn't think that Tommy was senior enough to claim anything bigger than a stool at the coffee shop.

“And then Tubbo said- Techno, I do believe you haven't listened to a word I've said.”

Techno sighed. This happened every so often. “One, this is a coffee bar, not a regular bar,” he began. “I'm a barista, not a bartender. And certainly not a relationship counselor.” He put the clean glass down and counted the one on his fingers. “Two,” counted on the second finger, “I'm mostly just trying to do my job and wondering if you're going to order something.” Another patron nearby gasped at his audacity at speaking to a vampire like this, but Techno ignored them. “And, three,” he counted off a third finger, “you accidentally insulted a woman whom you only have referred to as ‘the queen’ and Tubbo accused you of not knowing how to speak to women, an accusation you rebutted with the claim that you have many wives; a claim you've made many times before but have ignored me when I've asked for any sort of proof that these wives exist in the first place.”

Tommy stared at him unblinkingly, a very vampiric expression, before he began laughing so hard he almost fell off his stool. “Oh, Blade!” he said, “I never should have doubted you.”

“No, you shouldn't have,” Techno agreed, which just set Tommy off on another laughing fit. “Now would you like me to make you a frozen coffee, or-”

Techno was interrupted by the bell above the door ringing out, announcing a new customer. Techno perked up when he recognized the man with the bucket hat.

“I'll get one in a minute,” Tommy replied, still giggling. But Techno ignored him.

Instead, he opened up the little container of tea bags. “Chai or Ginger and Peach?” he asked.

“Actually, I was thinking Orange and Spice today,” the man replied, already digging into his wallet.

Some people still preferred to carry physical currency. Techno couldn't understand why; scanning your chip was so much easier. But in Bucket Hat’s case, he wasn't complaining.

Techno had a clean teacup out and filled with hot water, with a spoon and the bag of loose tea and spices on the side, before Bucket Hat finished retrieving the bills. “That will be two-”

“Keep the change,” Bucket Hat said while handing Techno a bill for 50 units, the same as he always did.

Techno almost just took it without comment, like he always did. But something today stopped him. “Are you sure?” popped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Bucket Hat looked at him, surprised, then looked behind him at Tommy, like that would offer enlightenment. Which, ok, Tommy was a vampire, but he had no control over Techno or over his choices. Techno turned to see Tommy looking between him and Bucket Hat, equally confused.

“It's just, you've been here a lot recently.” Oh no, what if Techno offended him. “Not that that's a bad thing!” he was hasty to clarify. “It's just, you've gotten tea here three times this week, and at this point I feel like I'm robbin’ ya.”

Bucket Hat blinked at him, then busted out laughing. The whole thing reminded Techno somehow of what Tommy had done a few minutes earlier. “No, no, it's fine!” Bucket insisted. “It's fine, it's yours! Keep the change, mate!”

“Only if you're sure,” Techno insisted, making change in the register and pocketing the rest.

Bucket Hat watched him do it, an amused look on his face. “I'm Phil, by the way,” he said.

“Phil,” Techno repeated. “I'm Techno.”

“Pleasure finally meeting my tea distributor,” Phil said, saluting Techno with the spoon. “Have a great rest of your evening, mate!”

“Thanks, you too,” Techno replied, looking down at the countertop and scrubbing it so that Phil didn't see the smile threatening to spread over his face at the exchange.

So he completely missed the knowing look that Tommy gave Phil, or the thoughtful look that Phil gave back to Tommy.

In Ardcour, each district had its own medical clinic. The Arctic District was no exception. In an entrance on the back was where humans went to give blood.

Giving blood was not mandatory, but it was extremely common. In exchange for a half liter every other month, a human received a credit off their housing. Between the smaller kitchenette and giving blood, Techno's rent was only around 15% of his total income. Niki's was the same.

Techno walked in and scanned his chip before the receptionist could ask. The receptionist turned to look at his screen, but Techno was already looking back towards the donation area. There wasn't a crowd today, so he should be able to get in and out pretty-

“Mr. Blade?” the receptionist said. “It appears that your collection for today has been cancelled.”

Cancelled? How was that possible?

Sure, he knew that it happened. Sometimes a physician would refuse to let someone who was sick give blood, both for their sake as well as the sake of the vampire who would eventually consume it. It had just never happened to him.

“What does that mean?” he asked the receptionist.

“That sort of private medical information is on a need-to-know basis, Mr. Blade, so I cannot tell you,” was the reply. “However, if you head through that door right there into the main body of the medical center, there is a physician there that's ready to speak with you about what's going on.”

Not seeing much of an option, Techno followed those instructions.

Sure enough, a nurse was waiting for him on the other side. “Mr. Blade?” he asked, holding out a scanner. Techno ran his forearm over it without saying a word. “Alright, please follow me.”

The nurse led him to an exam room, where a doctor was already waiting. Techno stiffened a little at the sight. He wasn't used to dealing with vampires quite this closely. Sure, all the techs that actually extracted his blood were vampires, as vampires had a biological advantage over humans in finding veins and arteries. But that was done in a big open room, and with the blood tech barely paying him any attention.

“Why don't you take a seat?” the doctor asked, gesturing to the exam chair. She smiled at him as she said it, careful to not show her fangs.

Techno settled into the chair.

“I'm sure you're a little anxious about what's going on,” the doctor continued. “I'm Dr. Puffy and I'm here to help you with those worries.” She pulled out a pair of latex exam gloves and set them aside. “Honestly, it's nothing serious, just us doing our due diligence. We reran one of the labs we took at your bi-yearly physical a few months ago, and we're just a little concerned about some of these numbers. I'm going to be doing another blood draw, myself, for the labs, just to double check. Is that ok?”

She didn't wait for an answer, already taking out the equipment she would need.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Techno said. He had been ready to give blood today, anyway. “Can I ask what is concerning? Like what exactly?”

“I'd honestly rather not say until we get the results back, which should be in just a few hours,” she replied. The chair he was in had a little table that could be pulled out; she did that, and physically placed his arm on the table.

Honestly this whole thing seemed a little more rushed than he was used to. Maybe because she was a doctor, not a blood tech?

Either way, she had zeroed in on a vein in the meat of his bicep in no time. The tourniquet went on, then she was rubbing it with an alcohol wipe, then with one of those yellow wipes, then the needle was in his arm. All before he could properly form an opinion one way or another.

Well. This was … probably fine. It was just as painless as always, as the yellow wipe numbed the area and would make it heal much faster after they were done. But this needle looked different. There was the part with the valve to connect to the bag to collect blood, that was normal. But there was another part off to the side. Another valve thing.

“There we go,” Dr. Puffy said, and he saw she had taken only enough to fill a tube, no bag. “And here you go.”

A syringe was suddenly screwed onto the other valve, the one she hadn't used to collect blood. He opened his mouth to ask what was happening, but before he could get out a word she had already pushed down on the plunger. Injecting whatever had been in that syringe directly into his veins.

“What was that?!” he asked, a little alarmed.

“Hmm?” she asked, as she took the needle out of his arm. “Oh, the stuff at the end? A saline solution with some extra vitamins, just to help top you off and keep you healthy and hydrated.”

It did tingle, a bit, as it entered his bloodstream. “A warnin’ would've been appreciated,” he drawled.

“Sorry,” she said, smiling warmly at him again. He felt himself relax at that smile, just a bit. “Force of habit. I usually work with children.”

That might explain why she was so rushed, too. A young child would have a limited period of time she could work with before they started screaming. “Alright,” he said, still unsure of what had happened but not willing to make a fuss about it. “And the results of the blood test will be on the health portal?”

“Within a few hours,” she assured him. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Blade.”

“That's … weird,” was what Niki had to say about it later that day.

“Eh, vampires are weird,” Techno replied. But it had been nagging at him all day. He took another bite of Niki's cherry pie, to cover the uneasiness.

“Mmmh,” Niki hummed in agreement. But she didn't look like she believed him.

“So what about your day?” Techno asked, desperate to cover the awkward turn the conversation had taken.

“Oh, it was actually nice,” Niki replied. She knew what he was doing, Techno could tell, but she was willing to play along. “We had a large party to cover at the governor's mansion.”

Niki worked with a catering company. Techno had been worried when she first accepted the job, as it would mean brushing shoulders with the city’s elite, which would naturally include vampires. But it seemed that the vampire elite had their own separate companies they used. Niki could count on one hand the number of times she had seen a vampire at one of the parties she worked.

“How did it go?” Techno asked. He took another bite of pie.

“Slow at first,” she said. “Lots of familiar faces. Fundy was trying to be a diva, as usual, but the Purple Lady was there and she shut him down.”

The city just wasn't but so big. There were plenty of faces that showed up again and again at the parties she worked. She knew the identity of some, like Fundy Soot, cousin of Tubbo Underscore, human governor of Ardcour. She didn't know the identity of others, like the Purple Lady.

Either way, some showed compassion and grace towards the catering staff. Some didn't. Ah, the joys of public-facing jobs.

“Any excessive displays of wealth and opulence?” Techno asked with a chuckle as he took a sip out of his glass. Cherry pie called for vanilla ice cream, homemade with honey instead of sugar, and sparkling dessert wine. Those were Niki's rules, not Techno's. And who was he to argue?

“Other than the enormous tower of puff pastries we put together?” Niki asked with a chuckle of her own, as she chased a cherry around her plate with her fork.

Sugar was expensive. The canes it came from required very specific conditions to grow. Honey was a more commonly used sweetener, but for some dishes, it had to be regular white cane sugar. Niki's workplace brought in bulk. If they had any left over, and they almost always did, they would sell it to their employees at cost. This meant that Niki could get a kilogram of sugar for something like half what she would have paid at a grocery store.

“They also had an insane amount of flowers hanging from the ceiling,” she continued.

“Flowers from the ceiling?” Techno asked, amused.

“Yeah, but not in pots. They were, like, wisteria or something. I didn't get a very good look. Honestly, I don't think they were even real. But it created an effect that was actually kind of pretty.” She paused to take a sip out of her own glass. “They had them grouped by color, so you'd have a patch of white other there, a patch of pink here, a patch of purple there. And they'd fade into each other. It honestly looked nice.” Another sip. “But it probably took those poor bastards working in the governor's palace for-fucking-ever to put together.”

Techno laughed at that, a full laugh of the type he only laughed with his twin, and finished off the glass.

They chatted for a bit longer, but both had work the next day. “I'll walk you home,” Niki offered. Techno smirked back. His apartment was on the same floor, right down the hall; one twin would “walk” the other home by watching from their own doorway to make sure the other twin got inside safely and without incident. Not because they were worried about crime or anything; mostly to make sure someone's drunk ass didn't fall down a stairwell.

Techno was halfway home when he was approached by someone. “Mr. Techno Blade?” the young man asked.

So much for not worrying about crime. “Yes?” Techno answered, hesitant.

“For you, sir,” the man said. He handed Techno a sealed envelope. “May I scan your chip to confirm delivery?”

Techno had heard of receiving letters certified before, but had never experienced it himself. “Sure,” he said, holding out his arm. While studying the envelope in his other hand.

It was from City Hall?

“What is it?” Niki asked from her doorway.

“I don't know,” he answered, thoroughly confused.

There was a beep. “Thank you, sir,” the courier said. “Have a great rest of your day.” And he left.

Niki was by his side before the elevator doors finished closing. “What is it?” she asked again. “From the City?”

“Let's see,” Techno said, opening the door to his apartment. The whole time, his mind was reeling. Had he paid all his fees and taxes? Had he broken the law and somehow forgotten about it? Niki closed it behind her, and they walked over to his couch.

“What does it say?” she asked him eagerly as his eyes scanned the page, but he didn't answer.

He couldn't answer.

The confusion he had felt ever since the letter had been given him had given way to realization, then shock.

Now, all he could feel was a cold knot of dread settling in his gut.

“What does it say?!” Niki asked again, worried by his reaction. But he couldn't answer. Wordlessly, he handed her the paper.

TECHNO BLADE,

Congratulations! It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been personally chosen by one of the vampire members of Ardcour of a sufficient rank to Claim and Turn you into a vampire yourself.

While this is an immense honor, we understand that it may be overwhelming. For that reason, we have allotted ONE WEEK for you to conclude any business before enjoying your new life. We also wish to reassure you that you do not need to dispose of your possessions; they will automatically be packed and delivered to your new sire's residence.

Please see below for the address of your assigned Turning Center, as well as the date of your appointment. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to take care of any last minute paperwork.

And below it, an address, and a date: seven days in the future, at 8 PM.

The race had begun.

Chapter Text

Take down the suitcase from the hall closet. Put it on the bed in the bedroom and open it up. Fill it. Shirts. Pants.

“Techno.”

Socks. Underwear. For how many days?

“Techno.”

Scratch that, a suitcase was too obvious. How about a day pack? Just an innocent backpack? Take the packed clothes out of the suitcase and zip it back up, then take it to the hall closet and put it away.

“Techno!”

Where was that pack again? Probably in the closet in the master bedroom. Techno turned to go back to his bedroom, only to find Niki standing in his way.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

“I'd like to know the same!” she said. “What is this? What are your plans?”

He blinked, surprised. “Didn't you read the letter?” he asked her.

“I mean, yeah, I did,” she said. “But that doesn't explain-”

“I'm runnin’.”

She stood there for a moment, considering. “Alright,” she said suddenly. “I mean, I get it. I would run, too.”

“So, if you'll excuse me?” He gestured to the bedroom.

“Alright,” she said again. “How many days are you packing for?”

“Ummm,” he replied. “I was thinking, like, three to five? However many I can fit.”

“What are you using?”

“Well, I was gonna use the suitcase, but that's a little obvious, you know? So I was thinkin’ a backpack.”

She nodded. “Good idea,” she said. “I'll go pack my own backpack.”

He stared at her, a little surprised. “Niki,” he said. “I … I can't let you do that. You have a life here, and friends, and-”

“And a twin brother that I'll spend that life wondering what happened to him?” she almost spat out. “Don't be ridiculous, Techno Blade. I'm coming with you.”

And it was selfish of him, he knew it was. But a big part of him was so glad he wasn't doing this alone.

“Ok, so how many days are we packing for?” Niki asked.

“Umm, my weekender bag, I can usually get, like, five days worth of clothes in there if I really cram them in. But we'll need space for other things, so I'm thinking three days?”

“We’ll also need to include toiletries like soap and shampoo,” she pointed out. “Where are we going?”

“I was thinking to another habitat,” Techno answered. “You know how people sometimes vacation in another habitat? I was thinking we'd pretend we were on vacation. Then just never leave.”

“Oh, good idea!” she said. “We can worry about exchange rates and stuff when we get there.”

Exchange rates. Each habitat had its own currency. He groaned. “We're going to lose so much money,” he said.

“We're going to need to get cash,” she continued, ignoring him. “And then … oh. We're going to need to figure out what to do about our chips.”

“What about them?” he asked.

“Well, they can track us with our chips,” she responded. “I think. Can they?”

“Ummm, I don't think that there's any sort of GPS or anything in the units, but let's search online.”

“Let me do it,” she said. “They may be watching you but there's no way they're watching me.”

“Good idea.”

A quick online search confirmed that, no, the microchips in their arms didn't have a tracking feature. But, like Techno suspected, they could be used to track someone based on when and where that person used their chip, for things like paying for purchases or even unlocking doors.

“Wait, you used incognito mode, right?” Techno asked.

“Oh, I didn't even think about that!” Niki responded. “I probably should have. I'll just wipe my search history real quick.”

“Good idea,” Techno agreed. Niki was probably not being watched, but it was better to be careful.

There was an ATM down the block, between the bookstore and a nicer pawn shop. Techno went up to it and scanned his chip. It brought his account up, and he chose “Cash Withdrawal”.

The ATM then beeped at him and brought up a notice he had never seen before.

We're sorry for the inconvenience, but cash withdrawals for this account is disabled. Please see a banker for more details.

There wasn't any need. He already knew the reason. Pulling out cash made it easier to run.

“Let me try,” Niki said, and logged him out, then scanned her own chip. However, when she chose to withdraw cash, the exact same notice came up.

Were they watching Niki, too?

“We're going to need to exchange it for the currency wherever we go, anyway,” he pointed out. “We’ll just withdraw in whatever habitat we go to.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” she said. Then looked at the pawn shop, and her eyes lit up. “Or we can use our accounts to buy something valuable, then pawn it when we get there?”

In the end, they decided to do a mixture of both, to keep their options open. And both twins made their way to the bus stop with a few extra pieces of jewelry in their packs.

The plan from this point was simple. Ride the bus to the habitat border. See what other habitats were available to visit, and decide then which to buy a ticket for. Lie through their teeth and say they were going for a vacation. Then decide their next steps when they got there.

They stepped onto the bus, scanned their chips, then headed for a seat. According to the bus’s schedule, they had about an hour of riding ahead of them. Both twins instinctively headed for the very back of the bus. In front of the row of seats along the back wall of the bus were two rows of three seats each, facing each other instead of the front of the bus. It was on one of these rows that they decided to sit, taking two seats and putting their packs in the third.

There were only a few other people on the bus, and no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. They whispered to each other, discussing the pros and cons of various other places close by.

Niki was sitting on the end and Techno was facing the front of the bus as he talked to her, so he was the first to realize something was wrong. They had only been on the bus for about 20 minutes when two men boarded. Both were wearing high end black suits with black shirts, and a tie so richly red it was almost black itself that probably cost the same as Techno's monthly rent. It only took a moment for Techno to realize that both men were vampires.

One leaned down to whisper something to the driver. The other, a bald vampire with a scar over his right eye, surveyed the bus. He found Techno and Niki almost immediately and walked back to sit on the row facing them. This vampire's demeanor was casual, crossing his ankle over his knee and sitting back. He didn't disguise the fact that he was looking right at them, but had an oddly gentle expression on his face.

The sound of air brakes engaging almost made Techno jump. Almost against his will, he turned his eyes away from the bald vampire to see that a second bus had pulled up behind them.

“Uh, folks, we have a, uh, bit of a situation,” the driver suddenly said over the loudspeaker. “Sorry for the inconvenience, but this bus is going to need to go back to the, uh, shop for repairs. If I can ask you to disembark? The bus behind us will continue along, uh, the same route. We should have only minor delays in our schedule.”

People were getting up and leaving without fuss. Techno quickly got up to join them and Niki was only a split second behind him, but-

“Not you two,” the bald vampire said, with a light hand on Techno's arm.

He was being gentle, but he didn't have to be. Techno knew what he was up against, knew what a fully mature vampire was capable of. If he didn't want them off the bus, they weren't getting off the bus.

He sat back down. Niki hesitated a couple seconds, but then did the same.

They waited in silence for the last customer to disembark, throwing a curious look their way. Last, the driver himself got off. The second vampire, the one who was standing up front, slid easily into the driver's seat and closed the door.

“First of all,” their vampire said as the bus pulled away from the curb, “I want you two to know that you are not in any trouble here. No one is upset, and no one is being punished.”

That was actually a relief. Techno felt himself relaxing, just a hair, and felt Niki beside him have the same reaction.

“So let's talk about what is going to happen,” he continued. “My friend Pac up there is going to drive this bus to your building, 2020 isn't it? Yes. You're going to go back upstairs, and you're going to enjoy the next week. We've contacted your employers, both of you, so you don't need to worry about going to work. Your sires have paid your bills, both of you. Just relax. Eat some good food. Take a long afternoon stroll through the park. Go to the cinema, or go bowling. Throw a going away party with your friends. Then, in seven days, you're going to be on time for your appointment at the Turning Center, and that's when your new life will begin.” He paused. “Do you have any questions for me?”

“Why?” Techno asked immediately. “We broke the law, or intended to at least. We ran. Why aren't we in any trouble?”

The vampire gave him a look that was even more soft and warm, if that was possible. “Because they all run,” he said. “It's part of your nature, as a human. Why would we punish you for that?”

“That doesn't make sense,” Techno insisted.

To his surprise, the vampire laughed. “Are you trying to be in trouble?” he asked. “Let me try it a different way: if you take a small child to the doctor and give them a shot, a vaccine, they will cry, won't they? They will ask, maybe even beg, not to have that shot. They may even try to push the doctor's hand away. And it's understandable! The shot is uncomfortable! And as far as we've come with numbing the site of injection, some of them are, frankly, painful, and there's nothing we can do about that. But would you ever punish the child for that?”

Techno could see where this was going. And he didn't like it. “But that child is still gettin' that shot,” he drawled.

The smile the vampire was giving them didn't dim at all, but it did become a little less warm. A little more predatory. “And you're still getting turned.”

So obviously using public transportation was a bust. Plan B was simply to walk it.

Ardcour was a domed city, although the “dome” part was a bit of a misnomer. It wasn't a perfect dome, as the city was big enough that if it was a perfect dome, it would be almost 5,000 blocks tall. Instead, the city was ringed by a wall of solid concrete about three blocks thick and five blocks tall, that then transitioned to a shallow bowl about 750 blocks at the tallest. It wasn't made from glass but rather some sort of super clear plastic, and it let most of the sunlight through while almost completely filtering UV radiation. While this meant that humans that spent all their time in the habitat needed to get their vitamin D from their diet, it also meant that skin cancer was extremely rare. It also meant that vampires could go out at any time, day or night, without threat of burning in the sun.

It also meant that climbing over the wall that surrounded the habitat was completely impossible. They would need to approach one of the Gates in the wall on foot.

They waited two days before leaving. While it was true that they were working with a time crunch, they hoped that waiting an extra day would make any vampires watching less alert.

“Wait,” Techno said as they exited the elevator. “What if they're watching our building?”

“True,” Niki agreed. “Let's go out the back entrance, that leads to the alleyway.”

“What I was thinking too,” Techno agreed. After all, that's where the building's dumpsters were located, so the only living beings back there tended to be the occasional sanitation robot.

Techno and Niki lived close to the center of the habitat, in the city proper. The high rises and cramped streets of downtown were ringed by less dense public housing and commercial spaces, and then that semi-urban area was surrounded by the suburbs.

They snuck through the alley behind their building, wrinkling their noses at the smell but not commenting on it in order to stay silent. It was late, around 2 AM, and there were very few lights back there, so they were able to effortlessly move from shadow to shadow.

They made it four blocks.

They were just about to step out of the alleyway and onto a street when Techno heard Niki gasp beside him. He had only a split second to wonder what had happened before something seized the back of his hoodie and was lifting him through the air.

“That's enough for now, I think,” a voice said behind them with a thick French accent.

Techno looked behind him to find a man with white, tightly curled hair, and with olive skin that looked almost green in the low light of the alleyway. He was wearing the same black suit and red tie as the vampires on the bus, and a domino mask. Because of the mask Techno couldn't see his eyes, but there was no question in his mind that the man was a vampire.

Techno expected the vampire to take them back into the alleyway, but that's not what happened. Instead, they walked forwards, out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk, out under the street lights. They were still in a residential area, fortunately, so the sidewalks weren't too busy. However, it made it painfully obvious that they were headed towards a single parked car, besides which stood a man with a stubbly beard, wearing a ragged poncho of some sort over his black suit and red tie. Techno had never seen a vampire look quite like the fabled monsters of yore.

“Antoine,” the vampire who was still holding them aloft spoke. “Ouvre la porte, s'il te plaît.”

The scraggly vampire opened the car door and all but launched Techno inside. He got the hint and scooted over, so that Niki could be deposited into the seat he had just vacated.

The vampire with the poncho got in the driver's seat as the white haired vampire closed the door and got in the passenger’s side.

“You had a good time out, I hope,” the vampire with the poncho said. He also had a strong French accent.

“Oh, you know how it is,” Techno said. “We decided we'd explore all the different sides of Ardcore before … before.” He couldn't say it.

Both vampires snickered. “I am Etoiles, this is Antoine,” the white haired vampire said. “We are taking you back home to your building.”

“How did you even find us?” Niki asked.

The vampires laughed again. “We have our ways,” the driver, Antoine apparently, said.

“Here,” Etoiles said suddenly, reaching around. Techno jumped, and he felt Niki do the same; however, the vampire was just handing something to Niki. She opened her palm and he placed something in it. “And here,” he said to Techno, who obediently gave him his own palm.

Inside was deposited a single wrapped caramel hard candy.

“Humans love candy,” Etoiles said. “Enjoy it, enjoy life! It will be different after you are turned.”

They waited three days, this time, to implement Plan C. The day before Techno was scheduled to be turned.

At some point it had occurred to Techno that there were CCTV cameras in the hallways of their building. Assuming that Techno's future sire had access to that feed – and that was almost a given – they could simply watch him leave with Niki and be alert.

So they changed it up. He and Niki left separately, then put on hoodies in the lobby before leaving. They then met up at a store several blocks away, to purchase two shovels.

It seemed to work. They made it past the suburbs and the small forest at the very edge before getting to the wall of the dome.

Over five blocks high. Three blocks thick. Those were just words until you were standing beside a block of solid rebar and concrete that was that massive.

“Wow,” Techno said out loud.

“Yeah,” Niki agreed.

Even if they could get over the concrete part, there was still the dome part. There was simply no way to go over, not without some serious property damage. And even if they were ok with that, Techno had no idea where to get the kind of equipment that would be needed to punch a hole through the dome at any part.

So, if they couldn't go over, they were going to go under.

They carefully chose a place that was a bit lower, so they wouldn't have as much to dig. Then they got to work.

And very quickly realized that they may have gotten themselves into more than they had initially thought.

It didn't take them long to get a quarter block or so deep. But the deeper they got, the harder it was to stand outside of the hole and dig. So they both hopped down, which brought a new issue: they were constantly in each other's way. They could either dig one at a time, or dig a hole that was twice as wide.

So Techno hopped out and rested while Niki took a turn. Then Niki hopped out while Techno dug.

And as Techno dug, as the hours passed, he began to have reservations. They grew, and turned into misgivings, which turned into uncertainty, until finally he jumped out of the hole and the yawning feeling in his chest turned to despair.

“Is it my turn to dig?” Niki asked, approaching.

“Don't bother,” he said. “Look. We've been digging for, what, four hours? And this is how far down we've gotten?”

The twins stood at the opening of the hole and looked down. It was a block and a half deep, maybe two blocks. But Techno remembered how tall it was compared to him when he was in it, and he swore it didn't cover his head.

“How …” Niki began, but then stopped to clear her throat. “How far down does the foundation go?”

“To support the weight of the dome?” Techno responded. “Three, four blocks.”

“We'll be here a week,” Niki said.

“Longer,” Techno said. “Even if we took turns and dug around the clock, even if we could manage that? We'd never make it.”

“Oh, good!” a voice said behind him. “You finally got it!”

Techno looked behind him to see a woman standing there, wearing the black suit and red tie combo that was really starting to give him PTSD or something. She had teal hair and fair skin, but that wasn't what caught Techno's attention.

What got his attention was the pair of teal and black wings attached to her shoulder blades.

Oh shit.

“Hey, no, it's ok,” the winged vampire said. “I'm Jaiden. This is Foolish.”

At first Techno thought she was saying that the situation was foolish, until another vampire stepped into their little clearing. This one had golden hair and bright emerald colored eyes, and was the most physically handsome person Techno thought he had ever seen. The man had a chiseled and shoulders that filled out his suit. He was also wearing what looked like a … a shark hoodie?

“Hey, guys!” the vampire in the shark hoodie – Foolish? – said. “Oh, wow, you got pretty deep! That's pretty impressive for two dudes with a shovel! Or, err, sorry, a dude and a lady? What's the feminine version of “dude” these days?”

“Just dude is fine,” Niki said, voice soft. Techno couldn't tell if it was with disbelief or fear. She was also keeping an eye on the winged vampire.

“Now that you guys are here, you can help,” Techno said. Covering up nervousness with humor was a habit that was going to get him in trouble one day.

Fortunately, both vampires laughed. “Your sire would have something to say about that,” Foolish said.

And that was a can of worms that Techno had been avoiding. The vampire who had claimed him, who planned to turn him, had a name and a face and a personality. Obviously. And somehow those had all come together to decide that Techno, specifically, was somehow worthy of spending forever with. But thinking about them past the abstract, past just “the vampire”, made it more real somehow.

“Who-?” he began, then hesitated. Did he really want to know? Yes, yes he did. “Who is my sire?” he asked finally. Because he really only knew one vampire. “Is it Tommy?”

Laughter. Mostly from Foolish, but some from Jaiden as well. “We can't tell you, but it's not Tommy,” Jaiden said.

“That guy doesn't have the rank to claim anyone,” Foolish said. Then paused. “Well, maybe,” he said. “The Angel is his Sire.”

Wait. Pause. What? “The Angel, the guy who owns Ardcour and runs this place, turned Tommy?”

“No, no, no,” Foolish said with a laugh. “The Angel is Tommy's Sire, not his sire.”

“You just said the same thing twice!”

“No,” Foolish said with a laugh. “A sire is the vampire that turned a fledgling. A Sire, short for Covensire, is the head of a coven. Listen: Sire and sire.”

It still sounded like the same word.

“Here, let me try,” Jaiden offered. “It's sire and Sire.”

“Bruh,” Techno said. “I'm starting to see why some humans prefer to live away from vampires.”

Both vampires laughed. “You're funny,” Foolish said. “I'm starting to see why the Angel claimed you.”

What? “What?” Techno said.

Foolish winced. “Whoops,” he said, and shot Jaiden a sheepish look.

Jaiden shot him a look right back. It was flat and Techno couldn't even begin to decipher what it meant, because his body decided to take this new information and process it by running.

It was stupid. So, so stupid. One of the vampires – Jaiden, judging by the hair color he could see out of the corner of his eyes – had him scooped up before he even got to the hole they had dug out. She carried him under the armpits, like a naughty puppy, until they were back where Niki and Foolish were standing.

The whole thing, from the time he ran to the time he was dropped back on his two feet, took roughly three seconds.

“Well that was fun,” Jaiden. She wasn't laughing any longer, but her ire seemed to still be on Foolish, not Techno. “Now, are you going to walk to the car on your own two feet, little fledgling? Or will I need to carry you the whole way?”