From Michael Stone's Journal:
"I have never attempted to write down anything. It was unnecessary before. It was, in fact, against the rules. Hunters are not allowed to have any written record of their activities, except for what reports they file at the headquarters of The Organization. Everything we do must be kept secret. The world is not ready for the truth of the existence of vampires.
At this point, however, I am writing this because I have to. There must be some record of the events that have occurred. And, as well, a record of the events that are about to occur. If I do not survive, then this will serve as a warning to everyone. Vampires are real. Know this truth. Believe this before they kill again.
As of today, I have no knowledge of the whereabouts of my wife, Anita. After killing Akuma, I returned to The Organization's headquarters near Rome with my tactical team intact. As I promised her before I left, I married Anita. My father, John Stone, walked her down the aisle of the six hundred year old cathedral. The ceremony was at sunset, and there were many, many people in attendance, both human and vampire. Perhaps, I believe now, there were too many of both kinds there.
It was the first, actual recorded marriage between human and vampire. But that was not what was unsettling. Because of the death of Akuma, and the resulting targeted locations of his "sleeper cells", the rogue, bloodthirsty vampires were on the decline. The others, the ones wishing for co-existence with humans, had allied themselves with The Organization, giving information and intelligence that was invaluable. And this was the reason our marriage was largely accepted. Or so I thought.
The unsettling aspect of the weekend came that night, after I had finished making love to Anita. As I lay there, her head resting on my chest, her raven black hair feathered across my arm, she told me. Anita was pregnant with my child. She spoke to me that night as if God Himself had caused her pregnancy. And well He may have. I was in shock, in awe, and the happiest man alive. I knew, from my studies, that there was an extremely rare occurrence when a human sperm fertilizes a vampiric ovum. The resulting offspring would be half-human, half-vampire. A dhampir was what they were called in the old texts. A half-breed, a hybrid, having all of the vampire's strengths and very few of their weaknesses.
We spent the rest of the night intertwined with each other's bodies. I have never made love to a woman the way I made love to her that night. And, I never will. Whatever the case, whether it was due to the aligning of the planets or Divine Intervention, Anita is pregnant with my child. And, for that reason, she is in unbelievable danger."
-Michael J. Stone, Rome, July, 2005
- - -
There were no lights on in the room. Just as well, for the sunlight outside managed to filter its way in through the blackened windows. Not enough sunlight to be harmful, but just enough to bathe the room in a pale gloom.
Anita should be sleeping. If only she could. Her days of slumber had been restless since John Stone and Yuri Pavelovich had spirited her away from the ruins of The Organization's headquarters near Rome. She did not know where she was. And, neither her father-in-law or the Russian would tell her.
Anita's psychic link with Michael was stronger than ever now. If Michael were captured, her whereabouts could be extracted from him. Or, so she was told. Anita knew that Michael Stone would never give away any information. His father, John Stone, thought as much also. However, they were taking no chances.
Food was not a problem. A supply of blood had been secured, in the form of pints from a blood repository. Where they got it from Anita could only guess. Perhaps they had it in-store before the headquarters were all but destroyed by the others.
The others, she thought. Such betrayal! How could they? After the promises had been made, oaths of allegiance swore! She knew the reason: they feared the birth of the child she carried. The birth of a human/vampire hybrid, a dhampir, would secure the alliance of vampires and humans. There would be no more reason to fear from either race. They could live openly, instead of in constant secrecy. She knew it was but her dream. The others did not share the vision. Instead, they preferred that humans kept to humans and vampires to vampires.
And now, she was here. Where ever 'here' was. And her beloved husband, Michael, was on the run. He had left as a diversion, given the belief they would follow him, believing she was with him. And she feared for him. The others were old, powerful vampires. She believed in him, yet she was not sure he could defeat them.
Anita lay back down on the bed, reaching under the covers. The reached beneath the sheer underwear she wore and touched herself. She remembered the night before he had left to destroy Akuma. She had been sitting quietly in sequestered chambers deep inside The Organization's headquarters. Michael came to her, his eyes twinkling, yet his face was a mask of determination.
